Tuesday, July 30, 2024
LB Jordyn Brooks
(You’ve got to like the more physical aspect of practice starting up now, practiced in pads yesterday, get some short yardage situations going. What do you like about training camp getting to that point?) – “I think it’s cool. It’s good from a competitive standpoint. You want to get guys competing because teams periods, I’m not going to say it’s not as competitive, but it’s not real-life situations. We got the little goal line situation, third and one, and that’s a real-life thing to where offense got a yard to go, defense got a yard to stop, so I thought it was cool.”
(Little bit of a skirmish at one point, what’d you think of that going down?) – “Yeah, by that time I was dead tired. I was on the other side of the field, so I ran in late but if I had a little more energy I would probably help out.”
(What are you supposed to do when you run in?) – “I don’t know. We all got on helmets. (laughter) It’s my teammates so it’s kind of like – I think what you got to do when it’s a big crowd, you’ve got to do a lot of movement to make it seem like you’re doing something so nobody can say nothing at the end. (laughter)”
(Sometimes you see football players in a situation like that take off their helmets, why would they—) – “See, that’s what you don’t do. (laughter) There’s one clip a couple of years ago with Brian Cushing. He got into a fight on the field, took his helmet off, headbutted a dude, broke his nose and bleeding. You don’t want to end up in that situation, so you might want to keep your helmet on. (laughter)”
(Speaking of helmets, I asked everyone else, I want to ask you about guardian caps. You can wear them in games now, do you have any plans to?) – “Do I have any plans to? No way. It’s like an extra ten pounds on your head. It makes it a lot hotter and heavier, so no, I wouldn’t do it.”
(So you haven’t loved having to wear them in practice then?) – “No, not at all. Everybody’s got like – I call them UFO caps, honestly. (laughter)”
(This team, the reputation is that they are speed, speed, speed and not a lot of physicality. What do you think that this defense is going to do to kind of change that identity?) – “Just be physical, just be physical. I think a lot of that is just because of how much attention Tyreek Hill draws on the national stage, the speed and everyone pays attention to that, which they should cause it’s that good, but the defense kind of gets overlooked in that way. I think that’s everybody’s mentality coming in. New guys like myself pride ourselves on being physical, and I think of any great defense, you have to be physical. We want to be feared and so right now, we’re in the process of doing that. Not everyday is going to be perfect, but that’s why we got the pads on working in the heat and just emphasizing it day after day until we get to the point where we feel like we’re the bullies on the team.”
(For you, you played both the Will and the Mike while you were in Seattle. Where do you see yourself slotting in with Miami?) – “Right now, I’m playing the Will position. Like you said, I can play either position. Personally, I like playing Will a little bit better. Just my personal preference, but I could play either one.”
(You’re new here, new scheme, a lot of new guys in front of you on the defensive line. How’s that process going for you guys, all kind of feeling each other out to know how to play off of each other and is there anything you can do off the practice field to help that process go along?) – “You got to sit down and eat lunch with people. Maybe even go to lunch with somebody outside of the building, you got to do little things like that. I really pride myself on doing that, just really getting to know people on a personal level. Even if we never play with each other again, we built that relationship. But just from experience, just playing ball for a number of years, anybody you know on a personal level, you can play that much harder for them. Like I really know this guy so I can really go to war with him when it gets tough in the fourth quarter. And that front seven, the d-line, linebackers, really everybody, but really that front seven, we really got to be like this (interlocks fingers). That’s something I try to emphasize a bit more. In the past I haven’t been great with it, just kind of being reserved, but just kind of sitting next to guys and picking their brain.”
(Does that also lend to when something bad happens on the field, when someone makes a mistake, that closeness, you can then have that tough conversation immediately on the field?) – “Absolutely. That’s a big thing. The guy who’s getting yelled at, he can receive that better instead of looking at the dude like, ‘I don’t even know you like that. Why are you coming at me like that?’ Rather than he’s looking at him like a big brother type of relationship and he knows the only reason he’s yelling at me is because he wants me to be better and so I can accept that. I may not like it, but I can accept it, so I think that goes a long way.”
