Adam Gase – November 21, 2016
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Monday, November 21, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Do you allow yourself to enjoy any of this? – “Last night was fun. It was fun after … you know in the locker room, just seeing the guys were excited and the plane ride was a good plane ride, just to go back (to the rear of the plane) and be around those guys and just see all those guys hanging out together and enjoying the fact that we figured out a way to pull one out. Today we’ve got to move on. We’ve got to get some things corrected and we’ve got to move on to the next game.”
(Coaches are never satisfied and I know that is the process of getting better but between the time that you were 1-4 and right now, was there a moment when you felt that your team was sort of flipping the switch and went from what it was to what it’s becoming?) – “I think after that … I think the Cincinnati game was kind of where we felt like we had to start making some adjustments. I’m trying to get like the order of the games that we actually had. But Cincinnati, that Tennessee game was kind of … those were some turning points for us to where we knew we had some issues in some certain places. We knew we had some things that we needed to do to clean up personnel-wise. We were having some issues with some … as far as attitude and things like that. It wasn’t really work, it was just kind of like the way we were going about our business. It wasn’t as detailed as we were looking for. For whatever reason, when we hit the Pittsburgh week, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that ‘Pounce’ (Mike Pouncey) was back, ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert) was back. It was just a different feel. We hit that Pittsburgh week and you could tell there was different, ‘Hey, everybody just all in, sell out. Let’s do every little detail we could possibly do and let’s leave it all out there.’ And that’s what those guys did, and I think it just constantly kept building off of that and each week was like one more step. And then the next week was one more step. So I think guys were … that Pittsburgh game really flipped it for us.”
(What was the thing that impressed you the most yesterday?) — “I would say just our defense hanging in there and not getting frustrated with the offense. I felt like the sideline was really good as far as the encouragement from both sides of the ball. The offense kept telling the defense, ‘We’re going to get it going. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Just keep us in it and vice versa. The defense did a great job as far as their attitude was phenomenal. They were very positive as far as, ‘You guys are going to get it going. You’re going to get it going.’ And they just kept going at it. I mean that was an easy game for the defense to just be like, ‘We can’t do anything on offense. We’re in trouble.’ I almost felt like the defense was to the point where they were like, ‘Alright, let’s find a way to score.’ There was a great attitude and obviously with ‘V.J.’ (Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph) leading that group, he does such a great job as far as those guys being engaged and understanding, ‘Let’s not let them get a yard.’ And they fight for every inch. We’re heading in the right direction in that area, for sure.”
(Any sense of what’s wrong with G/T Laremy Tunsil’s shoulder and how long he might be out?) – “No. I don’t know anything. I’ve been avoiding (Head Athletic Trainer) Ryan (Grove) today. I don’t want to know anything right now. He can tell me later.”
(There are a lot of coaches in the NFL that would have been happy with tying the game up and going to overtime but were you right from the start – we saw a coach here that fist pumped for every field goal – were you right from the start, we’re going for … was that just absolutely your DNA? Your mindset?) – “Nope. It was either going to be a pick or a touchdown. That’s how we were going to … that game wasn’t going into overtime. That’s how it was going to be.”
(Did you talk about the defense not getting frustrated but your side of the ball had 10 punts and an interception. How were they not saying, well today’s not our day?) – “That’s a good question. They did a good job. I think the coaches did a good job as far as staying positive on the sideline. I think Ryan (Tannehill) makes a big difference because he never wavered. He kept his … like his attitude in the huddle. I could see he kind of felt like we’re right there. We’ve just got to kind of clean a few things up. When you talk about it so much, about getting that first, first down, and that was our biggest struggle. We just couldn’t get that first, first down. We put ourselves in some third down situations where we had opportunities for some really good things to happen and one thing here and there. We had a protection issue a couple of times where we don’t block the right guys. Ryan (Tannehill) had a misread and then we had a route … it’s just one thing after another on third down. It’s really hurting us. It was kind of like, once we had that first play and then we get that late hit tacked on top of it, you felt kind of a different attitude by the guys. It was like flipped right away and the next thing you know, we’re in the end zone. You kind of look up and you’re like, ‘Wow, we got a couple of time outs here and we’ve got some time left.’ The defense did a great job of playing off the offense and then we get the ball back and after that, you felt like something good was going to happen.”
