Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Has QB Tua Tagovailoa been ruled out for Sunday against Minnesota?) – “Tua (Tagovailoa), right now, I’m not even really thinking about his timeline. As I said before, he is – we’re just trying to get him as healthy as possible. We’re pretty much in a 12- to 24-hour reoccurring evaluation process, and he’s doing well. He was here today, but he is not ready to take the step to do some football stuff yet. So that will be – talk to me every 12 to 24 hours.”
(Where is QB Teddy Bridgewater at? Is he still in concussion protocol?) – “Teddy (Bridgewater), he had no symptoms today. He had no symptoms yesterday, but per the rule change, he is being treated as though he has a concussion. So he is in the subsequent protocol.”
(This week, you play the Vikings as you mentioned before. The names that come to mind include Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Cris Carter and the late Hall of Fame Coach Dennis Green. I know you spent some time early in your career as a running backs coach with him in the UFL. What was that experience like and what are some things that you keep with you today that you learned from him?) – “That was a very impactful experience, specifically with Coach Dennis Green, because he was a unique and unique-spirited leader. So it was very – he was very outside the box, so it left a big impression on me, just how he saw things for what they were, how he didn’t try to follow the path of least resistance, nor did he really concern himself with what others were doing. He would tell me stories about how when he got to Minnesota, he specifically altered the offense to a digit system that was foreign to him because all the – he wanted to have something unique and different and a competitive advantage against all the Coach (Bill) Walsh disciples that were coming from that tree. So all those things were very impactful. He was such a good human being and that will forever last with me.”
(A couple of offensive line questions, T Terron Armstead, what are you hearing? Is he back in South Florida? And then T Austin Jackson?) – “He’s back in South Florida. I think the visit went well. The one thing I’ve learned with Terron (Armstead) is I can trust him as much as I’ve ever trusted any player. So I know one thing, he will do whatever it takes to play Sunday. The one thing that myself, the coaching staff and his teammates know is if he’s not able to play, it’s because he’s physically unable to play. So (I’m) trusting that process and excited that he’s taken a step to get that thing healthy. And then what was the (other question)?”
(T Austin Jackson.) – “The plan is to hopefully – we plan and hope to see him practice this week in a limited role, but he’s done a great job getting himself back so that we could even consider that this week.”
(In the past hour or so, we’ve seen a couple of videos from some of the local TV stations showing QB Teddy Bridgewater after the safety. And in those videos, at least from what we can see from those angles, we did not see him stumble. What have you been able to see on video so far? Have you seen anything that indicates a stumble or doesn’t indicate any stumble whatsoever?) – “Honestly, I don’t really concern myself with all of that, just because – I was there at the game. I was watching him intently. It was the first offensive play of the game and I didn’t see him stumble, but I’m also not really in the business of grading and coaching spotters. The rule is in place for player safety and I’m all about that. Honestly, whether he stumbled or not, the rules are the rules. My only takeaway from the whole process was really my personal relationship with Teddy (Bridgewater). Teddy was very prepared to play that game. He put a lot into it, and I was excited to see him play. My heart hurt that he was unable to execute something he was very prepared for, and his teammates were excited to see him play.”
(Regarding QB Teddy Bridgewater, given the area that he’s in now where he’s not showing symptoms but he’s in the protocol, what would be the soonest that he could possibly participate in a practice? And how reluctant would you be to play a quarterback if he hadn’t practiced the previous week?) – “As far as the protocol, for good reason, the coaches aren’t involved in that. So I know in a perfect world where there’s absolutely no setbacks with anything – again, this is kind of uncharted territory for us – the soonest that you can be on the field in a limited capacity, non-contact, would be Thursday. However, I’m not going to try to guess if that’s going to come true or not. This is, again – I just do the best with the situation given and try not to spend my time worrying about things that I can’t control as best I can.”
