Xavien Howard – April 6, 2022
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022
CB Xavien Howard
(What were the days leading up to the contract finalizing like?) – “The whole process was a great process. I’m just excited to be a Dolphin and continue to play here and hopefully retire (here) and hopefully win the Super Bowl here too.”
(How do you feel to see the team deliver on their promise?) – “Those guys did everything we asked and both sides were happy with everything that panned out. I’m just excited to be here.”
(What have the Dolphins told you that they expect from you, want from you during this new contract?) – “(laughter) To get the ball. That’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here. I wouldn’t say nothing different. Continue being a leader in the locker room, help the younger guys out, help the new guys that come into the Miami Dolphins and just continue attacking the ball and making turnovers.”
(The team traded WR DeVante Parker the other day and that makes you the longest tenured player on the team. You’ve been at this several years now. With the new coach, what are you impressions of Mike McDaniel and why do you think this new coaching staff can be different?) – “When I got in the building today, I felt like everything has been different since I got here. The energy, everybody is happy, and I feel like things could be special here with Mike McDaniel bringing that energy. Hopefully he’ll get the offense up to par, and the standard that we expect from both sides of the ball and get the job done here.”
(Speaking of Mike McDaniel, when was the first time you met him, and what was your first reaction?) – “I met him this offseason when he got here. It was probably like the third day I met him. Like I said, the energy was there. I was excited to meet him, he was excited to meet me. Just to touch base, understand each other and what we expect from each other.”
(What’s the excitement level from someone on the defensive side when you see all of the moves the Dolphins are making on the offense? What does it do for a defense?) – “Just to bring everybody back, especially on defense, is so exciting. My boy (Emmanuel) Ogbah, I was happy he’s back. We can make some plays out there together. It’s exciting to have the defense back, especially going into our third year in the same defensive scheme. Some stuff will probably change, but the main stuff that we talk about on the defensive side (probably won’t). Especially the offense – I just told Mike McDaniel that ‘I got to get my hammies right.’ We’ve got a lot of speed over there. I’m excited about everything that’s going on around this building.”
(How do you think you’ll do against WR Tyreek Hill in practice?) – “I think we’ll get each other better. I played against him in college and also in the league. I just want to focus on getting each other better. That’s really it.”
(As someone who has been through coaching changes and has been in this building before, are there things you can say or do or lead by example to help guys adjust to a new system, new people in the building and help the younger guys?) – “That’s my main thing. I’ve been here going on seven years. Seeing the different changes and making everybody buy into the new coaches, I feel like that’s the main thing. If everybody buys in, we’ll get the job done. Especially the guys on the offensive side, I feel like we can do a great job on all three phases. That’s the main thing for me is the buy in and helping the younger guys that come in and helping them.”
(What do you expect from yourself? What expectations are you setting for yourself?) – “To continue to make plays, continue to be me, don’t try to overdo it, continue to take a daily approach coming into the building and just doing my job.”
(Were you confident over the past year and a half that something would work out with the Dolphins for the long term? Were there times where you thought that you would wind up getting traded?) – “We got it done, so I’m here. That’s the only thing that really mattered to me. I’m just excited for this upcoming season.”
(I saw the video you did in the past with Rick Ross. Can you talk about how important the city of Miami is for you? Can you talk about that, and how the city changed you and helped you grow?) – “This is a fast city, so there is a lot of stuff you see here. The whole Rick Ross coming to the city was a great experience just to show people outside looking in how the city is and the good spots, food spots and stuff like that, the culture and everything. It’s a great experience. Coming from Texas, just coming here and seeing different stuff here, different cultures and people coming from different places. Everything around here, I feel like it’s a great experience to come here to Miami and just enjoy it.”
(When you look at your career interceptions, you’re on track to be in range of these kinds of guys – Champ Bailey, Deion Sanders, Ty Law, Darryl Green. They are all Hall of Famers. Do you think you can get there?) – “I’ve just got to continue getting better each year. I really don’t look at the stats about that. Some of the guys, the Hall of Famers, did this and did that. I just try to keep tunnel vision on myself and keep my focus straight. I feel like if I continue to do the stuff I’ve been doing, hopefully at the end when I’m done playing, I’ll get that yellow jacket.”
(You’ve brought a lot of the same guys back on defense but what did it mean to you to see Sam Madison and Pat Surtain added to the staff?) – “I love that. Especially a couple of guys that played in the league. They’re Miami greats. I feel like they’re Miami Dolphins greats. Just learning from them guys and picking from those guys brains, I feel like they can help me take my game to another level.”
(Did you speak with Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain much since they’ve got here?) – “Yeah. This offseason I did. I came up here in the building and spoke to those guys.”
(What’s your reaction to the amount of money the franchise spent this year on guys? What are the demands now on you guys?) – “To win. (laughter)”
(You mentioned keeping the defense intact. How important is it to have both the back end secured and also get that pass rush, DE Emmanuel Ogbah coming back and for the two sides to work in unison?) – “Like I said, we’ve got to finish off what we started on the defensive side. We’ve been making plays and getting stuff done for the team. We’ve got to continue doing that, add more pieces to it and hopefully cause more trouble out there on defense.”
(You talked about getting your hammies right with all of the speed on the other side of the ball. How can having speed and skill players and a better offense make you guys better during practice on the defensive side of the ball?) – “It helps out a lot. It goes hand in hand. Them guys putting points up, or us getting them the ball, or us putting points up and they are helping us out. It all works hand in hand. We’re just excited to have people like that and new guys coming in to help us out. Our main focus is just winning.”
(What does it do for the team as a viable place where people will want to come down to the Dolphins?) – “I feel like we set that example this offseason. When we put those pieces together and we start winning, a lot of free agents and a lot of people will want to come here.”
(It’s rare for an organization to re-do a deal with four years left on it, then re-do a deal again with three years left on it. What does that say to you about how you feel the organization feels about you?) – “I feel like they believe in me and they trust me. Like you said, it hasn’t been done. This is the first time it’s been done. It depends on what kind of player it is. Stuff gets done. That’s what I feel like.”
(You mentioned coming from Texas a while ago. What does it mean to you when you look back on where you started to where you are now?) – “The crazy part is stuff hasn’t really hit me yet. With that being said, just coming from Texas and everything that I’ve been through, it’s been a long journey. I’m excited about everything that has been coming my way, the blessings that have been coming my way. I just want to continue growing, continue being a good father and continue putting good energy out there in the world.”
(When the deal got done and you heard the numbers come in and something you agree on, was it a sigh of relief? What was your first reaction?) – “It was a sigh of relief for real. When that deal came, I was happy. But I don’t get complacent with the stuff that I see, so my main thing was let’s go back to work. (laughter)”
(You’ve been through a lot here – the good, the bad, 2019. What now, moving forward and the 2022 Dolphins? It should be really big expectations.) – “I wouldn’t put the expectations out like that. I feel like I don’t want to set the whole team up for failure if we don’t reach those expectations. I feel like we’ve got to continue getting better on both sides. Winning games, that’s the main thing we want to do. I feel like just keep getting better on each side.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – April 6, 2022
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(Are you happy, surprised, stunned that it all came together at the last minute the way it did??) – “Yeah. I’m very happy. Like I’ve told you guys during the season for the past two years, I’ve always looked at myself being here long term and I’m glad we made it happen.”
(Had you thought for a time after Drew Rosenhaus and the team talked for months and months on and off – was there a time at any point where you thought it would be doubtful that you would be back?) – “I wouldn’t say I thought it was doubtful. I felt like we had a chance to make something work. For them to come like that, it showed that they believed in me and they wanted me here too as well.”
(What’s it like from a player’s perspective watching how this offseason has unfolded? … It seems like the NFL is almost becoming the new NBA.) – “I’ll say for us, I was glad we took care of our own. But yeah, it’s a lot of money. It’s starting to feel like there’s not really a cap space. (laughter) That’s how it feels. I’m glad we were able to take care of players and everyone was taken care of.”
(Why did you want to stay in Miami? Can you cite specific reasons? And did much of the defensive staff staying intact with Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark – did that reinforce the decision more for you to want to be here?) – “For sure. I love the city of Miami and I always view Miami as my second home. I also wanted to be here for my brothers. We started something special two years ago and I want to keep building on that. It definitely helped with the coaching staff still retaining the defensive side of the ball too.”
