Marion Hobby – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(The first obvious question is your reaction when DT Christian Wilkins was picked?) – “In coaching, you’re in the countdown. You know your pick is coming up. At 10, you say ‘I hope he takes him.’ At 11, ‘I hope they take him.’ At 12, ‘Take him.’ Then at 13, you go ‘Come on.’ You always get excited at that point. As a coach, you’re still watching the draft pretty much and it’s out of your hands a lot of times. You’re just kind of watching it as a fan, what’s going across the screen and what everybody is saying. It was an exciting time.”
(How would you describe DT Christian Wilkins’ personality?) – “Energetic. He’s going to have fun. He’s going to have fun at practice. He’s going to have fun in games. As the media, you’re going to enjoy Christian. The only time I really see him have a bad day is when we didn’t win. Other than that, his energy level, he’s consistent. That’s his personality. That’s the way he’s been since day one.”
(What did you think of his flying shoulder bump into Commissioner Roger Goodell?) – “It didn’t surprise me. I was surprised he didn’t get off the ground very high. (laughter) Roger was kind of surprised a little bit. When I saw his face and the excitement when he was drafted, when he came up and I could see him look up, I knew he was excited about being here too. When he got to speeding up going towards that stage, I said ‘Oh boy. There’s no telling what he’s going to be doing.’ It was good to see some natural enthusiasm. You could tell that he was really happy to be a Dolphin, and we were excited about it as well.”
(Last time we spoke, we talked about how you played for General Manager Chris Grier’s father, Bobby Grier, in New England and you guys have a relationship going back to those days. How much did you and Chris kind of talk about DT Christian Wilkins and his prospects and what kind of kid he is leading up to until you guys drafted him?) – “I’ll tell you what: as a staff, as an organization, we talked about these young men over and over again. Even when we graded them and everybody read their reports, there were a number of eyes that were on them. He knew I had a history with Christian because he used to come through (Clemson) some and he kind of knew who he was. So in writing my report, (I was) just being honest about him, who he was and what kind of person he was. I read in the big meeting just like everybody else did. Then they come down with ‘Do you think this guy can help us?’ ‘Yes.’ Do you put your name on him as a person?’ ‘Yes.’ It was all yes’s. That’s what put it over.”
(What are his strengths on the field?) – “He has a big-time football IQ. He’s a really smart football player. I know you could tell by his academics that he’s really smart, but he can transfer it onto the football field. He’s very athletic. I did coach him as a sophomore. We had an injury and they said ‘We’re going to move Christian to defensive end.’ I’m going ‘He’s 310 pounds. He’ll be out there, he’ll just be a block.’ And I’ll be danged, the sucker came out there the first couple days of practice and he really shocked me with his athletic ability and his awareness on the edge. He ended up getting accolades. He was all-conference at that position. He’s very athletic, he’s very instinctive, his energy level is great. I think I was just really surprised that he could walk out there and play defensive end. He could do it now. He’s already bargaining for everybody to catch the ball. He wants to run the ball. He wants to play tight end. That’s just his personality and he has the natural abilities to do it.”
(We’ve been covering a 4-3 defense around here for a long time. Can you help me understand a little bit about when a player who is 300 pounds, who has often played inside, is now asked to play the outside position on a 3-4? What are the responsibilities? How are they different?) – “That’s where the awareness comes in. Inside sometimes, you can be a bull in a china shop. You just have to knock everybody back and drive, and those mistakes don’t really show up as quickly. On the edge, those mistakes show up really quickly. From the bootlegs and the misdirections and the games that people play with your eyes – a coach used to always tell me if you trick the ends and trick the free safety, you’re going to get a big play. Those guys have to have some awareness to them. They have to play with their eyes, play with their feet, and he can do that. It’s hard. Just like you said, there’s very few that can. It’s almost easier to go from an end to a three-technique than to go from a three-technique to an end, just because of the awareness part of it. The end might take a beating down in there, but the instincts from going inside to outside.”
(When I start watching film – again, I’m not a coach, just layman’s eyes – is it going to be hard for me sometimes to figure out there’s a lot of movement and this guy is inside this play and outside this play, and this guy is standing on this play and hand down on this play. How much confusion should I expect for myself?) – “That’s why (Christian Wilkins) has to study. That’s why coaches, we have to put him in those positions. You have to keep putting him in positions over and over again and don’t give him too much. He’ll let you know – ‘Hey coach, that’s enough.’ Or you’ll see that player start to play slow. You know he’s a fast-twitch player, you know he’s active, and then you still see him play slow. As a coach, you say ‘Maybe we have to back off of him because he’s not playing fast.’ It might be a little too much for him. Then, some guys, when you’re talking to them they’re nodding their head going ‘I got it, I understand it.’ If he’s ever done it before, it makes it a little bit easier. If he’s never done it, then that kind of changes the game. He’s coming from Clemson. Coach (Brent) Venables’ defense is multiple. He’s been in a 3-4, he’s been a head-up nose guard, he’s been a stand-up (end). He’s come from a system where he was asked to do a lot, so I think the transition is going to be easy – not easy, because the guy across from him is better on a week-in and week-out basis.”
(Are you going to go in with him gradually increasing what you ask of DT Christian Wilkins, or because of his high football IQ and the fact that he’s done everything already, that you can pretty much throw him in there and if you want to do that, you can do it from the start?) – “Yeah. I’ll probably give him a hug tonight and tell him welcome here; but pretty much, here’s the playbook. Let’s get it.”
(DT Christian Wilkins said you were real hard on him at the meeting, that you were the hardest. What did you do to this guy in the meeting?) – “I wouldn’t call it hard. I would say just demanding. I’m never going to attack him as a human. I’m never going to attack the character. They say you get what you expect, and what you expect is what you’re coaching. Sometimes, you have to, I guess, speak loudly to get guys to do what you want. Christian, the guy works hard for you. He gives you all kind of effort. He’s yes or no, so he’s very respectful. Mean is not close to the word, but him being a young guy, okay.”
(Did DT Christian Wilkins ever give you a wet willy or pinch your but like he has done to other assistants?) – “Probably. Not the wet willy, no. I’m going to have to talk to him about the wet willy. That’s not good. (laughter) I’m telling you, you’re going to love visiting with him. Watch yourself on the wet willy. (laughter) He’s a fun-loving guy. You can tell (Dabo) Swinney didn’t take it any way (negatively). It’s kind of his personality. I have to smile when I say Christian Wilkins. I just naturally smile, because I know he would come into meeting rooms early in the morning and his personality is good. He’s coming in like he’s been up for four hours – ‘Hey, what’s going on guys?’ I talked to some of the other defensive linemen and said ‘I promise you, you’re going to really like Christian, not just because he can help you on the field, but you’re going to like him as a personality.’”
(What’s your favorite DT Christian Wilkins story?) – “This is the one he hates the most. This is probably when he said I was mean to him. We played the University of Pittsburgh and they kept running the shovel pass. I think they ran it 12 times his way. I think he stopped the last one. He got to the sideline and I told him ‘I think I’m just going to take you out of the game from now on.’ I told him I’ll make him go back to nose guard or something. That’s the only one he reminds me of the most. I forgot all about it, but that’s the one that got to him the most, I believe.”
(I guess you know probably better than others how to get DT Christian Wilkins going and what bothers him?) – “Yeah. That’s the advantage you get when you get them when they’re young. When they’re 18- and 19-years-old, you kind of find those pressure points. Some guys, you yell at them and that motivates them. Some guys, you yell at them and they go in the opposite direction. Some guys, you just keep hitting the remote and it’s just kind of agonizing, just rewind and ‘Alright coach, I get it.’ It’s just different ways of getting guys’ attention. As long as they try to do what you ask them to do. I have to have tough skin, they have to have tough skin, because we’re all still fighting for one goal.”
(Overall, how do you feel about the d-line right now?) – “I’m feeling good. Those guys, they’re working hard for me. They’re trying to do what they’re asked to do. In this phase two, I do a lot of demonstrating, and they’re pretty strong guys. They beat me up a little bit. I think they’re working hard. They’re picking up the system pretty good. We had a good day today of guys knowing what to do, and that’s big – the discipline aspect of it. I’ve been pleased with the work.”
(I’m doing something on the AAF guys who are on this team – DT Joey Mbu. He’s a guy who had been in the NFL. He goes to the AAF. What do you think the AAF did for him? Was it more a confidence thing? Was it more getting snaps?) – “He has to be getting snaps because repetition is the best teacher. These guys hadn’t played since January and this guy has been playing, so he comes in a little bit of better shape. He’s not working out the wrinkles because he’s coming in from a situation where he played a game on Saturday and was here on Thursday. That’s been encouraging. You can see his movements and everything. You can tell that he’s in better ready football shape than he would be if he was just hadn’t played.”
