QB Tua Tagovailoa
(On having things to work on with WR Jaylen Waddle) – ”Yeah, I think there’s still some things that we’ve got to continue to work on with me and Jaylen (Waddle). You don’t just go from working consistently, to working with other guys consistently, while Jaylen is trying to heal up, and then you come back and it’s all figured out. Today was a good day to kind of help iron all of those things out, and if Mike (McDaniel) does allow Jaylen to play, then I think it’s better for us that he does.”
(You’re entering another season where you face the Patriots Week 1 kind of in a new offensive system. You yourself said that everything feels different. For you personally where do you feel most comfortable heading into Week 1 of an NFL season?) – “I wouldn’t say I feel most comfortable with where I’m at. I think I feel most comfortable with where we’re at as a team. I think I feel very comfortable with how the offense is operating right now, how the defense is playing defense. I think we all feel pretty confident in our gameplay, where we’re at leading up to our season opener, and I think a lot of guys are confident and we’re ready to play this Sunday.”
(Is an opener different? I know every game is you want to win, but opener – the excitement being at home, facing a division rival – what’s that like as you prepare for Week 1?) – ”I think Week 1 is always exciting. I can say every game is exciting, but Week 1 is always exciting. It’s the start to a new season for our new team with the Dolphins, and a lot of the fans are really looking forward to seeing guys like Tyreek (Hill), seeing guys like Terron Armstead, seeing a lot of the new additions that we’ve picked up throughout this offseason. I think if I’m not mistaken, that this is probably the first time in in a long time that the Hard Rock is sold out (of season tickets). So you can see the hype around the team with the fans and all the people that want to come and see our team play.”
(I’m doing something on guys and their NFL debuts. I’m wondering what you remember about your NFL debut?) – ”My NFL debut? Wow. I remember my first drive, not a good drive, got hit and fumbled. And I think for any competitor, you really think of the bads instead of the good. But I also remember my first touchdown pass and that was to DeVante Parker, so you know, glad we get to see him, hope he does well. It’ll be a good matchup with him and whoever he’s lined up against.”
(On his reaction to being named a team captain last week) – ”I would say it doesn’t change the way I lead. I’m very grateful that my teammates think very highly of me in that way, and I think the coolest thing is no one needs to go up and give a speech and tell the team why you should vote for me as a captain. It’s cool that Coach (McDaniel) just allows the guys to decide, and Coach may say that I had the most votes, but there’s a lot of guys that have a lot of respect in our locker room that the guys really trust and really want to play for so I’m very grateful about that. But it doesn’t change the way that I go about my business or how I lead or how I talk to the guys.”
(What’s enabled you guys to have so much success against the Patriots, you being 3-0 specifically?) – “I wouldn’t attest that I’m 3-0. I would attest that we’re 3-0 as a team. It takes all of us. I’m just the distributor. I’ve just got to get it to our playmakers. They make the plays, and our defense gets us the ball back and our defense make stops. Special teams, they do their part and that’s how you win games in this in this league.”
(Playing the Patriots so early in the season, back-to-back maybe even three years now. Has that helped your preparation and kind of having the same system prepare for, same kind of type of defense, things like that?) – ”Yeah, I think it’s tough. It’s difficult every time we play a Bill Belichick defense. You never know what you’re going to get. You’re always seeing different fronts. I mean, he’s going to find a way to confuse you. It’s never normally the same. You’ll get some similarities with people being in areas, but it’s not usually the same, and that’s what makes it pretty difficult, kind of making calls in the run game, and then kind of knowing where to go in the pass game against them.”
(What excites you the most about this offense and maybe the way that it caters to your specific skill set?) – “Well, I think I’m most excited with the playmakers that we have. You check the ball down, you never know what you’re going to get and then now you can take the top off with guys like Tyreek. I know everyone’s probably seen with how Tyreek ran past the quarters defender that had the deep quarter and we still threw that and that’s an advantage that we have with having someone like him, and then if Jaylen (Waddle) does play, I would say the same thing. But I think those guys are going to give other guys opportunities to get open for us and make big plays for us.”
(We know how Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick likes to try to confuse people. When you prepare for a Bill Belichick game do you have to start thinking outside the box and just kind of prepare a little differently for that?) – “I think every team, every team, you can play them by percentages, by what they do on normal down-and-distances, third downs or whatnot; but really when it comes to it, you got to go out there and play. You can play it by the percentages, and if you do that, I would say you’re really taking a chance. You’ve just got to go out there thinking this is what they do. And if they don’t do that, what’s my answer for all of these other things? I think that’s how we kind of take that and go into the game with that.”
