Durham Smythe – January 6, 2022
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Thursday, January 6, 2022
TE Durham Smythe
(We’ve been asking all of the pending UFAs about where things stand. I know you’ve tried to avoid that, understandably, this year. But have the Dolphins given you any idea at all if they plan to offer you a contract this offseason?) – “Just to echo what ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) has said throughout the week, I think that is probably something that will be largely discussed next week. Obviously there are two sides to it. I think there will be more actual discussions in terms of things of that nature in the coming weeks. Then I’ll have more clarity and I think everyone will.”
(Do you have any clarity now to know if they even want to give you a new deal or do you simply not know?) – “I’m not sure at this point. Obviously I enjoy being here and things of that nature. But like I’ve said, there are two sides to it and I think there will be a lot more discussions moving forward.”
(Where do you feel like you’ve made the most growth in your game throughout these past four seasons?) – “I think probably just being consistent. Obviously in the NFL, at this level, you’re going to win and lose reps because everyone is getting paid to do this. I think over the last four years I’ve become a little more consistent in what I expect from myself, what I think I could do on a rep to rep basis and things of that nature. When I first came in, you make a play here or there, but then you’re kind of just swimming. I think over the last four years, that’s something I’ve tried to focus on. Obviously at this level, you’re never complacent. There is always room for more growth. But I think I’ve improved a little bit in the consistency.”
(What do you mean by swimming? I have heard that it’s very hard for rookie tight ends just because of so many facets to the game and you guys contribute in every area. When you’re there, what’s it like?) – “There is a lot of truth to that. I think the one thing people don’t always understand at this position is obviously you’re asked to do a lot of things. People know that. You’re asked to block, you’re asked to run routes. But a lot of times physically you’re at a bit of a disadvantage. Defensive ends are a lot of times bigger than us. The guys covering us are a lot of times faster than us. So you have to kind of develop some comfort level with how to win reps. When I first got here, in college you can win reps by just physically dominating people on the edge or you’re just bigger than a safety and you can go up and make a play. When you get to the NFL, you have to learn how to win reps at this position, really in all facets of the game. I think that takes some time to learn, but then once you do, I think like I said, you can build on that consistency.”
(For TE Mike Gesicki, how much growth have you seen from his game? I didn’t realize that he spent most of his snaps the last two seasons as a receiver, either in the slot or on the boundary, than he has in-line?) – “Mike has really come around a ton in just his understanding of the game. Like I said, how to win reps. But you mentioned that he’s lined up a lot as a receiver. I think our offense has really done a good job over the last couple of years of highlighting his strengths. Obviously he wins a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside so I think we’ve kind of given him the opportunity to win more of those and he’s done a good job with it. I think it’s been a joint effort of the staff putting him in good positions and then just him understanding the game, and understanding how to win one-on-one matchups.”
(The Dolphins announced a few minutes ago that WR Jaylen Waddle is the Team MVP for this season. I’m wondering at what point in training camp or the regular season did you begin to see signs that this guy is of MVP quality?) – “You can see the MVP worthy talent immediately. Just his attributes, how fast he is, he makes plays, he does this, he does that. I think as the season progressed, he became more confident. He’s a guy who is never comfortable with a five-catch, 100-yard game. He wants more always. I think that has kind of shown throughout the year. He’s still asking ‘how can I improve’ on a week-to-week basis and that’s kind of what he’s done. Obviously the stats show that and him receiving that award shows how important he’s been to this team.”
Jevon Holland – January 6, 2022
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Thursday, January 6, 2022
S Jevon Holland
(If this ends up being the last time we talk to you until May or June, I just wanted to ask how you would assess your rookie season?) – “I think my rookie season was pretty good. I left some things on the table. I’d like to get those back but that’s what a competitor is. Evaluate yourself, look at what you messed up on, look at what you did good and improve from there.”
(Kind of along those lines, was there anything that really kind of surprised you about being in the NFL? Obviously Oregon has a pipeline, but being in the NFL, what were you maybe not ready for or expecting?) – “I’m drawing a blank because I’m like fanatic about the NFL. I love the NFL. I love football, so at the highest level of course I’ve been watching for a long time. And obviously my father played in the NFL, so I’ve been learning about it. But I’d say how smart and understanding of the game that a lot of players are. Especially the offensive side of the ball, like receivers understanding the defense and how if we rotate a certain way, they’re supposed to attack us. I think that’s really cool. Understanding both ways amongst players.”
