Clyde Christensen – June 6, 2017
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(You’re obviously focusing on your side of the ball but when you watch tape or even watch OTAs live, who on defense have you noticed has been disruptive against your unit? Do any couple of names come to mind?) – “(Lawrence) Timmons has. He has a presence in there that he just whacks anything that moves across his face. He’s been an adjustment and certainly turned some heads – literally turned some heads – on the crossing routes. I think secondary-wise, those safeties are making more plays. ‘22’ (T.J. McDonald) is a great addition. He’s made a couple of huge plays in the end zone. He made a pick in the end zone. So those guys have jumped out at me as being … It’s hard to judge the line because you don’t have pads on; but those skill guys, I just think they’re faster and they’re making more plays. They’ve been impressive.”
(If TE Julius Thomas is healthy, what can he add to the offense?) – “If Julius Thomas is healthy and we catch some breaks, he can be and has been a 10-touchdown guy. That’s a big number. He can be that. The thing I’d tell you about Julius that’s been most impressive to me is what a pro he is. I happened to have dinner with him when he came on his (visit) and that’s a thing that jumped out. I left the restaurant going ‘This guy’s a pro.’ For a guy who has played as little football as he had, just he’s a pro – how he approaches the game, how he sees things, how he critiques himself, how he sees himself. He’s a rare pro. He’s been huge. I think he’s been huge in our locker room; he’s been huge in our meetings. I think way beyond whatever he does on the football field – which I think will be big things if he can stay healthy – I really think his presence has been enormous.”
(It sounds like TE Julius Thomas has a high football IQ.) – “High football IQ but just some guys know when and where to do certain things. Just how he approaches it, how he takes notes, the questions he asks, how he sees himself – taking responsibility. If he screws it up, he screws it up. That’s important for a young team, like we are, to see a guy who’s played great Pro Bowl football and then all of a sudden he’s hard on himself. He critiques himself hard. He doesn’t make excuses. I think that’s going to be as much as … Before he ever catches his first official pass, he’s going to have contributed a ton to this place.”
(Is there a specific area that we can look at with WR DeVante Parker’s game this season where he has improved?) – “There’s actually a lot of them; but if I said one, it’d be consistency. He’s run fast every day where last year it was kind of up and down. One day you’d think you had a Hall of Famer and the next you weren’t sure if he was going to make it to the game. Just his health and staying consistent. I think his routine and how fast he’s played has been really, really different from last year. Last year, the reason was injuries; but it was still a hard target. If you’re a quarterback and you’re trying to build an offense and you’re trying to get your game plan together and you’re building it that he’s full go and then all of a sudden he’s not (there) or he doesn’t practice Wednesday, all of those things. So he’s been there (at practice), he’s been consistent and he’s been really fast. So that’s good news for Dolphins fans and Dolphins coaches. That’s good news.”
(Your early impressions of the G/T Laremy Tunsil and DE Charles Harris matchup?) – “It’s hard to say in shorts but the great thing, and I saw it for a lot of years up there (in Indianapolis) with (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis, but the better guys you go against and the more snaps you get against those guys, you make each other better. That’s happening more and more. We have more and more corners versus wide outs. That’s really important because you get so few days in pads. When we come in training camp, that thing will be a bloody matchup. It’ll make them both better. That’s what you need to get yourself ready for playoff games in December and the regular season. It doesn’t do anyone any good not to get a look that tests you and puts you on your heels a little bit. The best is yet to come in that matchup. I think that will be really good in the fall, especially when we get those pads on.”
(If C Mike Pouncey is not going to get a lot of playing time in the preseason and maybe inconsistent practice time, how do you envision preparing him for the start of the season and then for games, week to week?) – “I think both of those things are probably a given. It’s going to be minimal. The good news is he’s such a pro. The good news is even now in the meetings, even though he’s not practicing, he’s got his bike out there, he hears the calls, he sees the calls, he gets the scripts (and) he’s in the meetings. He’s been really, really good in the meetings. Then I do believe this, you just have to play some or you’re not game ready. So I do think we’ll have to just pick our spots. You have to get him some reps, you have to get his conditioning up (and) you have to get his hitting level up. We’ll just have to pick some short bursts and be smart with it, which (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase will be, and just have him ready for opening day, which is the goal. The good news with him is the mental part won’t be a challenge to him, where it would be to a lot of people. He’ll be on that stuff. We just have to pick our spots and make sure we play his way into shape where all of a sudden he can play 60 minutes when he hasn’t done it for quite a while. I think that’ll be the challenge.”
