Raekwon McMillan – December 12, 2019
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Thursday, December 12, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(When you had been with the backups at first during part of the offseason program before your injury, did you and Head Coach Brian Flores ever have a discussion where you asked, “okay, how do I fit in this defense? What’s your vision for me?” Was there every any heart-to-heart you had with him or Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham?) – “Yeah, we sat down. I sat down with all of the coaches and they talked about how they see me in the defense. It all started off by getting healthy. I couldn’t help the defense (and) help this team if I wasn’t healthy, so once I finally got healthy, I was able to do my thing; but I met with all the coaches. They told me what they wanted me to do.”
(I don’t know if I want to use the word “pressure,” but you were a second-round pick. Your first year went out because of the injury. Then your second year is basically coming back from that and this year you’re kind of showing why you were a second-round pick in the first place. How much of that has been in your mind? I don’t want to say “wanting to show” that it was the right to move make you a second-round pick, but does that ever enter your mind?) – “As a high-round guy, you want to come in and show, ‘I’m not a bust’ or whatever. ‘I’m worth everything that they put into me.’ But I really wasn’t worried about that because it was always reiterated (to me) by (General Manager Chris) Grier and everybody from the head up that I’m their guy and they want to see me do good, so it was never a situation where they were trying to put me on a back-burner. Anything that happened was because of something that I did out there on the field, not because of them.”
(The run defense statistics for the team have improved after a bad start the first four or five games. What are some of the things that have gotten better from your perspective for the group?) – “We’re just playing together, playing smarter together. At first it was watching individuals and we didn’t know each other. I talk about this all the time: we were just a bunch of individuals out there trying to play defense, and from the outside looking in when I wasn’t playing a lot, when I finally got a chance to play, that’s one thing that I wanted to help on this defense. When I came in, I wanted to bring everybody together so we could play defense collectively and not just individually.”
(I wanted to follow up on what General Manager Chris Grier said to you when Chris was telling you, “We’ve got your back. You’re our guy. We believe in you.” How much does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot. When I wasn’t playing and stuff like that, I sat down and talked with all the coaches, and they basically all told me I need to get healthy so I can go out there and ‘show me.’ And he was saying from the jump that he had confidence in me and he can’t wait until I get back. That was basically our conversation. I’m not knocking anybody else, he just was ready for me to come back.”
(And this took place this summer?) – “No, at the beginning of the season.”
(In a traditional 4-3 defense like last year, you were just right in the middle there. If you can just help me understand a little bit of the football X’s and O’s, because this defense is multiple, sometimes three down linemen, sometimes four, sometimes three linebackers, sometimes four, sometimes two or one – you could have any combination of that – has that changed in any way how you’re being positioned on the field from game-to-game?) – “Yeah, you’ve got to get comfortable as a – I’ve always been a stand-up linebacker – I had to get comfortable on the edge. My first time playing on the edge was against the Patriots in Week 2. I showed them that I could play on the edge, so that opens up the packages that I can play in. It’s not just, ‘oh, he can only play when we’re four down linemen and three linebackers,’ but he can also play on the edge. If you build your versatility as a player, it helps you be in more packages on defense. Say if we’ve got 10 packages, but you only fit two, you can’t complain about playing time because your skillset only fits two; but if your skillset fits six, seven or eight, then you get more playing time. That’s what I showed over the whole season.”
(How much on the edge have you played since that Week 2 game?) – “Not a lot because we’ve got some good edge guys. I’ll be over there every now and then.”
(When had been the last time you played on the edge?) – “I played on the – oh, you’re talking about before this year?”
(Before New England, yeah.) – “Never. (laughter)”
(At Ohio State at all?) – “No. I probably came off the edge on third down, but no, I was a stand-up Mike (linebacker).”
(What are some other areas of your game that you’ve improved that have allowed you to play in more packages?) – “Getting my body right. Not even just X’s and O’s, just getting my body right. I couldn’t have the excess fat, the excess body weight on me. Losing the weight and being more agile, being able to move with the scat backs in the league helped me a lot.”
(I know LB Vince Biegel’s said he’s played over a half dozen positions this year. How many have you played in terms of all the linebacker spots and any other role?) – “Every linebacker spot. Everybody in our core group has played every linebacker spot and on the edge. Sometimes…”
(So you’ve played you think four different positions this year?) – “Probably about five or six.”