(How much of that bully thing talked about inside the building, facility, meeting rooms?) – “Well Jalen Ramsey just talked about it for about ten minutes after practice – a long time. I think there’s just a mentality. You have to have that mentality on defense, because we are reacting to what the offense wants to do which really makes it harder in my opinion, to play defense because they know exactly what they want to run already. We got the call, we can have some awareness of what they might run, but you don’t know for sure, so you’re always on your heels. So if we can be the initiators, we can be the bullies, I think that makes you a dominant defense to where you’re proactive rather than reactive.”
(Any insight to what CB Jalen Ramsey told you guys?) – “Yeah, I’ll just leave it at that. Just a lot of things the team needed to hear, but that was one of the biggest things, just being a bully on defense.”
(We heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel say earlier today that the emotion of coaching is often lost and that in order to get a guy to where he wants to be his best, you have to be able to reach him. Hearing you speak about chemistry and getting to know your teammates, how has Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver gotten to know each and every one of you on defense to the point where it feels like it’s bringing the best out of you?) – “I think it’s just a thing that happens naturally over time. What I like about (Defensive Coordinator Anthony) Weaver, he doesn’t force it. You can tell when somebody is kind of forcing a relationship or trying to just do things. He’s kind of really natural and organic, just literally, you might be standing off and he might tap you on the shoulder and talk about whatever. Little moments, like I said, they go a long way. It’s like, ‘Oh, I thought you were going to talk to me about ball,’ and he asked me something personal. That just goes a long way, and I think he does a great job of just doing that, just being who he is and I don’t think its forced at all. So I think in the long run, you’ll see a lot of guys playing hard for him just because he’s able to reach guys on a personal level.”
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(Can you detail your program and how your approach things? Is there a lot of communication between you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Is it a lot of you receiving instruction?) – “It’s just great communication throughout the entire organization really – the trainers, strength coaches, position coaches. Just coming up with a program, load and then ramp up kind of progression.”
(Are you used to the ramp up and progression or does it still maybe eat at you because you see them out there?) – “It’s always tough, especially when you get the chatter on the field, you get the competition. I want to jump in, let me go get a few reps. But I’m trying to just stay course of the program.”
(I think I saw you working with T Bayron Matos. What can you tell us about his progress?) – “It’s been great, it’s been great. Yesterday was his first time ever in pads, and you really wouldn’t see that from his ability and what he’s been able to do so far with such limited experience. It’s been impressive, he works his butt off. He’s looking to improve and he can play. He can actually play. It’s not a game. He’s a big, strong physical man. So finetuning some technique things, he can play.”
(What was your perspective of that little dust up today that T Patrick Paul got involved with a little bit?) – “Yeah, that’s part of the game. Football fights to me is really pushing and shoving, it’s not much going on. You got helmets on and pads and all of that. It’s just tempers flare, you feel like you got to get a couple of them off. That’s it, nothing much.”
(I saw you during the offseason you went to Columbia. You went to Atlético Nacional facility, can you talk a little bit about that experience?) – “An incredible experience, for sure. I went to visit those guys and did a jersey swap. A lot of those guys are fans of American football and the Dolphins specifically. So it was great to have that interaction, got a tour of their facility and learn more about their history. That was an incredible experience.”
(Have you given any thought to wearing the guardian caps during games?) – “No. I’m not.”
(Your rational behind that?) – “I’ve just been playing football a certain way for a long time. I’m not really getting into changing that up.”
(What’s your early impression of T Patrick Paul and can you help him, have you helped him?) – “Yeah, he’s impressive. He’s impressive. He’s done a lot of things well in this very early part of his career that gets your attention. You see the talent; you see the flashes. Things that he needs to learn and work on, which of course, but I like where he’s at mentally. He’s tough, he’s physical, strong, he’s huge. His ability to move and mirror, stay in front of guys to finish a play has been impressive. I like him a lot, I like him a lot. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time. We just got to keep working and finetuning some things techniques wise, mindset, a lot of pre-snap adjustments that he can kind of learn from. But that will come with time and experience.”
(You’re not a center, but what do you think is going into some of these snapping mishaps?) – “The start is Tua (Tagovailoa) and ‘AB’ (Aaron Brewer) getting more time on task, get more reps. It’s different. I was actually talking to Tua about it yesterday. He was kind of explaining the difference between ‘AB’s’ snap point compared to Connor (Williams) or Liam (Eichenberg), it’s all different. So maybe he has to squat or reach, but that only comes with time. The more they get those reps, which they are and those will get cleaned up and disappear. But early in camp you’ll see some mishaps like that and some operational issues.”