(Do guys along those lines – the AAF guys, undrafted free agents – is this a better opportunity with the Dolphins on defensive line than on other teams?) – “We’re looking for good players. We’re looking for good players that fit what we do, that fit within the scheme that we do. If they’re coming from the AAF, we don’t care. We’ll evaluate them like we did any other free agent. We evaluated them and we thought this guy could fit and does some things good for the Miami Dolphins, so that’s why those guys are here.”
(What have you seen from DE Charles Harris in phase two?) – “Good. He has that big thing on his hand because his wrist is bothering him a little bit, but he’s active. He’s very conscientious of his assignment and what he wants. He’s kind of quiet, but he’ll ask questions and he wants to know what he’s supposed to be doing so he can play fast. I’ve been very encouraged with him and his effort and getting up there in the front. He’s not a loud leader, but I can hear him talking to the other guys, especially when it gets a little hot out there. We’ve been doing a little bit of running and he kind of sticks out a little bit.”
(This might be kind of a weird question, but when you have a guy that can stand up – he can be down or up – does he end up getting coached by both the d-line coach and the linebackers coach or is that guy really just all yours?) – “He gets coached by everybody. That’s one thing that (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores mentioned to me early – and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Patrick) Graham – because we are very multiple. The guys are different per snap. Sometimes (Linebackers) Coach (Rob) Leonard is going to have them. Sometimes I’m going to have them. We always made it clear, we have eight coaches out there. That’s a lot of eyes. If you see somebody’s not doing something right, don’t feel bad about correcting (them). I’m not a corners coach, but if a corner comes up and says ‘Coach, should I be inside leverage on that?,’ just from being in meetings, I should have an idea. Everybody is kind of working together. When you’re multiple like that, like you mentioned, (they are) jumping around.”
(So stretching and drills, how does a guy that can stand up know which group to go with?) – “I tell him ‘Pick your one, get stretched and let’s go.’ He knows. Everything has a depth chart. When you’re multiple, in this package you’re here, in this package you’re here. This is the NFL: the best of the best, the smartest of the smartest, the best of the best.”
(What’s your best DT Christian Wilkins story?) – “He has some good ones. He has some that I’m sure he doesn’t want me to mention. He has some embarrassing ones too. I think we played Pittsburgh. They ran the same play at him 12 times and he only made one play on it. I got on him about it afterwards, told him I was going to move him back to nose guard.”
(Did you remind DT Christian Wilkins about that after you drafted him?) – “He reminded me of it. He was like ‘Remember that time?’ I said ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right.’ I said ‘You missed it 12 times, didn’t you?’ He said ‘Yeah, I remember that.’ His energy level is going to run from practice to the game. He is what you see. He comes from a good family. His mother did a great job with him. His coaches have done a great job with him. He understands football. He loves football. I won’t embarrass him, but I have a lot of them (stories).”
Jim Caldwell and Jerry Schuplinski – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Jim Caldwell and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski
Jim Caldwell:
(What are your earliest impressions of QB Josh Rosen so far?) – “I’d probably lump him in with the rest of the group. He works hard. He’s just learning right now. He came here a little bit later than when the other guys got started. But he’s working at it, wouldn’t you say?”
Jerry Schuplinski:
“I’d agree with that. I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s prepared hard. We’re only allowed to meet with him for a certain amount of time each day and I think based on his questions and everything, he seems to be in his playbook and studying. That’s all we can ask right now.”
Jim Caldwell:
(What can you take from QB Josh Rosen’s rookie season and the struggles that he had there with the Cardinals?) – “I think he’s got a clean slate here. He’s in a new system (with) a different group of guys and we’re looking forward.”
(When you watch the film, what traits of QB Josh Rosen’s do you think work well into the offense that you are trying to install?) – “I don’t think there’s any question that he’s a talented guy physically. All of the other parts of the game will come as time goes on and he’s working at it.”
(You’ve worked with a lot of young quarterbacks. How long does it take them to have the game slow down for them in terms of understand and reading coverages and things of that nature?) – “It varies. I’ve been around a while and you don’t ever lump them into categories. You don’t make comparisons because they’re all different. They use what they have and we try to look at them and use their traits and the things that they do well to assist us in moving the ball.”
(I’ve watched QB Josh Rosen’s film going back to UCLA and his rookie season. He looks effective in play-action. I guess that comes from his college background. How much does the fact that he has a background in play-action and behind center help in his development?) – “I think it’s one of those things that this league is different. This league is different in a lot of different aspects because one’s familiarity in college does not necessarily translate. I can tell you that he’s working at everything that we have asked him to do and I think he’s progressing.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(QB Josh Rosen is known as a cerebral quarterback as well. What have you seen from him in terms of his ability to absorb what you’re telling him as well as questions that he might be asking you to fully grasp everything, not just what you are doing but why you are doing it?) – “I would just say that as a whole, we’re pretty happy about our room. I think they’re all working hard – Ryan (Fitzpatrick), Jake (Rudock) and Josh (Rosen). It’s a really good group, so you’ve got to be on your game to come in and present information to them because they’re going to have a lot of good questions as a whole. Josh is included in that. I can just tell those guys are studying hard and working hard at everything that we ask them to do and they’re prepared. You can kind of see the look in their face. If you’re going through something and they kind of turn their heads a little bit, you know the question is coming. I think that’s a sign of them just wanting to be sure and wanting to make sure that they’ve got everything down.”
(QB Josh Rosen was a quarterback who was sacked 45 times last year – a big number. Is there a certain balancing act that you guys as coaches have in terms of maybe – for lack of a better term – building up confidence in a guy as young as Josh after what he went through?) – “I think Jim (Caldwell) kind of hit it on the head in general with Josh when he said once he got here, that’s what we’re working with. So what happened with him in the past – college or pro – he’s kind of got a clean slate here. I think just in general, with every guy, we’re trying to … The best thing that you can do to build confidence is get your nose in the playbook and learn the system. It allows you to play faster, slow the game down and that’s probably the biggest things that they can do.”
(In your experience in evaluating a player at quarterback, how much does his rookie season tell you about his potential capabilities and that kind of thing, and how much is it just kind of scratching the surface?) – “Certainly looking at (Josh Rosen) in college and some of his stuff last year, it’s hard to answer that in total because we’re not exactly sure what they’re always telling him or asking him or what his responsibilities are in that offense. So in order to get a full complement of what he can do, we kind of want to judge him in our system I would say, first and foremost. And what else were you asking about that?”
(So you throw that out. How much does it tell you about a guy to see him play as a rookie? There’s so much of a learning curve it seems like at that position in particular.) – “I think experience is a good thing. So the fact that (Josh Rosen) got to have the experience that he did on this level is a really good thing for him, in terms of kind of understanding the speed of the game and all of that. But other than that, I don’t know. We like his physical skillset and that’s part of the reason that he’s here to come in and compete with the rest of the guys.”
Jim Caldwell:
(And what are your thoughts about that?) – “I think overall, you have to look at their whole body of work. In this league, you can find guys that have a great year one year and they disappear literally the next. It’s the body of work over an extended period of time. So (Josh Rosen) has just been through his first year, so he’s working at it and he’s obviously trying to put himself to be in position to have a little bit of a better year than last year.”
(What do you see in QB Josh Rosen specifically that makes you think you can work with this guy?) – “I don’t think it’s any secret that he has talent. Obviously he has physical talent but he’s also very smart. Any time you have a guy that has those kind of characteristics, it’s a good thing. But also, you have to keep in mind that everybody in that room has it as well. Obviously ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been around a long time. He’s a smart guy that works at it. Jake (Rudock) is the same way. He’s been working at it and been in the league a little bit. It’s a great room in that regard. Jerry (Schuplinski) and I have an unusual opportunity to coach three really smart guys that have ability. But we all have a long way to go.”
(When you’re having this competition with your quarterbacks, is there a concern about getting them equal time with the same weaponry or developing chemistry with players like WR Kenny Stills or that nature?) – “I think that one of the things that we try to do is we try to get each and every guy as good as we possibly can, whatever that takes. Sometimes it varies but overall, I think they’re doing a good job of competing. They’re working at it. They’re being evaluated, obviously, on every snap. And I think they enjoy that challenge.”
