DT Christian Wilkins
(How much have you calmed down from yesterday and the plane ride and that game?) – “It’s the 24-hour rule. That’s how you approach it in the NFL. After today – well, meetings are over now so we can’t really think about it anymore. It was a gutsy, gritty win on the road, especially the way it started. We were able to come back after putting ourselves in a pretty tough situation. But we did a good job of sticking together and just kept playing ball all the way through, so that was a lot of fun.”
(Fans are very excited about this Buffalo game. Your thoughts? Is it one of 17 or a big game?) – “They’re all big. You’ve got to approach it the same way each week because once you start playing that inconsistency game in the NFL, you get showed up for sure. You can’t be like, ‘Oh, let’s prepare harder this week because it’s such and such.’ No. We’ve been building a good foundation since April, since we got started. Guys are coming in with the right mindset, taking care of business and being professional. From that standpoint, it’s just any other week. It’s just business as usual with how we’ve been carrying ourselves since April.”
(When talking about targets, TE Mike Gesicki just mentioned a few minutes ago that it’s about the team, it’s not about me. Inside the locker room, how do you get to that point about thinking it’s not about individual effort and it’s collectively what we can do?) – “Really, no one is more important than the team as a whole. Whether we experience that on the d-line, guys experience that on the offensive side or Mike said – there’s a little bit of that. Sometimes it’s not your play to make. Sometimes if you do your job, that’s what the team needs right there. So do it to the best of your abilities and plays will come your way when it’s your time. That’s kind of the mindset and you’ve just got to take that approach because it’s a team game.”
(Your defense is obviously a prideful group that has accomplished a lot. How mad were you all collectively with yourselves at halftime, and to be able to come back and play as well as you did in the second half?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say mad was the word. There were just a few plays, really. We knew we could make the adjustments. We knew what we were doing wrong and we were able to do a little better in the second half. The biggest thing was we were able to make the plays we needed to make when we needed to make them. That was the most important piece of it all.”
(Building on that, can you talk about the tone in the huddle? Were guys looking at each other saying ‘Let’s make this play. We’ve done it before.’) – “Yeah, it was really just a one play at a time mindset. It really wasn’t like – we kind of talked about it and we just knew we’re going to have to play each play as an individual play. You can’t win the game thinking about what’s coming. You have to just have the right mindset and carry through one play at a time.”
(Last year you did the worm in the end zone. I’m curious your thoughts on TE Mike Gesicki’s griddy yesterday.) – “That was wow. (laughter) It was interesting. I give Mike props for effort. He gets an A for effort but the execution was pretty bad. That was pretty funny. I appreciate all the laughs of people seeing it on social media everywhere. Mike is one of my best friends so I give him an A for effort.”
(What do you think of Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s cut-up in the film session?) – “Oh, that was really funny. That was really on point. We all got a good laugh out of that one. I didn’t see Mike (Gesicki) laughing too much but I thought it was pretty funny. (laughter)”
(What about the challenge of facing QB Josh Allen this week.) – “It’s a great challenge. Josh is a heck of a player. He’s proven that over his last few years in the league. He’s got a lot. He can run. He’s a dual-threat. He can throw the ball. He really has few weaknesses. We’ve got to be ready. We’re going to have to have a good week of prep to prepare for him. He’s a heck of a player.”
(How will you take advantage of your free day tomorrow?) – “I do pretty much the same thing every off day. I come in, take care of my body, get ahead on the opponent and then get away from ball for a little bit after I take care of all my stuff in the morning.”
