Monday, May 24, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I wanted to ask about one of the specialists in the room this year in P Michael Palardy. What can you tell us about the newcomer?) – “We’ve only been here a couple of days but he had a nice career going in Carolina and then had the injury. He’s done some nice things since he’s been here. Hopefully we keep growing and he’s 100 percent healthy and he picks up where he left off.”
(On the offseason as a whole, you mentioned being here a few days. It seems like so many signings you guys bring in, or draft picks, have so much special teams prowess. Is that kind of a team philosophy in terms of taking guys that can be true four-down players?) – “Yeah, without a doubt. You’re looking for versatility. They’ll define their roles once we progress through the offseason and through training camp and preseason games; but to have some background in all facts of the game is going to help the guys as we go forward.”
(Some teams would shy away from using the No. 6 pick overall in the return game because of fear of injury. What are your thoughts on WR Jaylen Waddle being a returner? Will he have a chance to compete for that spot?) – “Yeah, he’ll have a chance to compete. Those guys will take care of that as we go. We feel good about a lot of guys. It’s a good luxury to have, to have multiple guys that have experience and have done good things. I don’t think you can have any fear. It’s an opportunity to change the game regardless of who is back there, so you’re going to put your guys back there that give you the best opportunity. Fortunately I think we have a couple of those.”
(I wanted to go back to the P Michael Palardy situation for a second, if I could. Of course, P Matt Haack did a good job for you guys over the past couple of years. I’m sure you would agree with that. What are the advantages that you see to go with Palardy over Haack?) – “You don’t look at it as advantages or disadvantages. The way the National Football League is designed, you’re going to have movement. So when there is movement, you move forward and you have somebody ready to fill that position. It’s not one versus the other. We were fortunate that we thought Matt did a nice job, and we’re fortunate and happy to have Michael.”
(What would you say are P Michael Palardy’s strengths as a punter?) – “I think he’s got multiple. He’s hit for average, he’s hit for net, he can hit directionally, he can hit for hang time. He has a good toolset to do a lot of different things.”
(I was wondering if you and Head Coach Brian Flores and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer had a discussion about whether you want S Jevon Holland to be in the mix on returns or do they want him to focus on defense? If there is a resolution on that, do you mind sharing it with us? And also, I wanted your thoughts on K Jason Sanders being rewarded with an extension after a great year last season.) – “Again, anybody that has any ability and any skills to be able to be a returner is going to work there. Who and how that plays out, I think we’re fortunate that we’re back to having more of a traditional preseason with preseason games where guys are able to stake claim to positions in game situations. Those guys will define that but anybody that has any skills is always going to work at those positions. And then to your second question, you wish and hope for the best for every player. You hope every player is able to reach whatever goals they have, whether it be individual, team, financial, length of career, whatever it may be. So any time guys are rewarded for something that they’ve done and it’s something that they want, you’re happy for them.”
(Tell me some of the things that go into the assistant head coach part of your role, that maybe are not so obvious.) – “I think there are a lot of things and some of those I won’t share, obviously. But Brian (Flores) and I have a very similar philosophical belief on a lot of things. Some of the things have been going on for a couple years, during the season and on game day. And then there are some other things we’ve added. And we’ve done some things this offseason in terms of some things with the staff. I’m just very fortunate to be in an organization where top down I feel like we see things very similar.”
(I know the preseason is so far away and it’s three games instead of four. But how do you think that one less game is going to help or hurt your evaluation of guys on the back end of the roster trying to make a spot, particularly on special teams as well?) – “I think it’s less opportunities. Like I’ve always said, we’ll play by whatever rules they play. We’re going to play 17 regular ones and three preseason ones. In terms of that, it’s just less opportunity for guys to be able to get out and perform in game situations. We love the offseason. It’s a great gauge to evaluate. The preseason practices, training camp, when you work against other teams – when that happens – all of those things are great evaluation tools; but there is nothing better or more important than what you do in true game situations.”
(I wanted to get your opinion. Now that they’ve gone to three preseason games, which one becomes the dress rehearsal and which one becomes the throw them out there and see what sticks kind of game?) – “Like anything, when they change rules, you hear a lot of people talking about a lot of different things. Those are still decisions that haven’t been completely made yet. I think when you see it – when it comes to that time of year, I think you’ll see some teams do things differently. I think you saw that even two years ago when we still had preseason. Some teams used the second game, the first game, whether they worked against a team going into a game. There are a lot of things that go into it. I’m sure we’ll spend a lot of time talking about that when it’s closer that time.”
Monday, May 24, 2021
Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre
(What did you learn from last year’s experience working with this unit and how can you help them improve and gain an identity as an offensive line?) – “I’ve got a good group. They were good last year as well. I think one thing that’s high with me is character. We’ve got a high character group. They work hard, (ask) a lot of questions and all of that stuff. Even now, they contact me on the weekends, asking more questions trying to learn. That goes kind of to your second question where I’m trying to give them more information to understand football as a whole. It helped me out a lot when you understand more than just blocking the end and things like that. So I help them there and techniques and the reason of why and things like that.”
