Head Coach Brian Flores
Obviously to get the lead in the final two minutes and then to put it in your defense’s hands, that would be an ideal situation. What happened there on that drive?
BRIAN FLORES: We didn’t do a good enough job. They made some plays. Threw it to Pitts on the over route on the nine ball. Weren’t able to stop them there at the end. Tried to force a field goal earlier and get the ball back. Didn’t do enough. Especially when we got to have it. We have got to have our best. W have to play our best. We didn’t do that.
Q: What makes Pitts such a tough cover for anybody.
BRIAN FLORES: He is big. He is fast. He has good hands. He is a good player.
Q: How do you assess the performance by Tua today?
BRIAN FLORES: You know, I thought bringing us back on the fourth quarter, putting two drives together to give us the lead, that’s what you are looking for in a quarterback. From that standpoint, he put us in position to win the game, which at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for from the quarterback. Obviously, some plays he wishes he had back, but overall, I thought he did a lot of good things.
Q: You guys made some plays when you were down double digits just to try and create some energy or a spark, and it seemed like that worked. You talk about the resilience of this group, but kind of shined in that moment, in that drive?
BRIAN FLORES: Yeah, resilient. That’s a word I would use for the group. Like I’ve said all week, it’s a slim margin for error. We’re on the wrong side of that for a lot of reasons. Starts with me, obviously, but we’re on the wrong side of that margin, and we continue to talk. We’ll continue to talk about it, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to produce more on the field. I would say we’ve had some opportunities. We had some today. We didn’t take advantage.
Q: What is the message to the team? What can be the message to the team considering the position that the team is in at 1-6.
BRIAN FLORES: The message is the margin for error is slim in this league. We need to eliminate some things that we’re doing first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, run game, pass game, run defense, pass defense, field goal, field goal block that are the difference between three points, seven points, no points. That’s the message. They know it. They understand it, when those situations arise. Our opponents are taking more advantage of those situations than we are, and we know it. We understand it. We’re just not doing enough really in any phase or — I shouldn’t say that. We do some good things in one phase, and then we’re just not putting it together. I think the end of the game is a perfect example of that. Offense goes down, scores, gives us an opportunity. Then, turn around defensively and we can’t play the complementary football we need to close the game out, and that’s the difference. I think there’s some instances where we did stop them, and then we did get the ball back, and then it’s just not enough.
Q: We’ve heard you speak about liking the system that you guys have in place, but at 1-6, where is the line between staying the course and things needing to change?
BRIAN FLORES: I think the line is that the margin for error that we’re talking about. Are the things we’re doing enough to get us on the right side of that margin? Do we understand those situations? Do we understand – without getting into specifics – if we make this play, this play, this play, and this play, the game is different. Whether or not we understand those things – and I think we do. We’re just not making those plays. We have to find a different way to try to teach that awareness, to try to help them execute better in those situations. We’ll just keep applying pressure to those guys to get it right. They want to get it right. That I know. Yeah, I mean, as far as we’re always looking for better ways to help this team execute and have success. We’ll continue to do that.
Q: Brian, on the network telecast during this game, they said that this week Charlie Frye pulled Tua aside and tried to help him focus on just this game and not the outside speculation that we’ve all heard. I know you are reluctant to talk about coach-player conversations. But what can you tell us about Tua’s ability to focus this week, and how much of a challenge he faced as opposed to maybe just a quote, unquote a normal week?
BRIAN FLORES: Look, I don’t — I had a conversation with Tua about all that was going on. The same conversation we’ve been having for a little while, which is he is our quarterback. His focus needs to be on our team, what we’re doing. In this case it was Atlanta. That day, whatever we were doing that day, third down, red zone, two-minute, and understanding that there’s some outside noise, some outside distractions, but just do everything he can to focus. I think he was able to do that, and I thought he did a lot of good things today.
Q: We have seen the team have good performances in the fourth quarter trying to come back. Why is it that the Miami Dolphins are not able to carry that over to the next game, to next week? What is the challenge there?
BRIAN FLORES: Every week is a little different. The opponent is different. The schemes, the concepts, the players are different. Every week is a little bit different, and I would say this team this year, we’ve done things in spurts. We played some good offense in spurts, some good defense in spurts, some good things in the kicking game in spurts. We just haven’t been able to string anything together consistently. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot as a team. We’re just not getting it done right now.
Jaylen Waddle had six first downs – a first down on each catch. He is being what you want. How much conversation was there before the draft about Pitts?
BRIAN FLORES: We talk about a lot of players. He was selected before we picked, so there was conversation about him. There was a conversation about a lot of players. Obviously, he is a very good player, but we’re very happy with Jaylen and the players we selected.
