Chan Gailey – August 8, 2020
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Saturday, August 8, 2020
Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey
(If you could share with us what were you doing when the opportunity came for returning to the Dolphins and why did you do it?) – “I have five grandsons and I was watching them play all the sports that they play and going to school events and playing a decent amount of golf for the last three years. So that’s what I’ve been doing. Why I came back? For those of you that know me a little bit, you know that my faith is very strong and after talking with my wife and my kids, we felt like this is something that we ought to do. This is where we ought to be at this time in our life.”
(Kind of following up on that, can you take us through the process of when you got the call and what the thinking was like, and was there a large part of you that thought “I’m done with the NFL, I’m retired for good?”) – “Right at the end of the season, (Head Coach Brian Flores) called and I was kind of taken aback a little bit; but then we talked about it as a family and we just – I had no idea. I didn’t think so, but we just felt like we were being led to do this and so it was something we felt very strong and very excited and very comfortable with.”
(How much was the fact that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is here and you’ve invested in him more than any other coach in the league do you think was part of the factor why you decided to come out of retirement?) – “I can’t say it was not a factor. It was. Knowing that I would be comfortable with a player that was here – actually more than comfortable, I’m very excited about working with ‘Fitz’ again – that was something that did a play a part. If it had not been a part of it, it might have been a different story. I don’t know.”
(I wanted to ask you just how have you seen maybe your thought process on offense evolve as the game’s evolved over the years and where is your offensive scheme at this point in your career?) – “There’s two things. One thing, we try to stay balanced. I want to be a balanced offense. I want us to be able to run the football and throw the football effectively. That’s really big in the way I see offensive football; and then the next thing is, to me, you adapt to the players that you have. You have to adjust your schemes and see who you have and that sometimes is even on a week-by-week basis and this year, that may be more important than ever, is to have a system in place that you can adjust to make the players that you have be successful. That’s what I’ve always tried to be about, is putting them in position to be successful.”
(How would you describe the role you expect to have in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s development?) – “I don’t know how to answer that exactly. He’s going to develop quickly or slowly depending upon how much he grasps the offense and how quickly he comes and how he develops as a football player; and a lot of that’s based on health. So there’s a lot of factors in there. I hope I have a big impact on it, but you don’t ever know about that. You have to see how fast and how well a player comes on and then you see what he does. We’ll treat him just like we treat everybody else. We’ll try to put him in a position to be successful when the time comes.”
(Every time we ask QB Ryan Fitzpatrick about you and your relationship, there’s a huge smile that comes over his face and he talks about your relationship football-wise but also personally, so I’m curious if you could describe that personal relationship for us and how have you observed Ryan as a mentor in the way that he leads QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Josh Rosen?) – “Well that’s the one thing about ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) through the years that I’ve had him, and I had him three years in one place and two years in another (place) – totally different situations. He is a team player. He is a team player and he is trying to be the best he can be and be a great player, but at the same time, he shares his knowledge and he shares his experience. That’s what makes him a unique guy. Our relationship is just like most other relationships. There’s times that it’s very, very good and then there’s other times; but through the years, we communicate well. He understands what we’re trying to get done. We try to put him in position to be successful and allow him to use what he does to help us win football games, and I respect him as a competitor, as a person and certainly as a player.”
(I wanted to ask you as you evaluated QB Tua Tagovailoa prior to the draft – the college film and whatnot – what are some of the things in his player toolbox?) – “You look at the success he’s had; obviously he’s a very good leader and you take all those great players that they had at Alabama, it’s got to come together on the field. You can do all the coaching you want, but when they walk out there on the field, the players play. Obviously his leadership and his ability to throw the football, his touch, game management – all of that type of stuff. There were a bunch of good quarterbacks. We could’ve gotten one of several and we were very glad to get Tua.”
(I wanted to ask you about Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown – it’s the second time now you’ve worked with him. What was it about when you saw him the first time around that convinced you he’d be the right guy to help develop the quarterback room?) – “I was fortunate enough to be Robby’s (Brown) college coach and I knew then how intelligent he was and that he wanted to coach. He’s been a coordinator in small college. He’s called plays. He’s been successful. I have a great deal of respect for Robby and his understanding of football and more importantly, his understanding of people. He really understands the inner workings of a person and how to get the best out of them and how to relate to them. He’s excellent at that.”
(The past three years, have you been doing any football? What have you been doing? And second – completely out of left field – have you ever coached a left-handed quarterback before and does that matter?) – “It’s a challenge to ask two questions at the same time to a coach. You know that. (laughter) The first question, I was doing really no football. My son coaches high school football. I hung out around there a little bit, and I watched football on TV some – college and pro. I watched some games; but working in football or doing anything, no, I wasn’t really doing that. And the second question about the left-handed quarterback: no, I haven’t, and it takes some mental gymnastics on my part.”
(If I could dig in a little bit more deeply – you kind of touched on this – just asked straight out, has your offense changed since 2016, 2015 with the Jets; 2011, 2012, 2013 with the Bills; 2000 with the Dolphins?) – “Has it changed? The terminology is the same and some of the plays are the same; but I think it changed from Buffalo to New York (Jets) because of personnel we had, and it’s going to make another change because of the personnel we have here. So if you ask ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), ‘is the terminology the same?’ He’d say yes. Are some of the thought processes the same? Yes. But we will be adjusting and adapting to the type of personnel we have, so it may not look the same to John Q. Public. There are some similarities, but there will be things that are different because of the personnel that we have and how we’re going to go about using them.”
(You’ve recently had two guys in your receiving corps opt out in terms of WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns. Those were both two veterans in that room. Do you feel like you need a veteran to help that young room or do you have enough and what do you think about the skillsets you have in that unit?) – “I can’t tell anything from walkthroughs. Watching film from last year, there’s obviously some talent on the field. They made a lot of big plays the last half of the season and it wasn’t just one or two. We all know about DeVante (Parker), but there were several people that made big plays during the course of the end of the season, so I think that we have a good group and I know that (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores and the front office are always looking to upgrade because every position is going to be challenged this preseason. Nobody’s locked into anything, so we’re open to anything and everything and my job is to coach who shows up on the practice field and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(I wanted to go back to a comment both QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and WR Jakeem Grant made recently about the freedoms that receivers have in your offense. Could you expand on that, maybe talk about how that benefits guys here like WR DeVante Parker, WR Preston Williams, WR Jakeem Grant and WR Isaiah Ford?) – “The great receivers I’ve been fortunate to be around through my years – and I’ve been doing this for 40-something years now – they’re artists. They run a route and they never paint the same picture twice because of the way the defender is, because of the route they’re running, because of whatever it might – the coverage – they paint a different picture every time and if you take an artist who knows how to get open and who knows what he’s doing versus a defender and you try to fit him into a box, that’s where you make the guy less of a player than he really is. I want guys to be able to go out and be creative. I tell them, ‘you’ve got to be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there, but how you get there – that’s up to you.’ So we give them the freedom to go get open and then we think we have talented enough quarterbacks that can see that and get them the football.”
