Jaylen Waddle – November 9, 2022
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Wednesday, November 9, 2022
WR Jaylen Waddle
(It feels like it’s been a while since you guys have played at home. How excited are you to be back in front of the home crowd?) – “I’m pretty excited. We always have a good come out so it’s going to be exciting.”
(I know you’ve been with QB Tua Tagovailoa since the college days. I’m curious is there a play this year that really stood to you that really spoke to [inaudible]?) – “No, I mean pretty much everything he does, I’ve seen him do multiple times before so it’s pretty regular for us.”
(About this weekend’s matchup, Head Coach Mike McDaniel just said that the Browns are no joke. This is a team that can beat any team despite their record. What do you see with the Browns when you look at them on film?) – “Yeah, pretty much what Mike (McDaniel) said. They’ve got a good roster, good players. They’re capable of making big plays and we’ve just got to go out there and play our game. But yeah, we’ve got a real hard test coming up.”
(You guys had a little bit of time playing with Browns QB Jacoby Brissett. Will it be cool to see him come back here? I know you won’t be going up against him directly, but just for him to come in here playing…?) – “Yeah, I’m excited to watch Jacoby (Brissett) play. I’ve been watching him play all season. He’s been playing great so it’s going to be good. Jacoby’s real funny so I’m excited to just chop it up. I know he’s got some jokes for us, for sure. (laughter)”
Mike McDaniel – November 9, 2022
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Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I know you said on Monday that there’s no change in the status of CB Byron Jones. We’re halfway through the season. At what point does it become not really reasonable to expect him to return?) – “I don’t know. Probably the point that we stop? There are a lot of variables at work and you just try to give everyone the best opportunity to contribute to the team, like I know he wants to. If you’re sick of asking it, what do you think the microphone guy is? (laughter)”
(But is the expectation still that at some point he will be able to return?) – “Yes, that’s still open. I don’t try to play the – I react, I don’t try to dictate the future. My crystal ball is broken.”
(How do you determine whether you have quality depth on a team? And has this team reach that standard right now?) – “I think the proof is in the pudding. Quality depth, to me, is when as a team, you’re able to function in a certain standard. And when a certain piece is gone, are you still able to function at that standard? There will always be – there’s unique things to each and every player. When you earn a starting position, you’re not gifted that. But when teams are able to continue to progress and get better when people are out, then then that’s a sign of some strong depth on your entire roster. I feel pretty good about our team. We’ve gone through lineup changes as much as anything I’ve been around and have – who knows the exact residuals, because you have a group of players, coaches and everyone that really doesn’t allow that to be an excuse. So we press forward, and I’m sure in hindsight, I’ll be like, ‘Whoa, that was a lot,’ but right now, it just is what it is.”
(What was the first on-field moment here when you thought to yourself, “Wow, WR Tyreek Hill is a different guy?”) – “Huh, that’s a good one. There was – Ok, I got it. There was a particular route that I think we came up with in 2013. Trivia fact – it was Leonard Hankerson against the Chargers. That’s a deeper outbreaking route that not all that many people can run, because the timing of the play and to push it that deep, you don’t always have protection for it. So I’ve been running that – it kind of got steam and ran it the most when we had Julio Jones, who was unbelievable at the route. And then seeing Tyreek (Hill) in, I think it was probably OTA 4, if my training camp install schedule is correct in my brain, when he ran that. I just had a lot of deliberate reps at viewing that (route) ran at an exceptional speed, depth, intent, and it was like, ‘Whoa.’ I’ve been fortunate to be around Andre Johnson in his prime, Julio Jones in his prime, Josh Gordon, Pierre Garcon, leading the league in receiving. All these great, great players, and he is different. We knew then in OTAs that yeah, this is a different deal.”
(The follow-up is the same question but off the field, since y’all met here in South Florida, what was the first off-field moment where you thought, “Wow, WR Tyreek Hill is a different dude?”) – “The first time I took the trust fall and called him out in a team meeting, I think. And it wasn’t a call out – I shouldn’t really say call out because it’s not. It’s more (that) in team meetings, I think it’s very important to state the facts, and the facts are what’s on tape. So anything that’s on tape, we should be able to discuss openly. There was something that he didn’t do, I can’t remember what it was, but I vividly remember his response that day was corrected. So I kind of made note of that. Two days later, at the beginning of team meetings in training camp, we were showing the fastest GPS of the practice the previous day, and he was fifth that day. So I made a big deal about it, I went over the top and said something like, ‘Dude, congratulations, you’ve been working hard. This is a great achievement.’ I think Keion Crossen was the fastest that day, so I was just like – no, actually it was Braylon Sanders at the time. Whoever it was, I was like, ‘Man, you’re the fastest guy on the Dolphins. This is awesome.’ This is in front of the whole team, and then that practice, he ran the fastest ever recorded in practice here or that I’ve seen. It was something absurd like 23.48 (miles per hour) or something like that. So I was like, ‘Ok, yeah, you’re different.’ On the field, off the field, it’s not happenstance that he’s able to have success.”
(You’ve had a lot of, obviously, mix and match on the offensive line because of injuries, but you’ve started to find some continuity now. What would you attribute the success that you guys had with running the ball and protection that have been an improvement over last year?) – “It’s the least appealing, most real answer that exists, and it’s like the down to the bones, deliberate work, and intent on defensive specific techniques and how we execute our fundamentals and details. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole coaching staff is that my offensive coordinator, Frank Smith, has deep O-line coaching roots and was a center himself. I think he spearheaded that charge and really led in a moment that, there was a young group that was a little uncertain of themselves. That along with (Offensive Line Coach) Matt Applebaum and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Lemuel (Jeanpierre) and (Offensive Assistant) Mike Person, there’s no quick and easy way to have success in the National Football League. That’s why I like the game so much, is because when you see success or improvement, I should say more than anything, people are too talented and people work too hard. There’s no shortcut around it. They’re sweating after practice. Practice ends and I try to give players a nice schedule that they can get out of the building. But the linemen aren’t afforded that because they are out there working after practice, and it’s to all their credit, collectively. And then everybody else getting used to it, you’re starting to see the skill position players be a little more productive in their areas. The running backs running in space better. It’s a trickle-down effect that they can really dictate.”
(On the challenge the offensive line has against the Browns with their edge players.) – “The theme of the NFL is this, it is a challenge. There’s so many things at stake every week, so every week is a challenge. This one in particular is a lot greater than people realize. This Cleveland Browns team is no joke. They are a good football team. One of the only – I mean, their record is their record. Whatever this means is that I think they can beat any football team in the National Football League on any week, and you can’t say that about every team. So they are (a challenge), and it starts with their edges. I know (Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods and (Defensive Line Coach) Chris Kiffin from San Francisco, and I can see their elements of coaching on tape. They strain, they go after it. I can promise you this; we comb, tape week-in, week-out, and we are definitely not sleeping on this team. This is a good football team that if you aren’t detailed and technically sound, they will expose you in a harmful way.”
