Adam Gase – November 28, 2016
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Monday, November 28, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(How are December games different?) – “I think the later you get in the season, every game is very … the importance increases because you’re getting down to the end and everybody’s fighting to win their next game. The stakes go up. Everything starts feeling … It feels different in December.”
(A lot of your guys do not have experience with this. Is that a problem in any way?) – “Not from my experience. I’ve been on a couple of teams where it’s the first time going through this process and they’ve handled well. Guys just focus on … It’s a small focus for most guys. They’re worried about that week. As long as the guys aren’t looking ahead to the next week or the week after that, usually you can be in good shape.”
(Is it a good thing that you’re so young because these guys can probably give you a lot of stress with these nail-biting games? Obviously you’re going to keep playing 60 minutes but it seems like every game is coming down to the end.) – “For myself, it was just more about us being in that situation. There were a few things that we wish we would have done a little different; but sometimes it’s good to be in those situations because as the season goes on, it’s going to keep happening. The better teams you play, the harder the games get, and it usually comes down to the last drive, one side or the other. We’ve been in quite a few of those situations. Last night, just watching the Denver/Kansas City game and seeing Andy Reid after the game talking about that was a little stressful; but, like he said, that’s why you love this game, because those type of situations, when you get into those, that’s why you work and go through those situations you go through in practice, because when it comes up in a game and you execute them and you complete the play, that’s the fun part of this game.”
(Did you know to root for the Chiefs?) – “No, I wasn’t even thinking about it. I was watching a good game and I have a lot of relationships still in Denver, and there’s some good one’s in Kansas City as well. So it was a great game to watch.”
(After the game they put up a graphic that showed the projected bracket with the Dolphins in playoff position. Did you notice that? Will you think about the fact that you are currently in the playoffs?) – “I wasn’t really paying attention. I was working on … I was watching our game from yesterday. I was here. I was listening kind of more with the press conference, Andy’s (Reid) press conference and then I wasn’t really … like some things I hear, and some things I don’t.”
(What did the tape show you on the last play of the game on DT Ndamukong Suh’s [stop]?) – “I thought it was a really good job of him doing his job and then making a play. It just shows his relentless pursuit. It’s something that I’ve heard him say a lot and I hear it a lot in that room as far as running with a purpose. I’ve heard him say it a lot, when guys run with a purpose and understand why you’re pursuing with that effort. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to get in the clip or are you trying to make a play? You always see him. He goes to make a play. For that to happen on that last play of the game, that just shows his conditioning level, his ability to fight through a lot. When you get double-teamed all game, I’m sure that’s got to be frustrating, and he never wavers. He keeps playing hard and he had an opportunity to make a play and did a great job, and the rest of those guys did a great job of just attacking and they finished the play.”
(Is there an advantage to knowing you control your own destiny or is it too early?) – “It’s too early for me. You just keep playing right now. You don’t worry about all that stuff.”
(Talking to the guys, they have nothing but high praises for the way you coach, your cheerleading, the way you go about every day business, but how much pride you take in being so relatable with the guys to the locker room?) – “I think the thing that we try to do as a coaching staff is we try to shoot our guys straight. That’s the biggest thing for us. We want to make sure that we’re honest. If we feel like either somebody’s not doing something right or they are doing something right, we let them know. My experience being in this league, I’ve been around some good coaches, some good mentors, and the good ones I’ve been around have always done the same thing: they shoot their players straight. They don’t tell them something just to try to gain favor with them or pick sides or anything like that. Being around (Chicago Bears Head) Coach (John) Fox was good for me because I really saw a head coach who was very upfront, very honest. (He) didn’t B.S. (He) shot his players straight and they always knew where they stood. I thought that was a great experience for me to have over those four years I was with him. I watched guys really respect him because of the way that he handled certain situations. I think that was a great learning experience for myself.”
(I think they appreciate the fact, a lot have mentioned the fact that you’re just a little bit older than them as well, and you can relate to them on whatever aspect, whether it’s social media … you treat them like men.) – “I think that’s another thing that I’ve learned over the last four years being with (Chicago Bears Head) Coach (John) Fox is that’s how he always treated all of his players. He gave them some leeway on a few things, but if you abused it or you tried to take advantage of that or did something wrong, then it would get it reigned in pretty quick. Once again, that was great for me to see because it was different than anything I had experienced before.”
(When did you learn that G/T Laremy Tunsil would be unavailable and how far away do you think he is now?) – “The night before, we felt like we were probably going to be without him. We held until the next morning to just … I mean he could have walked in and been like, ‘I’m good. I can go.’ He took enough reps to where we felt comfortable. Like we talked about last week, ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert) could just legitimately not do anything the entire week and walk in there. Laremy, I would want him to at least go through the walkthroughs or just at least have an idea of seeing things from the position he was going to play. So we had enough in there where if he would have said I was good to go, we would have been okay with it. We didn’t feel great about it going into Sunday and we had our mind set that Sam (Young) was going to be the left tackle.”
(What are you hearing or seeing from your players on the sidelines late in games that tells you they have this belief that somehow they’ll find a way to pull out the game?) – “I think there’s just good chatter through the game. If something bad happens, which it does in every game, right? I mean every game in the NFL, it just seems like there are these momentum shifts and you feel like you’re okay and then all of a sudden, something crazy happens and there’s a swing. I just hear that constant positive reinforcement from a lot of the guys on the sideline – whether it’s offense, defense or some of the special teams guys – but there’s always good dialogue and good encouragement on the sideline.”
(Has that increased through the course of the season?) – “I think it’s been pretty consistent. Once (Mike) Pouncey started playing again and we kind of had a lot of our guys back – our captains were all healthy – that’s when it really picked up. It really has been pretty steady as we’ve gone on. We’ve seen some guys kind of emerge as far as being a little more vocal. It’s some different guys that maybe we didn’t expect to hear from. I think a lot of guys have – whether they’ve become a starter and feel as though they can say something; or just some guys that have been veteran players that have been through a lot of this before, to where they feel comfortable saying something.”
