Walt Aikens – September 6, 2019
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Friday, September 6, 2019
S Walt Aikens
(On being named a captain.) – “It’s a lot. Just being a leader on and off the field. We’ve got a lot young guys, as you can see – a lot of new guys, new faces. Just leading these guys in the right direction and trying to be the best special teams unit we can be, the best team we can be, the best defense, offense. Just going out there and doing our jobs.”
(With so many newcomers added to the team this week, how do you sew it all together on special teams?) – “Everybody’s got to learn fast. We’ve been coming in early, trying to get everything together, making sure everybody’s on the same page – just working it out. At the end of the day, it’s football. We’re going to go out there, do our thing and let it show on the field.”
(How much responsibility is on your shoulders to make sure everybody knows their assignment on that unit?) – “A lot. I take pride in my special teams, ever since I got here. We’ve got a lot of ball players out here, a lot of athletes, a lot of nice additions, so we’re just trying to maximize everybody’s ability, so making sure they’re in the right place to do everything. We’re just going to go out there and ball out.”
(Have you ever felt over the last few months that even though you’re really good at your job and you’re a good special teams – you’ve always been a good player – do you sort of have to prove it over again to a new coaching staff?) – “Yeah, for sure, and to my new teammates around me. I let them know that this is what I do. I’m going out there and ball in any aspect of the game, and just lead the way for them and let them follow, and we’ll some bright young stars show up and show out.”
J’Marcus Webb – September 6, 2019
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Friday, September 6, 2019
T J’Marcus Webb
(On Monday after you worked out, what had they told you? Was it ‘we will get back to you, we might have interest?’ How did the last few days go since Monday?) – “You work out and it is early in the morning, tension is high, but I just worked out and they told me that ‘we will get back to you and see what happens this week.’ I keep it optimistic and I came in this morning and just got right to work.”
(How do you feel you can help this team right now?) – “It’s not like I have been sitting at home. I have been with another team and been working hard and you’ve just got to come in at any point in time when you are a veteran and make an impact and I feel like I can make an impact with my experience and my ability to pick up things on the fly.”
(Were you in town the whole time or did you go and come?) – “No, I flew back home and just waited around. When you get that call, you’ve got to definitely make the move when it is your turn.”
(Do you feel you can play left or right tackle?) – “Yeah, I feel like I can play both. When you have to play, that is exactly what you need to do for the team to help the team.”
(You have started 65 NFL games – Is starting still important to you or are you happy at this point to be on an NFL roster after obviously being hurt and missing most of last year?) – “Starting is always the goal in mind. With last season, having to fight back from injury and having a whole offseason to prepare, that is the goal: always being a starter and contributing where you can.”
(Are you ready to play Sunday if asked, considering you just got here today?) – “Well, you know you have got 48 hours of prep time and there is always time for working and studying and I am here to do what they have me to do, which is play when asked. So, hopefully it is ample time to keep studying and communicating the way that this offensive line has been.”
(Did either General Manager Chris Grier or Head Coach Brian Flores tell you when you signed that you would be given an opportunity to compete to start or was that never indicated) – “It was never indicated. You kind of just have to have that mentality.”
(Was the hamstring something that you could’ve come back from last year if the Colts hadn’t put you on injured reserve or was it a serious tear where you couldn’t have played if they hadn’t put you on IR?) – “It is tough to say. Injuries happen all the time. You have to fight back when asked to. Those things vary, but if I would have come back, I would’ve tried to make the same impact as if I was starting. So (it’s a) mindset, really.”
Bobby McCain – September 6, 2019
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Friday, September 6, 2019
S Bobby McCain
(Your reaction to being named a team captain?) – “It’s just an opportunity, and it’s a role that you have to relish in and understand that guys are going to look up to you. It’s not saying all you’ve got to be is a ‘rah-rah guy.’ You’ve just got to do the right things all the time and try your best and give your best effort. It’s greatly appreciated. With myself, ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker), Walt (Aikens) and (Daniel) Kilgore, we’re just trying to lead the way.”
(What does that tell you about what your teammates think of you?) – “I’m guessing they think highly. I hope they think highly of me. (laughter) Just trying to go out – they see the work you put it, and it’s just noticed.”
(With this defense, how do you guys put together a performance that could lead to a victory against the Ravens?) – “You’ve just got to play your role. Do your job. At the end of the day, that’s what this defense is about. You’ve got to do your job and play your responsibility. We know they’ve got some good players over there in Lamar (Jackson) and (Marquise) Brown, Mark Ingram. They’ve got some really good guys over there. At the end of the day, just doing your job. We know there’s going to be a lot of running. We know what they’re capable of, and we know what ‘8’ (Lamar Jackson) is capable of. Everybody playing their role and being in the spots you’re supposed to be in and doing their job – that’s what will get this game won.”