(Clearly Head Coach Mike McDaniel has created an environment allows you guys to be yourselves, obviously you see WR Tyreek Hill, yourself. How is that environment do you think going to help his team this year?) – “I think everyone feels like they can share what they feel, they can express what they like, what they don’t like, and they won’t feel judged or they won’t feel like they’re stepping on anyone’s toes. And I think that helps with accountability, too, with guys on the team. Mike (McDaniel) has made this kind of a safe area or safe space, if you will, for all of the guys. You know, because if Jaylen (Waddle) is not doing something right, you know, I’m able to tell him. If Tyreek’s not doing something right I’m able to say what I think and same for them to me if I didn’t do something right, they’ll come and hold me accountable. So I think that’s where the being comfortable kind of falls into with the atmosphere Mike created.”
(We all know the type of athlete obviously WR Tyreek Hill is. I’m just curious what his personality and his confidence has brought to the locker room and for you specifically, if he’s influenced you in some ways in the way you lead and maybe your confidence heading into this first game?) – “I’d say I’ve always been a pretty confident person. I’ve never necessarily looked to anyone really for my confidence and never necessarily needed someone else’s approval for that, but I would say Tyreek (Hill) is – he’s not someone that I’d expect to be who he is. He’s extremely funny. Dude loves video games. Dude loves ping pong. He’s very talkative. I didn’t expect Tyreek to be pretty talkative. but yeah, he’s just a great teammate overall, but I think I think he’s going live on Twitch or something on Thursday. So if you guys want to watch him play Fornite, you know, you guys have the in right now.”
(What’s impressed you most about playing with T Terron Armstead and how excited he is to share the field with him on Sunday?) – “Dude’s overly positive. He’s been in the league for a long time. He would share things with me that Drew (Brees) – when he played with Drew at the Saints – and then he also got us in contact, me and Drew. And he kind of said like, ‘Hey, little bro, this is this is Drew’s contact. I want you to hit him up and I know he’d want to help you or he’d love to help you.’ I thought that was a cool thing. Rookie and the vet, if you will.”
LB Jerome Baker
(Do you enjoy the chess match going against the Patriots and Head Coach Bill Belichick?) – “Yes, I mean, he’s a future Hall of Fame coach. Of course I’m excited. I love a challenge, so it’s definitely exciting. It is going to be a good one.”
(You know they’re going to try to throw it up to a guy you used to have here – WR DeVante Parker. They’re going to try to get him a jump ball, right?) – “You know it’s coming, but the great thing is we have Mr. (Xavien) Howard here. (laughter)”
(The fans are always excited about Week 1, but being at home, there is a different feel. Do you sense that, with the expectations for this team? From the fan excitement perspective?) – “Of course. You could just tell with the preseason games, the social media – I think we sold a lot of tickets. Our fans and our city are definitely excited (for us) to go out there. It’s also our job to go out there and continue that excitement and ultimately win games. It’s going to be dope.”
(Having seen this offense every day in practice, are you impressed with how they’ve looked?) – “Impressed? I would more say I’m excited. It’s the National Football League. Every offense is going to have playmakers. Every offense is going to have great coaches. But for me, I’ve been here five years and just to see that excitement on the offensive side of the field, I’m definitely excited about that.”
(I know you would never think in this context of, “OK, we don’t have to be as good defensively,” because that’s not how defensive players think. This is a league where the best teams tend to be able to outscore others. Do you feel like that’s a luxury now you might have because of this being the best offensive cast you’ve played with?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s a luxury. I would more say it’s more just responsibility on us. Our defense prides ourselves on just being a great defense, going out there every week and showing that we’re a great defense. I’m not going to say we don’t care about what the offense does, but our standard has always been the standard. It’s great that we have some guys that have come in and are going to do some great things for us, but ultimately, our defense, we have a standard and we’re going to always stick to that standard.”
(Not a lot has changed. Obviously no CB Byron Jones the first four weeks unfortunately, but what does adding LB Melvin Ingram and now LB Trey Flowers to the edge rusher mix do for you all?) – “I mean, it just helps our defense as a whole. Those guys, they get to the ball, they do what they’re supposed to do. They’re veterans, so they know how the game works. They’re smart. They understand their roles in our defense. Ultimately, it helps our whole team. If our d-line is doing well, it helps the linebackers and it helps guys like Jevon (Holland) and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and all of them get those picks. Ultimately, when we bring guys in that can help us on the defensive line, it really is a trickle-down effect for everybody.”
