Mike Gesicki – August 7, 2018
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Tight End Mike Gesicki
(Why do you do your post-practice drills barefoot?) – “My cleats feel like I just jumped in a damn puddle. I just take my cleats off right after practice because my cleats are soaked.”
(You couldn’t do that in college during the season. You aren’t taking off your cleats.) – “Yes, when I go to Penn State, you’re not taking your shoes off in November. (laughter)”
(What’s it like to be here this week leading up to your first professional game. I know it is preseason, but what’s it like?) – “It’s exciting. It’s something that I have been working for and waiting for for a long time. You’re just going into it and just know that you’re prepared and know that you’re ready for this moment you’ve been working for for a long time. I’m just going in there relaxed, go out on that first snap and take a breath and just go out and play.”
(Is there any way that that one-on-one blocking drill with those guys coming full speed – is there any way that could be fair?) – “I think that the more challenging it is, the better it’s going to make us in the games. It’s definitely something that I need to continue to focus on. Knowing our coaches, (Tight Ends) Coach (Shane) Day and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and everybody that is there for me, they’re not going to let up on me and they’re going to help me become the best complete tight end that I can be.”
(You did make up for it, though, with the one-on-ones on the outside.) – “That’s something that is my strength, and I’m trying to make my weaknesses my strengths as well.”
(I know it’s a preseason game, but is there some extra excitement to get into an NFL stadium and having that experience?) – “Absolutely. Getting off this practice field, going and playing a different team, lining up against a different color, just all of that stuff. It’s going to be exciting and it’s something that all of us on this team are excited about.”
(How would you describe what it feels like when the ball is going to be high in the air and knowing you have a chance to jump up and catch a touchdown in the end zone? How would you describe what goes through your mind and the emotion) – “When the ball is in the air, that is all I’m focusing on. I’m not thinking about anything else besides going up and getting the ball at it’s highest point, because I know that the highest point that I get it at is higher than anybody else on the field. So, if it’s up there high enough and I can go get it, nobody else is going to be able to get up there. That’s kind of my mindset. A lot of people call it 50-50 balls; but for me, when the ball is in the air, it’s all or nothing. It’s 100 percent. It’s me or nobody.”
(When you catch a touchdown in a game – thinking back to all those touchdowns you caught in your last stop – what is that like?) – “That’s why you put in all of this work. That’s why you stay after practice and you make these catches and you go out here and you work hard each and every day, for moments like that. This way, when your opportunity comes and your number gets called, you go out and make the play.”
(I know you guys have been rotating, but when you’re in there with the one’s, is there a different feeling just being out there?) – “There’s definitely a sense of urgency. You’re with guys that have been doing it for many, many years. They have a bunch of years under their belt, a lot of experience. There’s not a lot of room for error. There’s not a lot of room for thinking or for overthinking anything. It’s just listening to the call, get the call, line up and just go play and do what you do.”
(Did you get that sense of ‘don’t screw this up?’ Is that the first thought?) – “When I first got here, that was kind of my mindset. It was ‘don’t make a mistake.’ Now, it’s just to go do what I do and just go make plays. That’s what I’m here to do.”
(How much more confident are you heading into this game now than 11 days ago?) – “Absolutely. I think that the more reps you get each and every day, and the more installs that we have and the more plays that have come in, it’s definitely taking another step up in terms of challenging and all that kind of stuff. I think that not only myself, but everybody has handled that really well, studying the playbooks and gotten out here and for the most part, been right on their assignment.”
(Were those fresh gloves for the jug? have you figured that one out already or what?) – “I bring two pairs of gloved out here because it’s so hot. My shoes are soaked. I should start bringing out two pairs of cleats. I bring out two pairs of gloves and I switch them about halfway through.”
(What do you think is the best way for any rookie to gain the trust of the coaching staff before the regular season?) – “Know your assignment, know your role, be accountable and just go out and make plays when it’s your time. When the ball is in the air, go make a play. When it’s your block, go make the block. Whatever it is. If I’m running down on kickoff, if I’m on kickoff return, if I’m on the wing on field goal, or if I have to go catch a touchdown. Whatever it is, if you want to earn trust in people, you have to go out and do the right things.”
Adam Gase – August 7, 2018
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What can you tell us about the decision to sign RB Jeremy Langford? He’s a guy that you’re obviously familiar with.) – “Really, we had an extra spot. We felt like we needed a little bit more depth there really for the preseason games. It’s somebody that can come in here and he’s familiar with the terminology. He’s able to jump right back in. He’s healthy. He was coming off some injuries in the past. Last year when we brought him in, I think we were still a couple of weeks away. And then he ended up going somewhere else. We felt like we needed another body at that position to come in and compete and we thought he was a good guy for us to sign.”
