Terron Armstead – August 29, 2024
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Thursday, August 29, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I guess expectations outside and inside the building are different and you’ve played so much football. What’s different about this group that you felt going into this year?) – “We can’t worry about or control any type of outside narratives. The only thing we can focus on is the present day and getting better in that day. All of the narratives that we do have, we’re going to have to address those when the time comes. But for us and our expectations, we want to be the best – put our best product on the field every day. If we do that every day, we do that on Sunday, I’m pretty sure we’ll like the outcome.”
(This is probably the freshest you’ve been coming out of a camp, right? How do you feel?) – “I feel good. I feel great.”
(Do you feel like you’ve had enough work the last four or five weeks?) – “Still getting ready, still working some technique things. It’s always just a constant progression. That’s really the beauty of professional sports, like you’ve never made it. So even if I took more reps, I still got things to work on, still got to keep polishing, keep working. That’s my approach. That’s my mindset so I’m going to continue to do that, and I’ll be ready for the first game.”
(Did you get any work in with the old man over there? Did you get any work in with the old man?) – “For sure, he’s a legend. OG, triple OG, been doing this for a very long time at a high level and he loves the game like no other.”
(Veteran guys like yourselves, that’s needed on a team. So how much do you guys steady the ship when things aren’t – something we don’t see?) – “We got a great locker room, we do – top to bottom. It’s a very positive environment, so it’s not much steadying the ship that we have to do. There’s not many right and wrongs. Of course, we’re going to face some adversity through the season and that’s when you want the veterans to show face and give vocal experience and knowledge, but we have a really driven, focused team. Everybody seems to be after the same goals.”
(Everybody talks about the speed of this team – the motions and all that, but how much tougher does this team need to get? I know that’s your guys’ business.) – “Yeah, we got to show that on the field. There’s nothing I can give you right now with the cameras and a microphone, nothing. You got to see it on the field.”
(Non-football question. You’re a beard guy, what do you think of Head Coach Mike McDaniel and his new look for the season?) – “I like it, I like it. I like the look. I like the look, for sure. Mike is getting a little more swag to him. I saw a little first day of his tenure to now, the progression, the Miami transformation – he’s living.”
(How happy are you that the preseason is done and now it’s all focus on Jacksonville?) – “It’s time, man. It’s time. I feel like the preseason has been a little lengthy – it’s necessary. It’s important to everybody, myself included. We need that time to get ready, guys get opportunities, but it’s time, man. It’s time to get going, ready to get this season rolling.”
(Do you think you’ve had ample ramp up for where you want to be, what you’ll need for the regular season?) – “I’ll be ready.”
Mike McDaniel – August 29, 2024
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Thursday, August 29, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Jack Driscoll’s release, should we take that to mean that there is optimism that OL Aaron Brewer will be available Week 1? Also, where in the world has LB Anthony Walker Jr. been? We haven’t seen him. Is he safe? Is he fine? Is he injured?) – “Oh, so it’s a correlation versus causation? And you’re just trying to trip me into injury reports that I’m not responsible for yet, right? (laughter) I think there’s a lot of things that are involved when you’re talking about the roster and when moves are made, sometimes they have to do with the position group, sometimes they have to do with the overall complexion of a different position group that’s always adjusting. That was a tough decision to let go of Jack (Driscoll); he’s a good player and will do tremendous things in this league, I think. But overall, Aaron (Brewer) included, I feel very confident in where we’re at from the offensive line position, and that confidence comes from not 2023 or a version that maybe people are exposed to. I’m talking about 2024, these individuals and the group and what I’ve watched every practice, even to the point of how we blocked Atlanta’s defensive line in joint (practice) versus a year ago. The group itself has given me confidence because I don’t base any of my thoughts or opinions of the former production or the former self of someone; I let them define what they are right in front of me that day. The group has given me more confidence at the o-line position, really, in general, than I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
(And then with LB Anthony Walker Jr., has he just been injured? Do you expect him back soon?) – “He’s made his presence known within the team. We just – we like to give you surprise parties and surprise visuals. He’s working his way back. He’s been a part of walkthroughs and making sure we don’t have any setbacks as he gets himself more involved in full-speed stuff. He’s one of my favorite individuals on the whole team. Really, really grown to have an appreciation for him; you talk about a galvanizing person and a teammate, he’s created relationships that you’d be surprised are only six months long. I can’t wait for him to play, because you can tell his love for football by – he’s a very high-spirited guy, but man, conversations with him about football when he’s unable to play football, just with me, I’m doing all the work. I’m doing the questions, he’s not that excited to talk about it. He’s a competitor, he’s excited to get back and he’s done himself well by not having any setbacks in the process of getting back on the field.”
(Has OL Aaron Brewer tried snapping yet? Or is that a next week thing?) – “Well that’s part of – gripping is part of the process of his return. He’s doing well and I’m very comfortable with his projection which, what is that projection? Well it’s not league mandated that I tell you, and it’s no offense to you; it’s more being responsible with competitive advantages.”
(From a play calling perspective, how much do you have ready now that you purposely save understanding it’s very important to win the games in January and beyond?) – “I think it’s more of a constant evolution from where guys are at, what things they’re good at, what you’re working on and what enables you to do the next step. It’s an evolution that it’s not like you ever save bullets, it’s more I look at it from the lens of, all right, if you execute something properly, if it’s impactful enough to be an explosive gain or a big play, then people have to address it and try to take it away. So then you anticipate that, and that shapes how you do things moving forward. There’s always so much learning involved in this job, and particularly calling plays at an NFL level, in one season – at the end of the season, I feel like a different playcaller than how you start it. You learn just a ton of different things on the ramifications of different decisions you make, and I think every year it’s gotten a lot easier to call plays in training camp off the script in move the ball situations and in preseason games, it just becomes more natural to your game day experience for me, which I’ve been fortunate enough to have two years and can’t wait to start the third.”
