Skylar Thompson – August 21, 2024
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Wednesday, August 21, 2024
QB Skylar Thompson
(This is the first time we’ve ever seen camp where you’ve taken the majority of the second team reps. What has that experience been like and what have you learned about yourself?) – “I’ve learned a lot about myself. It’s been probably one of my favorite camps because you truly have to just take every day as its own, and not look ahead, not get ahead of myself but just attack the day in front of me and making the most of the opportunities that I get whatever group that’s with. The twos, threes, whatever the case might be, just taking advantage of the opportunities and getting better. You strive for perfection at this position and everybody wants to be perfect, but I think what I really have enjoyed this camp is honestly making mistakes and then correcting them, whether if it’s in a live rep, later on a couple of practices later, or whatever the case may be. Just seeing the learning really apply to the actual practice or game, whatever the case may be, but seeing the time put into a mistake and being able to learn from it and apply it and not make that same mistake again has been huge for me. Just showing my leadership, I think that’s the thing that I really take pride in and hone in on in my role is just being a great leader and being a great teammate every time I step into the huddle. The guys believe in me and feel the confidence in the way that I speak, the way that I talk, the way that I call the play, all of those things, they make a dramatic difference in the huddle. Just being myself and having fun playing this game, it’s a great game. It’s a kids game, just reminding myself to have fun each day I’m out there.”
(How much different is this than during the season running the scout team, preparing the defense for not your offense?) – “It’s tremendously different, because you know when you’re running the scout team, we’re running the schemes of the teams that we’re playing. Sometimes where there is some carryover as far as we try to put it in our words, our terms so that we can get reps even though it’s not technically our offense. There are some times where it’s kind of hard to do that and you’re running some concepts that you haven’t really experienced or I haven’t experienced running before when you’re reading them out. But just trying to get the most out of it in those situations on the scout team and help the defense be prepared, whereas this, we’re in our offense every single day and we’re learning new stuff, taking it from the classroom, and applying it to the field. It’s all the stuff that we run each and every day and I’ve been doing for the three years, so it’s a little different in that way.”
(How has QB Tua Tagovailoa taken another step this year?) – “I would just say you hear his voice more. I’m not saying that in a way of like you didn’t hear it in the past. He’s done a great job of communicating with everybody and just telling receivers what he wants, whether it’s coming out of a route a certain way or running it a certain way or whatever. He makes it known how he wants it to be done and guys respond well to that. That’s been really cool to see from my perspective. But Tua is Tua. That guy – from the day that I came in here and met him, he’s the same person. I think it speaks volumes of who he is and his character and the values that he has. It’s been super cool to be a part of the room with him and Mike (White) and being able to be so close with those guys and grow with them through the journey. So it’s been really cool.”
(Can you express how big Friday is for a guy like you? How do you approach it?) – “Yeah, I’m approaching it just like I did the last two games. It’s no different, it’s just what’s next. That’s, like I said earlier, kind of the approach that I’ve been taking is just one day at a time. Whatever is at stake for the day, I’m going to attack the day and win the day, whatever that may consist of. I know it’s a great opportunity for me and a lot of guys. I think that’s what’s really cool about this time of year is you’ve got guys fighting for roster spots in their positions groups and all that type of stuff. It’s just making the most of your opportunities and being a great teammate on top of all that. I think that’s what’s been really special about this group of what we have this year and the culture that we’ve built here. It’s special, and there’s a lot of guys that are rooting for each other, pulling for each other, wanting their teammates to have success and see success. So I think that’s super cool to be a part of and very special what we’ve got going on here. Thankful to be a part of it, for sure.”
Jaylen Waddle – August 21, 2024
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Wednesday, August 21, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(This is usually the space where the bet on the wide receiver room, the draft, is paid. Is there a winner? Is it determined yet?) – “No. No, actually it’s a tied ball game, 10-10, and I think today we just tied it up. So it’s going to all come down to this preseason game. We’ve got a lot riding on this game, me and ‘Reek’ (Tyreek). We’re coaching our players up, and I’m confident that we’re going to come out victorious, man.”
(Can you take us what you’ve been going through the past couple weeks and now the process of working your way back?) – “Just getting back right. Just listening to (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and the guys, listening to my body. Something minor but something that we had to respect, and I’m just happy to be back out here working with the guys.”
(Something that normally you would be able to work through if it was regular season?) – “Definitely, I’m always ready to go. Sometimes they just got to pull me back and keep me from myself and ultimately having me out there for regular season.”
(So the assumption is you won’t play on Friday?) – “I don’t know. They want to go out there, I’m always down to get out there and play so whatever they want me to do. I guess y’all got to ask (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel).”
(Last year I don’t believe you played in the preseason. Did it feel any different going into Week 1 not having any preseason reps?) – “Yeah, definitely. It definitely is, because that’s the first time being tackled in six, seven months. So it is a little different, but ultimately, it’s about health and the best thing for the team and for myself.”
(You were pretty snakebitten last year, right? It seemed like every week even if you didn’t miss time, you got knocked out of a game for a series or two getting checked out. What was that like going through all those bumps and bruises last year?) – “It’s definitely difficult, just getting the minor little nagging injuries. It’s just part of the game. Obviously something that you don’t want, but you’ve got to respect sometimes, but yeah, it’s football.”
(Going off of that, your past three years what has being sidelined – briefly or at length – what has being sidelined taught you about how to pay attention to the game, what to watch for when you’re not actually able to be on the field?) – “You see a lot more, especially when you’re not playing. You get to watch the offense work especially from the sideline view and when you get back in the game, you kind of can take some of the stuff you learn from the sideline. It’s just like a different point of view knowing that you don’t have to focus on listening to all these special teams and having players around. You really get the feedback of receivers, what they’re seeing and going to the quarterback and telling him. So you kind of get a different view and it definitely helps you when you get back out there.”
(Where would you assess where QB Tua Tagovailoa’s game is at right now?) – “Man, y’all see it, man. Day-in and day-out, he’s just making tremendous plays, playing with a lot of confidence, leading our guys and I’m excited for him. I’m excited for the year, excited for the team and what he’s going to contribute to the team.”
(Combo of practices – when you have two different NFL franchises practicing together and against each other in drills, take us into what that is and what that’s like – Dolphins and Bucs – and just give thoughts to that.) – “It gets real competitive out here playing against someone. We love it. I know receivers love it because you get to go against different DBs. You get to not go against the same DBs every day that know kind of how you play, what you’re going to do; so you get to try different moves and see how it works and you get to really try all the stuff you’ve been working on throughout the year so it’s great. I know it’s great work for the DBs and everybody here, but we love it.”
(What do you think the biggest growth will be in Year 3 of this offense for you guys?) – “I think the understanding. I think everybody understands where to be, the scheme, kind of understand what (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) is going to call. We’ve got a lot of chemistry and banked reps with Mike (McDaniel), so it’s just having that chemistry and knowing the offense, play-in and play-out, what we’re going to see.”
(What is the biggest thing you’ve seen from an improvement standpoint with QB Tua Tagovailoa because you’ve been with him since freshman year?) – “The biggest improvement? I’d say his communication, really leading us out there and in the huddle. He was kind of not as talkative when he first came in just due to culture, and I know just being at Bama with him, the standard was already set so I feel like it’s something that he learned. But he’s much more talkative, really does a good job of telling us what we want, what he wants and just leading the guys.”
