Monday, December 9, 2024
FB Alec Ingold
(As you watch the tape in meetings, what has stood out about why the run game has regressed in terms of yards per carry so much these last five weeks?) – “Yeah, it’s a good question. We’ve talked a number of times the past few years about how the run game is kind of the epitome of all 11 having to be tied together. So I think where we’re at right now as a team, obviously extremely efficient in the pass game, being able to move the ball in a number of different ways and when we’re operating so efficiently sometimes those looks, we need to do a lot better job as players to be able to take those looks, be all on the same page to be able to execute because when we’re throwing the ball seven, eight yards a clip, 12 yards a clip, 14 yards a clip; sometimes a four-yard run doesn’t feel the same, right? And I think a lot of guys can clean up our assignments in the blocking schemes to be able to kind of make sure that we are moving the ball in the run game just as efficiently and effectively as we are in the pass game. So I think it’s definitely an area that we can grow in and it does take all 11 to be able to make that happen. We’re not playing horseshoes or hand grenades right now, and ‘close’ isn’t going to cut it. So December football, a lot of teams need to be able to run. We’re going to be on the road quite a bit and I think that’s going to help, so I think it’s really button down the hatches there. It’s definitely a growth opportunity for us heading into this stretch.”
(I know there’s a difference between excuses and explanations. You guys don’t make excuses but and explanation for the run game decline, your snaps are down, OL Austin Jackson not there, T Terron Armstead not there yesterday – not an excuse – is that a legit explanation?) – “I mean I think there’s a lot of – when you start to look at the circumstances of why something isn’t happening, sometimes the simple answer of not being able to execute is the tough one that you have to really dial into. I think being able to look at those circumstances and why we aren’t performing with those 11 guys on the field, being able to run the ball. There’s no finger pointing, there’s no excuses and it’s simple, but it’s hard to do. And I think that’s the challenge that we all have to kind of embrace and not look at any sort of outside help, any sort of outside explanation and truly just dialing into how all 11 can be in this run game and we can improve down the stretch cause I think that’s the only way we win the games we need to win, is for all 11 guys to be able to take that ownership and not have to look for who’s on the field, who’s off, situation of the game, like it shouldn’t really matter at this point. It’s who’s on the field and how can we execute?”
(What about short yardage specifically? Does it just come down to being more physical than the opponent or are there still some minor details and technique that can be fixed there?) – “Probably a little bit of both. I think being able to, when you talk about fast, physical, elite technique in short yardage; getting the right feet in the ground, being able to do all the things we need to do to move your guy one yard so the running back can get through that line of scrimmage, I think it really is details, I think it’s that focus. Yeah, a little toughness can help, too, a little tenacity to get after it, but I think short yardage in the run game is something that we’re all going to be having our hand in. I think Tyreek (Hill) and Jaylen Waddle have been doing an outstanding job run blocking – all wide receivers. Malik (Washington) has been doing a great job as well in that run blocking. So all 11 are bought in, it’s just, man, we need to continue to grow in that area and we’re all tied together and we all have our hand in that.”
(I would agree with anything you would say about the importance of the run game – I find it odd though that when the run game was doing very well, the team was on a losing streak. And now, it’s almost like it’s reversed what you would expect, isn’t it?) – “Correlation, causation, that whole thing. I think wins are important so we’re going to take that, but if we get this run game and the pass game all clicking, you’ll be able to see the offense at its full potential and I think that’s what we have to strive to do every single day at the office. How can we continue to, each asset, each piece of this game, put it together for December to play really good football and I don’t think we’ve hit that stride yet as an offense which is exciting because there’s something to work on, and it’s frustrating at the same time because it hasn’t been coming together the way we’ve seen it come together in the past. So I think it’s just really learning from the past, understanding you’re inspired for what’s ahead and in the future and what can be, and then being as present as possible to make sure that we’re executing when those run plays are called, pass plays are called – it doesn’t matter what the call is – to all 11 to be able to execute there.”
(Is it like a split personality? Is it like two different personalities -that type of running game while QB Tua Tagovailoa was out as you had to have as opposed to the type of running game you have now with him there?) – “When your back is against the wall no matter what, I think it brings the best out of you. In a lot of guys in the run game we had to step up and we had to do that. I think that sense of urgency, I don’t think you can wait for your back to be up against the wall anymore, like it’s a one-game season from here on out so that sense of urgency that we’re carrying through run game, pass game, installs, Wednesdays, Fridays, it shouldn’t matter. At this point, everything’s important, every single detail matters, all your single efforts from blocking all the way on the backside of a play not thinking that’s going to be the home run block. All of those things matter at this point in the season, so that’s the battle that we’re fighting and I think we’ve got the right guys to do it.”
(Can you switch between one or the other? That power running game and then the zone blocking?) – “Yeah, I mean I think it’s all a piece of it, right? You want to have both assets depending on what the defense is presenting to you. What guys are making plays on both sides of the ball so that you can be able to have as many plays on that call sheet that could be explosive. You want to score every single snap that we touch it. You’ve got so many explosive guys between De’Von (Achane), Jaylen (Wright), Raheem (Mostert), Jeff Wilson (Jr.) coming up big in a couple key snaps. We have a great room in the running back room. All of our wide receivers, tight ends, Jonnu (Smith) obviously, there’s a lot of guys that can do some special things with the ball in their hands, so every single time that we step on the field, every single snap, we’ve got to be able to be explosive and do whatever it takes to get those efficient yards that we need.”
(If I told you, you were playing with a guy who’s on pace to break all of the single-season tight end records, would you be surprised?) – “I would assume it’s the guy that catches JUGS before every single walkthrough, every single practice every single day; it’s probably that guy that I’ve been seeing showing up every single day. I think it’s cool to see – I didn’t understand that, I didn’t know that he’s on track, but not surprised in the least by the work ethic you see. Throughout the year, I think Jonnu’s game this last – everyone’s talking about how he didn’t get the ball and then he does in overtime; it’s like throughout the season it kind of epitomized how he’s been approaching things. Like when his opportunity, his number gets called, he’s been working relentlessly and tirelessly to be ready for those opportunities, so really, it gives me goosebumps right now thinking about the amount of work and how it shows up on the field. All of his efforts have been showing up in a number of different ways and his habits, routines, his standard, he’s leading by example in a number of ways in this building.”
(I’m doing something on T Terron Armstead and he’s got an event this afternoon, a shopping spree – I’ll ask you about your event next – but he had a deal last week of kids, I guess educational. Here’s a guy who’s got a hip-hop album, outstanding player, yesterday, he’s injured. I see him at one point talking to T Patrick Paul, at another point talking to LB Chop Robinson. What do you think of all of this with Terron? How do you describe him? What do you think of him?) – “He’s one of the best pros I’ve ever been around. He doesn’t talk very much, but when he talks, people listen. He has a very unique leadership style to him. He’s almost like a father figure it seems like in the huddle. You can tell when he’s on the field, guys have confidence. All 10 guys outside of Terron have confidence when you see ‘72’ in the huddle, and I think that carries over into the locker room. You see him and his presence; it’s calming, it’s confident, it’s not arrogant in the slightest and I think the more things that he’s doing off of the field, I think that bleeds onto the field, being a role model and example for a lot guys, myself included, looking up to his academy, his financial literacy work that he’s doing. Having a building with ‘Terron (Armstead) Family Foundation,’ that’s unbelievable stuff that he’s been doing over the past decade, and you can see it show up in the game and to have a career that he’s had up until this point, has been outstanding.”