(What’s it mean to you that not only the coaching staff, but the defense has all the players back? They kept everything intact.) – “Yeah, like I said, they’re taking care of their own. They believe in us. We did something special and we want to keep on building off of that. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
(How much better should the defense be considering everybody is back and the coaches are back?) – “We should be as good as we want to be. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, a lot of guys in key spots. We’ve just got to take that one step and get better.”
(What do you want to work on in your game this offseason?) – “Just overall, after a season, I go back and watch film of myself and see what I struggle with. Doing better either on double teams, taking on double teams, rushing the passer better, even though I’m good at that, but I’ve got to improve on that. You can always get better year to year.”
(Can you take us through that Monday morning? The first day of free agency shortly before free agency started, your deal became known. Do you remember what that Monday morning was like? Was Drew Rosenhaus calling you and saying, ‘Hey, they raised the offer by this amount?’) – “So that morning of, I was supposed to go work out but Drew advised me, ‘Alright, chill. Hold on because I’m going to need you on the phone.’ I kind of just stayed in my living room. Talked to my folks. Talked to my parents. Just patiently waiting and then Drew called me and gave me the details of it. He was like, ‘We might have an offer here and there. What do you think? What do you think?’ After they gave me the offer, I hung up on Drew, I called my mom, called my dad and said, ‘Hey, what do you guys think?’ They said, ‘Well it’s you! You’re the one that got the deal, what do you think?’ I said, ‘I’m excited and I want to be here. You know I’ve always wanted to be here. You guys know I view Miami as my second home.’ It meant a lot to me and my family that I was able to sign back with the Dolphins.”
(CB Xavien Howard talked about how the energy in the building feels a little different with everyone being back and a new head coach. How would you describe the vibe and the energy?) – “It’s just different. You can tell. You guys don’t really walk in the locker room but it’s just different. A lot of guys are happy to be back. Everybody is just happy to see each other again. It’s only been like two months but it felt like forever. We’re just glad to be back working again.”
(How much of that is attributed to what you see they’ve been doing on the offensive side of the ball? I know you’re happy about your defensive guys.) – “I’m excited. I played with Tyreek (Hill) in Kansas City so I’m excited to have him here. He’s definitely a speedster. Like ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) said, he’s got to work on his hamstrings and I’ve got to work on my pass rush getting back there fast enough so they can’t have time.”
(Have you ever gone against T Terron Armstead?) – “No, I never went against him but I’m looking forward to going against him.”
(You talked about there being an energy in the locker room. Does that come from the guys who have been added? The coaching staff? What makes it so electric?) – “I would say it’s both. The guys who are coming back from a two-year season so – retaining the same guys, that’s what makes us real good and also the coaching staff. Coach (Mike) McDaniel brings a different type of energy into the program so we’re excited about that too.”
(It’s rare to see almost an entire defense come back – everyone but LB Vince Biegel and CB Justin Coleman at the moment. How much does that chemistry, continuity help a defense? Obviously, Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer is going to add some new things but how much does that continuity help?) – “It helps because we all know each other’s games and it’s not like a new guy. You know what the guy can do next to you, the guy besides you. It definitely helps the defense and we’ve just got to take that one step getting better because we already know what each other can do and what can we do better now.”
(You said a different type of energy. Can you elaborate a little bit on that? How is it different?) – “I would say it’s more fun. Honestly, everybody is just excited to be back. We haven’t really gotten out there like that except just workouts and stuff. Everybody is really excited, the whole locker room really. to build off of last season because we finished strong. We’re trying to start strong on a fast note, too.”
(What did you know about Head Coach Mike McDaniel before you met him and what were your initial impressions upon meeting him?) – “I didn’t know a lot about him but he’s definitely unique. A good players coach. He knows, he understands the game. He’s very smart, I will say that. He knows what he wants to do with the offense.”
(Everybody in this division has to get by Buffalo. They added LB Von Miller, obviously signed WR Stefon Diggs to a big extension today. Do you feel like on paper, you guys have closed the gap with them and how important is it for the best players, leaders of this team, to finally get past them after seven losses in a row?) – “We have to step up as leaders of the team. We’ve got to step up, we’ve got to do our best to help this team win games. That’s why we’re paid to come back and do it. We’ve got to get the offense better, they’ve got to get us better and to go against an opponent like the Bills, it’s going to be a challenge but we should be able to get that done.”
(What sense do you get about how similar or different the scheme will be with the change with Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Brian Flores leaving?) – “I mean, I’m not really sure how different it will be but like I said, we all know the system. Definitely Josh is going to have some new wrinkles to the system but we’ll see when he puts it out.”
(You talked about continuity on defense, how important is that from the aspect of complementing each other? Like your pass rush means picks in the secondary with CB Xavien Howard and such or their coverage leading to you being able to get to the quarterback.) – “It goes hand and hand. I know if I get there fast enough, I know ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is going to be back there waiting for the ball to come out. The faster I get back there, the faster I put stress on the quarterback so it gives ‘X’ a chance to get that pick. It works hand and hand.”
(Outside of WR Tyreek Hill, of the dozen or so acquisitions this offseason, was there one that made you go, ‘Hm that’s exciting?’ What’s the next one?) – “I like (Terron) Armstead. I like the tackle Armstead. That force on offense, that dawg, we needed that and I’m glad he’s part of the team now.”
(What can you do to help LB Jaelan Phillips take that step to becoming the player that he wants to be?) – “We’ve just got to keep working together. Jaelan is a smart kid. He knows what he wants to do. I know the first year, it felt like a lot of things were moving too fast. The second year, he’s going to settle down and I’m looking forward to seeing him succeed in his second year.”
(Did you buy anything for yourself? Your family? For us, the media?) – “(laughter) No, I didn’t buy nothing crazy yet. I bought a crib, I will say that. I bought a house. But nah, nothing crazy. Nothing I’ve thought about yet.”
(Does the house have a swimming pool?) – “Oh, of course. It’s got to have the pool.”
(Are there any unique elements like a zoo indoors? Or just some random, quirky thing?) – “(laughter) Nah, it’s not. I’m not a big flashy guy. I just need something nice, real spacious that’s kind of just what I wanted.”
(Has DT Christian Wilkins hit you up yet? Because you know he’s cheap. Has he hit you up for anything?) – “(laughter) Yeah, he just told me I’m hosting the first d-line dinner. That’s kind of what he said but I’m glad to do it.”
Chris Grier – March 28, 2022
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Monday, March 28, 2022
General Manager Chris Grier
(You’re a guy who’s been known to love building through the draft and now you’re not picking until No. 102. One, is that going to strange for you? And two, what was the thinking that led to that?) – “I think the last time I was involved in that was when we didn’t pick until the third round years ago and took (Seth) McKinney from Texas A&M years ago. It was a pretty boring Day 1. (laughter) But we have building here for a while since we took over just trying to acquire picks and cleaning up salary cap and stuff, and so I think it was the opportunity to add a good player, a very dynamic player – one that we feel is one of the best players in the league. And when those opportunities come, you can’t pass on it and I think we’d spent the last few years, like I said, building and getting the roster to a point where we feel like we can start competing. And at the end of the day, being able to add a player of his caliber, we just felt it was too good to pass on it. And to do deals like that you always need good support from ownership – from Steve (Ross), Tom (Garfinkel) and then Brandon (Shore) working with the agent as well to finish up the deal.”
(When did you realize that was a reality to get WR Tyreek Hill?) – “I would say it was probably – we had first heard it was last Friday, I believe it was – the previous Friday. And we reached out and we were like, ‘there’s no way we can do this,’ you know? And then as we looked into it and talking it over with – again – Steve (Ross), Tom (Garfinkel), Brandon (Shore), we were like, ‘we can find a way to make this work.’ So we looked in and obviously to make a deal like that, you have to have great partners. So Brett Veach and Coach (Andy) Reid were tremendous in dealing with over – it was about a five-day period trying to come together. We were fortunate and thank them for their patience as well and we feel good about adding Tyreek (Hill).”
(One quick thing – I was going to ask you about inside linebacker and safety. A couple fans have asked me to ask you if you all are pursuing S Tyrann Mathieu, if that’s an option, and then the decision to come back with this inside linebacker group? Your thinking on that with LB Elandon Roberts, LB Duke Riley, LB Jerome Baker obviously…?) – “No, we’re not pursuing Tyrann (Mathieu). Good player. I think he’ll be a good addition for any team in the league, but no, we’re not pursuing him. Inside linebacker – Elandon (Roberts) is a leader on the team. We’re still a young defense and his presence and his communication skills, and he and (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) are on the same page in terms of thinking about how to run the defense. So that was a huge part of it. And then Duke Riley had done a great job for us in his role competing for playing time and on special teams and in terms of what he added on and off the field. He’s a quality person and then bringing (Brennan) Scarlett back as well. So they’re all guys that are tough, competitive, smart, good kids. So we felt good about adding the group, bringing them back together.”
