Adam Gase – June 16, 2016
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Thursday, June 16, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On QB Ryan Tannehill’s accuracy and if he’s where he wants him to be at this point) – “I’ll say this, there’s been a few throws where I’d like to see the ball placement to be a little better; but, there’s been a few times too where they haven’t been on the same page to where (Tannehill) is going (with the ball) to where he’s supposed to go and the receiver didn’t stem it vertical enough to where now it looks like it’s behind him. It looks like a poor throw but it’s really … That’s the development of the offense. You’re not going to be perfect from the get go. That’s why we’re practicing. That’s why we still have training camp and preseason games. We got some time here before we play a game.”
(On how much you can improve a quarterback’s footwork and how does he do it) – “It’s something that you kind of got to know what they’ve done in the past and then whatever you do want to do (to improve their footwork), you got to drill it. That’s the great thing about the amount of time that we’ve allowed for the individual period. We focus on things like that and what we want to do under center compared to the gun. And so you really have to drill it and you have to work on it. You got to spend a lot of time. You got to know it’s going to be a slow process.”
(On what QB Brandon Doughty has to show him to make the team) – “He’s made a lot of strides since he’s been here. I think a lot of it comes with knowledge of the offense. The thing that’s been interesting about him is that he seems to find completions. When I look at a lot of our film over the last three weeks before this week, even when he was wrong with where he was going, somehow he’d complete the football. He’s kind of got this knack of … He just sees the open guys. Sometimes you’re like ‘Why’d you throw it there?’ He’s like, ‘He’s open.’ He has something about him in that capacity of he can find completions.”
(On if there is a benchmark that he wants his quarterbacks to be at for completion percentage) – “I think every game is different. You kind of look at what you did and then is it a throw behind the line of scrimmage? Is it under 10 yards? Is it down the field? If you look at the way the league has been really going, everything’s under 10 yards right now. You’re seeing a lot of catch-and-carry type plays and I think a lot of it is because the defenses have become so fast. The defensive ends are so much faster than the tackles. Something that (Chicago Bears Head) Coach (John) Fox used to tell me all the time, he would just remind me constantly (that) it’s the worst matchup in football. He would remind me of that and if we got in trouble in a game and the quarterback was getting hit, it was just kind of that reminder and that meant ‘Alright, hey, let’s get the ball out a little sooner.’”
(On how he feels about the state of the team and if it’s where he would hope) – “Well, this being the first year, I feel good about how it looks, at least to us, on tape. From where we were that first minicamp – going through the phases – and now where we’re at. You look at today’s practice and yesterday’s practice, and what the temperature was outside, the effort that you see, the energy that’s brought to practice. Today is an easy day to just kind of be like ‘Hey, we’re really done.’ It’s not a long practice and they mail it in. Our guys didn’t do that. They came out there, they worked every minute and you saw great energy and you saw guys that were excited to be out there. And that’s what we’re looking for.”
(On how much he is active with the quarterbacks and the receivers) – “Today was something that I wanted them to get accustomed to something that we’re going to do during the season – that tempo, that period, making sure that you’re doing the right thing. It’s one of those drills where if you just watch the guy in front of you and he does it right, all you have to do is copy what he does and usually it’s like the fourth group that goes and somebody screws it up. That’s when you can get frustrated. But you want to make sure, and I know all our coaches are thinking the same thing, just make sure our energy level is great and that’s going to bring up everybody else. If a guy’s not really where he needs to be, if we’re up (as coaches), it’s hard for a player to be the one guy that’s not at that level and you can raise him up.”
(On what on the field please him the most during the offseason program) – “I think just the competition. I think the mistakes that are made schematically can be fixed easily off of tape. But if you bring that energy, enthusiasm, that competitive nature every day that’s going to be our best chance to keep getting better and making sure that when you hit the season, you’re getting better every week instead of kind of flattening out or having an off week. You just got to make sure every day you’re getting better.”
(On what sort of schedule or plans does he have over the next month) – “Our coaches, we’re off with the players. We come back a few days before the players but really, for the most part, our training camp stuff is already set up for the most part, as far what we want to do, especially early. We do like to have some flexibility, so if we get through eight practices we can make some adjustments. But our guys will be taking some time off and I’m sure a lot of guys will either be going out of town or spending time with their families.”
(On his plans specifically) – “I know I’ll be hanging out with my family for a few weeks at least.”
(On what he wants out of G/T Laremy Tunsil over the next five weeks) – “This goes with everybody – we just can’t have guys that just don’t do anything. It’s not 20 years ago where you got six weeks to work into shape. You got to hit the ground running. You got to be ready to go. It’s going to take a second to get back into football shape, but you can’t be grossly out of shape. You got to stay in your (play)book. Because if you come back and you don’t know what to do, it’s going to be a problem because you’re going to play slow.”
