Raekwon Davis – August 26, 2021
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
DT Raekwon Davis
(One of the things that I enjoy watching is when you are in those one-on-one drills and there’s not a chance for two men to try to stop you. How much do you enjoy them and what approach do you take any time you get a chance to go one-on-one even in practice?) – “Sometimes it’s very unlikely for me to get a one-on-one, so I have to take advantage of every one-on-one block I get. I try my best to win them.”
(Earlier today, I asked Head Coach Brian Flores about how you’ve done in the spring and the summer. He specifically referenced that you are taking care of your body. He said that you have learned how to eat right and sleep right. Let me ask about the eating part, how has your died changed? What’s in? What’s out?) – “Most definitely just try to eat better. Just try and go to sleep at a certain time. Just try to get eight hours of sleep, try to get good nutrition in your body, something healthy in your body to get you going fast.”
(There was a guy named Kiko Alonso who played linebacker for the Dolphins and he told me that he would go to sleep at 8 p.m.) – “I mean I have my days. Some days I really do go to bed that early. But 8? We don’t get out of meetings until like 7. I don’t get home until 7:30. (laughter)”
(Any food you’ve cut out of your diet the last couple years?) – “Fried food. I try to keep away from the fried food.”
(Has trash talk started at all between you and LB Jaelen Phillips about the Alabama-Miami game?) – “Oh yeah, most definitely. He’s got his team, I got my team.”
(What are your predictions?) – “I don’t know. I hope them boys go down there and handle business. Control what they can control.”
(From working on your game the last nine months working with Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark, is there an area where you think that you’re better specifically than you were late December last year?) – “I’m just trying to get better in each little category. My run and pass and both this year. Just trying to get better.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores used the word ‘comfort’ when talking about you. That you seem more comfortable. What are some areas in which, compared to a year ago, on or off the field you are more comfortable?) – “I would say knowing my plays. Just being in the playbook and learning the schemes about our defense. Learning that will make you play better, play more patient and you will be comfortable with the game.”
(When the team is in the 3-4 formation and you are in the middle, it seems to us that your responsibility is just clog up everything and make sure nobody runs through the middle. When do you get an opportunity to rush the passer? Do you think that over the course of your career you will actually get a bunch of sacks?) – “Yeah, most definitely. You just have to take advantage. Like I was saying about the one-on-ones, when you got the one-on-ones blocked, you got to just take advantage of it. Being a nose guard, you know pretty much the majority of the game you are going to have two guys on you. Just playing them one-on-one blocks and winning.”
(Everyone knows how high your celling is. Is there any really established Pro Bowl-type defensive tackle or nose tackle that you’ve watched on tape or watched over the years and said, ‘hopefully I can reach that level.’ Anybody at all?) – “Nah, I just play my game. Do my own thing.”
(Vince Wilfork, he played at UM and then was the Patriots nose tackle. He sometimes comes around. Do you ever talk to him about being a nose tackle in this defense?) – “Yeah, he was here like three weeks ago. He was teaching me his technique. Him looking at blocks, looking at formations. He was teaching me a lot of things when he was here at practice.”
(Did Vince Wilfork ever get to do a chunky soup commercial? Would you like to be in a chunky soup commercial?) – “Yeah, good marketing. Yeah, I would love it. Most definitely love it.”
(How long did you spend with him?) – “Just after practice. A little talk. Just giving me the things he saw today that same day. What I can do better.”
(Do you ever hear from Coach Saban or any of the defensive coaches at Alabama? I know they’re busy, you’re busy; but do you hear from them ever?) – “Yeah, when they got their breaks. But right now they are in camp, and we are kind of still in camp. Not right now though.”
(What’s the enduring message you took from Coach Saban in one of your final one-on-one conversations? He told us last May how good he thinks you can be. What’s the message that you took away from him?) – “Control what you can control. One step at a time. Just be where your feet at. Things like that.”
Elandon Roberts – August 26, 2021
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
LB Elandon Roberts
(It’s good to see you out there working full team drills with the first group. Do you feel like you picked up physically where you left off? You made a bunch of plays November, December like the one you had today. Are you feeling physically like you did when you were playing so well before the injury?) – “I just feel like as it goes, the goal is to every day come out and be better than yesterday. Just get better and better. I need to control myself better, but more because hitting your own teammates and stuff. It’s every day take it one step in the right direction.”
(The play where you crushed the running back, we saw a bunch of plays like that from you last season in the run game. Do you take pride in that physicality you offer in the run game? Is that something you like about yourself in your game?) – “In the offseason, every offseason, I just look at everything I could get better at. I just take it one day at a time. (You guys) always say I’m not really a physical linebacker and (you) haven’t seen any physical linebackers, so maybe I need to keep getting better at that. (laughter)”
(What happened on the play today? I could be wrong but it sounded like the loudest hit of training camp.) – “Just reading my keys. But at the end of it, I’ve got to be under control. We are getting close to season and we need all of our teammates. I need to do a better job of controlling myself. I just got a little excited.”
