Xavien Howard – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
CB Xavien Howard (Transcribed by New England)
(On how it feels to have the defense put together a good game)
“There’s always room for improvement. We have to finish growing. Our offense helped us out a lot last week, so we had to come to play tonight.”
(On the defense causing turnovers and his interception)
“That’s one thing about the Patriots, they aren’t going to stop fighting. They’re going to keep coming but we made the special plays that needed to make and we got the job done.”
(On the pressure from the defensive line making his job easier)
“Getting pressure on the quarterback is a cornerback or safety’s dream. You get pressure on the quarterback, you get jump balls or overthrown balls to make plays on the back end.”
Christian Wilkins – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
DT Christian Wilkins (Transcribed by New England)
(On how it feels to come into New England and get a win)
“It’s special for me personally because it’s nice coming back home to my home state. It’s always fun to get a win against a division opponent on the road. It was a big win tonight. Good energy. It was a lot of fun to play in this environment.”
(On what the defense improved on from Week 1 to tonight)
“We really didn’t have a choice. We’re running with the guys we’ve got and we had to get better from Week 1. We have some new defensive guys but that’s no excuse. We made some adjustments, and we were able to be better this week and hopefully we can build off of that moving forward. There’s still some stuff we can improve upon. By no means was it a perfect game. It can still be better in some situations.”
(On the defense being able to get pressure on Mac Jones tonight)
“Yeah, guys were able to do a good job, continuing rushing and winning their one-on-one individual matchups. The pressure just kept coming. Guys were relentless and again, hopefully it’s something we can build upon.”
LB Andrew Van Ginkel – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
LB Andrew Van Ginkel (Transcribed by New England)
(On his versatility)
“Obviously Coach Fangio saw the versatility in me, and he knew that I could play multiple roles. In two weeks I’ve played two different roles already. Who know what the future holds? I’m just very appreciative to be back here in Miami and being able to be a part of this team.”
(On the last tackle on Cole Strange)
“It kind of reminded me of the Rob Hunt play a couple years back. It’s kind of crazy when the offensive lineman ends up with the ball in their hands. Honestly, I kind of went for the ball, I should have just tried knocking him back, but obviously it was a great play to get the stop and won the game off that.”
(On his effort)
“I think just my whole life being raised to be accountable. Being dependable so they know that they can trust me. I’m going to do what I’m asked to do, try to know the plays to the best of my abilities. With the different formations with however they may attack us. I just try to be on top of it and I think that allows me to play fast and be in the right spots.”
(On the defense bouncing back from last week)
“Obviously when you give up 34 points it’s a terrible feeling. Obviously the Chargers have a good offense, but it left a sour taste in our mouths, and we definitely came out with something to prove tonight.”
(On his sack)
“Any way you can get the quarterback down on the ground, and obviously get them backed up, putting them in a tough situation. It flips the field position any time you can do that. Any sack in the game is usually a big sack and it becomes a momentum changer.”
(On Bradley Chubb)
“He wasn’t satisfied with last week and he came prepared. He worked his tail off all week and you could see that he was determined. He was going to get to the quarterback and he came out and got the sacks and hits when we needed him to.”
Raheem Mostert – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
RB Raheem Mostert (Transcribed by New England)
(On what he was seeing overall in the run game and with the blocking up front)
“The guys up front were doing an unbelievable job. They’re just progressing each and every week. You saw last week what they were doing – they gave up no sacks and then this week, they were more heavily involved in the running game. It was an honor to just see those guys do what they do best, especially with a good defense like the Patriots. Man, they were just doing everything right.”
(On what it means to start the season 2-0 with two road wins against playoff contenders)
“It’s really good. Each week, you want to just get better and better as the season goes on. Now we’ve got to focus on our next opponent, which is the home opener against Denver. We have the 24-hour, 48-hour rule, and then it’s grind time.”
