Saturday, August 29, 2020
DT Davon Godchaux
(So we’ve seen a lot of pressure on the quarterback over these ten days. Just how excited are you about this defensive front now, obviously you, DT Christian Wilkins, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, DE Shaq Lawson. What has left you encouraged about these ten days from that standpoint?) – “I’m very excited. Big things to come. Starting at practice, working hard, getting the things we need to do. I mean, just excited we got two guys on the edge, rush the passer, set the edge, stop the run and guys up the middle – me, Christian (Wilkins), Raekwon (Davis), other guys, Zach (Sieler) – I’m very excited.”
(What can you say about DE Shaq Lawson’s ability to kind of get around the edge and DE Emmanuel Ogbah’s ability to kind of bat down passes on the line? How much can that help you and also where are you going after practice, dawg? Because I’m trying to ride out with you in that hat on.) – “(Laughter) That makes it easier for me when you’ve got guys like that who can play the run and play the pass. It makes it very easy for the guys inside and also when you have guys inside that can push the pocket, beat one-on-ones; it makes it easier for them, too. So like I said, it’s going to be a two-way talent working hand-in-hand with those guys. They’re working hand-in-hand with us so I’m very excited for it. I can’t wait until the season.”
(How is DT Raekwon Davis doing?) – “He’s doing good. Getting knock-back, things we ask for in 3-technique (and) sometimes when you play nose. I’m very excited for him to play his first game in the NFL. Unfortunate we didn’t have OTAs. We didn’t have preseason, so I’m very excited to see him in live action actually in a game because he’s been doing some great things in practice.”
(Obviously the Dolphins hope G Solomon Kindley can be a long-term guard. What you’ve observed from him just on the practice field, going up against their interior – your interior?) – “First of all I like him because he’s an SEC guy, so you know I like him. He’s a big guy. He has great feet for a big guy. He’s just very aggressive. I like those tangibles about him, but he’s just got to keep working, keep everything consistent and keep listening to his coach, and I think the sky is the limit for him.”
(Touching back on that SEC theme and you also have some guys from Clemson, as well. What is it about players that play Southeast kind of football that kind of lends to what you guys are trying to do on the defensive line?) – “I mean, it’s very physical. When you come out of the SEC, when you come from teams like Clemson, too, it’s very physical football. Of course they don’t play in the SEC. That’s no knock on them, but at the end of the day, it’s very physical football. It’s hit-in-the-mouth, smashmouth football, and today with the Tua’s (Tagovailoa) of the world, the Joe Burrow’s of the world; they updated with the passing game and spread offense, so that’s very good. So you have a two-way street with the run and the pass. So I think when you come in the NFL it’s kind of like the next step. Everybody always says the SEC is a baby version of the NFL, so when you have a chance to go out there and compete against guys in the NFL you’re competing at a higher level.”
(I know you’ve spoke about this in the past but obviously you guys have been speaking about social justice initiatives over this week. How does that hit you when you see the Jacob Blake situation and what are some of the conversations like on the team and creating change?) – “I’d rather not talk about that. I leave that up to me and the fellas in the locker room. Of course you guys see what’s going on in this world. We’re just going to demand change and it’s going to start with this young generation as we demand change and demand excellence, demand everybody being treated fair. So I’d rather not talk about that. Just kind of keep that in the locker room.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(An emotional day for you and your offense and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got the word about his mom. What did you say to him and how did you go from learning that to starting a game 10-15 minutes later?) – “Yeah, I’d say that was something that was pretty difficult. I kind of told ‘Fitz’ that I’m here for him; but it was something more so emotional for me, too, because I kind of thought of my own mom, and just the thought of not having a family member, losing a family member, I mean, it’s hard. So being given that circumstance, being told that I had be ready to go out with the first group today, it wasn’t something that I was nervous to do; but it was more so, I kind of – I kind of felt what – I would say kind of what ‘Fitz’ was going through. I got emotional when ‘Fitz’ ended up leaving, too and while we were about to pray as a team; but that’s not something that’s easy. I reached out to him, too, telling him that he’s in my prayers and he’s been on my mind and my heart and that if they need anything, that they can reach out to me and I’m here.”
