Austin Jackson – December 7, 2023
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Thursday, December 7, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(You talked to us on Tuesday. Did you have an inkling that this was in the works?) – “No. I knew there were conversations being had but I really found out this was getting really close yesterday morning for the most part.”
(What emotions do you have now that the ink is dry?) – “I’m excited. I’m excited and extremely grateful. If you know my journey here, it’s been one with a lot of, I don’t know, I guess stuff to remember. There’s been a lot that went on, but I’m just glad that I got a place that allowed me to work on my craft and get better every day. I’m just looking forward to keep doing that.”
(What were the conversations leading up to it that gave you that idea that it could be coming?) – “They were just negotiations between my agent and upstairs. For the most part it was between them. I was included, of course, but for the most part it was between them. Stuff I probably wouldn’t talk about right now.”
(What made you decide, hey, you know what, let me sign now instead of doing what some folks might do and carry it into unrestricted free agency and take a bunch of LeBron type meetings?) – “For me, I like this organization and I like where we’re at right now. I like where the focus is here right now. I think it kind of aligns with what I want to be still as a football player in this league and also further in life. I think everything just kind of aligned up. When I prayed about it and talked to my family, it worked out for me really well.”
(You don’t really know when a new coaching staff and regime takes over, you don’t know where their loyalties are going to lie. Especially if they’re not the ones who brought you in. When Head Coach Mike McDaniel and this staff got here, how much did it mean to you that they said I don’t care about those first few years, I want to see for myself who Austin Jackson is?) – “It meant a lot. He definitely took the time to really see who I was as a player with his own eyes, like you said. I appreciate that. It’s definitely – people could’ve ran with whatever they thought they knew about coming in here to our situation at the time. He really just took the time to sit down with me, sit down and talk with the team. He’s given me every opportunity and every tool to be great, so I’m thankful for that. It makes me really work hard, and I appreciate that.”
(How did you celebrate?) – “Well I didn’t really get to celebrate. I got told that I would sign this morning like yesterday night. So last night was talking to everybody on the phone. Then I’m going to be tired tonight because it’s a Wednesday practice. I’ll find some time to celebrate later.”
(You talk about the support you feel from Head Coach Mike McDaniel. QB Tua Tagovailoa was up here five minutes ago. He said that might not always have been the case from some of the coaching that you had. Can you speak on that? What you had to go through earlier in your career?) – “So earlier in my career, I was the fifth tackle taken in the first round. First-round draft pick. I had high expectations. I had high expectations and every time I didn’t perform, it was noted and highlighted. It was very much so highlighted, to say the least. But that just made me a better football player at the end of the day. I’m very tough. I understand this is football. There are certain things that are done in football. The only thing you can do is not take it too personal. So I just moved on from that, took what I needed to get better, and got better.”
(I don’t mean to drag up those first years too much, but for the biggest skeptics outside the organization, what were people not seeing in those first two years that if they saw behind the scenes what would have altered their opinion?) – “That’s a tough question. They didn’t see my at my full potential. Point blank period. I’m always going to point the finger at myself first. I think there were some things I could’ve done better. There were some things I could’ve done to be better in my first two years, all on my own that I could’ve done, that I’ve learned how to do now. It’s really just learning and not staying complacent. You have to stay hungry so you can get better, which is what I try to do.”
(What was the reaction from your offensive line teammates?) – “Yeah, everyone was pretty excited. Lots of smiles and hugs. Everyone want’s some money for some dinner. (laughter) It’s been good energy. Those guys are really happy for me. I’m appreciative of that.”
(In college, the head coach tries to get three guys all agree to return together. Is that going down with C Connor Williams and OL Rob Hunt? Have you been asked to recruit these guys back?) – “Not yet. Shoot, I just signed, so I’m sure that’s coming soon.”
(Are there any hints that you want to give QB Tua Tagovailoa publicly about a possible gift?) – “No, I actually have his gift and I know what it is and I want it to be a surprise. I can’t give you that one now. But we can talk about it when we do it for sure.”
(How did you get his gift already?) – “I’ve been talking about it for a while. I think I brought it up to the o-line a couple weeks ago actually when December started. As soon as December started, I got in the Christmas mood this year.”
(Mike McDaniel told us about an interaction between you and T Terron Armstead last offseason when he told you, you could be special, you could be different. Do you remember that interaction and what the conversation was?) – “Yeah. Last offseason I got the opportunity to play tackle again. So with Terron coming in playing left, I’d be able to play right. So I remember I sat down with Terron, Frank Smith, and Mike McDaniel the day Terron got here. Terron was just really adamant about who I could be in this league. Everybody was. We all talked about the stuff that needs to get done, the type of program we wanted and expectations. It was a great conversation between all of us because I really felt like I had a good opportunity to handle everything on my end, which is all I wanted for me to be able to do everything I needed to do to benefit and help the team. That definitely was a great talk for us. We’ve had a lot of interactions since then for sure.”
(Have you seen any of the same similarities with OL Liam Eichenberg and his approach? Someone who also has to be aligned maybe at times early in his career.) – “Yeah, his approach has been spot on. You have to show up every day and compete and get better. The game is always everchanging. Coaches are drawing up new plays and dealing with new situations all the time. So being present every single day and allowing yourself to take in new information is huge. He does it very well, and he’s able to take it in and go perform at a high level as well. As long as he keeps doing that, he’ll be great.”
(Did a family member have a cool reaction when you filled them in last night?) – “Yeah. Well, everybody is just super happy and excited. It feels like everybody kind of screams when they first hear it. Nothing ridiculous. No one got up and ran around the house or anything. I’m sure I’ll get some reactions today when I get back on my phone.”
(It has to be a massive relief for you not to have to carry this into the offseason?) – “Yeah, it definitely is something to be grateful for. Definitely was supposed to go into free agency and deal with that whole process. I will have some more time to be in my shoes and come up with a great plan for the offseason.”
(You went into your profession at 20 years old. Head Coach Mike McDaniel was speaking earlier about how difficult that is for someone. How have you matured since then?) – “I’ve matured a lot. I’ve matured a lot. I think one, I was mature coming in, but there’s a lot of stuff going on and it’s at a very fast pace. No one is really stopping to catch you up. It’s things you should kind of know already. I went through a lot of those things and learned a lot of things that you should know. I’m glad I made that decision to go in early. I’m glad I had that faith in myself, and I still do.”
Tua Tagovailoa – December 7, 2023
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Thursday, December 7, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Your experience on Monday Night Football and showing everybody your guitar skills. Can you tell us a little bit about that night?) – “Yeah, that was an audio recording. I don’t know how to play the guitar, so don’t ask me how to play the guitar. (laughter) I’m kidding. It was cool. I have a lot of instruments at my house. To me, that’s a getaway for me is to play music. I do my best to teach myself how to play things. I taught myself how to play the guitar, how to play the bass, was teaching myself how to play the drums and some piano. My mom can play the piano by notes. I don’t know it by those. To me, it’s through hearing, and then through progressions of chords. I grew up in choir, so I grew up around music in church.”
(Did you start out playing Guitar Hero?) – “Yeah. I did start out playing Guitar Hero. I knew how to play the ukulele before I knew how to play any other instruments. From there, I had a couple of buddies that played the guitar and I thought it was really cool they knew how to play it, and the way they played it. It sounded really good so I wanted to get really good at that. You go on YouTube, you learn C, F, G, and then you build it off from there. Then your picking skills come alive as well, and then you use your imagination from there.”