(QB Matt Moore was humble about it but obviously looking at how he played last year, he proved he could start in this league. How many teams do you think he could start for and how much of a luxury is it to have him?) – “A huge luxury. (He’s) very important (and) why the organization went after him last year and why he makes a good living. There are so few of them. They’re hard. You may not use them. We learned it the hard way at Indy that you don’t need them until you need them. It doesn’t catch up with you until it catches up with you, and then it’s too late. He was what we thought. He played extremely well. He got us into the playoffs. That could have been a disaster. That’s where you’ve seen a lot of teams and all of a sudden their guy goes down and you lose five straight (even though) you were right there with a playoff opportunity and you don’t get it. That was really big for us. I think the team has confidence in him. You know him. I’d say the same thing as I said about Julius (Thomas): What he brings to this building is bigger than even what you see on TV or on Sundays. He’s important. He’s important for Ryan (Tannehill), he’s important for (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase, he’s important for our locker room. He really just has it. I do think we … All of a sudden, without many reps, (he) comes in and slings it around and (he) won some huge games. He wins games in the rain, he wins games throwing touchdowns on Cover Zero. All of the things that all of a sudden if you had a lesser backup, they just don’t do. That stuff comes up and it’s hard to do. I’m really glad we have him. I do think he could start for 5-10 teams. Sure. Given the right circumstances, he could start for an awful lot of teams. We think of him as a starter, that we don’t miss a beat when he goes in there. I do think we have a starter mentality about him. He’s fun to watch. You went into the Pittsburgh (AFC Wild Card playoff) game and you thought you had a chance in that thing. We just have to play better; but he was exceptional last year.”
(Considering how emotional you are, what do you think of the new celebration rules?) – “I can’t keep up with it. I know this, (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and I have our biggest arguments over those. I’m probably the old conservative guy. ‘We don’t need penalties.’ And (Gase) is ‘Hey, cut it loose and we’ll make up for it somewhere else.’ (laughter) We probably have our biggest arguments on penalties and celebration penalties, taunting and swagger and all of those things. I’m probably old school. ‘I don’t know, maybe we can cut those babies down just a little bit and still have our edge.’ Hopefully we can get both. I don’t know. I don’t want it to be a big deal. I want it to be a fun game. I enjoy the game. I enjoy celebrating with the best of them. You don’t want it to be obnoxious; somewhere in the middle. I hope they’ll get it right and we’ll move on. It shouldn’t be a factor. We shouldn’t be talking about that. That’s how I see it.”
(Speaking of Head Coach Adam Gase, he said he thinks RB Jay Ajayi can get 350 carries this season. How do you balance using him as a bell cow to get the most production, but at the same time keeping him fresh, keeping him healthy for 16 games?) – “Good question. He may be the most improved guy out there this offseason. He has really been impressive. It’s really hard to believe that I’ve only been here a year – we’ve only been here a year – and to think back a year ago what things were and Jay Ajayi being one of them. We’re going, ‘We’re not sure if we’ve got a starting running back. We’re not sure if we have a Pro Bowler or if we have any.’ We weren’t sure. No one knew. He looks like a pro. He just looks like a pro. His body looks like a pro, how he carries himself, how he handles himself, how he works, how he practices – he’s a different guy from a year ago. I do think that. Hearing Gase say 350 carries, we’re going to have to increase his medication right there if he’s going to hand him … That’s a lot of runs. (laughter) We’ll see. All kidding aside, I think he can. I do think that’s what the good teams (do). The good teams don’t care how they win. If we run the ball and we load it on his back, and there will be some games where I really think those three receivers that we got can be a really special threesome. That’s when you get good. That’s when you got something when you’re equally happy winning the game either way. And a lot of it (is) off of how someone plays us. We drew some great looks. We ran into some hard looks, but we drew some great throwing looks last year where we made some big plays. If we can get DeVante (Parker) going … Kenny Stills is having a great offseason. He has continued to climb and take his game to a new level. If those things take place in combination, that’s what you’re looking for. That’s what we’re looking for. I do think he could carry it. He’s a big guy. He’s a physical guy. I was really impressed with him last year taking the beating he took, really, for the first time ever playing a 17-game season. He kept going and stayed strong. I kept looking for him to flinch and shy up from some hits, and he keeps going. I don’t have any doubt he could go 350 carries. I do think that it’s … The big thing is you want him running fresh in December. Where are those 350 … It’s how you distribute them is the important thing, not that total number as much as where they’re distributed and build them up, build them up and then all of a sudden he can be romping when you hit December and hopefully January football, and then you got something, which he did last year. We got to get more snaps. I’ve said that to you guys 100 times. The biggest thing for us isn’t the number of carries, it’s the number of snaps, being better on third down, being better on the turnovers, making sure we get more snaps. That’s where his 350 carries will come in. It won’t come from a higher percentage (of) called runs as much (as) it’ll come from instead of having 900-and-some snaps, having 1,100-and-some snaps. Now you got 200 more snaps to get spread around, which he grabs his share of them running the football and then we got something.”