(In terms of an evaluation, for an offensive lineman, we don’t really know. That’s the bottom line.) – “Are you saying we because you used to be an offensive lineman? Or we as reporters? (laughter)”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(No. I don’t know. I have no idea. There’s stuff that offensive linemen could be doing that I don’t see. But with a quarterback, kind of everybody sees. Is it going to be as simple as whoever plays better, that’s the guy? Or are there other factors that you’ll be evaluating to decide?) – “First and foremost, we’re just trying to get each guy better in our offense right now. That’s the understanding, that’s the mental part of it. I think that’s a process that takes time, certainly in OTAs and training camp. We’re excited to get to OTAs next week for all of those guys to see what they can do. I think they’ll all be working in with similar guys and getting pretty much equal reps with everybody. Then, eventually, we’ll just see how they develop and how they go. I think we’ll probably let the process come to us and see who is playing well.”
Jim Caldwell:
(And what role do intangibles play? Leadership, how guys respond to a guy and stuff like that?) – “I think that’s really all part of it. I think (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores will take a look at that and make some determination. (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) will as well, as you look for guys that best reflect what we want to do and are able to get it done. The intangibles are important. All three guys are obviously quality people that are smart people and that are very capable physically. So we have a great group to work with and a lot of competition.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(Do you guys go in with a plan and then maybe you see something from a guy and think you might be able to do some different things? I’m sure before you picked up QB Josh Rosen, there was a certain plan in place for the offense. How much does it change depending on which guy is in there?) – “I think right now, in this phase, especially being a new staff, we’re really just trying to focus on installing the core concepts of our system: protections, schemes, run game and basic information. That’s what is really important right now. Then, as we get developing here in the next couple of weeks, maybe some of that starts to take shape like ‘this guy can do this a little bit; this guy can do that a little bit.’ Then we’ll start to build it. That’s probably more game-plan-specific I would say.”
Jim Caldwell:
(You’ve been around quarterbacks a long time. When you first see a guy, like in QB Josh Rosen’s case, does something jump off right away when you see him? Most of the time with quarterbacks, you’ll see something right away that you can say ‘Okay, here’s a different little niche.’) – “One of the things about the National Football League is the fact that you have so many different types of quarterbacks that play in this league, and they all have something unique about them. There’s a uniqueness that I think makes a difference for them, and everybody has their own characteristics. As we mentioned before, just talking about all of the quarterbacks in that room, they’re smart. They have physical talent and they’re working at really the core concepts of what we’re trying to get taught and what we’re trying to improve, to put themselves in the best possible position to compete.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(How far along are the quarterbacks in terms of learning your playbook and QB Josh Rosen coming along later in the game, compared to the other guys. Has he caught up? Where is he in that?) – “I think he’s in the process of catching up. He’s certainly not caught up to everybody probably quite yet; but I think we took the right approach with that. I don’t think he’s going to catch up in a week-and-a-half’s time. But if we take a little bit of a longer view, hopefully in the next couple of weeks he’s there. You can certainly see signs of progress.”
(Part of the reason I asked is I think I saw a reference where one of QB Josh Rosen’s teammates at UCLA said he learned the playbook in like three days over there.) – “Yeah, I haven’t seen that (quote) but he’s doing a good job so far.”
Chad O’Shea – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(As far as the QB Josh Rosen acquisition goes, what was your role in helping Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier come to this move and how you guys move forward with this?) – “Our role as a coaching staff is to evaluate everyone through the entire process. There are other positons, obviously, that we evaluated through the process. Josh Rosen and the quarterback position was one of many that we went through. The staff did a great job of evaluating the players we feel like can come help our football team and can contribute. Not only at the quarterback positon, but there was many other positions that our guys were heavily involved in that did a great job. We spent a lot of time and a lot of work in acquiring players that we think can help our team.”
(What excites you about getting a guy in QB Josh Rosen who already has a year of experience and is still super young. What excites you about a type of guy like that at the quarterback position?) – “I think, again, at all positions, whenever you can acquire a player that has talent and some ability, that it’s encouraging for all of us. That’s our job as coaches. Our personnel department has done a great job of putting together a roster that’s going to be competitive. I think it’s important to add competition to the roster. The quarterback position is just one of many that we’ve been fortunate to add competition (to). I think competition is going to bring the best out of this football team. I certainly think our personnel department led by Chris Grier has done a wonderful job of giving us the opportunity as a coaching staff to have a very competitive spring.”
(How much does getting the right quarterback accelerate the whole process of this offense coming together?) – “I think that there are a lot of positions on this offense that are very important. Obviously, the quarterback position is an important part of it, but there are certainly other positons that are equally important. They really are. That’s what I think is great about our roster right now is that I think we have competition. I think we have competition at the quarterback spot. That’s a spot that you really have a good group of guys right now. The veteran – Ryan Fitzpatrick – I can’t say enough about Ryan and what he’s done. He’s come in our building and he’s provided great leadership. He’s obviously provided a veteran presence and he has certainly embraced everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s also embraced the competition at the positon just as all of the other quarterbacks have done. I think between Jake (Rudock), Josh and Ryan, they’ve really done everything we’ve asked them to do. They’ve worked hard. Their goal is to improve every day and try to help this team win.”
(But how much does getting the right quarterback accelerate…?) – “I think the quarterback is an important part of it, but I don’t want to say that the other positions aren’t as important. They are. And there are a lot of positions right now on our roster that have a lot of competition. Certainly the quarterback position, we were fortunate to add a player recently in Josh that adds competition. I think that, again, any time you can add competition to the team, that’s the goal.”
(How do you go about managing the quarterback competition situation differently than an undisputed incumbent starter?) – “I think that whenever you have a competitive situation at any position, what’s going to speak for itself is their performance on the field. They’ll basically get what they earn and that’s true of our entire roster. We always tell the players that what your role is, is going to be based off of what you do on the practice field and how you perform. That’s true of the quarterback position, too. Again, this is a very competitive situation in that we have options at the positon. We have three guys in the room that are working very hard. We’re very pleased with their work ethic. We’re very pleased with their overall attitude and what they brought this spring and we’re excited to see them this spring.”
(Before the trade, did you meet QB Josh Rosen beforehand and who were some people or coaches that you may have spoken to?) – “Whenever we have an interest in a player – and obviously we didn’t have any contact prior to him being here – whenever there’s a player that we’re involved in, it’s an evaluation. We try to do our homework and reach out to as many people as we might have mutual contacts with and relationships and try to be as thorough as we can in the evaluation process. Again, that’s true of any draft pick, that’s true of anybody in free agency, not just the Josh Rosen satiation. But I think we’re all fortunate to have relationships in this league of people that we trust, who we can lean on, to provide us information on players throughout the draft process or the free agency process. I think that that’s helpful in our evaluation. And again, our personnel department has done a great job of being very thorough in everything they’ve done since we’ve been here as a coaching staff.”
(Was there anything in particular or a number of factors that you heard from other people that made you feel comfortable with pursuing QB Josh Rosen and having him in this role?) – “I think that there’s … There’s a number of factors, again, involved in the evaluation of every player that we currently have on our roster, especially just the ones we just acquired. It’s a process that you have the be thorough, detailed, and that why again we’re fortunate enough to have the personnel department led by Chris (Grier) and they’ve done a great job of really giving us some players on this roster that it’s going to be a very competitive team at a lot of positions.”
(What did you see specifically in QB Josh Rosen throughout that evaluation process that you thought “Man, we can work with this?”) – “Josh definitely brings some strengths. He is a player that’s played in this league already one year. I think that anytime you can acquire a player that has ability at any positon and has played in the league, and as young as he is, I think that’s very attractive to us. Josh is certainly within a short period of time that we’ve had to work with him, he’s come in and really worked hard. He’s tried to learn the offense as much as he can. He’s done a good job in that area. He’s got a long way to go as do our players as we start our spring practice. We have a long way to go. I think the goal for him is to work hard, put the team first and try to improve every day. (That is) no different than any of our other players.”
(You’re responsible for the entire offense, but how hands on are you going to be with the quarterbacks?) – “We’re very fortunate. We have a very good coaching staff. We have a couple guys working with the quarterbacks I think are really doing a great job and we’re very fortunate to have here in (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Coach) Jim Caldwell and (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry Schuplinski. Those two work directly with Josh (Rosen) on a daily basis. They spend the allotted time we can spend with them; they spend (time) with him as much as they can and I can’t say enough about their work in this area with this particular position. They’ve done a great job. Again, I’m very fortunate as the offensive coordinator to have a great staff and those two guys are doing a great job working with Ryan (Fitzpatrick), Jake (Rudock) and Josh (Rosen).”
(Can I take you back in time a little bit? Your father was a trainer at the University of Miami. You were a kid playing football in the Orange Bowl parking lot?) – “Yeah, you got it.”