(If QB Teddy Bridgewater only has a couple of limited practices leading up to the game, just based on his experience, would you feel comfortable having him play in the game on Sunday?) – “These are a lot of hypotheticals. I think I would like – I would like to see when Teddy (Bridgewater) can practice, which is not up to, necessarily, us in general. And then once that happens, assess the situation, which there are some compounding variables. I think he does – the one thing I do know is that he will do everything it takes to prepare to play in a football game. I’m very comfortable with that. You just have to really do right by the football team and the player in terms of whether or not you’re putting a player – whether or not he feels comfortable to execute his responsibility. So that’s too early – there’s too many hypotheticals for me to even assess that. What I do know is he’s a pro, and if and when he’s called upon, I know he’s going to put his best foot forward for himself and his teammates.”
(Can you quantify just the level of, I guess you’d call it misfortune, to have three consecutive games where a quarterback hits his head the same exact way on a hit and is caused to miss time because of it?) – “It’s a weird question for me to be asked because I’m not lying. The adversity is an opportunity is real to me, only because that is life (and) that is football. So as opposed to sitting here and saying, ‘Wow, this is hard.’ Winning is hard. Being the National Football League, whether you’re a coach or a player, is hard. All things that are worth achieving are hard. So in an odd way, I haven’t really – let’s just put it this way. I think I would feel guilt and feel as though I was shortchanging the Dolphins and the team if I was spending any time thinking about how hard it is. I think you always want your players to be healthy. I think you always make sure that your roster is built so that you have players capable to execute in light of any sort of injury, and you do that the right way, you’re confident in all your players and whatever hand is dealt, you have to deal with.”
(A couple of your cornerbacks, CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones, are you optimistic for this week?) – “Again, no setbacks. I’m not sure. I don’t expect to see Byron this week. I don’t. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) had a – we were happy with where he was at today and he’s a guy that he’s fully embraced his captain’s role. He takes it very serious. It pained him to not be on the field with his teammates, much like it did the other three captains that were playing – or two-and-a-half because (Terron) Armstead dropped. So I know for a fact that he, like the other captains that are on the sidelines, will do everything possible to be ready for Sunday, and we’ll see him if he’s ready to go.”
(How about TE Durham Smythe?) – “He’s really in the same lump, I guess. It’s all the true professionals that do things the right way that appear to be getting injured. So he’s a guy that I wouldn’t count out at all. But it was a serious enough deal for it to be unknown for his game status. So we’ll treat that day by day. It’s a real – I don’t know, crapshoot right now when it comes to injuries. But an unintended consequence that is a positive is that I think our team is getting used to not blinking when guys go down. That is a part of our sport that you don’t want people to lose a competitive advantage if you’re like, ‘well, we got no chance because this guy’s hurt.’ That is not the mindset of the football team. We have a lot of good football players that can contribute and perform if those guys aren’t able to come back.”
(Are you moving forward this week with practices and everything with the assumption that QB Skylar Thompson will be the starter on Sunday?) – “I’m moving forward to – it’s too soon for me to really pinpoint that. There’s, again, I kind of have to wait and assess the whole situation, which I do not have in scope. What I do know is that Skylar will be practicing on Wednesday and hopefully Wednesday I’ll have a better feel of the direction that we should go that’s best for the football team.”
(After watching some of the film from last night, what did you like about what QB Skylar Thompson did?) – “I really respected the fact of how – being a backup quarterback in this league is not easy. And what people don’t understand is you have a finite amount of reps during the week because you can’t deplete your athletes and you can’t have endless amount of reps. So typically, starters get anywhere from 80 to 100 percent of the practice reps. So a backup quarterback, especially a rookie, is a tremendous challenge because you have to own the whole gameplan, visualize it, be able to call it, be able to line people up and then execute appropriately. I think he was way on top of the gameplan in a way that I don’t think typically I’m used to rookies being on top of. I think he was also frustrated with his play but confident that he – it was more of like a frustration in the moment like ‘my feet are messed up, that wasn’t the right timing.’ Overall, it’s exactly what I thought it would be where I left the game knowing that the game is not too big for him and that was probably if he has any say in it, that was probably the worst that he will feel like he’ll perform as a professional. And that was good enough to (almost) win. So I was very happy with the player because it takes a lot of prep and it’s a big stage that everyone isn’t up for.”
