Kenny Stills – September 27, 2018
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(We saw that S Eric Reid had signed today with Carolina. Your thoughts on that?) – “I was happy for him. I’m excited to see him get out there on the field and be the impact player that we all know that he is. Obviously, I feel like he should’ve been signed the first day of free agency. It’s a long time coming, but I’m excited for him and I can’t wait to see him ball.”
(Obviously, the sense was that because of S Eric Reid’s stance, it was hurting his job opportunities. Do you think that changes the dynamic that maybe teams are open now to the idea?) – “Honestly, I don’t … I don’t really know. I haven’t had that much time to process and think about it. I just came off the field and as I was coming off the field, I found out that he was signed. Initially, like I said, I’m happy for him. I can’t wait to see him ball and I think he should’ve been signed a long time ago.”
(Did you think this day would come this season for him S Eric Reid?) – “It’s something … I was definitely surprised, for sure.”
(As far as games in regular season, do you believe in the concept of a big game? Is this just Game 4 or is this a big game this week?) – “I think for this team, we just try to go week by week and every week is a big game for us. It’s something that the head coach really instills in us and we hammer it home every week, so that’s how we feel. Every game is a big game for us. We feel like we have a ton to prove, so we have to go out there and earn respect every week, so the next game is the biggest game.”
(This team has never been more explosive; but on the flip side, time of possession has been skewed. Is that something that you guys know to help your defense out you have to hold onto the ball a little bit more?) – “Yes, we understand that; but we also realize that if we put points on the board, then the defense can get out there and play to their advantage. The defensive line and the pass rush, I know they’ll be happy. We just have to focus on putting points on the board, playing clean football, no penalties, no turnovers and we’ll continue to do what we do.”
(How would you describe the role WR Danny Amendola has in this offense?) – “For us, his leadership here in the locker room and then his play on the field, we know that any time the ball comes his way, he’s going to make a big catch for us and make a play for us. That’s something that you can’t overlook. It takes a lot of heart and courage to go across the middle and take some of the hits he’s taken so far and throughout his career. That energizes our group. That makes our group stronger. That’s a high bar that he sets for the rest of us to go out there and make plays and be accountable to our team.”
(With the way you guys like to spread it around on offense, is there some patience involved by players knowing, “I’m not getting it now or this last drive, but I know maybe next quarter or next game it could be me?”) – “We talk all the time about just doing your job, expecting the ball to come to you every play and when it does, make it your play. For us, that’s something that coach hammers home for us every day: go out there, do your job, handle your business and when the ball comes, make your play. Sometimes it’s going to be the receivers, tight ends, running backs; but as long as we’re winning, we’re happy and that’s what we’re focused on.”
(One more question about S Eric Reid. Do you think the fact that he’s back there might be a path for QB Colin Kaepernick to come back to football?) – “I guess you can say that, but we’ll see. We’ll see.”
(Your understanding is that QB Colin Kaepernick wants to play?) – “Oh, yeah. I spoke to him earlier today just before I came in here. He just came from a workout as we were on the phone. ‘What were you doing?’ ‘I just came from a workout. I’m ready to go.’ He wants to play. He’s good enough to play. He deserves to play. I don’t see why a team won’t sign him or hasn’t signed him.”
(Have you ever played on an offense with this kind of speed at the skill positions, and what does that do for an offense in terms of opening up all sorts of possibilities?) – “We talked about it in the offseason, knowing how much speed and explosiveness we have, and what that does to a defense. For us, really, it’s just going out there and executing. We know we have the guys that are going to make plays, but how consistent can we be with that? That’s the challenge for us every week.”
(Is this the fastest group you’ve been a part of?) – “Fastest? Probably so. But I spoke earlier in the week about the talent level, being I played with Jimmy Graham, (Marques) Colston, Lance Moore, (Darren) Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram all on the same team. I’ve played with skilled players. We had a lot of skill. That’s similar here; but as far as explosiveness and speed, it’s hard to match what we have.”
(How did you like that high-five celebration that WR Jakeem Grant and WR Albert Wilson had Sunday?) – “That was sweet. That’s something special. I feel like we’ll be able to look back at that moment forever. I think Tyreek Hill and those guys did it in Kansas City when Albert was there, so it was kind of a remake; but that’s cool to see. We’re having fun out there.”
(We were talking to WR Albert Wilson on Monday. He says he wants to change … culture isn’t the right word, but inject fun into the team. Have you sensed that with him?) – “Yeah. I mean, every time Albert touches the ball, good things happen. That sparks the offense. Similar to what I said about Danny (Amendola), I think that kind of sets the bar high as far as what we want to be as a team and leading by example. When we see Albert have the ball in his hands, make somebody miss and go make a play, that’s something like, ‘I’ve got to add that to my game.’ We think, ‘All right, how can we match that? How can we do more than that?’ It adds something to our offense.”
