Brian Flores – March 11, 2021
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Thursday, March 11, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening statement) – “It’s good to see everyone. I hope you and your families are doing well, safe, healthy. Just kind of want to start with a little kind of, let’s call it ‘state of the union’ since we didn’t speak at the Combine this year. A couple quick updates the last couple months – the last time we talked, I want to say at the Senior Bowl and really at the end of the season, I talked about us kind of doing a full evaluation of our team and really, the entire operation – the 2020 season. We did a deep dive on a self-scout from that perspective really across the board – offense, defense, special teams, our operation, scouting. Any and everything that we felt like we could improve on, we kind of talked about. Our goal is to improve at every position – coaches, players, strength and conditioning, nutrition, training. So that’s kind of been what we’ve done the last couple months. (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and our scouting staff – they’ve been great. They’ve been phenomenal. We just actually just got done with our draft meetings last week. With no Combine and quite a few limitations this year due to COVID-19 and the pandemic, really they’ve kind of handled that without any complaint. No issues. They did a really nice job as far as getting background and we had some really good dialogue and a lot of great meetings over the last couple weeks. And that is specific to the draft, but also free agency. Our pro (personnel) department also did a nice job there, so it’s been a busy time, I would say, and we’re going to try to always do everything – any and everything possible to improve our team and have success in the fall. I wanted to give you guys a couple updates just related to our coaching staff. First, we’re going to name Danny Crossman the assistant head coach and special teams (coordinator). Danny – as you guys know – has been instrumental in the development of this team, our coaching staff and I’m just grateful to have someone of his skillset to bounce ideas off of. He’s just been an invaluable asset. We named George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville) co-coordinators on offense. They’ve both done an outstanding job at their respective positions. Have a lot of respect for both guys – very knowledgeable, very good teachers and I think they both bring a different – they both have different perspectives and we’ve had a lot of great dialogue, really I would say, these last couple months with those two as well as our entire offensive staff. Other offensive coaching staff changes – and you guys will get a press release on this later on today. Mike Judge is going to go from quality control to assistant tight ends and Shawn Flaherty who was also a quality control coach will go to assistant o-line. Defensively, a couple changes there. Charles Burks – he’ll be the cornerbacks coach. Obviously he worked with the corners for the last couple years. He’s done a nice job, so he’s officially the cornerbacks coach. Austin Clark is going to coach defensive line and Robbie Leonard is going to move to outside linebackers. Lastly, I know there’s probably going to be some free agency and trade questions today. I’m happy to take those, but I think you’ve got to understand that per league rules, I can only comment on players who are currently on our team until the new league year begins. With that in mind, fire away.”
(I wanted to get some clarity on the Isaiah Wilson move. I know he’s not – well, you can’t talk about him because he’s not on your team, correct? Yes? No?) – “Can’t talk about him. Correct.”
(Then I’ll shift my question. In terms of play calling on game day with coordinators, how will that be handled? Will one be in the booth? One upstairs? Will it be collaborative effort from the co-coordinators?) – “Definitely collaborative. That’s something we’ve talked about and those are kind of ongoing discussions, so we have, I wouldn’t say, ‘cemented’ a way of how we’re going to do it, but I think – and I’ve always thought this just from a play-calling standpoint – a lot of that, the legwork, is done during the week. I know George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville), George has called plays in the past. Eric was – with COVID, we had the situation where we had to have a backup at every position, so Eric was preparing to call the game if something happened to Chan (Gailey) the entire year. I think both guys are equipped to do it and we have not cemented a ‘hey, we’re going to do it like this,’ but I think we’ll figure out a way that’s collaborative, but at the end of the day puts our team in the best position to have success offensively.”
(I wanted to ask you a little bit about the quarterback situation. Where do things stand regarding QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and if he’s not going to be your backup, what sort of backup are you looking for whether it be a veteran, a young guy, a mentor to QB Tua Tagovailoa and so forth? What are you looking for?) – “Specific to ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), obviously we have a lot of respect and admiration for him. He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s competitive. He loves to play. He really embodies all the characteristics we’re looking for here. Honestly, we’d love to have him back; but I think this is a very unique year from a cap standpoint. Obviously we just had the cap number set yesterday, so those conversations are fluid; but yeah, we’re looking for somebody with those characteristics in the backup quarterback position. Someone who is smart, someone who we feel like – hopefully this doesn’t happen, but if he had to go in, we could still win a ball game. There’s a few guys out there that we’ve taken a look at them all and we’re still kind of putting that plan in place honestly, with just kind of setting the number yesterday. Those meetings are kind of ongoing and couple that with a number of releases that are happening really on a day-to-day basis, we’re almost re-ranking on a daily basis. I wish I had more for you there, but those characteristics are what we’re looking for – tough, smart, competitive, obviously accurate and all the things from a talent standpoint that you need at the quarterback position (such as) decision-making and command of the offense. Hopefully we’ll get that sorted out in some form or fashion, but yeah, that’s what we’re looking for.”
(You’ve talked to us a couple months ago when the season ended about the quarterback situation and QB Tua Tagovailoa. There has been a lot of speculation since then about whether it be QB Deshaun Watson, whether it be the draft and all things regarding that. Has the time since the season strengthened, changed or impacted your view at all about Tua being your guy heading into this season?) – “I’m excited about Tua and this upcoming season. I think that when you think about his situation last year coming off the hip (injury), we kind of through him in the fire there in Week 7 or Week 8 – I’m not sure exactly what week it was. He started nine games. I thought he made a lot of improvement throughout the course of the season. He had some ups, had some downs, like all of the rookies and like any rookie. I’m really excited about this – that Year 1 to Year 2 jump and being more comfortable, even down here in South Florida. He’s got a place. That rookie year, you’ve got a lot going on. You’ve got to get a house, you’ve got to get a car, you’ve got to move to a whole new city. There are so many things that are going on. I thought he handled it well last year, but I’m really excited about this upcoming year. Especially, again he had no OTAs, a different training camp. You guys know me – I’m all about the development of players and helping them develop and helping them get better. I think this time, or an offseason, is really going to be helpful to him and really all of the rookies. I’m really excited about working with him this offseason.”
