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Michael Palardy – December 8, 2021 Download PDF version

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

P Michael Palardy

(Congrats on the award Michael. What’s it mean to you?) – “It means a lot. It’s my first time getting it. I’d be foolish to sit up here and take the credit for it. A lot of it has to do with Coach (Danny) Crossman, Coach (Brian) Flores, the guys on my punt team, the gunners. Those guys work their butts off. This is more of a unit type of award than it is for myself. I’m only as good as they are and vice versa.”

(How much do you appreciate the work of the guy that was just in here, WR Mack Hollins?) – “Unbelievable. These guys are the ultimate professionals and I can’t be thankful enough for what they do daily. They challenge me, they push me, they want me to be great – coaches included. As well as I do for myself. I want them to be great as well. They can only make plays if I make plays. I can’t be thankful enough for the work they put in. This is more of a unit thing than it is a me thing. I’m super appreciative for them and all the work they put in daily.”

(There was a time when your numbers weren’t as good as they are now, when the Dolphins actually brought in a punter for a workout. How aware were you of that at the time and did that light a fire underneath you?) – ‘I’ve been playing in this league long enough to know that those things are possible throughout a year. That’s really not my decision to make. But that doesn’t change my approach, that doesn’t change the things that I do on a daily basis. Of course, I want to be as consistent and as effective as I possibly can. If I’m effective, then the team is. I think ultimately, the goal is to make an impact on the game. Sometimes that’s deep punts, sometimes is shorter ones but it’s field position. Coach (Brian) Flores preaches field position and Coach (Danny) Crossman does as well. It’s a big emphasis that we put on our punt unit, but every special teams unit really. Ultimately that’s the approach I take daily, whether I’m hitting the ball well in a game, in practice or whether I’m not. It doesn’t change my outlook, it doesn’t change my approach. I care about my job, and I work hard every day to make sure that I execute on Sundays because that’s what matters.”

(Did you change anything up at some point in the season?) – ‘No, nothing. Just sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way, sometimes it doesn’t go the way you want it to but you continue to work. Yes, you want to evaluate yourself but then you go back to staying true to yourself and continuing to work, persevere and continue to do those kinds of things. That’s what I’ve been doing all season. This time compared to earlier in the season hasn’t change. Nothing has changed. I’m doing the same thing, I’ve approached every practice, every game the exact same way.”

(Do you feel you’re hitting the ball more consistently these days?) – “Yeah. I never walk out to practice on the field or in games on the field and am not confident in myself. I always have been. I think I always will be. Obviously, the numbers speak for themselves but we always preach consistency. In a specialist game, consistency is absolutely vital and that’s what I try to do. I try to go out, practice and be as consistent as I can. On gameday, be as consistent as I can. And let the results be what they may.”

(As K Jason Sanders’ holder, how have you seen him handle the ups and downs of his season? Last year you weren’t here he was practically automatic, and this year it’s been a little bit more…) – “It’s the same thing. I think, again, Jason has been playing long enough and has had success in the league to where the reality of sometimes things don’t go our way, but that doesn’t mean that we completely change everything that we’re doing or we change the approach that we’re taking. Jason does that on a daily basis. He continues to work his tail off. He is an ultimate pro and the thing that’s amazing and the reason why guys stick around long in this league, and I believe Jason is going to and has, is their ability to work through adversity or things maybe not going as well as they want them to. That’s kind of the mark of a true professional and that’s who Jason is. That’s who Jason is and he challenges me, I challenge him, we challenge the guys around us and we want to be great. That’s what we’re here for. We want to be great. He wants to be great, I want him to be great, I want to be great, he wants me to be great and everybody around us. Jason’s outlook and approach doesn’t change on a daily basis.”

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