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Benito Jones – March 18, 2024 Download PDF version

Monday, March 18, 2024

DT Benito Jones

(How different of a player, in what ways, would you say you are since you last left South Florida?) – “I think I grew a lot. Just going out and being with another organization and seeing how they play. Just getting familiar with different systems. I think I’ve been through a lot and just learning more football.”

(I wanted to ask you about dealing with expectations. I know in Detroit they weren’t that high at the start of the season, but it seemed like as the season progressed, the expectations got higher for that Lions team. Did you feel that? Was there a heaviness about it? Was it on your mind late in the year? Was it on your mind in the playoffs?) – “Nah, not really. What Coach (Dan) Campbell had pretty much preached to us was we’re going to go out and play hard every Sunday. We’re not going to worry about what the media says, how we are, what the Lions used to be and all of that kind of stuff. We just went out every Sunday and took it week by week. We had a pretty good season and went to the NFC Championship.”

(Dan Campbell is a very affable players’ coach. Mike McDaniel is regarded as the same way. How much did Mike McDaniel influence you to coming to the Miami Dolphins? Have you had any interactions with him to this point?) – “I haven’t had a lot of interactions with him yet. I just stepped in. But they’re both players’ coaches. They’re some good guys that you’ll want to run through a wall for. I wouldn’t mind playing for either team but just right now, I’m coming back with the Dolphins. Mike is a great coach and I’d love to play for him.”

(What are your memories from your previous stint in Miami and what made it an appealing place to return in your free agency?) – “This is the place that I (started). I wasn’t drafted here. I was undrafted here. Austin Clark stood out to me. He knew some of the coaches that I knew from college and just got me here. I learned a lot from him. My memories here were I made my first tackle here. That was something we’d always talk about. He’d always say he would coach me here at some point someday. We just never knew I would be coming back this year. Just coming back here where it all started, that’s great for me.”

(You mentioned Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark. What were the impressions he left you with just as far as him as a coach?) – “Great coach. He’s going to give you every tool you need to be on the field with. He’s never going to leave you without whatever. I’ve got a lot of love for that guy. He’s a great coach.”

(You’ve gone from backing up DT Christian Wilkins to now replacing him. I’m just curious your thoughts on what it will take to fill the void left by a really good player?) – “Those are some pretty big shoes (to fill) because he’s leaving. You just got to come in and set the bar how he had it. Christian is a heck of a player. When I first came in, he kind of took me under his wing as a young guy. I never saw myself kind of replacing him on the field. People always want to play with him or play beside him. I’m happy for him going to Las Vegas.”

(You became a full-time starter last year for the first time in your career. How big of a goal is that for you in 2024 with the Dolphins, to remain that status?) – “It’s a big role just to come in. You know that you just go to work. There isn’t nothing given to you. You’ve just got to come in and go to work in OTAs and training camp, and pretty much fight for a job.”

(I wanted to ask about your alignment. Do you see yourself strictly at nose or do you feel versatile on the line? Three technique? Stuff like that?) – “It’s basically wherever they want me. I’m never going to sit here and say I’m just a nose guard or here or there. I’ll play both if I have to.”

(I’m doing something on physicality and toughness. How does that apply in the NFL? How important is it to reset the line of scrimmage each play? Where does that physicality come into play? How does that help you win games, do you think?) – “Physicality is going to play a lot. It’s football. It’s a contact sport. Nobody is going to just let you put your hands on them. It breaks up a lot of separation on the line. The lowest man wins. The best hand placement wins. That’s pretty much how it goes.”

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