Kenny Stills – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins WR Kenny Stills (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(You guys seem to make habit of these big comebacks lately. What is it about this team that you guys keep finding that will to win at the end of games?) – “The game is 60 minutes, and we like to play four quarters, so just finish. (Head Coach Adam Gase) talks about finishing all the time, and we seem to play really well in the fourth quarter.”
(Can you take us through the emotions on the sideline, seeing QB Jay Cutler go down, and then you guys were down at that point?) – “Next man up. It’s kind of what (Head Coach Adam Gase) is always preached to us. We know (QB) Matt (Moore’s) ready. We know he gets prepared each and every week, he’s ready to go, so (I) didn’t really think about it much until after the game. I went over said ‘What’s up,’ made sure he’s ok, but we have the next man up mentality and we know guys are going to be prepared to play.
(It seems like, even dating back to last year, you and QB Matt Moore seem to have really good chemistry out there on the field. Is that just happenstance or is that something you guys practice together?) – “We prepare every week like he’s going to go out there and play. He kind of has a routine on Saturday’s and Friday’s of getting extra balls and I’ve always been out there and made sure I’m there, prepared and getting ready with him. But no, Matt’s just a slinger and he’s going to throw it to the guy that’s open, so that’s credit to him.”
Jarvis Landry – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
( …with comebacks, what does it say about this team, especially right now with this offense, what’s going on with it?) – “We just keep finding ways to fight for each other, fight together we’ve been saying it all week, for the last three weeks, just unity. It’s going to come down to all four quarters, we know who we are, when there’s an opportunity, and there’s a chance, we just always try to grab it and the last two weeks we’ve been doing it.”
(Somebody who did that was Matt Moore today, stepping into that role what kind of energy did he bring to you guys, how much different was it out there?) “It’s not different, it’s not different, we all know what Matt can do. You know, and he came in he wasn’t shaken up or anything like that, he found a way to help us out, and that’s what it takes. Guys stepping up, even when they don’t even think they’re going to play today. Stepping up to make plays it’s just part of this culture, it’s part of who we are.”
(It had to be disappointing though, we already spoke about this in the past, the fans, the reaction, when Jay was coming out.) “Listen, we won today. We won today. I think it’s easy to take a lot of things for granted, it’s easy to say what you want as a fan. But we won. We won, regardless of who it’s with. They love Jay last week, and they hate him this week. I don’t pay attention to all of that, we just stick together as a team, as a family, and that’s all it’s about. We don’t care about anything outside of this building or outside of us.”
(Why do you guys keep having close games?) I hope, I hope, I wish it wouldn’t have to be this way. But, it came down to that the last couple weeks. And again, it says a lot about these guys in here, about the staff, and everything that we’ve been able to overcome along this road to get to 4-2. It’s an amazing feeling, and we have a short week ahead of us and we got to get back to work.
Jermon Bushrod – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins G/T Jermon Bushrod (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(Inaudible) – “(QB Matt Moore) came in and did a hell of a job. We all rallied around him. (It) sucks for (QB) Jay (Cutler) that he went down, but we’re praying for the best for him.”
(Is there a sense this team is never out of a game after these last two weeks?) – “We’re just going to keep fighting if we get a chance and we get opportunities. It’s a team game, you’ve got to rely on the other phases to come through big for you sometimes. We put up a couple touchdowns in the beginning but they were scoring a couple touchdowns, so it was up to one of us to do something special so we could get a little bit more momentum. Our special teams did a good job of pinning them back. I remember one time we got pinned back and we had a couple of negative plays and we punted and put them back on the 15 or the 20 and the defense was able to get a stop. We were able to flip the field and we were able to go down and get some points. That’s just what it is about. We’re just going to keep fighting and fighting and fighting. I guess you can say we like to make it interesting for everyone out there. It doesn’t really help me or my heart much but at the end of the day a win is a win and I’ll take it.
(You’ve now won 12 straight games decided by seven or fewer points, that’s crazy.) – “Stressful, but it’s cool though. Like I said, anyway you can get a win. We like to make things interesting.”
Bobby McCain – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins CB Bobby McCain (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(Has it sunk in yet just how big that interception was?) – “No, not yet. It was a great play, but we’re a team. We took a team effort today. The second half, we came in at halftime and turned it on. If we can start fast, we’ll be unstoppable. We just have to keep playing, make the corrections and go out. We have a quick turnaround with Baltimore. We’re going to celebrate, but we have to get ready to work.”