(So you were building for several days with the WR Tyreek Hill trade and then ultimately it came down to a phone call or text or whatever – take us through the minute when you found out, yeah, he’s ours? What was that like?) – “I was at the Ohio State Pro Day, and I told Tyreek (Hill) he was wasting my time here. That I was watching these two receivers from Ohio State. (laughter) So I go, ‘he owes Mr. Ross some money’ for that flight and that hotel room overnight. But very excited. (Offensive Coordinator) Frank Smith was there with me. We kind of fist-bumped and then a bunch of coaches were around us, and they cursed and were congratulating us on the great move, so we were very happy, thrilled. Very excited. Tyreek was very excited on the phone. We talked to him, so again, we felt blessed that we had the opportunity to add him because he’s such a tremendous player and person.”
(Can you touch on the lineman you added – T Terron Armstead, OL Connor Williams and the fits for them here?) – “Yeah, I think Mike (McDaniel) has assembled a really good staff and it’s very heavy on offensive line coaches. I think he’s done a great job in terms of communicating that vision the way he wants, and so I think for us, we feel good about the young players we have, as does Mike and the staff talking about them. They understand they need to play better and can get better, but I think this scheme is also very friendly for offensive lineman. And I think Terron (Armstead) had mentioned that in his press conference and wanting to play in this scheme and Connor Williams was another one that we felt excited about because we think he’s a very good run player and also he’s very athletic and can pass block. I think like anything, they can all keep working, improve and get better and so we’re very excited about the group overall.”
(What’s the thought process at center? C/G Michael Deiter entering the final year of his contract. Obviously he’s had a pretty up and down career here in Miami. Do you feel like there’s still development and upside for him?) – “Yes, we do. Mike (Deiter) really developed as kind of a leader. He became much more vocal. He had an injury last year that was kind of a freak injury. Our doctors had said they hadn’t really seen anything like it when they were kind of going through that with him once he got hurt, so he really hasn’t played a ton of games at center still. The interesting thing about him is that every year (in the) offseason we’ve had teams call – multiple teams call – and offer us picks for him. So he’s thought of pretty well around the league still as a player. He knows there’s still a developmental window for him to go, but he’ll have competition at that spot as well.”
(The WR Tyreek Hill contract – what was the thinking because he’s obviously the highest-paid wide receiver now in league history? How did you come to the point where you were comfortable with that contract?) – “I think it’s like anything. As the other moves were being made around the league, you start seeing the structures and stuff of those contracts. At the end of the day, it was about adding the player. He’s such a unique talent and for what Mike (McDaniel) and I were talking about what we needed on our offense for those dynamic catch-and-runs – obviously with (Jaylen) Waddle, we added Cedrick Wilson and then arguably Tyreek is the best run-after-catch receiver in the league. So the opportunity to add to the offense for what he does and the skillset we were looking for, we couldn’t pass on and obviously to do a deal like that, it’s talking with ownership and Steve (Ross) and Tom (Garfinkel) were fantastic in terms of what we were looking for and then Brandon (Shore) did a great job of working through with the agent to finish up the deal.”
(What is your vision for returners? Who do you see competing at that spot and will you find a punter in the draft? Are you waiting for the draft to find a punter?) – “In terms of returner, we have multiple guys now. Tyreek (Hill), the first thing he said was, he goes, ‘I want to make sure I’m back there getting a couple of returns in every game.’ (laughter) We’re fortunate with him, (Jevon) Holland, (Jaylen) Waddle. So we have guys that can do it. They’re all big contributors on their side of the ball as well. We also have a couple of guys too that can return. We’re not really worried about the return game and we’ll see how that all sorts out. With the punter, we’re still looking. There’s a lot of veteran kickers out there like there always are so we will go through that process as well as the draft process.”
(What was the thought process on franchise tagging TE Mike Gesicki and do you expect that he’ll play on the tag as opposed to continue potential long-term contract discussions?) – “Well, I think the one thing with Mike is that at the end of the day, I think you saw a bunch of tight ends got tagged with that market. Mike’s a good player and our intentions are to keep good players. We don’t like to let them go. Mike is a very competitive person, as you guys know that have been around him. He’s going to play and we’ll have some discussions with his agents at some point in the future but I have no reservations that he’s going to not play because he’s too competitive, he’s too good of a person and he loves football.”
(You have had 11 picks in the top-100 in the last couple of years and now you have no picks in the top-100. You used those resources on WR Tyreek Hill and a lot of those 11 players are some of your biggest producers. Does that have a correlation to the ability to be so aggressive this time around and use those premium resources to collect WR Tyreek Hill?) – “Yeah, like we talked about, we’ve been building here for the last few years. The chance to get aggressive and adding a talented top player at a position is something we just felt was too good to pass up. We feel good about the players we drafted but the great thing about all those guys is that they’re all very competitive and they know they can still get better and work. It’s been exciting to watch those guys. They’ve been all offseason working and they pop by the office. They’re young guys that love football and they all want to keep working to get better.”
(Is there any update on visiting CB Xavien Howard’s contract? Do you have a timeline for when you’d like that to be addressed and avoid what happened last summer?) – “Yeah, we’ve had conversations with Xavien and his agent. We had them a couple of weeks ago in-person. I’ll keep those conversations to ourselves. We don’t negotiate through the press. But hopefully we’ll get to a resolution sooner than later. Xavien has done a lot of good things here for this organization. I’ve known him for years. I was here when we drafted him. He was my second draft pick here. I’m looking forward to him being here and helping us win.”
(Three years have passed since you made the T Laremy Tunsil deal. I don’t think you could have imagined all the picks that have come from it or all the players that have come from it and how big of an impact that deal has had on your tenure here. When you think back on the T Laremy Tunsil trade and everything that came back to it this year, what does it mean to you to be at this point now?) – “Well, I still remember the day we traded him, I was crying. (laughter) We both were because he’s such a good guy and every once and a while he’ll text me just like, ‘Hey.’ We made that trade and you find a young, franchise left tackle – which everyone is looking for those. In terms of the return, I never would have guessed that it would have led to all of this and I still don’t follow the whole – I think someone told me the other day what we ended up acquiring based off of it but at the end of the day, you just keep trying to do what’s best, you hope, for the organization and what we feel good about in terms of trying to build a team that competes for Super Bowls here.”
(Regarding WR Tyreek Hill, can you describe the type of background work that the organization did relative to any off-field incidents that may have occurred in his past?) – “Going forward, we feel good about it. We talked to a number of people that have been around Tyreek, especially in Kansas City the last few years. For us, we’re comfortable moving forward and the expectation, like him, will be for every player on the roster – it’s to be a good teammate and a good citizen in South Florida.”
(On the crowded receivers room and if he intends for WR DeVante Parker to be on the roster in 2022) – “We like having good players, you know? We feel really good about that receiver room. The expectation is he’ll be here but we always listen. I’ve always said here, and the guys that know me, we’ll always listen for all players on the roster.”
(Have you gotten any calls this offseason about WR DeVante Parker?) – “Yes, I have.”
(You’ve talked about being aggressive and this was a time with a player to be aggressive. Why do you think it’s that time or was it just the player?) – “No. I think it’s kind of what we talked about in Indy. This was not a rebuild. This was finding the right players, right pieces, right time and I think we’ve acquired a lot of young talent coming in but you can find good, veteran players that are not only good players but leaders as well. People talk about Tyreek’s (Hill) leadership there in Kansas City. The Saints have all raved, you hear Mickey Loomis stopped me again and said (Terron Armstead is) one of the best human beings you’ll ever be around. I think for our roster, if you can add however people – blue-players, as people call those top players at positions in the league especially if they’re great leaders and veterans. For these guys, I think it’s a great opportunity for us so we just felt this was the right time to really be aggressive.”
