Miami Dolphins Transcripts – December 12 – Head Coach Brian Flores, LB Raekwon McMillan and DB Nate Brooks

LB Raekwon McMillan

(When you had been with the backups at first during part of the offseason program before your injury, did you and Head Coach Brian Flores ever have a discussion where you asked, “okay, how do I fit in this defense? What’s your vision for me?” Was there every any heart-to-heart you had with him or Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham?) – “Yeah, we sat down. I sat down with all of the coaches and they talked about how they see me in the defense. It all started off by getting healthy. I couldn’t help the defense (and) help this team if I wasn’t healthy, so once I finally got healthy, I was able to do my thing; but I met with all the coaches. They told me what they wanted me to do.”

(I don’t know if I want to use the word “pressure,” but you were a second-round pick. Your first year went out because of the injury. Then your second year is basically coming back from that and this year you’re kind of showing why you were a second-round pick in the first place. How much of that has been in your mind? I don’t want to say “wanting to show” that it was the right to move make you a second-round pick, but does that ever enter your mind?) – “As a high-round guy, you want to come in and show, ‘I’m not a bust’ or whatever. ‘I’m worth everything that they put into me.’ But I really wasn’t worried about that because it was always reiterated (to me) by (General Manager Chris) Grier and everybody from the head up that I’m their guy and they want to see me do good, so it was never a situation where they were trying to put me on a back-burner. Anything that happened was because of something that I did out there on the field, not because of them.”

(The run defense statistics for the team have improved after a bad start the first four or five games. What are some of the things that have gotten better from your perspective for the group?) – “We’re just playing together, playing smarter together. At first it was watching individuals and we didn’t know each other. I talk about this all the time: we were just a bunch of individuals out there trying to play defense, and from the outside looking in when I wasn’t playing a lot, when I finally got a chance to play, that’s one thing that I wanted to help on this defense. When I came in, I wanted to bring everybody together so we could play defense collectively and not just individually.”

(I wanted to follow up on what General Manager Chris Grier said to you when Chris was telling you, “We’ve got your back. You’re our guy. We believe in you.” How much does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot. When I wasn’t playing and stuff like that, I sat down and talked with all the coaches, and they basically all told me I need to get healthy so I can go out there and ‘show me.’ And he was saying from the jump that he had confidence in me and he can’t wait until I get back. That was basically our conversation. I’m not knocking anybody else, he just was ready for me to come back.”

(And this took place this summer?) – “No, at the beginning of the season.”

(In a traditional 4-3 defense like last year, you were just right in the middle there. If you can just help me understand a little bit of the football X’s and O’s, because this defense is multiple, sometimes three down linemen, sometimes four, sometimes three linebackers, sometimes four, sometimes two or one – you could have any combination of that – has that changed in any way how you’re being positioned on the field from game-to-game?) – “Yeah, you’ve got to get comfortable as a – I’ve always been a stand-up linebacker – I had to get comfortable on the edge. My first time playing on the edge was against the Patriots in Week 2. I showed them that I could play on the edge, so that opens up the packages that I can play in. It’s not just, ‘oh, he can only play when we’re four down linemen and three linebackers,’ but he can also play on the edge. If you build your versatility as a player, it helps you be in more packages on defense. Say if we’ve got 10 packages, but you only fit two, you can’t complain about playing time because your skillset only fits two; but if your skillset fits six, seven or eight, then you get more playing time. That’s what I showed over the whole season.”

(How much on the edge have you played since that Week 2 game?) – “Not a lot because we’ve got some good edge guys. I’ll be over there every now and then.”

(When had been the last time you played on the edge?) – “I played on the – oh, you’re talking about before this year?”

(Before New England, yeah.) – “Never. (laughter)”

(At Ohio State at all?) – “No. I probably came off the edge on third down, but no, I was a stand-up Mike (linebacker).”

(What are some other areas of your game that you’ve improved that have allowed you to play in more packages?) – “Getting my body right. Not even just X’s and O’s, just getting my body right. I couldn’t have the excess fat, the excess body weight on me. Losing the weight and being more agile, being able to move with the scat backs in the league helped me a lot.”

