G Solomon Kindley
(Do you feel good about going back to left guard? Obviously that’s where your experience at Georgia came. Is that more natural for you than right guard?) – “Football is football. So yeah, I played left guard at Georgia. I’m just filling in wherever I can. Football is football. I’m just helping the team.”
(Is there any difference as far as comfort level or are you now equally comfortable with both?) – “Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable at both. That’s what you train for in the offseason and everything.”
(“Big Fish,” you were kind of in your element out there today, huh?) – “Yes, sir. A lot of rain. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you about the off-field stuff you are doing with the swimming camp and the seven-week program for kids in the community. What made you want to do that and how did the first week go out there so far?) – “First, what I’m doing in the community, it’s just a blessing with where I come from and the money I’m making and doing the things that I’m doing. My mom always taught me to give back, so that’s my biggest thing. I want to bless others. Somebody made an impact in my life and I want to do that for other kids. For your second question, it feels good to be back playing football. We’ve been away for a long time. We’re back in our element, like you said.”
(One of your teammates, LB Brennan Scarlett, has his own mastery in the swimming pool. I’m wondering if there’s been any trash talk back and forth between you guys yet.) – “The last person that said something to me about the pool on my team, I don’t think they talk swimming with me anymore because I blew them out of the water. (laughter) But yeah, Scarlett hasn’t said anything to me about the pool yet. I don’t really think he got the memo that I’m really a “big fish.”
(Then my football question for you, just kind of taking into account your second year now and looking back on where you were at this time last year – what’s different for you in terms of the experience and just how you feel going into practices here in Year 2 and the level of comfort you have now?) – “It’s just not making the same mistakes that I made as a rookie. It’s my second year. The coaches and everybody look forward to you doing better things than last year. You feel your game should elevate every year, so that’s just my thing. I’ve got to stay in the film room and just execute even better than I did last year.”
(If you were asked about it, I’m sorry; but I heard you talking about swimming. What was that like to be able to get some kids together for a good cause?) – “Like I said, it’s a blessing. Me and my brothers grew up – we always went to the pool. Mom used to be at work. She used to tell us not to go out of the house. We’d sneak out of the house and go to the community pool. So we always used to go there and we made fun of it because if we got caught at the pool by the time Mom gets back home, we were going to get in trouble. So we just went to the pool and had fun. That’s my biggest thing. I wanted to let kids come out and have fun because that changed my life. I met a lot of people during that time, so just being a blessing towards those kids.”
(The role that you’re kind of playing in OTAs so far, how has that kind of allowed you to kind of learn a little bit more and maybe perfect your craft a little bit better?) – “No doubt. It perfected my craft even better because if anybody goes down, no matter where it is, I can fill in. I can play football on either side, so just helping the team. Just being there for anybody on the team on the offensive line.”
(And what can you say about G/T Robert Hunt? He seems like he’s taken a big next step for himself once he started after last season and kind of how he’s doing so far in camp right now. What can you say about a guy you shared the right side with last season?) – “Robert Hunt is being Robert Hunt. He’s playing football. He’s just being himself. He’s good, so that’s what he’s doing.”
(From a body standpoint, are you where you want to be? Where do you think you’re best as far as weight?) – “Oh no doubt, I can always get better. That’s what camp is for, so I can always get better.”
(I saw you working with Coach Torrian this offseason. What has your work been like with him and how has he kind of helped you this offseason?) – “Coach Torrian is an amazing coach. I appreciate working with him in the offseason. He gave me different aspects of the game – pass pro, run blocking, also conditioning – so yeah, he’s a very good coach and I appreciate him.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Expectations – probably for you, you put so much on yourself. Where does your drive to chase perfection come from?) – “I’d say my drive to chase being great at what I do, it came from when I was very little. I’ve been playing football my entire life and all you try to do at the end of the day is try to win the game. When the outcome doesn’t go your way, that’s a feeling you don’t like feeling. For me, I don’t like feeling the losses. Obviously we want to win. That’s why I harp on putting all of that pressure on myself.”