(When you see this endless speculation, not just here but around the country, about the Dolphins trading for a veteran quarterback to replace QB Tua Tagovailoa. What is your reaction when you hear and see that speculation? And what should Tua’s reaction be?) – “My reaction is I’m excited to work with Tua. I think I just mentioned that after the last question. That’s where my interests are, that’s where my excitement is. I think he’s – again like I said, I think he’s a talented player. I think we here believe in developing players at all positions. I think with an offseason, with OTAs, with more reps, more repetitions; like any player, I think they develop and get better. I think he feels the same way. Tua and I had lunch yesterday. We talked about his family and I think a lot of that is – that development is about building a relationship. He’s doing well. He’s confident. I’m confident in him. I’m looking forward to this offseason.”
(At the top, you talked about a full analyzation of the roster on offense and defense. When it comes to the offense and skilled positions, could you speak on the aggressiveness in regards to wanting to surround not just QB Tua Tagovailoa, but the entire offense with more talent and more playmakers and your approach on coming into next week?) – “You always want the most talent you can get, the most playmakers offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. But at the end of the day, you want – you don’t need 11 stars. You need 11 guys, 11 teammates who will work together and have one goal in mind, and that’s really what we are looking for. Yeah, we want talented players; but we want a good cohesive unit and guys who fit well together. That’s not always 11 stars. It’s almost never that way. So we’ve scoured free agency, the draft and I think we have a pretty good feel for the types of guys we are looking for from a skillset standpoint; but also from a locker room standpoint as people as well. I think that’s important. That’s an important factor that can’t be overlooked. All of those things play a role, but we want to improve really in as many areas as possible, on all three sides of the ball. I think that now is the time for that – free agency and the draft.”
(Twelve months ago, you were about to embark on a pretty expensive spending spree in free agency. This year you don’t have quite as much cap space. I was curious if the organization’s philosophy has changed at all or if you think you have the resources you need to get any player that you might want in free agency.) – “This is a very unique year, a very unique year. We do have some money form a cap standpoint that we can spend; but again, it’s an interesting year. I think I’m going to be playing the song ‘you can’t always get what you want,’ on Day 1 in free agency, to be honest with you, because we may get priced out on some guys we’re looking at that we’d like to have. They may just want to go elsewhere. So I think we’re going to try to do the best we can. We’ve had multiple meeting about this; and again, I would say just getting the cap number yesterday kind of sets the stage for us to at least say ‘we’re going to have this; we can do this, this, this and this,’ and kind of forecast and predict said player, we expect him to get this, which I’d say wipes out this amount or whatever percentage of cash we have to spend. I don’t know if that answers your question. You can’t always get what you want. I try to tell my kids that too. (laughter)”
(You guys have a lot of options you can explore with the No. 3 pick, whether it’s to pick one of the best players available or trade down to get more assets. What do you guys think of the value of that pick overall and what you can do with it?) – “Any time you pick third overall, there’s a number of players and a number of ways you can go. Again, our scouting staff, like I said earlier, I think they’ve done a really great job as far as narrowing down who the top players are in this draft. We have a pretty good idea of who those are. I think everyone – or most people who are kind of analyzing it know who those players are. We’ll have an opportunity to grab one of them at least in let’s call it the top 10; but obviously having that type of pick, there’s a lot of other avenues we could go. I think we’ll explore those also. We’re fortunate that way and hopefully we can take advantage.”
(What are some of the advantages for QB Tua Tagovailoa and other offensive players to have the promotion from within on the coordinators in terms of will you be able to build off of some of the same plays, some of the same language, the familiarity? The second step to that is can you talk about how you plan to blend some of Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville’s running elements and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey’s passing elements, and their experiences from Miami, Houston, Denver, Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye’s experiences from an Alabama-based offense. Those two things, the advantages and the blending.) – “I think continuity was a big thing as far as for me and making that decision. I think I wanted that for Tua and really a lot of the young offensive linemen and the young players we have offensively. I felt like we had that as well as the acumen and the experience with George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville), and kind of taking on that role. As far as blending the two thought processes or philosophies, I would say – you mention Eric in the run game and George in the pass game. I think both of these guys are strong just offensively and defensively, honestly. It doesn’t surprise me or really anyone on our staff; but it may surprise you guys when (I say) Eric is skilled or knowledgeable in the pass game, the protection game and the drop-back game and George is equally as skilled in the run game, the protection game. So those conversations are very good. There’s a lot of great dialogue that goes on and has gone on here in the last, let’s call it two months – I’m not exactly sure how long it’s been since we announced that or have gone in this direction. But both guys, as far as blending and all of that, that happens through conversation, which we’ve had a lot of conversations. Again, this is really kind of what terminology are we going to keep the same versus not keep the same? And a lot of it is tied into what we feel is best for the players and Tua specifically, and our overall offensive philosophy and how that works in conjunction with obviously our defense and our special teams.”
(Kind of a personal question – this is the one year anniversary of the NBA getting shut down and then everything kind of followed right after that. Do you remember where you were when that news broke and kind of your reaction to it at the time, and everything that’s happened since?) – “I want to say I was in bed watching that NBA game. I forget which one it was.”