(Who would be some of those guys?) – “I think (Andre) Branch is a guy that I’ve noticed. I think Cam (Wake) has been a lot more vocal than probably what I thought. When I first met him, I thought he was quiet. He worked as hard as anybody I’d ever been around and was consistent, but I’ve noticed that especially over the last, when things weren’t going so good, he was really stepping up. He was being vocal and really trying to be an impactful leader.”
(When QB Ryan Tannehill talks about playing with fast feet, can you explain that in layman’s terms and do you guys have like a buzz word that you use to remind him of that during games?) – “The thing that I always just remind him every once in a while is if I feel like he’s getting a little stagnant at the back where you see him kind of sitting in the back of the pocket and his feet aren’t moving or he’s not sliding around, I’ll just say something like, ‘Keep moving,’ or ‘Push up in the pocket.’ Just things like that, just little reminders. I don’t want to overdo it because there are a lot of things going on there. You have a lot of things on your mind as far as hot side adjusts (and) run checks. He’s got a lot of things going on out there. I just try to hit him up with that every once in a while but we try to get him back (in the pocket) quick, get him up quick, keep his feet moving and then, if something breaks down, just be ready to move and run. We’ve encouraged him to get outside the pocket. ‘Don’t wait.’ It’s nice when he can stand in there and throw it. Every once in a while he will and he’ll take a hit, but we’d rather him not get hit.”
(How are you going to grade the improvement on that then?) – “I think he’s done a great job. He’s really bought into the fact that we’re okay with him making, kind of ad-libbing plays. I have no problem with it. He makes good decisions. He’s aggressive, I know that. When I see him roll to the left and throw it 40 yards down the field, I’m sure I’m going, ‘No!’ and then he completes it and I’m like, ‘That was a great play.’”
(Along those lines, nine touchdowns by QB Ryan Tannehill and just one pick during this win streak. He’s accurate on throws when he knows he’s not going to see the completion because he’s going to be on the ground. Is there one or two aspects of his game that just impress you more than others?) – “I think there is a lot of trust there for him with the wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, as far as those guys being in the right spots. I think a lot of it comes from the way that we’ve been practicing. Guys are practicing fast; it’s competitive. I love the way our scout team is practicing right now as far as going against our offense. It’s very competitive, and I think that’s what makes the games at least feel normal for our guys. It’s not a different speed. He’s impressed me as far as his faith in where guys were going to be. I’ve seen him make a couple throws where he doesn’t see it and he puts it in the spot that we had talked about during the week and, whether it’s a receiver, tight end or running back, they’re where they are supposed to be.”
(TE Dion Sims really flashed yesterday, at least in the receiving end. How would you assess the way he played? Also, what did we not see that he had…) – “He’s been pretty consistent as far as when he’s out there, whether it’s blocking, pass protection, route running; he catches the ball well. He has good hands. He’s just one of those guys that you don’t expect it from because he’s a big guy. He looks like he should just be your prototypical leave him protection, don’t release him on the routes, good run blocker (tight end). But for a guy his size, he does have good hands and he can run after the catch. He looks for that, like that one he had yesterday when he got that check down, he was ready to go and he wasn’t going to be brought down. I don’t think he ended up going to the ground that play, because even when he went out of bounds, they tried to take a shot at him and the guy just bounced off of him.”
(You guys are really wide receiver heavy in your offense. Do you think if you get X number of catches from your tight ends, it’s a good day? Do you even go into it like that?) – “I don’t even think about who’s getting the ball, for the most part. It’s about finding the open guy. It doesn’t matter who it is, we just want guys that can catch the ball and then turn up the field and try to make a play.”
(How is WR DeVante Parker?) – “We’re still kind of in the process right now as far as our evaluation. I’ll know more when we hit Wednesday. It’s going to take the rest of today … I was very brief with the trainers today so I don’t have all the details yet.”
(What does it say about WR Leonte Carroo for him to be able to step in and make the play that he was able to make when WR DeVante Parker got injured?) – “Well, the experience that he had probably coming out of – I can’t remember what game it is but when Kenny (Stills) went down – I think that was valuable because we had a few things that he didn’t quite do his job as well as I know he wanted to do and we had a few mental errors there. I think it was a good thing that it happened because we started getting him more reps in practice because we felt like we did him a little bit of an injustice by not preparing him better than what we had. We can … (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn (Jefferson) and (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach) Ben (Johnson) can do a great job in the classroom, but really, at the end of the day, it’s about getting reps, especially for a young player. They’ve done a great job as far as moving those guys around more in practice. When he got in there, I felt really good. When he went in there in this game, I knew he was going to know what to do, it was just going to be will he get an opportunity to make a play? When I saw (Tannehill) throw it to him, it was kind of one of those things you could sense the way that he turned up that he was not going to be tackled. That was good to see. You saw an aggressive runner. It was basically what we had seen coming out of college.”
(RB Kenyan Drake is making more plays in November than he was in September. What’s lead to him coming around?) – “I think it’s just the development of a young player. That’s part of … you want your rookies to be able to contribute as much as possible. With his skill set, we obviously have a lot of confidence in him. It’s just about assignment, making sure that we’re going as many places we can without doing the wrong thing, which he’s getting better and better at. I know sometimes it’s hard when you don’t get a ton of reps because Jay (Ajayi) takes a lot of our reps in practice. Jay likes to practice and he practices fast. You try to get somebody in there for him and he doesn’t want to be taken out because he wants those reps. Kenyan and Damien (Williams) have to do a good job of watching and listening in meetings, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do when you’re not the one doing it. He’s done a good job of learning what we’re doing and being accountable to what he’s doing. He’s been impactful when we’ve put him in there. We’d always love to get him in there more, all three of those guys. I really like watching those three guys play. They always seem to make something happen. Whenever we give them the chance to touch the ball, they make something happen.”
