Tua Tagovailoa – August 17, 2024 (Postgame)
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Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024
Postgame – Washington
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. How did it feel to get in there, get a series, and convert a touchdown?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It felt good. I think it feels good any time you’re starting to get back into a routine, getting back into the games. I had a lot of conversations with a lot of the guys who hadn’t played here last year, and they sort of said the same thing, that it was pretty good for them to get into the routine of, okay, how do I time warming up and what that looks like here. Everyone’s having to adjust their routine if they need to. So I thought that was good. Jitters will always be there going into the first series and getting the first plays out. But other than that, I think we executed the way we wanted to, and we did what we said we wanted to do.
Q. Fourth and one, what was the process of getting to throw versus completing it to WR River Cracraft?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Mike (McDaniel) just trusted us that we’d get it done. So that’s what that was. Very proud of Riv.
Q. Can you talk about the growth you’ve seen from WR River Cracraft?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, maybe this is the third year, going onto the third year, that I’ve been able to compete with River and see River. I think this is probably the best training camp that River’s had. I’m not just saying that from a football standpoint. A lot of people don’t know what he’s also going through with family and whatnot. The mental stamina and the mental strength that he has to come out every day and really work and sort of leave everything that’s going on at home at home. I just — I just think that’s where his growth has come from a lot is the mental aspect of it.
Q. During the game, the CBS broadcast, they interviewed the team owner Stephen Ross, and he said, if we stay healthy, we’re certainly a contender for the Super Bowl. I don’t know if you knew that he said that, but what are your thoughts on those remarks?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: What are your thoughts? You think so?
Q. Contender? Yeah, I think there’s about 10 teams that have a chance. What do you think?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, you just said contender. I think there’s 10 teams. Are the Dolphins one of the 10 teams?
Q. I think so.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: You think so? Yeah, I would say that’s the reason we play this game. If none of us have the belief that we can do it, it won’t happen for us on our team. So of course we have that belief.
Q. I’ll ask you personally do you feel regular season ready right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: You never know until you get out there and you actually play your first real snap against their best and you have your best. You never really know if you’re ready until you go out there and you get challenged and you see and you get looks that you’ve never seen. With the joint practices, they do some justice within the practices, but we’re not getting hit. Outside of that, it’s just a day-to-day thing. I’m not going to say I’m ready or I’m not ready. When that time comes, we’re going to see what our team can do and see if we’re ready.
Q. What does it say about this offense, no T Terron Armstead, no C Aaron Brewer, no WR Tyreek Hill and no WR Jaylen Waddle, and you guys march down the field the first time you see the field in 2024?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, that’s not the first time we’ve not had those guys in there, and we’ve played and we’ve scored. Would it be good to have those guys? It would be great to have those guys. It opens up our game plan for a lot of deep things, and it opens up the run game as well with the two shells that we get with those guys in. But outside of that, football is football with whoever you’ve got in there. You’ve got to call the play. You’ve got to see it, envision it, and then you go through your keys. If it’s one high, this is how I’m going to read it. If it’s two high, this is how I’m going to read it regardless of who’s in.
Q. I think WR Tyreek Hill talked a little bit about how this offense needs to grind out the long drives. It might have been a little too much boom or bust last year. Do you share those sentiments?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, 100 percent. And our short yardage. We’ve got to get better with our short yardage as well. That’s something we’ve been looking to get better at come season time.
Q. Considering all the joint practice opportunities as well as the regular practices, do you feel you’ve gotten enough preseason action to be ready for the season?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think it was really good that we got to go out tonight and play and sort of get the feeling of what a game is. We’ll go to Tampa. We’ll assess what happens then, and we’ll see if we need any more or not.
Q. A tight end like Jonnu Smith or a weapon like Jonnu – H-back, I don’t even know what to call him – what does he do for this offense?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: He’s used in multiple ways, as you guys have seen. We had given him a jet sweep. He blocks. We look at him sort of as a YAC monster. He catches the ball, and he can get some yards after the catch. He’s very versatile in what we can do with him. We’re just slowly, slowly finding things to do with guys like ‘Nu.’
Q. How would you assess the way QB Skylar Thompson and QB Mike White commanded the offense when they were in?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think they did their best with what we had. We had guys that were going down, and we ended up not having a running back. I’d like to compliment (Je’Quan) Burton for going in and just sticking it in. Like he didn’t know a lot of plays from being in the H position, so as you can see, there weren’t many jet protections in there just because he hadn’t gotten any of those reps. So there was a lot of quick game. We couldn’t run the ball, so they — I think they did their best with what they had in there.
Jaelan Phillips (Fourth Quarter) – August 17, 2024
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Saturday, August 17, 2024
LB Jaelan Phillips on CBS Miami Broadcast (Fourth Quarter)
(First of all, happy to be back?) – “Oh yeah, ecstatic to be back. Happy isn’t even the word to describe it.”
(You’ve come off the PUP list, you walk out to the practice field on Monday and you get this giant ovation from the fans – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fan base cheer for a guy coming off the PUP list but that’s what you got. What was that moment like?) – “It was amazing. I love the fans; they’ve been showing me so much love ever since my rookie year. It’s amazing to see that support. I’ve been seeing people like Lisa, people every single day tweeting out and tweeting at me, encouraging me and lifting me up, so it’s really amazing to feel the support.”
