Isaiah Ford – December 21, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, December 21, 2020
WR Isaiah Ford
(I’m sure a lot of my colleagues will ask about your role and your time up in New England, but I wanted to ask – rewinding back to the day after you get sent up there – when you saw the picture of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, what did you think and did he do it properly in honoring you?) – “(laughter) Yeah, so ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) actually sent me a picture with the shorts on before he actually went out to practice, so I didn’t know if he was just like wearing them around the locker room or something like that. But that just speaks on the type of leader he is and the relationship that I have with him. ‘Fitz’ is my guy, man. He’s an awesome teammate, he’s an awesome older – like a brother figure – and I just love that guy to death.”
(Can you take me through your journey over the last couple months? What it’s been like to go from Miami to New England back to Miami?) – “It’s been a little bit of an adventure to say the least, but the thing that I’ve tried to do throughout the entire thing was just to control what I can control and focus on getting a little bit better each day, whether I was in Miami or I was in Foxborough. So just trying to work on my craft and get better and learn as much as I can and I’m just happy to be back now.”
(What was it like to put on a Patriots uniform? What was it like to kind of learn all their secrets in a short period of time?) – “(laughter) I was excited about the opportunity. It was something – you hear so much about that organization and you have so much respect for that organization as a fan of the sport and then playing them twice a year for the last four years. So I thought being in the facility, kind of seeing the ins and outs of everything and being a part of it for that short stint of time that I was there, was a learning opportunity for me. And I’m very appreciative of that and the time that I spent there; but like I said, I’m kind of just happy to be back.”
(Two questions for you. One, what was it like on the field Sunday? Were you and some of your old teammates in New England saying anything back and forth? Did Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick give you a stare? Anything like that? And secondly, the biggest difference between the Patriot Way and the Dolphin Way is what?) – “It was fun being on the field with those guys and the short time I was there, they were all extremely welcoming in helping me get acclimated with everything that was going, whether they were meetings and how things were structured and how things were done that way. It was good talking to all those guys. They were all happy to see me back on the field, so I thought it was good to see those guys and kind of speak to them. I think the difference, the biggest difference is probably the weather. (laughter) The weather up there that they practice in versus the weather that we practice in down here would probably be the biggest thing in my opinion.”
(I’m curious, going from I guess the beginning of November, the Dolphins trading you away, to coming back and logging 54 offensive snaps a month and a half later for a team in the thick of the playoff race. What did that tell you about yourself and the nature of the National Football League?) – “It’s a business. We all knew that when we signed up for it. I would say I’m just extremely grateful that this organization would allow me to come back. I think that speaks on how I’ve tried to carry myself on and off the field and how I’ve worked on and off the field as well, so I’ve always tried to be as good a teammate as I can and always worked extremely hard as I could and tried to learn and soak up as much knowledge and information as I could. But you’ve got to love this game. You’re going to endure ups and downs and go through adversity and obstacles, but the beauty of the game is when the opportunity does come like Sunday, you get to play and just to be out there with the guys that you’ve bonded with and things like that.”
(You’re obviously a little bit more maybe mature than some other players who might harbor some tough feelings about the situation, especially for a player like you where you’ve been promoted then dropped, then added back to the practice squad, promoted and dropped for your first couple years before even being traded. How do you kind of stay mature about it and not hold any ill-will after everything?) – “I think throughout my entire time in the NFL, the biggest thing that I’ve learned is to control what you can control, right? Because at the end of the day, whatever happens is going to happen and you can drive yourself crazy, you can have anxiety or a lot of stress built up if you focus on the things that you can’t control. The things that I can control are how I carry myself and how I work on the field, the information that I learn. I’ve tried to do that to the best of my abilities and I felt a lot better with the outcome and with just my general well-being, going throughout the days, of how I carry myself when I do that. The biggest thing for me is just going to keep my head down and control what I can.”
