Austin Jackson – September 25, 2023
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Monday, September 25, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(How many times did you watch the replay on RB De’Von Achane’s run where it looked like you got you a few pancakes?) – “Shoot, after meetings I probably watched it like five times. (laughter) It was a lot of fun. Fun game, a lot of great plays. I’m glad all the work we’ve put in paid off.”
(I thought he was going to ask you about the replay to the conga line. That looked like a lot of fun.) – “That was a lot of fun. We put that in super last minute. I think it was the last Friday practice. As an offense we just kind of went, at some point we want to do that.”
(It’s nice to see you playing so well. Beyond obviously having your health, which is the biggest thing this year? Is there something else that’s clicked for you in year two in the zone blocking scheme? Something Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith, Head Coach Mike McDaniel or Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry has emphasized with you that you think has helped?) – “They’re all great coaches in terms of knowing what the standard is for the system they want to run. I think for me, I do my best to excel at the fastest rate I can and really take in every single detail of what they say. They’re all great coaches and I just try to be receptive to everything and put it on tape.”
(You were talking about the conga line, that got my interest. Who’s in charge of putting the celebrations together? Is it one person? Or how does that work?) – “Nobody’s in charge, but I think it was Tyreek (Hill). I think it was Tyreek that initiated it.”
(So what did he do, just bring a video and say, ‘hey, this is what I want to do?’) – “No, it was a five second thing. We did it in like five seconds. Everyone knows how to dance. (laughter)”
(What was your initial reaction of WR Tyreek Hill’s celebration? I know it happened super fast when the game just started. But what was your initial reaction on that?) – “I didn’t see it until after the game, actually. The video is hilarious. You’re talking about when he jumped in the stands? Yeah, it was hilarious. He was jumping and cheering. If I wasn’t so tired and he wasn’t so fast, I would have tried to do the same thing.”
(When things like that happen, do you guys just build off that energy just for the remainder of the game? Or is it just something fun?) – “Yeah, that’s Tyreek Hill, man. He’s an energetic player, has a lot of energy. The touchdown alone got us energy. But I think when good things go right, the team is happy. It’s a great feeling.”
(You guys have had some battles up in Buffalo. The challenge in front of you this weekend is what?) – “The challenge in front of us, obviously Buffalo is a great team, great defense. They’ve been ranking pretty high every year since I’ve been in the NFL. I think our biggest challenge is our preparation for the week and being consistent in our standard. We’re going to have different things to study about them that they do well. And in terms for us, we have things that we didn’t do so well at, that we need to get better at going into this week. So it’s a perfect balance to just continuing to put the work in that we have been doing on a consistent basis.”
(They’ve kind of been the big dog of the division for a while. How much of a statement game do you think this is for you guys to go up there and win in a place you haven’t in a minute?) – “I don’t use terms like statement games and stuff like that. It’s a big game for sure. Like you said, they’re a great team. We know that. We know that doing what we do well is going to be important and also fixing what we don’t do well. Those are like our two big (points of) emphasis going into the game.”
(How happy are you right now with where your technique is at?) – “I feel pretty good. I had a whole year off of football and I watched a lot of football in that time. Had a year of offseason to train and kind of understand just what I want it to look like and what I want my game to look like. So I’m happy. I’m happy to be healthy first and foremost, because that’s when I get my opportunities to play. So yes, very happy.”
(I’ve probably asked you this 10 times in the last two years. But now that you have a significant amount of game reps to go off of, how do you feel this offensive system really suits your skill set from a physicality, athletic standpoint?) – “A lot. I definitely think that I can play to the advantage of my speed in this offense. It’s very fun. I love what the offensive concepts are focused around in terms of angles and power, speed and just everything that we can orchestrate. Yeah, I think it fits a lot of my skill set.”
