Ryan Tannehill – August 2, 2017
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Wednesday, August 2, 2017
QB Ryan Tannehill
(So is your son, Steel, going to make the 53-man roster?) – “It’s a long shot at this point. He worked hard. He comes out here every day, but I don’t know if the talent level is quite high enough yet. (laughter)”
(What’s he going to play? What position?) – “I don’t know. Kicker or something. (laughter)”
(How nice is it to have your family out here though on a day like this?) – “It’s cool. They don’t make it out every day but on the days they do make it out here, it’s cool. I’ve seen it for years. Older guys have their kids out here and I always thought it was so cool to be able to play catch with your kid. Especially this time of year, it’s the only time of year they’re out here after practice. You go through a hard practice, whether it’s up or down – whatever happened at practice – you can see the joy on the faces of these dads when they play with their kids, and I’m being able to experience that now. So it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
(This is like a process, these practices. But Saturday you have a scrimmage. Do you look forward to that specifically and for you, what you went through, coming back like this just to test yourself a little bit?) – “Honestly, it’s just another step in our preparation for the season. Obviously we will have more live periods in that practice, so the intensity of that practice is up more than just your standard practice; but I go about it the same way that I prepare for every other practice – go out and learn and push yourself and see how we can get better.”
(So no different for you considering the brace and wondering what I can do?) – “Yes, it’s not a lot different. I push myself out here like I will on Saturday, so it’s not a whole lot different.”
(A couple guys have said you’ve taken particularly chances with your throws being more aggressive in training camp. Do you agree with that at all?) – “Yes, I mean early in training camp – throughout the spring and early in training camp – (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase wants me to push myself. He wants me to take chances and test my limits, test our receivers limits and find those boundaries. Then the closer we get to games, the more we’ll tighten things up and start protecting the football a little bit more. But right now, we’re in the part of the preseason where we’re finding those boundaries. We’re figuring out what those boundaries are and we want to push those limits.”
(Would you say that as far as you, is it throws in the middle of the field, throws outside the hash mark, deep throws? Where do you test yourself specifically?) – “Just any situation where it is tight coverage and guys are one-on-one and you try to give them a chance and see what happens. We have a lot of talented guys on the outside and it’s finding the right balance of giving them a shot and protecting the football. That’s what it comes down to is each guy plays it a little differently; finding those guys strengths and how they attack the football in certain situations and we’ll go from there.”
(Do you have to be really quite confident and secure in your situation to get to this level? Was that a process getting to that level? Like testing yourself in tight spaces and stuff as opposed to in years past when you had to prove yourself more?) – “Yes, I think that’s just the progression of the offense. It’s Year 2 and we’re fine-tuning now as opposed to learning overall concepts. That’s part of the fine-tuning process is testing ourselves and pushing the limits and finding our boundaries.”
(There was a moment in Monday’s practice where guys were tackling each other. That was fun. But you pulled aside like 30 guys. You were right in the middle I noticed and you were pretty vocal and delivering some type of message. I hope you remember this. Why did you decide to do that and if you could share some of the messaging.) – “There was just a lull in practice. I felt the energy drop. We had a strong first period as an offense and I felt the energy drop on the offensive side of the ball and we can’t have that. We can’t have the ups and downs throughout practice and throughout games. We have to establish habits of pushing ourselves and keeping the energy high, the intensity high. Things get tough. I think we went from a live to an un-live period and kind of felt everyone relax a little bit. We don’t have time to relax. We have to keep pushing ourselves to keep the intensity high and keep the pressure on the defense. You saw it. The defense was playing fast and flying around and I didn’t feel like, as an offense, that we were playing the way we needed to play. I think we were able to respond the second half of practice and come back with energy and execute the way we need to do it.”
(Is that the residual effect of maybe a 1-4 start last year that maybe you weren’t ready to jump out of the gate and you’re trying to stress that this year? Maybe you need to get out of the gate quicker?) – “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it that deeply. It’s just a matter of establishing practice habits this time of year, throughout the spring and throughout the preseason, that we’re not going to accept the up and down flows of tempo, energy. It’s a tough league. It’s tough to win in this league and to win consistently, and we need our best each and every day – not part of the day, not half of the day. We need our best the whole day. It’s just establishing those habits as a team, where it doesn’t really matter what’s going, we just keep pushing each other, lifting each other up and moving forward in the right direction, then good things are going to happen for us.”
(You’re such a pleasant, even-keeled guy. Was there a moment over the last two years where you’ve said to yourself “I need to be comfortable being tough on teammates when needed in the position I’m in as starting quarterback?”) – “I’m even-keeled with you guys most of the time. I’m not always even-keeled (laughter). I have a fire and a competitive spirit and a drive to win. There are certain situations where I have to get on my guys. I don’t think there was a moment where I just sat and realized that. It’s always been a part of me. I think (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has given me the freedom and the confidence to be myself and to lead in the way that I want to lead. He has my back and we’re in this thing together. He knows how my heart is in this thing so he’s giving me the freedom to go out and lead the way that I want to lead. It’s been really fun for me. I think I’ve seen our team grow because of that.”
(How much have you guys brought on the makeup of Head Coach Adam Gase – that competitive spirit and the aggressiveness of the coach – how much have you brought that on and also the offense this year?) – “Well, I think you take after your head coach. I think no matter what it is and who it is in the league, what head coach, I think the building kind of takes on his mindset and the way he goes about things. That’s definitely true in this building. The fire he has and the competitive spirit, the will to win, relational – I think you see a closer, tightknit building than we’ve had in the past.”
(So you better keep that going by signing Head Coach Adam Gase’s kids’ autographs and stuff. You can’t reject that. It’s very important for the relationship, right?) – “(Laughter) Yes, I don’t know. We’ll see. (laughter)”
(There was a red zone touchdown pass to TE Anthony Fasano where I think you rolled out to the right today. I know you threw several touchdowns. But you rolled out to the right, it might have been play action. Last year that was such a successful part of the offense, the play-action roll out. Getting into X’s and O’s a little bit, what does that do to a defense? Why was that effective? Can it be effective moving forward?) – “I think it all starts with the run game. If you have an effective run game and are gaining yards on the ground then they have to honor it. If you can get the linebackers flowing downhill then you’re able to have the play action and roll out. Everybody has to change directions and go back the other way, so you’re able to get leverage and get guys open just because of the aggressiveness of the defense. But it all starts with the run game. If you’re not running the football effectively, you’re not going to get the same pull out of the defense. That’s part of it is having a good running back and having a good run game and we’ll need to use the play pass and the play actions to counteract that.”