(In terms of QB Tua Tagovailoa, from your vantage point, what has changed or grown from his game over the offseason?) – “The account has changed. (laughter) But since I’ve got here I’ve seen progression, development, growth in leadership, in the person, as a professional, as a human, a father of two now. He’s growing. He’s growing, and it’s been great to see that progression. It’s like he’s growing up right in front of our eyes. He’s more vocal, got a swagger about him. He’s hard on himself still, which we appreciate. He’s not afraid to call himself out, he’s not afraid to call others out which he wouldn’t necessarily do my first year here. All of that is going to bode really well for us moving forward, I love the direction that he’s going. The mishaps, some interceptions, the fumbles snaps and all of that, got to get those cleaned up. Can’t just say it, we’ve got to go do it. But knowing Tua, he’s the guy to put that work in to eliminate that.”
(How much training camp do you need, or how much do you need to be ready for the season?) – “I’ve come to find throughout the years, it gets to a point in camp where you’re like, ‘All right, I’m ready.’ Until you feel that, you got to get in team, you got to hit, you got to win a few blocks, lose a few blocks, know the adjustments. It’s kind of is just a feel for me. I know where I’m at in pass pro, my hand timing is right, my eyes are right, I know in the run game I’m getting my fits right. I’m ready.”
(When you go into the live periods at the end, the red zone and short yardage. What’s your conversation with those guys or maybe point of emphasis with the offense in those periods?) – “A lot of those are, especially like the short yardage competition today, is much less about the technique honestly. It’s just about competing. ‘I want to whip his (explicit), let’s get this first down. Let’s talk after.’ That’s really it. We worry about the steps and all of that later. The defense jumping offsides, we’re jumping this snap, you know what I mean, it’s just competition. That’s what you want to see, who is able to rise up to that competition, to win that period, that’s what you want to see. It’s not a technique drill, it’s not make sure you get this step down. No, it’s, ‘Let’s go whip his (explicit).’”
(You told the fine folks at NFL Network today was the day you will be back and then we didn’t see you out there much?) – “Well, I was back. I was in pads – I was out there, but it’s just a part of the plan. I got some indy work in, I got some combination work in but no team. No team yet. I’m sure that will be coming in the next few days, but I’m staying course with the program.”
(What was your evolution of your career – when you came in as a rookie the first couple of years eager as can be to be in there for every rep, and then as years went by, there became that balancing act between keeping you healthy, rest and all of that. What’s that thought process been like to adapt as the years go by for you?) – “My career specifically, I’ve dealt with challenges more so physically that had to keep me out in a certain amount of time, or I’m playing a game with limited preparations so I got to prepare differently, weight room, simulation on the field, walking through stuff, finding cardio. Different things outside of running. So it’s probably been the most challenging part of my career, but I’ve been able to have a career in spite of dealing with physical issues. Me now, like I said, I know what I need. As I get in and start doing team, my hands are right, feeling good first day, second day, I’m ready.”
(Your ability to perform despite not always being there practice, that makes the coach’s argument pretty hard when they say, “Oh, practice is really important.”) – “No, it is though. It is, there’s no other way around it. I’ve gotten a million reps, so when I’m not practicing, I’m getting thousands of reps off to the side in a controlled setting and controlled environment. I don’t just go out and freelance. You would have seen times in New Orleans where I did not touch the field. Sunday for the coin toss was the first time I go out there on the field and then go out and perform. It’s just dealing with something I got to stay off of. But it’s not a go out there and wish for the best, there’s a mentality to it, it’s a mindset, it’s repetition. I’m the biggest preacher of that, which might sound crazy because you won’t see me taking many practice reps, but I’m talking to all of these young guys, ‘You’ve got to do reps, reps, reps until it’s unconscious.’ So I still do that.”
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
OL Rob Jones
(Year 4 – I would say this is your first legitimate chance of having an opportunity to become a starter. What is that like in terms of the mindset, the mentality, the hunger that you have to have?) – “It’s just like me coming in as an undrafted free agent, just go out there and prove myself right. Go out there and keep learning, get my techniques right. Go out there and be a dawg. Go out there and play hard and not think about it too much and just go play football and everything else is going to fall where it falls.”
