Adam Gase – October 17, 2018
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Did QB Ryan Tannehill throw today?) – “No.”
(What’s the status with QB Ryan Tannehill right now?) – “He’ll be out this week. He’ll be out this week and we’re taking it really day-to-day. Like every week, hopefully we’ll see progress.”
(If he’s not playing this week, what did you want to see from QB Ryan Tannehill and what he did today?) – “We’re working on anything that has to do with pocket movements, footwork and things like that. Basically he can do everything; he just can’t throw.”
(You’re facing a stretch where you’re going to play two games in eight days. I know you’re not looking ahead but is there a chance he could return for that Thursday night game?) – “I don’t know. Legitimately, reading all of the stuff that they gave me and all of the opinions we got the other day, it’s just an unknown for us.”
(Is there any update on DE Cameron Wake? We saw him doing some individual stuff out there.) – “Yeah, I’ll be interested to see how he felt. Just seeing him back out there is a good thing for us. I’ll probably get with him either tonight or tomorrow. Probably more tomorrow just because it’s the day after (practice and) see how he felt. Hopefully we’ll know by the end of the week how he feels and whether or not he can go.”
(How about CB Bobby McCain?) – “(It’s the) same thing.”
(Not that it’s huge in the grand scheme of things but is there any reason or thought process behind moving practice an hour later today?) – “We had some extended meeting time, so we moved some things around.”
(When you reviewed the film from the last game, can you tell me some of the things that T Laremy Tunsil and T Ja’Wuan James specifically did well that made you very pleased?) – “I think they did a good job of one: executing what we asked them to do. We had some things that we did a little different protection-wise. And then Laremy was one-on-one quite a bit. It didn’t matter which guy he was going against, that’s always a tough ask of any player of basically saying ‘Hey, you’re on an island all day and we need you to win.’ He did that and I thought Ja’Wuan did a good job. He had quite a few one-on-ones. He did a good job of getting hands on the defender and just stymying him at the line to where we were getting the ball out pretty quick.”
(How much do you think it will help QB Brock Osweiler to get all of the reps this week?) – “I think any time that you can really dial into the game plan and make some adjustments as the week goes on for that guy, that always helps. He knows the offense really well. Guys are used to kind of the way that he operates. He’s extremely loud. When he calls out plays at the line of scrimmage, it’s hard to miss it.”
(Was getting DT Akeem Spence from Detroit, did that initiate or start with Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek when he came in? Or had you guys targeted him?) – “I think it started with Kris. I’m trying to remember the whole…”
(I’m just curious what the process was there leading up to getting DT Akeem Spence. Was that a guy that Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek came in and said this guy is probably going to be available and you need to get him?) – “I’m trying to remember what the exact actual steps were because we talked to them early in the offseason and then it kind of was like a dead period to where we had the draft, free agency and all of those types of things. We didn’t really have as many guys as we were looking for and then we kind of went back to those guys again. Then they were interested. They were already kind of in their offseason program. We finally got it to a point to where we figured out what we were good with, with them, and what they were good with. That’s how it ended up happening. It was a long, drawn out process it felt like.”
(Why did you want DT Akeem Spence?) – “I mean any time that you can help a d-line coach, especially get some of his guys in there that know how he operates and knows how he likes to do things, it benefits the entire team. We thought he was a really good player. We really felt like he was a great fit for us.”
(One more question on QB Ryan Tannehill. There’s been nothing in the last 48 hours to change your optimism long term for him?) – “No. What are you asking? Are you talking about…”
(QB Ryan Tannehill will be back this year and all of that?) – “Yeah, as far as I know.”
(Did QB Ryan Tannehill have a setback in the last couple of days?) – “No.”
(Back to T Laremy Tunsil, how high of a level is he playing at in general?) – “It’s pretty high. The confidence level is extremely high right now with him. I think he’s showing it on tape. I think that Cincinnati game showed everybody else how valuable he is to us and what he can do. When we lost him, that hurt us.”
(Was the interior of the line last Sunday as good as you could have expected with the two major losses at that position?) – “Yeah, I think the guys did a good job. They execute what we ask them to do and played physical, played long. They played through the whistle. It was good.”
(How is C Travis Swanson doing?) – “He’s doing good.”