(Why do you feel G/T Robert Hunt may be better suited to play guard than tackle?) – “Rob doesn’t have a spot quite yet. We’re all out there competing for sure. Like I said, as a group, they are young and they are versatile, for sure. Rob is a powerful man, just like what you said when write about him or hear about him, you saw him in college be able to move people. He can move people at tackle; he can move people at guard. Where he is right now, I can’t tell you, but Week 1 we’ll be able to see where everybody falls.”
(I wanted to ask you about T Austin Jackson and C Matt Skura. What do you think Matt, first of all, is going to give you? And then Austin, he never seemed overwhelmed last year. Did that give you encouragement that he could become a really good player in Year 2?) – “Matt – what he brings is experience, first off. Another thing I look for and you’ll hear me talk about is character and grit. Going through what he’s gone through, being a guy that I believe was undrafted, working his way into the league and doing things like that, I hold that character very high. Then just kind of our line, our group and as we are trying to mesh as a unit – not only on the field but off the field. He brings that aspect of being somewhere else and giving advice like that. He’s come in working great, asking questions. He’s been playing – like I said everybody is playing multiple positions, so he’s not flinching at that. That’s one thing that’s really great about Matt. He’s just a great guy. Austin – ‘AJ’ as we all call him – once again, I was really high on his character. When I look up guys, I Google them and look at the media in terms of how they do their interviews and things that happened in their personal life. His character and things that he’s went through on that level is very high to me. That’s why when he was faced with adversity or getting his start, he didn’t flinch I think because it’s deeper than football. He’s excited. He’s been contacting me. We’ve been in close contact, had a great relationship, just building that – along with all the other guys. That gives me very much hope where even this weekend, I’m contacting him. This morning, I’ve seen him. We keep talking about ball. He’s on the ball, for sure.”
(You guys had one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL last year and you’re not getting much older. Certainly you’ve added a rookie in the second day of the draft. What are the challenges of coaching a young offensive line and what is the potential of this group?) – “The challenge of coaching the offensive line unit as a whole, the experience is a challenge but you have to gain it sometimes. You want to make sure you help them gain it, especially nowadays with so much technology available through other people’s mistakes on film. On the field, putting them in stressful situations to really simulate what they might go through. I think with most lines, the issue is really understanding football and different schemes and the reasons why. Just getting deeper in that will help out anybody, because you can be a guy whose played five, six, seven or eight years and all of a sudden a coach or a scheme comes in and you learn it, now you’ve also improved. The reps, of course you want to get them and we’ll find many ways – nowadays you have to not only on the field, but off the field – to quiz them and simulate it the best ways we can.”
(You’re a former center. I don’t now if you naturally played that position in college, but how easy is it or how difficult is it for a player like C/G Michael Deiter to learn the position and then play it well? How long does that process take?) – “Deiter, I believe has played that position and snapped it, even in Wisconsin when he was playing. A lot of coaches, when you talk to them and you talk to players now, in college they put them in situations just in case, to snap back then. To play it fast like you said, when I first started playing, I was actually a d-lineman and then they moved me to guard. I got to center like my last year in college. There’s that transition of first off, getting the snaps to the quarterback. You’ve got to protect the football, so that’s the first thing you’ve got to be able to do at center. If you can’t do that, you can’t play in the first place. Then – like with the whole group, what I’m doing with them is I’m trying to help them all learn football. So if I say a scheme where we might be, they should all be able to tell me what everybody is doing and put the pressure on them to do it like that. Deiter, like last year, he had to be ready to be that guy to play all three inside spots. You saw two years ago he lined up at tackle. If Deiter ends up being in that spot, I think he’ll be ready for it. If not, we’re training multiple guys to be able to play the center spot because in a game, if somebody gets hurt, you only have so many guys active and if you can’t snap the ball, you can’t start the play. We’re working on that with everybody.”
(The follow up on that question, you guys have a team or a unit where just about everybody except for a few exceptions has played tackle or is a former tackle. The line obviously has some size to it. What do you want this line’s identity to be?) – “That’s funny because I’m going to piggyback off what Austin (Jackson) told you guys. On Day 1, one thing we did was we made our manual or paper of what we want. When we come out as a lineman, as a group, you’re trying to create that culture in the room of what you want. They know I look for the toughness, being disciplined, being detailed and nasty. I tell guys all the time, there’s a difference between being dirty and nasty. I’m not putting that out there any type of way, but you want to have guys who get after it, who have a tough mentality. I tell guys that toughness isn’t just being physically tough, but mentally tough, emotionally tough. There are definitely levels to this game, for sure.”
