TE Mike Gesicki
(Would your hope be, now that the season is ending, to get a long-term deal with the Miami Dolphins? Obviously, they’ve got options with you, they could stick the franchise tag on you. Would the ideal scenario for you be a long-term deal with the Miami Dolphins?) – “I’m going to be completely honest with you, I haven’t thought about it this season. I kind of just let it all play out because it doesn’t matter how much I think about it or don’t think about it, it’s not really up to me. I just kind of go about my business and kind of let everything fall where it may. I do appreciate this organization. I’m happy where I’m at and I like the guys, like the locker room, like the coaches. I can go on and on about all the things I like. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
(One last question on this topic. Were you ever – I don’t want to say feelings hurt because it’s a business – were your feelings hurt that two other members of the 2018 class were extended and you were not?) – “No. Absolutely not. I was happy for those guys. They put in a lot of work, they made of plays, they did what they had to do and they were rewarded for it. I’m happy for them. That’s just how it’s been.”
(In what areas are you most proud of your growth as a professional athlete, professional football player from start to now?) – “I think just kind of staying the course. It’s not – some guys get in the league and they take off and other guys fight through a little bit of adversity and you kind of learn, you grow, you realize what you’re not good at and you get better at those and you realize what you’re good at and you improve at those and you kind of excel in those areas. I think when I first got here in 2018, a lot of people were excited for the day that I wasn’t here anymore, so that was an interesting experience back during my rookie year. But here I am now in 2022 and it’s crazy. It goes quick. It goes fast but you learn a lot and I’ve enjoyed every single aspect of being in this organization. I had a lot of fun, won a lot of games, learned from a lot of games and I’m excited and grateful for another opportunity this upcoming Sunday.”
(What are the areas where you feel like you have made the most growth in you game? Congrats on your career year in receptions and yards. You pointed out TE Durham Smythe’s career year.) – “I mean Durham is still continuing (to add to his career highs).”
(I know, he’s still building on it.) – “I know. Although I did throw a much better ball than he would have ever thrown but we’ll leave that at that. I think the things in my game that I’ve gotten better from my first snap until today is just kind of being able to get off press coverage, being physical in route running, being able to fight through second-level releases and contact and things like that. I think anybody – not anybody but it takes a little bit of creativity and a special player to get open verses zone and find the special spots in zone. But when you can win versus man coverage whether it’s a corner or a safety – I don’t really see linebackers – but a corner or safety, nickel, or something like that, and you can go win in those situations, those are crucial downs, mostly third down stuff. That’s kind of where I excel in my role, in third down. I think in terms of route running and things like that, I think I’ve gotten a lot better and then just understanding the game, different coverages, how to run different routes versus different leverage and stuff like that.”
(I wanted to ask you also, the market. New England really set the market for tight ends. They did you guys a favor this offseason. Guys like Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews made the bar rise. Do you feel like this is a great time to be a tight end?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I feel like there’s, I think I said it a couple of weeks ago, if you go out there and you make plays and you do what’s asked of you, then you get what you deserve. I think that you are entitled to what you deserve in this league and that’s what those guys have gotten and I’m happy for them. They continue to show it each and every week and they keep setting the bar high each and every week. I’m happy for them and their success and their bank accounts. (laughter) Good for them.”