Nate Brooks – December 12, 2019
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Thursday, December 12, 2019
DB Nate Brooks
(On being signed by the Dolphins.) – “You definitely have a sense of pride for someone taking a chance on you, but I’m more grateful than anything.”
(What’s the experience like trying to learn the playbook in the span of a week?) – “It’s not that hard. Being an athlete you know you have to come in and learn plays fast off top, so it wasn’t that hard.”
(What was your level of communication with the Dolphins before signing you? In the draft process?) – “No much, really. It’s the first time I’ve heard from them, honestly.”
(So what did they say to you when they picked you up?) – “They just wanted me to come play.”
(What’s your mentality about trying to seize the opportunity that you have?) – “Take advantage of every opportunity I get. Whenever my number is called, I’m going to go on and give it all I got and make a play.”
(How familiar are you with South Florida?) – “I trained out here for the pre-draft process.”
(Who did you train with?) – “XPE in Fort Lauderdale. I don’t know it too well, but I’ve been out here for a couple months.”
(You’ve clearly been here for months, right?) – “Yeah.”
(What do you feel like your strengths were in college?) – “I felt like I had great instincts in college. I was aggressive and I had good ball skills. (Those are) some of my strengths.”
(How do you avoid thinking or worrying that this stage is too big for you?) – “I think it goes back to your preparation. You have to get your confidence from your preparation, so once I feel like I know the playbook, know my opponent, no stage is too big.”
(A certain amount of chemistry is required too in the secondary, but that comes with time. If you don’t have the time, how do you make up for that?) – “Right here in the locker room. Joke round, laugh with them and then in the meeting room, just talk it up, try to build that camaraderie as fast as you can.”
(So how quickly have you learned everybody’s name?) – “(laughter) I know a couple people. I don’t know everybody’s name, honestly.”
(Did you know anybody before you got here here?) – “I knew Nik (Needham). We took a visit together, but that’s about it.”
(What’s the general sense about the Dolphins? They’re playing a lot of young guys, giving a lot of young guys opportunity, so when you step into a situation like that, do you feel like this could be a real chance for me?) – “Yeah, absolutely. They took a chance and I’m (going to) make the best of it.”
(Has a player or coach given you a helpful piece of advice sine you arrived, something that you’re like, “Alright, that’s helpful, that makes sense?”) – “Yeah, I feel like most or all of the coaches have stepped in and given me little nuggets of advice.”
(You’ve got Head Coach Brian Flores, you’ve got Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer. Did any of those three say something to you that if you have to play on Sunday, that you’ll keep in the back of your mind?) – “Of course all of them have said something. They’re all pretty…”
(Same page?) – “Yeah. They’ve all given me little nuggets.”
Brian Flores – December 12, 2019
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Thursday, December 12, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(When you bring in a couple new players who don’t have NFL regular-season game experience, as is the case with your two new corners – Linden Stephens and Nate Brooks – do you make a decision on giving them a major role purely on how they do Wednesday and Thursday in practice? How they absorb information? Do you consider preseason tape? How difficult is that? What goes into those decisions?) – “A lot goes into it. Just you see how they practice, you see how they – like you said – absorb information. I would say both guys practiced well yesterday. We take it day-to-day. A lot of it has to do with the amount of guys we have at the position. In a lot of instances, if we’ve got an injury at the position or a guy’s banged up or whatever the situation is, sometimes you’ve got to get guys ready quicker than others. A lot goes into. It’s not one thing. How much volume they can handle from an information standpoint, how they look in practice. Yeah, we’ve already gone through all of their snaps – game snaps – so we have a pretty good idea of what they can do. Then you want to see it in practice, as well; so yeah, a lot goes into it. You just try to make the best decision.”