(Going back to the center position, when C Matt Skura was signed to the Dolphins, there was concern regarding last year’s situation and I wanted to know what is going to be your approach to prevent that from becoming a issue in the future, to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore? How are you going to – I don’t know if it’s a mental thing or if it is a mechanics thing. How are you going to approach him with that?) – “Like you said, going back to the center spot, because I’ve played the center spot – I think it happens in golf, when you’re shooting. You’ve got to know your rhythm and you’ve got to first be able to identify the mistakes. I know we’ve talked to you guys about linemen. We don’t make excuses. The difference between an excuses and a reason is very slight. I think it’s just the person who is listening and how they take it. What we do is we just rep it. It has to be multiple reps over and over again. Like when we’re doing drills, he’s doing it pre-practice, he’s doing it of course during practice, he’s doing it even after practice. You want to do it before something happens. So if it doesn’t feel right, even if you didn’t get a good snap, you want to get more snaps anyway to be preventative, not reactive. If there are any issues – of course because I played it, I’ll be able to talk to him and try to see some things. Sometimes you want to move the ball a little bit to the center of your nose. You might be off. Sometimes you may want the ball more tilted up, which can affect the pendulum swing. There are many things that could have affected him; but this year so far, when he’s been in there at center, he’s been good. I saw his interview. He’s been snapping like crazy because that’s the type of guy he is, where he took that really personal. It’s another chip on his shoulder like a lot of the guys on the line are. He’s worked at it. I’ll be preventative and so will he. We talk to the quarterbacks, ‘did you get that snap? Good. Is it left? Is it right?’ Things like that.”
(You’ve mentioned how engaged your players are right now to absorb as much information as they can. I’m curious between your experiences as both a player and a coach, if you had any insights as to how rare or unique it is to have such an engaged group at this point in the offseason?) – “I was very fortunate in terms of playing. I have to make sure I give a shoutout to the guy who kind of helped groom me, Tom Cable, and the whole line we had in terms of how we started back when I played. And then even now, you see how important communication and just the connectiveness of the group is not only off the field but on the field. They will push each other in terms of quizzing each other and asking those questions and understanding – the terms of the o-line room in general. I think in any actual business, where you can develop a culture to where it’s not just, ‘hey, I’m at work and I’m leaving.’ But who are personally in your life and your family? How are those things going? It’s going to pay off way more in the end, in terms of situations where you guys are going. There is more of that care. That’s why it’s really cool being here and part of the culture because I felt that when I got here with ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the whole organization. That needs to go through my room for sure, and that will go through the team.”
Monday, May 24, 2021
Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye
(What were your observations of QB Tua Tagovailoa back when you coached him in the Elite 11 camp? Did you see special qualities at that time? And then the second part, what skills does he have now that make him a quality NFL quarterback?) – “I worked at Elite 11 while I was coaching high school and you get to be around a lot of the quarterbacks, especially in that Elite 11 setting, of the premier guys in high school. I thought he had a quick release and he was accurate with the ball. I loved his demeanor. I loved how he interacted with the guys on this team and just how thirsty he was to learn. Then today, I see a lot of the same things – a more mature quarterback that’s been through and had experiences but he still has the same quick release and accuracy and the way he interacts with his teammates. Those things I think all add value to playing this position.”
(Obviously you’ve had some time in the league. I’m curious how your experience may provide context for you in this role and helping QB Tua Tagovailoa as a young quarterback trying to reach that next level.) – “Yeah, I’ve had a journey of playing in Cleveland, where I was a starter, and then being traded to Seattle, where you’re a backup behind Matt Hasselbeck and Mike Holmgren and Jim Zorn. Then I finished my career in Oakland with Tom Cable and Hue Jackson and Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski. I just think you accumulate things you learn along your journey, whether it be playing or learning from guys that play at a high level, that you’re able to take from the grease board or the paper and apply it more to the perspective of playing the position, whether it be a pressure or an indicator of a safety or a way a route is going to come out at the top of the route – stuff in the protection game where you can slide to pressure looks and those things. It’s just perspective that you take along your journey, whether it be playing or coaching. You always have a learning mindset, where you’re able to help guys out that you’re going to run into later on coaching them.”
(I wanted to ask you about your time recently in the college game, most notably with Central Michigan. How do you think that prepared you for the position today with the modern integration of the college game into the pro game?) – “I think everything that you go through on your journey (helps) prepare yourself in the future. Just being in a position where ‘Mac’ (Jim McElwain) let me kind of run the offense and try different things, whether it be in the run/pass game or whatever it is. Just being in that setting, being in the cockpit as I like to say, just gives you perspective on how things are supposed to be run. Now you’re taken out of the cockpit and you’re back in a position role of just helping trying to streamline things so you can be more efficient.”