T.J. McDonald – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
S T.J. McDonald
(How much do you enjoy the sound of shoulder pads colliding?) – “It means football is back. I enjoy it a lot. I definitely have a lot of fun with it.”
(You got somebody good today. Was that RB Jay Ajayi?) – “Yes, that was in the period that … we had a couple periods – a couple live periods – that wasn’t live, though. I was just trying to thud him up and do my job. It’s always good to have contact and it is football, so it’s going to happen.”
(Do you look forward to the preseason games as closer to actual games for you since you’ll be out for a while?) – “Yes, I’m looking forward to live bullets, going out there and getting live action and all that. I understand that I’m going to have my time to be out there and play before I’m going to have to be sitting out for a while. I’m going to take full advantage of it and try to get better throughout every week through the preseason, and I think it will pay off for me.”
(Does that delay cross your mind at all during training camp? When you get done with a day do you…) – “No, I don’t have time to think about that right now. I’m trying to get better, trying to learn. I’m in a new system. I’m trying to get comfortable in this system and just make sure I’m on the same page with everybody. I think that would be selfish of me to put myself in front of that and be thinking about my situation. I’m just trying to get better every day.”
(With all of that being said, have you had a conversation with the coaching staff about specifically what they’d like you to do and what you’d like to do during September and October on a daily basis within the rules?) – “They have a plan for me. We haven’t gone that far yet as far as all that. We’ve got a while left in training camp and I think that my focus right now just needs to be on training camp. I know they have a plan for me and we’ll figure that out when that time comes, but right now I’m just focused on getting through the preseason and getting better and getting comfortable in this system.”
(Where is your comfort level in terms of being in the system?) – “I’m still learning. I’m definitely not comfortable yet. I’m still learning. Going through OTAs definitely helped me a lot, but you still have to get out there and see different looks and things like that. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Burke and (Defensive Backs) Coach Lou (Anarumo) do a great job of breaking it down and making it a lot easier for us. For me, this isn’t my first year, so I understand defense; but this system is a little different and I’m definitely learning, so I’m still learning.”
(You’re mostly an in-the-box safety, or at least you have been going back to your career. How does this system work in terms of left-right, strong-free?) – “They’re really interchangeable. Free safety and strong safety in this defense are interchangeable. We do a lot of similar things depending on different looks that we get and things like that. I can do both. It’s more so having to learn … You have to learn both. It’s not like you’re just going to learn strong safety, because the strong safety is not just the only one in the box. Sometimes I’ll be in the post and you get two high looks, things like that. So you just learn both and learn how to be interchangeable between both because we do a lot of the same things.”
(I saw former S Isa Abdul-Quddus hanging around. Have you guys been able to have any interesting or helpful conversation?) – “Yes, definitely. He’s helpful to be around. He’s the one on the film right now that we were watching from last year. He’s got experience in this system, so having him in the meeting room definitely helps and he was out there on the sideline today and things like that. Having him in the room, someone who’s been there, someone who’s done it in this system, is definitely helpful.”
(The Dolphins receivers and running backs were recently rated by one national writer as No. 3 in the NFL. What are your early impressions on the tight ends, receivers, and running backs on this team?) – “There’s a lot of talent. They’ve got guys that stretch the field, guys that can catch the short ball and guys that can run after the catch, and also running backs in the backfield that are powerful running backs. Jay’s (Ajayi) done it, Damien’s (Williams) a great back, and (Kenyan) Drake as well. Julius (Thomas) at tight end; they’ve got so much talent over there that they can really … I know for (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase, it’s not going to be too hard to call plays and whatnot with all that talent because they’ve got so much stuff going on over there. They can stretch the field, they can run the ball, they can do everything. You really have to play honest as a defense with all those weapons.”
(Does any one of them have a talent that makes you say, ‘Oh I didn’t know he could do that,’ whether it’s RB Jay Ajayi and his tough running or WR Jarvis Landry and his hands? Anything?) – “I played against the Dolphins last year, so I have it kind of broken down, and I think that adding Julius (Thomas) helps a lot, as well. I kind of knew what you were going to get out of those guys. I didn’t know Jarvis (Landry) was as tough as he was; he definitely is a tough runner with the ball in his hands. I know Kenyan’s (Drake) fast, he’s going to stretch the field, and DeVante (Parker) is definitely coming into his own, so I’m excited to play with those guys.”
(Has your buddy DE William Hayes come up with any new theories now that he’s back?) – “Not yet. I think that he’s just getting comfortable. I think that we need to stay tuned for that. I think that it’s coming, though. (laughter)”
(You’re going to be out for such an extended period of time. Is it realistic to expect when you come back, in what will be Game 1 for you, to be at the level that you would’ve been had you played for the entire season? Will there be a period of getting your feet wet?) – “I think that it’ll be my job, according to the plan that has been put in place, for me to stay sharp and stay around the building. I think it’s unrealistic to say that I’ll be able to go out there and pick up like it was nothing; but I think at the same time, it would be realistic to say that my body will feel a lot better in Week 9 than it would if I had played eight weeks. I think those two together … I’ve never done this before. I wish I could give you a better answer, but I think that being able to stay sharp on the mental part of it (is important). I’ve played a lot of games, so it won’t be my first game or anything like that. I’ve played a lot of games in the past, so I think that once I come out there, as long as I’m staying sharp, staying in shape, it might take a little while to make sure I’m all the way back in football shape playing four quarters and all that, but I know that my body will feel good.”
William Hayes – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Defensive End William Hayes
(Was practice more fun today, because there was a little tackling involved?) – “Yes. Any time you get a little more contact, I think it heightens up the practice. For me, I like to play the run. Any time I can get more of it, it’s more fun for me anyway.”
(You are a run-stopping specialist, but I think you had a few sacks, was it yesterday I think?) – “A specialist? (laughter)”
(Expert?) – “I guess I can just play the run. I don’t know about the specialist part. (laughter)”
(How do you feel when you have a day like that against the pass? Are you especially proud of yourself or is it just another day in the life?) – “I’m a defensive end, so I figure I should be able to pass rush, too. It’s just something I work on a little bit more and try to get better at. I guess the run (would) probably be … I’m definitely a lot better at the run; but I’m just working on my craft. When you see it start working, it’s a beautiful thing.”
(What does it feel like to tackle someone? You don’t always get to do that in practice.) – “It’s cool. It’s fun. It’s part of football. See ball; get ball. That’s how I play it.”
(It’s more fun for us, too.) – “It is.”
(We like it when you hit each other.) – “Yes, it gets a little bit more testy out there.”
