Brian Flores – November 27, 2020
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Friday, November 27, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Will QB Tua Tagovailoa be playing on Sunday and will two of your running backs – RB Salvon Ahmed and RB Myles Gaskin be playing Sunday?) – ”(Salvon) Ahmed will be out. We’ll list him as out. Myles – we’ll watch the film and make a decision. He was out there today. Same thing with Tua (Tagovailoa). We’ve got to watch the film, see what it looks like and then we’ll make a decision.”
(Last year, your team made significant improvement later in the year as opposed to earlier. Do you think this group can make a similar jump and have you seen signs that that could be coming?) – “Last year was last year. I think we just take things one day at a time and try to just make improvements. I think we’ve seen some of that over the course of the year; but again even what happened last week or two weeks ago or the first 10 games of the season, that doesn’t matter either. We’ve just got to try to get better on a daily basis. That’s the message every day for everyone here – players, coaches, support staff. And I think if we just try to do that and we focus on that, then the results hopefully take care of themselves.”
(What’s it been like having DT Christian Wilkins back and if he’s ready to go Sunday, what type of impact do you think he’ll have on the line?) – “It’s good to have him back. It’s always good to get anyone back from injury … we’re excited to have him back. He’s full of energy. He brings juice and energy every day, so we’re excited to have him back and everyone’s excited to have him back. It’s always good to have guys back in the lineup.”
(G Solomon Kindley – what’s his status for? You did not give an update for him.) – “Solomon (Kindley) will be out this week. So before you guys get – (Salvon) Ahmed is out, Solomon Kindley is out. Jakeem (Grant) and Tua (Tagovailoa) are questionable.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa being questionable and having to watch the film. Has anything changed or is there any chance he doesn’t play? You kind of mentioned that you weren’t worried earlier this week about that thumb.) – “Any time there’s anything, you’ve got to make a declaration. So we have to watch the film and see what it looks like, but we just figured ‘questionable’ was the best declaration for him as well as Jakeem.”
(Sometimes when quarterbacks have an issue with their thumb, you hear about them having difficulty gripping the ball. I’m wondering is it more on that level or is it just his ability to deliver a pass where he wants it to go that might be a concern, if any concern is there?) – “Any time you have an injury to any body part – whether it’s foot, hand, shoulder – any hindrance is a hindrance is a hindrance. I think we just try to work through it, treat it. And that’s what Tua’s doing like any other player. As far as – and everyone’s a little bit different – so some guys, it’s their legs that if they don’t have any legs under them, then that’s what’s a hindrance. Some other guys, it’s a shoulder. So I can’t say specifically for Tua or really any other player as far as what exactly what they can play through or not play through. I know he’s a tough, tough kid. He wants to play and we’ll see how this goes.”
Brian Flores – November 26, 2020
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Thursday, November 26, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening statement) – “I just want to send condolences to the Cowboys (and) Markus Paul’s family. (It was a) really sad day yesterday and throughout the league. Markus Paul, he was just a fantastic human being. I just hope his family takes comfort in knowing that he impacted a lot of people in a very positive way – players, coaches, just people in general. This was as kind-hearted and genuine a person as I’ve been around. He certainly had an impact on me and it’s a big loss for the league, so condolences to his family and the Cowboys. I just pray for comfort for his family.”
(I was curious, QB Tua Tagovailoa showed up on the injury report yesterday with that throwing hand injury. It was reported that it was something minor that happened in practice. Is that report accurate?) – “He got banged up a little bit. He’s a tough kid. He’s going to do everything he can from a treatment standpoint, so we’ll see. I don’t think this is something that we’re too, too worried about. I think we’re just going to continue to treat it. As far as how accurate the report is, yeah, he got dinged up in practice. He’s getting treatment and it’s better today, so we’ll see how it goes.”
(My question is I wanted to know what G/T Robert Hunt’s development in terms of when he plays, how much has it sped up his development?) – “I think any time you get experience in-game, you develop. That’s everyone. That’s players, it’s coaches, it’s officials, it’s chain crew, it’s everybody. So I think playing, that’s the best way to really improve. You get experience of it and feel the speed and the aggressiveness of a defensive lineman in his case, seeing secondary pressures – different pressures than he maybe sees from us – corners coming, safeties coming. So I think he’s definitely improved as a well as a lot of our young players offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Playing helps for sure.”
(Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile seems to be one of the most enthusiastic coaches on your staff. I don’t know if you’ve followed along, but I’ve been asking him a bunch of food questions and questions about himself throughout the season. Just what can you say about his energy and what he’s brought to coaching staff, especially with taking on a bigger role in the last couple weeks since when you guys were out with those coaches in the COVID protocol?) – “Yeah, ‘Camp’ (Anthony Campanile) is a good young coach. We’ve got a lot of good young coaches on this team, and yeah, he brings a lot of juice and enthusiasm. I think any time you can bring energy to the team, that’s always a good thing. It’s a tough sport. It’s demanding. We ask a lot of the players, so we try to tell the coaches if there’s any way you can make it fun, then feel free. ‘Camp’ does a good job and we’re happy to have him on the staff, as well as everyone on the staff. I think all of these guys work hard. It’s important to them and they do their best to try to put the players in positions to have success. I think we’re no different than the players. This is his first year in the National Football League, so to the previous question, every game is experience for him and other guys who haven’t coached in this league. A lot of our guys have college experience. Honestly, hearing some of those things that they did, whether it was at Michigan with ‘Camp’ or Cal with ‘G.A.’ (Gerald Alexander) or West Virginia with Robby Brown; just hearing some of the things they did when they were in college, I’m open to all of those suggestions so it’s been good.”
(I wanted to ask you about leadership. I’m writing a story about leadership for this weekend and obviously it’s something that’s very important in coaching. I guess as much as you can sum it up, why can a leader be the difference between a good franchise and a bad franchise?) – “Can you say that question again? I didn’t catch all of it.”
(I’m just curious why can a good leader at the top of the organization be the difference between a successful franchise and one that’s not successful?) – “I don’t think it’s ever about one person, not in football at least. I think it’s about a collection of people – ownership, head coach, GM, assistant coaches, players, equipment. It’s a team game on the field. Honestly I think it’s a team game from an organizational standpoint, as well, so I think we need leadership from everybody. I can’t begin to tell you what goes on in the equipment room, what goes on from a field crew standpoint; but I do know that if we don’t have leadership from a grounds crew standpoint, we can’t go out there and practice because we won’t have lines and numbers and things of that nature. I think you need leadership across the board. I think (Chairman of the Board and Managing General Partner) Steve Ross and (Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) Tom Garfinkel and (General Manager) Chris (Grier); I think we – myself – we try to as much as we can, encourage leadership and let guys do their jobs across the board. I’m not going to sit here and tell (Equipment Manager) Joe Cimino how we should set up locker rooms on the road. I wouldn’t know the first thing about that. I could probably come up with some ideas, but they’d probably be wrong because I’ve never done it. So to answer your question, I don’t ever think it’s about one person. I think once you start going down the ‘one person is the end-all be-all,’ you just can’t. One person can’t do everything in a football organization. There’s just too many things going on from personnel to equipment to training to nutrition to medical. What we can do is encourage leadership and let everyone be, let’s call it the head coach in their area. So (Wide Receivers Coach) Josh Grizzard is the head coach of the receivers and (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston is the head coach of the training room and medical department and so on and so forth. And we try to encourage that leadership and let those guys lead in their respective realms and trust that they’re going to do a good job, and I think our job and the job from an ownership standpoint is to have a vision for how we want things done and express that vision and then trust that guys will try to put that vision in action. Long-winded answer to – I’m not sure if that gets to what you were looking for.”
(I wanted to ask you the issues you were having on the offensive line. I know you’ve got G/T Jesse Davis in the protocol, and G Solomon Kindley with the foot. Your philosophy has always been to start the top five and figure out how to make that chemistry work. How much has the C/G Michael Deiter and the T Julién Davenport and T Adam Pankey been cross-trained to play every position, and how comfortable are you with them I guess filling in on the right side, considering Deiter was last year’s left guard?) – “The good news is that those guys have played. They’ve played together, so from a communications standpoint, the only thing we are missing is really game snaps with that group. But there’s been plenty of practice snaps between Deiter, Davenport and Pankey and (Ted) Karras and (Ereck) Flowers and Austin (Jackson) and (Robert) Hunt. There is plenty of – let’s call it practice snaps between that group. Obviously Deiter and Davenport have experience starting games in this league. They started a lot of games last year. Again, you’re right, we are going to put the best five out there. I also have confidence in those guys that because of the way they’ve prepared, the way they’ve practiced and the experience they have, if we put them in, I have confidence that the wheels won’t fall off. It’s a hard-working group; but at the end of the day, we play a tough opponent this week. They play good defense and we have to execute. That’s everybody. Obviously the offensive line is a big part of that. That’s where our focus is. It’s on the Jets, and this week’s preparation and trying to be at our best on Sunday on offense, defense and special teams.”
