Chad O’Shea – February 15, 2019
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Friday, February 15, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(Conceptually, what is your vision for an NFL offense in terms of strategy? I know you come from the Patriots system where you guys were pretty multiple in terms of what you were doing, but how do you create that? How do you create that as an offense conceptually?) – “I think that you have a foundation and some core beliefs that you have offensively, but I think the key is to do what your players do well. It’s our job as a coaching staff to identify what are the skillsets of the players and how can we utilize that skillsets to be a productive offense. That’s why we don’t talk about specific scheme. We talk about being multiple. We talk about being able to adjust. That’s a word that definitely is an important part of our offense is the ability for the coaches to adjust in the way we think as far as our scheme, and our players to be able to adjust and might be able to adjust weekly depending on what we need to do to win the game.”
(You guys – meaning the Patriots – had the benefit of having QB Tom Brady who had been there, I think, 18 years in the same offense. Obviously, that allows you to build off that offense and build off the quarterback. How do you do that with a younger quarterback or a new quarterback or a rookie quarterback?) – “I think that there are challenges that are built in any time you start a new offense, regardless of what position might’ve been a strength in previous offenses. I think that there are challenges, but I also see those challenges as being very rewarding. I think that the quarterback position is obviously only one position on the offense and there’s a lot of positions that really go into the planning, go into the philosophy of the offense and ultimately what you want to be. It’s definitely a process. Obviously we have a new staff here that is going to familiarize ourselves with our current personnel, and we’re currently in the process of trying to still learn our personnel as well as learn the personnel that’s available in the draft process and free agency. At the same time, we’re putting together our core playbook and some of our ideas that we’ve had from different places as we merge them to build what we’re going to call our own offense.”
(You talked about looking at your personnel of this team. Obviously, when you were coaching with the Patriots, you were watching the defense; but now that you’ve been able to look at the offense, what do you see in terms of what’s here that you feel like you can build on?) – “The first thing I’ll say is that although being in New England, we were concentrating – because I was an offensive coach obviously on the defensive personnel for Miami – it’s hard to not recognize being a competitor and being in the division those players offensively that we have looked at just by being in the division. So, I definitely had some familiarity with those guys. I have a lot of respect for them for what they’ve accomplished. We’re still in the process of that right now. Obviously, we haven’t been here very long together as a staff. We’re still in the process of our evaluation of those players. I’m very excited. It’s an exciting part of the process to identify who are your guys you’re going to be working with, because ultimately what’s most important is how we utilize the players that are here. The most important players are the ones in our building right now.”
(What are your thoughts on QB Ryan Tannehill – you’ve obviously played him for seven years – in terms of what he can do, strengths and things he needs to improve on if he’s going to be here?) – “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ryan. Obviously, because we’ve been in the division, we’ve had the opportunity to have exposure to him and I’ve always had a lot of respect for his competitiveness. As it is with our entire roster right now, we’re just trying to do a lot of catch up to try to look at the personnel at all positions and really identify … Again, there’s a lot of strengths on this offense. But I definitely have had a tremendous amount of respect for Ryan and what he’s done competitively within the division.”
(Outside of the competitiveness, what traits does QB Ryan Tannehill do or have that you say, ‘This is something I can build on?’) – “I don’t want to get into specific traits, weaknesses or strengths. I think, again, this is an ongoing process. Ryan has been somebody that has been a problem for us defensively at New England because of his athleticism and being able to be somebody that can not only throw the ball but be able to extend plays. And I’m speaking for somebody that’s been on the other side of this that’s had to compete against him, there’s definitely some traits that he has that are unique that maybe the next guy doesn’t have. I would say that he’s one that we always had a lot of respect for when we played him defensively at New England.”
(Speaking generally about quarterbacks, moving forward what do you envision a ‘Chad O’Shea quarterback’ looking like?) – “I think the most important thing in our quarterback moving forward here, whoever that is, is that we want great traits in that player. The intangibles are most important to us. Obviously, leadership is very important – work ethic. Some of the traits that we’ve identified and we’ve done this as a staff here this week is to try to identify traits in each position that we want to be proud of as a Dolphins player on offense. I think that the quarterback position is a unique position because there’s a lot of pressure that goes on with that positon and he has to be your greatest ambassador on your football team. He carries the message that you want to have offensively. He obviously carries the ball with him as far as on every down. The intangibles to us on offense at that position are important as they are other positons. We try to identity what characteristics are most important to each positon moving forward here and I think it starts with the traits of the players.”
(I know there’s been discussion about completion percentage, which is something which you value. Would you put that high on your list of things you want in a quarterback? Anything else high on your list?) – “I think that there’s a lot of things that you want in a quarterback, one of which is accuracy. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that go into accuracy, and I’d say it’s not just the quarterback. It’s the guys around him. It takes all 11 to be an accurate quarterback. I strongly believe that it takes great protection, it takes the receivers to be dependable and detailed and disciplined in the pass game to allow a quarterback to be accurate. I think sometimes the accuracy gets put just on the quarterback, but I think that it’s something that takes contributions from all positons to allow a quarterback to be accurate.”
(One of the things that Head Coach Brian Flores really believes in is changing what you do week to week based on the opponent. Is that a philosophy you share?) – “It absolutely is. Brian and I share a lot of the same philosophies, one of which is being very team-oriented. But offensively, our vision is to do whatever is required to be successful that week. We absolutely want to have a core set of things that we do well, but we’re also going to have the ability to adjust on a weekly basis. I think it’s important for the coaching staff to have the mindset that we need to be able to adjust and our players also need to adjust. That’s an important part of the offense is the ability to be multiple, to not be a specific scheme. But again, it goes back to we’re going to do what the players do well and what are their strengths? We always identify what they can do, not what they cannot do, and game plan or set up our offense according to that.”
(Do you believe it’s more demanding on the players? It requires more from them from a cerebral standpoint, perhaps?) – “I think when you have a multiple offense, it does require the players to spend extra time in preparation; but in the end, we’re doing what’s best for the players and we’re doing, most importantly, what’s best for the team. I think the players in the past, when we’ve been in a multiple offense, have always embraced that challenge, because in the end, they know that we’re trying as a coaching staff to do what’s best and put them in the best position to not only succeed individually, but most importantly, our vision is to succeed as a team.”
(I know Owner Stephen Ross has spoken about rebuilding, which typically means a younger roster. Have you and Brian Flores discussed WR Danny Amendola and whether you want him here because obviously you value him, but he’s an older player and you’re a team that’s going to go younger. Do you all know yet do you want him on the roster?) – “We’re definitely still in the process of the evaluation of our own team. Obviously now we’re in the evaluation of other free agents and now the college draft. I know that we’ve worked extremely hard where it’s an exciting part of the process here is to identify those players. Danny is one of the players that’s currently on our team that I have familiarity with. Danny has been a tremendous player for us in the past. I know he means a lot to a lot of people on this team and in the organization and one of which we hold in very high regard. But we’re still in the process of evaluating the entire roster and seeing what’s best for the Miami Dolphins.”
(Are there any players on your roster skill position-wise you’ve seen enough to even speak generally of beyond WR Danny Amendola obviously – among WR Albert Wilson or WR Jakeem Grant or TE Mike Gesicki or RB Kenyan Drake?) – “Again, we’ve invested a lot of time. The first thing we did is prior to any planning of scheme and what we’re going to be offensively, it was most important to identify what we’re working with. We spent a tremendous amount of time here this week and really evaluating our roster, especially the coaches that are not familiar with those guys (and) working with them. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of exposure … I’ve had exposure to them in the division and seeing them from afar and really had a lot of respect. I would say as a group, it’s a very exciting group for me looking at it and for our coaching staff, because there’s a lot of things these guys do very well. Not to talk in specifics, but I see the strengths of this group and I see there’s going to be a lot of things that we’ll be able to utilize and take advantage of what they do well and really put it a part of the offense to try to help us win.”
(With WR Albert Wilson, I know one of the things Adam Gase did was he was able to maximize his abilities by using him in the running game, all different ways. Do you hope to do likewise?) – “I think with the players, our philosophy on the players is we’re going to use every strength they have and utilize those. I know a lot of the players we’ve identified, speaking of the skill positions, have done a good job in a lot of areas. I think that that’s our job and that’s our responsibility as a coaching staff is to really identify those strengths and put that into action by what we ask them to do.”
(Talk about how much you’ll be bringing what you’ve learned over the past few years here and implementing that, because obviously what you’ve done in the past has worked very successfully.) – “I think there’s a lot of experience on this offensive coaching staff and there’s a lot of expertise. We have a veteran coaching staff offensively. I think we’ve all had things we’ve done in the past that we think can be successful moving forward. What we’ve done here recently is try to merge those ideas and have everybody’s philosophies come together. Certainly what we did in New England, we were fortunate to have a lot of success and we were fortunate to have really good players within that scheme, and there are certainly some things from New England that will show up here as part of our offense. And there are things that are going to show up from some of our other coaches that have been other places, that are also going to show up as part of this. I think of this as a collaborative effort. I think that you’re going to see an offense that is going to be multiple, an offense that’s built on the things we covet so much, and that’s being able to play team football and to be able to be fundamentally sound and do all those things right before we can do anything else.”