Mike McDaniel – August 21, 2024
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Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Can you please fill us in on everything you can about WR Tyreek Hill’s apparent hand, wrist, thumb, something injury?) – “Yeah, I’m really good at thumb war – he lost. I kind of alluded to it with Jaylen Waddle back at home, but there’s certain situations where you’re in training camp and you’re practicing. Tyreek (Hill) could practice today, however, there’s also times that because of the timing of where their bodies are at, it kind of puts them at risk to get further injury. And so it’s really, from a medical standpoint you’re just trying to let something cool down so you don’t have something happen at the expense of regular season games. He’s been very active, but we’re trying to make sure there is nothing – that we keep him out of harm’s way.”
(So out today and Friday with the thumb?) – “He’ll be around but yeah; he won’t be participating in team.”
(Is the strategy, for the most part, to rest the starters for the third preseason game?) – “We will play some starters; we won’t play others. The strategy is just where guys are at. There’s jobs to be won and then to really evaluate all of the jobs at stake, you end up prioritizing certain aspects of your team and getting game reps for the guys that haven’t played in games as much. So for a majority of the starters, today is a very big practice because some of them won’t play – there will be some that do, but that is just kind of how I look at it overall. Case by case but trending that way.”
(With TE Jonnu Smith, we saw him play well into last week’s game. Is this just part of the exercise of working on that Jonnu Smith package and is there a name for that package?) – “Wouldn’t you like to know. I think it was important for us to – it’s one thing just getting some plays, it’s another thing in the offense being able to speak the language, hear it from an auditory fashion, then go play, then have different adjustments. So I think it was important for us to get him some burn that way so he could be comfortable like we know him to be and for him to be his best self. I think Jonnu (Smith) is an example of, I think there is multiple players offensively for us that can serve different roles at different times, which from a schematic standpoint, you’re able to present different problems in varied personnel groups and feature different skillsets that makes your offense more multiple. And on top of that, I think we got to see a little taste of what he can bring to the physical mentality of our unit and our team. I think one thing that I haven’t heard people talk about – no offense, but I’m not really reading much in training camp – I think his second touch during the last preseason game was cool for multiple reasons. If you look back on it, seeing some of his teammates on the sidelines and what energy he brings to the game, how connected the team is at this stage. I think we’ve been a very close team the last couple years and I think we’re much further along in those relationships and so that’s exciting for us. I think he is a galvanizer and I think the sidelines you can see how that is.”
(Did you ever really cross paths with Baker QB Mayfield during the pre-draft process? And then, in your sense, what are your thoughts on him as a quarterback?) – “I don’t think I crossed paths necessarily with him in the process, but evaluated him thoroughly and was very, very impressed, specifically with the way that he was able to kind of create and define his own timing within his offense collegiately. You could tell that that competitor with also that football rhythm to him, that translates to the National Football League. So I was high on him coming out, and I think he’s had a cool story where the really good quarterbacks in this league, quarterbacks that have success, you have to be able to handle the highs and the lows. I think he’s experienced both and came out a prime example of how to continue to progress your game, all the while people are talking that they love you or hate you, whatever you deal with, you just keep working on your craft. I think he is a galvanizer of teammates. I think he brings people together and there’s certainly a lot of energy when he makes a play from the whole team. So you can tell what he means to this team and why he is having success.”
(Yesterday, Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith talked about the benefits of the third year in the offense and how guys understand the bigger picture better. I’m curious from your perspective, have you felt a more streamlined communication, be it calling plays in the huddle in camp or games? Have you noticed a more streamlined version of that?) – “Absolutely. Reps are key, especially deliberate reps, and I think there is a lot of things that are benefits of being able to have a streamlined communication and expedited coaching process to the players. Because the one thing is not only do all your position coaches understand the expectations, but the players do as well. So you get a new guy on the team, a new guy in your position group, the fastest way for people to learn how to do something is to watch a teammate do it correctly. So the more elite technique that we are able to put on tape, the faster the process goes for all new players. I think that is what you’re looking for. Year 3, you kind of expect that, but players have to earn that or work towards that and I think they really have leaned into it, found new ways to get better, while sharpening their axe for the stuff that they’re good at.”
(Your starting five-man secondary hasn’t been together very long during training camp, what do you want to see from them today, if they’re out there? What do you need to see from them before the Jacksonville game?) – “I think while they all haven’t been together at the same time necessarily, as much as you kind of forecast at the beginning, the one thing that – why is that important? Well, it’s communication, both pre-snap and post-snap. And the good news is there has been a lot of variance on the back end and that’s been helpful in that people have had to communicate with all sorts of different complexions of the secondary and that helps us because that communication is more consistent as a result from each group because you have to – from a defensive perspective, if you’re not communicating well, it’s evident by the result of the play, particularly on a pass. It’s all connected, and I think really that’s why everything has been so encouraging this year because we’ve taken advantage of every single opportunity to get better. I think in the meeting room and in walk throughs because of the potential lack of group consistency, guys have really stepped up to the plate to get some of the best walkthroughs and get some of those communicative reps so that we can bridge the gap. That would be led by Jordan Poyer and (Kendall) Fuller and (Jalen) Ramsey has had some really good walkthroughs, and that seems like rabbit pellets to some, but everything adds up to what your product looks like on the field. So the circumstances, you want people to rise to the occasion and bridge the gap where there is some room for error, so to speak. And I think they really have, so I would expect – I’m very confident in what I’ll be seeing in the group and fortunately enough for us is we have the depth that if one or two guys aren’t in the group today, the expectations don’t change. That’s how competitive it is.”
(Are we likely to see QB Mike White and QB Skylar Thompson both today and Friday?) – “Yes, likely.”
(What’s the most important thing that one or both of those guys can do to show you who they are?) – “I think it’s so important in the process for coaches and players to be connected in the appropriate way which means transparency from me. So I’m very comfortable and confident with both those guys knowing individually what they can really work on and that has been an ongoing process. So for me, each individual I’m looking for that continued growth in circumstances that are ideal or maybe aren’t ideal. I think the whole complexion of this – we’ve kind of turned it on its head this offseason for how we’ve approached it because it was a unique circumstance where we felt there’s two guys that know the offense, have shown that they’re capable of executing and I don’t need to see them throw to wide open receivers. I need to see them handle things to earn the respect and regard of their teammates by the way they handle things and find ways to do positive things for their job in the midst of turmoil. What that is is very layered and convoluted, but at the same time, that’s only because the connectivity of the coaches and players during the process. I want to see growth for what we’re emphasizing, and I want to see them thrive where others would fail. I think we have a couple more supreme opportunities, I’m excited to see that.”
(This offseason, around the Pro Bowl, QB Tua Tagovailoa hinted that he’s got four areas this summer that he wanted to improve at. And he didn’t share them with us, I’m not sure if he shared them with you, but without divulging his secrets, how has he progressed on those areas that he said he wanted to improve on?) – “Let’s just say my confidence and my previous proclamation of him being as coachable as any player I’ve ever been around and a freakish learner, so absolutely we were connected from our exit interview right after the season, where we first began the conversations of what those things could look like, and him being the competitor that he is, he wasted no time to attack those. I won’t divulge exactly what they are, but I think visibly you could see one of them the first time you guys saw him. And it wasn’t like, OK, you started to notice that because he was getting to that point of emphasis – no. He wasted no time to do what you’d hope, which is, ‘Hey, bottom line, I want to get better. I’m not happy with the results, so I’m going to work to change them,’ and I think that’s been the whole mindset of the team. You’re led by the quarterback, so it’s very important that he is that way for himself, for his production, but along the same lines to lead by example for what players and coaches and the whole organization need to do for us to get what we want.”