(In terms of understanding what you wanted your game to look at and watching a lot of football last year, was it other right tackles? What were you looking for? What did you see that helped you grow your game?) – “Watching defensive ends and offensive tackles in situations consistently throughout helps a lot. Watching defensive ends and how they rushed, studying habits that they have and just all types of stuff, I just had a lot of mental focus because I lost my physical element. So I tried to regain that on the mental side in terms of what I studied and what I took away.”
(When you go back and watch the offensive film, do you guys kind of get enamored by the things that QB Tua Tagovailoa does in terms of the details, the ballhandling, the way he kind of can stride one way and throw the opposite way?) – “Hell yeah. Tua’s a magician. He’s a magician, he’s a dawg. He’s a great football player, great teammate. Our coach has challenged him. Not in a bad way but just like, they give him an expectation because they know he can handle it and he’ll do it well. He just consistently does that over and over again. We love watching his little crazy no-look passes and just watching him throw every throw in rhythm with no hitches and perfect footwork. Yeah, he’s a magician.”
(On the no-look, is that something you practice that way, like with his offhand? Is that the way it was practiced?) – “To be honest, I don’t even look back there ever really, because of my job. I noticed that after the game when everyone else on social media was freaking out about it.”
(How much pride do you take in knowing that this last game, both running backs had four touchdowns a piece? The offensive line was an integral part in making that happen. How much pride do you all take in that?) – “We take a lot of pride in that. It’s something I’m really thankful for. It’s encouraging and encourages us to get better because at the end of the day, it’s only Week 3. We have a long season left and to kind of understand what good we put on tape this last week, we can take that with us the rest of the season. That’s probably like the biggest part of it. In terms of for the backs, I’m happy as hell for those backs. That’s a great stat sheet for the game.”
(You guys are towards the bottom of league in pre-snap penalties. I know that was an issue last year. Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned, especially with all the motion, how much it takes everyone, especially the offensive line too. Can you maybe take me through the process of Year 2 getting the flow of the motion and the pre-snap elements and timing?) – “Yeah, pre-snap penalties, yeah the motion and the timing and everything is key. But I mean there’s just been such a huge emphasis on needing to reduce the pre-snap penalties overall. That’s just simple. That’s just directly on the player. There’s nothing like the scheme or anything you can do to alter that. I think every person just has to look within themselves, myself included, to not jump offsides, to understand what we want to do on that play. Because it’s little things and split-second decisions where you think too much on a certain play or you didn’t think enough and now you’re not moving with the whole team. It’s just little things within the player. The screens and stuff, that’s great for Mike and his approach to play-calling. But in terms of no pre-snap penalties, that’s just focus.”
(You have a front row seat to watch OL Robert Hunt do his thing every week. Where have you seen him grow here in his fourth year?) – “He’s just an animal. He is very comfortable in the system, understands his angles, run targets and run blocking. I think he even began to set more aggressive in pass-pro. I’ve seen him clamp a lot of guys at the line. He’s just growing at a fast rate. He’s already a wonderful player.”
(I believe zero sacks means a cake, right? Do you guys get to choose the cake? What’s the process of the cake there?) – “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t think we got a cake because the Chargers game…”
(You guys didn’t get a cake?) – “Yeah, we didn’t get a cake. Raheem (Mostert) got a cake because he got protector. He gave it to the o-line because he’s a running back.”
(With RB De’Von Achane going for 200 yards two weeks after being a healthy scratch, what kind of strides have you seen from him in practice that gave him that opportunity?) – “It’s kind of just a testament to him. He got in with us in OTAs. (Mike) McDaniel coached him up for sure. He’s taken all the coaching and he’s been very attentive and just really elevated because of him taking the coaching and working hard. I love to see that type of stuff out of him. It’s nice to see him in a game for the first time. That was my first time seeing him in live bullets. Was he in preseason? I’m not sure.”
(I think he got hurt early on. So maybe like one game and it wasn’t much play time.) – “Right. Yeah, that was my first time, so it was exciting to see him.”