(You are going to have the opportunity to become a first-time offensive coordinator, first-time play caller. What is that challenge like and what do you think you’ve done throughout your career that has prepared you for that?) – “I think that there’s challenges that every job has regardless of the role. Certainly, there’s going to be challenges in our first year as a staff of working together and putting an offense together. I’m really going to rely on a very talented coaching staff around me. We have (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks) Coach (Jim) Caldwell who has done such a good job in a leadership position and I’m so excited to work with him and I’m so excited to work with the staff. I think some of the challenges that are built into being a first-year coordinator or first-year play caller, I’ll really benefit by having such talented people around me on the offensive staff.”
(What was it about Head Coach Brian Flores that made you say, “I want to leave what I have in New England to join him here in Miami?” I know you guys are friends and there are stories about you running stairs together. Where did that bond and kinship come from?) – “I believe in Brian as a leader. I think that what he believes and what I believe are aligned the same. His core beliefs and what he sees in a football team and what he sees in people are very similar to what I believe. It starts off with we’re aligned in that area. I have a great deal of respect for him a leader, as a coach. More importantly, I have a great deal of respect for him as a person. I have full confidence in his ability to lead the Miami Dolphins. I’m so excited to work for Brian and work with the coaching staff that he has assembled.”
(You worked with one of, if not the greatest, quarterback of all time. With the quarterback situation here in Miami up in the air and you as a first-time coordinator, what is your vision for your quarterback for the next year? What is your ideal that you want your quarterback to accomplish under your offense?) – “I think that we speak of the quarterback positon, but we’re really going to emphasize all 11 (players) on this. For the quarterback to be successful, it’s going to require those other guys to do their job. We’re going to talk a lot about individual accountability and that each person can only do their job and they can’t do the next guy’s job. The quarterback is one part of this. He’s a big part of it, because he’s obviously somebody that has a lot to do with your success or failures of the offense. We’re going to do the best job we can to support our quarterback with our players, with our scheme. I think that, again, it takes all 11. It’s not just solely the quarterback. We’ve definitely gone through the process of identifying what we need as far as the strengths, the weaknesses of what we currently have. I know that I see a lot of strengths. There’s a lot to work with on this team and I look forward to the whole process.”
(With what you’ve seen from QB Ryan Tannehill over the past few years playing him multiple times, is he a quarterback that you can work with and maybe mold him into the quarterback that we all…?) – “Again, I’m going to say we’re going through the process and the process is not complete. I think that there’s definitely … We’re still in the process of evaluating a lot of things. I know the quarterback positon is one that is very important to us and I understand why you would ask the question and it’s a great question; but I’m going to say that we’re still in the process of really … We have a lot going on. We have the playbook (and) evaluation of our own team. We’re still in the process of all that.”
(We heard a little bit about your role with the red zone with the Patriots. What exactly were you able to do in that scheme and what were you able to learn from that role?) – “I think that one of the things that as a staff we’re going to ask people to have different responsibilities, different coaches to have different responsibilities on the staff. I have been responsible for things in the past, one of which was red zone. We’re going to break the staff up different ways. We’re still in the process of doing that. We’ve been able to have success in the past in a lot of areas in New England, and a lot of it had to do with the players that were out there doing their job and really embracing the ability to have to adjust every week on specific schemes and those things.”
(We saw you guys were effective using the backs in New England. I guess the whole staff, but you as a whole, is that something that you hope to do?) – “I think the back is an important part of the offense. I think that the receivers … I think that the skill positon, obviously, is something that is an important part, but the backs in particular. I think it’s something that you look at the Dolphins roster right now (and) it’s exciting to look at the backs. Competitively playing against those backs in New England that are in Miami now, it’s been a group that has a lot of strengths and I can’t wait to work with them.”
(Miami Miracle, I guess that crosses your mind?) – “That’s right, for sure. Obviously, it’s hard to … I’ll never forget that one. I know this, I’m glad I’m here now; but that wasn’t a very enjoyable way to lose, for sure.”
Jim Caldwell – February 15, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Jim Caldwell
(Can you start with your history with Head Coach Brian Flores and how you met?) – “I think one of the things about the National Football League, it’s an interesting place because of the fact that first you get introduced to a person by the work that he does. I can tell you without question, just watching Coach Flores when he was with New England, they always did a heck of a job in terms of preparation for you. You knew you were going to have your hands full. There were very few teams that could adapt and adjust as well as they would adapt and adjust. Also, they did a great job of always taking away your number one option and sometimes your number one and your second option. So, that was my first introduction to him. Obviously, we always were familiar with the staff – who was on the staff, who were in positions to make decisions. Throughout the league, you do a fairly good job of getting to know them from that standpoint. From a personal level, he and I had phone conversations, particularly when he started to get involved in some of the head-coaching searches and things of that nature, so we’ve had several conversations along the way (and) got to know one another through that as well.”
(How did you use the off year for you from Detroit to here now?) – “It was interesting. It was the first year that I had off in 41 years. It’s always been kind of my routine to get up early in the morning, come into the office and work until late. Last year gave me a chance to do some things I haven’t done before. I’ve been married to my wife for 41 years, so I saw her a little bit more often. I don’t know if she was happy about that. (laughter) Nevertheless, we spent some time together, traveled. I have three grandsons and four children, so I saw them a little more often, and fortunately my parents are still alive so I had a chance to go up and see my parents and my in-laws. My parents are both 85. I went to Israel, went to Singapore, did some consulting. I did a little bit of everything. I stayed busy. I did some consulting on the pro level and on the college level as well. It was a fun year, but I’m glad I’m back to work, to be honest with you.”
(In Miami you have a first-time head coach, first-time coordinators on the offense and defense and you’re someone who brings a lot of experience to the coaching staff. Can you describe your role in terms of what you can offer, especially Brian Flores, in terms of your experience and helping him along as he kind of gets his footing?) – “First of all, he doesn’t need much help in that regard. He is excellent. He’s a guy that has great vision and foresight. Really, what I’m here for is I’m just here to help him do whatever he asks me to do. We have some very capable coaches. I know when you’re referring to experience, you’re probably talking about age as well. (laughter) Nevertheless, that’s a kind way of saying it. Pat Flaherty has been around a bit as well. There’s been a number of these guys. Even though they may be somewhat youthful as you look at it in terms of the experience as coordinators, they’ve had coordinating abilities for years. They’re very sharp guys, very bright, and my job is just to serve, just to help wherever I can.”
(You’ve had a lot of success in your career working with quarterbacks. Do you have a philosophy or particular tenets that you place on a quarterback of ‘This is what I would like to see out of you?’) – “I think that number one, the head coach really sets those standards. The quarterback has to be a person that kind of fits his vision of how he wants the offense run. Coach Flores is obviously shaping that for us, and then (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea), as the coordinator, is also shaping that for us, so we’re kind of working our way through those little details and things of that nature. Certainly, we have an idea. Certainly, Chad has an idea and certainly, Brian has an idea, so we’re putting all of that together at this point in time.”
(What did you see in your first time as head coach come across your desk that you hadn’t seen before that surprised you about the job?) – “I’d have to go back to college for me because I was a head coach in college first. I was a head coach for eight years at Wake Forest. Most of you guys are probably too young to remember that. (laughter) It’s just the demands on your time in terms of being able to balance free agency with your current players with preparing for so many different segments, and then dealing with all of the public demands that are on you – speaking engagements, meeting with alumni, things of that nature. That more than anything else. Other than that, there weren’t any great surprises. If you’ve been around football as long as the guys that are here on this staff have been around, there are not too many things that are going to shock you.”
(You had a lot at the college level and I guess a little bit in the pros, but what are maybe the difficulties of grooming a young quarterback or a rookie quarterback versus a veteran?) – “I think overall, it’s just like any position, not just that particular position. It’s getting them accustomed to what to expect in this league. Whether he’s been in this league for one or two years, whether he’s brand new or whether he’s been in this league for five or six, depending upon if your system changes, it’s just kind of indoctrinating him on what to expect within the system that he’s involved with at this particular time. For the great majority of it, it’s just how quickly they can catch on, how quickly they can translate. It’s like learning a different language and how quickly they can translate that.”
(Nowadays, we see more of a college scheme kind of integrated in an NFL scheme. How much of that have you tried to adopt and has it changed your thought process of not only that position but offense as a whole?) – “I think overall, just league-wide, the league goes through trends. When Vince Young came in the league, obviously he brought a little different dimension. When Michael Vick came to the league, he brought a little different dimension. But when you think back, Randall Cunningham did the same during his day. Steve Young was a guy that moved around quite a bit. Pro football has always had sort of an interesting exchange with college football and vice versa. When I was in college, I studied the pros to get a good look at what they were doing if there was something different. In the pros, which is unique, when you look at college, because we get a chance to see them through tape and evaluations, every once in a while some particularly interesting plays pop up. As you’ve seen, a couple plays of late some of the teams have used, the college trick plays and things of that nature (have come to the NFL). I think we all sort of use one another as a great resource.”
(Looking at this team, the way it’s constructed now, what are the challenges if you’re looking to kind of change the culture of this team compared to the previous administration that was here?) – “First of all, I don’t like doing comparisons in that regard. Secondly, that’s not my position. Coach Flores will give you that. He sets the tone for us in those areas in terms of culture building and things of that nature and we follow his lead. He has great vision, great foresight and he’ll do a good job getting us headed in the right direction.”