(When OL Aaron Brewer was in there, we saw basically the same exact offensive line the entire time. Now that he’s been gone, we’ve seen different/same offensive line, are those your top five or six guys or are you still thinking maybe somebody could jump into that position?) – “No, the competition is very good at that position. I do think that the guys that have been working with the first unit, that has been about seven guys. I think they’re pretty solid in their areas. There are some pretty competitive battles going on from specifically in the interior where if I’m the fifth or sixth guy, my job isn’t necessarily as set in that role and that you could – there is just some real growth from some of our younger players. As well as lineups have changed a little bit since (Aaron) Brewer went out just because the complexion of how many players we have at the position and who’s overstrained and who’s not. I feel very good about the top portion of our offensive line, and I feel very strong about the competitors pushing those guys to the point that there’s some spots still to settle, but it’s not because the failure of one; it’s because the push from another.”
(Yesterday was S Jordan Poyer’s first day out there. What was it like for him to be out there again?) – “Yesterday was an example of the power that one player can have toward a unit. He’s a tone-setter. We talk a lot about communication on defense because you’re positioning yourself to be in front of the offensive play at the beginning of the snap. So how convicted you are in your calls and your responsibilities and your alignment and assignments, that is the tone-setter for the play. Even before the ball is snapped, Jordan Poyer impacts the team in a huge way by how he tone-sets before the snap. There was a couple of examples in practice specifically that after the period, Tua went up to Poyer directly and was like ‘Wow. That was tough, you played that with conviction. I was trying to look you off and it didn’t work.’ He has an impact in the way that we absolutely hoped, and it’s awesome to have him out there for a multitude of reasons before the snap and after.”
Mike White – August 20, 2024
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Tuesday, August 20, 2024
QB Mike White
(Yesterday we got a very interesting explanation from Head Coach Mike McDaniel about the goal for this camp for the quarterbacks is to put you guys in the most adverse circumstances and situations that he can to see how you responded to it. What is your reaction to how you responded to it in terms of what you’ve faced this camp?) – “I think we’ve talked about it a couple of times after games, once you let your mind start wandering to that, you’re kind of screwed. I’ve taken the approach of whatever my plays are that day, play them out lead your group, no matter who it is. It could be Tyreek (Hill) and Jaylen (Waddle), it could be the rookies, it could be anybody. We do such a good job of rotating guys. There are times where you’ll take reps with the threes and Tyreek is in there. You’ll take reps with the ones and all rookies are in there. That’s just kind of how we operate, which I think is pretty cool – you get reps with a ton of different people. That’s kind of the approach you’ve taken, just whoever you – I can’t play coach and player; I can’t control who is on the field and also play the position. So when I get in the huddle, that’s when I find out who I’m with and then lead those guys to the best of my ability.”
(How important are these next series of days at the joint practice and then the preseason game, how important they are for the quarterbacks?) – “It’s every practice is important. I know it sounds super cliché quarterback talk, but that’s what I’ve learned throughout my time in the league is it’s never just one thing, it’s a collection of things. If you start thinking one practice is more important than the other, or one week is more important than the other, you start to get out of your mental state and you start to worry about the wrong things and then it starts to show up on the field. No, I’m going to approach this thing the same way I’ve approached it from Day 1 out here before we even got to joints. So I’m just going to do my job, go through my reads, do my footwork and all that good stuff that we talk about and just play ball.”
(How difficult is it when you don’t have a set unit or set group to sort of get that proper evaluation?) – “Such is life as a backup quarterback. You don’t get to control when you go in, you don’t get to control who goes in there, you don’t get to control how many reps you got prior. It’s the nature of the beast, and we all know what we’ve signed up for. I think this is a cool way of trying their best to replicate it. You just got to kind of roll with the punches and know there’s going to be ebbs and flows. You just got to get guys right and be that calming presence in the huddle, because a huddle can feel when a quarterback is stressed out or tense, then they start to panic and they don’t get to do their jobs. Then you’re starting to affect their livelihood and their family, so that’s kind of how I look at it – I want to put these guys in the best possible positions to make, if not this team, some other team, or whatever. It’s a crazy league, we never know what’s going to happen. That’s just kind of how I’ve wanted to approach it. Maybe in my younger years I’d be stressing out or all that good stuff, but I’ve been trying to keep a level head and have fun with it.”
(You’ve always been solid in that regard that you’re talking about, going into a huddle as a backup. I know your days with the Jets. What’s kind of the approach and mindset that you need to take into the situation?) – “I think experience helps. Having a couple of starts under my belt and having been thrusted into a game that you didn’t think you were going to, so experience helps a lot. I just try to be – like I said, calm them down, maybe crack a joke a time or two, just trying to get these guys to relax. Especially when you’re with young guys, there is so much anxiety, so much, ‘Oh, I got to make a play, I got to do my job. If I don’t do my job, the coaches are going to get on me.’ So you try to eliminate that to the best of your ability for them, just to let them go out there and just play. Obviously, the guys are more talented at this level, but at the end of the day, it’s just football. That’s what I try to communicate to them and try to convey, and hopefully it calms them down and let’s them just play their game.”
(What’s an example of you going into a huddle and lightening the mood, whether it be with a joke or any other way?) – “This past game where we were going to take a knee and we didn’t have a running back, so every play was a pass play. I go in the huddle, and it’s an obvious QB kneel, right? So I get in the huddle and I’m like, ‘Hey, we’ve got fly to trips right,’ and I gave them like a pass pro, and the entire offense line, all young guys, I’ve never heard them speak up so loudly in my life. They were all like, ‘What?’ Something like that, just to kind of give them – obviously it’s at the end of the game so we’re relaxed, but I just try to do something like that. Especially last game with (Je’Quan) Burton at running back, there’d be a couple of TV timeouts, I’d just tell him like, ‘Take this thing, I’ve never been a part of something like this.’ It’s almost so bizarre that it was funny, and it was just something we’ll all share together. I’ll see some of these guys down the road and be like, ‘Hey, remember when Burt had to run outside zone after never taking a handoff in the NFL?’ (laughter) Just something like that, just try to get them to calm down and enjoy it and try to have fun, because it is a stressful time of the year.”
(What advice do you give to the young guys heading into this week? Everybody knows what this is.) – “No doubt, I think that’s the hardest part. Because you can tell them until you’re blue in the face not to worry about that, but I think if you kind of recognize what it is and just kind of face it head on and realize, hey, it’s the nature of the beast. It happens, we’ve all been through it. That’s what I try to tell them. I mean, shoot – I was cut like four or five times one year in New York during COVID, just going up and down, up and down. You just try to acknowledge it and tell them, ‘Listen, man. If you just put good stuff on tape, no matter what’s going to happen, that’s out of your control. The only thing you can control is your resume, which you hear everybody talk about it and that’s your tape. So just control that, have fun with it, fly around. Other teams are going to see that if it’s not here, and more importantly, these guys are going to see that and respect that.’ You never know what’s going to happen. You never know if you’re going to get your opp Week 1 or Week 18. There’s so many injuries, so many different things that can happen, so as long as you just play the right way, how they talk about it be fast, physical, elite technique and all that good stuff. You play the right way and have fun doing it, more times than not it’s going to work out.”