(Do you feel like you need a dry run to play in a game?) – “I feel like if I just continue to take it one day at a time – like I say all the time, he Dolphins have a good staff around me. As they keep putting day-to-day steps for me, I’ll just keep going in that direction.”
Jesse Davis – August 26, 2021
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(As you finish camp, how are you feeling? I know you mentioned the knee swelling but nothing serious, are you feeling good physically?) – “Yeah, I feel pretty good. The knee is just a day-to-day thing, has been for a while and it’s nothing serious.”
(Are you happy that you’re entering the season appearing that you’re knowing where you are going to play at right tackle? You’re obviously so good about moving at a minute’s notice anywhere but is that a good feeling from a stability standpoint?) – “Yeah, going into it you never know where you’re going to end up. Right now it seems like I’ll be in one spot but we still don’t know.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores told us that you’ll probably sit this preseason game, just an opportunity for the younger guys to get in there and the other guys who are competing to get in there as well.) – “Yeah, you never know if you’re going to be in or out. Everybody is taking this game as like an actual game week, preparation-wise. It’s going to be fun if those young guys do get to play most of it to watch them, help them, help them grow as they go.”
(I noticed a lot of times after T Liam Eichenberg takes a rep he will come over and talk to you and try and get some coaching. I don’t need the full detail of those conversations but what have those interactions been like with him?) – “Right now, we are playing the same spot. He tells me what he sees and I tell him what I see, what we can improve on and what we can do better. He’s my eyes and I’m his. Just hand placement, footwork and that kind of stuff. What I see with alignments, linebackers. It’s been fun.”
(In that same vein, how helpful is it for you guys to go up against a defense that does so many games up front and all you have to communicate? What does that do for you guys?) – “It makes us a lot more sharp, that’s for sure. It’s tough. It’s obviously a good defense. They give us a lot of different looks and it makes us communicate more, rely on each other more in that aspect. Going into it, with that under our belt, hopefully it will show.”
(Today we saw a lot of T Greg Little and T Larnel Coleman at that right tackle spot. Your impressions of how they are coming along?) – “From my angle, I didn’t get to see a lot of the right. There’s a lot of stuff to improve on, obviously. It looks like Greg Little coming in here looks like he’s pretty good. Larnel has been improving, so it’s been good to see that.”
(Has fatherhood changed your perspective on football at all?) – “(laughter) I don’t know, I haven’t had time to think about it to be honest. Everything has been happening so fast. I definitely have been enjoying it more. I want to be around longer in the league just so he has those memories as well.”
(This happens all the time in sports where you have veteran players with young, high draft picks behind them. I guess it takes a special sort of selfless teammate like you – like DB Jason McCourty, we talked about this with S Jevon Holland yesterday – who is willing to share things you know. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and QB Tua Tagovailoa last year. Is there ever something that goes through your mind that this guy is competition or just because of the guy you are, do you think, ‘I must tell them everything I know because I am that type of teammate.’) – “Yeah, I think with that in mind, I know that he’s here for a reason. I’m here for a reason too. I want to be able to contribute regardless of who it is. If he’s better than me, he’s better than me and I want to help him grow as well. “
(Where is this offensive line in terms of cohesion, development, where it needs to be to be better than last year?) – “It’s hard to tell with only playing limited reps with the guys. I think, right now, we are still growing obviously. I think we are headed in the right direction, that’s for sure.”
(Do you see yourself being stronger in either protection or run blocking?) – “Right now I think our run blocking has come alive a lot. I think with Rob Hunt and Solomon Kindley at guard and (Michael) Deiter at center, those guys can move some guys and set up some good blocks for our tackles. I want to say we are pretty balanced but right now I can’t tell.”
Brian Flores – August 26, 2021
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you – thoughts on the inside linebacker job opposite LB Jerome Baker. Interesting options with LB Benardrick McKinney and LB Elandon Roberts having him now back, LB Duke Riley, LB Sam Eguavoen. Do you pretty much know in your mind how you want to handle that position which obviously we wouldn’t ask you to share that with us or in your mind is it just still an open competition with multiple players where you would like to see how it goes with Elandon coming back, etc. over the next week and a half?) – “We like the group. As you mentioned there are several guys in there that are good players and we think will help us. There’s a lot of versatility in the room, guys who play in the kicking game, guys who can cover, guys who can play in the run game. We like them all. There’s a lot of competition there. We try to keep as many as we can because as you know with attrition in this league; it’s more likely than not that unfortunately somebody will get injured or there will be a COVID situation or we’re going to need as many able bodies as possible. And we like all those guys. You mentioned them all. It’s a good group. They work well together. They work well with their teammates. There’s some leadership in that room, I would say, and we just continue to work with them and we’ll feel good about whoever comes out of that room making the 53.”
