Christian Wilkins – May 24, 2022
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Tuesday, May 24, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(How would you assess OTAs so far?) – “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good. The guys have been working every day, trying to be our best. It’s been competitive. There has been some days, some plays where the offense has dominated. There has been plays and days where the defense has dominated. It’s just been fun and competitive. That’s all you can ask for. Guys who are coming out here in the spring, when we don’t have to be out here, just competing and that makes it fun.”
(What’s your reaction to LB Melvin Ingram joining the team?) – “It’s obvious that Melvin has been a good player in this league for a really long time. Anytime you can get a guy like that, with his experience, with his performance on the field, I think it’s always great. I’m excited to have him.”
(Have you met him yet?) – “Yeah. I got a chance to meet him and talk to him a little bit.”
(Is there a tangible difference for you to have continuity going into this year with the same defense and a lot of the same faces on the defense?) – “Absolutely. It’s not like you have it on a complacent sense. You have it in a – you can rebuild, but it doesn’t take as long to get where you feel like you need to get to. There are certain things like chemistry, like certain plays in certain times where me and Zach (Sieler) don’t even need to communicate. We just know what we’re doing and it’s just like I know you’re going to be there, or ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) knows I have times and places where I take risks or I take chances, and he knows he’s got to make me right and things like that. It’s fun to play with guys and have some continuity.”
(I know you guys are going against him in practice, but what is it like going against WR Tyreek Hill on your team now?) – “He’s obviously been a really good player in this league for a little while. What we’re trying to create is a competitive environment here where everybody is competing against each other. He’s really good at what he does. He makes the secondary better. He makes the quarterbacks better. He makes everybody better. He pushes the guys in that receiver room.”
(What have been your impressions of going up against OL Connor Williams and the versatility he brings?) – ‘He’s versatile. He can play a few different positions. I think he’s a nice piece to add to the o-line room.”
(Have you been following this NIL madness in the NCAA?) – “Somewhat. Not too much. Everything is out there, everything is on your phone and people always talk about it, so you kind of hear about all of that.”
(Do you feel you kind of missed out a little bit?) – “Yes. Yes, I did. (laughter) I might have stayed in college a fifth year with all the money they’re making. (laughter). I’m just teasing. I feel like I’ve missed some opportunities, but it is what it is. I’m happy that those guys are able to get a few dollars.”
(Do you feel like the newness is sort of over with Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Are you guys at a point now in the process where everything is just normal, you’re not getting to know each other so to speak?) – “Yeah, so to speak. But I feel like we were all professionals since day one. We came in, we all bought in. We gave him a chance, he gave us a chance to show what we got. It just felt natural since day one. Guys came with the right mindset and started competing since day one. That’s been a lot of fun.”
(What were your thoughts on other teammates’ playlists?) – “I personally think I had the best one because I had a little something for everybody. But I think the other guys are pretty good. I can really vibe out to anything or enjoy listening to anything. It’s kind of just background noise when you’re practicing.”
(What did QB Tua Tagovailoa have on his playlist?) – “Tua had a mix of everything too. It was nice. He mixed it up. I thought his was really good.”
(WR Tyreek Hill said yours was more like for his kids.) – “Yeah, exactly because I had to start out with the musicals. You know that’s my thing, so I couldn’t disappoint there. That was fun.”
(When you look back at film of yourself from last year, what stands out for you? What do you expect to add to your game next year?) – “I felt like I definitely improved last season. But there is still so much – I’m not even scratching the surface of where I think I can be. I try to make it a conscious effort each and every day to come in and get better at something. I have a focus of the day and I try to lock in on that and be dominant at that for that day. And eventually, as you get more reps, you focus on that more times, and you’re going to get better at those things and in those areas. That’s just my mindset every day.”
(What was the focus today?) – “I’ll keep that to myself but I’m always going to try to improve on something.”
Thomas Morstead – May 24, 2022
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Tuesday, May 24, 2022
P Thomas Morstead
(In your case, it’s good to just punt to WR Tyreek Hill in practice only. You don’t have to worry about it in a game.) – “Well, I’ve had some good success against Tyreek in the past. He’s a hell of a player. I know the team is excited to have him here but it’s irrelevant who’s back there as far as I’m concerned about how I do my job.”
(What made you want to come to Miami?) – “Look at this (points to the blue sky and training facility). I had a great career in New Orleans, 12 years, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and whenever I was done there, I just wasn’t done. My kids are getting old enough now that they know what’s going on, they got to see dad respond to getting fired and having to persevere a little bit. It was a good opportunity for me to show them how I felt was best to respond and they’re old enough to know what’s going on now. We wanted to provide them a great experience that hopefully they’ll remember as a positive one.”
(How quickly did this come about with the Dolphins?) – “Quickly. I won’t get too specific about it because it’s team business but I actually reached out to them. There was no punter on the roster and I thought Miami seems like a nice place to play. Financially, I was willing to take a veteran salary benefit deal and I don’t think they knew that, so I just made it clear. They said, ‘Well get on a plane and come out here and see if you like it.’ I’ve made a lot of money in my career and these experiences are just, when it’s over it’s over. I love doing everything there is to it. I love the training. I love the grind of the workouts. Obviously, I’m a little bit different than most of my teammates. I’m not hitting a lot and things like that. At least if I’m doing my job well, I’m not. I just love being a part of it. I love being depended on and it’s special being a part of an NFL locker room. Especially when you have a first-year coach with some reasonably high expectations. It’s fun to be a part of that and be a part of building something and building a culture. I’m just excited to be here.”