(With all of the attention on your starting quarterback for obvious reasons, it’s easy to forget that you have a backup who has starting experience in this league. What is QB Jacoby Brissett showing you so far at this early stage and what gives you confidence that he could step in if need be? How is he working with QB Tua Tagovailoa in terms of possibly mentoring him as a veteran?) – “I think the quarterback room is special. There are a lot of things that are talked about and sorted through and ideas bouncing off each other. Those two guys are working really, really, really well together. Jacoby has experience. He has in-game success. He’s been successful as a starter. He’s competitive. He’s willing to learn. He can give Tua those same things we were talking about earlier – the things that happen in the game. ‘Where do I put my eyes versus this blitz?’ Those things that are hard to draw up on the chalkboard, and how fast things are going to happen. All of those things are great to hear and it’s great perspective that he has on the game.”
(Multiple shifts, multiple motions and varied tempos – those are things that I have learned you have a familiarity with based on your previous stops. Can you tell me about how those things in today’s modern offense can keep a defense off-balanced?) – “Yeah, I think any time that you can change the picture for the defense and still run a lot of your core plays offensively, guys already know the plays and you’re just making it harder for the defense. What’s been cool here is there’s been a collaboration of a lot of ideas in our staff meetings. Guys have been around a long time. (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends) George (Godsey) and (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs) Eric (Studesville) have a lot of experience and are really smart guys. They’re just taking some of the things that we’re able to do and let those guys process it, then come to the drawing board as ‘this is what we’re going to do.’ It’s been fun. It’s been a learning experience for me, just how to apply different things and putting them together.”
(You’ve seen a lot of things with offenses in your career as a player, and now as a coach. So what are your thoughts on the offense that your team is going to run this year?) – “I think there’s core principles in every offense. I think it starts with communication – learning a system, putting a system together. It’s about putting everybody on the same page. So the communication between the center and the quarterback, and the quarterback with his communication to his skill guys, the quarterback’s communication in calling the plays and making sure the formation’s right – do you have a shift, do you have a motion? I think the communication is one of the building blocks of every system, and that’s got to be right before you can move onto the next piece. That’s something that we’ve got to witness over the first two walkthroughs is how well they’re doing with the communication. So that’s exciting to see. Then the rest of it is just building on top of that; but just getting everybody on the same page. Everybody is seeing it through the same lens on just streamlining the communication.”
(Were you able to add or suggest some stuff that maybe wasn’t there before?) – “Like I said, it’s been a really awesome process ever since we got in here after the Senior Bowl, of really a collaboration of everybody that’s been in the room. ‘This is how we’ve done it here. Does it apply to how we can use it moving forward?’ There’s been a lot of discussions and a lot of great ideas coming from everybody involved.”
(What influenced you to get into coaching? As a player, did you always know this is what you wanted to do? Did you just feel like this was the next thing for a former quarterback because it so often is? What made you get into coaching?) – “I think my biggest influence was the things I were able to learn during my time in Seattle. Just learning from Mike (Holmgren) and Jim Zorn and Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace. Then processing how you would have done things differently like when I was in Cleveland. It was like you accumulate all of this information and now you want to apply it, so I’m like when I get done, I want to get this information to whoever is next in line. I thought it was going to be doing the Elite 11 and coaching high school ball but it’s just the fire. The fire, I couldn’t put it out. To compete at the ultimate level is how I afforded the great opportunity to come back with ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the Dolphins. That’s kind of initially how or why was that you accumulate the knowledge and you want to pass it on to the next generation of guys.”
Monday, May 24, 2021
Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard
(My question for you was about the receiver position group last year and they talked a little bit about some more freedom in their route-running – what they were able to do after the snap in terms of getting to where you need to be there, “I don’t care how you get there.” Is that kind of the same mindset this year or has that changed a little bit?) – “There’s pretty good carryover when it comes to that and having the freedom to win the route; but also to your point, having the same timing and tempo and sense of urgency that we know the timing of the play, we’ve got to get open and can’t take too long. It’s just really being on the same page with the quarterbacks and seeing it really through the same lens.”
(I wanted to ask about WR Jaylen Waddle. How encouraged or enthusiastic were you when that name was called a couple weeks ago and what has he looked like in practice?) – “I was excited. Just getting to know him through the process, I know that he’s a guy that we talk about being smart and tough and really loving the game, and we think he really embodies that. So to be able to add someone like that to the team was exciting. Then just in the limited work we’ve had with him, just like everybody else, he’s been locked in, working. I’m really excited for the direction he’s headed.”
(A quick follow-up, if I may. Do you envision WR Jaylen Waddle – I know his role will grow as he proves he can handle the work – but do you envision him as a slot receiver to start out?) – “Really for us, we look at these guys as the versatility for all of them to play anything. We can move them around based on the formation, so you’ll see different guys in the slot and outside. It’s just more the formation of it than actual like ‘he is a slot receiver.’”