(Is the mentality for this defense that you guys are never out of it?) – “Yeah, never. You’re never out of the game regardless if you’re down two (touchdowns), three [touchdowns), three points. Just keep fighting, and that’s what we pride ourselves on here at the Miami Dolphins. You just keep fighting. Defensively, special teams, offense – we’re all going to stick together. We’re a band of brothers. Just keep fighting and good things will come.”
(Take us through what happened on the interception.) – “(It) was a single high coverage, dropped up underneath the comeback. He left the ball out there, so I went and got it.”
Matt Moore – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins QB Matt Moore (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(Was it fun having a great comeback like that?) – “It was a great win and when you can contribute and have a comeback like that, I mean it’s fun for everybody. The guys did an unbelievable job staying together. I mean it was 14 points there, late in the game and we put some drives together and got it done; so yes, it was fun.”
(Matt, you didn’t have a lot of time to get ready when QB Jay Cutler went down. What was going through your mind when you were getting ready to go on the field?) – “Here we go. You’ve got to go do your job and execute to the best of your ability and at that point, like I said, we’re down and I’m just trying to make plays and put some scores on the board. You just tell yourself don’t try to do too much and play within the scheme and let your guys make plays, which they did. It was great.”
(They were causing problems getting the ball out early but it seems like you you got your timing, get the ball out, catch it and get it to your receivers. Was it just the familiarity for you?) – “Yes, I mean (the Jets) front was difficult, especially on the third down. They did some things, but I think as the game went on, obviously you make adjustments and guys did a really good job adjusting and picking some stuff up and allowing guys down the field to make plays.”
(Talk about WR Jarvis Landry and what he’s done for you.) – “I mean, he’s what you want. The go ball, you give him a 50/50 ball, he comes down with it and makes a big play. He had a big third down late in the game. He’s just somebody you want on your team, no doubt. He’s pretty gifted – just a good guy to have.”
(How do you overcome your overthrown interception? You overcame a ball that was a touchdown, that looked like a touchdown, and it was called back. You come back and stick it right back in the end zone?) – “The interception was rough. On third down, that’s obviously not what you want to do. You’d love to just punt the ball and make them go the (length of the) field. But I just think you just keep going. That was the message on the sideline. Guys were just like ‘Hey, we’re still in it.’ The defense did an unbelievable job, really all game. Obviously there were some things here and there, but they kept us in it and made plays when they needed to be made. Hats off to them. Just keeping the faith, I guess. You’ve just got to keep saying ‘Hey, this drive we’re going to put something together. This drive we’re going to put something together.’”
(Everything you guys have been through, you’re sitting here at 4-2. That must feel pretty remarkable for you.) – “Yes, it’s great. Shoot, any time you win a home game against a divisional opponent and to be 4-2 with the craziness this season’s been, you feel good. We’ve got a short week so we’ll enjoy it; but you’ve got to get ready to go again.”
(Matt, another comeback win two weeks in a row and 12 straight wins when the margin is seven or less. Can you explain the team’s knack in close games for coming from behind?) – “I don’t know if I can explain it, but these guys just keep going. They keep fighting. Coach Gase has an unbelievable message about what’s done is done, we can’t do anything about it so let’s move forward. I think if you look at us late in games, you see that. Guys are just making plays, the next play mentality. That’s really it. You can’t change the past, you can’t change what’s happened; but if we move forward, good things will happen.”
(How many first team reps did you get last week? Is that typical and how does someone get that and still do that?) – “Typically, it’s different on some teams; but typically, here, the starter gets all the reps and I have to make mine up. I think our staff and our guys, we do a good job preparing and as a backup, I think you have to prepare as if you’re playing every week. That’s just part of your role and it pays off to be prepared, go in there and execute. That’s your job. That’s the way I look at it.”
(What’s it been like for you, Matt? Obviously the injury, then Head Coach Adam Gase took QB Jay Cutler and now you’re…) – “Yes, I mean a lot of things are out of my control. I try to come to work every day and just do my job, whatever my job is. I’m a big believer that every person on the team has a role, and I’ve said that before. Whatever the circumstances are, my role was defined whenever it was and that’s how I came to work every day. Kind of like I just said, ‘You’re going to be the backup,’ so I just prepare and that’s my job.”
(When you came in last year against Arizona in a similar way where you were just throwing, firing away. You don’t seem to ease your way into the game at all.) – “Yes, I don’t know how else to do it. Just go. I just tell myself just go out there and make plays (and) lead the team. I think Adam (Gase) does a really good job play calling for me, I feel that way. I just go out there and try to play football.”