(On that position, obviously as you explained, you want to see some of the young kids with the ones at times. We saw RB Kalen Ballage there today. How would you assess his camp overall?) – “(He’s) learning. It’s a lot and especially if he gets in there with the ones, being with Ryan (Tannehill), he’s going probably a little quicker tempo. I think between David (Fales) and Brock (Osweiler), they’ll slow it down occasionally and make sure they over-communicate because they know there are a lot of young guys in those groups. They want guys to know what to do. They don’t want … If a guy has a miscue and he doesn’t know what to do, that’s going to hurt them more than anybody. So I think those guys slow it down where Ryan, he’s going. It’ll be 10 out of 11 knowing what to do.”
(Can you talk a little bit about the red zone offense, your impressions so far and if you feel like you have more options there this year than you had in your first two years?) – “It’s hard to tell sometimes in practice with how good you could be. When you watch it, you’re going, ‘Okay, there’s a lot of good things.’ It’s just the game changes so much when it’s the flow of the game. How is your running game that game? The concepts that you call. Right now it’s going against our defense and we may have some things that aren’t necessarily great against them, but we want to rep so the quarterbacks kind of get used to seeing certain patterns of the concepts that we have going on. A lot of the things that we’ve done so far have been positive. I do think we have a lot of options. It feels that way. It’s almost like who do you want to get the ball to? Especially with the running backs. I think they do a good job of if they get downhill fast and get low … Frank (Gore) had a couple of good runs the other day to where he kind of squeezed through some holes and Kenyan (Drake), the same thing. I think he got the edge a couple of times. An effective running game down there is always a positive because you keep yourself third and short. The last thing you want to do is get third and eight from the 16. There’s just not a lot of options.”
(You guys have had some good days on offense, some not so good days on offense. At what point do you want to see that consistency day in and day out?) – “I think a lot of times in training camp, it swings like that because if one side has a good day, then the other side probably didn’t have as good of a day. You see that jostling of just back and forth. I think anytime that if we would see three or four straight days of one side dominating the other side, there’s going to be concern, probably on my part more than anybody, because I have to look at the big picture. The fact that we’re competing and battling every day, that’s a good thing.”
(Are you comfortable with where your offense is at this stage?) – “Yes.”
(Can you expand a little bit about the position change of DE Robert Quinn as far as why it matters so much to have him up at defensive end as opposed to – there was another NFL team that obviously thought that he could do just fine at outside linebacker, but he’s clearly more comfortable in this spot. Can you just teach a little bit about that here?) – “I think this defense is really what he was raised in. I guess that’s the best way to put it. When he came in the league and this is what he did, it’s what he did in college and when you switch to a 3-4 defense, there’s some more mechanics that go along with that when all of a sudden now you’re standing up. I do think he’s comfortable having his hand in the dirt. He did a good job last year. I just don’t think he was comfortable doing that. Sometimes guys have a certain ability to get off the ball a certain way. Cam’s (Wake) stance might be a little different than his, but they’re successful doing it. I think he doesn’t have to worry about coverage and dropping and things like that. That’s a different role for him if he has to do that, and he was asked to do that a little bit last year.”
(Outside of the comfort level that everybody should have in this offense considering very few people are new, why do you think that this offense should be getting to the next level?) – “I like the chemistry that they’re developing. I like that the skill guys seem to be working together with the quarterback. It’s not like we have one guy out there and two other guys are in the locker room. They’re all working together. They’re all trying to help each other and I do think Ryan (Tannehill) understands about spreading the ball out and making sure we’re using everybody that’s involved in the offense. That’s really key. When the defense has to make sure they account for every guy that’s on the field, that causes them problems. That’s what opens up your running game. If you’ve got five guys in the offense that are threats in the passing game, all of a sudden ‘Hey, we have to play some kind Cover 2 look or middle field open.’ Now, you have a better box to run the ball. I think it’s really just the chemistry of that group is good right now. These guys are working together.”
(What has led to your discomfort right now? Is it just high expectations?) – “I don’t think I’m … I’m good with what’s going on. I like the direction we’re heading. Really, it’s going to be about what do we do in preseason games? How are we going to come together? How are we going to handle any kind of adversity? Are guys ready to step up? Sometimes in practice there’s less pressure, and all of a sudden you get in a game, you know one mistake can cost the whole team a game. Guys are working for that perfection part of it.”
