Mike McDaniel – August 24, 2023
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Thursday, August 24, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(DT Zach Sieler we saw leave eventually yesterday with a leg issue. We didn’t see WR Tyreek Hill practice. Are they okay? And who’s going to play quarterback in Saturday’s game?) – “So (Zach) Sieler, I think if you were really locked and noticing, which I know you were, he was going back and forth throughout team drills. It’s because he was dealing with something that was nagging him that it didn’t hurt him to continue, but that was painful. So it’s not anything serious; however, for his individual experience, pain is not always awesome. So he’ll be day-to-day, but nothing to worry about. Tyreek (Hill) was one of those classic coach-to-player protection things that had to do with where we were in training camp, really what he did the day before. He really took it upon himself to dictate the terms of the energy and he did that going full tilt. I think he had the highest sprint yardage and was the fastest player that day and so I really liked where he was at, didn’t want him to take a step back so that’s kind of my role in that. So you should see him today and if I’ve seen enough of him today, you’ll see him stop playing football at some point or he might play the whole practice. I’m just connected with each individual for that reason.”
(On the quarterbacks in Jacksonville, is QB Mike White even able to play?) – “So Mike White is still in the protocol and I’m no genie. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I feel like it would be promising for him to clear protocol, but regardless, you’re not going to see him on Saturday.”
(And so QB James Blackman, will he play on Saturday and do you have an appreciation for someone in his situation where he’s got the opportunity to put something on film, undrafted rookie, called back?) – “I would say I’m expecting him to get some snaps. I like preseason games for a multitude of reasons. They are cumbersome in terms of it’s an extension of the season, but what an opportunity for a guy that deserves it. All he’s done is really put his best foot forward and that’s a tough job sometimes when your literal job is to learn and not as much through action as – you don’t get into playing football so that you can go to meetings. And sometimes that’s his role. Sometimes the most burn he gets in practice is one-on-ones. Sometimes he takes some team reps. All of that, I think him and his teammates really have a strong appreciation of the earned right that it’s one of the reasons I appreciate the preseason; guys get opportunities to do something they’ve really worked at their craft or they’ve really worked on and committed to for their lives. So I’m fired up for him and I think his teammates are, too. He’s a guy that does things the right way and is always prepared for his opportunities regardless of how many there are.”
(There have been multiple reports that the Dolphins have made a trade offer to the Colts for Jonathan Taylor? Are those reports accurate?) – “Here’s the thing with reports. First of all, I think my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter just Tweeted a report. Credence to that, I think as far as that goes, it seems like…”
(What did her report say?) – “That every player in the National Football League is coming to the Dolphins, because I feel like that’s kind of on-trend. So whatever that is. Me, I’ve said this before. I’m not going to speak about other players. And then how many times do I have to explain like, Chris Grier’s job is to work. He works at it a lot and keeps me abreast when the real, generally, when things are real. I don’t have questions about them. There’s been kind of a consistent pattern where we’ve talked about all sorts of players, so reports, whatever. That kind of seems like the noise that is around the business, however, let’s just say I would be doing a terrible job as a head coach – I’ve got 90 players that that collection of players, this will be last practice that they have together in its entirety. That’s a journey that starts for players being in shape and whatever, but as a team, April 17 – this is the 45th time that we’ve had something on the field together and this is the last one and I’m very much just concerned about all those guys and anything less, if I’m worried about whatever hasn’t come to my desk yet, I think that’s an opportunity cost that I’m not willing to pay for all those players and I’m excited to go coach today. It’s a big practice for a lot of guys and something that we see as an opportunity to get better, not worse, and there’s only one direction. It’s either A or B, better or worse. Hopefully my daughter stops Tweeting.”
(The follow-up I have is trend-wise in the National Football League, teams have gone away from valuing the running back. It seems like this organization deeply values the running back position. Can you talk about that philosophy?) – “Let’s just go simple math. It’s a very physical game. There’s let’s say in an average season with 17 games now, let’s say you have 1,200 plays on each side of the ball and how many of those plays are the running backs touching it? It’s a valuable position that you have to have depth at and I think it’s one of the reasons – think of it this way. You’ve gone to practices and you’ve seen two games and pick a day, pick a game and you’ve seen a running back make plays. A running back. Which means there are different ones every time, which speaks to the competition that we have in that room and that’s why I’ve always valued the position. It’s a big portion of your touches and you understand that in that process, you have to have a good solid group really for the team and for your offense for the whole year. I got my feet wet really in NFL game planning in the run game so it’s near and dear to my heart.”
(It’s been a while since we’ve seen the orange jersey. Do you think it will make an appearance today?) – “I think it may today. I think it might be a large orange jersey for a big human being whose name is Raekwon Davis.”
(How do you think his camp has been this year so far?) – “I made a big point in the team meeting today and showed a clip of individual (drills) from yesterday. We were talking as coaches and it kind of triggered my mind, a rep of the same drill back in the last OTA’s, so 2022 OTA’s. It kind of represents one of the main focuses and appreciations of being a coach in this great game, and something that you really hope to see everyone go through, which was a complete and utter transformation in mind and body. His attention to detail, he’s in the best shape of his life by far and you can see it with his play. He’s adding different tools to his game and he’s always had a lot of love from the locker room. You can feel that as a coach and you can feel his teammates really appreciate where he’s at, what he’s done to control what he can control. The Miami Dolphins are better for it so that’s a big and deserving jersey.”
(You told us about the playing status of QB Mike White and QB James Blackman so I have to ask what are the plans for whether QB Tua Tagovailoa plays or not on Saturday?) – “By and large, things always fluctuate depending on variables that are both with play and personnel around players. My plan has been, in the back of my mind, the starting point was more than a series, less than a half for all the starters. That is dependent on today’s practice and overall you’re just trying to prepare guys for the regular season. I had in the back of my mind, if all things were even, Tua would play on Saturday, but that’s something that I’ll revisit with the coaches after we’ve completed this practice and kind of solidify that. But he’s been prepared to all week. I told him that after the last game. He’s prepared as though he is playing and we’ll revisit that after today’s practice.”
(Did Jacksonville’s strategy affect that, with Head Coach Doug Pederson saying he might play his starters into the second quarter?) – “No, unless Jacksonville’s box scores during the season affect our box scores, which I don’t think we can borrow points or subtract points. No, it doesn’t really. I think an important part of this job is to adjust to your particular team and do what your team needs. I’m sure that Doug Pederson isn’t that concerned with whether we are or aren’t playing our starters. And I think that’s something independently you just do what’s right for each individual unit, which is what we’ll do.”
