Xavien Howard – December 6, 2021
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Monday, December 6, 2021
CB Xavien Howard
(There is a stat that you guys are 6-0 when the defense holds opponents to 17 points or fewer. After the first-half struggles this year, especially with the defense, do you think that this unit is back to playing to the standard of last year? Do you think you guys are back to that level?) – “Yeah. I feel like we’re back to that level. I feel like everybody is confident, everybody is having fun. I really don’t pay attention to the stats, but that’s a good stat though. We’ve just got to keep taking it one week at a time and keep playing good ball.”
(Where do you think this team stands going into this bye before this stretch run and what will you be doing this bye week?) – “Recovering. Getting some rest. This week is Week 14. There is a lot of ball left. Just try to recover and make sure everybody get back to 100 percent and try to win out.”
(I wanted to ask you about the interception in Sunday’s game. What was the key to getting back to the way you executed on the deep ball?) – “We were in Cover 3 and the quarterback hit me with a high, low concept. I guess he was expecting me to jump the out route and the other guy was two seven routes. I ended up seeing the ball in the air and went to attack the ball.”
(I know you said statistics aren’t that key, but aside from just the interceptions the statistics show that you’ve been really locking things down over the last three to five games. How do you feel about where your game is right now?) – “I feel good about it. I’m very confident and everything is clicking together. I feel like I’m back where I ended up leaving it in 2020. I feel like I’m back on a roll.”
(Now that you’re at the end of the bye, do you feel like a break at this point is beneficial or would you still prefer it earlier?) – “I’d prefer it earlier because we’re on a roll right now and I want to keep that going. Even though we got a bye, a lot of guys are probably banged up. We probably need it in Week 14. I definitely wanted it earlier, but we’re on a roll right now. We’ve just got to keep that momentum coming off the bye and got to do a lot of good things.”
(I believe it’s like two touchdowns in the last five games you guys have allowed. I’m not 100 percent sure on that stat but it’s something stingy like that. What is the mentality when you get to the red zone or when the opponent gets to the red zone? how do you clamp that down like that?) – “I feel like everybody just focuses in. We try to give them three points. That’s probably it. That’s what we want in the red zone. Everybody tries to focus and pay more attention to the details and understand what the offense is giving us. We don’t want anybody to get in the end zone. We try to protect the house. We’ve just got to keep doing that week in and week out.”
(I wanted to ask you about your pass rush upfront. You have three guys who are currently ranked in the top 15 in quarterback hits. How does that help you and the secondary’s job in coverage?) – “That’s a blessing. Guys like that getting to the quarterback and putting pressure on the ball, it makes the job easier for the back end. As a defense, it all works together. That’s what you all have been seeing, they’ve been working together and a lot of plays and opportunities are out there that we’ve been taking advantage of.”
(A couple of players since the game ended yesterday have talked about the bye and the pros, and the cons of having it right now. What is the best way to keep this momentum going, to make sure you retain your sharpness of the bye week and that there is no rust when you do come back to play another game?) – “I feel like we’ve got to focus on the main goal. Even though it’s a bye, it’s not a party time or do this or do that. You’ve got to take care of your body, you’ve got to do things right. When we come back, we’ve got to have that same attitude and turn it up a notch. I feel like we’ve got to stay focused. We can’t let that be a distraction as a bye week even though we’re on a roll.”
(How are things different for you in everyday life when you’re in the midst of a five-game win streak as opposed to a long losing streak. How does that change things for you, waking up and just your whole day?) – “We’re taking it one day at a time. In the beginning, it was rough. You’re seeing a lot of good things happening right now and we’re just trying to balance everything out. I’d say just focusing on each day and focus on trying to get better.”
(I think Head Coach Brian Flores said yesterday that he wanted you guys to put your feet up this week and enjoy the time off. LB Elandon Roberts talked about watching some football. I was curious, when you put your feet up, what are you into? Is it Netflix? Do you hop on the sticks? Do you watch football too? What’s your go-to leisure activity?) – “I’m going to watch some football. I have a family so I’ll probably be with my kids most of the time, taking them to school and picking them up from school, which is something we miss out being here at the facility all day. I’m going to make sure my kids are straight and do a good job with that.”