(You played your entire career before now for Jeff Fisher, right?) – “I had one year with (Mike) Munchak.”
(Is it strange at all being at this part of the year and not hearing him or being around him?) – “Not really. (Head Coach Adam) Gase is very personable, so they kind of got a lot of same traits like the way (players) interact with the coach a lot. That’s cool. It’s not really a drop off from that standpoint.”
(This is probably a better question to ask you five weeks from now, but from being around DE Charles Harris now for several months – a couple of months – any feel for what he might be able to give you guys this year?) – “He’s a special football player, very explosive. The thing I like about him the most is every day he continues to work on his craft. If he has an issue, it’s not like he’s lackadaisical about it, and none of the rookies are. They really focus on their craft. But he’s very coachable. From the coaches to me, Cam (Wake) or (Andre) Branch saying something to him, he takes everything that you say, and he takes it personal.”
(What are some new theories that you explored during your free time this offseason?) – “I haven’t had too much free time. I’ve been really working on football. I think the theory thing, we’ve probably got to hold off on that until after the season. It’s football time now. I’m just here trying to help win some games.”
(How settled in would you say you are in terms of your new team, new defense?) – “I’m pretty settled in. I’m still learning the playbook. I was trying to get the playbook a little bit better. But for the most part, I’ve got everything down. The more you know it, the faster you’ll be able to play. But for the most part, I process everything. I don’t have too many ‘MEs’ (mental errors), so I guess I’m taking everything in pretty good.”
(DE Andre Branch said the defensive line holds everyone accountable. Is that something you’ve noticed? Is that something you’ve picked up on? Are you comfortable holding new teammates accountable?) – “Yes I am, because I practice a certain type of way and I play a certain type of way. If I tell you to do something, I’m not going to be saying nothing that I wouldn’t do for myself. I don’t have any issues with adjusting to that. That’s kind of how I’ve always done things. From (Ndamukong) Suh to Cam (Wake) to (Andre) Branch – I don’t care who it is – we’ve all got to hold each other accountable. If I say something to Suh, he shouldn’t take it personal, because if he says something to me, I wouldn’t take it personal. For the most part, we’ve been doing a good job with that. That’s not something I had to deal with. That’s something I’m really accustomed to.”
(Is that pretty normal with the group?) – “Yes. I feel like if you do something and you’re leading by example, nobody should have a problem with it if you tell them they need to run to the ball harder or they might need to play this a little bit better, because at the end of the day, you see me out there doing it. I make an effort to get to the ball. If I have to tell somebody, ‘You’re slacking,’ it shouldn’t be an issue. When they see me, they see me as I can be an example.”
(What is a respectable yards per carry average in your mind?) – “Zero. (laughter) I don’t know. I don’t really get into all the statistics. I just want to try to get them to second-and-long, so Cam (Wake) can come in and get a sack.”
(You had your veteran rest day or veteran off day given to you by Head Coach Adam Gase. Which side do you fall on that? Do you want to grind every day and be out there, or it’s a marathon, you need to give your body a break?) – “If you let me, I probably want to be out there, but he’s the coach and he knows what he’s doing, so I’ve just got to believe in his system. He has been doing a good job of keeping guys healthy and winning football games, so I’m going to do whatever he wants me to do.”
(Is a veteran off day enjoyable? What do you do?) – “Looking at practice. I like the grind; but at the end of the day, like I said, he’s a winner. He has proven that, so I’m going to follow by his system.”
(Did you know they tried to give DE Cameron Wake the day off today?) – “I figured that wasn’t going to happen. First full day, first live day, he wasn’t going (out). I wouldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t have done that either.”
(What have you really enjoyed, what have you liked about this new group that you’re part of, this locker room?) – “The chemistry they’ve got here. Everybody just wants to win. That’s the beautiful part about this team. I’m going there and not trying to change the culture. I’m just trying to come in and put my stamp on the game. I’ve just been constantly taking in whatever they tell me to do. It’s a beautiful thing. You can see the system here. You can see the progression this team has taken. To me, I think we look a lot better since OTAs to now. We’re just going to continue to get better and better.”
(You mentioned everybody running to the football. I don’t know if this is more of a collegiate thing, but do you count loafs by any chance and if so, how?) – “I don’t think you count loafs; but it’s pretty easy to see on film. If you see yourself running and you’re running by somebody, you figure they probably could’ve run a little faster or if you see somebody not giving the effort. Like I said, you just hold them accountable. Let them know that’s not acceptable. That’s it. The name of the game is to get the ball carrier on the ground.”
(On a day like today when it’s a live scrimmage, how does it feel when the defense pulls out the victory? Is there a different kind of swagger in the locker room?) – “No, not really. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together. We’re competing on the field and when we get back in there, we’re a family. You don’t hold it over nobody’s heads or nothing like that. I’m pretty sure the offense the next time we go live, they’re going to be ready to go a little bit more. You’re just competing on the field, just making each other better.”
(Is there a strategy behind the wool ski cap?) – “No, not really. It gets cold in the rooms. I just try to stay a little warm.”
(I’ve seen you and G/T Laremy Tunsil talk quite a bit already in this camp, sometimes after practice. Just curious what your early impressions of him is and what kind of knowledge are you sharing?) – “Him and ‘Big 7-0’, big Ja’Wuan (James). I’m just kind of giving them a little feedback on things that I possibly see. I’m not their coach; but I let them know how talented they really are. They’re two exceptional tackles. If they keep working, they can be the two best tackles in football, and I really do mean that. They’re very, very talented.”
Kenyan Drake – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Running Back Kenyan Drake
(What does it feel like to actually get hit – legit tackled hit – for the first time in a while?) – “It was very reassuring. It was good to be back out there – full pads, full speed, full go. The defense was ready to get at us. We were ready to get at the defense. It was good to get the competitive juices really flowing again.”
(We’re not 100 percent sure, but we think you were involved in the scuffle. Is that accurate?) – “Sometimes you got to get in (and) get down and dirty sometimes. It’s football. It’s a contact sport. You can’t avoid contact at all times. You try to keep in on the practice field – keep it off the game field – because you get flagged 15 yards in a game. The competitive juices kind of get flowing once everybody goes to the ground, so it happens every now and then.”
(What started it?) – “I don’t know. Just some scuffle. I saw my guys in white jerseys in it, so I was like, ‘What the heck, I’m going to join, too.’”
(So you weren’t the primary?) – “No. I really don’t know (what happened). I just saw people grabbing each other. I tried to go in there, try to break it up, somebody pulled me off. I didn’t like that, so things happened.”