(Yesterday, QB Tua Tagovailoa came to his own defense in regards to being criticized about his physique. I wanted to know if you have any comment on that. You see him every day, you see the work he puts in.) – “I was starting to get annoyed, I was hoping for the opportunity to talk about, if I understand your question correctly, how Tua’s offseason has been. I can say hard facts that I’ve seen with my own eyes. And its top five on the team in terms of, we’ve had a lot of guys really stepped their game up. If you want to talk about somebody that’s committed to doing what he’s doing for the right reasons, he was already invested before this year, but then taking a bunch of things that have happened, he really put an onus on controlling what he can control. So you want to talk about every metric that (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Dave Puloka and his strength staff really track, which is pretty much everything to the degree of blinks, every metric of strength that is measured, he’s shattered his previous highs. And in some instances, he’s almost twice as strong with things and that’s been a daily commitment that he hasn’t wavered from. He’s taken his nutrition to another level. He’s taken his commitment to what he’s trying to do and really thought outside the box and really, really worked at it, so I couldn’t be happier with the work that he’s put in and what I’ve factually viewed from my own eyes. Basically, you’re happy for guys as a coach when you can see in the present that down the road, they’re going to have no regrets, meaning the results are what the results are, but you know that without any shade of gray that you’ve put your best foot forward, and he really he really has. And I think his teammates would agree. We are getting the absolute best version of Tua that’s existed.”
(I wanted to ask you about the composition of the 53-man roster. When you’re in those meetings, hammering that stuff out, Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said that it’s easy to do the 1-40. It’s the 8 to 13 open spots left that are pretty much the challenge. What goes into your mind and factor when you’re putting that back end of the roster versus practice squad?) – “Well, it’s an ironic situation, to tell you the truth, because good problems to have are that much more complex. And the better your competition and your roster depth is, especially with the people that we’ve assembled, and the coaching staff and the front office, we don’t take it lightly and the competition is real. So you have to factor in a ton of things that really get challenging. From my experience, just in the NFL, this is one of the most high intense, competitive across the board situations that I can remember. So in times like that, when there is a plethora of talent and you have minimal distinction between certain guys, like what Vic’s alluding to you, you really have to let the whole process play out. You have to fight your urge to try to, in your mind, figure out who those people are – the competition from, how we rank them from really 40 to 90, it’s a real cool representation of what you want the competition to be like on your roster. However, it makes it that much more difficult. So you have to factor in a ton of things. And a position’s gain is another position’s loss. And that balancing act makes it incredibly difficult. We have multiple position groups where you could go heavy on this team. So what position groups are those? Which individuals are those? The only thing you can do is allow everyone to get their full opportunity. Communicate actively, but let all the information layout because in the game of football, who knows what can happen today? Which is why it’s so exciting that you guys are going to be at practice. It’s the last one. And we’re hoping for it to be good one.”
(Bigger picture question. When you come from a running background the way that you did to speedy receivers like you did, how did you go about meshing together your personnel and scheme? And a year later, do you view that differently?) – “I think from my vantage point, our vantage point here, it’s up to coaches to adapt to their players on that given team. And I think it’s important to be versatile. Thankfully, I’ve had that rep across my career with multiple (stops). It’s one of the positives about only lasting places for like three years and then get booted out is you get a lot of reps at different players and your job is to put forth the best offense you can. I think we’ll always adapt to our personnel and really what defenses are doing. So I think that will forever change. I think it’s hilarious when people talk about the Dolphins offense as one stagnant entity that will always be evolving, depending on all these different variables. I think there’s things that we did pretty well last year, and there’s things that we didn’t do as well as we’d like. So we’ve tried to focus on getting better at those things while maintaining the things that we’re good at. Then you’re just trying to attack defenses where they’re vulnerable. They kind of have a hand in that by the hand they play. And so you have to be able to take advantage of their overplay to one particular phase or the other. So I’ll always be changing what our offense is. I’ll tell you tomorrow. (laughter)”
Bradley Chubb – August 23, 2023
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
LB Bradley Chubb
(How close is the defense to being regular season ready right now?) – “I feel like you don’t know that until we get there. But from what I’ve seen, we’ve taken the mistakes we have made in the past and corrected them. We’re growing as a unit, as a d-line, I know for sure, because we’re communicating a lot more, figuring out different intricacies of the defense where we could take our shots. I know the DBs are doing the same thing as well, so it’s coming along real well. I don’t know, like you said, if we’re game ready, but I feel like we are and when it comes to that time, we just have to go out there and prove it.”
(Kind of piggybacking off of that question, you’ve been in this defense before. Where do you feel like everyone’s comfort with the scheme is at this stage?) – “I feel like everybody is pretty comfortable. Like I said, now it’s just about mastering the scheme. Everybody knows what to do. Now it’s about, ‘OK, when this happens and this happens, how can I react to that?’ Just trying to take it to that next level, and I feel like everybody is on – out of 10, I’d say everybody is on level seven, six or seven, right now. We still have some time to get it to ten, but I know when we get to 10, it’s going to look real good.”
(This is the second time you’ve been part of a Vic Fangio install for the first time in the system. How would you grade his ability to make it happen quickly? Because we often see new systems take some time to gel. How does he make it expedited?) – “That’s a good question, because I don’t know what he does to make it do that, but I feel like everywhere I’ve been, he gets it in pretty quick. I think it’s a complicated defense in terms of scheme and how the offense sees it, but for us, it’s kind of easy to learn. Especially the outside linebackers, we don’t have too much verbiage and stuff like that that we have to go through. So it’s easier for us, but I know those guys on the backend, they work together, they study together, they do all those things to make sure they get it. That’s a good question. I’m not sure what makes it click like that so easily, but whatever it is, he’s got it, for sure.”
(Is this week a bit of a change of pace going from training camp style practices to more like looking at it like a game week?) – “Yes, for sure. It’s a great change of pace, getting a chance to kind of hone-in your craft (and) better yourself. I mean the last two weeks we were doing that as well, but it was against other competition and all that. You kind of sacrifice the – I wouldn’t say the fundamentals just to win, but the competitive edge comes over. Now it’s a good changeup just to really better yourself, better everybody around you and take it into Saturday full steam ahead.”
(Speaking of other competition, what was T Laremy Tunsil like to go up against?) – “It was dope. It was dope to go against one of the better tackles in the league, get a full week of work with him. He got his, I got mine, and at the end of the day, we made each other better. That’s all you can ask for out of those joint practices. That’s one of those guys that last year I went against him twice. The first game to the second game, I felt like I was a better player. It was kind of cool to see that translate over again in the joint practices, too. So it was a good experience, man. I’m glad we did it.”
