Byron Jones – August 13, 2020
Download PDF version
Thursday, August 13, 2020
CB Byron Jones
(I’m wondering from what you now know of the Dolphins defense, what kind of defense are you all going to have in 2020 and how personally does that change from what you’re used to in the past?) – “In terms of our defensive style, it seems like we’re more man, which is fun. We have the corners for it. We have the secondary for it. I’m used to it. I’m used to being out there guarding receivers, running around with tight ends, slot receivers and X’s and Z’s; so it’s nothing different, per se. It’s just a different roster, a different system. It’s exciting but definitely new.”
(I thought of you when I saw UConn Football wound up being one of the first schools to say they were not going to play football this year. That was a sad deal and obviously a lot of dominos after that. You can comment on that if you want, but my football question is if CB Xavien Howard is not able to return quickly, how do you feel about your confidence level, your comfort level, in opposing and covering the opposing top receiver?) – “I feel great. This is a big reason why I was brought here. It was to build on the already-good secondary. We have really good young players. We have good players who have been here in the past, so it’s really just, I’m just another piece to the puzzle in terms of a really good and just really excellent Dolphins secondary. Hopefully we’ll have ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) back. As soon as he gets back, we want to make sure he’s fully healthy first. We’re not going to rush him at all, but we’re good. We’re a good team up and down the roster, I’d say.”
(I wanted to go back to when you first signed here with the Dolphins. You mentioned that you had heard great things from around the league about Head Coach Brian Flores and the program that he’s putting together down here and your opportunity at being a leader. I just wanted to get your up-to-date take on how that’s going now that you’ve experienced the atmosphere here firsthand and taking on that leadership role with such a young team.) – “It’s been very exciting to actually be here in person and get to know the coaches, get to know my teammates. This is a young roster. There’s no going around that, but that’s exciting. These guys are hungry. They’re hungry to build a name for themselves. They’re hungry to build a special team here and you see it every day, and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) has been great with his communication – definitely during these times where things are very different. Meetings are different. The way we practice is very different. His intensity when he speaks to us, it’s apparent right away. It’s very exciting to see that in person instead of just on a Zoom meeting, so it’s something that I’m looking forward to trying to build on this and going in the right direction.”
(You and CB Xavien Howard are two of the top-paid cornerbacks in the league. Do you feel like you can be the top duo in this league and why so, if that?) – “We’re certainly working towards that. There’s no doubt about that. We both excel at playing man coverage. I think he excels at attacking the ball better than me, so that’s something I’m learning from him, but it all – what we need to understand is nothing really matters what you did last year or the year before that. What matters is what you build today and now and going into the 2020 season, so our focus is really on building our skillset now and not really relying on what we’ve done in the last. So it really starts all over again in 2020.”
(I know a lot of corners like to look at each other and compete and rank each other, who’s the best corner in the league. How do you choose to motivate yourself? Do you view yourself as one of the top corners and how do you kind of do that sort of ranking system?) – “For me truthfully, I pay very little attention to outside noise because we’re all different. We all play in different schemes. We all play different systems. Some guys follow the best, some guys don’t. It’s really hard to compare. It’s a fun game for fans – no question – but for me, I focus on myself. I focus on making sure my craft is the best it can possibly be – my footwork, my eyes, my hands, my feet, my tackling. I just choose to focus my intention on myself and that’s how I’ve been since I was young and I just want to keep that same mentality.”
(You talked a little bit about Head Coach Brian Flores and what he’s like. Can you talk about Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and just what it’s like interacting with Gerald? Does he offer that unique perspective just because he is younger and maybe a little bit more relatable?) – “I’ll tell you this. He is a really good teacher. Him and ‘Coach Chuck’ (Coaching Assistant Charles Burks) together as the secondary coaches, they do a really good job at making sure the DBs understand what defense we’re in and where our help is and understanding what our leverage is, how the entire defense works together in our favor; so those guys have been on it in terms of leverage, in terms of where your help is, where the rush is coming from, looking at quarterback tendences. Both coaches – ‘Coach Chuck’ and ‘Coach G.A.’ – they’re both very good teachers and they’re really implementing these important lessons and foundational lessons on us very early, and I think it’s going to pay dividends in the season.”
(I guess you’ve had now two practices. I assume you guys practiced already this morning. Have you had a chance to defend a pass thrown by QB Tua Tagovailoa and if so what has gone on in those matchups?) – “I have not. No, we haven’t gone against the offense, per se. It’s been more of a walkthrough pace, so we haven’t had a chance to really go one-on-one yet; but that’s coming in about a couple weeks, so hang tight.”
(Just to piggyback off of something you said, how do you tangibly prove attacking the ball better? How do you work on that?) – “It’s a skillset, so like any skillset you work on it on a daily basis. When there’s a special teams period, I go with ‘Chuck’ (Charles Burks). We go off to the side and we work seeing the ball in all the way, and then we work on high-pointing the ball as the ball is in the air, looking back, looking over the opposite shoulder. We make the drills uncomfortable so that when it happens in the game, it’s natural at that point, so it’s just a skillset. It’s a skillset like anything else – eyes, hands, feet. This is what we work on daily basis, so it’s a skillset that I’m working on and every day we’re doing something to improve in that category.”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 13, 2020
Download PDF version
Thursday, August 13, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(How have things been? How have you felt physically and what’s it been like out there practicing?) – “It’s been good. It’s definitely a different learning curve than what I’m used to at Alabama. There’s not as much time that we get on the field whereas we spend a lot more of our time watching film than really anything else – not to say we don’t get a lot of work out there, but it’s more in your meeting rooms watching film.”
