Jordan Phillips – January 1, 2018
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Monday, January 1, 2018
DT Jordan Phillips
(How do you feel like things went this year? You came into the year with a lot as far as you talked in the offseason about wanting to change some things, wanting to get better. How do you feel like it went?) – “Me personally, I feel like I accomplished what I was trying to do. I had a better year. It wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but I showed improvement. That’s all you can ask for.”
(Obviously, it’s never a good feeling cleaning out your locker a lot earlier than you guys wanted to. Obviously, the playoffs are always the goal and you guys didn’t get to reach that goal.) – “Yes, we had a lot of ups and downs this year. We couldn’t connect on all levels every game like we needed to. Like I said, we can only go up from here.”
(What specifically is better this year for you? What do you feel better about than you did at the end of last season?) – “I’m not going to hit anything specific, but you can turn on the film and see what I did.”
(Is your mindset different going in?) – “Same mindset, just different results.”
(Why was the run defense better this year? I know it was a point of emphasis in the offseason. Why did you guys execute better and play better in that area?) – “It was just, like you said, a point of emphasis. We had … they brought in Will Hayes. He did a hell of a job. (Davon) Godchaux did a hell of a job. Vincent (Taylor) did a hell of a job. (Ndamukong) Suh did a hell of a job. Cam (Wake) played the (expletive) out of the run. I tried to do the best I could. (Andre) Branch did his thing. Our (line)backers, they played downhill. We have two of the best safeties in the league. Our corners did well. We have all the pieces; we’ve just got to put it all together.”
(Going into this year, the coaches wanted information on you to see how you fit in going forward. Do you feel like you’ve shown enough to be part of a long term plan here?) – “I’m going to let them decide that. Whatever happens, happens; but I put what I could on film regardless. So, we’ll see.”
(And one quick follow up: you can sign an extension this offseason. Is that something you’re going to request? Any thoughts about that?) – “That’s something we’ll get into when the time comes. Right now, I’m just playing ball.”
(What’s the offseason like for you? Are you going to take any time off before you get back to work?) – “I haven’t seen my son very often. He lives in Kansas. I live out here. It’s time to go be a dad. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
(How do you feel about where your career is at right now as opposed to a year ago? You were kind of down on yourself last year. You were very hard on yourself when we talked to you in May is why I ask.) – “It’s just disappointing the way that I came into the league and I’m just trying to change the views from your guys’ perspective to everybody around. I want to be a great player. I want to be an elite player and I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve got to do to get there.”
Reshad Jones – January 1, 2018
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Monday, January 1, 2017
S Reshad Jones
(On the 2017 season.) – “We weren’t able to do what we set out to do. This is a playoff team. We fell short of that. It didn’t go too good for me. Personally, I feel like I played pretty well, but I could have played better.”
(What did it mean to you to have the season you did coming off last year’s injury?) – “It means a lot. I put a lot into it. It was a long offseason, a lot of hard work and dedication. I had to sacrifice a lot; but it means a lot knowing that my shoulder held up for a full season. I played well. I made a lot of plays for this team.”
(How bad was the rehab for your shoulder injury, because guys say a lot of times that that’s worse than being healthy and being able to practice even?) – “Yes, shoulder surgery is one of the worst. Rehab was tough. It was a long process, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”
(Do you expect to play in the Pro Bowl?) – “Yes, I probably will play.”
(What has to change around here? You’ve been here for what, seven years, eight years?) – “Eight.”
(What has to change?) – “I think we’ve got the right guys in this locker room. I’m not sure what we need to change, but something has to change. I can’t my finger on it right now. I’ve got to take a moment and evaluate the whole season and look at a couple of things. Like I said, I think we’ve got resilient guys in this locker room. We’ve got the right pieces in the locker room. It’s just a tough league to win in.”
(The players only have a finite amount of time in the league, and certainly their prime is even smaller of a window. Do you feel like your best football right now might be going to waste because there’s not the team success that goes along with it?) – “No, I think I’ve still got a lot of good football ahead of me. I feel good. I took care of my body a lot this offseason. I still feel like I’ve got a lot of good football left ahead of me.”
(That being said, is there regret that you haven’t gotten more, from a team perspective, out of your career so far?) – “Yes, I mean I would like to make the playoffs and do bigger things; but you’ve got to deal with the cards that have been dealt. (I’m) just (going to) continue to do what I’ve been doing, taking care of my body and come out and lead this team and try to help this team win football games.”