(And tell me about your event. It’s up in Coconut Creek, right? $100 for every 30 yards of offense, is that right?) – “Yeah, we’re going on the 16th, we’re going up. We’re going to surprise the kids, play a little Santa Claus, give them some give back, some toys and all that stuff and last year we did that event and I was like, ‘man, this is cool.’ You get the shoes, you get the clothes, you get the toys, but I wanted to be a part of something that’s going to stay there longer than I’m going to be around playing football. So we were able to fundraise and build these kids a nice outdoor park for them to be out there and just be kids, man. It’s those little things, the perspective, the smiles on their faces. I can’t imagine the amount of memories that are going to be made over there outside at SOS Children’s Village. So really excited to see all the smiles when that thing gets released.”
(I’d like to ask you a little bit more about T Terron Armstead and just kind of what he’s going through because we haven’t seen him be able to practice for several weeks and yet he’s out there trying to make it go every Sunday. How difficult is that and how much respect do you have for him?) – “Utmost respect. I think the past few years seeing how – I’m a big rep guy. I need practice, I want my body mechanics, I want to work all the way through the week and for him to get all of those reps for the past few years where he’s battling whatever injuries he’s battling and then show up and put the cape on, on Sunday has been inspiring because he’s a pro’s pro. He’s not taking vacation, he’s not hanging out. Like he is working every single day whether it’s boxing, whether it’s whatever he’s doing for cardio. He’s been taking care of all of his business, all the time. So to see him be able to go through all that adversity and still perform at a high level week in and week out is extremely inspiring and to see there’s a million different ways to get to Sunday and to be able to be a performer. I can assume that’s not the easiest way to do it, probably not how he wants it, but it’s inspiring to see him show up to work every single day.”
(What’s different about December football?) – “I think the margin of error is extremely small. People are climbing or they’re falling. I think there’s a lot of holiday season going on, there’s a lot of end of the year, there’s a lot of noise going around and the better that you handle that noise as a team, to stay connected to make sure that you’re using every single ounce that’s gotten you to that point, to be that edge, to be that separator in December football. The teams that win in December are the ones that are winning in January and February and there’s no secret to that. I feel like hitting your stride in December is extremely important because every single play matters that much more, all that little effort adds up. You get a lot of high stakes poker being played on the football field in December and I think that’s where the true separation of good and great is.”
Monday, December 9, 2024
OL Liam Eichenberg
(Early in the game you were able to draw an unnecessary roughness penalty or unsportsmanlike call. Are you good at getting under people’s skin?) – “Yeah, it kind of seems to be a trend surprisingly. I really didn’t say anything. I think I was just playing through the whistle trying to stay connected and I think that’s kind of when guys get angry. When you kind of just stay on them. So just trying to stay on my guy and make sure he doesn’t make the play and if I get hit in the face or something happens, it’s part of the game. It’s a physical game, but yeah, just trying to block my guy.”
(That was very early. The second play of the game. Did it continue between you two throughout or did everything cool down?) – “Yeah, it normally does whenever you kind of annoy them in the beginning for the most part. But I try to play hard. I try to block who I’m supposed to block and I take it as I’m just doing my job.”
(When you reviewed the film, what were some of the things that why the run game wasn’t really working and also what were some of the things that you saw that could be easily improved because I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel just said just need to be blocking better, but it’s a little bit more complicated than that, I’m sure?) – “I think it kind of goes back to all of us being on the same page based on where the point is made and all of us going to the correct guy after that point. Definitely communication can be improved, but at the end of the day it kind of goes back to technique and fundamentals. I always say this, but me having my left hand outside of the guy and then me trying to transition makes it a lot harder compared to if my hand is set. Techniques, fundamentals, hand placement, head placement, it’s all important. And I think it’s something that we’re going to stress and continue to stress on. At the end of the day, it kind of comes down to us doing it, so we’ve just got to be more intentional.”
(When it comes down to short yardage specifically, down there does it just kind of get more so to it’s physicality but also some of the finer technique things too?) – “Short yardage is one of the best things about football especially the offensive line. You’ve got to come off the rock and this past week, we know ‘54’ (Javon Kinshaw) kind of likes to swim a lot on the goal line and you can’t be timid, though, because he may not swim and then he’ll jet. It’s all about leg drive, pad level, and hand placement and kind of running our guys into the endzone. That’s kind of how you view it.”
(Are you a guy who looks at big picture, playoff chances, and what you’ve got to do? Or are you just 1-0 this week?) – “No, I’m just focused on this week. Focused on Houston, kind of one day at a time for the most part. That’s how I view it. These seasons, my past years have kind of gone by in a blink of an eye. Kind of just focused on this week and getting better.”
(How does it feel not to be moving around as much? You’ve got your spot on the line.) – “It’s nice. It’s been a long path to get here, but there is a lot I need to improve on still. And I know that, and it’s kind of something I’m working on every single week and every single day. It’s nice, but at the end of the day, what are the team needs? And I think I’ve taken that mindset since the day I got here. Just trying to get better.”
(What was your impression of T Patrick Paul and the way he played… being called upon early in that game?) – “I looked over and I was like, ‘oh man, Pat is in here.’ I didn’t even know he came in, to be honest I saw him in the huddle and was like, ‘oh, he’s in here.’ Three spots away seems so close, but I’m mainly talking to the center and the right tackle. I thought he did a great job. Super talented rookie and I think his future is going to be bright, and he’s going to do very well here for the Dolphins. I’m excited for him, and he’s come a long way since he’s got here.”
(His size, he’s kind of hard to miss though, isn’t he?) – “Yeah, he’s a big boy. He’s got that big helmet on, too.”
(How tough is it to go from – talking about short yardage – to go from that side-to-side blocking and then you have to go forward? Is it like a different type of personality you have to have almost on the line?) – “I think it’s more of just kind of knowing the situation you’re in. Obviously defensive linemen are going to play short yardage, goal line similar. Compared to first-and-10, second-and-6; they may think pass, they may think run. So you’ve got to be on top of it. That’s just how it is every single play.”
Monday, December 9, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(At this point, is there any consideration given to surgery for T Terron Armstead, or is this more of a rest until he’s able to play again type of thing?) – “Yeah, it’s a rest thing. I think you might have seen his frustration level to try to contribute in this particular game and it’s something that he can’t control, so you talk to him about – I’ve been very proud of how he’s handled all of it because he’s probably at a new level of maturity to handle these types of things based upon his necessity. I think we’ll let it cool down a little bit and what that means for time moving forward, I’m going to make sure that my communication is steadfast with him, and we’ll play out all the scenarios with our group.”
(What were you hearing from him as far as what he was experiencing? Was it sort of tweaks that indicated it wasn’t right?) – “Yeah and just going into the game, just knowing what was ahead of him in terms of like he was trying to will himself. I just made it very clear that, ‘don’t waste your time trying to be a superhero.’ We had extra communication last week so that he did what was best for the team just in case actually what happened, did happen that he didn’t make a competitive choice that would put our team in a compromising situation. So that communication has to be honest and direct. Otherwise people make decisions for the wrong reasons. I already knew going into the game, much like I always do with him, but like what he was ready to do to will himself and I didn’t want him to put himself in harm’s way or the offense, and sometimes the honest truth is the hard truth that, that day, he didn’t have it.”