(What’s the biggest change for you personally coming to South Florida? How has it been for you?) – “In coaching, we adapt. I’m not certain exactly how many jobs that I’ve had, but it’s the fifth one in this league. In terms of years, it’s my 42nd year. There’s not a whole lot that we haven’t had an opportunity to experience. It’s still fun, it’s still exciting. I’m looking forward to it. Every year is a great challenge and I’m looking forward to everything that I can do to help this team to get them into a position to win games consistently, whatever that is.”
(When you think back on your history in this league, what stands out in terms of anything you’ve experience in Miami? Was it the Super Bowl?) – “Here, yes, absolutely. As a matter of fact, down in this area, when I was in college at Penn State, we came to the Blockbuster Bowl twice, so we were in Fort Lauderdale. We had a chance to play Florida State one year and Stanford the other year. Also down this way, we came here for the 2006 Super Bowl. We were here at this facility actually with the Colts and then also in 2009. One ended up great, the other one not so great. Nevertheless, they were both great experiences for us and our families here in this region.”
(I can’t help but notice that at the top of this organization, there is a lot of minority coaches with Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier at the top, and you and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham. What do you take that as, particularly in this league, where that isn’t always the case?) – “I think what Brian and Chris have done is they’ve taken a look and see who the best possible candidates (are). I don’t think they look at color or anything of that nature, and they made the decisions based upon that. I think throughout the league, except for obviously the last year in terms of the hiring cycle – there were very few minorities – but when you look at the teams, there are always a lot of assistant coaches that are in prominent positions. Perhaps not as many coordinators as there have been in the past, and I think you’ll see that change. There’s a lot of bright, young guys that are coming up through the ranks. I think first and foremost, what they do is they look to see who is the best fit for this particular team, who can do the best job and I think they did that regardless of color, which is great.”
(What’s it been like when Brian Flores gets his staff together in terms of his leadership with the other coaches, his ability to connect with people? What have you observed so far?) – “It’s natural for him. He’s been leading men for a long time. I don’t think there’s any difference in terms of his staff. Whether he’s standing in front of the entire defense when he was in New England or whether he’s standing in front of us in terms of our staff meeting room, it’s really the same dynamic. He has those special qualities in terms of leadership, focus and vision. He’s a great communicator and I think those things go hand-in-hand and they travel.”
(Going back to when Brian Flores first touched based with you, what was your reaction? Was it a surprise in any way or was it sort of like ‘Yeah, this makes sense’?) – “We had previous discussions about the league in general, preparation for interviews and things of that nature. This was long before this opportunity came up. He had asked me at one point in time, he said ‘If I get something and you’re not in football at the time, would you consider it?’ That’s kind of how he stated it. I told him ‘Yeah, I would consider it.’ Fortunately, it worked out. I’m here and I’m in a position to serve, which I’m happy about.”
(Best advice you gave him for the interviews was what?) – “Not really advice, just kind of giving him an idea of what goes on in the process. At that time, I had gone through several (interviews). It was just kind of a process. He had most of the things already in place and had figured all the stuff out that he needed to figure out. I think he was just using me as a basic resource to bounce some things off.”
(You want to be a head coach again, I assume? Most people do.) – “That’s not my goal and aim. My goal and aim is to help this team win and win consistently. That’s all I’m focused on. I’m not looking at anything else. I’ve been around the block a little bit.”
(Did you have anybody in your role when you were head coach? You were asked before what your role is, you said whatever they tell you do to, but you can do a lot of different things.) – “Yeah, I did have a couple guys on my staff at Indy, if we’re talking about the pros. Ron Turner had been a head coach before. He was on my staff. Howard Mudd and Tom Moore had been around a long time. They had seen it all. Tom was on the great teams on Pittsburgh’s staff. Howard played in the league and had been coaching for 41 years by the time I got there. Those guys added a lot in terms of just the knowledge and expertise and background. When I went to Detroit, there were a couple of guys. Ron Prince had been a head coach before. He certainly had an idea of what it takes. We had a number of guys on that staff that had been on winning teams and been on Super Bowl teams and things of that nature. It’s a collaborative effort and we try to utilize every bit of intellectual property that we have on the staff.”
(Obviously, you have QB Jake Rudock in your quarterback room again. What skills do you like about him? What did he show you in your time together previously?) – “I had Jake early. We had Jake really early. Jake is one of those guys that I think improves and improves daily. He works extremely hard. He’s smart. I’m excited about seeing him now. It’s been a year since I’ve seen him. George Godsey had him last year. You might want to talk to George about him because he most recently had him, but I would expect the same kind of determination that he’s always had. He’s been one of those guys that loves the game and is really fun to coach.”
(From a skillset standpoint, what does QB Jake Rudock do well? What did you notice just when you brought him in from the Big Ten?) – “He has the things that you look for. Obviously, the intelligence portion of it. Everything else is kind of like a work in progress just in terms of improvement. This league requires pretty special guys to play that particular positon, and Jake is one of those guys that just works at his craft. He throws the ball well and not only that, he’s mobile. Those two things give you an opportunity to at least be competitive in this league.”
(Have you seen QB Luke Falk at all on college tape or have any sense of what he brings skillset-wise?) – “Most of the guys, like I said, we’re kind of in that early stage of evaluating thoroughly. I’d hate to say anything about him until I get a chance to really look at him closely. Jake I know because I had him before. The rest of the guys, we’re trying to make certain we have a real good feel for those guys.”
(The NFL coaching hires the last round, you can look at them and say a lot of the jobs went to offensive-minded guys – passing-game guys, who are also white. A lot of the guys who lost their jobs were defensive guys who happened to be black. Considering where the game is going, is there a pipeline of the offensive-minded, passing-game black coaches around?) – “There are a number of guys who I think are in position to do just that. There aren’t very many African American quarterback coaches. There aren’t that many, at this point in time, offensive coordinators. There are a few, obviously. (Eric) Bieniemy down there in Kansas City. There are a few guys out there that are doing that. There’s a young guy at Indianapolis that’s a quarterback coach there that’s sharp, that’s there with Frank (Reich), so he’ll learn. I think (Marcus) Brady is his name, I believe. Nevertheless, I think the league also is doing some things to try and help cultivate some more guys. They have actually put together – and you’ve probably heard the commissioner talking about it – we’re doing kind of a quarterback summit where we’re actually teaching and bringing in guys. We did it last year. I was with Jimmy Raye and Shack Harris and Troy (Vincent) and Pep Hamilton. We put it on at Morehouse (College), and we’re doing the same thing again this year. The intent of that is to cultivate some guys from the college ranks to get them in position to understand what it requires and what it takes to move to the next level in terms of coaching quarterbacks, particularly in the passing game.”
(I was talking to NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent about this and you’re a guy who came up with Tony Dungy and a quarterback coach on the offensive side of the ball. Troy was saying that he thought that previously, the past couple of decades, black coaches saw defense as the way to come up and now that the requirements have changed in the NFL, can you pivot like that? It kind of takes a few years to train coaches, right? Is the league prepared to pivot or does it take two or three years, and if so, is that okay?) – “I think it goes in cycles. Just like you said, sometimes it depends on where they saw success the previous years and everyone tries to mimic it and see if they can duplicate that. Most people don’t know I actually was a defensive coach before I started coaching offense, simply because of the fact that I wanted to make sure that I was well-balanced. That’s the great thing that I think you’ll find out about Coach Flores is what Coach Belichick does with guys on his staff. He has them coach both sides of the ball, so they’re really well-rounded which is really unique. I had to do something similar to that in order to kind of put myself in position – this was in college – where I could really fulfill both requirements. That’s something that we’re working at to try to make some of these guys pretty versatile. They have to be able to change and adjust.”
(That’s good foresight by you.) – “That was a while ago. (laughter)”
(For as long as you’ve been in the league, is there anything you haven’t seen at this point? Do you feel like you’ve seen just about everything or is every day a new day?) – “Every day is new. We were talking this morning with (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry (Schuplinski) and I was also talking to (Wide Receivers Coach) Karl Dorrell, and I learn something different every day. Every day, I’m looking for something a little bit different. I’ve had a great opportunity to kind of listen to Chad (O’Shea), Jerry and watch how Coach Flores and those guys have developed in this particular culture and what they have gone through there (in New England) at maybe the most successful franchise and organization in the history of professional football. These guys are all remnants of that. They bring that insight and foresight into this building, so I’ve been excited about the things I’ve been learning from them, which has been really a lot of fun.”
Danny Crossman – February 15, 2019
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Friday, February 15, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(You are coming to a team that had someone in this position for a long time. Do you know Darren Rizzi much? Will you talk to Darren about personnel or do you want to form you own evaluations?) – “(We want to) do our own evaluations.”
(Just observations of what you’ve seen from your group on tape over the last couple of weeks? Does anyone stand out to you? Obviously you have a second-year kicker that did well.) – “There are some good players and guys that have done some good things. We’re still in the process of trying to find what their strengths and weaknesses are and then tie that into as we develop what we’re going to be. It’s still very early in the process.”
(You like your units to be known for what?) – “We want to be able to put pressure on people – whether that’s in the rush game or return game – and the ability to kick the ball well regardless of the situation. Sound, selfless, good football.”