(What’s the one area of growth that you would like to see from your game moving forward?) – “I would say patience.”
(In terms of what? Eye discipline?) – “No, just patience on the field. Being a lot more calm.”
Duke Johnson – January 6, 2022
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Thursday, January 6, 2022
RB Duke Johnson
(How much are you hoping that the Dolphins will give you a contract this offseason? Have they given you or Drew Rosenhaus any indication that they plan to? I know it’s early.) – “No idea. That’s a question for Drew. My job is to just produce inside the white lines. We’ll see. I don’t really have an idea, don’t have a plan. I’m not really thinking about it much because again for me, it’ll happen when it happens. So just wait.”
(Would you like to be here long-term? It would make a lot of sense obviously.) – “Oh, I would love to be here long-term. It’s home. Why not?”
Mike Gesicki – January 5, 2022
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022
TE Mike Gesicki
(Would your hope be, now that the season is ending, to get a long-term deal with the Miami Dolphins? Obviously, they’ve got options with you, they could stick the franchise tag on you. Would the ideal scenario for you be a long-term deal with the Miami Dolphins?) – “I’m going to be completely honest with you, I haven’t thought about it this season. I kind of just let it all play out because it doesn’t matter how much I think about it or don’t think about it, it’s not really up to me. I just kind of go about my business and kind of let everything fall where it may. I do appreciate this organization. I’m happy where I’m at and I like the guys, like the locker room, like the coaches. I can go on and on about all the things I like. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
(One last question on this topic. Were you ever – I don’t want to say feelings hurt because it’s a business – were your feelings hurt that two other members of the 2018 class were extended and you were not?) – “No. Absolutely not. I was happy for those guys. They put in a lot of work, they made of plays, they did what they had to do and they were rewarded for it. I’m happy for them. That’s just how it’s been.”
(In what areas are you most proud of your growth as a professional athlete, professional football player from start to now?) – “I think just kind of staying the course. It’s not – some guys get in the league and they take off and other guys fight through a little bit of adversity and you kind of learn, you grow, you realize what you’re not good at and you get better at those and you realize what you’re good at and you improve at those and you kind of excel in those areas. I think when I first got here in 2018, a lot of people were excited for the day that I wasn’t here anymore, so that was an interesting experience back during my rookie year. But here I am now in 2022 and it’s crazy. It goes quick. It goes fast but you learn a lot and I’ve enjoyed every single aspect of being in this organization. I had a lot of fun, won a lot of games, learned from a lot of games and I’m excited and grateful for another opportunity this upcoming Sunday.”
(What are the areas where you feel like you have made the most growth in you game? Congrats on your career year in receptions and yards. You pointed out TE Durham Smythe’s career year.) – “I mean Durham is still continuing (to add to his career highs).”
(I know, he’s still building on it.) – “I know. Although I did throw a much better ball than he would have ever thrown but we’ll leave that at that. I think the things in my game that I’ve gotten better from my first snap until today is just kind of being able to get off press coverage, being physical in route running, being able to fight through second-level releases and contact and things like that. I think anybody – not anybody but it takes a little bit of creativity and a special player to get open verses zone and find the special spots in zone. But when you can win versus man coverage whether it’s a corner or a safety – I don’t really see linebackers – but a corner or safety, nickel, or something like that, and you can go win in those situations, those are crucial downs, mostly third down stuff. That’s kind of where I excel in my role, in third down. I think in terms of route running and things like that, I think I’ve gotten a lot better and then just understanding the game, different coverages, how to run different routes versus different leverage and stuff like that.”
(I wanted to ask you also, the market. New England really set the market for tight ends. They did you guys a favor this offseason. Guys like Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews made the bar rise. Do you feel like this is a great time to be a tight end?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I feel like there’s, I think I said it a couple of weeks ago, if you go out there and you make plays and you do what’s asked of you, then you get what you deserve. I think that you are entitled to what you deserve in this league and that’s what those guys have gotten and I’m happy for them. They continue to show it each and every week and they keep setting the bar high each and every week. I’m happy for them and their success and their bank accounts. (laughter) Good for them.”