(Practicing in the shadow of this stadium, does it bring back memories of what had to be the biggest play of your career?) – “Yeah, I haven’t been back here in 13 years. Last time I stepped off this field, we won the Super Bowl and I had glitter all over my shoes. It was a great experience. Eight years later, we played the Dolphins away in London so I haven’t been back. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the stadium. Although it was a long, long time ago, in certain ways it was just like yesterday. I’m excited to be back in there.”
(What’s the welcome been like for you from the coaching staff, players and your first impressions of Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “Look, I just felt an authenticity from everybody I met here. The GM, I had a great conversation with him and it was all about, surprisingly, it had nothing to do with me doing my job. It was about what are you planning to do with the family, how do you see this going for you and things that were of major value to me. That was really important. Getting to meet Coach (Mike) McDaniel, he’s a super interesting guy. It’s my first time having a head coach that is my generation and it kind of feels like one of my buddies as the coach, which is kind of cool. It’s cool to see people like him that are of a unique background getting opportunities to do what they do, provide value and help build a team. I’ve just felt that and lastly, meeting with Coach (Danny) Crossman was, that was my No. 1 criteria for coming here. If you don’t have a, you kind of get married to your coach or coaching staff when you join a team. If you don’t have a good wife, your life sucks, right? (laughter) So, if you don’t have a good marriage with your coach, it can be a really crummy expierence. I’ve experienced that once before and it’s not ideal. It sucks all the joy out of playing. On the flip side, when you do have a good coach, somebody that you immediately gain a trust with – there’s nothing better than going to battle with somebody like that. I’m excited to be here. I’ve felt nothing but love from coaches and players. I just hope to do my small part and be accountable to the team.”
(Who’s the real ‘T-Stead?’) – “Well, I’m the original ‘T-Stead’ because I’m older than Terron (Armstead). I told him at some point I need to get my No. 13 jersey and pose just like he did when he signed, get his ‘T-Stead’ chain. I need to borrow that from him.”
Tyreek Hill – May 24, 2022
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Tuesday, May 24, 2022
WR Tyreek Hill
(Now that you’ve had a chance to get on the field with WR Jaylen Waddle, how do you think you guys’ games kind of complement each other?) – “I think they complement each other very well. Just having another speed guy on the other side of you, that definitely puts a lot of fear in a lot of d-coordinators’ minds, so I’m very excited for the year. I’m excited to see what Tua’s going to do especially, so we’re all ready for it.”
(Have you heard from the defenders out here about how challenging it can be to defend you guys and all the speed you guys offer?) – “Yeah, man, it’s just all locker room chatter. But for me, I’ve been in this league a long time. None of that really means nothing because at the very end of the day, you’ve got to line up and you’ve still got to play ball, so you can be the fastest guy on the field, but it’s all about knowing where to be at, especially for the quarterback just for the quarterback’s timing. So that’s the thing that’s real special about this team; we have a lot of guys who are wanting to be coached, who want to get better. So like I said, I’m very excited to be a part of this team.”
(You get some exercise then on the practice field. It seemed like they were using you downfield a ton…) – “That’s what I do, man. (laughter)”
(It wasn’t like a veteran’s day for you.) – “That’s what I do, man. Like when I came here, I signed up to work. I didn’t sign up just for the paycheck. I also signed up to be a team leader and also lead this team and show this team how I do things. And how I do things is I work hard and I want the guys behind me to follow that. So I just can’t be a guy in our locker just saying, ‘hey, you guys should be doing this, doing that.’ I’ve got to be that guy who’s willing to come out on the field and work hard and show these young guys how to get the job done and potentially win a Super Bowl, so that’s what I’m here for.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa. What do you think of the way the ball comes from him now that you’ve experienced it for a little bit here?) – “I mean it’s nothing weird. At first, I thought it was going to be something crazy – the ball going all over the place, but Tua actually has probably one of the prettiest balls I’ve ever caught in my life. It’s very catchable. I don’t want to continue because the more I talk, the more it sounds weird. Tua is a very accurate quarterback. That’s all I’m going to say.”
(We saw the video that you posted kind of in response to the one video that got a lot of reaction, so why is it so important for you to – QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of declines to comment on a lot of the reaction around him, but why is it so important for you to speak out and kind of support him?) – “I just feel like football is all about confidence and I’m very confident in my quarterback. So I just feel like if I’m able to help him get all the confidence in the world and push other guys to push that confidence into him, then the sky’s the limit for the guy because he’s a heck of a talent, has crazy arm strength, arm talent. So like I said, we’re all excited just to watch him sling the ball each and every day.”
(What about your confidence? You obviously come across as a very confident player. Was it always that way when you were this tall or…?) – “Oh yeah, I’ve always been like that. That is something that my grandparents instilled in me. I just feel like without confidence, you really can’t do anything because the mind is going to help you get to where you want to get. I just can’t come out here and just feel sorry for myself every day. Just like today – I had a very hard day of just running back and forth. I could have easily just said, ‘you know what, I give up, I already got what I wanted.’ Yet still my mindset, my confidence; I just want to get better. I’ve got too much pride in this game. I was telling somebody that the other day. I’ve got too much pride in this game. I want to get better. I want to learn from Coach (Mike) McDaniel. I want to learn from the OC (Frank Smith) and I want to learn from Coach Wes Welker, so I’m just willing to elevate my game even more. That’s just the way I think.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t here today, so you played with QB Teddy Bridgewater. What’s it been like with him on the field?) – “With Teddy? Oh, it’s fun. I think the world of Teddy also. Teddy is another veteran guy who can come in and just sling the ball all across the field, so it feels good to have two quarterbacks who can come in and do the same thing – ball on time, ball in the right place – so it feels good.”