(You’ve been here for years through thick and thin. Can you express your excitement to see how much hype there is surrounding this team? Sold out stadium on Sunday. It’s going to be exciting, isn’t it?) – “Oh yes, just the excitement – you could feel that excitement back when training camp first started. All the fans came out and you could just feel the energy. For me personally, I’m just so excited because it’s been a while that we’ve had this excitement. So I’m going to really be appreciative of what’s happening. I’m excited for Sunday. We have a good team, great offense, great coaches and great people – it’s going to be good.”
(Should this be the best Dolphins team you’ve been on, do you think?) – “Should it be the best one? I think it should be the best one because it’s the next one. Every year – we work on getting better every year. This year, we look pretty decent on paper. It’s doesn’t matter what you look (like) on paper, it’s time to actually take that to the field and really prove what we can do.”
(The Patriots had a couple of solid rushing outputs the two times they faced you guys last year. What do you have to do prevent that from happening?) – “Do our job. On our defense, we believe in each other. We believe in the coaching staff. It’s just one of those things, we have to lock in and do our fundamentals and do what we were taught. You don’t have to try to hard and do too much. Do what you’re supposed to do and it’ll work out for us.”
CB Xavien Howard
(It’s always a challenge when you face a Head Coach Bill Belichick team. Do you embrace that, not knowing what to expect sometimes?) – “I definitely embrace that. That’s the greatest coach in football right now. He’s going to come prepared and his team is going to come prepared, and we’re ready for it.”
(What are you going to expect from WR DeVante Parker?) – “He’s definitely going to want to have a good game. I’m going to expect his best. There are other guys too – (Jakobi) Meyers and Nelson (Agholor) and a couple of guys on the team.”
(There has been a lot of hype this offseason around this team. I’m sure you feel it. Does it feel different this year with the expectations, the excitement? Not from within, but maybe from fans and the outside with others?) – “I feel like the standard is very high here. We get a lot of praise. I feel like we just have to produce on the field and everything will speak for itself.”
(With CB Byron Jones out for now, what are your expectations for the other cornerbacks?) – “The next man up. The next man up mentality. Get some younger guys in there and we still got to play a game.”
(Does it feel any different for you? Is there any extra – not pressure, because obviously you know what you are doing. But when you know you’re missing that half and other guys have to step up, how does that change for you in preparation and expectations?) – “I wouldn’t say that I feel like I have to do more, but I’ve got to be the guy to talk to the guys, let the guys know what to expect and have everybody on the same page. I’ve been trying to work on that this offseason, being an older guy, and also communicating with the guys also.”
(You’ve had some big plays against the Patriots in your career, specifically last year. What are your thoughts when you think about going against this team and the rivalry within the division?) – “I know they are definitely going to try to catch me slipping. That was last year. I know they are definitely going to try to come back at me with something, so I’m prepared for it and will just be ready for it.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(You’ve obviously been involved in game planning a lot before, but what’s the part of being a head coach, what aspect of it – whether it’s having final say on the game plan, whether it’s something defensive – that for the first time in a while in your career, what are you most relishing or enjoying about this week as a head coach that you’re doing for the first time?) – “Oh, I guess it’s this particular staff. Me, personally, just not knowing if the opportunity would ever come but knowing that the bottom line was that I would never forgive myself if I wasn’t ready. I’ve been preparing as though I was calling plays for years internally, to the point of each play, just being careful not to murmur it out loud. But really, this particular staff that I’m able to lead, just really getting – you spend all this time really making sure, I mean, it’s countless hours to make sure that you see the game the same way because everybody’s from different places and has different experiences. So there’s no shortcut to it, you grind through that, but then going against an opponent and having all their contributions really, really helped the process for me, and made it pretty seamless to the point that I wasn’t – I’ve been involved in not just the run game, but in the pass game for years as well. So doing that together has been enjoyable and I’m excited about that those working relationships really.”
(It’s obviously your first game, your first regular season game as the head coach of the Dolphins. But kind of continuing that play-calling experience with QB Tua Tagovailoa, what is your overarching message to him entering first game this season?) – “It’s very similar to a lot of the players. I was talking to the team today, specifically about what are the unintended consequences about really putting your best foot forward and committing to your profession and your craft on a new level than you really have your whole career. The unintended consequences are that you may put pressure on yourself to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to have the greatest game.’ This has been a lot of buildup before Week 1, so guys can fall into the trap of losing sight of what football is. And that’s a bunch of guys who have been working at their craft together for an extended period of time, playing together. So my biggest message to all the guys really is don’t let all that investment hurt you. And start to think that you need to make X, Y or Z play. This is a team sport, the ultimate team sport, and that trust, all the training, have a very good week of preparation and then go have fun playing the game that you all have learned to enjoy, hopefully at a new level, with their current teammates, at the peak and pinnacle point of their careers.”
