Christian Wilkins – December 18, 2023
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Monday, December 18, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(A career high sack total for you and DT Zach Sieler. Do you think that’s a function of both you guys just improving at that craft? Is there any part of it with Defensive Coordinator’s Vic Fangio’s defense that makes it easier for defensive tackles to get sacks?) – “Really, just me and Zach, we typically try to focus and worry about the right things and just do our jobs at a high level and be the best we can individually, because that ultimately affects the team. We don’t really think about this or that. We just try to do our jobs at a high level, and we both put a tremendous amount of work in to be good individual players and to also be the best for the guys around us, learn the scheme, different things like that.”
(The game that LB Bradley Chubb had. You and DT Zach Sieler were bringing up the interior and having him off the edge, what was that like to see that?) – “That was fun to be a part of. It was pretty much a career day for Bradley. That was awesome for him because he works hard, and there were a lot of times this year he was really close. To have a night like that, the football gods were on his side. It was good to see and fun to be a part of. I’m happy for him. If we can just keep things like that rolling and going, it will be big for us moving forward.”
(You and LB Bradley Chubb combined on that one sack early and he forced the fumble. Was that like a Steph Curry no look, you looking away?) – “That was style points. I already knew what was going on. Just like we drew it up. Everything to a tee. We knew Zach was going to pick it up and all of that. Just style points right there, knowing how it was going to play out.”
(Do you think DT Zach Sieler should’ve scored?) – “Yeah, that’s the part he messed up. He was supposed to score on that. He got a little off script, went a little rogue there. (laughter)”
(We don’t know Zack Martin’s status because he got banged up yesterday, but that would be a matchup we’d all love to see – your interior versus that Cowboys interior line. How do you see that playing out?) – “They’ve got a really good offensive line, along with a lot of good pieces on their offense. Receivers, skilled positions, Dak (Prescott) stirs the pot. He’s the guys that leads them and handles business, and gets them going, and everything like that. They present a good challenge for us, but we’ll be up for it as a defense and as a front. It will be exciting. A lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
(OL Zack Martin as a player, I’m sure you have watched his career from afar? What are your thoughts on him?) – “His resume speaks for itself. I don’t know how many All Pros, Pro Bowls and whatnot he’s got. He’s a heck of a player. A lot of guys on the o-line – (Tyron) Smith – have great resumes and things like that. We’re just going to have to put a good week of prep in and be prepared for that. I got to play Zack one time in my career. It wasn’t a favorable matchup for me. I’m looking forward to this one, three or four years later. It should be a lot of fun.”
(What kind of intensity do you expect in late December when it’s getting close to playoff time?) – “You definitely kind of feel it a little bit. That December football. The games mean a lot more now. There is always just a little extra something. You don’t know what it is but the games just feel a lot bigger. They are more fun and more intense like the focus is there throughout the week. These games, the later they get in the year, they all get a little more meaningful and a little more fun.”
(Speaking of QB Dak Prescott stirring the pot, as someone who lines up as close to him as just about anybody on the team, how long into the game will that ‘Here we go’ thing get on your nerves?) – “Obviously I’ve heard a lot about that, but I guess we’ll have to see. I haven’t faced it yet, but we’ll see how that goes.”
Mike McDaniel – December 18, 2023
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Monday, December 18, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We were just talking about how difficult it must be to play football with a broken nose.) – “Yes. That’s not for everybody. (laughter) Two gauzes? What’s funny – so the information flows on like a need-to-know basis during the game. Generally, you would find out as a head coach that someone had a broken nose. But with Andrew Van Ginkel, I think it speaks to the prerequisite toughness and kind of the guy is, because he was just like, alright gauze it up and let’s go, I never knew about it until I saw his face. Have you guys seen him? I mean, it’s two – so I was like what happened to him? ‘Oh yeah, he broke his nose.’”