(I know earlier in the offseason, we talked to you so much about what you did during the offseason to stay healthy and protect yourself. I know quarterbacks have various stuff they do during the week in terms of recovering. I was curious if there’s anything in particular that you do or have picked up to make sure your body is fresh on gamedays?) – “Yeah, I have a process and a routine that I do with our head of strength and conditioning, Dave (Puloka). We have a routine after games and throughout the week with what we do as far as conditioning, sprint yardages so that in the game, the first time I’m sprinting is not in the game. It’s not that long period before the first time you’re sprinting in a game. Then we have two lifts throughout that period outside of the recovery day.”
(The sprinting help you stay prepared for when you get into a game even though you’re not known for running a lot?) – “Yeah. It helps a lot, and the conditioning as well. There is only so many times we can run full speed reps of keepers or extending the plays in practice with our guys running full speed. I have to find other ways to keep myself in check with that.”
(How often do you cold tub and/or recovery chamber?) – “I use the cold tub every day. Every morning I jump into the cold tub.”
(Do you still take jiu-jitsu classes?) – “I don’t take any jiu-jitsu classes. From what I’ve learned, I’ve just been practicing what has been given throughout the process where I’ve been learning to fall, and really just going over that on Thursdays.”
(Do you think you’d continue the training in the offseason? Is that something you want to continue to do?) – ‘If I want to become dangerous then sure. (laughter) But no, I’m just learning how to fall.”
(With the Titans’ record 4-8, is there anything that surprises you this week preparing for a prime time game?) – “Not necessarily. I think one of the things we’re going to have to see is who is going to fill in for 98 (Jeffery Simmons). I think personally that is a big loss for their d-line and the things they do in the back end and with their ‘backers. But outside of that, they are who they are. They play what they play. We’re going to have to be ready with some answers with the pressures they have.”
(You had those two long touchdown connections with WR Tyreek Hill. You also had to like that you had a zero in the interception and turnover section. What were your thoughts after that? That was something you were trying to get over in recent weeks.) – “Anyone can do it once. I got to continue that throughout this back stretch of the year. Zero turnovers is good one time, but anyone can do that once.”
(In a game where you have those two long touchdown connections with WR Tyreek Hill, you also had to like the zero in the interception and turnover section. What were your thoughts after that?) – “Anyone can do it once. I got to continue that throughout this back stretch of the year. Zero turnovers is good one time, but anyone can do it once.”
(Speaking of that, we saw on Hard Knocks this week that Head Coach Mike McDaniel encourages you to use extreme frustration and focus it. Have you been able to do that? To use that? Because you have obviously talked a lot in the past about getting frustrated when you do turn the ball over. Are you able to do that?) – “Yeah, I’m able to move on from it a lot quicker than I have in past years. I think that’s just the level of growth for myself as a football player, as a person. Not everything is going to go your way, but how you react to it, you have control over that. I’ve said it many times, you never win the game in the first, second or third quarter. So if you throw interceptions, you always have however much time left to redeem yourself and to go help your team put points on the board and win the game.”
(Obviously you guys get up for every game being professional athletes. But the fact that on Monday Night Football you’ll be one of the only game on. Do you get more amped up knowing more eyes will be on you guys?) – “To me, personally, I don’t think our team cares if we’re Monday night, if we’re a one o’clock Sunday game. Our team is just excited to go and play. Once you get a taste of what it feels like to put a good work week together and you see the results, for our guys, what I’ve seen is it’s addicting to them. You see guys staying in longer. You see guys doing a little more. I don’t think any of us necessarily matter if it’s a prime time game or not, we just want to go out there and play.”
(How do you feel about OL Austin Jackson as your long-term blindside protector?) – “Oh, that was awesome. Can we all give him a round of applause please? Seriously, can we give him a round of applause? I mean I’m not saying you guys, but it could be you guys. (laughter) The media, everyone wants to say whatever they want to say about Austin Jackson, but it’s almost a heroic story or something for how he’s turned his career around within last year up to this year, and all the things that have been said about him. I’m very proud of him. I know he’s very happy. But out there at practice, you wouldn’t see it because of the person that he is. I’m sure his family is very happy for him, but this dude just loves ball. He wants to do anything and everything he can do to help the team. We’re all happy for him. That was awesome.”
(Can you tell us about OL Austin Jackson’s personality through all this for these last couple years and just his work ethic?) – “Kind of like what he said about me. He’s been a more vocal person. You can hear more bass in his voice. He’s been more vocal to me. I just smile because of where he’s come from early when we got here together. There’s a lot of things that have been said about him in front of team meetings, in the media and things like that. So, I’m just happy. I don’t want to get choked up about it. What he’s done is tremendous. What he’s done is tremendous. I’m very proud of him. Very happy.”
(I’m just wondering in the moment, when you identify WR Tyreek Hill has single-man coverage on him and the safety is not going to be able to get there, what is going through your head? What are you thinking in that moment?) – “I mean, I hope I don’t miss the layup, really. I’m always thinking Tyreek is going to win his one-on-one matchup. I’m always thinking Jaylen (Waddle) is going to win his one-on-one matchup. It’s really based off if it’s a one-high look and they’re playing man, it’s really off where the safety goes. If it’s not a matchup deal, then we’ll just read it throughout the progression of the play. Outside of that, it’s just don’t miss the layup.”
(Just to clarify, you said in past years things were said about OL Austin Jackson in meetings, right? Not this year?) – “Yeah, not this year. Past years. It’s awesome. Truly remarkable to sit in those meetings and have things told about you that you know aren’t true but get planted in your head. And you have the media on you as well. Then you have someone like Mike (McDaniel) and his coaching staff come in and basically just build you back up. And it’s not just Austin, it’s really everyone that’s been here for some time and kind of give you that renewed confidence in yourself to go out there and be yourself and play the way you’ve played. That’s why the organization chose you. You see the fruits of his labor. I’m very happy for him. I think we’ll probably have a couple other guys as well, hopefully, within the near future. I’m excited about them.”
Mike McDaniel – December 7, 2023
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Thursday, December 7, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(OL Rob Hunt and S Jevon Holland. Rob Hunt, are you putting him on ice and just resting him this week because of the hamstring? Will he do anything in practice this week? And with Holland, is he ready to go full, in practice as opposed to limited with the knees?) – “Do you put people on ice for the Super Bowl? Every game you play is the most important to us. We’re working through stuff. We were trying to avoid what ultimately happened. I think the training staff and Rob did a tremendous job trying to be proactive. We’ll operate with caution but not – we’ll hopefully take those lessons as learned and not as much as, okay, now we have to wait two weeks until after he wants to play. So we’re just going to progress and take that day-by-day. Jevon, you’re talking about one of the better players at his position relative to the whole league. He’s very important to our team. Fortunately, we have some very good players across the board. In the NFL season, your depth is challenged, so we’ll do right by him. He’s eager, but he’s also one of the wisest – I mean, I was probably 10 percent as wise as he is at, what is he 23? He understands where we’re coming from and he’s looking forward to getting back out there. But we won’t mortgage the rest of the season to risk it. It’s all about risk-reward. There’s certain times with injuries that it’s kind of a roll of the dice if resting or playing is worse. You can’t really judge that. Then there’s certain times that you’re like, wow, this is pretty risky. If it’s risky, we’ll just keep tabs on that. There’s a lot of people doing that, so it won’t just be my eyes.”