(You had mentioned something earlier about your rookie season. If you want to call it fan perception, wanting you out of here or whatever you said. I found that interesting and I was curious, every year you’re going to have players on a team that come into a new team and maybe they struggle a little bit. I was curious if you ever approach those players in those situations and if you do, what’s that conversation like between you and those guys who maybe had the same type of path where it took a little while longer to get going?) – “Honestly, the only instance I can remember – and I never talk to people when they drop a ball or anything like that because it’s so cliché. People are like, ‘Oh, we got your back.’ I know I wanted to catch the ball. If you were in there, you would want to catch the ball. Nobody – like I get it. I’m ready for the next play too. So I never say anything to anybody when they drop the ball because when I was in college I had a couple drops and it was the most frustrating experience of my life. In the last preseason game this year against Cincinnati, I remember Hunter (Long) ran a flag and Reid Sinnett threw it up and it was a difficult catch, over the shoulder. To me, those are the hardest catches, over the shoulder. He didn’t come down with it. He came to the sideline and for like a split second he looked like it was over. I was sitting there and I didn’t say a word. I went up to him and ignored the fact that it happened and kept talking to him because I’ve been in that scenario before. Finally, I just said to him like, ‘Yo, I know what you’re thinking. It’s preseason three. You’re good. You are good. You are going to learn from this experience and then you are going to go make plays on Sundays.’ I think that was the one instance that stuck out to me. Now Hunter has done great things in practice, has got in and made the most of his opportunities in games and I’m excited for his future here in Miami. That’s just one small occurrence that kind of stuck out with me in terms of being a veteran and being through an experience like that.”
(Going back to your career growth, you talked about when you were fighting through that adversity as a rookie. If I had talked to you back then and gotten some truth serum and asked you where you would be in 2021, would you have envisioned that you would be where you are now as accomplished as you are now or not?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think – I remember back then people talking about my confidence and things like that. I was never at a lack of confidence and in terms of my game. It was honestly a mixture of me not being – not prepared but being ready to go out and make these plays at this point because like I said, the things I have gotten better at like second-level releases, getting off press, using my hands, fighting through man-to-man coverage and things like that, that I wasn’t doing back then. And then just opportunity. I knew when I was put in the right situation, in the right gameplan and had the right opportunity around me, I was going to be prepared to make the most of my opportunities. I did all my JUGS back then, I did all my work back then and I stuck with it because I knew at some point the opportunity was going to come. But that’s the big thing, you’ve got to be ready when that opportunity comes and I think I was and made the most of it eventually in 2019 and now it all comes full circle.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(As you move past last Sunday’s outing and focus on the season finale, is there one thing you’d like to clean up and focus on and improve on as you wrap up the season? What would that be?) – “I would say just our operation offensively. We haven’t been consistent and I would say just the consistency of that.”
(I know it’s tough coming off a rough game and still having one game left, but how would you evaluate the was this sophomore season has gone for you?) – “It didn’t go the way that I wanted it to go. It didn’t go the way that our team wanted it to go. It’s tough when you have an opportunity and you don’t capitalize on that opportunity. It’s tough.”
(When the trade deadline came and went, it obviously meant these last two months of the season were yours. Now that it all but came and went, do you wonder if those trade conversations for another QB may come back up this offseason?) – “No and I’m not worried about that. If it comes up, it comes up. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
(What can you take from a game like last week in terms of a big game down the stretch – moving forward with your career, you’re going to have big games down the stretch. What can you take from that experience, that you can go ‘I can learn from that about this type of important game?’) – “I think all of the games that we play are important for us as a team. We don’t just look at one in particular. We do look at the mistakes that we’ve made after every game that we’ve played and see what we can fix to help us become successful so we don’t make those same mistakes. I think for me it’s being able to simulate the cold weather scenario and trying to throw a ball while it’s wet at the same time in cold weather. A lot of the good teams are cold weather teams as well. I think that is something to take into consideration this offseason for myself. I’ll probably go visit my brother or take a trip somewhere that’s cold and kind of get the feel of that.”
(This season there have been so many ups and downs and there is so much going on around the season. I’m curious, has it been a fun season for you in totality?) – “I would say it has been a fun season. Just being able to go through the ups and downs with the guys that we have on our team, just us continuing to believe in each other while things weren’t going right and then when things were going right. That’s why we’re in this industry and why we do what we do because of the feeling of when you do win and you do accomplish what you want to accomplish, it’s a good feeling for all of us.”
(You talked about the consistency of the offense and obviously you guys have struggled for the majority of the season offensively. What will it take for this offense to get out of gear three and get to that next level outside of just consistency?) – “Well, I think for us it starts with consistency. In order for us to get things going, we’ve got to do the things that we do really well, we’ve got to do them good. If we’re not doing those good, we can’t really jump shifts. We can’t go from gear three to gear four to gear five if we’re making mistakes on one and two. That’s the whole belief with our consistency offensively.”