(On the Patriots defensive front and if anything about it was surprising to him)
“We knew that the defense was going to run the way they did. The d-line was – I mean, you’ve got [Matthew] Judon over there, who’s just a playmaker and then you’ve got Lawrence [Guy] as well and a few other guys, [Josh] Uche. There’s a lot of different guys up front that could make a lot of plays. You’ve got to minimize those as much as possible. I think we neutralized them as best as we could.”
(On the team having good runs on inside zone as opposed to the more commonly used outside zone)
“I think we had a pretty good mixture. We had a 19 that I bounced and got around the corner, I think I got like six? I strive to try to hit that home run, but of course, you’ve got to play the defense how it comes. Inside zone was definitely more beneficial this game. When you have a team like the Patriots, all they do is set that edge. It’s kind of tough to get on the outside anyway. We knew that coming in, we knew that we had to control the edge as much as possible and try to figure out how we could get around them. Ultimately, it was a team effort in that aspect.”
(On what hitting 100 rushing yards means to him and if that’s always going to be a special number as a running back)
“Yeah, it’s always going to be a special number. That means that you’re doing your thing. I mean, 100 yards is hard to come by, especially in a passing league. When you’re able to get 100 yards and do your due diligence, that means that everything was going on all cylinders, you were running the ball very well and even in the pass game, you were completing passes that needed to be completed.”
Tua Tagovailoa – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
QB Tua Tagovailoa (Transcribed by New England)
(Tua, what did you think of the looks that you were getting?) – “Yeah, I was not surprised of what they wanted to do. Seemed as if they wanted to put an umbrella over our two fast guys. And then as the game progressed, they started to get back into what they normally would run. But I think they do a tremendous job with adjusting in game. And, you know, that’s really a big, big thing I would say for any Bill Belichick defense when they’re going out there. You know, you can see one thing, and then if you hit an explosive or something happens on that, you can expect something to change in that instance. And so how they defended one of our plays towards the ending of the game wasn’t how they defended it the first three, four times. They got adjusted. We got a call, and we were able to go down there.
(When you see that is that just about taking what the defense gives you?) – “Yeah. That’s the most important thing playing this defense is they’re not going to give up too many explosives. They really want you to work for yardage. And it’s definitely a take-what-they-give-you kind of defense. And they play sound football. So they’re trying to force you to make mistakes.”
(So a 2 and 0 start with both wins coming on the road. What do you think that means for the team?) – “Well, I think if you can win any time on the road, that’s a big plus. It’s hard to win games on the road in this league. But, you know, we’re still trying to find our identity as a team, offensively, defensively, and the special teams. And we’ll continue to watch film, continue to grow, continue to get better. I think the defense did a lot of great things for us, giving us opportunities to get the ball in the end zone. We didn’t capitalize. And I thought our O-line did great. Our run game was solid. So to the point of taking what they give you, you know, I made a costly mistake that – it could have been costly, but it’s a team sport. So just happy that we could come out with a win.”
(There were a couple of moments where it seemed like the momentum might shift from you guys to the Patriots and every time the team would kind of answer the call. Was there anything said in the huddle by the coaches?) – “Yeah. When you’re playing prime time football, you can’t expect it to be a blowout. Every time you’re playing an NFL team, you’re always expecting it to be a really close game. They’ve got good guys on that side, we’ve got good guys on our side. And it’s just a matter of who executes the best on both sides of the ball. Like I said, I think our guys did really good. We’re really excited that we’ve won. But there’s a lot of things that we can learn from.”
(How nice is it to get 121 yards from Raheem Mostert?) – “Yeah. That’s a testament to all the guys he’s surrounded by. It’s a testament to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Rob Hunt. Austin Jackson – I’m going to keep naming them – Connor Williams. We’ve got Isaiah Wynn. We’ve got Kendall Lamm, Alec Ingold. It’s a testament to all those guys with, you know, those guys basically telling us, “hey, if you’re going to beat us, you’re going to have to run the ball,” by putting an umbrella over our guys. So it – you know, I would think Raheem would say the same, but it’s well deserved in every aspect of the run game.”