(Since the first time we talked to you in Boca in March, you always had a conviction that you could win with Ryan and that he could be a good quarterback here. When did you get that conviction? Was it before you took the job? Was it after watching tape after you took the job? And why did you have that conviction?) – “I think it was before I even took the job. That’s why I took the job. That’s a starting point. When you feel comfortable with the quarterback you’re coming in with, that’s always a good starting point. And then obviously, there’s a huge checklist going down after that; but I felt really good about him coming in and the more we’ve worked together, the better I’ve felt. As we’ve gone along, I feel like it probably took me a little longer than it should have as far as figuring out what we could do well on offense. That was a little disappointing. It’s really my fault, just not really waking up and realizing, ‘Okay, we can do this, this and this and stay away from these things.’ That was bad coaching but I feel like he’s done a great job as far as sticking with our process and kind of trusting me on some stuff. There were a couple of things that he’s changed that probably wasn’t really comfortable for him and he did it. That showed a lot of trust from him.”
(Are you talking mechanical things?) – “Just some things with footwork and stuff. It’s not easy to go about changing some things if you’ve been doing it a certain way and you get a third new coordinator in five years. I’m sure ‘Sherm’ (former Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Mike Sherman) had some things he liked that he wanted (Ryan Tannehill) to do. (Former Dolphins Offensive Coordinator) Bill (Lazor) probably had some things he wanted him to do and then here I come saying, ‘Hey, do it this way.’ At some point when you’re a fifth-year quarterback, you’re like, ‘How many times am I going to change this?’ He did a good job as far as just buying in and doing it the way that I asked him to do it.”
(Rams RB Todd Gurley had a couple big runs there in the first half and then in the second half, not so much. What has been the key for your guys’ turnaround in shutting down the run game from opposing offenses later in the game?) – “Playing together. Using the right technique. The two runs that (Gurley) had, we misfitted. The rest of the game we fitted everything right. Guys did a good job of tackling (and) tackling as a group. It’s hard to run the ball when a team does that.”
(How would you describe the job the offensive line did on the last two drives given who you had playing where?) – “Outstanding. They fought. That’s the key. The way I look at o-line play is if you’ve got five guys out there that are just going to do everything they can in their physical power to not let the quarterback get hit, that’s all you can ask for. It’s a mismatch. No matter who is out there. D-line versus o-line nowadays, it’s a mismatch, especially when they know you’re going to throw it. So you do everything you can to get them covered up and the quarterback has to do a good job of feeling what’s going on and moving in the pocket and getting the ball out there. Receivers have to get open quick. It’s a full group effort when you’re trying to protect the quarterback and make throws. I thought they did an outstanding job. They fought until the end. You could see it on film, especially on Jarvis (Landry)’s first touchdown. Those guys do a great job as far as they follow the ball. We talk about it all the time – protect the ballcarrier – and they did a great job and they finished the play.”
(Are those the five guys you’re looking at this week?) – “We’ll see. I don’t know. I really don’t know. Until I know something about (Laremy) Tunsil, I don’t know what’s going on with ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert). I still really don’t have all of the information on (Mike) Pouncey yet. I’ve got to figure out what’s going on and then when we hit Wednesday, I’ll have a better idea.”
(Three weeks ago it was a kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago it was a pick-six. Yesterday it was touchdown passes. What does that say about your team that you’re finding all of these different ways to win games in the fourth quarter?) – “I think it says that it’s a group of guys that have developed a belief in each other. There’s a trust there. I think it starts with the fact that they’re holding each other accountable in everything they do, from just the littlest tiny things – meetings, being on time. When we were out on the West Coast, that was a recipe for a lot of things to go wrong and we didn’t have any issues. No one was ever late. Everybody did everything right. You could tell, the veteran players really stepped up because you could hear them chirping in the background a lot of times about doing things right and some guys making sure that certain guys were on time. That’s a big step for us. There’s a different feel as far as just making sure we’re all in this thing together. That’s why I think you see good things happen at the end of the game. There’s no, ‘I wonder if this is going to happen?’ The whole time we’re thinking, ‘We’re going to figure out a way to win. We’re going to figure out a way to win.’ It’s a good mindset to have.”
(How big was TE Dion Sims as far as his pass protection towards the end of the game with chipping and things like that?) – “Any time you have a tight end that basically you feel good enough to where you go one-on-one versus a defensive end, that’s a pretty rare thing to have. I don’t know if I’ve had too many tight ends that have been able to do that. The last guy I actually can think of that I felt really comfortable when it was one-on-one was Dan Campbell. (laughter) That shows you how long ago that was. He did an outstanding job. It helped us be able to double some of those inside guys because if he isn’t able to do what he does, then we would have had a longer day than what we did.”