(What is your comfort level compared to last year as a rookie?) – “From a cliché standpoint, a year wiser. That’s simply put, but I’m not really necessarily comfortable, because I won’t necessarily say that I’m where I want to be personally. I know this team is not where we want to be personally. It’s really more about getting used to being uncomfortable, because at the same time, like I said, we’re not where we want to be. We want to take the next step not just be a playoff team, but be a Super Bowl team.”
(Speaking of comfort, we saw RB Jay Ajayi went off the practice field. How comfortable are you in the starting role if that should happen at any point?) – “I feel like any one of our guys are ready to step up and take that responsibility. Jay is a great player, but football is a very brutal sport, so if somebody goes down, it’s always the next man up. We wish everybody to obviously be healthy, because we need everybody at full speed to be a great team, but I feel like any one of us are ready to come up and have that role.”
(I know all three of you guys are trying to be complete backs, but I was thinking about the receiving perspective. In my opinion – there might not be a group as good being able to do things in the passing game out of the backfield. How would you describe what you all have from a receiving perspective out of the backfield?) – “Just being a complete back in general, not just with running the routes; but also being versatile and getting lined up out wide. (Head Coach Adam) Gase does a great job with putting us in space with linebackers and safeties, so we can exploit that versatility that we do have. Any one of us can go out there and execute that. I feel like Gase does a great job of putting us in the best position to be successful.”
(Did you see how RB Jay Ajayi got dinged up?) – “No. Like I said, it was full contact in various periods today, so who knows. He was taking shots left and right, and that’s just the game. I’m pretty sure he’ll be back sooner rather than later, so I’m praying for his recovery.”
(You guys committed last year to being an outside zone team, and that was something you guys worked on a lot. You also during the season had some success running some power as well. Is that something that you guys could go into a little bit this year as well, have that in your bag of tricks and be a little more versatile?) – “Yes, of course. Having that outside zone scheme definitely opens up the capabilities of the offense, because stretching the defense out gets the defense to run. With the inside zone scheme, it’s all about the perception of an outside zone play and hitting it down the field, so when they take a couple steps out farther than what they think – thinking it’s an outside zone play – you kind of crease it up the middle and get 3 or 4 yards. Those 3 or 4 yard plays turn into 10 and as the game goes on, you hope you can break them as the defense wears down.”
(You got a little bit of a break with the weather. It was a nice overcast day for training camp in pads. It wasn’t as hot.) – “Yes, but the humidity down here, that’s a killer. The sun might not have been out, but it still feels like you’re practicing in a swimming pool. It’s cool to be down here and acclimated, because I feel like it’s our home-field advantage.”
(With punt returns, how comfortable are you getting fielding those balls?) – “It’s an everyday thing. The weather today kind of played a factor. I should’ve took my visor off, because it was kind of hard to judge the ball when it went up in the air with the rain and the wind and things like that. That would be like a game thing. I won’t have my visor on and things like that; but it’s a process every day, because it’s not like kick return where it’s a fixed point where the ball will be. You’re liable for the ball to skip off somebody, for it to be blocked or somebody being in your face. It’s about having that confidence. The more I do it, the more confident I’ll be.”
(What’s the hardest part about that job?) – “Just (the) unpredictability of it. You’ve got to have that confidence like, ‘Alright, when I get this ball – when I catch it, first and foremost – I have to possess it.’ That’s the most important thing. I think (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) ‘Rizz’ (Darren Rizzi) stresses that a lot. You don’t necessarily have to catch the ball, because at the same time, possession is the most important thing. If the ball hits the ground and it rolls, we still have that possession. As long as the offense comes on the field the next play, we have a win, because we’ve got the ball back. We don’t have to be heroes back there. As long as we possess the ball, that’s the most important thing.”
(You obviously did the kick returning last year. Have you been told we want you to compete for the punt return this year as well?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’ve been told that, but I want to go out there and put myself in (the) best position to help my team win. If fielding punts, if playing my natural positon at running back, if lining up out wide being a receiver, kick returner, punt returner, kickoff, anything they ask me to do, I’m all for it.”
(In one-on-one pass protection drills, I’ve seen you and LB Kiko Alonso seem to have some good, lively battles. Is that aspect of your game closer to a strength or a weakness right now?) – “I feel like in anything I’m doing … This is practice, so I’m trying to get better at everything, whether that’s running between tackles, lining up out wide, being comfortable coming off of press, releases, pass blocking, anything I feel right now, I feel like I need to get better at. I appreciate the competition that the linebackers and everybody else gives everybody as we’re out there. We’re all competitors. We’re all trying to get better. I just enjoy going out there and getting better every day.”
(You and LB Neville Hewitt kind of have a chippy thing going? What’s it like in the locker room after practice?) – “We’re teammates at the end of the day. Once we step off the field, we’re back to real life. It’s kind of cool going out there and being competitors and doing what you’ve got to do to get the edge; but at the same time, you’ve got to realize we’re all human beings at the end of the day, so I don’t hold any grudges against anybody.”
Raekwon McMillan – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
LB Raekwon McMillan
(First day out there in pads. How was that?) – “It was fun to go out there and finally get to tackle somebody, hit somebody and run around. You know as a ‘rook,’ (rookie) you can’t just worry about the defensive portion of practice. You’ve got to go out there and take it one period at a time – individuals, special teams, all that stuff. You’ve got to go hard in everything because you’re still trying to prove yourself to the coaches that you’re worth whatever you’re worth and that I can do everything that I’m expected to do.”
(How much faster has it been than college?) – “It’s a lot faster. I was talking to a couple of my teammates last night – old teammates – about how practice is during the day, and I was like, ‘Man, every snap is like playing the best team in your conference on game day.’ I can only imagine how it will be in a game. If every day in practice is like game day in college, I can only imagine how it is in the game.”
(Are things beginning to slow down for you a little bit?) – “Yes, for sure. When I first came here in the spring, my head was spinning, I wasn’t making the right calls, coach is in my ear – I’ve got the headphone in my ear so he didn’t really have to yell. He’s in my ear the whole time. But now it’s kind of slowing down to me. I kind of have a full understanding, repping in with one’s and the two’s. So it’s just a blessing to be where I’m at.”