(What kind of reception did you get in the huddle when you came in to the game?) – “Oh, I don’t know. It was good. Those guys were just really waiting for the play, but they were ready to go.”
(As soon as you saw you were walking on the field to replace QB Jay Cutler, the crowd got really excited and got really behind you. How much does that help you? How much does it help your momentum trying to win a game that late?) – “It’s nice and obviously I appreciate that. I’m aware, but it’s all or nothing when you go out there and don’t produce, which happens some times. I just try to stay focused and focus on the huddle and my guys and try to move the ball.”
(If anyone asks what your job is, it’s obviously to be the backup quarterback in the NFL. If Adam Gase says to you, ‘Hey, QB Jay Cutler is fine, he’s the starter next week.’ Do you just go ‘okay?’) – “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I don’t know. Those are decisions to be made and they are out of my hands.”
(Was there any pass that got you going today?) – “The first touchdown, my adrenaline was probably as high as it has been in a long time after that. They pressured, we did a great job protecting and Kenny (Stills) won, so I was pretty fired up after that one.”
(Is there any difference between this team in the last three games as opposed to the first three games when you started out 1-2?) – “I don’t know if there’s a difference. We’ve worked. Obviously you change things weekly. I just think it’s Week 7 or whatever it is and guys are kind of getting in a grove, if you will. To start the season, you’d love to come out and say oh yeah, we’re firing early on, and who knows why things go the way they do early on, but guys just put their heads down and just kept working. I think that’s the biggest thing, how it has been going the past couple of weeks.”
Adam Gase – October 22, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Postgame – New York Jets
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(Could you update us on the quarterback situation with QB Jay Cutler?) – “Right now, they’re going to take him to get a MRI, x-ray, all that stuff, figure out what’s … Confirm. They kind of have an idea. I didn’t really get into it with them. It’s something with his chest – the chest, kind of ribs area.”
(You have a short turnaround, as you know. So, does that mean…) – “I’ll get there. I’ll probably have a better feel tonight, a little later. It’s just hard for me to say anything right now.”
(By far the team’s best offensive performance of the season. What turned for you?) – “I think early we were first and second down, staying out of third, then they really started giving us a lot of problems on third down. We were on the right guys, it was just we were getting beat one-on-one. (Jets Head Coach) Todd (Bowles) had a really good package. We prepared for the right things, we were just losing our one-on-one battles. We got a little frustrated there a little bit. We pressed. We pressed a little bit to try to stay out of the third-and-longer down and distances.”
(From the passing point of view, collectively, QB Jay Cutler and QB Matt Moore threw for over 300 yards. In terms of finally getting that going, there are some key plays in there as well. Your whole emphasis has been doing jobs. Do you feel like that was done today?) – “I think we were doing a better job at certain points. There were a few things where we missed some opportunities. We’ve just got to keep cleaning things up and trying be a little more detailed, and we’ll have less missed opportunities like we had today.”
(QB Matt Moore came in just firing away from the beginning. Was that what you expected?) – “Yes. When you’ve called like I’ve called enough games for him – and I know it hasn’t been many, but last year – but the best thing for me is just dialing up the things I absolutely know he knows and let those guys do everything they can to make plays. We had some good matchups. Jarvis (Landry) made some really big plays in critical times. There were a couple of times where he bought enough time and threw it to the spot he knew the guy was going to be at. Kenny (Stills) stepped up big time too and made some really big plays.”
(QB Matt Moore coming into the game, giving you a spark. What is it about him coming in that makes that happen for you?) – “I think we just … It’s one of those things when you know a guy goes down, other guys step up. The great thing about Matt is that he’s a veteran. We’ve done this before. He has a knack for going out there and playing the game without fear. He prepares the right way. He does everything right during the week to allow him to play like that. He just knows when his number is called, he’s got to go out there and pick up right where we were going. If we get some of those third downs cleaned up earlier, we would’ve had some more production. He did a good job of making some plays when we needed to.”
(I’m sure you were asked earlier, but QB Jay Cutler – his status and where’s at?) – “I’ll find out more tonight. Right now, he’s … They’ve got him … The MRI, x-rays – they got to do all kinds of stuff to see exactly what’s going on.”
