Tua Tagovailoa, December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Is there anything in particular you may have done growing up to really polish your ball placement and make sure you are putting the ball in a position where guys can run after the catch?) – “Yeah, I would say working out with my dad, that was imperative. Just everything I had to do had to be to his liking. If the ball placement wasn’t where it should have been, then we do it again and we do it until we get it right. That goes with footwork and all of that.”
(How is your finger feeling at this point?) – “My finger is good. There are still times where I hit a helmet or I hit someone’s hand or arm and I’ll feel it a little. But other than that, it’s good.”
(Like discomfort in gripping the ball or anything?) – “No.”
(How about your ribs?) – “My ribs are doing good too. I don’t really think about it as much anymore.”
(It looks like DT Christian Wilkins is trying to fire spitballs at you. It could be a distraction but you’ve pressed on through trade talks and injuries. What is it about your mental makeup that you’re able to set things aside?) – “Well, I think for me, the most important thing was the guys in the locker room. It wasn’t really the outside noise that was going around the building … You just can’t worry about them.”
(I guess this also shows how much fun you guys are having now and it’s a bit more loose. There’s not as much to worry about. Obviously the next opponent but now that there’s actually something to play for this season as opposed to just getting a win, how is everything feeling? What’s the difference there?) – “I mean like I said before, I think our guys – we’re still trying to find our rhythm and playing complementary football in all three phases of the game. I would also say we’re really close as a team. I haven’t done a lot of things off the field with many of my past teammates than I have this year with guys. I would say we’re really close. It’s really like a family, for sure.”
(Have you done the Waddle waddle yet?) – “What is that? The little bird thing? (laughter) I’ve never seen that or heard of that before. I didn’t know what that was. I thought it was a bird dance. (laughter) Maybe that’s the new dance for everyone.”
(I know winning helps but are you feeling like you’re in a very good place mentally with as well as you’re playing, your healthy at the moment, the team is winning. Is this as good as you’ve felt coming into work in a long time?) – “It always feels good winning but the thing we can’t do as a team is be satisfied with the win the previous week. That’s the game of football that we play. You enjoy it for that day, that night, come into work, learn from your mistakes and then you’re really moving forward from it. I would say if you can’t do that, it’s hard for you to stack together good days and really get a win at the end of the day or at the end of the week for your team.”
(A few minutes ago you were asked about ball placement and how you developed that skill as a youngster. What are some of the keys that you try to keep in mind relative to where exactly you’d like the ball to be on various passes?) – “It’s always dependent. If it’s man, you never want to put it behind them. You never want to put it on them. You always want to lead them. In zone, you’re really just trying to beat the defensive guys in spots when you’re throwing it. A lot of it has to do with timing. Really, the receivers in zone and in man, I feel like they’re our eyes as quarterbacks because they’re running to a spot where they want us to throw the ball. It gets hard when you’re looking in the front and trying to see who is in front of them and then try to look back at them and then try to make the throw. Sometimes you just never have enough time to do that, so you’re just trusting them.”
(On one of TE Durham Smythe’s quarterback sneaks that he did in the game, I noticed either your Mike call or you were pointing out something on the defense and you held it there for a while. How would you grade your acting performance on that play?) – “Yeah, an Oscar. Who do I talk to? (laughter)”
(How nice is it to have WR DeVante Parker back out there?) – “It’s good to have ‘DP’ back out there. He’s looked pretty good in practice today. To me, it didn’t look like he was limited in any of the reps, so that’s very encouraging to see.”
(We talked to Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye about your pocket presence and he mentioned some of it was taught and some of it is innate. I’m curious how you balance maybe feeling the pressure without looking down and getting flustered.) – “There’s times where I still look down at the rush, which isn’t good. For myself, I just try to maneuver my way to find guys because I’m not the tallest quarterback and we’ve got big guys and I’m trying to see through them and behind them and it gets hard. I just try to do my best to step up and maneuver my way so I can see the throwing lane and get these guys the ball.”
(How do you feel about the SEC Championship game and going up against No. 1 Georgia?) – “I know it’s going to be a tough game but Roll Tide forever. Roll Tide ‘til I die. Alumni. I can’t remember the last time Georgia beat us though. (laughter) Roll Tide.”
Brian Flores – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Has there been any progress with WR DeVante Parker and WR Will Fuller and will either of them practice this week?) – “Will won’t be able to practice this week. DeVante will be out at practice today along with Greg Mancz.”
(It’s My Cause My Cleats week. I know you’ve talked before about your mom and some of the people that you’re repping the cancer cause for. I was curious if you can share why that means a lot to you?) – “I think it’s pretty obvious why. I think cancer is something that affects a lot of people. It doesn’t matter. All walks of life – poor, rich, black, white. It doesn’t care about religion, race, nothing. It affects everyone. Obviously it has affected me as well and my family. I’m not alone in that and any way I can support the fight against cancer, I will.”