(Is there an update on C Mike Pouncey?) – “I think we’re still … it’s such a week-to-week thing. I’m going to have to really look into it as far as what are our chances this week; but just in my mind, we’re probably not ready yet. We’re probably not ready.”
(How did C/G Anthony Steen perform?) – “He did a good job. He had a tough one, the way that they were playing. We had some things going on as far as what he had to control in the run game and in pass protection. They gave us some tougher looks there when they did go into some of their smaller personnel groupings and trying to figure out who we were supposed to block up front compared to the back and our hots, stuff like that. They really gave us some tough looks. He did a good job as far as his communication goes. He had a tough matchup, and he did a good job of trying to get his guy covered up as much as possible. Sometimes when you play a 3-4 style defense, you’re on your own at center. It’s not as easy as you think, trying to read some of those shades; it’s not always easy. You try to do the best you can as far as not allowing penetration and sometimes he won and sometimes he lost.”
(We asked some of your guys what they thought of the standings, if they knew about the standings and that sort of thing, and they professed that they don’t pay any attention. Is that what you want to hear?) – “I think it’s hard for us to really worry about anything else. Our focus is so small, as far as we’re worried about what we’re going to do this week. I think guys are still looking at yesterday as far as, what do we have to fix? What do we need to do better? I love the fact that our guys are thinking that way. A lot of the times, that’s how coaches think. It’s hard to look down the road because you have so much focus on what’s going on that week, there’s so much work that goes on just to win that one game. I know it sounds easy to do to just say, ‘Well we’ve got this team after this, and this team after this,’ but you can’t look past anybody. You can’t think too far ahead, because that’s when you get in trouble for the week that you’re preparing for. All of your focus needs to go on that one week.”
(Does it get more important week to week? Do you rely more on veterans that may have playoff experience or been down this road before?) – “I think that we’re going to rely on the guys that are on the field. I think veteran players are great to have. I don’t know if you checked out our roster lately. (Laughter)”
(I meant having someone in the locker room getting the message across to players that haven’t been through this?) – “I don’t know how many guys that we actually have had that have been through this. I think we have more coaches than players, really. I think a lot of our players that have had experience where December is a little interesting is minimal.”
(Going back to TE Dion Sims, in the last three games he’s played all but two of the offensive snaps. What does that say about A) his durability and B) his value to the offense?) – “For a guy his size, he’s in tremendous shape, and that’s why he has the ability to stay on the field. I do think he has the type of mentality to where he takes a lot of pride being on the field as much as possible. I know when he has been hurt with us in the past, if it’s been something that he can play with; we rarely hear about it. He just keeps going. Obviously, the only thing that has really side tracked him is when he had to go through … He went through a tough deal when he had his concussion. That was a tough thing for him to go through because it was not the first one. We had to be very cautious. We had to retool kind of how we prepare him, as far as once he did get healthy and he was cleared, we took one more week. We felt like that was the right thing to do. Our strength and conditioning and sports science guys getting with him and trying to find ways as far as strengthening certain muscles in his body, and the equipment guys just going out of their way to make sure we are completely protecting him. (We were) doing all of these little tiny things to make sure that he’s going to be safe every game and if he does take a shot, are we going to be ok? It’s something that … It’s uncontrollable for him, really. That’s the toughest part. I think that everything else he plays through, but when you kind of get into that concussion protocol, that’s something we have to take a step back and do the right thing.”
(What can you say about his value to the offense? You want to keep him out there.) – “Yes, I think for a guy that has that kind of size and his skill set is just, it’s unusual. You don’t find a lot of guys that can do everything. When you have a guy that can block and pass protect, and obviously he has a valuable role in our passing game, it makes it harder for teams to defend.”
(The running figures yesterday were not what we thought they might be considering San Francisco was last in run defense. Was that a matter of just having eight or nine guys up there, or was it the offensive line?) – “I think they played well, I mean they did a lot of things really well. We … Sam (Young), and (Kraig) Urbik were … (they) really haven’t had a lot of playing time together. Some of the combination blocks, weren’t as good as I’m sure they wanted, and it was just kind of a different feel for us as far as, I kept running to the right and a lot of times that was unusual. We had been probably more to the left coming into this game, the last couple of games. Usually they were backside and they were kind of … I think it was almost like a hash deal. That’s just how it played out. It was just kind of a perfect storm as far as they played well, they have a good scheme, which makes it tough against our running game, and they did a good job as far as challenging us in the passing game, and saying ‘Hey, beat us in the air.’ Their players played well, and I think they had less plays than they’ve had in a long time as far as I think … What did we have, like 53 plays? They were averaging 70 something. Sometimes when you have a lot of plays and you’re on defense, all of a sudden the numbers can look bad. When you get caught in a game like that where you get 53 plays, now all of a sudden it looks different.”
Ja’Wuan James – November 28, 2016
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Monday, November 28, 2016
Tackle Ja’Wuan James
(Talk about Head Coach Adam Gase and just how he’s a cool coach. He’s not afraid to show emotion like a teenager. He gives you guys high fives, slaps you on your tail from time to time. How much do you guys love that and enjoy that and embrace it as a team?) – “I love it because he’s relatable. He relates with us. We’re a young team. Everybody has seen that as an issue, I feel like, in the past. But he’s came and he’s embraced it and he has really, like I said, related with us. He holds us to a high expectation too.”
(And does that make you want to run for a brick wall for him? Explain that.) – “Oh, for sure. You’d do anything for him because you see he has your back. He has your back with you guys, the media. He has our back with our position coaches. Everything. So you want to play for a guy like that.”