Mike McDaniel – March 28, 2022
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Monday, March 28, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Can you clear one thing up that some of us have wondered about. QB Teddy Bridgewater declined to answer when he was asked if he was the backup. Just to be clear, is QB Tua Tagovailoa the unquestioned starter or do you envision an open competition over the next four months?) – “That’s an example of Teddy being a true professional and being experienced in this business. That is for us to talk about, really not him. You guys remember around the Combine, I was describing specifically what I thought Tua really needed in support with a backup quarterback. Unbeknownst to you guys, I was quite literally describing Teddy Bridgewater at the time, just not using his name. So both players have been explicitly explained their roles and expectations and for that room to be their best, they need to know that and moving forward, we’re very excited to have Teddy a part of the process and hope to win some games with both those guys working together and empowering Tua to be the best player he can be. That’s something that Teddy takes serious and is excited to do that.”
(What was your reaction when you heard that WR Tyreek Hill was a possible trade opportunity?) – “There was a lot of stuff going on in the brain. You’re not sure if it’s true. You get involved in these processes and there’s a lot of things that come across your desk, so I was trying to be a pro and understand that you don’t get ahead of yourself. But it was very exciting to go through the process to see really (General Manager) Chris Grier and (Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration) Brandon Shore work and once it came to fruition, I couldn’t be happier for the Miami Dolphins and adding a player of that talent to the team.”
(On T Terron Armstead and plans at the right tackle position and confidence in the in-house candidates) – “I feel very confident about the players that we have at the offensive line position. I know Terron (Armstead) is going to be the left tackle for sure, but it wouldn’t be fair to the process or the players to try to outline exactly who’s going to be where moving forward only because when you – just off the top of my head, there’s about four players whether we got them in the draft in the last couple years or in free agency this year that one of their strengths is their versatility. And we are doing a new scheme that highlights different attributes of a player’s performance and it wouldn’t be fair to the process, nor to the players to say, ‘ok, this guy’s going to be here exactly at this point,’ because it is a different scheme. We ask people to do different things. But I’m excited about all of those players, while really each and every draft pick that we’ve had up front were guys that, in a different city when I was working on a different team, we were looking at as targets for ourselves. So I’m excited about those type of players and starting in a week, we’ll begin that process to decide exactly where they’re at.”
(What do you envision with WR Tyreek Hill in this offense?) – “I’m really excited about what Tyreek can do on the field, but even more than that, I think he has an opportunity that he’s really excited about to develop the room as a player and lead. There’s a lot of youth on our team and he has a lot of outstanding experience and really trying to just start next week, get him in the door, have him learn our language and then utilize his vast array of skillsets in a multitude of ways. But you’ve got to start with a foundation, much like building a house. We’re building a football team and we’ve got to start with how to line up and what cadences are and how to come off the ball and utilize every single asset that he has in his body.”
(On if he feels the team has done enough yet to get greatness out of QB Tua Tagovailoa) – “Well, I hope not because we haven’t been able to meet about football yet. So in regards to Tua and really any player on our offense, the nuts and bolts really begin April 4 for us when we start Phase 1. You try to have good players on your team on both sides of the ball, as well as special teams, you try to empower players by having good teammates and then you just – as boring as it is – you have to deliberately engage day-in and day-out to really get the end result that everybody wants. So have we done enough? We’ve barely even scratched the surface. There is no shortcut to doing anything great in this league and as much as you like to say bold this, that or the other; there’s no shortcut, there’s not secret. It’s guys coming in together trying to work for a common goal and becoming the best offense which has – remember, football is 11 separate players working together in unison at the same time and that’s what we’re going to start working on on Monday. Each and every day we’re going to be challenging Tua to be his very best as well as every other player on the offense.”
(You’ve seen a lot of the tape of last year’s offense….) – “Absolutely.”
(Would you say that this year’s offense will be better?) – “I can say that this year’s offense is going to be the best that we can make it into. That’s a lot of people that have to – am I just going to dust some magic potion and be like, ‘you’re the best?’ (laughter) No. You have to have a lot of people engaged in one direction to maximize whatever we have and score the most points possible and be the best offense that we can be. And I can promise you that as a coaching staff, that’s where our mind is at. It has nothing to do – and last year is completely irrelevant in my mind. We can call it ‘PMM’ if you want – pre-Mike McDaniel. It’s about how good can we get with the people in front of us and the people that are sacrificing and investing in the football team, the offensive players and the coaches. What can we best become? And that’s the directive and that’s the motivation and we won’t lose sight of that for a minute.”
(The skillset of WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. and RB Chase Edmonds – what appealed to you skill-wise about each of those two players?) – “Well both of those football players, they came to us with an unbelievable reputation as human beings, and that’s one thing that I can say about our entire free agent class is we added people that we are very proud of in terms of the human beings and what they’re about, because the players that you add in free agency kind of tell the team a lot of what you’re expecting from them and what you want to invest in. Both players happen to be very good with the ball in their hands, which was attractive to us, and both players were in their own right self-made. They had to compete for opportunities in their given organizations and that made them stronger. That didn’t kill them. That made them stronger. So there are common traits in that go from the tape and beyond and we felt like we had a lot of great information, courtesy of Chris Grier and his staff, on who these human beings were which made us feel very comfortable targeting them for the Miami Dolphins of 2022.”
(What kind of message does the addition of key free agents – proven free agents – guys like Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill – what kind of message does that send both to the players and to the group and also to the fans?) – “I think it’s important that we’re transparent in that we’re trying to do everything we can to win football games. I think there are other decisions that probably don’t feel the same to the fans and the team in that way, but they’re all under the same context and veil that we’re doing whatever it takes and that’s no exception. I think as I’ve said since I’ve gotten the job, we literally have support from everyone to do whatever it takes to best try to get ourselves the opportunities to win games. This is no exception. It’s something to be excited about, but there’s a lot of other players on the team to be excited about as well.”
(On using WR Tyreek Hill in a similar fashion to the way he used WR Deebo Samuel in San Francisco) – “I wouldn’t – from a starting point, both players are exceptional with the ball in their hands. Your starting point in terms of where you’re trying to accentuate people’s skillets, that is a commonality. As far as exact ways that we will use Tyreek Hill relative to the way that Deebo Samuel was used in San Francisco, there’s probably going to be some overlap to some degree. But those are things that Deebo Samuel evolved into that role because of both circumstance and because of skillset while in San Francisco. I expect no difference, really, with Tyreek, where we are going to start with the foundational elements of the receiver position. I promise you we’re not going to limit – or we’re going to continue the process of developing him and the Miami Dolphins football team. For a lot of players, that will look different in Week 4 than on April 4th.”
(On QB Nate Sudfeld and what he saw in practice) – “Nate Sudfeld is an adamant – I want to say under-the-radar professional football player. That happens a lot at the quarterback position because there’s only a finite amount of reps for really the public to see. What we saw in practice was a very capable NFL player who is trending upward, who’s best football was in front of him and a guy who’s skills were to a level and a degree that let his teammates take notice. They knew that he was very, very capable and I think there’s a lot of excitement in regards to his teammates when he comes on the field and they are allowed to play together.”
(On players mentioning speed was important to him and if that was how he built the roster to this point) – “I think there is something to be said about talented players and there’s a lot of talented players that are fast. You don’t go in at the beginning of the whole process necessarily saying all we want are fast guys. What we want is really good football players at the position. On top of that, if they happen to be fast – there’s a couple of ways that we can utilize that. I think the biggest thing is that we got some really good football players that happen to be fast, that on April 4th we are going to be able to start to get in rooms together and develop what this team is going to be because you can say whatever you want at a press conference in front of a microphone but it’s the blood, sweat and tears that goes on when you’re investing yourself, committing and sacrificing your time and committing to a football team. Within those walls, the individual personalities kind of create the culture and really the likeness of what your team is going to look like and be moving forward for the season.”
(On sharing a moment with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and his reputation) – “I feel like I’m a couple of wins behind him in the win/loss column. That’s somebody that if you’re a football guy and you have a pulse, I have the utmost respect and admiration for a coach of his caliber and one of the best ever if not the best to ever do it. As far as how I compared with wits, maybe ask him and he’ll be complimentary of me. I don’t know. I think it’s part of the business. It’s okay to really respect people and acknowledge all of the things that they’ve done for the game of football. Acknowledge where it might be if he hadn’t been there, you know? I think that’s important but also, I’m a professional football coach for the Miami Dolphins and we’re going to have to play him twice a year. There’s some competitiveness there that’s entertaining to say the least. I was happy to talk to him, he’s a tremendous human being, football coach and I’ll be excited to go against him next year.”
