Jason Pierre-Paul – November 29, 2023
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
LB Jason Pierre-Paul
(Can you tell us just how the first couple of days have been?) – “Very good. I can’t complain. Everything has been going good.”
(What does it mean for you to be a Miami Dolphin?) – “I’m back home, man. I’m born and raised here, not in Miami but Broward County. It was basically home for me. I was in Tampa, but this is basically home for me. So big things coming.”
(How many friends and family do you still have in the Deerfield Beach area?) – “A lot. A lot. As soon as they heard the news, it was all congratulations everywhere. I can’t get back to all of them, but they know I love them.”
(Does being back here get you a little bit reflective?) – “Oh, for sure. Just being back here, hometown, Miami. I got my number 90 back. I’ll give it all I got. I’m ready to go.”
(I have a question about why joining an NFL team so late. Why did you sign?) – “I guess people want to see if we’ll still do it or not. There’s only way to find out. So I joined late with the Saints practice squad. I appreciate them for giving me a tryout and workout. I played the first game, and I think I did pretty well with the snaps that I got. Then Miami signed me the next day.”
(How has this year been for you between New Orleans and here?) – “It’s a transition, because I went back to a 4-3 and now I’m back to a 3-4. But when it’s all said and done, it’s all the same thing. It’s all football. I know how to play football. When it’s all said and done, just be physical. But the defensive terminology, it’s all the same thing. You just got a pattern them and put them in certain spaces that you can remember it. I’m doing a great job right now. My coach is giving me the calls and he’s filling me in. The players in my room are filling me in too, so shoutout to those guys.”
(How do you feel about where your speed and power are at this point?) – “I feel good. Obviously, I’m coming back from home really. I did one week with the Saints. It still feels like training camp to me right now, but once I get past that, it takes a week or two, then I’m back rolling.”
(Did you have a favorite Dolphins player when you were young?) – “I watched a couple guys, but I didn’t have a favorite Dolphins player.”
(What are your impressions of this unit with just how deep it us, all the playmakers?) – “I like it. To me, I like the team already. I like the players. Everybody made me feel comfortable when I got here. I feel like family already. They accept me, so I’m OK. I feel like I’m home already.”
(Have you hung out with anybody outside of the building yet?) – “No, not really.”
(Do you plan to?) – “Maybe, maybe not. It depends. We do enough hanging around in the building, too. Maybe I’ll invite somebody over to the house, throw them a cookout or something.”
(This team has Super Bowl aspirations. What does it take to win big in this league?) – “You’ve got to be in sync. I’ve been on two good Super Bowl teams, and when I remember the things we all had in common, everybody was in-sync when it really mattered. We locked in, we did our jobs, and we trusted each other, trusted the coaches do their job, trusted the players do their job, and we just played physical. Everybody has got to be synced and ready to go, no matter what the situation is. You just got to believe in yourself and have faith that you’re going to get the job done.”
(Do you think you can learn quickly enough to participate on Sunday in Washington?) – “We’ll see. That’s a good question. We’ll see. I’m a quick learner. Whatever coach and they want me to do, I’m going to do. I’ll fill in where I’m needed.”
(For you, what’s the biggest perk of being home? Is there a restaurant?) – “The biggest perk for being home is I can see my family. Family is a big part. So I can see my kids. That’s basically it, and my whole family. They’re cheering for me. Let’s get it done.”
(You talked in your social media post about having a tough decision. Did the Saints talk to you late in the process about going to their 53?) – “For sure. It was a tough decision. Obviously, I never want to leave a team in the middle of a war, you know what I’m saying? It’s like you’re going to war. But this was a tough decision, and when I thought about it, my daughter, she was like, ‘Daddy, when are you coming to pick me up?’ Like, ‘I can’t come pick you up.’ (laughter) ‘You’ve got to fly.’ So it basically led down to here, and now I’m with my family and they’re excited for me to be here. It’s going to keep me even more going.”
(And you’re in the room with LB Bradley Chubb and LB Andrew Van Ginkel and Outside Linebackers Coach Ryan Slowik?) – “For sure, yeah … They’re getting me right on point. I’m talking to those guys all out there calling the plays, and if I’m making a mistake, they’re going to tell me, ‘Hey, that ain’t right.’ But so far, so good. I’m a quick learner, like I said, and I’m trying to learn the plays as quick as possible, because the quicker I can learn the plays, the faster I can play and you can see the real me.”
(How do you feel about the standing up stuff?) – “I did it already, man. I won a Super Bowl in it with the Bucs. So standing up, hands down, it’s really nothing to me. When it’s all said and done, it’s just physical football. I like being physical.”
(You mentioned the importance of cohesion for a Super Bowl champion team. How do you approach trying to assimilate to a new locker room this late in the season?) – “It’s different. Like I said, I feel like the guys accepted me. Every guy was saying what’s up to me, and they know who I am. For me, I just have to open up and be myself, and I feel like I’m being myself. Anywhere I go, I’ll be myself. I’m adapting to them, to be honest, and I’m syncing with them. I think they already got it here. I can see the guys out there running around, having fun. That’s the most important thing, too, having fun and being synced with each other. As I’m looking and learning the plays and watching everybody, I see that. They’ve got a good team here.”
(What’s your first impression of Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “(laughter) He’s a cool dude, man. He’s himself. I like that. Guys are telling me that’s him. You can’t expect nothing of him, but he’s himself every day. I think that’s important for a head coach to be himself, and I think that’s what he’s doing. He came in the meeting room early, and I didn’t know who was talking until I looked down. He was right there, because I’m sitting in the front row. Obviously, I talked to him. He knows my history. We’re going to get it cracking. I told him I’m happy to be here and they gave me a good opportunity to come home and try to win a Super Bowl, which I know these guys can. We’re just going to get it cracking and put all the pieces together.”