(The two players that you all have designated that can return, obviously we saw them on the practice field for the first time today. Is your expectation that they’ll be ready to go in November, the first time they’re eligible? And what can they add – LB Mike Hull in particular.) – “You just focus on one week at a time and just make sure that those guys are good to go. You don’t want to do anything crazy and throw them out there too early and they’re not ready. I mean they’ve been out for a while.”
(RB Frank Gore came here with a well-established reputation. What about him has surprised you?) – “Nothing. I mean he’s the same guy I remember. He’s an old-school warrior. The other day he gave us everything he had. He laid it all on the field and he went all the way as far as he could.”
(Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia referenced this today and I think you’ve said this before about your battles with him. You guys sometime get into this thought process of what does he think I think he thinks I think he’s going to call. Do you do that more with him than anybody else that you’ve battled over the years?) – “Probably just because it feels like we’ve played each other a lot since 2013. It’s always a tough matchup just schematically. We both know each other (and) what we’ve done in the past. It’s like, is somebody going to reach back to something we did before or something new? It’s just there’s a little bit of that going on.”
(Do you enjoy it any more so than any other week? Do you like going against Matt Patricia specifically?) – “Yeah. When you go against people that you’ve known for a long time and that you’re friends with, it’s always a fun battle. The only problem is he’s had probably the bragging rights a little too much. It’s a challenge. When you’re dealing with somebody that’s extremely smart and does a really good job and prepares and you know is working extremely hard to get his group right, you know you need to do a great job and you have to make sure you work as hard as you can to make sure your guys are prepared.”
(Was there ever a time where you feel like you got too caught up and got too bogged down in trying to predict what Matt Patricia thought you thought he was going to do or something like that?) – “No. I feel like a lot of times we reign ourselves in by the end of the week. It might start out like that early but by the end of the week, you get everything kind of tied down. Players will let you know if they feel like you’re going off the reservation a little bit.”
(Could you call Matt Patricia’s defense for a game?) – “No.”
(You’re not familiar with it enough?) – “That’s the other side of the ball. It’s different. The way that I look at things and the way that defensive guys will look at things, there is a little bit of difference when you have those conversations. Even in our building, when I say this is what we’re trying to do, they kind of sometimes can see it a little different.”
(What’s the staple of Matt Patricia’s defense?) – “He’s going to do what he needs to do to win the game. It could be whatever he’s shown, it could be new stuff, it could be something that they ran in 2008 in New England. It could be a lot of different things.”
(With someone you’ve battled as often as you’ve gone back and forth with Matt Patricia – without revealing state secrets – are you more likely to try something new or pull out something from a bag of tricks or throw a curveball in there that maybe you wouldn’t with someone who is less familiar with what you do?) – “I feel like I’ve tried everything with him so I don’t know how much is … I think we’re close to maxing out on that aspect.”
(With QB Brock Osweiler, is there anything from Sunday that you saw that surprised you that you can build on?) – “That’s about what I expected. I think there’s a few things that we just need to make sure that we’re all on the same page. When I was with him before in Denver, he was ready to go by my last year there. So that would have been his third season. When I left he was going into his fourth season. It was just a matter of time before he started playing.”
(We know how you handle QB Ryan Tannehill but when you get into the backups, with QB Brock Osweiler, is it Brock’s game no matter what? Or do you evaluate it during the game as far as whether you might go to QB David Fales if it’s not going well?) – “I’m good with where we’re at right now. I know what Brock brings to the table. I know what his strengths are and what he likes to do. I’m real comfortable with where we’re at right now.”
(We saw QB Brock Osweiler throw it away a few times to avoid a sack or avoid forcing a bad throw. That’s something that he’s talked about since training camp and he actually executes that. Does that come easy for him or is that something that he’s had to learn over the years?) – “It’s probably something that he’s developed over time. It’s hard to remember exactly if he’s always been like that. There was a lot of practices and preseason games, so you’re talking about a lot of stuff that’s probably been erased from my memory. But he learned from the best guy you could possibly learn from. That guy, Peyton (Manning), never took a lot of sacks. When you get to sit behind a guy like that for as long as he did, be in meetings every day and hear him talk through games afterwards, that’s valuable.”
(You talked about waiting behind QB Peyton Manning. There were a lot of times where QB Brock Osweiler could have gotten frustrated during that time. Do you remember having conversations with him about that?) – “No. He never worried about it. He just kept working. He knew what the deal was. He knew that any year could be the year because I know there was … My last two years in Denver, both seasons when they ended, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with what (Manning) was going to do, if he was done or if he was coming back another year. We were all in the same boat. We stayed present and we knew what it was at the time. Then something changed and we would adjust.”