Mike McDaniel – September 25, 2023
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Monday, September 25, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I was going to ask you on WR Jaylen Waddle and LB Jaelan Phillips – is Jaylen Waddle out of concussion protocol and does Jaelan Phillips’ oblique injury look like it could sideline him for a bit of time?) – “Jaylen Waddle is still in the concussion protocol, but we’ll progress through that and we’re very optimistic in how he’s feeling. Just worry about him getting right and that should take care of itself here soon. And the other Jaelan – Jaelan Phillips is more of a day-to-day situation so he’s doing better than yesterday so hopefully on Wednesday he’ll be doing even better and we’ll see how that progresses on a day-to-day basis.”
(What about OL Connor Williams?) – “Connor Williams is in the same boat as Jaelan Phillips where we’re kind of acquiring more information, getting more feedback from them and can’t plan either way but just kind of considering him day-to-day and that’s pretty much it from him.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle had an oblique during training camp. Is that right? He was out for maybe three weeks. Was that just overly cautious?) – “Yeah, that was overly aggressively cautious in that circumstance to make sure that we could file that away for the season and it was just something we didn’t want at his position to be nagging him all season. So had he not had such a great offseason and had he not been at the spot in this game, we probably wouldn’t have been as cautious totally, but he earned that liberty of making sure that we crossed our T’s and dotted our I’s on that one.”
(I know that after every game you look for the positives, places you could improve and grow from, but when you score 70 in a game and everything just looks so perfect on offense, where do you start when you look back and say, ‘wow, how do we build off of a performance like that?’) – “No, I think it’s more of how, okay, how did you have that performance? One thing that is obvious to myself, to the coaching staff and to the players is that that was earned through deliberate practice, and that you’re not able to have success in the National Football League any other way. So there was plenty of things that we could detail from a technique standpoint. We had a lot of really good results, but that doesn’t mean that from a technique standpoint, you let off the gas. And if you want a feeling, not necessarily that exact feeling, because those are rare to have those opportunities, but if you want a feeling of success that you started to get used to, there’s no shortcuts. So to me, it was the ultimate opportunity because shame on us if we don’t make the most out of each and every opportunity we have on the field because when you show that your capability is to some things that if you’ve been in the sport a long time, all the players and all the coaches hadn’t been a part of a scoring output like that. So you realize that you have a great opportunity each and every game to do some things that people sometimes don’t get an opportunity to do so. I saw it as a perfect storm in that way because I don’t think there’s anybody in the locker room and there’s anybody on the coaching staff that is misrepresenting how their successes on Sunday occurred. That was old school, blood, sweat and tears, so to speak, in terms of preparation and I thought our week of practice prepared us to have that opportunity and then guys made plays in the moment, which is what it’s all about.”
(Every week it seems like we see another evolution of how you use motion and the speed with the motion. Without giving away too much, do you have a number of how many types of motions you have in your offense?) – “No. I mean, there’s multiple jet tempo motions. You’re kind of always problem solving and sometimes those things are given birth by the nature of necessity or certain skill sets that individuals have or different things that affect the defense. I think there’s been motions that we utilized yesterday that were from this offseason, problem solving for some things. But then there was a bunch that we’d employed last year and this year, the only difference is, we’re not having near the pre-snap penalties while we’re doing them. That’s just something that at first, it’s hard for a coach because it’s not clean when you first start doing stuff like that and moving all the time. But when it becomes your norm, guys kind of get uncomfortable now when there isn’t a motion on a play. They’re like, ‘where’s the rest of the play?’ But that takes a total commitment of everyone, including the offensive line, because you have to get used to the different types of snap counts that Tua uses to not only execute some of those motions, but then make sure that the defensive line can’t tee off on snap points, and then have variations of cadence on that, too. So everybody plays a part in it and it’s something that that takes a village to execute.”
