Monday, November 27, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(What was it like watching S Jevon Holland’s play?) – “It was cool. That was probably one of the best plays I’ve ever really been a part of. I thought it was a cool moment for Jevon obviously and he was able to show his return man abilities. He’ll tell you first he thinks he’s a heck of a return man and all that good stuff, but no, it was definitely a cool moment for him, cool moment for us. Guys were able to help him get there, so that was just a really cool and big moment in the game because that definitely swung the momentum a little bit.”
(Did you play o-line in high school?) – “I did. Along with other positions, too, I was quite the athlete in high school. But yeah, I did play a little o-line, a little guard, little tackle, little tight end as well so I’ve got a background doing that as well.”
(Fullback?) – “That, too. Fullback, all that. I was able to do a lot of different things in high school.”
(I think you carried Breece Hall about 12 yards on that block. Was that kind of going back to your high school offensive line days?) – “Maybe a few glimpses, but no, I was just happy I could make a play to spring Jevon a little bit on that one.”
(What’s that like when you have a DB, one of the athletes on the back end of your defense, that has a chance to make a big return and you’re one of the guys that has the opportunity to clear the way?) – “In the moment, you’re just trying to do your job and just help out, but then you come away from it, you’re like, okay, that was really cool and I’m glad Jevon was able to have that moment, like I was saying. That was really, really cool for him.”
(You guys, as a defense, it’s always been said that sacks come in bunches and you guys are stacking them up right now. How difficult is it to be patient and let them come to you?) – “It’s a balance. Like you don’t want to necessarily press, but you’ve got to do your job and go get them. They’re hard to come by, but it’s a collective effort. You’re just kind of reading off guys. There’s times where one guy really gets the pressure and another guy – there’s a lot of different moving parts that come with that so you really just got to be relentless and just keep going after it.”
(The next time you guys take the field is going to be in December. What did you learn last year about December football that can help you this year in December football?) – “Just really throughout my time in the league, you kind of play ball in September and October, but you remember November and December. Just the later the ball gets, just the later in the season it gets, the more important the games are. You’ve got a bunch of film of guys on teams, so you’re not going to trick anybody. People are who they are and every little bit matters, so hopefully we’ll be gearing up and we’ve done enough now and built a specific formula that we’ll be able to do some good things at this point in the season.”
(What has that road been like from where you guys were with the Chargers to now the seventh-ranked defense in the NFL?) – “Really just guys being committed to doing their best and doing their best for the team, so really just whatever guys have been asked to do, just try to do it at a high level. It’s just been a process of guys just attacking each day as the most important day.”
(How has, if you’ve seen him at all, LB Jaelan Phillips, been – his spirits and what does that loss mean to the defense?) – “Obviously that whole situation sucks for Jaelan because he was just playing some really good ball and just seeing his growth from Year 1 to now, it’s just great to see because that’s my little brother and whatnot and I’ve got a lot of love for Jaelan and the things he does. He’s an inspirational player in the sense that he just plays so hard and relentless, so you see him doing that and that you’re like, all right, I’ve got to up my standard and it’s contagious throughout the defense so that’s obviously tough for us there. But we’ve got guys who will be able to do a really solid job. But yeah, it’s just obviously a tough situation for him.”
(A career high in sacks and counting now for you. Is there one trait you could point to that you really think has taken another step from where you were previously as a pass rusher that you have taken to the next level to get to the career-high?) – “I’m always just working on my game constantly. I’m never a finished product at any point that I’m playing, any point during the season, or anything like that. I’m never a finished product so I’m always working on improving in little things. I’m not really focused necessarily on that specifically. I’m just trying to do what I can for my teammates and I’ll look up at the end.”
(What will make this December different from last December for this team? What is different?) – “I guess we’ll see. I guess that’s left to be seen. But I think like I was saying, we’ve got the right guys in the locker room and right leadership and right mindset as a team that I think we have a chance to do some good things moving forward. But again, it all starts with being present one day at a time.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about RB Jeff Wilson Jr. kind of giving the pregame speech before you guys broke for warmups. He talked about how he’s like a spark plug for the locker room. I was curious just do the captains decide who speaks to the team before or how does that kind of play out?) – “It’s kind of just like a vibe thing, but it’s nice when Jeff gets in there because he’s a psycho, man. (laughter) I love Jeff. I love hearing from him. He’s all ball and I don’t know who pisses him off before every game or before he touches the ball, but it’s a fun thing to watch him play. So it’s just an energy vibe thing before the game.”