(I know your focus is on San Francisco and correcting mistakes from yesterday, but do you allow yourself to know the standings?) – “I’m not … We’re so far away still. It’s not even worth it to me to look at it. We just have to focus on this week. If we just keep doing it right enough times, then good things will happen. We’ll just keep playing until somebody tells us not to.”
(The last two drives you said ‘Okay, you got the first, first down.’ Starting there, was that a different QB Ryan Tannehill? Or was it a different offense? Guys getting open…) – “I think it was just a combination of the situation when you’re down that much, really. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but the clock is going to move pretty quick. With what they had to start leaning on – because they’re just trying to keep you inbounds and just keep you in front – they’ll let you have completions. We just tried to steal a couple chunk plays here and there and if you can do that and try to minimize the time as you go to try to score a touchdown, that’s what you are trying to do. We had an opportunity. We got the ball with over 2 minutes left and a chance to go tie the game up. Once again, they have to play their 2-minute defense. You try to mix it up and pressure but the problem is, if you make one mistake and we get it blocked up and we hit them on a deep ball, then everybody is saying, ‘Well, why would you pressure there?’ They played the defense that they’ve been really dominant with all season, our guys just made a couple of plays that were probably risky throws and they were close at ending the game themselves.”
(The touchdown call, I think you took a timeout right before that, right? On TV you could see you were looking for players, why that particular player?) – “Because, I knew what hash we were on, and I knew who we were going at. I was just being a little cautious, and I may have said something to myself to just call it. I just told him, to make a good throw.”
(Did you second guess what you wanted to call?) – “Yes.”
(That all or nothing attitude, you said it was going to be a touchdown or a pick. Is that a part of you, or is that shaped by a coach you worked for?) – “Yes, probably. It’s just… I started being under Steve Mariucci, but I wasn’t really involved as much. But spending three years with (Mike) Martz, that was probably the greatest thing to happen to me, because, I don’t know if you could’ve had a more confident mentor than what I had. (I) learned from the guy that it was always about going to win the game, not playing not to lose.”
(What’s the thinking of having WR DeVante Parker in deep center field on a Hail Mary, and did he drop that or knock it down? It was hard to tell.) – “He’s back there to make sure he either catches it or knocks it down, not drop it. Even if he would’ve caught that one, it would’ve been nice.”
(That’s a design thing?) – “He didn’t sneak on the field or anything. The front did a great job because they put enough pressure on him. The scary part is, if the ball goes backwards, they’re going to have two guys that are supposed to be back there. We obviously got to get that cleaned up. I think (Parker) thought he … I hope he was trying to catch it. I didn’t ask him.”
(That would’ve been nice to have a touchdown catch and a pick in 30 seconds.) – “Yes, that would’ve been nice.”
(How much of a building block could this be for QB Ryan Tannehill? It’s one thing to think you’re going to win, or think you can pull out a comeback, but it’s another thing to do it. He was like 12-for-13 at the end there. There was no room for any kind of error.) – “I guess I … again, he hasn’t done anything to show me that he can’t do things in the fourth quarter. What your experiences are and what my experiences have been have been completely two different things. I guess when we get in the fourth quarter and it’s a close game, I feel confident. Between him being able to play in the fourth quarter and the deep balls, I’m kind of questioning your guys’ evaluation skills right now. I’m just glad you’re not in personnel.” (laughter)
(To that extent, there are a lot of guys that have been here that these games don’t go that way. Obviously, you’ve been able to instill something in them.) – “I think guys have been relentless. They’ve sold out every game, played to the end (and) keep fighting. I think it’s the guys we have – the mentality we have – as a coaching staff, front office, people around the building. Everybody has sold out 100 percent to try to do everything we can to help our players have a chance in the fourth quarter to win a game. Our players have to go out there and actually do it. They’ve done a great job as far as laying it on the line and giving it everything they have.”
