Clyde Christensen – November 9, 2016
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(Head Coach Adam Gase said he wants you all to hold him accountable, hold him to those runs.) – “He has, and he really has done a good job. It really isn’t a small thing when you’ve thrown the ball successfully and as much as he has. He has stayed with the run. I think his discipline in the play calling, he has done such a good job with it that it really did help us come out of that thing and stabilize this whole thing when we were really struggling early. I think that has been no small factor. I tease him about getting a little rash when he has to call too many of them in a row, but he has been really disciplined.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about getting WR Jarvis Landry the ball. He said he felt bad about not getting it to him. How tough is that when things are working on offense and you stick with what works?) – “It’s really hard. It’s unique getting it to wide outs, because it sounds easy. (With) fantasy football, you throw it to your best players, but a lot of times it’s hard. It’s hard. It depends (on) what they’re playing. It depends how the game is going. Just because you dial up something with his number on it, doesn’t mean it goes to him. But he was really hot. He was playing well, and he was beating the guy who was over top of him. It really wasn’t Coach Gase’s fault as much as mine, because I usually give him those suggestions. So, it was really my responsibility to get it to him. We knew he was winning. We knew he had a hot hand. We just had trouble getting the ball to him, and that falls back on me. Coach Gase probably took my bullet on that one. That’s really my fault. It’s not as easy as you think, but you have to. He’s a guy … Even with the three catches, he still made us go. He makes a great move on the guy and goes up the sideline, he runs over a guy, pops his helmet off. Jarvis is kind of our tempo setter. He gets the unit going. We have to keep the ball in his hands. That’s him – he plays with it on his sleeve. The more the ball is in his hands, the more this offense is going to be pretty darned good.”
(At the risk of causing you a rash, what do you think of the term ‘game manager’ for a quarterback, and is that what QB Ryan Tannehill is now?) – “You want every quarterback to be a game manager. We talked about that last week (about), ‘When do you take a risk? When do you not take a risk?’ – all those things. There’s nobody who’s not a game manager. The Brett Favre’s and freewheeling guys still have to be a game manager (and know) when to throw it away, when to take a chance, when to throw it up for grabs. I think he is managing the game well. I think to go three weeks without a turnover, to protect the football, to understand how we win a football game, understand who we’re playing, understand what our unit is – those are all really hard teaches, because they’re kind of unique. Every week is a little bit different. Some weeks you need him to take some chances and make some big plays. Some weeks you need him to be patient and take checkdowns. I think he has managed the game extremely well. I think it’s a really, really good term. Publicly, it’s kind of derogatory that you’re not a playmaker if you’re a game manager but even the great playmakers that I’ve been around are game managers. But it’s a hard teach. It’s a hard, disciplined teach. It’s a hard, disciplined learn. It’s tough.”
(So QB Ryan Tannehill shouldn’t be offended by that?) – “No quarterback should be offended. It should be a compliment, but it kind of has this derogatory term of making you a non-playmaker (and) you just manage the game. Absolutely not. In fact, you guys make our job a little bit harder, because they do look it as a … It’s like a possession receiver. What’s a possession receiver? You catch the ball underneath. It has this derogatory connotation, and yet, it’s absolutely a critical, critical … You want receivers to possess the ball, that keep possessions. I think game manager for a quarterback falls in that one that has this negative connotation, but not inside the coaching rooms it doesn’t. Not at all.”
(How would you describe RB Jay Ajayi’s running style, and is there anybody he reminds you of that you’ve coached?)– “Maybe a little bit of Edgerrin James. Edgerrin was a good mix of right when you thought that you had a finesse guy, he ran you over and right when you thought he was going to run you over, he ran around you. I think maybe a little bit of … I actually didn’t have Edgerrin before the knee surgery, but he had that ability to do both. I think this guy … That’s like a pitcher. If you’ve got two good pitches and one’s a hardball and one’s a finesse pitch, that’s a hard combination. I think you see it … You saw it at the end of the game. All of a sudden you come running through there and on a safety. That’s a bad feeling, because one time he goes around you and one time he goes right over top of you. I do think that he has a nice, little combination going. He’s a violent guy, he’s a big guy, but he does have an ability to outrun you or run around you.”
(Can you talk about the production from the tight ends – TE Dominique Jones and TE MarQueis Gray? It seems line QB Ryan Tannehill is getting more confidence in both of them.) – “I think one of the huge factors … That’s what we said in our team meeting today is that it’s going to take all 53 (players) and some. There’s no such thing as rookies anymore. There’s no such thing as practice squad. They’re just Dolphins and everyone is going to have to step up and make a play. (We) had (Thomas) Duarte up from the practice squad this week. He played two snaps. You had your three, four and five tight end playing against probably the best (defensive) front we’ve seen this year. (The Jets had a) really good defensive front with a bunch of girth and big guys. For those guys – I said it last week – MarQueis did a great job. Now ‘D.J.’ (Dominique Jones) comes in, who got released after camp, and he comes back and catches a huge third-down conversion to run some time off the clock and keep that drive going. At the end, he catches the touchdown pass, and that’s your fourth tight end who jumps in there and does it. And Duarte was ready to go and played two snaps and gave us a little cheerleading effort there and some enthusiasm. It’s huge. It has to happen. The second half of the year, it’ll happen more and more and more, because guys are worn down, guys miss some time and someone has to step up. No one really gives a darn; they just want you to win. So, that’s really, really important. So, I do think (Ryan Tannehill) is getting confidence in those guys, especially on movements. We had the huge movement again where he’s throwing it off the run, and those guys are coming across, and those are big plays. And (the) touchdown. To have the confidence in a guy you haven’t done a ton of work for and with. To hit him in the corner of the end zone like that, that was a big, big throw and catch.”