(You mentioned how WR Danny Amendola has added a leadership element. Can you think of an example or two of how that leadership has come through?) – “For us, like I always talk about, leadership is just leading by example. And the way he comes into work, he’s one of the first guys here in the morning and he’s got his film study. He’s got a routine of everything that he’s doing here, so all the guys, even myself, being here and seeing that every day is something that, ‘All right, well, if he’s doing that and he’s had success at the highest level, then I should probably be doing that too.’”
(A lot of people have admired QB Ryan Tannehill’s accuracy on the two touchdown passes to you – the 75-yarder, the 34-yarder. Anything stand out about the placement of those passes or Ryan’s improvement and how it showed in those passes this season?) – “I said something earlier too about that: we work on that stuff all the time, so it doesn’t surprise us. We see him every day and we get the repetitions. So when the ball is in the air, it’s up for us to go out there and make a play. We know our landmarks, we know where the ball is going to be. We practice it every day and so we go out there and just execute. Nothing really surprises me. I think the outside world is kind of like, ‘That’s a nice play, that’s a nice throw.’ For me, that’s like, ‘All right, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re professionals, we play at the highest level, and that’s what we expect.’ I don’t expect anything different.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill has been hitting those landmarks consistently all year?) – “Oh, yeah. Other than the one that we didn’t connect on in the end zone earlier in the game, for the most part, he’s been spot on.”
(I wanted to ask you about Foxborough and playing at Gillette Stadium. Obviously, you guys have had success beating them here – three of the last five – but up there, you haven’t won since 2008. Is there a mental aspect to that?) – “I don’t think it’s a mental thing. We had an opportunity a couple of years ago when we were down big on that last drive to go out there and potentially win the game or tie it and go to overtime. It’s football at the end of the day, regardless if it’s here or there or at a neutral site. We just have to go out there and execute and play our game. If you turn the ball over and you have penalties and you let them get out to an early lead, you’re not going to win. That’s what we’ve done when we’ve gone there. We haven’t played as well as we should, and we need to to win the game.”
(Is there a thing where you feel like you have to play a perfect game against them?) – “I think teams in the past have felt like, ‘Yeah, if you don’t play perfect against them, you’re not going to have a chance to win.’ Obviously you strive for perfection, and so do they; but it never really happens that way. But, yes, you need to be on top of your game to beat somebody at their home stadium. That’s just how it goes.”
(With the tight end position, you guys have had a bunch of injuries now. It may be the two rookies you’re relying on Sunday. What is your level of confidence in both those guys?) – “We always have that next-man-up mentality here. I wouldn’t second-guess those guys being out there doing their job, playing hard and helping us execute. They did a great job last week and they’re good players. The rookies get thrown in the fire sometimes and that’s the best way to grow up. I’m excited to see what they do. I had a feeling last week that (Mike) Gesicki was going to get in the end zone and I just keep looking for that. I’m excited for him and I want to see him celebrate and have fun.”
Jakeem Grant – September 27, 2018
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
WR Jakeem Grant
(I hate to use the term ‘trick play,’ but I talk to people who say ‘don’t use them all, save some.’ How many of those unique plays are there? Are you guys going to run out any time soon?) – “That’s all up to (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. He’s the mastermind.”
(With Head Coach Adam Gase, is it something that he presents to you during the week of practice, like ‘Hey, this is something we want to work on, and then you guys just run it a couple of times and see if it works and then use it in a game?’) – “Whatever he has planned for us, we definitely go out there and work on it. Sometimes he’s adjusting the things that we’ve been doing and we haven’t pulled it out yet. A lot of people think it’s just a play that we worked on during the week; but no, we’ve been doing it for months now.”
(Why are you guys just taking this as another game and not making anything bigger than what it is?) – “At the end of the day, (everyone) is a nameless, faceless opponent. New England is a great team, but at the end of the day we’re striving to be 1-0 after every week. Like I said, we’re not making it out to be this Super Bowl game or anything like that. We’re just going out there and just playing and going out there and competing.”
(How difficult is that because you have people in your ear saying ‘you go 4-0’ and they try to get you to look ahead?) – “That’s the thing about it. We’re not thinking about what we did last week, the previous week. We’re only thinking about getting better this week and becoming 1-0 at the end of the week. All we feel like is we’re all we have. We’re going to continue to stay level-headed and stay humble.”
(Is there some patience with this offense? You guys have shown to move the ball around to a lot of different weapons that ‘I’m not getting the touches now, but I know that can change in a quarter or next game.’ How do you kind of approach that?) – “The thing about it is we love to see each other shine. We’re not selfish. We love to see each other go out there and make big plays, and we know if we just continue to play for each other, keep blocking for each other, the next thing you know, the ball swings our way and one of us will make a big play when our number is called. Coach (Gase) does a good job with spreading the ball around. It’s not like he’s just up there like ‘let me get him the ball, let me get him the ball.’ If the guy is open at that time, that’s who’s going to get the ball. That’s the thing about it. We have so many weapons that any guy can get the ball at any time.”
(Piggybacking on that, a lot of people love that high five. Did you get any feedback from that, what’s that been like?) – “I haven’t gotten the feedback, it was all credit to my boy Albert (Wilson). I saw him reach up and I was like ‘I’m going to give him a high five.’ A lot of people loved it. We’re thinking about coming up with something new, so just stay tuned.”