(When you say it’s too soon to pinpoint if QB Skylar Thompson will be starting, is that only because of the availability of QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Teddy Bridgewater? Or does QB Reid Sinnett factor into that?) – “You guys didn’t bring up Cedrick Wilson. (laughter) No, there’s just like, too many variables right now for my head to even absorb. I think those decisions are important and without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll make that with the best interest in the football team. But there are literally too many variables that I don’t feel comfortable going down that road. But hopefully in the next couple of days, I will.”
(Those variables are challenging enough coming up with a game plan for a tough opponent, but then you factor in you don’t know which quarterback. What does that add relative to the challenge of your install and everything that may go into this week?) – “It a nice challenge, but nothing that myself and the rest of the coaching staff isn’t paid to do. That’s just kind of how I look at those things. No one really cares how hard it is. Do you want me to sit here and be like, ‘Man, this is hard?’ No. It’s a different sort of challenge, but every week you’re trying to solve challenges. Whether it’s what the defense presents, some of the issues, maybe injuries that you have. And then there’s some weeks that those are compounding. It’s difficult but nothing that I don’t see as part of what I expect from myself and what I expect from the coaching staff, so you don’t need to shed any tears for me.”
(Yesterday you said you were optimistic about WR Tyreek Hill’s status. He obviously was in the boot after the game. Are there any updates on his health kind of going into the week?) – “He looked pretty good today, but we’ll take that day by day. I know he won’t – if and when he plays next, he won’t play in a boot. I know that much. (laughter) But he’s another one. We have a lot of guys that really care about playing football and take the responsibility, especially the captains, that take that responsibility very serious. So days after games, especially with leg and ankle stuff and feet, typically things are pretty swollen. He felt all right, but it’s going to be – with him he’s a fast healer, but you just don’t know those type of things. So like most of my life right now, we’ll take it day by day.”
(A couple of QB Teddy Bridgewater questions – back to him. No. 1, I know you guys can send video to the league. Would you send – I don’t even know where he would send a video of him allegedly stumbling, but would you send that video to anyone to get a clarification on the rule? And No. 2, would you send video of the intentional grounding? And what did you think of that call?) – “So the two things as far as those procedures go. One, I wouldn’t see any reason to send the league a video because it already happened. So like, am I in the business of grading spotters? No. I mean, it is what it is and I’m not really concerned with – again, I would feel irresponsible on my part to be like, no one cares if we think this, that or the other. Secondly, typically there’s a communication system set up by the league in regards to penalties. And the way it works is that you have designated coaches each week and if you have a discrepancy with a call or a question, you submit them in a form format that’s standardized the day after the game, and they generally get back to you pretty quick. So I’m sure we’ll get a clarification on that. But typically, I don’t really – again, I don’t really spend my time worrying about past things, whether they’re misgivings or whatever they are that are outside of my control. I’m more concerned with doing my job as it relates to the football team, the coaching staff, the players in the organization, and then preparing our team for the next challenge ahead, which you know (the Vikings are) 4-1 and doing a great job so we would not be giving ourselves the best chance to compete against them if we did anything otherwise.”
S Jevon Holland
(What have you seen out of the corners that have been elevated to bigger roles early in the season and playing the last game without CB Xavien Howard?) – “They’re doing their job. They’re stepping up to the plate like we ask them to. That’s what I expect because they’re high competitors.”
(You all allowed Jets RB Breece Hall to amass 197 total yards this past game. You guys face Vikings RB Dalvin Cook this week. How much are you guys focusing on that to try to limit him because he’s a South Florida guy, so you know he’s kind of going to get some touches on Sunday?) – “We’re going to work the game plan that the coaches give us.”
(How concerned are you about the turnovers not coming at it at a high rate? I know you had the interception, LB Melvin Ingram had the touchdown, but the last couple of games they haven’t come as constantly. Is that a concern? Or are you just kind of, we just do our job and they’ll come?) – “Just got to do your job and splash plays will happen.”
