Christian Wilkins – October 18, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 18, 2020
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
DT Christian Wilkins
(You guys are .500 for the first time since you’ve been here, since Head Coach Brian Flores has been here, second place in the AFC East heading into the bye. What do these accomplishments kind of mean for you guys going forward and what can you guys do in the second half?) – “Yeah, well, we’re not satisfied with that. We’re always hungry. We’re always going to keep working and doing our thing, bringing it every day. Just try to work to improve, but it’s a good way to at least go into the bye week, getting two consecutive wins, sprinting to the bye week. That’s always very important – just a little bit of momentum moving forward. Hopefully we can keep going throughout the rest of the season.”
(We knew you were a man of many talents, but seeing you jump over S Brandon Jones there, just how much fun were you having out there, and then obviously the shutout, just how good –) – “I got hops, baby. I got hops. (laughter) No, sometimes I just get a little excited out there. I have a lot of fun when I play on the field, playing with my buddies, my teammates, my brethren. So it’s always a good time, and that was kind of just spur-of-the-moment, and it just happened.”
(Kind of a two-pronged question here. First the sack, and it looked like you got a pick stunt there from LB Sam Eguavoen. Just wanted to get your take on that play, but also the rush scheme and how you’ve been able to so much pressure on quarterbacks the last two weeks?) – “We’ve been doing a lot of different things. We’ve just been staying a little multiple in our stuff and just guys work hard. Guys really want the quarterback, so we’re working hard to get after him. And on that play, Sam (Eguavoen) just did a good job setting me up. He did a counter move inside and just hit the center and I was able to come free. So I had to make sure I found Sam because I wouldn’t have made that played without him. That’s the great thing about football; it’s the ultimate team sport, and definitely, I know for a fact I wouldn’t have made that play without Sam.”
(I saw right at the final whistle you went up to QB Tua Tagovailoa and kind of gave him a bear hug, lifted him off the ground. Tell me about that moment.) – “I was just excited for Tua – his first NFL competition, first few snaps and everything. And he’s a guy who I’ve built a little bit of relationship with and he works hard every day, so it’s good to see him get out there, make a few plays, do his thing a little bit. It was just a glimpse of what’s going to be to come hopefully. I was definitely just happy to see that for him.”
(I see the tie, so I’ve got to ask, do you have the Nike Air Monarchs, the dad shoes, to go with it? And how big – how excited were you guys when DE Emmanuel Ogbah got that sack that was worth 28 yards to kind of secure the shutout there?) – “You know, well, no not the dad shoes to go with it. I might keep that ready for next time. We were excited we made the play. We were a little mad it was (Emmanuel) Ogbah because normally we don’t like him like that. We just kind of deal with him on the team. (laughter) You know, no, that was definitely a big play. We were real hype about that. Ogbah has been working his butt off all year, making plays for us on defense, so it was good to see when he can make plays like that, and we were all dead tired, too, at that point, so it was nice to get a little bit of a rest on that one.”
Xavien Howard – October 18, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 18, 2020
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
CB Xavien Howard
(Talk about the importance of those last two series of getting the shutout. You guys seemed very excited each time you were able to prevent them from scoring.) – “Yeah, man, that was great. We always talk about just finishing strong and I feel like we did that.”
(Obviously, that’s your fourth pick in as many games. How good are you feeling on the field and that urge to make that explosive play that changes the game?) – “Oh, man, I feel great, man, just coming off last year, a big injury. I’m just getting back to the things I’ve been doing and just playing ball.”
(You lead the NFL with four interceptions. How important is it for you to lead the league in interceptions when the season is over?) – “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t even paying attention to it. I’m just happy we got a win. That’s really it.”
(On that particular interception, it looked like you knew exactly what the receiver was going to do. Can you kind of explain how you positioned yourself to be in position to make the interception on that play?) – “A lot of teams (have) been giving me a lot of overs, especially when we (are) Cover 1, so they’ve been running away from me and they’ve been hard on me and I’ve been giving up a lot of overs, also. So just knowing what they’re going to do to me and just undercutting and just trusting the ball is right there.”