(It’s on an elevator, it’s on the front of the media guide this week. That image, why do you think it resonated with so many people?) – “I don’t know. Some people see it as we were disrespecting them; but no, it wasn’t that. We were basically just having fun out there. That shows you that we’re actually truly going out there and having fun and playing for each other.”
(On that run, were you at all thinking ‘maybe I should wait until we get in the end zone?’ Did that ever cross your mind?) – “Not at all.”
(You were asked about New England as just any other game. When you go up there, some people do get caught up in the mystique. I don’t get the sense this current team feels that way. Why do you feel like you have that confidence in yourself? What’s kind of sparked it a little bit this year?) – “From the offseason standpoint of just working hard, just staying together and just being focused on everything Coach (Gase) has been talking about – the fundamentals, the details, everything about it. Just not going out there and making the game bigger than what it is. It’s just another game at the end of the week. Yes, we’re playing against the Patriots, a very good team; but we’re a good team as well. They’re going to give us their best shot and we’re going to give them our best shot.”
(I didn’t mean it just in the framework of playing against them. As a team right now, is it about another year under Head Coach Adam Gase too? Is it that experience of everybody getting to know him and him getting to know you?) – “I would say just the brotherhood of this team. We hang out with each other outside of this locker room and we continue to just care about each other. So when we go out there and play, we look to the left and the right of each other and just say ‘I’m not going to let you down. I’m going to do whatever I can to do my job.’ I think that’s what it’s been. We truly care about each other.”
(On the jet sweep, we were asking Head Coach Adam Gase why QB Ryan Tannehill tosses the ball rather than handing it off.) – “Those are passing yards. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said it’s up to you guys, so tell me what’s going on there.) – “It is up to us; but the soft toss, you can catch it on the run and continue to move. (You can do that) also with a handoff, but we’re just used to the soft toss and also, like I said, it’s receiving yards instead of rushing yards. (laughter)”
(Is there ever any joking from QB Ryan Tannehill about that, that he gets credit for it? Were receivers joking with him? Has that ever come up?) – “Not at all. Those are easy passing yards for him. Effortless and all it is is just a soft toss and just make a play.”
(But you don’t see that as any more risky than a handoff because it’s basically just putting the ball right in your path, right?) – “Not at all. Not risky at all. He’s basically just putting it right there in your lap. It’s just like the center hiking the ball to Ryan (Tannehill). I feel like it’s the same thing.”
Martrell Spaight – September 27, 2018
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
LB Martrell Spaight
(When is the last time you played in a 4-3 defense?) – “It was about four years ago.”
(At Arkansas?) – “Yes, sir. I actually love the 4-3. Now, I’m just trying to get my mind back out of the 3-4 and back in the 4-3. It’s going to be a little bit of a process but I feel like once it happens, it’s going to be something good.”
(They have you playing where in the 4-3?) – “Right now I’m learning multiple positions – Mike and Sam. Really, I’m just going off what (the coaches) say and pretty much trying to learn them all. That’s how I played in Washington. I played both positions, learned them both, know (both of) them by heart, so I feel like it may be the same situation here. Really, I’m just going to learn it all and just get in where they put me.”
(This defense seems like it wants to play a lot more nickel too. How comfortable are you in coverage?) – “I feel pretty comfortable. The coverages that they run here are pretty similar to back in Washington. It’s pretty much what we ran in Washington. We ran a lot of nickel. The personnel we’d get in the nickel. Some base personnel we would have a guy in nickel. I’m pretty comfortable with it. Really, my main focus is just getting back into game-playing mode and getting my body where I need to to play in a game and things like that, keeping my feet underneath myself and all of the different things like that. I’m just fine-tuning my game back up.”
(When was the last time you played in a game?) – “The fourth preseason game. It’s just been a couple of workouts here and there but other than that, that was the last actual game I’ve been a part of. I’m anxious to get back out there.”
(What have you been doing to stay in shape?) – “I’ve been training constantly. Training, training, training. Even the workouts I’ve been having, they’ve felt like a lot of Combine (work outs), actually, that they’ve been having me do. I’ve really just been hitting the weight room hard, running, keeping my conditioning up, running hills and keeping my footwork right. Little things like that and things I know I need to work on in my game. It kind of worked out in my favor because I played the whole preseason and everything so I knew what I did well and the things I did bad. It kind of gave me time to step back and fine-tune stuff that I needed to work on.”
(How hard was that just being away from it for a few weeks?) – “It was tough. Watching football every Sunday and every Thursday and going like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to get back out there. I wish I was out there.’ It really just fueled the fire on everything. I really had to change my mind’s status from ‘Why did this happen?’ to ‘Okay, I’m going to use this time wisely to get myself together once the time does come.’ It was tough but it ended up coming around.”
