Tua Tagovailoa – April 19, 2023
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Wednesday, April 19, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What’s your current belt ranking i jiu-jitsu?) – “Still a white belt. I’m still a white belt. I just started. Just started.”
(What have you learned, though?) – “Obviously learned how to fall. I learned some grappling techniques. I learned some other things too that I don’t think I should disclose. But for the most part, I learned how to fall. You think it’s easy, just don’t fall and hit your head. But I mean, there’s a lot more to it.”
(For us that don’t know about judo, how do they teach you?) – “We used like crash pads to land on first with trying to fall. Obviously tucking your chin, that was one of the deals. But it went a lot more into the technique of how to disperse your energy when you fall, kind of like the posture you want to be in and if you’re not presented that posture, what are other things that you can do to help you disperse the energy when you fall. So it’s a lot of those things. And it’s actually a lot cooler than you think when you hear of learning how to fall.”
(If I can follow up, if you have a split-second to think, how does that work? Because if you’re being sacked, how does that work?) – “Well, I’ve been falling a lot this offseason, so I think just like anything else, you continue to train it, you continue to work at that, it becomes second nature. Then when a situation like that does happen, it’s not something new that’s presented to you. And for guys at my position, we barely get hit, if that, throughout practices, throughout the offseason, even going into training camp. We don’t even get touched until the season starts. So I mean, with jiu-jitsu, I’ve been thrown airborne, I’ve been put in many uncomfortable positions for me to learn how to fall and try to react throughout those positions that I’m getting thrown around in.”
(How would you describe the last four months? I know that it’s probably been a while since you’ve been in this position, but the past four months, Christmas Day, the day after being in the protocol, missing the playoff game, and just kind of all the emotions, just how has it been for you?) – “Well, it’s been hard throughout the ending of the year last year, not being able to finish the season off the way we wanted to finish the season off last year. But this is a new year for us. This is a new team that we have and we’re all really excited. And it’s cool to have a lot of the big names in the locker room now. Those guys are some great people.”
(Just quick follow up. I know there was a lot of talk about you, about what you should do and whatnot. I mean, truthfully through it all, was there any thought about walking away or whatnot, through the time you were in the protocol? And if not, what kind of led you to have that confidence to not really consider that?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question. Yeah, I think I considered it for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kinds of conversations. But really, it would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am, with my son. I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do. And yeah, I mean it’s my health, it’s my body, and I feel like this is what’s best for me and my family. I mean, I love the game of football. If I didn’t, I would have quit a long time (ago).”
(Aside from falling, what other areas of your game this offseason have you been focusing on?) – “There’s been a lot of areas. Obviously, strength work has been really big throughout this offseason for me with getting my legs under me, kind of building my upper body, building around my neck, my core. All of that has been taken into consideration. And I’ve been doing a lot more to try to help myself sustain the season.”
(What type of actual exercises help build up strength around the neck area?) – “We have like this neck device that we use where you clip it onto like one of the pulleys. So I’m able to do a four-way directional head deal. And then also you have manuals where someone is resisting or trying to hold your head down. And then, within the four ways, going side to side, and then back and forth, you have manuals. That’s really what we’ve been doing to help build that up.”
(Part of the process of learning how to fall, you had to see what happened to you. Like you had to watch it. How tough was it to watch? That has creep into your head.) – “Yeah, it wasn’t tough to watch. It wasn’t tough to watch. I want to get better at everything that I can do to help the team win games and I know the biggest one is my health, staying out on the field. And so looking at the film, I was able to watch that with my jiu-jitsu coach, and we were able to kind of relive the scenario in how I got tackled, how I fell. And it wasn’t just one particular game. It was multiple ways that I got taken down and how I could have prevented that.”
(When I talked to some neurologists after the season, they said there’s no medical evidence that concussions or multiple concussions increase the chances of concussions eight months, nine months, 10 months later. Maybe the immediate aftermath, but not that long. Did they tell you that? Or what was the thing that neurologists told you that made you feel best about continuing to play?) – “They told me exactly what you said. They also told me that CTE wasn’t going to be a problem. It’s only when you’re constantly hitting your head against something. I think that tailors more towards linebackers, o-linemen, d-linemen, guys that are constantly going at it. That also played into the factor of my decision-making and wanting to come back and play.”
(This is the first time since high school you really have the same play-caller back-to-back years. How do you think that’s going to benefit you at the quarterback position?) – “Yeah. It’s been a lot better of an offseason knowing that I don’t have to learn a new system, I don’t have to learn new formations, new motions, new snap points, new cadences. It’s good to know that I already have a year under my belt within the offense. There’s always going to be nuances, but it’s not like a drastic change. So this is really good. I mean, this is good because of the guys that we have as well that have been with us last year under the same system. We’re all really, really excited to get things going.”
(Were you close to playing in the playoffs? Or was that not a possibility?) – “I am not sure. I was going through my process with (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and just trying to do everything I could to get better. But at any point, whenever – if the team, Mike (McDaniel) or (Chris) Grier would have approached me and asked me if I were ready, there’s no question, no doubt in my mind, that I would have stepped up to the plate and answered the call.”
Chris Grier and Marvin Allen – April 19, 2023
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Wednesday, April 19, 2023
General Manager Chris Grier and Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen
Chris Grier:
(Opening statement) – “Hey, welcome to the (most fun) interview of the NFL season for you guys where no one says anything. (laughter) So I guess I’ll start it off with my usual. Excited for South Florida sports teams this time of year with the Heat and Panthers and Marlins off to a great start, too, as well. We wish all the teams in the playoffs luck and we’ll probably have a crew over there watching a couple of games here in the next few days. But other than that, fire away.”
(Wanted to ask you a couple things on right tackle. At this point, is your thinking that OL Austin Jackson – is the expectation that he is going to be your starter? And also, are you keeping in the back of your mind, you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel keeping in the back of your mind, the possibility of moving OL Robert Hunt to right tackle or would you prefer clearly to leave him at guard?) – “It’s always right off the start. (laughter) Yes, the expectation is Austin (Jackson) is the starter at right tackle. We’re excited for him. I know he was frustrated with some of the injuries last year, but he’s been working hard. He’s been doing a lot of stuff here in the offseason. Having Terron (Armstead) around here, another year being around him for a year and the offseason will be tremendous value for him. And for us, we’d like to see Robert (Hunt) stay at one position right now, stay at guard where, again, you’ve heard me say it here many times; I think he has tremendous potential and is already, I believe, a very good player at that position in the league.”
(What was your reaction to the Jalen Hurts contract and how it may or may not set the set the value for quarterbacks moving forward in this league?) – “Happy for him. He’s a good kid. I met him years ago with Mike Locksley at Alabama and I told him I was proud that he stayed the year when Tua beat him out where a lot of these kids transfer out and go places. I’m happy for him. I think for us, at the end of the day, it’s a piece of information. We monitor it, but there’s going to be other quarterbacks here coming up still, who knows how soon, so the market will fluctuate based off those. So for us, it’s happy for him and the Eagles getting it done, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really move our needle until we have to do something.”
(Along the lines of that, the team decided to exercise QB Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option fairly early in the process compared to how you have acted. I know Mike McDaniel spoke about the thinking, but I was wondering if you could kind of give your perspective as well. You said everything is open. In terms of an extension, is there any possibility to discuss that or just want to kind of…?) – “Yeah, we’ve had a lot of internal discussions between Mike (McDaniel), Marvin (Allen), Brandon (Shore), Steve (Ross), Tom Garfinkel, as well. So all options are on the table like I said then, but we decided that for us, and we always hope Tua will be here, successful long term with us. And at the end day, we made this decision and decided to move forward in the offseason to get it going.”
(I’d like to follow up just on QB Tua Tagovailoa moving forward. The process of checking off all the boxes to ensure that he is as healthy as you can, what was that process like?) – “Yeah, it was a lot of discussions with our doctors, with Tua, just formulating a plan. But I think once we talked to specialists, and he met with specialists, too, and the people he met around the country, everyone felt comfortable with him health-wise. And so, when those boxes were checked, we were fine and decided just to move on and I’m looking forward to him working and doing all the things he’s been doing in the offseason now to help him for next season.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of hinted at this during I believe, Super Bowl week. But just to clarify, did you guys essentially shut him down after the concussion on Christmas Day and not allow him to progress until the season was over?) – “I think when we went through the process, it still needs to be cleared by the league people as well, too. So it was just our process of going through it, working with the league and with Tua going through it. That’s all it was.”
(Can you tell us a little bit about the process that landed CB Jalen Ramsey in this building?) – “Yeah, you guys have heard us talk for years about opportunities. We always investigate and do that, so we did our work. They reached out about him. (Rams General Manager) Les (Snead) and I have known each other for years and we talked, so we had talks for a couple of weeks and then at the end of the day, for us, it made sense for the player – who he is – after we talked to the people around him. So we’re very excited to add him. He’s been a very good player in this league. We still think he’s a very good player, and he has a good relationship with Xavien (Howard). So I know they were excited. Xavien texted me right away when he saw it. So I think for us, it was the opportunity to add a very good player, so we’re very excited.”
Marvin Allen:
(If I can address this one to Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen, when LB Channing Tindall and WR Erik Ezukanma were selected last year, was the expectation kind of always that maybe they would need a year before they could really make some kind of impact more than just on special teams?) – “Yeah, I think when we selected them, we knew the progression for both of them would be in the future. So you get guys and you want to give them a chance to sit back and learn and do some things on special teams, but knowing that their value would be much more down the line than it was immediately.”
