Miami Dolphins Transcripts – December 28 – Head Coach Brian Flores and Coordinators

Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer

(I want to get your assessment on this year’s Titans QB Ryan Tannehill and how the Titans offense is different from when they had Titans RB Derrick Henry back there to now – the version you’re preparing for which is them without Henry, like it’s been since about midseason here?) – “I would say when you start with Ryan Tannehill, you start with the intangibles. I think he is definitely a tough-minded quarterback. He has the arm to make all the throws and does make all the throws. He can beat you with his feet whether it’s a designed run or whether he makes a play to extend with his legs in the pass game. He makes good decisions. He makes good reads. I would say whether – I think their offensive philosophy is they’re going to run the ball, they’re going to use play-action, they’re going to get into manageable third downs and they’re going to try to wear you down and they’re going to play for 60 minutes because they’re a tough, physical team. They’re tough-minded and I think Ryan Tannehill embodies all that.”

(You mentioned tough and physical so you still see those traits definitely even since they’ve been without Derrick Henry?) – “Absolutely, yeah. Derrick Henry is a good back, there’s no question about it. But I think their philosophy and what they try to do – and they have capable backs – they have a very good scheme and they have a very good offensive line and they’re going to be physical in all facets of the game and we’re excited for the challenge. Obviously this is the biggest game of the year for us. We’re excited for it and we’re going to need to be at our best for 60 minutes because we’re going to get that from Tennessee.”

(It was obviously a really big night for your entire defense and CB Nik Needham kind of started that off with the pick-six. The week before we’d seen him play pretty much every snap at safety and then he kind of goes back to nickel. He’s played outside when CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones went out. How does he kind of embody everything you look for in a Dolphins defensive player? Not only on the field but off the field.?) – “I think it starts with his work ethic and his constant desire to improve, and he puts in the work to do that. He’s mentally and physically tough. He’s a put-the-team-first guy. I think he’s everything that you want in a player in your program and it’s obviously – again like I said, we don’t really celebrate individual success. We celebrate team success, but Nik is obviously a guy that all of us are happy for when he has some success out on the field. And like I said, we’ve got a big challenge in front of us this week so I know Nik has already been in here getting prepared and ready to go for this week and whatever role that may be, he’ll accept that challenge and he’ll do his best to be at this best.”

(I saw a cool stat that over the course of the winning streak, you guys have the highest sack rate when you rush four or fewer rushers. Just wanted to get your take on how you’ve been able to get pressure with only rushing three or four and how important it is to your defense?) – “Any time you can get pressure on a quarterback, obviously it opens up things for you in the pass game and I think again, a lot of times that’s not just an individual thing that can – one, it could be the coverage is good enough to allow extra time to get there or it could be just a great individual rush or it could be a team rush that’s executed well to get pressure on the quarterback. And then I think allowing yourself to do a variety of different things and present rushes whether you’re rushing three, four, five, six, seven, eight. I think all of that puts a little bit of pressure on the offense as you go and then there’s always elements to open up – based on what you’re getting from a protection standpoint – different ways that you can attack the protection that the offense is giving you.”

(When I was looking at the league statistics at the end of last night’s game or I guess early this morning, it jumped out at me that the Dolphins are now first in the NFL in sacks. I know you’ve spoken how that’s a splash play and sometimes quarterback pressures and quarterback hits can be as impactful, but I am curious what is your opinion on the sack play and how it can change the dynamics of a game?) – “I mean obviously we’re always happy when we get sacks. You could get a sack on first down that puts you behind the chains and I think when you listen to offensive coaches talk, they’re always talking about staying on track, staying in manageable situations. Any time you get a negative play or a sack, that’s going to put them a little bit off track which sometimes puts them into a different mentality. It shrinks their call sheet a little bit or you kind of have a little bit of a better idea of maybe what’s coming as opposed to everything’s available to them. And again, it’s not that we’re not happy when we get sacks. (laughter) We just know that as a defense to put pressure on the offensive line, to put pressure on the quarterback, it’s not always a sack that does that. Sometimes you can get pressure, you can get a tipped ball, you can get an interception which ends up being a pick-six kind of like what happened last night to start the game. So again, that wasn’t a sack, but there was pressure, ball gets tipped and you’re able to have a successful play. But I think it all comes down to putting pressure on the offensive line and the quarterback in those situations and then obviously if they lose yardage, we’re all going to be happy with that and then again, there’s a lot of times when we have sack opportunities that you’ll see our guys trying to attack the ball because there’s nothing more important than the football. So sacks are nice, but if we can get a strip-sack and recover it, that just made a good play a great play, if that makes sense.”

