Braxton Berrios – March 22, 2023
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023
WR Braxton Berrios
(I wanted to ask you about spending the last couple of years in Mike LaFleur’s offense and how that translates to coming down here and playing for Coach McDaniel who spent so much time with Mike in his career.) – “Yeah, obviously, there’s similarities there. I really haven’t dived fully into all of that yet, but obviously coming from in a very similar system, it should be a quick learning curve.”
(As you come back, I wanted to ask you what’s your favorite memory of playing at Hard Rock Stadium? Or even just at UM? Would it be the 2017 Notre Dame game where you set the tone early with that first touchdown and the celebration?) – “Yeah, it would – at Hard Rock – it would have to be the 2017 Notre Dame game. College Game Day, they were No. 3, we were No. 7. And obviously 41-8 kind of speaks for itself. But there’s nothing like that stadium when it gets rocking.”
(And also I wanted to ask you, I know you’re from Raleigh, but you grew up with connections to Miami through your father. This is even before attending UM. So can you explain that whole dynamic again for everyone getting reacquainted with you down here?) – “Yeah, of course. So my dad’s from Miami. My grandfather was originally born in Puerto Rico, so my whole dad’s side of the family is from Miami. And so he met my mom in North Carolina, so I was born there and raised there. But I grew up a Hurricanes fan and I grew up with Dolphins fan as well. And so that was really my only dream to go play for the U and then obviously, to play for the Dolphins.”
(So beyond just returning to South Florida, what else was appealing to you about this team, coming here? And was Miami something you instantly started thinking about as an option when you parted ways with the Jets?) – “You know how this league is and you never, I mean, you don’t know anything. And to start running yourself through hypotheticals is a never-ending hamster wheel. So, no, it wasn’t an immediate ‘oh, we should do this.’ It was kind of a ‘let’s see where the chips fall.’ And obviously, we play. We’re very familiar. We play each other twice a year and obviously I monitor our division more closely than any others just because of that. And obviously Miami has done a lot recently, even dating back to last year as far as just building a culture and building a team of guys who get the job done and do it the right way. So obviously when this became a reality, or an option to be a reality, the more I thought about it, the more attractive it got, and obviously, I’m very excited to be here.”
(Obviously you’ve been among the league leaders in punt returns and kick returns in recent years. Not everybody likes to do it. Not everybody wants to do it. How would you describe your approach to it?) – “I guess I take a lot of pride in it. You’re right. It’s absolutely not for everybody and if you do do it, you have to be fully committed to doing it. And I think that I’ve been one of the best in the league at it and obviously want to get back to that top spot across the board at it. But I think you might have to have maybe a screw loose or two, to do it and to really enjoy it. (laughter) I don’t think there’s anything like it and like I said, I take a lot of pride in it because it truly is a third of the game and it can swing a game just like any other interception, touchdown or what have you. So, yeah, there’s a huge sense of pride in it and I think after talking to the coaching staff as well, the special teams coordinator; there’s going to be a lot of pride in it this year and I’m really excited to help that.”
(And then from a receiving perspective, how do you think your skill set can potentially complement what Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle do?) – “They’re incredible across the board. Obviously, there’s no pigeonhole for either one of those guys. They’re truly one of the best wide receiver duos in the league and I can’t wait to get in that room and just watch and learn from them and hear how they see the game or how they see the route against this coverage and all the variations. So obviously I’m down to do whatever whenever and I’ve always been that way and maybe, you know, if they take the top off, I’ll work across the middle or I’ll work outside. I’ll really do whatever it takes to win.”
(I wanted to pick your brain on the Dolphin secondary from two perspectives – first as a teammate and looking at the potential of those guys changing the game, and then as a receiver and what they could possibly do and how as a receiver, you could I guess be effective against them?) – “First and foremost, it’s exciting coming into a team with incredible DBs and an incredible defensive backfield. Obviously you have so much experience back there with those guys and now being able to go to work with them every single day. You’re going to lose some. You’re going to win some, too, but you’re going to lose some and you’re going to learn a lot. I’m a big fan of competition and iron sharpening iron and I think that’s what I’m looking forward to the most – just being able to get on that field and seeing what works and what doesn’t against some of the top DBs in the world on a daily basis.”