(Marvin, what are your thoughts on QB Tua Tagovailoa – where he stands three years through and the future for him?) – “Well, he went through the protocol and we have all the faith in the world in him. He’s our quarterback and we think moving forward, he’s going to be the quarterback that gets us to where we want to go.”
Chris Grier:
(We heard Mike McDaniel talk about the story of kind of bringing his tape to you guys, the entire building last year on that Mike Silver podcast. I was curious, your perspective on when Mike McDaniel was so fired up that night and watching the tape and bringing it to y’all.) – “I think Mike was excited to work with him even before that. He had watched some film of him, but he knew him from the draft, but I think once he got here and really dug in and got to spend time, because obviously he was busy with the 49ers when they were on their playoff run. And he put together and strung all the stuff that made sense for his offense. I think he showed it to everyone in the building, just going around, he was so excited. I think he pulled an all-nighter putting it together and he was so happy when all the scouts came in, so I saw it like, five times. I was just like, ‘Okay, I get it Mike. He’s good and you’re excited.’ (laughter) But yeah, the relationship the two of them have and watching them how they work and communicate, it’s pretty cool to see.”
(How much progress do you feel you’ve made in the DT Christian Wilkins extension talks?) – “Yeah, I’ve had some good talks with his agent. As I’ve always said, we’re going to keep those conversations private, but I’m excited for Christian. He’s a very good player here. You know how we feel about him. We’ve talked about what he’s done on and off the field for us. So we’re still working through it, but hopefully we can get him here and keep him here for a long time.”
(You come from a football executive family. Your brother is the first Black GM in NHL history. Can you just explain briefly on the role that your father has played in you being to where you are today and the impact that you guys with you and your brother?) – “Just being able to grow up watching how he approached things and I was fortunate to be there in New England with him with Bill Parcells and Pete Carroll and Coach Belichick for a little bit just to see how he interacted and worked. I learned so much from him. Obviously he coached Marvin (Allen), so that’s how Marvin and my connection go back. I just think having that resource to talk to – my brother and I talk every week and we talk about a lot of different things sports-related and in terms of player acquisitions and dealing with people in the building. So just be able to talk to him and even still now Marvin and I will go to all-star games and people keep coming up saying, ‘hey, tell your dad I said hello.’ Or agents are like, ‘your dad was the first guy that gave me a chance and listened to me’ and stuff. So just how you treat people and working with them, I learned so much from him and I wouldn’t be here without him.”
(What’s been the thinking in so far not adding another tight end besides TE Eric Saubert, who you signed, and a backup defensive tackle? Are those positions you think you could address in the draft? What What’s your thinking there?) – “Yeah, I think our approach is we’re evaluating every position, going through it very thoroughly at every position. We’ve had our 30-visits that you like to track and you do your work – your Inspector Clouseau stuff on it. (laughter) For us, it’s every position. So we’ve bought in guys from basically every position except quarterback into the building. So for us, we’re always looking for good players that compete for roster spots because that’s how we get better is with competition.”
(For both of you, when you look at your roster, when you look at what’s in the tight end room right now, what do you see? How comfortable are you? And transferring that forward, what do you see in this tight end draft class? A lot of people have said it’s quite talented and deep. I wonder if you agree.) – “I’ll talk about our room and I’ll let Marvin talk about the draft class. With us, our room, we’re happy with it. Obviously, you know how we feel about Durham. We’ve talked about Durham for a long time. Letting Mike (Gesicki) leave was – he earned the right to be a free agent. Obviously I drafted him. We’ve talked in here before about how I feel about him. I’m very happy for him other than he went to New England. So I said, I’ve got to root against them twice a year. (laughter) But I’m very happy for him. But we’re excited for – Eric (Saubert) was a good addition for us. And Tanner (Conner) we feel has good upside. So yeah, we’re going to keep looking to add at that position, some competition, but we’re happy with the guys there and especially how Durham leads and what he provides for our team.”
Marvin Allen:
“And as far the draft class this year, as most of you guys know, this is probably one of the deeper tight end drafts than has been in the last several years. So we feel good about having an opportunity to grab a good football player, if he’s available when we’re picking. We’re going to look at every position, but there’s a strong chance that there are going to be a lot of tight ends selected early.”
Chris Grier:
(Obviously you’re not in the market for a quarterback in this draft. There are five that could potentially go in the first round. As an outside observer to this process, how do you see that draft class of quarterbacks?) – “They’re all very talented. I think with any quarterback, it’s the fit with the coach and coaching staff, and what you’re asking them to do offensively. I think there are some tough decisions for teams to make because they are talented and I think they can fit at a lot of places. We’ve talked to a few of them, just doing our research, just to say hello. We haven’t spent a ton of time (on that) but I like the kids. I’m excited for them and I think a couple of them will be some really good players in this league.”
(What does the addition of CB Jalen Ramsey say about where the organization stands relative to a window opening to pursue the biggest bowl – the Super Bowl? Are you all in?) – “I think where we are is we have a competitive roster that we feel we can win games with. It’s not done. Obviously with the draft here still and even post-draft, there will be signings. Again, opportunities to add good players to your roster, we’ll always do that and pursue it. And Steve Ross has given us a lot of flexibility to do that, which I don’t think he gets enough credit for allowing us to do that. But for us, I don’t really look at it as windows. It’s just opportunities to add good players and then keep building a roster that gives you a chance to compete.”
(I know with draft capital being what it is this year – it’s only four picks. But have you guys explored trying to move up?) – “I was waiting for someone to ask that one. (laughter) We’ve had a couple of teams in the bottom half of the first round reach out, saying they would be interested in coming down possibly if their guys aren’t there, and if we’d be interested in moving. So for us, again, any opportunities we can to get a player, we’ll look at it. So no serious conversations but we’ve had those and we’ll keep those options open.”
Marvin Allen:
(I know last year when the team traded for WR Tyreek Hill, Chris Grier said that you were able to kind of provide insight into the type of person and type of player that Hill is from you time in Kansas City. What did you see maybe not on the field but off the field that told you he was right for the culture?) – “Well, when he got here, just to see him take a leadership role. I saw the same competitive spirit I saw in Kansas City where he competed every day and we didn’t have a defensive back on the roster that could cover him. When he got here, I felt the same way. He could run by anybody. But just to see him take a role in the locker room, as a man, he matured and became a leader and was held accountable, it was really great to see.”
Chris Grier:
(You’ve generally been a best player available type of decision-maker when it comes to the draft. When you have a roster that, as you say, is more ready to compete, do you shift a little bit on the spectrum to focusing a little bit more on positions of need? Or do you still stick with that mentality?) – “It’s still a balance because at the end of the day, you always have to look long term. There’s guys here – just being realistic – on one-year deals. So you may have a position that you think is deep. Like last year we had, I think, four linebackers on one-year deals. We always look for the best player. Then there are some occasions where you do take a position of need but you try not to draft on need because again, I think that’s where you get in trouble.”
Marvin Allen:
(How would you describe the way you approach helping Chris Grier and serving the organization? Can you sort of take us behind the scenes in the structure and dynamics and how you guys work together?) – “Sure. Chris and I’s background are pretty much the same being college (scouting) guys. So I’m able to provide another set of eyes. I can go out and look at guys and present them to him and say ‘Hey, this is a guy we need to look at.’ Because I can pretty much tell where he’s going to go with some things. Then looking at our locker room and being a former player myself, I can kind of gauge some guys and kind of read some things in the locker room and I can be in places that Chris is not sometimes. And even during pro free agency, just to get another set of eyes on guys and bring things to the forefront.”
Chris Grier:
(We haven’t talked to you since the receiver additions. If you could talk about WR Braxton Berrios and also the appeal of adding WR Chosen Anderson?) – “Yeah, Braxton obviously has been a good returner in this league. We’ve known him obviously from the University of Miami here and met him at Miami Day a few years ago. We liked him and at that time, Adam Gase loved him. So just watching him over his career, he’s a professional and a great teammate. It’s been fun getting to know him again in the building here over the last couple of days. He’ll be our returner as well as playing some slot receiver, so we’re excited for the versatility and the things he can do. As far as Chosen, that had been going on for a couple of weeks. His agent reached out to us and him being a South Florida guy, he wanted to come play at home. So as we kind of worked through it and talked with his agent, we told him we wanted him to come in and spend some time with him and get to know him. So he and I talked one day for about an hour-and-a-half and he got Mike (McDaniel) for over an hour. He and Wes (Welker) talked a bunch over a couple of days. So once we went through it, both sides – I told him, ‘don’t rush through this decision just because it’s home. Talk to those other teams that are interested in you and make your decision on what’s best for you because we have two dynamic players that are the starters.’ And he understands that. So we told him what the role would be and he was excited and all in on it and was excited to come here. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and talk to him, so I am excited to add him.”
(You have a ton of wide receivers now including two very, very good ones. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. kind of got squeezed by the numbers game last year. Is that a concern again this year? Can you say with certainty that he’ll definitely be on the team in 2023?) – “I would say yeah, it’s a very talented room. Going back to Chosen (Anderson) to, we didn’t promise him anything. We said we’ve got some good young players here that are pushing for time and he understood that. Cedrick signed here to be the No. 2 (wide receiver) at the time and then we made the trade for Tyreek (Hill). But how he handled himself, he’s an incredible professional. Like volunteering to return kicks for us at the end of the year. He saved us and won us some games with some key returns that probably people don’t give him credit for. The expectation that he’s here? We’ve had teams call and ask about him. We’re not shopping him but teams have called. And especially when we just added Chosen, we’ve had a couple of teams reach out. He’s a really good guy and I’m trying to do right by him because of how he’s handled himself on and off the field.”