(With OL Austin Jackson, is there any concern that the oblique could be as serious as what LB Jaelan Phillips went through where I think he missed three out of four games? And with CB Xavien Howard, was he close to playing with the hip yesterday or is he more week to week?) – “With Austin, I would say that it’s not – the timeframe isn’t what Jaelan Phillips’ was. It’s not as severe. However, we’re going to have to see how he progresses during the week. So day-to-day I would say, with some optimism, but there’s a lot of unknown. Then I guess there’s a new gradient that you guys could use. Inherently to me, if you are working a player out before the game, inherently, they’re close. If you are taking it to the game day and putting them through a workout, for me, that is close enough that you couldn’t rule it out. As far as how it progresses during the week, we’ll take that a day at a time. But I think with the guys that we’re working out before the game, that lets you know that it’s close because if it wasn’t close, we wouldn’t be working them out.”
(FB Alec Ingold just mentioned that he believes RB Raheem Mostert’s record-setting touchdown football is headed to Canton. How cool is that? Did you get notified that that was happening?) – “No. That’s really cool. Especially with a player that I have so much history with, I can remember the first time that he had – he’s always had internal confidence, because it’s the only way you can sustain in the league when everyone tells you you’re not good enough. But with the 49ers, Green Bay 2018 at Green Bay, I can remember the first time that I saw it click in his eyes that it’s not just internal belief; I am a good running back and here’s the tape to show you. The journey has been long so I’m very invested in his story. I just know how many obstacles or points of adversity he had to persevere through to be here this year. Then on top of that, the season that he’s having on the heels of every single one of you guys were trying to get us to trade for a running back all year. Right? No? (laughter) There was just a lot of talk about – he doesn’t bring that up, but you just know that people have ears. So that noise, it’s cool for him to have the season he’s having. And one thing that I can tell you, just because there has been some individual success stories and some statistics that have garnered – there’s just some guys that have been producing, is that the team is really proud of having a hand in it. He knows that it takes 11 people to orchestrate a football run play or a pass play on every down. But the team takes pride in it. The team was happy for him. He had a violent spike, but players were aware to (see) is the ball in the stands or not? Just knowing that was a big deal. It is about as cool as it gets.”
(How likely is it that you will have your starting safeties intact for Sunday?) – “We started two safeties that did a great job. In terms of the guys that were out this game, talking about (Jevon Holland) and (DeShon Elliott), right? We’ll continue to take it day by day with Jevon (Holland). I’m proud of him because he is earning his captainship. He already had earned it, obviously, by his teammates voting for him consecutive years, but it’s a special thing to be a very good player or an elite player at your position in the National Football League. It’s a different feather in your cap when you’re able to make people better when you’re not playing. He was just a coach on the field all game day. He’s been tirelessly trying to get back, so his body will tell him and us when it’s ready to go. But I can promise you that he’s been as diligent as anyone really going after that. Then DeShon (Elliott), he’s been progressing well and we’re anticipating those final stages (of concussion protocol). But again, with concussions, unfortunately, we’re well-versed in that and I just want to make sure that he’s good to go and don’t really worry about a timeline. But very optimistic as you can tell.”
(There’s obviously a long list of injuries we’re trying to get through. DE Emmanuel Ogbah is another one I don’t think we addressed yesterday. What happened to him?) – “Soft tissue. It should be day-to-day. We’ll see for this week.”
(You know the narrative of this team’s record against other contenders is going to resurface this week and down the final stretch because every game remaining is one of those types of games. What are your thoughts leading into this final stretch?) – “Not much. The thoughts are firmly with getting better from this previous game and as I talked to the team today, I instructed the players that anything other than to concern yourself with the next opponent, which for us is the Dallas Cowboys, any other narrative that has to do with good teams or playoff seeds or the next three games, all that stuff; I gave them the clearance to tell all members of the media to – with all due respect – eff off, with all due respect. (laughter) Because all we’re focused on is the Dallas Cowboys and they definitely deserve our attention. So as we clean up our game from the previous, we’ll be thinking about that, and the narratives will be what they be and we’re not really concerned. We now that’s going to exist but it’s really inconsequential for what we’re trying to do.”