(I was just going to ask you about the playlist today because it was all over the place, man.) – “The playlist was terrible. (laughter) I’m sorry to tell you (Christian Wilkins) that, bro…”
Christian Wilkins: “I’m going to see you in the locker room. (laughter)”
Hill: “I’m joking, bro. Besides the Clemson – was that a Clemson…?”
Wilkins: “That was the Tiger Rag.”
Hill: “That was nice. I was turnt off that. I like that though. (laughter)”
(It was all over the place, right?) – “It was all over the place, man. He was even playing Disney music. Was that Disney music you were playing?”
Wilkins: “I started with that.”
Hill: “I have no idea what was going on today. I felt like I was in my living room with my kids again. I was like, ‘yo, this is getting crazy.’ (laughter)”
(So have you had a day with the playlist or have you been an orange jersey guy?) – “No, I haven’t been an orange jersey guy. I guess I haven’t been working hard enough for Coach (McDaniel), but hopefully I can get it.”
(When LB Melvin Ingram came to you guys in Kansas City, what do you remember he brought to the team?) – “Just that veteran leadership. Just adding another brother to the locker room. I just feel like with me and Melvin, me and him grew close in the locker room outside of playing football whether we were playing basketball at one of my good buddy’s gyms in KC and just building that bond together. So when he came here, I was all for it. I’m very excited because I really know what Melvin can bring to a team – his mindset, just the way that he approaches his work, his craft and he’s just able to get around guys like Christian (Wilkins) and Emmanuel (Ogbah) and it’s just going to crazy, man. That d-line is going to be crazy.”
Mike McDaniel – May 24, 2022
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Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On LB Melvin Ingram) – “He’s a veteran player that has been very productive in this league. In conjunction with the scouting department – Chris (Grier), myself and the rest of the scouting department and the coaching staff felt very excited to have the opportunity to add him to the team. He’s a veteran presence, a guy who has been in big games, a guy that for a young team can be very impressionable and a playmaker to boot.”
(Where does that stuff show up? Does it show up early … or is it always there?) – “I think that shows up – one of the great things about football is that nothing you see on Sundays just comes out of nowhere. This is a very practiced and well-orchestrated game that you don’t just all of a sudden have production out of nowhere. It’s how you carry yourself on a day-to-day basis, especially people that are able to be productive for several years at a time. That’s a day-in, day-out process and we have coaches and players that have been on teams with (Ingram) that were able to kind of give us a glimpse of what we’d be getting. And that type of person first is the reason why the player exists.”
(The orange jersey and practice player of the day, was it your idea? Tell us how you came up with it and what’s your process for selecting who earns that practice player of the day?) – “This offseason, we were spit balling various things. Coach Jon Embree brought up the idea of – there was a lot of talk about my DJ skills pre-team meetings. So to kind of put that to bed and say, ‘Hey, if you’re so great, why don’t you show yourself?’ He floated the idea of having a practice player – organically as a staff we came up with selecting a particular person that would not only be represented as the best player on the field from the practice before but also take all accountability for DJ selections from the head coach and make sure everyone knows it’s the person with the orange jersey that’s making those calls.”
(Did anybody have a playlist that was not well received?) – “That was another learning opportunity for the team because I think the first day, Jaelan Phillips received some flak just for some particular selections. Everyone has an opinion, especially when it comes to things like that. But we talked about it as a team. Since then, there’s been no grumblings because the whole point is if you have any comments or critiques over the DJ list, become the DJ.”
(So this basically takes the heat off yourself?) – “I mean an unintended consequence. I think there’s multiple winners in the whole process. I think the guys, they definitely respect the players that have been given it and you can tell this team is full of competitors because even within one’s position group, the second one guy receives it, it seems to lift up the level of play from that group.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa won it one of the days. What have you seen from him and what do you want to see out of Tua?) – “He earned it. I think his teammates acknowledged that. What have I seen from him? I’ve seen a guy that’s attacking the moment, a guy that really likes to play football. In the process of college evaluations, you’re in the National Football League in a different conference and you hear people describe a quarterback’s instinctiveness. It’s kind of probably how it hits your ear that it hit mine, where that’s intriguing, but I didn’t quite know what that meant. Now I have a better idea of what that meant but I still don’t have a better way to describe it besides instinctiveness. But you can tell the player has played the position for a long time and that he thinks about the game of football through the lens of the quarterback position. I’ve been very excited about his development as far as the offensive plan and being the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.”
(What specifically during OTAs are the two or three things you’ve really wanted to achieve?) – “You’re first trying to identify a standard with which you play and a standard with which you practice. Within that, that’s where your camaraderie and that’s where your relationships are built. They’re blood, sweat and tears that are earned over hard work and you’re trying to get a team to decide what their standard of play is going to be and then you want to uphold that standard because that’s the way that you operate and function as a football team. So that identity, it’s a tackle sport but the way we look at it is you can start that identity by the way you practice without tackling.”