(On if OL Connor Williams will be staying at left guard) – “Again, I know in his past and I think Connor said he’s been most comfortable at left guard with the Dallas Cowboys. What does that mean for the Miami Dolphins? Again, I wouldn’t be doing justice to the process for all of the players involved to not get them in-house and train them and see where they’re most comfortable as Miami Dolphins. That will be evident by their play and how they are able to execute the given tasks. I’m super excited to add – he’s one of many on the list that we were able to add that their play is matched by the human being. I think that will resonate itself on game days after a lot, a lot of work in April, May, June, July, August and then September.”
(Can you describe your relationship with QB Tua Tagovailoa at this point and how it’s evolved?) – “That’s been a cool process because the first time you talk to somebody, since like maybe the Combine process, is on FaceTime while you’re on a jet flying to meet him. Since then, I think there’s been a lot of trust that has been earned. We’ve both been very honest and candid with each other and I think in any healthy relationship, that’s paramount. That’s been a fun process. Building that, it’s a lot of build up but you have to wait because the current CBA mandates that we do to talk football. But once that process starts on April 4th, I think the equity that we’ve built up and trust and mutual respect, I think that will pay dividends coming to work Monday about this time.”
(On RB Raheem Mostert and if he had any conversations with John Lynch before it happened) – “No. That was something that kind of came across our radar after it had already begun. It really wasn’t necessarily on our plan so to speak. It was something that once given the opportunity, it didn’t take us long to jump on because as you know and as most people know, my affinity for Raheem is real. We’ve had journeys together where, in a related way, we both have been counted out at some point and pretty much earned everything we got. It was really exciting, something that I didn’t necessarily forecast going into the whole process but something that was very easy to get excited about after it was presented – was on our plate.”
(On if he’s talked a lot with RB Raheem Mostert about their journeys) – “Oh, for sure. Yeah, that’s something that when going through it, all the way back to 2018, there was a moment in time where Raheem, I think he fumbled a couple of times and was kind of losing some confidence. But then we really needed him to perform. I think it was against the Packers in maybe a night game – maybe it was a Monday night in 2018 – and the whole team, it really resonated with them how much he stepped up to the plate. It was his first big game of that season. So all the way back to that point in time, those things have been part of our conversations together.”
(On retaining TE Mike Gesicki and DE Emmanuel Ogbah) – “Both players, we were very, very fortunate to retain both players on both sides of the ball just because what you’re talking about are professional football players that know the process and know how to execute and perform on a week-in, week-out basis. Those types of things cannot be lost in the whole process about dependable playmakers. I feel like that’s what the Miami Dolphins got in re-signing both players.”
(What type of players are you getting in OL Connor Williams and WR Cedrick Wilson? It seems like Connor had some issues in Dallas with holds. And does getting WR Tyreek Hill affect the plan with Cedrick?) – “I’m very, very excited about both players for multiple reasons. Their on-field play, their perseverance, how they handle adversity. Those are all things that are a big deal to the Miami Dolphins organization and our assessment of players. And then their playmaking ability. In talking to Connor, I know that those things have been brought up in terms of holding, and he’s very aware of that. And how do you handle that? You coach, coach, coach technique. The one thing that – holding is a derivative of caring and trying. So you try to fix that with technique, which is something that we’ll hit fast and furious, early and often. But nothing that has to do with the Miami Dolphins moving forward. Cedrick is an unbelievable talent who is not only well-versed in receiver play but I think he threw the best receiver throw I’ve ever seen in my life, off-schedule, to his right. So I’m excited about both of those individuals and adding them to the football team. I’ve never been around a coach that has ever said, ‘Hey, whoa, whoa guys. There’s way too many playmakers.’ I think we’ve added some playmakers and there’s only positives that can come with that. I think all of those guys will make each other better working diligently and deliberately day-in and day-out through the offseason program.”
(You’ve made a lot of moves. Which one was the most exciting?) – “To be fair, we did go into free agency with the least amount of players on contract of any team in the NFL. There was a lot of work to do. Out of them all, I’m going to say the Miami Dolphins. Out of all of the players in the whole process the person that played out the best would be the Miami Dolphins organization. For me, it’s a football team. To sit here and say that one player – they snowballed on each other. I think there was a buzz that the Miami Dolphins organization and the city of Miami very much deserved, and the organization to their credit. I think they all snowballed on each other. The first one was probably special. We re-signed (Emmanuel) Ogbah, then Chase Edmonds, to kind of get it started. It was early, so I think that tone set was important to me. Diligently approaching it, it’s just not in my nature as a football coach to sit here and say my favorite player, only because they are all important to me. It’s the most obvious common sense thing to me to understand that, ‘guess what, not any of them can have success unless the other guy is performing to the best of his ability.’ There is no individual one player that stands alone. I was more excited about the entire group. Probably the one that started it off was the most special just because it was like ‘alright, it’s real, it’s time and here we go.’”
(On reactions from around the league about the WR Tyreek Hill trade) – “I think it’s a small circle of people in the National Football League, so it’s most of the guys I know and people have been pretty excited for the most part. Just the understanding that it takes a lot of people to orchestrate a move like that. It doesn’t start or stop with me at all. The personnel side, Chris Grier, and all of the magic that Brandon Shore had to work. Just acknowledging that it takes a village or it takes an entire organization to pull something off. I think that respect for what we’re doing in this phase of the offseason didn’t go unnoticed. There were some dabs, some high fives, a couple of low fives. “
(WR Tyreek Hill said you sound like Shrek. Do you think you sound like Shrek?) – “What he was saying is I was saying just be you. Because I kept repeating just be you. That was what I sounded like Shrek. It wasn’t necessarily the vocal part. If I’m a phase of Michael Myers’ voice, I wouldn’t be totally mad about that, but I don’t think that’s exactly what he was trying to say.”
(There seems to be an idea that you have a great quarterback who elevates the team around him or you can build a team that maybe elevates the quarterback. Can you talk about that?) – “Quarterbacks need players and players need quarterbacks. The exact formula of how you go about doing that is, honestly alright, what’s the best way? We have player X, what’s the best player we can get to complement player X? Oh, that’s player Z. Then you go with some other consonants. (laughter) In terms of the best formula, I think it’s a formula that’s adapting to the people around them. I think having an identity you’re trying to find and committing to that vision with an ultimate purpose is important. Having a vision and going about it conclusively in one direction, to me that’s the most important part. I think there are a lot of different ways to skin a cat.”
(On what he saw in T Terron Armstead) – “Terron Armstead is an outstanding player at one of the most difficult positions in the National Football League. I think that is obvious by the respect that his peers give him and his teammates give him. To have the opportunity to add a player that’s played so good for so long and still have so much good football in front of him, on top of the fact that most of the players we were able to add – really all of the players we were able to add – this offseason, he is a paramount human being and individual.”
(Is the new formula to win now?) – “It’s always kind of been. The coaches, whether you guys realize it or not, are very aware of everyone’s impatience including ownership, fans and media. Our particular circumstance was that we have the least amount of players under contract in the National Football League entering free agency. We were aggressive in what we did and excited about the players we were targeting. But we also had the most ground to make up in regards to our existing roster and having that prepared to go into the draft and into next season.”
(Has anyone in the building mentioned to you about trading for QB Tom Brady?) – “Tom Brady? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady? The Super Bowl winner? No. That has not been in the conversation at all. I think that’s what you call fake news.”
Tyreek Hill – March 24, 2022
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Thursday, March 24, 2022
WR Tyreek Hill
(What does it mean to you to be in Miami now and to have this new contract? What has the last 24 hours kind of been like for you?) – “It’s been crazy, man, but I just want to give a shoutout to Brett Veach and Andy Reid for just doing this for myself, understanding the circumstances there in KC. And to the guys here – Coach (Mike) McDaniel, Chris Grier and even the owner, Mr. Ross. So I’m super excited. I believe my family is more excited than me. They’re already looking at properties. Everybody’s ready, man, for the city of Miami.”
(What about Miami was just so enticing and interesting to you to make this decision to really choose Miami?) – “This is where I train at in the offseason, believe it or not, and then plus, this is where the greatest agent of all time – both of them, the twins – are here so I had to come back, man. Come home. I’ve got family here, I’ve got relatives here. So I’m always here, so why not Miami?”
