Jarvis Landry – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(How does it feel?) – “Great! Great! Great! We needed it. This team needed it. We found a way to put it together. We found a way to put it together from start to finish. I think this is one of our most complete games thus far, you know. I mean you guys could tell me. I think it was.”
(Could you feel it this week in practice? Could you feel this performance was coming) – “Yeah! I felt it every week! You know it didn’t always turn out the way we wanted it to. You know? But at the same time you know tonight we understand that it’s always…the rest of the season for us is do or die so you know we had to go get it.”
(Jarvis, what worked so well offensively?) – “Man, we was clicking man. We did a lot of things formationally. We got Jakeem Grant. He played well tonight. And you know everybody touched the rock. Everybody got a piece. Drake can’t say enough about the things he did on the ground and for us in the air. He extended that third down in the red zone that turned into points so you know it’s huge.“
(Fair to say the little brother no longer?) – “You know every time I say something like that, it gets taken out of context so I’m not going to say anything like that.”
(What does it mean? Now? Right now? You’re standing in the locker room. Your music is playing. I mean, how much does this win mean for this team?) – “Our spirits needed it. Our spirits needed it honestly, man. We haven’t really been down you know? But at the same time man when you lose five games in a row it’s always tough to start that train back over again and we started it back last weekend. To keep it going against a team like this it’s so important for us for the rest of the season and try to make a run and see if we can do it.’
(Converting that early 4th & 1 and just sort of playing fearless, playing aggressive, how important was that?) – “It’s big! You know they do the same thing! And I think we kind gave them a little taste of their own medicine and we found ways to make plays. We found ways to just… our will is stronger than yours. You know we went at them and I think that’s the thing that got us over the edge tonight.”
(What was the celebration?) – “This song right here. (Motorsport Migos f/ Cardi B and Nicki Minaj). “Take the air out the ball. Just so I can flex. This song right here! I’m not going to say the rest because you all are going to take that out of context again!”
(Were you deflating the ball or inflating the ball?) – “I’m taking the air out the ball! I’m deflating it!”
(What about the mindset that is required to beat, not just any opponent, but a team like the Patriots? I have this idea that sometimes teams are beaten before they take the field.) – “And it happens! And it happens! And it’s all about mindset you know? It’s all about mindset. It’s all about approach you know? And the biggest thing again for us… it’s not taking the field hoping to win, it’s expecting to win and we did that.”
Xavien Howard – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard (transcribed by Jason D. Silver)
(What this meant for the team and then to have the type of game you had out there tonight?) – “Put a lot of work in. Just coming into this week we knew what we could do and what we could take advantage of. Just going out there and making plays for the team. Really just going out there…”
(You have four interceptions in two games. What’s happening? Why have things turned around so well for you now?) – “I’m just feeding off the last game. Watching film and stuff like that. They tried to come at me in the weakness that I showed on film so just executing the game plan.”
(And what happened on the two interceptions?) – “The ball was in the air. I just made a play on it.”
Reshad Jones – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins Safety Reshad Jones (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(What do you think of this man here, CB Xavien Howard?) – “He balled out. That’s what he does. That’s what he does. He can be one of the best corners in the league.”
(How have you seen CB Xavien Howard get better as the season’s gone on?) – “He’s emerging. He’s coming on. He’s just got to keep it going.”
(Why does this team have so much success here against the Patriots?) – “We believe in each other. The camaraderie in this locker room, we’ve got resilient guys in this locker room. That’s what it’s supposed to look like.”
Jakeem Grant – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(Can you believe this team is a game out of the playoffs with as much as you guys have gone through with losing five straight, losing your quarterback and all that? There’s a pretty good chance you’ll be playing in January.) – “We’re not worried about that. We have a one game mentality. We’re just worried about the next game coming up and just trying to win that one. If we keep playing like that who knows.”
(You’ve been thinking for the whole time you’ve been here, and you’ve said it before about what you could do at receiver, to haul in that catch on Monday Night Football against New England. What does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot. It feels great. I don’t care about the outside; I just wanted to make those plays for the team. They definitely knew I could make those plays but actually just going out there and doing it, and proving myself, means a lot to me. Now it’s just a stepping ladder. That’s the first step up the ladder and now I have to make more plays just like it.”
(It was a tough play against Patriots CB Malcolm Butler. Tell me about it.) – “It was a go route. He played it within five yards so I used my speed. I thought it was going to be an over the shoulder ball but Jay threw it up there and trusted me to come down with it so I had to make a play. Like I told Adam previously, I promised my kids I would score a touchdown for them so I had to. I was hungry enough to get that touchdown and come down with it. Also I wanted to make that play for the team to show them that you can trust me.”