(Do you have to simplify what you’re doing in the secondary because there are so many new pieces are there?) – “Depends on how many pieces you have there. In some instances, yeah, you do you have to simplify; and some other instances, guys may have some familiarity or just understand conceptually, but Cover 3 is Cover 3 is Cover 3. That’s the same as it was in Pop Warner. Maybe that’s simple, but every team in the National Football League runs it. I think there are some things that every team runs that really across the board guys understand; but yeah, from verbiage/terminology standpoint, there are some exotics that you don’t want to throw a guy in there and say, ‘hey, let’s run this max pressure-pressure, max zone pressure’ or whatever we’re going to do for that.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Eric Rowe and how important his matchup is with Giants TE Evan Engram this week because of how much he’s kind of like a receiver. Can you move him to cornerback or is it a situation where you have to leave Eric?) – “Look, Engram’s a good player. So is (Golden) Tate, (Sterling) Shepard and (Darius) Slayton; so they’ve got good players everywhere. We have to cover them all and cover the (running) back as well. We’re confident in all the guys we stick out there. Everyone’s going to have to cover. You have to know where your help is, play with good technique, good fundamentals. Eric – we’re confident in him covering a large tight end or back or receiver, that he’ll play with good technique, fundamentals, use his length, try to put hands on in man coverage, play with good zone vision in zone coverage. We ask that of all our players. I can’t – he may cover the tight end, he may cover the back, he might cover a receiver. He might do all those things within the game, so we’ll see.”
(We saw WR DeVante Parker and WR Albert Wilson doing a little bit out there yesterday. Where are they progressing in the concussion protocol and do they have a chance Sunday?) – “They’re still in (concussion) protocol and they’ll be in the protocol really until the end of the week; but both guys are working to get better and getting better, I would say. But a lot of that is out of hands and it’s really a medical decision.”
(How does that impact game plan-wise? Do you plan as if you don’t have them? Do you plan as if you do have them?) – “It’s tough. You have to plan for the worst, I would say; so in that situation, if we don’t have them – they may or may not come out of protocol, so the next set of receivers has to step up and be ready to play. I think in every building, guys are dealing with injuries. You’re not necessarily sure specifically with the concussions because it’s a serious situation. You just want to make sure we’re covered if for whatever reason they can’t go. We’ll see. We’ll be ready either way.”
(How is WR Allen Hurns?) – “He’s dinged up. He played through some injuries last week. I thought he toughed through it and it was an impressive performance by him. (He is) working his way back. I think hopefully we get him out there today in some capacity. This is a tough kid. He wants to play. If he can be out there, he’ll be out there.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Adrian Colbert. He’s started the last two games at free safety. What has he done that has impressed you in terms of earning that starting role after being added?) – “He brings a lot of energy on a day-to-day basis. He’s got some leadership qualities. He’s been here for three weeks and it feels like he’s been here all year. He’s smart. He’s a really good teammate. It’s important to him. He works extremely hard from a preparation standpoint. He’s here early, stays late trying to get the information correct. He’s a guy who brings people together. It’s been good having him.”
(Going back to the receivers, when you look at the next set of receivers what’s your confidence level in the guys like WR Isaiah Ford?) – “I’m confident in Isaiah. I thought he played well last week. Mack Hollins – he’s kind of really stepped in and done a good job, and Trevor (Davis) has really stepped up as well. I like them all. I’m confident in all of our receivers. I think each one of them, along with our tight end group and our running backs and the quarterback and the o-line – it’s a team effort. You’ve got to play collectively to play well as a team against a good opponent, and that’s what the Giants are. They’re talented. They’ve got guys in the secondary, guys at the second level, guys on the defensive line that are good players, that are talented, that make plays, that made plays. We’ll have to play well.”
(DT Davon Godchaux is the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for the Dolphins. Why was he chosen?) – “My opinion on why he was chosen? I think he does a lot in the community. He’s shown leadership throughout the time that I’ve been here. This is a guy who’s very genuine and caring about giving back. He’s a good human being and I think he’s deserving.”
(I saw you mentioned LB Raekwon McMillan on a list of players who have taken ownership this season. Can you tell me about how he’s done that?) – “I think just defensively, rallying the guys on the sideline when we’ve dealt with adversity. In games, in practice, he’s a guy who’s taken a leadership position as far as getting groups together and going through the run game or going through third down or going through red zone. I think he’s really starting to come into his own and has played some solid football for us at times. Again, like everybody else – players, coaches, everyone – we could always be better, but he’s a guy who it’s important to him. Guys feed off of his energy and he’s really worked hard. I’m happy to see that leadership start to show itself really on a day-to-day basis.”
Michael Deiter – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
G Michael Deiter
(When did you find out that you weren’t going to be starting?) – “Last week. I don’t remember what day. Last week sometime.”