(You were telling me that’s why you were actually posting a lot of your rehab workouts online, so you could stay connected with them?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s cool to give the fans a kind of an inside look. Obviously, they see us play. On Hard Knocks, they were able to see a little bit behind the scenes, but just kind of share the experience with them, because they’re here supporting us every single game, so it’s only right we give them a little taste of what it’s like.”
(So how was the first week of practice? How’d it go?) – “It was great, it was really amazing. Just getting back on the field felt amazing obviously, and really more importantly just being back with my brothers on this defense. We have such a good group, really a lot of talented guys, a lot of new guys. So for me, it’s been important to really build that bond with them and it’s kind of hard when you’re not on that field to truly build that bond. Once you get on that field, sweat with them, bleed with them, that’s when you really start to build that closeness.”
(I got to ask you about LB Chop Robinson. Obviously, we get to see him in action today. You said you’ve been trying to bring out his personality a little bit, telling him to celebrate. First of all, did his first NFL celebration upset you, the Chop celebration when he got into the backfield?) – “No, no because it’s a TFL. He’s going to do the Chop when he gets his first sack, for sure. We’ve got to wait on that, but Chop has been doing amazing. He’s been doing all the right things, I thought he played really well out there. He’s flying around, playing instinctively, so it’s only a matter of time before he really gels in this defense and really gets used to being in this league. Obviously, it’s a lot different than college, but he’s doing a great job already.”
(You’re also heavily involved in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge. Are you looking forward to another year?) – “Oh absolutely, man. We’re ready to run it back, DCC XV this year. February 22, man, everybody should come out. There’s bike rides for everybody. There’s all the different distances – you don’t have to do the 99-mile like I’m going to do, but you can get in there do a little 13 for Dan Marino, there’s a 5K walk too. So all the support matters, it’s really amazing what DCC is doing.”
Mike McDaniel (Halftime) – August 17, 2024
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Saturday, August 17, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel on CBS Miami Broadcast (Halftime)
(It’s been a while since we’ve seen QB Tua Tagovailoa take snaps in an NFL game, how’d you like the way your quarterback came out and ran that first drive?) – “I was happy with it. We had the same play the first play of the drive as we did last year in Houston, and he completed it instead of throwing a pick so that was a good start. And then ultimately, you just want to go see people communicate, how you rally around certain situations. We had a couple fourth-and-1’s, we did all right, so I was happy with it overall.”
(Obviously there’s some changes for the defensive front right now, but LB Chop Robinson comes out and makes a big play in that first half. What did you like of his first NFL action?) – “It was cool to get it in the game. His teammates and myself included have seen him do it all camp, so that was a good starting point. We look forward to seeing more of that.”
Stephen M. Ross (Second Quarter) – August 17, 2024
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Saturday, August 17, 2024
Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen M. Ross on CBS Miami Broadcast (Second Quarter)
STEVE GOLDSTEIN: First off, how much did you enjoy that first drive with your quarterback?
STEPHEN M. ROSS: “He looked good, he looked good. I don’t think we’ll see him again tonight.”
GOLDSTEIN: No, QB Skylar Thompson now and that should be it, right? Wait till the regular season.
ROSS: “That’s right. That’s it.”
GOLDSTEIN: They do the NFL Players Association poll every year. Your team, A’s and A+’s across the board in treatment of players, facilities, a brand-new locker room here – how much pride do you take in those types of things of having this team be where it is?
ROSS: “Whatever we do, we want to be best in class. I mean, in my business career I’ve had the same philosophy, but we have to win on the field at the same time. One thing that – we haven’t gotten that Super Bowl, but we’re hoping but I think everything – players want to be here in Miami. They want to play for the team, they see what we’re doing. They see the facilities, they see the respect they get, so it’s great. I think as an organization, with Tom Garfinkel heading it up, we’re best in class. So, (I am) proud of that.”
KIM BOKAMPER: Mr. Ross, every time I see you, you look younger and younger.
ROSS: “I wish. (laughter)”
BOKAMPER: Speaking about the players in the locker room and everything, you’ve got this team where you want them. You’ve got a contract to QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, some of the young guys that are on this football team that they’re going to lean on. How important was it for you to get those guys in the fold and send a message to this football team that you want to win, and you want to win this year?
ROSS: “Well, I want to win this year and I want to win next year, as well. But you’ve got to start early, and I think having those players and signing them to long-term contracts and knowing the nucleus of the team, I think that’s important. They are stars — Tyreek was just voted the No. 1 player in the league. With Waddle and Tua and some of the important young guys, retaining them – that’s what you want to do. You want to retain as many of your draft choices that really pan out. That’s a challenge though in these times.”
BOKAMPER: You’ve got a roster full of other players out here. General Manager Chris Grier and his staff have done a really good job seeding in the young players with all the veteran talent you got, and it looks like you’ve got a very good roster out there.
ROSS: “Right now, we have a great roster and I think everybody has great expectations. But hey, it’s the old injury bug. You got to make sure that that doesn’t happen like last year. I think without that and we stay healthy, I think we’re certainly a contender for the Super Bowl.”
GOLDSTEIN: You’ve had a few years now with Head Coach Mike McDaniel, he’s taken you to the playoffs a couple of times. He does things a little differently, and you’ve got to love the positivity that he brings to the table. What are your overall impressions now that you’ve been with him for a few years?