(How would you describe what it was like practicing in these conditions? Was it as crazy, in terms of the weather, as anything you’ve ever experienced?) – “It was really good. We’re going to have to play in the rain. We’re going to have to play in conditions where the ball is going to be wet, where it’s going to be cold, where it’s going to be hot. You’ve got to expect the unexpected. It was really good for our guys to go out there and compete in the rain. I thought today, overall was an all right day. There’s things we’re going to have to fix here within the next couple of hours, to look over film and correct for tomorrow.”
(The Dolphins made it a priority this offseason to get you some help at wide receiver. What’s it like now that WR Will Fuller V is here, WR Jaylen Waddle is here and you guys were able to get out there and get the first one in the books?) – “It’s really good to be able to throw to all of these guys and get good timing with full-speed routes, looking at a defense and also communicating on what they see within the defense and how we’re communicating, how we’re going to run our routes, where we’re going, landmarks and so forth. It’s been really good to throw with all of these guys.”
(When you look at a practice day like this where it’s raining and a lot seems to not be going right for you as far as throws, what can you take out of that, going into the next day?) – “I think today, the emphasis for us quarterbacks – we wanted to be aggressive today within the pass game. We wanted to see if we could fit throws in, we wanted to see what throws we could make under these conditions. We were just trying to push the ball vertical down the field. There are some plays that didn’t go our way, but (those are) plays that we can take a look at in the film room and move forward with.”
(That’s kind of what my question is for you, was how much do you want to push the ball in these practice situations? What does it do to increase the likelihood of completing these passes on gameday when you can be more aggressive on the practice field?) – “Kind of like what I said the last question, that’s just been the emphasis for us coming out to this first day of minicamp, was just to be aggressive and push the ball down field. Obviously you want to be smart; but if there is a time to make mistakes, now is the time to make mistakes. We’re trying to see what we can fit in the hole, what we can throw within coverages, come into the film room and then learn from it.”
(I haven’t heard you talk about QB Ryan Fitzpatrick moving on to Washington. I was just curious – because you guys had a really interesting relationship – on the one hand he served as this great mentor for you and on the other hand, you were kind of going to take his job; and late in games and late in the season there were times where Head Coach Brian Flores would go to the bullpen for Fitzpatrick. I’m just curious how you process him moving on and what it means to your career moving forward?) – “I understand the game of the NFL and how the NFL works. For me, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been a great mentor. ‘Fitz’ is a great person. Just the kind of characteristics that he has as a person is kind of slim to none. I’m actually very happy that he has an opportunity to go to Washington and compete. The impact that he’s had within my first year and the things I can take from him are going to be very big this upcoming year.”
(At OTAs, you talked about the decision to stay in South Florida this offseason. What has Nick meant to you – Nick Hicks – being able to train with him and have him in your close corner this offseason?) – “It’s been good to have Nick. Nick has been a good resource for me to be able to help train the things that I need to work on and whatnot. I have a lot of respect for him and the things he’s helped me accomplish. That’s really it. He’s helped me to get better with my strength and whatnot; but I think a lot of the things outside of that is going to be mental for me, the mental aspect of the game.”
(I know you haven’t looked at the film yet and today was a learning day – I get that – but was there a consistent thread to the interceptions? Was there something you were trying that just wasn’t working or was there nothing consistent you could put your fingers on as far as the cause?) – “That’s kind of how I answered it earlier. Those are the things that we were trying to work on. We were trying to be aggressive and push the ball downfield, and try to move guys to fit the ball in tight windows and spaces. Now that we put that on film, it gives all of us as a quarterback group (a chance) to go back into the film room, talk about what we’ve seen, what we were trying to do as far as leverage the defenders with our throws, then take the coaching from our coaches and also one another.”
(What’s next for you after minicamp wraps? What are your plans in terms of yourself personally, and also working out with the guys?) – “As far as next week, I’m not too sure yet. I’m focused on what we have to do within the next couple of hours to fix what we’ve got to fix with today’s practice, and then worry about tomorrow’s practice to finish out strong for this minicamp.”
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(You’re still obviously needed mostly on the boundary especially with CB Xavien Howard here, but Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander told us a couple weeks ago that he does envision you getting some work in the slot. Has that work happened to this point? Have you done any work at all in the slot or have you been entirely on the outside?) – “I’ve actually worked both positions and it’s really going really well, so I’m excited. I’m excited to see what the coaches have for me. I’m just following the plan and the process they have and see what happens.”