(On Friday there’s a big soccer game at Hard Rock Stadium. Are you going? It’s Lionel Messi coming to play at Hard Rock Stadium?) – “That’s right. That’s obviously a big deal. I might try to go check it out for a little bit … I think it’s going to be awesome. It’s pretty cool to have Messi here and everything like that. Obviously he’s an exciting player. He’s one of the best right now. I might try to go check it out for a little bit so that’s cool.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(WR Cedrick Wilson’s ribs. I know anyone who has a rib injury probably feels it’s serious, but does it look short-term, long-term and then the decision to have CB Kader Kohou start and not CB Nik Needham in the second half at corner if you could talk about that?) – “So the first one which was ribs, the good news is after the imaging and stuff, there’s no breaks, but it’s hurting pretty bad so it’s going to be a day to day situation. But we’ll see how that progresses. Those are – if you’ve ever had a rib injury, it affects every movement including breathing. So we’ll see how that progresses day to day. And then, yeah, ‘K.K.’ (Kader Kohou) as I affectionately call him, within each game, there’s different sort of matchups that – we’re very matchup oriented like I’ve spoken at length. I’m not an absolute guy. So within a game you can adjust plans and sometimes it can even be a look in somebody’s eye that you’re like, ‘I need to give this guy an opportunity.’ And he had that look about him in the second half and we thought we could feature him, and he rose to the challenge. It wasn’t anything but just that game, that were kind of looking at it as. Not making it bigger than that. It wasn’t necessarily, like it wasn’t a bench situation; it was more like a feature situation if that makes sense. But we thought he did a very good job for his opportunities.”
(When you guys have a comeback like that, what does that do to the team’s confidence? What does that do to have that in your back pocket to know that you can do it?) – “Well, I think that’s for every team every year, you kind of have to feel that before you can totally have complete and utter commitment and control over games moving forward. The way I see football in general is that after you blow a lead or you make a comeback, eventually you start to realize that that’s all trivial. You’re playing football and then figuring out what the score is in the fourth quarter to me. So that’s easily said, much better learned with direct experience, and each team has to do that and when you’re a part of a game like that, you learn lessons for both sides of the coin. You learn that you’re in every game, but also that no lead is safe so it’s tremendous, tremendous learning. Awesome that we were able to get a win in that learning process, but something that I think good teams that end up winning meaningful games each and every year; they know that because it’s very rare that you’re able to win more than you lose and have everyone come from, ‘hey, we had the lead from the onset.’ So I was really excited about that whole process and just how guys responded because there were plenty of times where they could have tapped and they didn’t.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill set records yesterday, obviously, but you got 192 yards from players not wearing 10 and 17. How important is it for this offense to get that much production out of guys that are not animal-themed nicknames?) – “I mean, unbeknownst to you I have named every player an animal. (laughter) No, it’s crucial. Part of good offense is utilizing all five eligibles on the field and defenses are too good in the National Football League that if you’re a one or two-trick pony, eventually they can dictate the terms and render you a lot less effective so each and every game you’re trying to distribute the ball to your playmakers and we have a lot of them. Sometimes the given circumstances or the defensive presentations dictate – people get more one game than they will the next. I’ve alluded before to the fact that from a statistical standpoint, the best offense that I was ever a part of was the 2016 Atlanta Falcons and I think that game that Julio had 300 yards receiving against the Panthers; the game before he had one catch for 16 yards. So you have to be able to take advantage of matchups or defenses if the opportunity is given, but you also have to be able to distribute the ball so guys can’t over-key on one or two individuals.”
(Yesterday you talked about having told the team about adversity, being ready for it and how to respond when it comes. What sort of message will you have for obviously a big game that’s coming up Sunday?) – “Not to take me so literal and excessively; that was a little too much adversity for my liking. (laughter) No, the biggest message is that you don’t ignore the obvious. The Buffalo Bills have won the division and done an unbelievable job in all three phases, so what better for the Miami Dolphins that’s a young team that that is really invested and they’re very eager to play football; what better opportunity than playing the best and seeing where you’re at? So I think you don’t hide from it. I think you embrace the fact that they’re a good football team and that there’s one way to be put in the category of good football teams: you beat good football teams. So there’s a lot of opportunities in the course of the season. Specifically, there’s 17 if anyone’s counting, so this is 1/17th and it’s 1/6th of our division games, but it’s also an opportunity for us to see where we’re at and go against the best which as competitors – which our team is very competitive –you bask in that opportunity. It’s exciting so we’re going to do our best to prepare and see where we’re at the end of the 4:30 maybe, on Sunday.”
(As a coaching staff, how quickly do you have to turn the page after such a big win?) – “You give the night of the game and then today, you wake up and you go in to coach your guys on the previous game with the view and the scope of moving forward. Who cares what the result was today. Now it’s about learning from the things that happened in the game and then immediately progressing to the next opponent. The time is limited and you have the second half of Monday and Tuesday to get a plan together for your players on Wednesday, so you don’t have much time, if any, to really absorb the win and that would feel uncomfortable anyway. You’re constantly, in football as a coach or player, you’re trying to get better and that’s what makes it fun. It’s purposeful. And so what you don’t really necessarily get better from is basking in the glory or dwelling in defeat; it’s onto the next and so I’m already halfway there.”
