Jermon Bushrod – May 23, 2017
Download PDF version
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Guard/Tackle Jermon Bushrod
(When you left last January after the playoff game, was your gut telling you that you would be back? Wouldn’t be back? Did you have a feel one way or the other?) – “I just knew going into this offseason, I felt a lot better than I did the last two or three (offseasons). So physically I was in a better place, mentally I was in a better place, and I wasn’t ready to hang it up. I was inspired. I was excited about some of the things we did last year. So let’s give it another ride. When you get older, in your 30s, and after your 10th year, you start evaluating yourself year by year, and I felt good. I felt like it was the right thing to do. My family felt like it was the right thing to do. So we’re here now.”
(How much excitement was there coming into today since you said you were inspired?) – “A lot of excitement because there are a lot of things that we felt like we left on the table last year, a lot of situations that we put ourselves in last year; but we feel like we can start out better, have a better understanding as an offense and just be better as a team. We’re going to fight to start faster this year and finish strong.”
(If I remember correctly, this time last year you were still dealing with a shoulder. Is that correct?) – “Yes.”
(Can you talk about the difference obviously with your physical well-being and going into the second year as a right guard, having the entire offseason?) – “Last year, I had to get surgery on the right shoulder so my focus was getting that back; but this year compared to last year, I can focus on my strength and getting my conditioning. I came in last year with a bad shoulder and I had to learn a new position. That’s not easy physically or mentally, but everything kind of got sped up last year. So this year, it’s like ‘Okay, I can focus on my strength, focus on my conditioning,’ and focus on some of the things that I can get better from last year and just focus on going ahead, focus on this right guard spot or wherever I’m needed.”
(It sounds like C Mike Pouncey, with his hip issues, is going to be on a bit of a maintenance plan. Are you as well? You don’t need the reps at age 30, whatever you are, that you may have in the past.) – “If I can go, we’re going to go. If coaches say otherwise, then I’m going to listen to them; but I do have to listen to my body and I want to be fresh come game day – Sunday or whatever day they have us slated to play.”
(Some of the things you mentioned that you were feeling at the end of the season, is there still kind of an argument inside your head of trying to convince yourself to go through all of this physically for however many months it’s going to be?) – “Well you know what you get yourself into. When you’re at my age and you play the position you play, you’re always going to fight through something. My first year starting – God knows how long ago that was, eight, nine years ago, my first year starting – there’s things you’re going to have to deal with. When you get older, I have a better understanding of how to take care of my body. My health is better. The way I eat is better. The way I take care of my body is, it’s a routine every single day. It’s not like when I was younger I could just hop up and go hit the weight room or go to practice and get there 20-30 minutes before practice and go do that. I can’t do that anymore. I’ve got to be here an hour and a half, two hours before, warming the car up I guess you could say.”
(Some of the things you mentioned about last year as far as transitioning to a new position and things like that. If you put that aside, just the actual production from last year for you, is that … how did you feel about that as far as meeting your standards?) – “I think it was tough, in the beginning, just learning how to get my body to play that position because I’ve been – since college, you’re looking at somebody who played left tackle for 14 years – and you want me to switch, go to the other side. So my muscle memory was different. Sometimes I’d pop out of my right-hand stance and my feet would be staggered like I’m on the left side because that’s just what I was used to doing. But the more reps I took, the more reps I took, I felt better. I could see a drastic change in how I played from the first game, second game, to the end of the season into the playoffs.”
(Do you feel like it’s instinctive for you now? Do you think like a right guard thinks or are you still…?) – “I’m strictly … my whole mindset is inside. I think you have to change your mindset when you play inside because there are different type of players that you’re going to play. When you’re playing guys on the end, you’re getting … they’re strong but they’re faster. They’re quicker twitch. Inside, everything happens like that [snaps fingers] and these guys are tough. You have to change your mindset. That’s for sure.”
(What’s the significance of the shirt you’re wearing and what does it mean for you guys?) – “All five of us working together. If one gear is not working right, then we’re not going where we need to go. That’s just what it is. All of us working in sync.”
(Did you have a chance to keep up with C Mike Pouncey over the offseason as far as how his injury goes and how is he looking?) – “He looks good. He’s very positive right now. Everything’s going … headed in the right direction. He’s doing whatever he has to do to make sure that he can go for us when needed. That’s what we want. I want to see him out there. I know he’s dying to get out there with us right now because that’s just the type of competitor he is. That’s how I am. He has to take the necessary steps for him to make sure that we’re good to go when it’s the time, when it’s really time to go.”
(LB Lawrence Timmons said you guys haven’t given him any crap about throwing up in the end zone against you guys.) – “No. No. He got the best of … They got the best of us come that playoff game. So if you crack on him about that, he’d throw that in your face and you don’t want to be feeling worse about the whole situation. (Laughter)”
(How’s QB Ryan Tannehill been to just be around lately?) – “Good. He’s good. He has a better understanding of the offense. I think we’re going to … Each individual, I think we’re going to make the correct strides in going forward and we’re all ready to just work, work, work and get to that next level where we need to go. Just understand the offense, understand how all of us need to play to get to where we need to be.”
(When you say that about QB Ryan Tannehill as far as a better understanding of the offense. How does that…?) – “I’m talking everybody. Just everybody knowing … because last year we put in so much stuff. We put in everything, so it’s like we’re all trying to better. We’re all trying to figure out our way to help out, to be in the right place at the right time.”
(How is that materializing on the field right now?) – “It’s the first day. We haven’t even watched the film (of today’s OTA) together yet. So every day we’re going to build on that. The coaches are doing a great job of emphasizing the things that we need to do as an individual and as a unit, so that this team can go to where they’re visualizing.”
(In the moment, you obviously don’t want to focus too much on QB Ryan Tannehill being hurt because you have a goal to make the playoffs and go deep in the playoffs. But now thinking back on it, how tough was that on him and was there kind of a poignant moment that you had, an interaction with him, that kind of sticks with you?) – “You don’t have to say anything to a competitor. You know how they feel. When I wasn’t able to be out there my last year in Chicago, it kills you inside. When you see us on TV on the sideline when the camera is on us, everything looks like it’s all great, but it’s not; because inside we’re struggling. We’re struggling hard. As hard as practice is, as tough as it is – some days you’re dying in this heat and you’d rather just be in the shade or in that cool tent they have all the way at the other end – I’d rather be out there sweating and getting it in. As long as I’m signed up to play, that’s where I want to be.”
(How is the offensive line going to be different you think with G/T Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and T Branden Albert not here any more?) – “I just think we just have to have a better understanding in what we’re trying to do. We have some different guys, so we’re going to have a new identity this year. We have to find out what that is. We have to tap into it and we have to make the best of it.”
(Do you feel like G/T Laremy Tunsil is ready to be a leader on that side of the line?) – “I think so. I think so. I know the kid is strong. He’s tough. He wants to learn. He loves to be successful. I’m excited about his future. I’m excited to see him grow at that position. Last year he was definitely playing out of position, but he did a great job. So if he can get better at a position that he’s not used to playing, and you go back and you stick him in his natural position every single day, every single week, every rep, he’s going to get a little bit better – find a way to get better. I’m excited to see Laremy at left tackle.”
(RB Jay Ajayi says he wants to take the next step for himself this year. Running behind you guys, what do you think that can be?) – “Like I said earlier, everyone having an understanding of the offense. It’s him playing off of us and us playing off of him. We have to know … we kind of have to know where each other is going to be without telling each other. On certain plays, we have to do things a different way so we know our running back will make the correct cut. So we all have to be on the same page and if we’re on the same page, then we have a better understanding of each other – of each other as a whole – then he’s going to get better, we’re going to get better and hopefully we can win some games out here.”
Lawrence Timmons – May 23, 2017
Download PDF version
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Linebacker Lawrence Timmons
(Going back to your free agent visit here, what was said to you by either Head Coach Adam Gase, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum or Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke that made you want to sign here. And was it a no-brainer as far as you wanting to sign here or were there other options that were very tempting?) – “It was pretty easy. This is my offseason home anyways. I come down here and train with Pete Bommarito anyway, for the past 10 years, so I’ve always come down here.”
(What was said to you on your free agent visit that made this place appealing to you? Anything stand out about Head Coach Adam Gase or Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke or anybody?) – “I mean, the energy here. I played against them in the playoffs and seen the energy here. They are a new team, young, so I know it’s going to be pretty easy for me.”
(What’s the first day like of OTAs with a new team?) – “It’s pretty good. Like I said, it was pretty new for me. I like the energy. It was new for me. I’ve been somewhere for 10 years. It’s crazy being somewhere for 10 years then coming here – different colors. It was an experience for me.”
(What’s the most difficult part about starting over?) – “I mean, it’s the league pretty much. It’s a business; it’s a job. So you don’t really look … It’s a business, that’s the way I look at it – professional.”
(In Pittsburgh, how many different positions of linebacker did you play? Did you play both the inside positions?) – “I played every position in Pittsburgh so I’m used to being interchangeable. I’m like a fixer.”
(You might guess what I’m asking next. It sounds like that’s how they are planning on using you here.) – “We still don’t know. (We’re) taking it day to day. (It was) the same in Pittsburgh. I could be outside, I could be inside, try to be like the utility guy.”
(What are your early impressions of Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke?) – “I like his energy. (He’s a) humble guy, very nice. It makes me feel good, very welcoming. We’re just getting to know each other. It’s just OTAs right now so we’re taking it day by day.”
(Today was the first day on the field. Did you start in the middle? On Day 1, did you start in the middle?) – “Like I said, we don’t know. I’m being interchangeable and just trying to get to know everything and get adjusted, taking it day by day.”
