Byron Jones – June 17, 2021
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Thursday, June 17, 2021
CB Byron Jones
(I know obviously CB Xavien Howard’s business is his business. You guys are friends and you don’t want to get into that. But do you personally he returns just because we know how good you guys can be as a combo together and that obviously makes your defense much better?) – “I would love to have him, of course; but like you said, it’s none of my business. But we had fun last year. We balled out. Obviously what he did was completely special and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before and those skills are – we love those skills in our defense. So yes, we’d love to have him back, of course.”
(I was curious, at this stage in your career, you’ve been around the block and you’ve seen a lot of stuff around the league; but what are you working on now? What’s the step that you’ve kind of identified for your game to go to the next level and how are you working to achieve that?) – “The dope thing about football is you really have to start from (step) one every single year. You’ve got to start with the fundamentals – breaking 90 degrees, 45 degrees, downhill, tracking the ball. For me, I’d love to work on my technique more and just be more of a technician and not rely just solely on my athleticism; and I’d also like to be more of a playmaker and get my head around and take more chances at the ball. Instead of batting them down, take those boys back to the house like ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) did last year. Those are the things that I’m working on; but like I said, you really have to build from the ground up every single year. That’s the fun part really.”
(If I could follow up, at game day or practice, I always seemed to notice you’re off to the side getting extra work whether it’s pre-practice or between series. I’m just wondering is that kind of like a routine-based thing for you? Is it kind of like drilling in those fundamentals and stuff? What do you get out of that?) – “Any chance I get, I try to work on something that I am lacking. In the game, I’m really trying to stay warm and stay ready because that first play coming out of a series, they can come at you for a 40-yard fade ball, so you want to be ready. But in practice, I’m working on small things so oftentimes I work with ‘Chuck’ (Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks) and we’re doing looking over the shoulder, catching the ball at the high point. We’ll just walk through some of the man coverages in terms of getting out of a break 45 degrees downhill, a 90-degree break. Just kind of slow things down, but allow yourself to work on the technique component of it.”
(You mentioned obviously about why you want to improve with ball hawking, playmaking. You were a good corner even before the interceptions, but did it feel good to get the two in December and I’d hate to use the term “monkey off your back,” but had you felt any pressure to get those first picks?) – “To be honest, no. I don’t know why. One thing I’ve prided myself on is just sticking to what I do best and trying to work on the things that I need help in. If it doesn’t come, great. Keep working. It’s just really that simple. Whether you get it or not, keep working. That’s always been my mindset in life; but yeah, it’s fun. You realize how important it is to the team and how important it is to the defense when you can give the ball back to the offense. I think each team maybe averages about 10 possessions a game. If you can take one or two of those away, that’s a big deal as we saw last year. So to be a part of that, yes, it’s exciting. It’s fun. Everyone’s slapping you on the head and on the butt, and you do your little dance on the sideline and whatnot; but yeah, it’s fun. I’ve just got to keep it moving.”
(I know it’s hard to gauge this just in OTAs, but with what the offense has added with WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Will Fuller V, you’re teammates with WR Albert Wilson for the first time since he opted out last year. The speed and elusiveness – how dangerous could that be from an offensive standpoint for you guys this year?) – “As I always tell my friends, they always ask ‘Hey, how’s it looking?’ I don’t know. On paper, everything looks great. It really takes an entire camp, those preseason games, guys who work together and guys who kind of gel and really carve out the position of the team and really make something happen to make something happen with the ball in their hands. You don’t really know what you’ve got until you’re out there battling against another team and we’re going to have plenty of opportunities this year. I think we’re practicing against a couple of teams and obviously we have the preseason games this year. We’ll some of our talent at that point. It’s really too early to say, really.”
(Early last season, we talked sometimes about being in a different scheme and trying to refine and perfect some different techniques than you would use previously. As the season moved along and in the latter parts of the season, what did you figure out in terms of how you could use this particular scheme and the techniques that are being asked of you to actually work to your advantage?) – “This team, obviously we play a lot of man and you’re going to have to play aggressively at the line of scrimmage. I think I learned that I can stay more square at the line of scrimmage and fight receivers a little bit longer than I’m used to. We want to make it hard for those guys because every team has an amazing receiver, a great quarterback and you’re going against some of the best in really the NFL when you’re going against the teams that we have. So we want to use that to our advantage. We’re long, we’re athletic corners, so that’s been a big lynchpin in our defense is being able to play effective man coverage and being aggressive at the line of scrimmage. So using the tools at my disposal and just being confident in it and just repping it over and over again so that when it comes to game day, it’s just second nature at that point.”