(Like you mentioned, you had to go out on the field after that, and this was your first game-like action since the injury. How did it feel for you to get back into the flow of things in that respect?) – “Yeah, I think there was some good today. There was also some not so good. But I think it was a learning curve for me and a lot of the rookies. There’s some things that we need to clean up offensively on my end, and things in general with communication; and then for me, not turning the ball over in situations. So being better with situational awareness, down and distance, and then communication, and that’s why we got film, too, to be able to go over that. So after this interview, I’ll probably go and look at the film and get ready for our meeting tonight with what our coaches have to say.”
(The last time we talked to you, you talked about your relationship with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and how he had face timed you and shown you his family and about the month-plus that you’ve gotten to know him as a teammate. What does he embody as a teammate, and just the impact of what he brings to the team?) – “’Fitz’ is just a wholesome person. The way he is out on the field is the same way he is off the field. I don’t think there’s really a distinct change in who he is. I mean, what you see out there is really who ‘Fitz’ is. He’s a coach. He’s a mentor on and off the field. But he’s also a very, very family-oriented person. Very loving. Very caring for guys. And he’s funny, too. He’s really funny.”
(What is it like – going back to draft day, you’re drafted with the organization that has a black head coach and a black GM and you being a person of color, what does it mean to you to have that sort of diversity at those three positions in your organization?) – “Yeah, I think that’s something very unique, first off, because you don’t get that too often around the NFL. So I think it speaks volumes to the organization, the Dolphins organization, from the top down – from the president to the GM, CEO, whatever you want to say. It speaks volumes that whoever can get the job done for us, that’s who we are going to go with. We are very blessed to have ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) as our head coach and we trust that the decisions that he is going to make for our team are in our best interests.
(I noticed during the final drive of the game, you got the team to the 49-yard line. There was a timeout and then the offense got pulled there. Were you hoping to finish the game there and were you hoping to make a comeback down 10-6? What’s your overall thoughts on how you played today?) – “I would say first off, my overall thoughts on my play wasn’t to where I want it to be. I don’t think anyone today is where they want to be; but to me, it’s really not taking it a series at a time. It’s more so a play; what can I do to put our offense in the best position on this play. And like I said, there were some good, there was some bad, and it’s just an opportunity to continue to learn, continue to grow. Communication with the guys is going to be key coming to the sideline and then in practices that we are going to have. I was hoping to be able to finish that drive. I don’t know what happened; but hey, that’s how the game goes. You do all you can until something happens, and like I said, you can only do as much as you can.”
(I saw the documentary that you guys put together. It was really well done. One of the things that was commented on in the move that I thought was interesting was when you talked about how your grandfather said to be a lion and not a gazelle, you have a choice to be a lion or a gazelle. I wonder how that story applied to training camp for you.) – “Yeah, I think that saying really relates to life in general for me. You’ve got the lion and the gazelle. They both wake up in the morning and they’ve both got to run. One is running to something and one is running away from something, and which one are you? For me, you take on the mindset of trying to wake up and become a lion every day. You always want to go and chase your goals for the day, get better, do something good for the community, and I really think it’s just something that I can take in life in general and not just training camp. I’m chasing to be the best Tua that I can be both on and off the field, and really that’s it.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
C Ted Karras
(Obviously the offense didn’t look as pristine as maybe you guys may want it to be when the season rolls around. What can you just say about how you guys are kind of moving the ball around and dealing with some penalties on the offensive line?) – “I thought it was a solid day. Obviously we’re going to have to look at the film here. I’m going to look at it right away. We’re going to have to keep grinding away. Now we’re coming down towards the end of camp almost two weeks out of the season. We’re going to have to start tightening things up. This was a good building day and obviously we’ll make some corrections tonight.”
(How do you think T Austin Jackson has handled left tackle as a rookie and what does he do well from observing him now for 10 practices?) – “I think he’s done a fantastic job. All these rookies – Solomon (Kindley) and Rob (Hunt) and Jonathan Hubbard – these guys, they really come to work every day and it’s been a pleasure to help them out and see them grow and as I’m trying to continue to grow myself. It’s fun to be around these younger guys that are really working hard, and I’m really looking forward to going in the season with these guys.”