(On how challenging it is for G/T Laremy Tunsil to be learning two positions?) – “So the way that we looked at it was when you put a guy on the left side he’s playing the two positions that are really … They’re making the calls together, whether it be in the run game or the pass game. So it’s not like he’s learning something completely different. He’s working on different sides of the ball and that’s kind of why we said we know that he’s going to be on the left side. So what we ended up doing was we put him out there and whether it is left guard or left tackle, it’s easy for him to kind of go back and forth. That’s why I always appreciate those guys that you see coming in that say yeah (I) can play right tackle, right guard (and) left tackle. What we (as coaches) never understand, because a whole lot of guys didn’t play that position … I learned this from (Offensive Quality Control) Chris Kuper, it’s a big difference when you go from the right to the left. It’s a completely different view with your peripheral vision and things and when guys can do that, that’s something that we don’t really take pleasure in the fact that that’s a tough thing to do.”
(On G/T Laremy Tunsil and if he is where they want him to be right now) – “He has got a lot of room to get better. Any position that you play as a rookie, it’s a different, different animal. It’s funny, we were actually talking with him and a couple other guys, (and) we were talking about how training camp is going to be another speed. Preseason is going to feel like another speed. And then when you hit the regular season, it’s a completely different speed. When you get to the playoffs, you’re talking about guys playing, really, for one thing. The paycheck is … Everybody is making the same amount of money. You’ll see a completely different speed there.”
(On RB Kenyan Drake and WR Jarvis Landry missing practice) – “(Kenyan) Drake, obviously, we saw him limp off (yesterday). He is going to have to get healthy as fast as possible. He’ll be ready to go for camp. Jarvis (Landry), he had a personal thing to deal with today, so I excused him and told him to make sure he took care of that.”
(On his coaching style) – “I want guys to have fun. I want guys to be able to come out there and be who they are. I don’t want anybody to feel like they can’t be themselves. By getting things going – whether it’s DJing myself or with (Linebackers Coach Matt) Burke or letting (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn Jefferson be a vocal guy on our offensive side – I want that. I want guys to be who they are. I don’t want them to try to be somebody they’re not.”
(On what he saw from G Dallas Thomas this spring) – “He did a good job. He kept getting better. I think what we did in the weight room this year … I think (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Dave Puloka and his crew did a great job as far as making sure that those guys were able to get stronger and increase their weightlifting. That was a big focal point of ours, and we felt like we were going to help both our fronts if we did that. We knew we had to spend time on it. That was the biggest thing. We were like, ‘We have to give them their time.’ As coaches, you want to get ahold of them and you want to spend all this time on the field and the classroom, but at the end of the day, those first two phases are built (to) let them get stronger, let them get faster, let them get in shape. That was our goal. I think (Dallas Thomas) really embraced that. To me, when I watch film from the past and I look at some of the things he was doing this year, I feel like you can see that. I think it was him really embracing what they were doing in the strength room.”
(On his offseason routine) – “I have a little routine I go through when I’m not here and out of town. I’ll have a thing that I do as far as I’ll take a block during the day and say, ‘I’m going to work on these three things for the next week.’ It’s really the same procedure that I’ve gone through, probably, for the last three or four years. I always like to keep my mind fresh and make sure that maybe I can learn two or three things over the summer, whether it’s watching another team, whether it’s watching another college team. (I am) always trying to find a way … Maybe there’s one thing we can get that we can put into training camp that’ll help us.”
(On WR Jakeem Grant) – “I think the offense is a little different than what they did in college and the terminology, obviously, is a little more than what they did. He has done a good job of picking everything up. Sometimes, it’s almost like we have to slow him down. He’s so fast that he has got to learn how to play at that speed (and) be able to cut, stop. You’ll see him slipping every once in a while, and that’s when he’s going too fast. If we can get him under control as far as how he understands that, ‘You pulling back a little bit is still faster than everybody.’ Once he realizes that, he’s going to really make strides there and be able to really have a great route tree.”
(On whether teammates joke with WR Jakeem Grant about his height) – “I don’t know. I guess I haven’t seen … I’ve seen him more being the guy that jokes about things like that. I haven’t really heard a lot of the guys giving too much (to him). You know what I’m saying? Too much as far as his height and stuff. He’s probably more (of) the aggressor in that.”
(On his message to the team while they are away from the facility) – “You always want them to be smart. I think a lot of times a lot of guys in this profession, they just forget who they are, who they represent. (You have to) understand what kind of situation you are putting yourself in. That’s a decision you have to make for the next five weeks: what’s the most important thing in your life? Hopefully, they get a chance to take a break, but at the same time, they make good decisions.”
(On the team’s leadership) – “The first thing that I learned is there’s more than I think a lot of people gave guys credit for. I think a little bit of it is, if you let their personalities come out, you’re going to see more guys take that leadership role. I think it has given them the opportunity to do that and given them some ownership of, ‘This is your locker room. This is your building. The way that you treat people – the way that you function throughout the building – it should be important to you, because this is where you spend a lot of your time.’ I think we’ve had a lot of guys step up, and if somebody gets out of line, they get straightened up pretty quick. It’s something that not a lot of things have gotten back to me, which is great. As a head coach, the less that gets brought to you where it’s things that are non-football related, that’s less time that you’re spending on that stuff and you’re focused on the important things.”
