Head Coach Brian Flores
(I was going to ask you how you thought C/G Michael Deiter played in his three starts at center before the injury, and is he ready to resume his role as your starting center against the Giants?) – “I thought he played well early in the season. It’s a while back now. But yeah, it was unfortunate that he got injured but he’s worked his way back. Obviously he practiced last week, as you know. We’ll just kind of see how – I thought he did some good things last week in practice. Obviously he wasn’t ready for us to call him up but we’ll take this one day at a time and see how he practices this week. But he’s working his butt off to get back out there and he’ll try to get out there as soon as he can.”
(WR Will Fuller and WR DeVante Parker, do you expect either to be able to practice fully this week?) – “Again, with both of those guys, it’s no different than where we were at this time last week. We’ll see on Wednesday. Both are obviously getting better and getting closer. They’ll work out today and tomorrow, which will tell us a little bit more, and kind of if we’re there yet. We’ll make the best decision for each one of those guys individually and for our team.”
(This rookie class has really come along and yesterday was a great example with WR Jaylen Waddle, LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland all making plays. Is there a common thread in something about them? Their work ethic or anything like that? Or anything that you can say about what’s led to this?) – “I think all of the guys in the rookie class and I would say all of the guys on our team, they work hard. Football is important to them. They’re team-first. Those guys are tough. They are competitive. They enjoy playing with one another and support each other. They work at it every day. Study film. And they’ve gotten better. I’m confident that they’ll continue to get better because they’ll continue to put the work in. They’re all sponges. They want to get better. They want to learn. They want to improve. They want to help our team.”
(Along the rookie lines, they’ve had a minicamp, they’ve had training camp, they’ve had 12 games, meetings, film, all that stuff. Is there a point where rookies aren’t really rookies anymore? Is there a point where you kind of – you’re a rookie for your whole first year and I get that, but is there a point where you shed the tag inside the building?) – “No. They’re rookies. (laughter) They’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn. I think you learn – this is kind of the point in the season where it gets really different for them. College seasons are really over right now. So it’s 12 games and I think we can all kind of reasonably understand that. There’s 12 games in college and now you’ve got a lot of season left here. This is where the season is longer, it’s a more physical game, it’s more taxing in a lot of ways – mentally, physically, emotionally. So yeah, they’re certainly still rookies now. And this is – while they’ve played football this long, in college I think next week is the conference championships and this is kind of where the length of the NFL season differs from anything that they’ve ever dealt with. They’re certainly still rookies.”
(Along those lines though, if you stack the two side-by-side, yeah their seasons would be done if they’re still in school. The numbers are one thing but it looked like they just played their best games too. How are they finding ways to get the most – if they’ve never gone through a season this hard or this long, what does it say about them that they’re able to put up their best numbers this time of year?) – “We try to take things one game at a time. It says that they’re working hard. It says that they’re taking advantage of their opportunities. But specific to your question about them being rookies, I would say that they still are because they’ve never experienced this next part of the season.”
(Earlier today, LB Jaelan Phillips said something that I found kind of interesting and profound. I want to know if you can help me with the origin. He said ‘We say cut your own grass. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s yard.’ Obviously that means do your job, do your assignment. I’m assuming that’s what it means, if you can elaborate. Is that a you saying? Is that a Josh Boyer saying? Where did you guys get it from?) – “I think it means handle your responsibility, your assignment, your communication. Basically, do your job. Don’t worry about what the other guy is doing because the other guy is going to do his and if we get enough guys handling their business and handling their responsibility, and everyone trusts that the guy next to him is going to do what he’s supposed to do, then that will make it as hard as possible for our opponent. And even then, sometimes everyone does do their job and the opponent makes a play. But we don’t want to give them anything because I didn’t take care of my individual business.”
(You guys were adamant about doing that defensively earlier in the season. I guess it wasn’t happening. People weren’t just doing their job. At what point do you think that message sort of hit home this season? I know it wasn’t an issue too much last season but wen did it hit home with this team?) – “I think it’s always something we put an emphasis on. Look, each game is different. I think it’s something our guys are always trying to do. They’re always trying to handle their responsibility and do whatever is asked of them on a specific assignment. Just doing it more consistently now. When it hit home, I can’t say a time. I’m kind of just focused on right now and where we’re at and trying to play good solid football across the board offensively, defensively and in the kicking game.”
