Robert Hunt – April 24, 2020
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Friday, April 24, 2020
T Robert Hunt
(Your reaction to being a Miami Dolphin?) – “Super blessed. I’m super excited. I’m blessed. This is a great opportunity. I thank (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores and his whole staff. I’m super excited to get down to Miami and get to work.”
(What do you think are the traits that you bring to the game of football that will help you excel in the NFL?) – “I think I play the game hard. I try to strain and I try to finish people. I think I just play this game very hard. I play like it’s my last time playing, so I think that’ll help me. As long as I keep that mentality, keep working on myself and getting better and trying to help the team; everything will work out well.”
(Do you have a preferred position between guard and tackle and what are the differences for you as far as technique and things along those lines?) – “Not really. I definitely can play any position that coach or the o-line coach need me to play. I’m a versatile guy. I think that will help me out a lot in this draft, so wherever coach needs me to play, that’s where I’ll stick at. I’m open to playing any position. I’m ready to play any position. Anything, anywhere that I can help the team out, I’ll definitely do it.”
(I wanted to ask – I know there’s a big-time quarterback you’re going to have to protect now here in Miami. What are your thoughts about that and how much pride do you take in just being an offensive lineman and blocking the other guy.) – “It’s great. I’m super excited to get on the field with Tua (Tagovailoa) and the all of the other guys that we already have on the team. It’s my job to protect him and that’s what I’m going to do every day – come in, I’m going to try to protect him and do my best job that I can do. Like I sai,d I’m just going to bring my mentality to the game, bring my mentality to Miami, and hopefully everything will work out. I’m super excited – I keep saying that, but I’m super excited for the opportunity that the coaching staff and everybody in Miami has given me.”
(What are your thoughts about the level of competition you’ve been playing against versus what you’ll see in the NFL? Do you think it’s a big difference or do you think the level that you play in is underrated?) – “(laughter) Definitely underrated. Definitely underrated, but it is what it is. It doesn’t matter. We can go right here in this field that I’m in front of and whoever I’m going against, we’re just going to try to play. I’m going to try to do my best – whatever I can do. It doesn’t matter the competition. I’m super excited. I’m super excited to even get this chance to even play against the really good guys, so I don’t even know. It is what it is.”
(I wanted to see your shirt. What do you have on?) – “Oh, man. (The shirt says) ‘Robert Hunt.’ My sister made this for me. (laughter) My sister made this for me.”
(Talk about how important she is in your life and why you decided to wear the shirt.) – “She’s very important in my life. Sometimes she’s been there when my mom wasn’t home – when she was working – my older sister, she would take off time and watch over all of us because she’s the oldest. She plays a very important role in my life, so I’m very thankful for her. She’s actually over there eavesdropping right now, one of them; but she’s a very important part of my life and this shirt is awesome.”
(You seem to have a lot of confidence. Do you see yourself as a guy who can come in and start right away?) – “I don’t really know. I definitely – in my opinion – definitely in my head, yes, I want to come in and start right away. But wherever coach needs me – wherever I can do it – I’m just going to go compete. That’s my job – to go and compete, so I’m just excited for the opportunity. I get to go and compete and I will let it work out the way it works out. I’m not going to think about it right now – just go and try to celebrate a little bit. I’ll let it come down the line.”
(I remember reading one scout said it seems that you enjoy destroying people. I’m wondering what is the genesis? What fuels you?) – “It’s fun. It’s fun doing that and it looks really good. So I definitely want to do that. I guess it’s just that competitive spirit in me. I picked that up and just haven’t stopped doing it. It’s just something that I like to do. It’s part of the game. You don’t get in trouble for destroying people on the football field, so why not do it?”
(To kind of follow up on that, just watching you a little bit, it seems like you’ve got that mauler style. How would you describe your mentality and what you strive to do when you get on the field?) – “That, I guess. How I came into every game was – I came into every game with a bully mentality, so I wanted to bully anybody that came in front of me, stepped in front of me and all that kind of stuff. Whoever I’m competing against, I’m going to try my hardest to do my job and help the team out. We want to run the football at Louisiana-Lafayette. That’s the mindset that we have. That’s the mindset I’ve been having for a while now.”
(Why did you get off to such a late start in football? What was it going on in your life that made you not gravitate to the sport early?) – “I started playing early, but I did a lot of moving back and forth. I did a lot of moving back and forth between my mom’s house and my dad’s house from hurricanes and all of that kind of stuff. So, I did a lot of moving. I picked up the sport, I stopped a little bit, picked it back up. I’ve been playing the game for a while. I’ve just been in and out of it. It finally really clicked (for) me a couple of years ago, that I had an opportunity to play this game at the next level. I just took that opportunity and kind of ran with it.”
(I want to ask you about Burkeville. It seems like there’s not a lot of people that live there. What was that like being in such a small area and then going onto a small school?) – “At the time (in) the area, you don’t really pay attention. I was doing my own thing in Burkeville. It was definitely small, definitely a small town, but I tried to make fun of it. I went to my friends’ house, we rode four-wheelers, we fish, we do all types of stuff and try to make fun. That’s what we do. We try to make fun in the situation that we had. I went to Lafayette-Louisiana. That was way bigger for me. I had a fun time at Lafayette, met really good coaches, had really good teammates and everything worked out well.”
(I wanted to ask you about your hair. I see you’re dreaded up on top here. What’s the inspiration for you hair style? It seems like it’s a really big part of you and who you are.) – “Nothing really. I just grew my hair out. I’ve always had hair. Sometimes I hate getting it combed, so I kind of just decided to put the dreads in and then the dreads started getting longer and I liked the look. And then I got a receding hair line, too. So that’s the reason too, to take my hair line out.”
(How’s your health? I noticed you missed a bunch of games last year. How’s everything going?) – “It’s going well. I’m 100 percent healthy right now. I’ve been doing everything I wanted to do. The Combine and everything, I didn’t participate in the Combine because I wasn’t ready at the time. After that, I’ve been 100 percent doing everything – videos, pro days, things like that. I feel good.”
(Do you think not being in the Combine may have hurt you a bit?) – “I wouldn’t say that. It is what it is. This was going to happen anyways. I’m a big believer in God. God puts you in places that he wants you to be. He definitely put me here for a reason. I’m just going to take the opportunity and go forward with it. He doesn’t make mistakes. This is a blessing to me. It doesn’t hurt me or help me. This is my opportunity. I’m super grateful for it.”
Noah Igbinoghene – April 23, 2020
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Thursday, April 23, 2020
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(I wanted to ask you – you seem like a Head Coach Brian Flores type of guy. How much interaction did you have with the Dolphins going throughout this entire draft process?) – “I met with them at my Pro Day. We all had a big meeting with them – me and a couple of my teammates. That’s really all the type of communication I really had with them, so I’m not saying it was a surprise but I wasn’t looking at them.”