(On T Ja’Wuan James) – “He has done a good job. He has been what we thought coming into this thing. We want to see him keep getting better. He has done a good job as far as he knows what to do. He has always seemed to be that guy that where he gets beat, he somehow recovers and does what he needs to do as far as protecting the quarterback. We like where he’s at right now. We want to make sure when we get into camp, he keeps doing the right things, he keeps taking care of his body, keeps getting stronger. As long as he stays in his playbook and he understands what his responsibility is in this offense, we’ll be alright.”
(On how CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu looked during practice) – “He seems like he’s trying to make sure that he’s feeling good going into training camp. I think getting going a little bit this week was good for him (to) get that right mindset, so now in the next five weeks, he can keep getting stronger and getting his conditioning up and feeling good about going into training camp and hitting on all cylinders and cut it loose.”
(On not having a veteran in the nickel position) – “We got a lot of guys that aren’t veterans. It is what it is. We’re young, but that’s not going to be an excuse. Nobody is going to care when it comes September. Nobody is going to be like, ‘You guys are young.’ Nobody cares. You just got to figure out a way to win.”
(On how to evaluate the running backs’ pass blocking skills at this stage) – This is tough. You want them to get in the right position. When you get into training camp and you put the pads on, they got to do it. You’re going to know pretty quick. They’re either going to turn it down – even though it’s not live – or they’re either going to turn it down or they’re going to step in there and thud them up and stick on their blocks. When you get in the preseason, that’s where you really got to figure out when you get the live contact and tackling and all those things. When they do it there, that gives you a good indication of what it’s going to be like in the season.”
Reshad Jones – June 15, 2016
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Safety Reshad Jones
(On what made him come back today) – “I miss my teammates. I feel confident that the organization and my agent can work something out. I’m here to play football.”
(On if he came back without a guarantee that he can work something out) – “Yeah. I can’t control that right now. I am happy to be here. I am happy to be back out here with my teammates and I’m ready to play football.”
(On what he wanted to accomplish with the holdout and if he accomplished it) – “Nothing. All contract talk I leave that for my agent and the organization. Like I said, I am happy to be out here. It’s exciting to be back with my teammates and I am here to play football.”
(On if he wanted to be out here) – “Yes. I miss the game. I don’t want to bring distractions to the team. I talked to a couple of my teammates and I wanted to be back out here with these guys working and getting everything done. Like I said, I feel confident about my agent and the organization will work things out. I’m here to help this team win football games.”
(On if it is tough not having guaranteed money) – “I can’t control that right now. Like I said, I’ve been playing football all of my life and I was blessed to play a high level. All I can do is come out and continue to play like I have been playing and help this team win football games.”
(On his conversations with his teammates about not starting camp) – “It was tough. I love this game. I was missing my teammates – missing the camaraderie with the boys and my coaches. Like I said, I’m just happy to be here, happy to enjoy this moment and to get back to playing football.”
(On his impression of new defense and how he fits into it) – “It’s pretty much the same stuff we’ve been doing. Different terminology. I feel good about plugging in my same spot on this defense and helping this team.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase saying he wasn’t worried about Reshad learning the defense) – “He feels confident in his players. I’m a seasoned vet now. Like he said, it’s pretty much the same defense. (I) got a couple of reps today and it felt great. (I’m) just ready to come out to continue to play football and help this team win.”
(On how he stayed in shape) – “I have one of the best trainers in the business in the world in David Alexander down in Miami. I work out with him every day. I feel good.”
(On playing in an attacking defense) – “I fit right into the scheme. Like I said, it is pretty much the same stuff we’ve been doing. You will see the same 20. Like I said, I am just excited right now – taking it all in. I feel good to be back out here running around with my teammates.”
(On if he can improve his numbers from last year) – “I just try to get better each and every year. I’m not worried about numbers and stats right now. I just want to continue to get better and get this defense down. Whatever I can do to help this team win, that’s what I am here to do.”
(On his goals for the season) – “To continue to be consistent. Come out and be the consistent player that I have been and get better. Work on something small or the little things and continue to get better.”
(On if he will be here for the start of training camp) – “Yes. I am here. Everything is behind me. I’m ready to play football.”
DeVante Parker – June 15, 2016
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Wide Receiver DeVante Parker
(On why he missed a few practices) – “(It is) what (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) said: (for) precautionary reasons (he) had me out. I was clear to play – practice – but he wanted to help me out.”
(On whether there is a long-term concern about his previous foot injury) – “(There is) no long-term concern.”
(On whether his feet are fine) – “Yes, (I am) feeling great.”
(On how he has performed in the new offensive scheme) – “I think I’ve done pretty well. We come in early and look over it and then take it home and have time to look over it. Then we come in and execute it.”
(On whether it was tough not practicing) – “Yes, it was tough. I watch my teammates have fun and going hard against each other. It’s tough watching them play. I’m just glad I practiced today, now.”
(On if the work they do to the side not practicing is tougher than actually practicing) – “I think it is, actually. Doing work over there is actually tougher than practice. But when you come into practice, it’s not as hard.”