(What has been your impression of Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense and I guess what’s the timetable do you think it is for a young player like yourself to learn it?) – “I think to answer that question, no matter what offense you’re stepping into, it’s always going to be a process of learning and I think that’s where I’m at. I’m still in the process of getting to understand Chan’s (Gailey) offense. Now from a perspective of personality with who Chan is and whatnot, I mean Chan is phenomenal. Really great guy, down-to-earth. When it’s time to work he’s out there, we go to work. It’s a very friendly environment with him and the other quarterbacks as well.”
(I wanted to ask you about Dan Marino. Anything you can share about the time that you may have worked with Dan? Some of the advice maybe he’s given you and if there was any kind of awe factor at first or whether it was just two quarterbacks talking football?) – “The first time I met Dan (Marino), I think Dan reached out to me after I got drafted, which was super awesome. That was cool, but the first day I got into the building, Dan was in our meeting and I got to talk to Dan. He’s also a really down-to-earth guy – someone that you can just chat with. For someone who pretty much is the talk of the town with Dan, he’s super humble. He doesn’t hold his head high or walk around here like he’s the man – which he is, but he’s super humble.”
(I know you just mentioned Dan Marino and obviously Miami is a high-profile city. He’s been the man here for a while. A lot of people are expecting you to be the next man here. How do you sort of look at that pressure and are you ready for maybe all the expectations people are going to put on you?) – “I think for me, my focus right now is just trying to get into the playbook – literally trying to understand what we’re doing offensively – and really just trying to build relationships with the guys on the team. I definitely believe that ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores), (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), (Quarterbacks Coach) Robby (Brown) – all those guys that are going to be making the decisions – they’re going to put the team in the best position they think is possible; so if that means supporting someone or not, that’s what it’s going to be.”
(I wanted to ask you, a lot of know about your faith and your toughness and how battle-tested you are; but in regards to your culture and where you come from being Samoan and obviously coming from Hawaii, how do you think that’s helped shaped you in who you are? There are some proud former Samoans, Hawaiians who played in the NFL, for you to maybe join that line?) – “I think football definitely intertwines with the Samoan culture that I come from with my background because in our culture, respect is the biggest thing and in football, respect is almost demanded from the head coach, from your OC (offensive coordinator); so it’s one of those things where you grow up not knowing how to talk back to an elder when they talk to you about doing something. You learn how to take advice. You learn how to – when you get chewed out, you learn how to eat it, is what I’m trying to say. So I definitely think it’s helped shape me to the person that I am as well in that regard with being respectful and whatnot. That’s what I can say.”
(Obviously you’re wearing a QB Ryan Fitzpatrick jersey. We spoke to him about a week ago and he talked about the growing relationship between the two of you and how he’s trying to mentor you and bring you and the other quarterbacks along, so I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about your relationship. It seems like things are going well if you’re already sporting his jersey.) – “Yeah, 100 percent. I thought I could break ice making you guys laugh wearing a ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) jersey because you know ‘Fitz’, (laughter) he’s very personable as well. But kind of to start it off with ‘Fitz’ – (he is a) very, very down-to-earth person. Very humble. I got to meet his family about two days ago and it was pretty funny because everyone while we were on FaceTime, everyone’s just scattered around the house. So he introduces me to his kids and then he introduces me to his wife and he’s like, ‘This is it. This is everyone and this is my family,’ and then (laughter), lo and behold he forgets two of them. It’s like, this man really has a family. He’s really been in the league for so long. To be behind a professional like that, to me it’s kind of mind-boggling how down-to-earth he is. It’s one of those things where it’s, this guy gets it. I don’t know what it is, but he gets it and that saying goes true. It says ‘if you want to get somewhere fast, you go alone, but if you want to do it with purpose, then you bring people with you,’ and I think ‘Fitz’ has done a tremendous job in trying to help shape and mold me and Josh (Rosen) as well. So it’s been really cool to go through that process with him.”
(I’ve got a two-parter for you about your transition down to Miami. First question – real simple – do you wear a mask when you’re out in public these days?) – “Yeah, that’s a great question. I’m not out ever. I just stay home or go to the team hotel; but in those instances where I do have to be out in public going to the hotel and whatnot, I do wear a mask so I have my mask right here.”
(Obviously we don’t know yet when your NFL debut will happen, but are you hoping to be tackled before that game or whenever it is, and are you feeling any or are you totally over the pain and discomfort deal with the hip?) – “I think to answer that question, honestly, you just never know until it actually happens. I won’t know the feeling until I actually do get tackled, so it’s almost like that trial and error kind of thing. You’ve got to go out and do it in order to know if does hurt or it doesn’t. That’s pretty much what I can say, but as far as how I feel right now, everything’s going well.”
(What’s your approach going into the season? We don’t know how many games are going to be that will actually be played. How would you feel if you were ultimately unable to play this season whether it’s COVID-related or Head Coach Brian Flores wants to go with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick or QB Josh Rosen?) – “Like I said, I think our coaches – I think they’re going to put the best 11 out there. Whether I’m in that lineup or not, I think they’ve done enough evaluation throughout the week, throughout the month and leadup to that game; so in that regard, I know they’re going to put the best out there. But to say if we didn’t have a season, I don’t think it would just be me that would be bummed, I think our whole team would be bummed and other teams as well that we don’t get an opportunity to play. This is something a lot of people work for. It’s our job for sure, but it’s also been a dream for a lot of us to get an opportunity like this and for a lot of the undrafted guys to get an opportunity. That’s going to mean something to them as well.”
