FB Alec Ingold
(How are you doing and how are you guys doing? The sun shined again today, it came up?) – “The sun rose today, yeah. I think guys took a lot of coaching today, which was needed, and it’s a good wakeup call for the whole team to be accountable and to continue to improve. The standard doesn’t change, the standard doesn’t waver, and it’s kind of just showing up, working to find ways to get better and improve. A cool thing I think we covered in our room is that any time you’re in a result-based business or industry, there’s expectations, there’s potential and then there’s what you put out on tape. That gap that is bridged between the two changes every single week, and the challenge for a lot of guys in the room is balancing remembering who we are, what we’ve done in the past, what we just did and continuing to find ways to close that gap toward the potential, the expectation, the standard in the room. Honestly, that gap will never close. You never arrive toward that full expectation, that full standard, but finding ways to continuously close that gap – the wins, the losses, the good and the bad, the applause, the criticism, being able to use all of that to continuously close that gap is the challenge for the guys in the room and to not lose any focus and just continue that improvement.”
(Is a loss to Buffalo any different than a loss to the Jets or a loss to the Chargers or the Bengals?) – “I would say microscope answer, no. You take every week in stride; you focus on trying to improve. Telescope answer, you want to be No. 1 in the division. You go on the road, you want to prove and make a statement – big picture, you want that win. So once again, balancing your microscope and your telescope, finding out the details and how you get a win done up there. It’s obviously disappointing in the way we didn’t execute, but telescope wise, you have to find ways to get up for those big games, the primetime games, the playoff game atmosphere and find ways to execute those as well.”
(What changed after the opening two drives, going right down the field for touchdowns, to then four straight three-and-outs?) – “I think it was self-inflicted wounds. This offense is really talented. There’s a lot of guys that can make a lot of plays. When little details kind of start slipping and you don’t have one guy pick it up, and then it kind of snowballs, that’s where you get a three-and-out like that. That goes back to the fact of just executing and focusing on your assignment – 1/11th of the team approaching the ball and being able to master your assignment, master your role. And yeah, it’s a great defense. They made adjustments. They’re really assignment sound. They play on a string, that’s the challenge. That’s what you love about going up there and playing the Bills. You know you’re going to be playing a great defense that plays together, and you’ve got to be on your stuff. So that was really the adjustment there.”
(You didn’t want to lose a game, but do you think there’s an advantage to getting that on tape this early in the season?) – “No doubt. Once again, I go back to the fact that if you’re constantly closing that gap, you’re able to find out with adversity how you’re able to use that to your advantage, how you’re able to use these opportunities to learn, to take tough lessons, to introduce guys to the rest of the team and show your true character and how you respond to those adverse moments. I think it’s a great opportunity to show up on a Week 5 game. There’s going to be a little saltiness going around, but the way that guys are able to trust each other, come together, go to work after a loss, a tough loss, an embarrassing loss like that, and be able to move forward is really important for the rest of the season. It’s a long season, you’re 3-1 at the quarter, and you’re able to use a tough loss like that and see how guys respond to it. I think it’s a great opportunity for everyone in the room to kind of get to know the guy next to him a little bit more and get in the foxhole a little bit.”
(I’m sure all today was about Buffalo, but with the New York Giants coming this week, what do you know about DL Kayvon Thibodeaux?) – “I know he’s a stud. I know the defensive coordinator out there is scheming up dang near everything, and that defensive front is something serious. I think that’s going to be a good challenge when you look forward. I’m excited to watch them on Monday Night Football and just be able to be a fan and kind of see everything that is presented on a game film that’s a little bit different than the iPad that you’re scrolling through all week. I think it’ll be cool to see those guys, get a jump on them after we put the tape to bed and figure out a gameplan and showing up on Wednesday ready to work and ready to execute.”
(How do you plan to watch that game tonight? You can watch it as a professional, watch as a fan, how do you plan on watching it?) – “I think normally the primetime Monday night games I like to watch as a fan. I love football. I love commentators. I love the environment of football. I live, I breathe, I eat this stuff. So I’m going to have that lens on it a little bit, and it’s going to be hard for me to put the notebook away. But I think that’s kind of the balance in your brain of football and just enjoying the love of the game, the pureness of the game. Then as soon as coach starts sending those clips and starts making those cut ups, you just put those glasses on, kind of get in your microscope, bear down and you find a way to execute against a great defense.”