(What was your reaction when Miami called?) – “I was happy. I was excited. I was actually talking to a few people about it and they kept bringing up Miami. Some people don’t really know much about football, they just throw things out there, so I really took it with a grain of salt. (laughter) But (the Dolphins) called. I actually had a feeling the night before that somebody was going to call me and I felt like it was going to be the team where I was supposed to go to. Sure enough, it was Miami. You can’t go wrong with going to Miami. I’m definitely happy to be here.”
(Do you have much history with Miami before now?) – “I know a lot of the players, like the old history. Like Junior Seau and things like that. I’ve been keeping up with them from a distance. Being from Arkansas, you really don’t see a lot of the teams outside like that. But I know a lot of the history. Knowing there’s a lot of tradition here, I just want to be a part of it.”
Adam Gase – September 27, 2018
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Do you have any update on DE Cameron Wake? We saw him practicing today.) – “He was full go today.”
(When you have the shortage at defensive line and you’ve been used to a rotation, how difficult is it to get them accustomed to a new rotation or the thought process of playing more snaps?) – “Yeah, I don’t think those guys will have a problem with that. Those guys have conditioned and trained themselves and created an environment to do it, to where they can go more snaps, especially in cooler weather. I don’t think you’re going to have many players complain about playing more plays.”
(With DT Vincent Taylor, what has he shown you since last year or maybe this camp that says that he’s ready for more to be put on his plate?) – “I think experience. One year in the NFL, you’re going to learn so much throughout a season. When you get into the training camp aspect of it since the spring was tough for him – he was recovering. We get into training camp and he’s adding to that library of things that he gets to see. We were doing a lot of different stuff to where it was just the more he was seeing and he’s reacting quickly. He’s playing aggressive. He’s playing fast. You can tell he’s not really thinking a bunch. He just is able to go out there and play. He knows the call, he knows what his job is and now he plays the play.”
(Because so many players do so many different things well, does it really challenge your play-calling?) – “I don’t think so. I think it just helps us be creative and try to keep expanding guys‘ roles and figure out how far we can take things. That’s fun to be able to just kind of draw things up in the dirt and try it. If it doesn’t work, we throw it out and try something different.”
(Do you want your players to view this as a big game or just Game number 4 of 2018?) – “I think our guys are looking at this as it’s Game 4. That’s the feeling I get.”
(Is that what you want?) – “That’s what we’re going through. I mean, it’s the first quarter of the season and it’s the fourth game. It’s a road game. It’s a division game. It’s always tough to go on the road in the division against a team that knows you well. They’ll be prepared and our job is to make sure that we prepare as well as we need to for this week to really, when we hit the fourth quarter, we’ve got an opportunity to win the game.”
(Your offense is in a weird kind of Catch-22 because you’re never been more explosive, but the time of possession has kind of been one-sided. I know you talked before about the importance of time of possession. How do you get that back?) – “It has to be complementary football. We need to do a better job of not having any three-and-outs and holding onto the ball longer. When you score, it’s not as painful for the defense. When we go three-and-out, that’s a little different. I think our defense can help themselves out sometimes with the third down and getting off the field. We had a couple of opportunities last week and kind of hurt ourselves. Both sides of the ball can help each other in that aspect, that’s how you can kind of get that time of possession flipped.”
Adam Gase – September 26, 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(With defensive end, where do you think you are now with the three veterans and then adding DE Jonathan Woodard?) – “We’ll get through this week of practice and see who is going to be available and go from there.”
(What made DE Jonathan Woodard stand out from what you’ve seen in preseason, training camp and practice?) – “That’s why we keep guys on the practice squad and keep working with guys and keep developing them. So, when we have a situation like we do, where we got pretty banged up last game, we can elevate somebody. Those guys know he’s a part of the group and he has been and he knows what to expect.”
(We didn’t see DE Cameron Wake out there today. Is he injured or resting?) – “He’s one of the guys that got banged up, so it’s just one day at a time for us with him.”
(Do you have any feeling on S Reshad Jones on whether he’ll play?) – “He practiced today, so that’s a good sign for us. We’ll just keep evaluating him after every practice and see how he feels. Once we get closer to the game, we’ll have a better idea.”
(Was S Reshad Jones close last week? What ended up happening to where he didn’t play?) – “Yeah, it’s just that first week with the injury he had. He was really sore and didn’t have the strength he needed. Knowing who we were playing that game, him and Marshawn (Lynch), they find each other. He needed to be closer to full strength than where he was. It was more my call, because if it probably were up to him, he would’ve given it a go. We were in one of those situations where we had to make a decision.”
(I understand the Patriots are always dangerous, but how much more dangerous do you think they are coming home after two straight road losses?) – “Any time you play them at their place, it’s a challenge. That’s why they’re one of the best teams. If you look at just the last three years. I think they are number two or three as far as home record. If you look at the last 15 years, it’s ridiculous how well they do at home compared to everybody else. Anytime they play at home, it’s a tough place to play. It’s a great environment. The crowd is extremely loud and it’s a tough environment to play in.”