(Making the calls, I remember I got a chance to speak to Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner when he was a rookie. He was just … getting in there, making the calls with the veterans, that proved to be a little bit challenging for him. But how big is that for you to be able to get in there and be accepted and be able to make those calls amongst the veterans and have them be accepting of whatever it is you need to communicate?) – “One thing I thing I learned about the NFL, I’ve only been in the league for a couple of months. One thing I’ve learned is you earn respect by going out there and doing it every day. You can’t just come in just because I’m a second-round draft pick and expect people to respect me. They don’t know who I am. They don’t know what I’m capable of until I went out there and showed them. So when I came here, yes, I’m a second-round pick, this, that and the third; but I had to go out there and show the older guys. And once I got more reps in with them, I started earning some of their trust. I’m sure I haven’t fully earned everybody’s trust, but over time we’ll go out the better together.”
(How do you use personality in being able to kind of be outgoing in order to make those calls in the middle there?) – “You just have to be confident, not much outgoing. You’ve just got to be confident in everything that you say, because even if you’re wrong, if you say it loud and proud and confident, they’re going to listen to you. So that’s just kind of another trait at middle linebacker.”
(You said that you’re wearing the head piece. Does everybody have the head piece or?) – “No. You’re only allowed to have one person on the field with the head piece. So when I’m on the field, I’m the guy with the head piece.”
(So when LB Kiko Alonso’s on the field, he doesn’t have a head piece?) – “Yes, so he’s not … In practice, we both have it; but in a game, it will only be one person. When I’m in, I’m calling it. When he’s in, he’s calling it.”
(How much time knowing that you’d have the responsibility of calling plays, how much time have you spent during those six weeks off studying the play book?) – “I try to take about an hour a day, just to look at my playbook during the offseason. I try not to get too mind-bogged in it. I was all over the place my offseason. I went back to Ohio State, went home to Georgia and went back to Jamaica. I had some fun because I knew once it’s time to come back and lock in, I’m not going to be able to get out of these walls.”
(Your skillset obviously you can play strong side, obviously you can play Mike. Where do you envision your skills being best suited to long term? As a Mike, do you think? What’s your first gut instinct reaction to that play?) – “I mean I’ve always played Mike my whole life, as you know. But like ‘L.T.’ (Lawrence Timmons), ‘L.T.’ has been in the league for 11 years and played every position for the Steelers. So wherever I can find a fit and wherever’s going to keep me a job, that’s where I’ll play at.”
(I enjoyed listening to practice today. It sounded different to me. How did practice sound different today?) – “It’s just another level of intensity. Guys strap up their stuff a little bit tighter when they say live, when we’re going to the ground, because people’s livelihoods are on the ground. We’ve got 90 players on the squad right now – 90 some players – and by the last preseason game, there will only be 50-some. So there’s people’s livelihood on the line and you only have so many chances.”
Andre Branch – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
DE Andre Branch
(Do you enjoy the more physical nature of practice today?) – “No question. It helps practice out a lot. When we are just in jerseys you can’t simulate a game. When you put pads on, it’s game time.”
(What does it sound like to you when pads are colliding during football practice?) – “Football season is back. That’s what it sounds like. There’s no more OTAs, no more minicamp. Football season is here.”
(When did you find out that you were actually going to be able to hit somebody?) – “Offense and defensive line is pretty much the same as it was yesterday. We just got to tackle the running backs and receivers today.”
(You had a strip sack, was that intentional or was the ball just there?) – “I’m going to always go for the ball on every sack; but in practice, we don’t want to hit the quarterback, but I was bending. I didn’t strip him with my hand. That was my shoulder pad. It wasn’t intentional, but it happened.”
(The d-line seems to be playing pretty well this past week. What is it that makes you guys so effective? Obviously the personnel is better. Why are you so good at getting after the quarterback?) – “We compete each and every day. We know what we have in our room and we know what we need to do to win. We have to play at a very high level and if we don’t, then we hold each other accountable each and every day. Me and Cam (Wake) and (Ndamukong) Suh and Will (Hayes) and Jordan (Phillips) and Charles (Harris), and everybody else in that room, we compete each and every day to see who practices the best. It’s kind of friendly competition with us; but we know what we need to do, and that’s what we are going to keep doing.”
(Who’s the one that keeps everyone accountable the most?) – “I think it’s a group effort. At the end of the day, like I said, we know exactly what we have. There’s no one bigger than the other, no matter who they are. If a younger player asks anyone in that room, he could ask another rookie a question, they’re going to answer just like a vet. For us, it’s just everybody plays at the same level and we just keep rolling.”
(What do you think of all the talk about your interior linemen behind DT Ndamukong Suh? All the talk about who’s going to be … Is there enough depth?) – “To be completely honest with you, I haven’t heard of any talk. We just go out there and play and practice, watch film and we correct each other. We don’t focus on what’s going on outside. That’s just what we do.”
(Have you seen defensive line improvement or is it too early to tell?) – “We focus on getting better each and every day. Daily, we’ve been getting better, but there’s tons of things we need to work on. For us it’s a constant battle of getting better each and every day and keep climbing that ladder.”
(I saw you really go out of your way today at one point to talk to DE Charles Harris right there on the field. Does that help him with a correction or a tip? Any light you can share?) – “Anything I can do to help. For me, we know Charles is going to play, and he’s going to play a lot. We need him and he understands that. He’s a student of the game, that’s for sure. He’s going to help us a ton.”
(Speaking of getting better, do you think it’s possible that DE Cam Wake could be better two years removed from an Achilles injury as opposed to one year?) – “I forgot he tore his Achilles. I didn’t even know that. No. (laughter) Cam is a different guy. Anybody that can come back and have the season that he had last year, a lot of people are going to say that it’s hard for someone to improve on that. But if you ask Cam, there are a ton of things that he can work on. Cam leads and he does everything the right way. He got four or five sacks called back, so in Cam’s eyes, that wasn’t his best year. That’s how we look at it and that’s the type of guys we have in our room.”
(Do you know many sacks you had called back?) – “Yes, I do; but I don’t want to talk about it. (laughter)”
(So you guys keep track of how you all are performing? Who’s the top performer right now this first week of camp?) – “I think that we keep track of each other. Like, I keep track of myself, Cam (Wake) keeps track of Cam and (Ndamukong) Suh keeps track of Suh. But if we see one of us slacking, we’re definitely going to tell each other. Like I said, there’s no one bigger than the other. I’m not going to say that X or Y or Z is outperforming the other; but if we feel like there’s something we need to focus on in practice, then it’s going to get done.”
(I’m not saying that this has happened, but would you feel comfortable getting on DT Ndamukong Suh if he needed it?) – “I do it all the time and he does it with me, and Cam (Wake) the same way.”
(DT Ndamukong Suh is receptive to that?) – “For sure. No question. We have a huge respect for one another. Like I said, there’s no one bigger than the other.”