(3-1 at the quarter pole, as you said. Two good road victories. You know everything that you guys have done. How do you feel about the 3-1 record and the way you’ve played?) – “I think it’s a good start, and you can use that for whatever it is. I think that’s where being able to respond after a tough loss and being at 3-1 is going to be a lot of juice for a lot of guys. We put a lot of good stuff on tape. You now have a good understanding of defenses that you’re going against. You have four games to really break down the personnel, how they’re playing, what the assignments are, and you’re able to kind of grow into your offense and grow into your role. So it’s going to be an exciting opportunity to move into the second quarter of the season with a little bit more understanding of identities of different teams and our own as well. So yeah, it’s going to be exciting. There’s going to be new wrinkles every single week and kind of take that approach to it.”
(After the game, QB Tua Tagovailoa called it very humbling, and he said that for some, it’s much needed. Did you sense that there was any getting ahead of yourself and looking 4-0, 5-0, 6-0 kind of thing?) – “That’s a tough answer to have for you right off the jump. I think whenever you have a humbling loss, and people might be getting too comfortable or whatever you want to call it, I think that’s just a wakeup call and learning a lesson. How do you learn lessons? How do you take adversity? How do you take coaching? How do you take mistakes? How do you take what we just put out there and improve from it? I think that’s really, whether some people need or not, man, we all need to take that in stride and we all need to push in that same direction. We all need to grab the rope and pull in the same way. I think that’s really the opportunity moving forward is how does this team come closer? How do we continue to trust ourselves? How do we continue to grow together in all of those small details to be able to execute? Whether you take that loss to heart, or it takes a shot at your ego or your pride or whatever it is, being able to check that at the door, come to work and play for the guy next to you, I think that’s the method to the madness here.”
(You guys were a streaky team last year. Three wins, three losses. Five wins, five losses. What did you learn from that and how do you not let one loss become three?) – “I think you find a balance in coming to work, believing in everybody around you, not taking sole ownership of all of the mistakes or all of the rewards, all of the criticism, all of the praise, and being able to do your job and be accessible, be accountable to the guy next to you. And if you get 11 guys operating like that, you’re able to take every single week refocused, re-energized with a new game plan and you’re able to make that week that week. You don’t have to take winning streaks or losing streaks or last year’s problems into this year’s problems. I think that’s where you’re able to be intentional about where your feet are at and move forward with it. And the more guys that can buy into it, the more lessons we can learn. The more applause and criticism and critique that we can (get to) continue to close that gap towards the fullest potential as team, I mean, I think that’s how you take those lessons in stride and that’s how you’re able to take one week at a time knowing that you have 16 or 17 opportunities to prove yourself to your teammates.”
(Two special teams’ questions for you. How bizarre was it to be fielding kickoff returns?) – “Yeah, I mean, with all the new rules and the kickoff return space, you never know what’s going to happen with the short kickoffs, squibs, onside kicks, deep kicks, whatever it is. So it was cool to get Braxton (Berrios) out there and get some opportunities. A lot of guys, a lot of glue guys out there on special teams making plays, being able to sustain blocks. So it was cool to get some tape on that break it down because yeah, we didn’t have any for the first three weeks.”
(I don’t know if you guys have met as a special teams today, but I’m wondering about the mood in the room. It seemed that it was a pretty crisp special teams game. There were some errors in the previous three games. So what was the feeling? And how needed or necessary was that special teams performance?) – “Yeah, I definitely think there was a lot more film to break down, like you can say, and just seeing the different details of every guy’s job. We sit there through all four phases, whether you’re on three of them, four of them, one of them, being able to see your teammates be able to make some plays and execute was a good feeling. And that’s something where it’s something to build off of, right? You get a foundation of trust in the guys to make the plays, you rely on your techniques and how your coach to play, especially on special teams. You get all of this space. You have 80-yard kicks, you have all this space where you got speed, you have guys playing off of one another. I think that’s really the epitome of football. There’s a lot of yards to be gained or lost in special teams. So being able to kind of sharpen that sword and to be able to watch and break down that film and use it for next week I think is really important. It was cool to cool to see guys make plays.”
S Jevon Holland
(Obviously that game wasn’t up to your guys’ defensive standard. What did you think after seeing the film today? Are the mistakes easily correctable? Or is it just going to take time to learn the new system? What are your thoughts?) – “We’ve just got to get back to the basics. That’s the bottom line. Get back to the basics, fundamentals, technique. Focus on your job. Everybody do their 1/11th and play as a team. That’s basically it.”
(The pass defense, in particular, what’s been a consistent issue that needs to improve?) – “Just like I said, focus on the fundamentals. Don’t try to see too much. ‘Shrink your world,’ is what Coach (Renaldo) Hill says. Just eye control, knowing your job, doing your job and not trying to make every play. Just let them come to you.”