(Just at 3-2 the first quarter of the season, snap, done. How would you evaluate what you guys have done as a team?) – “We’ve done some good things, we’ve done some things that we wish we could take back and improve on. But overall, we’ll just continue to work hard and get better every day. That’s all you can do.”
(To preserve your undefeated home record, what are you requiring from the fans on Sunday? What kind of energy would you like to see from them?) – “I would hope they come out there and bring it, have a great time and be energetic. But regardless of the fans out there, we got to do our job. I would appreciate them being out there, livening things up for sure.”
(How much of a factor have the last two fourth quarters – you haven’t had CB Byron Jones, obviously, but then CB Xavien Howard also – how big a factor is that in the last two fourth quarters?) – “It’s large. Those two guys are very important people on the team and not just on the field, but also in the locker room. So not having them out there is definitely a blow that the defense takes. But like I said earlier, guys got to step up and do their job. We are professionals and we are grown men, so you got to take it on the chin. You’ve got to go into the game knowing that you don’t have those guys and execute.”
(I’m sure that Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer wishes he had two of you, one who could blitz and one who could be in coverage, but he only has only one of you. So you’ve been in coverage most of the time. You’ve blitzed very few times according to the metric sites. Would you like to blitz more ideally?) – “I’m probably going to do what the coach asks me to do. And in that, you see me doing more coverage than blitzing, so that’s just what I’m going to continue to do.”
(What changes when CB Xavien Howard isn’t on the field?) – “’X’ (Xavien Howard), I just leave over there and he does this thing. Not (that I) necessarily have to worry about another side of the field, but I know that ‘X’ is going to be over there battling, just like I know that Nik (Needham) is going to be over there battling. It’s some peace of mind knowing that he’s out there and he can make a splash play just like anybody else on the team, but he has a track record of getting the ball in his hands. It’s a comfortable feeling to know he’s over there.”
(Have you guys seen QB Teddy Bridgewater around the facility today? And if so, how is he?) – “Oh, yeah, he’s going good. I saw him today. Yeah, he’s doing well.”
(He seems like normal?) – “Yeah. I mean, yeah.”
(What’s your take on the circumstances under which he was out of the game, passing concussion test, but now the new rule – someone saw a stumble allegedly and he couldn’t come back in?) – “I think the league is taking great consideration into our health past football, which I deeply appreciate. I mean, football does end for everybody at some point and we have to live a regular life. So if they’re taking the steps to make sure that we continue to live a regular normal life without any repercussions or anything later down the line, then that’s what it’s going to be.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(The QB Teddy Bridgewater situation, have you seen him today? How does he look to you? And what did you think yesterday when he left the game? Did you think that was necessary?) – “Yeah, I didn’t really know what happened exactly. It wasn’t until later I found out about what’s going on but that’s the – I guess those are the new rules. That’s how things are going to be handled. Not only Teddy, but other guys around the league, I saw there were a bunch of guys who kind of dealt with the same situation. That’s just what it is. We’re looking to protect the players.”
(How did QB Teddy Bridgewater look to you today?) – “Fine.”
(Defensively, just to give up 40 points, how do you rally around each other to make sure that this Sunday it’s a different result?) – “It’s simple. We watch the tape today and then get back to it tomorrow, and then everyone’s got to just hold themselves accountable and look themselves in the mirror and see what they can do better to make sure that that doesn’t happen. We all got to have each other’s back and carry guys with us.”
(Later in the game against Jets after QB Teddy Bridgewater has this situation, Jets WR Braxton Berrios takes what appears to be a hit to the head. He’s taken a knee to not get up. It’s kind of fascinating how things develop just within a game where players are adjusting apparently. Do you think that’s going to be a conversation among players now? Strategically, just hold on and don’t get up immediately?) – “Yeah, I really don’t know. But I’m sure the spotters or whoever will still do what they – they’ll be doing their job. I really don’t know how guys will handle it.”
