Calais Campbell – September 19, 2024
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Thursday, September 19, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver was telling us how huge it’s been having your veteran presence here in the locker room and how you, particularly, are not going to let this team get past that loss with another one. So how do you get everybody in that mindset that says, “You know what? That’s it. We’re going to get back in that win column?”) – “Well, it just comes down to execution and getting back to the fundamentals. Good teams don’t lose two in a row. Everything is circumstantial or whatever, but in this business, you got to find ways to win. When you’re on the road, you got to bring your special teams and your defense. So the message is really just lock in on the small details, try to make sure we’re executing on a high level with great enthusiasm and effort and just play football.”
(How do you avoid that pressure?) – “I don’t really believe that there’s any pressure, right? It’s football, we’re just playing football. The game has never changed – a little more passes than runs than there used to be when I first got in the league and a little more outside run than inside run when you do run the ball. You’ve got a little more quick throws and screens and stuff, but the game is the game, right? I tell rookies when they come all the time ‘It’s the same thing you were playing since you were in little league football. See ball, get ball. And when you get the ball in your hands, you get yards before you get tackled.’ If we can move the ball, keep the chains moving, get new sets of downs and put ourselves in positions to score points – and on defense we got to get off the field every time we get a shot, we get off the field with no big plays – that’s the only formula, it works. Everybody is saying the same thing: great execution. We’ve been really good on third downs on defense, but we got to be better with explosives. Our explosives have really hurt us but at the end of the day, it’s just football. So getting us back to the small things. We had a Thursday night game, you get a lot of extra days off so yesterday was the first time you get back in the football mentality, it can be a little sloppy, so today was a little bit better, a lot better actually. I’m going to expect tomorrow to be better. We’ve got a tough opponent – even though it’s different conferences and you don’t really have a lot of familiarity with them, we kind of do because we run the same defense. So both offenses have been practicing against the same defenses all through camp, so it really comes down to execution.”
(Spending a lot of time in Arizona early in your career, you played in that stadium in Seattle a lot in the division. Can you put into words how loud that place gets?) – “It’s one of the loudest stadiums in football – it might be the loudest stadium, but it’s football. The best way to quiet it down is make plays. It’s an emotional game. If they start making plays, the crowd gets more into it. When we start making plays, they get out of it. So we got to make some plays and quiet the crowd early. But it’s a very loud stadium and I’ve played there quite a bit – I always loved playing there. For some reason, I’ve always had really good games there. And for the most part, I’ve had some really good games there over the years and I think part of that is because they have such a good home field advantage and such a good crowd, you kind of want to make plays to try to quiet them up a little bit. But they are playing really good ball right now, finding ways to win tough ball games. The crowd is going to be into it in the home game, so it’s going to be a challenge for sure. We’re going to have to bring our A game.”
(Speaking of making plays, Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver said LB Chop Robinson is almost there. How important is it for a young guy to get there? He says he doesn’t care about numbers but to get that first one, you know?) – “I don’t think that Chop (Robinson) is lacking confidence. I think a lot of times, getting that first one is really good for the confidence. When you get that first one, you’re like, ‘OK, I belong,’ but he has a lot of what you need. A lot of good juice, he’s just got to keep getting his opportunities. Keep fighting for opportunities and you do that by great execution, doing the small things right. He’s going to get some opportunities this week for sure, and he’s close. He is close. He’s been playing some good football and Coach has been trying to find creative ways to get him on the field more because he’s been playing some good football. But you know, in this business I try to tell all the young guys, ‘Don’t worry about the stats. Just finish with wins. You finish with a win every time, the stats will come. They’ll take care of themselves. Play good football, the stats take care of themselves.’”
(What responsibility falls on the defense when a starting quarterback goes down? What does that change for you guys?) – “I feel like every defense should always have the mentality of being at our best and ensure that we give the offense every opportunity to score points, create turnovers, get off the field on those third-and-long situations, don’t let them drive and change the field position. When you got a quarterback that hasn’t had a lot of reps, you want to give them a small field. You just don’t want them to have to drive the whole field. Now it’s football, you know what I mean, things go the way it goes. But I think the biggest thing on defense though is trying to execute at a high level so that we don’t give them free yards – those 20, 30 yards, even though they didn’t score points, they just pinned us back deep, so now we got to go a lot further to try to score points. That’s going to be crucial in this ball game, the field position battle. I’ll also say that any time you can get turnovers and play with a lead, it gets your quarterback comfortable. When you have to play from behind, now you feel a little pressure on yourself, you got to do something. So we got to be really good at keeping them out of the end zone, and when they do move the ball, hold them to three. That’s going to be very crucial to us, but we’ve got to just be – this would be the game plan if it was Tua (Tagovailoa) in the game, too. It wouldn’t be any different, but I think naturally you have a little bit of, ‘All right, let me make sure we’re on point. Let me make sure we’re the best we can be,’ because it’s going to take a little bit more, in theory. But we’re always trying to be the best we can be, right? We always expect greatness. Nobody wants to be carried by somebody else. We like to say, ‘We want to be a defensive team. We want to be a defensive team that’s defensive led,’ this is a good opportunity for us.”
(I know it’s still early in the season but the reason you came here, you said you want to win a Super Bowl. Obviously, QB1 goes down for a couple of weeks. Is there still a chance? Fans start to panic about all of this with all of the teams and I know it’s so early still, but that’s how it is.) – “Nobody is winning the Super Bowl today, right? Everybody’s just getting in position, down the road and building the team, building their strength. Teams are 2-0, everyone goes, ‘Oh they’re the favorites.’ Teams are 0-2 and it’s like, ‘Oh, they suck.’ And it’s like no, not really. There are some really good teams that are 0-2 that are probably going to be in the mix when it’s all said it done. There are some teams that are 2-0 that are probably going to fizzle out – it’s just football. I wouldn’t get so caught up in the results of right now. I think it’s just playing good football. Playing good football and building – of course, at the beginning of the year you’re thinking about Super Bowl and all that stuff. Now, we’re not worried about the Super Bowl right now, we can’t. You can’t win it today. We’re just worried about beating Seattle. You know it’s going to be a tough ball game, so we’ve got to come with everything we got. But for us to go where we want to go, you can’t lose two games, you got to get those wins – stack wins. Stack wins and never stack losses, that’s the game.”
(Was there a point in your career where QB1 goes down and you guys respond – defense and then QB2 galvanizes you all and you were able to make a season out of it?) – “I’ve had QB1 go down a few times over the years. Been to the playoffs with QB3 before –”
(Could you remind me when that was?) – “2014 with Arizona, we played in a playoff game with our third string quarterback against Carolina – we didn’t win, but he played. Tyler Huntley led us to the playoffs in 2022 with the Ravens, we lost to Cincinnati. That was a great ball game, he played really good football. And I think he had started, I don’t know how many games, but he started quite a few. It was later in the season though, it wasn’t as early as this one is. But then there’s times where, even I think in 2015 when we went to the NFC Championship game, I believe Carson Palmer missed a few weeks earlier in the year and we were able to win enough, and he got healthy, came back and we were able to play some good ball. I’ve also played and had shots where the quarterback goes down early on and somebody else gets the opportunity, but it wasn’t like a premier, superstar quarterback. But yeah, it’s the NFL. It’s a 100 percent injury rate. Somebody always, and so it’s always next man up, and you just got to try to play football. You got to go galvanize the guys. At the end of the day, nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, nobody’s going to be like, ‘Oh, they’re a good team, they’re just without their quarterback.’ No, you’ve got to win ball games. Seattle is not going to take it easy on is because Tua (Tagovailoa) is not playing, so we got to go out there and beat them. I believe that everybody in here believes we can win ball games with Skylar (Thompson) or whoever else has to play quarterback – hopefully he doesn’t go down, but it’s just football, it is what it is.”
