Adam Butler – September 9, 2021
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
DL Adam Butler
(Is there much institutional knowledge of Patriots personnel that you can share with teammates to help them this week?) – “There’s nothing I can tell you about this team other than I know that they are tough from the guys that I know that are still there. They’re a tough team. All-in-all, they’re a new team. If I were to tell them anything, it could be wrong. No information is better than disinformation. That’s how I look at it.”
(Is that just also how Bill Belichick can switch things up very easily? Keep opponents on their toes so anything from the past could change easily?) – “To be honest, you just got to drown all that stuff out. We have to trust in us as a team. We have to trust that each other knows what to do. We have to trust that everybody is going to use great technique, play with good fundamentals and all the extra stuff that goes into it. If you try to guess and cloud your mind with a bunch of stuff, you could be wrong.”
(Just to question your theory, you have knowledge of when guys you’ve lined up against, practiced multiple times against, so that institutional knowledge doesn’t help you perform against them?) – “To some degree, I would say. It’s kind of like, when you’re dealing with a new team, it’s kind of like being a rookie again. You are trying to see what it feels like to go against something new. For me to expect them to be the same old team or the same old guys is unreasonable.”
(Have you ever seen the Gillette Stadium road locker room?) – “No. I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
(I wonder if it’s smaller than the home locker room.) – “That’s usually what happens. (laughter)”
(I know that DB Jason McCourty has told us that he’s gone against former teams before so this is really not a particularly emotional experience for him. Any sense of how this is going to be for you? Will it feel a little odd?) – “Well, he’s old as hell and I’m getting there (laughter). I would definitely say it’s another day of work.”
(The thing you took away from Head Coach Bill Belichick, everyone knows him from the outside as one of the best coaches of all time; but the thing you took away from your experience with him that you think will help you in your career was what?) – “I would say just not beating yourself. That’s something that I took from him that I take into everything that I do. Minimize mistakes basically. Don’t beat yourself. I think that applies to every team. It doesn’t just apply to that particular organization.”
(I disagree with you. A lot of people say that in theory, but most teams cannot do that. The Patriots are consistent, they don’t beat themselves. It’s harder to do than it is to say.) – “I didn’t say it wasn’t hard to do, I just said I agree with it.”
(What helps you guys get to that level? I’ve been covering the league for 14 years. The Patriots, you go to Foxborough and they’re not going to beat themselves, you have to beat them and I don’t know if you can say that about any other team.) – “Well, one of the keys to winning is that – is not beating yourself. At the end of every season, the best team – the best team, not the best individual – the best team is going to be the one who takes home the trophy and the ring. I think what you just said about every team not being able to do that, well you have to ask yourself what kind of chemistry do they have? Being a part of that organization, the teams that I was on, they had great chemistry. I’m not there now. I’m here trying to help this team establish the same kind of chemistry. That mindset of not beating yourself is a chemistry thing.”
(Since Head Coach Brian Flores’ arrival, the Patriots are the least penalized team in the NFL and the Dolphins are No. 2. How does that happen? Why does that happen?) – “I would say Coach ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) and Coach (Bill) Belichick. I think it’s just their leadership. When you get behind that kind of leadership, that strong leadership, it establishes chemistry between your teammates. Once that chemistry is established and everybody gets behind it, that becomes the focus.”
(If someone commits a false start in practice, you run it again or what is it that they do? Players are going to make mistakes. They’re human. What is it you do to correct those mistakes to make sure they don’t happen on Sunday, that maybe they happen on Wednesday?) – “I can’t speak for anybody else but myself; but if I was to do that, I’d just shake it off and move on and try not to do it again. That’s all you can do. You can’t go back and change the play.”
(LB Brennan Scarlett was in here and incredibly is the only person who I have only met in my life who went to Stanford and Cal. He said that he looked it up and they are ranked higher than Notre Dame because TE Durham Smythe was in here. Where is Vanderbilt in terms of best academic institutions in America?) – “I’m always going to rock for mine. Vandy all day. I’m going to put us at No. 1.”
(Have you noticed that there’s actually a bunch of smart dudes in that locker room?) – “Yeah” (laughter).
