Adam Gase – August 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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August 25, 2016
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Dan Bradley)
(Opening Statement) – “I’m going to give you the injuries here real quick, so we can get clear. (Ndamukong) Suh, he had an ankle (injury). He’s okay. (Jelani) Jenkins, he had an ankle (injury). He’s okay. (Isaiah) Pead had a hamstring (injury). We’ll look at it tomorrow and see where he’s at. (Terrence) Fede had a knee (injury). We’ll look at it tomorrow. It’s nothing major though. We just have to, obviously, take a closer look at that.”
(Adam, what did you think of Arian Foster’s performance today?) – “He did what we thought he was going to do. I think us going to him in a couple big situations (like) that fourth-and-3 (and) him getting the ball there – and I’m not sure he was more than a yard deep and making sure that he got the first down – (the) situational awareness, understanding what was going on, that was good to see. (We are) trying to get him into a rhythm to see if we can get him used to the flow of the game. Practice is one thing. I think this is a little different for him.”
(Adam, Ryan Tannehill had a decent performance and a possible touchdown pass drop, perhaps a potential interception was dropped, a 22-yard run. What did you think of Ryan overall?) – “He’s doing what I’ve seen all training camp, all spring. Nothing is a surprise. It’s unfortunate we had a tipped ball pick, but that’s what happens when the defensive line gets tired and they just have to throw their hands up and hope they can do something. I thought he did a good job. His reads were good. He was very quick as far as getting the calls out and getting his guys lined up. He played at a great tempo.”
(The offensive line allowed no sacks through three quarters. What did you see from the line tonight?) – “I saw a group trying to get better. We moved a couple guys in and out, but that first group talked about keep giving guys an opportunity and see if anything will sort itself out before we get to that first game of the season. We’ll keep evaluating and see what it ends up being. We still have one more game. And then once we get to Seattle, we’ll probably be with what we go with for a while and see how that comes together.”
(Adam, do you think Jordan Cameron’s drops are more physical or mental at this point?) – “That one today in the end zone was tough. That was a high hitter. That guy had really good leverage. That was probably more on me than Jordan as far as play call. He did what he was supposed to do: try to get in front of guys. He had a weird angle in the end zone. It happens; it’s the NFL. We had a couple other guys have some drops. When that ball comes in there, and it’s got some juice on it, sometimes it happens. We’ll move on to the next play. We’ll line it up and throw it again.”
(Adam, how do you coach a player that’s throwing like that?) – “You just keep working on it. I’m not going to get down on him. He has done a lot of great things. He has progressed a lot since the spring. He knows what to do offensively as far as the scheme goes. He’ll be fine.”
(Adam, when you say the (Jordan Cameron) drop was on you, what did you mean?) – “I would have called a different route. The guy lined up hard inside and (Ryan Tannehill) had no other option. We need to get to the point where those two guys (Tannehill and Cameron) can see that and communicate that they need to go to a different route.”
(Do you feel that Jordan Cameron is working through his frustrations?) – “He’s doing a lot of things right. When you’re in a position where the ball is being thrown to you, everybody looks at one thing: whether you catch the ball or you drop the ball. Right now, he’s doing a lot right. We just need to clean up some of the things in the passing game. There were a couple other opportunities we may have had down the field with him. Ryan (Tannehill) was smart with it and felt the coverage dropping back and got (the ball) to the running back. There was a couple other times that he broke free, and if they were any tighter on the underneath coverage, it was probably over top and maybe we have a chance with an explosive (play) with him.”
(Why does it seem Cameron Wake plays mostly on passing plays?) – “That was kind of the plan. I know we didn’t give you guys everything this week as far as what we were going to do, but we wanted him to play on third down. We wanted him to get some rushes in and get back in the feel of the game. That was the plan going into this game. Every day, we’re going to do more and more and get him to the point where he feels like it’s 100 percent, we’re back and we’re ready to go a certain amount of snaps that we’ll talk about throughout the season. The goal is to make sure he plays 16-plus games, and tonight was a good first step for us.”
