Robert Hunt – August 22, 2020
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Saturday, August 22, 2020
T Robert Hunt
(This is a question we’ve asked the other two rookies but what has it been like to have some veterans in the room in G Ereck Flowers, G/T Jesse Davis and guys like that? What are some things that they’ve been able to teach you or that you’ve been able to pick off them?) – “They’ve been very helpful. Honestly, E-Flowers and Jesse and all of those guys, they come to us separate and they give us little things to work on that they see that we can improve on. We’re all young. We’re working to try to get better, so those guys come up to us and help us with little things. If it’s post-practice or meetings, those guys kind of help us and guide us in the right direction.”
(G Solomon Kindley was with us just a couple of minutes ago and he said that you and him and T Austin Jackson were kind of in the same group at the Combine together and now you’re here together with the Dolphins. What’s it like kind of having two guys that are going through the same experience that you’re kind of going through right now and having those guys to kind of lean on and work with?) – “It’s been cool. Like I’ve said, we’re all young guys. We’re all trying to get our feet wet and do what’s best for this team and help this team out any way that we can. It’s been cool to meet those guys and play with those guys so far.”
(We were just talking to G Solomon Kindley about his lifeguard background and he said that he was racing a bunch of guys and he said that he was smoking all of them. Were you one of those guys and can you confirm that he can smoke you all?) – “Yeah, I think we did race. I think we raced one time and yeah, he got the best of me that time. The pool is kind of small so he kind of bumped me out of the way. That’s why he won. (laughter) No, he actually is really good in the pool, though.”
(What’s been probably the most difficult thing for you to deal with here as a rookie in training camp? And what’s probably one of the most easy things that you didn’t realize would be so easy?) – “I’m not really sure, honestly. The whole game is faster but I’m taking it day by day. I’m trying to improve on all of my skills and everything the coaches are trying to help me with – techniques and everything. Nothing is ever easy. I’m trying to learn this game, learn the pace of this game, and get better at it.”
(How important is it to you to earn a prominent role on the team quickly in your NFL career?) – “I mean if it happens, it happens. Like I said, I’m just taking it day by day, just to help this team in any way I can help this team. I’ve still got time. We’re still working. I come to work every day and I try to get better and improve, so whatever I can do to help this team, that’s what I’ll do.”
(I know you have some versatility where you can play guard and tackle. Can you take us into what it’s like training at both positions and maybe the differences between playing right guard and right tackle?) – “The difference is like the box and outside the box, pretty much. It is what it is, pretty much. I really can’t understand the question.”
(Essentially what I was asking is what have been the differences training for you at right guard versus right tackle, and trying to learn them both at the same time?) – “Not much, really, because all of us pretty much get cross-trained, so we all get work at different spots. It’s been the same for everybody. Everybody is just getting work here and getting work there. We’re just trying to figure this thing out and let the best five go out and play and compete.”
(I wanted to ask you about the adjustment of going from the Sun Belt Conference there at Louisiana-Lafayette to now seeing professional pass rushers. Have guys like DE Shaq Lawson, DE Emmanuel Ogbah and LB Kyle Van Noy taught you anything about blocking at this level?) – “Of course, yeah. I mean we’re still early in camp but I’ve learned a lot. With myself, I have a lot to work on and stuff like that; but those guys are vets and they’ve been in this game a long time and they’re elite pass rushers. Coming from the Sun Belt to this game is definitely different, but it’s been fun and like I said, I’m trying to improve every day to get better.”
(In what ways are you a better tackle than you are a guard and in what ways do you think you’re a better guard than you are a tackle?) – “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m better at either position. I think I can play both positions well. I think I do stuff better on the inside than I can do outside and I think I do stuff outside that I could do better inside. It is what it is, pretty much what’s needed. I can play both and I think I can play both well.”
Brian Flores – August 22, 2020
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Saturday, August 22, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Correct me if I’m wrong – it’s fair that a young quarterback learning a new system might not look so great in every practice or on every throw, but it’s also fair that sometimes on a throw or in a moment, they show you a glimpse, they show you something that’s special that makes you say, that’s the reason that we have this person.) – “I think that’s fair to say that for any player that’s new, that’s young, that’s in a new system, new environment; there’s going to be some mistakes. I think you could say that for any young player and really quite honestly, for any veteran player as well. I think if you’re in this league, it’s because you’re talented. There’s a lot of guys who played in the college ranks, the high school ranks who don’t make it here at all, so anybody who’s on an NFL roster – the 90-man roster and definitely an 80-man roster – they have some talent, so you’ll see flashes or a glimpse – or you should see flashes or a glimpse – from any player that’s on an NFL roster or else – look, this is going to be my 17th season so any player that’s been on any roster has had some talent or some ability or else they wouldn’t be there. So to answer your question, yes, that’s the case for a quarterback, but it’s the case for every position – punter, kicker, long snapper, running back, linebacker, etc. Everyone in this league is talented and then we have to, as a staff and as an organization, field the team with what we deem is the most talented of the group that we have.”