(The Heat were playing so maybe you were watching the Heat.) – “Probably. I was probably watching the Heat. Look, this has been a very different year for a lot of reasons. But I think you – I try to look at the bright side of this past year. I think as a league, as individuals, as teams, a lot of sacrifices were made to play an entire football season, to play basketball as they’re playing now, to even send kids to school. I think it’s showed us that even as crazy as things can get and as scary as things can get, we can kind of push through those things and do the things we love to do. Again, I love coaching. If that means I’ve got to wear a mask on the field and take a test every day, whatever I’ve got to do then that’s what we’ll do to do what we love to do. I think things are changing. I think we’re moving in the right direction. That’s good. My kids are in a flag (football) league. I saw (one of you guys) at a game a couple of weeks ago. It’s just good to watch them get out there and run around. You’ve got parents yelling and screaming. I’m not one of them. Well, maybe I am. (laughter) But it’s good to kind of get back to a little bit of normalcy. Hopefully we just keep moving in that direction. I didn’t realize – I guess it is the one-year anniversary. It’s great to see everyone. I’ll see you in training camp. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – January 30, 2021
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Saturday, January 30, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(This might seem a little repetitive, but with the NFL Combine not allowing in-person stuff this year, how essential was it to come down and meet with these players and kind of coach some of these players up?) – “It was great. We had a really nice good week with these young players. They really worked hard. A lot of them made really good impressions not only on our staff, but there were teams obviously from across the league. But we got to spend the most time with them. We saw them in meetings, saw them take things from the meetings to the walkthrough to the practice. I thought they all did well for themselves and then came out and competed today, so it was a good week.”
(Going off that last question, were there any players that you really gravitated towards and any players that really stuck out to you this week?) – “Yeah, there were quite a few guys who we felt like could possibly help our team. We’re not going to dive into names of who those guys are, but there was a lot of talented players. I thought Jim Nagy and the Senior Bowl staff, they did a great job of getting talented players in here for us to coach and a lot of them, they did well.”
(RB Michael Carter had a 27-yard run and 60 yards rushing. What did you see from him today? What did you like from him today?) – “First off, he’s a great kid. He’s a hard-working kid. He’s smart, he’s tough and he was productive today and really productive throughout the entire week. He played well. This is a guy who had a nice career for UNC and he’s a good back.”
(WR Dez Fitzpatrick – 11 targets, six catches, 90 yards – was that by design having him get that much volume today?) – “We were a little bit low on receivers, so that entire receiver group, they took a lot of snaps today and guys went out – a couple guys went out – so again, we tell them, their availability is key in this league and he was available today and was able to capitalize on his opportunities and I thought he played well.”
(I think you guys scored 27 points today. My question is who called the offensive plays for you all and should we read into any of that as far as when you’re deciding your offensive coordinator?) – “We split – so (Running Backs Coach) Eric (Studesville) called half the game and (Tight Ends Coach) George (Godsey) called half the game. I thought both guys did a nice job and I’m confident in all the guys on our staff. I thought they did a great job. As I said the other day, we’re still working through those – the coordinator situation.”
(How do you get a Reese’s bath and not pick one up and stick a couple in your pocket as you walk off the field after the win?) – “You know, when you’re at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, there’s – by the end of the week, you’ve probably had enough. (laughter) There’s bags in your room, there’s Reese’s Pieces on your door handle, it’s everywhere. I just felt like I had enough. It’s been a long week – a lot of meetings, a lot of walkthroughs, a lot of practice, a lot of meetings with players. I’ve probably gained few pounds, so I’m trying to head in the right direction starting today. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – January 26, 2021
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Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(In general, what does the opportunity of coaching in the Senior Bowl do for you as opposed to meeting with guys at the Combine? How much of an advantage is it?) – “I think getting face time with these guys – in a practice setting, in a meeting setting – along with the individual meetings that we do in the evening, I think all of it’s advantageous for us, especially the practice time and the meeting time to see how guys learn and really get to know them as people. That’s kind of been – or going to be – the focus of our week. We’re excited about it. Just being out on the field today, it’s exciting. We all love to coach. I love to be out there helping guys get better, so it’s another opportunity to do that. It’s a good first day and hopefully a good week.”
(I wanted to ask you about not just the offensive coordinator position and the opening that you have but how are you going about these practices without a designated offensive coordinator? I noticed that Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye was kind of calling plays during 7-on-7. Is he working the passing game? How does this work?) – “We’re going through our process with the coordinator position. Look, we’ve got very capable guys in (Running Backs Coach) Eric (Studesville) and (Tight Ends Coach) George (Godsey) and a good young staff. Putting together a plan is really not much of an issue. Those guys are doing a good job and we’ll go through the process. But really the focus is on the players here at the Senior Bowl, the evaluations of the players here at the Senior Bowl, and hopefully we’ll get as much information to help us make good decisions come draft time.”
(Just along the lines, you said that you get to obviously go into meetings with these players and stuff. What kind of sort of intangibles might make the difference for you, with everything else being equal?) – “You mean equal meaning athletically? We’re looking for guys who are tough, who are smart, who are competitive, who love to play, love to practice, who are looking to get better, want to improve and guys who are team-first. Those are sort of the intangibles we’re looking for and if a guy has that and is talented, then I imagine he’ll do the things and make the sacrifices necessary to make himself the best player he can possibly be. If a guy is more talented and doesn’t have those qualities, then I guess – well, I don’t guess but I believe that that player will get passed up because some other players will do all of the things necessary and make the sacrifices necessary to get better and improve. I think that player with lesser intangibles, I think he’ll pass him up. Now when you get a good player with good intangibles, that’s really what you’re looking for. Those are just my thoughts and my opinions.”
(A lot of people like to really emphasize the talent in the locker room. How important is the culture in the locker room besides actual talent in the locker room?) – “It’s a team game, so I think you need guys to be in unison, you need guys to play together, you need guys to pick each other up. There’s ups and downs and ebbs and flows in every game, so you want a team that supports each other and a team that’s talented also. Talent wins in this league, but talent and let’s call it unity, I think that’s really what you’re looking for. You want guys who when it gets tough and tight in fourth quarters of games, that guy’s got your back. Those are the kind of guys we’re looking for.”