(I wanted to ask you about a guy on the other side of the ball that kind of interacts with the center position a lot in LB Elandon Roberts and the communication and the physicality he brings. What’s it like going up against him in practice and some of the challenges he provides you guys on the offensive line?) – “I’ve known ‘E. Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) for – this is our fifth season together, and he’s just about the hardest hitter I’ve ever played against. That’s the biggest challenge going with it. Very good player and someone I respect as a friend, as a man; and I’m really, really happy that we got to reunite and continue to play football together.”
(I know you mentioned to us last time that you were getting really close with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and his family and you were kind getting to know him, as well. What’s kind of your message to him? Obviously I’m sure that news was so tough for the whole team to hear today.) – “That’s tough. Any time someone has to deal with that kind of loss, it’s a very big deal and it’s sad, and I just – our relationship has really blossomed over the past month and I’m just sending my love to him and his family and I hope everything’s okay.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(It looked like it was a good day for I guess you guys in the DB group, a couple picks, a couple hands on the ball. I know you talked about that before, getting hands on the ball. What does the game-type action show about your progress in that area?) – “Just trying to just, like you said, just get our hands on the football and get the ball to the offense. That’s our job as defenders. We work on turnovers each and every day at practice, so making sure we get a chance, an opportunity every time stripping the ball, go pick the ball at the highest point. That’s really what we want to focus our game on is just being ball hawks.”
(I noticed yesterday when you spoke to the team, presumably about the social justice situation and issues, is there anything you can share that you wanted your teammates to know and hear and how did all those meetings with the team go yesterday?) – “They went really well. As a team, we spoke and we called it all up and we wanted to get everybody – we know it’s heavy on everybody he is hearts and it’s something you don’t want to dismiss. We spoke as a team. We called it all up as a team. It wasn’t just me speaking. It was everybody speaking. It was an open floor, open dialogue for anyone that wanted to speak, and we know it’s heavy on people’s hearts right now and really we just wanted to speak as a team face-to-face and not so much on Zoom or not so much — we wanted to make sure we were all aware of the situation that’s going at hand.”
(I wanted to ask you about two rookies – what has RB Malcolm Perry in the slot receiver, how tough is he to cover for defensive backs? And S Brandon Jones, we’ve seen him more this week. What’s he shown you?) – “Yeah, Malcolm Perry is a good football player. Coming from Navy, he played quarterback. He’s a jack of all trades. He can play a lot of positions for us, as far as quarterback, slot receiver, outside, you can put him anywhere. He’s just a football player. He makes plays. He’s a tough kid. He’s working on making tough catches. As you saw today, he had a big catch today. Brandon Jones, he’s a guy that he’s going to be good for us. He’s a guy with high energy. He’s got a motor, runs around, makes plays on the football and that’s what we need on the back end. We are all coming together as a team and understand that we all have our roles to play. Those two guys are going to help us.”
(During a couple practices in the last few weeks or so, I’ve seen you congratulate WR Isaiah Ford after he got a catch on you or talking to Fitz and seeing maybe what he saw from the other side of the field from your perspective there. You’ve taken it upon yourself to talk to teammates and be a leader in this way. What gives you pride in doing those things and having this role?) – “Just being myself, man. Just being myself. Anybody can be a leader. Anybody can step up at any time and I’m simply making people aware of the things we need as a team, and that’s what I try to do. Like you said me speaking with ‘Fitz,’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), I’m just trying to see what he’s seeing on his side from me or anyone else on the defense and like we are all brothers. Helping my brother up after he catches the ball, that’s nothing to hate on. We’re out there competing. We’re all getting better.”
(Want to ask you about playing safety and deep off the football where you can see everything unfold in front of you. This is kind of the first game type of situation you’ve had here in year number two. Did you notice any sense of growth for you having that whole year of playing safety under your belt and applying it on the field?) – “Yeah, each and every day you try to get better at practice, and being in a game setting today is definitely — it was definitely exciting. We’ve got to watch the film and just make corrections and each and every day try to get better. This is my second year playing safety, so each and every year — each and every day, each and every practice, I’m trying new things. That’s what practice is for, trying new things and seeing what you can be good at and what’s not good for you.”
