Transcripts

Bobby McCain – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Cornerback Bobby McCain (transcribed by David Norwood II)

(You’re basically all you’re focusing on [with the interception] is, “Don’t drop it. Make sure you get your feet in.”?) – “Most definitely. It’s, ‘Don’t drop the ball. Make sure you get your feet in.’ It’s one of the biggest plays of the game at the time, so going out we kind of knew what was coming. But then at the end of the day, it was a great call, and we made a play to get off the field.”

(Were you surprised when you saw there were no Jets receivers anywhere around and the ball just float in your palms?) – “Yes, I definitely was. I was kind of nervous. I was like, ‘Hold on, is somebody coming from behind me?’ But at the end of the day, I caught the ball, made a play and got us off the field.”

(In this game after you had to leave the game for a little while, were you concerned that you weren’t going to [return]?) –”They had to take protocol. They had to take precautions. The NFL does a great job with that. But I was fine, came in here, passed all the tests, and I got up and played ball.”

Ryan Tannehill – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by Sara Perez)

(Can you describe the emotions? It seemed like a little bit of highs and lows for you guys. What was it like on the sidelines?) – “It was good. I thought we had good energy on the sidelines. Obviously, there were some frustrating points in the game. We didn’t make plays when we should have. Defense came up huge in the second half, so a lot of exciting there. (We) had some exciting plays by them. Obviously, the kickoff return there at the end was huge. There were some highs and lows, but I feel like we kept our good energy on the sideline, and we just knew we were going to find a way to win.”

(Offensively, you knew it was going to be tough going against that defense, especially running the football, but you guys kind of just stayed with it and stayed with it. When you went into this game, is that how you expected things to be?) – “We didn’t really know. We knew coming in that they were a good run defense, but so was Pittsburgh and so was Buffalo. We expected to come in and be able to run the ball. Obviously, we knew it was going to be tough – it’s not going to be easy – they have a really good front. We just kind of stuck with it. We didn’t have a lot of big runs, but we just kept sticking with it trying to make something happen. At the end of the game when we needed to get some first downs, we were able to do that.”

(Did it seem like in the fourth quarter that they were tired? I saw a couple of their guys calling out – calling out to the game – going to the sideline. Did it look like they were getting fatigued in the game?) – “I’m not sure. I’d have to ask the o-linemen. I think they did a pretty good job of playing us tough up front. I think at the end of the game, we finally got some movement and got Jay (Ajayi) free up to the safety. That’s what you want to do is get a big running back up to the safeties. We just kind of kept sticking with it, and when we needed a play, we made it happen.”

(You’ve always said that you try to take every game one at a time, but you have won three in a row now. You’ve come out of that 1-4 hole. Do you feel like you have momentum?) – “Yes, we have some momentum. I think we’re playing some good football right now. Obviously, today wasn’t as clean as we’d like it offensively, but we’re on the right track. We just have to keep progressing, keep getting better, keep pushing ourselves each and every day during practice and keep building on what we’ve done. Obviously, (there is) a lot of football in front of us, tough road trip coming up here in the next couple weeks. It’s going to be fun to see how we handle that road trip like a business trip and go out and play to win two games.”

(How about the change of emotions with the dropped snap, they go ahead, then all of a sudden the kick return, you go back 30 seconds, two touchdowns and you fall behind then you get right back on top?) – “That was wild. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a swing like that – I don’t think – at the end of a football game. Big credit to our kickoff return team just finding a way to make it work. I think Jakeem (Grant) on the one before ran around forever, and I think that played into effect of them getting a little tired on their coverage team. And the obviously, Kenyan (Drake) did a great job and the block team did a great job of giving him a crease. You have a fast guy (and a) crease like that, he’s going to take it to the house.”

(Grinding out a game like this where it was a dogfight for most of the way – you fall behind, you come back – what does that do for your football team – offense, defense, special teams, everybody?) – “When you face adversity and you find a way to persevere, I think it gives you a lot of confidence. The past couple weeks we’ve been down in games and there’s been no panic, there’s been no tremors on the sideline of, ‘Okay, here we go,’ or ‘What are we going to do now?’ It’s, ‘We’re going to be able to find a way to win the game.’ When you have that attitude, that mindset – whether it’s offense or defense – as a team if you have that mindset, you’re going to win a lot of games.”