(Is there a concern at this particular time that QB Tua Tagovailoa might not be available for the Jets game?) – “I don’t think we’re at that point yet. He’s getting treatment, he’s rehabbing. We’ll see how this goes. It’s sore but he’s a tough kid. He’s played through some things before. We’re not at that point yet. We’re just going to take this one day at a time, which is how we deal with all injuries, situations, COVID. We just take it one day at a time. It’s 2020. I think I’ve said this time and time again, I think we all have to be ready to adjust and be flexible, and have contingency plans ready if this happens, if that happens. This is just part of that. We’re not at that point. We’ll take this one day at a time, he’ll rehab and if he can go he’ll go. We’ll see how he feels today. We’ll see how he practices today. We’ll have a better feel this afternoon. You guys will be eating turkey and you’ll ask me about it tomorrow. (laughter)”
Robert Hunt – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
G/T Robert Hunt
(What are some of the sort of points of emphasis from the coaching staff for the offensive line this week?) – “There’s nothing specific. We all came in the building trying to get better this week and I think that’s as a whole, as a team. So we all just came in and we’re trying to work better this week. We’re trying to work harder and we’re trying to improve in everything.”
(It looked like last week the Broncos had a lot of stunts and twists that may have gave you guys a little bit of trouble. I guess for us who may not know a little bit more of the ins and outs that you guys work on, what is it about maybe those plays that cause a little bit of confusion sometimes?) – “It’s just a part of the game. I feel like everybody has stunts and twists. We’ve just got to be better and we’ve been better at it. Sometimes it doesn’t happen the way you want it to happen. So we’ve just got to improve and keep working at it.”
(I’m curious, do you remember meeting with Head Coach Brian Flores pre-draft? Did you have a chance to chat with him and if so, did you get an idea then of the kind of coach you’d end up getting?) – “Yeah, I did meet with him. I do remember meeting with him pre-draft. I met with him at the Senior Bowl. Serious guy and he’s been that way; so yeah, pretty much I had an idea. I had an idea.”
(What’s the feedback you get from Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall about how you’ve played?) – “I don’t really get feedback (about how I’ve played). We don’t really get feedback. We just – when we win, we look at what we can fix and improve on and when we lose, we look at what we can fix and improve on. So me personally, I just come in and I don’t really look for him to tell me what I can do better because I feel like I already know, so I just come and try to improve and work my tail off each day.”
(Regarding Head Coach Brian Flores, what has impressed you about him since you’ve started playing for him?) – “Everything. Good man. I think that’s the start of it all, when you’ve got a guy leading you that acts like a good man that can lead by example, I think that means a lot. It speaks volumes. He wants to win – we all want to win – and I think he’s done a great job with the team. We’re all excited for the future and right now.”
(Obviously you guys got a little bit of uncertainty this week with G Solomon Kindley’s injury and G/T Jesse Davis on the COVID list. How is that for you not really knowing who’s going to be beside you maybe how you guys flow on the right side?) – “It is what it is. I’m just going to compete and wherever they need me to play, wherever they need anybody else play, they’ll play there. Wherever they need me, I’m just going to stick in and do whatever I can to play well and compete.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I’m wondering your opinion of how you think you’re doing getting through your progressions – maybe through to the third read, say – and what has to happen to improve on that?) – “I think the way I feel about my performance is there’s always things that I can continue to get better at and I think that’s day-in and day-out every day of the week. And how you do that is you continue to get the reps that you need in practice, more games under your belt and just being able to play in these tough games and whatnot. That’s really how you can get better at those things.”
