Taco Charlton – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
DE Taco Charlton
(In terms of this defense – well, you’ve been here two games – but you guys have been struggling against the run. What is going to be the turning point that helps you sort of contain the run?) – “Just keep working together. That’s it. We just (need to) keep building. We’re a young team with a lot of new faces, so you just have to keep working and keep building that chemistry. When that chemistry comes and once we know how each other plays, we’ll get along in the pass and the run.”
(So you think it is just guys being unfamiliar with each other?) – “Yeah. Like I said, we’re just young. We’re just young. Once you get these reps in and see how we work in practice and everything like that, and we know each other, that’s how you benefit and that’s how you make things work.”
(I know Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham told some of the TV announcers that he told you that he always wanted to coach you after he had seen you at the Combine. How pleasing was that to hear?) – “It was good. To have a coach that wants to coach you and wants to be around you and wants you to succeed is always a blessing. So I was blessed to be here and be put in this position where I’ve got not just him but a couple of coaches that want to coach me and want to believe in my ability and want to see me do great things.”
Brian Flores – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know the goal is always winning and if you can develop guys, I’m sure that is a goal as well. Sometimes there are examples where you might have to pick one or the other. I will give you an example and want your thoughts in general on this. T Isaiah Prince, he’s obviously a developmental guy (and) you are eager to see what you have in him, but a veteran like T J’Marcus Webb might give you a better chance to win right away. So in a case like that and in general, do you say winning is the clear-cut priority or do you say player development is on par with it, close to it, in terms of what your personal priorities are?) – “That’s about six questions there. (laughter) So, I will start by saying that to me the most important thing is everyone going through an individual process throughout the week. That is meetings, that’s walkthroughs, that is the preparation, that is practice and their fundamentals, so everyone’s individual development and the process – to me, that is at the top of the list for me. As far as one player versus another – you mentioned Prince versus Webb – I think everything is case by case. Yes, you always want to develop young players but you want to develop all of the players on your team. Every week we are going to try to give ourselves the best chance to win the game or what we feel is the best chance to win the game. So, all those things you take into account. I don’t think there is a specific set way for anyone. For me personally and for our coaching staff, it’s not set. It’s not specifically, ‘we definitely want to do this,’ or ‘we definitely want to do this.’ I think every week we are trying to put this team in the best position to win, but I think the process of actually going through that is of the utmost importance for this group. Development is very important. I think we are trying to do that at all positions; but look, these guys work extremely hard and trying to put the best players out there that we feel can help us win. I don’t know, did I miss anything? (Laughter)”
(No, no that was good.) – “(Laughter).”
(Yesterday C Daniel Kilgore and I am paraphrasing here – he told everyone that the perception of this team and whatever terminology is being used – tanking, rebuilding – is not there. We, he said we as players, we go out there and work our backsides off every day. Do you like the fire in someone like that when one of your captains goes out there and says that?) – “I think that is the approach that we need to have. I think that is the approach that we have as a total team. Yeah, I like that. I mean what coach wouldn’t want that? I think that is – to me, that is standard operating procedure for any player in this league. Kilgore works every day. The game is important to him. It is important to everybody in the locker room so it doesn’t surprise me at all. I think that is how this team is wired. We’ll go out and try to win every game; but that really starts Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, in practice, in meetings. That is where it starts and I think that is what he meant by working every day to try to improve, get better and really execute on a consistent basis.”
(But when the approach isn’t there to back up the results, how do you continue to reinforce that ‘hey, we are doing the right thing?’ Because you guys have not been competitive in a game yet.) – “I think at the end of the day, that process – and maybe that process needs to be changed – but I think from a work standpoint, from a trying to improve and get better standpoint, that is the only way I know. I think continually getting better in practice, continually working to improve their execution, continuing to work and improve the communication – from my experience over time, that works and we will continue to do that. I have seen that from this team and I think that’s what Kilgore was kind of mentioning. I think you see some of those things on a daily basis and if we just keep continuing to do that and the process is right, the results normally take care of themselves.”
(Regarding veteran leadership on this team, I am wondering what you are seeing whether it is more pronounced because it is such a young team or whether it is a little more laid back because these guys haven’t been together for very long or is it about what you have seen earlier?) – “I have said this before: leadership to me is guys that work hard and put the team first. You show leadership. We have some older players – whether it is Bobby (McCain) or (Daniel) Kilgore – or some young players from Christian Wilkins to (Jerome) Baker to Walt Aikens. We have guys who love to play, it is important to them and they do all the things necessary to lead a group – to lead a group of individuals. I think all of those guys I mentioned, along with a lot of players on this team, are doing all of the right things. I mean it is a team of teams. You need leaders really across the board – so your nickel group, your dime group, your 11-personnel group offensively, your kickoff coverage unit. You need leaders really across the board. I mean it is something that we try to develop on a daily basis. It is something we talk about and I think we are getting better in that department and hopefully it improves over the course of the season.”