(With obviously WR Devonta Smith on your roster, he’s not doing much this week, but there’s going to be a lot of questions about his production versus his size. How do you view maybe that dynamic of a guy, maybe a lack of size in his case and how that influences whether or not you draft a player like that?) – “I mean look, this guy’s a very, very good player. What was the question about his size?”
(How much is that a hindrance compared maybe to his production on the field and how do you view that dynamic?) – “If you’re a good player – I mean, you can nitpick all you want about a guy’s size – good players are good players are good players. I think we all can see that, and this guy’s a very good player. He made a lot of plays in college, he made a lot of plays in the big games – biggest games of the year. You can nitpick all day about things on people but he’s a very good player. It’s been good getting to know him, too. He’s a good kid, too.”
(You’re a defensive guy but when it comes to scouting and finding the right people for your defense, do you look more for in terms of the talent that they already have or do you look more towards people that fit your scheme more?) – “I think you’re looking for guys obviously with talent. You’re looking for different fits within the things that you do offensively, defensively or in the kicking game. You’re looking for the right person and the right people to bring into the locker room. It’s not one thing, it’s not an exact science; and I think it’s a little bit different for every team every year based on what you already have and what pieces you feel you need to make your team as good as it can be. Again, that probably doesn’t answer the question, but for me it’s year-to-year. The things that we’re evaluating are different each year positionally, scheme-wise. The game evolves over time as well. I would say in just the game of football, things change, so you could have been one way last year and you may need to shift some depth in another direction the next year. So you’ve got to be ready to evolve with the game.”
(When you go from individual drills, to one-on-ones to the team drills in practice, are there different things you’re looking for in those different elements of these practices – whether it’s traits on guys, how they play in a group setting? Do those things differ as far as how you evaluate them?) – “We give them all information – let’s call it a schematic, X’s and O’s standpoint. We spend a lot of time on the fundamentals. Each position has it’s set of fundamentals – footwork, hand placement, ball security, running, accuracy, every position is a little bit different. The idea is to take those fundamental drills from the individual period and then apply them in the one-on-one period and then apply them in a group setting, and then finally apply them in a team setting. That’s kind of the process. We’re looking for them to apply the things that they’ve learned from an individual, to a one-on-one, to a group period to a team period; and then, ‘ok, I worked that drill here, and this is where it applies.’ Here it applies in a one-on-one setting, here it applies in a group setting, maybe four 4-on-4 or 7-on-7 or 9-on-7, and then you go into the team period. That’s really the process. And we’re looking for guys to apply the things we teach them over and over and over again, and improve and get better.”
(In what ways will the offseason evaluation process be different this year because of the pandemic and what does that mean for this week?) – “In my opinion, I think it will be similar to last year. Maybe even a little bit more different in that there won’t be a Combine. There have already been restrictions on the Pro Days and the private workouts and things of that nature. I think we’ve gone through it a little bit. I think we’ve done the Zoom meetings and players have worked out on their own and sent video. We’ve kind of done it that way. We did it that way last year so this isn’t the first time we’ve done it. But right now, I think this is a great opportunity for us to see the players live and up close, meet with them, talk to them, get some face time with them – not on the iPhone, but actual face time – and get to know them as people, as players, the things that make them tick. We get to coach also, which that’s always fun. We’re excited about this week and I think we’ll get a lot out of it.”
Chris Grier and Brian Flores – January 5, 2021
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Tuesday, January 5, 2021
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Chris Grier:
(Question for General Manager Chris Grier: how confident are you that QB Tua Tagovailoa is your long-term franchise quarterback and can you rule out taking a quarterback in the first round this year?) – “Tua, we’re very happy with. He’s our starting quarterback. He did a nice job this year coming in as a rookie with no offseason and the challenges of dealing with all that. Very happy with him and looking forward to watching him progress here over the next – with an offseason here – going into next year. And for us, we’re not really talking about draft strategy or anything right now. The season just ended and we’re just going through our process like we do all the time and we’ll deal with that here in the future.”
(After drafting QB Tua Tagovailoa, the convo turned to his recovery, getting him to a year after the injury and getting some experience this season. How do you think that process worked out with him and how important do you think it is that he came out of this season healthy as well?) – “I think Tua (Tagovailoa) and our training staff – both groups that work very hard in terms of getting themselves ready and prepared – as you talked about the challenges of last offseason. So I thought Tua did a great job with getting himself working through the whole process and then (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston), the training staff, (Head Strength & Conditioning) Dave Puloka, and even Brian (Flores) dealing with the laying out a plan for bringing him along and when he was ready, he was ready to go and he did a nice job of working himself throughout the season.”
(Do you feel a need to add a dynamic playmaking receiver?) – “We always talk about – Brian (Flores) and I, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore) and the scouts and coaches – competition makes everyone better, and we always talk about upgrading the roster in all areas. There’s places that we want to upgrade at all parts of the roster and obviously having playmakers on offense and defense is what the great teams have and we’ll keep doing that here in trying to address issues on both sides of the ball.”
(Piggybacking on that question, if your desire is to add competition and upgrade at all positions, is quarterback part of that calculus?) – “Yeah, it’s every position. Like I said, it makes everyone great. History has shown it doesn’t matter who it is; you’re always looking to bring in guys that fit your system and that will push people and make them better, and so competition at every position. We talked about that last year when we were going through it. It’s competition at every position, so yeah. But I also want to be clear that Tua is our starter and we’re very happy with his development so far.”
Brian Flores:
(This is for Head Coach Brian Flores, and maybe for General Manager Chris Grier as well. Do you guys plan on having all of your assistants returning in 2021 and your coordinator positions?) – “Yeah, we expect everyone back. Hopefully you’re not jinxing me now. Last time I said that, we lost Karl Dorrell, we lost Pat Graham, so thanks. (laughter) Hopefully not, though. We expect everyone back.”