Christian Wilkins – August 5, 2020
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Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Christian Wilkins
(You led all rookie defensive linemen in tackles last year. When ending the season, what did you and Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby identify as one or two areas where you felt like you needed to be better this year, and how tough is it to have tackles for loss as a defensive tackle in this system?) – “Well, I’m never a complete player, I’m never done working on my game, so there are always things you can improve on. The biggest thing for me is just working on hands, pad leverage and having good technique, really. That starts with your hands, eyes and feet, and like I said, playing with good pad leverage. From what I’ve noticed from college to the NFL, it’s a lot harder to make those big plays; but that just stems from your technique. If you play with good technique, you’ll make a lot of plays and you’ll make those big plays and get those tackles for loss too. That’s really my big focus going into the season.”
(It’s Year 2. The expectations of being a first-round pick that still don’t escape you. What’s your approach heading into this season as part of – a big part of the Dolphins rebuilding. And what’s your advice for guys like QB Tua Tagovailoa, Noah Igbinoghene and T Austin Jackson as they approach their rookie seasons?) – “No one has higher expectations for me than me. I’m always working daily, day in and day out, on my craft, just to be the best player I can be and the best leader. I felt like I can definitely take a step from a leadership standpoint this year. Just lead by example, vocal when I can. So that’s big as well. It all starts from preparation and doing what I need to do on the field. I’m ready to help those guys out – those three first-round picks – as much as I can because I know what it’s like. I know what the pressure is like, the expectation to succeed on the field and just everything off the field – dealing with life, managing all of the distractions and things like that. I’m definitely here for those guys as much as I can be.”
(I wanted to talk to you about when the Dolphins drafted you, both Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier referred to all of the energy you bring to all of the practices and workouts. With all of the new faces you guys have on defense this year, I’m curious to know how those personalities are meshing and if anyone is matching your level of energy this year?) – “Well, I don’t think anyone can match my energy. (laughter) I’m always happy, always ready to work, always ready to go. It’s crazy. I feel like the connection we’ve already built and are going to continue to build is just so natural. Those new guys that came in – from the rookies to the free agents, to the guys we picked up, and the guys that have been here – I feel like it’s so natural. It feels like we’ve already been around each other for a while. That stems from good leadership on the defensive side, too. We’ve got good guys. We are bringing those guys in with open arms and everybody else is getting in where they fit in too. That part of it has been great, really connecting with a lot of the newer guys.”
(You guys did a lot of work on the defensive line, or the organization did, in terms of adding pieces, edge setters. How much do you think that that’s going to help benefit your game and DT Davon Godchaux’s game?) – “I think it’ll go hand-in-hand. They’ll help us a lot and we’ll help them a lot. We’ve just got to be on the same accord, have the same mindset and the biggest thing is just do your job. I think we brought in some good guys, like you said, so we’ll help them make plays, they’ll help us make plays. I’m excited to get to work with those guys even just after a few days getting out there, walking through, jogging through and just being with those guys in meetings and stuff and hanging around them. I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good, but we’ll just take it one day at a time.”
(I’m just wondering with kind of the uncertainty in football and the sports world in general, how does the vibe or the energy feel a little bit different now that you guys have been on the field there for a while, if it feels different at all, or do you kind of still feel that same excitement of training camp?) – “It is different because right now, if this was a typical year and a normal training camp, we would’ve already been in pads right now. We would’ve already hit the ground running, already had about a week or so of practice; so it’s a little different, it’s a little funky. But you still want to bring it. You still have that same excitement, that willingness to work, that willingness to just get better each and every day. You can see that kind of energy – that kind of mindset – around the guys in the locker room, but it definitely is different. You’ve got to be more cautious and take the precautions and follow the new protocols. It’s kind of a new normal of what it’s like just around the facility and everything, but we’re all adjusting pretty well.”
(I wanted to ask you about – I’m sorry if you’ve been already – but have you been asked about WR Allen Hurns’ decision to opt out and had you given any thought yourself to maybe taking the year off?) – “As far as Allen’s decision, I’m behind him and support him 100 percent. In this kind of situation where there are so many unknowns and this is clearly a worldwide pandemic, to each his own. You’ve just got to respect guys and their decisions. I’m not going to knock a guy if he decides to opt out. I’m not going to knock a guy if he wants to keep playing. Guys got their own personal things going on in their life, so they’ve got to deal with it the best they feel. So that’s really how I feel about that, and if guys want to opt out, I respect it and if not, I respect it as well.”
(As the NFLPA player rep, how have your conversations been from a PA standpoint on how things are now that you’re in the building, in camp working out, versus in the offseason when you weren’t together still kind of ironing out details before reporting?) – “Guys obviously have a lot of questions and concerns and just kind of want updates on different things, so being the rep, I’m happy I’m able to provide guys with answers as best as I can in those situations and try to give them as much advice or as much knowledge about certain things that I have, that can help them with making decisions about just going about their everyday life or whatever. I’m happy I’m able to provide that for those guys; but yeah, it’s been a busy offseason, clearly. I put a lot of work in from the rep standpoint – just being on all of the calls and things like that and just taking a lot of time to learn and listen so I can help guys in my locker room.”
(I was wondering if you watched tape of yourself from your rookie NFL season sort of as a teaching tool this offseason and a ballpark idea of how much you were doubled last year in games? About what percent ballpark-wise?) – “I can’t give you a percentage, per se; but I definitely watched a good amount of tape on my game last year and just try to be able to critique yourself and find areas to improve and just areas to get better. There’s a lot of those for me, so now going into this year, I know where to put most of my focus and my time and my energy.”
(Just sort of following up on the NFLPA question, putting your union rep hat on again, how would you categorize the discussions with the other 31 teams? Across the league, would you say that the union reps are optimistic, concerned, pessimistic? Where do you think the collective vibe is?) – “First, I feel like we’ve really got great leadership across the league. I feel like as a union and as the PA (NFLPA), we’ve got great representation. You can clearly see why guys were chosen by their teams to be the representation – just great leadership from all the guys. Really the biggest thing is I feel like a lot of guys are optimistic hoping that we can get through the full season and everything, especially if – the biggest thing is just we as players and we as the NFL and as an organization, we’ve got to take ownership and everyone doing their part so that way we can stay as healthy as possible. We can limit the spread or whatever as much as possible so that we can get through a full, healthy season, so that’s really just where the optimism comes from. You’re just hoping that guys are dealing with it right and everyone is being professional about this.”
Jordan Howard – August 5, 2020
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Wednesday, August 5, 2020
RB Jordan Howard
(I wanted to ask you about yourself and RB Matt Breida and the tandem that you might be able to form. When we first spoke to you, Matt had not yet come aboard and I’m wondering if you and he had talked about maybe your complementary skills and what you could each offer this team?) – “No, we haven’t talked about that. All of the running backs in the room, we’re really just trying to have all of us make the team and play whatever role they want us to play, so we haven’t really discussed roles and stuff like that. Just trying to do our part for the team.”
