Adam Gase – December 5, 2018 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with New England Media
(Watching the Patriots defense, what, since you last played them in Week 4 about eight weeks ago, what improvements have you noticed?) – “I think it really started in our game. They did a great job shutting down the run and basically eliminating any kind of threat we had in the passing game. I think they just kept climbing from there. They make it difficult. They give you so many multiple looks. Every week is a different week for them to where what they did last week is most likely not the same thing we’re going to see this week.”
(The Patriots running backs combined for 45 touches last week against the Vikings. Has that become a foundation of your offense and what are your thoughts on the personnel they have back there?) – “I think they’re doing what they need to do to move the ball and doing what’s best against what the defense is doing. The way that they went about it last week was the right way and put them in the best position on third downs and to get conversions and keep drives alive. They find multiple different ways to get a whole bunch of different guys the ball.”
(What sort of challenge is it when you’re talking about defending a quarterback with a quick release like QB Tom Brady?) – “It’s not an easy task. Guys have to do a great job of understanding how they’re being attacked and figure out a way to take the number one read away to where he has to hold onto it longer. That’s probably the hardest part because as soon as you start … The tighter you start playing, then they’re going to go to something else and take advantage of a different matchup. That’s what (Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) has always done well. He adjusts really well during a game. I watched it for two years working for him and since I’ve been back here, I’ve gotten to see it multiple times.”
(We saw them on third down use RB Rex Burkhead and RB James White together quite often. What are the challenges to defending the two running backs that they threw at the Vikings last week?) – “It’s just trying to figure out who you want matching up with who and how you see it, especially when you get in third-and-shorter distances. Then all of a sudden they start running the ball and you don’t have enough guys in the box or you’ve got smaller players out there and they can take advantage of it. They just have so much available to them in their playbook that you do one thing and you think you’re able to stop them doing that thing and then all of a sudden they expose that. By the time you catch up to them, they move onto something else.”
(If I remember correctly, you spoke after the game up here about being surprised at being out-physicaled is I think the way you put it. Is that physicality on your part an extra emphasis this week?) – “I think it was an emphasis that week. It just kind of surprised me that … We didn’t fight back the way that I thought that we would. I think we’ve had some weeks where we’ve done a lot of things right to where we showed what we needed to show as far as playing like that. We just need to be more consistent with it. This is always a tough game, a tough team. The scheme they play and the way that they’re coached, it makes it very difficult and our guys have got to be on what we’re doing and then they’ve got to understand that it’s going to come down to the will on each play and can they win their matchup individually.”
(If the Patriots win Sunday, they win the AFC East. Obviously, you want to beat a division opponent, but is there any extra motivation you don’t want to let them celebrate an AFC East title on your home field?) – “Nobody here is even going to worry about that. We’re worried about winning this week. That’s the last thing on our mind.”
(I believe the Patriots are 1-4 in their last five trips to Miami. Are there any common factors that you can pinpoint to why the Dolphins have had so much success at home versus this Patriots team?) – “Every year is different. Every game, the time of year, all of those type of things. It’s been different every year. This year is different than last year. This year is different than when we played up there. Every week is a one-week season almost. You can’t even … What happened last year is irrelevant.”
(Is there anything that’s relevant to this year in terms of your record, home versus road?) – “I think if you look across the league, that’s the majority of teams. Most teams that play at home, the percentages go up. You’re not traveling. There’s a lot of little tiny things that can cause disruption. Crowd noise, communication becomes an issue on offense. It’s real difficult to go on the road, especially in a hostile environment, and be able to play as smooth as you want to play. I think sometimes when (it is) home versus away, when you’re home, you don’t have the extra challenges to face.”
(Getting back to the physical element for a second, how do you rate the Patriots offensive line?) – “They’re well-coached. They’re disciplined. You don’t see them making many errors where guys are turning free. You see those guys fight until the very end. It hasn’t changed. Obviously, there’s a good reason why. (Offensive Line) Coach (Dante) Scarnecchia does a great job. He prepares those guys. When they show up on Sunday, you know you’re in for a dog fight for 60 minutes.”
(Do you expect WR Danny Amendola to be able to play this weekend?) – “Getting him out at practice today was good, being able to do some of the things he did. We’ll see how the week goes. I’m pretty sure you know what he’s already saying. I’m just trying to make sure that we go through the week the right way to where he doesn’t put himself in a worse position. This is the first time that I would say that he’s not being very compliant with me. (laughter) He wants to play in this game as bad as anybody. I’m trying to give him a little bit of the ability to show that he can go, but at the same time trying to make sure that get through the week the right way and we don’t lose him for any longer than what we already have.”
