Chris Grier – February 27, 2019
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019
General Manager Chris Grier
(You and Head Coach Brian Flores have talked about being aligned and having to work your way up and earning everything that you have. Is it fair to say that you want players in that same acumen?) – “Yeah, I think you always look for players that have had some sort of adversity in their lives. It could be the smallest thing but it also shows a little bit of their character and how they’ve worked to overcome things. There’s little backstories on players at the Combine here that you like hearing. Like I’ve said, those are some of the traits we really liked about Brian (Flores). He’s just earned everything from being an intern running to get coffee every day to being part of one of the greatest defensive performances in the Super Bowl. Now he’s the head coach of our organization.”
(What are some examples of the life experiences that you are looking for? Is it hardship growing up, hardship in school, coming back from injury and things like that?) – “Yeah, because this is a hard league. There’s been examples of players in the past that have never had any adversity. They’ve been … whether it’s the five-star player from a white picket fence (home) and an ideal life and then they come to the league and they struggle and they don’t know how to deal with that. I’m not saying that every player should have that but it does help paint a picture and it gives you an idea of whether the guy has that makeup to overcome the challenges he’s going to deal with in the NFL.”
(There’s been a lot of talk that this roster is going to have a pretty big makeover this offseason and essentially if you are a veteran on a big contract, you might be in trouble. What do you see the roster of 2019 looking like? Is it going to be young guys? Is it going to be cheap guys? What do you see?) – “I would say everything is – to take Brian (Flores’) words – on the table. We’ve made some decisions but we still have a couple of weeks to go. I wouldn’t say anybody is definitely going to be cut or not going to be here, etc. The coaching staff has only been in the building for two and a half weeks. They’ve grinded and worked hard to learn the roster. We’ve had great meetings with the coaches about future plans and we’re very close, but we’re still having a lot of discussions that still need to be had over the next couple of weeks.”
(There’s a lot of attention that’s going to be at quarterback. When do you anticipate making that decision on QB Ryan Tannehill and what’s next for you guys?) – “I think we had a really good talk last weekend, just trying to figure that out. The coaches have done a great job. (Offensive Coordinator Chad) O’Shea has been really good and (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks) Coach (Jim) Caldwell, and have talked with Brian (Flores) and I. We’re getting there. Once we make the decision, organizational-wise, we’ll move forward.”
(Where do things stand with CB Xavien Howard and are you confident that he’ll be on your roster in 2019?) – “Yes, I’m very confident that he’ll be there. Xavien has been in the building. He’s coming back, working out and getting in shape again after the Pro Bowl. We don’t really call that working out. (laughter) He’s doing good. We’ve been hanging out around him. He wants to be a Miami Dolphin and we want him to be a Dolphin.”
(Have you had any discussions with T Ja’Wuan James’ camp?) – “No, not yet. Ja’Wuan just got married last weekend as some of you guys know. We’ll probably engage him at some point here after the Combine because at this point, he’s getting married and there’s so much going on in his mind, so we just said we’d meet after the Combine.”
(How would you describe the level of interest in possibly having T Ja’Wuan James return?) – “We drafted him here and he’s a good, young player. We’d like to have him here and we’ll see what the market (is) and what he’s looking for, as well.”
(How important would T Ja’Wuan James be as an anchor for the offensive line, especially at that right tackle position?) – “It’s one less box you have to check going out. At the end of the day, the organization will do what’s best for the Dolphins. He’s a good guy, he’s worked hard, he’s been here and is a good teammate, so we’ll see what happens.”
(There has been talk that you guys might not want to win this season. Can you tell me on the record what the intention is? Is it to make the playoffs?) – “(laughter) I think everyone kind of took (Owner) Steve (Ross’) words the first press conference out of context. You’ve been around Steve. He is a volatile, very competitive person. We’re not trying to lose games. We’re going to do what’s best. We’re going to build and, like we talked about, building the right (way) and going through the process to do what’s best for the Dolphins. No, we’re not trying to tank or lose every game; but we’re going to build it right and see how it plays out.”
(Does it irritate you to hear that talk out there or do you just kind of let it go?) – “You have to let it go. I don’t see how you could ask 53 guys to put their body on the line to lose games.”
(The idea is for the top draft pick.) – “Right, but Steve (Ross) kind of clarified that when we introduced Brian (Flores). You’ve talked about the type of players we want: tough guys, competitive guys. It’s kind of hard to say you want that and then say ‘reign it back for a year and just go lay down.’ We’ll see how it goes.”
(What impressed you the most about Brian Flores in the interview process?) – “Just the person. Take away the football part, which, he’s a really coach – but it’s the person. Like I said, our paths never crossed in terms of being at New England at the (same) time because I was gone and he came in after. It was just a lot of the coaches I knew there and personnel staff, all talked and kept saying ‘You have to meet Brian and really talk to him football-wise.’ We knew each other a little bit just in the scouting world, but he hadn’t been in (scouting) in 10-plus years. He came in, was very organized, detailed and personable. He knew facts about everyone there who was on the interview process with us. His level of detail and getting to know him and as you’ve been around him, you can feel his presence, his leadership, how people respond to him and how he treats people. I thought it was just exactly what we needed.”
(He obviously comes from a very successful organization and that’s the only one he’s been in, so do you want him to try to replicate some things that went well in New England? How much do you want to embrace what they did in New England?) – “I think I want Brian to be Brian. Whatever he feels works, we’re all on board for that. It’s bringing in good people from everywhere, like Jim Caldwell bringing some stuff from Indy. For the personnel side, having (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen and (Senior Personnel Executive) Reggie McKenzie come in, (they bring) new ideas. For me and for Brian as well, it’s just hiring good people that are really good at their jobs and just taking those ideas, and whatever works best for the organization, we’ll do.”
(I know it’s early in the week, but what can you say about this quarterback class? A lot of people are looking towards next year as a better one, but what do you think about this one?) – “When people start ranking classes now before anyone has sat down and talked to guys, it’s kind of hard to do because everyone knows that the mental part of the game, especially for the quarterbacks, plays a huge part. Until anyone sits down and talks to those players and gets to see how they learn football, how they process information, how they’re going to be in the locker room, what kind of leadership they bring, you can’t really say because the intangibles are what make people great. We see a lot of guys come through the league with big arms and they can make every throw but if they’re not wired right upstairs, they’re not going to make it. I don’t make any judgments on any classes until we really sit down and get to know the players first.”
(Is that that much more important for that position?) – “It is. The way defenses are, you have to process things quicker, make quick decisions, know where to go with the ball, so it is. It’s a huge part. I think that’s the real reason you see a lot of talented players that don’t quite live up to maybe their draft billing in terms of the quarterback position.”
(What’s your interest in bringing DE Cameron Wake back?) – “Right now with the roster and Brian, we’re going through everything. He’s been a Dolphin and he’s been a tremendous player for us, so we’ll see where that is right now and we’ll have conversations with him and his agent probably soon.”
(What is your specific QB philosophy as far as evaluating them and how closely do you follow Bill Parcells’ mentality and his strict guidelines per se?) – “The Bill model in terms of a two-and a-half or three-year starter, that does have a lot (of weight) because you want guys that have had the game reps and game experience; but the way the game is now, a lot of these guys are one-and-done where they sat their freshman year and something happened and they became like a one-year starter or something. I think you have to take it on a case-by-case basis with each player. The big thing right now is the intelligence and the leadership stuff. I think that’s really important because obviously all of these guys can throw. People want to say guys have big arms and whatever, but the guys that ‘don’t have great arms’ become good players in this league. What separates them is the mental makeup.”