(I know LB Vince Biegel’s said he’s played over a half dozen positions this year. How many have you played in terms of all the linebacker spots and any other role?) – “Every linebacker spot. Everybody in our core group has played every linebacker spot and on the edge. Sometimes…”

(So you’ve played you think four different positions this year?) – “Probably about five or six.”

DB Nate Brooks

(On being signed by the Dolphins.) – “You definitely have a sense of pride for someone taking a chance on you, but I’m more grateful than anything.”

(What’s the experience like trying to learn the playbook in the span of a week?) – “It’s not that hard. Being an athlete you know you have to come in and learn plays fast off top, so it wasn’t that hard.”

(What was your level of communication with the Dolphins before signing you? In the draft process?) – “No much, really. It’s the first time I’ve heard from them, honestly.”

(So what did they say to you when they picked you up?) – “They just wanted me to come play.”

(What’s your mentality about trying to seize the opportunity that you have?) – “Take advantage of every opportunity I get. Whenever my number is called, I’m going to go on and give it all I got and make a play.”

(How familiar are you with South Florida?) – “I trained out here for the pre-draft process.”

(Who did you train with?) – “XPE in Fort Lauderdale. I don’t know it too well, but I’ve been out here for a couple months.”

(You’ve clearly been here for months, right?) – “Yeah.”

(What do you feel like your strengths were in college?) – “I felt like I had great instincts in college. I was aggressive and I had good ball skills. (Those are) some of my strengths.”

(How do you avoid thinking or worrying that this stage is too big for you?) – “I think it goes back to your preparation. You have to get your confidence from your preparation, so once I feel like I know the playbook, know my opponent, no stage is too big.”

(A certain amount of chemistry is required too in the secondary, but that comes with time. If you don’t have the time, how do you make up for that?) – “Right here in the locker room. Joke round, laugh with them and then in the meeting room, just talk it up, try to build that camaraderie as fast as you can.”

(So how quickly have you learned everybody’s name?) – “(laughter) I know a couple people. I don’t know everybody’s name, honestly.”

(Did you know anybody before you got here here?) – “I knew Nik (Needham). We took a visit together, but that’s about it.”

(What’s the general sense about the Dolphins? They’re playing a lot of young guys, giving a lot of young guys opportunity, so when you step into a situation like that, do you feel like this could be a real chance for me?) – “Yeah, absolutely. They took a chance and I’m (going to) make the best of it.”

(Has a player or coach given you a helpful piece of advice sine you arrived, something that you’re like, “Alright, that’s helpful, that makes sense?”) – “Yeah, I feel like most or all of the coaches have stepped in and given me little nuggets of advice.”

(You’ve got Head Coach Brian Flores, you’ve got Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer. Did any of those three say something to you that if you have to play on Sunday, that you’ll keep in the back of your mind?) – “Of course all of them have said something. They’re all pretty…”

(Same page?) – “Yeah. They’ve all given me little nuggets.”

Head Coach Brian Flores 

(When you bring in a couple new players who don’t have NFL regular-season game experience, as is the case with your two new corners – Linden Stephens and Nate Brooks – do you make a decision on giving them a major role purely on how they do Wednesday and Thursday in practice? How they absorb information? Do you consider preseason tape? How difficult is that? What goes into those decisions?) – “A lot goes into it. Just you see how they practice, you see how they – like you said – absorb information. I would say both guys practiced well yesterday. We take it day-to-day. A lot of it has to do with the amount of guys we have at the position. In a lot of instances, if we’ve got an injury at the position or a guy’s banged up or whatever the situation is, sometimes you’ve got to get guys ready quicker than others. A lot goes into. It’s not one thing. How much volume they can handle from an information standpoint, how they look in practice. Yeah, we’ve already gone through all of their snaps – game snaps – so we have a pretty good idea of what they can do. Then you want to see it in practice, as well; so yeah, a lot goes into it. You just try to make the best decision.”

(Do you have to simplify what you’re doing in the secondary because there are so many new pieces are there?) – “Depends on how many pieces you have there. In some instances, yeah, you do you have to simplify; and some other instances, guys may have some familiarity or just understand conceptually, but Cover 3 is Cover 3 is Cover 3. That’s the same as it was in Pop Warner. Maybe that’s simple, but every team in the National Football League runs it. I think there are some things that every team runs that really across the board guys understand; but yeah, from verbiage/terminology standpoint, there are some exotics that you don’t want to throw a guy in there and say, ‘hey, let’s run this max pressure-pressure, max zone pressure’ or whatever we’re going to do for that.”