(You mentioned the circumstances. What more are you willing to share? It kind of shocked us when that happened, the trade. What are the circumstances behind it?) – “If you ain’t got no tea, you ain’t talking. (laughter) You know what I’m saying? I really don’t want to dive too deep into that. All I’m going to say, man, is I’m just thankful for where I am today. Everything happens for a reason. God blessed me and my family with this beautiful opportunity, so that’s what we’re looking at right now. We’re looking forward.”
(Have you talked with WR Jaylen Waddle yet? Have you compared notes on how you two can team up and abuse secondaries?) – “You know what, I actually DMed him last night just for his phone number. I had to get his number. I was supposed to be calling him, but it’s like so much has been going on today, man, and it’s crazy. I’m like trying to take it all in at once, but believe me, once I’m able to sit down, I’m going to talk to him, we’re going to chop it up, we’re even going to get a few workouts in. Maybe even a race, man. (laughter) Because hey, wherever I go, the ‘Cheetah,’ he’s always got to prove he’s the fastest on the team no matter what. I mean that. (laughter)”
(What do you like about WR Jaylen Waddle’s game?) – “He’s a fiery competitor just like I am. A lot of guys – they get like, bad knacks for not being a beast, not being able to do certain things, not being able to run certain routes, not being able to go in and like, knock a linebacker on his butt. He’s just like I was coming out – a young guy who wants to compete, who loves the game and just wants to get better. I’m just excited just to be a part of that and that’s even going to make me better. That’s going to fuel me to be like, ‘Okay, young guy coming in. Just like myself, want to compete.’ So I’m ready for the challenge, dawg.”
(What do you guys do the same and use your skillsets to help Tua develop as a quarterback?) – “Tua is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, so just his ball placement, getting us the ball in space, perfect placement and us just utilizing our speed, utilizing our best asset. And that’s just being dangerous.”
(What does it mean to you to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the history of the National Football League?) – “Man, I tell people this all the time, there’s only one time I ever cried in my life and that was when my daughter was born. I almost teared like just having that moment. My agent wanted me to kiss him in the mouth. I said no. (laughter) There were a lot of events that happened…”
(It’s not a true story.) – “(laughter) There’s a lot of events that we’re not going to talk about because there are kids in here. But man, it’s the greatest feeling ever. Like all the hard work, coming from a small town, going through the adversity and then just watching it all just happen for myself and my family. My support system, the people who love me. We’re all getting blessed, so I’m just happy.”
(With great expectations come great pressure. Are you ready for that?) – “I don’t blink, dawg. I don’t believe in pressure, dawg. I make the pressure. I’m Pushin’ P, baby. Hey, you know what that means? You know what Pushin’ P means? So look, this is what you do. When you get in your car, go to Apple Music. Type in ‘Pushin’ P Gunna.’ And then I want you to bob your head to that. And then I want you to tweet, ‘Okay, I know what you mean, Tyreek.’ And then I’m going to retweet that. I got you. I got you. (laughter)”
(What do you think of Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “He’s probably the funniest head coach I’ve ever met in my life. He’s a dope guy, a fun guy to be around. I can tell that already and his energy is contagious. So I’m excited. The way he was telling me he was going to get me the ball, that’s always exciting for a receiver. But my biggest thing is his whole message off the field, man. ‘Tyreek, just be you.’ He kind of sounded like Shrek a little bit because he was like, ‘Just you be you, ‘Reek. Just be you, ‘Reek.’ (laughter) And that’s all I can ask for, man. A coach to have my back off the field. So he went to bat for me and I know all 90 guys on this roster are going to go to bat – even though I know 90 can’t be on there – but everybody’s going to go to bat for him, so I’m excited to play for the guy, man.”
(I’m not sure there’s a faster receiver duo in the league now than you and WR Jaylen Waddle. What does that to cornerbacks’ hamstrings?) – “Oh, especially in the heat? It’s going to be crazy, man. Look, they better warm up, put ice on them, do whatever they got to do because it’s going to be a long season. It’s going to be a fun season, too, though so I’m excited.”
(Considering your playoff experience, considering T Terron Armstead’s playoff experience, what can y’all bring to a locker room that’s looking to take that next step toward being a playoff contender?) – “Man, just that veteran leadership because once you go to the playoffs, the game is definitely a different speed. You’ve got to play the game at a different level, so just having us two – guys who have experienced it – means a lot, man, for younger guys because some guys may look at it as another opportunity just to play the game. Guys hit harder, guys run faster for some reason – myself – but it’s just crazy how the game speed changes, so I’m excited to play with Terron (Armstead). I really want to race him, too. I heard he runs a 4.6. (laughter)”
(What would be your message to the Dolphins fans?) – “Gear up, man. It’s going to be a fast season but it’s going to be a fun season. And let’s have as many of you guys come out to cheer us on because we need you guys to support us.”
(How hard is it for you to leave Kansas City and what did you talk to QB Patrick Mahomes with after everything happened?) – “It’s tough. It’s tough, man. If somebody comes to you with a lot of money, it changes. (laughter) The feelings started to change a little bit. Nah, let me stop. (laughter) It definitely was tough, man. I definitely had one of those moments where I just had to get in my car and just drive and just really think about the moments that I had in KC with my family, with my coaches, players and I even had a conversation with Pat (Mahomes). That’s my brother for life, man. No matter what, we don’t even got to be on the same team. Pat, (Travis) Kelce and a whole lot of other guys; (Gehrig) Dieter, ‘D-Rob’ (Demarcus Robinson), I can name a whole lot of guys. I’m going to miss those guys. I know those guys are still going to ball because they are Hall of Famers and they still going to do their thing. And Coach (Andy) Reid is going to do his thing do.”
(How close were you to picking the Jets?) – “How close was I? Who? The Jets? Nah, man. Look man, I don’t even want to get into all that. I knew I was going to pick Miami no matter what. I’m basically from here. I’m here all the time and this is home for me, for us.”
(You mentioned a few minutes ago how you talked with Head Coach Mike McDaniel about how he is going to get you the ball. What were some of the things he said that really excited you?) – “I can’t share the secrets, man. But he just said, ‘Look, ‘Reek’ just gear up, it’s going to be fun, alright?’ I’m just going to say this – the way that he utilized Deebo Samuel in that offense was crazy. Deebo Samuel is a freak athlete. I’m just excited. That’s all I’m going to say.”
(How different is Head Coach Mike McDaniel? You said he was a little different.) – “He is a little different, man. He’s a younger coach so he has a lot of energy. I’m not used to that. That’s all I’m going to say. He’s a young coach with a lot of energy.”
(How do you celebrate this moment?) – “We’re going to go out, man, go to the beach and play some volleyball, get some Hennessy and have a good time, man. (laughter) Why not? Go to the beach and have fun, right? You trying to play volleyball? Not with them shoes on. (laughter)”
(We spoke a few years back at the Super Bowl and media day. I asked you how does it feel to be back home in Miami. You said it was good to be here but after everything transpired and you won a Super Bowl down here, what does it mean to be back here now as a member of the Miami Dolphins and how do you feel having the Tyreek Hill Family Foundation get involved in the community?) – “It feels great to be back. I’m happy I’m finally able to be able to play in front of my family. As you know, Kansas City is far away from Georgia or Florida. Being closer to home, having more family involved in the games and the foundation and stuff is definitely going to be a blessing. Just being a part of the community. My mama always told me you don’t do what you do for a reason. God has blessed you so I need you to be able to bless other people. I feel like I have a purpose to bless people off the field, whatever the case may be. I’m very involved in mental health. I’m very involved with the homeless. I’m going to make sure that we take it up another level to make sure that we do what we’ve got to do off the field, too, to take care of some of these people.”
(What does it tell you about the organization’s commitment to winning that they brought you in, they brought T Terron Armstead and they’re bringing in players. What does that tell you?) – “Just like they said with the Rams – ‘F them picks, man.’ (Laughter) F them picks at the end of the day. Bringing Terron in, they definitely want to put all the right pieces around the quarterback because the quarterback is the most important player on the field. Having myself, Terron and a few more other pieces that were already here, you definitely can tell that the owner wants to win, coach McDaniel, Chris Grier and all of those guys want to win. We’re just all looking forward to the challenge, to the journey and I can’t wait to work.”
(Where does all of your confidence come from?) – “To play receiver, man, you’ve got to be confident as heck. Dropped passes and getting hit hard, you’ve got to have the swagger my dog because if you don’t have the swagger, you don’t got none of that. The person who taught me that was my mom and dad. My mom is probably the cockiest person in the room right now. I know you all are looking at me talking right now but my mom really is cocky. (laughter) You’ve got to have that swagger man when you play this position.”
