Xavien Howard – April 6, 2022
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022
CB Xavien Howard
(What were the days leading up to the contract finalizing like?) – “The whole process was a great process. I’m just excited to be a Dolphin and continue to play here and hopefully retire (here) and hopefully win the Super Bowl here too.”
(How do you feel to see the team deliver on their promise?) – “Those guys did everything we asked and both sides were happy with everything that panned out. I’m just excited to be here.”
(What have the Dolphins told you that they expect from you, want from you during this new contract?) – “(laughter) To get the ball. That’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here. I wouldn’t say nothing different. Continue being a leader in the locker room, help the younger guys out, help the new guys that come into the Miami Dolphins and just continue attacking the ball and making turnovers.”
(The team traded WR DeVante Parker the other day and that makes you the longest tenured player on the team. You’ve been at this several years now. With the new coach, what are you impressions of Mike McDaniel and why do you think this new coaching staff can be different?) – “When I got in the building today, I felt like everything has been different since I got here. The energy, everybody is happy, and I feel like things could be special here with Mike McDaniel bringing that energy. Hopefully he’ll get the offense up to par, and the standard that we expect from both sides of the ball and get the job done here.”
(Speaking of Mike McDaniel, when was the first time you met him, and what was your first reaction?) – “I met him this offseason when he got here. It was probably like the third day I met him. Like I said, the energy was there. I was excited to meet him, he was excited to meet me. Just to touch base, understand each other and what we expect from each other.”
(What’s the excitement level from someone on the defensive side when you see all of the moves the Dolphins are making on the offense? What does it do for a defense?) – “Just to bring everybody back, especially on defense, is so exciting. My boy (Emmanuel) Ogbah, I was happy he’s back. We can make some plays out there together. It’s exciting to have the defense back, especially going into our third year in the same defensive scheme. Some stuff will probably change, but the main stuff that we talk about on the defensive side (probably won’t). Especially the offense – I just told Mike McDaniel that ‘I got to get my hammies right.’ We’ve got a lot of speed over there. I’m excited about everything that’s going on around this building.”
(How do you think you’ll do against WR Tyreek Hill in practice?) – “I think we’ll get each other better. I played against him in college and also in the league. I just want to focus on getting each other better. That’s really it.”
(As someone who has been through coaching changes and has been in this building before, are there things you can say or do or lead by example to help guys adjust to a new system, new people in the building and help the younger guys?) – “That’s my main thing. I’ve been here going on seven years. Seeing the different changes and making everybody buy into the new coaches, I feel like that’s the main thing. If everybody buys in, we’ll get the job done. Especially the guys on the offensive side, I feel like we can do a great job on all three phases. That’s the main thing for me is the buy in and helping the younger guys that come in and helping them.”
(What do you expect from yourself? What expectations are you setting for yourself?) – “To continue to make plays, continue to be me, don’t try to overdo it, continue to take a daily approach coming into the building and just doing my job.”
(Were you confident over the past year and a half that something would work out with the Dolphins for the long term? Were there times where you thought that you would wind up getting traded?) – “We got it done, so I’m here. That’s the only thing that really mattered to me. I’m just excited for this upcoming season.”
(I saw the video you did in the past with Rick Ross. Can you talk about how important the city of Miami is for you? Can you talk about that, and how the city changed you and helped you grow?) – “This is a fast city, so there is a lot of stuff you see here. The whole Rick Ross coming to the city was a great experience just to show people outside looking in how the city is and the good spots, food spots and stuff like that, the culture and everything. It’s a great experience. Coming from Texas, just coming here and seeing different stuff here, different cultures and people coming from different places. Everything around here, I feel like it’s a great experience to come here to Miami and just enjoy it.”
(When you look at your career interceptions, you’re on track to be in range of these kinds of guys – Champ Bailey, Deion Sanders, Ty Law, Darryl Green. They are all Hall of Famers. Do you think you can get there?) – “I’ve just got to continue getting better each year. I really don’t look at the stats about that. Some of the guys, the Hall of Famers, did this and did that. I just try to keep tunnel vision on myself and keep my focus straight. I feel like if I continue to do the stuff I’ve been doing, hopefully at the end when I’m done playing, I’ll get that yellow jacket.”
(You’ve brought a lot of the same guys back on defense but what did it mean to you to see Sam Madison and Pat Surtain added to the staff?) – “I love that. Especially a couple of guys that played in the league. They’re Miami greats. I feel like they’re Miami Dolphins greats. Just learning from them guys and picking from those guys brains, I feel like they can help me take my game to another level.”
(Did you speak with Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain much since they’ve got here?) – “Yeah. This offseason I did. I came up here in the building and spoke to those guys.”
(What’s your reaction to the amount of money the franchise spent this year on guys? What are the demands now on you guys?) – “To win. (laughter)”
(You mentioned keeping the defense intact. How important is it to have both the back end secured and also get that pass rush, DE Emmanuel Ogbah coming back and for the two sides to work in unison?) – “Like I said, we’ve got to finish off what we started on the defensive side. We’ve been making plays and getting stuff done for the team. We’ve got to continue doing that, add more pieces to it and hopefully cause more trouble out there on defense.”
(You talked about getting your hammies right with all of the speed on the other side of the ball. How can having speed and skill players and a better offense make you guys better during practice on the defensive side of the ball?) – “It helps out a lot. It goes hand in hand. Them guys putting points up, or us getting them the ball, or us putting points up and they are helping us out. It all works hand in hand. We’re just excited to have people like that and new guys coming in to help us out. Our main focus is just winning.”
(What does it do for the team as a viable place where people will want to come down to the Dolphins?) – “I feel like we set that example this offseason. When we put those pieces together and we start winning, a lot of free agents and a lot of people will want to come here.”
(It’s rare for an organization to re-do a deal with four years left on it, then re-do a deal again with three years left on it. What does that say to you about how you feel the organization feels about you?) – “I feel like they believe in me and they trust me. Like you said, it hasn’t been done. This is the first time it’s been done. It depends on what kind of player it is. Stuff gets done. That’s what I feel like.”
(You mentioned coming from Texas a while ago. What does it mean to you when you look back on where you started to where you are now?) – “The crazy part is stuff hasn’t really hit me yet. With that being said, just coming from Texas and everything that I’ve been through, it’s been a long journey. I’m excited about everything that has been coming my way, the blessings that have been coming my way. I just want to continue growing, continue being a good father and continue putting good energy out there in the world.”
(When the deal got done and you heard the numbers come in and something you agree on, was it a sigh of relief? What was your first reaction?) – “It was a sigh of relief for real. When that deal came, I was happy. But I don’t get complacent with the stuff that I see, so my main thing was let’s go back to work. (laughter)”
(You’ve been through a lot here – the good, the bad, 2019. What now, moving forward and the 2022 Dolphins? It should be really big expectations.) – “I wouldn’t put the expectations out like that. I feel like I don’t want to set the whole team up for failure if we don’t reach those expectations. I feel like we’ve got to continue getting better on both sides. Winning games, that’s the main thing we want to do. I feel like just keep getting better on each side.”
