Monday, August 5, 2024
Ring of Honor DT Tim Bowens
(Opening statement) – “Like I told the guys, it was a shock, but I knew something was going on when they called me down here to some kind of meeting – I’m like, ‘You guys never call me for a meeting,’ but I’m really thankful and appreciative that the guys really appreciate me like that. I really didn’t think much of it, but I’m really thankful and grateful and honored. I can’t wait to call mom and tell my mom, tell my family, tell my kids. I don’t know what to say right now, I’m just humbled and thankful and grateful.”
(How would you describe the approach that you took to the field?) – “I told myself just go out and do what I need to do and knew what I had to do. So I was pretty much to myself in my own little zone or whatever you call it, but that’s the way I took it.”
(When you look back at your career, what are you most proud? You were up front for two Hall of Famers, Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor and they give you a lot of credit for your work. What do you consider about your career and the things you did?) – “Just being healthy and being on the field and trying to coach up the younger guys behind me and around me. A lot of people might think I didn’t do all that, but I really did my homework. I did it my way and just because I’m not as vocal as a lot of guys, it’s still in me. It’s still in me.”
(Can you describe today how it all developed? How you found out?) – “They were calling me about a meeting or something and I’m like, ‘Uh, something is going on.’ I played it out with them. I just said, ‘OK, I’ll come down. I’ll come down,’ but it was a shock. It’s still a surprise, I’m just thankful and grateful that I’m here to accept.”
(How did they tell you?) – “Just had a little meeting right now and Zach (Thomas) gave me a little warm speech that he rehearsed. (laughter) I know he rehearsed it, but I appreciate it. I appreciate it, I appreciate it.”
(As Zach Thomas was going into the Hall of Fame last year, he brought up your name quite a bit in crediting you. But now that you have the podium, I’m going to give you a little time, what’s the best Zach Thomas story?) – “There’s so many. Which one am I going to give you? I can’t remember the game, but Zach (Thomas) hit somebody and he got knocked out. He was coming back to the huddle and we were trying to get him out, because he was looking over at to the sideline, he couldn’t get the plays. So I don’t know what defense we played. (laughter) But Zach is just the ultimate teammate, a leader. We worked hand in hand – me and him, we worked hand in hand. We didn’t have to say too much. We didn’t have to communicate with each other too much, we just knew what to do on the field together.”
(This group of Dolphins has spent a lot of time in the preseason talking about setting a tone, being physical, being bullies even, being aggressive. If you had the whole Dolphins defensive unit in here, what might you say about that?) – “Well, me – I wouldn’t be the talker, I’d be more the shower. Just go out and do what you got to do. The d-line sets the tone for the whole team, so there’s no words to be said about that, you just go out and do what you got to do.”
(What are some of your best memories as a player?) – “Well No. 1, getting drafted and still not really absorbing it, even right now. I still can’t believe that I got drafted in the first round for the Miami Dolphins. But my biggest thing is just meeting my teammates that are here right now and just being around them and having the greatest coach to ever coach draft you and have confidence in you. It means a lot and having one of the greatest defensive linemen, in ‘Mean Joe Greene,’ it means a lot.”
(How much has this fanbase meant to you the last few years? Have you heard from them the years, maybe see them at the stadium?) – “Well, I try to go incognito, but as big as I am… (laughter) A lot of people don’t even know. I can walk by people and they won’t know who I am, but some people do. It’s just great to know that people appreciate what you did.”
(I feel like I talked to you about wrestling once, you were a big wrestling fan. Did you ever consider how things might have gone if you tried professional wrestling?) – “I don’t know, it all would have depended on – I don’t know if some of you guys that were here remember Norman Hand. Me and Norm went to ICC (Itawamba Community College) together, Ole Miss together and he got drafted here. So me and Norm were big, big wrestling fans. So we considered wrestling if the football thing didn’t work out, but I’m glad it did. (laughter)”
(If my math is right, I think you only missed two games in your first nine years. How were you able to maintain that level of durability in such a high contact position?) – “A lot of beer. (laughter) I really can’t say, just good genes, I guess. The almighty just blessed me to stay healthy. It hurt me when I missed my last year, I really felt like I just let the team down. But those two games that I missed, it’s just really me being me, I can’t say what it was.”