(Has this team developed a belief that no matter the circumstances, you guys will find a way to…?) – “Yes. I do believe that. I feel like you can see it in the players’ eyes. When the team scores and we’re seeing the defense walk off and we’re about to go out, you can see it then like, ‘Oh, we know you all are going to score.’ And we’re like, ‘We got your back.’ (It’s the) same thing with us. We get a three-and-out, we see the punt team come on (and it’s) the same thing. ‘Oh, we’re going to get the ball back.’ So I feel like that’s what’s helped through this little run we’re having right now. We have to continue to have each other’s back.”
(When did you first notice it?) – “I first noticed it really the Titans game. We didn’t come out with that W, but I feel like that week is when stuff really started growing.”
(When did you become convinced that the team you were at 1-4 is becoming the team that you are now? Is there a time between now and then when…?) – Like I said, right during the Titans game and then that week of practice. That week of practice, practice changed and it’s been the same ever since. Guys are competing and then we’re going hard every day and I feel like (we’re) just going out there showing (it).”
(What do you think about when you think of the Baltimore Ravens and their style?) – “Physical defense. I think of defense first. Being a kid, seeing Ray Lewis all the time. (Terrell) Suggs, all those guys. Great defense. We haven’t looked at a lot of film yet but we’re about to.”
(And you’ve played against them once or twice?) – “One time. Last year, I was out. One time. My rookie year.”
(What do you remember about that game?) – “I remember it was a physical game. It was a game that was going to the fourth quarter. So I know we’re going to have to come out here and be prepared to play four quarters.”
(Is the ‘p’ word allowed now in the locker room?) – “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
(Playoffs.) – “Oh. No, we haven’t… (laughter) We haven’t really talked about it. We like to just talk about being 1-0 this week because this week is our next game.”
(Do you even know where you are in the standings? The Wild Card race or..?) – “No, sir.”
(Don’t pay any attention to it…?) – “No.”
(Because?) – “I feel like what’s been working has been working. We’ve just been focused on the next opponent and I feel like we have to keep that approach.”
Anthony Steen – November 28, 2016
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Monday, November 28, 2016
Center/Guard Anthony Steen
(You’ve been trying to play with the neck roll. How’d that go for you? How’s your neck and your ankle coming off yesterday?) – “It’s different having to play with a neck roll. You feel stiff and any time you have to bend over, it’s hard to bend over with a neck roll and you definitely can’t look up; but I’m slowly getting used to it.”
(Are you able to pop up and see everything in time or are you…?) – “When I’m down on the ball, it’s hard to look up. But once I snap it and then come up, it’s fine. It keeps me more back flat, not hunch backed over.”
(Did you come out of it any worse yesterday as far as your neck and your ankle?) – “No, not at all. No, I didn’t tweak anything or hurt anything.”
(That’s progress, right?) – “Yes.”
(Overall, just talking about this team having a flare for dramatics. Every game seems it goes down to…) – “That’s football. Sometimes it comes down to the end of the game, even though you don’t want it to. Especially like last night’s game, we were just sitting on the sideline (saying), ‘Man, what could we do?’ So everybody on the sideline on offense is standing out there cheering our defense on to try and support our defense and luckily they stopped them right there at the goal line.”
(Good thing you guys have a young coach to keep that blood pressure a little lower and whatnot.) – “Yes, he might’ve fallen down right there on the sideline.”
(What does it say about this offense that you guys are now winning without RB Jay Ajayi and the running game being the focal point of it?) – “I think that’s part of being a playoff caliber team. You can’t be strong at just one position. So when that one spot in the run game, for us blocking last night wasn’t very strong for us at all. So when we went to the throwing game and we have a quarterback like Ryan (Tannehill) and the receivers that we do, when we’re struggling in the run game, we go to the passing game. They put seven or eight guys in the box every play and go ahead. We’ll let Ryan (Tannehill) throw it on you all day.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase was saying that he took it as an insult that they were kind of daring you guys to throw) – “Yes, that’s what it seemed like. They kept putting eight guys in the box. They knew we were going to try to run inside and outside zone on them. They were so focused on stopping that, that after the first couple of plays, Gase said, ‘The heck with it,’ And let Ryan (Tannehill) have the ball and let him throw it.”
(What were those conversations like on the sidelines amongst you guys and Head Coach Adam Gase about that they weren’t respecting your passing threat?) – “We didn’t think anything of it. (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) was saying, ‘Keep the job up for giving Ryan (Tannehill) plenty of time and just keep doing what we do.’”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said afterwards that they felt like it was disrespectful. Was that something he was telling you guys on the line?) – “Usually, if we see Gase on our bench, it’s either when we’re doing something really good – he comes by and tells us, ‘Hey, keep it up.’ – or if we’re doing something really, really bad. (Laughter) But I don’t even think he came over last night. It’s usually when we talk to any coaches, it’s (Offensive Line) Coach (Chris) Foerster. He’ll come over. I guess if Gase has something, he’ll tell Foerster.”
Cameron Wake – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(Up 17 points, did you think as a team you’d have to make one last stand at the goal line?) – “Well, the way things have been going the last couple of weeks you never know. But, no matter what happens this is the NFL. You’ve got to play every play until the last play of the game, if it comes down to it, and so said. That’s what we got to do. It took every guy, top to bottom, doing their job to make sure we got this win.”
(How tough is QB Colin Kaepernick? I know the first couple of times when they ran that option you had RB [Carlos] Hyde and he was off running down the field. Was it tough to decide what he was doing in that football game)? – “Not really. That’s the assignment. If I got the dive, I take the dive and you count on your guys to take the quarterback. So assignment football … I think a couple of times whether it’s scheme, or miscommunication; assignments got screwed up. So that’s something that we definitely have to make sure we take care of going forward. But at the end of the day, like I said, we just had to make one more play than they did and we did and we got the win.”