(How do you feel about joining a team that has CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones – two stars at corner?) – “That’s something, it’s truly a blessing. It’s crazy because are two corners I’ve looked at for a very long time. I know they don’t know that, but those are probably the top two cornerbacks in this whole entire league. Just to come in and learn from them, that’s just a blessing in disguise. I’m just honored to be picked by the Miami Dolphins. I’m just ready to go out there and compete and do what I have to do.”
(Have the Dolphins said where they’d like you to be in terms of the slot maybe?) – “No, they haven’t said anything. They haven’t said anything about that to me at all. It was just a congratulations call is really all it was, not really about positions or anything like that; but I’m willing to play anything they need me to play, anything they want me to play. That’s the type of player I’ve always been. That’s up to my coaches.”
(What excites you most about playing with the rest of the players in the Dolphins secondary?) – “Just like the first question. Just coming into a room that’s very experienced and has a lot of competitiveness in the room – just the atmosphere in the room that the coaches created. I’m honored to grow into that and come in as a player, so it’s just an honor. That’s genuinely how I feel.”
(I know you’re Nigerian and were raised in a Nigerian household. How was that growing up, especially with your parents who were top-tier athletes?) – “I’ll say it was rough at times, just because of my Nigerian background. I know a lot of people don’t understand that, but it’s a different way of living I would say. I really didn’t get to do a lot of things I’d say a normal teenager would like to do, as far as going out with my friends and stuff like that; but that’s just something I had to sacrifice if I wanted to be here talking to you today. Their plan worked. They were very protective parents, but their plan worked at the end of the day. I am the man I am because of them. It was a blessing just to grow up in this household. This happened, so it worked out, I guess.”
(Last year in Head Coach Brian Flores’ first year with the Dolphins he seemed to move cornerbacks around to play multiple positions on the field. Just kind of curious at Auburn, did you do much of that or were you kind of locked in at one position?) – “I was just locked in at corner, to be honest with you.”
(I know you were a receiver earlier in your career. Where do you think you are in your cornerback comfort and how much do you think you still have to learn?) – “I’m very comfortable, and that’s why I’m here and that’s why Miami drafted me. I’m not being cocky or anything like that. I’m very humble and very confident in my abilities, and that’s part of the reason why I came out. I’ve been working this whole entire offseason up until this point. Now I’m going to continue to work until this COVID-19 situation kind of dies down a little bit. I’m not going to be the player – I’m going to be a whole different kind of player than you saw in Auburn versus Minnesota, which was our last game. I’m just ready to show you all the improvement I made over these last couple of months, my coaches as well. I guess you all will see.”
(I was wondering if you remember anything that Head Coach Brian Flores or the defensive coordinator, Josh Boyer, said when you visited with either one of those guys, that maybe resonated with you? – “It was just a normal interview. There wasn’t really nothing they said that I hadn’t heard from anywhere else. It wasn’t really nothing out of the ordinary or anything different.”
(I wanted to ask you about the time you were a two-sport athlete at Auburn. You were both a track star and a football star down there at Auburn. There was an article about you on The Athletic that mentioned that you had an opportunity to skip practice on the football team but you chose not to do that because you wanted to be on the football field. Can you talk to us about how much you love the game?) – “That just shows how I feel about this game. I started playing football when I was in the seventh grade. Track was something that’s been in my life for a very long time, as you might imagine. Both of my parent went to the Olympics, so that’s something I had to grow into. Football, when I caught on to it, is something that really caught my heart. I really feel that it’s something that I was meant to do, I was born to do it. That’s why all of this stuff started happening. Football got me here as well, so it was a blessing. As far as me coming back to football during that track season, football was something I was always excited to get back to, just like now. I can’t wait to get back on the field. Track is something that I love as well, but football is something I feel like is a different kind of love. It’s a deeper love and it’s really taught me about life as well. That is probably why I would go back to football season during track, and I would go right back to track after that, right after football. I made a commitment to my team.”
(I know you said it’s kind of difficult growing up in a Nigerian household. How has your relationship with your parent evolved as you grew older and how has their background in pro sports helped you through this?) – “My relationship with my parents is great. Of course it grew, me understanding how they were raised, because I believe that you will teach your kids how you were raised as your parents taught you. There were a lot of things they didn’t know, and a lot of things their parents taught them from Nigeria, so they brought that Nigerian way. I couldn’t blame them for nothing, even if I was at a young age. Looking back at it, it got me here. Now I’m able to separate myself from the pack. It’s a big thanks to them. They are the reason why I’m here. I love them both.”
(You really get into guys’ faces and seem to take it as a challenge to really play a physical brand of football on the outside. What about that type of style of play, what makes you want to play that type of physical style of play on the outside?) – “It was something that when I moved positions, it was something that our defense at Auburn, that’s what we pride ourselves on. I remember (Defensive Coordinator) Kevin Steele telling me when I met with him that that’s the type of corner he likes. Me, I never played corner before, so of course I didn’t know that was the type of player I was going to be. I don’t know why, but for some reason when I moved, I remembered being a receiver and I knew how mad I was when a physical corner got in my face and was in my face and was physical with me. So, I kind of transitioned that, because I knew a lot of wide receivers don’t like that and can’t handle that. That’s exactly why I do that. It’s just a chess game, that’s all this game is.”
Austin Jackson – April 23, 2020
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Thursday, April 23, 2020
T Austin Jackson
(Your reaction to getting selected here in the first round and what’s the pressure going to be like to have to protect potentially a franchise quarterback?) – “It’s no pressure at all. I’m glad I’m with a great team and a team that believes in me, and I’m just really excited to get out there with the guys and build something special.”
(We’ve heard a little bit of your story about your sister. Can you share with us a little bit about maybe something we don’t know about that experience for you and maybe how that’s changed you and your family?) – “It was a big procedure for my family. Autumn has had her situation – her blood disease – for a long time, and it’s just a real big relief on all of us to know that she’s feeling better. We’re really happy about it.”
(Obviously you’ve known about your sister’s issues for a while. How many years is that and what went into your thought process for knowing that you could possibly help save her life?) – “We’ve known about it, I’d say probably her whole life, so you’re looking at like 18 years there; so pretty much my whole life, too. We’ve always known about the condition, and it feels good to be able to help. That’s all I can say. There’s no better feeling.”