(In both games against the Jets this year, it seems like the quick game and the running game, you guys were able to get on the perimeter in both those contests. I was curious to hear your perspective on TE Durham Smythe’s contributions to that?) – “He’s a player that in a year and a half, you’d be hard-pressed to earn and garner more respect from me as a coach. He’s really carved out a very important role for how we do a lot of things, whether that is in the run game, in pass protection or converting a critical third down, which I think he was responsible for two first downs. And so every time he’s on the field, he’s a big part of what we do. There’s a lot on his plate on a week-to-week basis. He goes above and beyond for the team. Sometimes in install, we’ll have a play up in two different personnel groups. One, he’s the primary target in one personnel group and in the other personnel group, he’s not the primary target and I’ll ask him in front of the group, ‘hey, which personnel is better to run this play in?’ And he’s like, ‘I think both are great.’ That’s how he approaches everything he is. He’s the consummate Miami Dolphin because he is just trying to do whatever it takes for the team to win.”
(Have you crossed paths at all with Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy? I’m sure over the years you have, but what is your thoughts on him as a coach and the path he’s taken?) – “I think obviously he’s been a fixture in the National Football League for a while and that’s justified because he’s on many different teams, found the successful formula to reach them. He’s been the head coach of numerous gigantic games and the only way you do that is if you’re adept at your job and I’ve been very impressed how he’s molded this particular team and this particular franchise into his own. He does a great job with that and I think one of the big indicators that I always hope to strive for is to have players that believe in you and every time I hear players talk about him, there’s definitely belief behind their eyes and their words. So he’s done a great job there. They’re a double-digit win football team and I think they’re going through something that six days ago, we went through. So history has told me that he’s going to have his guys ready to play hungry as well as Coach (Dan) Quinn and all the guys.”
(Is activating RB Chris Brooks a simple decision to do so by tomorrow and also OL Isaiah Wynn, is he out for the season or is there some possibility he comes back?) – “I think Chris Brooks, he’s gotten himself to a pretty good place. Watching him on a day-to-day basis, he’s – rookies especially you go through a season at the NFL level and it’s so many games. It’s so long. But in that, you can see guys that are capable of transitioning from okay, I’m a rookie, well maybe I’m not a rookie anymore, maybe I’m something between a rookie and a second-year guy. That maturation and understanding what it takes to execute stuff at the NFL level, guys can depend on him. They trust him and his strain and effort is something that adds value to the team, so it’s an easy decision to have him up or have him activated.”
(OL Isaiah Wynn?) – “Yeah, again, I don’t like to completely shut the door on anything. What I do know is he’s been doing well and I haven’t been really worried about a timeline for both us and him. So it’s not really on my radar at this time. I’m not really looking for – I’ve got enough injuries on the plate. What I do know is I see him in his process and he’s going about it diligently.”
(With OL Robert Hunt, do you think he needs another week of just rest and sitting out with the hamstring before you think about bringing him back?) – “I’d like to see how he develops this week. I’m not going to rule that out. I’m just optimistic that it’s going to turn the corner and he’s going to feel good. So I’m just watching him do his diligent work as he desperately wants to be with his teammates. I think he’s showing them that.”
(CB Cam Smith?) – “Another soft tissue. He had an injury in training camp that he showed his teammates his internal toughness and fortitude, he came back pretty quick. Really it’s day-to-day, but I’m optimistic about him.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle’s injury didn’t worsen overnight or anything did it?) – “No. He’s just a tough guy that has a high pain tolerance but is feeling a little sore today.”
Brandon Jones – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins S Brandon Jones
(On Friday, you were talking about just how happy you were to be back on the field. What’s the feeling when you catch the ball and you know you’re doing something for your teammates, you’re doing something for your team?) – “It was an awesome feeling. Like I told you last time, just the opportunity that I’m getting just to be out on the field and help out any way that I can. As soon as the ball hit my hands, I just tried to make something work. I shouldn’t have went across court, because I was super tired. I don’t know what I was thinking, I should’ve just went straight. I don’t know, everything kind of slowed down so I was like, ‘Ah, let’s go all the way down to the field to this side,’ and I ran right to the sideline, so it worked out.”
