Bradley Chubb – November 2, 2023
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Thursday, November 2, 2023
LB Bradley Chubb
(Opening Statement) – “Before the first question, today marks a year, my first time back with the Miami Dolphins team. This time last year, I had a lot of emotions going, a lot of everything going, and I just want to, right now, I just once again, thank Mr. Ross and his family, Mr. Garfinkel and his family, Mr. Grier, Coach Mike (McDaniel). Changed my life, man, and I’m glad to be here. I’m glad to be here with this team, and I’m thankful to be here in Germany with you guys. Wouldn’t have got this opportunity if this time last year wasn’t around. Still a little emotional part of my journey, but at the end of the day, man, I’m right where I need to be. God has a plan for me and my family, and it’s right here in Germany right now. I’m taking the fullest advantage of it, and I appreciate y’all out here. Any questions?”
(If I recall, that same time last year, you were just coming back from London playing a game overseas. What’s it like now, a year later, sort of the flip, now with the Dolphins, you’re going overseas to Germany and the team not making a trade deadline move so no other player has to sort of do that kind of travel schedule at the same time?) – “Any time you get a chance to expand the game that I’ve been playing since I was six years old, a game that I love, a game that I put my heart into, any time you’ve got the chance to share that with a different group of people, different culture, no matter where it is, it’s a blessing. It’s a huge opportunity. Last year in London was fun, I had a good time. But this year in Germany, I’m with a special group of guys, and we’ve got an opportunity to do something real special. So it makes the experience that much better, that much sweeter. God has been working. Last year we had a week in L.A. (Los Angeles) and I saw a lot of guys – I’m not going to say like we weren’t prepared, but a lot of guys kind of took that as a vacation opportunity and we weren’t the best us that Sunday. Full circle, a year later from now, we’ve just taken full advantage of the opportunity, whether it’s recovering as much as we can, whether it’s hitting the practice field as hard as we can, everybody is bought in, everybody is locked in and it’s a beautiful thing to see. Like I said, on the international part of it, it’s just fun being able to expand the game, like I said, and be out here in a great country.”
(You lead the team in sacks. Can you just share some of your experiences of playing against some of the top quarterbacks and I guess some of the running backs in the league this year so far?) – “Any time you step foot on that field healthy, it’s a blessing. It’s been a blessing, and it’s been one of those things, man, I just try to be the best me each and every week. I feel like in the start of the season, I was kind of not really living in the moment, trying to do this and that and be the superhero because I’m the guy they paid or whatever it may be. Over these past couple of weeks, I’ve just been locking in on my teammates and on what I’ve got to do personally to be the best me, because at the end of day I’m just a small piece in this big puzzle. Each day I approach, I’m going to make sure I do my job the best, make sure I do this the best, make sure I bring guys along with me with energy, with anything it may be. It’s been working out the past couple of weeks. Being able to go against some of the top, like you said, (running) backs and quarterbacks in the league, it’s been a fun experience, especially when you see yourself starting to have success, because it just lets you know you’re here for a reason. We’ve been playing, like you said, a lot of great quarterbacks, and we’ve got a great quarterback and a great offense coming up this week as well. So just trying to continue the process of it, continue the mindset and all that and just try not to think of it as, ‘Oh, we’re playing these guys,’ you know what I mean? Just taking it week by week, day by day and letting the play do its talking.”
(How do you think a trip like this does for the team as a unit, the camaraderie and things like that?) – “It brings us together a lot man. Like I said, last year in L.A. (Los Angeles) when we were out there for a week, I felt like we kind of missed some of that. The guys hung out with each other, but it wasn’t that team, that close. So being able to do it again this year and seeing the transformation of us as a team from then to now and just to see how guys are bought in, bought into each other, bought into just everything Coach (Mike McDaniel) is preaching, it’s been fun to see. I feel like we’re going to be a better team leaving Germany, for sure.”
(You heard WR Tyreek Hill talk about he didn’t want to touch the Swiftie thing. You’ve got guys like CB Jalen Ramsey back there and S Jevon Holland that are going to have to be dealing with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Do you feel for them and the wrath they might take from some of these Swifties if they do their job the way they’re supposed to?) – “I mean, yeah, man. But at the end of the day, we’re going to be happy that they’re doing their job. I don’t want to say nothing about the Swifties, but we could care less about what they think. Just got to make sure – I know those boys are going to do their job and we’ve got to do our job to help them out.”