(I wanted to ask you, we ask a lot of questions about G Solomon Kindley, but we have not addressed T Austin Jackson and how he’s been playing so far in his elevated role.) – “Austin, along with the other rookies, he’s obviously learning. He’s improving on a daily basis. This is a talented kid – tough, he’s smart and he is like all the young players, all the rookies, all the rookie players, he’s improving every day. He’s getting better. He works at it. He’s doing extra in the meetings, doing extra on the field in practice. It’s important to him. He’s making mistakes like everyone on the team is. None of us are perfect, myself included, and he’s learning from them and I think he’s getting better. He’s getting better on a daily basis and that’s the case with Austin and Robert Hunt and (Solomon) Kindley and all our rookie o-linemen.”
(Just a little bit of housekeeping. I wanted to make sure – you do expect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick back with the team at some point?) – “Yeah, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) will be out there today.”
(I wanted to get an update on LB Jerome Baker. He left the practice field yesterday. What’s the update on him? Will he be out there today?) – “Jerome is taking this – it’s day-to-day. He’s getting treatment. He’s doing everything he can to get better. There’s guys getting nicked up in training camp. We’re out there in pads. It’s hot, so we’ll see. He’s kind of going through some treatment this morning, last night. This is going to come down right to the wire whether or not we can get him out there today, so we’ll see.”
(I haven’t seen anybody run to the T.N.T. [Takes No Talent] wall this year. It kind of led me think – what is from Year 1 to Year 2 things that you may have, I guess, changed about maybe how you’re going about coaching and maybe what you learned from Year 1.) – “From a scheduling standpoint, there’s only so much time we can be out there, especially in the early part, so it was 90 minutes the first day, an hour and 45 (the next), I just wanted to – there’s not as much time as there is, so as far as running to the wall or anything like that, I’d rather just get onto the next play and not lose a rep for another guy, which in other years that’s not the case. You have enough time to do that and get all of the reps in. So as a staff, we’re kind of running off the field because we hit our 90 minutes or we hit our hour-45 or we hit our two hours. We’re at the point in training camp now where we do have enough time, so we could incorporate that, but don’t worry. I hammer these guys when we have penalties pretty good in the meetings. You can ask them about it and it’s not something we take lightly at all. I just felt like we’re better off like we’re better off like we would in a game, let’s just move on and go on to the next play and we’ll hammer time them later in the day.”
(We’ve already talked about the three offensive linemen who you drafted earlier today. What I’m curious about is if those three perform among the best in this training camp, would you have any hesitation to fielding three rookies on the offensive line just for the experience factor?) – “It’s kind of a loaded question. (laughter) At the end of the day, the guys who perform the best, they’re going to play. I’d say the offensive line unit is a little different in that you need five guys who perform well together, so there’s some communication that goes with that. There’s some experience that goes with that. We have to get all three of them up to speed pretty quickly to do that; but look, if they’re the five most talented players and that gives us to have some success, then we would have to do that. We’ve got some veteran players – (Michael) Deiter who’s played a lot, Jesse Davis who’s played a lot, (Julién) Davenport who’s played a lot, and so the question becomes do you play the three young guys or do you play a combination of two of the young guys, one of the young guys, all three? There’s so many different combinations and we’ve got some other guys who have played and started some games, so we just have to find out what the best five guys are from a communication standpoint and from a talent standpoint, and we’ll try to put the best team in. But the three young guys are playing well. They’re learning. They’re improving. Are they ready to jump in and play 60-70 snaps today? Unlikely, given having not played in an NFL game and not feeling the speed of the game and I don’t think anyone’s going to be ready to play a 60-minute game right on the onset, so we could see different combinations on the o-line as well as other positions.”
(How did the quarterbacks look with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick yesterday and are you seeing the flashes in them that you mentioned earlier that you like to see?) – “I thought they both made some good throws. They both made some not-so-good throws, but I think every day is a little bit different and how practice is structured – early downs, third down, red zone, 2-minute – we just want to see them in those different scenarios and see if they can be successful in those areas; but I think they’re both working hard. They’re both improving and every play for both guys – and they’re both young – every play for both guys is a good experience for them. It’s a learning experience and I think they’re improving and getting better specifically in those situations. In the red area there’s less field, so they’re tighter throws and they’re smaller windows. You’ve got to make a really good throw and a really good catch and we’ve got to catch the ball in the tight windows with receivers playing tight man coverage and there’s just not as much field. I think everyone can understand that, so how we evaluate them in that area of the field is different than when we’re in the actual field – not necessarily the red zone – but the rest of the field and it’s also different how we evaluate them in two-minute and the decision-making, which also includes the clock and timeouts and things of that nature. The evaluation is not just ‘did he complete’ or ‘how many?’ There’s a lot that goes into it, so I think they’re both improving and getting better.”