(When you first got here last season, what was your impression of OL Austin Jackson that made you think this is not a bust and this is a guy who still needs cultivating and can be a prominent part of our team moving forward?) – “First, sitting in my office, I can remember it like it was yesterday. All I took from my interaction with him is a very ambitious, goal-oriented, driven professional athlete. Then I kind of try to put myself in people’s shoes, and it’s never going to draw tears of sorrow, but I think it’s a shame that people overlook – it’s great to be picked in the first round as a 20-year-old. Awesome. There’s also a lot of burden with that. In that, every person that gets drafted every year in the first round, I know one thing they don’t want to be. Everybody wants to be their best. So then you look at the film and you match it with the person that you’re meeting. I think it’s important to treat every individual with full trust, because I’m tough enough if they break trust. You treat them with full trust and give them the opportunity. Don’t harbor past things against people that have nothing to do with those things. To me, this guy is playing multiple positions and he started doing it before he legally could drink alcohol. That’s a ton of weight, and then you have a lot of people talking. Heavy is the crown as they say. You just have a lot of people interjecting on what you are. I don’t know about you guys, but were you a finished product at 20 years old? A 20-year-old Coach McDaniel, you should take the reins away from me as the head coach because I’m not ready for that. I was more meeting him, understanding where his motivation was and the yearning just to be coached. Who am I to put a ceiling on that or to say, he is this, that or the other? You keep an open mind and let people take it upon themselves to dictate what the narrative is or what they can be. I think this year in particular, he had a strong offseason. We felt good about him in 2022. You have an injury right when you’re feeling like, hey, I can prove a lot of these people wrong. Then you’ve just got to sit and listen more. What you’re seeing now is, it is the reason why you do it. to see those type of journeys. It’s much like the ones we talk about with Tua all the time. There’s plenty other journeys like that. It’s really awesome to see someone take the reins of deciding who they are, and not listening to other people along the way. I think it’s very, very hard to do. Unfortunately, this room of impeccable character aren’t the only voices out there. Now, the journey of a professional athlete is insane because you have millions of reporters. It’s hard. So to see him flourish in that, to see the job that he’s done, and what’s awesome is that whole room feels a part of that. It’s awesome for me to say, ‘I believe in you, Austin.’ But when, and this is just my opinion, when he really believed it was probably after the second week of Phase 2 in 2022. Terron Armstead, a guy that has done it at the highest level for literally half of his life, saying ‘no, dude, you can be different.’ That’s what you’re feeling amongst the team is there’s a bunch of shared journeys. A lot of people feel a part of that. A lot of people are proud of that. He’s probably got the least exuberance of everybody today about it, because that’s not how he got it. He’s thinking about Wednesday, technique, fundamentals, assignments, Tennessee Titans. You’re really happy for people to earn everything they’re getting. It’s not his fault that he was 20 years old and has a lot of athleticism. But he hasn’t made that a crutch or he hasn’t lived in woe is me. He’s taken the reins and I think that is something that epitomizes what I think this sport is supposed to be about.”
(For the organization, does it feel like a big offseason checklist item that got done now before the offseason?) – “Yes. You’re defining your team real-time by those type of investments and if you want people to come to work every day and decide their own level of happiness because of their accountability to themselves and their teammates and a complete devotion to what their responsibility is, then you should reward that. You wish there wasn’t a salary cap and there’s a lot of guys in the locker room, that’s what’s really cool about what’s going on – there’s a lot of guys that have – it’s hard to be an NFL player and not have in the back of your mind like us all, ‘I need to earn a living at my dream.’ But with the way business works and how important these investments are and the way negotiations go, they don’t all happen at once and I haven’t felt a single person feel anything but just complete satisfaction, pride. Just pumped up, because I’ve seen it every day. This is a guy that fully commits, that decided on his own to be all in, to believe in everything that we’re doing here and then to believe in (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Berry) and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) and (Offensive Assistant) Mike Judge and it’s cool when people are teammates, the coaches give them the right information, give them the tools; and he takes those tools and helps him fulfill his dream.”
(What have you learned about Titans QB Will Levis in the time he’s been on the field this year?) – “He can throw the ball far and they like to do a lot of it. I think they have currently – the Titans offense – little-known fact, I think they lead the league in plus-20 yard throws, 22 percent of their passes, I believe – you can check me on that, because I’m pretty sure it’s right (laughter) – are of that depth, so they challenge you. It’s cool to watch a guy come into a team with other players that are very much capable and what I’ve learned from afar is that it’s not about him. He was just chopping wood, but you can learn a lot by just watching and listening. And you watch how guys play with him on the field and you can tell he’s earned the respect of veteran players. And you either have that or you don’t. As a quarterback, there’s nowhere to hide. So it’s cool to watch him progress and I think he is capable of making, I think pretty much every throw. They have some guys that can really catch the ball that you’ve probably heard of and teams – we can attest as we’ve had plenty of times that we’re going through some adversity, but you can tell by the way that the Tennessee Titans play in terms of how hard they play and their passion, that it’s just a matter of time that team is at the top of the division with Coach Vrabel. So to be to be a part of that team and to own the respect of his teammates, I think says everything.”
(He’s been under the radar, but how do you think CB Xavien Howard has played this season?) – “Phenomenal. There’s a play in particular, that I would argue is – and you guys know how difficult of a catch I thought Tyreek Hill’s Willie Mays was, right – equally as impressive and probably as rare was – I can’t even remember what quarter, I have too much Tennessee Titan in my brain – but there was a zero blitz and he had a long ball. He was in zero bump and he turned, saw the ball and then timed up at the point of attack the PBU. I think that play is absolutely incredible. It didn’t go viral like Tyreek’s did, but you learn a lot about – like I’ve learned a lot about ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) this year. You learn about what’s important to him. It has probably gone under the radar to the to the public and just the narrative, but it sure hasn’t gone under the radar to the team and his teammates. He’s taken his game to another level and he’s really enjoying it. You just learn about people on the fly, new circumstances, new situations. You don’t know how it’s going to play out. You believe that he’ll embrace a fellow Pro Bowl-caliber player and a new defense and all that stuff, but watching it happen, ‘X’ is everything you want. He wants to win. That’s all he cares about doing. He’s very prideful in doing his job for his teammates. But it’s not about him. So it’s been really cool. I think he’s a captain for a reason and I know for as long as he wants to play, his teammates will continue to vote. It’s been really cool to be a part of. Those guys push each other every day, which makes practice awesome, which is good because it’s the most important thing of our lives.”
(You mentioned last week in practice with QB Tua Tagovailoa, you brought up Michael Jordan, Kobe and Tiger – it was on TV – you mentioned channeling emotional energy and how he could that. How much have you looked into those specific athletes and is there a reason you brought those guys up to Tua?) – “Super creepy that everybody knows personal conversations, but not your fault. (laughter) When I grew up, the most impactful player, one of the most impactful people in my life is Michael Jordan. I was born in ’83. One of my first sports memories viewing was one of those postseason matchups. I think it maybe was ’88. I can’t remember. But it was against the Lakers and so sports start with him as the pinnacle of performance and then my entire maturation process from boy to grown man like you see today, he continues to do things that other people can’t. So you pay attention to stuff and I’ve seen him have a 5-for-20 something shooting game, and then in the fourth quarter with everything on the line, without blinking, he takes a shot again. That from a young age really impacted me. So I have paid attention to those specific players and there’s a commonality with all of these high-performance athletes that I think is overly obvious now where everybody wants to do well, and everyone has things every day that they’re not happy with. And so that, how you handle that is everything. It’s not about how much you succeed; it’s about the invariable failure that will happen, what do you do with that? Because there is going to be emotion, especially when you care. And the point is not failing. The point is taking that and making that failure a triumph. So I love seeing that in practice. I get fired up when a bad play happens immediately only because that’s something – I can go down the line. You guys know my story. There’s a ton of stuff that if you’re thinking through my life in that moment, there’s a lot of things that have happened that at the moment seemed catastrophic but then you look back on it and it’s like, ‘wow, that was the best thing that ever happened.’ That applies to everyone. It’s not just professional athletes. It’s just one of the little life hacks that I think if you can really focus on, you get over the fact of – like listen, no one expects to be infallible so then why commit to that? And I’m seeing Tua in an incredible fashion. You want to talk about a coachable person, these are like, philosophical psychological things you’re talking about. It’s one thing to hear it, but in the course of a year and a half, I was really fired up because he captured it. It was the right balance of ‘I’m frustrated’ but he wasn’t overthinking what had happened that caused him the frustration. He was locked in on the moment and that’s what you have to be. That’s never going away.”