(On where he would like to improve his game) – “Finishing routes. That’s it.”
(On how Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson has coached him about finishing routes) “He has (said), ‘Stay down. Don’t be up high, because you could slip and fall. Stay in and out of your breaks.’”
(On whether he needs to be cautious about practicing right now) – “No, I’m fine.”
(On whether he talked to Head Coach Adam Gase about practicing yesterday) – “I know where he’s coming from so I was with him.”
(On whether it was nice being back at practice today) – “Yes, it was pretty nice going out there and being able to practice today.”
Ryan Tannehill – June 15, 2016
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
(On the push-ups the defense was doing at practice) – “It’s competitive out here. We got them today; they got us last week. That’s something we want to do every day is come out and compete and I think we’re doing that.”
(On how much more open the offense is) – “The offense is great. We’re getting better every day; getting more comfortable every day – the receivers, tight ends, backs, o-line. It’s a learning process. To see those guys grow in their roles and understand what we’re doing here, it’s really fun.”
(On executing the offense properly) – “It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling when you come out and execute. There’s going to be some mess-ups this time of year, but to see those mess-ups decrease each and every practice, it’s exciting for me, it’s exciting for everyone in the building.”
(On the progress of the offense) – “We’re moving forward, getting the ball rolling early on in OTAs and it hasn’t stopped yet. Each and every day, we’re learning something, we’re picking up something. Guys are making plays and we’re having fun. That’s what you want to see this time of year.”
(On his comfort level in the offense) – “It’s growing each and every day. I spent a lot of time trying to understand exactly what to do, where I’m supposed to go with the ball, protection adjustments. I’ve made some mistakes, but I’m learning and getting better each and every day we come out here.”
(On having S Reshad Jones back) – “It’s nice to have him back. He’s our teammate. We’ve missed him for the past few months and to have him back here is really nice. He’s a heck of a football player and he’s going to make us better. To be able to practice against him each and every day is only going to make the offense better.”
(On S Reshad Jones in the locker room) – “Yeah, he’s great to have around. He’s a Pro Bowl-caliber player that is going to lead our defense and challenge us on offense. It’s great to have him out on the field and in the locker room.”
(On how WR DeVante Parker looked today) – “It’s great to have DeVante back. We’ve really been missing him. He’s such a talented player and we want to develop him further. To have him miss the past couple of weeks has been tough, but it’s part of the business. So to have him back out here today was really good for us. It’s good to see him running (and) make a play down the field for us. He really makes us more dynamic on offense.”
(On what the next couple of months holds for him) – “We’ll get something going in the offseason. Everyone gets away for a little bit (to) get some time away – rest the mind, rest the body. Then we’ll start getting together throwing and staying in the playbook so we know what we’re doing come fall. I have a baby coming, so that’ll be mixed in there at some point. But we’re going to be getting our bodies physically ready to go for training camp and keeping the mind sharp as well.”
(On the house) – “It’s awesome, yeah. We love it. It’s not baby-proof, but the room is ready and has the crib and all that in there, so we’re excited.”
Adam Gase – June 15, 2016
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On what it meant to have S Reshad Jones participating in practice) – “It’s good. When we have our players out there, you get excited – whether they’ve been injured or they haven’t been here. To get him back out there and DeVante Parker back out there, it’s a good feeling for the coaching staff. To get all of your pieces kind of in place and get these guys rolling in the right direction, as far as what we’re trying to teach.”
(On if S Reshad Jones will be fined for missing that first day) – “Anything we ever do with any of that stuff is always in-house and I’ll never talk about that.”
(On how WR DeVante Parker looked out there today) – “He did good. I think he was itching to get out there yesterday and holding him out another day. Then coming out today he was actually … he did a little more than I thought he was going to do. He kept trying to get in the team periods. We were just trying to be smart to make sure he didn’t get caught on a route where he had a take off or (QB) Ryan (Tannehill) checked to something to where now he’s moving down the field and he hadn’t really opened it up yet. So we were just trying to be smart with what was going on. He did a good job as far as kind of tempo-ing himself through that individual to make sure ‘I’m good, I’m good, I’m good,’ and then he kind of turned it loose a little bit in those team periods.”
(On former Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne being at practice today) – “Yeah, obviously (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen) coached him for a long time and they were together in Indy forever. I met Reggie at the Pro Bowl after the 2012 season and I had just become the (offensive) coordinator and go out to the Pro Bowl. We’re sitting there talking and it’s him and (Indianapolis Colts LB) Robert Mathis and they were both just like you got no chance. Peyton’s (Manning) going to eat you up. I’ll just never forget that. I was like, ‘I appreciate your confidence.’ But he’s one of those guys that you just love talking ball with. (You) love being around (him) and anytime any of players can talk to guys of that caliber … you know him, Wes (Welker), when we get Jason Taylor out here, Zach Thomas … It’s just great for our guys. They learn stuff. Like defensive guys are talking to Reggie or Wes and they’re kind of saying ‘Hey, how were you successful? What can I do against a wide receiver of your caliber?’ To get that kind of information is valuable for those guys.”