(Yesterday there was so much going on in that game. It seemed like twice in normal speed. When you watch the film was there anything that surprised you?) – “You’re handling every situation as it comes to you. When you take a step back and watch the game and I watched it in game order so all three phases, and the highs and lows, I definitely didn’t do it justice for the emotional highs and lows during it. I’m just sitting there trying to watch the defense and talk to the coaches and then get play calls ready and then call offensive plays and it seemed like every time that we gained momentum, we lost it and at an exhausting rate. So it just made it more real. I got done showing the players what that accomplishment was for that regular season game, how they – opening kickoff, punch to the gut. More than just the team, but even the coaches, that was Danny Crossman’s first special teams kickoff return for a touchdown in his 20 or 21-year career and he handled that – he was onto the next play, as was the special teams unit. Then you go down, you’re driving the ball, you’re down seven and you turn the ball over. Then it’s a 10 minute and 50 second drive all the way down to the 1-yard line to go up 14-0; then you turn them over on downs. Then you go 95 yards or whatever it was to score a touchdown to tie it. Then the next defensive snap, 75-yard touchdown. Then a couple of miscues on offense and it’s 28-7 at halftime. Then the first possession, you get to 28-14. Then the defense gets a three-and-out, I think. Then the offense in turn, doesn’t play complimentary football and isn’t able to convert and has to punt. Then they go score 35-14. I mean, woah. In it, like I said, I try to lead by example with the players and I’m not as worried about the score, but then you take a step back and you’re looking at from a fan’s, vantage point and man, this is exhausting. So the biggest takeaway from that was the internal fortitude of the team. I felt it yesterday. I was very proud how they came out in the second half, but I got more of appreciation for it today when watching the film.”
(For the performance that QB Tua Tagovailoa had yesterday, what does that do for your relationship together and the ability to build this offense moving forward?) – “I think it allows him – it kind of makes it tangible what his teammates myself, the coaching staff have been seeing this whole offseason. It makes the evolution – he took such a step in the right direction yesterday threw an interception that he was absolutely disgusted with himself. And in that game, to take the coaching and still press forward with – it was probably his biggest mistake that he’s had all his season, so that makes it that much more real and what it can do for him, if he’s just worried about playing the next play and not pressing or not being overly hard on himself. So I think the messaging for that and for his personal growth is huge, but I also think it’s awesome for a player to feel – he knows that he did some really, really good things. I think deep down – he wouldn’t ever say it – but I think you’d have to be kind of delusional not to be like, ‘hey, six touchdowns was pretty good, right.’ But I think there’s also something to the fact that none of his teammates were surprised which is much more impactful than words. You can feel that when guys, they’re not like, ‘woah, dude, where that come from?’ I think that’s great for him. He deserves it. None of it was given at all. He earned every ounce of that which I know players respect a great deal so I think that benefits everybody players and coaches included.”
(It’s kind of a fun one to end on. I know you’re really big on the film. What was your film breakdown of TE Mike Gesicki’s griddy?) – “Oh, see I have a lot of resources at my disposal. As head coach you definitely do very little to almost nothing on your own, so with all my resources, I was able to get some footage of maybe some other or possibly some other people attempting the same dance moves that may or may not be fathers, dads. We had to outsource some footage of the general population to kind of put it in perspective to make sure that his teammates knew that it wasn’t a subpar effort, that there could be worse, but it was in the family of worse. Does that make sense?”
LB Melvin Ingram
(What was that plane ride like?) – “A regular plane ride. Just get home.”
(Just as quiet?) – “It wasn’t quiet. We were talking, but it was a regular plane ride.”
(You’ve played with great quarterbacks obviously – Ben Roethlisberger in his later years and Patrick Mahomes last year and obviously the San Diego days. Did QB Tua Tagovailoa yesterday even raise your expectations of how good he can be? I know you had confidence in him as your teammate but did it raise your level of ‘oh my goodness, this guy could be really good?’) – “No. I’ve always had confidence in him. I’m not going to let one game come out and be like ‘Oh, he can be this good.’ No, we always knew he could be good. We’re not going let one game define that. He went out and did what we all knew he could do, and we all expect him to do. It’s not raising no confidence. He was just out there playing his game.”