Anthony Weaver – August 20, 2024
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Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(In watching LB Jordyn Brooks and LB David Long Jr. play together for the first time in game action, I can’t help but think about the fast, physical, elite technique principle. I’m curious how you view those guys through that vein?) – “Those guys exemplify all of those terms. I think you saw that they not only were out there communicating and trying to command the defense, but they were hitting everything moving and whenever you have that at the inside linebacker position, that’s intimidating and ultimately, that’s what we’re looking for.”
(I wanted to ask you about corner, obviously with CB Cam Smith out some time, do you feel like you have enough behind CB Jalen Ramsey, CB Kendall Fuller and CB Kader Kohou? Obviously with CB Ethan Bonner, CB Siran Neal, the three rookies and CB Nik Needham – what gives you confidence that you do believe you have enough after No. 3?) – “I have the utmost confidence in all of those guys who aren’t as heralded let’s say because their approach to work is the same each and every day. Even the guys that have been in this system and been around the league for a while, they still approach each day with the mindset of getting better. And when you have that it doesn’t matter where you are slotted in the depth chart, you’re going to improve and you’re going to make strides, and ultimately, you saw that in the second half of the game for us. Those are guys who aren’t necessarily pegged as starters, but they go out there and they play very well. So I have the utmost confidence because of that.”
(With LB Jaelan Phillips, how much do you think early on you can count on him? Obviously, how his body responds is a big part of it, but are you planning, “Hey, we can get 50 snaps out of this guy Week 1,” or is it going to be something that goes along?) – “I think we’re going to have to listen to his body, right? Ultimately, I don’t think you want to put a number count on that kid, but we know we have to be smart in how we approach this so he can maintain and last throughout the entire season. But I’m certainly not counting that kid out of anything. You saw how fast he’s gotten back from the Achilles, and he looks like a manchild out there when he has gone.”
(Yeah, I was going to ask you how he’s performed in practice so far.) – “He’s looked great. He’s great. He looks like the Jaelan Phillips we all expect to see.”
(What have you seen from the edge rushers as a group? We know LB Emmanuel Ogbah is the veteran, LB Quinton Bell has maybe cooled off in the joint practices and preseason games, LB Chop Robinson and LB Mohamed Kamara are youngsters, LB Jaelen Phillips might be limited – but as a group, what are you seeing from these edge rushers?) – “Man, I love that group. Going into the season I think there was probably a question mark there, just because of the injuries that have occurred toward the end of last season, but each and every guy has showed promise and showed that they can do something positively for this defense. So I’m incredibly excited about the young bucks. You’re talking about Mohamed (Kamara) – you saw glimpses of them in the last preseason game of what they’re capable of, so I think we have all the talent in the world in that room and just like the cornerback position. I think (Outside Linebackers Coach) Ryan Crow does an incredible job with those guys. They just approach each and every day with purpose and intent to go out there and try to get better at their craft. And as long as we approach each day that way, I don’t care who’s out there for us, they’re going to do something positive for the group.”
(How would you assess LB Channing Tindall’s training camp/preseason?) – “Oh man, I’m so proud of that kid. Just because I know nobody puts more pressure on themselves than he does because of where he was drafted and what he wants to be in this league. He’s just come out every day and gotten better. Coach Barry (Linebackers/Run Game Coordinator Joe Barry), Coach O’Donnell (Defensive Assistant Matt O’Donnell), they’ve invested in him and he’s soaking it all in, and now you see the results of that on the field. Incredibly proud of that kid and the strides he’s made, and I think he’s still on the ascending, still on the climb, so just really excited for him.”
(When you talked about CB Cam Smith a couple of weeks back you mentioned confidence being an issue for him and being a key to his development. Would that apply to LB Channing Tindall as well?) – “Of course, of course. Whenever you don’t have early success in this league, that could lead to doubt. And you certainly don’t want that as an NFL player, you don’t want that on any level of playing any sport. So the only way to eliminate that doubt is through preparation. When you go out there and work every day, ultimately, you’ll have results and hopefully we can build confidence that way.”
(DT Isaiah Mack and DT Jonathan Harris are two guys that I think I’ve seen flash at different times. What do you want to see from them today, Wednesday and Friday?) – “Just like these other guys, I just want to see a consistent approach to work. The results will take care of themselves, but as long as you go each and every day – when we’re on that field, if you take advantage of that time, because we’re not on that field long, you can’t be here in South Florida. So as long as we maximize our time when we’re on that field, when we’re in the meeting room and we’re just trying to go out there and be the best versions of ourselves, the rest will shake itself out. But those guys, I’ll tell you what, you talk about guys that compete and care and get ball and want to be a part, a contributing member of this team, that’s each and every one of those guys.”
(I wanted to ask you about two of the rookie corners. With CB Storm Duck what skill has stood out and what’s intrigued you about CB Isaiah Johnson’s skill set?) – “They’re very different, in terms of skill set. I think Isaiah (Johnson) is big, tall and long. Storm (Duck) is a little shorter but he’s quick, has great long speed, but all those young guys – you could throw Jason Maitre, Patrick McMorris, that young defensive back group, I’ll tell you what; they’re here early every morning, they’re doing everything they can to try to digest as much information as possible, and typically when that happens, there is a little bit of paralysis through analysis, but these guys have been able to take that information and then have it translate onto the field fairly quickly. So man, I’ll tell you what, I’m not counting any of those kids out to potentially help us this season. We’ll see how the roster shakes out and things like that, but however it shakes out, those kids should have zero regrets about the work they’ve put in thus far.”
(We talked to a few guys about you and your style, and they all kind of talked about your passion, your teaching. What stood out is they were all talking about how personable you were with them individually. I’m curious how you developed that style as you were going along your coaching career?) – “I’m just trying to be authentic and be myself, right? I’m not trying to be anything else. I believe coaching is service work, so in order to get the best out of people, you got to get to know them. You can’t just be on this mountain top and be a dictator and just bark down orders at people, people don’t respond to that. So ultimately, I know where I stand. I know where the chain of command is, but we all are coworkers ultimately. And I’m trying to make sure that I can be a force multiplier in whatever capacity I can, not just for the defensive guys, but the offensive guys, the coaches on staff, offense and defense. I’m trying to help this team win a Super Bowl, so anything I can do to help, I’m going to do that.”
(I got a weather question for you. I asked S Jordan Poyer about this, have you noticed an advantage with the heat and humidity? Did you notice it against Atlanta? Against Washington? Can it be a factor against Jacksonville and Buffalo?) – “Yeah, it’s different, right? It’s certainly different. You would think it would be an advantage versus Buffalo, just what they’re doing up in – I don’t know if they still go to Rochester, but it’s certainly not what we’re going through here. Jacksonville you would think they’re in Florida, they should be OK. It should certainly be an advantage, particularly early in the season. If you’re not acclimated to it, it’s certainly going to hit you in the face early. Now ultimately, it’s football. If you’re getting three-and-outs, it’s not going to affect you that much. So we got to keep them on the field offensively and defensively we got to get them off quick.”
