Ndamukong Suh – August 27, 2017
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Sunday, August 27, 2017
DT Ndamukong Suh
(So there is tape of you at fullback? Tight end? Where did they throw you in there?) – “Oh, you’re talking about in college?”
(Yes.) – “Yes, I played a little fullback, coming out of the backfield. I had some good opportunities. It was fun – all fun and games back in college. I’m not saying it wasn’t the real life back then, but it’s a little bit more serious up here at this level.”
(Speaking of serious, you guys probably won’t play much if at all this last game, so how ready do you feel this team is for the regular season?) – “Honestly, I really can’t give a true, honest gauge because we haven’t played a full game. I think we did a lot of good things last week against Philly; but at the end of the day, we still had mistakes. We didn’t win the game. Things of that nature we can learn from. That’s why we’re coming out today, as well as tomorrow and Tuesday, to get good work in.”
(DE Charles Harris, I saw you pointing out a bunch of stuff to him in practice. How important is that young guy to the rotation that you’ve got going up front?) – “I think as any first rounder, we expect him to play. That’s what you get drafted at that high of a level (to do) and I think he has the capability to do it. Obviously he has the athleticism to do it. (There’s) a lot of excitement from what he has and what he brings – his attention to detail. He’s always willing to learn so he’s asking questions and that’s where communication really comes from. (Andre) Branch and Cam (Wake) have really taken him under their wings to learn footwork and all of that stuff at the defensive end position. It’s exciting for him and I think he’s going to have a good opportunity to play at a very high level for us.”
(How much can you throw at a young guy? Can you throw DE Charles Harris inside? Can you move him around? Can you do things with a guy like that?) – “I think Charles definitely has the opportunity to be able to do that. I think the biggest goal is that we want everybody on our defensive line to have that flexibility and that ability to play every position across the board. That’s what we focus on. ‘Coach T’ (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) pushes us, pushes in all different positions, just to see how well we can focus and understand what each and every single guy is doing because at the end of the day, if we understand what everybody else is doing, then we have to understand our own job and it all meshes together and we can go together.”
Kenny Stills – August 27, 2017
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Sunday, August 27, 2017
WR Kenny Stills
(Playing with QB Jay Cutler, he likes to throw the ball downfield. What does that do for you guys as an offense and do for you as a receiver?) – “It’s like I talked about before, we just know at any point in time, he’s going to feed the ball to anybody, so get down the field and get open and we know he can get it to us.”
Ndamukong Suh:
(Are you excited about QB Jay Cutler? Are you going to get out there on offense maybe? Do you see the way he throws it around?) – “I hope so. I hope they give me the opportunity. I want to play a little fullback; a little tight end. Put me in some goal line (packages). I’m ready. (laughter)”
Kenny Stills:
“He didn’t see him get a couple of touchdowns.”
Ndamukong Suh:
“They haven’t seen my college film. My college film speaks volumes. (laughter)”
(The way QB Jay Cutler spreads it around, DT Ndamukong Suh might be able to get a few touchdowns, no?) – “I’m ready.”
Kenny Stills:
“A little Suh in the flat. (laughter)”
(As far as QB Jay Cutler spreading the ball around, are you guys aware that I think TE Julius Thomas had two receptions, Cutler went to you, he went to WR DeVante Parker, he went to WR Jarvis Landry. Are you guys aware of that as receivers that you could get the ball at any time?) – “I mean we know we’ve got a ton of talent on offense. We’re just trying to do our job. If everyone does their job on any given play, we know there’s an opportunity for us to go out there and do something. We’re just having fun and we know that the more that we all do our job, it’s going to be hard to stop us.”
(How does the offense improve on third down?) – “Attention to detail, fixing the penalties. I think we had a turnover early, on the early downs. Just all of us being on the same page. Continue to come out here and practice and like I said, just clean up those little things and really fine-tune our offense and know our assignment and going out there and doing it.”
(Is this a little bit of a weird week for the veterans who likely won’t be playing on Thursday that you’re practicing a couple of days?) – “It’s a regular work week for us. We played well on Thursday, but we know we’ve got a long way to go. We’re out here just trying to get better every day.”
