Raheem Mostert – July 23, 2024
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Tuesday, July 23, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(You are not in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s situation, but you did get a contract extension this past offseason. What advice did people give Tua in this particular situation that he is in?) – “I think that’s a great question to start off. First and foremost, I think Tua (Tagovailoa) is very well deserving of the opportunity to get a contract extension. He’s worked his tail off, especially since I’ve started playing with him. I’ve seen nothing but growth, and the leadership he portrays not only for the team, but the organization is definitely top notch. One of the best, if not the best leader in the locker room and for the organization. With that being said, I truly believe he deserves everything he has coming his way plus more. I’m just excited for him. It’s going to be a great opportunity.”
(What happens if he sits out or limits himself during training camp?) – “That’s under his discretion and his team. I can’t really speak on that just because I’m his teammates and one of his brothers. We could have a conversation about it but all in all, that’s up to his team, and his priorities are something that is of importance in that aspect. I think that it could be the right move, and guys in the locker room definitely understand that. Tua is Tua, and he’s always putting the team first. That’s how I see it and that’s how everybody in the locker room sees it.”
(You were front and center a few weeks ago and you saw the local hockey team go all the way. What was that experience like for you?) – “I will say, congratulations to the Panthers –definitely time coming and finally that they got it done. It’s exciting, I was a part of it. To see the type of atmosphere that they had in Amerant (Bank Arena), the fans and everybody in South Florida, it just gives you an extra boost as a player, as a professional athlete down here in South Florida to try to get your own championship. I held the Stanley Cup and it was an amazing feeling, but also I want to hold up the Lombardi Trophy. I think that’s even more important for me, and I want to share that with my family and you guys and stuff like that.”
(I wanted to ask about your experience at the parade and all. How much were you thinking, ”This is what it might be like for us?”) – “Yeah, the organization invited me to come out the parade. I was in the parade – raining, just raining like crazy. It was a lot of fun though, that’s a memory you can’t take back. To cherish that, to be a fan for I think about 11 years now, my first ever hockey experience was down here in South Florida. So to finally see them win that thing and then be a part of it and go to the parade, it gives me more gratitude to try to do my own with the team and try to go out there and try to win one.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel always talks about the evolution of his offense, never the same as the previous year. As you’ve been in this offense for three years two times now, back in San Francisco and here in Miami, how excited are you for what’s next with this offense?) – “I’m very excited for this offense. You know last year, I felt like we left a lot of meat on the bone in regards to plays and yards, and we were still the No. 1 offense in the league. Now as we have the additions of Jonnu (Smith) and Odell (Beckham Jr.) and getting all these key players back, it’s definitely an exciting moment to be able to go out here with a high-flying offense, have fun running around and become even better than we were last year.”
(What do you think you have to add to what you’ve done the last couple of years?) – “For me personally, one thing that I could add is more so in the pass game and being more consistent in that realm. I had a talk with (Offensive Coordinator) Frank (Smith) not too long ago about me incorporating more in the pass game, and he said ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I just want to evolve as a player. That’s been my goal each and every year – to try to work some facet of the game. It’s going to be exciting this year, and I can’t wait.”
(I wanted to ask more about the Florida Panthers connection. Who on the team are you close to?) – “I was really close with Brandon Montour and his family. He had his son, and I was able to connect with him on that front. But then also management, Bryce (Hollweg) is the COO of the team (and) I know Vinnie (Viola) and all of those guys as well. So just being able to be around the organization and see the growth of these past couple years and understanding the team as well is definitely enlightening.”
(One quick follow up, you were on a team that got to that last game and then obviously lost, what did you learn from them getting there last year, facing that defeat and then getting over the top this year?) – “You can’t let one moment completely change who you are as a team I feel like, and that was the case when we lost in San Fran. We got to the big dance, and we didn’t let that moment define us as you can see in previous years. Even when I was there, we were still getting there, getting close, going to the NFC Championship and losing and stuff like that, but we still had that bond. There was that brotherhood that we could still get to the dance and try to win this thing.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel previously told us that he’s been drilling into everyone’s head the 24-year playoff drought this franchise has had. How much has that message resonated with you as someone who’s been part of it the last two years and knowing Head Coach Mike McDaniel the way that you do?) – “Yeah, I think it’s a great message that he is portraying that to the team and letting us know that, ‘Hey, look – it’s definitely a thing.’ We’re just trying to figure out how we can win that one playoff game. It looks like we’re trying to figure it out. Obviously, it’s still early on, we’re in training camp now. It’s the first day, and we’ve got a long way to go to reaching that goal of breaking that curse. But if we have the right mindset, if we understand early on, I think we’ll be better off figuring that out come down the road when it is time.”
(You’ve been in the league for a while. What’s something you appreciate now or have learned to have a career like this that you didn’t know early on into your career?) – “People always ask me that question and also, ‘What would I tell my younger self?’ I would tell my younger self, just stay patient. I think patience is the best thing you can possibly do, especially in the career that I have had, being cut several times. This is honestly my second stint with Miami, nothing against the old regime or whatever. But it’s one of those things where I kept my nose down, kept grinding and had my blinders on and didn’t look back. When I got the opportunity, I made the most out of those opportunities. Yeah, I would just tell myself that no matter what, just still stay patient.”