(I was wondering if you could take me back. It seems kind of unusual – I know you guys are all friends – but it seems kind of unusual for a head coach to let his coordinator under contract interview with another team. So I was wondering if you could take me back to why you let Patrick Graham do that and what you’ve seen from him now that he’s running the Giants defense.) – “Pat and I are good friends. I would say – we shared an office together. We’ve had our spats. Our wives are best friends. Our kids hang out. Pat is a great friend of mine. From a football coaching standpoint, we’re more brothers than anything. So I have a lot of respect for him. I would never stand in the way of somebody doing something that they wanted to do. That was something that Pat wanted to do. I have a lot of respect for him and his family and that’s something that – I support him. I support him in that situation. I’m always going to support him. But Pat and – that’s my man 50 Graham as many will say. A lot of respect for him and Joe (Judge) and Jerry (Schuplinski).”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Phillip Lindsay obviously arriving on Wednesday and he’s heavily involved in the run game, pass game and had some great moments in pass-pro as well. What does it say about your offensive staff to be able to turn him around and get him ready for a game just three days after he got here, to have that big of a workload?) – “I think Eric (Studesville) did a great job of getting him ready. We had a small package for him, let’s call it eight-to-10 plays. Phillip (Lindsay) was on top of it. We probably could have given him another eight-to-10 plays and he would have got it all down. We spent a lot of time going through it, walkthrough, they met, did walkthrough some more and they met some more. They worked ball handling with the quarterbacks, went through the protections. Walked through it, went through it some more. They spent a lot of time on it and it’s just a credit to Phillip and his commitment to getting it right and Eric getting him coached up and ready to go. We put him in the game and I thought he did some good things and hopefully we can build on last week.”
(I was wondering if you could talk about your relationship with Joe Judge and any memories that stand out from your time together in New England?) – “Joe (Judge) is another good friend. Spent time in New England obviously as you all know. Again, our wives are friends, my son and his daughter were in the same pre-k class so we’re talking about people that I have great relationships with. But on Sunday, we are going to compete. That’s what I know we are going to get from them and they know that’s what they are going to get from us. A lot of great memories. I’m not going to divulge those right now, but definitely someone I have a lot of respect for.”
(Maybe not this week but outside of this week, you guys are both first-time head coaches and are at similar points of your career. Do you guys compare notes and stay in touch a lot?) – “Yeah, we stay in touch. But I think those conversations are about our wives, our families. Occasionally there’s something football-related that we can get into, a situation or something like that. But most of the time it’s not really football at the forefront. I would say we are friends first. Same thing with Pat (Graham) and same thing with Jerry (Schuplinski).
(I wanted to ask yesterday’s win was your 10th win as a coach in the month of November, I know back in New England, those teams had a lot of success in the second half of the season. As a coach, how do you get your players ready for that stretch run and obviously with you guys starting the way you did, how are you as a coach able to turn the tide and get them to play their best when it really counts later in the season?) – “I just try to take it one day at a time and try to improve and get better. I know you guys probably get tired of hearing that but I think the only way to get that improvement is to talk about it every day. I think if we just continue to come in and prepare the right way, work the right way in meetings, walkthrough and practice, you will make those improvements and over time, hopefully you play better. There’s a lot that goes into it, whether it’s playing disciplined or being able to change gameplans or shift a gameplan, there’s a lot that goes into that. There’s a lot of kind of things you have to, from a foundational standpoint, that you have to have in place in order to make certain adjustments later in the season that you need to make. Every team deals with that, but in order to make those you just have to, on a day-to-day basis, try to get better.”
(In talking to S Jevon Holland and LB Jaelan Phillips, they really stress how much of a team bond that there is. As a coach, do you see that whether it’s on the practice field or in the meeting rooms? And how does that translate to the field and how you guys were able to turn things around?) – “I think that’s important. I’m happy to hear those guys say that. It’s important to me, that camaraderie, those bonds. That means something in-game that you trust the guys that are next to you. I think that’s something you can definitely build on. It’s nice to hear them say that. That’s the kind of culture that we want to have here and I hope when people watch us, they see a group that supports each other, that enjoys playing together. We’ve just got to keep preparing and try to keep preparing and give ourselves an opportunity to play well.”
(I’m wondering if there is anything more you can tell us about where you plan to go from here with RB Phillip Lindsay? What will be the focus for him this week as he incorporates himself into the offense and can you see a point where this becomes an open competition?) – “We’ll just kind of take it day-to-day. I think there’s so much for him to learn from a playbook standpoint, from a just getting to know his teammates standpoint. He’ll certainly have an opportunity. What he shows us in practice, what he shows us in walkthroughs, what he shows us in meetings, we feel like he can help us and we will try to put him in positions to do that. I think Myles (Gaskin), Salvon (Ahmed) and Patrick (Laird) have helped us as well. We’ll just add him to the mix and try to put him, and really all of our players, in the best positions to play well.”