(When you worked with Kyle Shanahan and obviously his dad, what was the significance of the fullback to that offense and what impact has that had on your coaching philosophy?) – “It’s been extremely impactful. I’ve been fortunate enough since the year 2005 to be in the same structure of offense and this will be my seventh team. From the starting point of Day 1 installation, I’ve had a fullback involved. One of the advantages of a fullback is that you have a backfield player that can give you different numbers on each side of the center depending on the direction he goes. If you’re in just a normal dot formation, you have two eligibles on each side and then the halfback at home. When you’re in the I-formation, is it 3×1 or is it 2×2? That’s a starting point. It doesn’t hurt that a lot of offenses have gone away from that only because with the historical experience that our staff has had, myself included, defenses aren’t as adept at fitting those types of plays, whether they’re runs or passes, and defending against it, which is a competitive advantage when you’re able to find a fullback that – it’s just not any ordinary human being or you must play with a fullback. You have to have an athletic player that is smart, can understand a lot of schemes and can read on the fly. When that position player plays fast, it can be pretty disruptive to teams that are not used to going against it.”
(You drafted a quarterback this year. Every team has a different evaluation for collegiate quarterbacks when they’re going through the process. What are the pitfalls teams need to avoid when going through the evaluation process? We have all of this information – more information than ever – on these college kids but teams still make mistakes. So what are the biggest challenges?) – “I think it’s paramount that you just get good quarterbacks and avoid the bad ones. (laughter) It’s like any other position. That’s the hardest part of football is when you’re selecting players to play in a game that’s slightly different. There’s compounding variables for success. Does your quarterback benefit from having a fast-paced, very fast highly-skilled group of eligibles? What kind of situations is the existing coaching staff that he’s playing in, what is the scheme like? What is he being coached? There are so many layers which makes this game beautiful, which makes scouting departments extremely relevant and makes it very tough. That’s why you’re not 100 percent on any position ever because it’s an inexact science because you’re dealing with human beings that are a product of their environment and you’re forecasting what they’re going to be in a completely different environment. There’s like a laundry list of different things that can create success or failure in NFL games, so you just try to project what the things are that an NFL quarterback is going to be asked to do. I’m not sure when you watch NFL games but the pockets aren’t huge. There’s a lot of congestion, there’s a lot of traffic going in and around quarterbacks. Can they play the position in high duress? Are they tough? Can they anticipate? Those types of things, you’re looking at the college game that they’re playing and try to extrapolate to an unforeseen future.”
(I wanted to ask you about OL Connor Williams. We saw him working inside. Is that more of everybody cross-training or is that a realistic option for him? And how much of that experience was part of the reason why you guys explored signing him?) – “When you’re training a player, specifically one that has inside flexibility – he’s played center in preseason games – and you’re trying to train and you have a multitude of linemen that have position versatility, there’s not a greater way to learn intricacies of the offense than by starting with different alignments and assignments. Namely the center position, you have to make a bunch of calls so you have to really know what everyone is doing. So it doesn’t hurt to – you don’t ever want to put a ceiling on and decide before you see them play within your system exactly where – you want players to decide that for you. It’s something that an offensive line, you guys have been around the NFL game long enough, there’s so many things that can happen and you’re only as good as your versatility within the NFL framework of a season. It only benefits the Miami Dolphins if you’re able to play a multitude of positions. We felt one of those positions for Connor would be center.”
(You guys brought in a handful of receivers this offseason in kind of the same vein of guys that can play multiple positions – the X, the Z and the slot. Is that kind of the same idea at the receiver position, how they see the game from different spots and their flexibility at those positions?) – “Primarily, first and foremost, we’re looking for good football players. I know our coaching staff has learned over the course of their careers and I have extensive experience in the fact that the more you know, the more versatility that you have and the more that you can isolate and take advantage of matchups in a given week. I think Chris (Grier) shares the same view as I have, where there’s a degree or allure or attractiveness to football players that can do a multitude of things. That makes them – remember, they’re a cog in a wheel of efficiency, that you’re trying to create on both sides of the ball. It’s the ultimate team sport in that you have the most players working in unison at the same time, as well as it’s a game of inches, as we know, where the most minute shortcoming of technique or the best execution of technique can be the difference between winning and losing games.”
Nik Needham – May 17, 2022
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Tuesday, May 17, 2022
CB Nik Needham
(This is our first time talking to you since obviously the tender and everything. How did it feel to get that tender?) – “It was a blessing. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else other than Miami. It was my first team that gave me a shot and kept it honest with me. (They) brought me up from a fat, young dude out of shape, get right, practice squad to starting to playing with these guys. I can’t be more grateful for that opportunity and I’m just ready to keep proving that I can play and compete in this league at a high level and just keep going up from there.”
(How does WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle’s speed compare from tape to the practice field?) – “You’re like, ‘Ah damn, he’s fast on film,’ but then when you really get right in front of him it’s like oh man, those two definitely have a different speed. It’s going to be great this year to just work versus that every day because it’s like, nobody is going to be faster than these two. If we win versus them, we should win a lot.”
(I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel is obviously an offensive-minded guy but what have you seen from him when talking to the defense especially with all the other guys?) – “I think he’s doing a great job of just bringing us all together. A lot of what coach said is, like the schedule dropping like, ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s all about us.’ He does a lot of like, in team meetings he’ll say some jokes or just funny stuff, show stuff on film. Like activities for conditioning, we did a putting contest to run one time. I think all that stuff is building the camaraderie on the team. We all feel the energy in here and it just feels like a different vibe this year for sure. You never know what happens but we just want to keep it going. I love what he’s doing here for sure. He’s a great coach.”