(So, you’ve seen the playmaking ability of WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake on special teams. Are they progressing to the point where you can use them a little bit more?) – “We really think so. They really have some juice to them. We tried to get a little Jakeem package going. I told you we were going to try and do that, and he dropped the one. It was kind of a little bit of a setback, but we’ve got to keep doing it. They make plays. Damien (Williams), it’s the same thing. As soon as they go in there, they make plays. The more we can get them in there, the more we can find things to do with them. It’s, again, not as easy as the outsiders look at it. There are only so many balls. (Leonte) Carroo has got to step up. He got 35, 40 snaps this week that he wasn’t expecting to play. All of a sudden, Kenny (Stills) goes down, and he plays 35 or 40 snaps. Those are really important. (There are) no little things to us being successful and try to keep some momentum going as we head on the road.”
(Is there anything about RB Damien Williams that has surprised you?) – “When I took this job – and you’re watching all the film and you’re trying to assess – he became an instant favorite of mine. They talked about him as a special teams guy, but one thing that jumped off the tape is every time he touched it, something good happened. I always tease with Coach Gase (that) it probably – it’s not a joke but – that he per snap probably has more big plays than anyone on the offense. The number of snaps he has for big plays, his ratio is really, really, really high. And he’s a tough guy. He gives you some tempo. He was one of the guys who, when we got here, I just thought was really an important guy to keep around here and get involved. I have not been surprised by it at all. He was one of my instant favorites, if you will, because of what you saw on film. Every film you watched, he’s whacking (a) linebacker coming up the middle or he’s finessing somebody, he’s breaking a tackle. (The) special teams guys love him. All the things you’re looking for in a backup running back in your two slot or your three slot. He has been really, really terrific.”
Adam Gase – November 7, 2016
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(In your plan on the road, what’s the advantage to being able to run the ball?) – “I think it helps us as far as slowing down the pass rush anytime you want to throw it. I know that makes the biggest difference to me. It’s both home and away. Running the ball is critical to just really your entire game plan –offensively and defensively. It helps the other side of the ball as well. When you’re in those situations that you want to get some play-action, that’s when you can get some big plays and if you’re running the ball effectively and you get guys up in the box, you get a chance for some bigger plays then just 5 to 7 yards a clip.”
(Last week in talking to Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen, he said you sometimes get a rash when you call too many running plays. When you were struggling in the first half to get a lot of production on the ground, did you start to break out into a hive?) – “Clyde might not be speaking any more. (laughter) The one thing, and I reminded our guys again today, don’t let me go away from Jay (Ajayi). And don’t allow me to start getting in that rhythm of just throwing the ball. The reason why is, why Jay is so effective is, he’s a guy that runs very angry, and when you do that for four quarters, eventually the other teams going to break because he’s a big back that runs hard and he runs through contact. You saw the other night, in that last three minutes of the game, all of a sudden a couple of arm tackles, he runs through them and its 20 yards. So the key for us is it’s really the attempts, staying with it, finding that rhythm, and if it happens early, great. Because that means it’s going to be a long day for the other team. If it doesn’t, just stay with it because eventually it’s going to work out for us.”
(When you get on win streaks of three or more games, do they have different feels? Do some feel more secure than others and if so, have you thought about this win streak?) – “It’s different right now for us, just because we’re at a different stage of our program. Obviously it’s very early in our program. We have a lot of young players, so we’re more focused about one week at a time. I really think we have that mentality. I know it’s very boring, but I’ve been on teams before where we’ve gone … we went 11 in a row in 2012 and we just expected (to win) the next week. We have a lot of things we need to clean up. We have a lot of things that we’re off on. There are a lot of things that could have happened in that game that it could have flipped for us really easy. We’re still kind of in that learning stage of how do we do things correctly throughout a 60-minute game to put as close to a perfect game together as possible.”
(Has G/T Laremy Tunsil been all you expected through eight games?) – “He’s done a great job as far as adjusting to that position. The last three weeks, he’s been unbelievable as far as the way he’s changed as a puller. When we’ve run some of these gap schemes, he looks really smooth going through there. He knows who he’s going to go get. He attacks them. I think that was something that was tough for him early, just trying to figure out … It’s just a different feel. You’re pulling around. It’s just a different vantage point. But all of the outside zone stuff and inside zone, any time he’s climbing in the second level, I mean that’s an impressive thing. He could go the wrong way and then be like, ‘Oh, we’re supposed to go this way,’ and he turns around and still gets the linebacker. I mean the guy is a physical freak and an unbelievable athlete. The good thing is he learns quick. He makes a mistake one time and he doesn’t make it again.”