(What level of growth do you think you got from your rookie season? What are some of the lessons that you took that will help you become a better pro?) – “Honestly the offseason – my first offseason was huge for me. Just finding a consistent routine, just a consistent schedule, just working out and conditioning and just doing the same thing over and over again every single day. That was the biggest thing for me and my growth this offseason I feel like. So the offseason was huge for me. It was a blessing just to go through it. God really moved in my life this offseason, so I thank Him and I can’t wait for the season.”
(Speaking about God, in what way? How did God move in your life?) – “I just grew as a man, obviously like everybody does. Just grew up. I was young last year. I’m still young now, but I’m growing up as a man and figuring things out and I’m growing up. It is what it is.”
(I guess part of that grow-up process is kind of realizing where you’re at in your career as a young player, as a first-round pick, with some high expectations. Kind of how do you deal with all that and just work to continue to improve so that you can prove yourself on the field?) – “I just keep my head down and keep working. It’s all I can do, really. Follow the process, like I said before, and everything will work out for itself.”
(What has helped you this offseason kind of have a better mindset into what you want to accomplish?) – “Honestly like I said before, just a consistent routine. Just a consistent schedule. Just the same thing over and over again – the little details – over and over again. Last year (in the) offseason it was rough for me because (it was) the COVID year. There were a lot of things we couldn’t do. We couldn’t really – I didn’t have a consistent workout place at all. This year everything was laid out, planned out, month-to-month-to-month. I feel better going into Year 2.”
(It was great last year how you shook off a tough start obviously against the Bills and Seattle. You played really well against Jacksonville. You played well when needed late. What allowed you to rebound and come back from what might put some rookies in a shell? You didn’t go into a shell.) – “Honestly the coaches and the older guys and just my teammates. They all surrounded me. It’s just a family here. So honestly it wasn’t really that hard. I just kept my head up. Everybody kept supporting me. I just kept working. Honestly that’s all it is. You’ve just got to keep working.”
(And are you looking forward to that opportunity in the slot should that continue to come into August?) – “I’m looking forward to playing wherever they want me to play. (laughter)”
(I don’t want to name every receiver in the room, but just WR DeVante Parker, WR Preston Williams, WR Jaylen Waddle, WR Will Fuller V, WR Jakeem Grant, all these guys that have different varied skillsets – I’m wondering how seeing these different types of receivers helps you develop your game at this stage in your career?) – “They all have different skillsets and it’s amazing just to see them. They’re all growing as well. I can’t wait. We’re going to get some work in. We’ll get some real work in this offseason. We’ve worked so far. I can’t wait to see where we go and where they (progress) as well, where they grow as well.”
(Who’s helping you study film? Who’s helping you get to that next level from an understanding quarterbacks and offensive concepts standpoint?) – “Just my coaches, honestly. I come to work every single day. I listen. I take notes and that’s really all it is. Just follow the process every single day I come to work and it’ll happen.”
(Kind of a fun question for you. What’s it like being represented with an agency that’s full of MMA fighters like Jorge Masvidal and Tyron Woodley? Are the perks pretty fun? Do you get to go to a lot of free matches? What’s it like being with their agency and with the guys they rep?) – “It’s great to see those guys. Honestly, I haven’t really been to a lot of matches. I’ve only been to one I think, but UFC is amazing. I’m glad to have them at my agency. I’m close with all of them, so I have good relationships with all of them and I can’t wait to see where they go as well.”
(Do you think fighting in UFC is kind of like football in the same sense where football – you’re an individual player, you’re trying to work out for the team, but everybody is just constantly striving to improve? Do you kind of see the same kind of tone in both those sports?) – “Yeah, that’s every sport. That’s every sport. It’s the same thing.”
(Just throwing this out there. What has CB Xavien Howard told you about his contract situation?) – “That’s honestly none of my business. (laughter)”
(Has CB Xavien Howard talked to the cornerbacks room?) – “I don’t know who he’s talked to. I don’t know nothing. (laughter)”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you with QB Tua Tagovailoa, when you guys drafted him, obviously you knew with the hip that it was going to take some time to eventually progress. How does it feel from a franchise standpoint to be kind of 18-19 months after the injury for Tua and kind of see where he has come along so far and where he can go ahead?) – “I think he’s worked extremely hard obviously coming off the hip last year and getting himself ready to play as much as he did last year. I think he’s just continued to build on his rehabbing the hip and really kind of I would say training just from a total body standpoint. I think he’s done a nice job from that standpoint. He looks healthy and he’s really just trying to improve in all areas and we’re happy and pleased with where he’s at.”