(What’s your view on how the size of a player’s contract should impact the expectations of him on the field? I guess particularly with QB Tua Tagovailoa, should there be heightened expectations for him in 2024 because he’s gotten his contract?) – “I think expectations are important from one vantage point, for the personal expectations that one has for themselves. I think it’s very important to draw a line between your input and what you are executing in the play and the result. I think those expectations of how you do your job and then a bigger understanding about how much other people have to do with your job, I think that as you – you’re on a journey to earn, whether it’s a position, you’re on the journey to be a starting quarterback, then you’re on a journey to solidify yourself with a commitment from the franchise, and then the second you do that, it just transfers to inherently you want to prove your worth. So I think naturally it’s important to have expectations evolve over time; if you’re trying to be the best version of yourself, you better be getting better, because if not you’re getting worse. But then I think it’s also you have to understand the bigger picture and how truly dependent you are on teammates to execute your jobs so that you don’t get caught up in the fake land of result-based opinions that have a lot to do with a lot of other people. So I think the standard and really what Tua asks from himself on a day-to-day basis, his standard of how locked in he needs to be, it all starts with him and he’s really embraced that where there’s no days off when you’re in a situation where you’re the highest paid employee. If you want to be on a good team, then you better bring everything that you can control, or you should have nothing more than marginal expectations for your team at best if you don’t have that mindset on a daily basis and dictate the terms that you want your teammates to follow. I think that’s fair, that’s very natural. You’d have to be completely unaware not to expect; external expectations will adjust, but I think it’s important that you focus on your internal expectations because that’s the best way to lend the most powerful results that hopefully satisfy all your friends, fans and every other person.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Calais Campbell. With preseason in the books, we obviously know the experience he brings to this team. Was there something that surprised you as a player and as a person from him?) – “Having played high school football at the same time in the same state, not in the same conference, as Calais (Campbell), there’s a lot of things that surprise me. (laughter) I think bottom line, you are so hard pressed to find someone that’s able to execute their job at the level he executes it. Like even at the least taxing physical positions, he’s – how many quarterbacks are older than him in the National Football League? Probably – wow, there’s only one. (laughter) He is doing his job over a crazy amount of time at a high level from the one-technique all the way to the five-technique, from next to the center all the way to on the outside of the tackle, and to be – it just takes such a tremendous person to be able to do what he’s done and continues to do in his career. The exuberance that he has to attack every day, what that takes in terms of preparation for your body, you can’t fake that career. You have to truly love football, love the team, and he exudes that every day. I’ll tell you what, it’s such a powerful piece to this team because you want to talk about things that are left unsaid – but like I just know his teammates that are 15 years younger than him have a hard time not finishing a drill, finishing a play, straining and having exuberance to come to work every day when they’re watching him do that. The level of guilt or expectations of how you should about your job are just raised when you have someone that has operated as such a high level, and part of his success is all his preparation and really diligence to take care of his body and execute fundamentals and techniques. So I didn’t totally – I knew he was going to be an important part of the team. I knew he that he’s an absolute freak in terms of being able to play that position for that long at such a high level. I didn’t necessarily really think through the natural influence that on a day-to-day basis, him chopping wood and going about his job, how motivating that would be for his peers that he’s – I think he was in college when the iPod came out. That’s pretty amazing that he’s now executing jobs that guys were barely alive when he started executing that job and he’s doing it alongside them. So he’s an inspiring person and player, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”
(You guys had to be a couple years apart. What are your memories of him as a high school prospect in Colorado?) – “That in early 2000s, there was this monstrosity of a human in Denver, Colorado athletics. Colorado football, there’s some good players that come out there but it’s not Florida, Texas, California type stuff, and he was getting recruited to ‘The U’ (University of Miami). Do you know how many players from Colorado were getting recruited to ‘The U’ in the early 2000s? (laughter) It was a guy that I have no problem stating that if he was about to tackle me as a high schooler, I was turning the down down. There wasn’t people built like him anywhere really, but especially in Colorado. So pretty much every person of my age range still follows him, because he was a unicorn for sure coming out of Denver, Colorado football.”
(Annual question about the locker room seating chart. There were some things I noticed in there – S Jordan Poyer between QB Tua Tagovailoa and CB Kader Kohou, LB Chop Robinson near RB Raheem Mostert, LB Mohamed Kamara near LB Bradley Chubb. Is there any seating arrangement that you’re really proud of?) – “One of my first decisions I make in a football year, so that’s really funny that your interest in something where I was deep diving in thought, but it was months, months, months ago, so it’s cool to hear your musings of it. It is calculated in terms of trying to – I always look at it like this; you spend a ton of time with specific people in the course of the year, your position group namely, during the course of the year in the NFL season. You’re talking about all these meetings that you go to, and you have your boys, and then you go to stretch and it’s the same thing. Individuals and it’s the same thing. Then in practice, you’re subbing in and out with your position coach. There’s so much time spent with specific players. And then you also, at the same time, there’s so much time, over the course of the year, spent at your locker. So the locker design for me is as simple as trying to connect players that, for one reason or another, I think it would be interesting if they connected. Most of the time forecasting that they’re not spending three quarters of their day with them, like the players in their position groups. And then I think if there’s somebody that maybe has a low-key personality but is pretty funny and has maybe some subtle dry humor to him, I think it’s added value for the team if I put an overtly loud, humorous guy next to them and be like, ‘Hey, we’re kind of the same even though we’re way different,’ that type of stuff. So I think the connectivity of the team, I try to have an impact on that with locker room selection – I’m pretty predictable. There are the situations where in training camp – I have a pretty strong memory of this type of stuff, in training camp, if somebody gets into a fight with another player, probably in a year you’re going to be sitting next to them, just because that’s my speed.”
(Can you talk about why TE Tanner Conner made the 53? And what WR Erik Ezukanma needs to do to get back to the 53?) – “So Tanner Conner, really cool year, offseason for him. I think a lot of the stuff, his teammates had firsthand experience with his journey. He was a position switch; he was a wide receiver that we moved to tight end and now owns the entire playbook. One of the rare, rare players that – there’s probably three in my whole career – that knows fullback and then can line up at the slot receiver and run two-minute, which is all memorized word association. There’s nobody that has the rules of our offense and how to execute at every level down more than Tanner Conner does, and I’m excited for what he has in store for the Dolphins, both on offense and on special teams. And then Erik Ezukanma, I really like where he’s at because he’s on our team. And for me, there’s a lot of players that – I look at it as a 69, or with the extra international player, 70-man roster and how you’re able to get that and get the best version of that. Sometimes you’re on the active roster, sometimes you’re a practice squad player that has to be flexed up. There’s a lot of different things that go on in that. I like where he’s at. I think the team likes where he’s at, just based upon the reactions to him and still have very high expectations for him and the group.”
(What was it that you saw that made WR Grant DuBose a claims guy?) – “It’s something that I knew of him coming out, and when you’re high on specific players that you’re kind of targeting in different areas of the draft or wherever, and then another team takes him, you pay attention. So I’ve been paying attention to his game, and I think also, it didn’t hurt that I have a strong relationship that’s very communicative with their head coach Matt LaFleur, so I kind of knew what Grant (DuBose) was like day-in, day-out. For what we’re trying to do and the roles that we have on our team, I thought he was a very good fit for his skill sets and what we’re looking for to add to our wide receiver room. The connectivity of what he has done, it was very clear and what he could offer us in terms of adding to the group, it was a really good fit. I’m very, very happy we got that claim.”
(This offseason the majority of your moves on the offensive line was retaining the incumbents. I’m curious to hear how you would describe the value of chemistry and continuity in that group in this system?) – “Particularly in the way we play football, you would be – I’ve just had the fortune in being within the same system for 18 years. And in that process, you learn that if you pre-judge something early in the process in understanding how to truly execute this scheme, if you take a player in Year 1 and forecast that as being how he’ll be in the system, you’re wrong way more than you’re right. So that – and then you just get so much invaluable information from each and every player when you go through the journey of a season. And in that, I know if we didn’t have the right type of combination of people and skill set, we wouldn’t have just stayed steadfast, or the moves would probably be a lot different. I think you react to what people show you who they are, day-in, day-out. In this circumstance, we had some guys that were really buying in that started to make plays in their prospective roles and assignments. So you decide that, ‘Hey, no. I want to invest in these guys more.’ What I can say honestly from hours upon hours upon hours of instruction and then evaluation, the group has really proven the organization right in believing in them based upon how they are performing. What would be interesting is asking any veteran defensive lineman on the different versions of players, the different version of Liam Eichenberg when we got here and to where he is now. A different version of Austin Jackson, it goes across the board. I think it speaks even to Terron Armstead is feeling more confident in his game than he ever has in his career, and you’re talking about one of those guys, one of those super-athletes that is the fastest offensive lineman ever at the Combine, and where he’s at in his game, feeling more confident in playing football than he ever has before in his career. That’s because there’s a group of people diligently working at their craft, excited to make a name for themselves under the current version of who they are in 2024.”