(Last year, you had to work through the new rule changes. Did you agree with them, did it make the game better and how did you adjust to them?) – “I think the biggest thing is anything with player safety, you’re always in favor of that. In terms of getting used to and getting acclimated to the new rules, I still don’t think that the league as a whole knows exactly how it’s going to play out. But football is football. Whatever rules they give us we’ll play by and be the best that we can.”
(As a special teams coach, you know the roster as well as anybody. Does that help coming from Buffalo being in the AFC East coming down to Miami?) – “Yes. I think that anytime there is familiarity, it’s going to help you and obviously being in the same division, (it is) even another level. The same conference helps, the same division really helps, seeing the same team twice a year. I was in Buffalo for six years, so I have a pretty good feel of who they were in the scheme they played in. Now it’s just trying to tie that together with how we’re going to build it and what we’re going to do here.”
(Did anyone on the Miami Dolphins special teams last year stand out or that you had to circle, ‘we got to stop this guy?’) – “There are several good players. There are some good, quality players here, and we’ll see if we can develop them and get them even better.”
(What do you look for in a special teams player? I know a lot of times people dismiss those players. ‘Those guys are just on special teams and not really a main focal point.’ But for you, you’re trying to get everybody together. What do you say to those types of players?) – “I think what you’ll find out here is we’re all looking for the same type of player. We’re looking for selfless, smart, tough and available. If you have those things, you have a chance. We’re all, I’m sure if you go up and down this row, and what you’ve just (heard) from the offensive (coaches), we’re all really looking for the same thing. Good football players are good football players, regardless of what you’re going to ask them to do.”
(Culture-wise, did you know Head Coach Brian Flores before all of this? Or did he reach out and you just matched culturally?) – “I think as Brian brought up, when he made the transition into coaching, his first start in coaching was as an assistant special teams coach. In those circles, as a special teams coach at the combine and other functions, you get a little bit of familiarity with one another. Obviously he comes from a similar tree and we have similar beliefs. Those core beliefs aren’t going to change so it’s nice to be aligned with somebody that has those same beliefs.”
(Outside of the weather, what was the reward for you to come to Miami? What was it that made you want to be a part of this?) – “Obviously Coach Flores, like I just said. Those things I just talked about with the culture, his core beliefs and coming up under the same system and values, that’s what stood out to me.”
(Your thoughts on joining the Dolphins organization?) – “I’m obviously super excited to be on the front end of this thing with Coach Flores. He and I have similar beliefs and similar core values, what it takes to win as a team in all three phases, the type of players, the type of people we’re looking for. So I’m very excited.”
(How long have you known Coach Flores?) – “I got to know Brian when he made the transition from scouting into coaching. He started as an assistant special teams coach. I got to know him a little bit, probably about 10 years (ago) or so.”
(What do you see when you look at the core special teams guys. You have a couple of explosive returners – RB Kenyan Drake, WR Jakeem Grant…) – “There are some good players. Like anything, you take those good players and try to find a way to use their strengths and what they can do and make them better.”
(Do you have a core philosophy as a special teams coach?) – “A little bit, but mostly it’s going to tie into who our players are. I think you’ve got to play the game based on the strength of your players. You’ve got to ask them to do what they can do and we’ll work on what they can’t do.”
(What would be your core philosophy, if I may ask?) – “Find a way to win.”
(How do you embrace this challenge? What is your mindset as you begin this chapter in your career?) – “I think it’s like anything. It’s excitement. Any time you start on a fresh deal with a coach that has similar core beliefs and working for a general manager who has the same beliefs as a head coach and for outstanding ownership, it’s exciting.”
(Had you known Brian Flores for a while?) – “I got to know Brian when he made the transition from scouting into coaching. He started in special teams. It’s a tight, small circle and he and I got to know each other through that.”
(When Brian Flores called you, did your heart go through your throat? Did you know it was coming?) – “We had spoken. Obviously when he was fortunate enough to be in the position and made the phone call, it was exciting just because when you look and you take one of these jobs, to be able to be in a situation where you believe it’s somebody that’s aligned with the same core values and ideals that you have, it’s exciting.”
(How much of an advantage is it that you’ve spent so much time in the AFC East scouting these players here?) – “Obviously it helps.”
(You know who S Walt Aikens, for instance.) – “Right. That familiarity is always going to help. I think the difference is, now that you are going to be in that room with those players, is taking those same things that you were worried about defending and then building on how we can use those strengths to our advantage. It is nicer and makes this time of year a little bit easier.”
(You know a lot about WR Jakeem Grant, for instance. You know what a headache he caused you, so it must be nice that he’s on your side?) – “Correct. It’s nice to walk in and have those types of players.”
Patrick Graham – February 15, 2019
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Friday, February 15, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(How does someone from Yale become the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins?) – “(I’ve been) very fortunate to meet some good people in my coaching career. I got a chance to learn from some of the best. (I had) some good alliances with guys like me and (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores. We worked in the same office for a long time. We got to know each other. We had some common background stuff, both being from the Northeast, the Tri-State Area. Yale, I went to school there, played football there and fell in love with the game even more. After graduating, I got into coaching and found my calling.”
(What did you major in at Yale?) – “Sociology. I started off with chemical engineering. That didn’t go too well, so I had to switch it up. My dad told me, he said, ‘Listen, if you change from engineering to sociology, make sure you’re not living here when you graduate.’ I said, ‘I think I’ll be okay, Dad.’ (laughter)”
(What were you going to do with a chemical engineering degree?) – “If you go back and dig it up, there’s film of it. My senior year in high school, I wanted to get a chemical engineering degree and go into the CIA. That’s what I wanted to do.”
(Does that dream still live inside you somewhere?) – “No, no, no. (laughter)”
(This is a different career path.) – “Way different, but I found out early on when I got to school, chemical engineering wasn’t for me and the CIA wasn’t going to happen either. (laughter)”
(As a defensive coach, what are your core philosophies?) – “A lot of stuff that Coach Flores has talked about. We want guys who are selfless (and) guys who are willing to work hard. I think when you get into, not necessarily the schematics, but just looking at the player and what we’re looking for, aside from the character traits, you want guys who play with their hands and are heavy-handed. You want guys to play with good knee-bend and good leverage, and you want guys who have good eye discipline. As Coach Flores talks about, trying to get 11 guys to trust each other on the field, you have to get 11 guys to have their eyes in the right place to build that trust. When you look at it, football position, eyes, hands and feet, that’s how I see it, in terms of defensive players when I’m evaluating. Heavy-handed, active hands, eyes in the right place? When misdirection comes, are your eyes in the right place still? Are we able to go from one spot to the next and have a progression with that? And then the feet, a good base and good leverage all lead to good football plays. (That is true) especially when you watch the championship plays that take place championship weekend, Super Bowl weekend. You can just watch the sideline copy and really get a feel for that.”
(Where does heart factor in?) – “In terms of the toughness, I want to have a way to measure the toughness. To me, you measure the toughness as a defensive player and what we’re going to talk about to those guys is can we stop the run and can we stop the run when we know they’re going to run the ball? Are we contributing to the coverage units on special teams? We can measure those things to determine toughness, as opposed to just talking about them. And then the hard part about it is guys who are selfless and put the team first. That’s a big decision for someone to make, because by nature, a lot us, we want to take care of ourselves; but we’ve got to make sure we put the team first. That’s why this game is so beautiful, the lessons that you learn from it, because I know for me, personally, it’s helped me in my life to become more selfless and to understand to put the team first, put my family first, put the organization I’m with first. That’s so key and been such a good thing as I’ve grown as a person, now that I’m 40 years old. It’s been really huge in my life.”
(Here is the question people down here want to know – a 3-4 or 4-3?) – “Yes. (laughter) Multiple. This is what we’re going to do. We’re going to do whatever Coach Flores wants us to do that week and what we’re going to try to do is try to teach the guys the concepts of the defense, what the coverage is, what the rush is – whether we’re rushing three, four, five or six, it doesn’t matter. How we deploy those guys in different spots and the outside looking in, you guys see it, it’s going to look multiple. It is going to be multiple. Are we talking in terms of 3-4 or 4-3? It’s just going to be multiple. We’re going to do what we’ve got to do that week and that game. We’re going to try to win that situation, whatever we have to do. If it requires all 11 guys to be on their feet, it requires all 11 guys to be on their feet. If it requires all 11 to be down in a three-point stance, it’ll look weird, but we’ll do it if that’s what we think is going to win the game.”
(You talk about running multiple schemes and everybody tries to run multiple schemes but it’s a lot more complicated when you talk about building a roster for it. What is the key to building a roster to run a multiple set like that?) – “I believe it is identifying the traits that you hold valuable in terms of building a defense. It’s kind of like what we talked about earlier, with some of the physical traits. We’re looking for guys to play with their hands, guys with good eye discipline, guys that play with a base and good leverage. You take that and as you start to spread out to the different positions … When you’re talking about someone who’s covering, someone who’s taking on the lead block or someone taking on someone at the point of attack, all three of those things come into play. That’s what we’re looking for. Guys that can do that, and then you get some of the measurables, and things of that nature. But that’s really what you’re looking for. Guys who play with good football position and breaking it down to those sub-categories helps lead to being a multiple front scheme team.”
