Vince Biegel – November 24, 2021
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021
LB Vince Biegel
(How was the emotional roller coaster this year of not making the team, being injured, being practice squad and now? How much of a roller coaster has it been emotionally for you.) – “I think the game of football is a journey and sometimes the gift is the struggle, as I’ve been saying. It’s been quite a journey this year and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m just thankful to be back with a great organization like the Dolphins and help this team come out and win ball games.”
(You participated some in training camp, right? But then right before the season you had to have an injury settlement. Tell us about what happened and how you were feeling about the fact that I guess you weren’t ready.) – “I got hurt during training camp with a calf strain and then we did an injury settlement. The reason why we did an injury settlement is because technically when I went on IR before the 53-man roster was set, my season was over at that point. So the only way for me to come back during the season was through injury settlement. So, I knew I was going to come back this season. It’s never a good time to get hurt, but especially during training camp, it sets you back. We did an injury settlement and trained here in town away from the facility. My whole mindset was to come back and be able to come help the Miami Dolphins finish the season strong and win ball games.”
(Did having extra time since your last NFL game – defensive snaps, I know you had a couple of special teams snaps this year – did that help in any way strengthen the Achilles situation?) – “The Achilles has been great. It was a calf injury during training camp. Both are 100 percent healthy. I’ve been running around here now for the last six weeks and bringing the juice on special teams, bringing the juice on scout team defense. I’m excited to be able to come out now and contribute to the defense, contribute to special teams and like I said, continue to help this football team win ball games.”
(Not everyone who goes in injured reserve in August gets an injury settlement and is brought back by the team. OL DJ Fluker wasn’t. Many examples around the league of guys not being brought back. Did Head Coach Brian Flores or General Manager Chris Grier tell you at the time that you were placed on IR in August that we’d like to do an injury settlement with you and bring you back?) – “It was in the conversation but at the end of the day, the game of football is a business. You never know what’s going to transpire. I always go back to I have a great relationship with ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) and a great relationship with this team. Honestly, that’s not just talk. I really wanted to come back here and I really do love this team. My family loves it here in Miami and like I said, I’m just excited to get back, move past the injuries and finally be able to get out there and play football again and be able to help this team win and be able to make plays with guys like (Andrew) Van Ginkel, Jaelen Phillips and be able to bring the energy on defense, special teams and on the team.”
(Before you re-signed here to the practice squad, did you ever come close to signing with another team?) – “We definitely had a lot of interest from other teams but to me, it was just the commitment from this team that really wanted me to come back here. The commitment from Coach ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores), the commitment from (Chris) Grier. I really wanted to come back. It was really cool to come back and see my locker wasn’t cleaned out. My nametag was still up there and that really speaks volumes to what this organization is. I wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else.”
(A little unfinished business maybe?) – “Unfinished business, that’s right.”
(What are some of the things that you were able to do in 2019 that you would like to re-establish in the last six games?) – “It’s the same type of system, right? It’s not overly different from what we had in 2019 so there are a lot of parallels, a lot of similarities. It’s still the Miami Dolphins defense. To me, it’s not a huge difference it’s just being able to be consistent every day. Being able to be a guy that, I’ve had injuries in the past, and it’s about being able to be out there and be reliable. A guy who my teammates and coaches can count on where I’m consistent and I can be able to make plays and also bring the energy and be a guy that they can rely on.”
(A huge part of who you are as a player, and all your teammates have told us as well is your skill, is your positivity, your leadership and all that. Is that tough to be gone for those chunks of time and come back and get that role back? Is it a different feel now then it was then?) – “It was definitely tough being away from the guys. I’m a football guy through and through. I grew up in a football family. Being away from the game for six weeks, it was challenging. Watching games on Sundays, not being able to around the facility rehabbing. You’re really out of the flow of things. It was a challenge in a different way but I always go back to sometimes the gift is the struggle. I’ve grown so much as a man, as a person off the field, being able to spend time with my daughter. Those are the things that I’m thankful for. Those are the things that – I’m a glass half full type of thing so those are the things that I really took and being able to grow, not just on the field but off the field.”
(I’m a girl-dad too. If you get a sack or something have you thought about maybe you can do something to let her know what you did or you’re thinking of her?) – “I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t given it too much thought. To your girl-dad point, I’ve got another daughter on the way. So not only do I have a daughter, I got another daughter coming March 7, so I’ve got my hands full in a few months here.”
(Was there even maybe a slight gamble on your part when other teams call that you were banking on the Dolphins re-signing you? Was there any kind of gamble would you say?) – “To me, going back to my relationship with this team and my relationship with ‘Flo,’ that was really what my mindset was. Coach ‘Flo’ knew I wanted to come in and help this team win ball games. Obviously you’re hoping that the Miami Dolphins are still interested in you after the injury settlement but kind of what my mindset was during that rehab process was to take it one day at a time, continue to train and get my body right so whether it was the Dolphins or any other team, I could be ready to go out there and help contribute. To my earlier point, it was always the Dolphins who I wanted to come back to and be able to come back with this group of guys, this locker room and come help win ball games.”
