Steven Parker – December 9, 2019
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Monday, December 9, 2019
S Steven Parker
(Does Head Coach Brian Flores or Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham or Safeties Coach Tony Oden say anything to you right after that play or do they wait until today and Wednesday before talking through what you could have done on that play where you tried to go for an interception?) – “That’s something that you have to go back and review the film on. You actually have to see what’s the situation within the situation. Right there, I should have made the tackle or I should have went for the tackle rather than going for the pick. I probably did a little bit too much as far as trying to be the hero; but there are plays like that that happen throughout this game that you learn from.”
(Did the coaches say anything at the time or the heat of the action on the late drive? Or is it not discussed at that time?) – “No, it’s not discussed at that time because there’s still ball left to play in the game. You can’t just go off for one scenario; you can’t just go out for one play. You have to see how it’s all going to stretch out. There were some other plays that I know I left out there – that we left out there as a team – that could have changed that outcome.”
(Did you ever play receiver at any level growing up because the two picks this year have been terrific catches. Even in Pop Warner, did you play any receiver at all?) – “I actually started at running back back in the day, so I feel like that’s probably where I get some of the moves. As far as receiver, I played that in high school my senior year and got the opportunity to do that and bring home a state championship, so that was cool.”
(How close did you feel you got on that ball where you went for the pick?) – “I actually tipped that ball. I was super mad that I actually missed that pick because that was a play that earlier, we had run and they actually threw it to the same side and everything. I actually thought I was going to have a pick on that one. It was the same one that Nik Needham actually batted down and that was another one that we said that should have been another pick as well. There were plays out there that we had, but at the end of the day we’ll live with the outcome and we just have to go on to the next game.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was visibly upset with the officials at the end of the game. He told us that he was more angry for you guys, for the players.) – “I would definitely say the coaches were more angry just for us because they know that feeling. Of course they’re right there next to us and we live with them right here in this facility, so it’s one of those things where it hurt deep as a group. There’s nothing that you can do as far as what (the officials) call or control what they call. It’s just one of those things where you just have to make more plays than what you actually had in that situation.”
(What does it mean to see coaches that are fighting for you guys?) – “It means a lot because they care. We know that they care. They put in a countless number of hours; but to actually feel what we felt and really be right there by our sides, that was a blessing. That was cool.”
Isaiah Ford – December 8, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 8, 2019
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
WR Isaiah Ford (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On Brian Flores’ message to the team after the game…) – “He told us that he loved us, to stick together, and to get back to work tomorrow.”
(On whether they were robbed of a victory…) – “The Jets made more plays than us at the end of the day so you have to tip your hat to them.”
(On his mindset when filling in for injured players…) – “Just to stay ready. That has been my mindset this entire year, to be ready when my number is called.”
(On whether he proved anything to himself today…) – “No. I’ve had confidence in myself the entire time that I can play at this level. I know I can go on the field and help our team win.”
(On the Jets red zone defense…) – “They played a bend but don’t break style once we got in the red zone. They played a lot of cover two. I think we had some opportunities, we just missed out on them.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – December 8, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 8, 2019
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On Jason Sanders setting the franchise record for field goals made in a game…) – “(We had) a lot of field goals. I think we moved the ball well today, but didn’t execute when we got down in the red area. I think he did a great job all day. Seven is a pretty remarkable number of field goals in a game. Every time we really needed it, he kept hitting them, especially that last one. That was a great kick.”
(On if this loss feels a little tougher…) – “It was a tough way to lose. I think more than anything right now, I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of our locker room. The amount of guys we had go down and just trying to figure things out on the fly with some personnel issues in the second half. That was a really difficult game to call and get lined up. There were a lot of things on our end and if you look over to (the Jets) defense, they had a lot of injuries coming into the game. There was a lot of stuff they had to work through as well. I’m proud of the way we worked through that and a guy like Isaiah Ford stepping up and getting an opportunity and making some plays was nice to see.”
(On the pass interference call at the end of the game…) – “It’s just one of those things. If I was on their sideline, I’d be happy, but I was on our sidelines, so I’m not. It’s a part of the game. It can go either way.”
(On if having pass interference reviewed in New York isn’t a good idea…) – “I don’t know about that one.”