Anthony Weaver – September 19, 2024
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Thursday, September 19, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(Wanted to ask you about LB Chop Robinson’s snaps. Saw a couple of pressures. How would you assess how he’s done with his defensive snaps both as a rusher and against the run?) – “I love how Chop (Robinson) is playing right now. I know from a numbers standpoint maybe the production hasn’t been there, but when you watch the tape, you realize just how close he is. And his production, again, all he can do is give energy and effort and try to execute his technique and then ultimately through the law of the numbers, the production will come and I believe that’s going to happen, wholeheartedly.”
(As far as setting the edge on the run, how has LB Chop Robinson done with those opportunities?) – “He’s been great. He’s been great. That’s always a thing you worry about with young players just because what we ask for from a technique standpoint is so much different than what they were asked to do in college. It happened with Mohamed Kamara where he was spilling blocks; we don’t wrong-arm anything. We don’t like to trade one for one. We’re constantly trying to change the math on all levels of our defense, so there’s some re-teaching that needs to occur, but for Chop (Robinson), that learning has happened very quickly.”
(What do you think of Seattle’s receiving trio and is this a matchup where maybe you get CB Jalen Ramsey to shadow one of those guys, possibly DK Metcalf?) – “Yeah, possibly. I’m not going to sit up here and try to give these guys any advantages, but they obviously have very good receivers, right? (DK) Metcalf looks like he can come out and play outside backer for them, too, if he wants to. He’s that big and that fast and that powerful. Then you talk about the (Jaxon) Smith-Njigba kid, No. 11, and obviously he loves (Tyler) Lockett. So to me, they’re very good complementary pieces to one another and you can tell that Geno (Smith) feels comfortable throwing the ball to all of them.”
(Can you talk about your relationship with Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald and are these similar defenses scheme-wise? Obviously personnel and what you – there’s variation.) – “First off, I love Mike Macdonald. The two years we spent together, we played really good defense and just who he is from a leadership standpoint as a teammate every day, we’re very similar in our philosophical approach. I was so happy for him when he got this opportunity, and to see them at 2-0 right now is not shocking to me just because I know what his foundational principles and beliefs are. In terms of who we are on defense, yeah, I think the roots are the same. Probably how we call games is different obviously just because he’s going to see it through his lens, I’m going to see it through mine, but how we believe the game needs to be played from a defensive perspective is the same.”
(I have a snap count question. I think LB Jaelan Phillips and DT Calais Campbell played 23 snaps last game, 51 percent. That’s being monitored obviously and then LB David Long Jr. and LB Jordyn Brooks I think have played every defensive snap. Has that pretty much gone according to plan on all of those?) – “The previous game was unique, just in the way it played out. We’d go into every game if we thought we were going to play 40-something snaps and that resulted in a win – I’m signing up right now. (laughter) But some of those guys, obviously Calais (Campbell) being where he is at in his career, Jaelan (Phillips) still kind of coming off an injury. We tried to be cognizant of that once the game was essentially out of hand. Some of those other guys like David (Long Jr.) and Jordyn (Brooks), I’m going to be honest – tried to, wanted no part of it. They were not coming out of the game and ultimately that’s why you love them. You love their competitive spirit. As long as there was a second on the clock, we were going to compete until the very end. So honestly it was the same conversation with Jaelan and Calais; we were just a little bit more forceful.”
(As far as using DT Calais Campbell when games are competitive, do you and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark and him have an understanding of how often he’s going to sit on the bench and rest? Does weather in terms of heat and humidity, does that play a part of it at all or no?) – “Are you playing into his old joints? Is that what you’re trying to say? (laughter) No, to me there’s always a balance there. I had to operate under these same parameters kind of in Baltimore. You always want to make sure he’s playing in the game where you can feel he can be most impactful. Sometimes there’s a fine balance in that. You also want to do that, yet not have him sit around too long so he does start to get stiff, and that’s any veteran player. So there’s an art to it. It kind of just depends on the flow of the game is going, like how many two-minute drives and third-down plays and things of that nature. But the one thing you do know is if it’s a critical situation, there’s a high likelihood that Calais Campbell is going to be in the game.”
(You called DT Calais Campbell the best leader you’ve seen a few weeks back. How important is it to have a voice like him and other veterans in the locker room when it’s time to bounce back from a game like Thursday?) – “It’s huge. It’s huge because the one thing you know with the leaders that we have in this locker room is you won’t let one loss turn into two just off sheer emotional insecurity. Losses happen. It was a short week. You hate it, particularly to the opponent that we lost to, but it doesn’t count any more than this one and our job is to win the next game. So when you have those voices, particularly guys that have been through this. I remember I was in Houston. I forget – I guess 2018 – we started off 0-3. I don’t know what your playoff chances are at that particular point, but we ran off 10 straight after that. Now the first two, we won after that were in overtime, so we were very close to being 0-5. But the one thing I know is every team in this league is good and because you lose a game, you shouldn’t lose confidence by any means. The process is the same. Even if we won the game, the process is the same. We’ve got to correct what we need to correct, keep chasing the best version of ourselves and find a way to win the next one.”
(Kind of even with that answer you obviously have just two regular season games in – one win, one loss – was that the message going into facing the Seahawks? Just keep being consistent? What exactly is the next attitude in that getting ready for Week 3?) – “For me, it was just that. Just staying true to who we are and our process and how we attack everything, how we attack meetings, how we attack practices. The truth of the matter is when you play that Thursday game that soon; you just, you haven’t practiced a whole lot. Particularly us, with how we were coming off injuries and things like that, guys kind of in and out of the lineup. I jokingly said to (Jordan) Poyer, I was like, ‘You know, I think we’re playing pretty good, but just imagine when we can practice.’ (laughter) So obviously we get an opportunity to do that this week. We’ll get three good ones underneath us, have a kind of mental sweat Saturday and then see we do out there on Sunday against the Seahawks.”
(I know the Bills game was a long time ago, but I did just want to ask about one play – the 49-yard touchdown run. Can you help us understand – we’re always going to ask to help us understand – it looked like one of the defensive tackles got triple-teamed and the one linebacker went left when the running back went to his left. What should be know about that play?) – “It’s funny, this morning – and it wasn’t in reference to that play, it was just in reference to the defensive play overall – I was talking to our guys about DoorDash and I was like, ‘How many of us have ordered DoorDash?’ And I was referencing a time where me and my wife, we ordered all these snacks for our kids and as soon as the bag showed up at the front door, we knew the order was wrong. We were like, ‘Come on.’ We’ve all been there, and you’re pissed off and you’re angry. And I go, ‘Well, why did that happen?’ Poor communication that led to poor execution, and really that’s what happened on that play. Our comms kind of – there was a breakdown in communication and ultimately, we left the gap unfilled. It’s not about pointing the finger; it’s about getting it corrected. And again, I think the more we can talk, the less we allow those negative plays like that to happen.”
