CB Noah Igbinoghene
(I wanted to ask you – you seem like a Head Coach Brian Flores type of guy. How much interaction did you have with the Dolphins going throughout this entire draft process?) – “I met with them at my Pro Day. We all had a big meeting with them – me and a couple of my teammates. That’s really all the type of communication I really had with them, so I’m not saying it was a surprise but I wasn’t looking at them.”
(How do you feel about joining a team that has CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones – two stars at corner?) – “That’s something, it’s truly a blessing. It’s crazy because are two corners I’ve looked at for a very long time. I know they don’t know that, but those are probably the top two cornerbacks in this whole entire league. Just to come in and learn from them, that’s just a blessing in disguise. I’m just honored to be picked by the Miami Dolphins. I’m just ready to go out there and compete and do what I have to do.”
(Have the Dolphins said where they’d like you to be in terms of the slot maybe?) – “No, they haven’t said anything. They haven’t said anything about that to me at all. It was just a congratulations call is really all it was, not really about positions or anything like that; but I’m willing to play anything they need me to play, anything they want me to play. That’s the type of player I’ve always been. That’s up to my coaches.”
(What excites you most about playing with the rest of the players in the Dolphins secondary?) – “Just like the first question. Just coming into a room that’s very experienced and has a lot of competitiveness in the room – just the atmosphere in the room that the coaches created. I’m honored to grow into that and come in as a player, so it’s just an honor. That’s genuinely how I feel.”
(I know you’re Nigerian and were raised in a Nigerian household. How was that growing up, especially with your parents who were top-tier athletes?) – “I’ll say it was rough at times, just because of my Nigerian background. I know a lot of people don’t understand that, but it’s a different way of living I would say. I really didn’t get to do a lot of things I’d say a normal teenager would like to do, as far as going out with my friends and stuff like that; but that’s just something I had to sacrifice if I wanted to be here talking to you today. Their plan worked. They were very protective parents, but their plan worked at the end of the day. I am the man I am because of them. It was a blessing just to grow up in this household. This happened, so it worked out, I guess.”
(Last year in Head Coach Brian Flores’ first year with the Dolphins he seemed to move cornerbacks around to play multiple positions on the field. Just kind of curious at Auburn, did you do much of that or were you kind of locked in at one position?) – “I was just locked in at corner, to be honest with you.”
(I know you were a receiver earlier in your career. Where do you think you are in your cornerback comfort and how much do you think you still have to learn?) – “I’m very comfortable, and that’s why I’m here and that’s why Miami drafted me. I’m not being cocky or anything like that. I’m very humble and very confident in my abilities, and that’s part of the reason why I came out. I’ve been working this whole entire offseason up until this point. Now I’m going to continue to work until this COVID-19 situation kind of dies down a little bit. I’m not going to be the player – I’m going to be a whole different kind of player than you saw in Auburn versus Minnesota, which was our last game. I’m just ready to show you all the improvement I made over these last couple of months, my coaches as well. I guess you all will see.”
(I was wondering if you remember anything that Head Coach Brian Flores or the defensive coordinator, Josh Boyer, said when you visited with either one of those guys, that maybe resonated with you? – “It was just a normal interview. There wasn’t really nothing they said that I hadn’t heard from anywhere else. It wasn’t really nothing out of the ordinary or anything different.”
(I wanted to ask you about the time you were a two-sport athlete at Auburn. You were both a track star and a football star down there at Auburn. There was an article about you on The Athletic that mentioned that you had an opportunity to skip practice on the football team but you chose not to do that because you wanted to be on the football field. Can you talk to us about how much you love the game?) – “That just shows how I feel about this game. I started playing football when I was in the seventh grade. Track was something that’s been in my life for a very long time, as you might imagine. Both of my parent went to the Olympics, so that’s something I had to grow into. Football, when I caught on to it, is something that really caught my heart. I really feel that it’s something that I was meant to do, I was born to do it. That’s why all of this stuff started happening. Football got me here as well, so it was a blessing. As far as me coming back to football during that track season, football was something I was always excited to get back to, just like now. I can’t wait to get back on the field. Track is something that I love as well, but football is something I feel like is a different kind of love. It’s a deeper love and it’s really taught me about life as well. That is probably why I would go back to football season during track, and I would go right back to track after that, right after football. I made a commitment to my team.”