(Just from a team standpoint, to kind of be at this point here in his recovery to kind of see where QB Tua Tagovailoa can go forward after drafting him and kind of knowing that kind of drafting him was a big risk – I guess how do you guys feel about that now?) – “I think we’re just trying to take things one day at a time. He’s trying to improve on the field, off the field, in his training, in all areas and I think that’s kind of more of a big picture question; but I think we’re just trying to shrink it down to let’s get better today. Let’s improve from a meeting standpoint, from a walkthrough standpoint, from a practice standpoint, from a training/rehab standpoint if that’s the case, which it is with Tua. I think he’s done well with that and he’s continuing to improve every day really in all areas.”
(I wanted to ask if CB Xavien Howard was among the participants today and if so, how’s he looking physically?) – “I have not seen Xavien today; but the meetings are Zooms, so guys kind of get lost from time to time. But I have not seen him today.”
(Do you expect CB Xavien Howard to be participating this week?) – Quite honestly I don’t think – I’m not sure he’s going to be here today. Again, I haven’t seen him, so I expect him to be here, but I have not seen him yet.”
(In terms of CB Xavien Howard, has he expressed what the issues are that he has if he chooses to sit out this minicamp?) – “I think it’s pretty clear that this is a contract situation, which we’ve talked about internally. That’s what I believe it is and obviously we’ve had discussions and we’ll continue to have those discussions.”
(Last week you referred to the development of a young cornerback like CB Noah Igbinoghene and the value of seeing the game from the outside-in and it got me thinking – is there a similar benefit for a young offensive lineman with regards to seeing the game from multiple perspectives?) – “I believe so. I think if you’re a tackle who has played guard or a guard who has played center, that perspective when you’re trying to communicate with the guy next to you, what that block feels like, what it looks like, what you need if it is a double team, what you need from a guard on a double team if you’re playing tackle, what you need from a tackle on a double team if you’re playing guard. Same thing with the center position. I think it’s very helpful. I think like any situation, if you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, you have a little bit more understanding of what they need, the struggles that come with a specific block or a specific player and it can help even if you’re playing another position.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa has said that he wants to improve on cadence, pre-snap read, shifting guys, using his words. Will this minicamp the next couple of days be a place where he can improve on that?) – “I think any practice setting is a situation you can improve. I think that’s what we’ve done the last three weeks even in the OTA and walkthrough sessions. So yeah, I think it’s definitely a situation or opportunity for him to improve. Obviously we’ll be going at a faster pace, or a little bit of a faster pace. You’ll see different defenses and we’ll do it for a longer period of time. And I think that’s part of it – you’re tired, you get taxed a little bit and I think that’s for all positions, not just the quarterback. You get to see if your techniques, your fundamentals, your communication, your ability to adjust, if you can do that under some duress.”
(And for the layman, when it is right – when the quarterback and everybody else has that right, how does that help produce positive plays?) – “You’re no layman. (laughter) I think any time you’re on the same page from a communication, a cadence, a shift, motion; that just helps the execution and if you can execute, then you have positive plays. But if you miss a shift, you miss a motion, you miss a cadence, you miss this, you miss a tackle, you miss a communication, ‘I’m in this gap, you’re in that gap;’ that’s how bad plays happen basically. So the more practice, the more reps you can get as a team, as an individual, I think the better off you’ll be; and we have an opportunity to do that today or these next few days.”