(RB De’Von Achane got slammed to the ground twice last week. He’s 188 pounds. As a defensive player, do you think, not that you’re going to hurt anybody, but do you think, “Alright, I’m going to get a good shot in on this guy?” Or is every guy like RB Derrick Henry?) – “Everybody is the same, but it’s actually crazy you said that because I thought it was illegal to pick somebody up and slam them. We didn’t really get a flag on that, so hopefully they take a look at that. When it comes to hitting people, everybody is the same. You’ve got to understand how to tackle people. They have different ways to avoid, making defenders miss and stuff like that. So you have to know how to approach it, but when it comes down to the force, everybody is the same.”
(I know a lot of times, vets will use camp to kind of work on something they want to improve in their game. Is this the week where you transition from that mindset to let’s get ready for the season?) – “Yeah, for sure, man. I’ve been doing it the past two days when it comes, in terms of just rushes and stuff, trying different stuff out because throughout camp I was working on what worked for me. ‘OK, I like this. This is my go-to. I’m going to do this.’ Now it’s kind of more of a, ‘I know what my go-tos are, what could be my change up?’ If it’s third down and the team needs a play but I’m tired? ‘OK, let me see if I can do this, how this works and stuff like that.’ It’s just kind of – the next couple practices, like I said, are a good change of pace because you can work on yourself, work on being a better version of you instead of just competing 24/7.”
(I don’t know if you’re aware, but QB Tua Tagovailoa takes a lot of criticism externally. A lot of it is unfair. Do you protect the guy? What do you do when you hear someone taking shots at your quarterback?) – “I mean, it’s a little bit of both, because you know at the end of the day, he wants to hold that on his head, as the leader of this team, he wants it all to be on him. But at the end of the day, man, you try not to listen to the noise. You try not to listen to the distractions and just love him up as a person. It’s more than just, ‘Oh, he’s the quarterback.’ He’s my teammate. He’s somebody I go to work with every day. He is a person I’ve grown to love and know as a person. When it comes to the criticism and stuff, it’s crazy because when I first got here, I was like, ‘Bro, why is everybody always talking about you?’ He just laughed it off, ‘Uce, man, I don’t know.’ It doesn’t phase him, so as long as we’re being the people each and every day, I feel like it’s going to be good for him.”
(I know S Brandon Jones is a close friend of yours. What sense have you gotten from him in terms of patience, frustration, as he works his way back from somethings?) – “Brandon is a maniac when it comes to working out. He’s like 24/7 always on, always on, always on. I kind of went through the same process in 2020 – going into 2020 from my ACL. Just kind of giving him the knowledge I had from that point of view and telling him all the experiences I had. You’re not going to be 100 percent when you get back on the field. Stuff is going to act up. Your knee has been surgically repaired. They cut open to where your bone has been sawed into. You’re not going to be who you think you can be those first couple of games, first couple of practices. I would just tell him to stay patient. Yeah, you want to work hard and do all of this, but you can’t push it balls to the walls every day because your body doesn’t know how to react to that just yet. Just having those conversations, and he’s getting it. You see him maturing as a player, as a person, each and every day so it’s been dope to see. Every time he’s out there, I give him those words of encouragement because like I said, I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to be feeling like you’re away from the team and then when you’re back, you’re not yourself. Whatever is going through his head, I’ve been there and try to give him those words of encouragement.”
(Along those lines, we saw DT Zach Sieler get treatment for a knee ailment or whatever it was and he went back in there. As a player, where do you draw the line between I know the regular season is coming, or I need to get some work? How do you decide when you should come out?) – “I feel like we’re professionals and we’ve been doing it for a while and you just know your body. If you feel like you could work through something, then ok try to go out there. But at the end of the day, like you said, the regular season is coming up, so everybody has been pretty smart when it comes to things that they are feeling. It’s just about knowing yourself, knowing your body and understanding that the big time is coming up now. For him to be back out there, you know it’s not that serious. It’s something that he’s going to take care of throughout the rest of this day and tomorrow. He’s been a pro since he’s been here, it’s just finding that balance.”
(You were talking about your relationship with S Brandon Jones a little bit ago. I know you got here midseason last year. How is your bond with the other guys in your group?) – “In my group, especially it’s been amazing. It was amazing even last year coming in and having those guys take me under their wings in a sense from the team perspective. I just saw the love and all of that, that they poured into me. So I’m just pouring that same thing into them, and pouring that same thing into the rookies as they come in, and the new guys. I feel that’s how you build that team bond, how you build that camaraderie. It’s just talking to guys, being cool with guys, and understanding that this is more than just football. Caring about guys off the field. It’s been getting there. It’s been fun to see where I was day one and week one last year versus now, so it’s cool.”
(I know there has been a lot of talk and you probably don’t listen to it. But you and LB Jaelen Phillips could be a really good duo together. I’m curious how you guys work. I know you have different personalities, but maybe it’s off to the side, or how you talk through things, can you give me a view of how you guys feed off of each other?) – “Just those little things like talking in between plays. One day I might not be feeling it, but he might be feeling it. ‘Hey, do your thing man. I’m going to do what you need me to do, but do your thing. Go out there.’ And vice versa. He may not be feeling it and I’m feeling great. I’m running around and giving him the energy trying to pick him up. We just try to feed off of each other, because at the end of the day, those two positions are going to make or break the defense. Not to put pressure on it or make us think we got to do the unthinkable, but we’ve got to go out there and set the tone for the defense, and make sure we’re holding up our end of the bargain.”
(You said when you first came here, you asked QB Tua Tagovailoa why is everybody basically on you all the time? He did say today, that if he needs to get scrappy, he’ll get scrappy. Have you seen that?) – “Yeah. I’ve seen it for sure. At first, the outside looking in, you don’t see it. But you see the dude walking around and see how he responds to things. You see how he navigates through it. He’s not going to give anything attention unless it needs attention. That kind of just trickles down to the whole team. Nobody is worried about the small distractions. Ok, yeah it’s going to come, but if you’re talking a little too much then we’re going to have to stand on our name too, at the end of the day.”
(What’s the skill with LB Garrett Nelson that stands out to you?) – “His ability to learn, and to not make the same mistake twice. As a rookie, you’re going to mess up. You’re going to forget the call, you’re going to do the wrong thing every now and then. But he never did the same thing twice in terms of bad stuff. He’s been getting better each and every week of practice. You see it one day. ‘You could’ve ripped a little bit better,’ and then that next day he’s out before practice working on that rip, working on that rip. Then the team period comes and the rip just set him free for a sack. It’s been dope to see his progression, how he takes stuff and how he takes those losses and turns them to lessons.”
