Tuesday, October 8, 2024
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
(You got targets. I know one of them was an interception, but just operation of the offense, feeling comfortable out there?) – “I remember the interception. I don’t really know as far as another target. If you look at stats, it’s different than watching the game, but just being able to get back out there was fun. Not as many snaps as I thought were going to happen just kind of the way that practice went, but it really was a point in the season where we were 1-3, like we needed to do whatever it was to win that game and just being able to run the ball the way that we did, to be able to stay resilient and find a way to win; that was the only thing that really mattered going into the bye week.”
(I’m sorry if you’ve been asked this, but how did you feel out there? How did your body the respond?) – “A little sore and I didn’t even get to play that much, but it was really more so the build up to the game and how hard I practiced and just it kind of was like I came off of PUP or IR or whatever you want to call it and it was like, let’s hit it. So going into the game I was a little sore, but it’s all about building up the callous. These guys and everyone else across the league have gone through a full training camp, has gone through four weeks of a season or whatever. Far, far ahead of me in conditioning and their ability of feeling what it feels like to play football at the highest level day-in and day-out with practice or game, whatever it is. I felt good. I felt a little sore going into the game, but other than that, like I said, it was about finding a way to win.”
(One quick follow-up if I may, have you worked with QB Tua Tagovailoa at all? Have you guys had at least the opportunity to throw together?) – “Yeah, I mean we’ve had opportunities. We’ve had opportunities.”
(What’s the plan because he may practice in a couple weeks, because he might not be too far off to ramp up with him?) – “I don’t know. The question you’ve got to ask the trainers or the head coach. I don’t necessarily know his plan. I think it’s just putting himself in the best position to get healthy and obviously that’s going to help this team.”
(How quick do you as a receiver, can you adjust to a new quarterback? Like how much time do you need to be comfortable with a guy?) – “I mean, the ball is put where the ball is put. My job is to catch it and I’ve known ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) for a whole year and a half. Before I was signing I was kind of worried about coming to play with a lefty. It was something I always joked about not doing in my career and it’s definitely different. It’s different spin, it comes at you a different way at times, but as I’ve thrown with him – and he throws the ball so nice that it doesn’t really feel like you’re catching from a left. So for me I have the utmost confidence in my hands. I don’t remember – I mean I remember dropping one pass last year so I don’t really feel like a ball is just going to get past my hands. Where my mind’s at, where my body is at; I’ve got way too much confidence in my hands.”
(Have you been able to learn all three of the wide receiver [roles]?) – “Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy and especially like I was saying earlier, playing ‘F’ or playing slot is not something that I’ve done in my career since maybe college or high school. So it’s definitely a different role, different verbiage and language, but I think in time this is just more of a game to get your feet wet, help out however I can and the ultimate goal was to get a win.”
(You kind of referenced getting back into pure football shape. How far along are you in that process, do you think?) – “I don’t know. You’ve got to ask these guys. I know some guys who are still huffing and puffing and it’s Week 4. So there’s no real way to get into football shape. You could do all the training you want; that’s why you see this happen and people go through training camp and you get to that first game and they run three plays in a row and they need a break. It’s no way to prepare for having emotions to go through, the things you go through being in a real-life game. So yeah, I don’t know how far off I am from full-on game shape.”
(Speaking of emotions, were your emotions different for this particular game than maybe other season debuts considering this new team, you start off on PUP?) – “I think I was definitely grateful and blessed to be out there, but for me it felt like less pressure than it had ever felt in my entire life. Like let’s just go play football and have fun, which is a good feeling, instead of feeling super worried about something else or whatever the case may be. I was definitely excited to be able to be back on the football field. It felt good.”
(Why less pressure?) – “I don’t know. Different expectations, different role, just all of those things. It just felt different. Maybe where I’m at in life, the things I’ve been through. I’m just able to process and handle it differently.”
(Any big bye week plans?) – “No, I’m just chilling. I’m debating seeing what’s up with this storm, whether I need to – I was going to stay here and train or I’m going to go see my son so I’m just trying to figure out what the storm is going to do and go from there.”
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
LB Tyus Bowser
(Is the bye week going to be spent kind of situating yourself?) – “Oh yeah, man. I think this bye week is going to be stuck here, just trying to get my sleep schedule back on point and really just getting acclimated to the environment, to the place – just try to get ahead for next week.”
(What was last week like for you to travel across the country and then have one practice and then play in a game for another NFL team?) – “It was a lot; I can’t lie to you. Talk about taking a redeye at 7 p.m. in Seattle time, getting here at 5:30 in the morning, getting 15 minutes of rest and then going to do a physical and really just trying to get yourself prepared for a Sunday game. And it was definitely a lot, but luckily, I’ve been in this league for a long time and I understand what I need to do to be prepared and ready. And just being familiar with the defense just helped me along the way really. It was rough, but I had to do what I had to do and I think I did pretty well for the situation that I was in.”
(How much carry over is there with Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s defense from what you’ve known in the past? From what you’ve used in Seattle?) – “It’s a lot of carryover. I think just being with (Mike) Macdonald and ‘Weave’ (Anthony Weaver), they came from the same exact system in Baltimore. So very similar terminology and yeah, it was just a lot easier for me to understand and there’s a few little wrinkles in there, but I was able to catch on pretty well and go out there and play fast Sunday.”
(Did you expect to play as much as you did when you first came with the team?) – “Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much I would play, but I’m trying to prepare myself for any situation whether that’s 12 reps, 22, 32 reps, whatever it is. I’ve got to be ready at all times. So I was just happy to be out there again, playing football. Being with the guys has been amazing so far – happy to come out with a win knowing the situation that they’ve been through. Especially being in Seattle, playing against them and it’s just crazy because our first game in Seattle was against the Patriots, so I had to go back to New England again and go through that whole thing. So yeah, it’s definitely been a journey, but I’ve been enjoying it.”
(In baseball there was a guy once who got traded from one team to the other in between games of a doubleheader.) – “That’s a different type of feeling there, but I’m just happy. I’m in a great place, a great system with great guys and we got a good win going into the bye week and that’s what you want as a team. Especially going an entire week, you don’t want to be on a losing streak or losing a game and having to deal with that.”
(The official score gave you a half-sack – I tweeted about it and everything. And then I read they took it away.) – “I have no idea. I’m leaving my agent and whoever else is dealing with that. (laughter) But I mean hey, like I said, I’m just happy to be playing football again.”
(After being able to play 30-plus snaps on the schedule you had, in terms of what you’ve done in the NFL, where does that rank in terms of difficulty?) – “It’s definitely up there. Part of that – well, a lot of that is just rest and getting acclimated again to the east coast time. But outside of that, I’ve been training this entire offseason getting prepared for this moment, so just to go out there, I just had to make sure I got my rest and mentally I was there with the playbook and everything and now making sure my body is able to carry on with the mentality of it all.”
(You weren’t yawning in the defensive huddle, were you?) – “No, no, no, no, no. I made sure I had some rest that night before, so I was good.”