(I wanted to ask you about WR William Fuller V. What stands out about his strengths when you look at the tape and, in particular, the speed. How might that impact the entire offense and help QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “Yeah, for sure. You named it. I think the speed is the one thing that sticks out, not that that’s the only thing he can do, but we look at him as a smart guy as well. He’s had some success in this league and especially coming off last season, the speed is real. It should apply pressure to defenses and with his ability to do that, it’s just another weapon for Tua and it’s been fun working with him and getting to know him. (He’s a) smart guy and like a lot of these guys, he kind of embodies what we’re trying to get done in terms of being smart and tough and loving to play.”
(I know at this point, almost every college and NFL locker room has a bunch of fast dudes; but in looking at the 40s it does look like you have a lot of really fast dudes. What’s your thought about the collective speed?) – “I think the play speed – so many times you see these guys, especially coming out, the time speed is something and then you look at it on film and it doesn’t really show up like that. But I think we’ve got some guys in the room that are true game speed, meaning that on the field, they’re actually that time. So again, it should apply pressure to defenses and having those, it definitely helps us and we’re looking forward to getting everybody together.”
(I wanted to ask you about the two guys who opted out last year – WR Allen Hurns and WR Albert Wilson. What are you seeing from them at this early stage? Have you talked to them about what they may have done during that year to stay in shape?) – “Absolutely. And even last year during the time they opted out, we were in contact and staying in contact with those guys and checking in on them, and everything went well for them. It’s good to have them back around. Both of them have a bunch of experience in this league and they’ve also had a good amount of success as well. So having those guys around and being a mentor of sorts for some of the younger guys has been good. And just to be back around them again, not being around them for so long, they’re both guys I enjoy being around and like I said, they have a bunch of experience in the league.”
(So they don’t look rusty to you?) – “No, they’re good.”
(I wanted to ask you what were some things that you liked from WR Lynn Bowden Jr. during his first season and where do you see him kind of fitting in with all the new additions that have been made this offseason?) – “What I liked was the fact that he came in here a little bit later of course than everybody else by nature of being traded, but then just to have that trajectory of not playing much to playing a pivotal role down the stretch and really the mindset that he had. In terms of what he brings, I think it’s similar to what we talked about last year. The guy’s a football player. He’s tough. He adds the flexibility of being able to do some of the things you saw last year of coming out of the backfield. It could be some Wildcat things. And it could be just moving around whether he’s outside or inside, so that’s been good.”
(What are the advantages of having a player like WR Lynn Bowden Jr. and WR Jaylen Waddle play more outside than inside? I know obviously you have your outside receivers, but what are things that those guys of their size and their skillsets and their speed level – what could they offer you on the outside?) – “Really, on the outside, it’s the ability like if you can run well, you can separate. So we look at both of those guys as being able to do that and again formationally, you can have a guy you call a slot receiver, but now he lines up on the outside and that might be for that week to exploit a matchup, a coverage, something that we think that we try to attack every week on how does this guy stack up against the guy he’s going against. And if we like those guys out there, then we have the freedom to move them out there and see if we can take advantage of it.”
(I wondered if you have seen WR Preston Williams over the last couple of weeks and how he looks to you physically coming off the foot procedure?) – “Yeah, I have. Trajectory is great on him as well. He’s in a good place with it and just being able to come back and try to get back on the field and try to get that thing moving in the right direction, but he’s done everything from coming in and working with (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and (Head Strength and Conditioning) Dave (Puloka) and those guys to put himself in a position to really get his part of the new offense and find his role. I’m excited for him as well.”
Monday, May 24, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey
(How did you and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville go about coming together and collaborating on whatever is the current Dolphins playbook?) – “We’ve both been here for the past two years going into now our third year together. We’ve had constant communication. I think that’s part of the role. Both of us are good communicators and both of our positions in the past have had to touch each other’s position, as far as communication with the line or communication with the quarterback. Obviously in the pass, tight ends play a little bit of a receiver role too at times. We do a good job of communicating. That’s the main requirement of the roles. That’s our job is to put the message together and then distribute it to the staff and then to the unit.”
(Did you guys build off of last year’s playbook or did you and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville decide to start over from scratch?) – “I think that’s a good question because there are some things that we’ve done well and maybe some things that we need to improve on. That internal discussion as far as what plays we will continue to grow on and build off of, I think we’ll see some of that and then obviously some things that maybe we haven’t seen. It’s been a fun offseason. We’ve been busy.”
(I wanted to ask you from a personal level, what this opportunity means to you?) – “Well, that’s what it is – it’s an opportunity. We know that we’re fortunate to have these opportunities. It’s about winning here. It’s about putting our team in the best position – our athletes in the best position to perform. We take it one day at a time and kind of go from there.”
(What is the single biggest thing you want this offense to be known for?) – “I think our job as an offense is to move the ball and score points. That’s our main goal and there are a lot of other factors that go into that. We have to be physical when we decide to run the ball, when we block and protection. We’ve got to protect the quarterback, we’ve got to protect the ball and then when the ball is thrown to us, we have to catch it and make plays. There are a lot of little factors – we call them little but there are a lot of factors that go into an offense being successful and moving the ball and scoring points.”