(Are you going to write a book before this is done on why you keep getting to the ball, how you do it?) – “Ball finds me, man.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – October 18, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 18, 2020
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(I know there’s a lot to get to with the game, but I just wanted to ask this question, because QB Tua Tagovailoa looked like he just came back on to the field to kind of soak in the moment. He was sitting on the 10 or the 15 for a few minutes. Could you just talk about what you think of him getting in meant to him, to finally see some playing time?) – “I think he was happy to be out there. It was nice to get a couple throws in, too, the naked in your own end zone, getting the easiest of plays, and he went in and completed that one and then completed the third down. I think that was a cool moment for him, just the reception, too, of the fans that were here and everybody on the sideline. We were all excited to see him get out there.”
(Kind of piggy-backing on the same idea about the relationship and people getting excited, Head Coach Brian Flores just told us that the relationship with you and QB Tua Tagovailoa is kind of emblematic of the entire team. I’m curious how you perceive how the way this locker room gels and bonds together compared to the previous 16 years of your NFL career?) – “I would say we’re still a work in progress, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction. We’ve brought in a lot of new guys this offseason and I think we’ve brought in the right kind of guys, and everybody has really meshed well. Even a couple weeks ago sitting at 1-3 not really feeling sorry for ourselves but continuing to work, and now to get a couple in a row and sitting at 3-3 going into the bye, it’s a good feeling for us, and I think we’re coming together as a team.”
(How would you assess how you played today? Obviously, you had three touchdowns in the first half, also you had the two picks. How would you assess your day?) – “First half we kind of got the lead there. We had a good two-minute drive going at the end, and that’s a throw I can’t make. We had points on the board, trying to force one to Mike (Gesicki) in the end zone. And then the second half was a little bit frustrating offensively, I think, for all of us, just trying to grind it out and hand it off and didn’t really get the results we wanted in the second half doing some of that stuff, but it was fun to sit back and watch our defense play today.”
(I wanted to ask you this question about RB Myles Gaskin. You seem to have a pretty close relationship to him. Do you think that Miami’s flirtation with RB Le’Veon Bell and their pursuit of him motivated him? What do you attribute his career game to today?) – “Part of it was opportunity, part of it was what the defense – the way that they were playing us and sort of inviting the run a little bit. But he’s a guy that has just continued to work really hard and just the improvement that he made from last year to this year is awesome. Not just in running the ball but the way he catches it and his confidence in the huddle. We’re always out there cheering for Myles and he wants to get better every single day, and I think that’s why you’ve seen such a great jump for him this year.”
(What do you do with the second half of the season now that you’re .500? How do you move forward now?) – “I think hopefully we’ll carry some of this momentum and continue to play well on both sides of the ball. As I’m sitting here and there’s a bunch of defensive guys getting ready to get interviewed, that’s a very good sign. They played their tails off.”
Shaq Lawson – October 16, 2020
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Friday, October 16, 2020
DE Shaq Lawson
(What was it like sitting out, watching the team perform such a good performance against the 49ers, and how hard have you worked to get back?) – “Those guys went out there and executed last week. It was great to see those guys do great out there. I missed my brothers out there. I wanted to be out there with those boys; but unfortunately I wasn’t. But watching those guys last week, man, just gave me juice and stuff.”
(Just as a follow up to that, what type of competitiveness does DT Zach Sieler bring on the line? Obviously we’ve seen him more and more over these past few games.) – “Zach (Sieler) is a guy that works hard. The first day I met Zach – he works hard, he’s about his business, he brings high energy every day. I just like his work ethic. Having him around, especially around young players, is great for all of us because we can feed off Zach.”
(Do you expect to be able to play on Sunday?) – “Shoot. I’m taking it one day at a time. Just taking it one day at a time. Hopefully. I want to.”
Bobby McCain – October 16, 2020
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Friday, October 16, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(You’ve been here about as long as anybody on the team now really. I wanted to get your take on where this team is in terms of a long-range vision – I know you’re looking at the Jets game on Sunday – but I want to get your take on where you think this team is in terms of its long-term building toward being a perennial contender.) – “I’m going to be honest, man; we’re just trying to take it one day at a time right now. I’m not looking too forward into 2020. I’m not looking too forward into 2021. We’re really focused on the Jets and we try to keep those long-term thoughts and where people think we’re supposed to be, where we think we’re supposed to be, to a minimum and just try to focus on getting one win this week. So sorry, I can’t answer that question.”
(You obviously feel good about all the guys you’ve played with as teammates, but do you think as the secondary is right now with you and S Eric Rowe and CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones, obviously CB Nik Needham and CB Jamal Perry in slot in nickel packages; is this the best you’ve ever felt about this group in terms of what you could be and what you are?) – “Definitely – we’ve definitely got trust in one another. I’ve got a lot of trust in those guys. Those guys have got a lot of trust in me and doing our job and being where they’re supposed to be, so as long as we work collectively and we work together, we’re all on the same page and we all make sure that we’re playing good football, eliminating bad football; it’ll be fine for us.”