(Is QB Tua Tagovailoa playing on Sunday and what can you tell us about the starters and how much they may or may not see action?) – “Tua won’t play on Sunday and we’ll probably rest of most of the starters. Still kind of going through that as a staff. We’ve got to play the game so we’re not going to rest everybody. So there will be some guys in there who will get an opportunity to showcase or apply the fundamentals, the techniques, the things we’ve been talking about the entire training camp – guys who haven’t had as many reps in games. But there will also be some guys who have played in the previous two games playing in this one as well. But we’ll try to rest most of the – let’s call them ‘starters.’”
(The receivers will all be out – WR Will Fuller V, WR DeVante Parker, WR Albert Wilson, WR Preston Williams? Is that correct?) – “Fuller, Parker – I don’t have this in front of me – so I believe Fuller will be out there. Parker will be out there. Again, with all these guys, some are modified. I don’t have this in front of me.”
(I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. Do you expect any of those four guys to participate in the game?) – “That’s still being talked about. I think game reps are important, but we have to determine whether or not we want to get those game reps versus continuing to build and improve on a daily basis from a rehab standpoint and really all four of those guys; we’ve talked about them. We haven’t made a final decision on that yet. As far as today, that’s a mistake on my part. I don’t have that in front of me. All those guys practiced yesterday – I believe you mentioned that group. I think someone’s modified today though. I’m not exactly sure. It’s kind of a…”
(WR Albert Wilson – we didn’t see him yesterday.) – “I don’t think he mentioned (Albert) Wilson.”
(He did mention him.) – “Did he? (laughter)”
(Yes, he mentioned four.) – “(DeVante) Parker, (Will) Fuller… yeah, (Albert) Wilson didn’t practice yesterday. So Wilson will not be practicing. He didn’t practice yesterday. I don’t think you were referencing Wilson for the game, right?”
(Was the WR Lynn Bowden Jr. decision a tough one because I guess the other alternative would’ve been keeping alive the possibility of him coming back this year, but that would have tied up a valuable roster spot on the 53. How tough a call was that for you and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “Tough call. Obviously Lynn (Bowden Jr.) did some nice things during training camp. Did some nice things at the end of the year last year. Had a good offseason, did a good job in the spring. Unfortunately he had the injury and we felt like that was the best decision for the team and unfortunately we won’t be able to get him back, but this is what we felt was the best thing for the team.”
(Yesterday QB Tua Tagovailoa talked a little bit about his relationship with Dan Marino and working with him. I was just curious if you could maybe detail a little of that relationship and the value of having an all-time great like Dan talking to Tua?) – “Someone with Dan’s experience, his insight, his knowledge of preparation, of being a professional, of playing in this league; I think it’s always good for a young quarterback to have someone to bounce some ideas off, get some mentorship from, and Dan has been that for Tua and Jacoby (Brissett) and Reid (Sinnett). It’s nice to have someone like that around the building for those guys to bounce some thoughts off of and someone who has actually played the position in this league and done it at a high level, so I think that’s always good for the player.”
(You mentioned that the starters won’t play. I know that’s some of the starters. What about the offensive line? One, I don’t know if you have enough to make it through a full game with the non-starters, but also, there’s still competitions going on there. Is that still a position that you’re trying to evaluate heading into the Bengals game?) – “Yeah, we’re definitely trying to evaluate that. We’ve got I think – I want to say 12 linemen on the roster right now. We may or may not rest a couple of those guys. I think a guy like Jesse Davis, we probably will sit him. The other guys are young so we’re still talking through that one, but I think we have enough depth to be able to sit one or two other guys and honestly that would be kind of the depth that we would have in a regular game if it’s eight or nine guys. Like I said earlier we’re working through that. I think those guys – it’s a hard-working group. I think there’s some guys in the back end who have earned the right to get some reps and we’re looking forward to seeing them out there on Sunday against Cincinnati.”
(Where have you seen the most growth from WR Kirk Merritt since last year to now?) – “Kirk (Merritt) – he’s grown just from a work habit standpoint. I think he knows how or is learning how to get on a routine, stay on a routine, believe in the routine and believing that the extra work on the JUGS and the extra film study and the extra reps and sets in the weight room will help and have helped him make improvements and I think we’ve seen those improvements on the field both in practice and in games. I think he understands that and if he continues to do those things off the field and in the classroom, in the weight room, from a nutrition standpoint; then he’ll continue to make those improvements that he’s already made. He’s done a nice job and I’m very pleased with the growth he’s made.”
(How has DT Raekwon Davis’ summer gone?) – “I think Raekwon (Davis) – his spring, his summer – it’s been good. This is another young guy, young player who has become – we’ve talked a lot about Tua and his growth – I think Raekwon has grown a lot as well. Much more comfortable with his surroundings, with his settings, again with his routine, with how he takes care of his body, the things he eats, how much he sleeps. I think that’s something that (Director of Player Engagement) Kaleb Thornhill and our player engagement group has done a nice job of helping these guys with their routines and helping them learn how to be professionals. I think that’s something that young players need. They need some guidance on that. I think as an organization we try to help them with that as coaches, as Kaleb and his staff, as a training staff, as a strength and conditioning staff. I think those different groups are kind of coaching these young guys in that area about what are the best things for you to be the best version of yourself on and off the field, and I think our staff has done a nice job of that. But we can talk all we want. The players have to take the information and apply it. I think Raekwon has done a nice job of that and I think he’s making improvement and we need to continue to make more improvement.”