(We saw TE Mike Gesicki make a great jumping catch but also maybe miss a block. It looked like he was mad at himself on one play. As a coach, how do you process, manage and eventually make game-day decisions when you get there – not preseason, but regular season – about how much to trust inexperienced or rookie players?) – “I think it comes down to putting all of the reps that they get in practice together plus the preseason games. Really, you want to start off with do they know what to do? Are they trying to use the right technique? Then, at the end of the day, you can you do it or not? I think that’s where our adjustments have to come in as coaches, to where if a guy can’t do a certain thing, let’s not ask him to do something that he’s going to really have problems with. Really, that’s where we’re at as a coaching staff of keep evaluating. We might start crossing things off of the list eventually. I think we want to get into games more before we do that, though.”
(Do you have guys blitz TE Mike Gesicki when he’s out there?) – “No. They went through a whole period today where they did pass protection. Today, we didn’t have as many plays, but there were more runs called and there was some of our two-minute stuff where we end up going seven-man protections where he has to stay in, and he’s had some one-on-one situations. Those are good for him. Every time he has trouble with a guy, we can learn off of that. He does a good job. He doesn’t get hung up on one bad play. He moves on to the next one very quickly.”
(What would you like to see from the first-team offense in the first preseason game?) – “I mean, we all want to think the same thing. You’re hoping for a nice 10-play touchdown drive. I don’t know how many of those I’ve had in my career. It never goes exactly as you want it.”
(Can you go into a season with baseline stats for a quarterback for you to make the playoffs?) – “No.”
(Why not?) – “It’s so team oriented. Really, at the end of the day, it comes down to turnover margin. As a group on offense, are we protecting the football? And on defense, are we taking it away? And both of those areas, if we obviously have any kind of improvement from last year, we’ll be in a better spot. That was ridiculous.”
(One word that QB Brock Osweiler used to describe his training camp so far was “tremendous.” Do you agree with that?) – “That’s him personally? He loves the coaching, is that what you’re saying? (laughter). I mean I don’t know what he said. He’s a positive guy. I think Brock does a good job of focusing on what he’s trying to do. He has a purpose for every day at practice. I think this is what I almost forgot about him is that he does go out there with a purpose. That’s next-level type things. A lot of times a lot of guys just go out, here’s the period and I’ve run the play that the coach called. I think he’s got a different mind-set sometimes. Ryan (Tannehill) is kind of in that area too. He’s going out there to work on things. Plays might not go a certain way … I know there were two or three things today that they talked about before they went out there that came up that they were able to work on. To me, Brock is saying that because he has a good feel for the offense. I think he likes the guys that he’s rolling with, whether it’s that second or third group, and that confidence allows those other guys to be confident. So when he’s throwing the ball, I think those guys are on the same page. I think he’s having fun and he’s having a lot of success, especially when we do those move-the-ball periods, like when we did the scrimmage. You see why he was playing in real games. He’s calm. He doesn’t panic when things break down. He has outs if something doesn’t go as planned. He should have a good feeling right now.”
(So during the preseason, do you give QB Brock Osweiler snaps with the second team, and then Fales snaps with the second team? Or are they going to roll like they’re rolling out there today?) – “I’m not going to do that because I want each guy to get into a little bit of a rhythm. We’re trying to figure out how we want to do it for this game. We’ve had a couple – between (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree) and myself – a couple of discussions of how we want to handle this. We just want to make sure that we give both of these guys legit opportunities to where – you want to say on paper – work an equal amount of time with each group. I don’t know if that’s realistic because every game goes so different; but our goal is to be like, ‘you have this series.’ And maybe it’s two series in a row, then the next guy comes in for one series. I think it’s really going to come down to how many plays per series that we’re talking about.”
(Are these games the most important thing for those guys in that battle?) – “I think so. I think it starts on the practice field, but when we get going and it’s live tackling and you can get sacked, it’s just a better measuring stick.”
(In regards to Thursday’s game, how will you instruct your players regarding the national anthem?) – “I’m not instructing anybody for anything.”
(How do you expect to use QB Ryan Tannehill in the preseason games?) – “We’ve got to talk to him first before we do anything. I think I told you, we have a very sketched-out plan but we have nothing set in stone yet, and we haven’t gotten there yet with him. We still have a walk-through this afternoon; we’ve got a walk-through tomorrow. We’ll sit down and kind of talk through stuff. I know what he’s going to say already. He wants to get out there and get going because in his mind, these are important. Really, that’s the mindset. Every quarterback I’ve ever been around that gets put in these situations, they want to be out there to play because they want to get that feel back of a real game because they know when that first game comes, they’ve got to be on. It can’t be like, we’re going to feel our way into the season.”
(So if you do get a player who kneels, what happens next?) – “Talk to somebody else about that. I’m coaching football. I’m not dealing with all of this.”
(How is CB Tony Lippett?) – “We’ll see. We’re going to evaluate him and we’ll kind of see what happens. When I saw him on the field, he looked irritated. I don’t know exactly what happened. After this, I’ll be able to go in there and kind of find out what’s going on.”
