Salvon Ahmed – November 12, 2020
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Thursday, November 12, 2020
RB Salvon Ahmed
(I thought it was an interesting coincidence that you and RB Myles Gaskin played together in Washington. How has he helped you out, especially going into last week’s game?) – “He’s been a tremendous help, just like when I first got to Washington. I was a freshman and he was a junior. He just kind of showed me the ropes and made sure I was good. It’s definitely a blessing to be a part of this organization and also to be with Myles again.”
(I know as you just mentioned, you and RB Myles Gaskin are good friends. I have to ask you to recount the story of the time that you and he raced at midnight.) – “(laughter) We lived together in college, so there was a night we both were going back and forth, because in high school he had beat me in the 4×100 (meter relay). It came down to inches and he had beat me. I was 15 years old and he was a senior at the time. We were just talking about that. It was late. We were like alright, let’s just go race. We had raced a couple of times. I had got him on the first two and then he got me on the last three. I think it came down to a conditioning thing.”
(What were the emotions like for you before you made your NFL debut on Sunday, and how you felt it went for you?) – “I was so cool to be a part of. I just wanted to go out there and win. I wanted to do whatever I could in my power to go out there and win. It’s definitely a childhood dream to be a part of that. It was a big-time game and a big win for our organization. For me, I was happy to be a part of that. Obviously the first game, you just kind of go into it excited, and I was happy and I’m blessed I got the opportunity. ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and those guys gave me the opportunity to go do that. I was happy to be a part of that and get out of there with a win against a really good team.”
(You had that one run in particular where you kind of squirted through the middle, saw some space and then used your speed. I think you ran out to the left. What was going through your mind and what were you feeling when you realized that you had an opportunity for a big gainer?) – “Make the most of it. (laughter) Make the most of it and then just hold on to the ball. Do what I’ve been coached to do. I think I was running at Patrick Peterson, and I was like ‘oh man, that’s Pat P.’ So that was kind of cool. It’s a credit to the offensive line. They worked really hard and they were able to open up some stuff for us as a team. That was really cool, not only in the run game, but also the pass game.”
(What is your approach to your NFL career? Breaking in undrafted and all, sometimes guys come in and feel like they really have something to prove or a chip on their shoulder. I don’t know if any of that applies to you. How are you approaching that?) – “I’m just grateful. I’m a person that’s being grateful, going out there every day, work hard and do what I’m coached to do. I’ll ask the guys – there are a lot of older guys like Myles (Gaskin) and Matt (Breida) and Jordan (Howard) and Patrick (Laird) and all of those guys. We’ve got DeAndre (Washington) in now. I ask all of those guys questions all the time, and just kind of to show me the ropes. I’m not too prideful at all to ask those questions. Those guys help me out a lot, especially the running back room for sure. I just attack it, go out there and work hard.”
(RB Myles Gaskin has another two games that he has to miss because he’s on IR. Do you feel that with your performance, did you leave that game thinking to yourself that you showed the Dolphins that you’re someone that could be trusted that they got to give the ball to more?) – “I just looked at it as just make the most of the opportunity. Go out there and do what you’re coached to do. Every week there is a different game plan so whatever that is, I’m just going to do whatever I’m asked to do. I’m happy I’m here. I’m happy to be a part of that. It was a big win against a really good team.”
(Obviously you and RB Myles Gaskin are two different people and two different players, you just happened to go to the same school and are friends. I’m wondering where do you see the similarities in your games? What’s the biggest one and what’s the biggest difference?) – “I’d the say the biggest thing I learned from him is I try to take everything from Myles honestly. I try to take as much as I can; but I think one of the things I took from him is just having patience. I tried to take that from him in college. We are all our own players; but what I try to take from his game, I try to watch every run he does. Whatever run I do, I always ask him, what do you think on that? Because I usually think if he thinks it’s good, then he’s probably right. He’s right most of the time. I try to take as much as I can from him.”
(You only played three years at Washington? What went into your decision to not play that fourth year and did you expect to get drafted?) – “I just felt that I was ready. I felt that I was ready to get into this league and I saw I had the opportunity to, so I took my chances. Yeah, I went undrafted; but that was just a part of my journey, a part of my process and it led me to be here. I am grateful. Yeah, going into that year – at the end of that year, I felt like I was ready, and ready to make that decision.”