(On struggles in the red zone…) – “They did a nice job defensively. We came in pretty hot in the red area with the way we were able to convert those drives into touchdowns. It just didn’t happen today. There were a couple of throws that I missed and couple of things we could have done better, but overall they did a good job on defense.”
On losing WR DeVante Parker and WR Albert Wilson…
It definitely made it a little bit difficult. We had guys out there hobbled and giving everything they had. I was proud to be in the huddle with those guys. I know there’s a lot of stuff people won’t see or don’t really care to write about, but there were some guys that really gutted it out today. It was tough sledding in the second half from communications and lining up for us just because of some of the injuries we had.
(On having the game decided by the reversal of a pass interference call…) – “It’s a tough call. I was happy we had the opportunity to go down there and take the lead and we did. We had guys step up. Pat Laird made some nice plays and Isaiah made some nice plays. Those are the things I try to focus on as the positives for us and the things we did well and maybe some of the things we could have done better. We obviously scratched and clawed our way back into that game and it would have been a nice one to win.”
(On if he would have believed it if someone had told him that Isaiah Ford would be his leading receiver in a game and Patrick Laird would have over 80 yards…) – “Just when you thought this season couldn’t get any crazier. The thing is, those are two great examples of guys who have been here. Isaiah has been on the active (roster) and off, on the practice squad and up and down. He’s worked so hard. He’s a guy we have so much faith in as quarterbacks because whenever anybody has a question, sometimes when coaches have questions, we’ll go back to Isaiah and say, ‘What is this signal? What is this route?’ and he knows everything. I was happy to see him get out there and get an opportunity to catch some balls and really take advantage of it and make the most out of it today.”
(On them asking Ford questions…) – “There are times when I ask Isaiah questions about the offense, that’s how smart the kid is.”
(On Coach Brian Flores’ message to the team after the game…) – “I think we’re all disappointed. We’re just disappointed in losing the football game. There’s a lot of emotions that go into that.”
Brian Flores – December 8, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 8, 2019
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Head Coach Brian Flores (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On the pass interference call that was overturned…) – “Yeah, it was a tough game, hard-fought by our team. I’m proud of the way our guys played. They played hard. We had some guys go down, we had guys step in (and) make plays. We just didn’t make enough plays to win.”
(On the inability to run the ball…) – “Yeah, we didn’t make enough plays to win the game. The run game, I thought we got it going a little bit but it wasn’t good enough.”
(On Jason Sanders…) – “Sometimes you play games like this. They played good defense in the red area. Jason, I thought he kicked the ball well. But at the end of the day our guys fought hard, we had some injuries during the game and we had guys step in and play well. We could always do a better job in the red zone and we didn’t, but I thought Jason kicked the ball well.”
(On if this is a tough game to swallow…) – “Yeah, I mean, any loss is tough to swallow. So, this is no different than any other loss. They’re all tough to swallow. Our guys played hard and I’m proud of the way they work. It’s a tough one.”
(On why he was so upset at the end of the game…) – “We lost the game.
(On if he was upset about the pass interference call…) – “I was upset that we lost the game.”
(On what he saw on the pass interference call on Nik Needham…) – “I’m not going to answer any questions about the officiating.”
(On having his two top receivers go out with injuries…) – “I thought that our tight end group, Clive (Walford), Durham (Smythe), Mike (Gesicki), I thought those guys stepped in and really filled those receiver roles. I thought Isaiah Ford stepped in and played well, made some plays for us. I thought those guys fought. It was a tough, hard-nosed game on the road and our guys played hard and we just didn’t do enough, didn’t make enough plays to win.”
(On Needham’s overall performance…) – “I’ve got to go back and watch the film. There (were) 170 plays in the game, offense, defense, special teams. Him specifically, I know he batted a ball down on a third down and knocked a couple of balls loose and tackled fairly decently, but I’d have to watch the tape.”
(On why Michael Deiter didn’t start…) – “We just wanted to take a look at (Keaton) Sutherland in there. He ended up played an amount. Deiter, I’m saying.”