(I guess that’s probably on purpose, right?) – “I mean, yeah. Probably.”
(How good do you feel about your room? It’s certainly a good group on paper with you and DT Christian Wilkins, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, DT Raekwon Davis, DT Zach Sieler and DT John Jenkins. How good could that collective six defensive linemen be?) – “I’m proud of all of those guys. Obviously, we haven’t played a regular season game together but I am looking forward to getting out there and showing them what I can do and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do. I think as a unit, we definitely have a lot of potential but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Durham Smythe – September 9, 2021
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
TE Durham Smythe
(Since the entire season is about to start, I’m curious if there is anything about this year and this team that is unique in terms of a theme or something that the team is focused on or if there has been a message that has been harped on about the season?) – “I think you kind of hit on it when you began that question with just taking everything one practice, one game at a time. Obviously, that is a football cliché but that is something that we have really harped on since April. What makes this team unique, there’s a lot of things that actually do; but like I said a couple of weeks ago, the depth of this team is the deepest I’ve ever been on. I think just a mixture of depth and really taking things one step at a time like you mentioned is what this team is focused on thus far.”
(I try to take it one story at a time.) – “Yeah, exactly. That transcends everything. (laughter)”
(Do you feel like you caught Co-Offensive Coordinator George Godsey’s eye last year doing what we saw you could do when you had chances at Notre Dame but catching a higher volume of passes? I think like 26-of-29 targets you caught last year. Has that, do you think, left an impression where you hope you might be more involved in the passing game?) – “Sure. I hope so to an extent. I just try to be reliable when the number is called in the run game, in the pass game, special teams. Just get your job done, that’s how I have been throughout my football career. If it’s more looks in the pass game, if it’s more block and power in the run game; whatever it is, I just want to get the job done.”
(Last time you guys played the Patriots, you guys ran for a lot of yards. What are some of the things that were successful in the run game that you would like to see repeated?) – “I think we had a good plan, obviously. I think all of last year we were really harping on being more physical as an entire team and that’s what sets the pace in the run game really specifically. That’s something that we’ve worked on extensively through this preseason. That’s something that we touched on the first day of pads. That’s something that we’ve really tried to improve on since the beginning of last season. I think if we can continue on the upward trend in terms of being more physical, obviously there is going to be good game plans every week from the coaches but the physicality, as long as that’s tuned up, we’ll be able to run the ball.”
(I’m always curious with the guys who are up on contract years. How tough is that to put it out of you mind? Like, ‘My NFL future rides on this season.’) – “It’s funny you hear guys talk about that all the time. Ever since my rookie year here, you hear guys talk about contract year this, contract year that. But I really haven’t thought much about it. I didn’t even think – going into it, I thought I probably would. Two years ago I would be like, ‘Oh yeah, sure. I’m going to be nervous going into that.’ I haven’t thought about it at all really. I think that’s kind of naturally been nice for me. Like I mentioned before, there’s all the football clichés of taking things one step at a time and it will eventually lead to something else. That’s what I have been focusing on and I think to this point, it’s just kind of been natural. There’s so much to focus on, it’s kind of hard to focus on something like that.”
(You had a glimpse of this in the Atlanta game, but are you excited to see what this offense looks like? It won’t be WR Will Fuller on Sunday but you’ll have WR Jaylen Waddle, QB Tua Tagovailoa who is an improved player, new coordinators. Is that exciting to see what this looks like on the field in a meaningful game?) – “Yeah. It’s always exciting at the beginning of a new season to see an offense take an identity. There’s more dynamics this year in terms of the speed that we added to this team. And like I said, harping on physicality. There’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to in terms of developing identity. That’s something that takes a whole season to really master. It’s always fun at the beginning of the year because that’s where it really starts.”
(What is it about Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach George Godsey that you think will enable him to excel in his new role?) – “He’s been great for us personally, the tight ends, the last three years. He teaches from an entire playbook-based approach. He’s not just coming into the tight end room and teaching us what we need to do. It’s this is what the quarterback is reading, this is what the receivers are doing, the running backs scanning or whatever this way to that way. I think that’s helped us a lot in terms of the tight ends. You could see it two years ago that he has a grasp on this entire offense. He can coach any of the positions that he needs to. I think having everybody in the same page in terms of what the guy next to you is doing, that adds a lot and it allows an offense to mesh incredibly well.”
