Elandon Roberts – May 17, 2021
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Monday, May 17, 2021
LB Elandon Roberts
(I’m asking about your recovery because that’s kind of the most important thing from our standpoint. How do you feel now? What has the rehab process been like for you? What’s the toughest part of this whole process?) – “It’s been cool. I’m just taking it one day at a time and stuff like that.”
(What was it like when the Dolphins offered an opportunity to bring you back, even though you’re not completely healthy? Were you thankful? Did you feel like you wanted to explore what was possible when you could get healthier and do a work out?) – “I think me and the Dolphins, we knew that we definitely wanted to be a part of the family, and we made it happen.”
(Did you need surgery on your injury?) – “Eh. What you may call surgery, I may call a sprained ankle. (laughter)”
(Which was it? Was it surgery or a sprained ankle? Those are two totally different things.) – “Nah, I had surgery.”
(How’s the recovery going?) – “It’s going good.”
(What’s one thing you’ve probably learned about yourself so far during this recovery process? How have you kind of kept upbeat during the whole thing?) – “This is my first time really being hurt. It tests your mental because I’ve never really had an injury. But at the end of the day, just me and how I grew up, it’s really nothing like – I’ve been going through adversity my whole life. It’s just another bump in the road. But it’s really not a bump to me. I just laid the pavement.”
(When you kind of get to that moment where you realize, “okay,” you kind of have your sorrows and then you realize you’ve got to work towards getting better again, what is that feeling of inspiration like to you?) – “I really haven’t even had that moment.”
(My question was about kind of starting out of the gates faster this year. I know that you’ve played with Head Coach Brian Flores before and this is your second year here with him in Miami. Starting 1-3 last year, you guys finished strong. Do you think there’s something to having so many new pieces in the defense in general, that made you guys kind of start slower? And do you think you can make that transition this year to start faster?) – “A lot of things went on last year. You don’t make excuses for anything but you’ve got to be realistic to what every team in the NFL went through last year. You’ve got some teams with a fast start that had a bad ending and you’ve got some teams with a slow start that had a rise in the middle and stuff like that. So you’ve seen it kind of across the NFL. I think with it kind of going back to some kind of normal (from) COVID and stuff like that, that teams will be able to not start slow like they did last year. I’m not just speaking for us; I’m speaking for the whole NFL.”
(Just personally for yourself, do you feel like your second year here in Miami, with this staff and with this team, might make it a little bit easier in the offseason to get ready for the season ahead?) – “Yeah. I have (already done) that meeting everybody, shaking everybody’s hands and trying to learn this person and that person, and stuff like that. It should be smooth. I’m comfortable with it. I think as a vet, you just adapt and do your thing.”
(By my count, there are currently 13 players on the Dolphins and Patriots who used to wear the other uniform. So given that you open against the Patriots this year, what’s that going to be like?) – “Another day on the job. (laughter) I don’t like hold grudges or anything like that. I left there on a good note. When I return, at the end of the day, y’all have heard it: when I go against my opponent, I don’t really think about it like, ‘oh, that’s my partner, like I want to kick it with him after.’ You guys have heard it. I’m trying to handle it.”
(What’s your confidence level that you’ll be fully back healthy at the start of training camp, at the start of the regular season?) – “Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time. When it’s time for me to y’all up, I’m going to wake you up. But right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time. (laughter)”
(What do you know about your new linebacker partner Benardrick McKinney?) – “I’m from Houston. My family lives in Houston. So I always knew of him, just from being in the Houston area and stuff like that. I feel like McKinney is a great guy. I can’t wait to – man, I lost my train of thought. I’m sorry.”
(I think you’re the one remaining defensive captain with the team having moved on from LB Kyle Van Noy and S Bobby McCain. What was your reaction to the other two defensive captains being let go?) – “Real great guys. I loved playing with those guys and stuff like that; but at the end of the day, a business is a business. I don’t know about those guys’ situations but I do know they were great teammates, great people on and off the field and I wish them nothing but the best on their new teams.”
(What’s it like having DB Jason McCourty as a teammate again?) – “’J-Mac,’ that’s my guy. He’s funny. That’s my guy. A great leader, a great guy. A great person to learn from off the field. He’s the type of guy that gives great advice on and off the field. ‘J-Mac,’ that’s my guy.”
(With the exodus of leaders – the only guys that are left are you and G/T Jesse Davis from last year’s leadership group. How do you instill that culture? How do you pick up where you guys left off last year from a leadership standpoint?) – “I think you just get all of the guys and as everybody gets in here, you just build that camaraderie. Like I said, this year will be so much different than last year because guys will be able to do that and stuff like that. That’s what you do. Last year was kind of – you had to build it through the year so quickly with training camp and stuff like that. It’s nothing anyone else wouldn’t have to go through in a regular NFL season. This league changes every day and stuff like that. It’s about adapting. It’s like week to week we play against different offenses. We might be going against a true pro style and then next week, we’re going up against a West Coast (scheme). You’re going to adapt. We’re just going to adapt to everyone new in our facility and from a team perspective, we’re just going to come together as a team, learn each other and put all of the marbles and ducks in a row.”
(I wanted to ask you, the feeling from what you’re saying about the camaraderie and things like that, is there a different energy in the building that you feel from players like yourself and the coaches, of what the season coming up could be?) – “I feel like the energy around the building since I’ve been here is always good. You’ve got players and coaches that love football. They love the grind and stuff like that. If it’s a problem, we’re trying to fix it; and we don’t really care how long we take. That’s the good thing about the building is there’s no complacency and stuff like that. You’ve just got to understand that all we’re going to do is try to get better and better.”
(Obviously the team spent a high draft pick trying to help the defense this year. I’m wondering if you’ve met LB Jaelan Phillips yet and what your impressions of him are, whether you’ve seen him on film or just in the building.) – “Jaelan, he’s a great kid. I’m definitely excited about having him, just like I’m excited about having all of the rookies. I feel like all of the rookies, to this point, are doing a phenomenal job. They’re doing what the coaches need them to do. I feel like him and this rookie class, they’re going to do what they came here to do. And hopefully all of them have a great year.”