Marvin Allen:
(What do you guys feel about where the roster stands at running back, bringing back last year’s guys? And can you speak on the potential of potentially adding another?) – “I mean the running backs we have, obviously we like them. We brought them back and they’re coming in on one-year deals, so obviously we’re going to keep our (eyes) open to see what’s available in the upcoming draft and free agency. We’re looking at all opportunities to bring in good football players. Obviously running back is a key component in this offense. We’re going to look for the best players we can find.”
Chris Grier:
(We’ve seen a lot of creativity with trades made over the years. Do you have one more in you this month?) – “(laughter) We’ll see. I was going to say on the running back stuff – I couldn’t let this one go, Marvin. I’m sorry. (laughter) Who here played Tecmo Bowl back in the day? Did you ever play with the Patriots when Marvin was there? Our scouts found it and it’s hilarious. You give Marvin two carries and he’s running through fast. The third carry he’s tired and fumbles every time. Every time. (laughter)”
Marvin Allen:
“I was equal to Bo Jackson for two runs and that third one I was out in the pasture somewhere.”
Chris Grier:
“Tecmo Bowl did him wrong. Guys were dying.”
Marvin Allen:
“Half the team doesn’t know what Tecmo Bowl is now. (laughter)”
Xavien Howard – April 19, 2023
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Wednesday, April 19, 2023
CB Xavien Howard
(So what makes this offseason so different in terms of participating in the offseason program instead of training on your own?) – “Learning a new defensive scheme. I’ve got to come in and understand the defense’s new scheme. So I just have to get used to it.”
(As you noted, it is a different defensive scheme. What are you most looking forward to? Because it seems like over your career, we’re used to you being a man-to-man guy. Maybe now you’re going to have a little more zone looks. What are you looking forward to?) – “I’m just on the second day of OTAs and stuff like that, so we’re studying and trying to learn some new stuff. Even though it’s going to be different, I’m sure there’s going to be a couple man (coverages) in there. Especially with the guys we got outside. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a challenge this year for me to learn something different and play in a new scheme.”
(What are your impressions over the years of Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio from afar and then now?) – “His defense has always been top five, so he’s been doing a good job at that. I’m looking forward to having him on my side now and improve our defense.”
(Do you feel like your strengths could be playing a lot more zone?) – “Yeah. Getting my eyes on the quarterback is going to be something different. I’m not looking at the quarterback so now I’ll get my eyes on the quarterback and understand route concepts. I feel like it’ll help my game.”
(You can level with us now. The season has been over for three months. How much did your health impact your performance in 2022?) – “I’m healthy now. All I needed was some rest. With a groin injury, week in and week out, especially playing defensive back and playing a lot of man (coverage), it put me down a little bit. But I’m better now. I feel like I’m going to do better this year also. I’m just ready for it.”
(What do you think the cornerback position and CB Jalen Ramsey’s addition?) – “I love it. I feel like we’re definitely going to push each other and push everybody in the secondary, the whole defense, I’d say. They’re going to start with us. I love it. I’m looking forward to competing.”
(What’s the potential of the secondary? Can it be the best in the game?) – “I feel like the sky is the limit for the secondary. I don’t want to put nothing out there right now. We still have to play and we still have to do training camp and preseason. There’s a lot of stuff that we’ve got to get over.”
(What did you think of CB Kader Kohou’s rookie season?) – “Man, that guy got better each game. I’m looking forward to seeing him. This is his second year. I’m excited for him. I feel like he can do a lot of great things out there.”
(One of the things that you posted on social media is ‘People will think you fell off and the whole time you were …’ What was the thought behind that?) – “Just seeing people saying I’m washed, I’m getting older and stuff like that. Just a little bit of motivation. People are going to say this and say that. I’ve been proving the critics wrong my whole life so it’s nothing new.”
(Along those lines, how much of an extra motivating factor is it to have CB Jalen Ramsey on the other side as well? Do you want to be known as the best corner on this team?) – “Like I said, it’s motivation. We’re also going to compete against each other. We’re also going to make each other better. We’re also going to help the team a lot.”
(Can you explain your relationship with CB Jalen Ramsey? I think he mentioned that you guys met back in college.) – “Yeah, he came to my Pro Day in 2016.”
(What’s your friendship been like with him since then?) – “We’ve always been cool. We always respect each other and stuff like that. We had a relationship – he came to my Pro Day and we were just chopping it up before the draft and stuff like that. We always had a good little relationship.”
(What do you like the most about CB Jalen Ramsey’s game?) – “His physicality. What he does on the field. He can get interceptions but he can make big hits also.”
(I saw that you did a lot of hard training in the offseason. What were the areas of focus for your training?) – “I always do hard training every offseason. It wasn’t anything different. Like I said, I feel better now. With that little groin injury, I feel like I’m healthy now. That was something I was really working on was strengthening my groins and stuff like that.”
(You and CB Jalen Ramsey vs. WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, who you got?) – “Us all day. The DBs, we’re going to get it right. Those guys, we definitely have to worry about their speed on that side too.”
(In the beginning of last year’s offseason workout program, we spoke to you and you said there was a different energy in the building obviously with Mike McDaniel coming in. How would you kind of assess the vibes? How would you describe this year?) – “I’m excited about it. It’s the same way, I’d say. But we brought more new pieces to the team and guys that I feel like can help us win.”
(Going back to the groin injury, when did it first start to bother you? Was it sort of an up and down thing or was it constantly a sense of annoyance for you?) – “It started Week 2. The other side happened in Week 3. We ended up playing a long game against Buffalo and then we had a quick turnaround against the Bengals. I tried to (grind) it out but it didn’t happen. I ended up getting out in the second half. It’s hard to play with groin (injuries), especially on both sides. Even though I try to push through and help my team, I feel like I wasn’t helping at all.”
(The draft is coming up next weekend. What memory sticks out to you the most? The team traded up to get you. What memory sticks out the most?) – “Getting that call from the Dolphins. When I came on my visit, I didn’t like my visit here. And on draft day, I think (Mike) Tannenbaum called me. And he was like, ‘I heard you didn’t like our visit.’ I was like, ‘No, I loved the visit.’ Then he said, ‘Welcome to the Miami Dolphins,’ and stuff like that. (laughter) That’s definitely what I remember. And just them trading up for me. I think it was the Bears they ended up switching with. It meant a lot that they trusted me and believed in me.”
(Why didn’t you like the visit?) – “It was Lou (Anarumo). (laughter) That’s my guy though. Lou is my guy. I feel like he was being mean to me as soon as I got here. (laughter) I had just come from a visit in Tampa, so I had like a two or three day visit and I was like ready to go home. And he was like ‘Fix your face.’ As soon as I got in the car, he said ‘Fix your face, you’re about to meet the defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph.’ (laughter) Ever since then, me and Lou have been locked in.”
(When we talk about last year, we mention your groin and maybe not being your best year and all of that. You still made the Pro Bowl, you were still voted for the Pro Bowl. What went through your mind? What does that say about the respect you have around the league?) – “I really didn’t like it. My expectations, I feel like it wasn’t Pro Bowl caliber. Even though I made it, I was like ok. But it made me even push harder. Like I don’t want to get in like that.”
(So you told Mike Tannenbaum that you loved your visit. But was there part of you thinking, ‘Miami? I don’t know how that’s going to work out.’) – “Nah, when I got that call, I was excited. I was happy. I thought I was going to go in the first round but ended up going second round. I just loved everything about it. It was Miami. It was something different. I didn’t really know much about it but then when I got here, I loved it. I’ve been here going on eight years. It worked out for me.”
(What are your thoughts on the organization? From the time you’ve been here, you’ve seen rebuilds and now it seems like every year, Chris Grier goes out and makes a huge splash to kind of go for it. What do you think about where the organization has come in the last few years?) – “Since 2016, there have been a lot of changes since I’ve been here. I feel like we finally got a team that I feel like we can go further. Doing all the things we’ve been doing around here, I feel like this is a team that can go farther.”
Mike McDaniel – March 27, 2023
Monday, March 27, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On if he knew who Brock Purdy was at the time) – “Yeah, that was a guy that was firmly on our radar in the draft. We ended up personally and as an organization, we took Skylar Thompson, but he was very much in the conversation, so I was very aware of what type of player he was and then really, that he had a good strong camp, I think that he made an impression on the coaches enough for it to get back to me. So it wasn’t a moment where there is – immediately I am a human being so when Jimmy went down, there’s a moment where I’m not happy about that at all. the human connection. But there was no like, ‘all right, well, now we have a backup.’ It was like, ‘all right, we have another quarterback that presents different problems.’”
(How did you change your defense for him?) – “You can’t really within the plan. You just adjust your calls a little bit. You try to take advantage of the known obvious. That guy hasn’t got that many reps during the week, so you just try to – whenever you have a quarterback change in game, it’s very common. I think that game, it was common for us to try to blitz a little bit more to see if he’s on his reads and his timing was right and try to make some plays on defense. So we adjust that way consistently a lot of times depending on the quarterback if you think that they may not have gotten that many reps or he’s a rookie and he’s in his first regular season play. That’s very normal, so it wasn’t an indictment on him.”