(What sticks out to you? You probably haven’t looked at the Vikings too much. I know it’s Monday. But WR Adam Thielen is a stud, you’ve got WR Justin Jefferson on the outside and RB Dalvin Cook. What’s the key to making sure that you can limit them?) – “Yeah, they definitely got a lot of good players. They have a really good athletic offensive line. They obviously got really good skill players. They can do a lot of good things. They can put up points. They can do it all. We definitely got to have a good week of preparation. We’ve got a tough challenge in front of us. They’re a really good team and a really good offense. We’re all going to just have to put our best foot forward this week.”
(The last two fourth quarters, Cincinnati and the Jets, how much of it had to do with injuries? How much of it had to do with being on the road?) – “Yeah, you don’t make excuses. We’re all pros. We’re here for a reason. It doesn’t matter. We’ve just got to do better and we’ve got to finish, really. Everyone has a job to do. You’ve just got to do it to the best of your abilities for a full 60 (minutes).”
LB Jerome Baker
(So how much, I guess, shock value was there among the team yesterday when QB Teddy Bridgewater goes out because you know that obviously QB Tua Tagovailoa was out? How shocking was that to the team?) – “Of course, when you see a guy like that go down it was shocking, but we have to approach the next man up. Skylar (Thompson) stepped in and did the best he can. So, that’s all it was.”
(Have you seen video of QB Teddy Bridgewater of the incident? And did you notice him stumble or anything like that?) – “Honestly, I didn’t even realize it. I think I looked over at ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts), and he said something. With the offense out there, we were kind of getting our stuff on defense, so I wasn’t looking at the play or anything like that. But it is what it is.”
(You haven’t seen any video of it?) – “No, I still didn’t really watch it just yet, but I’m sure I’ll get around to it.”
(What changes defensively when CB Xavien Howard doesn’t play?) – “What changes? I mean, the guy is a superstar in this league. He’s one of the best corners in this league. So you can just imagine, our defense is going to change a little bit. You can put him on any receiver and he’s going to pretty much lock them down or get interceptions off of them. So, of course it’s a blow to our defense, but we have great guys that come in and they can do a pretty good job. So the expectations don’t change for our defense when he’s out. We still have to get it done.”
(You guys haven’t produced turnovers at a high rate. Why do you think that’s been? I know there has been some dropped potential interceptions, but why do you think the turnovers haven’t come?) – “I don’t think there’s a real reason why. We had opportunities and we just didn’t lock in on them. But our approach is still to go after the ball, still come up with the ball and that’s not going to change. That’s a part of our defense, and that’s a part of our culture. We’re still doing that, it just hasn’t gone our way just yet.”
(The Vikings have a lot of weapons – WR Justin Jefferson, TE Adam Thielen, RB Dalvin Cook. An unfamiliar opponent, how do you minimize what they do?) – “I think for us, we just really have to do our job. I think yesterday was unfortunate because we didn’t do our job. One guy would do this, go rogue or whatever. At the end of the day, if we just do our job, we can handle any high-power offense. So that’s the main thing. They have some weapons over there, but at the end of the day, if we don’t do our job, it doesn’t matter who is across from us, we’re going to get exposed. So that’s our main focus this week is just do our job, do the things that we’ve always done, run to the ball, get turnovers and we’ll be just fine.”
(From watching the tape, were the mistakes defensively more mental or more physical?) – “I think it was a little bit of both. Mentally though, if one guy does this wrong, it’s just a trickle-down effect. If you expect the guy to do this and he didn’t do it, now that leads to a whole number of things. But I think we will do a great job this week of just getting back on track and just locking in. I think we’ll be just fine Sunday.”
(For the first three games, you guys were one of the best fourth-quarter defenses in the league. You kind of slipped down the last two games against Cincinnati and New York. Obviously, you guys have had some injuries on that side of the ball, but what are some other things that you need to clean up late in the game to get back to the level you had the first three weeks?) – “I think it’s just what I said before, just do our job. I think guys just want to make plays. The intent is there, but at the end of the day, our team, how we’re built, if we all do our job, the play is going to come to us. That’s the main thing. I think guys want to make plays, guys want to do the right thing. They want to be that guy that makes that third-down stop, or that sack, or that pick, whatever. But at the end of the day, if we just do our job, all those things are going to come. That’s the thing we got to focus back on is just do what you’re supposed to do, and the play is going to come to you.”