(I wanted to ask you about the defensive mindset with when a starting quarterback goes down. Human nature would suggest, hey, we’ve got to step up on our side because who knows… is that a mindset? Is that something you have to fight against, maybe doing too much when you’re down a quarterback?) – “Yeah, I always think we have to step up on our side, regardless of what’s going on offense. Again, in this game – I love our offense, I love what we do. I love how aggressive we are, I love the way we attack down the field, I love the pieces that we have. But we’re trying to be the best defense in the National Football League, plain and simple. I love Skylar Thompson. We believe we can get that done, but we have to handle our business. So for guys to think ‘We need to step up’ – shoot, our team collectively needs to step up. We lost Tua. I just saw him – it’s the first time I’ve seen him actually since it happened. Looks great, by the way. So collectively, our group needs to stand up, but I don’t think we should put any more undue pressure on ourselves than we already do to go out there and play well.”
(The current landscape of the league, passing rates are down, touchdowns, passing yards, all that stuff. Two-high structures are way up. I’m just curious to get your perspective on the cycles that are what they are in the NFL, where we are right now with all of that being the case and the running game being more popular and passing and everything being way down?) – “I love it. To me, the chess match in it all and kind of the cyclical nature of the game and how everybody is trying to punch, counterpunch and try to figure out how to stay ahead of the trends, you have to love that piece of it. So we’re constantly scouring every bit of film that we can watch, whether it’s something innovative on the college level that we’re watching when we’re scouting these young college players or trends that are happening throughout the league, just to make sure if it is, you’re able to incorporate that in your system and not confuse your players and it allows you to be more multiple when you try to do so.”
(Regarding LB Chop Robinson, you said he’s played well but you haven’t seen the numbers. That was what was said about him in college also, that he played well and those sack numbers weren’t there. At what point do you need to see numbers from a first-round pick knowing that LB Jaelan Phillips isn’t healthy and knowing that LB Bradley Chubb isn’t there? Do you need to see numbers at some point?) – “Yeah, but that’s not on that kid alone. He’s had some good rushes, and sometimes you haven’t had the coverage to match what he’s doing and vice versa. So to me for that kid in particular, the numbers will come as he earns more reps. As he continues to earn trust with his teammates and we find more reasons to put him out there, again, I believe that those numbers will come because the kid plays too hard, he’s too talented. He listens, he takes the coaching. It’s inevitable.”
Frank Smith – September 19, 2024
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Thursday, September 19, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Some of the pundits who have to fill time on these evening shows have said maybe the best thing for QB Skylar Thompson is if you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel basically limit your offense to a certain number of plays, a percentage of your offense, just the things he does best, don’t use perhaps as much as you would with QB Tua Tagovailoa. Do you agree with that philosophy? Or do you think you need to go into the game with everything available for QB Skylar Thompson that you would use for QB Tua Tagovailoa and make it available – not just available but use it?) – “I think every week, that’s your goal as a coach is you try and put your players in the best position possible to execute a gameplan to be successful. Each week, the opponent is going to give you certain areas that you want to attack, so our job each week is just to take what is the defense, how do they operate, how do we use our players to attack their defense and then put them in positions to be successful. So I think ultimately every week that’s what we do, regardless of the quarterback. I think it’s everyone – where tight ends are, where halfbacks are, where the receivers are, what are we doing with the o-line. I think every week that’s our challenge to do that.”
(So no dumbing down of the offense is needed, just to use one of those clichés, not the best phrase but…) – “I wouldn’t say that’s a cliché that we ever look at; we just look at each week, we’re going to do what we need to do to be successful, put our players in position to be successful to execute what we want to do to attack the defense.”
(In what areas would you say QB Skylar Thompson has improved since you first met him?) – “Well, he dresses the same so attire hasn’t changed, haircut is similar. (laughter) But overall, I think it’s just kind of knowing yourself, knowing how you want to play, really when you get the opportunity to play as a rookie and then go through last year and you get to observe, the biggest thing I think in all life for all of us is when you get perspective. So when you go from playing and hear, you get to see a lot and you get to have conversations and dialogues, so now you get to apply it again. I just think his really understanding of himself, how he needs to play to be successful and knowing his teammates, knowing how to communicate to them and reach them, I just think overall you grow. The hardest year as an NFL player is your rookie year. Same thing as when you’re a freshman in college; you don’t know where anything is or where I need to go. Each year, things start to make a lot more sense and I think that’s been Skylar (Thompson). He had a great camp and really excited for this Sunday for him and all the guys to get out there and play.”
(We saw T Terron Armstead battling last week. When you make the decision whether he’s going to play this week, do you leave it mostly up to Terron or do the doctor’s have a bigger say? And do you consider the long-term having him in December also into that decision for Sunday?) – “I think the biggest factor, especially with a veteran and a guy like Terron (Armstead) – he knows himself better than anyone. So you naturally listen to the players giving you the feedback, how he’s feeling and all that, where he’s at for the game, and I think ultimately, you’re working that process with a player because everyone else will have an opinion on certain things, but player has got to be the one that’s got to go out there and play. So with Terron, I have the utmost confidence with him and the communication process all the way to the game.”
(When you’re seeing the shift of obviously QB Skylar Thompson came in at the end of the game against the Bills, but did you see a shift now knowing that he’s that he’s the starter? Is there anything that you’ve told him personally? I know it’s cheesy but saying like, “You got this,” because it is a big change from “Hey, you’re going from backup to now starting the next four games or so.”) – “What always happens is is that everyone is always giving those messaging and stuff like that, it’s just what are the things that you’ve learned, for me in 15 years in the NFL, that you can help someone with. But ultimately, the biggest thing is you’ve just got to trust yourself and trust your process – it’s gotten you here. You can’t all of a sudden (say), ‘Now, that I’m in this position, I’m going to do this.’ That’s why it’s so important for everyone that’s on the roster and coaching as well every day you treat it like it’s the most important thing, each moment, and then if you put that deliberate intent to each moment of what you do in everything, therefore what changes when you change the environment around you. Because if you’re in the meeting with that intensity every day as you’re the backup of your playing the moment like you’re the starter, now all of a sudden it changes and you’ve been already taking the reps for it. I think just biggest thing is trust your process and just knowing that it’s not you versus the Seahawks – it’s the Miami Dolphins, it’s all of us. I think that’s the most exciting thing is when you play a game on Thursday the way we did, we’re excited to play this game with all of us together.”
(How do you plan on preparing for the sound in that stadium?) – “It’s a loud place? (laughter) Back there when I was with the Saints, we played there in 2013 and we played there on Monday night, too. At night, it was something else. We work through that in training camp and we have our ways that we know we can effectively operate in noise. It’ll be a good challenge. Like all the places on the road, every place is challenging with the noise, so it’s stuff that we’ve been working on and we’ll make sure we’re ready for it on Sunday.”
(Yesterday, the NFL announced the modern era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On the list was Wide Receivers/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker. Could you make the case for Wes Welker being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?) – “Yeah, tough, reliable – his career, man, it was really awesome to watch him. Especially to kind of take his role and really build upon setting the standard in many ways for slot receiver play for so long. You watch how he ran routes and you’re still teaching off that tape. Just natural instincts to leverage, recognizing space, communication with the quarterback, all things that he applies as a coach. Yeah, totally could see it happening and hopefully it does for him.”
(Do you think Wide Receivers/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker would get open if called upon to play slot receiver on Sunday?) – “(laughter) I think so. Man to man, vice, that might be challenging, but zone I think he definitely knows where they’re going to be and how to find the space.”