(You left before QB Brock Osweiler was actually able to start being the starter. Did anything change between that time and him?) – “He’s been the same guy since I’ve known him. I think he was like 20 when we drafted him. He was young. But he’s always been the same guy. He’s always been a vocal guy. He’s been a hard worker. That was the thing that we loved about him. They always described him as a gym rat. He had almost like that basketball work ethic where he was always in the gym. That’s kind of what he was with football. He was always in the building. He was always doing something, whether it be in the weight room, throwing, studying tape. He did a lot of things on his own.”
(With TE Nick O’Leary, you were able to do a number of things very competently. Has that expanded what you’re able to do and what you’re comfortable doing in your playbook?) – “I mean we’re always going to keep trying to grow through the season. We kind of try to use the guys’ strengths to our advantage and avoid any kind of … something that they’re not as good at and stay away from it. I feel like he’s done a good job with some of the things that we’ve asked him to do. There’s a couple of things that I know he’d like to improve on. I think that group has done a good job. They all have strengths that we really like.”
(For you and QB Brock Osweiler, working together again, is this kind of a sense of unfinished business maybe? Getting to do something that you guys couldn’t do…) – “I mean it was fun calling the game for him. It’s something that we never really got to experience. There were a couple of games where he got in there and it was like mop-up duty. It wasn’t for him because it was the only opportunity. But the calls change. It’s so different when you’re up and he’s in there and we’re running the ball more than not, more times than not. This was good. I forget how many games he said … He told me it’s been 58 games I’ve heard you call and this will be the first one that’s real.”
Adam Gase – October 15, 2018
Download PDF version
Monday, October 15, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(There was a report about DE Cam Wake getting surgery. Is there anything you can tell us about his availability?) – “Not yet. I’ll find out this week and see if we can get him at practice, moving around.”
(DE Cameron Wake did have surgery?) – “I’m not going to tell you guys.”
(Is there any update on QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “(He’s) day to day. I don’t know … Nothing has changed. We’re going to have to wait a couple of days and see if he feels any better heading into Wednesday, Thursday. It’s just such an unusual situation because last week we started the week, he was sore, but then it got worse as the week went on. That’s why we found ourselves in a position we weren’t really thinking we were going to be in. Normally any time he’s been banged up or some kind of injury, he’s always progressed positively. That’s why we thought we’d get the same thing but that didn’t happen. That’s why we waited until the last minute and that’s where we are at right now. We’ll see how this week goes. I’ll know more when I can see him throw again.”
(Was there an ideal date where you’d like to have your starting quarterback known by this day?) – “No. I’m fine either way. Those two guys know the offense. The fact that we are playing Detroit, which is going to be more… It’s like New England for us, very close. It’s not like we’re playing a scheme that we don’t know or we haven’t seen before. Both of those guys are well … They understand what they’re playing. They understand the scheme they’re playing.”
(Do you feel that there is chance this is a long-term thing with QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “I’m not sure. I really don’t know. I don’t know the answer. It’s day to day. It’s really going to be about how he feels. We can be told by doctors and trainers ‘this is what we think is going to happen.’ But he’s been one of those guys that’s been the opposite of what you’re being told. He can say I’m good or I’m not good. This was the first time we were being told one thing as far as this is unusual that he’s going the other way and then him actually agreeing that he didn’t feel right. Normally he’ll try to go opposite of what they tell him.”
(But you have complete confidence QB Ryan Tannehill will be back in 2018?) – “Yes.”
(Do you have more tests planned for QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Well it’s really about rest more than anything right now.”
(Just see how QB Ryan Tannehill feels?) – “Basically.”
(What would another week of rest, of not playing maybe bring?) – “I don’t know. That’s what I’m saying is there is unknown for us. It’s literally day to day. He might wake up on Wednesday and feel great, and then go out and throw and feel good. Then it’s going to be about how does he feel the next day.”