(I want to ask you because you are a relatively young guy – only 20 years old but 6-foot-5 – do you feel you have more room to grow and where in your game would you like to see more improvements?) – “Definitely, I think there’s a lot more room to grow. I feel like since I’ve made the decision to leave and train for the NFL, my strength and athleticism has just gone up 10 times what it was, and I feel like getting around an NFL locker room with NFL guys, I feel like there’s just more knowledge to learn the game. I think the ceiling is incredibly high, and I think I can get as much as I put into it, which will be a lot.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa being the quarterback picked by the Dolphins and he’s projected to be the franchise quarterback, that means that his blind side is now the right side. Do you think you could see yourself playing right tackle seeing you spent most of your college career on the left?) – “Definitely. I’ve played both tackle positions my whole life. I’ve played guard. I’ve played everywhere on the line. I don’t have an ego that tells me I’m only a left tackle. I’m a football player at the end of the day. I just play football and help out the team in any way I can.”
(What are you most looking forward to about playing for the Dolphins?) – “What am I looking forward to the most? I’ve got to say walking into the stadium on Sundays. Growing up being a kid – waking up and just watching football that day and then going from waking up on Sunday to getting up and going to work, it’s just crazy how life ends up. I’m really excited for that.”
(What motivates you?) – “I think what motivates me the most is just the opportunity I have with football. I love the game more than anything and I feel like it’s just taken my life to places I’ve never imagined it before. I’m really thankful for the game and the great people I meet along the way – coaches, teammates, fans, all of it.”
Chris Grier and Brian Flores – April 23, 2020
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Thursday, April 23, 2020
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Chris Grier:
(What was it about QB Tua Tagovailoa that really set him apart and made him the right selection for this franchise at five?) – “We’ve always talked about going through the process. Brian (Flores), myself, the coaching staff and scouts – watching him for a couple years and finally getting – meeting him at the Combine and getting to know him and find out what type of person he really is, which we all heard great things. You really get to sit down and talk to people and you don’t really truly know – I think for us, it was going through our process. There were a lot of talented players and we really liked Tua and we felt very comfortable at the end of the day that he would be a fit here and bringing him here.”
Brian Flores:
“I’m very similar to Chris. He fit a lot of the criteria we talk about at the quarterback position. Good player, good person, leadership qualities. We’re very happy with the pick.”
Chris Grier:
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history, how much of a gamble do you think this pick is for the Dolphins?) – “Like we talked about before, football is a violent game. Guys are going to get hurt. So, for us, we did a lot of work on him as we do with every player. Our training staff and doctors, led by (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston, does a fantastic job. So, we’re very comfortable.”
Brian Flores:
(How did you guys decide on QB Tua Tagovailoa? You obviously had some options at quarterback at five. Why did he win out over the other options you had?) – “I would say just going through our process. Obviously, we have a criteria at every position. So the same with Tua, the same with Austin Jackson, same with Noah (Igbinoghene). We’re happy with all three selections, comfortable with all three guys. But specific to the quarterback, there were a lot of good players at the position. We talked about every one of them. We did our homework on every one of them. We’ve been in Zoom meetings for multiple days, multiple weeks. At the end of the day, we felt like that was the best choice for the Miami Dolphins.”
Chris Grier:
(How did you guys navigate maybe the reports and smokescreen season so to speak? It seemed like every single day there was something new coming out. How did you guys handle that in your decision to stick at number five and believe Tua Tagovailoa would be there?) – “For us, we’re just – We always talked about going through our process and doing it. Brian and I had a few laughs (about) a lot stuff that came out. At the end of the day, you block it out. We go through our process. I know we keep talking about it, but it is and that’s what it is. It starts with their play on the field and the postseason all-star games, the Combine, interviews and workouts – all that stuff. For us, it’s just noise on the outside. We kind of work through it and we just kind of go through our process.”
Brian Flores:
“Like Chris said, we didn’t know where a lot of this stuff was coming from to be honest. You guys probably know better than we do as far as where this information was coming from. It was very interesting, to say the least. It’s something that we talk about, really, on a daily basis. ‘Did you see that? Did you hear this? That’s interesting.’ That’s really more of my question to you guys. Where did all this come from? (laughter)”
Chris Grier:
(I want to ask you about that last pick there at 30 with CB Noah Igbinoghene. What made you guys want to go with a corner there? Obviously, you guys got two pretty good ones on your team already.) – “Best player on the board for us. We felt really good about Noah. We got to know him. This is a passing league as everyone says. You can never have enough corners … Brian came from a really good defensive team when we hired him and they had a lot of corners. At the end of the day, the way this league is offensively, it’s a premium position and the more you have, the better. It breeds competition. (He’s a) competitive kid that we really liked in the process.”
Brian Flores:
“That’s something that Chris and I, we’ve always been on the same page as far as never having enough corners in this league. With the receivers – the receivers coming off the board today, there were a lot of good ones. So you’ve got to defend those guys. We feel good about all of the corners we have on our roster and we felt like we had an opportunity to add one, another good one, and that played a role in the decision.”
Chris Grier:
(To both of you guys, how close were you to trading up to number three, how close were you to moving up from number 18?) – “With us, we make calls to every team in the league. We (look for) opportunities and do our due diligence. Brian believes in that as well. From us and our staff, we’re calling everyone. Just doing our homework (and finding) opportunities. We talked to everybody. There was nothing definitive with anyone. But, yes we called every team like we do every year with opportunities to move up or down; but no, there was nothing definitive.”
Brian Flores:
“Like Chris said, we listen to all offers and if we feel good about something, we talk it through – here are the pros, here are the cons to making a move like this up or down. We really just hash it out – Chris, myself and the rest of the scouting staff. I’d say over the course of the entire fall and spring, those guys did an excellent job getting us the right information and just going through countless meetings, agreements and disagreements, and just trying to get everybody on the same page. I would say our scouting department did a really nice job there and I think that played a large role in us feeling comfortable with making the selections – going up, going down. I would say from my standpoint, we had a good game plan.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa, will he have any health restrictions going forward? Whenever you guys are able to get back on the field, do you expect him to participate fully? And if so, do you see him competing for a starting job in 2020?) – “I’d say my kids are expecting him. They are big fans. They were excited to get on a phone call with him. (laughter) Look, we haven’t even seen him. Obviously with the pandemic and all that’s going on, our doctors haven’t seen him. We have a long way to go before we can say who’s doing what … We have to just get him and have a meeting first. I think it’s way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go. You guys know we like to take a one day at a time approach anyway. That’s going to be the approach I’m going to have him take as well.”
Chris Grier:
(Can you shed some light on how challenging this decision was, especially with QB Tua Tagovailoa, a quarterback, given the pandemic and you didn’t have the time to have as much face to face time as you normally would have. And the second part of my question as it related to Tua, the independent specialist that you used to get clearance on this, can you add some light on what that was like?) – “For us, again, it was our normal process. I know people won’t believe that, but it is. We spend a lot of time finding out about the player’s background. Like Brian said, the scouts do a fantastic job of background information and putting us in touch with people that we talked to. Brian and I, the coaches and scouts, know a lot of the coaches on that staff who have been there and have left … For us, I know the face time and having him in person and seeing him; but as Brian said, the coaches did a great job of spending time with him on Zoom meetings and getting to know him. We met with him at the Combine. We felt very comfortable and again, our doctors and trainers did a lot of work on him so for us, it wasn’t that difficult of a decision for us to make.