Jeremy Langford – August 7, 2018
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
RB Jeremy Langford
(Could you take us through the process of what brought you here? What made you a Dolphin?) – “Just the opportunity. I’m familiar with (Head Coach Adam) Gase from Chicago, so I know the offense. I have a couple of teammates here and just knowing that playbook is really the biggest thing. I’ll come in not too far behind.”
(How comfortable are you with the offense?) – “Like I said, it’s pretty similar to what we had in Chicago. There is still a lot more I’ve got to learn and critique and refresh my memory; but out of all the playbooks I think I’ve been in, this is the one I’m most familiar with right now.”
(How long do you think it will be before you get into the full swing of practice since today was your first day?) – “I just take it one day at a time. I just get a little bit better every day. It’s been a while since I’ve been out here at a practice, especially during camp, so I just take it one day at a time. Then eventually I’ll be where I want to be.”
(What have you been doing?) – “I had a couple of workouts. I had another workout before this. I’ve just been home. My main goal was staying in shape and when I get to a team, hit the ground running and don’t be too far behind.”
(What was your routine when you were on your own? How many days a week?) – “Four or five days a week. I was trying to stay on the same time limit so I was trying to get up early and not sleep in too late. So when I came here, it would be the same thing. Just getting up early, working as hard as I can to kill my body and start it up again the next day.”
(You had some opportunities with the Jets and the Ravens, how eager are you to prove you can still perform in this league?) – “I’m eager. It’s like a fresh start. I was telling my dad, it’s kind of like I’m getting drafted all over again. It’s a fresh start and I get to be somewhere else to work hard and I’m hungry. That’s the biggest thing, just go out there and learn and work hard and get better every day and get better every day.”
(You graduated with CB Tony Lippett right, at Michigan State? How does it feel to be with him again?) – “That’s big. We were one of the best dynamic duos in the Big Ten and he was my roommate. Like I said, I came here and as far as the locker room and the coaches, it’s comfortable. Now, I’ve just got to continue to work hard and take no days off.”
(How much of a challenge is it to earn a roster spot coming in this late?) – “It’s a challenge. I think you can control what you can control. The biggest thing for me is getting on special teams, show my speed and show my talent on tape. Just do it one day at a time and really just do it for all 31 other teams.”
(How would you describe your style as a running back?) – “I think I’m versatile. As far as coming in, I can do everything – third down and short, run routes and hit the home run. That’s what I’m coming in and trying to bring to the table.”
(What is it about Head Coach Adam Gase that you feel comfortable with?) – “I swear it’s the playbook and I know what type of coach he is. It’s all the coaches around, too. I played for a lot of the other coaches on the staff. It’s really the playbook is the biggest thing.”
(These guys seem to appreciate a guy who can do it all, third-down back that kind of thing. Is that somewhere where you two mesh?) – “Yes. Like I said, that’s something I can bring to the table. (I’m) somebody that can do everything and continue to work hard and continue to critique those things and show the coaching staff and everybody else that’s what I can do.”
(What can you tell us about the ankle injury you had and where it is now?) – “I’m good. My ankle is 100 percent. It’s the best I’ve felt since coming out of college. Everything is good right now and I’m completely healthy.”
Cordrea Tankersley – August 7, 2018
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
CB Cordrea Tankersley
(What’s the competition like, especially getting close to the first preseason game? I’m sure you guys are ready to get it going here.) – “It’s tight all over the place but we’re just out here getting better. We just want to go out here and grind and just prepare for this preseason game.”
(Obviously you’re on your game every practice but does it even heighten more on the days you’re with the ones because it’s not every day?) – “Whether I’m going with the ones or the twos, I still have to go out and prepare. It doesn’t matter who my opponent is. I just have to go out and compete and just show I belong out here.”
(What areas do you want to improve on during the exhibition season?) – “Just being consistent and trying to be that elite corner guy that I know I can be. Just be a competitor each and every day.”
(When you do go with the ones, everybody is pretty much on point, right? It’s not like you’re worried about what the other guy is going to do.) – “No. If you’re going with the ones, you’re going with the ones for a reason because you know what you’re doing and they know you can play ball. They’re not just going to throw anybody out there. So obviously it’s deserved reps. Like I said, it doesn’t matter where we’re playing at. We just want to go out there and compete.”
(What’s it going to be like to finally get out there and play somebody other than your own teammates?) – “We finally get to hit somebody else. We’ve been waiting almost the whole year for this opportunity to go out there and compete.”
(What’s your overall goal for the preseason?) – “I just want to get better, just to show these coaches that we belong here – I belong here – and be ready to take the next step.”