(At left cornerback, what did you think of Tony Lippett and Bobby McCain?) – “It’s hard to tell from where I’m standing sometimes. We’re doing a lot of stuff on offense, and I’m trying to watch the defense at the same time, so I actually haven’t been able to evaluate those guys on the field. Good thing is that we’ll be able to watch film after this game and go through it, try to watch some of it tonight. We’ll get in a little earlier (tonight, and) we’ll have a little more time tomorrow and be able to sit down as a staff and reevaluate where we are at.”
(Is Xavien Howard going to play in the next game?) – “We would love to try to get him back this week as far as getting him in the game. I think if he can play in this game, then we play him. He needs to play in another NFL game before we get to Seattle.”
(Arian Foster only had about 10 yards rushing in the first half. Do you think he did better in the second half?) – “I think it’s an improvement from where we were at last week. When we go back and watch the film, we’ll kind of see what they were doing and see what we did well. We sometimes – schematically – we match up fairly well as far as what our scheme does compared to what their scheme does. We just have to go back and make sure, ‘How many guys were right? Was everyone doing their job, and consistently, can we do that through four quarters going into the season?’ Once we get back, and we’re able to watch the film, we’ll have a better idea of what happened this game.”
(How would you describe the execution when there was an increase in tempo?) – “I thought it was good. I really had no issues. I don’t remember saying anything like, ‘So-and-so is not right,’ or, ‘What is he doing as far as where his eyes are going?’ I didn’t really see that. I felt like the tempo was really good. I felt like that on the two-minute drive, even (when) we got gassed a little at the end. I wish I would have had a different call there for that when we have 9 seconds left. It’s tough because you don’t want to show everything. You don’t want to put everything out there in the preseason, but then you start getting real competitive, and you want to figure out a way to either score a touchdown or put yourself in a better position.”
(Did you have a good feeling about how Arian Foster would fit into your plans when you signed him?) – “Yes, we had a feeling when we signed him. I had a good idea about how I wanted to use him. We’re using him the right way in practice and here we were able to get him going versus some action tackling. I just wanted him to get hit a few more times to make sure he feels like he’s back, because he won’t play next week. He’s not. His next time he’ll have any kind of contact is going to be Seattle.”
(Adam, with Reshad Jones’s interception, did he make a great play? Did he take advantage of a mistake? What did you see?) – “To tell you exactly what was going on route-wise, I’m not sure. Anytime you get a (Defensive Back) – especially a safety that makes a play on the ball and finishes it –it’s a great play just for the fact he anticipated what was coming, stepped in front of the receiver and picked it off. I wish we would have been able to turn it around. I always feel like when you get a turnover, you have to put points on the board, and we didn’t take advantage of it on offense.”
(Does Anthony Steen have good communication with Ryan Tannehill?) – “Absolutely. They did a great job together. What happened on the one fumbled snap, I’ll have to take a look at it (to see) whether or not Ryan left a little early or something was short. Sometimes it takes the video to realize what was going on in that area. We were stressing them a little bit, too. We did some things to where we were running a lot of outside zones so Ryan had to do a good job of making sure the quarterback’s interchange was good. Steen did a good job. He was good with the calls, so that was a positive for us.”
(Coach, you guys are now three preseason games in, you just won the most important preseason game. How do you feel overall where you’re at and where your team is at?) – “I feel like we have six more practices left before Seattle. We got a lot of work to do before we go up there. We got three (practices) this week, and we got another preseason game to try figure out what’s the rest of our roster going to look like. I think we have at least a decent idea of who some of our four is going to be, but I think there’s a lot of battles going on that might not be publically what everyone is really looking at. But we have to figure a few things out, and then once we get through this week, it’s going to be quick.”