(Going back to WR DeVante Parker, you said there are times that the defense is just going to give you things and stay in front of everything. Does it make his ability to separate – the separation that he was getting towards the end there – does it make it that much more special knowing that there are certain things that they’re trying to give him?) – “It’s probably a little tougher for him than what we realize, because when you’re getting all these different types of techniques, he really has to be on it. He does have some ability to change some of his routes, and him and Ryan (Tannehill) have to be on the same page. Obviously, this goes back to – even in the spring – of him not practicing as much, training camp, all those things, and our timing has to pick up. You saw we missed some things early in the game, and you’re like, ‘Wow, that really didn’t look right.’ We do put a lot on (Parker’s) plate as far as what he has to do and the options he has, and he has to be right. When teams start giving him all these different looks, some of these are like first time (that) we may have talked about, but might not have necessarily been able to do. I think he has done a great job as far as getting it mentally and being able to execute it on the field and then making the play. The guy that he was going against that last drive, that’s a really good corner. That last play of the game, the margin of error for him was very slim. Ryan did a good job as far as putting the ball where it needed to be, but he ran a really good route.”
(So, their timing, you feel like they’ve gotten better?) – “It’s getting better. The more we can practice full speed together, the better it is.”
(Since you took over, do you feel like there has been a major shift in the culture of this team?) – “It’s hard for me to say that, because once again, it’s like … I’ve been here since the spring, and we’ve made some adjustments to the coaching staff and personnel and around the building. So, when you’re coming in and it’s a clean slate … I can’t speak on the past, I just know everybody that has been here since the time I’ve been here has (had) one goal, and it’s to try to help our players do everything they can to win a game.”
(I know you touched on this a little bit, but how impressed were you by the o-line’s push of WR Jarvis Landry to the end zone?) – “I think it started with … When I saw … Ja’Wuan (James) has been doing such a great job as far as really pursuing the ball. We encourage that a lot of times; but sometimes when you’re an offensive lineman, you’re exerting a lot of energy trying to keep those guys off the quarterback. I think guys have really seen him do that play after play. As soon as one guy sees a guy flash by him, and it’s one of their guys, the rest of them start following. I saw ‘70’ (Ja’Wuan James) hit that thing, and you saw the rest of those guys get involved in it. Jarvis did a great job of staying … Initially, he should’ve went down and somehow stayed up and then did a great job of keeping his feet. I know, especially at that point in the game, he was exhausted. He has pretty much exerted everything he had, and the fact that he could stay on his feet was impressive.”
(WR Jarvis Landry mentioned he closed his eyes and saw No. 70 come at him and kept his feet moving.) – “He’s a tough sucker, man. I don’t know if there are many other guys built like that guy.”
(Looking at the remainder of your season and the schedule and how, at least going until the last game, it really seems manageable. Does that give you confidence?) – “To be honest with you, (I have) no idea. Past San Francisco, I have no idea who’s after that or after that. I come in, start working on San Francisco and after that, we’ll worry about when that that comes up. But right now, we’ve got to figure out a way to win one game this week.”
Cameron Wake – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Defensive End Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On when he started to believe that this team was different as opposed to past Dolphins teams)
“Weeks ago. Long time ago. It wasn’t today, that’s for sure.”
(On what part of the season specifically)
“It’s hard to pinpoint. I didn’t really take note of it. It was a long time ago when you know guys just had that fight. You can tell. You know, you can feel it. If you’ve ever been around teams, obviously if you’re not, some type of reference to say I remember what this was like and now I know what this was like. Guys who have been out there, guys who have been in the fight would know what I mean, but you guys won’t.”
(On if you felt the defense was able to make Jared Goff feel uncomfortable)
“It would be a great question to ask him. Again, my whole goal is, I don’t care if you’re first year or hall of fame, is go out there and get after the quarterback and make him play into our hands. If they’ve got to change up what they’ve got going on to suit our style of play, I feel like that’s a win for us. I don’t know what their plan was. I don’t know what they came out here to do, but I know he got hit a couple of times and was moving around. I don’t know his stats, but I feel like it was a big win for the good guys.”
Ndamukong Suh – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On if he was pleasantly shocked by the late rally)
“I wouldn’t say shocked by any means. The team has been fighting all year, so at the end of the day, we’ve just got to understand the situation we put ourselves in and go out there and make plays on both sides of the ball, and special teams. That’s what we did and we came out victorious.”
(On the significance of the two wins on the West coast)
“I think it’s huge. I think at the end of the day, it’s tough to win anywhere, especially when you’re not at home – especially when you’re on the West coast. The thing I’m proud about this team is we didn’t make any excuses. We were in San Diego or Carlsbad for a long period of time. We took care of business against San Diego in our stay and then went up to LA, and took care of business. I’m very proud of this team and we’ve got to continue to fight.”