Kader Kohou – August 23, 2023
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
CB Kader Kohou
(I know this time last year and if you were one of those guys that were maybe on the right side of the bubble or wrong side of the bubble. What goes through your mind thinking about where you are a year from then, being established on the team roster?) – “Growth. Happy to be where I’m at but I have to keep working.”
(Where do you feel like you improved the most so far this camp and preseason? Where have you seen the most growth?) – “Just being more consistent. Last year, I felt like I made splash plays, but then kind of have down plays. So just staying more consistent and not letting a bad play affect the next play.”
(Have they given you, the starters, any indication on how much you’ll play on Saturday? And do you think that this defense is regular season ready?) – “Nah, that would be a better question for the coaches. But as a defense, I feel like we do a lot of good things, but we still have a lot to work on. So we’re still just working.”
(How challenging is it to go from the slot to the outside in the same game or in the same practice?) – “It’s not that challenging. I feel like when I’m playing slot or outside, you’re playing man or just zone, so there’s not that big of a difference. It’s not that challenging.”
(Are you still renting or did you buy a house or condo?) – “(laughter) I got the same apartment I had last year.”
(What about a new car? Did you get a new car for this year?) – “Yeah.”
(Is it fancy?) – “(laughter) It’s not fancy.”
(How much have you talked to CB Jalen Ramsey since he got hurt and how’s he been?) – “Jalen, his mentality is different. When you talk to him, it doesn’t seem like he’s hurt. He’s just ready to come back and play. He’s always texting the group chat trying to give us pointers and stuff like that. He’s been great even though he’s not on the field with us.”
(Do you embrace the challenge for the time that he is going to be out, taking a little bigger role?) – “I was going to do that anyway. It’s the same mindset I had going into camp …”
(Last game, RB De’Von Achane got slammed down once and another time a 300-pound defensive lineman fell on him. Have you seen that happen out here during practice? Has anybody slammed joint practices or anything? I’m wondering if there’s anything that he can do as a running back to kind of prevent that?) – “I’ve never played running back, so I don’t know what to do. But we don’t really tackle at practice so I can’t really tell. I didn’t even see the play so I can’t really give too much info on that.”
(You didn’t see that? I know you don’t watch the offense.) – “No, but he’s a great player though.”
(You mentioned consistency as a goal for you this year. What are some things you’re doing to try get more consistent?) – “Really just building into a routine. Last year, I felt like it’s a problem for most rookies. You come in and it’s hard to find the things you do on a day-to-day basis. You get ready for practice or games or watching film and stuff like that. So building a better routine keeps you on track to make everything and settle you down and just play football.”
(Some of your teammates have been really complimentary of you and your play the last year or so. What does that mean to you? Knowing that game recognizes game and how does that make you feel?) – “Especially coming from my teammates, I go to war with those guys every Sunday. If they feel like I’m good enough to play with them and compete with them, it’s a great feeling.”
(What’s one thing CB Xavien Howard does that you make sure that if you didn’t do before, you’re like, ‘I have to do that because he’s doing it?’) – “He just plays the ball like crazy. Ball production. That’s the biggest thing he makes. Playing corner, you have to have a short-term memory. He has that down to a pat. He’s really good at not letting anything get too high or too low.”
(We heard from Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio yesterday. He said something interesting that in the meeting room is when you study, on the field is the exam and he likes to leave you guys alone and let you play. Have you noticed that hands-off approach from him when you’re on the field?) – “Most definitely. I feel like on the field, I don’t even hear him. The only time I hear him talk is when we go to the team defensive meeting room. He’s always the one leading the meetings and he coaches every position on every single play. So whatever he said, yes it’s true.”
(He coaches every position on every single play?) – “Every single play. When we’re watching film, he goes and talks about the d-line, switches the view, then talks about linebackers and then the DBs.”
(That’s unusual from your perspective?) – “I’ve only had two defensive coordinators in the NFL, but even my college coach didn’t do that. We always had separate meeting rooms.”
(We also keep hearing that Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio is funnier than he looks.) – “Yeah, he’s funny. I thought he was going to be one of those guys that was football 24/7, like military and stuff. But no, he cracks jokes here and there. He’s funny without even trying to be.”
(He was talking trash about your guys’ music choice though. Is there anything he pushes in the meeting room?) – “Vic doesn’t know what we listen to, but what did he just turn yesterday – 65 (years old)? I don’t think we have the same kind of music. (laughter)”
(I think he called it noise.) – “Yeah, my grandpa calls it noise too. (laughter)”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 23, 2023
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t said whether the starters will play in the preseason finale. If you don’t get action in the final preseason game, do you feel good about the state of the offense entering Week 1?) – “I don’t think you ever feel good until you get live action games in a real season, real defensive looks, not just normal coverage. You’re getting pressures, you’re getting different looks on third down. I guess we’ll never know until we actually go out there and have to really play. So, we’ll see.”
(We saw you get hit in the game against Houston. Was there some jiu-jitsu? Your head stayed up. Was that it?) – “Yeah, I would say we’ve been practicing it once a week, just in case. Try to build that muscle memory for the falling aspect of it. I think it worked out pretty good. It felt good to get back in there, to get hit, to get tackled a little. It was pretty good.”
(Does it feel natural to you at this point where you’re not thinking, ‘I’ve got to do this as I’m falling?’) – “Not yet. Just continuing to practice it.”
(Does the jiu-jitsu continue as you get closer to the season or did you stop?) – “No, I think I’ll continue it. It’s almost gotten to a point where it has been in the flow of things with how I’ve been doing things throughout the week.”
(How unusual was today with no WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle to throw to? Was that the first practice without both of them and how unusual was it?) – “I think it was the first practice. It’s a little unusual not having your guys out there. But it also gives other guys opportunities to showcase themselves with the first group and then also build chemistry with those guys as well.”
(Understanding the process of throwing a football with your left hand, knowing you do everything right-handed. When that first came about, how challenging was that and how long do you think it took for you to master that craft?) – “I can’t remember how long it took for me to get used to throwing with my left hand. I just got to a point where it felt natural throwing with my left and shooting with my left. But I can’t remember how long it took.”