ROSS: “We took a chance, but I was impressed by him. I mean his intelligence and as a person, he’s unique certainly, and he’s doing a great job. Everybody loves him.”
GOLDSTEIN: You look at the stadium, obviously a huge investment – time, money, everything you’ve put into it. Soccer games, the Miami Open, Formula 1 – has it met your expectations of the world class destination location that you wanted it to be?
ROSS: “Yeah, I mean I think what we’ve done has really become that, but I mean it always can get better. We’re looking at different things, how we make the stadium even better, different events here and everything. It’s great for Miami, it’s great for all of South Florida. Owning a team, I think that’s what you really want to do is bring the community together and do things to enhance the community.”
GOLDSTEIN: You talk about all that other stuff, but the stadium is beautiful here. You’ve got the practice facility right over there, there’s a medical center right there next to them where they can walk in. The state of the franchise right now has got to be at an all-time high. I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed with any place we’ve been and with the franchise than where this team is right now.
ROSS: “You’d feel a lot better when we win the Super Bowl, wouldn’t you? (laughter)”
BOKAMPER: I’d feel a heck of a lot better. I’d like to feel a lot better.
GOLDSTEIN: ‘Go for Bo,’ that could be the motto. Get one for Bo. Mr. Ross, a pleasure. Enjoy the rest of the game.
Ross: “It’s a pleasure, it’s always great. Thank you. Looking forward to a good season, thank you.”
BOKAMPER: For any Dolphin alumni, thanks for what you do for us, my friend. Appreciate it.
Ross: “Thank you.”
Kendall Fuller – August 15, 2024
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Thursday, August 15, 2024
CB Kendall Fuller
(What was today like getting an orange jersey in a practice against your former team and then of course finishing practice with an interception?) – “It was fun. The football side of it too, but also just the relationships you build when you’re at a place for so many years. It was fun just seeing the guys. Competing against them again, competing against Terry (McLaurin). I think the first or second rep of practice he had a touchdown on me, so to be able to make a play at the end but just to go back and forth and compete against guys, go against a different team, it was fun man. It was just a blessing. It’ll be fun on Saturday to compete with everybody, so I had fun.”
(What was your perspective on that one where he beat you on the touchdown, and also the interception at the end?) – “The coverage that we were in, it was a coverage we haven’t ran as much. For me, it was a learning experience of just knowing how or when I can expect to use my safety, and whether or not I can use them or if I have to be more aggressive. Terry (McLaurin) had a good route, good catch. At the end, it was just an out route that I love to make plays on, and I was fortunately able to make a play on it.”
(You had a chance to see their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Your thoughts on the young fella?) – “I like him, man. I haven’t watched the tape yet, but how he carries himself. He looks like a pro; he looks like he has an edge. It looks like he trusts his ability a lot. I mean, shoot – even just looking on YouTube, social media, I heard about him checking a play in the first preseason game, and to be able to have that confidence as a rookie, to go out there and play football… At the end of the day, a lot of the times you rely on Xs and Os, and sometimes you just got to play football. I’m excited to compete against him on Saturday and hoping he has a good future and enjoys it in Washington.”
(Did you bow to the Commander’s sideline on that play?) – “No, I didn’t bow. It was a celebration that I’ve been doing the last couple of years that all of them know that I do, that I did.”
(You said you basically, I think, anticipate playing on Saturday. Do you feel like you need that work in the preseason?) – “I mean, yeah, any time you get to go out there on the football field, you always make it productive. At the end of the day it’s Year Nine, every day out there, you come out here to practice today, you make it productive. There is stuff that you can learn from, grow from. Genuinely I’m not sure how much we are playing at all. I’m going in with that mindset, but at the end of the day, whether you’re on the field or the younger guys are out on the field, you’re still interactive. Any game in the NFL, preseason or not, is a blessing and you try to enjoy it.”
(How do you feel you played for Washington last season?) – “Made some plays, gave up some plays. I think I played pretty good. As a group, we didn’t play to our standard last year, but that’s a question I genuinely don’t even think about as much just being somewhere new, a new year. Football in general, you got to move on to the next play, move on to the next year. I’m with a new team, a new group of guys. It’s been exciting, and I’m excited to try to do something big here.”
(We’re going to see a lot of CB Kader Kohou with you and CB Jalen Ramsey this year in nickel packages. What stands out to you about CB Kader Kohou being a teammate and playing with him now?) – “For him to be young, I think just how like he carries himself. He carries himself like a pro, he carries himself like a veteran. Whether that’s just like his preparation, his skill set is undeniable on the field, how he is in meetings and especially the nickels for how much they remember for how much we do things. Something that I’ve always said is being able to play nickel and corner I think is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL. I have a lot of respect for any guy that’s out there playing a little bit of nickel and a little bit or corner.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Cam Smith real quick too. Obviously, Dolphins fans are eager, a second-round pick, to see him develop. What skill set do you see there that makes you think this guy can be a player?) – “Just his athletic ability. His athletic ability, his intent. Me and him have conversations on the side where I just always tell him to be aggressive. That is something that I think (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) does a good job of. He wants guys to go out there and play with conviction. If you can come out here and play with conviction out here on the practice field, you’ll be able to learn things that you can or can’t do. I think that is something that Cam (Smith) has been doing, even his first practice back. You could see him showing up all over the tape and things like that, so I’m excited for him.”