(If I remember this correctly, the Patriots seemed to indicate that they would have liked you to stay around, presumably on practice squad. What were the factors that went into the choice, if in fact there was a choice there, to come back to Miami as opposed to staying on the Patriots practice squad?) – “I just think the familiarity with being here. I think this is a special place in Miami – not to say that it’s not a special place in New England, but a lot of my guys are here. So to have that opportunity to be back with DeVante (Parker), Jakeem (Grant), ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), (Patrick) Laird, Myles (Gaskin), Mack (Hollins), all those guys. I can keep going on and on and pretty much name everybody on the team, but it’s a special bond that I have with these guys down here. They’re all great people in Foxborough as well, but there’s just something about being home, you know? And I think that was the biggest thing that went into the decision.”
Zach Sieler – December 21, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, December 21, 2020
DT Zach Sieler
(The sack you had yesterday, it looked like you came off of the edge of the defensive line. I was curious how have you been able to incorporate your skills to be able to rush both from the interior of the defensive line as well as off the edge like that?) – “I think the biggest thing for me is just the planning. Obviously things on the edge are much different than on the inside. For me, preparing for each game as if I’m going to be outside, inside or for both. Just knowing that going into the game, preparing for which I plan on getting my rushes at.”
(How helpful has it been that you guys have been good this year with what’s been going on in the external world with all of the protocols you guys have been through? I’d imagine if this was a 5-9 instead of a 9-5 team, it would be a rough season.) – “I think honestly with this COVID stuff, as hard as it’s been on us, I think it’s almost helped bring us closer. We’re almost in a – we’re in it together kind of thing. I think that’s helped and helped get us to where we’re at in the season now.”
(We saw CB Xavien Howard get his first forced fumble of the season. That gives him 10 for the season as far as interceptions and forced fumbles. Have you ever been around a guy that’s been around the football so much? Is there a skill to that? And how does he change the defense with his ability to always be around the football?) ]- “It’s huge. That flips the field. It gives automatic ball position. It’s a huge asset to have. You’re right. I don’t know if it’s a special skill he’s got, but he definitely fins – I think it’s the hustle. He’s always hustling to make sure he’s near the ball and wherever he needs to be.”
(It’s a short week and it’s early in the week so I don’t know how much, if any, you’ve gotten to see of the Raiders. But what, if anything, have you noticed, whether it’s on film or highlights, of their running back, Josh Jacobs?) – “I think they’ve got a very good offense and a good running back obviously – No. 28, Jacobs. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us defensively. We’ve got to prepare for this week and like you said, it’s an accelerated week. It’s on a Saturday night instead of Sunday. Just prepare as much as we can and get ready for this week.”
(If you could, I was hoping you might be able to expand a little bit more on the answer you gave me about how this pandemic has brought you guys together. One thing that comes to mind is there are not many social activities beyond your house. These might be some of the few people you might see on a day-to-day basis. I’m curious, how has it brought you guys together?) – “Yeah. We’re going through daily testing, changes in protocol each week every week. Instead of just getting frustrated or discouraged by it, guys are rallying behind each other like ‘hey, we’ll get through it.’ Or if somebody gets it, ‘hey man, we hope you’re feeling alright. We’ll see you when you get back.’ Then someone else steps up and takes that role, filling in when someone is missing. I think that’s really brought us together.”
Ted Karras – December 21, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, December 21, 2020
C Ted Karras
(How surprised were you about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s holiday gifts to the offensive linemen and what does that notion mean coming from a rookie quarterback?) – “I think it’s an amazing gesture. I think it shows how good of a leader he is already. It’s a pretty sweet gift and I’m very grateful. We’ve already made several of the sausages. We haven’t set up the grill yet, but I’m very thankful. It’s an amazing gift and obviously a very large gift. We’re going to set it up and smoke some meats here this offseason. I’m looking forward to it.”
(I wanted to get your opinion on what was the biggest factor leading to the Dolphins’ 250 rushing yards in the game?) – “I think everyone stepped up and did their job really well. I think as a o-line, we had a hat on a hat and got to the second level, and our backs had great vision and hit the hole fast. Our tight ends – Adam (Shaheen) and Durham (Smythe) – really had some key blocks that sprung us to some big gains. We’ve been working on that for a long time. It felt really good to get a bunch of yards on the ground and continue our push here in late December.”