(How much does your comfort level in the scheme help you right now?) – “Going in Year 3 in the same system and Year 2 with the same o-line coach (Butch Barry), you’re just able to be in this for a second year, you know what’s going on. You don’t really have to think too much, we know what’s going to happen. We know what we’re going to do combinations, we’re going to do everything. We’ve got the same o-line coach and we know what he wants from us. As I get older, just like ‘T-Stead’ (Terron Armstead) always talks about is technique. So getting my technique down and everything, the confidence keeps building, keeps building. So going into this year, I’m more confident in myself just because I’ve been in here. I’ve been with the same o-line coach. I know what they want from me, I know what I want for myself, and I know what I need to do to help the team.”
(I just asked T Terron Armstead the same question I’m going to ask you: guardian caps – your thoughts on them and any chance that you wear them during a game?) – “Guardian caps – honestly, I like that the NFL is doing the rule that you’re able to wear them in games for a lot of guys who have had a lot of concussion stuff in college and everything and gives them an opportunity to do that. Me personally, I won’t wear them. I love to use them in training camp, it’s just protects you while you’re going out there. The o-line, d-line are all about physicality. We go out there and we’re always aggressive, but when game time comes, we’re just going out there to play football. And the guys who wear it, they want to stay safe. It’s not going to change a thing, just keep you a little bit safer. But for me personally, I won’t wear one.”
(Can you feel much of a difference when you have the guardian cap on versus when you have it off?) – “You really don’t feel a difference. Only difference you can kind of feel is hitting, like a linebacker against o-line. I get up there to the linebacker and make that little hit, it lets up a little bit. But I’ve just been playing football for a handful of years and I’ve never used a guardian cap in a game, so I’m not going to change it now.”
(How much do you like how more physicality is being incorporated into practices now? Pads coming on, you get a third-and-short situation drill going in today’s practice?) – “I love that it’s coming early, because we need that. Football is football. How we run our scheme, just like everybody says, ‘We’re not physical,’ and stuff like that. We are physical, but (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) being able to just put that in early builds confidence. And also, it’s just fun. Going out there to go against what will be one of the best defenses, we’re just going out there competing with each other, making each other better.”
(What did the fight for the day? Obviously, frustration, second day of pads, what did the fight do for the environment?) – “It just made training camp, training camp. It made us (say), ‘Offense, alright, we got to go harder. Defense, got to go harder.’ It’s just building confidence on both sides and as a team to let us know that we’re going to be a good team this year and we’re going to be a physical team. Just like guys say, this year we’re going to be the bullies, and that’s what we’ve got to keep focusing on and that’s exactly what it did.”
(You have that mindset? You guys want to be bullies this year?) – “Yeah, we just want to be dawgs. Go out there, play hard, we don’t care about the outside noise. We just want to go out there and be the most physical team on the field.”
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
DB Elijah Campbell
(It got a little chippy out there today. Is that just a byproduct of second day of pads or the heat or already hitting the dog days?) – “I mean, that’s just football at the end of the day. Iron sharpens iron, so we need them to bring what they’ve got, and we’ve got some dogs on our defense, so they’re not going to be getting bullied all day, so they’re going to come back at us. That’s just part of football, you know? We need that, plus pads – football is not a friendly sport, so that’s just part of the game.”
(What was your perspective of what happened?) – “About what happened today on the field? Football, that’s it. That’s all I can say. Not too many details, but people – it’s camp. People are fighting for spots at the end of the day. People got families; you know what I’m saying? They’ve got to, at the end of the day, there’s only 53 spots on the roster, so everyone is bringing their best every day and sometimes it’s going to get a little chippy.”
(Can you talk about the orange jersey and talk about the early camp you’ve had?) – “The orange jersey, I appreciate (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) for doing that. I’m just happy to show off some of my music, that’s pretty much what I liked about it. (laughter) But it’s just Mike showing his appreciation for hustling and I guess I deserve it from his eyes, so I’m happy to take it.”
(When Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver was hired, you hear a lot about what the defensive line and the defensive front might look like, but the secondary has been excellent over the past week. How have you guys in that secondary, how has that chemistry been building under his system?) – “The chemistry has been great. Obviously, (Anthony) Weaver, he’s been phenomenal with coaching us and kind of letting us work together, but we’ve got so many vets. We’ve got ‘Po’ (Jordan Poyer) and (Jalen) Ramsey, ‘Von’ (Jevon Holland) with all the years he’s had and then (Kendall) Fuller as well, so it’s like we’ve just got so many vets who have done it and know what the standard is, so I just commend them. They’re bringing up all the young dudes, all the people with less experience, and they’re just showing us how it’s supposed to be done. I think it’s just the players that we have in that locker room, especially in the back end that we’re creating something special, for sure.”