(I missed the celebration today, so if you could tell it again that it would be great. And the second thing was those Washington teams weren’t always the best. There is a little bit more juice to this team. There were even some Super Bowl aspirations. I don’t want you to bash your time in Washington. But compare the energy of the two training camps?) – “It’s hard to say. Year in and year out, no matter what team you’re on – I was in Washington for four years. Each team, each group, each year is different. Especially being somewhere new is also going to be different. My two years in KC was different. Each and every year is different. Right now, I like the standard that we have here and the standard that we hold one another to that the coaches hold each other to, the players hold each other to. And we’re just working every single day, working to get better, working to compete against each other day in and day out. It’s been fun.”
(The celebration you did, I missed it.) – “A celebration that a lot of people on the outside won’t understand. A lot of the guys in Washington knew that that was a celebration that I always did. For them, they all knew what I meant and what I was doing.”
(Did you lobby for that orange jersey today?) – “No, (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) had said to the team yesterday that he had messed up the last joint practices by not giving it to Calais (Campbell) or Jonnu (Smith) for them being in Atlanta last year. He was like he couldn’t make the same mistake twice, so I definitely appreciate it.”
(Did you pick anything specific that might have been and inside joke to these guys?) – “No. I’m a man of faith, a man of God. A lot of them guys, even here they know that I have some Christian rap in there, some Gospel music in there, and then besides that I let the other DBs send a song to get in there.”
(What were the conversations like seeing S Darrick Forrest and CB Benjamin St-Juste when you saw them?) – “It’s fun, it’s guys that you’ve been around for the last – some guys two years, three years, four years. Genuinely not even football, but just talking to them about life in general. I know ‘Juice’ (Benjamin St-Juste) is a dad now. A lot of them coming up to me, I just got married. So just getting back around those guys, catching up, congratulations and things like that. It was fun just to see everybody.”
(How do you feel yourself coming along in this defense and what do you think of Defensive Coordinator’s Anthony Weaver’s scheme?) – “We do so much. So many guys do so many different things. They ask everybody to be able to play and do so many different responsibilities. I enjoy it, man. I just love how we’re all coming together, all working for the same task, for the same goal. Genuinely it’s been fun, I’m enjoying it. Not even just the Xs and Os, but just the people, the tone that Coach Weaver sets, I’ve been enjoying it and it’s definitely been fun.”
(Having gone against WR Terry McLaurin, and WR Johan Dotson so often in practice and linking back up with them today, is there some familiarity there?) – “Yeah, 100%. Me and Terry (McLaurin) have been going together the last four years. It’s been fun to get out there, get lined up on them. There was one route they ran where he was like, ‘Man, I kind of knew you weren’t going to jump it.’ He was able to get me on a route and things like that. So it takes you back. Fun to compete against them again and it’s going to be fun to compete on Saturday as well.”
(You’ve been on a championship team in Kansas City. Is there a common theme that championship teams have that you guys are hoping to instill here?) – “Yeah, if I tried to put it simple – great talent and great standards. If I had to just make it simple. I think we have great talent, and I think we’re building great standards. So we just got to keep putting that work in every single day.”
(I know it’s only joint practices, but did you notice anything different going against WR Terry McLaurin in the offense now versus when you were up against him the last few years?) – “Yeah, they were definitely stretching the field. Especially early on, they were quick tempo stretching the field. That first period they definitely came out strong. As a defense, we’ve got to be able to handle that adversity whenever we face it early on. Just how much quick tempo they had, the talent they have, the quarterback they have, it definitely is a great offense to go against. So many different guys, so many different playmakers, but definitely just how much they stretch the field and the tempo that they play with.”
Terron Armstead – August 15, 2024
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Thursday, August 15, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(How does it feel right now as you continue to sort of uptick your practice participation, get closer to maybe more team stuff to come possibly?) – “I feel good. I feel real good. I’ve been knocking the rust off, got some team work the other day – I think Tuesday. It was fun. It’s great being back in there with the guys, moving around, moving people. I love it.”
(Were you trying to vouch for some joint practice play out there today?) – “Yeah, I tried to get the first rack of team but sticking to the plan and to the protocols, so I turned away a little bit.”
(How much do you feel like this has helped your body and will help you during the regular season?) – “I don’t think there’s a way to truly know. I think it’s just being smart as far as everything that we can do in a preventative aspect, but football is football. You still go out there, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do full speed so I’m going to have to be in there hitting, clashing, all that good stuff anyway. So I think it’s just kind of taking a load off the body as much as we can.”
(When you see CB Kendall Fuller get, I guess, the game-clinching pick there at the end and celebrate in front of his ex-team. Just kind of take us through that moment, how special it is to see a guy succeed like that in front of his ex-team?) – “You can tell the impact that Kendall (Fuller) has brought to this team already. He’s a joy to be around, guys love him in the locker room and on the field. He’s a leader. Not the most vocal guy, but he’s a very consistent pro which you love to see. He’s always on his game, always on his technique so it’s only fitting for him to be the one to get that interception in practice against his former team.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said the other day that you can tell the belief you guys have in the running backs by the way you’ve blocked for them. I was wondering what belief you have in these running backs. Can you describe that?) – “We have a stable. We do. We do have a stable. Very dynamic. A lot of speed and then you’ve got guys that have their own unique styles, too, so ‘SA’ (Salvon Ahmed) comes in and he just flashes in his own way. De’Von (Achane), Raheem (Mostert), the young rook (Jaylen Wright), too. So we have a lot of guys that can hit home runs. So up front it definitely gives you a boost of energy and you know you don’t got to do too much. You get your man and it’s a chance to be a home run.”
