Christian Wilkins – January 10, 2022
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Monday, January 10, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(Just wanted to start off asking where were you when you found out that Brian Flores was fired as head coach and I guess what is your reaction to that news?) – “I was in the facility just doing my exit meetings and stuff, just going through the out-process and everything. Got the news and it’s just the nature of the beast. It’s just the business. I got a lot of respect for ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores). He’s a great guy, great leader. We essentially came in together. I was his first drafted rookie so I got a lot of great things to say about ‘Flo’ and think kindly of him as a person and as a man and as a coach. All those other things that go on, those decisions made and things like that; that’s out of my control. I can only control essentially what I do and who I am every day and how I approach just being the player that I am.”
(Is it a surprise in any sense? Obviously the season ultimately did kind of fell short of everyone’s goals, but after you were able to turn around that 1-7 start, did it kind of come as a surprise when you heard?) – “Again as I said, those decisions that are made – I just try to focus on ball and doing what I need to do and being the player that I need to be and the leader that I need to be and the teammate that I need to be. I don’t really try to focus on all the other stuff.”
(What are some of the things that you learned from Brian Flores in these years that are going to help you moving forward?) – “The thing he preached the most, the thing that is going to stick with me in my head for forever is the mindset of ‘one day at a time, one play at a time.’ That is obviously something he was big on. That’s always something I’m going to remember, just that mindset that he instilled into all of us, instilled into me for my three years working with him which was an honor. Like I said, I think he’s a great coach and a great man and a great person. Just things like that and earning respect; you’re going to have to earn it every day. It’s a week-by-week thing in this league and he just taught me a lot, really. As a coach, he could really coach football well and like I said, I got a lot of respect for him.”
(Obviously the defense has been pretty impressive the past two years but the offense was kind of lagging behind. Do you understand why changes were made? Obviously, you guys rallied back for “Flo,” but was there hope that things would get fixed offensively with this team?) – “Again, I don’t really know what went into making all the decisions. That’s, again, above my paygrade. I don’t get paid to do that. I get paid to play football and be a good teammate and lead guys. I try to just focus on doing those things, being the same guy each and every day. The reasons why those decisions were made, I don’t really know that stuff, but you know, my job is to be a leader on this team and I’m going to continue to do that and be the best player that I can be. Life does go on. Life will move forward and I’ve just got to continue on.”
(In your mind, you’ve been with some pretty good head coaches throughout your career, what makes a good head coach? What characteristics personify good head coaches?) – “There’s definitely different types of coaches. You can be a player’s coach, you can be an x’s and o’s guy; but I feel like consistently to be a good head coach, you have to have the ability to motivate and essentially bring – you have to essentially be able to motivate and get everybody on the same page. There’s a lot of moving parts within a team, within an organization. That’s part of it and you got to be able to be a great leader. A servant leader. It’s not about you. It’s about things that are greater and you got to put the team always before yourself even as a head coach. That’s kind of what I feel makes a good head coach.”
(You guys on defense obviously were very successful this year. We saw you doing a lot of creative things, having a lot of success with the zero blitzes and stuff like that. Where are you in terms of your level of concern where maybe a new guy comes in, a new coordinator and he might fix something that’s not broken or do you think that you guys have so much talent defensively that you can sort of adapt to anything and make it work real well?) – “Again, it’s not necessarily about the talent and things. Each year it’s different, whether you have consistency, continuity or not. Each year is a little bit different, so it’s going to be up to the players making decisions to buy into whatever the system is or buy into whatever is being done, whatever play is called. That’s going to come up to the leadership on the team. Some of the older guys who are going to be around, the guys who have been around – they’re going to have to step up in this kind of situation and really be the ones first to buy in with this whole process. New coach, whatever is going on. You just got to adjust and that’s another thing that I learned from ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores); adapt or die. Just got to be able to adjust and go with it, whatever happens.”
(Now that the season is officially over, I was hoping to see if we can get you to reflect on what was a career year for you statistically? I think a lot of folks would agree your impact kind of reflected those numbers. Just wanted to kind of get your take on how you feel you performed this year and have you kind of laid out your road map for how you want to approach getting better in the offseason?) – “I feel like I had a pretty solid year, obviously. I was able to do some things, was able to have some success – the most success of my career to this point. But having that success only made me hungrier for more. I still want to be the best player that I can be. I don’t know what that is, what that looks like; but I’m just going to continue to work and immediately essentially get back to the grind and not really take a lot of time off because I know it’s important and my teammates are going to need that, and I want that for myself, for me to be my best. Just really going to stay with it, get right back into things pretty soon. I’ll take a little time for me but then after that, really going to try to do everything it takes from a nutrition standpoint, from a training standpoint and from just an overall football knowledge, watching tape and doing those things. I’m definitely going to want to stay sharp during the offseason so that I can come back and be the best player that I can be so I can have more success which ultimately will lead to more team success.”