(With the sacks and the interceptions recently, this defense has really been a play-making and game-changing unit with S Jevon Holland’s interception. Are you aware of that and does it make a difference when you take the field?) – “Again, you’re kind of just focused on play by play. I don’t know. I’ll just be so locked in, I’m not really like – I can see when someone makes a good play, but I’m not necessarily thinking like, ‘oh, this is…’ I just kind of take it play by play and you don’t really realize stuff as it’s kind of happening. You’re just locked in, ‘all right, onto the next.’ But I guess we’re doing all right, I don’t know.”
(But you’re aware of like CB Jalen Ramsey’s interceptions or S Jevon Holland’s interceptions, your sacks…?) – “Oh yeah, when they happen and then when you kind of take a minute and watch the film afterwards and see, ‘oh, that was actually really impressive.’ Or ‘that’s a cool moment’ or whatever it is, yeah.”
(When you get a guy like CB Jalen Ramsey or WR Tyreek Hill – I covered the Heat before Shaq came there – when Shaq got there it was like they walked into the building differently. Do you walk into a building differently when you have guys such as Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill?) – “I kind of spoke on it a little bit last week when you asked, just what Jalen (Ramsey) brings or what those type of guys bring and it’s cool to see your best players be some of the hardest working and just the things they’re able to do, the plays they’re able to make are pretty special. I talked about Jalen and his calming presence. Like that’s the biggest thing he’s been able to add to kind of me and us as a defense, I feel like.”
FB Alec Ingold
(What went into the second-half rushing performance that you all had?) – “I think it was throughout the game you saw a lot of opportunities for a lot of yardage. The guys really excelled upfront with the offensive line coming in, whether backups were stepping up, everyone was banged up. It’s a really tough front. So when you’re able to stay on your keys, you’re able to stay on the fundamentals, you’re able to bank those reps and continue to improve throughout the game. I think that’s where you had our runners that were trusting the blocks and trusting pressing where they needed to, and they were seeing those seems towards the end of the game. It’s fun to watch your running backs towards the end of the game in the four-minute drill. (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Chandler (Henley) said in my pre-draft meeting, he asked me what my favorite part of football was and I said, ‘the four-minute drill.’ He said, ‘I’ve never heard that out of anybody ever.’ It’s one of the most beautiful things in football when you can either touch the paint at the end of the game by running the ball, or you can take a knee at the end of the game. We were able to do both.”
(This team is known for speed and high-scoring, wide open offense. There are some that wonder ‘Hey, is this a physical team?’ Do you think you kind of put that question to bed?) – “Yeah, it’s speed to power. You see Raheem Mostert doing sideline drill teach tape every single week, and he’s one of the fastest guys in the league. When you’re able to make that physical track meet happen, it’s important. It takes all 11 to have that physical presence, but when you’re going up against good defenses and you have to have four, five, six-yard carries and string those out and stack them, that’s another place of improvement where you’re able to see the development throughout our offense, so if the big plays aren’t happening, you can still rely on those fundamentals and techniques.”
(Could you sense that you were taking control of the game like on the 92-yard drive? I think you had five third-down conversions. Could you sense that, ok we’re seizing this thing?) – “It’s kind of crazy because you’re in the moment and you hear it’s a 17-play drive and you really don’t know, because you’re so locked into that next play call, until you get back to the line and the defense has been sitting there for 15 minutes and it’s like ‘we’re ready to play now.’ It’s definitely something you kind of feel once you go back to the sideline. But when you’re in it, you’re so dialed into what that assignment is and what that play is that it’s hard to really feel that, at least personally for me, throughout the drive. But once you get back to the field and realize it’s already the fourth quarter, that’s a drive and a statement that we needed to make at that time. It was definitely good.”