(You mentioned depth earlier, how well suited do you feel in the event where TE Adam Shaheen is unavailable and how many members you have in the tight end room?) – “From a sheer numbers standpoint, we are lucky this year because we have a larger number than we’ve had in the past. Like I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I think this room is the deepest I have ever been a part of. It would take something serious to get our room hurting. Four of us would probably have to go down. It’s always the next-man-up mentality and we’re confident with everyone in the room and we can honestly say that. I think we obviously wish him the best but I think we will just keep rolling.”
Byron Jones – September 9, 2021
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
CB Byron Jones
(Studying Patriots QB Mac Jones preseason and in college – what are some things that you notice right away?) – “He looks like a smart player. Good arm. He’s adjusted well so far in the preseason games, so I’m expecting to get his A-game.”
(I’ll ask you what I asked DT Christian Wilkins a minute ago. Are you also participating in the program that allows you to put a slogan on your helmet?) – “No.”
(How helpful this week can DB Jason McCourty be in terms of their personnel? Obviously they’ve had transition at wide receiver, but is there anything you all can extract from him this week? Just in terms of Patriots personnel offensively, even though they’ve had some transition there.) – “They have a lot of good weapons. They added a lot of good players to their team and have a lot of good tight ends, too, so we’re expecting some good uses out of those as well. Just matching up, that’s one thing that we do fairly well and pride ourselves in so it should be a fun matchup.”
(DB Jason McCourty – one of the defensive captains – what does he bring to the secondary in that regard?) – “A lot of experience. Just coming in and being a vocal leader right away is so impactful for a young team and he just has so much experience at different positions, whether it’s dime, nickel, corner and safety. So he’s been able to go back there and just pick up the defense very quickly.”
(One of the guys the Patriots added in the offseason is WR Nelson Agholor. What do you feel his strengths are?) – “He’s got good speed. He’s a guy that can blow the top off of a defense so we’ve got to watch out for him. They’ve got a bunch of guys who can run and run good routes, so like I said, we’ll have our hands full.”
(Any increased comfort level for you Year 2? Do you feel about the same as you did last year entering your first year here?) – “I feel better. I definitely feel better in terms of playing a different style of football here. It was a little bit of an adjustment, but that’s the fun part. That’s a fun challenge of life, is always being adaptable and just standing up to all the challenges.”
(What have you enjoyed about playing opposite of CB Xavien Howard and what does that pairing at cornerback do to opposing offenses?) – “It’s been a joy because he’s such a good and smart instinctive player and you learn a lot from a guy like that. Just watching the way he undercuts routes and the way he’s reading different concepts and whatnot. He’s a guy who gets it. He’s putting in the work. I think ‘Chuck’ (Charles Burks) is doing a great job at coaching us both. He’s on our backs pretty hard, but it pays off.”
Cethan Carter – September 9, 2021
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
TE Cethan Carter
(Where did you grow up?) – “New Orleans.”
(Is your family doing ok?) – “Yeah, they were up here with me. They evacuated up here with me. My parents just went back home. The electricity just got turned back on. They’re all fine.”
(How has your Dolphins experience been going so far?) – “Everything I expected. Just come in here and work, work, work and go show it on the field. It’s what ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) says every day – meetings, individual, practice, game.”
(What are practices like here, the Patriots week, a big traditional showdown?) – “It could be any opponent and it’s the same philosophy – meetings, individual, practice, game. Take every rep like it’s a game rep.”
(What’s the vibe in the tight end room? Are there enough chairs for everybody?) – “Yeah, we’re all excited to get out there and show what we can do, the work we put in from camp and just preparing. We’re excited to get out there Sunday and play.”
(When you came here, it was already a deep unit that put up records. Was that at all in your thought process when you’re signing with a team as a tight end?) – “Nah, not at all. Just come in here and work, that was my thought process. Come in here and work, earn whatever role I’ve got and do my best at it.”
(With the depth that you have in that room, how well suited do you feel for an event that might happen this Sunday with TE Adam Shaheen possibly being out? Just to be able to have another guy come in.) – “It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality. We’ll get Adam back here soon. Just work. I’m excited to go out there and play Sunday.”
