Raheem Mostert – March 21, 2022
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Monday, March 21, 2022
RB Raheem Mostert
(There is obvious connection with you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel and I feel like you’re better suited than anyone to answer this. Just being and working with him up close, what can you tell us about Mike McDaniel and why he’s so ready to take on this role as the leader and the coach of the Miami Dolphins?) – “Mike McDaniel is one heck of a coach. Me personally, dealing with him for the last several years and getting to know him more so on a personal level, he just wants the best out of his players no matter what transpires throughout the rest of the team. In his role that he had with the 49ers, he definitely exemplified a guy that can go out there and get players pumped up, including myself. We would have these games where I would come in for the gameplan and he would be talking to me and stuff like that to get me ready to go out there and perform at a high level. Mike is definitely one of those coaches that has a lot of tenacity. He brings a lot of (charisma) and stuff like that that is ultimately going to lead players in the right direction. With the opportunity that he has right now, it’s definitely going to be magnified on a much bigger scale because like I said, he’s just an unbelievable coach and a great guy. I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to see how this whole thing turns out.”
(How would you describe Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s leadership style? Is he a rah-rah kind of guy? Is he overprepared and lets you know he’s prepared for whatever situation? I don’t want to put words in your mouth but how would you describe his leadership style?) – “His leadership style, he’s definitely a guy that is over-prepared. He wants to get the gameplan in. He wants to understand the scheme. He also wants to be a coach where ‘hey look, we’re going to get the job done.’ I can’t really tell myself he’s a ‘rah-rah’ guy because I’ve only had personal conversations with him. I’ve only been on a personal level with him. I’ve seen when he deals with other guys on the field but it’s just one of those things where you’ve just got to see where it goes. Like I said, he’s prepared. He’s always going to be prepared no matter what the outcome is or what the situation entails. He’s always going to have that readiness to him and I think it’s definitely going to come out this season especially as the head coach.”
(Obviously they signed RB Chase Edmonds a couple of days before agreeing with you. What do you envision your role being here with Chase also on the roster?) – “I envision my role being the same thing how it was with the 49ers. Coming in and competing. We signed Chase and kudos to Chase, he’s a heck of a player. I’ve watched him. Obviously I’ve been watching him just because of the 49er connection and us playing the Cardinals two times a year, so I know all about Chase. It’s funny. When I got to Miami he was also in Miami at the same time and we were both having our physicals and I didn’t really realize who it was sitting in the chair because he had got there literally a couple of hours before I did. As I was walking by to go to use the restroom, he had stopped me and said, ‘Hey Raheem, big fan.’ I couldn’t recognize him because he had his mask on and he was like, ‘I’m Chase!’ and I was like ‘Oh, what’s up man!’ Dapping him up and stuff like that. I told him like, ‘Hey look man, I’ve been in this system already and there’s going to be some minor tweaks and everything like that but just be patient and when the time comes, you’ll see how this thing flourishes out. It’s going to be a fun time and if you have any questions, you’re more than welcome to reach out to me.’ We exchanged numbers and stuff like that. I try to implement my role when I was with the 49ers, the room that was being built and the room that was built, we lean on each other. It’s not so much, ‘Hey look, I’m going to beat this guy out. I’m competitive. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to show everybody that they made the wrong mistake by signing him and not signing me.’ It’s more so like ‘hey look, we’re all brothers, we’re in this together and this is how we are going to operate. I want to see you win and I hope that you want to see me win. One thing that I even talked to the running backs coach when I got in the facility, I basically broke it down to him and the mindset that I have for the running backs group is that I’m going to help you feed your family and you help me feed mine. That’s something I’ve lived with going back to Coach (Bobby) Turner in San Francisco. He instilled that in the room. I’m going to be instilling that in the guys that aren’t too familiar with the scheme and aren’t too familiar with the play calls and everything like that.”
(I want to get into where you are from a rehab standpoint and then also with this wide-zone scheme, I don’t know if that is exactly how you refer to it, but what is the key to the success of establishing that type of running style?) – “I’m way ahead of schedule on my rehab. I’ve been training hard, I’ve been getting back in the rehab phases. I went to go see my doctor a week before I signed that Wednesday, Dr. Cooper out in Dallas. In the six years that he’s done this surgery, I am by far the fastest-healing patient that he’s ever experienced. He’s dealt with several different athletes in the league. That right there tells you how fast-paced my body is and I like to tend to call myself a mini-wolverine just because I heal fast when it comes to injuries. I’m way ahead of schedule and I just can’t wait to start running and get my legs back up under me. It’s going to take me no time to hit that 24 miles per hour. That’s my goal for this year. To answer your second question, with the run scheme, it’s wide zone from a typical run scheme but we do a lot of inside zone. There’s several different ways that we can attack the defense. Like I said, Mike (McDaniel) has been a run game coordinator for years with the 49ers and I know that he’s going to come up with a great gameplan per defense. When it comes to wide zone reads and stuff like that, you really have to just make your mark and that’s putting your foot in the ground and getting up field. If you’re not doing exceptionally well at that, especially understanding the blocking scheme – because you can’t just be a running back in the league you have to also understand the blocking scheme, and if a lot of running backs tell you differently then they’re foolish on their part. With this offense, you definitely have to understand the blocking scheme and what the defensive front is and how the linebackers overplay the run and how do you counterbalance that. A lot goes into it but it’s fairly simple too. You can’t just make it more than what it is.”