(When you talk about wanting things to change, how much do you think it will change things to have QB Ryan Tannehill back next year?) – “I think Ryan is a great piece. I think he was coming along. He was having a good spring. I think he’s a valuable piece to this team.”
(Have you ever been part of a year when so many things have gone sideways?) – “I’ve been here eight years, so yes, I have. (laughter) I have, for sure.”
(Eight years, you’ve been through this day after the season a lot. What’s it like for everybody?) – “It’s tough not making the playoffs, knowing the potential we have in this locker room. It’s just another season I feel like we’ve wasted. I think we’ve got the right guy in (Head Coach) Adam Gase. I know he’ll get this thing turned around.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about playing with a deficit, playing from behind a lot. Defensively, what changes when you guys have a deficit as opposed to a lead? Do you have to be more conservative defensively? What changes?) – “You are able to make a team one-dimensional. When you get a lead, now teams have to pass the ball. I think we’ve got one of the best front sevens in football. Those guys get after the quarterback pretty well. Making a team one-dimensional, it plays into our hands on defense. Like I said, I think we’ve got a great front seven and it helps us be able to get after the ball a little bit.”
(So then when you’re trailing, on the other hand, you have to play run and pass as opposed to if you have a lead, you just attack. Defensively, now you have to play run and pass.) – “Exactly. I think the call sheet changes up a little bit once you get a lead.”
(This is the first offseason you’re going into in a while where you have the financial security, you have that contract. Is that a different type of deal for you now that you’re not worrying about that in the offseason?) – “Yes, I think it makes a lot of difference. I just go out and play. I don’t have to worry about, like you said, financial situations or where I’m going to be at. I can put all of that behind me and go out and do everything I can to help the Miami Dolphins win football games.”
(Did you have any added incentive coming in off that contract, and everybody here knowing that you’d been played like that, to play up to it?) – “No.”
Kenny Stills – January 1, 2018
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Monday, January 1, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(On what happened in the scrum that led to the ejections of WR Jarvis Landry and RB Kenyan Drake) – “Honestly, I have no clue. I saw Jarvis had scored and then I saw a scrum break out.”
(You got flagged. What was your role in all of that?) – “I think they flagged me for trying to pull somebody off the pile but (Kenyan) Drake was underneath a guy with his helmet off, so I wasn’t going to just let him get beat up.”
(Are the Bills a dirty team?) – “No. It’s just part of the game.”
(How disappointing is it to be cleaning out your lockers earlier than obviously you and the rest of the team want to?) – “Yes, I mean when you don’t win games, you don’t make the playoffs, it’s disappointing. There’s not much else you can say about that.”
(How do you view your season from a personal standpoint?) – “I honestly haven’t had time to really look back and reflect on my individual season. I’m sure there are areas of improvement. I’m sure there are areas that I got better from last year. I’ve just got to get a chance to watch all of the film. I like watching the TV copies. Just get an opportunity to see how I played. I know that right now, off the top of my head, I can think about things that I want to improve on and my goals for next year. I’ve just got to get back to work and start preparing myself for next season.”
(Every year, players try to grow their game. What are some of the things that you would like to do going into next year?) – “I really don’t want to put them out there like that. I guess when you guys come back next year and watch, you’ll see what parts of my game I’m trying to improve. You guys all watch the game and know the game so you know players’ weaknesses, or you think you know players’ weaknesses, so you’ll see where I try to make improvements next year.”
(Did you have a broken hand earlier in the year?) – “I had a tear in a tendon in one of my fingers.”
(Was there ever a point where you felt normal during the season? Or did you play through that?) – “Yes, it’s just part of the thing where you just start playing through the pain a little bit but you guys saw I didn’t practice or I didn’t catch balls one of those weeks. It was just trying to get through the week and make it to the game because regardless of what’s going on, I’m always going to try and be out there for Sundays. Yes, it’s fine.”
(Do you need surgery or no?) – “No, I’m good.”
(You guys have had QB Ryan Tannehill around a lot this season. He’s been very involved. What are your thoughts about him coming back next year and what that might do for your offense?) – “Just him being healthy and him playing?”
(Yes, having QB Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.) – “Yes, I think we were making a lot of improvements this offseason in OTAs and training camp. We were pretty excited at the improvements that Ryan was making and the timing and us getting on the same page and knowing this offense, and so I think that’s where we’re back to, knowing that he’s going to be back, he’s going to be healthy and just continue to work on the chemistry that we’ve built these past couple of years.”