(You had mentioned something earlier about your rookie season. If you want to call it fan perception, wanting you out of here or whatever you said. I found that interesting and I was curious, every year you’re going to have players on a team that come into a new team and maybe they struggle a little bit. I was curious if you ever approach those players in those situations and if you do, what’s that conversation like between you and those guys who maybe had the same type of path where it took a little while longer to get going?) – “Honestly, the only instance I can remember – and I never talk to people when they drop a ball or anything like that because it’s so cliché. People are like, ‘Oh, we got your back.’ I know I wanted to catch the ball. If you were in there, you would want to catch the ball. Nobody – like I get it. I’m ready for the next play too. So I never say anything to anybody when they drop the ball because when I was in college I had a couple drops and it was the most frustrating experience of my life. In the last preseason game this year against Cincinnati, I remember Hunter (Long) ran a flag and Reid Sinnett threw it up and it was a difficult catch, over the shoulder. To me, those are the hardest catches, over the shoulder. He didn’t come down with it. He came to the sideline and for like a split second he looked like it was over. I was sitting there and I didn’t say a word. I went up to him and ignored the fact that it happened and kept talking to him because I’ve been in that scenario before. Finally, I just said to him like, ‘Yo, I know what you’re thinking. It’s preseason three. You’re good. You are good. You are going to learn from this experience and then you are going to go make plays on Sundays.’ I think that was the one instance that stuck out to me. Now Hunter has done great things in practice, has got in and made the most of his opportunities in games and I’m excited for his future here in Miami. That’s just one small occurrence that kind of stuck out with me in terms of being a veteran and being through an experience like that.”
(Going back to your career growth, you talked about when you were fighting through that adversity as a rookie. If I had talked to you back then and gotten some truth serum and asked you where you would be in 2021, would you have envisioned that you would be where you are now as accomplished as you are now or not?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think – I remember back then people talking about my confidence and things like that. I was never at a lack of confidence and in terms of my game. It was honestly a mixture of me not being – not prepared but being ready to go out and make these plays at this point because like I said, the things I have gotten better at like second-level releases, getting off press, using my hands, fighting through man-to-man coverage and things like that, that I wasn’t doing back then. And then just opportunity. I knew when I was put in the right situation, in the right gameplan and had the right opportunity around me, I was going to be prepared to make the most of my opportunities. I did all my JUGS back then, I did all my work back then and I stuck with it because I knew at some point the opportunity was going to come. But that’s the big thing, you’ve got to be ready when that opportunity comes and I think I was and made the most of it eventually in 2019 and now it all comes full circle.”
Tua Tagovailoa – January 5, 2022
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(As you move past last Sunday’s outing and focus on the season finale, is there one thing you’d like to clean up and focus on and improve on as you wrap up the season? What would that be?) – “I would say just our operation offensively. We haven’t been consistent and I would say just the consistency of that.”
(I know it’s tough coming off a rough game and still having one game left, but how would you evaluate the was this sophomore season has gone for you?) – “It didn’t go the way that I wanted it to go. It didn’t go the way that our team wanted it to go. It’s tough when you have an opportunity and you don’t capitalize on that opportunity. It’s tough.”
(When the trade deadline came and went, it obviously meant these last two months of the season were yours. Now that it all but came and went, do you wonder if those trade conversations for another QB may come back up this offseason?) – “No and I’m not worried about that. If it comes up, it comes up. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
(What can you take from a game like last week in terms of a big game down the stretch – moving forward with your career, you’re going to have big games down the stretch. What can you take from that experience, that you can go ‘I can learn from that about this type of important game?’) – “I think all of the games that we play are important for us as a team. We don’t just look at one in particular. We do look at the mistakes that we’ve made after every game that we’ve played and see what we can fix to help us become successful so we don’t make those same mistakes. I think for me it’s being able to simulate the cold weather scenario and trying to throw a ball while it’s wet at the same time in cold weather. A lot of the good teams are cold weather teams as well. I think that is something to take into consideration this offseason for myself. I’ll probably go visit my brother or take a trip somewhere that’s cold and kind of get the feel of that.”
(This season there have been so many ups and downs and there is so much going on around the season. I’m curious, has it been a fun season for you in totality?) – “I would say it has been a fun season. Just being able to go through the ups and downs with the guys that we have on our team, just us continuing to believe in each other while things weren’t going right and then when things were going right. That’s why we’re in this industry and why we do what we do because of the feeling of when you do win and you do accomplish what you want to accomplish, it’s a good feeling for all of us.”