(Is it a challenge at all for you – we talk about the offensive line having so many different lineups throughout the course of the season and in the game. You played seven different guys in the game on Friday. Does it change anything you do at all in terms of reading them or getting your track, or is it all the same?) – “I don’t think you can change that up depending on new guys stepping in. I think that’s where the week of preparation really comes in. That’s where a whole season comes in, from OTAs to training camp. All of those reps need to be banked so we can all move along a string together. I think it’s a testament to the o-line being able to step up that way and execute where they needed to execute so that runners, backfield guys, skill guys are able to stay consistent with our techniques so you aren’t changing from one play to the next, or ‘this is a huge defensive front, now I have to change everything.’ You’re able to rely on your training and technique and not hesitate. You don’t have to second-guess anybody. I think that’s trust and I think that’s a lot of reps that need to be banked.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel and DT Christian Wilkins were just talking about the energy that RB Jeff Wilson Jr. brings. I was curious of your perspective and what he brings.) – “I think the physical presence and the downhill presence when you’re within those white lines is big. He’s taken my pregame speeches and blown them out of the water. He brings all of the intention and intensity, and it’s just fun to play for a running back like that, that just plays with a chip on their shoulder, is running hard every single time. It inspires play callers, it inspires an offense, it inspires a team, when you see a guy play with that much emotion and execute. I don’t know if you saw him when he hit that first down with the straight arm. That gives you so much joy when you’re playing because you know it means so much. If it means so much to one person, it means that much to everybody else.”
(Are there times when you’re saying something to the team and he’s following you up?) – “Oh, no. He starts it on the field. The emotion there, I can’t replicate it. I’m not going to try. I don’t think anybody should or can. But that raw emotion that you feel that get the little social media clips on, I think that’s a testament to the hard work, the preparation, and it’s like this is the opportunity that we get to go out. It’s something that matters so much to every single person, the entire community, the entire team, to go out and lay it on the line, whether it’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. It does not matter the time. It does not matter the place. When you get that opportunity, it means a lot.”
(There is this perception even though you guys have the number one ranked offense, I don’t know what you stand now, but you have the number two ranked rushing attack. People believe because of all the speed and how you play, that you are a finesse team. How much does that bother you, especially when you know you could do those four-minute drives and finish off games?) – “When you take those statistics across the entire league, you can extrapolate, and you can make narratives based on this 40-time is combined with this number of rushing yards or passing yards or whatever it is, and you can create those stories. At the end of the day, if you are operating at the highest of highest of levels, it takes everybody. It takes every little ounce of physicality, of finesse, of speed, of precision. It takes all of it. You can’t have one without the other. And if you do, you’re going to be middle of the pack. You’re going to be 15th, 16th in those rankings. I think it goes to show that whatever storyline is out there and whatever the strengths might be, or the weaknesses at the beginning of the year, when you’re continually bought into that process of intentionality, and you’re working hard and you’re progressing, things start moving together and you’re able to bring that physical side of the game along to catch up with the speed or vice-versa. I think that’s where you’re kind of seeing the strides throughout the season, which we were able to do so far.”
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
(The pregame speech, what was that speech? We want that speech.) – “Oh man. Pregame speeches are just all from the heart and that’s all. Seeing how the guys work and being around them for as long as I have, I feel like on the team, especially a team like this, there’s always a lot of things you can do besides actually being on the field that can help contribute and go forward to you getting to the goal you want to reach. Just for me to be able to do that no matter what it is, no matter how it is, that’s just a blessing for me to have in this role on this team.”
(What was the theme of it?) – “It’s time to go to work. It was kind of like Black Friday, kind of like a Black Friday feel to the speech. Normally when you hear Black Friday, it’s crazy, chaotic, everyone’s all over the place, people taking things. That’s kind of just what I told them. We’re (going) to come in here and (going) to make it Black Friday for us on the football field. We’re coming in, taking it home, taking the game, taking everything.”