(I’d like to ask you a question related to COVID and vaccines. Especially since we’re getting down to a couple days before final cuts. We know that there are different things that can come into play where you can lose a player for like five days and also lose him at the last minute on game day if they’re unvaccinated, if they take a test and they come back positive. Given all of that, how much of a factor if any will that come when you’re making final roster cuts?) – “I think we’re going to keep the best players – vaccinated or unvaccinated. That’s what we want to do. I think that’s what’s best for the team. I don’t know any other way to put it. I think we’re always going to try to do what’s best for the team. I understand the question and I understand some of the issues that can arise, but at the end of the day, I think we try to assume that guys are healthy, guys will be out there and what group of guys is going to help our team perform as best as we can whether they’re vaccinated or not. I think that’s the most authentic answer I can give you.”
(We’ve seen one team in particular in the state decide to strengthen their restrictions on the road where they’re saying that all players – vaccinated or unvaccinated – cannot leave the team hotel. Are you considering any kind of rules above and beyond what the league’s protocols are?) – “Right now we’re following the league protocols. We really haven’t had any discussions like that, but we’ll continue to follow league protocols for both vaccinated and unvaccinated on the road, in the locker room, in the meal rooms. We’ll just continue to follow the NFL protocols and if we feel the need to go above and beyond, we’ll do that, but we have not had those discussions.”
(I wanted to ask you about your favorite unit – special teams – and when you’re cutting down to the 53-man roster, how much say does Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman and his group have in terms of who stays, who goes?) – “I think that’s a big part of the final decisions that we make. The kicking game is obviously a big part of football and we want to be good in the kicking game, so yeah, when we’re making those final decisions – what a guy can do on special teams is part of that decision. The more you can do gives you more opportunity to help this team win or try to win games. That definitely comes into play. I don’t think that’s just for the Miami Dolphins; I think that’s for across the league. A blocked field goal, a big kickoff return, a big punt return, a missed field goal – those are all plays in a game where if you take them for granted, that’ll come back to bite you. So I would say every team in the league makes the kicking game somewhat of a priority especially when it comes down to these cuts.”
(Is there any worry that three weeks for the starters between last week and Week 1 is too long of a time and was last year with no preseason games sort of confirm that maybe preseason games don’t necessarily translate into the Week 1 product being any better or worse?) – “I think I could see that argument. I think we’ve had joint practices with two teams. We had 10 good days prior to that. We felt like this was the best thing for our team. We’ll practice them hard next week and the week after that as well. And again this is new for everyone. It is. This is a new – you know, is two weeks too much? This is the first time there will be two full weeks. So it’s all brand new for everyone. Is two weeks too much? Is three weeks too much? Is two better than three? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone knows.”
(The NFL being such a copycat league like historically the fourth preseason game no starters play. Now like the third – some teams didn’t play people in the second. Do you look at other teams and other teams do you think say, “Hey, the third preseason game now doesn’t matter” or do you really just focus on what’s best for you guys?) – “I think that’s probably the best way to look at it, is just focus on our team. What do I think our players need and just rely on that because every person is different. Every group of players is different. Our team is different than another team and that team is different than another team, so what we need is potentially different than what another team needs and I think when you start trying to just copy what someone else does when you have different personnel in a different area; that may not work. So what we have is the information that we’ve gathered on our team, the experience we’ve had with our players and we use that information and try to come up with what we feel is best for our guys. And we’ll always do that. We’ll always do what we feel is best for the organization, for the team and the organization, and I think we have peace with the amount of time we spend going through – it’s not like we didn’t talk about it (laughter). We definitely did that. Week 3, Week 2, what do we do, joint practices. We’ve definitely spent a lot of time talking about it. And that’s not just as a coaching staff; everyone is involved there – medical, strength and conditioning, coaching, nutrition. There’s a lot that goes into it and we felt like this was the right move for us with our team this year and that could be different in future years.”
(How much did you weight QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance and I guess really all the starters?) – “I thought you were going to ask me how much I weigh. (laughter) Man. Not you. I mean, come on. (laughter)”
(How much did you weigh QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance and I guess really all the starters when making the decision of whether or not to play them in the final preseason game or was it more so just..?) – “It’s something that we – I think we probably made the decision before they even played last week, but I thought last week’s performance didn’t hurt, I would say. But we talked about it and kind of laid out the summer practice schedule in a way, again, with the joint practices, how we’re going to play him in Games 1 and 2 and felt good about going this route. I would say last week’s game didn’t weigh in all that much.”
