DT Christian Wilkins
(We didn’t want to ask you last week – can we ask you now? Brady vs. Belichick?) – “That doesn’t have nothing to do with me, so I’ll just leave that one alone. (laughter)”
(Not that you’re a doctor, but I know Head Coach Brian Flores is saying we’re hopeful with DT Raekwon Davis this week, we’ll see how practice goes. How did he look today lining up with you, if you could?) – “Again yeah, I’m no expert. I’m no doctor or anything like that. I’ll leave all that up to coaches and whoever makes those decisions. But it’s always good to have Raekwon (Davis). That’s my little brother. I like to pick on him. I like to put him in headlocks and stuff and make fun of him. He makes practice a lot more fun.”
(You pick on Raekwon?) – “Yeah. (laughter) He’s the little brother. I don’t care what he says. He’s the little brother. I’ll put him in his place, put him in a headlock, all that good stuff.”
(How does that usually end when he’s in the headlock?) – “Oh, you can ask him, but he knows I’m winning that matchup every time. It’s just the big brother effect. (laughter)”
(In years past, Cam Wake used to always say if you want to get to QB Tom Brady, make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Whether you’ve watched games or what you’ve seen on film, is there still a way to make him uncomfortable because he has a couple steps and he has a quick release?) – “Yeah, I definitely feel like that’s an accurate statement, but it’s definitely difficult. You see watching the tape, you see why many consider Tom Brady to be the GOAT. There’s just so many things he does throughout the course of the game that are just different than what a lot of people do, but we’re excited for the challenge. This is a game you tell your grandkids about. Not necessarily a game, but playing someone of Tom Brady’s stature and things like that. Well shoot, at this rate, he might play my grandkids. (laughter) But yeah, he’s definitely a special talent and we’re excited for the matchup.”
(If I could follow up, have you personally seen any of QB Tom Brady slowing down at all?) – “It’s interesting because you definitely hear sometimes like people are like, ‘oh he’s slowing down.’ People have been saying he’s slowing down for five years, but I don’t really see it much. He just keeps winning and keeps doing great things and he’s continued to be the player he’s always been.”
(Going back to the last three games, is there anything in particular that you have seen on video that’s sort of a common denominator as to why you guys haven’t been able to get a win?) – “It’s just doing the little things consistently right. That’s one thing I’ve learned in my time in my NFL, is just consistency. If you want to be good at anything, it’s just being consistent. So I’m not saying that we haven’t been doing good things. It’s just doing them always and being consistent, like I said, so making those plays, just doing all the little things right.”
(Speaking to Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer yesterday about how you’ve had success this year getting into the backfield and one of the things he talked about was hand placement, which maybe you can help me teach me a little bit about hand placement and what the key factors are and how it can actually dramatically impact whether a play for you is successful or unsuccessful?) – “You want to come up here and I’ll show you? (laughter) Nah, I’m just teasing. But no, that’s something I definitely try to work on and I’ve noticed that’s been something I can improve on – the coaches as well – so that’s just something I honed in on in the offseason. The coaches hit on that. Not just me, but all the d-linemen. It’s all about hand placements and getting your hands on them and putting them in the right spots so then you can take care of just the fundamentals and techniques and things like that, so that’s something I just try to work on every day and just focus on that. That’s definitely one of the areas of improvement.”
(The other point that Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer made was that he believes you’ve been very committed to film study. How has the way you study film changed, if at all, since you entered the league?) – ”It’s just a combination of things really. Yes, film study, but just confidence, understanding the scheme – where you can take your chances, where you can’t. It’s a multitude of things. But yeah, like understanding things more – again, more confidence. And sometimes things just slow down or it just feels different, so that definitely does help.”
(What’s the best piece of advice you could give your rookie self if you did that now?) – “It would definitely be something that just John Jenkins says all the time, is just ‘stick to the process and enjoy the process.’ He’s been around for a while and that’s always what he says and that’s something that always resonates with me and I just hear like yeah, the dog days, the good days, the bad days – just enjoy it. We’re playing this game and it’s work to us, but it’s still a game at the end of the day, so just enjoy it all, take it all in and just enjoy it.”
(Did it seem a little more tedious when you were a rookie when the tougher times came?) – “Again, I have perspective now and things like that so again, my mindset is different, so I can always still enjoy it more it now in a sense because I was just a wet-behind-the-ears rookie. But now I’m definitely more experienced and like I said, I can enjoy the process more.”
(You mentioned taking chances. What are some of the factors that you’re constantly considering when making that choice?) – “It’s just really what you see on film, what you see in practice and then just having confidence in yourself to just go do it. Like when you’re going to take a chance, when you’re going to take a shot, don’t just halfway pull the trigger. Like shoot the shot and hopefully good things happen.”
(In what ways are you guys emphasizing and really how do you emphasize not beating yourself this week? How can you implement that more so than you had been in the past?) – “Yeah, it’s definitely something we talk about and we have just a bunch of different drills and just situational things that we emphasize during practice just like ‘all right, this is an opportunity where this is the situation.’ Like let’s be locked in, let’s focus in on it. Let’s not beat ourselves. This is where this is winning football. This is the time to make a play. This is the time to lock in a little bit more. Not that you’re not locked in the whole game, but this is the time to go the extra mile. So just things like that and it’s really a mindset that we’ve got to create.”