(What was the preparation like going into this week? Obviously, three out of four starting defensive backs out. Still pitched a shutout, the first since 2020, that’s got to feel pretty good missing some pieces as well?) – “Yeah, obviously it was a short week. We played them like three weeks ago, so it all kind of worked itself out. I think we knew guys were going to be down, and we knew we had to step up. As long as we were playing fast, we were communicating and we were doing our job, I think everything else kind of took care of itself. We have a lot of guys that are skilled and can do a lot of good things, so from that aspect there wasn’t a lot of drop off. We had people flying around, people out there taking command. A lot of them played a great game as well, so it was just really good to see.”
(The Jets didn’t get many opportunities to get down into the red zone or even close to it, but when that second interception happened, they were starting to creep towards that. Did it mean something special to you guys that that interception helped keep the shutout going?) – “Yeah, I was getting tired as hell, too, I’m not going to lie to you. Actually, I feel kind of bad, because I should have let Eli (Apple) get it. I see Eli just sitting there and I was like, ‘Ah, should I do it? I got to do it, I got to do it.’ So I ended up getting it, but it was a great way to end the game and keep that score at zero.”
(For you to have a game like this after everything you’ve gone through with injuries, how important was this for you?) – “It means a lot. It still kind of hasn’t hit me yet, I’m just trying to take it all in. It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, for me. It hasn’t been super ideal with what I’ve necessarily wanted, but the big thing is I’ve learned is to be super grateful and appreciate everything, especially coming off of my injury. Any opportunity is an opportunity, that’s how I look at it. So getting this opportunity to play, not knowing what’s going to happen the rest of the season, I’m just glad I was able to make the most of my opportunity.”
Zach Sieler – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins DT Zach Sieler
(On some of those, I didn’t know who got there first, man.) – “It was a great game up front. All of the guys, (Bradley) Chubb obviously had an amazing game. Christian (Wilkins), ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel), Raekwon (Davis), even (Dashawn) Hand, guys were getting in there and just making plays. It was a group effort with the calling from (Defensive Coordinator Vic) Fangio down and then with us just taking the opportunities that we had.”
(How big was this coming off of what happened last week?) – “To us, it means everything to be able to show out what we can do – all three phases coming together playing great defense, great offense and great special teams. I think we need to play this every single week – all three phases need to show up.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey said he’s kind of bored on his side over there because you guys are getting to the quarterback.) – “(laughter) It’s actually both of us. It’s them covering and us getting to the quarterback – rush and coverage go together. We say that every week, and we were able to do that today, which is incredible.”
(What was LB Bradley Chubb like in the huddle?) – “(laughter) (Bradley) Chubb is hilarious. I love Chubb. We always talk and joke around in the huddle. He’s got the perfect mindset all game, and he was blessed with a very good game today. I was telling somebody else, he’s due for that any week. The way he practices every day, what he does every day, it was just awesome to be able to see him go and reap those rewards today.”
Raheem Mostert – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
Q. How does it feel to break a franchise record for touchdowns in a season?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: It feels amazing. It’s something that I didn’t necessarily think I would ever do, especially with a guy like Ricky Williams and the rushing touchdowns. I thought the world of him, because me being from Florida, you watch certain players, and he was definitely a player that caught my eye at an early age. To be able to break his record and then Mark Clayton’s record, as well, it speaks a lot, especially with this team. But I kind of feel bad, too, because I had like 14 rushes for like however many yards that kind of made me feel like I was doing a terrible job, and I wasn’t running the ball good enough. Yeah, there’s a lot of highs and lows right now for me, but I’m definitely happy.
Q. What mindset does it take to be an effective red zone running back?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: You get downhill. That’s the best I can explain. When you get the ball, don’t leave any yards out there, and you’ve just got to find little creases and try your best to hit it.
Q. The fact that you were able to do this with your entire offensive line hurt, what does that say about the guys that were in there?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Kudos to those guys. They got into the game plan, and they understood their assignments. We’re going to watch film and see what truly happened, of course, but all in all, those guys are doing their jobs and making sure that we get in the box.
Q. Basically you doubled some of your career totals for touchdowns, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns. How is this happening? What’s coming together for you so well this year?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I mean, it’s a collective group, especially with the offensive line and ‘Mikey’ (Mike McDaniel) calling the plays and getting guys in position to win. Not only myself but with ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill), with (Jaylen) Waddle, with ‘Ced’ (Cedrick Wilson Jr.), with De’Von (Achane), a lot of different guys on offense that are making this thing go and I’m just a key aspect in that, as well.