(Your opponent this week, you obviously saw them back in September. What have you seen from them as they have gone from their first week edition of the Patriots to now Week 18 when you look at them on tape?) – “We always knew that they were a good team, well-coached. I think they found their rhythm playing with each other. They have a good front, they have good ‘backers, they are a good overall team in all three phases. It’s going to be a challenge and to me, this isn’t the same team that we saw in early September. They look a lot more confident so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
(Head Coach Bill Belichick’s mark against young quarterbacks or quarterbacks with minimal experience, he’s been pretty successful. What do you think it is about the way they play defense that makes it harder on quarterbacks who haven’t maybe seen as much football?) – “I think they force the quarterback to get the ball out of their hands quick. They force quick decisions. They don’t give up big plays. They want you to work for your touchdowns. If it’s a checkdown that works for 10 yards, that’s the kind of game they want to play, I think. It’s a take what they give you and when you have your shots, you’ve got to take your shots when they arise.”
(This weekend you have the possibility of ending with a positive record like you did last year. What’s the difference you think between the situation this year and what have you learned that is different from last year?) – “In terms of the situation, I would say it’s similar in a way to last year, just because we’re not in the playoff race anymore. I would say our guys are still coming out to practice, still coming to work with a good frame of mind. I think that’s one of the most important things is everyone knowing that we got to finish this last game strong, and no one has really checked out yet.”
(We begin this season trying to sort out what this offense’s identity would be. Now that the season is winding down, how would you describe this offense’s identity or has it developed one yet?) – “I think for us offensively, we want to be able to establish the run to set up a lot of our (play) actions. We just want to be able to control the game that way. Some games were like that. Some games weren’t. I would say that’s kind of the identity we tried to set as an offense. Just trying to be able to control the game. Some games we were able to and some games we weren’t able to close it out. That’s how it is.”
(I wanted to ask you a question from one of my co-workers who is working on a story about Jeff Allen. I’m just curious what kind of relationship you have with Jeff, what kind of relationship you had with Jeff down at Alabama, how much time you guys spent together, what you remember about him from your time in Tuscaloosa.) – “I had a really good relationship with Jeff. Jeff’s pretty much a legend there at Alabama. He’s been there since a lot of the greats have been there and come through Alabama and then left. Very good guy. He’s a family man. Very likeable. Very much respectable as well. But yeah, he’s obviously helped me with a lot because of the injuries that I’ve gone through at Alabama. I have a lot of respect for Jeff.”
(Do you have a specific memory that comes to mind when you hear Jeff’s name or when you think about him?) – “Not necessarily. Probably things I’d like to keep in private. (laughter)”
CB Xavien Howard
(I was looking at the play time and I see you’re the only guy on the Dolphins defense who is over 90 percent snaps for the season and also you’ve been able to be on the field. This will be your 32nd game over the past two years. What does that mean to you to be able to show that kind of durability and availability?) – “Man, that’s one thing I said earlier in my (career), I didn’t have that availability, being able to get on the field and being able to perform due to injuries. I feel like that stuff is behind me now. I’m just trying to do what’s best for my team and just try to stay on the field.”
(Is there one or two things you could point to that you feel you’ve changed that has really helped you – knock on wood here – stay healthy?) – “Probably just the way I took care of my body the last two years. Just understanding the stuff that I’ve got to be strong at – especially my lower body. I feel like that was where most of my injuries were. This offseason, I’ll get back in the lab and I feel like I’ll work on my lower body.”
(You’re one of the longest tenured players on this team and after another season that unfortunately fell short of the playoffs, I’m curious from your perspective what needs to change for you guys to get into the playoffs and be a consistent team in the playoffs?) – “I think we have to win all three phases. The other stuff, I cannot control that. I’m on the field and we’ve got guys that are competing left and right. Our job is to try to get a win and lately we’ve been winning but also we fell short of the playoffs. I feel like we got the guys in the room but I don’t know exactly. I couldn’t hit the point exactly what it is.”