(I wanted to ask you to kind of piggyback off that question. You had CB Byron Jones, CB Xavien Howard and yourself out there for more than 50 percent of the snaps for the first time this last Sunday. Just kind of wanted to get a temperature check as far as where you think the communication is between the three of you guys and yourself in that secondary.) – “Pretty good. Pretty good, man. We communicate a lot. We communicate well with each other. I try to make sure everybody’s on the same page. We all try to make sure we’re in the same – in the right calls, so we can execute the right plan. That’s our job at the end of the day, is to talk to one another and communicate and defend the deep part of the field and tackle well. That’s all in our job description.”
Robert Hunt – October 16, 2020
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Friday, October 16, 2020
G/T Robert Hunt
(What was Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall’s recap of the game to you in terms of how you did? What was he happy with, and what areas did he want you to improve on?) – “Everybody was excited about the win. That was pretty much the main focus. Everybody was excited about the win. We definitely, on that right side, all of us can improve on some things. We try to focus on the things we can improve on, just little nicks and knacks, whatever that is.”
(Was practice any different this week for yourself, knowing that you got the start this Sunday? You know you’re going into this week with that group versus last week where there was some not sureness to who was going to be playing.) – “No. I think that we all practice the same. I think that practice has been really good the last couple of weeks. I think we’ve been preparing really well. I think we just continued to do that this week. I think we had a really good week or preparation.”
(At what point did the jitters go away about making your first start? Or did you not have them because you’ve been on so many overloaded power packages?) – “I can definitely say I was – I wouldn’t say nervous, but it’s just a feeling you get before the game. I figured I was going to be playing a lot of time. I wouldn’t say nervous, but little feelings in my stomach. I talk myself up. I’m a guy who talks myself up, so I talked to myself and when it was game time, it was game time. It was there then, so I couldn’t do anything about it, but try to play well.”
(Looking at you and G Solomon Kindley on the right side, they say that for the left-handed quarterback, the right side is the blind side. I feel like with you and Solomon, I feel like QB Tua Tagovailoa will probably be protected really well as you guys develop here. Was there a point where you and Solomon looked at each other and thought this is the future of the Miami Dolphins right side of the line, me and him? And if we continue to keep playing, and developing this could be a bright future for both of us?) – “No. I wouldn’t say that, I wouldn’t say we think about it. I think everybody just tries to compete well and play hard and protect anybody, whether it’s (Ryan) Fitzpatrick or Tua. I think everybody tries to do that. Of course, I think me and Solomon did have fun/ I think we did have fun. I don’t think we like, ‘this is us right now.’ I think we were just in the moment, and we were trying to play well, and I think we did that.”
(Obviously you can play guard as well, but do you see your long-term future as a tackle in the NFL? Is that where you would prefer your future to be?) – “I’m the type of guy that wherever the coach needs me to play, or needs me to stick in, I think I’ll stick in there. I think I can play tackle well, I think I can play guard well. I think it’s a blessing that I was blessed with and wherever our coach or anybody needs me to play, that’s where I’ll stick.”
(What would you say is the next step of the development of this young line?) – “Just learning the game and getting better each week. Each week we can learn new things, just watching our veterans and watching the older guys and watching ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and how he prepares. All of us – with time, this line will mature and I think we’ll be fine just taking it day by day and trying to learn from everyone.”
(You’re one of the few guys in football who has experience playing with a lefty at Louisiana. What was that like, and just knowing that in the future, you’re going to be doing that here? Does that experience help playing with QB Levi Lewis out there in Louisiana?) – “It’s crazy. I really didn’t even think about it. While I was playing, I didn’t think about, ‘oh, I’m blocking for a lefty.’ It never really hit me. I was just out there blocking, trying to do my job the right way. I think that’s going to be my – I think I’ll have the same mentality for however long I can play this game. No matter who I’m blocking for, just when I can block, just do my job.”