(When you go to the pick-up line, are there some Dolphins fans there to make sure they recognize you?) – “Yes. Especially at American Heritage. Yes (laughter)”
(You just mentioned that you’ll probably watch some games. I know the focus is still on improving yourself and the team, but do you think you’ll find yourself watching game and internally rooting against some teams that may be ahead of you in the standings? There is a chance you guys could bump up a little bit in the standings in a week off.) – “To tell you the truth, I don’t pay attention to who is in front of us or anything like that or if we’re in the hunt. I just play football week in and week out. I just try to focus on the things in front of us and just make sure we execute what we got to do, and everything will take care of itself at the end of the day.”
(I just remembered that Baylor won the Big 12 Championship. Were you by chance watching the guy tackle the other guy just short of the goal line? Did you see it on replay? Tell me about all of that.) – “Me and (Emmanuel) Ogbah, we had a little something going on. I won’t say what we got going on but yeah, I think I was out doing a little bit of Christmas shopping. I think it was 21-6 the last time I saw it, so I was out and I started panicking because I heard somebody say Baylor was about to blow the game. So I ended up FaceTiming Ogbah and he ended up telling me everything that was going on. We got the W at the end of the day. The crazy part – I think it was 2011 – no it was 2013 when we played them in Stillwater and our quarterback Bryce Petty ended up tripping at the 1-yard line. I was like that’s crazy how that came back around.”
Elandon Roberts – December 6, 2021
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Monday, December 6, 2021
LB Elandon Roberts
(How do you feel about where the team is right now heading into this bye and how do you feel about having that week off before you get ready for this stretch run at the end of the season?) – “We feel good as a team. It always feel great coming off a win. This week right here is a big week for us getting into the bye because we are able to get some self-scout done on ourselves and see what we need to work on. This week right here is still a big week for us to vet ourselves from a self-scout standpoint.”
(I know you said that this is a week for self-scout as well but as you decompress a bit, do you think you’ll find yourself keeping an eye on some of the games this weekend and maybe doing a little bit of cheering to boost your guys’ standings while you’re off?) – “I’m always kind of watching football, seeing what teams are doing and stuff like that so I’ll definitely be watching the games this weekend. From a self-scout standpoint, what did you ask right there?”
(I was just asking if you think you’ll find yourself watching games rooting against teams to boost your standings while you’re off?) – “Oh, nah. I just, like I said, just like watching football on Sundays. I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching the games.”
(Very simple question about the team’s turnaround. Why are you guys playing so well now when you were struggling so much through the first eight games?) – “This league is different. Each week it’s a different day, different week, different time. You just got to take it one week at a time. Everybody in this league is good. If you weren’t good, you wouldn’t be here. We’ve just been able to string some good weeks together and taking it one week at a time.”
(Do you see one area where the team is doing so much better now than it did earlier in the year?) – “I think we can look at every area and find something. Are you asking that we are doing better or not doing as well?”
(What you are doing better now than you did earlier in the season.) – “We’re just stringing them together. Just not hurting ourselves as a team and stuff like that. Just playing complementary football and whatnot. That’s what you want to do each week in this league. You can’t hurt yourself and I think we are doing a better job at that and just controlling what we can control.”
(This defense of late has really been keeping opponents out of the end zone. You’ve only given up three field goals last game and for much of that Carolina game. What is the mindset of this defense when teams get into the red zone or just keeping them out of the end zone in general? What’s the mindset of this defense?) – “It’s called defense because you want to stop a team from scoring. That’s the big goal each week, to make sure that we can limit teams from any points but to make it hard for them. But like I said, each week we go into these weeks, we respect our opponent. We know it’s going to be a hard game and we just make sure that as a defense, we make them earn it. That’s all you can really ask for and I think we’ve been doing a great job on that. Like I said, this week we are going to really, really dive in on self-scout, see what we can do as a defense to even take it up a level. It’s going to be, like I said, it’s a big week for us. I know you guys see it as a bye but we see it as a week to get better.”
(I wanted to ask you about, obviously the big splash plays are the ones that catch everybody’s attention, but your guys’ first down defense has really turned around over the winning streak too. Just wanted to get your take on how you were able to turn around that early down defense over the five-game winning streak?) – “Like I said, I just always reflect to taking it one week at a time. We just had to tie some things together and I think we are doing a great job with it. But we’ve got to continue it. We’ve just got to continue to do that and that’s by taking it one week at a time, taking it one team at a time and we’ll be straight.”
DeVante Parker – December 6, 2021
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Monday, December 6, 2021
WR DeVante Parker
(How did it feel to be back there on the field? You had a big 16-yard completion on the back shoulder at the end of the game. How did it feel to be able to come in and make an early impact like that?) – “It feels good being back on the field with my teammates. I’m just glad I was able to be a part of the win. I just wanted to help us get a W and that’s what I did.”