(How happy are you that the regular season finally is here?) – “I’m excited, man. I’m so excited. I’m excited to get going. I’m excited to actually hit somebody and it count. They all mean something. Preseason games and regular season games, they all mean something; but these really count.”
Jerome Baker – September 6, 2019
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Friday, September 6, 2019
LB Jerome Baker
(You were selected a captain in your second year in the league. How significant is that for you?) – “It is a true honor. Just to get chosen by your teammates, that is really an honor. I am definitely grateful. I don’t take it lightly at all.”
(Did that come as a bit of a surprise at all?) – “A little bit. It is always a surprise when your teammates are doing it. I was captain and going out for the coin toss in preseason, but when your teammates finally award you that, it is a great honor. It’s great.”
(What is the responsibility like? How do you make sure you hold this team accountable?) – “Go out there every day and just show the example. Whatever ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) – whatever his message is, I just carry it out to the team. It also means to just go out there and perform. Just do what I have been doing and just try to get better every day.”
Brian Flores – September 6, 2019
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Friday, September 6, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(The thinking in the T J’Marcus Webb signing and also just LB Andrew Van Ginkel to be able to play – he’s eligible obviously to come back in October.) – “J’Marcus Webb is somebody we visited with him earlier in the week, and we felt like he’s a guy who’s got some experience in the league and would help our team, and we decided to go ahead and make that move.”
(How important was it that T J’Marcus Webb is versatile enough to play both tackle spots?) – “I think that’s always important. Versatility is – as we’ve talked about many times – is very important, really across the board on the team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. His ability to play both spots, that definitely helped him and gives him more value.”
(Do you feel like this team has a left tackle that can carry them for 16 games into the season?) – “I feel like we’ve got a lot of good players – guys who work hard and guys who work well together, so I’m excited about the group we have. We’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”
(Should LB Andrew Van Ginkel be able to play this year, physically do you think, will we see him on the field this season?) – “He had a good spring and a good start to training camp. Unfortunately, he had the injury. Right now for him, it’s just to try to improve and get better every day. Whatever happens – however many weeks from now – it’ll happen.”
(Is this an injury that progressed with LB Andrew Van Ginkel, or did it get worse this week during practice?) – “Injuries that occur for a player, we try to keep it private. It was enough that it was necessary to make the move we made. That’s where we’re at with Van Ginkel.”
(Will T J’Marcus Webb be ready for Sunday?) – “We’re going to try to get him as ready as we can. One day of practice – we’ll try to get him ready.”
(Have the captains been selected?) – “Yes, they’ve been selected. (Daniel) Kilgore on offense, Jerome Baker and Bobby McCain on defense and Walt Aikens on special teams.”
(What stood out to you for LB Jerome Baker, being a second-year player, being able to earn that captain spot?) – “It was voted on by his peers. He’s had a really good camp. He’s shown leadership. He’s improved. I’ve seen that, but obviously his peers have seen that, too; and that’s a testament to how he’s grown over the course of these two years – really, one year – and the time over the spring and the summer.”
(Are you ready? Is your team ready?) – “Yeah, we’ll be ready to play Sunday.”
(Do you think you have a good team on your hands?) – “Yes. I think I have a good team. I think I have a good team, but every week is hard in this league. There’s a lot of talent, really across the board. If you prepare the right way, if you take the steps necessary to put yourself in position to play well, that’s what you do and we go out there Sunday, we’ll see what happens.”
(In the past, this heat has been an advantage for the Dolphins at home. Do you guys plan anything game plan-wise for that to be used as an advantage?) – “Whatever the elements are, we’ve got to play in them. Heat, rain – aside from lightning – we’re going to go. These guys are motivated. They’re ready to go. We know we’ve got a great opponent in front of us. The Ravens are a good team. We know that. They’re tough. They’re physical. We’ve got to match their toughness and match their physicality and match their execution. That’s the goal Sunday.”
Christian Wilkins – September 5, 2019
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Wednesday, September 5, 2019
DT Christian Wilkins
(How excited are you for your first game?) – “I’m excited as I have been for every other game in my life, pretty much; but this one is obviously a little different, it being my first game – my first official NFL game. I’m just excited. I’ve just got to prepare every way I do for every game. I can’t get too overexcited or play too emotional or anything like that. I’ve got to play within myself, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
(You come from a national championship to a team that everybody saying is rebuilding and not expecting a lot – not you, though.) – “I feel like as a team, we can win. Outsiders or people who are not in this building create a narrative for us or create that rhetoric for us. It’s all with us and how we work and prepare every day. It’s hot as hell out there and we work every day hard in that sun and everything, too. Me, personally, just because everyone thinks we’re supposed to be this or that, I’m not rolling over for anybody. I’m trying to bring it in and be the best that I can be. I feel like guys around here are definitely trying to be great at what they do and be the best they can be. We’re all pros. We’ve all got a job to do, so if we come with that mindset, who knows where we’ll end up? I’m not promising anything. I just know that we work hard every day in that hot sun out there. Like I said, I don’t plan on rolling over for anybody because other people think something of us. As a team, we can’t allow outsiders to create that narrative for us.”