CB Nik Needham
(We didn’t see CB Byron Jones, which is why I asked DB Jason McCourty about corner. For you, on days when Byron is not there like today, do you spend more time on the boundary in addition to playing in slot?) – “Nah, it just depends on what the gameplan is for the week. Sometimes I’ll play more in the slot, sometimes I’ll play more on the outside. It doesn’t really have to do with who’s out or who’s in when it comes to where I’m playing at.”
(So your workflow today was as it would be even if CB Byron were here? Some at slot, some outside?) – “Correct.”
(Do you feel equally good at both? You’ve done both well, right?) – “Yes sir, yup.”
(Last Sunday, you were playing well in the slot position and then when CB Byron Jones got hurt, I didn’t know if they were going to slide you outside or go with CB Justin Coleman outside. Did you know or did you have to find out that you were staying in the slot?) – “Nah, we just found out in the game. It’s just a quick adjustment. We don’t want people going back and forth. That was just the decision made and we just played through it.”
(What are some of the nuances of playing nickel as opposed to on the boundary? If you’re in the slot, what are some of the things that you are looking out for more?) – “That’s different? In the slot, they have the whole field to work. They can go all the way inside or they can go all the way outside or they can go all the way inside and then break back outside. On outside, you really only have the sideline. Just from the numbers to the sideline, that’s where most of the routes are going down, or in-breaking routes. In the slot, there’s just so much more space you have to work. You have to know where your help is coming from. Just knowing that part of the game is a little tougher and it’s a lot more speedier guys and quick guys in the slot rather than the big, taller-type receivers like DeVante’s (Parker) type on the outside.”
(Are there any former cornerbacks that play in the slot that you look at that do that job really well?) – “Nah, I have not watched anything like that. The only corner I really studied a lot is Darrelle Revis. That was my favorite cornerback.”
(You were on this team last year that started 1-3. Do you find similarity in the situations from the way you guys were able to win that game in San Francisco last year and then this coming game?) – “I think that was a coming together game. I think the games last year when we lost were just like this year, beating ourselves. It’s not like the team just outplayed us. We have too many little, minor mistakes that end up having a big impact on the game. Just focusing on deleting those this week and going out there and competing and see who’s the better team. I think that will help us out.”
(There are so many talented quarterbacks in the NFL, but if you had to say one thing that seems to be especially unique, and I know he’s good at everything, about QB Tom Brady, what might be the one thing?) – “I think the one quality that I see, that everybody sees, is that he wins. He went from the Patriots then went right to Tampa Bay and went right to the Super Bowl. To me, I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I have a lot of respect for his game. I always have. I don’t understand why people don’t like him as a player. He’s one of the greatest of all time. I think that’s just what it is. Like J-Mac (Jason McCourty) was saying, his winning mentality. I think that’s what separates him and let him play for 22 years.”
(Have you noticed anything about QB Tom Brady’s willingness to throw into tight windows this season?) – “Not as far as tight windows but I see that he trusts his arm. He’s going to throw it on time, maybe that’s what you’re talking about. He throws it on time and believes his receiver is going to make the play and that he can get in there quick enough. I think we will have to be right on our breaks. We have to be on key – no miss-fall steps or anything like that in order to make a play on the ball.”
(With that said, what is it like facing a passer like that?) – “Just like I said, you can’t have any mistakes on your end. No false-steps, no slipping down or anything like that because you never know. He’s going to make a lot of mistakes also, like J-Mac (Jason McCourty) was saying. You can’t afford to make any mistakes versus him.”
(What are your thoughts on Tampa’s Receiving group? Good group, WR Antonio Brown, etc. What problems do they pose?) – “They all bring a different skillset. Mike Evans is a real big-bodied receiver. (Chris) Godwin has big size but is also fast. Antonio Brown, an 11-year vet. He’s been playing well for 11 years. They all bring a little different stuff. Antonio is a little quicker and Mike Evans is obviously a jump ball-type guy. You just got to have a different gameplan for each receiver and how you approach them when you line up against them in a game.”
(I was going to ask you about your comment that some people don’t like QB Tom Brady as a player. Do you think it’s just because he wins so much or does he need better PR?) – “Maybe, I guess. Ain’t nothing wrong with winning too much.”
TE Mike Gesicki
(What’s the mood like getting back on the practice field? Is there a little bit of a sense of urgency just to kind of turn things around?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think we had a good day at practice. Like you said, a sense of urgency. A lot of leaders on the team stepped up and got the guys together and were ready to flip the page. It’s a new week and we’re ready for another opportunity.”
(You were on this team last year that started 1-3, and you won the San Francisco game that a lot of people didn’t think you were going to win. After that, you ran off some consecutive wins. Do you feel something similar could happen?) – “It’s tough to say, comparing this year to last year. All I know is we have an opportunity to go play Tampa Bay. They are a very good football team. We have to continue to stack good days together. Today we had one. It’s easy to go out there after a loss and have a good Wednesday. You’ve got to stack more. You’ve got to go Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Saturday night leading into Sunday and then go out and execute on Sunday. That’s the most important one. Right now, we have an opportunity and we’ve just got to continue to stack good days on each other.”
(What’s the overlying message that the team leaders wanted to get across?) – “Just a sense of urgency, trust, belief and then just confidence to go out and make plays. We’ve got a lot of talent, and we’ve just got to be able to utilize it.”