(What’s the No. 1 thing you want to bring to this defense?) – “Just what I always do, have a physical presence. I feel like I can cover, stop the run. I can blitz the passer. So, just go from there.”
(DT Ndamukong Suh said that you brought an attitude and that he could sense the attitude already. Can you describe the attitude you bring to the football field?) – “I just like to have fun out there. I’m a linebacker. I do what linebackers do. I socialize with the first level and the third level. I just keep it real simple out there.”
(You’ve obviously started a ton of games. You’ve played ton of snaps. Do you think it’s taken any toll physically? You’re very durable but do you think the quality of your play has maintained itself at the same level it had been four years ago, five years ago?) – “I mean they signed me. I’m here. So I’m just happy to be here. I don’t feel like there’s no drop off there.”
(This is a run defense that finished 30th in the league last year. How do you repair a run defense? Is it scheme, coaching, attitude, talent?) – “That’s a difficult … It’s a combination of both. You have to put (all of) those together. It’s like … I don’t really know how to answer that question, sorry.”
(Did anybody have any jokes about you shutting down their season last year?) – “No, no I never heard that. (laughter) They are a funny group, but I haven’t heard nothing like that. We are pretty humble. I threw up the first time (we played the Dolphins), so they got me too. (laughter) I threw up in the end zone, so I’m going to just keep it humble.”
(Are you worried about the heat?) – “I’m from Florida State. I’m getting adjusted to it now. I started cramping before this (press conference), that’s why I had to leave. It’s something you get adjusted to.”
(How much did people give you crap about throwing up on the field? I remember it was online, on social media and everything.) – “It’s the story of my life. I get it everywhere. ‘Aren’t you that guy that was throwing up in the end zone?’ (laughter) It just comes with the territory. In football, you win some, you lose some. You just make fun of it and enjoy it.”
(Just your thoughts on this linebacker group overall? What you know about LB Kiko Alonso, LB Koa Misi, the Ohio State player in LB Raekwon McMillan.) – “(McMillan’s) a nice young player. He looks pretty good. (He has) nice size on him (and) moves well. He seems very smart too, so I know our coaches are going to do a good job with him so I’m looking forward to seeing his growth.”
(And LB Koa Misi and LB Kiko Alonso, you’ve obviously competed against. You’ve seen them from the other sideline.) – “I’ve known Koa for a long time. (He’s) a great player, a very physical player (and) a great blitzer. So I’m just looking forward to this year.”
(You guys shut down RB Jay Ajayi in the playoffs – 16 carries, 33 yards. Obviously in the first game, it was different. It kind of surprised everybody what he … The Dolphins changed their offense for that game. Was that a surprise for you guys? Can you just talk of the evolution to the last game when you guys played them again?) – “I mean, you see the guy. He’s a great one-cut runner. He gets his pads downhill and he can go. He’s very fast. He’s a bigger running back. When he gets his pads north and south, he’s a problem. That’s the thing about him. We stopped him the second game we played him, but the first game, I mean you saw he went for 204 yards. The guy is a special back. He catches the ball well. I’m just looking forward to see him do that same thing this year.
Ndamukong Suh – May 23, 2017
Download PDF version
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh
(You obviously played well your first two years here. That being said, that fact that you guys have been at the bottom three or four [teams] against the run, how much of that do you put on yourself? How puzzling has that been to see? And what reasons as you look back at the last two years, might you point as to why that has been the case?) – “I put a lot of it on myself, in regards to your question about the run defense. I’m supposed to be the anchor and plan to be the anchor and continue to be that way. One, I think it starts with us upfront, without question, especially with how the defense is set up. From the first year, obviously there was a learning adjustment and time and plays and figuring out how we all wanted to fit in. And then last year, I think we understood where we needed to be; but it just came down to execution. So I think as we move forward, especially coming into these OTAs in particular, and obviously having the same, similar defense under (Defensive Coordinator) Matt Burke. (He is) somebody that this will be my sixth year with him – four years in Detroit and obviously, last year (in Miami). I think there’s going to be consistency there. So I think it’ll be easier for guys to understand where they need to be, where they need to fit, the techniques need to become obviously a lot more sound, and then execution.”
(Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke, you’re quite familiar with him going back to Detroit, what makes him ready to become the defensive coordinator?) – “I think he’s a smart guy. He’s been very, very smart since I’ve known him. Obviously my first year, we were both, in essence, rookies together. We’ve learned a lot together; but at the same time, knowing his history, being in Tennessee, being around this type of defense for many more years prior to that, he’s without question prepared. I think he had a heavy hand into what our defense was last year. You saw a lot of success in some areas; but I think he’s going to put his own particular twist on it.”
(When you did your self-scout of your 2016 overall performance, what are some things you’re targeting to actually do even better in 2017?) – “I think there are a lot of things. I haven’t finished my self-scout. I’ve looked at it from my perspective. The coaches have looked at it as well. But it’s time now to really just get an opportunity to watch it together and look at some different pieces. The self-scout continues to go on, as well as finding ways to improve. So it’s tough to answer that question because it’s not fully done yet.”
(What do you think LB Lawrence Timmons adds to this defense?) – “I think Lawrence Timmons can add a great attitude. (He’s) a guy that has a lot of experience, especially playoff experience and where we want to be. He’s a very vocal person from my understanding. Knowing guys that have played with him, they enjoy playing with him. I think his stats and the way he’s been for his 10-plus years in the league speaks for itself. So I’m definitely excited to see him out there. It was nice to hear his voice and see some dominance from the linebacker position. I think from a guy like that, you see he’s played through seasons, many seasons. (His) health should hopefully be a good factor, which we struggled in that position with health last year.”
(How big of a factor – you mentioned attitude – how big of a factor is attitude with this defense and getting it back on track? I know it’s mostly performance based, but does attitude play a major role in that?) – “I think it does in some aspects, especially from a linebacker’s position, in my personal opinion. I think a defensive lineman obviously can have attitude or will always be more of a person that’s going to play with their emotions and really do it with their play, where a guy like a linebacker has to do it both ways because they have to bark out calls, they have to get people lined up and different things of that nature. We didn’t always have the best communication between all three positions, being the front, obviously the linebackers and the DBs; so I think (Lawrence Timmons will) add to that particular piece.”
(You talked to some of the rookies here and Head Coach Adam Gase has this culture going on here. Can you describe what the culture is with the Dolphins right now and do you feel responsibility to bring that on upon the rookies when they come in here?) – “Yes, without question. I think the rookies, I’ve had some good interaction with them, especially today. Obviously when they were drafted, (it was) a little tougher but the great thing about this world, technology allows us to communicate all over the world, wherever we’re at. So I’ve obviously been able to be in contact with them, even though I’m not physically here, so I think it’s a good start. The culture in my opinion, is growing. It’s something that is always going to continue to evolve. It’s always based off of your head coach, and I think we’ve got a great head coach, so being able to take his lessons and the things that he’s learned in his career and what he wants to affect on us and be our particular focus, is what we’re going to go with. And every year it’s going to be a little bit different, because your team changes, no matter what.”
(The coaches have pretty clear that they expect more of DT Jordan Phillips in Year 3 – more snaps, more production. You’ve worked with him closely away from the building, in the building, what are your expectations?) – “I think without question, no matter who the person is, your third year is a year that definitely you either show what you can do from a consistency standpoint, and I think that’s something they want from Jordan. I think they see a lot of great things from Jordan and Jordan has made great plays – made big plays – and other times he’s struggled in some aspects. But I think we’ve all gone through those growing pains. I’ve gone through them myself, per se. People say I had a down year in my second year and in my third year I picked it up. So I expect the same thing from Jordan and I think he has an opportunity to showcase his full talent.”
(Both rookie defensive tackles have stated that you were one of the people that they have always looked up to. Do you look upon that as a challenge to embrace how they feel and use it as a way to work with them? Do you look at that as part of your responsibility when young defensive tackles come in?) – “I think honestly, it’s flattering, and it says that I’m old, being 30 now. (laughter) I think that it plays a little piece into it. And I think where they say, obviously they’ve watched me play and them coming up from high school and being in college and whatnot; but without question, embracing them. I think regardless if they said that or not, they could say older players are guys that are more consistent – I mean not consistent – but more in other guys … For instance, Gerald McCoy, or whoever it may be. They can say guys like that. At the same time, I still embrace them because they’re on my team. We want to be able to have the best out of them. I feel that at any point in time, they’re going to be a part of this team and they’re going to be in a place where they can help affect in a positive way. So it’s a matter of them coming in, understanding their roles and then being able to see how they fit in.”
(What have you done to work on becoming a better leader for this team?) – “I think actions are always going to speak louder than words. Obviously there’s communication at the first stage, but being able to work with them. I think these OTAs are going to be the biggest piece to being a part of that growth spurt for those guys, as well as myself, and for us all to get comfortable with each other.”
(You mentioned turning 30. I remember when I turned 30 and it was a big deal. For an athlete, it’s a real marker. When you think about your career arc, what does 30 mean to you?) – “Many more years to come – hopefully, god-willing, from a health standpoint and all those different things. But talking to (Assistant Defensive Line Coach) Andre (Carter) earlier today, I think he said it best to me, it’s being able to be that much more sharp, finding that much more creative ways to be successful. He noticed something in my game. I definitely know I’m more of a brute-strength type of pass rusher, but I still have the ability to be very quick and I have the opportunities to be, for lack of better words, have a finesse-type game. It’s being able to mix and match those and have those come together. It’s great to have guy like Andre, who can point those things out to me, but it’s something I did in my self-scout, to your earlier question.”