(It looked like there was frustration on the sideline. Obviously, you were down 14 and then all of a sudden, you sprung back and everyone kind of had gone back into the game. You had WR Kenny Stills big play. WR Jarvis Landry served a big play. CB Bobby McCain big play. Where did the energy come from?) – “A lot of it comes from when we’re struggling a little bit, and we’re losing some one-on-one matchups, guys they get frustrated a little bit. The good thing was Jarvis did a good job of keeping the guys heading in the right direction. We had a few more injuries upfront when Laremy (Tunsil) went down. I was trying to get a feel calling plays to make sure I didn’t put Jesse (Davis) in a bad spot too early. I kind of let him get a feel for what he was doing. So, it took us a second to regroup. Defense did a good job of making some plays and keeping us in the game. It just took one [play], next thing you know you’re back in the game.”
(It certainly helped that you got TE Anthony Fasano involved. Big play down the middle that ends up with a touchdown. For a guy who hasn’t caught many balls, he certainly came up big for you.) – “We keep trying to get him more involved. We’ve called his number a few times, but we haven’t gotten the right coverage. He’s kind of our secret weapon in the passing game that no one knows about until today. We’ve been working him in practice. We just have to keep trying to find ways to get him involved in the offense.”
(You get another win, you put yourself at 4-2. It’s got to be a pretty enviable position for you right now.) – “Right now, we’re going to enjoy this probably for about two more hours and then we’re on to the next one.”
(We saw this last year with QB Matt Moore – what is it about his personality that just seems to put such a charge into the huddle?) – “Any time your backup quarterback goes in, you know he hasn’t had any reps all week. Guys know they have to be on it. They have to be exactly where they’re supposed to be, because he’s really going off of almost pictures and what he sees on film. There’s no margin for anybody else to really make any error, because that’s going to put him in a really bad spot. I think guys really dialed in. He did a good job of making the throws when we needed him to make the throws. They brought some pressure and Matt did a good job of buying time and made a great throw.”
(Why were WR Jarvis Landry and WR Kenny Stills able to excel with two quarterbacks today?) – “We tried to open it up a little bit and do some things to push the ball down the field. We kind of weren’t really worried about what was the result was going to be. We were going to try to make sure that we took the top off and made them play honest. That was one of the things we felt like Atlanta started creeping in, playing pretty tight. We felt like that was the best way to play the game. Towards the end of the game, we tried to push it down the field a little bit, but this game we were going to make sure that, that wasn’t going to happen again.”
(The field conditions looked less than ideal. How much did it hurt the run game, particularly, and secondarily have you been told as to what’s going on with it and how it can be rectified?) – “With the run game, every time we play these guys it’s tough. Any time you play a sivision game, upfront (and) those linebackers are playing well right now. I know nobody is really talking about those guys, but it’s not like we’ve ever really played those guys and ripped off a great running game. Even when we played them here last year, our two runs that gave us what looked like good numbers were the last two runs of the game, and they were really kind of gadget-type runs. So, they’ve always played us tough. They played us tough again today. We tried to stay committed to the run and see if we can pop one of those things off. Those guys are tough. The field, it is what it is. They’ve got to play on it too. We just go with what … However the conditions are, it is what it is.”
Cameron Wake – October 20, 2017
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Friday, October 20, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(I asked Head Coach Adam Gase earlier this week and you being one of the leaders of the team, obviously I’m going to ask you the same thing. Are you ever amazed how you guys handle so much of what most people might call distractions? You guys handle anything that comes your way pretty well and how do you do that being one of the leaders on the team? How do you make sure the young guys, as well as yourself, handle anything that comes your way?) – “I’m not surprised. I think in order to be good at what we do, playing football, handling distractions should be probably one of the top two or three things on your job description. I think obviously being in Miami, this area has a lot to do, at all hours, all days, all seasons, and you have to be able to keep your mind on your job, task at hand and then perfect your craft. That’s just the nature of the beast living down here in South Florida. So just overall, I feel like if you want to be able to be here, that’s already something that you have to mastered, so to speak. Being here so long, for me, personally even, it’s something that you have to grab a hold of very quick, very early in your career and I’m sure the young guys, being here since April, the same thing. You figure it out. I don’t care if it’s a party going on, families in town, my knee hurts, it’s hot outside, the crowd is cheering, coaches yelling, whatever it is, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.”