(Ryan Clark on ESPN had some criticism about you, saying that you didn’t hit the gym in the offseason. You didn’t follow nutritionists’ advice. If he were here, what would you say to him?) – “I mean, he probably knows more about me than I know about myself. I don’t know. Ryan’s been out of the league for some time. I don’t know. It’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people when they’re not that person. It was just a little weird. Like my background is I come from a Samoan family. Respect is everything. But if it does get to a point where – hey, a little easy on that buddy because I think we’re pretty tough-minded people and if we need to scrappy, we can get scrappy too. Just saying.”
(How hard did you work in the offseason?) – “I think we all worked hard throughout the offseason. And I’m not someone to talk about myself the entire time, but it takes a lot. Do you think I wanted to build all this muscle? To some extent, I wanted to be a little lighter. There’s a mixture of things that people don’t understand, that people don’t know about, that are talked about that go behind the scenes. So, I’d appreciate if you kept my name out your mouth. That’s what I’d say.”
(It’s Week 1 for a lot of high school students for football. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom you want to share to them as they prepare for their season?) – “Just prepare. Lean back on your training. I think a thing to remember is Jason Jenkins. He’s someone that had a great impact here at the Dolphins. I’d say I had a pretty good relationship with him throughout my years here with him. I just think this is a time to continue to remember his legacy here as a Miami Dolphin.”
(You guys had a 14-play drive in the game on Saturday that you engineered. Last year you had one of the most explosive offenses. How important is it to you as an offense to strike that balance between being able to score quickly and possess the football?) – “I think it’s very encouraging to see for our offense. Adversity hit quick within the first two plays and we were able to knock that off and just continue to sustain the drive. We converted our third downs and we were able to finish those so I thought it was really good.”
(I know this is a day-by-day league, but the opener is not too far away. I don’t know what the plan is for Saturday, but when does your focus even start to go to the regular season opener?) – “I think our focus starts here with Jacksonville. We’re treating this as if it were a game week, so just preparing the way we would on a normal day-to-day week. Normal down-and-distances, third downs, red area and we’ll see what they give us. So I’m preparing as if I’m going to play.”
(Is that a nice change of pace from practice to be able to get to do that? To go from training camp, training camp to that?) – “Yeah, it feels good to practice against other teams, get other looks. The preparation is a little different when you’re joint practicing, but when you’re able to practice on your own, get looks from the scout team, I think that definitely helps in preparation to play on the weekend.”
(You were asked about obviously the Ryan Clark comments. Do you think some people kind of clout chase for lack of a better word? They make their names off yours a little bit?) – “Make their name off of mine?”
(Yeah, like they look to boost engagement because they know QB Tua Tagovailoa is a guy people want to talk about.) – “I don’t look at myself as someone who chases clout. I stay out of the media as much as I can. I try to live my life as private as I can so if they think it’s chasing clout, buddy, I’m the wrong person. There’s nothing about me that tells you that I’m chasing clout, so I mean, go find Jake Paul or go find Logan. Go find those guys if you want to chase clout. Like those are the guys you want to chase.”
(Has that trend in your career of listening to the outside noise, has that changed at all or evolved at all in the last couple years?) – “No. No. The person who bears all the bad news to me (is the PR staff). (laughter) That’s how I figure things out. So other than that, no one in my family tells me anything. My wife doesn’t watch news outside of regular BBC news, all of those things, what’s going on around the world. Also prayers back home still to the people out there in Maui. There’s still a lot of people missing. There’s still a lot of things that haven’t been – shoutout to the news, but prayers and thoughts out there to the families and a couple of my friends that live out there.”
(How has that process been with the relief efforts, you balancing that with day-to-day? How has that been going?) – “It’s been going good. The thing with that is – I mean, they’ve been down with power for some time, so they don’t even know what’s going on. Like who is all missing, where this thing is, what’s happening. There’s a lot of things going on back there and so we just continue to pray. I do know there’s a lot of people that are out there willing to help and willing to help fund the relief needs for those out there in Maui.”
(When you’re not playing in the preseason games and you’re talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel, how much do you sort of cherish those moments to see his vision in a game context while you still can? You seem to be having a lot of fun as well when something goes right.) – “Yeah, when everything goes right, it’s a reflection of our offense. It’s a reflection of our team, so when our guys go out there, no matter who it is, you want to see them succeed. You want to see them do well because you know that they’ve been studying, they’ve been understanding what is needed to have been done in this particular defense with our offense and you know they’ve been working really hard. So just going out there and seeing them succeed, it means a lot. It means a lot because guys are working for a job and guys need to beat out people. It’s a competition. That’s what it is here in this league.”
David Long Jr. – August 22, 2023
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Tuesday, August 22, 2023
LB David Long Jr.
(What do you think you’ve shown so far early in camp on a new team here?) – “Off the bat, just the instinctive player I am. I’m just trying to get a feel for the whole defense around me. Coming to the end of training camp, we’re growing into an actual team. Some ways to go as well, but we’re building that core.”
(Is that what you showed when you had the tackle for loss in the game? Instinctual?) – “Yeah, it was just knowing pre-snap. I’ve been playing the game for (a while). Read the tight end and tackle, just knowing what’s coming, high red. Houston has a strong back. I’m pretty familiar with him, and just being familiar with the scheme.”
(I asked Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio what he seen and he said some of the same things, but he said he wants to see you more consistent. What do you think are some things you need to show to be more consistent?) – “I could say a number of things. Just taking the coaching from the field and then applying it. In the film, just going back and looking at things that can help me be a better player.”
(What do you like about this defense? In two preseason games, you guys have let up one touchdown. What do you like most about what you guys are doing?) – “I would say the mentality. We all have our individual talents, but it’s about us growing into a defense and how we can play off each other. It’s just good seeing it. We have new pieces coming in every week like Parry (Nickerson) and guys just being able to learn on the run. Taking that individual mentality that we’re going to have that dawg and playing fast. I feel like it’s coming together.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said he’s impressed but you also have to take it with a grain of salt maybe because first and second team and said you’re probably going to face Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. How excited are you to get reps against a top-flight quarterback?) – “I played against him the last two years. I’m pretty familiar with their scheme. I’m just excited to see how this defense has been coming along to the end of camp. Right now, we have a lot of players here getting time. We are just trying to find out who’s going to be with us at the end. Now we’re just building that core, and excited to see who’s going to build off that.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said he has a dry sense of humor.) – “Very, very dry. He’s got little jokes. Sometimes I really can’t tell if it’s a joke or not. He will say something with a little smile. Vic’s a funny guy. We’re in the room with him. Just getting to know Vic as a coach and as a person as well. For sure, he keeps you on your toes.”