(We saw yesterday that WR Allen Hurns opted out. I wanted to get your thoughts on that and if you had any consideration to opting out yourself?) – “Everybody has their own situation. I know a lot of guys, they have families and stuff and people expecting kids and stuff like that, so it’s a secondary precaution. I would do the same if I was in that situation; but no, I didn’t ever think about opting out.”
(You’re third in the league in rushing yards since 2016, but not a lot of people know that. Have you felt overlooked at all over the course of your career?) – “Yeah, I’ve definitely felt overlooked. When I was racking up a lot of those yards, I was on a losing team, so people didn’t really pay attention to that. I don’t really blame them; but yeah, I definitely feel like I’m overlooked.”
(You talked earlier about not having anything to prove this season. What are your personal goals for yourself and for the Dolphins?) – “Just be consistent each and every game, be the best player I can, play to my abilities and just help the team win in any role they want me to be in.”
(Last year the Dolphins’ leading rusher was the quarterback and I’m wondering what do you think of that and how much of a disaster would it be if that repeats this year?) – “I don’t feel like we’ll have a problem this year. I feel like we’re going to do pretty well up front. We brought a lot of new guys in. I feel like we’re going to have a good system and just all going to be on the same skill, so I feel like we’re going to be gelling pretty well.”
(You talked about being overlooked in the past. Do you see this as an opportunity to change that and what is it about this situation that presents that opportunity for you?) – “I’m not really worried about proving people wrong or trying to be not overlooked anymore. I kind of use that to my advantage – being an underdog and stuff like that – but I’m not really trying to change that narrative.”
(My question is about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s run scheme and his offenses have traditionally ran the ball very well. I was curious to know, what is it about his system that will benefit your skillset most?) – “I guess he just knows – his personality – just puts us in the best positions to be successful, so I feel like no matter who the running back is, he’s going to tailor the scheme to their abilities.”
(I wanted to see how much did you know about RB Matt Breida coming in and what do you think about his skillset balanced with yours and how that’ll work for the run game?) – “I remember watching Matt (Breida) in college. He was busting a whole lot of long runs and stuff like that. I just know he’s very dynamic. He can take it to the house any play, so I know he’s a very explosive player and I can’t wait to see how he helps the team out.”
(How is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in the short time you’ve spent with him?) – “Awesome. Great. He’s been great. I can see why everybody loves him. He’s just a people person. Everybody gravitates towards him. He’s very selfless, always puts the team first and everything. I just feel like he’s a great leader so far.”
(On that same line, could you tell us about any interactions that you’ve had with QB Tua Tagovailoa and just the vibe that you get from him?) – “Tua (Tagovailoa), he’s definitely a people person as well. Just a chill guy. I guess being from Hawaii, he just hangs loose. He’s definitely – people are going to gravitate toward him like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). He’s just – he’s hungry. He’s being patient right now, but he’s definitely hungry.”
(When we spoke to you back in March, you had mentioned the difficulty in lifting weights given what’s going on in the world. Where do you stand now? Given your running style is a power running style, do you think you’re where you need to be or are you still working your way back with your strength?) – “I feel like I’m in a good place. We’re in the acclimation period right now, so we’re just getting back into the groove of things – the way the strength coaches want us to lift and stuff like that. I feel like I’ve put in a lot of good work this offseason, so I feel like I’m in a pretty good place right now.”
Matt Breida – August 5, 2020
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Wednesday, August 5, 2020
RB Matt Breida
(I was looking at your social media and I saw you picked up a white sports car that looked really sweet. Can you tell me, is it a Lamborghini? And also more importantly, I was thinking about driving a fast sports car and how that might feel in comparison to when you’re carrying the ball and you see daylight so if you can touch on those two things.) – “Yeah, (laughter) I got a Lamborghini not too long ago. I like going fast. I run fast. I just like doing everything fast. I always wanted one and God blessed me to be able to get one, so that’s that.”
(When you first got traded to Miami I guess draft weekend, what were your conversations like with Head Coach Brian Flores about maybe what they expect from you here and what are your own personal expectations?) – “They were just very happy to be able to get me. They had been watching me my past couple years and they were excited (about) what I’d be able to do in this offense and fit the scheme well with my running and route-running ability. They just said they were going to get me in here. I told them – I said, ‘hey, whatever role you guys want me to do, I don’t care. I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.’ That was the talks that we had.”
(In terms of what you’ve been able to accomplish so far early in your career, do you feel like you’re underappreciated or do you still have that chip on your shoulder?) – “I’m always going to have that chip on my shoulder. I mean, I came into the league undrafted. That’s always going to be with me no matter where I go or what I do. That’s just my mentality. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder. That’s never going to change. However people view me, that’s how they view me. I just control what I can control and that’s how good I play on the field.”
(I’m curious about just kind of the vibe and the energy that you guys are feeling now that you’re all in the building together. You’ve had a couple days of practice on the field. What’s it like here?) – “It kind of reminds me of my San Fran locker room a little bit. The way the guys are mingling around. Guys are just happy to be back to the building with energy. Everyone’s communicating with each other. Everyone’s trying to get to know each other, and that kind of reminds me of San Fran when I was there my first year. So we’re on the right track as far as chemistry is going.”
(What was your reaction when you learned that the Dolphins’ leading rusher last year was a 37-year-old quarterback?) – “(laughter) At first I thought it wasn’t true. Actually me and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) talked about that the other day. He was hoping that he wasn’t going to be the leading rusher this year again, but it’s just one of those things where a bunch of things happened during the season that you can’t control and I feel like that happened last year with the Dolphins. I know it happened when I was in San Fran with injuries and stuff, and you’ve just got to make the best of what guys you have out there on the field and what you can do.”
(Actually it’s a two-pronged question: one, I wanted to get your reaction when you had heard you’d been traded. That probably was a bit of shock to you or maybe it wasn’t. And No. 2, have there been any discussions with the Dolphins about being here long-term?) – “Yeah, when I first got traded I woke up in the morning, it was on draft day, and yeah, it was a bit of a shock to me because I know the Niners were doing everything in their power to try and bring everyone back for another year. Just the way things worked out obviously with them, the cap space – but I’m happy that I’m here. (I’m) glad that I’m able to play back in my home state for a great organization. As far as expectations and stuff, we’re just going to take it one game at a time.”
(I wanted to talk about you clocking the fastest time in the NFL each of the last two years, but also there being more to averaging 5 yards per carry than just speed – I was curious to get your opinion on what elements of your game might be overlooked because of that speed?) – “I don’t really think about that too much – what elements of my game are overlooked. I always think about what I can get better at, and I’m just trying to be an all-around complete running back in this game, prove to everyone that I can be an every-down back. Like I said, I’m always going to have that chip on my shoulder, so every year I’m always going to keep grinding and keep trying to get better.”
(During that talk with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did you kind of tell him to rest easy, that he’s not going to be the leading rusher this year? That it’s going to be somebody like say, you?) – “I just told him that, ‘hey, you can still run, ‘Fitz,’ so you’re going to have to give me a run for my money this year.’ (laughter) Even though he’s been playing for a long time, ‘Fitz’ is a great quarterback. He’s a great guy and we’ve got a great group of running backs this year, so I’m looking forward to all of us getting out there and just picking up the running game this year.”