(What is your belief right now relative to the offense’s ability to create chunk plays as they say, downfield plays, big plays, on Sunday? I know statistics can lie, but the Bucs are ranked last in passing yards allowed. How much belief do you have that Sunday will create an opportunity for big passing plays?) – “I think like you said, statistics can be a big misleading thing. They’ve got a lot of talented players between (Antoine) Winfield and (Jordan) Whitehead in the back. I know they just got Richard Sherman. They’ve got guys on the front in (Jason) Pierre-Paul and (Ndomukong) Suh and the ‘backers (Lavonte) David and (Devin) White. The list goes on and on. They have plenty of talented players out there. It’s going to be a great challenge for us and one that we’re looking forward to it.”
(What does it mean if there is no struggle there is no progress?) – “I think that you learn through your struggles. If everything is easy and it comes easy and you don’t ever go through tough times, you don’t learn through adversity. Me personally, in my career, both dating back to college, and now as a professional, nothing worthy is ever going to come easy. I think that if you continue to put your head down and keep working, and like I said just stack good days on each other, good things are going to turn out eventually.”
(From your perspective, what are some of the good things this team has been able to do in the last three weeks?) – “I think we’ve done a lot of good things. I think on offense, really it just takes one play. I think you saw that in the fourth quarter. We got one first down, before you know it, we’re on the ball and we got down the field in three or four plays and scored a touchdown. I think you stack good plays on each other like that. I think on defense we’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve done a great job of forcing turnovers and putting us in a good position. We have to be able to capitalize. Then I think we have a great special teams unit. You’ve just got to be able to play complementary football throughout the course of the game just a little more consistently. Like I said, we have 13 more opportunities to do so.”
(What have you or would you say to QB Jacoby Brissett going into his third consecutive start relative to from a receiver’s perspective?) – “Honestly, keep doing what you are doing. I think Jacoby is doing a great job. He’s keeping plays going with his feet, he’s getting guys lined up, he’s being a great leader, he’s talking through routes with guys at practice, how he wants you to do a specific route, how he wants to spot up versus this look. I think he’s done a good job of putting the ball out and letting guys make plays. That’s just hoiw this game works. On Sundays, obviously things happen. The other team, they are getting paid to make plays too. At times, he’s going to be pressured. He’s going to get rushed out of the pocket. And I think he’s done a good job handling it all. Then when he does have time, he’s sticking in there and putting a good ball on guys.”
(You mentioned the offense clicking at the end of the game this past game. We also saw it at the end of the Raiders game. For three-and-a-half quarters, I guess the offense was still struggling. Have you picked up anything on how to avoid these slow starts?) – “I think it’s really just the flow of the game, honestly. Like I said, these guys are getting paid to make plays too and they are making plays. We have to be able to come out and start faster. I’m not focused on the Colts anymore, the Vegas, the Patriots, all of that stuff is in the past. I’m looking forward to Tampa this week.”
DB Jason McCourty
(How did QB Tom Brady make you better?) – “I would say just competing against him every day. That guy is the definition of greatness. The preparation he puts in, the excellence he approaches the game with, his ability to go out there and get things right the first time around. When you compete against that, you have to bring your A-game every day. The intensity that he brings to work, whether that’s in meeting rooms or that’s at practice – it’s Tom Brady. When you go up against him, you know if you don’t deliver your best, he’s going to embarrass you.”
(This morning I asked Head Coach Brian Flores, how hard it is to confuse QB Tom Brady. He was like you can’t. You can’t confuse Tom Brady. When you go out there, you can obviously do your best, right? Can you explain that preparation for me when you’re going up against him?) – “He’s seen two decades of defenses. I remember I got a chance to play for Dick LeBeau in Tennessee and he was standing in front of the room and we talked about fire zones, and he would say, ‘Well when I first created this defense,’ or he’d say, ‘I’ve played against or I’ve watched every single play that’s every single play that has ever come across the NFL.’ Obviously, Tom is not to that point yet. (laughter) But a guy that has seen that much football, it is very hard to confuse him. It’s up to us as a defense to not make it easy on him, give him different looks and do things that you possibly can make him uncomfortable. That’s what we are going to prepare to do all week and when we get out there on Sunday, we have to execute it.”
(Historically the Dolphins have 27 interceptions against QB Tom Brady, the most by any NFL team. You’ve been around him. Is it more anticipating what he could do or is a mistake that he could commit to come up with that pick?) – “He’s human, so there’s going to be times where you may get a chance to make a play. When you’ve reached his level of success, it just doesn’t happen often. It’s up to you as a defense that if those opportunities do present themselves, you have to take advantage of them. Whether that’s just making a play and making a good decision but you just going out there and outfighting somebody for the ball to come down with it. Maybe you confuse him on a certain play and you were able to get him. It’s a football game, so you still have to go out there and play on Sunday. We don’t want to go into the game thinking it’s going to be impossible to make a play against this guy. We have to go out there and execute well and when our plays and our opportunities happen, we have to take advantage of them.”
(Did you work at all at corner today or are you still at safety?) – “Do you guys get to watch practice?”
(The first 10 minutes.) – “Then I don’t know. (laughter)”
(If you had to play corner again, obviously you’ve done it all your life, it must be like putting on a shoe. Is there any adjustment just because you’ve been at safety entirely the last six weeks?) – “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anybody compare playing cornerback in the NFL to putting on a shoe. (laughter).”
(It would be a lot harder for me, but you’re a natural at it.) – “Definitely an adjustment. You guys, you’ve watched and you’ve studied this game for a long time. What a cornerback has to do versus what a safety has to do is drastically different. The play in and play out ability to match somebody at the line of scrimmage, run with them down the field and make a play on the ball versus being able to stand back there and survey the whole field, communication, are two totally different positions. Definitely if somebody has to move from corner to safety or safety to corner, or any position, if you’re moving from guard to tackle, if you’re moving to a different position, it is always going to be an adjustment and a different set of thinking that goes into the position.”
