DeVante Parker – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
WR DeVante Parker
(Just to be this close to a win and for it to fall away so quickly, what’s it like?) – “It’s really frustrating to be that close and not punch it in. We’ve just got to execute that.”
(Was it an encouraging thing that you guys in the fourth quarter got a couple drives, a couple scores despite the outcome?) – “Yeah, it was a good thing we kept moving the ball; but at the end, we didn’t win. That’s all that matter.”
(A lot of pressure put on QB Josh Rosen early going in, what were you seeing on the field?) – “Like we all do, we’ve just got to take one play at a time. If something bad happens, move on to the next one. That’s it.”
Mark Walton – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
RB Mark Walton (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(What did it mean for you to be able to get the opportunity that you got today and just with this team now?) – “I’m just thankful and blessed. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m just trying to go out and not make this bigger than what it is. I’m just trying to go out there and do my job as I’ve been doing throughout the whole week, so I can translate it to games. I’m just doing my job.”
(How did it feel to be so close and go for two, the highs of being there and going for the two and not getting it – just the high and the low of that?) – “We’re just trying to win a game. We’re just trying to get something going over here. We went for two. We could have went for a field goal and went to overtime, but we’re trying to win the game. It just came up short, but I like the way everybody came out and competed and worked hard, and pushed through the final quarter and started fighting back. I think we’re just moving step by step and we just have to keep going.”
(Is it encouraging to you that the coaches believed in you to give you some work today?) – “Like I say, I try to go out there on the practice field and do my job each and every day, and I think that’s translating to the field and it gives the coaches more energy to try to put me out there and see what I can do. Practices translate to the game, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do on a week to week basis. It’s just showing up.”
Josh Rosen – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
QB Josh Rosen
(In terms of the first-half sacks, what were some of the issues there that were going on?) – “(It was) a couple of things. That was kind of the frustrating part. It was just something new on every play. I made plenty of mistakes throughout the game; but it’s like if all 11 could make one mistake on one play and then get it over with and then move forward, (it would be better). I couldn’t speak to details, but there were a couple of things here and there.”
(Who told you about the change of the quarterback position?) – “’Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores). I came off the field and he told me about it.”
(What were your thoughts?) – “I was disappointed, but I understood the situation. I mean it obviously was a smart decision given how the game almost ended. ‘Flo’s’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) job first and foremost is to win football games and I respect the decision, and it’s my job to not put him in that position.”
(Did you see anything different standing on the sidelines that was happening that was different than the three quarters that you played in the game where there was a lot of pressure and seemed like there was a lot of duress that you had to deal with?) – “I mean it was a different kind of game when ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) went in, so they were running a little more two-minute. (We had) a little bit lighter personnel on our behalf, so it was a different game; but, yeah, definitely some different looks given the circumstances.”
(I know it didn’t go the way you wanted personally, but the team was very competitive today. Do you get any good feeling about that at all coming away from this game?) – “Yeah. I mean I think as a team, this is a step in the right direction. Personally, I may not say the same; but I mean, that’s just sort of take it on the chin and continue to improve. It was obviously a disappointment for me, but we almost came close to our first team win, which is awesome regardless of who is behind center. I’m a Dolphin first and foremost and that was good; but I mean I’ve definitely got to get better personally.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said earlier that week that you were kind of settled in at quarterback, but then made a change three quarters in. Did you feel like that was kind of different than what you thought the situation was going to be?) – “It’s not really in my thought process. I’m trying to worry about who the Mike (linebacker) is, who I’m throwing the ball to and stuff. Regardless, it’s above my pay grade.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – October 13, 2019
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(So what was the feeling in the huddle when you were going for that last drive and then going for two?) – “It was fun. I mean that whole fourth quarter was fun just to be out there. I think there was a lot of confidence on that last drive. There were some things that – we had a timeout. We had to get up there and clock it once. Some guys made some nice plays, and then DeVante (Parker) on the touchdown – a big catch. That’s the kind of stuff – that’s why I still like being out there and playing this game. That’s the kind of stuff that you love, and I was happy that we decided to go for two. That was the right move, and I wish we would have got in there.”