(If you have a 3-4 scheme and you’re looking for bigger players that can hold the point but then a 4-3 requires smaller and a little bit more athletic guys.) – “I’m not disrespecting what you’re saying, but I don’t necessarily agree with that, per se. A 3-4 or 4-3 to me is how your spacing is on the field. Whether a 3-4 OLB is a defensive end, it’s really the same spot. To me, I don’t necessarily get into that, in terms of how big this guy has to be. It’s multiple in how we deploy them. It can be different on any down and distance, any play, any call, any situation. I would agree to disagree on that, if that makes sense.”
(The other thing that would seem difficult about that beyond just building a roster is having a finite amount of time, not only to figure out what you’re trying to do as a defensive coordinator but what everyone is trying to do. That seems like a pretty seismic task to try and figure out for every situation exactly the right defense and have prepped it in only a span of nine months whereas all of these guys from the Patriots, they’ve built it over 17 years. How easy or difficult will it be to try to figure out all of those things in a space of six months?) – “The beauty of this game and our job is it’s very difficult. And it’s usually in pressure-filled, packed moments, that you have to make the right decisions. But that’s kind of why we got into it. I love being in it. So is it hard? Absolutely. Absolutely, it’s hard. But that’s why you put in all the work. That’s why you started off as a graduate assistant, got bumped up to a position coach, came to the league, became a QC (quality control), grinded doing this and that, putting in the extra hours, the offseason, the study. (It is) to be able to get you prepared to handle these moments and learn from the people you’ve learned from before, whether it’s learning from Coach Flores or learning from other guys I’ve worked with. It’s not easy – this job. I’m not saying it’s as hard as a single mom that has five kids to raise. I’m not saying that. But it’s a hard profession, it’s a hard job and it’s challenging, but I love to be challenged. And if you talk to the guys on the staff, they love to be challenged. I embrace it. I embrace it and I look forward to it. We’ll have it right. We’ll have it the way Coach Flores wants it and hopefully it leads to winning some games.”
(Coach Flores had a lot of success in New England with the sub package, having the fifth defensive back on the field. It was almost a base defense at times. Do you feel like that could be part of the package as well?) – “I think what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to look at what the offenses are giving us, right? Whether it’s creeping in from the college game or what have you – however people want to look at it – there’s a lot more three-receiver sets going on. The NFL is all about personnel and matchups. That’s a huge part of how you defend the field out there. So if they have three receivers out there, a lot of times you’re going to need that extra defensive back out there. We’re going to do whatever we think is best to win the game that week, but I can see how the sub package has grown more into the base because it’s reflective of what the offense is doing. If the offense goes with being 22 personnel or 21 heavy personnel and having an extra lineman out there as a tight end, then I’m sure we would combat that a different way. It’s based on what the trends in the league are and how they’re going.”
(You said you shared an offense once upon a time with Coach Flores?) – “Yes, sir.”
(Can you set the scene a little? Were there a lot of coaches in the office?) – “It was me and ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores). The main thing I remember … It was me and Flo and it was not about another coach being in there. It was about the printer being in there. The printer being in there and everybody coming in there to get the stuff off the printer.”
(So it was just you and Coach Flores in the office?) – “Yes.”
(Where was this?) – “When we worked together prior in New England.”
(And this allowed you to get to know each other very well?) – “Yes. We got to know each other.”
(So when you look back at that time, it most have been valuable to you?) – “Oh, it was valuable. Coach Flores, to me, and I’ve told him this – especially when I left and went other places – to me, our friendship and our professional relationship has been so valuable to me because he’s always been honest with me, whether I was doing it right, whether I was doing it wrong, if I said it right, if I said it wrong. He would interject where he needed to. That’s what I value from him. He’s been an example for me in terms of consistency. If you ask me about Coach (Flores), he is selfless. All of this stuff you talk about with the team, he is selfless. He puts the team first above all else. And the fact that he’s so consistent with it, I admire it, because by nature, I’m very moody. My wife says it’s because I’m an Aquarius. Whatever. (laughter) If there was a picture of an Aquarius, you could put me next to that picture. (laughter) I had to fight that because of the examples I’ve seen. I’ve always admired his consistency and how he’s able to be able to be consistent every day, and that’s something I learned from him.”
(So you knew in that room early on, Coach Flores had a chance to be a head coach?) – “Coach Flores is an impressive person. That’s all I can tell you. He’s an impressive person. I’ve always thought that about him. Even in those days when you spend all that time together, I’ve always thought about Coach Flores, that he is an impressive human being. From the first time you meet him, you realize there’s something different about him.”
(And the Patriots only had one printer?) – “No, no. (laughter) There just happened to be one for our side. There were just a lot of people in there. But it also ended up being fun sometimes too.”
(When you say something is different about Coach Flores? What do you mean? The presence?) –“The presence. The ability to be consistent. He’s a great listener. He holds you accountable. You could tell he was a leader. I mean, I could. Just through his actions and through his words, he’s always been consistent with me professionally and in a friendship role.”
(When you say Coach Flores is consistent, what do you mean? A demeanor, advice, attitude?) – “However you want to look at it. I think I’ll keep that private, but to me he has just been consistent in how we’ve interacted – demeanor, professionally and off the field. It’s been great. He’s someone I call when I make a decision about football, someone that I call when I have a question about family stuff. It’s been a good relationship.”
(Do players embrace that consistency from Coach Flores?) – “You’d have to ask the players, but his players play hard for him and they know what they’re going to get from him.”
(Did Coach Flores call as close to a perfect in the Super Bowl as you can get?) – “I mean, I don’t want to live in the past, but it was beautiful.”
(Not a lot of coaches leave New England to go work somewhere else. What made you say I need to try something different and branch out?) – “It’s something I’ll keep it personal. It wasn’t anything bad. It was just time for a change and it worked out for me. It’s been good and I learned a lot. Nothing groundbreaking, (or earth) shattering. It was time to make a change. But that’s my football home. That’s where I learned the game through Bill (Belichick), Pepper Johnson, through Matt (Patricia), through ‘Flo’ (Flores).”
(When you say you learned the game, what do you take from your time in New England?) – “Put the team first. Mental toughness. Doing the things that you don’t necessarily want to do at first. Put the team first, mental toughness. The main thing, the main thing is to try to get better every day. Any time I come into that building, I make it a point to try to get better at my football job every day. That’s all I worry about.”
(What makes you ready to become a defensive play-caller?) – “I hope all of these hours of work and just trying to have an idea of how the offenses are trying to attack us and having my thoughts in line with Coach Flores and being ready. It’s going to be from the preparation. That’s all I can tell you: I’m going to prepare to be ready and when the time comes, it comes. I’m going to be prepared to be ready. That’s how I know to get ready. Any other situation I’ve gotten ready for has been through preparation.”
Brian Flores Introductory Press Conference – February 4, 2019
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Monday, February 4, 2019
Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross,
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Stephen Ross:
(Opening Statement) – “Good afternoon. Look at this crowd here. You’d think we won the Super Bowl. (laughter) I’ve never seen so many people in this room before. But really, I’m really thrilled to be here. I think this is really a historic moment in the Miami Dolphin history. I’d first like to welcome and congratulate Brian (Flores) on his great Super Bowl coaching yesterday. It was incredible. You feel good after you see something like that. I’d like to welcome his family to South Florida and hope it’s a long, long stay. As I told you earlier last month when we were going to make a change, that we were going to go in a different direction. It’s about winning, but it’s by looking to the long-term and making those decisions that will make the Miami Dolphins continually be a great football team and very competitive. With that new direction, we set upon looking for a coach that could really take us and lead us in that direction. What we were looking for is a leader and that was probably the most important aspect of what we were looking for as opposed to what we’ve seen a lot of the other teams looking for – offensive-minded coaches – because of the success of (Los Angeles Rams Head Coach) Sean McVay and some of the other great offensive minds. But to me, you start an organization by finding a great leader and I’m really thrilled to say that I believe we have found that leader that can really take us into the future. With that, I’d like to introduce Chris Grier, who is our general manger, who together with (Vice Chairman, President and CEO) Tom Garfinkel, really conducted the coaching search that we did. I’m really thrilled with the job they all did and how we came together. It was an easy consensus in really picking Brian to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.”
Chris Grier:
(Opening Statement) – “Good afternoon. First, echoing what Steve said, I’d like to thank Steve, Tom Garfinkel, (Vice Chairman) Matt Higgins and (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon Shore for their input and time throughout the coaching search. I think we had a very thorough and very intensive process. Brian was the first candidate we interviewed and for him, he did an outstanding job. Again, I’d like to thank those guys for their help, because without them, we wouldn’t be here today. Secondly, I’d like to thank the other candidates that we interviewed. They all did a great job through the process. (I) wish them success in the future except against the Dolphins. (laughter) But today is about Brian. A lot have been written about Brian and I’s relationship. We’ve known each other over the years, but it’s not anything that’s like we were super close. Our times at New England did not cross paths. I got to meet him on the road a few times (when he) was in personnel. Just how he handled himself professionally and worked, (you) could see his work ethic and how he’d done things, so you kind of got an appreciation of him. And then the fact that I worked with some of the people he worked with talked about the type of person and character of what he was. I kind of knew him, so over the years, I’d always kept tabs on him and would check in on him, and then as he moved up the coaching ranks, I got to see him on game days before and we’d chat a little bit. It was really interesting getting to sit down and talk with him, really, about the nuts and bolts about football, who he is as a person and what his core beliefs are. We’re really aligned in our vision for how you build a football team. He worked his way up the ladder. Nothing was given to him. From his upbringing as you guys have all read the story, through Boston College, and then working his way up at New England working under one of the greatest coaches in football and having worked with him (Bill Belichick), I know how challenging and hard that can be and it brings out the best in you and Brian thrived. As Steve said, he demonstrates a lot of the characteristics you look for in a head coach that’s going to be successful in this league and I’m very excited to introduce Brian Flores as the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.”