(What do you say to a wide receiver who says this is great, we’re winning, but I’m not getting a lot of touches. I’m not getting as many targets as I’m used to.) – “I think a lot of times when that happens, I put it more on myself. I did a bad job yesterday. We had some things moving around and I know what you’re trying to get at. I’ve got to do a better job of getting Jarvis (Landry) the ball. It was bad. We got into a couple of situations where they played some different personnel groupings and he’s so valuable to us in the slot. Then when we lost Kenny (Stills) and DeVante (Parker), he kind of was struggling a little bit as far as he couldn’t really open up the way he had done during the week. I have to find a way to get him the ball – just figure out a way to get him some touches to where he can catch it and go and make some plays, which he did. Anytime we put the ball in his hands, he makes something happen. And the fact that he … What did he have? Three catches? I mean that’s just not acceptable. And that’s all on me. I know Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job of trying to make sure that we’re in a good play and gets him the ball when his number is called. I don’t want him forcing the ball to him. It’s my job to make sure that our best player on offense is getting the ball.”
(What led to the decision to put TE Jordan Cameron on IR Saturday and do you get a sense from talking to him maybe that this is it for him?) – “Well, we felt like it still was going to be some more time. Obviously we want to make sure he’s comfortable, when he gets to the point when they say he’s cleared, that there’s no hesitation for him as far … Because really, you have the protocol and then once you’re cleared, the guy still has to feel ‘I’m good to go.’ Obviously when you have had a couple (concussions), you want to make sure everything’s right. That’s why we sent him back to Pittsburgh. We make sure that he’s seeing all the right doctors. As far as talking to him, he’s been very positive with me. He wants to keep playing. But right now we weren’t sure how long he was going to be out. So that’s why we ended up (taking) the IR route, which is good for him because now it gives him a chance to really do his homework (and) evaluate everything. But the sense that I’ve gotten from him, as far as down the road, is that he wants to keep playing.”
(When you have two talented and very explosive players like WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake splitting the hashes back there on kickoff return, how beneficial is that for you guys on special teams?) – “For us, obviously, if they try to avoid Jakeem, we have a guy that’s pretty explosive back there (and) a little different style too. Anytime you’re trying to defend two different styles, it’s just like a running back or wide receiver as far as using two different guys, it just makes it really tough because you have to be right on whatever decision you make as far as ‘We’re going to kick it to (Kenyan) Drake, and this how we need to attack him,’ or ‘We’re going to Jakeem (Grant), and here’s how we have to attack him.’ I think you saw what they both bring as far as back-to-back kickoffs. Jakeem’s running around forever and not making any yards but he’s got a lot of guys tired, which was good, and then Drake’s just going to go straight ahead, find a crease and hit it.”
(When did you know about WR Kenny Stills and the illness and how did that alter your game plan?) – “He came in and he started talking about how he wasn’t feeling well so we started getting with him and then we were close to almost not making him active. He got an IV, and then he looked fine. He really did. When we were going out there, I was like, ‘Alright, we’re going to be good.’ He kept telling me, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ Once we started playing, it looked like it was getting worse for him. He was trying to go and as the game (went on), you could tell he wasn’t himself, but he was trying to push through whatever was going on with him. Then all of a sudden, he … when we went into halftime, I think it was before that 2-minute drive, the (athletic training staff) was like, ‘Hey, he’s already in the locker room. We should have him for the second half.’ When we came back out for that third quarter and he wasn’t going to come back, then it was, for myself, trying to figure out how do we make all these changes? Obviously he’s heavily involved in what we do and makes a big difference with us because he does so much as far as he’s a big-time deep threat. It makes the DBs and the safeties play a lot deeper. You saw yesterday there were a couple of times where we’re trying to get the ball to Jarvis (Landry) and the safety is 15 yards deep and doesn’t move, because he’s not worried about anybody going over the top. Kenny does so much more for us besides what normal receivers do as far as catching the ball. Blocking (and) the fact that he is a threat at all times and can hit a home run is something that is very important for us.”
(With the young guys, you ran a lot of times with two tight ends and then you even had your running backs out there running routes. Where is your confidence level with WR Leonte Carroo and WR Jakeem Grant?) – “Both of those guys played more than they’ve ever played. Carroo had quite a few plays. Jakeem, we have certain packages for him just because he does have a lot on his plate with special teams. I know that seems like something that is very easy but we need him to be on what his job is on special teams. We have certain things that we’d like to do as far as personnel groupings with Jakeem. We try to just make sure, ‘Hey, know this stuff and that’s the most important thing.’ Carroo has to know the whole gamut. He’s got the tougher job because he has to know all three positions. He has to be able to go in for any of those three guys. He does have a tougher job and that is a tough job for a rookie because you’re (usually) just trying to figure out one position. To have to know all of them, it becomes tough. But those guys are developing and they’re getting better.”