(Earlier this week, Giants Head Coach Joe Judge had commented about your time coming up together in New England. I just wanted to get your take on what that time meant to you and how it taught you and prepared you for where you’re at now and maybe some of your favorite memories from that time with Coach Judge?) – “We came up together as young coaches trying to pave our way in this league. Early mornings, late nights, a lot of conversations and it wasn’t just myself and Joe, there were a lot of guys on that staff. Some that are here, some that are in New York now. I think we challenged each other as far as trying to learn from one another. We asked a lot of questions. I know Pat and I have challenged each other, Joe and I have challenged each other. ’What do you think about this? What do you think about that? That’s a good way to do it. I wouldn’t think of it that way.’ I think that’s how you get better. Iron sharpens iron. I believe that on any team. The coaching staff is a team. The players are a team. It’s one big team. I think that environment was great for me, personally, being around a lot of great coaches. I certainly was able to get better, make improvements, teaching styles and methods. Joe is somebody I definitely learned from and he’s got a PhD in education, so he knows how to teach. I don’t think people know that. But at the end of the day, coaching is teaching and I learned some teaching methods from him. Again, I learned a lot from him and a lot of people there. I have a lot of respect for him and he’s a friend first.”
(I know a couple weeks ago you said there is no set amount of time you can use to judge any particular player or a young player coming into this league. But last Sunday was QB Tua Tagovailoa’s 16th career start so now he has a full season’s body of work. Where do you think he’s improved the most over this time?) – “We’d have to wait until after this week. The full season is 17 games now. (laughter) So I’ll answer that one next week. But through 16 games, I think he’s obviously – we get up here and he’s made a lot of positive, there’s been a lot of positives. He’s improved every week. I think he’s getting better every time he steps on to the practice field. He’s getting the reps from a preparation standpoint and he’s doing better. He’s doing a lot better and hopefully he continues to just keep working the way he’s working and I’ll probably have a better answer next week.”
(How would you describe QB Tua Tagovailoa’s accuracy and when a player has a high completion percentage, how can that impact an offense and how the defense has to defend that quarterback?) – “Accuracy is always good. If we can throw it accurately, catch the ball – those are normally positive plays. Positive plays keep you on schedule and if you’re on schedule, then normally good things happen. When you’re off schedule or behind in the sticks, it’s harder to pick up the yardage with the amount of downs that we have. I think accuracy is very important. He’s been accurate. We’ve asked him to be accurate. He’s practiced that way in practice and it’s showing up in games.”
(I know accuracy is kind of a general term, getting the ball to the receiver but is there a way that you guys track the ball placement and whatnot? I feel like that’s kind of an underrated aspect of accuracy?) – “You’re right on it. It’s something we talk about with Tua (Tagovailoa) – put it in the spot where the runners can run away from the defenders. Tell the receiver where to go with the ball with where you place it. We try to do that as best we can. I think he can be accurate enough to do that, so we ask him to do that and that’s a big part of it. A run after catch is, if you throw it behind, you can’t run after catch. You have to put it out in front, put it in a spot where we can do something with it. That’s something we definitely harp on and at the same time, the receiver has got to trust that the quarterback is throwing it to where they need turn and run.”
(How much of accuracy do you think is innate and how much can be learned, developed and improved?) – “It can certainly be learned, developed and improved. I would say it is innate. I can only be so fast. I can develop it but it’s going to be slow. I think it’s similar in that way. Probably not a good comparison but I think there’s definitely some natural ability to put the ball where you want it.”
(With Will, what is he doing these days and … [inaudible]) – “With who?”
(WR Will Fuller?) – “He had a pretty significant fracture in the finger. There were a lot of broken bones in there and it’s still healing. He’s just not able to get out there yet.”
(LB Andrew Van Ginkel has been making a lot of plays, it seems recently more so than earlier in the season. Do you see anything different in him or is it just a matter of getting more opportunities and capitalizing on them?) – “I think he’s always consistent, he’s tough, he’s physical. He always plays with high effort and motor. Every game is a little bit different. He normally takes advantage of his opportunities. He took advantage of some rush opportunities last week, but he also does a good job of setting the edge, getting some batted balls. I think collectively as a group, they are making more plays and he’s a part of that.”
(Your three rookies have played really well, especially the last couple of weeks. The top rookies I guess – WR Jaylen Waddle, LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland. I’m curious how have you seen them evolve from when you first got them to where they are now?) – “I think the entire rookie class, they are all working hard. They are all improving, getting better. Those three in particular are getting a lot of playing time along with Liam Eichenberg is getting a lot of playing time as well. He’s making improvements as well. It’s really what I’ve been saying all year, they are sponges. They are eager to learn, they are eager to improve and get better. I think they’ve made a lot of improvements over the course of the year. I think some of the flash stats came up last week. That’s why we’re spending a lot more time (talking about them) but I think they’ve all made improvements whether it’s sacks or yards or interceptions. We’ve had this conversation on the big stats. I think if – if there’s 1,000 plays and you get 10 sacks, that’s one percent of your plays. Big picture-wise, I think they’ve been doing a good job the last four or five weeks. They are making improvements and some of those bigger plays are showing up. It’s the little things that I try to put a lot of attention to because the little things turn into big things, and that’s where they’ve taken care of some of those things. Getting aligned, knowing their assignments, knowing their responsibility, being in the right gap, taking the right angle on a stunt, which will put you in position to potentially get a sack. I think all of those little things are showing up and that’s where they need to keep their focus.”