(I feel without Terron Armstead, Kendall Lamm performed well. Without Jaelan Phillips tonight, Andrew Van Ginkel performed really well. What do you think that says about the sort of depth of talent on this roster?) – “Yeah. I believe it says a lot. The confidence that those guys have coming in and filling spots that are really, really good guys and guys that have sort of made a name for themselves in this league. But no one blinks. It’s the NFL. Those guys know that when they’re stepping into that role what’s expected of them. And Kendall [Lamm] has done a tremendous job. Gink [Andrew Van Ginkel] has done a tremendous job. And the cool thing about it is they don’t get the most credit, but those are some of the hardest working guys that you will see day in and day out in the building. They keep their head down. They don’t talk much, but they let their play do the talking.”
(I don’t know if you saw a replay of the Jaylen Waddle helmet to helmet. It was obviously a foul. How concerned were you about him?) – “Any time one of your guys goes down, definitely always concerned. But I got to see him, seems as if he’s in good spirits. So hoping for the best for him.
(What happened on the mishandled snap toward the end there?) – “Yeah. That’s totally my fault. There’s things that I was changing up in which I shouldn’t. And I got to get that fixed with C Connor [Williams].
(You’re now 5 and 0 against Bill Belichick’s defense What are you doing right?) – “I think our team is 5 and 0 against Bill Belichick. It’s never a me thing. It’s never a me thing. And I don’t think we ever look at it as, “oh, we beat them once, we beat them twice, we beat them five times in a row.” Every time we face Coach Belichick’s team, it’s always a challenge. And we know we’re going to get their best. But it’s hard to play against a team like that, especially here on the road in Foxborough. We’re going to take them however they come. And we’ll continue to move forward on whatever team that we have next.”
(What were you thinking, final play, Mike Gesicki, a guy you’re very fond of, he’s got the ball and he’s reaching and he laterals it?) – “Yeah. I mean, smart play, smart play by Mike [Gesicki] knowing that he didn’t have the first down by doing that. But it was really cool to see Mike go out there. Looked like he was having fun and got some catches, made some crucial catches as well. Another former teammate, it was cool seeing DeVante Parker, DP, you know, just like practice, him going up against X [Xavien Howard] all over again. But they play really hard. They played really well. And it was cool. It came down to the wire, so – thanks, guys.”
Mike McDaniel – September 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 17, 2023
Postgame – New England
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (transcribed by New England)
Q: How would you describe the game?
MM: Long. No, it was a divisional matchup, as you expect where those are hard to really separate yourself. Sometimes you have the opportunity to, you know, in your mind, put the game away. But, generally, against good football teams, that’s not the case. I thought that complementary football did exist. I thought the team played well together, picked up on each other’s momentum, specifically the Bradley Chubb forced fumble that turned into a 12-play touchdown drive. And then the defense holding their offense to a field goal before the half. And then the offense making the plays to go down the field. I think those are the biggest points in the game. And it was probably, you know, you go and look at the tape – and I told the guys in the locker room that they’re going to feel like it didn’t need to be a nail biter. And that happens a ton. You’re fortunate to get the win in that learning process of how to, you know, make sure that that’s not the case. But overall, on the road, prime time, division opponent, those are very, very valuable games to be able to come up with a win. So I was happy for all the guys, really.
Q: Can you describe what you saw from the way the Patriots defended you and how Tua Tagovailoa handled it?