(Would you say that it’s fair that pass protection is ahead of run blocking and is that typical in your experience?) – “I think when you’ve got three receivers and the tight ends that we have and the quarterback that we have, it’s a talented group, and Ryan is doing a good job in getting the ball out, so it feels that way. I feel like the run game is coming. We’re developing. We’re starting to pop some runs here and there. I probably could have run a little more in the first half to be a little more balanced, but we were trying to make sure we were cleaned up on some of the pass protection. We want to make sure we’re good with the routes. We wanted to make sure we established that tempo. We only have so many plays to get in that first half, so when we play a four quarter game, that run game is going to get better as we go throughout the game.”
Ryan Tannehill – August 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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August 25, 2016
Miami Dolphins Quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by Sean Weins)
(How do you feel the first team offense played tonight?) – “We did some good things. I think obviously want to score more points and I think we had some opportunities to score more points there. A couple of singular plays took us out of rhythm, we had the penalty on one drive, the tip interception, and the snap another drive. We need to really to eliminate those small mistakes that really killed our drives and I think we will be in good shape.”
(What Way it like having 29 Pass attempts and not being sacked?)- “It’s nice, the guys did a really good job giving me a pocket, giving me room to throw and getting the ball out fast into our play makers hands and giving them the opportunity to work.”
(Where is your trust level with TE Jordan Cameron?)- “He has had a couple of mistakes but we have all had some mistakes, It’s the pre-season and we are all working through those, that’s just a visible one we have all had our mistakes were still going to give him the ball and keep going back to him.”
(When you see the batted interception, do you see that as a fluke play?)- “The guy got his hands up. We had an open receiver in the passing lane down field. I threw the ball, (and) the guy got his hands up, and it’s part of the game.”
(What did you think of C Anthony Steen?)- “Steen did a good job. He’s got an opportunity when we lose Mike Pouncey, which is tough, but someone has to step up. That’s the nature of the game we play. Injuries are a part of the game and you have to have your second and third groups step up and replace them. He did a good job and kept our guys on the same page up front, and we got to continue to get better.”
(How was the communication between you and C Anthony Steen)- “It was good. We talked pre-game and made sure we were on the same page in our meeting this morning, and he was ready to go.”
(Are you guys closer to finding a number one running back, and is it important to have an established number one?)- “I have no idea what the plan is there. Honestly, to me, those guys can just plug and play. They both have different dynamic assets we can use, and whoever is in there, we feel comfortable with (them), and they’re going to make plays for us. I don’t think we really need to name a number one guy at this point or really at any point. I think we have good, stable backs that we can just pop in there and use them to the best of their abilities.”
(What’s one thing you feel comfortable with now compared to before preseason?)- “More in command of the offense. It’s a new offense, so you are learning throughout the spring and building off what you did in the spring and what you did in fall camp. The more reps I get, the more comfortable I get – I think not only myself, but the guys around me – and once we’re on the same page, that’s when we do really well. I’m excited about the growth I’ve seen in the offensive line – upfront – and the team as a whole. The more comfortable we get as an offense, the more command I get under center.”
(What’s your relationship with Head Coach Adam Gase?)- “I’m really comfortable with coach Gase. It’s an open line of communication on what I’m seeing (and) what he is seeing and what we’re trying to accomplish. He did a good job tonight of getting us in a position to succeed, and that’s what you want. You want the coach to put you in a place where you can make a play, and he did that a lot and I’m excited (about) what he’s doing and what he continues to do.”
Reshad Jones – August 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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August 25, 2016
Miami Dolphins Safety Reshad Jones (transcribed by Enrique Raphael)
(I saw a lot of emotion from the defensive players tonight… why was that, and can you describe how you felt after your play?) – “It was a big play in the red zone and it was a big play for me and my team so it felt great. We had a lot of tough games and this was just a good show of how far we’ve come.”
(Any added significance to your interception from the standpoint that Bobby McCain had one come off his hands last week and there was another one canceled by a penalty, was it more significant to finally get that turnover?) – “The rate of winning goes up once you start getting turnovers. Coach is always stressing the fact that we need to turn the ball over, get sacks and that’s what we do as DBs – break up the ball up and get interceptions.”