(We heard a little about the ‘Burbs’ and the Hood competition and the points system you have going on. Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander said you were leading a little in the early competition. What has it been like for you guys to have that kind of flowing? It seems like sort of a college deal, but create some competition throughout the room?) – “It’s just something fun to do in the room, man; and being that we were all competing, it’s just a way for us to find a way for us to get our hands on the football. If that’s what it takes for us to get our hands on the football, that’s what it takes. Regardless what it is, if it’s points system or game day, it’s about getting the football and getting the ball and getting the ball off people.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(I wanted to ask about the interception you had in the scrimmage today, going up against TE Mike Gesicki. Can you tell us what you saw on the route and how you were able to make a play on the football?) – “Yeah, it was just straight-up man. He ran, it was like an out and up. Honestly I didn’t think they were going to throw it to him because I was covered all on him but once his eyes got big, I just turned my head and the quarterback threw it inside, gave me the chance and I made the play.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick means a lot to this team after what he led you guys last year, after what was a pretty down year. What does he mean to you guys and how do you feel for him in the situation that he’s going through right now with his mom?) – “He means a lot to us, not just as a teammate but just as a guy in the locker room. He brings consistent energy. He’s funny. He’s just a good guy to be around and we all feel for him. We all heard the news this morning, and if that was any one of us, we’d feel the same way. It’s hard to play when you’ve got your parents pass or your mom or dad. We all feel for him. We all have our prayers going for him and when he comes back, he’s going to come back to a family.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
WR Isaiah Ford
(It seems in the last year or so, you’ve really connected with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. What can you say about just kind of what he’s going through and how you feel for him as a teammate?) – “It’s tough. Any time somebody’s dealing with a loss – specifically a mother – a mother and a son’s bond is something like no other. I couldn’t imagine if it was me, and I just want him to know that whatever we can do as an extended family to support him and help him mourn his loss, that we’ll be here for him, you know and just that I love him like a brother.”
(Obviously with WR Albert Wilson opting out, WR Allen Hurns opting out, the slot job is open. You came on last December. Do you like what you’ve put on tape in the competition for that job through 10 practices?) – “Yes, each day I’m just kind of focusing on the little things and the details and just trying to get a little bit better each day. And whether that’s not focusing on what I’ve done the day before or two days or whatever that case may be, but just focusing on the current day and doing everything that I can to put one foot in front of the other.”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
QB Josh Rosen
(Obviously we saw the team gather before the scrimmage in prayer for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. How difficult was that? I know you and Ryan have shared a lot of moments together. How difficult was it to see Ryan going through what he’s going through right now?) – “It’s a brutal situation. And I just tried to support him like any way I could these last couple days, weeks and months; but I mean, Ryan’s mom raised a hell of a kid – really strong, awesome, independent kind dude. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be around him these last couple months, almost a year now, probably. And yeah, it’s a tough situation, but kind of puts everything into perspective and reminds you that we all are still human and human things happen.”
(The touchdown pass you had to WR Ricardo Louis and just kind of have you walk us through that. It looked from our vantage point like you had some tight coverage there and were able to find that tight window. Can you tell us when you saw in that play?) – “It wasn’t wide open it. It was more of kind of an opportunity ball. He was running a corner route, and corner kind of fell off into it a little bit underthrown and Ricardo (Louis) made a hell of a play. They were a little bit scrambling there, so I just kind of snapped it quick. I didn’t get a crystal clear view of the coverage, but I knew where I wanted to throw it and who I wanted to throw it and Ricardo made a hell of a play.”
(You had what I guess in my view what looked like the throw of the day to RB Malcolm Perry down that right sideline – what looked like a go route. Can you tell me what you saw and trying to get it to him on the money with tight coverage?) – “So that’s not really a part of our read, but the first two guys I was going to kind of got trapped inside on some out-breaking routes and in my vision through them, I kind of see the go behind it and kind of just notice that Malcolm had a step on it and just thought I would chuck it. There was only one safety in the field. I didn’t think he was going to track it down, but it really wasn’t kind of a plan. It was more of a reaction because my first couple guys got stuck inside.”