(How have you been, I guess selfless this season, because you started off injured. RB Raheem Mostert is on pace to get 1,000 yards. You saw what RB De’Von Achane was doing with the long runs. What were you thinking about your role on the team and like you said, it’s about doing stuff when you’re not on the field. How do you maintain that when these other two dudes are going off?) – “It’s not about me. Like I said, when you have dreams and you have aspirations to get to a special place, you have to be selfless. Those guys are like my brothers. It’s not like I’m jealous or envy of them. I’m actually happy for them, especially Raheem. Everybody knows our story. We’ve been together for so long and to see his journey and see how he’s been cut and left alone and told you’re not good enough so many times to now being one of the best backs in the league this year, that’s just a testament to him and I couldn’t be more proud of him. Achane, I’ve seen him when he was first coming in. He’s an electric guy. He’s hard to keep off the field. It’s not like it’s hard not to be. These are guys who are in the same room as me, on the same team, and not only that, they’re really like my brothers. So it makes me happy to see them go off and it makes me want to be a part of it.”
(You had a good game, 11 carries for 56 yards. How do you view that game? A winning effort, you ran physically. How do you view your game with how it fits in with the running back room now?) – “I love it. Like I said, anyway I contribute is always going to be a plus. This is a very, very, very special team and we’re on the verge of doing very special things. Just to be in that car ride and have a seat in that car, on that bus with a seatbelt that I can safely buckle myself in, there’s no greater feeling.”
(You heard us talking with FB Alec Ingold a minute ago about the idea of becoming known for more then just finesse, for power. That’s something that we talked about with you last year, how you run with power. How much do you want to see this team use that power and physicality?) – “A lot. Especially with the explosive guys we have on our team. It’s kind of easy to ignore and overlook those things because you have Tyreek (Hill) on one side, you got (Jaylen) Waddle on one side, you have Tua (Tagovailoa) in the backfield. You have guys everywhere, and these guys make tremendous, memorable, remarkable plays on the field. It’s kind of hard to sometimes look down and see the nitty-gritty and the stuff that goes on under the surface of the whole ordeal, but to know that we have that and it’s in us and running hard and physical, that’s been my style. That’s been my way ever since I started playing football when I was five years old. That was kind of my father’s motto. You take no prisoners and you go out there and when you run, you try to take a man’s will. That’s always something that I’ve always tried to do, and is something that has always been a separation to my game. To have the physical part, you’re definitely need it going to the stretch we’re going to and playing the teams we’re about to face. It’s definitely going to be something that’s needed.”
(Does it bother you that Head Coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t call plays for the running backs on third and short? He’d rather pass. Obviously there’s a lot of talent in the passing game.) – “I would be not telling the truth if I said I wasn’t a little frustrated. But how you can be frustrated when you have a guy you can throw a one-yard pass to and it can turn into a 70-yard touchdown? So those are things you just live with it. Sometimes we’re going to get it, sometimes we’re not. Regardless, even if it’s us getting the ball or him getting the ball, whatever the situation is, I know it’s probably the best situation for us at that time. It’s up to us to execute and keep playing ball.”
(Have you ever gone up to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and said, ‘Give me the damn ball?’) – “I mean shoot, once you play ball in this game, everybody wants it at that time. I don’t know what kind of player you are if you don’t want the ball in those situations, especially when that’s your job description and what you do. But at the same time, like I said, when you have guys that are that electric on the outside that can take a one-yard (play) and take it 60 or 70 (yards) and make it one of the most memorable plays in the NFL season, it’s kind of hard not to ignore.”
(You talk about those receivers and their big plays in the passing game. When you watch the game back from Friday, what did you see from them and the blocking element?) – “Oh, a lot. Those guys, to just see the growth from the beginning of the year to now, some of the plays that we probably could have made if we got this block, then that’s a touchdown block. So to see them get those blocks and see the urgency of them to try to get those blocks, that’s one thing you love. Especially when those guys really don’t have to do it. Yeah, it’s asked of them but as long as they make their plays, I’m pretty sure they’ll be ok. But to see those guys really take that to heart, that makes it just much easier for us. That way when it is time for us to pass block, and they get their ball, it makes it easy for us to stand in there and bow our neck.”