(RB De’Von Achane went into the game as questionable and wound up being sort of your workhorse back. Now I know RB Raheem Mostert was out of the game, but what are you seeing out of De’Von and how much more do you see the team leaning on him as the season goes on in terms of him earning opportunities?) – “You talk about a guy from his rookie year to his second year, the growth, the understanding, knowing himself, really having a tremendous offseason. So everything he’s done so far really has been a testament to him and his work with (Associate Head Coach/Running Backs) Eric (Studesville) and the extra time he’s put in. I mean, it’s just his natural instincts, feel as a runner. When you’re able to now expand upon certain things – because really at (Texas) A&M, you could see his receiving skills too. I mean he made – it wasn’t as much but you could see he could see the ball in the air and he could go find it. So it was on his college tape, and his ability as a runner was on his college tape, so really, it’s like him now knowing how he needs to play, how he fits in the offense and his timing and his understanding of stuff, and I think that all goes into his process and his work ethic. So yeah, I’m very excited with what he’s done and really look forward to Sunday and the rest of the year and seeing how he keeps growing throughout the whole season.”
(Regarding OL Aaron Brewer, I don’t know how to judge offensive line play, but I think that I’ve seen really good things from him at center. What have you seen from two games from Brewer?) – “Yeah, same thing – the athleticism, the range, the bend and coil, his run blocking. He’s extremely quick out of his stance; his ability to man reach and get on level two, his range in pass protection, working with others. I think it plays into a lot of the guys that we have; when you have versatility on the line, it gives you perspective. Clearly, you can tell I value that, because the hardest thing is when you get put in one thing, ‘I do one thing only, one that,’ it shapes your mind a certain way. But the minute you have to do multiplicity, ‘Oh, this is how it fits in,’ especially for a center once you know how the guys next to you play. In high school, I played left tackle and then played center in college and left guard in college, playing across the line – it helps broaden you and you understand, ‘Oh, OK,’ why that’s important or how I help here or how I need to block something to help my teammate. So I think that’s what he really understands, and I think his athleticism is pretty clear on tape too.”
(This morning, I think Mel Kiper may have lost his mind calling for the banishment of the two-deep defense. I don’t think there’s a team in the league that would benefit from that more than the Dolphins. Your thoughts on all the two-deep that you guys have seen? I think the Bills were in Cover 2 like 38 percent of the time, you saw a Zone defense like 80 percent of the time on Thursday. What does this team need to do to crack that Zone defense?) – “I think again, it’s us collectively executing each play and time out together, because football is a game of – there’s 11 guys that got to operate together at the same time to get something accomplished. One guy may do something great, but you still got to count on everyone doing it collectively together. I think that at times we’re operating well and other times where it’s like – we understand why, where we need to clean up things. You’ll get certain things until you’re able to build consistently to make them get out of it. That’s why this week has been great for us, great learning lesson last week that can use yesterday and today to keep getting better on, so on Sunday we can learn from what we needed to improve on from Buffalo.”
(People do say playing two-deep against this offense is the golden key to shut you guys down. Is that fair or do you think no, it’s more on what you’ve been doing?) – “I don’t think it’s ever really just – it’s never as simple as ‘it’s because of this, therefore it’s that.’ I think it’s more of, ‘OK, if they’re doing this, well, we need to make sure if we’re operating well and connected, we’re doing what we need to do.’ So I think that’s the biggest thing from the game is collectively us just making sure we’re operating well together and whatever the defense is doing, if we understand what we’re trying to do so we can maximize what play we’re doing as we’re attacking it.”
(I think TE Jonnu Smith has nine touches and off the top of my head, some pretty creative ways. What has he added to the offense so far?) – “It was the same thing he said when he came in in his visit in free agency; he understands his fit inside of the pieces we had and how a complementary piece he can be obviously with the rest of the skill. So using him in different areas to get the ball fast and more down the field and to use his run after the catch and his physicality. I mean that’s just one thing with him when you watch his career; it’s like you get the ball in his hands, he’s violently going forward and fast.”
(There’s a popular adage I’ve heard constantly from Dolphins fans that this offense is so good that anybody can run it. I personally don’t agree with that. How do you feel about that assessment?) – “Well, let’s go find a youth football team and go to work on it, see if it’ll happen. Oh I did, last spring. The other spring I went and coached my son’s youth football team and we scored 35 points. (laughter) To me, nothing’s ever as simple as. I would love to see certain people try and do everything, because for us to operate the way we need to do, it’s a process to get to where we go. And it starts in spring, it goes all the way through training camp and as guys come in and come out, it’s a process to get everyone connected on the same page. Because whatever offense you run, the biggest thing is the communication and the execution and understanding of what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to be.”
Danny Crossman – September 19, 2024
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Thursday, September 19, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Tell me what’s pleased you with your group through two games and a priority point of an area where maybe you’re not as pleased with as you liked to be?) – “I think for the opportunities that we’ve had, I think we’ve done a good job of executing in those situations. We haven’t had a lot of opportunities – punt wise, we haven’t punted a lot. Punt return, we haven’t gotten a lot of opportunities, but when we’ve had gotten opportunities, I liked the decision making. I like how guys are playing. I like how the specialists are executing. So as we all know, this thing changes in a hurry. There’s going to be times where you don’t have a lot of action and next thing you know, you have a lot of opportunity. Guys are working hard, having a good week of practice which is nice to get back into the swing of a normal week. Long way to go, it’s going to be a long season. We have a lot of things that we can continually work on. The more you are able to take looks around the league and what’s happening, and not only with the new kickoff and kickoff return rules but around the league in some of the situation stuff that’s come up, there’s a lot of things to learn from.”
(We’ve seen WR Tyreek Hill deep on a punt return. Will we see more of that this season, do you think?) – “It depends on a myriad of factors, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s out there again based on situations and games and what’s going on, and there may be certain games where you don’t see him at all. It’s an influx, fluid situation. We have several guys – as we’ve talked about time and time again, there’s guys that you feel good about being back there that are going to make good decisions, but more importantly are very explosive players with the ball in their hands.”
(Regarding LB Chop Robinson, I thought I saw him get close to a punt once. He’s probably a guy who doesn’t play many special teams because of the quality of his play from scrimmage. How has he done special teams wise?) – “He’s done good. He’s another prime example of a learning curve; we’re asking him to do some things that he hasn’t done in his past, which again that’s the nature of the beast in college football. When you get rookies that don’t play a lot in the kicking game, because of the limited numbers that we have, they need to. But he works hard, he’s a conscientious student and then obviously a very skilled player that we’re very happy to have.”
(RB Jeff Wilson Jr. has been in there. I don’t recall seeing him last season doing much special teams, is that right? That’s a good way of getting him snaps.) – “Correct, and it’s again, on the game day roster, with what’s available and who’s available and how you can use certain guys. It’s always influx thing. A year ago, Jeff (Wilson Jr.) was on IR a little bit and then he was healthy, and we had some other running backs that contributed in other ways. So again, that will be a constantly changing thing based on availability.”
(Does the ball travel farther on kicks and punts, or is that not really a thing in Seattle?) – “Not really a thing there. Hopefully the weather is not – the rain is always an issue. Getting them early in the year, the weather in terms of cold shouldn’t be an issue either.”
(K Jason Sanders has done all the kickoffs, right? P Jake Bailey hasn’t done it?) – “In the regular season, correct.”