(How does the way the season ended last year, everybody talks about that drives you, but getting to that point in the playoffs and knowing that you guys could’ve continued it, how does that drive you guys?) – “For me personally, I’m definitely sick and tired of making it to the playoffs and not going further. And I think everybody feels that particular way. Having a good conversation with the head man, with my time away and my time here, it’s a good feeling to feel that guys weren’t satisfied with where we were at. It’s exciting, for my vantage point, to see hunger still, because that was not okay the way we finished, especially the last two games of our season.”
(I’m sure you don’t pay attention to the Vegas odds makers, but the over/under for you guys have you at seven wins, seven and a half wins. Are you offended by that?) – “I didn’t know that. Vegas is wrong lots of the time so let’s hope in this instance that they stay wrong.”
Jay Ajayi – May 23, 2017
Download PDF version
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Running Back Jay Ajayi
(Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen said you’ve been working on your pass receiving. Can you just elaborate on that specifically and what you’ve been working on this offseason?) – “One of the focuses for the running back room – specifically myself – is being better without the ball this year. That comes along with the fakes, running routes, knowing the details, catching the ball and so that’s what we’ve been working on – I’ve been working on – this offseason and it’s been really good.”
(How much different is this route tree for running backs compared to what you did in college?) – “It’s different. It’s a little bit more detailed, knowing where to break off the routes, being more precise. So it’s just about knowing what to do and executing.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about possibly trying to get you 350 carries this year, which would be an increase of I think 90 carries. How would you feel about an increased workload?) – “I’m ready for it. I prepare myself every season to take a huge workload and be able to carry the team, and I think I’m ready for that. If that’s what he wants to do then that’s what we’ll do; but every time I step out on that field, it’s to put my all out there on the line. So whatever we do, that’s what we’ll do.”
(With adding TE Julius Thomas and bringing WR Kenny Stills back, how excited are you overall for the offense this year?) – “It’s really exciting. Just going out on the field today for the first OTA, looking out on our offense and not really seeing too many new faces – guys that have been in this program since last year – and we kind of know what to expect from each other. We have the new faces, of course, to bring them up to speed; but it’s really exciting. We’re excited about what we’ve got on our offense and it’s just about going out there each day during these OTAs and this summer, put in all these good practices together and preparing for a great year.”
(You’re a 1,000-yard running back and you’ve been to a Pro Bowl. How different is the offseason for you now?) – “It was a great offseason for me. I think that I was able to do some good things last year to set myself up for a good offseason, and now it’s just about consistency – raising the level, as well. I was able to kind of reach those goals last year and now it’s just about taking another step and really just pushing myself this year.”
(Personally, are you busier? I know you had the Sky Sports thing and all that stuff last year. Have the requests … or have you been recognized more? Is your profile raised? Do you feel anything like that?) – “Definitely some more recognition. I’m pleased about that. That means I’m doing well in the sport. Being able to do a lot more things off the field in the offseason is fun; but at the end of the day, it all comes down to what you do on the field. That’s where you earn that recognition and so it’s just putting in that work during this offseason to have a great year.”
(What’s an example of a time or a place where you were really caught off guard at how many people knew who you were?) – “Airport. I get stopped a few times in the airport. That’s always funny. Going out some times as well you catch some fans saying, ‘Thank you for a great year.’ And that’s always good that you’re affecting the fans and that they’re appreciative of what you’re doing.”
(Did any peer or anybody say something to you that meant something to you about your season, about where you’ve come in a year?) – “I think the most things that I heard that was at the Pro Bowl. Getting to be around a lot of other great players in the league and some past greats as well, they even were telling me that they watched the season, watched how I did. They were pleased with how I played. They were just excited about what I can do for the future. So that was really pleasing to me that people are taking notice and then, just like the (NFL Network’s) Top 100, that’s cool too. You just want to always push yourself to be the best.”
(What do you think of being ranked No. 69 in the NFL Network’s Top 100 players?) – “It’s cool. It’s a good accomplishment and (I’m) striving to be No. 1.”
(Have you made any additions or changes to your offseason plan?) – “Not really any changes. I still do some traveling. I’m probably going to go back to London next month. That’ll be fun. But yes, I’m just continuing to focus on this. This is an exciting time right now. We’re all here, all in the building. Just getting better each day, stay healthy, staying on my grind so I can hit the season running.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said that he noticed QB Ryan Tannehill is a little more fiery because he was kind of upset about how last year ended for him. Have you sensed a little of that in the offseason workouts?) – “Yes. He’s determined. For him, personally knowing that he’s a competitor and him not being able to be out there to finish the season for us, it feels like he has something to prove this offseason and he’s really working hard out there. It’s been really great to be out there throwing and catching the ball with him. So I think he’s going to have a great year for us.”
(How does he look moving around?) – “He’s looked great. He’s got his brace on and everything; but there’s no difference for me. I haven’t seen any difference.”
(Your reaction to the events in Manchester, England last night?) – “Yes. That’s a real troubling thing to see. It’s almost like reoccurring in today’s world where we’re seeing these events like these. And it’s sad because you have kids and people that just want to go watch a concert and they’ve lost their lives because of it. So prayers out to the families and everyone affected by what happened in Manchester and you just hope they find a way to stop these kind of things from happening.”
(A lot of your success last year was the consistency on the offensive line. Now that T Branden Albert is gone, what’s your thought process going in and seeing a new offensive line?) – “It’s exciting. We’ve got some young guys in there. We’ve got some of the old faces still there, so it’s a little shuffle on the line; but that’s what these practices, these OTAs, these days are for. It’s just everyone getting comfortable out there, us getting accustomed to how each other works out there on the field and just be able to create a rhythm on offense so that when we’re out there running our plays or throwing the ball, we’re keeping ‘Tanny’ (Ryan Tannehill) protected and we’re blocking everyone, having great leverage and having great games out there.”
(I think there were six games with 100 rushing yards or more. What would be an offseason point of emphasis as the running group tries to develop more consistency throughout this season?) – “I mean, just going off of those stats for last year, we had a lot of change on the o-line – injuries, all of those things – so I think the first thing for us really is just we want everyone to be out there. Everyone that’s playing, we want them to be healthy so we can have consistency. And with that consistency, it’s just about execution. Knowing what the plays are and just going out there and executing. If all 11 of us are executing at the same level, we’ll be really good and that’s what it’s about – everyone putting in their work every day, doing their job and we’ll be fine on offense.”
(Has it changed for you, when you look back a year ago at this time and what you were doing? Has it changed what you’re…?) – “A little bit. I think I’m a little bit more comfortable; but at the same time, a lot more determined. I know what I can do in this league; but at the same time, it’s about just pushing that box, pushing to reach even higher. I know that I can do a lot more and that’s kind of what this offseason is about – just working on the little things, the details to kind of take my game to the next level and really have a great year. So that’s what I’ve been doing and I’m excited about it.”
(What have your impressions been of TE Julius Thomas so far and how you think he can help this offense?) – “Great teammate. He’s been a really cool guy to talk to just in the couple weeks being around him and just seeing him on the field. It’s been exciting – a guy who can stretch the field and definitely create mismatches for us. That’ll be really good on offense. He’s a guy that’s done it at a very high level in the past and so we just hope when he comes out here for us, he’ll raise the bar even more.”
Clyde Christensen – May 6, 2017
Download PDF version
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(If you could start off with the offensive line. Obviously, moving G/T Laremy Tunsil out to left tackle, the confidence level of Laremy being really good at that spot right away and your comfort level at what you have at guard – obviously, G/T Jermon Bushrod, C/G Ted Larsen, and bringing in G Isaac Asiata?) – “The confidence level is extremely high that (Laremy Tunsil) can excel at tackle. It’s his natural position. I think it’ll be a much quicker learn for him than last year at this time. Now he has the benefit of going back to his natural position – his most experienced position – and whatever you learned inside, which does teach you some skills you can’t learn outside, where guys are a little tighter on you in the run blocking and bigger guys, etc. So, I think all those combined will put Laremy way ahead. It gives us a lot of confidence in him and I think he’ll have a lot of confidence going into the thing. It doesn’t make it an easy position or an easy job. It still is a tough job out there and you still catch the best pass rusher and you’re still on the edge and all those things. But I do think his comfort level going into it will be really good, really high. At guard, I think we really wanted to get some depth in there. We don’t want to necessarily do it by committee, but we want to have enough bodies in there, like last year, that you have to fill in and be able to do some different things. We talked last year at this thing that we needed the versatility that … Last year we had even ‘Bush’ (Jermon Bushrod) who could play left tackle in a pinch. (He) has played a lot of football in the NFL at left tackle. I think this will give us some flexibility. Now we have a bunch of guys who can swing inside and play center. We added Larsen who’s one of those guys who can swing inside for short periods of time and give us some center help, if we need it, and compete at the guard position. I feel good. I think we’ve got some good, solid players in there. I think the competition will be high, which always makes people better, and we’ll come out of the thing with, I think, a good, deep inside bunch, which will be great. I can’t stress enough that (with) the good teams, you have competition. That’s the deal. The more competition, the hungrier … All those things add to some intensity to practice being better, to all those things. I think we’ll have a ton of competition in there for that backup center, the starting guard, playing time – all the above in there.”