Brian, I know hindsight is 20/20, but is there any regret on not taking the bye week following the London game?
BRIAN FLORES: No. No. I thought our guys had juice, had energy. They were ready to go. I thought we got off to a good start. I don’t think energy — I don’t think that played a role today. Just a lot of missed opportunities. I think there’s a lot of things we could have done better. A lot of things we could have coached better, so I think it’s pretty clear. You watched the game. This play, that play, that play, that play. Then there’s a lot of plays that you probably you guys won’t see that we’ll watch tomorrow and will show up and say, hey, if we would have got to the right route depth on this or played the sticks defensively on this or made this block inside, we would have sprung a run. But, unfortunately, we just didn’t do enough. Thank you, guys.
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q: For starters – the interception in the end zone. What did you see on that play?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was a Cover 2. Miscommunication with me and Durham (Smythe), and I take full responsibility for that one.
Q: How do you judge your day? You had four touchdown passes, some big plays both ways really, I mean.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think the margin for error is slim in this league. That’s kind of what ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) has been telling us this entire week, and I think we had many opportunities to get good drives going. We just didn’t make use of those opportunities that the defense gave us.
Q: What was the week like for you? Obviously, there’s a lot swirling around out there.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was a normal week for me. I mean, I approached this game the same way I approach any other game.
Q: But the coaches have to sit down and talk to you about trade rumors. That doesn’t necessarily seem like a normal week even though it’s kind of been consistent all season.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I would say it still is a normal week. The only thing is, I really respect and appreciate his (Brian Flores) transparency, you know, with where he is at with that, but within our conversations I like to keep those private too.
Q: But you’re human. Isn’t it challenging, tough to block that out?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Not necessarily. Kind of how I answered Omar’s question. I respect what ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) does, and he is transparent. He sits me down. He tells me what’s going on. He has conversations with (Chris) Grier, and he kind of keeps me in the loop with all of those things, but yeah, that’s – I hear it, but I’m not really focused on that.
Q: There also was a challenging moment in the game when you guys got the takeaway, and then you had the interception where you, yourself, and the team could have gotten down, and, yet, you didn’t. You brought them back and had the lead. How challenging was it to go through that period and how were you able to bring the team back?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think it’s challenging for any team to be down by two touchdowns and having to rally the troops to go back out there and continue to fight their butts off and continue to play. You know, we had a lot of time in the fourth quarter. Obviously, you know, that second interception wasn’t what we wanted off of an interception that the defense gave us, but I think that’s just the testament to the kind of guys we have in the locker room. Grit, fight and finish.
Q: There were several key scrambles today. One late in the game where you broke the tackle and gained the first down. If you recall that run, what was going through your mind on that particular play?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I was just trying to get a first down on that. We had Albert Wilson also open on that play. I couldn’t see him, so I tried to maneuver my way throughout the pocket. I think the o-line did a really good job today. I was able to step up and make some plays with my feet and also make some plays on the run throwing the ball, too.
Q: You guys last season had a lot of magic mojo ability to finish games. This season that just has not been the case. How do you get back to that?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, I think, you know, what we got to do is continue to work. I don’t see any other way that you look at that. I don’t think there’s a secret recipe for wins. It’s just the margin for error is slim, you know, and my two turnovers, the amount of penalties that we’ve had in this game, you know, that just doesn’t do it. We just got to continue to work on those things and move on from that.
Q: How would you gauge your progression and your growth since coming to the NFL, and what do you feel like you still need to work on to improve and have success?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Being a second year player like I’ve said before, I wish I knew the things I knew when I was a rookie and my second year I know a lot more, but I’m continuing to learn. This is just an opportunity for us to come in tomorrow to work and learn from the mistakes that we made today.
Q: As the quarterback of the team how do you balance kind of making sure guys are keeping their head up but also letting them know, ‘hey, I feel your pain, I want to win, too’?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I mean, everyone is here for a reason. They’re all professionals. They’re all really good at their position, but I would say we just got to continue to work. It’s tough right now, but we got to learn from a lot of the mistakes that we’ve made today.
Q: It looked like you and Dan Marino had some words before the game FOX showed. Was it encouragement words to you or support, or can you share any of what (he said)?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It’s always support from Dan (Marino), and then there’s just other things that we’ve kind of talked about that I want to keep private.
Q: Are you upset over all this trade talk, or do you say, ‘I’m a pro, this stuff happens sometimes?’
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I hear it. I do hear it. The thing is I just don’t listen to it. You know? That’s the thing. But, yeah, that’s that.