(When you got the play call, were you the first read on that play? And if so, what’s going through your mind just knowing that’s a big play for you to make right there?) – “Any time you see any of us receivers out there pressed against someone, you assume they’ll want to go to you. It’s a one-on-one matchup. You just want to go to that. That’s with anybody.”
(C/G Michael Deiter was just telling us that he feels like QB Tua Tagovailoa is playing with some confidence, some swagger. What have you noticed about Tua’s growth and where he is now as a pro?) – “As Deiter said, he has a lot more confidence and you see it in his throws. The one-on-one coverage, he goes to it. That’s what we like to see. Just the confidence in him. That’s good for the team.”
(How do you feel about the fact that having returned now, there are important games to play. Things weren’t looking so good earlier in the season. How do you feel about where the team is positioned?) – “Right now we’re just taking it one game at a time. It all starts in practice. You’ve got to do it in practice first and then take it to the game.”
(We were just talking with WR Isaiah Ford a few minutes ago. A two-part question: One, I wanted to see what you thought of his touchdown catch and how that play developed. And more specifically, he had mentioned that play was actually designed for WR Jaylen Waddle and that he has not repped it at all last week. How difficult, how much of a challenge is that for a receiver to execute a play like that without having repped it?) – “I’m happy he got that touchdown. Tua (Tagovailoa) was able to find him on the front pylon. Isaiah was where he needed to be at and that’s what the quarterback needs from all of the receivers. That’s for anyone. I’m just happy for him. What was the second question?”
(How difficult is it for a receiver to execute a play that you haven’t repped.) – “I wouldn’t say it’s real difficult. We all have the same playbook. We all study the plays. Once you study it, it’s not difficult at all to know what you have to do to get the job done.”
(With the new rules, when they put you on injured reserve, you know you’re going to miss three games. Did it turn out that gave you more time than you ever really needed? Was it like extra time for extra healing? Or was that about the right amount of time you actually ended up needing?) – “I was just feeling good this weekend. I just felt like I was ready to go. It turned out to be a good situation.”
(The combination of you and WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki in particular – and I know there are more guys than that – but when the three of you are all on the field together, healthy and playing together, what kind of an opportunity do you think that creates for QB Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense?) – “I just think it’s big for the offense. We’re able to move the ball down the field and be there when he needs any of us.”
(I wanted to ask you about having the bye right now. You just came off of recovering from an injury. Getting that one game, is it still beneficial to you to have the bye now where you get that one game and then have extra time to recover on the back end as well, to get ready for this stretch run?) – “I’m going to be doing things that keep my body right, regardless. It’s a job. It’s a bye week but there’s still things you’ve got to do and take care of.”
Michael Deiter – December 6, 2021
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Monday, December 6, 2021
C/G Michael Deiter
(We watched you begin the rehab process like two months ago, obviously not knowing if you were going to be able to make it back. What’s it like to finally suit up and join the action again?) – “It’s been good. Yesterday is fun. Last week was fun getting back into the routine of getting prepared to play a game. It’s been two months but it seems like it’s been two years since I last played. It was good to get back out there.”
(Did the absence end up being about what you expected in terms of length of a couple months? Did you feel fully healthy yesterday?) – “Yeah. I think it was right on. We did everything perfect.”
(I would imagine for any pro athlete, there’s a rhythm you have to re-establish when you’ve had an extended absence. Did you feel in the swing of things yesterday? Was there some rust do you think?) – “Yeah, I think I was in the swing of things. There was definitely a little bit of rust just because it’s definitely been a while. I had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get ready and knock off as much rust as I could get off. After a few snaps, it just felt like riding a bike. There’s still things, like it would be any week, things I can do better, things I did ok. But there’s still a lot to improve on.”
(Obviously you’ve been a part of this unit from the very beginning, even going back to last year when a lot of them were playing as rookies. What was it like to watch them go through their struggles without you and also knowing that center was one of the issues, considering it turned into a revolving door when you went down?) – “It was just good to see those guys, no matter who was playing center, communicate, work with the guy next to him, make sure everyone was on the same page. It didn’t matter who we were throwing out there at any position – they’d be able to work with them, communicate with them and ultimately play good enough to try to help us win. I think all of the guys out there did that.”