Chris Grier:
(I wanted to ask about DE Emmanuel Ogbah specifically and how satisfied you were with his production. Also a two-parter, if you will: how does his emergence and a guy like LB Andrew Van Ginkel on the edges, how does that development approach how you might with a guy like LB Vince Biegel, who’s in a contract year who ended up missing? How do you fit those pieces together heading into the offseason?) – “First of all, Emmanuel (Ogbah) did a good job for us this year. He’s the right kind of person as well. He came in right away, worked hard. I think Brian and the coaching staff did a great job once they got to be around him, not having the offseason with him to figure out what he does well and the strengths in the scheme, and he just kind of took off from there once everyone got a feel for what he did best. So I was very happy and pleased with him. In terms of Van Ginkel and guys – I would say Brian and the coaching staff deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what we did this year in terms of the roster and having so many new players and young players with only one player over 30 on the roster, and their development plan and how they brought along a lot of these young players, I don’t think gets enough credit. In terms of Vince Biegel and stuff, again, the season just ended. We’re going through our process – our own self-scout evaluation of the team and stuff and then we’ll work our way through that here over the next couple weeks.”
Brian Flores:
(I wanted to get the assessment of the offensive line. A lot was made in terms of resources used, and free agent money used to improve the unit that struggled last year. Did you feel you got the desired outcome?) – “I think that group made a lot of improvement. Obviously we played a lot of young guys there, along with the two guys that we signed as free agents. I thought we made some improvements; but these next four, five, six weeks for us as a staff, to include Chris (Grier), we’re going to evaluate everything. We’re going to evaluate the o-line, the d-line, the offense, the defense, the special teams, first down, second down, third down, red zone, two-minute, schedules, anything that we can do to try to figure out what we can do to try to improve this team. We’ll take a look at the roster. Honestly this process coupled with the draft, coupled with free agency, we just try to create a vision of what we would like the 2021 team to look like. That’s what this process is. I think I’ll probably have a better answer of that a couple weeks from now, to be honest with you, after looking at it again; but my snapshot postseason is that it was an improved group. I thought that they improved over the course of the season. I saw development from the young players. That’s always what we’re looking for. I saw development from the veteran players. I thought the group came together. It wasn’t perfect but I thought they were solid. But at the end of the day, we’re not satisfied with where it ended up and we need to get better.”
(What is the likelihood that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will be back? What has he indicated to you about what he’s thinking and do the Dolphins want him back?) – “Again, we’ve got to go through a full process, a full evaluation. Like I just said, we’ll evaluate offense, defense, special teams and then we’ll create a vision of what we want our team to look like in 2021. You don’t do that one day or two days after the season. Chris and I both, we talk about this extensively, we don’t think that’s the best way to make decisions. We’re not going to rush anything. We’re going to take our time with it. Obviously, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), along with all of the free agents, are going to be a part of the conversation because we know them. Those decisions or even – we’re not going to sit here and say ‘hey, we might want to do this, that or the other.’ We’ve got to go through it and be as thorough as possible and try to make the best decisions for this organization.”
(Offensively, when you look at how QB Tua Tagovailoa progressed in Offense Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense, where are the areas you think – they’ve both been very complimentary working with each other – where are the areas that you look at and say communication-wise, progress-wise, do you want things to improve with Tua and his comfort in this offense?) – “I think the communication improves just through – over time. I think that’s the case at any position – offense, defense, special teams. I think people are more comfortable as they gain experience. It’s like any relationship, it improves with time. That’s the vision right now.”
Chris Grier:
(Last year, I asked you about the value of possessing the [fifth] pick. Can you talk about the options that are presented to you with having both the third and the 18th picks?) – “We’re not really going to sit here and talk draft strategy or anything right now. The season just ended and right now we’re focused the next few weeks on getting through our evaluations of the team here and really self-scouting our team and seeing – as Brian just said – what we want 2021 looks like. We’ll start dealing with that here shortly, once the Senior Bowl comes around here in a couple of weeks and we’re down in Mobile, (Alabama) and we’re going through that process. We’re excited to have the picks we have. There are some good players; but again, most of the players haven’t even declared yet still. We’re not going to speculate on anything, but we’re excited about the future here and what we can do for 2021.”
(Consideration for GM of the Year, I think you guys put together a great team. You guys obviously won this season. What are your thoughts on any consideration for yourself as GM of the Year from outsiders?) – “To me, at the end of the day, it’s about building the thing right and winning games. To me, the one thing I think – Brian will hate me saying it; but to me, I don’t think there’s any question that Brian is the Coach of the Year. Brian does not like any of that stuff. He hates when I say it. But for what he did with this roster and team, to go through this with the pandemic, the young players, how young we were with no offseason and a completely new roster, to win 10 games with what we have and a rookie quarterback, eight rookie players on offense playing, Brian and his staff did an unbelievable job. I’d also like to thank Brandon Shore and Kyle Johnston for keeping us updated on protocols through everything and updating the COVID procedures, and Brian enforcing it with the team and reminding them every day that he loves the guys and don’t be embarrassed if you get COVID (because) it’s not anyone’s fault. I think it created a sense right from the start that the team knew that Brian had their backs, believed in them and the team believed in him. And it showed this year on the field. I don’t really listen to any outside stuff, but I think the important thing is what Brian did what this team and I think that’s what people should really be talking about.”
Brian Flores:
(I think a lot of what 2021 might come down to is what you all can do to maximize QB Tua Tagovailoa’s skillset to make him most comfortable in the offense. When you think about those considerations, what comes to mind? Is the system, for example, the right system for Tua?) – “I think you’re way down the road right now. I think we’re just kind of going to take this one day at a time and again, go through our evaluation. Everything is going to get evaluated. I mean we’re thinking about basically the end of 2021 right now – the end of the 2021 season, that’s essentially what that question was. I think right now we’re going to focus on evaluating the team, evaluating the roster and create a vision for what we want 2021 to look like. That’s a one day at a time process and that’s kind of the early part of the offseason. I understand the question. I do. But I think the answers to that will come as we go through these evaluations. We’ll probably have better answers then and that will obviously be included in our vision for the team.”