(On how former players contact the Dolphins to come out to practice) – “A lot of times it’s … Wes (Welker) and myself have been friends since we left Denver. We’ve always kept in contact. And then Reggie (Wayne) and (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen) are constantly in communication. These guys, they’re down here and sometimes they’re looking to get that little bit of that football fix and it’s a good way for them to do (that). (They) kind of get around it and they enjoy coming out to practice and they enjoy talking to the guys.”
(On former players telling the current guys to listen) – “Yeah that helps. It doesn’t hurt us.”
(On how involved former NFL WR Wes Welker has been and if there’s any chance anything full time) – “I wouldn’t but any kind of pressure on him. We’re here to kind of … when he wants to come around, he’s welcome. So whether it goes any further than that, I mean it’s a day-by-day thing with Wes (Welker) and he knows that I’ll always have his back on whatever he want to do. We’ll be here to kind of help him grow with whatever he ends doing.”
(On if he recommends players work out with each other in between offseason sessions or if the players do it on their own) – “Yeah, it’s player generated. As coaches, that time that you’re off, it’s almost like the college dead period – like you’re out of the loop. If you ever call a player, it has to be for personal reasons if something comes up and you’re just checking on a guy. But as far as football related things, I mean we’re out of it. It’s five weeks of … if a guy doesn’t do anything for five weeks; you’re going to know it right away in training camp. So it’s really driven by the players. The good thing is you can tell once you get to training camp and then you know who’s on board and you know who is basically saying ‘Hey, I’m ready to go for the season,’ because training camp is so short. If you’re not ready to go, it’s not like how it used to be where you could work your way into shape. I mean you better be into shape when you get going.”
(On if he was satisfied in the shape that S Reshad Jones came in today) – “Yeah that was one thing that I was told from the get go whenever he showed up, they were like, ‘Don’t worry about it. He will be in shape.’”
(On how S Reshad Jones looked today) – “As far as I saw, the way he was moving around looked really good and then he jumped right in there. Like we talked about yesterday, this is what they do (learn playbooks). What was he here … like an hour a half (before practice)? And he was able to go in and practice? It’s not that hard.”
(On what his vision is for S Reshad Jones is for him in this defense) – “Obviously we’re going to have to figure that out. We’re in Day 1 with him. We have a general idea how we want to use him but that will obviously expand when you got a player of his caliber. We want to put him in position where he can make as many plays as possible.”
(On with one practice left how he would evaluate QB Ryan Tannehill through the spring) – “He’s done a good job. I know I put a lot on his plate and it’s almost to the point where it’s probably too much this fast. But I want to see how far … I want to see where the breaking point is and he keeps battling and he keeps doing things (well) in practice. When we have a two-minute drill and we’re putting ourselves in some situations like today. I think we were like fourth-and-10 and then him and (WR) Jarvis (Landry) make a play and we end up moving the sticks. To see that happen, there was no panic and that adjustment of (moving onto the) next play. They moved on then figured out a way to get a first down. We’ve been putting a lot of pressure on him on offense and then he’s been doing a good job of responding. We might have one day where it doesn’t look great and then the next day we’ll come back and we’ll regroup and kind of adjust some things and then we’re good to go.”
(On RB Kenyan Drake go off the field limping) – “I’ll have more information once I get back in there. I saw him briefly and they kind of just said he was out of practice. I haven’t really been updated all the way to what happened.”
(On if he would say the offense won today’s practice) – “I wouldn’t say that. Any time that you’re not in pads or it’s really not a preseason game, it’s tough to tell because I know this … With our d-line and I really like our offensive line, but I just know when you get pads on it could look a lot different.”
(On the push-ups the defense was doing at practice) – “That was something that actually (former Denver Broncos Interim Head Coach Jack) Del Rio brought to us in Denver when he took over as the head coach for four weeks, and we started doing these competitive periods on Fridays. It was just the last play of the game, 4 seconds, no timeouts and you need a touchdown to win. The fun part of it is (it’s) five push-ups and you try to get everyone to pick a side. I was waiting for (Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike) Tannenbaum to try to waver but he stayed in the back.” (laughter)
(On his choice of veteran backup quarterbacks and why he chose QB Matt Moore) – “It was an interesting process. At first we weren’t sure where he was really at, as far as whether or not he wanted to come back. I know him and Ryan (Tannehill) are really close. We kind of went through a whole process. We talked to a bunch of guys. We were talking to him. He was talking to other teams and at the end of the day, (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen) kept coming back to it and so did (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree), as far as there’s not a lot of guys that can come into that role and then if he goes into the game, I think he has a winning record as a quarterback. I don’t know how many backup quarterbacks you can actually say that of. He’s come in here and he’s done a good job. The good thing for (me) at least, a guy I was with in Denver, (former Broncos Offensive Coordinator) Mike McCoy, had coached him in Carolina and I had always heard great things about him. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory as far as we knew what kind of a guy we were getting. When you have a guy that supports you like Matt does to Ryan, that’s valuable.”
