Durham Smythe – December 31, 2020
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Thursday, December 31, 2020
TE Durham Smythe
(I wanted to ask, did you know that you are a part of the most successful tight end unit in franchise history statistically? And what do you think about that?) – “I was unaware of that statistic until just now; but that’s cool to hear, for sure. Obviously I have a biased opinion, but I think we have one of the better tight end rooms in the NFL in terms of depth and across the board. It also helps when you have a guy like Mike (Gesicki) shouldering a lot of that production. That’s cool to hear.”
(On the note of statistics, you guys have rushed for 380 yards over the last two games combined. What can you personally do in the run game, and as a whole, do this week to continue that success in the ground game?) – “I think it’s just staying consistent with what we’re doing. It’s Week 17. We do what we do. Obviously there’s been an emphasis on improving the run game as the season’s gone on, and we’ve seen some results the past few weeks. Like I’ve mentioned before in previous sessions, it’s extremely important to be able to run the ball this time of year to win games against good teams. That’s something that we’ve emphasized and I think being consistent across the board is how we’ll be successful moving forward.”
(Back to the running game, the two guys that have really been a big part of the rushing yards are RB Myles Gaskin and RB Salvon Ahmed. I was curious, those guys coming from the same college and now being here in the pros together, what have you recognized about their relationship that maybe stands out to you a little bit?) – “That’s a really cool story, first and foremost, knowing that they were roommates or whatever it was back in UW. That’s a cool story to begin with. I think it’s just another level of the camaraderie of this team. I think all of these position groups are so close. They obviously have a history. It’s cool to see them support each other. When Myles was out for a few weeks, he was supporting Salvon when he was successful, and Salvon is doing the same thing when Myles has a big game. I think that’s just something that this team has that I don’t think is extremely commonplace across the league, the support within a position group.”
(It wasn’t too long ago that we got the news about QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s positive test result, that he won’t be available Sunday. I’d like to get your reaction to that, as well as your thoughts on how QB Tua Tagovailoa is going to do.) – “Yeah, with all of that happening today, you guys probably know more about it than I do, which is normally how these things go and when news breaks. I think everyone at that position is prepared across the board. Guys who haven’t seen action this year are prepared. They’ve been prepared all year in practice and such. I think we’ll be good moving forward and I think it’ll be a testament just to how these guys have worked all year and kind of stayed ready.”
(I wanted to ask you, you’ve been part of some Head Coach Adam Gase teams. You’ve been part of last year’s 5-11 team. What’s so different about what you guys have going now and that locker room? What’s the tangible difference?) – “I think the one thing that stands out about this team is just – like I’ve mentioned a few times – just how close it is, which is tough to do in a year like this because of obviously the unique circumstances. I haven’t been a part of a team thus far in the NFL that is this tight across the board. There’s support across the board. I think there’s a trust that you know other people are going to get their job done, so it kind of allows you to focus on your own. We’ve been growing all year. I think that will continue to happen. I think that’s the one, like you said, tangible thing that sticks out to me so far.”
(We saw QB Jake Rudock out at practice as one of the quarterbacks today. Obviously you know the offense as well as anyone; but from being around Jake some over the last couple of years, does he strike you as someone who is really cerebral as well and has a strong grasp of the offense?) – “Definitely. He’s one of those guys that picks up things really, really fast. He always has been that way, through my experiences with him over the last two years. Like I said earlier, he’s a guy that’s kind of stayed ready throughout this whole thing. Obviously he’s been on the roster, off the roster; but he’s stayed ready and obviously we have a lot of confidence in him to be able to come in and pick things up on a very short-term notice.”
(You guys have obviously made a lot of progress this season. How important is it for you guys to kind of finish the job and make the playoffs this week?) – “I mean it’s extremely important for us. We talk about finishing strong all year, dating back to virtual OTAs and training camp and things like that. When you have an opportunity in Week 17 to do just that, kind of the definition of the phrase ‘finish strong,’ I think it’s something that all of the guys are excited about. Obviously a situation where you can win a game and make the playoffs – there’s not a ton of playoff experience on this team and I think a lot of people are hungry to experience that. I think it’s just something that will get all of the guys excited. It’s something we’ve talked about for so long and there’s an obvious kind of reward there to be had.”