(With LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland in particular, both of those guys I think you started them off a little slower as far as reps, and now they’ve ramped up to full-time players. How is your philosophy on how to treat them maybe paid off?) – “I think it’s hard to come in and jump right in, I would say. If it’s possible to do it incrementally, we try to do that. We’ve tried to do that as much as we can. Sometimes there is a need and you’ve got to throw them in there. We were able to take our time with both of those guys and when we felt like they were ready, we put them in there.”
(Do you expect RB Phillip Lindsay to be a bigger part of the game plan this week? Has he learned enough that you could extend his package a bit?) – “He’s in here every day trying to get a better grasp of the terminology, the ball handling, the protection calls and little nuances within a run scheme or pass scheme. We’ve got to go out there and walk through it and practice it and see what it looks like. There will be an opportunity for that. We’ll see how it goes this week at practice.”
(A couple of weeks into the season, S Eric Rowe said we have to do what’s important on the early downs in order to do what we do best. How important specifically has your defensive front been in stopping the run, limiting early down success, and you guys being able to do what you do best on third downs?) – “I think that’s always – trying to execute on early downs, put them behind schedule, they’re trying to stay on schedule. I think that is always the case. That’s certainly the case this week against the Giants. We’re not talking enough about them. They’ve got a good football team. They’ve got good backs, they’ve got good receivers, they’ve got a good defense, they’ve got a good defensive line, they keep the score down, they play well in the kicking game. That’s certainly going to be something we’re going to have to do this week. We don’t know the health of their skill players but if they are all healthy, this is a good skill group. Like very good. Between (Kenny) Golladay and (Sterling) Shepard and Kadarius Toney and (Evan) Engram and (Darius) Slayton and (Saquon) Barkley, it’s name after name, after name, after name. And (Kyle) Rudolph. And guys we have to cover. It’s going to be a big test. That’s where our focus is right now. We’re going to have to do a good job on early downs for sure.”
(How does the status of QB Daniel Jones impact the way you’re preparing right now, or are you preparing for the team as a whole?) – “We’re preparing as if he’s going to be up. We take a look at all of the quarterbacks. They have plenty of guys to prepare for – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. They’ve got some really good players in the kicking game as well – Julian Love, Keion Crossen. They’ve got some really good players across the board. Leonard Willimas – he’s a problem. A major problem. (James) Bradberry. They’ve got a good team and I know this staff, so they’re going to have their team ready to go for sure. This will be a major challenge for our team. We’ve got to prepare the right way and keep our focus right there.”
Brian Flores – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I was going to ask you how you thought C/G Michael Deiter played in his three starts at center before the injury, and is he ready to resume his role as your starting center against the Giants?) – “I thought he played well early in the season. It’s a while back now. But yeah, it was unfortunate that he got injured but he’s worked his way back. Obviously he practiced last week, as you know. We’ll just kind of see how – I thought he did some good things last week in practice. Obviously he wasn’t ready for us to call him up but we’ll take this one day at a time and see how he practices this week. But he’s working his butt off to get back out there and he’ll try to get out there as soon as he can.”
(WR Will Fuller and WR DeVante Parker, do you expect either to be able to practice fully this week?) – “Again, with both of those guys, it’s no different than where we were at this time last week. We’ll see on Wednesday. Both are obviously getting better and getting closer. They’ll work out today and tomorrow, which will tell us a little bit more, and kind of if we’re there yet. We’ll make the best decision for each one of those guys individually and for our team.”
(This rookie class has really come along and yesterday was a great example with WR Jaylen Waddle, LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland all making plays. Is there a common thread in something about them? Their work ethic or anything like that? Or anything that you can say about what’s led to this?) – “I think all of the guys in the rookie class and I would say all of the guys on our team, they work hard. Football is important to them. They’re team-first. Those guys are tough. They are competitive. They enjoy playing with one another and support each other. They work at it every day. Study film. And they’ve gotten better. I’m confident that they’ll continue to get better because they’ll continue to put the work in. They’re all sponges. They want to get better. They want to learn. They want to improve. They want to help our team.”
(Along the rookie lines, they’ve had a minicamp, they’ve had training camp, they’ve had 12 games, meetings, film, all that stuff. Is there a point where rookies aren’t really rookies anymore? Is there a point where you kind of – you’re a rookie for your whole first year and I get that, but is there a point where you shed the tag inside the building?) – “No. They’re rookies. (laughter) They’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn. I think you learn – this is kind of the point in the season where it gets really different for them. College seasons are really over right now. So it’s 12 games and I think we can all kind of reasonably understand that. There’s 12 games in college and now you’ve got a lot of season left here. This is where the season is longer, it’s a more physical game, it’s more taxing in a lot of ways – mentally, physically, emotionally. So yeah, they’re certainly still rookies now. And this is – while they’ve played football this long, in college I think next week is the conference championships and this is kind of where the length of the NFL season differs from anything that they’ve ever dealt with. They’re certainly still rookies.”