(On whether G/T Laremy Tunsil will have to earn everything that is given him or if he’s definitely going to be a starter) – “That’s how we are rolling. You have to earn your spot. I don’t think you’ve seen anybody really get plugged in and anointed anything. Everybody is battling. That’s what we want. We want competition. We want guys to earn their spots. If you’re a veteran player, a lot of guys respect that because they know it’s not going to be handed to anybody. Guys know, ‘Hey, I’m going to battle for the five spots on the offensive line.’ (It’s the) same thing on defense, like the corners. They’re battling. I know Tony Lippett isn’t going to be like, ‘Yeah, you take it.’ I hope not. I hope he battles this thing all the way out. If he’s a starter, (then) great. Then we’ll be happy. I just know we have three really good players there at corner.”
(On if anything should be read into the offensive line rotation at practice) – “Are you just sitting up there charting that thing? (laughter) We’re going to just keep working on different groups. I don’t sit there and say, ‘Hey (Offensive Line Coach) Chris (Foerster), who do you got starting today?’ We’re just going to keep rolling guys in there.”
Cameron Wake – June 14, 2016
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(On DT Ndamukong Suh’s sense of humor) –“You’ve got to ask him about that. He’s a funny guy.”
(On how he felt today) – “It was great. It was just like old times.”
(On his comfort level with the new defense and how it compares to before) – “Attack. That’s one word. It’s something that I think fits well with a lot of guys that are going to be playing in it. Obviously you got one of them right here, documenting it all (DT Ndamukong Suh). Just getting after it, being aggressive … I think that’s something that a lot of guys really will enjoy. I’m one of those guys and I look forward to it.”
(On when he will be 100 percent) – “Was that (Head Athletic Trainer) Ryan (Grove) out there? Was Ryan out there? You got to talk to Ryan about that – (the) trainer, for those who don’t know. Not Tannehill.”
(On how he feels the day after workouts and it seems that he hasn’t missed any practices) – “Not that I know of. I’ve been out there just getting after it with all the other guys (and)trying to do my best to get better (so we) make sure the season is one that we can all be proud of.”
(On what he missed the most about not playing the second half of last year) – “Well, I wasn’t away for very long. I had one game where I had to sit and watch. That might have been the hardest part. This was obviously a while ago; but after that, I was around as much as possible and helping in any way I could. It all kind of seems like a long time ago now. I’m focusing on the here and now and what’s going on in this minicamp.”
(On what was going so well in the three-game stretch before his injury last season) – “Bringing up old stuff, are we? I would like to think that’s just me. That’s another thing I want to make sure I continue to do and get back to where that’s not a surprise or out of the ordinary, that’s just who I am.”
(On how important it is for him to practice in these OTAs and minicamp) – “Just getting back in the groove every year. You got a quote unquote long offseason – maybe not for me this year; it was different. But just going out there and getting back into the scheme of things. Obviously we’ve got a new everything. We’ve got new coaches, new players, and just getting back and being consistent and getting familiar with everybody and them getting familiar with you. I think this is a good start to that.”
(On his impressions of Head Coach Adam Gase and what he brings to the team) – “A little youth. He’s a fun guy, but a guy who knows when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. And that’s something I think a lot of guys can appreciate. We get out there, it’s going to be go time. But we also have the opportunity to kick back and relax and have a little fun, as well.”
(On his mindset from the time he got injured and as he progressed through rehab) –
DT Ndamukong Suh: “Can I answer that question? He’s Superman.”
DE Cameron Wake: “I like that. I like that answer. But there’s never been any doubt. I don’t have to reiterate my story; but I’ve had hurdles, roadblocks, obstacles, from the minute I started playing football. Add this to the list.”
(On coming back from a major injury for the first time) – “Well, when I got released from the Giants, I’d never been released. When I got to the CFL, I’d never be to the CFL. When I got to the Dolphins, I’d never been inactive. Like I said, add another one to the list, another obstacle to overcome. I’ve been doing it my whole career and I wouldn’t expect this to be any different.”
Ndamukong Suh – June 14, 2016
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh
(On the offseason workouts) – “I’m just out here working hard. Defensively – the defensive line – we have to focus on our technique, and that’s where we’re at. We don’t have pads on, so it’s all about technique and fundamentals and footwork.”
(On how Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s scheme fits his skillset) – “I haven’t even looked at things like that. Out there, I’m just trying to understand what my job is and what I have to understand. Like I said, (it is about) going back and focusing on technique and the task that we have to do.”
(On whether he had any input on the hiring of Senior Defensive Assistant/Pass Rush Specialist Jim Washburn) – “No, I didn’t.”
(On attending voluntary offseason practices) – “First of all, this is a mandatory minicamp, so I’m always here. If you ever watch my track record, I always come to OTAs. I never come to offseason true workouts (and) stuff like that. History is all that tells everything.”
(On Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph) – “Great coach. Great personality. (I) enjoy being around him (and) love talking to him. I’m learning a lot from what he has and brings to the table.”