(A lot of leadership is developed by making plays on the field. How is that going with this team?) – “I would say leadership – I mean a lot of people say that it is developed by making plays on the field. Playmaking is developed by making plays on the field. Leadership, to me, happens behind the scenes and it is the preparation on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Normally when that process is right, then you end up making plays on Sunday and kind of the whole thing comes together. I think if a guy goes out there, gets a tip ball and catches a couple of interceptions, that doesn’t necessarily make him a leader, in my opinion, at least. So I think it is something you develop and leadership is something you do every day. It is not a one-off. So that has kind of been my opinion and my approach and my message to the guys who have that type of potential on this team.”
(In what ways has coaching this younger Dolphins team been different for you than more veteran New England Patriots teams in the past?) – “I mean I have coached a lot of young players, guys who were young, guys who weren’t familiar with a standard or a process or a way to be a professional. I think that is a part of coaching – is helping young players do that. I think that places – I was in New England last – I think it is something that you try to develop. It is not something that happens overnight. It’s something you develop over time and I think it is something that we are building towards here. This is a young team. There are a lot of guys that are eager and willing and want to do it the right way, and I think that is what you are looking for more than anything. I think if they continue to work on that, working with the eagerness to do it right, I think over time the leadership will develop.”
(Yesterday S Bobby McCain said something that kind of caught my eye. He said “as a team we have got to bring more energy when guys make plays. That is understandable when you are 0-4 and everything, but still you have a job to do so we have got to bring more energy.” What is your reaction to that?) – “I think energy, enthusiasm, urgency – all of those things are important to a football team and Bobby knows that. We talk about leadership – that is something that we have talked about as a team. I think we need a lot of things. We need more energy, more enthusiasm, more urgency, more execution. I see where he is coming from. I think more energy comes from better execution. When you have better execution, you can make more plays and when you make more plays, there is more energy. So there is a little bit of a – there is a process to that. We just have got to get better with the process and I think – There was a lot of energy in practice yesterday. I expect there will be some more today and hopefully that builds into over the course of the week and that we are an energetic, enthusiastic, tough and physical team on Sunday.”
(An Xs and Os question: You mentioned Washington Redskins Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan’s running background. How do you prepare for that knowing you prefer running nickel and dime sets in your back and in your secondary?) – “Well, he is – He has got every run that has ever been installed so we’re really preparing for really everything. I know you mentioned nickel and dime sets, so they have got some 11-personnel runs, they have got some 10-runs, they have got some 12-runs, they have got some heavy-grouping runs. So we have to really prepare for it all. I don’t necessarily think we would put out a dime grouping with a big personnel grouping, so – but if it happened, and that happens occasionally, we have to be able to kind of make the adjustments and play that play. But preparing for Coach Callahan and the myriad of things they could do in the running game and pulling guards, tackles, centers, misdirection – they do a lot. We have got to do a good job of reading our keys, believing what we see, setting the edge, tackling. It really boils down to basic fundamentals and techniques, so it is going to be tough. He is a good coach and they do a good job in the running game. We need to be ready.”
(Do you look at individual matchups maybe like that one – the Washington run offense versus your run defense – and say that can be the deciding match up for this game?) – “Everything could be the deciding match up. That is kind of how I look at it. Every play counts and I am not exactly sure which one it is going to be – it could be the run game, it could be the pass game, it could be a one-on-one match up with a tackle and an end, it could be a one-on-one with a punt return – I am not necessarily sure. We try to hit them all and we try to be precise and execute every one of them because I am not necessarily sure and I have coached in a lot of games where there is a play in the kicking game, a play offensively, a play defensively, it’s in the first quarter, the third quarter, an onside kick. It could be anything. So we try to prepare and put our guys in the best position to execute and to play at a high level on really every snap, because I am not necessarily sure which one it is going to be. That is the difference between winning and losing. That has always been my approach and I think it will always be that way. “
Brian Flores – October 9, 2019 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Washington Media
(When you have a new coach put in charge, like up here in Washington, how do you guys go about preparing for that?) – “We prepare like we always do. (Interim Head) Coach (Bill) Callahan has been a head coach in this league before, has been a coach in college. They have got a really good group of players there offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. So, we just prepare like we normally do and really we focus on our fundamentals, our techniques, what we want to do and what we feel like we can do to try to execute offensively, defensively, in the kicking game, and just go through our normal preparation.”