(Earlier today in his media availability, Bill Belichick said that the Dolphins have mixed it up more this year with their defensive play calling. I was curious how that benefits you, the individual, and also the defense as a whole?) – “I feel like we’ve been doing that last year also, mixing up the play calling. I feel like the coaches are doing a great job to put the guys in position to make plays.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was talking about the important role that you’ve played in the defense. He talks about how being able to have you go cover a guy opens up the defense to be able to do a lot of different things. When you hear comments like that from your coach, how does that make you feel? Do you feel like you’re in a good place with the organization? Do you feel like there is a two-way trust and appreciation right now?) – “Nah, I never heard that. It’s the first time I’m hearing that. It feels great. It’s my job. I’m here, this my job and that’s really what it is. I’m just doing my job, really.”
(How do you feel about the future in terms of you and the organization?) – “I’m still a Miami Dolphin. Until somebody says something, I’m a Miami Dolphin. (laughter)”
(When I asked DE Emmanuel Ogbah, he said Patriots Head Coach Bill Bilichick found a gem in QB Mac Jones. How do you view him now after playing him once and with a season’s worth of tape?) – “I feel like he’s improved this whole season but when I first played him in Week 1, when I saw him play and the stuff he was doing I’m like, he’s not a rookie. He was doing some stuff like he’s been in the league a little minute. I’ve just seen him improve and I’m looking forward to seeing him this week.”
WR Mack Hollins
(On winning the PFWA South Florida chapter’s Good Guy Award) – “Thank you all so much. Seriously, that means a lot. I just got this nice trophy. Thank you all, seriously. I try to be as open as I can with you all. It probably gets me in trouble a lot with coach. (laughter) But I know the job that you all have. It’s not an easy one. I really appreciate you all showing love to me. It ain’t always easy being a good guy but I’ll take it if I can talk about the hair and the gators and give you guys something fun to write about every so often. (laughter) Thank you all so much, seriously.”
(I just wanted to get your take on the role of the media, especially sports media, guys and gals like us who cover the team. How do you sort of perceive the media?) – “I wanted to not get this award on this day. (laughter) I think the media is a tough job because as a player, you always want – unless it’s something good that they’re saying – you want them to never write a piece about you. You want them to never say anything bad about you. And that’s not their job. That’s not y’all’s job. You have a job to do whether it’s to say ‘Hey, so and so is not at a level he’s supposed to be,’ or ‘He is at a level he’s supposed to be.’ I’m sure you all love writing pieces that, ‘This guy is doing great. I told you so. Yada yada yada.’ But it’s not easy to write those pieces that are ‘He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing. We should trade,’ or ‘We should cut,’ or ‘We should release him.’ Or whatever it may be. That’s not an easy thing to do. I think as a player, it’s easy to get blinded by your own emotions, where you can just say, ‘Screw the media because they wrote this piece about me, this piece about me and this piece about my teammate.’ But you all have a job to do just like we do. As I’ve gotten older and more years in the league, I’ve started to understand that more. Yeah, your job’s not easy but it’s one that has to be done.”
(What has been the toughest aspect of being a leader of this team this season?) – “I think it can be tough being a leader sometimes when things aren’t going all your way. It’s easy to be a leader when you’re winning. I’ll tell you these last seven or eight games, it’s been a lot easier to be a leader than the first seven or eight. And that’s because you’re winning. It’s easy to be the leader when you’re winning and say, ‘Look what I’m doing. It must be because I’m leading so well. It must be because I’ve been getting the guys right.’ It was much more difficult when we were losing game after game and people are turning to you wanting an answer and the problem is not getting solved. Being a leader is not easy but it’s a job I know I signed up for and I hope that I was able to do at least some part on this team as a leader to better my teammates.”