Jonnu Smith – August 28, 2024
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(When you were at FIU, were you envisioning or hoping something like this would happen?) – “At that time, you’re just focused on getting to the next level. Just focused on getting to the next level and playing at the highest level that you always dreamed of. It doesn’t matter what team, but obviously, I came here on local day when I was at FIU, right after my senior year. Thought about – definitely the idea floated around in my head, ‘What if I’m staying here?’ Eight years later, here I am. So again, it’s a blessing to be back and being able to represent the city of Miami.”
(DT Calais Campbell, he went to “The U,” you went to FIU. You guys have become friends and you guys did talk about this, I guess over lunch or something?) – “Yeah, we did. We did. That’s my guy, obviously. Ran it with Calais (Campbell) last year in Atlanta and we became really tight. He’s one of my guys, man. Great dude, great teammate and we just had the opportunity to grow and build the relationship over this past year. I guess I got in my recruiting bag when I took him out to lunch, because I was already signed and he was going through his process and everything. So got a chance to take him out to lunch – it was on me, you know what I mean? I had to treat my guy, and we kind of were talking to what we got going on here and knowing that we could build something special with him being a part of it.”
(During training camp was there a moment with the two of you were going, “We’re here. Isn’t this pretty crazy?”) – “Yeah, it’s always great. When I look at him, 93, man. That guy – his name speaks volumes, obviously his play, but just the presence he brings to the locker room, I’m just glad to have him again for another year. We talked about it at the end of last year after Atlanta, hoping that we’d be able to see what happens, see if we’ll play again together and just kind of keep the ball rolling, because he was kind of in between coming back or not. So again, it’s just good to have him on our side of the ball.”
(It’s been fun watching you run the ball against him. You did that earlier in your career – only a couple of carries your last two years – is that something you’re excited to add? Does it put more wear and tear on the body, or is it fun for you?) – “Not at all, not at all. I understand my skill set and I’m just trying to utilize it to the best of my ability and put this team in the best situation to win games. That’s what I’ve been doing when my number is called – whatever position it is, I’m going to answer.”
(If there’s a flip forward, they’re pass plays, technically?) – “We got a lot going in man. We’ll see Week 1; we’ll see as the season goes. Like I said, when my number is called, I’m here to answer.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel is good at laying out his vision to people. Before you signed – it was very early, obviously, in the spring. Did Head Coach Mike McDaniel lay out a vision to you in a meeting in how he planned to use you?) – “We were able to get into it – first off, (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) was a great guy. I got to talk and learn about the person, most importantly, and what kind of coach potentially I would have. That’s kind of what got me. And obviously, I know the system that they run and Mike’s ability to get guys the ball in their hands that can make plays. That was something that I definitely took to, and I’m excited to be here. Mike McDaniel is as great of a playcaller as they come, as great as a head coach as I’ve been around. That guy is really making a lot of strides over these past couple of years in building a real for a team, so excited to be a part of it.”
Jevón Holland – August 28, 2024
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024
S Jevón Holland
(General Manager Chris Grier told us they’re bringing in QB Tim Boyle as a practice squad quarterback. He’s the guy you had the “Fail Mary Pick-6” against. Are you going to give him a hard time about that when you see him?) – “No, not at all. It’s a part of football, interceptions and (expletive) like that. Shoutout to Tim (Boyle), I’m glad he’s on the team. It’s another opportunity. So hopefully he comes and helps us out.”
(What’s this defense capable of this year? After you’ve seen preseason games and training camp, what’s this defense capable of?) – “A lot. This defense is – the world is our oyster. Honestly, it’s really on us if we want to go out there and take it. I think we’ve got all the pieces. I really do and I’m excited about this year.”
(What have you seen in S Patrick McMorris this camp?) – “My young buck – man, he’s really grown. He has. You see him, he’s like real physical, shooting gaps or what not. I’ve just seen him grow, get more comfortable on his feet, kind of becoming a pros pro. That’s all I ask from him. I just really wanted him to be confident in himself. Being a rookie in a difficult league, you can kind of get ahead of yourself, get anxious. I just told him to relax, go out there and play ball. You’ve been playing it your whole life. I was excited to see him do what he did in the preseason and make the team.”
(With safeties, is it important to spend time off the field much with your partner? Like have you and S Jordan Poyer spent much time off the field? Is that even necessary or not really?) – “I think that as a whole, player to player, teammate to teammate, it’s important to spend time together. Yeah, it definitely strengthens our bond as friends. We spend so much time at the facility as it is that we get to know each other anyway. I just like being out there on the field, thinking how he thinks, but hanging out outside of the facility definitely adds to that for sure.”
Calais Campbell – August 28, 2024
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(When you were at the University of Miami did you ever think that this would be possible?) – “Well, yeah. My rookie year I thought I was going to be drafted out here. They took Phillip Merling instead. My agent called me, because there was no 32nd pick that year, so Phillip Merling was the first pick of the second round. Back then, the first and second round were on the same day. So my agent called me once they got to like (pick No.) 30 and he was like ‘Hey, Miami is really interested.’ And then I was shocked when they took Phillip Merling instead of me, but hey, here I am today. I’m happy to be here. That aqua, I feel like it looks good on me. I said if you look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good, so I’m just happy about it.”
(TE Jonnu Smith went to FIU, you went to “The U,” but you guys were together in Atlanta, how well did you know each other?) – “Very well, very well. When I came out here to go through the visit, me and him we sat down and we ate. We talked a lot about it, and he had some influence on me coming here, just talking through his experience, how much he liked it – along with some other guys too, but ‘Nu’ is my guy. I’ve got great respect for him. I love the way he plays the game; I think he’s going to help us win a lot of ball games.”
(During training camp did you guys look at each other or talk and say, “Can you believe we’re here?”) – “We talk a lot. I don’t know if it’s so much ‘Can you believe that we’re here,’ but it’s like ‘Let’s take advantage of this.’ You see what we’ve got here; this is special. This is unique. Let’s take advantage of it.”
(A couple guys on the defensive line, what do you see in their games in DT Da’Shawn Hand and DT Brandon Pili?) – “Let’s start with (Da’Shawn) Hand. Da’Shawn Hand is one of those guys that has unbelievable talent. He’s strong as can be. He plays with such good technique, and honestly, I think he could be a really good player in this league. He’s just had the misfortune of injuries and it sucks, but at the end of the day it doesn’t define his career. This is about how you go about your business, and all he has to do is go out there and ball. Last year, he made it through the year healthy. He felt pretty good about it. We talked and trained a little bit together this offseason, and I think he’s right where he’s supposed to be. He’s going to have a good year for us. (Brandon) Pili is another guy that’s a great athlete. Talented as can be, but he’s young. He’s young and he’s got a lot of growing up to do and a lot of maturing to do, and he’s going to get his opportunity. I think sometimes the best way to develop is to get thrown into the fire, and he’s going to be out there Week 1 helping us win ball games. With his talent and with his potential, I told him today, ‘You got to see yourself as a dawg, as a guy that can change games. Don’t just be happy that you’re on the roster; see yourself as a difference maker because that’s what you have inside of you.’”