(I know you said it’s kind of difficult growing up in a Nigerian household. How has your relationship with your parent evolved as you grew older and how has their background in pro sports helped you through this?) – “My relationship with my parents is great. Of course it grew, me understanding how they were raised, because I believe that you will teach your kids how you were raised as your parents taught you. There were a lot of things they didn’t know, and a lot of things their parents taught them from Nigeria, so they brought that Nigerian way. I couldn’t blame them for nothing, even if I was at a young age. Looking back at it, it got me here. Now I’m able to separate myself from the pack. It’s a big thanks to them. They are the reason why I’m here. I love them both.”
(You really get into guys’ faces and seem to take it as a challenge to really play a physical brand of football on the outside. What about that type of style of play, what makes you want to play that type of physical style of play on the outside?) – “It was something that when I moved positions, it was something that our defense at Auburn, that’s what we pride ourselves on. I remember (Defensive Coordinator) Kevin Steele telling me when I met with him that that’s the type of corner he likes. Me, I never played corner before, so of course I didn’t know that was the type of player I was going to be. I don’t know why, but for some reason when I moved, I remembered being a receiver and I knew how mad I was when a physical corner got in my face and was in my face and was physical with me. So, I kind of transitioned that, because I knew a lot of wide receivers don’t like that and can’t handle that. That’s exactly why I do that. It’s just a chess game, that’s all this game is.”Austin Jackson – April 23, 2020 Download PDF version
Thursday, April 23, 2020
T Austin Jackson
(Your reaction to getting selected here in the first round and what’s the pressure going to be like to have to protect potentially a franchise quarterback?) – “It’s no pressure at all. I’m glad I’m with a great team and a team that believes in me, and I’m just really excited to get out there with the guys and build something special.”
(We’ve heard a little bit of your story about your sister. Can you share with us a little bit about maybe something we don’t know about that experience for you and maybe how that’s changed you and your family?) – “It was a big procedure for my family. Autumn has had her situation – her blood disease – for a long time, and it’s just a real big relief on all of us to know that she’s feeling better. We’re really happy about it.”
(Obviously you’ve known about your sister’s issues for a while. How many years is that and what went into your thought process for knowing that you could possibly help save her life?) – “We’ve known about it, I’d say probably her whole life, so you’re looking at like 18 years there; so pretty much my whole life, too. We’ve always known about the condition, and it feels good to be able to help. That’s all I can say. There’s no better feeling.”
(I want to ask you because you are a relatively young guy – only 20 years old but 6-foot-5 – do you feel you have more room to grow and where in your game would you like to see more improvements?) – “Definitely, I think there’s a lot more room to grow. I feel like since I’ve made the decision to leave and train for the NFL, my strength and athleticism has just gone up 10 times what it was, and I feel like getting around an NFL locker room with NFL guys, I feel like there’s just more knowledge to learn the game. I think the ceiling is incredibly high, and I think I can get as much as I put into it, which will be a lot.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa being the quarterback picked by the Dolphins and he’s projected to be the franchise quarterback, that means that his blind side is now the right side. Do you think you could see yourself playing right tackle seeing you spent most of your college career on the left?) – “Definitely. I’ve played both tackle positions my whole life. I’ve played guard. I’ve played everywhere on the line. I don’t have an ego that tells me I’m only a left tackle. I’m a football player at the end of the day. I just play football and help out the team in any way I can.”
(What are you most looking forward to about playing for the Dolphins?) – “What am I looking forward to the most? I’ve got to say walking into the stadium on Sundays. Growing up being a kid – waking up and just watching football that day and then going from waking up on Sunday to getting up and going to work, it’s just crazy how life ends up. I’m really excited for that.”