(Outside the Pandora’s Box, which is Miami, which you know if you grew up here or live here – you’ve been here for quite some time. Just like the other distractions whether it’s the anthem, cops boycotting the stadium for security, just all those things, it seems like you guys are just kind of like ‘Alright, whatever. It’s time to play football.’ How do you guys make sure you guys deal with that on the list?) – “It’s all in one box. Whether it’s football or not, it’s not football. So if it’s not football, once you cross over into this building or across the field on the practice field or on the game field, if it’s not helping you do your job better or helping us win, you can deal with it after the game is over, after practice is over – whatever it may be. Some things are football, whether its heat, injuries, (something) hurts, football schemes, situations, whatever, then there’s obviously other things outside of that; but it’s all the same mentality. You have to put it aside, focus on your job and then if it needs to be dealt with later, deal with it later.”
(Obviously you guys didn’t perform as well as a team as you would have liked to the last time you played the Jets. What does the defense have to do better to sort of finish out that game and get the ‘W?’) – “We eventually watched quite a few plays where … I mean self-inflicted wounds. I feel like, again, if we play the way we know how to play, play the way even for the most part we have been playing, I’m confident that we’ll go out there and do what we need to do as far as playing together, playing consistently and playing for the entire game – four quarters. Again, this is another situation where you can’t play three and a half quarters. You can’t play 65 snaps. You’ve got to play the entire game, start to finish, because they’re a hard-nosed, stay tight team and they’re going to continue to throw punches every chance they get, and you’ve got to be able to respond anytime that that situation comes up.”
(You’ve been part of those physical Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles-esque teams where, no matter what, you were going to win the line of scrimmage or win that trench battle. What’s it like when you’re faced with one of those teams?) – “Well I’d like to think that’s a mindset that we’ve had from the beginning of OTAs, that this is going to be a No. 1 priority – upfront, the front seven, defensive line, whatever it may be. That’s a battle we have to win week in and week out, without question. That’s No. 1 on our list. If you look at the guys we have, I feel like everybody has the same kind of mentality. It is hit first, hit hard, and there’s no other way to do it. Again, knowing Coach Bowles and Coach Casey and a lot of other players on that team, I wouldn’t doubt that they have the same mentality either. I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
(How much pride do you guys take in the fact that nobody has scored more than 21 points on this defense?) – “I didn’t know that actually, but it’s … A lot of stats are thrown around but I think obviously that’s A-1. If you can’t score, you can’t win, and whatever the formula is to get to that point, I guess so far we’ve done okay. The funny thing is, I don’t think you would ask anybody in the locker room or upstairs, ask them, ‘Oh, we’re doing a great job.’ I think we’ve been okay and even in that game (last week), there were plays that we kind of let slip through our fingers – self-inflicted wounds, things that we should have done better. I feel like we haven’t even gotten close to where we should be. So 21 points is not a … I wouldn’t pat myself on the back for that personally, and I don’t think a lot of the guys would either.”
(Looking at the group of linebackers that you have there, that’s a lot of experience between the three starters there – LB Lawrence Timmons, LB Kiko Alonso and LB Rey Maualuga. There’s not a lot that they haven’t seen. How helpful is it to have them back there behind you with their experience level?) – “You guys can probably debate about this but they might be the most improved position on the entire team. I mean the way those guys have been playing, I think it is lights out. Obviously between … We kind of work together as far as the front, and even the linebackers just always, whether it’s a guy taking on double teams, linebackers filling holes or us swapping gaps and blitzes and things like that, it’s really all of us working as one unit. We can go back to each game we’ve played and single out plays that those guys have made that have changed the game, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from this weekend, obviously in a game that’s probably going to be another one of those hard-nosed, rock’em, sock’em type games. But like you said, every single one of those guys who is back there has been in those games, played, won, made plays, so on and so forth. So our expectations are high and they will continue to be.”
(In the communication, when you guys do have gap exchanges and things of that sort, is that what you’d like to be?) – “I’m hard to please. (laughter) I’m very hard to please. Again, it’s been decent. Obviously it’s been better than it’s been in a while; but even there, we have room for improvement. I was just trying to do the math in my head, thinking about how many years, or how many games between Kiko (Alonso), ‘Law’ (Lawrence Timmons) and Rey (Maualuga. That’s a lot of snaps in the backfield. I think there is no doubt that we’ll get it done.”