(Along those lines though, if you stack the two side-by-side, yeah their seasons would be done if they’re still in school. The numbers are one thing but it looked like they just played their best games too. How are they finding ways to get the most – if they’ve never gone through a season this hard or this long, what does it say about them that they’re able to put up their best numbers this time of year?) – “We try to take things one game at a time. It says that they’re working hard. It says that they’re taking advantage of their opportunities. But specific to your question about them being rookies, I would say that they still are because they’ve never experienced this next part of the season.”
(Earlier today, LB Jaelan Phillips said something that I found kind of interesting and profound. I want to know if you can help me with the origin. He said ‘We say cut your own grass. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s yard.’ Obviously that means do your job, do your assignment. I’m assuming that’s what it means, if you can elaborate. Is that a you saying? Is that a Josh Boyer saying? Where did you guys get it from?) – “I think it means handle your responsibility, your assignment, your communication. Basically, do your job. Don’t worry about what the other guy is doing because the other guy is going to do his and if we get enough guys handling their business and handling their responsibility, and everyone trusts that the guy next to him is going to do what he’s supposed to do, then that will make it as hard as possible for our opponent. And even then, sometimes everyone does do their job and the opponent makes a play. But we don’t want to give them anything because I didn’t take care of my individual business.”
(You guys were adamant about doing that defensively earlier in the season. I guess it wasn’t happening. People weren’t just doing their job. At what point do you think that message sort of hit home this season? I know it wasn’t an issue too much last season but wen did it hit home with this team?) – “I think it’s always something we put an emphasis on. Look, each game is different. I think it’s something our guys are always trying to do. They’re always trying to handle their responsibility and do whatever is asked of them on a specific assignment. Just doing it more consistently now. When it hit home, I can’t say a time. I’m kind of just focused on right now and where we’re at and trying to play good solid football across the board offensively, defensively and in the kicking game.”
(I was wondering if you could take me back. It seems kind of unusual – I know you guys are all friends – but it seems kind of unusual for a head coach to let his coordinator under contract interview with another team. So I was wondering if you could take me back to why you let Patrick Graham do that and what you’ve seen from him now that he’s running the Giants defense.) – “Pat and I are good friends. I would say – we shared an office together. We’ve had our spats. Our wives are best friends. Our kids hang out. Pat is a great friend of mine. From a football coaching standpoint, we’re more brothers than anything. So I have a lot of respect for him. I would never stand in the way of somebody doing something that they wanted to do. That was something that Pat wanted to do. I have a lot of respect for him and his family and that’s something that – I support him. I support him in that situation. I’m always going to support him. But Pat and – that’s my man 50 Graham as many will say. A lot of respect for him and Joe (Judge) and Jerry (Schuplinski).”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Phillip Lindsay obviously arriving on Wednesday and he’s heavily involved in the run game, pass game and had some great moments in pass-pro as well. What does it say about your offensive staff to be able to turn him around and get him ready for a game just three days after he got here, to have that big of a workload?) – “I think Eric (Studesville) did a great job of getting him ready. We had a small package for him, let’s call it eight-to-10 plays. Phillip (Lindsay) was on top of it. We probably could have given him another eight-to-10 plays and he would have got it all down. We spent a lot of time going through it, walkthrough, they met, did walkthrough some more and they met some more. They worked ball handling with the quarterbacks, went through the protections. Walked through it, went through it some more. They spent a lot of time on it and it’s just a credit to Phillip and his commitment to getting it right and Eric getting him coached up and ready to go. We put him in the game and I thought he did some good things and hopefully we can build on last week.”
(I was wondering if you could talk about your relationship with Joe Judge and any memories that stand out from your time together in New England?) – “Joe (Judge) is another good friend. Spent time in New England obviously as you all know. Again, our wives are friends, my son and his daughter were in the same pre-k class so we’re talking about people that I have great relationships with. But on Sunday, we are going to compete. That’s what I know we are going to get from them and they know that’s what they are going to get from us. A lot of great memories. I’m not going to divulge those right now, but definitely someone I have a lot of respect for.”
(Maybe not this week but outside of this week, you guys are both first-time head coaches and are at similar points of your career. Do you guys compare notes and stay in touch a lot?) – “Yeah, we stay in touch. But I think those conversations are about our wives, our families. Occasionally there’s something football-related that we can get into, a situation or something like that. But most of the time it’s not really football at the forefront. I would say we are friends first. Same thing with Pat (Graham) and same thing with Jerry (Schuplinski).