(What’s your goal for the final month of the season, not just you as a player but as a unit for the offensive line?) – “To make sure we’re doing everything to help the Miami Dolphins win football games. To not be a group that’s holding us back. To be a group that’s helping us win. That’s always the goal and that’s what it will be going into the last stretch.”
(Obviously you’re a team-first guy and as you said, winning stands above all else. But every player has their own personal story as well. With you, do you feel like these next four games will be the case for you to make to General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores, ‘I’m your starting center moving forward. There’s no need to look for another one.’) – “I’m not really looking into all of that. I just want to make sure that I play good enough football to make them comfortable with me, no matter what they want to do. As long as I’m making sure – I’m taking it one day (at a time) to make sure the Dolphins can win, that’s all that I’m worried about. Just making this offense as good as it can be. If that means that I can be the guy, then that means that. I’m not really thinking about all of that.”
(Having watched some from the sidelines and then being back in there, I’m curious what, if anything, you’ve noticed relative to positives on QB Tua Tagovailoa, his development and his growth. What are you seeing? What are you observing?) – “He’s definitely playing with a lot more confidence. Just making quicker decisions, having better plans. And that starts with the offensive line giving him the ability to do all of that, to have confidence, not be worried about getting hit a lot. We need to make sure we’re always on top of that. He’s been just way more confident, which is making sure that he’s having way more fun, which is ultimately helping him just go out and cut it loose and have some fun. Obviously he is capable of being a really good quarterback. It’s been fun to watch him just have way more fun and just be confident.”
(The way more fun makes me happy. I like it. Winning is fun. It’s more fun for sportswriters. It’s more fun for players. Is there anything sort of specific that you can think of? A fun moment that you thought was cool from QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I think just watching him, whenever he makes a big throw. Yesterday when he made that touchdown throw to Isaiah (Ford). When he released the ball, he put his hands up. I don’t know if anyone noticed that but it was not caught yet and he was like, ‘that’s a touchdown.’ I think that little bit of confidence and swagger, that was cool to see him do that because he knew right away that he just stopped that one DB just long enough to deliver that throw and he knew it right when he released it that it was going to be a touchdown. I thought that was really cool.”
(I have this obsession with big men doing Pilates. I don’t know if you’re part of the Pilates crew. If you are, what do you get out of it?) – “I’m actually not a Pilates guy. Rob (Hunt) is a big Pilates guy. I’m more of a yoga guy myself.”
(Do they bring in yoga sessions for you guys too?) – “They used to. This year they haven’t so what I’ve learned over the years, I just have to do it on my own. Hot yoga, that’s the ticket right there.”
(So you want a hot yoga session in the facility?) – “Sure. Yeah, if we could get that done, that would be nice.”
(I’ve been asking your teammates about the leisure activities that you’re into for the bye week here. My question is several-pronged but I’m curious, would that involve a skate for you and have you done that yet? You talked about it back in 2019. Have you had a chance to go skate down here in South Florida?) – “I have not. But I don’t think I would anyway in-season. But in the offseason, I can’t wait to play a little drop-in hockey. But definitely not this week. If anything, I’m going to play some Xbox and maybe later in the week play a round of golf. We’ll see what Tua (Tagovailoa) wants to do.”
(Are you perhaps converted to a Florida Panthers fan now? They’re the top team in the NHL.) – “For sure. I don’t want to be claimed as a bandwagon guy but I’ve been down here three years now, so I’m allowed to be a Panthers game. They’re really good so it’s a win win.”
Adam Butler – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
DE Adam Butler
Q. Can you walk us through that, correct me if I’m wrong, but that Kamehameha after the sack?
ADAM BUTLER: Yeah, that’s right.
Q. Looked like you had a lot of energy built up into that. How did it feel to let it go?
ADAM BUTLER: I like anime. Come on, I’m a big anime fan.
Q. How does it feel to turn in yet another, defensively as a unit, turn in yet another dominant effort over the past month?
ADAM BUTLER: It feels good. It feels very good to be a part of this group. We’ve done a lot of good things and I think we got a lot of good things ahead of us. We just have to keep working and I’m going to keep doing my part to help us along.
Q. What do you feel like the defense has discovered in the last four or five games?
ADAM BUTLER: That we can play just as good as anybody if we prepare right and if we work hard enough.
Q. Are you looking forward to the bye week?
ADAM BUTLER: Yeah, it’s a long-needed rest. It’s good to regenerate the body and just give it rest. You know sometimes people have nicks and bruises and stuff that they just need a few days to get over so it will be good for us.
