Jevon Holland – May 4, 2022
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Wednesday, May 4, 2022
S Jevon Holland
(I saw that you were pretty enthusiastic about the Dolphins adding one of your former teammates. Give me the honest straight up scouting report on him.) – “I would but I feel like I’d be a little bit biased because he is one of my best friends. So I’m going to let you guys decide. (laughter) That’s why I’m not going to say anything. He’s going to rise to the top. I believe in him. He’s a hell of a player and an even better guy. He fits right in with the culture of the team.”
(I read the scouting reports and they talked about how he has good ball skills and the ability to track the ball in the air and that he’s competitive. Compliment him on one thing. What’s one thing you think he does well?) – “Like you said, he tracks the ball phenomenally. That was one of the main emphasis as a defense at Oregon and you kind of saw that in how we played in the 2019 year, in the 2020 year and then last year he led college football in interceptions and the Pac-12 also. It’s a testament to him for being that guy and getting those balls down. He’s a hell of a player.”
(I know you had a trip to Vegas to check out the Pro Bowl. You spent some time with CB Xavien Howard. What was that experience like and were there any other players you leaned on for advice and took under their wing?) – “It was great. It was a great experience. I felt super motivated. That was one of the best moments for me as a young player, as a competitor really. To see those guys out there, like this is the goal, this is where I want to get to. Having ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) there, ‘X’ is awesome. The whole time I was with him, tracking him, interviewing him or whatnot, he’s a better guy than he is a football player. Seeing people that have been good in the league for a long time when I was a kid – like I saw Joe Haden and it was cool because I was like ‘what’s up.’ And he was like ‘I know who you are. What’s good, Jevon?’ He knew my name. I’m Jevon Holland, but that’s Joe Haden. Do you know how many pairs of Jordan cleats he’s got? That alone blew my mind. I told my dad the same thing and my brother too. That was dope.”
(This time last year you, I’m sure you were getting here and getting to know your coaches and teammates and all of that stuff. I wanted to ask if you could reflect upon where you were at this time last year compared to now. You had to get to know the playbook, the building, the city, and now you come here, I’d imagine, with a much firmer grasp on all of those things that were so new to you a year ago.) – “Yeah, last year I was in an unknown environment. I was really nervous about everything. I had never been to Florida before. I went by the hotel we were staying at, there was a little lake. I went jogging by the lake and there was a frog. I’m thinking it’s an alligator because I’m from California so I thought there was an alligator everywhere. I started tripping, running back to my room. But now I’m cool. I’m comfortable. I like being here. I love Florida – the sun, the sky, all of that. I was definitely nervous being here. It’s the NFL. I was shaking in my boots, for lack of better terms. I feel way better now.”
(We saw nicknames going around a couple of weeks ago. I know you’re the snowman. S Brandon Jones talked about the clown emoji he used. Have you guys made progress on this nickname that is not going over too well with his teammates?) – “I talked to him about it. He said it’s the joker which I understand because of the clown face. But I’m like bro, you got to put more context into that. First of all, it wasn’t even explained before. No one calls him the joker. For him to just throw it out there, it looked like he was calling himself a clown. He’s not going to call himself that anymore. We’re going to find something else for him. (laughter)”
(There are some coaching staff changes, but Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer stays, and Safeties Coach Steve Gregory stays. How do you feel that might benefit you and the defense?) – “I think it’s very important. It’s carryover from the last year. It’s a familiar face. You’re going to have a similar scheme to how he likes it. The defense understands how he functions and we work well together. You all saw that at the end of last season. I think it’s going to be great for our team, for our defense also.”
(When we talked to you in January, you mentioned that one of the things you wanted to focus on in your second season was patience. I’m wondering, what is your plan, what is your approach to reach that specific goal?) – “It’s about repetition. You’ve got to do something over and over again to make it a habit. That’s been my approach to how I operate this entire offseason. It’s repetition, making sure I’m getting the proper reps in, on and off the field, in the weight room and things like that. I think my whole gameplan for the offseason and approaching OTAs and minicamp is having the right amount of reps and to go about it in a patient manner.”
(I have a similar question about Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer staying. When he spoke to us a couple of months ago, he said that there is going to be a lot of similarities to when Brian Flores was here. But he’s going to look at things more from the back-end down, so the secondary first. Do you have any impressions of what that means to you, because you were asked to do so much as a rookie?) – “I have no idea. I’m just going to do what the coaches tell me because they are cutting the checks, so I’m just going to do it. It is what it is. But seriously, I’m just going to play what they say. That’s literally all. I’m not even going to short change you. I’m just giving it to you straight.”
(What did your first year in the NFL teach you about the business end of the league?) – “That anybody could be anywhere at any time. Everybody is replaceable. That is definitely one of the main things. At the end of the day, it is a business and money talks. At the end of the day, you play and have fun because the NFL is not for long. At any point you could be out of there, so just make sure you take full advantage of your opportunity.”
(Speaking about big business, I’m sure you see everything that’s going on at your stadium campus. What was that tour like that you did checking out the F1 race, and what are your thoughts as a player on this team looking at everything going on, and seeing what Tom Garfinkel and Stephen Ross are doing?) – “I think it’s dope. I know it means a lot and there is a serious deal that’s going on with F1. I don’t know a lot about F1. I know it’s obviously racing and I think Cars did a spin off with Mater in Tokyo or something like that. It’s race cars. They go fast and seeing the track was cool and how they built everything. I thought the track had to be super long. It’s dope, all the exhibits and they’ve got yachts in there and a beach and all types of stuff. I think it’s dope. Shout out to the head guys.”
(We saw the offense make a bunch of moves bringing guys to the fold that have accomplished resumes. I’m curious how guys like WR Tyreek Hill, T Terron Armstead, RB Raheem Mostert, RB Chase Edmonds and all the guys that you brought in can help you guys get better on the defense throughout the course of the offseason in practice?) – “Tyreek Hill is like the fastest player in the NFL so having him on the team and going against him every day, you can’t really practice against a better model for facing a speed team. Chase and Raheem are the same way. They both are dynamic players. And Terron – especially when I come off the edge, playing an offensive tackle who knows tricks of the trade, it’s difficult for me to get to the quarterback. But yeah, just those experiences and challenges they are going to add to practice every day is going to be awesome for us. We’re going to be in tune and already have seen those types of looks when we play the games.”
(Who has the fastest car in the parking lot?) – “Probably Byron. (laughter)”