(One of the most interesting things we thought you said after the game on Sunday was that when you were observing those final couple drives and seeing that receivers, if they might not be open that they’re open still. Since Sunday, obviously have you had conversations with some of your receivers just to – I know you talk to them every day – but since then just about kind of creating more space and knowing when you get the ball to them?) – “I would say to your question, what we try to do in our routes versus air is we just try to work on a lot of timing. I think the biggest thing for me is I need to be better at if it’s not there, trying to extend plays and our guys trying to get open and try to find holes to where we can get better with our scramble drills, if that makes sense.”
(I’m curious, when you were at Alabama, obviously you had a lot of speedy receivers who kind of would streak open at times and now you have a lot of bigger receivers who may be more jump-ball specialists? How does that kind of transition for you having different type of receivers and having to adjust to that?) – “Exactly what you said at the end. I think that’s what it is. It’s all about adjusting. We have a fast guy – I think all of our guys are fast. The thing is, we really have one really, really fast guy and that’s Jakeem and I think for me, it’s just finding who I’m throwing to, knowing the timing with those guys, understanding who’s running that route and things like that. It’s really just all about adjusting. That’s why we have practice and I’ve got to continue to be better on giving these guys opportunities to have good run after catches.”
(You probably experienced this past week what we, who have been covering Head Coach Brian Flores for the last couple years have known, that he is an in-the-moment win-the-game type of coach. I’m curious, when you first met him, you built the relationship with him six, seven, eight months ago or whenever it was – what were your first initial thoughts about him as a coach and I guess how have they evolved in the time since?) – “Coach Flores is a very passionate – he’s very passionate as a coach and he’s very disciplined as a person with the things he does. I would say as a team, the more success we have, in a way the guys start to kind of lay back a little; but that has never been the case while I’ve been here with ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores). We never change anything and the recipe to success is how we go out and practice every day. With his philosophy, you’ve got to work hard to go out and be successful.”
(You often point to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s tutelage as a big help to your game and since you’re playing a team you’ve already seen this year and how the tape where he went out and played against this defense you’re going to see on Sunday, how does that kind of help benefit your preparation this week?) – “I would say it helps tremendously. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been out there and he’s seen this defense. He’s played against them. I’ve only had about like three snaps against them the last game we played, and just hearing his thoughts on where he would go with the ball, how to manipulate guys in the back end and also where we want to attack these guys; but I think a big deal with this, too, is I have to take ownership on being disciplined with seeing things for myself as far as the film, looks that they give and whatnot. To me, it goes back to discipline, kind of like what Coach Saban (University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban) actually said: ‘you either suffer from the pain of discipline or you suffer from the pain of defeat.’”
(One of the things that has been talked about quite a bit in the past several days is sort of a concern about if you pull a quarterback, you could be messing with his confidence and we asked Head Coach Brian Flores about that the other day and he said, “hey, Tua’s a confident guy, I’m not worried about that at all.” You know yourself better than anybody, so where is your confidence level now and are you avoiding any temptation to look over your shoulder during a game?) – “I would say my confidence level as a person, it never varies. It stays the same to me. And like I said, with whatever happened in the Broncos game, it was really for the benefit of the team. And the conversations that we kind of had, too, in a way leading up to it, are in-house and I don’t know – it just can’t be explained, if that makes sense. But for me, there’s no looking behind me or to the left or to the right. It’s what I can do to help our guys be successful and we have another week, another opportunity to do that.”
(Going back to the tight windows and not being able to take the completions out there like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had told you, are you kind of afraid to make some mistakes out here? Is that something that’s kind of playing a factor into maybe some of your timidness as a passer?) – “I would say to that question, it’s not me playing like I’m scared or anything. It’s me trusting what I see. If I don’t see the guy open, I’m not going to throw it and that’s really how it’s been in the games and also in practice, too. It’s one of those things where you’ve just got to practice. You see it, you practice, get throws with guys in tight coverages and tight windows and then you kind of dictate how you felt through that and if you didn’t like it, then it won’t happen in the game. So that’s kind of how I see it.”