(Why do you think going from a starter in Baltimore to this stretch that you’ve had, why do you think that’s happened to you?) – “I mean you can ask God that, honestly. I have no idea, but I know that He has a plan for me and I’m just following Him and His entire process. I know that within all of this, He’s prepared me, He’s put me in the right situations and with that, I’m just going out there and do what I can and control what I can control.”
(Was Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver your coach?) – “Yeah, he was my d-line coach back in Baltimore.”
(So tell us one thing about Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver we wouldn’t know – I’ll tell you one thing. He had all the coaches get together and play physical pickup basketball games against each other and they were cheap shotting each other and everything. Tell us one thing about “Weave” we might not know.) – “I think ‘Weave’ kind of reminds me of what a lot of people said about me, is just like very laid back, very chill, nice, calm voice. But when it’s time, it’s time and he can flip that switch and I kind of see myself the same way once I get on the field. But great personality, great guy overall that I have a ton of respect for and love for and I’m just grateful to be here playing under him so I’m excited.”
(How different is it relating to him as your position coach as opposed to your defensive coordinator?) – “Oh man, this is not too big of a change compared to being with Mike Macdonald coming from seeing him as an assistant linebacker coach my rookie year. And then seeing him now as a head coach. I think that was the biggest mental change that I had to do, it’s like, ‘man, I just remember this guy being my defensive coordinator, my linebacker coach when I was in Baltimore. Now he’s the head coach.’ So I kind of got to approach him a little bit differently, but Mike (Macdonald) has always been great and I kind of feel the same way with ‘Weave.’ Just in a bigger position but still same personality, the mentality of trying to do everything right, the details and just going out and taking advantage of every opportunity and that’s the part that makes this transition from wherever that they were before now so much easier.”
(Would you use Bowser when you played Mario Kart?) – “Always. That’s the only person I use. (laughter) That’s my brother, so I always got to use him, always.”
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(On how dangerous the offense can be when going under center) – “Pretty dangerous obviously, but this offense if you go back to the roots is more so under center. Eighty percent of the offense is supposed to be 18, 19, 14, 15 from the running standpoint and everything else plays off of that. Once we get back to that who knows. Especially with a different quarterback, you’ve got ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) out there, he can do a lot of things. Utilize his legs and stuff like that as well as Tua (Tagovailoa) and some of the other guys. But we’re just trying to get back to the basics and the understanding of the offense and I think this past game definitely showed that.”
(You mentioned QB ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) there. What did you think of incorporating him into the running aspect of the offense especially after a game that he just got put in?) – “Obviously utilizing his legs is going to be very key and it’s exciting to watch. I’m not going to lie, I’m a huge fan of him because he’s like that Lamar-esque type quarterback where he can throw it and he can also run the ball, too. Just excited to give him more opportunities out there. We got this bye week, but next week when we get back it’s going to be fun to see.”
(One more question about under center. What does it open up in the passing game?) – “A lot of the play-action stuff. We threatened them so hard and we got them out of the two-shell and they were single-high. That opened up more of the pass game and the pass windows for the receivers. All of that stuff goes hand-in-hand in this offense.”
(Although you were other side of the ball, I’m sure you heard the news of Robert Saleh that he was let go from the Jets. What are your thoughts on that?) – “I haven’t really fully digested it yet. I think that he’s going to be all right wherever he goes if he gets picked up. I think that he’s a great coordinator, great coach and he brings the best out of players. It’s unfortunate that he was let go over there but still excited to see where he lands. It’s going to be probably a quick transition, but honestly I’m excited for him.”
(With you obviously being sat down the last three weeks that had to be hard. Where are you physically, not just the rehab, but the cardio?) – “Cardio is good, rehab is good. I’ve been feeling lot better. It was more so the chest, but I’m doing good. I’m game ready. Last week I was on a limited count, but then unfortunately something happened to ‘Von’ (De’Von Achane) and so my count had to go up a little bit. I played about 65 percent of the game. Still trying to work in and try to get those hits. That was my main concern, was getting hit and seeing how this bad boy does. I did good, I felt like I did a decent job coming back.”
(Any worry about you not being able to be as physical as you normally are because of the chest injury?) – “No, this game just helped me establish right back to where I’m at, where I need to be and bringing that physicality to the game.”
(Did you surprise yourself a little bit?) – “Not really. I wasn’t really surprised, but it felt good to get a couple of hits early on.”
(When you watched the postgame film and you know because you’ve lived it that there are several successful runs – 17-yarder, 22-yarder, 14-yarder – you and RB Jaylen Wright. Do you go into that knowing, hey, this is going to be a different feeling? And how is it when you watch it again?) – “It’s comforting to know we were getting those type of runs. And then being able to utilize the run game the way we did. It’s just going to open up more doors for everything else. I feel like once you establish the line of scrimmage everything else will take care of itself and that’s what we have to do.”
Monday, October 7, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So not a game this week, but can you give us an update on where things stand at safety? Was S Jordan Poyer shin something he should be able to come back from pretty quickly after the bye? And with S Jevón Holland’s hand, will you guys talk about him maybe playing with a cast? Or is that just too difficult for a safety to do?) – “I feel good about where (Jordan) Poyer was at today, and I feel good about the time that we have until our next game so just positive on where Poyer is at. Not going to worry about timelines because I definitely don’t have a timeline this week. And then with Jevón (Holland), it should be about week-to-week. So this week for the game, this coming Sunday, I can rule him out for that, but we’ll see how it progresses. (laughter) A little ahead of schedule to kind of determine that, but it feels like it’ll be a week-to-week thing so we’ll see what that looks like in about a week.”
(And the whole thing about playing in a cast as a safety when you have a broken hand, is that a good idea in your opinion? Not a good idea because of how it limits you?) – “I think it all depends on the player and what value – if it’s just a ball production player, then I’m probably not playing somebody. If you offer much more than that, which is definitely what Jevón (Holland) offers, there’s value in playing with a cast even if you’re only a PBU player at the point of attack. He’s so instrumental in the various ways that we utilize him that I think if that would come to juncture, I would support that if he would support it because it’s all about guys feeling like they can do their jobs at a high level. Each player is independent, but open to that with a player of his skillset.”
(At the risk of answering my own question, I know you said you weren’t going to worry too much about QB Tua Tagovailoa because he’s on injured reserve. Is there a plan for him this week? Is he out of concussion protocol? Will he do anything this week?) – “So the way that will look is there’s some expert consultation that he has scheduled for this week and then we’ll address – the final stages of protocol won’t be achieved until we bring him back off IR and that first practice is had. So until then, we’re just communicating, and everything has been so far, so good.”
(RB De’Von Achane is in concussion protocol, I assume. Is that right?) – “Yeah, he is. But he’s in high spirits today.”
