Kenny Stills – January 9, 2017
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Monday, January 9, 2017
Wide Receiver Kenny Stills
(On if there was a mentality change that just making it to the playoffs isn’t good enough.) – “I tell guys how I really feel. A majority of the time when I talk to you guys, we talk about the talent that we know that we have on this team and the potential that we all could see in each other. So us not being able to get a victory yesterday is something that we feel like we had a good opportunity of doing and we didn’t. We truly believe in this room that we could make a run – a serious run – and we still truly believe that. We feel like we didn’t do what we were supposed to do.”
(Considering you were 6-10 last year and 1-4 to start the season, do you think – whether it’s days or weeks – you’ll be able to appreciate just how far this team did come, even though you didn’t reach your ultimate goal, to appreciate what was accomplished?) – “It doesn’t take days or weeks to appreciate that. I’m sick about the game yesterday, but I still understand where we’ve come (from). I told the guys before the game, ‘Look how far we’ve come.’ It’s something that you can be proud of, but it’s not something to hang your hat on. We know what we expect out of each other, and we know the potential of this group. We’ve got to come back stronger next year and do it again.”
(Do you think weather played a factor yesterday?) – “It didn’t play a factor for me. I can’t comment on everybody else’s ability to play the game, but I don’t feel like it affected me at all.”
(Many of the guys talked about not feeling this feeling again. What needs to be done going into the offseason to try to correct some things and make sure that you guys can go a little bit further next year?) – “A lot of people say that we’re young and that we need to mature, but it’s knowing when you get in the playoffs, you can’t start slow, you can’t turn the ball over, you can’t have penalties. The way that we played yesterday wasn’t good enough. Sometimes things like this have to happen if you’re going to learn that lesson that needs to be learned. I definitely think that happened. Guys understand the way this feels and we don’t want it to happen again.”
(How much do you want to come back here with the way this organization is going?) – “I don’t know how to say how much I want to come back here. I want to be back here, yes. I love this team; I love these guys. We did something special after starting 1-4. We did something really special. We’re going to do whatever we can to try and make that happen.”
Jermon Bushrod – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins G Jermon Bushrod (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Was this a successful season?
No. Our goal was to be the last team standing, and we were not the last team standing. Where we came from earlier this season you have to be proud. I’m proud of everybody in this organization from the coaches down to the players. Things were not looking great for us. We were banged up. We were losing games but we found a way to look inside of ourselves and come out of a tough situation. This could have been a really tough season but like I said I’m proud. No, this is not where we wanted to be. We wanted to get into this dance and you never know what could happen. It is just unfortunate.
What was it like to play in that cold?
I still cannot feel my fingers. Like I said earlier in the week when it comes to the cold you either do it or have someone else do it. I do not care if it feels like negative five or zero. You have to do whatever you have to do to keep yourself warm. At the end of the day you have to do what you have to do.
Jay Ajayi – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Re: Feeling in this locker room right now:
It’s tough. We put in all that work. It’s really the fact that this team won’t be together and it won’t be the same. We won’t be able to reach that goal that we wanted to achieve. That’s tough. I do not know anyone that is just content with being in the playoffs. We wanted to win the whole thing. I know I did. It hurts.
Why was the running game not able to get going today?
The run game was tough. They stacked the box and we did not execute how we should have. It’s as simple as that.
What was the weather like?
It was cold. They had to play in the same weather as well. It does not matter.
After the time passes will you be able to consider this season a success?
From a team standpoint, it is not a success. Individually, maybe later on. As a team we did not achieve what we wanted to do.
Does this team understand what it takes to get here?
Yeah, we will be able to understand what this feeling is one of not moving on to the next round. A matter of taking this feeling and use it as motivation to never have this feeling again
Mike Pouncey – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins C Mike Pouncey (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Re: Stephen Ross says he likes direction of the team despite the loss:
No question. He sees the difference. He’s around all the time. He sees the direction this team is headed in and it’s headed in the right direction.
How tough was it to watch today instead of play?
I said before it was going to be tough to watch. I was excited to be out there. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I just wish these guys could have pulled it out. It was a tough loss for our football team.
Do you expect to be back here next year?
We will see. I don’t want to make any expectations at this time. Obviously we feel good about our football team.
What would make this team continue to be a playoff team?
We just need to keep doing what we did this year. We stuck together. We had a lot of team chemistry and we had guys play well that we did not expect to play well. That’s what happens when you are a team that turns the corner, guys step up and make plays.
Cameron Wake – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
What do you think was the problem on defense with stopping Pittsburgh? Tackling, poor run fits in the run game, what do you think it was?