(What are you doing nowadays? I think last time I talked to you, you were just kind of chilling.) – “Yeah, that’s it, that’s it. When you get your body beat up like that, I think you want to chill, right? (laughter) But I don’t just sit in the house all day on the TV or whatever, I get up and move around and do what I got to do. There’s always something to do, trust me.”
Monday, August 5, 2024
LB Emmanuel Ogbah
(It’s impressive how you were been able to just join an NFL camp at the start of camp and be so impactful early on. How difficult is it to motivate yourself to stay in the shape that you did when you’re not on a roster in May, June and parts of July?) – “I knew going in I had to stay ready for any call I was going to get. So I just stayed down here and stayed training, just stayed in shape, just ready. I’ve been in the league long enough to know how to be prepared.”
(Were there opportunities that Drew Rosenhaus presented to you throughout the offseason where you thought “Well, I’m not sure that’s quiet right? Let me just be a little more patient and see?”) – “Yeah, I definitely had options. I just wanted the right fit, the right environment. That’s kind of why I took so long too to sign with a team.”
(During the exit interviews, you were concerned about your playing time and it was something you wanted more of. Is that something you were able to talk to them about now? Obviously, it’s a different staff, too. Is that something that you were able to discuss with them?) – “Definitely the conversations came up. We have the same mindset. We talked to each other, me and Coach ‘Weav’ (Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver). He explained to me in detail what he expects of me and what I expect of him. I’m just ready to see how we put things out this season.”
(How much more suited to your skillset do you think this defense is?) – “I feel more comfortable in this defense. I’m not asked to do way too much, but I’m still learning the defense because I’m still kind of new. I’m just taking it one day at a time learning this defense.”
(How far along do you feel you are and how much more do you think you have to…?) – “I’m almost there, I’ll say that. I’m almost there. Just little things here and there I’ve just got to fix and correct, but I’m almost there.”
(How much was asked of you last year on defense?) – “It was just stuff like I’m not comfortable with that I was asked to do, but it’s all good. It’s a new year now, enough with the old.”
(What do you think of the camp of the guy that was just up here, LB Quinton Bell?) – “I knew ‘Q’ (Quinton Bell) last year. He’s a worker, he’s a grinder. I always knew he was going to take advantage of his opportunity. I’m just glad he’s getting noticed now like he is now.”
(There are obviously differences between the Josh Boyer defense and the Anthony Weaver defense. Is there enough alike where you think your comfort level ultimately with Anthony Weaver’s defense will be like you felt in Boyer’s defense?) – “Most definitely, it’s a little similar too so I feel more comfortable in this defense.”
(Are you looking forward to joint practices and just the excitement of playing against another team?) – “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Going against the same guys every day, you get tired of it. Now I’m looking for some new competition.”
(This pass rush had been off to a very good start in training camp without LB Bradley Chubb, without LB Jaelan Phillips. Why have you guys been so effective without the top two?) – “It’s just the mindset, the work we’ve put in. You know our guys are banged up right now, we’ve got to put in the effort, we got to work while we wait on them to get healthy. It’s a good group. Good close guys, we work well with each other and with the d-line as well. We’re just trying to be the best we can be right now.”
(Is there a guy on the Baltimore Ravens defense that you’ve been watching and saying maybe this is the type of guy I can play in as far as a role in Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s system?) – “I don’t know – when (Matthew) Judon was there, kind of a similar role what he played is what I’m going to be playing. There are definitely guys – Kyle Van Noy, he was here too. I spoke on the phone with him a few times. There’s definitely different pieces that I can play, like I play all over the line as well.”
(Not dropping into coverage as much, I’m guessing?) – “Hopefully. (laughter)”
(I think you came in for your workout Monday, July 22, two days after LB Shaq Barrett retired. Was there something General Manager Chris Grier said to you about reminding you that he was the guy who obviously had, among others, had a lot of faith and trust in you, gave you the big contract? Was there a moment you guys had that day where he reminded you, “I’ve always been a big fan?”) – “Like I’ve said before, I just felt like it’s unfinished business. I still have to come back; I still have a lot to prove here. I just felt like the job wasn’t done, and I’m just ready to go out there and give it my all again.”
(When we saw you at your best here, there were nine sack seasons, 12 pass breakups, batting down the balls at the line of scrimmage. How much do you feel like that player today?) – “It’s just – I’ve got a lot to prove. Last year wasn’t the best year for me mentally and physically, but I’m just excited to get back out there and do my job. Just doing the best I can to help this team win.”