Jerome Baker – January 10, 2022
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Monday, January 10, 2022
LB Jerome Baker
(Your immediate reaction to finding out that the Dolphins moved on from Brian Flores. What were your emotions? Were you surprised with the way the team finished the season that they made this decision?) – “Yeah, I was definitely surprised. I woke up and my phone just kept ringing and kept ringing, and that’s when I found out. I was definitely surprised.”
(From being there communicating with teammates, do you feel Brian Flores always had the locker room?) – “Yes. Definitely did. We all trust and believe in ‘Flo.’ He’s a great coach, a great guy and we definitely trusted him.”
(Obviously you’ve known him well over the last three years. How would you describe Brian Flores’ relationship and maybe sort of his personality and his relationships with players? Obviously he’s a little bit of an intense guy. I’m curious how you guys were receptive of his personality.) – “I think once you get to know him and get to feel him out – he plays that ‘got to stay focused, got to – that mentality, but he’s a great guy. At the end of the day he wanted you to be the best player you could be, and that’s really what it is. Not just be the best player, but also just be the best person you can be, and that’s all you can really ask for. He truly just wanted us to do well and wanted us to just win games and be great people, and that’s unfortunate that he’s gone now.”
(If I could follow, I think this will be the third head coach for you in your career. What does it do I guess for a team when you have to start over with a new head man, with his new culture and philosophy and all that stuff?) – “It’s just a fresh start. You just start over and at the end of the day we’re professionals. We get paid to go out on the field and perform no matter the circumstance. Every day we’ve got to go out there and win ball games, so it’s going to have its bumps and bruises, but we’re just going to have to lead us forward to push what the head coach wants to do and at the end of the day you’ve got to just turn the page and start over.”
(Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross intimated today that there was some sort of inter-organizational, maybe not necessarily being on the same page between Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier and that might be one of the reasons why they moved on. In the locker room did you sense any sort of back-and-forth there or any sort of dissention or anything that maybe would make today not surprising to you?) – “No, I didn’t feel that. I didn’t even see that, but at the end of the day – like Christian (Wilkins) said – that’s out of my pay grade. I don’t really control what happens upstairs or what happens in the offices. But I didn’t feel it. I didn’t see it.”
(Obviously you’re well-aware of the business end of this league. How do you kind of process that as a player when you think that rallying back from 1-7 is going to save your coach and his staff’s job and then it doesn’t?) – “How do I process it? I don’t know. I really just – it’s unfortunate. But at the end of the day it is a business and I can’t control things like that. All I can control is when I go out on that field, I give it all I’ve got and try to be a leader for this team. I can’t really control the things that happen outside of that.”
(If I may follow that up you guys have the NFL-leading $74 million in cap space, not that that’s a lot of money because it’s just a little bit more than your contract, but obviously it’s going to be a makeover. Are you excited about a makeover? Do you feel like you like what’s here or what new pieces? Fresh start?) – “I’d say that I love the guys we have in our locker room. I love the people, I love the coaching staff, I love everything about the season. Am I excited? Of course. I’m going to be excited to have new guys and start over again. Right now it’s one of those spots of the season just ended yesterday so take some time to myself and when I see those other pieces come in, yeah, it’s definitely going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun. It’s definitely going to be fun. We’re definitely moving in the right direction. I know we’re just going to keep going forward.”
(Just wanted to see if you would take a moment to reflect on your personal season this year with how you felt you performed and if you met your personal goals and expectations?) – “I felt like I did pretty good, I guess. I truly didn’t look at my stats or nothing like that, but I definitely feel like I got better, I guess you could say. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t take that next step to get to the playoffs. But I truly didn’t sit down and look at the things I did or didn’t do, but yeah, I’m definitely going to take some time and just reflect on that. But right now I’m at a good spot and I feel like I played pretty well, but there’s always room for improvement.”
Stephen Ross – January 10, 2022
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Monday, January 10, 2022
Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross
(Opening Statement) – “Good morning. First, I’d like to thank Brian Flores for all that he’s done for the Miami Dolphins. He’s a very good man and I wish him the best. I’m sure we’ll see him again as an NFL coach. So now, I’ll take any questions.