(I wanted to ask you about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey. In an earlier interview he talked about the process of what made him come out of retirement – the call he took from you – and he wasn’t sure at the time. What have you seen in him now that he is back coming out of retirement and the passion he has to work again with young players?) – “Chan is a great teacher. I’ll start with that. He’s a great teacher offensively. He understands the game defensively. He’s obviously very, very experienced. He’s very meticulous about who’s playing where, the techniques, the fundamentals; so I’ve been very pleased with Chan and what we’re doing offensively, but we still have a long way to go. He communicates with the players, the coaches, with myself – that’s been good – and obviously he’s done it for a long time and yeah, I’m excited to see where this goes; but at the same time, it’s still early. We’re still in the installation phase so as we get through the installation and then come back and rep it again and hopefully improve in the various areas offensively – run game, play action, third down, 2-minute, drop-back – all those things – screen game. I hope we’re doing well, but Chan’s been great.”
(RB Myles Gaskin is a guy who has flashed just about every day that we’ve watched practice. What were your expectations coming into the season and what kind of role do you see him carving out for himself if he keeps it up?) – “I think Myles has done a very good job. He’s a kid who has really improved over the course of last season. Really from OTAs to minicamp to training camp, you could see kind of the growth throughout the season. He’s playing well running it, catching the ball out of the backfield. His blocking has improved. I tell him like I tell all the other players – their role is going to be what they make it, so if you go out there and you continually make plays and handle your responsibility and you’re someone we can depend on, we’re going to find a role for you. If you’re productive along with being dependable, along with doing things the right way really on and off the field, then you could have a really big role. That’s kind of what we tell every player. It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie, a veteran, undrafted, drafted; that’s the standard and we’re going to try to hold the guys to that.I think Myles has done a good job of doing everything he can off the field, on the field to make himself the best player he can be and that’s showing up a little bit in practice; but again, in this league it’s got to show up in practice, in games and you’ve got to have consistency, so that’s what we try to stress to the guys – Myles along with really every other player.”
(I wanted to ask you about T Robert Hunt. It’s not easy to make a transition from the Sun Belt conference to the National Football League. What has been your message? What would be your message for Robert specifically?) – “For Robert specifically – but really it’s for all rookies – it’s different from college. The speed of the game, the amount of time that we put in compared to what they’re doing in college. There’s no classes and they’re not working on protections against a blitz or four different blitz looks and – I don’t know what classes they’re taking – doing psychology class. That’s not part of this. So the amount of time they’re asked to spend – not just football – but from a treatment standpoint, from a weightlifting standpoint, from a nutrition standpoint; I think initially you’ve got to try to be good in all those areas to be the best version of yourself on the field and that’s kind of what we try to coach to all players, specifically the young ones. The competition – Sun Belt, ACC, Ivy League – it’s going to be better. That’s just what it is. The receivers in this league – we were just talking to our young DBs, with Brandon (Jones). Receivers in this league, they’re good. They’re fast. They’re big. They’ve got good hands. They’re quick. It’s no different than on the o-line. It’s an adjustment for (Solomon) Kindley, who played in the SEC, Austin (Jackson) who played in the Pac-12, and Robert who played in the Sun Belt. The defensive linemen in this league, they’re fast. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re strong, they’re mean. They bring it every play, so we’ve got to bring it every play. So that’s the message to Robert, Austin, Kindley, (Jonathan) Hubbard, all of the guys who are here. That’s the message to the veteran offensive linemen as well. If you get complacent and think you’ve got it, you’re going to get hit right in the mouth so that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Brandon Jones – August 21, 2020
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Friday, August 21, 2020
S Brandon Jones
(Could you just give us an overall description of how camp has been going for you without the benefit of having OTAs, and also, does it benefit being around some veterans such as CB Byron Jones and different guys like that?) – “Yeah, it’s always good when you can get around vets – people that have been doing this for a while – and just kind of pick their brains. Obviously it’s a different situation. It’s something that we’ve never been a part of as the NFL, so it’s just kind of a learning experience for us, especially not being able to have preseason and OTAs and all of that stuff earlier; so I’m just literally staying under the older guys’ wings, learning as much as I can possible and then during practice, mistakes are going to happen, especially a lot of this is new for me, especially being in-person seeing stuff. I’m just trying to learn and get better every single day.”
(Has it been so far all safety work for you? Have you lined up in nickel at all? I know you did that obviously at Texas some last year and what’s your comfort level doing that if I may ask you to?) – “I’m open to whatever gets me on the field as fast as possible and whatever I can do to help the team, whether it’s lining up in the slot at nickel, lining at high safety, strong safety; I’m just here to do what I can to make the team better at the end of the day, and I have been working kind of everywhere. Our coach wants to be able to be multiple and be able to play different positions because you never know what can happen at the end of the day, so I’ve definitely been working kind of everywhere.”
(What are some of the things you were able to do during the time that there were no OTAs and so forth? What did you do on your own to try to get in shape and get prepared for this camp?) – “I’m really big on routine, so I was back in Dallas and Frisco most of the offseason and kind of just stuck to a routine – the same thing – getting as much work as possible. It’s kind of hard when you’re by yourself, especially during the quarantine, to get around with people. You have to stay six feet apart from everybody, so my biggest thing was obviously conditioning was a huge importance. I know lifting and getting strong is going to come with it, but being in physical shape conditioning-wise was super important, especially with this heat. This humidity is a lot different. I’m not used to it. I’m still kind of adjusting to it. I lose hella weight every single day, so it’s definitely new for me; but yeah, the biggest thing was just conditioning-wise and I think I’m in pretty good shape for the most part.”