(How do you prepare your body for two games in five days? And also from a player’s perspective, looking ahead, what’s your philosophy on Thursday night games?) – “What is it two (games) in five (days)? Three (games) in eleven (days)? That’s a lot. That’s a lot of football. It’s interesting. People always ask me, people who don’t play, ask me ‘How do you feel after a game?’ or ‘What’s it like?’ It’s hard to explain; but I always say, ‘If you’ve ever been in a car accident, that’s probably as close as you’re going to get.’ To me, the hardest thing about playing in the NFL is not pass rushing, it’s not learning the playbook or training camp. It’s recovering from Sunday to next Sunday, that space in between, because once you play one game, you’re never 100 percent. It’s always how much closer can I get to 100 percent than the next guy, or as quickly as I can, to be able to play. Obviously that time … Technically we played a game last night if you think about it in our head (because last night is one week from next Thursday). That’s a very quick turnaround. To be very honest, nobody is going to be ready the way they like to be. They’ll be as ready as you can be on Thursday night. I guess it’s a great money-maker maybe for the league? I don’t know. You guys probably know more about that than I do. I think it’s a little much for the body; but again, the people who know that (are a small amount) and the people who enjoy it and benefit from it are 50 million times that. Who knows where that will go, to say the least.”
(How would you evaluate DE Charles Harris after five games?) – “Charles is my guy. I like him. I like him a lot. I think, literally, he’s getting better and better as the time goes on. He’s learning more. Obviously I spend a lot of time with him, speaking to him about both football things and non-football things. He’s catching on quick. For them, if you think about where they started as rookies – the season ended, the (NFL) Combine, training, (NFL) draft – they’ve been going forever, I’m sure it seems like. He’s doing the right thing. He’s taking care of his body, taking it in stride, learning the plays, doing what’s asked of him, and he’s being productive both on the practice field and the game field. Again, I know he has high expectations of himself and the guys in the locker room have high expectations of him. I think he’s really doing a great job.”
(Have you seen him try to do things, similar things that you do, as far as taking care of your body?) – “He’s asked me a couple of questions about, whether it be nutrition or maintenance or certain things. A lot of guys obviously, being as old as I am, and still being able to do it – I think that’s one of the most untapped resources of football. Everybody lifts weights, everybody wants to go to their speed coach in the offseason and so on and so forth; but again, that recovery thing. Getting your body back to as much or as close to 100 percent as you can, that’s what I think will allow you to be one step quicker on Sunday. Remember that one thing that you didn’t necessarily maybe would have remembered otherwise, which is going to make one more play, which could obviously completely change the game, and one game can completely change the season. I think he’s definitely taking the steps to make sure he’s going to be prepared for that.”
Adam Gase – October 20, 2017
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Is C Mike Pouncey still in the concussion protocol?) – “Yes.”
(Practice today, did C Mike Pouncey practice fully?) – “Yes, as much as you can when you’re in basically shorts and helmets. It’s not like there’s any contact or anything for the most part. I’m waiting to see like you guys are.”
(Last year, DE Mario Williams was the only guy I’ve ever seen be in the concussion protocol and then play the next week. What did he do differently that sort of got him to that point?) – “That’s hard for me to answer. Once they go in the protocol, I let those guys do their job. This is a serious thing that everybody makes sure that they go through the right steps. The training staff does a good job and goes through the steps they’re asked to make the player go through. I remove myself from it completely and whenever they tell me a player is cleared, that’s when I say okay.”
(How confident are you that C Jake Brendel is ready to start his first NFL game?) – “I’m confident. I mean after what I saw last week, you talk about getting thrown in the fire. He’s aware of the situation. He’s done a good job all week and understands what we’re trying to do. That’s what ball is. That’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to get ready and expect to play and if you don’t, you just wait until your opportunity happens.”
(What can you do as a playcaller to get your offense off to a faster start?) – “Score points. We just have to make plays. I just try to put the guys in the best position possible. We’ve got to make a throw; we’ve got to make a catch. We’ve got to give Jay (Ajayi) a hole to run through and see if he can bust one and drive the length of the field and score through the goal line. It really, at the end of the day, it’s just trying to stay on track first and second down and keep the third downs to a manageable position and put a drive together.”
(I can’t remember if I asked you this last year. Are you the type of coach that scripts plays? Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t?) – “Sometimes I do. It depends. Every once in a while you start that way and then it goes off-kilter, you scratch it and start over in the middle of the game. Every game is different.”
(I’m sure as a coach, when something doesn’t go right like the starts, do you look at everything? Do you look at pregame, the night before, anything like that for the slow starts?) – “Not really. It’s just more about whether they run a defense we haven’t seen or they have something that gets us, or if it’s self-inflicted. I’d say more of ours have been self-inflicted than anything.”