(You talked about the consistency of the offense and obviously you guys have struggled for the majority of the season offensively. What will it take for this offense to get out of gear three and get to that next level outside of just consistency?) – “Well, I think for us it starts with consistency. In order for us to get things going, we’ve got to do the things that we do really well, we’ve got to do them good. If we’re not doing those good, we can’t really jump shifts. We can’t go from gear three to gear four to gear five if we’re making mistakes on one and two. That’s the whole belief with our consistency offensively.”
(Your opponent this week, you obviously saw them back in September. What have you seen from them as they have gone from their first week edition of the Patriots to now Week 18 when you look at them on tape?) – “We always knew that they were a good team, well-coached. I think they found their rhythm playing with each other. They have a good front, they have good ‘backers, they are a good overall team in all three phases. It’s going to be a challenge and to me, this isn’t the same team that we saw in early September. They look a lot more confident so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
(Head Coach Bill Belichick’s mark against young quarterbacks or quarterbacks with minimal experience, he’s been pretty successful. What do you think it is about the way they play defense that makes it harder on quarterbacks who haven’t maybe seen as much football?) – “I think they force the quarterback to get the ball out of their hands quick. They force quick decisions. They don’t give up big plays. They want you to work for your touchdowns. If it’s a checkdown that works for 10 yards, that’s the kind of game they want to play, I think. It’s a take what they give you and when you have your shots, you’ve got to take your shots when they arise.”
(This weekend you have the possibility of ending with a positive record like you did last year. What’s the difference you think between the situation this year and what have you learned that is different from last year?) – “In terms of the situation, I would say it’s similar in a way to last year, just because we’re not in the playoff race anymore. I would say our guys are still coming out to practice, still coming to work with a good frame of mind. I think that’s one of the most important things is everyone knowing that we got to finish this last game strong, and no one has really checked out yet.”
(We begin this season trying to sort out what this offense’s identity would be. Now that the season is winding down, how would you describe this offense’s identity or has it developed one yet?) – “I think for us offensively, we want to be able to establish the run to set up a lot of our (play) actions. We just want to be able to control the game that way. Some games were like that. Some games weren’t. I would say that’s kind of the identity we tried to set as an offense. Just trying to be able to control the game. Some games we were able to and some games we weren’t able to close it out. That’s how it is.”
(I wanted to ask you a question from one of my co-workers who is working on a story about Jeff Allen. I’m just curious what kind of relationship you have with Jeff, what kind of relationship you had with Jeff down at Alabama, how much time you guys spent together, what you remember about him from your time in Tuscaloosa.) – “I had a really good relationship with Jeff. Jeff’s pretty much a legend there at Alabama. He’s been there since a lot of the greats have been there and come through Alabama and then left. Very good guy. He’s a family man. Very likeable. Very much respectable as well. But yeah, he’s obviously helped me with a lot because of the injuries that I’ve gone through at Alabama. I have a lot of respect for Jeff.”
(Do you have a specific memory that comes to mind when you hear Jeff’s name or when you think about him?) – “Not necessarily. Probably things I’d like to keep in private. (laughter)”
Xavien Howard – January 5, 2021
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022
CB Xavien Howard
(I was looking at the play time and I see you’re the only guy on the Dolphins defense who is over 90 percent snaps for the season and also you’ve been able to be on the field. This will be your 32nd game over the past two years. What does that mean to you to be able to show that kind of durability and availability?) – “Man, that’s one thing I said earlier in my (career), I didn’t have that availability, being able to get on the field and being able to perform due to injuries. I feel like that stuff is behind me now. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my team and just try to stay on the field.”
(Is there one or two things you could point to that you feel you’ve changed that has really helped you – knock on wood here – stay healthy?) – “Probably just the way I took care of my body the last two years. Just understanding the stuff that I’ve got to be strong at – especially my lower body. I feel like that was where most of my injuries were. This offseason, I’ll get back in the lab and I feel like I’ll work on my lower body.”
(You’re one of the longest tenured players on this team and after another season that unfortunately fell short of the playoffs, I’m curious from your perspective what needs to change for you guys to get into the playoffs and be a consistent team in the playoffs?) – “I think we have to win all three phases. The other stuff, I cannot control that. I’m on the field and we’ve got guys that are competing left and right. Our job is to try to get a win and lately we’ve been winning but also we fell short of the playoffs. I feel like we got the guys in the room but I don’t know exactly. I couldn’t hit the point exactly what it is.”