(I think it was in yesterday’s practice I saw QB Ryan Tannehill scramble and sprint and run with the knee brace towards the left sideline. I was thinking that probably made you smile. How important is it going to be for Ryan to continue his success to have mobility by the time the season comes?) – “Really important. In every offseason study we did this year, the good offense is (when) the quarterback moves around in the pocket, pulls it down and runs. Even (Tom) Brady picks the right time to do it. Not necessarily all athletic quarterbacks, but guys who have a knack for when to run, how to run, when not to run. I think it’s really important for us to call – every once in a while – having a quarterback keep. (It) keeps them off balance a little bit. It’s huge for us. That’s really important. As Matt (Moore) and everyone has said, it has been a no-factor. I don’t even remember talking about his injury. It has been a no-factor. We haven’t cut his reps whatsoever. We haven’t done anything special with him. I think he caught a heck of a break and a blessing, that he didn’t have to have surgery. That has been good. It’s a no-factor, really. It hasn’t been discussed.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill being the same as always and you encouraging him to run when needed, is he ready to slide? Does he have to practice that with the brace?) – “I do think you have to learn to slide with that thing. I’ve been around some ugly sliders; some good quarterbacks who were ugly sliders. It is a learn thing. All of a sudden that thing catches and contorts you around. I do think there is a knack to it. I do think it’ll be a, ‘Let’s make sure he’s healthy first, and then we’ll worry about practicing that.’ But there will be a point in training camp and I think preseason where you do address it and make sure … You don’t go overboard. I don’t know that we’ll send him up to the Yankees or anything, perfect it that far. (laughter) But it is a funny deal, because that thing kind of sticks out and it protrudes and all of a sudden catches and flips you at bad angles and stuff. It is a factor, and you do have to do it. It’s kind of one of those things where you start on the turf, which is an even surface, and then you do it a little bit on grass and then you just go down the road and you don’t want it to be a factor; but you do have to address it.”
(Going back to WR DeVante Parker and some the matchups here during camp, it looks like he and CB Xavien Howard have a little…?) – “They all have. We’ve had a lot of fun. There has been some good competition. It has really been good, healthy all across the board. Bobby McCain … There has been some good junk-talking. It has really been good-natured, but competitive. Competitive, not combative is how I like to say it, which is really good. Guys get better doing that. It makes you play faster. They make you make tighter throws – all those things. Not sure they haven’t got the best of us. They’ve really done a good job so far (on defense), but its great work for us. It’s really, really good work for us. They’ve been really … They’ve challenged us a bunch. That matchup has been good. Receivers, they’ll tell you they haven’t been covered this camp, but there has been some guys awful close to them. But it’s all good. It’s healthy. It’s healthy for us. If we can’t play against tight coverage … That’s one thing, with the way we run the football, you just get so much man coverage and single high and tight coverage that if we can make people pay when that happens, now all of a sudden (it’s) where you have to mix some double safety stuff in and give us some better run looks and some lighter boxes and some of those things. Then you got a little something going and have some fun.”
(How’s that guard situation going to play out?) – “I think we’re going to end up deep again. I think we’re even better prepared. It’ll be the silver lining of (Mike) Pouncey’s thing is that we’re rotating a lot of guys through there. The rookie (Isaac Asiata) is still in the learning phase, but I think that he can keep getting better (and) can get into the mix. We’ve got a pool of guys there that I think we’re going to end up being pretty darn deep. We’ll have more experience and more depth than last year at this time, again. Then you get the injection, the shot, the shot of getting Pouncey right back in – and all those guys have had some quality reps under their belt – I think it can really end up being a heck of a situation for us when we get to opening day.”
(Going back to the number of snaps that you addressed a few minutes ago, when you look at last season and how the offense performed, you did really well on yards per play, and yet in terms of number of snaps per game and in terms of getting points out of those snaps, not as well. What are you focusing on to balance that out for next year?) – “I think the glaring thing is third down and I think penalties. You can’t stop drives. We tease about it, but it is hard to come back from first-and-25, first-and-20, end up being third-and-14. That’s a low percentage way to play football. I do think it’s probably third down and cutting the penalties down – the penalties in the red zone. Almost everything we did as far as studying the offense this offseason went back to, ‘We did some good things. We just didn’t have enough drives in the red zone,’ or, ‘We didn’t have enough snaps,’ or, ‘We didn’t have enough carries.’ If you multiplied them out to a decent number of snaps, they all multiplied out where you were probably better than what we thought we were. But they didn’t. We didn’t get those snaps, so it wasn’t good enough. I think that is … Those are the two things that jump out at me are the turnovers in critical games, third down throughout the season, penalties. We can’t get stupid penalties and put ourselves in … And have to get lucky to keep drives going. You can’t stop drives with a penalty. (It’s the) same thing (with) field position and all those things. The penalties stopping drives, they’re hard to overcome. You get a holding call, you jump offsides – all those things, those are crushers. It’s hard not to do it (and) get 10 yards in three downs. All of a sudden you make it 20 yards and two downs or 14 yards and one down. Now all of a sudden, it’s uphill. It puts too much stress on everybody, and that’s where something snaps in those big games it did on us.”