(How’d it feel on that last drive when they were moving down the field and got to within a shadow of that goal post there, and have an opportunity to tie it up?) – “We just knew we had to keep them out. Every time we stop the ball, guys got together, ‘Look, one more play. Who’s going to be the guy who makes it?’ And everybody would gather up and look at each other in the eye and say, ‘Listen, we’ve just got to make this happen. We can’t let them in.’ He moved the ball a little bit but at the end of the day, like I said, don’t let him in. And here we are with another win.”
(Did you have a view of DT Ndamukong Suh and the tackle he made at the end of the game? Were you able to see that?) – “I was busy doing something else. I just know, it looked… When I saw it, it looked impressive. I’m sure were going to go back and watch the film and see what happened on that last play.”
(Did you have a sense that it was going to come down to you taking him down in the open field? He’d run well all day.) – “I had no idea what it was going to be. Whatever it was going to be you have to do your job. If your job is rushing the quarterback, rush the quarterback. If it’s cover, cover, and if he broke the containment it will take everybody to rally. That’s just the way we’re built, and that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t really have any premonitions about what was to come, but again I knew there was still time on the clock and the balls in play and you’re going to have to continue to go out there and do your job. Like I said, every guy, top to bottom, it took both sides of the ball and that’s the way it is when you want to win in this league.”
(I know it’s one game at a time, but since you’ve been in Miami through 11 games you guys have never had seven wins. Does it feel different around here?) – “If you start looking at the big picture you’re going to miss the things that are ahead of you. Our whole mindset this past week was just one game, win one game. They i’m sure they don’t care about what happened two weeks ago, and neither did I. I’m sure they don’t care what’s to come three weeks from now. It was just about the task at hand and what we have to do. Honestly, it wasn’t so much about them it was about us and making sure we take care of our job and the guys up front being in place, where you’re supposed to be and that’s the only way you’ve got to be. You can’t start wondering and looking at things down the road because then you’re going to miss things right in front of you.”
(This team is more confident during this winning streak. What are the areas you guys have made major gains, would you say?) – “I just think the whole… probably weeks and weeks ago; it was just complimentary football. Maybe it was a long time ago but way back in the beginning it seemed like there were spurts were offense was kicking on all cylinders and they’re doing their job and the defense couldn’t get off the field. And there were times when we were doing our job getting off the field and the offense couldn’t stay on the field. And you’re not going to win that way. The entire goal is very basic; defense get off the field, get the ball to the offense, and they put points on the board and we go back out there and repeat the process. For the most part that’s kind of been what we’re doing. Obviously special teams is playing their part as well. Just play complimentary football – whether it’s offense, defense, left, right … on a side of the defense, front to back, corners and safeties playing off each other. That’s the only way to play. I feel like when we’re doing that it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
(On that last drive, there was that deep pass that was ruled incomplete that was overturned on replay. Did you have an idea that as soon as you saw the board that it was going to be overturned?) – “Again, I didn’t know. I’m usually busy dealing with something else to find out what’s going on in the backend. They made a play. That’s the NFL. They get paid too. They’ve got decent players and that’s just the nature of the business. They’re making plays, got to say hey ‘Hey look, spot the ball, let’s line up and let’s do this again.’ They called it incomplete at first and then reversed it and … you just have to have that mindset. Oh well, put the ball down, snap it, and let’s do it again. We just kept fighting, kept fighting and kept fighting. It came down to the last play of the game and the guys who strained and made a play … we got the W.”
(On that quick call when it was 1st down and goal at the 8-yard line, they throw it at CB Byron Maxwell and he breaks it up but only three seconds came off the clock. Did you think that that pass was the end of the game?) – “Well, again, you look at the clock and there’s still time on the clock then you got to go again. Until it says 00:00, you’ve got to continue to go out there and leave it all on the field. I think if you look at the team, look at the way we played today, the guys literally left it all on the field. Their last drop, engine light’s on, tires blown, transmission … everybody just literally rolled it all the way until the end. That’s the best feeling. You come off the field and you know you left it all out there. Two seconds left, whatever it may be … I don’t get to play the clock or control it, because it probably would’ve been different. But that’s just the way it happened. Last play, last minute play. We need it.”
(Kiko [Alonso] seems to be consistently around the football. Just how instinctive is he as a player, you being around him every day?”) – He is obviously, mike “middle” linebacker, he’s the centerpiece. Front, back, side to side. He’s the one who makes the calls, gets us lined up. You really want that kind of guy to be your mike linebacker. The guy who knows what’s going to happen before it happens. Has you lined up, makes sure everybody’s set where they’re supposed to be and obviously he has a nose for the ball and I think he’s been a big part of our success from the beginning. And obviously being around him, he’s a great person, a great football player and he’s made some really, really big plays to help us stack up these wins.”
(I think you have a sack or an assist sack in each of the last six games. How do you feel about the way you’re playing right now?) – “It’s hard to satisfy me. I’ll be very honest. I feel like I could play better. I have very high standard. Probably higher than any of you guys, my coaches involved, included, what I expect from myself. Getting out there, if it’s just one that’s not enough. I have big dreams so every time I go out there I feel like no matter who I’m lined up against, no matter what the situation is, I’m going to win and if I don’t, that’s unacceptable. So I may pat myself on the back later on in the year, or after I’m done playing but for now I’m still striving for more, so I’m not satisfied.”
Ndamukong Suh – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by Armando Gonzalez)
(Can you take us through that last play? Obviously, it was due or die pretty much there, and you came from behind and made the tackle.) – “(It was a) pass play. (I) came inside, made an inside move, and (Colin Kaepernick) tried to escape and get up into the B gaps. I had to work back and try and eliminate that.”