(The linebacker situation with LB Chase Allen down and LB Martrell Spaight being signed, how do you feel about your backups? I know LB Stephone Anthony got in last game. How do you feel about those?) – “We’re good. This is that part of the season. You hit that fourth game where you lose some guys and some guys get banged up. We’re not the only team in the league like this right now. It’s pretty much 32 teams. That’s just kind of par for the course, the way that training camp is and preseason and how business is done now, to where everybody around the league is in the same spot.”
(The fact that you haven’t injected a veteran tight end with TE A.J. Derby’s status, does that show confidence that TE Mike Gesicki and TE Durham Smythe have improved?) – “We’ll have a good plan as far as what we’re going to do. We’ve got some options if we need to. We’re just where we’re at right now and we’ll see how the rest of the week goes.”
(I asked you about LB Kiko Alonso on Monday. Is it safe to say he’s the anchor of that young linebacker group?) – “Yes, he has the most experience. He’s had the most production over his career. I think he sets the tempo for everything. He doesn’t say much, but the way he operates and the way he goes about it on a daily basis, it’s really impressive. He’s a pro. He prepares the right way, he practices the right way. Whatever he has on game day, he gives it all.”
(LB Kiko Alonso is off to his best start would you say, for his two plus seasons here?) – “I don’t know. His 2016 season was pretty impressive. We’re so early in the season, we’ll just kind of see how it goes. I love the fact that he’s making as many plays as he has and I feel like he’s trying to be one of the guys on defense that’s making plays and being a game changer.”
(What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned coaching against Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick?) – “I think that over the years, just know that there’s going to be things that you haven’t seen before. There’s going to be something to take away what you do well and how are you going to adjust to it? Every time we’ve played them, it’s been different. That’s just kind of the way it is. They do a good job of executing their game plan. They’ve done a good job the last two years against us of really making us work for every yard we get.”
(Don’t you think similarly about your offense? Isn’t that kind of the idea to make something that’s unpredictable week to week?) – “You try to do that. It doesn’t always work out in the game. The flow of the game sometimes and the amount of plays they have can kind of throw it off a little bit. The more plays you get, the more you can be multiple and get more guys involved and really show a good range of things the defensive coaches have to prepare for leading up to the game. We’ve had a little bit of that this year, but hopefully we can increase our play count and keep getting guys more involved throughout the game.”
(Did you view WR DeVante Parker’s game Sunday as full capacity for him or was it more like getting his feet wet?) – “I think every week is going to be different. I think a different guy is going to be the guy we’re talking about the next week as far as having a good game or statistically having a good game. I thought he did a really good job in the game. He didn’t make any errors, he was where he was supposed to be, the ball went to him, he caught it. It was good considering that was his first go at it. He’s in really good shape. He didn’t get tired in the game. He was playing fast.”
(Is there one specific key to defending TE Rob Gronkowski? Is it at the line of scrimmage or the first man has to hold on?) – “If I knew that, I mean if anybody knew that … He’s a tough guy to stop. It’s hard to stop elite players. You do everything you can to keep them from making those game-changing plays. It’s just when you’re that big and your hands are that good and you’re able to do everything you need to do as a tight end, whether it be in pass protection, blocking, run blocking, route-running, catching the ball in a crowded area. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing, he does it well.”
(What’s the one place you think QB Ryan Tannehill has improved the most since he’s been back to health?) – “Probably just the pocket presence feel for not being in there for a while. I think he’s really accelerated his growth this season. He looks comfortable. He’s moving around well. It’s good to see him take off and run a couple of times and make some really big plays for us in situations where they had a good defense called versus what we had called. He made a positive play for us and got us first downs. I think that’s really been a big plus for us this year.”
(Is there something that WR Danny Amendola can give you given his experience with New England that he knows about their defense?) – “I think it’s just with the change they had with the coordinators. I think it’s a little bit different then what it’s been the last few years. I don’t know how much he can really tell us. I’m sure what they saw at practice compared to what is going on right now is just different.”
(Did you get any hint that WR Danny Amendola will be particularly emotional for this game?) – “I haven’t sensed that from him or Brandon (Bolden). I feel like those guys are … They’re professionals. It’s been business as usual for us. I think guys are doing a good job of just locking in because they know this is the next game. We keep talking about this and they have been since the first week of the season, that all of our focus needs to be on our opponent that week. We can’t look ahead; we can’t worry about what happened in the past. All of our energy needs to go into focusing on what we’re doing to prepare.”
(We talked to you the other day about DE William Hayes injury trying to keep his weight off of the quarterback. Did you find that challenging to try to teach that technique to your players this past offseason?) – “I think (Defensive Line Coach) Kris (Kocurek) has done a good job of trying to teach what they want. I know Jordan (Phillips) had one where he was coming down and he rolled off and made sure he didn’t put weight on the quarterback. The game happens fast and sometimes those guys … They’ve been doing it the same way for a long time. They are trying to adjust. As long as our guys are trying to use the techniques we’re asking them to do … He just got caught in a weird position.”
(Do you anticipate having DE Andre Branch this week?) – “I would say that’s highly unlikely.”