(You guys are 3-1 at the quarter pole, basically. I know it’s a 17-game season. You know what you guys have done, two good road wins, scored 70 points, defense holds the Patriots to 17. How would you assess the Dolphins season through four games right now?) – “The season is going. Going on game five. Not really much to say. I mean, you can be 4-0 and then lose every game and it wouldn’t matter. So just continue to focus on one game at a time and emphasize the small things, because those small things can turn into big things. We’ve got to just reset the clock and control what we can control.”
(Have you talked to New York Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux this week?) – “I haven’t spoken to him. He’s got a game tonight.”
(Do you plan to talk to New York Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux this week?) – “Yeah, I mean, we’re friends. I‘ll talk to him, say what’s up to him and whatnot. But I’ll probably just end up seeing him on game day. I’m not really talking mess or anything like that.”
(What do you think of the job New York Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux has done so far?) – “I think he’s doing a hell of a job. I’m happy for him. I’m excited to see success in his career. Hopefully he continues that.”
(How different was it being back with S Brandon Jones yesterday?) – “It was good. Seeing him on the field, getting comfortable, things like that. I’m happy to see he’s back and flying around doing his thing, definitely.”
(You guys pretty much stayed deep yesterday, right? I mean, I know S Brandon Jones used to be up front, eight-man front and everything. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio played you deep. He pretty much stayed deep, didn’t he?) – “More or less but not necessarily tied into the scheme. It just kind of worked out that way.”
(Was S Brandon Jones comfortable? That’s kind of a different role for him, right? He’s deep more than usual, more than he has been in previous years, right?) – “Yeah, he definitely is. But I mean, that’s a question for him. It’s not a question for me. You can ask him if he’s comfortable or not. I think he is but people feel differently than what they say sometimes.”
(What was the message from Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio today?) – “It was what I just said. Just focus on what you can control, the small details, the fundamentals and techniques. That’s what everybody’s going to say because that’s the truth, really. You have to really focus on the things that you can control and those are the things you can control. So I feel like in a situation like this, everybody’s going to say the same thing because it’s the truth. That was the thought process for the defense today.”
(Is Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio a yeller? Is he an analytical guy? When he gives a message to you guys, how does it come across?) – “Have you spoken to Vic before?”
(Yes.) – “What does it come off as?”
(A little dry sense of humor at times. Obviously, moments don’t always call for a sense of humor.) – “He’s a very analytical individual. Not much of a yeller. He’s someone who has a direct tone of voice, tells you what’s wrong and what’s right and moves on. He doesn’t really harp on it or continue to agonize the point of if you messed up or you did something wrong, because he knows that we know. I mean, we’re professionals. Everybody in here is adults. We understand that if we do something wrong, we’re going to already know what we did wrong when it happens. And if we didn’t, he’s going to teach us and then we’re going to move on from that point.”
(Is a loss to Buffalo different than a loss to the Jets or San Francisco or the Chargers?) – “I mean, what does it look like on the record books?”
(It’s a division loss, but.) – “A loss is a loss to me, regardless. It doesn’t really matter.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What do you have for us on T Terron Armstead?) – “It looks to be weeks not days. We have to kind of see how everything settles down and then we’ll be able to make a better prognosis for that timeline here in a couple days, by the end of the week or so. But I can say that he won’t be playing in the next game, but he will be playing again this season.”
(So T Kendall Lamm becomes the starter there?) – “Yes.”
(How did T Kendall Lamm do last game, and how has he done all season?) – “Kendall (Lamm) has done a tremendous job this season. I did see him do a good job in this past game. I also did see a difference that he would attest to that when you’re preparing all week to be the starter or you’re getting 20 to 30 percent of the amount of reps. That’s nature of the business for a lot of guys. When you aren’t starting, you have to be the best version of yourself. I think that he kind of holds himself accountable to being as good, if he is getting starter reps or not, so that’s something that he can chew on moving forward. But I have all the confidence he’s played his tail off and is a huge part of our room. I know nobody on offense has anything but confidence in his play and him being there.”
(What’s the prognosis on LB Jaelan Phillips? Was there a situation where he was this close to playing?) – “Yeah, it was one of those situations where, again, with Jaelan (Phillips), we have to be his best defense mechanism. I think him and the guys that barely didn’t make the game, him and Connor Williams as well, will be stuff that we’ll be trying to see guys practice, hoping that they can practice on Wednesday and when they do practice that they can be good enough to go in the game because they’re big contributors. But we won’t let them rush our process and panic after a one-game losing streak.”
