Jevon Holland – November 20, 2023
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Monday, November 20, 2023
S Jevon Holland
(We were asking DT Christian Wilkins about having CB Jalen Ramsey back there. What are the two or three things that Jalen Ramsey brings to this defense?) – “Extreme playmaking, and a veteran presence. Very calm. Always going to do his job. You can rely on him 100 percent of the time.”
(Talk to me about having WR Tyreek Hill on offense, the two or three things that he brings. I’m doing something on having CB Jalen Ramsey on one side of the ball, and Tyreek on the other side.) – “He is the fastest player in the league. He can make a play at any point. Just changes the game. I think that covers everything. And he’s hilarious. That’s cool, too.”
(On the shirt, I see CB Nik Needham in there. I know he’s mainly a cornerback but he’s played some safety, so you guys kind of take him in as well? You said the shirt is mainly safeties right?) – “Nik plays all positions. Nickel, dime, corner, safety – he plays all of them. We can put Nik wherever. So yeah, we put him on the shirt too. He’s on the corners one too, I’m pretty sure.”
(Now that you guys are healthy, the way you played last month makes you look like one of the best defenses in the league. I’m wondering if that is something you guys collectively talk about, wanting to be one of the best defenses in the league?) – “Yeah. If you are not really striving to be the best, then you’re kind of just out there for no reason. Obviously the goal is to be the best and with our execution and how we’re playing, we’re continuing to try and build on each performance week in and week out, and hopefully we put together a complete game in the near future. That’s our goal is to play a complete game of football.”
(What’s the single biggest area of improvement as the season has gone for this defense?) – “I honestly could not tell you because that’s not my job to know. That’s the coaches’ job to know and for them to deliberate. I know what I want to focus on and how I want to improve, and how my unit has improved. But it’s just about getting comfortable. This is our first year in the defense as a collective. A lot of the time, when the offense is new, people give them time to adjust and expect defenses in new processes to just get it right away. But you’ve got to have live bullets. You’ve got to be in the defense for quite a long time – not necessarily a long time, but you have to see it in live speed against actual opponents. It takes time for people to adjust to things. I just think that’s kind of where we are now. Things are filling out.”
(I know Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio didn’t want to make big adjustments or excuses, but was that always in the back of your mind that we are going through injuries and we do have to get comfortable, and after a while we might hit our groove?) – “Naldi’ (Renaldo Hill), and (Joe) Kasper and Vic (Fangio) have all been in this defense and coached in this defense and they kind of said the same thing. ‘You guys are making great strides, just stay at it.’ We don’t really need to make any crazy adjustments because eventually you start trusting your teammates and them being in positions, and them starting to trust you. Then everybody flows in one motion.”
(In a game where very little went wrong for the defense, what happened on the WR Devante Adams touchdown over the top? What was the breakdown there?) – “Just small vision errors. It’s about having your eyes right. When it comes down to it, you got to make the plays that come to you. Being in positions that the gameplan designs for you to be in, that’s the only thing.”
(You guys had stops on nine consecutive possessions in which it was a one-score game yesterday. I’m wondering what the chatter was as you guys kind of kept being put in spots where you guys had to hold the lead at the point. What was the conversation like in the huddle between you and your teammates?) – “My message to the defense is that our one job is to give the ball back to the offense. We don’t have any control of whether or not they score or what they do with the ball, because our job is to stop the other team and get the ball back to us. Regardless of where we fall, or however we get the ball, whether it’s a turnover or a fumble or a sack or whatever it is, if we’re on our one-yard line, we’ve got to stop them and hold them to a field goal. That’s just the case that it is. If it’s a sudden change, then you got to go out there and execute.”
(Did QB Tua Tagovailoa use the durag you got for him?) – “I had to go to this little Korean BBQ spot, and there was a little beauty supply store there, so I went in there to get myself some durags. They had the silk ones, which are like really high luxury. I was like, ‘you know what, Tua might need one.’ So I hit him up, and he was like, ‘yeah, let me get one.’ I knew he had one for the game, but after the game, I was like, ‘yeah, that’s going to be sweaty.’ Got him a black one. Got to take care of my man.”