(The unique thing about football is it’s 348 days of preparation for 17 days of games and we’ve written a lot. We think you’ve got a pretty good team. Do you think you have a pretty good team? And if so, why?) – “I think in the National Football League, you have to have all cylinders aligned to win. To me, there’s a group – I don’t even know what the ratio would be. But I think it was Mike Shanahan who said it to me early in my career, that there’s only a portion of the teams that have a chance because everyone’s working together and you have the prerequisite talent. That being said, everybody’s vulnerable to the wrong injuries at the wrong time. I do feel like we have a chance to really compete, and that’s all you really want. I think we deserve to be in the party. And really, that’s the cool thing about football is you’re not guaranteed results. You just go all in and if you have the right talent and mix of people, you really give yourself a chance to do something pretty cool. So I’m very confident in the team. I’m very, very, very proud of them for where they’re at. And then the name of the game in the National Football League is you put it all out there, it’s game one, and then one of two things happen. We’re either crowned or we suck. Either way, we have Week 2 And either way, I think a one win team in the course of a season wouldn’t be to the satisfaction of the organization or the fans. So you really have to keep it in perspective, because that is the challenge. It’s a huge buildup. That’s one of the reasons why there’s a phrase called like overreaction, whatever. The only reason is because people care and you guys are thinking and reporting about it. You have people tuning in or are reading all the material you guys provide for an extended period of time. It’s not only the offseason, but then it’s after Week 1. All of the best teams that I’ve been a part of, every single one of them got better during the course of the season. There was one time we went to the Super Bowl, I think we were 8-0, one time we went to the Super Bowl and we were 0-1. So you just try to build. That’s what you’re doing. You’re building together and leaving it all out there each and every week because it’s finite for all of us. It really is. So to bask in that and really enjoy all the work and camaraderie is my main point. But you’re right it is. It is kind of a weird existence.”
(What do you look for in a punter? And why did Thomas Morstead, why is he here from that standpoint?) – “Well, a prerequisite is they have to be able to kick it farther than I can. (laughter) I have a very limited range, so doesn’t weed too many people out. It’s an interesting question because a lot of people can kick and a lot of people can punt. If you went to a punt, pass and kick situation, I’m not sure if the person that won there would be a top 32 NFL punter because it is a different skillset. It’s not only the ability to boot the ball from foot to air, but you have to have a timing to it. You have to be able to have hand-eye (coordination), and you have to be able to handle pressure. They don’t get a ton of opportunities. But when they do, they want to impact the game. So it’s a lot more person than one would – I know at least I thought getting into it. But you realize it’s so much about the strength of character, the resolve and people that live for big moments, which is one of the reasons that Thomas is so attractive to us.”
(I don’t know if you knew this but this actually a point of the year where NFL head coaches actually reveal who they’re going to use and kicking off on kick and punt returns. So who’s it going to be?) – “(laughter) You think you get good help around here and then you’re just blindsided but I just take you for your word. (laughter) I meant it when I first (said it) – it wasn’t just coach speak. This has always been curious to me, but an NFL game is like 150, 160 plays together, and you’re trying to win a game. So special teams plays, they account for yards and points and can change the game as much as any offensive or defensive play. So that being said, the plan is to be very strategic with regard to the flow of the game, how much wind people have, where the ball’s at, the score. But I plan on using – and I know Coach (Danny) Crossman feels the same, I plan on using our best players in the best situations for the team. So when it was early in my career, I think it was 2006, and Devin Hester took over the playoffs and then had all that buildup going into the Super Bowl, and made a huge impact on a team’s entire journey. And I don’t think there was an asterisk that it was special teams. So we’ll be very strategic with that. You have to balance out what’s going on, on offense and defense, for all of the players involved. But we’re fortunate to have some highly skilled players that will use when appropriate and accordingly.”