(You had a knee injury coming from, I think, the Chicago game. I’m not sure. What was that like coming back from it – the journey back from rehab to back on the football field?) – “Just coming back from every injury. It could have been any injury. The mental part of it mainly. Once you get out there and get playing, it’s in the back of your end. It’s just ball.”
(You actually were the Dolphins’ first free agent signing in March. Did Head Coach Brian Flores or General Manager Chris Grier call you? Or was everything done through your agent?) – “Everything was done through my agent.”
(Was it flattering? I don’t even know if players are aware of that, that they’re the first free agent addition of a team once the period starts. Was that something you were even aware of or flattered by?) – “No. I was just excited when I got the news that they wanted me here. I’ve put in the work since Day 1. Now I’m here and ready to play Sunday.”
(Obviously we saw training camp up until about two weeks ago when we can’t watch much. But as far as H-back, fullback, are you getting reps at different positions? I know you’re capable of playing both of those spots.) – “Yeah, I’ll play whatever role they give me. If they want me to play receiver, tight end – it doesn’t matter, I do it all. Just whatever they ask of me.”
(Describe the approach that you take to special teams when you’re out there.) – “Just the same way I approach the game. Play my hardest, give my best effort, study, know what I’m doing, know what I’ve got to do on that play. That’s just it.”
(How would you describe sort of your career journey and your career path?) – “I came in undrafted and had to work for everything. I bust my ass. That’s about it.”
Michael Deiter – September 9, 2021
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Thursday, September 9, 2021
C/G Michael Deiter
(Obviously from a communication standpoint, you’ve got a pretty important job. Where do you feel like you are in terms of ID’ing things and also, to piggyback on that question, how much does it help you that the defense you’re facing on Sunday is similar to the defense that you play and practice against every day?) – “It definitely helps. There are a lot of similar looks. Definitely a lot of carry-over. (There are) a few differences but not a whole lot. It definitely helps. I would say I’m pretty comfortable making ID’s, getting calls out and all of that. It’s just making sure that we’re still watching tape together and in the room talking about it with all the guys because it can’t just be me that knows the calls because it’s going to be loud and it’s going to be stressful. Everyone on the O-line has to be just as smart as the center and it will make everything go a lot more smoothly. I feel pretty good about all of that.”
(You’re going to see C Ted Karras this weekend. I’m curious as to what kind of relationship you guys had last year and what maybe he taught you along the way about playing center since you were making the switch?) – “We’ve become really good friends. I’m excited to talk to him and say hi to him and see how he’s doing. We’re good buddies, I would say. We’ve done a little fishing together and a whole bunch of hanging out, so I’m excited to say hi to him and see how he’s doing. He taught me a lot about center – just detail and intensity and all of the stuff that goes into being a pro center. He was definitely a good role model for that.”
(What have you seen out of T Liam Eichenberg this week in practice? Obviously training camp and preseason he had a few injuries that he had to come back from and then switching different positions. How has he handled that?) – “He’s been smooth. No matter where he has to play, whether he’s at 100 percent or wherever he’s at playing, he’s gone out there and he’s worked hard. He’s smart. He’s not a guy that needs a lot of help telling him what to do and all of that. That’s a huge thing for a rookie – for a guy to go out there and know what he’s doing and not be looking down the line and wondering what do I got, especially when he’s playing multiple positions. He’s cutting it loose and every day he’s trying to get better. He’s working the right way. There’s plenty of stuff to clean up, no doubt; but that’s kind of the journey of an O-lineman, especially as a rookie. I think he’s doing pretty solid, especially with the mental part of it.”
(On similar lines, how far has T Greg Little come along since the trade?) – “He’s come along a lot. Mentally, obviously it’s tough when you’re brand new in the room and he’s got to learn everything on the fly. We’ve already installed everything and he’s just got to come in and learn as we go. He’s done a really good job of that. He’s not holding anyone back or anything like that because he’s still confused about anything on the offense. He’s a smart guy and he’s playing good. He’s played well.”
