Brennan Scarlett – March 22, 2021
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Monday, March 22, 2021
LB Brennan Scarlett
(What was your free agency process like and what led you to wanting to join the Dolphins?) – “I appreciate the welcome and I’m happy to be here. Free agency, it was my first time going through it. It was an interesting process, not truly knowing where I was going to land and dealing with the stresses that go along with that process; but I really just took it all in. I leaned on my agent and my support group to help me stay in the right direction. At the end of the day, Miami is a great historic franchise. There is a huge opportunity here as it pertains to winning football games. The coaching staff – talking with ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores), I really respect what they are doing. So at the end of the day, that’s what led me here to Miami.”
(I’m curious, when you have those conversations with Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier, was your role in 2021 discussed and how did they envision using you this year?) – “We didn’t get into particulars about the role. Just knowing that whatever it was going to be, it’s a role that’s going to have to be earned, which I respect and I look forward to. At the end of the day, the coaches have a job and all I can go out there and do is compete, show my stuff and let them kind of plug me in as they see fit. So I’m looking forward to that.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on being united with LB Benardrick McKinney and what kind of player are the Dolphins getting both in you and McKinney?) – “Yeah, I appreciate it. ‘B-Mack’ that’s a great guy, a good friend of mine and a great teammate to have out on the football field. The biggest thing about ‘B-Mack’ is that he loves the game of football. He’s passionate to be out there on the field and I think that’s one of the most important pieces to playing with somebody is somebody who wants to be out there and loves to be out there. That’s really what I’m looking forward to. I would say that I share those same values. I look forward to competing every day and at the end of the day, I look forward to winning football games because that’s really what we’re out here to do. I would say that’s what they got here in the two of us is two guys that love to compete and love to play the game of football.”
(Can you take us through how 2020 was for you? I know you were a little banged up and might not have been what you were hoping for. Do you think that the player that was there in 2019 is going to be there for us in 2021?) – “Yeah, I’ll play to the best of my abilities for sure. A lot of stuff obviously happened in 2020, but I’m excited to look forward to 2021 and being here as a part of the Miami Dolphins organization and everything that we’ve got coming down the road. I’m really excited about where it’s headed and I’m looking forward to 2021.”
(I want to ask you a little bit about your college career. The Cal/Stanford thing doesn’t normally go together but you made it happen. If you could describe what that was like; and also I read that you had some interesting choice in major with engineering. What did you have in mind to do with that as maybe a post-football career?) – “Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I did the Cal/Stanford thing. It doesn’t really happen like that; but for me, it was just the best path. Cal was a great university, a great football program; but after I graduated – like you said with a business degree after four years there – it was time to move on. Stanford was an opportunity there. I had to go about 45 minutes south and was lucky enough to pursue my masters degree, as you said, in engineering there; and really play a physical brand of football and be a part of a winning culture at that time. We won a Rose Bowl, which I’m proud of. Yeah, concerning the degrees, just education is important to me. I love to challenge myself in every area of life and Stanford did that for sure. (laughter) But I got through it.”
(Correct me if I’m wrong, but you played at Cal with Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark. I wanted to ask you what kind of player was he and how weird is it that he’s now one of your coaches on the defensive staff?) – “You talk about a player with some grit – ‘AC’ (Austin Clark). ‘AC’ had some grit. Just again, another guy that loves to play the game. I could tell back then how passionate he was about the ins and outs of the game, the fundamentals and the intangible things that it takes to be a great football player. ‘AC’ had all of those things. I’m not surprised he’s sitting in the seat that he’s sitting in now. I’m really excited to work with him again and really pursue this thing together once again. ‘AC,’ he was the Honey Badger. That’s what we called him back then. There was Tyrann Mathieu and then there was Austin Clark. (laughter)”
(I don’t want to bring up old stuff, but a couple of you guys from the Texans joined the Dolphins here. It seems like everybody is happy to leave that situation for a new one. Can you just speak to that, I guess what this new opportunity holds for you guys after having some frustrating years in Houston?) – “Yeah, for sure. The Miami Dolphins organization has a great history, a history of winning, a historic organization that’s been around for a lot of years. It’s one that I’ve always respected growing up and always looked to. I’m really excited to be a part of that story, looking forward to the 2021 season and everything that that could possibly be. I’m excited to be a part of it and get out there and compete, win some football games and have some fun. I think for me, that’s really what I’m excited about being here.”