(I was casually talking to one of your cornerbacks a couple of weeks ago about toughest people to cover. WR Stefon Diggs, WR AJ Brown etc., etc. He said WR Garrett Wilson. What are your thoughts on Garrett Wilson and what makes him tough? Where does he rank against guys that you guys have seen this year?) – “He’s up there. He’s a hell of a talent, honestly. I haven’t looked at anything too deep. It’s Monday after a game. But he’s a hell of a talent. He’s very special. You see him with a lot of crazy catches, especially early on this year. He’s as good as any elite receiver we’re going to face. It’s going to be fun playing him.”
(You’ve played a lot of snaps with three good safeties the last three years with S Brandon Jones, S Eric Rowe and now S DeShon Elliott. How much of an adjustment is it for you to change safety partners, and what does DeShon do especially well?) – “That is a great question and it’s a difficult question to answer because I honestly forget. Like playing with Rowe was completely different from playing with Brandon. And playing with Brandon is completely different from playing with DeShon. So I kind of forget how it feels to play with Rowe and Brandon – not so much Brandon because he’s gotten in a couple of games (this year). But it takes time to get in a rhythm with people. Playing with DeShon is cool because I enjoy his level of intensity. He and David Long are kind of the same. They are high level, high energy (guys). You see them flash a lot on tape. Very physical players. So I enjoy that. I enjoy being able to switch positions and manipulate our looks. I think playing with DeShon has been fun this year and he’s got some special abilities to him. I’m excited seeing him going out there and doing his thing.”
(You mentioned LB David Long, and S DeShon Elliott as high intensity guys. Those guys are both new this year. Do you think that was intentional in terms of how this defense is constructed with guys that have that mentality under Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio?) – “I think the way that the offseason played out, we needed to bring in guys like that. I don’t think that we didn’t have that last year. I think this defense is built around edge rushers and safeties, and the linebackers have to be able to do a lot of different things. They are put in really difficult situations, and ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) and David (Long) and ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) and Duke (Riley) all do a great job at executing those. I think that all four of those individuals are both like-minded and indifferent at the same time. I am definitely confident that bringing David in was a huge sparkplug for us because he brings a lot of fire during the game.”
Christian Wilkins – November 20, 2023
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Monday, November 20, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(What goes through your mind when you think of the first Black Friday game, Friday afternoon game? Just how weird is that going to be?) – “I think it’ll be interesting. It’ll be cool. Obviously it’s never been a thing before and I haven’t played in a Friday game since I don’t know when, but it’ll cool. It’ll be fun and I kind of like short weeks because I just like playing the games. That’s why I like to hurry up and get to the next one as fast as possible, but obviously that means more prep and different things and you’ve got to speed up your process. But I’m looking forward to it.”
(I’m curious if you guys have had your defensive meeting today or not. I don’t know, but have you had a chance to look back at the play where you chased down Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow from the back?) – “Yeah, we watched it with some of the guys not too long ago. Just the standard I hold myself to and I take pride in being able to try to make plays like that down the field and all the guys thought it was a good play.”
(A little bit extra juice because it was also a former Clemson Tiger you were chasing down?) – “Definitely a little bit. Hunter (Renfrow) is one of my good friends, one of my best friends so definitely a little more juice there and glad we got the win so a little more bragging rights, talk a little more trash and whatnot. So when I see him in the offseason, it’ll be more fun then.”
(How is the Jets rivalry different than certainly the Bills and the Patriots, who you guys see just as much?) – “Well, they’re still a division opponent and every time we play them it’s always a tough game regardless of the outcome. That’s the tough thing about this league and the tough thing about playing division opponents; they know you, you know them. There typically isn’t much surprise. It’s going to be tough because both teams are usually up. It’s like I said, it’s a division game. It’s pride and whatnot so it’s always a little extra challenge and it’s always going to be a dogfight.”