(If I remember correctly, was your pick the play when Jelani Jenkins took out the tight end? Talk about the role Jelani played? From your positon on the field, tell me what the linebackers did better tonight?) – “Yes it was. He was a core factor and he allowed me to go make the play. They did well, attacked the window, got the immediate draws and they did a great job.”
Jordan Cameron – August 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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August 25, 2016
Miami Dolphins Tight End Jordan Cameron (transcribed by Michael Bradley)
(I know you’re probably tired of talking about the drops, but can you just go through the two plays today?) – “(For) the one (drop), I’ve got to just catch the ball. I was looking to run on the third down one. The other one I haven’t watched yet. I don’t know if I dropped the ball. I don’t know if I even touched the ball. I’ve got to watch it and see what happened.”
(Do you feel like you’re pressured a little bit?) – “No, I don’t even think about it. I think you guys think about it more than I do. I’ve just got to play football and watch the ball in my hands. It’s not something I’m concerned with.”
(Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase said you’re doing a lot right. Do you feel like you’re kind of taking whatever frustrations you might have out on the blocking game whenever you need to create holes in the running game? Because it looked like you did a good job on the trap play sealing that edge there.) – “Tight end is not just catching the ball. Obviously, I have to catch the ball. It’s what I’m here to do; it’s part of my job. But we do a lot of blocking, inside pass protecting. I feel like I have made a lot of strides in that regard, and I’m positive with those things. I think for me it’s (about) being a complete tight end. I know the main things you see are a drop here, (and) that’s unacceptable, but it’s not my whole job. I do other things too.”
Arian Foster – August 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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August 25, 2016
Miami Dolphins Running Back Arian Foster (transcribed by Michael Bradley)
(Can you talk about the improvement you’ve seen from this offensive line so far? Two straight games with your quarterback pretty much protected) – “It’s just a testament to the work we have been putting in, it is doing the work every single day. (We keep) getting better, taking each opportunity to give back.”
(What’s the challenge of trying to get yourself ready when there are so many moving parts up front? What do you have to do to negate that or work through that?) – “Just stay patient. You can’t get frustrated. It’s a long game. Every week is extremely dramatic. Everything is wrong or everything is right, so you just have to stay focused.”
(Any special meaning for you to get in there and score after what you have been through?) – “No, it’s just football. People are going through real problems, and football is entertainment. It takes the worries off of the real problems that people have, and hopefully we can get people to not worry for three hours on a Sunday. It’s just football.”
Adam Gase – August 25, 2016 (Halftime)
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase (Halftime)
(On the offense in the first half) – “They did a good job. We have to clean a few things up. A tipped ball for a pick is always a tough one to swallow but I thought I liked the tempo of the guys.”
(On the starting defense) – “(They did a) good job. We got some hands on some balls. We just have to keep having those series where we can shorten it up. I feel like they did a great job as far as putting pressure on them – the four-man rush was good – (and) coverage was tight. I feel like we made some strides.”
-DOLPHINS-
Jarvis Landry – August 23, 2016
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry
(On the importance of the third preseason game to gauge where the offense is right now) – “It’s good, but it’s not something to judge us by. But at the same time, it’s something that – for us – we could actually get an opportunity to go against other opponents, see other defenses and learn different things about ourselves. I think that’s what the whole preseason is about.”
(On preparing for the third preseason game) – “It’s a shorter week, obviously, but we get a chance to game plan a little bit and study their coverages and the things that they like to do and put in some things to beat those coverages. For us, it’s going to be exciting to finally play what’s going to feel like a whole game.”
(On whether the offense is still thinking too much) – “No, not really. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) is a great teacher. He has come in and he has found ways to help guys learn the system the best way that they can. He has laid out every detail that we need to know. Obviously, things change according to defenses, but for the most part, the groundwork has been laid.”