CB Justin Coleman
(Can you take us through the play? What do you see? Did you see LB Duke Riley block it and then there is a bunch of bodies and somehow you end up with the ball and end up in the end zone. Could you take us through from your perspective?) – “Yeah, definitely. Duke did his thing. I feel like we executed well and the ball just ended up in my hands. It was just a great celebration play.”
(In years past, I know you spent time with New England and Seattle – franchises that are known for winning and winning games when it counts the most. You guys are on a similar trajectory where when the season gets towards the middle, later part of the schedule, you guys are starting to stack wins. From your experience, what clicks for a team where you’re able to stack those wins? Because that’s what separates the good and the bad teams.) – “Really just eliminating bad plays and mistakes. Just trying to make sure we execute every situation and take advantage of each opportunity that we get.”
(Is there anything that needs to be said? Obviously you guys started 1-7, but whether it’s this year or years past, is there anything that is said? Or is it just kind of like everyone honing in on their job?) – “It’s really just everybody buying in and believing in the coaches and each other. We know that every time we take the field, we’ve got each other’s back. That’s what it’s about. Those little plays that you put out there, you’ve got to be able to trust the guy next to you that he’ll do the right thing and they have to trust that you’re going to do the right thing as well.”
(You talk about trusting the guy next to you. Does that become harder when you start the way you guys did? Because it seems like even with the 1-7 start, it seems like that maybe brought you guys even closer. But is it harder or easier to do when you’re struggling off the gate the way you guys were?) – “I don’t think it necessarily makes it easier or difficult. I think it puts you in position to determine if you trust someone or not. I feel like it was tough but right now, we’re trying to – like I said, it was just those little plays that we’re taking advantage of. That could be the difference between winning or losing.”
(You’ve obviously had a good career and played well for a long time, but over the last month it’s been spectacular in terms of passer rating when you’re in coverage. It’s been like infinitesimal. What’s been the key to your success in particular over the last month? What’s contributed to it, do you think?) – “I feel like it’s really just opportunity. The opportunity coming my way, I feel like I was put in a good position to make the play and I was just relying on my practice and my coaching and taking my experience and extending it.”
(I know you’re a team guy and team success comes first for you, but as a veteran player, was it a difficult adjustment initially the first few weeks in terms of the way Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer, Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks alternate their nickel corner? Some weeks you’ll play a lot, some weeks CB Nik Needham plays a lot. Was that an adjustment early on or not really?) – “It kind of was nothing new. I kind of see it as football. They try to put us in the right position and we have to put ourselves in a good position as well, and it just is a part of our overall scheme and that’s what we have to do to win, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(Tell us a little bit more about the touchdown yesterday. Once the ball was in your hands, it looked like there was a big scrum going on. What did it feel like in the middle of that and did you think you were going to be able to get it into the end zone?) – “Honestly I didn’t even know where I was when I got the ball. I kind of felt a group of guys pushing me backwards into the end zone. That was definitely a relief to know that I ended up in the end zone. My teammates helped me get in there. I just want to move forward because that was a great touchdown, but I have to give it all to the guys. The guy (Duke Riley) blocked it. The whole execution went perfectly.”
(When was the last time you were in the endzone?) – “It probably was a couple of years ago. (laughter)”
(I find it interesting that some offensive players don’t have four touchdowns and you’ve got four touchdowns as a cornerback and special teams player. What’s the magic key?) – “There is no magic key. It’s just doing your job well and I’m going to keep saying it, just taking advantage of your opportunities.”
G/T Austin Jackson
(I wanted to ask, you’re well over a month into left guard. Where do you think you’ve grown the most and how do you think you’re settling at that spot?) – “I think I’m settling pretty well. Doing a lot of good things. Definitely some things to clean up. I think it’s just great that I’ve been able to transition into it pretty well. To play two positions on the offensive line in the NFL is pretty dope.”
(I just wanted to talk to you about you and T Liam Eichenberg on the left side. Are there things that you think have developed in terms of chemistry that have led to improved play? Obviously experience, you getting comfortable at left guard and improved technique can contribute to improved play. But is there anything with the chemistry dynamic that you think is also helping with you guys playing well as a group these last couple of weeks?) – “I think we definitely have a great room. We definitely approach every day with playing to get better at what we do all across the board in everything we do. I definitely think we have good chemistry there between Liam and I but across the whole line as well.”
(I wanted to ask you about your first impressions of the new running back, Phillip Lindsay. I know he hasn’t been here for long.) – “Phillip’s great. He’s definitely a guy that brings a lot of juice to the room. Glad to have him. He’s been working his butt off since he’s been here. I’m looking forward to him doing great things, getting more things going in the running game and all that stuff.”
