Friday, April 29, 2022
General Manager Chris Grier
(A couple of weeks, about a month ago we spoke to you at the owners meeting about the decision to re-sign all of the inside linebackers and then you use your first pick on an inside linebacker. Can you walk us through what drew you to LB Channing Tindall and making that selection?) – “Yeah, we decided to sign the inside linebacker groups and bring guys back like Duke (Riley), ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts), etc. It was because those guys are good players, they know our system, we know what they are on and off the field and how they contribute to this team. We were excited to add them back and then in terms of Channing, he was a player that we had been targeting throughout the process. We met with him in Indianapolis and really enjoyed our time with him. We brought him down here on a 30 visit, spent a lot of time with him here as well. For us, it’s the versatility, the speed is what we like. He can play, he has the ability to play all three downs and play special teams as well. In talking to Kirby Smart the other day again about him, he was just talking about what tremendous speed and toughness and the character of the kid and how Kirby really loved and thinks he’s going to be a really good player in the NFL. We’re really excited to get him. We were kind of holding on hoping he would be there. We tried to move up a couple of times to make a move and those things were – people wanted to make their picks. It was a long wait for us, a long day not picking until 11:20 or whatever it was on day two. It’s been a long couple of days. We haven’t been used to that.”
(You mentioned attempts to potentially move up and I’m wondering as LB Channing Tindall’s Georgia teammate LB Nakobe Dean was falling into the third round, did you also consider moving up to potentially look at him and try to get him?) – “We had discussions about multiple players that we were trying to move up. Teams wanted to make their picks at the spots we had a real chance of moving up to and we were not going to give up any picks from the 2023 draft, the upcoming draft class. For us, those were non-negotiable. We made a couple of calls and stood where we were. We’re glad we ended up with Channing.
(Did any teams call you to try to make any moves to where you might move down for that matter?) – “Yeah like I said, we made a couple of calls about trying to move up but we got no calls about teams wanting to come up with us moving down. It was very quiet. Stephen (Ross) was talking about how it was the first time our phone didn’t ring all year for the first two days of the draft. Other than a couple of calls that we made, it was very quiet.”
(So how did you spend last night for example?) – “Eating a lot of food. Mike (McDaniel) and I just sitting there talking and watching our weight go up. (laughter)”
(I was curious if you could tell us a little bit about – you talked about the 30-visit with LB Channing Tindall and talking to Kirby Smart. I was just wondering if you could tell us what really stood out about Channing, his character and the way he approaches the game that you guys really liked as a staff?) – “I think when you watch the film, it’s a very talented defense and how they use him – they use him as a spy, they use him to blitz, he covers backs. Just a lot of the ways that are kind of similar to how he will probably be used here in different schemes. As you guys were talking, Josh (Boyer) and etc, and we will get going into camp and into the season about his usage. But you can see a lot of things on tape that translate to our league and what we would do in our scheme specifically. We spent a lot of time with him, getting to know him as a person and then talking with Kirby (Smart) and talking about how he’s one of those players that – a lot of kids look to leave school when you’re in a log-jam at places and there’s a lot of talented linebackers there at Georgia and he elected to stay and keep competing. That character too, that part of him really stood out to me like, ‘Hey, this kid loves ball and wanted to be around his teammates and do anything he can to help them win.’ And it paid off. They won a national championship. We really enjoyed getting to know the kid. Specifically, the speed stands out on film on him.”
(I know last week or so, you said you really wanted to keep the first-round picks but for you to now say that all the 2023 picks next year are non-negotiable, can you elaborate on that? Is there something about next year’s draft that you didn’t want to part with any of those picks?) – “Well I’m just talking that it’s more of the first, second round picks that we are talking about. Obviously, if there was someone that was worth us doing, we would talk about it or consider it. Those early picks in next year’s draft, we really wanted to keep. For me, I think those are always valuable picks.”