(Thirteen weeks in now, what has WR Danny Amendola added to the team, to your offense overall?) – “I think the fact that he’s a veteran player, the way he practices, the way that he prepares for a game whether it be meetings, how he is in the locker room, how he operates day in and day out and then when we get to game day, the intensity he brings. It seems like he always makes the play when it’s a tight game and we need somebody to step up and do something, he always seems to be that guy. I think the guys respect him around here. I know the receiver room is really close and he’s a big part of that. He has just been one of those guys I think everybody just leans on. When it gets tough, he’s the first guy up and he wants to be a part of the solution.”
(Back in Week 4, you got really the first glimpse of what WR Josh Gordon looked like as a Patriot. What difference have you seen from the guy you saw on the field in Week 4 as opposed to the guy who is going to be on the field this upcoming week?) – “He’s more comfortable. He knows the offense better than what he knew at that week. He seems like he’s healthy. I don’t know … I’m sure everybody in the NFL is banged up a little bit, but I know he was coming off an injury at that time. He’s a tough guy to defend. He can catch the ball at all levels. He can stretch the field. He can work underneath. He can win in the quick game. He makes some incredible catches. He’s a tough guy to deal with.”
(Along the lines of CB Xavien Howard, what happened to him and how significant would that be if he’s not there for you Sunday?) – “His second interception, he just got hit awkwardly around his knee. We’re going to go through the week and kind of see what it brings. It’s tough to say, ‘Is he going? Is he not?’ I’m not going to know until we get closer to the end. If he’s not our best player, he’s one of our best players. We just have to make sure that we have contingency plans for whatever the scenario calls for.”
(I was curious your thoughts on one Patriots player. Does anything stand out to you when you look at their defense and see LB Kyle Van Noy the linebacker? What stands out to you when you’re watching him?) – “He’s been a nightmare for us, I know that. He does a great job. He disrupts. He does a great job setting the edge. He always does a great job any time we … If we ever try to run the ball to the edge, it’s getting to the point where it’s kind of pointless. He shuts down the run to his side. That whole defensive line does a great job as far as when they’re working their stunts and you got the TEs and the ETs, they set each other up so well. There’s a lot of unselfish football going on along the defensive front. He plays a big part of it. He causes all kinds of problems.”
(What’s your assessment been of TE Rob Gronkowski from what you’ve seen of him over the last couple weeks here?) – “Every year, he seems to take the brunt of the blows when it comes to anytime he gets a ball thrown to him. No one wants to tackle him high. Everybody goes for his legs. He’s getting pulled in every which direction. Just because he’s bigger than everybody else, it’s hard to tell who’s really getting pushed around or not. He’s got to fight a lot of factors. He’s getting double-teamed all the time. I’m sure that takes a toll on his body, but he shows up every Sunday and he competes extremely hard. He’s a good run blocker. He’s a good pass protector. He does a great job any time the ball is thrown to him. He’s a hard guy for any defense to defend, because it’s like a grown man playing with a bunch of kids. He’s such a big target. He’s one of those guys that when you go to face him, you try to do everything you can to contain him. You know he’s going to get his catches. When he gets in the red zone, you just have to try to keep him out of there.”
(TE Rob Gronkowski has been beat up. He’s been on and off the injury report a little bit. Is he still someone who requires extra attention in your opinion?) – “Oh, yeah. If you want to look strictly at numbers, then you can get caught up into something else. When you watch the tape, you see there might be times where he’s open and for whatever reason the ball goes somewhere else or there’s some kind of pressure and something didn’t work out the right way. But a lot of times, you know when he’s either supposed to get the ball or some kind of penalty occurs. He’s still a major force in their offense. I know this, we have to make sure we do a good job with him with however we do it, because he’s one of those guys when all of a sudden you think he’s being quiet and the next thing you know he has two or three touchdowns and 100-plus yards and just absolutely cuts your heart out on the defensive side.”
Adam Gase – December 5, 2018
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Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What can you tell us about CB Xavien Howard?) – “He’ll be week to week. We’re going to have to see how it goes the rest of the week. I’ll probably know more towards the end of the week whether or not he’s got a shot or not.”
(Is it CB Xavien Howard’s ankle?) – “No. It’s his knee.”
(Is this a result of when CB Xavien Howard went down in the game?) – “Yeah, I think it was on the second interception.”
(So are you not counting on CB Xavien Howard for this Sunday?) – “I don’t know yet.”