(Thank you for a winning season. I think everybody’s appreciative of that. What’s the next step? What is the goal for the Miami Dolphins as far as accomplishment for this year?) – “The goal is to get better every day and try to develop the people, the players, the coaches, the people within the organization, develop ourselves and let the results take care of themselves. That’s what we talk to the players about. Let’s do a good job with our process, with our preparation; and that was our message to them about the offseason. Your process, your preparation throughout the offseason. We’ll do the same thing as far as our process and our preparation as far as our vision for what we want the team to look like. We’ll take it one day at a time and we’ll try to get better every day and we won’t leave any stone unturned. We’ll do everything possible to bring results to the fanbase, to the people in our organization, and that’s important to us. That’s something we talk about on a daily basis.”
Chris Grier:
“Brian said it all. We’ve said it before: it’s a process and we’re just getting better every day. We’ve never set a timetable for anything. It was just about getting better each day. That’s all it is.”
Eric Rowe – January 4, 2021
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Monday, January 4, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(What do you think happened yesterday in terms of why the team performed at that level when we haven’t seen that from you guys going back to last year, the third game of the season?) – “I’m not sure. I’m not sure what happened that game because that’s definitely not us as a team, really the whole year. That reminded me of last year when we were getting beat by Baltimore like that. I was like, ‘yeah, I remember that feeling.’ So it’s not a good feeling, but I’m not sure what happened. There’s no like exact words you can just put on it. Maybe it was just like a kind of feeling, like the energy was dying and then after that, they were just taxing it on us. But I’m not sure what happened.”
(Your teammates have mentioned it. I’m sure you agree that yesterday was not representative of how this team actually is, that you’re a much better team than that. I’m curious, do you think this is a close team? Do you think this is a team that is poised to take the next step this year or did it kind of expose some things you all need to work on?) – “It’s a little bit of both. It did kind of expose things that we need to work on to make that jump for next year, but looking from last year, from the 2019 season to this season, it was a huge jump. So now we’re obviously planning to take that momentum from this year to next year to make that next step where we can compete with playoff-contending teams.”
(What was it like playing with CB Xavien Howard this season? He obviously balled out, had his 10th pick yesterday and he’s in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, so as a teammate, what would kind of be your final pitch to the ones listening out there?) – “It was definitely a special year seeing him kind of rise, especially after last year going through the surgery and something with his knee; especially as a DB, that’s tough to recover from. Just to go from that to get double-digit interceptions and to lead the league in picks and now in talks for Defensive Player of the Year, that’s not easy. And just playing alongside him, watching him play; it kind of amazes you because you’re watching it firsthand in-person from practice, training camp, all the way to the end of the season. I haven’t been around a guy close to being like that, that’s up there – like Stephon Gilmore when I played with him – so it’s pretty amazing.”
(I know you’ve only had about 24 hours now to reflect upon it. Maybe you haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m curious, how would you look back at your first full season at the safety position, but also you mentioned this offseason kind of having to prepare for that new position in a unique offseason. What can you take this year and apply to the offseason program to maybe get yourself more ready this season for your second full year as a safety?) – “I haven’t really gotten time to look back at the whole season, but I guess as my first full year at safety, I feel like I made a lot of improvements in the run game, something I had trouble with last year obviously coming from corner. And then working on that in the offseason, obviously always working on coverage stuff. You can never get enough work at that. I think for me just to make that next jump is to make those few plays that I left out there on the field against All-Pro-type of players that I’ve got to be able to cover those type of guys if I want to be considered one of the best covering safeties. So that’s something I’ve got to take in the offseason, work on it, improve and then I don’t know next year’s schedule, but hopefully we get that opportunity again.”
(My question is actually about CB Noah Igbinoghene. I’m going to be very curious to see how he comes in Year 2 not having played too much this year. What did you see in terms of his development throughout the year in practice, in meetings and what do you think he might be able to do in his career in the future?) – “He needs to – just like everybody – from Year 1 to Year 2, make that jump and even though he didn’t play much in the games this year – obviously you don’t get to see practice – but his coverage skills have gotten a lot better from whenever we played the Bills early on. We’ve all seen him in practice. He’ll go against DeVante Parker and when Preston (Williams) was here and Jakeem (Grant) and he had some really good coverage plays out there against them with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Tua (Tagovailoa) throwing the ball at him, even though a lot of people don’t get to see that. Obviously he’ll take that into the offseason, keep working on it and for next year he’ll make that jump so when his name is called, his number is called again, it’s not going to be like how it was against whenever we played the Bills. So for him in the future, I know a lot of people think you’ve got to go based off that game, but his future is looking great.”
(I’m making an assumption with my next question here. I’m assuming that there were guys who are either frustrated or angry after yesterday’s game. If I am on-target with that, is anger good motivation to lead you into next season?) – “It can go both ways. It can go both ways. It’s a good motivator to kind of remember what that feeling feels like, because obviously you don’t want to feel like that again. But also, the first thing for me, like yeah I was frustrated and kind of angry. Like frustrated at the way the season ended because that’s not like us, but you’ve just got to take that lesson, that experience right there of, ‘Okay, well we know what we have to do, what we have to work on in the offseason, get ready for next season.’ Because you see 10 wins is not enough. It’s a lot. It’s a lot of wins, it’s hard to get, but it wasn’t enough. So yeah, you can take anger as a motivator. For me, yeah I’m frustrated, but I’ll get over it and just take kind of like the lessons that like why did you not make the playoffs throughout the whole year? Or why did we lose this game? Take those kind of theories and work on that for next year.”