(Can you settle a debate for us? Who’s the fastest guy in the NFL? Where do you rank?) – “Oh man, you guys know the answer to this question. (laughter) You guys (have) seen the Next Gen Stats for the past two years. I always get this question and until someone beats my time – beats me out in that same year – then I’m still the fastest guy.”
(I wanted to ask you obviously you and RB Jordan Howard are probably going to be pairing off each other in a duo scheme. How much do you know about his game and maybe how can you guys feed off of each other with different skillsets?) – “Yeah, I’ve been watching Jordan (Howard) since his rookie year. He actually came in the year before I did. He runs the ball very well at what he does. He also gets out of the backfield, too, so I think he’s going to do a great job in the offense here; but not only that, we have Myles Gaskin, Patrick (Laird), we’ve got Kalen (Ballage) and they’re all great running backs; so I don’t want anyone to overlook those guys, too, because we’ve got a great group of backs and I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year.”
(I wanted to quickly go back to the fastest player title. I wanted to ask you how much of a source of pride it is for you and also how much chirping have you gotten from your new teammates about them being able to beat you, say, somebody like WR Jakeem Grant?) – “It’s a great honor to be known as one of the fast guys in the league. Just coming in undrafted, it’s pretty cool because it shows that no matter where you came from, you can still be one of the top guys in the NFL. Me and Jakeem (Grant) haven’t really talked about it too much, but Kalen (Ballage) got on me yesterday. He wants to race in the 100-meter and stuff, so I might have to race him. I think me and Jakeem will eventually race, but we haven’t talked about that yet.”
(One of the things I know you can do really well is catch the football and I was thinking about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey. I remember this, when he was the coach of the Bills, they had a guy named C.J. Spiller and he was dynamic. He could run and he could catch it and make big plays as a receiver. Has Chan brought up any of the backs that he’s had or have you looked at any video? Tell me about the receiving side of things.) – “Yeah, we watch old film at a lot of old places where he was before, and a lot of the backs were definitely getting out of the backfield or lining up at wide receiver. I don’t want to give away anything for this year, but I know he’s got big plans for all the running backs and how he’s going to use us. Like I said before, whatever he wants us to do, we’re going to do to the best of our ability.”
(The Next Gen Stats are cool and everything, but that’s with the ball in the hand. So how important do you think that element of being the fastest player in the league is considering it is an actual play as opposed to you just lining up and racing somebody?) – “I mean, it’s football. I think you play football with an actual football and shoulder pads on, so I’m more than (willing) to race anyone without shoulder pads. It would be easier for me, but we play football with all of the equipment on, so I don’t see a lot of guys who can run that fast with a football in their hand and full equipment.”
Brian Flores – August 3, 2020
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Monday, August 3, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to make sure that everyone is there that you expected to be there and then also is there a theme as you begin to actually get guys on the field for your second training camp? Is there a motto, a slogan, a theme? What is Year 2 all about in the messaging?) – “To your first question, yeah, everyone is here. As far as a motto or the theme, I think safety is probably the first word that comes to mind – just trying to make this place as safe as possible. I think decision-making comes to mind, and sacrifice. A lot of the things you talk about from the football standpoint, I think they apply in a couple areas or in a lot of areas. On the field, off the field, I would say safety is first. That’s kind of the first (thing) that comes to mind for me.”
(When the 80-some-odd players did show up, were they in the kind of shape that you had expected them to be in?) – “Well, the first week’s been – it’s been good. The acclimation period that the league and the PA (NFL Players Association) agreed to, I think it kind of shows how important the offseason is just from a rep standpoint on the field, but also from a strength and conditioning standpoint. I think guys are in okay shape. We’ve got a long way to go, but they’re working. They’re working pretty diligently and I’ve seen already some improvement in the first week and I’m sure they’ll continue to improve; but the offseason is obviously very important and I think the players, they understand that, too, which is why they asked for this (and) the league and the PA agreed to the acclimation period.”
(We saw last night it got announced that Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson got COVID-19. I wanted to ask you if God forbid you or someone on your staff got it, do you guys have a plan for how you would go about it and maybe replacing you or an important member of your staff?) – “I heard about that with Doug (Pederson) and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. I hope he gets back and he’s feeling better and is back at work as quickly as possible. To your question, yeah, we talked about this in the spring. Everyone’s got a backup. Everyone’s got two backups. It’s something we’ve talked about. We’re taking the same approach we take with the players. If I go down, we’re doing this, if the d-line coach goes down, we’re doing this and so on and so forth. It’s something we’ve talked about, but it’s not just on the coaches and players. It’s staff. It’s our strength and conditioning coach, head trainer, head equipment guy, nutritionist. You have to have a plan for everyone, especially in times like these.”
(I wanted to ask you about the defensive line. Obviously there was a massive makeover in terms of what you guys added in free agents – DE Shaq Lawson and DE Emmanuel Ogbah – and also the draft picks. What was the intention and what was the hope to be achieved?) – “We wanted to bring in good players – guys who fit the criteria we’re looking for: tough, smart, talented, able to communicate – and I think we feel good about the guys we acquired; but at the same time, it takes time for a defensive line to gel, so we need to hit the practice field. We need to get together in meetings and talk through calls, communication, scheme, where guys fit the best, what specific role is best for each individual player. That’s what training camp’s about, so we’ve got a long way to go. There was a makeover to a degree, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
(I’m wondering what the team’s vision is for QB Josh Rosen. Has that been changed or adjusted since you acquired him last year and has he or his representation asked for a release or a trade at any point?) – “The vision for Josh (Rosen) is the same vision for every player – come in, it’s a new offense. There’s new teammates. He needs to learn the playbook, get to know your teammates, work hard in practice, try to improve every day, take advantage of your opportunities, take advantage of your reps and let your play on the field – what you do on the field will at the end of the day – you’ll earn your reps on the field based on how you play in practice. That hasn’t changed for Josh or anyone else on the roster.”
(With no offseason and no preseason and a lot of new players, and new coaches and a new offense, what adjustments have you made or plan to make, as far as things like simplifying the playbook, to other adjustments in this odd year?) – “It is an odd year, it’s a different year; but like I said last week when I talked to you guys, these are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we’ve got to play this hand. There are going to be some obstacles but we’ve got to make the best of the situation. I think as coaches, as a coaching staff, we understand that. We have a plan in place, so we’ve put a lot of thought into trying to build a competitive team in a short period of time. What that entails, I’m not going to get into right now – or what we felt like it entails, I’m not going to get into right now. We put a lot of thought into that really in all areas. Strength and conditioning things, which we’re doing right now, to the walk-throughs which we’re also in. You start to try and ramp it up in Phase II and the OTA days, and then we’ll finally get to pads. We’ve tried to put a schedule in place that we’re building throughout the course of that and hopefully we’ll be ready to play when the season starts. But we are taking the one day at a time approach, because things are changing on a daily basis.”