(When did you I guess feel…?) – “When did you feel it, you know? (laughter). I mean (Head Coach Brian) Flores just tapped me on the shoulders and said, ‘Hey, you’re going in.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ I went and got a ball and took a few throws on the sideline and was ready to go out there. I thought the guys, when I got in there, it was just a good feeling in the huddle. Guys played hard for me…”
(Do you think you have to say anything to QB Josh Rosen, I guess, after this – given that he got benched?) – “We’re constantly talking, whether it’s on the sideline or in the locker room after. We spend a lot of time together, so I’ve been in every situation you can imagine multiple times. I know that for him, maybe he hasn’t experienced as many of these situations as I have, but you just put your head down, work hard and go from there.”
(For this football team to have that opportunity at the end of the game to win and not get it done, what was the emotion like in the locker room coming in?) – “I think each guy feels their own independent feelings and different – there’s a lot of frustration in there. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get it in. I think obviously we all wanted it. We all had confidence in the play. It just felt like when we scored – when DeVante (Parker) made that catch – it felt like that was the right move for us at that time. And going for the win, we didn’t get it.”
(What do you think a fourth quarter like that will do for you guys the rest of the season?) – “I have no clue. I’m not sure where we go from here. I just – whatever my role is, I’m going to try to do it to the best of my ability.”
(Why wasn’t it the right call in terms of that pass to RB Kenyan Drake? In your opinion, because you see all those 2-point situations. Why was that the right call?) – “To go for it? Or the actual play.”
(The actual play.) – “Yeah. There’s a million different things like the play design and everything else that we could talk about; but I felt like the aggressiveness – I felt like giving arguably our best guy the ball and giving him a chance to win it for us, those are the types of situations that I think everybody on the team wants to be in. Kenyan (Drake) is one of our best playmakers.”
(And it just didn’t work? There were three defenders there but you think it could have worked if he’d caught the ball?) – “I think it gave him a chance. Whether – Was he going to walk in the end zone? No. He wasn’t going to walk into the end zone. He would have had to do something significant and special; but that’s what we think of him, so we wanted to give him the chance to do it.”
(And you clearly like the aggressive approach?) – “Yeah, I love the fact that we went for it.”
(So I recognize it is professional football and there are no moral victories and so forth, but you walk away from the stadium today having played a game where you were competitive to the final play basically, and you scored in the second half and you had a chance to win. Does that feel any better than what has happened the previous four games?) – “Again, I think you have to individually ask everybody about that; but what I told you guys when I first got here, I enjoy playing football. I enjoy being out there. And did we want to win, do we want to win every game? Yes. We haven’t done it yet. But to put yourself in those competitive situations and to have a chance at the end of the game, that’s a much – moral victory, whatever, I don’t know if we believe in those; but it’s much more fun to be involved in a game like that than one when you look up and you’re losing by 40-plus points. So in that regard, if that’s what you’re getting at, then yeah. It was much more fun to be a part of that game.”
Brian Flores – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Tell us about the 2-point conversion, the thought of going for two versus one?) – “We were trying to win the game, pretty much. We talked about it. We felt good about the play. It’s something we worked on all week. We thought we had an opportunity to win the game, and that was the thought process there. They made a good play. They were ready to go on it; but we’re going to try to win the game in that situation with the amount of time left.”
(I noticed C Daniel Kilgore was out for that 2-point conversion and C/G Evan Boehm was at center, and G Shaq Calhoun was at right guard, I believe. Did that influence the play call at all?) – “No. We still felt good about it. I mean we’ve actually repped that with that group in there, and I don’t think that’s what it was. They played good defense on the play, and (we) couldn’t make the catch. I think – it wasn’t a QB-center exchange or – like, the ball was outside. It’s not the right guard or the center in that situation.”
(Do you think RB Kenyan Drake would have got in if he’d have caught it?) – “No. It looked like they played it pretty well. Drake would have had to make a pretty spectacular play, break a tackle – which he’d been doing a good job breaking tackles all day. I think obviously the first part of it is a good throw (and) a good catch. If you don’t have that, then the rest of it is a moot point.”
(Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision?) – “No. We were going for two all the way. We were thinking two-point at the 10-minute mark.”