(Is there an extra challenge to pace yourself in a preseason game? You only get a certain amount of time out there. Do you have to sort of find a way to pace yourself and not do too much?) – “I feel like you just give 100 percent, no matter what you’re doing – whether you’re covering a kick, playing defense. Just go out there and show these coaches because every day is an interview. You’ve just got to go out there and compete. However many snaps, whether it’s 10 or 50, you’ve just got to go out there and give 110 percent.”
(Is there something that Defensive Backs Coach Tony Oden and Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Renaldo Hill have been specifically working with you on or stressing since they’ve got here?) – “Just basically reading our keys and just … slow the game down. Sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves but we just want to slow everything down so we can play fast.”
Robert Quinn – August 7, 2018
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
DE Robert Quinn
(On playing another colored uniform on Thursday.) – “It’ll be a great feeling. Like you said, we’ve been here going against our teammates for a week or two weeks or however (long) it’s been. As fun as it is to get back to playing football, it’s a lot more fun to actually play some games and to get our mind off of camp mode, so I think that will be a great thing, just to get back to actually reap some benefits of the hard work we’ve been doing.”
(What’s it like in preseason games because it’s a game but it’s kind of also a really unique game. It isn’t really a game. The final score doesn’t really matter.) – “Well, even though the score may not … I mean it does matter because regardless, you want to win. Any time you’re on the field, you have to put out good film. No matter who you are and how many plays you get, you have to put out good film. You can’t have no made up excuses or why you didn’t play well. You can’t say it’s because it’s the preseason. You are who you’re going to be no matter if it’s preseason or the Super Bowl. I just think with the preseason, you have to prepare like you’re going to play in the regular season. That’s all.”
(For somebody who has been around for a while like you have, what are you looking to get out of the preseason individually?) – “Well, making sure that I get off on the ball fast, like any d-lineman wants to. (I want to) work on my hands. Just basic d-line stuff but get it at a game speed. We can practice as fast as ever out here but there’s nothing like a game. It’s more of just getting that game reality, that game speed back underneath my belt and to see if I’ve got everything clicking again.”
Frank Gore – August 6, 2018
Monday, August 6, 2018
RB Frank Gore
(Do you ever get tired of training camp?) – “I love it. I love football. I take training camp to get myself ready for the season. That’s why I like to practice every day and go hard.”
(How much do you plan to work in the exhibition season?) – “I’m going to do whatever my coaches want me to do. It’s up to my coaches. If they want me to play in all four, I’m going to be ready.”
(You were listed as a co-starter with RB Kenyan Drake on the team. Do you feel like it’s now a competition?) – “I come out here and compete every day. Not just with Drake, but with every guy in my room. I think we have a good talented room. I think we all push and help each other. With me, whatever my coaches want me to do this year, I’m going to do it. If they want me to start the game off, I’m going to start it off and give them 110 (percent). If they want me to come in behind Drake or Kalen (Ballage), I’m going to do that and give my teammates 110 percent. Whatever my coaches want me to do, I’m going to be ready.”
(How much do you feel like you have something to prove this year?) – “I’m playing. I’m still playing. I’m still having fun. I feel like I still can play. I’m just going to try to go out there and do what I did every year I was healthy and try my best to be me. That’s go out there and play hard every down and try to go out there and help my team be successful and get some wins.”
(Is there additional pride for you in not just being able to keep playing at this age… But to specifically go out there and run with guys that are 10 years younger than you?) – “I love it. That’s the way I train. I train with younger guys in the offseason just to be honest and keep myself sure, to let myself know if I’m ready and will I be ready. If I can go compete with the young guys during training in the offseason, I should be fine during football.”
(You’re known for studying other running backs. Even some of the younger guys. Did you ever… In the last couple of years, did you study RB Kenyan Drake at all?) – “My first time seeing him was when they played Denver before we played Denver. I watched his film and I was like ‘man, I kind of see why they traded Jay Ajayi.’ He’s very talented. Jay Ajayi was a great back too but Kenyan is a very talented guy. He’s smart. He can do everything on the field. I think that me and him can really help this team be successful this year.”
(When you’re in your first training camp with a different team, what are the things you’re trying to get accomplished first? Is it personality off the field or stuff on the field?) – “I want to get respect from my teammates. I want to come out here every day and give my coaches and teammates 110 (percent). (I want to) go out here and compete and have fun. When it’s game time, go out here and show them who I am. (I try to) do everything right and go out there and play hard each game. That’s my main thing.”
(Are you aware of eyes on you for lack of a better word? Younger players like RB Kenyan Drake, on either side of the ball?) – “I feel like they should. I’ve been blessed, 14 years at my position, especially with the things I’ve been through in my career, especially coming out of college, I’ve been doubted. (I’ve had) two ACLs, two shoulder (injuries) and people said that I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be here for more than three years and I’ve been blessed going into my 14th year. Now I want to go out here and be successful, have fun and do whatever it takes with my team and try to get some wins.”