(I know this is going to be a tough question, but what the heck is going on with special teams this year? We usually come to you to explain things and you do quite a good job of explaining it. What is going on with that unit?) – “I’d say I probably take more responsibility than anybody on that unit. We haven’t played to our potential and that’s unfortunate because we have a lot of really great players. Our job is to have one more chance and I guess that’s the good thing about football. You get one more chance but we won’t after this week. So it’s important that if you’re going to have one last game, whether people want to say it’s worth something or not, you’re going to have to live with this game until the next season. I know personally, from a special teams aspect, this is the biggest game of the year because this is the game I’m going to have to live with for the next six to eight months.”
(I don’t know the next time we’ll talk to you so I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you as a pending free agent, your thoughts on your future be it after this week. This is going to be your first chance to explore the free agent market. Is it your hope to come back to Miami? What are your thoughts on the whole deal?) – “I don’t know. Honestly, I just – thinking too far into the future has always ruined my game as a player. I feel like the reason I’m able to have a lot of fun when I’m playing is because I don’t worry about things too far down the line. Obviously that’s something that’s going to have to be thought about but I think I can give myself seven more days or six more days and then open my mind up to that type of stuff. I’m not really sure, honestly.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(What steps do you take this week to correct the run defense after you had a string of strong games against the run but then a season-worst last game?) – “Really the biggest thing was coming in here after the game, watching the tape, making the adjustments as coaches and players and looking in the mirror, seeing what you did wrong, seeing how you could have helped the team more, how you could have done your job just a little bit better because we know what we’re capable of and what we’ve been doing for the majority of the season. That wasn’t it last week. We’ve got one more week to at least go out there together as a group and have a little fun and get another crack at it.”
(Yesterday Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer mentioned something about one faction of why the run defense did allow as much yards as it did was because you guys were trying to scheme up some negative plays and maybe attack and go get it. I know that’s one of the things that you’ve talked about before with playing your job and also being aggressive and taking chances. When you play 40-50 snaps in a game, how do you balance the decision to play aggressive and try to go make a play versus you can’t take a chance in this position?) – “The majority of the time you’ve just got to do your job anyway. There’s often a few plays throughout the game where it’s like, you just know what you are going to get based off your film study, based off practice, based off your preparation if you do it the right way. You’re like, ‘Ok, I have a pretty good beat on this,’ or just throughout the flow of a game you can find where you can take your chances and things like that within the scheme of course. That’s the biggest thing. Like I said, we’re just going to make those adjustments this week and hopefully put a better result out there on Sunday.”
(You not only lead the NFL in tackles by a defensive linemen but you have the most by any Dolphins defensive linemen since at least 2000. Do you take pride in either of those?) – “Honestly, yeah I always take pride in my performance and I always want to do well but that’s something I’m not necessarily focused on. I just try to take it game by game, play as hard as I can. Maybe at the end of the season, I’ll look up and be like that’s pretty cool but I’m still locked in for this last week. I’m not really thinking about that and who knows, maybe I’ll feel differently after this week.”
(What’s a specific area do you think you’ve become a better player this year?) – “Really just my overall knowledge of the game, understanding schemes, how offenses try to attack us and my overall knowledge of our scheme and what we’re trying to do. Again, kind of what I was alluding to earlier, where I can take shots in our defense and our scheme and where it makes the most sense. Kind of just understanding if this happens on the front side and I’m on the back side then a play is here to be made or vice versa. If I do this, the play is coming my way. If I just do this, then this opens someone else up. Just overall understanding the scheme of what we are trying to do defensively.”