(How old were you then? What do you remember about that?) – “I never missed a game. From 1979 through the 1984 season, I didn’t miss a home game at the Orange Bowl. My dad was the athletic trainer there for Coach (Howard) Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson for one year in 1984. I have very great memories of being there on game day in the Orange Bowl.”
(Were you playing pickup games in the parking lot?) – “Oh yeah. On the grass parking lot as we all know it at the old Orange Bowl.”
(How many kids?) – “It was as many kids as we had on the coaching staff at the time. Clay Helton was one of them. He’s now the head coach at USC. His father was on staff at the time. I have a lot of great memories from those days. It was really a great memory. I had an opportunity to go out to the Marlins game recently here and just to be there where the Orange Bowl was, was really a neat experience. I have great memories of this city and great memories of the University of Miami and Coach Schnellenberger.”
(How old were you then?) – “I was 7 to 12.”
(What were your dreams then?) – “The dream was to be the quarterback at the University of Miami and play for Coach Schnellenberger. (laughter) But I only grew as tall as 5-foot-11 and 3/4 (of an inch so) I went another path. I have a lot of respect for the University of Miami. I have a lot of respect for Miami. I obviously have great, great memories of the Orange Bowl and great memories of the great players that got that program started. I was fortunate to be a kid growing up at a time where I could wear a Jim Kelly jersey, a (Bernie) Kosar jersey and a (Vinny) Testaverde jersey all at once. That, to me, is pretty special.”
(It’s strange how your life has evolved and you’re back here now.) – “It is. I’ve been very fortunate to be back.”
(When you have a veteran guy or a second-year guy, how much does the offense change depending on which guy is there?) – “I think that the good thing about this offense that we’ve tried to put in place is it has flexibility and it’s always going to try to play to the strengths of the player. I think that obviously the quarterback positon is as important as anybody in the offense as far as their strengths and how they fit within the offense. I think flexibility in the system has really been helpful to us and is allowing us to identify what our team does best. Certainly, we have three quarterbacks on the roster that I feel like all have strengths and it’s going to be competitive. But yeah, it definitely has a lot to do with the offense and the offense has a lot to do with the quarterback.”
(I was trying to think of similarities between QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s skillset and QB Josh Rosen’s skillset. I’m not a football coach, so you tell me if this is fair: ability to feel some pressure and move within the pocket to avoid a sack or pressure, is that fair? Can you tell me about if you agree with that?) – “Speaking of Ryan, I think that Ryan has been a player in this league that has been respected and one of the areas he’s respected in is his ability to play well within the pocket. I think that’s something that is important for a quarterback is his ability to play within the pocket. Ryan certainly does a lot of things really well. (He is) super intelligent, but his movement in the pocket and what he can accomplish there and having the courage to stand up when the rush is near. He certainly has done that throughout his career and that’s one of the things we’re excited about (with) Ryan among other things we’re excited about (with) Ryan.”
(I made a joke on Twitter about how I’d like to see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB Josh Rosen and QB Jake Rudock on Jeopardy. It’s a smart group.) – “I would say this is a very intelligent quarterback room, one of which we’re very fortunate to have. I think that intelligence is obviously very important to the positon. When you can have three guys that are as smart as they are, I think it really allows you to have flexibility in the offense and allows you to function and really utilize the strengths of the other positons because your quarterback can function mentally.”
(You had a future Hall of Famer there in New England in QB Tom Brady, but you also had some other talented guys come through. Was there still an element of competition in practices at the quarterback position that you hope to bring here?) – “I truly believe that one of the things we’re really trying to build here is competition and I feel like that we have done that at a lot of positions. Certainly, this is a competitive camp this spring. I really believe that and I look forward to watching. I really do.”
(In New England, I guess there wasn’t much competition as that positon – the quarterback position. What do you look at, at quarterback positon? What stands out to you to say “This is going to be my guy?”) – “I think the first thing is a leader. You want someone that they see as their leader. You want somebody to be the ambassador of your program, to be your flag bearer. Basically somebody that you trust to carry on the message of what your vision is from ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores), from the offensive staff, through the team. So, I think that leadership is very important. I think, obviously, the ability to make good decisions and we stress ball security at all positons, not just the quarterback position. But one of our number one goals is to have good ball security. I think that fundamentals is very important to this position. I think being fundamentally sound and then of course having the ability to put that with the leadership and being fundamentally sound and make good decisions is something that is very necessary.”
(When you watched QB Josh Rosen play last year, what silver-linings did you see in what his struggles were that gave you encouragement?) – “I was encouraged watching him on tape, because I think he dealt with some adversity along the way, which I think all players are going to go through. I think it’s very important that we have players on our roster that can deal with adversity and have mental toughness to push through that. That’s something that we’re evaluating at the quarterback positon right now is where our mental toughness is. I think that we have some guys in the room that I think are going to have some mental toughness, I really do. Obviously, Ryan (Fitzpatrick) has had a lot through his career. He’s dealt with a lot of adversity through his career. It says a lot about him. In the short period of time that Josh has had in the NFL, I think that he’s dealt with some adversity here well and he’ll continue to have to do that to be successful.”
(Did you have a chance to visit with QB Josh Rosen coming out in the pre-draft process or was that not really on your radar?) – “There’s been so many guys we’ve visited with. I don’t want to speak for past organizations or past evaluations or relationships we might’ve had at other places, so I don’t want to speak for that. But I can say that I had an opportunity once he came in here to work with him in the last couple weeks and it’s been a very favorable impression so far and I can’t wait to work with him here moving forward.”
(There has been a little bit made about QB Josh Rosen wanting to know why things are done. How do you, in your experience, deal with players who want to know why versus guys who may just be…?) – “Great question. I think it’s something that’s important. I think players should want to know why. That’s something that we encourage our players as they learn our offense to learn the whys. If they’re really not inquisitive about the whys, then they’re never really conceptually going to understand the offense. I think that Josh is highly intelligent just like Ryan (Fitzpatrick) and Jake (Rudock) are in our quarterback room. Having smart guys in the quarterback room is a good thing. I think those guys aren’t afraid to ask why and we’re not afraid to answer.”
(What type of play-caller are you going to be?) – “I’m going to do whatever is best for the football team on that week. I really mean that. I think we’re going to be flexible enough to be multiple in the offense and always to utilize our player’s strengths. What kind of play-caller am I? I’m basically going to call the plays that I think puts us in the best positon to win and utilize the strengths of our players. Certainly, we’re very encouraged right now with a lot of strengths of our players and they’ve worked really hard here this spring and I’m looking forward to working with them this spring.”
Danny Crossman – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(What will be different with you here with your special teams? Is there anything we would notice or is it all just little technical stuff?) – “It’s all subtleties. What I’m excited about is we have a good group of specialists. If you want to be good in the kicking game, you need good specialists. I don’t care who you are. If you don’t have a good punter, a good kicker, a good return guy, a good snapper – if you don’t have those things, it doesn’t matter what you do. You can scheme (all you want but) we’ve all seen it, a gaping hole and the guy that’s the returner can’t crease it. He gets a 35-yard return on what you’re looking at and you’re like ‘Holy cow, that should be a giant play.’ Or you get in field goal range and you miss.”
(You have guys here, that if the guys you’re talking about go 35 yards then these guys probably go 70?) – “That’s what you want. That’s what gives you a chance between being what everybody is and being really good. When you really struggle with your specialists, (those) are the teams that struggle. If you look at the teams that don’t have good seasons, forget about what they did, just look at what their specialists did. Their punters are probably down near the bottom, their field goal guy missed seven or eight kicks, the return guy didn’t get anything. The good guys can make something out of nothing.”
(Did RB Chandler Cox play special teams at Auburn?) – “He did.”
(Was he good on special teams?) – “Yeah.”
(I would think he would’ve been pretty tough.) – “Yeah. He did some good things.”
(How did you either fall in love with coaching or how did you decide you wanted to do this?) – “Everybody told me when I was playing that I should be a coach. When you’re a player, you think ‘I’m a player.’ It didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t a very good player. (laughter) But I wanted to be involved in the game so I was like ‘There you go.’”
(When was this, when you were in college?) – “Right after college. I bet if you asked every accountant, numbers came easy to him. It was whatever spins your propeller, and that’s what happened with me and football.”
(Did you play special teams as a player?) – “I did, but football spins my propeller.”