(Not only did you have your best rushing day of the season, but you did so without a couple of the key pieces. How did you feel C/G Michael Deiter played down the stretch, and G/T Jesse Davis filling in at guard? The moving pieces didn’t seem to miss a beat this week.) – “No. obviously you never want to see anyone go down. With Mike (Deiter) coming in, like you said, we didn’t skip a beat. I was very happy for him to come in and play and play in a big moment and play really well. I think the film really speaks to the preparation and the hard work that he has put in these last five or six months in a different role. Coming into a game and playing really well, I was really happy for him.”
(I don’t think I’ve ever met an offensive lineman who doesn’t enjoy run blocking, especially when things are going well. I’m wondering while that is happening, while you guys are having great success run after run and they keep calling it, what was that like for you and your offensive line teammates emotionally and from a psyche perspective?) – “Well, we want to continue the success we’ve had. I think we had a lot of long drives and I think that can wear you down here in South Florida as an opponent. We did enough execution-wise to have a really big day and we do want to run block. Obviously it’s a little bit less higher stakes than pass blocking; but it’s just as challenging and probably a little bit more exerting. I think our conditioning held up and for us, we’ve been waiting on that for a while and we’ve been working really hard and putting in the time. I’m glad that we all got to share in the rewards here last night.”
(They say that you have to be able to run the ball in December and January to win. Do you think that’s still the case? Do you think this could be the key to you guys making a run here?) – “I think it’s definitely the case probably all the time in the National Football League. If you have a good ground game, it will definitely up your chances to win. This was a great performance for us. We’re going to have to keep grinding and keep working. We have a good opponent coming up here the day after Christmas in Las Vegas, and we’re going to have to do it again. That is the task of an NFL o-lineman. Now we have the next challenge coming up and it’s going to be a big week of preparation, a little bit of unique week, but I’m looking forward to going on another west coast trip.”
(We saw C/G Michael Deiter get some NFL action for the first time this season. I was curious to get your reaction on how excited you were to see him out there because after the QB Tua Tagovailoa scramble, he seemed to be pretty excited. How did you feel to see Michael get back on the field?) – “I was very happy for him. I’ve been in that kind of sixth-man role for several years of my career. To come in and make the most of the reps that you get and put good film out there, I was very happy for him. He’s put in a lot of hard work and every day he comes to work and is ready to go, and it definitely showed Sunday afternoon when he came in the second half and we had our best rushing performance of the year.”
(Offensive linemen can help really make running backs look good. After you looked at the film or even was thinking back to the game. What in this game did RB Salvon Ahmed and RB Matt Breida do that helped you guys look good?) – “I think we had a great plan going in and the backs definitely I would say make the o-line look good more than the o-line make the backs look good; but they were hitting the hole fast. They had great vision. The cutbacks were there. I think our tight ends deserve a lot of credit for sealing off the back side on a lot of the big runs. As an o-line, we had an hat on a hat and playing good assignment-clean football, getting to the second-level quick. It was a complete team effort and it showed. The film looked – it was fun to look at that film with runs we have been repping now for six months. We came out of the gate strong in the second half yesterday.”
Brian Flores – December 21, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, December 21, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about the job the offensive line did yesterday. It kind of got lost in the mix a little bit, but certainly down two starters in the fourth quarter, they were impressive. Your thoughts when you watched the tape?) – “I thought offensively, I thought (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) called a really nice game. I thought our staff did a good job of getting those guys prepared and then they went out and executed across the board – o-line, tight ends, receivers, the backs ran hard and we executed.”
(To what extent is a running performance like that something to build on the rest of the way?) – “I think we want to build on execution. That’s kind of been what we’ve talked about on a week-to-week basis. Every week is a different challenge, so it’s nice to have some success, but it doesn’t really mean anything in the next game. We have to prepare and execute in whatever element of the game we’re talking about – kickoff return, punt return, kickoff, field goal, field goal block, run game, pass game, drop-back, screens, run defense. It’s about execution.”