(Going back a little bit to what you said about the coaching staff having backups, I’m wondering how much you guys are always preparing for contingencies and having players work in different positions. But given what’s going on with the pandemic, how much, if at all, do you plan to ramp up the versatility aspect and have guys work at places where they might now normally work?) – “Are you talking about the players or coaches?”
(Players.) – “I think it’s built into the – the versatility and the scheme is built into what we do offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. A player may be this position in this group and this position in another group. I don’t think that changes. I think that remains the same for our team and I imagine that is the way it is for a lot of teams. We still need guys are multiple. We still need guys who can play multiple positions, and I think that’s even more important this year in a year where you can lose one, two, three or a group of guys. We’re going to need other guys to step in. Tackles are playing guard, guards are playing center, defensive tackles will end up kicking out to defensive end, corners playing safety, safety playing corner. You can’t get all of that practice, I’m not saying that; but the guys on the field are flexible enough, smart enough to handle those different positions, we’ll try to introduce those positions and those schemes to them in small increments, I would say.”
(We got QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s view of QB Tua Tagovailoa on Saturday. I wanted to ask you of your impressions of Tua since he’s entered the building. We know you’ve seen him a little bit before training camp. His personality, how has he been inside the building inside the organization, how does he look physically, how has that hip responded as strength and conditioning has begun?) – “Tua and the entire rookie group are doing well. I feel like speaking about one and not speaking about the entire group is – they are all really working hard. I think we’ve got a pretty solid group. They work hard, they’ve worked hard this first week, they are into it, they are picking up the schemes offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. But again, it’s walk-through. Anything past their height, weight and speed, we’re not really seeing them move or change directions or really sprint. We’re really not seeing that from anyone in the group, including Tua. I think they are all doing a good job. We’ve got a long way to go and as practice starts to go and we ramp up more into the Phase II, the OTA and the actual practice, (that’s) where we’ll really get an evaluation. But right now in a walk-through setting, we’re not really seeing all of that much, I would say.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Preston Williams and the fact that he wasn’t on PUP. That’s obviously encouraging. How has he looked in his rehab and what do you envision his role being in 2020?) – “Preston has worked extremely hard since the injury. He’s worked his way back to where he was cleared for activity again. It’s walk-through right now, so there’s strength and conditioning in the morning. So he’s running, he’s lifting and we’ll see him in a walk-through setting; but again, for Preston, it’s a new offense so we’re learning the terminology, the depths on some routes and things of that nature. They are a little bit different than they were a year ago. That’s kind of where his focus is right now. He’s worked extremely hard, as all of our guys have, from a rehab standpoint. We’ve just got to take this one day at a time. That should be his approach and every player on our team’s approach, and just try to get better on a daily basis. You guys are probably sick of hearing me say that, but it’s something that I try to preach to these guys every day. Let’s just try to get better, let’s try to improve, let’s be safe and let’s make smarter decisions. If we can do those consistently, we will be okay.”
Bobby McCain – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(I know CB Xavien Howard is out and LB Jerome Baker is on the COVID-19 list. I know you’re not doing football activities just yet, but without those two guys to start, how do you guys lift off here at the start of training camp with welcoming so many new guys and a bunch of you guys really only having one or two years of experience in the league?) – “With a lot of the guys coming in, even though the veterans still haven’t reported and all of the things – they had their physicals today – everybody is just trying to learn the playbook one day at a time. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, veteran, rookie, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a new season, a new start, so you’ve got to kind of learn the playbook as you go and keep getting better each and every day. I only wish the best for my teammates and we can’t wait to have those guys back. They’ll be fine. They can pick up right where they left off.”
(You were allowed in the building before other vets because you’re rehabbing right?) – “Yes.”
(What has that experience been like? You were one of the first allowed back in. Things were kind of unknown with the COVID-19 protocols and now there is a pretty robust program in place. Were you nervous at first going in there? Do you feel more confident now? How has it been?) – “I wasn’t too nervous going in because I know they worked really hard to make it safe for us. As I got into the building, I saw all the extra precautions and all of the things that they’ve put in place to make sure that we’re safe and to make sure that we know we’re six feet (apart) and no one is too close and just the way they keep the facility clean. They do a great job. I want to thank our staff – the Dolphins staff – just for the job that they do, because we all feel pretty safe.”
(You were one of the guys that actually got an opportunity to work with the new helmet that the NFL is proposing for COVID-19. I was told that you tried to practice and couldn’t make it through warmups with it on. What was that experience like and have you tried more to use it?) – “It wasn’t too bad with the face shield and the covering. I don’t believe it’s mandatory, but it wasn’t too bad. I can’t say – I would suggest that everyone tries it for themselves, because me speaking about it, somebody else may feel differently about it and the next person may feel another way. I would just say that everyone should try it for themselves the first time and see if they like it. It wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t exactly that you couldn’t breathe or that you couldn’t make it through warmups, or that it was a lot harder. It wasn’t too much harder, but it is different. It’s very different. It’s the new normal. I would just advise that everyone try it for themselves.”
(I just wanted to ask you about your new defensive backs coach, Gerald Alexander. If you could just talk about the type of energy, leadership and coaching he offers, and how he’s teaching so far in the DBs room?) – “We’re all learning pretty well. He’s a really good coach. GA’s (Gerald Alexander) a real good coach. He’s coming from the University of Cal, but he’s still a really, really good coach, and we’re all learning the defense as we go. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, new coach, old coach, everybody can be better each and every day, and that’s what we’re striving for.”
(What’s your chemistry with S Eric Rowe at this point and you guys coming around a second year as a safety duo?) – “Just trying to make sure that we – because everybody wants to win at the end of the day. Everybody wants to win. With chemistry, it’s hard with everybody not being able to be in the building the way we normally would be. Just coming along, training this offseason with E-Rowe (Eric Rowe) and just seeing the way he works, and us working together and understanding that it’s going to take everybody in the back end, that’s going to be real big for us. The way we can click in any kind of way because the defensive backfield, that’s a family. You’ve got to make sure you take care of your family and we take care of one another.”
(The first-round pick, CB Noah Igbinoghene, what were your thoughts when he was drafted? It looks like he’s going to get a shot to play some nickel. And how much do you know him and what can you tell us about him as a person?) – “I know Noah works his tail off. He trained with me in the offseason a little bit as well. He works his butt off. He’s a smart kid. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a good player. Like I said, everybody is learning each and every day. Everybody is going to get an opportunity to compete, everybody is going to get an opportunity to play football and that’s all you can ask for. Him playing corner, him playing nickel, that’s not for me to speak on. I know he’s going to be a good player in this league and each and every day, he’s getting better and learning, and that’s all you can ask for.”