WR Isaiah Ford
Q: Obviously a tough one. For you to come in into this game and make an impact and then come up short, I guess can you describe the mood of the locker room?
ISAIAH FORD: I mean it sucks. You know, any time you work as hard as we do and you care about this football team and you care about the guys that are going to war with you and you come up short, it sucks. All we can do is stay together and get back to the drawing board and try and fix it.
Q: What can you say about your quarterback? You have to know all the stuff that is swirling around regarding Tua Tagovailoa but he came out today and had four touchdowns. What can you say about his performance?
ISAIAH FORD: I thought Tua played really well. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in the game, not just him but the entire team, and I thought as a team we did a good job of trying to overcome those and the margin for error is very small in this league and I think we saw that tonight, but I thought Tua fought hard. That’s who Tua is so he’s a great player. He’s a hell of a player.
Q: We saw a lot of positives coming out late when you guys bounced back. It seemed like there was a lot of fight up to the end. Will you build off of that going into Buffalo next week?
ISAIAH FORD: Yeah, we have to. Like I said, we’ll come in and watch the film, build off the things that we did good and correct the things that we didn’t do so well and try to fix them, try not to make the same mistakes and get ready for Buffalo next week.
Q: I know you wanted it to come in a win but you got a touchdown today. Tell us about your feelings about that play and what happened.
ISAIAH FORD: I mean, it was pretty surreal moment. Like I said, unfortunately, we lost, so doesn’t mean as much. Maybe wish I could have made another play or so that maybe would have helped us win the game, but just got to move on to next week.
Q: When you see that late run from Tua Tagovailoa and he knows he is going to get hit there. He is still, I’m sure, dealing with some pain with his ribs. When you see him take a hit like that and you see his determination, what does that tell you about him? I mean, I’m sure you knew all this already, but just does it reinforce how much he wants to win?
ISAIAH FORD: He is the ultimate competitor. I think you saw that in how he plays, how he is running. Not sliding when there were some tough yards and we might need those extra yards and he is trying to fight for every one of them. Hurting, sore, tired, frustrated or whatever the case is, he is going out there and going to war with his family and we got his back.
TE Mike Gesicki
Q: Another heartbreaker. I guess if you could just describe kind of the morale and you guys really put up a fight there at the end.
MIKE GESICKI: Morale is still high. We’re very close. I know, you know, people will be like, ‘are you sure you were that close?’ Yeah, we’re that close. We’ve had a couple of games now that have come down to the wire, and sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, so just got to keep going.
Q: What was Tua like in the huddle? There was a sequence when you got a takeaway and then he threw the interception. Things could have totally unraveled then, but he brought you guys back. What was he like as this was unfolding?
MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, he is the same guy. Never gets too high, never gets too low. He is confident. He knows what he is supposed to do. He goes out there and he executes at a high level, and I can’t say enough good things about him. I love playing with him and love having him back there, and bounced back great. Played a hell of a game. Played tough. You can go on and on.
Q: What’s the background, if you can, on the third-and-15 play that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown?
MIKE GESICKI: They just played that deep zone coverage. You got to read your guy who is covering the zone that you are running to. My guy kind of jumped outside. I jumped in. Gave two of my hands. (Tua) put a great ball on me. I got it, knifed and jumped forward, got a first down. That was pretty much it.
Q: How much do you watch fellow tight ends around the league, and if you do, I’m sure the guy in Atlanta is one that you watch. What makes him what he is right now?
MIKE GESICKI: During the season I don’t really watch a lot of other guys unless watching film for the opponent, but I mean, that dude’s play speaks for itself. I think he is in his sixth or seventh game, and he is out there making plays like he is, so you got to tip your hat to him. He obviously — he knows how good he can be, and you can’t say enough good things about him either.
S Jevon Holland
Q: Can you take us through the deep touchdown play to Russell Gage. What was the defense there? What broke down?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s kind of a tough situation. The defense that we’re in, it’s just a play that we miscommunicated on. It happens, but we needed capitalize on that, and so we’re back to the drawing board and be better next week.
Q: It looked like on the one pass to Kyle Pitts at the end there on the sideline, you and Xavien Howard were all over him. You took a good shot at him, he still held on. What can you say about how tough this guy is and how hard it is to separate him from the ball?
JEVON HOLLAND: Kyle (Pitts) is a hell of a player. That’s one of my good friends. He is a ballplayer. You saw that out there. He is a tough guy. Grit. You saw that in college, so the NFL is the best of the best. That’s why he is out there, he is playing.