(How much of a sense of – it’s been a while since you guys last played a regular season game. How much of a sense of it’s finally back to playing a game that means something?) – “It’s huge. Preseason games, I guess to me, don’t really feel much different. It’s an opportunity to go play football with your guys and have fun and cut it loose; but it still means a little bit more come regular season. It’s definitely exciting. It feels like it’s been forever. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
(What’s it going to be like looking across the line and seeing DT Davon Godchaux?) – “(laughter) It will be funny. I’m excited to talk to him and kind of chop it up with him. I guess it’s a little bit nerve-wracking because he’s a good player. It’s exciting. It will be cool to block a guy that I’m pretty familiar with, especially last year every day in practice (it was) me and him. It will be fun to see him again. He’s a good test. He’s a really good player.”
(Have you had any contact with DT Davon Godchaux this week?) – “I haven’t talked to him at all, no.”
(Are you expecting a lot of yapping from DT Davon Godchaux?) – “Probably not. I mean in practice it wasn’t ever too bad. We’ll see. We’ll see how he is on game day. If it is, that would be funny. That would be fun.”
(DT Davon Godchaux never really had a reason to talk smack to you.) – “No.”
(Do you remember how loud it was the last road game you started at center?) – “It was loud. I think it might have been maybe a Big Ten Championship. I think it was Penn State in 2016. It was definitely pretty loud in Lucas Oil (Stadium), but it will probably be a little louder up there. It will be fun. We’ve just got to work some silent counts when we need to and just get ready to handle that.”
(You played a little tackle at Wisconsin, right?) – “Mhm.”
(From your experience, is it harder to switch from tackle to guard or from the right side to the left side?) – “I would say probably from the right side to the left side, just because the stance is way different. The left tackle stance and the left guard stance can be pretty similar, especially if you feel comfortable in the same spot. But going from a right tackle stance to a left guard stance, it changes everything with your feet and with your mindset. I would say going from right side to left side is a little tougher.”
(You sound like the expert on that topic.) – “(laughter) I’m actually – I’ve never really had to do much right to left. A lot of position changes, but at least it’s been on one side. I’m lucky.”
Greg Little – September 8, 2021
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
T Greg Little
(T Austin Jackson is on the COVID-19 list right now and you’re listed as the backup left tackle. I know you’ve not even been here for a month, but how prepared are you to potentially go out there and start at left tackle on Sunday for the opener?) – “I feel prepared. ‘Coach Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) has done a good job of getting everybody ready for anything, any scenario. Coach’s biggest thing is making sure everybody is versatile and is always ready. So that’s my job is be versatile and be ready when he calls my name up.”
(Where are you with the playbook? I know when we spoke to you a few weeks ago you said you were cramming to get to play in I think it was the preseason game against the Falcons; but where are you with your grasp of the playbook right now?) – “I feel more comfortable. This is my third week here – beginning of my third week here – so I feel pretty comfortable. A lot of stuff is just football. A lot of stuff I’ve done before and on my previous team, so I’m just getting the terminology down, just kind of getting that muscle memory and hearing and recognize it what it is. So it’s been a learning process, but it’s been good. I’m pretty ready.”
(What’s kind of the feel in the locker room just as far as going into Sunday?) – “Everybody is fired up. Everybody is like finally ready to get out camp, you know what I’m saying (laughter). Everybody is ready to hit somebody else when it really counts. We’re a young team and I think that’s cool, just us kind of gelling together and growing together. It’s like our first time together as a team to go put a show on against somebody else so I think we’re prepared. ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) has us practicing hard and has us ready so one day at a time, one step at a time.”
(Who have you become closest with on the team?) – “First, kind of the O-line room. The O-line room – that’s kind of a given. I’m with those guys every day. It’s funny how a lot of guys I already knew coming onto this team, from Benito (Jones) to me and Brandon Jones go back to high school. He’s come over to my house because we’re both from Texas. We both used to spend the night and chill and hang out and stuff. Raekwon (Davis) from Mississippi and camps, always playing against him. So I knew a lot of guys coming in. It’s been a pretty good transition from team to team. This team has welcomed me in with open arms so I’m just glad to be here.”