Brian Flores:
(Opening Statement) – “Thank you. It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours. I just want to start by first thanking my wife Jenny and our three beautiful kids – Miles and Maxwell and Liliana. Say hi guys. (laughter) Without them … I do all of this for them. Without the support of my wife and my family, this couldn’t be done. I’d also like to thank my parents. My parents, they’re back home in North Attleborough (Massachusetts). My mom – as a lot of you have read – she’s dealing with breast cancer. This would not be possible without the two of them – my mom and my father. They’ve been the rocks for me. My core beliefs, my foundation, started with them and I definitely wouldn’t be here without them. I’d like to thank the Kraft family and Coach Belichick. I was there for 15 years. It was an incredible experience. What a great organization and what a great place for me to learn and grow and just become the best version of myself. I’m very fortunate. I’m humbled by this opportunity and they’ve been incredible to me. My high school head coach is sitting right there. His name is Dino Mangiero. A couple things about him: he’s another person … I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great mentors, great coaches, a great family, and he’s definitely at the top of that list. I can’t say enough good things about him. Some of the things I preach to my players now, I learned from him. There’s not a lot of fields in Brooklyn, but we found one over there. We found one for us to work on, to play on and get better on. I just want to say thank you to him. As far as this opportunity, I’m humbled; I’m grateful. I wasn’t in a rush to become a head coach. I really wasn’t. I had a good job in New England. I wasn’t in a rush. I talked this over with Jenny and my family. We talked about it, we said, ‘We’re not going to be in a rush. It has got to be the right fit. It has got to be the right place. You have to have the right feel.’ And when I met with Chris (Grier), Steve (Ross), Tom (Garfinkel), Matt (Higgins) and Brandon (Shore), we came out of that and Jenny will tell you, I was excited when I came out of that meeting. That’s where I wanted to be. I’m thankful that I’m a part of this organization now. We’re going to do everything possible to win games and build the culture and build a winner here. I’ll do everything in my power and work as hard as possible to make that happen. So, thank you. This is a great opportunity for me and my family. We’re going to try to make the Dolphins and this community – this is a great community and great fan base – we’re going to try to make you proud. Thank you.”
(What specifically in your meeting with the Dolphins, told you this was the place for you?) – “Chris (Grier) mentioned it. I think our vision and our core beliefs and our core philosophy of how to build a team, they were aligned. That was one of the things for me, going through the process of interviewing. I told every team this – if our beliefs aren’t aligned, then don’t hire me, because if they’re not aligned, then it’s not going to work. If they’re not aligned, it doesn’t work.”
(You’ve held a number of different jobs with the Patriots organization. How do you feel going back to bouncing around both sides of the ball helps you become basically the CEO of the Dolphins?) – “I think when you’re in a leadership position, you’re dealing with all facets of the organization, so those experiences definitely helped me. Whether it was offense, defense, special teams, personnel, driving people around, getting dry cleaning – all of those experiences definitely helped me kind of understand the inner-workings of the organization and how to lead. I would say I really feel like there’s no job that I really haven’t done. I know what other people in the organization are going through. I respect everyone, their jobs and the way they conduct themselves and I think that’s really gone a long way for me.”
(There is a big New England Patriots influence in the front office and on your coaching staff. On your staff, how much of that is by design?) – “From a staff standpoint, obviously we have some guys targeted. We haven’t made any final … We’ll get the final update on the staff when we finalize it, obviously. There are some core values, core beliefs that I will take from New England. I would say the number one thing there is putting the team first. I think that’s organizationally, from an alignment standpoint with what I talked about earlier, that’s very important to me. I’m about being selfless. I learned this a long time ago – it’s hard for two people to trust each other, let alone 11. In order to get that, we have to have guys who put the team first, are selfless and want to work with one another to do what’s best for the outcome of the group. Organizationally, I think that’s where we’re aligned.”
(How much short-term pain do you think the Dolphins have to go through before we see the long-term gain of getting this team where you want and staying there?) – “I would say that every week, we’re going to go out there with the idea that we’re going to win a game. There’s going to be pain involved in that, too. There’s definitely bumps in the road. There’s no doubt about that. In this game, there’s ups, there’s downs. That’s part of this game. That’s part of leadership, dealing with adversity. There will be some pain. We know that. But there’s pain for every team. We had some this year in New England. We overcame them, and I think that’s the kind of attitude and resolve I want to see from a team that I’m coaching.”
(This franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in 18 years. It hasn’t won a Super Bowl in more than four decades. What is your vision in fixing that, and why should Dolphins fans feel confident that you’re the guy who can fix it?) – “You fix that on a day-to-day basis. Everyone tries to improve every day. You take it one day at a time. There is a selflessness and a ‘put the team first’ attitude that you have to have, and that goes from the owner to the general manager to the head coach to the people who clean up at nighttime. If you can get everybody to buy into that, then good things will happen. I believe that.”
(What have you done to celebrate winning the Super Bowl?) – “(laughter) I kissed my wife on the field. We celebrated a little bit last night, then we hopped on the plane and we got here, so it hasn’t been much celebration.”
(Do you feel like you’re getting cheated in a way?) – “No. This is not getting cheated. I do not feel that way at all. That was a great experience, but I guess I’ve always been this way: I look forward. I’m a guy who looks forward.”
(You’re here, so obviously the Dolphins believe you’re ready for this. Why do you believe you’re ready for this?) – “I think I’ve had a lot of experiences in a lot of different areas of football organizations. I feel like I’ve made an impact and my overall philosophy is to help my players, help my coaches, help anyone I’m around become the best version of themselves. I think I’ve done that. I think I want to do that on a grander scale. I think I can do that on a grander scale. Hopefully we get that done here.”
(You executed a very good plan in yesterday’s game. What do you believe is the key to developing a successful plan from game to game?) – “Each game is different. Each opponent is different. Their strengths, their weaknesses are different every week, so every week we’re coming up with a different plan. A lot of that is tied to who you have personnel-wise, what we can do versus what they can do. It could be different every week. I think in this game, you have to be multiple. If you sit in one thing, the coaches are too good. They’ll find a weakness, they’ll take advantage of it. I think that’s the case really across the board – high school, college and specifically in the pro’s. In high school, we were taking advantage of guys … Dino (Mangiero) was taking advantage of guys on the high school level. I think you have to be multiple and we’re going to try to do that.”
(When did the dream of becoming a head coach first materialize?) – “I got asked this question last week. It was 2014, the year we beat Seattle in the Super Bowl. I had taken a step. In everyone’s career, I don’t want to say a lightbulb goes off but I really felt like I was making an impact on that group, the safeties I had at that position. So it was Devin McCourty, Tavon Wilson, Duron Harmon, Nate Ebner and Patrick Chung. Those were the five guys I had in my room. And I could see them developing not only on the field but off the field and their relationships with their families, with their wives and with their kids, and it felt like I was really making an impact. So from a leadership standpoint, the things that I was telling them, the things that I was doing – whether it was drills whether it was the way I talked to them. I’ll say this, I was very demanding with that group; but they knew I cared, they knew I loved them, they knew I respected them. From that point forward, I felt like that formula worked from a leadership standpoint and I stuck with it and I’ll continue to stick with it.”
(You went against the Dolphins for 15 years when you were with the Patriots. What was your assessment of the Dolphins then, and you as an adversary, what was this team missing?) – “I would say this is a hard place to play down here, that’s for sure. I would say that my last memory here wasn’t a great one. (laughter) But you know the teams here, they’ve always been tough, they’ve always been well-coached. I think they’ve got a good group, I think they’ve got great ownership, I think they’ve got a lot of things in place here and I think the future is bright.”
(You talked about the philosophy and if they weren’t aligned, or if the core beliefs weren’t aligned, don’t hire you. What are your core beliefs outside of leadership, outside of selflessness?) – “I don’t think I can stray farther from that. I believe in hard work. I believe in putting the team first. I believe in having people, a group … I believe in team. I would say that. I believe that people have to work together. If you want to strive to do something great as a group, you’ve got to work together. So there is a selflessness in that. There’s a ‘put the team first’ attitude in that and obviously there’s a process and a structure to that as well, and I would say those were aligned from that standpoint. Overall, I can’t stray too far. Those are my core beliefs and that’s where I would go there.”