(It was like four days after RB Phillip Lindsay got here that he carried the ball 12 times. Did that surprise you?) – “I didn’t really think about it too much, to be honest with you. But that’s part of the job.”
TE Durham Smythe
(How much fun has it been to you to be incorporated in the passing game obviously overall this year, but particularly in the last three weeks?) – “It’s always fun when we have a fun offensive gameplan, where everyone is touching the ball and everyone has an opportunity. When we’re spreading it around, I think that’s when we are at our best. It is fun for everyone, you’re right.”
(You guys wanted to be a balanced offense, but this has been the longest stretch where you’ve actually been committed to the run game, not abandoning it even if the results aren’t substantial. What has that been like especially for guys like you whose job it is to open up those holes?) – “It’s obviously good to establish the run game at this level. Everyone knows that. That opens up a lot of things, whether it’s in the play-action game. Maybe it takes off the rush a little bit in terms of helping the offensive line. It’s definitely a benefit when you’re trying to establish that regardless of the outcome. But when it starts to roll a little bit and you can get some positive yards on a consistent basis, that’s when our offense, and really all offenses, are the most effective. That’s something that we’ve focused on the last couple of weeks is to try to get that rolling. I think we’ll continue to do so and try to be efficient in that aspect of the game.”
(What do you see from WR Jaylen Waddle behind the scenes that leads to his success so early on as a rookie?) – “Jaylen has been tasked from the beginning of the season to do a lot of things for this offense, play a lot of different roles. He’s a smart guy. He can handle all of that. And he’s confident. He’s been confident from day one when he stepped into this building. He knows that he can make those plays, and as he’s become more comfortable, as we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, he’s really taken off.”
(What’s the next step for this offense? You guys have seen to be getting on a roll, where you’re averaging about the NFL average. How do you get it better? How do you get it to the next step?) – “I think above everything else, it’s just being consistent across the board. There are games this season where we’ve been efficient in the pass game. There have been games this season where we’ve had multiple explosive plays in the pass game. And there has been games where we’ve run the ball efficiently. I think when you put all of those together within one singular game, that’s what will really take you to the next level. I think it’s just finding the consistency and finding a way to be consistent in really all of those categories within one game instead of just having one here or one there.”
(It seems as if Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey has really found a groove as an play-caller. What has he done that has most impressed you in that role? Why are things working successfully as far as play calling these last few weeks?) – “I think one thing that sticks out to me is that he knows his personnel. He knows how to utilize the guys that he has. I think if we had different personnel at different positions, this offense would look completely different. I think he’s become comfortable with who we all are on the offensive side of the ball. He’s utilizing us in ways that are becoming more and more efficient. I think that is something that he really has a talent in is recognizing who he has and what he has in guys, and trying to play to our strengths.”
(The offensive line growth, obviously with young offensive linemen it’s going to take time. Has it impressed you seeing how the young players have come on these last couple of weeks?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think that was a matter of time and it still is. It’s the building of a process, but in this league, it definitely takes a while to adapt or establish a comfort level, I think is a good way to put it, especially at the offense line position and tight end as well. Once you get that groove, you become a little bit comfortable with what you’re doing, your technique and things of that nature. Then it starts to become a little bit easier. As you know these guys gain experience, like you said there are a lot of young guys up there, I think they’ll just continue to get better.”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Phillip Lindsay coming in. It seems like he got here five minutes ago and he went and had 12 carries yesterday. What did you observe from him and his ability to learn the offense as quickly as he did, and his ability to contribute so quickly?) – “He’s a good player. He’s been a good player in this league. He’s had production in this league. He’s a guy that I think brings some tenacity to our offense. As you mentioned, it’s a testament to him that he was able to pick things up so quickly in three days or whatever it was and go out there and be efficient in the game on Sunday. That says a lot about him and I think he’s impressed us all.”
(With the amount of snaps that TE Mike Gesicki now takes on the boundary, does he go to wide receiver meetings or is he in the wide receiver room? Have you guys kicked him out of the tight end room yet?) – (laughter) “Good question. If it was up to him, then he might be in that room. But he’s a guy that plays a lot of roles for us. Obviously he plays tight end, but he splits out a lot of the time as the statistics show. He kind of bounces around. One day if he needs to be in the receiver room, he’ll go over there and get some tips. He’ll be in our room. He’s been in the quarterback room talking to quarterbacks before. As a guy who does a lot of things for us, he kind of bounces around and absorbs from all of the rooms.”
