LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(I wanted to ask you a little bit – I saw on social media that you and your wife are expecting a child in July and I wanted to ask you a little bit about that. Is that your first child, what’s your emotions right now and what kind of dad are you going to be?) – “Yeah, it’s going to be my first child. I’m super stoked. It’s just under two months away, so the time’s kind of pressing and I’m super excited for him to finally arrive.”
(I have a 1-year-old – she turns 1 tomorrow. The first three months is pretty rough, but it gets great after that so lots to look forward to for you there.) – “Right, I heard you learn fast. (laughter)”
(You do. My football question for you is this: last year you talked about the goal of getting stronger in the offseason and your coaches talked about that. You talked about it throughout the season. I’m wondering what your goal is this offseason and how you’re working to achieve that goal?) – “It’s kind of the same goal. Keep adding strength and get faster, and then just have a better knowledge of the playbook. This being my third year in it, to be able to be more assertive with my calls and adjustments. I think that’s a huge part that I’m trying to improve on my game.”
(I wanted to ask about T Austin Jackson. You went against him in practice obviously last year. You probably – I don’t know if you have seen his development this offseason. Have you? And what do you expect out of him in Year 2?) – “I think just the way that he comes into work on a daily basis. He’s competitive, he’s tough and he’s going to do exactly what the coaches ask of him, so I expect him to make a big jump in his second year and just to continue to improve and get better. I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses this year.”
(Two months from now – training camp. How are you going to balance the new baby and training camp? That’s my first question and secondly, I’m wondering with more chances – more reps basically this year – do you see an opening for yourself for higher productivity?) – “First off with the baby, it’s going to be tough trying to be a father and then a husband and then just trying to raise a kid. It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to do everything I can to be ready for training camp, so when I go home I can just relax and let all the stresses free. And then about productivity, it’s just doing everything that the coaches ask me to do – be in the right spot, do the right jobs, communicating and helping other guys get aligned and so they can play fast. That ultimately is going to bring us to achieve our goals as a defense and as a team.”
(Going back to the productivity question I saw last year you led the team in special teams snaps. Is that something that you definitely took pride in and do you think that maybe playing some less special teams snaps would allow you to have some more productivity like you’re hoping for on defense?) – “(Head Coach Brian) Flores prides himself and his team on special teams, so obviously hearing that from him and just (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Crossman and how important special teams are, I really took that to heart and just made the most out of my opportunities. I’ll continue to work hard and whatever my role is, I’m going to try to excel at it.”
(My question is what are your early impressions of LB Jaelan Phillips? Obviously he’ll be a guy that’s around you and within the same position group a lot of your days. What’s it been like getting to know him and what are your impressions of Jaelan?) – “It’s awesome. Just seeing him come in and he’s trying to take everything in, soak it up and just be the best version of himself. He’s here to compete and it’s going to be a good training camp just to work with him.”
(I believe I read there’s about 70 guys at camp right now for these offseason workouts. What has the mood been like? Has it been any different from the previous seasons that you have been here coming in?) – “The mood’s been great. Any time you can get around the guys and just catch up and spend quality time with them and build friendships and relationships, it’s a blast. The energy is always up on the first few days and whenever you’re around each other, so it’s been good and just being able to soak everything in as well – just the coaching and trying to get a better understanding of the playbook. It’s been a blast.”
(If I could follow up real quick, has Head Coach Brian Flores been the same coming into these offseason workouts than previously when you came in?) – “Yeah, for sure. He’s hard-nosed and he’s going to make everything competitive and he’s going to push you to be the best you can be and come out there prepared. So yeah, I’d say he’s been the same.”
(I wanted to ask you, you’re one of the guys who made that huge second-year jump. Guys who had ok rookie seasons and I know you were healthy, but what do you attribute to the increased role, the increased productivity that you had last year?) – “I think it’s just keeping my head down and going to work. I’m not a big ‘rah-rah’ guy, but just doing all the little things right, doing everything that coaches ask of me and to not sit here and complain, but to really take it to heart and build off of each and every day.”
(Going back to last season, I know you talked a lot about Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark helping you with different aspects of the game. A little bit of shuffling this year with Clark going to the d-line, Campanile still at linebackers and then Robbie Leonard obviously your outside linebackers coach. My question is how does the collaboration of how all those guys kind of come together to get the best out of you? Like what’s the process for I guess how you’re coached by that trio of coaches?) – “I’d say they all do such a great job in their position groups and on this defense, you’ve got to be versatile because you can play any different role, so just being able to learn different outputs from each coach really helps improve your game and just getting their understanding of the game as well, ultimately is going to make you into a better player – hearing it from three instead of just the same thing from one coach over and over again. So I think just having all of them there has really honestly helped benefit my game and hopefully this year, I can take it to another level.”