(The broadcast on Sunday mentioned how much pride you took in San Francisco in finding undrafted players. I guess first of all, I was wondering if you could speak to the pride that you personally take in finding those kind of diamonds in the rough, the undrafted guys.) – “That’s a cool process. When I was afforded the opportunity, people had faith in me. Kyle Shanahan really put a lot of faith in me along my career. That, along with Dan Quinn, and then John Lynch and Adam Peters and all those guys, they gave me the opportunity to say ‘Hey, if you find a guy, we’ll listen.’ And to me, how cool is that? It was more – I thoroughly enjoyed the process, but I also just enjoy contributing to the team. When that’s the role, it is really cool because it’s a challenging process. There are a lot of guys to choose from, so you’re trying to find some skillsets; and then you’re also trying to balance it out with your impression of the person as you reach out to people that know them or talk to sources or get to talk to them themselves. And it’s not like a cookie cutter formula, which is why I enjoy it. It was for a portion of my career, it was the best way that I could contribute to the team. So I have always taken those things extremely serious and enjoy those.”
(To follow up, I don’t know how much that process changes for you since becoming a head coach, but how involved were you in finding CB Kader Kohou and scouting him?) – “Being a part of the process in so many different scopes in my career – but being in the process for a long time, you get to see how it’s no person with the sauce. So early when I got here, that’s why I prioritized hiring coaches, and then you prioritize having a very strong, well-groomed, well-working scouting department. And all of those things working together. With Kader (Kohou), I can take 0.00 percent responsibility for that one. That’s Chris Grier, Josh Boyer and all the goons involved. But I trust them and the reason why I trust them is because I understand that my job is not to micromanage or to do everything. My job is to make people better at what they do and rely on people. That’s kind of what I do.”
(We’ve heard how QB Tua Tagovailoa is motivated by his doubters. How do you see him now approaching dealing with success and the praise he’s received after these last few games?) – “Do you doubt that he’s handling it well? Let’s motivate that guy. (laughter) You just have a feeling about people. When you’re forecasting uncharted territory, you don’t totally know but you feel like you know. Anything that’s happening with him isn’t a surprise to me. It would have been a surprise if it hadn’t, just because the day-in day-out work that I’m witnessing and the work that his teammates do and how his rapport is with them and all of that. But it doesn’t surprise me how he’s handled having some success because literally it has no distinction from when we first started working before game one in training camp and OTAs. And that’s awesome. That’s what I would have guessed, but it’s been really cool to see. But it’s case in point, he knows exactly who he is, he knows exactly what he needs to do to do his portion of his job well, and he’s not deviating from that at all. (It is) very, very cool and good to see but not surprising in the least.”
(Going back to the Browns, they’ve been in a lot of close games. Obviously you guys have won plenty of close games. I’m wondering what are some small details that make the difference and winning and losing close games?) – “More points. (laughter) That’s the part of football that you don’t necessarily – you’re hitting on the part that isn’t necessarily on the stat sheet, which is the cool part. You find that teams kind of – it kind of snowballs for teams where you can be in tight games consecutively and you can find yourself with the same result until you get yourself out of it either way. I think being involved in those games gives you a competitive advantage moving forward, when you’re able to learn from them. So teams that are learning from them, whether it’s high, low, whatever; at the end of the season, they end up winning more than they lose of those, in my opinion. It’s hard. Just think about it. Coaches start on Monday, players come in on Wednesday, we are grinding on this one objective all week, that has all sorts of variables, a countless number of variables, that you’re learning, that you’re trying to master. Then you go to this huge buildup of this competitive game that everyone is watching and being able to critique. And then just finality, one final result. When teams aren’t of the right mindset, they want to point fingers. Or you learn how to not point fingers. That’s something that I’ve been on teams that it happens a ton. Just by the tape – I wouldn’t dare to speak on the Cleveland Browns but it doesn’t look like they’re doing that at all. So it looks like they’re in the process of the same process a lot of teams are, that we are, where, ‘Ok, it’s a close game. It’s okay.’ The finality of that whole work week, you don’t need to think about that. Just worry about your individual job and collectively, the more people that do that, end up finding a way, because the biggest mistake is when people get in tight situations, tight games, and they start thinking that they need to do it themselves. And that’s something that you have to learn through trial and error. And something hopefully we have learned from in our close games. But that doesn’t guarantee anything. We could very well buck the trend this week. Hopefully you didn’t jinx us. (laughter)”
(It feels like each week, we can make this comparison about how you’re coaching against the coach that you previously worked with. With Joe Woods in San Francisco, I’m curious if you might have a story about your guys’ year together in San Francisco.) – “It was a cool part of the process because it was kind of a minor football evolution at the time. The Seattle Seahawks – Pete (Carroll), Gus Bradley and all those guys came up with the Seattle 3-deep, and just literally did that and nothing else and crushed people for a decade. And then we had faced – in our history, we’d done the wide nine, four-man front, penetrating defense. Tennessee was kicking our butts in Houston back in the late 2000s. And then they went to Detroit and all that. But under Kyle Shanahan, Kyle kind of wanted to meld those two. So Joe was a part of that. And it was a such a cool process because you have to problem solve. It may not seem like a big deal, but in terms of gap integrity and how you rule out your defense, it was a big deal. And being there with him and seeing how he was such a problem solver in that process, while also having a disposition and energy that players gravitated to – I had heard about him since probably 2013, because Raheem Morris would always do an impression of him. (laughter) So I like knew of him for like seven years before I met him. But he lived up to the impersonation and the buildup.”
Mike McDaniel – November 7, 2022
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Monday, November 7, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I believe WR Jaylen Waddle was the only one to even go into the injury tent. How is he? I think he came back actually. How is he and how is the injury situation from yesterday?) – “He’s doing all right. That was – really it was the best that we’ve come out of a game for a while. It was one of those double takes that you have to look at the injury report and be like, ‘wait, what? Are you pulling a fast one on me?’ But outside of the lone thing that came up was Hunter Long is currently in the concussion protocol. But then besides that, we were all clean.”
(Your offensive line seems to be stabilizing recently and I’m wondering, I know it’s not just one person. It’s not just T Terron Armstead, but you guys had a good performance putting OL Robert Jones in there yesterday. Why has the offensive line improved recently do you think?) – “I think it’s a fixation and a collaborative effort on fundamentals. I think starting to understand on a week-by-week basis what is asked of them for the players, I think is important. And then how to drive home the techniques appropriately from the coaching staff, but I think it’s been a collective mindset and we’re seeing the results week-in and week-out. It doesn’t mean everything is – that we’re performing exactly the way we envisioned the final product looking. That will never be the case, but we are continually getting better each game which is what gives me confidence because I know that is the formula for teams to have success in this league, is improvement during the course of the season and I think we’re all seeing that.”
(Were the Bears exactly who you thought they were because at the third quarter about the 5:16 mark you spoke to Bears QB Justin Fields on the side. It seems like you said to him to stop the running the ball. Did you kind of know that’s what the game plan was for them going into the game or?) – “No, I just wanted him to stop scrambling and it was pretty irritating because he didn’t listen at all. (laughter) He didn’t take the coaching and no, I think our whole team took them serious because they’re young upcoming team that if you take lightly at all, they make you quickly regret that. So they fought exactly how we thought they were going to. I think Justin (Fields) is really starting to get a feel for when he can utilize his full scale of gifts and he’s making plays more and more and becoming more and more difficult to defend. So at that stage of the game I figured no one had asked him to stop it, so I gave that a try. (laughter) I think other coaches can learn from my experience that he does not listen, so rely on other tactics.”