(You’ve been through countless one of these, this sort of day after cut day where the locker room is more empty. Is it still tough?) – “Oh yeah. This is unique. Usually on cut day, we don’t have a day off. We usually work on cut day, so you get to kind of say goodbye, give guys some advice. But here, we had an off day, so I didn’t get a chance to speak to a lot of the guys that I wanted to, but it’s OK. Some of them I reached out to on the phone and had a couple conversations with, but it’s always tough. Guys dedicate themselves for six weeks going through camp and give all of themselves for a chance to be a part of this. For whatever reason, you can only get 53 guys and it’s hard, especially – take the d-line for instance. We had a lot of guys we feel like were capable of playing in the NFL, two guys signed on active rosters. When you think about it though, it’s like you’re competing against other guys in other positions – tight ends, linebackers, other positions. We have to get the best 53, and I really like our 53. Our 53 is pretty special. But it is definitely hard when you see guys give their all and do everything you asked of them, and they just couldn’t be a part of this team. They’re still a part of our journey, helping us get ready for the season, and where all those guys end up, you always wish them well.”
Chris Grier – August 28, 2024
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024
General Manager Chris Grier
(Nose tackle and guard. Did you make any attempt in recent days or are there any ongoing intents to add a quality starter at either spot? Do you trade, do you waiver wire? And if not, what gives you confidence in both of those positions?) – “It’s always interesting because Mike (McDaniel) and I were talking about this the other day with the offensive line how every year, you guys are like, ‘not good enough, not good enough’ but then, offensively we’re a pretty good offense the last two years, and a number of you guys have talked about how the guys have improved. Those guys on the offensive line have worked their tails off. We feel confident in them, the coaching staff believes in them and Butch (Barry) and Mike (McDaniel) and Frank (Smith) have done a great job and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) in helping those guys develop and work. I think the important thing is they all work together. It’s a really cohesive unit and just watching them work together is great every day. They hang out together so it’s a very close-knit unit. That said, we’ll add someone to the practice squad like we always do. Just for your information, we released Jack Driscoll recently because we claimed Grant DuBose, wide receiver. And so that was the roster move for him. Jack is a good kid, worked his tail off. Just unfortunately a numbers crunch for us. But we’re confident in the offensive line, so again, it’s just one of those that Mike and I always kind of chuckle. I know you guys made a joke about me saying you guys are more worried about it than we are, but internally that’s how we feel about our group here as a team. The defensive side, we’ve added a guy on the practice squad that we feel really good about. We think he’s got a lot of potential and upside, but we feel good about our group again. We think (Brandon) Pili has done a nice job, improving every day. (Da’Shawn) Hand has been really good for us. We’ve been really happy with him from last year coming in and continuing working, and then obviously with Zach (Sieler), and Calais (Campbell) has been an outstanding addition for us. We’ve been really, really happy with him so we feel good about the group, but obviously we’re always looking for depth. If we tell you this is just a snapshot in time for us and you guys have known since you’ve known me and been around me, we’ve always worked to working the roster and making additions. We’re not afraid to add something at some point if the opportunity arises.”
(What are traits that interested you guys in WR Grant DuBose?) – “He’s got size, he’s tough. Really good route runner. He’s got good hands and it was the physical and how physical he is in his play. Obviously, Mike (McDaniel) knows a lot of people up there in Green Bay with the relationship as well as I do, and they’re all very high on him and said it was a very hard decision for them to move on from him. So it was an opportunity we were excited for and just working for where we are right now.”
(As you reflect on your journey from an intern to a GM, what has been some of the most challenging aspects of that transition and has your perspective at all changed on team building?) – “Obviously when I started – just dating myself, it was mid 90s (laughter) – coming in with Coach Parcells. Different time, different era of how you did it. It was, at that time, a lot of manual work in terms of like nowadays you can go on PFF, click on a guy and watch him in 15 minutes, where back then, you had to go pull the tape out, fast forward all the way through and go through and search. So the evolution to where it’s got to is cool, and I think even for player safety to where it’s gotten to now for the players. But it was a different era. Back then, coaches were I would say a lot sterner and the rules and how the players were in – we had three-a-days when I was back in New England with (Bill) Parcells. You’d go 7 a.m., then we’d have three o’clock and then we’d have another one, walkthrough at seven o’clock at night. Then we had staff meetings at 10:30, 11 o’clock at night so we were always going from seven in the morning until midnight, one o’clock. It’s like anything; change is good, but it’s been a fun road. I’ve enjoyed it and I wouldn’t change anything about it.”
(Are you planning on having OL Isaiah Wynn play for you guys at some point this year?) – “Yeah, we’ll see. Like I said, he’s worked his tail off. He’s done a great job of rehabbing. He’s here every day working so yeah, that’s the plan, but we’ll see.”
(There’s a report that when WR Odell Beckham Jr. came here, signed and you guys knew or suspected he might not be able to start the year because of a procedure. Is that right?) – “Yes.”
(Can you say what the injury is?) – “I appreciate the question, but I don’t like to talk about people’s medical history.”
(Do you think he’ll be ready? I mean when you signed him where did you expect him to be ready?) – “Yeah, we were very hopeful that it would be around Week 1 here, and to be honest with you guys, we put him down. He did not want to go down. He feels – and he is very close. You guys have seen glimpses of him running around outside doing stuff. He’s very close, but for us it was the long play. We didn’t want him to rush back feeling that he had to rush back and then something happen and sets us back. So this was more Mike (McDaniel) and I sitting down, talking with Kyle (Johnston), the trainers and then we just felt what’s best for him long haul to help us here win games is to put him down for a little bit right now.”
(Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross said on the local broadcast during the preseason that if healthy, he views this as a Super Bowl contender. How does this roster align with Super Bowl contention?) – “Each year we’re always judged by wins and losses at the end of the day. So you last year people were saying our roster was one of the best in football and we had injuries and fell short in Kansas City in the Wild Card. So I think each year is a different year. I think we feel very good about our roster, where we are, and again, this is just a moment in time. Like if guys remember in March, everyone was worried about salary cap, ‘we can’t do anything.’ So it’s always little pockets of time when you do your roster and stuff, but we feel good about it like everyone. Health and luck all contribute to it and team chemistry, and it’s a very close-knit team already. It’s been exciting to watch these guys all together. So yeah, we feel if we’re healthy and ready to go, that we have a chance to compete, which is what we always want – that chance.”
(How do you define a successful season for this year? Does it require you to end the 24-year drought?) – “Yeah, I don’t think we shy away from it. Mike (McDaniel) has talked about it, yeah. For us, it’s always – again, every team wants to win the Super Bowl and we’re no different. And at the end of the day, one team wins, and to me, if you don’t win it, every team is not a successful season. So that’s the way I’ve always looked at it.”
(We haven’t spoken to since the QB Tua Tagovailoa contract. How relieved were you to get that done and take us through your perspective of those negotiations?) – “I think my wife was glad it was done, just because all the phone calls and back and forth, but Tua (Tagovailoa) and his representation were great, Ryan Williams. These things take time. Look at all the deals trying to get done around league that are happening slowly, but for us, it was just working through to find a place where both sides felt really good and so that it doesn’t affect us where we can’t keep building and adding players and doing what we need to do in the future. So we’re very excited to get it done. It was a long process but well worth it, and we’re excited for Tua.”