(When it comes down to preparing for the quarterbacks, what do you see between the different quarterbacks between Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, and Dwayne Haskins?) – “I think all three are good quarterbacks. (They are) accurate. They all do a good job of getting guys in and out of the huddle, making good decisions – they can get the ball downfield. There is some – just within the offense there is some intricacies within the offense that may pull your eyes in a different direction, so they have done a good job that way. All three quarterbacks are very capable and can do a good job pushing the ball down the field, checking it down then they need to. Again, we have watched all three. All three have strengths and it will be a tough match up whoever is in there.”
(So on your end, how do you go about balancing the reps between your quarterbacks?) – “Our quarterbacks? You talking about Josh Rosen and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick)?”
(Yes.) – “I would say Josh (Rosen) sees the majority of the snaps you know as the starter. Just like when ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was the starter, he saw the majority of the snap. I am not going to sit here and give you percentages, but I would say Josh gets most of the reps and ‘Fitz’ gets in there and I think he – him being a veteran and a guy who pretty much has seen everything, done everything – he gets in there a little but less, but we feel like both guys have a good handle on what we are trying to do offensively and we try to get them as many as they need to be able to execute within the game.”
(Now unfortunately, for our end, both teams are winless right now. So when you are coming into this game, what is the mentality of the locker room when you are coming against a team that is winless?) – “Every day to me is – we just try to win the day and win the meeting, win the walkthrough, win the practice. I think to me, and I have expressed this to the team – we just have to go through our process from a meeting standpoint, from a walkthrough standpoint, from a practice standpoint, from a preparation standpoint to when they leave the building and go home and watch film on their own. I think there is a – we just have to be – we have to take a professional approach because I think if we do those things consistently, we get better, we improve, and the results take care of themselves. That is kind of what I have preached to our team really since I got here. There is no ‘Hey, I’m not thinking about the end of the game or two games from now or eight games from now.’ We just focus on today.”
Albert Wilson – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
WR Albert Wilson
(How helpful was the extra week not playing against the Chargers and having a bye week? Do you feel fully back now from everything you’ve had to deal with physically?) – “Yeah, for sure. Once you start feeling good in this profession and you’re able to stay healthy and continue to go in week after week of being healthy, it’s a good thing. Going into this bye week really healthy and coming off of it pretty healthy I think is a good thing.”
(There’s a difference I’d imagine form feeling back and feeling you have all of your unique skills back. Do you feel like you have all of your skills back from all of the injuries?) – “Yeah, for sure.”
(Your quarterback said that he feels like he’s on a 12-week tryout. I’m sure in the NFL you always feel that way don’t you?) – “For sure. They bring in guys every day. Every day is a tryout, every day is an interview. You have to come in and put your best foot forward. That’s pretty much how it is. They pretty much watch everything guys do so you want to do your best every chance you get. It pretty much is an on-going interview.”
(When you have a roster with a lot of guys like that, could that be maybe if you’re not so sure about yourself, is that a good thing?) – “Yeah, I think that’s what makes a good football team. Just keeping the competition inside your locker room and just going so hard during the week so when you get out there on a Sunday, things are a little easier. If you have a lot of competition inside your locker room and you’re going against good guys every day, it makes you just better.”
(Have you got to practice punt returns? It’s something that you are good at but with WR Jakeem Grant with the hamstring, have you worked on that this week?) – “No. I haven’t gotten the chance to get in on punt return.”
(Have you noticed a different mood among the players coming back from a bye, having the chance to recharge and reset?) – “Yes, definitely. It’s kind of like having the summer off and getting back to that first day of class. You just want to get in there finally and just do football stuff. It definitely was a good chance to hit the reset button and get back in here, and just want to be here.”
(How much would a win do for you guys?) – “It would be big. It would be really big. It’s something that we’ve been fighting for, for a long time. For us to come out here and attack the bye week the way we did and get out here and get a W, I think it’s going to put us in the right direction.”
(You’ve experienced the season from a different perspective, dealing with frustrating injuries for yourself, I’m sure. How much does the extra layer of this season getting off to a tough start for the team, how overall frustrating has it been for you? Especially it’s your hometown team. I know you have an extra layer of pride for the Dolphins as well.) – “Yeah, for sure. It really sucks, just not even me being here, just me being anywhere but just starting off winless is something you don’t want to do in this profession. Me being a competitor, I just want to win. I come in here and put my best foot forward every day and I’m just trying to get back on the field to help my teammates win.”
(Is there another layer of confidence in your body that you have to acquire considering that it’s been such a tough time for you guys lately?) – “I’m really high in confidence. I don’t think it was a situation that needed to come by to give me more confidence. I feel like I’ve been fighting since I got into this league. I’ve got all the confidence I need. I’m just doing everything I can to get back on the field and give the team a chance to win.”