(What was your final record in coaching staff basketball?) – “(laughter) It certainly wasn’t a losing one, let’s say that. (laughter) We did mix the teams from time to time, but yeah, let’s just say I’m glad the season ended when it did, because tempers were starting to flare a little bit. You’ve got a lot of competitive juices flowing out there.”
(Are you a power forward?) – “I’d like to consider myself like a slash player. Sometimes I go do work underneath the rim, sometimes I go out and shoot threes. I’m an athlete. Let’s not peg me into just a big rebounder or something. (laughter)”
(Who’s the most intense out there?) – “Joe Barry – no, no. I take that back, it’s probably Austin Clark. It’s definitely Austin Clark. He doesn’t know what a hard foul is, let’s just say that. (laughter)”
(DT Benito Jones being out for a little over a week now, you’ve gotten a lot of snaps out of DT Brandon Pili. What’s your attitude about him? Is there an NFL body and skill set there do you think?) – “Yeah, (Brandon) Pili has all of the attributes to go out there and be a productive NFL interior lineman. He’s still learning the finer things of playing the position, but he has all the skill in the world and just like all of these other guys I’ve talked about, he comes to work bright-eyed ready to go. As long as you do that and then you take the coaching and try to apply it on the field, you’ll get the results. I’m certainly pleased at where he’s trending so far in his early career.”
(How did LB Chop Robinson and LB Mohamed Kamara respond not only when the lights came on Saturday, but also when they’re facing somebody at joint practice, and doesn’t have the same jersey at them?) – “Let me go back to the Atlanta game; I’ve never seen two people so disappointed that they weren’t able to take the field. They were genuinely distraught. Now when they got under the lights, nothing changed for them. They just went out and continued to do what they’ve done at practice which is try to apply the coaching and let your technique and fundamentals allow you to make plays. Now I joked with ‘Mo’ (Mohamed Kamara) because Chop (Robinson) has his TFL, and then maybe a few plays later Mohamed makes his play. I was like, ‘Oh, you felt like you had to catch up, right? You felt like you were behind.’ They have a little bit of healthy competition between each other. They love each other, they work together, but you need that. You’re always chasing something. Just that little internal rivalry between the two of them is pretty cool.”
(Regarding your secondary, I don’t know how much time the five of them have been out there together. How much time do they need together before they get out there and face QB Trevor Lawrence and QB Josh Allen in Weeks 1 and 2?) – “We certainly have to get the defense as a whole out there together. There’s a couple of guys that are battling through some small injuries, but I have the upmost faith in all of those guys, because they’ve played so much football. The collective football IQ is so high that I don’t think it will take long for us to get on the same page and gel together. Even though they’re not necessarily out there taking full speed reps all the time in practice, they are getting a ton of jog through reps. They’re always talking, communicating in meetings. You try to steal reps that way.”
(Tell me how you see S Marcus Maye role as a Dolphin in 2024?) – “Did you see him in the game? The guy was flying around hitting everything. I love Marcus (Maye). I love his professionalism, I love his toughness, he is a guy that’s incredible. He started for seven years in this league, yet he approaches practice like he’s a rookie and he’s learning and he has something to prove. I think that says everything about him. If you’re a young player and you don’t look to Marcus Maye as an example of what it is to be a pro, then you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
(Have you identified maybe one, two, three guys that are going to be your leaders on defense? Your coaches on the field this season?) – “It’s tough for me to identify just three, but I think leadership is plural. At any particular moment, you could be called on to be a leader. Do we have guys that are going to be at the forefront of that? For sure, absolutely. But I certainly don’t want to pigeonhole anybody, any one player into that role. Because if you’re one of those 11 guys on that field and the ball is coming your way, lead. Lead and do your job. To say there is a few, I guess you can anoint people, but ultimately, shoot – I want everybody that’s on this defense to be a leader.”
(How is LB Bradley Chubb doing in his rehab, and what’s his mindset?) – “I’ll tell you what – you talk about a guy that is just attacking his rehab with a fierce intensity but still has an incredible effect on all of the guys in the locker room. That is like the ultimate sign of a leader and a pro. Because I’ve been in his shoes, and when you’re not out on the field, sometimes you feel like it’s hard to step into that leadership role. But I just think is shows the amount of influence and the regard his teammates have for him that he is able to lead in an incredible capacity when he’s not out there. I love him and appreciate his work. I see it every day and can’t wait for him to get back out on the field.”
(What has stood out to you from S Jevón Holland this year and maybe his development?) – “Jevón (Holland) wants to be great. There are examples where I showed the defensive guys where literally he’d be on say the 10-yard line and run to the opposite pylon in pursuit just trying to make a play. When you’re constantly preaching uncommon effort, and your players and your leaders, like Jevón, are showing you visually this is what it is, how easy is that for me as a coach to now hold everybody else to that same standard. Dealing with some things right now, but when he’s out there you can see the impact that he is going to have on this defense. The safety position is incredibly important. I think if you look back at the Baltimore tape and the history of the Ravens, you know how valued that position is. So there is certainly excitement for what he can do when he gets out there.”
Frank Smith – August 20, 2024
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Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I, of course, wouldn’t ask you about who in your view is leading the backup QB battle. I would never ask you that, but I would ask you this: is the margin between the two, do you think extremely slim or do you think one of them is graded a little bit of distance over there?) – “I don’t necessarily know if you’re saying it’s this or that; I think it ultimately comes down to what we’re looking at in training camp. Each day, what are we trying to accomplish? How are we trying to get better? How are we trying to execute what we’re trying to do? And I think that’s where it’s like you look at this time of camp and you really want to make sure that you’re maximizing each day especially when installs go down, we’re repeating a lot of the similar concepts. And I think that with the guys the next couple days of work are going to be really vital and we’re excited to practice today and get to Tampa and finish up training camp.”
(Yesterday Head Coach Mike McDaniel was talking about the benefits of the approach you’re using with the backup quarterbacks more or less making life as difficult as possible for them. What are you seeing as the benefits in helping you judge who is the man for the job?) – “I think it just ultimately when you’re like what are you trying to get done in practice? Like what are you trying to get done at this time of year? You want to put guys in challenging situations and put them in situations where they feel uncomfortable so you can simulate game performance as much as you can. So ultimately with every position as we’re looking at it, we want to make training camp situations – we have to problem solve, we have to work through things – so that way we’re trying to make sure that we prepare them or guys just in general for the season and what comes and the challenges that come especially at quarterback. There are many layers to playing that position.”
(How much have you enjoyed getting to use TE Jonnu Smith in all these different ways and can you just speak to how much he can add to the offense being able to get creative with him?) – “Just our tight end group in general, guys that have physicality, who really enjoy playing the position of the blocking, play-action passing game, everything that we ask them to do; they do a great job. And Jonnu (Smith), it’s funny for me to see him because I coached him at the Senior Bowl on the team he was on, so to watch him and see how his career has gone has been awesome because when you work with those guys at that time, you’re kind of like, OK. And him, you knew, this guy is going to be a good pro and he’s going to have a long career. So to have him on our team and using his skillset, it’s been awesome and just seeing how he’s fitting with the guys, knowing what he’s going to be able to bring. He’s really excited for this season and so are we.”