(You previously mentioned DT Calais Campbell earlier. He’s a happy guy. He’s always motivated. Do you get a sense that in the latter stages of his career, not only does he have a lot left but he wants to prove it here?) – “Yes, most definitely. The guys love him. As you know him, he’s always around like, (pounds a fist on his chest), so everyone walks around and goes, ‘Hmm.’ (pounds a fist on his chest) (laughter) So he’s a really good dude. Just watching how he prepares and keeps himself in shape for his age and what he does, so all the guys are taking note. He’s a mentor to people, but even watching him like in the joint practices, I think you guys saw some of the stuff. He can still play and it’s amazing what he does and just how physical and strong and tough he is. So adding him to us I think will pay big dividends and I think it’s a great – he is a great measure for all our players to learn for being able to sustain a high level of play for a long time and take care of everybody and being a true pro.”
(Have you had any conversations with Mulugheta about S Jevón Holland’s contract and if so or if not, either way, is it priority by the end of the year to get something done with him?) – “Like everything, unless a player’s representation tells me to speak publicly, OK, I will. So I will keep any conversations we’ve had private, but with like with Jevón and any other player, there’s always a lot of stuff behind the scenes that we’re working through. He’s an important player for us, so we’ll just leave it at that for right now.”
(At the moment, two of the top backup cornerbacks are undrafted rookies. Actually I don’t know if CB Ethan Bonner counts as a rookie – Bonner from Stanford, CB Storm Duck from Louisville. How ready do you feel these guys are to contribute if needed?) – “Very confident. Ethan (Bonner) played a little bit for us last year and the thing we love about him is he is a smart player, he’s very competitive. We’ve had a number of teams try to trade for him in the offseason, even last year, and so very excited for his opportunity and he’s taken advantage of whatever time he’s had. Storm (Duck) has come in and just worked right from the beginning, so he’s been a pleasant surprise. We thought he had a lot of ability but you never know till you get here, and he’s worked his tail off and he’s earned it. So I’m very excited for him and his future because he’s got a great work ethic. So I think the one thing that (Cornerbacks Coach Mathieu) Araujo has done a great job developing and working with those guys and they have a great belief in him and the system from Coach (Anthony) Weaver so if they have to play, no one will bat an eye. We’ll just ‘back to work.’”
(What about the other undrafted rookie to make this active roster – OL Andrew Meyer – what did you like about him?) – “I’ll tell you; he looks like a truck driver. So you’re sitting there the first time and I’m like ‘Uh…’ (laughter) But I’ll tell you what – he’s got personality, he’s tough, he’s smart. He loves ball, he’s a grinder. And every day he just got better and better and it got to a point where it’s hard that you even see in talking with the coaches and (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry) and Mike (McDaniel) that we see that there’s a lot of potential in his future so he still has a lot of work to do to improve, but this was a player we just felt like we didn’t want to lose because he’s got something we’d like to see what it looks like at the end.”
(As you self-scouted yourself this offseason, what did you do and what were the ideas to improve against playoff teams? You were 1-6 against playoff teams last year. What do you say, “We got to do this and this is where we improved?” How do you get better at that against those teams?) – “It’s always something we go through and try and figure out the whys after the season when you do it. For us, working through some of the stuff offensively, there were some of those games just off the top of my head, Philly where we had a dropped touchdown pass at one point. A borderline pass interference call on one, so we’re like – that one and then the Kansas City game in Germany. We had a couple of miscues at the end where we didn’t function the way we should. So at the end of the day, looking through it, it’s just talking, looking through situations, really spending time on talking to our players, going through situational football basically. That’s just my opinion. But also, I think we have the players to win, and I’m very confident in them. For us, it’s just finding that way to get over the hump like you said. We feel confident in what we are doing, and (head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) and the staff have done a great job and the scouts in working through it. So I’m very excited to see what happens this year.”
(Is there a feeling that injuries have been the biggest obstacles the previous two years? As opposed to not being good against the better teams or gameplan, strategy, philosophy? Is it mostly injuries do you think?) – “Injuries happen; I don’t want to use that as just the excuse. That would be trying to take the easy way out to just use that. Again, there’s 11 players on the field at a time. It could be one person messing up to cause it and the other 10 are doing their assignment right. It’s just again, executing – find a way to execute in moments with everyone on the field at the same time. So (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) and the staff have been working very hard on that, and that’s been a focus of ours. Because if we play well consistently and not just halves and stuff, we feel that we can compete with any team in the league.”
(You had six draft picks make the 53-man roster, and make it seven if WR Tahj Washington hadn’t gotten hurt. How would you evaluate that group so far? LB Chop Robinson in particular, seems like he may have to play a role. How much confidence do you have in him early on?) – “The group has done a great job coming in. It’s a very mature group. They’re all very – as you guys have talked to some of them, they’re all very focused on ball and really love football. We’re very happy with all of them. Chop (Robinson) has come in from Day 1 and just has been a sponge. It’s cool. He talks to (Terron) Armstead about different rushes against different people, and then (Bradley) Chubb spends time with him. It’s just cool. They’re all just like, ‘The kid wants to learn and his work ethic.’ He’s got the talent and everything. He’s a tough kid, he loves ball. Watching all of those guys from – Patrick Paul has done a great job for us. He’s played a ton of snaps in the preseason learning a whole new technique of how to block, so I’m very happy with him. (Jaylen) Wright has done a good job running the ball for us, and Mohamed (Kamara) and (Patrick) McMorris, all of those guys. We are very happy with the group because at the end of the day, they all love football and it’s important to them. They have talent, so we’ll see how this plays out, but very excited for them.”
(You mentioned the feedback from the Packers with WR Grant DuBose. Is that a common practice in terms of waiver wire claims is getting that feedback from teams?) – “Yeah, I mean you’re always reaching out to different people you know because you want to make sure that – they don’t have to tell you what kind of player you’re getting, it’s just the person really. Because when you’re adding someone into a building, you just want to be careful who you’re adding into it. Yes, you always talk to people, because obviously if they let him go, you try and find out why here and there. But you watch the film at the end of the day, that makes the ultimate decision when you’re putting a claim on someone.”
(Do you have a practice squad quarterback lined up?) – “Yes, we do. Tim Boyle.”
(What did the staff like about him?) – “(Head Coach) Mike McDaniel liked him. Mike and ‘Bev’ (Quarterbacks/Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell) spent a lot of time here the last couple of days watching a lot of the quarterbacks, and he caught their eye. Obviously, he was in Houston, little similar scheme, and obviously with the Jets, we saw him before. He’s got some background in our offense, but just watching him, Mike and ‘Bev’ felt really good about adding him to the practice squad for his skill set and what he can do. A veteran guy that’s been around and has a good reputation, good locker room guy, smart, so we’re excited to add him.”
(Any concerns over state secrets that QB Mike White can give Buffalo?) – “(laughter) I used to be that way, but so many players go back and forth between – I’m sure Buffalo is not losing too much sleep about (Jordan) Poyer being here. It’s just one of those, it happens. The ones that I always laugh at are Week 1 – when Week 1 teams play each other and then they start claiming guys from each other’s team, I think that’s funny.”