(You’ve played a ton of games, but to walk out there Thursday at home in Miami. Have you thought about it, is it going to be a little different?) – “Yes, it will. I’m home. I’ve been born and raised here. Since Pop Warner, high school, college and now the NFL. I want to be successful this year. I want to do some great things for my city and for my team. I want to show guys that when they get up in age, if you love the game and you go out and work hard, it shouldn’t matter what age you are. That’s what my goal is this year.”
(Do you think you’re going to play five more years?) – “I don’t know.”
(Do you go into a season thinking this might be it?) – “I take it one year at a time, one day at a time. Every day I come out here and treat it like it could be my last. That’s why I try my best to go every play hard. (It’s) one year at a time and at the end of the year, if I feel good and the Dolphins want me back, I’ll come back. It’s all on how I feel; but I just take it one year at a time, one day at a time.”
(Is there ever a season when you’re going into and you thought this might be it?) – “I never thought that. Never.”
(Aside from the physical aspects of it, is there anything from the mental side of the game – your vision, your studying – that you would say has gotten you to year 14?) – “I think my vision. My vision, my love and the way I train. You’ve got to train, especially when you get older. When you get older, you have to pay attention to the small details. That’s the main thing I try do.”
(Is hanging around LS John Denney, does that make you feel young?) – “(laughter) He’s 14 (years) too right?”
(LS John Denney is going to be 40 in December.) – “Wow. I didn’t know that. (laughter)”
(You have to give LS John Denney a hard time.) – “I didn’t know that. He does work hard though. During the offseason he works very, very hard. I didn’t know he was going to be 40.”
Adam Gase – August 6, 2018
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Monday, August 6, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Ideally, from a defensive perspective, if you have two high-end pass rushers at opposite sides – I’m obviously speaking of DE Robert Quinn and DE Cameron Wake – how much should it help Cam this year in terms of how much blocking he sees the volume of?) – “I don’t know what the percentages will be at. We have to see how it’s all going to play out. We like our rotation that we have. There’s legitimately eight guys that we can roll in and out. It’s just all going to be depending on inactives and how that’s going to work out. He’s a good run defender. It’s not that we want him to be off the field versus the run either. We need to do a good job of making that we balance this thing out. We want to find that fine line of we don’t want 70 plays a game but we don’t want to get caught like we did in 2016 when all of a sudden it was 15 plays a game.”
(Who’s your starting running back?) – “It depends on what personnel grouping I’m in to start the game. Both (Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore) are going to play. They’ll be on the field at the same time. I don’t know. I’m not worried about it. It’s not something that I’m losing sleep over.”
(With that said, what went into the decision to list RB Kenyan Drake and RB Frank Gore as an or?) – “Just to be an asshole. (laughter) I mean both of those guys, they both deserve to be on the field. Every game is different. I like what both of those guys bring to the table and they work well together.”
(Have you been surprised at all with what you’ve seen out of RB Frank Gore or is it pretty much what you expected when he came in?) – “I’m not surprised. He’s just been proving everybody wrong for so many years. You just never doubt that guy.”
(Having TE Mike Gesicki listed as the fifth-string tight end, is that just rookies having to earn their way? Or is that the order that you’re probably going to play them in games?) – “I mean it’s just … we go with the three wide receivers … I wouldn’t look too deep into this depth chart. With him, it’s really that we have two different sets of tight ends. We have guys that we call our Ys and a group that’s the Fs. They’re really like split in half. You only can put so many positions on there. I wouldn’t look too much into the tight end thing.”
(What has kept LS John Denney around for so long?) – “The guy is in unbelievable physical condition. I think he’s the ultimate pro. He knows how to work with other guys. It’s been a short period of time but over the last three years, everybody that we’ve ever brought in (even if) they’re not with us during the season and just here in the spring, he does such a good job of helping those guys learn how to be professionals. He takes a lot of pride in making sure that … You never hear about our guys being quirky or different as far as our kickers and punters. Everybody kind of falls in line and he does a good job of leading those guys and showing them the ropes and how to do things.”
(What is going to be your approach with LB Raekwon McMillan in preseason games? Does he get as many snaps as other starters or do you think he might need a little bit more work?) – “We’ll have those discussions here in the next few days. We kind of started throwing some ideas around but we haven’t put anything in … nothing is in Sharpie yet.”