(And for the record, is QB Tyler Huntley going to be the starter or will there be a competition this week?) – “I think I feel as it stands right now, I feel very happy with the way ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) I thought went from managing the offense so to speak his first outing to – I thought he was executing the offense and that’s to his credit. So I feel pretty good about how fast he’s developed, and I would guess to forecast continuing that development process with the offense as the operation was better but not as good as it could be and you hope that with continuity, there’s an improvement in that.”
(Has there been anything brought to you, information that it would be dangerous to play QB Tua Tagovailoa when the window opens? Certainly, has to clear protocol, but all the experts you’ve talked to, has anyone said, “Hey, no. This is a guy that needs two, three, four months or whatever?”) – “There’s been nothing negative thus far, no. Nothing negative thus far, but we’re still in the process. We don’t rush that process and we don’t try to do anything that negatively impacts that. So I’ll stay within the guidelines that I’ve built for myself.”
(With the run game, is the 41 carries more significant or the 193 yards more significant?) – “Oh, chicken or egg. I would say I think the 41 attempts – it’s hard to get 41 attempts. And to do that, there’s inherent yardage, but that – to get 41 attempts, it’s more down-in, down-out and has less to do with how many explosives you have which can kind of inflate numbers sometimes. I think it’s the second time that I’ve been here that we’ve called 40 runs. I don’t know, extra credit, gold star to anyone that knows the other game – No?”
(Denver?) – “Boom. Hal, on it. But I think that also takes a commitment when you run the ball, specifically in the second half, specifically with 12 minutes to go in the game. And this league, you have to run it when they know you’re going to if you want success in big games, in tight games and November and December games – you have to. And when you run the ball 41 times, a good amount of those, they know that it’s coming, and it takes all 11 to do that. Because the more that you have success, guys don’t – it’s a large number on the defense, too, and so corners and safeties typically get very involved, just like they did yesterday. There was a couple times on that final scoring drive that we were running the ball against a six-man front, or six men on the line of scrimmage zero and still getting production, and that doesn’t exist if the receivers aren’t doing what they need to do. Ultimately, I think our guys have really taken a step forward in understanding that some of the coverages on first and second down that are pass preventative, those will continue to occur unless you’re able to take the time of possession and really wear the defensive front down. So I thought one of the best takeaways from the game was finding a way to win in spite of yourself. A lot of times, we tried to create opportunities to make it really hard to win that game. We overcame that and then we found our identity, I feel like, up front to where they had the connectivity of the preparation, the fundamentals and technique, the mindset, all of which that we kind of knew going into the game that if we’re going to come out with a win, we weren’t going to win in spite of our run game. It had to be a part of the solution, not the problem.”
(Looking at the seven consecutive runs and how successful you were on that drive, was that the result of the fact that you were running so well? Or was that a concerted effort where at the start of that drive perhaps, you said, “OK, we’re going to put this right on the run game. We’re either going to win because of it or lose because of it?”) – “I think it was a culmination of – I try to call plays as best I can be connected to the team, the defense, the offense, where our strength is at the time, where our momentum is. It’s easy for me to call a ton of runs in a row when the players on the field give me reason to. And how does that occur? Well, it’s not just like success or failure. Run game in the National Football League is difficult just in general, but when you see continued evolution in execution during the course of the game, you can feel the momentum of, ‘all right, we’re a little short here on this combination block,’ and ‘Oh, the next time we get it we’re not. The first time we run this run, maybe the back’s course is a little off relative to the blocking. Oh here, it’s right on.’ I think some of the biggest runs in the game, there’s three or four in particular, were like rugby scrum four-yard gains. When it’s blocked for one yard and collective push and drive by the ball carrier and the blockers, you end up at second-and-6, that substantially influences how I call the game. Because my eyes, you’re watching, you’re calling the play. As it starts, you’re getting ready for the next play call and the one’s that really always influence me are where my eyes go down, I’m looking at my call sheet for a wristband number and then coach upstairs says, ‘All right, second-and-6,’ and in my mind I was preparing for second-and-9 – that’s a big deal. That’s what we kind of talk about as an offense because there’s not ifs, ands or buts about it, the run game is proactive. You are dictating the terms and it’s hard to do down-in, down-out, but over the course of the game, if you’re connected the right way from coaches and players and guys are progressing through the game, you can end up having seven straight runs, knowing that they know you’re about to do it again and still getting production. That is something that did not just start on Sunday; that was a mindset of work from the first time that we had results we weren’t pumped about this season. Chopping wood at that, directly addressing it so that we could work into that situation where there was an opportunity that the offensive line and running back room, it’s all 11, but particularly those two groups that want the team to be on their back, they had the opportunity and took advantage of it, which was a huge, huge piece of growth for this team that we needed that is the source of feeling – we kind of had an odd feeling today where there was a really good feeling about getting the win, but not nearly satisfied with the way that it unfolded. We felt like we could have had a much cleaner game and the source of positive to build upon was really majority of the game run defense outside of a couple plays, some third down defense outside of a couple plays and the run game for sure took a step in the right direction.”
(I know the offensive line had injuries in the early part of the year, so it sounds like maybe that was the best half of football you’ve seen that unit play together all season?) – “It’s tough. It’s a tough existence, it’s almost like offensive linemen are kind of like – after retirement they should just go into officiating because they know how to roll, where a lot of the times the only attention you’re getting is when things aren’t working out or sometimes it doesn’t have anything to do with you. Guys could be running the wrong route, so then you can’t throw the ball and you get a late sack. But without question, this was the toughest task really from a run game technique and fundamental perspective, New England does a good job as any at defeating blocks. So they do a good job of really leaning into the most important technique and fundamentals on a down-in, down-out basis and to the offensive line’s credit, they really took pride in it. They recognized early in the week that they might have this opportunity so they prepared and wanted to help the team win. So I thought the 41 runs, and in particular that last drive to go ahead and get the lead and eat up half the fourth quarter, that was definitely a badge of honor to the offensive line. It was not easy, but I can you promise you looking at them today, it was worth it.”
(To piggyback off of that, after watching the film, how would you describe the impact that FB Alec Ingold had in the game?) – “Phenomenal. It was very fitting that he got the touchdown because I think it was the most snaps that he played all year. There’s a couple plays in particular on that final drive that were as good as I’ve seen from a point of attack, blocker, tight end or fullback. The team voted him captain for a reason. There’s a lot of guys that have leadership skills and play the game to have a ‘C’ on their chest. He proved to every teammate – not that he needed to at all – but he really wore the ‘C’ on his chest, leading, helping our offense operate but really did some outstanding things at the point of attack against a physical front that’s really trying to inflict punishment on fullbacks in general. He was instrumental. He was at the point of attack a ton and had a very, very high execution rate. It was a really, really cool game, especially if you’re really passionate about fullback play. That’s a game that you want to turn on; it’s one of the top ones that I can remember in terms of a fullback having an impact on the ultimate outcome, for sure.”
