Ben Johnson – May 31, 2018
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Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson
(What you’ve seen from WR DeVante Parker, is there anything significantly different from past offseasons?) – “I know (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has already mentioned his maturity level improving and I think that’s been evident from really the end of last season. I don’t know if there’s been many guys that’ve spent more time in the building than him, whether it’s getting his health right, in the training room, in the weight room, even watching film. To me, it’s been a different guy this offseason. He understands the urgency and how important this year is.”
(Is there any way that you guys teach him or work with him about playing through injuries?) – “Yes, no doubt. I think he turned the corner a little bit two years ago at Baltimore. That game he fought through … He was in a lot of pain that game and I think he understood, ‘Hey, that’s what it’s going to take to play in this league.’ It’s going to be game in and game out, but he has to perform. We’re going to get nicked up. That’s just the nature of the beast. For him, it’s just the understanding, ‘Hey, I’ve got to live with that and I still got to perform regardless.’”
(It really fell apart for him late last year. Not a lot of production, he lost a couple interceptions. What happened?) – “There were a lot of things that went on last year. I’ll be honest with you, we’re just looking forward. That chapter is past. We really didn’t watch a ton of cutups from last year. We’re pushing right ahead right now. We’re thinking about 2018 Dolphins right now.”
(But you had to examine some of those things to figure out how to move forward?) – “Yes, absolutely. We did as a coaching staff.”
(What was it that you want to drive forward with WR DeVante Parker?) – “With DeVante individually it’s just that whole understanding that, ‘I’ve got to fight through injuries.’ And the biggest thing for him is we were making these giant claims about him last year. For us right now, it’s one day at a time. It’s a one day at a time mentality. We’re just trying to improve from yesterday. That’s all it is. We’ll keep stacking good days on top of each other and that’s how we’re going to keep improving.”
(When you heard that WR Danny Amendola might be a possibility here, what was your first reaction?) – “I was fired up. You really can’t put enough value on what he brings from that whole mindset. I know you guys were here last week and you saw how he reacted to a few of those plays. In our minds, it’s not just practice, it’s not just through OTAs. It’s more than that, and that is a great example … We don’t want throwing helmets, no; but at the same time, that’s the passion, that’s what it takes for us to get to a championship level. If somebody is saying, ‘Hey, it’s just practice.’ No, no, no. I’m going to tell you, they’re not winning many championships like that. So, what he brought to the table last week, it’s already paying dividends for the rest of the guys.”
(Are there any limitations to what WR Danny Amendola can do at age 32 or do you see him as the same receiver as always?) – “Haven’t seen any difference right now. Nothing. Not a thing.”
(Has anything stuck out to you in the early time you’ve been with WR Albert Wilson?) – “When we looked at Albert on film, we were intrigued, obviously with the speed. We were intrigued with the run-after-catch ability. I think all of that has been there. It’s been impressive to me to see him come in, pick up this system and learn these fundamentals that he wasn’t really doing the same thing in Kansas City. He’s really done a nice job the past two weeks. It’s really triggered us to say he’s not limited in the slot, he’s not limited outside. He can line up in the backfield. He can do so many different things for us. His versatility is really, really showing up.”
(Regarding WR Kenny Stills, is he your best all-around receiver? I’m not asking if he’s the number 1, but I know WR Danny Amendola is here.) – “I think every one of those guys brings something a little bit different to the table. In regards to Kenny, he’s probably been our most explosive receiver over the past few years. He has certain strengths that the other guys don’t have, and the same thing, he’s got weaknesses that the other guys, it’s their strength. I think they play off and they complement each other really, really well.”
(How is WR Kenny Stills as an all-around receiver, all three levels and everything like that?) – “We’re addressing some of the things that he needs to work on. Obviously, I already talked about the explosive production is there; but at the same time, we addressed and we’ve already watched enough film on him from the past few years, that we know where he needs to improve. He knows where he needs to improve, and that’s a focus on him every day at practice is those areas, special highlights there.”
(WR Jakeem Grant, we saw some really good games from him last year. Anything you guys can extrapolate from those last few games that could be more a long-term, more permanent part?) – “I think he ended up having … We had some nice packages for him at the end of last year and it certainly helped us out offensively to get the ball moving and explosive plays. He’s the same guy. He’s just trying to get better every single day right now. I think we’ll continue to include him going into next season as well.”