(I was going to ask you about the concept of fresh start. Every now and then we all appreciate a new restaurant or new movie or new car. You got a new team. How’s the fresh start going for you?) – “It’s been good. It’s like buying a new car. (laughter) It feels good. Like you said, sometimes people just need a fresh start so the past is the past. I’m here. I’m a Dolphin so I’m excited to be here.”
(We asked Head Coach Brian Flores when you first got acquired by the Dolphins about some of the stuff that you might be expected to bring. He said “we’ve got to get this guy to learn the building, to find out where 595 is, stuff like that.” How have you acclimated to South Florida so far and the building here as well?) – “I’m just kind of figuring all the little secret doors to get to the locker room. (laughter) I just put my GPS down to get to practice so I kind of have a little muscle memory of getting to practice and stuff. But it’s been cool. I’m from a big city from Dallas so just kind of figuring them highways out and figuring out where everything goes and first thing’s first is getting used to the humidity. That’s the first thing. (laughter) It’s a little different from Texas. Texas is more dry heat whereas Florida – it could be 65 degrees and you feel like you’re dying. (laughter) So that’s been the biggest thing. But no, it’s been great. It’s been a great transition.”
(When you talk about cramming, what’s your – I mean everybody probably goes about – we were all in college. Some of us longer than others. What’s your process? Are you studying for hours and hours and hours or is there only so much you can handle?) – “It’s like college. It’s like your brain can only take so much at a time. Really, it’s kind of figuring out how you learn the best. So how you learn and kind of like put it in slots where it can help you remember where everything is. So it’s not good to cram, but in that situation where I came in here and the same week I had to play, I had to do it. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy. That’s our job. Nothing’s easy.”
(But you feel like the worst of it is over as far as…) – “Oh yeah, the worst of it’s over. Now the biggest thing for me is just kind of picking it up even faster. Like you know how you hear the play call, I’ve got to think about it a little bit. I want to get to a point where I just got it, let’s go. So just polish it up a little bit.”
(Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre said you had two good offensive line coaches who had experience and helped you create a base of fundamentals. From a pass pro perspective, what are a couple of things that you’re always trying to remind yourself in terms of coaching points and technique?) – “Always fire your hands, always shoot your hands in pass pro. Out of college, I didn’t do the best job at shooting my hands. I was more of a grabber and kind of moved my feet; but in the NFL you’ve got to rock these guys a little bit to kind of get them off their balance. So punching, being aggressive, having your hands, keeping your hands up – just kind of like a fight – keep your hands up, ready to battle and just relax. Control what you can control. The tempo, control the aggression and you should be okay.”
(Does it feel a little weird though? Like three or four weeks ago you weren’t even here and now you’re not only here but potentially starting on Sunday? How’s that feel with that?) – “It’s a job. It’s like your job. Your learning period is short. You’ve got to come in here and produce. We’re in a production business so you really don’t have no time to be kind of getting the butterflies and worrying about stuff. You’ve just kind of got to trust your process, trust your coaching and play confident really and the rest will fall. My biggest thing in life is controlling what you can control and just leave it to God.”
Mack Hollins – September 8, 2021
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
WR Mack Hollins
(What does it mean to you to be a team captain?) – “It’s a huge honor, especially to get voted on by your teammates, to be held in that regard. It’s awesome and it’s something I don’t take for granted. Does it add a little bit of a load? Yeah, but it’s something that I’ll gladly accept because I think it gives me the ability to hold guys to a higher standard. As you all know, I am a bit of a loudmouth on the field, so now I have a little backing behind what I say. (laughter)”
(What do you think you showed to earn that?) – “I think it’s just that I’m always there every day trying to keep guys positive, trying to keep guys going, trying to work at a high level and I’m fortunate enough that my teammates recognize that and thought that was worthy enough to be voted a captain. But it doesn’t stop. The bar gets raised a little bit higher. Now every fault that I make, not only the team will be on me but you all will be on me. As a captain, you can’t do this, this and this. I know that and I understand that. I think it’s good because it raises my bar. It makes me practice harder, work harder.”