(What motivates you?) – “I think what motivates me the most is just the opportunity I have with football. I love the game more than anything and I feel like it’s just taken my life to places I’ve never imagined it before. I’m really thankful for the game and the great people I meet along the way – coaches, teammates, fans, all of it.”Chris Grier and Brian Flores – April 23, 2020 Download PDF version
Thursday, April 23, 2020
General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores
Chris Grier:
(What was it about QB Tua Tagovailoa that really set him apart and made him the right selection for this franchise at five?) – “We’ve always talked about going through the process. Brian (Flores), myself, the coaching staff and scouts – watching him for a couple years and finally getting – meeting him at the Combine and getting to know him and find out what type of person he really is, which we all heard great things. You really get to sit down and talk to people and you don’t really truly know – I think for us, it was going through our process. There were a lot of talented players and we really liked Tua and we felt very comfortable at the end of the day that he would be a fit here and bringing him here.”
Brian Flores:
“I’m very similar to Chris. He fit a lot of the criteria we talk about at the quarterback position. Good player, good person, leadership qualities. We’re very happy with the pick.”
Chris Grier:
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history, how much of a gamble do you think this pick is for the Dolphins?) – “Like we talked about before, football is a violent game. Guys are going to get hurt. So, for us, we did a lot of work on him as we do with every player. Our training staff and doctors, led by (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston, does a fantastic job. So, we’re very comfortable.”
Brian Flores:
(How did you guys decide on QB Tua Tagovailoa? You obviously had some options at quarterback at five. Why did he win out over the other options you had?) – “I would say just going through our process. Obviously, we have a criteria at every position. So the same with Tua, the same with Austin Jackson, same with Noah (Igbinoghene). We’re happy with all three selections, comfortable with all three guys. But specific to the quarterback, there were a lot of good players at the position. We talked about every one of them. We did our homework on every one of them. We’ve been in Zoom meetings for multiple days, multiple weeks. At the end of the day, we felt like that was the best choice for the Miami Dolphins.”
Chris Grier:
(How did you guys navigate maybe the reports and smokescreen season so to speak? It seemed like every single day there was something new coming out. How did you guys handle that in your decision to stick at number five and believe Tua Tagovailoa would be there?) – “For us, we’re just – We always talked about going through our process and doing it. Brian and I had a few laughs (about) a lot stuff that came out. At the end of the day, you block it out. We go through our process. I know we keep talking about it, but it is and that’s what it is. It starts with their play on the field and the postseason all-star games, the Combine, interviews and workouts – all that stuff. For us, it’s just noise on the outside. We kind of work through it and we just kind of go through our process.”
Brian Flores:
“Like Chris said, we didn’t know where a lot of this stuff was coming from to be honest. You guys probably know better than we do as far as where this information was coming from. It was very interesting, to say the least. It’s something that we talk about, really, on a daily basis. ‘Did you see that? Did you hear this? That’s interesting.’ That’s really more of my question to you guys. Where did all this come from? (laughter)”
Chris Grier:
(I want to ask you about that last pick there at 30 with CB Noah Igbinoghene. What made you guys want to go with a corner there? Obviously, you guys got two pretty good ones on your team already.) – “Best player on the board for us. We felt really good about Noah. We got to know him. This is a passing league as everyone says. You can never have enough corners … Brian came from a really good defensive team when we hired him and they had a lot of corners. At the end of the day, the way this league is offensively, it’s a premium position and the more you have, the better. It breeds competition. (He’s a) competitive kid that we really liked in the process.”
Brian Flores:
“That’s something that Chris and I, we’ve always been on the same page as far as never having enough corners in this league. With the receivers – the receivers coming off the board today, there were a lot of good ones. So you’ve got to defend those guys. We feel good about all of the corners we have on our roster and we felt like we had an opportunity to add one, another good one, and that played a role in the decision.”
Chris Grier:
(To both of you guys, how close were you to trading up to number three, how close were you to moving up from number 18?) – “With us, we make calls to every team in the league. We (look for) opportunities and do our due diligence. Brian believes in that as well. From us and our staff, we’re calling everyone. Just doing our homework (and finding) opportunities. We talked to everybody. There was nothing definitive with anyone. But, yes we called every team like we do every year with opportunities to move up or down; but no, there was nothing definitive.”
