Willie Gay Jr. – March 24, 2025
Download PDF version
Monday, March 24, 2025
LB Willie Gay Jr.
(You’ve got the size of a typical outside linebacker, but you can play outside, too. How did New Orleans use you last year for those of us who didn’t see? Their defensive schemes, was it a combo of both? How do you see Defensive Coordinator Antyony Weaver using you from your discussions with him?) – “I haven’t talked to Coach Weaver yet. But the way the Saints used me and the way I’ve been used my whole career for the past five years, like you’ve said I’ve been used as an inside backer, outside backer, rushing the edge, blitzing up the middle, pass dropping, man coverage on tight ends and running backs so there’s really not much that I can’t do when I’m on the field. Like I was saying the day I signed, whatever Coach Weaver has for me, I’m ready to do it. I don’t put many limitations on my game. Obviously, I can get better at a lot, so just looking forward to seeing how I’ll be getting utilized.”
(Where are you at? That looks like a country barn on the outside.) – “Yeah, I’m out here on the land, out here in the field. (laughter)”
(Where is that?) – “It’s in Mississippi, back home.”
(Did you buy a lot of acreage?) – “Yeah, I did last year, man. I bought like 90 acres.”
(90 acres, now what are you doing with 90 acres?) – “I’m trying to start farming, man. That’s like my second love.”
(What are you going to farm?) – “Shoot, everything. I’ve got some chickens in the back giving me eggs every day – like seven eggs a day, man. Saving money on eggs now, I’ve got some cows coming this summer. I’ve got my garden getting started up a couple acres over there, so it’s coming along. This time next year, it will be up and rolling.”
(I would think 90 acres you could build a whole town on it.) – “No, I think exact it’s like 87 (acres) but yeah man, it’s a lot. It’s more than I can handle right now just by myself, so my mom helps me out and my brother and my dad. Just something to do, I ride the four-wheelers every day out here, things like that. Gives me something to do.”
(How many houses are you going to put on the land?) – “This one came with it; it’s like a little barn-dominium style house. I’m going to build one up on the hill probably in the next three or four years, probably two or three years. I’ve got my plans, man. I’ve got my vision for it.”
(You won back-to-back Super Bowls in Kansas City. What were some of those traits of championship teams that you noticed? What were some of those traits that were not exactly there in New Orleans, not to bash New Orleans, but what are some of those traits?) – “No, it just is what it is. Like I said in my interview the day I signed, and like you said not to bash New Orleans or any other team, but it’s just certain ways, certain teams, certain coaches run their organizations. Half the time, it’s not even the talent that you have. I mean it is, but it starts at the foundation which is the people in charge – the coaches, the owners, the GMs and things like that. If I have to give credit to the Chiefs, I’d say Coach (Andy) Reid, he put things the way he wanted them to be ran. He put them in detail and said ‘This is the way it’s going to happen,’ and if it didn’t happen that way, he was either going to get rid of you or you weren’t going to play, or you won’t be a part of the team. It’s things like I said the other day, everyone looking the same, everyone wearing the same gear. Nobody is bigger than the team, there’s no superstars. Obviously I had Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the other guys, but even those guys, they never missed days of practice. If we wore black socks, they wore black socks. Nobody is trying to stand out amongst the crowd. Things like that I noticed was different when I went to New Orleans, once against not to bash New Orleans – it’s great city, great team and all. But just something that I noticed was different and when it comes down to it, you realize that the details like that matters come the end of the year.”
(I know you played inside linebacker, outside linebacker. Do you have a preference, or is it wherever coach needs you to play?) – “It’s wherever, man. I love inside; I love outside. I love football, so let me just put it like that. I was an athlete before I was anything, so wherever I can get on the field and go make a play at, I’m cool with.”
(It looks like you played and practiced a couple of years with WR Tyreek Hill in Kansas City. What was that like?) – “(inaudible) It’s hard to find somebody that fast again in this lifetime. It’s next level, man. He’s a good guy. He was cool, down-to-earth type guy. Even my rookie year when I first came in, I didn’t know anyone, they barely knew me but he never treated anyone different. Just a good all-around guy, and obviously you see what he can do on the field. Shoot, I was seeing it as a 22-year-old rookie. It’s amazing, so I’m glad to be back on the same squad as him.”