(How difficult was it with QB Colin Kaepernick and his ability to run? It seemed like his ball fakes were really causing some problems early on. He was able to pick up the running game with 110 yards rushing. How tough is it to play against a quarterback that has that ability?) – “He’s a mobile quarterback. We know we have a tough job ahead of us whenever we have that. He likes to escape, likes to find the open gap – open window – and make plays with his feet or, obviously, find a throwing window to make plays. At the end of the day, I think we eliminated him from making points with using his feet, and we came out with the win.”
(You guys have been wearing shirts, t-shirts, that say ‘strain’ I believe on them. On that last play, did you strain to get to get to QB Colin Kaepernick to make sure that he didn’t get into the end zone?) – “We have to strain each and every play, find a way to make a play and get the job done.”
(How do you feel like the defense played overall in the second half?) – “I think we had a lot of plays, and at the end of the day, we have to find a way to get off the field quicker. Obviously, at the end of the day, we got our job done but there are ways we can clean it up and get more three-and-outs and get the ball back to our offense.”
(On that last play – QB Colin Kaepernick had been breaking contain all day – did you feel like it was going to happen again that he was just going to try to make something happen with his legs?) – “I just played what I saw. I had a one-on-one versus the guard, needed to beat him and then, obviously, get to the quarterback.”
(How rewarding is it making that play in the most critical time for this team?) – “At the end of the day, we don’t want him to score. We’re up by seven, we wanted to see the clock hit zero and obviously neither him having an the opportunity to run the ball nor pass the ball. That’s the way I look at it. We got the job done, got off the field. It’s not the cleanest or the best way to get it done, but we got it done.”
Ryan Tannehill – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by Sara Perez)
(First of all, your 100th career touchdown pass. It’s a pretty impressive milestone for you. How do you feel about that?) – “It was cool. I didn’t even know I was however many away, but I came to the sideline and someone told me. I forget who it was, but yes, it’s pretty cool.”
(The 49ers made it tough running the football, did you feel that was going to be the case going in or was that something you had to adjust to during the game and start to throw the ball a little more?) – “Yes, we knew it was a possibility and we kind of figured that out early in the game that they were going to load the box and make it tough on us. We tried to stick with it there for the whole game – just tried to keep pounding away. I think finally in the fourth quarter we did crease one when Jay (Ajayi) got – I don’t know how many – 20 yards or so. They did a good job in the run game. They were physical up front. We knew it was going to be a battle up front and they loaded the box and made it tough for us.”
(You had C/G Anthony Steen, C/G Kraig Urbik and T Sam Young over there on the left side. you have to feel pretty good about the way they protected you throughout the course of the game.) – “Yes, (I’m) really proud of those guys. (I’m) really proud of all five of those guys, the way they battled up front. We knew it would be tough in the run game, but they battled. And in the pass game, they did a great job of giving me time and running lanes. When there was someone on the edge, they were covering up enough where I could move around and get outside the pocket.”
(At 7-4, how do you feel about this football team and how far you’ve come and how far you can go?) – “I’m proud of these guys, but we’re on the process and we’re taking it one game at a time. We just have to stick to what we’re doing. Nothing changes around here. We have to take advantage of every day in our preparation and practice and get ready for the next one.”
(It looks like the passing game is a little smoother. It looks like it’s clicking better than it was early in the season, in every facet – do you feel like that and if so, what are the improvements that you guys have made?) – “I hope it’s going better than earlier in the season. We’ve had a lot of practice, had a lot of games since then. We just want to keep on the course of getting better each and every week. The pass (protection) has been really good and that’s been one of the biggest factors, allowing me to go through my reads and let the guys work downfield. We have good playmakers on the outside that are making plays and that’s what you want to have.”
(What is it about this team that it comes down to the last play, last drive?) – “I don’t know, but we find a way to win. I’ve been saying for weeks now, that’s the kind of team you want to have – a team that finds a way to win, whether its offense, defense or special teams. Most games it’s going to take everybody. I’m proud of the guys that played today and the way they battled.”
(Your thoughts on that last possession San Francisco had?) – “I was just pulling for the defense – just rooting them on, trying to get the crowd to be as loud as possible. It got quiet a few times there and that’s when we need the crowd to be the loudest, so I was trying to do my best to pump them up. (You) can’t do much on the sideline.”
(Did you think the way they played defense that you would have some shots downfield? the way they were setting up to take away the run?) – “Yes. We knew … We kind of figured it out, like I said, early in the game that they were loading the box and we were going to have to push the ball down the field a little bit, and we were able to hit a few shots down the field.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said there was talk on the sideline that it was disrespectful to the passing game – did you feel that way?) – “I wasn’t part of those conversations or anything. I knew, obviously, we’ve been a heavy run team and leaned on the run, and they came in and decided they were going to load the box and make us throw to win. So that’s what we did.”
(How big was WR Leonte Carroo being able to step up in there and get a touchdown?) – “It was huge. I’m proud of Leonte and him just hanging in there. He’s been there, kind of our fourth, fifth guy all year, and for him to come in, in a big situation, in the fourth quarter and have a big run after catch – a physical run – after he had the ball in his hands for a touchdown. (I’m) really proud of him.”
(Head coachAdam Gase told us this week part of the reason he took the job is that he believed in you. You’re starting to have success. He’s going to get some of the credit. What does he deserve credit for as far as how you’ve transformed a little bit and played better this year?) – “He’s done a great job – not just (with) me, but with our team. The way he leads, the way he installs, teaches the offense, communicates and just keeps guys on track – whether it’s me or anybody else. (He) just keeps (us) focused each and every day on trying to find something to get better at. I think as long as you’re doing that, you’re going to continue to get better and find success.”
(What is something specific that you are better at because of Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “I’m better, I think, at a lot of things. Just playing fast with my feet, I think has been the biggest emphasis since we started this year and obviously there are times where I want to be faster, but that’s been a big emphasis for us and I feel like I’m getting better.”