(On whether there is a difference in his preseason and regular season motor) – “No, not for me. I’m a competitor. Every time I take the field, I take the field to win, whether I’m playing for a couple series, a quarter or until halftime. I take the field to win. When I’m out there, that’s what I want to do.”
(On what the offense would like to accomplish in the third preseason game) – “(We want to) continue to have that positive first play. I think, for us, even in the last two games, we went backwards in the first play, the first drive. (We want to) try to find a way to get that first, first down and from there, big plays will come.”
(On the biggest difference in WR Kenny Stills this season compared to last year) – “He’s one of the hardest working guys in this building, and that’s showing up. He’s here every day constantly after hours writing, taking the finest, little detailed notes. Every advantage that he can get, he’s passing them along to us, and it’s helping us as a group with his leadership and the way that he’s approaching the game, and it’s showing up on the field.”
(On how the first team offense played against Dallas) – “Again, I think we did OK. I think you look at that game (and) there were a couple guys on their team throwing up while we were driving. It’ll be interesting to see for four quarters (if) those d-lines can hold up against our tempo and the way that we want to move the ball down the field. I think those two drives after the first one, they were pretty good.”
(On whether there is more emphasis on the third preseason game) – “Of course. Usually the third preseason game for your ‘starters’, this is the game that you get the most burn. For us, it’s an opportunity to go out (and) make it feel like a game as much as possible. Again, we have a week to game plan, so this is our first time actually doing it under (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) as far as game planning, so it’ll be interesting to see.”
(On why the offense is confident they will be a better red zone team this season) – “We work on it. As you’ve seen, we worked on it today. It’s something we have to constantly work on, because again, the red zone is not truly about spacing. It’s about spacing, but (also) timing. You know it’s going to be small windows. You know it’s going to be contact catches. It’s something that we work on and Adam does a great job of drawing some things up that free us up a little bit.”
(On what the offense did well against Dallas) – “I think, for us, Kenny (Stills) caught the ball well in the red zone, obviously, with the two scores. For us, it’s all about the play call. From there, it’s us going out there and executing.”
(On whether attention to detail in the red zone is a reflection of the offense or that area of the field in general) – “I think it’s a little bit of both. That’s one thing (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) stressed when he came in: the awareness and knowing that we didn’t do too well in the red zone last year. It’s definitely an emphasis for us, and it’s something that we have to improve on if we want to contend for a playoff spot or even a Super Bowl. For us (it is about) putting the ball in the paint – whether it’s the detail, whether it’s making tough catches – because things are going to go wrong sometimes out there and a guy is going to have to make a play, and we got the right guys to do it.”
(On what he would like to sharpen up on before the regular season) – “Continue to get in condition; get in shape. Continue to push my teammates; continue to lead. For me, be a horse (and) just go at any point.”
(On whether there is more variety in his offensive role this season) – “The whole offense allows guys to be in different places. I may be on the outside more than DeVante (Parker) – DeVante may be in the slot more than me – based on mismatches and creating opportunities for us to be successful.”
(On what he likes about moving the wide receivers around) – “That’s what it’s about at the end of the day: finding the matchup, finding the mismatch and exploiting it until they take it away and then we find the next one and go after that one. That’s what this offense is built to do.”
(On the takeaways from the third preseason game) – “I’d say my rookie year, I didn’t play until the fourth quarter. It definitely was a different look after going into the third preseason game. Being three years in and now going into my third preseason game, it’s fun. It’s football, and it’s another opportunity to go test your skills against somebody else.”
(On what excites him about the offense) – “It’s the way that guys are not limited to certain positions, or certain body types are limited to certain spots on the field. We have (plays) where tight ends are the farthest receiver out, where guys like DeVante (Parker) are the furthest receiver in. For us, there are a variety of places that we can line up. To find those mismatches is probably the beauty of this whole offense.”
Cameron Wake – August 23, 2016
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(On if it is likely that he’ll play and if he feels like he needs to play on Thursday night) – “We’ll see what happens Thursday. It’ll be a game-time decision and we’ll take it from there.”