(You talked earlier – I remember early on – you said that you could bring that championship mentality here. I know you said that early as a rookie. Now that you’ve been through a training camp, that you’ve been through a preseason, how is that been going?) – “I just feel like I’ve got to bring the right mindset every day – just the mindset to get better and make those around me better as well because it’s not just me out there. It’s a team effort. Hopefully just some of my good energy, my positivity will rub off. Like I said, just make all of those around me better. That’s the biggest thing. I just always try to have a good mindset each and every day and get one percent better each and every day.”
(What are people going to see from this defense out there? Obviously, we haven’t seen everything in the preseason, like, you know what I’m saying?) – “I love our defense. I think we’ve got a lot of good guys – guys who work really hard. Just the group – there are good players at every position at every level, too. So just building that chemistry is huge for us and we are getting comfortable playing with one another and just creating a certain level of accountability for one another. That’s really important because that’s what allows the defense to be great.”
(You’ve faced Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson before. What are we in for here?) – “Oh yeah, several times. The kid’s pretty good. It’s weird. You don’t play too many guys like that. Just his ability to – obviously everyone talks about his ability to just run and how great he is with his feet and everything, but he can throw pretty well, too. That’s something that’s very underrated in his game. I think he can really throw the ball, too. He’s not just a runner. He’s definitely so dynamic. I played him twice in college. We thought we were doing well on him, and then all of a sudden, he’ll break a 40-yard run, break a 20-yard run here and there and just looking up, you’re like, ‘dang, he’s really moving the ball.’ He’s a really good player – competitive, wiry, strong. You think you can tackle him. You look at his frame like, ‘oh, he’s a skinny guy.’ But when you try to tackle him, he’s spinning and getting off and breaking tackles left and right. He’s definitely as good as advertised.”
(So your assignment against a guy like that – you’re in the middle. Do you take up guys, let other guys go to work?) – “Really, whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my abilities. Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’m going to try to do my best.”
(How are the abs coming? How’s the big-man body coming?) – “Come on, it’s South Florida. Beach body all year-round. I’m working on that. I’m working on it. It’s getting right. (laughter) I see two packs. I’m trying to get six. I’ve got two right now, so we’re working on the other four.”
(How do you feel about your progress since the start of training camp?) – “I feel pretty good, but I’m never satisfied. That’s just the mindset I try to bring every day. I just feel like I can always get better at something, but I definitely see the improvement which is good, which is encouraging. I’m definitely not where I want to be, not even close to being able to scratch the surface on my potential as a player. There’s just a lot of parts of my game I really want to clean up and get better at. I’m definitely happy with my progress, but still not satisfied.”
(What do you think the anticipation for you is going to be? Your first NFL game, walking out there. You were in a national championship game. Do you feel that same kind of feeling maybe just for the first game?) – “I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. I can’t tell you how I’m going to feel or what it’s going to be like before I get there, but typically you just go about it like any other game. At one point, you’re just like, ‘Okay, this is it. It’s go time.’ I don’t know. We’ll see how I feel, but I’m definitely – like I said, I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. I’m just not trying to build it up too much. I just stay even-keeled throughout the week and just let it all out on Sunday.”
(You’re obviously going to play a big role in this defense right from the start of your NFL career. How much do you enjoy accepting that challenge and that responsibility?) – “I like it. Whatever is thrown at me, I just want to embrace it – the good, bad, the ugly, whatever it is. I just embrace everything that’s thrown my way, so if the team needs me to go out there and play a lot of snaps, I’m just going to embrace it and roll with it. If the team needs me to take fewer snaps – whatever it is – however I can help this team best, I’m all for that. The more I can do, the better, and the more responsibility that I have, I’m just going to embrace it and try to take it and roll with it.”
(Have you gotten used to seeing all those smaller fast guys around you around the defensive line and up in the box there on the defensive side? Have you gotten used to seeing a lot of linebackers and DBs up there with you?) – “Yeah. Shout out to those guys because they can do it, and they can do it pretty well. It’s fun when you can see a guy like Minkah (Fitzpatrick) who’s a safety, come down and lay. Bobby (McCain), too. Playing a lot of … just seeing how he runs around, how he gets after it, it’s great to see. That’s cool to know that you’ve got those kinds of guys behind you. Obviously, you’ve got to do your job and do your job well, but if anything happens to go wrong, it’s good to know we’ve got those boys to back you up.”