Kenyan Drake – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(How do you feel?) – “I feel great. Body always feels great after a win, especially a win aagainst a top-notch opponent such as the Patriots. I feel great.”
(What is like to have such a big night on Monday Night Football?) – “I try to go out there no matter the situation, no matter the stage and just try to do my best to help this team win games. I feel like I sound like a broken record but that’s just my mentality. I enjoy going out there and performing on these stages obviously, but it was a great team win; offense, defense, special teams, all facets of the game. Shout-out to everybody that came out there and supported us. We definitely got the job done today.”
(How is your confidence level now after back-to-back 100-yard rushing games?) – “I feel like I try to go out there with a level of arrogance that I feel like I can go out there and help this team win in any way possible. My confidence has stayed pretty stagnant because regardless if I fumble or whatever the case may be, I’m going to go out there and prove that I can be a top notch player. I’m just happy we got this win.”
Jay Cutler – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Jay Cutler (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(Offensively, what was it you guys saw going into this game that you felt you were able to take advantage of because we saw a lot of different things out of your offense, especially in the first half of this game?) – “I think we rotated the personnel pretty well. They’ve been a high-percentage man team coming into it. I think they started the game like that, played a little bare front. The offensive line handled it well. We made some big plays on the outside that I thought really helped us. We were able to get Jakeem (Grant) in there and he made some big plays – ‘Juice’ (Jarvis Landry) – kind of all-around. Then in that second half, to start mixing it up and shuffling the deck on it. In the fourth quarter, I wish we could have put it away and put another one on there; but it’s a good team we faced.”
(What about yourself, being able to get out of the pocket, the one escaped where you spun out of there and made a play on it. Do you feel comfortable getting out of the pocket and moving around?) – “Yes, I’ve always liked it. I’ve always liked moving the pocket, getting out. We had that one – the 2-man – I tried to get it back in to Jakeem Grant and he probably would have run for 20 (yards). So (there were) a few of those that I just want to go back and look at and run or throw, that’s always the deciding factor there.”
(It’s two weeks in a row where RB Kenyan Drake has had big rushing yards, big receiving yards. What does he mean to your offense and what does he do to allow him to do other things in your offense?) – “I think he’s flourished in this with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Tonight we saw him split out and just running past linebackers. He breaks tackles in the hole, he cuts back well, he sees it well. He’s becoming one of those complete backs that you’re able to do a lot with.”
(I assume there is a little disappointment early on with the field goals, but just to get going and to get some scoring drives right off the bat…) – “Yes, you always want to score touchdowns. Our thing coming into this was just let’s get down there and let’s get attempts in the red zone. Let’s just start getting attempts, whether its field goals, the touchdowns will come. We’ve been a pretty good red zone team whenever we get down there so it’s just a matter of us having as many attempts in the red zone as we could.”
(They are the New England Patriots. They started a little comeback in the second half. It got a little hairy there at the end. How do you feel to you when you’re watching them move the ball down the field?) – “I think that goes back to earlier. We had some chances there early in the fourth to cushion our lead a little bit and couldn’t make it happen. You’ve got to be careful with a team like that, like you said. I think the Super Bowl last year is an indication of what they’re capable of and then they made it a one-possession game in this one, so you’ve got to beat these guys until the final whistle.”
(You guys threw a lot of things at them. There was a lot of diversity in the offense. Obviously that doesn’t help them a lot. How does it make a quarterback feel when you’ve got so many things that you can go to?) – “We used a lot of guys. Like you said, we used a lot of guys. Tight ends, all the receivers, Jakeem (Grant), we lined up ‘Juice’ (Jarvis Landry) and Jakeem in the backfield a few times, so we were mixing it up. I thought (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) was dialing it up well tonight.”
(You guys can finish 9-7. Do you talk postseason or how do you deal with that?) – “No. Do we have Buffalo next?”
(Yes.) – “We play Buffalo next. That’s kind of where our mindset is at.”
(It’s been an arduous season for you guys in a lot of ways. When you have a night like this, what’s it like coming off the field, those guys coming in the locker room?) – “Winning is always … That’s what keeps you in this game. That locker room after a win, there’s nothing like it. A plane ride home after a win, it’s hard to beat it. So it gives us a boost. We hit on it in there. We’ve got another game, so tomorrow we’re going to take a look at this and we’re going to keep moving.”