(You were asked earlier a little bit about pressure and that’s something you dealt with obviously in college being in the spotlight and things. How do you deal with the spotlight now? You know every Dolphin fan will watch this and say, “hey, we can’t wait to see Tua on the field playing in that Dolphins uniform,” so how do you handle that pressure – the expectations that you’re the guy for the future?) – “I think the best way to handle it is really not pay attention to it, if that makes sense. Not being someone who just says, ‘oh I don’t like it, I don’t care about it.’ I understand that it’s there, but I just feel like the focus – the main focus – is just being able to get into my playbook, being able to – like I said – build relationships with the guys on the team and just focus on what we’ve got to do inside of the building. Just like almost every athlete has said, fans are good and fans can … so when we’re doing good, we’re all we’ve got as a team. The fans are going to say whatever. That’s all that outside noise, and really, we’ve just got to pay attention to what we’re trying to do and accomplish as a team here in the Dolphins organization.”
(I’m kind of curious if you’ve really been able to grasp how different the NFL is from college football without having a preseason, without having a full training camp. Is there kind of anyone that’s kind of designated to teaching you the rules or figuring out, “hey, here’s how we manage the clock here,” or “hey, here’s how we do certain things” to kind of get you adapted without seeing a real game yet?) – “That’s a great question. It’s definitely going to be different not having a preseason game. Not to say we had one in college, but college is a lot different. We have school involved. There’s just a lot of other things involved with that; but with the NFL not having a preseason and understanding game management in a real live scenario – what to do end of game, end of half and whatnot – how we do that here is ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) gives us kind of game-situational awareness football during our team meetings, so we probably go over about three or four things as a team and how we want to go about running the clock out in this situation, how we want to do things in situation, and that’s really how we go about doing that. Then we would walk through it on the field and do things like that. That’s how we’re going about that.”
Brian Flores – August 10, 2020
Download PDF version
Monday, August 10, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(This organization had a lot of momentum at the end of last season with the turnaround you had in the second half of the year and particularly the way the last game went. I’m wondering how much of that momentum do you feel carries over into what’s going on right now – particularly given the interruption and disruption you’ve had in the last six or seven months?) – “I don’t think any, to be honest with you. I think 2019 is in the past and every year is a little bit different. This year is no different from that standpoint. The things that happened a year ago – good or bad – we’re just kind of focused on getting better each and every day. Last year is last year. (We’re) just trying to improve and get better, build some team chemistry and learn and grow as a team right now. I’m not really worried about anything that happened a year ago.”
(I wanted to ask you, I know this is probably far down the list of things that are important to you, but where do you think fans are in the component of how important it is to have them in the stands this season? Is it necessary? I know they haven’t really made a decision yet, but do you think it’s worth the risk?) – “We’d love to have fans in the stands. I’d love to have them – home, away. Obviously the fans are a big part of the game and we’re not out there without their support, so from that standpoint, it is important to me. But look, there’s a pandemic. We need to obviously use caution which we’re doing here in our building; and as a country, I think we’re all trying to proceed with caution in all of our daily activities. If we can have fans and have them at the games in a safe way, then I’m all for it. If the people who make those decisions don’t think that’s the right thing to do, then we’ll play without fans.”
(I wanted to ask you, some teams have discussed possibly quarantining quarterbacks throughout the season to make sure you can line up on Sundays if something happens in your room. Have you given any thought to that and if so what would be the deciding factor of who to put in that quarantine?) – “We’ve looked into really every possible scenario – that being one of them. A lot of our meetings are on Zoom right now so everyone, from that standpoint, is in a quarantine. So in a lot of ways it takes care of itself; but yeah, we’ve thought about that. We’ve talked through that scenario as well as a plethora of other scenarios. I think we’ve got a plan in place that we feel good about.”
(This year is obviously unique but just generally speaking, do your training camp scripts differ year-to-year based on things like coaching and personnel changes?) – “Yeah, I think every year, it’s different. To set a script in one year and think that you’re just going to copy and paste it into the next year, that’s – because of different players, different coaches, just different things that you’re doing as a team. I think on a daily basis, you’ve got to be able to change, adapt and be flexible the same way you’re going to want your team to be able to adapt and be flexible within the game; so yeah, they change. The scripts change. The daily practice schedules change and obviously this year, everything is a little bit different, so anyone who’s setting a specific training camp schedule or practice, this year is definitely different, so we’re all going to have to adapt.”
(I’m not sure you’ve seen what’s been going on with college football, but I wanted to ask what your confidence level is that the NFL can finish a regular season and playoffs?) – “I think we take things day by day by day. We try to use caution and the testing that we’re doing – continue the testing – distance, wear masks and we just kind of string those days together. If we do that as an entire league, then we’re going to put ourselves in the best position to play as many games as we can play, and that’s really all we can do. To make predictions on whether or not we can do this or that, I don’t want to get into all that. All I’ll say is we’re going to try to wear our masks, wear our contact tracers, distance and do the best we can. Obviously we all know that it’s an airborne virus and people can get infected quickly, so all we can do is do our best to prevent that from happening. I think if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to play a full season which is all – that’s all we can do.”