(The last time we talked to you, you mentioned you’re not the biggest guy in the world out there. In fact you’re the lightest safety out there. I noticed at one point today, it looked like you were taking on a guard who probably outweighed you by 10 or 15 pounds.) – “Probably 50 pounds. (laughter)”
(What’s that like?) – “I really just kind of use my advantages and use my strengths and go against them. Obviously strength-wise, as soon I know in my head – as soon they get me locked on – I’m done for, so I’m going to try to do as much wiggle room, use my speed, get down because I’m shorter – a lot shorter – than a lot of them, so I’m going to get down as low as I can and try to make them bend; but those times are going to come. On screen passes or anything like that, you’ve got guards and tackles pulling to come get you. The biggest thing our coach tells us is just stay alive at the end of the day.”
(I wanted to ask you in terms of this defense, how complex is it to learn? I know you’re a smart guy, but what are the intricacies that give you issues?) – “I would say just kind of getting comfortable in knowing the next step. I think I’m really good at knowing once we get a formation, what the call is and stuff like that; but kind of getting on the next level knowing that if this guy motions, this is what we’ve got to go to, and just the overall importance of fundamentals and techniques. It’s tough. You’re playing against the best of the best each week and a bad step or anything like that can win or lose a game, so you’ve got to be very, very critical of your fundamentals and techniques and just kind knowing ahead of time what’s next to happen if this may occur in a situation.”
Malcolm Perry – August 21, 2020
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Friday, August 21, 2020
RB Malcolm Perry
(I was curious – how difficult or easy, I guess, is Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense to pick up as a rookie? How much is your head swimming right now and how much of it is kind of straightforward?) – “I think it’s a good mix of everything you just said. It’s a different level than college obviously, so the attention to detail is much higher and I’m trying to catch on as fast as I can and hopefully it’s going well for me.”
(What has been the toughest part of making this transition? I know you had worked as a receiver earlier when you were preparing for the draft, but that you’re actually here doing it, what’s the biggest challenge?) – “Just like I said, the attention to detail. Seeing things after the ball is snapped, getting in the right spot and making sure I’m where I need to be to make the play successful. It’s just the little things right now. I’m trying to learn every day and learn from my mistakes and get better the next day.”
(Last time we talked, we went over your kind of daily schedule and daily routine that when you were at Navy. Now that you’ve been here at camp for a few weeks, I’m curious how would you say that experience at college prepared you for the daily grind of the NFL?) – “I’d like to say it helped a little bit. I think my days are just as busy but filled with football and not any military stuff; so it prepared me in the aspect of having a big workload, but it’s all football, so it’s a little better in that regard.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is obviously the unquestioned leader of this offense. Without him out there today, who took charge I guess and was it kind of difficult to keep it together?) – “As everybody likes to say in the NFL – any team, organization – it’s the next man up. We went out there, worked on what we needed to work on and felt like we had a pretty solid day at practice.”
(Two things – one, what was your reaction when you were told they wanted to try you in slot receiver? Were you excited? And then what NFL slot receivers have you studied on tape?) – “I was extremely excited. Any opportunity to touch the field at any position, I’m all for it. Just getting out there, learning from the guys on the team that play the same position – mirroring them, seeing what they’re doing, asking them questions and trying to learn everything from them, their mistakes, what they do right, stuff like that and try to use it to my advantage.”
Kamu Grugier-Hill – August 21, 2020
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Friday, August 21, 2020
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
(I saw you had posted a video on Instagram with you and QB Tua Tagovailoa singing. I wanted to know how it is to have another Hawaiian brother on the team and kind of how you guys have developed that relationship.) – “I love it, man. I can’t lie to you. It’s awesome. For a long time, I’ve been the only guy being from home – being so far away from home – so having someone here with me that kind of grew up the same way as me, it’s awesome. We get to talk and joke a lot about how we grew up. It’s even funnier because our high schools – even though he’s a lot younger than me – are rival high schools, so we get to joke about that a little bit. It’s awesome. I love it.”
(I’m a little bit curious with you and QB Tua Tagovailoa getting along so well, is that kind of the same vibe you have in the locker room in general? And if so, why do you think this team’s personalities are meshing so well, so early?) – “Definitely. I think this locker room is a young team. Everyone’s hungry. Everyone’s coming in and wanting to work. I think it’s easy when everyone is so young and around the same age and stuff like that, for the team to kind of have a lot in common. It’s just a real friendly, family-oriented locker room, so it’s good.”
(I’ve been to Hawaii many times and obviously I’ve lived down here in South Florida for a while now. I’m wondering what parts you might be finding similar to home?) – “So obviously I was in Philly for the last four years, which is nothing like back home. So being here is definitely very similar. I was even driving around and I was just like, ‘Dang, that kind of looks a little bit like how back home looks,’ in certain areas. I just love the tropical weather, the warm weather. It’s hard to beat. It’s not home but it’s pretty close.”