(Quick follow-up, not to use a cliché, but in division games, records aren’t as relevant, I guess, and the quality of the team, they know you that you know them. Is the sense that no matter what the Jets have shown on tape, you’re going to get their best shot?) – “Yeah, like I said, it’s a division opponent and they’ve got good players over there. This is the NFL so regardless of records or whatever – I don’t even know their record. I don’t look at it as that. I just – nameless, faceless opponents. I just try to prepare the best way I can prepare and make sure everybody is ready.”
(I don’t know if you saw, but the Jets benched Jets QB Zach Wilson during last night’s game. They haven’t really announced what they’re going to do at quarterback. Are you kind of preparing for any option at quarterback right now?) – “Again, I’ll leave that up to the coaches and how we prepare and everything, and how we go about that. Either way, we’ve got to get ready.”
(I’m curious your opinion on some of the quarterback injuries that we’re seeing pile up across the league. Obviously there’s a lot of different factors that go into that, but I’m wondering what you think is the reason for some of that. Obviously defensive rushers are quicker, leaner, faster in today’s game.) – “I really don’t know what the reason is for that. Obviously the biggest thing is I just hate to see guys go down, especially season-ending or anything like that. I’m a big fan of football. I like watching games and we’re all brothers in arms at the end of the day so you’re always kind of rooting for guys in a weird way like wanting to see guys do well and do all they can for themselves and their families. So it’s obviously tough when a guy goes down and especially when it’s in season-ending fashion. But I don’t know what the cause of that could be or anything like that. It’s just obviously tough when you see that.”
(What do you think when you see CB Jalen Ramsey make the athletic acrobatic interceptions he’s capable of making?) – “That guy’s pretty good and I’m glad he’s on our team. Just really ever since Jalen (Ramsey) has been here, he’s just been great to be around as a teammate, guy in the locker room, leader. He brings it every day. He’s a different type of player and I see why he’s had the success he’s had in this league and like I said, I’m glad he’s on our side and hopefully he can continue to make big plays for us going forward.”
(Are there two or three biggest things that CB Jalen Ramsey brings to this team?) – “I just think overall he just definitely loves playing the game and you definitely see that, just the way he practices, the way he approaches each and every game. He just brings kind of like a calming presence to other guys when he’s out there. He’s just kind of like ‘all right, it’s all good.’ He’s never rattled, just really always cool, collected like ‘hey, we’re playing ball, we’re chilling.’ So that’s kind of nice to have that around. It’s definitely nice for me when I look back and I’m like, ‘oh okay, you’ve got some guys who can really do their thing back there.’ We’ve got a lot of guys who can do that on this defense.”
(Can you take us through the play where you had Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell wrapped up, about to get a sack but then he gets the ball off, then you find out LB Jaelan Phillips has the interception?) – “I’m just glad we were able to make a play regardless of how it shaped out. I’m a team guy so I’m just glad we were able to make a play and get out of that one. I was excited for Jaelan (Phillips) to get his first career pick. I know he was happy about that. I’m sorry I kind of tackled him. I didn’t realize I did it on the field, but I kind of messed him up pretty good. But yeah, whoops. (laughter) But yeah, I was just excited for him, happy for him. It was a big play in the game and we were able to string together another series to finish the game and close it out and get the win.”
Jaylen Waddle – November 20, 2023
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Monday, November 20, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(We saw WR Tyreek Hill and CB Jalen Ramsey making incredible plays yesterday. What does it do for the team when you have one of those guys on each side of the ball?) – “Man, it’s special. We get to see it every day in practice and how hard they work going at it throughout the week. So really seeing it come to life on Sunday is a joy and it brings a lot of excitement to our team.”