(You made the change to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. At what point did you start consider that – putting him in at the beginning of the fourth quarter? What time did you start thinking about that?) – “I felt like we needed a spark. We were down 17-3 at that point. The defense actually made a good stop to keep it to a two-score game or 14-point game. We just felt like that was the right move in that moment, the way we were going offensively. We had to get a spark going. We had to get something going. We tried to make a couple plays in the kicking game. We just felt like we needed a spark, and this team fought hard. I mean they didn’t – there’s no issue with effort. There’s no issue with trying to go out here and get a win. We just came up short at the end.”
(Was it early on in the game with QB Josh Rosen in, the five sacks; it seemed like he was under duress almost from the outset.) – “It took us a while to kind of get that under control. I think we made some adjustments at halftime. The protection was better in the second half. Obviously that played a role in the issues we had from a pass standpoint, but it wasn’t just the protection. It’s a good defense. It was hard to get the run game going, and they’ve got good rushers. I think as the game wore on, we kind of got a better feel for how they were rushing. The protection was better. We had better execution overall in the pass game, and we had more production.”
(Last week you said that the quarterback competition was settled. Is it unsettled now?) – “I think Josh (Rosen) has done a good job. I think today he wasn’t having a good day, and I think we’re always going to do what we feel is best for the team and today that was ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) going in in the fourth quarter. Josh is the starter, I would say. But as this thing – as we continue to move along – there’s always competition. I mean I think everyone needs to feel that. I need to feel that. The players need to feel that. I think we know ‘Fitz’ was ready to go in today. I think he played well. I think everyone could see that. We need players who are ready to go in and play; but as far as starting, not starting – I think today, it was just a move we felt like we needed to make. It’s no different than if a back’s not going, we put another back in or if a receiver is not going, we put another receiver in. I know it’s ‘the’ position and I understand that, but I think we’ll – Josh will continue to be the starter, and, again, if we feel like we need a spark and ‘Fitz’ has to go in, we’ll continue to do that.”
(You started RB Mark Walton. Was that because of his production, or was it something with the other backs that you didn’t see?) – “I think Mark’s (Walton) been playing well. I think all the backs are playing good football. We just wanted to see Mark, and I thought he went out there and made some plays in the run game and in the pass game. He missed a protection early to block that he normally makes. I would say in pass protection, he’s been one of the guys I feel most confident in from a pass protection standpoint; but all of those guys, we have confidence in them all. (Kalen) Ballage goes in on the goal line and (Kenyan) Drake made a lot of plays. We got the ball to those guys a lot today; so starter, non-starter, they were all in there and were all somewhat productive.”
(How did QB Josh Rosen react when you told him that…?) – “He was disappointed as he should be, as any competitor would be; but at the end of the day he was excited for ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and excited for this team as we started to come back and creep our way back into the game and give ourselves a shot to win at the end.”
(That two-point conversion play, is that something you guys have been holding for that situation or did you see something and called that?) – “Yeah, I mean it’s something we’ve run a lot in practice and felt good about it. (We) just didn’t execute it. They made a good play as well.”
Brian Flores – October 11, 2019
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Friday, October 11, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Do you expect to have CB Xavien Howard available to play Sunday?) – “We’ll see how that goes. He’s been limited all week. I think he wants to play and hopefully we have him out there.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Bobby McCain. How would you assess his development at safety?) – “I think he’s – from a communication standpoint – he’s probably one of our top communicators. He can get himself along with some other guys lined up, which is definitely helpful when things change and the offense – whether they go to empty or shift or motion, he can kind of handle all that – those adjustments within the defense. We missed him last week so we’re happy to have him back, and I think he’s played well at that position.”
(The number of players on the injury report this week; do you expect them to be game-time decisions?) – “Yeah, I mean we’ve got a lot of guys who are dinged up. That’s kind of how it is for every team in the league. That’s the game. Guys are dinged up. They’re playing through it. They’re fighting through it. They’re doing everything they can to get back. It’s really par for the course in the National Football League. It’s a hard, aggressive, physical game and guys get dinged up. It’s normal to have a lot of guys on the injury report.”