(So a lot has happened since last time we spoke. CB Jalen Ramsey – how’d you find out that was possible and that you could pull it off and that Miami was where he wanted to go?) – “It was a very similar situation to that of the year before with Tyreek and in terms of, it kind of hits me out of nowhere and Chris Grier will come in my office in classic Chris Grier form and he has this look, that of like, ‘Hey, you’re going to like the news that I have.’ And so he says, ‘Yeah, I think we have an opportunity. They’ve reached out.’ And my immediate reaction was pretty candid and simple. It’s like, ‘All right, not talking terms, not talking what it’s going to cost. That would be a cool opportunity that would be hard to replicate.’ So that’s the litmus test. We very much value all – we are willing to trade draft, but we very much value them. But when we recognized an opportunity, we jumped on it. And I think to Chris Grier’s credit and Brandon Shore’s credit, they were able to get a fair deal and we’re elated to add a player whose competitiveness – my big thing is you add players that can make the rest of your team better. When players can make other people better, you’re onto something. Very excited for him and his ability to do that, the competitiveness that he’ll bring to the secondary and really overall excited about the person and the player and the element that he provides for our defense.”
(Obviously CB Jalen Ramsey, sort of like WR Tyreek Hill, has a star persona. Fits into Miami. Big personality, brought a BRINKS truck to practice…) – “Didn’t know that.”
(What is your plan to sort of manage this collection of star players with personalities?) – “My plan is I obviously have to be a bigger star than them. (laughter) No, to me, I don’t see that. I see all players as people that you, as a coach need to invest in. Guys that have a star ability that have been All Pros, they have big personalities; you can shy away from it which I think a lot of people run into problems, or you can really lean into it. I think it’s something that can make your team better. Anybody that has a star persona also carries a tremendous burden of expectations of performance. Those players generally – the ones that have been around – know that they have to pay the piper on Sundays, so they put in and go to work in the offseason and during the week in practice. That residual effect is instrumental to the performance of the whole team, so if you have a big personality with that, as long as you’re a good teammate – which all testaments, we did a deep dive on that – if you’re a good teammate that can only benefit. He’s got a magnetic personality and that’s really cool, and I like where we’re at with the various complements of personality on defense so that fires me up as well.”
(Obviously everybody’s looking for quarterbacks however they can find them, but getting a guy on a rookie deal like the way you guys are doing, is that just sort of the kind of ultimate goal, but like you said, a great benefit for teams?) – “Yeah, I think currently, it’s obviously a slight advantage from a salary cap perspective because of the most obvious thing in the world that veteran quarterbacks that play very well can approach 40 percent of your salary cap. So it’s just something that is currently the state that if you can, if you’re able to have a good team and be productive, yeah, you’re able to spend extra resources other places. Is that the model that – I think you can be opportunistic, yes, but the bottom line is you want the best players specifically at the quarterback position and when you have a known entity, you’ll pay what you have to pay and there’s a lot of teams that are having a lot of success with quarterbacks that are on rookie contracts, too.”
(Why QB Mike White and is he coming to be your backup or is there sort of a competition with QB Skylar Thompson?) – “I’m really pumped about Mike White. There’s a lot of things in his game that kind of reminded me of a player that I’d worked with in the past that when I left Houston, he was playing at a super high level – Matt Schaub. It’s a situation that will be a competition, and I really believe in both players and I think that benefits the team. I think that benefits the players in general. If you’re going into something with the idea to compete, I think ultimately between the two of those guys, the goal is to have competition, produce for the Miami Dolphins, No. 2 quarterback that can win games as the No. 1. Since the test of time competition has only helped competitors and players in terms of development, so really pumped about that opportunity to have him and really like the room, as we have as it stands right now.”
(You said at the Combine the organization will take its time with the QB Tua Tagovailoa fifth-year option and then decided to move fairly quickly after, so why then so quickly?) – “That’s something that like everything else that we do, we’re assessing all the pros and cons for really the organization and once we determined really the bottom line. The bottom line procedure was like, ‘Alright, well, the scenario of picking up the fifth-year option gives Tua the best chance to be his best and is the best thing for the organization.’ That’s what we’re really chasing. We’re chasing that – where both parties maximized an opportunity. So once we knew that – I hadn’t really paid attention to the fifth-year option timeline. It was more like, ‘All right, well, you know what, especially the media members that are in South Florida, they need to know this. We need to tell them this fifth your option is…’ I mean, once we knew we knew, so that way I didn’t have to play unnecessary poker face for no reason. We knew once we did our due diligence in our process, it made a ton of sense to us, so we wanted to communicate and get that done and move forward with our lives.”
(What have you been told about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health and how he’s doing in his training?) – “All the best things that you could possibly hear just because this is not something that for a lot of people it happened and then you’re like, all of a sudden maybe thinking about it as the OTAs start again. This is something that our training staff and Tua have been attacking every day. He’s in a great spot. I’m really encouraged about the work that he’s doing for preventative injuries with his core and his neck training. His Jiu Jitsu stuff has been outstanding, so doing all the things that we can control to best position us and he’s in a great place because of that. He’s excited.”
(Have you watched QB Tua Tagovailoa do Jiu Jitsu?) – “I have experts that communicate with me, and those experts got word – I didn’t want to get in conflict with… That’s kind of gray. Am I coaching if I’m watching jiu jitsu? That’s kind of a violation, right? I can talk to Tua, but I can’t talk about football. So I’ve had the people that I trust get it back to me, so I didn’t violate any procedural issues. That’s not Mike McDaniel’s way.”
(You’ve been around Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio for a few months. What do you like about how he’s installing, his coaches, that defense and talking to you about what he wants to do?) – “Working with Vic since he’s been here has definitely validated everything that I thought when I made the decision to really target him as the defensive coordinator. I spent, I think it’s probably 20, about 20 hours a week for last several weeks meeting with the defense. And what’s very interesting in its own way, he looks at things a lot like I do on the defensive side of the ball. His devotion to tape, his devotion to coaching not in absolutes, but through relationships and really trying to get the best out of players in every way, shape, or form, allowing them to be themselves, not putting them in a box, not confining them. All these things are very similar to the way that I’ve always looked at football on the offensive side of the ball. So it’s been very encouraging and I don’t know, by all testaments, there’s been some reputation as Vic has gone through his career that he might be grumpy or something I don’t know. (laughter) All I know is in our office he’s the most cheerful happy-go-lucky guy there. So it’s been a great offseason experience and I’m excited to build upon.”
(You’ve played three close games against the Bills last year. Do you make moves during the offseason with them in mind?) – “You always have your division in the back of your mind. I think it’s important to create a team that’s its very best against all opponents because they are two very important games – division games, whichever team it is, but two games doesn’t get you to the playoffs. Two games doesn’t win your division, so you keep it in mind, but you don’t directly – I put it this way. If you have a good quarterback in your division… we have Josh Allen. We have multiple good quarterbacks, but just your example, the Bills, you better have good corners. So you think that way, but it’s not like you know their excessive strength and you have to be ready and prepared to deal with those, but you’re also motivated by just creating your best team against all opponents, all structures of offense and defense to be your best version of yourself.”
(With that though, it seems like the division has gotten a lot better and potentially it could add QB Aaron Rodgers in that same division. Just talk about the state of the AFC East and just how competitive it has gotten.) – “So it’s two prong. Yeah, it does make it more difficult the better your division is and I think our division is one of the… it appears to be building towards potentially being one of the better divisions in football. I’m careful in the spring to go too much over the top on paper, but I know exactly you’re saying and I don’t disagree. That being said, if your goals in football are not to just get to the playoffs, if your goal isn’t to just get to the playoffs; it’s not the worst thing in the world to have a very strong division. Granted, it still makes it more difficult to get to the playoffs, but if you are able to within that very good competitive division, you are much more battle-tested for the games that really, really matter. Because no one wants to just – we lived it once and one time was enough. Getting to the playoffs is cool. Over that. You want to win. And so playing good teams in the regular season however on the front end might seem, ‘oh, that’s tough.’ What else would you want if you’re really trying to actually win playoff games? If you’re trying to actually get to the AFC Championship, if you’re trying to win the AFC championship, if trying to win the Super Bowl? All those things, you better be a very good team and battle tested and our division should help us do that, but it’s going to be stressful.”
(What are WR Trent Sherfield’s strengths?) – “Trent is a wonderful teammate, a football player that is dependable, that is physical, that is fearless, that has a chip on his shoulder. Very good football player that I think he has a tremendous opportunity in that particular receiving corps to kind of grow in terms of how much he’s utilized. That’s one thing that is kind of tough. With the Dolphins, there’s a lot of good players, a lot of people to spread the ball around to. So I think, I’m happy for Trent and I know he’s hoping for the opportunity to get to be able to contribute even more than and build upon his career year he had last year.”
(What are some things about LB David Long Jr.?) – “The guy is a spark plug. The guy has true instincts at the linebacker position, and he’s, you know, one of my favorite things that I told him, right when I met him is like, ‘Dude, you are the inspiration for a guy that people have probably told you, you’re maybe a little undersized.’ And because of that he’s found so many different tools in his game to be successful that make him such a cool player how he defeats blocks with his hands and his feet. How he’s always finding the ball, how he beats other players on his unit to the ball in pursuit. These are all things that his coverage abilities, his ability to eliminate the space between him and the ball carrier and his ability to really be a quality tackler. Great fit for us and really excited to have him and he was always one of those guys that stood out on crossover for me. So that was another cool part is I’ve been watching him for a while so it’s exciting for our unit.”