(Can you talk about the expectations that you started with at the very beginning here. You played on a championship team, what was the feeling going into that season? Did you know you were a championship-caliber team at that point?) – “Yeah. We knew we were going to be good but we didn’t know how good. We just knew if we got better each and every day and reset our mindset each week, we would be where we were supposed to be at the end of the year. Obviously that is in the past and that is what I was able to do in the past with my team, so I am trying to just keep that same mindset here individually and just get better at what I can control, work on my game and work on my craft. I will be as good of a player as much work I put into it.”
(Right now, we have seen a lot of change in the past few days in this locker room. Where is the confidence level and the expectation level of this team as a whole?) – “Again, I feel like we are all pros. We have jobs to do. We are going to bring it every day. We are going to try to be our best. We are all competitors too. Regardless of the expectations, regardless of no expectations, whatever people we’ve got – we have got great guys like Albert Wilson, who bring the right mindset. (laughter) I just definitely try to bring that mindset.”
(Have you allowed yourself to purchase any luxurious items this summer since you signed your rookie contract?) – “No. I do have a car now. But it’s nothing luxurious. I do have a car, though.”
(When did you get the car?) – “My baby. She’ll be three weeks old on Saturday. I named her Truth.”
(Your alma matter has their first big game this Saturday?) – “First big game? They are all big games. If you lose one and you see how big the games are. (laughter) So, yes I did see their first big game – well, I watched highlights of their first big game against Georgia Tech. So their second big game is against Texas A&M. I am looking forward to that because last week we played a game during (it). I was so mad because I wasn’t even playing in the game too, so I was like ‘Dang, I wish there was a TV in the locker room or something.’ (laughter) I got word at halftime of our game that Clemson was up 28-0, so I was like ‘Okay, my boys are doing good.’”
Charles Harris – September 5, 2019
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Thursday, September 5, 2019
DE Charles Harris
(Do you think this defense really fits well with what you do well as a player?) – “I think it fits everybody. Like I said before, I think the head coach (Brian Flores) and ‘D.C.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) are geniuses at the game, and putting everybody in the right position to be successful. I think that’s all you can ask for as a player, so I think it fits everybody pretty well.”
(What’s your level of excitement heading into the start of a new season?) – “It’s always motivating. I’m ready to go, ready to get to it. Just trying to start it off right and get this thing going.”
(How much film have you looked at of QB Lamar Jackson over there, and the type of danger he could provide?) – “Yeah, we’ve watched plenty of film. We’ve been watching him for a while now. I’m ready to just put it all onto the field and let it all transition. He’s a great guy with his legs and everything. He’s got an arm on him as well. We’re just trying to do the best we can to stop him.”
(What are some of the challenges a quarterback as mobile as QB Lamar Jackson provides?) – “I think people that play the game or don’t play the game, you can just watch him. We all see we’re going to try to contain him and try keeping him in the box – that’s probably the hardest thing. (We have to) make sure we have good rush lanes and things like that. That’s probably the biggest challenge.”
(For a lot of people, their third year is probably their make or break year. How do you view this year for you taking that next step?) – “Doing the best thing I can every single day. I try to do everything the coach wants me to. I’m working hard on the field and try to do what I can.”
(Looking at your first two years, are you pleased with where they were and where you are now? How do you feel about your career just in total?) – “I feel pleased. I really do. I’m just getting better every day. That’s all I can ask for.”
Raekwon McMillan – September 5, 2019
Thursday, September 5, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(What was the toughest part about sitting out and not being able to get out there with your teammates and being part of the grind as you are heading into the season?) – “You just are not out there with your guys. You come to work every day and want to go hard with them; but I wasn’t able to, so I had to sit back and get my body right. Now that I am back, I am going to go out there and try to make up for it.”
(Do you know yet if there are certain situations where you are going to be wearing the headset again with the linebackers?) – “No, I really don’t know yet. I don’t know what is going to happen; but whatever coach says – there is only one guy out there that can have it on so whatever happens, happens. I am all in for it.”
(What did you see from this front seven during the preseason, just getting to watch them? It seems like it is just preseason, but they were creating pressure a little bit more than you guys did last year – just the whole group.) – “I don’t want to speak on last year or anything that happened last year, but I think we definitely came together during the preseason. Game to game (we) progressed and rolling into the season, I think we are getting ready for it.”
(What does DE Charles Harris look like out there? I know they are moving him around, defensive end and playing a little linebacker.) – “Charles is looking real good. He is everything that everybody said he would be. I think he is going to go out there and make plays. He has a chance to be one of the best in the league if he puts it all together.”