(How quickly has that belief come with the rookie like that? You guys believe in him to block for him?) – “We believe in him for sure. You see the talent. You see the ability. He’s still learning. He’s still growing, but he has a lot of game and a lot of confidence, too.”
(A question to follow up if I can – you haven’t played in a preseason game in years. What is training camp like for you? What are you focusing on? What are you trying to do day to day?) – “I think that’s the key to day to day. Just daily improvement, working my technique, cardio, conditioning. Get my hands right, get my eyes right. Just be ready to play football. So I don’t think it’s this year, last year. I think every day is its own day and I try to just go out and improve every day.”
(And then what about helping others? How much are you – you’ve got some youngsters – I get the impression you counsel them quite a bit?) – “For sure. For sure, that’s part of it. That’s part of it. The knowledge I receive and the knowledge that I still get, I try to give it back and try to explain it in a way that’s easily retained. We’ve got a great group of young guys. We do. Every one of those young guys, I believe will be on an NFL roster. So there’s a lot of talent in that room and they come to work the right way. We have a standard in that room. We try to fly off the ball. We try to be physical and set the pocket in pass pro and those guys, they come live up to it every day and it’s hard in training camp. It’s the hardest part of the year, so to be able to do it and put your best foot forward every day; those guys are receiving coaching and advice and they’re taking it all in stride. I love that room.”
(What makes you confident that OL Rob Jones is ready to step up and be the starter next to you?) – “He’s proven. He’s proven. He’s still young, but he’s got games under his belt against high-level talent. He’s proven. He’s a dawg. He’s physical, he’s strong, he’s smart, he’s tough. Everything that you want in a player. I love playing next to him.”
(Back to your students, what stood out to you about what T Patrick Paul did in the preseason opener?) – “His pass pro is looking really clean. He’s getting a lot of – he’s finding his patience in his pass sets. He’s long. He’s 6’14. (laughter) So he’s able to use his length and he’s keeping his feet in the ground. Still got some things that I want to see from him on a more consistent basis, but he’s starting to see more flashes of the dominance that he has in his body, his toolbox, and that will continue to show more consistently. Pat (Patrick Paul) has been great. He goes after it every day hard, physical. He’s freaky athletic. He’s tough. But then the tools that he’s got, the God-given gifts that he has, to be able to use those as well – more experience, more knowledge, he’ll be just fine.”
(You’ve been around a while and have a good perspective on the games everybody hears. What do you think this team has learned maybe the last year, the last couple years that have helped going into this one?) – “Yeah, I think the focus is on us. Like we’re not looking at anything outside the division, the conference, the league. We’re focusing on us and our daily intent, our daily mentality. We know we have a talented team, we know we’re going to win games. Now it gets to winning those big games, winning those big moments, the games that we’re not necessarily supposed to win, all that good stuff. And you can’t show and prove until that time comes, but in the meantime, we chip away. We’re working to be ready – to be physically, mentally, emotionally, ready for all those moments.”
(I’m sure you’ve blocked in every run scheme imaginable to man.) – “That’s a fact.”
(How much fun is it, if fun is the right word, to be on the installs for Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith’s run game installs because it seems to us like it’s pretty different every single…?) – “It’s great. They find ways to continue to innovate. They continue to evolve the run game. They put the defense in bonds that’s advantageous for us as far as leverage, and then they allow the o-line to be playmakers. So I’m able to get up to the second level, the corner, or maybe even a safety, things that in most run game schemes you don’t necessarily do. You’re usually blocking a d-end or double teaming on a d-tackle or something like that, but be able to get up to linebackers, corners and all that, I feel like I get a chance to make a play.”
(This team is known obviously for the two guys on the outside and QB Tua Tagovailoa and how effective you are at passing. And yet we know how diverse and talented the running back corps is. How does that affect the offensive linemen for one, knowing that teams have to defend both and how beneficial is it to this team’s long-range hopes to go somewhere?) – “Yeah, we’ve got weapons. We have weapons all over the field and we’re not apologizing for it. I want all of them out there. We’ll all be out there at the same time, and o-line, we’re going to be a weapon for us, too. We’re going to fly off the ball. We’re going to move people and give those guys an opportunity to make plays. So we know about the two guys outside, as you should. You better game plan for those two and the ones in the backfield and up front, we’ve got to do our job, too, to allow them to get the ball in their hands with space and they can make plays.”
(Flying off the ball is a phrase that I hear a lot this camp with the offensive line. They say that you guys have been doing very well at it. What does that mean? What does that look like?) – “It’s an intent. It’s a mentality. It’s an approach to knock a defensive line off the ball and then you see it consistently and you watch the sideline copy of the film and you see two yards of push off the ball. That’s automatically a two-yard gain before the running back ever gets touched, you know what I mean? So those are body blows. Those are body blows to a team, to a defense and it gives us confidence and gives us energy up front to know that we’re dominating the front like that. We have a chance to win a lot of games, a lot of games.”