(I was going to say, to do your job is getting after Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, obviously. That’s the key to stopping this offense, is that the way you feel?) – “For sure. Like Tyreek (Hill) said, 87 (Travis Kelce) is a huge part of that. But when you’ve got a guy like Patrick Mahomes, he’s all-world for a reason. He has the perfect feel for the game. He knows when the rush is coming. He knows when the DB is lacking off or anything like that. So it’s not going to be an easy task at all, in no way shape or form, but we’ve got a lot of guys on this defense that play hard, that play together, and I feel like if we continue to do that, we should have success. But that’s just me talking – we’ve got to out there Sunday and actually do it, actually prove it, actually set our standard on that field out here in Germany. It’s going to be a great challenge. I’m excited about it. Like I said, just to see where this team is at a whole year from now, I feel like we’re in a way better position to play these types of games, to play – Alec (Ingold) alluded to it – those mentally tough games, because everybody has to come out here and redo your whole routine and stuff like that. Just guys being bought in, and I feel like it’s going to take us exactly where we need to be.”
(The Frankfurt Stadium is supposed to be the loudest stadium in Germany. What kind of atmosphere do you expect on Sunday?) – “A huge one. I know those fans are going to kind of be cheering for both sides. I hope that’s the plan, that’s how it kind of was in London last year. It was loud the whole game. The energy was there the whole game, and I know these fans out here are going to bring the same energy, the same love for the game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, I’m excited for it.”
(I’ve been asking a lot of your teammates and coaches about playing against Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio earlier today said it kind of starts with not allowing him to run, not allowing him to escape the pocket. Is that something that’s easier said than done, though?) – “Way easier said than done. Because like I said, he has such a great feel for the game that you could keep them in the pocket, but he’s going to find a little sliver or whatever it may be. It’s not going to be an easy task, but that’s the goal. We might not do it every play. We might not do it half the plays. But at the end of the day, that’s the goal to keep him in that pocket. And even if we don’t, I know the guys on the back end are going to do their jobs to hold up, to reroute, to plaster and all that type of stuff. It’s more about team defense and not so much getting caught up in, ‘Oh, if he escapes the pocket, it’s going to hurt us,’ because he’s going to do that. He’s one of the best for a reason, so he’s going to do that. He’s going to be in those positions to make plays, we’ve just got to be in better position.”
(What’s the challenge of keeping QB Patrick Mahomes contained and not over-pursuing and not trying to chase after a sack and rather just staying in your zone?) – “The challenge, especially up front, is you always want to win on your first move. Like, ‘Ooh, I beat that dude clean. I got a sack.’ You always want that to happen, but the challenge is not getting frustrated in not winning in your first move. Yeah, your first move might come clean, but he’s going to step up and boom, the tackle is going to be right there. You’ve got to work it again to get past him that time and (Patrick) Mahomes might be right there, the quarterback might be on the other side, you never know. So that’s the challenge of just not knowing exactly where he’s going to be, but like I said, we’ve got guys that play hard that get after not only the quarterback, but the running backs, the receivers. If we play that team defense like I know we can and I know we will, it’s going to be good for us.”
(You seem to be very reflective, speaking and feeling very blessed. You’re going to be a part of history this weekend playing the first ever game in Frankfurt. How do you feel about that and how far do you think NFL international can go?) – “The sky is the limit, man. Hopefully in the future, we see something crazy like a division over here or something and teams have got to travel over here every year to be able to play in front of these great fans. But yeah, like I said, the sky is the limit. And what was the first question you asked? I’m sorry.”
(How do you feel about being a part of history?) – “Being a part of history – like I said, I wouldn’t be in this position now if it wasn’t for this time last year. So when you look at the grand scheme of things, it’s just God putting me in this position, God putting me in the right position, the one he wants me to be in. If that entails making history, then that’s what it is. I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, this is history.’ I’ll just go out there and do my thing and look back on it like, ‘Man, we really did something special.’ So that’s the goal and going to keep fighting each and every day this week to make sure that we’re on the right side of history. But yeah, like I said, it’s a blessing to be here.”