(What intrigued the front office and the scouts who have seen CB Dee Delaney, about his skillset?) – “We’re always looking for corners, especially with the way things have been going lately. We’re losing guys left and right and any time our guys have anybody that they really see as somebody that we can get our hands on and see for ourselves and see what they can bring to the table, we had the opportunity to do that. We thought it was a good guy for us to bring in.”
(And then if the two young guys already here need to play more on Sunday – CB Torry McTyer and CB Cornell Armstrong – what have each shown you this year?) – “We’ve had some good stuff happen usually in practice. They’ve gone through some experiences where they’ve learned a lot quickly. When you get thrown into the fire, there’s a lot of good receivers out there and good quarterbacks. They learn quick what they can do and what they can’t.”
(You talked Monday about how important takeaways have been for this team. What would be the challenges of going forward without CB Xavien Howard, particularly facing the Patriots?) – “What does he have, seven interceptions right now? I mean you have a guy that if you throw the ball at him and you’re inaccurate, he’s not just going to knock it down; he’s going to pick it off. He’s extremely valuable. He’s one of our best players, if not our best player on that side of the ball. It’s hard to say. That’s what this game is and that’s what the league is. We’ve got to make some adjustments on defense and be smart with that. Our guys have to step up. If he can’t go, you’re not going to replace him; but we have to shuffle some things around and put ourselves in good position.”
(When did it become evident that there was an issue with CB Xavien Howard?) – “He didn’t really say anything. You know after the game … I found out later that night and then you just kind of see how he feels the next day. Most of the time we wait until the next day to see how the guys feel.”
(CB Xavien Howard won’t need surgery will he?) – “We’ve got to see what’s going on. I think he’ll be back at some point this season. If it’s this week, next week or the week after that, I don’t know.”
(With CB Torry McTyer, do you expect the experiences he’s gone through to sort of help him and speed up his development?) – “Yes. I think it’s good that he’s played. He played in this game last year. All of those guys … Any time we get guys on the field, no matter what part of the season it is – last year or this year – if it’s a live game, you’re going to learn from that real fast.”
(With CB Cornell Armstrong, is his knee injury going to keep him limited?) – “I think we’re going to be all right there.”
(I wanted to ask you about T Laremy Tunsil. Obviously he’s having a good season based on what the numbers are showing and the fact that you guys are allowing him to have one-on-one assignments against some of the best pass rushers. When did you see the growth or the switch come on for him?) – “I think in the spring. It was really noticeable and it helped that every day he was going against Robert (Quinn). When you don’t have pads on – you guys watched in training camp – Robert has incredible get-off and speed and can cause some issues if you don’t get on him quick enough and figure out a way to get him past the quarterback. When you don’t have any pads on, it’s just times that by 10. Right away, you could see that Laremy was at a different level. He was doing a great job in the spring and then when we hit training camp, it just kept getting better. Now, when we hit the regular season, it’s slower for him. It really does look like that he’s setting for quick game almost all of the time. He’s just so good at getting his hands on guys, his movement, if a guy redirects he easily puts his foot in the ground and go the other way. He’s slowed himself down or the game has slowed down for him for some reason.”
(When you have a player or an offensive lineman that can do what T Laremy Tunsil has done, which is basically handle somebody’s best pass rusher one-on-one, what does that do for you as a play caller?) – “It lets me help all of the other guys. When you can just say ‘he’s got him,’ we can double … We can help the left guard. We’ve got the center and the guard doubling a guy and then we can use a tight end and a tackle to double the other guy. You can get double teams across the board if you can leave him on an island.”
(Is it possible to say if CB Xavien Howard’s knee problem now is in any way related to any previous knee issue?) – “No. It was just he got hit funky on that.”
(Beyond WR Brice Butler obviously being a big receiver, what other skills do you like about him that he’s added?) – “I like his route-running (and) his ability to go up and get balls when it’s outside of his range. We’ve seen more than probably what you guys have gotten to see in practice. We haven’t been able to get him too much going in a game. We called a couple of things and it just didn’t happen to go his way. He’s done a really good job of learning this fast and developing a little bit of chemistry with Ryan (Tannehill) and being able to be a guy that you can easily throw it up to him and let him go get it.”
(When you look at this Patriots defense, how much different is it than the defense you saw last year and the year before?) – “It’s always going to be different. There’s always going to be some moving pieces. They’re going to do a good job of mixing things up and making it hard. Even from us playing them when we did until now, it makes it difficult to try to game plan because there’s so much stuff that they’ve done. You’ve just got to be careful about overdoing it, because you’ll start preparing them for a whole bunch of stuff that they might not do against you. You’ve got to be smart in how you game plan this.”