(Thoughts on the young guys, LB Aubrey Miller II, LB Channing Tindall, and being a mentor and helping them out.) – “It’s been good, especially with Aubrey. He’s undrafted. I’m sixth round. He’s undersized. Just being able to relate to him on so many levels. Coming in with guys in front of you and just be able to learn from their mistakes. Don’t go out there and do the same thing. As far as undrafted, it’s a little different. You have a shorter leash. You don’t have that many times to make mistakes. Just keeping him on his toes and helping him and Channing learn from my mistakes as well.”
(There’s a band around your leg. Is that just for compression?) – “Yeah, I got used to it. I just feel comfortable with it. Anytime I stand there, I take it off and do a little instead of getting cold. I feel sometimes people feel like – if you have a band on you. But I’m just comfortable like that.”
(Preventative?) – “Yeah, just little work in between reps and stuff.”
(I don’t know if you were asked about the tackle for loss in the last preseason game. What does that feel like, that moment you realize they’re about to get the guy behind the line of scrimmage?) – “It feels good. At first, I was just excited to get back. I haven’t played since last year, so I was excited to get back out there. I was just trying to, that whole drive, make a play. My big thing is making a play behind the line of scrimmage. I was trying to get a read when it gets to practice all week, and just getting a read for the tackle’s stance and how heavy he is and his hands and getting back into my pre-snap reads and football mode. It felt good to actually trust myself and shoot and continue to build on that.”
(I paused that tape. When you were at the line of scrimmage, the running back was just getting the toss, so obviously your anticipation was pretty good on that play. How does that come together pre-snap? Is that something you notice before they snap the ball, like I’m going right now?) – “Yeah. That play I was like if the tight end blocks down, I’m shooting this gap and that’s exactly what I did. A couple plays later, it was the same play, but the hole was too big. I’m just getting a feel for the game again and getting back into my style.”
(Do you also process how you’re going to defeat a block? I saw you slip one. You obviously ran through others. Is that in the moment as well?) – “It’s in the moment, but it’s on the run as well. These are some big guys, so they can get a jump on me and not even have square up and run through or square up and shed. It’s just being able to get a feel for the game.”
Kendall Lamm – August 22, 2023
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Tuesday, August 22, 2023
T Kendall Lamm
(We talked at the beginning of camp in terms of what you wanted to accomplish. Do you feel like you’ve done that?) – “I mean, to be honest with you, bro, today’s just kind of another day. The culmination of camp hasn’t come to a close. So to be completely real with you, regardless if it’s camp, regular season, practice, whatever comes, I approach each day as each day as its own entity. So it’s like, yeah, you want to do certain goals. You want to get comfortable on the left, comfortable on the right. You want to get comfortable with the guys you’re working with, of course. But in my opinion, that’s chopped wood, carry water mentality. You’ve got to do that each and every day. So yes, sir.”
(Where did you get the chopped wood, carry water mentality from?) – “I don’t know if you can see my shirt, but I wear my college stuff all the time. When I was up on the mountain in Boone, we were Division I-AA. That’s nine, 10 years ago now. A lot of people didn’t really give us too much credit. But from my perspective, I really could care less about other people’s perception and what they thought. We just went out there and did what we did every day. I tried to bring what I took on the mountain, then what I did in Houston, then Cleveland, then Tennessee, and I approach it the same here.”
(How do you feel a second year in the system has helped you play better, play faster?) – “Familiarity with anything helps. Espe ially being with the guys, especially hearing the calls. Last year when I came in, to be completely real with you, when I came in towards halfway through the season it’s like, I understood, but at the same time, not being able to go through this time and this process is major. Especially this being year nine for me. I look forward to training camp because this is the time when you really get to grind. This is the time where I get a feel. This is the time where I truly get to put the weight on someone each and every day. Then at the same time, of course when the season comes, we don’t necessarily do this as much. So for me, hearing the calls, getting on the same page with Liam (Eichenberg), Isaiah (Wynn), Rob (Jones), Rob (Hunt), I just love being able to do that now. Not having that last year was different, but it’s been beautiful to do it now.”
(It was like 30 snaps last year in the Patriots game. Do you use those reps on tape to go back and learn or is it the Dolphins in general last year that you use?) – “The biggest thing for me, I look at a culmination of everybody. I see it from T’s (Terron Armstead) eyes. Last year I saw it from Greg Little’s eyes, ‘B Shell’s’ (Brandon Shell) eyes. I always picked their brains and saw what they kind of see through the same set. But now that I’ve had the ability to do it more, and now that I’ve had the ability to put my hand in the dirt on both sides and get a good amount of reps, I go off of that. But don’t get it twisted. I never forget what we talked about in those situations because when certain things happen, you always want to pull from that.”
(Does having the perspective of playing either tackle spot throughout camp kind of give you a more broad view of what you’re trying to do or does it matter?) – “I mean, as I said before, to be honest, left and right is its own entity. I go from left, you go to the right side, it’s a brand new place, brand new field. That’s like CEO, the COO. That’s just how I look at it because it’s completely different. Your timing with your hands. Your timing with your steps. Opening up a certain way. Kicking a certain way. It’s beautiful to be put into that conflict, to be honest, because to do it now, especially against (Bradley) Chubb and (Jaelan) Phillips, like they’re very good. So when I go to the right tomorrow, or whenever, I get to see Jaelan. When I go back to the left, you see Chubb. So you’ve got to bring your A game no matter what because they’re very good. It makes you really get with the program real, real fast.”
(Is your comfort level the same at left and right tackle?) – “For the most part, yeah. Like I was telling (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry) in OTAs, during OTAs I took majority of left, which was cool with me. It didn’t bother me. But I always ask them, please, please, please, let me get some right. Because I know as the season progresses, you snap your fingers and when it’s called upon, it’s called upon. So I try to get as comfortable on both sides but that takes time.”
(In that first half against New England on January 1, 2023 and throughout camp, you’ve proven to be reliable. Is that an important thing? Does Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry or Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith ever use that word or any words like that to you?) – “Like I said, this is my ninth year. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve seen the multitude of defenses from the various teams I’ve been on. The one thing that Coach Mike Devlin told me a long time ago, he said, just put your head down and get comfortable being uncomfortable. So from my perspective, like I told you guys a few weeks ago, if they tell me to play right that day, that’s what we do. If they tell me to play left the next, it’s what we do. That’s kind of my journey and what I have to do, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
(So you asked to play right?) – “One-hundred percent. I mean, think about it from my perspective. If I get into the game – I mean God-willing, and whatever’s going to come – we get into the game and something happens, you can’t say ‘oh my god, I don’t want to go to right now.’ You have to be able to do that. So why would I not ask to be able to do certain things? Even if you’re swinging in practice, put me in uncomfortable situations so I can try to work through those and build the process in my mind and go from there.”