(What was your year like with QB Jay Cutler as the quarterback?) – “Like I said, I haven’t really had time to reflect on that. As far as Jay, I love the guy. He’s a good man. I think people in other places have kind of given him a hard time and I got to know him as a man and as a player, and I appreciate him and I like him. I’m thankful for the experience of playing with him and catching some balls from him.”
(What was QB Jay Cutler like as a teammate?) – “I don’t know, man. It’s kind of hard to explain somebody like that off the top of my head; but he’s a quarterback. He leads by example and he’s got that veteran presence in the room, and just really understands the receiver position to the point where we’re watching film and we see things one way, and he sees it that way, and we’re able to kind of make that connection real quick and get on the same page.”
(Is this team as far away as 6-10 would suggest? Or is that misleading?) – “That’s a tough question. I think there’s plenty of games that we should have won and we didn’t come out on top of those games. Like I said before, this team has a ton of potential and it’s about us going to work this offseason and building on that potential and making it come to fruition.”
(Was this year’s offense as talented as last year’s?) – “We have all the pieces. When Jay (Ajayi) got traded, Kenyan (Drake) stepped up and started making plays. Jakeem (Grant) came into the game and started making plays. We’ve got talent all across the board. It’s just a matter of us not shooting ourselves in the foot with the penalties and the turnovers.”
(Was that the story of the offense, do you think?) – “Some games. Then in other games, we just weren’t able to get it going and put points on the board.”
(Do you have anything planned community-wise this offseason? Any big initiative that you’ve got…) – “(laughter) That’s funny that you asked me that. Yes, so right now I’m putting in a little plan to do some traveling in the country, hitting some of the states and doing some volunteering and some community work. We’ve (been) playing and the season hasn’t really ended, so I haven’t been able to finish the plan; but basically, I want to drive my bus to a couple of the states close and volunteer and see how I can see some of the issues that people are dealing with in other states.”
(Do you have a commercial driver’s license?) – “No, I do not. But like I said, it’s a plan that we’re putting together right now and now we’ve got the time to kind of get that thing going.”
(Do you know what states yet?) – “No. Like I said, it’s just something that I thought of that I wanted to do. I reached out to people that I know that can help me out and we’re going to start putting the plan together.”
(What kind of volunteer work? Community stuff?) – “I want to find some grassroots organizations that need the help or might need the recognition, and reach out to them and come and lend a helping hand in any way that I can.”
(When you say bus…) – “My Volkswagen bus. (laughter)”
(What year is it?) – “I think it’s ’72 or ’73.”
(How many people can you fit in that thing?) – “Probably four or five comfortably.”
(Would that be the crew then?) – “I’ve got some buddies, yes. So the whole idea kind of would be to film the trip, let people track the trip and then possibly collect donations while we go on the trip. Then, at the end of it, being able to put all of that money back into the organizations that we stopped and visited with and worked with throughout the journey.”
(I know you haven’t mapped out your itinerary but are you thinking like the Southeast United States? Or are you talking something crazy like driving across the country?) – “Yes, it would be cool to – initially I think – going back to the West Coast and kind of making some stops all of the way there; but also too, I understand where I am on the map and how hard that would be. (laughter) So maybe (we’ll) just potentially hit some of the southern states or going up to the Carolinas. I’ve got to figure out what organizations I want to work with, who needs the help and go from there.”
(How many miles on the bus?) – “I’d have to look. There’s a lot. There’s a lot, for sure. I don’t know how many, for sure.”
(You’ve got an 8-track deck in there, the whole thing?) – “(Laughter) No, there’s a tape player in there.”
(Cassettes?) – “Yes. I’ve been getting it worked on throughout the season, making sure everything is good to go and kind of updating it a little bit.”
(You’re comfortable taking it across the country?) – “Yes.”
(Does QB Jay Cutler make you laugh? Has Cutler been funny?) – “Yes.”
(We haven’t seen a lot of his personality behind the scenes. Can you tell us like one good QB Jay Cutler story?) – “No, I don’t have any good Cutler stories.”
(Just one, man. Just one. I didn’t ask for five. Just one good QB Jay Cutler story.) – “I mean I’m sure you guys have seen him talk a little bit of trash to the referees during the games. Have you guys seen that?”