(What was your reaction when you found out?) – “Get better. Keep getting better and find a way to get back on the field and helping Keaton (Sutherland), making sure he was getting ready and making sure he was going to play good because whoever’s going to be in there has got to play good football if we’re going to win. My first thought was, ‘what do I got to do to get back there? and whoever is going to play, what I can I do to help them play well, too?’”
(Can you remember the last time you were a healthy scratch from the starting lineup?) – “My redshirt year? 2014.”
(What do you know you can do better?) – “All of it. Communicate, run game technique, pass game technique, finishing. There’s nothing that is perfect by any means. All of it, I need to get better with. That’s been my focus, and that’s just all I need to keep worrying about.”
(What reason was given to you by the coaching staff as to why they made the move?) – “I just need to play better.”
(When you came into the game in the fourth quarter – that was your first appearance in the last game, right – what was the challenge in that?) – “I think the toughest thing was just kind of, you usually take your first few series, you get a flow for the game, you get a feel for it, you get into that game kind of warmup. I was trying to get that on the sideline. You’re trying to get as warm and loose as possible. You’re trying some fits just to not go out there and kind of be super stiff, anything like that. I think that was the toughest thing, was just getting loose, getting the mind right. I was trying to. It helps when you start, but no matter how you’re going to end up out there, you’ve got to find a way to get loose and get ready to play.”
(Would you describe it as a weird experience considering how long it had been since you hadn’t started a game you played?) – “Yeah, it was really weird. Like you said, it’s been a while, so it was a little goofy just to go out there for field goal and stuff like that; but that’s the way it went. It’s just something you have to deal with.”
(Any sense if you’re going to start this week?) – “No idea.”
(What’s the challenge for – maybe fans don’t know about being a rookie. You’ve played a lot of football, maybe more games in a row than you’ve ever done. How much is a challenge of that and how much do you think that affects where you’re at right now?) – “The challenge is just focus on getting better all of the time instead of just kind of getting into a lull of, ‘this is the way I play, I guess this is just how I am.’ You just need to keep working, making sure that you’re not getting mundane with things, making sure you’re always focusing on getting better. I think it sometimes can get lost, especially I guess as a rookie. It just seems like there’s so much going on, all this stuff, when all there really is to think about is how you’re playing and what you need to get better with and what’s okay and just how you can improve on a day-to-day basis, which is just what I need to get back to.”
(The television broadcasters seemed to indicate that they had been told that you weren’t starting but were expected to play. Was that your understanding going into the game?) – “No, I guess it was just if they needed me. I didn’t really know, but it was just kind of a, ‘if we need you’ type thing. Just always be ready.”
(How would you describe your confidence level right now?) – “It’s good. I know I can play good football. I’m confident that I can go out there and help us win, but I need to do it more consistently and I need to make sure that they’re confident I can do it, and that’s the biggest thing. Like I said, the biggest thing is just get back on track and keep playing the way I know I can play and cut it loose and get better every day.”
Taco Charlton – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
DE Taco Charlton
(On being inactive last week.) – “(The coaches) felt like it put them in the best position to win, so you’ve got to respect that. I go about my business the same. I come in here and work every day and I’m going to work my tail off to be the best player I can be.”
(Was there any reason given to you by coaches?) – “The same reason that you all got. They felt like this put them in the best position to win that game. Like I said, you have to respect that from your coach and come back Wednesday and keep working.”
(Do you sense that your role will be what it has been for December?) – “(laughter) I don’t coach. I just play. I come in here every day and I work. I work my tail off and any responsibility they give me, any job they give me, I feel like I’ll put myself in position to do that job real effectively. I just make sure I’m ready for anything they call me for.”
(Sunday was obviously a tight game. It came down to one point. How tough was it for you to be a spectator?) – “It’s tough. I hate watching football games. Just the competitor in me, just watching things on the field, you want to be out there, especially to help the team out and to be able to make some plays to put them over the top. You just want to do that as a player on this team. As a playmaker, you want to be able to make those plays. Just being on the sideline and not being able to do that, it is tough for me. But like I said, I was able to cheer on my teammates. I have faith in all of these guys in the room. Like I said, it’s the next man up. I wasn’t able to go so now it’s the next man up and I hope they’ll do their job real effectively and do it well.”
