Christian Wilkins – October 3, 2022
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Monday, October 3, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(As the team’s player rep, the NFLPA player rep, what has your reaction been to how your teammate’s been handled over the past week in terms of his return to the game against the Bills and what the process was like throughout the week from there?) – “As the rep obviously, I understand that rules and protocols and things and such are put into place to protect the players. So essentially how things are handled, how things are dealt with; it’s up to the whole process and how everything’s supposed to go. I’m in no place to comment on the rules or how the protocols – those are all voted on by players or those are all talked about amongst the PA (players association) and NFL.”
(I’ll ask you this, are you confident with the level of care that you receive from the Miami Dolphins?) – “Oh, absolutely, yeah. We’ve got a great training staff. We’ve got great coaches, people who care about the players on this team, and our health and safety, our personal lives, all that stuff. This is our home away from home, so we’ve got a lot of people who care and it’s bigger than just football around here and winning games.”
(What was your reaction to seeing QB Tua Tagovailoa go down on Thursday, that moment…?) – “That’s obviously tough to see and tough to deal with, but we all had each other’s back. We all had Tua’s back and just wishing him well. A lot of guys were praying for him and things like that, obviously. He’s better now, so we’re all happy for that and that he’s feeling better and that he’s himself and he’s around here. He’s being himself and Tua and bringing great energy. So that’s obviously the most important thing.”
(Did the players association, I guess reach out to you guys or reach out to you specifically in regards to the neurotrauma consultant they terminated?) – “There’s conversations I had obviously as the rep, but I’m not going to get into exactly what was said on those phone calls or those conversations or anything like that.”
(Do you feel like maybe not just QB Tua Tagovailoa specifically, but do you feel like the players as a whole, maybe feel like something failed here in this situation?) – “Again, like I said earlier, there’s a process to how things need to be handled and need to be done, and there’s protocols in place for a reason – to protect the players.”
(Can you talk a little bit about – I know recently you had a fine with Josh Allen in the groin area. Can you explain your side of the story?) – “I’m not going to necessarily get into what goes on throughout the course of the game, what goes on in piles, this, that and the third. I’m not going to get into that. I don’t necessarily agree with what’s being accused of me and how things went down and how things were handled from that standpoint. So there’s obviously a process that goes there, an appeal process and everything, which I fully wish to take advantage of.”
(You plan to appeal, correct?) – “That’s my plan. Yes.”
(When a quarterback goes down, obviously, how does it change the mood of the team? How is it that next man up mentality, knowing that your QB will be out at least one game?) – “Yeah, obviously, Tua (Tagovailoa) is a heck of a player. He’s a big part of our team and obviously a great leader and a great teammate. But fortunately for us, we have a lot of great players, a lot of good teammates. So just other guys got to step up, other guys got to do their job, and we’ll be just fine from that standpoint. We’re definitely going to have to come together as a team and just do our jobs, do what we do. It’s the next man up mentality and just handle our business.”
(You’re involved obviously with what it takes to bring the quarterback down and how hectic it can be. How did you see the play in which QB Tua Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday night? Was it illegal in your eyes?) – “I mean, there was no flag or anything thrown or anything like that. And again, things happen fast. It’s tough because obviously my quarterback, my teammate got hurt from that. But also as a d-lineman, I understand it’s tough. Things happen fast. You’re trying to make a play, so it’s tough. It’s a tough call either way.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the first quarter of the season, roughly a quarter. Defensively the numbers aren’t that great, but you guys have managed to make some plays. What are your thoughts on the defense through four games?) – “I definitely think you’re never satisfied as a defense and we’re always looking to get better each and every day. So even if we had the best defense in the league right now and stopped them on every drive, did everything we were supposed to do, you’re still not satisfied. So we’re always striving to be our best and the best. So that’s really the goal each day, each week, and we’re going to continue to make those strides.”
(I know you’re on the defensive side of the ball but what have maybe seen from QB Teddy Bridgewater when he went into the game and what are you seeing from him like today and…?) – “I’ve seen from Teddy (Bridgewater) what I’ve seen all training camp, all season really, which is just a guy who loves to play. He’s a really good teammate, a competitor. And he was able to do some good things. So yeah, I’m excited for him moving forward and we’ve all got his back as he does what he needs to do.”
(How was College GameDay?) – “Oh, it was a lot of fun. That was cool. It was cool to go back to my alma mater and be a part of that and get my picks in. I really didn’t care about any of the other picks other than the one that mattered most and that was that my Tigers got the win.”
(DE Emmanuel Ogbah was obviously very happy with Oklahoma State pick. Have you talked to CB Xavien Howard about Baylor?) – “Yeah, I talked to both those guys about it. We joked about it. It was funny. (Emmanuel) Ogbah was like, ‘yeah, you’re smart guy. Good pick.’ And you know, ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) just laughed it off.”
(Can you talk a little bit about maybe the Jets and what do you see from them and your plan to attack Jets QB Zach Wilson) – “The Jets, they do some really good things. They made some improvements on their offensive line. They did a couple of things there. They’ve got really good skills. They present a good challenge for us. They beat Pittsburgh. They came back. They’re battle-tested. They came back against the Browns. So they’re a good team. We’re going to have to be ready for whatever they throw at us and the things they got on offense.”