(And I have one unrelated question. How did OTAs and minicamp go from your perspective? Obviously there was a point in time where many teams and many players publicly stated that they weren’t planning to attend and then what changed and how did it go?) – “I think it went really well. I think the adjustments that ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) made in the offseason program were incredible. It speaks to the type of coach he is, but the type of man he is. Just the fact that he was willing to work with us and kind of describe out exactly what he wanted to get done and how he wanted to do it. He was very clear and transparent, and it was very valuable to have a coach like that to kind of break things down for us. But it was great to have the guys. I think most guys were kind of missing that interaction, just being together and being around each other and I think guys showed up. Guys were attentive. They took good notes. We had really good meetings, effective meetings and we’re out here working. We just got done with a conditioning test and it looked good out there.”
(Did you pass?) – “Of course, man. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you a question about kind of a theme the last week or so with Head Coach Brian Flores in his press conferences and he’s talked a little bit about the perspective that players can gain from playing multiple positions like a cornerback playing inside and having that benefit and also an offensive lineman. I’m wondering from your time in Dallas playing safety, how that has kind of helped you improve as a cornerback and just getting that multiple perspective on the defensive side of the ball?) – “Yeah, it’s very valuable. For example, Cover 2 – as a corner in Cover 2, I can be as aggressive as I want at the line of scrimmage because I do have an over-the-top safety; but there is a weak spot. It’s called the honey hole. And if you’ve never been a safety, you don’t really know how hard it is to get from the numbers all the way to the sideline when the quarterback throws that dart. So as a corner, I typically carry those honey hole shots a little bit longer than most corners because I just know what it feels like to be a safety, so just being a guy – I’ve been in this league for now seven years and I’ve played multiple positions – I try to help out my guys as much as I can. I try to take as much stress off the safeties and they try to do the same for me as a corner. I try to understand where my help is, so I play certain leverage – inside leverage, outside leverage – depending on where my help is, and you gain a better appreciation for the defense in its entirety when you actually understand and appreciate each position. It’s invaluable and that’s one thing that’s awesome about some of the young guys on our team because they’re so versatile and they’re playing different positions and learning those different perspectives, so that’s going to be valuable in the future and this year as well.”
(As the team’s highest-paid player there’s always obviously some expectations with performance and leadership that kind of comes with that title. How do you think you’ve done with that so far and how do you kind of deal with those expectations continuing to move forward?) – “I keep it very simple for myself. Whether I was a rookie, a second/third-year guy getting paid minimum or the guy who’s getting paid the most; you bring your A-game every single day. You really have to bring it and you really build from the ground up every single day, every single year. It doesn’t change. If I was the second-paid player, I’m not going to change the way I approach the game or how I prepare. As an older guy, I try to be the kind that the young guys come to for advice off the field, on the field. I try to be a leader for the young guys, that lynchpin in our defense and our offense just to be that communicator, that leader that we all need. For me, I keep it simple. I don’t overstress it, I don’t think much about it. I put a lot of work in this league and every day you kind of build from the ground up again whether you’re the highest, lowest, first-string, last-string; you build it from the ground up every single day.”
(How hard is it to have that mentality when money kind of plays a factor in the team aspect of everything? How hard is it to kind of have the mentality?) – “Honestly, that’s a good question. Obviously you saw (Jerome) Baker. He got a nice little contract. But nothing changes. It’s not like he changed today than he was last week. I think people on the outside looking in, they over-complicate it. We’re here playing football at the highest level, so we’re all trying to be the best versions of ourselves, whether the money is there or not. You try to stay healthy, you try to learn as much as you can; and it really doesn’t change once the money is involved. Just keep it simple for yourself. Let everyone else make it complicated.”