(Are you still surprised when teams play man, single-coverage against WR Tyreek Hill?) – “There’s a lot of different philosophies and man coverage gives you a lot of advantageous situations with regard to the rest of the team, where you have a firmer-fitting front for the run and there’s a lot of people that look at it like, ‘well, you have to have the right play called to make you pay.’ I’m never surprised. We see man every game, but I think there’s – I’m more surprised when they’re not hedging their bet to protect themselves sometimes, but that’s just football. It’s 11 people on the field. Man coverage gives you a lot of versatility as a defense. Guys will try to play it as best they can. We wouldn’t be talking about that if Tua hadn’t been locked in all week with Coach (Darrell) Bevell and recognized the situation and then their non-verbal communication, if they weren’t on the same page. It’s hard to do, so it’s not like – every team will try to play in man coverage as competitors. I know Tua and Tyreek know that as well, so they’re looking for those opportunities to make people pay for it and if you think by any stretch I’m trying to dissuade people from playing man, I mean, yards are hard. Running with the ball in your hands, he’s really fast, it’s a lot easier on a lot of people. Every game we have to prove that we can beat man coverage. That’s the way you have to look at it and I think we’ll see those opportunities each and every week at least once in a while based on the situation, and that’s why Tua and Tyreek wake up every morning to go work together. It is because they know each and every week they’ll have their opportunity to make plays.”
Alec Ingold – December 5, 2023
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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(What is the significance to you of being the Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award??) – “The significance to me for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award is something that everything you do on and off the field is not for the recognition, but then you get recognized for it. It’s kind of a catch-22, but at the same time, I think it’s never about the recognition or the award, it’s really what you do with it or how you’re able to use that for some good in the world. I think the NFL does an amazing job highlighting the work and the purpose and the whys behind everything that we do on and off the field. To be nominated by your organization, the people you go to work with every single day, it means the world. Similar to that captain sort of recognition, it’s the people in the room that see you every day going to work, how you go about it, why you do it. And then at the end of the day, I think it’s a great opportunity to share the spotlight with so many causes, so many foundations, so many people, so many community members that are able to make something like this come to life. I think it’s very indicative of the hard work that’s been going on for the past year and a half that I’ve been here, two years, and it’s really just the start. So I’m really excited for that recognition, that hat tip, and I’m more excited about using it for some good to continue the work down here in South Florida.
(Who instilled that mindset in you?) – “That’s a great question. I think the community that I grew up in up in Green Bay, Wisconsin was big. I think I saw a lot of NFL athletes taking that extra step in the community where I grew up in Wisconsin, and it takes a village – how many people, teachers, coaches, mentors, are giving you all of these life lessons from a number of different places, and then someday down the line, it clicks. So I think just that repetitive nature, the amount of role models in the community that you see on a daily basis, I think everyone really had a hand in that.”
(When we talk about things that different players bring to the table, I hear about the intensity from LB David Long Jr. and S DeShon Elliott. I’m wondering if you can tell me something about them as a teammate, or maybe even as an opponent of theirs?) – “Those guys are tone setters, and they’re two guys that joined the team this year and you immediately felt their presence. Throughout training camp, if I saw 51 (David Long Jr.) and it was an inside zone and I had to go block that dude, I wasn’t exactly too fired up about it. He’s going to be coming downhill with everything he’s got. And DeShon Elliott is the same way – the range that he plays with, the intensity that he plays with, it sets the tone for a lot of guys. When you have role players like that, and I don’t say that in a bad term – like the role that you master, you bring, that you are building like a reputation around the league for like, that’s a role player now. Those guys are starting to build the reputation around the league. They have been, they brought it to the Dolphins, and now the way that they’re playing right now, it’s fun to watch. On offense, you can hear it before you see it, and anytime you’re on the sideline and you can hear a play, it’s probably 51 or 21. So it’s fun to hear that.”
(In a weird way, do you get closer with guys like that who you have to compete against literally head-to-head in practice?) – “One hundred percent, and I think that’s something where you’re battletested. So it’s that approval and that’s that competition in training camp that nobody can shy away from. When you have two units that are coming together and coming into their own during training camp, during the month of August, when you’re going at it, you know what everyone’s about. You know that test happens one time, and you have to be ready to do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next week. So those really highly competitive periods throughout training camp and now going into the season, still carrying a lot of those competition periods, I think it pays off in the long run.”
(You guys are No. 1 in the AFC at this point in time. What’s your reaction to that?) – “It’s a good start. I think everyone knew walking into December, we needed to make a run at this thing and be playing our best football heading into the tournament. So regardless of the seed or what everyone else does, I think it really just is encouraging to stay focused and locked in on your process and what you can do today, because the wins and the losses from this past weekend, or next week, or the week after that doesn’t change the approach that you carried into December saying ‘It’s time to improve. It’s time to get better. It’s time to start clicking on all cylinders.’ I think that’s the next opportunity that we have on Monday. If you carry that mindset, maybe you can look back and say how cool the seeding all played out or how the playoffs went, but it really is a challenge to stay in that microscope every single day and not pay too much mind to that.”
(I wanted to ask you about the I-formation. You guys don’t use it very often, even though I think it’s been quite successful for you. What do you think you have to do to convince Head Coach Mike McDaniel that, “Hey, look at our four-minute offense. We can do this. We can get this done in I-formation?”) – “I think it really is inspiring the play-caller and inspiring the teammates, right? You see a lot of guys throughout these past few weeks, the four-minute offense, the eight-minute offense, whatever we’ve turned it into, the approach and the mindset of finishing with the ball in our hands, either in victory (formation) or it’s scoring a touchdown towards the end of the game. Like that’s how December football is won. So for us to be getting those reps now, to be inspiring each other as we’re doing it, you’re able to put it on tape. You’re able to watch it. You’re able to see where we need to get better, and it’s like, ‘OK, we can do this. This can be our brand of football that people can expect and try and stop it.’ That’s something we’re growing towards and we need to keep taking those steps. It starts with practice and it starts with getting healthy so that if we’re in the I-formation, we can go to empty. If we start in empty, we can go to the I. We can move all around, and then we can get to a short yardage or a normal down-and-distance and it really doesn’t matter. So I think all of those personnel groups when it’s heavy bodies, when it’s four-minute offense, like those are all things that we’re working on to improve on. It’s cool to see the boys, especially this last week – the last drive, Mike White was in there, Tanner Conner is out there in the backfield playing fullback, seeing him dropping the pads. It was really fun to see those guys run 13 straight run plays and score at the end. It was really fun to watch as a fullback.”
(Are you seeing the defense – you guys obviously can get guys off the line of scrimmage clean every time if you want to with motion, but are you seeing defensive backs try to disrupt timing with contact at different parts of the receivers’ routes as opposed to before you started using some of the motions?) – “I think there’s a lot of wrinkles going into the ways that defenses are trying to defend our run, our pass, our play pass. So I think those problems or those situations that come up in a game, it’s really about staying focused, locking in on your training. I think we have a great coaching staff that is preparing us to be ready for all of that. But in the heat of battle, if you’re seeing something new, if there’s a defender coming in high to low, or low to high, or setting an edge from a different place, I think it’s really putting that ego aside and realizing like what’s happening on the field, we’ll slow it down, we’ll see it on the (Microsoft) Surface on the sideline, and then we’re going to make those adjustments in the game so we can execute when we need to. I think it’s a test on everybody. Anytime there’s new schemes, anytime there’s new ways to problem solve, for guys to stay locked in, emotionally in check, and to be able to be problem solvers, not problem creators, or pointing out the problem and then not wanting to be a part of the solution.”
