TE Hunter Long
(Every time we talk to Head Coach Mike McDaniel, I feel like I learn something. Some of the stuff I’ve never heard put in that way. Today he talked about how a lot of guys on the offense, especially linemen and tight ends are unlearning techniques they’ve used their entire life because they’re participating in a scheme where they’re coached not to get beat but to attack. Can you kind of add to that?) – “Yeah, I can. Every coach and scheme is a little different. They coach a little different. This scheme, I mean they emphasize playing fast and I think that’s what we’re all trying to pick up on and some schemes, I mean, it’s more front a guy up. This scheme, you’re just supposed to run off the ball and we’re getting there. Everyone has tendencies from what they’ve learned in the past, what you learned in college or what you learned from different coaching staffs. This coaching staff likes it one way and we’re definitely on our way to getting there.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel explained that even on the run, a player has to attack a person or an area and every time you block it’s like you’re running a route. What advantage do you think that might potentially create for offensive players?) – “Yeah, it puts a lot of stress on the defense. Everyone knows that in offense, the run game helps the pass game and the pass game helps the run game. So the better we fly off the ball in the run game and the more we run the ball, the more targets we’ll have in the pass game and vice versa. So it all works together and this offense is coming together and it’s a lot of fun to play in.”
(Is it encouraging to know the amount of success that tight ends have had in this scheme?) – “Yeah, obviously. I mean ‘Coach Embo’ (Jon Embree) is a great coach. He’s an awesome dude. He’s definitely getting us better and everyone sees the history of this offense and what the tight end does in it and obviously we love that.”
(Do you think your experience at Boston College with the multiple different offenses you had there – you had the pro-style offense and the more spread-style offense – do you think that’s kind of helped you pick up faster here?) – “Definitely. My offense my last season there was pretty similar in terms of scheme, but just the more offenses you can learn, the faster you pick up on things. The ways you learn yourself and techniques you use to learn an offense fast, I think that’s probably what helped the most.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel explained that when he was in San Francisco, you were actually on the club’s radar. I don’t know if you knew that. Do you recall any – you meet with every team, of course – but did you meet with them?) – “Yeah, I met with them, talked with them.”
(…blackboard stuff?) – “I couldn’t tell you. We meet with every team a million times, so it’s a blur.”
(I guess the concept is you fit into the scheme…) – “I mean the scheme just requires an all-around tight end and we’ve got a bunch of those guys and I like to see myself in that category and I just try to come in every day and give this offense my all. Where they put me, they put me; and I’m going to try to exceed at that.”
(On his outlook for his second NFL season) – “I think I’ve grown a lot. Obviously rookie year, you have a lot of stuff coming at you, moving to a new place, trying to get your life set up along with trying to perform on the field. I feel a lot more at peace this year off the field, so it’s allowed me to focus a lot more on the field and just process things faster and play faster, so it’s been really good.”
(I remember last year you were in a boot at the joint practices in Chicago. How much more fun is it going to be to participate in joint practices on the field?) – “It’s going to be a lot of fun. Obviously it’s more fun to hit guys in different-colored jerseys than your own jersey, so it’ll be fun to compete against them and continue to progress as an offense and just get better.”
(The vibe that I get is positivity, and I’m sure that there’s some moments where coaching points are stressed. How does that vibe with your approach and mindset – the positivity that’s around here?) – “Yeah, it just motivates everyone. The body follows the mind and obviously we’re in the dog days of camp and that can get to you, but they say the body follows the mind so if we stay positive and keep moving and keep attacking every day, then we’ll move a lot further along than if we came in dragging and just trying to get through it.”
(You touched on it a little bit. Your rookie year, was there something in particular you learned that you could only possibly pick up by going through it one time?) – “Yeah, I’m not sure if I can pick out one particular thing, but definitely. The more reps you get at anything, you’re going to improve and pick up things whether you know it or not. Just the all-around game, the game at this level compared to the college level is night and day and just the more reps you get, the more you see defenses, the more you see these players; you pick up on things as you go so it gets you better.”
LB Sam Eguavoen
(Is anything different than anything you’ve learned or done the last three years?) – “I mean, just fronts are always changing. Depending on the guys we have up in the front, (Defensive Coordinator Josh) Boyer knows how to utilize everybody’s talents and things like that. It’s kind of been the same, kind of in the same realm. But bouncing back from outside to inside, I feel like inside is where I feel most comfortable.
(After all this team, all these years, inside is now again where you feel the most comfortable?) – “Yes.”
(Why?) – “Just because I like playing – I like coming downhill. I like thumping more than setting the edge. I’ll do it, but I just feel like I like coming downhill more.
(Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer mentioned that he foresees some tweaks to the defense and maybe even some wholesale changes, which is a word that caught my attention. I was like, “Wow.” So, what’s kind of your sense about if some things might actually be different – scheme, play-calling, philosophy?) – “I don’t know if it’s like huge tweaks. I think it’s just everybody is starting to understand the defense a little more so we can do more. At first, it’s just, ‘OK, this is my job. I’m going to do my job.’ Now it’s like, ‘OK, this is my job. I know what he’s doing, so I can play off of him.’ I think it’s more of like a trust thing – everybody is starting to trust all 11 on the field.”
(What percentage of the plays on the iPad would you guess y’all actually never used last year?) – “Plays now – there’s a lot of new plays now. You can go back and look (at) it from last year, but now, the defense is kind of different from last year just the way we’re rotating and things like that. It’s kind of different. “
(I guess I was wondering is a quarter of the playbook just stuff you never actually get to in an NFL season?) – “It depends on the game. It depends on the team we’re playing, the gameplan. But yes, you’re not going into a game running every single call or expecting to run every 112 plays in a playbook. That’s crazy.”
(Overall, just where do you feel most comfortable in your growth in this defense? We saw you last year in the preseason game have four sacks, come back and it seems like there’s still a lot of competition in the linebacker room. But where do you feel you’ve grown the most?) – “Always competition. That’s just how I grew up. I was competing with my brother, and now I’m competing with my brothers in here. I embrace competition. I hype up the guys in front of me, I hype up the guys behind me, but I’m always comfortable. I’m always comfortable with my back against the wall. I get nervous when it isn’t against the wall. Just like you’re going to a bar, you always get to the back wall so you can see everything. So, I’m comfortable and I embrace competition.”
(Obviously you’ve moved around a lot, but overall in this defense, do you think there’s a particular area where you’ve really grown and really improved the most?) – “At inside linebacker. Now I’m finally just getting to play that right now (and) still getting some pass rushing in there. But inside linebacker and just learning the game more from there instead of just bouncing around all the time.”
(You mentioned your back against the wall. Do you feel that even more so this year after the Dolphins drafted LB Channing Tindall and re-signed RB Elandon Roberts at your position?) – “I mean, it’s always the same thing. That’s just the NFL. It’s a mindset thing, whether– even if I’m (Channing) Tindall and I’m (drafted in the) third round or I got drafted first round. You have to have the mindset of my back is against the wall. I don’t care if I may be favored or anything like that because the goal is to stay in the league for a long time, and if you don’t have that mindset of ‘(competition (means) somebody is coming for your job,’ you’re not going to last. So I don’t look at the draft (and say), ‘Oh dang, they drafted a linebacker.’ At the end of the day, I have to do my best. I have to put my best foot forward and whatever happens, happens, and I’m OK with that.”
(I know it’s on the other side of the ball, but QB Tua Tagovailoa hitting some of those deep passes, even QB Teddy Bridgewater hitting those deep passes to WR Tyreek Hill, and just hearing the fans, how jazzed they get. As a team, how does that affect y’all in practice?) – “I mean, we’re mad. (laughter) Right now, Tua (Tagovailoa) ain’t my – I’m not friends with Tua. I’m not friends with Tyreek (Hill). We’ll play ping pong in the locker room, but the more they score in practice, the more we’re getting chewed out in the film room. So right now, we’re kind of divided. I’m happy for him, but we’re divided until we get to Tampa and we can beat up on somebody else.”
(Does a part of you kind of like seeing them handle all the pressure packages you guys throw at them? Like you’re saying, if they can handle this, they probably can handle other stuff around the league?) – “Yes. Yes, I do. I do. Let’s just do it in a game. Even with our pressures and things like that, let’s do it in a game. I won’t get too high, and you can’t get too low. You just have to stay the course of football, man.”
(CB Xavien Howard had some of the Afrobeats and Burna Boy. Did you peep that in the playlist?) – “Oh, yeah. You know he had to play it for Nigeria – me, (Emmanuel) Ogbah, Noah (Igbinoghene), lil Kader (Kohou).”
(You’re now in Year Four at linebacker. Was there a player that you modeled your game after? A linebacker particularly that you looked up to before you came to the league?) – “Yes, my favorite linebacker was Jon Beason, just watching him work out and things like that, his drive, his passion for the game, his physicality. Jon Beason, that’s probably one of my favorite linebackers. Patrick Willis, too.”
(I saw Zach Thomas out here at practice today. Did you get a chance to talk to him?) – “Yes, I got a chance to talk to him in the weight room before we went out for walkthroughs. Good dude.”
(You said the weight room. He was lifting weights with y’all?) – “(laughter) No, no. He wasn’t lifting weights. He was just stretching and stuff like that.