(You’re very even. It’s hard to tell with you sometimes. Are you happy?) – “I think I’m pretty happy. (laughter)”
Adam Gase – December 11, 2017 (Postgame)
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Postgame – New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(Can you talk about the game that CB Xavien Howard had and the decision to have him shadow WR Brandin Cooks?) – “When we started setting up this week, I think (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) kind of goes through what they’re thinking about doing. That’s just something that they felt confident about. X’s (Xavien Howard) confidence is really getting, it’s getting up there. He has had two really good games in a row. It’s good to see him really feeling it. The more confidence he gets, and if we get him one-on-one a lot, that helps us.”
(Your defense – New England, 0-for-11 on third downs – what led to the overall big defensive play that we saw out there?) – “It’s just down in, down out. Any time they threw it, (we would) just try to get around him (Patriots QB Tom Brady), create some pressure. We they get to third down, when our guys know you’re going to throw it, you just get close to him and try to get a hand on it whether or not they’re actually knocking him down or sacking him. It was that presence constantly, just kind of getting around him.”
(The feeling for this win, everything that went on – offense, defense, special teams – you pretty much won every stage of the game. You’ve got to feel pretty good for those guys in the locker room in there.) – “Those guys have been working hard. We had a little bump in the road midseason, We’re down to one game at a time right now. We’ve had two good weeks in a row, complementary football. All three phases have been playing together. We’ve been waiting for this to happen. We’ll just keep going one at a time and see what happens.”
(Can you talk a little bit about RB Kenyan Drake. 195 total yards, 115 rushing.) – “Even when we don’t quite block it right, he makes it work. He has good vision. With speed like that, he just gets a little bit of green grass and seems to go a pretty good distance.”
(We saw a lot of different play calls out here, especially early in this football game. Were there a number of things that you saw that you thought you could take advantage of?) – “I don’t know if it’s so much take advantage. It was just more we focused more on ourselves this week of let’s put a good plan together. Let’s try to use as many guys as we could and see if we can do some things that we hadn’t really shown in a while. A lot of the stuff we dug up from earlier in the season. Guys executed the plan well.”
(Can you talk about CB Xavien Howard? Can you talk about your defense as a whole? I think they were 0-for-10 on third downs and Patriots QB Tom Brady seemed to be bumped around all day long and seemed to be kind of antsy in the pocket there and just all night pressure on him.) – “I think the guys did a good job of playing team defense. It really starts with our front and then linebackers and the secondary. The guys did a good job. They played well together tonight.”
(So you had WR Jakeem Grant outside for a touchdown. Could have been two touchdowns. You had WR Jarvis Landry in the backfield, Grant in the backfield, TE MarQuies Gray in the backfield. MarQuies Gray at fullback. Are those the things you were talking about being the different things?) – “We just moved some guys around. We used some different personnel packages. When we get into a flow a little bit, it kind of makes it easier to get to those personnel groupings. I think, maybe tonight, (we) did it earlier in the series than what we had normally done. It worked out. Guys made plays. Jay (Cutler) did a good job of getting those guys the ball and they did a good job of being where they were supposed to be.”
(Can you talk about the protection? Because QB Jay Cutler didn’t seem to be under duress, certainly not nearly as much as QB Matt Moore was the first game with seven sacks.) – “They do a lot of different stuff. That’s why we were kind of changed some personnel groupings out, tried to see if we can add an extra guy in protection every once in a while, just keep them guessing as far as what we were trying to do. It didn’t always work, but we were just trying to keep them a little bit off balance and see if we could give him enough time to make the throws.”
(Can you talk about the night that JQB ay Cutler had, moving around the pocket, getting the ball to his guys? I know he’s sitting right here.) – “I know. I’m glad you did it when he walked it. (laughter)”
(You don’t want to make QB Jay Cutler blush.) – “He did a good job. He stayed focused the entire game. He stayed wired in and kept going through the drives. When we went back out there, we had good focus. We just kept talking about resetting one series at a time. Every series we just wanted to make sure to get a first down and do everything we can to get in that red zone, and when we get in the red zone we wanted to score touchdowns.”
(Is this the best your team has played this year?) – “I think this is probably one of the better games we’ve played probably in the last two years as a team, all three phases.”