(The third-day guys, usually those are the ones that have to be good on special teams to make the team. Did any of them jump out at you when you were watching them?) – “It was a combination. They all did good things. The biggest thing anymore is the college game to the pro game and in the kicking game, it’s so different. I don’t watch a lot of it during the season. I remember the first game I turned on this year, you’re watching somebody kick off and to me, it was a great kickoff. It’s to the 3-yard line with great hang time. I’m like ‘We’re going to get to see a coverage.’ The guy fair catches it and they get the ball on the 25-yard line. The punt game has been different forever because of the sideline-to-sideline spread and the roll-out and the rugby (kicks) and all of the things you do, but at least you had a common denominator in the kickoff return game until this year.”
(So how do you evaluate?) – “It’s hard. You’re always looking for the same thing. You’re looking for guys that play with great energy and they play with what they’re supposed to be. What I mean by that is if you tell me a guy ran a 4.7 (40-yard dash) and when I watch him play, that’s what he looks like he plays. This guy runs 4.7, this guy runs 4.4. But when I put the tape on, the guy that runs 4.7 is in front of the guy that runs 4.4. That guy plays with speed, which means he’s not being slowed down by trying to analyze what’s going on, whereas the 4.4 guy is trying to figure it out. As long as you play to your abilities, we can find a way to play you. I’ve had guys that are 5.0 guys lead the team in tackles because (they have) great instincts. They are what they are. They bring the energy and they bring the enthusiasm and they play to exactly who they are. If you have that, you have a chance.”
(The linebacker you took, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, seems to fit that mold a little bit?) – “Yeah. He has a little length, has some speed and when you watch him run, you’re like ‘I see him running this speed,’ then you see the time speed and that’s what he plays. As long as guys play to what they run, you’re going to be fine because hat means you’re getting the most out of them. I worked for a guy years and years ago, and I still to this day go through the drill of ‘What are we getting out of that guy?’ If we’re only getting 85 percent out of him, either we’re not doing a good job as coaches or he doesn’t know how to give you everything he has. We have to figure that out, either from a coaching standpoint or figure it out and get to the player. I don’t care who you are, if you’re playing to 100 percent of your ability, we’ll figure a way to use you and get something done. But if you’re not maximizing what that player does, either as a coach or if he can’t find a way to do it, we have to find another player.”
(Are you a return-by-committee guy or do you like to have one guy that you send out there every time?) – “It all depends on the make-up of the roster. I’ve had it where it’s been a designated guy and it’s always going to be that guy. I’ve also been on teams where, based on the situation of the game, it’s this guy in this situation, that guy in that situation. It all depends on what we look like in four months. Right now, we haven’t even cracked the book yet.”
(But you’re excited to see WR Jakeem Grant open it up a little bit?) – “Without a doubt. That’s one I am excited to be on the other side of. (laughter)”
(WR Jakeem Grant can move.) – “Yeah, he has great skills.”
Patrick Graham – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(What were your impressions or your first thoughts when you heard DT Christian Wilkins’ name called at No. 13?) – “Excited. Just like any other draft, you’re really excited to get an opportunity to work with these guys and do your best to put them in the right spots to do well out there on the field for practice, rookie minicamp, OTAs and things of that nature. (He’s a) good kid and (I’m) just looking forward to working with him. I’m always happy when it’s a defensive pick. (laughter) I’m definitely looking forward to working with him.”
(Did you have any interaction with DT Christian Wilkins before the draft or was the first time you talked to him was afterwards?) – “We do our best to do research on all of the guys, whether it’s through the game tape, talking on the phone, the Combine or some of the trips and stuff. We get a good feel of the guys. I won’t get into any specifics per se, but we get a good feel of the guys whether it’s me specifically, the position coaches or the scouts.”
(Obviously DT Christian Wilkins has played just about every position on Clemson’s defensive line, which was a hybrid line. I guess that suits you guys well. Do you have a clear definition of what you envision him to be?) – “He was a good college football player. We’re excited about getting him here and teaching him how we want to play football and teaching him how to be a Miami Dolphin. The clear thing is I think he’s going to … Hopefully he does what we need him to do to help us win games. That’s all I can tell you on that. How that’s going to play out, we’ll see. Everybody has to earn their spot out there on that field, especially come Sundays. We’re going to try to maximize the opportunities in practice and the classroom to learn. Whatever spot he’s going to have out there on the field, it’s going to be to help us win games and he’s going to have earned it. That’s the best way I can answer that.”
(Is there a trait with DT Christian Wilkins that stands out the most that you think will help you guys win games?) – “Just like we talked about earlier in this process when you guys first met us, (we want a) selfless guy that’s going to put the team first. That’s one of the things that I’m looking for first. This level, there are a lot of good players and a lot of good athletes. (There are) a lot of guys that could be physical. (There are) a lot of guys that know how to play football. They’ve been playing it for somewhere between eight to 10 years of their life. And they get here and what’s the difference? The difference on the good teams that I’ve been on have been guys that are selfless and put the team first. That’s one of the traits that stuck out to me with them.”
(What about when you saw DT Christian Wilkins on film? What jumped out at you?) – “You can spot that on the film as well, guys that are willing to sacrifice whether it’s certain games in the pass rush, doing the dirty work to free up somebody else (or) playing double teams. Those are all of the things that as I’m watching the tape – before you meet the person and you get a chance to really truly interact with them – that’s what I’m looking for. Is this guy a selfless player that’s going to hold that double team when we need him to hold it? Is he penetrating on the game when he’s really the decoy and we’re trying to free somebody else up? You can see that on tape. He did a good job of all of that stuff. He’s a very versatile player for them. He’s a physical player. He had some good athletic traits that we look at and that we like. A lot of stuff stuck out on film. Again, we have to see how it transfers here to the league and he’ll have to earn everything on the field.”
(In this ‘look at me’ society, how tough is it to find selfless guys that are going to do jobs like that?) – “Are you implying that I’m part of this generation? (laughter) I’m not that young, but I do appreciate that. (laughter) I’m not sure. I don’t know. I’ve been coaching for 18 years now and (have worked with) different personalities. The thing that it comes down to is when they come into the classroom with us – from my experience – these guys all want to get coached, they all want to learn football and our job is to help them get better. I think it’s a privilege to be around these guys. They keep me young. I get to learn different slang and stuff like that. I’m always excited to be around them. The thing I do for them is the same thing my high school coach did for me. I’m honest with them, I give them corrections and then I let them know that I’m going to be on them all of the time until we get it right. I think those guys all cherish that at the end of the day, whether it’s this generation or the generations before. The kids are all the same still, to a certain degree.”
(The challenge of this roster, there’s not a lot of veterans. There are some but there aren’t a lot of seasoned veterans out there.) – “The production on the field is the thing we cherish the most. Whether you have 12 years in or … Nobody remembers last year anyway. Nobody cares. As long as you’re productive within the moment, that’s the stuff we cherish and that’s the stuff that gets rewarded.”
(I know you can’t address every need in the draft but from the outside, we were wondering where the pass rush was going to come from. Where is the pass rush going to come from?) – “The pass rush is going to come from us game-planning it. Just like anything we do on defense, we’re going to try to exploit the weaknesses of the offense. I think whether it’s the pass rush, whether it’s the run defense or the pass defense, those are things that we’ll do collectively, whoever is in that room. Then we’ll decide who we’re going to deploy in the different spots to work the pass rush. The beauty about the pass rush, and I’ve always said this, is it’s very fluid. Everything is very fluid. As you watch it and you try to get an understanding of it, you can take advantage of it in different ways, different shapes, different forms and different people. It doesn’t always have to be the cookie cutter idea that people have of a 6-foot-5, 250 pound whatever who runs a 4.5 (40-yard dash). That doesn’t necessarily mean that’s going to automatically guarantee you pass rush success. To me, pass rush success is us game-planning it, the players executing it and us trying our best to affect the quarterback. It doesn’t necessarily mean sacks. It means affecting the quarterback, throwing lanes, pressure, being around him (and) making him uncomfortable. All of those things go into an effective pass rush. Some of the best pass rush years I’ve coached, we didn’t have that many sacks but I know the quarterback did not feel comfortable back there when we played.”
(Do you feel like there’s enough here to get that done?) – “I always feel there’s enough. I don’t know what to tell you. I always feel like that. When me and my son go out there and we’re playing at the park, if someone wants to line up 11 against us, I feel like we’ve got enough. Let’s go! (laughter) I’m a coach. I feel like we have enough. I feel confident in our coaches to coach those guys to get things done how we want it executed and I feel confident in our players understanding the concepts, understanding what we’re trying to get done and getting 11 guys on the same page. So I always feel there’s enough.”