(On how much Albert Wilson and DeVante Parker injuries complicated the passing offense…) – “It complicates things a lot. Obviously, when you go into a game with a specific game plan with guys in mind. When you lose one player at any position, you have a backup for that. When you lose two, that’s when it’ps tough. I would say Allen Hurns, he was dinged a little bit and really, really fought through. Again, Isaiah Ford stepped in and played well. Mack Hollins who we just got a couple days ago, he stepped in and gave us some good snaps, drew a pass interference penalty. And then our tight end group, they really stepped up for us. So, I thought as a collective group, given the adversity of losing two guys, I thought we battled through it. But at the end of the day we didn’t do enough to win the game.”
(On why he went after the officials after the game…) – “I was upset that we lost the game.”
(On if this was a game they deserved to lose…) – “I thought our guys fought hard. We didn’t make enough plays to win the game. I think that’s a group that knows they compete. We competed today. ‘Deserve to lose’ is a term…I don’t really understand that one. I think our guys competed and fought hard today.”
Mack Hollins – December 6, 2019
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Friday, December 6, 2019
WR Mack Hollins
(You have a teammate in CB Ryan Lewis who you went to training camp with or worked against kind of during the season, and you get to see him here now. How much has he helped the transition process of going to a new team?) – “It’s big any time you see a familiar face. I think when you go anywhere, familiar faces are always good. They just show you the routine and how things are done, the things coach doesn’t like, what he does like, certain rules that guys wouldn’t know that only comes with the experience of being on a team. Having guys like him and Jomal Wiltz also played with me in Philly my rookie year. It’s great to have those type of guys.”
(What did they tell you about what they liked about you? Did Head Coach Brian Flores or General Managers Chris Grier or anyone say anything to you when you came in the building?) – “They just said that they see the type of player that I am where the team always comes first with me. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do if it helps us win ball games. They were excited about that and my energy. Like I said, I’ll do whatever necessary.”
(In your exit meeting with Head Coach Doug Pederson, did he indicate to you why they made the move?) – “There are a few different things, but I won’t get into that I’m just excited to be here. I’m excited to play for the Dolphins. Let’s win games here.”
(Just the idea, I know you have touched on this before, but did you ever envision being back here after Sunday? It must have struck you as weird when you got the news on Tuesday.) – “Yeah. I joke about it now. I’m like, ‘I guess I could have just stayed down here.’ The funny thing is we had two off days in Philly back-to-back, so it’s not like I even practiced up there. Hindsight is 20/20. I’m here now and it’s time to work.”
(You have an opportunity that the Dolphins have given you here to make some plays in the return game and on the field too.) – “It’s awesome. I think any player will tell you that an opportunity is a gift. You don’t get them all the time. I’ve definitely learned that over my three years in the NFL already. Them giving me the opportunity is all I can ask for and it’s time to take advantage.”
(Back when you studied the Dolphins defensive backs last week, who stood out to you?) – “They have a bunch of good guys. For me as a player when I study, I think I look at schemes a lot. Obviously I wasn’t the primary receiver in Philly, so Alshon (Jeffery) is going to have a guy follow him a lot of the time. For me, it was how could I dissect schemes and be able to do what I can reading safeties and reading what coverages they are in and relaying that type of stuff.”
Brian Flores – December 6, 2019
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Friday, December 6, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw LB Jerome Baker and CB Nik Needham were limited on Wednesday and Thursday. Do you expect to have them Sunday?) – “Yes. We expect to have both guys Sunday.”
(And S Steven Parker I know is limited as well. Has he been doing better from his injury?) – “Yeah. Yep.”
(I know you guys have claimed a lot of rookie draft picks from other teams this year – several of them. Yesterday you parted ways with your first rookie from this class. I imagine that’s tough to do. Was it a difficult call with T Isaiah Prince and why don’t you think it worked out here with him?) – “Yeah, anytime you have to release a player, it’s difficult. Obviously with Isaiah, that was another difficult one. At the end of the day, we just try to do what we feel is best for the team. There’s only so many spots. When we made the claim, we just – he was the guy we felt like we had to part ways with, not necessarily that we wanted to but at the end of the day, you have to make decisions that you feel are best for the team.”