(On his relationship with Head Coach Adam Gase) – “I have a lot of interaction with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. I have a lot of fun with him. At the same time, I’m learning a lot from him. I love competing against him. He gives me a hard time; I give him a hard time. It’s a good mixture of him coaching me and being critical, as well as giving me constructive criticism (and) at the same time being competitive.”
(On whether the Wide 9 defense will suit the unit) – “I’m an interior lineman. That’s more (of a question) for the d-ends.”
(On whether the Wide 9 defense will suit the front seven) “I enjoy it. I enjoy that attack-style defense. It has suited me well. (I have) broken records with it. If you’ve had success with something, why not go back to it?”
(On working out with comedian Kevin Hart) – “Kevin Hart is good people. I’ve been in movies with him before. He’s a part of the Nike family, as well as myself. It’s really (like) hanging out with a buddy and enjoying, having some fun. It was great to get a workout on Saturday, which I was going to do anyway (and) now making it a little (more) fun.”
(On whether he will play some football with Kevin Hart) – “We talked about it a little bit. I don’t know. We have to figure out his position first.”
(On what position Kevin Hart could play) – “You’ve got to ask him that. (laughter) But he has a chance. He’s got some skills.”
Adam Gase – June 14, 2016
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On DE Cam Wake’s progress) – “It seems like things have been going well for him. We keep trying to give him more and more reps. A lot of the great work that he’s getting is in those individual periods. We spent a lot of minutes on that. How they go about their business, it’s impressive to watch, because these guys go hard. Every rep is valuable, because they’re getting game-like situations as far as coming off the edge and some of the run game stuff that they work on. Obviously, not shorting my M.D. credits, but from what the trainers tell me, things look good and we just want to make sure he’s in good shape for when we hit training camp.”
(On whether there have any talks about joint training camp practices) – “Those talks start so early. It starts in the February-March area. We reached out to a couple guys that I know. I know (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) and (General Manager) Chris (Grier) also reached out to some teams. But we couldn’t find anything that really matched up (to) where we were playing a team, and it worked out as far as getting the preseason scheduled. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed in the past. I’ve been able to do it the past couple years. I always thought it was great work, because it breaks up camp as far as you get to go against somebody different. I think players like it. It’s just you have to find the right match for what you’re doing in the preseason.”
(On what the depth chart means in minicamp) – “I don’t even think we really have a depth chart right now. I think I’ve said this before: I’ll walk in the o-line room and every day they got a different lineup as far as what they’re going with as far as the ones, twos and threes. We’re trying to mix everybody in, give them opportunities. They’ll look at what we have scripted sometimes and say, ‘Maybe Billy (Turner) hasn’t got enough front side of a wide zone,’ or, ‘Somebody hasn’t experienced the gap scheme enough.’ They’re looking at the script at the same time. Obviously, we got a decent group of guys where we say, ‘These seven or eight guys are rotating in with that first group.’ But for the most part, we’re rotating these guys around and trying to give them all the work that they need and the looks that they need to see.”
(On S Reshad Jones’ absence from mandatory minicamp) – “When you’re an NFL player, part of your job is you learn playbooks. When a guy is not here – whether it be Phase I, Phase II or OTAs or minicamp – and they haven’t been exposed to … Cover 3 is Cover 3. Maybe there’s a different term for it for every team, but guys like that who have experience, they understand defense. As far as him being able to learn the playbook, that would be zero concern for me.”
(On the last time he spoke with S Reshad Jones) – “When I saw him at Fins Weekend.”
(On what he said to S Reshad Jones) – “It was just a casual conversation. I didn’t talk about anything football.”
(On his conversation with S Reshad Jones) – “Our discussion right now is … We’re going to keep that stuff in house. I’m not trying to make public statements about anything right now.”
(On whether there is something about DT Ndamukong Suh that surprised him) “I guess I had never been around him before for practice, and I was really curious. I had heard things about how in the offseason, with no pads, you have to slow him down. It was even one of those things where you watch the tape and you could see early in OTAs and stuff, plays were getting blown up, and he was playing really physical. I was interested to see live how that looked, because when you see him on tape … For me, if I was looking at another offense and they’re playing Detroit – at the time – and watching him penetrate and get after the quarterback and stuff, man, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with that. When you watch him practice out there and the way he does things in individual and the way that he does things in team periods and how disruptive he is, he’s working a craft there. He has got it almost down to a science now to where he understands how he needs to practice, what he needs to work on without pads. It’s tough sometimes for a d-lineman, because when you’re trying to be disruptive, it gets physical and all of a sudden you get bodies all over the place. I think he has found that right niche as far as, ‘How do I practice without putting the other guy in harm’s way but still getting the work I need to get?’”
(On TE Thomas Duarte) – “It’s tough. I guess it would be different if it was a third-, fourth-year player. When you’re a rookie and all of a sudden you come in and we’re on install 11 that has got to be a little overwhelming. But he’s a smart kid. He looks good. His weight was really good. I think he was in that zone of, ‘What was I going to be?’ Because a lot of teams were looking at him as a wide out (and) we were looking at him as a tight end. I think he was trying to make sure he was at a right weight to where he could go up or down. Obviously, we want him to be a tight end. We like his skill set as a receiver. We’ll see what he does when we get pads on in training camp as far as (him being) a run blocker and pass protector.”