(Earlier today in his media availability, Bill Belichick said that the Dolphins have mixed it up more this year with their defensive play calling. I was curious how that benefits you, the individual, and also the defense as a whole?) – “I feel like we’ve been doing that last year also, mixing up the play calling. I feel like the coaches are doing a great job to put the guys in position to make plays.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was talking about the important role that you’ve played in the defense. He talks about how being able to have you go cover a guy opens up the defense to be able to do a lot of different things. When you hear comments like that from your coach, how does that make you feel? Do you feel like you’re in a good place with the organization? Do you feel like there is a two-way trust and appreciation right now?) – “Nah, I never heard that. It’s the first time I’m hearing that. It feels great. It’s my job. I’m here, this my job and that’s really what it is. I’m just doing my job, really.”
(How do you feel about the future in terms of you and the organization?) – “I’m still a Miami Dolphin. Until somebody says something, I’m a Miami Dolphin. (laughter)”
(When I asked DE Emmanuel Ogbah, he said Patriots Head Coach Bill Bilichick found a gem in QB Mac Jones. How do you view him now after playing him once and with a season’s worth of tape?) – “I feel like he’s improved this whole season but when I first played him in Week 1, when I saw him play and the stuff he was doing I’m like, he’s not a rookie. He was doing some stuff like he’s been in the league a little minute. I’ve just seen him improve and I’m looking forward to seeing him this week.”
Mack Hollins – January 5, 2022
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022
WR Mack Hollins
(On winning the PFWA South Florida chapter’s Good Guy Award) – “Thank you all so much. Seriously, that means a lot. I just got this nice trophy. Thank you all, seriously. I try to be as open as I can with you all. It probably gets me in trouble a lot with coach. (laughter) But I know the job that you all have. It’s not an easy one. I really appreciate you all showing love to me. It ain’t always easy being a good guy but I’ll take it if I can talk about the hair and the gators and give you guys something fun to write about every so often. (laughter) Thank you all so much, seriously.”
(I just wanted to get your take on the role of the media, especially sports media, guys and gals like us who cover the team. How do you sort of perceive the media?) – “I wanted to not get this award on this day. (laughter) I think the media is a tough job because as a player, you always want – unless it’s something good that they’re saying – you want them to never write a piece about you. You want them to never say anything bad about you. And that’s not their job. That’s not y’all’s job. You have a job to do whether it’s to say ‘Hey, so and so is not at a level he’s supposed to be,’ or ‘He is at a level he’s supposed to be.’ I’m sure you all love writing pieces that, ‘This guy is doing great. I told you so. Yada yada yada.’ But it’s not easy to write those pieces that are ‘He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing. We should trade,’ or ‘We should cut,’ or ‘We should release him.’ Or whatever it may be. That’s not an easy thing to do. I think as a player, it’s easy to get blinded by your own emotions, where you can just say, ‘Screw the media because they wrote this piece about me, this piece about me and this piece about my teammate.’ But you all have a job to do just like we do. As I’ve gotten older and more years in the league, I’ve started to understand that more. Yeah, your job’s not easy but it’s one that has to be done.”
(What has been the toughest aspect of being a leader of this team this season?) – “I think it can be tough being a leader sometimes when things aren’t going all your way. It’s easy to be a leader when you’re winning. I’ll tell you these last seven or eight games, it’s been a lot easier to be a leader than the first seven or eight. And that’s because you’re winning. It’s easy to be the leader when you’re winning and say, ‘Look what I’m doing. It must be because I’m leading so well. It must be because I’ve been getting the guys right.’ It was much more difficult when we were losing game after game and people are turning to you wanting an answer and the problem is not getting solved. Being a leader is not easy but it’s a job I know I signed up for and I hope that I was able to do at least some part on this team as a leader to better my teammates.”
(I know this is going to be a tough question, but what the heck is going on with special teams this year? We usually come to you to explain things and you do quite a good job of explaining it. What is going on with that unit?) – “I’d say I probably take more responsibility than anybody on that unit. We haven’t played to our potential and that’s unfortunate because we have a lot of really great players. Our job is to have one more chance and I guess that’s the good thing about football. You get one more chance but we won’t after this week. So it’s important that if you’re going to have one last game, whether people want to say it’s worth something or not, you’re going to have to live with this game until the next season. I know personally, from a special teams aspect, this is the biggest game of the year because this is the game I’m going to have to live with for the next six to eight months.”