(Yesterday, the defense had two sacks and three quarterback hits. Are your blitzes having the effect that they did last season?) – “Is it having an effect?”
(Because you were so effective last season with it obviously.) – “Well, it is still early in the season – you can’t just compare these few games to a whole season last year. But I think the main thing is we’re going to be just fine at the end of the day. We believe in our scheme. We believe in the guys we have on our team and we’ll be just fine. I think now is just a wakeup call. We just have to go back to the drawing board and do what we do. It’s not anything new that we haven’t been through, and we’ll be just fine.”
FB Alec Ingold
(Let’s start with QB Teddy Bridgewater. How much did you see? Did you see a stumble? Do you think that was a legitimate reason to pull him from the game?) – “I mean that’s not my job. That’s the first thing you could say. We were all really bummed how Teddy went out that first play. Obviously somebody saw something and we’re all competitors. We’re all going to try to strap up. We’re all going to try to play. That’s just the nature of the beast. There are people out there looking for us and a lot of hindsight from ex-players and people in those positions. As much as it hurts in the short term, there are people looking out and being extra cautious and safe. It’s definitely a double-edged sword. It was really tough to see Teddy go out like that, just knowing how he prepared and it was his moment. We’re really fighting for him.”
(How good was it to see RB Raheem Mostert and the running game get going? It seemed like he got loose really for the first time this season.) – “Raheem is a speed demon and it’s just so smooth when you watch him work, week in week out, day in day out. I think that’s kind of the whole message we’ve had as a running back room is we’re just going to stay on this process, we’re going to keep working at it, the running game is going to click, we’re inches away here, there or whatever. It was just a lot of guys staying on the details. The offensive line, myself, quarterback, running back, just kind of being able to put it all together. The wide receivers were blocking on the edge. We saw that jet sweep and you had Trent Sherfield and River Cracraft locking guys up over on the edge. It literally takes all 11 to make the run game work. I think that’s just the epitome of our team. Guys are going to work. We’re going to consistently play to our standard and I think the run game, you’ve just got to keep fighting and stay consistent with that work, and things will hit.”
(How close are you paying attention to what the Raiders are doing?) – “I talk to my guys over there, for sure. I talk to Foster (Moreau), Hunter (Renfrow), Josh (Jacobs), AJ Cole. I definitely have some friends over there that I check in on. I know they’re playing tonight. They’re playing the Chiefs. It will be a fun Monday Night Football, for sure.”
(What did you think of QB Skylar Thompson going in and just the contingency plans now if he has to go in again?) – “I think Skylar did awesome. A seventh-round quarterback, a rookie, having to step up immediately after that, going out to New York, a division game, ‘gotta have it’ type of game, to see him show up and play poised and have a guy like that who is – how old is he? He’s 25? He’s almost as old as I am. Shoot. (laughter) But he plays like that. He has confidence. He has composure and conviction. We trust him in this room. It’s cool to see a guy like that step up when you need him to. I think a lot of guys in our offense and the team in general really need to step up, for sure.”
(How does the team feel after the two losses from the standpoint you did so many good things in the first three games and injuries didn’t seem to bother you. How much of this are you attributing to injury and how much is this being beat by better teams?) – “You can have any excuse, any reason for any loss that you want and I think being a professional football player and being a guy in the locker room, you know the talent’s there. You know the coaches are there. You know the pieces of the puzzle are there. We’ve proven that, like you said. It’s just about us coming together as a team, finding our formula to win, having a standard and sticking to it. I feel like those are all simple answers that you can give but it’s really hard to do on a week-to-week basis. That’s what separates good teams from great. I think we’ve got a really good opportunity to show guys that want to be coachable, want to get better, want to have a long season – 17, 18, 19, 20 weeks – and that’s what we’re facing right now. There’s a lot of guys that have to look in the mirror and be accountable whether you thought you did good or it’s that reason or that circumstance. Let’s just get better. Let’s just keep working. I think that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
(How much does the locker room believe in that?) – “I think you have to. I don’t think there’s any other option. When you get 53 guys pushing in the same direction, I think that’s where power is. I think that’s where a team can come together. I think that’s where an identity comes out of. And it comes with work. We can talk at a press conference and you can answer these questions and sound cool and like we believe it, but it’s going to start on Wednesday’s practice. And then it’s going to follow up with Thursday’s padded practice. How are we going to respond? Friday, Saturday, then let’s put it on tape Sunday. Whether the result – win, loss or draw, whatever that is – the way we go about our work and the way we consistently push this wheel and push this whole thing to move in the same direction, that’s what it’s all about. You look at a guy to your left and your right, do you trust him? Is he playing for you and not playing for himself? I could play for a coach, I could play for Raheem (Mostert), I could play for Chase (Edmonds), I could play for all of these guys and that’s where power comes in. That’s where you come together as a team and that’s what we need to do.”