(You mentioned the pre-snap element. You guys have drastically improved in the penalty department. I know you mentioned yesterday that was an area for you. Was there a point this offseason that you felt the flow of everything including the motion click whether it be your players or your coaches as far as teaching it all?) – “I knew we stood a fighting chance for what guys are willing to say they want, but you don’t always know if they’re willing to deliver on it. When we started the offseason, the first thing that we showed was just every single one of those penalties to their face in a row. And the fact that all the players didn’t lose interest, that it had a visceral feeling that they wanted to correct and you could see it every time that we operated as an offense, and how focused people were on it, trying to get it right. And it wasn’t like it was a night and day thing. So that’s something that over a three-game span – it is only three games – but I’m very proud of that in terms of there’s not a quick fix to that or it’s not like ‘hey, just don’t do that.’ People really have to look inward and self-assess across the board, those who are teaching it, and those who are executing it, and when you’re just worried about the things that you can control, you can get solutions to very real problems like we are over a three-game span with that stuff.”
(I think you said before that you don’t like guys will lose jobs because of injuries. I think that’s something you’ve said before. With that being said, when a guy goes for a healthy scratch to 200 yards rushing in two weeks, does it change your mindset on how that running back room would look whenever you get RB Jeff Wilson Jr. and RB Salvon Ahmed back?) – “I think it’s a fortunate thing to have. I’ve been on the opposite side of the coin and the way that we utilize our running backs in this offense, there is really the opportunity to have production at that position from more than one, most of the time multiple, players in that position. I think there is a certain aspect of earning more opportunities. And I think when you play really well, you make it hard not to be able to at least incorporate someone in some sort of way. But I think it’s part of our strength, too, is our is our depth of very, very adept talented playmaking running backs. We use so many guys in different ways and I think that can keep teams off balance. It’s a lot easier to prepare when you know exactly what you’re getting. So just on deck is the fabled five running back personnel package and you never know when it’s coming.”
(Two other injuries – WR River Cracraft – could he miss a while with the shoulder and is CB Eli Apple in protocol?) – “Eli (Apple) is not in protocol. And River (Cracraft), I don’t know how long it will be. I think at this point, my immediate reaction, I would be surprised if – it’s definitely not a day-to-day thing. But we’ll continue getting feedback from him and as we get even more test results back, we’ll figure out a timeline for that, but he was playing at a very high level and there’s no doubt that we’ll see him again in the near future. How near is that? I don’t know yet, but when he does, he’ll be ready to go and making plays, as he has been this entire season.”
(And then one other guy – TE Durham Smythe was in the medical tent for a while. TE Julian Hill played a lot of snaps in his first game. Was that at all because Durham finished the game unable to play or you just wanted to see what Julian Hill could do against that opponent?) – “Yeah, the plan wasn’t for him to play that much. The course of the game kind of dictated that a little bit where you saw much less of Durham Smythe and Alec Ingold, for that matter, and got some opportunities for Julian and some guys in 11-personnel for various reasons. That wasn’t the exact plan, but I thought Julian did well with that adjustment and took advantage of some reps that he very much enjoyed. That guy enjoys playing football physically and he was doing his thing on Sunday.”
(TE Durham Smythe is fine?) – “Yeah. I mean, Durham is durable. Like it’s inherent in his name.”
(Obviously only the fourth game of the season, but big picture, you’re facing a team obviously that you know you’re competing for the division, a team that knocked you out last season in the same place. Do those things internally do you think from players to staff make this week different as you prepare for a game like this facing that?) – “They are playing some high-level football themselves and that draws enough of your attention to the different teams from a season ago. I think they’re individually, from a player-to-player perspective, there’s probably some internal grudge matches that go on that are natural to football. But by and large, I have no doubt that our locker room is going to give them their due respect that they’re earning through their play. And you always know that to even be in the conversation of having a win in Orchard Park, you have to be hitting on all cylinders. So our guys will be focused on that because the challenge is awesome and most difficult, which is the way we’d want it, I think.”