(When you look at the film, what were some of the things you noticed that went wrong with the run game yesterday?) – “There were some opps that we missed. I think the tonality and what people view changes a lot when probably our best run situation, I think the guys were frustrated with the results having higher expectations going into the game. As a result, we get a holding penalty that changes on a 30 or 40-yarder. It might have been what, the fourth-longest of the season or something of that nature that got called back. That’s a piece. I think we need to block better. That’s been a focus of ours. They get paid. Too. They had a good plan, changed things up in a way that they were still able to play aggressive. They have a good front, a good defense, so give them credit as well. There was stuff that I expect to be better and I think it’s also magnified when you’re taking in the totality of what the players on offense are doing. What do I mean by that? There’s a lot of times with the consistency of the decision making and accuracy of Tua (Tagovailoa) that I’m exchanging tone-setting run plays for tone-setting pass plays. Protection is firm and telling guys to be aggressive and then when you’re throwing a five-yard out route to Julian Hill for 14, you’re throwing a five-yard out route to Jaylen Waddle for 10, you’re throwing a five-yard out route to Tyreek (Hill) for, I think one time it was 13, one time it was nine. They’re getting less opps after not taking advantage of ops. So the key is, is you take advantage of those opps, you make people overplay the run structure one way. Then you get another call and another opportunity in the run game going the opposite way. I think the numbers do represent something that we absolutely need to improve; however I think it’s magnified given the circumstances, adjusting to 75 percent completion percentage and giving guys opps that are very good players on our team. So it’s a priority for the blockers to run the ball better. They need to take advantage of their opportunities better and they’ll get more opportunities.”
(Going back to T Terron Armstead for just a second, did you feel it was more of a pain tolerance issue or an issue of further doing damage to that knee?) – “I think he has a very high threshold of pain and pain tolerance. It’s when you’re compromising both potentially the player and unable to do his job as he knows how to do it. He’s able to do a lot of really cool things and we’re very, almost desensitized to however we’ve had to get him to game day. There’s not professionals at the left tackle position that do that really, and so to do that, you have to be very trusting in your body because you’re doing a lot of things mentally during the week and if your body doesn’t meet the expectation that you have going into it, things can snowball quickly and for him and his teammates, we’ve also been taking advantage of the adversity has been an opportunity for Patrick Paul, for instance on Wednesdays, being able to get all season, being able to kind of develop his game so that he could be ready for a situation like this should it present itself, which I think undoubtedly, deep down, that factors into how compromised in a position Terron feels that he can put himself in. His bottom line is he feels he’s got a (captain) ‘C’ on his chest and he’s won in this league, and he wants to make sure that his locker room does whatever it takes to win. And I think he exemplified his winner mindset ironically by being responsible and communicative in the game. And he does see the big picture and what we have in store for us one game at a time, and each one of them was crucial and crucial for him and his prep and he’s trying to just do right by his play and his teammates.”
(When you guys added TE Jonnu Smith, obviously the emphasis was on improving the contribution from the tight end position. How much of that was just taking some of the plays that you used with the 49ers, George Kittle and implementing here? Or is this all just a new origination of plays?) – “I think the process, you’re hitting the nail on the head with the starting point and you’re forecasting. But for me, you’re finding the individual player and what he’s good at and so then you traditionally put it in a bucket of your experience and to see what things, what he gravitates to, what he doesn’t. Very much of training camp was just trying different things and then leaning into things that you could see he could use as a competitive advantage. For us, there’s elements as the starting point to a lot of the stuff that we do in the offense that go all the way back to 2005, but much like the ever-evolving way to attack defenses and the different defensive presentations that get thrown at us, there’s a lot of different things that we kind of try with him that I hadn’t tried in the past with a tight end. I think the biggest thing, regardless of position, thought we could really benefit from the extra space that the other three eligibles get based upon over attention on ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle), and that expansion of the field that the defense is defending, how to best take advantage of that space. And I think we’ve done some elements of it, realistically. I don’t think I’ve – some of the short-and intermediate routes that we’ve really called a lot too, I had never called it or been a part of an offense that has ran it that much. We’ve probably run more screens to him than ever been used to, just adjusting to his skill set. And I always respond to conviction in play and when I see guys have confidence, you lean into that. So we’re really evolving to his game. It started with a lot of stuff that we’ve done in the past, but it’s kind of morphed into a unique contributor that can play in the core and I’ve never had a tight end take two screen plays back-to-back; that’s because he’s never had Jonnu Smith. I think he has his own skill set and his own niche on this offense that really is problematic for how defenses want to defend us.”
(After you guys made the game-tying kick there at the end, the broadcast showed QB Tua Tagovailoa on the sidelines kind of getting the guys fired up, going. Were you in earshot of that?) – “After the game?”
(No, during the game. After the game-tying field goal.) – “Oh yeah, so we had communicated previous to that, and then all we were – just the possession before, you just wanted the ability to have your last drive, get the game tied. I think he was very confident, and I think what we had talked about is, ‘Hopefully, we have an opportunity to score a touchdown to win the game. If we have the opportunity, we need to make sure that our mindset is not to go get points; it is to go win the game.’ So he was, I think, probably calling his coin toss shot, felt very confident that he was going to win that by not saying anything, I guess, because they chose right? They chose heads. So I think he was letting everybody know – it’s a part of his kind of growth within our offense and just as the quarterback and kind of understanding his value to the team. And I think the best person to inspire confidence and conviction in what we’re about to do is probably him, and I think he’s fully recognized that. So in the situation where the offense was going to be positioned to have the opportunity to have the ball in overtime, he wanted to make sure guys’ minds were right. That we’re going to score and nothing else.”
(When you look at the run game I’m wondering if stats or situations are the better judgement. You’re 1-4 when you have over 100 yards rushing and 4-1 under 100 yards rushing in each of the last five games. So what does it mean that you’ve had those numbers and those results because I know QB Tua Tagovailoa has been there and Tua hasn’t been there. How do you reconcile that?) – “I think it’s important to have versatility in how you execute, given that you have different presentations week in and week out. I think to be able to adjust in-game, I think going into the game, I would’ve expected a different box score if I was guessing. I think for me, if you’re going to have 47 pass attempts or whatever it was, you better be a super high completion percentage without turnovers. If that’s the case such as this past game was, there was a multitude of situations that we passed not because we couldn’t run it, but because of trying to attack what was coming at us and as long as you are – because the starting point for running the ball versus passing is that it’s a proactive, safer line of scrimmage dictating-type play. Well, there’s also ways you can dictate the line of scrimmage on pass plays and if you’re not leaving yourself as vulnerable to negative sacks, quarterback hits or turnovers; I think having an open mind to, all right, there’s plenty of times in the last couple games that historically my brain would say ‘run the ball.’ But with a high level of production and maybe a predictive coverage and maybe a non-predictive front, it is easier to change a 3-technique to a 4i (technique) than it is to change from Cover 2 to Cover 4. So the variables. It’s something that I look at it this way: I have no problem and I don’t think the players have any problem being able to say ‘we need to block better’ and I can show them how we need to block better, but again, that being said, some of the statistical variance has to do with some momentum built and the decision-making, trust in timing of the pass game and our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. I think if the wide receivers weren’t – if ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle) weren’t as in a good place running certain routes, that choice to pass the ball at certain times wouldn’t be as advantageous. There was certain times in short yardage that people – their kneejerk – if you don’t run the ball, is that you’re passing because you can’t run or based upon a previous result; however, there’s not many times other than short yardage that defenses are giving us presentations with not zoning linebackers just jumping in the middle of the field. You might some man coverage opportunities. There was one at the 21-yard line in the end of the first or beginning of the second quarter. It was probably the best pass opportunity that we had all game; it was incomplete. So there’s so many different moving parts. Bottom line is we’ve never shied away from saying things need improvement. I know the blocking mechanism and handing the ball off and getting the production that we’re going into a game expecting; that needs to improve and I think it would also look very different if the pass game production was different or if our opportunities, we took advantage of them fully and didn’t overcook an outside zone to the right, that was a 30 or 40-yarder that we get called back for holding. That doesn’t get called back for holding, there’s probably going to be another run opportunity in the next two plays just based upon getting them on their heels. And then you have all sorts of different scenarios play out, so front end, have to take advantage of opportunities when given and you can see in games like that where the really premier situations can be few and far between, so you’ve got to take advantage of them.”
