Mike McDaniel – November 5, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023
Postgame – Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel.
MIKE MCDANIEL: It’s painful. Who wants to start off?
Q. The final offensive drive, what was the assignment there? What was the route for [wide receiver] Cedric [Wilson Jr.]?
MIKE MCDANIEL: You know, I think if I know my personnel well, [quarterback] Tua [Tagovailoa] is probably standing up here since he gets to talk before me and saying this, that and the other and it’s on him. It wasn’t. There’s a lot that falls squarely on my shoulders. They were doing something that we had talked about, and the miscommunication is something that doesn’t happen if I put them in the appropriate situation during the week. Tua didn’t have time to observe. He signaled kind of one route, and that has a conversion, and Cedric interpreted it as another thing, and that’s just things that when you’re working together as a football team and you have the right effort and mentality from all your players that it’s one hundred percent something that I can control personally.
I was very, very proud of the resolve. I’m very encouraged about the team. Just to be in that position on that final drive takes a lot of — there was a lot of expectations not met in the first half, and for those guys to — for the defense to shut them out in the second half and only allow 14 points and for us to be in that situation with one minute to go, I think that’s the bigger picture from the players’ perspective. I told the team that you don’t have to worry about me learning from mistakes. It’s going to be a hard one to digest, but we’ll make it purposeful.
Q. Another game away from Hard Rock Stadium. What more can be done by you and the players to avoid all the miscues?
MIKE MCDANIEL: Yeah, these are things that we’ll utilize in the bye week to make sure we emphasize. That’s football. You’re going to have things that — you’re always going to have things to improve upon. That one is pretty obvious. And you know in this game that you’re going to have to answer for results.
If you can simply put together a chart that shows production at home minus, I think the Carolina game in the first couple drives and then you’re not getting on the road, you make sure to be self-critical for sure. But in terms of — we had a very good orchestration of practice. The orchestration of all the openers, I was very happy with the individual plays during the week, and when we actually go through them. We’ll get to the bottom of it because that’s our job. This is part of the NFL life. They get paid, too. That’s a very good team. When you’re not crisp, what other way can you really approach it besides self-assessing. There’s definitely a part myself that I play in that, and it’s my job to get it corrected.
Q. What can you say about the last offensive play and the shotgun snap?
MIKE MCDANIEL: That, it’s hard to say, just live speed. I’m going to refrain from really attributing it to anybody. I’d have to kind of look at the tape to see were the skill positions set, did we get to the line fast enough, were we overcommunicating, was it the defense, were [quarterback Tua Tagovailoa] Tua’s eyes up, how off target was the snap. All those things. There’s a lot of snaps that we executed, so it’s unfortunate that we had a miscue at that point in time, but these are all learning lessons. This is a journey that you go through in the NFL season, and like I’ve said multiple times before, the idea is to be your best selves and continue to grow and learn from certain things as you’re put in different situations. That was a — we had the mentality of our team tested. I think you’d be hard pressed to say that our guys have ever put forth as much effort and commitment into the game of football as they are currently right now, and when you are falling way short of that for half of football, you learn a lot about people. My lesson is positive. I think from my perspective, as bad — there’s a lot of this game that it’s going to be hard for me to sleep on the flight home, and it’s going to be a long time until we play our next game, but I will say that of all things, my first and foremost takeaway from the game is a multitude of things I can do better, but overall very satisfied with the way that our team handled stress. That’s not a horrendous thing, either. You learn a lot — sometimes you learn the most with losses. You hate that it has to go that way. But I’m very, very confident in our team’s commitment to each other, and I’m very confident that we will get better just as our practices and our attention to detail has drastically improved since the Buffalo game. These are hard lessons, but they’re real in the NFL, and you have to be able to take in the pain and push it towards future joy if you’re trying to be worth anything.
Q. Along those lines, we know the narrative about this team is (inaudible) against elite contenders.
MIKE MCDANIEL: You know, just that the overall mental fortitude of the collection of individuals, their commitment to this season and this organization and this team, and they show me every day. This is something that I think we’re all very aware, and we knew going into the game that if we’re going to lose what the narrative would be, and that’s fair. We shouldn’t feel entitled to high opinions from the masses. We have to earn that confidence, and we have to earn every — it also gives me a ton of confidence because I know that NFL games, each and every one of them, is tough. I think people undervalue poor records. It is hard to win in this league. To win in any right against any opponent is something not to take for granted. As long as you continue to get better, ultimately that narrative will subside. But that’s on us collectively from coaches and players alike to — if you want the narrative to change, change the narrative.
Q. How important is perimeter blocking?
MIKE MCDANIEL: I mean, for all the high opinions of the — and really all the statistical — all of the positive things we do in the run game is attributed to a lot of things, but one of the most important things is how we have attention to detail on the perimeter, and teams when you have success getting the edge of the defense, they’re very aware. They get paid, too. So, they’ll present different problems that sometimes are new to your team. Working through those is a huge part of being a successful offense and a successful team. You know that people are going to address how you stress defenses in general, so you know that there’s going to be something. The key is that you continue to build — you continue to really progress and build knowledge of your own system when people present new problems. I think hats off to the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense. They came to play. They were very, very competitive. They gave us some problems that we had to work through. I thought we did a solid job of that as the game went on, and we gave — I called more runs, and we got to work through those problems. I would say that’s been a strength of ours, and I think I was proud of how the guys — you always want to see a progression during the game. You want to see you finish the game in every phase better than you started, and that’s something to build upon as we progress through the season.