(You guys have been consistent, generally successful against the run in this stretch. To you, has DT Christian Wilkins improved against the run? Has DT Raekwon Davis improved? Who else beyond those two might come to mind as players whose improvement against the run has pleased you?) – “I’ll credit (Defensive Line Coach) Austin Clark and (Linebackers Coach) Anthony Campanile. These guys have done a good job with these guys. And really it’s a credit to the players. Their work and their understanding –it’s one thing to improve your individual run technique and two, to understand what’s going on around you and how one particular block and the way that you play that affects a guy behind you, a guy beside you. I think we’ve garnered a better understanding of that and again, I think our players’ work ethic and their love for playing for each other and their joy to see success from others has really kind of been the catalyst for our improvement on that.”

(I wanted to ask you about LB Elandon Roberts as well. He seems to bring such a toughness – you have plenty of tough guys on your unit – but what do you think of when you think of Elandon and what he brings to a defense?) – “Again he’s a good communicator. He’s intelligent. He’s a physical player and he loves football. He cares. He wants everybody to be on the same page and he goes above and beyond to make sure that’s getting done. And we’re going to need that to continue and we’re going to need that to continue to improve because we need our best football coming this week.”Danny Crossman – December 28, 2021 Download PDF version

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman

(I wanted to ask about that perfectly downed punt between P Michael Palardy and WR Mack Hollins in that fourth quarter. How is a play like that executed? What is Mack looking for and how does he know where he’s at on the field as he’s looking up at the ball, and just the execution from a technique standpoint?) – “It’s something we work on quite a bit, especially later in the week at practice. The biggest thing is trying to have a good understanding of where we believe those ball are going to be to give the gunners a good landmark. Obviously Mack is doing a good job of winning at the line of scrimmage and making sure he avoids the returner and then obviously being able to finish the play. Very well executed. A big play at that point of the game.”

(I was hoping you were able to give me some insight on this beyond – I know every decision will be made that’s in the best interest of the team. But specifically the decision to move away from WR Jaylen Waddle since he’s come off the COVID-19 list and use WR Tommylee Lewis on returns. Obviously Tommylee got hurt. Can you share thin insight on whether you guys are trying to save Jaylen’s energy, whether Tommylee had such a good skillset returning, a combination of the two, what the reason has been?) – “No, I won’t share. (laughter) There are so many things that are going into these things and as you guys are very well aware over the last couple of weeks, there is even more that goes into it in terms of who we’re going to have on game day and how we’re going to be able to use them. There are so many things gong on right now, it really makes it interesting during the week.”

(With regards to long term with both WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland as returners, has their work in those roles this year left you encouraged that they will be good NFL returners as we saw in college?) – “I believe so. I think both of those kids are really good. It’s been a bit of a blessing that they’ve both evolved as quickly as they have both offensively and defensively, and their roles have really, really expanded on those two sides of the ball. Both are really good players.”

(K Jason Sanders, I think we all would agree that the mental side of kicking is a big part of it. What’s his process or your message to him when the opposing team tries to ice your kicker before the half or before the end of the game?) – “For us, it’s a practice kick. Any time we snap the football, we’re gong to kick it. I thought both balls were well struck. I thought the first one he hit very well down the middle and maybe the second one, maybe after just hitting from 59, maybe he tried to give it a little umph after just going from that distance and pushed it a little bit. But to me when we miss, as long as we’re hitting good hits, and I thought that was a good hit on the ball. In terms of icing, you just play the play. You can’t control what they are going to do. The percentages and numbers are interesting when you look at them. You really got to get into certain individual players. Then it’s what the head coach wants to do. They had the timeout and didn’t feel like taking it into the half and it worked out.”

(LB Andrew Van Ginkel’s defensive snaps keep going up the past few weeks but his special teams has not decreased. I just wanted to ask you about his ability to play 80 percent of the defensive snaps and still give you 20 snaps on special teams every week?) – “A kid that we’re really happy to have, has really developed over his three years here. His production has gone up on defense, his play time has gone up on defense, and that’s how it should work. But at the same time, he’s still heavily involved in the kicking game. He’s still a very good player for us.”