(Your run defense gave up a pretty big number overall yesterday – a very small number in the second half. Why the improvement in the second half, and how do you feel about them?) – “They got a couple things cleaned up at halftime as far as being a little more assignment-sound. We got a little loose there in the first half. (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) did a good job when we went into halftime. He cleaned a couple things up, made a couple of adjustments. A couple of the calls that we were making were really good and we were doing a couple things that weren’t right. Obviously, that touchdown was completely … The run (Matt) Forte had, we screwed that up as far as what we were doing technique-wise. But he’s making the right calls. If guys just execute those calls, we’re going to have a lot more efficiency in the run game.”
(Have you made a determination on whether CB Chris Culliver will be activated, or are you going to wait?) – “We’re going to wait. We’ll go through our normal deal.”
(When WR Jarvis Landry comes off the field hot, he plays hot. Do you stay away from him? Do you let him simmer down?) – “Depends. Sometimes I don’t see it. I think he does that to make sure I don’t see it sometimes. But I saw one time (where) I knew he was mad and it came from the fact that I had him on one side, and I called something, and I think they had a neutral zone infraction, and I flipped the formation to go to something else. I think he knew what I was trying to do the play before – he knew what the play was – and they jumped offsides. I think he was just mad, because he was going to get the ball on that play. I think he was just mad that I changed the play, which I’m fine with. I want him to want to get the ball. That’s how he plays, and that’s why all of us enjoy being around that guy on game day, because there’s an intensity there. The guy is a competitor. He wants to win.”
(You question some facet of your play calling just about every game. Is there ever a game when you look back and say, ‘I hit this one out of the park. There’s nothing to second guess.’?) – “No, that’s hard to do. It’s like any job you have that you really have a passion about doing. You’re trying to do everything you can to be perfect, and it’s hard to do. It’s probably impossible to do, but that’s the mindset. That has got to be the goal for everybody in our organization.”
(A couple of other housekeeping things: DT Earl Mitchell I think can come off the IR this week, is that correct?) – “Yes.”
(Do you anticipate him doing so?) – “If everything is the way that we think it’s going to be, probably.”
(Do you still have hope you might see DE Dion Jordan in uniform this year?) – “I don’t know. We’ll see. When somebody tells me that we’re close to that range, then I’ll worry about it.”
(How did you evaluate QB Ryan Tannehill’s game yesterday? He was kind of a unique task for him.) – “He did good. I didn’t put him in great spots. He got hit a lot yesterday. There are probably about three hits there that I don’t know how many guys would’ve been playing after them. The amount of hits he took at his legs was … We got to protect him better. He did a good job though as far as getting us in and out of the right plays. He made some good throws. He went where he was supposed to go with the ball. There were just some situations he was in where we either didn’t do the right thing or (there was) broken protection. There was nothing he did to where I could say, ‘That was bad on his part.’ He did exactly what he was asked to do. There were a bunch of us that really didn’t come through on the other end for him.”
(I’m sure you came in with some ideas of things to work on as far as development. Where are you guys at on that halfway through the season now?) – “I feel pretty good as far as what we’re doing with (Tannehill’s) drops, what we’re doing with some of his mechanics that we tweaked here and there. The thing about him is he’s one of those guys that will work on things on Monday and Tuesday where no one is really looking. In practice, he’s always trying to make sure that he’s right with what we’re asking him to do. He has got a lot on his plate. He has got a lot mentally on his plate. That just adds to the technique part when you’re trying to make some adjustments. He has done everything I’ve asked him to do, and he has played well. He has played well, especially in crunch time here when we’ve had some tight games.”
(People that have been with Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph in the past, they always talk about how he’s able to make adjustments at the half or throughout the course of the game. How big has his ability to kind of see things and make those corrections, even if it’s something that you haven’t practiced throughout the week? How has that been for you guys this season?) – “That’s something that I noticed right away in the preseason. The way I hear him talk during the game is pretty … It’s a neat experience for me being on the other side of the ball and hearing a defensive coach. Sometimes, I’m hoping that a defensive coordinator, it doesn’t say the same thing about me sometimes as far as, ‘This is coming,’ or ‘This is coming,’ (and) he’s calling good defenses, because then, you start feeling like, ‘The guy has got me pegged like that.’ But what he does as far as being able to see it and see it before the play and seeing what mistake was made and then being able to adjust right there off of still pictures and then making a change within the drive or the next drive or at halftime, it has been very impressive to watch. It has been – for me – educational to see a guy that works and thinks as fast as he does.”
(DE Cam Wake and T Branden Albert both said this upcoming West Coast trip is not a vacation. Just curious what you have in mind to make sure that everybody stays focused over 10 days, 11 days.) – “Everybody has just got to be a man. We’re there to do a job. It’s not a time to … We’re not on a bowl trip. We are there to do one thing. We’re there to work, find a way to win a game and then go to work for an entire week and try to win another game. We’ve got to handle business there on that first leg of the trip. When we hit that second part, then we really got to … That’s going to be the week that we have to buckle up and be pros.”