Brian Flores:
(I wanted to ask about T Austin Jackson. I know QB Tua Tagovailoa being left-handed, it may be important to get a right tackle. Austin played left tackle most of his career. Do you guys see him as an option at right tackle? Do you see G/T Jesse Davis as an option at right tackle? I know it’s still pretty early in the draft here, but how do you guys plan to address the tackle and interior linemen positions in the next few days?) – “I think really what we are trying to do is get good players. Left tackle, right tackle – I think at the end of the day, we want to bring good players onto this team who will work and compete. To talk about starting positons, I mean these guys have never been in an NFL locker room. I think that’s asking them a lot. I think we just take it day-to-day, and that’s the message I’m always going to send to all of our players, especially young players. There is a lot to learn as far as getting to know your teammates, getting to know our coaches, getting to know our terminology and how we do things. There is a lot to learn. So before we start talking about who is starting, who is playing left or right, I think for each rookie and really for every player, let’s just take this one day at a time and hopefully if we can string good days together, we’ll see some of the fruits of that labor.”
Chris Grier:
(I know there was a report that you guys were trying to trade up for QB Joe Burrow. I wanted to see if you guys can speak to the accuracy of that and whether it was a tough decision at five to choose QB Tua Tagovailoa over QB Justin Herbert?) – “Like I said, we made our calls to everyone. Yes, we spoke (to Cincinnati) to see if they were interested. So yes, we talked to everyone – every team in the league. It was no different. Every team makes those calls so yes, we reached out. Again, the decision to take Tua – Justin is a really good player. We enjoyed getting to know him as well. At the end of the day, we made our decision. We liked both players a lot but we thought Tua was the guy for us.”
Brian Flores:
“For me there, Chris and I were really on the same page the entire time as far as the process, the meeting, the medical, the conversations about moving up, moving down. We were really, l’d say, in lockstep the whole way. We still got a long way to go. After we get off of this Zoom, we’re going to talk again and get going on tomorrow and Saturday. There’s a lot more work to be done. This was just the first of three total days. There is a lot more work to be done here. We’ve got a slew of picks remaining. Tomorrow’s a big day, Saturday is going to be a big day, and we’re just going to try to make the best decision for this organization.”
Tua Tagovailoa – April 23, 2020
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Thursday, April 23, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(When you heard your name called or when you got that call from the Dolphins, what first crossed your mind?) – “It was a dream come true, man, to be able to have this opportunity. I would honestly like to just thank Owner Stephen Ross. I’d like to thank GM Chris Grier. I’d also like to thank Coach (Brian) Flores for giving me this opportunity. This is special for not just me, but for my family as well.”
(What do you think are going to be your plans now given the distance and where you are? When do you expect to come to Miami? Where are you going to spend most of your training leading up to training camp?) – “With the given circumstances, I’m just going to be talking to the coaches and kind of seeing how we’re going to go about doing things as an organization. From there really, we’ve just got to hope and pray that everything works out and that we can get back to spending time as a team. I think for me, the most important thing is probably getting everyone’s phone number on the team and just creating relationships. Maybe starting out with the quarterbacks and then working my way down to the linemen or starting with the linemen, but just creating relationships a little at a time. Especially during times like this, it’s hard, so I think that’d be best.”
(You said earlier that you felt confident that you could play in 2020. What makes you confident and did the Dolphins talk to you about what their plans for you were?) – “I think what makes me confident in the aspect of me being able to play would be what the doctors have told me. As far as rehab, as far as the medical rechecks, I’ve checked off all the boxes, so that’s what I’ve been really standing on and that’s kind of what I’ve been going with. That’s why I would say I’ve been really encouraged to say that I’m able to play if need be; but I think the biggest thing for me right now is just being able to take it in, soak it in, enjoy it with my family and get to work.”
(I’m not sure if you’ve kept up with all of the fans’ expectations and hopes and dreams with you, but are you prepared to deal with that and do you think at any time, you would ever tell the fans to chill out or would you tell them to “keep hyping me up, let’s enjoy this?”) – “I think that’s something that is out of my control. I can’t control whether the fans like me or whether the fans dislike me; and so for me, I’d say it’s all about worrying about what I can control … It’s what you do from here on out. It’s how you … You just look forward to getting your playbook, understanding it, trying to get good at it, and if an opportunity is presented…”
(Playing at Alabama, obviously the spotlight’s on you there – obviously it’s the biggest program in the nation. How do you think that’s helped prepare you for the NFL?) – “I would say I think Alabama’s prepared me with how hard everything was there. It wasn’t just the workouts. It wasn’t just the guys you were competing against, but it was also the coaching. It was also your nutrition. It was just everything – your academics. Everything was made hard. It was really about embracing hard and kind of how you become successful through those hard times.”
(What are your goals as a quarterback in the National Football League?) – “I would say first off, I just want to be able to get the ball rolling as far as understanding my plays. I just want to know my plays, build relationships in the quarterback room, build relationships with guys in the locker room and also getting to know more about the coaching staff and building relationships with them as well.”
(I just wanted to ask you in terms of this process, was there any frustration with all the talk about your health and whether or not that hip was going to hold up and if it might drop you down the board? Did you get a little nervous there at any point?) – “I would say I didn’t get nervous at all. For me and my family the biggest thing was whoever decided to take a chance on us, whoever decided to pick me up, that’s where I belonged. Like I said, I’m very grateful and honored that I had this opportunity to play for this organization. My biggest thing is I’m trying to prove that this is the right decision for the organization.”
(How would you say your relationship or your developing relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier has gone throughout this draft process leading up to tonight?) – “It’s continuing to grow and that’s my biggest thing. We created it at the Combine, and I got to talk to Coach Flores and Chris (Grier) as well as Stephen Ross on Zoom calls maybe about three times in one month, so once every week almost. So I got to speak to them and build my relationship in that sense, but now that I’m a part of the organization it can only go up from here.”
(I wanted to ask how will you approach having a 37-year-old veteran quarterback like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick available to you? What if anything do you know about Ryan?) – “I would say it’s – First off, just being able to understand the kind of person he is. I know he’s been a great leader for this organization, he’s been a great team player. Guys like that, he’s played behind Jameis Winston and then he has an opportunity to play here. He has so much knowledge of the game to where I think it’s best that I nitpick him, ask him how he goes about preparing for a defense, what are the differences between this and this. Just being able to question him and learn under him, I think is going to be my biggest thing.”