(What did you think about the defense in the fourth quarter? The first half definitely didn’t go your way but especially on that fourth-and-1 stop and that whole fourth quarter, what did you think about the way the defense played?) – “I think we played good. I think we got some areas we can clean up, but we definitely played good. We’re just out there trying to make plays to get the offense the ball back.”
(Any big plans for the off day?) – “No. Chill and get back to drawing board. We got Buffalo coming in here. I’ll go in and watch some film, get some body work done and get ready to go.”
(What excites you most about going up against a team like Buffalo just because they are the Super Bowl favorites?) – “I didn’t even know they were the Super Bowl favorites. I wouldn’t say nothing excites me. They are just another team on our schedule. And when you got another team on your schedule, you got to go in and prepare and get ready to try to win a football game. I wouldn’t say nothing excites me more about playing them.”
(How quickly do you have to turn the page after such a big win in terms of the opponent you’ll be facing? How quickly do you start thinking ‘Ok, that’s over, now it’s Buffalo?’) – “Twenty-four hour rule. Win or lose, it’s a 24-hour rule. Never get too high, never get too low.”
(What’s the challenge you’re rushing the passer with a good running quarterback you’ll have a second in a row with Josh Allen? What’s that extra challenge as opposed to a guy who stands in the pocket more?) – “It’s definitely a challenge when you got a quarterback that can move around back there and Josh Allen is really one of the best quarterbacks in this league right now as far as running and throwing. He does it all. You got to try to just cancel out every phase really. You got to have good rush lanes and try to play complementary football.”
(What’s your attitude on regular season games? Are there games that you circle whether it is a division game or a team that you used to play against?) – “No, I circle every game. (laughter) They all mean the same really. I circle every game.”
(Will you watch the Buffalo game tonight?) – “I watch football every day. It isn’t just because Buffalo is playing. I always watch football.”
TE Mike Gesicki
(How much have you come down from everything from yesterday?) – “I mean, I try to stay right here all the time. Never too high, never too low. So, obviously an exciting day, but it’s a new one. A new day. Ready to keep rolling.”
(So you’ve been obviously a pro and handling a different role – fewer targets up until yesterday. How have you been able to do it? Are you just patient and calm by nature?) – “That’s pretty much all I know. I know that we’ve got two all-world receivers out there in Jaylen (Waddle) and Tyreek (Hill). Yesterday, I think Jaylen had 19 targets and Tyreek got like 13. So I mean, those guys are spectacular players. We get those guys the ball and they make plays. My biggest thing is when my opportunities present themselves, I’ve got to make the most of them. So that’s what I try to do and that’s pretty much all I know how to do.”
(The first week, we talked a lot about defense. Yesterday, it was offense that basically carried the Dolphins. Can you talk a little bit about that familiarity of ‘okay, the defense is not having a good day, but it’s time for us to step up like they did last week?’) – “Yeah, I think that just goes back to kind of what we preach. We talk about complementary football. So when the defense is playing great, they’ve got our backs, and vice versa, we’ve got theirs – special teams, all that kind of stuff. It’s a three-phase game. There’s a lot that goes into it. The coaches do a great job preparing us and then it’s our job to go out on Sundays, and like I said, make the most of our opportunities. So whether it is a defensive-sided game, or an offensive-sided game, we just got to be able to pick each other up no matter what the situation is.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us last week that obviously he intended to get the ball more than just once in the opener. He seems like a good communicator with players to. Did he share that with you that, ‘look, be patient, we’re going to get you targets that you can get typically?’) – “No, not really. I mean, he pulled me aside before the game and told me that the first third down, I was going to have an opportunity. But that’s pretty much all it is. I think you kind of go in to the game and you kind of know what plays are up. You don’t know the flow of the game or how it’s going to go. That’s pretty much all it is.”
(Is it still fun for you? Obviously winning is a lot of fun. Is it fun for you with a different role? As fun as past years?) – “I have fun playing this game. We play a kids game for our profession and we get paid a lot of money to do it. So it’s definitely something that I don’t take for granted.”