(Would you welcome more help though?) – “I always feel there’s enough. (laughter)”
(So you feel that DE Charles Harris is a defensive end in this scheme? Obviously you’re going to utilize him differently but he can set the edge in your opinion?) – “I never said that but I feel like Charles Harris is a versatile player in our scheme. When you watch him, there are a lot of traits that show up, whether it’s the speed, the physicality – the stuff we cherish at those positions – the edge, off the ball or inside. (There are) different ways we plan on using people. He has a lot of the traits that we cherish for defensive football players on the field.”
(There’s probably no lack of hunger on this team because guys are probably fighting for everything they’ve got. Do you sense that? How do you sense that?) – “The funny thing about the NFL is whether you are a player, coach, in personnel or whatever – I’m sure for you guys as reporters – because there’s only one football league, there’s 32 teams and they’re only in a certain number of cities, so it’s very competitive. Nobody cares what happened last year. I don’t know if it’s hunger per se, but I hope it’s a sense of urgency. You guys know. Wherever you started … I started at Wagner College and now I’m here but I could quickly be gone from here if I don’t get my job done. It’s the same thing for a beat reporter for the Miami Dolphins. It’s hard to get that job. It’s coveted because there are only 32 teams like this. I don’t know if it’s hunger but I hope it’s a sense of urgency, because I feel it every day. I love that. I love that about my job. I love the coaches holding me to that standard. I feel a sense of urgency from them. I feel a sense of urgency from my head coach. I feel a sense of urgency from my wife to get this thing done. (laughter) I like it.”
(What is it like working for a head coach that was in your position most of the time?) – “It’s been wonderful. (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores has been a dear friend. I cherish his friendship. I cherish our working relationship. He’s always been honest with me. That’s all I can tell you. He’s always been honest with me so whether I’m doing stuff good or bad or whatever, he’s been honest with me. He talks about it with the players in terms of his goal is to make them better versions of themselves. I think he does that with the people around him. I feel like a better man on and off the football field for having known him.”
(What about LB Andrew Van Ginkel, a guy you drafted later on? What have you learned about him since he’s arrived and how likely is it that we can see him contributing as a rookie, especially if you want to go with a 3-4?) – “Van Ginkel was a very successful football player at the college level. He did a lot of things on tape that we liked. What he ends up doing on the field here with the Miami Dolphins, that’s all going to be based on what he earns out there on the field. We’re going to put him in the best spots to take advantage of his physical tools and his mental capability. He’s a smart guy. We haven’t really gotten a chance to see those guys work out or anything yet. Everything starts tomorrow with rookie minicamp, but I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know where it’s going to lead to; but whatever it is, he’s going to earn it and if he’s out there on Sundays, it’s because he deserves too.”
(Let me ask you this question: You’ve got a lot of defensive tackles but no nose. You have a couple of hybrid linebackers but no real proven defensive ends unless you want to consider DE Jonathan Woodard. Where are you going to set the edge?) – “Setting the edge, there’s going to be a bunch of guys that learn to set the edge. There’s going to be a ton of guys to set the edge. You know how it is in the league. The edge comes down to this: you have to get a feel for it. The traditional edge that we grew up knowing of (the offense) lining up in two tight ends and they’re going to run outside, that doesn’t happen that often (anymore). Now they might pull outside, so that brings a whole (different) set of people over there. Setting the edge is really getting a feel for it in terms of being physical at the point (of attack and) proper angles with our bodies. We’re teaching a bunch of guys to learn how to do that. I can’t answer specifics. It could be a safety, it could be a defensive end, it could be an outside linebacker. We have plenty of guys that are learning that spot and learning how to set the edge. I think we’ll be fine. As long as they put in the work and as long as we keep guiding them in the right direction, I think we’ll be fine on that.”
(With your defensive line, you envision that you can have three 300-pounders on the front line and be able to get it done?) – “If the game plan calls for three 300-pounders, (sure). But I can’t say specifics on that. Are we going to have three 300-pounders? I don’t know. I promise you this, whoever we think is the best fit to be out there, we will have somebody responsible for setting the edge. I promise you that. Regardless of who is out on the field – 300-pounders or 200-pounders – we’ll have somebody out there to set the edge because if we don’t set the edge, it’s no different than on offense if the guy holding that ball loses that ball, it’s a problem. There’s no difference in the run game. If the guy setting the edge doesn’t set the edge, they can cut off the other guys on the defense and they can just run around the corner. Our goal is never to have that happen. I promise you that. Our goal is to never have that happen and we work diligently to get those guys to get that done. We’ll do it with whoever is there.”
(Obviously this is a different team than what we’ve seen in the past but that had been consistently the issue here, which is why they’ve had problems stopping the run for the last couple of years.) – “I can’t worry about last year. It’s this year and I know this, we’re working diligently to make sure that the edge is set. That’s just part of playing defensive football. I’m a firm believer in that in terms of defending the run game. Defending the pass game to a certain degree is still setting the edge on the quarterback. That’s something we work on every day.”
(What are your thoughts on pressure? Do you guys feel like twists and stunts are ideal as opposed to just a guy on the edge beating a man one-on-one?) – “I can’t say that. I didn’t say that. (laughter) I feel that we study … The beauty about the league is it’s about the people. We get a chance to study who this left tackle is, who this left guard and who this right guard (are). We get to study the people and then collectively how they play together. What we’re going to try to do is take advantage of their weaknesses. If they can’t handle us straight rushing, we’ll straight rush. If they can’t handle us twisting and all of that stuff, we’re going to twist. But it’s all based on who we’re going against. We do our best to teach both techniques in terms of straight rush and also with the twist game and stuff like that. It’s never a definitive. I don’t go into it (saying) this year we’re going to do this and this game we’re (going to do that). By (the time we) game plan, we will be more specific but we’re so far from that right now. I’m just trying to make sure we get in the huddle, then get in a stance, get ready and make sure that everybody knows the call. That’s what we’re working on right now.”
(How did you fall in love with football or coaching?) – “I would say this: I was flirting with football when I was 5-years old when my older brother was playing a game and they let me score. That was flirting. When did I truly fall in love with football? I would probably say after college – a year after college – when I went into football and decided to make that my career because I realized how much football had given me throughout my life. I think I cut it short. I didn’t give football enough when I was in college. I wasn’t a very good player. I don’t know how serious I was about the game but then I realized that football helped me mature when I was younger, helped me get into Yale and helped me become the man who I am today. I didn’t carry through my part of the bargain and I think every day I’m chasing that, to be honest with you, 18 years later. I think the love comes from the ups and downs from it. I don’t even know if it’s love. It’s more that I value the game, just like I’ve come to the realization that I value my wife (and) I value my mom and dad. It’s no different than a stock – up and down. I found the value in them and I think that’s a stronger word than love. That’s where I’m at now with the game. I value it so much because it’s given me so much.”
(I wanted to just ask you that a lot has been made of the 3-4 and 4-3 thing. Do you feel like it’s important for each player to have a home per se, whether it’s a three-technique player or…?) – “I don’t know about (it being) by position. I think it’s important that they know their role. They know their role and what we’ve done over the few weeks we’ve had these guys, we’ve worked on fundamentals. We’ve worked on technique. We’ve worked on the scheme. But we’ve also been like ‘based on what I’ve learned from you and what I’ve seen from you, here’s a role you can compete for. So understand your role. Now as soon as you start to get a mastery of that role, then you can start to add more valuable to yourself by understanding different roles.’ I think that’s the most important thing and that’s how I’m honest with the guys. ‘Here’s the role I see you in. Compete for that and then once you gain a mastery of that, maybe you expand your role and now you add more value to the team and then you go from there.’”
(Are those roles named roles or do you compare it to players?) – “It could be.”
(I’m not talking specifics, certainly, but would you say “Okay, you can play the LB Kyle Van Noy role or you could play this role?”) – “Well I wasn’t (in New England) with Kyle Van Noy. The roles, I’m sure they have names but I don’t know. (laughter)”
Josh Rosen – April 29, 2019
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Monday, April 29, 2019
QB Josh Rosen
(How would you describe your last three or four months leading up to the trade?) – “I mean probably my last two or three days were pretty hectic, moving and coming over here. But at least for the first three months of this year, (they were) pretty normal. I had a fun offseason and went back to school. I went back to Arizona (to) work out and (I’m) just trying to be the best player I can be. Business stuff happened, so I ended up in Miami. I couldn’t be more excited to be here. Hopefully (I will) hit the ground running.”