(We’re about to be playing preseason games pretty soon. Anything you can do to top a 4-sack game like you had last year?) – “(laughter) I need six this year. That back wall. (laughter)”
DT John Jenkins
(I watch defensive linemen and offensive linemen one-on-ones. I’ve noticed you have the tendency of driving your man backwards consistently. Is there tricks to the trade to be that dominant in a one-on-one drill?) – “Me personally, I would love to give you a good answer on that, but I’m just bigger than a lot of those guys. (laughter) I just get the good lean and then it’s over with afterwards. I try to work on things I’m not good at. You can only push a guy for so long so many times in a full game. I try to work on things I may be able to use in a game, like catch them off guard with a swipe move or a dominant rip of some sort, and then try to do a little something on top of that. If I get that good lean, that good push, it’s over with afterwards.”
(DT Christian Wilkins singled you out as a guy who has had a tremendous start to camp and we’ve seen you dominate 11-on-11s and one-on-ones. Did anything change this offseason? Obviously you’re a vet, but how are you feeling overall at this point in your career and entering another year?) – “I like to say this thing in a group always. There are two things I always say. I always say ‘be yourself.’ When somebody says something, let your comments be yourself. The other thing I always say is enjoy the process. I think to last this long in the league, if you’re not enjoying the process, then there is no reason for you to be here. I think that’s really motivating me to be relevant. And the guy. Like everybody is here from last year. I was with Christian in 2019 and with Zach Sieler in 2019. And I’ve had the opportunity to be with DT ‘Rae’ (Raekwon Davis) and Benito (Jones) and build a relationship with those two guys, so we’re still here. It’s a good thing to have the same room that you were with last year. I enjoy that process and trying to get better. We’ve got a brotherhood with ‘Og’ (Emmanuel Ogbah). So that’s one of the things. And I appreciate Christian. It’s a lot for one of your teammates to recognize you and give you that type of appreciation.”
(Some of the fellas trimmed weight. Did you stay stable or did you try to trim a little too?) – “I trimmed. I trimmed. It may not look like it, but I trimmed. (laughter) It’s tough. I’ve been somewhat of a journeyman – let’s be real with each other. Some teams, they want me a little heavy. Some teams want me light. And then when I get to a team that wants me light, I’ve got to work. I’m just a workaholic. Regardless of what my role or situation is, whatever they need me to do, I’m going to get it done. That’s how I try to go about it. I’m working on my six pack. It’s not there yet but it will be. You all will be impressed. (laughter)”
(How do you balance mentorship with relating to guys that may be seven, eight, nine years younger than you?) – “Listening. Listening. I was fortunate enough to have some good vets when I first came into the league. ‘T Armstead’ (Terron Armstead) is here. (Thomas) Morstead. Those two guys I was with in New Orleans. When me and Armstead got into the league, I had Jonathan Vilma, Kenyon Coleman, Jabari Greer and all of those guys. Rest in Peace Will Smith. I had all of those guys who were champions and led by example. One thing they did – even though they made us do a lot of stuff – they listened to us. I think having a young group that wants to be better, that wants to do good, you can see with their work ethic. So now for us old heads, we have to listen to how they go about things and how they react to things and how they approach a lot of things. Then once we understand their angle, we can guide them on the right path. As you see when you are here, you see these guys actually busting their behinds and it’s competitive both back and forth. It’s an up and down flow – offense, defense, offense, defense. I enjoy that. I like that. I think that’s one of the things being a vet is being able to listen to the locker room, being able to listen to the guys individually, and being able to help them find a solution to get better, and want to do good and stay on a positive direction.”
(When you have a practice like today where QB Tua Tagovailoa easily moves the team down the field during a scrimmage-like situation, but then gets back in there for the final situation and has to score and throws an interception to S Jevon Holland in a play where it seems like he had to scored. Do you as a defensive play look at that as we win or we lost?) – “We won. Look at it like this, at the end of the day, we’re a team – offense and defense. For us as a defense, being able to stop adversity in that sense is a good thing. For the offense to get going like that, then we go back to the film and we look at what could we have done better. To make us fight the way we were fighting is a great thing. I understand your question, but I look at it as a defense and as a team, we won. Because to see Tua be able to do his thing like he was doing at practice, we have good days and we have bad days. We’ve just got to be more consecutive with our good days than our bad days. I think now that we’ve got that out of the way, everybody is going to go back to the film, break it down and make something happen different next time.”