(Do you feel like the nine playoff games that you started are helpful in the locker room?) – “To spread some knowledge about it, yeah because there’s guys who’ve been in the league 10-plus years and have only played in two or three playoff games. I’ve had guys ask me how it is and how is the feeling of it and what to expect, how to go about it. A lot of guys know how to go about the game already, but playoffs, man – playoffs are different. Everybody is out to get you, especially if you’re already the top dog. I think it’s definitely helping me, and it’s going to help me in the long run too – the knowledge and experience that I have from the playoffs already.”
(Did you play in the subzero degrees Chiefs vs. Dolphins game?) – “Yes, I did. It was horrible. Never again.”
(It was bad for us in the press box. What was it like for you?) – “Man let’s just say, in every career that anyone has, there’s always that one day that you just wish you could never ever have to live again, and playing in something that cold is something that I never want to experience again. Like 20 degrees is fine, 15 (degrees), cool – it’s cold, not that 30 (degrees) is even normal, but shoot man, -20 windchill, bro it’s like… (inaudible)”
(I wanted to ask you about the Chiefs and something that could apply to the Dolphins. From the outside, it appears to me that the Chiefs turned into a defensive team once WR Tyreek Hill was traded. Chris Jones got paid, you guys had you and L’Jarius Sneed and everybody out there. Is that an accurate statement? And how does a team make that switch? It seems like it’s a different type of mentality. How does a team do that and how could you bring something like that to the Dolphins defense?) – “It’s really not even that we switched to a defensive team, because Chris Jones has always been Chris Jones, and we had guys like Nick Bolton and the whole defense was stacked with talent. On the offensive side, you still got those amazing guys like Patrick (Mahomes) Travis (Kelce), (Isiah) Pacheco, we had some good guys that even played behind those guys. But it’s like this – it’s a team sport. So when the offense is down, the defense plays good; if the defense was down, a lot of times the offense was playing good the previous years before my last Super Bowl. But that Super Bowl, the last Super Bowl that we won against San Franciso, that was the year the defense was actually holding up for the offense a lot more than previous years. I wouldn’t say we turned into a defensive team; it’s just one of those times we had to win games – defense had to step up more than usual. That’s something that will happen with any team. You realize your high scoring offense is not scoring as much, defense has got to make plays. Whether it’s just getting three and out to give the offense a chance, and that’s kind of what it turned into. I feel like that switch can flip for anybody.”
(I’m doing something on guys who are second year players in the league. What you hear sometimes is after your last year in college, you’re training for the Combine and the Pro Days and you’re not really working on football and then after your rookie year, you do work on football so you see a big jump. Do you agree with that statement and was that the case with you?) – “Oh yeah. Heck yeah, I remember going through my rookie year – you work on football but the basics. You get into it, like once you get on your team and the draft process is over with and you’ve been training for the 40-yard dash for three months and things like that, then you really get into it. Me personally, I felt like I was behind. I put my all into getting ready for the Combine and just trying to make sure everything was perfect. I got into my rookie year and it felt like everything was moving in slow motion – well I was moving in slow motion and everything else was moving fast. It’s like, ‘Damn, I need to catch up,’ or ‘I need to do this,’ or ‘I need to get better here,’ or ‘I need to get bigger,’ or ‘I need to get stronger.’ Year 2 came around, and obviously, like you said, I was ready. I knew what to expect and knew that the talent level was off the charts now. It’s not like college where you’re going to play good and bad each and every week – there is talent on every team. Going into Year 2 was definitely a jump for me because I knew what to expect and I had a whole offseason to get ready for it. That’s accurate, for sure.”
(You’re an established veteran. You’ve won championships. Why did you choose Miami?) – “Shoot man, if I’m being honest Miami chose me and I’m just thankful to be a part of it. Last year didn’t go the way I – it never really goes the way we want it go in life in general, but I was just down to the wire in free agency. I was just hoping for an opportunity, and thank God Miami chose me. Like I said, any team that gives me an opportunity, I’m going to take it and they did and shoot, I’m thankful to be here.”