(It looks like a lot of times watching the games back that every receiver runs every route with a certain level of conviction and it does so much to open up space for other guys. I’m just curious how you cultivate that in a room at a position where maybe sometimes across the league guys might not give 100 percent every route, but it seems like here they do?) – “No, that’s cool. That’s something that’s been of paramount importance that I think you can really separate offensive play in the pass and run game by the perimeter receivers because I always looked at it like this: you’re going to by and large, you’re going to have straining try-hard offensive linemen and running backs have to try hard. Otherwise they’re going to get blown up and tackled and tight ends are kind of an extension of the offensive line, but you can really have a well-oiled offense if you have football-playing wide receivers. And so football-playing wide receivers don’t just run routes hard when they are scheduled to get the ball because that’s the orchestration of good wide receiver play within a good offense, is a full commitment and a standard. And that’s something that you don’t just turn on. That’s something that’s to a credit to every single coach and player on the staff because it’s a daily commitment that if Wes (Welker) is in there and not pointing out that the backside of a run or maybe a run-off route isn’t to the standard that we’d like; if he doesn’t point that out on a random Thursday in September, it’s not going to be right in October. That is something that I think is very important in a way that you can separate yourself in this league, is a commitment by a position that is predominantly dominated by statistical figures that they play team football, then you’ve got a heck of an advantage that opposing defenses will feel over the course of time.”
(After reviewing the film, what did you think of LB Bradley Chubb’s first game? What do you hope to see from him as he gets more and more snaps in this defense?) – “I was pumped. The stuff that he was able to do in terms of – you put yourself in his situation and it’s Tuesday and you just get notified that you’re traded teams, then you’re taking your Wednesday of your NFL prep week where you’re preparing for first and second down, half of it is occupied by doing physicals and stuff, then you’re trying to get sped up to a defensive system that’s in a different language. I was very happy with how he was able to go out and play pretty hard. There were several occasions that he didn’t end up on the stat sheet, but he completely affected the pass plays by getting to the quarterback in the rhythm quick enough that he had to get the ball out, and that’s what you’re asking of that position. He’ll get better and better as he gets more versed in the nuances of our scheme in both run and pass, but I’m really happy with the player, the talent and the effort. I feel like he’s going to fit right in and really help our group moving forward.”
(To follow up on that, LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. both pretty decent snaps. What kind of gave you confidence in their preparation going into the game to throw them in off the deep end like that? LB Bradley Chubb played 54 snaps and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. played 28 snaps.) – “That’s kind of what I would have thought going into the game. You’re just hesitant because there’s the human element. But if any two guys were capable of doing something like that, it would have to be two football-centric, committed, professionals like those two. You leave an open window for – just in case, (it’s), ‘Hey, this guy is overly on tilt and needs to take a breather,’ you kind of let them roll and see how they react. So I think that on both sides of the ball – on defense, I think our edge players got into a rotation that made them all better but it’s not finetuned yet. We’ll still be adjusting that to find our perfect mix, but I thought there was some groundwork laid there. I thought it was a nice balance to get some productive touches to Jeff (Wilson) and complement Raheem’s (Mostert) game. So I think all in all, I was very happy with those guys. It’s a testament to them and their teammates, really, for them to be able to produce in the short amount of time that they were able to.”
(In the run game, RB Jeff Wilson Jr and RB Raheem Mostert basically split the snaps right down the middle. Is that kind of how you envision the run game going forward, a 1A-1B kind of thing? Or is that just off a game-to-game basis?) – “I think your starting point, those guys, I think they both are starter caliber players. So you kind of make sure that they both have opportunities. They’ll always have opportunities in each individual game, but they’re both very well aware and well-versed that there’s certain times that guys feel it. So when that happens, we stay out of the way. The great news about our running back room and really our team in general is we have a lot of people acknowledging their part in someone’s success. The running back room gets pumped when a running back makes a play – it’s not really ‘I’ or ‘me.’ I think that’s a huge variable in team success that’s very, very underrated.”
(Can you tell us about the practice and game outlooks for CB Byron Jones and OL Austin Jackson this week?) – “No change on Byron Jones. Austin Jackson, you’ll see out on the practice field a little bit. We’ll get him going a little bit and see – we’ll just take it day by day. But you’ll get some field sightings of Austin Jackson this week, which is exciting.”
(1,104 yards for WR Tyreek Hill so far this season through nine weeks. How do you feel about his level of execution this year so far? And what were your thoughts on his round off backhand spring celebration?) – “I kind of have some beef with our video department, because we cut that celebration off in our coaches copy tape. So we’re re-visiting that after this press conference. But live, I thought it was a – I feel like a 7.8 because I didn’t feel like he stuck the landing. And from – I know that’s a very important part of the judging process, right? But I think that’s the cool thing about Tyreek (Hill) is that he recognizes that this game is all about improving. He’s – obviously, you’re excited to have production on an unforeseen level before, that’s great. But what you like is that he and his teammates see that as a vessel for us to get our job done, which is to win, and in that process, he’s not wavering or trying to take the easy way out. There were a couple things in this past game that he did better than he has all season. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s what makes me the happiest about it, because you’re either getting better or getting worse – there’s not really any in-between. He’s committed to getting better, so I look forward to his production moving forward.”
(To follow up on OL Austin Jackson, I know it’s only one practice, we saw him out there on Friday, what did you kind of see from him on Friday that kind of gives you confidence in having him ramp up some more this week?) – “I saw the same player that didn’t have any setbacks. So it was – he’s actually gotten a ton of mental reps in this period. He’s been locked in the whole time. I was encouraged because it looked exactly like the athlete that I know, and I was encouraged because it didn’t hurt him in the process. We’ll continue to take that approach so that when he is – just to maximize the percentage chance of him when he returns, returning for good. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
(K Jason Sanders, he just pulled it? Was it…?) – “No – you guys definitely didn’t do your part in forewarning me, but that city, there’s all sorts of wind. (laughter) No, there were some technical nuances. There was also – he was a hair off in a situation where if we didn’t get a gust (of wind), it probably would have drilled it. Jason (Sanders) doesn’t use that as an excuse. I was just witnessing the obvious which was a gust of wind right at the snap, but it played a factor for sure. And I’ll know now to expect wind in Chicago on my own help, none of yours, because you guys didn’t tell me anything.”