(I asked LB Sam Eguavoen earlier, when you hear the fans cheering for QB Tua Tagovailoa making those deep passes to WR Tyreek Hill, he said that ‘it causes beef.’ I wanted to know your perspective on that.) – (laughter) “I enjoy it. Ever since I’ve been in the league, it’s always been that type of competitive nature. You talk junk to one another but you’re brothers at the end of the day. When you see that at practice, and everybody can shake hands and have love for one another and respect for one another after the fact, it’s a great practice. Because at the end of the day, it’s an entertainment business. The fans and you all are entertained. You’ve got a smile on your face asking the question because it was good entertainment, right? (laughter)”
(From your years of experience in the league, how is the wide zone scheme that Mike McDaniel is installing with his offense and the offensive line, how is that challenging for defensive linemen?) – (laughter) “It’s different. It’s different. I’m used to the old San Fran with Frank Gore and the I-backs when they are coming downhill. And then it was gap scheme. The league is very trendy. A lot of things change every year. It’s a good thing because of the fact that we have to be more cognizant that we can’t just let our feet be in quicksand. We’ve got to be able to react because you never know what we’re going to get. Going against that everyday will allow us to be prepared for whatever team is out there and whatever scheme they have because now we’ll be able to adjust.”
(Does it force you to move more?) – “Oh, yeah. It forces us to move. For me personally, I have to be more of a student of the game. It was real simple for me personally, but now the way Mike (McDaniel) orchestrates the offense, and Frank (Smith) – I was with Frank in New Orleans – the way they go about things is different. I’ve got to really hone-in on my technique. If I don’t do something, even though I’m the oldest in the room (Defensive Line Coach Austin) Clark will be on my ass. ‘Jenks! Jenks! Jenks!’ It’s good. I enjoy that and it allows us to be better players at the end of the day.”
(You mentioned the weight loss. Was it last year the coaching staff wanted you heavier and this year lighter? Was that the motivation?) – “Man listen, when you’re a nose tackle, there is always going to be some form of ‘Hey, you need to get down or you need to do this.’ It’s the game. We’re moving more now than we were last year. It is what it is. I’m a nose tackle. There is nothing pretty about my job. I’ve got two guys on me all the time. I’ve got to free the linebackers. It is what it is.”
(Is it a challenge fluctuating weight at your position? Do you feel the difference?) – “No. I just work. I’m zoned in. I just move. Because at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, I’m going to get the six-pack and then we’re not going to be talking about this weight. (laughter) It really doesn’t bother me. I just like to get the job done.”
(You brought up your career journey. What are the pros and cons of going from one team to another? It was like four teams in four years.) – “I’ll make the comparison like that. I was a JUCO player being from Connecticut. So when you’re a JUCO player, you only have like a year to be relevant to get big-time offers. That’s how I look at it because when you go to a new team, nobody knows who you are. They may have heard of you, but they don’t know you. I have to do something or try to show up some way somehow, for the team and the organization to trust me. That’s how I take it. Being a journeyman, you have to do something. You have to standout. Coming from Connecticut to Mississippi Gulf Coast – shoutout to Mississippi Gulf Coast – you have to be relevant within a short amount of time in order to have an opportunity. That’s how I look at it.”
(You were with the Dolphins two years ago so obviously you did something that they liked for them to bring you back. Can you speak on that?) – “I’m a worker. I’m quiet. You don’t hear anything about me off the field unless I’m trying to do something positive or I’m cycling on A1A. (laughter) Then outside of that, I like to come here and try to be a mentor to the younger guys. I can remember Christian (Wilkins), his first year when I came here in 2019 and we played Baltimore (in Week 1) and so on and so forth. I remember a lot of these guys. I remember Zach (Sieler) when he first came in. We were calling him Sack Sieler, but when he first came in, he didn’t even know – I’m telling Zach, ‘Hey, shoot this gap!’ I think the organization knows who I am and understands me as a person and as a player where they can trust me and feel comfortable enough with me like, ‘Hey, I know John is going to be a good role model or have some type of positive influence in the locker room and on the field no matter what the scenario is.’”
(Would you like to coach in the NFL or college ranks when your career is done?) – “Right now, it’s too early to say. It’s too early to say right now. If the opportunity presented itself and is with somebody who I know, then maybe. But I’d like to take a… When it’s said and done, I’m going to need the (exhales). I’m going to need that. (laughter) But I enjoy – I can see why a lot of these coaches coach. Helping kids come in the league and helping them understand their opportunity and being able to help them take full advantage of their opportunity and change their dynamics and their generational dynamics.”
(Would you be a good coach?) – “I think so. I think so.”
(I see you have the current logo and the throwback logo. I just was curious as far as which one do you prefer?) – “(laughter) I like them both. I like them both. I’m a supporter of the brand, total – the whole brand. I’m an old guy. I’m older than (Defensive Line Coach Austin) Clark, so the throwback is – I like the 90s.”