Q. How was your defense able to affect Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce?
MIKE MCDANIEL: I thought they had a very good plan. I was very, very proud — just we approached the game as a team, ready for the Super Bowl champions and understanding that we were going to have to be — that they were going to have some success. But the biggest thing is I didn’t want to see people waver, and wow, did we get tested with that. I think the biggest thing is we didn’t let the first drive, knowing that historically the Kansas City Chiefs, led by [head coach] Andy Reid, have always been very, very good at presenting new problems and new issues, specifically in the openers, and so when you — just handling that storm, to have seven points given up by the defense after that first drive, that’s the huge thing that I’m really, really encouraged by our mental fortitude, because I know as the season progresses, these games get bigger and bigger, so you have to be able to sustain things or you have to be able to survive situations where you’re going to get presented with new problems in game and adjust, and I thought we did a great job with that, and I thought we were very competitive in re-routes. I thought we played team defense as I would expect, and guys when they were at the point of attack with Travis, they were executing their fundamentals and technique. That will always be our calling card in all three phases, and it’s something that I look forward to continuing to improve on in the bye week for the second half of the season.
Q. (Inaudible) what does that say about your quarterback?
MIKE MCDANIEL: It gives you a chance to do — to maximize what you have as a team and do something special with your season. I think everybody in the locker room knows it’s not on his shoulders. They know that for a fact. But all that does with a leader and a captain and the starting quarterback of your team, when he’s over-the-top accountable for everything that he does, how does it not snowball for the rest of the team. It sets the standard for how we look at, how each one of us looks at our jobs. I think you see a lot of teammates really fight for their starting quarterback, and that’s exactly why, because he never is looking to point the finger at anyone else, and he puts a lot on his shoulders. I know that, so I have to do a better job keeping some of that stuff off of him because all he wants to do is perform for his teammates and be the guy that we all believe in. Like I said, all of his teammates could have told you he was going to come in and say that, and they all know that that is why we love him so much, and that’s why he will continue to get better at everything he does, because he doesn’t look for an out.
Q. (Inaudible).
MIKE MCDANIEL: I don’t really have any information on it. I was encouraged when I was out there on the field for something super severe, but we’ll have to get some more information on that one.
Connor Williams – November 3, 2023
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Friday, November 3, 2023
OL Connor Williams
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said you had an outstanding week of practice, no setbacks. Is it safe to say you plan on being active and starting on Sunday?) – “I think at the end of the day, that’s going to be up to them. But it’s been a good week and I feel healthy so we’ll see how it rolls.”
(But you think you’re ready to get back in the lineup?) – “I’ll always say I’m ready.”
(Can you describe some of what you’re feeling right now, a progression sort of from the games that you have had to miss?) – “It’s definitely tough sitting out. The team starts moving, and you’re not in there, but you’re able to support from the sidelines and stay in meetings and everything. So it’s been a challenge on its own, but just to be able to come back and just get in the rhythm with the team again and be around the guys again full throttle, it feels nice.”
(Can you describe the challenge of going against a guy like Chiefs DT Chris Jones?) – “Yeah, I mean, obviously, tremendous respect for his game. I think he’s a great player. He’s one of the top d-tackles in the league. He’s long, he’s lanky, he’s got power. I think he presents a challenge to any offensive line. But I have full faith in our o-line as well.”
(Bringing things back to the past few weeks, Head Coach Mike McDaniel has kind of repeatedly said, you’ve given him death stares, that you’ve been desperate to get back out, that he’s kind of scared to tell you that you’re not going to play. Obviously, you want to be on the field, you want to fight through injuries, but what has had to be your focus then while you’re out and while you battle the frustration of kind of being held back?) – “I think to play on this level, you have to have that space you can access, that high space you can execute on a high level at. Just being out and having to withhold that and then just being around the guys and serving a different role and a different purpose these last couple of weeks, that might be where the death stares come from because I’m just trying to stay as locked in as possible. I mean, you only have so much time in this profession and so many years. So just to be able to be here and be present every day, it’s been a blessing.”
(Are you able to see just from the sidelines and maybe tell OL Liam Eichenberg, tell OL Robert Hunt and OL Isaiah Wynn when he was in or OL Lester Cotton, like hey, this guy is doing this? Or, watch this? How much input are you able to give from the sidelines?) – “Most definitely I turned coach for a second there. But we’re a unit, we’re a whole, we’re one living organism. Just to be able to help and support where you can, it acts – I know Liam (Eichenberg) does the same when I’m in there and I do the same when he’s in there and vice versa and with every player in all positions.”
(Someone mentioned Chiefs DT Chris Jones and the challenge of facing him earlier on. But I just wanted to – Chiefs DT Derek Nnadi and DE Mike Danna and DE Charles Omenihu and those guys that they’ve got on their defensive line, reducing inside and out. Nobody stays in the same position throughout the game and I wondered what sort of challenges that presents for somebody like you went on snap one you might be facing Chris Jones, then it’s Nnadi, then it’s Omenihu who’s a different player, much longer? Does that make it more difficult given what Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo does with his defensive line for a guy like you to prepare snap by snap?) – “They definitely do a good job of presenting different looks on third down. I think that’s their specialty, definitely with the mix of talent and players they have. You see that throughout many teams and at the end of day, I mean, we’re a unit, we’re an o-line, we’re going to create a wall and we’re going to protect No. 1.”