Mike McDaniel- November 6, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2022
Postgame – Chicago
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
(Second straight week where we’ve seen the offense really go down the field and score a lot of points, but on the other side of the ball the defense struggled to get stops until late. Is this type of play sustainable? From one side of the ball playing this well to the other side not being able to get stops for much of the afternoon?) – “I kind of see it the opposite way. I see that – I see a strong example of complementary football. There’s been instances all season that I’m really fired up about with the team where one phase, the whole stadium and both teams can feel that they don’t have momentum right now. For this game, it was defensively – (the Bears) were able to convert some stuff and really stay on the field and dominate time of possession for the first three quarters, really. But what I’m happy about is the resolve. Of course, you want to dominate your opponent. They get paid to … They did a good job not – we were hoping to get some turnovers, and they didn’t really give us opportunities to. They were very strategic in how they approached the game plan, I feel like and keeping the ball out of our hands. To their credit, Justin Fields is as dynamic with the ball in his hands as any player in the league, really. It will never be sustainable for one side of the ball to dominate in the National Football League anyway. It’s hard to within one game. What I’m just happy about is when the offense wasn’t able to score points, the defense found their best play, and that’s what we’re going to build on moving forward.”
(178 yards from QB Justin Fields running. What did you see that allowed him to be that successful and really keep that offense going for them) – “That was a big point of emphasis going into the game, just knowing how he’s really helped really change that offense’s complexion the last couple weeks. So, you do your best. There was a couple missed tackles live that I saw that you’d love to have. But ultimately, you just have to continue to stress rush lanes, and we’ve got to improve on our plan that we were trying to execute, that type of – you run into those type of players once in a while in the National Football League, and you’ve got to be able to take away what they’re doing really well. We were able to do that for probably the first three quarters, but I’m just happy that we did in the fourth.”
(On the fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, you chose to go for it. A field goal would have made it a six-point game and you chose to go for it. Did that have everything to do with the missed field goal earlier in the day?) – “It had to do with the elements, which direction we were going. I wasn’t – Every decision is independent really in those situations. I know we’ve had a lot of situations where I have gone for it. That doesn’t mean I’m a riverboat type guy and that I’m just going to do that all the time. But in this particular situation, had we been going the opposite end, we probably would have kicked it. But that was a – in this stadium in general, it’s kind of a whirling, unpredictable gust type situation. I just thought it was safer in playing to the style of game a little bit more to go ahead and go. Didn’t work out, but it was definitely influenced by the weather and which direction we were going.”
(In that same sequence, what happened for you to burn those two timeouts?) – “There was one timeout where I think there was a huddle situation. Another one, it was probably the second time all year that I was going to get him the play that I wanted too late, probably with like 19 seconds on the clock. So instead of trying to rush it, I just let it bleed out and tried to get the appropriate play. There was a situation that the communication in the huddle was a little off one of the timeouts, and there was another situation where it was me just choosing to do that because I was going to get it in too late.”
(Off of that first question, is QB Tua Tagovailoa keeping… Do you see a growth week to week in his keeping composure and maturity whatever is hitting you guys defensively? Do you see a growth over time?) – “It’s really – the growth really since we started, I think our first team meeting was April 4th. So in seven months’ time, the growth has been unbelievable in how he’s playing the position, learning the whole system, and then how he’s handling the ebbs and flows of natural in-game momentum. I saw it again today. He didn’t really give the defense an opportunity to take the ball away, really, and then he just continues to impress by being — through the course of the game, just taking it one play at a time. The players themselves can really feel the visceral confidence and energy that he’s bringing forth to play the position and responding to it on both sides of the ball, I feel like.”
(What did LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. offer to the team today?) – “Oh, it was very, very good play by both of them. The particular individuals, not just their skills but the human beings, getting them this week was exactly what we had hoped. They’re the type of people that are both physical but team guys and very talented. So that really paid off all week, had everyone real excited. I think that it paid off in several people’s statistics defensively. The rotation – guys were able to be a little bit more fresh. (Bradley Chubb) was in and around the ball a ton. Then Jeff (Wilson Jr.) was exactly what I had known from my experience with him. He’s a big-game player that really thrives when his number is called upon, and to bring that aggressiveness and then made a couple plays in the pass game that were pretty cool. (I’m) really happy with those two guys – glad they’re with us.”
(With the score on special teams, your perspective of LB Jaelan Phillip’s blocking the punt and then LB Andrew Van Ginkel?) – “We were hoping – we knew we were going to shoot our shot, so to speak, and try to get one. When you have those opportunities, not only do you have to get home, but you have to be on the spot. For Jaelan (Phillips) to come through like that was phenomenal and to turn it into immediate points with (Andrew) Van Ginkel’s scoop-and-score, it’s pretty cool that I think those two also with – maybe that doesn’t happen if that group isn’t as fresh, and we can’t use them as much on special teams. So the whole team benefits when everyone is playing and contributing. It was awesome to see those guys flourish then.”
(In the first half, we saw you guys work going down pretty easily. I think there was about 40 seconds left and you had an illegal formation that pushed you back and you had to burn the timeout to save the time. You ended up kicking a field goal, but can you just kind of walk me through what happened there?) – “So kind of the mode of operation, or what we’re trying to do, is you have the ball, and you’re trying to have one or two things happen. You’re either finishing the half with points or the ball, because that ensures that the other side doesn’t get an opportunity, which is what our kind of mode was. You’ll see at the end of halves, there will be times where we’re moving the ball well, but we’re taking the whole 40-second clock knowing that we have a chance to lap them in the second half, getting the ball back. The 12-men kind of threw me off a hair. So then after we called the third-down play and it was surprisingly short – I was thinking it was going to be a first down just by the depth of the route, so I immediately took a timeout right after the completion. In hindsight, had I known that it would have been fourth-and-short and we didn’t get enough distance, I would have waited until like four seconds before I called the timeout. But there was solid execution. There were a couple things that we can learn from, and then I will adjust my vantage point because my angle from where the spot was and where the first-down chains ended up hurting us in that given moment.”
(I apologize if you’ve been asked this before. There are a lot of running quarterbacks, a lot of mobile guys. What was it about QB Justin Fields that made the running element so difficult to contain?) – “Well, he’s as fast as any skill position runner. Like he is really, really fast, and he can cut and break tackles. There are a lot of running quarterbacks. This one in particular, I think, is very elite and adept at that. In those type of situations, it ultimately comes down to like an arm tackle a lot of times and a difference between a sack and a 40-yard explosive, so you have to go back to the drawing board. Then when you ultimately are in a situation against a player like that, you have to recognize how big of arm tackles those are, where you’re half engaged with a lineman and you’ve got an arm on the guy, you’ve got to find a way to wrap up a leg or do something like that, because he makes those very small windows of opportunity to these gigantic (windows) very fast. We had a plan. They definitely got the better of us in that regard, so we’ll take a look at the tape and see how we can improve, because that’s something that will always be the case in this league. There’s going to be dynamic players at that position.”
(WR Tyreek Hill had a big day, 20-yards per catch. He has over 1,000 yards for the season now. There was one play in particular, it was his 39-yard catch, I think it was in the second quarter. He’s in a bunch formation on the right side.) – “Yup, I know the one.”