(It seems like no matter what the Dolphins record is, whether things are going well or not so well, when the Patriots come down here, you give them a lot of trouble. Why do you think that is?) – “I mean we’ve got to play the game. Last year doesn’t mean anything. The year before doesn’t mean anything. Every year is a different game. You’ve got to treat it as the next week of the season. It’s still Tom Brady and still a Coach (Bill) Belichick-coached team. We’ll be ready to go.”
(How much was WR Danny Amendola able to do today?) – “He ran some routes and did punt return. I just try to keep him from running around too much but he’s not very compliant.”
(How happy are you with the way you’ve been able to establish home-field advantage?) – “That was something that we’ve been talking about. It really came to light probably last season. We’ve been talking about it all year about how we need to do a great job of winning our home games. We had a slip-up against Detroit. We haven’t fared too well on the road. We need to improve that and figure that one out; but being able to play at home, the weather is always good for us because we’re down here all of the time. I think sometimes it hits some of these teams pretty hard, especially now. Last Sunday, you looked at those guys at the end of the game and everybody was exhausted. We just need to keep that going and any time we play a home game, we need to figure out a way to win a game.”
(Do you plan for that – the heat or humidity being a factor on an opposing team?) – “I want to say yes, but you just never know how the flow of the game is going to go. If it’s lopsided – one side or the other – it can hurt us. If our defense is out there 80 plays, they’re going to get tired. That’s just what’s going to happen.”
(How successful do you think you’ve been this season in your war on penalties?) – “I think we’ve been … There’s been some good games and there’s been some games that have been just brutal to witness. We’re kind of like right in the middle of the pack as far as accepted penalties. I’m going to lean on that since the actual penalties haven’t been great. We’ve had probably too many called. The biggest thing for me is if we have penalties that are within the action of the game, it is what it is. The pre-snap, post-snap stuff, that’s where, to me, we have to keep those clean. That gives us our best shot.”
(How much is it affecting what you’re trying to do on offense at this point?) – “Well it hurts you when you’re second-and-20 and all of those long distances because you’re putting yourself in a really bad spot. It’s hard to get back from those.”
(Would you say the Patriots defense is trying to be more aggressive of late or are they playing about the same as they were earlier this season?) – “It depends who they play. I think they’ve played … A couple of the quarterbacks they’ve played the last few games, guys like Aaron Rodgers, they brought some pressure and tried to get them to get the ball out and tried to do a good job of staying in tight coverage and going up to tackle. I think it’s just who they play and kind of what they have up for that week. Every game is so different. They do a great job of just really game-planning for that game and doing what they have to do to win it.”
(Are they trying to pressure better quarterbacks more?) – “Sometimes they do. Sometimes they go all out on the rookies. Sometimes they don’t and let them throw picks or see if they can get them to hold onto the ball a little longer to where he makes a bad decision. It’s varied on the quarterbacks that are the elite guys. Sometimes you see them bring everybody and then sometimes they don’t. It changes. Every quarterback, they treat it different.”
(TE Nick O’Leary has gone from being a free agent to practice squad and now he has an extension. What has he done to earn that extension in your eyes?) – “I think he just comes to work every day and grinds. You guys know, he doesn’t say anything. (laughter) He just tries to do right. Whatever he’s got, he sells out every Sunday and really every day in practice. We like guys like that, that just give everything they have.”
Adam Gase – December 3, 2018
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Monday, December 3, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What’s the overall message that you tell the team this week now that you guys are back at .500 and pretty much face the cream of the crop in terms of the AFC East?) – “Just prepare for that week’s game. That’s all we can do. Every game at this point in the season is going to be meaningful no matter who you’re playing. We have to just focus on preparing, correcting the things we need to correct and just focus on our guys doing their jobs.”
(The first possession of games has not been kind to you for quite a long time. Now, you’ve gone a couple games in a row where you’ve been able to get things going. Did you change up anything other than the results?) – “No. Nothing is different. We executed those plays. It’s hard to explain.”
(Do you guys script?) – “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. (laughter)”
(Did you script yesterday?) – “I don’t remember. (laughter)”
(Overall after scoring first, you guys are, I believe, 7-2 when you score first under you. Just having the first play, getting up early, what does that do for the rest of your team?) – “I think any time that you can get a lead, it helps the defense a little bit. If you could ever get a big lead, that really is ideal because then the other team becomes one-dimensional. All of these games are going to be close from here on out. We just have to do a good job of playing complementary football. We can’t turn the ball over. We need to get points when our defense gets turnovers, which we haven’t done lately, and have a play or two that are impactful on special teams.”