(Speaking of DE Charles Harris earlier, rookies come in all the time and they’re not really that polished or good with their hands a lot of times. Does it surprise you to watch him and the way he is able to use his hands right now?) – “It’s very, very, very good. You know Charles, he has flashes where you see he can be a dominate player in this league. He’s young at the same time, but he comes in each and every day and he wants to work. I wouldn’t say he wants to be accepted, because we already accepted him as our little brother, but he works extra on that. When he asks questions, if he sees that I do something and he says ‘How did you do that?’ That’s already you showing improvement and showing growth in this game.”
(There are times with the first group that the only new member of that group is LB Raekwon McMillan, and just early observations of how he’s handled playing Mike linebacker with the first team at times?) – “Good. We always tell anybody in there, whoever is in there calling the plays, we’re going to follow your lead, because you’re the Mike. So if you say this, then that’s exactly what we’re going to do. For us, he’s been doing a great job of that.”
(There’s news that Jaguars T Branden Albert has announced his retirement in the NFL. You went against him a lot, a teammate of yours last year. Does that shock you or from kind of knowing him, is that kind of expected?) – “That’s the first time I’ve heard of that. I can’t comment on that until … I would like to talk to ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert). I talk to ‘B.A.’ a lot. I don’t know if that’s actually a fact or if you know it’s a fact, then that is news to me. He has to do what’s best for him at the end of the day, and I support any decision that he makes for himself and his health.”
Cameron Wake – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(I don’t know if you’ve heard but Jaguars T Branden Albert just announced his retirement. What is your reaction and the thoughts on the career he’s had?) – “Well, obviously I was privileged to spend a few years with the guy. (He’s a) tremendous football player (and an) even better man. One of the guys who we always go back and forth (with on the field). I think we looked up to one another as far as being in the game for as long as we have and going through the things we had to (in order) to stay at the top for as long as we could. For him to be able to be able to have the career that he had and also be able to bow out on his own terms, my hat is off to him and I wish him the best.”
(You’re a veteran that has been here since 2009. Does the grueling of training camp ever get to you?) – “It’s training camp. It’s part of the process for me. I actually look forward to it. I feel like if it wasn’t tough, if it wasn’t a grind, it wouldn’t be football. It’s part of being tired and still doing your job, part of it being 110 degrees, downpour rain, you’re a little sore, a little achy, a little on edge, that builds the character that’s going to take you through the whole season. That builds that team (chemistry) and that bond that you need. If it was easy, anybody would be doing it. I feel like if it wasn’t that way, it wouldn’t be the same.”
(RB Jay Ajayi went off the field during practice today. Is that something you guys think about when you’re on the field or is it just keep pushing forward with your job? Do you ever think of how that affects the team, how that affects the offense?) – “I’m sorry, I don’t even know what happened.”
(RB Jay Ajayi walked off the field with trainers.) – “I didn’t even notice. Unfortunately, we play a violent sport. I don’t know anything about what happened or whatever happened. I just saw him (a moment ago). I guess you all will figure out whether he’s nicked up or not. I have a cut here too if you guys want to… (laughter)”
(What’s the balance between going hard in practice and being smart?) – “It’s football. You play it in pads and there’s collisions and there’s violence, so I think for the most part, we found the violence. You’ve got to go. Can you play this game and not have injuries? I’ve never seen it done. You don’t want anybody to get hurt in practice, but at the same time, you’ve got to be ready, you’ve got to hit, you’ve got to tackle, you’ve got to run to the ball. There’s a lot of big men moving fast, so things are bound to happen. But again, hopefully he (Jay Ajayi) is fine and will be back tomorrow.”
(Can you judge defensive line progress before the regular season starts, with you guys specifically? Or is it all about what happens in the regular season?) – “I think it’s a little early, honestly. This is our first full padded day and we obviously enjoy that part of the game. For us, probably more so than a lot of other people. You’ve got to speak to the DBs about the way they play; but for me and the guys I play next to in the trenches, it’s hand-on-hand, collisions and combat every play. To do it in shorts and t-shirts, it’s kind of different. Obviously I like getting a little dirty with the fellas down in the dirt. Today was the first step, so to put a finger on where we are, it’s way too early. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
(Some athletes believe that you can be better two years after a significant leg injury than you were one year after a significant leg injury, because you have more explosion. Do you think that can apply to you?) – “Sure, why not. I like the way you think. I guess three years would probably be even better than two years. Coming off an injury and still building back and finding trust, and finding your feet under you so to speak, that’s all going to be part of it. I went through that last training camp trusting it, doing the move that you normally do with the forces and the pressures and the twisting that you had done before and knowing that it’s going to still be there and follow you through. I think it’s possible and that’s what I’m working on today, getting after it and getting back to not thinking about it at all. So far, so good.”
(Before I just brought it up, and I’m sorry for that, when was the last time you even thought about that Achilles injury?) – “It’s been a while. Occasionally we’ve had a couple guys with some nicks and reminiscing a little bit and kind of telling them my story as far as helping them through theirs. We’ve had a couple guys with some things. Aside from that, on the field, it’s been a while.”
(How do you feel about the veteran day off? Where do you stand on that?) – “I’ve got the angel and the devil yelling in my ear on both sides. I’m not a proponent of taking it, but that’s very short-sighted and fairly shallow thinking. Again, this is a marathon not a sprint, and you’ve got to understand and look at the big picture. So far, the guys in the training room, the sports science guys, and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase have all gotten together and figured out a plan and it’s worked from last season going into now. If you’re a guy who’s earned it and you’re smart about taking care of your body, whether it’s getting some rehab, cold tub, or some extra running or lifting weights, whatever it is you have to do, you know your body being a veteran. Getting back and getting fresh, those guys that have earned it, I think it could definitely help out.”
(I believe you’re going to Canton on Saturday to see the Jason Taylor Hall of Fame ceremony, is that right?) – “That’s what I’ve heard.”
(Have you been to Canton before and does that inspire you more to see your own bust in there one day?) – “You’re going to go there, huh? (laughter) No, I’ve been there. We played the Hall of Fame Game in (2013). We went and that literally was one of the most memorable – for me in the football sense – one of the most memorable experiences because just going through … Literally, they gave us time to just walk through and you’re looking at the plaques and looking at the memorabilia and they’ve got video boards going through some of the scenarios and things that happened in the football world. Some of the things some of the players have done is just mind boggling. Obviously to have one of our own greats being inducted, a guy that I had the privilege of playing with for a couple seasons, the guy who I kind of think of as my mentor and the guy who started me off in this process, he’s one of the best players ever to do it. I couldn’t be more blessed to share the field with a guy like that and sit next to him in the locker room and pick his brain for as much as I possibly could. I’m doing everything I can to continue to help put this franchise on another level the way he did and the way the guys that came before us did. That’s my goal, to just be the best player I can be day in and day out. I’ll let all that other voting and whatnot take care of itself whenever I bow out.”