(I wanted you to kind explain that route to me because it was so cool, he kind of like casually walked a couple steps and then burst down. I wanted to know what you see in him in that and what exactly that route is for him?) – “There are certain times where you can utilize his unparalleled zero-to-60 burst. In that particular play, he was an option for the quarterback that if they gave us a certain coverage and they were attacking internally with man coverage, attacking internally on the inside part of the field, that he’d be able to find his way through traffic and we could layer something out there. It’s something that you’re not really afforded that option to do a play like that that comes up a ton. With our players, we’re able to do some pretty cool stuff that is just kind of like abstract creative thought with a lot of guys. But with him in particular, he can find his way through traffic, and then the key is that him and Tua (Tagovailoa) are on the same page, which they were, and it was a very big play in the second quarter.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 6, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2022
Postgame – Chicago
QB Tua Tagovailoa (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
(We saw the offense score four touchdowns on the first five drives, obviously you have the missed field goal at the end of the first half. What happened late with some of those missed fourth-down attempts and not taking advantage of the short field?) – “There were a lot of things – getting the play call to guys on my end, guys kind of figuring out where to line up, the environment at that particular time was giving us some problems with the crowd noise. So just better execution on my end and for us offensively.”
(Do you feel like you were kind of in a shootout with QB Justin Fields but for different reasons – his legs and your arm? You just had to go back and forth, and you knew you couldn’t give them a break.) – “I would say the way we looked at it offensively, we don’t have to press, we don’t have to do anything outside of whatever that play entails. Just do your job, do your assignment and the points will take care of itself. We weren’t necessarily looking at the scoreboard. We were just trying our best every time that we were given the ball to go out and score.”
(Can talk a little bit about your receiving corps. It seems like if they take WR Jaylen Waddle away from you, you’d find WR Tyreek Hill and vice versa the whole game?) – “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. If one gets doubled, we’re looking for the other, and if that one is doubled, as well, if they double both of them, then we’ve got to find the next guy. They both complement each other, but they also both complement everyone else on our offense.”
(What did you learn about this team in tough road victories at Baltimore, at Detroit and now here?) – “I’ve learned a lot – the resiliency of our team, the resiliency of our guys to continue to fight, to continue to not give up on the game. Regardless of how close the game is or how out of hand it may be, we continue to fight. So that’s what I’m proud of with our team up to this point.”
(What was going on that you were able to exploit what was going on in the secondary and had wide open receivers?) – “Yeah, I think the offense, the complexity of what they’re seeing, guys motioning, guys moving, shifting, things like that. I think their defense did a really good job with the second half adjusting. I wouldn’t say our guys are necessarily just wide open. We’re playing the game within the game, as the Bears are playing the game within the game. That’s not to discredit anything that they’ve done, as well.”
(What did RB Jeff Wilson Jr. give you today on the ground as a receiver? I thought I saw a pretty good block by him at one point, also.) – “Yeah, wow – that’s what I’ve got to say. Wow. (laughter) His first game with us, and he almost takes one to score. Then that same drive, he basically Reggie Bush-ed and dove for the touchdown. (laughter) You don’t see that often. So, for someone like him to come from the 49ers and fit right into our offense like that, that tells you a lot about his work ethic, it tells you a lot about who he is as a player and who he is as a professional. So, wow.”
(Did you guys feel like you were in control of this game even though they kept kind of coming back at you, but it was your game to win?) – “Well, we were just playing 60 minutes. Offensively, not looking at the scoreboard and really just, like I said, every opportunity that we got, having the ball, we were just trying to score every time.”
(I know you slipped a couple times when you were trying to make cuts, and this field doesn’t always have the best reputation. How were the conditions today out there?) – “I mean, I think the conditions were actually pretty good out there. There were some slips, but when I went out to go check the field pregame, it looked like they like put some new grass there or they cut the grass. It felt good.”
(How do you feel about the team overall right now? Obviously, you just added LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr., but do you feel you’re hitting your stride, playing complementary football and doing the things you want to do?) – “Yeah, there are at points in the game where we are doing what we said we wanted to do, and then there’s also a fair amount of plays and times that we don’t. It’s a continuation of us working together and coming in tomorrow and working on those things and talking about those. I think it’ll be good that we can hold each other accountable for some of the things that were going on that we didn’t execute.”
(I’m guessing there’s one throw you’d like to have back, the fourth down with TE Durham Smythe being wide open. What happened on that?) – “Well, I saw him, and I was getting ready to throw to him, and I think he took a look up. So it kind of threw off the way I was going to throw it to him, because I didn’t know if he was going to turn up or not. He looked up, and I was getting ready to throw, then the ball came out and he looked back. That’s something that I’ll need to work on to get better with.”
(We see your numbers and they’re very impressive. How do you feel you’re playing right now?) – “It can always get better. It can always be better. That’s what we’re looking forward to. We’ll enjoy this win tonight and then we’ll move onto … the Browns next.”
(Did you get a chance to see QB Justin Fields playing? Obviously, you’re looking at the film a lot, but how much did he impress you today?) – “He impressed me a lot. How much rushing yards did he have? He had like 200?”
(173, something like that.) – “Geez. I mean, dude is a baller. (laughter) Dude is a baller. He was making some plays in the pass game, as well. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the success that he’s finding. He’s finding himself in this league, and I think people are starting to recognize more, the more he gets out and has those opportunities to play.”
(How are you feeling with your game right now? I look at you and you’re going through your progressions, if it’s not there, you’re dumping off, throwing the ball away when you can throw it away. Are you feeling that growth and the confidence that comes along with that in your game?) – “Yeah, I would say whatever the play entails for us, that’s what I always revert to. If this play doesn’t entail you to force the ball here, then don’t do it, which none of the plays do. So just continue to progress, progress, progress, and then just know where to go with the ball on every play.”
(How many times can you throw the ball to WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle in one game?) – “However many times they can get open. (laughter)”
Robert Jones – November 4, 2022
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Friday, November 4, 2022
OL Robert Jones
(A full week of practice, how much does that benefit you?) – “It benefits a lot. Just helps me keep building confidence, understanding and knowing the game plan from inside and out. Being able to get all the reps is just getting me ready to go out there and compete.”
(And then the communication, I guess it helps with that also?) – “For sure. Just being able to go with different guys, hearing how they say things, how they see things; it just helps me be ready for when an opportunity comes in the game.”
(And so you’re playing in your hometown, right? So tell me about that. A lot of family and friends going?) – “Yeah, I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming. It’s amazing to be able to go back and play where I grew up at, and get my first start there this year. Just go out there and put on for my city and help the team win.”
(And so it works out perfectly that way?) – “Most definitely.”
(What did you think when you saw Chicago on the schedule? Did you think it might be nice if I get in there and make a mark?) – “No, I just saw it’s another game on the schedule that me and the team have got to go out there and compete and try to win. But I did think, it’d be cool to have my family come out there just to watch me play. Even if I don’t play, just coming out there and see me out there.”
(Coming out cold like you did last week, you guys are always ready, but when you get that call immediately, just the difference between that and being able to prepare all week?) – “Each and every week, we prepare like we’re going to get an opportunity to go in there. Going in cold last week, I was kind of ready, went out there and did my best. But this week going in, knowing that I’ll be starting, taking the majority of the reps, it just gets my head on straighter and helps me really lock in on certain things. Just get ready.”