(I wanted to get some clarity and I hope that – I’m sure you can provide it. On the two special teams plays that you guys had called back the last two weeks, were the players supposed to declare themselves as eligible and doesn’t that negate the fact that it’s a trick play? What were you supposed to do?) – “Yeah, they were supposed to have reported as eligible to the referee or umpire. We didn’t. Those are the things pre-snap we have to do a better job of. Did we report, did we not report; it’s one of those things where we have to do a better job coaching that. Obviously that starts with me and we’ve got to execute it better. Does that answer your question?”
(It does. So every time somebody’s on the end of a special teams line, they have to declare themselves?) – “If you have an ineligible number, you have to report as eligible. If you have an eligible number, you don’t. That’s just kind of – rules.”
(You’ve been an advocate for diversity on many fronts in the past, whether it be for matters within your team or advocating for other minority coaches in the NFL. What do you think of the potential matchup between QB Tua Tagovailoa and Raiders QB Marcus Mariota – both Polynesian quarterbacks – and regardless of who starts for Vegas on Saturday – I know there’s some questions there – how do you think both of these quarterbacks have represented their homes and made the most of their opportunities to reach the highest level?) – “I think they’re both very talented. They’ve had a lot of success throughout their careers, lives. From what I know about Marcus (Mariota) – I’ve never met him, but what I’ve heard just in talking to people, this is somebody who embodies a lot of the characteristics that we’re looking for in a football player. Tough, smart, team-first. Obviously Tua is that same way. So a lot of respect for Mariota as well as Derek Carr and that entire team and organization. This will certainly be a challenge this week.”
(Yesterday you had mentioned that the injured guys came close to being able to play yesterday and I’m wondering in the case of TE Mike Gesicki, when he went down, it looked at least to my eyes, it looked like it might be a serious injury, so I’m wondering was the injury just not as bad as maybe it originally appeared or is this a credit to his toughness that he is on the brink of returning so quickly?) – “Mike (Gesicki) is a very tough guy and again, I think for those of us who don’t have medical degrees, it’s hard to say it looked like – we just don’t know. We’re not looking at the X-rays and MRIs and things like that. So we leave that to the doctors and that combined with Mike and his willingness of wanting to get out there and fight through some things. He, along with a lot of our other players, are really trying to fight through and get out there as quickly as they can. Obviously we wouldn’t put them there or even practice them if we didn’t feel like they could withstand a practice or a game. Their health is first. He’s fighting through it.”
(I’m just trying to find out what the prep schedule is for this week with a game one day earlier.) – “We’ll walk through tomorrow. We’re still talking through the rest of the week as far as how we’re going to handle that.”
(There was a third-and-8 play at the end of the third quarter where you had a RB Patrick Laird run for 12 yards and a first down. I’m curious, is that something where QB Tua Tagovailoa has the autonomy at the line to check to that call? Is it something that comes into the headset? I’m just wondering how you got into a running situation on a play where traditionally it’s more of a passing situation?) – “Key word: traditionally. It’s a good call by Chan (Gailey). I think it’s honestly one of my favorite plays in the game. They play some multiple fronts there. Let’s call it dime, 7- and 8-DB packages. Chan felt like there was an opportunity to stick a run in there and we got it. We blocked it up well. (Michael) Deiter came around and pulled on the safety, who was in a linebacker-kind-of-position. Laird made a real good run and picked up a first down there. I thought it was a really, really nice call by Chan.”
(I just wanted to get an update on G Solomon Kindley’s situation and also, are you guys planning to leave after Christmas morning after everybody gets to spend a little time with the family or are you guys leaving before Christmas?) – “We’re going to leave on Christmas Day. Obviously the game is on the 26th, so we’ll leave on Christmas Day. Solomon, he’s still being evaluated. He was in here this morning. He’s going to do everything he can to get out there. He’s a tough kid. We’ll see where this is. We’ve still got to kind of do some more tests. Obviously he’s treating and things of that nature, but we’ve got to run a few more tests here.”