(What do you want to improve this offseason? And I know you’re going to want to say everything, but if you could be a little bit specific about what you want to address and make sure that it’s better come the season?) – “I’d say continue to work on my pass rush. Whenever I can get my win percentage or be able to beat a tackle cleaner or whatever the case may be – quicker and faster is the biggest thing. Just being able to explode off the line and be able to bend the edge or get stronger and counter inside. I’d say that’s the biggest part of my game that I would like to improve on.”
(Talking about the second-year jump that you had and the production that you had – obviously what you were doing was working to an extent. What is that feeling like, knowing that you saw some results last season and how excited are you to put in the work to possibly see more?) – “Each year I come in and train as hard as I can to put me in the best position to succeed and I think the coaches will put me in the right spot to help me succeed and help develop me as a player. I’m looking forward to going out there and just use that relentless effort and try to help this team win.”
(I wanted to ask you about the jump that the defense made in general last year. I believe you were No. 6 in scoring. What did Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer do in his first year as coordinator that made things come together as well as they did?) – “I think it’s everybody believing in his coaching and everybody buying in. Everybody was doing their specific job and nobody was trying to do anything extra. If you take care of your business and make sure your grass is green, everything will be fine. You don’t need to be worrying about your neighbor’s grass. Just take care of your grass and everything will take care of itself, and as a defense, you’ll come together and you’ll be a darn good defense for sure.”
T Austin Jackson
(As Year 2 kind of gets underway here for you this offseason – I’m sure you’ve been training for awhile now – but looking back at this time a year ago, how would you compare where you are now compared to then, from both the physical and mental standpoint?) – “Well, things are a lot different when you’re not in a pandemic, first and foremost obviously. Being able to just have way more access to resources this year as opposed to last year certainly helps a lot. Getting my feet set for my second year, having more knowledge, knowing a little bit more of what to expect is pretty good. I would say that’s probably the biggest difference from this time last year to this time this year.”
(On kind of the same topic, we had T Liam Eichenberg in for media and he talked about working out with you once upon a time, and witnessing and admiring the Dolphins culture from both you and TE Durham Smythe, who he knew from Notre Dame obviously. I just wanted to get your perspective on that workout and what you’ve seen in Liam’s game.) – “I’ve watched – we did work out recently before all of this kind of unfolded. He’s a great player, honestly. He always has been. When you turn on his Notre Dame tape – I came from USC so I always respected what the o-line was doing over there and what he was doing, especially after guys like Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson left. He stepped in and did a great job. We’re excited to have him with us. I think he definitely fits the culture of what we’re trying to build and I think he adds a good piece for us.”
(The last few months, were you here? Were you in California? Were there instructions from the coaching staff on things to work on this offseason? Were you asked to put on some weight this offseason and did you?) – “Nope. I wasn’t asked to put on weight. Obviously every year – well, that’s not obvious but every year, you want to kind of try to take off bad weight and add more good weight because muscle is heavier. Just working out and making sure my technique is consistent. It’s hard to pick one thing to work on because you’re pretty much working on everything. But I can say that knee bend and getting lower is something I’ve been working on – my flexibility. Strength and conditioning, torque power, turn power and all of that stuff, that’s something we as offensive linemen work on every day.”
(Have you seen strides in those areas?) – “Yeah, most definitely. Most definitely. Especially being able to have a year under my belt. I know what to expect, how it’s going to look in person. You can take that knowledge and put it into your training, which helps a lot.”
(You got a new offensive line coach, Lemuel Jeanpierre. Tell us about how he approaches teaching and how you guys connect.) – “He approaches teaching very well. We had him on staff last year so it’s not like he’s a brand new guy or we’ve never heard him coach before, stuff like that. He’s a great teacher and a great coach. We’re excited to have him. He does a great job with all of us, in general, making sure we’re on the same page. As offensive linemen, the front five have got to work as one. A big part of that is all of us being able to communicate and being on the same page. I think he does a great job with that.”
(It seems like you’re going to get a new partner to work with at the left guard spot. Obviously there’s a lot of mixing and matching going on right now. You talk about chemistry and how important it is. How do you establish that when you’ve got so many guys mixing in there?) – “I think the best thing for me is to make sure that I know both positions and make sure that I’m able to communicate and – I don’t want to say help whoever steps in – so that I can be of assistance if I need to be, so that I can even know what they’re doing. It just makes my game that much better and makes it easier for the left guard as well.”
(To piggyback on something you said earlier about the pandemic. It’s better now, you’ve got more resources, more access, more wisdom. What do you hope as a unit – we can’t call you guys rookies anymore – that you guys learn and took from what you did last season, and it helped you become a better line?) – “Like what could we take from last year to make this a better line? I’d say one thing we can take from last year is just going through adversity. I think when you go through a lot of adversity and come out the other end of it, you kind of learn how to just be consistent in yourself and what you can control. So the things that you can control as a football player is what you do on the field, how you take care of your body, showing up every single day. I think we got a real good glimpse of that last year, which will help carry us over into the future and being able to lock those things down. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. We’re just going to keep it moving with that.”
