Zach Sieler – August 29, 2023
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023
DT Zach Sieler
(What I was going to ask DT Christian Wilkins was in the very beginning when you guys got together here and met, was there a moment where your friendship took off or was it kind of a slow build? Like how did that come to be?) – “I’d say it was that first offseason here. I got here with like, three, three-and-a-half weeks left (of the season) so it was just trying to – my head was spinning, just trying to learn Miami’s defense at that point. And then that first offseason, we kind of slowly grew together, learned each other, how he plays, how I play. And then just from there, it’s kind of built to where we’re at now as you see.”
(S DeShon Elliott was saying that you being waived in Baltimore could’ve been the best thing for you. What do you remember going through your mind when that happened, when you were waived and then ultimately you were picked up by the Dolphins?) – “Yeah, it was stressful. Obviously it was terrible. Look at today. Today is one of the worst days in football in my opinion. Guys out there giving their all every day in camp and then – it’s what it is. It’s the fact of the matter. It’s the business. It’s the nature of the beast. But it’s tough whenever that happens. I really just prayed a lot and just kind of sat and then just kind of figured it out. We didn’t really know much. The only thing I heard was maybe Cleveland was a little interested and then once waivers ended that next day – I think it was a Thursday – my agent calls and said, ‘hey, you’ve been claimed.’ I’m like, ‘all right, where am I going?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t know yet.’ And then half an hour later, Miami called and said, ‘hey, there’s a flight at 8 or 9 o’clock, tell me what you want to get on.’ So I flew out at 9 o’clock that night and been here ever since, so I think God has a plan for sure.”
(One game, you actually helped them win.) – “Yeah, that Cincinnati game. I actually played a little bit in the Giants game the week before. We did New York – the Jets, then Giants back-to-back. But yeah, Cincinnati was really my first game I got some serious reps in it.”
(Let’s maybe back up a little bit more and just open it up. What’s your reaction to the contract extension?) – “Blessed. It’s one of those things you just dream about it and you work every day towards it and it’s one of those things that I’m kind of like just don’t talk about it and just work. Things will come and just go from there. And then to be able to get to this point in Miami and just to stay here and be with the team, the guys I love, the staff, the coaches, everybody. It’s really something special.”
(How was the phone call to Mom and Dad after the contract extension?) – “It was pretty good. Mom was tearing up and Dad really was just speechless. So it was pretty crazy.”
(So now we know you’ve moved out of the trailer. That was a long time ago. What’s the plan for yourself and life and maybe the ranch you got?) – “So the ranch, we’ve got one more year left on the lease. We’ll definitely be out there – there’s back and forth. We’ve got a spot down here we love. Definitely for sure keeping that. And then my wife and I, we’ve kind of set around Nashville in the offseason/post-football. We kind of love that Nashville center of the country area right there. Not too cold.”
(Now that you’ve been taken care of, how bad do you want to see DT Christian Wilkins get his so you guys can stay together long-term?) – “That’s my guy. There’s nothing more I’d love than play with Christian (Wilkins) for a long time, even longer. We’ve been very fortunate to have three, four years together now – me, Christian, (Emmanuel) Ogbah, Raekwon (Davis), (Defensive Line Coach Austin) Clark up front. That’s something special in itself, but obviously any extra time we can get would be incredible for Christian and ‘Rae’ (Raekwon Davis).”
(How much did you learn about the business of the NFL from this process?) – “A good amount. Just kind of seeing the inner workings of it. And I wasn’t too – I really told (Drew) Rosenhaus like, ‘Hey, look, you guys do this, I just want to worry about football. I don’t want to get distracted on anything else. I’m in camp. My main goal is getting better each day at football.’ So kind of near the end of it was when we were just talking about kind of realizing how things went and just how the pressure on us and on management as well.”
(Can you maybe talk me through that because you hear players say not making a distraction, but it sounds easier than maybe it probably is. Like how do you go through that knowing that this is potentially life-changing money?) – “Yeah, for me, it was really just keep my routine. Don’t change anything. Just stay focused on each day and just try not to think about it. Obviously it’s there and you’ve got to answer calls here and there with what’s going on, where it’s at, where we’re going. But really it was just kind of focusing and staying locked in and trying not to let that change how I play or change who I am because that’s how I got here.”
(You hear about players getting cut all the time. Including today, it’s happening in this building. For a lot of them, you never hear from them again. It’s a small percentage who get an extension – an eight-figure extension like you have. What inside you, what has gotten you to this point coming from that point in Baltimore?) – “I mean, obviously, none of this could have happened without I think my faith truly, knowing there’s a plan and, like I said, not stressing too much on what’s happening. And just focusing on what I can control. That’s a big part of my thing is what I can control, what I can do for the team, what I can do for myself every day. Rehab more, stretch, massage, lift, whatever I need to do to stay healthy and stay on the field and to play my best ball to be able to get to this point that I’ve gotten to.”
(If a late-round pick or an undrafted guy gets cut today and texts you or calls you, what are you telling the guy?) – “I’ll tell him just keep your head up. It might be over. It also might – tomorrow you might get a chance, you might get picked up and have a chance somewhere else. Make a good impression. Don’t burn any bridges. And really just keep working. I mean, it’s what it is. So I’d just tell them whatever they need, let me know, anything from here on out.”
(DT Christian Wilkins mentioned that you always wanted a platinum grill. Have you begun that process of searching for one?) – “(laughter) I might have to. I have not yet, though, no.”
(Are we talking mouth or truck?) – “Oh, you’re talking grill. See I’m thinking cooking grill. I got a Traeger, I’m good. Yeah. (laughter) I didn’t even think about that.”
(Did Ferris State hit you up for a new gym yet?) – “They actually just got one. They just got one. Actually it was in the talks when I was there my first year. They just got it a year or two ago. Maybe last year. But it’s pretty nice. They’re moving up. Back-to-back championships, they’re doing their thing.”
(Heard a guy on the radio today, Miami sports talk radio. Your contract came up. Leroy Hoard said he’s been to Ferris State and he said it’s one of the best party schools in America. Is this accurate? Is it actually a very fun school?) – “Ferris is incredible. I loved every moment there. It’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing going on, nothing really – the school is it. So we loved it there. We enjoyed our time there. It was a good time. I love all my guys there. I’m still super close with all those guys. We always make a trip every year. When there’s not a long going on, you’re just kind of forced to grow together and I think that’s why their team has done what they’ve done, because you become so close on the football team. There’s not a lot of distractions.”
(What comes to mind when you think back to those YouTube workout days at Ferris?) – “Man, it was crazy. It wasn’t even – YouTube was lucky. We looked up ‘Muscle Farm,’ ‘bodybuilding.com.’ Any workouts we could find and it was just us in there. Like we didn’t know what we were doing. We were doing like 8×2 bodybuilder stuff and it was the absolute opposite thing you should do for football. But just keeping that mindset and that process has been the biggest thing for me and a lot of those guys, they’re quick to remind me, ‘hey, remember what you were back then.’ I’ve got a buddy in Amsterdam now. The first thing, he goes, ‘bro, I used to start in front of you.’ (laughter) I’m like, ‘you did.’ He always reminds me of that.”
(Has WR Jaylen Waddle been out to alligator hunting?) – “No, he hasn’t. No. We’ll definitely try to get some guys at the end of the season this year to do something fun up there.”
(Are you still involved up there?) – “Yes, we are.”