(If I could ask maybe a two-parter. One, you talked about the takeaways and you guys were so great at that this year. They always say that takeaways is sort of volatile from year to year. How do you make sure that you guys can still be great in that in 2021?) – “Yeah, the takeaways, they were huge this year. It really started in training camp. Everyone says all 32 teams defensive-wise say, ‘we’ve got to get turnovers.’ Obviously that’s the key to success, we’ve got to get it. Everyone talks about it, but I think from this training camp and last year, we really made it a focus where – I don’t know if y’all remember telling y’all in training camp that we had that game going on between safeties and corners and who can punch the ball out, who can try to get the interceptions. It was just a focus every single day and that carries on in the season. It helped us well. So next year we have to start from – if we can do OTAs – but if we can’t, we have to start from training camp again. We can’t just talk about it. We’ve got to do it all over again because we can go from the best to the worst from year to year.”
(I guess the second part of that question, and I asked LB Jerome Baker this earlier, turnovers was probably one of the biggest jumps that you guys made year to year. If there’s anything that you would point out maybe in 2021 where you would say, “hey, I would love us to make a jump in that area,” what would that be?) – “Like defensive-wise?”
(Yeah, defensively. I guess you could say team as well, but maybe defensively because we were talking defensive categories.) – “I know one thing we do need to improve is – it’s not horrific, but you can always get better – is our run game. Especially early on in the year, we started struggling against the run and kind of from then on, once teams know what you’re weak at, they’re going to keep attacking it. So I know that’s one thing that definitely we can work on for next year. Obviously we’ve got to keep the takeaways, keep the turnovers high and then shoot, maybe another thing is – I don’t even know. I don’t know. We were pretty good in other categories. You keep that consistent, but yeah, the run game; if we can just get that nailed down from the start, it’d be a lot easier.”
Jerome Baker – January 4, 2021
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Monday, January 4, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(You registered career highs in several categories this year, mostly as a pass rusher. I’m just wondering what elements of your game do you think you took to another level this season here in your third year?) – “I think I just got more opportunities. This year, I had more opportunities to blitz, more opportunities to pass rush and it’s more a credit to the d-line. They take up most of the o-line and a few of my sacks, I’m usually free, so it’s a credit to them.”
(In terms of the areas of improvement, where do you feel you’ve made the most strides this season and what do you hope to add to your arsenal next year?) – “Just like you said, I think my pass rushing has definitely gotten better. Just getting to the quarterback has definitely been exciting and definitely helped us this year. This offseason, I have a lot of areas to improve on. Just linebacker things (like) making sure my eyes are right, being more explosive, being faster, being stronger, being bigger. I definitely have a lot of things to work on this offseason.”
(We just had a chance to talk to DE Emmanuel Ogbah and he mentioned that yesterday was not your identity, it’s not who you guys are and it was one of the most embarrassing losses of his career. I was wondering if you kind of share those sentiments and why do you think that was not representative of what this team is capable of?) – “That’s nothing of how we are. We have a lot of guys that are tough, a lot of guys that are smart and we play for each other. Yesterday, the outcome wasn’t what we expected, and that just wasn’t our football. That’s pretty much it.”
(Where do you see the franchise headed over the next one or two years? What do you think in the future for the Dolphins’ franchise?) – “We’re just going to keep going upward. We’re led by a great leader in ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the ownership. We just have great people all around. The only place we can go is up. We have great guys in the locker room, great trainers, we have a great support staff, we have it all. We just have to put it all together and the Miami Dolphins are definitely going to go upward.”
(Kind of following up on what DE Emmanuel Ogbah said a few minutes ago, he used a phrase that 2021 is our year. Do you second that and if so, what gives you that kind of confidence that next year is your year?) – “Yeah, definitely 2021 is our year; but ultimately, we have to put the work in to make sure it’s our year. We’re definitely going to take some time off, but we’re definitely hungry to get back out there and definitely excited to get back to work. We have to put the work in before we start saying that.”
(With you guys working so hard on defense all season, it kind of seemed like in that Bills game, when the offense wasn’t rolling, it kind of discouraged you guys defensively. How does that kind of work as a defender when you see the offense not really clicking on all cylinders? How does that make you want to play on the other end when you see the offense is kind of struggling?) – “One thing that is unique about our team is that we play for each other. It’s how it was all year – when the offense wasn’t necessarily clicking, it’s our job to hold up our end and give them good field position, give them the ball back or whatever it is. But yesterday as a whole, we just weren’t clicking – offense, defense and special teams – and the outcome is what it was. We definitely can’t have games like that. When we’re down, we expect the offense to build us up, and when they’re down, we build them up. Yesterday wasn’t the outcome (we wanted) and we just didn’t do a good job of doing that.”
(If you could give us one thing you feel like you guys as a defense can make the biggest jump in, and on thing in 2021 you still would like to make a jump in?) – “Takeaways. With takeaways, we did a great job of getting the ball back to our offense. I think that’s the one thing, I’m sure that (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) would say the same thing, that he’s proud of. We got the ball back to our offense. I think ultimately, we have to just get better in the sense of our run defense. We can get better in that. Just continuing to take the ball away, that helps everything. Get after the pass rush – we got a lot of things to work on. We have some time to really look back on our season and we’re definitely going to do that just to see what we can improve on.”
(The Dolphins have a history of rewarding their players after the third season with a contract extension. I was curious if there have been any of those conversation and if it’s your expectation to be here long term.) – “I’ll let my agent do all of that, but I love being a Dolphin. I want to be a Dolphin for a long time. Ultimately, I’ll let my agent do that. We just played a game yesterday, so I’ll let that handle itself.”
Ted Karras – January 4, 2021
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Monday, January 4, 2021
C Ted Karras
(You are one of the few and the brave to actually play on a one-year try-me-out deal. Your thoughts on making it through the season without injury and what do you feel like you’ve proved this year?) – “Very grateful that I did make it through injury-free and did some good things. Obviously we were 10-6 and that wasn’t enough. Obviously we did some good things winning 10 games but came up short ultimately. But I got to play in 100 percent of the snaps. That’s the first I’ve ever done that in college or any time in my career. I’m very grateful and lucky. It’s a big spring coming up and looking forward to what’s next. Hopefully – I would love to be here in Miami.”