(I’ve seen tweets where agents are telling reporters that they’re adding players to the practice squad with a promise to elevate them for Week 1. Is this kind of a new thing you’re hearing this year?) – “To me, I think it’s hard to promise someone to come up, especially if you’ve never worked with a person and seen them. So I would never want to put our players that may have earned a spot to play just to satisfy and trick someone – I’m not saying that team or person is doing it, but that’s just not something that I would believe in doing. But yeah, that’s – you do hear it every once in a while, but that’s just not the practice that we believe in.”
(A question about your interior offensive line theory, philosophy. I think OL Robert Jones and OL Lester Cotton are the only true guards, that your centers have been converted guards with Connor Williams and OL Aaron Brewer, your guards are converted tackles with Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg. What is the thinking there that you’d rather focus on the tackles? I know that OL Aaron Brewer is a quality player and he’s out with an injury, but there haven’t been any high-profile free agent signings or trades or draft picks the last couple of years. What is the thinking on the interior offensive line?) – “Patrick (Paul) was a guy, so for that, tackles are always of value, but the guys that have the ability like Robert (Jones) and Liam (Eichenberg) to go inside and play, position flexibility always for your roster and spots. With those guys, you look for guys that are tough and competitive. They have to be smart, obviously, but in this scheme as you guys have seen, athletes are kind of the priority. You want guys who are athletic, who have twitch and can come off the ball. I think the way (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry) teaches and I think what all our players appreciate and all the players that have been here and left that you guys have talked to, is to allow the teaching style of how Butch and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) work with them. Just philosophy wise, guard – tackles that can play guard as well are always of value, but then centers are very important. Like with (Andrew) Meyer, those guys – you like a guy that’s not a one-hole player, but at the end of the day, the ability to communicate, see what’s going on, get everyone calmed down, lined up and the quarterback trusts is a huge thing.”
(How did you balance LB Jaelan Phillips’ desire to play full versus keeping him long term?) – “We’ll be very smart with Jaelan (Phillips), just because he’s even back earlier than some people thought in just my opinion. I think with him – yeah, you’ve got to put a governor on him because he wants to go 100 miles an hour, and it’s like, ‘Dude, you just came back from a serious injury faster because you’re a freak healer, but let’s be smart about this.’ I just think Kyle (Johnston) and his staff do a great job of getting our guys prepared and healthy, so we’ll take the approach – because it is about long term; it’s not just about right now.”
(You mentioned a young defensive tackle that you’re encouraged about on the practice squad. Could you share his name? The promising defensive tackle you said you were signing?) – “Yeah, Naquan Jones, came over from Arizona. A big, big body nose tackle. As you’ve kind of seen (Defensive Coordinator Anthony) Weaver’s defense, it’s a little different type of d-tackles now that we’re looking for, but very excited. Coach is – Coach Weaver, (Defensive Line Coach) Austin Clark, everyone is very excited. Our video guys that had to stay here at night and get the video going for him were very excited to do that at 10 o’clock last night. (laughter)”
Zach Sieler – August 26, 2024
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Monday, August 26, 2024
DT Zach Sieler
(I don’t think you took a day off during training camp, am I missing something?) – “Not to my knowledge, no. That’s – the one thing my mom and dad always raised me to (do), work as hard as you can. There’s guys that need those days, and I’m blessed enough I haven’t needed that yet in my career. So the point where I’m at, I wanted to make sure that I was out there taking the reps, taking charge, making sure I’m always right up front, working with those guys and building that camaraderie in the d-line room. It’s been great, it’s been a blessing this camp to be able to get through healthy. I’ll be excited to see what the season has in store.”
(What have you learned about this defense in the last month?) – “It’s exciting. I love the multiplicity of it. I love how we can work off of each other very well. It’s awesome seeing guys fly around, working together, seeing how we’re just intertwined as a front seven and backend and making sure we’re combining the rush and coverage of the defense.”
(Have you talked to some of the younger players that could be cut today? You were once that guy on the backend of a roster and the team tried to sneak you on the practice squad, and you got poached. What do you say to a guy today?) – “It’s obviously a tough day. The worst time of year in football; everyone knows it. Wednesday is one of the hardest days because you see the defense in the team. You know who’s here and who’s not here. You congratulate the ones who are here, and I always try to make sure I reach out and give support to those who aren’t here. I tell them that there is a plan. You can put your head down and keep working and work through it. There’s a lot of guys on this team that have gone through that and they have made it in the NFL – Raheem Mostert, Jordan Poyer, myself. There’s guys that get cut left and right, and it take three, four, five, six times before you find a home and find where you fit in a defense or with a coach that you figure it out with him. I just tell the guys to keep their head up and just keep working. There is nothing to mope about. The fact of the matter is you got to the NFL – period. You were in a whole camp, you were in an NFL jersey, you did preseason games, that alone is hard enough. I think the stat is like .02% of all high school football players make it to the NFL or even get a shot at the NFL. So that in itself is a huge accomplishment, and that’s why you make sure those guys know that.”
(What was your breakthrough?) – “I think the biggest thing for me was after getting cut the second time up in Baltimore and coming down here was just put it all on the line. Coming down here, there was three weeks left in the season. I didn’t know the defense; I didn’t know what was going on. I just said, ‘You know what? Let’s just go out there and play. Don’t overthink, just go play ball.’ In those few games, I was able to play and make enough plays that they wanted to keep me for another year. Then that offseason they brought down (Defensive Line Coach) Austin Clark, and I was able to work with him and Marion Hobby, the two d-line coaches here, to help get my technique right and learn how to mesh in this defense that we had prior. Just slowly learned from there and I think it (helped) me grow as a player on the field, my technique and my knowledge to be able to work off any defense. Obviously, we’ve got a couple in here, and I’m really excited for this season.”
(Now that you’ve been through a whole training camp with Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s system, what’s one thing you’ve learned that really excites you?) – “What’s really exciting about it is how we can be multiple in all of our different packages and options, and how we can change what we are doing to affect offenses and set the tempo how we want to set it and make them adjust to us.”
(What’s it been like to have DT Calais Campbell around for a camp now?) – “It’s awesome. To have that kind of experience, it’s such a blessing to be able to bounce off of him. ‘Hey, what are you seeing? How’d you play this? What are you doing here?’ I don’t think there is anyone on the defensive side of the football in the NFL period that has seen more defense than he has. I think it’s an accomplishment to him and a testament to his training and keeping his body right to have played this long, as well as it’s just his straight up grit. It’s awesome. It’s been awesome to play off of him and help me learn as a play on and off the field. He’s taught me a lot. We sit down and talk a lot about leadership and how to affect the young guys off the field. He knows where he’s at, and he knows where I’m at. He’s like, ‘Look, it’s your time to work.’ I’m trying to make sure I do that and make sure to be more vocal and help the guys make the adjustments and learn on the field, whether it’s here or not here. These next 24 to 48 hours, a lot can happen and a lot of things can shake up. It’s exciting to work with him.”