(We all see some of the things that DE Emmanuel Ogbah has done to help this team this year. I’m wondering from your perspective as a guy who plays alongside of him, how would you describe what he does to make players around him better?) – “That’s actually funny. With Ogbah, he’s such a low-maintenance, even-keel kind of guy so even in the toughest of situations Ogbah is like, ‘Hey.’ He’s just himself all the time, just cool, just chill. That’s kind of nice to always see he’s got that vet – he’s one of the most vetted guys in our room and he’s just got great play-making ability. That get-off, his ability to pass rush is impressive and it’s good to know that if I just rush this way on the interior, I know he’s going to do his job and that might make a play for him. That overall helps our team. He’s just a great teammate, a fun guy to play with. Like I said, even-keeled, very smart player and can just affect the game in a lot of ways whether it’s batted passes, he’s done some really good things on the edge in the run game, pass rush and all that. I’m glad he’s been with us for the last couple years. He’s made my game better overall. I’m sure I’ve had a few moments where things weren’t super easy or for me whether that was on the field or mentally and Obgah is just there like, “Hey Chris, you good. Just be yourself, play your game.’ You know, just helping from that standpoint and he does that for all the guys. That’s definitely important, his leadership and everything he brings.”
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(You had a really strong individual season. What are you most proud of from your specific performance this season?) – “The consistency. I would say that. I come into every game trying to do my part just to help the team win games. I feel like I did my job but unfortunately we lost. We’ve still got one more.”
(Of all the things you’ve done this year, obviously there has been a lot that’s impressive but the batted balls remains the best in the league is a skill. I know we’ve talked about that some this year, but is that something that you’ve worked on in the offseason? Can that be done? Is that a skill you can work on in the offseason?) – “I’m pretty sure you can work on it, but I don’t really work on it during the offseason. We practice – like I’ve said, every Friday is batted ball drills and also instincts too. If you can’t get there fast enough or the quarterback is getting rid of the ball fast, all you can do is put your hands up.”
(When you’re a player who wants to be in a place – like you’ve made it clear that you want to be with the Dolphins – but there is some uncertainty on what the future is going to hold, I’m curious how often is that on your mind? Especially now that the playoffs are out of consideration, how often are you thinking about it and how much peace of mind will it give you when it’s finally resolved, your situation?) – “I’ve always viewed myself staying here long term, but the job is not finished yet. We’ve still got one more game. We’ve got to go out there and handle business. But like I’ve said, I just let my agent handle his part while I handle my part on the field.”
(QB Mac Jones, the first time you saw him was the first time anyone in the NFL saw him. How do you view him now after playing him once and with a season’s worth of tape?) – “Mac Jones is a really good player for them. Coach (Bill) Belichick found a gem in the draft. We’ve got to do a good job containing him. We’ve got to stop the run game too. But he’s doing a phenomenal job for them so far.”
(I wanted to ask you about the success that Tennessee had running the ball. Do you feel like that was an aberration or is it something that teams like the Patriots can build on and attack you guys in similar fashion?) – “They had a good gameplan for us, but you’ve just got to work on that in practice because it’s a copy cat league and teams are going to use what you struggle with to go against you. We’ve just got to work on that extra hard at that at practice.”
(What do you feel like is the solution to addressing – you guys hadn’t leaked like that against the run in months.) – “We’ve just got to fit better and not miss as many tackles. There are a lot of missed tackles that was a part of it too. We’ve just got to get the right fits better.”
(I know Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark was here last year, but this is the full year he’s been on the defensive line in that room. What has he contributed to your game as far as how far you’ve come as a pass rusher and run defender off of the edge?) – “Austin has helped me out a lot. Coming into the league as a young coach, he’s definitely helped my game improve so much as far as the run game, playing inside, playing outside. He’s definitely helped me get my hands right, just playing the blocks properly. I’d attribute it to that.”
(I know a minute ago you mentioned that you always viewed yourself staying here. Has it at all crossed your mind that Sunday could be your last time in a Dolphin uniform?) – “I take it one game at a time. If it’s God willing and I’m here, then I’m here. God wiling I’m not here, I’m not here. I don’t like to think too much into it, but I’ve already said what I wanted to do.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know obviously this past offseason you guys extended K Jason Sanders and then LB Jerome Baker during the summer. Then basically you ran out of cap space as far as any other potential extensions. So TE Mike Gesicki will be an unrestricted free agent, as you know. Is it your hope that Gesicki is re-signed and returns to the team next season?) – “Those are conversations more for next week. Right now, we’re focused on the Patriots. It’s a tough team. They’re really good in all three phases, well-coached, and that’s kind of where the focus is today for me and the team. Obviously we’re working on early downs and some things in the kicking game. That’s really where the focus is.”