(I read about FB Alec Ingold delivering the pregame speech to the guys yesterday in the locker room. I was curious, is that kind of a result of the team being so self-motivated, kind of self-starters for you to put them in that position when they’re kind of the ones doing those types of things?) – “I like to, especially when we’re about to play football, I’ll have my pieces of wisdom, but the most impactful thing is when guys hear from each other, hear from their peers so I ask a lot of the captains in moments like that and it’s not just exclusively before the game. They say the last words to each other the night before the game and pretty much every activity that we have culminates with a team breakdown. So I think guys take very serious the opportunity they have when they’re able to speak to the whole group and we have a bunch of like-minded guys you can really see adrenaline, emotion, just the overall attentiveness of guys really perk up when they’re hearing from their peers and who are able to give much more powerful messages than any coach could deliver in my opinion.”
Jevon Holland – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins Safety Jevon Holland
(What’s going through your mind when you’re seeing 70 points go up on a score board? – “I’m like, damn. That’s crazy. Offense is doing what we’ve seen all training camp, OTAs, they’ve been putting in a lot of work and we have a lot of weapons. We’ve just seen it come to fruition. We have a lot of dangerous backs. They were running the ball crazy. I’m just excited that I’m on this side of the ball and on this team.”
(It wasn’t too long ago that you were the rookie sensation on this team. What’s it like to see Achane completely go off today?– “I love it man. He had a lot of hype coming in here. He said he runs like 26 miles an hour. He might’ve hit that on that run, but he’s a hell of a player and I’m just glad he’s having the opportunity to go out there and just play the game he loves.”
(Did you want more rest on the sidelines? They were going so quickly, it’s like you guys couldn’t catch your breath.) – “I mean, if the offense scores points that fast, then the offense scores points that fast. It is what it is. I’m cool with it. I like being on the field.”
Andrew Van Ginkel – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(With all the running going on out there, it must have felt good to get into the act there for a little bit.) – “Yeah, any time you get on the field and come out and play football and enjoy it. It was awesome being out there.”
(As the score started going up and up and up, do you start thinking NFL record? What’s going through your head? You hit 70, my goodness.) – “Obviously, you come in here at halftime and you tell yourself not to let the foot off the gas. You obviously don’t want them to come back and you don’t want to give them any chance of putting themselves in the game. So if you can put that fire out, the better off we’re going to be.”
(How exciting was it to see the defense playing a key role in that 70 points…?) – “Yeah, I think the defense came out to play. Obviously, there were some plays that we want back. And obviously Jevon (Holland) played well, a big force in that, knocking footballs loose and just creating turnovers. That’s what this defense is all about. Any time you can get the ball back in the offense’s hands as quick as possible (indiscernible).”
(Can you take us through that return, what you saw as you tore down the field?) – “Yeah, I got the ball, I saw Christian (Wilkins) lead blocking so I just tried to play off of his block and looking back at it now, I should’ve cut back. I didn’t realize a couple other guys leading the charge over there, but yeah, I’ve just got to figure out a way to get in the end zone.”
Braxton Berrios – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins WR Braxton Berrios
(Were you guys away that you were close to the record?) – “No. Honestly I had no idea what the record was so it wasn’t something we were gunning for. It was more so each series we went out there trying to score.”
(When games like this happen, do you guys get a sense during the week that we might be able to whatever we want against this defense?) – “No, it comes down to execution and every game that’s really all it does and we executed at an extremely high level. Like I said, we had a few quick hitters as well and our defense had some quick turnovers as well and three-and-outs to where we got the ball back quick and kind of did it again and it all just fell the right way for us.”
(What’s it like for you to see the rookie RB De’Von Achane have a coming out party like that? It’s amazing.) – “No, it’s awesome. He’s been doing it since he got here. (Julian) Hill as well. You know I tell him all the time I love watching him play. (Chris) Brooks as well, I love how he runs. You know it’s awesome when they come to the table and bring so much. It doesn’t feel like a rookie out there, it feels like a vet and he’s earning his stripes.”