(Speaking of fun, what are the responses to the griddy?) – “Well, pretty much all of training camp.. – Durham (Smythe) was living with me during training camp and I would like joke around, like walk to the garbage can and like griddy to the garbage can. The first time I did it, he like started cracking up. So it was just kind of a joke. It obviously still is a joke. And I said to him, I was like if I score a touchdown, like I’m just going to do it. I’m going to be trending on all social media for doing it in such a hilarious fashion. And the opportunity presented itself, like I say, and I don’t know if I made the most of that opportunity, but it was funny. (laughter) I was too excited. I hit it in about fast forward. So maybe (I should) slow it down. But that’s what I do. I have fun. I enjoy myself. I had an opportunity to make a play, made the play and then was able to celebrate it.”
(Did you go practice in the mirror last night?) – “I’ll be practicing until my next opportunity.”
(Do you have any teammates that can help you out with that?) – “I’m sure there are. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys that have a lot more rhythm and a lot better dance moves than myself. But I think I take pride in just letting it all out yesterday. I don’t think anybody was expecting Mike Gesicki to attempt to hit the griddy. I feel like I owe Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase an apology, if anything. But that’s pretty much it.”
(Is patience going to be very important this year, because of what you talked about the targets? You never know which game you’re going to have a lot of targets for the game. Other games you might not.) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s not about me. I think that’s the biggest thing you’ve got to understand. This thing isn’t about me; it’s about the team. And like I said, we’ve got two all-world receivers out there. To this point, it hasn’t drawn the attention from defenses that you would anticipate. So those guys are going to make their plays. And when I have an opportunity, and my number’s called, I’ve got to make the most of mine.”
(I think you were four-for-four in the red zone yesterday. But what did you learn about the red zone offense? Because I think against New England, you had two opportunities, one in which you were trying to run out the clock at the end of the game, but you were a red zone target. What did you guys learn about the red zone on offense?) – “Yeah, I mean, we obviously, put in our game plan for the red zone on Fridays. We go out and execute it. And then it’s all about getting down there, honestly. So you have a bunch of plays that you practice, but if you don’t get down inside the 20 and have an opportunity to run those plays, then there’s some opportunities right there. So I mean, we got playmakers. We got guys all over the field that can make plays and we got a quarterback willing to (throw) the ball to the open guy.”
(You seem to take as much joy into QB Tua Tagovailoa doing well as anyone on the team. Obviously, you’ve had a relationship for a couple of years. Why is that so, beyond just wanting your quarterback to do well, obviously?) – “Because he’s – I mean, I’ve said it. I feel like I’ve answered this question 100 times, but he’s dealt with so much criticism and outside noise from people that aren’t in the building, people that aren’t aware of the situation, people that don’t know the play call, people that don’t know the situation. But they’re still going to say and do anything they want because it draws attention to a negative situation. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in. People want to be negative. Rather than understand that he’s a young quarterback and he’s only getting better and he’s made plays for this organization for the third year now. And now this year, people want to hop on the bandwagon, hop on the train, and if I was him, I wouldn’t let him.”
(I don’t know if you’re a big soccer fan, but there’s a pretty huge event happening at the stadium on Friday. Argentina and Leo Messi are here. Do you know anything about?) – “If they want me to come over and hit the griddy for them, I’ll give him my best effort. (laughter) So if you guys can get me over there to meet some of the guys, sure I’ll be there.”
(You got the Bills on Sunday. Right now, they’re really the class of the NFL. What excites you most about going up against the best?) – “Yeah, I mean, they’re obviously one of the teams to beat. They’re playing exceptional ball. They’ve got a game tonight that I’m sure we’ll be we’ll be tuned into. But they’ve got playmakers all over the field in all three phases. They’re extremely well coached. And like you said, they’re at the top right now. So it’s going to be a fun challenge and something that I’m sure everybody in the locker room is looking forward to.”
OL Connor Williams
(What are your plans for the off day?) – “Rehab, ice, take a little breather. Maybe the hammock a little bit. We’ll see.”