(I wanted to ask yesterday’s win was your 10th win as a coach in the month of November, I know back in New England, those teams had a lot of success in the second half of the season. As a coach, how do you get your players ready for that stretch run and obviously with you guys starting the way you did, how are you as a coach able to turn the tide and get them to play their best when it really counts later in the season?) – “I just try to take it one day at a time and try to improve and get better. I know you guys probably get tired of hearing that but I think the only way to get that improvement is to talk about it every day. I think if we just continue to come in and prepare the right way, work the right way in meetings, walkthrough and practice, you will make those improvements and over time, hopefully you play better. There’s a lot that goes into it, whether it’s playing disciplined or being able to change gameplans or shift a gameplan, there’s a lot that goes into that. There’s a lot of kind of things you have to, from a foundational standpoint, that you have to have in place in order to make certain adjustments later in the season that you need to make. Every team deals with that, but in order to make those you just have to, on a day-to-day basis, try to get better.”
(In talking to S Jevon Holland and LB Jaelan Phillips, they really stress how much of a team bond that there is. As a coach, do you see that whether it’s on the practice field or in the meeting rooms? And how does that translate to the field and how you guys were able to turn things around?) – “I think that’s important. I’m happy to hear those guys say that. It’s important to me, that camaraderie, those bonds. That means something in-game that you trust the guys that are next to you. I think that’s something you can definitely build on. It’s nice to hear them say that. That’s the kind of culture that we want to have here and I hope when people watch us, they see a group that supports each other, that enjoys playing together. We’ve just got to keep preparing and try to keep preparing and give ourselves an opportunity to play well.”
(I’m wondering if there is anything more you can tell us about where you plan to go from here with RB Phillip Lindsay? What will be the focus for him this week as he incorporates himself into the offense and can you see a point where this becomes an open competition?) – “We’ll just kind of take it day-to-day. I think there’s so much for him to learn from a playbook standpoint, from a just getting to know his teammates standpoint. He’ll certainly have an opportunity. What he shows us in practice, what he shows us in walkthroughs, what he shows us in meetings, we feel like he can help us and we will try to put him in positions to do that. I think Myles (Gaskin), Salvon (Ahmed) and Patrick (Laird) have helped us as well. We’ll just add him to the mix and try to put him, and really all of our players, in the best positions to play well.”
Justin Coleman – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
CB Justin Coleman
(Can you take us through the play? What do you see? Did you see LB Duke Riley block it and then there is a bunch of bodies and somehow you end up with the ball and end up in the end zone. Could you take us through from your perspective?) – “Yeah, definitely. Duke did his thing. I feel like we executed well and the ball just ended up in my hands. It was just a great celebration play.”
(In years past, I know you spent time with New England and Seattle – franchises that are known for winning and winning games when it counts the most. You guys are on a similar trajectory where when the season gets towards the middle, later part of the schedule, you guys are starting to stack wins. From your experience, what clicks for a team where you’re able to stack those wins? Because that’s what separates the good and the bad teams.) – “Really just eliminating bad plays and mistakes. Just trying to make sure we execute every situation and take advantage of each opportunity that we get.”
(Is there anything that needs to be said? Obviously you guys started 1-7, but whether it’s this year or years past, is there anything that is said? Or is it just kind of like everyone honing in on their job?) – “It’s really just everybody buying in and believing in the coaches and each other. We know that every time we take the field, we’ve got each other’s back. That’s what it’s about. Those little plays that you put out there, you’ve got to be able to trust the guy next to you that he’ll do the right thing and they have to trust that you’re going to do the right thing as well.”
(You talk about trusting the guy next to you. Does that become harder when you start the way you guys did? Because it seems like even with the 1-7 start, it seems like that maybe brought you guys even closer. But is it harder or easier to do when you’re struggling off the gate the way you guys were?) – “I don’t think it necessarily makes it easier or difficult. I think it puts you in position to determine if you trust someone or not. I feel like it was tough but right now, we’re trying to – like I said, it was just those little plays that we’re taking advantage of. That could be the difference between winning or losing.”
(You’ve obviously had a good career and played well for a long time, but over the last month it’s been spectacular in terms of passer rating when you’re in coverage. It’s been like infinitesimal. What’s been the key to your success in particular over the last month? What’s contributed to it, do you think?) – “I feel like it’s really just opportunity. The opportunity coming my way, I feel like I was put in a good position to make the play and I was just relying on my practice and my coaching and taking my experience and extending it.”
(I know you’re a team guy and team success comes first for you, but as a veteran player, was it a difficult adjustment initially the first few weeks in terms of the way Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer, Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks alternate their nickel corner? Some weeks you’ll play a lot, some weeks CB Nik Needham plays a lot. Was that an adjustment early on or not really?) – “It kind of was nothing new. I kind of see it as football. They try to put us in the right position and we have to put ourselves in a good position as well, and it just is a part of our overall scheme and that’s what we have to do to win, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(Tell us a little bit more about the touchdown yesterday. Once the ball was in your hands, it looked like there was a big scrum going on. What did it feel like in the middle of that and did you think you were going to be able to get it into the end zone?) – “Honestly I didn’t even know where I was when I got the ball. I kind of felt a group of guys pushing me backwards into the end zone. That was definitely a relief to know that I ended up in the end zone. My teammates helped me get in there. I just want to move forward because that was a great touchdown, but I have to give it all to the guys. The guy (Duke Riley) blocked it. The whole execution went perfectly.”