(Do you have an update on WR Dee Eskridge?) – “I would say still getting more information back, but it would be unlikely for this week and more in the timeline of the weeks following. Not anything close to IR-related, but it definitely calls into question this week.”
Monday, December 9, 2024
CB Kendall Fuller
(Obviously so much has been made about head injuries in the NFL. How concerned were you about the second concussion and did you even have to consider not playing the rest of the year or beyond?) – “I think after the second one it was mainly just getting the knowledge, all the information you can to make the best decision for you. So that was pretty much the process, the thought process is get all the information that I can to help me just understand the decision that I’m going to be making. Our team, our training staff did a great job of giving me all the information I could to make a smart decision, a safe decision, and I was happy to get back out on the field.”
(When did you feel back to normal after?) – “Not too long after, genuinely. Physical movement, exercise always helps. I was lucky to where the symptoms were very mild, so not too long after but with it being the second one, we definitely had to be just a little bit more cautious with it, for sure.”
(Did you have conversations with QB Tua Tagovailoa during that process?) – “Yeah, I had a conversation with Tua, I think like right after, just kind of seeing different thoughts that he had, the process that he went through and things like that. I talked to a number of guys that I’ve played with who’ve had concussions and things like that, definitely just reached out to everybody.”
(Did you give any thought to wearing the guardian cap?) – “No, just the science that they go through, the league, (with) different helmets. Guardian cap can help different helmets, (or) there may not be that much of a benefit to have it. I pretty much got the top-rated helmet that you can wear.”
(Is that new or is that one that you’ve had?) – “No, I haven’t had it, so it’s a new helmet for me.”
(What’s the name of the helmet?) – “I’m not even sure. (laughter)”
(How did it feel? Did it make a difference? Did it feel good?) – “I mean, yeah – the helmets that you wear before feel safe. You can say it makes a difference whenever you come out of a game healthy, but at the end of the day, any time you take the field there’s a risk of a head injury, risk of any type of injury. They say the NFL has a 100% injury rate. I can say it makes a difference because I came out without a concussion, but I’ve also had many games with the different helmet where I came out without a concussion.”
(I know you’ve known CB Jalen Ramsey for a minute, since high school, I think. Tell me what do you see in how he’s being used here? Being close to the ball, shadowing people, DK Metcalf, Garrett Wilson and what is it like playing opposite him when you have to kind of change your game when he’s shadowing somebody?) – “I don’t think of it as too much of me having to change my game. You play corner in the NFL, you play on the right side, left side, I played nickel a good part of my career as well, but Jalen (Ramsey) is just a guy that can do everything. He likes to do everything. He has such a big skill set, and as a competitor, even for him, it’s fun when you’re able to do so many different things on the field, where you can go cover a top guy, get inside, blitz, disguise a blitz, pop out. So for him, I know he’s enjoying it, just having fun being able to be all over the football field.”
(What does that do to an offense? I guess they always have to be aware of where CB Jalen Ramsey is, right?) – “Yeah, I mean it makes them study and prepare. He’s a gamechanger no matter where he lines up, so they have to prepare for all the different places and all the different things that we ask him to do on the defense.”
(The play at the end of regulation, are you thinking in that moment any throw near the sideline get the guy out of bounds, make sure we save time for the offense? On the very last defensive play, getting Davante Adams out of bounds?) – “Oh, the back shoulder? At that point, you really just – if I could go back, I would’ve played a little bit more underneath of him knowing that they’re not necessarily trying to take a shot. But really just try to keep them (and) make it as hard of a field goal as you can, so that was really the mindset. Let’s try to play tight coverage, make them kick a long field goal. Genuinely that was the biggest goal and the biggest mindset we had.”
(How do you look at how you guys did yesterday? You got the win, of course; they had two 100-yard receivers. How do you reconcile that? Did you guys do a good job?) – “It ain’t nothing to reconcile; Kader (Kohou) has been in the league three years, me and Jalen (Ramsey) both nine years, there’s days where you look at the film and you’re like, ‘Dang, we could have been better.’ You don’t necessarily reconcile it. When you leave the game, you know you could’ve done better. It always feels good to correct things and knowing that you need to get things fixed after a win. I mean after the game, we just know different things that we’ve got to work on, get better to be better for next Sunday.”
(How was it to have the three of y’all back together?) – “It was fun, just having everybody out there. Any time you can have everybody healthy, it gives you a better chance to win. For me, just being out for the last however many weeks, just being back on the field, being next to them, going out of the tunnel with them and things like that, it was definitely fun.”
(How many quarterbacks would you say right now could throw a back shoulder fade? How many can use it consistently in their game?) – “It’s the NFL, all of them got it. All of them just can do it maybe at a better rate than others. ‘A-Rod’ (Aaron Rodgers) especially with the different guys that he’s had, he can do it as good as anyone. But I think all of them have it in their bag, it’s just a matter of – if we’re playing golf, I may be super good with my 7-iron. You could hit your 7-iron, but it just may be what I do best and that’s what ‘A-Rod’ does best. I think everybody has it, but his is definitely elite.”
(I don’t want to get into your medical history at all, but you mentioned the conversations you had with some of the doctors and everything. Was there anything that you learned throughout this process that’s going to help you down the line?) – “Mainly just you’re understanding what type of risk you’re taking actually going out on the field. Just asking them, ‘Hey, is there more of a risk of me getting a concussion with me going back out there just because I’ve had one in the past,’ and things like that. There’s nothing that they can sit here and tell you down the line, ‘This is going to happen, that’s going to happen.’ It was mainly just understanding the risk that I’m taking going back out on the field.”
(Is there a secret to December success in the NFL? I know it’s a battle of attrition and everything like that, but how does a team succeed in December?) – “Health is definitely one of them, just having everybody out there healthy, and then I don’t think it’s a secret, it’s just a matter of 11 guys on the field doing their job and winning their matchups. I don’t think it’s necessarily a secret; football is always going to be football. When you have guys going out there and making their plays, whatever team makes the most plays is going to win. It’s just a matter of it’s December, every game counts in December, but at the end of the day, it’s still football.”
Monday, December 9, 2024
LB Chop Robinson
(I ask this in a joking fashion. Yesterday you did “the chop” after… but that was DT Zach Sieler’s sack, right?) – “No, that was mine and his. (laughter) Defensive sack right there.”