(What makes December games different?) – “Everything is tighter. Everything is getting closer to that time. You obviously want to be playing your best football at this time. You obviously want to be – everything really has to be on point. And the teams that you’re facing, these are potential Super Bowl teams. If you look at our schedule, you can see that. We have some real good games on there with some real good contenders. As we keep going, it’s not going to get easier, especially when we get into the postseason, the playoffs. Those games are going to be the teams we’re facing and it’s going to be win or go home. So to get in that mindset already right now, still with stuff that we have to accomplish and can accomplish through this season, we’re just getting ready for it.”
(How much does that five-game losing streak from last year at this time influence you guys in the locker room?) – “I was just thinking about that. That was another thing. We know where that was at. A lot of that we took on in our room because if you go back and look at the stats, it was kind of the run game and everything kind of went down at that point. So to be conscientious of that and know that – everybody knows that. To come off that bye week and the season wasn’t going the way we wanted, especially with how we were feeling before the bye week, we felt like it was our year then. But things didn’t go that way. So as far as the approach in the meeting rooms, the walkthroughs, the practices, just everything, it just keeps us that more locked in because just as good as it’s going, it can easily go the other way.”
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(It has been a long road, long season for you. Obviously, you’re going to have more opportunities now, but what has this season been like from a personal perspective?) – “This season has had ups and downs, but I can’t really complain. Thankfully, I’m still here. But it’s definitely had its ups and downs. I’m just ready for my opportunity.”
(What’s it like now that you will have that opportunity? I know it’s tough when it comes with a player going down.) – “Just like I’ve been all season, just staying ready, just waiting for my name to be called. Like I said, it’s been frustrating, but I’m excited for this opportunity. I’m just looking forward to it.”
(How gratifying – obviously, again, you don’t want to have to go in because of a teammate going down, but how gratifying was it to go in there and then produce and have a sack and be able to make some plays as you know your role is going to get bigger?) – “Even the first play when I got in and jumped offsides, I was thinking about Jaelan (Phillips) the whole time. It definitely sucks seeing my brother go down. I told him, I’ve got to get me one for you. After the game, I had to run up to him and say, ‘Hey, man, I’m thinking about you,’ just to give him that support when I can.”
(I was asking RB Jeff Wilson Jr. how tough it is to be selfless, because he’s injured and RB Raheem Mostert is on pace for 1,000 yards and RB De’Von Achane is getting all these yards. For you, DT Christian Wilkins with 6.5 sacks and I guess LB Jaelan Phillips might have had 6.0 or 6.5, LB Bradley Chubb with 6.0. You know the numbers. DT Zach Sieler with 5.0. Everybody – you have 4.0, I believe, so you’re in on the party, but is it tough to sit on the sideline while everybody is having such success and the team is having such success?) – “Oh, not at all, because I know what those guys went through, what those guys are going through because we all battle together and we all work together. Just seeing them succeed, I’m happy for them. I want everybody to go out there and make plays for us. But yeah, also I want to be out there too making plays, but it’s always good seeing the guys eat too around me.”
(In the lead up to the trade deadline, did they come to you and say, “Hey, don’t worry, we’re not shopping you?” Was there any clarity from them or did you just have to wait until the deadline to pass?) – “No, I didn’t really have any word from the team that I was going to get traded. So, no.”
(Was it something you thought might be a possibility? And were you relieved it didn’t happen?) – “I mean, you always think – depending on what’s going on, you would think that, but I didn’t know what was going on. Like I said, I was just controlling what I could control. Nobody told me anything, so I was just playing on the Miami Dolphins.”
(I was going to ask you, how much does standing up playing outside linebacker does that add to your preparation each week in terms of potential pass coverage responsibilities occasionally compared to playing defensive end?) – “I mean, like standing up is still different for me, but like I said, I’m getting better. I’m working on it every day at practice. I’m improving every day and just doing what I can to help this team win.”
(What’s the message been from Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, I guess, in the last few days, since LB Jaelan Phillips went down?) – “We haven’t really had a chance to really talk about the situation with Vic (Fangio). I know I’ve spoken to Jaelan (Phillips) personally, but having a guy like that going down is definitely tough in the room. A rising star in this league, he will definitely be missed, but we’ve got to make the season about him and play for him.”