Q. How much does it mean to you given – I know you can cite all the teams that have cut you and the long road to get here, and coming with Head Coach Mike McDaniel, how much does that all mean to you knowing it’s come together?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I mean, it means a lot. Early on in my career I didn’t have the best situations, but I made the most out of my opportunities. When I landed a spot out in San Fran the year before Mike (McDaniel) and them came, I just tried to make the most out of those opportunities, and then it just led on to even more opportunities. I look back at my journey, and I’m truly blessed and thankful that I went through those growing pains as I would call it, and I just try to learn each and every day as a player and as an individual so that way I can go out here and help this team achieve the ultimate goal, which is to play in February and play in Vegas and try to win that thing.
Q. One of those teams that cut you was the Miami Dolphins. Could you ever imagine in that moment that one day you would have this record?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: No, if you would have asked me when I was my younger self, I would have told you that you’re totally – you’re right. Like that’s probably not what I thought I would do. I was just trying to be – I was a young grasshopper just trying to learn and trying to figure out how I can achieve the ultimate goal of being a player. Miami was one of those teams that I had on my list, but all is forgiven. That’s all I can say. All is forgiven, and no hard feelings. It was a different time then, and I grew up from that moment and so did the organization apparently.
Q. As good as WR Tyreek Hill is, what does it say about all the other offensive players that y’all were able to put up 30 points with him unavailable?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, Tyreek, it sucks that we didn’t have him today because he’s a hell of a player, definitely a gold jacket guy, and I say that with full conviction. But when it comes to this offense, you just see the guys that step up, the guys that need to step up. Enough doesn’t get talked about, is what Waddle has done today. I know he’s been battling personally for himself because he feels like he’s not bringing enough to the table, and as you would expect, but for him to come out today with Tyreek out and handle business, I think he had, what, seven for like 143 or something like that and a touchdown, so that tells you the type of characters we have in this offense and on this team truthfully because the defensive side of the ball, they also stepped up. It’s hard to shut out a team, especially a divisional opponent like the Jets and we swept them this year. It just shows you the type of characters that we have in this locker room.
Q. Every game that you lose, you look for the bounce-back. Did this week feel different given what happened on Monday night, and how were you able to mentally get through that hurdle?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, I said it earlier in an interview right before the game. You have to have that 24-hour, 48-hour rule where you just flush the game out, and we of course had a quick turnaround. So we were able to do that. It’s tough when we lose that type of game in that fashion, but it’s on to the next. That’s all we can focus on and that’s all we can do. If you let a game linger on too long, that’s when your season is on the fringe, now we’re not going to be in a position that we’re supposed to be in. We’ve just got to keep it going, keep doing everything that we’re possibly doing, and keep believing in ourselves.
Q. In situations like that when you have a disappointing game as a team, the following week is it better to maintain routine and keep doing what you guys have been doing throughout the season, or is it better to maybe change little things, say we’ve got to meet longer, we have to work through…?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: No, you shouldn’t change your routine. I’m a big believer in routines, so I think with a loss like that last week against the Titans and it being a short week, of course we had some things change, but the routine still stays the same for us. Our mentalities just stay the same. We’re trying to get to a special place, and we’re trying to hold it down for this organization. Like I said, it was tough, but you’ve got to adjust. You’ve got to move past that.
Q. Some Fantasy Football players reached out to me on social media and wanted me to say thank you.
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, I know that Jake Bailey is going to be super happy. I helped him out with his fantasy. Each week this guy comes up to me, and he’s just like, ‘hey, I got you lined up today so you’d better not disappoint me,’ so I’m like, ‘I’ve got you, bro, don’t worry about it.’ I know the game plan and hopefully it helps you, but last week he was like, hey, I’ve got a bye week thanks to you. I’m like, that’s what I’m talking about. We’re in this together, brother. (laughter)But yeah, it was fun. It’s all love.
Q. And with the other punters –
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Truthfully, I don’t know. I’ve got to ask him about that because I’m curious who else he’s in the fantasy league with. Maybe I can chirp in those guys’ ears and tell them, hey, look, Jake has me, I’m going to make sure I cover them points.