(What do you want to see from WR DeVante Parker in the offseason and what does he need to do to take that next step?) – “The great thing is we’re seeing what we were hoping to see, and that’s A) a healthy DeVante Parker – he is running probably better than I’ve seen him run since I’ve been here – and a hungry DeVante Parker. I think he has been around a lot more than last year. He is practicing hard. He’s queued in on this thing – zeroed in I guess is our word this year – zeroed in. So, we are seeing what we wanted to see out of him. We need him to be a big play, No. 1 receiver. That’s what he has the potential to be. That’s what he has to be, and to play at a high level week after week after week after week in a consistent manner. It’s not easy to do, but he has the skills to do it, which not many guys do have. Now he’s applying himself. He has always worked, but he struggled with that hamstring. He has gotten himself healthy. I really think that maybe lifestyle – for lack of a better term – but just his routine is better. Sometimes those young guys, as they come into this thing, it takes them a while to fall into the routine of what it takes to put your body in position, in shape, sleep – all the above – eating, practicing, all those things to be able to make it through a 16-game season, especially for a receiver, where you just are running so much. There’s so much running involved in the thing. I think probably all those things have gotten better for him. I think they’ll all combine to him having a great year this year. I really think he’ll have a great, big year – a gigantic year for us. That would be huge. That takes a ton of pressure … It helps with everything. It helps with the quarterback position. It helps with your running game. It helps everything. If you can get some chunks of yardage and you get a big-play guy who can jump over, it helps with some jumps balls, 50-50 balls and all of a sudden you come down with a few of those. Those are important chunks. It’s hard to go 4 yards and a cloud of dust.”
(The organization made a priority of re-signing its own free agents. From your perspective, bringing WR Kenny Stills back into the fold, how important was that?) – “Huge statement. I think it’s a huge statement. It helps in the locker room, and it’s a way to build something really, really solid. I think it’s the way to build something solid is to draft well, take care of your own, bring them up, have your guys, have them in your system, where you’re not always bringing in mercenaries and contractual guys who have to come in and maybe don’t have a tie to us or don’t know the system and all those things. I think it’s a huge statement by the organization. I think it’s a huge statement for Kenny. I think anyone who was here last year – we talked about this at length – but in my first year here, I don’t think I came in the building last offseason and I didn’t see the guy here. I didn’t know him, and I didn’t know anything about him much, but the one thing I do know is I saw him here. He’s working and he was involved and he was committed to having a good year. For that to get rewarded I think sends a great message trickling through the (organization of), ‘Work. Work, and things happen good. Things happen good and you play good football – the Miami Dolphins will take care of you.’ I think the message is multifaceted as far as how he worked and how people saw him work. I think he had probably the best year of his career. I’m not positive about that, but I think it was, so I do think that. And I do think that … I’ve always believed that the No. 1 thing you have to do is evaluate your own. There’s a young guy who can run, he’s our kind of guy, he’s our kind of player – take care of him and keep him around. That’s huge. That’s key.”
(If TE Julius Thomas is healthy, what can he add?) – “He has added before 10, 12 touchdowns (in Denver), which is huge. If you just oversimplify and say, ‘What can he add?’ In Denver, he added 10 or 12 touchdowns. That’s a gigantic addition. I went out to dinner with him when he came in for his visit, and the guy is a professional. He’s going to add way more than touchdowns – way, way more than touchdowns. I hope he adds those touchdowns, but the guy is a pro. He knows (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. He knows the system. He came up through the ranks. He has a great story. You guys will hear it when you talk to him, but (he is) a guy that hadn’t played a ton of football and (was) learning how to be a pro, learning how to practice, learning how detailed this thing is and figuring it out. So, his story and what he’ll bring to that locker room I think is really good. He’s a pleasant guy. He’s a pro. He asks the right questions. He stays with it until he knows the answer. He’s going to come in, in the evening if he has questions. He’s going to do whatever it takes to find a way to play good football. That’s what we’re looking for. That’s what we need throughout the thing – a detailed, professional guy.”
(What makes you certain you’re going to get the TE Julius Thomas that played in Denver as opposed to the one that played in Jacksonville?) – “There’s no guarantee on any of them. It’s on film. I’ve seen it. Hearing Peyton (Manning) talk about him and what he meant to the offense. (Head Coach Adam) Gase knows him inside out. Gase knows exactly what he’s getting and knows how to use him. (Gase) used him extremely well out there in Denver. I have great confidence that we will get that. It’s not a speculation. There’s some – as you like to say – empirical data. There’s data we can see, see him do it (and) see the things we need him to do. That always is encouraging.”
(As far as QB Ryan Tannehill coming back from the knee injury, Head Coach Adam Gase said he’s confident that he’s right on track. What do you need to see – what will you need to see – in camp?) – “Same thing, it has been what we have seen. Being out there, I don’t see him favoring it at all. He looks like the same guy. It hasn’t even been an issue. No one has talked about it. I’m sure there’s a little bit of ice that I haven’t seen after a good day’s work and stuff. But when you look on the field, I see a guy working just like he did last year, moving like he did last year. So, it’s not even, ‘What would you like to see?’ It’s kind of what are we seeing, and that’s a healthy Ryan Tannehill, which is great, and it’s miraculous news for what we all thought initially and what it ended up turning out to be. It’s terrific and I think it’s testimony to how he keeps himself and how he has trained himself. All of a sudden, those are the kind of guys who heal fast and catch a break on stuff like this, because they have been diligent throughout their years. Everything I’ve seen has been a nonfactor. It has been a nonfactor. We haven’t had to watch his reps. We haven’t had to watch his work. He just does what he always does. That’s probably the best news of them all.”
(What did Peyton Manning say about TE Julius Thomas?) – “That he figured it out. His figure-it-out factor was high. That’s what you look for. There’s a guy who came in and probably didn’t know a whole bunch about football, or played very little. His experience was very minimal, and then (he) came in and figured it out and then worked. (Manning) talked a lot about (Thomas asking), ‘Would you stay out and help me with this? Take me through this. Would you watch a little tape with me? Would you explain what you want on this?’ And he still does the same thing. I’ll see him in (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase’s office and his questions are right. His questions and his process are right, which as a coach, (is what) you’re looking for. He said the same thing. I would speak of Peyton as almost coach-ish, especially at that point in his career. He goes to people (and asks), ‘How do we want to do this? How do I do this? Is this exactly what you want, or is it different?’ Those are the right questions to be asking. He has been terrific in the short time he has been here, and it doesn’t take long to see he enjoys football, he likes football, which is the other attribute we’ve been looking for, and guys that enjoy being in the building. He’s a pleasant guy. He has a good demeanor. He has got a smile on his face when he comes to work. That’s good stuff. A lot of times when you go get a free agent – a high-profile free agent – you don’t know what you’re going to get. It’s a reach, and all you can go on is second hand. This one, we had the advantage of Coach Gase (and) people knew him, and he has been exactly that. Coach Gase has been clear that’s what he wants. He wants guys that enjoy football, enjoy the process, who enjoy working, who want to be great, and he certainly has been that in the time I’ve seen him.”
(How do you feel about your backup receivers?) – “We just haven’t seen them yet. We haven’t seen a bunch of them yet, but I think the same thing. We’ve got a room of guys and I think they’re going to all keep improving and I think that room has a chance to be really good and really deep. But we’ve got a ways to go. We’ve done it at times. We’ve done it for short periods of time but we’ve got to get that room playing at a high level day-in and day-out for 20-weeks-plus hopefully. So your question was on the backup guys? I think (Leonte) Carroo … I think all of those young guys; I think those young guys … I’ve always believed that the biggest jump is from your first to second year because you’re doing it full time. You don’t have to worry about anything else, you know what’s expected, your body has been through one 16 (game) –. in our case 21 game – season. So you know how to train it better. All of those things lend to … it’s probably the highest percentage increase in improvement that you can make. And then it will start shrinking down and then by your 15th year, you’re trying to make two or three percent improvement. But I really think that this can be a great year for our young receivers and these guys who we got in here now will be … hopefully we’ll find a guy or two out of there also. But the (Leonte) Carroos and those other guys, we’ll see a big jump. I think we’ll see a huge improvement. You see it already. You see it in practice. You see it in their technique. You see it in their understanding. That first year is hard. That first year is hard on everybody, but especially a rookie, because the veterans last year were just trying to learn it themselves. They didn’t know it. So anytime you have that, that’s what makes that first year so darn hard, that you don’t have someone who has done it and you just fall in line (and) just do what they do. Everyone was trying to learn it themselves last year. Now there’s a little bit of a baseline for it. They understand it and I think that those guys will make a big jump. And we need them to. We need them to. The fourth and the fifth receiver are playing positions. Right? The chances – the odds are – that the fourth player is going to have to play some big snaps before the season is over. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and they never get on the field, but the percentages say that the fourth receiver has to play some huge snaps and some critical snaps in the season. So it’s important we have a guy there.”
(So RB Jay Ajayi is your bell cow runner. What do you have? I mean what’s Plan B if in the season takes a toll?) – “I really think that room can be the deepest room of them all. With Damien (Williams) and Kenyan (Drake) and then now we’ve got the young guys in here. We have two young guys who were here at the end of last year on our practice squad (Storm Johnson and Senorise Perry). We brought in the Michigan running back (De’Veon Smith). So I think that can be a really, really deep room and I think they can relieve each other at times. Jay (Ajayi) is working hard to be a three-down back. His receiving skills are 200 percent better than a year ago today but you still … To be able to put in Damien (William) and Kenyan (Drake) and get big plays out of them and not have a big drop off … And they can play all downs. They can run the ball inside. They can run the ball outside. They can be a nickel receiver or a sub-receiver for us. They can split out, which they did last year, and they can give you big plays. That’s huge. So I think that can really be one of our deepest position groups of them all. I like our two young guys from the practice squad. I like the guy from Michigan a lot. He’s a little bit of a grinder and a big body in there. So I think that bunch can be really good, and then Jay (Ajayi), I think, falls in the same category of it’s by far his best year he’s ever had; now he’s got a ton of confidence. He knows how he’s going to have to train his body, right? He went through that – what it feels like to wake on Monday morning – and I think he’s in 50 percent better shape today then he was a year ago. I mean I just think that there’s something about just understanding, and then also I think there’s something about tasting success. I always used to tease him about those 200-yard games and then all of a sudden everyone’s trying to tattoo you. They’re a blessing and a curse. But when you do taste that thing a little bit, and feel some success and taste some success, it kind of makes you even hungrier for more, and to play at that level. So I think you’ll see him make a big jump. I think he’ll be a better football player. Sometimes it doesn’t translate into numbers. You can be better and it doesn’t necessarily … This game’s funny. It doesn’t always translate into numbers, but you still can be a better football player. And I think there’s no question in my mind that Jay Ajayi will be a better football player than he was last year.”