(I’m wondering if you could share your thinking in the hiring of Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall. I know that putting together an offensive line is difficult. What are the challenges of doing it in 14 padded practices?) – “Steve, obviously when we went with (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), I thought that it was important to go with someone who was familiar with that style of play. That played a role in hiring Steve. He’s a good coach. He’s a very good teacher of o-line play. He and I – I had a good feeling and a good vibe when we had our interview process. He works well with Chan, he works well with the offensive staff, he’s a good coach, he’s a tough coach, he asks a lot of his players. So far it’s been good. Obviously we haven’t – it’s been all walkthrough. We can only evaluate what we’ve done so far, so I’ve been pleased with that. As far as the padded practices, this is going to be the least amount of work across the league for all teams – the least amount of practices, no preseason games – in the history of the NFL. I think everyone knows and understands that. Is it enough? It’s going to have to be enough this year. We’re going to do our best to try to build camaraderie on the offensive line, on the defensive line, the quarterback room, the DB room, as coaching staff, and not make excuses about only being this or only being that. We’ll just do our best with the time we have. Again, every rep is going to be that much more important. Every meeting is going to be that much more important. That’s the messaging we convey to the players.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones. He joined the organization a while ago, but I don’t think we’ve ever actually asked you to tell us what you think he does well. In having watched all of the film of him from Dallas, what are some of his strengths, how does he fit into what you want him to do?) – “He’s a smart player. He’s a tough player. I think he can tackle, he’s got good cover skills, he’s got length, he’s got some leadership qualities. He’s a talented player and we’re happy to have him. Obviously there are some improvements he can make to his game like all players and like all coaches. Like everyone, we can all improve and get better. We’re pleased with him so far. I joke around with him a little bit that he wears some nice shoes. I was on him a little bit today. He’s good. He’s been fun to spend some time with. It’s nice to see guys get to know each other – guys from different teams – and just try to pull this whole thing together. I’m very pleased with that addition; but we’re still in a very early stage. We don’t have pads on, we haven’t put a helmet on. We’ve got a long way to go. He’s got to make some improvements. We all have to make some improvements. I know he’ll work towards that.”
(With everything that’s going on with college football, if there is not a college football season, how would that impact what you guys do organizationally in terms of scouting? Is that something you guys are monitoring?) – “Yeah, we’re monitoring that. Obviously from a scouting standpoint, this is the time where a lot of guys will be out on the road and looking at the prospects for next season. Yeah, if there is not a college season, that’s something we’ve talked about. (General Manager) Chris (Grier), myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen, we have a plan in place for how we’re going to go about this scouting season if there is no season. Yeah, obviously those conversations will be ongoing and those conversations obviously are going to stay between us. Yeah, that will be – I think everyone loves college football and wants to see it; but if we don’t feel like it’s going to be a safe environment for those young men and that’s the decision we make, we all have to live with that. From our standpoint, looking down the road, which we’re always doing that as well, if we have to make some adjustments then we will. With all of that said, my focus is on this team right now today. I’m monitoring that from afar but Chris handles more of that, really all of that I should say. When he gets on, you guys can ask him about it.”
(I wanted to ask you about Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer. You made a change at defensive coordinator. Why is Josh the right man for the job?) – “Obviously I’ve worked with Josh for a long time. He is a very good teacher defensively. He’s tough, he’s smart, he works extremely hard, and I think he has good rapport with the players. I’m very excited to see him lead the defense. I think he’s going to do a good job; but at the same time, we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of work to do. These guys are not even hitting the field yet or in pads or a helmet. But yeah, I’m excited for Josh and I think he’s going to do a good job with this opportunity.”
George Godsey – August 8, 2020
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(I wanted to ask you, you guys made a lot of changes on the coaching staff as a whole – I guess Head Coach Brian Flores did – and you’re one of the people who came back. How have you guys started to try to gel as a staff despite having to have all that separation because of COVID-19?) – “It’s something that every year we have to deal with, but it’s definitely a good observation. The players go through their chemistry. We as coaches go through our chemistry, too, so putting everybody on the same page as far as what day-to-day operations are but also the communication; for example at the tight end position, there’s communication with the line coach. Obviously with the coordinator, how he sees things through his lens. So we’ve had our share of meetings and it’s been good. We can’t high five each other, but we’ve gotten enough information. We’ve taken a lot of notes and we’ve had a lot of good feedback back and forth, so yeah, it’s an obstacle – not being there to maybe go to have a two-minute meeting in the hallway, but we’ve definitely put some time invested throughout the day to get on that same page.”
(I wanted to ask you about TE Adam Shaheen in terms of what was it that you saw from him when he was added to your unit and how do you view him as a potential help for this offense?) – “Adam, we try to evaluate all the tight ends – or at least I have just throughout my career. I was in Detroit for a little bit, so I was able to see him, but also he’s got great range from a length standpoint and size. He’s had his issues trying to stay on the field. I think that’s part of the NFL, so he’s a young prospect that is ascending. He’s very motivated in these meetings. We’ve had some extra time, too, to make sure that he’s getting caught up. Ideally with a new player, we’d go through the spring portion and then now we’re into the fall portion and it’s kind of just maybe the second or third time he’s heard things, so he’s got some work cut out for him mentally, but he’s up for the challenge. The guy’s been productive in the pass game and like I said, his length against NFL defensive ends or outside ‘backers that are on the line of scrimmage, that’s a valuable piece to have; so we can’t coach that part, but we can definitely catch him up to speed and then it’s up to him to get open in the passing game.”