(The struggles that G/T Jesse Davis had in the first half – was that uncharacteristic of how he’s played at guard this year?) – “I think they had some tough matchups yesterday. Kyle (Williams) is … When you have a veteran player like that and he sees any kind of weakness, he’ll expose it quickly. You better figure it out and make some adjustments in-game because he’ll expose you as fast as possible. He’ll use everything he knows to his advantage. That’s what makes him as difficult of a player to go against as there is.”
(How do you think CB Cornell Armstrong came out of the game yesterday?) – “We’ll see how this week goes. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be something that’s going to be a long-term thing.”
(You’ve now been outgained by 1,168 yards including 240 yesterday. How has this team won six games?) – “Turnover margin. The amount of turnovers that our defense is getting is what we need, and then we don’t turn it over a whole bunch. I think the guys have done a good job ball security-wise of making sure we don’t have fumbles. The quarterbacks have both, for the most part, done their part. Yesterday, I can live with that (interception). We took a shot. I’d like to see either Kenny (Stills) break it up or (Ryan Tannehill) maybe just put it out a little further. I don’t know. There’s nobody really to blame on that, it’s just you wish the result would have been different.”
(Everybody talks about how turnover margin is important. Do we maybe even underrate it?) – “It’s just one of those things that you just look at records off of that. It’s insane probably with us. I think New England is probably – that’s crazy, their plus-minus. Just the wins that they get. When they end up winning the turnover margin, they’re not going to lose a whole bunch.”
(What did you think about how your offense played yesterday?) – “I feel like we had some good. The penalties that we had, they were just the wrong timing for us. I think we overcame a couple of things that were critical. It was the right time. We missed an opportunity there in the 4-minute situation to get a first down to try to keep our defense off the field. We made it probably a little more exciting than what we needed to. We just have to keep correcting our mistakes and figure out a way to execute at a higher level.”
(I think it seems like you used the Wildcat more yesterday than what we’ve seen. Why is that?) – “It was just the situations we were in. We had a couple plays that we really liked and that’s just how the game plan was. There’s been other weeks where we’ve had it up, but then something happened to where we didn’t get to it or we got down or it just wasn’t the right time.”
(What makes them good at that?) – “I think it just makes it very difficult for the defense. The number count is a little off for them. (Kalen Ballage) is aggressive when he runs and he’s downhill. You have guys moving all over the place because you’re trying to make sure that they handle (Kenyan) Drake with the way they’re running that zone-read stuff. Guys kind of get out of position and then he hits it so hard and the angles are poor for the guys trying to tackle, and he just runs through arm tackles.”
(Any rhyme or reason to why you guys struggled to run the ball yesterday? Was it just the defensive line of the Bills?) – “I think their defensive line did a good job. I think there was some good opportunities for us in a couple of the plays that we had called and we just didn’t finish the right way. We fell off a block late and they just got a hand on whether it be Frank (Gore) or (Kenyan) Drake’s foot or Kalen’s (Ballage). We just didn’t maximize the yardage that we possibly could’ve had on a couple of the runs.”
(WR Kenny Stills was able to take advantage of his opportunities and WR DeVante Parker as well. How important were those two guys for you guys yesterday?) – “It was good. It was good to finally get DeVante in the end zone. I feel like we’ve had some stuff, some plays for him and we just haven’t either gotten them called or it was the wrong coverage when we called them. The same thing with Kenny. It was (good to) kind of get him going. It was good to finally throw him the ball and he didn’t have to do it himself. (laughter)”
(What did you see on tape of that final play to Bills TE Charles Clay and how was he able to get as open as he did?) – “The longer the play extends, the harder it is for everybody because everybody is trying to kind of see where he’s going. We were in a zone, guys start moving and he kind of shook free. I think we just lost him. When I saw that ball go up and then I turned around and I saw who it was, I started thinking about what I was calling in 2-minute. That’s a rare thing to see.”
(What’s your take on the standings today?) – “We have a long ways to go. I know that.”
(What led to the RB Brandon Bolden carry? Was it something that you saw last week?) – “I’ve been waiting for a while to get Brandon involved. He knows what we’re doing. The thing I’ve always liked about Brandon offensively is he runs hard. He was a good running back when he came out of college. They used him a lot in New England early in his career. He had been so special teams-oriented the last few years in New England. They were pretty deep at that spot. So are we. We’ve got some pretty good players that are playing a lot and we haven’t had a ton of plays. It’s hard to get all those guys touches. It just felt like it was the right timing for us.”