Ryan Tannehill – September 26, 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(A lot of improvement has come with you since you’ve come back, obviously, in a lot of areas. People name pocket presence, maybe, on top of that. You would say what do you think, about where you’re better than when you were here in 2016?) – “Hopefully I’m better in a lot of areas. I’m constantly working the details of playing the position, so hopefully I’m better in a lot of areas. But yes, I would agree, I think I’m a little better in pocket movement. We work a lot of drills with (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree). Dowell and Bo design a lot of drills for us, work on our pocket movement, ball security, being able to keep our eyes downfield, feel the rush around us and create our target line in front of our target so we’re accurate with the football. They do a great job of preparing us and putting us in drill work that prepares us for the game.”
(Now that you’ve worked with WR Danny Amendola in the offseason, regular season, can you see what QB Tom Brady saw in him as far as it’s almost like he’s always in the right spot, he’s kind of a safety net for you?) – “Danny has made some big plays for us. You look at some of the plays he made last game. That one he made was similar to the one in the Jets game, where he’s about to take a big hit and comes down with a big-time catch for us in a tight window. He always seems to have a knack of finding a space to get open. He has a great feel for that, whether it’s zone, those crossing routes or underneath. We have a lot of confidence in him and his ability to get open.”
(Not many quarterbacks have the advantage of three receivers with afterburners like you do. How big an advantage is that to the offense that those guys can kick into a fifth gear?) – “It’s huge when you have that much speed on the field and you can spread them out in all different sides. They can’t isolate one guy or the other. They have to really play all of them and it’s tough to do when you have that much speed on the field.”
(It seems like every time WR Danny Amendola makes a catch, he’s about to get nailed or something like that. What value do you place in a guy who seems unafraid of whatever comes across the middle?) – “It’s huge. To be able to have the confidence and the bravery – I don’t know the politically correct word to use here – in order to stand in there and make those catches in tight windows, knowing that you’re going to take some punishment afterwards is huge. Some guys can’t do it, but if you look at Danny, he’s a guy who has done it for his whole career and continues to do it. So, yes, it’s awesome to have. Hopefully, as a quarterback, I don’t want to put him in those positions too often where he is taking those hits. That’s on me; but it is nice to have a guy who’s willing to sacrifice and make those tight-window catches, because it definitely keeps the chains moving for us.”
(I think the Patriots have the best home record over the last 15 years or so. What’s so tough about going up to Foxborough and playing them?) – “They play well there. That’s something they’ve kind of hung their hat on for a long time is playing well at home. It’s what we want to do here is you want to play well at home. Obviously you want to play well on the road too, but we want to have that home-field advantage. I think that’s something they’ve done a good job of. We’ve had our opportunities up there. We’ve put halves of football together, but haven’t played a full game. That’s going to be a big emphasis for us this week is to go up and play a full four quarters.”
(You’ve played against some of the top cornerbacks in the league. How would you put CB Xavien Howard in that group at this point? Has he reached that elite level in your mind?) – “I’m not big in ranking guys, but he is playing at a really high level. I’m really excited about the way he’s playing. You saw it in camp, him build his confidence as camp went on. He started making more and more plays. He’s so long, he judges the ball extremely well and has great hands. He’s made some big plays for us. That one in the corner of the end zone at the end of the game there was huge. (It was) a tough catch through contact. If you look at the one last week on the post route in the back of the end zone, to have the savvy to get his feet down in the back of the end zone was huge. You see him taking these big steps on not only being physical at the line but (also) understanding concepts and making plays on the football. So, yes, he’s a well-rounded player right now.”
(What have you learned playing against Belichick defenses in your career?) – “I have a ton of respect for their defense up there. They do a good job of playing their game, but also throwing in something you haven’t seen before or that you’re not really prepared for. They do a good job of mixing it up. You never really know what it’s going to be. (There’s going to be) a little curveball they’re going to throw your way and you have to be able to adjust. That’s what it comes down to is on offense, we have to adjust better than they do on defense. Whatever that curveball is, we have to be ready to adjust to it.”
(You talk about opportunities, you have a unique one this week. You have a chance with a win to get a three-game lead on the Patriots. Do you sense any extra motivation, extra focus this week with that kind of unique opportunity?) – “I don’t think that reason plays into it. We want to climb here. We want a steady progression of taking it one game at a time. This is the next game. Obviously a division game on the road is a big game for us, but we need to be wired in no matter who we’re playing and no matter what the situation is. Yeah, we just have to keep staying the course. Like I said the past few weeks, we’re on the right course. We just have to stay that course, keep pressing the envelope and take advantage of the opportunities that come our way.”
(Given the Patriots’ history of success, is this kind of a measuring stick for this team?) – “I don’t know. It’s early in the season. We’re in Week 4. I don’t know if it’s a measuring stick or anything like that. Obviously I have a ton of respect for New England and what they’ve done and what kind of team they are. (It’s a) big opportunity for us to go up there and play well.”