(I wanted to ask you about the intricacies of the defense. Obviously this is your first time in Head Coach Brian Flores’ scheme. How similar or un-similar is it to stuff you were doing in Philadelphia, and the biggest challenges?) – “I think it’s very different but I love it, and it’s a big reason why I’m even here. There’s so many different things that we can do with this defense and it really keeps everyone very diverse and asks everyone to do multiple things. That’s exciting for me. It’s very different, but I’m getting used to it and I’m loving it.”
(I’m wondering if you still have most or all of your family in Hawaii and if so, how difficult must it be for them to watch you play in person?) – “I’m actually the only person in my family that ever left Hawaii and truthfully, I never even left Hawaii until I went to college, so that was a big step for me. But ever since I’ve left, I’m either in-season or we’re in the offseason and training; but the second I get a chance, I’m usually back home. This last year, I had to do some rehab and stuff, so I wasn’t able to get home; and obviously with this COVID stuff, it’s been difficult. But yeah, I love when my family comes out and when they do because it’s so far that they stay for like two or three weeks, which is a nice change of pace. It’s nice but it’s been hard. It’s definitely been hard this year.”
(The Dolphins have a couple of corners at safety and you’re a guy who I know earlier in your career played safety, and now you’re a linebacker. Is that kind of an indication of where the league is going? What are you sensing in terms of the emphasis on pass coverage skills?) – “I can’t really speak for anyone else in the league but just from my view of things, you go into a game and teams are passing the ball almost 40-50 times a game. I think there’s a huge emphasis on the pass and passing downs. I wouldn’t say that it’s more important, but I think guys are being asked to do more. You’re not seeing the typical 260-pound (line)backer anymore that are on the field for all three downs.”
Brian Flores – August 21, 2020
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Friday, August 21, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening Statement) – “I just want to start before we start with the questions. So ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Kavon Frazier won’t be at practice today. They’re both out with kind of personal reasons. I’m not going to elaborate more on that; but just so you guys know when you don’t see them out there. Personal reasons – they both won’t be at practice today.”
(Do you expect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to miss an extended period of time and what does QB Jake Rudock bring to the table if you guys bring him in again for a visit or a signing?) – “I’m not going to go into detail on ‘Fitz’s’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) situation. Again, it’s personal, and that’s kind of where I’m going to leave it. We’ll just take things day to day with him and Kavon (Frazier). With Jake, we brought him in for a visit. We’ll just see where that goes. We haven’t signed him. But that’s kind of just standard operating procedure to take a look and see where guys are just from a roster management standpoint.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Andrew Van Ginkel. What is it about his skillset that makes him capable of playing his position and watching him in practice a couple of days ago, it seems like he’s a very long frame and that might benefit him in terms of like swim moves, etc.) – “’Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) is tough. He’s smart. He loves to play. He’s got some length. He’s got some straight-line speed. He’s gotten stronger since we’ve gotten him. He’s made a lot of improvement. He played at the end of the season last year, so he’s got some playing experience under his belt. Not a lot, but he understands the speed of the game and how strong players are in this league. He worked extremely hard in the offseason to try to make that first to second year leap. He’s had a few good days so far. It’s still early; but he’s taken advantage of his opportunities and hopefully we continue to see that type of improvement.”
(I know you talked about the possibility of no fans in the stands the other day. I’m wondering how much you think that would eliminate home-field advantage or reduce it. Do you think that will equalize things more in a place like Buffalo or Foxborough than maybe some other places? How big of an impact is it?) – “That’s not really something I’ve thought about, to be honest with you. Off the top of my head, everyone is dealing with the same circumstances. I think the only thing we can worry about is what we do on the field. We try not to worry about fans or – obviously it’s an advantage when they’re loud in there, but we need to play through that anyway whether it’s the cadence, communicating – finding different ways to communicate – hand signals and things of that nature. I’m not going to sit here and say it is or isn’t an advantage. It’s honestly something I haven’t thought about. Right now my focus is on us getting better today, trying to improve today, getting in and out of the huddle, making sure our communication is good, making sure we’re focusing on the fundamentals and techniques. When we get to game situations, which is obviously three weeks from Sunday, we’ll talk about it obviously before that; but there will be less fans if there’s fans at all. It won’t be as loud. I think we all kind of realize that. We’re just going to make the best of whatever the situation brings – no fans, some fans, a packed stadium. Whatever it is, we’ll try to make the best of the situation.”
(The QB Ryan Fitzpatrick news obviously brings up a question about the backup situation. To my untrained eyes, it seems like QB Josh Rosen is ahead of QB Tua Tagovailoa. Is that how you see it? How do you see that competition going?) – “That competition is like every other competition on the team. Whether it’s the quarterback, whether it’s the running back, whether it’s the offensive line, whether it’s the defensive line, the tight ends – everybody is competing. We’re just trying to take it one day at a time to get better, improve, see what the strengths and weaknesses are on the team. That’s a lot of the conversations that we have on our days off, and trying to see where we can make improvements with each individual, and obviously try to improve each unit – whether it’s the nickel, dime, defensively to our base package defensively to our 11, 12 personnel groups offensively, punt team and kickoff return. Really, every phase. That’s where we’re at. Everyone is just trying to improve and get better. I think those guys are doing a good job. Rosen is doing a good job. Tua is doing a good job. I think a lot of guys at a lot of positions are making some progress.”
