WR Mack Hollins
(You have a teammate in CB Ryan Lewis who you went to training camp with or worked against kind of during the season, and you get to see him here now. How much has he helped the transition process of going to a new team?) – “It’s big any time you see a familiar face. I think when you go anywhere, familiar faces are always good. They just show you the routine and how things are done, the things coach doesn’t like, what he does like, certain rules that guys wouldn’t know that only comes with the experience of being on a team. Having guys like him and Jomal Wiltz also played with me in Philly my rookie year. It’s great to have those type of guys.”
(What did they tell you about what they liked about you? Did Head Coach Brian Flores or General Managers Chris Grier or anyone say anything to you when you came in the building?) – “They just said that they see the type of player that I am where the team always comes first with me. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do if it helps us win ball games. They were excited about that and my energy. Like I said, I’ll do whatever necessary.”
(In your exit meeting with Head Coach Doug Pederson, did he indicate to you why they made the move?) – “There are a few different things, but I won’t get into that I’m just excited to be here. I’m excited to play for the Dolphins. Let’s win games here.”
(Just the idea, I know you have touched on this before, but did you ever envision being back here after Sunday? It must have struck you as weird when you got the news on Tuesday.) – “Yeah. I joke about it now. I’m like, ‘I guess I could have just stayed down here.’ The funny thing is we had two off days in Philly back-to-back, so it’s not like I even practiced up there. Hindsight is 20/20. I’m here now and it’s time to work.”
(You have an opportunity that the Dolphins have given you here to make some plays in the return game and on the field too.) – “It’s awesome. I think any player will tell you that an opportunity is a gift. You don’t get them all the time. I’ve definitely learned that over my three years in the NFL already. Them giving me the opportunity is all I can ask for and it’s time to take advantage.”
(Back when you studied the Dolphins defensive backs last week, who stood out to you?) – “They have a bunch of good guys. For me as a player when I study, I think I look at schemes a lot. Obviously I wasn’t the primary receiver in Philly, so Alshon (Jeffery) is going to have a guy follow him a lot of the time. For me, it was how could I dissect schemes and be able to do what I can reading safeties and reading what coverages they are in and relaying that type of stuff.”
Friday, December 6, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw LB Jerome Baker and CB Nik Needham were limited on Wednesday and Thursday. Do you expect to have them Sunday?) – “Yes. We expect to have both guys Sunday.”
(And S Steven Parker I know is limited as well. Has he been doing better from his injury?) – “Yeah. Yep.”
(I know you guys have claimed a lot of rookie draft picks from other teams this year – several of them. Yesterday you parted ways with your first rookie from this class. I imagine that’s tough to do. Was it a difficult call with T Isaiah Prince and why don’t you think it worked out here with him?) – “Yeah, anytime you have to release a player, it’s difficult. Obviously with Isaiah, that was another difficult one. At the end of the day, we just try to do what we feel is best for the team. There’s only so many spots. When we made the claim, we just – he was the guy we felt like we had to part ways with, not necessarily that we wanted to but at the end of the day, you have to make decisions that you feel are best for the team.”
(There’s not a high percentage rate of sixth-rounders becoming long-term NFL players anyway, but do you think with offensive linemen it’s particularly tough – not speaking of T Isaiah Prince specifically but in general – to translate college performance to NFL success? I know college coaches – University of Miami Head Coach Manny Diaz said it’s tough recruiting, projecting high school to college with offensive linemen. Is it like that do you think college to pro?) – “I think we have to project. Our job is to project and predict and see if guys will pan out at all positions. We’ve got a good personnel department, and coaches are involved. A lot of people are involved in that, but not everyone works out. That’s the National Football League. Players can do everything right and give their best effort and play to the best of their ability, and it doesn’t work out sometimes. I’d say Isaiah worked extremely hard. He made a lot of improvement over the course of the year, and I think he’s got a future in football in this league.”
(What’s your evaluation of CB Chris Lammons this season and your relationship with him? Obviously he’s a hometown kid who got the game-winning pick last week. That was probably a big play for him.) – “Yeah, Chris Lammons, he really did a good job from OTAs to training camp to really most of the season. He’s a kid who’s worked hard, who’s made the most of his opportunities, not perfect – I know he had the interception last week which was good for him and a big play for us – he also had two penalties. We’ve got to correct the mistakes and obviously highlight the successes, but he’s done a good job and hopefully continues to play well and contribute.”
(Was there anything specific you guys liked about RB Zach Zenner?) – “Yeah, (he is) a big back. He’s had some production in this league playing in the kicking game. We were looking after we lost Kalen (Ballage), we needed a back who we felt like we could play in the kicking game and also give us some snaps offensively. We looked at a few different options there and we felt like Zach was the best in both areas – the kicking game as well as running the football. Between De’Lance (Turner), Patrick (Laird), Myles (Gaskin) and Zach (Zenner), we just try to find the right group of guys to kind of fit the role as we need at the running back position.”
(With DT Zach Sieler – the player you claimed – did you see tape from Ferris State, back with the Patriots or any Ravens tape the last couple years that intrigued you?) – “Yeah, there’s a lot of Ravens film that we’d seen earlier in the season and then preseason. (Sieler is) big, physical, high effort, good length. Just watching the tape and doing some background on him, he’s everything we’re looking for. High effort, works hard, football is important to him. Those traits – we like, we covet and we had an opportunity to claim him and thankfully we got him.”
(Jets RB Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an illness this week that may cause him not to play on Sunday, but how hard of a player is he to kind of game plan for in both facets – passing and the run game?) – “We’re preparing for him to play. He’s a good player at full strength. He’s a very good player at 80 percent. Obviously he’s one of the best backs in the league. Really good vision, good run instincts, very patient, can find the space and he can hit it. He does a good job in the pass game, does a good job with protection. At any point, he can break a long run, so we’re preparing for him to play, and we’re preparing for him to be at full strength. It’s a tough test.”
(You saw WR Mack Hollins play in-person last week. Do you envision a similar role for you guys that you saw what he was with the Eagles?) – “I think Mack – it’s been a couple days, so his role will evolve over the next few weeks. Obviously he’s done a good job and had success in the kicking game. I think in the last two days, you can see that he has a lot of ability as a receiver, as well. He’s fast. He’s big. He’s got good hands. He blocks. So we’re excited to have him. Over these next few weeks, we’ll just try to develop a rapport, a relationship. He’ll get more comfortable with the playbook offensively and in the kicking game. Hopefully he can contribute towards the end of the season.”