(If or when QB Ryan Tannehill is healthy…) – “Yes, he will be the starter. Yes. Yes. You didn’t think I was going to anticipate that like that? (laughter)”
(Does the way QB Brock Osweiler plays in the meantime buy you time with QB Ryan Tannehill? As opposed to having him play through the injury?) – “I just want him to be healthy. I want him to be right/ I don’t want him to put himself in a situation where he goes to do something and it’s not there. Like if he needs to throw the ball a certain way and he can’t juice it up the way he thinks he can, and then you throw a ball that doesn’t come out right. That was my biggest thing going into this game of can you make the throws the way you want to make them? That was where we were at in a lot of the discussions. He was too. That was his same concern. What if I can’t throw it the way I want to?”
(We saw QB Ryan Tannehill got a little banged up in the Raiders game too. Did that affect him at all two weeks that followed or not?) – “I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’m pretty sure it was the one that we had in the Cincinnati game where it was a sack fumble. It was kind of unusual the way he got hit and went to the ground.”
(Is it more velocity or arm strength for QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “It’s really … It’s the same thing. It’s really how the tempo of the ball is coming out and the way that he wants to throw it. It’s hard to explain. You have to see it.”
(How did your offensive line do it? How did they turn things around so much from how things looked against the Patriots and the Bengals to a pretty clean pocket yesterday?) – “We were pretty clean in the Cincinnati game until the fourth quarter. Having Laremy (Tunsil) out there makes a big difference. Our guys did a good job of executing what we talked about doing. We put a lot on the receivers to get open. We didn’t really do a lot of stuff where the tight end was getting out and the backs were getting out. It can be risky to do if they start dropping a lot of guys or they start getting home on a four-man rush when we’re using up the tight ends and the backs. We did a good job of executing it for the most part. When (Khalil) Mack went to the other side and went against Laremy, that was really what we were hoping to force. That allowed us to kind of do some different stuff.”
(What impressed you most about QB Brock Osweiler’s performance yesterday?) – “He did a good job of not panicking when we were down. He had a couple of interceptions but he did a good job of moving on to the next series. He’s been around for a minute. He doesn’t hold on to things and let it affect the next series.”
(Can you talk about the 2-point conversion play? I’m wondering whether you go into a game with one play in mind for a 2-point conversion, or is there a series that you choose from at that moment depending on the circumstances?) – “Since that’s been in, we’ve always made sure we just have enough plays just in case you get in one of those weird games where you have to go for it multiple times, three or four times. You just have to have some options. We work on them a lot. We walk through them every week and we rep a couple in practice. You try not to do it too much in practice because the scout team starts to figure out what you’re doing and they start ruining your feel for the play. What happened in the game was the first time I’ve ever seen that actually happen, where we lost two of our primary guys because (Khalil) Mack just blew the whole thing up. I’m just glad Kenny (Stills), who has never caught that ball, never had it thrown to him; but he did exactly what he was supposed to do and kept playing, and Brock (Osweiler) did a good job staying on the move.”
(Can you tell us what happened to DE Charles Harris?) – “Yeah it was the last play of practice on Friday. We’ve just got to see. I don’t know how long it’s going to be, but we just need to be smart before we deal with him. I know the trainers are on it, the strength staff will be on it with him. We’ve talked to him about not putting himself in a bad position by trying to push coming back. We just need to be smart with how we get him back.”
(Is it a day-to-day or week-to-week deal with him?) – “It’s probably week-to-week. We’ll know probably more Wednesday and then we’ll at least have an idea if we have a shot or not.”
(How much of DE Andre Branch playing yesterday – we know he’s been dealing with a knee injury – was that he was totally ready to go or out of necessity?) – “He was ready.”
(It seemed like DE Andre Branch was probably still playing through something.) – “I’m sure he is, but he didn’t say that to me. He let me know earlier in the week that he was ready and he felt great. That was good timing for us because we were low on numbers and we were lower on numbers as the game went on. I feel like that group battled. That was not an easy deal for them to go. You can see how the other team was as far as their front. They were tired, it was hot and we were low on numbers. Those guys just kept fighting.”
(You guys obviously looked to build a nine-man rotation on the defensive line. Now you have four of them left. What’s that been like?) – “It’s been interesting. (Defensive Line Coach) Kris (Kocurek) has done a great job, though. That group is tight and those guys are doing it for each other. They talk the whole game. The encouragement on that side of the ball, it’s awesome to listen to, because those guys try to make sure that they keep that rotation going and just keep fighting. It’s not always perfect, but those guys are doing everything they can to just help us win a game. Whatever the numbers are, whatever the stats are, we really don’t care. It’s about getting a win.”