(When the Cardinals took QB Kyler Murray, were you surprised, disappointed? What were your emotions?) – “I got a call a couple of minutes before it happened. I don’t know. (I had) a bunch of different emotions. I think you could almost just say all of the above. It’s just kind of another opportunity. Very rarely do you get a second chance to make a first impression. I’m trying to get off to the right foot with all of these guys here and meet all of my teammates. I’m trying to break down this playbook as quickly as I can. Like I said, (I’m just trying) to get off on the right foot.”
(When you saw the tweet from Arizona that ‘Josh is our man,’ you were thinking what? That it was all settled or that things could change in two seconds notice? How did you take that tweet?) – “I don’t know. It’s kind of irrelevant. It wasn’t going to change what I did every day. I think for the most part, (I was just) on the phone with my agent – who I’m really close with – every couple of days and just kind of going back and forth, keep grinding and keep playing, and whatever happens, happens. I was pretty prepared for both scenarios. This one happened so I’m ready for it.”
(What have the Dolphins communicated to you about the quarterback depth chart and do you expect to be under center Week 1?) – “They just wanted me to come in and compete. I’m excited and ready for it. At the end of the day, I just want to come in and play football and compete and have fun. The timing on when I play or not – or if – that’s not up to me. It’s kind of similar to the situation the last couple of days. I just control what I can control and take each day by day.”
(Can you talk about where you were watching the draft and were there similarities in back-to-back years? Were you kind of wondering where you were going to go like last year before you were drafted? Can you just talk about that emotion and not knowing where you were going to end up and where you watched the draft?) – “Actually, it felt like I got drafted twice. They actually called me from their draft room, so I talked to the GM, head coach and coordinator, just like if I was actually normally drafted. I was just back at my place in Arizona. I had some buddies (there). I was hanging out. Yeah, (it was) just normal. It happens.”
(Do you think that there’s at all a misperception about you as a person and if so, what can you tell people about the person and the player or teammate that you are?) – “I mean I think I’m a really good teammate. I think that’s not really up to me to judge. I think I was a little bit … I had a little bit of a bad perception at first; but what I’ve tried to do is not really say or do anything extra and just kind of be me and continue on and keep my head down, and eventually the story will straighten out. I think it has, for the most part. Like I said, that’s another thing that’s out of my control. What is in my control is just what I can do every day, basically to try and be consistent and be the same guy, and have the same kind of energy every time I step into the locker room and the facility so that all of my teammates kind of know what guy they’re getting. I think time and consistency is the best medicine to cure the narrative.”
(Where do you think that narrative came from?) – “I don’t know. I was thrown into the spotlight pretty quickly at UCLA. I was pretty young, so I didn’t really have all of my answers as perfectly crafted as I do now. I just kind of said some things kind of off the cuff about all different kinds of things and people misconstrued them in certain different ways. I think the core root of it probably came from when I said I don’t need football, but that was in the frame of reference of I walked in on a couple of my teammates sleeping in the players’ lounge, and that kind of struck me. Just kind of getting to know these guys and the backgrounds that they come from, it was in the reference that if football is taken away from me, I don’t need to go to the streets and start dealing drugs. I have a good support system. That ‘I don’t need football’ kind of got misconstrued a little bit and I think some people saw that as maybe being entitled or whatever. But I think, like I said, that over the test of time, just being consistent and trying to be a really good teammate every day, I think the narrative has started to straighten out a little bit.”
(What have you learned or how have you changed at all over the last few weeks, maybe a month or so, when this whole draft scenario possibility has been going on and now the actual trade happening?) – “Can you repeat that? In what sense?”
(In the sense of, obviously this has been some adversity. This has been uncomfortable, I assume. Have you learned anything from that?) – “Yeah. I think I’m in the process of learning it. I landed last night at six, seven o’clock, so my head is still spinning. It’s just sort of another hurdle you have to step over. I think you can’t really look too far ahead or look in the past. I think you have to kind of keep your head down and like I keep saying over and over, day by day. Then after you string a couple days together, you can look up and it’s been a couple of successful weeks, months, and hopefully years.”
(We watched you from afar last year. Obviously, it didn’t go as well as you hoped it’d be. What did you learn from last year and why are you confident that you’re a much better player than what we saw on the field last year?) – “I think a lot of the little things. I think I got a lot better at a lot of the little things that have to do with football. Even small stuff like scheduling, like knowing how much time you need to allot yourself for pre-practice warmup, how much you need for post-practice, your recovery routine, how you ration out your studying Monday though Sunday. I think a lot of those little things, saving minutes here and there and just being more efficient with my time. That’s not even including all of the stuff on the field with the X’s and O’s. That’s a whole other conversation.”
(You said on draft night last year ‘Nine mistakes were made ahead of me.’ I remember you amended that later to say three for the teams that picked quarterbacks. Now that the entire league has not given up a first-round pick for you and the Cardinals gave you up for pennies on the dollar, what’s your overall mindset?) – “I would like to give you the quote that you want, but for the most part I’m going day-by-day. (laughter)”
(A year ago you came into the league as a franchise quarterback of the future. Do you think you could still be that franchise-type quarterback?) – “Yes.”
(And why is that?) – “Because I think I am a good quarterback and I think I’m a good leader.”
(General Manager Chris Grier said he though you would have a chip on your shoulder given everything that was said about you and how this last year went. Should we expect a newly motivated Josh?) – “I don’t think my chip has got to grow anymore. I might tip over. (laughter)”
(This is a team that has a lot of assets going into next year’s draft. We know you’re going to go out there to compete every day, but considering this season going in, do you feel like this is a one-year tryout for the starting quarterback positon and maybe to be that franchise quarterback?) – “Yeah. I think regardless of (the) situation, I think you have to have the mentality that you’re trying (to do that) every single day. I think you hear quotes from the G.O.A.Ts like Tom (Brady) and Peyton (Manning) and all of them, and they’re saying that every year someone is trying to come in (and) replace them. Even if they’re not, they try to act like they are. Every single day they try to earn the respect of their teammates, which they already have. Every single day they try to earn the praise of their coaches, which they already have. I think whether that’s true or not, I’m going to have that kind of mindset like it’s my job every day, every hour and every minute to prove that I’m the guy.”
(Did WR Larry Fitzgerald say anything to you after that charity softball game about you coming here?) – “Yeah, (he) said a lot of things. (laughter) He’s a really good mentor, big brother, uncle. We all call him Uncle Larry. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for him. He’s been great.”
(The Dolphins have been looking for a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino left 20 years ago. Are you aware of that Dolphins’ history and how long it has been since they’ve had a face of the franchise?) – “I think I heard I was going to get that question. (laughter) But yeah, I’m aware of the situation. Hopefully I can follow in some semblance of his massive footsteps.”
(Do you remember meeting Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea last year during your draft lead up?) – “No. Adam Gase was the main guy that was drilling me.”
(With the Patriots. Do you remember meeting with them?) – “I didn’t meet with the Patriots.”
(What do you think some stability at the offensive coordinator position will do for you after your career in college and last season?) – “It’s not stable yet. I’ve got to play this year before I can earn for next year. I think this is four coordinators in a year. I think it encourages some mental gymnastics and the more you train it and the more you work it, I think the better you get at it. Multiple offenses give you different kinds of understandings of what guys are trying to attack. We’ve got a big QB room. We’ve got four QBs in there. We’ve got (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks) Coach (Jim) Caldwell, (Assistant Quarterbacks) Coach Jerry Schuplinski working on it and Mr. Marino. We’ve got a lot of great minds in there from a lot of different backgrounds. I think we’ve got a really good room. Hopefully it’s going to be an indicator of a lot of success.”
(How do you plan to approach the dynamic with a veteran like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick?) – “Like I did last year with Sam (Bradford). I think (you have) got to handle what you can handle. I think it’s not going to change anything football-wise what I do. I’m going to try to complete every ball and do every play really well and do what the coaches ask of me. Obviously, you have to be a little bit conscious of the leadership aspect. You can’t be breaking down team huddles as a backup. There’s definitely a sense of awareness that you’ve got to understand where you position is on the team. But I’ll always, regardless of that, try to sort of inspire and motivate and push everyone in a positive direction.”
(You said backup. Do you feel like you’re the backup at this exact moment?) – “I don’t know. I think on paper I am, but Coach Flores said we don’t really have any starters right now. I think that’s healthy to have good competition everywhere. Whether I was the first or seventh string, I wouldn’t change what I did every day.”