(No. You have?) – “That’s some good stuff right there. (laughter)”
(Like what? What’s one funny one. You don’t have to name the referee.) – “I’m not … I’m not going to tell you any specifics, but Jay … It’s funny. It’s interesting to see the relationship between a super veteran quarterback and all of the referees around the league. That’s all I would say.”
Davon Godchaux – December 31, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins DT Davon Godchaux (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(What do you see looking forward out of this team?) – “I mean just gaining, just being positive. Took some good steps this year always can get better. So, I think the most important thing offseason, resting our body a little bit, just come back and get better.”
(How frustrating is putting in all this hard work and you know not catch the finish line which is always the playoffs?) – “It’s very frustrating to everyone. But you always know offseason… build that frustration and come back next year. Have a better year.
(What’s the biggest thing you learn in the first NFL season?) – “Hmm…It’s a business, man. I mean it’s a dirty, grimy business. But you got to just stay consistent each and every play, each and every game. Because, they’re always looking for somebody to replace you. So, I mean stay consistent and try to enjoy the fun times. Enjoy the moment because you don’t want to keep thinking about it’s a business. We all know it’s a business, but you want to enjoy it too.”
Cameron Wake – December 31, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(6-and-10, certainly not what you guys expected coming into this season. How do you feel?) – “I guess it’s a little perplexing. I know you look at the guys in the locker room, the talent that we have, and I feel like we’ve shown flashes of really good football at times. I think it’s kind of been the same old thing, whether it’s a situation like today where we didn’t start fast. The defense came out a little slow, offense same way, and then we kind of tuned it on. We still had an opportunity, but it’s kind of like a little too late. Too little, too late. We needed a play on defense, whether (it is) a turnover or whatnot to kind of get things going, (and) we didn’t make the play. So, it’s just a little disappointing.”
(You’re always focused on the next game, the next play. There is no next game and no next play, so when you evaluate this season in its entirety, is there anything you can put your finger on as to the inconsistencies that this team went through all year?) – “I assure you I’m going to take a long look and try to figure out – as well as some of other guys in the room. Obviously, the guys upstairs, – coaches and management – as well. Because again, like I said, we have the pieces. We’ve shown we can. You go look at certain games that we’ve played and certain teams that we beat that were supposed to be really good teams and they look at situations where (there were) teams that we should’ve beat and we didn’t. It was the last three teams in the Super Bowl, we beat those teams but then we lose to teams who obviously I feel like we should’ve been the guys with the upper hand. I don’t have the answer today, but I’m definitely going to spend a significant part of my off season trying to figure it out.”
(What about you personally looking forward? I know people are saying, “Is he going to play? Is he not going to play?” Going forward, has that even entered your mind at all?) – “No. I hadn’t thought about it. Again, as you know, I’m a next play, next down, next game mentality. As I stand here before you, I still feel good. I still feel like I can help the team win. As long as I’m enjoying playing the game and being a contributing factor, I think I’ll continue if they’ll have me, obviously.”
(So at this point you’d prefer to come back and give it another run?) – “Sure.”
(Any positives you can take away from this season?) – “I think the fight. Obviously, even in a game like today where you go down to the last two drives, guys are out there giving everything they’ve got to go out there and win the game. So, it’s not for a lack of effort. I think that’s obviously a key factor that you’re going to need to be successful, to just work on the details, work on the consistency. I think that the complementary football that I spoke about in weeks in the past, that will be the difference. And if we can get that down with the effort that we got and the mentality and the fight that we have and we’ve shown that we have, I think we should be alright.”
(A number of games this season has featured altercations like what happened at the end of this game where WR Jarvis Landry and RB Kenyan Drake got kicked out. Do you feel like this team is mature enough or possibly lacks composure?) – “I don’t think so. It’s an emotional game. It’s hard for people who aren’t on the field to understand. At the end of the day, I trust the guys we have in our locker room. I think, for the most part, we’ve been on the right side of (where) that emotional, that line is. But then again, you’ve got to be careful to not to hurt your team (from an) overall standpoint. You don’t want penalties or get yourself ejected. Today, I guess a couple of guys crossed that line, but I think for the most part, I trust in the guys and the way they go about their business.”