(I’d like to ask you what role, if any, the quarterback position played in this decision? Was there a question over whether QB Tua Tagovailoa is your man for the future? How much does QB Deshaun Watson play into it and was there disagreement over which direction you should go at quarterback?) – “First of all, let me be clear, it played no role at all. I have a lot of confidence in Tua and I think the next head coach will work with him, or whoever else, but I have a lot of confidence in him. I have watched him grow. I think he’s a fine young man and he is right now the quarterback and that will be dependent upon the new head coach but I have a lot of confidence in Tua.”
(Obviously the decision came to a shock for some of us. What went into the decision to fire Head Coach Brian Flores and keep General Manager Chris Grier in charge?) – “Well, I’ve been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow. I think an organization can only function if it is collaborative and it works well together. I don’t think that we were really working well as an organization that it would take to really win consistently at the NFL level.”
(From a performance standpoint, how would you assess what General Manager Chris Grier has done in order for you to say that his job is satisfactory?) – “I think if you look at our roster, I think we have a very fine, excellent roster of young players. This was all done in the last three years. We had an old, aging roster before that was leading us nowhere but to mediocrity and I think that if you look at our roster today, you see our salary cap and the players we have, I think we are well suited for the future.”
(Did you ever end up speaking to QB Deshaun Watson? I know there was a report that you were granted permission and do you plan to explore acquiring Watson again this offseason?) – “I have no plans. It will be up to the head coach in terms of what he does with the quarterback. Tua (Tagovailoa), as I said before, I have a lot of confidence in Tua. It is really going to be dependent on who the next head coach is and the direction that he wants to take at that position.”
(With your comments about the state of this roster’s talent level, what more do you think that this roster can accomplish as currently constructed?) – “I think one – it’s the roster, it’s the way the organization functions and communicates together. I think that really is very important in building a winning football team and sustaining that over the long-term.”
(It sounds like this has much to do with communication issues or compatibility off the field as it did the performance on the field?) – “I think if you look at it, it’s really communication and collaboration. I don’t think there is any organization in this country that unless you have excellent communication and collaborative efforts within the whole organization, that you can really win and sustain yourself in the long term.”
(Your thoughts on Jim Harbaugh and do you have a coach in mind as you’ve made this move?) – “(laughter) I have no coach in mind at this point. We’re going to do a thorough review and interview process. Jim Harbaugh, I love Jim Harbaugh. He had the opportunity once before to come to the Miami Dolphins. But he’s at the University of Michigan as everybody really knows. That is the school that I graduated from and I’m very involved in it, and I’m not going to be the person that takes Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He is a great coach.”
(You’ve hired now three head coaches. In the past, they have all been career assistants and first-time head coaches. Is having an experienced head coach something that is important to you or would you consider coordinators?) – “We’re going to look for the best man. Certainly having the experience always helps. I’m sure, if we believe we found somebody that is exceptional that’s been a coordinator or some other position in football, I certainly would look at that very seriously. Our mind is open. We’re looking for someone that could work together in taking this roster and taking it to its next level.”
(Was there any indication from any players on the roster or even General Manager Chris Grier that players didn’t want to play for Brian Flores or any coaches on this staff?) – “I’m not going to comment on that. Different people rub people different ways. I have to look at it in totality and everybody has their own opinions. But that was not the reason.”
(You mentioned collaboration a lot during this time. You hired the people that were in place to collaborate, so I’m wondering what your responsibility for making that collaboration happen and your responsibility for having it fail?) – “I’ll take all responsibility. I am the owner of the team and if it’s not working, it’s really up to me. That is why we are making a change.”
Robert Jones – January 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Postgame – New England
G Robert Jones
Q. How did it feel to get that first NFL start? When did you find out you would be trotting out there with the starters?
ROBERT JONES: It was amazing, going out there playing against a good team. Finally being able to go out there and showcase, show myself, that I’m capable to play with these guys. During the week I knew there was a chance I could start, but I didn’t know for sure. So going on through the week I took reps, and credit to Jesse (Davis). He stuck by my side. He just kept guiding me, like he has all season trying to help me be a better player. Game time came, it was my time to go.
Q. How do you feel you did?
ROBERT JONES: I feel like I did okay. I feel like a lot of things I still have to work on. But I just tried to go out there, play hard, be aggressive and just have fun.
Q. What’s it like to see this offensive line go through their struggles all season and then get your opportunity late in the season in the season finale?