(I’m doing something on your depth. It’s obviously been a key for you guys the last couple of years, helping you get to the playoffs. You know all the injuries you guys have had. As a reserve, tell me about the mindset that you have to have because you usually come in in a stressful situation, the starter is out. Maybe other guys are in the huddle are like, “Can he do it?? What’s that mentality like?) – “I think the biggest part of that is – and it’s tough – stressing those game-like scenarios at practice. It’s putting yourself in the hardest situations, hardest looks during practice so the game is easy. Then making sure not to slouch in your technique or whatever, because it is very easy for a guy that’s a reserve or whatever to just kind of go through the motions. Give looks to the offense and do your job, ‘OK, good job,’ and then move on to the next week. I think the biggest part is staying ready and studying the tape. It’s tough to sit there and watch the tape and study the guys knowing, ‘Hey look, I might only get five or six plays, or no plays,’ but making sure you’re ready. That first year I came down here after those three games. That first game I was like, ‘Hey you’ll probably going to be down this week. You’re not going to be dressed.’ Saturday morning, it’s like, ‘Hey look. Someone went down, you’re going to be up. Here you go.’ I got five plays. It was goal line situations. It’s make or break it; it’s a seven-point play right there. It’s being ready in those situations, and then from there it’s like five, ten, fifteen plays each week kind of built up. That’s the biggest thing I tell guys, is to be ready and stay ready no matter what.”
(With LB Bradley Chubb and LB Cameron Goode starting the season on PUP, Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us today, young guys like LB Chop Robinson and LB Mohamed Kamara, what opportunity does this present them?) – “It’s great. Those guys, it’s been awesome to work with them all camp. Usually rookies coming in, they kind of rotate here and there, but those guys have been in every play. So it’s been awesome to work with them and play off of them and learn how to take their game to the next level. It will be really exciting to work with them this season and these weeks coming up while (Bradley) Chubb is down to get them right, to stay right and to get ready to play in those big games.”
(We’ve asked you a couple of times this offseason about those guys filling in for DT Christian Wilkins. I’m curious have you found the energy that Christian brought?) – “Obviously Christian is a huge energy on a field and in everything he does. We’ve talked about it as a d-line; Look, people are gone, new people are here, some people are still here from last year. I think as a unit, the goal was we need to step up and bring that energy as a unit. Not one guy to bring the energy, but all of us bring it every day, and I think we did a great job of doing that this camp.”
(What growth have you seen from DT Da’Shawn Hand?) – “It’s been awesome. He’s just worked on his craft, worked on his technique all offseason, all last year and then all camp. Man, he’s been super impressive. I don’t know if there’s a stronger guy out there. Seeing some of the plays he makes, that man is – he’s a load. He’s done a great job at learning how to work off each other, play off each other and kind of play freely, as in making the defense work for you and learning how to make those plays that would to come to you and not to stress – not that he was doing this, but not stress plays that weren’t coming your way. That’s an issue sometimes with guys is trying to work or force a play when there doesn’t need to be. The calls will dictate what time is your time and what time is not. It’s been great to see guys grow and especially Da’Shawn (Hand) growing his game.”
(How much have you taken it upon yourself to be an energy guy like Christian Wilkins was previously?) – “Obviously I was always a quieter, put my head down guy, but as the years have gone on, I’ve tried to be more vocal. When you’ve got a guy like Christian (Wilkins), you don’t really need to be. (laughter) But learning from that and learning from other guys and talking with Calais (Campbell) and just, like I said, the whole room trying to be more vocal and outspoken so we can be more dominant unit upfront.”
(With DT Benito Jones being sort of sidelined by injury, are you able or capable of filling that nose position? I’ve seen DT Calais Campbell in there for a little bit and I’m like, he’s kind of big for a nose.) – “Double question – I definitely think Calais can play nose. He’s got all the size for it, all the strength for it. I’ve played down there. Truthfully, a guy like (Brandon) Pili who has worked his way through the ranks the last two years, he’s done an amazing job this camp growing his game and bringing it to the next level. So has Da’Shawn Hand – like I said, he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve seen. Both of those guys I think can do a great job filling in for Benito (Jones) while he’s down, taking those reps and working off of each other. It’s part of this defense, too, is just being able to be multiple where anyone can play anywhere. I played a ton of nose last year as well. So I think we’ve got depth there to make that work. Obviously, Benito is a great player and it’s hard to fill those shoes, but we can make it work.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa made some headlines last week when he made comments about his relationship with Brian Flores. Was that a topic in the locker room? Did anybody say anything, “I’m glad you spoke up,” or anything like that?) – “I haven’t heard it. I think everyone has their own feelings, and that was his feelings. Everyone is completely right in whatever feelings they have. That’s your feelings, you own your feelings and that’s how you are. I didn’t read the article; you see headlines, I don’t know exactly what was said. I think everyone has moved on; everyone is on their own way. Hopefully everyone can become a better person from good or bad experiences in their life, and I think that’s the way to take any experience you have.”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 26, 2024
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Monday, August 26, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(QB Skylar Thompson is being retained and QB Mike White is being let go. Can you talk about both ends of that; Skylar winning the job and Mike being let go?) – “I have tremendous respect for both of those guys, for Mike White and for Skylar (Thompson). I just look at the growth of Skylar – it’s hard for everyone to look at the backup quarterbacks and the competition that they’re going through when I’m getting the most reps out there. I’m in the room those guys; we go over the film and to see his growth from his rookie year to this point has been something really, really cool, I think. Just learning this offense, keeping his head down – ‘Skylar you’re going with the twos. Hey Skylar, you’re going with the threes. Hey Skylar, you’re not getting reps today,’ and just seeing his mindset that he’s had throughout the years and also throughout the practices, I really commend him for sticking it through and being able to do what he has done. In those situations, it’s tough because someone has to win; someone has to lose. Me and Skylar texted Mike – I think Skylar talked to Mike on the phone, but just the relationship that we’ve had in that room had been something really, really cool. But at the end of the day, that’s part of the business. That’s part of the job, and Mike knows where I stand with him. I appreciate the things that he’s done to help us last year and then also this year as well.”
(With those quarterbacks, what do they do to help you particularly? I know I’ve heard other rooms, guys would ask guys to, ‘Hey, cut up these third downs.’) – “Yeah, and that’s exactly it. That’s exactly it. If it’s not the third downs, then it’s ‘Hey, your job is just to watch two-minute, and then on Friday you share with me two-minute plus-50, two-minute minus-50. OK, what happens when it’s a stopped clock? Do they pressure? Do they not? Or is that only on the opposing side once we cross the 50?’ So all of those, we got that, and then we’ve also got a lot of other things, too, because of motions and what not. So looking at the wristband, sometimes the play calls get super long, so another guy’s job is for all of those long ones, see what you can shorten up and we’ll talk about it. We’ll see, ‘No, that doesn’t make sense to me, because this or that.’ So then we’ll find another way to do it, and that’s sort of the ways that they can help me prepare for a game week.”
(So when do you assign those jobs?) – “That’ll be coming up soon. That’ll be coming up soon. We’ll see who we end up grabbing if we don’t get Mike (White) back when cuts are done and whatnot leading into next week.”
(How happy are you that the preseason is over?) – “It’s a bittersweet deal just because the relationships you build with some of the rookies and then a lot of the guys who have been vets but who have been going from team to team. It’s bittersweet just because of the relationships you have with those guys, but they also understand it’s a business. They understand how this thing works, and we wish them the best. It’s the whole reason as to why we have preseason, so guys can put their film on tape and hopefully another team can pick them up and they can go ball for that team.”