(Philosophically, in your mind and in Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville’s mind, what is the Dolphins’ new offense or your offense?) – “We want to be able to play the game in multiple different modes, so if it’s a game where we need to run the ball, then we need to be able to block everybody and we need to block them effectively. Then obviously when it’s time to pass the football, which a lot of times in this game, in this league, it comes down to a two-minute situation where you need to throw the ball, we need to be able to protect the quarterback and throw to the open receiver. A lot of that seems simple but we’re going to have to get open versus different coverages, we’re going to have to identify different coverages from both a route-runner’s position, and also the quarterback. We’re going to have to play the game in multiple different ways to move the football. It’s a longer season too and you can’t just repeat the same thing each week.”
(Does the personnel that you see now on the roster, does that lend itself to a lot of versatility in your mind?) – “That’s what we want. We want to be able to challenge the defense with different groupings and different personnel that have a wide variety of skills. It’s exciting and it’s definitely complicated to make sure that we’re distributing the ball to all of the different positions; but that’s a good thing to have.”
(Regarding the additions of WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Will Fuller and the speed that they add as far as the vertical passing game and what it does to open up the middle passing game and what it does for the running game, can you just talk about what that speed can add to your offense and the ripple effect it has?) – “I think any time you can stretch the field vertically, it puts the defense in a bind. I have some experience with Will and we’re catching Jaylen up to the speed of NFL football, so that’s been the fun part of this, especially with Jaylen from a rookie standpoint. They have a little bit of a different skillset, although they both have very good speed. That’ll help us pushing the ball downfield but they are also good route-runners underneath. Being able to add all of those elements are important to both of those players.”
(What did your experience in Houston as a coordinator teach you? What did you learn from it, that’s going to help you be better in this instance?) – “The Houston experience was a totally different experience. We went through quite a few quarterbacks in really the first season that we took over. We had won two games the year before, so we ended up leaving there and going to the playoffs a couple of times. That’s how I finished out there. We have high expectations for this group. Like I said, it’s a totally different situation. I know our players are getting that message from all of our coaches and they are here working and they want to be coached and they want to succeed. That’s all we can ask for at this point of the offseason. They are working hard both in the weight room and when they are with us, they are digesting all of the information.”
(You spent a lot of time working with QB Tua Tagovailoa last year. Why do you feel that the surrounding talent he has this year is better suited to his ability? And was the entire focus of this offseason getting him wide receivers that matches his ability?) – “It’s Tua’s second year in the NFL, so we’re expecting to see a jump just from being able to retain a lot of the information, whether it’s defensive structure, ID’s, front, coverage. That initially will be a big part of his improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. And then, any time you’re dealing with the passing game, guys that get open are definitely a key for the quarterback. And then guys that have coverage next to them but can adjust to a ball whether it’s high or low and can make those 50/50 balls, it’s on us at the quarterback position to put that ball in that position. That’s really where we are at right now is really identifying defensive information as far as what we can see off the tape, and then trying to apply that to what routes we are putting in.”
(Fans are having a little fun with you and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville running the offense, whether it be called Godsville, or Studsey – the combination of you guys running the offense. I want to know how you guys work together and gelling. Obviously it’s a little bit a unique situation having co-OCs. How do you guys see that dynamic?) – “We work well together. We meet every day together too. We spend a lot of time before we meet with the group together, digesting each other’s outlook, and then we put it into a plan. Obviously all of the other assistant coaches too have a big part of it. We see it as a collaborative effort. We have a lot of great minds on offense. There are a lot of bodies there too that can help us. We don’t see it as a two-person job. We see it more as a unit. That’s the way we’ve kind of approached it. We’ve had fun building this playbook and presenting it to the players. It’s a lot on everybody following and staying on track here during this time.”
(I know obviously it’s a collective; but at some point there is going to be maybe one play caller. I know that’s been a little vague with us and I know you guys may know a little more than that in that realm; but how do you view that responsibility? I know you had a little bit of that in Houston – and what that would entail if that’s given to you?) – “I think that’s just a part of it. There are certain times in the game where adjustments are needed and it’s good that we have two voices that are looking for that and not just glued into the specifics of your individual position. We’ve had some talks on that obviously but we’re going to keep it at that right now.”
(I know that you and Eric Studesville as co-coordinators are just that – the label implies and says you’re co-coordinators. But ultimately, I think there is only one voice in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ear before each play, so whose voice is he going to hear?) – “Like I said, we’re working through the offseason right now and we’ve had our discussions on that. We’re going to keep it at that, but I would say from not calling plays before, there is definitely some feedback that’s given to the coordinator. We have roles for that during the game for each position, so it’s a matter of making those adjustments, and we’ll get there when we kind of get there in the fall.”