Jaylen Waddle – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
WR Jaylen Waddle
Q. You gave us a scare. How are you?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I’m all good. I’m all good. Definitely.
Q. What was it like to hear the crowd chant for you like that as you were walking off the field to go to get checked out?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It means a lot. Just it being a home game and just everybody coming out just cheering, it means a lot.
Q. How important is it for you to now own the Dolphins rookie record for receptions?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It’s big. I really didn’t even know until they put it on the screen. Everybody was cheering. I was, like, that’s pretty cool. I think it’s just great, great to have. I wouldn’t be able to have the record without quarterback, o-line and coaches just trusting me, believing in me to put me in position to get the ball, so all credit to them.
Q. What do you think of how QB Tua Tagovailoa played today?
JAYLEN WADDLE: He played like himself. He played great, accurate. He was pretty mad at me. I dropped the ball, so he was upset. You know, it comes with it.
Q. What does an upset QB Tua Tagovailoa look like?
JAYLEN WADDLE: You know when someone is mad, but they don’t want to show they’re mad, but they’re really upset. It’s like that. (Laughter).
Q. On the play where you almost got hurt, did you think the play was over because you weren’t down by contact? Is that something that you had to get used to with the rule being different in college?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Normally I would be pretty good on that because I had a play similar to that earlier in the year and I got up and — that’s when I’m pretty sure we’re going to emphasize on that a little more, but definitely.
Q. You played 13 games, generally what a college football season is. Do you feel your body has hit some sort of a wall that you would need to get through for the final four games?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Not necessarily. Lucky for me in college we didn’t play games, but we practiced for the bowl games. I ended up playing until January in college, so hopefully that can help me.
Q. Is that a subtle flex on how many games you played at Alabama?
JAYLEN WADDLE: You seen the game last night. We don’t have to talk about that (Laughter). We don’t have to talk about that. Y’all seen the game last night.
Q. Have you heard the “Waddle With It” rap song that’s come out?
JAYLEN WADDLE: My mom sent it to me. She enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too. It’s pretty cool. Roll Tide.
Jaelan Phillips – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Jaelan Phillips
Q. Take me through the decision to somersault.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: All my celebrations are random. I can’t tell you. There’s no thought that goes into it. It’s just spur of the moment. Whatever feels good, I just do it. Christian keeps making fun of me. He says they all suck. (laughter) He said during the bye week, we were going to work on them, so it’s all good.
Q. What do you attribute your increase in production over the course of the last five, six weeks?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I think it’s us as a defensive line and defense in general just playing together. They always say sacks come in bunches, and the last five, six weeks or so I just think we’ve been executing really well. Been working really well together and just been getting after it. That’s all you can do.
Q. What’s it like to have all that hard work starting to show up?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s incredible. It’s like you said. It’s all the hard work we’ve been putting in since camp. Since minicamp, really. So just to see all this kind of pay off, obviously, we’re not satisfied, so we just got to keep going, keep building.
Q. What’s it mean for you to know that no Dolphin rookie has ever had as many sacks as you have in?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Honestly, I didn’t know that until like right now. They just told me right now. It’s incredible. It’s a surreal feeling, but honestly it’s bigger than me. I’m just blessed to be a vessel, to be able to go out there and do what I love and put on for you guys and for the fans and for my teammates, so we’re just going to keep doing it.
Q. Jaelan, I think Jerome Baker was saying earlier that at training camp you weren’t working out with the d-ends or the outside linebackers. You were with the inside linebackers. He said it impacted you in some way. I was curious if you remember your mindset during that time or what that meant to you during training camp?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I don’t even know what he was talking about, to be honest. Yeah, training camp was a blur. It was a rough time for me. I had to go through it, and you never really get the fruits of your labor until you go through those hard times, so everything that we’ve gone through as a team has led to these moments right here. Like I said, we’re just going to keep going.
Q. Why was it so tough?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It was a learning curve and I got hurt at the very beginning, and I was frustrated with myself because I felt like I wasn’t performing the way I needed to for my teammates, but ultimately, like I said, had to go through those rough times to be out the other side, so it was a blessing in disguise.
Q. You have seven sacks in five games, I believe it is. A light bulb go on then, or is it just opportunity presents itself?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Like he said, sacks come in bunches, so I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. Last week I talked about it a lot. All the sacks I had last week literally came from my teammates. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Same thing today. We’re resilient, and we’re always going to keep rushing the passer and giving it our all. When it pays off, it’s great.