(What might you tell a youngster, especially a rookie, like S Jevon Holland about the mindset approach, pregame and in-game, that he might want to keep in mind when facing a legend, an icon, and someone he’s seen on TV?) – “Don’t make the moment bigger than what it is. At the end of the day, it’s still a football game. Jevon is a guy asking questions during the week, during the game, on the sideline and he already has the right approach to the game. He’s had the right approach for the past four weeks and I would tell him to continue to prepare and do the things he’s been doing since the start of the season. You go against Tom, maybe you want to prepare a little harder. I’m not going to tell you not to do that. But just continue to approach the game the same way he has. Work on your disguises, work on different things, watch film and just prepare the same way. Don’t make the moment any bigger than what it is. It’s a football game and we want to go out there and execute to win.”
(Talking about the young players, what have you told the guys in the locker room about this game? As media, we can think that guys are more motivated to play against QB Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions and all of that. What do you say to them?) – “I don’t even think for us as a team right now, and as an organization, that it’s a focus on Tampa Bay or Tom Brady. We’ve just lost three straight games. I think regardless of who’s on our schedule for this week, it’s very important that we have a sense of urgency to go out there and get a win on Sunday because we have been on the wrong side of the score for the past three weeks. That’s not a good feeling and we know in this league, it’s about production and it’s about wins and losses. Just for us as a team and as an organization, we want to do everything we possibly can, regardless who’s on the side of the field, to make sure that we come out of Sunday with a victory.”
LB Sam Eguavoen
(The biggest challenge to a QB Tom Brady-led offense you would point to? What is the biggest concern this week outside of what Tom does?) – “The biggest thing is just not focusing on what’s happened these first four games or whatever and just focusing on the next game. At the end of the day, it’s the NFL. Any given Sunday, anything can happen. But we can’t come into the game already beating ourselves for what our record is showing because going against a good team, if we’re not at the utmost confidence going into that game, it isn’t going to look good for us.”
(I know every year is different, different players and a different team, but you guys did start 1-3 last year and were able to win five-straight games and turn it around. Is there anything that you personally think that you can take away or the team can take away from last year’s turnaround?) – “Honestly, we’re not even looking at last year because every year is so different. You may still have the same core guys from last year but anything can happen. Divisions change, play-calling changes, there are a lot of changes. Just as a team, player-wise, we just can’t get rattled and what we did last year, this is what we did because it may not work with this team’s chemistry. Everything is different. Like ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) says, we just have to take it one day at a time, one meeting at a time and just keep working. That’s really the only answer to this. As long as we just keep working.”
(You’ve played against QB Tom Brady twice already your first year here, what goes into preparing for the best quarterback of all time? How excited are you as a player to get to defend against somebody like that?) – “It’s like a game of chess, you just can’t beat yourself. He’s been playing for two decades or whatever and he’s seen every single defense known to mankind. If we’re in a Cover 3 or whatever you’re in, everybody has to do their job. At the end of the day, when the ball is up in the air, it is me versus you. Tom Brady can’t control me versus this running back in coverage or whatever, or this defensive end versus that tackle. All he’s going to do is get the ball where he thinks it’s supposed to go. We just can’t beat ourselves and I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing these first four games. We’ve been pretty much beating ourselves and giving the other team opportunities.”
(Does a tackle after a QB Tom Brady completion, a tipped pass from Brady or anything coming against him, does it mean a little bit more because it’s who he is?) – “Not really. Unless they say, ‘Hey, if you get a sack on Tom Brady, I’m going to give you three million dollars.’ (laughter) A tackle is a tackle in the stat book. It doesn’t have an asterisk on Tom Brady. (laughter)”
(You don’t want that picture? You’re not going to post that picture on Instagram?) – (laughter) “Yeah, I’m going to post it and tag him. Nah man, a tackle is a tackle and a sack is a sack.”
(Three million would be nice too.) – “Oh yeah, for sure. (laughter)”
(How much are you enjoying what seems to be carved as a niche for you relative to attacking the quarterback? It seems like you’re really aggressively embracing that. What’s it like?) – “It’s fun. You just get to zero in on this one, specific job and do it to the best of your ability. The best of your ability is always to, after this play, it should be a sack. Not by me but somebody on this front four or front five, we’re sacking that quarterback or getting the sack, fumble or touchdown. Being able to feel that you can control the game up front, right there. I like the position I’m in with this team. I appreciate all the coaches for giving me a chance.”
(Did you feel like going back to practice today there was a renewed sense of, ‘Hey let’s bounce back.’ Kind of an urgency to the vibe in the locker room?) – “Yeah, we knew going into the week something was going to have to change. Our mindset was going to have to change but our work ethic was always still whatever the standard is ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) set and even higher than what the standard is that he sets. I think it was just each player looking at themselves in the mirror and asking themselves, ‘Why do I want to be here? Am I going hard? Am I doing the most that I can to my full ability? Am I watching enough film?’ From our record, I’m guessing a lot of us weren’t going as hard as we should. This week, we just have to turn it around. No matter what the outcome of the game is, I want to make sure I put my best foot forward and then we just go from there.”