(Last year there was all of this talk about “Tank for Tua.” How did that strike you back when that was going on and then how ironic is that you end up with the Dolphins?) – “I would say the funniest thing is I haven’t really heard too much of it last year. It was more so after the national championship from our loss to Clemson when I heard most of it. I would say that’s – I’m very grateful and I’m honored that the fans think so (highly) of me. It’s a different ball game. What I did in college can’t translate to the NFL. It’s a clean slate. What I’ve got to do is I’ve got to go out there and earn my respect and earn the trust from my teammates. It’s how you go about doing things.”
(How familiar are you with Dan Marino and the Dolphins’ past and have you thought about what number you may have to pick because 13 might be off the books?) – “For me, I’m not too worried about what number I have. I understand number 13 is retired and it should be. Dan Marino, he – he’s the GOAT. He’s like the mayor out there, and I have much respect for him. Whatever number I’m given by that organization, if it’s 78 or 99 – I’ll wear it. It doesn’t matter. I just want to have an opportunity to go out there and …”
(Do you expect to compete to start this year? Do you expect to compete to play or have they told you that this is going to be a redshirt year for you?) – “I’m going to go out there and compete as if I’m preparing to be the starter, even if I’m not going to be the starter right away or the entire season. But I think that has to be the mindset, because you go in there and – competition is usually always healthy. It’s usually always healthy. And you not only get yourself better by doing it but you get the other guy better and you get the entire quarterback room better that way.”
(What has this year been like for you, with so much expectation about you coming out in the draft and then the two injuries and the rehab and now this whole draft process? If you maybe had to put this in words to maybe your grandkids 40 years from now, what would you tell them this was like?) – “I would tell them this has probably been the hardest process for me to go through. I’ve gone through a lot with making this decision. I went to Nashville, I went through that tornado that came through. My car got destroyed. I’m going through rehab during that process. And then there’s a lot of uncertainty at the same time. There was just a lot of things piling up. So I’d just tell them that this was probably the most difficult time for me in my life.”
(I was going to ask you about your injury history and do you think you should’ve still been the number one drafted quarterback, but tell me about your car being destroyed in Nashville. What happened there?) – “Yeah, so I believe it was March 3rd. I was about 1 o’clock in the morning. Sirens were going off and I was asleep. I ended up waking up to I guess warnings on my phone. Right when I woke up, about three or four minutes later, a tornado just swooped right over my complex, destroys my car and everything there. It was pretty bad.”
(What would you say your best attribute from an intangible standpoint is?) – “That’s a good question. For me – I’ve said this many times – I’m not one to really speak on myself or really speak about what I’m good at. I try to let others do that. So, I’m not too sure. I like to go out there and compete, have fun and then try my best to win games.”
(What are you looking forward to most about playing in Miami?) – “I played there once. I played there against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. I’m just looking forward to an opportunity to play in front of the fans, play with my new teammates, kind of get the feel for everything, get into the groove of everything.”
(Tell us about the phone call when the Dolphins called you and said they’re picking you? Who did you talk to? How did that conversation go?) – “I got to talk to everyone. I got to talk to Coach Flores. I got to talk to the GM, Chris Grier. I got to talk to the owner, Stephen Ross. And man, it was awesome. It was very emotional for me and my family. It hasn’t just been a dream of mine to make this happen, it’s been my entire family’s dream. I’m blessed to say that I carry all of them here with me.”
(I’m curious what Head Coach Brian Flores has told you about what he’s trying to build in Miami and how you feel like you can contribute to the culture, the mindset, whatever it is that he’s told you about?) – “I would say what Coach Flores said was, ‘I want you to know that we think you’re very special.’ They think highly of me. But they were just really excited – (Coach Flores) was just really excited. He also had his kids kind of hop on and kind of say hello and say congratulations. So, that was pretty cool.”
Chris Grier – April 16, 2020
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Thursday, April 16, 2020
General Manager Chris Grier
(Does your analytics department provide you with an injury predictor for potential picks and if not, why not? If so, does any player in the first round have a higher predictor score than QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “First of all, I just want to say on behalf of the organization, thank you to all of the first responders and people on the frontline during this time of crisis. Obviously our words are not enough and seeing it every day is heartbreaking. Hopefully we’ll be back here and our country will be strong. People in South Florida are resilient, so I’m looking forward to things getting back to some semblance of normalcy. To your question – again, I hope everyone’s family and friends are well and safe. Yes, we do have an analytics department that does injury predictions. Again, football is a violent sport. We do the best we can – I’ve been in this for a long time – I’ve been around good players that were never hurt like Jake Long, for instance, back in the day; and then players – when I was in New England, we drafted Curtis Martin. Curtis Martin was always hurt and basically never missed a game in New England. I think in terms of where our guys have graded guys, I’m not going to get into that; but yes, we do a lot of studies on that. (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston and our doctors and staff have done a lot of work on every player, and they’ve done a fantastic job, so we’re going to just proceed as normal.
(What’s the process with you guys putting together the board now, especially considering the environment and obviously how difficult has it been?) – “For us, it hasn’t really been too much different. The difference is obviously we’re not in the same room, but we did a lot of work in December starting on the draft, with all of the picks we had coming into this draft, and the coaching staff and the scouts have all done a tremendous job of evaluation all the way through December and all the way through the spring until now. Little tweaks here and there. Obviously we’re not in the same room, but we’ve done a lot of meetings, a lot of video conferencing with the technology mediums and we feel really good about our process, and we’re ready to go.”
(I just wanted to ask what are your thoughts about QB Justin Herbert and QB Tua Tagovailoa as prospects?) – “They’re both interesting kids. I’ve gotten to know both of them through this process. Really good people, good players. They’ve both won. For us, going through the process, we’re going through the process just like with every player we’ve done. Obviously being a quarterback, that’s why everybody wants to know; but we’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of the top players and it’s no different with them. They’re both very talented players. Both have won a lot of games and they’re both intelligent players that are winners.”
(I wanted to ask you a week away from the draft, is your final quarterback ranking set? And can you tell me a little bit about how you and Head Coach Brian Flores and Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey have worked together to develop some consensus?) – “I think it’s been a process working with (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) coming in, and it’s been really good. The communication’s been great. We’ve spent a lot of time talking through the different qualities that we’re looking for in the players that we’ve talked about. From our end, it’s been pretty smooth and we haven’t set our final board yet. We’ll do that probably late this weekend or early next week, but a lot of really good discussions on what we feel is best for the Miami Dolphins.”