(Just generally the health of your body, the physical state of your body, are you convinced, are you totally confident that it’s going to hold up for you?) – “For sure.”
(QB Josh Rosen will start, With this stability where you have a quarterback that’s settled in as the starting quarterback as Head Coach Brian Flores put it, does that help the offense settle in as well?) – “We just go out here every day and try to do our jobs I feel like. He did a good job of doing what the coaches needed him to do to prepare him for a starting job. He earned it and I’m ready to go out there and fight with him.”
Josh Rosen – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
QB Josh Rosen
(So Head Coach Brian Flores has said that you being the starter for the rest of the year is a settled issue. What do you think about that?) – “I think it’s awesome, but you can never treat it like that. I have heard – I have heard guys like Tom (Brady) mention like he feels like he is competing against someone every day and that is the sort of attitude that you have to have in order to continue to improve. So, it might be a settled competition but in my head I am always trying to act as if someone is behind me every single day.”
(Is there any – not solace – but does it make you feel better that you are not having to necessarily look over your shoulder game to game?) – “Yeah, maybe a little bit; but I have never really played like that. I am a pretty sort of – not like a free spirit – but I just kind of go out there, have fun and do my thing. Football is football. I try to stay as removed from the politics as much as I possibly can.”
(It has been a month into the season, about five months in since you have joined the team. Do you feel like this has been the most ideal or the best situation for you in your career and where you want to go?) – “I mean, like, up from since I have been drafted or since just coming here? Because I mean it is has been less than ideal overall. (We) haven’t won many football games. But I think there is definitely room to improve personally and over the course of my career. I mean, a little to the previous question – I try to stay a little bit out of the politics ever since I said there were nine mistakes ahead of me. (laughter) I’m just trying to basically play football and let everything take care of itself because I am a very confident person. I have just got to let my play show it.”
(Has football still fun for you over the last year and a half? Your NFL days, I guess?) – “Yeah. Like I am going to be honest, it has never not been fun. I definitely did have to ask myself a couple of those questions this offseason because I mean it definitely did suck, but that is part of it. This business is fun but the last couple games since I have been on the field – I mean even in the preseason getting on the field – you realize that this is still a game that I love to play and ever since Daniel Allen and his dad Jeff Allen convinced my mom to play football in third grade for the Torrance Panthers, so, it is just – regardless of whatever goes on January through July or whatever, once you get on the field, it is very refreshing to just have everything go away. I think that is why guys like Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees) are continuing to play for so long, because they are so famous and the real world is kind of different for them; but once they get on the field, everything kind of goes away and they are one of the guys again.”
(Do you have that feeling that really once you are on the field, your world is right? You seem to be a guy that has a lot of interests off the field also, but do you get in that place?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I get into it with different external reasons, not because I am like (Brady and Brees), but it definitely — there is nothing like and there is really nothing better than sort of getting into that flow, getting into that flow state and kind of like when Steph (Curry) starts chucking up threes and it just seems like every single one goes in, there is really no better feeling of football than when you are ripping it in a game and it sort of feels like you just can’t throw an incompletion. So, I think a lot of it is competing up front, but a lot of it is chasing that sort of feeling of success and just fluidity and all of that.”
(Was it the uncertainly? In January or February you said you had some – dark days aren’t the right way to put it, but you had some stuff going on. Was it the uncertainty or was it just the way you played or what was it?) – “Maybe it was for the first time it is like – the opinions – I felt like there was sort of a differing of opinions with the locker room that I was in and the outside and as much as you try to tune out the outside, it finds a way to get in whether it be your parents calling you asking you what is this article or whatever. But yeah, (there were a) lot of ups, lot of downs; but I think for the most part, it is sort of you just have to keep the ball rolling and keep pushing forward.”
(The offense and the defense have both struggled quite a bit so far. How much of an overall relief do you think it will be if one of the units can kind of dig in a little bit and get a couple quick touchdowns early on in the game – the overall lift that it would give?) – “Yeah, we preach all the time that like we have to pick each other up, we have to play as a team. So ideally you are firing on all three cylinders – kicking game, offense, and defense – but even when you are not, it is about sort of picking another guy up. I think on offense, we can do a lot better because they always play into each other. When the offense is in rhythm and the defense is getting three-and-outs, you can kind of keep that rhythm and not be sitting down and vice versa. If you are on the field for a little too long, the (opposing) defense can get gassed so the longer you can string drives together, the more refreshed they feel. So it all plays into each other and I think on offense, we can definitely step it up; but I mean yeah, it all works together.”