(Two questions ago, you referenced younger players. You yourself, you’re headed into Year 7 and you’ve seen a lot in the league. I wanted to ask you about CB Noah Igbinoghene. What’s it been like having him back here? Obviously his rookie season. Just having him back and have you noticed any strides he’s made? To us just seeing him at practice…) – “He’s an incredible talent. I think the way he’s approaching the game this year is going to be special. I think, to be honest as a rookie, he balled out in camp. I was really impressed with the way he performed and approached the game. He’s been consistent throughout the entire season in terms of the coaching. ‘Chuck’ (Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks) is not easy on anybody. He’s certainly not easy on the guys he knows the expectations are very high for. I think Noah did an incredible job of just being there, being attentive every single day, and learning and trying to put fourth what ‘Coach Chuck’ was wanting out of him. He’s doing the same thing this year. He’s comfortable, he understands the defense, he understands what it’s like to be in the National Football League. Of course that’s a learning process for everybody. Everyone kind of learns at a different pace. But I love the way Noah is approaching the game so far.”
(One last follow up, Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander’s presence in the group, it seems like every time we talk to him he’s very knowledgeable and no matter who he’s talking about, it sounds like he always knows his stuff. What has his impact on the group been?) – “He is awesome. He’s a really good teacher. That’s one thing that kind of undervalued. There are a lot of coaches that know their X’s and O’s, but he’s a really good teacher at breaking things down very simply for us to understand in a short amount of time. He’s a guy whose played at a high level, so you can relate to him. He’s a guy that can laugh and joke with the guys and he’s very funny and keeps things lighthearted; but he understands how important the game is and we feel that when he speaks to us. He’s very clear with his expectations of what he wants out of us as players. Having really this entire coaching staff – we have a lot of good coaches who are working their ass off to put us in the best position and he’s definitely one of those guys in there.”
(In the past, we’ve talked to you about your activism in terms of getting people out to vote and register to vote. It occurs to me that we’re kind of entering a dead period now where everybody has some time on their hands. What’s on your radar screen? Is there any special cause or concern you have off the field that might take up your time now?) – “This time is very football focused. In July, you’re trying to build the runway to glide into camp and really excel and build the season from there. I think one thing that’s great about the Miami Dolphins is the work that we do off the field continues throughout the year. We just had a social impact committee meeting three days ago, strategizing on what directions we want to take throughout the season and how much work we want to do throughout the season because our time is very valuable and we want to use our time very effectively. We meet about that stuff beforehand instead of waiting for the season gets here. We’re coming up with some really dope plans that we can do and get the guys involved and making it easier for everybody. The only thing on our plate is just executing. We have the ideas, we have what we talked about and we’re putting things in motion; but it’s the execution that’s the most important thing, especially when time is limited. We have a couple things on the way.”
(Do you want to drop any hints at what the main focal point might be?) – “I think for me, it’s just going into classrooms. Hopefully this year we can actually go into classrooms and talk to the kids and hopefully see my face and see that I’m more than just a football player and they understand that life is bigger than just the sports and entertainment world. There is an incredible lifestyle that you can live outside of those realms. I speak to kids often and they always talk about wanting to be a football player and a basketball player and that’s great; but they don’t know that at the Miami Dolphins, we have a front office. We have a communications directors, we have marketing and sponsorships. You can strive to be those positions and also be around the football and the game of ball; but not necessarily being a player itself. I just want to shed light on that. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s what I’m looking forward to most – just getting in front of the kids and kind of sharing with them and expanding their world view, really.”
(You described your play and you described your teammates. I know it’s only been OTAs and one minicamp, but heading into training camp, how would you describe this defense right now?) – “I have no clue. I have no clue. Like I said, it takes a while to kind of gel together as a team, to really figure out, ‘Ok, we’ve got some guys,’ or ‘We need some work here and there.’ But on paper, I think we have a special team. Really. But it comes down to the coaching, the systems, the players stepping up, the players studying and taking care of their body. That just take time. I would be BSing you if I gave you answer right now. I really don’t want to do that right now. Give it some time. We have a couple of weeks in camp. We’ll have some preseason games. We’ll see exactly what we look like very soon.”