(You talked about obviously playing in a lot of systems. Is this one similar to a spot that you’ve been in before?) – “Yes and no. Football is football. When we run outside zone, it’s going to be outside zone. You skin a cat a few ways. But you want to, of course, get the objective done. We have a lot of speed here. Everybody knows that. So when we come off the ball and do certain things, we want to make it look a certain way. But I mean ball is ball. If I’m asked to run inside zone, left, right, that’s what it’s going to be regardless if it’s Houston, Tennessee, Cleveland or here. It always stays true.”
Jerome Baker – August 22, 2023
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Tuesday, August 22, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(What’s LB David Long Jr. been like to work alongside of?) – “He’s just a fun dude, he really is. He shoots gaps, he’s smart, he understands – we work well together as far as you got this or I got this. We really work well together. He’s very similar to me. He can run. He can hit. He’s smart. Any guy like that is definitely fun to work with. Off the field, we have similar personalities. We’re laid back. We do what we got to do. We crack jokes. He’s definitely fun to work with.”
(With training camp winding down, and the last preseason game coming up, what are you most excited about with the defense and the progress that you guys made?) – “What am I most excited about? It’s to hit somebody else. That’s what I’m ready to do. (laughter) I think towards the end of training camp, you have you fun practicing against other guys and do all of that. But now we’re tired of hitting the same team, so we’re ready to go against somebody else. We understand that we put in the work and it’s time to see what we can do against somebody else. We’re ready for it.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio had noted that during the preseason, sometimes the starters aren’t playing, sometimes you got twos, threes in there. But it looks like the Jaguars are going to play their starters so you get to go against a really good quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. What are your thoughts about that as a final tune-up before the regular season?) – “I’m all for it. Any chance for me to go out there and tackle and do my thing, I’m all for it. It’s going to be a fun one. Trevor is getting up there to be one of the good ones in the league, so it’s definitely going to be exciting.”
Frank Smith – August 22, 2023
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Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Just a couple of completions by QB Tua Tagovailoa with the first-team offense outside the numbers. Wanted to just kind of get your gauge on how important that can be for this offense to stress the perimeter of the field this year?) – “I think this time of year, we’re obviously working on our execution in all phases of the offense, so whether it’s inside or outside the numbers, it’s vital for us to understand what we’re trying to accomplish through the concepts. It’s all about what the defense presents or what we’re trying to attack inside of it, so the opportunity to work that part of the offense has been great. Like this next week, each day we’re having emphasis points, so continuing to grow with an emphasis in that area has been great for us.”
(Something I’ve noticed in the two preseason games is a lot of screens whether at wide receiver, running back, tight end. How do you think that can kind of complement what you guys are …?) – “I think just in general, a good screen game is an opportunity to get the ball in space to our playmakers. Half back screens, obviously they get lead blockers. It’s really kind of, in a way, outside zone on level two after you displace them. Perimeter screens, again, our ability to make the defense defend all 53 yards of the field for width. So we’ve always viewed it as a complement to what we do and then going through the offseason and stuff like that, areas of improvement; we’re excited with the growth we’ve had in that and just it’s an overall area that we knew we could improve on and we look to continue to just getting better in all areas over the next week or two.”
(How do you see the left guard battle? It’s close now to the time you have to make a decision.) – “Decisions, we’re not at that time yet. We’ve got a week of work. A lot of stuff we’re trying to emphasize this week can get done. Guys have three more days plus the game. We have time as far as that, as far as making decisions because obviously with guys coming in and executing what the emphases are, we really look forward to this next week to see what a lot of guys are going to do in these situations and look at how they respond.”
(Have there been one or two guys that have really helped themselves this past month?) – “Yeah, I think with just everything, all guys are going through, fighting to make the 53 (man roster). There’s good days, there’s other days, but we’re looking for consistency. So the next three days, I think, plus the game, will really allow us to get a good feel for the way all competitions are going at all positions.”
(A lot of attention this offseason obviously on QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health. I know it’s a limited body work from the other day in Houston, but did you see any signs of Tua being able to protect himself?) – “I think overall, his offseason plan of things he wanted to improve on, I think that he’s had emphasis on areas that he’s been working on and we’ve seen him challenging himself in many of those areas. So I think overall, the way he’s progressed and the way he’s developed through working on all these things has been very impressive for us. I’m really excited for him to continue his growth going through the rest of the preseason and the regular season.”
(How relieved were you when you heard T Terron Armstead’s injury is not serious?) – “Well, Terron (Armstead) and I go way back, so with him, I’m very happy that it wasn’t anything that was going to be major, but he knows when it’s go time. I’m sure he’ll be ready when the lights get bright, but yeah, I’m very happy that it wasn’t anything that was going to be substantial.”
(I know the plan wasn’t for QB Skylar Thompson to play the entirety of the game after QB Tua Tagovailoa went out, but obviously QB Mike White had a situation come up. It seemed like Skylar took advantage of it. What did you like most about his performance?) – “The grit and the tenacity that Skylar (Thompson) plays with just – he’s a competitor and obviously he’s reveling in those more opportunities to play. He’s done a great job for us. His command in the huddle, his execution of what we’re trying to accomplish. Just overall, he’s had a very good camp and really this next week will be a great opportunity for him to continue with that because we really like where he’s progressed and what he’s been able to do so far.”
(On the addition of Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry and how the transition has gone the last six months) – “Everything is about having our coaching staff have a sense of urgency and passion and enthusiasm for what you do, ability to communicate and problem-solve. He’s been a great addition and the communication we’re able to have amongst the staff with all things has been awesome. I think a lot of that comes into our second year of a system. And then him being in it before with Mike (McDaniel), there really is an understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish. So far it’s been great, but however we’ve got to focus on today just because for us right now, the most important thing for us is not look to the future, not what we’ve done. We have to get better today, tomorrow, the next day, for us to get to where we want to go, for us to maximize our goals for the season.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked a lot about game operations, getting to the line, getting the play off. How have you helped and what has been your role in making sure it gets better this year?) – “I’m just facilitating information, helping communicate the standard of performance that we’re looking to have, communicating with guys why we’re doing what we’re doing, why this creates problems. So I think ultimately it’s just our communication of expectations one, as a staff and then two, to the players. That’s been our goal all along, so this year we’ve seen improvement in it, but yet, we have to keep pushing our standard of how we want to operate if we want to make sure the defense is playing on our terms, not on their terms.”