(I know the focus is solely on the Patriots but WR Jaylen Waddle has an opportunity to not only pass 1,000 yards but break WR Anquan Boldin’s rookie receptions record. I was curious as a young receiver, what’s the next step for him to not only kind of maintain the consistency that we’ve seen this season but have a greater impact on games moving forward?) – “I think Jaylen has done a good job. Look, he’s gotten better every day. He works hard. It’s important to him. He’s tried to learn more about the position, learn more about defenses, learn more about matchups. He’s really gotten better every week so I think his focus and our focus isn’t on …”
(To follow up on WR Jaylen Waddle, is it something where you would want to get the record out of the way early so late in the game, you can just focus on making plays to win?) – “I think the focus will be trying to move the ball against a good defense. Whoever that is – if it’s Jaylen, it’s Jaylen. If it’s Mike Gesicki, it’s Mike Gesicki. If we’re running it, we’re running it. Run, play-action, screen, really to move it effectively and efficiently against a very good defense. So yeah, that’s kind of where our focus is and trying to put together a solid game in all three phases.”
(Is there anyone you don’t expect at practice either today or this week?) – “No, I think we’re – yeah, we expect everyone. A couple of guys will be coming off the COVID list, so we’ll just kind of see what that looks like. But yeah, I expect everyone.”
(Following up on that, what was the final determination on RB Malcolm Brown and whether he’ll be coming off IR or staying on there?) – “He’ll be staying on IR.”
(I know you don’t want to address contractual things until next week, so regarding DE Emmanuel Ogbah, how about if I ask you about it this way. How do you assess his season as a whole? One of the main aspects of his contributions I would think is his ability to bat down passes. Is that something that you really stress going into the season? Was it something that maybe surprised you to any extent? If you could describe what you’ve seen from him.) – “I would say one of his best attributes is his leadership, the way he works, the way he comes to work every day, how important the game is to him, how he supports his teammates. Then his play on the field has been very good as well. The batted passes, the pressures, how he plays in the run game – I think all of that, he’s played well really across the board. We need another performance, a good performance, from him this week against a good opponent.”
(I know it’s been since September since you’ve seen QB Mac Jones live but I’m wondering watching the cross-over tape, what you’ve seen from him this season?) – “I think he’s done a very nice job. Good command of the offense, poised, good decision making. I think as an entire offense, it’s complementary to the skillset of each individual player. The run game, the pass game – I think Josh (McDaniels) has done a great job of putting those guys in good positions to have success. They’ve obviously, with Mac at the helm, done a nice job.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Xavien Howard? How important do you think his play has been to the team’s overall success on defense?) – “Very important. I think ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) has played very well this year. Oftentimes we’ll say ‘X, you cover that guy.’ It allows us to do a lot of different things defensively with his ability to cover guys one-on-one. I think he’s done a nice job.”
(I wanted to ask you about the Patriots defense and what you’ve seen of the characteristics of them overall this season. And along those lines too, having coached LB Dont’a Hightower and DB Devin McCourty, and now scouted them on tape, can you give us an appreciate or an understanding of their importance and their value of changing from week to week what the Patriots do defensively?) – “I think as a defense, it’s tough, it’s physical, good situationally. Those guys in the secondary do a good job. Every catch is contested. But specific to ‘High’ (Dont’a Hightower) and Devin (McCourty), obviously I have a relationship with both guys. I have great respect for both of them as players but more so as people. It’s good to watch them continue to grow, continue to lead. They’re both very multiple. They do different things. They allow that defense to be multiple. They do a good job as leaders on that team and overall they’ve done a nice job defensively.”