(Have you seen anything different from Head Coach Adam Gase since last time you were with him in 2016?) – “Yeah, we’re all constantly evolving, growing as people, as players, coaches. If you’re not getting better, then you’re wasting your time. He’s grown as a play-caller. He’s grown as a head coach. The whole picture and everything that it involves. It’s been great to be around him and see him progress as a head coach.”
(Where would you say you and Head Coach Adam Gase’s cohesion is at this point?) – “We’re great. I was excited. When he came in and we kind of got together, I kind of immediately hit it off with him and knew we were going to be in a good spot and it’s just been a steady progression along the way. I’m really excited about where we’re at.”
(Are you surprised at some of the roughing-the-passer penalties that have been called? They look like maybe clean hits that have been flagged. What’s your reaction that?) – “I’ve seen a few that are tough. It’s a tough situation as a defender to be put in. I understand what they’re doing trying to protect quarterbacks. I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of those where you appreciate them trying to take care of you a little bit, but I do see the conflict that it puts a defender in. You’re coming off of a block, you’re coming full speed and to try to make the adjustment last second, it’s tough. I don’t have the answer for you or what the right answer is on either side, but I understand what the NFL is trying to do and I understand the predicament that the defense is in as they’re rushing the quarterback. It’s a tough situation.”
(When you try to put on the brakes the last second, we’ve seen what happened with DE William Hayes. He tries to avoid a flag.) – “It’s tough. Like I said, you’re rushing full speed, you’re coming off a block, you’re off balance and then you’re trying to turn your body one way or the other. It’s one thing when it’s a clean run and you have the ability to change your angle or hit on the side or something like that, but there’s going to be situations where the defender is coming off a block and it kind of is what it is. It’s a fine line. The officials are doing the best they can on officiating it as it’s written. That’s where we’re at right now.”
(Outside of the two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, how did the offense play Sunday in your opinion?) – “I thought we took a step forward. I thought we did some good things. Obviously penalties hurt us. Penalties hurt us big time. I think we had four drives that were basically stopped by penalties. We had a third down going in the red zone where we got a pass interference call, which was tough. We started off a drive with a pass interference call and we had two holding calls on top of that. Really, four times we were stopped by penalties. I think we had only 11 drives and scored on four others. We did some good things, but we have to eliminate those penalties, whether it’s technique or the way we’re doing things. We have to find a way to eliminate these penalties, be efficient on first and second down and be in manageable third-down situations. When we’re in third-and-long, third-and-9, 10, it’s going to be tough to convert those. You can’t consistently convert (those). You can convert one occasionally, but you want to be in third-and-6 or less and have a good shot at converting a lot of those.”
(How would you describe you guys’ season up to now?) – “We’re on the right track. I said this after the game, we’ve kind of established the right patterns the way we want to, the right practices that are going to take us to where we want to go; but we’re three games in. There’s a lot of football. It really doesn’t mean anything at this point. We just have to stay true to the path that we’re on and keep getting better.”
(Was that a good first step for WR DeVante Parker, the role that he played in the offense on Sunday?) – “Yeah, it was huge. I think DeVante came in and played fast for us. You saw it last week whenever he came back and started getting some good reps. He came in with speed and was playing extremely fast. He made the big catch down the right sideline for us. Tight coverage. He fought through contact and was able to get his hips in front and make a nice catch downfield. (It was a) huge play in the game for us when we needed it most. I look forward to more of that from him.”
(I think there was a third-and-long on Sunday where you had a run and you had a little stutter step. When did you add that to your game?) – “I don’t know. Gase got mad at me about that one. (laughter) We’ll see if he comes back.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase wanted you to get down or he just didn’t like the stutter step?) – “He didn’t like the stutter step. He just wanted me to go out of bounds. You’ve got to play the game, right? (laughter)”
Reshad Jones – September 26, 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
S Reshad Jones
(How do you feel now?) – “I feel a lot better. I’m taking it day by day. I’m taking it a day at a time. I’ll practice a little bit this week and see if I’m able to go.”
(How did it happen? We saw it was on the last play of the half, right?) – “Yes, right before halftime of the Jets game.”
(Were you relieved that it wasn’t anything too serious?) – “Yes, I’m glad. I don’t have to have surgery or anything like that. I’ll be back. I’ll be back.”
(Today’s only Wednesday, so how do you feel at this moment about your chances for this weekend?) – “Like I said, I feel real good. I’m just going to take it day by day, a day at a time, and see how I feel come Friday later on in the week.”
(Is it the fact that the Patriots are this week make you a little more eager to get back?) – “Not really. Every game is important in this league. It’s a division game. Like Coach (Gase) says, it’s the next game up, so it’s definitely important; but I want to be out there to help these guys win and do whatever I can to be out there with them.”
(The challenge of going up to Foxborough and getting a win. You haven’t had that chance yet in your career.) – “It’s tough. It’s a tough environment to play in. We’re still going to play against a great football team – a great offense, great defense, (great) overall football team. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s a division game, but I know with this coaching staff and these guys in the locker room, we’ll be ready.”