(How much do you think your relationship with QB Brock Osweiler in Denver helped you Sunday?) – “A lot. He knew exactly what I was trying to do from Wednesday on. He’s been like that his whole career. He’s always ready to go. He never was one of those guys that kind of prepares and says I never … He played behind a guy (Peyton Manning) that just never came out. It didn’t matter if we were winning by 50, he wasn’t coming out. He did that enough in (Indianapolis) where he didn’t play the fourth quarter. He’d like to play. Unless there was two minutes left and we’re up by 35, then he wasn’t coming out. He had to watch a lot. It was pretty cool to be able to call a game with him finally after all of those years.”
(You guys were 8-of-17 on third downs. How much did RB Frank Gore’s carries on first down contribute to that?) – “It makes a big difference. We had more third-and-6 or less and he was running hard and doing a great job of keeping us ahead of the sticks. I think both of those guys did. They were playing physical. I thought the line did a good job of just prying a few things open. We were downhill yesterday and that’s Frank’s game. When we get a couple of gap-schemes in there and he hits a couple of those holes, he breaks tackles. The way he runs through arm tackles is impressive.”
(How much of a load can RB Frank Gore carry? He had 15 carries yesterday.) – “We’ll see. Every game is different. It was good to see both of those guys pretty balanced. They kind of had the same amount of carries. I think the more we can keep it like that, the better.”
(If you had known going in that you’d have 541 yards of offense and 31 points against maybe the best defense in football with your backup quarterback, you would have said what?) – “I mean I’m messed up enough to think that’s what it’s going to be every week. (laughter)”
(With WR Albert Wilson, what goes through your mind when you see him in the open field?) – “Any time we can get him the ball and he has just a little bit of space, that’s what is a possibility of happening. It might be 6 yards but it might be 60. He’s a strong runner when he gets the ball in his hands. It’s hard for guys to tackle him because he’s built like a running back but he’s a wide receiver. He can run all of the routes and do all of those things. He can get into the backfield and run the ball. He’s tough (and) physical. He’s fast, I know that.”
(From an organizational standpoint, having guys like RB Frank Gore, WR Albert Wilson, WR Danny Amendola and QB Brock Osweiler – all offseason acquisitions – had such a big role in that game yesterday. How big is that for the rest of the season knowing that those guys can contribute as much as they do?) – “I think it’s nice that we added guys that we felt fit into that group that we had. Whether it was the guys that were here that are still around that we still like on this team or whether it’s guys we drafted or whether it’s free agents that have come along in the last three years, I like how all of these guys, the pieces, fit together. If we can just stay healthy and not lose too many guys the rest of the way out, that would be ideal. It feels like every week we lose somebody. The good thing is a lot of guys are stepping up and making the most of it.”
(Any projection on WR DeVante Parker?) – “As far as?”
(Being available this week.) – “Yeah, we’ll just go through the week and see. I know he was trying to get going as much as he can. I think it’s just one of those nagging (things). It’s just hard for him to really burst the way I think he wants to. We’ll just keep an eye on that.”
(Even if you have WR DeVante Parker, is it difficult at this point in the season to work him into a group of receivers that’s already playing pretty well?) – “I don’t think so. I think when you have … I think technically it’s what we call 80 plays but I don’t know how many were recorded as real plays. There’s enough out there for all of those guys. I know there were a couple of points in the game where I saw some guys looking to the sideline like ‘Hey, I need one real quick’ because when you start running like that and get some big plays and you’re taking some shots, it’ll fatigue you. When you’ve got five guys that you trust that you can put out there, that’s a good problem to have.”
(With WR DeVante Parker then, the snap count was a reflection of his health?) – “Yeah. He was kind of spot playing. Jakeem (Grant) got banged up pretty good in that Cincinnati game. There was a little bit of a concern if he got hit just right, if he came out, we were down to three (wide receivers). And we knew this would be one of those games where we needed some help on that side, or with that group.”