(On a list of moves that have come out of nowhere, RB Jordan Scarlett being elevated was probably high on that list. Had he shown you something with his special teams acumen during his limited time on the practice squad that made you think he’s be helpful in that role last night?) – “Really, it goes more back to training camp. We had him in training camp and we felt like he has some good attributes. When we put him on practice squad with all of the issues that we had in the Jets week, then he picked up where he left off and showed us some good things, especially at the positions that he played and some of the other things that happened to us during the week. It was a move we felt comfortable and he went out and performed very well.”  George Godsey – December 28, 2021 Download PDF version

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Co-Offensive Coordinator/TEs George Godsey

(Yesterday or last night, staying true to the entire season, you found some really creative ways to get WR Jaylen Waddle the ball. I was just curious as you look back at all the film from this year, how have you seen defenses adjust to covering Jaylen?) – “He’s definitely created some positive plays for us by getting open at all spots on the field. We know that going into each game there’s going to be a plan for him and then it’s we want to make sure that the defense has to adjust. We try to find as many different ways as we can to get him the ball. Inside, outside. Last night it was from the backfield. We try to do as much as possible.”

(It seems like your play calling, especially in the red zone, is uber-creative, whether it’s rolling QB Tua Tagovailoa out or whatnot. When you reach that red area, what goes through your mind as a play caller? Obviously, it’s a more confined space but what are you thinking of in terms of dialing up the best possible plays to get in the end zone?) – “Yeah, that’s it. Just trying to find some type of edge to get in there. We know that those four points, the difference between a field goal and a touchdown, are really big. The more you can pop it in there for a touchdown, the more pressure it puts on the opponent.”

(I know you try to exploit the most favorable matchups every week. But with WR DeVante Parker last night, were there plays that you had called that just didn’t materialize because of QB Tua Tagovailoa audibling or how the defense lined up? Would you like to have gotten him the ball a little more? Does it ultimately not matter because you won?) – “Yeah, I think all of our guys are happy with the victory. We’d certainly like to spread the ball out of we could as evenly as possible. There’s probably some plays that we left on the call sheet that we could have called. The way the game transpired, we kind of played it a certain way.”

(At running back, of course a little bit of a change in terms of how carries were allocated with most of them going to RB Duke Johnson and RB Phillip Lindsay. I know that’s no indictment of RB Myles Gaskin who has played a lot of snaps, but were there things you saw from Phillip and his one game a couple of weeks ago and practice after he came back from the ankle that made you guys want to give him a more expanded role last night?) – “That group is a real cohesive group and they work well together. They’re not really, they don’t really care who gets the ball. At some point they all have their roles and we expect that whole group to perform. Sometimes they’re the same, sometimes they’re different. In last night’s game, it ended up being a little bit more of Phillip, a little bit more of Duke, but that doesn’t mean that Myles’ chair isn’t there. Probably kind of similar to DeVante question.”

(Last night was a little bit more of a conservative approach given what the defense had going but I wanted to ask you about the sequence where things kind of opened up in the third quarter, back-to-back plays with the deep pass to WR Mack Hollins and then going with the flea flicker right after. What opened up there to be able to make those calls and convert those plays back-to-back?) – “it was a good drive by our unit. We were backed up a little bit and it ended up being an 80-plus yard drive. There were a couple of plays there in a row and then a good execution down there in the low red. We call plays to win the game so sometimes they end up being a little bit more explosive as everybody says than others. We felt good about the way we were playing as a team and ultimately, the defense played well and was able to keep them out of the endzone.”

(With this quick turnaround, your early impressions on this Titans defense and what is important to stress to QB Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the guys?) – “I would say everybody has got to jump on this film pretty soon. This is a good defense. They know what they are doing. They are sound. They are obviously playing well at all three levels from level one with the d-line, level two with the linebackers or the nickel and level three with the secondary. These guys play well together, they communicate well, they’ve got very quick reactions to what they see and they’re in the right spots. We’re going to need to execute for four quarters here for this game.”

(What can you say about WR Mack Hollins and his knack for making big plays with limited opportunities? What can you say about that and is there a part of you, I know there is only one ball, but is there part of you that wishes he had more opportunities?) – “He’s found himself in a role where he’s helping on all four downs. He’s helping in the special teams area. He did that last night and then from down to down with a lot of the misdirection, motions. Those receivers end up shuffling in and out. They all have their role on normal downs and on third down and at some point, like it happened last night, somebody is going to need to make a play that the defense maybe honing in on Jaylen specifically on that play. We had some leverage issues on some of the route concepts and that was the correct player to throw the ball to. He won the route and he came down with a great catch for a big play that really turned the field and that created a positive scoring drive. I would say that that play really ignited that drive, obviously because we had two really zero-yard plays right before that.”