(On if there was any difference in preparation given they were playing a rookie quarterback)
“No. In my opinion, I think we stayed in exactly what we wanted to do. We understood the type of offense they wanted to run. We understood they were probably going to rush the ball as much as they can to get their running back going. But our goal was to stop the run, as it is every single game, and make them win the rest of the game and make the quarterback try and prove he can beat us.”
Jay Ajayi – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Running Back Jay Ajayi (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On trying to get something going)
“It was tough. A physical challenge, but we pulled through. We knew it was going to be hard going against them. They have a tough front, so we just tried to match that physicality and at the end of the day, we pulled out with the win and that’s all that matters.”
(On the attitude of the group after players were missing and injured)
“We had to have the next man up mentality. You know, it’s tough. You never want to shuffle on the offensive line. You want consistency up there. It kind of showed a little bit, but kudos to the guys that stepped in. They had to stand tough, going against a tough D-line like that, and they were able to pull through and that’s all that matters.”
(On giving credit to the defense)
“Our defense played their tails off today. We always trust that they’re going to put us in the best situation to win, just like they trusted us that we were going to win the game if we get down there and put the ball in. We played together as a team and we trust each other, and you see that now when we’re out here winning these close games how we can finish strong.”
(On the feeling of that last drive)
“Before that, we wanted to make sure we got in the end zone. Once we did, we felt excited and kind of got that energy. Then that last game-winning drive we were clicking. It was just about operating, managing the clock, and then finishing in the end zone.”
Jarvis Landry – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On what it means to come back and pull off a win in the fourth quarter)
“It says a lot about this team, a lot about this team. From everybody that doubted us early on until now and people will still doubt us in the future. We thank you. We thank you, because it motivates us. It motivates us especially in times like that when we got to stick together as brothers out there and come from behind and take one.”
(On being pushed into the end zone from the three-yard line)
“It’s all about will, all about will. I couldn’t get in there alone. (Dolphins T) Ja’Wuan James was one person I saw before I closed my eyes and went for the ride. He was one of the people that I saw that helped me get in there, along with numerous other guys. So, I’m also grateful for those players.”
(On getting the offense going late in the game)
“You know, we told ourselves we have a great defense. We told ourselves just continue to lean on those guys, but at the end of the day, we knew it was going to come down to us to eventually start making plays. There’s never a point in time in the game that we felt like it’s too late. I think we scored right there with about five minutes left. Defense went out, got us the ball back with two minutes to go, and we wanted to be aggressive. We didn’t want the field goal, we wanted the touchdown.”
(On Ryan Tannehill at the end of the game)
“Hell of a job. Hell of a job. He did exactly what big time players do. You know, they make the plays when it counts. He did that for us.”
Ryan Tannehill – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On where today’s win ranks on his list of comeback victories)
“I don’t know if that’s something to think about right now. I’m just really proud of our guys. The way we battled, the way we hung in there. It was ugly on offense for most of the game. But defense kept us in the football game, made some really big plays for us, and we found a way to make plays when it counted. I told the guys right before that going on that first touchdown drive, hey, everyone take a deep breath, we’re going to win this game, and that’s what we did.”
(On what the difference was in the last few drives for the offense)
“I think the tempo. I think we got off of the ball. Guys made plays, and I think that’s what we needed. We needed guys to step up and make plays. The offensive line did a great job of giving me time. Receivers were getting open down field, and we were able to move the ball down the field. The touchdown to (WR) Jarvis (Landry), just, an exemplary effort by him. He keeps fighting, looks like he’s down on the four-yard line, but just keeps fighting. You see the offensive line come and help push him in the end zone. That just kind of shows the fight in this team has, and I think the entire team showed it tonight.”
(On the last touchdown of the game)
“Yeah, we had one-on-one out there on (WR) DeVante (Parker). It was a great look for it, he ran a great route, and I was able to just put the ball in the outside pocket and he made a great catch, so it was something that we had confidence in going in to this game, and we were able to execute it.”
(On where this win ranks for him personally)
“Yeah, I don’t know where to rank it. I’m just excited and proud of our guys right now.”
(On how they went on to win after being down the whole game)
“As long as there is time on the clock, I’m going to believe that we are going to win. I have a lot of faith, and everyone that steps on that field with me, we put in a lot of work and a lot of time. We’ve grown together over the past three months, so as long as there’s time on that clock and we are within reasonable scoring range, I believe we are going to find a way to win.”