(What do you think about the way that the defense played yesterday? All three phases seem to make clutch plays. I know the numbers might not have been what you wanted, but you guys all made clutch plays. What do you think about the way the defense responded there?) – “I feel like just coming out, I feel like we didn’t have the swagger we normally had. It took us a while to get started and everything, and I felt like some of the self-inflicted wounds definitely made a big impact. Like there was a play one time where I was supposed to drop and in my situation, I was too focused on something else and that caused a big play for Davante Adams, so I learned from that, moved on; but self-inflicted wounds were a big part as well.”
(How did your matchup with Jets OL Olu Fashanu end up going for you?) – “It went good, I went against him on a play action that they should’ve called holding on that. (laughter) And then I had one rush against him. It was a quick pass, but I was talking trash to him when I lined up on the other side and he was getting mad about that.”
(You ended up getting the jersey swap?) – “Yeah, I got his jersey. I gave him my jersey, too, so it’s good. We were just so excited after the game to talk to each other, see each other and just dream come true.”
(Did you end up telling Jets QB Aaron Rodgers that your brother was a big fan when you were growing up?) – “No, I didn’t see him after the game. I was talking to Olu (Fashanu), but we were talking between the plays and he was telling me that I’m going to be a special player and everything and we’ve got the same agent so he was talking to my agent after the game about me and everything. It just felt good coming from a guy that I’ve been watching since I was basically born honestly.”
(I was going to say it wasn’t the best moment when you got hurt and you were sitting there. Did you even notice that he was one of the guys that came over to tell you something? Was that surreal? Like you’re sitting there hurt and here’s Aaron Rodgers?) – “Yeah, I mean my injury came first. That’s what my main focus was on, but when I’d seen him come back and he asked if I was all right, what’s wrong; it meant a lot coming from a guy like that. It felt good.”
(I’m doing something on T Terron Armstead and I noticed at one point during the game, you guys were – it looked like he was giving you some tips or some pointers. Tell me about that moment and just kind of what Terron has meant to you so far this season?) – “He meant a lot to me. He’s a big brother or should I say uncle for how old he is. (laughter) Mentor. He just gave me the game. I learned a lot from him. He just came, talked to me after Friday practices or we just sit and chill and just talk about my pass rushing and stuff like that and what he sees and what could help me out. And just getting information from a guy who’s been here for a long time is just a blessing honestly as a teammate and then on the field he was just giving me keys on what the tackle was giving me and what I could use and stuff like that.”
MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins WR Malik Washington
(To get the dub in OT, what does this do for your guys’ confidence and staying alive?) – “Yeah, I think it’s huge. I don’t think the mindset changes, though. We expect to win each and every week. We’re going to keep continuing on trying to go 1-0 each week and finish the job.”
(How are you able to stay level-headed in a game like this where we’re down throughout the game but again, you came out with the win the way you did?) – “I think it’s the way we practice. It’s kind of the mindset that we’ve adopted over the offseason. We’ve fought tough battles, we’ve had a tough go at it early in the year and so continuing on what we believe in and doing what we believe in is always going to help us in the end.”
(How do you keep the confidence up against Houston next week?) – “Keep going. Keep doing the same thing. Attack this next week of practice and be at our best.”
(What was going through your mind when you saw that line drive kick?) – “I don’t know if I could say in on camera. (laughter) But it’s one of those moments where you make a split-decision and you just take it and see what happens next. You be a football player.”
(Were you kind of hoping for that, though?) – “I was hoping they put it in play, yeah. I wanted to call my shot on that one and try to take it to see what we could get.”
(What’s it feel like to make a play like that after last week?) – “Yeah, I mean, that’s something you’ve got to flush. I mean, if you’re expecting everyone to play a perfect game, you’re going to always be disappointed. And I think you’ve got to learn from that, you’ve got to move on, you’ve have to be better the next week.”
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
Postgame – New York Jets
New York Jets RB De’Von Achane
(Where is this team’s confidence right now? Last week was disappointing, but you’ve won four out of five now.) – “Our confidence, we’ve always got the same confidence. We come out here with great confidence because we know the what type of team we can be. It’s always who the better team on Sunday is and we’ve got to come out and be ready to play.”
(How were you feeling about things when the team was down 23 -15 in the fourth quarter?) – “It was a one-possession game. We know we can have a big play on defense or offense at any time. Like you said, it’s always one play and special teams, it’s a group thing, like you said. Special teams count as well, and Malik (Washington) had a longer run and makes us go to overtime. So it’s just the little things. Anything can happen. It’s always just one play.”
(For TE Jonnu Smith not to have a reception heading into overtime and then to do what he did – three big plays – what does that say about him?) – “It says a lot. Like you said, we’ve got a lot of work on this team. Whoever can get the ball can go make plays and you say he didn’t have no receptions, so when we needed him, he came through. He was always ready and he made plays.”
(How do you keep the confidence up against Houston next week?) – “Our confidence is always high no matter who we play, but I know they’re a great team, so we’ve got the 24-hour rule. After Monday, focus on Houston.”
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins DT Calais Campbell
(Talking about perseverance, how did you guys just stay believing throughout this game?)– “I think it has kind of been the testament of our season – ups and downs, a tough start, but just stay believing, keep fighting, and don’t get bored with the proper techniques and the details that allow you win ball games. And I felt like once we settled down, I felt like the coaches made some good adjustments and we made plays, enough of them. It was close. They have a lot of great talent. I know they are not having the season that they could be having, but that team is one of the most talented teams in football and they made it really hard on us. But we found a way just by doing our job, making plays that came to us and not trying to press and just everybody feeding off of each other. It was a good team victory.”
(How do you take this momentum to Houston?) – “You celebrate for 24 hours, then you get back to work. Houston doesn’t care nothing about this win. But for us, getting back in the win column is huge, staying alive in this hunt is huge and we have something to play for. When your back’s against the wall and all you can do is fight, we’ll go out there and give everything we have. They are super talented, too. So many weapons all over the place, great defense. It’s going to be a battle, but we’re alive and we’re going to fight with everything we have.”
(Where does DT Zach Sieler rate as it relates to the emotional heartbeat of the defense?) – “Zach, man, he played a game. He had a day today. So many close plays early. So many close plays early, but just bringing that energy, bringing that leadership, bringing that passion and then the dam broke in that fourth quarter. He went off and made big plays that essentially called game for us or at least gave us a shot for the offense to call game. Hats off to him. I love playing next to him. Zach’s my guy. He’s a beast, and if he keeps playing like that, we’re going to be in this thing when it matters.”
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Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(What does it say about your team, it takes overtime to still get the win and still have a chance in this playoff hunt?) – “It means a lot. Winning that type of game against that type of team, we needed all three phases and everybody came through when we needed them. It was exciting. It was exciting, it was a great game – one of the best games I have been it.”
(How do you feel about offense right now? It seems like everybody is contributing – you, WR Tyreek Hill, RB De’Von Achane, TE Jonnu Smith. Do you feel this is the best this offense has been this season?) – “It’s balanced, it makes the defense defend everybody and ultimately get our playmakers in space. Mike (McDaniel) is doing a good job of calling plays and using everybody’s skill set. We’re doing good, man. We’ve got a lot more in the tank though, I know we do. We have a whole ‘nother level.”
(What was QB Tua Tagovailoa like in the huddle during overtime?) – “Commanding. He really made sure we didn’t kill ourselves with penalties; he wanted everybody to lock in and just hone in on the details. That’s was big. He came through, made big plays, was calm in the pocket, o-line had great protection, he delivered the ball.