(When you go back and look at the first five weeks, has there been a common thread on special teams that have led to some of these errors you guys have had?) – “Well two in particular – we’ve been excellent in punt protection and we had a punt blocked, so that was unique and that was new. I hadn’t had an errant snap and that occurred one play after a false start, so those were unique and unto their own. We’ve had some penalties – ultimately you want to help a team win a game, not lose it, and there were some errors that the team had to overcome. I did feel like during the course of the game – I always watch for, OK, something happens that’s detrimental to the team or whatever; nobody hates a bad snap more than the snapper. What I will say is in-game to come back and execute, that’s important. We have to make sure that we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot and have to do two kicks at the potential of the second snap being errant. That snap can’t be errant. We can’t have blocked punts; these are things that when they do occur, those negatives usually lead to L columns. Now I will say there was a lot of field position that was won by special teams. We pinned them down at the five-yard line in the second half and there was a couple real good plays by not only Braxton (Berrios) but the guys blocking the gunners and creating a touchback. We had a kickoff that was inside the 20, so it wasn’t all bad; however the mistakes that did occur were unusual and we’re trying to get down to the bottom of why they occurred that one time and make sure they don’t happen again because you can’t typically with mistakes like that, you end up losing the game. And the pattern can’t exist, hasn’t existed in terms of who was at fault and what happened that was negative. It kind of came out of nowhere and we need to make sure it stays in nowhere and doesn’t become the rule of thumb.”
(How do you keep the momentum going? You talked about, the guys all talked about this not being the perfect win that you guys wanted to clean up everything, so how do you keep that momentum going through the bye week into the week after?) – “I think you have to establish first and foremost the elephant in the room; we were absolutely going into the game with non-negotiable needing to win it. We felt that way as a team and we were able to do that; however after the game you’re feeling like, wow, this game was really close, and it felt like we did more even giving credit to your opponents at all times, we did more to put ourselves in the situation to be a final-drive game than the opponent. And both things can be true. You can be satisfied with the result. You can understand that the result – I’m not sure if we would’ve won this game, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have won this game three weeks ago. We needed all the stuff to go on to occur to kind of grow into being able to win a messy game like this. However there are certain things – we will never feel good about our football unless we clean up errant snaps over somebody’s head, missed snap on a field goal, a blocked punt, an explosive run touchdown. Those things – procedural stuff – we can control those things. There’s a lot of things you can’t control in this league. There are certain things you can. The way we started off today was talking about all those things that we can control with absolute certainty that’s our job to get cleaned up. And all the while, understanding that it is a badge of honor to win that game relative to how we’ve found success in the past. To win a grimy game that isn’t perfect is a step in the right direction. Now, how do we take control over the controllables? That’s the most important thing for us moving forward, building upon the growth of the team, but we have a long ways to go and some time to do it, so we’ll keep chopping wood every day.”
Monday, October 7, 2024
S Marcus Maye
(The victory, what did it do for this team? How big of a relief was it? How much enjoyment do you get out of it?) – “It’s a big relief. I mean it’s hard to win in this league, so as they come, you got to take them for what they are. But we know that we didn’t play the game we know we can play, the style of ball we know we can play. So obviously, there’s a few things to correct but the way things have been, getting a win was our biggest thing.”
(You’ve obviously been a team first guy here, knowing that before this year, every game you played in you started. How weird of a feeling was it to be on the bench for most of the first few games? Was it difficult to handle?) – “Yeah, but you know you just got to be ready at all times, no matter what. You’ve got to find some kind of way to impact the team, so special teams, whenever your number is called in certain packages and things like that, you just have to be prepared at all times. That’s what I was doing those first couple of weeks. So you know no matter who’s in there, no matter when or time of the game, you just got to be ready.”
(I know you guys didn’t play a lot of three safety looks previously, but can you tell me about Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver calling the game and the variety and the things that he does? What does that do for the defense? What does that do to the other offense?) – “No, he does a great job of keeping the offense guessing, switching things up on our end. So that’s the great thing that we have in our room and on our side of the ball – the versatility of you can move guys around, things like that, hit them from different areas and things so with the blitzes and coverages and things like that. He’s been doing a great job of mixing things up.”
(I don’t know what special teams you were on the field for, but a very sloppy performance yesterday, tell me about – I guess, were guys pissed off at each other? Were guys trying to be supportive? Tell me about that.) – “Guys were definitely supportive. We just got to find a way to get on the same page. They did a great job on their end of scheming us up and things like that, but like I said, it’s just a collective effort, all three phases. We just got to continue to get better, continue to sharpen up the details so we can play the ball that we know we can play.”
(A chance that S Jevón Holland misses some time with the hand. If so, what does that mean for you?) – “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with Jevón (Holland) yet. I know it’s his hand, I don’t know how long and things like that. But like I said earlier, with the guys that we have in our room, who’s ever out there, they got to be ready to go at all times.”
(The final play, it seems like there was a difference in mentality from Tennessee – that you guys were kind of in a prevent before halftime and then this time the zero blitz. Which do you prefer? Why do you think Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver switched it up?) – “You learn from certain things. Each game is different; each scenario is different. We had the hot hand, we felt like our defensive line was getting there, so we decided to bring the pressure and play coverage on the back end. The guys did a great job of getting home and the guys did a great job of covering.”
(And what did you see on that play? Foot in, foot out?) – “I saw a toe and then I’d seen the heel hit. So once I saw the heel hit, I was hoping that we’d get that call that we got, but the football gods were on our side and it definitely played out in our favor.”
(Did you know about that rule? I didn’t now about toe-heel.) – “Yeah, toe-heel, but obviously when it’s just the toe that’s all it is going forward. So yeah, I was like, ‘Thank God his heel came down out of bounds.’”
(I know you’ve play both free and strong safety throughout your career. If S Jevón Holland misses some time, are you comfortable moving over?) – “Yeah, at this point I’ve done both so I’ve pretty much – if it’s free safety, I’m pretty comfortable back there. If it’s in the box, once I get adjusted and see things, I feel pretty good being there too.”
(Do you have a preference to which one?) – “No, as long as I’m just out there on the grass.”
(How much – obviously, you’re a defensive back, you never want to have a broken hand. But how much of a hinderance is it whether it’s ball skills or tackling? Is it just pain tolerance?) – “Yeah, just those little nagging injuries. Obviously, we got to use our hands in this game, so when you have hand injuries and little things like that, you just got to find different ways to protect it and use different techniques and things like that to make sure you’re playing the right game out there and stuff like that.”
(Little nagging injuries?) – “Yeah, it’s because you got to use your hands on every play. So it’s tape up, cast up and you got to figure it out.”
(So you had a thumb injury, S Jordan Poyer had a thumb injury, now S Jevón Holland’s got a hand injury.) – “Yeah, so it’s been rough, but we’ve been getting through it and figuring it out.”
Monday, October 7, 2024
LB Jordyn Brooks
(The victory yesterday, what did it do for the team? I would imagine that’s a very timely victory to end that three-game losing streak, but what did it do for the team?) – “I think it was good just going into a bye week just to get a win. That was the message all week, just to go 1-0 this week and get a win. So any time you get a win in this league, it’s always a great thing.”