(On if he was pushing on the touchdown where everybody was pushing)
“I didn’t quite make it. I ran up there to get it in, to try to push, and right when I got there Jarvis fell right in the end zone. So, I can’t take any credit for that.”
(On if the Rams defensive unit was the best he faced this year)
“They have a really good team. A really good defensive unit, D-line really tough, they do a great job of creating match-ups up front where they can get their guys one-on-one. They’re talented, and we had a ton of respect for them coming into this game, and I think we leave with a ton of respect as well.”
(On if the no-huddle helped their offense click at the end of the game)
“Yeah I think so, I think the no-huddle really helped us, the tempo of getting on the football. Kind of seeing what they were in, let our guys get up and get set, and like I said earlier, guys made plays. We still have to – even though tempo helped us guys still have to step up and make plays and they did that.”
(On the success of WR DeVante Parker)
“Yeah, he’s growing. Every week he’s growing, continues gets better, and we look to continue that. I gave him a hard time well he could have had an interception to go along with it, but we’ll overlook that.”
(On their struggles up until their game-winning touchdown)
“We just weren’t efficient. We weren’t efficient on first and second down, got ourselves into a lot of third-and-longs. I don’t know the stats, but it seems like probably 90 percent of our third downs were third and nine, third-and-ten-plus, so we knew that situation against a good defense, you know, you’re not going to convert a lot of those, so we have to be more efficient on our first downs. I think we had some big plays in the run game, but I think it was just kind of inconsistent for us, so we definitely have to be cleaner on our first and second down.”
(On the three guys that filled in for the starters on the offensive line effort in the game)
“They came in and they battled. We knew coming in, like I said, they have a really good front, it was going to be a challenge tonight. No matter who was out there. You get some guys that aren’t normally in the line-up out there, and they did a great job for us. Just kept hanging in there, kept battling, and when needed time at the end to make some throws down the field they were able to give me that, and we were able to execute.”
(On the impact of Landry’s touchdown)
“That was a huge play. Like I said, that’s kind of an example of the toughness and the grit that this team has. Just finding a way, find a way. That’s something we’ve said a lot over the past month, is we find a way to win. It may be ugly, it may be pretty, but we just have to find a way. It doesn’t really matter how you get there, as long as you get there, so to have him make that play in a critical situation when we really needed it, it was huge for us.”
(On the support from Dolphin’s owner Stephen M. Ross)
“Yeah it’s nice. I love having his support, I think he shows his support of this team constantly through doing whatever he can to help us succeed. Whether it’s helping us around the building, bringing in certain people to work with us. Whatever it is, he is willing to do, so we have an owner that’s willing to do that, and it’s a huge support.”
(On if he feels like he has grown over the last two years)
“Yeah, you are constantly growing. If you are not moving forward, then you’re moving backwards, I like to think that I am constantly progressing, moving forward. Learned a lot over the past five years, and just looking to continue to move forward.”
(On how he got his offense to click in the final few minutes)
“We have undying belief in each other, and I think, although the first however many minutes it was, it was not pretty, it was ugly, like I said we have undying belief in each other that we are going to get it done. There was no panic on the sidelines, there was no like ‘oh man,’ feeling. The feeling the entire game was, ‘We’re going to get it going, we’re going to get it going,’ and we finally did.”
(On their five game winning streak)
“Yeah, it’s great. It’s been a fun ride for us. I think we just have to keep taking one game at a time. I think that’s what we’ve done. And like I said, find a way to win. We’ve had a special teams touchdown in the last two minutes or four minutes, or whatever that was. Last week, defense, a couple interceptions in the last part of the game. This week the defense had big stops and were obviously able to get touchdowns. So, it takes everybody. I love the way this team plays.”
(On when he doubted he would be able to continue playing when he went down at the end of the game in pain)
“No shot, no shot. I knew I was going to be alright. I just had to shake it off a little bit.”
(On what the Rams defensive front did to keep them on their toes)
“They’re talented. They’re a talented group. They do a really good job of shedding blocks. Even when we think we have a good run, they’re able to shed a block at the last second and stop the running back. Get pressure, affect the passing game, whether they’re getting sacked or not, they’re able to affect the throw, affect the pockets, so they are a talented group and they did a good job today.”