Brian Flores and Chris Grier – April 27, 2019
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Saturday, April 27, 2019
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Brian Flores:
(General Manager Chris Grier deferred to you on this, is QB Josh Rosen the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins?) – “We’re excited to have Josh. We’re excited to have acquired some players this weekend. Look, if you step into this building, you have to be ready to compete. When Josh gets here, he has to compete for any kind of role that he has here. That’s really the case for everyone that enters the building. So, players, coaches, trainers, equipment, journalists … To me, if you step into this building, it’s about competition. Josh will come in and compete. There are no starters. The guys who produce on the practice field and do all of the things that will help this team win, those are the guys who are going to play.”
(What did you see from QB Josh Rosen going through his rookie season that attracted you?) – “He’s a talented player. During his rookie season, I would say there were some up’s, there were some down’s. I think that’s the case for all rookies. But this guy has a lot of arm talent. He has some leadership qualities. We just felt like he was a good addition to our team.”
Chris Grier:
(How would you describe where the organization is situated now compared to three days ago and the progress you’ve made?) – “We’ve made some progress. We feel good about the players we’ve added, the guys we added today. They’ll come in and compete. Like I said, we feel better but there’s still work to do. We still have time to add people post-draft here and free agents as we get going throughout the spring and summer. We’re not where we want to be but we’re happy where we are.”
(What do you like about what you guys were able to accomplish during this draft?) – “I think when Brian (Flores) and I got together with the personnel department and the coaching staff, we wanted to make sure we’re adding guys that had toughness, competitiveness, guys that love football, are very intelligent and (have a) history of production in college, as well. We’ve kind of done that. We feel good. We’ve addressed some holes in the roster maybe that we may have; but again, a lot of work to be done still.”
(Is it fair to include QB Josh Rosen as sort of part of this year’s draft class?) – “If you want to, yeah. That’s fine.”
(Could you give us a little more detail on how that trade for QB Josh Rosen came about? We obviously heard reports elsewhere that it was going on. Were there discussions at pick 48? Did you have to trade back from 48 to make that trade happen in your mind, to make the numbers add up?) – “No. The Cardinals were steadfast in what they wanted for it and they were pretty up front with all of the teams. We hadn’t really talked to them until right at the start of the draft, and I think that’s when they started contacting everyone that might be involved. As we went through, we had talked throughout the day a little bit here and there and we finally got to a point where we were comfortable in making a pick. In terms of picking up, for us, it was huge to get the second-round pick in 2020, with the Saints when we made that trade. Regardless of what was there, we were going to make that trade to get the second-round pick. We went into the draft trying to find either another first or second-round pick in 2020.”
(About how many people, would you estimate, in your organization that you spoke with, who know QB Josh Rosen, and what did you learn about personality and leadership style?) – “I don’t know how many people. We had some, but we really didn’t start doing full talking to people until this became a possibility of happening. Once that happened, we talked a little bit after the first round here. For us, we had done work before. Brian (Flores)’s coaching staff, (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) at New England had done work on him. So we had known some things; but once they were calling around and offering him, that’s when we probably really started digging in and making our phone calls.”
(You guys weren’t super active at the front end of free agency. I assume some of it had to do with the compensatory formula. After May 9, can we assume you guys might ramp it back up at – right tackle, defensive end – positions where we think there might be holes, you might get after?) – “Yeah. We’re going to be aggressive to fill the roster as we feel fit. Brian (Flores) and I have talked about that and we have all those – June 1st, after June 1st cuts – and then we’ll look at all trade options throughout the spring and summer.”
(Is QB Josh Rosen your franchise quarterback, so to speak, for the foreseeable future, or is there still an idea that maybe you need to use a first-round pick next year to get a quarterback?) – “I would say for us, we looked at it as an opportunity to add a good, young football player that has a lot of potential in this league. We didn’t go out saying he has to be a franchise quarterback for us. For us, it was he’s a very talented young player, still has a lot of upside in the league and the terms for us, the value and taking on the contract and etc. For us, the value was tremendous that we couldn’t afford to pass up.”
Brian Flores:
(What were some things that Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea had in his evaluation of QB Josh Rosen that made you comfortable with the decision?) – “First, I just kind of want to piggyback on what Chris (Grier) just said. I think you have to earn the right to get that kind of (franchise quarterback) label. You have to do it in the meeting, on the practice field. To label a kid like that right off the bat, I feel like that’s unfair in a lot of ways; but I think that’s just kind of what happens. You have to earn it. We’ll give him the opportunity. We’ll give everyone the opportunity to go out there and reach their potential and try to have some success on the field. That starts obviously in the classroom, in the walkthroughs, in the meetings, and then you have to produce on the practice field and then obviously when we start playing games.”
Chris Grier:
(You picked up a lot of picks in 2020. I think it’s up to 12 if you factor in compensatory picks. How much of that was the game plan coming into this draft to build up the next draft?) – “We’ve talked about our strategy, us going forward, we always want to have the opportunity to move up or down in any draft. For us, adding picks for next year, as we started going through it – like you said the compensatory part – we’re building here together. We’re getting our staff, the personnel, coaches (together). So for us, going forward, the plan was to get as many picks as we can going forward to build this thing right and then after that, we’ll just see where it goes.”
Brian Flores:
(It’s important to you, I’m guessing, to build your culture here the right way. What will you ask of QB Josh Rosen to help implement that at that position?) – “I’m going to ask him the same thing I ask all our players: come in, work hard, put the team first, be attentive, be honest, understand it’s a privilege to sit in these seats and go out here and practice and play in this league. Those are the things I’m going to ask him. I ask that of anyone who walks into the building. That’s just how I handle our players and really anyone who steps into this building.”
(With DT Christian Wilkins, what was it that sold you guys on him? Is there a player that he reminds you of? What impressed you during the pre-draft process?) – “I think he’s full of energy. First off, he’s a great person. He comes from a great family. We really liked that about him. He has got humility about him. And he’s a good football player. (He is) athletic, (has) good strength, does a lot of good things well, a lot of things well on the football field. Again, in order to reach his optimum level, he’s going to have to come in here and do things right, which we expect him to do. If he does those things, he’s got a chance to do some good things.”
(You know more about the players that you’re picking and trading for than we do. QB Josh Rosen consistently has had a cloud about his personality or leadership. I don’t know what it is, but a lot of people don’t like that guy. Are you saying that there’s none of that?) – “First, you said we know. Sometimes I feel like you might know a little bit more. (laughter) You never get to really know a person until you’re sitting with them every day, which we’ll get that opportunity. We’ve done a lot of work on Josh. I think he’s smart, he works hard and football is important to him. I think he’s got an opportunity, just like all the other players we have here, to come in here and help this team win games. That’s really what it boils down to.”
Chris Grier:
“Again, it’s (the) same. Looking at the work we’ve done, we’ve talked to a lot of people that we both know and (they) signed off. Coaches unsolicited have called us that know him, that have worked with him, and say a lot of the stuff is B.S. For us, we don’t know him, because we don’t have our hands on him; but we’re going with the people we trust and know and the coaches and scouts in the building that have called and people have said this is really a good kid that’s smart. Maybe he has some other interests like following the stock market or something; but he’s really smart, he loves football, he studies it and it’s very important to him and he has a chip on his shoulder now.”
(Who were some of the people you said?) – “Just various people we’ve talked to.”
Myles Gaskin – April 27, 2019
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Saturday, April 27, 2019
RB Myles Gaskin
(Did you have any contact with the Dolphins prior to the draft?) – “Not much more than kind of just checking in that my number was right and everything like that for draft day. But, not much”
(How would you describe draft day overall for you? Obviously it’s been a lifetime dream, but did you expect to go in the seventh round?) – “No, I did not to be honest. There was a lot leading up to it, a lot of emotions; but I’m very thankful for even being considered to be in the draft and stuff like that. To have this opportunity, I’m very, very happy that I am where I am. I know it’s on the other side of the country, but I’m very happy. I’m very excited, my family is very excited, everybody is very excited. I’m very thankful. I just want to thank God and my family.”
(How would you describe your running style?) – “I think I’m a patient back. I think I have good hands out the backfield. I think when I see daylight, I think I can separate from a lot of people. (I’m) just a hungry dude. (I’m) just a hungry dude trying to get better each and every day. I think that has a lot to do with my running style in the sense of how I like to practice and how I like to go about things.”
(When you say you’re a hungry dude, what does that mean?) – “That means I’m trying to do anything to win. I can’t wait to get in that culture – get in that Miami Dolphins culture – learn how my new running backs coach can coach me, and be able to adjust to that. I’m just really hungry to get my feet wet, in the sense of just getting out there and getting to Miami, getting ready to win some games, getting ready to be on a new team – just everything. I’m real hungry, just ready to do it all when it comes to practicing and everything. I’m ready to go full speed, 110 percent as much as I can, and get better each and every day.”