(What are you looking at as far as punt returners? Obviously WR Jakeem Grant has had the hamstring. We know RB Kenyan Drake can do kickoffs.) – “We’ve got a number of guys back there for punts. Kenyan’s (Drake) been back there for punts. Preston (Williams) returned punts in the preseason. Jakeem (Grant) is obviously our primary guy. Hopefully we can get him out there. He’s been out there in practice catching punts. He’s making some progress, so hopefully Jakeem gets out there.”
(We spend so much time talking about things that need improvement, but two numbers that jump out at you are how well you’ve done in punting with P Matt Haack and the kick return. Not too many people have returned kicks against you guys. What have you seen out of those two units and those guys in particular?) – “The coverage units have been kind of a bright spot. I think Matt (Haack) has kicked the ball well. He could kick them better. Some of those mis-hits, he’s gotten a good bounce on a couple of those. We’ll take it, obviously; but we’ve gotten good play out of gunners and the unit overall. It’s the same in kickoff coverage. Those are field position plays. I’m big on ‘every yard is important.’ The better coverage, the better field position, that makes it better for us defensively. Obviously you force the opponent to drive it on a long field. Again, I’ve said this before. The kicking game is near and dear to my heart. I think we spend a lot of time on the punt game. The kickoff – really all six phases: punt return, kickoff return, field goal, field goal black. You put a lot of time into it. It’s nice to see some results in those two phases. Really, we want them in all six phases and hopefully we get that on Sunday.”
(Across town in the college program down here, Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Manny Diaz announced Monday he was going to become more involved in the defense even though he hired a coordinator this offseason. He didn’t rule out calling plays. Is that something you have at all considered in terms of calling plays or becoming even more immersed on that side of the ball?) – “I have a lot of respect for Manny. He’s a really good coach. I spent some time with him a couple of offseasons ago. He’s bright, energetic. I think he’s a very, very good coach. As far as from our standpoint, every situation is different. How he handles their situation is how he handles them. For me, I have a lot of confidence in (Defensive Coordinator) Pat Graham and our defensive coaching staff. Pat’s going to call the game. I’ll always have input offensively, defensively and in the kicking; but at the end of the day, you really need one voice there. Pat will call it.”
(Can you talk about having WR Allen Hurns back from the concussion?) – “Yeah, it’s nice to have him back. He was good in practice. Obviously, he’s one of our most dependable players. He catches the ball cleanly, runs good routes, tough, blocks. I’m really happy to have him back. I he brings a lot to this team from a toughness standpoint, from a dependability standpoint, from a leadership standpoint. Again, he’s a man of few words. He’s not overly vocal, but his play speaks volumes, I think. He’s as tough of a guy as we have. I think he’s a reliable player and we’re happy to have him back.”
(What have your conversations with General Manager Chris Grier and Owner Stephen Ross been this week regarding this game and how to approach it?) – “My conversations with guys within the office are internal, but my conversations with Chris – which are daily – we talk about the team, how we can improve, how we can be better. They’re just daily conversations, but those are internal conversations and my conversations with the owner are the same, so I’m not going to speak about the specifics of those. I just think that’s courtesy, to be honest.”
Davon Godchaux – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
DT Davon Godchaux
(You guys made such strides against the Chargers holding them to under 100 rushing yards. What was the difference in that game?) – “The Chargers? I feel like in the second half we came out flat. We’ve got to play (well) for all four quarters. I don’t think we’ve done that this season, so we’re going to try to take this approach against the Washington Redskins – a team that just fired their head coach, is coming in looking for a win. We’re looking for a win, too. Both of us haven’t won a game, so we’re looking for a win. We know nobody is going to give it to us. We’ve got to come out fast.”
(What did you guys do better that game in terms of stopping the run?) – “I think everybody just played their gap, made plays, read their keys. It’s really nothing different. I look at like – (against) the Cowboys, we had it pretty good before halftime. Ezekiel Elliott ran free on our pass-rush group. I think (against) the Chargers, we really locked in; but we’ve got to come out fast in the second half.”
(How much pain is it to have the worst rush defense in the league?) – “It’s very painful when you look at that. I don’t try to look at it; but hey, it is what it is. The stats are there; but at the end of the day, we just try to get better each and every week. Coming in this week with the Washington Redskins, they’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. The best team is going to win.”