(You guys put up good rushing numbers – yards per attempt, yards per game – but there only six games last year where you ran for over 100 yards. What played into that?) – “I think the thing … In this offseason when we did, when we dissected the whole season, the whole thing came back to a lack of number of snaps. You could take any stat and if you multiplied it out, we were okay. We just didn’t get enough snaps. We made big plays per snap, (it) was good number. Our rushes were a good number. Even our passing efficiency was a good number. We broke down on third down, which cut down (on our snaps). And now all of a sudden I think we had the lowest number of snaps in the league, or very close to the lowest number of snaps in the league, and so our biggest thing was staying on the field, eliminate some of those penalties and minus plays and stay on the field, and then we’ll see some natural improvement just from year one to two. But the biggest thing for us was just snaps. A lot of time we’d go ‘We actually did this better than it felt like. We just didn’t get enough of them.’ We made big plays. Add 200 more snaps in the season and multiply those numbers out, and now you’ve got a decent offense or an offense that we’re looking to be. But when you’re under 1,000 snaps, there are not enough snaps. There are not enough balls to go around. There are not enough carries. There’s not enough anything. And then also just the toll it takes on a defense. If you’re wearing someone down, making your big plays when they’re tired, banging Jay Ajayi at them after 75 snaps, that’s a lot better than I think the first four games where we were kind of in the 52-snap range. So you’re playing fresh defenses, so all of that kind of plays into each other. But the answer to your question is to just get more snaps. Get more snaps. Get towards the top of the league in snaps, which we should be, because we play up-tempo at times and there’s no reason, with the talent we have, we shouldn’t be a good third-down team and be able to stay on the field and get those snaps. But that was the biggest thing. There were very few things that were just deficient proportionately to the snaps. They were actually better than we thought. It was surprising. We came out of every study and just said ‘Okay, just get more snaps and that will multiply out into being a pretty darn good number.’”
(Last year there were 19 offensive snaps for WR Jakeem Grant. What is your and Head Coach Adam Gase’s vision for him as an offensive player long term? Is it being a gimmick player that you can give the ball to a dozen times a game or would you like, and do you think it’s realistic, that you could see more and develop him into a slot receiver that can be counted on?) – “I think both. I think he is going to be a gimmick guy. Gimmick is kind of a demeaning word but he’s so darn explosive. I think he should be a highlight film. His big plays per snap ought to be a huge number. We’re always looking for ways to get him on the field. Some of it we’ll learn how to use him better. Some of it he’ll become a better player and a more mature player and understand the offense better. We’re going to play him a little bit more outside. Just because he’s a little guy doesn’t mean you have to be a slot guy. Sometimes outside you can throw him a hitch out there and he can turn it into a 50-yard play. So we are looking for ways for him to be an every down player more. I don’t know that he becomes a starter, but just to be able to stick him in for chunks of time and leave him. It’s really, really hard in this league to slip a guy in there and run a reverse. It sounds good but it’s hard to do practically, and so it’s important for him to be an every down guy and for us to be able to put him in, and if we do have injuries, that he could play chunks. There’s no reason he can’t, right? He’s a good football player. He’s an extremely good technique kid. He has good hands. He runs good routes. He has to learn the offense better and I think he’ll do that, but look to see him maybe a little bit more outside and mix it in. We can stick him out there away from trips and get some one on ones out there. He’s a scary guy one or one. So we’re experimenting with some new things. Or different things, not new. But just some different places for him just to find a little niche for him to get a bigger role. We see him having … I think we all see him having a little bit of a bigger role and getting more out of him than we did last year. He has a unique set, a unique skillset (and) a unique way of doing things that he brings to the thing that has … And some of them are really hard traits to find, as far his speed and his big play (ability), his confidence, his swagger, thinking he can score on every single play. Every time he touches the ball he thinks he can score. The other thing he has, he has to fix his protecting the ball. He has to become that also. I think the same thing as I’ve been kind of … The theme of this thing, I just think that second year through, all of a sudden you get it. You figure it out a little bit. And I think that will be the case with him. He’ll figure out a little bit. We’ll figure it out a little bit more and then I think you’ll see him play some bigger chunks and more snaps. He’s always going to be a little bit of a specialist but there’s no reason he can’t play some series and go for a series. There’s nothing that he can’t do. He’s a physical guy. He’s maybe the strongest guy on our team pound for pound. He’s not afraid, as you saw. There’s no reason he can’t play a bunch of snaps.”
Matt Burke – May 6, 2017
Download PDF version
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(Could you give specific reasons about why you think you guys will be better against the run? Be it DE William Hayes, be it LB Lawrence Timmons. Just go over reasons that have led you to have at least hopefully some measure of confidence that you’ll stop the run better.) – “Well, statistically we can’t get much worse, right? So hopefully there’s going to be a little bit of an upgrade there. I just feel good about all the moves we’ve made this year. I think at every level of defense, if you look towards the end of the season – even the back end with Reshad (Jones) being out, who is obviously one of our better tacklers from the safety positon; even Kiko (Alonso) being hurt, he had a hard time with the hand and stuff like that. I think we’ve added players at all three levels of the defense that’ll all help us in the run game.”
(As the draft is unfolding…) – “It was a good weekend, huh? (laughter)”
(Did you feel like it was Christmas in April as one defensive player is drafted after another?) – “No. (laughter) It’s funny. Going into the draft, everyone – at least from our perspective – thought it was a defensive sort of heavy draft. I was having a conversation with (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannebaum) and he’s like, ‘Oh, this is going to be your worst nightmare if this happens or these guys fall.’ And I literally looked at him and I said, ‘Mike, let’s take the best player available.’ I really do (think that). I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and Mike and the scouts, they do a great job. I mean it worked out well for me, so I wasn’t complaining; but we evaluated everybody honestly and set the board just how we thought they fit for the team as a whole. But yes, it was fun. When I kept getting called in there every round, every round they kept calling … (interrupted by someone’s phone ringing) I planned that so I could stop answering the question. (laughter)”
(What do you like most about DE Charles Harris?) – “A lot of things. We thought he was one of the more polished pass rushers in the draft. We liked his make-up, his intelligence; he’s a really bright kid. I know (General Manager) Chris (Grier) has told the whole story about sort of cancelling his visit. After we met him in Indy, we just felt really good about the package as a whole. So as a player, he’s explosive. He’s one of the more twitchy edge players, we felt, in the draft. So we’re excited to utilize his skillset there. We, again, didn’t really think he was going to be available to us where we picked him, so we were pretty happy.”
(After the DE Charles Harris pick, General Manager Chris Grier said, ‘We are going to tweak the defense to help Wide 9 players be good run defenders.’ Some folks say Harris isn’t that big, he’s not a natural edge setter and all those sorts of things. What can you share about this possible tweak?) – “Yes. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a tweak per se, but one of the advantages of the Wide 9 is that our edge players – our defensive ends in particular – don’t have to play in seven-technique squared up in the C gap. It’s one of the hardest things for even a guy like Cam (Wake), ‘undersized defensive end,’ to have to play in a square stance and play head up and taking on offensive tackles. We don’t ask our edge players or defensive ends to do that. So for us, it’s more just the philosophy or the scheme and we allow our ends to play in space more than having to play really in tighter quarters, so we think that we can utilize the skillset of that type of athlete there. So I’m not sure it’s going to be tweaked necessarily like a lot different from what we’ve done, but the way we ask our ends to play is different than a traditionally sort of Over 4-3, square defense.”
(So you don’t think that that has contributed to some of the run-stopping problems that you guys have had, especially with how much that compromises the linebackers?) – “I don’t. I’ve been in this scheme since probably about 2007 with the Tennessee Titans, when I first got in the league, and I’ve been in part of … Probably half of the years I’ve been in the league, I’ve been in the top five run defensive teams. I have to look up the stats on that, but I’ve never had a problem stopping the run doing it. People are always easy to point to that as the nine-technique and say that’s why we didn’t stop the run. I think we had issues at every level of defense that we have to address, tackling probably being one of the foremost ones; but I don’t think that the scheme is specific to having run problems.”
(Can you talk about what this opportunity personally means to you and how ready you are for this?) – “I wasn’t ready for this press conference. (laughter) Yes, it’s exciting. Obviously, as a coach in the profession and sort of personal goals for rising up through the ranks, I mean I feel like I’ve put a lot of work in. It’s crazy this is about my 14th year in the league coming up. It seems like a lot. So I’m excited. I’m thankful to (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) and to the organization for giving me the opportunity and for having the confidence in me to take this next step. So we’re just ready to go back to work. All I know is to work hard and try to figure out the answers to the problems.”