(Would you be opposed of the team wearing that in a complete season? Are you open to whatever the jersey schedule is for the year?) – “I’m going to be honest with you, I’m a nose tackle. There’s not a lot of swag where we’re at, bro. (laughter) On the field, there’s not a lot of swag. So I couldn’t even give you a dope answer on that one, because I’m a nose tackle – the swag is not with us right now.”
(You mentioned DT Zach Sieler and DT Christian Wilkins a few times and that 2019 season, their first year here with the Dolphins. What stands out to you the most about their growth from then to now?) – “Their bond. I look at it like – have y’all ever seen the movie like the – I haven’t seen the old one, but the new one, Miami Vice with Jamie (Foxx) and they have like a bond. They beef sometimes. You’d catch them and they’re beefing, but they know how to work and feed off of each other to get the job done. I see them taking charge. I actually see that. I see Zach (Sieler) calling and orchestrating the defense and pointing out little things here and there. Christian is – he doesn’t talk. He just zones out and then shoot the gap or do what he needs to do and Zach feeds off of it. I think that’s one thing I saw when I came back is the chemistry that they have and that they built while I was gone.”
(I was just saying that some of the d-tackles have the arm sleeves, so you might have to get that on.) – “Yes, I’m going to work on that. I’m going to work on that.”
(I’m talking about for the drip with the jersey, they have the arm sleeves.) – “Oh, right, right. I’ll work on it, man. See, I play with no gloves, it’s like my hands – I’m just old school. (laughter)”
RB Salvon Ahmed
(Obviously, this is a different camp for you because there are so many new backs in the action. What’s that room like when you’re talking about RB Sony Michel and RB Raheem Mostert and RB Chase Edmonds?) – “Yes, just a lot of experience. I think that’s something that you want as a player like me. It’s my third year. We have a lot of guys with experience, so I’m just learning as much as a I can from those guys and going out there and competing.”
(You had, I guess, a short stint with San Francisco when Head Coach Mike McDaniel was still with the 49ers. What were your impressions of him back then? Did you ever get a sense that, “Hey, this is a guy who, in a couple years, could be leading a team?”) – “Yes, I was there for camp, but he was really smart. He was one of my favorite guys when I was over there, so it’s awesome to have him as a head coach. I was really, really excited. (I’m) really excited to see what he does. He was one of my favorites when I was over there, so it’s been dope.”
(Why was Mike McDaniel one of your favorite coaches?) – “He just had a lot of energy. Obviously, he’s super smart. A super smart coach. But he had a lot of energy and he just brought it. He brings it every single day. I’m sure if you ask anyone here, he knows how to show up to work every single day. He’s our leader so I’m excited about it.”
(Your brief experience in the 49ers offense, do you think that kind of gave you maybe a little bit of a leg up in learning this scheme here this year?) – “Yes, I was able to remember some of it, for sure. There’s differences and that comes with different offenses that you have to learn over the years. But for sure, I remembered some of it.”
(What’s one thing that a running back always has to keep in mind, just like always telling yourself, as it relates specifically to the outside zone plays?) – “I mean – I don’t know if there’s one thing you’re telling yourself, but just coaching points. Whatever the coaches are telling you, they know best. We’ll go out there and we’ll play football, but just coaching points – remember your coaching points. I think that’s the one thing that you have to remember going out there playing any position, not just running back.”
(What’s the perfect time to cut it upfield in this offense? How do you know the moment to cut?) – “I think that’s the special thing about being a running back. It’s all about feel. There’s no perfect moment. There’s no perfect blocking. Nothing is really perfect. It’s the NFL. So I think that’s the special part about being a running back and just reacting.”
(On the new running backs, what was your reaction when you saw so many guys brought in that play the same position as you, especially veteran guys?) – “Obviously, it’s going to be competitive, but everyone in that room is super cool. I’m blessed to be with those guys. It’s been awesome. It’s been awesome getting to learn as much as I can from those guys – Sony (Michel), Chase (Edmonds), even Myles (Gaskin) – this is Year Four for him and I’m still learning from him even though we went to college together – (and) Raheem (Mostert). So it’s been awesome just learning from those guys. Obviously, like I said, it’s competitive, but just taking as much as I can from them.”
(You mentioned competition, what has the competitive vibe been like in that room?) – “We all want each other to succeed. So it’s no – you go out there, be competitive, you make the most out of your opportunities, but no one is wishing down on nobody. Everybody wants everybody to go out there and be successful. I think it’s already a really close group, so we help each other whenever we can.”
(How important do you think the joint practices and preseason games are for you?) – “It’s just cool to go against some different competition and see where everything is at. Just kind of see where we’re at as a team, as well. I’m excited about it. We get to go out there and practice against some really good competition, as we all know, and go out there and see what we can do on Saturday.”