(What are your thoughts on the growth we’ve seen from OL Liam Eichenberg at guard. What have you seen as a teammate?) – “I mean, I sit behind that dude in all of our offensive meetings, all of our team meetings, so I see his approach on a daily basis. The way he’s locked in – the notebook that he has is unbelievable. There’s notes everywhere. It’s kind of sporadic, but it’s everywhere and it’s all the time and it’s every day. So whether he’s playing well or playing bad, or people are pointing out this or that, his consistent approach is exactly what everyone talks about on the process. You see a dude 10 yards down the field running a three technique, that didn’t happen just because he just decided to one day. It’s been that approach throughout the entire year, the entire time I’ve been here. It just really exemplifies the process that everyone’s bought in, everyone’s dialed in and intentional every single day. It can turn something as small as the intentional notes that you take in a meeting, to then walking it through, to then practicing it, then putting it out on Sunday and not being afraid that he’s got to switch every single position on the offensive line. I think he’s started all five now. Being willing to take that on and be bold with that, and not be afraid to fail and figure it out and then find his stride, I mean, that’s everything in football. I think that’s a beautiful part of the team game that we’re playing.”
(What does it say about OL Liam Eichenberg’s character that he obviously has had some adversity in his career and now he’s blossoming?) – “The one thing about your character that you can speak on is how you respond to that adversity. Adversity and change is the constant in life and how you deal with that adversity or change is who you are as a man. I think everything that he’s taken in stride for as long as I’ve been here is top class. It’s his character. He’s stayed strong. He’s fighting the good fight. It’s just that flywheel of just keep pushing, keep pounding that rock until eventually it breaks and hopefully this is just the beginning. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come for the entire unit.”
(With the holiday season fast approaching, I’ve got to ask you what’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve gotten? What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve gotten? And the fact that the position you’re in being an NFL player, do you have to play Santa Claus for your family members?) – “Okay, worst Christmas gift I ever got, my parents got me a fake thing of coal. But it was like gum. It was like chewing gum, but it was like black licorice-tasting gum. I was all upset because I thought I got coal. Then they’re like, ‘oh no, it’s really gum.’ Then I put it in my mouth to try and chew the gum and it tasted like black licorice, which is terrible. It’s the worst flavor of gum. So I was emotionally upset. (laughter) The actual taste of it was terrible. So that was definitely the worst one. Best one, I got an Xbox 360. That was prime like sixth, seventh, eighth grade. I was playing Modern Warfare II on that all the time with my guys. As soon as I got that, I was excited. John Madden was on the cover for that first time. I forget what year that was. Got the legendary edition. Man, that was the best Christmas gift forever. I’m really excited that we get to play at home Christmas Eve. So Santa Claus is bringing the family in, having the family over. But we do a pretty good job with the gift exchange and everything like that. I’m really excited to play in front of family, play at home at Hard Rock (Stadium) on Christmas Eve. It’s going to be a fun one.”
Mike McDaniel – December 5, 2023
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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I was going to ask if you and General Manager Chris Grier have decided if you’re going to put LB Jerome Baker on IR or will you just go week to week with him on the 53? And also, OL Rob Hunt, might you need to sit him and rest him a couple weeks with a hamstring aggravation?) – “Both of those guys, I guess fortuitously, Baker will not go on IR. So, it’s a week to week deal. But I think there was stuff reported about his MCL. And the good news is that report is true. So it will be non-surgical and we’ll be taking it week by week. Rob Hunt was unique because we had been extremely proactively conservative with him so we didn’t anticipate him having a setback. However, it was a unique situation where the defense brought a different blitz pattern and he had to kind of recover in a unique way that you would never – bottom line is it was extremely stressful and pretty abnormal for him to have to open up his gait as much as he did. We’ll go back to our conservative nature with that and do our best. But it was just kind of a perfect storm for him, but he’ll be week to week as well. So, we’ll see.”
(T Terron Armstead, how has he progressed? And S Jevon Holland, is he closer this week?) – “I think the time off helped Jevon. We’ll be conservative with him for the sake of the football team. He’s a guy we rely on and fortunately we have good depth at that position, I think case and point this past game. So, we’ll be conservative in nature but I’ll be hearing from him all week I’m sure. And then, yeah, the Armstead deal – what has snowballed with his injuries is kind of par for the course where he’s going to do everything he can. We’ll make sure to give him some opportunities to feel confident going into this next game before we make that decision. But, if he’s unable to go, as you guys have seen, we have several players at that position that we’re confident in.”
(How has T Terron Armstead been from a mental standpoint dealing with this year? I know it was so important for him to be healthy this year and it just hasn’t?) – “I am absolutely so proud of him in particular because it frustrates more than anybody even being on the injury report, battling through the stuff he took measures to try and get in front of this. And it hasn’t worked out. Having said that, he understands his role on the team with such wisdom. While he’s going through the trials and tribulations of wanting to be out there in the worst way and then having some setbacks, he is not making it anybody else’s problem. He’s supporting his teammates. He’s completely invested on a day-to-day basis. I don’t think people give credit where credit’s due. It’s abnormal to play that position on a shortened work week regardless because typically for the normal player, that’s a high-anxiety position. Pass protection, a lot of third downs, a lot of games that fall into the balance where you have known pass rushers, the best athletes in the game, and you’re on an island a lot of times. That’s not everybody’s cup of tea. People have anxiety on a normal work week. To be able to battle through stuff and sometimes not get all the reps, but then be able to perform on Sunday, I think that is extraordinary. I don’t think he knows going out to a game sometimes that, ‘Hey, I’m going to have to be conservative at the point of attack here, here, or I’m going to have to do what I have to do.’ That selflessness knowing that he makes us a better football team regardless is pretty much unheard of. He’s just really grown. He came to this team as a leader, and he’s just really thrived that way. You’d be hard pressed to find many players that I’m taken aback by. And what’s he able to do and contribute to us when he’s literally capable at all has been humongous for our team and for our offense.”
(13 weeks in with five games remaining, you’re number one in the AFC. Your reaction to that?) – “Call me when it’s a 13-game season and I’ll be excited to talk about the next game (laughter). I think for all of us that have been around the NFL long enough, you get about five games, four games left, and that becomes a lot of the conversation. And it does take a lot of execution to get there. But it’s kind of one of those tricky things. There’s a lot of distraction, like look over here while this is going on, that you have to battle to be successful in the National Football League. And the only thing that really matters is how we continue our development of mastering each and every day. That’s cool to know. It’s always cool to know that you are doing well relative to your peers. But I think when you start focusing on, alright, a group of games or we go this or – the only reason why we’re 9-3 is because we haven’t penciled in any of the wins that people have told us to pencil in. That’s why other games that we have won, typically each and every team isn’t discussed with regard to, ‘Oh yeah, they beat the teams they’re supposed to.’ Well, there’s a lot of teams that are below .500 that are getting wins against teams above .500. It’s interesting, kind of cool and I’m happy for the fan base to get that excitement. That’s all nice, but we have a job to do today. If we shortchange ourselves – we just did film review of the game with our players. If we shortchange ourselves and what we learned from this last game on what is a typical NFL Monday, if we shortchange and are worried about anything other than the Tennessee Titans when we’re game planning on NFL Wednesday which is Thursday here, then all those conversations and stories literally don’t matter at all. So we have to – I firmly believe you have to be, it’s almost like being in shape – you have to be on top of your process and how you prepare and how you play together. You let that slip for one game and you can lose all of your momentum. My reaction to it is, ‘Oh.’ But irrelevant and erroneous for what’s the most important thing and that’s a game that will be played this week on national television. It will be the only game that matters to each and every player in that locker room. I can just tell by the way they’ve approached the whole season.”