DeVante Parker – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On what he has learned from QB Jay Cutler:
“He likes to throw it deep whenever he has a chance. He likes tall receivers and likes guys who can go up get the ball.”
On whether this is the perfect scenario working with QB Jay Cutler:
“Yes, I have a good connection with him. I just like how he has trust in us to just make a play and come down with it.”
On whether there was a point in practice or tonight’s game where it clicked with him and QB Jay Cutler:
“I feel like during practice that he just wanted to launch it up one time and see what happens, and he did and I came down with it. Hopefully I can continue this connection with him.”
On QB Jay Cutler comparing Parker to Eagles WR Alshon Jeffrey:
“I feel good about it. He is a good receiver and he makes plays. He is a great receiver and I like that comparison from him.”
On whether scoring less than 10 touchdowns would be a disappointment this season:
“Nobody is going for anything. I just go out there and play. Whatever happens; just happens.”
Jay Cutler – August 24, 2017
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins QB Jay Cutler (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On his 72-yard completion to WR DeVante Parker in the first quarter to set up a 2-yard score:
“It was just one-on-one [coverage]. [With] a guy like that, one-on-one opportunities you got to try and find those matchups for him and give him a shot at the ball and he can do things like that.”
On whether he intentionally placed the ball on Parker’s left shoulder:
“[I] just kind of threw it out there. You just don’t want to overthrow him, that’s my biggest thing with a lot of these guys, just don’t overthrow him and give him a chance to play the ball because they’re really good with the ball in the air.”
On when he knew Parker had the ability to make big plays down the field:
“Day One. I mean, you watch him run, you watch him move, you watch his ability with the ball in the air and you kind of know what you got pretty quickly with that kind of talent.”
On whether he prefers throwing to big receivers:
“I’ve had them; over the last 12 years I’ve usually just had one. [I’ve] been able to play with them, so I know what they like and they can make life pretty easy on a quarterback.”
On developing connections with the receiving corps over the past week:
“I mean, they’re really good players. They’re going to get open, they’re going to create opportunities for themselves. It’s just kind of my job to get them the ball. The two days we’ve practiced in Philly, and then today, they did exactly what we thought they were going to do. Our guys got open and we felt good about the drives that we had.”
On how beneficial the week of practice was:
“I think [this week of practice] sped up things a little bit, because you got some more game-like situations and practicing against [the Eagles], so I think I was able to speed up my clock. Normally where I would be if – well, there’s no real normal because I’ve never sat out this much football – so it’s kind of a learning curve for me and [Dolphins head coach] Adam [Gase] and everybody else.”
On whether he prefers to run the hurry-up offense:
“That’s kind of how it was introduced to me with Adam in Chicago, and that’s kind of how I learned it. These guys, they seem comfortable with it. We kind of went in-and-out of it today, so it’s just something we like to use. It’s another weapon we can get into, and if we don’t like it, we can slow it down.”
On whether he was surprised by WR Kenny Stills’ speed:
“These guys, they’re different speeds. Whenever they get green grass, they’re gone. We were kind of in a short field and I got moved out of spot a little bit to the left and just touched late to him. Probably when I watch it on film, [I’m] going to want to drive a little more and pull him across the field. We were lucky to get the pass interference there. All three of them — Jarvis [Landry], DeVante [Parker], Kenny – they’re talented weapons and I’m glad they’re on our squad.”
On his comfort level with C Mike Pouncey:
“He’s a player. He does his thing; to have a center like that makes things much easier for me, as well.”
Lawrence Timmons – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins LB Lawrence Timmons (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On how his interception went from his perspective:
“It went pretty well. I just saw the [Eagles] QB [Carson Wentz] and a tight end tried to grab me. I pushed off and saw the ball, and maintained the ball.”
On if he feels like he’s grasping what the Dolphins need him to do here:
“I feel like it’s coming along. I’m taking baby steps now. It’s my first year here, but it’s coming along really well.”
On if he’s worried about communication issues or if he thinks they can get it cleaned up quickly:
“I feel like we can work on it right now. We have a big week of practice next week and we’re going to establish our identity, but we’re going to be pretty good.”