Jerome Baker – November 3, 2023
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Friday, November 3, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(The last time you faced the Chiefs, I believe you had a very memorable play with a sack for loss of 30 yards against Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. What is the key to sacking QB Patrick Mahomes on 30-yard loss?) – “What is the key? I would give all the credit to the DBs. They were covering pretty well that play. (Emmanuel) Ogbah kind of made the first move, made him get out of the pocket. I just kind of did the rest.”
(Is that the favorite play of your regular season career?) – “Nah. Actually my favorite play I wasn’t even in – the Miami Miracle, that was pretty cool to me. But that was definitely a cool play.”
(What are your thoughts overall on defending QB Patrick Mahomes and of course TE Travis Kelce?) – “We just have to play together, it’s as simple as that. We have the guys to do that. We have the scheme to do that. We play together and play as one on defense, we’ll be alright. That’s just the main key.”
(We’ve been talking a lot about the scramble drill with QB Patrick Mahomes. A lot of athletic quarterbacks have that, but it seems more so for him it’s a staple of his play. WR Tyreek Hill was saying there’s a PowerPoint the Chiefs have. What are kind of the teaching points for you guys as rushers specifically for QB Patrick Mahomes when he leaves the pocket?) – “When you’re a rusher, rush him. When you’re in coverage and somebody is around, you plaster. Just plaster. Just grab the guy that’s in your zone. That’s the main thing, don’t try to do too much. What gets people in trouble is if you’re a coverage guy and you’re trying to rush him, now you’re leaving someone wide open. Just real simple, just do your job and you’ll be alright.”
(How do you like it as a player to play outside of the U.S., to play here in Europe? Is that cool or is there a lot of downside of traveling?) – “I was actually just thinking about that on the field – it’s super cool. Just growing up, a lot of us played when we were five, six, seven years old. Just to see that years later we’re in a different country doing what we love, there’s nothing better than that. Just being here is truly an amazing experience and I’m having fun.”
(If you could play in any other country after Germany, which country would it be?) – “Dubai. (laughter)”
(When you enter this stadium, you guys are kind of used to big stadiums with a lot of glitter and glamour. What did this stadium feel like? This practice one.) – “This one over here? It just felt like a regular stadium. We played in a lot of different stadiums growing up, so we’re all kind of used to different types of stadiums. But I think the main thing is we’re just in a different country. It’s just a different feeling. It’s definitely exciting for us.”
Austin Jackson – November 3, 2023
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Friday, November 3, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(How have you enjoyed Germany so far?) – “It’s great. I loved getting down here early to acclimate to everything. Love the weather, especially it’s different from Miami. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to play the Chiefs here. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
(Wanted to ask you about the offensive line. Well first, how does T Terron Armstead look to you his first week of practice back?) – “He’s great. He’s back in damn near midseason form. He looks good.”
(At one point last game, you were the last starting offensive lineman standing. Especially after last year, the troubles you had to deal with with injuries, I’m curious what did you do specifically this offseason to prepare your body to kind of I guess not get hurt, to simply put it?) – “It’s a mix between luck and for me, I just made sure I was in a position to be able to move out of any situation if I was put there. But like I also said earlier, it’s luck too. I had bad luck last year, really bad luck. I’m just thankful to go out there every play and I try to be as out the way as I can in terms of like pileups and stuff like that.”
(When injuries happen like that, is there just like a balance between acknowledging like, wow, I just got unlucky, versus oh, there’s actually something I can do different?) – “It’s a lot to process in the moment. But yeah, you’ll get there over time. For me last year, there wasn’t much for me to do in my situations. Roll ups are an unfortunate part of the game, hard to control. That’s something that’s really up to luck. Everyone’s taking care of their bodies the same for the most part.”
(I thought there was an interesting set of statistics from the Dolphins. It said that the Dolphins defensive front is number one in the NFL in quarterback hits and the Dolphins offensive front is best at preventing quarterback hits. So number one on offense, number one on defense, according to the Dolphins. What do you think is the correlation there? What’s going on with this team that sort of allows that to happen on both sides of the ball?) – “Well, on both sides of the ball, I know we both, offensive and defensive line, we preach elite technique of everything. We built up a lot of reps over the summer, over OTAs, just getting better, trying new things. If you weren’t successful in something, not curling up and not doing it again, but keep hustling and working until you get the result you want. I think that offensive and defensive line, both of us attacked it the same way this year and we will for the rest of the season. That’s the plan.”
(Have you seen or eaten anything that you thought was cool here in Germany?) – “I had these chopped up beef and pork schnitzels. No, not schnitzels. It’s like hot dogs with a bunch of random stuff on it. I don’t even know what was on it, but it was good.”
(We also know that OL Robert Hunt won’t play in this game. I wanted to know what you think of how OL Robert Jones has played when he’s been in and also OL Lester Cotton moving back and forth at the guard positions?) – “Yeah, we’re going to miss big Bobby (Robert Hunt) in there, but we have confidence in our other guards, Lester and Rob Jones as well. They’ve both started in this league, both very detail-oriented guys. We’re confident to get them in there. I’m confident to see them do their job and get the opportunity to play.”
