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Durham Smythe – November 16, 2020 Download PDF version

Monday, November 16, 2020

TE Durham Smythe

(I wanted to ask you how you felt the offense performed on Sunday. It seems like you guys are getting a lot of short fields from the defense that might skew your yards a bit. Take us behind how film study went today, and what went well and what didn’t?) – “I think the offense is playing pretty well, or played well yesterday, like you said. The last four or five weeks have been pretty interesting from the offensive side of the ball just because the defense and special teams are giving us a short field a lot of the time, which is obviously nothing to complain about. We put an emphasis yesterday on trying to be able to run the ball a little bit more efficiently, which I think we did. Tua (Tagovailoa) made some throws when we needed those too. I think overall we played pretty well. Obviously there are things to clean up in all phases and all facets; but for the most part, I think we’re trending in the right direction.”

(What has been working in the red zone for you guys recently? I noticed that all of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s touchdowns have come in the red zone, and the Dolphins have also done a really good job of getting you tight ends free for some plays in that area. What are some things that are really helping with you guys?) – “That’s a part of the field that we put a lot of emphasis on during the week. Whether it’s running the ball or play design like you kind of mentioned, that frees people up, I think we, over the last four of five weeks – really all season – we’ve had plays in our game plans that free people up. Like you saw me yesterday, there was no one within 10 to 15 yards of me. I think that’s a reflection of the offensive staff and the game plans they are putting together in the red zone, and us just going out there and realizing there is an emphasis on it and trying to execute.”

(When you heard that call come in, you knew obviously the ball was going to come your way, or if it didn’t, something went wrong. Did your eyes get big? Were you like, ‘Oh crap, I’m going to be 10 yards clear of the rest of the defense, I better not drop it?’) – “Obviously you love to hear the play call come in; but I always tell people that when you are that alone in the end zone, it is kind of lonely. You feel like the ball is in the air for 10-15 seconds. But there is definitely nothing to complain about in terms of an uncontested touchdown catch. I won’t complain about that.”

(WR Jakeem Grant has been telling us for five years that he is a Pro Bowl receiver. That’s halfway joking. Obviously he’s an extremely confident guy. But in the last couple of weeks, he’s really kind of shown me something. What have you noticed about his growth as a receiver?) – “I think for Jakeem, obviously first and foremost with the ball in his hands, he’s one of the most electric players in the NFL, whether it’s on special teams in any return game or getting the ball in space on offense. Once the ball is in his hands, anything can happen. I think for him, it’s just consistency and really getting opportunities. Over the last couple of weeks, he’s made the most of those opportunities in terms of the offensive side of the ball and on special teams. I think Jakeem has put a lot of work in, in terms of just being consistent and obviously he’s a very electric type of player. It’s always exciting to see him go kind of crazy with the ball and just watch him go. I’m happy for him and he’s been very consistent lately.”

(I wanted to ask you about a guy on the other side of the ball that maybe you see in practice quite a bit in DE Shaq Lawson. We see these social media post of him grinning and laughing during the game. I know Head Coach Brian Flores has a pretty serious focused mindset that he talks about how players who it’s important to are a key aspect of being Miami Dolphins. I’m wondering how Shaq has found a way to strike that balance of serious, and focused and just absolute class clown to make everybody laugh. How important is that to a football team?) – “It’s very important. I think this goes back to this staff, this regime, bringing in the right type of guys because I think you absolutely need a balance on a team in the NFL in terms of guys who are – I mean we all take obviously the game seriously, but guys who are almost always business and straight-forward, and then guys who bring some energy and some fun to it. Shaq is a huge energy producer for us, whether it’s pregame, in the locker room, at halftime on the field like you said with these pictures of him laughing and stuff. I think this staff has done a great job of bringing in the right people that mesh well together, personalities that mesh well and kind of feed off of each other. Like I said, Shaq is a huge spark for us in terms of energy, which has kind of showed up on the field, especially on the defensive side of the ball over the last couple of weeks.”

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