Brian Flores:
“Like Chris said, we listen to all offers and if we feel good about something, we talk it through – here are the pros, here are the cons to making a move like this up or down. We really just hash it out – Chris, myself and the rest of the scouting staff. I’d say over the course of the entire fall and spring, those guys did an excellent job getting us the right information and just going through countless meetings, agreements and disagreements, and just trying to get everybody on the same page. I would say our scouting department did a really nice job there and I think that played a large role in us feeling comfortable with making the selections – going up, going down. I would say from my standpoint, we had a good game plan.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa, will he have any health restrictions going forward? Whenever you guys are able to get back on the field, do you expect him to participate fully? And if so, do you see him competing for a starting job in 2020?) – “I’d say my kids are expecting him. They are big fans. They were excited to get on a phone call with him. (laughter) Look, we haven’t even seen him. Obviously with the pandemic and all that’s going on, our doctors haven’t seen him. We have a long way to go before we can say who’s doing what … We have to just get him and have a meeting first. I think it’s way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go. You guys know we like to take a one day at a time approach anyway. That’s going to be the approach I’m going to have him take as well.”
Chris Grier:
(Can you shed some light on how challenging this decision was, especially with QB Tua Tagovailoa, a quarterback, given the pandemic and you didn’t have the time to have as much face to face time as you normally would have. And the second part of my question as it related to Tua, the independent specialist that you used to get clearance on this, can you add some light on what that was like?) – “For us, again, it was our normal process. I know people won’t believe that, but it is. We spend a lot of time finding out about the player’s background. Like Brian said, the scouts do a fantastic job of background information and putting us in touch with people that we talked to. Brian and I, the coaches and scouts, know a lot of the coaches on that staff who have been there and have left … For us, I know the face time and having him in person and seeing him; but as Brian said, the coaches did a great job of spending time with him on Zoom meetings and getting to know him. We met with him at the Combine. We felt very comfortable and again, our doctors and trainers did a lot of work on him so for us, it wasn’t that difficult of a decision for us to make.
Brian Flores:
(I wanted to ask about T Austin Jackson. I know QB Tua Tagovailoa being left-handed, it may be important to get a right tackle. Austin played left tackle most of his career. Do you guys see him as an option at right tackle? Do you see G/T Jesse Davis as an option at right tackle? I know it’s still pretty early in the draft here, but how do you guys plan to address the tackle and interior linemen positions in the next few days?) – “I think really what we are trying to do is get good players. Left tackle, right tackle – I think at the end of the day, we want to bring good players onto this team who will work and compete. To talk about starting positons, I mean these guys have never been in an NFL locker room. I think that’s asking them a lot. I think we just take it day-to-day, and that’s the message I’m always going to send to all of our players, especially young players. There is a lot to learn as far as getting to know your teammates, getting to know our coaches, getting to know our terminology and how we do things. There is a lot to learn. So before we start talking about who is starting, who is playing left or right, I think for each rookie and really for every player, let’s just take this one day at a time and hopefully if we can string good days together, we’ll see some of the fruits of that labor.”
Chris Grier:
(I know there was a report that you guys were trying to trade up for QB Joe Burrow. I wanted to see if you guys can speak to the accuracy of that and whether it was a tough decision at five to choose QB Tua Tagovailoa over QB Justin Herbert?) – “Like I said, we made our calls to everyone. Yes, we spoke (to Cincinnati) to see if they were interested. So yes, we talked to everyone – every team in the league. It was no different. Every team makes those calls so yes, we reached out. Again, the decision to take Tua – Justin is a really good player. We enjoyed getting to know him as well. At the end of the day, we made our decision. We liked both players a lot but we thought Tua was the guy for us.”