(One specific that’s gotten better about it would be what?) – “I just think our communication about a lot of things, and that comes into Year 2 with us being here, knowing exactly what we’re trying to do, being able to communicate it clearer, the staff understands better. All these things come with more time spent together and the same thing for the players. More time spent together, they understand intent better. They understand how they all work together to accomplish things.”
(Can you describe your level of satisfaction with what you’ve seen with the running back group and do you think there’s enough there to get this offense to where you want it to go this year?) – “We’ve had some good outings and some plays that obviously we can improve our execution. Just overall, they’ve done a very good job. Overall, we’re starting to really understand conceptually what we’re trying to do in the running game and the connection between the runner’s intent, the line’s blocking, perimeter’s blocking, how it all fits. I think just in general you can’t put your finger on one thing. The backs have done a good job, but just overall the connection from everyone and then the level of the sense of urgency to get it done I think has improved, and that’s an area that we want to continue upon, not just say, ‘hey, this has been good.’ We want to keep pushing the bar on our execution in all phases.”
(Do you think the personnel is capable though, overall? Just the guys here already?) – “Yeah, because ultimately the guys here have had the opportunities to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing, understand the communication that goes through each other. So the guys who have been here have done a really good job in understanding the execution of this offense in this system that we’re trying to do.”
(Can you give us a story about working against Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio? We see you in practice talking to him a lot.) – “Vic (Fangio) and I go back to Chicago so I spent three years with him there. He’s been a good friend of mine. He’s been in many ways – late at night, we had conversations back in Chicago and now the same thing where his experience or his wealth of seeing things, wealth of problem-solving, his one-liners are always funny to me. I just enjoy having him here just because if there’s one thing he is, he’s very clear in his expectations, communicating a system and also in his way, once you know him, he has fun every day. So there’s not one specific thing because I enjoy all of it with him because you just never know what day you’re going to get a comment about something that makes me laugh. Normally it’s a one-liner that I wasn’t ready for and I’m like, ‘what?’”
(What’s a one-liner that pops to mind?) – “I can’t even think right now because – I mean, they’re never-ending. He’ll just always have something off the cuff. He’s got kind of a dry, witty sense of humor that I do, so it’ll just be something random. I can’t think of anything right now just because they’re an endless rotation coming from him, which I enjoy and I know a lot of the staff enjoys because he’s being himself. And that’s all you want in this industry is guys who are comfortable with themselves, have fun doing what they’re doing and are really good at what they do.”
(You’re pretty stoic with us. You’ve got some jokes, too?) – “I’m more of like – my years of now going into Year 2 as a coordinator, it’s like, okay, my humor is more not on questions, it’s more situational. So I’m kind of like a giant ‘Arrested Development’ episode. (laughter) So if anyone knows that one, they’ll get it. So for me, right now, this setting is kind of…”
(Which character are you?) – “So many choices. Definitely not Gob. (laughter) As I get used to it more, maybe it’ll come out, but I’m more funny walking around over there as I observe random things going on. It’s probably a blend of ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Arrested Development.’”
(How does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s sense of humor compare to Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s?) – “It’s a great balance. Both have great timing toward their humor. It’s just the difference in their personalities. But as a coach, I can’t be thankful enough that I get to go every day and you have an environment where it brings out your best, but then you get to also laugh with the people you’re working with. They’re a good balance to each other because they both kind of have timing comedy. So I’m laughing all day. Some other people may be like, ‘what was that?’ But I’m dying. So it’s great for me at least.”
(What have you noticed about your tight ends so far? They were playing the fullback role last game. It seems like you guys have thrown to them in a lot of situations – red zone, first down. I thought I saw maybe a tight end screen attempted once. What have you learned about these guys so far?) – “Like we talked about all along, guys who are able to do the complete skill set of things, because it’s hard playing tight end. Coaching them for six years, I have the most empathy for ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) because it’s like you’re going to do a little of everything all the time and sometimes you’re learning something inside of a concept as opposed to ‘we expressly tell you so.’ They work hard. Their love of football. All of them possess mental and physical toughness, so I’ve been very pleased with what they’re doing. They accept their role. They thrive when they get their opportunities. So far they’re committed to the cause of each day getting better and it was really cool for Durham (Smythe) to see in a situation like he was, to execute something he’s now done in practice several times. So again, the way you practice, the way you play – that’s why today for us is the most important, making sure that we maximize this opportunity as our growth through the season.”
(Do you have a role that the tight ends must play or are the tight ends showing you guys what they can do?) – “I think everything – as we challenge them with new criteria for each play, concept, what we’re trying to accomplish; their execution in it allows us to go, ‘okay, there’s another thing they can do.’ I think ultimately this time of year is we’re attacking a defense. We’re seeing where are their stress points, where are they vulnerable, and tight ends that are versatile allow us to do that because you can move them around the offense to be either primary pieces or complementary pieces. And when you have guys that can play in-line, fullback, out wide, run primary spots and execute; it allows us to be versatile in what we want to do.”
(What’s that collaborative process with Head Coach Mike McDaniel now that you’re in Year 2? Is there a way that he approaches an offseason after a season’s worth of experiences that you maybe didn’t notice last year?) – “I think it comes with the familiarity with Mike (McDaniel) now. Prior to getting here, not knowing him as well as maybe he knew Wes (Welker) and ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) who he worked with. But when you go through the season and you have the fire of it all, you work through it and you learn how does he communicate, how can I help. I have always believed in my coaching career that my job is to assist my boss and make sure that I can take things off of his plate. Sometimes you take things off of his plate and he doesn’t know, so it’s anticipation. So I think in Year 2, I can anticipate what he wants better so I can help him where all of a sudden, that’s done, ‘oh yeah, thanks for doing that.’ So I can anticipate him better to help him and then more of it’s just communication. When you can anticipate and you give good communication, the machine just keeps moving faster and faster.”
(Are there any examples of that you can share with us?) – “Just like in training camp, all right, we’re trying to get these couple things done the next couple days. I can lay it out or I can anticipate knowing what he’s probably wanting to do. I can give him an outline of it and he can go yes/no as opposed to maybe he was going to do it. I can give him an outline of it and then he can choose off of that or he can go, ‘hey, why’d you do this?’ And then we can think about it. So it’s just anticipating, communication and anticipating maybe wants or needs that he can do that I can remove from his plate.”