(50-some odd starting quarterbacks this year. You’re going to see a team that’s healthy there. Obviously that was part of their plan, but can you remember a year that’s like this? I mean it feels like half the league is falling apart.) – “Yeah, I think this is the second time it’s been brought to my attention. And you’re so invested in your own situation. I’d be like, to me, it feels like the healthiest year for quarterbacks ever. (laughter) But I don’t remember – I mean that seems like a lot. It does. And who knows what the correlation or causation of that is. But I think typically it feels like it’d be 35-40 total in a given season. That’s completely not factual, just a guess. But that seems pretty excessive because by my math there’s 32 teams. So yeah, that feels like it’s almost half the league that’s dealing with it, plus the guys that are on two or three. But shoot, for the Miami Dolphins, this is the year of quarterback health.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa mentioned after the game about preparation this team has been putting in. He says he notices guys stay longer, really put upon themselves to do that. As a coach, I got to imagine that makes you feel pretty proud, that’s got to be a proud moment. Who are the guys who lead that charge?) – “For this team, I reference it a bunch. Obviously it’s a proud – you want to win in this league. And I know that to win consistently, that’s part of the formula, being on the various teams that I’ve been on. For this team, if you have a ‘C’ on your chest, like we reference it a lot, the captains and there’s a player in each position that represents the Leadership Council. The collection of those two groups make a lot of decisions that I put in the players hands. It’s kind of filtered through them. I think a lot of guys have been trying to go above and beyond. You have various people come in the building to speak to your team over the last two years. It shows me people are listening. And it’s really hard to not go above and beyond when Christian Wilkins is mandating that guys – Christian and Zach (Sieler) are mandating that groups meet together. The way that Tua has grown in that regard is monumental, but on top of that, you have guys like Tyreek Hill who have taken a complete giant step as leaders, understanding how much their investment impacts how much other people invest. You have guys like Alec Ingold that do a tremendous job with that. There’s a lot of orchestration that Terron Armstead does. The step that ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) has taken and then with Jalen (Ramsey) joining the crew and Jevon Holland has always been outstanding with that. I think Jerome Baker has taken a step in that regard and that’s always kind of been the mantra of Duke Riley. The list is lengthy and you can go to every position. The fact of the matter is on NFL gamedays, this team is very prideful about doing their best. And you see a team that strains, that plays together, that cheers for each other, and all these things are an accumulation of what you see on Sundays is all about the investment during the week. And when you’re challenging guys during the week, as a player, you’re challenging a peer and then they rise to the challenge and then make a play on Sunday, then people lose their mind. That’s where all the energy and excitement comes from within the team on Sundays is because they’re putting a lot of work, a lot of due diligence into the work week. That’s why we’ve gotten better at things.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Duke Riley and how confident you guys are that he can handle not just an elevated role, but potentially being the green dot player?) – “Yeah, I think he did a tremendous job this past game. I think it’s more difficult in-game to adjust, although he takes reps that way each and every week. But I think case in point, they called it a completion and fumble, but a third-and-long that a series after ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) went down and he makes a play that he really has no backup on because he’s very locked in to the keys and didn’t hesitate at all. Just triggered and made a big-time play to get the defense off the field. Very confident because he’s shown me reason to be confident. He takes reps being the communicator from coach to players each and every week within practice for that exact reason. And also he did an unbelievable job in the offseason. It was not like – I mean he competed and really pushed ‘Bake’ immensely to be where he’s at. We’ve known the entire season if he’s in there, we’re expecting things to progress as they normally would because he’s that type of player that’s capable. It’s one of those positions that we have some good players at. So, happy for his opportunity because I know he’ll take full advantage of it.”
(And where is LB Channing Tindall in this as far as his ability to possibly fill in if needed?) – “Channing got out there with the defense and did a good job in his snaps at the end of the game. Everybody is really called upon when you have a fixture of your defense that’s usually not missing from the games. So he’s part of that nucleus as well. I think the way that really this locker room looks at everything is that injuries do happen. We’ve had a number of them all across the board at almost every position. I think the answers to the plays that are lost when a person’s going down, they all feel like those answers are within the locker room. So, we feel pretty good about the same way we’ve been saying the same thing about the offense line for months. It’s just an opportunity for guys that have been diligently working so that when their opportunity comes, they take full advantage of it.”
(It seems like five years ago, if a guy threw a no look pass to the flat, it would break the internet. Tua threw like an 18-yard dig route no-look on Sunday. I’m just curious when you watch it on tape, what’s your reaction to that when he makes those plays?) – “Well it’s kind of like – I try to point them out to the team every time because yes, one part it’s extraordinary by Tua. But really, that’s something that he can’t even do unless the hours upon hours of deliberate practice are accumulated with the players that he’s throwing to. When you watch him do it, each and every player that he’s throwing to – he probably had like three or four this past game, he does it a lot. But it’s always to players where he knows exactly where they’re going to be. He can trust. And you bank those types of reps where he has a crazy memory of timing and just the physiological memory of executing a ball to a certain distance, he can spend his time making sure that window is open. I think the guy he probably does it the most to is Tyreek Hill. I kind of see those two players as the same guy now, where is it either one of their incredible plays? I don’t care. I think it’s more they’re able to do what they’re best put on the planet to do at their very best because of the diligent work they’ve put in to prepare themselves for those moments.”
Austin Jackson – December 5, 2023
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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(I remember we spoke to you back in the summer and you said that the time off after the surgery was good because you were able to really heal and strengthen your ankle. I was curious if during the offseason, you picked up anything else in terms of taking care of your body? You’re the one offensive lineman who’s played in every game.) – “That’s an interesting question. I think for me, when I’m working on my durability, I think I had to do just more workouts, essentially, to strengthen different parts of my body. That happened to be parts of my body I’ve previously injured. So I already kind of knew what my body needs going into my fourth year, what usually hurts at different points of the season, etc. And for me, it’s just like my ankles, feet, typical stuff that offensive lineman – we run and plant every play of the game. So for me, it’s those things I worked on a lot in the offseason.”
(How do you strengthen your feet?) – “It’s a lot of ankle mobility. It sounds crazy but stretching them makes them stronger. Stretching definitely makes it stronger, on top of doing ankle pumps and little movements to strengthen the little muscles.”
(When you see the offensive line perform the way that they did, finishing out the game with those drives, how much confidence does that give you about the run game? I know you guys are at five point something per carry, but where is the confidence level now?) – “Yeah, that definitely builds up our confidence level pretty high. That’s something we look to accomplish, so the feeling of coming up with a plan on how you want to execute, executing it, you get a lot of confidence from that. Next time we get in a situation like that we’ll be looking to figure out a way to be better from the last time we did it, if that makes sense. We just keep getting better and make that a part of who we are, as best we can.”
(Speaking of getting better, just talk about the overall growth of the team each and every week.) – “Yeah, the growth of the team every week is pretty good. I think our whole team understands that in this league, you have to get better every day, because everyone’s trying to get better. The second you take a day off because you did something right, you’re already behind. I think everyone on this team does a good job of showing up every day and understanding it’s a new day to fix things, no matter if you’re Tyreek Hill and you had a career game. It doesn’t matter. We all come up with something to get better at.”
(How’s this team been able to stay focused this season? You look at some of the other top teams, Kansas City lost recently. Jacksonville lost last night. Dallas has lost to Arizona. You guys have not suffered any of those types of losses. Why have you been able to win all the games you’re, ‘supposed to win?’) – “I think it just comes down to – credit our coaching staff and the guys on the team. They just show up to play every day. We work really hard to take advantage of every opportunity we get on the football field. We kind of set that standard in the summer and in training camp with being very critical of everything we did football-related. So that’s just always been our mantra with everything we do. Kind of like I said earlier, it allows us to get better. Because even if you’re great by Week 5, you still have to find different things to do by Week 7. Those teams are going to know what you’re doing. It’s just getting better every day. It’s just helped us stay on our path and we’re excited too. We’re excited to go out there and play every time no matter who it is. We’re excited to go play with each other and execute on what we’ve been practicing and working hard on.”