(How have you guys had to adjust as an offense to maybe teams playing a little bit more two-deep and trying to keep everything in front of them?) – “It’s definitely something that we have to get better at going into the games. We know a lot of times we’re going to see a two-high shell. So we try to adjust throughout the week with game plans. I think Mike (McDaniel) does a good job of putting us in position to make plays but sometimes we go out there and see a different look than we probably game-planned for. So going into it, you’ve just got to adjust on the fly.”
(Wide receivers usually rotate in and out. I think you played a season-high in snaps yesterday. Did you feel like you were out there more and was that just feeling fresh coming off the bye week?) – “Yeah, I tried to really make it a key for myself just to stay in more, and try to get all the snaps I can while I’m out there. It really didn’t feel like I was out there a lot, but I didn’t know that.”
(We also saw as soon as WR Tyreek Hill went out, that drive where you guys went down and scored, Head Coach Mike McDaniel got you the ball like three times in a row. Was that something where he or Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker said something to you or you said something to them, like, I’m ready to kind of get more and more plays? Or was it just kind of natural?) – “I just try to – when they call my number, I just try to make a play whenever they call a play for me. It really wasn’t nothing.”
(So it wasn’t like you said to yourself, hey, he’s going to be looking my way with WR Tyreek Hill out on this series?) – “I kind of figured that’s kind of how it kind of goes. So just knowing that ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) was out, I’d probably get looked at a lot more. Yeah, pretty much.”
(It’s kind of a strange week. I don’t know if there’s ever been a Friday game before, certainly not in a long time.) – “Yeah, I haven’t played on Friday since high school.”
(What’s the schedule for you guys this week? How do you ramp up? How do you get your body right and all that?) – “Yeah, it’s a quick turnaround. It kind of converts to like a Thursday game. It’s kind of like we’re playing earlier so everything’s moved up. We’ll kind of mesh some stuff together. But recovery is going to be key. It was a hard game yesterday. But everything’s moved up. You’ve got to adjust real quick and move on to the next. We’ve got a real tough opponent in the Jets this week. Move quick. Everything’s moving quick this week.”
(What can you do for Thanksgiving, because you guys are probably going to be traveling?) – “Me personally, my people are coming down the day after. We’re probably going to get good grub in then, definitely.”
Did you feel a sense of urgency to step your game up on that drive when WR Tyreek Hill went down and you were kind of the go-to guy that possession?) – “Not really a sense of urgency. Like I said, whenever they call my number, I just try to make a play.”
(OL Terron Armstead and FB Alec Ingold and a couple other guys were talking about how physical it was out there yesterday. Armstead was saying how well-coached he thought the Raiders defense was playing from front to back. The linebackers ran. What did you think of the physicality of that game? You guys responded pretty well. What did you think of the physical side that your offense showed also?) – “Yeah man, it was a physical game. They were a disciplined group. They’re always tied together. It seemed like they were all on a string from the front seven to the DBs. They had a good gameplan, came in, executed it. They played well and did a good job of containing us and they were real physical. But I think we showed how physical we can be. We can move people, get them off the spot. So we did definitely show the characteristic of our offense that’s really not in the spotlight when you look at that amount of speed that we have on the team. But we can get down and get physical too.”
(When have you shown that physical side? Training camp or other games this year? The Chargers game? When have you guys shown that?) – “We show it a lot, to be honest. But like I said, it’s really not spotlighted because everybody just sees the 22, 21 miles per hour running by our players.”
(I’m just curious, have you guys already got the game plan in because it’s a couple days earlier?) – “GQ classified. (laughter)”
(Have you already received it?) – “GQ classified. GQ classified. (laughter) I can’t give you the sauce.”