(Were the penalties a talking point within the locker room? Is that something, the next step, that you guys want to limit penalties?) – “For sure. We always want to limit penalties because the more penalties we get, it hurts us in the long run. But we’ve been focused on that all week, offensively and defensively, so we can go out there and just put our best foot forward.”
Mike McDaniel – November 4, 2022
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Friday, November 4, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I noticed T Terron Armstead with an Achilles on the injury report. Is that related to the toe or is that something separate?) – “That’s something that he’s always managed that is a wear and tear of the football season, but he’s the guy that has proven week-in and week-out to be able to play at a high level while battling through stuff. (He is a) tremendous part of our team, so I have nothing but hopeful and optimistic feelings towards him playing on Sunday.”
(And OL Robert Jones gets a full week of practice this week. What will that do for the offensive line – the unity and communication – I mean, huge benefits or how do you quantify it?) – “It’s definitely beneficial. It’s not to the degree like when you’re talking about a quarterback working through a week calling plays and him doing all those things, but of course, it’s advantageous. It’s awesome for the player. People don’t necessarily give it its due, how difficult it is to be an NFL mid-game relief pitcher. Like starting a game, you get yourself mentally prepared. Like a backup quarterback, an offensive lineman goes zero to 60 real quick. So he did a tremendous job of being able to – really when you’re able to continue on your course and you have something like that happen to a starter and then the next man steps up, and you’re not adjusting for that next man, that means that you are doing right by your teammates and the team. I’m really pumped about him getting the extra work this week and them working all together.”
(Do you have an idea of how much LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. might play this weekend?) – “I have several ideas. Do you want to hear all my ideas? Wouldn’t you like to know? (laughter) Yeah, they’re going to play. To what exact degree, that depends on multiple variables. We started putting the game plans together before they were on the team. Things move fast. They’re both professionals. They’re both ready and comfortable within the plan and within their roles. It will be somewhere between zero snaps and what they’ll normally get in a given week, just somewhere in that range. But it’ll be more than zero snaps. (laughter)”
(With how quick of a turnaround it’s been for them, how much of the playbook can they reasonably be expected to know at this point?) – “You have to manage your expectations appropriately. Each individual is different and then you put that on the coaches to really do their best so that they can be out on the football field playing fast. So there’s a lot of things that are involved with that. It’s a relentless process but one that I’m confident our guys are up for and excited to do. I think that both guys have come in seamlessly within the locker room, and I think their energy for doing their jobs is palpable. And I think they’ll all be excited to play as a team together. But you just make sure that they’re able to do what they do best and if you have to compromise some things, you compromise some things or you utilize your other guys.”
(You all incorporated LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. onto the team. As far as them adapting to the team rules, how have your views been on with them accepting that adversity is opportunity?) – “Well, they’ve already checked off one piece of adversity and that’s changing cities on the player day off and then all of a sudden getting a physical and being involved in install meetings in the same day. And honestly, we wouldn’t have made either move if we weren’t operating with extreme conviction that they were the type of people that could fit within our locker room. That’s a sacred place that we hold that we don’t just let anybody jump into. So they’ve met exact expectations in regards to how they conduct themselves and the type of people they are, which in that circumstance, we don’t have to worry about them. And with any of our rules, I don’t have a ton of them, but the ones that I do have that I’m pretty hard line on, they should have no problem with.”
(Talking about that, how has it been for you? This is your first year as a head coach. How has it been for you these two days after the trade deadline and the new players that you got because you have to worry about them performing on a football field, but you have to worry about other things now that you’re the head coach?) – “It’s not the first time that I’ve seen it happen. Again, that’s one of the things that I’ve been so thankful for in my career is having the opportunity to – you know, 2019, right at the trade deadline, we traded for Emmanuel Sanders. And that season he didn’t even get a bye week because of when the trade deadline was in regards to our schedule. He got to feel the pros and cons of whatever you do in that short situation. We traded for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018, I believe, or 2017. So both circumstances were very helpful in kind of being comfortable in this situation. I think all of those things, all of my job this year, it’s new; but it’s also something that I prioritized before I ever did any of this to think through these things and take advantage of those opportunities because I know they’re going to come my way again, and I don’t want to be thinking on the fly like that. So it’s been like everything else. You just handle whatever comes to you and good problems to have is to have new players that are really good.”
(Just observing LB Bradley Chubb over the last couple of days, who are some of the guys you’ve seen him working with a lot that have kind of been teaching him scheme. Outside of coaches, obviously, like some of the players on the squad that have kind of been guiding him along helping him learn some things?) – “This is the first rep that I’ve had with this team being together and then having new additions. So I did get to learn a little bit, but I wasn’t surprised at all. And what I saw was a bunch of teammates excited for their new teammate and trying and understanding that any individual success on this football team is everyone’s success. So you see players, the entire defense – not just his position, but our captains, Christian (Wilkins) and ‘E. Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) and Jevon (Holland) and really everybody. I think our team puts it upon themselves to embrace these guys, get them up to speed as fast as possible. They put a little accountability on themselves as well, which is really cool to see. It doesn’t surprise me but just further validates the type of locker room that we have.”
(To follow up on an earlier question about LB Bradley Chubb’s knowledge of the playbook, at a certain point with a guy like him, with his pass rushing abilities, is it just like go get the quarterback? Maybe scheme aside, just do you what you do best?) – “Have you been listening to my play calls? (laughter) I call that play a lot, so hopefully, we’ll execute that play more. (laughter) No, to a certain degree, you just have to really manage expectations, understand, have empathy and put yourself in their shoes. I think our coaching staff has done a great job with that, understanding that we need to put him in position to play fast. And that’s a challenge, but not something completely foreign and something that I think our guys proved to be pretty comfortable with this week.”
(Is it safe to assume you evaluated QB Justin Fields ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft?) – “One could assume that, safely.”
(How would you say he’s grown from that time to now?) – “Well, I think he’s two inches taller. No, you can see – it’s one of the really cool parts about just coaching in general. I actually worked a quarterback camp in my past that I’ve seen him as a 17-year-old. You could tell from afar that he was made of the right stuff, because he was diligent. He was super talented, but the super talented, hard workers standout. Then you see him as an NFL player, and you’re seeing him make even better decisions with some of his skillset. The guy has an unbelievable arm and is so fast. So he’s really putting defenses in binds by giving his receivers opportunities down the field, but then also understanding how much of a weapon his legs are. It doesn’t surprise me at all, really. But he’s starting to just understand how disruptive he can be to NFL defenses. Hopefully, he doesn’t further go on that learning curve here this Sunday, because it puts coaches and players in a nervous spot. To his credit, he’s a real good player that we’re going to have to fully commit to to try to hold back, not stop.”