(Have you gotten a feel if you’re in the game plan this week?) – “Like I said, playing and my mindset and the way I prepare is to play every week. That’s just how I process. The way I watch film is as if I’m playing out there every snap. Then when it comes down to the coaches, it’s ultimately the coaches’ decision and what (they) feel is best for this team. I’ve got to respect that.”
(Overall, you came in and you had sacks in your first couple of games here. It seemed like you were really getting an opportunity to prove yourself here at this level. What did last week kind of mean to your whole portfolio of being here? Are you encouraged? Are you kind of discouraged?) – “It made me hungry. It made me hungrier. No discouragement at all. It just made me hungrier. It made me hungry to the point of, like I said, I want to be a player that no matter what, the game plan is you can’t sit me. That’s my motivation that I take from it. Like I said, I’ve been through this before. It pushes me to go even harder.”
Brian Flores – December 11, 2019 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call
(I wanted to ask you a big-picture question. As you guys started the season and the results weren’t matching what you were trying to build, how do you think you got the team to stay kind of involved and confident and believing to the point now where you’re rattling off wins down the stretch?) – “There’s a few different layers to that. I would say our coaching staff has done a really good job. Pat Graham – our defensive coordinator, Chad O’Shea – offensive coordinator, Danny Crossman – our special teams coordinator; those guys have really done a good job of keeping these guys invested and motivated. I think we’ve got some pretty good leadership on this team. We don’t have a veteran team. We’ve got a lot of young guys, but the guys who have played a significant amount in this league – (Ryan) Fitzpatrick, (Daniel) Kilgore – defensively our younger guys have taken on a little bit of a leadership role – Raekwon McMillan, Davon Godchaux – those guys took ownership of this team and they continue to practice hard. They continue to stay with the process. We preach consistency and competitiveness. These guys compete, so we compete every day in practice and meetings. It’s showing up a little bit on the field. We could always be a lot better, but as far as continuing to stay invested, I think that’s how – it’s been the leadership on the team and leadership from the coaches on this team.”
(Did you approach the job – do you approach the team differently in Year 1 knowing you’re building something that you want to sustain long-term rather than a season when maybe you’re coaching a team that you’re at a different point?) – “Yeah, I don’t know, that’s a tough question. This being my first year, I didn’t really know what to expect. Every year, you’re building. Every team is trying to build and got their eye on the future and the present at the same time. I didn’t really know exactly what to expect. Right when we started the season, there was a lot of turnover on the roster. I knew I was going to have to get new players up to speed quickly. Our coaching staff I thought did a good job of that. It’s been a fun year. I’ve said that before. We’ve got a good group. These guys compete. They work hard. We try to have fun. They play hard. They spend a lot of time with their preparation. We’ve had a couple instances where we’ve played well and had some success and won a couple games and lost some close ones. There’s some we feel like we could’ve had, but there’s been a lot of growth on the team over the course of the season.”
(You used the word “fun” just then. What makes this year fun?) – “It’s the people. It’s the coaching staff, it’s the players. There’s a lot of great people within this organization, and I love coaching. I’m passionate about coaching. It’s always going to be fun for me. It’s what I’m called to do. It’s a joy to be out there every day with these guys and helping them improve and get better; so yeah, it’s a lot of fun for me. Maybe – I don’t know. I can’t speak for anyone else.”
(I know so much of this is a lot of big-picture stuff, but coming from New England and obviously where you had a lot of success but also the organization had a lot of success, how did you get guys to buy into Brian Flores rather than “we’re the Patriots?” Like you’re the Dolphins and you know a way that works, but you’re trying to build trust in you at the same time.) – “I think you said it. There’s no ‘way.’ I think for me, it was about personally how have I gotten people to buy into the things that I believe in, and that’s just truth, transparency and honesty. I try to be upfront with our guys. I tell them how I feel about a myriad of situations, their individual play, our team play. I can’t tell you it works or it doesn’t work, but that’s how I’ve always approached things. I think if you’re honest and you’re upfront with people, then that’s how you build trust. When you’re dishonest, that’s how you don’t have trust, and I think you need trust in this game. I say it all the time: it’s hard to get two people to trust each other and in football you’re trying to get 11 guys to trust each other. That’s a hard thing to do. I think it starts with myself and leadership here, our coordinators. We just try to tell them, ‘hey look, you’re playing well, you’re not playing well, this could be better, that was good enough but could be better.’ I think when the players genuinely feel like you want to help them improve and get better then the trust is built. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t have any secret sauce. That’s just kind of my personal take on it.”
