LB Elandon Roberts
(How’d it feel to be back out there?) – “It felt good to be back out there with the team.”
(After the knee happened in Las Vegas, everyone was alarmed. Had you known pretty early that you’d be back in time for the start of the season or was it unclear to you if you would be?) – “I just took it one day at a time. The Dolphins have a good staff around me. We just took it one day at a time. To be honest, it was going to be one day at a time.”
(How tough was the rehab process?) – “It was cool.”
(With you back, you’ve got even more depth at inside linebacker with LB Benardrick McKinney having been acquired. That’s an awfully strong front top three of inside linebackers – Duke Riley in there too, with you Jerome Baker, McKinney and Duke Riley. How good could that group be of inside ‘backers?) – “As a group, we don’t look at what could we be. What we look at right now is coming out to practice each day, being able as a unit to get better each day. When you start looking too far ahead then in about a month or two you guys will be saying we need to get rid of the whole linebacker crew. We’re just going to take it one day at a time and our expectation is to get better each day.”
(Are you feeling all the way back health wise, or is there still somethings that may need to gain with the knee over the next couple of weeks?) – “What (do) you think?”
(Well, if they took you off of PUP then you’re probably in pretty good condition. But is it feeling normal running around out there?) – “No. I’m just going to continue to still – with my situation – take it one day at a time.”
(I think we were kind of surprised that the first practice you were out there you were doing everything. The confidence level of what you can do right away…) – “I just think – like I said, the Dolphins have a good medical staff here and whatever they want me to do, I just do and continue to take it one day at a time.”
(Was it like riding a bike right away? Like you’re going against another team. It’s not like you’re going against your own guys. Was it like riding a bike to just jump in there, and have everything going right away?) – “Like I said, it was just on some one day at a time. Like that.”
(Participating in all of the offseason stuff, was that mainly because it was walkthrough and not serous running? Or did you feel like you were going to be healthy enough to start camp?) – “I felt like we had a good plan around it. The offseason, it was a walkthrough so I was able to get those mental reps; but at the end of the day, I had to still take my situation one day at a time. Just another step in the right direction.”
(It’s not every day that a guy who has a major knee injury enters free agency and is re-signed by their team. The fact that you were shows what Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier think about you. Was that flattering? Was it pleasing to know that even though you were a free agent coming off the knee, they liked you, they wanted you back, they wanted to stick with you even though it took some time coming back?) – “I felt like the organization, ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores), Chris (Grier), they had a lot of confidence that I’d do the right thing during my rehab process, and they had confidence in me just allowing them to keep taking it one day at a time and not set too big of an expectation and stuff like that. Now it’s just another stepping stone. But like I said at the end of the day, with me, my situation, I’m still just taking it one day at a time.”
(You appear to be in good condition. I’m just curious are you the same weight that you were the last time you played or have you actually dropped a couple of pounds?) – “Do I look bigger? Or smaller? (laughter)”
(I didn’t see you in person last year because we didn’t have the open locker room, so it’s kind of hard to judge. Don’t take this in a weird way, but you appear fit. Where are you on that?) – “I’ve always been pretty fit.”
(Is your playing weight stay the same?) – “It’s where the Dolphins needed me to be. So wherever they wanted me to be, my expectation was to be exactly where they wanted me to be.”
(A couple of former Patriots here – just because we haven’t had the chance to talk to you. What’s DL Adam Butler going to bring and what is S Jason McCourty going to bring?) – “I think they bring the same thing that like I said, the Dolphins expect all of us to bring. Come in each day, work hard, do your job and keep the team first. One thing I can say about them guys is their mentality is right on with that.”
(On the other side of the ball, your thoughts on how WR Preston Williams went through a similar PUP thing and coming back?) – “I think with Preston, you should ask Preston. Like I said, everybody’s situation is different, so I think you should ask him about his own situation.”
(Do you expect to see any preseason action?) – “I expect to keep taking it one day at a time. That’s it.”
CB Xavien Howard
(Thoughts on how the D looks? Obviously you’re incorporating LB Jaelan Phillips. LB Andrew Van Ginkel is getting more time. S Jevon Holland is getting more time. What intrigues or excited you about what you’ve seen on this defense?) – “Just being out here with the guys and understanding we’re getting better. I feel like the sky is the limit for us on the defensive side. We’re just working on getting better each day.”
(Joint practices with the Falcons going up against WR Calvin Ridley these days.) – “It’s a nice matchup. I appreciate that we’re doing the joint practices. We’re just focused on getting better. Every week we go up against a top receiver no matter where we’re at, so just getting better and just working on guys, seeing different ways and how you can play different guys in this league.”