(I was just looking at the numbers before you came in and Chiefs DT Chris Jones has played 202 snaps at defensive end over the last two seasons. I wondered what the challenges were for you when you’re normally facing a Haason Reddick or a Josh Uche at maybe 250, 260 pounds, facing a guy that’s 6’6”, 310, and what challenges that presents you for somebody as big as him but also with the outstanding balance and hands and the two-hand swat that he has that’s so effective? How do you prepare for somebody like Chris Jones?) – “Wow, you just named like three of his rushes that’s pretty good. Really it just comes down to your plan. Obviously, you can’t have the same plan for a guy like Chris Jones, who like you said is 6’5”, 310, versus Uche who’s 6’1”, probably 250. A different skill set. So you just have to have a different plan for both guys. I don’t think you should look at it as a challenge. Well, you could look at it as a challenge. But it’s just having a different plan.”
(You talked about being out here, how you’ve enjoyed it and all that. But is there almost more anticipation? Are you almost ready to get to the game already? Is it a little different than when you’re preparing at home?) – “In terms of like the feelings I feel on the inside, leading up to a game, I think like that Saturday night, I’m like the most ready to get to Sunday. I know I need every single day leading up to Sunday to be the best version of myself. It would be nice to see my family. That’s about it. But I’m taking it one day at a time and enjoying the moment. I’m in Germany for the first time, so I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
(You spoke about family. Your grandfather played in the NFL. Have you had a chance to speak with him about your experience being the first one from your family to play in a international game?) – “No, I haven’t. To be honest, he wouldn’t care. (laughter) Not like he wouldn’t care about an international game, but he’s just very old school. Very, who cares, just get the job done.”
Jalen Ramsey – November 3, 2023
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Friday, November 3, 2023
CB Jalen Ramsey
(Just wanted to ask how are you feeling? Second week of practice, first week of practice since the debut. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio talked about possibility of you lining up against Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Is that something that you anticipate doing this weekend?) – “We’ll see. I just play whatever Vic calls. It’s only my second week, so I’m still getting adjusted to how Vic does things.”
(Would you like that matchup with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce?) – “I like playing football with whoever.”
(I know you and CB Xavien Howard have talked a lot about finally playing together. If he indeed is back from his groin injury, what would that be like to line up opposite him?) – “It’d be nice. It would be real nice. I think it will give the defense a lot of confidence and a little bit of a new dynamic. But we got to put it together. We’ll see.”
(What do you think Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes does best?) – “I don’t know if you can just point to one thing. You can’t just point to one thing. I’m not even going to stand here and try to. He does a lot of things really good.”
(When plays break down against the Chiefs, wherein lies the challenge from the secondary standpoint in defending in the scramble drill? The play after the play.) – “It just seems like they have scramble plays, kind of like the play after the play already designated. It’s just more covering. And it’s already tough playing defensive back, so it just makes it a little tougher. But that’s part of it.”
(I’m a football player over here in Europe. I tore my ACL last year unfortunately last season, and I wanted to know what were the keys to your fast recovery and what is your best advice to recover fast?) – “God. Just God. Believing in God. His plan for you. Working extremely hard and having good people around you. Just trusting it. Fall in love with the process and then you’ll just forget about how long it will take. Once you get back out there, you’ll feel good. You’ll feel great and confident.”
Mike McDaniel – November 3, 2023
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Friday, November 3, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Anything else happening for you in Germany so far? When you last spoke to us it kind of seemed like you were having a normal work week while just in another country.) – “Nothing’s changed, however, my wife and daughter I think have just arrived. Haven’t seen them yet. We’ll probably see a sight. There’s a zoo with a baby elephant that I’ve heard about, but no updates since then.”
(How has T Terron Armstead’s practice week been and is activating him in consideration or is it more appealing to give him the two weeks with the bye to follow?) – “It’s been so far so good. We still have a day to assess that and we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. But it’s been very encouraging and feel optimistic, but have to just see how today plays out to make sure that there’s no setbacks because we feel very good about all the offensive linemen we play. There’s a long season so there’s no reason for him to be pressing through something that might hurt him in the long run. We’ll assess it today.”
(I’ll just wrap up the key injuries if we could with center, right guard and WR Braxton Berrios) – “So center, Connor Williams has had an outstanding week of practice. It ended up being very fortuitous that Liam Eichenberg played really well last week and afforded him another week of get right. He hasn’t had any setbacks so feel good about that. I think we’re going to do a one for one, Rob for Rob. Rob Hunt will be out and so we should see Rob Jones in there at left guard. Braxton Berrios, proud of that guy because inherently, in his nature, he’s got that aggressive walk-on mentality. We’ve been working together, really since he got here, about communicating appropriately and not fighting through things that might make him worse. It was proactive. He felt a little something. It wasn’t a full injury so we’re going to test it out today and see how it goes. Optimistic with him.”
(At risk of getting a one-word answer, what words would you use to describe your team. And if it is a one-word answer, please expand.) – “Hmm, well you did say ‘words.’ (laughter) That’s plural. I think ‘deliberately joyful’ and maybe ‘accountable’ and ‘hungry.’ So there’s several words.”
(Could you expand on deliberately joyful? They enjoy all the process, the games? What do you mean by that?) – “Maybe it’s ‘joyfully deliberate,’ would be more appropriate because they enjoy the process of really being critical of technique, having a high standard with which they try to practice their craft and enjoying hard work. I think one step that we’ve made as a team this season as opposed to last is understanding the value of the work week and how you can get game reps in practice. It really is the same for all sports. You hear about great players and their unique practice intensity and you hear about great teams that have that mindset of controlling what they can control and really getting everything out of the day. This 2023 version of the Miami Dolphins really enjoys working on things that will prepare them for Sunday. As a result, I think they feel prepared. We are playing a game. It is our job and it’s a high-stakes job, but it’s still playing. They’re able to find that happy balance of enjoying what they’re doing but taking it very serious at the same time.”