(Did you come off the field yesterday?) – “No.”
(Have you played every snap this season?) – “I think so.”
(Ready for the bye week?) – “Much needed bye week. Much needed for sure.”
(Tell me about the run defense. You guys have allowed a few big runs, but doesn’t seem like you’ve been that bad overall. Has it been a few leaky runs, have you been pretty consistent otherwise? What’s your opinion on the run defense?) – “Something as a defense, like that’s the No. 1 thing we want to get better at right now is the run defense. We can make all of the excuses in the world, but at the end of the day, I think we’re just not playing consistently enough. We’ll go some drives playing great and then we’ll let one out and that’s kind of been the story through the first quarter of the season for us right now as a defense, just letting leaky runs out, getting tired, long drives, whatever the case may be. That’s something that we’ve got to clean up. We’re aiming to be the best defense that we can be so it starts right there for sure.”
(Got some injuries in the secondary, injuries on the edge. What is allowing you guys to keep going despite the injuries?) – “I think we’ve just got a lot of great players, depth at every position. Something we knew coming in, in training camp, just knowing we’ve got guys that can fill in anywhere at any position. So hate to see guys go down, but it’s never a misstep (when) whoever goes down because everybody can play ball.”
(What did it mean to have LB David Long Jr. back out there yesterday?) – “It was good to see him out there, have him healthy, communicating, leading, playing fast, playing physical. A guy like that, you just want to keep him healthy, make sure we have him out there.”
(As far as the team overall, how is the mentality right now? Obviously it’s not the start that you guys wanted, but you did get that victory. Are you little down? Are you picking up? How would you describe your mentality right now?) – “I think everybody is just kind of even-keeled right now. It’s great to win. I don’t think we won the way that we wanted to win on either side of the ball, so it kind of leaves you bittersweet just knowing that we left some plays out there that we could have took advantage of and really won in a better fashion, won in a way that we think that we can win. And so it’s something to carry on through the bye week, things that we need to get better at, individually and as a team.”
(How has Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver called the games the first five weeks?) – “Been great. He’s aggressive. Yesterday, he was aggressive there at the end, calling zero coverage. I like his mentality to go get after the quarterback and make him get it out quick. So I’ve loved the way he’s called the game, and I think we’ll only keep growing and getting better as a defense with him.”
(The overturned touchdown, I know that it was like the guy didn’t drag the foot. What was your read on that on that last overturned touchdown that they had?) – “Yeah, I was looking right at it. I’d seen him get his foot – I knew he didn’t get it in. They still said it was a touchdown initially, but I was pretty confident once they looked at it like we’ll get that back. So God was on our side with that one. That’s something as a defense we’ve got to get cleaned up as well, make sure that he didn’t even have the opportunity to catch the ball.”
Monday, October 7, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(Tell me what this victory did for the team, because I would think it’s a huge confidence boost.) – “Every win is huge. They’re hard to get, none of them taken for granted or to be minimized. We had a lot of things that we need to clean up in order to move forward and get more wins, but it’s always better to correct, address issues after a win – through a winning environment.”
(What did you think of the run game? I don’t know if the 41 carries impresses you more or the 193 yards, but what did you think of the run game?) – “That’s just something that needs to be a staple for us moving forward. We have to be able to establish that run game, no matter the opponent, no matter what day we play on, that has to be a part of our offense. The short yards, the long gains, all of it – we have to lean on it and be a huge emphasis towards moving forward.”
(Was there something said in the huddle or on the sideline before that big series you had where it was sort of established, “OK, we’re going to run now and it’s up to you guys to pave the way?”) – “No, not really. Not really, no special message or motivation at all. We just – execution was better, and we still had issues there. We still had some penalties that went against us that could have made that drive even more successful. Just moving forward, no matter what the call is, we got to go execute and without the negatives bringing us back after we have some positive gains. So that’s going to be something that we continue to do, and the more we can do that, we can execute without the penalties, our offense will start to look a lot better.”
(The amazing thing about the NFL is you guys had, obviously, a rough stretch but you look at the standings and they’re all jumbled. What is your sense of what’s next for this team? What lays ahead down the road of the Miami Dolphins?) – “Not looking down the road, or the standings either. It’s still early. We’re not trying to seed or position, we’re just trying to focus on what we got going on, so Indy is next. That’s it, man. Just lock in on Indy – establish the run game, try to be dominant in the run game and go get a win.”
(What is the fun thing about blocking for RB Raheem Mostert in particular with his unique sort of gliding style? What’s fun about that?) – “Just everything that he brings – that intensity, that competitiveness, the passion that he plays the game with is a big boost for the offense, that energy that he has. He’s not afraid to challenge guys either to put their best foot forward. So great to have him back in there, that leadership. Blocking for Raheem, (De’Von) Achane, young dawg ‘J-Wright’ (Jaylen Wright) is too like, they’re literally one – any play, they can go to the house. So you want to be the one that springs them for that long gain. I feel like we get one of those off my block and it goes yard, I take that as my touchdown so we love to see that.”
(What impressed you about RB Jaylen Wright?) – “He’s a dawg, man. He’s a dawg. He’s physical, he’s confident. You got a lot more Jaylen Wright coming. So I’m excited to see what he’s going to bring, get more experience, more reps. I love his mindset. I love how confident he is in his ability.”
(Can you help us understand why the pre-snap penalties keep coming? I know there’s a lot of motion, a lot of pre-snap motion, a lot of shifts – is it that complicated to understand for the offense? For QB Tyler Huntley? For an offense under Huntley? Take me inside of that please.) – “It’s tough, man. There’s a lot of nuances in an offense, especially when you have a lot of motions, you have a lot of personnels. You have quarterback changes so the cadence could be different; he might hold the cadence longer than others or he wants to operate faster than Tua (Tagovailoa) or maybe Skylar (Thompson). So the illegal formation, illegal shift, guys are taking their time getting set as opposed to ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) being in more of a hurry – we got to get set off of him. So those small little details or nuances that nobody really pays attention to until it’s a problem. Crowd noise can be another thing too, so that’s something that we have to – we can’t continue to do if we want to play winning football. Point of emphasis, we got to keep continuing to lock in on our details. That’s been the biggest difference from why we’ve dropped some games and were able to pull that one off yesterday.”
(What’s impressed you about the job that OL Rob Jones has done?) – “Again, he’s a dawg. He’s physical. He goes after it, no excuses. He might not always be feeling the best – get rolled up or whatever and he’s just going to keep pushing. He’s a warrior, man. I love playing next to him.”