(Were you aware that DT Jordan Phillips had soft hands and could jump like that?) – “I don’t know about the jump, but I knew he could catch. We’ve done some things last year where we put a d-linemen or an offensive linemen in to catch a punt or something, and he always looks athletic when he’s catching the football. I knew he could catch. I don’t know about the hurdle though; that was pretty impressive.”

(RB Kenyan Drake was just telling us that after the kick return touchdown he came back in here and actually threw up he was just so spent. Did you know that, and what did you say to him after he made that big play?) – “No, I didn’t know that at all, but that was a huge play for us. I congratulated him and told him, ‘Nice job.’ We needed that. It was a huge play. Whether (it is) a touchdown or a good return, when you get something like that – a big play on special teams, whether it’s early in the game or late in the game – it really does a lot for giving momentum on your side of the football. When you do that to go ahead and take the lead at the end of the football game, it’s huge.”

(You’ve won three games in a row in different ways. Does that lead you to believe that this is going to be the type of football team you’re going to be from here throughout?) – “I just want to be the type of football team that finds a way to win. I think at the end of the day, this team is willing to do whatever it takes to win, and you play to win the game, so I am more than happy to be a part of that.”

Mike Pouncey – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins C Mike Pouncey (transcribed by Jason D. Silver)

(That was a rollercoaster of emotions there in that final 10 minutes. Did you guys say anything on the sidelines or was everyone just kind of locked in?) – “We were all sitting on the sidelines saying ‘Hey, we have to go out there and we have to have a game-winning drive.’ That’s what it’s going to come down to is the last drive of the game and then he (Kenyan Drake) bust it wide open. It was nice man. It was a great feeling.”

(How big is it for every phase of this football team to have a game like it did today?) – “We complemented each other really well this week. When the defense was playing good and the offense wasn’t, they covered us up and then, at the end of the day, our special teams came through big time for us to win this football game.”

(How would you describe the confidence level of the team at 4-4 after three straight wins?) – “Well, that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to go and make sure we were 4-4 going on a West Coast trip. We will be out there for 11 days. It’s going to be a true test for our football team to go out there and be out there for 11 days and try to win two games back-to-back.”

Adam Gase – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)

(In a game full of big plays, was there one defining big play? Was it definitely that kickoff return by Kenyon [Drake]?) – “Probably. That was obviously a game changer for us. Probably that penalty, that offsides penalty, and us getting our guys another shot at returning it. Jakeem [Grant], it probably tired him out a little bit. He covered about 80 yards and gained four.”

(Are you glad – obviously Jakeem’s great, they kicked it away from him…) – “Well, we were having a big debate whether or not we were going to put Jarvis [Landry] back there because we thought Jakeem was pretty worn out. We were kind of hoping that would happen. It worked out for us.”

(The way that your team has played overall, the three-game win streak, three-and-one on the home stand, you’re back into the playoff race, these last three games, what can you say about them?) – “I think our guys did a good job of sticking with what we’ve been doing since the first week of the season. They know every week we come in and we’re 0-0 and our job is to be 1-0 at the end of the week. We played some tough games at the beginning of the season and no one got frustrated. We made changes where we needed to make changes. We got healthy in certain spots. That’s what made a huge difference. Guys have done a huge job. They’re been working extremely hard during the week and they’ve been making sure they’re prepared every week.”

(What does this say about the resiliency of your football team? You’re 1-4 and you climb back to .500 and, in this football game, where it was a tight game all day, you get that tough break late in the game and it looks like a momentum change, and you come right back with a touchdown on the kick return to really seal that deal. It says a lot about how your team has fought back in both situations.) – “I think guys are doing a good job of focusing on what’s happening in that moment, instead of dwelling on something that’s happened in the past in the game, or trying to look forward [thinking] we better make a play here, we better do this…that mindset of this play is the most important play for us right now. Guys have been doing that during practice and they’ve done it in games, especially the last couple of weeks. We’ve been down a couple of times. You don’t really feel any kind of swing there as far as a negative emotion. Guys are flatline as far as that goes, but the energy level is high and everybody is trying to do everything that they can to be the guy that makes the next play.”

(You knew going into this game that the Jets were coming in the number one rushing defense in the league. You knew it was going to be tough but you still stayed with it late in the game, in the fourth quarter, when you need to close the game out, it paid dividends with the two big runs by [RB] Jay Ajayi.) – “That’s always going to be our goal. He knows exactly how I want to call the game as far as I’m never going to go away from him. His job is to keep hammering it and wait until the fourth quarter. If teams can stay with him, and they can tackle him, then they’re probably going to win the game.”