(You join a franchise that, when you came on, this is a franchise that Stephen Ross says is headed in a new direction. What gives you belief that you will be able to bring a young team up to the standard that your used to coaching?) – “To that question, I would say it would just take me back to my core beliefs. I do believe that if you can get a group of young men to band together, to trust one another, to believe in one another, to practice and prepare at a high level, then you’ll win ball games. Period. I believe that. I think there are some things fundamentally that we are going to want to do as a team. We are going to want to play physical. We are not going to turn the ball over. Those are coaching points you hear every week. Whether it’s a young team, old team, at the core of it, it is about getting 11 guys on the same page, and those guys have to work together. As a coaching staff, you’ve got to get the coaching staff on the same page. You’ve got to get the entire organization on the same page. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. That’s a cliché term but it’s the truth, specifically in football. So if there is a fracture in one place, that could be the difference between getting fourth-and-1 and not getting fourth-and-1. I truly believe that. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(How does it feel for you to be the first Honduran coach in the league?) – “I’m honored by that. My parents immigrated here in the 70s and they came here to build a better life for me, my brothers and my entire family. They did that. They worked hard, extremely hard. We didn’t grow up with a lot but what I did grow up with, and I feel like this is lost in a lot of the stories, is that I had a great childhood. My parents, my uncles, my aunts, we spent a lot of time to where maybe we didn’t have a lot of money, but we were rich in love and that’s for sure. I had a great upbringing and I’m happy to make my parents proud, the people of Honduras proud, the people of Brooklyn, New York, proud, the people of New England proud, and the people I’ve been around my entire life. The mentors, the people who have supported me, I’m always going to do my best and work my hardest to make them proud.”
Chris Grier – February 4, 2019
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Monday, February 4, 2019
General Manager Chris Grier
(There was a report that Head Coach Brian Flores had presented you with like a six or nine month written plan of what he would do as head coach. Was that correct? What sort of details were in there that you would be able to share as far as what his vision was?) – “Yeah. That’s not unusual for any interview. All of the candidates we interviewed all presented their (plan) for how they’d attack the next three months leading up to the draft and then going into training camp and stuff. It was very – as you would expect – detailed and very organized. Again, where he learned and the organization he is coming from. He did a good job but all of the candidates we interviewed presented that.”
(As far as philosophies aligned that Flores mentioned, without getting into state secrets, can you say it’s building the team from the trenches? What general thing can you say that would explain how your philosophies are aligned in team-building?) – “I would say if you think about how I’ve always talked about my upbringing and what I’ve done, he’s started the same way. A lot of that would probably be able to paint the picture for kind of how we both think and think in terms of team-building and what wins in the league.”
(You talked about running multiple defenses and being multiple. How difficult is that to create in terms of a roster that has both concepts of a 3-4 and a 4-3?) – “It’ll be different. It is. It’s a little bit of a challenge because you are always looking for different pieces and parts there. I think the way the NFL is now, a lot of teams bounce back and forth between a 3-4, whether it’s Under or Over (formations). It’ll be a little bit of a project, I guess like you said, in terms of finding those pieces. There are some pieces here. (Flores) said he liked some of our pieces obviously going against us a couple of years, especially some of the offensive pieces he liked a lot. But it will be a process, as he’s talked about.”
(How enjoyable was the Super Bowl from the standpoint of Brian Flores was the guy and the performance they put on?) – “It was. What they did defensively was great. For me, coming from there, they’re our rivals. Let someone else win. (laughter) But I’m very happy for him. He did an outstanding job and their team played – as he talked about – as a team. You can see it with that team in New England this year. They were a team, and that’s why they won.”
(Take us through the actual interview with Brian Flores. At what point were you thinking this is our guy? Was there an exchange that you two had that really stood out to you?) – “Not really. We’ve known each other. Just hearing him talk, we kind of think the same way. I think it was more for everyone else in the room that didn’t know him. When everyone left, they were like ‘Wow, what presence he has,’ in terms of vision and leadership. You kind of go through everything. When we do the background checks on everyone, when you call people around the league and the people he’s worked with and you talk to the players that know him – former players – it was always ‘Wow, this guy’s leadership. He’s a leader of men.’ The presence he has, how he carries himself and how players connect with him and want to play for him, all of that stuff all came through in the interview.”
(Between the announced moves and the moves that have been reported, there does seem to a big Patriots influence here. Is that by design and if so, what is the thinking there?) – “I don’t know if it’s by design. I think (Flores) is just hiring good coaches that he can get, that are available, and that he knows has the same vision and philosophy that he has. Yeah, there’s probably going to be some New England influence but he has people from other organizations as well that are good coaches and can add something to that. You don’t just want all New England. It’s the same thing with scouting. I brought in (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen, who was hired, and Marvin started in New England like I did but he’s been with John Dorsey in Kansas City where he was his college director. He’s been in Atlanta. He’s been in Buffalo. Again, adding someone else that can add something to us and maybe, ‘Hey, let’s look at things. Hey, I like how you guys did that.’ I think that’s always helpful.”
(Can characteristics translate from what one franchise to another you think?) – “I think it can. But again, everybody has got to be on the same page, because it’s too hard if I think one way and he thinks another. You’ve got to get everybody to buy in so that we’re all talking the same language. You’re not talking like a DB coach … You’re not talking to someone telling them something different and then you expect that to translate to the field. It’s not going to happen. It was very important for him to find guys that believed in the same things that he believed and teach those core values.”
(As far as what type of job he’s taking, it has been reported the last couple weeks you weren’t going to take a quarterback this year. Is that accurate?) – “No, nothing is out … You can’t say that, because we haven’t even gone through our process of getting to learn the guys yet. There’s a lot of good prospects we spent some time with down at the Senior Bowl and there’s other quarterbacks that weren’t there that people are talking about as well. We’ve just got to go through it and get to know them. We might get through the process and fall in love with a couple guys. Last year, we liked two guys a lot and they both had good success this year. It could be at that point we may say, ‘We feel this is the guy.’”
(Flores is a first time head coach. Based on what has been reported out there, he’s probably going to have first-time coordinator on offense, first-time coordinator on defense. The team is rebuilding. Is this going to require patience?) – “I would say the hard part, and I’ve been here for a while as you guys know … We’ve had twice where we’ve had first-year success where we’ve gone to the playoffs with new head coaches and then the next couple of years it hadn’t worked and we ended up making changes. We want to build this to win long-term. I think we’ve been very calculated in some of the hirings as well. There are some you guys probably know; but once they get finalized, he’ll have veterans guys that have done it as well that will be great people for him to lean on, on the staff, too. I think you should have patience. We want to build this right. We don’t want to go to the playoffs one year and then step back and everyone thinks, ‘Oh, they’re back,’ and then you just keep trying to survive. We want to build this to where this is long-term and you can win for many years instead of trying to go year to year to fill spots to save jobs.”
(Do you think that the early success you had with two coaches that led to playoffs sort of derailed you as an organization?) – “I don’t think derailed. I think it just becomes pressure and expectations. We all knew when we won that there were a lot of holes. You guys all knew that being here. When you win, all the fans are like, ‘Oh, we’re going to win,’ and then the coaches put pressure on themselves and the front office, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to win and keep this going, this good feeling we have here.’ I’m not saying we did, but maybe you take a chance on somebody instead of building it the right way and things happen. We just want this to be built to win for long term instead of looking short term.”
(It has been reported that the organization will move on from QB Ryan Tannehill. I feel the responsibility to at least ask you is that fair and accurate that the organization will be making a change at the quarterback position?) – “No, I don’t think that’s fair, because Brian (Flores) just got here. You really need whoever is going to be his offensive coordinator and the rest of the offensive staff to get here, which is not finished. Let them sit down and evaluate the roster and look at him, because maybe they say, ‘Hey, he’s got something here that we can work and fix,’ if people think there is something wrong with him. I would say that’s not fair. There have been no decisions made. I’m not making anything … I’m not giving my opinion on the players. I’m letting them watch them so we can get together and talk about what we think.”
(You mentioned building it the right way multiple times in the past couple of press conferences. If you could explain what building it the right way is in your mind?) – “It’s a little bit, like I talked about, of having long-term vision. Again, I’ve never been … The way I grew up there in New England, I’ve never been (wanting to) spend money – huge money – on a guy to come it, because to me, I’d rather have three really good players than one maybe great player who may or may not impact what you’re doing. I’d rather have three good players at positions that are going to help the team win. That’s a little bit of it. But to me … Yeah, you build up your offensive line and defensive line. You start there and then you work. Obviously, you need playmakers that are going to be impact players and stuff. It’s just the way I grew up, how I started and I just really believe those ways are how those teams win.”
(Younger?) – “Yeah. It’s a brutal game. I’m not going to lie. We’ve seen it, and younger bodies bounce back faster. But that being said, there’s a lot of older players that are really good players still in this league. Obviously with the quarterback in New England.”
(On QB Jake Rudock.) – “Jake, we got to know him through Miami day here being he’s a local kid, and we spent some time with him. The thing that we had liked, and the previous staff did as well, is that he was smart. He’s a big kid, can throw the ball and he’s smart. He’s been in a similar offense. Before he signed, I asked him ‘What can you do?’ and I said, ‘I can’t tell you what we’re going to do, because I don’t know what we’re doing (yet).’ Just the fact that he was big, had a good arm and was smart, it was someone we took a chance on. He’s a great kid though.”