Mack Hollins – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
WR Mack Hollins
(I don’t know if this has been asked to you already. It probably has. But I need to know the inspiration for the touchdown dance a couple of weeks ago. What was it like to teach DE Shaq Lawson on the sidelines after that game?) – “I mean most of my dances are pretty made up whenever I’m feeling it. That was my second touchdown. My first touchdown, I did the backpack dance, which kind of just hit me. Then this past one, I don’t know what that one’s called. I kind of made that one up, too. I don’t know. Maybe the ‘Mack Roll’ or something like that. It’s just whatever – whatever I’m feeling at the moment, I’ll just break out. I just play in the moment. I guess my dances reflect that.”
(We haven’t gotten a chance to talk to you a bunch this season but I see you’ve switched from the afro to the free-flowing hair. When did you make that switch and what led to it?) – “My hair is just whatever I’m doing that week. Sometimes I’ll braid it. Sometimes I’ll have it like how I have it right now. Sometimes I’ll pick it out into the afro. It really depends on if I get it braided, if I feel like dealing with it and how much time I have before a game or who is coming down. If my parents are coming down, usually I have it more under control than if they’re not coming down.”
(What was it about the Dolphins that was appealing to you? And I’m doing a story on Head Coach Brian Flores and I’m curious, what kind of a change in coaching style was it from Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson to Flores?) – “It wasn’t really up to me. Obviously I got claimed off waivers so I didn’t really get to choose the Dolphins, but I’m glad that I’m down here. It’s a young team and it’s a team that I enjoy being on because there is a lot of energy and we have a lot of fun. Now we’re starting to win games and understand how to win games. I think I came at a great time and I’m glad that I can be a part of it. I think every coach is different that I’ve ever played with. They’re all great in different ways. I had success when I was in Philly with Coach Pederson and we’re having success down here with Coach Flores. It’s hard to explain. It’s like comparing two players; it’s hard for me to explain their differences when they’re both being successful. It’s a little easier when one is not successful and one is successful, so I’m not really sure how to answer that other than they’re just both good coaches in their own way.”
(Obviously you’ve played more on offense here the past few weeks but I wanted to ask you about your position as gunner on special teams. What do you enjoy most about doing that and seeing your effort out there? There have been many times this season where you have caused disruption back there on the back end of a punt return.) – “Anybody who has ever played gunner will tell you that it’s probably like the hardest rep you can get in football. I mean it’s basically just run as fast as you can but get beat up along the way. It’s just a ‘who wants it more’ type of thing. Usually it’s one-on-one. Every once in a while you get a vice or a two-on-one; but if it’s one-on-one, it’s just who wants it more. And I really enjoy that because in my mind, I’ll always want it more than the person across from me. That’s just my opportunity to prove that. I really enjoy that play because I’m able to run, I’m able to be physical and that goes to my traits as a player, being a big and fast guy. I really enjoy it. Gunner is probably my favorite position special teams-wise and I like causing that disruption down there.”
(One of my most read stories of the year is about your hair. It’s the only one that wasn’t about QB Tua Tagovailoa, so thank you. I didn’t get a chance to ask you about it but I still wrote a story about it. I wanted to follow up about Head Coach Brian Flores. I’m originally from New York and he’s from New York – he’s from Brooklyn. How does Coach Flores’ personality and leadership style sort of align with what the perception of New Yorkers is. He’s obviously a New Yorker.) – “I don’t know. I don’t really know the perception on New Yorkers, really; so I’m not really sure. I mean ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) expects a lot from everybody and there’s nobody – whether you’re practice squad or the starting quarterback, he expects the same from you. He expects you to be great. He expects you to play at a high level. I don’t know if that’s what New Yorkers are. If they expect a lot from you, then New Yorkers aren’t half bad. (laughter)”
DeVante Parker – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(We all saw the cartoon that came out this week. I’m curious, what sort of reaction have you gotten from people, whether it’s this week or in the past, and what has it meant to you?) – “A lot of people want to be on there. People from the team are always asking me, ‘Man, I got you.’ It’s something big to me. If people like it and they want to be a part of something like that, it makes me feel good, really – that they want me to be a part of something like that going on.”
(How have you seen QB Tua Tagovailoa respond to being pulled from the last game? How has he responded to that?) – “He responds well. Tua, his confidence is still there as well as in the game. His confidence is still there and he’ll be just fine. We’ve still got plenty of more games left, so he’s got plenty of time to bounce back.”