(I’m curious what has been your impression of QB Tua Tagovailoa watching him from afar, watching the Dolphins from afar, over the past few years?) – “Honestly, I’ve been very impressed. Obviously he’s dealt with a lot of adversity and it seems that he steps up to the plate every single time and he seems like an absolute warrior, kind of just like we got in my guy Mike White here recently. So I’m really excited to get with him and start learning how he sees the game from his mouth and not just from film and just get on the same page as him. But I really, I’m excited to play for him.”
(You mentioned being a lifelong Dolphins fan and being a shifty slot receiver and punt returner. We’ve had a few good ones of those are in the past. One of those guys is your new receivers coach. I’m curious Wes Welker, OJ McDuffie, like what do you think of when you think of Dolphins return specialists and slot receivers?) – “Really, yeah, those guys. Obviously I’m absolutely thrilled to be in the same room as Coach Welker now, I guess. I don’t think I’ve earned the right to call him ‘Wes’ yet. But just being able to pick his brain and to see, hearing what he sees, and kind of the same thing as Tua. Just learning how they see their offense being ran. Obviously they’ve been in it now for a year and so they’ll help me get up to speed on it and the details and the intricacies because that’s what this league is. It’s a very detail-oriented league and if you’re not on those details, mistakes happen. So it’s really cool to be there with Coach Welker and one of the best to ever do it, and really just be able to pick his brain every single day.”
(You mentioned Jets QB Mike White there in your answer about Tua. I want to know a little bit more about what he’s like in the huddle, on the sidelines and just as a quarterback of the team.) – “He’s a great guy. He was one of my best friends on New York and obviously that’ll carry over. And he’s the same way. I mean, he’s an absolute competitor, an absolute warrior, a guy you want to go to war with, you want in your dog hole. I think he brings a lot of competitive nature with him wherever he goes and like I complimented Tua about, I think those two are going to rub off on each other in the best way and really just make each other better, but I’m very excited to have him over here.”
(And also coming over to the Dolphins but on defense is CB Jalen Ramsey. He had some things to say about beating up on UM in his college days at his introductory press conference here. What do you remember about him then from the years in common you had in the rivalry?) – “I bet he did. That’s a Florida State Seminole for you. (laughter) I’ll give it to him. When he was there – going into my senior year, we were 0-3 against them. My senior year we righted the ship and honestly have been on a roll ever since I believe, actually. Except for this year. But yeah, obviously he’s a phenomenal player and I know we went up against each other I think just one year actually. They beat us late in Hard Rock (Stadium) actually, but yeah, that’ll be an ongoing battle there between Miami and FSU.”
(When you studied film growing up primarily the slot positions, who were some of the guys that you studied and why?) – “I didn’t necessarily study slots. I studied receivers across the board just because I think you can take pieces from everybody and whether it’s a release, whether it’s the top of the route, high pointing the ball, whatever it is. I studied receivers as a whole, but obviously the ones that stick out are Wes Welker or Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola. And I think Tyler Lockett as well is one of those guys that I really don’t think gets the respect that he deserves because he’s been incredible for such a long time now. But yeah, those guys are the ones really that stick out. And you go back and try to figure out how they dominated the league for such a long time and part of it is athletic ability, part of it is their own twist to it and you realize that there’s no one secret formula. Wes ran routes different than Julian who ran them different than Tyler and everything across the board. So yeah, those are the ones I mainly watched in regards to slots, but I tried to take pieces from everybody.”
(So now you’re going to be teammates with LB Jaelan Phillips. Have you had interactions with him over the years whether about representing the U or just what it’s like with the Dolphins since he’s been here a couple of years now?) – “Yeah, absolutely. That’s one of the best parts about going to Miami. It’s a brotherhood. So obviously after every game, we go up to each other and talk. I saw him in the airport actually about a year ago and talked for a while and then now since this happened, we’ve been communicating more closely. But the same thing. He’s such a competitor that I’m excited to share a field with.”
(Considering WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill like to actually play in that slot position, how important is it for you to sort of diversify and establish yourself as not just a slot?) – “Oh, no, absolutely and I don’t think of myself in that way at all. Like I alluded to earlier, I’m whenever, whatever. And that’s something that I’ve tried to (work on) a ton in the offseason is work outside obviously as well as inside and the backfield. And again, wherever they need me, wherever there’s a place, wherever there’s an opportunity, I’m fully in on it.”
