Malcolm Perry – November 19, 2020
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Thursday, November 19, 2020
RB/WR Malcolm Perry
(I’m writing a story about mental toughness and I couldn’t imagine the degree of mental toughness you need to get through four years in Annapolis at the Naval Academy. What was that experience like? Were you ready for it when it began? Can you give us some examples of what you had to go through and how do you think it prepared you for life in the NFL?) – “I wasn’t prepared at all, I don’t think. Coming from a military background, I thought I had a notch up on everyone and I’d be a little bit ahead because I had been around it a little bit; but I don’t think anything prepares you for the initial culture shock that you go through. I vividly remember the first night in Annapolis. I was being woken up with pots and pans at like 4:30 in the morning. There was a whole bunch of screaming and yelling going on. Everybody was running around and then five minutes later, we’re all running miles and miles in the dark of the morning. It took a lot of mental toughness not to quit. A lot of people that started with me didn’t end with me. Then on top of all of the military stuff, you have some rigorous academics and then on top of that, you’ve got to go play football. It took a lot to stay there and I think balancing all of that and then coming to the NFL helped me prioritize and balance everything that the coaches ask for me to do, and stuff like that.”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Salvon Ahmed. Just being rookies, working together, what’s it been like being in the same room and on the field with him in the past few months?) – “He’s been great. He’s a great guy on and off the field. Obviously you saw what he could do on Sunday. I think he’s a playmaker and I think he brings a lot to the table. He’s smart and just a good guy on and off the field, like I said. I like hanging around him.”
(I think it was in this last game where there was that one play where it looked for sure it was going to be a loss and then you kind of turned it into a positive. If you know the play that I’m talking about, can you tell me what was going through your mind as it was developing and the mindset that you try to take relative to escaping a negative play?) – “The play didn’t start off too well but luckily I was able to create something out of nothing. I didn’t want to end up doing too much and hurting the team or losing too many yards. There was an element of ‘hey, go make something happen,’ but there was also an element of ‘don’t get caught doing too much and end up hurting your team a lot more than need be.’ Luckily I was able to make a positive out of a negative and move the ball a little bit.”
(If you have an NFL career over an extended period – and the early signs look very promising – for a guy who is a former college quarterback, it can basically go a couple of ways. You could be like a change-of-pace gimmick type guy. Or you could be a slot receiver who players there with a lot of snaps – like WR Julian Edelman – long term. How determined from a career goal perspective are you to be that full-time slot guy as opposed to a guy who is just thought of as a gimmicky few snaps a game guy?) – “I don’t think about much stuff like that long-term. I like to take things day by day and come out every day and attack the day. I don’t like to think long-term of what my legacy will be or what role I’ll have in the future. I’m just trying to go attack the day that’s ahead of me and not think about everything that’s going on in the future.”
(Earlier today, Head Coach Brian Flores told us about how he encourages creativity among the coaching staff. As a player like yourself, with such a unique skillset and diverse skillset, I’d have to imagine that you’re as appreciative of all the creativity and opportunities this type of offense affords you, right?) – “Of course. I’m appreciative of the fact that I’m able to say that I’m on the Dolphins. That on top of the ability to come out here and use my skillset in a way that helps the team and just get on the field, really, is a blessing. I’m appreciative for that and the ability to use my skillset.”
(We were talking to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and he was saying regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa that he has an ‘everything is going to be all right’ kind of mindset. I’m curious what comes to mind when you hear that and maybe an example?) – “Yeah, I think overall he’s just a positive guy. He doesn’t let negativity get to him. He tries to look to the next play if something negative happens. He’s always encouraging his teammates, whether something bad happened or something good happened. I definitely agree with that and I think it helps the team, it helps the offensive huddle and I think it’s a positive thing for the organization as a whole.”
(Where do you think you’ve improved most as a receiver since the end of July? What part of being a receiver?) – “I think probably just the knowledge of what’s going on as a defense. In college, everything was a lot more simple, obviously. But just getting a better feel for what’s going on on defense and offense – just the whole scheme, what my role is in that scheme and what I need to do to make sure that I’m successful and the offense as a unit is successful.”