(As a player who expressed some confidence issues yourself in the past, what are some things you could probably tell QB Tua Tagovailoa moving forward to help him out in that regard?) – “Come on, man. I didn’t have no confidence issues with me. I’ve just probably got to talk to him and tell him everything will be ok. There are other games ahead. Just move on. We’ve got to move on. Like if I drop a pass, move onto the next play. That’s how it works.”
(This past week was the second straight week you’ve tried to make a miraculous catch. What do you think your best catch in a game has been?) – “My best catch in a game? Do we count onside kicks?”
(Whatever you want to count.) – “Yeah, I’m counting that. The last – the home game we just had (against the Chargers), the (onside kick) that sealed it away. I’d say that was the most important one right there. As far as the best one, you can count that.”
(I wanted to ask you about Head Coach Brian Flores. Specifically this year, what has impressed you about how he’s handled the team and everything?) – “I think he does a great job of handling the team, regardless of making sure everybody is out there doing their assignment right. Just checking on people to make sure everyone is good and stuff like that. Little conversations on the side. He’s done a great job of getting the guys together as a team. We’re all one. For that, we want to play hard for him and do whatever we can.”
(What are some of the things you guys need to do so QB Tua Tagovailoa can complete some longer passes in the game? I think in the Arizona game he had his best performance where plenty of passes were over 19 yards; but that hasn’t been the case in the other games that he’s started. How do you guys help improve in that area?) – “Improving on what?”
(To get longer receptions in the game. I think in the first couple of starts, they haven’t been over 20 yards, outside of the Arizona game. So how do you guys try to kind of expand the field together?) – “Have plays that are deep. That’s it.”
(Have you ever gone to a quarterback and told him ‘even if I’m not open by a lot, throw me the ball, I’ll make the contested catch?’ Is that something you’ve done with QB Tua Tagovailoa or might want to do?) – “I’ve done that in the past, like in college or something. I think I’ve mentioned it to him once before, but I’m not really sure. I feel like if you just throw it up and give me a chance, I’m going to come down with it. Either me or I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get it. That’s all I need is a chance; but we’re going to work on that.”
(Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. What are you eating good at DeVante’s crib?) – “DeVante – ain’t nothing gong on at his house for Thanksgiving. I’ll probably end up going somewhere else, but I don’t have nothing going on here.”
(I wanted to ask you more about the big explosive plays you guys need to get going. Do you go to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and say, ‘this is what I do well, this is what I don’t do as well? Maybe call some of the shots that have worked in the past?’) – “I’ll talk to him. He asks me what I want and I tell him exactly what plays that fits me perfectly well, like my strengths. We just have to execute them.”
Antonio Callaway – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
WR Antonio Callaway
(Can you give us a description of what this journey has meant for you and what it meant to suit up a few weeks ago? And obviously you had a catch since then. Just knowing the process and the steps it took to get this far?) – “It was a journey. It was a tough one, but my agent stayed in my corner, my agent stayed on me, and I just worked hard every day until somebody gave me an opportunity. I’m excited to be with (Head Coach) Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins.”
(Was there a point that you didn’t think this opportunity might come, that you thought your football days were over?) – “No, not really. No. It was always (about) me getting better with my knee, and once I got better with my knee, somebody would give me an opportunity.”
(I know a lot of people remember you from your rookie year and what you were able to do. How close do you think you are physically in football shape to where you were when you first came into the league?) – “I’m actually in way better shape than when I first came into the league because when I first came into the league, I really didn’t train as hard as I did for me to come back this time.”
(Obviously you wouldn’t be available to the Dolphins in the first place had it not been for some of the things that you’ve gone through. What did the Dolphins tell you about maintaining discipline to stay on the roster, and what have you told them to assure them that you’re going to be there when they count on you?) – “I just take it day by day. That’s all. They basically told me a day at a time and stick with it. They gave me structure. I know that. It’s been making my journey easy.”
(Can you talk a little bit more about that structure? How has that kind of helped you stay on a good path and how would you say your knowledge of the playbook is coming along so far?) – “I meet with my coaches a lot – after practice, before practice. Right now, I’m on a schedule. I have something to do all during the day, so it’s like really no free time. And when I do have free time, I still find things to do to keep me occupied.”
(Do you think being back in Miami is a good thing or a bad thing for you?) – “It’s a good thing. I get to play in front of my family.”