Q. What do you remember the sacks, the plays, back-to-back plays, but what do you remember each of them?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Say that again.
Q. Take us through the sacks, the moves you made, or what happened.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s just effort. It’s just effort. I think on the first one it was some kind of play action and just ran (Mike) Glennon down, and then the next one it was just he was sitting in the pocket. We got great coverage on the back end, and I was just able to get an effort rush there and get an effort sack.
Q. What was it like today with the guy that you rushed the passer with last year on the other side?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It was awesome, man. I love Quincy (Roche) to death. He is one of my true best friends. Just being able to see him out there doing his thing, you know — I’m not going to congratulate him on the sack because it was against us, but, yeah, saw him after the game. I have a couple of guys on that team. Daray Holmes. Kadarius Toney I trained with so it was definitely cool to see a bunch of those guys.
Q. Sacks aren’t always the lone indicator of success with the pass rush, but is it nice to get that validation? Is it nice to get the little reward at the end regardless of how well you have been doing your job?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s always nice to get the reward, but ultimately, the biggest reward is winning the game, and so we’re just happy with how we’ve been playing and we’re just going to keep executing, doing our thing.
Q. You’re a University of Miami grad. So how does it feel to continue to have success here in Miami and what does that mean to your fans that have watched you come up through college?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s crazy. Every time I look in the stands I see people throwing up Us. It’s amazing. I definitely feel like it’s kind of like a home team thing. There’s really no feeling like going out there and feeling the support from your fans, and so I was just – I never thought I would end up in Miami in my life. I’m a SoCal boy, born and raised. These last two, three years of my life have been a whirlwind, but I couldn’t be more blessed and thankful.
Q. Do you any thoughts on the UM coaching search? There are rumors about Mario Cristobal.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I just heard right now that Cristobal got hired. Is that true?
Q. There’s some reports. (laughter)
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I don’t know anything. I just play football. I don’t know. I mean, look, Manny Diaz, I am forever indebted to him for taking me in. I was 215 pounds when I got to Miami. He had a lot of faith in me, and that whole coaching staff – I’m really grateful for them, so I know they’re going to be successful in whatever they do, and if somebody comes in new, I just hope that Miami can get the best leaders possible because ultimately, we have a great history at the University of Miami, and we want to see those wins come.
Q. Are you looking forward to the bye week? You think your body is ready for a week off?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I’m ready to play the next game right now. Let’s go. (laughter) But the bye week is good. You sit back and re-evaluate the season and do a lot of self-scout, so we’re definitely going to be prepared coming out of the bye.
Andrew Van Ginkel – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
Q: Five straight wins. This obviously has to be a different feeling that seven straight losses. What’s the mood of the locker room? What’s the mood of the team right now?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: Whenever you can get a win and come to that locker room, it’s a lot better feeling than when you come in obviously after a loss. I think you can just see it in everybody’s faces. All the excitement, the energy, and it’s just everybody playing for each other and doing our best to get the win.
Q. What’s it like for this defense where you guys haven’t allowed many touchdowns during this five-game winning streak?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: I think it’s just everybody buying in and once again, everybody is just doing their job. The trust on this defense and the trust for the person beside you is phenomenal right now and the communication. Everybody is on the same page. We know what we want to get done, and the coaches are putting us in a position to succeed and be able to make plays, and you just see a lot of guys putting in that extra time to take advantage of that. It’s always fun when you get a win.
Q. Jaelan Phillips was just asked about the bye, and he said he is ready to play another game right now. How do you feel about the bye coming now? Are you ready for another game?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: Oh, yeah, for sure. (laughter) Obviously, it’s always fun when you come in and you see everybody’s faces and get to see everybody, but I won’t mind a little time to myself, time with my son and my wife, so yeah.
Q. How important is the mental break?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: I think it’s big. I think it’s a good chance for everybody to just relax, get away from football and just enjoy life and just spend time with your family and spend time with your friends and just completely get away. I think everybody needs that. No matter what job or occupation you have, just a little vacation or a little time off here and there is always a good thing.
Q. What did you think of Jaelan Phillips’ performance today?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: He just keeps doing it, man. Just being in the right spot at the right time and doing exactly what he is supposed to do and putting himself in position to make plays, and you see his motor and how he is always around the ball, and the effort he gives is phenomenal, so just got to keep it going.