(Now that you’ve got the RFA tender, next up would be getting a long-term contract extension. How much is that on your mind?) – “Like I say every year, just the year that’s in front of me is the most important thing. I’m not really worried about next year, contract or whatever happens. I still have to go out there and perform so I can even get a contract. That’s the only thing on my mind, just win everyday and we’ll see from there.”
(With everybody back on defense. I mean everybody. What are the realistic expectations for this unit?) – “Man, just to go out there and compete and do what we do every week. You don’t ever want to put any predictions because you never know how the game will turn out. Football is a crazy game. I think we all, like I said, camaraderie and we’ve all been together for a long time. I think we have real good chemistry so the sky is the limit for us, that’s what I would say.”
(We spoke to Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer a couple of months ago when we found out he was going to be retained as defensive coordinator. He said the core of what you guys did was going to stay the same but there might be some tweaks because he’s a defensive backs coach at heart. I know you can’t tell us what’s been going on in the meeting rooms but have you noticed anything, any wrinkles?) – “Not as of now. I think he’s trying to keep it real basic because the rookies and stuff are here. I think he’s saving that for training camp so we can get to it and really show it out there. I think as of now, he’s just running his defense and whatever you just said, I haven’t seen that yet. (laughter)”
(I feel like the common misconception is that when you get to the pros, your play sort of stops there. Is there still a part of your game that you still want to improve on?) – “There’s a bunch of parts of my game. There’s no perfect person to me. There’s a bunch of stuff that I can work on and I still work on that stuff. Footwork – you can never be fast enough. You can never jump high enough. All that stuff. I’m trying to work on different parts of my game whether it’s mental or physical.”
(Can you explain the orange practice jersey we saw LB Jaelan Phillips in today?) – “Yeah, so yesterday he won practice player of the day. So they get an orange jersey and they get to choose the music for the whole day.”
(You feeling it?) – “It was cool, yeah it was cool. At the beginning of practice, he kept playing three songs over and over. (laughter) No bueno but then he changed it so it was good.”
(Does it change the competition or get you guys fired up a little more?) – “Nah, I wouldn’t say that. Maybe me because no one plays California music out here so I definitely want to win and play only Cali music. (laughter)”
(Do you have to have a playlist ready?) – “Nah, I think they just tell you after practice and then you get it right the next day.”
(The coaches determine the winner?) – “Yeah, all the coaches.”
(Has there been a guy in the secondary that you’ve seen that has really improved upon last year compared to last?) – “This is only our second practice really so there’s not really a lot to tell. Jevon (Holland) and Brandon (Jones), you can just tell that back there they work together well now. They’ll get on each other, hold each other more accountable because I think they’re comfortable with each other. That’s the big step I see.”
(Did you guys do much this offseason? The defensive side of the ball. Did you guys get together somewhere? Take a trip somewhere?) – “No trips but that’s what Coach (Mike) McDaniel has been preaching too. Just through this OTA phase and offseason we’ve been doing that on the weekends, hanging out and stuff. I think that’s what also helps build good teams, great teams.”
(Obviously we didn’t see CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones out here so you and CB Noah Igbinoghene seemed like you got some good run outside. What have you seen from Noah?) – “Noah has a high motor, super competitive. Every day he’s bringing it, no matter what. If it’s a little drill, like I have to do a little receiver drill, he’s going to go full speed. You have nothing but to respect that. I respect his game and he’s getting more comfortable out there.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene was getting into it with one of the tight ends.) – “Yeah, he does that all the time so that’s him. I know that’s him because he’s super competitive. That’s what we need on the team.”
(Maybe he’s got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder?) – “Yeah, everybody should have a chip on their shoulder being in the NFL … If you don’t, then you’ll probably get lackadaisical.”
(When people talk about the secondary, people talk about CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones. What do you feel like you bring best to the team? I know some people bring the leadership aspect of the team. What do you feel like is your best trait you bring to the Dolphins?) – “I think for me, I’m just a leader by example. Do everything the right way. Hard worker. Good communicator. Accountable. I’m never going to make a mistake and if I mess up – I’m going to own up to it and try to figure out how to get better and ask my teammates, coaches. That’s the best thing for me that I think I bring is just a lead by example, do the right thing type of guy.”
Sony Michel – May 17, 2022
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Tuesday, May 17, 2022
RB Sony Michel
(How does it feel to be back here?) – “It feels great to be back home, to be with a great team, a team that I’ve watched from a far, a team that I’ve competed against. Knowing guys on the team and knowing what they are about, knowing how hard this team works and seeing how hard this team works, I’m excited.”
(What do you think about that running back room? There are a lot of good players in there right now.) – “Yeah, definitely. A lot of great runners. My whole thing is if you want to be a good runner, you’ve got to compete with great runners. That’s one of the reasons I came here.”
(When you were growing up playing high school ball right down the street, did the thought ever occur to you that you might be in Dolphins colors at some point?) – “It was a dream, an aspiration. I didn’t know how true it would become, but we’re here and I’m excited. Words can’t really describe it.”
(What was your reaction when you got drafted by New England?) – “I was blessed. That’s another opportunity. That’s another dream for every football player to be drafted first of all. To be drafted by a team that has done a great job, for me to go there, build my foundation, learn how to be a professional, it helped me.”