(Obviously you’re going to have to rely more on your scouts this year than perhaps years past with the ability to have 30 visits and all that. Have there been a couple of scouts in the last three or four years – I know Assistant Director of College Scouting Matt Winston is a name you’re going to mention – but guys that are still out-in-the-field scouts that you really rely on?) – “I think we have a really, really good group of guys. Like I said, I think they’re all very talented. We rely on all of them because we have a lot of really good scouts. The area scouts are really the ones that know the players the best. They’ve seen them the most. They spend the most time around the players, so with (Assistant General Manager) Marvin (Allen) and the national scouts and (Co-Director of Player Personnel) Adam (Engroff) and Matt (Winston) and (Senior National Scout Ron Brockington) ‘Brock’ and (Senior Personnel Executive) Reggie (McKenzie) – those guys for us and like myself, we go into schools, you come in for a day and you work where area scouts go to those schools and they’ve been to their area schools three or four times at least and have been around the kids the most. So you really have to rely on all your guys. We spend time; we listen to them. We’ve had a lot of meetings. We’ve spent a lot of time just going over the backgrounds, the character and what they saw, especially on the player’s tape this year. It’s not any different than any other year. The tape really tells you what the player is and then the Combine and all of the other stuff maybe gives you a little bit clearer picture, but at the end of the day, it’s what the guys do on film.”
(What’s your reaction to the NFL directive about the offseason programs and how workable do you think they’ll be?) – “We’re just going to work through it. We’re ready to go. Brian (Flores) and the coaching staff have been prepared. I think one of Brian’s greatest strengths is always looking to the future, so we’ve been ready to go. We’ll react to whatever directive the league gives us but for us, it’ll be business as usual as best we can. Again, there’s nothing we can do. Everyone is dealing with the same issues. We’ll be ready to go.”
(Can you talk about what draft night is going to be like for you from a setup standpoint? How is communication going to work between you and your assistants and what will you be looking at? I assume this is the room you’re going to be in, but did you have to put stuff in there because of this? Can you walk us through what the night is going to be like?) – “Yeah, we’re finishing setting up everything in the next day or so. I’ve got multiple televisions in here and computers. It will best mimic the draft room the best we can. The communication part of it is going to be similar to (this). We’ll be on video technology – Brian (Flores), myself, ownership, (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon Shore. All of us will be in communication kind of like this, talking on stuff. For us, it will be different but we’re ready to go. We’re going to have some run-throughs of it but I’m very confident. I think our IT department has done a fantastic job with getting this all set up. We really don’t have any apprehension about this process. We’re ready to go.”
(I thought I heard you say that you guys were going to set the final draft board this weekend, which makes me think that maybe you really haven’t decided who you’re going to take No. 1 or who you want to take No. 1. Is that in fact the case and do you have such a strong conviction about who you want to take that you’d be willing to trade up to get him?) – “Setting the draft board, we’re still finishing meetings with the scouts this week. We just finished one. We’ll go through that and then Brian (Flores), myself and Marvin (Allen) will sit and go through it and talk about it. We have an idea of who we like but again, we want to make sure we have all of the information, the medical meetings coming up here in the next couple of days. We’ll finish (gathering) all of the information. Until we get the clear picture with all of the information, that’s when we’ll set the board final. For us, it’s the same process we’ve had every year. Nothing has really changed on that. It’s trying to set it on that Monday or Tuesday and the draft is Thursday night and you’re ready to go. In terms of moving up, trading and all of that stuff, we’re in the same process that it is every year. Teams call us. We call every team. Every team calls every team. Everyone is just doing their due diligence just to see what options are available if anyone wants to move or trade up. For us, it’s the same as it’s been every year. I know it will be scrutinized more because of all of the picks we have and what we’re doing, but it’s really the same process we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
(I was talking to somebody about the draft and the process and the communication and they were saying that they believe teams that are among the first couple of picks every day will be at an advantage because they aren’t going to have to scramble to talk to each other about trades or other things. Do you think you guys are at an advantage because you are at the top of days one and two, at least?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question and that’s what it’s been historically through the draft. If you look at – always when you start the next morning of each day or afternoon if you start in the evening, that’s always the one because teams have had the night to look over their draft board and make calls to all of those teams that are picking in the top half of the draft for players they’re interested in that they’d like to get. Yeah, it is an advantage. It’s something that we’ll take advantage of and see what happens from there.”
(I wanted to ask about the QB decisions you made last year. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was the third option after QB Teddy Bridgewater and QB Tyrod Taylor, but this team really gravitated towards his personality and he really helped the young players come about last season. QB Josh Rosen maybe didn’t have the same effect on his teammates as Fitzpatrick did. I just wanted to ask you what did you learn about adding those two guys last year that might impact what you’re looking for in the QB decision you’re going to make next week.) – “’Fitz’ was, like we’ve talked about ad nauseam, what he’s done for the locker room, he was a veteran presence, the type of person he is and the impact he had in the locker room with younger players and veterans. Josh has done a great job, like we’ve talked about since the end of the season, of how he progressed through last season and learning. For him, he went through a very tough thing, being a top 10 pick and traded after a year and learning a new system and a new city. He’s still a young player. In terms of it, you’re always looking for what you feel are the types of players who fit your program best, and what you want and what you’re looking for. So for us, I think you always look back and try to learn lessons but going forward, we’ll still be aggressive in trying to find the right people that fit our program.”
(I wanted to ask you how many prospects have you identified of being worthy of that No. 5 overall pick?) – “I would say when you’re at that No. 5 pick, every year the joke is around the scouting world that if you’re picking 12, there’s always 10 that you like. (laughter) We’re at five but we feel really good about – (there are) probably eight or nine players we feel really good about. We’ll get a good player and we’ll be very happy to have him, and I think the fans will be happy as well.”
(I wanted to talk to you about the success you had on Day 3, finding both contributors and starters in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds and even last year specifically with some undrafted free agents. What has been the key to kind of uncovering some of those late round gems, and has the process of doing so changed at all given the current state of things with the virus and the shutdown?) – “We’re going to go with the same process of how we’ve done things. Our scouts have done a great job, as well as the coaching staff. We always talk about communication and that’s really key because to get those guys on the backend, it’s the coaches and scouts on the same page and everyone on the phone, talking to players and identifying players that can help us or see something that has upside for us to develop. For us, the process is the same as always. It’s the communication. The coaches and scouts have done a great job for us. They have worked extremely hard at the communication. That’s always the key, and then it’s the relationships you have with agents as well. That always helps. I think our track record as you said, in terms of playing the young players, and Brian (Flores) is committed to giving people the opportunity and people earn their shot here. I think that’s an exciting thing for free agents that come in and have a chance to make the roster and play.”