(What do you like about WR Braxton Berrios?) – “I like a lot of things about Braxton. I like that he he’s a playmaker. I think the more assets that we have in terms of being able to make plays with the ball in their hands. You guys know I feel like we have a elite distributor in Tua (Tagovailoa). So if you have scorers, to use a basketball reference, I see Braxton as a scorer, a guy that can make plays with the ball in his hands. So those elements are extremely exciting, as well as really getting a boost for our special teams to make some plays in the kicking game. I think that’s where I’m hoping our both offensive and defensive units are going, special teams will be that much more important because field position will be that much more of an advantage for us. That’s the hope, so excited to have him and excited to get to work with him soon.”
(Was there any kind of consideration to make a bigger move at running back and what do you like about the continuity of the room?) – “So you take a look at the whole class and ultimately we had the opportunity to bring two of our strongest character contributors and really players we depend on in Raheem (Mostert), and Jeff (Wilson). They’re both, I think, above 4.7 yards per carry and when I look at the tape, I think there’d be a little bit of a different feeling if… we didn’t run the ball, not because they didn’t run the ball well. We didn’t run the ball well in games that we were overly injured or some games I just didn’t call enough runs. So when you look at it historically if you can get a runner 4.5 plus, they’re doing something pretty good. I think we were able to get those two guys together which was very important, and I see them as a big part of our team and just the fabric and who we are as human beings; they really contribute to that locker room. I’m very excited to get those guys and I honestly believe they’re playing their best ball their careers.”
(On the toughest part of a rookie’s transition into the NFL) – “Oh, man, that that is tough. You know, the toughest part – the easiest ones are the guys that are fortunate enough to be in systems that are very similar to pro. Right now the biggest problem is, what no one’s talking about really, is there’s a lot of teams in college football that this is what players learn. This is their play call. Okay, no, it’s a picture from the sidelines. That’s not verbal. So then you go the NFL and you’re verbally instructed in the huddle what to do and it’s not as simple as a picture. It’s a bunch of words. That is hard to do, just that. On top of that, you’re playing within the NFL timing and the structure, the spaces are tighter. So guys from programs that do utilize huddle calls, that do operate in a huddle, those guys are the easier ones. Then it goes to the individual makeup and generally the guys that are hyper-obsessive have a chance as a rookie. Hyper-obsessive in terms of how to study because it is a huge learning curve, a huge learning curve. Then you just kind of get lucky sometimes because you find the right guy. I had one example; it was 2014 I had Taylor Gabriel as an undrafted rookie out of Abilene Christian and he was like, 5’7”. He got football, he got how to study and he had also the right resources within the room in Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins to get this guy to be a pro. A lot of components. It is a tough situation, but some of the most dynamic players in the game come out year-to-year as rookie receivers. So it really puts a lot on the position coach to create a relationship where they can bridge all the gaps if there are huge gaps from systems and whatnot.”
(You spent time in Washington. What is it like now from outside looking in when you see a former owner of the team you used to coach for, Dan Snyder, selling the franchise?) – “I look at it like, ‘wow, the organization’s worth that much?’ And I couldn’t get free coffee? (laughter) It’s a cool process because to me, I look at it less as you know, business is business; I look at it as the health of our league. It’s very encouraging and to me, it’s the greatest litmus test that exists, how it seems that every sale of a team is for a larger number that I feel like – I don’t know if this is accurate, maybe Google could check – but I feel like Mr. Ross, for the Dolphins, when he bought the team was the first owner to buy a team for a billion dollars. For me, what it means is the state of the National Football League, there’s multiple billion dollars being discussed for that. I know the Broncos, it was like four and a half. That means the NFL has made a ton of good decisions and that we’re building in the right direction because people don’t spend that much money on something, unless it’s probably going to continue to grow.”
(When you worked for Dan, did you ever think this time will happen where you see him selling the franchise?) – “You know what – I get what you’re asking. When I worked there, I felt as though he was a guy that has lived his whole life to be the owner of that particular team. So it is surprising, I guess, from my experience, just because of my three years there. I didn’t necessarily see that coming, but in general, people have different reasons to do whatever. I’m not going to pretend to know everything that’s going on there. I’m just more looking at the fact that he’s able to – that business is good for the NFL pumps me up and I think that’s what I take from it.”
(Can you talk for a bit on the type of player the Patriots are getting in Mike Gesicki?) – “I’m excited for Mike (Gesicki) and I’m excited that he’s getting the opportunity. I think what you’re getting is a guy with a chip on his shoulder that is going to really, really go after it and do whatever the coaches ask of him. He’s a guy that I think the Miami fan base will miss and excited to see. It’s just unfortunate in a weird uniform, right? But that’s our business that we thrive in, but ultimately I’m excited about really where our tight end room is going and some of the things we’ve got going on there. Happy for Mike (Gesicki) that he’s getting the opportunity and know he’s going to do his very best to make the best of that.”
(I want to ask about what Byron Jones Tweeted last month about painkillers. He kind of suggested that people not take them. Has that spurred I guess an internal call to like, are we administering these the right way? What ways can we do it better? Or do you feel like the protocol you guys have followed with Byron and any other player has been right?) – “Now, so there’s a fine line. I don’t want to – I’m not going to in any way, shape or form dismiss anything that Byron (Jones) says about his experience at all. I respect it. I regard him and I trust him from his experience. However, I do have to acknowledge that one of the things when you’re in charge of things, is you have to pay attention to everything and everything that I’ve – I haven’t heard that be any sort of a consistent or a theme from other players. However, it does open your eyes to make sure you listen, but I have been very encouraged. I have the utmost confidence in everything our doctors and training team do and have done in moving forward. But you’re always – it just brings your awareness to it but haven’t heard anything in the slightest degree close to that with any of our other players. So I’m feeling good about the direction we’re going, but feel very sensitive to his experience and don’t wish that on anybody.”
(On whether there are plans for offensive line transactions) – “Oh, always have plans. There’s an opportunity cost for everything. So, I think one of the things in regard to the offensive line is that of course, you’re always going to want to upgrade every position. In the particular circumstance with the offensive line, do I think in order to upgrade the position for us with the talent that we have, do you want to spend $12-20 million dollars to do that? Is that the best way to spend your money? In our particular circumstance, you’re always trying to figure out what the perfect solution is for your team. In our circumstance, I want to get the guys that we have on the team better. Okay, but I also want to take advantage of, we have some ideas and thoughts of players that are still out there. We’re taking our time with the market and seeing how that plays out, and there’s some stuff we have in thoughts of the draft. But of course, that will be addressed. Obviously, from last season, depth can and will be tested, but you’re trying to do it within the framework of what’s the best and all your needs of your team and what you can manage as a coaching staff and what you need to outsource with additions of players that can’t be coach-driven.”
Eric Saubert – March 22, 2023
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023
TE Eric Saubert
(I know you have a prior relationship with Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith. I was just curious, back from his days with the Raiders, what was that relationship like? And how much of that was maybe a sticking point for you in making your decision to come to Miami?) – “Frank is awesome. I loved working with him in Oakland. I think he’s a big proponent, or I guess component of my development as a tight end, as a person. So, getting to reunite with him – we’ve kind of stayed in touch throughout the years. Getting to reunite with him is exciting for me. I love working with him and I’m looking forward to that.”
(You mentioned that he’s taught you a lot. What’s maybe one thing or one part of your game that he really helped develop or shine a light on to help you improve?) – “I think it was all encompassing. There wasn’t one thing. There were just so many things. I mean, run footwork, hands, technique, just being a pro, a lot of it. So, I owe him a lot of my development and like I said, just getting back with him is going to be cool.”
(You were there in Denver with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. What stands out to you about his coaching style as your head coach and did that play a factor in your coming here?) – “Yeah, Vic (Fangio) is another guy who I’ve loved working with. You talked about his coaching style. You know, he’s gritty, he’s a little old school but his defense speaks for itself. It’s one of the hardest defenses in the NFL to recognize the coverage. They hide that really well. Just all in all it’s just a tough defense to beat. You asked, was that a reason for me coming here? Not really, but Vic, getting to work with him again, like I said, him and I have a have a good relationship so the opportunity to work with him and compete against him is going to be cool.”
(I wanted to ask you about your mix of blocking and passing because I know that you’re an improved receiver and your numbers have been up. Is there an ideal mix to you like 90 percent blocking or 80 percent blocking and did they tell you anything along those lines?) – “That wasn’t really discussed. I don’t view my game as 80 percent, 90 percent. I think I’m a person that can do it all. Obviously, statistics are something that you can get hung up on. I’m definitely improving in the production aspect of my game and I look to continue improving. It’s just kind of funny, because when I was coming out of college, I was touted as only a receiver and now I’m being kind of touted as only a blocker. (laughter) So I didn’t lose that ability to receive it’s just kind of how you’re mixed in the game and what kind of opportunities you get. The ball’s got to be spread around between different guys on different teams you’re on. I take a lot of pride in my ability to be a receiver and a blocker. If I get labeled as a blocking tight end, that is what it is. But I know my ability and I’m looking to shed some light on that when I when I get here. I’m just excited to work.”