(Are you optimistic for WR DeVante Parker?) – “I mean, we’ll see. It’s hard to predict anything. Even though when I see him walking around, he looks good. It’s hard – running, jumping, contact, trying to jump up and get a ball and you’ve got a guy draped all over you. I’m just going to keep talking to the trainers, keep talking to him and just see where he’s at. He’s done it before where he hasn’t practiced all week and been able to play. It’s not an ideal situation for him, especially when we’ve got two games close together. We’ll just kind of see how it works out here in the next couple of days.”
(With the young cast of receivers, WR Leonte Carroo and WR Jakeem Grant, how much are you seeing in terms of their understanding of the offense and their readiness to contribute?) – “I think the understanding is there. Now it just comes down to less thinking, more reacting. I think you can see occasionally where Carroo looks smooth and everything is fluid and easy for him. Then occasionally, if something changes where he’s never seen something before – you see a coverage that you haven’t really practiced against – the wheels start turning. You’re trying to figure out ‘What’s my adjustment? What am I supposed to do?’ That’s where you can slow yourself down and you lose a little bit of focus. You don’t catch the ball or you’re not in the right spot. I think Jakeem is in the same boat where when we get him to where he plays as fast as he can, that’s when he has success. We try to keep everything fairly tight with him so he can be a playmaker for us.”
(Do you put WR Leonte Carroo and WR Jakeem Grant in one spot or one side?) – “You try to say ‘You’re the X, you’re the Z,’ whatever it may be. We always try to do some things to adjust because Kenny (Stills) and Jarvis (Landry), when they’re out there by themselves, it’s no secret we’re going to try to put them in the best position possible. At the same time, the ball does get dictated by the defense sometimes. Guys just have to be on it and make sure they know what to do, play fast and get open when we’re counting on them to get open versus certain coverages.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills back to a full workload with catching and everything like that with his hand?) – “Yes, it looks like it. I haven’t really seen him have any problems in the last 10 days.”
(Was it just soreness?) – “Yes, I think so a little bit.”
(A broken bone in there?) – “I think there was a lot of soreness there. I’m sure it didn’t help a couple of times when Jay (Cutler) rifled a couple at him. I think it just hits a spot in his hand every once in a while and it’s a good feeling for him. It looks like he’s catching it better. I know he’s been catching a lot of balls. I don’t see any problems with it right now.”
(With WR Jakeem Grant and WR Leonte Carroo, where do you feel they are with their route detail and the depth of their routes right now?) – “They’re better than what they’ve been. I know Carroo has made a lot of strides. He’s really worked on it hard. Kenny (Stills) has spent a ton of time with both of those guys making sure they understand what they’re supposed to do and some of the details of the route. They’ve gotten into that a little more. I know (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn (Jefferson) and (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach) Ben (Johnson) have spent countless hours doing the same thing. We’ve got all hands on deck right now making sure those two guys are ready to go. It’s experience. It’s the more they do it, the more they talk about it, the more they see it on film, the more they get to do it at practice, the better they’re going to get.”
(What has QB Ryan Tannehill been contributing to you guys the last couple of weeks?) – “He’s been doing a lot really inside, just with suggestions on if something goes a little haywire in practice of how to fix things. He’s always up to date with what’s going on with who we’re playing, what their scheme is, what are some of the things we should lean on. He’s been good just trying to give me suggestions occasionally during games. He’s been really good with that of just giving me subtle reminders of some of the things that he’d be thinking of in those situations. I think him and Jay (Cutler) have done a good job of talking through stuff and Ryan has been able to get to me sometimes during a series to where he can suggest some calls.”
(How often does QB Ryan Tannehill make a suggestion to you during a game?) – “It’s not a ton but it seems to be at the right time. He has a good feel. He knows me well enough to know when a good time is and when it isn’t a good time. It’s almost like he’s playing the game. It’s very helpful for me because he’s got a very good grasp of what our offense is and what we’re trying to accomplish. He knows the right way to kind of defuse me when I’m going off the rails. (laughter)”
(It seems like that’s a lot of people’s jobs.) – “Yes. (laughter)”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill physically, he’s obviously got to be able to protect himself on the sideline. Is there a point where you felt confident in him being out there?) – “Yes. I pretty much have said that to him every week of ‘Stay out of the way.’ Any time we’ve got a guy down there that’s coming off an injury, that’s the last thing that you want to see is something else happen. He’s staying away from the play for the most part. I think sometimes he creeps a little too close to where you’ve got to remind him. For him, he feels like he’s already alright and he’s doing a lot of the things that it looks like he’s alright but we just know that it’s a process. We’ve still got a ways to go.”