(Have you given any thought to wearing the guardian caps during the game? Players can wear them now during the game.) – “Oh, we’re supposed to wear them during the game?”
(You can if you want to. The NFL said players in 2024 can wear them.) – “If that’s what you choose to do, that’s your safety. So if you’re looking out for your own safety, do that.”
(What are your thoughts on it?) – “I won’t be wearing one, but I think it’s good for the game for protecting the players. With CTE and all the studies about it, I think it’s beneficial, for sure. I think the NFLPA and the League, they’re doing the right thing with trying to protect us. So like I said, I won’t be wearing it during the game, but I appreciate it during practice.”
(Why not during a game?) – “It’s just not something – I don’t like the aesthetics of it. But I’ll leave it at that, I won’t be wearing it.”
(What’s the vibe like in the huddle when you guys are about to go to a live period for the first time?) – “It’s just people trying to bring that juice. I mean, we’ve already got the juice, but sometimes there’s ebbs and flows of the day. It is hot out there, the pads and stuff, so sometimes you need that leader to pick you up, and we’re just all feeding off each other. When you have someone that has a great playlist like mine, all you’ve got to do is listen to the tunes and you’re going to get hyped up.”
(What have the new safeties been like to work with, S Jordan Poyer and S Marcus Maye?) – “’Po’ (Jordan Poyer) and Marcus Maye – I forgot to mention him, great experience too – they’ve been great. They’ve just been offering a lot of knowledge. Just today, I went to the sideline and Marcus Maye was telling me just certain ways that I could hold shells and stuff like that. I think just their experience, anytime you can have experience out there, especially someone like ‘Po – Old Man Po,‘ he’s got a lot of knowledge in the game. He’s helped me tremendously, so I appreciate him for that, for sure.’
(Old Man Po?) – “’Old Man Po,’ that’s ‘Old Man Po,’ man. (laughter)”
(He doesn’t look that old out there.) – “No, he’s still got it. (laughter) He looks like he’s 22 out there. He’s flying around out there. I love ‘Po,’ (Jordan Poyer), he’s great for the team, great for the secondary and personally I’ve been learning a lot from him.”
(Obviously the preseason is just days away. A lot of people want to know, is there anything you guys have, especially for yourself, as a pregame ritual, something that you do before a game, something that you eat?) – “Pregame ritual? I don’t have anything that I eat specifically, I try to stay healthy. I listen to some gospel music and just try to get my spirits right, and I just have my conversation with God to protect me out there and then I’m fine.”
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I was going to ask you – any sense whether the CB Cam Smith injury might be a long-term thing?) – “What’s your sense?”
(I don’t know. What’s your sense?) – “My sense is – you’re asking me for a timeline – I will compromise since you’re fresh legs today. Based upon the severity of the injury and his previous injury history, I don’t – let’s say training camp and preseason games won’t be compromised in terms of the entirety so he’ll be participating in that. I don’t know exactly when that is. So how about that compromise? That make sense?”
(Yesterday T Terron Armstead said he’ll practice today, I believe on NFL Network. Is that plan still in effect and kind of how do you ramp him back into this?) – “Terron Armstead is such a valuable piece to the team and as a competitor, I’m really proud of him – to just lean into knowing his body, communicating and we work very transparently through exactly how much does he need on this given day to get his game ready for Week 1 and how much do his teammates need to work alongside. Really I take specifically with him – every individual is different but specifically with him – every day we’re going through, okay, let’s do this, let’s do this. So the amount that he’s participating will vary and that’s based upon him knowing his body and how he feels – success or failure with the techniques that he needs to adjust and the stuff that he is comfortable with. So with guys like that, that have been so successful on this level and that have so much regard and respect from their teammates; you can work in walkthroughs in the PM and then assess the next day of how much you want to go. I every day just get excited to come to practice and some days you’ll be able to – if you’re wearing your Armstead jersey – he’ll be out there playing and sweaty and then he’ll come and sign it. And some days he’ll be working on the side and all that stuff is, I’ll let you know if there’s any setbacks from it, but this is all planned.”