(It was such a wild moment last year for the Chiefs game. Do you still keep in touch with Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston and all those guys that they brought in?) – “Oh, not really, but we follow each other on Instagram so I comment here and there on their pictures.”
Monday, August 5, 2024
LB Quinton Bell
(I wanted to get some background on your story if that’s OK. What positions did you play in high school?) – “In high school, I played a little bit of everything; receiver, I played corner, a little bit of safety, a little bit of outside linebacker.”
(And were you recruited by any of the larger schools? Obviously, you went to smaller school.) – “I had a few injuries my senior year coming out of high school early in the season, so I had a couple interests from a couple schools but didn’t wind up getting any scholarship offers out of high school.”
(Did anybody back away that was D1-A or D1-AA?) – “I had a couple schools come visit my high school – the Sacramento States, the San Diegos, those types of schools came and talked to me for a little bit, but ultimately no offers out of high school.”
(So I’ve been to University of Texas, University of Oregon, University of Florida, if I were to go to Prairie View A&M University, what might I see that’s a little different?) – “Just a smaller school. Smaller school, smaller facilities, little bit smaller stadium. While I was there, we did get a brand-new stadium, we did get brand-new locker room, brand-new weight room and things like that, so it definitely upgraded from my freshman year till now. But it’s a smaller school, HBCU, so D1-AA, but hey, PV man, PV you know. It was a blessing to be able to go there and like I said, it was a grind, but ultimately, I made it out and I’m happy about that.”
(Moving to edge rusher was obviously the right decision, who’s the person you want to give credit to most for that?) – “Todd Middleton. He was the one who basically called me. I was taking a nap in my dorm room one day and he called me and said, ‘Hey man, come in and talk to me.’ He said, ‘I want you to come edge rush,’ and really at the time it was a crazy request. I was a receiver, I was about 215 (pounds), lanky. But he started talking to me about opportunity, he started talking about the NFL and ultimately, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made to this day, for sure.”
(Last time we talked we were talking about the scout team camo jersey and then today you come up with the orange jersey. I’m just curious, can you reflect upon the last 9-10 months and how far you’ve come and what comes to mind?) – “It’s all my hard work. It’s always a wonderful feeling when feel like you’re coming out here and grinding every day, trying to get better and just leaving it all out there and that work is being noticed and appreciated. It only makes you want to go harder, so I come out here every day. That orange jersey is only the beginning. I want to continue to stack these days, continue to get better, continue to gain trust with these coaches, that’s my main goal.”
(To us you’ve been one of the surprise players of training camp. I’m wondering what others are telling you and what you feel you’ve done best in this camp?) – “I’m definitely getting a lot of great reviews, great reviews from my peers and people gaining respect and gaining that trust. I just feel like I’ve been flying around. I feel like I have a high motor, and I feel like the faster you play, plays come to you and you’re going to make plays just off playing fast. I definitely feel like my speed and my get off and those things are my strengths. So my main goal is just playing fast, letting the plays come to me, knowing my assignments and yeah, I’m flying around. That’s the main thing I’m doing, just flying around. I feel like I’m going to find the ball just off my speed and my ‘want to,’ my will and my motor, I’m going to make plays.”
(You were talking about Prairie View A&M University earlier. When you have T Terron Armstead, T Kion Smith and other HBCU guys, do you guys talk about that experience?) – “Oh of course. Of course, it’s always good. There’s only very few of us, but it’s always good when you have a couple guys that come from HBCUs on a team and they talk about the experience. A lot of people don’t know what it’s like to go to an HBCU and what it’s all about and what happens there, so it’s always good to have a couple guys on your team that have similar experiences like that coming out of college.”
(We saw Outside Linebackers Coach Ryan Crow throw on the pads today and do some jump sets with you guys. What does a hands-on coach like that do for you?) – “Ryan Crow is amazing. He’s definitely probably the best coach I’ve ever had. He’s just a very good teacher, and one thing that I really, really pride myself on is being coachable. I feel like to make a switch from receiver to defensive end, you have to be able to be coached. It’s such a drastic change, and so from Day 1 in college, I prided myself on being coachable. ‘I need to learn these drills, these techniques, take it to the field. Yeah, I’m fast, but that’s only going to get me so far. I got to get better at being a defensive end, not just an athlete.’ And I feel like Ryan Crow does a great job of just being a teacher, doing drills that translate to what we’re going to do in a game and real football, and I feel like I’m absorbing it very well. I feel like just from OTAs I’ve gotten so much better just off of the drills that he’s having us do.”