MM: We knew – we definitely didn’t assume that what was on tape thus far this season was going to be everything that we were going to get. That was a – it was a unique game plan that, you know, I think guys did a pretty solid job of adjusting to the weird spots the guys were in. And then, you know, I was happy with a lot of the stuff that Tua [Tagovailoa] did, you know, but I think that forced throw to Tyreek [Hill] in the second half is something that he was trying to win the game after a couple frustrating drives. And that’s something you have to learn from. You know, you don’t force the hand. But overall, I was really happy with how he bounced back from things that, you know, I know frustrate him. Any time he’s off on any sort of throw, you know, in the past, that frustration has really bled into multiple drives. And there was one drive in the first half – was it the first or second half – where he – I think it was one of the first drives in the second half. I can’t remember. But he had a couple throws that he would have liked to have back, one to Tyreek and one to Jaylen Waddle down the field consecutively. But it speaks to where he’s at in his game because I thought he came back from that. We had some operations stuff that we’ll need to clean up. That’s the whole point and what I talk to the team about all the time is it’s a journey. It’s a journey of getting better so your best football is in December. So when you’re able to not play entirely your cleanest football and get the win, you embrace that. And we’ll look forward to getting better from it.
Q: How is Jaylen Waddle doing?
MM: I have no idea as of right now. I’ll be able to update you guys tomorrow. All I know is he went for evaluation. But beyond that, I haven’t got any information. It was so late in the game.
Q: What does it say about Andrew Van Ginkel and the player he is and the preparation he puts in with the way he played tonight?
MM: Says everything, you know. I think it – that’s why all of the offseason is so valuable. And Van Ginkel probably knows the defense better than anyone because of the multiplicity. And that was a great move to get in front of and, you know, with Vic [Fangio] – Coach Campanile, Ryan Slowik, and Austin Clark kind of identifying, you know, the varied use – or the potential of – you know, it’s been instrumental for us. And for him to be able to come in – and not just play but be an impactful force says everything about him and really all the people that are around him as well, like – as far as coaches and, you know, it was really cool to see that. But it didn’t surprise – didn’t surprise us really. I figured he’d have a pretty good game. He’s a really good player.
Q: What did you think of Raheem Mostert and the running game?
MM: It was – you know, I think he was hard to tackle. And I think that he – that was a huge boost, especially the way they were playing. We needed the line of scrimmage. And you have to take advantage of overplay. So if they’re overplaying the pass game, if you want to be a good offense, you have to threaten them with the run.
And I told them early that if – they are telling you something when, you know, they’re coverage first. Generally, defenses aren’t that way. They felt good about their up-front match ups. And I thought the guys were properly prepared and took that personal. And we were able to make some plays there that were instrumental. So that’s something that we’ve been building on. And it was – that’s an important moment for the guys because, you know, defenses watched tape. And they’re going to try to evaluate how you’ve won games before and not allow you to do the same thing to them. So that was their priority. And I thought guys did a good job. And there will be stuff that we’ll get better from too. But the guys were fired up to be able to get the opportunities to do that.
Q: The blocked field goal, did the movement pre-snap surprise guys?
MM: Yeah, I mean, it’s – it was a really cool schematic adjustment by the Patriots. Hats off to them. And it’s always telling when someone’s able to make a big play like that in terms of for yourself. You know, Danny [Crossman] was on it and knew that we needed to adjust the snap count, which is – they tried to do the same thing on the last field goal that we missed. But that’s why that – he wasn’t an impact on that play because we made the appropriate adjustments. But that was a great design. They kind of used one of the motions that we use on offense all the time, basically, and field goal block. Hadn’t seen that before. So that was a great job by them.
Mike McDaniel – September 15, 2023
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Friday, September 14, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(How’s T Terron Armstead?) – “He’ll practice today. Just trying to do my best to show as much restraint as possible and allow the process to unfold. I know he’s eager and we’ll see how the next 48 hours (unfold). We’ll make a decision before the game, I would hope. (laughter) We’ll probably circle back tomorrow and take a look everything. But he’s been doing well.”