(What are the strengths of this defense right now?) – “I think we have a lot of depth relative to where we’ve been. Again, I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) did a great job leading up to the draft, filling some sort of holes or just bringing in some extra guys for competition. I like that we’ve been in the system, the majority of the guys have been in the system and the confidence level, just the guys coming back – we’ve had the vets here for three weeks now I guess it’s been. Just seeing their confidence sort of in the scheme in what they’re doing and what they’re being asked and sort of that comfort level, I think is just naturally going to help them grow in the scheme. And I think just to me, its confidence and the attitude as they come back. I just really enjoyed seeing the guys be back in the building. You just can feel it. I know (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has talked a little bit about feeling that swagger and sort of … You just feel the guys, their comfort level is so much different. They know what to expect from us and what we’re asking from them. Again, the pieces that we’ve added, I think the guys are ready to take the next step.”
(Is LB Raekwon McMillan going to start his professional career practicing at outside linebacker?) – “I don’t know yet. We’ll see. I know I’ve mentioned this before. Personally, I believe, and I think the organization believes, it’s important to have multi-talented players. Everyone talks about what New England does with tight ends and running backs that are receivers and all sort of things. So I think defensively, one of our philosophies is the same. It’s having guys that are interchangeable, that can play multiple positions, that can matchup in different areas week to week. So we’re taking all those guys. I know the question has been asked about Kiko (Alonso) and Lawrence (Timmons) and now Raekwon (McMillan). We need, and you guys saw what happened to our linebacker depth last year. We had a plan going into Week 1 and Koa (Misi) by Week 3 is not playing and Jelani (Jenkins) is in and out and all this stuff. So our plan for all of those guys is to literally cross train them and to try to get the most and find out what the best fit is. And honestly, it may be week to week. I don’t know. It may be this week Raekwon fits better for us in this position and Lawrence is out here. Or maybe there’s a better option to match Kiko up with somebody that we feel good about. I know you guys feel like we’re probably being vague about things, but in honesty, we want to get the best matchups and have the ability to move guys around. And also, if an injury happens, that we can slide a guy in and it’s not a big loss or it throws everything off when all of a sudden one guy gets a high-ankle sprain and has to miss a couple of weeks. Raekwon has been in the building for about 48 hours now, maybe a little bit less even. He’s a bright kid. He’s kind of everything we thought he was in terms of personality and make up, so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for him to sort of get into it and learn what we’re asking him to do.”
(Do you not think that there’s value to having three inside linebacker types on the field together? Playing together as a unit?) – “What do you mean inside linebacker types?”
(LB Kiko Alonso, LB Lawrence Timmons and LB Raekwon McMillan, they all pretty much have most of their experience at inside linebacker. Can it work?) – “Yes. I mean I think it’s again – I talked to the organization about this too – I mean I don’t … I look at them as linebackers. I mean, honestly, I don’t look at, let’s say Kiko. I don’t look at him and say he’s an inside linebacker or he’s an outside linebacker. For the way we play our defense, we play with three off the ball guys. Again, like week to week, there’s different challenges of ‘the Sam (linebacker) is going to match up with this guy one time’ or ‘the inside linebacker is going to be asked to do this.’ So I don’t see … I know everyone’s on to Raekwon. Earlier it was about Kiko. ‘Where are we going to play Kiko?’ Kiko is a good football player and we’re going to utilize his skillset. The same thing (Head Coach) Adam (Gase)’s always talked about, we’re going to put our players in the best position to be successful and to help us win. So I don’t look at any of them specifically as inside linebackers or outside linebackers. I think they all have diverse skill sets and we’re going to utilize them week to week the best way possible to help us win.”
(You have more left, right linebackers versus strong, weak side?) – “I’ve done both. Again, we haven’t really … Again, Lawrence (Timmons) and even say Raekwon (McMillan), they’re fairly new to the organization and to really get to know what their actual strengths are and being around them. So in the past, I’ve done that. Probably one of the better years when I was in Detroit, we had DeAndre Levy and Justin Durant were outside linebackers and (Stephen) Tulloch was in the middle, and they just played right and left. If the tight end came out to this side and you were the ‘Sam,’ if the tight end came out to that side, you were the ‘Will.’ So I’ve done that. I’ve flipped. I’ve done stuff where you put one guy behind the three-technique all of the time to protect him. There are a lot of ways to deploy your linebackers and utilize them and I’ve literally done all of them in my career. So again, it’s a matter for us of going through the process and finding out, at the end of the day, this is the best way that Raekwon (McMillan), Kiko (Alonso), Lawrence (Timmons), Mike Hull, Neville (Hewitt) – all these guys that have played for us – are going to be successful and what’s going to help us win. And again, that may be different week to week. I don’t know. The challenges are varied every week. That’s a unique position. To me, you guys look at the way the tight ends have gone in this league – and running backs to some extent – there are different types of tight ends. There are different types of running backs. I think your safeties and linebackers have to be sort of the same (and) have the same varied interests or same varied skillsets to be able to matchup with those guys. And tat may be different week to week.”
(Yesterday, DE Charles Harris said he’s just going to follow DE Cameron Wake around.) – “Yes, that’s not bad.”
(It’s one thing to hear instruction and soak everything coming from coaches. How much does it further a player to get maybe that same instruction from a fellow player? And the words and actions coming from him?) – “Yes, you guys have been around Cam (Wake). He’s the ultimate professional. He does everything right, off the field, on the field. So to say someone’s going to try to model his career after what that kid’s done, that’s great. It helps. It obviously helps. Again, part of what (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has tried to build in the locker room, with the culture that we put in here and the leaders and the guys sort of taking charge, it always helps. They can only listen to me so long; but if I’m trying to make a point and then Cam comes up and makes the same point to Charles (Harris), then that’s obviously very helpful to the coaching staff.”
(Are the differences between you and former Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph more subtle or will it be very obvious to the fans both in philosophy, practice, game day, and what is your general defensive philosophy?) – “(It will) probably (be) subtle to everybody. Vance (Joseph) and I worked together. We’re very close. Obviously you guys know we worked together for three years and took a lot from each other, I think. I’ve mentioned other guys in my past with Jim Schwartz and Jeff Fisher and those guys that I’ve worked for. So my philosophy is sort of culled from all of those guys. But Vance and I, when we came here last year, we had been together for the two years prior and we put a lot kind of in together and took some of the stuff I had from my past and stuff he had from his past. So I don’t think there will be a massively noticeable change. I’m trying to streamline some things a little bit to just kind of get good at what we do and let the guys play fast from there. But schematically, it’ll be pretty similar.”
(If you decide that going to week to week with the linebackers and how they line up and so forth is the way to go, what is that going to require the players to be able to do as opposed to ‘I’m here and I’m here for 17 weeks and I know I’m here.’) – “Well, that’s part of the evaluation process. Like I said, I mentioned earlier, if you played right and left for example, that outside linebacker has to learn ‘Sam,’ has to learn ‘Will.’ You don’t know what the offensive formation is going to dictate to you. There is some extra learning to that. Part of our challenge with all of these guys – again, I enjoy it; I think it’s a great asset to have – but part of our challenge is going to be if that’s possible, or what the best situation is. Again, it may not be. We may say the best thing for us is to play this guy here, this guy here and this guy here, and let’s roll and go play, and that’ll be the best. Or we may say, ‘You know what? I don’t like this guy here. I’m going to flip him and put him here.’ And we may determine that next week. We may determine that in September. We may determine that in Week 10. ‘Let’s just roll with this’ You never know what’s going to happen in a season. Obviously again, last year we had to move a lot of parts around. So I think you just have to keep that in your back pocket.”
(You mentioned that tackling was one, I’m sure injuries is another. So aside from that, why was the defense 30th in the NFL last year against the run?) – “Besides from poor tackling and injuries? There’s just a lot of stuff. That’s part of it. I always tell the players this: There is never … You give up a 30-yard run, let’s say, in a game. It’s never one person or even one sort of spot. A d-lineman doesn’t hold an edge and a linebacker misses fit and then a safety misses a tackle. It’s complex. We played some good running backs last year. We played some good running offenses. Sometimes, schematically, we dictated that we needed to really pay attention to the passing game more. It’s just week to week. It’s varied. No one obviously wants to not have a good run defense. It’s not something you go into a game saying. But it’s hard to really pinpoint. We’re addressing a lot of issues, I think.”
(A couple things on defensive tackle. One is, at what point now is the diminishing return as far as snaps for DT Jordan Phillips where you and former Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph last year saw a clear drop off if he went past that snap total. What’s the number you’d like it to get to? And also, No. 3 defensive tackle options. I know DE Terrence Fede has played inside some. Could he be a full time defensive tackle? If you could go over options for No. 3 defensive tackle besides the two rookies you just drafted.) – “I mean it’s the same for all of them. We rarely have a hard pitch count for guys, like a set number like ‘he can’t play more than this,’ unless he’s dealing with an injury or something like that. Jordan (Phillips) had, like everyone’s been saying, he has been inconsistent. He’s had some flashes. He’s a very talented player. We just need to be more consistent from that spot. I’m not sure if there is like a pitch count associated with that or a play number. As for the rest of it, I mean really all of the spots are up for grabs. We obviously are bringing two young guys in (Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor) at the tackle position. We have Nick Williams. We signed some futures guys form last year. So it’s obviously a spot that there is some open competition for and we’re just going to let it play out.”
(And with DE Terrence Fede, can he play more at defensive tackle or is he big enough?) – “Probably not. He’s been a little bit more of an edge player for us. So I think that’s probably where we’ll keep him. (We’ll) let him keep playing out there.”
(How do you know you’re getting improvement from the defensive tackle group considering…) – “Today? I don’t. I don’t know. How do you know? (laughter)”
(How would you judge the defensive tackles’ improvement?) – “Again, that’s just part of the film study. I mean, listen, we’ve got 88 guys on the roster? Eighty nine guys on the roster? That’s what we’ve got right now. This is our group. To me, it’s on us (now). It’s our job as coaches to get that positon better. Again, whether it’s schematically putting them in the right calls and putting them in the right things or coaching those guys up on better technique or motivation to get Jordan Phillips better or whoever it is. (We have to) get these young guys up to speed. I don’t think there’s a measuring stick today of if we got better. I mean we feel good about the pieces we’ve added to that room, but that’s always an ongoing process.”