(At the same time, only really red zone attack of the day – the score of the day – was you and WR Ricardo Louis. Can you break down what happened on that play? Was that your first read? Looked like you looked a couple times around?) – “No, I knew I wanted to go there. As I said earlier, the defense was kind of scrambling a little bit. They weren’t really necessarily lined up. We had a motion and a lot of guys that were crossing, so we knew there was going to be some communication issues. The deepest developing route was the one I was planning on throwing to, so I just kind of slid over to it, tried to let everyone get confused and then put it up in the back pylon for Ricardo (Louis) to make a play.”
(At the end of the day the scoreboard read Rosen 10 and Tua 6. What does that mean to you, if anything and what was your reaction when Head Coach Brian Flores asked you to get on the field with about three minutes left pulling Tua?) – “I don’t really think there’s much to look into. We manufactured some situations throughout the game for the sake of practice. So like we had some two-minute drills that weren’t necessarily two-minute. We had a fumble on my drive that we didn’t rule a fumble just for the sake of we wanted to keep it going. There were a couple of first downs. We just moved it along, so I wouldn’t really look anything into that. But it was definitely a sloppy day, I would say on offense overall. I carried a good amount of the burden with that. I was a little slow calling plays. I think I could have – I think I was just a little bit sort of slow overall, and I think I tried to get everyone on the same page moving a little quicker in the second half and near the end of it, I think we put a really good drive together. But I think we have a lot of things to learn and – or a lot to learn from now – and I think there’s some good film to watch and get better.”
(I know last time we talked to you, you had mentioned that you weren’t really worried about the quarterback job. Obviously things have become a little more complicated with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s absence. What do you think it would mean if for whatever reason you were the guy that got the point if ‘Fitz’ has to be gone for a bit?) – “It would be awesome. I would be ecstatic. It’s 2020. Anything can happen. Quarterbacks can get sick. When coaches, coordinators go down – who knows. So I’m going to stay ready. I hope I can one day play here, and I’m ready to seize my opportunity; but I’m not really focusing on all that much right now. I’m just trying to not throw picks in a scrimmage. (laughter)”
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Obviously we didn’t see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out there today. Are you able to provide an update on what his status is and why he didn’t participate?) – “’Fitz,’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) – we’ve talked about him having a personal situation. His mom passed away this morning. So yeah, there’s no quarterback controversy. There’s no – he’s not opting out. He’s not retiring. There was a lot written the last time he had some personal situations, but his mom passed away. ‘Fitz’ has tried to work through this. He always wanted to practice. He tried to go out there today, but you know, and I’ve had multiple conversations with him having dealt with this also. And it’s a tough situation and our hearts go out to him as a team, as an organization. This is a competitive guy – tried to go out there, but some things are more important than football. So he left to be with his family. So yeah, there’s no quarterback controversy. There’s no – he’s not retiring. He’s not opting out. Just wanted to – just so you guys know.”
(We saw you have a personal moment with him as he was walking off the field. As a coach, how difficult a situation was that for you and do you think what you said may have helped him a little bit?) – “As a coach, as a friend, as a man, as a – I mean, they’re all kind of intertwined in this game. Obviously our conversations are going to stay private, but I went through this a year ago. Our moms were about the same age. We’re about the same age. We’re both – I’m a former athlete; he’s an athlete, but we’re both competitive guys and leaders; and you know, you want to be strong, but there are moments where you can’t. You’re not able to be and so I understand that, and it’s – I just try to support him. This team is supporting him and that was – essentially, that was my message to him.”
(I guess it may be indefinite. Will it be indefinite how long Ryan misses any time with the team coming up in the next week or so?) – “He’s going to take as much time as he needs, and I think me, as an organization; we’re going to give him this time to grieve, and my thought on this is he’s going to try to get back as quickly as he can because that’s the competitive nature in him. And like a lot of us, football is our sanctuary, and it’s our place to get away from the tough times, the pain, the anguish in our lives. I know he’ll probably try to get back as soon as he can, but we’re going to give him as much time as he wants or needs.”