(Is OL Isaiah Wynn someone you can even plan at this point for having early in the season? Is he someone that is part of the calculus or is it just hey, when we get him back, we’ll get him back?) – “When guys are working through stuff, they’re on their process to get better. Ultimately, it’s like they focus on their daily process to get themselves ready, but ultimately it’s like we just always have to base it on today and what we have available now and then the contingencies and stuff like that are things that we worry about at other times especially after we get through training camp when you start weighing out what things can play out with different guys and where they’re at. But ultimately he’s working his butt off like he always does and when the day comes, we’ll factor that in, but right now we’re just excited with the way the rest of the group has been playing and how they’ve been developing from spring all the way through camp to today.”
(Quick follow-up on TE Jonnu Smith. What was it you saw in him at the Senior Bowl that told you, this guy is going to be a player?) – “The way he went about his business. He was just locked in. He was attentive in meetings; he would take emphasis points to the field. Route running, you could just see when he was coming out of FIU certain things were new to him, but he was just a guy who got football. He got it fast. You can always tell when guys are coming out of college when you’re explaining things and they go, ‘Got it.’ And he had that. Then you could just see he’s a very confident guy. You can just see – like back then, ‘Yeah, I’ll figure that out.’ And you were like, ‘Shoot, I’m sure you will.’ You could see a real confident who understood football and no surprise he’s had the career he’s had.”
(On the TE Jonnu Smith jet sweep pop pass Saturday, it looked like the defense kind of followed QB Tua Tagovailoa’s action to the fake handoff. We hear a lot about his ball handling, but I’d love to hear from your perspective what his ball handling does to kind of accentuate this offense?) – “I think that’s just ultimately something we try and do in different phases of the run game, different actions we do. Their ability to see the ball and play the ball are things that we try and utilize to use in all the plays we use whether it’s run game, play-action pass or different things we use like that with Jonnu (Smith). So I think ultimately our ability to do multiple ball handlings helps a lot because I think in the run game that’s how you can manipulate defenders and try and create space to attack, and it’s great to have different guys to be able to use in different ways to really challenge the defense and make them defend the whole width of the field.”
(We heard from FB Alec Ingold last week. There was a quote that stands out where he said you guys are pushing the limits of what this offense can do and I know it’s kind of an open-ended question, but what does that look like for the No. 1 offense from a season ago to keep pushing the limits to what it’s capable of?) – “I think it comes down to when you have – the guys understand more of the core principles of what we’re looking to do and then now when we’re trying maybe a different movement to execute the similar things we’re doing. So they understand the core principle of what we’re doing, but now if we add different wrinkles, understanding of how this can impact a defense’s reaction and be able to execute what we’re doing. So I think as you understand what the play is and how you fit and then now, OK, what if we move to it from this way or if we line up in this formation and try and do it this way so the defense’s recognition of us might be different; I think that’s the big thing that they can understand now because they understand – when you’re first learning an offense you’re trying to figure out, OK, where do I need to be, what are we trying to do? In your second year, OK, I know where I’m supposed to be, kind of know what I’m supposed to do, but now I’m really kind of taking that next step of really understanding it. Now is they know where they need to be, what they need to do. OK, what if we try and attack this way? They go, ‘Oh,’ because they already know those baselines because they can see this next layer and how it fits and then they can own their element of, OK, I see where it fits so if you guys want to move from this formation to try and do that concept, OK, I see the reaction because they’re beyond looking at their part of their puzzle. They’re not seeing the reaction of, oh, I see now what the defense is trying to do and how we’re trying to manipulate it, so that’s the layer and that’s what you get through the consistency of being able to get into Year 3 of the program and the guys are – we have a group that’s really hungry to, hey, let’s challenge the threshold. Let’s make it hard now so that way when we get to the season there’s more carryover of things we’re doing as opposed to trying to limit, like hey, this is new, maybe in October as opposed to now, hey, we’re pushing the envelope, we’re trying to make it new now so it’s just more repetition as we get into the season.”
(Just to follow up real quick, it sounds like it’s a natural progression of when you’re able to implement the same system three years in a row. Is this kind of a rare stage to be in in the NFL because it doesn’t feel like a lot of teams get three back-to-back-to-back years of having the same core staff in place?) – “I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘rare,’ but I think it’s the benefit of Year 3 and I think it’s also the benefit of having the guys we have that are hungry to do the same thing over and over again. OK, and at the same time, how do you make training camp challenging? Well, we push the envelope with things because some things, hey, we do it and didn’t necessarily play out the way we thought so, OK, we see that maybe that wasn’t as good. OK, this did. OK, everyone see it, connect everyone together of how we can utilize it. So it’s like a lot of times you can experiment and really see what will work and that’s what we try and use training camp for. It’s like you get through your installation but then now, OK, how can we take these core principles and make it look like it’s something different but yet it isn’t. There’s carryover to us, but the defense might see a whole other recognition of things going on.”
(I wanted to ask you about short yardage. I think you had four chances on that first drive of third or fourth-and-short, three runs, some success but you had the touchdown on the pass. How would you assess running the football in short yardage on Saturday night?) – “I thought ultimately, we understood the situation. We understood our emphasis and execution. Ultimately in training camp there’s a little bit of like, we’re installing core principles. There’s game planning, but it’s not to the layers of – because you don’t know when you’re going to get hit with the situations in camp and who will be in – but as far as like overall when you look at short yardage or red zone third down in the preseason, you’re looking at execution of the group, understanding the situation and what we need and you can see the intent with the guys, the purpose of the runners, everyone trying to execute. So we felt good about it, but ultimately, we know where we can clean up in the blocking schemes and stuff like that.”
(I wanted to gauge your mindset as far as WR Odell Beckham Jr. I’m sure you are excited to get him out there. Are you more of the I’m patient, it’ll happen when it happens; or are you kind of the opener is three weeks away, I want to experiment and tinker with what we’ve got here?) – “I think it’s ultimately when you’re dealing with guys that are working through their process you ultimately have to be patient, because what happens is, especially with veterans, they know what they need to do to be ready to go and it’s that communication between them and the staff that’s the most important thing. Because the worst thing you want to do is say, ‘I’m good…’ Stick to the process in each day and each day it’s about OK, what is the work that needs to get done today to keep us on the journey we need to, to get where we need to be?”
(I’ll ask you one on the young receivers. Obviously, you’re down to two unless WR Jaylen Waddle is able to come back to practice today. WR Tyreek Hill and WR Braxton Berrios are your only receivers who are healthy who really have much NFL playing time under their belt. Do you think WR Erik Ezukanma and WR Malik Washington from what they’ve shown you can help you come September 8 if needed and why, if so?) – “I think that’s the great part about training camp, is guys are coming in and out. They’re working through things. Guys get opportunities to show where they are at and what they can do. So with camp this year, opportunities for different guys, it differs at positions. You can see they’re maximizing it and at the wide receiver, the next couple days will be really great opportunities for the guys to show what they’re going to do. As far as Malik (Washington) and Erik (Ezukanma), they’ve had good camps. You can see – it was great to have Erik and to have the production we had in the game the other night. So ultimately when you look at it, it’s a body of work and then now, OK, what do we learn from that body of work for the next couple days, because there’s a lot to get done in the next three days between our practice today, with Tampa and the game that we can really factor. And just can’t say enough about just the guys in general and all the work they’ve put in and really their emphasis to get better each day especially the wide receivers.”
Danny Crossman – August 20, 2024
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Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(You obviously have a reliable returner in WR Braxton Berrios. I wanted to ask you what you’ve seen from WR Malik Washington as far as return skills over the last several weeks?) – “I thought he’s done a very good job, making good decisions, fearless with the ball in his hands. Obviously some things to work on, but very happy with what he’s been able to accomplish in the preseason.”