(Do you expect to play on Saturday?) – “Yeah.”
(Ten interceptions last year. Is that repeatable?) – “I’m just focused on getting better each year. I’m not focused on that right now. Like you said, that was last year. It’s time to get better. It’s time for new goals and stuff like that.”
(You guys led the NFL in takeaways. What’s kind of the emphasis in practice and how are you guys working to do that…) – “Our main focus on defense is get the ball. We’ve got guys and that’s all our focus is getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, the receiver’s hands. We’re just focused on getting the ball.”
(I saw you had an interception early in practice and you had a tipped ball that went up in the air and S Jevon Holland got one. How did you feel about the way today went for you in terms of being involved around the ball?) – “I feel great. Just getting back to it, I feel like this is probably my Day 3 of practice. I’m getting back to it and really just getting comfortable with the guys, knowing what guys’ strengths are and stuff like that. Like I said, our main focus is just getting around the ball and making plays on the ball.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said earlier today that it really takes game action for a player to get into peak performance. How much does that play a role in your desire to play in some of these preseason games?) – “Yeah, that plays a big role. You’ve got to get back comfortable with it – the game, system, situational football and just knowing what you’ve got to do in a situation. Seeing situations like that and just adapting to it.”
(I know you had the ankle injury. Are you very close to 100 percent?) – “Yeah, I practiced – this is my third practice full go. I’m out there.”
(How excited are you to get this thing going?) – “Like I’m saying, the sky is the limit for us. I see a lot of great things going on out there. I can’t wait to start back with the season and just playing.”
(So their guy WR Calvin Ridley, you obviously covered him in a couple of joint practices and hopefully get a chance to cover him a little bit on Saturday night. What do you think are his strengths?) – “(He’s an) all-around receiver – releases, fast. That’s what you’re looking for in a receiver. He has nice releases. Catching the ball – anywhere the ball is at, he’s going to go get it. That’s what you want from a receiver with everything – all of the techniques and everything.”
(Seeing S Jevon Holland’s ball-hawking, does that excite you, that particular skill of the young kid?) – “Oh, yeah. He finds the ball and the ball finds him. That’s one thing that me and him, we find the ball. Just seeing that from a young guy, a safety, making plays on the ball, I’m just excited to have him.”
(It looks like you have a nickel now with CB Justin Coleman and CB Nik Needham. Is that good to have two guys at least and beyond that can play that role well?) – “Oh, yeah. We’re all just about getting better, no matter who is at the position.”
(By adding in guys like LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland and DL Adam Butler, do you think that this group can be even better than last year?) – “That’s our goal is to be better than last year. I feel like that was just shown a little bit. There’s a lot of meat on the bone. I feel like with the guys we added, they can help out a lot in any situation.”
(In general, how are you doing? Are you feeling pretty happy?) – “Yeah, I’m feeling great. I’m just focused on just getting better out here, knocking some rust off and just getting back to the movement.”
T Austin Jackson
(Obviously a better day today. What do you feel like you’re getting out of these joint practices? Obviously a different opponent, but do you feel like it’s helping you take your game to the next level?) – “Yeah. We’re in our third week of the season. We’ve got about five more months of football to go. It’s definitely good to really get a good look at another team and start competing early like this for the time being. You said we got better today. I feel like we get better every day … we work on. There is always stuff that comes but that’s mental toughness.”
(It seems like the Falcons ran a lot of stunts and twists at you guys. What’s the key to communication to make sure you don’t let a free rusher inside?) – “There is a lot of different aspects to that. I can’t hand you our playbook and tell you everything that goes on right now. But there are certain blockers in certain situations – sometimes more, sometimes less. Amongst usually about seven people, there are different responsibilities that vary all the time. Like I said, I can’t tell you every play, but communicating and being on the same page. Sometimes a guy is a free rusher and he’s a free rusher – that’s all we have to block.”
(With this offensive line, obviously you guys are working to try to develop chemistry. You’ve got new left guards every couple of days. How difficult has that been?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. For me, it helps me become a better leader. Whoever is in there, just making sure we’re on the same page, playing fast. It’s a little bit of a challenge, but to say it’s difficult, it’s not too difficult. I think it actually betters me.”
(Regarding leadership, at this point in time, how would you describe the quarterback’s leadership style, and approach of QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a great job leadership-wise. He’s going into his second year. Him also like myself, having a whole year under your belt and then getting an offseason to prepare, you can anticipate more things. That’s really what football comes down to. We all can line up and play but you have to anticipate stuff. I think he’s definitely gotten a lot better with that.”
