DOLPHINS HEAD COACH BRIAN FLORES
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24
(On the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick) “I thought Fitz played well. We moved the ball efficiently in the first half. It could have been better in the second half. I thought he made good decisions. I thought he ran it when he needed to run it. I thought he had good command of the offense tonight. It wasn’t just Fitz. There are 11 guys on each snap, so the O-line played well. We got contributions from a lot of different guys – the offensive line, the backs, tight ends, receivers – everyone contributed and that is what you need to win in this league.”
(On how he saw the team build off the early lead) “We got off to a good start. It’s something we have been talking about. I think our staff did a good job offensively, defensively and in the kicking game in a short week of getting the guys ready to go. [Offensive Coordinator] Chan [Gailey], [Defensive Coordinator] Josh [Boyer], [Special Teams Coordinator] Danny [Crossman] – a lot of credit goes to them for the work they did this week. The credit also goes to the players because they put the work in. They did a good job with the communication, the fundamentals and the techniques. They made plays out there, but it was a total team effort in the offense, defense and special teams.”
(On how satisfied he was with the pass rush tonight) “It’s something we have been working on. Every team wants to get pressure on the quarterback. We were able to do that tonight. There were instances where we could have done better, but definitely improved from previous weeks. They have a good O-line. They have a good quarterback. They have good skill guys, so it was a tough test for us. Our guys came ready to play tonight. They played fast. They played physical, there was a lot of energy on the field and I am sure you guys could see that. They were fired up. It was a short week but put a lot of time in as a team and they did a lot of extra work this week. It was important for them and they saw the fruits of their labor.”
(On how this win reinforces what he has been teaching and building) “It is always important to work hard on something and see the fruits of your labor like I just mentioned. It’s a good thing and definitely builds confidence. We have to continue to work the way we have been working and continue to grow as a team and as a staff. It feels good to win. That definitely feels good to win. I am proud of these guys and I am happy for them. I am happy for our staff because these guys work tirelessly, and I am excited for them. As far as what we are trying to build, we are trying to win games every week and they work hard for that.”
(On what happened on Kamu Grugier-Hill’s fourth down sack play) “[Defensive Coordinator] Josh [Boyer] made a real good call on that. He blitzed them. Grugier-Hill came free and it is fourth down. It was a good play there because they had a little bit of momentum there at the half. We stopped them. It was a good play by Grugier-Hill. I thought he played well defensively. We called his number there and in the second half, he stepped up, made tackles and played fast. He along with a lot of other guys defensively – whether it was [Kyle] Van Noy, coaching, [Zach] Sieler. Obliviously X [Xavien Howard] had the play at the end. It was a total team effort. We continue to build, to work as a team or a unit. We had contributions from different guys. We are not a one-man show here – no team is. We need contributions from everyone. Hopefully we can continue to improve and get better.”
(On if the lack of preseason games is affecting the team) “Anytime you can go through experiences as a group, it helps. Again, we are not going to make any excuses or point fingers for what preseason we did or didn’t have. We are going to try to move on day-to-day and get better. These guys know what it takes to improve and get better and win in this league. It’s not easy. It is about coming in on a daily basis and working on whatever it is where it is a fundamental as simple as throwing and catching or doing a complex scheme offensively or defensively or in the kicking game. Our guys work for that. When you do that, you put yourself in a position to have some success and that is what our guys have done.”
(On Kyle Van Noy’s sack fumble and play this week) “Complementary football is how you win in this league. We have to back them up or win the field position battle. Win the time of possession battle by getting first downs offensively. Turn the ball over defensively. That is how you win in this league. That was a good play by Kyle. It wasn’t just Kyle. It’s never just one person I feel like. I am not sure who else because I haven’t watched it yet, but I am sure someone else had a really good rush that might have pulled somebody in and bounced off of Kyle and popped in there. It was a good individual play and what we need on every snap is 11 really good individual plays with some guys trying to match up. If we get that consecutively, we get good results. Normally, you get good results. Sometimes, you don’t. When you don’t, you move onto the next play. You believe getting 11 guys on the correct page in the right direction with good communication, good fundamentals and technique. If we do that, we will have good plays so it’s important for them to do that not only for themselves but also for the guy next to them.”