(The Jets’ defense is pretty well-known. The matchup of your offense versus their defense should be a fun show.) – “Definitely. Yeah, man. The last couple years, they’ve been a good group. Especially since I’ve been in the league, they’ve always been a good group. Well coached. They’ve got players. The front seven is real good, the DBs are real good. So it’s going to be a challenge for us just like every week. But like I said, they are one of the more talented groups in the league, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
(I’m wondering if you talked to RB De’Von Achane on the sideline or after the game? We made so much of his return and we know what he did, 12.1 yards per carry. Then you get out there and two touches – what was his mentality? Was he disappointed? Is he taking it in stride? What would you say is his mentality if you talked to him?) – “De’Von is one of them guys, like he’s a young player, but he’s real mature. So he really doesn’t let it bother him too much. He knows and he’s confident in his abilities. When he gets out there 100 percent healthy, he’s confident that he can go out there and be the player that we need him to be. He just took it on the chin. That’s what comes with playing this game and he’s going to be back and better than ever.”
Austin Jackson – November 20, 2023
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Monday, November 20, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(As you guys look at the tape with regard to run blocking as a group, you all were averaging record yards per carry for the first six weeks, well over six yards per carry, and it has gone way down over the last four. As you guys watch tape, you and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry, have you pinpointed anything for why that might be happening?) – “It all starts with our standard, I think. Just being really intentional about what concepts we are running as a group. Are you speaking in terms of this last game?”
(Over the past four games, it’s been under four yards per carry as a team.) – “It’s a combination of our intentionality on understanding what different concepts we run versus the defenses that we play.”
(We talk to you a lot about how well you’ve been playing and kind of the groove that you’re in. I was curious, a lot of guys have talked a lot about how the game isn’t so much physical as it is mental. Is there a point whether it was back in training camp or some point this season where you felt things really clicking for you and you were like, “Alright, I got it now. I’m in the groove?”) – “Yeah, I feel like going into my second year in this system, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable, just mentally being sharper on concepts that I had already learned in the NFL and had those blocks before, so I could have an extra intent on being better at them versus taking in a whole new playbook and being younger already.”
(LB Jaelan Phillips had some injuries and stuff earlier this season and he said he had a little bit of a confidence dip, but going up again Eagles T Lane Johnson and getting a sack against him really boosted his confidence. Did you have a moment like that during the season so far where you’re like, “I can do this, for sure?”) – “Yeah, I had some pretty good rushers the first week of the season. I go against pretty – I think everyone in the NFL is capable of being good and being great if you let them. So my focus is making sure my technique and my stuff is on point, and maybe I could have a little style of play myself.”
(How did you think OL Liam Eichenberg did playing right next to you in his first game at a new position?) – “Yeah, he’s a beast. It’s like his fifth or sixth position, I think, and he’s been productive at all of them.”
(What is the sixth? Hold on.) – “Exactly – tight end. (laughter) But I think he (Liam Eichenberg) did a great job. He’s very professional. It’s easy to play next to him. He’s been around, pays attention, gets better, and he went in there and he did his job well.”
(It seems like you just got off the field, but I’ve got to ask you anyway with the short turnaround, have you had a chance to look at the Jets defense and what stands out?) – “Yeah, what stands out the most is their style of play. They’re very much a read-and-react defense. They’re very fast on their keys, meaning they want to play with speed as well at the second level, and then their defensive line is pretty good. All of them across the board are pretty good rushers. So we’ll definitely have to get into our routine of studying sooner than later, because they’re definitely a good team.”
(I just looked this up, they’re bringing pressure on, I guess, 27 percent of dropbacks. So as an offensive lineman – I think that is second in the league – what does that say to you?) – “It means we have to study tendencies as best we can to see if we can maybe get some tells on some of those blitzes as best we can. I’m sure our coaches will do that to the best of their ability.”
(What was your first thought when you saw that you guys were playing on Black Friday? I guess now that it’s here, the day after Thanksgiving, it kind of messes up the normal schedule. What’s your thoughts about that?) – “It’s interesting. It’s kind of cool to think about it though, because of Friday night football in high school. It’s Friday night, and that’s instantly what I think about. It’ll be my first high school football kind of Friday night game in a minute. Under the big lights, I think it’ll be fun, honestly. I think it’ll be cool. I like fun environments.”