(The last time we talked to Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski, he talked about the link between footwork and accuracy. Can you kind of take me a little inside your game and some of the points of emphasis that you are constantly trying to remind yourself pregame and during the game – things that you want to make sure to remember to do from a mechanical element?) – “I sort of try to not think too much about that stuff come game day. It usually is sort of ingraining it through the week and certain plays have a little bit of a different kind of timing, so you might want to hit, even if it’s maybe a five-step drop, something maybe times out a little bit different off of some kind of play-action or straight drop-back or a route depth, or if the guy is pressed to cut it a little short so you have to be ready with your feet. A lot of that is seeing our game plan, mapping it out, and saying anything I need to do special this week, drill it out in practice and once I come to the game, I try not to think about those things and just hope that it sort of just – your body will understand it.”
(Have you at all kept an eye – I’m sure as a football fan you have – on those other quarterbacks from last year? It hasn’t been smooth sailing from mononucleosis for Sam Darnold to Baker Mayfield’s ups and downs and all of that. Have you kind of kept tabs on them?) – “Yeah, I am always watching around the league to see how certain guys are playing; but football is really hard, especially in the NFL. There aren’t really any other leagues, so the best of the best is playing in this one. It is really hard, so I mean we are all working and we are all trying to improve and I think in today’s day and age, we are very short-term focused and sort of drastic and abrupt and (have) quick opinions on things when really it is sort of about a body of work. I think we are in the process of building that body of work and in that body of work I think a lot is sort of someone’s mental fortitude to be able to stay steady even though all of you guys are reacting very aggressively to short-term ups and downs.”
(Well let me continue about that then. I’m not trying to be a jerk here, seriously. But you know with your guys’ record this season, you could end up with a high draft pick next season. Do you think about that? Do you think that you are a part of the future of this organization and is that something that has been brought up to you by other people or are you aware of what could happen in the draft?) – “I mean, I don’t think about it too much; but I am aware of it. The way I am sort of approaching this year is I feel like I am really just trying out for the team. I feel like I am auditioning and I am trying to put my best foot forward and prove to everyone upstairs and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (General Manager) Mr. (Chris) Grier that I am the man moving forward. It is not like what you would – I don’t know, it’s a different circumstance than a lot of other quarterbacks have been put in; but it is the one that I have been given and I am taking it in full stride and I am excited to hopefully prove over these next 12 more weeks that I am their guy moving forward.”
(Is that what you think the window is – 12 more weeks? Or do you think it could extend beyond that?) – “I don’t know.”
(For the try out I mean.) – “Maybe. If I play well enough over these 12 (weeks), then hopefully they will make the decision; but if – technically, it is never over essentially, but I don’t know. It depends. I could be here seven (years and) after six good years and they could be like, ‘yeah, we are done with you.’”
(Can you put into words what a win would mean to this team?) – “Just sort of joy – life. I think it is tough coming in after a Monday and sitting in that team meeting and just – everything is just easier with a win. It just brings some of the joy back into the game. It makes you a little bit more – one percent, two percent – more excited to go to work every day, maybe a little more. It is kind of that extra little juice that keeps you coming back. It is the – yeah, I guess just sort of a spurt of life or I don’t know the right term for it, but yeah.”
(You played four playoff teams the first four weeks of the season – playoff teams from last year– and winning organizations even this year. This week, you are playing a winless team that just fired its coach. Do you – the Miami Dolphins – feel like this is a bigger opportunity, a better opportunity to come out with a win than the previous games?) – “Yeah, absolutely; but that doesn’t really change our approach. It is not like we weren’t really trying for those first four games and are going to put extra in now. I didn’t mean that in any sort of sarcastic way, but it’s just that every week, you are going to give it your all because even our roster is turning over a little bit less the last four weeks. So everyone really is sort of busting their butt and putting everything they have into every week. It is not like our approach is going to change based off of the probability of winning. So, we are going to – banged up, bruised – we are not feeling sorry for ourselves. Yes, no, we are going to put everything we have into the next 12 weeks we have got.”
Raekwon McMillan – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(Are you feeling any faster? Does losing a little weight make enough of a difference to feel faster?) – “Yeah, for sure. You feel a little bit more agile. The body feels better. Rolling into the week it’s just in better conditioning. Overall, (I’m) just playing better.”
(Want to ask you about QB Dwayne Haskins. How well do you know him?) – “I helped recruit Haskins to Ohio State. He’s a good kid – very talented, very, very talented. Hopefully he gets another opportunity. He came in, he had a rough game coming out; but hopefully he turns it up these next couple games.”
(What was the recruitment process like with him? What do you remember?) – “He was coming out of Maryland. He had a lot of guys after him. I think his top schools were like Maryland and Ohio State and we were trying to get him out of home to come to Ohio State and he came. He was on the scout team when I was there. J.T. (Barrett) and Cardale (Jones) were the quarterbacks. He always gave us problems as a scout team quarterback.”