(How do you prepare – you’re probably not sure which quarterback you’re going to face. What’s the difference between an Eli Manning Giants team and a Daniel Jones Giants offense?) – “I prepare for the entire group, and this is a very, very skilled group from whichever quarterback can play – they both are adept at throwing the deep ball, intermediate and short – but it’s the guys they’re throwing it to. Whether it’s (Saquon) Barkley, whether it’s (Darius) Slayton, whether it’s Golden Tate, whether it’s (Sterling) Shepard, whether it’s (Evan) Engram, there’s a lot of weapons out there on the field. Some good players on the offensive line as well. Defensively, the front is – the addition of Leonard Williams – it was a tough front before. Now it’s going to be a hard one to run against. They’ve got ball hawks in the secondary – obviously with (Janoris) Jenkins and (Sam) Beal. They’ve got some young players in there. To go back to your question, Eli to Jones, they’re both good players. We’ve got a lot of film on both guys. Eli likes to get the ball out quickly, really has great command of the offense, can get them in and out of plays – good to bad, run, pass. Jones is a good young talent. I think he’s really had some really bright moments. I know he’s learning and getting better on a day-to-day basis. Whichever one we see, it’ll be a challenge.”
(You’re coming right back to the stadium where a game was – I think some would say – taken from you. First of all, do you have to coach any differently with your players about those key moments that you can’t expect those calls to go a certain way? And then is there anything about trying to come back here and get one after it slipped through your fingers?) – “It was a tough one last week; but in this league you have to deal with adversity, move on and move onto the next challenge, which we’ve got a big one this week. I don’t necessarily think about going back to MetLife as – whatever stadium it is – to me, it’s the idea and the goal is always to try and get a win. We’ve got to play well against this team if we want to even have a chance to do that, and that’s really where my focus is. It’s not on last week or MetLife. We could play anywhere and the Giants would still pose a lot of challenges. We’d still have to play well. We’ll still have to play with great fundamentals and technique and communication. That’ll never change. I don’t put too much focus on where we’re playing or last week or anything like that.”
(LB Jake Carlock on the practice squad – how’s he doing? He was here for a bit. He’s a local guy.) – “Jake’s doing great. He’s really a hard-working kid, plays multiple positions. I think he’s doing a really good job. We were excited to get him, excited to have him and I think he’s got a future. I think he’s got the talent and the toughness and grit to work on any and everything to make himself the best player he can be. I think he’s done a really good job, and he’s got a lot of room for development.”
Isaiah Ford – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
WR Isaiah Ford
(Your coaches are highly complimentary of you and what you did in the last game. Was this something you knew you had inside of you?) – “Absolutely, I don’t think you make it to this level if you don’t feel that way, or if you’re not confident. I pride myself in the preparation that I put in whether that’s when I was playing or when I was on the practice squad. I just kept preparing mentally and physically as if my time was coming because I wanted to be able to take full advantage of when it did come.”
(What kept you going from being waived to practice squad, waived to practice squad? What mentally kept you going?) – “I think I leaned on my faith, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my family and even my teammates. I kind of leaned on them and having a support system as a whole to keep you on the right path and keep you straight and focused on your goals, because we all have goals and aspirations that we want to hit. We just have to focus on each day, trying to get better that day and so on and so forth.”
(Did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick keep you going too? Because he seems – he said something along the lines that even on the sidelines, he’d talk to you about what you see.) –“‘Fitz’ is my guy. ‘Fitz’ is extremely smart, so we all come to him and he’s very open, so if I do see something or if any of the other receivers see something, he allows us to come to him and say, ‘what do you think about this?’ He doesn’t always shoot it down. He’ll try it out there.”
(But on the sidelines for a guy who really hasn’t played a lot, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick singled you out. He said that he would talk to you. Were you surprised and what were you saying to him?) – “I think we kind of built that relationship throughout OTAs and everything. Just kind of learning the system together and getting on the same page versus different coverages and looks and things like that. It was just a matter of us taking it from the practice field out to the game, seeing a look that we’ve seen before and kind of communicating.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said that he can depend on you. Are you excited to see what the two of you can do together these final games along the stretch?) – “Yeah. Any time your quarterback says that he can depend on you, that’s a good thing. That’s a good feeling to have. Now it’s just about continuing to get better each day and try to help this team win games.”