(Defensively you gave up yards, but when it got into the red zone, other than that last touchdown, you were able to hold them to field goals and they did a pretty good job at that aspect of the game.) – “Vance [Joseph], he has a good package there in the red zone. It’s tough to go against. Obviously we practice against it all the time. That’s the key for us. We talk about it all the time. The odds are really irrelevant. You prevent touchdowns, you prevent explosive plays, and it’s going to put us in a good spot.”

(Can you put Kenyon Drake’s rookie year into perspective?) – “I think the last couple of weeks has really been his first opportunity. We’ve had him up. He’s been doing some things on special teams. We’ve had some specialty plays for him occasionally. We try to use him on third down every once in a while because we’ve got so many guys. We’ve had so many guys go in before, and we’ve used Jay so much on first and second down, it’s a chance for us to put him and Damien [Williams] in there. They know exactly what plays are theirs. We try to just keep those three guys as fresh as we can throughout the game.”

(You pile up the wins now, three-in-a-row. Are you finding, during the week now, that it’s becoming easier as far as the preparation because maybe guys are buying into what you’ve been doing?) – “I don’t think it’s ever easy to get ready for an NFL game. Every week you’re starting over, you’re grinding, there’s a lot of information to cram into a short week. The longer the season goes, the more guys’ bodies start getting sore. It’s tough sometimes to go out to practice and get after it.”

(I meant as far as guys buying into what you’re doing.) – “I guess I haven’t seen a change since we started. When we were losing games, I never saw a change in anyone.”

(Byron Maxwell, it appeared he was shadowing Brandon Marshall – was that the case? And was that decision made before or after Brandon’s comment?) – “I think what we did decide was a certain plan as to how to handle where Brandon was, but they did a great job of moving him around early. He was inside quite a bit and was working against our zone. He’s so tough to handle outside – you start putting him inside, in my experience, any time he went inside, that’s when he became an issue. He played tough and he made some really good plays. There were a couple of times where we had some penalties called on us on him. That happens. You’re trying to match his physicality, you’re trying to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to combat him. It’s a tough matchup to play against him.”

(And that was the strategy the whole week, going into the game?) – “Everything we do is done on Wednesday. We’re not going to change our game plan because someone says something.”

(Talk about the impact of [DT] Ndamukong Suh, especially today when you needed it in the latter part of the game.) – “Tough man to block. I know that. I’m glad he’s on our team. It’s impressive to watch. When you see an interior guy cause that much disruption, to be able to get his hands actually on the quarterback, that’s even a tougher assignment. Those guys will get pressure, but he finishes it.”

(Cameron Wake – the two strip sacks today, steadily coming on. I don’t know if you’re surprised by anything that Cam does, but what do you think of what he’s done the last few weeks?) – “He’s just trying to make sure that whatever he has in the tank, he’s putting it out there on Sundays. He’s not going to leave anything out there. He’s going to make sure that he shows up, and if he has an opportunity to win a game, he’s going to try do everything he can to be a part of the success of our defense.”

(Can you talk about [DT] Jordan Phillips, the interception in particular and his play in general. Is that a zone blitz where he was dropping into coverage?) – “Yes. It was. That was interesting. It was one of the few times I looked up as we were having so many issues on offense, I look up and I see him just dropping. I saw him catch it, and I thought, please score. We hadn’t been so hot in the red zone. That was a great play. If there’s one guy where a ball comes at you, he’s going to catch it. He has really good hands.”

(Were you surprised by his ability to do a vertical leap out there?) – “I was hoping he’d do whatever he could to score.”

(How about [CB] Bobby McCain – suspicion of a concussion, comes back in, gets the interception, playing inside against Brandon [Marshall] sometimes.) – “It’s a tough assignment. The one thing that we constantly talked to Bobby about was just to trust in Vance (Joseph) as a defensive play caller, to play your leverage, to do what you’re supposed to do, don’t try to go outside that box, and if they run certain routes, keep that coverage. That’s on the coordinator for calling the defense. We just want to make sure that he’s just doing his job play in and play out. Vance does such as good job when he calls the defense and if you could hear some of the things I hear during the game, it’s very impressive.”

Dominique Jones – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Tight End Dominique Jones (transcribed by David Norwood II)

(How did it feel to get the first career touchdown? “It was nerve-wracking a little bit because they went to review again so I was like, ‘Man, they’re going to review it again.’ But it happened. It was a good feeling to get a touchdown finally.”