(Who did you hear from with the Dolphins either before you signed or after. Was it Jon Embree, Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier? Who’d you talk to and what did they tell you about what they saw your role being?) – “When I when I came down to Miami, I got to meet Chris Grier. I got to meet Coach McDaniel, Coach Embree. I guess I prefer to keep those kinds of conversations a little more close to home. But overall, just excited to get there and get to work with those guys. Whatever my role is going to be, it’s going to be and I’m a guy that will fall into his role as it kind of reveals itself. So, like I said, just excited.”
(You do a lot of things well, have you been surprised you’ve bounced around a lot and has it been frustrating over the course of your young career?) – “I guess looking back it’s not a surprising. I’ve come a really long way since my rookie year and I feel like right now, these past couple years, my development in Denver, I’ve just kind of really hit my stride … Miami is going to be awesome. Excited for the city. Excited to live there. So, I think the best is yet to come for me. So I’m just looking forward to it.”
(You’ve mentioned Head Coach Mike McDaniel, Coach Jon Embree and traditionally this offense has empowered players like you see yourself in terms of multifaceted. I’m curious how you think this offense in this system can get the best out of you as a player?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. I’ve been in this system before. There’s a lot of familiarity there. Obviously, you see guys like George Kittle on the Niners that can do it all, can do both and how that works, how that mirrors with play action, playing off the run, RPO, there’s a lot of opportunity in this offense for the tight end. Like I said, the roles we discuss, my role, whatever they ask me to do is what I’m going to do. Whether they need me to go break off a guy on third down, I’ll do that. Whether they need me to push the pile on third-and-short, I’m going to do it. That’s what I’m here for.”
(Tell us about LB Malik Reed as a player. What do you think he does well?) – “That guy, first of all, he’s a workhorse. He’s one of the first guys at the facility. Him and I, our lockers were right next to each other, so the past two years were pretty cool getting to know him, getting to compete against him. Great dude. His style of play. Just a motor, never going to stop, always chasing down the ball even if it’s 30 yards downfield. He’s got some sneaky pass rush. I think he led our team in sacks a couple years ago. So, his game is awesome. And like I said getting to compete with him again and (Bradley) Chubb as well. That’s going to be fun.”
(I thought of you when I saw that Miami was playing Drake in that NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Did you ever play pickup basketball with the Drake guys and had you already chosen Miami when that came out. Did you watch the game?) – “Oh, yeah. So, I love basketball first of all. Back in my Drake days I did the whole intramurals thing. I played a few times pick up against the team. You know my allegiances were kind of challenged because it was right after I signed. I’m pretty sure that it was the next day they were playing. I think the free throw differential was just an interesting thing. It was like 28 free throws shot for Miami and maybe eight for Drake. That’s just really interesting. That’s all I’ll say. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you about the kind of excitement of playing with one of the most star-studded rosters in the National Football League. Everywhere you look there’s a big name. Do you let yourself think ‘hey this is a team on paper that can and should make a run at the biggest goal’?) – “Yeah, absolutely that’s got to be the goal all the time right. If you’re not committed to winning the Super Bowl, you’ve got the wrong mindset. I think it gives you more confidence that when you’ve got such great players around, it allows you to play better. That’s the thing that when you have a great receiver on the field and you have a great quarterback on the field, everyone just plays better when those other (good) players on the field. We’ve got a got an awesome roster getting set here and I’m excited to see how far we can go. The Super Bowl is the goal. If it’s not, you’re in the wrong headspace.”
(I want to get you to put into words your own career because you’ve been a well-traveled man. How much do you think that that has molded you into the player that you are?) – “Yeah, absolutely. Getting to travel, I guess bouncing around as much as I have, it’s a blessing and a curse because you do meet so many amazing people that I owe a lot to in my career. Like I said working with Frank (Smith) for just that little, short amount of time, had such an impact on me. Stopping with the Bears, stopping with the Jags. It’s huge anytime you can pick up different little things to add your game from different people. Seeing how things are done differently, I’ve now learned probably eight or nine offenses in my career and that’s going to stay with me for the rest of my career too. Learning an offense for me now is not difficult. I can do it like that. So, it’s a curse in the fact that you are moving around so much. The instability is kind of annoying, but I guess it shaped me to who I’ve become now. Like I said, I feel like I’m just taking off and getting ready to make an impact.”
DeShon Elliott – March 22, 2023
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023
S DeShon Elliott
(I know you have a lot of relationships with some guys down here in Miami with the Dolphins but what stood out with this opportunity to join this team?) – “I feel like it was the best thing for me like football wise. The opportunity to play with so many great, great talented guys. You’ve got Jevon (Holland) over there, you’ve ‘J-Ram’ (Jalen Ramsey) over there, you’ve got Xavien (Howard), Brandon Jones. So I think just being in that DB room is going to be great. Overall, as a whole, I think we’ll just be, shoot that’s a hard group to stop. Then you’ve got Bradley (Chubb) on that D-line and Jaelan (Phillips) on D-line, a freaking funny man (Christian Wilkins) on the D-line, you’ve got Raekwon (Davis) on the D-line so I just feel like – and you’ve got David (Long Jr.) at linebacker. So, I feel like … How much greater can it get? So, why not be there? We’ve got the opportunity to win a division, an opportunity to play a lot of games, win a lot of games, go to the Super Bowl possibly. So, I think this was the best decision for me, my family and just my mental health.”
(I know you go obviously you go way back with S Brandon Jones from the Texas days. What was that relationship like back in college and how do you think that joining up with him again can maybe help that learning process in Miami?) – “Back in college, I think I was a sophomore and Brandon was a freshman when we first started playing together. We both got a chance to sit back and watch. We both didn’t start when we first got there, obviously. That was when he was a freshman. So, we really got to sit back and watch and kind of like see how the college game was and during that time period, as a young guy, it’s frustrating so we were able to bounce ideas off each other and when we finally got a chance to play together, that’s like my little brother man. I don’t have any brothers so me and Brandon grew up together basically going through college. I feel like I played a role in him being married to the woman he’s with now. I feel like I kind of played Cupid in that in a certain way. But man, it just feels good to be back being around ‘B’ (Brandon Jones) just because man, when I told him – actually I didn’t tell him. I don’t know how he knew. Him and Jevon (Holland) texted me quick and fast. It was so fast. My phone was freezing up, so I didn’t get a chance to really like answer the way I wanted to so I just put both of them on a call, a group FaceTime and shoot, them boys were going crazy. Man, it’s going to be fun.”
(I’m curious now about how you played matchmaker to the woman he’s married to. What was your role in in the hookup?) – “I think I have Twitter DMs to this day about her asking me about Brandon. I think I do right now. She was like a recruiter already. She was like a recruiter at Texas for the player personnel thing. But when he became a freshman, I think she had hit me up. She was just like, ‘what’s up with that that one guy?’ I was like, ‘shoot I don’t know, let me hear it’. So, the middleman, just a little middleman.”
(So, hold on. Wait a minute. So how did you know her because you knew her from when she was… ?) – “I knew her because my ex-girlfriend in college was her best friend.”
(I wanted to ask you about playing for Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and how you think that playing in his defense can kind of get the best out of you?) – “I talked to Vic and I talked to a couple guys. I was talking to Jevon (Holland). It was more of like just this is a safety-driven defense. Safeties in this defense can make a lot of plays. I think this is also very similar to the system I just left from and I think I was trying to get my feet back up under me while I was in Detroit. So, I think I could just build on that and knowing that this system is staying the same. I can even be better. I have a lot of talent that I haven’t gotten to show yet because of my injuries that I’ve had over the years, but I think I’m only getting better.”
(What do you think Coach Fangio is getting in you? What are the Dolphins getting in DeShon Elliott?) – “First and foremost, a great man. I like to be able to say I do a great job in the locker room. I love on the guys because once I feel like I’m part of a family, I love hard. I think that I’m a leader in some ways, in my opinion. I’ve been told that guys naturally follow me. Then when it comes to on the field, shoot, I’m going to be that dog. They know every day you’re going to hear me. I’m going to do the best I can to be a physical presence, a ballplayer and make a lot of plays on this defense and I think down the line, boy, stuff’s going to get serious.”
(On the other side of the ball, we’ve got some guys that are similar in that way on the offense. I know you didn’t play in the game last year against the Dolphins but I’m sure you were working and preparing against the Dolphins. What did you see when you saw the Dolphins offense on tape, like getting ready for that game last year?) – “Well, this is going to be, practice is going to be fun. I think when I was watching the game last year, it was just a lot of – a lot of the things they do on tape is fast. Quick and fast. Decisions are already planned out. They know where the ball is going to, know who’s going to get the ball. And if all else fails, Tyreek Hill’s down there somewhere. (laughter)”
(On S Brandon Jones and S Jevon Holland, you mentioned being on a call with them right away. What do you think it’s going to be like working in the same unit with those guys, whether it’s competing or playing alongside them?) – “It’s going to be fun; I mean shoot, we all plan to compete. So, we’re going to just compete and try to see how our chemistry can work together. I’m sure Vic (Fangio) has some plans on how we’re all going to fit together and try to get the best out of all three of us. We all bring different things to the table. But at the same time, we’re all really great football players. So, I think we’ll sort that out and when the time comes, y’all will know.”