Terron Armstead – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins T Terron Armstead
(The numbers, y’all put up 70 points. Do you think that adds any target or mark on your back because of what you did today?) – “I think we’re dangerous, so I think we’re going to get every team’s best. There’s no what we did to this team. No, I think we’re going to get every team’s best shot. They’re going to put their best game plan together. We’ve got guys on the edge that they have to scheme for. We’ve got guys in the backfield they have to scheme for. So nobody’s going to take us lightly anyway. You know what I mean? So it’s like we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
(You talk about sacks not being fully an o-line stat. 350 rushing yards, that’s considered a running back stat, but to me it’s an o-line stat. What was it like seeing – you see RB Raheem Mostert, you see RB De’Von Achane just speeding past you guys for big gain. ) – “We put a lot of that on the o-line. A lot of that run game weight is on our shoulders. We try to create lanes and get those guys into the third level. That’s the goal, and it’s on them to make the safeties miss and the corners miss. But that again is not just a running back stat. Receivers have to block on the edge, you see WR River Cracraft all the time, Julian Hill, Durham Smythe. You see ‘Reek’ (WR Tyreek Hill) blocking down on d-ends. It’s everybody. It’s a full offensive statistic, so everything that we’re doing from sacks, rushing, passing. All 11.”
(I’m sure there’s a lot of highlight plays from today, but one I want to ask you about is QB Tua Tagovailoa throws that little shovel pass. He did two of them, one with his right hand. I’m curious what you thought of that?) – “(No.) 1’s swaggy man. He’s playing incredible – he is incredible. He’s an amazing quarterback. He’s a commander of the game. He’s seeing it at just a high level. He’s slowing it down for himself, and he’s having fun. Really, that’s probably the most thing. That’s like my biggest message all the time, like have fun, it’s a kids’ game. We’re grown men playing a kids’ game, so let’s play like we’re kids. Let’s have fun.
Raheem Mostert – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
Q. Have you ever been a part of something like this? Have you ever seen anything like this especially on the NFL level?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Absolutely not. To put 70 points on somebody is – I mean I’ve been a part of games where I was unfortunately getting scored on a lot, but to be able to do that, it just speaks volumes especially for our offense.
Q. Did you know that you guys were a field goal away from setting an NFL record?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I found out when I was talking to Jalen Ramsey on the sideline. He was like – we were right there at the end and I was hoping that we kicked it, but unfortunately we didn’t. Honestly that’s respect just because you don’t for it like that and the way ‘Mikey’ handled it – ‘Mikey,’ I called him ‘Mikey’ but (Mike) McDaniel handled it – I think that it was very professional.
Q. The execution early in the game, particularly the plays that you came out and guys were running wide open, obviously the running game was working. What was working for you?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: The line of scrimmage. I harped on that from the jump. If we can establish the line of scrimmage, we’ll have a good chance of getting to that second, third level and even those home run plays. To be able to see the o-line — those guys don’t get enough credit and it’s sad because those guys really have gotten a lot better, especially from last year. They improved last year. We were able to do some things. But this year they’re on a whole other level. They understand the assignments a lot better. You’ve got Butch Barry who’s a phenomenal coach. I was with him in San Francisco and he’s going to bring that tenacity for the o-line, which you need, especially down in the trenches.
Q. We know preparation is so important in this league. Can you describe the preparation that went into the conga line?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, so the preparation itself, every guy has to take that initial step. This entire week we were definitely honing in on that craft. Denver is a good team. Don’t get that mistaken. They lost — prior to today, they lost two games within three points, and I know Russell Wilson; when it’s crunch time, that guy can be on point. You can’t take those guys lightly, so for this week, we were just honing in on our craft and what we’ve got to do, and like I told you, set that edge, set that line of scrimmage, and then it’s off to the races.