(You said change your mindset, what does that mean? What was the mindset before and what do you want it to be this week? I know you say look in the mirror but as a group, as a collective what does that mean to change the mindset?) – “The beginning mindset of the football season is you don’t know. Everybody’s record is 0-0. You work your tail off all training camp, going to the game and then you win. You really don’t know anything until adversity hits. Everybody changes when adversity hits. You just got to up your game and go harder. Maybe you skipped a rep in the weight room last week, maybe that’s the reason why you didn’t stop him on third-and-1. You never know. The eye in the sky never lies. My thing is, I know the man upstairs is always watching me. If he was down here watching me, I’d be going hard every single play so I can’t ever forget somebody is always watching so don’t ever cheat nothing. Don’t cheat the grind.”
WR DeVante Parker
(Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey told us yesterday that they have to get the ball to you more earlier in games. Has that been something that’s been talked about? A message delivered to you this week that you’ve heard from coaches?) – “Yeah, they told me the same thing. Really we just need to get the ball going to anyone, really. Just execute the play they give us and that’s what it comes down to really – just getting that first play in and keep the drive going.”
(If you had to pick someone to replace WR Jakeem Grant as a character in the cartoon who might be eligible for your cartoon? Who might be a good choice?) – “(laughter) Somebody on the team?”
(Yeah, who would be a good cartoon character for that?) – “Probably say Kirk Merritt. Probably Kirk, yeah. (laughter)”
(We don’t know WR Kirk Merritt very well. What’s his personality like?) – “Kirk (Merritt) – he’s a laid-back kind of guy. He’s funny though. I’d say Kirk would be that guy. Laid-back, funny. Cool guy to be around.”
(I’m assuming you’re going to miss having WR Jakeem Grant around.) – “Oh yeah, most definitely, but it’s business and I wish the best for him. I hope he does well out there and we’ve got to keep going.”
(I know how close you guys are. Was that sort of an emotional or different conversation you had with him yesterday after the trade?) – “No, it was a good convo. Just like I said, happy for him. He’s getting an opportunity and wish the best for him.”
(How would you describe kind of your comfort level with QB Jacoby Brissett right now?) – “Yeah, I’m very comfortable with him. Certain routes, he sees things. We talk. We talk about it during that period or something in practice. Talk about what he sees and what he wants me to do and we just talk about little things like that, just staying on the same page.”
(So you kind of excel at making contested catches, whether you’re three yards away from somebody or if they’re in your jersey. How would you describe kind of the art of the jump ball and the art of the contested catch?) – “I don’t know, you just catch the ball. That’s it. You’ve got to just focus hard on it, just come down with it, when it comes down to it. I never really actually practice jumping ever. It just happens.”
(There’s no tells? You don’t look at whoever’s guarding you, look at their footwork?) – “No, I just go and attack it. That’s it, just attack the football. There isn’t much to it.”
(It comes pretty naturally to you?) – “Yeah.”
(You’ve seen it all. You’ve seen it all during your time here. What’s something that you can take away from this start that lets you know things might turn around?) – “We were in the same position last year and we went on a little streak towards the end a little bit last year, so I’m very confident in what we can do.”
(We kind of asked TE Mike Gesicki about what he might say to QB Jacoby Brissett from a receiver position. Technically a tight end, but he’s a receiver. What would you say to Jacoby relative to creating big plays and the opportunities that you believe can come to fruition on Sunday against the Bucs?) – “Really just to take it one play at a time. Just execute it – that play call. Don’t worry about nothing else. Just know what you have on that exact play and execute it. That’s really it, really.”
(What was the name of Keyshawn’s book – Keyshawn Johnson. “Throw Me The Damn Ball.” Are you familiar with Keyshawn Johnson?) – “(laughter) Yeah, I’m familiar with him.”
(What I meant is did you know about the title of his book, that it was called “Throw Me The Damn Ball”?) – “Oh no, I didn’t know that. (laughter)”
QB Jacoby Brissett
(You get to see QB Tom Brady this week. A former teammate, a former friend I’m sure, mentor. How did he make you better when you were in the locker room with him?) – “I think just watching him and seeing his level of professionalism and his love for the game, his attention to detail and everything that he brought to being a quarterback and setting the standard of a quarterback. I think just watching that so young in my career is something that you try to emulate in your own fashion. I think it was very beneficial (for me).”
(On that subject, we love the Wolfpack photos and former memories. I don’t know if there was something specific that you could share with us. Every former teammate has a QB Tom Brady story. Was there a conversation or an interaction or experience with him that stands out to you?) – “Well, one day we were – it was during training camp and everybody is playing games in the locker room while we’re on break. And I was playing and he walked into the locker room and was like ‘What are you doing? Didn’t you just mess up this in practice? Then you shouldn’t be playing.’ (I was like) ‘Alright.’ So ever since then, I never play games in the locker room anymore. (laughter) That was when I really saw full Tom. I thought it was pretty cool though.”
(Knowing the kind of work and pressure that comes along with being an NFL quarterback, are you kind of in awe that QB Tom Brady is able to continue to do this at 44 years old?) – “It’s definitely inspirational for sure. It’s no surprise though. Like when you know him and you see all of the behind-the-scenes things that he puts into getting ready for a game and getting his body ready and his mind set, there’s no surprise that he’s doing what he’s doing. What is he – 44 (years old)? Yeah and I met him six years ago. He was ‘old’ (then). It’s definitely cool to see.”