(But you’ve got to take that personal?) – “Oh, 100 percent you’ve got to take it personal. At the end of the day, I look at it like to have a great defense – look at the old school Pittsburgh Steelers defense – you’ve got to be able to stop the run. If you can’t stop the run on defense, then you have no great defense. So I think it all starts with stopping the run. You see guys like Taco (Charlton) – you want to get the sacks. Everybody wants to get the sack. Everybody wants to do this, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to stop the run. If you don’t stop the run, you don’t have no fun. (laughter) I learned that from ‘Coach O’ at LSU (Head Coach Ed Orgeron).”
Kenyan Drake – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
RB Kenyan Drake
(Coming in this week – obviously you had the bye week – what have you learned about preparing and what went wrong in the first four or five weeks of the season?) – “We just really have to buckle together, have a game where we play four competitive quarters. I mean it is just what it is. Every day making sure that – I sound like a broken record, but that we continue to get better with the things we are good at and obviously hone in on the – I guess make sure that we shake back on the stuff that we haven’t really been good at. It’s as simple as that.”
(Is the offense starting to come together with all the new pieces?) – “Yeah, I mean we go out there – we field a team every week so it is just about making sure that we have the plays that we need to make when we need to make them, have timely drives, not have self-inflicted wounds in terms of turnovers and penalties that put us behind the eight ball in terms of down-and-distance. We just want to play clean football. That is what we plan on doing this week.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said yesterday that QB Josh Rosen will be the starter for the remainder of the season. Does that really make a difference with this offense in terms of you guys knew you had him already but does that make a difference at all him saying that?) – “Him having I guess the full confidence of the guys he has on the field, everybody has to go out there and do their job at that point. That is just what we are focusing on. Let them kind of handle the day-to-day operations and everything else that comes with putting people where they need to be; but when you get on the field, level on offense and level on defense and just going out there and handle your business. We look forward to doing that for the rest of the year.”
(QB Josh Rosen says he knows this is basically a tryout for him. When you hear him say things like that, does that motivate you guys to go out there block better, catch better, pass better or play better? There is a lot of outside talk about what they’re drafting next year.) – “I feel like the most important focus is on right now. I am glad he has the wherewithal and is proactive in terms of knowing I guess the bigger picture, but right now it is you know we are playing against a hungry Washington team that is hungry for a win like we are looking for a win. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose, so in order to be on the right side of those, that’s what we are focused on.”
(You had a couple of nice runs in the last game with a few more lanes. Do you think you are close to popping off that big one?) – “Yeah, I mean I think the older I have gotten and playing this position especially at this level, it is about taking what the defense gives you and putting yourself and the offense in the best position to be successful on a down-to-down basis. When the big runs come, they will come. I am not necessarily pressing for them or looking for them. I mean I kind of put me in the position that I am currently with I guess having two fumbles on a short resume through this season. That is not something that I want to kind of harp on; but at the end of the day, those things happen and they happen because I was trying to do too much in a situation that just required me to get the yards that were there. So trying to focus on that would be counterproductive to what this team needs right now and that is somebody to be reliable to go out there and get the yards that are there and if you need to break plays, plays will be there to break when it happens.”
(How have you managed I guess that balance – obviously the team needs a spurt and you have the ability to do it, but like you said you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot with turnovers.) – “It is just really about being where you need to be at a given time. When there is a play to be made, if you have the ability to do it, that is what you will do. It will be second nature because you have the instincts and that it what we are all here for: to make plays and help this team win games. Now whether that is – we have to have 11 guys on the field doing their job at any given time for anything to be successful. So with that being said, that includes me, myself or whoever else has the ball in their hands to go out there and know that with having the ball in your hands comes the added responsibility of carrying the organization on your back at that one given time and understanding that the keys to the game is to make sure that you don’t have turnovers and do things that put the team in a bad situation where the defense might have a short field to have to defend, if you go out there and I guess try to make a play that is not there. So it is really just about understanding the situation, going out there, playing ball, making the plays that are there and doing the things you need to do to help this team win games.”