(Quick follow-up on T Terron Armstead if I can. Obviously no one hates being in the training room more than him. He’s had a history, we all know. But last year was there anything he could have done or was it just kind of snakebit bad luck or something?) – “If there was anything he could have done, he would have done it. He went above and beyond and played through some – really his injuries, he played through until he knew that it was going to compromise his play and so he was battling and really served as a point of inspiration for a lot of guys in how to attack a season and try to make the best for the team. So no, I wouldn’t say there’s anything that he should have done. In hindsight you’re always learning about your body so you can try different tricks, but there was nothing that he left on the table.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa looks nimble. Thoughts?) – “I gave him a shirt this offseason – what do you think it said? I wish… (laughter) I think it’s a great example of taking your game into your own hands. I think there’s always opportunities from a competitor’s standpoint to get better in your play and being able to identify exactly what those are; that’s powerful. I love when – it’s not just overarching ‘I’m going to be better’ – there’s tangible, direct, deliberate, intentional things going on and I think if anyone has ever tried to adjust their diet, that takes discipline. That means when you’re admiring his nimbleness, just know that that’s something that he has been very disciplined on each and every day which means the goals of his aren’t in the background. They’re right in front of him and he’s working towards that every day.”
(You talked about WR Tyreek Hill growing as a leader the other day. I’m curious what that looks like especially for an eight-year veteran as opposed to somebody that is newer in the league?) – “It looks passionate, is what it looks like. And it also shows understanding and awareness on his part because you’re asking a lot of younger players to step up and go above and beyond what is their traditional norm. How can you ask that of other players if you don’t do that yourself? So I think Tyreek (Hill) has done a great job of identifying things that he can improve on, that he wants to improve on. And when you have leadership from one of the best players, if not the best player in the league, it’s impossible for teammates not to listen. So I think he’s really enjoyed that platform and he just really makes me proud every day, the way he’s growing up. He’s a pleasure to have and I’m sure he’s going to be ripe and ready to compete today.”
(What have you noticed about how your players have responded to Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver through the first week of training camp?) – “I guess it’s gratifying because it’s very important that there’s connectivity there. It’s also not a surprise, but I think there’s an important part in football that is sometimes overlooked. But I think it’s a very, very valuable and instrumental part of the whole thing, and that’s the emotional connectivity of coaches to players. And if you’re trying to get someone to be their very best, you have to be able to reach them. And you have to be able to reach them in ways that are constructive, empowering; but overall, they have to choose to listen. So I think it’s been really – I’ve been as happy with our intent and how we attack practice as I’ve ever been as a head coach, and I think that’s exactly what the team would have hoped for and so we’re moving in the right direction as one unit. Offense, defense, special teams aside, it is one team moving in a direction. That’s what I feel every day and ‘Weave’ (Anthony Weaver) has been a big part of that.”
(Just a quick follow-up from your perspective when you see – you called it “gratifying” – when you see a hire that you picked out work out like that, what does that do inside of you? What emotion does that bring inside of you?) – “Cockiness. (laughter) I take the role and responsibility that I have super serious, super serious. I know how every decision that I make has huge ripple effects upon a lot of people that I care about that are depending on me. So feeling clarity or a clear sensation of the right person is in the right role – whatever that emotion would be, balancing all those responsibilities and a supreme desire to get it right; I think I look at it as that’s my job to the organization so I’m glad I’m doing my job.”
(Do you have an update on OL Isaiah Wynn? We haven’t seen him since October.) – “You haven’t been looking hard enough. (laughter) He’s in the building every day. He’s doing well and his process is diligent. He’s been steadfast, fixture within the building and the team and he’ll keep progressing. I’ll give you an update when it’s a little clearer.”
(I wanted to ask you a little bit about T Bayron Matos. What are some of the challenges coming from the international program and how do you think he’s handling it?) – “I’ve been very impressed with him overall. I can’t imagine like I was unable to master any language really, and I’m solid at English. I can’t imagine playing football or playing a sport and with all the communication. It’s an impressive individual that can – anybody that has mastery of multiple languages and languages of sport, because there’s a lot of football knowledge that it’s kind of grandfathered in to players, just by the nature of football being the No. 1 sport here. So I see a player that really loves competing, loves developing his game. He’s a gigantic individual and he’s having fun playing football and making impacts on defensive players that really have to be on their stuff when you have a massive individual moving at you like that.”