It sounds like a little bit of both. Obviously at this time of year, this level of football, the stakes will get magnified. So whether it is one guy, either gap or missed tackle missed communication or whatever it may be that can turn into a big play miss.
The two long touchdown passes to Antonio Brown, were you guy’s matter of fact about that because you did come back a little bit. How did you take that?
Matter of fact isn’t a phrase I use. You can’t come out and start slow. There is no pass on the back for fixing the problem after it already happened. You have to go out there and know this is the play you have to go and fix before it happens. Prevention is better than cure. That’s the way it works in this league and this time of year. I’m sure we changed some things and fixed some things but the bleeding had already started.
Matt Moore – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins QB Matt Moore (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Re: Experience of the day:
It was tough. We had a difficult time running the ball. Again, it kind of took us a little bit to get going early on. We eventually found some ways to move the passing game, which is good. But it was difficult for most of the day.
Tell us about the hit and how you were able to come back into the game
I just got popped. I just needed a second there. I got checked out. I felt fine. It was more of my jaw than anything else. I felt good. I came back in and I was fine. He got me pretty good.
Re: Scoring points before halftime
It’s hard to win when you turn the ball over. In the playoffs, you can’t have those mistakes and that’s on me. I have to hold on to the ball. Two fumbles and a pick, that’s not the recipe for success. It hurts. Especially the one before halftime. We are going down and getting a big play, DeVante Parker makes a big play. To have that happen, took the wind out of us a little bit. You just can’t do that against a good football team and in a big game.
Can you give us a little snap shot of how this season was and has turned around for the franchise?
Obviously, the frustrations are there from today, no doubt. How we started and what we did after the first five, I’m proud of these guys and proud to be on this team. I’m proud of Coach Gase and what he did. Holding it together and moving forward. With that said, we aren’t satisfied but proud to be a part of something like this with this team.
Ndamukong Suh – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
A frustrating game out there for you guys. What was Le’Veon Bell able to do and have success running the ball?
Honestly, just thinking back to the game, they started off passing the ball pretty well. Antonio Brown made a lot of plays, which obviously allowed our focus to move to the passing game. That was our focus and it switched to Le’Veon Bell, and he made plays. We weren’t filling gaps like we should have. That’s where it is.
Re: Pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and offense:
It was a good scheme. I think most of the passes, if I remember correctly, came in play action. So, obviously, you have the transition from running the pass, and our particular scheme and the way we attack, we want to be able to get through those things and get pressure. We weren’t doing that.
Re: Take away any of the success from this season:
No, I don’t think it takes anything away. I think we have been playing good game. Especially, on defense and not to give away too may points. No matter what kind of situation that we are in. We just have to get back to the drawing table. Understand that things will be different as every single season is different every year is different. Get prepared and get focused on what we have and get back to work.
Adam Gase – January 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, January 8, 2017
Postgame – at Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Did you feel that your bigger struggle today was on offense or defense?
It was both phases. After we go back and watch it, we can probably pinpoint a couple things in particular. They were able to run the ball. We couldn’t. It was opposite of what we wanted to do. We turned the ball over, and we knew we couldn’t do that. Those were the two really critical factors that we had to make sure that we wanted. We didn’t do it.
Why couldn’t you stop the Steelers offense?
It was a tough offense. We knew what we were getting into. We came in and knew what we had to do, and didn’t do it. Bell is a tough guy to slow down. Once he gets rolling and starts feeling like he knows where he can hit it, he does such a good job of being patient. When we got our hands on him, we couldn’t bring him down. It just wasn’t a good day for us.
What did you see or not see from your offense today?
We might have had a couple opportunities occasionally and we just didn’t take advantage of them. They played very well on their side of the ball. They hit us with a couple pressures that we picked up in practice, but we didn’t fit it up as well as we wanted to. They had too much penetration where we couldn’t get anything going in the running game.
Re: Turnovers contributing heavily to the loss:
It looked like we were at least going to have a shot there near the half. Then we turned it over, which hurt us. But I felt that we could maybe get going there in the third quarter. We just couldn’t put enough together to get points.
What did you say to your team in the locker room after the game?
I told them to remember this feeling because you’re going to want it again. It’s going to start all over again at some point. What you do the year before is not going to matter. You’re going to be 0-0 again. Don’t forget this feeling. You want to get back to this spot and try to make some noise.
What were you not able to do to run the ball today that you were able to do last time you played the Steelers?
It’s probably something we’re going to have to look at when we watch this film and try to figure out where we went sideways. The first thing I can say is that they had a little more penetration. We didn’t execute as well as I’m sure all of us wanted to. We’ll look at it schematically to see if there was anything we weren’t doing quite right compared to what they were doing. That’s going to take a minute to go back and look at everything.