(Is this a situation where it’s about how T Terron Armstead’s body recovers after the work? Or how much contact has he participated in?) – “He’s been in team drills this week and had contact there. It’s more of trying to get a snapshot of a global perspective here. You have a whole game to play, but you’re trying to test it enough to kind of get a scope of that. But a player of his caliber, and really what he’s done in his career, you’re also not trying to overdo it and put things at risk. It’s just that balance that’s a little tricky but something that we’re so fortunate to have such a good relationship and a trusting relationship with coaches, with Terron, and with the training staff. We’ll do whatever is best for the Dolphins for sure.”
(If I’m not mistaken, last year or late last year, LB Melvin Ingram and T Terron Armstead got vet days, at least one during the week. Have you decided on that this year, specifically with Terron and RB Raheem Mostert?) – “No, those are case by case and we’re just trying to get health consistency through Terron, which we’ll bridge that gap when it comes. I think you have to be calculated with those because you want guys to be at their best and still have their sword sharpened, so to speak. But also, where they’re at in their career and how many reps they do have, is it necessary for their game day performance? I think, for instance, I did not plan on having Raheem out of practice on Wednesday. If he needed to, he definitely wanted to practice and could have pushed through it. However, really to make sure that there were some preventative measures taken for his knee, we kept him out. That wasn’t planned but it was appropriate, I thought. He’s a competitor so he’s always annoyed when anything like that happens. I’m sure that more of that will come up as the season progresses, but it’s just important to do it with reason and not just because we said we’re going to do it. I’ll bridge that when it comes but I’m open to whatever helps us win.”
(About a month ago we had asked you how QB Tua Tagovailoa’s offseason training was translating to football. His physical skills were increasing. You said you thought that he had more throws in the bag, was a little quicker off the spot. Now that you’ve had another month of practices and a game where we saw a lot of that, would you confirm that he is better in those areas?) – “Well, I think it didn’t take the game to necessarily confirm that. Generally, I’m very aware that you guys have recorders, that everything that I say lasts forever. So if I’m going to boldly disclaim that, it’s probably with reason that he’s given me. It wasn’t just a hope. I think what we do know is a lot of teammates and a lot of people that have been around everyday weren’t necessarily surprised by his performance the past Sunday. Then at the same time, the past Sunday is the past Sunday. So blanket statements of what a player is, Tua knew he was capable and his teammates knew he was capable of that, much because he has the appropriate teammates to help him perform like that. It’s nice to know that you guys aren’t just looking at me with crazy faces anymore. Not that you were before, but yeah, I think some of that stuff was definitely evident the previous Sunday.”
(Considering how the Chargers had success running the ball last week, do you expect the Patriots to do that? Or do you expect their game plan to be we’re going to do what we do best?) – “Generally, in the game of football, and it goes on both sides of the ball, you’re always given the opportunity to correct and/or improve in a phase of the game. Because what happens is, as an offense, if you get beat on a blitz, you’re probably going to see the same blitz again. Coaches get paid to assess the tape. And when you’re vulnerable, you kind of have to stop the blitz before you stop seeing it. Same thing is the case for defense. If a team has success running the ball, turn the page the next week and the next team will have high intent to replicate the same thing. So there’s no hiding in the National Football League. And it’s kind of a cool thing. What I told the team is it’s weird because you have so much build up for game one. So much build up. I mean, we’re talking about endlessly. And really, realistically, players after the loss against Buffalo in the playoffs are talking to me about this season, so we’re talking about Week 1. And then in the game of football, you have a game, all that build up, and it’s one game that stands alone and is the identity of everyone for an entire week. And so we’re all talking about what we just built up for. Then you go to another week, that’s another story. Well in that, every single opportunity around the field, you have the opportunity to define who you are. If you don’t fancy yourself as a poor run defense, if your team wants to run the ball more, or you’re wanting to run the ball better, than run the ball better. You have an opportunity to next week. It’s the beauty of this game. And you have to stop people from doing something, or they’ll continue to do it.”
