Thursday, November 28, 2019
(DE Taco Charlton – what did you like what you saw in him in those limited snaps last week and do you expect him to rev it up come this week?) – “He’s working his way back. I thought he had some good plays. I thought he had some plays he could improve on, but it was good to get him out there and I thought he really did a nice job working his way back and playing through some pain; so that’s a good thing and he’s getting better every day. Hopefully we’ll get him back out there this week and see some more improvement.”
(What is your philosophy as a coach when it comes to players going for individual accolades – Pro Bowl, All-Pro, things like that? Do you want them to strive for that or is it always team-first?) – “It’s always team-first. I think what I always tell those guys is – or just all players – do a good job of communication, do a good job with your fundamentals, do a good job with your technique, do a good job playing team football and let your talent show itself on the field. I think if you play consistently, if you play smart, tough, physical football; then you’ll make a lot of plays and the rest of that, those things – you get those accolades; but I think the team, I’m always going to want us to put the team first and I think we have a group of guys who do that. We don’t have a bunch of individuals who are just looking for their own stats or fame. I think we have guys who really are bought into helping this team win games and helping this team improve and get better on a daily basis.”
(Do you have a couple of guys who you feel are under the radar? Would you be comfortable lobbying for them and if so, is there anyone you’d like to single out?) – “I’m more interested in the team – the Dolphins – than one player. You need 11 guys out there. Another thing based – I want to talk about this conversation – nobody can make a play without the 10 other guys. If you’re a receiver, it’s hard to get any stats as a receiver if somebody doesn’t throw you the football. It’s hard to get any stats running the football if somebody doesn’t block. It’s hard to get an interception if you have no pass rush. It’s hard to get a bunch of sacks if you don’t have guys covering. I know there’s individual stats and accolades; but in a team game like this, at the end of the day, in a lot of instances, someone or a group of people helped you get your stats, your accolades, your whatever that is. At the end of the day, if you go out there one-on-one against 11 guys on Philly, it may not work out for you. It’s a team game. I guess that’s my thoughts on that.”
(What has stood out to you about DT Davon Godchaux in your first year working with him?) – “He’s big, physical. He’s a talented player. He’s got some real leadership to him. He’s a smart player. He loves to play. I’ve been very pleased with him.”
(You mentioned earlier in the season that DT Christian Wilkins is the type of guy that you want here for the long term, the type of guy who represents the qualities that you like. Would DT Davon Godchaux also fit that category?) – “Absolutely. Absolutely. I think we’ve got two young tackles we like. Both have lots of room for improvement; but I think they have the work ethic, the humility to want to get better (and) want to improve, and hopefully they can reach their maximum potential.”
(Those two guys seem to have a budding relationship kind of on the field and in the locker room. How can that kind of help them in their progression?) – “I think this is – the better the relationships on the team, to me, the better the team. You want those types of relationships really throughout offense, defense, special teams. Those two in particular, they spend a lot of time – obviously they play together a lot – and they spend a lot of time in that meeting room. Those are the bonds you want to form, so that when it gets to those pressure situations, you’ve got a guy you can trust next to you. The goal is to get 11 guys who trust each other and will play hard for each other.”
(How did WR Albert Wilson go through practice yesterday?) – “He came through okay. We’re still kind of working through some things. Obviously he was limited; but I think he’s doing everything he can to play Sunday and hopefully we see him out there.”
(I would be remiss – he’s been on the injury report for a couple weeks now – QB Ryan Fitzpatrick with the shoulder, is that just wear-and-tear or is there something that happened there?) – “When you play quarterback in this league, you take a few hits, you get dinged. We have to report the injury, so they’re on there; but he’s practiced and he’s fought through it and he’s fighting through it in practice and games. I expect him to be out there.”