Adam Gase – November 20, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 20, 2016
Postgame – at Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by the Los Angeles Rams)
(On his offense’s performance during the last five minutes of the game versus the first 55 minutes)
“I don’t even know. Nothing was going right for us. (Rams Defensive Coordinator) Gregg (Williams) does a great job as far as what they do schematic-wise, and they have good players. They execute their scheme well. We were terrible on offense and we’re just lucky that our defense played as hard as they could, they sold out and tried to just keep us in the game. We put a drive together, executed a third-and-3, a couple of plays popped for us and we got a chance to win the game.”
(On his team being able to keep playing until the game is over)
“I just keep thinking about how our defense just hung in there. The attitude that they brought throughout the entire game – they kept encouraging the offensive guys. They were trying to figure out a way to score. It was very impressive to watch those guys – where we’ve started from to where we’ve come in a short period of time. Those guys did a great job of keeping us in the game and we found a way in the end.”
(On Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill and the receivers being able to make big plays at the end of the game)
“We just could never really get in a rhythm. I think sometimes when we get thrown off on our running game a little bit, it just kind of sends us off into a little bit of a spiral and (the Rams defense) did a good job of doing that. We missed some opportunities in some play actions. We had some issues on third down, obviously. We were in some third-and-longer situations. Against this defense, you’re probably better off punting on third down, because the chances of executing on third down or actually having the chance to get the ball off are slim. Obviously they put some pressure on us and made it very tough for us on third down.”
(On losing his third offensive lineman of the season during this game)
“We’ll worry about that some other time. We’re not going to worry about it, right now. I just know those guys came in, they battled, they fought, and did everything they could to just try and help us win one game.”
(On if this game proves how difficult it will be to keep winning with the injuries to the offensive line)
“Every game is a different game. We really had a lot of breakdowns and it wasn’t just the offensive line. We were having a lot of problems with some of the things we were doing outside, a couple of things that happened in the run-game and in the passing game. Less of it had to do with protection.”
(On how bad Dolphins LG Laremy Tunsil’s injury is)
“I don’t know. I walked in and came back out here.”
(On how effectively he felt his defense challenged QB Jared Goff in his first career start)
“I thought he did a pretty good job as far as what we were bringing at him – trying to pressure him a little bit, give him some different looks. He didn’t really seem bothered by much of it. We were trying to get to him, trying to hit him. He escaped the pocket a couple times and extended plays. He made it difficult for our defense. They did a good job of sticking with it, getting him off the field on third down and giving our offense another shot.”
(On how he will address penalties with his team)
“I’ll look at it this week. I’m not going to sit there and think about the negative stuff, right now. I might be the worst second-and-one play-caller in football, right now, so we just need to call some different plays.”
(On how the offense was able to come to life at the end of the game)
“It happens. This is football. That’s why you play sixty minutes.”
Adam Gase – November 18, 2016
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Friday, November 18, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(With WR Kenny Stills, obviously he had that one bad moment early, but he’s been kind of nails since. What has he been like for you this season as one of your top three options on the outside?) – “He’s been consistent. I think the longer we’ve gone and the relationship that crew has with the wide outs and the tight ends and the running backs and quarterback, I think they’ve all had pretty good chemistry going right now. We’d obviously like to get him more involved as far as attempts, at least. I know a lot of times his throws come down the field to where the percentages will go down for the completion percentage, but I like the fact that when he is in there, that gives the defense a lot to worry about. They know they’ve got to protect versus the deep ball. We all saw what happened that one game that he goes out; now all of a sudden everybody’s kind of sitting on everything and not really worried anything coming down the field. He’s a key to a lot of things that we do in the game.”
(How much does he clear out for you guys and the underneath stuff opens up?) – “Yes. He does quite a bit of that. I know there’s a little bit of a ‘take one for the team,’ as far as what he has to do sometimes. That’s not easy to do for a wide out because every wide out is the same: they all want the ball and you know sometimes you have to do what’s best for the group.”
(Now that the California experiment is kind of over in terms of practices, what went even better than you might have thought or what was challenging that you guys didn’t really think of?) – “I think guys did a good job as far as sticking with the schedule that we had, bringing the same times we had from Miami with our meeting times (and) practice. I know we lost some time on travel and guys did a good job of taking some liberties of their own of spending extra time together, watching film and studying to where we didn’t have any setbacks as far as guys not knowing what to do. They did a good job as far as making sure that they were on pace for the game … leading up to the game. Hopefully that will pay off for us on Sunday.”