(As far as what you saw from this team last week in practice and how it paid off, what did you see? There were still some errors, but you guys put it together on the road in a clutch situation. What did you see from practice that translated to the game?) – “We saw improvement. We saw improvement from a technique standpoint. We saw improvement from operation, alignment, assignment, not having as many MAs and all those things that stop you from winning, but we have to clean up a lot of those things at an accelerated rate in order to be a real team, you know what I mean? We could squeeze by, but (if) we want to be a team that’s going to be worth anything as far as the end of the year, we got to clean those things up at a little bit of a faster rate.”
(How did your HBCU experience prepare you for the NFL?) – “I haven’t been in college in 12 years. (laughter) But no, man, it definitely was a part of my make up going through that HBCU experience. Not having as many resources, just being able to work with what we got and band together as a team, as brothers. When I had gotten to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, they had never won a championship. So my senior year, we won the first championship in the history of the school. So just coming in and seeing everything work full circle and we start to lead the way and change the culture, it definitely became a part of who I am.”
(Does the bye week come at a good time or would you guys rather keep playing now that you have one victory here?) – “We roll with what’s ever on the schedule. We can’t ever really slot it or say what because it’s different for different people. We got people dealing with injuries or something so it’s perfect time for them, others just kind of just getting back and wanting to get into a grove so it depends on the individual.”
(WR Odell Beckham Jr., could you tell any tangible bounce or anything from the team from his presence?) – “Yeah, his presence alone. His presence alone – I’m not sure what he did statistically yesterday, but just having him in there, being on the field, know it’s another reliable target to go to, especially third down. His ability to win one-on-one matchups will be big for us moving forward.”
(What have you seen from CB Jalen Ramsey? He’s a guy – looks like Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver is really maximizing his skill set by moving him around. What are you seeing on the field and leadership wise?) – “I think we still haven’t seen the full Jalen Ramsey experience with ‘Weave’ (Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver). I think we’re starting to unlock some things now, adding a couple of packages, but it’s going to be more Ramsey, more of an impact, more getting involved. He’s a special human being. He’s an athlete like very few on this earth so for him to be able to be at the point of attack for a lot of plays, it’s advantageous for us. I think as we move on throughout the year. We’re going to see more Ramsey being in more spots.”
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins DT Zach Sieler
(On getting the win heading into the bye week)
“We’re 2-3 and the whole season is ahead of us. It’s great getting a win going into the bye week, but there’s a lot to correct. We did it, we won, but I think we have a lot going forward for us to work on and work on what worked today.”
(On how he thought the game went)
“Our offense was moving the ball and I had total faith. We have powerful running backs and the ground game was awesome today. I don’t care how we win, if we move the ball, we move the ball. There’s no ugly victories. It is hard to win in this league. I don’t care who you are or how good your team is, or what the score is. We did it, we have things to clean up, but we did it.
(On if he thought the defense played well)
“We played good, but we can play better. That’s how we look at it, always get better; always keep improving.”
(On if they had a specific goal defensively to control the game)
“Defensive line-wise, we always go in thinking we are going to stop the run and take control up front to do our part to win the game. You can only control what you do and when you try to do too much that is when things go bad.”
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith
(On getting the win in a close game)
“The only satisfaction relies on winning. We got the job done and that is all that we came out here for and I am going to enjoy this one. It’s just another game on the schedule. Winning in this league is all that matters. Each week is its own challenge. There are different ways of winning, but at the end of the day, in that column there is only win or loss. Every week defensively, offensively, special teams, there are different scenarios that help you win games and sometimes you have to lean on certain things. Obviously, objectively, you want every group to come together and operate as one. It doesn’t always go that way but at the end of the day we figured out a way to win.”
(On getting a win heading into the bye week)
“You don’t want to go into a bye week with however many days off with a loss. You want to go into the bye week with momentum and I’m glad that we got it. Now we’ve got to keep rolling. I’m going to spend some time with my family, relax and kick it a little bit. Spend some time with my wife and kids. I’m going to try and catch a game (at his college, FIU).”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright
(On getting the run game going this week)
“It felt good, after a hard-working week of practice. We were able to focus on the details and paying attention and having the right aiming points and right tracks and everything. I just feel like it all came together in the second half. I felt like we were getting good movement thanks to the offensive line. We were getting good movement you know and getting it up to the second or third level. It opens things up for the run to produce great runs.”
(On the drive at the end of the game and Tyler Huntley’s play)
“He is a pro and he is here for a reason. Coach brought him in for a reason. He is somebody we can lean on, you know someone who he is leader already and he has only been here for like three weeks. I feel like he has done a great job in the system for how short of a time he has been here. Just him being out there, just him getting everyone lined up and paying attention.”
(On the getting the win)
“This win has been needed. We have had a rough past few weeks, you know what I am saying. But that is just the beat of the game. We put those past games in the past and you know we just have to stay in the present. We got a win this week going into a bye week and then we come back with the same mindset to win.”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
(On the offense playing from under center)
“Either way it doesn’t really matter, just get the ball in our hands, and we will try and make it work. They were giving us some good looks, at the end of the day we just try and exploit them and take advantage.”
(On overcoming the first half mistakes)
“It was fairly tough. You see what’s going on like when we were in the red zone, and then the ball gets snapped behind us and Ally [Alec Ingold] recovers the snap, little things like that, are just putting us in a bind, but honestly we just have to overcome those things.”
(On how not to have the mistakes get the team down)
“I guess you just have to have a talk with the guys and you know after that the whole thing happened, I just jumped right in and said, ‘everyone let’s go, let’s pick it up, and that’s not how we play ball. We have to stop making these critical mistakes and go out there and do what we do.’”
(On how it feels to be back)
“It’s been good and I don’t know what my stats are but I really don’t care. I’m just happy we got the biggest stat which is that W, and honestly it feels good. Just watching the team from afar and the sidelines these past couple of weeks, it has been a little bit of a mental stressor but at the same time it has been one of those things that I just have to get healthy and get back out there for the boys and I was able to do that today.”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins DT Calais Campbell
(On his thoughts after a game like that)
“That’s a character-building win, you know. A lot of stuff went wrong, it’s like, man that was a pretty ugly ballgame, especially in the first half. But one thing we didn’t do is we didn’t flinch. We didn’t relax, we just stayed hungry, kept fighting, kept believing and found a way to get the win when it mattered. Your big-time players have to come up with big-time plays in big-time games and the way we started running the ball in the second half was inspiring. We still gave up too many yards rushing on defense, there’s a lot to clean up, lot of ball that we can work on. But we’ve got a bye week, we’re going to study ourselves, we’ll figure out how to get better and come out of this bye and try to get another win.”
(On if it was a frustrating day even though the Dolphins came away with the win)
“When you get a win, especially after we haven’t had a win for a few weeks, I don’t know, you can’t be too frustrated. I feel pretty good right now. It could definitely be better. We will grade it, we will clean it up and we will try to improve. But you know, it’s been so long since we’ve got a win, I’m just going to enjoy this one. 24 hours, 24 hours to enjoy it.”