(Your introduction on the first press conference went viral. Have you adjusted to German humor yet, you mentioned you arrived earlier to Germany? And on a more serious note, both the Dolphins and Chiefs are huge teams with big aspirations this season with some dominant displays. But after this weekend, the losing team will be just one game away from some teams like, let’s say the Steelers and maybe the Browns that probably not maybe people would have seen coming at the start of the season. Does that say more of how competitive the NFL is or is this season even more crazier than usually how it gets?) – “Okay, so twofold. The former question, my intent is never to go viral and honestly, if I say something in jest that nobody laughs at, sometimes that’s the funniest outcome for me. So I pay it no mind. I’m not trying to be anything but myself. I’m very aware that sometimes myself doesn’t come off hilarious to everybody and it is what it is. Then as far as NFL parity, you’re hitting on one of the things that is at the crux of – every team’s battled during the course of the season. Unique to football, you have a limited schedule. You have now 17, what was once 16, games with a lot of buildup. You have a whole offseason of buildup and there’s a week between each game so there are a bunch of narratives that occur, whether you win or you lose. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen with the Miami Dolphins; they lose, we can’t beat good teams. We win, we’re going to win the Super Bowl. None of it matters. You have to be your best when your best is required and that’s when there’s elimination games. So you’re trying to build towards that and take advantage of every opportunity to best service yourself for the situation at the end of the season. There’s a lot made up of each and every game. Quite literally this is 1/17th of the season, that’s how important it is. If it was Major League Baseball, it would be 10 games. That would be five games in the NBA. But at the same time, let’s say for instance, we were able to beat the Chiefs and had the best game of our year this week. What does that mean? It means we’re 7-2. That’s all. Does seven wins get you into the playoffs? Probably not. Does it matter if you climax right now and go, yeah, cool regular season win. It’s very important, but at the same time, the biggest thing is you’re progressing during the season. So when push comes to shove and it’s win or go home, which inevitably, you’re either trying to make the playoffs, at some point it’s an elimination game, or you’re in the playoffs and it’s an elimination game, you better be your best then.”
(I am from France, so pardon my accent. You are practicing here in Frankfurt in the Frankfurt Galaxy facility, which is an ELF team or European League Football Team. Are you familiar with the ELF? Have you ever watched a game? Are you familiar with European American Football or not at all?) – “Well, first of all, you don’t have to apologize when you’re speaking a second or third language. Hats off to you. I know one and I’m not very proud of that. Secondly, not really very familiar with the game and I follow international stuff but I struggle to keep up with the weather. I can’t keep up with worldly sports. I’m sure it’s a high-quality sport and really, I regard all professional sports because you have to be pretty good for people to pay to watch you.”
(First I wanted to ask what were your thoughts on WR Tyreek Hill being named player of the month following Tua? First time in team history having back-to-back players of the month. And secondly, the origin of the Friday song, I know today’s Friday so I should expect to hear it out there.) – “There’s nothing better in really all walks of life than watching people get rewarded for hard work. Everybody knows that Tyreek is fast and he’s a freak athlete in that way. But the only way you’re a player of the month is it takes an inordinate amount of focus, of dependability. There’s just so many hours of work to be able to perform at that level when every team you play knows you’re trying to get the ball to him. He sees creative coverages all the time. It speaks to him, it speaks to really the whole offense. I see it as kind of a team award in that way because I know it doesn’t matter how cool of a route he runs or how awesome he is with the ball in his hands. For one, the quarterback has to get it to him and two, the quarterback has to have enough time to do so. I think it speaks to a lot of work from a lot of different people. It speaks to the health of the – really the work ethic of the entire side of the ball. And I think all the players look at it that way too where that recognition, they feel a piece of and I know Tyreek feels that same way. It’s a cool honor to have and you enjoy when people’s hard work gets recognized. And then two, being an outside the box thinker, having a song that says ‘Friday’ on Friday, boom. It’s just a thing. We’re kind of creatures of habit. You have a routine that you have to really – you almost have to religiously abide by a routine to be able to be effective in a team sport with 11 people on the field at the same time trying to work in one direction. Little elements of routine go a long way. Friday is Friday for everyone. It’s a heavy work week for players, coaches, support staff. I’m not even sure if people like the song, they just like the routine of the song, so we keep it going.”
(The game is global. We’re here playing the game we love. Now flag football is in the Olympics, it’s an Olympic sport. Would you like at some point of your life to become the head coach of the U.S.A. team of flag football? I’m not in charge but I’m just asking.) – “I would like a lot of things. I’m just trying not to get fired at my current job. But I’m really excited about the fact that there’s an element of football in general, whether it’s tackle or flag, that really speaks to the core principles of life, about controlling what you can control and being able to handle adverse situations and working really hard and then experiencing failure. I think a lot of people can relate to that. I think there’s a lot of life lessons in the game of football and really expresses how no one does anything in the world by themselves quite honestly. I think the game of football really speaks to that. There’s always, regardless of how ambitious you are or talented you are, there’s always some sort of avenue. There’s certain things that you’ve learned from people that you’ve taken. Regardless, people can really learn from team sports because it’s exactly applicable to I think lift life. And the more people that are exposed to, in my opinion, one of the greatest team sports that have ever existed, I’m happy that the world is embracing the game that way. Because once you’ve made it to the Olympics, you’ve been embraced.”