(What did you identify on tape in the free agent process that you like in the safeties you signed? S Nate Allen and S T.J McDonald.) – “Yes. They’re both veteran guys. Nate has played for a long time in the league. I have a lot of friends that are out there on the staff that coached out in Oakland with him. We got really good feedback on, again, the type of character he is, the type of person he is. I think he kind of fits a little bit of our mindset of a little bit of a multidimensional safety. T.J. was kind of a bonus for us the way things kind of played out with him. He’s obviously a big – I don’t if you guys have seen him around the building – he’s a big, big man. So he’s a physical player. And again, we felt good about bringing them in. We visited with them, spent some time with them. Who’s the person (they are)? (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach) Frank Bush was out on staff with him last year and spoke well of him. So for us to be able to add two kind of veteran safeties that have some game experience was a great asset for us I think moving forward.”
Darren Rizzi – May 6, 2017
Download PDF version
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(The thinking to this point of not bringing in another kicker … Are you leaving open the possibility that you might? Do you think it’s unlikely? Is it a show of confidence in K Andrew Franks?) – “We obviously evaluated a bunch of guys in the offseason. Certainly it’s obvious that we didn’t draft one. The specialist position is a really unique one because you’re always kind of competing against the rest of the field, regardless if we have two kickers or if there are two kickers somewhere else or whatever. We felt very comfortable. I thought Andrew (Franks) started off the year very strong last year. I thought he might have hit a little bit of a lull in the middle of the year, but he really finished strong. We really were happy with the way he finished the season. He obviously made two field goals in the playoff game in really, really tough conditions. Heck, their kicker missed a PAT in that game. Obviously (Franks) made the 55-yarder against Buffalo and the game winner. So we’re really, really happy with the way he finished the year and really are just looking (for him) to pick up from where he left off. That position, as we all know, is a miss or make proposition. Your success is going to be evaluated on a daily basis and we know the kickers that are out there throughout the league, the teams that have two guys in, the guys that are on the street. We spent the whole offseason evaluating not only the free agent guys – the street free agents – but also the entire draft class. It was a unique year because three kickers got drafted – three guys we evaluated, as well. We’ll see how it goes, but my confidence in Andrew right now at this point is high based on how he finished last year.”
(Among the draftees, who do you have your eye on for special teams and how does that work as far as you figuring out what units that they can play?) – “I’ve got my eye on everybody, for sure, in the entire rookie class, regardless of where they were drafted. I think that’s one great thing about (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase is he sat in front of the rookies the other day and made it perfectly clear that regardless of where you were drafted or where you’re from – all that stuff, how you got here at this point – doesn’t matter. We’re going to evaluate everybody and see what the best role is for them on the team. The way we evaluate guys, it’s interesting because you look at their college film and there are some guys that haven’t played special teams in a couple of years. There are some guys that haven’t played special teams at all. There are some guys that played right on through. So you have to kind of take each guy on an individual basis and see what their skillset is. With that said, I kind of really like where we are. A special teams coach is always going to be happy with a defensive-heavy draft because usually that’s a pretty good sign for the special teams. But right now, from our first pick on down, I think there are going to be guys that can add value to the special teams in the coverage units (and) in the rush units. I really like the skillset of some of the guys. (Cordrea) Tankersley has played some special teams before. Obviously I have a great relationship with Greg Schiano, the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. I worked for Greg for six years. He speaks the world of (Raekwon) McMillan, just his skillset and what his value can be. We had some conversations about him as well. We’ve been friends for a long time. But there are a bunch of guys in that group – not only the drafted guys, but the undrafted guys – that I really feel at this point can … I’m really excited to get out there. I think there are going to be, looking throughout our roster right now, you look at the 90-man roster and I really like where we are in terms of position battles setting up for training camp and kind of where we are with the ‘bottom of the roster.’ I think there’s going to be some really, really good battles because I was really pleased with a lot of the rookies last year and how they finished the season, and now you look at some of the guys we brought in. I’m very excited. As a special teams coach, I’m really, really excited to get out there and start working with these guys.”
(Your sixth-round pick, DT Vincent Taylor, I believe blocked four kicks last year from the defensive line position. He held up his hand at the press conference yesterday to show everybody how big it was. Did you watch the tape of those blocked kicks and what did it show you? What is he capable of doing on this level?) – “It’s always great to get guys that have done it before because, like I said, there are a lot of times that you have guys that don’t play on those units (in college). So Vincent (Taylor) blocked four kicks – I think it was last year –field goals. He’s a guy that gives tremendous effort on that unit. He’s a guy that we’re certainly going to look at and he’s going to get a ton of work in the preseason doing that. Ironically enough, we also have an undrafted guy, Praise (Martin-Oguike) – I’m not even going to attempt his last name – from Temple. He blocked a bunch of kicks at Temple, as well. We’ve got some guys. The undrafted linebacker, (Chase) Allen, he blocked up some kicks. I think he blocked four kicks in his career. You guys know that’s something we take very, very seriously around here – the field goal block or the punt block stuff. We’ve made a bunch of plays here the last few years in those phases, so to get guys that have done that, not only Vincent (Taylor), but a bunch of guys that have done that … That’s something we look at when we’re evaluating these guys – the drafted guys and the free agents – we’re always looking at their special teams value. That’s always going to be something, especially from a rookie. As you guys know that have covered this team for a while, the more help you can get from that class, usually the better we’re going to be in that phase and the better we are in that phase, this phase, the better we’re going to be as a team. If you guys look at last season and how many games – this special teams play here or there – came down to … You can go through every game – four or five games – there was really a big play that could have swung the game either way and did swing the game either way. Those blocked kicks can be huge, as we all know.”
(I know you guys love WR Jarvis Landry as the punt returner.) – “We? (laughter) I don’t know about the ‘we’ but I (do). No, I’m just kidding. (laughter) I’m totally joking. We do love him. I’m just busting chops.”
(But the reason why everyone else may not be so enthusiastic with WR Jarvis Landry returning punts is because he’s a big part of the offense.) – “And I totally get that. You look at Jarvis as a whole and how valuable he is to the team, certainly. Listen, we’re going to go in this preseason no different than any other with him being a possibility in those phases. Last year he obviously didn’t return any kicks, it was just punts. We did a lot of situational things in terms of … He was back there a lot of times where the percentage of actually getting a return wasn’t very much. So there were a lot of going-in punts that we call them – plus-50 punts, whatever you want to call them – where the percentage of actually getting a return is going to be very low. But for decision-making, fair catches, knowing when and not to field a ball – we had a rookie obviously with Jakeem (Grant) that hadn’t done that a lot. So hopefully this year is a whole new year. We’ll kind of evaluate that again. Jarvis is certainly part of the mix. But he is a very valuable guy. You guys know every time this comes up, I always use the Antonio Brown comparison. You look at the playoff game and Antonio Brown is back there against us fielding punts. It’s the same type of situation. Some would argue that he’s the best receiver in the league. It all depends on … It’s an individual situation. He’s going to be back there. He’s definitely part of the equation again. Listen, as a special teams coach, I love having (Landry). He wants to do it. He loves doing it. He’s passionate about it and he’s a great weapon to have.”
(Since the season ended, I’m trying to think if there was a player who was added via free agency or the draft who has punt or kickoff return experience.) – “Return experience, there are some of the rookies that have had some experience along the way. No extensive … there are no guys that have extensive (experience); but there are guys that have done it. But there’s nobody that has an extensive, long history.”
(How will you know if WR Jakeem Grant, who is trying hard to improve – I know he was out in Texas with P Matt Darr – how and when will you know if he’s better at it now?) – “With the way the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is now with the rules, I haven’t worked with Jakeem since the season has been over. So I know all of the stuff that you know about how hard he has worked in the offseason. Here’s a guy that flew his punter down to Texas to make sure he got some extra work in. That’s pretty impressive, so that tells you how serious he is about it. Listen, usually, as a coach, you look for the biggest improvement from a player from year one to two in any phase, in anything that they’re doing – any position player, anybody. So I’m looking for a major improvement – we all are – in that phase. He knows the corrections he has to make. It’s great that he’s recognized that and he’s working on it. I’ll see when we get out there for the OTAs – for OTA No. 1 – really where he is and how much he has improved, and we’ll take it from there. He’s obviously … The one thing you can’t deny is what he did with the ball in his hands when he did have the ball. We just have to make sure his ball security is a lot better, his decision making is better. Those are things that certainly have to improve. He knows that; we know that. But you can’t deny when he had in the ball in his hands, what he did. I think people forget that he returned another one for a touchdown that got called back for a questionable penalty. He actually had – in the Seattle game – another long return that got called back for a penalty. So his average – his numbers – were a little bit skewed. But I’m really, really proud of him and really happy about his work ethic here in this offseason, because you can tell that he’s taking this thing seriously.”
(This year you brought in a long snapper, which I can’t recall the last time you did that. What was the thinking behind that?) – “Well, John (Denney) is older than me. (laughter) Not quite. He has as many kids though. (laughter) Combination-wise, I think we have 10 kids together. That’s a little nutty. So we’re always talking kid stories. But look, John is getting up there in age. We did bring one in a little bit last year for training camp. We had a second guy. So the thought process is No. 1: The guy that we brought in, Winston Chapman, is a guy we evaluated last year, and were looking to bring into camp last season; but he had an ACL injury in his senior year at Mississippi State. We really liked his skillset. So he’s been out for a year and now he’s fully healthy. So No. 1, he’s a very solid snapper. That’s No. 1. No. 2: Certainly with where John is in his career, I still feel very strongly about him. The one thing about John – I joke around about his age all the time – he’s in tremendous physical condition for a guy at his age. I don’t know if there’s a guy that has a better work ethic than John. He’s a guy, I think he’s probably in the building more than I was in the offseason. He’s always here, always working on his body, always working on his skill. The thought process there is No. 1: We felt like we got a really solid snapper for competition; and No. 2: We just thought it would be a good deal with where John is in his career.”