(You had mentioned putting together a game plan to win the game. I think you’ve spoken recently about the offensive collaboration that you guys all come together for the gameplan. I was curious how much collaboration there is with the offensive side and the defensive side when it comes to putting together a cumulative gameplan. How does that work for the offensive side of the ball?) – “The head coach does a good job of putting us all on the same page and understanding each side, including the special teams roles in the game. When we develop a gameplan, you don’t really necessarily know how the game is going. The game may end up being one way or the other. Last week against the Jets, we’re down 10-0, so our gameplan goes to when you’re down 10-0 as far as calls go. We got up 10-0 in this game so that’s kind of how the calls go from that standpoint. I think it’s really hard to predict exactly how the game is going and how it will go. You want to have enough calls for however which way the game ends up unfolding. Fortunately for us, we maintained the lead for the whole game so we ended up playing a certain way.”

(I wanted to ask you to assess your offensive line play last night and how it can impact play-calling in certain occasions where rushers are getting to the quarterback quickly?) – “Yeah, I think early on in the first series, we had a pressure on a third down where we had Myles (Gaskin) coming open across the field. I think our guys would like to have that back. Shoot I’d like to probably have that back from a protection standpoint of how we called it. There’s some ebbs and flows of the game. I know the environment created some issues for us like all road games do. There are certain things there that are probably a little bit easier in a home atmosphere. That’s part of the league, that’s how the schedule is and we’re going to have overcome those again this week and do a better job from a play call to execution.”

(Brian Griese made a bizarre comment last night citing a conversation with you and suggesting on second and third and longs, you would just assume punt which I know cannot be precisely what you said. Do you remember that conversation and the point that you were trying to get across?) – “I didn’t hear his comment. I think for some downs, third down and very long, that’s a tough situation and it’s really not fair to a unit, the quarterback, the line, to put that much stress on those type of players. I don’t remember that exactly being the comment but I’m sure that’s really what we were alluding to that sometimes some of those situations are so unfair to that – now we put ourselves in that situation, let’s not forget that. But when you get yourself in third and extra long in this league, those percentages of converting are very low. If we got to have it at the end of the game, we’ll go for it and we’ll try to test the waters so to say. But we don’t want to make a living there in those situations at all. I think Brian knows that as a former quarterback too. That’s kind of how that conversation went.”Brian Flores – December 28, 2021 Download PDF version

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Head Coach Brian Flores

(You’ve gone this long with this current offensive line group. I would presume, correct me if I’m wrong, you’d probably stick with them. How do you think they played last night and is the Tennessee front as strong a group as you’ll face this year?) – “Yeah, Tennessee has got a very good team. They’re well coached, a very good front, linebackers, DBs, backs, receivers, offensive linemen. So they’ve got a good team. But yeah, certainly from a front standpoint. Jeffery Simmons is probably one of the top players in the league. He leads the charge there. They’ve got a lot of good players up front. It’ll be a good challenge for us. I think New Orleans had a good front as well. A lot of good players there. They gave us some issues, some problems, which you would expect against a team with a front like that. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got some corrections to make. We need to play well this week.”

(Is there any roster moves you expect today with COVID, injury list or otherwise?) – “We’re going through the injury situation. We’re still running some tests on a couple of guys. Tommylee (Lewis) is the one we’re still kind of running some tests on him. On the COVID front, like any medical situation, I don’t get into a guy’s medical situation. I’ll leave it at that.”

(I wanted to ask you about turning the page quickly after Monday night and a slightly shorter week. Also as the Titans have had extra days to prepare coming off of a Thursday night game?) – “It’s a quick turnaround. A quick watch of the game last night. Probably a lot of our guys have taken a look at Tennessee and gotten a head start. Definitely a quick turnaround. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get a gameplan put together offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, getting to know their roster, getting to know their players, their coaches. It’s a very good team.”

(I also wanted to ask you about WR A.J. Brown. Without revealing too much obviously, is he a guy that demands a greater variety of looks and coverage than what you may normally allow CB Xavien Howard or CB Byron Jones to handle one-on-one?) – “Yeah, he’s one of the top receivers in the league. I think (Ryan) Tannehill is doing a great job of getting him the football. They’re scheming things up to get it to him, which as they should. His talent level, he is someone we’ve got to pay attention to. They’ve got other receivers, backs, tight ends. And Tannehill is certainly getting him the ball and doing a good job of leading that offense.”