(What kind of a rapport were you able to build with RB Raheem Mostert in your short time at the 49ers?) – “He was really – Like I said, he’s really smart. He’s a guy that really wanted to help out. Obviously, he went through his whole process. I was a guy that’s undrafted looking to make the team and he’s been through his own stuff. So I went to him about a lot of stuff and he looked out for me. So it’s nice to have him here as well.”
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
(You made the jump to now being noticed – from last year with your breakout season in Dallas to now. What’s it like in the wide receiver room with Wes Welker as your coach, and having WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle? How is that working for you?) – “I feel like with everyone’s knowledge in the room of the game along with Tyreek and Waddle being two of the fastest receivers in the league, and then Wes’ mindset, obviously playing and coaching for as many years as he did, it’s definitely bringing us all in one. He’s helping us to perfect our game more and more each way and not just rely on talent.”
(What do you see as your role in this offense?) – “I feel like my role is to complete what my assignment is and whatever play is called. That’s my job.”
(What have you enjoyed most about playing in Mike McDaniel’s offense so far?) – “The versatility. You have to study at the game but at the same time, you have to be able to go out there and execute what they’re asking you (to do). He brings energy before we even step out on the field and you’ve got to love a coach like that.”
(Do you have tinted prescriptions or too?) – “Yeah, my prescription is on these.”
(What was the process of hearing about that and getting it?) – “My process was basically that most people wear sunglasses and it’s bright out there trying to catch a football. I need to see so my prescription had to be put in.”
(Obviously you, WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill can all thrive in the slot as you did a lot last year, and on the boundary. What is the potential chaos that can be created in bunch formations with the three of you on one side?) – “I feel like in most football, any bunch situations when guys are trying to inside-out in coverage and you’re trying to inside-out with a lot of speed, I feel like that’s probably the hardest part on defense.”
(Could you envision that being a problem for opposing teams if Mike McDaniel goes to that with the three of you guys this year?) – “I feel like that’s the goal is to put a problem on everyone.”
(You’ve been a pretty efficient downfield receiver in your career and out here in practice getting a deep ball every day it seems. What about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s deep ball makes it easy to make a play on it down the field?) – “It’s accurate. It doesn’t really change the spot. It’s still our job to get to the spot because he’s going to hit his spot. He adjusts it perfectly between the speed of all of us, because obviously I’m not as fast as Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle, but he throws it up, gives me time to get to the spot and I feel like that’s the best part of it.”
(Do you feel like you have chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa even though you just got here with him?) – “Yeah, I felt the chemistry as soon as we got here.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked earlier just about the kind of guy WR Tyreek Hill is in the locker room and how he kind of uses him as an example in a lot of things. Have you seen that out of him as well? What have you learned just from working with Tyreek?) – “I’ve learned a lot from him. Obviously watching him across the league, all you see is a fast football player. But now that we’ve actually gotten around each other, he’s a good teammate and friend off the field. At the same time, he’s going to go out there and work hard. That’s the perfect balance that you could have.”
(Has anything surprised you about QB Tua Tagovailoa going from watching him from afar to working with him?) – “I feel like I didn’t really watch him much because I was worried about what I had going on and where my job was at. But when he was at Alabama in college, he was accurate and he didn’t show anything less when I came out here and actually worked with him.”
(Growing up, your dad played in the NFL and now you are in the NFL. What was that process like and what advice has he given you?) – “As far as the process of what?”
(Going through the season, the offseason and things like that.) – “I feel like the process started when I was younger. Obviously seeing him coming into the building, going to meetings, going to the weight room, during practice. I was just envisioning that I wanted to do that one day. Obviously now that I’m older, he’s just trying to give me the tips and keys that he wishes he would have done or that he did to be successful during the time he was in (the NFL).
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(In your view, how is TE Hunter Long playing and the camp he’s had so far?) – “Hunter is a player that we had on our radar when I was on another team. He’s a young player that fits what we do, so we’ve been very excited with him. This whole process, especially for tight ends, is difficult because of the scheme we run on both sides of the ball. The tight end position in general is a work in progress because we’re undoing a bunch of technique that they’ve been used to their whole football lives. Hunter specifically, he started out really, really strong. He grasped all of it super fast. It’s to the credit of the mind that he has and his investment. Now he’s going through the second stage, which is honing skills, honing technique and attacking each and every day. I know he gives the defense their own issues each day with how he competes and how he attacks the process.”