(Some say for rookie offensive linemen, pass blocking might be a little bit easier than run blocking might come first in a way. Has that been the case for you? Has run blocking been a little bit more of a challenge? Have you, T Austin Jackson and G Solomon Kindley talked about that?) – “No, we haven’t talked about it. I think as a player, you know your strengths and weaknesses. I think I can run block well, and I think I can pass block well. Coming from college, I did a lot of run blocking, so I’m very comfortable with that. I think as time goes on and as I keep improving and we all keep improving, I think I’ll do well at pass blocking.”
Brian Flores – October 16, 2020
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Friday, October 16, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Do you expect LB Kyle Van Noy and DE Shaq Lawson to play Sunday? And also, if DT Davon Godchaux goes on IR, do you know yet who is going to be replacing him on the 53?) – “Yes, Godchaux is going to go on IR this evening. We’re still working through who we would potentially bring up or flex, so that’s where we’re at on that front. Shaq and Kyle, they were limited today and they’ll be listed as questionable. We’ll just work through that. It may be a pregame workout. We’ll just see how they progress today, tomorrow and up until game time.”
(I was reading something where one of your players, DT Zach Sieler, participates in some extracurricular activities. Just your thoughts on your players’ other interests outside of football, and I know he has aspirations of hunting. The second part of that question is do you have any aspirations of joining him on some of these extracurricular activities of hunting. I know you’re a city boy like myself, so I just wanted to know.) – “Well, being a city boy, you would probably know my answer to that one. (laughter) I’ve never hunted. Look, I support our players and whatever they do off the field. I know Zach’s got a lot of interests off the field. I think it’s part of why he’s the person that he is, which he’s fun-loving, a joy to be around, tough, competitive. I’m sure he’s a competitive hunter. I mean I haven’t had very many conversations with him about that because I don’t have much to bring to that conversation. I’ve never been hunting. But yeah, I support all of these guys and what they do outside of football. I think that’s a big part of who they are. They’re not just ballplayers. They’ve got lives and things outside of football. Maybe I’ll go out there one time with him and he can show me the ropes from a hunting standpoint; but like you, I’ve never done it before.”
(We know what was going on yesterday and that you made a run obviously at RB Le’Veon Bell. Was there any point when you had kind of the juices flowing and you thought you had a real good shot of landing him? Where were you on all of that?) – “I mean my juices are flowing trying to get prepared for the Jets. That’s kind of where all of my energy has been. (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and our personnel staff, (Assistant General Manager) Marvin (Allen) and (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), they handle things of that nature; and really I would say during the week, it’s not even worth talking to me about because I’m doing red zone or two-minute or the run game or some situation. I let those guys handle it. I get updates throughout the day on whatever it is. That was the big story yesterday. But I wasn’t really too involved in that, to be honest with you.”
(I have a follow up on DT Zach Sieler. Yesterday we were talking to him and he informed us that he lives out of an RV during the regular season. So a two-part question, were you aware of that? Did you know that some teammates visit him at the RV? And in any of your past experiences coaching at any stint, had you heard of a player living in some type of temporary housing like an RV? We just thought it was a really cool story.) – “I did know about the RV. This is the first player that I’ve been aware of that has an RV. Again, Zach is – we love him here. I think he embodies a lot of the characteristics we’re looking for. Everyone makes decisions on where they want to live. We don’t have any – I’m supportive of whatever he wants to do. I don’t really have much more to add.”
(Although General Manager Chris Grier, Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen and Vice President of Football Administration Brandon Shore handle the front office kind of things, RB Le’Veon Bell still decided between Miami and Kansas City. What does that say? You guys were able to land free agents in the offseason and big-time players are deciding with you in the mix. What does that mean for you that big-time players are considering your team and maybe the direction that you guys are going towards?) – “Again, Chris, Marvin and the personnel staff, they handle most of that. I would say it says a lot about the job that they’re doing. But again, right now I’m just trying to figure out a way to continue to prepare and get ready for the Jets. That’s where my focus is. That’s where it’s been really the entire week. As far as what it says, I really don’t have a – it’s not really something I’ve thought about. My focus has just been on the Jets.”
Solomon Kindley – October 15, 2020
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Thursday, October 15, 2020
G Solomon Kindley
(I wanted to ask you about your strong offensive line play alongside your buddy G/T Robert Hunt. But first, we just learned moments ago that DT Zach Sieler, No. 92 defensive lineman, he lives in an RV. Did you know this?) – “I had no idea. (laughter)”
(What do you think? Do you want to go visit?) – “I had no clue. I would love to go visit and see how he’s living and see how it is, because I’ve always seen them growing up; but I never really knew anybody stayed inside. I thought they just traveled with them and everything. I never knew that.”