(Do you think you’ve did enough to warrant to the coaches that you belong here?) – “Honestly I’m just trying to focus on each day getting a little bit better, honing in on the details and the nuances of my game to try to take my game to the next level.”
(What do you think fans don’t know about the kind of player position you’re in? On the practice squad, on a game day, maybe you don’t play in a game for a month or two. What do fans not know about how challenging that role is?) – “I think the mental aspect of how hard it could be on a person, especially at this level – everyone is an competitive person, everyone wants to play. You’re going out there and practicing and working your tail off ultimately to want to play on Sunday. So if you don’t get that chance or opportunity, it could haunt you and it could hurt you if you let it. But you have to be mentally tough and mentally strong enough to persevere through everything and prepare as if your time is coming.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Who was your favorite running back growing up?) – “My favorite running back growing up?”
(Just wondering who you pattern your game after.) – “Oh. (laughter) (I was a) big Larry Centers guy. (laughter)”
(Was that the inner option quarterback in you coming out on the pitch?) – “Yeah, that was like the old college option quarterback. I don’t know. Every now and again I’ve got to keep them honest, I guess.”
(Do you surprise yourself at all with some of these flashy moves?) – “No, because I know it looks awkward and it certainly feels awkward. (laughter) It’s not necessarily always my first choice of what I want to do to get yards. I know sometimes it’s necessary and sometimes that’s the best thing for the team, for me to do is to take off. Some games I’ll have zero carries. Some I’ll have five, six, seven. It just all kind of depends on the team and how the game is going; but yeah, last week was a little bit more than normal.”
(Another high-level bearded athlete – James Harden – sometimes gets upset when he sees he’s short of a career high in a game in points. You’re only nine yards shy of your career high rushing. Were you aware of that?) – “No. I was not aware and don’t really care about that one.”
(When was the last time if ever you led your team in rushing at the end of the season?) – “I have no idea. Probably never.”
(Did you run a lot at Harvard?) – “Yeah. I definitely wasn’t a dual-threat, but we ran a little bit of option. But yeah, not because I was an athlete. (It was) just because of the scheme of it.”
(To stay with the theme, are there rules when you run and I’m being serious, do you want to deliver the blow, do you want to stay low? Do you have any rules at all when you run the ball?) – “No. I mean one of my rules is try not to look awkward, but I just look awkward. (laughter) I go down awkward. I have moves that a 37-year-old white guy would have. (laughter) I look the same way on the field as I do on the dance floor, and that’s why I don’t dance at weddings.”
(You do seem to get a rush out of it when you succeed, when you score touchdowns. Is it a unique rush that you get when you pull something off?) – “I think getting in the end zone in general, whether it’s a pass or somebody else or me running is an exciting part of it for everybody; but yeah, when you’re the one with the ball in your hand and everybody is coming at you, it’s pretty exciting.”
(What would it say about the season if you do wind up leading the team in rushing?) – “We’ve had a lot of guys in and out at that position from the start of the year to now, and when we started the season, we had five on the active (roster) and they’ve had some opportunities a little bit, but I think if we continue to try to do what’s best for the team and putting guys out there and putting them in positions to succeed whether that’s catching the ball out of the backfield or handing it off to them. We’ll see how these last few games go.”
(So if RB Patrick Laird gets a couple 100-yard games and overtakes you…) – “I would love it. I would absolutely love it. (laughter)”
(Do you and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson compare notes after a big win?) – “(laughter) I don’t think he’s watching any of my film.”
(How did RB Patrick Laird do in your eyes in his first start?) – “Patrick does a nice job because he’s very consistent. He’s reliable and as a quarterback, those are qualities – we talked about Isaiah Ford as being one of those guys that he just kind of shows up and is always in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing, and Patrick fits in that category, too. I don’t think you can have enough of those guys on your team. Especially as a quarterback, when you have new guys shuffling in and out, you find out who those guys are that you can rely on to do the right thing, and usually they get he ball a little bit more.”