(What have you learned in the preseason about the new kickoffs?) – “Wow, a whole lot. I think it’s still a work in progress. When you look at all the kicks around the league, some of them, I think some teams are playing it like it’s a game and you’re seeing some different concepts, both from a return aspect and a coverage aspect. Some of the other teams – a couple teams are just hitting touchbacks, whether that’s going to their philosophy and their plan or that’s just something they’re doing in the preseason, you don’t know. But it’s been very interesting and it’s fun to come in and spend a bunch of hours doing something you wouldn’t normally do, and you’re seeing a lot of interesting things from a technique standpoint, from a concept standpoint, but I think it’s still a work in progress. Like I’ve said all along, I think it’s going to be a work in progress until you get four, five, six weeks in the league.”
(Obviously everybody has a different perspective, but how much of what we’ve seen so far do you think is the real version versus maybe what people just giving the vanilla, because they want to hide…?) – “Again, I don’t know. I don’t know. As I said, that’s what will be interesting. The teams that have been the heavy touchback teams, is that going to be their philosophy or is that, as you said, they just don’t want to show what they’re truly going to do. It’s going to be fun.”
(When you say game, are you saying more like offense-defense concepts being incorporated into the special teams play?) – “No, there’s always concepts. Special teams is return game, coverage schemes, it’s still concepts and plays, it’s just with the space eliminated those things changed, and then you get to the point of OK, what is going to work, what’s not going to work. There’s landmark rules for both sides that they’ve tweaked a little bit in terms of how many guys can be in certain spots, so there are things that are ever evolving, and then you’ve got to tie in that with personnel which I’m sure is coming down the road here with who is doing what. There’s some good technique things I think I’ve seen, but because of the matchup not being a great matchup it doesn’t work, but I think there’s still some merit to what you’re doing. You just got to marry the matchup with the personnel.”
(Speaking of personnel, we’ve seen Justin Reid with the Chiefs kind of being a safety kicking. Have you had a long list of guys raise their hands saying, “I kicked off in college or high school?”) – “Not a long list. There’s been a few, but not a long list. Not as long as the returner list.”
(Philosophically, are you a gambler? Do you like going for the extra yards or are you a guy that’s like, “Hey, give me my 30-yard line and I’m happy?”) – “By nature, I’m a gambler, but again, it’s not Danny Crossman – this is the Miami Dolphins. So there’s a lot of things yet to be ironed out with the Miami Dolphins in terms of how we’re going to play the game, when we want to do certain things. So those things are a joint discussion of a lot of people. I like the idea of the play, and I think it can be fun. It can be negative at times, there’s going to be big plays against you at the same time, but I like the concept and I like the idea of what this play could be.”
(Having an explosive offense on your side, does that kind of recalibrate your thinking a little bit, too? If you guys are like a defense and special teams team, old school football, maybe you’d want to gamble a bit more but the fact that you know, “I can go 80 yards on any play?”) – “Again, I think it’s going to be all those things tied together. It could change week by week; it could change based on who we’re playing. It could change based on weather. It could change on a lot of things, but I think those are constant communication, things that are going to have to take place on how to play the game, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. It’s just like you see on defense – we have a great blitz package, but we’re up 12, is this the time to roll the dice with a blitz? Yeah, it could end the game, but it could also bring the other team back in. So all those things will continue to evolve as we go through the season.”
(How real is the race among special teams coordinators in the league to give your team an edge, figure out this kickoff thing? Is that a real competition?) – “I think every guy wants to have his team win, so I don’t think it’s a race amongst 32 of us. It’s a race amongst the teams to put your group, your team, and be the difference between winning a game and not losing a game. I don’t think that’s – that’s never changed. The new rule hasn’t changed the philosophy of what we’re trying to do. The key is winning the game. Maybe when I was younger, it was, ‘We’ve got to do…’ I want to win the game. You win the game, you go to the playoffs. You win enough games, you go the playoffs and you get a higher seed. You get a higher seed, maybe you get home field advantage. It’s about winning the game.”
(So it’s still in that same continuum?) – “Yes.”
(I wanted to ask you, who stood out to you on coverage units in the first two preseason games?) – “There’s been several guys that have done a good job. The guys that you expect, the guys that have done it in their career, Siran Neal and Duke Riley, then guys like Quinton Bell have done a good job and stepped up a little bit. Then the last game, a lot of rookies playing in the second half when we kicked off a couple times and those guys being aggressive – Patrick McMorris, ‘Mr. Perry’ (Mark Perry), ‘Mr. Johnson’ (Isaiah Johnson), the group, they’ve all done a good job. It’s been a good class, and we’re going to have hard decisions to make.”
(With the three young corners, the three rookie corners you have, with CB Isaiah Johnson, CB Storm Duck and CB Jason Maitre, what have they been able to do and show you from a special team standpoint? Any of those three stand out?) – “They’ve all stood out in different areas, and they’re three good football players.”
(Have you decided whether you’re going to keep offensive linemen on kickoff return without giving away strategy?) – “How do you do that? (laughter) How do you do that? We’re going to keep evaluating the personnel that we’re going to use.”
(Is that a trend in the league that teams are experimenting with?) – “you’ve seen a lot of people playing a lot of different people out there. You’ve seen offensive linemen, defensive linemen, defensive tackles, outside linebackers, defensive ends – I’ve seen a lot of people.”
(Have you decided who will handle the majority of kickoffs for you between P Jake Bailey and K Jason Sanders?) – “It’s still an ongoing conversation and competition.”
(You had four kickoff returns for the Commanders, I believe all into the 25-yard line for you guys on those kind of dart – I don’t know what you call the line drive kickoff approach, but I was curious how you felt about the way the team executed those styles of kickoffs on Saturday?) – “Good, I think as I said it’s still a work in progress, exactly what we’re doing and how we’re trying to do it. This is a lot of new stuff that you’re asking guys to do, even stuff that they’ve been doing their whole careers, there’s going to be some missteps. We haven’t kicked any out of bounds. We haven’t kicked any that haven’t gotten to the 20, but it’s going to happen. If you’re going to try to be aggressive and hit some of those balls, those are some of the things that are going to happen. If that’s something you’re doing and that’s where you’re going to live, if those things happen it’s not going to upset us. It’s part of the ability to be able to get the benefit of the ball landing in the landing zone and maybe having them struggle to field it, possible turnover. Those worst thing maybe is you get a touchback and they’re at the 20-yard line. So all those things that could be positive for us, if there’s a negative, as long as it’s not a continuous thing, those are things that I think you have to evaluate and go after.”
(What is more effective in this kick return world – is it speed guys or guys that can break tackles?) – “Again, I still think it’s too early to really tell. When you look around at some of the big returns, some of them have been by design, some of them are returners making great plays. Some have been one guy being really wrong in a coverage aspect and opening up a big play for a returner. There’s not enough plays yet to really say this is what I think the true essence of this is going to be.”
(How does LB Channing Tindall look to you?) – “Channing (Tindall) has done a good job. I had singling guys out, that’s why when you guys ask about guys individually… (laughter) But Channing has done a good job. You can see the growth here in Year 3 and really happy with where he’s at.”