(Will you have a curfew during the week?) – “Maybe. We’ll see how Sunday goes.” (laughter)
(With P Matt Darr, when he drops that punt, you know it’s uncharacteristic, you know he takes it tough, do you talk to him? Do you leave it to Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi? Do you talk to him today? How do you handle that?) – “I didn’t say anything to him yesterday. I saw him for like two seconds, walked by and said, ‘Move on.’ It’s rare for him. The guy does everything right. I got a lot of trust in that group. All three of those guys, they do so much right, do everything right during the week. Those guys are true pros. Our biggest thing is it’s about trust. I feel like that’s why we were able to stick together yesterday. It looked like it was going to be interesting there towards the end. And the fact that guys have developed this trust amongst each other that each guy is going to do their job, that makes a big difference.”
(Where is your confidence level with LB Jelani Jenkins playing with a club? Can you talk about all that this guy has fought through?) – “It was a freak thing that kind of happened when those two guys collided. It’ll be interesting. He has got to figure out how he’s going to operate like this. It’s one thing to talk about it. I’ve been around a couple guys that have played like that and some guys have handled it well, some guys it has been tougher, because you can’t grab anything. We’ll see how his preparation goes, how quickly he can get used to everything. The fact that he’s so quick to want to get back out there, those are the kind of guys we want here. Those are the kind of guys I want to be around all the time that constantly are trying to (say), ‘It doesn’t matter what happens, I want to want to be back out there. I want to help us win.’”
(On that note, how do you evaluate a way … [Is it] having LB Jelani Jenkins practice with that or holding him out of practice this week?) – “If he has got a club on, he’ll be alright. He can just roll. The whole thing is (about) how comfortable he is.”
(With LB Jelani Jenkins and these injuries, obviously, it’s a number of fluke things – maybe the groin is connected to the knee. But can you talk about how difficult the season has been for him?) – “Anytime that you get injured … The amount of work that he has put in from the spring – because we had a little setback there early in the spring – but the way that he worked to get back was very impressive. And then we had things rolling and then we’ve had these little setbacks. The thing that he has done is you never hear him complain. Whether he has been hurt or healthy, he’s one of the best guys you have in the meeting room. He’s always asking questions. He’s always making sure that he’s on point, even if he wasn’t playing. The guy just puts his head down and works. And then he comes out to practice, and he sells out. He has done that every day that we’ve had him on the field. That has been a true pro that keeps grinding. Sometimes you have these potholes in the road and you keep moving through it, because sometimes you have those early and you push through them and then all of a sudden you have eight years where nothing happens.
(The time that LB Jelani Jenkins has been out, what have you seen from LB Neville Hewitt?) – “I’ve seen a guy that the experience of playing every week, it helps him a little more. When we came in this year, we were thinking developmental, let’s get him ready, but he has accelerated as far as the more reps he gets – the more he sees – the better he gets. Obviously, with a guy that has his skill set and talent, for a guy his size that can run and hit, the faster that we can get him to where he starts playing at a starter-type level with the knowledge of football – the skill set is already there – it’s just the football IQ to make sure that we keep growing that with him.”
Branden Albert – November 7, 2016
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Tackle Branden Albert
(Over 500 yards rushing the last three games, 111 yards I think against the top ranked rushing defense. What kind of point of pride is that for you, and RB Jay Ajayi and the whole offense?) – “I think as an offensive line, we feel like we could’ve done better. But for the most part, for us to do what we’ve been doing is gratifying. We felt like we left a lot out there yesterday. We could’ve done better, but we’ll keep improving and keep going.”
(The second half, you guys really asserted yourselves. What was the difference, did you just wear them down?) – “No, I just think … I think they were on to us and what we were trying to do. They had a point to prove and I think we had to make some adjustments in the second half, and that’s what we did.”
(RB Jay Ajayi said that there was some trash talk in that first drive, and that him punching the wall was him letting out some frustration. What did you hear going on there?) – “They had a point to prove. They didn’t want us to make history on them. They had pride. Their pride was playing into it. They did a good job in the first half, but winning the game – that’s the most important part.”
(Were they kind of quiet in the fourth quarter?) – “No, they were still talking a little trash. It was an uphill battle yesterday. They came with their A-game; but all three phases played good together, and we all got it done.”
(Because of the style of RB Jay Ajayi … he’s a hard runner. Do you sense those defensive guys soften up over time?) – “I feel like the last … the first two games as the second half came, guys didn’t want to hit him. But I think yesterday those guys had a point to prove yesterday. They were playing yesterday; I’m not going to lie. So I give them the credit, but we got the ‘W’ and we still rushed for 100 and something yards. That’s all that matters.”
(How would you describe the confidence level of the team sitting at 4-4 with a three game winning streak?) – “I think we’re confident but we still know we got an uphill battle. We still got things we’ve got to do and we’ve got to keep preparing each and every week, not get comfortable and keep working.”