(Can you reflect on your first stint with the Dolphins? That first tenure and playing in an NFL game for the first time with Miami – regular season game at least? How are you different and how have you grown since then?) – “When I first got to the Dolphins, it was my first ever opportunity on actually making a play in the NFL that actually counted. You go through preseason – I was with the Eagles undrafted and I tell everybody this story. I talked to Travis on the podcast about the time I was at the Dolphins and all I had on my back was nothing but Eagles gear and I showed up to the facility. It was one of those things for me where I’ve aged a little bit more and I understand the game and the business aspect. You can’t necessarily jut wear the team-issued gear, especially when you’re going to get poached off another team. I’ve changed those ways throughout the years. When I first got here, it was an unbelievable moment for me. Being able to go out there, I was a special teamer at heart. I just had to work my way up the totem pole. At the time, we had Lamar (Miller), we had Jay Ajayi, we had Damien Williams and I’m forgetting another back. I didn’t have the training camp under me to have the coaches know who I was and everything like that. Being able to come in and try to provide a different type of aspect in special teams and go out there and try to produce at a high level was very important to me just like it is still to this day. A lot of it has changed and a lot of carry over. Coaching changes happened during the time. I think Dan Campbell took over as the interim coach and that’s when I actually got released and then got picked up by the Ravens. It’s just crazy how full circle it can be. I always believed in myself and one of the things that I’ve always told myself was don’t ever burn those bridges because those same bridges can lead you to a full circle in a completely different path. I just try to put that in my mind and put that in my toolbox. When it comes to the football aspect, that’s what I also use as well. Like I said, now I’m in this position to where I can be the running back of the Miami Dolphins and go out there and produce at a high level like I’ve always been doing. It takes a lot throughout the years and you just gain that knowledge. It’s definitely worth it.”
(Beyond doing the contract last week, did you have any contact with Head Coach Mike McDaniel in the process? Did he call you and say “I want to get back what we had in San Francisco together?” Any calls from him?) – “We had discussions prior to him even being a Dolphin. It was just one of those things like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know where my coaching journey is going to take me but I would love to have you.’ We’ve built that relationship over time and I know that during the free agency, there’s a tampering period that you’re not allowed to talk to coaches at a personal level and one-on-one but I just know that he was trying to do everything in his possible will power to try and get me. I’m blessed and happy that he’s still taking a chance on me and everything like that because at the end of the day, that’s all you really need is that one person to believe in you. The sky is the limit whether you want to believe that or not. Everybody has a journey in life and that’s one of the things that I’ve always believed in was it just takes one person to believe in me. If I can get that one person to believe in me, then let’s ride. Let’s get this show on the road.”
(Did you ask Dr. Cooper about how this particular injury affects running backs? I’ve heard a lot of things in that it shouldn’t affect your cutting and some of your elite skills. Is that something that you talked to Dr. Cooper about and what did you emerge from those discussions thinking?) – “Yeah, so me and Dr. Cooper had, I want to say a week of conversation specifically on my position and everything like that. He said, ‘I’ve had o-linemen have this same injury and their position is a little more demanding as far as technique-based. That’s where it gets real tricky. I’ve had cornerbacks have this same injury and have this same operation.’ I believe Xavien Howard was the one that got an operation done by Dr. Cooper and look how he turned out. He’s an All-Pro and Pro Bowl caliber player. For him to come back and the mindset that he had, it’s definitely one of those things that I know that I can come in, get this rehab and attack this rehab, get the surgery and be 120 percent rather than 110.”
(You played some games in the Super Bowl in Hard Rock Stadium. You had a pretty impressive postseason that year. Heading to Miami this year, knowing that you and RB Chase Edmonds are joining the team and the Dolphins haven’t had a 1,000-yard running back since 2016 – do you think this is the year that you may be able to break that milestone?) – “One of the things that really impressed me about the history of the Dolphins, like you said, was the fact that they didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher for some time. With this offense, who knows. I wasn’t the starter in the 2019 season. I came in, I want to say like fifth on the depth chart, just playing strictly special teams. The next thing you know, it just led me to the performance that I had in the postseason and then playing in the Super Bowl and leading the team in rushing. This offense is definitely tailored to a one-pony running back to rush for 1,000 yards but in the grand scheme of things, we’re not necessarily – I know in previous years the running backs that I’ve had in San Francisco, we weren’t necessary worried about somebody reaching 1,000 yards because in the grand scheme of things, we were all just worried about each other and how we could bring the best out of each other. Stats will come. Maybe myself, Chase or any other running back that comes in and they do rush for 1,000 yards. Myles (Gaskin), he has the potential to do it. We all have the potential to do it but like I said, I know this offense well and I can tell you that we don’t necessarily have to have everyone think about 1,000 yards. It’s all about how we can we each get each other better.”