(I’m not sure if you’re able to think about this in the moment while you’re working throughout the season, but is there kind of a sense of gratification, kind of a sense of appreciation, especially for you and OL Liam Eichenberg, who dealt with early-career injuries and adversity and now are playing the best ball of your careers?) – “There’s definitely some gratification. You’re very grateful for the opportunity. Like you said, for Liam and I, with having some slower starts that we did, I think one thing we always did was just keep getting better, which is kind of like the motto of the team. You take the opportunity to get better and you make something out of it. You don’t quit or curl up because it’s hard or you might be asked to do something you haven’t done before. So yeah, for everyone included, we just stick with it and hope that the results pay off for us.”
(How difficult is that, particularly for a player like OL Liam Eichenberg, with his struggles earlier in the season, to keep your confidence high and continue to push forward?) – “I think for Liam, especially, you’ve got to look at the bread and butter. I mean, he’s playing great ball. He’s played five different positions and started. He’s still an NFL starter at the end of the day. However you want to call it or cut it, he’s still a great offensive lineman in the NFL. He does a good job of inspiring the line just because he shows up to work every single day and executes wherever he’s at. You don’t see his intent change or focus change or his attitude. He’s always on his stuff and he’s always confident in himself. I think that’s one great attribute about him that will take him very far in life.”
(One thing that we hear about LB David Long Jr. is he’s very intense in practice or in games. Do you have any stories, or can you tell me anything about his intensity? Have you seen evidence of it in practice, training camp, anything?) – “Yeah, he’s very intense on the field. Chasing him, he’s fast too. He’s fast, he’s got a good center of gravity. I’m like 6-5 and he’s probably like 6-0, 5-10. If I’m not bracing myself to make contact with him with my knees bent, that’s tough for me. He executes on those type of things all the time. You see it in his game. He’s actually a really cool dude, though. Every time I’ve talked to him in the locker room, he’s always got a smile on his face. Cool dude, but on the field he’s a monster.”
(With the holidays right around the corner, what’s the best Christmas gift you’ve gotten? Or what’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve gotten over the course of your lifetime?) – “Well, I’ll keep it relative to these last couple years. I got a Traeger (grill) for Christmas my rookie year. Shoutout to Tua (Tagovailoa). I use that thing all the time. It actually kind of taught me how to grill. The worst gift, I got like a bartista. You know what those are? It’s like a Keurig for coffee but for like alcohol. I don’t know, it didn’t taste right. I didn’t like it. (laughter) I got that like two years ago, or a year ago.”
Christian Wilkins – December 5, 2023
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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(Obviously I’m sure you try not to pay attention to the standings, but I’m sure you’ve been told multiple times that you guys are No. 1 in the AFC. Do you focus on that? Do you talk about it?) – “What day is it? Is it the last game of the season?”
(No.) – “Then I don’t care. Plain and simple as that. I will look up at the end when it’s time to look up and whenever that matters, but right now that doesn’t matter. We’ve still got five games left to play and that’s the mindset that we need to take in going into these last few games and these last few weeks and just have a mindset of dominance and being present in the moment so we can have our best foot going forward.”
(Outside of the standings and whatnot, just talk about the overall growth of the team just from start to right now.) – “Again, to the point I kind of just made, I think just the growth has come from a daily buy-in and a daily focus of being our best individually and then that obviously leads to team success and that’s being better each and every day, each and every game. We still haven’t played our best game yet. We’re doing some good things, but we’re still on that quest for perfection day-in and day-out and that’s the ultimate goal.”
(It’s weird that you say that because I actually agree with you. I don’t think you guys have. Even though you put 50 up on Denver, you probably could’ve played better. You didn’t even some of your key players that game. What will it take to play at your best?) – “Again, just the same thing I keep saying, same thing I’m hitting. Just getting to the point where you’re making every day meaningful, intentional and just focusing on that because then when you get to the game, it’s all easy and then you’re just playing good ball. But yeah, we haven’t played that perfect game yet and it’s hard to do. It’s hard to get there, but again, we want to continue to peak and continue to hit our stride especially at this point in the season. This is when you want to peak and play your best ball.”
(When we talk about characteristics of certain players, when you talk about S DeShon Elliott and LB David Long Jr., you hear the word intensity. Tell me about that aspect of their game and what they bring to the table from that standpoint.) – “Definitely. I’ll speak on those guys a little bit because they’ve been great additions to our team. Not just because of their talent and what they can do on the field, but just the energy they bring, their vibes. Just good dudes to have around and high character dudes who love ball who just fit right in and fit like a glove when they came in just as far as a personality standpoint and they’re able to help us a lot. That’s a good word to describe both of those guys because typically just as people, they’re very good people, good character guys, pretty chill for the most part. But when they’re out there playing, they’ve got that juice, they’ve got that intensity and ball is important to the them and they want to be their best. I really like having those guys around and they’re big pieces to our team.”
(What are the challenges of playing without LB Jerome Baker? I don’t think you’ve ever played without Jerome.) – “I don’t think not one game. ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) has been here since I have and since before me. He does a lot of good things for our team, but one of the fortunate things for our team is we have a lot of guys who can step up when their number is called and that’s important for good teams and we’re lucky to be able to have that. Duke (Riley) or whoever it is, who has to step up and play more, will be ready and I’m sure of that. Obviously you don’t ever like to lose guys, but if other guys who we know are reliable and dependable can step up, that’d be great.”
(I know you’re a guy who has a weekly routine. Does Monday Night Football throw that off a little bit?) – “I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to lie. It’s going to be tough for me because I’m such a routine guy and just kind of having an extra day, and as much as I love playing and getting to the games, you’ve got to wait an extra day, a full extra day – you’re at night now. But I’ll be fine, I guess. I got to do it, but I’m typically so routine that I’m going to be twiddling my thumbs and I’m going to have to fill some time, but there’s a lot I can do to fill it with – watch some extra tape or something. I’ll figure it out.”
(So was today that extra day or is Saturday that extra day? How does your calendar work?) – “Right now I’m just trying to keep my week as normal as possible. Today was my normal Tuesday for the most part and I’m kind of figuring out what I want to do with a couple days later in the week, but I’ll figure it out.”
(With Christmas right around the corner – non-football question – I’m asking, what’s the best Christmas gift you’ve gotten and what’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve gotten and now the situation you’re in as an NFL player, do you find yourself having to play Santa Claus?) – “That’s a good point because I was going to probably say, I’ll start off with the worst. The worst gift I probably get is nothing. Because now for some reason, when you get to this point, apparently gifts aren’t important. People think gifts aren’t important to you that you don’t care about nice, kind gestures and thoughts and that’s kind of messed up. You definitely find yourself playing Santa Claus with a big-ass bag. You’ve got to fit a lot of gifts in there for a lot of different people. That’s definitely for some reason as of late in my life, I haven’t received a lot of Christmas gifts. I don’t know maybe specifically what was the best gift I’ve ever had, but I just knew Christmas was always special and meant a lot to me as a kid. Just a little personal – I grew up with a big family, a lot of kids and my mom always worked very hard to make sure we had good Christmases. Like I remember – those are some of the best memories I had as a kid. Just waking up, all eight of us, nine of us running downstairs – energy galore, stairs about to break and I was ready to open gifts on Christmas morning. So I always like this time of year and it means a lot to me and I remember I had Nerf hoops, I had a Game Boy one year that I really loved, a Power Rangers kite – I was out there in the neighborhood running with my kite, with my Power Rangers purple kite so that was really cool. Some jacks. I learned how to play jacks and marbles with I was young. And then just always spending time with family which is important which I encourage everybody to do and definitely appreciate it.”