(How does the skill and talent of this offensive line group compare to some of the others you’ve been a part of throughout your career?) – “I think you’ve got four guys who can play left tackle. You’ve got probably the best center in football, in my eyes. I think there’s a lot of experience. You’ve got two young guys that just want to play football. You’ve got three guys that have been there. I think our talent and I think our experience is helping us out right now.”
(Looking ahead to this week, the running game travels in this league. It’s a tough one – 11 days out, West Coast…) – “Well, we’re going to see what type of team we really are. (We’ll) see what type of discipline we’ve got. We’ve got to stay grounded, stay humble and make sure we do the little things to keep us going.”
(How do you feel right now? We’re halfway through the season and it seems like you’re playing some of your best football.) – “Myself? I’ve just got the support of my teammates and we’re just doing good. I just feel good about how we are doing as a team. If I’m doing my job and helping this team win, that’s all that matters.”
(What’s the biggest challenge of this road swing, being gone so long and going so far?) – “We’re not on vacation. We are there for business. Guys have got to get that in their heads that we’re there for business. We are not there for pleasure.”
(To go up against a run defense that talented, and you guys still get RB Jay Ajayi over 100 yards. What does that say about your offense?) – “We did some of it and he did some of it yesterday. With the tight ends and receivers, it’s a whole collective thing with our offense. It speaks a lot about us, our attitude and what we’re trying to do; but we can be better, and we can achieve more.”
(How much do you enjoy the feeling … It seems like a lot of the onus has been put on the offensive line to make things go, and you guys have responded.) – “It feels good. It feels good that we’ve got the support of our coaches and the organization. I think that’s been lacking … the offensive line play has been lacking the last couple of years. Now we’re starting to get it done. It can’t be just three games; we’ve got to keep improving.”
(What kind of sense did you get from the fans and the crowd yesterday?) – “I feel like people are starting to believe in us. I think that we are starting to fill them seats back up. About four weeks ago, there was nobody in those seats, but I think we’re starting to make people believe in us.”
Jay Ajayi – November 7, 2016
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Running Back Jay Ajayi
(Obviously, the New York Jets game yesterday with the No. 1 [rushing] defense, but obviously you guys kind of ‘poo poo’d’ on that yourself personally. You had a decent game towards the end. Kind of wore them down.”– “Yes, we were going against a great challenge. We knew they were going to be good up front and so it was just kind of about staying persistent with the running game and trying to be steady throughout all four quarters.”
(How have you been handling all this recent success for yourself? I mean, 500-plus yards rushing…) – “Yes, I think I’ve just been the same me. And that’s kind of what I’ve been focusing just week in, week out – just come in ready to work (and) just being consistent making plays.”
(This started when the offensive line got healthy, the projected five starters suddenly started playing. Is the quality of blocks you got in front of you and also from the receivers down field as well, can you talk about that?) – “Yes, having those guys, the fab five out there, I feel confident every time behind those guys. I know they’re going to create creases and then it’s just about hitting it hard and breaking tackles.”
(To go up against a physical New York Jets defensive front like this and still go over 100 yards, what does it say about your guys’ rushing attack and the offensive linemen up there?) – “I think that we were able to go against a good front and we were able to rush for over 100 yards. I think that you have to respect that. I think we had a good day on the ground and we were able to do a lot of good things on offense.”
(After the first 200-yard game, we asked you, ‘Hey are you hopeful you might get a thousand?’ Now, you’re expecting to get a thousand yards right?) – “I mean we’re still taking it week by week. Hopefully that occurs in these next coming weeks, but it’s been good for the production that we’ve had on the ground. Myself, I’m definitely proud of what we’ve accomplished. At the same time though, we’re not sitting on any of that stuff and we’re just trying to just keep pushing forward.”
(What does it say about the faith the coaching staff and Head Coach Adam Gase have in the running game? It was a little bit of a rough first half and you just kept pounding away against the top-ranked rush defense.) – “Throughout the week (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase kind of made it clear that we are going against the No. 1 rush defense. At the same time though, it’s going to be a four-quarter game. He’s still going to trust the running game and allow us to still get in a rhythm because he told us it might not be how it’s been with the 200-yard games, where we’re having a lot of good runs early and we’ll just have to fight and just kind of chip away, and it became that kind of game yesterday. And we were able to do that.”
(Strength vs strength.) – “Yes, definitely.”
(What is the challenge of being on the field for say 70 or 80 percent of the time?) – “I don’t think it’s really a challenge. I think it’s just being out there and that’s the opportunity I’ve been given now, is to be out on the field a lot more. It’s just about preparation, making sure that you know what you’re doing out there, and then just executing the plays.”
(This team hasn’t had a whole lot of success going west. What was the deal with the San Diego game last year? What’d you learn from that? And how do you get over the hump going west?) – “I think we’re a whole different team this year than we were last year. And I think that we’re excited about this opportunity to go out to California for a two-week period. We know the challenge of what’s in front of us, that it’s not going to be easy traveling coast-to-coast; but we’re excited about our opponent this weekend and it should be fun.”
(How would you say your body feels right now?) – “I feel good. I came in like I usually do and did some of my regeneration stuff. So it’s starting to feel better so that by Wednesday’s practice I’ll be good to go.”