(When was the last time you were in the endzone?) – “It probably was a couple of years ago. (laughter)”
(I find it interesting that some offensive players don’t have four touchdowns and you’ve got four touchdowns as a cornerback and special teams player. What’s the magic key?) – “There is no magic key. It’s just doing your job well and I’m going to keep saying it, just taking advantage of your opportunities.”
Austin Jackson – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
G/T Austin Jackson
(I wanted to ask, you’re well over a month into left guard. Where do you think you’ve grown the most and how do you think you’re settling at that spot?) – “I think I’m settling pretty well. Doing a lot of good things. Definitely some things to clean up. I think it’s just great that I’ve been able to transition into it pretty well. To play two positions on the offensive line in the NFL is pretty dope.”
(I just wanted to talk to you about you and T Liam Eichenberg on the left side. Are there things that you think have developed in terms of chemistry that have led to improved play? Obviously experience, you getting comfortable at left guard and improved technique can contribute to improved play. But is there anything with the chemistry dynamic that you think is also helping with you guys playing well as a group these last couple of weeks?) – “I think we definitely have a great room. We definitely approach every day with playing to get better at what we do all across the board in everything we do. I definitely think we have good chemistry there between Liam and I but across the whole line as well.”
(I wanted to ask you about your first impressions of the new running back, Phillip Lindsay. I know he hasn’t been here for long.) – “Phillip’s great. He’s definitely a guy that brings a lot of juice to the room. Glad to have him. He’s been working his butt off since he’s been here. I’m looking forward to him doing great things, getting more things going in the running game and all that stuff.”
(It was like four days after RB Phillip Lindsay got here that he carried the ball 12 times. Did that surprise you?) – “I didn’t really think about it too much, to be honest with you. But that’s part of the job.”
Durham Smythe – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
TE Durham Smythe
(How much fun has it been to you to be incorporated in the passing game obviously overall this year, but particularly in the last three weeks?) – “It’s always fun when we have a fun offensive gameplan, where everyone is touching the ball and everyone has an opportunity. When we’re spreading it around, I think that’s when we are at our best. It is fun for everyone, you’re right.”
(You guys wanted to be a balanced offense, but this has been the longest stretch where you’ve actually been committed to the run game, not abandoning it even if the results aren’t substantial. What has that been like especially for guys like you whose job it is to open up those holes?) – “It’s obviously good to establish the run game at this level. Everyone knows that. That opens up a lot of things, whether it’s in the play-action game. Maybe it takes off the rush a little bit in terms of helping the offensive line. It’s definitely a benefit when you’re trying to establish that regardless of the outcome. But when it starts to roll a little bit and you can get some positive yards on a consistent basis, that’s when our offense, and really all offenses, are the most effective. That’s something that we’ve focused on the last couple of weeks is to try to get that rolling. I think we’ll continue to do so and try to be efficient in that aspect of the game.”
(What do you see from WR Jaylen Waddle behind the scenes that leads to his success so early on as a rookie?) – “Jaylen has been tasked from the beginning of the season to do a lot of things for this offense, play a lot of different roles. He’s a smart guy. He can handle all of that. And he’s confident. He’s been confident from day one when he stepped into this building. He knows that he can make those plays, and as he’s become more comfortable, as we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, he’s really taken off.”
(What’s the next step for this offense? You guys have seen to be getting on a roll, where you’re averaging about the NFL average. How do you get it better? How do you get it to the next step?) – “I think above everything else, it’s just being consistent across the board. There are games this season where we’ve been efficient in the pass game. There have been games this season where we’ve had multiple explosive plays in the pass game. And there has been games where we’ve run the ball efficiently. I think when you put all of those together within one singular game, that’s what will really take you to the next level. I think it’s just finding the consistency and finding a way to be consistent in really all of those categories within one game instead of just having one here or one there.”
(It seems as if Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey has really found a groove as an play-caller. What has he done that has most impressed you in that role? Why are things working successfully as far as play calling these last few weeks?) – “I think one thing that sticks out to me is that he knows his personnel. He knows how to utilize the guys that he has. I think if we had different personnel at different positions, this offense would look completely different. I think he’s become comfortable with who we all are on the offensive side of the ball. He’s utilizing us in ways that are becoming more and more efficient. I think that is something that he really has a talent in is recognizing who he has and what he has in guys, and trying to play to our strengths.”
(The offensive line growth, obviously with young offensive linemen it’s going to take time. Has it impressed you seeing how the young players have come on these last couple of weeks?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think that was a matter of time and it still is. It’s the building of a process, but in this league, it definitely takes a while to adapt or establish a comfort level, I think is a good way to put it, especially at the offense line position and tight end as well. Once you get that groove, you become a little bit comfortable with what you’re doing, your technique and things of that nature. Then it starts to become a little bit easier. As you know these guys gain experience, like you said there are a lot of young guys up there, I think they’ll just continue to get better.”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Phillip Lindsay coming in. It seems like he got here five minutes ago and he went and had 12 carries yesterday. What did you observe from him and his ability to learn the offense as quickly as he did, and his ability to contribute so quickly?) – “He’s a good player. He’s been a good player in this league. He’s had production in this league. He’s a guy that I think brings some tenacity to our offense. As you mentioned, it’s a testament to him that he was able to pick things up so quickly in three days or whatever it was and go out there and be efficient in the game on Sunday. That says a lot about him and I think he’s impressed us all.”