Monday, May 24, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville
(I wanted to ask you about a quick two-part question. No. 1, what this opportunity means for you on a personal level and also what’s the single-biggest thing you want this offense to be known for?) – “To answer your first question, individually I feel gratified that Coach (Flores) has put trust in me to take on a little bit more, that hopefully what I do day-in and day-out has been respected and seen as an addition to the staff and the organization and what we’re doing. And really that’s why you get into coaching, to do things like that. The second part of it is I think we want this offense to be known as one that is successful and wins. At the end of the day, that’s what the outcome has to be, so we want to do whatever we can to put our players in position to be successful and score. That’s the general philosophy overview of it, but that’s what it is. Then there’s a lot of other subtopics in there certainly; but as an overview, we want our guys to be in position where we’re a complementary group to the defense, to special teams and we’re giving ourselves a chance to win.”
(If you could take us kind of behind the scenes to the making of the sausage so to speak, how long did it take to get this offense, this playbook, to be what is now the Miami Dolphins offense? How much give-and-take was it and how much did you want in there that you didn’t get in there?) – “(laughter) Well let me start with the last question first, which is everything that’s in there is ours. So there’s not ‘what did you want to get in or what you didn’t get in.’ We all have input. We all have suggestions on things and we all have experiences – every one of us as coaches has brought something from a different place and hopefully we try to use that as a collaborative effort to bring as much as we can into this to be diverse so that all our experiences bring something to the offense. So there’s nothing in there that I’m uncomfortable with or that I don’t like, and the things that aren’t in – it’s not so much about plays. It’s execution. There’s a lot of good plays out there and they’re not very good plays if you don’t execute well. So if we execute well, you can run simple plays and be really, really good at them. I don’t worry about plays that we don’t have in. As far as the playbook and how it’s taken – it’s been a long process. I don’t think the playbook is done. I don’t think it’s ever done. We’re always looking and studying and if we can get something from somewhere else that we think is good for us, then we’re going to continue to add and evolve. Now maybe some things aren’t as highly repped in practice or don’t have as great a frequency, but I don’t ever see a playbook as a done – to me a playbook is a living document. It continues to grow and evolve based on the players you get and what they can do because in there, we want to find out what our players do best and then those are the plays that we want to use.”
(And if I can follow up on that, continuity was a word that Head Coach Brian Flores used about you guys being the co-offensive coordinators, about what’s going to be run. So where does continuity of what has happened in the past land for say QB Tua Tagovailoa, a young offensive lineman, those guys?) – “I think continuity is going to happen. We’re going to develop continuity going forward. Continuity doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to take something that we did last year and bring it forward. We’ve evaluated last year. We’ve looked at it and we’ve said these are things that we feel that our players are good at and maybe schemes that are good that we like, but moving forward we’re going to develop continuity. Continuity is not something you bring with you in a backpack. We have to develop that. Our players have to demonstrate consistency to develop that continuity to make us say ‘this is what we’re going to do.’ There are some things that are built into our offense – some terminology things, some schemes, some pass routes and all those things that we may have run in the past – and so if you call that ‘continuity,’ then that’s continuity. But we’re going to – again – we’re going to go back and we’re going to figure out what our guys do. We have to create continuity, not rest on our laurels kind of on things we did well in the past.”
(Obviously a lot of attention on offense will start at quarterback with QB Tua Tagovailoa going into Year 2. I’m curious, with what you guys have started to put together so far, what may be the biggest difference of what you want to do with him in this offense?) – “I think that’s – and this may not be the answer you want – but it remains to be seen because we don’t know. We’re still teaching in the early stages of this. We haven’t put pads on yet. We don’t even know the playbook really well enough to do some of those things yet. We’re just now getting our hands on our players and we’re going to develop that. It’s not – we can’t paint a picture in the future. What would we like it to look like? I’d love to say we’re going to score 70 points every game, (laughter) but that’s – obviously that would be desirable, but I don’t know that that’s going to happen. So what our goal is, is to get everything taught that we need to get taught – runs, protections, route-wise, the scheme, the mentality of our offense, what we want and then we’ll have to perform at a certain level – high level is going to be our expectations to go forward and win.”
(If I could follow up on another person in that backfield, RB Myles Gaskin had a really good year last year, but it seems like all offseason everybody’s trying to replace him. You bring him back and what is it about Myles that maybe gives you confidence that if he’s the lead guy again, he can have the type of year or even better than he did last year?) – “I think the big thing about Myles (Gaskin) from at least last year and going from Year 1 to Year 2 for him was his growth in football and what he learned and how dependable he became for what we needed done. And I see those same things progressing, that same continuity if you will – the term we were using a moment ago – of his development as to where he is. He’s prideful, he’s professional, he comes in and gives you a day’s work. He works at it. He wants to be a really good player and I think that gives him a chance, and we have to wait until we get out there and compete with everybody else and see who shakes out to be the best guy; but I always believe that Myles is going to put his best foot forward and give you everything he has and that’s what gives him a chance.”