(What has it been like having Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey coming out of retirement, being away from football? What kind of sense do you get from him about how he’s feeling about being back around football?) – “Football is for all of us – it’s pretty much in our blood. It is what we do. Chan has a lot of experience at all different type of levels – head coach, coordinating, college, pro – so he has an excellent perspective on what everybody’s going through from each position. He’s answered a lot of those questions that maybe come up in our meetings. He’s had a million of those discussions with a bunch of different staffs that he’s been a part of, so it’s a good perspective. I look at it as a huge opportunity for me to kind of get that knowledge to keep growing as a coach. He’s very open to providing his perspective and he wants to know about how we see the players, so that stuff’s been great and I really enjoy the day to day.”
(I wanted to follow up on the question about TE Adam Shaheen. How is he working on the line and do feel comfortable with what you have in the tight end unit in terms of guys who can work on the line in Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense?) – “I think there’s going to be a lot of versatility with these guys, not only as a – I call it a ‘point-of-attack tight end’ when you’re actually on the line – but as a move guy. You used to end up being the spot but off the line where now you have multiple things that you can do. (We are) looking for versatility in that and we have a lot of guys in this group, guys returning from Durham (Smythe) to Chris (Myarick) who was on the practice squad last year, and Adam (Shaheen) provides the same thing, so we’re looking to kind of diversify as much as we can and maybe not be one-dimensional with one particular guy; but we’re going to always put the guys that are – what they emphasize as far as positives in their skillset and put them on the field. Now’s the time to really see that. You’d like to have a little bit of a spring background like I said before, but it is what it is and those guys are going to have to perform in maybe one or two reps as opposed to five or six reps that if you kind of add it through the two different phases of the practice formats.”
(I wanted to ask you about TE Mike Gesicki real quick. When you look at his first half of last year on tape versus the way he dominated in the latter portion of the season, what was the change?) – “I know we spoke about this to a degree – a small degree – last year. He put an emphasis on his practice habits. We say practice execution is more game reality, so if you can get out there and practice at a high level and go against high-level competition so going against that first-team defense, maybe taking a show team rep – I would say ‘dropping the shield,’ so to say as a pro, like get out there and be a show team guy and go against good competition. And he put time into that, got some extra time with ‘Fitzy’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) as far as seeing, running routes so that he could see it the same way as a quarterback. That’s a hard thing to do, too, especially where he is in his career. Every quarterback sees things differently and so making sure you’re on the same page with them, it’s not necessarily the same thing as just running a route, ‘hey, I caught it.’ That may still not be the correct way that he’s looking at it or the actual detailed way. He became more of a communicator with the quarterbacks and I think that was part of his production increase – how to look at it that way from a passing game standpoint.”
(Just wanted to ask you about two of the young guys – with TE Chris Myarick what skills did you see last year that intrigued you and what about TE Bryce Sterk was it that made you want to make him your defensive end to tight end project?) – “First with Chris – Chris is a very good pro. He comes in to work and is prepared. He’s a physical player. He’s worked to maintain a higher weight to be more productive as a point-of-attack tight end, but he also has some of those off-the-line characteristics to be able to do some two-back stuff whether it’s slicing back on a defensive end or insert for a ‘backer or even pass protection. He runs through his mistakes, but he corrects them and moves on so we like how Chris practiced last year and he practiced with good effort and those are the things that we look for. Then on Bryce – from Bryce’s standpoint, this is a physical guy. He’s a strong, heavy-handed guy that obviously there’s some technique things that we’re working on and we’re trying to have the attitude of improve every day. We know that no spring for a rookie that’s transitioning is a very difficult position to be in, but he’s open to learning. Being an offensive player that played defense, there’s a good perspective there just like from a coaching standpoint if you coached defense, coaching on offense. Those things can help him with his blocks – knowing exactly ‘hey, this defensive end is not going to rip inside. He’s going to be a contain player.’ So those are subtle things that can help him and like I said, he’s a bigger tight end that we’re going to have the size technique especially starting with the blocking first.”
Robby Brown – August 8, 2020
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown
(My first question is about the collaboration of the diverse backgrounds of the offensive staff and the experiences you guys have both at the college and pro level, as well as the different titles and different grouping on the offensive side. Is that kind of the same thinking with the coaching staff that Head Coach Brian Flores has for his players and guys that are versatile and multiple?) – “I think if you have a ton of different experiences, I think that helps you in anything that you do, no matter what line of work you’re in. As players, yes that helps if a guy can do two things. It always does. Some guys can and some guys can’t. But yes, it does help if you can do more than one thing to keep what you’re trying to do away from everybody.”
(I wanted to ask you your initial thoughts when the name QB Tua Tagovailoa was announced on draft night, and how much have you been impressed by him over the last few months?) – “Well, as you know, everything has been virtual and walk-throughs. He hadn’t gotten on the field yet. I hadn’t seen him live and in person throwing the football. It’s a deal where he’s just like every other rookie. He’s just got to come in and learn. What we’re trying to do first, the first thing you have to do is learn what you’re doing as an offense and then it expands to ‘okay, what’s the defense trying to do to us,’ and that kind of stuff. But he’s just like every other guy – a rookie trying to come in and learn that, and learn it as fast as possible. Of course, it’s a little bit accelerated during this training camp. It’s a different process than it would have been had you had OTAs and all of that stuff.”