(From Week 9 to the present, you guys have the highest sack rate when rushing four or fewer rushers. I wanted to ask you how you’re able to generate pressure without blitzing and the importance of doing so?) – “I think Josh (Boyer) and our defensive staff have done a nice job of putting together gameplans and putting our guys in good position. You really can’t rush unless you stop the run, so I think we’re doing a good job on early downs trying to get that done. I think opportunities to pressure, there is a lot that’s involved there. I think people just think you put your hand in the dirt and rush the passer, but oftentimes the score dictates it, the situation dictates it. If they are running the ball, then there is no pass rush. If you’re down points then they are more apt to run it, so there is no pass rush. There are a lot of things that go into it. It’s not a seven-on-seven league or just a passing league. As a team, we’ve put ourselves in position where we’ve created some situations where it’s more likely than not that it’s going to be pass. Our guys kind of know and understand that. They work well together to try to beat protections and win on rushes. Credit to the players obviously is No. 1 there.”

(I believe when you first came here, you may have had a month or two crossover with QB Ryan Tannehill here before you guys made a move. I’m curious how you think his game has evolved after he left here now running that offense in Tennessee?) – “He’s a very good player. Good arm, mobile, good command of the offense, makes checks at the line of scrimmage. He’s a very good player.”

(Following up on QB Ryan Tannehill, I remember in 2019 you and General Manager Chris Grier talked about getting together to discuss whether or not to move forward with Ryan or move on. What was your assessment of Ryan and what went into that decision at that time in 2019?) – “Well, 2019 is not really something that is on my mind right now. Like I just said, Ryan Tannehill is a very good player. He’s on the Tennessee Titans, who we are seeing this week. This is a major challenge for us. He can run. He can throw. He’s had a lot of success with them. Really, I’m kind of focused on the guys that are on our team. This is going to be a big challenge so those conversations from 2019 are kind of really far from my mind right now. ‘Vrabes’ (Mike Vrabel) and his staff and his team, this is a tough, physical group really on all three sides and Ryan is a part of that. I think his demeanor, his temperament, the way he goes about things, his toughness, I think that shows on their offense. I think that permeates throughout their team. He’s shown leadership and this is going to be a tough challenge for us.”

(Can I ask a more general follow in terms of your opinion about what’s most important at the quarterback position. Every franchise is seeking a ‘Franchise Quarterback.’ What in your estimation are the most important attributes of the ‘Franchise Quarterback?’) – “Again, another answer for things that are far from my mind. I’m really on the Titans. But toughness, competitiveness, intelligence, leadership. These are kind of like draft questions. But leadership, accuracy, taking care of the football. That’s kind of what I think every team is looking for. Yeah, I think that’s what every team is looking for.”

(What have you seen from WR Jaylen Waddle inside the building behind the scenes that maybe has led to some of the recent statistical success he’s had over the last month or so?) – “Jaylen, I think he’s done a good job really since he got here, since he stepped foot in the building. He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a sponge as far as wanting to learn the receiver position, defenses, defensive structures. Are they playing me inside leverage, outside leverage, double teams, which he’s starting to see a little bit more of now and how to handle those. He’s talented. He’s got speed. He’s got quickness. He’s got good hands. We’re trying to figure out different ways to get him the ball whether it’s coming out of the backfield, whether he’s running routes just one on one, crossing routes, cross routes, vertical routes. I think he’s done a nice job.”

(I know you mentioned Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel. I’m curious what the dynamic is for you. A guy that you coached early in your career – you guys are a similar age but you coached him. I’m curious what your relationship is and how that may impact how you gameplan for him as a coach?) – “I didn’t coach Vrabel. I would say he probably more coached me as a young guy in New England when he was there and he was a player. He was pretty much a coach on the field then. I certainly didn’t coach him but I have a lot of respect for him. I think his toughness, his acumen, I think that shows up and you see it in the way his team plays. He’s somebody I call a friend. I have a great deal of respect for him and I think they’ve got a lot of guys on their staff who I’ve worked with. Jon Robinson, their general manager. Monti Ossenfort, who is a guy that I kind of came up with in the scouting game. Ryan Cowden. There are a lot of relationships there with the Titans. I think they’ve done a lot of really good things over there building a team, building the culture. A lot of things that we would like to emulate.”

(Obviously you’re concerned with keeping all your players healthy but I’m curious with the end of the regular season approaching and the increased importance of every game moving forward, if you had any plan specifically for your quarterbacks? Like maybe to, I know there’s a team or two that are keeping their QBs separate from the rest of the team. Just wondering if you had any plans for QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Jacoby Brissett?) – “I think our setup here, everything is virtual so that’s kind of how we are setup now. We are really trying to keep everybody away from everybody as much as we can.”