(We know well your laser focus. What would your reaction be or what is your reaction if you overhear a couple of your players talking about the playoffs?) – “I don’t have a problem with people talking about whatever they want to talk about, but our playoffs are this week against the Raiders. That’s my – let’s call it the playoffs, this week against the Raiders. Let’s call it that. It’s one game at a time. That’s kind of where my focus is. That’s where we’ll try to direct their focus. If they’re talking about anything else, it’s about the Raiders. It’s one game. It’s a one game season. Let’s call it a one game playoff season.”
(I wanted to piggyback on that. You have the second youngest team in the NFL. I think your average age is like 25 years old. This month, it’s experiences that a lot of these guys have never had before. How invaluable is it, not just for this year but what you’re building, to be in a playoff race, to make the playoffs and to make some noise?) – “We’re in a one game season. That’s kind of – I think it’s hard to play in this league. Whether it’s September – obviously in December, when you’re playing in meaningful games, there’s a little bit of added anxiety or stress, if you want to call it that; but it’s good to kind of go through that and realize you’re just still playing football. But yeah, it’s a one game season for us.”
Raekwon Davis – December 20, 2020 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Postgame – New England Patriots
DT Raekwon Davis
(What do you think was the most important thing that the defense did today that contributed to holding the Patriots out of the end zone?) – “Just stopping the run, keeping Cam (Newton) out of the pocket, keeping him from running the ball, keeping him from throwing the ball, quarterback runs and stuff like that, just keeping him in the pocket basically. That’s about it.”
(This is the 20th straight week, I believe, that the Dolphins have forced a turnover. What is it about the scheme that you guys put out there that makes you so good at creating turnovers?) – “It’s just playing hard, chasing after the ball, just all effort. It’s not a secret, not a scheme, not a play. It’s just chasing the ball down, getting to the ball and getting the ball.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores’ philosophy, what do you think it says about himself and what he’s instilled around the locker room that, and it’s only his second season, but he’s going to have a winning season here now that you guys have nine wins?) – “It’s just play every play, just dominate that one play at a time and just keep going, just stay focused, communicate and just playing our ball.”
(Obviously stopping the run is a big point of emphasis for you guys. I was curious what it’s like for you and the appreciation you might have for when the Dolphins are pounding the rock offensively like they did today for over 250 yards. Did you enjoy watching that when you were able to from the sideline?) – “I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ He was running hard. That was crazy. But congrats to the offense. That was a big, big, big step for them running the ball. That’s something they wanted to keep working on and that was perfect today.”
Salvon Ahmed – December 20, 2020 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Postgame – New England Patriots
RB Salvon Ahmed
(There was a report that you promised your teammates you would get 100 yards today in honor of your grandmother. Is any of that correct?) – “I don’t know where that came from. But I just went out there and tried to do my best, and they were able to go out there and make things work, and I just followed behind them. The o-line was doing great things and the receivers were blocking down field and so it was fun to be a part of that.”
(This has got to be a hugely trying year for you up and down with injuries and then when you’re in the game, you’ve had an impact. How rewarding was it for you today? You’re the first Dolphins running back in two years to go over a hundred yards.) – “It was just fun to be a part of, fun to be a part of a win. This is a big win for us and our team, and we work hard for this. I’m just happy to be a part of it, be a part of this organization.”
(You go over 100 yards. Are you then rooting for RB Matt Breida to also get to a 100-yard mark? He almost hit it at 86.) – “The more the better. We want all the running backs to hit 100 yards if they can. We’re all our biggest support in that room. We all want each other to go out there and do whatever we can. We all need help. We can’t be in there every play. Guys like Matt, he stepped up and he did his thing, and I’m not surprised by it. We all know what Matt can do, so I was really happy for him as well.”
(I wanted to give you an opportunity to shout out the offensive line and helping you with the run blocking.) – “Absolutely, man. I appreciate the o-line. Those guys, they keep me going. They make it easy on me. They get pushed down the field and all I got to do is follow behind some big dudes. Shout out to them. Getting a W is not possible without the o-line, so that’s most important right there.”