(You talked about LB Channing Tindall’s speed standing out to you. I was curious how much influence did having to play Bills’ QB Josh Allen two times a year have to wanting to add speed to your linebacker room? Or is it a non-factor?) – “I think the way the NFL is, there’s a lot of speed now in the game and how it’s evolving. It’s a little bit of the college game where you’re spreading people out. We have guys that can run; (Jerome) Baker can run, Duke Riley can run, ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) will tell you he can run. (laughter) We have guys that can run and do stuff. It was to keep adding players in that fit the mold of what the game is becoming. I think it’s important and for us to have a guy who can do that and also play on special teams with his speed because it shows up. When you watch him on kickoffs and punts, he’s the first guy down the field and stuff and makes plays. Just adding a guy that can contribute on all four downs is really important.”
(It’s pretty amazing what all you’ve accomplished this offseason that you and Senior Vice President, Football & Business Administration Brandon Shore are still sitting on about 19-20 million dollars in cap space. Are you hoping to hang on to most of that space and carry it over to next year or could you see spending significant money, three-four million, on another veteran player?) – “Like I say, we’ll always keep looking to upgrade the roster and if it makes sense for us – if there’s a player out there that can help us and is a good fit for us, we’ll be aggressive and go after him. Each player, we’ll look at case-by-case but we’ll keep looking. With the draft weekend here, it’s still not over and post-draft, we’ll keep looking and all the way throughout the summer and going into training camp, we’ll keep looking if there’s someone we can add to the roster that would help us.”
(Just in looking at the stats, it seems like LB Channing Tindall took a big step forward in his fourth season. What did you learn, what did you hear about his heart and his development throughout his time at Georgia?) – “That’s a good point because a lot of it in high school, from what was relayed to me, was that he was a blitzer off the edge rushing. Playing inside and doing all this keying and diagnosing inside, he was learning that as he was going the first couple of years there in Georgia while learning that scheme, which is a complicated scheme that Kirby (Smart) runs as you guys know, very similar to Nick Saban with heir history. In talking with Kirby, he was just really saying how the arrow is still going up on Channing (Tindall) and that he has taken a big step because now he’s in the box playing more. Obviously with Nakobe (Dean) and Quay (Walker) there, two really good players in front of him, they were all fighting for playing time but he took a step and ended up playing more because he had grown so much. For us, it’s exciting that we still have a player that’s young but still has upside to develop and that we feel he is on a good progression.”
(It seems like this was kind of a wild draft in some ways. The flurry of trades in the first round. We saw what happened with the quarterbacks. I’m wondering from a league-wide perspective, what are some of the main takeaways you take from this draft that maybe makes it unique and not just in a league-wide standpoint but also if anything stands out in terms of what your AFC East rivals did. Perhaps they maybe countered your acquisition of WR Tyreek Hill.) – “I think it was a unique draft but I think over the last couple of years, you’ve seen more teams willing to trade and move around where in the past, up until probably the last three or four years, you’d see maybe two or three trades in the first round. Now, there’s nine this year and I think a little bit too with the receiver market and other players that are high-market teams that are evaluating the draft picks and having players under control for four or five years at a cost that’s much cheaper than paying a player 20-plus million. I think each team has their own philosophy on how they want to build and do their team. It is an interesting time around the league watching how things have progressed. I think all the teams in the league did a good job in their drafts. I think everyone looks at their division but they’re also being cognizant of what’s going on around the league in terms of competing with everyone and not just the teams in your division. I think those guys have done a nice job in our division. It’s going to be a tough division and we’re looking forward to trying to compete and seeing what we can do.”
(Did you sense that, for example, the Jets were trying to counter your acquisition of WR Tyreek Hill?) – “(laughter) I don’t know. I think they were just trying to fit the best players for them. We were joking for a while that I was going to call Joe Douglas and offer them our third, fourth and two sevenths for their last pick in the first round. (laughter) Those guys have all done a great job and it’s a tough division, very tough division. We made some moves there to compete and other teams as well. I’m looking forward to it and it’ll be an exciting and it’ll be an exciting year for all of us.”
LB Channing Tindall
(It was reported that you had a pre-draft visit with the Dolphins a couple of weeks ago. How did that visit go and did you leave with a sense that you might be coming back to Miami?) – “I did go down there, and when I went down there, I just loved the campus and the facility they had there. I just really got in with the linebackers coaches. I talked to the whole staff and I felt like home, honestly, when I was there.”
(What did you learn about this defense that you think will make you fit in so well?) – “The way they use their linebackers is different. They use their linebackers everywhere. They put them on the edge sometimes, they put them on the line, they put them at Mike, Will. They are very versatile and I feel like I fit into it.”