(LB Quinton Bell has been a guy who’s kind of had an elevated role probably since the OTA program. What exactly has he done to earn that?) – “Can you tell I was fired up that you brought up ‘Q’ (Quinton Bell)? You learn so much about players based upon how other players react and when he gets an edge of a lineman and is creating a hurry, pressure or sack or he’s long-arming while setting the edge, people lose their minds. And I think that’s because here’s a guy that comes to work every day with no excuses, doesn’t tally how many opportunities he gets; he makes the most of the ones that he does get. And because of that, when you have that type of mindset, you get more and more opportunities. So at a cool spot in his career and his development working with (Outside Linebackers Coach) Ryan Crow and I’m excited about the football that he has in store for him.”
(How have you seen the rest of the guard competition playing out even though OL Isaiah Wynn hasn’t been able to immerse himself in it?) – “The competitions and playing out, you’re hitting a note for me. Quite honestly, I really don’t think about the competitions, I really don’t. I’m observing with a laser focus on how players are responding to good or bad plays and really it’s almost like I have a spreadsheet in my mind of how many opportunities are in front of them with today – there’s like, 25 opportunities for each guard and in that, I’ll assess that and then with a clear mind, watch how people tell me the story. I’m not going to forecast anything and get ahead of myself and diminish the importance of their daily development. What I do like to see is from a team perspective, I see guys making plays at the guard position and then I see guys being in tough situations that they can learn from because our defense is challenging every day. So we as a team, it’s not just watching players do things successfully, especially at the o-line position. You’re going to have your share of stresses and you’re going to have your share of things that maybe negatively cost the entire team on a play or two. How do you respond? We don’t have time for a passive mindset, so who knows? It’s not just coach speak. I live it. I’m way far away from truly assessing who’s a leader in the clubhouse, but I will say that the competition is real.”
(Guardian caps have been OK’d to worn in games. In 2024, do you expect some of your players to wear them and with QB Tua Tagovailoa specifically, do you guys together discuss what helmet he’ll use, what model? Or is that solely up to the discretion of the player?) – “We’ll see. I think there’s several positions that are – the wide receivers and DBs specifically – that are wearing guardian caps for the first time. I think anything that gives players confidence and conviction with how they play is an added benefit. Player safety is of the utmost importance. Players can’t do what they’ve worked their whole lives to do if they can’t be on the field and you want that to be done safely. So I really have zero idea. I would expect they’ll have large numbers that there would be some players. I don’t know how many, and with regard to Tua that’s 100 percent on him. You have to play football in a manner where you can protect yourself, sometimes that’s equipment, sometimes that’s your actions and reactions. I don’t pretend to know how that affects each and every player, but I would support anybody wearing it and if people choose not to wear it, I’ll support them, too.”
(How do you find the balance especially this time of year, you see a lot of cross-training on the offensive line? How do you find the balance of those reps and guys getting exposed to multiple spots versus maybe getting all of their reps in a singular spot to best prep them where they may play in-season?) – “I think when you’re going through that process – it’s different for people at different stages of their career. If you’ve earned a starting spot and you’re a starter, you have less necessity to be as versatile and you’ll probably be in one spot probably the whole time. A lot of jobs, particularly with us, where we have a lot of competition. When those are up in the air, you do need to give guys an opportunity to make the team and that may be as the starter or position versatility is absolutely paramount if you aren’t starting because we can’t dictate the terms on injuries in general and where those opportunities will present themselves. So you have to give them an opportunity to make the team if they’re in the competition mode for their role and then eventually you have to give them a chance to start at that position. But that versatility, you kind of always have to dabble in it until guys are in a situation where they own a spot and then their teammates have to be versatile.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa is never going to be Lamar Jackson, but the little bit of increased mobility, how could that conceivably impact your play calling and/or some things that happen during the game?) – “First and foremost that is fact – Lamar Jackson is not Tua, and Tua is not Lamar Jackson. But I think you’re always adapting to the skills of your players and as you have more experience and you start to see how players are utilizing that mobility, you adjust eligibles. Maybe if there’s a primary part of the progression, you change the back side a little bit just distributing the field more than trying to beat a coverage so that if you do break from the pocket, you have an eligible to ditch it to. Your thoughts – I’m always trying to adjust to all the players’ game so I think that component, I think with his focus definitely adds to his game which adds to what we can do as an offense.”