(The coin toss – how do you manage that? Does a voice come to you at 5 a.m.? Do you get analytics involved? How do you decide heads or tails and how does that whole process work?) – “Well, that – so it’s always the captains. We had our seven captains just basically rotate. That part isn’t hard science. Then I communicate with (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Crossman about the particular angle that we’d like to go in terms of if we win it or not and those type of things, and he communicates that on gameday while I prepare to call the game. Then typically, I think we’ve – our whole process has proved to be one of the most threatening things in the National Football League because I think we’ve only lost one (coin toss). We’re pretty unstoppable at calling it, and that’s why I can’t divulge too much of the process for competitive advantage purposes, because I know people are studying our process because the proof is in the pudding. (laughter)”
(So you leave it up to one captain each week to actually make the call – heads or tails?) – “Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. That’s something that you’ve got to let go at some point as a coach. It’s kind of like parenthood. So I leave that up to them, but I definitely judge them immediately after. (laughter)”
(So you don’t chart heads or tails or anything? You just let it go?) – “No. It’s just not the way I was trained in the coin-flipping process. (laughter)”
(It used to be that teams always took the football back in the day to start the game. Why do you think it’s changed now to almost everyone defers?) – “Well, the idea of end of half, beginning of third quarter strategy, with the more and more influx of football analytics, I think people have started to pay attention to really possessions. I know along my career, I didn’t really pay attention to it, then all of a sudden, it’s the only thing that made sense. So I think that’s just with the growing football community’s focus and obsession with situational football, people have gotten a little more groomed in it. So you basically see the same decision every week until you don’t. There’s always a reason not to, and that will be the time that we don’t do it.”
(Everyone that works here, they received a game ball from Week 1. What went into that process of making sure that everyone within the Dolphins organization received a game ball? You were really literal when you said that.) – “Yeah, I think it’s important, especially as a boss, to mean what you say. So I’m very literal, literally. (laughter) I think it comes back to my philosophy of team sports. It’s much like life, that you accomplish anything, there’s no job too little. It takes a village to – in this league with the competitiveness, with the parity, with how many talented players there are, with how many talented coaches there are, all that goes into it, it takes every person in the organization moving the same direction for you to win more than you lose over time. When better to really, really emphasize that then the first time you win? To me, it was the only thing that made sense, because the second that the clock strikes zero and we have more points than the opponent, it takes me about half a second before I’m swallowed in all the things that have to occur for that to happen. As a head coach, you just feel so dependent upon so many different people to do your job, more dependent than you’ve ever felt. You feel very gracious, and I think it’s the only – I think everybody that deserved a game ball got one, and that’s everybody because it takes everybody to win football games in this league.”
Bradley Chubb – November 3, 2022
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Wednesday, November 3, 2022
LB Bradley Chubb
(How does it feel to be in Miami?) – “It feels great man, to be honest with you. It feels great just to get around the guys and get around Coach (Mike) McDaniel and see the culture that’s already here. There’s a lot of leaders on this team. I’m just glad I could come in and fall to a good position where guys are winning, guys care. And we can get after this playoff run and Super Bowl and accomplish all the goals we go out there and fight for.”
(It seemed like, from our perspective, from our vantage point, it seemed like all this happened in a whirlwind. You’re traded on Tuesday and come Thursday morning you sign a new deal. I mean, were you aware that you might be headed to Miami? I’m sure you’re probably looking for new deal. Can kind of walk us through the past couple of days, weeks, from your perspective?) – “So we get back from London with the Broncos and I kind of see my name on Twitter and stuff and different teams had interest and stuff like that. I didn’t really know what to expect. And then I got a call from our GM and he told me I was being traded to Miami. He told me about the opportunity it was for me, for this organization. As soon as he told me I was being traded in Miami, man, I kind of like zoned out. I’m not going to lie to you. I just started thinking about everything I could do. Getting my stuff down there. Now I’m going to be a Dolphin. So I got to look up the guys, I got to look at the roster, I got to look at the numbers (and see) what numbers are open. So that’s kind of where my head went and then I flew down Tuesday night, woke up Wednesday morning, did the physical and got out onto the practice field, meeting, and just trying to get caught up on everything now. It’s been a whirlwind. There have been a lot of highs and lows in these past couple of days because you never want to get traded from the team that you get drafted by and started your career with. But at the end of the day, God has a bigger plan than I could ever imagine. So I’m glad I’m here now.”
(What did you know about Head Coach Mike McDaniel before you got here?) – “Luckily I had a couple of teammates – DJ (D.J. Jones), and K’Waun (Williams) who told me a lot about him before even all this even happened. Then when I did get traded, they were like ‘man, you’re going to love him. It’s going to be a great opportunity. He’s a little quirky, but he’s going get the job done. He’s going to get everybody bought in.’ So I see what they’re saying now. He is a good dude. I’m just glad to be around him. And hopefully, we can be around each other for a long time.”
(Did you FaceTime Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Like there’s a video of him FaceTiming QB Tua Tagovailoa when he first got the job? Did he FaceTime you?) – “He didn’t FaceTime me, but he called me for sure. Yeah, he called me, low key probably five minutes after I got the notification I was going to be traded. He was quick with it, for sure.”
(How much do you appreciate that this team was not only willing to trade a first-round pick for you, but reached this extension that you just signed?) – “Man, it’s huge. It’s just a testament to what I’ve been doing. I just got to come out here and continue to do it. I can’t take a step back or make excuses for myself that I’m in a different city or whatever. I’ve just got to hit the ground running. I’m looking forward to doing that with the opportunity against Chicago this week. Just learning my teammates, learning about getting their trust, letting them understand the type of player I am, letting them see it, putting it all out there for them. And like I said, we got bigger goals. We got so many things ahead of us. It’s just about how are we going to get there?”
(Is it going to be hard not to press because a new team, a new contract, all that kind of stuff? I mean, is it enough to be yourself? Or do you think you’ll be a little anxious?) – “To be honest with you, I might be a little anxious. Like you said, it’s a whole new situation, a whole new everything. But at the end of the day, where I’m at now is because I’ve been doing the things that got me here. I can’t change just because of the situation. I might be a little nervous for sure, get the jitters out and all that. But at the end of the day, I know I believe in my abilities, I believe in the guys I’m around on that practice field every day, these past couple of days, and I know we’re going to get the job done. So I’m excited about it.”
(You played with a very talented end in Denver with Von Miller, and now you come here. There’s some anticipation about what you and LB Jaelen Phillips can do, not just this year, but in the long term. What do you know about Jaelan’s game? And what do you envision that you and he could do together?) – “So it’s crazy, man. We actually played the Jets kind of like right after the Dolphins did, so I got a chance to see him rush and see this whole defense play out. I always watch the edge guys because I’m going against the tackle. So I’m trying to figure out what they got and stuff like that. But when I watched that whole room man, with ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel), and ‘Mel’ (Melvin Ingram), and ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips), and all those guys that were rushing the passer, and (Emmanuel) Ogbah man, it’s a beautiful sight to see. I’m glad I could just be a piece of that. I know all the things that Jaelan does well, his length, his size. He’s one of the biggest humans I’ve seen, seeing him face to face. And I get to practice that every day with him. It’s going to be a great opportunity. I know he brings that power. He brings that finesse. He does a great job of bringing both so I know we can match each other with that, so I’m excited about it.”