(Does it mean anything to you rocking No. 34 and playing for the Dolphins?) – “Oh yeah, everybody knows this is a great number. Ricky Williams ran the ball hard here and did a lot of numbers. I can’t be rocking it just to rock it. I’ve got to come out here and put in some work.”
(Was there ever a running back posted you had on your wall? You grew up here in South Florida. Was Ricky Williams that guy?) – “Ronnie Brown. I had Ronnie Brown. Reggie Bush, he was here for a little bit. Those are some of the guys.”
(Was there a time where you were close to signing here ever before this month, over the last few years? Was it ever realistic? Were you approached?) – “Not really because I was still on my rookie contract. You can’t really get out of that.”
(How about before the draft? Was there much contact between the Dolphins and your agent, or did this not ever materialize until after the draft?) – “Not until after the draft. Not until free agency.”
(Can you talk about the talks you had with Head Coach Mike McDaniel? He really values the running back room heavily.) – “Yeah. He’s a coach that believes in running the football and I believe in this league to be successful, you have to run the football and stop the run. He’s committed to it, and that’s a reason why I came here also.”
(You said it wasn’t necessarily always a dream for you but at what point in your career growing up down here did you realize something like this could realistic for you, that you could become a pro in the game of football?) – “When I used to play for the Patriots, knowing that we played the Dolphins was kind of cool to me, knowing that I could come home and play in front of my family. They were super close. Now when I was a free agent, getting the opportunity to pick the home team, it kind of helped.”
(What about growing up in high school down here, I know you were a phenom since you were in eighth grade. At what point did reaching these heights become something that you said ‘ok, that may be realistic?’) – “It was a process for me. It was the step of going to college and when I was in the process of college, that became the idea or a potential idea of playing for the Dolphins.”
(Is there a game against Miami that stands out for you?) – “I’d say my first 100-yard game was against Miami in my career.”
(Now that you’ve come back, how many tickets are you going to be responsible for for home games?) – “I’m going to try to limit them since we pay for tickets. (laughter)”
(There are four starting NFL running backs on the roster with you, RB Raheem Mostert, RB Chase Edmonds and RB Myles Gaskin. Is your hope to be the starter opening day? Are you coming in here thinking it’s an open competition and you can seize that?) – “Definitely. Iron sharpens iron. I know these guys’ skillsets. They are all great running backs. They are all great runners. To your point, they are all starters. I think it benefits this team that we all compete our best and eventually we’ll be our best. The opportunities will come. You’ve just got to take advantage of them.”
(With your two Super Bowl experiences, what can you bring this organization from that standpoint?) – “Just keeping my head down and working. I think that’s all I know. I think that’s all I’m going to continue to do. And earn my teammates’ trust.”
River Cracraft – May 17, 2022
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Tuesday, May 17, 2022
WR River Cracraft
(How is that transition from Washington State out here to South Florida?) – “The humidity is crazy, huh? I’ve never really been to the east coast before. It’s definitely an adjustment being form California. But yeah, it’s fun. There’s so much to do down here in South Florida and keep me occupied when football is not going on. It’s a good time.”
(Can you talk a little bit about being in a wide receiver room that has WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle and a lot of good guys? Can you talk about what you’ve learned so far even though you’ve just been here for a little bit?) – “I think all of us bring something different to the table. Those guys bring speed and explosiveness and kind of that one-percent talent that you think of, where I think I myself bring a knowledge and experience with Mike (McDaniel) and we can all help each other out in that aspect. We have a really competitive room. There are so many guys. Everybody can play and it’s going to be a really fun year. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be challenging and it’s a dog-eat-dog world, you know? We’re all helping each other out. We’re all boys and this is one of the closest-knit rooms that I’ve ever been a part of personally.”
(You may have been the first veteran that was signed when Head Coach Mike McDaniel first came before the start of free agency. What drew you? What can you say about Mike that really drew you to join him in Miami?) – “I’ve just always believed in Mike. I was with him for the last two years. My first real experience getting to know Mike, he substituted for our receiver room back in San Francisco. It was my first time one-on-one really getting to know what he knows and I was so blown away with how comfortable and how smart he was. Little did I know back in Cleveland he coached receivers. I kind of put those pieces together after the meeting broke and everything. That was my introduction to Mike and I was just so blown away. So when he got this opportunity and he told me I had an opportunity to get over here, I jumped on it as quick as I couldn’t and I’m just glad it worked out.”
(A lot of us are just meeting Head Coach Mike McDaniel. What would you say, what do you know about him that we maybe don’t know about him as a guy?) – “He’s a super genius. That’s all you need to know. He’s smarter than everybody else, no offense to everyone else. (laughter) The guy knows what he’s doing and he’s going to prove it this year.”
(What is his coaching and leadership style like? Is it just because he is a super genius or why is it that when he speaks, people tend to listen?) – “He’s a players coach. He gets along with players and he acts like he’s one of us in the sense that you can talk to him. He’s never going to big-time you or push you aside because of where your state is at. He’s always going to pull you aside, he’s always going to talk to you. That’s what he did with me in San Francisco. That’s what he’s doing with everybody here and that’s why I love playing for Mike because you know what you’re going to get from him, just his honesty.”
(You said Head Coach Mike McDaniel was a substitute for a while? How long was that? Was that a COVID thing?) – “I think what happened was, you’re referring to last year when he came in the receiver room?”
(Yeah.) – “What happened was the GM over there, John Lynch, went to the Hall of Fame and I think Wes (Welker) went with him so Mike (McDaniel) stepped in for a couple of days in the receiver room.”