(How has LB Jaelan Phillips been doing in your interactions with him?) – “Mentally, I’d say he’s been good. He’s been good. It’s always tough to really know what guys are going through. I used for example, with me going down last year, it was definitely tough on me, hard on me. So I just told him one thing – just stay together and stay focused mentally, because the biggest thing coming back is just your mental preparation and attack that rehab hard too.”
(You were here last year. I know you weren’t playing that much during that five-game losing streak, but what will make this different than last year? What did you guys learn from last year’s tough stretch?) – “It’s December football now, so it’s definitely tough playing in December, but just staying focused. Our defense is getting better each week. We’re getting better and better, and we’re getting healthier on defense. So just staying focused, don’t get complacent and attack every game and play hard every game.”
(Does it feel like the defense is getting better and better? I mean we see the plays, the sacks, the interceptions. Does it feel like you guys are changing games?) – “Yeah, we’re getting more comfortable with each other. Again, we’re playing for each other. We’re playing better every week. We have guys that are back – Jalen Ramsey is a big boost, him coming back. Guys are playing together, guys are playing hard. Pursuit is key. Just balling together as a unit.”
(It wasn’t that long ago you had those back-to-back nine sack seasons. Do you feel that is something that you could still get back to, that level of a pass rusher?) – “I mean, the sky is the limit for me. Like I said, I’ve always been ready, I’ve always stayed ready. I’m just waiting on the opportunity.”
(I asked RB Jeff Wilson Jr. this last week, is there any benefit to not having a lot of tread this year on the tires? Although you’re always in great shape obviously, is there any advantage to that for you the rest of the way?) – “Oh yeah, you feel good late in the season. Your body still feels good. Just going into games, you’re feeling fresh and feeling ready to go. There’s always some good toward it, but then again, you always still want to be out there. As a competitor, me, I want to go out there and play.”
(Who was emotionally supportive of you in terms of not playing a lot? You handled it great, but was there anyone you sort of leaned on who uplifted your spirits?) – “I mean, the guys in the room, they understand. They understood what I was going through. The outside linebackers, the d-line room, I’m tied in with those guys. They’d just come up to me and kept telling me, ‘Hey, don’t worry, we’re going to need you this season. We’re going to need you eventually this season.’ So I just stayed focused and just kept on being a good presence in the room.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I wanted to ask you about running backs. With RB De’Von Achane, I know you said if he played, it wouldn’t risk major injury. Was it a pain issue or a mobility and movement issue on Friday? And is RB Chris Brooks ready to be designated to return this week?) – “It was more of all things involved, all variables. Knowing the team that we were going against, knowing short weeks and what you kind of need to be able to orchestrate a victory in those weeks, they’re always physical, they’re always fast. There’s always some uncertainty on both sides of the ball, in my opinion, because the bottom line is you are taking a full work week and cutting it in half, almost. So any uncertainty with things of that nature I didn’t think was very smart for him to put his best foot forward, and I felt good about what Raheem (Mostert) and Jeff (Wilson Jr.) were bringing to the table. So it just didn’t seem as prudent. There will be a lot of guys on short weeks or after short weeks where you’re already putting your body through a blender, so there will be a lot of guys that will be essentially day-to-day and will need all the time to game time. I’ll probably be in the same process with De’Von because I want to be fair to him. He knows how to play one way, so as he goes, he’ll tell me he can play. I already know that. But I’ll just be closely evaluating everything he does and making sure that we have a confident version of him, which is what the people want in general.”
(And RB Chris Brooks, any sense on whether he might be designated?) – “I think he’s pretty close to being able to start the window. Now it’s just a matter of negotiating all the other hoops that are involved in that. We have plenty of things to kind of filter through from an injury perspective from this past game and we’ll sort that out as the week goes. I know one thing, he’ll be ready to go when his window is activated because he is hungry to participate, for sure.”