(On the offensive line) “I know a lot of the focus in on the rookies, but we take Ereck Flowers, Jesse [Davis], those guys, all of them, I think these guys are competitive. There are tough and smart and it’s important to them. I think there is a lot of leadership in that room. The young guys just follow their lead. I think they understand that. That is a unit, not individuals but one unit and we try to play that way. We had some success early in the game – I wish we could have run it better from the second quarter on. It’s something we will take about and try to get improved tomorrow and this week. I like what I saw out of the group. I haven’t watched the tape yet so I am sure there is something we can coach and correct. By no means, was it a perfect game – I saw a couple of penalties which we will try to get those corrected. Hopefully, we are heading in the right direction.”
DOLPHINS QB RYAN FITZPATRICK
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24
(On starting the first half with three scoring drives and building on that momentum) “I thought we had a really efficient first half. We came in the locker room a little bit disappointed on that last drive with the three-and-out, getting put in good field position and [hoping] to get another score on the board, but it was good. I felt like we were efficient today. We had a good game plan, we followed it. Guys made plays. The second half, [we were] running the clock out a little bit and that stuff, but I thought our guys, up front especially, came to play today.”
(On getting prepared for the game with a short week) “It was obviously a very short week so to have a few new wrinkles, I think it speaks to the creativity of our coaching staff and also just speaks to the guys that we have in there, being able to do things like that and for us to be able to trust that they’re going to be able to get in there and figure things out. Jakeem [Grant Sr.] made a couple nice plays just today, DeVante [Parker], we really just spread it around in the first half. It was nice to see everybody involved and the creativity and that kind of stuff on a short week.”
(On if getting multiple players involved early in the game helped get off to a fast start) “I think it did and it helps when everybody gets involved, not just focusing on one or two guys. We know that we have a lot of talent on offense and so we want to be able to spread that ball around a little bit and get different guys involved. As we go here, we’re figuring out strengths and weaknesses and really had to take advantage of some of those strength with our guys. We’ll continue to do that, and I think you’ll continue to see the ball getting spread around as the year goes on.”
(On enjoying playing the game in this stage in his career) “I mean it’s why I still play. I enjoy playing, especially when you’re having success, when you’re driving the ball down the field scoring touchdowns. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world sometimes getting to go outside and play football with my friends. I think you can see it in everyone. Mike [Gesicki]’s in the room right now, but every time Mike scores a touchdown or makes a catch, the look on his face is like he’s never caught a ball before. It’s fun for us to go out there and run around a little bit.”
(On being able to run the ball, throw the ball, block, and catch a pass in tonight’s game) “You know what you can add to that, which rarely [happens]? If you look at a lot of footage of me you will rarely see me slide and today, I also slid, so you can throw that one in there. That may not happen again all year so there were a lot of different things. That was my third career reception. I was glad I actually got positive yards on that one. But I think running and trying to throw a block here and there and getting hit, that stuff helps me get into the game a little bit.”
(On his conversation with Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew II after the game) “We just said good game to each other, and I told him I appreciate the ‘stache’. I like the look. I think he rocks it. I think he owns it, and that’s kind of his trademark deal. It’s not necessarily the look for me, but I think it’s awesome.”
(On his postgame outfit) “Now, being in Florida for going on four years and being the elder statesman on the team, I’ve adopted more of the senior citizen look in terms of some of the touristy shirts and my waistband is sitting a little higher than it used to. But I do like the color, I like the flare, and I would say the chest hair is probably 50-50 on whether people like it or not. They have very strong feelings about it, but the right people in my life like the chest hair so it’s okay to have it out.”
DOLPHINS OL JESSE DAVIS
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24
(On what Ryan Fitzpatrick’s presence in the huddle and on the field does for the offense) “Yeah, Fitz carries himself cool, calm and collected and that kind of rubs off on us. No one’s freaking out. If we’re down third and long, it’s not a big issue so I think how he conducts the huddle, how he conducts the offense really reflects on how we can perform. We did a good job tonight with it.”