(What was it like having your fellow rookie G/T Robert Hunt right next to you all game?) – “It feels good. We’re both blessed for the opportunity to be able to come play football and then not only play football, but play at the highest level that we always dreamed about. We just have fun because we practice the way we do, and our mindset stays the same throughout everything that we do, so it was just fun playing on the field with him.”
(I want to build on the previous question, but first – the media, are we allowed to call you your nickname? I think it’s a pretty cool nickname. “Big Fish.”) – “Yeah, you can call me the nickname. (laughter) You can call me ‘Big Fish.’”
(All right, “Big Fish” when you were out there on the line this past Sunday with G/T Robert Hunt, you’re only a few games in, but were there any points in the huddle or when you’re going up to the line, where maybe you offered him a word of advice or anything just as that was his first game?) – “Throughout the whole week, we always talk to each other even if he wasn’t playing ,as in if anybody goes down, he’s got to step up and get in. So we always talk to each other about this assignment, how do you see this look, how this defensive line’s rotating; pretty much throughout the week, we look at film and we do every little small – we do small stuff with each other at home. Like we’ve got tests that we do throughout the week, look at film throughout the whole week so we can get comfortable and the game can be slow by the time we get there Sunday.”
(You said “at home.” I wanted to ask if you and G/T Robert Hunt live together, but I guess the real question there for me is also with you guys kind of next to each other on the right side of the line, is there anything – any point where you kind of looked at him or kind of thought “man, this is the future. This is what we’re supposed to be doing here. We’re here with the Dolphins?”) – “I can’t control that. I’m just playing football. If we keep playing good, the sky’s the limit for us and we’re just going to keep being humble and keep doing the things that the Miami Dolphins brought us in to do; but yeah, that’s my guy. That’s my boy and I love playing with him.”
(Some of my favorite offensive line breakdown people on social media and whatnot like to talk about the way you punish jumpers and the way you finish your blocks and drive guys to the ground. I’m curious where you developed that mindset and that mentality and how you’ve been able to take that over now from your college career into the pros?) – “Pretty much me growing up, my history how I came up and how I lived, it just puts me in the position that I am how I am today. I always want to finish. I always want to drive, so I take it from real life and on the football field because like it is, it’s real life. I never want to be one of the persons that coach can pick out – ‘he’s slacking, he’s missing his block’ or ‘he’s not doing this because he didn’t give enough effort.’ That’s my biggest critic ever. That’s like my biggest critic ever. I never want to do that, so I make sure anything I do, I finish to 100 percent.”
(To your knowledge, have you or T Austin Jackson or G/T Robert Hunt gotten any trash talking from defensive linemen during games? Has anyone said like “something, rook?” Something like that. Have you gotten any of that?) – “Not that I remember. I remember playing against Buffalo. I don’t know who it was; but somebody said, ‘get after the rookie.’ You know, you know. It’s typical when a rookie’s playing football; but other than that, nothing really.”
(Was it in the movie “The Blind Side” – I think that’s what it was called where [Michael Oher] ran the opposing player backwards, backwards, backwards, backwards like 50 yards down the field? I feel like you are [Oher]. You and G/T Robert Hunt could have a contest to see who could push the opposing guy the furthest down the field? Is that something like…?) – “No doubt. Me and Rob (Hunt) – his first game – me and the assistant coach, ‘Coach Lem’ (Assistant Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre) we were like, we’re going to see who’s going to get the most knockdowns, who was going to get the most pancakes. That’s like a good goal between your partner next to you because if I’m trying to do my best and he’s trying to do his best; that means everybody’s best is going to keep going up. So I love that. I love that competition with him.”
(“Mr. Big Fish,” what can this offensive line be? What do you think the vision here is and what do you think you guys can do on the field as you get more time to kind of develop?) – “Like I said, our group is a bunch of humble, hard-working people; and if we keep doing that, we keep our head on straight and staying focused, the sky is the limit. Keep God first. Everything else will come as it’s supposed to.”
(I just want to clarify. I made a mistake. It was Michael Oher who also played at Ole Miss. Have you ever actually seen the movie or no?) – “Oh yeah, I love ‘The Blind Side.’ My little brother Chris Kindley, I call him the little guy – ‘S.J. (Tuohy).’ We’re definitely like ‘The Blind Side.’ We used to always think that we were ‘The Blind Side’ growing up our whole life.”