(You got an extended opportunity to look at QB Josh Rosen last year. What are your hopes for and the areas where you want to see improvement from him?) – “It’s a new offense so the areas of improvement right now are kind of honed in on that – communication, in and out of the huddle, 2-minute (drills) are obviously an important part of the game. A lot of what happens in 2-minute (situations) is quarterback driven. So how many timeouts do we have? How much time is on the clock? Do we need to stay inbounds? Do we need to get out of bounds? Those are things that we’re saying – that (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) is going to be saying to him in the helmet – but the quarterback needs to know that, and kind of have a feel for all of those things without being told. Essentially, they end up becoming the coach on the field, so improvement in that area for all quarterbacks – Rosen, they’re young. Rosen’s young. You can say … but he’s still a young player. The same as Tua (Tagovailoa). So the 2-minute red area, when do they try to make the big throw versus take the check down? We talked about that this morning, just your decision-making. Is it based on the read? Is it based on matchup? Is it based on the situation? We may just need a field goal and we may just need five yards, and your guy is wide open down the field down the sideline. Those are decisions that quarterbacks have to make. There’s a lot there. I know I probably went overboard on the question but there’s a lot there. I’m looking for a lot. I think every coach at every level is looking for the same things and that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for leadership, we’re looking for communication, we’re looking for someone making good decisions – consistently making good decisions.”
(When you talk about maybe what QB Josh Rosen was doing last year, I guess from my eyes it looked like maybe some of those decisions you were talking about or the processing speed may have been something that he wasn’t fully up-to-speed on. With no true preseason games, how do you evaluate his development and maybe how he’s maybe improved in some of those areas?) – “All we have is practice. We evaluate practice; but at the same time, you just never know when the lightbulb goes off for coaches, players, writers. I think it’s different for everyone. He’s had a lot of good moments so far. We’ll just kind of see how it goes and continue to get better. Experience helps, for sure; but like you said, we don’t have the preseason games. We’re trying to create situations to see whether or not that decision-making process is where we need it to be (and) where he wants it to be. He’s putting the work in to do that. So are all of the quarterbacks. I know we’re spending a lot of time on the quarterbacks but it’s really each player in each position, from a situational standpoint and a decision-making standpoint, everyone’s got to make good decisions on the field, communicate and try to put this team in the best position to string good plays together.”
(I wanted to ask about scrimmage situations. What can you tell us about how you’ll approach scrimmages, the role they might have with the absence of preseason games?) – “That’s something we’ve talked a lot about. We’ll have – I try to use every team period as a scrimmage. I don’t know if you’re alluding to live tackling and things of that nature. It’s something we’ve talked about. We may or may not do something like that; but I think there’s a lot that goes into it. The health of the team, whether or not we feel like we need to do that – I mean, we probably do; but what’s the right setting? What’s the right timing to get all of that done? It’s an ongoing situation. It’s one we’ve had. Are we ready to do that right now today? We’ll see. You guys will be out there.”
(It would be helpful to know if these absences are expected to be a long protracted thing or not a long protracted thing.) – “When you’re dealing with personal matters, it’s case by case. I think we’ve all dealt with personal things. I’m sure you have; I have. I’m going to support my players and however much time they need with specific situations, that’s what they’re going to get. I think we all should have an understanding from that standpoint and quite honestly … when we’re talking about things of that nature, some things take precedent and I’m going to respect that.”
George Godsey – August 20, 2020
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Thursday, August 20, 2020
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(In terms of over the past few days, it really seems like TE Adam Shaheen has at least stood out or made a few plays, or maybe even just to us he looks like a big guy out there whenever he’s on the field. What have you thought of just what he’s done over the past several days?) – “He’s gradually grasping the offense. Unfortunately for Adam, he wasn’t here in the spring, so to be able to digest that amount of time that we spent in these virtual meetings, he’s put a lot of effort and it’s really commendable on catching up honestly from a mental standpoint. And then physically, there’s obviously history of him not being out there on the field. He’s been working hard in the training room and to get out there, continue to improve his reps and then continue to show some production from especially a blocking standpoint. It’s hard in the preseason to get everybody the ball. He has definitely some touchdown background, let’s call it, in the NFL; so we know he can catch the ball. But when you’re trying to evaluate an extra group of running backs, some extra receivers, all the different quarterbacks, trying to rotate that; it’s complex in getting the ball distributed to everybody, so we’re going to take it one day at a time, but you bring up some good points as far as him improving day-to-day and we’ve got about two more weeks for that to keep going before it’s season time.”