(This team is obviously building something and made big strides from 2019 to 2020. What’s it going to take to take that next step because what we saw, obviously there is still some work to be done?) – “Whenever a season is over, you look back and there’s a lot of things that you want to take back play-wise. It’s making plays – you look back at some of the games, some of the close games early and then we went on a little run and then dropped a few – looking back at those, we’d probably be playing this week. But just making plays when your number is called and taking advantage of opportunities and the goal is to play in the postseason. We didn’t make enough plays to get there.”
(What can you say about how QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of performed in his nine starts and what it kind of says about him and the future of the team based on his performance?) – “Like a lot of us, most of us; we did enough to win 10 football games but didn’t get into the playoffs, which is when you look back at it, you’re not going to think of it as ultimately super successful. But we did a lot of great things. (Tua is) a great leader and it’s been a pleasure to work with him and hopefully can moving forward. I’m looking forward to growing with him if that is what it comes to.”
(If QB Tua Tagovailoa asked you for advice this offseason on maybe how he can improve as a player or as a leader of the team, what might you tell him going into Year 2?) – “The biggest jump you take as a football player that I’ve seen is from your rookie year to Year 2 and just being more familiar not only with your guys; but (Tua is) going to have a full offseason which will be great for him. Just take advantage of all those moments to get reps with guys. This is a repetition sport and he’s going to take a big jump and I’m excited for him.”
(You played every snap this season. I just wanted to ask you what that meant to you to be a guy that was so reliable and dependable for this team?) – “It was one of my biggest accomplishments in my career, in my life. I’m very grateful to make it through and look forward to continue to play some good football. But it was really special and I’m glad that I got to make it out injury-free – like (you guys) said, one of the brave on a one-year deal – so that was pretty important coming out of that last game healthy.”
(One of the surprises of this past offseason was Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey coming out of retirement after three years away. Just wanted to get your thoughts on what it was like working under Chan?) – “I thought it was a fun, great year and we did a lot of good things. Again, we had a great relationship and I hopefully look forward to working with him in the future, but it was a good season and I learned a lot. It was fun to learn a new system and I had a lot of fun with the guys at the helm and being able to play with them was great.”
(The one area of this team that I felt needed to improve and was kind of inconsistent was the run game. How do you guys take that – if you’re around – to the next level? How does that improve? How does it become more consistent?) – “Repetitions and really honing in on our fundamentals and our techniques and then when it comes time to perform, playing our best and sticking on blocks and the main thing – getting some more movement on double teams. So there’s a lot that factors into it and we’ve got a lot of guys that work really hard and got it going there towards the end of the season, which was encouraging. We’re looking forward to building off that in the future.”
(If I could ask a two-parter, I asked a couple of the guys earlier. If you could maybe say what the biggest jump you would like to see this team make from where you were or I guess the offense in 2021, what would you like to see most?) – “Being able to go in the fourth quarter and just go win a ballgame. I think that early on, we could’ve stolen a few. That would be – being an offense that could go out there with a lot of confidence in the fourth quarter and going to win a football game at the end.”
(And then I guess for you individually, you mentioned playing all games all year on a one-year deal. How do you sort of handle this period not knowing and not knowing if you’re going to be back or not and heading into free agency?) – “I know that it’s a business and there’s a lot of decisions that have to be made and I’ve really loved this season. It was the most fun I’ve had playing football in my life. There’s such great guys here and I’d love to be a part of it and I understand the business of it and I’m going to be patient and I will be grateful for any opportunity in this league. It’s very special to have a job in this league and I will never take that for granted, and I’ll always look forward to the next challenge, the next opportunity.”
Andrew Van Ginkel – January 4, 2021
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Monday, January 4, 2021
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(What’s the area that you’re proudest of in terms of what you were able to do this season?) – “I think just being able to set the edge and be able to help stop the run and force everything inside to where the help is. Really, just adding my strength and continuing to try to get after the quarterback the best I could, I think. That’s a huge step in the right direction and it’s something I can build off of.”
(I know that one of the things that folks are talking about is what was the message after the game yesterday? Obviously that was a very tough loss. What sense do you get in terms of what Head Coach Brian Flores and the other coaches want you to keep in mind in the offseason?) – “To use this as fuel for the fire. Obviously that one stung and just to remember that feeling and use it as motivation in the offseason and use it going forward, and use it to help push you to be the best player and work on your weaknesses throughout the offseason.”
(My question is from a team perspective. When you look at what you accomplished this year, winning 10 games after five last year, and yet what was left on the table, how do you classify this year? Successful or unsuccessful? What do you take away from this year?) – “Obviously when you can go from five to 10 wins, that’s a pretty good jump. But to not make it to the playoffs and get to where we want to go, it’s kind of a disappointment to me, to not reach the playoffs. Just to see where we came from and how far we’ve come and all the work and dedication that every guy on this team has put in throughout the season to get to this point, and to improve on a daily basis, has really helped this team grow.”
(I don’t know if you saw this stat but you, LB Kyle Van Noy and LB Jerome Baker all had at least five sacks this year. It’s the first time the Dolphins have had three linebackers with five or more sacks. I’m wondering what that might mean to you and what it says about your pass rush that you guys have so many guys that can produce big numbers like that.) – “Right. And I think the coaches put an emphasis on it this offseason and it’s something that all of us in the linebacker room and on the d-line, we put an emphasis on it and what we wanted to improve on. Yeah, after last season, we didn’t have as many sacks as we would have liked, so I’m just seeing improvement there. Really the focal point of that and turnovers, just being able to get after the quarterback and get them on the ground, it’s a huge deal. It means a lot.”