Brian Flores:
“For me there, Chris and I were really on the same page the entire time as far as the process, the meeting, the medical, the conversations about moving up, moving down. We were really, l’d say, in lockstep the whole way. We still got a long way to go. After we get off of this Zoom, we’re going to talk again and get going on tomorrow and Saturday. There’s a lot more work to be done. This was just the first of three total days. There is a lot more work to be done here. We’ve got a slew of picks remaining. Tomorrow’s a big day, Saturday is going to be a big day, and we’re just going to try to make the best decision for this organization.”Tua Tagovailoa – April 23, 2020 Download PDF version
Thursday, April 23, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(When you heard your name called or when you got that call from the Dolphins, what first crossed your mind?) – “It was a dream come true, man, to be able to have this opportunity. I would honestly like to just thank Owner Stephen Ross. I’d like to thank GM Chris Grier. I’d also like to thank Coach (Brian) Flores for giving me this opportunity. This is special for not just me, but for my family as well.”
(What do you think are going to be your plans now given the distance and where you are? When do you expect to come to Miami? Where are you going to spend most of your training leading up to training camp?) – “With the given circumstances, I’m just going to be talking to the coaches and kind of seeing how we’re going to go about doing things as an organization. From there really, we’ve just got to hope and pray that everything works out and that we can get back to spending time as a team. I think for me, the most important thing is probably getting everyone’s phone number on the team and just creating relationships. Maybe starting out with the quarterbacks and then working my way down to the linemen or starting with the linemen, but just creating relationships a little at a time. Especially during times like this, it’s hard, so I think that’d be best.”
(You said earlier that you felt confident that you could play in 2020. What makes you confident and did the Dolphins talk to you about what their plans for you were?) – “I think what makes me confident in the aspect of me being able to play would be what the doctors have told me. As far as rehab, as far as the medical rechecks, I’ve checked off all the boxes, so that’s what I’ve been really standing on and that’s kind of what I’ve been going with. That’s why I would say I’ve been really encouraged to say that I’m able to play if need be; but I think the biggest thing for me right now is just being able to take it in, soak it in, enjoy it with my family and get to work.”
(I’m not sure if you’ve kept up with all of the fans’ expectations and hopes and dreams with you, but are you prepared to deal with that and do you think at any time, you would ever tell the fans to chill out or would you tell them to “keep hyping me up, let’s enjoy this?”) – “I think that’s something that is out of my control. I can’t control whether the fans like me or whether the fans dislike me; and so for me, I’d say it’s all about worrying about what I can control … It’s what you do from here on out. It’s how you … You just look forward to getting your playbook, understanding it, trying to get good at it, and if an opportunity is presented…”
(Playing at Alabama, obviously the spotlight’s on you there – obviously it’s the biggest program in the nation. How do you think that’s helped prepare you for the NFL?) – “I would say I think Alabama’s prepared me with how hard everything was there. It wasn’t just the workouts. It wasn’t just the guys you were competing against, but it was also the coaching. It was also your nutrition. It was just everything – your academics. Everything was made hard. It was really about embracing hard and kind of how you become successful through those hard times.”
(What are your goals as a quarterback in the National Football League?) – “I would say first off, I just want to be able to get the ball rolling as far as understanding my plays. I just want to know my plays, build relationships in the quarterback room, build relationships with guys in the locker room and also getting to know more about the coaching staff and building relationships with them as well.”
(I just wanted to ask you in terms of this process, was there any frustration with all the talk about your health and whether or not that hip was going to hold up and if it might drop you down the board? Did you get a little nervous there at any point?) – “I would say I didn’t get nervous at all. For me and my family the biggest thing was whoever decided to take a chance on us, whoever decided to pick me up, that’s where I belonged. Like I said, I’m very grateful and honored that I had this opportunity to play for this organization. My biggest thing is I’m trying to prove that this is the right decision for the organization.”
(How would you say your relationship or your developing relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier has gone throughout this draft process leading up to tonight?) – “It’s continuing to grow and that’s my biggest thing. We created it at the Combine, and I got to talk to Coach Flores and Chris (Grier) as well as Stephen Ross on Zoom calls maybe about three times in one month, so once every week almost. So I got to speak to them and build my relationship in that sense, but now that I’m a part of the organization it can only go up from here.”