(Obviously the organization rewarded LB Jerome Baker with a contract extension. Certainly you can touch on that, but my question is what message would you give to any top player such as TE Mike Gesicki or DE Emmanuel Ogbah who has one year left on their deal without an extension at this time?) – “I’m excited for Jerome (Baker) and like we talked about last week, I think he’s done a really nice job for us these last two years. Look, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s team-first. He wants to be here and we’re happy to reward him. I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration) Brandon (Shore) and Drew Rosenhaus really kind of sat down and hammered it out this weekend and we’re excited about that. As far as other guys, I think every situation is a little bit different, and we want to keep everybody. We would if possible, but situations are just a little bit – every one is a little bit different. There’s obviously a salary cap. We all know that. So I think – you mentioned Mike (Gesicki) and you mentioned (Emmanuel) Ogbah – we love those guys. They’ve both been productive players on our team and we’ll continue to have or will have conversations with their representation; but again, every situation is a little bit different. And I think there’s an understanding that the ones that if we can get them done, we’ll get them done and if we can’t, then we can’t. But we’re always working to do what’s best for the team and the organization.”
(To go back to QB Tua Tagovailoa for a moment, has there been any significant maturation – if that’s the right word – in how he carries himself from year one to year two? Or with him, was that maturation already there when you got him?) – “I think anytime you’re a second-year player, I think there is a natural maturation. I think you’re in an environment and a little more comfortable with your environment, more comfortable with the playbook, more comfortable with the people you’re talking to. It’s not the first time you’ve heard instruction from a coach, so you know what guys expect. You can call it maturation. You can call it just an overall understanding of how we expect things here. I think as players, they have a little bit more of a barometer of what’s needed to have success. I think we put all of that together and you see players in their second or third year mature a little bit more. I think that’s what you’re seeing form Tua and hopefully we’ll see that on the field as well.”
(You mentioned earlier about you and GM Chris Grier having internal conversations about CB Xavien Howard and his deal. Is that something that you think will be worked out before training camp or do you have an idea of where that is?) – “I would say that normally we keep this stuff internally; but generally speaking, I think you put them in buckets. So you have contract extensions, you’ve got free agent contracts; so we have a player and we extend a contract. You have free agents you bring on. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), this is a little bit of a unique situation. I’m sure you guys all understand this. He was extended and now we’re talking about a renegotiation of an extension, so that’s a little bit different. We’ve had a lot of discussions about that. Again, it’s a very unique situation. We’re talking about a potential renegotiation after one year. I think those turn into longer conversations and we understand that. We’ve obviously had a lot of talks and conversations about those. We will continue to have those and keep those internal; but it’s a very unique situation.
(You guys, from what we have seen, have done no helmets. I’m wondering if that was a condition you made to the players when you asked them to participate in the offseason program? Also, do you lose something or do you gain something when you do that? And will you guys have helmets during minicamp?) – “We’ll have helmets on during minicamp. I think the OTA sessions were about communication, about alignments, assignments, making adjustments. I don’t think you lose anything there except maybe wearing a helmet in the heat. I think what we were trying to get done was just the communication, the alignments, the assignments, and I think we got that accomplished. But we will have helmets on during minicamp.”
(One more thing with CB Xavien Howard, this whole thing with him started when he saw what CB Byron Jones got from the Miami Dolphins. In signing Byron Jones, did the organization kind of expect that “we’re signing him to more money, our other guy who has been here might want more money?”) – “Again, each situation is different. We treat these case-by-case. I think at the end of the day, we’re going to keep these conversations internal. But specific to this one, like I said earlier, it’s very unique. It’s a renegotiation of an extension after one year and it’s honestly something that hasn’t been done before. I’m not saying that we’re drawing a line in the sand, but different players set the market every year. We love ‘X.’ Let me go ahead and say that right now, so you guys can make sure you write that. We love him. He’s very productive. He’s a team player. He’s an important player on this team; but again, (it’s a) unique situation. We want to keep him here. Again, markets are set. Specific to Byron, markets are set differently every year. Yeah, that’s a part of the conversation; but again, that’s what makes this unique, like I mentioned, which I’m sure everyone can understand.”
(The new offensive lineman that you signed form the Patriots yesterday in free agency, do you view him as a depth signing? Or did you feel like you needed more competition to find a potential starter at either right tackle or somewhere else on the line?) – “We’re excited to sign Jermaine Eluemunor. Any time you can add someone who has experience, has history as a starter at multiple positions, gives us flexibility and we think he’s a good player. He will add competition to the room. I met him for the first time yesterday, and was excited to meet him and talk to him. He seems like the type of guy that – just from a personality standpoint, hardworking and loves to play. (He’s) chomping at the bit to get out there and compete and create an opportunity for himself. I’m excited to work with him.”