(Your opponent on Sunday has traditionally improved throughout the course of the season. You guys got a chance to see these guys back in September and now preparing for them here in January. Where have you seen the Patriots biggest strides from Week 1 to Week 18?) – “I think they’ve really improved in every area – offense, defense and special teams. I think they’ve dealt with injuries like every team and other guys have stepped up. I think there are some things that are standard operating procedure there. Guys play tough, play physical, play disciplined. They do a nice job overall.”
(I wanted to ask if you have talked to QB Tua Tagovailoa or if not, what would the message be to Tua after a game in which he kind of struggled a little bit. It’s the last game of the season and you want to end this on a good note. What’s your message to him and rebounding from last week’s performance?) – “We move on. We move on to the next play, we take it one play at a time, one day at a time. We make the corrections, improve and go out there and put your best foot forward. That’s the case for him and every player. That would be my message to anyone that dealt with a little adversity.”
(Kind of big picture as a whole, coming off of a disappointing result and a disappointing outing, especially going into the last game of the season, where do you strike that balance in terms of saying ‘this is what we have to fix,’ but also saying ‘there were some good positive things to take out from that game?’) – “I think you always do that win or lose. I think there are always some things you wish you could have done better, some things you can improve on and you continue to make those coaching points. This was good, let’s continue to do that. This wasn’t so good, let’s improve and whatever area it is offensively, defensively or in the kicking game, or from a coaching standpoint. That’s really the message every week. I think our guys take to that and try to make the improvements. I’m hopeful we’ll see that in practice today.”
(G/T Robert Hunt seems to play well at right guard. How would you assess how he’s done, and I was curious, was it tempting for you and Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre at any point this year to move him to right tackle? Was that a move you ever were on the brink of making?) – “No, I think he’s found a home there at right guard. I think he’s played well so I didn’t want to change that or move him. I think he’s done some good things. I think he’s still a young player who is getting better every time he goes out there. I think he’s making improvements on a weekly basis, getting more comfortable with his communication and just understanding how tough and physical it is in there at that position. I think he’s done a lot of nice things.”
(With G/T Liam Eichenburg, you’ve seen him going back to the offseason at multiple different spots. Do you have a feel yet whether he’s best at left tackle, right tackle, guard? Do you have a sense of that eight months into this relationship?) – “I think it’s probably too early to say he’s this, that or give you a definitive answer on that. I think Liam is a good young player, a good young prospect. I think he does everything from a preparation standpoint, work ethic standpoint, giving himself an opportunity to get the most out of his ability. I think that I’m pretty confident he’ll get the most out of his ability and be a dependable, reliable player for us. Where that is? That’s yet to be determined. I think he’s played a few different spots for us this year, primarily at left tackle. I’m pleased with a lot of the things he’s done there. Obviously there is room for growth and improvement, but that’s the case with any young player. I think we have an opportunity this week to continue to improve and continue to make the corrections. He’s a young player and we’re excited to work with him.”
(How do you view the meaning in potentially finishing two straight seasons with a winning record with a win on Sunday?) – “I really haven’t thought about that too much. I’m just really kind of focused on this team, this week. It’s a tough opponent. Whether it’s offense – offensively they post issues. Defensively, obviously they do a nice job there. Same thing in the kicking game. It’s going to take a great effort by us, a great week of preparation to get the result we’re looking for. I think that will be great for our team but it’s going to take a lot of hard work.”
(Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick has been talked about a lot and his attributes have been mentioned. Are there any particular attributes or leadership style that he has that is under discussed in your view? And maybe it gained more meaning to you now that you’re a head coach as compared to when you were working under him?) – “I think Bill, his consistency is something maybe people don’t talk about. Having been in that building, I think that’s something you see on a day in and day out basis. As far as how the day-to-day approach he expects from players, coaches and everyone in the building, you hear the same message really on a daily basis. It’s been a while since I’ve been out of there now. I’ve certainly grown more of an appreciation for my time there and the things I’ve learned with more time being there. I think a lot of those things I try to apply here on a day-to-day basis. Bill is a great coach, but I’d say consistency and messaging is one thing that isn’t talked about enough.”