(We got to see you play a little bit and get your first catch this past week. What do you think you can bring with your skillset to this offense?) – “Whatever coach needs, I can bring. Whatever coach needs me to bring, I’m going to bring it.”
(If you could have a conversation with your 17-year-old self, what would you say?) – “Why – I’d say why did I make the choices I’ve made. But you live and you learn. Lessons learned.”
(We’ve asked a lot of your teammates what’s it like playing with QB Tua Tagovailoa, and now that you got your first catch and you’re continuing to build chemistry with him, what is it like playing with Tua back there?) – “It’s great. He’s a great quarterback. He’s young like me. He has a lot to learn. With this coaching staff, we can do a lot of great things.”
Bobby McCain – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(I’m curious, is Head Coach Brian Flores tougher on you guys after wins or after losses?) – “He’s tough on us after both. Even when you win football games, you still have to make corrections and you still don’t – no one plays a perfect game so he still coaches even through wins and losses.”
(CB Byron Jones was gracious talking about this the other day. He and CB Xavien Howard are two of the best cornerbacks obviously in the league, but while Xavien has six interceptions, Byron doesn’t have one since 2017, which just underscores what a ball magnet Xavien is. What do you think of that, that Byron has been so unlucky in that category and Xavien just seems to come up with one every week?) – “I’m not going to sit there and say this guy is doing this and that guy is doing that. No one is unlucky; we’re all fortunate enough to be here and be in the position we’re in. If he’s not catching picks, the ball’s not coming your way, (but) you’re winning football games and you’re getting stops and you play good football, that’s a credit to him as well and a credit to ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) for being the ball magnet that he is. I don’t really look at it as ‘oh, he has this this many picks and he doesn’t have this many picks.’ As long as we’re playing on one accord, playing good football, playing as a secondary, playing as one unit, it doesn’t matter who gets the picks just as long as we get them.”
(You guys were on a high obviously on a five-game win streak and you finally took a setback this past week. Is it a different vibe at all this week compared to previous weeks after the loss?) – “No, you’ve got to just flush it and come to prepare each and every week. It’s a one-week season. We all believe in that and we all understand that – understanding that every Wednesday, you’ve got to come work and it’s your next opponent. So regardless of if you won or lost last week, you’ve got to put your hard hat on and go to work this week. It’s definitely good to get back out there after a loss and fix some of the things that we got wrong.”
(I wanted to follow up on the previous question about Head Coach Brian Flores. Since we met him and I’m sure since you’ve met him, he’s talked about wanting to be smart, tough and disciplined, and I feel like he’s moving the program in that direction. So my question is what have you found to be unique about him that has helped establish that?) – “He demands what he asks for and as a defense, as a team, offensively, special teams-wise, we all understand you have to be hard, smart and tough to play on this team and to do the things he asks. He’s a unique coach in a way that he can get the best out of his players and he’s a great teacher, great coach and we’re just trying to just be the best we can each and every week for him – and same vice versa, he is for us.”
(I’m curious how much have you been able to go up against WR Antonio Callaway at practice and what are your thoughts? We’ve only seen a handful of snaps with him in a game?) – “I know (Antonio) Callaway’s been in this league for a minute as well, especially with the Browns. I still remember the slant he took for like 60 yards to the house. I forgot what game it was I was watching, but he’s a good player. He’s coming along. He’s learning the playbook, I’m sure. I don’t know what you want me to tell you on his snap count. That’s not really my job, but I can say I know he’s a good player and he looks like he’s getting better and better each and every week in practice.”
(A couple times on this call you’ve alluded to some corrections you guys want to make from last Sunday to this Sunday. I’m curious from both your personal perspective and as a defense, what are some of those corrections you’re working on?) – “I can’t tell you that. Just stopping the run. Yeah, just trying to stop the run and play good defense as a whole – communicate, tackle better, tackle well. In that realm.”
(Thanksgiving tomorrow – what’s on the plate at your crib? What are you eating good?) – “For sure, I got dressing for sure. Collard greens, a little turkey, a little ham, a little bit of both. I’m not big on the yams. I’m not big on the yams. Some corn, green beans, couple rolls, warm rolls, butter rolls. That’s about it. A nice Sprite. I’ve got to drink so much water, I’ll get me a nice Sprite. (laughter)”