(A couple of days and that’s all it took?) – “It took one session for me. It took about the first 10 minutes before I was like, ‘Ah man.’ Not to toot his horn or anything but I was impressed for sure.”
(You’ve obviously been on a team with an elite receiver with WR Deebo Samuel but just being around WR Tyreek Hill, is it just the speed that jumps out at you? What jumps out at you as an NFL receiver looking at someone at that level?) – “Yeah, Tyreek is no doubt the fastest dude I’ve ever seen play. What’s always exciting is that I’ve been on a couple of teams and I’ve been around some very elite players. I pride myself on work ethic. That’s how I’m still here and that’s why I’m still going. To see somebody who is at an elite level who has the same work ethic as I can remember coming in as an undrafted guy, it shows a lot. It shows a lot about who they are and what they’re about. That’s what he brings to the table. He brings hard work and effort on top of elite athleticism. You put those two together, that’s why he’s having success.”
Mike McDaniel – May 17, 2022
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Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Opening statement) – “The Miami Dolphins truly appreciate your guys’ support, but I’m going to have to call in to question your priorities. We have two playoff games (in South Florida) today. (laughter)”
(We’ll be there.) – “Okay, just making sure. I mean, OTAs are very important. I’ve been telling the players the same thing, but playoffs? (laughter) You guys got anything? We good?”
(I guess we could ask you about the two recent additions since the draft. With RB Sony Michel, was the thinking just you can’t have enough quality backs obviously with RB Chase Edmonds and RB Raheem Mostert and RB Myles Gaskin and RB Salvon Ahmed? And with LB Melvin Ingram was there just a feel that another edge player could help for depth reasons?) – “Well, the latter of the two, I have not seen pen to paper yet. So revert. (laughter) We’ll talk about our Dolphins players, but hopefully we’ll be able to talk about him soon. Sony (Michel) – if you have an opportunity in the offseason to add a player of his caliber, of his pedigree, just him as a human being and a multiple Super Bowl winner, we jumped at the opportunity. His interest fit our interest and competition for the Miami Dolphins is only a good thing. I think one thing that’s unique about that particular room is no one shies away from competition. Everybody in there is excited for the offense, for the opportunities and wants the best man to win and aren’t backing away from that.”
(And with RB Raheem Mostert, are all indications of his recovery suggesting that he should be ready for the start of the season? Do you feel good about that?) – “I know his expectations are to play Week 1 and we are not going to rush it. He’s come too far to have a setback, so he’s just diligently working day-in and day-out. But when he’s ready, he’ll be on the field for sure.”
(What is something you want to instill or establish in your team at this early stage in OTAs?) – “I think we’ve begun that process. There’s three phases in an NFL offseason. Phase I is meeting room-exclusive. We’re currently in Phase III where we’re actually able to practice for the second time. In Phase II, you get to do some drill work and coach them on the field, not in team settings. But all three phases are really cool to me for the specific reason that you get to coach and not prepare for an opponent. So we’re learning a different language on one side of the ball and we’re refining a language on the other side of the ball, but realistically you want guys committed to getting better and you want to really establish how you’re going to go about business. We had a bunch of time to prepare for – we had two voluntary minicamps and now this afternoon, you guys will see our second OTA and what was important to me was you don’t skip steps in this business. So if we want to make strides and progress as an organization and as a football team, we have to position ourselves so that when we come back for training camp, that we’re able to practice and operate at a high-caliber level that fits our goals. There’s no easy way to do that. You just don’t wish things to happen. You take matters into your hands in the game of football. And the guys, I am very proud of the way they’ve approached everything from that standpoint.”
(We haven’t asked you yet, I don’t believe, about a player with sort of an interesting skillset. Your views on WR Lynn Bowden Jr. and what he can offer?) – “Lynn, he does have an interesting skillset. I’ve always been drawn to players that have multiple positions, specifically quarterback, experience, because of the way they see the game. Lynn’s been battling some hamstring stuff. He’s been diligent in the meeting room and we don’t really get ahead of myself when we’re looking at our team, and I don’t think his teammates should either. We’ll know if Lynn’s ready to contribute to the team when he’s on the field and we’re trying to get him there, and he’s making sure – I know he’s making sure – that he’s prepared for his opportunity when he is healthy.”