(How did OL Liam Eichenberg do yesterday at center did you think?) – “Center is a funny position in terms of it is pretty remarkable that outside of one kind of snap that was kind of a lollipop, he executed things – the only way teammates can actually perform is if he executes, and he did it with an ease that shouldn’t be understated with regard to making calls. We didn’t have any declaration issues and the snapping process. There are definitely some plays that he wishes he could have back. Some that were particularly in pass protection where he’s kind of getting adjusted to the speed with which games happen and then at the center position, the defender is literally right on top of you. You don’t have the space like the rest of the linemen do between you, so it just happens a little bit faster. There are a couple things that he will learn from and get better from. It was a solid first game starting at that position that the coaches want him to get better and learn from it, and I know he does too. So it was a good starting point to build from.”
(That was as much as we’ve seen QB Tua Tagovailoa get hit obviously this season. How did he get through the game?) – “It’s a credit to what he’s done this offseason. We’ve been able to avoid situations like that where part of that and part of the hits are on the play caller who is calling more passes than runs. I think probably in hindsight I abandoned the run game to a degree too soon and put them into situations that they didn’t need to be in. But overall, it was – I guess that’s a blessing in disguise that he did go through a game where he did get a little more contact and he was able to come out of it strong and ready to get ready for the Giants.”
(I have a question on a stat and I’m not sure how they track this. They said that 80 percent through the first three weeks, QB Tua Tagovailoa threw to his first read. Yesterday, he threw to his first read just 50 percent of the time. I don’t know how they track that, but I just wanted to get your take on QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ability to progress through the first read and get to the second, third, fourth read?) – “Those games, you can’t necessarily control that. There are sometimes in this league, offensively or defensively, if you are determined to take something away, they’ll find a way. There were multiple times that he did progress a couple plays there were in clinic fashion. So those particularly, when you get into a one-sided game where you’re behind a little bit and you’re passing and getting a little off schedule on first and second down, that can happen. You end up throwing the ball more and you become a little bit more predictable in that way. So we needed him to be able to progress. I think he did real well on some plays. There’s a couple that – I know one interception and then the tipped ball that Jaylen (Waddle) caught were progression plays that he would like to be better on for various reasons. I was really happy with how he approached the game, how he executed a vast majority of things that he did. The great thing about Tua (Tagovailoa) is that for me in our relationship, I can just literally coach him on the things that he’s not good at and don’t have to worry about it making him worse, because he’s going to use it all to make sure he improves moving forward.”
(Did they do anything yesterday to take WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill away from the offense?) – “I think like most teams, everybody has a plan for that, and generally, it involves either a complete coverage commitment or a double. What happens is that’s one of the reasons why they are just as dependent upon the run game, as is the quarterback, as is the offensive line. They’re dependent on me to call a good game. When you get into situations where you’re behind and guys can kind of predict pass, they can play softer coverage that takes the ball away from you outside the numbers with a corner and a safety and then inside the numbers with sinking ‘backers and such. That’s not something that we hadn’t seen. It’s just tough when you get into that situation and you’re behind several scores to really dictate the terms the way that we like. I think the Bills did a great job adhering to their gameplan, and they didn’t take anybody away with one or two individuals. It was a team commitment that when you keep 15-yard plays from being 30-yard plays and you stop 12-yard runs and make them 3-yard runs, it has a residual effect that they deserve all the credit in the world for.”
(What did the film tell you regarding your defense’s inability to contain WR Stefan Diggs yesterday?) – “It was kind of what my gut was telling me after the game. I saw two plays directly associated with the technique and fundamentals at the point of attack by the corner, but then there were other plays that were a trickle-down effect from pass rush expectations on that play, from integrity in our pass rush plan and whether or not we voided lanes for Josh Allen, one of the best in the league to do it, to make plays last longer and go off schedule. So it’s a collective group of individuals that to me, as I see it after the fact, after action, that had more to do with his stat line than anything else, is guys not forcing the issue, guys not trying to make plays and guys playing team defense. That’s what we need to focus on and what we will focus on moving forward.”
(Can you explain the decision to go for the two-point conversion at that point of the game?) – “It has to do with a lot of analytic talk. It was an 11-point game at the time, so you’re trying to make it a nine-point game and understanding that if you miss the two-point conversion, your defense at least has to hold the offense out of the end zone regardless, and a field goal would just make it a two-score game. So it’s kind of a tactical measure that being down by nine, you’d be in a situation where you can score a touchdown and then win with a field goal, knowing that the defense was going to have to stop them from getting to the end zone at that point anyway, so it doesn’t hurt you as much. Some analytical talk that we discuss on a weekly basis, and that was the plan coming out of halftime.”