(On the fact that other than the turnover that set up the Patriots’ touchdown, how the Dolphins defense didn’t give up many yards)
“One of the things we try to preach is coming off of turnovers, having a sense of urgency and keeping points off the board or hold them to three. We had opportunities there. It was a bust and also (inaudible), they capitalized. It’s the NFL and they’ve got some good players. They made a big-time play. That’s something we know we can fix and we fixed it and we played a lot better. They had a really good game plan in the run game and way too many yards. One thing we’ve learned is we’ll fix it the following game, let’s just keep playing ball. Nobody has to try to do more than their job, just keep doing your job and we’ll be okay.”
(On the bye week and if it comes at a good time for the team)
“It really doesn’t matter, right? This is the time, so we’re definitely going to study ourselves and during the bye week, I always try to go back and watch every play and see what I was doing. See what works, see what didn’t work and then kind of figure out going forward, do more of the stuff that works and do less of the stuff that doesn’t.”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins OL Liam Eichenberg
(On his thoughts about the offensive struggles in the first half)
“There are definitely things we need to improve on. I can only speak for myself and I need to go back to my technique and fundamentals. We’ll watch the tape on the plane and see what we need to correct.”
(On being able to run the ball in the fourth quarter and get the win)
“It’s great. We were effective in the run game during the game and especially at the end. It’s something we are going to keep building on. It’s something we can’t give up on so we have to keep working and keep trying to improve.”
(On what was working well today)
“With us, it was just staying committed and trust in what we are being coached. Throughout the week we were coached to go outward and not upward and I think that carried over to the game. Pad level was emphasized and that is something we worked on that came through today.”
(On the seven-and-a-half-minute game-winning drive)
“That was tiring. You never really count the plays, but you’re kind of just looking around and just waiting for the next play, but it’s all about one play at a time. Definitely at the end though, that was a tiring one.”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins FB Alec Ingold
(On his touchdown)
“Any fullback dive might be the day-one install for every offense in America, high school to Peewee, Pop Warner, everything. It was cool to end a 17-play drive like that. Credit to the offensive line, I didn’t have to do anything. Center, left guard watched their guys, they climbed up to the linebackers, so for a two-yard run to cap a statement drive is something that we needed desperately. As a team, to score a touchdown at that moment, it was a team drive, it was a team touchdown. So, I think it’s really a testament to all of our work over the last month or so, trying to get back right. It was a long drive capped off by a nice touchdown.”
(On this being the first time the team has had a real physical presence this year)
“I think it goes back to trusting things. We were running the ball quite a bit in the first half. Whether it’s a penalty here or a little procedural thing there, it kind of got us off track. We get four-yard runs, six-yard runs, but we trusted each other. Coaching staff, all the way down to the players. Doing your one-eleventh. That’s all that a running game is. A full team playing all four quarters. And I don’t think, like you said, we haven’t seen that quite yet out of our team. It’s something we’re working on, it’s our process that we’re building towards, so to see a seventeen-play drive in the fourth quarter, when we need it, I think was pretty cool for our entire process, for our entire organization to go through that together.”
(On going back to Miami with a win)
“I think you’re a couple plays away from a win or a loss, and somewhat of a sloppy execution game you could say. Being able to validate that the process that we’re building towards something. You see glimpses on tape, week-in and week-out, then you have the results of a loss, it can sting, it’s frustrating, it’s demoralizing, it’s tough. When you get that win, you’re able to say, ‘okay we’re on the right track, we’re building towards something right.’ But it’s not good yet, it’s not good enough yet. So, that little tweak in the mindset, fighting to find that silver lining I think is extremely important for our team going into a bye week 2-3, to be able to right the ship, to be able to continue to cross the Ts and dot the Is and make sure we’re a better football team at the end of the season than when we started.”
(On if any other plays from the game stand out to him)
“Yeah I think Jaylen Wright (RB), definitely stepped up big. One of his biggest runs of the day was called back because of a holding call. To see him not blink, to be able to go back and convert on a first down later in that same drive, that I think was really cool to see. Raheem (Raheem Mostert, RB) to come back and be able to play physical, you see him, he’s the fastest guy on the team, one of the fastest guys on the team. To be able to run, yards after contact and push that pile, doesn’t seem like a whole lot but second and three is a whole heck of a lot better than second and eight. To be able to find those creases, I think both of those guys played really hard, really physical and it was really cool to see them flourish in the fourth quarter like that.”
(On Tyler Huntley in the huddle)
“His personality was coming out in a number of different ways, and I loved it. It’s more than just a play call, right. As a quarter back, when you get a little bit more comfortable, he’s been here a couple weeks now, to be able to see his little impacts, his little points of emphasis in the huddle, being able to make guys lock in on their assignments and details and understanding the circumstance of the game, I think that was really cool for Snoop to be able to do that for our offense because that’s what a leader is. He’s coming in a tough spot as a quarterback and to be able to have command, to be able to find that confidence to voice himself, for guys to listen and respect that was everything that you could hang your hat on for this offense right now.”
(On if there was a point where the offense could feel the command from Huntley)
“I think that was in the second half. To understand that we were going through adversity, mishaps, things we can’t control. Whether it was a wild snap, a blocked punt, a missed field goal, we had all those things happening in the first half. To be able to have that confidence and command and say ‘no matter what happens, we can’t control that, we can control this right now’, that was pretty special to see. Anybody can have command when it’s all going good, but when you’re playing from behind, when it’s gritty like that, when you’ve got to get a couple first downs to string along a drive and have command when it’s not going well, I think that was the biggest respect Snoop got from all of us.”
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q: How does it feel to walk out of here with a win compared to what could have happened there in the final minutes?
MM: I think this is a cool game for our team because you know what it usually takes to be able to beat the Patriots is the type of game that I thought our team really needed in terms of winning when everything isn’t great, winning when there’s a ton of frustrating things that happened during a game and leaning into what we’ve really learned to be a strength of our team, which is the defense. Again, another valiant effort. It was a big deal. It’s been 24 days since the Buffalo game. In the NFL losing streaks are real. They’re not fun. So for the team to have to find a way to overcome a lot of sloppiness that wasn’t to do with intent or preparation, but you know, things that we have to clean up in our game and to be able to still find a way it feels great. Kind of knew it was going to be a game like this, but you want to see your team take steps forward. I thought we did today.
Q: Both RB Jaylen Wright and RB Raheem Mostert cleared 80 rushing yards today. Was that the plan throughout the week to be that ground-heavy, especially after your injury to RB De’Von Achane?
MM: Yeah, I think we had been disappointed with what we’ve produced on the ground just in general. So it was a huge point of emphasis to really hone in on our fundamentals and the technique. To the credit of the offensive line, they punched some holes. I think the running back room was ready to put the team on their back, so to speak. I think having Raheem back was awesome. It was unfortunate to lose De’Von for sure. Then you saw a rookie play some snaps where you can feel his confidence just being established. So the plan was to be able to go toe-to-toe and win any way you need to, and I think that was the main objective led by the captains. I think they did a really phenomenal job of keeping everyone’s head space correct. It was very fitting that one of our newly-minted captains this year, Alec Ingold, scored the touchdown because he was a heavy part of the run game production this week for sure.