(We saw QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill work on a limited basis during the preseason together. WR Jaylen Waddle did not play during the preseason. If he’s ready to go, as you anticipate, what do you hope that connection will be with two and Jaylen under game-like conditions when the season starts?) – “Well, ironically, I think that’s the highest comfort level that Tua has had in his NFL career. When you’re contributing to an NFL record, the amount of rookie receptions – and I noticed that when I was evaluating Tua this offseason, how convicted and how confident he played when throwing the ball to Jaylen specifically. So I don’t see any negative. I mean, he went into the whole process with the most comfort level with him to start and he’s been gaining a ton of confidence and comfort with our other receivers. And they’ve been catching up to Jaylen, really. So I have no worries about it. I’m excited to see him play and really see all of our guys play together, because we haven’t got to do that besides on the Miami Gardens practice fields.”
(Do you expect WR Jaylen Waddle to go this week then?) – “What did I say last week? Very, very…”
(Three very’s) – “Three very’s? (laughter) I mean he is limited. But my confidence hasn’t changed.”
(What do you see when you watch QB Mac Jones?) – “He’s a really cool player. I really admire – it is one of my, it was one of the more impressive collegiate performances we’ve obviously had. We were involved in the quarterback evaluation process (in San Francisco), and just came away super impressed with his ability to play the NFL game. I think he’s a guy that for whatever reason, people like to say subtle disparaging stuff. I see a really, really good NFL quarterback that he’ll just continue to progress. He’s one of the guys that I feel very confident in how he plays the position. And even if he has any sort of hiccups, he’s one of the guys that you know is going to be a legitimate NFL player at that position, which is so hard to do. He commands the game. He really has a feel of timing and – elusive, people don’t really say hand in hand, but within the pocket, he is very elusive. He’s got a real cool charisma and command that I first saw when we were doing I think Zoom interviews at the time, talking to him about his stellar collegiate receivers, which one of them we have. I really like his play and I think the best is right in front of him for his career and I look forward to watching it 15 out of the 17 games of the NFL season.”
(Is there some uncertainty preparing for the Pats offense that you have on Matt Patricia? Joe Judge is coming in. There’s some uncertainty with the Pats offense with play-calling on their end. Do you not what to expect?) – “It’s kind of like the norm to me. It’s one of the features of Coach (Bill) Belichick’s team for years is there’s plenty of elements of surprise. So I guess I’d be surprised not to be surprised. There’s a degree of – I’m not sure if it’s uncertainty, but there’s a little unknown. I’m sure people are saying the same thing about me and the Miami Dolphins. But at the same time, I do know that it’s going to be very sound, very tied together, players are going to know what they’re doing and there’s going to be an intent with which they play football. So however that manifests itself, with different sort of wrinkles. At the same time, it’s not about plays, it’s how an offense kind of executes a system. And I’ve seen from the brief preseason footage, a team working on a system, which is a common denominator for successful offenses in the National Football League.”
(Going back to the punt return situation. Your depth chart has WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland in that order. Obviously, those are three very important players on this team. How do you weigh the injury risk when deciding who to put out there?) –“They are. It’s always been confusing. If I didn’t trust teammates, it’d be an issue. But this just in, every single play, people are trying to tackle you. So again, and maybe you can explain it, why are special teams yards any different than throwing a screen? Now, if you don’t trust your blockers, then – but I’ve just never, it doesn’t really click for me. I think you also have to weigh in, on both sides, how they’re being used the upcoming series or the series that we just had, and you have to be mindful of all of that. But if I sat and worried – if I made decisions, based upon safety in football, I’m not sure – that would be a process where I’m going to fail, I feel like. So every time they’re on the field, it’s a risk. If there’s situations where – now maybe there’s a punt team that is very, very, very hard to block and makes a ton of plays in punt coverage. That’s a different story. And that’s why it’s not noncommittal because you’re trying to be a guru guessing game. It’s really because you’re making decisions in real time that’s best for your football team. You have to trust your players to lean on each other and keep each other out of harm’s way. But yeah, every single play, every single snap, there’s a huge risk for injury. That’s the nature of the beast.”
(Have you seen enough from CB Noah Igbinoghene this summer to be comfortable with him as your starter until CB Byron Jones comes back?) – “What I saw was Noah – it’s really funny when I talk about him, because I’ve seen him make huge progressions in his game. And then, you have to remind yourself you’re talking about a guy that’s younger than a lot of our draft picks. I mean, he’s 22 years old. So in the process, we’re allowing him to compete every day. And in the short term, we’ll never just pigeonhole things. I’m very confident with him out there. He knows that it’s all about development. And I think he himself, when it’s all said and done, wants there to be no conversation about whether or not he’s a starter or not. That’s his goal. And in the process, we’re just going to keep allowing him to get opportunities in practice and in games and we’ll always just play the best player for that given matchup on that given day.”