(What’s your best Jason Taylor memory?) – “I’ve got a few. Some that are probably not appropriate for this venue. Early on, before we were chummy as we are, I was this unknown rookie coming in from the CFL and he was obviously ‘JT.’ We butted heads a little bit because I didn’t think I was a rookie, he obviously told me I was, and there was one day I didn’t get any food for the plane and we had some choice words with one another. (Then Head) Coach (Tony) Sparano at the time actually sat me down and posed the question as to if he was me, he said ‘I’m not telling you what to do, you’re a grown man you can do what you want; but if I had Jason Taylor,’ and at the time Joey Porter was here too. ‘If I had those two guys at my disposal to pick their brains and find out how they do what they do, or who’s the best masseuse, or where to go on Friday to get your haircut, all these things that they know and all they’re asking me for is some chicken, it might be worthwhile to take part in that silly rookie tradition.’ Needless to say, I had some chicken for them the next week. That was a good one for me.”
(What was the chicken?) – “For the plane. We’ve got to get chicken for the plane. Food. (laughter)”
(What brand? What kind?) – “I don’t remember. Popeyes, I guess.”
(You don’t eat that stuff.) – “I don’t eat it. (laughter) It wasn’t for me. It was for me to give to them. (laughter)”
Adam Gase – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Anything you can tell us about RB Jay Ajayi? We saw him walking off?) – “He was getting evaluated for a concussion. I’ll know more this afternoon. I didn’t go get a full debriefing of everything today so far. I usually get it probably in another couple of hours.”
(What went into the decision to go live today?) – “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, probably since last spring. I think a lot of it had to do with just we made a lot of missed tackles last year. It probably took us a while to really get going in the run game and pass protection, kind of that sense of urgency to have. (I was) just talking to the coaches and seeing how we could set it up to where we could get great work in there. When you talk to some of your veteran players and you can’t even finish the sentence and they’re saying ‘Absolutely,’ that’s when you know it’s a good thing. We didn’t do it last year. We were still … I think we were just trying to feel everything out. A lot of times when we talked about going live, we’d get pushed in the indoor and that wasn’t ideal for us. This was the right time for us.”
(When a player leaves the field such as RB Jay Ajayi did, do you think “Oh man, I hope it’s not bad?” Or are you able to keep pushing through and focus on practice?) – “There’s nothing I can do right that second. I just keep going and then once I kind of … (Head Athletic Trainer) Ryan (Grove) comes back to tell me where we’re at as soon as he knows. He gives me a heads up. It’s kind of like a game. There’s nothing I can do right in that moment and you try to, once practice is over then you try to go find more information.”
(RB Jay Ajayi seemed to, I think maybe the first snap, DT Ndamukong Suh got him pretty good and took him to the ground. What’s the fine line between going physical and protecting your guys that you’re going to need?) – “You’re not going to win either way. If we don’t go live, you guys write that we don’t work on tackling. If we do go live and somebody gets hurt, then you say we shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter. You’re going to be wrong either way. We feel like that’s best for our football team. We needed to go live and tackle and it’s football.”
(LB Raekwon McMillian being a rookie going in there and making calls at times. Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner was a guy that came in and he expressed being a little shy, being nervous about making calls in a room full of veterans. Have you experienced that at all with LB Raekwon McMillian or is he kind of outgoing and…?) – “He’s not afraid to talk. He’s respectful. He understands where he’s at in his career compared to some of the guys, especially on his side of the ball. We’ve got more veterans; but he also knows he’s got a job to do. When it’s his time to do it, he does it the way he knows how to do it. He played at Ohio State. He’s played in some big games and he’s dealt with a lot of guys that are playing in this league right now and I think he knows how to handle himself.”
(Are there two or three things you look for in the first day of full pads, whether it is aggression or keeping blocks or anything along those lines?) – “Really, I mean, I know it’s not full pads but when we go with shoulder pads, we’re doing the same thing as we’re doing with full pads. You’re getting the same thud, wrap up, all those type of things. It’s just full pads we can actually say ‘Hey, we’re going live. We’re going to the ground.’ That’s the difference. So once we throw the shoulder pads on, whether we’ve got the leggings on, I mean we’re getting the same work. Just today we were able to go to the ground.”
(Did anybody look noticeably better because you could be a little more aggressive?) – “It’s a different feel for you because there’s no gray (area) when you’re doing a third-down period. ‘Oh, I would have got him down.’ That’s the beauty of … Like having Jay (Ajayi), on third-and-9 we throw him a 5-yard pass and we get the first, whereas in practicing you’re tapping off and you say you don’t get it. There’s no gray (area) which is sometimes a good feeling because that’s what it’s going to look like in a game.”
(What was your reaction about Jaguars T Branden Albert retiring today?) – “Yes I just heard about it.”
(What do you think of the career Jaguars T Branden Albert had in the NFL?) – “My respect level for him is extremely high. Even his career before he got here, he was an outstanding player and then him getting hurt … I didn’t understand really what he had to go through until I got here and his makeup and his ability to come back from that injury, just talking to trainers about what he did to be able to play again. That was even in question when that happened. It went from all accounts that I’ve been told that it was about as nasty as you can get. It just shows the toughness he has. The mental strength to be able to fight through and really prove everybody wrong and then come back and play at a high level and going to a Pro Bowl, being part of a team that he helped really get to the playoffs last year, getting injured and then coming back probably earlier than most guys would have, and him actually almost inspiring guys to play through a lot of injuries that most teams probably wouldn’t see guys out there. Guys were just trying to do everything they can for each other to win. I think he was a big part of the reason why we had success last year.”
(Is there an update on WR Isaiah Ford you could share with us?) – “Yes, I’ll have to get back to you guys on that. I need to find out. We’re getting a second opinion and stuff, so I don’t have … Everything’s not clear for me right now.”
(With WR Jarvis Landry, was he being held out of some team stuff?) – “I mean we were having some scuffles and stuff. We were just getting him to cool down. You know how it gets out there when you get full pads and everybody gets going a little bit. We will be fine. He’ll be alright. He’ll be back not tomorrow (because of a day off) but the next day, and we’ll get rolling again.”