(I wanted to ask you, it seems like you have guys that may not necessarily be in your room full-time but maybe play some H-back or some move tight end – maybe like a WR Mack Hollins or like a FB Chandler Cox. How do you work with those guys who like I said may not be in your room full-time but maybe play some tight end roles?) – “This is a very complicated thing with really every club. It’s the hybrid players and being able to, let’s say ‘adapt’ to another role. So potentially could Chandler Cox carry the football? So he’s got to learn some running back stuff from a protection standpoint, from a running back landmark standpoint and then the tight end role, obviously there’s on-the-line. There’s extended as a – technically they’re tight ends in the media guide, but they could be extended and played as essentially a receiver or detached eligible position. And then as a tight end, does he get off the ball and get into a position to block as a fullback. so it takes obviously a lot of extra time and when we’re talking about being physical, obviously the fullback and the tight end – those two positions – have a lot of merging roles, so those two guys essentially – or those two positions – are in this room and it’s something that I say: I might be talking to Chandler, but I’m really speaking to the whole room, so that they hear the point because something I always bring up is you may get up to bat and face three straight fastballs; but at some point you’re going to face the curveball, and if you’re not listening to a correction that was made to another player, then we’re not going to be ready for that pitch or that defense, so to say. It’s definitely a burden for those guys when they’re sitting there in the meeting room and you’re really addressing a certain player, but for them to process that information, put them in that spot, that’s how that whole room improves from a toughness or a physical standpoint, especially in the run game.”
(We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the things that TE Mike Gesicki needs to do to be a better pro and then we’ve talked about things he’s now doing to be a better pro. What about TE Durham Smythe? What’s next for him?) – “The whole room is essentially a young room; so I see those guys improving in all phases every day, and there’s a certain degree in the run game that if we’re speaking to Durham specifically, that he’s able to provide for us. Maybe a little bit differently than Mike, so to say, and then there’s also some things that he can do that maybe Mike can’t do. He’s concentrating on some of the weaknesses from last year and improving those; but from a professional and mental standpoint, this guy is as sharp as anybody in our offensive room. He understands defenses. He understands technique and again to (the previous) question, when you’re blocking all those different angles, inserting as a fullback, on the point of attack as a tight end – that’s not like a one-stop shop. To process that and understand what exactly what those players are doing, I tip my hat to Durham because sometimes it’s a thankless job because it doesn’t show up in the stat book, ‘eight catches for whatever yards;’ but he’s a big part of us being successful in the run, play-action and when the ball is thrown to him and he gets his opportunity, he’s got to take advantage of it, which he’s shown a little bit of that here in these first few days with pads on.”
(I want to kind of continue that theme of the way TE Mike Gesicki and TE Durham Smythe kind of balance each other because we saw the versatility last year with Mike playing a lot out wide in the slot, in line and I’m curious when you’re in 12-personnel there with two tight ends, how important is it to have some type of balance in both play style and body type in those two tight ends on the field?) – “It’s extremely important. You don’t want a loaded box is what we say when everybody just comes down there and plays the run, and if you’re facing a defense that wants to respect your ability to threaten them vertically essentially in the passing game, then we need to have hands on hands or hats on hats from a blocking standpoint to be able to allow us to run for some yards; so the tight end position, it’s a threat initially because we’re on the line of scrimmage for the most part and we’re able to get into the defense. It’s a little bit different from a fullback position because we’re now at, let’s call it level 2 or level 3, in the backfield depending on exactly the position. The tight end position is a wide open position to providing that pass and run threat, so it’s extremely important for both of those guys to excel at both run and pass, albeit they’re blocking different players at certain times, sometimes DBs, sometimes defensive linemen, and that’s our job to put those guys in positions where we feel like they’re most effective versus that defense.”
(I know we’re a couple weeks away from it, but maybe if you could take me a little bit into whenever you get around roster cut time and whether it’s the third tight end or maybe even fourth tight end versus keeping like a fourth or fifth running back – how is that in the rooms? I know probably Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman has got a role and then Head Coach Brian Flores does, but how are you maybe advocating for someone you may feel like is valuable versus another position coach in another room?) – “Obviously it’s a complicated equation. Shoot, I’d be on a boat right now if I had that for every coach; but it goes with the special teams and it also goes with, let’s say depth. It could be if you lose this tight end, who’s the next player that can provide that vertical threat on the line of scrimmage or from (Offensive Coordinator) Chan’s (Gailey) vision, are we better off with maybe it’s another running back or another fullback or could it be a heavy tight end? So all of those factors – vision of the coordinator, special teams depth, how we’re going to utilize certain personnel (groups) – all that factors into it. I think the way I look at my job in training camp for that room, is let’s provide everybody a shot to make this team; and those tough questions, I’m happy that at the end of training camp we have those discussions because those guys earned it. I think everybody in that room to a degree is going to put us in that position, so I take a sense of ownership because that is the tight end position; but ultimately for the team, head coach, special teams coordinator – those guys definitely will have a vision for how they want to play the game and then it kind of falls in place from there.”