(Did you get to keep the ball?) “I did. I think one of the equipment managers got it for me.”

(How would you describe the rollercoaster of emotions in this game?) “That’s NFL football for you. You never know what’s going to happen. You just have to keep grinding, grinding, grinding. It’s not always perfect but we got the job done in the end. Now we’re 4-4 and on to Cali.”

Kenyan Drake – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Running Back Kenyan Drake (transcribed by David Norwood II)

(How you’re feeling now?) “I’m just a little sick after that. Kind of had to run back and forth like from kickoff return, then kickoff, then punt. Just a little winded still, but hey that win makes it a lot better I guess.”

(Take us through the return, what happened when you caught the ball?) “Jakeem [Grant] did a great job with the return beforehand. The return got called back because they were offsides and basically so it was like we got to make a play, have to run down the field again. They’re a little tired, come back down and they kicked off to me again, the little border kick. I couldn’t get around the edge. This time it was a better return. I tried to hit the seam as fast as possible. Front line did a good job double teaming. I didn’t get touched until I got to the kicker and I couldn’t let him tackle me so it was a great team win honestly.”

(What point did you feel like you had it?)  “When I get into the end zone honestly, because I was trying to remember what my track coach told me – just pick those knees up and keep your form. I was kind of losing at the end but by the grace of God I was able to get into the end zone.”

Jay Ajayi – November 6, 2016 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets

Miami Dolphins Running Back Jay Ajayi (transcribed by David Norwood II)

(What was that sideline like when RB Kenyan Drake hit that hole and was gone?) – “Everyone was running down the sideline. I think I was trying to beat him to the end zone. I was so excited for him. That was huge for him to come up (and) make a big play for the team when we needed a crucial play, and he stepped up. So, kudos to Drake for that.”

(How difficult was it out there getting those yards against this Jets defense that came into the league number one against the run?) “They showcased why they’re the number one rush defense today. (They) did a lot of good things and kind of getting good penetration here and there. But what we did on the sideline and talking with the o-line, we just kept it steady. We knew we were going against a good challenge today. All credit to what they were able to do – not letting us get to 200 (yards) and all that, but I still think we had a good game on the ground, still tried to create creases. The o-line still did a good job of pushing penetration, and we were able to finish the game strong with a good four minute and seal the game.”

Cameron Wake – November 4, 2016 Download PDF version

Friday, November 4, 2016

Defensive End Cameron Wake

(Where do you think you’re at [with your weight]?) – “Heavy. Heavy enough to get my job done.”

(Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph has told us basically that you are back to being like the Cam that we all know and love. Do you feel that way yourself?) – “I hope so. I haven’t felt any different from the day I started playing back out here in August or whatever day that was. So to me it’s the same old. It’s just another day.”

(Was there anything … when you have the Achilles and you have scar tissue, did you break through anything like that or is it pretty much all just clicking like it used to be?) – “I feel good.”

(I mean, earlier this season was there anything you had to deal with?) – “Last year, maybe; but physically, I feel good. It’s just again, situational football is more what I’m dealing with than a physical situation.”

(There are people, obviously, who watch you play, that were surprised that you still have the burst after the Achilles at your age. Were you at all surprised at the level you’re playing?) – “No.”

(Why so?) – “Because I’m me. It’s not … confidence has never been an issue for me. I’ve always known what I’m capable of and that hasn’t changed since the first time I put on a helmet.”

(There have been some that have been trying to send you to the rocking chair for a while. But with the way you’re playing right now, is another five years possible?) – “Anything is possible. ‘They,’ ‘some’… those people I don’t really concern myself with. I’m a guy who, I look in the mirror and that’s the guy who determines how I am, what I do and what my goals are. So the ‘they,’ the ‘those’ and the ‘some,’ and all those people, I couldn’t be less concerned honestly.”

(With the level you’re playing at this year, there’s no doubt going forward that you want to keep doing this, obviously?) – “As long as I can get my job done, as long as I can help the team win and I don’t feel like I am doing any kind of long-term damage or anything like that, I mean barring any crazy circumstances, I feel good. So as long as that continues, I would assume … and as long as they still want me around, then why not?”