(How does that process work during a game? Does somebody from upstairs tell you after the touchdown what the analytics say?) – “No, this is something that they know. The guys that work with me on the analytics side know that I need time to properly prepare and make that decision. It’s more than just what the chart says. It has to do with a lot of things that are going on in the game. In this particular instance, it was something that we discussed coming out of the tunnel after halftime that, ‘Hey, we’re getting the ball back. If we do go down and score, we would be pro going for two. Here’s why.’ We had already discussed that scenario, probably in the summer, so I knew exactly what they were talking about. That gave me time that I thought, I guess it’s kind of a shot at myself, but the play we called, I was thinking about the entire drive. I thought it would work out. It didn’t. Thus I’m talking about it on Monday, which is always the case. That’s the nature of the business, and I will never run away from that fact.”
(What is your level of concern with how the defense has looked a month in?) – “My foremost concern is that what I know to be fact regardless is we are 3-1 and two of those wins came with, bottom line, the defense was on the field to win the game so to speak, both at the Chargers and New England. So like every season, first and foremost, I know nothing matters during the course of the season if you’re not progressing and getting better. My concern would be if what happened to us on this previous game, we didn’t absolutely get better from. Because I know the journey is long, and at the end of it, for the season to be worth anything, you have to be in big games and be at your best, and those things that happened on Sunday can’t happen. I have the utmost faith in the defensive coaching staff and our players. I was very candid and let them know that my expectation is that we aren’t that team that continually makes the same mistakes. I really, really want to see guys come together in their journey and understand that not one player has to make a play on each play. I think there’s some of that, too, where guys have a high standard they can feel during the game, and it’s not living up to their standard. So it’s, ‘Alright, well I’m going to go strip the ball from this ball carrier,’ and then not get the ball carrier down and leak for seven more yards. Things of that nature. Guys just trying to make a play. The entire locker room, they need to really come together as a group, and we need to as a defense play better team defense. That’s the great thing about this game is there’s nowhere to hide. It is what it is, and that doesn’t bother me. You get beat 48-20, you should know coming into the building that things have to get corrected and that’s not to our standard. I think we’re on that process. I think meetings have been good today, and we’ll see what that brings forth on Wednesday.”
TE Durham Smythe
(The day after, are you a little more encouraged about the performance? Or discouraged? How do you feel about it?) – “I mean, offensively, which is all I can really speak for, I think we can obviously be better. We’ve shown that through the first three weeks. I think we did some good things. But to beat a team like that, in their stadium, you have to be perfect and we were far from that. There are definitely things to be encouraged about. No one in this building and no one on this offense is losing confidence, but we know that we can be better.”
(You guys have done a good job of kind of compartmentalizing victories and losses. Does it feel like you’ll be able to get over this one by tomorrow?) – “Yeah, definitely. I mean, it’s never easy when you lose a division game, especially to a team like that where we’ve had some big games in the past two, three years. But it’s like anything else in this league, it all happens fast. Another good team coming in this week. If you don’t turn the page, those things can kind of pile, snowball a little bit and we’re not going to have that in this building.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa had mentioned a little confusion in maybe getting the plays in and lining up. What was behind that and is that easily fixable, or something that might take two or three weeks you think?) – “I think that’s an easy fix. There’s a lot of things that play into that over the course of a game. Noise in a stadium like that. When the play clock is low, you have to speed things up. Some motions have to be scrapped. There are a lot of things that play into that. A lot of easy fixes. It all comes down to just communication, really, from all of us. But that’s something that we can clean up pretty quickly.”
(You mentioned to beat a team like that you almost have to be perfect. How much pressure does that put on an offense, personally, to know that the margin of error is so slim?) – “It’s kind of something that we talked about. I think it really comes down to everyone just doing their individual job. In a game like that, people can try to make plays for other people – offensively, defensively, special teams. That’s kind of where things go wrong. So I think when you’re in a game like that, against an opponent like that, you just have to focus on doing your job. I think if we can all get on the same page and do that well, which like I’ve said, we’ve shown that we can do, there’s no added pressure compared to anything else.”
(How would you measure QB Tua Tagovailoa’s growth in the second year here in terms of ownership of the offense, trying to get to the second, third, fourth read of the offense? How would you kind of measure how far he’s come in that regard?) – “He’s come a long way. I think we all have in terms of just being comfortable within this offense. I think lot of those things, like you mentioned, progressing through reads and stuff, that comes with the confidence. Obviously when you do well, you become comfortable in this offense. And after a year and a half, those things become a lot easier. As he’s performing well and his confidence continues to grow, he’ll continue to work through those things and really, there’s even more room there.”