(I don’t know the next time we’ll talk to you so I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you as a pending free agent, your thoughts on your future be it after this week. This is going to be your first chance to explore the free agent market. Is it your hope to come back to Miami? What are your thoughts on the whole deal?) – “I don’t know. Honestly, I just – thinking too far into the future has always ruined my game as a player. I feel like the reason I’m able to have a lot of fun when I’m playing is because I don’t worry about things too far down the line. Obviously that’s something that’s going to have to be thought about but I think I can give myself seven more days or six more days and then open my mind up to that type of stuff. I’m not really sure, honestly.”
Christian Wilkins – January 5, 2022
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Wednesday, January 5, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(What steps do you take this week to correct the run defense after you had a string of strong games against the run but then a season-worst last game?) – “Really the biggest thing was coming in here after the game, watching the tape, making the adjustments as coaches and players and looking in the mirror, seeing what you did wrong, seeing how you could have helped the team more, how you could have done your job just a little bit better because we know what we’re capable of and what we’ve been doing for the majority of the season. That wasn’t it last week. We’ve got one more week to at least go out there together as a group and have a little fun and get another crack at it.”
(Yesterday Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer mentioned something about one faction of why the run defense did allow as much yards as it did was because you guys were trying to scheme up some negative plays and maybe attack and go get it. I know that’s one of the things that you’ve talked about before with playing your job and also being aggressive and taking chances. When you play 40-50 snaps in a game, how do you balance the decision to play aggressive and try to go make a play versus you can’t take a chance in this position?) – “The majority of the time you’ve just got to do your job anyway. There’s often a few plays throughout the game where it’s like, you just know what you are going to get based off your film study, based off practice, based off your preparation if you do it the right way. You’re like, ‘Ok, I have a pretty good beat on this,’ or just throughout the flow of a game you can find where you can take your chances and things like that within the scheme of course. That’s the biggest thing. Like I said, we’re just going to make those adjustments this week and hopefully put a better result out there on Sunday.”
(You not only lead the NFL in tackles by a defensive linemen but you have the most by any Dolphins defensive linemen since at least 2000. Do you take pride in either of those?) – “Honestly, yeah I always take pride in my performance and I always want to do well but that’s something I’m not necessarily focused on. I just try to take it game by game, play as hard as I can. Maybe at the end of the season, I’ll look up and be like that’s pretty cool but I’m still locked in for this last week. I’m not really thinking about that and who knows, maybe I’ll feel differently after this week.”
(What’s a specific area do you think you’ve become a better player this year?) – “Really just my overall knowledge of the game, understanding schemes, how offenses try to attack us and my overall knowledge of our scheme and what we’re trying to do. Again, kind of what I was alluding to earlier, where I can take shots in our defense and our scheme and where it makes the most sense. Kind of just understanding if this happens on the front side and I’m on the back side then a play is here to be made or vice versa. If I do this, the play is coming my way. If I just do this, then this opens someone else up. Just overall understanding the scheme of what we are trying to do defensively.”
(We all see some of the things that DE Emmanuel Ogbah has done to help this team this year. I’m wondering from your perspective as a guy who plays alongside of him, how would you describe what he does to make players around him better?) – “That’s actually funny. With Ogbah, he’s such a low-maintenance, even-keel kind of guy so even in the toughest of situations Ogbah is like, ‘Hey.’ He’s just himself all the time, just cool, just chill. That’s kind of nice to always see he’s got that vet – he’s one of the most vetted guys in our room and he’s just got great play-making ability. That get-off, his ability to pass rush is impressive and it’s good to know that if I just rush this way on the interior, I know he’s going to do his job and that might make a play for him. That overall helps our team. He’s just a great teammate, a fun guy to play with. Like I said, even-keeled, very smart player and can just affect the game in a lot of ways whether it’s batted passes, he’s done some really good things on the edge in the run game, pass rush and all that. I’m glad he’s been with us for the last couple years. He’s made my game better overall. I’m sure I’ve had a few moments where things weren’t super easy or for me whether that was on the field or mentally and Obgah is just there like, “Hey Chris, you good. Just be yourself, play your game.’ You know, just helping from that standpoint and he does that for all the guys. That’s definitely important, his leadership and everything he brings.”