(So if it weren’t for you, QB Dwayne Haskins wouldn’t have been at Ohio State?) – “No, I’m not going to say all of that. (laughter). It was a group effort to get him to Ohio State. He did a great job. He was a Heisman runner up.”
(What do you think is one quality about QB Dwayne Haskins that stands out from most?) – “His arm strength. He knows what he’s doing with the ball. He’s a quarterback at heart. A great leader. He is going to develop over time for him to be that guy for the organization that they want him to be. All props to him. He’s done great for his career and hopefully he does the same thing in the NFL.”
Bobby McCain – October 9, 2019
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
S Bobby McCain
(The question is, how are you doing? Are you feeling good?) – “Yeah, (I am) feeling good. (I am) feeling healthy. I’m ready to get back out there and help get a win.”
(I guess for most guys, the bye week is always good. For you it came especially at a good time?) – “Yeah, it came really good. I just tried to have a little maintenance on some things, a couple things on the body just to make sure we’re all right. We’ve got 11 or 12 straight weeks, so it’s going to be tough. We’re healthy, feeling good. I’m feeling well. We can go into it.”
(What did you see from the sideline just being able to watch?) – “I saw some good things. I saw some bad things as well. Defensively, we’ve got to be better tacklers. Just as a team, we’ve got to bring more energy when guys make plays. That’s understandable when you’re 0-4 and everything; but still, you’ve got a job to do, so we’ve got to bring more energy and we’ll bring that.”
(You have to be a confident person to play in this league and to make it this far. Can confidence wane when the results aren’t coming?) – “They can but I’m a strong-minded person. You’ve just got to be patient, take it one play at a time, one day at a time and one game at a time, and prepare every week like it’s your last because you never know in this league. It could be, so just preparing. That’s where confidence comes from – preparing.”
(It’s funny you say that because your quarterback said he feels like he’s on a tryout every week, like it’s a 12-week tryout from here on in. Could that be a bad thing maybe for some guys to think that way where they’re kind of looking over their shoulders?) – “It just depends. At some point in the game, you’ve got to just stop listening to people and just play the game. When the ball is snapped, no one’s going to be out there helping you. It’s just going to be you doing your job, playing your role, so whatever it takes to get yourself going, whatever it takes to get this team going, just making sure you execute, that’s what we’ll do.”
(How dangerous is a team that comes in when their coach has been fired?) – “Yeah, they’re dangerous and they’ve got good players. It’s the NFL. How I see it, I could care less what a team’s record is. I know they’ve got good players because it’s the National Football League, and you wouldn’t be in the National Football League if you weren’t any good. My rookie year, my coach – Coach Philbin – was fired and we went on like a (two)-game win streak right after that. They’re going to be fired up. It’s going to be like they hit refresh and they’re going to feel like it’s brand new for them; but we’ve just got to come in, put the fire out and try to get a win.”
(I think they said Redskins QB Case Keenum is going to be the guy. Does it matter who the guy is back there? How do you get ready for a team when they have multiple quarterbacks?) – “They have three good quarterbacks – two guys that have been in the league for a minute and played roles pretty well – (Case) Keenum and (Colt) McCoy – and the rookie in (Dwayne) Haskins. We have a game plan for all three. Whoever they roll out there with them, that’s what we’ll do.”
(The offense and the defense have both been struggling here. How much would it help for either of those units to kind of get it going? A couple of takeaways, how much would that help the offense? A couple quick touchdowns give everybody a lift?) – “Yeah, that would be big. Defensively, we haven’t been taking the ball. We haven’t been turning the ball over like we should have. We’ll definitely put an emphasis on that this week. Offensively, scoring touchdowns – that’ll help. Defensively, getting stops – we’ve got to get off the field on third down. That’s what’s really hurting us because if you don’t get off the field on third down, it keeps the drives going. It keeps the possession longer. It keeps your big boys up front more tired, and you’re in the back and you’re just chasing everybody all over the place; so we’ve got to get off the field on third down. That’ll help and (getting) red zone stops – that’ll help, too.”
(So the idea that success can be contagious, right, if one unit can get it going?) – “One-hundred percent. You definitely can feed off each other. The offense can feed off defense, and the main thing that people don’t talk about is the kicking game. Special teams – you can feed off that tremendously. If you get a turnover or a touchdown on special teams, it’ll change the game completely.”
(You’re back this week. You’re feeling fully back?) – “Yep.”