(With the co-offensive coordinator designation, can you just kind of help us understand a little bit about the process that you envision during a game week? Like for anybody who’s concerned, “well who is working on what?” What do you work on? What does Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey work on? How do you develop the best plan for that week and then what happens on game day?) – “I think as far as game week and things like that, we haven’t gotten there. Where we are right now, and I think it’s going to be the same collaborative process, is we’re all involved in this. It’s not exclusive – ‘Lem’ (Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre) just does the run game or ‘Grizz’ (Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard) just does the – we all have input in this. All of our players are involved in it. The backs for instance are involved in the run game, protections and the pass game. The receivers are involved in the run game. So we all have input as far as what’s going on and the entire offense is built to be a collaborative effort because all of us have to be able to speak the same language, to have the same desire and the same goal for that outcome, which is a high, effective performance on each individual play. And the only way that happens is if we’re all on the same page and we’re all having the same conversation. So right now, it’s building that way. That’s how we’ve done the playbook. That’s how we started with the players right now. That’s how we’re doing things in the walkthroughs and I don’t see that changing in any way going forward. It’s all collaborative. We’re all going to have input on it and that’s why I think you get a good staff and good football coaches together. That’s the advantage of it.”
(It’s very common for quarterbacks to get new offenses on a year-to-year basis. Unfortunately it’s the nature of the business. The coaches change very frequently, whether it’s in college or the pros and one thing coaches of quarterbacks always say to me is, “This book is like learning Spanish. Last year was French and the year before…” If last year was French, is this year Spanish or is there still a lot of French?) – “I think it’s a great question and it’s interesting that you say that because I tell my players all the time: really, football players should be able to speak multiple foreign languages because our brains are wired to learn language. Our language is just football. That’s our language. It’s not a foreign language. I’m not highly motivated to learn another language either, but I’m highly motivated to learn a different football language, but we’re wired to learn language and they are different languages. But people are in the same places for the most part – assignments, protections, run game concepts, routes. Often coverages are very, very similar from spot to spot, so it’s just translating what that is and how we talk about that and what it is. But it’s communication and it’s a collaborative effort that all of us are saying it and seeing it the same way.”
(Your history is as a running backs coach. You’ve worked your way up the league as a running backs coach. You’ve been a run game coordinator. Last year, you guys were 29th in yards per carry. Obviously that’s something you want to improve on. What will this run game identity be and how will you guys improve on it?) – “It’s an area of focus for us. We’re going to start at the beginning of it. We’re going to have to go back and look at what things we’re doing well, what we didn’t do well and what we need to adjust. And what kinds of plays those are – again, I truly believe the execution of the plays is far more critical than what kind of plays we’re running. So that starts with players. We have to get the right players in the right spots and then we’ve got to execute the techniques that are being taught and we’ve got to tie that into our scheme. It’s a very simple answer, but that is the answer.”
(I wanted to go back to the running back specialty of yours. Obviously there was a lot of speculation that maybe Miami would go big on getting a high-profile running back, getting a true workhorse; but it seems that you guys seem more focused on doing the running back by committee strategy. So I wanted to know what your thoughts are on the challenges of coaching, developing a committee-type running back room instead of having the one guy that is just the every-down back?) – “I think it’s a challenge every day to coach the entire room. I coach every one of these players as though they have to be prepared to go into the game at any given point in time. That’s how every one of them is coached. It’s not one guy that it resides on him and the other four get the week off. That’s not how it is. Everyone is prepared to go in for whatever their role is and they have to be ready for it. I’ve had one guy that we thought was the good back and I’ve had that guy go down, and that second guy better be ready. I’ve played a fullback as a ball carrier before because we had injuries within the game, and he has to be ready. So the running back by committee, we’re looking for guys that are going to establish a role and contribute to us and give us the best chance to win and if that’s three or four guys, then that’s what it is. If that’s one guy, then that’s what it is; but we coach them all the same way and they’re all pushed and they’re all held accountable and responsible as though they’re going to be the starter and they’re going to be the ball carrier that’s going to get the bulk of the work. That’s the only way that I’ve ever done it. It’s the only way I know how to do it.”
(I wanted to ask you – you add WR Jaylen Waddle, WR William Fuller V. You get WR Albert Wilson back this year. A lot of new pieces, new skillsets to the receiver room. I’m wondering how you feel about the receiver position’s ability to create and exploit matchups.) – “I hope they do that because that’s good for everybody on the offense if they’re able to do that. (laughter) We’ve got playmakers in that room. I think we’ve got playmakers in a bunch of different rooms. I think we’ve got playmakers in the tight end room. I’m working to make sure we have playmakers in the running back room; but I think as equally as strong, we’ve got playmakers in the quarterback position and we’ve got them on the offensive line. We’re going to have to create our own destiny and create what we want this to look like and the better athletes, the better football players you have – which we have increased that. I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) have done a great job bringing guys in here that they give us a chance every week and that’s what you want.”