(I wanted to ask how will you approach having a 37-year-old veteran quarterback like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick available to you? What if anything do you know about Ryan?) – “I would say it’s – First off, just being able to understand the kind of person he is. I know he’s been a great leader for this organization, he’s been a great team player. Guys like that, he’s played behind Jameis Winston and then he has an opportunity to play here. He has so much knowledge of the game to where I think it’s best that I nitpick him, ask him how he goes about preparing for a defense, what are the differences between this and this. Just being able to question him and learn under him, I think is going to be my biggest thing.”
(Last year there was all of this talk about “Tank for Tua.” How did that strike you back when that was going on and then how ironic is that you end up with the Dolphins?) – “I would say the funniest thing is I haven’t really heard too much of it last year. It was more so after the national championship from our loss to Clemson when I heard most of it. I would say that’s – I’m very grateful and I’m honored that the fans think so (highly) of me. It’s a different ball game. What I did in college can’t translate to the NFL. It’s a clean slate. What I’ve got to do is I’ve got to go out there and earn my respect and earn the trust from my teammates. It’s how you go about doing things.”
(How familiar are you with Dan Marino and the Dolphins’ past and have you thought about what number you may have to pick because 13 might be off the books?) – “For me, I’m not too worried about what number I have. I understand number 13 is retired and it should be. Dan Marino, he – he’s the GOAT. He’s like the mayor out there, and I have much respect for him. Whatever number I’m given by that organization, if it’s 78 or 99 – I’ll wear it. It doesn’t matter. I just want to have an opportunity to go out there and …”
(Do you expect to compete to start this year? Do you expect to compete to play or have they told you that this is going to be a redshirt year for you?) – “I’m going to go out there and compete as if I’m preparing to be the starter, even if I’m not going to be the starter right away or the entire season. But I think that has to be the mindset, because you go in there and – competition is usually always healthy. It’s usually always healthy. And you not only get yourself better by doing it but you get the other guy better and you get the entire quarterback room better that way.”
(What has this year been like for you, with so much expectation about you coming out in the draft and then the two injuries and the rehab and now this whole draft process? If you maybe had to put this in words to maybe your grandkids 40 years from now, what would you tell them this was like?) – “I would tell them this has probably been the hardest process for me to go through. I’ve gone through a lot with making this decision. I went to Nashville, I went through that tornado that came through. My car got destroyed. I’m going through rehab during that process. And then there’s a lot of uncertainty at the same time. There was just a lot of things piling up. So I’d just tell them that this was probably the most difficult time for me in my life.”
(I was going to ask you about your injury history and do you think you should’ve still been the number one drafted quarterback, but tell me about your car being destroyed in Nashville. What happened there?) – “Yeah, so I believe it was March 3rd. I was about 1 o’clock in the morning. Sirens were going off and I was asleep. I ended up waking up to I guess warnings on my phone. Right when I woke up, about three or four minutes later, a tornado just swooped right over my complex, destroys my car and everything there. It was pretty bad.”
(What would you say your best attribute from an intangible standpoint is?) – “That’s a good question. For me – I’ve said this many times – I’m not one to really speak on myself or really speak about what I’m good at. I try to let others do that. So, I’m not too sure. I like to go out there and compete, have fun and then try my best to win games.”
(What are you looking forward to most about playing in Miami?) – “I played there once. I played there against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. I’m just looking forward to an opportunity to play in front of the fans, play with my new teammates, kind of get the feel for everything, get into the groove of everything.”
(Tell us about the phone call when the Dolphins called you and said they’re picking you? Who did you talk to? How did that conversation go?) – “I got to talk to everyone. I got to talk to Coach Flores. I got to talk to the GM, Chris Grier. I got to talk to the owner, Stephen Ross. And man, it was awesome. It was very emotional for me and my family. It hasn’t just been a dream of mine to make this happen, it’s been my entire family’s dream. I’m blessed to say that I carry all of them here with me.”
(I’m curious what Head Coach Brian Flores has told you about what he’s trying to build in Miami and how you feel like you can contribute to the culture, the mindset, whatever it is that he’s told you about?) – “I would say what Coach Flores said was, ‘I want you to know that we think you’re very special.’ They think highly of me. But they were just really excited – (Coach Flores) was just really excited. He also had his kids kind of hop on and kind of say hello and say congratulations. So, that was pretty cool.”