(From mid-January until the start of training camp, how often would you think about the fact that you knew this opportunity would come? Obviously with LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Bradley Chubb coming off injuries, that there would be a chance to not just make the team but earn playing time. Was that something that you thought about most days this offseason?) – “Oh yeah, absolutely. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think about it, but ultimately, I definitely knew that the opportunity was there. Either way it goes, no matter what opportunity was, no matter what the draft was, I was going to come in ready to play and ready to look like this and ready to fly around. It’s a blessing to be at the right place at the right time and really doing what I feel like I want to do in this training camp coming off of OTAs. Either way it goes, I was going to be ready. I’m just blessed to be in this position and have this opportunity.”
(Have you been looking forward to the joint practices and start making plays against opponents instead of just your teammates?) – “I’m very excited. It’s fun going against the Dolphins and this crazy offense that we have, but when you get to go against a different color and you get to really play real football against another team that’s so exciting. I can’t wait, I’m excited. My blood’s boiling for tomorrow.”
(How was your wide receiver career going?) – “It was alright. It was alright. You see I’m on defense now, so it wasn’t too much. (laughter) But I played for three years, I probably had one or two touchdowns in three years. I wasn’t going to get an opportunity in the NFL as a wide receiver and I knew that which is why I made the switch because I had nothing to lose. I didn’t want to look back and say, ‘You know what? I should have tried that, I could have maybe did something.’ No, I said, ‘I’m going to do it and if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,’ and here I am, so thank God.”
(I guess you were a physical receiver then for them to even consider you making that switch?) – “Yeah, I was a big receiver, like I said. I was probably like 215-220 (pounds) on a good day. I definitely had to put on some weight when I made the switch, but I think defense is where I was supposed to be.”
(I’m looking at your transaction history and there’s a lot of guys who have a list like this: drafted, waived, released, tryout, tryout, tryout, signed, activated, waived, signed, signed, waived – you get it, it goes on and on and on. A list this long, it’s one thing for me to talk about a list, what’s it like for you to live that?) – “I feel like my whole career, starting in college, has just been a grind. ‘Get it out the mud,’ as we say, and going through that has just made me stronger. It’s made me stronger; it’s made me work even harder. I love when people tell me ‘I can’t.’ I love when people tell me ‘No,’ because I’ve always known what I’m about and I’ve always known my skill set and what I can be. And I proved it in college, man. I had a great season playing one year of a position, and I know if I can do that, I can do anything. So I love the grind. I love the mud and I feel like ultimately, all the things I’ve been through in the NFL have just made me better and made me want it more.”
(Who here has given you confidence?) – “Everybody. Everybody, my peers, my coaches, just a feeling of knowing I have my coaches behind me, that I’m gaining the respect of my peers and my teammates on both sides of the ball, special teams as well, gaining that trust and that confidence. Everybody. Everybody is making me feel like I’m being noticed and that my work is being appreciated and noticed and they see me, and I’m going to keep going. I’m not going to stop now.”
Monday, August 5, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(What do you think of the prospect of adding to the tight end pass game production? This is one of the teams that didn’t score a touchdown from a tight end last year.) – “Just being able to come in early and be able to do what I do, make key plays, be an addition to the team and utilize my skillset and help us go a step further. So I’m excited to be here, excited for the opportunity. Just continuing to stack these days and collectively we’re all coming together building our identity as a team, and that starts with bringing your individual skillset to the team and contributing. That’s where we’re at now and so far, we’re making great strides with that.”
(What have you learned from Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree? He puts such an emphasis on blocking.) – “He’s the best that I’ve had. (Jon) Embree is a heck of a coach man and a better person. A ton of coaching experience, a ton of wisdom and knowledge that I can soak up and learn from him, a great guy to be around. That man’s name speaks volumes around here, so I’m excited to be a part of his room. I’m excited to learn and grow with him not only as a player, but as a person as well.”
(This team has talked about being more physical, more aggressive, I know that’s part of your game. What should that look like Tuesday and Wednesday against the Falcons?) – “We got to come and set the tone. It’s just that simple, come and set the tone. They’re coming in our house. We’ve been knocking each other’s heads off for the past couple of weeks, man. It’s time to just take it out on somebody else, and it just so happens to be them. We’ll handle that tomorrow.”