(I wanted to ask you about CB Eric Rowe and how important his matchup is with Giants TE Evan Engram this week because of how much he’s kind of like a receiver. Can you move him to cornerback or is it a situation where you have to leave Eric?) – “Look, Engram’s a good player. So is (Golden) Tate, (Sterling) Shepard and (Darius) Slayton; so they’ve got good players everywhere. We have to cover them all and cover the (running) back as well. We’re confident in all the guys we stick out there. Everyone’s going to have to cover. You have to know where your help is, play with good technique, good fundamentals. Eric – we’re confident in him covering a large tight end or back or receiver, that he’ll play with good technique, fundamentals, use his length, try to put hands on in man coverage, play with good zone vision in zone coverage. We ask that of all our players. I can’t – he may cover the tight end, he may cover the back, he might cover a receiver. He might do all those things within the game, so we’ll see.”

(We saw WR DeVante Parker and WR Albert Wilson doing a little bit out there yesterday. Where are they progressing in the concussion protocol and do they have a chance Sunday?) – “They’re still in (concussion) protocol and they’ll be in the protocol really until the end of the week; but both guys are working to get better and getting better, I would say. But a lot of that is out of hands and it’s really a medical decision.”

(How does that impact game plan-wise? Do you plan as if you don’t have them? Do you plan as if you do have them?) – “It’s tough. You have to plan for the worst, I would say; so in that situation, if we don’t have them – they may or may not come out of protocol, so the next set of receivers has to step up and be ready to play. I think in every building, guys are dealing with injuries. You’re not necessarily sure specifically with the concussions because it’s a serious situation. You just want to make sure we’re covered if for whatever reason they can’t go. We’ll see. We’ll be ready either way.”

(How is WR Allen Hurns?) – “He’s dinged up. He played through some injuries last week. I thought he toughed through it and it was an impressive performance by him. (He is) working his way back. I think hopefully we get him out there today in some capacity. This is a tough kid. He wants to play. If he can be out there, he’ll be out there.”

(I wanted to ask you about S Adrian Colbert. He’s started the last two games at free safety. What has he done that has impressed you in terms of earning that starting role after being added?) – “He brings a lot of energy on a day-to-day basis. He’s got some leadership qualities. He’s been here for three weeks and it feels like he’s been here all year. He’s smart. He’s a really good teammate. It’s important to him. He works extremely hard from a preparation standpoint. He’s here early, stays late trying to get the information correct. He’s a guy who brings people together. It’s been good having him.”

(Going back to the receivers, when you look at the next set of receivers what’s your confidence level in the guys like WR Isaiah Ford?) – “I’m confident in Isaiah. I thought he played well last week. Mack Hollins – he’s kind of really stepped in and done a good job, and Trevor (Davis) has really stepped up as well. I like them all. I’m confident in all of our receivers. I think each one of them, along with our tight end group and our running backs and the quarterback and the o-line – it’s a team effort. You’ve got to play collectively to play well as a team against a good opponent, and that’s what the Giants are. They’re talented. They’ve got guys in the secondary, guys at the second level, guys on the defensive line that are good players, that are talented, that make plays, that made plays. We’ll have to play well.”

(DT Davon Godchaux is the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for the Dolphins. Why was he chosen?) – “My opinion on why he was chosen? I think he does a lot in the community. He’s shown leadership throughout the time that I’ve been here. This is a guy who’s very genuine and caring about giving back. He’s a good human being and I think he’s deserving.”

(I saw you mentioned LB Raekwon McMillan on a list of players who have taken ownership this season. Can you tell me about how he’s done that?) – “I think just defensively, rallying the guys on the sideline when we’ve dealt with adversity. In games, in practice, he’s a guy who’s taken a leadership position as far as getting groups together and going through the run game or going through third down or going through red zone. I think he’s really starting to come into his own and has played some solid football for us at times. Again, like everybody else – players, coaches, everyone – we could always be better, but he’s a guy who it’s important to him. Guys feed off of his energy and he’s really worked hard. I’m happy to see that leadership start to show itself really on a day-to-day basis.”