Cameron Wake – December 9, 2017
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Saturday, December 9, 2017
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(Obviously, this is another opportunity to play Patriots QB Tom Brady. I know you take every quarterback and it’s just a quarterback, but do you notice any difference with him as opposed to others that you play?) – “Not really. They all throw the ball. They all hate getting hit. They all complain to the refs. All of the above. I’m not taking anything away from him, (he’s) obviously a good player; but obviously in this league, every week you’re playing a tremendous player at whatever position. It may be running back, it may be quarterback, o-line, whatever it may be, so week in and week out you have to make sure that you keep your Band-Aids on and put your best food forward. ”
(With Patriots QB Tom Brady, early in your career you guys had success against him, especially at home, generally splitting that series for a number of years. Is there any rhyme or reason that you guys had that kind of success?) – “I couldn’t put my finger on any one thing. I’d like to think that South Florida, the home crowd, we have a lot of support down here – the best fans in the NFL, I’m sure they play a part. I’m looking forward to them coming out, obviously on Monday Night (in a) sold out – hopefully – stadium. I don’t know if it is or not; but usually we have a tremendous amount of support from the Dolfans and I wouldn’t expect anything different this Monday Night. It should be a good one.”
(It’s the most expensive ticket in the NFL this week, actually.) – “Oh really? Cha-ching. (laughter).”
(What does it say about the level of interest for this game, nationally televised and all of that?) – “It should be a good one. I’m glad I’ve already got my tickets. (laughter)”
(Obviously, you don’t put more into one game than you do any other game. I’ve heard you say that; but do you feel any particular way about the fact that you guys have put together embarrassing performances in nationally-televised games?) – “Televised or not, embarrassing performances are an issue whether nobody sees it or it’s on Sunday Night, Monday Night or Thursday Night, whatever it is. We see it. You’ve got to look at your resume when we watch film. The guy besides you is watching your performance. The offense is watching the defense or vice versa. Those are the guys who, to me, are the most important, and the guys you really have to look in the face day-in and day-out and care about what they think and how you perform when their job’s on the line because of what you do. The television audience has never been a factor to me. It’s always going to be the guys to my right and my left, the coaching staff, GMs, owners, all of that stuff. The primetime, that doesn’t change my approach or feelings, whether we win or lose.”
(Have you had any contact with Patriots QB Tom Brady outside of games? Have you met him at Pro Bowls or anything like that?) – “Yes, we went sailing on a yacht together and go golfing. (laughter)”
(No, I thought maybe at a Pro Bowl or something.) – “I don’t recall many passing-bys. We usually meet each other, or collide into each other, on Sundays and Mondays. After that, I don’t recall any off the field.”
(Do you talk?) – “Do I?”
(When you collide into one another? Do you exchange pleasantries?) – “It’s quick. It’s like bang-bang and then I’m usually off doing something else. We don’t have many interactions that I can remember.”
(Who do you go yachting with?) – “I have a select group of friends that are my guys that I like to call – guys and gals – that I like to call up on a nice Sunday afternoon.”
(But are there other players, stars on other teams, that you have relationships with, that you actually go out with and things like that?) – “I think so. There’s one right now.” (points to TE Anthony Fasano) (laughter)
(Any that you want to tell us who they are? Cam, you’re a brick wall lately.) – “Same old, same old. (laughter)”
(With Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski suspended for this game, they play him a lot in line normally as a receiving threat? How do you anticipate they’ll adjust without that guy available?) – “Throw the ball to somebody else. (laughter) At this time of year, there’s people missing from every roster in every situation, whether it’s suspensions, toenails. It’s Week 14 so every team, us included, have to adjust to missing personnel. As silly as that is, they’ll just use somebody else the same way we would when somebody’s down. Somebody else has to go in there and take up whatever position or reps or whatever it may be.”
(Those guys also change up their game plan from week to week, quite a bit. Do you think without TE Rob Gronkowski, are they spreading out? Are you expecting four wides all day? What do you look at from that perspective?) – “That’s a great question to ask (Patriots Head Coach Bill) Belichick. If we focus on what they’re going to do, then we’re probably already at a disadvantage. I think the most important thing is to focus on what you do, play your game, do your rules, whatever they may be. I think the way our coaching staff has built this defense, when you present the defense and you present the play, whatever it may be, you have a certain set of rules and whatever combination of guys, the formation they come out in, your rules will tell you what to do. If you execute it, you’ll be fine, no matter who’s wearing the jersey in the position that is out on the field.”
(You mentioned Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. We talked to him two weeks ago and he had some pretty high praise on you. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but he said that you and Jason Taylor are two of the players he’s had to game plan solely for in the past. Does that level of respect go both ways? What do you think of Belichick. as a coach?) – “I think he’s obviously done things his way and he’s had success doing it that way. My hat is off to him and what he’s been able to accomplish.”