(Without QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, what did you think of the atmosphere? Obviously it was the first time you guys… competed for a scrimmage. What did you think of how basically everyone looked out there?) – “There’s a lot – without preseason games – that’s our first real look in a stadium, sideline operation, headsets, officials; so there’s a lot to clean up I would say just from a coaching standpoint. So we got a little bit of that cleaned up from first half to second half – making adjustments on the sideline with the tablets. That’s something we haven’t been able to do, so to incorporate that going from series to series, that was good. On the field, I think we had some penalties out there. It’s good to feel that defensively, offensively how they extend drives or kill drives in some instances; so the importance of trying to play penalty-free but also being aggressive and playing with good fundamentals, technique and discipline. So I think overall any time you get a live look or as close to the game as possible, it’s good.”
(Obviously you QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has bigger things than football going on right now, but obviously you as the coach you have to prepare going forward. I know you haven’t made a final decision as quarterback, but how does this change for how you prepare for Week 1 given the uncertainty of what could be your starting quarterback?) – “I mean, especially given this time in a pandemic, we’ve got contingency plan after contingency plan after contingency plan. I think myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff; if I go down, if a player goes down, we’ve kind of gone through this multiple times. We have an idea of what we would do. Obviously there’s a competition going on and that plays a role in it, which that’s not – we still have a week left of training camp or a few days left of training camp. I know we’re two weeks away, but nothing’s set in stone offensively, defensively, on the kicking game. But obviously as a staff, we go through those different scenarios. Whether a guy has a situation like this or doesn’t, you know, could be – obviously this is a death in the family, but we treat it no differently than an injury, so the next guy would have to step up. I know the next question is, ‘hey, is it this guy or this guy?’ I would say that that’s yet to be determined.”
(Maybe I missed this, but as we write this, I’m trying to be as accurate as possible. Is there a chance Fitz would miss the opener?) – “It’s hard to say. We’re going to give him as much time as he needs. If that extends into the season, then that’s what it is, but I can’t put a time frame on it. I mean I won’t call it insensitive, but I’m not going to put a time frame on someone who just lost a parent.”
(I wanted to ask you about the decision to trade LB Raekwon McMillan, what went into that and how do you see the depth of your linebacker position now?) – “Obviously Raekwon (McMillan) is someone I have a lot of respect for. He’s a talented player. I think people are going to say that, you know — people are going to say what they want to say. He’s somebody I respect a lot. He’s a good football player. I think he’s going to have a long career but there’s a lot of depth in that room. There’s, again, like a lot of decisions we make as an organization, there’s a lot of things that go into it that you’re not going to know about, and we’re not going to tell you. But in every decision we make, it’s in the best interests of the Miami Dolphins. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish him all the best. He’s a good kid.”
(What went into your decision to pull Tua in the final drive and put Rosen back in in the final three minutes there?) – “We pulled the whole offense and the defense. Yeah, we pulled both teams. So we only have two quarterbacks, so he was in on that group, so we pulled him. We pulled the entire offense. (Josh) Rosen, you know, yeah, so we put Rosen back in.”
(Obviously we don’t have the view that you guys have or the film to look at, but seemed like it was a rougher day for the quarterbacks as a whole. I don’t know if that’s what you saw, how could you grade maybe how QB Tua Tagovailoa did in his first game action since the injury and QB Josh Rosen, as well?) – “I think it’s hard to really — every game is a little bit different. So I think if you don’t see a bunch of touchdowns scored, you feel like the quarterback is not playing well. That’s not necessarily the case – my view, as well. Although, not in my – not in my opinion, I should say. So I have to go back and look at the film. I saw some good throws. I saw some good decisions to – could have thrown it in some tighter windows. Potential turnovers that guys didn’t make the throw; but I’ve got to go watch the film, to be honest with you. I think when you don’t see a bunch of touchdowns scored or big passes, you start to think the quarterback’s not playing well. That’s just not the case. Honestly, I thought those guys – I thought there was good communication. I thought we were in and out of the huddle. You know, turnovers were down; so those are the things that are important – give us a chance to keep the game tight. But I’ve got to watch the film.”
