Raheem Mostert – August 26, 2024
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Monday, August 26, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(I guess every year you’re optimistic. Is there any reason for you to be more optimistic this year than maybe last year or two years ago or any other season of your career?) – “Every year is a new year. New beginnings on a new team. We’re at the 90-man roster and unfortunately, we have to dwindle the roster down until we get our 53-man roster. So it’s a sad day, also a good day because we get to start the season off and get ready for Jacksonville and we’re just excited. We’re ready to go, but at the end of the day, I was once one of these guys that got released and it’s devastating because your hopes and dreams are right there in front of you and then when you get that phone call, it just seems like that’s a lasting memory. I remember when I was in Philly and got that phone call. Unfortunately I was the last guy in the building to receive that phone call and it changed my life, just the business side, the prospective side. And you’ve just got to grow and learn and become a better player when teams are making those decisions. So I was able to stick with it and to all the guys out there, I just hope the best for them especially on this team because we had a good roster of guys that came in, played their tails off and did everything they possible could to make a roster spot. But like I said, it’s the business aspect.”
(How long did it take you to pick yourself up off the floor and get motivated again?) – “I learned quickly. I’m a quick learner in that regard just because I know – coming in when I was a rookie, I knew that it was a business aspect, business mindset. That’s how I took it and I didn’t take it personal. I would tell people all the time that one thing that I truly was blessed about was that I didn’t burn bridges because those same bridges that you keep ahold of and keep them strong, they come around tenfold. And so that was the case for me when I went from Philly and then Chip Kelly was in San Francisco at the time the following year. And guess what? I made a mark in San Fran, so I could live to say that don’t burn those bridges and learn from it.”
(In this running back room there’s going to be some tough choices. We don’t know for sure RB Jeff Wilson Jr. – could you make the case for Jeff Wilson Jr. being on this team?) – “I’m always going to have Jeff’s back. I think that he’s one heck of a player; he does everything right. Unfortunately, he had some injuries and stuff like that, but I still think at least from what I’ve seen, he’s in good standing. But you never know in that regard. I’m not in the office helping out with the decisions, but film doesn’t lie and Jeff (Wilson Jr.) has a good resume.”
(What has impressed you about RB Jaylen Wright and what are your expectations for him?) – “Jaylen Wright, he’s coming in. At first, he was a little bit slower, because he’s a rookie, right? So the pace of the game and understanding the concepts, but he’s picking things up. This last preseason game, I thought he did a good job. He could do better, of course, but he did a good job in his resilience to overcome a few things and his mental aspect was definitely there so I’m looking forward to that, for sure.”
(I’ve been always meaning to ask you this. You guys have such a good running back room in terms of helping guys, mentoring guys even though there’s only one ball for you. How do you keep that room the way that it is?) – “I would say obviously it’s experience. I’ve been in this offense for quite some time and even when I was in this offense at the beginning, it was more so of a brotherhood. The NFL, whether people believe it or not, is a fraternity of brothers, and your position group, that’s the same thing. And that’s the mindset that you’ve kind of got to have in regards to your position because at the end of the day we’re all trying to feed our families. We’re all trying to do what’s right for each and we’re trying to do right for the team. You can’t have anybody that’s a ‘me player’ obviously, because those ‘me players’ get weeded out as you’ve seen in the past. So just having that mindset that it takes everybody in the group, that goes a long way. We’re all just, at the end of the day, brothers and it’s a brotherhood.”
(The team went from 31st in rushing attempts two years ago to 15th in team rushing attempts last year. Do you see Top 10 rushing attempts in the Dolphins’ future?) – “Yeah, we just keep climbing the ladder it seems like in this offense. So I can’t predict that right now, but it’d be nice to have that, get in the Top 10 in rush attempts and lead the cavalry in that regard. Just excited about this season.”
(There’s so much talk on the defensive side about being more physical and being bullies. When I think about being more physical and building bullies on offense, it means the run game. Do you guys sense that there is that similar commitment to being physical, aggressive, run-set-minded on offense?) – “Yeah, in this style offense, of course we’ve got playmakers all across the board, but we feel like to set the tone, it’s definitely the run game and that’s what gets the party started. And then of course, we’ve some unbelievable receivers out there and tight ends that can just take the top off at any moment, so as long as you have that understanding that we’re going to play smashmouth ball at the beginning and set our tone, then that’s what you’re able to dictate the outcome of the game. So that’s just our mindset for this offense.”
(Something FB Alec Ingold said a couple weeks ago that you guys were pushing the limits of what this offense can do and hearing from Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith – I think it was last week – about how Year 3 in a system, how you can start to expand a little bit. What does pushing the limits of an offense look like from a player’s perspective in this third year?) – “That’s a great question. I truly think that pushing the limits means in this offense; it means that you’re doing things that are unconventional, not only for a player, like for myself, but for the entire offense. If you look at what we’re doing, we’re doing these motions that have never been done before; we’re executing them at a high rate. We’re doing things that most defenses – like I was just talking to the Bucs defense and Lavonte David, right, last week when we had joint practice and we were able to conversate a little bit in between breaks, and one of the things that he brought up was our motions. That kind of just – it left a visual that it was hard for him to paint that picture of where everybody is going to be at because you’ve got guys going left and right and up and down and you just never know what it looks like from a defensive standpoint. And that’s our thing, is we want to make the defense – we want them getting out of their shell, being confused, not understanding this offense because if that happens, that means you’re doing it at a fast rate and that’s something that’s never been done. So just trying to be unconventional, trying to do something that’s unique and different and just trying to hold that title as being No. 1 offense in the league.”
(What’s new about QB Tua Tagovailoa this year?) – “I mean, other than his contract. (laughter) No, I’m just playing. I’m just super excited for him and his growth and his mindset. These past two years and going on to this third year, he’s settled down in this offense and he’s really picking things up at a high rate and he’s doing things that he feels comfortable at. And if you look at how he’s possessing the ball and he’s getting the throws out, there’s really not any quarterback that’s in the league that’s doing what he’s doing and it’s exciting to see. I’m just excited for him this year. We’re going to be hitting the ground running and high-flying and keep that mentality.”