Brian Flores – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about interacting with fans and I know that you’ve been busy obviously; but during this season, have you had a chance to interact with fans whether it’s at one of your kids’ sporting events or pumping gas? And if so, what have they said to you?) – “I’ve had a lot of really good interactions with the fans here. All positive. I was at my kid’s flag football game the other day, and that was fun. (We) took some pictures. My interactions have been really positive. We’ve got great fans here in South Florida, really just Dolphins fans from South Florida, from Florida, from really all over the country, I would say. They love this team and I love that about them. My interactions have been great. Hopefully I continue to have more.”
(Have any of them questioned how well this season has gone, or have they kind of stayed away from that?) – “Everything has been positive. Everything is – I’ve had a lot of good conversations and again, when I interact with people, I try to ask them more about themselves than about what’s going on with me or the team. Everything has been positive.”
(How do you approach with the team – at any time – the fact that polls show many fans want the team to lose?) – “Our focus is really on the improvement and really trying to win the day – win the meeting, win the walkthrough, win the practice. I don’t – we don’t – really put much energy into any polls or any reports or anything of that nature. We just kind of try to focus on our specific job. The rest of that really doesn’t matter, to be quite honest.”
(Are you considering any lineup changes after the bye? Did you consider at any or multiple positions changing players?) – “Yeah, we considered really lineup changes across the board. As a staff, we evaluated every position, every grouping, every player, every coach, everything. Everything was considered and again, always in the best interest of the team positionally, from a play-time standpoint, from a production standpoint, I would say. We evaluate it all and we’re going to try to get the best guys out there.”
(Are there are going to be changes? I wouldn’t expect you to disclose what, but will there be lineup changes that we’ll all see on Sunday?) – “I think there’ll be – I think there are lineup changes every week based on the opponent and how we need to play a specific opponent. This week we’re playing against a talented group. They’re really good up front, defensively. They’ve got obviously ball hawks in the secondary, guys who can rush, guys who can stop the run. Offensively, they’ve got obviously one of the best backs I would say of all time (in Adrian Peterson) and some other backs behind him and good young receivers and good players on the offensive line. We’ve got a tough test ahead of us. We’ll try to put guys in the best position to play against this team.”
(What’s the approach at quarterback? Is that a settled thing, or are you going week-by-week…?) – “You’re a Yankee fan?”
(Oh, yeah.) – “Oh really? Wow. Okay, I didn’t know that.”
(You’re a Mets fan, right?) – “Yeah, I am.” (laughter)
(So is that a settled thing, or are you going week-to-week with that or feel? What’s the approach?) – “Quarterback, you asked?”
(The quarterback.) – “It’s settled. I like where Josh (Rosen) is. I think he’s improving on a week-to-week basis. I think he’s a young, talented player, and I think he needs to get in there and develop and get reps and just improve. I think if we could – when he’s scrambling and if he can throw the ball away, that would be an improvement. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and hopefully if I say it to you guys, maybe he’ll listen, but that’s something – amongst a lot of other things. Just decision-making, accuracy and making good decisions. I like where Josh (Rosen) is and hopefully he just continues to improve today, tomorrow and over the course of the season.”
(Have you had a stronger hand in the game plan in the last couple of weeks? Is there anything that you’ve really asserted yourself in more? Any changes that you want to see game plan-wise?) – “I try to assert myself really, every week in all phases. I watch all the film and say, ‘hey, here are some things that I feel like we should attack. Here are some things that I think they’re going to attack.’ In-game, you can kind of get a feel for how a team wants to play us, so you’ve got to make adjustments from that standpoint as well. Every week, I’ve got things I want to do offensively, defensively and in the kicking game; but I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff. We tend to see things really, ultimately, the same way, and we’ve just got to try to go out there, practice it the way we think it’s going to go and then hopefully execute in the game.”
(One thing we’ve heard from some of your coaches – I know Tight Ends Coach George Godsey has said this and others have: “We want to put players in positions to do what they do best. As it pertains to LB Raekwon McMillan, he’s obviously very good against the run. He’s struggled at times against the pass. Do you want to give him another in-game opportunity – as opposed to just practice – just to see over a substantial body of work, even if it’s just one or two games – how he does against the pass to see if that area is something he’s shored up?) – “I think – look, we have no idea; if I knew every time it was going to be a run or every time it was going to be a pass, I’d be a much better coach. I think any coach would tell you that. Ultimately, the reps that Raekwon gets, he’s going to be in there for some pass plays, so I think that kind of takes care of itself. I think he’s done a good job with those reps in the pass game. That’s the kind of body of work we go off of. He has shown a lot of improvement. Obviously he was dinged up during training camp and has kind of come on these last few weeks. Every guy on this team is going to earn their reps, their snaps, their opportunities to play. I would say he’s in that boat and run, pass, first down, second down, third down, red area, two-minute – we’re going to try to put the best guys out there. I think that’s something every coach – really around the league – is trying to do.”
