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Ted Karras – December 30, 2020 Download PDF version

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

C Ted Karras

(You’ve made some trips to Buffalo over the years. What is your most favorite thing about playing there and what is your least favorite thing about playing there?) – “I think the fans are two-sided with that. They have great fans up there and the drive in is always pretty entertaining with what they got going on in the parking lot; but it is nice with no fans up there because they do make a very – it’s a loud stadium. It’s a great stadium, going to be a big matchup, division opponent, Week 17 with a lot of implications, so we’re excited and ready to roll.”

(Most serious Dolphins fans could tell you the four scenarios where the Dolphins could make the playoffs, the most obvious one of which is you guys winning and you’re in. I’m curious, do players ever talk about scenarios of how a team could get in the postseason if they don’t win? Has that come up at all in any conversations? Are you even aware of the other three scenarios?) – “I’m aware that if we don’t win, we’ll need some help; but the main thing that I’m focusing on is going up there and kind of kicking the door in on the playoffs ourselves. We’re going up there in a huge game – a play-in game, really – and we’re going to need to play our best Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.”

(I wanted to ask you, just that game – the Raiders game – didn’t seem to really go that well for you guys up until the final seconds. What was that emotion like for you and for some of your teammates before the throw from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick happened and then kind of afterwards now that you have a meaningful game to play now next week?) – “It was a huge win. Never really been part of a play like that – obviously unbelievable finish. We did enough to win. Obviously there’s some things we would’ve liked to do better before the big play, but we were in a position to win and made the play when it counted the most and I’m very proud of everyone for how they’re fighting and staying alive. Now we have a huge Week 17 matchup here that hopefully we can prove our worth.”

(I was looking at some of the Bills pass rush statistics and they get plenty of production from linebackers coming after the quarterback. I was curious how that kind of changes or how you can best get blocked a team that pass rushes using so much linebacker blitzing and stuff like that?) – “Yeah, they’ve got great linebackers – (Tremaine) Edmunds, (Matt) Milano, (A.J.) Klein. They bring those guys a lot. They’re good pass rushers – accomplished pass rushers – more so than a lot of linebacking corps, and we’re going to have to set these guys with good technique and fundamentals and get our hands on them and finish blocks.”

(After QB Tua Tagovailoa’s first start, I’m sure you remember the camera caught you having a few words of encouragement for him. I was wondering if after Saturday’s game, if you had any message for him?) – “Yeah, I check in on him. He’s a tough kid – mentally tough, physically tough. He’s out here preparing, ready to win. We’re past all that stuff now. (It was) a great victory out in the desert, but now it’s time to go up to a cold environment and win a football game with a lot of stakes on the line.”

(Offensively you guys have gone through kind of the works here – a quarterback change, o-line injuries, guys in and out, wide receivers, TE Mike Gesicki being out and then coming back – how have you guys kind of dealt with all of that this season?) – “That’s the league and that’s Week 17 of an NFL season. Guys are in and out, guys get banged up and hopefully we’ll get some guys back, but everyone’s got to step up. We have a lot of guys who have taken a lot of reps. We have a pretty deep, talented o-line. I’m glad to be a part of it and have fun coming to work with these guys every day. We’re coming in, we’ve got a good game plan ready to go, had a good start to practice this week and tomorrow we’ll build on it.”

(The way you guys have done your quarterbacks this year, it’s been unusual, I guess would maybe be the right word; but you guys haven’t seemed to be phased by it as an offense. What’s sort of the key to not letting such an important position change impact how you do your job or how everybody else does their job?) – “As an o-lineman, I have an assignment and I’ve got a job to do blocking the guy; so whoever’s giving the orders, calling the plays – obviously it very much matters in this sport – but to me, it doesn’t really affect my play-in and play-out strategy. So we’ve taken it a play at a time and a day at a time and I think both guys have done a great job. We have a lot of great people on this offense and on this team and the culture certainly helps us to be able to transition smoothly and get wins when we need to get it done.”

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