Ndamukong Suh – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by Jason D. Silver and Armando Gonzalez)
(Talking about your defense, you guys got put in tough situations in the red zone a number of times. You hold them to a field goal which you needed to, had the touchdown at the end, but how do you feel you guys played when you got put into trouble there?) – “It’s a team game so if something bad goes, we need to figure out a way when we’re up to make a positive play and at least hold them to a field goal if they’re in the red zone, and go from there. At the end of the day, our job is to get out of whatever situation we’re in, in particular on defense, and get our offense the ball back.”
(What kind of view did you have of the DT Jordan Phillips interception and his ensuing run after that?) – “I had a great view of it. I was rushing inside and the ball was thrown and my man looked like a receiver and picked it out of the air. It looked like he wanted to be a hurdler for a second. I’m very proud of that kid. He’s come a long way since I was with him last year. (I’m) very proud. He’s got a lot more room to grow, obviously. (He’s) still young and it’s just a small bit of what he can do. (He’s) very athletic (and a) good kid.”
(You guys have fought back to 4-4 when it looked like this thing was spinning out of control. How’s this football team feel about themselves and you feel about what you can do going forward?) – “I think we understood where we were at. When we were what, (1-4) or whatever it was, we understood we were at home, which is a good situation, especially for how long we were (on the road) and we had a tough road ahead of us. (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase did a great job of understanding where our milestones were needed to hit to get to where we are right now. We hit them. We’ve got a lot more set for us. We just need to continue to keep grinding it out each and every single week.”
(Did this game play out the way you kind of expected it to play out all week long?) – “I think it was going to be, without question, a tough game. All division games are tough. But at the end of the day, there are places and times where during this game we could’ve finished this team and put them away. Unfortunately we didn’t, but we made breaks and we created plays and we got ourselves off the field and our offense did a great job of putting it in the end zone, making plays, and helping us as well.”
(Tell me about your last series. You get a big stop, a big tackle for a loss and then you get the sack and kind of end their day. Just the way you continue to play all season long how it determined this game.) – “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my defensive line. There’s no question that ‘J.J.’ (Jason Jones) did an excellent job allowing me to get a one-on-one finally, and as well as ‘Cam’ [Cameron Wake]. Obviously they’re going to pay attention to him after having two sacks. I got my opportunity and when I did, I’m without question going to make the most of it. It’s very rare (not to be double-teamed), but that’s what my job is to do make big plays and help us get off the field.”
(You showed a hint of a sack dance I think, did you give that any thought?)- “No, it was just a little bit of emotion. I’m usually not too emotional, but it felt good. (I was) definitely excited. Like I said, the d-line is a huge help for allowing me to get back there.”
(Any chance we’ll see that sport coat on eBay?) – “You never know, I appreciate you guys liking it. The guys in the locker room when I first got here tried to give me a little crap, but you guys matter and you guys like it, so I’m happy (laughter).”
Cameron Wake – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(What did you think of RB Kenyan Drake’s kickoff return? Were you surprised? Had you seen any indications of that in training camp or in practice?) – “We knew he had it. But of all the times to do it, that was right on time. This game has had a lot of back and forth, a lot of ups and downs, but the guys found a way to win. That (kickoff return) was obviously a big part of that and I’m definitely happy he’s on our side.”
(Can a game like this help you guys keep building on the confidence you have from the two games before and catapult you on to the type of team that you want to be for the next half of the season?) – “I hope so. That (is the) recipe that we’ve been talking about, playing complementary football – offense doing their job, defense doing their job, special teams getting it done. The formula works. The guys have seen that for a few weeks now. Hopefully there was no doubt, but if there was, there shouldn’t be anymore. For guys to continue to go out and play, no matter what the situation is, there’s going to be some things that happen in the game that maybe didn’t go your way; but just keep fighting and find a way to win. I like the way that things are turning out.”
(The Jets had some success running the football early against you and you guys tightened that up and put some pressure on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick when he was in there. As a defensive front, do you feel like you’re getting better each and every week?) – “That’s the mentality. As a front, we have high expectations of ourselves – everybody, man to man. Each week we go in and, honestly, look at more of the plays that maybe we didn’t make then some of the ones we did. It’s a continuous strive for perfection. I think that’s been the goal from Day 1. So the more times we’re out there, the more we’re playing together, guys are finding a rhythm, playing off each other better, then we have success. So, again, that’s another part of the recipe that I talked about earlier. We just have to keep it going.”
(You had two more sacks this week. You’ve got to be feeling good about your health and the way that you’re playing?) – “It feels good. It feels good. Hopefully, again, the situation (being healthy) is always the most important and the coaches have been working with me closely in getting out there and playing at times as needed, and when I’m out there I’m doing my best to get my job done. And today, getting after the quarterback was one of the main things we had as a priority on our list. I think guys did a pretty good job with (that).”