(On the extra point and the field goal, I don’t know what the wing guys are called officially, but you’ve got DT Calais Campbell and DT Zach Sieler out there, guys with a lot of length. I think last year, Christian Wilkins was out there who doesn’t have a lot of length. Are they better suited? Change in philosophy?) – “That body type – even though you have the longer in what you have this year, and then with Christian (Wilkins), so athletic and being able to bend and lean and be able to create width to that formation, so there’s a couple ways of doing it. There’s two different body types when you look at Calais (Campbell) and Christian, but two guys that are very good at doing that.”
Tyler Huntley – September 18, 2024
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
QB Tyler Huntley
(Welcome back to South Florida. What’s it like playing in this building?) – “Man, it’s just like a dream come true. As a little kid, you’re looking up seeing the NFL and your home team being right there, you just want to be a part of it. I get the chance to be a part of it.”
(What was the moment you got the call that you’d be heading here to South Florida?) – “I had just got done working out at the Ravens facility and my agent called me and was like, ‘Man, it’s time to head home.’ I just had to get ready, take a shower, start packing my things that I could and come on down.”
(You’re smiling ear to ear. Is that the reaction you had? It’s got to be a little bit of a whirlwind.) – “Definitely. I’m telling you, I’m still in the stars a little bit being able to be home.”
(Were the Dolphins your team growing up?) – “I wouldn’t say team, but grew up watching the Dolphins because we’re right here at home.”
(Your high school Hallandale is not far from here. How does it feel to just really be in that proximity?) – “That means a lot. You got all of my people that I grew up with still down here. They’re able to get a chance to come out to the games if they can, it will be a nice thing.”
(How many people are going?) – “Oh, I don’t even know yet. (laughter)”
(What was your first reaction when you got your hands on the Head Coach Mike McDaniel playbook?) – “I was like he’s utilizing his weapons. I think it’s great what he’s doing over here. I can’t wait to get into it into it and be able to do some things with the things he’s got going on.”
(Why do you think that this is a good fit for you, this system?) – “You get to throw to some weapons and then we’re going to score a lot of points. I’m ready to contribute.”
(What is it like knowing if you were to get into a game, you have WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle in this offense?) – “It’s kind of like playing Madden. (laughter) You got a lot of weapons out there. You just got to go out there and play ball.”
(What was today like?) – “It was nice just getting out there. I’m watching the plays from a distance in the back trying to get the footwork down. It’s just amazing to see that speed out there. They’re running every play, it’s amazing to see.”
(How tough do you think it will be to get on timing? There is so much timing in this offense.) – “I got a good feel of it today. I was doing footwork from the time we stepped on the field. Coach (Mike McDaniel) is doing a great job of having me back there, going through the footwork. I’m trying to get it down, but I’m a quick learner and I should be ready.”
(How big of a hug you got from Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver?) – “Ah, it was a big hug. That’s my boy. It’s good to see familiar faces. It’s all love.”
(Do you think he advocated for you to be here?) – “I think he said some good things about me. I would hope my play did a good thing too.”
(What are you most looking forward to being back home?) – “Good weather. Good weather, good food. You know what’s around, those are the main things.”
(What’s your mindset coming into here and your understanding of what your role would be? Are you here to be someone who gives QB Skylar Thompson the assistance that he needs? What is your role going to be?) – “Definitely to be here for Skylar (Thompson) and when Tua (Tagovailoa) gets back, be there for Tua. Definitely get a grasp of this offense so whenever my time is called, I’ll be able to contribute.”
(What has surprised you most about learning this offense in the very early stages of it?) – “Just the different terminologies I got to get used to. All of the pre snap stuff, I just got to get in tune with it. It’s nothing – football is football. I should be able to do it.”
(What do you think an athletic quarterback can do in this system?) – “There is so much speed on the outside, a couple of QB runs up the middle and stuff, get the defense to play honest. There’s no way they could stick all of that speed at once.”
(Do you prefer Tyler or ‘Snoop?’) – “My momma would prefer Tyler. But everybody tends to call me ‘Snoop,’ so you can call me ‘Snoop.’”
(Have you ever met Snoop Dogg?) – ‘Yeah. Definitely, I met him at the Pro Bowl, and then I met him last year when we went out to L.A. for the game.”
(Do you think you look like him now? Or not so much?) – “(laughter) No, but back in the day I had long hair, so I kind of had a similar look to him.”
(Do you feel like this is kind of a career reset for you? A chance to kind of get things going in the right direction?) – “I think so. And just being in a great place like this, everything is new to me. I used to see the facility in Davie, so the facility being right next to the Hard Rock, practicing and seeing Hard Rock right there, it’s an amazing sight. So it’s a breath of fresh air and getting ready to work.”
(It’s obviously tough to learn a whole playbook in a week, but do you think you’ll have a package early on where you can just focus on one thing to learn?) – “No, I don’t think I would want to look at it like that, because in the heat of the battle, something pops up out of nowhere and you want to be on top of it rather than sitting out there just thinking ‘what is this?’ So I’m going to try to learn the whole thing and be ready to go.”
(What was your meeting with Snoop Dogg like? Did he know that your nickname was ‘Snoop?’) – “(laughter) Yeah, he called me ‘Lil’ Snoop.’ So when I threw a couple of touchdowns in the Pro Bowl he was like, ‘There you go Lil’ Snoop,’ so he was on me about that. But yeah, it was pretty cool.”
(Had you hoped Miami would call you when you saw the unfortunate thing that happened with QB Tua Tagovailoa? Had you started thinking about Miami? Had you hoped they would call?) – “I was thinking about it a lot. I was really thinking about it coming out of the draft and I was hoping Miami would have come and got me. But you know, God’s plan and we’re here now.”
(What are one or two of the things that you’ve learned from playing behind Lamar Jackson?) – “Oh man, he’s a gamer. He’s just a playmaker and great quarterback and a leader. He just shows you the great aspects of winning games and handling everything that’s going on – on the field and off the field. He’s great to learn from.”
(I know you’ve only been here a minute, but what are your first impressions of QB Skylar Thompson and how he’s handling this situation being thrown into this?) – “I think he’s taking it all in, he’s doing a good job. I remember seeing him when I had gone in playing against Cincinnati, he was playing against the Bills that same day when he came in the playoffs. So I think he’s going to do a great job, and he’s just got to stick to it.”
(You had to go all the way to Utah for college football coming out of Hallandale as a recruit, did you want to go to one of the Florida schools?) – “I did leading up to it was time to sign, I was ready to get out of Florida and explore. I hadn’t been too far from Florida prior so going to Utah, it was a great thing for me.”
(Did that leave a chip on your shoulder – not attending one of the state schools?) – “Yeah, definitely. Definitely. (laughter)”
(You mentioned you wanted to know the entire playbook, but you have a unique set of skills we haven’t really seen right here – your speed, your ability to be elusive. Are you going to lobby maybe for a ‘Snoop’ package that we see in games, kind of change in pace with QB Skylar Thompson?) – “(laughter) If Coach needs me to come in and step in a little bit, then I’m willing to do it. But I’m really just ready for – to step in and to win the game.”
(How much time did you spend with QB Tua Tagovailoa? How helpful has he been?) – “Man, I’ve been here 24 hours; I’ve probably spent a good little hour or two with Tua (Tagovailoa) in the meeting rooms a little bit and then walkthrough. I’ve just been talking to him and trying to get his grasp of the offense. He’s great. He’s great.”