(How would you assess what CB Eric Rowe has done well and maybe what you know he can do a little better after you evaluated the first four games?) – “I think his communication is good. I think his tackling for the most part has been good. I think he has got to do a better job consistently – have more consistency – from a coverage standpoint. And that is technique at the line of scrimmage, top of the route, there are a few different areas there and I think he knows that. Look, there are some other things going on there too. We have got to rush the passer a little bit better, we have got to have a little bit better disguise, better communication – I mean, you can point to one player but there are 11 guys out there, so – Eric is a professional. He is working at the things he is struggling with, just like all of the rest of our guys, and I think he will improve and get better.”
(You had really high praise for DE Charles Harris in the preseason and we have not seen that production yet show up on the field. Are you pleased with how he has played?) – “I think when you talk about production, I think people think sacks, interceptions and tackles. I think Charles is – he has been in the right spots, been where we want him to be and like everybody else, he has had some tough plays as well. But, when I think of production, I may think of it a little differently than some other people. Are you in the right place? Are you setting the edge when we want you to set the edge? Are you penetrating from a pass rush standpoint when we want you to penetrate? And I think from that standpoint, he has done a lot of good things; but he can always be better. At the end of the day, there have been a couple plays here and there – and it is not just Charles but it is across the board – that we could make that we didn’t, that I feel like we can make. The goal is to make those plays. I think he understands that. We all understand that as a team and it is not just the players, it is the coaches as well. We have to continue to stress the fundamentals and technique and how important those plays are because every play counts. It really does. Every play counts, so we want the right guys out there and everybody has got to take care of their responsibility. If everybody does that, then we should have a good play.”
(Where is WR Preston Williams in his development and is it about where you thought it might be at this point in the season?) – “Preston is getting better every day. I think he has kind of taken that approach since he got here in – I think it was April. He is full of energy, obviously very talented. I think consistency is the key for all the young players and he is no different. Is he where we want him to be? No. Nobody is really where we want them to be; but I think he is on the right path to hopefully become a smart, tough, disciplined, professional receiver in this league. I think he blocks. I think he has to be more consistent catching the football. We say one drop is one too many, one missed tackle is one too many, one missed assignment is one too many and I think if we all take that approach as an organization, we will be on the right path. So from that standpoint, I would say yes he is; but he has a long way to go.”
(The rookie quarterback on the other team this week that you guys evaluated and decided not to draft, what were your thoughts on him during that process and through his limited action this season?) – “Very talented. Big arm. Gifted. He had a great year a year ago and he is a talented player, a very talented player. I have watched a lot of his film. We may or may not see him this week. We are trying to get ready for everyone; but I think he has a bright future ahead of him.”
(If I could ask kind of a philosophical question going back to that DE Charles Harris thing, isn’t a player being in the right place and using the right technique – isn’t that the minimum? That’s, that’s – anybody can do that, right? I mean you need them to make plays.) – “I kind of hear what you are saying and it somewhat makes sense but when you’ve got a 320-pound guy coming at you and we are asking you to set the edge and lock them out with your inside arm – yes, it is the minimum but it is a hard thing to do as well. It is those small details that are the difference between winning and losing a lot of the time and taking care of those things, in my opinion, in my experience, when you take care of all of those little things, those minimum things as you call them, that is when big things happen. When you don’t take care of those minimum things, that is when the big plays or the dropped pass, or not in the right spot, the quarterback and receiver kind of being off, not in sync – so those details I think that some people call minimum or they take for granted, I think those are the things that we really have got to be good at those. The ordinary things that – I think those are the – If we can get that process done more consistently, done right, I think the rest of it will take care of itself. That has been my approach as a coach. I think I may differ from some other people, but I mean it has worked for me.”
(When you are facing a team that is 0-5, how is the challenge of the week different from facing, let’s say the New England Patriots?) – “To me, it is the same. I don’t really look at records. I look at – I am looking at a team and I see a front that is as good as a front we have seen. I am looking at receivers that can take the top off the defense. I am looking at a talented team. Every team – look, this is the National Football League – Every team poses problems and issues and every game is tough, so my approach is the same. We are going to have to play – we are going to have to execute – we are going to have to play smart, disciplined, tough game. We are going to have to take care of all of the little things. We will have to be detailed, play 60 minutes, play together and I don’t really look at records to be honest with you. My focus is on really today and trying to execute the early down and tomorrow will be third down and two-minute and Friday will be red zone. If we can get all of those phases, the detail, all those phases – offense, defense, and the kicking game – if we can get all that done or executed at a good level, at a high level, then the rest of it will take care of itself. That has been my approach.”