On what he thinks will be a point of emphasis from now until the start of the regular season:
“Just camaraderie. We just have to play together and get our energy. I feel like our energy could be better. Just finishing strong and things of that nature I think we can work on.”
Ndamukong Suh – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On whether seeing the turnovers the defense produces entices him that they’re picking up where they left off last year:
“I think it’s good. Obviously, we want to create as many turnovers as we can. It’s something that we pride ourselves on – being aggressive at all three levels. The defense where that’s coming from is up front. The linebackers on secondary want to be aggressive and create turnovers and get the ball back to the offense.”
On how close to ready he is for the regular season:
“I think personally I’m in good shape. I think I’m prepared to play a full game. At the end of the day it’s just going to come down to being ready for Tampa [Bay]. I think there’s no real way to tell until you actually get into it. I think mentally and physically I’m there, but at the end of the day you’re not going to really find out until you get into a true game because you never know how it’s going to play out for you.”
On how he fixes the issues of the breakdowns on defense and third down struggles:
“I think it’s a lineman assignment. Being in the right places and then obviously being able to tackle like some of them had to do at that point. But I think it’s a little bit of schematics of us not being in the right places, but I have to go back and look at the film to be able to confirm that for you.”
On whether he’s comfortable where the defense is right now:
“I’m not comfortable at all. I think we have a big week of practice ahead of us and, to me, in my personal opinion being comfortable and being complacent – I don’t want this defense to be complacent by any means. I think there were a lot of good things that we did this particular week in practice as well as in this game from my memory, but like I said, I‘m going to go back and watch the film and be able to build off of that and be prepared for the fourth preseason game that’s more important than Tampa.”
On whether he feels they are on track or behind this time of year:
“I think we’re in a good place, but I think at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter where we think we’re at. It’s about being able to go out there and perform in week one. As much as you think you’re in a good place or not, you can’t be comfortable and can’t be complacent. We have to go back to work on Sunday when we get back and be prepared for what we need to get done.”
Cameron Wake – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On how he would assess the team’s readiness for the regular season with about two weeks to go:
“Well, we obviously have some things to work on. A little rusty, little rough around the edges, but I think tonight was a good test and I think it was a good indication. Like I said, we kind of have to buckle down Monday, or whenever we get back to work, and get to work on things that showed up in the game that we have to fix.”
On one specific thing that he knows the defensive unit can do better than what occurred tonight:
“Big plays, obviously. Communication, probably on a couple things. I know there was some communication issues with a couple things. But I don’t think anything dramatic. The effort was there, I think guys were playing hard. But like I said, the little details. I mean on defense, one play can kind of turn the whole tide. So it’s the little things we have to work on and make sure that we iron out to make sure when the regular season does come, we are ready to go.”
On if there was an adjustment period getting used to new Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke or if it wasn’t an issue:
“I don’t think so. I mean, it would be different if he was a guy who came from Mars and we had never met him and, you know, he had a whole new plan and a whole new scheme and all that. But he was here with us last year [as Linebackers coach]. We are running pretty much the same defense that we were running last year. So I don’t think there is much of an adjustment. It’s getting on the same page and making sure that guys are working well together. Because like I said, defense is different than offense. Offense, you can play three quarters and have one good quarter and score four touchdowns, you win the game. Defense, you play 90 percent of the game great, have three bad plays, you lose. So you know, it’s all game long, every play, no matter what series it is. You can’t be up and down or back and forth.”
Byron Maxwell – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins CB Byron Maxwell (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On covering the Eagles offense:
“I had him covered. I should’ve just stayed on the post but your eyes play tricks on you. You think you see a little, you see a lot and sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”
On [Eagles WR] Torrey Smith throughout practices this week and his potential bounce back year:
“I don’t know. I don’t know if he has a bounce back year or if it’s a good year I couldn’t really tell you nothing about him.”
On how prepared he feels about his second year in Miami:
“This game right here helped a lot. I’m going to go back and study this game and it should help a lot.”
On what he thinks helped the Eagles do so well in this game:
“They got some key first downs. We had them backed up and we just couldn’t get up the field. They got a good feel for us and they made a couple plays.”