(What is the greatest challenge that QB Tom Brady has posed over the years?) – “He’s probably one of the best to ever do it. They run the ball well. They pass the ball well. They mix up the formations, personnel. We’ve got our hands full. It’s going to be a challenge for us and like I said, I think we’ll be ready.”
(Do you entertain the thought that if you were to win, you would be three games ahead of the Patriots four games into the season?) – “We don’t want to look ahead. Like I said, every game is important. This game is just as important, because it’s the next game. We want to do everything we can to go out and win a division game.”
(To win two road division games, the accomplishment that would be in just a quarter of a season, that would be pretty big.) – “Yes, it definitely would be huge. It definitely would be huge.”
(Based on their slow start, some people have been asking questions about the Patriots. What do you see when you look at them?) – “They’re still a good football team. They’re a champ. They still have Tom Brady, the best quarterback who probably ever played. (Bill) Belichick is still there, one of the best coaches of all time. It’s still a good team. They just started slow I think. Like Coach (Gase) said, four years ago it was pretty much the same way and those guys went on to win the Super Bowl. It’s still a good team. We’re still going to have to go in and fight. It’s a division game and like I said, we’ll be ready.”
Mike Gesicki – September 26, 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Tight End Mike Gesicki
(With TE A.J. Derby being out, do you expect to play a lot more? That’s probably an obvious question, but how much more are you involved in the game plan this week?) – “It’s just kind of the next-man-up mentality. We have a lot of talent in that tight end room. I don’t really know what the deal is with A.J. Obviously, we’d love to have him out there; but if not, then the rest of the guys need to step up and make plays.”
(How are things going for you day to day so far?) – “Good. It’s something to continue to progress. (I’m) getting more comfortable out there. Just continue to play faster, think less and all of that kind of stuff, and just continue to make plays when the ball comes my way.”
(What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned the last three weeks?) – “I just have to continue to do my job and not focus on … Everybody wants to go ‘Mike’s not getting the ball, Mike’s not this, Mike’s got to block better, he’s got to do that.’ I just block everything out and do my job, know my role, know my assignment, just go out and execute. At the end of the day, we do whatever we can to win and so far we’re 3-0.”
(What’s something that you think you’ve done well here through the first couple games and what’s something you think you need to improve on the most?) – “I think the one thing that I’ve done well throughout my entire career is just letting one bad play, just let it go, another bad play, let it go. I don’t really let things affect me. I could stand here and have every single one of you guys write something terrible about me, and in one ear, out the other. I could have you guys say that I’m the best tight end in the NFL (and it’s) in one ear, out the other. I don’t pay attention to anything. I just focus on my job, my role, my assignment, because at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters. So, I think that’s something that I do really well is just, whether it’s good or bad, just leave it in the past and move forward. Then just continue to develop and understand the concepts better, understand some of the run stuff better, understand some of the pass pro better. This is a very complex offense. My goal is to get where Ryan (Tannehill) is at. Obviously, it’s going to take years and years and a lot of time, a lot of effort into that; but if I can have that same mindset, that same mentality out on the field, then the only option you have is to play fast.”
(Is there anything from TE A.J. Derby’s game that you kind of want to incorporate into your own?) – “Yes. He’s very smart. He knows everything like the back of his hand. If you ask A.J. a question and it’s right back (at you). He does a great job teaching the young guys in myself and (TE) Durham (Smythe) a lot of stuff about the offense, a lot of stuff about the NFL in general, so I give a lot of props to him.”
(Even over the years, you haven’t been on the field at the same time, but watching Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski I’m sure from a distance, playing the same position. What are your thoughts on where he ranks?) – “It’s no surprise; he’s one of, if not the best tight end in the NFL. It’s not by mistake. Obviously, I don’t know him personally; but growing up watching him, I’ve seen all his highlights, I’ve seen all of his workouts, I’ve seen everything that there is about him. I have a ton of respect for his game and his work ethic and the way he plays, how aggressive he plays, all of that kind of stuff.”
(Does Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski go harder on the field or off the field?) – “You’re not going to get me with that one. (laughter)”
(On your 19-yard catch the other day, it seemed like you were looking for contact, you were looking for someone to kind of run over. Is that not what was happening or is that what was happening?) – “I just kind of react to however the play is going down. There was a deep safety probably about 6-8 yards away from me and I saw him go low, so I went low and tried to lower my shoulder and all of that kind of stuff. It was good. It’s good going out looking for contact, because if you give them some contact and start beating them up, those are the same guys you’re running routes on so if they’re getting tired, they’re getting beat up, it’s only going to help you.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase really is dependent on using tight ends in this system, but do you feel any more pressure, any less pressure that because he’s spreading the ball around, you won’t have to come along as fast?) – “No, I’m not worried about any of that kind of stuff. Even when I came in, it’s not like I was like ‘I want the ball, I want this, I want that.’ I’m just coming in and working my tail off each and every day. This way, whether it’s one time or it’s 10 times, whether it’s this week or whether it’s the last week of the season, if the ball comes my way or if my number gets called, I have to execute.”