(There’s not a high percentage rate of sixth-rounders becoming long-term NFL players anyway, but do you think with offensive linemen it’s particularly tough – not speaking of T Isaiah Prince specifically but in general – to translate college performance to NFL success? I know college coaches – University of Miami Head Coach Manny Diaz said it’s tough recruiting, projecting high school to college with offensive linemen. Is it like that do you think college to pro?) – “I think we have to project. Our job is to project and predict and see if guys will pan out at all positions. We’ve got a good personnel department, and coaches are involved. A lot of people are involved in that, but not everyone works out. That’s the National Football League. Players can do everything right and give their best effort and play to the best of their ability, and it doesn’t work out sometimes. I’d say Isaiah worked extremely hard. He made a lot of improvement over the course of the year, and I think he’s got a future in football in this league.”
(What’s your evaluation of CB Chris Lammons this season and your relationship with him? Obviously he’s a hometown kid who got the game-winning pick last week. That was probably a big play for him.) – “Yeah, Chris Lammons, he really did a good job from OTAs to training camp to really most of the season. He’s a kid who’s worked hard, who’s made the most of his opportunities, not perfect – I know he had the interception last week which was good for him and a big play for us – he also had two penalties. We’ve got to correct the mistakes and obviously highlight the successes, but he’s done a good job and hopefully continues to play well and contribute.”
(Was there anything specific you guys liked about RB Zach Zenner?) – “Yeah, (he is) a big back. He’s had some production in this league playing in the kicking game. We were looking after we lost Kalen (Ballage), we needed a back who we felt like we could play in the kicking game and also give us some snaps offensively. We looked at a few different options there and we felt like Zach was the best in both areas – the kicking game as well as running the football. Between De’Lance (Turner), Patrick (Laird), Myles (Gaskin) and Zach (Zenner), we just try to find the right group of guys to kind of fit the role as we need at the running back position.”
(With DT Zach Sieler – the player you claimed – did you see tape from Ferris State, back with the Patriots or any Ravens tape the last couple years that intrigued you?) – “Yeah, there’s a lot of Ravens film that we’d seen earlier in the season and then preseason. (Sieler is) big, physical, high effort, good length. Just watching the tape and doing some background on him, he’s everything we’re looking for. High effort, works hard, football is important to him. Those traits – we like, we covet and we had an opportunity to claim him and thankfully we got him.”
(Jets RB Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an illness this week that may cause him not to play on Sunday, but how hard of a player is he to kind of game plan for in both facets – passing and the run game?) – “We’re preparing for him to play. He’s a good player at full strength. He’s a very good player at 80 percent. Obviously he’s one of the best backs in the league. Really good vision, good run instincts, very patient, can find the space and he can hit it. He does a good job in the pass game, does a good job with protection. At any point, he can break a long run, so we’re preparing for him to play, and we’re preparing for him to be at full strength. It’s a tough test.”
(You saw WR Mack Hollins play in-person last week. Do you envision a similar role for you guys that you saw what he was with the Eagles?) – “I think Mack – it’s been a couple days, so his role will evolve over the next few weeks. Obviously he’s done a good job and had success in the kicking game. I think in the last two days, you can see that he has a lot of ability as a receiver, as well. He’s fast. He’s big. He’s got good hands. He blocks. So we’re excited to have him. Over these next few weeks, we’ll just try to develop a rapport, a relationship. He’ll get more comfortable with the playbook offensively and in the kicking game. Hopefully he can contribute towards the end of the season.”
Jason Sanders – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
K Jason Sanders
(I know you’re laser-focused on Sunday, but do you remember how many times you’ve gone back and watched the fake field goal play, if at all, the last few days?) – “No, I don’t; but it’s like what I said. There’s four games left. You don’t want your season to be defined by something else you do that’s not good. You want to go out there and make your kicks and walk out of there 100 percent.”
(How many people texted you about the play that you haven’t heard from in years? Were there a number of those?) – “Sure; but at the same time, I want to focus on my job. I don’t want to take any outside elements that can distract me from coming in on Wednesday. I go into practice and try to do my job there.”
(The most random person who reached out to you. Was there like a grammar school teacher? Has there been anyone where you literally didn’t hear from them in six or seven years and all of a sudden you get a text?) – “No. Not really.”
(So it was more just friends, maybe? Might more just texts from friends, perhaps from New Mexico? Any from college?) – “There were a couple college teammates, yeah. Just the normal people that you know, family members…”
(Did you think P Matt Haack was going to throw it to you conventionally or were you a little surprised he just flicked it?) – “Matt was going to do his job, whether he was going to throw a nice spiral or he was just going to flick it like he did. He’s the one that had to do the heavy lifting on the field goal fake, so I think I give credit to Matt more than me. I was just the guy that happened to stand in the end zone falling to the ground with his hands out. (laughter)”
(That’s why you gave P Matt Haack the ball?) – “Yeah, 100 percent.”