(Were you a captain before and was this a surprise?) – “Not in the NFL. In college I was a captain all four years but not in the NFL. It kind of, I don’t want to compare it to making the 53 but I never thought, ‘hey, I’m for sure going to be a captain.’ Obviously I put my name in the hat and you hope and you pray that you are going to be a captain; but to hear your name, ‘hey, this is our captain,’ and I hear Mack Hollins, that was definitely not expected. I was really fortunate that I did so I was extremely excited.”
(You put your name in a hat? What is the process for that?) – “Yeah, so everybody gets the chance to go up there and, ‘hey, I want to be a captain.’ Some guys give a speech, some guys just say I want to put my name in the hat. It varies on how you get up there. So I went up there and said, ‘hey, I want to put my name in the hat as a captain,’ and then the team votes.”
(What was your platform?) – “I ran on the democratic party (laughter). No, I went up there and my platform was I want to win games and I want to keep you guys at a high standard and I want you guys to do the same for me. It would be a pleasure and honor to lead you all and have my patch on my jersey or something – whatever they put. But I also said everybody is a leader on this team. It doesn’t matter if it’s me. It’s whoever is out there. It’s really hard to lead. If I’m not out there for a play, it’s really hard to lead. You’ll ask a coach, ‘Hey, why is this guy not doing that?’ Well, I’m not out there. But if a coach isn’t out there or you’re not a player that’s out there – guys that get hurt, you see they can’t lead as well because they’re not on the field. We’re all selfish when we’re tired or hurt. When you’re out on the field and you’re like, ‘Oh, you ain’t out there. You don’t know what it’s like.’ ‘Get your depth on this, make this tackle.’ ‘You’re not out there, bro.’ So it’s hard. That’s why I told the guys that everyone is a leader. If you’re on the field, you’re a leader. If you’re at practice doing something, you’re a leader. It’s bigger than just me.”
(What’s the leadership you’ve seen from QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “It’s great, especially from last year to this year. I know the questions are probably going to come like why isn’t he a captain? Just because you’re a quarterback or just because you’re this doesn’t mean you have to be the captain or you have to be this. Tua is an excellent leader, an exceptional leader. The transformation he’s made from last year to this year is incredible. I think you all have seen that in how calm he feels in the pocket now versus last year. If you put a clip side-by-side, the changes he’s made are really night and day. That goes to leadership. It’s not like his arm magically got 10-times better. It goes to his confidence, his ability to lead and feel comfortable in the huddle.”
(In terms of changes made, night and day, is it how vocal QB Tua Tagovailoa is? How much he says to teammates?) – “I think it’s how he says it. You come in as a rookie and a lot of times you think more than you know or you’re a little hesitant to say things because when you’re a rookie, you’re what, 21 or 22 years old? And you are talking to somebody who is 36, 35? It’s intimidating. Guys were in middle school when you were born. (laughter) I think he’s understanding how to have those conversations, get the point across without seeming timid or disrespectful and that’s a fine line in this league and he’s done an excellent job with it.”
(As a captain, for the coin toss do you go heads or tails?) – “I switch it up. I’m currently undefeated. I don’t want to jinx it but (knocks on wood). We’ll see. (laughter)”
Tua Tagovailoa – September 8, 2021
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I’m curious how much you and WR Jaylen Waddle have looked at Alabama tape of when you played together, if at all. Have you done that a single time since the Dolphins drafted him, and is there benefit to that or not really?) – “I haven’t talked to him about it, but we haven’t had the time to sit down and look over our tape at Alabama. I think tape is one thing, but going out there and getting reps with that person is another. You don’t know if they got better at this certain route or if the timing is a little different. I think that’s the thing that we continue to stress, that we continue to harp, and that we continue to work on.”
(Is there anything specific that you remember about playing the Patriots last year defensively that they did that you’re kind of working on now? How much of that game film from last year?) – “They are a tough defense. If you look at the resume of Coach (Bill) Belichick – I mean really, really good defenses. This is like no other week. We take all of these games serious. For me, I think it’s really just getting the ball out quick and letting our playmakers make plays for us.”
(How does this start ahead of Week 1 of this season feel different or similar to your first start last year?) – “I think it feels different this year because we had prior games leading up to the opener against the Patriots. But I think another thing too is you have more of a feel as far as the expectation of the team and what you also expect the Patriots to come out doing as well.”