(How aware have you been, if aware at all, of Hard Knocks cameras being in the building over the last week?) – “Very aware. There’s a lot more cameras in the building than usual, so that’s easy. They don’t interrupt stuff. They came to our o-line dinner, which was different. It was kind of weird, but it was cool. It was a cool experience. It’s not often you get to be on television, HBO, so it’s cool.”
(Do you have to change what you’re saying or how you guys interact at all because the cameras are there? Do you keep it consistent?) – “Oh, definitely keep it consistent. Definitely just keep it consistent.”
(And that offensive line dinner was where in town?) – “We were in Fort Lauderdale, somewhere in the Fort Lauderdale. It was by the water though, it was nice.”
(That was last week?) – “Yeah.”
(Is it like a weekly thing you guys do? Or just kind of whenever it pops up?) – “It’s a weekly thing. We definitely try to get together whether it’s at someone’s house or a restaurant. Terron (Armstead) really organized it when he got here last year, and we just kind of stuck to it as a line.”
(Did you talk to RB De’Von Achane on the sideline after he got injured? And if so, what was his mentality? Or did you talk to him after the game at all?) – “I didn’t get to talk to him. I wasn’t really aware of his situation until later in the game. Otherwise, I probably would have said something, but it’s tough. I’ve battled injuries. I had a big battle with injuries last year. His mentality will put him in place to be great.”
(What happens, because I was going to ask you about that, when you return, like you and RB De’Von Achane, and then you’re out again? What does that do to you mentally?) – “Shoot, makes you a monster. (laughter) No, it makes you have to refocus and get your body back into shape. But that’s what being a professional is. Terron Armstead has done it a bunch. If you look at all the vets throughout the league, injuries happen to everybody. It’s just part of the game.”
(On another note, when you have CB Jalen Ramsey on one side of the ball and WR Tyreek Hill on the other, what is that like? I mean, are you amazed?) – “You’ve got Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien Howard on the same side, and then you’ve got Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Yeah, it’s crazy. I agree. All across the board it’s crazy. I think it’s definitely exciting to be a part of, and our team feeds into it. We love the style of play we get to have.”
(I’m curious, as you kind of enjoy what I think most of us would consider a breakout year here, as you think back to what you came into the league to now, what do you think is one physical trait that you have really honed-in on and just improved from then to now?) – “I think, kind of back to the question earlier, I think my mentals have been the biggest thing to improve since I’ve been in the league. Physically, I would say – I don’t know. I can’t really say any big physical thing has taken my play to a different level. Just understanding concepts has really helped my level of play a lot. Understanding situations in football has been huge for me. I definitely had to get in a different shape, I think, for durability in the NFL. Just a lot of training, a lot of people getting rolled up, a lot of situations that occur, so I would say I lost a little bit of weight. But not too much.”
Terron Armstead – November 19, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 19, 2023
Postgame – Las Vegas
Miami Dolphins T Terron Armstead
(What can you about how the offensive line performed today?) – “Got some stuff to clean up, communication, execution. But we played well, played fast, physical, a lot of effort and energy. Hats off to the Raiders, they did a great job. All three levels of that defense have been playing very well together, technically sound, fundamentally sound, gap sound. The back end is tied into the pass rush. Those guys doing some great things over there. “
(How cool was it to see your defense have such a big day like you did today?) – “Yeah, we needed it. We needed it. Our defense – they were amazing. Mr. Gold Jacket, Jalen Ramsey, he controlled the game, gave us all the opportunities we needed to get this win. But the defense as a whole, it’s great to see. It’s great to see them coming into life, fully reaching their potential, what we expected from them. Now we can tie it all together – offense, defense, special teams – we’ll be a very scary team to beat, so that’s the goal.”