(With TE MarQueis Gray, he’s kind of been the one guy that’s been consistently working with the starters when he’s been healthy. What have you seen from him in Year 3 in your system and Week 3 of training camp?) – “I think mentally, he’s right where he wants to be because it’s more of he’s reacting and not thinking. When you first get thrown in at that position, there’s a lot of things going on because you’re involved in so much. You’re working with different guys all of the time – tackles, another tight end, a receiver might come down that you have to do something with, pass protection, the routes. You have to be sharp. You have to be able to pick things up. I think the longer you’re in one spot, it helps you as that type of player. He’s to the point in this offense to where he knows what to do and now he’s able to work on, ‘What’s my technique?’ Physically, he’s very strong. He can move very well. He’s able to play two different positions for us, which there’s a lot of value there. And then him being one of our best special teams players, it brings … Like right now with him as a starter, we’re probably going to lose a little bit on special teams because he’s going to play more snaps at tight end.”
(With that position … Your base formation is two tight ends. How important is it to have an in-line guy?) – “It just depends what you’re doing. I think we’re mixing things up quite a bit so we’re trying to still get a feel for what we’re going to pare it down to. We’re doing a lot of different things right now just to keep throwing stuff at guys, keep them studying and keep them engaged. We don’t want guys being like, ‘Oh, we did the same thing again.’ You get bored with it. So we keep throwing things at them and then once the season hits, we’ll be able to pare it down and say, ‘Here’s our bread and butter. These is going to be our second-tier runs. We always want to put as many guys as we can in the best position possible. That position is one of those positions we have to look hard at to say what can or can’t we do?”
(At what point in preseason do you narrow it down and say it’s this guy and this guy against each other for the last spot at this position?) – “The last week. I mean it can go all the way to the wire. That’s the competition part of it. That’s why you want guys to just keep competing every day. You never want to have a guy feel relaxed and say ‘Hey, I’ve got it.’ You don’t want that mindset. Most guys don’t have that mindset in this league. You just keep competing every day. That’s why every year we start, we say the same thing. Nobody cares about what you did last year. Nobody cares about how many years you’ve been in the league. It’s a fresh start and you have to go prove it all over again.”
(How much of the work you do this time of year with the depth chart, with reps and taking guys in and out has to do with managing entitlement and motivating and stuff like that?) – “I think we’re trying make sure we get the guys that don’t know, or that are new, as many reps as possible, whether that be a rookie or a free agent that we’ve brought in. At the same time, we’re trying to give guys opportunities to win jobs or compete for jobs. It’s a fine line. The tight end position is a good one to look at. We’ve been moving those guys all around. When Durham (Smythe) is going with the threes and then all of a sudden in the next period he’s going with the ones, we know he needs to get used to going against Cam (Wake) and Robert (Quinn) and William (Hayes) and (Andre) Branch. We need him to understand it’s going to be a little bit different when you start going against some of these guys that emphasize the pass rush or are good run defenders; but at the same time, you don’t want to just have six plays where it’s a hard lesson to learn. You want him to have success. You want him to kind of work his way up to that point. It’s tough to manage sometimes because it’s not always going to be perfect, but you’re just trying to do the best job you can to make sure that everybody is kind of getting their shot.”
(You have a lot of depth obviously at receiver. Did the body of work of what you saw from WR Jakeem Grant last December and in the offseason and now make you think we have to get him on the field some? Or is that not clear in your mind because you have so much depth?) – “We’ll just kind of see how it plays out. He’s going to have some kind of role. He did a lot of good stuff. I’m a big fan. The more receivers, the better.”
(CB Taveze Calhoun is a guy who seems to be around the ball a lot. He has two interceptions and a fumble return in practice recently. Have you noticed him more for the big plays or as much for his fundamentals?) – “When these guys are competing after that first group, I think those kinds of plays stand out because you notice it right at that moment. That’s why you have those personnel meetings and you sit down and you talk to the position coach and you talk to the coordinator and get the personnel department in there. A lot of times you’ll see something like that … At least in the past, I’m just going off of ‘Hey, this guy has made some of these flash plays.’ ‘Well, he needs to get better at these three things because those could be detrimental down the road.’ You’re not always looking exactly at the outcome. You’re going, ‘Okay, what’s the big picture?’ It’s my favorite word, ‘What’s the process going to be?’ That’s really what we have to focus on. We can’t just get caught up in, ‘Hey, we saw a couple of flash plays here.’ It’s the consistency, because that’s what this league is about. It’s all about consistency.”
(Going back to the whole issue of starting and not starting and all of that, do you think we make too much of it?) – “Yes.”