(I’ve wanted to ask you, you’ve been through so many secondaries, you’ve had a lot of great cornerbacks in your unit. What’s it going to be like to be playing in a unit where you’ve got CB Xavien Howard on one side, and CB Byron Jones on the other?) – “Those two guys, they’re two great corners – two really, really good corners in this league, two of the best in this league. Having those guys and like I said, getting those guys in the building as soon as we can and getting them on the field and us joining together and us coming together as a unit, that’s going to be real big for us. They’re going to be two good players. I’m not going to sit there and speak on expectations that we have for us, but we know where we want to be and who we want to be and we want to be the best versions of ourselves, and that’s being able to help this team win.”
(You talked about how you were working out with CB Noah Igbinoghene in the offseason. Where was that, how often was that and could you also give us a glimpse into what it was like working out with him, the interactions and just kind of the vibe you got from him?) – “He’s a real good player. He’s fast. He’s skilled. He’s smart. He understands the game. He understands football. Like I said, that’s just going to come with us being together each and every day and us learning together as a unit with everyone. I’m not going to tell you where we were, but I will tell you that we were working and we were getting it in.”
(There is certainly a pretty good chance that you guys might be playing games with no fans. I’m just curious what you think that might be like. You’re an emotional dude that kind of feeds off the fans.) – “I understand that. I want to first off start by saying that we don’t have any better fans than the Dolphins fans here in Miami. There are no better fans. But at the end of the day, we’ve also got a job to do and regardless if there are 60,000 fans, 20,000 fans or zero fans, it doesn’t matter. You’ve still got to get the job done and you’ve still got to win football games. It will definitely be different. It will definitely be really different without fans, but you’ve also got a job to do.”
(Can you take us through what’s different with reporting this year with the COVID-19 precautions versus last year? What does the building looks like?) – “Like I just said, everyone comes into the building and no matter who you are, you’re going to have a mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to get COVID-19 tested. You get COVID-19 tested first thing in the morning. You’re going to put your mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to have your tracer on so you can’t be too close to people, especially people that are Tier 3. You’ve got to make sure – it’s also just a case of disciplining yourself (and) being disciplined as a team. People tend to forget that you can’t just catch COVID in the facility. You can catch COVID outside of the facility as well. It’s everywhere. You’ve got to be disciplined as a team. You’ve got to understand that you’ve got to hold your brothers accountable with each other. As far as stepping out and going to dinner with a lot of people, going to nightclubs, going to bars, being with different women – whatever you bring home, you’re bringing it to the family. It’s definitely going to take a lot of discipline. The most disciplined team will end up playing the most games and being the healthiest at the end of the day.”
Jesse Davis – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(I know you’re going to give me the diplomatic answer because you’re always that guy and you’ve played everywhere except for center on this offensive line, but – you want to do the best thing for the team – but where does Jesse Davis feel like he’s going to have the best success?) – “I’ve played every position besides center like you mentioned; but moving forward, it’s always what we can put (me in) the best position to move this ball club forward and get wins and have success. However, I have been playing center this week. That’s a little nugget for you. (laughter)”
(You can’t just let that one slide by. How did this come about and is that something that’s just kind of being tweaked with or something you’re taking seriously?) – “I’ve been taking it seriously. I don’t want to put – when I’m out there, because it’s the injured group and the rookies and the quarterbacks – it’s just a little extra practice for everybody to get the early group going; but right now, it’s just been – we don’t have enough centers out there right now, so they’re like, ‘hey, why don’t you (go out there)? Let’s see what happens.’ So right now, I don’t want to go out there and put my guys in a bad spot so I have to learn this stuff. I have to make the right calls and put everybody in a position to be successful and see the reps and get the reps right. I think it’s just something to mess with, especially with this COVID stuff. You never know who’s going to be up, who’s going to be down; so I’m excited for it.”
(I wanted to ask you, especially given the COVID worries and whatnot, how is it for an offensive lineman? It seems like more than any other position group, you guys have to be close, you guys have to be tight. How difficult is it to sort of social distance in that particular position?) – “I think any position really, but especially o-line because we play so close to each other, we all rely on communication and knowing each other. Early on when we had all the rookies in, I made sure to get a couple Zoom meetings in, just us as players. Shoot the breeze. Get to know each other, where you’re from – stuff you do when you first meet – so we did a couple of those meetings early on. Then during the summer, following the CDC guidelines, a couple of us got together and made sure we practiced or did our drills together following the guidelines as well. I think we did – for the circumstances – a pretty good job of getting to know everybody, who’s in town, making sure everybody’s doing okay, everybody’s safe and if anybody needs anything. So we already had that communication base, and I think we did pretty good with it.”
(What’s it like – you’re the most veteran guy on the Dolphins team, which is weird, by the way – but what is it like to have to be a leader of this unit and have you embraced that challenge?) – “Yeah, it’s funny. You wake up one day and then after free agency and whatever and you’re like, ‘wow, I am the oldest guy’ or the most experienced, I guess, in the room. You kind of have to put yourself in that mindset of ‘I’m going to be the leader. I want to be the leader. I want to have my guys. I want to have somebody they can lean on when things are hard or advice with anything.’ I embrace it. I wasn’t appointed or anything like, ‘hey Jesse, you’ve got to do this.’ It’s more so that this is what I want to do. I started reading a lot of leadership books, too, to try to figure it out and more importantly – kind of like a Navy SEAL book – they’re all about teamwork and how they can build each other up and they can rely on each other. Those things I kind of did this offseason with all of the time I had on my hands and it kind of just gave me a different perspective on how to lead.”
(Obviously the NFL has not gone to a bubble scenario yet. Seeing the struggles that Major League Baseball has had without a bubble, what would your thoughts be if they asked you to stay at the hotel basically between now and New Years?) – “Yeah, that’s a tough question to ask anybody, especially with who has families and stuff. I don’t have any kids. For me, if that’s what we have to do, then that’s what we’d have to do. I’d definitely do it just to play the game and obviously help this organization play football; but yeah, that’s a tough one to ask. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that depending on the circumstances of an individual, but we’ll see how this kind of plays out for them as well and see what the right way to do it and the wrong way to do it. I think what our organization has done so far has been great. They put us in a safe organization and it’s cool to see and it’s cool how much they care about an individual and their staff and their players and everybody in between.”
(I just wanted to ask you about your new offensive line coach, Steve Marshall. He’s got over 40 years of experience coaching football. How does that experience benefit such a young offensive line room and just talk about what he offers as a coach, a teacher and a leader?) – “I was with (Offensive Line) Coach (Steve) Marshall with the Jets when I did a little short time there – training camp and then I think a week of practice squad – but he offers tons of knowledge. He’s seen probably every technique you can get from different players to different styles of play and any question you have, he answers it on-the-fly and it’s been great, especially with our assistant coach ‘Lem’ (Assistant Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre). He’s played the game. I played with him in Seattle actually, so I knew him from a short stint (there) as well; but he offers a great way to look at the game, too, on how a player looks at it instead of a coach, and I think them two together is a good marriage for our room.”