(From a coaching perspective, how valuable was that postseason experience to you and how motivating was it?) – “Yes, extremely motivating for me, individually. I thought it’s a great deal to get a taste of the postseason. Obviously you guys know I’m going on my ninth season here, and it was great – just a phenomenal experience. I felt like it’s really going to … You look at the roster – and I was showing the rookies in our first meeting – at how many returning players we have back, and how many young players we have back. The point to them was, especially the undrafted guys and those guys, (is) you have to really battle your butt off here because these guys aren’t going to be looking to give up their roster spot. You go back and look at Pittsburgh and who we took the field with in that game and how many young players we have out there, it’s a great thing because now coming back, those guys all have a taste. We had a young team on the field that day and I think it’s a valuable experience for the coaches and the players.”
(Do you realize that you have now been part of three coaching staffs and you’re the second most powerful coach here?) – “Powerful is a strong word (laughter). Powerful, I don’t know about that. Yes, it’s been a very, very unique ride. If you told me that when I first got here that I would be here going into my ninth season, I probably wouldn’t have taken that bet; but it’s been phenomenal. I love this organization. I think I said the same thing last year, I’m just as excited now as I’ve ever been to be a part of the Miami Dolphins. If you count the interim coaches, by the way, it’s five. But we won’t go there. (laughter) Listen, I really love where we are right now. I think from the top down, this organization has really come a really long way in the time that I’ve been here. I think starting with (Owner) Mr. (Stephen) Ross, he’s just … I think it really goes unnoticed sometimes about how much he does for our organization. I was telling the rookies yesterday how many resources we have and how much resources he puts into this organization. Really, there’s nothing that they don’t have at their disposal when you look at everything we have from sports science, to nutrition, to the off the field stuff. That really goes back to Mr. Ross and his commitment to this organization. I love where we are with (Head Coach Adam) Gase. We have a great relationship and I really like the direction of this organization right now. I’m really, really excited.”
(What’s the key to survival?) – “For me? You know what, all kidding aside – you guys know I like to joke around – I’m very, very passionate about what I do. I think that probably comes out sometimes. I really enjoy what I do. I’m very, very passionate about this game. I’m very passionate about this organization. I think that is probably seen by most. I’d like to think that I have a good work ethic, and sometimes we’re good at what we do and sometimes we’re not. I think that sometimes we’re better than most. We’re better the majority of the time than we are on the flip side. I just think that I put my head down, I grind, I work and get these guys ready to play. I think that’s probably, maybe, been seen by my bosses.”
(You’ve mentioned a lot of the guys you brought in don’t have a lot of return experience. WR Malcolm Lewis had some and WR Drew Morgan returned a few last year. Do you expect, fully expect, WR Jakeem Grant will be your returner next season?) – “I’m not going to say that. It would be a disservice to everybody. I think I probably say the same company line every year, the 90 guys we bring in, everyone is going to get an opportunity. Jakeem certainly has the experience behind him from last year. I’m looking to get him a lot more. I’m not going to sit here and say that today … If we went out and played a game today, he would be; but let’s see where we are. We don’t play for a long time. Let’s see where some of these guys are. I’m excited – just like I mentioned earlier – I’m excited because I know Jakeem has worked at it so much. He was disappointed how last year went. Jakeem was disappointed. He did not believe in his mind that, that was really the Jakeem Grant that he wants everybody to see. He’s determined to make a major jump in his game. I’m excited to kind of get him out there. I’m excited to see him.”
(Out of left field, do you know off the top of your head how many teams has a holder that is a backup quarterback like they used to do back in the day and when you use the punter, does that decrease the success of a successful fake?) – “I like that question. I don’t think it’s out of left field at all. It’s a great special teams questions. There’s not … It’s very, very uncommon these days for the quarterback to hold. Now there have been some teams here in the last couple of years … The Saints did it for years because their punter wasn’t a great holder. But he’s become their holder, kind of over the years. So they had a bunch of different guys. There are some other teams that had some holding problems. Last year, the Chargers had a problem. They had a rookie punter, so they brought their quarterback in. If you look at it, the majority of the teams are going to use the punter. Why? It’s because all the time is spent – that the specialist spend together. Your quarterbacks are obviously going to be working on other things, so to have your punter as a holder is certainly a good thing. Is it a good thing to have a punter that is a good athlete – I think that’s where you were going – that can throw and run and all of that? Absolutely. When you do play a team that has a quarterback in as a holder, you’re certainly going to alert your block team, your defense and all of that, because there’s a possibility of some other fake stuff that comes up. But on occasion there are punters you know that aren’t going to be great fake threats, if you will, as holders. I’m going to give a little shout out to our punters because we brought a second punter (Matt Haack) in here as well and Matt Darr was a … I don’t know if everybody knows this but Matt Darr won the state championship in the shotput in California, and the discus (throw). So he’s a guy that’s actually an athlete. And the new guy we brought in, Matt Haack, is really a guy that I was impressed with. He was a three-sport athlete (and) was an all-state wide receiver in Iowa. He’s a lefty punter, which is also a unique thing as well. He really had some impressive showcases when I got the chance to watch him at his different events, so I’m excited to get him out there, as well.”
(A left-footed punter puts different spin on it right?) – “Yes, and usually, believe it or not, we actually have a JUGS machine that spins the ball both ways. So we have a JUGS machine that spins the ball with a right-footed punt and you can flip it and make it a left. So if we’re playing the Patriots, for example, they have a left footed punter. All week we’re working on the different rotation. Now we have two live – The Two Live Crew. (laughter) We’ve got a right footer and left footer in camp, which is great for our returners. Which is also great because now you’re not catching it off the machine, you’re catching it off a live foot, which obviously is a little more realistic. But (I’m) looking forward to it.”
Isaiah Ford – May 6, 2017
Download PDF version
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Wide Receiver Isaiah Ford
(What’s been the most eye-opening thing right now? I know you’ve only been here for 48 hours or whatever but your first impressions and the most eye opening thing?) – “I’ve been really excited with the whole process. Really, this whole thing is more so an orientation for us. So it’s kind of just coming in and learning how they operate here and just fitting in and being open to everything.”
(What areas do you feel you can help this team?) – “Whatever the coaching staff decides that they want me to play. I’m coming in here to compete and work as hard as I can, and try to help this team win games any way that I can.”
(What is the best advice that you’ve gotten so far from other receivers or other veterans on the team, if you’ve had the chance to speak with them?) – “I actually haven’t gotten a chance to speak with them yet.”
(What do you consider to be your strengths and what do you think you need to work on the most?) – “I think that one of the strengths of my game is my route running. That’s something that I take a lot of pride in, paying attention to the little details, especially in this game. Getting open is a gift. If that’s something that you can do, then you can play for a long time. That and just making a play. When the plays present themselves, I’ve always been kind of dependable and reliable in that sense.”
(What do you think of the parts of the offense that you’ve seen so far? Is it anywhere close to what was being run at Virginia Tech?) – “My freshman and sophomore year, we had more of a pro-style system. So it’s kind of closer to the system we ran my freshman and sophomore year; but not close to the one we ran last year, no.”
(What were your initial impressions of Head Coach Adam Gase and his personality and his style?) – “I liked him. I liked it a lot. When the first meeting that we had, he came in and he told us it doesn’t matter if you were drafted first round, seventh round or undrafted, we’re going to play the best players. And if you do your job, if you’re accountable and we can rely on you, then you’ll play.”
(Do you have any special teams experience?) – “I don’t. In high school, I returned punts. In college, my freshman year, I was going to return punts but we had a pretty good returner as well. So I always backed up the punt returners. I never got anything in college, but I’ve always been open to it.”
(Was there any thought in your mind that at that point in the draft where you went that you were thinking ‘Maybe I should be undrafted and make my own decisions as to where I go?’) – “No, not at all. To be drafted, no matter when you were drafted, it’s a blessing. That’s something that every little kid dreams of, having that moment when your phone rings. To think about going undrafted – or saying no to a phone call or anything like that – never came into my mind because I always felt like all I needed was an opportunity to get my foot in the door, and then I knew I was going to work my tail off.”
(How would you describe your game? Is it comparable to any of the current players, current receivers that we have on the Dolphins roster?) – “I don’t want to compare myself to anyone. I think I have a unique game in my own. I’ve always tried to implement and pick parts of things that I like in other people’s game. But I think I have my own game, I guess.”
(One of our anchors is a Hokie so he watched every down. He says you were a steal in the seventh round. He expects big things from you. What do you expect?) – “I expect to come in, to compete and to work as hard as I can. My work ethic is something that I’ve always taken a lot of pride in because I think that’s something that can’t be graded, like a 40-yard dash or a vertical, something like that. You can’t judge work ethic. You can’t judge heart, as well. So those are the two things I pride myself in and that’s what I want to give this organization.”
(Have you played against CB Cordrea Tankersley?) – “I did actually. We played them. He was to the field the majority of the game and in college, I played on the boundary the majority of the game. But I went against him a couple of plays.”
(How did it go? Do you remember anything significant about that?) – “Nothing significant. I had a couple catches. He had a pass deflection as well, so I remember that.”