(Are you looking forward to going up against CB Xavien Howard in practice?) – “Yes, I am looking forward to going against ‘X’ at practice. Going against Byron Jones. Blocking Jerome Baker. I’m looking forward to everything, man. It’s going to be fun. We’re going to have a few scraps and talk trash here and there.”
(Do you talk a lot on the field?) – “Come on, that’s what I do baby. I’m the cheetah, man. That’s what cheetahs do to lions. You can’t catch me. (laughter) I’m going in the tree – can cheetahs climb? Nah, I’m going to stop. (laughter)”
Terron Armstead – March 24, 2022
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Thursday, March 24, 2022
T Terron Armstead
(What appealed to you about coming here? What were the factors that made you want to come here?) – “Talking to (Offensive Coordinator) Frank Smith, he was one of my former coaches – my assistant O-line coach my rookie year. Keeping that relationship with him, what he did for me as a rookie, and the impression that he left for us to re-unite 10 years later. Really just doing my homework on what I wanted from my career. The offense that (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) brings, his energy, his demeaner, the vision he has for this team and then coming down to the city, I mean it’s Miami. The location, you can’t beat the location. The front office, coaches and everyone was so welcoming, and expressed their desire for me to be here. I just felt like it was a perfect fit.”
(What took you so long? Because you were one of those top-tier free agents and here we are a week into free agency and you hadn’t made a decision.) – “Going through all of those factors. Making the best decision for myself and my family. I’ve been playing for a while. I’ve been in New Orleans for nine years. Entering my 10th year, I didn’t just want to make an impulsive decision. I wanted to weigh all options and go through the process and take my time. Ultimately, I felt like I made the right decision.”
(What has been your message to QB Tua Tagovailoa, or what would be your message to Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I haven’t gotten to speak with him yet, but when I do, I’m just excited to see him ball really, and be successful. I know Mike has a vision for him. Me watching him, he’s as accurate and as precise as anyone I’ve ever seen. I’m excited to work for him, protect him – myself and the other guys who are up there with me. It’s going to be fun.”
(You were brought here to continue playing at a pro bowl level. Beyond that, you’re going to be playing next to a lot of young linemen. What can you do to make them better?) – “I’m coming in with my experience, how I see the game, my knowledge of the game, and these guys are extremely talented. Just watching them and getting a chance to meet a few of them, they’re extremely talented. There is a reason why they are in this building and in this business. Just being able to work together bring what I bring to the table and what they bring to the table, we’re going to put our hard hat on every day and try to go out and try to create space for our playmakers.”
(Why the Dan Marino jersey?) – “Why not? He’s a legend. I’m a real big fan of the sport, of the game, so I always pay respect to the legends, the Hall of Famers. On my visit, I walked upstairs and I saw the Dan Marino office. I just thought it was out of respect. I walked into the offensive staff room and there he is. It only makes sense.”
(What do you think it would be like meeting him for the first time?) – “I met him on my visit.”
(What was that like?) – “Just humbling. He came up and introduced himself like I didn’t know him, which was crazy. (laughter) It’s great to have the legends around and share their experience and knowledge. That’s really what it’s about, passing down that knowledge.”
(Less than 24 hours after you signed, the team trades for WR Tyreek Hill. What was your reaction when you heard the news about that trade?) – “Come on now, the most dynamic player in the league. I’ve always been a fan of his game, just watching him. Now having him be a part of this offense, I think we’re building something. We’re building something special. Him paired with (Jaylen) Waddle, (Raheem) Mostert and that speed, and then the speed of us up front on the offensive line, we’re going to try to turn these Sundays into a track meet. A physical track meet. Let’s not try to overshadow that at all. Up front we’re going to implement that physicality, that mentality. Speed kills when you try to catch these guys on the outside.”
(What excites an offensive lineman about Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “He understands us more than a few others. It’s a tough job. It’s a tough position. It’s a thankless position. We are asked to go and create. You don’t necessarily get the celebrations or the rewards, which is fine. It takes a unique group of individuals to do that over and over without expecting to be rewarded or to be patted on the back. Mike likes to put offensive linemen in the best position to be successful. He uses your strengths and abilities, which was another factor with me signing to Miami. The offensive scheme and the fit I think is perfect for what I do best. Be explosive, physical, get out and run.”
(The moves made this week changed a lot of people’s perception of the Miami Dolphins. Do you want to change the perception broadly about what this team can do?) – “We’ll write our own story. I don’t want to stand up here and try to change any perception. I would rather us get to work, offseason program, training camp, and then once we start playing football, we’ll write our own story.”
(Coming from the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, what does today mean for you being a product of an HBCU and being a 10-year vet?) – “It’s amazing. It’s a blessing for sure. I thank God for the opportunity, for being here, for being here for so long, for being an HBCU guy, a small school guy. It’s a longer road. It honestly is. It’s a longer trip to get here and to stay here, but it’s possible. It’s becoming more and more frequent and evident that the talent is in those buildings and in those spaces. I was at the HBCU legacy bowl. A lot of talented players, a lot of NFL scouts and front office people making decisions. I think it will continue to grow as they continue to get exposure.”
(Where do you feel like you are in your career arc?) – “Progressing, learning, still trying to get better. I’ve got goals and aspirations that I haven’t necessarily touched yet, so I’m chasing them.”
(Busy offseason for the AFC. A lot of trades, a lot of moves. Where do you think you guys stack up?) – “Every team at this point feels like they are Super Bowl contenders. All 32. It’s not true. We can talk about what it looks like on paper. I’ve been doing it long enough to know that it doesn’t really matter. You’ve got a depth chart and that’s a starting point. You’ve got to go out there and do it, put the work in and practice, then you really get a chance to know. Right now, I can’t really – I think it’s unfair to say. I’m going to say we’ll be Super Bowl champions but you go (ask and) anybody else is going to say the same thing.”
(How is your health at this age in your career?) – “I feel great. I feel great. I had a procedure in the offseason. Cleaned up some stuff from last year. I feel great. I’ve just been rehabbing, training and getting myself ready to roll for when we start.”
(You said that QB Tua Tagovailoa is as accurate and precise as anyone you’ve ever seen. You spent a few years with somebody known for his accuracy and decision-making in QB Drew Brees in New Orleans. What do you take from your experience there, having a quarterback you rely on for timing, precision and things like that?) – “Spending so long with Drew and being such a fan of what he does, Drew is as accurate as they come. He can knock the wing off a fly. (laughter) Just watching his game and his preparation I’m excited to get around Tua and see how he prepares. I don’t know if he has much experience or connection with Drew. That definitely would be something that I’d like to bridge just because he was such a cerebral mind and a student of the game. He saw it differently than most, so if I could just connect those two. That’s even before meeting Tua. I think Drew would be an asset to anybody.”
(If you made a list of the five leading sack artists in the game from last season, you’d start with LB T.J. Watt all the way down to DE Nick Bosa and so forth. The Dolphins play all five of those in 2022. When you hear that, what do you think?) – “That’s part of the game. It’s the NFL. It’s the best of the best. Those guys, those few names, they stand out for a reason. Special players, elite players, are part of the competition, part of the sport. We thrive to play against those guys, the ones that have been doing it at a high level. Just go out there and perform.”
(How much time have you spent previously in Miami? Have you visited Miami at all?) – “I’ve been down a few times. (laughter) Not too much though.”
(What are you looking forward to doing or finding out about the city?) – “I’ve got a lot of friends here. Like I said, I’ve visited a few times. Just excited to really get here and make it home, grow in the city and get into the community. That’s really it. Find a place to live first. It’s expensive down here. (laughter)”
(How would you describe your approach to run block?) – “It’s a mindset. It’s a mentality. I love the way Mike (McDaniel) looks at it. That’s the most rewarding for an offensive linemen, to be able to go forward. We’re asked to go backwards so much and stay in front of the best athletes in the world. So to get a chance to go forward and be on offense and be the aggressor, it’s a great feeling. To have a coaching staff that values that and sees that as the foundation of the offense, I think it will help everyone in the building.”
(Are we going to get a new freestyle mix tape and what beat are we going to use?) – “Dropping soon. (laughter) Dropping soon. Nah, I’ve got some music I’ve been working on. I put out some music while I was in New Orleans last year that did really well. I got some new content coming. Stay tuned.”