(With RB Jay Ajayi and the hands situation or the pass catching, obviously he puts so much work into it in the offseason. Why is it not translating in games?) – “I think a few of the opportunities that he had – I know last week he wasn’t really happy with himself – one is to just get his head around quicker. He’s trying to run a good route and the ball needs to come out because we’re getting a little pressure in (Cutler’s ) face to where you’ve just got to understand that the house is burning down and you’ve got to get it out. The other one, he’s trying to run before he catches it. It’s just, no matter who it is, I haven’t seen many guys that consistently catch it where they start turning their head and don’t look it in. I think you just learn from those mistakes and understand that we’ve got a long way to go and we’re going to keep putting him in situations to where it’s another touch for him and for us it’s almost like a perimeter run. If we can get him the ball in open space, that’s a plus for us.”
(Does it make it difficult to work on that when RB Jay Ajayi is not practicing once a week?) – “Well, when he does practice, he’s constantly catching balls. He’s trying to work on route detail. (Running Backs Coach) Danny (Barrett) does a good job of making sure he hits as many things as possible in the days that he’s practicing. I think that what we’re doing with him is the right thing for what he needs to make sure that we can get him fighting through the whole season. Obviously, last game, you don’t go into the game thinking he’s going to get that many touches but when he does, it seems like we’re productive. We just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing of keeping him healthy on Sundays.”
(A lot of coaches look at those swing passes as, essentially, extended handoffs. How beneficial is it to be able to hit those consistently if you can?) – “It’s good when it works. It looks terrible when a linebacker goes flying out there and he matches it pretty good and now all of the sudden it looks terrible. When you can catch a team when they’re blitzing and he’s free releasing, that’s really when it’s best. When you don’t catch them in those, it’s brutal.”
(We know RB Damien Williams is one of your favorite guys. How do you get him incorporated a little bit more in the offense?) – “I think we have. He was very productive for us last game. We’re trying to find that balance between him and Jay (Ajayi). I think there’s a lot of trust there, especially on third down, with Damien. It seems like he’s (in the) right place, right time all of the time and he makes plays when the most critical situation comes up. He’s very detailed in what he does. It’s hard to find guys that are in a backup position and is as valuable on special teams and at the running back position as he is, and then still is a playmaker on offense. I think he’s done nothing but get better since we’ve been here. He’s very passionate about what he does. When he gets the ball, it’s rare to see him go down on the first hit. He fights for every inch.”
(You’re one of nine of 16 AFC teams with three wins. What’s going on this year? Is it just parity?) – “I have no idea. I’m not worried about anybody else. We’ve got to worry about us.”
(How much preparation for regular season games do you do back in August or in the offseason? Do you dedicate days to where you’ll scout out the Week 13 opponent or whatever?) – “That’s not really us.”
(So you really don’t do anything until you get to the week of the game?) – “Yes. I’ll forget everything. (laughter)”
(How do you begin? Obviously you’re not finished wrapping up with the Jets, but when do you begin the turnaround for next week’s Thursday night game?) – “After this one’s over, so (Sunday) night. A bunch of us just end up coming back to the office and just start working on the next one. It’s tough because you’ve got to shake – no matter what happens, win or lose – you’ve got to shake (the previous game) and move onto the next one. It’s a very short period of time. If you win, it’s very short to feel good about yourself and then when you lose, you better get over it fast because you don’t want one loss to become two just because you can’t shake it.”
(Normally these games are divisional games. Is this out of the norm that it’s not a divisional game?) – “I don’t think so. Maybe I’m 50/50 on these Thursday night games as far as non-divisional games. Last year, what did we play? Cincinnati? I’m trying to think. It’s been probably 50/50 for me.”
(What do you give up, logistically, in terms of what you can work on? What do you say, ‘We’re going to not have to spend as much time on this or that?’) – “Really, it’s everything. You’re cutting corners all over the place and you try to keep everything as tight as possible. You just don’t give your players a ton of stuff. You try to narrow it down as best you can. Anytime you play a team like we’re going to play, offensively, it’s tough because they do a lot of stuff and they can get to a lot of things very quickly. They can change up on you. For offense, some defenses don’t have to prepare as hard as what we would have to do for next week because maybe an offense is a little bit more cookie cutter or maybe there’s something that a team’s chameleon all over the place and that’s when it gets tough for your defense.”