(Those skirmishes that happen out there, I feel like that’s become kind of standard in training camp. You’re one of the most respected voices I’m sure in that locker room. How do you view those?) – “That’s a part of it, really. Tempers are very brolic, alpha male kind of sport. People get pushy. It’s hot, all that good stuff. But football fights, it really is nothing to even discuss.”
Mike McDaniel – August 15, 2024
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Thursday, August 15, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(In the history of time, we sometimes see teams that have a backup quarterback battle, some days Joe Schmoe will be the first one to enter, some days Fred Schmoe might be the first one to enter behind the starter. So I was curious, and without getting into specific names in the question, I’m curious, what has led to you not taking that approach in recent days, of necessarily alternating second-team quarterback and where that competition stands?) – “So that’s a great question because without me answering it you’d have no clue why. I’m here to provide the why for Barry, and Barry only, nobody else. (laughter) Every year presents new challenges; we have guys that have developed in our offense and have done so from Day 1 in a competitive environment. We’re very routine with the pattern with which we were giving the opportunities to quarterbacks up until this training camp, really between Mike (White) and Skylar (Thompson). We were very routine – this day twos, next day threes. So in the vain of competition, putting our heads together from a staff perspective, we felt like that routine in itself might not be doing justice to the players and that the competitiveness would be best served if we changed up the routine for the change sake, because with that, there’s so many competing variables to deal with as a quarterback. Particularly a backup quarterback that is in charge of leading a team to victory if Tua goes down. All of those things, all of those challenges, we get to evaluate with not only the player playing in the huddle, but then how does someone respond when you get less reps, which is kind of the nature of backup quarterbacks. So all evaluation tools with the intent of not making it as consistent, but over the whole scope of camp to be able to make sure that those are even but just patternize it a little differently to make sure that the competition stays fresh. We allow the players to tell us who two and who three are, just like at every other position, because I see better than I hear.”
(So QB Tua Tagovailoa wants to play this preseason game. Will he and the rest of the starters?) – “I think – I anticipated this question. So I thought, how can I responsibly answer it and just be honest? Well, the idea from a starting point is that I want some starters to play in the game. Now to say exactly which individuals those are, specifically with the collection of injuries that you have to manage and not really knowing what takes place today, we’ll make some final assessments on who those players are going to be as a staff tomorrow. But approaching it and as I’ve explained to the players, the approach will be that the guys that are known starters, with exceptions but the starting point is that they will get some action this game, and then we’ll take it case by case from there.”
(Can you provide any sort of update on where LB Bradley Chubb stands in his recovery?) – “The update is that it’s going much like the ongoing conversations have been about Jaelan Phillips in that no timeline, making sure that he has no setbacks in the whole process and I can tell you with exuberance that there’s been no setbacks. He’s progressing, and we will – making sure that when he’s on the field, he’s there to stay. So he is doing a great job understanding his role to the team, a very important player for this team. He might be one of the if not the most popular player on the team – I don’t think there’s a teammate that he can’t reach, and with that connectivity there’s some responsibility that goes there for the organization. So he’s been very wise beyond his years in terms of making sure he doesn’t in the heat of competitiveness overstep boundaries too soon, so happy where he’s at.”
(How challenging do you think the Washington defensive front might be in today’s practice?) – “I think it’s going to be a great competitive challenge. You hope to have opportunities like this in a practice setting where you can have not only an adjustment scheme but have really good players in the scheme doing their techniques and fundamentals. It’s the absolute best way to make the day matter and get a game-like experience. So I’m really excited for that, and it’s excitement to get better. Really good players generally have some good plays, so I think understanding that and knowing that the whole unit will definitely challenge us. I have a lot of history with the head coach and I know a lot of the guys that are coaching over there, they’re going to compete and that’s all we try to do each and every day. I’m sure the really good players are going to try to compete, that’s why they’re really good players, so it will be awesome for us.”
(In practice today, have you guys structured it where you’re going to see ones versus ones, twos versus twos? Will you mix it up ones versus twos?) – “This practice you’ll see a lot of ones versus ones, twos versus twos. You can have whys and reasons to do things a multitude of ways, that’s something that I know from experience with Coach Quinn that he’s had that philosophy. The good on good, it’s been said to me for years. And we share that, so there was some congruence there, and that’s what you should expect for the most part. There’s always adjustments, particularly when two teams have their own set of issues with regard to what position is really stressed that day relative to the whole 90-man roster. So there will always be a little give and take depending on how many reps a person can get, how many times that we can give their defense a personnel that necessitates big nickel versus nickel, that determines how many nickel reps that gets. So if people get extra reps, you might see some guys that are the ones going with the twos or vice versa, because of some adjustments but for the most part, it should be ones versus ones.”