Jerome Baker – August 25, 2021
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Wednesday, August 25, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(I wanted to ask you what it meant to you to partner up with North Miami PD for the Haiti earthquake relief.) – “It meant everything. Tomorrow is the last day to get donations in. They need supplies as far as paper towels, women products, toothpaste, toothbrushes. All the little things we take for granted; they need it. Tomorrow is the last day. And it meant so much for me to partner up and just be a part of that.”
(The defense had a really strong day today. It seemed like you guys were really communicating pre-snap. What’s the communication like pre-snap and for you as an inside linebacker, what are you looking at and trying to get to your players?) – “It’s a lot that goes into it. First it’s the call. Then it’s you see what the offense is giving you. Then you make your checks. You kind of just – you want to communicate as much as possible because you never know if you’re reminding somebody else what they got or you’re reminding somebody to look out for this. You’ve got to have anticipation. That’s how you make plays and just that communication – that’s the key to a great defense so we definitely put an emphasis on that.”
(What was it like getting some first-team reps again with LB Elandon Roberts? Having him back there.) – “It was amazing. ‘E’ (Elandon Roberts) always brings the energy so he definitely brought that and I’m just happy for him to be back and be back healthy. It’s definitely great to have him back.”
(What’s the same and what’s different when he’s in there next to you as opposed to LB Benardrick McKinney?) – “’B. Mac,’ this is his first year really in the system so it’s just communication of what to look for and things like that. ‘E. Rob’ – he’s been in the system for a long time so I guess you could say he’s more of a veteran in the system. That’s really pretty much the difference. They both are great players. They’re great to be next to, so that’s really the only difference they have with each other.”
(Where do you see the defense now? You’ve been a month working with these guys. It seems like there’s more depth between DL Adam Butler and LB Jaelan Phillips and guys like CB Nik Needham making plays. Do you like where the defense is overall?) – “Our defense is definitely in a great spot, but one thing about the NFL – you can’t just get complacent and just say you got it all. I love this team as far as we really come out every day and we truly try to get better and we try to get each other better. If that’s defense going against offense, if that’s special teams, if that’s scout guys; we all truly want to get better and we definitely push each other now.”
(LB Sam Eguavoen played 38 snaps and had four sacks the other night. What’d you think?) – “What’s funny is nobody is surprised at what Sam (Eguavoen) can do. He’s one of those players that he puts his head down and he works every day. He comes in and works, works, works and that was just a glimpse of what he really can do. We’re always happy for him. We’re always excited. So yeah, we just want him to continue doing that throughout the year.”
(He said he wanted to stop making plays because everybody was punching him after he made a play.) – “Yeah, we’re always excited for him. He does it in practice so much and just to see him do it on a game day situation; we’re always just happy for him. So I hope he just keeps getting them. We’re going to punch him all he wants. (laughter) So I’m definitely happy for him.”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 25, 2021
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Wednesday, August 25, 2021
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Dan Marino did an interview yesterday and was asked about you of course, and he said Tua has a better understanding of where he wants to go with the football and how to deal with protections. Can you talk about what has been the key to developing in those areas?) – “I think just being with our guys. Being able to sit down and talk with the linemen. Having meetings with the linemen. Being able to talk with the running backs. Overall, just communication with our guys. And it’s not just with me. It’s with our quarterback room. And us hearing what they have to say about what they see and then us kind of helping them with what we see in the back end.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores hasn’t really announced what the plans are for playing time but if you don’t play, do you feel comfortable with the body of the work that you and the offense have put out in training camp and the preseason?) – “Honestly, I would say we’re still putting in work. That’s why we’re all out here competing against each other. Regardless of what happens, we’re just focused right now on taking it a practice at a time, a day at a time. We’re really just focused on the things we need to get right right now.”
(Do you plan to play?) – “I would say every week I’m planning to play, but that’s a question for ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores).”
(Last week we talked about you feeling pressure in the pocket and adjusting as needed. One of the best guys ever to do that was Marino because of how he would side-step pass rushers. Do you and he ever work together and talk about that?) – “I’ve never got the chance to work with Dan, but Dan will have some input with what he feels we could do better. He sits down in our meetings and he helps us as quarterbacks, so I think that’s really cool.”
(Is there anything specific you’re working on today? I know everybody says they’re trying to get better…) – “Yeah, I think overall just the communication, the operation with us offensively. It still needs some cleanup. But really that’s what it’s been today.”
(Does the wind change your approach at all as far as like location on throws or just anything about your game?) – “Well, I think the wind plays a factor. When you’re throwing into the wind, you’ve got to be able to cut it. If not, the wind is going to take it. But I think it’s good work to be able to throw with and against the wind.”
(So you get WR Will Fuller back out here, what is that like, just having the whole group out for at least a little bit of practice?) – “It’s good to have all of our guys back out here, to be able to work some timing and to be able to get some work in with them. I think just them being able to get back into the huddle, hear calls, get out, know where they’re lining up at and then executing with them, I think that’s very important.”