(How close do you think you might be on S Reshad Jones?) – “Good question. I’ll have to … I’ll know more tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea of kind of where he’s at. I’m taking this a little slow just because with that being a calf injury, I don’t want to bring him back too fast. It’s like one of those deals that in my experience, especially talking to the trainers where, if you have any kind of setback on that, it’s a long period of time. So the last thing I want to do is lose him for an extended period of time. If that means we kind of lost him here at the beginning of camp, I’m okay with that, especially with him … You’ve got to tell him he’s an old man now (laughter). So we just want to be smart with it.”
(Does DE Cameron Wake, two years removed from an Achilles, is there a chance that he could be better than one year removed from an Achilles?) – “Yes.”
(Because?) – “For me, I think the fact that he can do everything in training camp … Last year we were trying to be smart, which I know didn’t really bode well for me in the first five games.”
(I didn’t say that.) – “I know you were thinking that though. (laughter) I noticed a difference in our run game, like the way that he’s setting the edge. He’s really done a great job of being a presence on that edge. His strength is really remarkable, how strong he is and the way he contacts a lineman and the violence he plays with. He’s really caused a lot of … We’re trying to run the ball to his side and there’s nowhere to go. It really is amazing. You forget how long he’s been playing and his age. That just seems to go out the window and he does a great job of taking care of himself. He looks like he’s 25 years old.”
(Does DE Cameron Wake get a veterans day off?) – “It was supposed to be today but he was like ‘No chance.’ He was like, ‘We’re going live. I’m not sitting out.’ So we had to move it. But yes, we will make sure that we do the right thing with him during camp.”
(DE Andre Branch was in here a little earlier and he spoke about how impressive DE Charles Harris has been with using his hands. Is that something that has really stood out to you guys? Because he’s kind of earned the respect of the veterans with that.) – “I think the veterans, first of all, saw that he works relentlessly. He’s one of those guys that he’s always doing something. I’m watching him after practice and quarterbacks are working on drops and he’s out there pass rushing, giving them a feel of what it’s going to be like. He’s always doing something. As an offensive guy, I just feel him coming around the edge; but those guys are looking at more detailed-type things. I just know the quarterbacks can feel him very quickly.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill has … most of his interceptions have come in between the hash marks. Is that him just being too aggressive? Is it his comfort level with his targets? Is there a rhyme or rhythm to what’s going on there?) – “I think every one (of them) has a different story behind it. He had a tipped ball one time. (Andre) Branch did a good job of getting a hand up. Maybe he could have went somewhere else on a couple of them. I’m alright with it. I want him to be aggressive. I don’t want him to be sitting back there and trying to evaluate stuff. Go through your progression and throw it. If we throw a pick, I have a lot of confidence in our defense to walk out there, go three-and-out and we’ll get the ball back.”
(Looking ahead a little bit, you have at least three guys that are supposed to go up to Jason Taylor’s Hall of Fame induction – DE Cameron Wake, LS John Denney and C Mike Pouncey. Really I guess for Cam, how do you manage that with the scrimmage on Saturday?) – “We’ll have a good plan in place. It’s not like that thing is too much for him. It’s not a ton of plays. We did it last year. The coaches did a great job as far as getting guys reps. We’re kind of getting a little bit of a feel of that game day process of what we’re going to go through because we’ll be able to do what we normally should do when we have that scrimmage at the stadium where we can get headsets out and the communication factor and all of those types of things. That’s really why we’re doing it is to make sure if there’s anything that goes wrong, we can fix it before the first preseason game. That’s really one of the main reasons why we’re doing it. Guys getting used to us calling it in, substitutions and things like that.”
(By my count, you’ve had one bad snap in the first week of practice. Am I correct?) – “I think you are.”
(Is that normal?) – “Yes, pretty much. Usually it’s hard to go perfection. That’s what you want but realistically, usually you have three or four probably. Even there, we had just a little bit of a miscommunication where we thought he was under and we were in the (shot)gun and that happens every once in a while. It doesn’t happen a lot. Having one bad snap, I’ll take that, especially early in training camp.”
(How have so many guys – because there are three guys in there working with four quarterbacks – how have you gotten to the point where it looks pretty seamless?) – “Well, we’ve been working on it since the spring. When we do our quarterback/center exchange (period), it’s a long seven minutes for those guys. You’re trying to get rapid fire and you’re mixing everybody up. We only go a couple of snaps with one quarterback with one center. We just keep rolling those guys to where everybody gets used to them. It’s about a little bit of the quarterbacks. Everybody has to mirror Ryan (Tannehill)’s cadence and do it the way he does it, just because if you come in there with a different feel for the cadence, then it kind of screws up the line. They’ve been working on it for a long time and they’ve spent a lot of time making sure it’s right.”
(There was a moment I noticed where QB Ryan Tannehill – maybe after one of the scrums – he was in the middle of about 30 guys and he was really vocal, really loud and really passionately going around and delivering a message. I’m not sure what the message was but how have you seen his assertiveness evolve since you met him?) – “I think any time you get comfortable with a system you’re in, you gain confidence, to where you can take those type of roles. It’s harder when you’re trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do. I think he felt like there was a moment in practice where he needed to say something. You don’t have to constantly be saying things. A lot of times your actions are what’s going to count. For whatever reason, he … I saw something going on but I wasn’t really paying attention to it at that time. We were setting up for the next period or something like that. If he feels like something needs to be said, I don’t think he’s afraid to say it.”
(Obviously having a young developmental third quarterback, what was your message to QB Brandon Doughty going into this offseason about where you wanted to see growth and how much growth have you seen?) – “It’s a little bit frustrating because when we were able to do some of the rookie stuff, being able to work with him one on one and spend a lot of time with him, he’s a very relentless worker. He wants to be coached constantly. Those are great opportunities where we can kind of work with him and really try to fine tune him to help him on a couple of the things we want him to do. That’s where the rules kind of make it really tough. You wish you just had more time to be able to work with him one on one. For him, it was just all about he has a really good feel for the offense right now, he knows what he’s supposed to do a lot of times, it’s just getting to reactionary as fast as possible. We keep working on some things mechanically. Sometimes it’s tough because you’re … You take one then you’re waiting forever then you might take three. That’s when it gets hard for a quarterback. You don’t feel a rhythm. It’s not like you get six in a row. That’s the tough part about developing a young quarterback in the NFL is you’re trying to get your starters ready, you’re also trying to get your backup ready and then you’re trying to develop guys. When you don’t have a ton of reps to do that with, you want those to count. He just knows he has to make every rep count. Really, his money is going to be made when we hit the preseason. He gets 30 plays, 40 plays in a game and just make sure mentally you’re ready to go and react when you get into the game.”