(Who do you want to rely on on offense? I know you have a bunch of different options, but who do you want to be your guys?) – “I like all our guys. Our skill guys, they do a lot of good stuff. Explosive-wise, you look at the way that (Kenyan) Drake is, and Kalen (Ballage), Kenny (Stills), DeVante (Parker). Those guys are guys that can create explosive plays. I think you just need the mix of that and consistency, and who are the guys that can grind out the yards for you. It’s hard to say there’s one guy you want to do that with.”
(Have you gotten the level of production that you want out of the tight end position?) – “There’s some things that we’ve done better than what we were doing earlier in the year, especially run blocking and the pass protection stuff. Passing game wise, there’s been times when we’ve been open and we haven’t got them or we’ve had some kind of protection issue. There’s been times where I wish we could get open faster. We’ve kind of moved directions due to who we have available. It’s really not fair to them to say … Especially early in the year, it was hard to get everybody the ball when you had Albert (Wilson), Jakeem (Grant) and Danny (Amendola). I mean, you’ve just got a lot of people you’re trying to get the ball to. I think Mike (Gesicki) is pretty much on pace with the rest of the rookie tight ends around the league. If you look at all their numbers, they’re all the same. They’re 18, 19, 20 catches. That position is tough to kind of be impactful right out of the gate and be great at everything because they do so much. There’s just a lot of information. It’s probably the next-hardest position to play next to quarterback.”
(In your mind, is CB Xavien Howard playing at a Pro Bowl level?) – “Yeah, probably. I mean, he’s pretty good. (laughter)”
(With New England, how much of this is a rematch and how much is a completely different kind of test because your team is so different now?) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s a different game at this point, us playing so far apart. Last year, I think it was basically one game in between when we played them. They’re different. We’re different. We’re both trying to do the same thing and figure out a way to win one game. That’s really what it comes down to.”
(How do you hold up at defensive tackle? Obviously you lost DT Vincent Taylor and brought in DT Sylvester Williams and DT Ziggy Hood to complement DT Akeem Spence and DT Davon Godchaux.) – “I think those guys have done a good job of learning our system and coming in and trying to help us the best way they can and be effective, whether it be the run game or pass rush. I think they’ve done a good job of moving guys around. You see (Andre) Branch and Charles (Harris) doing a lot of different type of things. That’s the thing. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) is just going to keep trying to find ways with who’s available to him and trying to find ways to be disruptive, whether it be in the pass rush or run game. When you had issues early in the season where you’re trying to figure out what’s going on and then how to fix it, you start trying to maybe tweak some things here and there. We’ve done some different stuff to try to help us and stop the bleeding in the run game. I hate to say that we had good success against the actual run game when they were handing the ball off to the running back. It was just being able to contain the quarterback yesterday.”
(How did QB Ryan Tannehill get through the game? I know he got hit pretty good early.) – “Yeah, I mean, he’s as tough as they come.”
(How optimistic might you be regarding WR Danny Amendola and C Travis Swanson for this week?) – “We’ll see how the week goes. Hopefully by Thursday we can get a gauge. Both of those guys, they want to be out there. They want to be able to help us. I’m sure Danny is going to want to do everything he can to be ready to go. I don’t know how realistic anything is until Thursday, maybe even Friday.”
(How difficult has that been in terms of building an offense or coming up with a game plan when you have to go into a game with, like, WR Brice Butler, who’s been here for two weeks, as your starting receiver and figuring out what works at the slot?) – “It’s just more … When you get a new guy you’re trying to figure out … Like, you watch as much film as you can. With Brice, the good thing is he’s played a lot of football. So at least you can go back, watch his targets, watch maybe a game or two to say, ‘Okay, here’s what he does well. Here’s what we can emphasize with him. How fast can he learn the whole offense?’ Which he’s done a phenomenal job with that. That helps us because now he’s played two different positions. We’ve been able to move some guys around, then we can go out there and Ryan (Tannehill) is not just telling him what to do. He knows what to do, which is great. Just keep trying to get him to the point to where he can play fast. He fits in with those other guys. They do a great job working together. The chemistry with that group has come together pretty quick, which is good to see, because I think that’s rare to get a guy in that fast. It gets a little hard when … Really, like our body types have changed because you had Albert (Wilson) and Jakeem (Grant), who we were kind of using in a different way but now we’re taller guys. Everybody is like a tall, fast guy now. So we’ve kind of lost that element of different body types because everybody is kind of the same right now, but that’s where we’re at. There’s nothing … We can’t go back in time and change that right now. We’ve just got to kind of use those guys and use their strengths to our advantage.”