Jaelan Phillips – September 18, 2024
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
LB Jaelan Phillips
(We all saw kind of saw the Instagram post that you made, if you feel comfortable sharing a little bit about what was behind it.) – “I think I just wanted to convey a message to people, it’s really anybody in general but especially young athletes and stuff. I feel like some people are naturally, supremely confident, but I feel like a lot of people kind of struggle with their confidence and I just wanted to convey the message that even if you do struggle with your confidence, you can still move past it, you can still be successful. It’s really about how you handle those times like that and how you move forward from it. So I just think it’s important – I feel like a lot of people might assume because we’re big, brawny athletes that either we don’t go through the same emotions or whatever, but I think it’s impactful for a lot of people to be able to see that from us. A lot of people obviously idolize us, and for us to be candid about our emotions, I think that’s super important. Especially for men in general, I feel like it’s kind of stigmatized to be vulnerable and some people might see it as soft to speak about your emotions, but I think it’s important, like I said, to convey that message and show people that they can be themselves. They don’t have to be anybody less than what they are, and they can go through tough times, they can go through times of self-doubt and low confidence, but you can always push your way out of it.”
(What was it that triggered that?) – “I mean that’s kind of what I went through after the game on Thursday. I feel like I have a lot of high expectations for myself, and I didn’t live up to my standard so kind of instantly, all of the negative voices in my head start berating me. Like I said yesterday, it takes a concerted effort to switch that mind frame and start to love yourself and tell yourself positive things instead of just pounding yourself down. So yeah, like I said, it was that process – happened on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday – it was tough because it was a long weekend, so we couldn’t just put it to bed and move on. By Monday, that’s kind of when I started to turn the page and get back into a routine, and at the end of the day, tough times don’t last but tough people do.”
(How do you start that process of being positive to yourself?) – “I think it’s important to sit with those feelings. I don’t think it’s beneficial to try to ignore those feelings. I think it’s a good practice to try to tell yourself the opposite when you have those negative thoughts, ‘I’m not good enough. People don’t love me,’ whatever the case may be. Tell yourself, ‘I am good enough. I am blah blah blah.’ But I think it’s just like sitting in that and understanding that it’s OK to have down days or if it’s two days or three days, but it’s not OK to stay down and start spiraling and to not take that step forward. So what I said yesterday, it’s like for me, my routine and discipline is what carries me because you might think about something a lot for a couple days, but then once you get back into your routine, back in here, meetings, with the boys, working out, stuff like that, you just kind of forget about it, honestly. It still sits with you, but you’re able to look at it from a different perspective.”
(What’s been the feedback that you’ve gotten on that post?) – “A lot of love. I mean it’s not like I was asking or trying to, ‘Pity me, woah me,’ this and that. Like I said, it was more about conveying that message, and really it was on my heart and I just wanted to share that because I think it’s a valuable lesson and something I’ve learned through the adversity that I’ve had. It’s just like I said, how you respond to things is what determines how your life is going to be. It’s not the moment itself, it’s how you respond to the moment. So I think a lot of people have just been like thankful that I’ve had that vulnerability and spoken out. People told me that they really related to it, that they’ve told their young kids that, so I think it was overall definitely positive.”
(What happened in the game that you didn’t feel great about?) – “I feel like I just wasn’t impactful. I guess I’m just a little hard on myself. I still got to remind myself that I’m coming off of a major injury, we had a short turnaround. It’s really only the fourth time I’ve put on pads this year – only the second full, full-speed game, like going to war that I’ve played. So I think I just got to give myself grace, but I just kind of felt that I wasn’t impactful out there and made a couple of boneheaded plays because I was trying to do too much, trying to make big plays, obviously how the game was going. So I think it’s just a good reminder to myself to trust myself and to stay within the scheme and stay within my game and not try to reach for anything.”
(With the situation that the team faces right now, having to play a month without QB Tua Tagovailoa, what can the defense do to carry their share of the load?) – “I just think we got to do our job, that’s all we can do. We don’t have to play bigger than what we are; we just got to do our job – stop the run and then rush the passer. It’s simple as that, get the ball back for our offense. So I think we’ve been doing a good job. I think we have a lot to improve on and we’re going to improve on it, but I don’t think we have to do more than what’s required of us for us to win. I got a lot of faith in Skylar (Thompson), I’ve got a lot of faith in our offense in general. So I think if we can just go out there and play the brand of defense that we all know that we can play, then we’ll be good.”
Skylar Thompson – September 18, 2024
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
QB Skylar Thompson
(I know last time when you went about starting, you told us about your dad and telling him the moment. Did you have a moment with your dad when you learned that you would be the starter and if so, can you share what that was like?) – “Yeah, I got to share it with my dad again. It was really, really special and got to share it with my fiancée as well. It was really cool to share that with her as well. My family is excited for me, it’s a great opportunity. You guys know about my journey; it’s really cool for me to share those things with my family members as I’ve continued through the journey so I’m very, very thankful for that and for them.”
(What’s it like for you being in the huddle in this role? I imagine you have to be a calming voice for guys because obviously things just changed dramatically going from QB Tua Tagovailoa. You have your starter in, now you have your backup in. But for you, what kind of quarterback or leader are you in the huddle?) – “I think first and foremost is just being myself, and for me, I’m a team-first guy. I love to go play with my teammates and that’s a goal of mine every time I step into the huddle, is for them to feel the confidence in my voice and the way that I speak the play out, the way we break the huddle, our urgency. Those little things and the details go a long way, and for me, that’s where my focus is at, is just the little details of things and having good urgency, speaking up and if I don’t like something or if I want something run a different way or whatever, having the confidence to voice my opinion. I’m very thankful for the guys listening and taking my opinion into account. That’s just the way that I approach it. That’s the way I’ve always approached it. I’ve always just learned you go to battle with your teammates and you invest in them and give everything into them, great things are going to happen. That’s my approach to it.”
(Last year, you didn’t play any games but you started a few as a rookie. What was that experience for you last year and what did you learn that’s going to help prepare you for Sunday and the games after that?) – “I think the first year, it’s an adjustment. Coming into this system which I haven’t been in another system, but I would put it up there as one of the more complex systems and for me to get experience with that my first year and getting live reps. We always talk about that; you can’t simulate live reps. I was very fortunate to get that opportunity to get those reps my rookie year and I think that was really good for me to go see that, to feel the speed, see the picture, feel the pass rush, feel all those things and feel the crowd noise. Like every single little detail, I remember and I think that’s one thing that you talk about – you asked about last year when I didn’t get a snap. I thought that was very helpful for me being able to take a step back from the offense. I’m obviously still in it, but just seeing it from a different perspective and being able to digest it and understand the why behind the what and understand being able to pick up on why Mike (McDaniel) is calling a certain thing in certain situations or all that stuff. Just being able to learn in game management situations, there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I thought really played into account last year for me that really helped me grow and develop. And on top of that, even though I wasn’t getting reps, I devoted a lot of time to walkthroughs and all those things just to keep myself up to date and to keep learning and progressing, because you just never know. And I wanted another opportunity whenever the time came and so you’ve just always got to stay ready. So that’s been my approach, and I thought that really helped me last year being able to see it from a different perspective.”