(WR Tyreek Hill said he was a bit pissed that he wouldn’t face the Chiefs at Arrowhead. He seems like a passionate guy. From a coach’s point of view, are you a bit relieved that you’re facing the Chiefs here? Tyreek is facing the Chiefs here with less distractions?) – “I wouldn’t say any of that factors in to any thought that I have. The idea is as a team you accept whatever the situation is. As a team, you embrace and you challenge. Arrowhead is a tough place to play. Ultimately, you want to be a team that it doesn’t matter where you play. So my mindset, I really haven’t thought about it like that. I’m more looking at it like what an opportunity – how cool is it, I can’t remember the stats, I believe it didn’t take long for this game to sell out, right? That’s all you really think about. Okay, there’s a demand or there’s an interest. I can speak on behalf of the whole team, we’re pretty honored to have people pay money, their hard-earned money, to come watch us do what we commit our professional lives to. I’m pretty sure the Kansas City Chiefs fanbase travels well. I’m sure there will be a slight element of Arrowhead, but I think this is a cool opportunity for us to compete in a place no one that has participated in this game – a place that no one has participated or we’ve never played a game here. That’s good news for our industry, the NFL in general, and it’s an exciting opportunity. I’ve never been to Europe. I’m a history major, this is awesome. Maybe I’ll get to see a sight here soon. So great opportunity for everybody, and we feel very fortunate and it speaks to the health of the National Football League, I think.”
(I wanted to ask you about the evolution of your scheme in terms of you started stuff last year running, I suppose kamikaze RPOs with QB Tua Tagovailoa making first-level reads but pushing the ball vertically down the field with post wheel and rail wheel. And into year two, the evolution has been so quick, and now you’re much more condensed between the numbers. The routes look a bit different.) – “No, how awesome is this? Clearly you have an accent and you know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m honored that you’re watching our tape.”
(There are even some Mike Shannahan elements in terms of Tua turning his back to the defense on play action.) – “Now you’re just flexing (laughter).”
(But I just wanted to know in terms of the speed, obviously there’s a reason for the evolution, but in terms of the speed of the revolution whether that was down to Tua’s comfort level, whether it was down to your evolution as a play-designer or play-caller? Without wanting to do a Barry Jackson 2-for-1, whether or not you are working on the next iteration of the scheme to stay one step ahead of people like Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steven Spagnuolo?) – “In principle, I don’t really look at it as my scheme at all. It’s the furthest thing from it. What it is, is we’re taking elements of what people do well and trying to really lean into that. The evolution is really centered around finding out what your players are good at and evolving in that direction. So quite literally, the scheme is a result of the players. In terms of that forecasting of being a schematic guru or something, I see it far from that. I think the product looks good because people know what they’re doing, are fully invested in it. And yeah, there’s some movement and things of that nature, but the orchestration only works because do you know how much deliberate practice it takes to time up motions with concepts and have footwork from the quarterback timed up with the footwork of the receiver and the aiming points of each combination block tied to the runner? All those things, from our offensive staff standpoint, were just opening our eyes watching our players and kind of adapting to them. So I think that’s always kind of how I looked at it. Last year was tricky because you only know this much about your guys, and you’re learning on the fly. You learn fast. Oh yeah, he doesn’t like that or he’s uncomfortable with that. Receiver, running back, right guard, you’re doing the same thing, which is trying to utilize players’ talents in a cohesive manner to be able as 11 people move as one. I think that the evolution of the offense, it really comes down to the coaches getting a better idea of what guys are good at and guys really truly going after the opportunity. Not being satisfied with results, but really chasing that unattainable level of perfection. When you have a group of guys that are never satisfied and always want to have, ‘okay, what can I do better?’ You have a chance to be your best selves for sure. That’s what I think we’re all seeing and we’re all along for the ride watching our players play.”
Bradley Chubb – November 2, 2023
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Thursday, November 2, 2023
LB Bradley Chubb
(Opening Statement) – “Before the first question, today marks a year, my first time back with the Miami Dolphins team. This time last year, I had a lot of emotions going, a lot of everything going, and I just want to, right now, I just once again, thank Mr. Ross and his family, Mr. Garfinkel and his family, Mr. Grier, Coach Mike (McDaniel). Changed my life, man, and I’m glad to be here. I’m glad to be here with this team, and I’m thankful to be here in Germany with you guys. Wouldn’t have got this opportunity if this time last year wasn’t around. Still a little emotional part of my journey, but at the end of the day, man, I’m right where I need to be. God has a plan for me and my family, and it’s right here in Germany right now. I’m taking the fullest advantage of it, and I appreciate y’all out here. Any questions?”
(If I recall, that same time last year, you were just coming back from London playing a game overseas. What’s it like now, a year later, sort of the flip, now with the Dolphins, you’re going overseas to Germany and the team not making a trade deadline move so no other player has to sort of do that kind of travel schedule at the same time?) – “Any time you get a chance to expand the game that I’ve been playing since I was six years old, a game that I love, a game that I put my heart into, any time you’ve got the chance to share that with a different group of people, different culture, no matter where it is, it’s a blessing. It’s a huge opportunity. Last year in London was fun, I had a good time. But this year in Germany, I’m with a special group of guys, and we’ve got an opportunity to do something real special. So it makes the experience that much better, that much sweeter. God has been working. Last year we had a week in L.A. (Los Angeles) and I saw a lot of guys – I’m not going to say like we weren’t prepared, but a lot of guys kind of took that as a vacation opportunity and we weren’t the best us that Sunday. Full circle, a year later from now, we’ve just taken full advantage of the opportunity, whether it’s recovering as much as we can, whether it’s hitting the practice field as hard as we can, everybody is bought in, everybody is locked in and it’s a beautiful thing to see. Like I said, on the international part of it, it’s just fun being able to expand the game, like I said, and be out here in a great country.”