(People who don’t know your game, can you kind of give us a self-scouting report?) – “Yeah. I’m a relentless guy. I’m going to run to the bal. If there is a ball 30 yards downfield, I’m going to try to do everything I can to get down there and try to get the ball out. When it comes to rushing the quarterback, I like to do a little bit everything. I feel like I got a good combination of size and speed so I can use my power, I can use the finesse, whatever the situation comes to and I’m just like I said, relentless and doing everything I can to help my team win.”
(On that same note, how do you think this multiple defense suits your skillset?) – “It’s pretty much the same thing I’ve been doing for the past couple of years. It’s just the language is a little bit different. And the calls and stuff like that, I’ve just got to study and make sure I’m good on every call like I kind of knew the Denver defense like the back of my hand because I was in it for four years at the time. So it’s just like a refresher on having to be a better pro and studying my playbook every night and getting to it. I’m up for the challenge and I’m excited about it.”
(Anything specific within this defense that you’re excited to maybe do on Sunday and in the future?) – “To be honest, I’m still learning.I’m still learning but I know once I get it like I knew my previous defense, I know there’s going to be opportunities in there for me to take shots, take chances and do what I do. But at the end of the day, I’m just going to try to focus on everything I can and get to be in the best number two I can be.”
(What did you and Jeff Wilson Jr. do on the private plane?) – “Sleep. (laughter) I honestly didn’t even see Jeff come on the plane. I was so knocked out because we had – I didn’t wake me up. We were going from Denver to Dallas and I was knocked out, feet up, had a blanket on me and all I remember was getting to Florida. It was about 2 a.m. when we landed too. We didn’t even barely say anything in the car. But the next morning, we were happy for each other and happy for the opportunity.”
(Did the Dolphins come up in any like film study that you were doing with the Broncos? Like I know these teams haven’t played each other obviously. But what did you know about Miami as a team? I don’t know if they’d come up when you’re doing film study and other opponents.) – “Yeah, to be honest, like throughout the week in Denver, we used to watch like situational football and stuff like that. So I saw like the ending of the Bills game, how Josh Allen tried to throw it to Stefon Diggs and he couldn’t get out of bounds and it ended up being bad for them. The Dolphins won. So when I got traded, I start thinking about all the stuff I saw the Dolphins with. I’m like that’s crazy because it’s been on the back of my mind. Then like I said, we played the Jets after the Dolphins so I kind of got to see those guys rush and get after it. And yeah, those are probably the two games I watched this past season. And the news too. Like I was able to watch the Cincinnati game because it was a Thursday night prime time. I have vivid memories of every time I watch the Dolphins play, which is crazy now.”
(On the outside, some people are talking about what level this team can reach with this move. Some people are talking AFC Championship contention, Super Bowl contention. Where do you see that this team stands?) – “I see the sky’s the limit. Like I said the leadership, that’s what’s going to take it to wherever we need to go. I’m just now getting here and we got player-led meetings on both days and it really means something to guys. You see how we practice in jog-through yesterday running to the ball 30 yards down the field. And, and I’m looking around like, ‘Am I doing this right? Bring me along to.’ I feel like the sky’s the limit because everybody in this organization, in this building cares, and they understand that to play championship football, you got to go the extra mile.”
(At one point, you had made a mention, I think it was this past offseason, about how the Chiefs were getting under your skin. The rivalry between the two teams. Did you and WR Tyreek Hill share a laugh now that you’re on the same side?) – “We didn’t talk about it yet because it’s still a little sensitive subject for me. (laughter) I’m just playing. I used to hate that dude, man. Not going to lie to you. Not because of the person he is. Just because of the team he was on and all the things he did against us and stuff like that. But now I’m happy I’m on the same sideline as him. I’m going to level him up every time he throws out the peace sign and I’m going to do it too. It’s going to be a good time. I’m excited.”
(This contract puts you in a sphere with guys like TJ Watt, Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, Khalil Mack. Can you talk about where you would like your personal legacy to go from here eventually?) – “I just want to be in that conversation consistently. I feel like I’ve had good seasons. And then I have had bad seasons as well with the injuries and stuff. I just want to be consistent with my play, consistent with my leadership, consistent with everything I do. I feel like if I do that, the sky’s the limit not only for me but this organization because I’m going to be here for a while. So I’m going to do everything I can to be a key piece, a key focal piece, and bring my teammates along. And like I said, the leadership is already here. I’m just an addition to it. So I’m excited to grow as a leader, as a man, as a person, as a football player. And like I said, just continue to be consistent.”
(I have a question out of left field. I believe your rookie year, you guys played San Francisco and Jeff Wilson Jr. Do you remember – can you give us a scouting report on Jeff?) – “We actually played them this past year too. Week 3. So yeah, man he runs hard. He’s one of the hardest running (running) backs in the game. He can catch the ball out the backfield. He can do a lot of great things for this offense. He can do a lot of things to open it up. He’s just one of those guys that when we game-planned against them, we said it’s going to take the whole group, the whole defense to bring 22 down. So he’s what, 23 now? It’s going to take the whole defense to take 23 down. So I’m excited to see what he does.”
(Is there any specific meaning to choosing number two? Or is that just the jersey that was available?) – “At first, it was the coolest looking number available. And then when I started thinking about it, it’s part two of my life. My whole adult life I’ve been in Denver. It’s part two. It’s a new beginning. It’s a new everything. It’s kind of like part two for me, so that’s what I put my focus towards now.”
(I know that you said there’s leaders already on the team, you’re just adding to it. But what kind of things do you need to do, coming into a locker room that you’ve never played with before, and already being one of the highest paid guys on the team?) – “I’ve just got to earn the trust of my teammates and continue to be me. I feel like when I go out there and play, and loving up my teammates after they make a play, and them loving me up after I make a play, it’s going to happen organically. Now it’s just like a little weird because like you said, I haven’t played with these guys. I barely know – I know Teddy. I played with him. So he’s seen me put in the work. He’s seen me do a lot of stuff. I know how weird it is to for somebody to come into a new team and get paid and not put no stain with them. So my main thing is just trying to be the best me I can be, show these guys that I’m a hard worker, I’m going to do everything right or try to do everything right because nobody’s perfect. I’m going to try to do everything right and whatever it takes for this team to win, (No.) 2 is going be there to do it.”
(How much Clemson crap has DT Christian Wilkins already talked to you?) – “We actually had a laugh about the towel stealing a couple years ago. We had a laugh about it. He said ‘do you know where I got the towel stealing from?’ And he pointed at me. (laughter) I’m glad we already played them. It didn’t work out for us. But I’m glad we already played them so we don’t have to have that conversation upcoming. But at the end of the day, man, he knows NC State is probably the better team. But you know what it is. (laughter)”
(Closing Statement) – “I want to thank Mr. (Chris) Grier, Coach (Mike) McDaniel, Mr. (Stephen) Ross for believing in me, trading a lot for me and being able to pay me and do all that. So it’s a blessing. It’s an honor. I’m excited to get this thing going. I just want to thank all the people out in Denver too with George Paton, John Elway, the Bowlen family, the Walton family that just came in, for the opportunity as well. I appreciate you all.”