(You set a record for most yards in the first four years for the team. I just want to get your thoughts on setting that franchise record?) – “That’s big, man. There’s a lot of great receivers that have played here. Just being anywhere in the name of those guys is always a blessing.”
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith
How do you explain that game?
JONNU SMITH: The you start off – Jesus Christ. King of kings, Lord of lords. It’s my faith, it just propels me forward as a man, has me prepared for any moment – I lost my voice out there going crazy. (laughter) Just propels me to be prepared for any moment. Didn’t blink first, second, third quarter. Individually probably wasn’t the game I’ve been having these past couple of weeks. Didn’t blink at all. Just was excited, continuing to have excitement about our offensive success going forward, and when my time comes, just got to be there to make the play when it counts. Just extremely – I love this team, man, the resolve we got, no blink, no flinching. I’m just beyond, beyond proud of this team and for us getting that victory that we did today.
All three of your catches came on that final drive. Talk about how that came about. Did you ask for the ball there?
JONNU SMITH: You know, I’m kind of in my gear throughout the game, nudging, but he’s got a job to do and he does a damn good job. So I just continue to trust in him. Whenever my opps come, just capitalize off of them. We each individually got to have that mindset. It may not be your day. Every week it’s the NFL, guys are good, and we’ve got so many talented guys on this team, so opps are precious. When it comes your time to make an opp, make it count. Make it count.
Is this your first overtime touchdown?
JONNU SMITH: Yeah, my first overtime touchdown, yep.
Just that moment. You looked like you were going nuts. How crazy was that feeling for you?
JONNU SMITH: I’ve been extremely blessed. I’m a blessed man. Things don’t happen overnight. Obviously you guys see the result. You don’t see the work that’s put in, the progress. That’s what I hang my hat on. I know what I’ve been blessed with. I’m not going to let this ability go to waste. I’ve got so much more to improve on and so much better I can be as a player in this business, and I’m just trying to reach for that each and every day. You can never obtain perfection. So for me, that’s what keeps me driving, to know that the sky’s the limit. I’ve just got so much more out there for me. But I saw this moment. I envisioned this moment. It’s a process of putting in the work, seeing it, believing in it, having faith. You can never know when a time can be your time that the team really needs you. So just again, just beyond excited to be a part of this team.
Were you trying to play it cool at first after the touchdown was scored before everyone started jumping around mobbing you?
JONNU SMITH: I honestly don’t even remember what happened. I’m being honest. I remember catching the ball, just securing it, know I kind of had to extend out, kind of had my hands underneath it, and I was not letting nothing take this ball out of my hands. When I knew I secured the catch coming down, everything went blank after that, so y’all got to tell me what happened after that. But I just remember going crazy, taking my helmet off, my cap – my wave cap came off – just went crazy, just celebrating with my teammates and hugging my guys, embracing them. That’s what makes this so special. I love the fans, man. I love the city of Miami. I do. Unfortunately they’re not in this building with us every day, so they can’t really relate to how those moments really feel. Those moments right there are precious because we know the work that was put in and we know the adversity that we faced during the season and we know when our backs was against the wall and we fought, we came out fighting and it didn’t go the way that it went today. So to feel that, to feel that and embrace my teammates, embrace my brothers, that we’ve been grinding for so long with for so many months now; it’s a feeling I can’t even describe.
Was it a momentum thing? After the first catch, it just kind of had the feel you were going to march down the field. Did you feel that momentum really on your side?
JONNU SMITH: When my number is called, I know it’s called for a spark. I know it’s called for a spark, to get us going. Everybody has got different roles in this league. I’m just embracing mine. I knew I had to make a play. It was overtime. We’ve all got to make plays, don’t get me wrong, but my number was called. Especially on those screen plays, there’s only one guy getting that ball. It’s not like two guys – he has a progression to go through, waiting for guys to get open. It’s you and go to work. Just getting those type of plays going, getting the momentum going when your number is called, got to answer.
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
What was the speech about resiliency? What was the speech you gave your team about resiliency earlier this week, and how did you see it play out today?
MIKE McDANIEL: There’s been a lot of very motivated passionate meetings, whether it’s led by myself or Frank (Smith) and ‘Weave’ (Anthony Weaver) or by players. There’s a lot that I kind of shared with them in my life story, how it’s not always a bad thing when people think you can’t do stuff. I was an only child in Greeley, Colorado, which you guys don’t know what that is. It’s like 70,000 people, and I was 4’10” tall in seventh grade, so there were a lot of people that said that I couldn’t, and I see that in our team. There’s just so many people that can attest to being able to press forward regardless of who says what and wherever. But the main thing, whatever I said, the players chose to believe. The players chose to have an absolutely motivated practice week. The players chose to not give up in this game. When you do that and you survive some adversity, the thing on the other side is the – that’s the best stuff, regardless. One thing I know in life, easy is way overrated and not that fulfilling. I don’t know how you know about a team meeting. I don’t know who the snitch is. But the team meeting isn’t the headline. The headline is guys coming together. I thought the vision of the team – I couldn’t be prouder of the fourth quarter, the complementary football, when plays needed to be had, some of the biggest plays in the game were on special teams. Guys like Malik Washington, for instance, last week did not define him. An absolutely critical return. The plays that ‘33’ (Siran Neal) made. A missed extra point, does that define you? It’s the same thing as 2-6 or 5-7; only if you let it. The locker room, I think it’s important to really acknowledge the absolute non-negotiable effort and strain that we see from this Dolphins team. I think the crowd played a big part, and it was important to our guys. We’ve had a rough season. We have a lot of people paying a lot of money to come see us play, and Hard Rock Stadium is special to us. All of those things were really cool, and I was just really happy with what the team did and how they approached the week allowed them to have an opportunity to have a really cool football moment together today.
When you think of a franchise quarterback, you think of the kind of things we saw today from QB Tua Tagovailoa. We’ve seen parts of that, but putting it all together like he did today with the season on the line, what can you say about that?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, I think there are two games. For me, the game he had at Buffalo exorcised some demons for him and I, just in general, and I don’t think he could have had that game two years ago. I don’t think two years ago this game occurs. He continues to get better. But he’s really – I think he had 47 pass attempts this week. He had 40 last week. I think it’s been since the Monday night game that he’s turned the ball over. It’s a lot of work, and all of his work is paying off because he’s a naturally gifted quarterback, not only the skill sets but people gravitate towards him. He makes people better. That’s an incredibly important part of that position. I thought it was a big game for him in Green Bay, as well, because not everything played out the way he wanted it to. But what he’s doing is he’s mastering the art. The hardest thing to do, you could argue the hardest position to play, is quarterback out of all the positions in sports, and the biggest differentiator with quarterbacks is it’s a big moment. There’s a lot of stuff on you. And to be able to play clear minded and let the game come to you – case in point, 47 pass attempts and 0 interceptions again – it’s really cool to see. Not an ounce of it hasn’t been earned from him working on his craft, and that connectivity with the guys he’s throwing to, ‘10’ Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle), there’s been a lot of talk about their production and stuff. They’re executing this offense the best they’ve ever executed. Their routes are the best. They’re on the field the longest they’ve been on the field. So there’s a lot of cool things coming together. That’s why you fight, because the point is it has nothing to do with how difficult the journey is, but moments like this are on the other side. So we’ll enjoy this as individuals and as a group today and then one thing I am very comfortable being confident in is that we’ll watch the tape tomorrow and then guys will start getting ready for the next week and copy, paste the way we approach it because that’s what the league is about. When everyone is all in, really cool things can happen, people can make plays in certain situations, and you can all of a sudden come up with a defensive stop that’s absolutely critical at the end of the game, and then you can do stuff at the end of the half and the end of the game offensively to get some points, which I thought was a huge area of growth. Yeah, I didn’t realize until it was live speed that I had never been in an overtime game, either, as a head coach, so that was cool. I’m glad the rules are as they are.