(G/T Jesse Davis is one of the leaders on the line because of his experience, and communication skills. Is QB Tua Tagovailoa – I don’t want to put words in your mouth – but I want to ask you is Tua the leader of the entire offense?) – “Yes, I would say so. He’s our quarterback. (laughter) I get what you’re saying I think, but being a quarterback is a lot of responsibility at the end of the day. He can’t run our routes, he can’t call all of our protections, so I think that’s kind of where the 11 people working as one thing comes together. He’s definitely a leader of the offense.”
(We’ve gone through years where the quarterback is not a leader, which is weird.) – “Yeah. He’s definitely our leader.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(With the T Greg Little pick-up a couple days ago, was the thinking for you and General Manager Chris Grier that we need more depth on the offensive line, this is a guy who can come in and compete? Or was it the case that maybe this guy can come in here and challenge to be a starter here? I know you have invested in T Austin Jackson.) – “We have some familiarity with him from the draft a couple years ago. (It was an) opportunity to get a young player, come in and compete. Look, it’s a new environment and new locker room. He’s got to learn the playbook. He’s got to learn his teammates. He’s got to figure out the surroundings here in our building and this area. The message to him is let’s take it one day at time, let’s try to improve, get better, learn the system, get to know your coaches, get to know the players on the team, figure out where the bathrooms are, figure out where the meeting rooms are, figure out where 595 is. That’s kind of where we’re at right now. We’ll take it one day at a time and just try to improve and get better. We will coach him up and see where it goes. We’re happy to add him. My conversation with him was very good. He’s excited to be here and excited for the opportunity to compete.”
(When you evaluated T Greg Little in college, what were a couple things he seemed to have going for him?) – “We had a 30-visit with him so we sat down and talked to him. There was some good rapport there. As far as his love for the game and passion about working and getting better. Obviously on film, he’s athletic and has size. He was competitive on film. We are happy to have him but look, this is a process. We will just take it one day at a time and try to improve and get better.”
(Any decision on how you’ll manage snaps for the veterans for the final preseason game? Will it be that dress rehearsal?) – “That meeting is tonight. We are trying to get through – well not get through, but have a good practice today against Atlanta. I expect most guys to play but as far as how much and who exactly, we will talk more in depth about that tonight. We’ve had some, lets call it early conversations, about that. But that’s a meeting for tonight. Right now we are just focused on this practice against Atlanta.”
(Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith said yesterday that he didn’t have a great deal of familiarity with you before going into this offseason. From afar what were your thoughts on him as a coach and why was it appealing to have this with him?) – “We’ve gotten to know each other pretty recently. From afar, (I have) a great deal of respect for him. I think just in meeting with him and having conversations with him over the last few months about these joint practices, I’ve seen he’s a guy who’s tough, who’s smart, who’s competitive, who loves to coach, who is team first, who is humble, down to earth, very bright. I think he’s an excellent teacher watching him out there yesterday. I think he’s an excellent teacher, excellent coach. I understand why he had so much success in Tennessee and why he’s been granted the opportunity to be the head coach of the Falcons. (I have) a lot of respect for him and hopefully we can continue this professional relationship. Yesterday was good and we talked about the practice and the competition in the practice and how we both felt good about the structure and the things we were able to get done and the conversations we were able to have with our teams. (I have) a lot of respect for Arthur and I look forward to working with him and his team today.”
(I wanted to ask you about being a 30-something first-time head coach coming from a coordinator level. What advice can you give him?) – “I’m 40 now, are you trying to get that out there? (laughter) This year they’ve been asking about my weight, my age now. (laughter) Arthur, he’s very bright, very organized. I think he’s just going to continue to do the things he’s done in the past. I think he’s going to be himself and he’s going to be just fine.”
(Through your two-plus years here you have not been afraid about turning some things over on the team. You’ve gone through some coordinators, some players. Do you think that sends a message to the players?) – “I think we try to do what we feel is best for the organization. I don’t know if having a Boston guy in here is that. (laughter) We’re always going to do what we try to feel is best for the organization – for the team, for the organization. That’s always going to be the case. I preach that we need to be team-first. I think when we are making decisions – myself, Chris (Grier), our coaching staff – for anyone who comes into the building, we want to make those decisions with the best of the organization in mind. We are going to continue to do that.”