(What about the average player? Does the average player really care much about it?) – “None of them start. Whoever is on kickoff starts. Nobody says that though. (laughter) You should just put the kickoff and kickoff return team on the front of the game book. (laughter)”
(I think it was a week ago today, the offensive line had a tough day. I remember you seemed agitated afterward. Has the line play improved – your first group – since then? Where is your mindset…) – “It wasn’t the first group. We made a mistake on one of the sacks. The defense did a really good job on the first third down of they had everybody covered. We just talked about when that happens, we just have to roll. Ryan (Tannehill), I would love to see him run, get down and get the first and we’re good to go. The first group has been pretty good. It’s just sometimes when we go with these different protections, everybody’s got to be on the same page. We can’t have any miscues there. With that, with what you see pressure-wise on third down and different fronts, we have to be really good at making sure everybody’s assignment is correct. When we get that locked down, we feel good about the talent that we have and what those guys are able to do. Really, it’s that chemistry. I feel like it’s coming along well, we just have to tighten it up just a little more.”
(What do you like about WR Rashawn Scott? I know that receiver room is loaded with guys but what is it going to take for him to make this team?) – “I brought this up last week. He doesn’t look around. He’s not worried about anybody else but himself. I’ve always appreciated that about him since he’s been here. He’s a competitor. Right when you think he’s … He’ll be back against a wall and he finds a way to fight himself into the mix. He’s doing the same thing again. He’s making big plays, he’s not making mistakes. He’s doing a really good job on special teams. He knows how to get to that level where all of a sudden now everybody is kind of talking about him. Now it’s going to come down to how are we going to play in the preseason games?”
(How tough is that, do you think, for young players to block out the depth chart, the 53-man roster?) – “Guys will fail because of that. They get so hung up on counting what’s going on. It’s a long time from the start of training camp to the preseason games. There’s so much that can happen. We went through it last year when you lose some guys and all of a sudden the next guy has to step up. That’s why we focus on we have to get better and worry about doing your job the right way because all of a sudden when your number is called, you better know what to do because now there’s your shot.”
(You mention WR Rashawn Scott and how he can kind of block and fight through all of that. Is that rare or is that common?) – “I would say it’s closer to rare than common. I think you want to try to find as many of those guys as you can. You have to talk to guys sometimes and say, ‘Hey, this is a starting point. It doesn’t mean anything about the last day.’ That has to be our point of emphasis.”
(How many conversations like that have you had in the last three weeks?) – “None. These guys don’t … They just work. This group, it’s fun to coach these guys. Meetings, on the field, these guys don’t complain. They just put their heads down and they grind.”
Kenyan Drake – August 6, 2018
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Monday, August 6, 2018
RB Kenyan Drake
(What’s the biggest difference between the Kenyan that stands here right now and the Kenyan from two years ago when you first entered the league?) – “I’m just two years older, two years wiser. I’m a lot more comfortable. I’m comfortable but I’m not complacent. I’m excited to get out there and show what I can do from a schematic standpoint (and) from my ability’s standpoint, and like I said, help this team win games as I continue to mature and get older.”
(Obviously you and RB Frank Gore have a wonderful relationship. You both will get a lot of carries. With all of that being said, does it matter to you if you start or does it make zero difference to you?) – “That really doesn’t matter in the sense of we’re going to come in and make the plays that we’re supposed to. Like I said, (it’s) not just me and Frank but me, Kalen (Ballage), Senorise (Perry) and whoever else we have coming out of the backfield. I feel like when we go out there, there shouldn’t be any type of fall off. We should go out there and make plays with whoever is on the field.”
(The fact that you guys were listed as RB Kenyan Drake or RB Frank Gore as the starter, did that surprise you a little bit?) – “I don’t really care, honestly. (laughter) I want to go out there and win games. I’m sure he doesn’t care. I don’t care. I don’t think anybody really cares about where they are on the depth chart before preseason even starts. I feel like we’ve got to go out there and earn our spots and go out there and play football. At the end of the day, we’re going to go out there and do what we’ve got to do.”
(How has training camp been for you so far? What have you done better than the previous couple of camps, perhaps?) – “This is my third year in the offense so I’m very confident. I’m very comfortable. I’m not complacent. I just want to go out there and continue to make the plays that I know I can. Everything is definitely slowing down for me and that allows me to play faster and play at my capabilities so when I’m playing faster, I feel like I can change speeds, change paces and keep the defense off balance.”
(I noticed out there in 11-on-11 there was one play where you had a very nice block on LB Raekwon McMillan. I’m not saying that’s the only block you’ve made but how have you grown in that area of the game and what has helped you grow in that area?) – “It’s just being confident in my ability to go out there. I think pass blocking is definitely technique, so the technique had to come; but there’s also a will to be able to pass block and stand in there and take on guys that are potentially 20 to 30 pounds bigger than you. Once you get the technique down and you have the confidence to stick your neck in there and make that play for the betterment of the team, I feel like that’s when you become a good pass blocker.”