Josh Grizzard – August 20, 2020
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Thursday, August 20, 2020
Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard
(I wanted to ask you about WR Isaiah Ford and a comment that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick made last December about his knowledge of the offense – went as far as to call him “special” in the way he prepares and studies. Can you tell us what you see from Isaiah Ford in terms of a preparation standpoint and how he’s able to really absorb the offense so comprehensively?) – “Isaiah is a very, very smart football player. He completely understands not only his job, but the guy beside him. He might even be able to tell you what the o-line is doing. He might tell you what the protection is. He knows that because he studies it. He loves the game. I could see this guy coaching one day down the line, and he does have elite knowledge of what we’re doing, what his role is and he’s just a joy to be around because he understands it from our level.”
(I was talking to my editor yesterday. I said, “what do you want me to write about? More Tua? More DeVante Parker?” He goes, “no, I need a story on WR Mack Hollins’ hair.” So I need your assessment, your evaluation, of what Mack has going on up top.) – “(laughter) That’s also an elite – I don’t want to categorize it into something – but it’s special. I don’t even know how he really puts the helmet on once we get out there. (laughter) It’s like an added layer of cushion. We have these spaced out desks and things in the wide receiver room and from my angle, I can’t even see him, but I can see the hair above his little cubicle-type deal. It’s pretty cool, but whatever floats his boat.”
(I don’t have a hair question, but on WR DeVante Parker, obviously you got to work with him in your role last year and now you’re running that room. We get to see him – I know health has been the big thing for him and now it seems like as he’s pushing past that plateau, what’s your next focus on him and reaching I guess that next level? I know he wants to be great, but what’s that next focus once you get past staying healthy?) – “The fact that he was healthy last year and had all of that success, it’s beautiful to see this year that he’s now more vocal. You can tell that’s coming along. The first couple weeks of camp – really the same thing – and guys gravitate to that. The young guys that are around, they see that. They see the way he works. He now understands I think more than ever that not only is your job to get open and catch the ball, but if it’s a concept that you need to go get doubled or you need to be in this spot to open it up for the next guy, he understands that side of it, too. I think he understands defenses more than ever; so just seeing him take those strides has been good.”
(Now that you’ve seen WR Matt Cole for a few days, could you talk specifically about the skillset there – what does he do well? And then when you’re done with him, if you could address the same question with WR Gary Jennings please.) – “Matt – it’s been good to actually get a chance to work with him and get to the point where we’re putting the pads on. What you see from Matt is Matt is a strong player. He’s an explosive guy. He can get in and out of breaks quickly and we’ve been able to see that over the last few practices on the field. Just seeing that in person and really the same thing of going from talking about this thing on Zoom to getting on the field and doing it has been good. Then to Gary, Gary is a tough player. He’s physical. A lot of the same things where sometimes he’d rather run through a guy than around him, so it’s good to see that aspect of the game as well.”
(I asked Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown this question. I’m going to ask the same of you. You were born in 1990, I believe…) – “Yes, sir.”
(When you look at Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and the wealth of experience he has – and he was actually coaching in the NFL before you were born – when you see him, do you see an energetic guy that just loves this game?) – “Absolutely, and the wealth of knowledge that he has, as coaches, we just sit around every time we’re watching film or we’re going through players that he says something, I’m writing it down, I’m adding it to this list or that list, ‘oh, that’s a great point’ – because what he has an innate ability to do is take things that are complex and say, ‘this is exactly how we want it.’ And so being able to then pass that along to the players, I think is invaluable; so the times that I’ve been around him over these past, let’s call it seven or eight months, has been invaluable, being able to again, pass that back on to the receivers. He clearly has a passion for the game and has had a ton of success. He’s great to be around day-in and day-out.”
(Obviously your unit took a little bit of a hit when WR Allen Hurns and WR Albert Wilson opted out. Where do you feel like you are depth-wise with this group once you get past WR Preston Williams and WR DeVante Parker?) – “I think we’re in a good place. These guys – the ones that have had to fill that void – as of now we’re still moving guys around; but again, I think that we’re in a good spot. I coach the guys that are there and we prepare them for each practice, as we work towards Week 1. It’s something that right now, we can move guys around and see what the best fit is, see where – does this highlight what he does well? Or okay, that didn’t look great so let’s move around to the next guy; but I’m happy with the group. These guys work. They’ve been blocking in the run game and that’s always great to see as well, so I’m happy with where we’re at.”
(We got a taste last year of WR Preston Williams and it was exciting to see him play when he was playing for those seven games before the injury. Now we’ve seen him again. Where do you think his development is at this point going into the 2020 season?) – “I think that he’s really just focused on the last few months of just getting back to where he was and now that he’s working towards that, it’s how can I run this route slightly differently or if I’m seeing this coverage – same thing to the point I was making about DeVante (Parker) and really the rest of the group – it’s not always me, ‘I’ve got to go beat this guy, but let me be in this spot so that this play is effective so the Dolphins move the ball down the field.’ I think he sees that more. He’s seeing more defenses. He’s just putting that in his mind on cataloguing like, ‘okay, I can reach back to this some point down the line on I’ve had that experience.’ He’s done a good job with that and just getting that feel for it has been his main thing.”