(I wanted to ask you about being a football player kind of your entire life. You’re conditioned to play through bumps and bruises. Is there any conversation about like, ‘hey, you can’t take a runny nose slightly anymore’ or ‘hey, a sore throat needs to be take really seriously,’ when normally that wouldn’t be something that would keep you from showing up to work?) – “Right. Yeah, that’s the weird topic of the conversation we had, is usually you play through your sicknesses. You play through – like if you had a runny nose or a cough or something – but now it’s such a serious matter. We took an approach that’s like, you don’t know what the guy’s going home to. Is he going home to like a 70-year-old grandmother that’s living with him or a pregnant wife or that kind of thing; so you’ve got to be selfish in that regard of ‘hey, you’ve got to take it seriously. If you have any symptoms, make sure you let everybody know.’ It’s not just about the guy next to you. It’s obviously your well-being, as well, and then obviously the public that you go out to or the grocery store or something. So yeah, it’s definitely a different approach. I don’t think anybody really likes it, but that’s the way it’s going to be and I think with all of the guidelines and settings we have, I think it’s a good way to go.”
(You’ve played tackle, guard, center and let’s not forget you’ve played defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins. When you guys actually start whatever it is – the 12th or the 17th. I know the 17th is like actual real football. What have you been told? Are you going to start off then at guard or tackle?) – “Nothing yet. We’ve just been rotating around, especially with all of our rookies trying to get them the reps instead of worrying about the vets right now, whoever’s with us in the injury group; but I’m just trying to bring those guys along as well because they didn’t have any OTAs, they didn’t have the meetings. So I’m just trying to drop them knowledge like, ‘hey, the linebacker might do this on this play’ or ‘the running back’s going to do this, so watch for this.’ But nothing on position-wise. I’m just kind of rolling with the punches and like I said, if they want to put me at left tackle again, so be it. It all pays the same for me.”
(I know when I saw you at the stadium in February at the business event, you had said ideally you’d love to know by the end of April whether you’d be at tackle or guard? Has Head Coach Brian Flores or anyone given you any idea? I know you just said obviously you don’t know for sure, but have they given you any idea which is more likely?) – “No, they just – primarily they just said right guard or right tackle. They said to probably work some left, that way you still have it; but right now, everything’s kind of up in the air. You never know who’s going to be up, who’s going to be down. Primarily, I’ve played more on the right side, so I guess I’d probably say something on the right side; but at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. I can adjust to it.”
(I guess what are your conversations with guys this offseason over the phone or in the facility? What do you feel like is the level of fear general coming back and playing? Do you see guys are just saying, “hey, this is my job. I’m going to do it regardless” or is there a higher level of fear that you may see between guys?) – “I think the fear comes out when we start talking about it more. I think once we’re in the building and around each other and back to normal – obviously we all wear masks in the building, and then if you want it on the field, you can as well – but there hasn’t been somebody going like, ‘hey, make sure you stay away from me.’ It’s more so you have your own respect for the guy next to you. Like you make sure you’re already six feet away or a farther distance than that. We also wear these contact tracers, too, so it kind of tells you. It starts beeping or flashing on your wrist if you’re too close to somebody, so that’s a good reminder as well. The fear is there, but it’s not – I guess it’s not very shown on somebody’s face or somebody’s body language. I think right now, I think they’ve done such a good job and that’s the primary mindset for a guy. They feel safe in that building and that’s the way it should be and it’s nice.”
(I wanted to ask you about QB Tua Tagovailoa. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick came on and sort of was praising the fact that he has this presence about him. How much have you interacted with him, not just this offseason but since you’ve been in the building, and what have you noticed?) – “Yeah, especially interacting with him in the building, it’s just been – he’s a humble guy and it’s nice to see that because I kind of pride myself on humbleness, too, and how he works and how he presents himself in the building and how he shows ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) that he’s willing to learn and not like, ‘hey, this is my spot’ or something like that. It’s very nice to see a young star like that come in and be ready to work and he’s always on the field telling us, he’s like ‘all right, let’s go. Next play.’ (He’s a) very up-tempo kind of guy, so it’s nice to see that as well.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(I wanted to ask you – you said something last time we talked to you about pretty much not throwing in the offseason. That just wasn’t part of your routine. When did that start and what was the thought process behind it and what do you think you get out of it?) – “It started probably eight or nine years ago. A lot of it – it’s physically, mentally and emotionally just kind of getting away for a little bit, and I think you pour so much into every season that I do like to just take a step back. But the throwing part of it for me (is) just preservation and longevity. I probably have ramped it up here for the last two and a half or three weeks and trying to get ready. I think I wish we would’ve had OTAs and been able to do all the offseason stuff, but the silver lining for me is not having to make all those throws and coming in with a real fresh arm for the season.”
(I wanted to ask you, we haven’t talked to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey before. I know you’re familiar with him. Can you kind of give us an idea of what he’s like maybe as a man and as a coach?) – “Yeah, (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) and I have worked together for five years in two different places in Buffalo and New York. First off, as a man, amazing guy. Very humble. Loves football, loves family and so there’s a lot of characteristics in that regard that we share. Guys love playing for him because one of the biggest things with him is he wants you to be yourself. I’ll never forget, Stevie Johnson in Buffalo was a guy that didn’t really play a whole lot and as soon as he got with Chan and Chan gave him the freedom to be creative on some of his routes and do some things that were a little unorthodox, it really catapulted his career; so players love playing for him because he gives them freedom – a certain amount of freedom, not a whole lot – and he’s a guy that does care about the details but he really cares about the end result, not necessarily how you got there. So everywhere that I’ve been with him with all of the different receivers and personnel, they’ve really enjoyed his offense and the freedom that comes with it.”
(I know you talked about this to some degree last year because it applied but this year more so; could you share your mindset of competing for the job and being the guy while at the same time helping younger players, helping as they basically are trying to take your job and compete with you? How do you balance that?) – “It’s not all that difficult for me. I mean I’m going to go out there and compete every single day as I know the younger guys are; but in the meeting rooms, I’m not going to keep anything to myself either. I’m going to make someone tell me to shut up because I’m going to talk as much I can and share as much as I can with the intimate knowledge I have of this offense being in it for five years and really just experience since I’ve been in the league. I know that – I don’t know how much time it’ll be before Tua (Tagovailoa) is in the lineup. I know that I am the placeholder and we’ve already had that conversation. I told him I’m going to do the best I can to lead this team and to win football games when I’m out there and whenever it is that Tua gets his chance, whether it’s early or late or whenever it is, I’m going to be his biggest cheerleader and that’s what I said earlier; but I think I have a unique perspective just from the career that I’ve had and I was excited that they drafted him and since meeting him in person finally the other day, I’m really excited. I think we’ve really hit it off and even though I’m an old geezer to him, we’ve meshed personality-wise and I’m excited to work with him.”