Did TE Jonnu Smith ever say anything to you during the game about not getting targeted? Whether he did or not, what changed in overtime?
MIKE McDANIEL: We have so many talented players that can do things with the ball. He came and he has this deal where he reminds me of a play, so it’s constructive, but I know what that means. (laughter) He did it in Indianapolis when he scored I think it might have been his first touchdown. He reminded me of a play. I did something similar, or it took me probably another series, but then I called the play, and whether it was a tip or it was a tight window, it was that screen that was incomplete. So actually he said something, we called a play, it was live speed and he would call it a drop. I’m not sure, I’d have to see on tape, but he would call it a drop. But my working relationship with that competitor, you also know that yeah, in the short term it sucks that the play wasn’t made, but I also know that, all right, in my back pocket, that bothers him more than anybody, so he will make a play. He said something, but I knew where his competitive spirit was at and how he had touched the ball, and it wasn’t a completion. I knew when push came to shove in crunch time, he would come through just because that’s what he’s shown me. He’s a very resilient individual that’s a competitor and makes all his teammates better by the way he competes.
Regarding T Terron Armstead, he’s a veteran who’s injured and has to leave the game. He was clearly frustrated. At one point he’s giving tips to T Patrick Paul. At another point he’s giving tips to LB Chop Robinson. What does that say about Terron and what does that say about this team?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think you hit the nail on the head. That’s why he has a C on his chest. That’s why he’s a special player, because it was undoubtedly very frustrating for him. But we talked this week about – I saw the same thing from Raheem Mostert. He desperately wanted to will his way to play. He didn’t. But I saw value added, and there’s a reason why the highly respected and regarded players are as such, because in this game there’s a lot of things that go on. You’re 1/11th in regards to who you are and what you’re doing, so you can only control what you can control. But there is gigantic power in adding value from energy or investment, and Terron, that’s what he does. He’s a huge piece of our locker room. I feel just fortunate to have him on this (team), to be able to sign him in 2022, because we wouldn’t be where we’re at without him. You know you’ve got something good with your team in terms of the ability to play down the stretch and play and handle whatever occurs when you have guys that are major contributors when they’re unable to, whether it’s injury or whatever the scheme is, when they’re still adding value by recognizing that they still have value, even when they’re not playing.
How would you assess and evaluate the way T Patrick Paul played?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, it felt — I can tell you that I was not calling plays around him. In games, one thing that is a big deal when you do have a lineup change on the offensive line is you know a guy is playing well if you don’t have to adjust your play calling. So I was not having to, okay, do this but run right, do this but slide left. It was not too big for him. He has a lot of room to grow in this game, and he knows that. That being said, it felt like it was a big moment for him simply because he was competing play in, play out, and was not necessitating extra help. He was not necessitating to be on the back side of things. I was able to call the game as I would normally call it, which that in and of itself is a compliment.
Two games out with four weeks remaining. Can you paint a picture of where this team stands?
MIKE McDANIEL: I know we’ve got a game against the Houston Texans, and I absolutely, positively will not have anyone on this team think about anything else, absolutely. The Houston Texans are a great team, and once my eyelids open for post-sleep tomorrow morning, our energy will be focused on our game in terms of cleaning up stuff as it applies to Houston, and the rest of the stuff takes care of itself. What you don’t want is to spend your time – I could really care less. I don’t care who plays. I don’t know who has a bye. I don’t really care. We have Houston, and we need to build upon what we did this week. They’ll certainly be deserving of every ounce of our time and effort.
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
We were just talking to Jonnu about his celebration. I think you kind of kicked it off, right? (Inaudible) That moment, what was that like for you guys?
TYREEK HILL: We’ve been through so much as a team and to put it all together when it mattered the most, when the team needed us to ourselves, what we’ve been in the recent past and just to do that on that drive. It was a special moment for all of us. So it was great. Hopefully we can continue to build off that, that momentum and continue with that success going towards the end of the season.
What did you think of Tua first getting the team into field goal range for the tying field and then when you get in overtime with that drive?
TYREEK HILL: Tua, man. He’s been playing lights out. I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the things that he does outside of making plays whether that’s getting us lined up correctly. Me and him had a moment whenever I ran a route the wrong way. He came up to me and told me exactly how I needed to run it. He’s been playing lights out. He’s been a great leader for this team, not only on offense but also for defense, getting those guys going. We’ve just got to follow him, man, like follow his standard because the standard is the standard, and he’s been playing at a high level and guys around him just got to match it. I feel like we’ve been doing that, but it’s got to be every play, though. That mindset’s got to be every play. It just can’t be whenever you’re getting the ball or whenever it’s time for you to be like the star or whatever, but it’s got to be every play.
Was there like a turning point for you guys today, any sort of come-to-Jesus moment on the sideline where you guys said, the season is on the line, we’ve got to wake up?
TYREEK HILL: Yeah, there was. Actually when we were down 23-15, when we were trotting back on the field, everybody knew what was at stake at that moment. We know if we lose, it’s over. Our season is over. Unfortunately we’ve got a lot of great guys on this team who don’t want to end our season in January and watch other teams play because we have the capability to play with a lot of teams in this league. We just played ball, man, when it mattered the most. We executed. Guys lined up in the right spot, guys played fast, got guys playing for each other, and that’s what it’s all about. When it’s on the line, give us your best stuff. That’s what everybody did. No questions were asked, no fingers were pointed. That’s the beautiful thing about it. It allows guys to play fast, and it allows Tua to process things faster because he doesn’t have to worry about getting guys lined up. He doesn’t have to worry about guys being in a certain spot for him so it was great.
It looked bleak, I think it was first-and-10 on the 27 with a minute and change left and they had the ball. Are you surprised that they let you back in the game? Because they run the ball three times, you might not get the ball back.
TYREEK HILL: Exactly, I was kind of surprised by that, but those coaches, those guys – I have no idea. My thing is just to focus on what we got over here. I’m just glad that they did what they did: Passed the ball. I feel like Kendall (Fuller) won’t get credit for what he did on the Davante Adams catch. People will just see the catch, but Kendall did a great job of pulling Davante Adams out of bounds on that play, so that was a great job by him. But besides that, they gave us another shot, another opp, and Tua did his thing.
Malik with that return, your thoughts on that?
TYREEK HILL: Oh, man, I told him, great job, bro. It’s because of him, bro. He got the team going, he got the crowd into it, and once – the way he bounced back, I knew he was going to do that during the whole entire week because he’s been so locked in. Malik is that kind of player. For him to do that, I’m happy for him, and it was great, man. I’m happy for him, man.
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
DT Zach Sieler
Without that sack near the end of regulation, you probably aren’t standing on this podium right now. What was that moment like for you and the team?