(Sort of a philosophical roster question for you. How do you balance the idea of taking a look at all the reps that occurred back in OTAs, early camp, all the way up until cut down day? Is that the approach, or is it more like you took that time to build up to who you are today on this cutoff day, and then we’re evaluating who you are at that point?) – “No, it makes sense. It is something that I think is only – the only way I know how to truly do right by the evaluation of all of our players, for not only the individual players, but for the organization, collectively having a ton of conversations. And then what to me is the only way to approach it is investing every day in guys’ stories on the field and seeing how they adjust to turmoil, seeing where – you want to be in front of that stuff, so you always have things to coach to see if the pattern is that you’re trending up. Then at the moment of truth, that trend probably speaks more than the exact player at that moment. You can justifiably, with good reason, forecast the future by that trend, and if the trend is inverse, you take that into account. I think all the things, the main thing that I think players that have been here, for this being their third year, have seen firsthand, and the players feel it during the course of camp. We don’t pretend to know the final answer. I think that’s super important, because I think you have to stay true to what is your primary importance, or what is the thing that is of primary importance, and to me, that is that players get to determine who should be on the team, who by their actions, and not by predisposed, like everybody wins if the Dolphins are their best version of themselves. So we just push that, paying attention to everything and where guys are at is very important, and sometimes there’s a caveat of assessing trends, because you’ve been along for the journey the whole time and can plausibly forecast.”
(Yesterday, TE Julian Hill talked a lot about the pressure that comes with the orange jersey, both on the field but also on the aux. The orange jersey was something that you brought when you joined the organization. What was behind that? And also, this year who’s had the best playlist?) – “I have to give credit where credit is due. I think the idea was a problem – I was presenting a problem to the offensive staff, I think, at the time. And the problem was I can’t – yeah, I have a lot of fire songs and my music is awesome, but I can’t keep up with just the daily grind of keeping guys involved in practice through some music and some juice. On top of that, music is identifying me as old, because there’s some stuff that I’m like, what? I feel like that same old guy that you know that is cursing whatever music you like when you’re growing up. So in that (Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach) Jon Embree came with an idea of like, ‘Why don’t you have a player everyday kind of decide the playlist?’ That fitting my competitive spirit, or the competitive spirit is hoping to engender with practice, we thought it was kind of a cool idea to really highlight somebody to the team in a productive way to bring acknowledgement to the day of practice they’ve had and everything accumulated to that. And then really, I found out through the process that people really – they’re happy about that. They love the playlist. They love forcing the will of the listeners, one of the rules about the orange jersey is that there’s no such thing – you don’t complain about the music during practice, because if you don’t like the music, change the music. You know what I mean? So if you don’t like Liam Eichenberg’s playlist, all right, put on a show against him when he’s wearing the orange jersey and you can have a playlist, and you can truly show the audience how much better your musical ear is than theirs. So it’s a fun thing we like doing, and guys seem to like it. There is pressure like unintended consequence every single time, if I give an orange jersey to a defensive lineman, the offensive line takes it as an offense. If an offensive line gets an orange jersey, you better believe people are lining up to go against him in one on ones. That’s a competitive spirit that I appreciate and we do a good job protecting the team and protecting each other, so something I embrace.”
(You touched on Dan Quinn earlier. Can you speak to the influence he had on your career those couple years in Atlanta?) – “Two years can be a short time, or it can be a very, very impactful time. I was with Dan (Quinn) in Atlanta for two years, and from head coaching perspective, he approached the job from a different angle that kind of fit what I think you guys see today from a lot of vantage points. The culture, the energy, setting the tonality on a daily basis, these are things that the guys that worked for Dan, it was something that you really held on to and I know I’ve held on to it for all the years since. Then as well as just being – I was very, very fortunate to hit life in one of my crossroads under his leadership in an organization that he was the head coach of. I don’t know where I’d be if – it could have looked a lot of different ways if you didn’t have support when you were going through your journey of becoming sober. It’s a very different ball game if from the top, from Dan Quinn, if he’s not saying, ‘No, you can do this.’ His belief in me, as well as a lot of the coaching staff there, aided with my wife’s belief in me made it a lot easier to do something that’s been very important in my life. So love the man, the human being, the coach. All you need to know is listen to some player quotes about Dan Quinn that he’s coached. He’s a great man, I’m excited to see him today.”
(He loves you, by the way, said it during his press conference.) – “Oh, yeah? Really? Can you tell Dan Quinn through the through the internet that I love him more? (laughter) Appreciate it.”
(Is anything in particular you’re looking for when today’s joint practice?) – “I’m looking for today to matter. I say that to the players a ton, and you can make today matter for your season, the team, if you’re fully committed and invested with the right mindset and focus for the job at hand. Trimming the fat, cutting out – there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of exuberance in joint practices and having your mind through competition, still toward the team goal and the unit goal and your job each and every play, that type of mindset adds up and builds over the course of training camp that allows you to play your most convicted football in regular season, or allows you to play the most convicted football for this preseason game, which for a lot of participants, is as important as a game could get. I just want it to matter, and how it matters is through intent. Are you prepared? Have you taken all the stuff that we’ve learned? Are you heeding to the points of emphasis, and then how do you respond to the inevitable play that the opposing team makes? All those things are what I’m looking for, because I don’t know exactly what, I just know today will matter if we operate accordingly.”
(With WR Erik Ezukanma, I just wanted to ask your thoughts on where he stands. Obviously, he’s come back from injury. Does the skill set still intrigue you and Wide Receivers/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker where you feel like there’s a lot more that we can get out of this young player as he develops?) – “Of course, I think that is kind of our model here with regard to what is our position as coaches. As coaches, we’re trying to maximize the talent of every player in their recognized dream. Erik (Ezukanma) had a great day yesterday; I think he was the fastest GPS player. I think guys are excited to be a part of his journey and absolutely, we are pouring into him to see what can come out.”