(You lead the team in sacks. Can you just share some of your experiences of playing against some of the top quarterbacks and I guess some of the running backs in the league this year so far?) – “Any time you step foot on that field healthy, it’s a blessing. It’s been a blessing, and it’s been one of those things, man, I just try to be the best me each and every week. I feel like in the start of the season, I was kind of not really living in the moment, trying to do this and that and be the superhero because I’m the guy they paid or whatever it may be. Over these past couple of weeks, I’ve just been locking in on my teammates and on what I’ve got to do personally to be the best me, because at the end of day I’m just a small piece in this big puzzle. Each day I approach, I’m going to make sure I do my job the best, make sure I do this the best, make sure I bring guys along with me with energy, with anything it may be. It’s been working out the past couple of weeks. Being able to go against some of the top, like you said, (running) backs and quarterbacks in the league, it’s been a fun experience, especially when you see yourself starting to have success, because it just lets you know you’re here for a reason. We’ve been playing, like you said, a lot of great quarterbacks, and we’ve got a great quarterback and a great offense coming up this week as well. So just trying to continue the process of it, continue the mindset and all that and just try not to think of it as, ‘Oh, we’re playing these guys,’ you know what I mean? Just taking it week by week, day by day and letting the play do its talking.”
(How do you think a trip like this does for the team as a unit, the camaraderie and things like that?) – “It brings us together a lot man. Like I said, last year in L.A. (Los Angeles) when we were out there for a week, I felt like we kind of missed some of that. The guys hung out with each other, but it wasn’t that team, that close. So being able to do it again this year and seeing the transformation of us as a team from then to now and just to see how guys are bought in, bought into each other, bought into just everything Coach (Mike McDaniel) is preaching, it’s been fun to see. I feel like we’re going to be a better team leaving Germany, for sure.”
(You heard WR Tyreek Hill talk about he didn’t want to touch the Swiftie thing. You’ve got guys like CB Jalen Ramsey back there and S Jevon Holland that are going to have to be dealing with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Do you feel for them and the wrath they might take from some of these Swifties if they do their job the way they’re supposed to?) – “I mean, yeah, man. But at the end of the day, we’re going to be happy that they’re doing their job. I don’t want to say nothing about the Swifties, but we could care less about what they think. Just got to make sure – I know those boys are going to do their job and we’ve got to do our job to help them out.”
(I was going to say, to do your job is getting after Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, obviously. That’s the key to stopping this offense, is that the way you feel?) – “For sure. Like Tyreek (Hill) said, 87 (Travis Kelce) is a huge part of that. But when you’ve got a guy like Patrick Mahomes, he’s all-world for a reason. He has the perfect feel for the game. He knows when the rush is coming. He knows when the DB is lacking off or anything like that. So it’s not going to be an easy task at all, in no way shape or form, but we’ve got a lot of guys on this defense that play hard, that play together, and I feel like if we continue to do that, we should have success. But that’s just me talking – we’ve got to out there Sunday and actually do it, actually prove it, actually set our standard on that field out here in Germany. It’s going to be a great challenge. I’m excited about it. Like I said, just to see where this team is at a whole year from now, I feel like we’re in a way better position to play these types of games, to play – Alec (Ingold) alluded to it – those mentally tough games, because everybody has to come out here and redo your whole routine and stuff like that. Just guys being bought in, and I feel like it’s going to take us exactly where we need to be.”
(The Frankfurt Stadium is supposed to be the loudest stadium in Germany. What kind of atmosphere do you expect on Sunday?) – “A huge one. I know those fans are going to kind of be cheering for both sides. I hope that’s the plan, that’s how it kind of was in London last year. It was loud the whole game. The energy was there the whole game, and I know these fans out here are going to bring the same energy, the same love for the game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, I’m excited for it.”
(I’ve been asking a lot of your teammates and coaches about playing against Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio earlier today said it kind of starts with not allowing him to run, not allowing him to escape the pocket. Is that something that’s easier said than done, though?) – “Way easier said than done. Because like I said, he has such a great feel for the game that you could keep them in the pocket, but he’s going to find a little sliver or whatever it may be. It’s not going to be an easy task, but that’s the goal. We might not do it every play. We might not do it half the plays. But at the end of the day, that’s the goal to keep him in that pocket. And even if we don’t, I know the guys on the back end are going to do their jobs to hold up, to reroute, to plaster and all that type of stuff. It’s more about team defense and not so much getting caught up in, ‘Oh, if he escapes the pocket, it’s going to hurt us,’ because he’s going to do that. He’s one of the best for a reason, so he’s going to do that. He’s going to be in those positions to make plays, we’ve just got to be in better position.”