(Obviously the offense is playing really well, but the one thing is short yardage stuff, the percentage has not been great. How do you guys improve in that area?) – “Yeah, we have to. That’s definitely a big point of emphasis at this point. It keeps showing its face, and we haven’t answered it yet. So that will be one of the main focal points moving forward to create that and be more efficient in the short yardage. We’re definitely going to need that when we start to play football in the winter.”
Zach Sieler – November 19, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023
Postgame – Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins DT Zach Sieler
(How much better connected is this defense now compared to five or six weeks ago?) – “Yeah, I kind of hit that earlier. It was bye week reflecting on what we did, what worked and what we needed to adjust on to keep growing as a unit. Got everyone healthy and back it’s been great.”
(You said teams are figuring out what they want to do and who they are. What are you figuring out about your defense right now?) – “I think for us after the bye, once we sat and reflected, we really want to work as a unit. Whether it’s defense, offense, special teams all together, and be the most dominant defense on the field every game.”
(And how close did you come to realizing your potential today do you think?) – “I think it’s every week. Just keep going and converting as a defense and how to play off each other, and the adjustments we make in-game. Just be confident with each other and uplift the guy next to you.”
Raheem Mostert – November 19, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023
Postgame – Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
(What was it like seeing the defensive guys ball out there and secure the win?) – “They did a hell of a job. Kudos to the defense, especially (Jalen) Ramsey. I think that he’s getting his stride. He’s doing an unbelievable job, and he has three (interceptions) on the year now. I know there’s a teacher out there that’s counting down to five, so it’s exciting to see that she’s going to be at school on Monday teaching the kids about those picks, and it’s going to be awesome.”
(No matter how you guys are doing, you can’t seem to lose at Hard Rock. This place is …) – “Kudos to the fans. They’re out here. At one point, Alec (Ingold) was sitting right next to me, I could barely hear him. It was just loud and impactful. Being at home, you just always want to take that home-field advantage and fingers crossed when we get to the playoff talk that we do have that home-field advantage because that will be very, very instrumental for us.”
(We’ve seen so many big-time plays on offense this year. To just be able to see those big playmakers do their thing on defense and specifically big defensive plays, how do you like to see that?) – “It’s fun. We’re just trying to play complementary football – both sides of the ball and even special teams. We have to step our game up… so if we’re able to go out there and just perform at a high level which we’re doing on offense and defense and special teams, then it’s a good formula for success so we’ve just got to keep that stride going so we’ll see what happens.”
Bradley Chubb – November 19, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 19, 2023
Postgame – Las Vegas
Miami Dolphins LB Bradley Chubb
(You guys weren’t in the best position all the time when you went out there on defense, yet you got the job done. What does that do for your guys’ confidence going forward?) – “Through the roof, man, through the roof. It’s one of those things that we, each and every week, talk about how we want to be the best defense on the field. Because they’ve got great guys on the other sideline, man, and we had to match that intensity, you know what I mean? Each week, we try to do the same thing and be the best us. I feel like today we’re the better version of ourselves. We still got a lot more to go, but it was dope to see that us take that step.”
(What can you say about the guys on the back end?) – “Man, they do such an amazing job. They make our job so much easier. There’s even times when I’m like, ‘Oh, the first move didn’t work, he’s about to get the ball off,’ and he pumps it and he has the ball again, ‘OK.’ That’s when that rushing coverage starts working together. On Ram’s (Jalen Ramsey) first pick now, I was so happy for him, because I felt like I got in the quarterback’s face a little bit and then boom, I see the team defense start to work together, man. It’s dope to see, man. Just got to keep carrying that on and make sure we make more plays.”
(Do you guys feel like the last few weeks you’ve come together to be the kind of defense you would expect to be?) – “No, for sure. For sure. It’s one of those things where there was kind of some soul-searching to be done. Nothing like bad at all, we just didn’t think we were playing to our standard. As we’ve been gelling, as we’ve been learning the defense and as we’ve been learning each other, it’s been coming together for us a lot better. It’s one of those things we’re playing for each other now, too, and with each other. So it’s just been beautiful to see.”