Chop Robinson – August 14, 2024
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Wednesday, August 14, 2024
LB Chop Robinson
(Did you grow up a Washington Commanders fan, a Baltimore Ravens fan? Who was your favorite team and player back then?) – “Growing up, I was a Ravens fan back when they had Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, all those guys. But my dad is a big Commanders fan and he loves the Commanders especially when Kirk Cousins was there, Alex Smith, all those guys. So I’ve kind of been around it my whole life. My grandparents are Commanders fans. They live around right by the stadium, kind of grew up around that area. So Commanders, it’s cool, but I’ll see them tomorrow.”
(LB Jaelan Phillips kind of joked with us the other day that you make a big play – maybe a sack, a tackle for loss – and you never celebrate. And he’s trying to get you to emote a little bit more. Is that true?) – “Yeah, that’s just how I am. I’m just a next-play mentality type of guy, but ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips), he’s getting it out of me. When I made a few plays against the Falcons in the practice, the joint practice, I was getting a little excited. He was like, ‘I need more of that.’ He was getting excited for me, so the more I just get confident and making plays, more stuff will start to come out.”
(And then to follow up on that, what’s it been like having him back on the field and what has your relationship been like even before he could practice when he was in meeting rooms and on the sideline?) – “Having him on the field is just insane. Like just seeing how big he is and how good he can move and watching it from TV – because I’ve been watching him since he was in college – so watching it from TV and then being on the field with him and seeing it in person is just worlds different. And then off the field, he is just like a mentor to me. We go in the film room, he talks to me, helps me out, gives me keys and everything. I’m just a listener, listening to the guys that have been out here making plays.”
(Do you think you’ll play in the next game?) – “Yeah, I’ll be able the next game.”
(How will you approach your first pro game?) – “I just try not to overthink it. Just go out there, play football, have fun. At the end of the day, it’s just football, so just go out there, listen to my coaches. I know the playbook so I just go out there and play.”
(We’ve seen a lot of plays from you over the last week and a half, setting the edge obviously, getting to the quarterback. Where specifically has either Outside Linebackers Coach Ryan Crow or Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver or Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark told you they’ve seen improvement from you in the last week and a half?) – “Really just my hands and setting the edge. Sometimes I could just set the edge with just using my shoulder and stuff, but getting off the ball with my speed, getting my hands inside the tight end or tackle and being able to set it and just go from two hands to one hand. I’ve just been good with that, so I just learned that from Coach (Ryan) Crow and Coach (Austin) Clark and everybody.”
(At this point in camp how do you feel physically and how would you compare the grind to the college grind of camp?) – “It’s definitely different, especially being out here in the heat. You don’t get used to it, but it gets a little better. So just taking it one day at a time and just getting better trying to find something every day to get better.”
(Did the folks in Maryland, are they a little mad that you left to go to Pennsylvania or do you think most of them understand why you made that choice?) – “I mean, a lot of people were frustrated when I transferred there, but the real ones knew. They still wished the best for me and everything like that, so it turned out to be the best thing for me anyway.”
(I know you’re working hard, but is there a special element to the fact that if you see some play time, your first game will be against I know your dad’s favorite team? Is there something special there in your eyes like just the family aspect?) – “No, honestly just me playing in an NFL preseason game, that’ll be the biggest thing for my family.”
(If you get a sack, will it count or no because it’s preseason?) – “No, it doesn’t count. It’s preseason. (laughter) Once the regular season comes though, it’ll count.”
(Do you have a lot of family down here for Saturday’s game?) – “My dad, all my family is coming down. My siblings and everybody will be here.”
(Your dad will be in Dolphins colors?) – “Of course. (laughter)”
(We talked about your celebration, your next-play mentality. Is LB Jaelan Phillips working with you on celebrations, when you get that regular season sack?) – “Once I showed him my chop celebration, we were just talking in a meeting room. I was showing him my chop celebration. He was like, ‘When you get that sack, I better see that,’ or he’s going to be mad. So when I get that sack, I’m definitely going to hit that celebration for him.”
(Did you play with QB Tua Tagovailoa’s brother Taulia at Maryland?) – “Yeah, I played with him – that was my freshman year – that was his first year at Maryland.”
(How are they similar or different?) – “I mean, both of those guys are good. One is right-handed, one is left-handed. (laughter) Tua is definitely – you can tell he’s really advanced especially being on this level. No-look passes and everything. Every time I get hit with that in practice, it’s just different because you’ve never seen that before.”
(When I watched highlights from Penn State I noticed at least last year, you often rushed into the opponent’s right tackle. Is that a position that you’re most comfortable at – rushing over the right tackle?) – “I mean, I’m right-handed, so I like just having my right hand down when I’m getting off the edge. I’m good to rush from both sides, but of course that’s my most comfortable side but I can do both.”
(You had a good play in walkthrough where it looked like you read the screen, you were kind of there to either get a TFL or no gain. Is the defensive scheme kind of coming easier to you now at this point in training camp? What did you see specifically on that?) – “I’m understanding it. I’ve got the whole playbook down so I’m understanding everything, listening to Coach (Ryan) Crow and just going through drills that we work on every day in indy. We work on the screen drill when the linemen just let you go by past, put that foot in the ground and go back. So it’s just muscle memory from working on that every day to actually coming to the game.”