(Speaking of taking it to somebody else, you get to see some of your boys. Is there a player that you want to catch a pass over or run over?) – “(laughter) Listen man, I’ve been battling with those guys. They’ve got some good players on that side, but whoever lines up in front of me tomorrow, I’m treating it like I treat game day. It just is what it is. I’m excited about the opportunity, excited to go out, excited to let loose on these guys, excited to do it with this group of guys as well. One more sleep, one more sleep.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel made a great point about how your offense is only as versatile as your tight end, like your tight ends have such a big part of how many things a team could be versatility wise. What does that mean to you personally?) – “The tight end in any offense is really the guy that really creates the defense to move. That’s the adjuster. He’s usually the strength for the formation and he’s usually the guy going across the formation motioning across and shifting, just moving all over the place. That causes the defense to move, that causes the defense to adjust. If you got a guy that’s already giving the defense headaches and when you go out and he has a certain skillset that’s hard to defense you got a lot of problems on Sunday. That’s why I love playing the position. Just being able to use my advantage against teams and it’s part of the reason why I’m going into my eighth year in the NFL. Glad to be doing it with (Head Coach) Mike McDaniel calling the plays, man. He’s a hell of a coach, hell of a play caller. So just excited with everything we got in front of us.”
(We’ve seen you take reverses, line up all over the place. How many different positions do you think you’ve played this past month?) – “Everything, whatever I’m called to do. He’s going to utilize me to my skillset. That’s why I’m so excited about being here. I’ve been in offenses where my talent has been utilized and underutilized, so it’s good to be back on this side of it.”
(When does this offense become second nature to you as a first-year player in it?) – “I’ve been in this system – it’s kind of a West Coast style system – for a while now. Going back with Arthur Smith and Matt LaFleur, I’ve been in this offense for a while now, so it’s a lot of familiar terms, a lot of the same schemes, just different ways of dressing it up, different ways they’re dressing it up. So learning – already having an idea of what we’re trying to do makes it a lot easier, so just continuing honing on this playbook and establishing my role in it, just attacking it every day, every night. Whether it be in these meetings or these walk-throughs, already a couple of weeks in everything is coming in a lot slower. It can only get better from here on out.”
(What would constitute a good season for you personally?) – “Just make sure my skillset is known and that these guys know that I came here and brought what they expected. I’ve been a guy that’s been dynamic with the ball in my hands for my entire career. If I come out and continue to do what I do and do it with the ability that I’ve been blessed that I’ve worked on my entire career, good things are going to happen for this team.”
(What do you think are some of the creative ways to get you the ball?) – “Can’t spill all the beans right now man. Can’t spill all the beans. But no, like you said man, you alluded to it earlier, (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) is phenomenal at drawing things up for guys of a certain skillset. Again, I’m excited about everything that he’s got coming for us.”
Monday, August 5, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We haven’t seen LB Jordyn Brooks or LB Anthony Walker Jr. in a few days. Are they injured and do you expect them to miss some time?) – “Both dealing with something different but they’re on their way back. When that is, I’m not going to hurt their timetable by boldly stating, but it’s not something I’m worried about. That’s a very competitive group, so as they’ve been working their way back, there’s some invaluable reps for the rest of the crew. So it’s been good and they’ll be back sooner than later.”
(What about S Jordan Poyer? Same question for him?) – “Yeah, dealing with something as well but he’s been very active and the safeties have stepped up in his absence. We will see him again.”
(Two leaders of this team, QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill, got financial paydays over the past couple of weeks. How do you think that resonates down to the rest of the team in the locker room to see their high-end guys, their top guys get paid like that?) – “Well, I was thrown off by your question originally, because I heard two liters as in like quantity of liquid. But now that I have the rest of the context – leaders – I think that it’s a cool part of the process. I think the team appreciates the some of the best players we have on our team and really want them here. So when contracts are agreed upon, you have a little more stability and a little more known, so that’s exciting. But I think the team has really responded to how the aforementioned players have responded to those types of things, in terms of understanding that as much as that it’s an accomplishment in itself, the bigger goals and where they want their careers to be, what they want their careers to be known for, is through the team. I’ve seen it even more investment into the team, by all the players that have had new contracts. And I think that goes a long way.”