(So with teammates, do you guys exchange gifts?) – “That’s a big thing that we like to do. Each group kind of does something different or some guys like to go as far as doing stuff for the team. Obviously like ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) did, and I did appreciate that because again, to my point earlier, we don’t get a lot of gifts, so I definitely appreciate my guy ‘Cheetah’ hooking up the team. But yeah, we all kind of do our own thing there.”
(So what can somebody get you? Because people always think “well, this guy can buy whatever he wants, he probably has everything.”) – “Yeah, but again, I’m a simple man and again for me it’s always more the thought that matters and in my older years – when I was a kid, I didn’t necessarily, ‘no, I want this,’ but I definitely appreciate that more now. It’s the thought that matters. Like it’s nice to be thought of or it could be a picture of an experience we had or whatever it is.”
(Somebody could knit you a sweater…) – “Yeah, a sweater and I’ll appreciate that. A nice hot meal or something. I don’t ask for much, so whoever’s listening, whoever’s thinking – get your boy something nice and thoughtful, I appreciate it. (laughter) But more for me, it’s definitely about the giving and I don’t just say that as a cliché thing. It’s nice to – especially for people that don’t expect much or anything, it’s nice to be able to give people a little bit extra this time of year.”
(So QB Tua Tagovailoa took his guitar playing to the ManningCast. I’ve seen him play ukulele, but I’ve never seen him play the guitar and he’s clearly taking his game up a level. Has he played for his team?) – “Not really and we might have to encourage him to do that or something, learn a little Christmas – we can go caroling or something. He can play his guitar. I don’t know. Learn a couple Christmas hits. But yeah, he did his thing last night on the show. I saw that and I was kind of singing to a couple of the songs he was playing and I guess Tua is a man of many talents and I didn’t know he could play the guitar like that. Again, more the ukulele, but he sounded pretty alright.”
Bradley Chubb – December 5, 2023
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Monday, December 5, 2023
LB Bradley Chubb
(So many of the top AFC teams have fallen in the last three weeks since your guys’ bye. How do you guys stay focused? Why haven’t you guys slipped up at all?) – “I feel like our goal is bigger than the No. 1 seed. Our goal is to hoist the trophy at the end and that comes with handling business each and every week no matter what the position is. We kind of just continue the same approach each and every week – the same mindset, the same intensity, the same focus and it’s been working out for us. We try not to look too far down the line and just take it day by day as we practice, and week by week as we play these games.”
(Getting that No. 1 seed would be a big help, though. It is a bye to the second round.) – “It’s a huge help. It will be a huge help for sure. It’s definitely something to work towards and it’s definitely a goal of ours. I was just saying that it’s not the end all, be all. It’s one of those things we’re going to continue to fight for, and the chips are going to fall where they fall at the end of the season. We’re just going to be looking up at the best version of ourselves no matter where we are at.”
(How did you think the pass rush did without LB Jaelan Phillips?) – “I thought we did pretty smooth. A lot of guys got hits on the quarterback, sacks on the quarterback. We for sure missed his presence out there. Just the energy, the flying around and stuff. But I feel like the guys held up well and all we got to do is keep stacking these sack and quarterback hits, and getting after the quarterback affecting them, and it’s going to do numbers for us and the guys on the back end as well.”
(What have you guys learned about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio so far and his style and the way he likes to attack offenses?) – “He’s a mastermind. He understands everything there is to know about an offense. He knows what they are doing on third, second and all of those distances. We know that he’s going to put us in the best position no matter what the call is. We just got to go out there and execute. That’s our main thing.”
(What stood out to you about LB David Long’s play?) – “It’s been dope seeing him fly around. He’s one of those dudes that will hit anything and get up screaming. He could’ve hit you and he’s going to get up screaming and hyped. He has that contagious energy that you need as a defense and as a unit, and he brings that for sure. It’s been helping us out a lot.”
(Another high-energy guy is S Deshon Elliott. Tell us about playing on the same unit as him.) – “Like I said, all of those guys have the same intensity, the same motor, that hit stick when they come down and everyone in the stadium feels it. It’s been dope playing alongside those guys. I know they are going to continue to bring that energy, and when we play for each other, it’s hard to stop us. That’s one thing we’re going to try to keep doing is playing for each other.”
(Despite the loss of LB Jaelan Phillips, just talk about the growth of the overall defense each and every week.) – “Just the growth overall, it’s been dope to see how guys come into their own making the defense ours. It’s not just this is the call. It’s like ok, we get to be in this call, how are we going to attack it and make sure everybody is on the same page on this call? It’s been cool to see everybody buying in and playing for each other and playing with each other. We just got to keep this thing going. We got five more games, four at home, and we need to lean on each other. Sometimes it’s not always going to be the best position for us, but we just got to keep locking in for each other and do what we’ve been doing, and it’s been working out.”
(Since you’ve been on the team, you’ve only lost in the stadium once I think against the Packers. What’s different about playing here than maybe some other stadiums?) – “Just the energy. The energy our fans bring. It just feels like home. When you’re on the sideline and you see those guys over there burning up, and we’re in the shade cooling, it just feels like we’re home and we’re going to enjoy it. That Packers game it was actually cold. It was like 30 degrees. That played into their hands. (laughter) It’s just taking care of your home turf. We practice right here and we do so much work right here, it’s just a hop, skip and jump away to get to the stadium we want to protect that. We look at that as our home and how we operate. We want to protect that at all costs.”
(What would it mean to be here during the playoffs as the No. 1 seed?) – “It would be huge. Like I said, that’s one of those things that’s a part of our goals, and we know the energy and momentum that our crowd brings. It will be for sure an advantage to have that in the playoffs as well. We’re just focusing on these games coming up and letting that take care of itself.”
(Have you had a chance to talk to LB Jerome Baker? It doesn’t appear to be season ending, which is good. Have you talked to him?) – “Yeah, I talked to him. His head is high, his spirits are up. Hopefully we have him back out there pretty soon. You don’t ever want to see a player go down, a loss for our defense, but it’s going to allow other guys to step up. When ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) is back, it’s going to be just like he never left.”
(What have you seen from LB Duke Riley that makes you feel he can handle the workload?) – “I’ve been seeing Duke itching all year. Every time his number was called, he stepped up in a big way. He’s been itching for that opportunity, and like I said when one guy goes down, it’s an opportunity for another guy. He’s been making the most of that opportunity. Like I said, it’s kind of like we haven’t missed a beat. It’s dope to see him come into that role and when he came into the game, taking over the defense and taking over the calls, and doing whatever he needed to do to help us come through with that win. I have full confidence in Duke and I’m excited he’s on the field with us.”
(Christmas is coming up. What’s the worst gift or best gift you’ve gotten? Or does your family with you being an NFL player, rely on you to be Santa Claus?) – “Yeah, I’m for sure Santa. But it’s not like I have to be Santa. I do it because I want to. Being able to help my family as much as they helped me growing up, all of the things I ever wanted, it’s hard to say what my favorite gift was because my parents did whatever it took to make sure me and my brother had a good Christmas. If I had to point out one, I’d say remember when we first got a PlayStation. We were jumping up and down and got the TV to go with it. We didn’t know how to act. He got the TV and I got the PlayStation. They kind of did it like that. Yeah, that was probably the best one. Then the worst one, I’m not going to say who but I got a Secret Santa gift one time – not recently – but it was pretty bad. I’m not going to say what the gift was because the person will know what the gift was, but I got some bad ones for sure. (laughter)”