LB Jaelan Phillips
(I’ve got to ask you about the three sacks. It seemed like things were really clicking for you yesterday. What was working so well?) – “Honestly, I’ve got to give all the credit to my teammates. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. The first sack, Duke (Riley) and Christian (Wilkins) flushed Cam (Newton) out. The next sack, Zach (Sieler) flushed PJ (Walker) out and then the next one, ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) helped flush him forward in the pocket. I think honestly, as a team, we’ve been doing really well these last few weeks just continuing to play together and to build on what we’re working on. Give a lot of credit to the DBs for giving us time to get to the quarterback and for the other d-linemen for getting pressures to make it happen.”
(Was there something that changed in terms of the defensive philosophy these last four games? Because like you mentioned, the sack rate has really gone up from the first eight games.) – “I think we’ve just been playing more aggressively and looser. I think we’ve been working better as a team in terms of our coordinator on rush stunts and games that we’re running, and just playing freer and having genuine joy out there and having a great time playing together and just flying around and making plays.”
(Obviously with you coming in, you could do what you’re doing now and it’s good to see it coming to fruition. Is there something that you either added to your game or you’ve really improved on to the point where now we’re seeing what we’re seeing in the sack numbers and all of that?) – “I think I’ve just been trying to stay as consistent as possible, just trying to get one percent better every day. Like I’ve said before, I’ve been working on my hands, technique and different things like that throughout this whole year. I think now it’s just starting to pay off, just the work we’ve been putting in consistently all year.”
(What is your impression of the Waddle waddle? What do you think?) – “It’s funny because Christian Wilkins and I have been trying to get Jaylen (Waddle) to do that damn dance this whole entire year. Like after every single big play, we walk up to him and we’re like ‘Do the Waddle!’ and he never does it. Finally he pulled it out yesterday. I know if you watch the replay, you see Christian run over from like 50 yards away and he’s like ‘Jaylen! Jaylen! Do the waddle!’ So that’s super funny. That just goes to show that we’re having fun. We’re really enjoying each other’s company and enjoying the time that we spend out there.”
(You, WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland are obviously having a lot of success. Is there something off the field that you guys have a common interest in? Something that you guys talk about or have even done together?) – “Winning football games is our common interest. (laughter) No, we hang out a lot. I think the chemistry that we have in the locker room is incredible. Whether it’s the rookies or the older guys, what I’ve found is that this team isn’t very cliquey. We kind of all hang out with each other and all really enjoy each other’s time. We have a bunch of great guys around here and I’m just blessed to be a part of it.”
(Right or wrong, and I’m sure you’re aware of this, edge defenders are very often judged by sack totals. Having said that, how much more satisfying – is there a sense of relief – now that you’re at 6.5 sacks at this stage of your rookie season whereas earlier in the season, the sack numbers weren’t there. Is there a sense of relief almost that that’s kind of out of the way?) – “To be honest with you, I’m not satisfied at all. I know I have so much more in me. Even yesterday, I could have had more. I’m just – like I said, this league is very process oriented so you can’t step outside of your boundaries and worry about weeks ahead and worry about numbers and worry about how everybody else is doing in the league. You’ve just got to focus on yourself. We say cut your own grass. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s yard. For me, like I said, I’m not satisfied. I know this is just the beginning so I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can and try to do the best that I can for this team.”
(Were you a little bit bummed that the sack near the end zone didn’t produce a safety?) – “Nah, I think it all worked out well. I didn’t even notice. (laughter) I was just excited I got a sack.”
(Besides your teammates, besides Dolphins coaches, who else has been in your ear over the last two months to give you encouragement or to offer you tips? Has it been your dad? A former UM coach? A former coach of yours? Former UM teammates? Who comes to mind, if anyone?) – “Yeah, I still talk to – what comes to mind is Coach (Todd) Stroud, Coach (David) Feeley. Those are two guys, I literally text them every single week before every single game. Ben Newman is a guy who I’ve been talking to recently. He’s kind of like a coach in terms of building confidence and things like that. I think I have a great group around me that have been really encouraging me. Kaleb Thornhill is a guy who I’m extremely close to and he’s been great and encouraging me, just reminding me to stay process-oriented. I have a lot of support and I really appreciate everybody for all of the support they’ve given me.”
(I’ve heard you and WR Jaylen Waddle have both said that you guys hang out a lot, the rookies. What do you guys hang out and do?) – “We just be vibin’. We vibe out. We hang out. We go eat. We go do community service together. We hang out on the weekends after games. We’ll go to a nice dinner down at Komodo or something. We just – like I said, we really enjoy each other’s presence and company. I think we have a really close-knit group. A bunch of great guys on and off the field. We have a really good time together.”