(As a coaching staff, you guys have three guys between Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander, Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark and Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile who are now in the NFL with no prior NFL experience having gone straight from college. With you having gone through that transition before from college to the NFL, what do you think are some challenges those three might have to navigate as a coaching staff, and how you’ll be able to help them adapt?) – “I think it’s different for every guy, it’s different for every positon. Like me, I came in as a quality control in New York and then went back to West Virginia last year. It’s different for every single position. If I’d come in from college and jumped straight to the quarterbacks in terms of what offense I’d been in, that would’ve been different. So it was good for me to go through the quality control process. I don’t think it’s the same at every position. I think every guy is different, every position is different, and some people can make the jump better than others. It definitely is a transition – or it was for me, I can’t speak for them – but it was for me in 2015 when I made that transition.”
(I know you mentioned earlier that accelerated offseason with the quarterbacks. Obviously that position seems to have to know more than every other group. How much is realistic to ask for a guy like QB Tua Tagovailoa when you first get him on the field, and how quickly can you go through that process given how unusual this offseason is?) – “I think – again the same answer as before about the different coaches moving – every guy is different. It’s really hard to tell until you actually get on the field and go through the practices, see how much they have retained from the virtual OTAs to the meetings now, to the walkthroughs, and then you kind of adjust it as you go. It’s really hard to tell. Some guys pick up certain things quicker than others and some guys catch other things a little bit slower. It’s really hard to tell until you get out there and the bullets start flying, and you see how much a guy retained mentally. Guys learn differently. It’s really a different process for each individual until you get out there, no matter who it is – whether it’s a rookie quarterback or a rookie DB, it’s different for every guy.”
(As a young coach, what was your reaction to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey coming out of retirement to take this thing on?) – “(laughter) I’ve known Coach (Gailey) for a long time. I’ve gone through the whole process with him. I was a walk-on quarterback for him at Georgia Tech and then I stayed there for a little while as a volunteer-type GA person, because there wasn’t a spot on the field. Then I got a GA job, then I worked for him as a quality control. So I’ve kind of lived the whole professional life with him. He’s been a mentor of mine in a lot of ways. He’s never changed as a person. I had no clue that, that was a possibility. I was – I wouldn’t say shocked, because he is a football guy, he’s always loved the first down. I wouldn’t say shocked, but I had no idea it was coming or that he was going to do that.”
(This is the second time in four years that you’ve been the coach of a top five quarterback coming into the league. QB Sam Darnold obviously back in 2018 I think. What did you learn from that experience that you can apply to this one?) – “When we had Sam, I had moved to defense as a defense quality control. I did watch that process and like I said, every guy is different. I don’t know how much you can compare Sam Darnold to Tua (Tagovailoa) or their experiences. That is something you’d have to ask Sam, who is in year three. But seeing him come in, there was a lot of hype around him and I think you have to manage each person differently. Like I said, the first step is learning what we do offensively and that’s what we’re trying to do with him now. That’s what we’re trying to do with Josh Rosen – learning our offense. That’s what we’re trying to do – learn what we do then learn what everybody else is doing. That’s the first thing you’ve got to do as a quarterback is know what we’re doing and what each individual on the offense is doing. I don’t know how much you can use those two comparisons. I wasn’t very close to the situation with Sam because I was on the defensive side of the ball.”
Eric Studesville – August 8, 2020
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(Can you talk about the challenge of trying to prepare for this season with the virus situation?) – “I think every season you have challenges that you have to overcome to be able to get ready and this is just a new and obviously unusual one for us. But we’re taking it day by day and literally with this new group of running backs, just a chance to get them in here, for me it’s sweet. We have a lot of things to do and I’m just trying to get these guys ready and get them ready for walk-throughs today and get out there and taking it as we go. I think the challenge with this COVID is unique to everybody and we’ll adapt and adjust whatever way we need to, to get our team ready.”
(Can you talk about the running backs you have, the new guys. We haven’t seen them play here. What can you tell us about them?) – “I haven’t seen them play yet either, so I’m excited about that. (Laughter) No, we’re excited about the addition of Jordan Howard, his experience, being in two different places and what he brings here. He’s a smart guy. He’s been able to pick things up so far, and what we’re talking about – teaching concepts. You love his size. He’s got good feet for a big back. He’s got good vision. I think he’ll have a chance to be a physical presence for us, as well as effective in the pass game with what we’re asking for. Matt Breida obviously with his experience, his speed. You see his burst and quickness early on as soon as he touches the field, so we’re excited about him. We don’t know what these guys will be able to do or contribute yet because we don’t have all of our installs in as far as what we’ve done with them on the field as a whole group, as a veteran group. We certainly haven’t done it in pads yet. Right now it’s kind of exciting because the potential is really out there for what we can see, what they can do and what we can build from.”
(I know since you’ve been here, you guys have run a multi-back system, or at least tried to while you’ve been healthy. How do you see – I know it’s early – RB Jordan Howard and RB Matt Breida’s skillset maybe balancing each other off and being able to maybe offset each other?) – “I don’t know that that’s what it is yet. We haven’t determined that yet. We’ve still got to see how this thing plays out. If it is those two guys, then we’ll figure out whatever the best situation is for the team and what gives us the best chance to be successful on Sunday. It may be a combination of something else that isn’t out there yet. We don’t know. Right now, we’re getting them ready to get ready for their opportunity to prove what they can do, and then once we see what they can do, we’ll establish whatever that role is for them and see how this thing is going to contribute to our production and our success going forward.”