(You have to undo the technique they’ve learned previously and learn new technique?) – “It’s more like … From a starting point, typically tight ends are coached – it’s not bad or good but it’s just a commitment to – typically they’re coached to not get beat as opposed to attacking with known help. So for us, a lot of it starts with running off the ball. We’re not playing it safe at that position. If you talk about a nine-technique, especially in this league, whether that’s a standup ‘backer or a defensive end, that can be an imposing situation that you want to make sure your guy doesn’t immediately tackle somebody. So you play inside and you have some board footwork that you’re kind of plotting off the ball and you don’t displace as much. We don’t do that. We say we’re going to go after the guy. Here, on these plays, you will have help. Here, you won’t. It’s really a completely different mindset. It’s almost like every time he blocks, he’s running a route. You’re coming off the ball with that same mindset. So it’s an adjustment that I think does take people, especially ones like Hunter (Long) who have really been deliberate in how they’ve gone about their business their whole life, it takes them a second. It’s very similar to the adjustment that the line has to make. There’s just more space between them and the defender.”
(Your running back room, do you have a vision of how you may want to split touches?) – “For me to sit here and say every practice is important and every rep is important and it’s a constant competition, the only way that I can really follow through with those words is I have to consciously – which I do – refrain from doing that because I don’t want to limit an opportunity by having a preconceived notion. There’s guys that really got our running scheme early. Maybe they had more history in it. But you don’t short-change the process of learning, nor do you really allow yourself to get ahead and predict the future. We have a huge practice today followed by a couple of huge practices against Tampa before the first preseason game. My mindset is really just to coach guys and see what they do with it. And when the opportunities start to minimize, after people have earned the right in front of their teammates of who gets to play and who doesn’t, then I’ll kind of settle in on that. But right now, I’m very, very happy with that room. It’s one of my favorite rooms that I have been around. The competition is fierce but they’re bringing the best out of each other. They get along and they’re really – just watch. If your eyes can go fast enough, if there’s a good run, take your eyes and find Eric Studesville, the running backs coach, and find the running backs and they’re all fist-pumping and cheering. It’s awesome. They really root for each other and understand that they want to win the job. They don’t want to be given it at the expense of somebody else.”
(Obviously you wouldn’t have picked him in the fourth round if you didn’t think that he was going to be good, but did you expect WR Erik Ezukanma to catch on so quickly?) – “Again, that’s why I try not to get ahead of myself because he came in and I’ve been very happy with him the entire time. He’s made more plays now that he knows what he’s doing. I’ve been more concerned with like how is he approaching the process and is he making the same mistake twice? He’s kind of – it doesn’t surprise me and it’s going to be a curve like that for him where it will continue to get better and better. There are a lot of things he still needs to work on but you could tell from the minute that you started working with him that this guy was a driven dude and he takes it very serious, and the best football is in front of him because when he plays fast and knows what he’s doing – you’re starting to see some of the stuff that he does. He’s a big, strong dude that can make plays on the ball. His college tape, one of the things that we loved about him was that he was very, very hard to tackle. Those things, you’re starting to see a little bit more of because it’s the natural process. It’s a new language and they’re learning something incredibly different. Half of their world, they have to align on a field that the dimensions are new to them. You’re saying two yards inside the numbers and they’re like, ‘What?’ He just needs to continue to work and I think you’ll continue to see him make some plays. Then all of his teammates are encouraging him and pushing him so that he can be relied upon on a down-in and down-out basis. With all that goes on with that position, that isn’t just running routes. It’s also blocking.”
(Have you decided how you plan to approach joint practices? For some of the veteran guys who have kind of been on the maintenance program, is your approach rather to have them increase their workload for the joint practices and then not participate in the preseason [game] or do you want to keep them on this path that they’ve been on?) – “The answer is kind of annoying but it’s honest. It is quite literally case-by-case. There are a couple of veterans where for them to be able to practice with the known intensity that comes with practicing against an opponent for the first time since January, there are some guys that we kind of have to monitor and we’re resting on the front end of it. Then there are other guys that we’ll just have to, for us to get through the whole practice and for them to get the work they need, they may sit out individual. I put a lot of pressure on the position coaches, the coordinators, the training staff, that I do not want just a flat-line of this is what we do. I don’t think that’s fair to the individual. Every person’s body is different. We have to monitor the load and what we don’t want to do is have a situation where we don’t have a player because of our lack of detail to that individual. I very much cater to it and it’s very case-by-case, but there are a couple of veterans that will need to chill out today so that we can get the reps against a different offense, a different defense, different pass plays, run plays, coverages and fronts than we’ve seen in our camp.”