(From a field goal standpoint, it’s gone well. Do you feel like you’re happy with how you’re hitting the ball recently?) – “I think I’m confident with how I’m hitting it. I try to avoid all of the numbers and take it one week at a time. Quite honestly, I don’t even know what my percentage is right now and I don’t really want to know. I want to go out each week and treat it like a new week and build off the kicks that I’ve had like going into Sunday, building off that 51-yarder I had in this last week and use that confidence to get you through this week.”
(You’re staring at a stretch now of three games out of four – the last four in potentially cold situations. What the bigger challenge there?) – “It’s the same thing. We had a couple of games last year in the cold weather. I believe (I went) 4-for-4 at the Packers, and I consider that a cold game. It’s just preparing the same way as you do every week.”
Trevor Davis – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
WR Trevor Davis
(How have you grasped the playbook so far? Do you feel like you can pick it up?) – “I’m learning it day-by-day. I had to do that when I moved to Oakland quickly and had a quick turnaround as well, so I’m kind of used to different offenses and some things are similar, some things are different; but at the end of the day, the offense is offense. You need to learn the concepts by themselves as well as the formations, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”
(Did anyone here – Head Coach Brian Flores or anyone – say they remembered you in a particular game either for Oakland or earlier in your career?) – “No, I haven’t gotten to talk about that. I haven’t been able to meet everybody yet. I’m getting there.”
(Does your head spin the first 24 hours on a new team? What’s that experience like?) – “I’m kind of used to it now after having the situation once going from Green Bay to Oakland. You’ve really just got to dive into everything, learn all the names you can and then really dive into the playbook as much as you can (and) try to get ready to play.”
(How late were you up studying the playbook the last couple nights?) – “I didn’t even sleep before I got here because it was a redeye flight, so I got in in the morning. I tried to get as much sleep as I possibly could before coming in here.”
(Did you go right from the flight Tuesday night to practice Wednesday morning?) – “Yeah.”
(How was practice Wednesday on no sleep?) – “It’s football. People have pulled all-nighters before. I might’ve got some (sleep), a little bit on the plane, but it wasn’t too bad. Take a little – whatever those little shot energy things are – and you’ll be good.”
(What’s the volume of material you have to learn this week? Is it 20 pages, 30 pages? I know a lot of it could be on an iPad, but how big is it?) – “Man, it is on the iPad, so I don’t even know. I’ve just been scrolling, so I don’t know. (laughter)”
(Is it a lot?) – “Yeah. Offenses are, they’re intricate; but at the same time, also you have packages that are just for certain weeks so at the end of the day, it’s not the full offense. Right now I’m trying to learn the whole thing and kind of learn things conceptually, but when it comes down to a specific week you’re in, it’s a lot less so hopefully you can hone in on that and then go learn the full offense after that.”
(Any skill guys you know on the team that you’ve sort of asked them for any input?) – “Of course (Patrick) ‘Patty’ Laird. I’ve played with him (at Cal). That’s one familiar face I have and then the other receivers in the room help me as well.”
(Is RB Patrick Laird the only guy you had the previous connection with?) – “Yes, when it comes to playing-wise. Yeah.”
(As far as the return game goes, that’s probably not as much the material that you have to know, you just do what comes natural to you. Do you feel like that might be where you can make more of an immediate impact come Sunday?) – “Yeah. Like you said, the special teams playbook is normally a lot easier than the intricate offense. Being able to do that would be nice; but I don’t know come this week, the next week – I have no idea on what’s going on yet.”
(Besides sleep, what’s the other thing about just day-to-day life that’s most impacted when you join a new team that week? Is there anything else that you just have to put aside, can’t do – talking to family? Anything like that?) – “Oh you mean like you can’t do?”
(Yeah, things you can’t do basically.) – “(laughter) Oh yeah, you’re locked away in your hotel room basically every night and just trying to learn as many plays as you can – just sitting on an iPad and looking at the time and setting your alarm clock. That’s really your life for the next couple weeks until you really get everything down (and) feel comfortable.”