(Just to kind of branch off of what you said, you’ve been around a few guys who have received big paydays. What is the commonality and like the next step forward that creates success for both them and the team?) – “I think what’s been exciting from the team standpoint, I think that’s what the team is excited about, is you do have one or two directions. It’s generally not same as you have the negative way, which we’re not experiencing, or you have players respond to that investment with really what comes along with that in terms of the devotion to the team. Quite frankly, if you’re a big piece of the salary cap and you’re trying to be a good team, that piece should be spent wisely. There’s different leadership things that you’re capable of doing that I’ve really seen guys seize the moment and step up their investment, so that they can be the reason why – you want to be a reason why you win, not win in spite of someone. So I think that it’s been really exciting to watch our team develop as there’s been a lot of individual talk. There’s probably been more individual talk than years past, and the reaction has been more team investment and more self-sacrifice, really, across the board by this team, so it’s been exciting.”
(Last year, we heard a lot about CB Jalen Ramsey’s involvement with the team as an injured player, I’m curious if you can describe the impact he’s had as a player on the field during training.) – “I said a lot of very nice things about it, because it was very – I’ve never seen or I hadn’t seen up to that point a player involve himself as much as (Jalen) Ramsey did while he was hurt. That being said, he’s more impactful when he’s not hurt, and I think he’s comfortable with me saying that. I’ve challenged a lot of guys and there’s been kind of a theme where the first step is expressing what you want or talking, but the most important step that really makes honest words of your proclamations are your actions. So Jalen both put it upon himself to verbally set the tonality and then follow through with – I mean, every day he makes probably – he’s on a heater right now, probably the last five practices he’s done something that I hadn’t seen a player at his position do. So that is probably the most important thing is your actions and the way you’re trying to contribute to the team. Jalen knows that he can have as big of impact as anyone on the team with the type of player he is. He’s taken that extremely serious and has been a very intense participator in training camp practices for contract questions.”
(Another contract question if I could. S Jevón Holland seems like the only one of that big group you had a year or two ago that were coming towards an extension. Has there been progress with him? Is S Jevón Holland someone that’s part of your long-term plans?) – “I love Jevón (Holland). Jevón has been working on his game like he always does, but he’s having a really good camp and really taken to the scheme. That’s where my expertise lies, which is why fortunately for me, I chose coaching as a career path. I did not jump alongside (General Manager) Chris Grier in the front office portion of football for a reason; I’ll let him go through that process. He’s an invaluable member to Dolphins and I’m excited to see him progress today. Then beyond that, in terms of timetables, and conversations, man, that dude is working all the time. I know it’s on his plate, where that is, I try to focus my attention on the stuff that he’s depending on me to focus.”
(What might we notice, because we won’t talk to you before tomorrow’s joint practice, what might we notice about how you and Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris have decided to structure things and what you might like to accomplish in the two joint practices?) – “I think you’re going to see a couple teams that are really excited to play against someone else. We are at that time of training camp where it is tough sledding in terms of you’ve used all of your moves and your counters. So it’ll be a breath of fresh air, I think in regards to Raheem Morris, one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever worked with, very impactful one for me because of his defensive prowess. I was able to work with him on the offensive side of the ball as well – was in both Washington and Atlanta with him, so we go way back. In joint practices where you have extensive working history with the other head coach, I think it’s a little bit easier in terms of the flow of practice, there’s more similarities to the flow practice to your normal practice, because of just our paths and what we believe in. I think you’re going to see two hungry teams trying to establish who they are and practicing while being able to protect each other, it should be pretty intense. It’ll be fun one. So I’m excited to see Raheem and all the new bells and whistles that he has schematically. It should be a challenge.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa talked about his relationship and gave a lot of credit to Quarterbacks/Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell. Can you talk a little bit about what you see behind the scenes with the relationship that they’ve had now a couple years together and all the credit that goes into building that relationship?) – “Well there’s not many relationships more important to the Miami Dolphins and the fan base than that of Tua (Tagovailoa) and Coach (Darrell) Bevell really, because it’s the ultimate trust that you have to build on a daily basis and that you have to maintain on a daily basis. At that position, I think the work that they’ve done together, I would attribute to the continued progression of Tua’s game directly correlates to their work and how – case in point, you feel like you almost see a newer, more glistening version of Tua every single time we step out to a to a new phase. Whether that be a Phase 2 or a training camp – every year, that’s been the case. So I think that is a connective relationship that’s very important. There’s only one way to really establish a relationship like that and that’s pure investment on both sides. And very proud of how they continue to attack with pride Tua’s his game and Coach Bevell’s ownership in his game. I’m happy that they get to hang out every day, and I think Coach Bevell’s sense of humors really helped develop Tua’s sense of humor. That’s a behind the scenes thing – he’s got a lot of jokes. Oh, he does. Maybe next time you guys talk to him ask Coach Bevell to tell you some jokes – low key hilarious.”