(You obviously had limited work in the preseason. I was curious with that second game, the first play Head Coach Mike McDaniel called was the same one you through an interception on. Was that your idea to call that play? And is that something that sticks with you?) – “Not my idea. That was not my idea, that was Mike’s (McDaniel) idea, but I kind of had an understanding that that’s the reason as to why he called it again. So I brought it up, and he had mentioned I was on to him. (laughter) It’s just with Mike, I guess it’s all something you can learn from. Whether it’s two years ago, three years ago, yesterday, and that’s what kind of came to mind. So I asked him and he told me I was on to him.”
(I don’t think anyone thought we’d be relitigating 2021 and 2022 this summer; have you heard from Brian Flores in the last week?) – “I haven’t heard from him.”
(Did you see his comments publicly?) – “I haven’t seen his comments publicly.”
(Is there anything more you’d like to add in the conversation to that?) – “There’s nothing more I’d like to add to that.”
(You mentioned in your comments to Dan Le Batard how he was highly critical of you through that process, and yet I think there was somewhat of a surprise that he made the change when he did. Why do you think that change, to bench QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and insert you, happened if he was so down on you?) – “That’s a great question. I’m not going to answer that, truthfully, right now. But I think I know why, but I won’t speculate or give anyone any speculations on that. Whatever you want to create to think, think that, but other than that, I think that’ll just stay here with the organization.”
(Do you think it’s more important for quarterback to have support of his head coach than maybe possibly any other position?) – “Yeah, 100 percent. This is a quarterback driven league; I 100 percent think that. Without a good team, without a good quarterback, I don’t think you can do much in this league. Sure, you can have a good defense, but there’s really good offenses in this league. You got to put up points and you got to find ways to do that. So I definitely believe that, for sure.”
(How does this week change for you from the perspective of going from training camp to getting ready for an opponent?) – “I don’t think it changes in any way. We’re continuing to go against the ones, and then when it’s time to work on our craft, we’ll go against the twos and really hone in on our communication, hone in on the details of what we need to do to accomplish what we want to accomplish. And when it is time for next week, then we’ll start to prepare.”
(I’m doing something on your depth, which I think has been very instrumental in you guys making the playoffs. Who’s been injured more than Miami? What can you say about the role that the depth has played on this team in the last couple of years?) – “Well, it’s been really cool because no matter who we’ve put in there, we were able to find ways to make it work at whatever position it was – center, guard, tackle, running back, receivers. We were able to find ways to maneuver through those, and I think Mike (McDaniel), Frank (Smith), I think those guys did a really good job with the personnel groupings as well for guys that are injured. OK, we’re going to probably go 21 (personnel) a little more than we would 12 (personnel) if our tight ends are down. Or we can’t go 11 (personnel) because of our receivers. All right, we’ll go 12 (personnel) more than anything else.’ So I think they do a really good job in grouping it with personnels and whatnot and how we want to maneuver the game that way.”
(Speaking of receivers, I’ve been here 16 years; I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a receiver unit so decimated by injuries as this year. How concerning is that for you? And WR Odell Beckham Jr., Head Coach Mike McDaniel said there’s a possibility he might not begin the year on the PUP and might be getting on the active roster. How important is you and Odell developing chemistry?) – “That’s very important. For me, it’s very important. Off the field, I’ve been able to hang out with him a good amount of times – cool dude, 100 percent. But does our relationship translate on the field? I couldn’t tell you, because I haven’t gotten reps with him and that’s just the honest truth. Now if ‘O’ (Odell Beckham Jr.) isn’t on the PUP list, he clears everything and we’re able to get out there, that’s one of the first thing I want to do – routes on air, want to make sure I get as many reps with him. ‘OK, he’s going to go in for this rep.’ Let’s make sure that this guy is going to get the ball, make sure the coverage isn’t whatever. I want to make sure that the timing is good, just want to make sure that that’s all good and whatnot. Speaking to your question prior to that, that’s just part of the game. Guys get injured and whatnot, and whoever we’re dealt with to go and play with out there, that’s who we’re dealt with to play with. I’ve had as good of receivers and as fun of receivers to have with Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle, and I’ve also had guys who didn’t have speed like that, playing my first two years in the league. So we’ve got to go out there and we just got to find a way to make that work.”
(The roster is about to be set for this year obviously. What do you see from training camp and the roster that says, “OK, we’re ready to take the next step with this team?”) – “I’m going to go back to say, this is tough. It’s a tough day. It’s a tough week. The next two days are going to be tough for a lot of guys. Some guys’ lives are going to change for the better, and some guys not so good. But I can tell you one thing, I’m really excited for the next couple days after that to see the kind of team and the kind of guys that we’re going to be playing with in this 2024 season.”
(What has impressed you about RB Jaylen Wright and what are your expectations for him during his rookie season?) – “He fits right into that running back room. Fast. (laughter) He’s fast. He’s a rookie and might be seeing some (De’Von) Achane-kind of deals going on for him coming up this first week. So we’ll see. He’s learning, learning from a really good group of backs and I think he’ll do good for us.”
(In training camp it doesn’t seem – the starters don’t get a whole lot of work. You get your work in joint practices. The first few weeks of the season, how much of a feeling out process is that? This works. This doesn’t work. Tell me about that.) – “That’s exactly what it is. Everything is off of feel. If I like a play but the receiver kind of feels like he runs this better, we’ve got to adjust, because regardless of the coverage, regardless of any of that, if we feel like we can make it work, we’re going to find a way to make it work. And so I think that’s exactly what it is. If we feel like we can make this work regardless, it’s going to happen regardless of what the coverage says and what they put on they put on paper, we’re going to find a way to make it work.”
(What’s your confidence level in the offensive line in front of you? Specifically the interior of the line blocking for you?) – “Well, brother, I get the ball out fast, so I am confident with anybody we’ve got up there. (laughter) I’ll tell you that. I’m confident with anybody we get out there.”
(I keep hearing from players about how this offense is pushing the limits of what it can do especially now in Year 3. As the quarterback of that offense, what does that look like from your perspective?) – “Well I wouldn’t say we’re trying to reinvent football, but we’re just trying to turn the wheels a little different, if you will, with a lot of the things that we’ve tried to add on with motions and whatnot and different schemes – schematically in the run game and then what we can do off of those runs with pass or play-action. So really, we’re just finetuning all those and trying to find ways to make that work for this new year in 2024.”
(Even dating back to high school, is this the first time you’ve ever been in the same system three years in a row?) – “Yeah. Three years in a row? Yeah, I think so.”
(I was about to say, just kind of rare air for you then?) – “Yeah. (laughter) Yeah, it is really rare for sure.”
(We’ve seen improvements from a lot of guys on offense – TE Julian Hill, WR River Cracraft before he got hurt. Who comes to your mind first if I ask you most improved players offensively on this team?) – “Most improved players offensively? I would say from my first year with Mike (McDaniel), I would say River (Cracraft). Just the amount of things he’s had to go through throughout his football career and him scoring that touchdown two weeks ago or last week, that was – I don’t know. It’s almost bittersweet, but it’s almost like he can’t catch a break. Every time it starts to get really good for my man, it just gets tough. I would say he’s probably been the most improved in my opinion in camp this year until he got hurt.”
(How about defense?) – “Defense? Most improved? I’m going to say Chop (Robinson). I think Chop has grown a lot from the first time he’s gotten here. Earlier throughout OTAs – although I was only here for a certain amount of time in OTAs, but I think he’s done really good, and he’s earned a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room from a lot of veterans. So I’ll be curious to see what he does to help us to win some games this year.”