(I wanted to ask you about Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen and when did you – obviously you guys grew up in the industry together, but when did that friendship and bond develop, and how does he help you? He supposedly is a good college evaluator.) – “Marvin played running back for my dad in New England. I’ve known Marvin since I was growing up, around my parents and the house from the time he was coming out of Tulane. Then my dad hired Marvin – when he finished playing – as a scout. Marvin’s worth ethic has always been good, he’s very intelligent, he’s got a great demeanor. People like talking to him, so he gets a lot of information. But again, it’s the evaluation. He has an eye for talent. He’s always had it. He worked hard at it. He wanted to prove as a player coming in that he was going to earn that. There wasn’t anything handed to him; it’s worth ethic and drive. Yeah, over the years seeing him, everywhere he’s gone he’s had success. If you follow from where he’s been, everywhere he’s gone, I joke he’s only missed the playoffs I think like three times in his whole career as a scout. He’s done a great job and been a part of drafting some good players. We’re very excited we can have him here. He’s been a great addition for us and he’s good around the young guys too. He spends time helping the young guys in the office develop. He’s done a great job there and we’re glad to have him.”
(I think you joked with us at the Senior Bowl about the QB Tua Tagovailoa hype. It seems like it’s been going on for two years now. The moment has finally arrived when you have to make a decision. What can you say to Dolphins’ fans that you definitely should get this pick right. Why should they be confident that Tua or not, it’s definitely going to be the right pick coming up at five?) – “I would say that we’ve done a lot of things here with us. We’ve spent a lot of time. Brian (Flores) and the coaching staff, the scouts, we’ve spent a lot of time going through it. We’ve spent a lot of time with the players, we’ve spent a lot of time doing it, so we’re going to do what’s best for the Miami Dolphins. We hope they have some trust in what we’re doing and they believe in what we are doing. They are a passionate fan base. I hear from the people I see at the grocery store. We had the pest control guy over here spraying the house and he is over here asking me Dolphins questions the whole time. It’s good. My wife and kids are worse than you guys. Every day they pop in my office going, ‘who are we taking?’ It’s a fun, exciting thing; but for us, we’ll do what’s best for the Dolphins and we feel good about the process.”
(You guys have been active in free agency. How did what you were able to do in free agency affect the way you are evaluating picks and how does it affect your draft board?) – “I think for us specifically, we talked about finding the right types of players for our organization. We didn’t want to go with older players. We got a lot of guys that were the younger – 25, 27, 28 (range) – guys that have been winners, guys that are great locker room guys, great mentors. We’re such a young team. Yeah, we were a little more active than we have been in the past. We wanted volume of guys, especially not knowing where we’re going to be in the future, we need guys that can help the younger guys transition, learn and get on board as fast as they can in terms of learning the defense and preparing. Having guys with some familiarity with Brian (Flores) was really important. When you do free agency, you always have an eye and are looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the draft. We tried to address some places we thought could help us in terms of free agency with the roster, and then we use the draft to help build and continue to build the roster up.”
(You’ve got 14 picks and five in the top 70. How important is it for you personally to really hit a home run in this draft?) – “I think it is very important. For us and this organization, these next two drafts are – the picks we have next year as well – if we do the job that we expect to do, we feel fully capable and we’re very excited to do it, that we can build a strong team here, which we’ve always talked about competing for a long time. Not just one year, build it and fall back. If we build it right, with the right picks and smart picks and do it the right way, we have a chance to have a good team here for a long time.”
(Is there a particular threshold where a player’s talent may supersede their injury risk?) – “Like I said, historically it can go all over the place. For us, you always weigh the talents. You talk about the kid, the person, the work ethic and then you do look at injuries. You take in the factor of the positon he plays and such. For us, every decision has to be weighed with that. Like I said, I’ve been around great people, players like Jake Long who was unbelievable and unfortunately he had the injury bug and it caught him. Then I told you about Curtis Martin, no one would’ve guessed he would be a Hall of Famer. They thought he was a great football player there, but he was hurt all of the time. Then he ended up having a Hall of Fame career and basically never missed time. Again, you just never know. For us, we factor in all of that stuff; but we’ll make a good decision for us in terms of what we think is best for the Dolphins.”
Shaq Lawson – March 26, 2020
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Thursday, March 26, 2020
DE Shaq Lawson
(You’ve been in this division for a while. Obviously QB Tom Brady is gone. There’s been some movement. How do you view the Miami Dolphins’ chances of winning the division and/or getting a playoff berth this season?) – “We’re just going to take it a day at a time. The coaches brought the right guys in there. We’re going to try to build something special over there, but our main goal is just to come down there, just take it one day at a time and build a team and see where that starts first.”
(I talked to a couple guys down in Buffalo about you and they said two things. They said you were loud and highly competitive. How quickly are guys in Miami going to see that side of you?) – “They’re going to see that fast – Day 1 when I come in the building. I’ve always been a loud guy. I’ve always got at myself. I’m very competitive. I always want to win. It could be even an argument or just a little chat in the locker room, but I’m just very competitive. I’m a guy that’s going to bring energy and the spirit in the locker room every day. I’m just going to have – I never feel like I ever have a bad day in the locker room.”
(I had a chance to see you and DT Christian Wilkins catch up on the field in Buffalo before the game last year and obviously you guys must be friends. I have a very important question. Who is the better college player? You vs. Christian Wilkins.) – “He basically did it all as a college player. I didn’t play on the offensive side of the ball, so he’s got an advantage on that side of the ball, but we both had excellent careers at Clemson. We both were All-Americans at Clemson. We both were up for the same awards. We both did great things so you couldn’t say which one is better; but I know he’s – the only difference from me, he played on the offensive side of the ball and scored touchdowns and I haven’t scored yet, so that’s the only difference between us.”
(I think you’re the eighth player we’ve talked to today. You’re the first one that’s outside. Is this a case of cabin fever? Tell us where you are and what your surroundings are.) – “I’m outside in front of my yard, enjoying the sun. We haven’t been getting (any) sun out here lately and just been locked down in the house, trying to stay safe and things like that. I’m just outside enjoying the sun.”
(You played a lot of 4-3 end down in Buffalo. Is that were you feel most comfortable and where you can contribute the best?) – “I can play anywhere on the field. I’ll play in any scheme. I played in a 3-4 coming out in the league, so I’ve seen it all. Wherever a coach needs me to play at, (I am) willing to play. I’ll be in any position to help this team.”
(You know who you guys have gotten as far as pass rushers. Do you have any idea how this pass rush is going to look when it takes the field?) – “No, not yet. We’ve got guys. They came from programs that had successful numbers last year. Kyle (Van Noy) had a great year. (Emmanuel) Ogbah – I don’t know how to pronounce his name, but I know that’s my teammate – had a great year. So putting us all three on the field, we can be something special; but that’ll take time. We’ve all got to be on the same page because we’ve got to think about it. We’ve never rushed with each other and things like that, so it’s going to take time; but we’ve got three great guys to go rush the passer. It could be special.”