(The other side of the short week is you have the long week after. Do you think that’s going to prove beneficial?) – “I think so. Just right now, it’s a little more cloudy, because you have more time (but) you know me about forecasting. I try to take it day by day. So it’s almost like you’re cloudier now, but I’m pretty confident that that will help as guys got some much needed rest. We had an active building in terms of rehab and just really player maintenance over the weekend. Guys are being very diligent and so I expect things to clear up as the week progresses. But right now, we are standing in muddy waters, my friend.”
(I feel like I could ask you about almost everyone on the offensive line.) – “Do it. (laughter)”
(The biggest question I guess I have would be about T Terron Armstead. How is he doing and will you be without him for the week?) – “It would have been interesting if it would have been a one-score game, what I would have seen from him because, we’re trying to do our due diligence. He has had his fill of watching football. So he’s going to be pressing me hard to play this week, I know. For me, I see it as week-to-week injury so we’re going to have to find a middle ground. But again, these are healthy things that I would much rather prefer, as opposed to trying to convince someone that they are capable of playing. We’ll see how that progresses. But as you guys have seen, I wasn’t just BS’ing when I was saying that I was very happy with the depth and how many NFL linemen we have on our football team. I think we’ve shown that we’ve been able to operate at a high level with all sorts of various alignments and that’s to the credit of a lot of players and coaches, and the personnel department on top of that. It could shake out a lot of different ways but that’s what the fun of December is right?”
(You were talking about how RB Jeff Wilson Jr. was going to be ready for the opportunity after he was inactive against the Raiders. I noticed that he gave the pregame speech before the guys broke out for warmups. I was curious, do you what goes into kind of anointing the person who does that? And what does that kind of say that it was him?) – “That’s good observant journalism right there. You’re right. He is a guy that has a strong role within the locker room. He kicked in the door fast and furious when he got here. He’s emotionally charged in competitive moments to a degree that he can bring along other people. And he knew that it was his time. He’d been patient, as patient as anybody that we’ve seen on this team. But now he was going to get the opportunities regardless how the game played out. Those type of sparks are invaluable down the stretch of a season. When you have guys littered among the roster that instead of sitting there and putting their head down and saying, ‘where’s my opportunity – me, me, me.’ Same scenario, just a different mindset of, ‘okay, here’s my opportunity. Now let me take all that patience.’ He’s been a great teammate and he’s been contributing each and every week in his own way. But when you take all the desire to perform and have it build in a healthy way, then when your opportunity is presented, you can make a tangible difference on an NFL Sunday or Friday, in this case. So that’s a cool part. He exemplifies what I see this team as, and it’s one of the reasons why I think the sky’s the limit for this team as we progress moving forward, is because there’s a lot of independent contractors just in general in the world and just in our society. And when you can get a group of people to work together for a common goal that’s bigger than themselves, you have a chance of doing some pretty cool stuff. It’s hard on short weeks in the division on the road. Regardless of what the narrative is, it is very hard to win in those scenarios by multiple scores, regardless of what either team is going through. But when you have people like that, when your team is littered with shots in the arm like Jeff Wilson can provide, it gives you have a chance to do some pretty cool stuff. He made some very, very important plays. He came out of the gate with intent. And against a physical team like the New York Jets are, you have to match and exceed if you want to win. I thought he did that and inspired others to do that.”
(Commanders QB Sam Howell has been sacked 55 times. That’s far away the most in the NFL. How does that affect a young quarterback and their play throughout the season?) – “I think each individual person, their journey is unique to themselves. I think there’s been times you can objectively say, yeah that hurts the development. But there’s been times that it hasn’t. I think Peyton Manning was sacked a ton, or was it picks? I can’t remember. But every individual’s journey, I think it’s important that for young players, it doesn’t turn to scars. It turns to lessons. I think it’s a whole orchestration of people that are involved in productive offense. He has been sacked a good amount, but I think he’s also making a ton of plays in the pass game. And I think as long as you’re making plays, you don’t want that to be the circumstance every year, but you can definitely survive it and continue to progress as a young player if that isn’t the only thing you’re remembering. I think they’ve made too many plays for it to be one of those scenarios. Because of all the plays he’s made, he’s in a situation where it cannot be a scar, but it can be lessons as he progresses with his game.”