(Have you had a chance to get with Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles yet about anything that you’d each specifically like to do in joint practices, especially if there is anything that’s not extremely common?) – “I haven’t gotten with him in person. He’s got this – apparently he has to coach his team. (laughter) But we’ve communicated and that’s something that – you hit on something that is interesting, that you’d only know as a coach where it’s not something where you just go into these things off a whim. The coordinators are communicating. You’re going through practice structures. You’re going through players with non-contact jerseys. You’re really talking through everything, so I have a very, very good comfort level. I talked to him – I mean this was months ago – because I’m so on it with planning. (laughter) This was months ago we talked originally and we’ve been in constant communication ever since, and we’ll talk a couple more times before practice starts so that we’re all on the same page and abiding by the same rules on the practice field.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Tyreek Hill. We know what he brings to the field from an athletic and a player standpoint, but listening to him speak yesterday, he’s so confident. Have you ever worked with player like that before and I guess what benefit is that from locker room standpoint?) – “Him in particular, his personality, he’s one of one. And I think it speaks to how he plays the game. He’s a shorter player that doesn’t play small and that is his edge. I’ve had players that have been similar in that manner, just not to that level. But the thing that people really don’t realize that is so cool about him, is he’s also very, very accountable. He’s one of the first people that I can show in team meetings and say, ‘hey, this isn’t to our standard,’ or ‘this isn’t right,’ because 10 times out of 10, ever since we started with him here, when I do that, the next day in the team meeting, I get to show him correcting the mistake. And it kind of sets the tone that you’re conditioned as an athlete to want to be – I mean everybody wants to be good at something – but you’re conditioned that a coaching point, ‘dang it, he had to correct me.’ And that’s not the case. The coaching point is like, hey, the player and the coach getting together to communicate something to make you better and he really, from the beginning, helped me set that tone with the players because I could say, ‘hey, this isn’t good enough, this is awesome,’ and either way, I have their best interest at heart when I’m trying to communicate something. So he does that with his assignments and he’s the guy that I can be hard on on his route depths and he’s the guy I can be hard on blocking. And every single time he puts it on tape that he not only heard the coaching point, but it was important enough to fix it immediately, which is an example that is huge for all players, young and veterans alike.”
(Housekeeping question. We’ve seen in the past couple days we’ve seen guys like RB Sony Michel, S Sheldrick Redwine, S Clayton Fejedelem, even P Thomas Morstead out for undisclosed injuries. Do you have an update on any of those guys and whether there’s a long-term concern with any of them?) – “We’re fortunate enough right now that every bump and bruise and slight issue is not long-term. That is something that doesn’t always happen, but right now we feel very fortuitous in that regard and I couldn’t be happier with the training staff and really the commitment by every player right now that does have a ding, that they are working through it with the utmost urgency and I’m not concerned about really anybody long-term right now which is (knocks on wood), something we hope to continue moving forward.”
(I got a kick out of listening to WR Tyreek Hill and QB Tua Tagovailoa both talk about how when they came to this organization, the first time they saw Dan Marino, they kind of stopped in their tracks. I think Tua even said he couldn’t believe it, that Dan Marino knew his name, which is just funny. I’m just kind of curious for you, kind of post-ball boy career, have you had that moment? And with whom and did you try…) – “Yeah, Dan Marino. (laughter) The same thing happened to me. It’s something I’ve witnessed from afar, so I was kind of prepared, but you’re never prepared for it. But as a head coach, people randomly come across your path a little bit more, which is an extremely humbling experience and emotionally very confusing because like, Dan Marino, I was born in ’83, so I grew up and I really liked him, really respected his game. His sack record blows my mind, but he was also passing for 5,000 when that would be like today’s 6,000. But him in particular, I was a Broncos fan so my whole childhood I was saying (John) Elway was better than Dan Marino. Now magically, I’ve reversed course. (laughter) But it’s part of the territory and you just do your best to try to live up to their expectations and not fumble words out of your mouth and be coherent.”
(With RB Chase Edmonds it seems like every practice he gets a little bit better and we get a chance to talk to him and it’s really apparent that his cerebral approach to the game is pretty strong. I was curious just to get your take on how he’s kind of come in here and your thoughts about how he approaches the game?) – “That’s a good one. I think the team realizes it because the way that we go through film together, but this is – the scheme that we run is a little different than he was used to which we knew going into because we were evaluating him and we kind of projected it. What’s been really, really awesome to see is his feel for the game. His cerebral approach is real. Sometimes guys – that cerebral approach means they just know all the assignments, which uniquely he does. He knows every receiver assignment and he’s understanding of the blocking schemes and all that. But more so, he has a combination of feel to apply abstract coaching points. We want him to press the line of scrimmage and he’s working on that daily. He’s diligent with his tracks. He’s really getting a feel for the protection, so it’s been cool to watch him really to digest and start to get – you can see it on the field – his productivity is obvious. He’s doing a great job and really, really getting a feel and coming into his own for the position.”