(QB Matt Ryan said yesterday that he was joking with you about the 2003 Boston College days and not to treat him hard like that. What do you remember most about those days and practicing against him?) – “I remember he was a very good player. I was a senior when he was a freshman, so he was a very good player right off the bat. He was carving us up as a scout team player and we wanted him out of there. That’s the true story. (laughter) I’m sure that’s the one that’s more believable here too. He’s had an incredible career. He’s a good friend. It’s just been a joy to watch him grow, get drafted and have the success he’s had. I’ll tell you this, he’s a better person than he is a player. That’s the one thing about him that I’ve always had a great deal of respect and admiration for him because of that. I think he’s a great ambassador for Boston College, I think he’s a great ambassador for this league as well. Nothing but respect for him but when we step in between those white lines, we’re trying to go after him.
(With your running backs, which one do you think has separated themselves the most from the rest of the room at this point in camp?) – “We like all our backs. They’re all a little bit different. They all have the ability to play multiple downs. We are going to try to use them all. From Malcolm (Brown) to Myles (Gaskin) to Salvon (Ahmed). Patrick Laird has gone in there and done some good things. (Jordan) Scarlett has gone in there, he had a couple good runs last week. (Gerrid) Doaks has gone in there and had some good runs. We try to use them all.”
(What does that do to an opposing defense when you can give them guys with different skillsets and multiple looks? How does that compare when that person is just a …) – “I think every back has got a little different skillset. If you got a big back and he’s more of an inside runner, that’s what you’re ready for defensively. If on the next play you’ve got a fast guy who is going towards the perimeter, then your edge guy has got to set the edge. If you have somebody that is good out of the backfield and they’re going to line him up in empty, then you have to be ready for that too. Offensively, we have the ability to move those chess pieces and each guy has shown themselves to be dependable when they’ve been in there. To me, that’s a big thing. If you’re a dependable player and you’re going to be where you need to be and be productive when called on, you will probably get an opportunity to play here.”
(What is WR Jaylen Waddle giving you compared to what you thought you were getting when you drafted him?) – “Jaylen is a tough, smart kid. Football is important to him. Improvement is important to him. He’s a good teammate. He’s as excited about someone else making a catch or having a good run or a good block as anything he does. There’s a selflessness there. We knew that. It’s been fun working with him. He’s still got a long way to go. He’s a rookie. He’s still getting used to practicing in this league and the competition in this league. These preseason games, these joint practices, are good for him and really all of our rookies. I’ve been very pleased with him.”
(Where have you seen the most improvement in WR Jaylen Waddle over the last three weeks?) – “For all the rookies, I think when you come into this type of environment, all of it is so new. I think creating a routine for yourself and learning how to be a professional and what that is. For all of them – you asked specifically about Jaylen Waddle – but learning or figuring out a routine for yourself that’s going to help you perform at the best of your capabilities. I think that’s something all of our rookies are still trying to figure that out. Do I cold tub after practice? Do I get a massage on my off day? Do I get in the cryo chamber? They’re listening; they’re taking the coaching. We’re coaching them up. I know you talked specifically about Jaylen but Jaylen in particular is just trying to find the best things and asking a lot of questions about the best ways to keep his body healthy and keep his mind healthy so that he can go out there and perform.”
(Having missed some time, how close is CB Xavien Howard to returning to his peak form?) – “It’s hard to get into peak form without games, I would say. Even in Week 1, no one will have played 60-70 snaps. Even if you call a dress rehearsal – let’s say if we did that in the preseason, it’s not going to be four quarters or else everyone would be yelling at me to take the guy out. Peak performance, you can get close but there is no way to mimic a 60-minute football game unless you do it. I think the first time out is different than the sixth, seventh, eighth time out. So if you’re talking midseason form, I think midseason form is midseason.”
(What are you looking forward to about being back at Hard Rock Stadium?) – “I’m excited to get back into our home stadium. I’m excited to see the fans, for sure. I think that was the first thing that came to mind, especially with last year. We had fans but it was capped at maybe 13 or 14,000. I think compared to some other places it felt like it was 113,000. I’m excited to play in front of our fans. I think we have a great fan base, a supportive fan base and we are excited to get in front of them. We love feeling their support and I would say that’s the No. 1 thing.”
(With this being your only preseason game, do you view this as a way to get ready for the regular season in terms of your coaching staff and players getting used to the stadium and the locker room?) – “We’ll walk through. There are a lot of guys who have haven’t been over there. We’ll go over there. Hey, we park here. Locker room is here. Training room is here. Weight room is here. This is our sideline. That’s the play clock. That’s the game clock. We’ll go through that. I think you have to do it. To assume that these guys know exactly where all that stuff, where to go, I think you make assumptions and we know what happens. From that standpoint, we are going to try to do as much as we can to make game day as comfortable and seamless as possible knowing full well that the first time out there is always going to be something with a tablet or a headset or whatever it may be.”