(What’s it been like battling Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick for a decade?) – “It’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
(Because?) – “Because it’s football and I love it. Again, replace (Bill) Belichick with X coach and I’ve been loving playing against them. I feel like week in and week out, there’s going to be a game plan, a position, or person that’s a challenge. I’ve never been afraid of a challenge or backed down from a challenge. Every week in this league, there’s a Belichick, there’s a (Tom) Brady, there’s a somebody that you have to be able to go out and be Cameron Wake against X, Y and Z. And every week it’s pass or fail. That’s why we love this game.”
(You earlier in your career, figuring out how to set the edge. What do you tell young players like DE Charles Harris about that role and that responsibility and the challenge?) – “I don’t want to be biased but I think it’s one of the most important positons on the field, especially when you consider running the ball, you are generally the make or break area of the field when it comes to most outside zone or outside plays. You have a huge responsibility and generally speaking, you’re going against somebody who is 70 pounds heavier than you. It’s not a physical thing as much as it is a mental thing. You just have to have the mindset of I’m going to go in there and I’m going to get the job done. I don’t care if I’m 240 (pounds), I don’t care if I’m 300 (pounds). We’ve got d-ends that have been anywhere in between and everybody on defense counts on you to basically funnel that ball to a certain area. It’s a mindset. We’ve had guys here that no matter what their physical stature is, if you don’t have the mindset mentally, you probably won’t be successful. Being able to have that mindset, being able to get the job done, I think it’s the only way to be successful.”
(This past Monday night we saw the injury Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier. Do you think that players need to remind themselves about the safety factor as it pertains not only to their opponents but themselves when they’re tackling people, for example?) – “I wouldn’t be able to do that unless the offensive players are doing the same thing, because if I say I was going to have to slow down or adjust to protect myself to not hurt tackling this player, meanwhile he’s saying I’m going to do everything I can to completely annihilate you when I have the ball in my arms, it has to be … If it’s not mutual, if I’m going 20 miles an hour and you’re going 15, I’m going to win. Now you’re like, well now you’ve got to go 30. Well then I’ve got to go 45. And we’re going to go until we’re I’m maxed out and you’re going to max out and we’re going to have a tremendous collision. Where’s the line? Are you going to tell all the running backs, listen you’ve all got to slow down a little bit? Receivers? But I also feel like as a defender, I’m trying to give myself as big of an advantage as possible without trying to hurt myself, because we’re rarely defenseless as a defender. I mean my knees aren’t valuable to the NFL. They can cut me, they can do everything; but if I brush a quarterback, I get fined. So it’s like there’s so many different levels. One player after the play, he’s suspended. Another player doing a football move, he’s … There’s so much doing on that we have not touched on and that needs to fixed and addressed that I think you’d be here for a 45 minute … (laughter).”
(If you’re slowing down. Then you’re putting yourself at risk.) – “I put myself at risk. I’m going to lose the play. They’re going to get the first down. All of the above. So every time I’m going in there, I’m trying to literally destroy this person. I’m glad that you see that. That’s the way football is because he’s doing the same thing. You don’t see running backs going in (softly). They’re down and getting into the most powerful and compact (position) and literally in terms of physics, the most kinetic energy they could possibly produce; and I have to do the same to meet that force. It’s force. It’s two forces, mass, velocity – it’s physics. How am I going to stop you from advancing beyond this line?”
(What did you think when you saw the Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier injury?) – “I mean I’ve seen a lot of injuries so unfortunately, again, being in this league, that comes along with it and it’s unfortunate. This is my thing: I want to hurt everybody I play. I don’t want injure anybody. So to see somebody … I want you to be able to get up and go to the next play or feed your family and play next week but I want you to say ‘Man, Cameron Wake.’ I don’t want you to be off the team or like not playing. I want you to obviously be physically defeated. I want to intimidate. I don’t want you to be harmed beyond tomorrow at all. It doesn’t always work that way. What do we’ve got? What is it, 10 guys on IR or whatever? I’m sure every team has about that with 50 players on a team and then when you think about a 90-man roster … That’s a 20 percent chance every time you’re on the field, a 20 percent chance that whatever happens to you, you’re not going to play football this year.”
(You’ve had it happen before.) – “It’s happened to me. I’ve been lucky. I mean I’ve dodged a bullet, but (there’s a) 20 percent chance every play that something is going to happen to somebody. That’s crazy but it’s the reality. Everybody acts like, oh well …”
(Just for clarity sake, there’s a big time difference between injury and someone being hurt.) – “Yes, yes. Completely. I don’t want to injure anyone; but I want to hurt you, and I’m sure he wants to hurt me and so on and so on. But as a defender, I feel like I’m obviously much more vulnerable than a quarterback, receiver or a running back …”