(I was just going to ask about that, your role. Did Vic Fangio tell you that you would be a starter, you would be competing for a starting job? Are there packages where perhaps you, S Brandon Jones and S Jevon Holland could be on the field together?) – “Vic Fangio is a very intelligent football coach, a very intelligent DC. So, I’m sure he has his plans on what he wants to do with us. But, I mean, when I came in, I talked to him. I mean, I knew I was going to compete. It’s the NFL, we’ve all got to compete, and nothing is given to you. Nothing is going to be handed to you. So, I came here to compete. I know what I can bring to the table and I know how hard I’m going to work. So, the results will show.”
(What was your reaction when you saw the CB Jalen Ramsey trade and was that a factor in you wanting to come here?) – “Yeah. Come on now, that’s arguably the number one corner in the NFL. I don’t want to hear anybody talking about ‘oh, he had a down year’. Check the numbers, check the tape. That was not a down year. Still an All-Pro. So, regardless, I feel like, shoot, why would I not go there. Playing with great players makes you great. It elevates your game. Like it’s going to help bring some out of me and the rest of our teammates. So, why would you not want to go somewhere where you can have the opportunity to be great. Money will come. No one cares about the money. Yeah, people care about the money but winning and trying to get the best out of yourself, that should be your first thing. It has to be where your head is at. I think being here is where I can do that.”
Mike White – March 22, 2023
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023
QB Mike White
(I wanted to ask you, you spent the last couple of years with the Jets under Mike LaFleur. I know he spent a lot of time in his career with Head Coach Mike McDaniel. I was curious how you think that might kind of help you pick up the offense quicker here with your new team?) – “Yeah, that was one of the plusses of coming to Miami was it’s the same system. Now I’m sure there’s different verbiage and things like that, but down to its core, it’s from the same system, so it’ll be definitely easier than learning a brand-new offense.”
(We saw the picture of you as a youngster it seems like outside of Hard Rock Stadium, or then called Joe Robbie Stadium. What were some of your childhood memories as a Dolphins fan and who were some of your favorite players?) – “Yeah, I definitely grew up a big Dolphins fan. We would watch every Sunday. I remember I was still back in college, a Dolphins fan, and they – I think it was 2016 when they made the playoffs and they played the Steelers in the Wild Card round. I remember coming home and watching that with my dad and my family. My favorite players growing up were – there’s a lot of them. I obviously loved watching Wes Welker so it was pretty cool to meet him when I signed. There’s so many. Big Ronnie Brown fan. Ronnie Brown was my first jersey. I remember when they were running the Wildcat with him. That was pretty cool. I’d probably have to say Ronnie Brown because that was that was my first jersey that I went out and bought.”
(And so when you were a high school quarterback at University School, you were essentially on the same campus as the Dolphins old practice facility. Did you ever stop to think like, “Hey, I could be there one day?”) – “Oh, no doubt. I mean, we would hear whenever they would practice with crowd noise, we could hear it in class. So that’s how close we were, but growing up, especially at that age like middle school and even into the beginning part of high school, I didn’t think I was going to be in the NFL. I was more of a baseball player. My goals were the MLB and then I kind of caught on late with football and was a late bloomer and didn’t play until my senior year and then had some success. And then obviously the story goes on, but it is funny, like looking back on it. Like we would practice baseball right next to the bubble and you would see the Dolphins facility all the time and still it never really crossed my mind that this could be an opportunity so it’s pretty funny looking back at it.”
(I want to ask you a little bit more about the switching from baseball to football. I go back – I know there’s a story about Dan Marino – how he made a similar decision sitting at his dining room table one night, and it was sort of like okay, which way are you going to go? What was the moment for you when you decided, okay, football is my future and it’s not baseball?) – “Yeah, it wasn’t till late into my senior year. I knew the summer going into my senior year when I was going to be the starter for the football team. I kind of was like, ‘all right, there’s some chance’ but the problem is especially nowadays, if you don’t have any like junior film or – guys are getting offers so early. Like I had no film. So college coaches would come in and they could say they liked me after watching a practice, but there was no film to go off of. So they couldn’t pull the trigger on an offer. So I thought baseball would have to be my route because I had more experience and more exposure at that because during the summer when you do all your football camps, that’s when I was going and doing the travel baseball tournaments and all that and being in front of colleges and I was getting some looks for colleges. And then senior year, I started to have some success during the season and more coaches starting to take notice in football and I found out football gave full rides and baseball doesn’t. So that helped. I’m sure my parents were a big fan of that decision, too. But no, they were supportive both ways. But that’s kind of how it went down. I was a late bloomer in football and once I kind of caught a hang of it and had some success, I fell in love with it and I’m really happy with my decision.”
(And now that you’re in the NFL, you’ve had some very notable games. I mean, if you’re charting it, you go from not playing to putting up some big numbers in some games. How do you describe your career thus far to someone who maybe hasn’t followed it as closely as obviously you have? How would you describe your career?) – “Yeah, I think just as any quarterback and backup quarterback in the NFL, you got to be ready when called upon and you’re never going to know when that is. So that’s the whole mantra of being a backup quarterback is staying ready. That’s what I struggled with my rookie year. I was the third inactive guy all year in Dallas and kind of took it for granted and didn’t really stay mentally locked in. So when it was time to compete for the two, I didn’t feel as prepared as I should and then I learned from that mistake and I tried to keep that learning experience with me throughout my entire career. And yeah, you just got to stay ready and luckily, I got the opportunity to play and we had some success and there were some good team wins and good offensive performances and then hoping to build upon that.”
(I wanted to ask you about playing with the rib injury last year and where that ranks on your list of accomplishments because I know to a certain extent, you guys are expected to play while injured, but this is a rib injury for a quarterback and so what where does that rank on your career list of accomplishments?) – “’Accomplishments’ might not be the right word but no, I’m just messing with you. (laughter) No, it was crazy. At the time when it happened in Buffalo like yeah, it hurt but I kind of was just like ‘Alright, maybe I just bruised my rib or something or I’m just sore and it was cold out so that’s not helping.’ And then when I got the news that I broke five ribs or four ribs, whatever the number was, it was kind of like I didn’t believe it. I was like, it doesn’t hurt that bad and then a week, having to lay off for two weeks and a week of just not doing anything it got really tightened up and then trying to throw through it was really painful. Every throw hurt. I mean, I’m proud of it because I didn’t tap out and I proved to the guys that quarterbacks can be tough, too, and hopefully my toughness isn’t in question. But it was a good learning experience and if anything I’m just happy to prove that I’m not just one of those little sissy quarterbacks that people like to make fun of from time to time. (laughter)”
(We know you’re a tough dude. We know you’re a good quarterback. But I also am a fan of your social media game with the tweet you put out of you and OL Dan Feeney and WR Braxton Berrios coming to South Florida. I was curious was that your edit? Is that your handiwork? You got some skills on the social media side of things?) – “So it was my idea. I texted a guy in our agency. I was like, ‘hey, what do you think, do you think we could get this done?’ once I found out that Dan and Braxton were signing and he got it done for me. So I wish I was – maybe I’ll make that my next offseason project so I don’t have to ask people and I can kind of turn out more content. (laughter) But it was my idea. Just I didn’t execute it.”
(I got a real kick out of the “Mike Effing White” t-shirts last year. I don’t know if they’re still available on Amazon.com.) – “Yeah, I don’t know either. (laughter)”
(But listen, what I thought was cool about the t-shirts is that it was clear that your teammates liked and respected you. How did you go about and what you think is the best way to find your space in a locker room and develop the right kinds of bonds with your teammates?) – “Yeah, I think I’ve said it in countless interviews before in New York and it’s just that’s – my favorite part about playing football is the locker room, the team aspect, the camaraderie, whatever you want to call it. We’re very blessed to do what we do and the fact that we get to go in and play football for a living every day and we get to show up to work and if you want to get in the sauna before work starts, you get in the sauna. If you want to get in the hot tub – like we’re really lucky. And I think if you go in with the right mindset of enjoying everybody there and getting to know different people from different walks of life and just enjoying your teammates and enjoying the time you spend together, because we do spend a lot of time together whether it’s practice, training camp, meetings, travel, away games, all that good stuff. You get to know a lot of guys and you enjoy it. So that’s been my approach about it is whatever my role is, to take on that role and then help whoever you can and whether it’s in the quarterback room, whether it’s on the field or if you’re running with the threes, you help your guys. If you’re running with the twos, you help your guys. And whenever it’s your time to run with the ones, you hope that you have built a bond and that you can kind of build on that to develop trust with them. So that’s kind of how I approach it and I think it’s had success for me.”
(Have you ever met QB Tua Tagovailoa or anything like that?) – “I have not. I have not met Tua yet.”
(So back to baseball, give us the rundown, the scouting report on you as a baseball prospect. You were a pitcher, right? So what were you throwing on the mound?) – “My senior year I was up to 93. I was a tall lanky guy. I think I was like 180 pounds soaking wet. So I could throw four pitches pretty much wherever I wanted – fastball, changeup, slider, curve. I like to kind of pitch backwards maybe and keep hitters guessing. Yeah, I mean, that’s pretty much it. Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of the gist of who I was as a pitcher.”