(What’s the challenge of keeping QB Patrick Mahomes contained and not over-pursuing and not trying to chase after a sack and rather just staying in your zone?) – “The challenge, especially up front, is you always want to win on your first move. Like, ‘Ooh, I beat that dude clean. I got a sack.’ You always want that to happen, but the challenge is not getting frustrated in not winning in your first move. Yeah, your first move might come clean, but he’s going to step up and boom, the tackle is going to be right there. You’ve got to work it again to get past him that time and (Patrick) Mahomes might be right there, the quarterback might be on the other side, you never know. So that’s the challenge of just not knowing exactly where he’s going to be, but like I said, we’ve got guys that play hard that get after not only the quarterback, but the running backs, the receivers. If we play that team defense like I know we can and I know we will, it’s going to be good for us.”
(You seem to be very reflective, speaking and feeling very blessed. You’re going to be a part of history this weekend playing the first ever game in Frankfurt. How do you feel about that and how far do you think NFL international can go?) – “The sky is the limit, man. Hopefully in the future, we see something crazy like a division over here or something and teams have got to travel over here every year to be able to play in front of these great fans. But yeah, like I said, the sky is the limit. And what was the first question you asked? I’m sorry.”
(How do you feel about being a part of history?) – “Being a part of history – like I said, I wouldn’t be in this position now if it wasn’t for this time last year. So when you look at the grand scheme of things, it’s just God putting me in this position, God putting me in the right position, the one he wants me to be in. If that entails making history, then that’s what it is. I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, this is history.’ I’ll just go out there and do my thing and look back on it like, ‘Man, we really did something special.’ So that’s the goal and going to keep fighting each and every day this week to make sure that we’re on the right side of history. But yeah, like I said, it’s a blessing to be here.”
Christian Wilkins – November 2, 2023
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Thursday, November 2, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(You seem like a guy that could immerse yourself into different cultures. How have you done so so far?) – “Absolutely, it’s been so far, so good. I love being here, it’s been a lot of fun, just time spent with my teammates, enjoying their company, getting closer with those guys, but also it’s special to be in another country. Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts, one thing I always wanted to do was be able to travel. I didn’t think football would take me out of the country to play a game, so this is a special time for me, just kind of thinking how far I’ve come and just being here, having an opportunity to play a game.”
(What do you think is the potential of the defense once you do have CB Xavien Howard finally opposite CB Jalen Ramsey?) – “It’ll definitely be great when all the pieces to the puzzle are together. We all have a role, we’re all a piece of the puzzle. So when we’re at full strength, I think we have a chance to be pretty good. Looking forward to seeing what we continue to do this year.”
(I know you’ve had some creative sack celebrations. Do you have something special for the German crowd?) – “We’ll see what I come up with. I’m always, like you said, creative. So we’ll see if I come up with something good.”
(On a football note, you just tied a career-high in sacks against the Patriots, and obviously you’re on pace to smash your current career-high. What do you think has kind of clicked for you? Is it something maybe you did in the offseason? Has it been the scheme? I don’t know, sometimes with sacks, it’s kind of fickle, you know?) – “Just I’m always looking to work on improvement. There’s a lot of things to credit to, could be the scheme, good teammates, just finding opportunities and things. So there’s a lot of things that you can credit that to, so I don’t – just taking advantage of my opportunities, really.”
(When you think about the magnitude of this game, are you all treating it as just another game? Or are you looking at it in terms of the records as far as potential first seed and things like that?) – “I really wasn’t – personally, I wasn’t really paying attention to all that or knowing that or anything really. Really I’ve just been kind of focused on us getting better as a team, and I think that’s kind of the focus of the team. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, as long as we’re getting better each and every week. Every game in this league is important, because you lose too many of those non-important games, then you’ll see how important those games were. It’s tough to win in this league. It’s hard to win in this league, so we just try to focus on ourselves and improvement.”
(Following up, have you tried any German authentic food yet?) – “I have. I tried one of their döner sandwich – that was actually really good. I tore that thing up. The guy was being a little – portions are smaller here, so no offense, and I was a little upset with the dude, because he tried to throw a little bit of meat on there. I was like, ‘I’m American,’ but he did hook me up and threw in a little extra meat in there for me. So I was very happy with that. I did the garlic sauce or whatever that was, and it was really good. That was probably one of my favorite things I’ve eaten here so far on the street, so I’m a big fan of the street food and all that good stuff.”
(Where did you go for that?) – “I was just in the downtown area just walking around, they had a bunch of different places for it. I forget the name. I’ve got a picture of it, but I forget the name. It was good.”
(FB Alec Ingold and WR Tyreek Hill earlier both said that they’re still trying to get their sleep back to normal. They both commented that they’re tired. Just wanted to know how your body is adjusting so far?) – “Definitely an adjustment. I’m glad that we kind of got here early, just to be able to get acclimated to the time and everything. The first two days were kind of like, ‘Oof.’ The first full day here, it was a little rough, but I think now guys are starting to adjust more and with a few more days until game time, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
(Some of you guys explored the city already, you had said that. How much time is there in your schedule to actually explore the city, explore the country?) – “Not a lot, but we kind of had our off-day here when we first got here, so that was like the day where most guys kind of got around, explored a little bit. For the most part, we all had a good time just immersing ourselves in a different culture and things like that. It’s always fun. A lot of guys haven’t been to Europe or out of the country too. I’ve been fortunate to be well-traveled, so I’m kind of helping those guys navigate or just kind of figure things out a little bit. So yeah, we had pretty much a full day, and whenever we have enough time, I’m sure guys will look to explore more.”