(What did you feel would have to happen today in order for you and the team to have a lot of success rushing the football and what did come true?) – “I think it just came down to executing. I think that’s what it comes down to every week. You just got to execute what the plays is called and go out there and do that all week. We practice hard as a team and just kind of go out there and execute. That’s what we expect.”
(If I could just real quick confirm the thing about the grandma. You said that’s not true? Is that not true at all?) – “My grandma, she’s doing good now. But yeah, that’s all I’ll say about that. She’s doing good now.”
Christian Wilkins – December 20, 2020 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Postgame – New England Patriots
DT Christian Wilkins
(What does it mean to be able to keep the Patriots out of the end zone today?) – “It’s big. It was huge for our defense. They threw a lot at us and they had their backs against the wall. This was an elimination game for them. So it’s big that we were able to keep them out of the end zone, get some stops, made some much needed plays at times. So that was good. It was good to see that out of the defense.”
(You’ve been a part of this rebuild since the beginning. Obviously, you were the first draft pick that Head Coach Brian Flores brought in here since he got hired. How rewarding is it now to hit a winning season and to be in control of your destiny for the playoffs?) – “No, it’s good to see. Since day one, there was never a doubt in my mind after I met Coach Flores and got around the organization that we could do some good things. But I just hope that good things can continue to keep happening for us, but it’s all about putting the work in, putting the work in each and every week and just keeping moving. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
(I need to know and get to the root of the Hamilton obsession that you have. And also, are you the reason why they play Hamilton every Friday or is it every, every day? What do you have to do to get the Hamilton music played?) – “I’ve talked about it before. I’m just like a big, weird dude. I don’t know. I just have a lot of … like. I’m passionate about the things I like. I cling on to things. I like my Hamilton, as you guys know. Still love my Power Rangers. I’m a very simple guy. I just like things. I hang onto them, just have fun with it. But as far as the Hamilton thing getting played, (Head) Coach ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) is a fan too. Don’t let him fool you. He knows Hamilton too. He kind of likes it and that’s kind of been the thing and we have been rolling with it ever since.”
(You guys gave up 100 fewer rushing yards in this game as opposed to week one against the Patriots. Is that something that’s just an improvement over the season or something you guys recognized on the film from Week 1 and that first matchup with New England?) – “We obviously made some adjustments and it was good that we were able to do a lot better this time defending them because in some ways they had, they did what they wanted in Week 1, so it’s just good to see the improvement and glad we were able to get the W today.”
(My wife is a big Hamilton fan, so she loves every time she sees you.) – “Oh, awesome. This is my birthday suit for the day. This is my birthday suit in Hamilton. Your wife is awesome. Good for her.”
(But piggybacking off one of the earlier questions about you guys having a winning season, what do you think this kind of progression has been, what does it say to the fan base about where you guys are as a team and what’s next for you?) – “Really, we just got to stay in the moment. That’s the biggest thing. Just keep worrying about each week, each game, and hopefully good things will continue to come for us, really. I’m not worried necessarily about, ‘Oh, what’s it going to look like next year, this year.’ You know what I’m saying? I just try to take it day by day and we as a team try to take it day by day and then good things will come for us if we just put our head down and grind and just continue to do things the right way.”
(How were you guys able to keep them out of the end zone there on those key drives forcing field goals? And also, did you feel a little bit for CB Xavien Howard? A couple weeks ago you had your touchdown overturned from a review and then it happened to him today too.) – “I definitely feel for him on that. I did my best. Just when you get 310 pounds running full speed in a direction, it’s hard to stop, jump, and move out of the way. But I definitely felt for him on that. But I’m just glad were able, like you said, to keep him out of the end zone and make necessary plays on defense just to win the game.”
(Why does it seem like you guys just always just find a way to win?) – “Really, I think the biggest thing is just love and care. We got a lot of guys who love football, who love each other, care for each other and just want to win. When you got that, it’s easy to play for the guys next to you, the guys around you, and for the guys on the other side of the ball. That’s really what we got. I feel like we just are a family, so that’s what we try to do.”