(How would you describe where you feel like you are in your career?) – “I’m at a point of my career where I’m just only getting better – making strides each year. Each year I’ve gotten better, improved. (I am) getting more comfortable in the game. I feel like these next coming years, I’ve got a lot of juice. I’ve got a lot to bring to the table, and I showed glimpses of it last year with only just playing on the amount of snaps I was playing. I’m just ready to go get it and just (try) to be a double-digit sack guy.”
(How did you end up in Miami? What was the process like? What other teams were in on you and why were the Dolphins your final choice?) – “The process – I didn’t know how the free agency thing worked because this is my first rodeo, but I found out Miami had interest in me from the time everything opened up. I just had a great relationship with (Defensive Line Coach) Marion Hobby down there. He coached me for three years of college football and he developed me into the football player I am, so that made my decision easy to go down there because I know I have guys I’m familiar with. I’ve got Christian Wilkins down there. I’ve got Cordrea Tankersley. Tankersley was my roommate at Hargrave (Military Academy). We went to military school together, so I’ve just kind of got a relationship thing down there.”
(I wanted to know what your perception was of the 2019 Dolphins and how did that change as the year went on?) – “Oh, man. Those guys – the two times we played those guys – those guys played us hard. We got everything they’ve got. That was a young team, bringing in new guys. Down the last final stretch of the season, those guys were playing great ball and it was exciting to watch. (It was) a very young team, but (they were) going down there and doing a lot of special things.”
(How are you going to help contribute towards the Dolphins’ success?) – “I’m going to bring and edge and a fire to the defense. (I’m a) guy that’s going to bring the juice, a guy that’s going to set the edge (and a) guy’s that just going to be a hard-worker every day and hopefully bring something special to this team and to the city of Miami, and just be ready to play for you guys and for my teammates and all of the fans down there.”
(You mentioned, “set the edge.” For a few years down here in Miami, we’ve been repeating that question over and over again like why isn’t the edge being set? How can it be set better? Who can set it better? Can you kind of take me inside the game a little bit and help me understand what the key is to successfully do your job of setting the edge?) – “I just take pride in that. You always don’t want to get out of your gap and ever since I’ve been in the league, I’ve just taken pride in not letting nobody outrun (or) get past me in my gap, set the edge, creating a new line of scrimmage. If you create a new line of scrimmage and you get everybody going forward, TFLs (tackles for loss) and things like that happen. I feel like that was a part of my success last year, just setting the edge and setting a new line of scrimmage and big plays just coming to me on the back side of help from my teammates, getting those guys in plays, too. It’s a big part. You’ve got to think about it – it starts with the running game. In the NFL, if you get your run game going – if your run game is going in the NFL, it might be a long day of stopping the offense.”
Ereck Flowers – March 26, 2020
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Thursday, March 26, 2020
G Ereck Flowers
(Tell me what it means to you for you to be coming back to your hometown to play NFL football?) – “It means a lot. I grew up always wanting to play down here. Being able to play all three levels in Miami is a really special opportunity. I’m really excited and ready to get this thing started.”
(I know that there is a lot that has been written about how earlier in your career you were playing tackle and it didn’t go as well, then you got moved to guard. What about that switch helped you take off to where you were able to get a big contract?) – “I think the switch plays into a lot of my natural strengths. It really helped to have (Bill) Callahan make that switch. To make the switch with the best offensive line coach in the league, I think I was very fortunate in the situation and the timing and placement and all of that together. I’m just looking forward to taking those next steps and getting better.”
(Do you expect to play guard here in Miami, and if so, is left guard the position for you?) – “They haven’t gone into details. This whole thing – wherever they need me to play, I’ll play.”
(How have you been spending your time recently? There been kind of the lockdown, or stay at home, or whatever you want to call it. We know a lot of gyms are closed. How are you staying in shape? How are you occupying your time?) – “I actually have a Peloton and treadmill in my garage. I have equipment for drills. I have bungies, I’ve got dumbbells. I have pretty much everything. I have most of the things except for a squat rack. I’ve been occupying my time pretty well. Right now, I’m doing the best that I can do. Everything is closed. You can’t go anywhere. I can’t wait for this thing to be over, really. It’s been kind of boring”
(Are you in South Florida? Is that where you are hunkered down? And two, the coronavirus is pretty bad here. Do you know anyone who was affected by it?) – “I actually don’t. I’ve really been in the house every day. I really don’t want it. I’ve really been staying in the house as much as I can and washing my hands. I’ve been down here my whole life. Even when I was in New York, I’ve always been down here back home in the offseason. I’ve just been where I’ve always been, down here.”
(I know there has been talk about the offseason being shortened or canceled. I’m wondering how particularly with the guys in the trenches, a shortened or canceled offseason would impact the 2020 season?) – “I think the offseason is very important for people coming into the league, people going to new teams and people working with new coaches. I think that’s the most important part of the offseason. I think that’s the most important part of the offseason. I think that’s when this serves a huge purpose. It’s unfortunate really because if it’s canceled, you’re going into camp not really getting a chance to really go over your playbook. I don’t know how they’re going to handle that. Usually it’s a trial run before you get to the real deal. You get to know your calls, get to know who you’re playing with, what they like, what they like to do, techniques and using certain blocks. The o-line is different from a lot of positions because there are different variations of what you have to do and different places. That’s just in my experience. I think it’s not really ideal when you’re just getting to a place. If you’ve been to a place, maybe it will give you more time off for your body, maybe more time for recovery if you have injuries or surgery and all of that. There are different sides to it.”
(Speaking of offensive line, that’s been a position this organization has been trying to upgrade for a few years. In your experience, what are the two or three keys to successful offensive line play?) – “Preparation. And that’s from the coaches to the players, in both aspects – being on the same page and preparation. I would say putting the work in, really. Most of the o-line play is muscle memory. There are a whole bunch of things that come into it. I really learned this past year playing next to a Pro Bowl guard, seeing what he does and what he does for his preparation. This past year was my first time – this past year, I was on the line with such good players. You kind of see what makes them so good and what makes the room pretty good. There are a lot of things that go into that. I’d say preparation is the number one thing. Then it’s going out doing what you practiced, really. It’s one thing to practice and then go out there and actually do what you practiced.”
(Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to choose the Dolphins and how they chose you?) – “For me, I loved Washington. I loved being there. I loved my teammates. Their family bonded with my family, and I still talk to them to this day; but it was like playing for Miami was a chance for me to come home. It’s where I’m from, where I grew up and where I’ve been my whole life, and (to do it) at the pro level. For me, it was really kind of a tough choice; but I feel like it was the right choice as far as it’s what I’ve always dreamed of being able to do and where I always wanted to play. I’m just happy I get a chance to go out there and experience it.”
