Michael Deiter – April 26, 2019
Download PDF version
Friday, April 26, 2019
OL Michael Deiter
(What’s your reaction to being selected by the Dolphins?) – “Super excited. I can’t wait to get started.”
(Did you have an idea that you were on their radar?) – “Yeah. I knew that they needed o-linemen; but at the end of the day, you have no idea. I knew they needed o-linemen. I figured I could be a guy that could come in and help. I’m just excited to get picked and I just can’t wait to get to work.”
(How many positions do you play on the offensive line among left guard, right guard, left tackle, right tackle, center?) – “I’ve played left tackle, left guard and center.”
(Where do you feel the most at home?) – “Honestly, anywhere in the middle three – center, left guard and then right guard. At the end of the day, I think I could still play tackle if need be.”
(What was it that made the coaches decide to play you at so many positions do you think?) – “I think it just means that it’s the easiest way to get the best five o-linemen on the field. As long as you can handle it mentally and physically – and I’ve been able to do that – it just makes the team better. If you can play something that might be a little bit unnatural but you get the best five o-linemen on the field, that’s always going to make the team better in the end. I think it really speaks to coaches having confidence in you to be able to handle it mentally. I think the first thing you always think of is can he handle it mentally, will he be able to not miss assignments, be on the right guys and stuff like that. Then physically, it’s still offensive line no matter where you’re playing, just each spot kind of has its little intricacies.”
(Is it a coincidence that all the work you’ve done is on the left side, or is that just the side you’re the most comfortable with?) – “That’s just where they put me and that’s just where I kind of hung out. That’s where I’m most comfortable right now, but I’ve played right guard in camps before and the left side is just where they needed me, so that’s where I was always put.”
(What goes into playing 54 straight games. What was the biggest lesson you learned after that?) – “The biggest lesson is you have to know when you’re injured and when you’re hurt. There’s going to be times where you’ve got something bothering you, but it has to be a decision on whether or not you want to not be out there with your guys or you want to be out there with your guys. To me, I’ve done all of this stuff in the offseason, all of this work for only 12 guaranteed opportunities, and the last thing I’m going to do is miss any of them for something that might be minor. You see it a lot and people might call it smart or dumb or whatever, but I just never wanted to be someone who was missing opportunities to play with my guys. I just did everything in my power to make sure I was out there and at the end of the day, I just got lucky. I never had to deal with any crazy injuries or anything like that. I was super blessed in that regard. You have to know when you’re injured and when you’re just hurt.”
(What’s the worst thing you’ve played through?) – “I had a high-ankle sprain when I got in the BYU game in 2017. It was kind of a grind to finish that game and play the next couple of weeks, but it’s not like I was hurting the team. Obviously you have to make that decision if your injury is affecting your play to the point where you’re not helping the team. Then you’ve got to make that decision and get out of there. I felt like I was still good enough to help the team win, so I stayed out there.”
(I know we’ve asked you about the offensive line and different positions. If Miami wanted you to play right tackle, they kind of have a need there. Would you feel comfortable there?) – “Yep.”
(How much experience do you have there as far as practice and games and everything like that?) – “I don’t have a ton taking team reps during practice or team reps during camp; but I would need a week and I would feel comfortable enough to go out there and compete at that position and to be for sure serviceable. If I had four or five days to get ready to play a position, I’d be good.”
(What are your first thoughts about moving to Miami?) – “It’s a big city. I’m not used to being in a big city like that. I’ve been down there for the Orange Bowl. It’s super nice and kind of fancy. It’s a little bit warm, but it’s no big deal.”
(How would you describe your playing style?) – “I would say I’m a mauler first and foremost. Playing at Wisconsin our ‘M.O.’ was obviously run the football first. That was always the bread and butter. You’ve got to be able to move people. You’ve got to be able to finish blocks and then in pass protection, you have to be able to obviously protect. You have to be serviceable and you have to be able to throw your hands fast, get your hands on guys fast. I think my playing style is definitely physical, hard-nosed and then I’m going to try to finish people and get after people and at the end of the day, that should put you right where you want to be.”