(What was that experience like, a game for the ages for QB Tua Tagovailoa? Obviously you’ve been around QB Dak Prescott when he’s had big games too. What’s it like for an offensive lineman when a quarterback is so in the groove and having one of his great career games?) – “It’s just a privilege to be able to block for somebody like that. Just to see him firing on all cylinders and executing back there, you love it. You just can’t wait to see what he dishes out.”
(Emotionally, how was it in that fourth quarter?) – “It was a very strange game and I think we stayed levelheaded throughout the whole game, whether it was the first quarter or the fourth. I think that was the epitome of it was we just kept on churning and kept sticking to our roots and our guns, and it finally came out well.”
(What was the flight home like?) – “It was great. It was obviously – we were all on Cloud Nine. It was a great team win. It was a great team win to be able to hunker in all together and everything, so it was a nice flight home.”
(The team hadn’t acquired WR Tyreek Hill when you signed on the first team or agreed to terms on the first day of free agency. How have your expectations changed as far as how good this team can be since the day you signed?) – “I mean we have players all around the board. I think definitely having Tyreek, you hear stories but just to have him as a teammate and be able to see what he does, definitely when you look up and see the plays he makes, it’s just unreal. We’re just lucky to have him.”
(What did you learn about the offensive line this week? T Terron Armstead isn’t 100 percent and you’ve got OL Austin Jackson on IR. T Greg Little steps in and seemed to turn in a pretty good performance. What did you learn?) – “Greg did a great job. We have a great o-line group. We have a great room. Everyone is just going to step up and do as needed, and fit in where they’re needed. I think that’s o-line play at the end of the day because you never go through the 17 games healthy. I think everyone is just (putting their head down) grinding and you can just count on all of them.”
(Playing next to young guys – OL Liam Eichenberg in his second year and OL Rob Hunt in his third – just observations on each of them.) – “They’re both individually great players. They’re getting better day-by-day, week-by-week and understanding the scheme more. I think we’re all understanding the scheme more. Great players and great guys in the locker room. Great guys to be around. Great guys to play with.”
(It was your first road game playing center. How was that experience and how much of it was what you expected?) – “The silent count went well. It didn’t give us any troubles or anything. Like any away game, it’s a challenge. You go into somebody else’s home and you have to steal it from them. I think we did a great job just hunkering in all together.”
(Do you think you guys have been able to find some consistency in terms of the first game it didn’t go your way in terms of what you wanted to do offensively. You scored a lot more in the second game. Are there some things that you see between both games that you guys are continuing to do well?) – “I think it’s about stacking bricks and understanding our identity as an offense, as a team. And just understanding who we are and being able to believe in who we are and go out and execute like that.”
(Besides QB Tua Tagovailoa, who else spoke much in the fourth quarter in the huddle? Who said something much during those possessions that all ended in touchdowns?) – “There wasn’t much communication. I think we all knew our assignment. We all knew what we needed to do. Obviously Tua is our leader and is our dawg. So he was speaking up when we needed. We just all hunkered in, like I said, and go all together.”
(What kind of statement can the team make this coming Sunday?) – “It’s the NFL. It’s always week by week. This is obviously a great team and they’re well respected. But it’s the same as any other week and any other division game. It’s going to be a challenge and we’re going to meet that challenge by the process of taking it day by day.”
(Are you going to watch Buffalo tonight? Do you usually watch the opponent when you can on TV?) – “Obviously you’ve got the night off and Monday Night Football, a team you’re playing that week and a team in the division, you want to take a glance at them and see if you can see what they’re working with and everything.”
(One other huddle question. Besides obviously calling out the next play, was QB Tua Tagovailoa encouraging in the huddle in the fourth quarter? Or was it simply here’s what we are running next?) – “I think that everything that happens on the field should stay on the field. We’re teammates. We’re a team. We’re players. There’s some things that can’t be said for that bond but Tua is our leader and Tua is our dawg. We believe in him and we go to bat for him and have supreme confidence in everybody on the field when we’re all together.”
(How did the texts look on your phone after that game? Blowing up with friends?) – “Yeah, everyone was excited. My family was excited. Everybody was juiced up.”
(Anybody that you were especially surprised to see a text from? An old teammate? An old friend?) – “You get those one game every couple years where it really blows up from everybody. Definitely just hearing from a lot of people that were excited to see what we were producing.”