Q. Was there one of the celebrations that you liked the best between the conga line and the surfing? Was there one that stood out to you?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I mean, any part of the group celebration, I think that’s a hit. We talked about it. It was funny because we actually practiced it on Friday and then we were undecided what we were going to do, and then we just decided to hit that, just to show a little culture, which is pretty awesome. But then of course you’ve got to celebrate — I’ve got to get De’Von (Achane) to do a celebration. He said he has one. I’m like, man, you scored four touchdowns, you’ve got to celebrate, do something, stand out. We’re going to work on that this week for sure.
Q. Speaking of RB De’Von Achane, to do this in his first significant NFL action, what can you say about that?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: The guy is, he’s a sponge, man. He comes in, he understands the assignments. He understands the play calling. He understands what he has to do. I give him crap here and there because he’s the rookie. I’ve got to do that. I’ve got to do my part. But all in all, I just can’t be more proud of him, both him and Chris Brooks. Chris Brooks, when he gets his opportunity, he’s going to flourish, too. I know he is. Those guys really take in coaching. I’m still trying to work on De’Von and using his speed in practice, but obviously something worked today, which is a plus. For him to come in and do the things he did, he had 208 — 203? Still, 200 is still a lot. To be able to come in as a rookie, to do that, it just speaks volumes on the type of character that he has.
Q. Was there anything different for you personally in these last two games, the performance, the best games of your career? Obviously the o-line was clicking.
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, for me last year I was coming off of a knee injury. I had surgery, so I was more dialed in on protecting my knee and strengthening it throughout the week. Then this year, I’m more so focused on the scheme of everything, how I can improve as a player, what I’ve got to do out of the backfield. I mentioned sometimes during training camp that I’ll try to work as much as I possibly can on the pass game, and so that’s some areas that I would like to improve on. Still a lot of ball left, still a lot of ability that I’ve got in myself, but all in all, I’m very happy with how I’m going thus far in the progression, especially given my age. I know that a lot of people throw that out there, but I keep telling you, I’m only 25 at heart, so y’all stay tuned.
Q. Is this personally gratifying are you, as much talk as there was this offseason about the position?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, when you have a lot of guys, a lot of people, a lot of naysayers out there, they want to continue to talk and continue to — oh, I wish this player was here, I wish that player — my whole thing is I’ve always been an underdog and that’s okay, but I’m going to show everybody, I’m going to prove everybody wrong because that’s what fuels me the most is proving somebody wrong. When I approach somebody, I tell them, hey, look, I’ve got receipts, just know that. To me, that’s the most satisfying thing is proving your haters or your doubters or anybody, your naysayers wrong. Like I said, I’ve been the underdog all my life and I’m always going to be that way.
Q. Something that sticks out to me is Head Coach Mike McDaniel always says you can’t carry over points from this game to the next. So those 70 points (indiscernible)
RAHEEM MOSTERT: Yeah, I mean, obviously it’s going to tell a statement now because it’s hard to score points in the league, especially anything above 50. I know the Giants a couple weeks ago lost 50 to Dallas. Like I said, it’s hard to score in this league, but to be able to put up 70 points, I think that’s going to put a lot of teams on notice that we’re nothing to play with. We definitely have — we’re that team, just to put it blunt. We’ve just got to hone in on our craft. We’re not worried about what everybody else thinks. We’re not worried about what everybody outside the building thinks. We’re going to focus in on what we’ve got to do and get the job done.
Q. You and De’Von combined for eight total touchdowns receiving and rushing. Just from the work in practice, training camp to this point in the season displayed on the field, what does that mean to you?
RAHEEM MOSTERT: I mean, it means a lot. Just in one game between the two of us, we had eight touchdowns. That speaks a lot of volume and a lot of character on our part, just because we don’t take anything lightly. We want to work and we want to score. We want to get the job done. To be able to do that, like I said, it just speaks on your character.
De’Von Achane – September 24, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 24, 2023
Postgame – Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q. How are you feeling?