(You go out to San Diego next week. You’re going to stay out there for the week and then play the Rams. How do you keep that from being a distraction or not to be something that takes away from your preparation in getting ready for two games that, like any other game, are very important to you?) – “I think it starts with the preparation from the guys on the inside. We live in Miami and nobody is foreign to that. There’s all kind of things that are possible (distractions). There’s South Beach, there’s Fort Lauderdale, blah, blah, blah. The reality is you have a job to do. Miami is not a vacation spot for us. Maybe for other people who are down here and we’re playing football and doing our job. (It’s the) same thing in L.A. When we go out there, I’m sure they have the same kind of things we have here in Miami, and we’ve got to focus on our job at hand and get after your opponent. I like to think that especially since we’re here in South Florida, when all the things that could be had are here, I couldn’t imagine L.A. has any more. Again, we’ve got to focus on our job the same way we did this week. So I wouldn’t expect that to be an issue.”
(Obviously you had a 1-4 start. We’ve seen on the field what’s been the key to the team’s turnaround. What behind the scenes has spurred the complete turnaround of this team?) – “I’ve been speaking about this – its consistency. Early on in the season, things didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted. We had spurts, quarters where the offense played lights out and then the defense wet the bed, so to speak, and vice versa. But that’s not going to get you wins at the end of the day. Being able to play complementary football, fighting to the end of the game, 60 minutes, four quarters, whatever it may be – playing together, hand in hand – that’s something we didn’t necessarily have in our favor the first few games. But now that formula that I spoke about, that’s the key to our success and we just got to keep going.”
(Do you feel like all of your goals are still ahead of you?) – “Sure.”
(How has the team’s confidence changed? QB Ryan Tannehill was at the podium a minute ago and said ‘I knew we were going to find a way even after we were down late.’ How has the team’s confidence evolved during the three-game winning streak?) – “I’d like to think that experience creates that. When you go out there and you keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting, and you make a play, it shows you that, ‘Hey, the game’s not over until it’s over.’ You don’t ever want to have a situation where you put your head down and say, ‘Oh shucks.’ If the ball’s still in play and the clock’s still running, you still have an opportunity. Whether it’s the play from RB Kenyan Drake or a lot of other plays that we’ve had, it’s still out there and you just have to keep fighting and find a way to win no matter what. And to be honest, I felt the same way. I never, from kickoff, thought we were going to lose that game. I think guys played that way and it showed.”
(When do you start looking at standings and playoff math?) – “I don’t. It doesn’t matter. If me or anybody says, ‘Well, playoffs are possible, so I’m going to play harder,’ what sense does that make? It doesn’t make a difference. I’m going to go out there and play as hard as possible no matter what the situation is. It doesn’t matter what the standings are or not. It has nothing to do with it. Beating the guy across from me and winning this down, that’s my focus. All that stuff, you guys can calculate. That’s not for me.”
Jordan Phillips – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins DT Jordan Phillips (transcribed by Armando Gonzalez)
(Learning from guys like the veterans on this team it’s got to be great for you as a young player.) – “It’s the best situation I could’ve been put into. I feel like we have possibly three Hall of Famers in our room and it’s an honor to play with them and I just try to play at their level.”
(When you first got here were you thinking it might be a while before you get a chance to make these kinds of impacts with all the guys that are already here?)- “No, they brought me here for a reason; it was just a matter of time before I got my chance.”
(The hurdle was it premeditated or did it just come to you in the moment?)- “I thought he was going to go low on me so I just jumped and luckily I didn’t get flipped.”
Byron Maxwell – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins Cornerback Byron Maxwell (transcribed by Sara Perez)
(We saw the chippiness between you and WR Brandon Marshall and then WR Jarvis Landry and CB Buster Skrine, did you guys get a taste for it early on?) – “Yes, you could definitely feel it in pregame, that it was going to be a tough game. We had a lot of mistakes out there. We could have played a lot better and did some things better. It could have had a way better mood outcome, relaxed win for us.”
(Was that fun?) – “Oh yes, it was a lot of fun. We were playing some ball, playing football. It was physical. It was football. You know (Jets WR Brandon Marshall) is going to get the rock. You know he’s going to get the ball thrown to him, so I was just ready to go.”
(Obviously, you were shadowing Jets WR Brandon Marshall all over the field, so that says a lot about this team’s confidence in you, right?) – “Yes. I do whatever the coaches ask of me. They said follow him, so I followed him. It helps out because you can just figure out what routes he runs. It’s kind of easier.”
(What were the best lines that you and Jets WR Brandon Marshall shared with each other?) – “I don’t really say anything. I don’t say anything. I don’t. He was talking. I’m here. I’m focused. I’m locked in. What you say doesn’t matter, to be honest with you. It’s like, ‘Alright, let’s go.’ Nothing is going to change. I’m going to still be here.”
(You say you were locked in, so does that mean you were not paying attention to what Jets WR Brandon Marshall was saying?) – “No, it doesn’t matter what he says. He can say what he wants to say, but I’m going to still be here. I’m still going to do my technique. I’m going to still do what the coaches ask of me. You can talk all you want. You’re really just blowing hot air, but whatever though.”