Q: On the final drive there was a physical presence running the ball that we really haven’t seen much of that yet.
MM: I think when I say the game we’re looking for, we’re not looking to be frustrated, but you know, you have some frustrating points during the course of a game, and nobody cares. Then you have a 17-play drive to get your first touchdown of the day. That’s something that I think when you are talking about your football team and the types of games you want to win, you know, that’s very similar to November, December football where certain weeks you have to strap up and be able to win the line of scrimmage and do it down in and down out. I think that’s a huge piece of the puzzle to me that — we weren’t measured in our words to each other in team settings this week. We challenged each other to be able to win a game like that just in general and not have to have super explosive plays to win a football game. I think that that’s what I’m really proud of is that I know what it takes for our team, in particular that has high ambitions, to put together a 17-play drive at the end of the game, and that means you’re staying locked in regardless of result during the course of it. That’s something we can built upon as we clean up the layers of things we have to clean up.
Q: It was a mixed bag for special teams today, but overall I think it’s 11 penalties now for the season for that unit. How will that unit be evaluated?
MM: Very critically. I think you have to assess the common denominators. The thing I was proud of is you have several things that don’t go your way, you hit a post, and you have a snap that you wish you could have back, but I think we were able to get several very crucial points after that. So the resolve. You don’t want to have to test your resolve every week, but that was an important piece. And then, you know, you give up a blocked punt, but then had complete faith that that would get corrected and that we would be able with the game on the line to get New England to burn their time-outs and trotted that same unit back out there. So those are things to build upon, and they’re much easier to do in the win column. I think that that gives you the opportunity to really assess the common denominators because that’s what you’re trying to find. A lot of times penalties come from particularly offensively and – really in all three phases. Sometimes penalties can occur because people are trying too hard to own their responsibility, and they’re leveraged or edged, and then you hold or you – really all three phases that same thing can occur. I’m careful or judicious with looking at full sale this has to be better to continue to win football games. So you have to find some resolution, and that will come through collective study and effort by our coaching staff and then apply it to the players as we do across the board.
Q: Anything you can say about the injury to RB De’Von Achane and S Jevón Holland?
MM: Yeah, just coming off the field. We’ll be evaluating those in the next couple of days. I do know that De’Von was out with a head injury that I believe to be a concussion, so he will be in the protocol. Then we’ll check out what Jevón — the extent of that is, which fortunately we have a bye week, so we have time to figure that stuff out.
Q: Speaking of the bye week, what does this week mean for QB Tyler Huntley to be able to stay in the classroom, stay in the lab without having to play a game on Sunday?
MM: It’s huge. You’re playing catch-up the whole time that you’re playing football and you’re knowing your responsibilities, your knowing what the pass concepts are, and now you have a chance to study really the strengths and weaknesses of certain things. For him to play convicted, I think it’s going to be huge for him just to have things settle down because you don’t really have time for much when you are just jumping in in an NFL workweek. You have to orchestrate a lot of moving parts, and I thought he did a good job handling all that. He has done a phenomenal job really since he’s been here, but it was a step forward today for sure.
Q: The snap that went by him, was that — what happened there?
MM: We were executing a no-huddle play. He was communicating to the line of scrimmage and communicating to the offensive line what the play was. Then after he did that, he was communicating to the Z receiver. Brew thought he heard the cadence, which Snoop hadn’t given any sort of indicator of a cadence, but he thought he heard one. So he snapped it, which is why it was a gigantic negative. Moving the ball pretty well, but it was one of the three drives in the first half that you felt like you should have points in some way, shape, or form on that drive hoping to convert and get in the red zone and score a touchdown. So that was part of the things that we got in our own way, which is why it’s — you can clean those up all day, but you know, for our team we needed to find a way to win a football game with that adversity right in our face, which is what I was happy about.
Q: FB Alec Ingold used the word to describe Tyler, “command.” How much of a sense for his command of this offense when he’s not on the field? Like do you get to interact with him on the sideline? You hear coaches report back to you about him?
MM: Absolutely, I can tell by the conviction with the other ten people coming out of the huddle. When you’re in a huddle and people have conviction and ownership of — and command of the huddle, you see people leave with certainty from the huddle. Then on top of that, every single play his technique and fundamentals I think I’m connected with. So after the ball is snapped, whatever coverage is presented, you have an idea where the ball should go, and you are watching his technique through to the defensive structure. I could tell all week that he was going to operate in a high fashion, but I could feel during the game simply through his teammates and how they’re approaching each play even if it was a run, and it was with conviction to the line of scrimmage on almost every snap. I think we did have one presnap motion penalty, but beyond that, it was — that was much improved from the week before.
-DOLPHINS-
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Postgame – at New England
Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley
Q: What’s it feel like to get a win after a few crazy weeks here for you?
TH: Man, we needed it. The city needed it, our team needed it, everybody in the locker room needed it and that’s what we came out here to do and we got it.
Q: Mindset on that final drive, that 80-yard drive down the field?
TH: We knew we had to score to win the game, you know? And that’s what we did.
Q: As DT Calais Campbell said, lot of things to work on, even on that final drive you had two holding penalties that you overcame. How much of today was just overcoming some mistakes?
TH: You said it right. We just had to overcome our mistakes, and we knew once we overcame them, we were going to do good things. We just have to hone in on the details, and it will be better.
Q: Did you expect to run the ball as much as you did coming into today? I think the final 52 yards of that drive were running.
TH: We did whatever we had to do to get that win.
Q: You come from a team with a good physical presence. Did you see a glimpse of that today? It really hasn’t been around this team too much.
TH: Yeah, we were going straight downhill at the defense, and it showed that they couldn’t hold up.
Q: How comfortable did you feel out there?
TH: It felt good to be out there with the guys. Just every play, every drive I’m feeling more comfortable, in tune with my guys. I know they feel the same with me.
Q: Did you feel a difference coming into this game as opposed to last week ?
TH: Yeah, 100%. It was my first week last week. It’s my second week this week, and we’re just going to continue to build off of that. We have a bye week coming up. We’re going to get in the lab, work on the things that we need to fix, and come out the next week ready to fire.
Q: What wasn’t going right for the offense for so much of the day?
TH: Mistakes. You know, a couple of penalties, a couple of miscues. You know, all it takes for us to get it rolling, and it will look a whole different.
Q: The bye week, what will you be doing on the bye week?
TH: We’re going to be self-evaluating ourselves, you know, see how we can get a step ahead of guys. Definitely heal up and be ready to come out.
Q: Actually, on that final drive you had a second and 20, and you hit WR Tyreek Hill for 21 yards.
TH: I know we got a first down.
Q: Was he the guy you were going to all along and you saw him break open?
TH: No, I saw him break open, and I went to him.