Q: Second straight week of losing at the end of the game on a field goal. How is that demoralizing to the locker room. Is it that extra added pressure on you guys?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s tough. You’re right there, and then a field goal separated it. Yeah, it’s tough, but we got to stick together as a team, come back ready next week. We’re grown, so we got to make grown man decisions.
Q: You guys take the lead. You know that Matt Ryan has time, and like you just mentioned about Kyle, and he is going to be looking for Kyle Pitts a lot. Just elaborate more, what is it? Did you foresee this kind of success he would have in this league? I know he came in as very, very highly rated and what actually makes him so difficult as a cover?
JEVON HOLLAND: I would say Kyle (Pitts) is a big athletic tight end so it adds a mismatch to the smaller corners. Not necessarily the smaller corners. He is, like, 6’5, 248. He is a big guy and with athletic ability, and he can go up and get the ball. Pair that with Matt Ryan, who is a really great quarterback. It’s a dangerous combination. You saw that out there, and that’s a great team. That’s a good team. They went out there and they capitalized on the opportunities that they had, and they came out with the W. That’s what it is. Game of inches. That’s what football is.
Q: Can you walk us through that hit you put on Calvin Ridley to draw the ball loose?
JEVON HOLLAND: Our coaches work us on something called one shot to find the angle. Any time there’s a post or anything like that or a nine route, you have one opportunity to make the tackle. If not, you know, they can score a touchdown or whatnot, get a first down. I just went through my keys like we do every day, and executed what our coach taught me in practice. That’s basically what it is.
CB Xavien Howard
Q: Every interception is its own story. Can you just explain on that particular interception that you had today how you were able to get that ball?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Just finishing really. I really don’t want to talk about the interception. (expletive) We lost, so it really doesn’t matter.
Q: Can you describe what happened on that long touchdown to Russell Gage there?
XAVIEN HOWARD: It was a coverage bust. Cover 4 – supposed to be on top, so it was a coverage bust and that’s what happened.
Q: It was a cover four?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Yeah, corner supposed to be on top.
Q: The long pass by the sideline to Kyle Pitts, both of you were in coverage. He was hit. He held onto the ball. Just that play, did you expect him to hold on to it?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Say that again.
Q: Did you expect Kyle Pitts to hold on to that long pass? You both were right there in coverage.
XAVIEN HOWARD: It was a great play. Great throw. In this league guys make great plays on the ball. Trying to make a play on the ball. Obviously, he got the ball, so you know.
Q: How did you feel being back out there physically?
XAVIEN HOWARD: I feel great. Just being out there with the team, it’s really just trying to get a W, really.
Q: From a 1-6 perspective, obviously this is not where you expected to be. What is your opinion on why the team is in this position at 1-6?
XAVIEN HOWARD: I feel like we just got to keep getting better. We can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ve got to score. We got to get the quarterback off the field. We got to make stops, and we got to create turnovers a lot on defense. Both sides. All three phases. We got to make plays out there. That’s really it.
Q: Mike Gesicki just said the morale is still high. Would you agree with that assessment, and, you know, many teams could be broken at this point in losing six straight. Why is the morale still high if you do agree with that?
XAVIEN HOWARD: We’ve got to stick together, man. It’s football. Each week, it’s hard to win in the NFL, so you got to stay strong and stick together.
Q: Was it particularly deflating after you forced a turnover, then very next play offense gives the ball back and defense has to come right back out on the field.
XAVIEN HOWARD: Like I said we’ve got to make plays out there. We got to execute, and I feel like all three phases, we’ve all got to make plays out there.
Q: So there’s 10 regular season games left. How would you describe what the source of the motivation should be and can be for the team?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Like I said, we just got to stick together. Each week we’re expecting to win, so you know we’re not trying to lose, but, like I said, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot. Each week we got to prepare and get ready for the next opponent.
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
Q: How difficult is it to suffer this loss knowing that the defense had the victory in their hands?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: It’s tough. Football is a team game, you know? When the offense is down, we got to pick them up and when we’re down, they got to pick us up. It was definitely tough. Still love the fight of this team. I know we just got to get over that hump. We’re almost there.
Q: What happened on the forced fumble? It looked like you had your eyes on the ball for a while.
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Yeah, I saw him cut back. I just knew he was going to have the ball hanging so I just immediately went straight for the ball. It happened to come out and luckily, (Nik) Needham recovered it. It was a big momentum for the team and I’m just doing my part.
Q: How difficult has it been to watch and experience the season considering it seemed like you guys were building something pretty good last year and kind of regressed as an organization?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: I would say we still have got to take it one game at a time. The season is not over for us. You never know. It’s tough. We won a lot of games last year and now we’re losing, but we just got to keep the fight on. We can’t give up now.