(Are you willing to share at this point whether its more likely than not that RB De’Von Achane will be active?) – “I know he’ll be practicing today, which that’s a win for me to tell you. And we’ll see. The funny thing about the active roster is every player is so affected by another player. So I mean, for me to say anything is a little getting ahead of myself because what happens if something unforeseen happens today in practice? What happens if COVID-23 comes out? I don’t know. You just don’t know. I know he’ll be practicing. He hasn’t had any setbacks, so that’s firing me up. And it’s not just him that affects his ability to be up on game day. It’s a lot of things from needs from the team and how healthy we are or available we are at certain positions.”
(Due to the hurricane in the area near Massachusetts, any thought to changing your flight plan or is it staying the same?) – “We have not discussed. I’ll call them the powers that be, but guys in the Miami Dolphins organization, we try to know each other as best as possible. People know where my head’s at, and weather patterns are not one of them. Having said that, with excellent discourse, it’s not the first time that things have – we’ve kind of talked about possibly adjusting something. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d say. We haven’t got to that point yet. So right now, we are on as planned.”
(Is the amount of time you spend on defense each week in terms of talking to the coordinator about the game plan and on game days, has it changed at all on the move from Josh Boyer to Vic Fangio? And how much is that involvement for you on the defensive side?) – “I think naturally, Vic and I are just two peas in a pod. So we’re always hanging out. (laughter) No, I think that our work weeks are busy, but never too busy to really work together. Specifically with Vic, he offers different variables that can assist me doing my job, seeing that he’s been a coordinator in the league since I was 12 years old and seeing how he’s been a head coach. So there’s a lot of overlap. He’s very well versed in game management as well. So, on top of all the normal things that we talked about, this year is different for me where I’m not the new guy. So all of those things kind of lead to we have more things to discuss a little bit and then naturally I would be a foolish man if I didn’t utilize his resources. I try my best not to be foolish.”
(The fair catch on the kickoff, do you guys have rules on that? I mean, if the kick is between the goal line and the five yard line, do you automatically fair catch? Or is everything left up to the return man?) – “I think there’s different philosophies. It’s going to be interesting to see how teams decide to play stuff. We definitely have a philosophy that we’re going to start with and we definitely have a plan of action or a game plan if we get multiple of those opportunities. How we’re going to do things, it’s definitely been discussed because it’s not an absolute. What’s been interesting is how little people are testing the waters. That’s been kind of the first mode of action is teams trying to not find out what other teams will do. So it’ll be interesting but we definitely have a plan of action if we get the opportunity. We’ll jump on that this week.”
(The perception changes so dramatically from week to week as you accurately mentioned many times. This week the Dolphins have the MVP favorite and the Dolphins are installed as the AFC East favorites. In all honesty I’m wondering have you, do you sense a need to address that with your team? The swirl, the hype, the overwhelming positivity.) – “That’s an interesting point. Last year, I definitely felt the urge to. I try to get proactive with it and tell people as much as I can what will happen so that when it happens, you don’t look into it too much. I think I haven’t felt that need with this team just because I honestly feel like they understand a one-win team is not a very good team. There’s a lot more – you have to win a lot of games and that’s hard in the NFL. I do think last year was a big help in that, being able to experience what happens when you have any sort of win streak and how people are making – there’s just so much conversation about things that are impossible to predict because one player changes the complexion of every team. And it’s all about continuing to develop and grow and getting too excited about one win and what people are saying about you is setting yourself up for supreme failure because I don’t think that anyone will be surprised whenever – you can’t be surprised with what happens, literally with every team. If you do well for that week, you’ll be considered something worth keeping your job for. And then you don’t, and then it’s up in the air. It’s kind of the black and white part of the game that I really enjoy just because you have to be kind of tough-minded in both avenues and whether you’re getting praised or you’re getting harassed, literally it doesn’t matter for the next game, that fans are paying to see, that is one of the finite amount of games that each and every player and coach is able to be in because nothing is forever. That’s the biggest thing with them. It’s been kind of cool because I haven’t felt that need. I think they understand that we’re way early in the journey.”