(I wanted to ask you about the offense in terms of what unit or what group is it the most difficult to sort of implement this offense, teach them what you want to do fundamentally and the core scheme?) – “The most drastic disparity from whatever you’d call ‘traditional’ – you enter it when you’re coaching players. You’re very aware of their past coaching. You make yourself aware of that so that you can best articulate ‘hey, this is like this’ or ‘this is not like this.’ The biggest disparity from a traditional standpoint is the offensive line without a doubt, and it is a full-scale commitment to certain principles and ownership of fundamentals that we ask them to do and to major in. So as far as the offseason program is concerned, it’s almost built for our offensive linemen in terms of how to approach things because you need about two weeks of an hour-and-a-half or an hour-and-45-minute meetings, which is what Phase I allows you, to digest ‘hey, we’re asking you to run off the ball, we’re asking you to have these landmarks, we’re asking you not to hesitate.’ And then in Phase II, you can kind of drill it. I think in terms of Johnny-don’t-know-his-name coming on the team and then all of a sudden being thrown into the mix, I think it’s the hardest position because we are so committed to our fundamentals and technique. And offensive linemen are like officials, I would say, where you’re not talking about them and that’s a good thing; and they have scars from when they are talked about, so to get them to just let go and let all that stuff – let the past be the past and move forward is the most deliberate and intentional thing that as a coaching staff we have to do. One of the reasons that kind of shaped my whole vision for hiring a coaching staff is I wanted to make sure that the guys that were touching those players, we would be able to see the results of the scheme and people that really dive in and invest, understand where they’re coming from, some of the stuff they have in their past and let that go and move forward. And I feel very, very comfortable and confident and happy with starting with Matt Applebaum and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) has been doing an outstanding job understanding everything that we’re trying to do. Mike Person and then Frank Smith, obviously the offensive coordinator. So that position is probably – I’m not sure if … Do you have any interest in the offensive line position? (laughter) Am I boring you? (laughter) It’s exciting, too, because you get to see guys at that position. I feel like we’re kind of – it’s liberating to a degree because, listen, if I were to tell you that on this team – and this is my seventh team, I’ve been in a lot of different places – but this is as athletic and capable of any group, you might be like, ‘Huh? Are you crazy?’ But they really are and they’re hungry and committed and it’s been really, really rewarding to watch them work, see the benefits and then more than that, what’s going to happen with your first adversity because this just in, offensive linemen have adversity. They live in adversity. And how are they going to respond to a run play where they’re short of their aiming point and Christian (Wilkins) makes you pay in the backfield or (Zach) Sieler or whoever. And that’s the fun part of this part of the year is you get to focus on them and not an opponent.”
(Can you talk a little bit about what you see from the rookies and undrafted free agents so far, besides just their physical traits and what they can do on the field but maybe their character and how they fit within the team?) – “Overall as a group, I feel that all the parties involved in acquiring them – I hold undrafted free agents with high esteem. They aren’t just throw-ins. They are important to me. We’ve had a multitude of success over the years having undrafted free agents really impact your team. What I will say is as a group, it’s a testament to the organization’s scouting department, Chris Grier and the collection of people, because we have the right types of people. This is overwhelming. You have to understand that rookies, people don’t really view it this way but I was just talking to the guys yesterday, is they are coming in trying to make a living at something amongst people that have been doing it professionally for years. You’re doing that in a language that you’re like, ‘What?’ You just got introduced this stuff so you’re triple behind the eight-ball. You get to find out fast if guys are tough-minded enough. I will say, they are made of the right stuff so far having one weekend with them and then this being the second OTA.”
(We saw recently that you have joint practices with the Buccaneers this preseason. What can you get out of that and are there any other joint practices that this team will have?) – “Joint practices are outstanding for everyone involved. There’s only so far you can go when going against each other before things start to hurt more than they help. Having different schemes, coverages, is incredibly impactful. Having different offenses for run fits and all of that stuff is super impactful. We’re going to start out, we’re practicing two days against Tampa and can’t wait to see you guys type really fast but we are going to have joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles as well. Both scenarios I feel very fortunate that things worked out with Coach (Todd) Bowles and Coach (Nick) Sirianni. We’re excited about that and I think our players will be too.”
(When you first arrived here, you talked about this being your dream job and you’ve worked for 20 years towards it. I was just curious, over the course of getting here, teaching, coaching and getting on the grass – how does your experience lived up to the expectation of your dream job?) – “Surpassed it. It’s just really fun to express a lot of the things that you didn’t know if you would ever have the opportunity to do. I am surrounded with so many people that are supporting and help driving the force that it really, truly feels like a team that we’re working together for a common goal. Which that is what football is all about.”
(Two, probably three guys on this team are not only fast but eager to show they are the fastest on this team. Are you going to let them race and most importantly are we going to see it?) – “Hmm. (laughter) Well, with a persuasive argument maybe you can convince – I’m not going to tell them not to race. I love competitors. I’m also not going to force them to race. So if I were you guys and they would do so at one of the five practices that you guys are at, and you guys were able to persuade them to do it at one, the guy pushing for my race the hardest I would put my wagers on amongst your betting selves. I would not bet because there are some very, very fast guys on the team. But I enjoy the fact that they are competitive about that and I would never keep them from doing so. I’m more trying to get them to figure out how to run a route, defend a go-ball or run the ball – did I cover all my bases? I did? – than to have them compete in a race. We do track miles per hour on every practice so they don’t necessarily need to race side by side for me to put that in front of them as a motivating factor.”
(You have to tell us who the fastest now if you know you’re tracking it.) – “I mean, I don’t have to. (laughter) It wouldn’t be fair yet because not all players are able to take part in the race yet. There’s been a good amount of 21 and 22 mile per hour runners out there. I’m not going to be mad if there’s more additionally in the future.”
(If you’re willing to share this in May, anyone beyond RB Raheem Mostert and WR Lynn Bowden Jr. if we don’t see out there today going full or going out there at all that are out for health reasons, injury reasons that you are able to share so we are not guessing when we are out there watching?) – “You don’t technically have to guess. You can just holler at me and I can answer your question. (laughter) As far as that test question, I don’t really know off the top of my head. I know (our communications staff) is probably sitting there like, ‘Yes you do,’ and I’m like ‘No, I don’t.’ The veterans that have earned the right over their career and the science backs it up that it’s not best-served for them to be out there, we’re not going to put them out there. From any given day, that can vary. We try to be very intentional and deliberate in everything we do. There’s no absolute with anything. The best thing for the Dolphins is each and every player is ready for Week 1. However we get there is the way we will handle those things.”