(On what went into getting the running game going) “I think we had a good plan. We knew what they were going to be lining up in and their answer to that was movement on the line trying to get our gaps. I think Myles Gaskin did a good job running hard, finding lanes and putting his shoulder down for extra yards and Fitz got a couple in there too.”
(On if he saw anything in practice that the defense would be ramping up the pass rush tonight) “I think the more time they spend together clicking, trying to figure themselves out as well – I think our D-Line is one to be reckoned with. They’ve given us our problems too in camp and in practices. This week I think we all knew we had something going and then we stuck to our game plan. They had a really good game plan with them and I think it was an all around good effort, good team win.”
DOLPHINS RUNNING BACK MYLES GASKIN
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24
(On receiving the ball many times during the first drive) “I was just trying to make the best plays I could possibly make with the opportunities I was given. The O-Line was making it real easy for me. Those guys did their job, they did a really great job today.”
(On the confidence after scoring three touchdowns on the first three drives) “Very important. I think we’ve always had that confidence, we just kind of had to string it together—piece it together. Coach Flores always says string good plays together, good days together and I think we were finally able to do that. So, I was very excited, very excited but not surprised because I know we can do that.”
(On whether the volume he received tonight was part of the game plan) “I guess that was just how it went today. Like always, I think it’s by committee, we go in there every week, just prepare for it as much as we can, as a unit, and that’s what we did this week.”
(On importance of being 1-2 instead of 0-3) “Very important. We played two games that were very close to two really good teams and it was very motivating, the fact that we lost, but we were right there in them. Coming into this game, I think we carried that very heavily on our shoulders and wanted to come out firing on offense, defense, special teams and we did. They’re a very good team as well, but I think just kind of the agony—or whatever you want to call it—of losing those past two games just kind of came out this week.”
(On the bend back runs) “They just make it easy for me because get on their dudes and they stick on them, they show me leverage. It’s always about leverage as a running back, trying to see where they are, where their body position is. And when they can do that and just kind of stay on their men, it’s easy for me to make those decisions when we practice that every week. Like Jesse [Davis] will say it’s going to be right here, this and that. I messed up on a run today actually, on that third down, I fell short. Jesse had his man turned out and I jumped around his block and made a huge mistake. But he did his job, he always does his job and just those guys make it easy for me upfront.”
(On giving credit to a teammate or coach helping him in his career here) “E, Coach E [Eric Studesville] running backs coach, for sure. Last year, just kind of working with me. I didn’t play at all really until the last game when I got hurt and just kind of coaching me through just trying to get better each and every day. And then, the summer, or the offseason I guess, he always kind of talked to me, just ‘Hey this is what we need you to do, this is what we’d like for you to do, this is how you can get better.’ And I say to everybody in that running backs room, as a player, Jordan [Howard] being the older guy kind of just say, ‘This is what it’s going to look like,’ or ‘This is how you should go about this in the run game and even off the field, just taking care of your body.’ Same with Matt [Breida], those two guys being older and then Pat [Laird]. I mean, me and Pat came in together, we trained together for the combine, so that’s been my boy since Day 1. And just the whole room, Salvon [Ahmed] included, I know he’s on the practice squad, but that’s just my dawg from UW. So, I think that whole group of guys have been nothing but a blessing for myself and I think we’ve been a blessing to each and every one of our situations.”
(On QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s leadership) “For myself, I can only speak for myself, just me, and obviously just being nervous—or whatever you want to call it— just coming into a game, a Thursday night game like this, he’s always just kind of laughing and joking, trying to make sure everybody’s just honed in and just not too amped up, not too low, just saying, ‘Hey, this is the game we’ve been playing since we were little kids. Like, at the end of the day, this is the game we play, this is what we’re here for. We’re here to ball out, do our jobs to our best capabilities. And just having him around, always kind of keeps that in my mind, in the front of my mind. Like, ‘Hey, this is not too big for me, I’ve been—I’m here for a reason, in that sense.’ So, yeah, I think he’s been a great guy; on the field obviously and then off the field in the locker room, the lunchroom. I love sitting next to him, just listening to him talk to whatever he needs to say, he laughs—I mean, he’s a smart dude, so you might learn something, too.”