(Yesterday you had QB Brock Osweiler play well. You had WR Albert Wilson play well. RB Frank Gore, LB Kiko Alonso. Occasionally you’ve been right about things that the media has been wrong about.) – “(Laughter)”
(It’s not frequent but…) – “Oh my god. (laughter) I promise you the percentages are high. (laughter)”
(Which of those would you most like to gloat about right now?) – “(laughter) Probably Kiko (Alonso). He’s been outstanding this year. It’s been fun to watch him. The way we spoke about how we wanted to create turnovers and how we wanted to fly to the ball and really attack ball-carriers and get the ball out. He is … The last two weeks have been huge plays for us at critical times. Picking that ball off against Cincinnati, that was a great job. He saw that ball thrown, he turned, he ran and the ball gets tipped up and he’s there to make a play. A lot of guys don’t do that. They just turn to see what happens. In this last game, he gets the ball out at the right time. He’s one of those guys in there. I think he’s setting a tempo for the rest of those guys. He’s making smart plays. There’s some things that nobody notices that he does, whether he switches something in the call to where he does somebody else’s job and they have to do his because he sees something coming. It’s hard to explain it to people some of the things that he’s doing that’s really outside of the box that if he doesn’t do, we’re probably in trouble.”
Kiko Alonso – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(What did it feel like when you’re watching that field goal and you see the crowd go crazy and you see that field goal going through the uprights at the end? What’s that like?) – “It’s a great feeling. It’s hard to put it into words that feeling. It’s an amazing feeling.”
(When you heard that QB Ryan Tannehill might not be able to go, what’s the mood like in here?) – “We’ve got to keep going. People are going to get injured. Obviously we’ve had lots of injures but it’s credit to the guys that have stepped in and played. It’s a tribute to how they work because your number can be called at any moment and guys are showing up.”
(How does it feel to pick up your teammate RB Kenyan Drake when he fumbles on the 1-yard line and you guys were able to get a stop to be able to bring it back for him?) – “It’s big. When something like that happens, we stress that you’ve got to go out there and make it right.”
Kenyan Drake – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)
(When K Cody Parkey missed that kick, how did you get your head right to go back out there?) – “We had a game to win so you can’t really look behind in the rearview (mirror), even though it just happened. I understand that now we’ve got two minutes to win this game against a quality opponent at home. I had to just go out there and do my job.”
(We saw you for a while there with a towel over your head, what was going through your mind?) – “Yeah, there wasn’t really (anything) to talk about. I was just upset obviously that I fumbled in a crucial moment.”
(I can probably figure it out but how are you feeling right now?) – “I’m just trying to relish in the moment. We beat a pretty good team at home. They were 3-1 or whatever their record was. We went toe to toe and that says a lot about our team, and about the character of this organization from the top down to the bottom. We’re just looking forward to moving on, enjoying this win right now and playing against the Detroit Lions next week.”
Reshad Jones – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins S Reshad Jones (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(How do you define an emotion for the game like that? Up, down, it seemed to have a little bit of everything?) – “We did enough today to win the game. We made enough plays to win a game. We needed it.”
(What was it like when you saw the offense fumble the ball at the 1-yard line? What did you as a defensive player say in terms of overtime, your mindset?) – “Let’s go get a stop. They fumbled the ball, so we’ve got to go back out and stop them.”
(With this team, you guys have dealt with a lot of adversity this season. Playing this game without QB Ryan Tannehill, what does it say to pull off a victory like this in overtime?) – “We’ve got resilient guys in this locker room. We stuck with the game plan. Everybody did what they needed to do and like I said, we made enough plays to win the football game.”
Ja’Wuan James – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins T Ja’Wuan James (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(What can you say about RB Frank Gore, who I guess is getting younger every day?) – “(laughter) I told him I wish I could have played with him 10 years ago just to see how that would have been. He does a great job of coming to the o-line and keeps inspiring us while we’re on the bench, telling us ‘Hey, give me 4 yards, give me a little hole. I’ll get you something.’ He has a really big impact on our run game.”
(Talk about the adversity this team has faced and seem to be overcoming.) – “Like I always say, I think it’s credit to the guys in this room. We’ve been together awhile now. I’ve seen a lot of different things since I’ve been here. Things go south when stuff happens and stuff like that, but I feel like the guys we have in this room, everybody stays positive. We all have each other’s backs. Whether its offense, defense, special teams, no one is pointing fingers. It’s just resetting that clock each week for another game.”
(What was the game plan with Chicago LB Khalil Mack and how did you guys execute it?) – “We wanted to get a lot of people on him. We had a lot of tight ends helping. We had running backs. We had the o-line. In general, I feel like everybody did their job today to get a ‘W’ and that’s the most important thing.”
Brock Osweiler – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins QB Brock Osweiler
When did you find out that you were going to be starting today?