ROBERT JONES: As the season went on, I felt like we got better each game. I feel like we did a lot of good things throughout the whole season. Credit to Jesse (Davis) and him being a veteran and leader in the room, made sure we all stuck together and we don’t feed into the outside noise. Him and Coach ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanperre) kept putting it in our head, we just have to trust ourselves, believe in ourselves and keep trusting our technique, listen to what Coach Flo and everyone is saying we can do. We just kept doing that, kept staying down and kept working and it paid off.
Q. What the team has been able to do in the last nine games of the season, do you think it’s possible to carry momentum over to the next one?
ROBERT JONES: Next season is a long time from now. I feel like we did a lot of good things the whole season. In the second half of the season, we picked a lot of things up and we got way better. We just kept playing together, staying together, just kept doing what we do. Going to next season we’ve just got to keep feeding on that. Just keep focusing on the little things to help us just get better.
Duke Johnson – January 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Postgame – New England
RB Duke Johnson
Q. How did it feel wearing that Miami Dolphins throwback jersey for first time in game?
DUKE JOHNSON: That’s probably my favorite jersey combination. It was dope. That would be my best. I don’t think I wore the color rush one but as of now the throwback is my favorite.
Q. Duke, another game with 100 or more yards. You’ve always talked about you still have a lot left in the tank. Can you just talk about, was this just rewarding for you that you could show what you still can do on the field?
DUKE JOHNSON: Yes. I think for me it’s a blessing. I didn’t play football for most of this year. Got here I want to say October, maybe. And they gave me an opportunity to play. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity because before then I was at home. So it’s definitely for me, it’s surreal. It’s definitely a blessing. I don’t look at it as proving what I can do. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.
Q. This is your home. Is this something you foresee that you would really enjoy being a part of this team in the offseason and see what you can do next season?
DUKE JOHNSON: Me staying here? Like you said, it’s my home. If I didn’t have to leave home I wouldn’t.
Q. I found it interesting Duke that earlier this season after your first 100-yard game, you were kind of blasé blah about whether or not you still had it and didn’t have anything to prove to anybody and didn’t know if you were going to retire. Obviously you can acknowledge that you want to keep playing now, right?
DUKE JOHNSON: For sure. For sure. I’ve never said I would retire. I wouldn’t even go as far to say I was ready to retire. I was just in a season where this season before I came here, I was in kind of a slump going from team to team, working out with teams. And sometimes that makes you question do you still have it? Can you still play? Again like I said, I’m grateful for the opportunity to even come out here and show that I can just still play football.
Q. How liberating was it for you? Ignoring the fact that it’s in your hometown, how liberating was it for you to have a team really give you an opportunity to be that featured back? Your only 20-carry games have come in this stadium?
DUKE JOHNSON: I’m not sure because for me it’s not even the fact of being able to show that I can do it every down; it’s the fact they gave me the opportunity to play. No one was giving me the opportunity just to play. Whether it was third down, special teams, no one gave me the opportunity. And the Dolphins did. So for me, it’s not about the workhorse mentality for me. It’s just the fact that they gave me the opportunity to play. And that’s kind of where I am.
Q. A minute ago you mentioned that you were in a slump. How does one get out of it? What was the key for you?
DUKE JOHNSON: Pray. For me. Trusting my faith and trusting the plan that my God have for me. And just move forward.
Q. How confident are you that this performance, especially tonight, will give you the opportunity to come back next year with the Dolphins?
DUKE JOHNSON: I’m hoping that it does. How confident I am? I really don’t know. I really can’t say because again, it’s above my pay grade. But for me just having an opportunity to come back and play.
Xavien Howard – January 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Postgame – New England
CB Xavien Howard
Q. Can you walk me through that last play, where were you and how did it feel to kind of have the season end like that on a high note and have the entire crowd, have the entire team celebrate like that?
XAVIEN HOWARD: It was a great feeling. Been a rough season, I would say. We struggled at the beginning of the season, but I feel like we finished strong. I’m proud of everybody in that locker room.
Q. How much of it was a kind of point of emphasis to say although we don’t necessarily have a postseason berth to play for, we still want go out there and put the best outing that we can? How much of that was an emphasis during the week with this team?
XAVIEN HOWARD: We heard that so much this week. We heard that so much this week, but we want to finish strong. Not in the playoffs, nothing like that so we wanted to end on a good note at home.
Q. Can you describe the energy on the field the first couple of series that the defense took today? It felt just a lot like the juice you guys that you all were bringing during that seven-game winning streak?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Right, I felt like the momentum changed when we started making plays, scoring a touchdown on defense, I feel like the momentum changed. Everybody was excited and everybody came to play like that.