(How close to normal was the week that you were out there?) – “It was as much normal as we could possibly get it. Obviously we lost 20 minutes going to the hotel and back throughout the week; but, for the most part, it was pretty close.”
(With this offensive line, you’re probably going to maybe have three guys starting at different spots that they’re not familiar with or you are not familiar with. Does that force you to scale back anything that you have to do on offense?) – “The one thing, at least in the running game, it’s not like a secret what we’re doing. It’s not like we’re going to be able to do anything different. That’s the NFL for you as far as run game. Once you kind of establish who you are, everybody in the league knows what you are and they’re going to have their base game plan and it becomes more of an execution thing for us than anything. Pass protection wise, obviously versus this group it’s where this is a different challenge for us this week. It’s probably the best defensive line that we’re going to go against – as far as run and pass – and we’re going to have to be on it as far as assignments sounds. But at the same time, our physicality has to be great because these guys are very talented and they play very fast and their scheme’s very good.”
(Did LB Jelani Jenkins hurt his knee during the game on Sunday?) – “I think it was a combination of still (being) banged up throughout the whole year basically and then we got in the game and I think he took a couple of shots to where it just tightened up on him and he became stiff as the game went on. Then after the game, we did our evaluation and he didn’t feel right. The next day out, it showed up to where there was something there to where we had to let him sit out the whole week. Today, obviously, he could do some stuff.”
(With WR Jakeem Grant, he had a handful of mistakes in the game Sunday. Why did you come out so strongly in favor of him afterwards?) – “Because we all know how effective he can be when things are going right. Sometimes it takes a game like that to realize what you can do and what you can’t do. Obviously, when he had that dropped punt return, that was a great example of he had a long way to travel. The guy had a great punt, and he has got to let that one go. That’s a learning experience for him. Obviously, it came at a very critical time for us, and it could have hurt us bad. The defense did a great job as far as going out there, fighting every play. It didn’t go exactly the way we wanted, but we ended up with the ball at the end of the series, and we didn’t give up any points. He has got to learn from that, but at the same time, I have a lot of confidence in the fact that when he does catch the ball and gets going, he has actually got a chance to score. When you have a guy like that, he’s going to have as many opportunities as possible to return balls, whether it’s on kickoff or punt return.”
(With RB Damien Williams, when you were evaluating what you had with him, did you envision when you first got him that this would be such a multi-pronged role, or how did that evolve for you?) – “When I first got here, that was one of the first things Ryan (Tannehill) said to me was, ‘This guy can do a ton of things, and we’re going to have to work some things during the week, because he was specialized in things in the past.’ He goes, ‘There’s more there. And trust me, on Sundays when the lights come on, you’ll see a completely different guy, too.’ The more we’ve expanded our offense, he has been really able to show me he can do everything. It’s about putting him in the right spots at the right time, getting him in the game. When it’s crunch time, he’s the guy you want in there, because he makes things happen. It’s one of those things (where) it’s hard to explain. You talk about ‘it’ factor, he has an ‘it’ factor to him. The ball finds him in the most critical parts of the game, and he makes plays.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill told you that back in the spring?) – “I think it was one of the first times I ever met with him. I asked him … I want to say I asked him about, ‘Is there anybody that you would say that probably might not show up on tape as much that you know of throughout practicing,’ and that was the first name he brought up.”
(WR Jarvis Landry is well known for him fire, and RB Damien Williams has a little bit of that too, doesn’t he?) – “I think it’s different. It’s different. One thing about Damien is (he is) very confident. That’s a guy that loves this sport. He really loves competing. He loves Sunday. He loves practice. When you find a guy that loves practice the way he does, it’s hard to find that combination, because sometimes practice – especially this deep in the season – gets a little monotonous. We try to change things up, but he always seems to be the same guy. He’s always fired up. He’s always competing. He’s always talking – talking a lot during scout team periods, giving the DBs a hard time, the linebackers. He’s a fun guy to be around every day.”
(When you called that play for him on the touchdown catch, did you know it as soon as you broke the huddle that he had it?) – “I was pretty excited when we had a chance to call that play. We knew what we wanted to do if we got that specific defense. It was all about were we going to be able to keep that ball in play? Because I think there were 11 guys on the field and a couple coaches on the sideline that knew where that ball was going. It was about not getting too excited.”
(How long have you had that in your pocket?) – “That’s part of our plan a lot of times is if we get certain defenses and we get matchups that we like. That was one of the matchups we really liked going into that game.”