(With RB Kalen Ballage, last season 1.9 yards per average is not very impressive; but what do you think went wrong last season and how can it be fixed?) – “Looking back on that, there are things we can look at and study in the offseason, but I’m going forward with Kalen. Kalen is a smart guy, he’s passionate about this, he wants to be good, and I know he wants to improve from that performance and that’s what we’re focusing on going forward. He’s buying into what we’re doing, he’s giving great effort in meetings and on the field. We’ve just got to see how it plays out. I think we’ll take it as what he demonstrates he can do going forward.”
(During the Combine process, I didn’t see any of the Dolphins’ coaches working as hard as you out on the field. Were you disappointed not to have a running back drafted early in the draft? What were your thoughts on immediately getting a player like RB Matt Breida on the second day, or third day?) – “First of all, I appreciate the compliment about working at the Combine. I appreciate that part of it. As far as disappointed about not getting a back in the draft, that process, there are a lot of things that go on in there. We do the evaluations the best we can; but I’ve always approached it as that’s not what I can control. What I can control is coaching the players that are put in my room and however they get in there and whoever gets in that room is going to get coached to be a productive member of our football team and what we need them to do. I don’t worry about what I do or don’t get out of the draft. I’m happy for every player I get, it’s an opportunity to coach, and it’s an opportunity for them to play. Certainly getting a player like Matt Breida – who has been experienced, who has seen some things in the NFL, knows what the game pace is like – getting a chance to get him in here, I’m excited to coach him; but I’m happy for every player that’s in my room. I love all five of those guys.”
(I wanted to ask you about your rotation and when you put that thing together. Do you like to have guys to fulfill specific roles or is it more beneficial to have guys who can do a little bit of everything? How does that approach shape the way this running backs room was put together this offseason?) – “I think the question as far as what we do for roles – we talk about this all the time in our room – I coach these guys to be complete backs. They all have to be able to have the entire skillset, whether that’s running, blocking, catching the ball, evading people, running routes, whatever those things are. They are all coached that way. Now they all do it differently and at a different level. However, the expectation is that you can do that because you never know when you’re going to need one of these guys to step in. Last year is a perfect example with Myles Gaskin and Patrick Laird being our primary backs at the end of the year. They are all coached that way. They determine what their role is in the offense and what’s going to happen. Certainly we have third-down back thoughts, first and second down thoughts; but at the end of the day, whatever combination of those players and what they’ve demonstrated to us during the week and preparation that gives us the best chance to win, those are the roles that we’re going with.”
Josh Grizzard – August 8, 2020
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard
(Obviously you had two guys opt out, in terms of the veterans that left that room. Where are you going to get some veteran leadership from that unit?) – “It’s a good room. These guys that I’ve been around – it’s always moving. We’ve just been having walkthroughs right now, so that’s going to be built through time together. It’s still early. We’ve still got a decent amount of time before the season starts, so those things pretty much progress organically as it goes on.”
(When you look at WR DeVante Parker and WR Preston Williams and obviously what they were able to do together in their eight games last year, how do you think they can build off that – as a duo, coming into this year?) – “It’s a new year. We start over at square one, especially in a new offense. We’re excited for those guys but whatever happened last year is last year. It’s about getting on the same page and meshing and again, going through these walkthroughs and getting accustomed to new verbiage and depths and things like that. We’re excited about it but whatever happened then is then and we’re looking forward to this season.”
(Being an assistant here in the room and having an established relationship and bond with some of the guys, how does that kind of help you understand how to coach each of them and communicate with each of them?) – “It’s good. Being around some of these guys for three or four years, there’s a level of knowledge of what they’re like and what they’re like on day-to-day basis. Then you’re able to just compare things on ‘this is a similar route’ or whatever it might be. It’s been nice. Like I said, I really enjoy being around these guys. They all work. From day to day, it’s a group that brings energy. It’s been fun to be around and I look forward to continuing that as we get more time with these guys.”
(Being around WR DeVante Parker for as long as you have, what do you think was the difference in his elevation of performance last year?) – “We were just happy that he had a good year. I’m happy for DeVante because he worked so hard. I think what happened in the years prior to that were irrelevant to an extent. We were just happy to see the success that he had. I know he was healthy. I’m just excited for him. He’s in a great spot right now. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and seeing these things once we get away from the walkthrough phase and start doing more Phase II and more competitive-type things.”
(I wanted to ask you about the skillsets of two young guys. What did you like about WR Kirk Merritt – you and the front office, what skills stood out? And WR Gary Jennings, do you have any sense of what you have there after only having him healthy for a bit over a week last year?) – “Like you said, Gary was only with us for a short amount of time, so I didn’t get a great look at him last year. Now we’re just back at square one with these guys. It’s a new offense. Again, it’s only been walkthroughs and things of that nature, so it’s ever-evolving in terms of how we see these guys, best fits. Then with Kirk, it’s just going through the process of watching college tape and getting a feel for what his skillset was and the things he had done at the college level that might be able to translate to what we do. To get into the scheme of it or what he does is still a little premature because we haven’t seen these guys do much outside of walk-around. Really for the first two or three months, it was only seeing them through a lens of a camera. It’s just nice to be in person a little bit here.”