(On if moving the pocket is a point of emphasis) – “I think we’re trying to work all aspects of our game in the quarterback room. To get the defense moving – we don’t want to just be a drop-back quarterback. We want to be able to move the pocket and have them see different things, different looks. That’s really what it is.”
(What separates Nick Saban from the rest of college football coaches? Why do you guys always seem so ready for big-time games at Alabama?) – “I mean growing up, you hear Nick Saban and you’re like, ‘that’s Nick Saban!’ (laughter) I don’t know. You see him in movies. He’s just big time. I don’t know. It’s just something about his demeanor and the way he coaches his players and what he expects out of his coaches. I think that’s what makes him successful.”
(What does Atlanta, the city, playing there mean to you guys? Since 2008, Alabama is 13-2 in games played in Atlanta. Is there an emphasis on Atlanta for you guys, the fact that SEC Championship games are held there?) – “Really, I’ve never put any thought into that. I just tried to do everything that I could for the program when I was there and I had my time there. I do understand how important Alabama football is in general being that I played there. Whatever happens, it happens over there.”
(Any predictions for September 4th?) – “(laughter) It’s tough. I don’t know what Alabama looks like. I don’t know what the Hurricanes look like. You just always hope that when you see two teams go against each other, that it’s a good game.”
(What is leadership to you? Or is there somebody who has been an especially good leader that can define leadership? Or someone who has been a good example?) – “I think a lot of our coaches, a lot of the older players in the locker room, they show glimpses of their leadership. You listen. You can take some of the things that you hear from them and implement it to your style of leadership. I would say that’s a learning process that I’m still going through as well.”
(It seems like Mac Jones is doing pretty good at Patriots camp. I’m curious if you ever look for the highlights and if it’s game action? I don’t know if you ever text with him or anything.) – “I haven’t texted Mac. I haven’t been able to talk to him since he’s been drafted. But I’ve seen them play. He’s doing pretty good. I hope when he does get his opportunity, he makes the best of it. But you can’t wish him too much luck because we’re rivals in the same division. (laughter) I wish him the best of luck, for sure.”
Jason McCourty – August 24, 2021
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Tuesday, August 24, 2021
S Jason McCourty
(Opening Statement) – “Before we start, it’s just National Food Allergy Awareness Day and right now I think you guys are probably aware that the Miami Dolphins, we have partnered with FARE, an organization that has done a ton of work for food allergies. For me, a father of a young daughter who has severe food allergies, I mean if you name it, she’s allergic to it. It’s something that’s very important to my wife and myself. FARE will be serving food down at the stadium and it’s something that is real important to me and it’s an awesome job that they are doing. I wanted to start it off and make everybody aware of that.”
(Has she ever had any type of reaction herself?) – “Yeah. The year we spent in Cleveland, she had butternut squash but salmon was on the plate, and at that point she wasn’t even a year old. We weren’t aware of all of her allergies. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Hitch, but Will Smith has an allergic reaction and his face blows up, and that’s what her lip looked like. I had to give her the EpiPen and bring the EMTs by. Very scary, but a learning experience at that. She’s now four and she has two siblings and all three of them are well aware of all of the things she’s allergic to. It’s kind of impressive to see how much you kids can pick up on and how much they can look after one another in the process of the youngest one growing up with allergies.”
(How much fun is it for you as someone who is a total team guy helping develop a young player like S Jevon Holland, even though the natural progression that he might be taking some playing time that you would get. You’re good about it as a team guy, but is it hard? Does it come natural for you?) – “No, it’s not hard. I would say no because I can remember the specific guys my rookie year that poured into me. Cortland Finnegan who was here, Chris Hope, Vinny Fuller, so many guys took the time to pour into me. They were all defensive backs as well and we were all competing. For me, it’s a blessing. I’m blessed to just be able here my 13th year, whether my role is prominent and I’m playing every play of the game, or if my role is 15 plays here or five plays there. Whatever it is, I’m fortunate to be out here. I think as a older player you realize that not matter if you want to help a guy or not, that’s the natural progression. A young player that can play ball, and knows what he is doing, he’s going to find his way on the field. I think what makes it easy is the type of player and the type of person Jevon is. He’s very serious about his job, he is very serious about football. He puts in a ton of work, not just physically out here, but mentally making sure he knows what to do, knowing his checks. It’s been fun kind of joking and getting to know him and helping him along on the football field.”
(Has it started with you and your brother yet, because the opener is not that far away?) – “(laughter) It’s always going between me and my brother. Our wives can attest to that in our later years, and our mom for sure in our early years. We’re always competing but we’re always rooting for one another. I know it will be a blast not only to play against him but to get to see him. We’ve been together for the last three years, so now being apart, it will be fun and probably a lot of trash talk between us two.”
(Then a picture after the game?) – “For sure, for sure. Lasting memories, so definitely we’ll do all of that good stuff after the game.”