(Is there something – a question out in left field a little – that you appreciate in your third year as an NFL head coach about the job that you didn’t know or that stands out that you didn’t know coming into it?) – “You know, I’ve talked about understanding the servitude, and I really got a sense in Year 3, you have a more supreme humility to the job, from my perspective, in terms of you get the job and everything – you’re always working around how everything’s orchestrated. You’re adjusting to the different needs of the job to the different people that you affect, but then you still have that, I don’t know, ambition or you’re a little naive enough to think that you can do more on your own than I think you really capable of. I think I have a strong sense of truly how dependent I am on all of the people in the building for the building to move in one direction. I think the relationship aspect and how people bond I have a firmer appreciation for, and overall, it is very, very humbling just because at this point in my life, I almost can do nothing by myself. Almost nothing. I still can work a microwave, and I can fill my car tank up with gas, but outside of that, I need a lot of help for everything I do.”
(You spoke a little bit about it with the joint practices, but kind of talk to us a little bit more about how important these are for the team’s development getting closer to the first preseason game?) – “I think it’s an opportunity to start defining who you are in concrete as a team, some of the things like how you handle adversity, the standard with which you play football and practice football, they really come into focus when you get that first opportunity to practice against someone. This practice week, every year we’ve had the opportunity to cross train against another opponent. I think the preseason games and practice have their own areas of extreme importance for younger guys. The game and the things that come with going into an NFL stadium and your assignments and hearing calls and being able to execute your techniques and fundamentals like you do in practice, there’s a stronger importance on those games. For veteran guys, practice can be as the best dress rehearsal – intersquad practices can be the best dress rehearsal for games because you have the most true scheme that you’re really executing that you may not unfold to the rest of the league when you when you do preseason games. You have a little more – there’s just more football from a schematic standpoint that are closer along the lines to the regular season, and I think that not being able to tackle allows for people to play at a speed where they can let it go and it’s more closely associated to NFL game speed. Those types of things you can’t replicate in the preseason necessarily, and some guys aren’t even playing in those because of that the tackle portion of it. So we get a lot of value out of it. I’m looking forward to this particular joint practice because this particular team seems thirsty to define themselves and it gives them an opportunity to within the locker room. So it should be real fun and we’ll probably wish it was hotter.”
(A housekeeping thing to close the loop on QB Tua Tagovailoa and his contract. You had told us you weren’t going to get involved in it, the Tua tells the story, you went to somebody, management, and said, “We’ve got to get this done.” What was it about that moment? Is that accurate? And what was it about that moment?) – “I think there’s a consistency and uniformity from our organization when you’re talking about entering into and progressing through contracts of that magnitude. I think people know that I stated very clearly from the onset that my belief in the player, and I think that belief was held supremely through the organization. I think it was probably a little glorified, so to speak, in terms of like, me kicking the door down or anything. I think anytime I was asked, through the whole process from the beginning, middle and end, everybody from (General Manager) Chris (Grier) to (Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner) Steve (Ross) to (Senior Vice President Of Football & Business Administration) Brandon Shore to (Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) Tom Garfinkel knew where I stood. I had the consistency of stance and I held it through the whole time, but I think that it was an organizational process more than anything, because we wouldn’t have been on the final doorsteps if everyone wasn’t in likeminded fashion, really excited to get that contract finalized so we can move forward and focus on the team, which will be the only thing no contract, no one’s going to care about those things in December. I think our players who are receiving contracts understand that, which is why we’re focused on what we will look like in December.”
(Did you put in a good word to kind of get the deal across the goal line?) – “I mean, I’m an exuberant guy that really stands behind his beliefs. I don’t think they needed to hear me say the same thing over and over, but I probably said the same thing over and over. Like I said, there’s a lot of people that were working on that deal that that should get high fives. You can just give me a nod, because I’m not the – let’s just say I was very excited for it to be done and I was very excited to start fielding questions like these because I’m only thinking about the team. Oh, wait, I’m still answering them. No, it’s all good guys. (laughter).”