Q. What has been the learning lesson that you take from this season as a team?
XAVIEN HOWARD: I feel like as a team, we stuck together the through the ups and downs during the season, was 1-7, something like that starting off. It was tough. We could have been quitters, stuff like that, but we kept it going. Everybody kept fighting. I feel like we overcame it. We ended up finishing on a good note.
Christian Wilkins – January 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Postgame – New England
DE Christian Wilkins
Q. For the Dolphins throwbacks, how often do you all want to play in them because it seems like this year when you wear those jerseys you all put a statement effort. Would you try to see those year-round or is it just certain games?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I think they’re a special-occasion thing. It’s cool just to throw them on. We all get excited. They’re nice throwbacks. I think we’ve got some of the best uniforms and best retro uniforms in the league. It’s always exciting to throw on the throwbacks and give a shoutout to our predecessors.
Q. What does it feel like to be the top tackle man in the NFL from the defensive line standpoint?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty cool honor. I wasn’t trying to focus on it. Guys were talking about it. It was all week and stuff. I’m like, no, I’m just trying to play the game. Let me just get to the game. But just like any time you get a personal accolade, it never can be dealt without the guys around you. If I don’t have the other guys on the d-line pushing me every day to be my best and coming every day to be the example, what it looks like, or try to be the example for those guys. And if I don’t have guys setting edges – it’s really a collective thing. I don’t do it by myself. But I’m definitely honored to have the honor and that recognition. Hopefully I’ll bring it next year.
Q. What’s it like when you have an effective running game for the defense?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: That’s big. It’s huge because you’re wearing the other defense down. You’re taking more time of possession when you can run the ball. It’s always great when the offense can get the ball in the ground game going. It’s huge. It keeps us fresh, keeps us off the field, keeps the clocking rolling and especially when we had to have it late in the game we were able to do those things and offense stepped up big today.
Q. You guys talked all year about sticking together and how you guys really fought till the bitter end because you stuck together. What role did “Flo” (Head Coach Brian Flores) play in keeping you guys together? If you could explain some of the things he did.
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: That’s the head man. We followed his lead. All year long, when it was at its worst and when things didn’t look so great and all the outside world had this to say about us, that to say about us; he just brought us all back in. Even when we were doing great, he still brought us back in – we still have to get better. We’ve still got to stick together no matter what. Even when guys started to have some success, he’s, like, no. He does a great job of leading us, setting the tone for us each week and creating the mindset for us, and we all love it as players and we can all get behind him.
Jaylen Waddle – January 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Postgame – New England
WR Jaylen Waddle
Q. That last play when you see the lateral going on and Sam (Eguavoen) intercepts it and you guys just kind of go crazy, what was that moment like to finish your season like that in front of the home crowd?
JAYLEN WADDLE: That was a crazy moment. Like just to finish the season that way, like on a high note, is important.
Q. I know you said you weren’t focusing on the record, but you got it out of the way early on that first drive. What did that mean for you to do it in front of a home crowd and have it contribute to a win?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It meant a lot. A lot of credit shouldn’t even go to me. Credit the OC, my quarterback, o-line, all the receivers in the group, the tight ends. It’s definitely – I got the record, but it’s all of us.
Q. Can you put into words what this season was like? I know ending on a high note was nice, but to have this NFL record? Could you put into words how your rookie season feels now that it’s done?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It had its highs and it had its lows. It was just an experience, a new experience. I mean, you go into the league not knowing what to expect. So you just go out there and just try to compete. I don’t even know. I don’t really have words for it. It was just new.
Q. What was it like now that the season is over, what was it like for you taking on the heavy load with the offense? Obviously, you set an NFL record today. But now that it’s over and looking back, what was it like for your in your first NFL season to have this heavy of a role?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It was a challenge. I think they challenged me every week to learn a new role. They put me in different spots, put me all over the place to learn that – it was challenging. But it shows they have trust in me and just that I go out there, I can learn it real fast and go out there and compete, try to put it in motion.
Q. You surpassed a guy like Anquan Boldin with the NFL record. Was that a player you looked up to when you were growing up?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Yeah, definitely. He definitely was a baller when I was growing up. Anquan (Boldin), definitely a Hall of Famer.
Q. Couple of big runs from Tua tonight. What was your reaction seeing him take off?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I said, hey, Tua (Tagovailoa) getting kind of loose out there. Seeing some speed. He showed off his speed a little bit. I always called him slow. (laughter)