(With the amount of snaps that TE Mike Gesicki now takes on the boundary, does he go to wide receiver meetings or is he in the wide receiver room? Have you guys kicked him out of the tight end room yet?) – (laughter) “Good question. If it was up to him, then he might be in that room. But he’s a guy that plays a lot of roles for us. Obviously he plays tight end, but he splits out a lot of the time as the statistics show. He kind of bounces around. One day if he needs to be in the receiver room, he’ll go over there and get some tips. He’ll be in our room. He’s been in the quarterback room talking to quarterbacks before. As a guy who does a lot of things for us, he kind of bounces around and absorbs from all of the rooms.”
Jaelan Phillips – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
LB Jaelan Phillips
(I’ve got to ask you about the three sacks. It seemed like things were really clicking for you yesterday. What was working so well?) – “Honestly, I’ve got to give all the credit to my teammates. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. The first sack, Duke (Riley) and Christian (Wilkins) flushed Cam (Newton) out. The next sack, Zach (Sieler) flushed PJ (Walker) out and then the next one, ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) helped flush him forward in the pocket. I think honestly, as a team, we’ve been doing really well these last few weeks just continuing to play together and to build on what we’re working on. Give a lot of credit to the DBs for giving us time to get to the quarterback and for the other d-linemen for getting pressures to make it happen.”
(Was there something that changed in terms of the defensive philosophy these last four games? Because like you mentioned, the sack rate has really gone up from the first eight games.) – “I think we’ve just been playing more aggressively and looser. I think we’ve been working better as a team in terms of our coordinator on rush stunts and games that we’re running, and just playing freer and having genuine joy out there and having a great time playing together and just flying around and making plays.”
(Obviously with you coming in, you could do what you’re doing now and it’s good to see it coming to fruition. Is there something that you either added to your game or you’ve really improved on to the point where now we’re seeing what we’re seeing in the sack numbers and all of that?) – “I think I’ve just been trying to stay as consistent as possible, just trying to get one percent better every day. Like I’ve said before, I’ve been working on my hands, technique and different things like that throughout this whole year. I think now it’s just starting to pay off, just the work we’ve been putting in consistently all year.”
(What is your impression of the Waddle waddle? What do you think?) – “It’s funny because Christian Wilkins and I have been trying to get Jaylen (Waddle) to do that damn dance this whole entire year. Like after every single big play, we walk up to him and we’re like ‘Do the Waddle!’ and he never does it. Finally he pulled it out yesterday. I know if you watch the replay, you see Christian run over from like 50 yards away and he’s like ‘Jaylen! Jaylen! Do the waddle!’ So that’s super funny. That just goes to show that we’re having fun. We’re really enjoying each other’s company and enjoying the time that we spend out there.”
(You, WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland are obviously having a lot of success. Is there something off the field that you guys have a common interest in? Something that you guys talk about or have even done together?) – “Winning football games is our common interest. (laughter) No, we hang out a lot. I think the chemistry that we have in the locker room is incredible. Whether it’s the rookies or the older guys, what I’ve found is that this team isn’t very cliquey. We kind of all hang out with each other and all really enjoy each other’s time. We have a bunch of great guys around here and I’m just blessed to be a part of it.”
(Right or wrong, and I’m sure you’re aware of this, edge defenders are very often judged by sack totals. Having said that, how much more satisfying – is there a sense of relief – now that you’re at 6.5 sacks at this stage of your rookie season whereas earlier in the season, the sack numbers weren’t there. Is there a sense of relief almost that that’s kind of out of the way?) – “To be honest with you, I’m not satisfied at all. I know I have so much more in me. Even yesterday, I could have had more. I’m just – like I said, this league is very process oriented so you can’t step outside of your boundaries and worry about weeks ahead and worry about numbers and worry about how everybody else is doing in the league. You’ve just got to focus on yourself. We say cut your own grass. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s yard. For me, like I said, I’m not satisfied. I know this is just the beginning so I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can and try to do the best that I can for this team.”
(Were you a little bit bummed that the sack near the end zone didn’t produce a safety?) – “Nah, I think it all worked out well. I didn’t even notice. (laughter) I was just excited I got a sack.”
(Besides your teammates, besides Dolphins coaches, who else has been in your ear over the last two months to give you encouragement or to offer you tips? Has it been your dad? A former UM coach? A former coach of yours? Former UM teammates? Who comes to mind, if anyone?) – “Yeah, I still talk to – what comes to mind is Coach (Todd) Stroud, Coach (David) Feeley. Those are two guys, I literally text them every single week before every single game. Ben Newman is a guy who I’ve been talking to recently. He’s kind of like a coach in terms of building confidence and things like that. I think I have a great group around me that have been really encouraging me. Kaleb Thornhill is a guy who I’m extremely close to and he’s been great and encouraging me, just reminding me to stay process-oriented. I have a lot of support and I really appreciate everybody for all of the support they’ve given me.”
