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River Cracraft – May 17, 2022 Download PDF version

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

WR River Cracraft

(How is that transition from Washington State out here to South Florida?) – “The humidity is crazy, huh? I’ve never really been to the east coast before. It’s definitely an adjustment being form California. But yeah, it’s fun. There’s so much to do down here in South Florida and keep me occupied when football is not going on. It’s a good time.”

(Can you talk a little bit about being in a wide receiver room that has WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle and a lot of good guys? Can you talk about what you’ve learned so far even though you’ve just been here for a little bit?) – “I think all of us bring something different to the table. Those guys bring speed and explosiveness and kind of that one-percent talent that you think of, where I think I myself bring a knowledge and experience with Mike (McDaniel) and we can all help each other out in that aspect. We have a really competitive room. There are so many guys. Everybody can play and it’s going to be a really fun year. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be challenging and it’s a dog-eat-dog world, you know? We’re all helping each other out. We’re all boys and this is one of the closest-knit rooms that I’ve ever been a part of personally.”

(You may have been the first veteran that was signed when Head Coach Mike McDaniel first came before the start of free agency. What drew you? What can you say about Mike that really drew you to join him in Miami?) – “I’ve just always believed in Mike. I was with him for the last two years. My first real experience getting to know Mike, he substituted for our receiver room back in San Francisco. It was my first time one-on-one really getting to know what he knows and I was so blown away with how comfortable and how smart he was. Little did I know back in Cleveland he coached receivers. I kind of put those pieces together after the meeting broke and everything. That was my introduction to Mike and I was just so blown away. So when he got this opportunity and he told me I had an opportunity to get over here, I jumped on it as quick as I couldn’t and I’m just glad it worked out.”

(A lot of us are just meeting Head Coach Mike McDaniel. What would you say, what do you know about him that we maybe don’t know about him as a guy?) – “He’s a super genius. That’s all you need to know. He’s smarter than everybody else, no offense to everyone else. (laughter) The guy knows what he’s doing and he’s going to prove it this year.”

(What is his coaching and leadership style like? Is it just because he is a super genius or why is it that when he speaks, people tend to listen?) – “He’s a players coach. He gets along with players and he acts like he’s one of us in the sense that you can talk to him. He’s never going to big-time you or push you aside because of where your state is at. He’s always going to pull you aside, he’s always going to talk to you. That’s what he did with me in San Francisco. That’s what he’s doing with everybody here and that’s why I love playing for Mike because you know what you’re going to get from him, just his honesty.”

(You said Head Coach Mike McDaniel was a substitute for a while? How long was that? Was that a COVID thing?) – “I think what happened was, you’re referring to last year when he came in the receiver room?”

(Yeah.) – “What happened was the GM over there, John Lynch, went to the Hall of Fame and I think Wes (Welker) went with him so Mike (McDaniel) stepped in for a couple of days in the receiver room.”

(A couple of days and that’s all it took?) – “It took one session for me. It took about the first 10 minutes before I was like, ‘Ah man.’ Not to toot his horn or anything but I was impressed for sure.”

(You’ve obviously been on a team with an elite receiver with WR Deebo Samuel but just being around WR Tyreek Hill, is it just the speed that jumps out at you? What jumps out at you as an NFL receiver looking at someone at that level?) – “Yeah, Tyreek is no doubt the fastest dude I’ve ever seen play. What’s always exciting is that I’ve been on a couple of teams and I’ve been around some very elite players. I pride myself on work ethic. That’s how I’m still here and that’s why I’m still going. To see somebody who is at an elite level who has the same work ethic as I can remember coming in as an undrafted guy, it shows a lot. It shows a lot about who they are and what they’re about. That’s what he brings to the table. He brings hard work and effort on top of elite athleticism. You put those two together, that’s why he’s having success.”

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