(How much fun was it playing on that defense last year, and on the flip side of that, was there a little bit of concern of getting lost because you guys had so many elite players? You guys had five players taken in the first round from just that one defense.) – “It was so fun playing on that defense. We just came in and all of those people are my brothers. We did these things called skull sessions in the beginning of the year. We were just talking about each other’s why and our backgrounds. I can tell you about each of my teammates and they can tell you about my why. Just that connection we had is something that I’m going to miss.”
(Was there a worry that as a prospect heading into the draft, you could get lost a little bit playing around so many high-profile prospects?) – “No, I didn’t feel that way. I’m a big believer in just God’s plan and what comes is supposed to happen. I just put it all in God’s hands and hope for the best.”
(I wanted to ask if you have any memories about the level of competition on that defense that you guys endured all season. I’m sure you guys competed every single day. And how do you think that prepared you for the next level?) – “Just coming in there – it’s very business-like at Georgia. Just coming in there and seeing the culture that was already built there before I got there, like in fall camp. My first fall camp, I caught a full body cramp and I was looking at the ceiling like ‘wow, this is college.’ With the culture that was already built there and everything that was going on, I just felt like it prepared me.”
(I noticed looking at your statistics that you made a big jump this year – an increase in tackles, an increase in tackles for loss, an increase in sacks. Without having watched all of the games, can you fill me in on what changed?) – “Coach (Glenn) Schumann. who was my position coach at Georgia, I just took extra time and watched film with him. I feel like I knew what I had to do. I was on a mission before the season started. I was just on a mission, like I have to get this done. I would say the biggest thing is probably just my mindset. My mindset was do or die.”
(What were your conversations like with head coach Mike McDaniel and all of the coaches that you met during your visit? What did they like about you? What was their interest in what you bring to the field?) – “They like me for my versatility and I feel like that’s the reason why. That’s the main reason. Just like I was saying earlier, where they put their linebackers at – just Miami as a whole, where they put their linebackers, their linebackers do it all. I feel like I fit into that.”
(That pre-draft visit wasn’t the first time you’d come to Miami. You played at Hard Rock stadium in the Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal win against Michigan. What were your impressions of playing in that stadium? What do you think it would be like playing there as a pro?) – “It was a beautiful stadium. I’m from South Carolina and it’s humid down here, too. But man, during pregame, it was very humid that day before we went out on t the field. From then, as the game continued and everything, you could look up and it’s outside but it’s in a dome. It’s just very beautiful.”
(I’m curious where you are, who you are with and what was your reaction when you got the call tonight?) – “I’m with my close friends and family. My mother, my cousins, my best friends. They are all here right now. Real exclusive. They are all really happy. It’s a very emotional day.”
(A few minutes ago, you mentioned that going into the season, you were on a mission and you had to get this done. What exactly was your goal? Was it to be drafted like you are tonight? Was it to earn a starting job? Or was it something else?) – “I felt like the biggest thing is I wanted to be the best version of me. I knew I wasn’t doing everything I could to be the best version of me. So when it came down to it, I was like this season I can’t just wait. It needs to happen now to be the best version of me and I need to continue on it. Like what am I waiting for or pausing on? We all say we know what we need to do better, or from a standpoint of know what it is you have to do to be better and work on it. This season was my year where I was like from here on out, the sky is the limit and I’m trying to go as high as I can in anything I do, even outside of football.”
(I’m curious rather you had any prior connection to anybody on the Dolphins other than G Solomon Kindley, with whom you played at Georgia.) – “I know Jevon Holland pretty well.”
(Where did you guys first meet?) – “I met Jevon at the Nike Opening event a long time ago. We are all pretty cool.”
(Were you named after anybody?) – “I was named after my father’s best friend that served in the military who died.”
(I saw you ran a 4.47 40-yard dash. I also have read you described as tough. Tell me how you’re able to approach both a speed mindset and a hitting mindset.) – “I feel like they go hand-in-hand, especially being a linebacker. I feel like every good linebacker, and any linebacker honestly in the league, they are running fast and they are hitting. So just coming with speed, you are ready to hit something. You’ve got to be tough to play linebacker. You cannot be a linebacker and not be tough.”