BROCK OSWEILER: I found out this morning. It was mid-morning. Ryan (Tannehill) I think came in early, worked out and met with the trainers and then shortly after, I got a text message.
What was your reaction when you found out?
BROCK OSWEILER: I was excited. (I was) very excited for this opportunity. A lot of hard work goes in during the off season and during training camp to get to this point, to get an opportunity to be able to play and to be able to start, and so my whole mentality was make the most of this opportunity, do whatever it takes to help your team get a win and have fun with it. And that’s really what happened today.
What’s the process like knowing that you were told you were going to play on such short notice?
BROCK OSWEILER: The process doesn’t change. Every week, whether I’m the starter, backup, third string, you name it, I prepare the same way. I’ve done that my whole career because you never know what’s going to happen and you never know when you’re going to be in. And at the end of the day, an entire organization is counting on you. They’re counting on you to be prepared, to know the game plan, to understand what we’re trying to accomplish and fortunately for us players, we have such great coaches that put us in position to be successful. So if you study and you do your part as a player, you’re going to have success.
So the last time that you got game action was back in the preseason. How long did it take you to feel comfortable, to feel like you were in the game?
BROCK OSWEILER: I felt comfortable from the first play, I really did. I think there comes a certain point when you’ve played enough games and you’ve prepared mentally, the correct way, that you’re not going to have any jitters and you’re going to be ready to go from the first play.
A pretty bizarre game for you to get in your first work with this football team in a regular season game?
BROCK OSWEILER: I wouldn’t have it any other way. It just makes the story a little bit better. (laughter) I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to be able to come here to Miami and to be able to play football for (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and what this football team did today as a unit is so special. We were down, nothing was perfect; but we all stayed together on the sidelines, we continued to fight, we stayed together and then in the end we found a way and that’s what great teams do.
There was a lot of talk, most of the talk, coming into this game was Bears LB Khalil Mack and the pressure and trying to hold up. The offensive line has been decimated with injuries, but they seemed to do a pretty darn good job for you today, both pass protecting and running the football.
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, I would say pretty darn good would be a huge understatement. Our offensive line played tremendous football today. What those guys did against a great Chicago front, it should be talked about because it’s special. Those guys put in a great week of work, they were prepared, and they went out there today and they didn’t blink an eye at anything. We had great communication all game long. We were playing in no-huddle, which isn’t easy to do in this system because there’s so much verbiage, there’s so many checks, audibles, and our offensive line did a tremendous job and those guys are the real story, because without them we don’t play the way we did today.
How does WR Albert Wilson look from where you’re standing when he’s running 70 yards down the field?
BROCK OSWEILER: Fantastic. I absolutely love it. (laughter)
How did you experience the play that it was WR Danny Amendola and then WR Kenny Stills, but it went off the defender. Who were you aiming at it and it ends up being successful at the end. It was just sort of one of those things…
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, that’s when you know the football gods are on your side, when things like that happen. And that’s okay. We’ll take it. We needed something like that. It was one of those deals where it was third down, I was able to get outside the pocket and the guy who was covering Danny in man-to-man he had his back to me so I was trying to get the ball to Danny, because I knew that guy couldn’t see the ball coming. I’m not exactly sure what happened. I don’t know whether it was a hand that it hit or a back or whatever it was, but kudos to Kenny for staying with the play, staying in tune with what’s going on and he made a huge play for this football team.
I know that you’re a confident guy but as you experience the success down after down today, did it grow?
BROCK OSWEILER: I wouldn’t say the confidence grows, but you get into a better flow of the game. Playing quarterback is a little bit like playing point guard in this system. It’s our job to get the ball out on time and spread it around to all of the skill guys and let them do what makes them great. And in order to do that, you need everybody in sync. You need your line playing good, you need your receivers to get into their depth their landmarks, you need the backs doing their job and today everyone did that, and that really helped get this offense in sync.
Did you talk to QB Ryan Tannehill either before or after the game?
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, Ryan and I were talking all game long. Ryan was tremendous. He was in my corner the whole time. We were talking about what Chicago’s defense was doing. We talked after the game and I can’t say enough great things about Ryan.
With a lack of practice time, Head Coach Adam Gase said that you got a couple of snaps on Thursday. What was your actual practice regimen? And you’re saying that you’re mentally ready to go and play but without first-team snaps you’re not playing football with the team that you end up playing with.