(I wanted to ask – there’s a six-week or a four-week sprint essentially before the season starts. You guys are having minicamp. How much do you think you guys can mesh together and mend before the season to get things rolling Week 1?) – “It’ll be difficult. I think you may see some sloppy play early on. When they decided no preseason games – and understandably with health in consideration – not just the physical play and the hitting and getting to go against a different defense, but the little things like getting a play from the play-caller and changing personnel in and out; it’s stuff that you could simulate in practice a little bit, but until you get into that game environment and the bullets are flying and everybody’s got to figure things out – there’s a play clock that all of a sudden gets a lot quicker – that stuff is going to be a tough adjustment that we’re just going to have to figure out and do as best we can with practice. I think the other thing is just every day, we have to feel the sense of urgency. We’ve had a couple of walkthroughs with the rookie guys and just having them understand that making a mistake is okay, but there’s an urgency to studying to not make that same mistake the next day, and the fact that every single rep that we take now is magnified in its importance, that’s something that we’ll stress to all of the guys as we get together.”
(What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for these rookies in regards to they haven’t been at an NFL practice yet and now there’s no preseason – how much do you think this year’s COVID-19 season is going to set this rookie class back?) – “It’s tough. I mean it’s such a tough adjustment to make the jump from college to the NFL, as we’ve all seen every single year with these guys; but to not have the offseason work and the OTAs, physically being in the building, to have a shortened preseason really with no games, it really puts these guys behind. It’s a little – I don’t know if ‘unfair’ is the right word – but it’s the cards that we’ve been dealt and the things that they have to be able to deal with and overcome. There’s going to be a lot of learning on-the-fly. There’s going to be probably some more mistakes with guys that have to get in there and play; they are going to make them in the game rather than mistakes that would’ve happened at OTAs that they could learn from, but the thing is that everybody’s dealing with the same thing. Every rookie on every different team has the same set of challenges and obstacles and so in that regard, it’s a level playing field.”
(Now that you guys are actually in the building, can you give us a sense of how different things are, how they feel and how comfortable are you with the safety precautions that have been put in place?) – “I think the league and the PA (NFL Players Association) did a great job in coming together with the different protocols and things; but speaking specifically with the Dolphins organization, the amount of work that went in from everybody in this building for us to walk in and to be able to feel safe. Between right now testing every single day and the different protocols – the way the locker room is structured, limited groups when we’re working out – there’s a lot of different things that are in place that I can walk in here and feel safe in this environment and the responsibility that everybody’s taking to have a mask on at all times when you’re breathing hard and working out, it’s not always necessarily going to be like that, but there’s a lot of people that have put a lot of work into this and I think the players as they trickle in will really – they’ll see a difference – but they’ll really appreciate everything this organization has done to make us feel comfortable in this building.”
(I wanted to ask you about working new Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown. He’s got a really wide variety of job titles on his resume. I was kind of curious to get your take on how that diversity benefits the room and just how that relationship has been between he and each of the quarterbacks in that QB room.) – “I got a chance when I was in New York to work with (Quarterbacks Coach) Robby (Brown) a little bit, so we knew each other from there. I hadn’t really worked as closely as we will probably this year, but he brings a wealth of knowledge and it’s nice because he’s versed in (Offensive Coordinator) Chan’s (Gailey) offense and knows it really well, but he’s got some experience – especially on the college end – different things that he has seen, so Robby’s always a good guy, a good voice in the room to bounce things off and he can’t really coach me the same way that he’s going to coach Tua (Tagovailoa) or the same way that he’s going to coach Josh (Rosen). There’s a difference there and he’s got a good feel and understanding for that. It’s an interesting room with two young guys and one really old guy, but he’s done a great job so far of being able to reach us all in different ways.”
(I know you are pretty in touch with what’s going on around the world of just not the NFL but sports as well. I wanted to get your thoughts on the trouble Major League Baseball is having staying healthy – another outbreak in the Cardinals organization – why do you think things are going to be better for the NFL than it’s been for baseball so far?) – “I think that’s been eye-opening for everybody. I don’t know that that was unexpected. I think this is not going to be perfect and there are going to be things that pop up. On the million calls that we were on this offseason, ‘mitigating risk’ was always one of the big buzz words. It’s going to be difficult. It’s not – because somebody comes into the building or tests and then they are positive for COVID, that doesn’t mean that they were irresponsible or doesn’t mean that they were out in a bar. Maybe it means that you’ve got five kids in public school and you’re going home and they’re asymptomatic and you bring it in. I think the protocols and everything in place, we’re going to do our best to catch that and to not let it spread; but I think it’s a good example for everybody in the NFL that’s trying to get this going of just how easily it’s passed – especially in environments where you’re sweating and working out together. We have to do our best, but I don’t know if anybody’s going to be able to predict the future on that one.”
(Seeing where the run game was at last year and just knowing the additions the team made during the offseason, how can a potent or effective run game affect both how you perform your job and also just how the offense continues how to flow throughout the game?) – “A running game is definitely a quarterback’s best friend. It makes our job a lot easier. There aren’t a whole lot of things that we can be certain of this year, but I would put a lot of money on me not being the leading rusher. (laughter) I think that just with the personnel that was brought in with just being in Chan (Gailey)’s offense and how effective he has been in being able to run the ball; it’s something that he really prides himself on as a coordinator. I’m really excited to see – and I’ve met Jordan (Howard). I haven’t Matt (Breida) yet, but I think we brought in some dynamic talent and guys that are hungry and ready to come in. Obviously it looked like we wanted to bring in some beef up front and even just looking at some of these young guys – they’re very impressive. We’ll see physically where they are and mentally how they can grasp it, but there’s already a little bit of a different vibe in the building just in terms of that and I think it’ll bode well for the running game.”
(I wanted to ask you about your own experience with the virus. You’ve got a big crew there to be concerned about. Is everybody okay? How concerned are you about your own health and did you consider opting out?) – “We spent a majority of the offseason – especially from late March-on – in Arizona and I’ve got my place, my brother is next door and he has five kids, so my kids didn’t know any different. They were able to run around and play and we pretty much quarantined in those two houses; but it was 12 kids every day in the swimming pool and running around having fun. For them, we tried to keep it as normal as possible and other than going to Costco and the grocery store, there wasn’t a whole lot going on in terms of leaving the house. So we felt very comfortable with the way that we approached it and we were fortunate with the living situation that we had and the kids to be able to play with each other; but it’s something that we will continue to just be extremely careful with and again for the NFL and teams, there’s kind of a negative stigma I think that may be attached to getting coronavirus, but as we’ve seen it can kind of happen to anybody at any point in time. We all just have to try to do our best to take care of not only ourselves but each other.”
(Let me double-back for a second. You talked about meshing with QB Tua Tagovailoa and personalities meshing. What is it about his personality? What is it about your personality that has kind of helped you guys sync up, do you think?) – “I don’t know. I mean he’s a really interesting guy. He’s got a lot of energy to him and you can just tell that guys are going to gravitate to him. There’s something about him that is just very likable and I can already tell that he’s going to be one of those guys that gets along with everybody, that guys are going to want to follow. He just has that kind of aura about him and part of it is probably the way that he played in college and just kind of the name and the reputation that he’s built for himself; but there’s not a whole lot of ego involved and he’s very likable. So I don’t know, just the general conversations whether about football or life, it’s been really fun so far.”