(What was it like when you first stepped into the Patriots locker room and there’s QB Tom Brady? Were you awestruck in any way? How did he react to you?) – “I mean the first time I met him was on my visit there. He popped into the meeting room during OTAs and that was when I first met him. He walked in and was like, ‘Hey, I’m Tom.’ Like obviously we knew who you are. (laughter) But then it was just like alright – once I got to the team, we obviously knew who each other were. My locker was right next to his. I think we just hit it off and became friends.”
(What do you say to your teammates? This is a young team. They are excited but you have a losing record until now. What do you say coming into this game? You know QB Tom Brady personally, Head Coach Brian Flores knows him personally. What do you say to those young teammates that may be a little excited but unsure of the pressures of this game?) – “Well, there’s nothing wrong with being excited. I mean you get to play an NFL game. That’s exciting every week no matter if you’re 22 years in the league or one year in the league. That doesn’t change. So just go out there, be excited and have fun. But understand the intent of the game is not like you’re going to watch Tom play. We’re going to win. I think these players know that. It’s the start of the second quarter of the season. Obviously the first quarter didn’t go as well as we wanted it to, but we get to start over this quarter of the season and it starts this week.”
(There was a play during the Colts game last week where WR Jaylen Waddle was coming on a crossing route and it seemed like WR DeVante Parker was going a little bit long. It seemed like both of those guys were open but you checked it down. What were some things that you saw on that play that led to the check down?) – “I possibly had a chance to do it. But they gave us the coverage that we didn’t want on that play. So instead of just firing it in there, which I’m sure you probably would have liked for me to do, just taking the smart play. I know when you look back on this like alright, I’m not taking down the field throws. But at some point, you’ve got to put the team first and not do that. Obviously there’s certain times where you do do it, but I think right now, trying to learn that balance of when to obviously take those chances and then when to not. I think it’s a work in progress. I think it’s something that we’re able to – you go out there and it looks like you’re failing at it and not doing it right but you come back and you’re like ‘hey, what did you see,’ and being able to have those conversations. I think that’s the good part of that is it’s happening earlier in the season and obviously you want to go out there and execute every play and do it every time, but you won’t. So coming back and watching it and just seeing what do I think, what do I internally think, if I could have made a throw or not, and not just doing it because everybody is saying we need to do it.”
(Could playing up-tempo early maybe help replicate the success that you and WR DeVante Parker and TE Mike Gesicki and others have had late in the last couple of games. Could that be one avenue that might help you?) – “We’ll see. Obviously we’re trying to figure it out. We’re obviously exploring every option. We’re still getting better as a team so it’s not like we’ve just got to change everything that we’re doing because things haven’t gone our way. Like I said in the press conference after the game, we are getting better in situations. Like pointing out the play to DeVante, the week before I missed him. This week I hit him two to three times on the exact same play on the exact same throw. It’s slowly getting better. I’m getting better in this offense. I’m learning the guys. I’m learning where my spots are on the field with these guys. We are getting better. We obviously wanted it to go a little bit better with the results of the game but at some point, you surrender the result of the game for the greater good of getting better each week and week out. I think that’s what we’re doing and hopefully the results will start to come.”
(Do you feel like that process of learning your guys, your teammates, do you feel like that’s made you hesitant at all these past few weeks to maybe not take the aggressive play and take that smart play?) – “I don’t think that’s been the case because as you saw the game before in the (Las Vegas) game, I still did it but we just didn’t capitalize. Then obviously when you go back out there and you do hit it, it’s like ‘why haven’t you guys been doing this?’ Well we did, we just didn’t hit it. I think we are taking our chances. Obviously certain teams are seeing that we’re trying to take chances and they present coverages that we can’t just chuck it down the field. Yeah, I think we’ll have more chances, whenever they appear, and hopefully we’re ready to hit them.”
(Do you have a vision for what you want this offensive identity to be? A vision, a goal, an idea?) – “I want to score every time we touch the ball. That’s the vision.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Just to go over the couple roster moves yesterday. C Austin Reiter – his signing – was it done more as depth or would you like competition with OL Greg Mancz until C/G Michael Deiter comes back? And then with WR Jakeem Grant, was there a thinking that you’d like to be able to get WR Jaylen Waddle opportunities in the return game? Did that contribute to the Jakeem move?) – “The Jakeem (Grant) move, we felt like we’ve had some depth at the receiver room. We wanted to get some other guys going as receivers and in the return game. So that kind of went into that decision, for sure. As far as (Austin) Reiter, more depth with Deiter going down and we had to bring Cam Tom up from the practice squad last week, so we’re just looking for depth at that position. But anyone who steps into the building is given an opportunity to compete so we’ll see what this looks like in practice today and this week and we’re excited to see what that looks like and give him a chance to compete.”
(How do you feel about WR Jaylen Waddle as a returner?) – “I’m confident in (Jaylen) Waddle as a returner. Obviously he’s had a lot of success in college. He hasn’t really gotten back there much this year. He had the one opportunity and it didn’t go so well. But looking forward to getting him back out there, getting more returns and hopefully getting him going in that aspect of the game.”
(Where is WR Jaylen Waddle in regard to ball security in the return game, being short-handed, that sort of thing?) – “Ball security is something we talk about all the time. He knows that – whether that’s offensively, in the kicking game, backs, receivers, quarterback, tight ends. Obviously when you have turnovers in the game, that doesn’t work in our favor if we turn it over and it does work in our favor if we turn them over. I think Waddle has done a good job in practice. I think we have confidence that he’ll be able to protect the football in the return game and offensively, but it’s something you’ve got to work on really daily and be conscious of all the time and that’s anyone who has the ball in their hands – quarterback, long snapper, whoever.”