(How much of significance was there for you to be put back in the starting lineup a couple of games ago?) – “It wasn’t a big deal to me. Winning football games has always been my goal. I have to go over my resume, I’ve had a lot of individual success. Starting or not starting, it’s about what helps the team win. What’s the most … the best thing to do for everybody. Situational football is kind of where we were in the beginning and making sure that I was trying to make the most the times I was in there, that was my goal. And it hasn’t changed – to make the most of the time I’m in there. Whether it’s the first snap of the football game or not, to me that’s kind of trivial. But getting in there and doing your job, that’s the most important.”

(Just to make sure, you’re saying you feel physically exactly the same now as you did early in the season? You don’t feel any better or…) – “I might feel worse now. If you feel the same now as you did in August, what have you been doing? I don’t know if you guys watch football, it’s a very violent sport. It wears and tears on your body, so I probably feel worse than I did in August, if anything.”

(How much working in concert with you and DE Andre Branch?) – “A lot.”

(So how does that work exactly? Do you guys sometimes try to push things to each other or…?) – “We work as a whole. It’s not only him and I, but you (have to) understand that for football terminology, we just have to work together. Not just us, but all of the front four or five or whatever the call may be. We (have to) fit together. He can’t be going left and I’m going right, it doesn’t make sense. So he’s going top, I’m going down. It all kind of comes together. Of course we have a lot of different communications and calls. You’re talking about him and I, we’re together but even more so, maybe the guy next to me – (Ndamukong) Suh, ‘J.J’ (Jason Jones), Jordan Phillip – whoever it may be, we’re always working together for sure.”

(Is it a far assumption that you’ve never played with anybody like DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “Is there anybody like Suh?”

(I don’t think there is… does that change things? Have you noticed that the job is different when you’re working next to somebody like DT Ndamukong Suh? For you?) – “Well, if you’re an offensive coordinator or guard and you have Suh in front of you, would your job be different?”

(Yes…) – “So that would make my job different too. ”

(Is it easier?) – “Success is a gift and a curse because, you have more success, but you also draw more attention. Maybe it evens out, I don’t know. If everybody is looking at where you are and where he is, and he is drawing all of the attention, maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it’s not. It just depends on the situation.”

(You’ve been in the situation a lot where you get into mid-season and things kind of fall apart down the stretch. What can you do different, what can the team do different to make sure that, that doesn’t happen?) – “We’ve just got to be consistent. We started off the season with some inconsistency and things that didn’t necessarily gel together – whether it’s defensively together or offense playing off the defense and the defense playing off the offense. Just continuing to keep that going, not being complacent, not … Realizing that listen, nobody cares about what happened the last two or three weeks. It’s only about what’s going to happen on Sunday. Whether you’ve been successful or not, we have to eliminate that past few games, or past few weeks from your mind, and focus on the task at hand. To me, I hope, and I think I speak for everybody here, that nobody is thinking about the last game. It’s over and done with. The great play you made or the bad play you had, it’s over and done with. Now you have to focus on the New York Jets and going out there and doing your best. If we do that this week and the next week after that, and the next week after that, I feel like it should be good for everybody involved.”

(Do you feel like right now you are playing as good as you ever have?) – “I’m an old man. That’s a long time. I don’t know. I’m not a stat watcher, I have no idea. I just go out there and do my best when I’m out there. You probably have more access to stats and numbers and percentages and all of that.”

(Yes, but there’s also pass rushing that’s not just stats. There’s also getting off the ball and disrupting things. It seems like you’re having an impact a lot. Does it feel like you’re playing at a consistently high level?) – “I would hope that hasn’t changed. I’d like to think that. As good as I ever have? I hope I play well and have always played well. That’s always been my goal. Compared to the other seasons, I don’t know. That’s for February when I can look back and sit in my rocking chair and look at all my stats.”

(We are not putting you in the chair yet.) – “I’m not in there, I’m good.”

(Does it mean something to you guys that the Jets are a traditional rival? Or is it just another divisional game to you?) – “It’s another football game on Sunday. That’s another thing for later on in the season when you look back and hopefully all the guys with the playoffs and all that stuff, that’s for later on. But for now, it’s a game where there’s a team coming down to your home stadium that’s going to try to come in and win a game. I’ve never been a guy where you’re going to give more effort now because it’s the Jets. If you’re giving more effort, that kind of means you weren’t giving as much effort the last game or the next game after that. If we’re playing a non-rival, then you’re going to give 50 percent effort? You should give 110 percent every play, every down, no matter if it’s a rival or not. You have to win the game.”

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