(This team entered the season obviously with Super Bowl hopes, aspirations and all that. Four games now, you’re going to have to keep them on track for the goal. Just talk about the responsibility that comes with that and why you feel like you’re prepared in this moment to do that?) – “I’m just focused on today. I’m focused on today, and when tomorrow comes, I’ll focus on tomorrow. It’s one game at a time, one day at a time, and that’s my approach to everything. And that’s been my approach since I’ve gotten here and that’s led me to success, just being able to focus on the now. What’s in front of me right now, not getting too far ahead of myself because that’s when things start going all over the place. So it’s just focusing on right now where my feet are, being where my feet are, and I think that that approach for me helps me stay even-keeled in the implementation of the game plan this week and being able to take it one step at a time, rather than trying to look at it all at once, because sometimes that can be overwhelming. So you just try to take it one day at a time and focus on today. That’s me and that’s what I’m echoing around to the guys, too.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us when you won the No. 2 job over Mike White, that part of the reason why was how your teammates responded when you were in the game. Not just in actual games, but when you were on the field at practice. What does it mean to you to hear that, that the way your teammates responding to you is part of the reason why this coaching staff has so much faith and trust in you?) – “Honestly, it’s probably one of the best compliments I could get, because like I was touching on earlier, one of my favorite parts about this game is going to play with the guys next to me. It’s been that way since I was a little kid, and I just find joy in going to battle with guys that I know have put so much into it to do their job. They’re relying on me to do my job; I’m relying on them to do theirs and that’s for all 11 spots. I feel like that trust and continuity you build is special and for me, I want to make guys feel confident when I’m in there and we’re going to make plays, whatever that looks like. Just being able to instill that confidence in those guys and get them to believe. I think that stems from – anybody can go say, like, ‘Hey, believe in me.’ But you’ve got to do it with your actions and the way that you go about things, and I feel like that’s just the approach that I’ve taken is just controlling what I control, be a hard worker, be a great teammate and put the team first in every way, shape or form, and good things happen. So that’s really cool to hear.”
(Last time you started a non-preseason game so the playoff game at Buffalo, there were some issues getting the plays in from Head Coach Mike McDaniel to you. What gives you confidence that your communication on game day will be better to get plays and streamline things?) – “Absolutely, it’s going to be a hostile environment and it’s going to be a special opportunity for us to go attack that because it is going to be a challenge. That’s the reality of it. But to me, it’s just getting work. Getting to work at it this week, getting the timing down with everything and getting guys in sync on the same page. I think that’s the most important part, is everybody being in sync together with that stuff so we can operate well and also getting out of the huddle, getting up to the line of scrimmage – all those things – all the operational aspects really help that. Truly, I feel like that was an area that I have focused on and tried to improve on and grow in, and I feel like I have made improvement in that. So it’s just going to keep continuing to build throughout the week and build that continuity and trust in the plays so we can operate quickly on game day.”
(You mentioned it being a hostile environment. What are your expectations for what you’ll experience in Seattle with the 12th man at Lumen Field over there?) – “Just hearing guys talk and guys that have been there, it’s a special place to play and the 12th man is real. I’m super excited for that. For me, that’s what you want. That’s why football is such a great game, and being able to go on the road, having a road opportunity with the guys and get to go in there and go to battle with them in that environment is fun. We’re really excited for that opportunity.”
(When you were thrown into action the first time, was there a sense of “don’t screw this up” as opposed to how you’re going into it now?) – “I wouldn’t say necessarily in that wording that’s how I felt, but it was just – it’s a lot different than how I feel now. And I felt like my rookie year, I was really – I was doing things exactly by the book and viewing everything as how I would see it in the playbook – the drop, footwork and everything – and it was all new to me. I studied it so much that I felt like I knew it so well that sometimes it kind of slowed me down a little bit, even. And that’s just another progression, part of being in the third year and having this opportunity again, I feel like I have a very good understanding of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and being able to anticipate those things and all those things come to account and help me with my progressions and all that stuff. It’s less thinking, so I’m excited for this go around.”
(Has QB Tua Tagovailoa given you any advice or words of encouragement as you kind of head into this next journey?) – “Yeah, he definitely has. He’s given me some really great advice and has been a great sounding board for me. And if I have questions or something pops up that, ‘Hey, like Tua, how’d you handle this or how’d you do this?’ He’s so quick to give me answers and to do anything to help me, and I’m very, very thankful for Tua because obviously, with the situation, I think it just speaks volumes about the person that we already know who he is. But it’s special and I’m thankful to have him around with me because it gives me confidence to have him around.”
Mike McDaniel – September 18, 2024
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So the decision to put QB Tua Tagovailoa on IR and be sidelined for four games, what led to that – to have him sit at least four games?) – “I think lost in a lot of this is this is something that Chris (Grier) and I have to collaborate on in terms of you have injuries – man, it’s clear if it’s, ‘All right, you’re out for the year.’ Anything else, you have to weigh the information that you have on that day at that moment and weigh all of the different variables. So in the process, like every other player on this team, we do what we feel is best with the information and collaboration with medical experts. We do the very best for the organization that we can – there are different ways that comes at you, but it’s not something that you ever are void of in terms of you have to make the decision with what you have. I think realistically that’s something that as Chris and I have worked together we’ve had these situations each and every year, the entire year of ‘All right, well what do we know and what’s the best thing for all people involved?’ And you make that decision – that’s what you do in these roles.”
(You said on Monday there wasn’t information yet to decide whether to put QB Tua Tagovailoa on IR. I’m curious, what more information did you receive from Monday to Tuesday that ultimately led to the decision?) – “It’s more of an accumulation of different information and again, it’s not like we’re operating today and trying to make decisions on things that aren’t today. So I think that each and every day is a big deal of information; you take all of that and we are very transparent in our conversations and I don’t think anybody questions our intentionality. So you just make the decision that’s best and move forward. I think we came to the conclusion in collaboration, and I think that’s what you have to do.”
(Did QB Tua Tagovailoa try to fight you on it at all or is it something that he was totally on board with?) – “Well, I’d hope that if he was fighting me, I’d be bruised up because I’m just not that physically imposing. (laughter) I think the biggest thing with the way that Chris (Grier) and I really go about all of our relationships within the organization is you work, day-in, day-out, to establish a trust and understand intent, and then you just communicate and have conversations that are without a shadow of a doubt the intentionality and the deliberate nature of it. As a respectful, professional counterpart, I think I’ve worked very hard to earn his respect and regard and he does everything that you’d want in a teammate. And as teammates, I don’t think he’s for a second, second guessing or understating the weight of whatever. As a competitor, obviously he loves and wants to play, but understanding how this is a process of health and you take that process with – I’ve learned a lot about various things in the science field and medical field as a head coach and being in this game for a while and you do everything to make sure that people, your responsibility to them is that you provide an environment that is absolutely best catered to maximizing them as human beings and football players and all of that. And I think the great thing about IR is there’s – for a month’s time, there’s no timelines. I always say that but I’m not sure that people quite understand; if you set a timeline based upon the information you have today, how much of whatever goes on is fulfilling the prophecy of that timeline? And is that the right thing? Especially with competitors and stuff, sometimes you can do more harm than good. I think regardless, not worrying about anything as it relates to timelines is very empowering for him as a human being to recover from injury, and that’s steadfast the only motivating factor that you have when you’re dealing with players and their careers and their injuries.”