(And I wanted to ask you one more about WR Braxton Berrios and OL Dan Feeney, coming over with them, what it’s going to be like and what those guys are like as teammates?) – “Yeah, I told Chris Grier when I when I got to talk to him when I signed, they’re such good locker room guys, I think. I know I might be biased because I spent four years with Braxton and two years with Dan, but I do think they can – it seems to me from the outside looking in on this team and playing them the past four years, you can tell it’s a close-knit group. They’re building a really good culture and you can tell just the way they kind of interact and even you see posts on social media and all that. Like we’re all kind of connected in that way and you see things from different teams. So I think Braxton and Dan will fit right in with the culture that’s being built and they’ll be good locker room guys and hopefully they can contribute and keep building towards something special.”
(I wanted to ask about your free agency because it seemed like it was over pretty quickly, so how much interest was there from other teams and once you found out the Dolphins were interested, was it an instant yes? How did things go there?) – “Yeah, there were a couple of teams that called my agent when the free agency period started at noon or whatever it was on that Monday. But I knew in the back of my mind that Miami was at the top of my list just because obviously one, going back home, living in South Florida, which is easier for my family because I live in Tampa during the offseason so that’s not a bad drive and especially with two little ones, it makes traveling way easier not having to hop on a plane. But I mean, the same system was huge with me, too, because I really do enjoy the system. I felt like I grasped it pretty well the past two years so I wanted to keep building upon my knowledge in the system and my experience. So it just kind of felt like the perfect storm. The same division, so I know what the Patriots run. I played against them before. I know what the Bills run. Obviously going against the Jets in practice the last two years, so I know what they run. So just kind of familiarity all around was what made my decision pretty easy.”
(And then one other thing would be the opportunity – I guess you had an opportunity to play here in the season finale. Talk about that and I guess the missed opportunity there.) – “Yeah, it sucked. I tried all week to just push through it because I was so excited to finally – I mean I’ve backed up Joe (Flacco) down there before but I’ve never gotten the chance to play, so I thought it would have been really, really cool to be able to have all my family out and play, and play in the stadium I grew up going to. Now it looks way different, so it probably wouldn’t feel like the same stadium, but it was. It definitely sucked missing out on that opportunity but such is life.”
(I wanted to ask you one, why Tampa for the home base, and two, when you when you were playing at University School, did you have any interactions with players? I know they’re always going back and forth from the facility to the medical center. Did you ever run into any players because I know you’re a baseball player, so you’re right there.) – “Not that I remember running into any players. I mean, yeah, not off the top my head. To be honest with you, I could have walked by someone and not even have known. So there might have been a run-in at some point that I just wasn’t aware of but not that I can remember. And then Tampa and the offseason – so I met my wife here in Tampa. She’s born and raised in Tampa so she calls the shots and we picked Tampa as our home base. But no, I really like it in Tampa. I spent two years here at USF and I like it a lot. It’s close enough to my family in South Florida that I can just pop down when I need to but I kind of like it’s a little more slower pace, which is kind of more my speed up here.”
(I’m wondering what your thoughts are on the upcoming season, how you see yourself fitting into this team and what your role will be?) – “I mean, there’s a lot of excitement in this upcoming season. I mean, it’s a very talented roster. There was a lot of success last year that I think we can build upon and I’m really excited to be a part of it. As far as my role, I mean as any backup quarterback, it’s to support the guy and do whatever you can. I think some of the best quarterback rooms I’ve been a part of is just everyone has a voice and everyone has a say and it’s really good dialogue in the room and support systems and it makes going to work fun and you enjoy going to the quarterback room and just shooting the breeze with the guys and enjoying everybody’s personalities and then getting on the field and just helping. Whenever you have that relationship in the quarterback room, obviously healthy competition and all that good stuff, but when you’re supporting the guy and saying ‘hey man, this is what I see.’ Or when it’s your turn and you ask like, ‘hey guys, are you seeing any of this?’ That’s been the best rooms I’ve been around and that’s kind of my plan of action going into it is just being a sounding board for whoever and helping however I can.”
(Kind of in that same vein, last year QB Tua Togavaiola a spoke very glowingly about you know Darrell Bevell’s impact on his career. I was curious if you had a chance to meet Coach Bevell yet and how excited you are to work with him?) – “Yeah, I have. I got a chance to meet Coach Bevell when I signed on Thursday and I can see why Tua would say that. Just off initially meeting him, he seems like a very intelligent guy so you know you’re going to learn a lot about the quarterback position, and he’s also been around a lot of talented players and good offenses, so he has a ton of experience that I’m sure he draws upon and when he’s coaching the guys. Tua had an unbelievable season last year and I’m sure there’s no coincidence that Coach Bevell was involved and the entire offensive staff in general. So I’m really excited and just learning from someone new that has so many different stops and so much experience, so I’m really excited to get to work with him.”
David Long Jr. – March 22, 2023
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023
LB David Long Jr.
(I wanted to ask, you were one of the Dolphins first players that agreed to terms with the team. I was curious what stood out about this team, about this defense and this opportunity here?) – “I mean, it was a stressful process, the free agency process. I was just hearing a lot of different things and Miami was just the best fit I thought for me and my future. And then as far as like the players, I know a lot of them. A lot of us have the same agent. So I know a lot of those guys for a few years now. And then just the history of the DC (Vic Fangio). He’s had one of their top defenses for a while. So it just felt like a great fit. And then when I got down there, it felt like an even better fit.”
(You mentioned Vic Fangio kind of playing a role in that decision. Obviously, he’s bringing over his system and kind of building it from the ground up so to speak. But what similarities, if any, are there from your time in Tennessee and what you might see in Miami here? The defense and maybe what your role will be.) – “As far as role, I really haven’t discussed (that). I’m just ready to get to work and just fit in however I can. As far as the defense, he plays that same style that I like. Fast and aggressive as far as having a linebacker on the field all three downs. And also, it felt like a good fit. I feel like as the time goes, I’ll learn more about his way and the way he sees fits.”
(You talk about playing fast and aggressive. I was watching some of the film breakdowns of your game from guys like Brian Baldinger, and he talks a lot about the way you anticipate and how you play with speed. I’m curious, calling out plays or recognizing keys, what’s the key to putting yourself in position to play that style of football?) – “Well, a lot comes from I’ve been playing football for so long. So it’s really just that natural feel. Then as far as pre-snap reads, I spend a lot of time in the film room. I like to study my players a lot. So any indication that I can find to help me be way faster than an opponent, I look for it, whether it’s the hand in the dirt, light in the dirt, or just the tight end peeking or going back. It’s the little things that can help you be just more steadfast. Those are things I look for. And then just the mentality as well. Just that that dog mentality. That plays a major role as well.”
(I wanted to allude to the that you had a really good defensive line there in Tennessee and you come here with a bunch of guys that have played at a high level too in DT Christian Wilkins, DT Zach Sieler and DT Raekwon Davis. I’m curious how having such a good defensive line helps you do your job?) – “I mean any linebacker would be lying if they said that that front four doesn’t play a major role in the success we have. In Tennessee, a lot of two gaps they would hold up off the double teams, and our job as linebackers is to get downhill fast to get those double teams off of them. So they helped me, I helped them. We all work as a team. The better we work together, the better the defense is.”
(Everything that I saw about you – intelligent player, three-down player, very good against the run, very good against the pass. Mike Vrabel singled you and Kristian Fulton out in his postseason thing. But I’m wondering how that grabbed you? Like did that catch you by surprise? Were you offended? What did you think about that?) – “I’ve always – if you watch film since my rookie year to the end of this year, every play, I lay it out on the line. So that was a surprise to me. I feel like it kind of created a narrative a little bit as far as how I take care of my body. If you ask anybody, I’m a first one in and last guy out type of guy. So I know he knows that as well. It really just put a bigger chip (on my shoulder) because I know what type of player I am. That wasn’t discussed to me, as well. So it was a lot. I took it with a grain of salt. I’m not really much a media person like ‘why did you single me out or whatever.’ I’m going to roll with it and I’m just going to get back to work.”
(And as a follow up, to tell me about being a part of this defense, because you do have so many good players. I know in Tennessee, it was a point of emphasis to improve the defense and you were part of that. Now you come to a defense that’s really loaded. Tell me about the potential and how you feel about joining this defense.) – “I feel great man as far as the pieces that we have and also just me being familiar with the guys around. Sometimes you come into a new defense and you got to get a feel for guys, how close you are off the field as well plays a major role in that chemistry on the field. So I’m just glad that I know a lot on each level. Christian (Wilkins), Raekwon (Davis), Jaelan (Phillips), Jevon (Holland, Xavien (Howard). All those dudes I’m already familiar with so it really shouldn’t be too much of getting to know (them). I know those guys play fast and aggressive and talk smack just like me. (laughter)”
(So there’s another David Long in the league and he was part of the same draft class. I want to know, have you guys gotten to know each other at all and bonded over that kind of shocking coincidence?) – “That’s my dawg. So we both are with Athletes First. Coming out, we both trained in Orange County at Proactiv. So I’ve been knowing him since I got in the league. That’s my guy. I finally got his jersey too. So that’s cool, too.”
(I wanted to ask you, you haven’t really been established as a clear cut starter going back to Tennessee. Do you feel like that that’s something that’s a chip on your shoulder, that you’re trying to prove that you’re one of the preeminent linebackers in this league?) – “Nah. I wouldn’t say I’m trying to prove – I mean, I think if you watch film, it’s not really hard. I mean, I’m not trying to prove anything. I know what type of player I am. My main focus is keeping my body together. That’s really my main focus.”