(Speaking of your feet, are you going to do some sliding at some point when you are trying to pick up extra yards?) – “(Laughing) Yes, probably so. There are definitely a couple situations where I probably should have slid today, but I’m a competitor and I want to find a way to do everything I can to help the team win. Obviously, I can’t put myself at risk and not ever slide. I just have to find those spots where it’s a good situation to slide.”
(Have you noticed the town where the fans are being more behind this team recently? I know you guys don’t get out a lot, grocery shopping and all that stuff, but how do you figure out how much the team loves you and what their attraction is to you at a specific time of the season? Is it just by the cheers or how do you figure that out?) – “I don’t really know. I just kind of keep my head down and keep working. Obviously, I feel it the most on game day, when we have a full stadium; it’s loud when the defense is on the field and creating that home field advantage. That’s what I want to see; that’s what I think our team wants to see. Obviously, the support is nice outside the building, but I don’t spend a whole lot of time anywhere other than the building and my house (laughing). So, I don’t see it a whole lot, but it’s great to have the fans excited about it and we need them to create our home field advantage.”
(On the touchdown pass to WR Kenny Stills, the safety was out of position. did you notice that or did you move him out of position?) – “They were bluffing, they were showing a middle safety look and ended up rolling to a Cloud look on that side and I was able to get the ball there before the safety got there.”
(Is that a situation where the disguise lasted a little too long and you were able to take advantage of it?) – “Yes, possibly. I don’t know exactly how, or if, the safety ended up out of position, but he wasn’t close enough to make the play.”
(I think you were asked about the offensive line, but there’s a sense that if you guys can get through this stretch with your guys banged up, G/T Laremy Tunsil was close this week to playing, you can get them all back in a week or two, is that kind of the belief that ‘we just have to survive now, win somehow and get our guys back’?) – “I didn’t really think past winning this game. It makes sense what you’re saying, but honestly, I was just completely focused on doing everything I could to win this game. We’ll do the same thing this week.”
(When you said playing fast with your feet, are you referring to moving around the pocket or awareness?) – “Just faster through the drop and being ready to move – being in a position to either make a throw or move or whatever I need to do.”
(How did you feel about your pocket awareness today and also your decision making when you were under pressure?) – “I’ll have to go back and look at the tape. There were a few times when I left the pocket and felt good initially about when I left and what made me leave, but I’ll have to go back and look and evaluate and see where I can improve there.”
(You’re about to get to December and at 1-4 it didn’t seem like you would be playing meaningful December games and now you control your own destiny. Does the turnaround in the season surprise you? What goes through you mind when you think we just rolled off six straight wins?) – “It’s exciting. I think it is exciting be where we’re at right now. Obviously you want to be playing meaningful games in December to get yourself playing in January and February, and we’ve done that. I’m not surprised because we just kind of stuck to the process. We believed in each other and just kept growing as a football team. Each and every person just doing everything they could to just improve and get better and so when you finally see the success and see the run, it’s not by accident. It’s because guys have stuck to the process and put in the work along the way.”
(Are you at a point with WR DeVante Parker where you feel comfortable throwing him jump balls?) – “Yes. He’s obviously strong and has the talent to go up and get the football and he showed it again today. He didn’t get the catch; he got ruled out of bounds, but a jump ball situation and I gave him a chance on the sideline and he was able to go up and grab it. I don’t know how close that thing was. It was a couple of inches away from being a big catch for us.”
Adam Gase – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(What did you think of Ryan’s [Tannehill] decision-making under pressure today?) – “He did a good job. I’m sure we want to get back that sack that we had there late in the game when we had a chance for a field goal. I think it was after [Kenyan] Drake’s kickoff return. That would probably be the only time. It was more the play call than anything. You heard that call come in. He’s turning away from Jarvis [Landry], coming out of his break, and the pocket collapsed on him. For the most part he made some great decisions. He got outside of the pocket. He saved us a couple of times, made some great plays on the move.”
(Were you surprised at how well San Francisco’s run defense held up against you? It seemed like they kind of sold out.) – “Not really. They’d been showing that with what we’ve seen on tape. That’s what we go off of. We don’t look at the rankings or anything like that. We just knew that we had a tough matchup and we had some new bodies in as far as guys trying to play together so far as chemistry goes. There were a couple of times where we may have had a couple of things that were just kind of click off. It’s something that we have to learn from. Guys being able to jump in there and play together…Jay [Ajayi] did a good job of sticking with his courses. He did a great job so far as trying to make some suggestions that he felt like he could contribute and gain some yards on.”
(With them controlling the running game, how important was it for Ryan [Tannehill] to have the type of day that he had today?) – “That’s what we were talking on the sidelines [about]. We noticed how they were playing early. We look at is as [being] a little disrespectful, as they didn’t think we could really throw the ball, so we thought that was something we wanted to lean on.”
(How comfortable – it looks like Ryan [Tannehill] is a lot more comfortable just doing everything out there – getting out of the pocket, throwing the deep ball, doing everything. It just seems like his confidence is getting better and better every week.) – “Any time you get in a new system, it takes a second to kind of get used to it. You have to go through some growing pains. Obviously we did. I think just the timing, the group being together, and the group being able to practice together, develop through some games, go through some rough patches, that’s just part of the process. The longer the season goes, the better you hopefully get. You just don’t want to go down. I don’t think we have. I think we’ve gotten better. This week was a tough week for us as we’re a little banged up again outside, so we didn’t get as many reps as we wanted to in the passing game. I thought the guys went out there and executed our plan pretty well.”