(When you talked about the shuffling in and out after the game last week and you praised those players for doing that, how do you kind of make it less difficult this week? Is it just trying to get in and out of groups during practice?) – “We’ll see how the week goes. Hopefully everything is great and we don’t have to get to that. If we do, we’ll maybe be a little bit more prepared going into a game kind of not knowing if guys are going to play or not. We’ve got some new guys that are on the team from the last few weeks that you just try to get them up to speed as fast as possible. Mack (Hollins) was in the game and got a big pass interference penalty, so everybody in that huddle – whoever it is – is a professional athlete. They’re in the NFL for a reason. For me again, that’s drawing on past experience of trying to relate to these guys and different guys I’ve played with and getting on the same page in a hurry if it comes to that.”
(How has your relationship with QB Josh Rosen evolved throughout the season as you guys got to know each other a little better?) – “It’s been good. We spend a lot of time together in that quarterback room with (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry (Schuplinski) and with Josh and with Jake (Rudock). We’re in there whether it’s meetings or before or after practice or before or after meetings, we spend a lot of time together. It’s been good and it just continues to get better as time goes on.”
(I know a lot of the early part of you guys was the competition and now you’ve settled into the role. How have you seen QB Josh Rosen maybe watch you or soak in maybe you as the lead guy?) – “I always try to be that way. Whether I am or not, I try to present myself in that way and try to lead by example. You’ll have to ask him what he takes from me or what he doesn’t, but I always try to put the best version of me out there and if guys want to follow they can.”
(You guys have had a lot of personnel changes for different reasons. Does that affect any one aspect of the offense more than the other whether it’s red zone or third down or short yardage or anything like that?) – “Continuity is a huge thing. I think maybe when you get in those specific game plan-type (situations), like third down is a game plan thing. Red zone is a game plan thing. Those are different themes where continuity does help a little bit, but in general everybody deals with injuries this time of year. Everybody is shuffling guys in and out of the lineup, so sometimes it’s just everybody being on the same page and able to do it consistently. The talk going into last week was how banged up their secondary was. Everybody is dealing with it, so you’ve just got to do as best you can and get guys up to speed as best you can.”
(From your standpoint, is the toughest thing communication with players and letting them know what you want to do?) – “Yeah, I think communication is always something you’re trying to stress and maybe overcommunicate and then as a quarterback, I think trust is a huge thing, too. Is this guy going to run the conversion? Is he going to cross this guy’s face? Is he going to be in the right spot when I need him to be? There are so many things as a quarterback where you’re relying on different guys to be in the right spot at the right time doing the right thing. The more you see them do that in practice, the more you see them you see them do it in the game; the more trust you build in certain receivers and certain guys. I think that’s a big thing in terms of continuity and shuffling guys in and out.”
(Does that change for you, like in the middle of the game when WR DeVante Parker goes out and you have another guy in – maybe this is a route you might throw to DeVante where you may be hesitant with another guy just because he’s not familiar with…?) – “I think when you have one-on-one matchups as a quarterback, you’ve got to figure out who’s going to win and what the coverage dictates a lot of the time. You definitely – for me – there’s routes I like certain guys better on than others. That’s again, a process throughout OTAs, throughout training camp, preseason and throughout the season. Those kind of grow and you kind of gain trust in guys, and that goes both ways. They’ve got to know what I expect and where I expect them to be, so there’s always a lot of communication. That’s definitely something as a quarterback that comes up throughout a game, though.”
(Can you remember a season that you’ve had so many different weapons cycle through? There’s probably been five running backs, six or seven wide receivers at this point. Have you had a season like this?) – “Again, some seasons are just crazier than others, but there is always – depending on the health of the team – there’s always cycling around. I think in seasons where you’re not necessarily making a playoff run, maybe that happens a little bit more, as well. I’ve definitely seen it and been through it. You just try to do the best you can with it and every week is different. Every week presents a different challenge whether it’s bringing new guys in or just getting everybody on the same page and getting up to speed and improving communication.”
(One of those guys – WR Preston Williams – how has he been? Have you seen him lately? How is he doing, his spirits and all that?) – “Yeah, he’s around, but there’s so much that I’ve got to figure out and focus on throughout the week that doesn’t involve him and his rehab. I’ve got too much other stuff I’ve got to do right now.”