(There’s been an adage around the NFL for many years that players make their biggest improvement between their first and second season. Does that ring true to you?) – “Yeah, that’s what everyone has been saying. I’ve heard that a lot as well. That’s how I’ve been working, too.”
(So how exciting is that from a personal standpoint? That idea.) – “From a personal standpoint, it’s really exciting. As a competitor and as a teammate, I definitely want to go out there and do everything perfect for myself and for my team. Having that kind of expectation, but also having the knowledge of what needs to be done, is exciting. It excites me a lot and I’m looking forward to it.”
(I wanted to ask you about QB Tua Tagovailoa. Does he look a little different to you? Does he seem a little different to you this time around?) – “He’s got a beard. (laughter) Yeah, he’s got a beard and has a little more bass in his voice.”
(What about his biceps?) – “(laughter) I haven’t looked at his biceps. But yeah, he’s doing good. I see him a lot. He’s been working hard, every single day just like all of us. That’s my guy. He’s a great kid. He’s looking good too, and he’s working hard.”
(Last year you guys had three rookies that wound up starting on the line with you, G Solomon Kindley and G/T Robert Hunt. So that having been said and with the expectation of the Year 1 to Year 2 jump, what kind of jump as a whole from the offensive line is fair to expect in 2021?) – “I would expect – the type of jump from the offensive line, first and foremost, we look back to our values and how we want to see ourselves. We have our own kind of culture in the room. We want to be tough, disciplined, detailed and nasty. All of those four words are kind of what we aim for and I think you can see a big improvement in those aspects. We want to do our job well, know we don’t have any errors and we want to do it fast and do it with a sense of urgency.”
(Have you had conversations with G Solomon Kindley and G/T Robert Hunt about you three guys being the foundation for this offensive line for years to come, and all that that entails?) – “It sounds nice to say; but at the end of the day, what it really comes down to is you’ve got to look at what’s in front of you right now. Right now, between all of us, our head is on this next season and what we can do, however it plays out, making sure that each one of us individually is putting the work in to be better and help those around us. For years to come? Yeah, I love it. That sounds great. But keeping the reality of it, we know what we want to do next year. That’s kind of where we’re at for now.”
(Whenever a new player comes into the offensive line room, it’s like adding a new cog to the machine. How long would you estimate it takes to get everything running smoothly the way that you see it?) – “Between?”
(For instance, you add a new person, you have to gain chemistry with that person. You have to get an idea of how that’s going to affect the entire offensive line. How long do you think it takes to really build that chemistry to the point where you say, “I know how you function, let’s make it go?”) – “I would say it’s hard to give an exact timestamp. But I would say maybe even after – I can’t even give you a timestamp. I do know that with us having new people in, everyone in the o-line room, and on our team in general, does a good job of bringing them in, bringing them up to speed, communicating so we all can get on the same page rather quickly. In terms of gelling and being completely in sync, I would say a couple of practices – a couple of practices, a couple of extra walkthrough sessions like we have been doing.”
(You mentioned about the nastiness of the offensive line. Does that really start during these offseason workouts and programs and not really once you hit training camp?) – “Definitely. It’s a mentality. You can’t just show up and be nasty. Everything you train for has to be aggressive and with intent. It definitely starts now with how we train ourselves to go to battle.”
(Compared to a year ago in the midst of COVID-19, it’s opening up a little bit now. There are about 70 guys, I believe, in the offseason workouts at camp. Is it different right now? Is the feeling more upbeat right now that things are changing and you guys can do more and it’s a little bit more open?) – “Definitely. Definitely. Last year was very unusual for I think everybody. I think that everybody in the world had an unusual last year. The NFL was definitely affected. We have all of our drafted guys down here already; but my class, we weren’t able to do that. It’s a big difference. I think we’re all excited to get over this thing.”
(Earlier you mentioned adding good weight, and getting rid of bad weight, so I’ve just got to ask you, does that mean no more Saturday night ice cream?) – “I think you guys asked me that question even before the season started – it was an ice cream question. I think as the season went, I think ice cream Saturdays have been done for a while, when I realized how the season was going to go and how many games we had. So that’s done. (laughter) In terms of good weight being put on, that’s just muscle. That’s just learning what your body digests well and what it doesn’t, maintaining your body for the long season.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced that they have signed tackle Timon Parris.
Parris has played in four NFL games, all in a two-year span (2018-19) with Washington. He also spent time on Washington’s practice squad. Parris originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Washington on May 1, 2018. He also spent time with Atlanta (2020) and Cleveland (2020).
| Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Birthdate | Exp. | College | Hometown | Acq. |
| Timon Parris | T | 6-6 | 315 | 9/11/95 | 2 | Stony Brook ’18 | Floral Park, N.Y. | FA, ‘21 |