(One question out of left field: I don’t know how well you know Mike McCarthy. Any reaction? Were you surprised at the news yesterday?) –“Any time anything happens mid-season, you’re surprised; but that’s the NFL. That’s all I’ve got.”
Kiko Alonso – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(What were your thoughts on the last play of the half and of the game?) – “What’s the saying? It’s better to be lucky than good.”
(What’s it say about this team to win the way you did today?) – “I think it shows that we have a lot of fight. I think that’s what we showed today. I think it also shows we had a great week of practice. When you have a great week of practice, you come out here and no one is surprised about the effort we get because we see it all week. That’s it.”
(Defensively sometimes you need to put the game on your back. I know you guys say it’s a team game, but defensively sometimes…) – “Whatever it is. If the defense needs to make a play, we’re like ‘Alright, we need to make a play.’ Likewise for offense and special teams. It’s a three-phase game. Everybody needs to go.”
Robert Quinn – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins Defensive End Robert Quinn (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(On getting the defense to consistently play at a high level.) – “I guess it starts with the man in the mirror. Look at yourself and how great you want to be and you focus on being consistent yourself. Like I said kind of about the defense, you have to just trust everyone. We practice during the week, you work your craft and come Sunday you got to go out there and execute. As long as you believe in your technique, your coaches, your scheme, everyone believes in each other, we can make a run. Look at our record, it could be better, it could be worse. We keep giving ourselves a chance that’s all we’re looking for.”
(Is it frustrating chasing QB Josh Allen all game? The guy is pretty elusive.) – “Yeah, my lungs hurt. (laughter) What do you all call those? Dashers? Like I said, he’s deceivingly fast and elusive. It was a headache, but we made the plays when we needed to.”
(17 points, you’ll take that every week?) – “I’ll take that every week, especially when the offensive put up however many they put up. We’ll take it.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)
(Your thoughts on the run that CB Xavien Howard has had this year with interceptions, especially the last couple of games?) – “Yeah I mean, four in two weeks, that’s a pretty big deal. He’s been playing really well. I mean, the whole year he’s been playing really well, shutting down whoever is in front of him. Now you’re just seeing the picks roll in. It just comes from ‘X’ doing his job. That’s what he does day in and day out. In practice and off the field, he’s always doing his job. He’s a great player. He’s kind of an under-the-radar type guy. He’s one of the best in the league right now, no doubt about that. He’s going to keep doing what he’s doing.”
(What was going through your head at the end of the game when the ball was sailing through the air?) – “(Laughter) I put my head right down just like this, and then I heard our crowd go crazy and I looked and saw the ball was on the ground, and then I said, ‘Alright, we won.’ Man, my heart was … I was sweating a lot when I saw that ball in the air.”
Cameron Wake – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake
What was your reaction when you saw the final play?
CAMERON WAKE: Yes! (laughter)
Can you take us through what happened?
CAMERON WAKE: He zigged left, he zigged right. I guess everybody knew it was going to be the last play of the game and he was doing whatever he could to buy time to get his receivers down the field. I don’t remember who it was, but I know I was one of the guys chasing him around. He kept giving ground and he launched it up there. I don’t know who it was. Was it (Charles) Clay? Buddy Charles back there in the end zone. He didn’t make the play, so I guess that’s pretty much it.
There are people I talked in the locker room that said they had no idea who he was throwing to because all the action was going to the left and there was nothing to the right.
CAMERON WAKE: I can assure you I wasn’t looking at receivers or coverage. I had a job to do at the time, so I didn’t know what was going on back there. I’m focused ahead. A win for the good guys.
I imagine that it’s a royal pain when there’s a guy back there holding a football and he’s doing that. But what is the toll that, that takes over four quarters?
CAMERON WAKE: I think it’s two sides of the sword. If you have a guy who … (If) the necessity is for him to do that, that means obviously your front is getting after him, there’s pressure, guys are winning. Getting back there, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it wasn’t necessarily the issue. It’s once you get back there, now you have to go from pass rusher to linebacker and you’ve got to corral somebody who’s trying to not necessarily throw the ball but run and get yardage and there’s more of them blocking there than there is of us rushing. It’s going to be a lane somewhere and good guys are going to find it. He got out there a couple times. But again, pick your poison: you want them throwing it or you want them running it? I think over the course of a game you can look at it either way. But it was exciting to say the least. I’ll say that.
I know you guys get measured by sacks. But what you just said is true. You were winning at getting, kind of, to the quarterback. It’s just that he wouldn’t cooperate.