(When we talk on the subject of South Florida, synergy you guys are heading to Massachusetts. The Heat, they played Boston on the way to go to the championship. The Panthers, they defeated the Bruins. Are you guys using this week as a motivation week to be a perfect three-for-three for South Florida?) – “I don’t want to minimize that at all, but a division game on the road this early in the season doesn’t need much motivation. Especially it’s Sunday night. Trying to find other things to think about, there’s plenty to think about with that. Division games early in the season are very important to us so that’s all we’ve really needed to focus on is the Patriots and that’s been enough.”
Raheem Mostert – September 14, 2023
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Thursday, September 14, 2023
RB Raheem Mostert
(So you were able to do a little bit more today than Wednesday?) – “Yeah, absolutely. Yesterday I know it was a big scare for a lot of people. There was nothing to worry about. They just wanted to give me a vet day. They feel like with my age, with how many years I’ve played, how much ball I’ve been around and how much I’ve seen throughout the years, they were trying to look out for me. I was itching, I was telling them the day before, I was like, ‘hey, look, I’ll be good. Let’s go. I don’t need a day off.’ They were like, we’re going to do it anyway. Yeah, there’s nothing to worry about. My knee is good.”
(So more vet rest then? Because the knee is listed on the injury report but that’s more so like preventative treatment?) – “Yeah, preventative treatment. But honestly, nothing’s wrong. Nothing is really wrong with it.”
(What’s your favorite recovery tool that you like to use?) – “Actually, there’s a thing called Shockwave. It basically is like a shock therapeutic deal where you put some gel and it just pounds your knee. I get it done for my knee and it’s pretty good. I do it before practice.”
(Let’s talk about this offense, because you guys are all over the field. How do you replicate it this week against what you’ve seen on film from the Patriots?) – “At the end of the day, we’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do. We know our abilities. For this week, the challenge is going to be trying to get Bill (Belichick) and his defensive side of situational ball because they’re very good at situational football. Bill Belichick is one of the best to ever do it in the entire league across the NFL. He knows situational ball. He knows what he has to get done and he’s been running this same defense for quite some time now. It’s a dynasty-type of defense. There’s two-gap and he’s trying to shed blocks and fall off and make the tackle on the run game. Even in the pass game, you want to set the edges. We’ve just got to control the line of scrimmage as best as possible and just make plays.”
(The celebration, everyone hitting it in sync. You’ve got to be proud for the boys on that one.) – “It was funny because I looked at the video while I was doing it, and then we all hopped up in synch at the same time. I was like, ‘that’s what I’m talking about.’”
(Hold up, did you all practice the in-sync?) – “No we didn’t. I just naturally do my celebration and then everybody wants to join in. I’ve got River (Cracraft) grabbing me like ‘come on, let’s go, let’s go.’ (laughter) I’m like, ‘you ready to catch this wave?’ Let’s go man.”
(Did you see QB Tua Tagovailoa at the end of it?) – “I did, I saw Tua. He popped up. I couldn’t be more proud. Honestly I couldn’t.”
(Can you actually surf?) – “I can, yeah.”
(Longboard, shortboard? Take me through it.) – “Both. I can do both. So actually, I grew up three hours north of here in New Smyrna Beach, 15 minutes south of Daytona. I used to surf. I actually got offered by Billabong to come surf for them when I was 14. Obviously, I turned that down and thought about college and playing football. I guess it turned out pretty good, I guess you could say so.”
(Most 14 year olds are not taking scholarship offers from a college football team either. You were also offered from Billabong.) – “It’s because I have a really good friend, his name is Evan Geiselman. He’s a pro surfer and man, we used to catch waves and stuff like that back in the day. I know he’s still going at it. He’s still going strong. Him and his family, he’s got an older brother, too, Eric Geiselman. Honestly, I looked up to them when they were doing it big over there for our city. It was pretty cool to know those guys and still have a relationship with them.”