(What about DB Elijah Campbell’s growth from 2020-21 to now? We saw him make a couple plays on special teams. How about his growth from the time you’ve had him to now?) – “He’s always been a very talented player. Hopefully we can keep him healthy. He’s done a great job, that’s the best thing he’s done all camp as silly as it sounds, but he’s been available every single day. And when you’re available every day, you get better. You get better by practicing and playing, and I think we’ve all seen that and are really happy with where he’s at.”
(We were talking to the refs last week and they were talking about the onside change on the kickoff rule. How do you think that changes the approach for teams knowing you can’t do the surprises and it’s only fourth quarter when you’re behind?) – “It’s been – I was always a big proponent of surprise onside kicks. There are things that I like, so that aspect of the game being out of it I don’t like, but the way it’s designed now, I think we’re going to get more advantages to what’s happening in the return game, which is critical because of the lack. Really there wasn’t that many surprises onside kicks – you’re defending something that hardly ever happened, where now that’s not part of it, so the return aspect is going to be the big part. Then when you have to get into the must situation, to me it’s the exact same thing as it’s always been. You’ve got to go make a play. There’s some guidelines on where the ball can’t end – it can’t end up past the minus-40, but I think you’re going to see those same numbers and same percentages. Don’t be behind in the fourth quarter.”
(You had CB Siran Neal for one year, right, previously before this. What’s some of the traits you see consistent from that time to now and how has he grown since then?) – “He’s obviously a much better player now. He was a very talented young player when I had him, and you could feel and sense that he was going to be a very good player. And now we’re getting that on the backend of it where we’re getting the refined good football player as opposed to the guy that’s full of potential – now he’s the real deal.”
(I wanted to ask you an overall football question. Just from your experience, it’s about Head Coach Mike McDaniel and his approach. He’s got a very up with people, positive approach, player empowerment. He listens. How different is that from the NFL that you first broke into? I mean is it a 180-degree difference? Is that exaggerating? Tell me about that.) – “I worked for a lot of people in my career and I’ve worked for every part of the spectrum. There’s been guys I’ve worked with that are – they’re not just like Mike (McDaniel), because Mike is Mike, but very positive. They’ve always not always been the opposite of that, but there’s a lot of ways to get it done. You listen to people talk, there’s a lot of guys still in this league coaching, winning a lot of games and a lot of Super Bowls that are still a little bit old school, so there’s a lot of ways to do it. It’s whatever your team is and whatever your team responds to. Again, everybody is different – different locker rooms, different coaches. So we’re happy with Mike, love where he’s going and love where the team is. Let’s go play good this week, get into regular season and see where it leads us.”
Austin Jackson – August 19, 2024
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Monday, August 19, 2024
OL Austin Jackson
(On the progress since OTAs) – “I think the most encouraging thing is that we’ve been able to execute a lot of the things we wanted to get better at that we kind of stated in OTAs. And we addressed them in OTAs, some of them carried over from last year, some mistakes we wanted to get better at. I feel like coming into camp so far, we’ve done a good job of excelling at the things we feel like we need to get better at as an offense.”
(Like what would be at the top of that list, do you think? What couple things?) – “For the offensive line I would say some of those things are like our second-level blocking. Like blocking linebackers, being more consistent in our identifications because we have a lot of motions. We’re a timing offense. We try to disrupt the defense. So with that, we need more knowledge of what’s going on in the backend as an offensive line. That’s huge. And just some of our – not some of our fits – but our fits on the defensive linemen after the whistle. So there’s a type of strain and a level of blocking in our offense where we have to be on angles to be identical with the running back, so we just got better at being on those angles longer.”
(How did you feel Saturday night that first drive went for you and the rest of the o-linemen that were in there?) – “I was feeling good. I was feeling really good. I’m glad we finished it with a touchdown. I just looked back and saw it was a fourth-down touchdown, too. I didn’t know that. I was just locked in, going. Feel good about that. We were all ready to play the whole game if need be, so it’s exciting to get some reps under our belt to propel us for the season.”
(I know you’re not an individual guy, but you’ve got your contract extension and everything like that. Are you looking at Pro Bowl, All-Pro, winning a playoff game? What are you looking at now individually?) – “Just playing my best football. Doing everything I need for the team. And all those accolades and stuff that you mentioned, I feel will come with me playing my best football. So that’s what I’m focused on, is doing my job every play, making sure my technique is at its best for every play. For 18, 17 games, however long it takes, really 21 so however long it takes.”
(I think FB Alec Ingold said last week that you guys are really pushing the limits of what this offense can do. I see a nod in your head, so what does that entail? Like what does it look like when the No. 1 offense in the NFL pushes itself even further?) – “Well, kind of what I touched on in an earlier comment, we made adjustments on some of our plays that became a little bit, I would say, predictable, just because we had a lot of success with some plays in the season. And it’s the NFL, so coaches are smart, they adjust. And I feel like we did a great job on our end adjusting to their adjustment. So causing the issue, causing more adjustments is what we want as offense, and as players, we have to take in that new instruction and execute it. So I think we’ve done a good job at that.”
(In the NFL, I guess where’s the challenge in finding that balance between “you have to adjust to what they’re adjusting to,” versus “we do this really well and this is our brand?”) – “You’re right. There’s a fine line. There’s standards that we have on offensive line. Really, every room has a standard. So if you make a mistake, you want to be making a mistake in a certain way, if that makes sense. You don’t want to make a mistake passive or with bad technique. If you’re going to get beat, it should be like a hats off to the other guy type of thing. It shouldn’t be anything within our realm that we can control. So that’s like a big focus on how you keep getting better and deal with whatever adjustments you may need to make in game or in practice.”
(You mentioned playing a 21-game season. Your owner, I don’t know if you know during the game, he said, if you guys stay healthy, he expects you guys to be Super Bowl contenders. I’m wondering, do you personally talk about Super Bowl? Is that healthy for you personally to mention a goal that lofty, or how do you handle that?) – “You know, I think it’s good to mention. I think it’s good to mention, to be honest, because you need something to work towards. You have to understand the weight of that. You can’t just talk about it though too much. You can’t just say, ‘We want to go to a Super Bowl,’ and expect to go there. You set goals for that goal, and you accomplish them along the way. It’s like a checklist. Everything you want to execute every game, and that’s what we’re working for. But for me personally, I like having that goal to look forward to, which is a reminder of why we do it.”
(Now you’re several years into the league, when you look at a rookie like T Patrick Paul, do you see a little bit of yourself thinking back to 2020, you were that same rookie?) – “I wish I was that rookie honestly. He’s got it all – his size, smart, great feet. There are some learning lessons, adjusting to blocking NFL defensive ends, which he’s picking up pretty fast. And I definitely try to tell him everything I can, as I just had some experiences with that myself, you know, in my younger playing years. But he’s got it all, man, and he’s got his head on right. So I think he’ll adjust great into this league.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa mentioned that it’s taken two years to overcome some of the self-doubt that was that was sewn in previously in his career. I’m curious with you being in the same class as him, what has the bond been like for you guys because he mentioned that’s something that happened with several players that they’ve overcome self-doubt since they’ve been drafted. So what kind of bond do you and Tua have in that regard?) – “Just going through what we what we went through, it forces your confidence to grow, and that’s actually a really great thing at the end of the day. I’m grateful to have coaches that stand beside us and encourage us to be confident and execute while also keeping it real with us.”