Q. Did you always know you had this season in you?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I mean, as a player, I feel like I’ve got more than just this season. Me personally, I’m always trying to chase a gold jacket. That’s always been my MO. I truly believe that I’m on the path. I know it doesn’t seem like that, but me personally, I’ve just got to continue to step up to the occasion and do what I have to do as a player and as an individual because my goals are set. My standard is high for myself, and if I don’t – like I said, I’m pissed off today about this run. I’m sorry, but it kind of got to – yeah, I’ve got the record and everything, both records, but I felt like I didn’t help my team enough in the run game, and that’s something that I’ve got to truly live with now. It’s just a standard that I’ve set for myself, and I’m just trying to climb that ladder.
Terron Armstead – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins T Terron Armstead
(Speaking of the game, shutout – feelings, thoughts?) – “Defense was incredible. A lot of pressure, getting to the quarterback, disruptive on the back end as well. Great job stopping the run. Not letting Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook get going early – two incredible backs. That’s dangerous, you know what I mean? So they were incredible.”
(You’ve been a part of some winning teams. What’s special about being in it this late this season?) – “ Yeah, it’s tough when you’re not, you know. When you’re looking at trips and Airbnbs in December, it’s dark. It’s cloudy days in the facility. There’s not a lot of optimism going on, so when you get into a winning situation, we know how hard it is to be in these type of situations. So many things can change and alter your season. From an injury to a loss here and there, you know what I mean? So when you got a chance, you want to take advantage of it, capitalize. It’s only one winner at the end of the day so you want to give yourself an opportunity to be that.”
(What did you tell OL Liam Eichenberg this week, just made an unbelievable effort for him to get out there?) – “We needed him, we needed him. He’s a warrior. He’s worked like none other. He’s put his best foot forward every day and all you’ve seen is his progression. He’ll continue to ascend as a player and as a professional. His future his bright and he’s stepping up like none other.”
(RB Raheem Mostert – 20 touchdowns now – do you hit him up for some gifts? What do you do with that?) – “It’s an honor. It’s an honor, man. It’s a pleasure to block for him. We enjoy it. He makes our jobs easy. He’s in the history book. This game has been around for a long time, so you something like that, it’s amazing so just want him and his family to enjoy it, his last name to enjoy it. They’re in the history books. That’s incredible.”
Jaylen Waddle – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(QB Tua Tagovailoa said this week that if WR Tyreek Hill wasn’t able to play that you would have to step up. How do you feel you did in that regard?) – “When a guy like Tyreek’s out, it’s not just one person that has to step up. It’s the whole team, the whole unit when you have a caliber guy like Tyreek Hill, a Hall of Fame guy like ‘Cheetah,’ that’s missing. I think collectively we did a good job. It’s good. That’s a good defense, a great team, a great organization that we competed against today.”
(What’s it like to come up with a big plays on third down and long?) – “Yeah, we keep the chains moving. Having big plays on third down is something we harp on throughout the week, and we know if we’re good on third down that that’s often good for our chances of getting in the end zone.”
(Nice bounce back from last week, 30-0 today. Nice bounce back from the game last week.) – “Yeah, like I said last week, we got a good group of guys and leadership, and they really came together this week and played a good game.”
Bradley Chubb – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins LB Bradley Chubb
Q. How do you think you did today as far as just taking responsibility after last week and just coming to make an impact on today’s game?
BRADLEY CHUBB: I feel like 90 percent of this game – everybody’s athletic, everybody’s talented – d but it’s about the mindset. Of course I wasn’t happy with how I approached last week for sure about the game and all that, but the infamous play, everybody talking about it and I was hard on myself about; it’s just about how you move on from that, how you better yourself from stuff like that, situations like that, and I feel like today we answered the call. Not only me, this whole defense. You can’t pitch a shut-out with just one person. We were able to do with all 11 guys flying around. Some guys stepped up in big key spots that we needed, so just a blessing to see everybody put the work in and for it to come to fruition like it did today.
Q. How much easier said than done is that during the week as you wait for Sunday to get there mentally knowing you want to get that chip off of your shoulder?