CAMERON WAKE: Just stay there. (laughter) Generally, that’s not the case. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Defensive line is hard. You’ve got to wait for the ball to snap. 300-pound man to deal with. And once you get him off of you, now you’ve got to contort your body and get to the point of point of contact. And once you contact, now there’s a whole other set of rules about how you contact. So it’s a lot, again. But at the end of the day, that’s our job. We got one part right, getting back there, but then we got to probably do a better job of getting them down. But yardage is yardage one way or another. That’s defense.
CB Xavien Howard is a guy who is making a name for himself this year. What have you noticed about him, maybe since training camp or since the offseason?
CAMERON WAKE: He must have a tremendous d-line that’s forcing some errant throws that he’s getting lots and lots of interceptions. (laughter) Make sure you tell him I said that. (laughter) No, I’ve said it all along, obviously we have a thing: left side, we want to make sure … I’m going to help him out, he’s going to help me out. But take nothing away from him. He’s a tremendous football player. We call them ball hogs. A pass rusher’s best friend is a great corner. I say it all the time. I’m going to do my best to keep getting errant throws and he’s going to do his best to keep getting quarterbacks to pump the ball. We work hand in hand. It’s not just him and I, but obviously that’s how it should work, complementary football – front to back, side to side. He’s been on a run and I have enjoyed watching every time he’s been out there and I’m looking forward to continue.
When you say the left side, how aware are you of the cornerback? Do you guys play off of each other?
CAMERON WAKE: We do. I tell him all the time, ‘You give me two and a half seconds and everything else after that is on me.’ As I’ve said all the time, again, you’re getting the quarterback to his second and third progression, that’s my job. You shouldn’t have to cover it for five seconds. If that’s the case, that’s not on you. These are elite receivers. That’s the d-line. I put it on my back that I should have been there by then. Now, if he’s getting the ball out in one and a half (seconds), hey, come on now, let’s tighten up, let me do my job. Again, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. He’s obviously doing a tremendous job at that and we’ve got to continue to help him out.
Big topic of conversations this week was missed holding calls.
CAMERON WAKE: Missed holding calls? That never happens. What are you talking about?
I feel like you got held by two different people on a potential safety. Do you remember that?
CAMERON WAKE: Just drawing a blank here. I can’t remember ever being held. It’s an interesting game. There’s some interesting calls that happened today. Obviously, football is changing. We had a couple … Was it helmet to helmet? I don’t know the actual … Kiko (Alonso). I don’t know what the word is that they used. Targeting or whatever. I think I had a personal foul today for shoving the quarterback, so o I got to stop doing that I guess. I don’t know.
It’s huge. Takes points off the board. There are two different guys that held you on the play.
CAMERON WAKE: I had two guys blocking me on the first play. It’s interesting. I told you this, was it Friday, I don’t ever want to put them in that position. You wouldn’t leave your keys in the car and leave it unlocked, because you don’t want it to get stolen. I try my best not to allow the holding to happen. If it happens, I can’t blame them. I’ve got to blame them myself. I let them do that. My job is to lock my car and eliminate that process from even getting started. You saw it. You said it. I didn’t.
Overall, having this win, still being in the picture for the playoffs, how can you take this and build on this the next couple of weeks?
CAMERON WAKE: You’re probably thinking much further down the line than I do. Especially in December, it’s a one-game season every week. I think everybody knows I’m not a statistical guy. I don’t count. I don’t look. But in December every game you’re playing is probably going to be meaningful. I say it all the time: it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. You’ve got about 24, 36 hours depending to enjoy it or to lick your wounds. Tuesday afternoon, you got to wipe your slate clean and get on to the next one. Playoffs and end of the season is not on my radar. I’m looking forward to, like I said, 24 hours of enjoying this win and then it’ll be on to the next game.
DeVante Parker – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(Coaches said after the Texans game that getting you more involved, getting you more plays so you’re more comfortable in the mix has helped you into being more of in the mix in the games. Did you feel more comfortable being involved early and being able to catch that touchdown that you were able to help the team?) – “I felt comfortable. Even if I don’t get any targets, I’ll focus on other things – blocking, doing whatever I can to help the team.”
(How important was it for you guys to get this win today?) – “It was very important. We’re still in it. Take it one game at a time.”
(With all the injuries that you guys have had, how significant is it that three different guys got into the end zone and it really was a spread-out effort on offense despite all the injuries and all the problems you guys have had?) – “Injuries are tough. Sometimes you can’t avoid them, it just happens. People step up and make plays and it’s what we need.”