Trent Sherfield – March 21, 2022
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Monday, March 21, 2022
WR Trent Sherfield
(Obviously you have the previous connection with Head Coach Mike McDaniel and while you’ve mainly contributed on special teams, you did find some opportunities on offense. Just what stood out to you about Mike McDaniel as an offensive mind and the way he worked with you guys on offense in San Francisco?) – “Honestly, I’ve got asked this question before, and Mike (McDaniel) is a genius. The way that he’s able to break down just the defense and he’s able to put players in position to make plays, it’s honestly really amazing. With him – Kyle Shanahan also had a big part of that as well, too – that whole offensive staff over there in San Fran. They both did a great job. Mike being in charge of the run game and having the ability with the pass game and everything like that. Like I said, he’s a mastermind and I can’t wait to get into the offense. Obviously I know a little bit of it and everything like that should be a little bit of carryover but I’m just getting ready to get to work.”
(My question to you – just doing some research – you attended high school in Danville and you played multiple sports and even in football on both sides of the ball. How do you feel that’ll help you where you’re at right now today just from that experience as an athlete in general?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question. I think honestly just being able to do more. Obviously not coming in to play defensive back like I did in high school or whatever it may be, but just being able to play different positions as far as whether that be with special teams, receiver, those type of things. I think that has contributed to the fact of why I’ve been able to stay in the league and last in the league as an undrafted free agent. Just being able to play offense and be able to use special teams with the athleticism and stuff like that, so it’s something that definitely played into my favor a lot just being able to play both sides whether that be on (special) teams or whether that be on offense and those type of things. So it’s definitely played a huge factor in my career.”
(You played a couple years with RB Chase Edmonds obviously in Arizona. Just impressions of his skills as a running back. What does he bring to the table?) – “Oh man, he brings – Chase (Edmonds) is my guy. I’m not just saying this because he’s my guy, but Chase, he is a wide receiver-running back guy that can really run routes, really has great hands. (He has a) very, very high IQ of the game. Somebody who really takes his job serious day-in and day-out. Somebody that you can depend on and just somebody who really like I said, just loves the game. And like I said, he’s just very, very dependable. Very, very high IQ when it comes to learning plays and just scouting the defense and everything like that. He’s just not your typical running back. He’s not one-dimensional whatsoever. He can run routes out of the backfield really well, carries the ball really tough and I’ve noticed that. It’s amazing to be able to see him actually grow. We actually came in together in Arizona and just being able to see how far he’s come as far as route-running and doing all of those different things so. So Chase is, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime back in my opinion.”
(And one other quick thing for you. How much of an advantage if any do you think it is for you and WR River Cracraft knowing this offense? Obviously there will be a lot of similarities from the 49ers offense. I’m sure that Head Coach Mike McDaniel will put his own sort of nuances in it. Is that any kind of advantage for both of you guys?) – “I think it can be, but then I also think that it honestly doesn’t really matter because we’ve still got to come in and compete at the end of the day. Because it doesn’t matter if you know the plays or whatever it may be, you’ve still got to go out and execute, you’ve still got to go out and catch balls, you’ve still got to go out and like I said, you’ve got go out and make plays. So to me, I definitely do think that obviously it plays into our favor. Obviously coming from the system and everything like that, but I think at the end of the day, you’ve still got to go out and strap up your cleats and everything like that.”
(My question is similar to the previous in the sense that you’ve come over here with Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker. Do you kind of view that as an opportunity? Once we hit OTAs, the first kind of time on the field with this team, does it kind of hit you as an opportunity to kind of help get his message across to the rest of the receivers room and say to the rest of the guys ‘here’s what you can expect?”) – “I think for me, I just want to come in and if I have to lead, I just lead by the way that I work and lead by the example of the way I carry myself and those types of different things. I know that DeVante Parker is a great receiver that’s in the room and Jaylen Waddle and these guys have done tremendous things in this league, and honestly they are the leaders. For me, I think it’s just knowing what Wes expects from the guys, and not only what Wes expects from us as a group, but what I expect for myself. I hold myself to a high standard when it comes to my work and everything like that. Just going in every single day. Just doing what I’m coached to do and doing it at an extremely high level.”
(I wanted to get your impressions of QB Tua Tagovailoa, watching him from afar, and have you had any communication with him?) – “I haven’t had any communication with him just yet. I’m pretty sure that will change here in the coming weeks. But yes, I have had a lot of time to watch him. I’ve had a lot of time to really dive into his film and just watching games from afar on different teams. Travis asked me this question when I was down there not too long ago, if I had seen a play that really struck me to really like Tua. The one that I really can’t get out of my head is the one when they played against New Orleans. I think he made a mistake, then he came back and threw a touchdown. Seeing little things like that is something that is very, very encouraging. Not only as a receiver, but also as a teammate. He’s somebody that you can get behind. He’s a winner. It goes all the way back to Alabama and you can see that and the type of player that he is. I’m excited to get with him and excited to play with him.”
Connor Williams – March 21, 2022
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Monday, March 21, 2022
OL Connor Williams
(When you were sold on Miami, were you brought in here specially to play guard? Was there ever any talk about moving you to tackle or was it you are strictly coming here to play guard?) – “I think as of now, it is still really open. After meeting the coaches and everything, they’ve seen my ability to play really any position. Obviously, most of my work in the league has been at guard and at that, it has been at left guard and I feel most comfortable at left guard. But also, they understand that I can probably play tackle, I can play center and so it’s really wherever I’m needed and wherever I’m placed is where I’m willing to work.”
(Did Head Coach Mike McDaniel give you any insight on what that decision would be based on? In terms of whether you’ll stay at guard or perhaps move to tackle?) – “I think the image of the team is like a living and breathing organism right now. Once we get on the field and once the team starts coming to life and seeing who we are and what our identity is, I think that’s when it will start to be more clear. I don’t think until we get on the field will that become more relevant.”
(Would you be fine doing any of those things? A move to tackle, you’d be fine with it?) – “Most definitely. I played tackle in college. I’ve had snaps at center in preseason games and so I’m most definitely open to play any position.”
(For the first few years of your career, you kept your holding penalties down but then you had an uncharacteristic amount last year. Why do you think that was and what can you do to correct that?) – “Honestly it was a one-off year and it’s not a reputation I’ve had in previous years. I think a lot of things not going the right way and just build on the season. No excuses to be made but just fine-tuning my craft and knowing when to let go and when not to and just focusing on the very details and just playing a cleaner game. Honestly, that comes with an additional year of experience. One year at a time. This game is all about experience and live reps. The more you get those, the more you’re comfortable with it and the more you understand the full scope of what you’re doing.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about Head Coach Mike McDaniel and this zone running scheme that he is seeking to bring to Miami. I was just curious if you can kind of whittle it down to a percentage in Dallas, how much do you guys run whether it’s inside zone or outside zone, and what does it take for an offensive line for that to be really cohesive?) – “I think one thing is clear is that was one of the best things we did in Dallas was coming off the ball running side to side, getting the d-line moving and getting the defense on their feet and then penetrating the defense with the run game. Once you get the defense on their heels, then you can get them in the air, you can dish it out and after talking to coach, you can tell his excitement in bringing this new zone scheme into Miami. That is part of the reason I’m here is to be part of that building block of starting a great zone scheme. I think the biggest part of that is the cohesiveness of the team. Everybody is on the same page, everybody is working together and after reps after reps after reps it starts manifesting into its own.”
(I know that you’re a pretty young offensive linemen yourself, but you come to a town here in Miami where there’s a lot of young offensive linemen in this room already. What are some of the leadership qualities you think you possess that you can help guide this younger group and just be a leader in that room?) – “This is probably one of the most exciting things for me about coming to Miami. Coming into the league, I came in at 20 and you had Travis (Frederick), you have Zack (Martin), you have Tyron (Smith), you have ‘L’ (La’el Collins) and you have all these great players to learn from. They set a mold of how to do things, how to be a great player in this league and what it means day in and day out to work hard and what that hard work means and transitions onto the field and the respect it has in the locker room. Just having a younger o-line group, it’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be some good energy of just being able to get to work day-in and day-out with guys that are eager, that are hungry and just being able to grow as a unit together. The O-line is a special game. It’s all about camaraderie, it’s all about trusting the guy to the left and to the right of you. You’re never just as good as your best player. You’re as good as the whole line’s strength all together. That’s the most beautiful part about it and I think that’s the most exciting part of the game, just being able to build that together – the chemistry together.”