(There have been times where you guys have won and you haven’t been pleased. Are you pleased with the way your team played today?) – “I’m pleased with the way our guys fought. That was a tough game. I thought San Francisco really came out today as tough as anybody we’ve played. They had a great scheme. The defensive scheme was tough. Any time you go in there against Colin [Kaepernick] it’s tough. You are slightly wrong as far as what you’re rush scheme is. And if someone just makes the slightest error, he’s able to get into the open field. It’s tough. He’s a tough guy to bring down. He makes good decisions as far as when he is running, when to get down, when he can keep going. Then he made some really good throws on the move. It’s a tough offensive. You start getting a little bit of the up-tempo, the fatigue…there are a lot of factors that go in there when you play that offense.”
(San Fran has one play at the two-yard line to tie, fans are holding their breath – how do you experience that and the result?) – “The good thing for us is that every Friday we do a ‘last play of the game,’ offense versus defense. I feel like the defense has won the last seven weeks. I was like, if they don’t win this one, I’m going to be slightly upset because they drum us every week, so it was good to see. It was what they practice. It’s what they do every week. They do a good job of figuring out how to stop the offense on one play.”
(Are you starting to feel more and more about this football team that it’s becoming the complete football team that you’re looking for?) – “I think it was a good sign for us as far as if one side struggled on a series then the opposite side would try to get something going. The same with special teams where we’d allow a score and then all of a sudden we’d have a good return. It’s just that everybody is trying to pick each other up. That’s part of the team-building part of this, and that’s what our process is. That’s what we’ve been talking about since the beginning. Things haven’t always gone right and guys haven’t wavered. They’d just keep on working, they practice hard. It’s great to see our guys have fun at the end of the day. That locker room was excited because they understand that a win in this league is hard to come by. It’s about being 1-0 at the end of that week.”
(How about those three guys on the left side of the offensive line. It seemed like they held up extremely well.) – “That was not an easy thing to do. Just jumping in there and know you’re starting…they did a good job as far as the reps they got this week. Feeling what’s going on with the quarterback, the running back. You try to get that chemistry brewing as fast as possible. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but I thought our guys did a good job of wiring it in, staying on the details, and they fought. They fought for 60 minutes.”
(When you saw how they were playing defensively early, were you tempted to go away from the running game? You did – you had 17 passes, 16 runs at the half, I think.) – “My thought was, it’s always going to be stay with Jay [Ajayi] because as the game goes on, he wears on the defense. He’s a big guy who if he breaks loose of just one-arm tackle it can be an explosive play. A couple of times he came back and he was a shoelace away from popping a couple of these and there were a couple of situations where we felt like the passing game was the best call with what they were doing. So that’s why we leaned on him a little more today. When we start up next week, we reevaluate what’s the best thing to do for that week.”
(We saw Kiko Alonso make a few more plays today. What has he meant for the defense?) – “He’s been consistent all year. The energy level he brings, he works, like every team does, from the beginning of the week to Sunday. He’s been a great addition for our organization. He’s one of those guys where you’re glad he’s with you. We just love watching him play. The way that he hits and tackles, his ball skills are probably rare for a linebacker. He really plays with a passion for the game and that’s what you want all of your guys to have.”
(Any news on DeVante [Parker]?) – “We’re still in the evaluation stage right now. I know he fell on his back and his lower back just kind of locked up on him. We’ll evaluate that a little more. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
(Jakeem Grant – what about his status as a punt returner?) – “He’ll be back there next week. It happens. That was a good decision by [Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren] Rizzi as far as what he felt like we needed to do for the game. It’s just like everything else. You reload next week. You’ve got to just keep getting them better and just know what he can do when he gets into a rhythm. He pops one of those, no one will be upset.”
(You guys came to a decision…I think it was fourth down, I think it would have been a 57-yard field goal. You didn’t try to get them to jump.) – “At that time, it was fourth and…I don’t know what it was, forever, right? I mean, they’re not going to jump. That was my decision. I just felt like the way that [P Matt] Darr seems to come through for us – it was a good punt, I think he slipped on the play. We had a chance to pin them back there. I know it’s not really something that everyone looks at and loves when it’s a touchback, but I have a lot of confidence in him to put that thing inside the five.”
(Did any plays or passes of Ryan’s stand out to you? You know the calls, you know what goes into the decisions he has to make.) – “He made a lot of them because there are a couple of them that were really bad calls, and he did a really good job so far as making the play. It would have been nice to see if DeVante would have got the – that was a really, really good play. Anytime I see him move to his left and he starts to throw it downfield, I get a little nervous. But that was a great throw and he made a great catch. It’s just that his hand touched the ground first.”
(This team hasn’t won six straight games in 11 years. Is this significant?) – “We’re not looking at it like this. We just know our job is to win each week and now we’ve got to reload and we have another tough game coming up. We have to go on the road again and we’ve got to find a way to be 1-0 at the end of next week.”
Jarvis Landry – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(You guys were able to spread the ball around pretty evenly throughout the game, how proud are you of this wide receiver unit for you all to get involved today?) – “We knew it would come down to a game like this, and we’ll have a few more opportunities. We made the plays when we needed them. Kenny [Stills] stepped up big, Leonte Carroo came in when DeVante [Parker] went down, and scored a touchdown actually within the first couple of minutes of him playing. So it says a lot about this team, a lot about what we got going in.”
(You see Leonte [Carroo] go out there and get the touchdown the way he did, the first reception of the game for him. How proud of you are?) – “Man, extremely proud, just watching him come in, and the way that he’s worked to even have an opportunity to be the next guy up. For him to come in there, we don’t miss a step. Ryan [Tannehill] have the confidence to still go to him, being he’s a new guy going in there, and he made a play for us.”
(How important is it to remain a balanced offense when you know the running game is struggling like it was today?) – “It’s very important, it’s very important. Obviously we know there’s going to be games we may not be able to run the ball. We’re going to have to pass the ball like 30, 40 times a day. I love it, I love it. But at the same time, there are days we have to be more balanced. When it doesn’t permit, we have to step up and make plays in other areas.”