(Are the emotions similar? Butterflies or excitement or those kinds of things?) – “I think there is more so excitement this year than last year. Last year when I had my opportunity, there were more so butterflies just because I didn’t know how things were going to hold up coming off of the hip injury and whatnot.”
(How different do you feel from the quarterback that was on the field that teams will view this season, now that you’re in Year 2?) – “For me, I’m just focused on what we can do. I try to put myself in a situation where I’m Bill Belichick. If I was Bill Belichick, what would I want to do to stop myself? That’s how I try to go about that.”
(A Bill Belichick team is going to be a great defense and you know that going in. I know it’s absolutely not easy, but is there a difference preparing for a certain scheme when you’re in your second year? How you noticed the difference when you’re looking at film and just how you are processing things as opposed to the way you were last year?) – “I would say yes, only because of the experiences I’ve had with a veteran like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). Then carrying it over to the experiences I’m now having with Jacoby (Brissett) in the room. Just different ways of coaching. For me, I try to find the middle and what works for me, as far as my preparation going into a week like this.”
(You said you can’t just rely on the experience in college because you never know where people have improved. Where has WR Jaylen Waddle improved since your time together?) – “I think his biggest improvement is his communication. In college, Jaylen would speak up here and there but you really see him now. You come to the sideline after a series and he’s out there telling me ‘hey, this is why I’m running this route. I’m running it because of this and that, and this is where I’m expecting the ball.’ He’s telling me ‘do this.’ And it’s not asking, it’s more so telling. I think as a quarterback, you look at that and for someone as young as him, you look at that and I would say you’re really happy because it shows his confidence in his play and he is hoping to have that same confidence in me to trust to throw him the ball in certain areas.”
(In terms of raising your voice and putting your input in not just the offensive concepts in general, but also the weekly game plan. How has that evolved and changed in your second year here?) – “I would say I had that last year too, but it’s really us as quarterbacks talking in the quarterback room. For me, I might like something and someone else might have an input of ‘this is how we can make it better, by doing this, or doing that or maybe giving a fake on this.’ It’s really just open communication in that room.”
(I was reading a story about you back at Alabama and it was you, QB Jalen Hurts and QB Mac Jones; and Jones playing the scout team and doing so well against the first-team defense they started to get riled up and him giving them the business and talking back and forth. Do you always remember him as being that fiery competitor and what memories do you have of him going up against the first team as the scout quarterback?) – “Mac is fiercely competitive. Mac is a ‘put my head down, I’m going to work and I’m going to do whatever I can, no matter who is on the other side, I’m going to do whatever I can to beat you guys.’”
(It almost a brawl, that’s what I read. That he was giving the defensive linemen – he got them on a hard snap.) – “I think that is something you guys would have to ask Mac. I don’t want to be the one to initiate that, or maybe you guys can ask Jaylen about that. (laughter) I don’t know. From my memory, Mac has always been a big competitor in our quarterback room. He takes what we learn in the quarterback room out to the field. Really his input, just how smart he is on the field and whatnot, and knowing where to go with the ball. He’s really smart.”
(Can you take us through some of the battles you and QB Mac Jones had – ping pong, free throw shooting, accuracy in practice? What are some of the battles you two had?) – “It was none of the first two things that you said, but maybe the third one. We had accuracy passing throwing into the net. We were all competitive – me, Jalen (Hurts), Mac and whoever was in our quarterback room. That was really the expectation. You’ve got to do good. We expected that out of everyone.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said this morning and he’s said versions of this many, many times. He’s one day at a time, he stays in the present, never nostalgic, nothing like that. How does that approach that he lives by and he coaches by, how does that permeate the room? How do you guys process that and do you find yourself thinking the same way? That you’re just worried about today – not before, not tomorrow?) – “Yeah. It keeps everyone even-keel. It keeps everyone level-headed. I think that helps with consistency for all of us in the building. When you try to look too far ahead, you’re not focused on the task at hand and what we’ve got to do now. The execution on the offensive side is not going to go well and I would expect the same for the special team guys and the defensive guys. I would say I live by that, taking it one meeting at a time, one practice at a time and maybe one sip of this Pedialyte at a time. That’s really what it is.”