(What is that process though? Once you have that conversation with him, you guys walk away, what is the process of him going through dealing with this? Is this a situation where he’s sitting at home? Or is it he’s constantly going through medical procedures? Or what is that? Are you guys still in contact?) – “That’s a fair question. A lot of times I don’t totally recognize, ‘Yeah, what does it look like?’ Involved teammate that is working with our medical staff in various ways that sometimes involves certain things. Sometimes involves sweating, sometimes there’s all sorts of stuff that is part of a daily process to take each day to – we don’t want to create an environment where there’s like, ‘Hey, we’re assuming someone’s feeling this way,’ or you have to communicate, even ad nauseam. Sometimes he doesn’t want to talk to my face, but he has to. (laughter) One thing that’s interesting that you’re not – obviously, I didn’t forecast this a week ago, such is the nature of NFL football, but I see a true, true leader and teammate that is worried about the right stuff. What he’s worried about is doing everything that he can control for each day and then also very much invested with his teammates. There’s a lot of conversation that has to do with just you, and that’s odd by nature of odd, right? So on top of that, for a leader, a captain, the quarterback of this franchise, he is approaching it the way that true leaders and captains would in terms of, ‘Hey, this is not about me. We have a game. I’m getting healthy. We have a game on Sunday.’ Where fortunately for us as a football team, we didn’t try to mask the fact that we had high expectations that were completely fallen short of in this past game, and not all the time in life do you have to have something occur and you have any control of it moving forward. No, we literally have an opportunity today on Wednesday. If you’re trying to be a team that can handle adversity, you waste no time in doing it and you have a good practice. And that is vitally important to the team and that’s what really the conversations that I’ve had with Tua today, most recently, that’s what it’s been about. It’s about how he’s using today to talk to this teammate and this teammates for this reason or that reason, and that’s what it is. That’s what today is, and we’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow. I’m going to be exhaustively annoying with that approach because it makes sense to me just scientifically. It’s not wasting time creating any sort of feelings – whether it’s positive or negative anxiety, whatever – on things that are quite literally fake right now because it’s not out. Like no, that’s not how you go through the process and make sure you do right by yourself as a player, to the organization and etcetera, etcetera. I’m very motivated to do that.”
(Two-part question, the first part is easy. I’m guessing QB Tua Tagovailoa won’t travel to Seattle, but maybe you could set me straight on that?) – “We travel on Friday, and I’ll probably find out on Friday, because I literally will not, that’s how committed to the – there’s so much of today. And I would prefer on Friday, if he did or didn’t travel, that to be based upon the feelings and motivations that he had on Friday. I wouldn’t broach that, not because I don’t care but because we have a grinder of a day. Wednesdays, there’s a lot of stuff going on. Guys are enthused to work and that’s where it’s very interesting, but that’s all he wants to talk about right now, is literally different sorts of formations, progressions and things that need to get done today based upon the opponent we’re playing.”
(The second part was just how would you describe the team’s collective mindset now that they know that QB Skylar Thompson is their guy for the next month?) – “I think it’s very, very telling – I would encourage anyone to press their ear to the locker room door if they could, because you find out a lot about your team, about how people feel about other people in moments like this. And when I tell you that the confidence that the team has for Skylar (Thompson) is real and it’s earned, and it’s based upon thousands of hours that as a backup quarterback most people don’t see. I would say very motivated to do their jobs and the greatest compliment you could see – I don’t think it’s on anybody’s minds. I think they’re focused on doing right by their job, their opportunity, their teammates, and quite frankly, we are only what we commit to each other. If guys were deviating that way – this team with the captains and leadership council, I think if there was anybody wavering from that, they would be communicated with conviction and assertiveness.”
(Just going back to what you said about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s desires at this stage, with where he is with the protocol, is he able to watch practice and help QB Skylar Thompson through maybe some of those progressions and formations and film as well?) – “So the old stages – I’m not doing stages for timelines, not doing it. He’s very active within the building, and I can firmly – I can guarantee that he is fully committed to the day and his team and is involving himself in every way that the rules allow and that the process allows, because the process is what you focus on; it’s not getting through it. And he’s very much focused on that because we’re all not trying to rush the process. As a matter of fact, we’re trying to do the process right and that’s what our focus is. I have zero concerns about him. He is in it with his teammates, and sometimes that means being on the field, sometimes that means meetings, sometimes that means in the training room, sometimes that means in the locker room. But he is doing it as a leader and a captain, (like) you’d want them to do.”
(What do you think QB Skylar Thompson picked up in the 2023 season when he didn’t get any game action? What kind of things do you think he gained and learned by staying on that sideline?) – “That’s a good question because it’s a challenging situation where you – all right, so you’re a rookie quarterback; you’re learning this new language in a game where the hashes are different, the speed is different, all of this, and then you’re thrust into an opportunity, I can’t remember the weeks anymore but throughout the whole season, and then last training camp in a quarterback competition that was neck and neck. You learn so much about people. It’s not about when their next opportunity is; it’s when it is, where are they at. So much of this game, particularly at quarterback, if you aren’t a lottery pick, you have to seize opportunities and that means the only way you can really execute at the quarterback position in this league is if you are always checking your boxes, forcing yourself to get better in unique and challenging ways so everyone can feel a tangible difference your next opportunity. Especially when it’s a year long, you’re like, ‘OK, well let’s see how this all plays out. Here is this op,’ It was much the motivation of a lot of the randomness of training camp and preseason games to create scenarios where I want to see where guys are at. He got better, and you have every excuse as a backup quarterback to get worse. Because you don’t or you can challenge yourself – he has ran our plays in a walkthrough setting probably more than anybody on our team because he’s going through the process diligently with any player that maybe is a practice squad guy, new guy, somebody that’s coming back from injury. He’s done that for a calendar year incessantly, and the results are there is a broader chest in the huddle. There’s more conviction when you do this, that or the other. It’s been cool to watch him join multiple players on the team that you’re watching – 2024, it might be the same name on the jersey but you’re seeing a different man. I think collectively, guys that have been here since 2022 have all recognized in each other when it’s happened and then challenged themselves as a group, or just individually, to keep up with the defensive tackle that just had a breakthrough in his game, or the countless number of stories of perseverance we have on this team and all of that – he fits right in. It’s probably because, in all honestly, he has had the opportunity for adversity since a young age. He handles it well and he deserves the opportunity that he’s going to get.”
(Has RB Raheem Mostert gotten to the point to where he can return to practice this week? Also if can we get update on T Terron Armstead?) – “Raheem (Mostert) is progressing each day. That’s a guy I have to read between the lines and not with the words that he tells me, in the most complimentary way. True warrior, getting better every day. So we’ll see an uptick, then you see how he responds so that you can further uptick and not have any steps back. Terron (Armstead), he’s good. He’s our captain for a reason. He just galvanizes people with his presence. He finally strung together – you wouldn’t know it, I’m sure PFF’s grades wouldn’t know it, but what he’s been doing in adverse situations is remarkable in terms of how he’s executing at as high of an anxiety position that exist that a lot of people totally wig out – you have these pass rushers every week that are really good. He’s been playing at a high level for anybody’s standards, and he can taste the next level as he’s strung together more practices. I’ll say that it’s not overly concerned for anything at all long term; this is a day-to-day type of situation I would feel good about. And I feel great where he’s at most importantly, because sometimes you can – it’s a tough game in terms of he’s battled through a lot of stuff, but he’s not blinking. We’ll keep progressing each day with him and see where that lends itself at the end of the week. We got very smiling pearly whites, determined Terron Armstead today. Very focused, and that’s my favorite Armstead.”