(What a vivid memory of a game that you either played with him or against him?) – “I’ll exclude the Super Bowl but I would just say our Pop Warner days. Our games used to be on Sunday mornings and we’d wake up super early in the morning, and we’d go outside with our ball. Me and him would review and go over all of our plays, and put ourselves in positions – I could remember dreaming of being able to make it to this level. The first time we ever played against each other was the opener in 2012. Kind of going against each other, we were both captains and just being able to be on the field in those moments, realizing from those Pop Warner days that those dreams and those plays going over, that we were actually doing it at the highest level.”
(You talked a little bit earlier about the leadership aspect and being a mentor. This is such a young team and when you look at the roster, the McCourty line with the age…) – “Don’t remind me. (laughter) My birthday was the Friday we were in Chicago, and as guys came up to me, (Jaylen) Waddle came up to me ‘happy birthday J-Mac, how old are you turning?’ I was like ‘I turn 34.’ ‘Damn, 34!?’ and it’s the realization of how much older you are than the other guys. Jevon I think is 21. It’s funny, but it’s a lot of fun, and I take pride in that. Just like you said, to look down the roster and see a guy 34 and still being able to be out there and run around with these guys, I take a lot of pride in that. I take pride in my experiences in being able to share that with those guys. Not only the things I’ve done, but the stories I’ve heard over the years in the locker room.”
(Do you see yourself coaching eventually?) – “I don’t know, these guys don’t leave the building until probably midnight. I don’t know if my wife wants to put up with me playing for X amount of years, and then coaching. She taught me never say never, so we’ll see.”
Brian Flores – August 24, 2021
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Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(The three roster cut down days all come on Tuesdays that you are practicing, I know last Tuesday you all practiced with a full roster and then made the cuts. Are you doing that today or are your five cuts going to come before? What’s the thinking on that? Are you just trying to take a final look at guys before cutting them?) – “We’ll do them after. We are still kind of going though those conversations. Yeah, we’ll do it after”
(With guys like WR William Fuller V and WR Devante Parker, I know they were doing some work before the game and obviously they work with the rehab assignment group. Where do you get to a point where you begin to worry about them, not necessarily Fuller, but for their season-opening status?) – “Those guys are working hard to get back. I wouldn’t say there’s any worry, it’s more they’re working to get back. They’ll be out there today. From that standpoint I know they are doing everything they can and that’s really all we can ask of them. That’s kind of the approach I take. Injuries happen, guys get dinged. All that we can ask is that they do everything they can to get back as quickly as they can. All the guys who are dealing with nicks and bruises are doing what they can to get back.”
(Would they be out there if it wasn’t a walkthrough today?) – “Look, they are doing everything they can to get back. I think we are getting closer. Would they be back if it wasn’t a walkthrough? I think they are getting closer. We will have to find out tomorrow since we will be here tomorrow.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle went back in last game but is it something that you will still have to monitor this week going forward?) – “Jaylen is a tough kid. It’s his first training camp, dealing with some nicks and bruises. He’s in the training room doing preventative work, getting treatment. He’ll be out there.”
(What have you seen from TE Hunter Long? And if you could also include in that he seems to be showing some toughness playing through this leg deal.) – “He was down for some time there. Worked hard to get back. Got back last week and did a couple good things in practice against Atlanta and then played in the game. He’s a tough kid, he’s a hardworking kid. He’s young, he needs reps and he’s getting them. We’re going to try to get him in this practice week, which is an important week for us, in the game and just try to take it one day at a time and get better.”
(I know you said you were going to have a meeting to decide how many of your starters might play. I guess I’ll start with QB Tua Tagovailoa, do you know if Tua is going to play?) – “We are still going through that. Still having discussions about how much we will play those guys. Still undecided.”
(When it comes to the new IR rules the league has – I know it carries over a little from last season – how much thought does that play into when you are putting together the 53 and trying to figure out whether or not guys can begin the year on IR and come off?) – “They’re different. It’s different in training camp. The IR rule, I think you are alluding to…”
(When it’s regular season in terms of guys who initially make the 53, then once that day has passed you can put them on IR with the opportunity to remove them after three games.) – “I guess for right now, if we put a player on IR, he’s done. If a player who makes the 53, after that day then assuming an injury, which you never want to assume that, but if an injury happens you can put him down for a minimum of three games. I don’t know how much that applies right now because we would have to release a player and he’s out on the street and he can get picked up by anybody. I guess the conversation is whether or not that’s worth – I guess I’m having a hard time understanding the question.”
(I will rephrase it later.) – “So basically, when we get to the 53, those guys are healthy.”
(But you have guys like WR Lynn Bowden who is not healthy.) – “Right.”
(Initially he can go on the 53 and the next day go on IR and create an extra roster spot for a wide receiver or…) – “A wide receiver that we just let go?”
(No, I’m saying carry him. Yeah, good point. You create an extra roster spot for somebody else if he’s not going to be healthy to begin the season.) – “Yeah. All of those conversations, Chris (Grier) and his staff, we have those conversations. Look, if you like a player then you keep him because you don’t want to expose him to the rest of the league and think you’re going to finagle a rule. That’s not what the rule is made for. I think what you’re alluding to, I’m not really sure how we can get that done given how – the mechanism you have to go through to put a player on IR. To make the 53, which means you have to cut 30 or 20 or whatever the number it is to get to 53, then after that you can put a player on IR but you just exposed a player you are going to bring back. There’s a lot of, ‘do you want to expose said player or just put that player you are going to put on IR on IR.’ There’s a lot of moving parts there.”