(We heard Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey say yesterday that we all know that WR DeVante Parker needs to be a bigger part of the gameplan. Is his relationship – DeVante’s relationship with QB Jacoby Brissett at a point where he can be a larger part of the gameplan earlier on in games?) – “I think they’ve got a good relationship and I think that’s building really every day. And I think that’s the case with Jacoby (Brissett) and DeVante (Parker) and Jacoby and all the receivers, tight ends, backs, o-line, etc. I think that’s something you just continually build. You build it through practice. You build it through meetings and walkthrough and Jacoby does a good job of just trying to communicate with the receivers. ‘Hey, we want you here. Where do you want the ball? Inside, outside, high, low?’ Depending on situation. And that’s with all of them to include DeVante. I think they’re starting to build a little bit more of a rapport. That showed up late in the last couple games. Hopefully we can get to some of that a little bit earlier and yeah, that’s something we’ll definitely work on in practice today and something we’ve talked about.”
(For guys who don’t necessarily create a ton of separation like WR DeVante Parker, does it just boil down to trust between receiver and quarterback that he’s going to make a play on those 50/50 high balls?) – “Yeah. I think when you’re talking separation I think some people, they separate a little bit differently. Some with speed and quickness, some are just bigger and have more of a catch radius and that’s how they separate. I think DeVante (Parker) probably falls into that mold, I should say. I think part of that is just you think a guy’s open or he looks like he’s open or looks like he’s not open, but if you give him a chance, (there’s a) good chance he’ll come down with the ball.”
(In terms of getting more – you mentioned maybe getting more receivers passes – is WR Preston Williams in your thinking that way? Has that been kind of a difficult call not really having a spot always on the active roster for him because of special teams and other factors you have to consider?) – “Yeah, I think you’re in the right direction there. I think Preston (Williams) is somebody we’ve talked about really every week. We like a lot of things he’s doing in practice. So yeah, we want to get some other guys some opportunities and hopefully we’re able to do that. But again, we’ve got to do a nice job in practice. We’ve got plenty we’ve got to work on. Plenty to work on really across the board. Players, coaches – we’re all trying to get better, trying to do better, trying to improve and that starts in practice. But as far as getting some other guys involved, that definitely was part of the conversation in the receiver room, him specifically.”
(Are you hopeful to get DT Raekwon Davis back? Will he be out there today?) – “Yes, Raekwon (Davis) will be out there today. We’re just going to see what this looks like. We’re not necessarily going to make a move on the roster just yet, but he’s definitely moving in the right direction and he’ll be out there today. So yeah, he’s doing a lot of good things and he’ll be out there today.”
(What will DT Raekwon Davis’ return mean to this run defense?) – “I think it would mean a lot. I think when healthy – I think he was doing a lot of good things at the end of training camp, start of the beginning of the season. But you know, he’s big, he’s strong. He’s hard to move inside so we’re hopeful that he has a couple good days of practice and we can get him out there. I’m kind of – I don’t like to count my chickens. (laughter) I don’t like to jinx myself either so we’ll see how this goes in the next couple days of practice.”
(You mentioned earlier this week that you like the offensive system and the gameplan. I guess you were asked about changes. Obviously there hasn’t been a lot of success so I’m curious what you do like about the system and the gameplans.) – “I mean I like the communication. I like the collaboration. We need to do a better job really across the board. This is everybody. The players have to do a better job of executing. We have to do a better job of putting them in positions to execute. I would say we’ve missed some opportunities of guys being open, guys making cuts. I would say we’ve got to do a better job of putting them in positions to have more opportunities as a staff. We’ve had a lot of conversations. I think the only thing we can do is go out there, practice, continue to prepare the way we’re preparing. I think just from a preparation standpoint – and look, this is just my opinion as a guy who is in here every day – I think our coaches and our players work hard. They compete. They try to do everything the right way. I think my belief is when you continue to string good days together or string that type of preparation together, normally things work out. That’s kind of my belief. That’s how I’m wired. There’s always some little things we can change and do better, and things you learn from as you go. Especially when you’re dealing with 53 players plus practice squad, there’s always some little subtle things you can change and get better at. We’re finding those things out and making those corrections. I’m hopeful we’ll see more of the results that we’re looking for.”
(How does QB tom Brady in a Bucs uniform look compared to the Tom you first went against in practice on the Patriots fields?) – “Look, this is a great player. He was a great player when I last saw him in person when we were on the same team and he’s a great player. Smart. Great command of the offense. Accurate. Can find the space in the pocket. I think he’s playing great football right now. I think that team is playing great football, really offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. They’re well coached. They’ve got a lot of great players. Skill players, defensive players, pass rushers. And they’ve done a great job. That’s why they’re the defending Super Bowl champs. But yeah, I mean I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. We were on the same team for 15 years. I learned a lot from him, for sure. It’ll be great to see him, great to compete against him. A lot of respect and admiration.”
(The obvious follow up is what’s one thing you learned from QB Tom Brady?) – “Preparation. I think that’s one thing that I know how he prepares. I know that he’s looking for every advantage. Honestly, Bruce Arians is the same way. (Todd) Bowles is the same way. Byron Leftwich is the same way. They do a great job there. I would say that would be it – preparation.”