(On K Andrew Franks) – “Right now, it’s going to be one of these things we’re just evaluating to see … We’re trying to put our specialists in pressure situations. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing as far as kicking a lot of field goals. We’re trying to give both our guys a lot of experience and reps and try to put pressure on guys and try to make them game-like situations.”
(On the absence of DE Mario Williams and DE Jason Jones from mandatory minicamp) – “Those two guys are excused from this minicamp, and it’s for personal reasons.”
(On CB Xavien Howard) – “He’s a tough guy to go against. When I look at all three of those guys, being as long as they are and the fact that all three of them love challenging the wide receivers, it makes it hard on the guys on offense. They have to be good on the releases. They have to make sure that when they win on a route, it’s still going to be tight. I’ve seen plenty of times where … Whether all three of them, really, when you think that a receiver got behind them, and then all of a sudden they throw a hand up and they still a hand on the ball. Just seeing him today, his ball skills are really impressive. I think he picked one off today where I was surprised that he came down with it, because it was a tough position for him to be in and to catch the ball. That just shows you he has got really good ball skills.”
(On WR DeVante Parker) – “I kind of screwed that up today, because he should’ve went through individual today. He was cleared to do individual, and I think I’m just being a little cautious. My thought process was, ‘If I can get him out there the next couple days and get him in individual – maybe get him in a little bit of team period situations – that’ll help him.’ My mindset keeps being of, ‘I want him to be able to train for the next five weeks.’ The last thing I want to do is put him in a situation where he has one little setback and now he’s in the training room for two to three weeks or something, and we have a setback and now I’m going, ‘What did I do that for?’ Where(as) he could’ve been training for five weeks. I guess I’m being overly cautious about this. I probably need to let him roll.”
(On what WR DeVante Parker should have done in practice today) – “What he should have done today was he should have been in individual today. And then tomorrow, he should’ve done a little bit in practice. And then the next day we should’ve had him do a little bit more in practice. Basically, I got soft and kept him out of practice today.”
(On whether he will hold WR DeVante Parker out of practice tomorrow) – “No. He wanted to go today, and I held it off. The trainers cleared him to go, and I botched that one.”
(On if there was hesitation in letter CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu go to today – “Once again, we’re trying to be smart and the biggest thing is, I want to give these guys a great opportunity to be able to train this summer and be ready to go in training camp. I know he’s really itching to do more, do more, do more. I just keep thinking, ‘Hey, we’re at the back end of this thing.’ If guys are good to go then I want them to go but if we’re close to being not sure, then I want to make sure they can train this summer.”
(On what he’s learned about LB Koa Misi’s game from this offseason program) – “I guess for me, I remember playing against him. I guess I didn’t remember … When I came in here it was kind of like ‘Well, he’s a 3-4 outside linebacker and then he’s played inside and he’s kind of played in multiple positions.’ But seeing him work in the role that we have him working, he really understands what we’re doing schematic-wise and he’s able to be flexible as far as what he plays, whether it be a linebacker … With that rush experience he has, it gives us some depth if something would happen to where he could come off the edge. But I think his knowledge of what we’re doing … I never hear our defensive coaches say anything about, ‘Well, he didn’t do this right.’ It seems like he’s always doing the right thing and he’s put himself in good position. He’s one of those guys that is constantly … He’s just been consistent day in and day out and when you see that in the spring, you’re feeling really good about it going into that training camp. Now it’s like, ‘How much better can we get from this point through training camp to the regular season?’”
(On when he can get excited about the d-line) – “I guess at the end of the season … that’s when you get excited. You never know what’s going to happen between tomorrow, who knows what happens and the next day, who knows. You don’t know what’s going to happen in training camp and it’s all about how do we get it to where we have a good group that’s working well together and then they can stay on the field. We can have those guys up every week. If you have that full group stay healthy, and they’re doing what they keep showing that they’ve been doing in OTAs and minicamp and carry that over to training camp … Then yeah, I’m always going to feel good about that group, because we have very talented players; but you can’t just sit here and be like ‘Oh, I feel great about this certain position.’ You want those guys to come out, work every day and just keep getting better.”
(On how tough it is to judge the front seven’s performance against the run without pads on) – “Yeah it’s tough (with) no pads. You’re trying to figure out, it’s a fine line between running the ball in the spring and seeing how the (offensive) line’s doing compared to the d-line. It’s just, with no pads on, it’s almost like unrealistic … whether it be holes or how things are closed. That’s why we try to do a lot of periods emphasizing certain things. You almost try to trick the defense a little bit like thinking we’re going to throw it every down and then you pop some runs in there, and just see, ‘Hey, are they playing the right technique on the runs?’ That’s really what you’re looking for. It’s just tough like training camp, when we’re in pads, that is when we got to get our work. That’s where we got to find out where we’re really at and then when you get to the preseason games, you’re hoping you play some teams that are looking to run the ball because now you’ll find out where you’re at.”