(In terms of the shape that LB Elandon Roberts and WR Preston Williams are in, obviously rhythm and getting back into football activities. From what you see and what the medical staff tells you, does it look realistic that they could help you in Week 1 potentially or might this be a several-week ramping up process to team football activity for those two?) – “You always want to ramp up and give them as much time as possible. I thought getting them out there last week was good for their confidence. I think they both felt good getting out there on the field with their teammates. They did some good things. They weren’t out there all that long. We will try to ramp them up, get them into some more team drills this week and hopefully build on what we got started with last week.”
(I’m sure there’s a lot of thought that still remains on this subject but even at this relatively early stage, what are your thoughts on how difficult it’s going to be to set the roster at wide receiver?) – “There’s a lot of competition in that room. That competition is still playing out and again, this is a big week. We’ve got guys who have practiced, we have guys who haven’t practiced and we’re always going to do what we feel is best for the team. There’s a lot of competition there and there’s going to be some tough decisions that are going to have to be made, and we will always make them with the thought that we are doing what we think is best for the team.”
(I know rosters are fluid, especially the back end of an NFL roster, but in terms of the importance of this week and the last preseason game; is it fair to say that there are literally three or four or more spots that have just not been claimed and are still being fought for?) – “Yeah, that’s fair to say.”
(What would be the message to those guys who are acutely aware that they are literally on that cliff?) – “Work hard. Keep improving. Take advantage of your opportunities. I mentioned that to our team many times. In life, it’s about taking advantage of your opportunities. Whether it’s football or business or really anything that you’re working towards, if you get an opportunity, you want to take advantage of it. For those guys who are two, three spots that are available, they’ll have some opportunities to practice, they’ll have opportunities in the game. If they play well, then they give themselves the best opportunity to maker the team and if they don’t, then they don’t give themselves the best chance.”
(With the NFL preseason going three games, you have that extra week. In your eyes how beneficial is that extra week and will the preparation for Week 1 start when you get top the 53-man roster?) – “You’re talking about that three-day weekend that they got?”
(Yeah.) – “Yeah, that’s different. It’s something that we haven’t really delt with before. We’ve had some conversations about how we’re going to handle that week with the strength staff, with the medical staff. How we are going to prepare, whether we do it before or whether we do it after. We’ve had those conversations. That’ll be a good weekend for our players. They won’t be here. They won’t have our direction so they are going to have to do a lot of things on their own from a hydration standpoint, from a workout standpoint. You don’t want to lay on a couch for three days and think you are going to get up and practice and practice well. That’ll be the message to our guys. Scheduling-wise, we will try to do what we feel gives us the best chance to have success. We’ve had some of those conversations. I would say they are in their early stages. We always come back to, ‘hey, let’s focus on today.’”
(Going back to the two or three spots that are still available, is that something that you like to see in camp? What does that tell you about competition in camp?) – “That tells us that there has been a lot of competition on the team. That’s a good thing. Competition brings out the best in all of us and it’s no different for the players. Hopefully that’s something that motivates them to do a little but more in meetings, do a little bit more in practice, do a little bit more in walkthrough, study a little bit more and that’ll give them a chance to take advantage of the opportunity.”
(I know you value high-character guys. We’ve noticed over the years how many guys come in and out and all of your coaches yesterday mentioned how unselfish the players have to be, so where does that factor when you have such few spots? Character guys vs. guys who could jump out of the gym. How much harder is it becoming to evaluate that?) – “It’s a sport where you have to get 11 guys on the same page. Selflessness is a trait that’s important in this game. There’s just no way around it. I learned this at a young age from a high school coach. You played baseball; one guy can hit four homeruns. You play basketball; a guy can score 70 points. Football is not that way. You have to throw it, if you want to throw it to somebody then somebody has to throw it, somebody has to catch it, somebody has to block. If you want to tackle somebody, somebody has to set an edge. You need your teammates so there’s an innate selflessness that you have to have to play this game. Yeah, it’s an important trait along with everything else; speed and quickness and intelligence. I think it’s a characteristic that’s important in football and we have a lot of good guys from that standpoint. They do a nice job; they understand that and they lean on each other. That part of it has been good.”
(T Liam Eichenberg has been back and forth; right tackle, left guard. G Solomon Kindley up and down units. Could you assess each one through their movements on the line or through different units?) – “Both guys are working hard, both guys are making improvement. Both guys are competing to play. They are competing for an opportunity to play, to play a lot. Both guys have had good moments and not so good moments and again, this week is a big week for everyone on this team. We’re still competing, we’re still trying to get better, we’re still evaluating and that’s where we’re at.”