DE’VON ACHANE: I feel good. Great team win. Most credit to the o-line, they blocked great. The offense in general, defense in general, great game. No bruises, came out healthy, so nothing much more I could ask for.
Q. When you were first drafted, you knew this offense was built around speed. In your third NFL game, to have the performance you had and the performance the offense, could you have even imagined this?
DE’VON ACHANE: No, I ain’t going to lie, eight touchdowns between two running backs and then just Tua (Tagovailoa) going out there and making plays – our offense is, like you said, speed, you’ve got weapons everywhere from receiver, running back, QB. I mean, if we go out there and we’re all clicking on all cylinders, I feel like that’s something. I wouldn’t say that I came out here like, “OK, we’re going to score 70 points.” We’re capable of doing a lot of great stuff with this team.
Q. Do you have four footballs in your locker right now?
DE’VON ACHANE: (laughter) I have four footballs, yeah, but they’re not in my locker yet. I most definitely have all four of them, though.
Q. What are you going to do with them?
DE’VON ACHANE: Probably give them to my mom, put them in a trophy case or something.
Q. Which was your favorite of the four tonight?
DE’VON ACHANE: I’d probably say the longer run, the inside zone. The longest run I had was probably my favorite one.
Q. What about on the receiving end of a no-look shovel pass?
DE’VON ACHANE: Yeah, at practice he did that, and then my coach was like, “Just make sure you be steady, because he’s not looking.” We’re just making it easy for each other, but Tua (Tagovailoa), he’s always at practice doing a lot of no-looks. Monday through Saturday, we’re practicing. Sunday is the easy part.
Q. Did you have a flashback to that long touchdown run when you were here when you were at Texas A&M and you scored in the Orange Bowl?
DE’VON ACHANE: I wouldn’t say I had a flash back, but I think I was going to the left side on both runs, so that really is crazy. Like you said, Hard Rock Stadium, I’d probably say there’s good luck in here, and I want to keep that tradition up.
Q. Were you aware late in the game that the NFL scoring record was in reach?
DE’VON ACHANE: I mean, I wasn’t until the crowd started saying three more points, like that. But man, (Head Coach) Mike McDaniel is a generous guy, so we just took the knee and took the win.
Q. Have you ever had a game like this in your career on any level?
DE’VON ACHANE: No, never. 70 points is crazy – our stats are like video game type stuff. I’ve never been on this side of it.
Q. Personally though, 200 yards, four touchdowns, where does this rank in your games?
DE’VON ACHANE: Probably – this is my second time ever having 200 yards, my last game at A&M I had 200 yards.
Q. Did you ever catch yourself looking at the scoreboard or counting your touchdowns?
DE’VON ACHANE: I won’t look at the scoreboard much, but if I see myself in the end zone a lot of times, like today, I kind of keep track, knowing it’s my first touchdown, second touchdown. I kept track of this one.
Q. How many unread text messages when you picked up your phone approximately?
DE’VON ACHANE: At least 100. That’s at least. I had a lot of notifications from Instagram, messages, Twitter. That’s a lot of stuff, I ain’t just going to go through all that. (laughter) It was a lot, though.
Q. Do you expect your Madden rating to increase after this week’s performance?
DE’VON ACHANE: It better do something. Obviously, my speed, because I don’t want to be tied with Raheem (Mostert). We always talk a lot of trash to each other. Hopefully that happens, though.
Q. Speaking of Raheem, he said he wants you to work on your touchdown celebrations. Is that something you’re looking to pay more attention to next time?
DE’VON ACHANE: Yeah, everybody said, “You need to do a touchdown celebration.” I said, “Alright, I got y’all.” But I just be in the moment, I just be enjoying the moment. I don’t be too much into the touchdown celebrations. That’s just being me like my whole life, even from college. I never really just did celebrations. If I’m (inaudible), then I’ll say something or do a dance or something, but next game I’ve got it for sure.