(How hard is it to confuse QB Tom Brady and get him off his game?) – “There’s no confusing. He’s seen everything. I could sit here and say, ‘yeah, you can do this, that and the other,’ but there’s no confusing the guy. It’s about trying to execute. They’ve got good players. Look, every defense has somewhere in the defense where there’s some kind of weakness. In Cover 2, it’s this. In Cover 1, it’s this. In Cover 3, it’s this. In Cover 4, it’s this. When you bring five, it’s this. You bring six and it’s this. Look, after 20-plus years of playing in this league, he’s seen pretty much everything. So no, there’s no confusing him. We’ve got to do a good job really across the board. We’ve got to play – the entire team has to play well offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. That’s what we’re going to have to do to have success against this team.”
(Do you marvel that QB Tom Brady’s been able to do it for this long after just working with him for so long? Are you just like how is he 44 or 45 years old or whatever he is now, that he’s still going?) – “I’m not surprised. When you’ve been around the guy and you see the way he works and you see the way he prepares and see the way he takes care of himself, see the passion he has for the game – you’re not surprised.”
(You want your team to prepare the same way every week, to the upmost obviously. There shouldn’t be variables to that. But human condition being what it is, when you’re playing against the Super Bowl champions and against QB Tom Brady, do you find that there is typically an additional laser-like level of something extra when you’re playing against that guy?) – “I mean yeah, you want to prepare the same way with that laser focus every week. That’s what you want. You speak of human condition and that’s something I think about a lot as well. Yeah, I imagine 53 guys under 25 years old, there’s a little bit more excitement playing against a team like that. I shouldn’t say there’s a little bit more excitement. That’s probably the wrong thing to say. We’re excited to play every week. But when you play against arguably the best player of all-time and they’ve got a bunch of great players, you have to up your level of preparation and up your level of intensity and execution. I hate that it’s like that, honestly, because I feel like I have – as a coaching staff, every week is like this. But yeah, in my opinion, yeah there’s probably a heightened level of ‘we better get this right or he’s going to find the open receiver, the matchup, etc.’”
(I know you were focused on your own team last week and focused on your own team this week of course. Was Sunday night difficult for you to take in at all, just knowing that it had to be very unusual for QB Tom Brady, it had to be unusual for Head Coach Bill Belichick. It was just an awkward night on a lot of levels. Was it difficult for you to look into that as a fan and not feel tugged in either direction?) – “No, I didn’t feel tugged. To me, it was a good football game. If you know both guys, you know they are both competitive, they both want to win, it’s important to both of them to win, to play well, to execute. They play good football. I think that’s what you saw. At the end of the day, yeah there are emotions and there are personal relationships. But me just watching the game, when you step on the field, it’s team against team and it’s about execution, it’s about playing smart and disciplined and tough and the physicality of the game, which it was definitely a physical game. Those are the things I took from it. I kind of leave the other stuff out of it once you’re in the game.”
(Is there anything you can take from last year? Last year you started 1-3 too, and you were able to get five straight wins. Is there anything you can take from that turnaround as you try to guide the team?) – “Last year was last year. This year is this year. Different team. A whole different set of circumstances from last year to this year. I just try to live in the moment and just try to improve, get better and do everything I can do personally to help this team improve and get the results we’re looking for. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
(Your opponent this week allows a league-best 2.7 yard per rush. Some of their opponents don’t even try to run the ball on them sometimes. I guess my question is a philosophical one in regards to what’s the value of continuing to run the football if you’re not having success in terms of yards gained?) – “It’s a good run defense. I understand why some teams don’t do it. If you want to run through a brick wall, feel free. I don’t know how that will feel. (laughter) When you watch them and you’ve got Vita Vea in there and you’ve got (Ndomukong) Suh in there and you’ve got Devin White and (Lavonte) David and (Jason) Pierre-Paul, it’s not easy. You want to be balanced, but you want to be smart too. It’s hard. I think everyone has seen that. The players they’ve got up there, it’s hard to run it in there.”
(In years past, DE Cam Wake used to always say, if there was a key to QB Tom Brady, it was to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Not divulging anything, but do you see any weaknesses that your defense could put on him in some aspect?) – “I think we’ve got to have good communication. Let’s just start with that. Because if you blow an assignment or have a mental error, he’s going to find it and take advantage of it. So let’s just start right there. We’ve got to tackle well. They’ve got good skill players who break tackles. Those create big plays that way, explosive plays that way. They hit a hitch route, make somebody miss and what’s five yards goes for 25 yards. Tackling, communications, setting the edge in the run game, trying to limit the big plays as best you can. I know there is a lot there, but I think that’s where you start. It’s one thing to say, ‘get him off the spot.’ Yeah, I think you want to do that. But when the ball is out in a second and a half, you can’t get to the spot. There are a lot of things you’ve got to do defensively. They do a lot of things well offensively. We’ve got to play well as a team. I’d say if there’s one thing, we’ve got to do a good job on third down. Getting them to third down and then executing in that situation.”
Miami Dolphins place Fuller on IR
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have placed wide receiver William Fuller V on injured reserve.
Fuller joined the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent on March 20, 2021 and has played in two games for the team this year, totaling four receptions for 26 yards (6.5 avg.). He caught a game-tying 2-point conversion with two seconds remaining in regulation of the game at Las Vegas in Week 3. Fuller has totaled 213 receptions for 3,136 yards (14.7 avg.) and 24 touchdowns in his career, playing five seasons (2016-20) in Houston. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (21st overall) by the Texans in the 2016 NFL Draft.