(On if he feels like he needs the work on Thursday) – “I always need work. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. Then you need to retire.”
(On if he is getting antsy to play) – “I’ve been playing since (training camp opened on) July 27th. This is not really a new thing for me. I’ve been down this road a few times. I think (that) more (is) made of it than it really is, actually. It’s kind of funny.”
(On the physical versus the mental challenge for him returning from injury) – “Football is a mental and physical game. I’ve spoken about this before; the physical thing is not really new. Building muscle, running, playing football is not a new part. Just getting to the point where you’re comfortable out there and not thinking about it, that’s the only thing you’ve got to really worry about.”
(On if he trusts his Achilles now) – “I’ll trust it when I need to trust it.”
(On if he needs to trust the Achilles now) – “I’m not necessarily worried about it, to be honest.”
(On if he is bothered that age is usually brought up every time his name is mentioned) – “No, not at all. I’ve been old for five years now. (laughter) I just laugh at that comment. Eventually I guess they’ll be right.”
(On what he wants to see out of the first-team defensive line on Thursday night) – “I want to see guys play to their potential – me included, if I play. Going out there and just being the aggressive, fast, dominant front that we should be. I think anything less than that, to me, is not acceptable.”
(On playing with DT Ndamukong Suh and DE Mario Williams and if there is a sense of urgency for them to play together in a game) – “Well, if we were all a bunch of rookies, I think that would be one thing. But we all have a couple of grays – I guess I’ve got the most. But we’ve all been down this road. We’ve all played football – a lot of snaps. We’ve all had a lot of success. We’ve been playing together for quite a few snaps here in the past month or however long it’s been. I think we’ve come together quite nicely and I think when the real games start happening, that’s when those questions will get answered.”
(On if he wants to play and the coaches are telling him to take it easy or if it’s the other way around) – “We’re all working together. It’s not me and them. It’s us. We’re all on the same side working together to do what’s best for everybody involved.”
(On the biggest challenge of playing in a Wide 9 defense) – “I think it’s great. I don’t know what challenges there would be. There are plenty of techniques … It’s not any different than playing a six or a four or a three or a shade (technique) – it’s doing your job. Your job changes as far as what each guy does depending on where they’re lined up; but at the end of the day, you have to do your job as it fits into the defense. It’s not any more challenging than if I were in a six (technique) or the big guys down there in shades and three (techniques). It’s just using your job whenever the defense is called.”
(On if it is any more challenging to set the edge when the defensive ends are so wide) – “It is football. It’s not challenging. I would assume the laws of physics would probably help when you’re a nine (technique) to set the edge – you’re out there already. It plays to the strengths of some guys (and) some guys it (doesn’t). You’ve got to adapt to the situation and again, do your job.”
(On if the Wide 9 works when you don’t have the lead) – “What does work when you don’t have the lead? You have to win – period. I think that’s splitting hairs at that point.”
(On if you need a lead to force teams to pass) – “I wouldn’t say that. I think you can be successful from that position regardless of the game situation. Run, pass, draw, screen, whatever – it’s all about the mentality of the guy who is lined up there. We’ve seen it have great success when you do it right and obviously if you don’t do it right – I don’t care where you’re lined up – you’re not going to have success. I don’t think that’s necessarily predicated on where you line up. It’s whether you are doing your job correctly or not.”
(On the importance of getting penetration to help the run defense) – “I think that kind of speaks for itself and is kind of obvious. I don’t care what position you’re playing, as a run stopper, you have to get penetration. You have to set edges. You have to get into the backfield from the big guys. You have to come downhill as a linebacker. Stalemates don’t work. Sideways doesn’t work. You have to go and you have to impose your will on whoever it is – nine (technique), six (technique), four (technique), shade, linebacker – it doesn’t matter. In order to stop the run, you have to have a mentality of aggressiveness and aggressiveness is obviously moving forward, which to your point is penetration.”