(Obviously you lost WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns to an extent, but what do you ask for maybe that slot-receiver position from guys who may not traditionally be used to playing that position, given your losses?) – “These things change week to week. In terms of the scheme and what you ask from that guy, it could change Week 1 versus Week 3. As we all know, it’s a very year-to-year league. It’s a week-to-week league at the very minimum and right now, it’s hour-to-hour and day-to-day. To say what one week we’re looking for out of a guy, it could change the next. These guys have to be able to adapt, just like we do as coaches, to put them in the best position possible to make plays. That thing can look completely different Week 1 versus Week 3. The ability to adjust is big.”
(I wanted to ask you about – you have some size in that unit. How do you take advantage of that? It seems like Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense has typically benefitted from a receiver with some size to him.) – “Again with the scheme, it’s going to be very multiple. It’s going to be a balanced attack. It’s going to – from week to week, what do we need to do put these guys in position to make plays and take advantage of the opponent, as well as what we do? It can change. We’re excited about those guys but again, it will be a week-to-week. What do we need to do to win this one game? And then we’ll focus on the next opponent after that.”
Steve Marshall – August 8, 2020
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall
(I don’t know how much you differentiate between maybe zone scheme and gap scheme but it looked like you guys added a lot of power guys this offseason. Where do you see the direction of your offensive line and what you guys want?) – “We’re going to be multiple. We’ve got good football players up there so that’s where I see it. Right now, we haven’t really even answered that question yet with just walkthroughs and meetings; but we’ll see what direction we go when we start getting the pads on and things like that as far as schematically as far as things like that. We will be multiple in the things that we do. It’s just right now, we’re kind of in the mental phase of it and then we’ll go from there.”
(T Robert Hunt was a guy that basically played tackle in college but there are a lot of people in the NFL that expect or think that he would project well at guard. I know you’re going to probably cross-train him to do both on the right side, but what is your vision for him as a player?) – “Well, Rob Hunt is a great young kid. He’s learning the NFL game, coming from (Louisiana) Lafayette. He’s been a productive player in college. Every day it’s a new adventure for him mentally and what we’re asking him to do. I love the heck out of him and he’s competing his tail off for what we’re asking him to do right now. Again, it’s kind of a question of we’ll see where it all goes. I really like Rob. Rob has a lot of character and is a smart guy. We’ll see where it all plays out.”
(I want to ask you about the whole right-handed versus left-handed quarterback situation that you’re facing now with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Beyond the differences and playing style, with the offensive line, how does that change your approach towards coaching the linemen? How does it change the linemen’s approach whether they have a righty or a lefty out there throwing passes?) – “Not really. That’s a great question. Not a whole, whole lot … There’s been a theory saying that if you have a left-hander, the right tackle is the back-side guy and obviously that’s the truth. But at the end of the day, we’re looking for the best five guys. ‘Fitz’ and Tua, one’s right-handed and one’s left-handed. How our scheme all fits, we’ll kind of answer that question as we go schematically. That would be the only difference. The theory is that the right tackle is now the proverbial left tackle when you have a left-handed quarterback; but at the end of the day, you’ve got to have two good tackles at both spots. It’s workable and we’re happy to have both of them.”
(You obviously have two very talented early-round draft picks with T Austin Jackson and T Robert Hunt. Would you feel at all uneasy to start either opening day without being able to see either in a preseason game. Would that cause you any degree of uneasiness?) – “Well, if they were in three preseason games, four preseason games or zero preseason games, it’s the nature of the business when you have rookies playing for the first time in the NFL, that we are going to feel a sense of trepidation and have we done enough to prepare them (to be) ready. No preseason game is like a regular season game. So to answer your question, absolutely. But it wouldn’t change if we were getting ready to play our first preseason game – that’s about this time of year. We’re going to have everybody in the same boat that way. The answer is yes, yes and yes. But I’ll be worried for veteran guys in their first game. There’s definitely – again, like I said, when the first ball game is the New England Patriots on the road, we certainly have a challenge there. Whether you’re a rookie or a four-year guy, my job is to get them prepared to play the best they can play.”
(I wanted to talk to you about the offensive line and gelling those guys up front. What is your approach to getting the best five out there and getting them to gel quickly in this truncated offseason?) – “That’s a nice word – truncated. (laughter) I would assume you’re saying from Zoom and things like that. It’s certainly a challenge and it’s completely different. I’ve coached football for 40 years. There’s a lot of ways to do it and again, that is a challenge. That will be a challenge as we start these walkthroughs and things like that. That’s one of the things that we’re doing is making sure that we’re communicating with each other, not only on the field but off the field; and guys getting to know each other where instead of meeting them through Zoom, they finally get to kind of meet them in person. Yeah, gelling is a big, big term and really, the term gelling is communicating. It’s communicating together as a group and that’s what these Zoom meetings are and these walkthroughs that we’re having. We’re making strides in that regard.”
(I wanted to ask you about G/T Jesse Davis. What are your recollections of him from your brief time together with the Jets? And what is your vision for him on this line, perhaps in terms of the leadership role considering he’s…) – “My recollection of Jesse was a lot. We had Jesse for an extended period of time. You guys know Jesse’s story. He came in as a d-lineman from Idaho, had a brief stop in Seattle and came to New York. We felt very, very good (about him). He was a prospect then. We couldn’t keep him based on numbers at that point, and yes, Jesse has come to Miami and he’s put himself together a heck of a career. He’s one of the greybeards now of the offensive line. Yes, we will lean on Jesse from a leadership standpoint off the field and from a leadership standpoint in these meetings. We’ll see where he goes. Like I’ve said, I’ve known Jesse for a while and have a lot of respect for him and what he’s accomplished as an NFL player.”