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, of course. I got one or two plays on Thursday, I got a couple plays on Friday. But the good thing is that I’ve been running this system since really 2012, call it 2013 as well. So this system’s not new to me. For example, the 2-point play, I’ve been hearing that play get called since 2013, so I’ve ran through it mentally in my head probably at least 500 times even though I’ve never rep’d it physically. So when one and two were covered, sure enough Kenny (Stills) did a tremendous job of running the back line and getting in the picture and he made a huge play for this football team.
Coach Gase said he’s never seen the third guy get the ball on that play.
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, well, sometimes you have to break those tendencies and give Chicago’s defense credit. They chipped our guy who was first in progression – I think Danny ended up on the ground. The guy who was number two in progression, I think he ended up on the ground, and really all the credit goes to Kenny because he just flat out beat his guy in a foot race. He got to exactly where he needed to be and he made my job easy.
You threw for a career high in yards, longest touchdown pass, tied for most TD passes. Did it feel like that kind of day for you?
BROCK OSWEILER: You know, today felt like a heavyweight title fight. It really did. Nothing about this football game was perfect but we continued to fight. We continued to fight through the adversity. I threw two interceptions and no one blinked an eye. We just went back to work. I think that’s the sign of a good football team, when you can experience negative things and you talk about them on the sideline and then you flush them and you move on. And that’s what we did today. It was a heck of a football game. Give Chicago credit, they made a ton of football plays. They had a great game plan; we had a great game plan and fortunately we came out on top.
RB Kenyan Drake had two plays on the game-winning drive. After he fumbled, did you say anything to him or observe anything about that situation?
BROCK OSWEILER: Yeah, I did. I went up to Drake right before Chicago kicked the field goal and I just said, ‘Hey, listen they’re going to miss this field goal and I need you to bring the swagger and confidence you’ve been playing with all day.’ And he looked at me in the eye and he said, ‘Okay.’ And sure enough, he’s the guy who made the big play to get us into field-goal range. So if that doesn’t talk about working through adversity and mental toughness, I don’t know what it is. But that’s an example of mental toughness at its finest.
So QB Ryan Tannehill’s status going forward, can you do this again if you have to?
BROCK OSWEILER: This is my job. My job’s to be ready to play football when Coach Gase says go in. I’ll always be ready.
Why did you sign here?
BROCK OSWEILER: Because I wanted to play football for Coach Gase and that’s it, plain and simple. There were a couple other offers out there and as soon as Coach Gase called my agent and said they were interested and wanted me to take a trip, I told my agent to cancel all the other trips, I want to go to Miami and get a deal done because I want to play for Coach Gase. I just, I believe in him. I believe in his system. I believe in him as a person and as a coach and to be here, to be playing football for him is beyond special. In fact, I got a little emotional driving to the stadium this morning just thinking about this opportunity today. To be out there with him, calling plays, and playing football. So it was a lot of fun.
Where does this win today rank in wins during your career?
BROCK OSWEILER: Well, it’s the best one because it’s the most recent, and that’s really the truth. This football team needed a win. We were coming off of two losses, two really tough losses, and we needed to find a way to get a win and we did. So right now, this is my most favorite win.
When you’re getting emotional and driving in here, you’re thinking what?
BROCK OSWEILER: There’s a lot of things going through my head, but it’s really mostly just make the most of this opportunity, have no regret at the end of the day and that’s how I play the game. But today was different because I was playing for people I truly care about and that means a lot.
Jason Sanders – October 14, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Postgame – Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins K Jason Sanders (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(What did the guys tell you before and after the kick?) – “Before, everyone just kept to themselves. I was more on my own just focusing. After the game, I don’t know a word one person said. It was crazy. But, I hit it good so we walked out with a win.”
(With all that happened in the game and in the fourth quarter and overtime and now it’s in your foot, what’s that like?) – “Well, I’m a rookie, so everything I do is basically new to me. This feeling of kicking a game-winning field goal is pretty new. It’s a good feeling obviously. It’s just confidence. You want to go out there and take every kick like it’s your first kick. I had two kicks before that and you could look at that saying I got a feel for what it’s like to be out there today.”
(When you see it going through the uprights, you see the crowd stand up, you see your teammates and hear them. What is that feeling like?) – “It was great. Once I touched it, you got that feeling that it’s going in before you even look up. I struck it really well.”