Stephen Ross and Chris Grier – December 31, 2018
Monday, December 31, 2018
Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross and General Manager Chris Grier
Stephen Ross:
(Opening Statement) – “First, I’d like to just thank Adam Gase for all of the work that he’s done. It’s probably one of the toughest decisions I’ve made. I really like Adam. He’s a very bright guy. He worked his tail off. Unfortunately, thing didn’t go the way we all hoped. A lot has been written over the last couple of weeks, I guess. I’d like to say all you guys were wrong because I didn’t make a decision until probably last night, after that game, thinking about it. I don’t where somebody got the information from, but the decision was really just made. I’m very proud of the organization and what we’ve accomplished. I think we’ve succeeded in everything from my aspect when I first bought it, except winning on the football field. Basically, the decision was really made as I looked at it and seeing that today, we’re no further along than when I really bought the team. We’ve been operating under a philosophy that we had a good young roster and it needed maybe free agents and draft choices and we’d be very competitive. To keep operating under that philosophy would be like the definition of insanity: doing the same thing and really expecting a different result. So I thought it was time for the organization to take a different approach, much like when I do in my business. I know everything I’ve done, we’re always the best-in-class and we’re on top, and that’s what I expect to be on the football field as well as an organization. I think you see what we’ve done as an organization that (Vice Chairman, President and CEO) Tom Garfinkel has led. You’ve seen what we’ve done with the stadium, creating a better environment for the fans and doing everything really the right way, watching our ticket sales grow, and what we’ve done in the community. I’m very proud of that. But what I’m not proud of is what we’ve done on the football field. That’s what I owe to the fans, and I take total responsibility myself. So today, in making that decision, I know when I look at where we are, I think we really have to take a different approach in how we do it. What you want and what I want, is really sustained winning seasons and having an organization that is used to winning, because that’s what people in Miami expect. That’s what the fans want and the fans deserve. Basically, the thought is we’re going to look to really build this organization based on our needs and if it takes a year or so – two years, three years – we’re going to be there and we’re going to be an organization. Fortunately, I’ve been looking around and we have someone within the organization that I believe can do the best job of anybody in leading us to that, and that’s Chris Grier. He’s probably one of the most respected people in the NFL. You talk to people (and) all along, I always got, ‘Hey, Chris Grier.’ I mean, a lot of people really haven’t dealt with him. He’s been a guy behind the scenes in making a lot of the personnel decisions but not leading the organization. Chris will have total responsibility of leading the organization. He will work together with a new coach. He will make all football decisions and report to me. I think that as we build this roster, we have a great young roster today with some key players to build upon, but we’re going to build it the right way, bringing in new people who will want to win, really creating that winning attitude. As you’ve seen with some of the recent players we brought in, it’s about winning and loving football. That’s what this organization is going to be. What I’d like to say is, they’re going to have the heart of a champion and that’s what we’re going to be all about.”
Chris Grier:
(Opening Statement) – “For me, I’d like to thank Steve for the opportunity. It’s a bittersweet day. Adam (Gase) and Mike (Tannenbaum) are good men. It’s always a tough day around the league – this day. Adam gave his blood, sweat and tears for this organization. He’s a tireless worker. I have no (doubt) he’s going to go on to great things and the same with Mike. I learned a lot from Mike. I’m very grateful to him. And it’s hard on them. You think about their families going forward. I know Steve had a very tough decision. I didn’t know anything was going on really until this morning. Again, looking forward to the future, I’m excited that Steve has entrusted me to lead the organization. I think some of you that have followed us kind of know a little bit of my background and what I believe in. Those people that have mentored me over the years and I’ve talked to them, there’s kind of a way I believe in building a football team and going forward, that’s what we’re going to do. The ultimate goal is to win Super Bowls and championships and be a consistent winner, as Steve said. It’s not about winning one year and then falling back. We want to build this thing the right way, where it’s long sustained success where the fans are happy, Steve is happy and we’re winning for long periods of time.”
Stephen Ross:
(Steve, there was a report today that you had asked Adam Gase to give up control that he had contractually over the 53-man roster. Is that accurate, and if he had said yes, would he still be coach?) – “That is not accurate. It was never discussed.”
(What ultimately led to the decision to reassign Mike Tannenbaum and fire Adam Gase?) – “As I said, I think that we’re going in a direction of building something and looking to build an organization that can be sustainable in winning, not just signing a few free agents that are older with a few draft choices and think you’re going to be a contender.”
(You mentioned that even if it takes a year you want to build this the right way, does that mean looking to the draft for a potential quarterback replacement? Do you look for a way to build, even if there are a little growing pains along the way?) – “That’s correct.”
(To put it plain terms, why keep Chris Grier when he’s part of the regime? What did you see differently in his decisions or where he can take the team?) – “When you talk to people to the NFL, I think Chris is probably one of the most respected personnel people involved. Chris has been with the organization a long time. He’s earned the respect of everybody within the organization. I’ve worked with him and watched him grow and I think he is really probably the best person that I could find for this job. I’m very happy with that decision.”
Chris Grier:
(How would you summarize your team-building philosophy?) – “Not to get into a whole lot of details … You know me, I don’t really throw it out there for you guys. (laughter) But look who I started with. It was Bill Parcells years ago. I’ve worked with Pete Carroll as we’ve talked about – Coach (Bill) Belichick, Coach (Nick) Saban. There’s a lot of those guys. A lot of that has influenced me. And I talk to those guys still about a lot of different things. I just have strong beliefs of what I believe in, how football teams win and how they’re built, so I shared that with Steve. We had a good conversation and that’s going to be our plan going forward.”
(What do you think is the number one ingredient this team is missing?) – “The biggest thing we’ve had here over the years … We went 10-6, then we had the injuries and we suffered 6-10 and 7-9s … It’s just consistency and knowing who you want to be. You’ve always talked about what kind of team you want to be, but as Steve said, there’s times where you get caught up in some things where you may sign something or you stray from that. But if you have a vision for what your team wants to be, you stay with it and you build it the right way. You can build winners in this league and guys have shown that across the league.”
Stephen Ross:
(You said you made the decision last night. When were the players notified?) – “This morning.”
(You talked about not signing a bunch of free agents who are older. Moving forward, do you want the roster to be constructed primarily of young players, be it young free agents maybe coming off a rookie contract or two, plus draft picks?) – “Correct. I want players who love football, who want to win, where winning is the most important thing.”
Chris Grier:
(Have you set any sort of timetable in terms of hiring a coach?) – “We’re starting that process immediately. For us, as soon as we finish this press conference, we’ll go upstairs and get working on it right now.”
(Is it important that the next head coach have prior NFL head-coaching experience?) – “I don’t think so. You can’t rule out anything. There’s good football coaches – pro and college – and I think we’re going to investigate every avenue. For us, the important thing will be finding the right guy that kind of believes in some of the same things I do in terms of building a team, but I’m also flexible enough that if he presents his ideas and we think it’s good, it’s going to be a collaboration, everything we do still. I know we talk about having control and I’m over it, yeah; but it’s not going to work if he and I don’t share a vision to implement that plan throughout the organization.”
(Is QB Ryan Tannehill a part of next season with the Dolphins?) – “Yeah, as of right now, he’s on the roster. Again, the next head coach is going to come in and he’ll evaluate the roster as well. So we’ll work through that once that guy is hired.”
Steve Ross:
(Just the thinking in parting ways with Adam Gase, why did you ultimately feel like that was the right thing to do?) – “I think Adam wants to win and win now. He’s going into his fourth year and I think he wants to win. Every coach, in your fourth year, you have to win.”
(Have you indicated this might be a rebuilding program or winning immediately wouldn’t necessarily happen? Ideally, but not necessarily?) – “I think we have a lot of great players (and) a great nucleus to form. When we win on a sustainable basis – I can’t tell you which year that is going to be – but we’re going to do what it takes to build the organization piece by piece, so that we have the right players that will be here to build that winning tradition, or bring it back.”
(Is this the first time you’ve stepped back and said ‘Let’s do it this way?’ You said it’s a different approach for you.) – “Yeah. If you look back, look what we’ve done every year since I’ve been here. If we keep doing that, where are we going to be? We’ll be anywhere from 6-10 to 10-6. That’s not good enough.”
(Are you saying you’re willing to maybe go through some years of 3-13 to ultimately become an elite team?) – “I would hope I don’t have to go 3-13; but whatever it’s going to take, we’re going to build that organization with the right players that want to win. They’re coming here to win.”
Reshad Jones – December 30, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins S Reshad Jones (Transcribed by Buffalo Bills)
Q: What did you think of the year as a whole now that it’s over?
A: Tough season. It didn’t go the way we wanted it, we didn’t finish the way we wanted to finish, but we got next year.
Q: What is it going to take to turn this franchise around?
A: Collective effort. Everyone needs to come together and just do more I guess, I’m not sure.
Q: I imagine you’re frustrated with the way the year has gone?
A: Yeah, I mean we’re all frustrated. We didn’t make the playoffs, that’s the big goal, that’s the whole picture. We wanted to make the playoffs and finish in the post season and that didn’t happen, so yeah I think everybody is frustrated.
Q: Do you think the coaches, [Adam] Gase and [Matt] Burke, will be back?
A: I have no idea I don’t make those decisions.
Q: Do you think that the situation with unsettled front office was a factor in terms of how the team performed today?
A: I’m not sure about that, I come to work and play football. That’s all I can count on.