T.J. McDonald – December 31, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins S T.J. McDonald (transcribed by Jason D. Silver)
(You only got to play half the season but what’s the most frustrating thing you’ll take from this season?) – “It’s hard not to … it’s hard that we couldn’t really put four quarters together. We couldn’t play consistent. Offense played good one day. We didn’t play … we didn’t match it on defense. Visa versa. So that was tough. You always want to win the game. Especially the close ones. We just, for one reason or another we just couldn’t pull those out.”
(I know looking at this game, discipline might have played a part. You guys kind of lost a little bit of discipline out there. What’s going through players’ minds when those things happen? Especially for you – seeing the offense out there and getting into those scuffles?) – “It’s tough. This is an emotional game. I don’t know if you all understand that. Sometimes emotions get the best of you. Good thing for us is we got to keep our poise in those situations. You have to ride the highs and the lows. You have to keep your poise. That’s not us. That’s not the image that we want to portray as players. Guys that are out here living the dream. So we just have to keep our poise and do better next time.”
(Now that the season is done … you have the will to win. You guys have the talent, but you just weren’t able to put it together. Is there an explanation to that or are you just as perplexed as the rest of us?) – “I think that, like I said, it’s just consistency. We have to put a full game together on all three phases of the game: offense, defense, special teams. All have to match each other’s intensity. I think that the story for us was when you saw us start fast we always play well. When we didn’t start fast it was hard for us to catch up. Play catch up sometimes, a lot of times. We came back early in the season we were able to come back from large deficits and that’s not very common in this league that you can do that. So when we start fast we play well. That’s got to be the emphasis for us coming in next year is to start fast throughout the jumps.”
Kenny Stills – December 31, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Kenny Stills (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(Inaudible) – “Offense isn’t putting points on the board and we can’t win games that way. So, it’s frustrating not to live up to your potential, but that’s why it’s just potential.”
(What do you think went right this year for this team?) – “I mean I think we figured…we found ways to fight through the adversity that we went through. You know there’s so many things that went down you couldn’t even count them on one hand you know all the things that we’ve been through as a team. And so we found a way to fight through that stuff. We found the guys…you know we had guys step up, and make plays in situations where you know we might’ve not known if this player could do it. There’s always positives you could take from it, but at the end of the day we didn’t win enough games. We didn’t make the playoffs and so the season’s over.”
(A lot of people say that, especially the way this game ended, that this team lacks composure. Your response to that is what?) – “I mean a lot of the time you see what happens on the field, so I mean I think that speaks for itself.”
David Fales – December 31, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins QB David Fales (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(Talk about your performance. How do you feel you did overall today?) – “I thought I started a little slow in the beginning with the protection and getting the guys to the line and communication, but I think we got going towards the end a little bit.”
(Did you have any idea how long you were going to play in this game?) – “No, they just said be ready. I kind of treat it the same way I do every week and prepare to play. That’s all they said, ‘Just be prepared to play.’”
(Did you have something on your mind? Did you anticipate what you thought you might…?) – “No, he didn’t say anything so I was just ready to go whenever you’re given the nod.”
(What were your emotions when you got the call and got out there? Were you pretty jacked up or…?) – “Prior to that, I really wasn’t too nervous but as soon as you’re about to run out on the field it gets going a little bit. So you got to get your nerves down a little bit and slow it down and see everything, but it wasn’t too bad prior to that.”
(When was the last time you played that many snaps in a game?) – “In a real game or a preseason game?”
(Regular game.) – “It was Week 17 last year. Never really, actually. I played in the fourth quarter last year.”
(As you played along, the more you played, did you feel better about your pace and the way you took care of things?) – “Yes, I started to get in a little flow, a little rhythm. It slowed down definitely in the beginning and sometimes you get caught up trying to do too much. We just need to do a better job in the beginning communicating and getting the guys up to the line a little bit faster, but it definitely slowed down towards the end.
(Talk a little bit about the interception. Take us through the interception at the end.) – “Again, miscommunication. We were just on a different page. I was letting it rip on a different route and he heard something else so just miscommunication.”
(A lot of different faces on the o-line, a lot of new faces for you, but a lot of different faces in their offensive line wise changes there. Anything that affected you?) – “No, the guys I was playing with they’ve been playing with all year, and they’re really smart and a lot of that so they helped me out a lot. Everyone out there helped me out a lot.”
(From your point of view, what did you see during the fight or whatever it is that you want to call it at the end there?) – “I really didn’t see who started it or who was thrown out there. I don’t know. I just saw a lot of bodies, tried to stay out of it.”