(On being physically stronger) “You said I was physically stronger? I think, obviously, just working out with the offseason—before, you always had school and stuff coming out of college. But kind of being able to make my body my assignment, in a sense, just taking care of it to the best of my abilities. And I think it’s just mindset, absolutely, it’s just not playing at all last year made me more hungry for this year. Being able to get on the field and trying not to look bad. Last year was definitely a learning experience, definitely humbling experience. So, makes you hungry, not playing game.”
DOLPHINS LB KAMU GRUGIER-HILL
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020
(On his evaluation of the pass rush in tonight’s game) “I think that’s a huge emphasis for us these last two weeks, especially after the losses, so getting that under our belt is awesome. We had a good short week of practice, but I mean it paid off and it’s exciting to see that.”
(On the criticism of the defense the past two weeks and how satisfying it was to play well on defense tonight) “We’re a proud defense, proud team and anything that affects us is going to come internally, so we just had to look ourselves in the mirror really and just kind of find out what defense we want to be, and I think you saw that tonight. I’m excited for the guys. I’m excited for all of us and we have to continue that.”
(On the fourth down blitz call) “We just practice that play a bunch in training camp. That was a good play for us against our offense and stuff. So, in a fourth down situation like that, [it was a] great call and I mean I love to be on the good side of that one.”
DOLPHINS TIGHT END MIKE GESICKI
Jaguars vs. Dolphins
Postgame
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020
(On what it was like to get one catch for a touchdown tonight) “It was great. It was fun to come out here on Thursday night. It was a short week and for us to come out and execute on offense and to make the most of my opportunity, making that play in the end zone and then having a little bit of fun with my teammates, so it was a fun night and ultimately just happy to get that first win.”
(On what type of message does it send to see Ryan Fitzpatrick leaving it all out on the field) “Yeah, I mean Fitz is out of his mind. He’s 38 years old and still playing this game like he’s 23, but to have him as our leader and for you to see the fun that he has – after I scored my touchdown we just came off to the sideline and just started yelling and screaming and chest bumping, it’s so fun to play with him. Whether it’s those plays where he refuses to slide and all that kind of stuff or the fun that he has or the experience that he shows to the guys around him, whatever it is it’s always great playing with him.”
(On how huge is it to have all aspects of the game working) “Yeah absolutely. We’ve been practicing really hard and we’ve had some good spurts in games throughout the first two weeks and tonight I feel like we put it together, so that’s encouraging moving forward. Now we’ve got a little bit of time to let your bodies heal up before we get back at it in Week 4. I think it’s going to be something for us to build off of heading into next week.”
(On his touchdown celebration and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s age) “Well, he looks 48 so we’ll leave it at that about his age. The celebration took a little bit of time – I did hand the ball to Solomon [Kindley] to spike it, that was not planned – the planned part was with Durham [Smythe], unfortunately he was off on the sideline and then had to run out onto the field, he was dealing me some cards like we were playing blackjack. So that took a little bit more time so maybe you weren’t able to see that one. Hopefully we’ll get another shot moving forward.”
(On if the tight end group takes pride in the 13-personnnel package down near the goal line) “Yeah absolutely. I think that when you play the tight end position and you have guys in the room that are pretty versatile and you’ve got guys with different skillsets the defense has to be able to match that. Especially when we get down there we can do a lot of different stuff. Fortunately, I was able to draw a flag in the end zone so that was productive, but hopefully moving forward we can make some more plays out of that personnel and keep adding to it.”
(On how important was it to get the first win and head into the Seattle game with momentum) “Yeah absolutely. Coming in I think that first and foremost the ultimate goal was to come out of here with a win and we were able to do so. Now we’ve got a little bit of time, it was a short week, so now we’ve got a longer weekend. It’ll be good to come in tomorrow, watch the film, get better, correct the things that didn’t go our way tonight and then be ready to get rolling next week moving forward to Seattle.”