(As a guy who takes a lot of hits – I’m just going back to QB Teddy Bridgewater for a moment – what are your thoughts on the addition of the new rule and just kind of taking that extra step to protect players?) – “Like I said earlier, it’s a double-edged sword. We’re all competitors. We want to be out there. We want to be out there. We want to play for our brothers. We want to play for the organization, the team, the coaches. You put so much, you sacrifice so much, for these limited opportunities. You get 17 opportunities. So as a player in the heat of battle, you’re always going to try and get up. You’re always going to try and play for the people next to you. For the organization, the NFLPA and the NFL to come in and protect us from ourselves a little bit and be able to say we’re going to protect you from injuring yourself further, for your family and playing with your grandkids one day, I think they have a lot of insight there too. I know I want to play with my grandkids. I’m going to play as hard as I can for my guys right now for all of these limited opportunities. You just have to trust the people in charge that they have the best interest for you.”
(Just being from Wisconsin, is there any extra giddy-up this week knowing that it’s the Vikings, with you being a football fan growing up?) – “I grew up and watched the Vikings twice a year very closely – the NFC North. I definitely know what that’s all about. I played up there my rookie year. I do think this is a week and an opportunity to play for these guys and play for the room, play for the organization. Any of that extra jazz, you can kind of leave to the side right now. We have enough to worry about right now.”
(Does this offense have an identity right now? Is it a big-play offense? Or is the identity still evolving?) – “It’s still evolving and it probably always will be. I think that’s power in having so many playmakers on offense. You’ve got ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill), you’ve got (Jaylen) Waddle. You’ve got all of the guys that can make the big splash plays. But then it’s the guys up front in the trenches too. I think the offense that we have and the personnel that we have, being able to step up when your number is called is huge. Whether that’s a run-first game, a pass-first game, a big-play game, a grind-it-out type of game, an ugly game, good weather, bad weather, whatever – I think being able to be a Dolphin and being able to win and be in any type of game that you need to be in, I think that’s where teams can get dangerous.”
(Do you think the run game scheme can kind of mask some of those injuries along the offensive line?) – “I think when you talk about a run game scheme, it really is like earlier when I talked about all 11 playing together. That’s where you have power in guys stepping up. So when you have injuries, when you have guys that are going down, when you have tight ends that can learn multiple positions, wide receivers that can take ownership of the playbook, running backs and fullbacks able to be adjustable, be football players and understand the whole concept and be able to give defenses different looks, I think that’s where there’s a little bit of power in the run game and the concepts that we run. It’s just a lot of guys taking ownership and just buying in and getting a little bit better every single day. We’ll put some good stuff on tape.”
(Considering it was QB Skylar Thompson’s first start yesterday, how much more importance did that give to you guys to finally get the running game going to take some weight off his shoulders a bit?) – “I think it was close for a while. Just being there with Skylar, seeing him call plays in the huddle, you know we had confidence in him from a great preseason and a great training camp. It’s great to see it in the regular season come to life. A lot of things that the players, coaches and the organization have been preaching, it really did – there were some good things to take out of it, especially from the run game. You’ve just got to keep building on that and keep pushing.”