(I’ve heard you and WR Jaylen Waddle have both said that you guys hang out a lot, the rookies. What do you guys hang out and do?) – “We just be vibin’. We vibe out. We hang out. We go eat. We go do community service together. We hang out on the weekends after games. We’ll go to a nice dinner down at Komodo or something. We just – like I said, we really enjoy each other’s presence and company. I think we have a really close-knit group. A bunch of great guys on and off the field. We have a really good time together.”
Jaylen Waddle – November 28, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Postgame – Carolina
WR Jaylen Waddle
Q. The long deep hitter you had and the quick-hitting slant, looked like you were off to the races?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It was kind of like a deep over. Tua (Tagovailoa) just found me, gave me a great ball and made a positive play.
Q. Have you been waiting to show your speed vertically? This year we haven’t seen a lot of it going to the jet sweeps or passes that way into the end zone but nothing north and south like that very much. Was that nice for you to show?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I wouldn’t say I’ve been waiting. Honestly, I just go out there and try to do my job. Whatever it is that they want me to do, I try to go out there and execute.
Q. Were you surprised the guys caught from behind? Were you surprised? Were you, like, dang, I almost took it to the crib?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No, not really. I feel like he had an angle. I seen him coming from the corner of my eye but they got great players over there.
Q. Is that called the ‘Waddle Waddle?’
JAYLEN WADDLE: You like that? (Laughter) Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Most definitely.
Q. Is that — it’s a waddle, right?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Waddle, for sure.
Q. Like a penguin?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely.
Q. Who came up with that? I think we saw DT Christian Wilkins do it with you.
JAYLEN WADDLE: Christian (Wilkins) was kind of making fun of me at first and then he just started doing it. Then it just became me and his thing. He be the first one out there. We just do it. J.P. (Jaelan Phillips) be in on it too. He was in the training room.
Q. You like it?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely.
Q. Twitter likes it, too.
Q. Can I ask you a follow-up about Thanksgiving? You said you were going to go to as many players’ houses and eat as much food as possible. QB Tua Tagovailoa said he uninvited you after hearing that. How did Thanksgiving go?
JAYLEN WADDLE: He really did uninvite me (Laughter). I really did not show up. It was like you get to Thanksgiving day, and you are, like, ‘Yeah, remember to come by.’ It wasn’t one of them. It was like, about your day. I spent time with my family and went and ate good, and it was a good day.
Q. Do you feel like you are part of a rookie class that’s really on the ascension? Do you feel like you’re really starting to figure it out and if so why? What’s been the difference the last few weeks?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I think just our OGs, our vets. Just going out there and seeking knowledge when we don’t know and just wanting to learn and just be out there and go out there and give great effort.
Q. The communication QB Tua Tagovailoa says he has always had with you. The chemistry we saw today, does it really just go back to what you are used to with him at Alabama?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Yeah, most definitely. A lot of things we do, we did. We did a lot of routes from previous before I was here and so I think it’s all just connecting, just going to the flow.
Q. Any catch stand out for you today as far as either a read you made or beating somebody that… any of these?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No, I don’t just got one that just stand out or stick out. No.
Q. QB Tua Tagovailoa was asked as well if this is a continuation of your Alabama chemistry. It seemed like he was kind of hesitant to admit it, because you had a lot of new chemistry to build over the past few months. Do you feel like you guys have — that’s what you’ve been working nonstop to do? Have you had to relearn each other since you got here?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I would say so to a certain extent. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) grew as a player. I’m trying to grow as a player. Just learning what he do and his new knowledge and me going out there every week and learning something new and just putting it all together. We work throughout the week on just new things that we find and just trying to get better.
Q. Knowing your quarterback, having had a relationship with him, does it help you quicker grow as a player?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely. I think it’s definitely, you know, a good thing.
Q. How important is it for you to develop a reputation as an all-around receiver instead of just being a speedster?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I think it’s very important. I think I work extremely hard not to just be known as a speed guy or a guy that just is a vertical threat. I think I’m just going to continue to try to go out there every week and show that I can actually run routes and do things that I would say people don’t expect me to do.
Q. Can you walk us through the touchdown?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It’s more like a timing route going out there, gameplan and just dotted it. Real good ball. Fit it in there, pause. Yeah.
Q. How tight was that window?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It was tight. (Laughter).
Q. You had to make sure you were in the end zone for that amount of space?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Yeah. Yeah. (Laughter) For sure.
Q. What did you make of the Iron Bowl yesterday?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Come on man, we thrive on those type of moments (Laughter). Y’all was worried. We had people really worried. I wasn’t. I was, like, man, we do this. We do this.
Q. Four overtimes and you weren’t worried?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No. No, not at all.