(You have some history in Washington. What are your memories there and what will it be like visiting again?) – “There was a lot less command in Washington when I was there. You know what I mean? (laughter) I think it’s a different owner, different coaches. It’s pretty much different. I’m not sure who’s still there from when I was there. But I do remember a very, very passionate fan base. I didn’t realize the total scope of history and how big of a region call themselves Washington Commander fans. That was an interesting part. I remember – do you guys know what stink bugs are? There’s a lot of stink bugs in Virginia. I didn’t know what those were until I was there. Don’t step on them, because then they stink. (laughter) That’s on the top of my mind. There’s a lot of history in the area. As a history major, that was really cool. It feels like decades ago that I was there relative to what the place looks like now. I think it would be unfair to draw too many parallels from my time there. That’s like asking grandpa did guys hit hard when games were telecast in black and white? Relatively, I guess. It’s a good place that deserves some success and when they find it, which I’m sure they will, I have a ton of confidence and a lot of respect for Coach Ron (Rivera). Coach Ron, as he called it, was the first person that when I was trying to get a GA job coming out of college, I was writing letters all over the country, and he was one of the first people to actually respond to a letter to try to get me a job. He didn’t give me a job, but I have a lot of respect for him. He’s played in multiple competitive scenarios with Carolina as well. I’m sure they’ll get that place going sooner then later and hopefully if we have any say in it, it won’t be this week.”
(Is there anything new to report on LB Jaelan Phillips’ situation? Whether it be his possible connection with Jets QB Aaron Rodgers or Aaron Rodgers’ doctor or anything like that?) – “I think they’ve spent a lot of time consulting with a lot of different experts in the field. I think they’ve narrowed it down. They’ll probably have the exact formula, the exact surgeon and place of surgery here in the next 24 hours. They’ve been diligent trying to make sure they have all the information and all the different directions we can go and do what’s most comfortable for Jaelan, as well as the best thing for the Miami Dolphins football team.”
(Friday on the broadcast, they told a story about how you and your wife met. I felt like there were some gaps in that story. I was curious if you could possibly fill in those gaps for us?) – “Absolutely, I would love to. This was news to me. So yeah, I would say the skeleton of the story is correct. But there’s a couple important caveats. First of all, the perceived threat I made to a player was over the top a joke considering both he and I knew that as the running backs coach, I had no ability to say if he was there or not. It was more in gest. And then second of all, my wife was telling me people were talking about me stealing people’s girls. The dude had met her for 45 seconds. (laughter)”
(But you called dibs?) – “I kind of did but no, it was a light-hearted, very unique scenario. It was a special place in our memories, but I don’t think it was – I feel like I was painted out to kind of be a d-bag, and it wasn’t like that at all. (laughter) It was all nice. We were celebrating as a team and it was something that I think, Steve Baylark, the player that was dancing with her, was well aware when I made that joke in gest that it was more important to me then it was to him. And I’m pretty sure I was right. I have a family now. Good decision. (laughter)”
(Was it the dance moves that won her over?) – “Clearly. (laughter) It wasn’t my physical disposition, I promise you that. It was a cool, lightheaded story that I felt like took a turn, so I appreciate you following up. (laughter)”
(This pales in comparison in the grand scheme of important things that happened in your life, in light of that story, but T Kendall Lamm’s back. So he came back in for a few snaps late in the game. Is he well enough? Is he ambulatory? Do you think he can fill in for T Terron Armstead if needed?) – “(laughter) Especially after the shape he was in at the beginning of the day, you want to talk about an absolute warrior that has become such a big fixture in our locker room and is so important to us winning and losing football games. He proved it to even be able to be of strong service to us, in his mind, to just be able to go and orchestrate his job. That’s just a real – it speaks to him and who he is and how important this thing is to him. I definitely wouldn’t put it past him to be able to play this week, however there’s some obstacles we have to get through. That’s kind of the residuals of having that short game, having that type of issue. That’ll clear back up throughout the week but I’m very optimistic because of who he is.”