(Hamilton questions, I think everybody was expecting you to say, I’m not throwing away my shot. But just to follow up on that, I notice you’re getting a lot of shots on the offensive side of the ball. What goes into that for you? Like, how do you prepare for that when you’re so used to being part of this amazing defense?) – “Really just whatever the team needs of me, I’m willing to do it, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, it doesn’t matter, I’ll play quarterback. It doesn’t matter. I just want to help the team win as much as possible, so if they ask me to go play some offensive snaps, I’m going to do that.”
Tua Tagovailoa – December 20, 2020 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Postgame – New England
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Obviously 242 rushing yards is a pretty impressive number for any team. But when you have that kind of success on the ground, how much does that help the quarterback?) – “Well, I think when you have that kind of success in the run game, it doesn’t just help the quarterback. I think it helps the entire team. I think the o-line did a great job today. I think our running backs did a great job as well finding the lanes that the o-line gave them and picking their spot in the hole and getting us yards that we needed. I think that was the big reason as to why we were successful offensively today and that helped us in our passing game as well.”
(Obviously playing without WR DeVante Parker, TE Mike Gesicki, WR Jakeem Grant, WR Preston Williams for a couple weeks as well, how did you do it with the guys out there today? How did you feel about their performance?) – “I think all the guys did good, from the wideouts, the slots, the running backs. In every week, we go into preparing for a game, it’s always next-guy-up mentality. Knowing that we weren’t going to have Jakeem (Grant) and we weren’t going to have ‘D.P.’ (DeVante Parker), I mean, that’s tough; but you’ve got to get a good groove with the guys that you’re given, and we went out there and did our best to make that work.”
(You had a couple rushing touchdowns, but I want to ask you about the one where you were scrambling. It looked like you put a juke move on a guy and drug another guy in. Do you, does that, is that some moves, some more moves that your teammates didn’t expect from you?) – “Yeah, well, I tried to do everything I could to get in the end zone. I just got to work a little bit more on some other dance moves I got going. (laughter)”
(Two quick questions for you: How important was it for the third quarter for you there to come out and direct a scoring drive right out of the bat? The second one is, as you look ahead to next week just what are your thoughts on the possibility of seeing Raiders QB Marcus Mariota back there in Vegas?) – “I think that would be awesome seeing Marcus (Mariota) because me and Kamu (Gurgier-Hill), we’re from Hawaii. Marcus is from Hawaii. Me and Marcus went to the same high school. I think that will be something pretty cool, something special. But I think going into the third quarter, we wanted to start better than we did in the first half. I think the first half we did pretty well, but the decision I made down there in the red area kind of put us back a little bit and kind of kept the Patriots in the game. And that whole first half, I was drowning. That was my fault because we had points there and I tried to force that. So third quarter and fourth quarter, second half, we just wanted to come out and take what the defense gave us, and then you guys saw what the o-line and the running backs were doing.”
(I’m wondering if you could speak to the resiliency of this team, not only given all the guys who were out today, but there were several plays that looked like they went very much in your favor and then upon a review, or what have you, it was overturned. How did you manage to overcome all of that?) – “Well, you’ve got to have that next-play mentality and then one-play-at-a-time mentality after that. So I think that’s what we did as a team, both offense and defensively, and then you can include the special teams in there as well. Whatever opportunity we were given, we tried to make the best out that have opportunity and when all else fails, we try to revert back to our rules and what we have gone over in practice.”
(I think today was your sixth start. How would you assess how you played, not just today, but throughout your first season?) – “I think there’s a lot of things that I need to continue to work on. It’s a continuing learning process for me as well. Going up against a Bill Belichick defense, that was a tough challenge for us offensively. But like I said, I think the offensive line did a tremendous job and, in both the run and the pass game, and then you also had the running backs doing their thing as well. But after this game, we’re just going to enjoy it. We’re moving on to the next game.”