ZACH SIELER: It was a great moment. Obviously it took all of us out there. I think Calais (Campbell) really made him step up and work back into the pocket. I think it just shows the resilience of our team. That whole drive – defense, offense, coming back – because even then, they took the lead then. So we had to go back out there and do some things. For (Malik) Washington to make that play on kick return and then for the offense to go out there and kick that field goal to tie it up, it was incredible.
Were you surprised they were throwing the ball at the 27 yard-line? You guys had a time-out issue there.
ZACH SIELER: Honestly, I don’t know.
What did you think of QB Aaron Rodgers’ mobility? Obviously it’s not exactly what it was back in 2010, 2011, but it looked like he still had a little bit of —
ZACH SIELER: Yeah, I think at one point I might have told him he’s still got a little bit of wheels, old man. I said, you’re probably the only one out there older than Calais (Campbell). Respect it. Obviously at 40 something years old or whatever he is, it’s not easy, so that’s awesome he’s out there still playing. But it was good to be able to play them and play how we did.
What was your perspective seeing QB Tua Tagovailoa – you were on the sideline – to lead that drive for Jason Sanders’ tying field goal and then to win it in overtime —
ZACH SIELER: I loved it. To be able to get that toss to go our way and our offense to go out there and just keep rolling was awesome. I think they had amazing momentum. Tua and them were just clicking on offense. Jonnu (Smith) with that final catch was just incredible. I loved seeing that.
This was the week of My Cause, My Cleats. Can you talk a little bit more about what you were supporting.
ZACH SIELER: Yeah. Thank you. It’s actually for my foundation that my wife and I started about three years ago, which is getting kids outdoors and helping show just what the outdoors can be and hopefully spark a passion with youth in the local Miami area. Her and I are both from Michigan and Missouri, so just show the importance of getting outside and exploring. I think sometimes we get so stuck inside and stuck on our phones or whatever that I think it really takes us back to reality, and that’s one of our big passions.
Zach, when you see your team perform a gritty performance like this, what does it make you think about its fighting spirit, what it’s made of?
ZACH SIELER: Absolutely. I think it was an amazing game. (Mike) McDaniel had a meeting earlier this week which, at the time I kind of was mad because I’m like, man, I don’t want to hear this anymore, but it’s just the resilience of the team, and he hit the nail on the head. Today was just – it just showed all three phases, the resilience. We had issues on all three phases, but we were able to bring it back in and finish the game how we did, which was awesome. I need to tell him that was probably the best meeting now. (laughter)
What made you mad about it?
ZACH SIELER: Nothing, it’s just, to me, I guess I’m just – I just want to hear, ‘hey, what are we going to do to go win.’ He was right. He read the writing on the wall and he was able to say, ‘hey, look, you guys, we’re a resilient group. We’re whatever we were before this week, and we just need to go out there and play our game, they’re going to throw punches.’ I’m like, ‘man, let’s just go take it to them.’ He was right. It was ebbs and flows of the game, ups and downs, and to be able to go out there and finish the game like we did was incredible, and it took all three phases, starting with the defense, then to the special teams who returned it to almost the 50, offense to go put it up there, and then to have Jason (Sanders) kick that last field goal to tie it up, and then to go out there again on offense and go drive the whole field to score a touchdown, that was incredible. Probably one of my top wins here so far.
-DOLPHINS-
MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Knowing how important every game on your guys’ schedule is for the rest of the season, how big was it to be able to get the plays that you needed down the stretch to be able to win this game?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, it was really big. It was really big. And I think it’s a testament to our team. It’s a testament to the guys that were in there. We had a big amount of rotation with guys that were in there with receivers. Sometimes that’s how the games work. If their offense is doing well, we’ve got to answer with the same amount of points or points in general. And there were times where we didn’t do that, but thank the good Lord we had an opportunity to go back out there and show it. So that was fun.
Jonnu had one target the entire game, overtime, all of a sudden he’s the main guy, he’s the guy that wins it for you. What flipped there? What happened?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think Jonnu came up to Mike (McDaniel) and had to have said something to Mike to get him more included maybe, and that’s what ended up happening. It’s super cool because throughout the game, he never said anything. When he got targeted once, it wasn’t a drop, it was like, that was on me. After that, not seeing the ball; that can be discouraging, but he never blinked, and we gave him opportunities. Off that first screen, that was a tipped ball. Just the focus that he had to still catch that was great. That’s Jonnu being Jonnu. This is a different Jonnu that you guys have seen. This is the new-and-improved Jonnu.
What’s the mindset when you have to take over those drives when it’s 44 seconds left to force overtime and get into field goal range and then also when you have a chance to knock a team out with an overtime walk-off touchdown?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I would say what helped with that was our special teams, the return by Malik Washington. Great job by him, great job by those guys on special teams, and they gave us an opportunity to go down and hopefully tie the game up so we could go into overtime. The mindset was just that, just get a field goal, get into field goal range for Jason to kick the ball, and there you go.
(Inaudible) these websites have like win probability. When they had the ball at first-and-10 at the 27 with like a minute left, it wasn’t very high for you guys. I would imagine you…?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: What was it?
I think it was over 80 percent. So just your surprise they let you back in the game the way they did, and you guys taking advantage, what did it take to do that?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, I would say it’s a testament to our team. They go, they kick the field goal. Maybe on their sideline, they’re thinking, oh, they’ve probably given up already, it’s 50 something seconds or 40 something seconds after Malik returns it, I don’t think they’re going to be into it, given previous times that we had opportunities to do that, to go win the game or tie the game. You’ve seen what we were able to do, and just the mindset of the guys, like Tyreek had a lot to say in the huddle about us finding a way to go down, drive the ball, and get points so that we could go into overtime, and Waddle, the same thing, just getting our guys going. Like this isn’t the same Dolphins. That’s sort of the mindset, like come on. Like a prove-it mentality always.
What does this win mean for the team? I don’t have to tell you what a loss would have meant. So what does a win mean?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: A win means a lot. It means a lot because we have no room for error to lose another game. So we control our own destiny by focusing on the next opponent, and we’ve got to find ways to win all of our games down here at the back end of this stretch.
Two games out of a playoff spot with four weeks remaining. What do you think of the team’s playoff hopes right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think right now we’re just focused on this victory. We’re going to enjoy it. We’re going to move on to our next opponent, and we’ll go from there.
You touched on it and Tyreek spoke on it a little bit earlier. When you take the field down 23-15, what was that mood in the huddle? What were you guys saying right before stepping on to the field knowing that you don’t get points here, like we’ve said, the season is probably over?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I probably wouldn’t want to share some of the things we were saying, just to get everybody going, but just know we were getting after everyone inside the huddle to make sure that you’re blocking the way you need to block, you’re running the routes where you need to be. You need to be in the right spots. Just all of that. I thought it was super cool that on a fourth down you’ve got to find your best player, give it to your best player, and that’s what happened. Then we came back to our next best player on the two-point drive. That’s what happened.
To follow up on that because Tyreek said he ran a wrong route at some point and you got after him about it. Was it you leading the charge there going into that game-time drive?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I’m not going to say – I’m not a big ‘hoorah, like I got on this guy, I got on that guy.’ This is football. We’re all grown men. If I tell you, you just need to be there; if he tells me I need to throw it somewhere — like he got the respect from me, I got the respect from him. That’s how the communication I think works and how it should work in a professional level, in a professional setting and especially when the game is on the line. You’ve got to be where you need to be, and we’ve got to go do it. That’s it.
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