BRADLEY CHUBB: Yeah, it’s way easier said than done. It’s one of those things throughout the week you’ve got to constantly remind yourself, stay the course, stay the course, stay the course. You hear all the noise, you hear everything about is this Dolphins team for real, blah, blah, blah and stuff like that and you can’t do anything about it until Sunday, and that’s one of those things you’ve just got to lock in throughout the week, make sure details are on point, make sure all the stuff throughout the week is on point and the game is just the easy part, go out there and just do what you’ve been doing for four or five days throughout the week, and we were able to do that today.
Q. Did you try to turn that play from the other night into a motivational thing for you? Did it spur you a little bit?
BRADLEY CHUBB: Yeah, in a way, but I wasn’t strictly thinking about that. I was thinking more of the defensive aspect of how we were on the field last and didn’t get the job done. My main thing is just trying to better this defense in whatever way I can. Yes, sacks and stuff help, but if it’s me just taking on a double team so somebody else can come free, I’m not thinking about ‘oh, I got to make up for that play.’ I just want to do my job to the best of my ability, and I feel like I was able to do that today.
Q. Shutouts are rare; what does zero points for the opponent mean to you?
BRADLEY CHUBB: It means a lot as a defense. It means 11 guys were flying around, playing together, playing with one another, and like I said; you see all the work from throughout the week just come to life. Today was the easy part, so to say. We sweated it on Thursday, full day of meetings, full day of just kind of getting back into the flow of things and then you get one day to go out there and run around. It’s a mental game, like I said, and we were able to win the mental battle.
Q. Have you exorcised, in Mike McDaniel’s words, those pressure demons because you were hard on yourself when you came here last season and how this season started?
BRADLEY CHUBB: No, for sure. Mike (McDaniel) has been pivotal to see how I see things. He just overall just keeps the big picture alive for me. It’s so easy to, ‘oh man, I’m not doing this, I’m not earning this,’ whatever the case may be, but at the end of the day, like I said, if me taking a double team or me winning up high and ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) comes under – it’s so messed up you don’t see big picture when you’re so caught up in yourself, and this week my main thing was whatever I could do to help this team. Yes, the accolades and all that stuff, I want that, but at the end of the day you don’t get that unless your team wins. That’s been my mindset throughout this week and going to continue to carry that over.
Q. You had three sacks. Do you get hot as a pass rusher? Does the first sack help lead to the second?
BRADLEY CHUBB: For sure. I feel like just the flow of the game, once you kind of get that first half, you’re like, I got the first hit out of the way. Then you get the sack, and it’s like I got that out of the way. It was early in the game; let me see if I can get another one. Just kind of competition with yourself at that point. When you’ve got guys flying around, 10 other guys flying around like they do, it just kind of makes my job easy at the end of the day. It was dope, man. Give God all the glory for that performance, because like I said, the mental aspect, you can get hard on yourself, but once you turn to Him, it’s all good. Just got to keep going.
Q. I think the status was 22 pressures on 43 drop-backs. When you hear 22 pressures, what do you think?
BRADLEY CHUBB: It means we’ve got some big dogs up front, and those big dogs got to eat, and we’re going to continue to starve ourselves throughout the week so on Sundays we come hungry.
Q. When Jets QB Zach Wilson came out for the Jets and Trevor Siemian came in, did the defensive game plan change at all?
BRADLEY CHUBB: It was more of the same. It was more of the same for sure. Nothing really changed. Zach is a lot more mobile – and like ‘14’ (Trevor Siemian) – but Zach is a lot more mobile with his feet, can make you miss, extend the play like that. I would say the rush lanes changed probably, but the game plan itself didn’t.
Q. Obviously every season has its own journey, but 10-4 going into these last three games, where is this team at right now?
BRADLEY CHUBB: The team is right where we need to be, mentally, physically. We’ve got guys that are stepping up in big ways. We’ve got guys that been doing this for a long time and going to continue to do the things that they do and what made them so great. This team is right where we need to be, we’ve just got to stick together, understand that yes, we beat the Jets today, but that’s not the end of our season. We’re going to keep fighting, keep working, and next time we’re going to come out ready to play.
