Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey
(Last week was the defense, this week was special teams. Just talk about K Jason Sanders’ performance, five field goals, three of 50-plus. Very impressive.) – “He’s super impressive and then the game winner, obviously, that was super big. It was a good game. He had a great game – actually, the whole special teams had a good game. There were some good punts and everything, good coverage. Braxton (Berrios) had some good returns, so special teams did their thing today, for sure.”
(What does it mean to you to know you’ll be playing in playoff games for the Dolphins?) – “Yeah, it means a lot. That’s obviously step one, to get in the dance and then we’ll go from there. We have to finish the season strong and then we’ll start those playoffs and it’ll be fun.”
(Does it matter, the narrative? They said you couldn’t beat a good team. Well, here’s a good team, and you guys beat them at home and took care of business.) – “Yeah, that’s cool. The narrative doesn’t come from us, that comes from y’all. We don’t really care. Like I said, it was just a good win.”
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins S DeShon Elliott
(Did that feel like a playoff game?) – “For sure. I’ve played in the playoffs before, that was a tough atmosphere for sure. That’s a great team over there. Being from Dallas, I wanted to beat them so bad. I’m happy. That was my Christmas present today.”
(Was it nice to watch your offense put it away there at the end?) – “Yeah, we have faith in them no matter when they go on the field. But to see that, to see them in that victory formation, man, that was amazing. The whole time before he kicked the field goal, I just put my head down and was praying to God like please make this.”
(What does beating the Dallas Cowboys say about the Miami Dolphins?) – “We knew who we were, we know who we are. We don’t care what anybody else thinks. Regardless, next game we got Baltimore next Sunday. That’s where our mind is at now. We’re going to enjoy this Christmas night and then get back to work on Tuesday.”
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
(What’s it like to close out a game, to finally close out a game on offense?) – “It feels great. I mean, I’m so proud of ‘Jefe’ (Jeff Wilson Jr.) – y’all don’t understand how close we are. For him to seal the deal the way he did in that fashion and then Jason (Sanders) kicked the field goal, that just tells you about the resilience of our team.”
(All the touchdowns, cracking 1,000 rushing yards, I’m sure you’ve got to be excited about that and doing it all on a win, how great was that?) – “A great feeling, I’m just blessed and excited. A lot went into it, but I’m just going to enjoy this.”
(I know you guys are always happy after a win, but I don’t see champagne being poured in here. Is that for a specific reason? You guys clinched a playoff spot.) – “Yeah, there’s still work to be done. We still have two more games left, we have the Ravens and we have the Bills – two tough opponents. We’ll see how it shakes out for them, but we’re going to celebrate this one tonight and tomorrow, whatever we’re going to do, enjoy the Christmas break and come back and get right to work.”
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(How sweet was it to close out a game like that in dramatic fashion?) – “It’s great. Obviously, it shows that we belong. It’s a stepping stone in the right direction, so we just have to keep building and come together as a team.”
(They came in as the No. 2 scoring offense and you guys held them to 20 points. You had a lot of stops in the red zone. What went right for you guys defensively?) – “When you can limit an offense like that, obviously they’ve got CeeDee Lamb, (Tony) Pollard is a great running back, Jake Ferguson. All these guys that are weapons. They got us early and once we settled in and started to play our game, stick to our fundamentals and techniques and obviously (Defensive Coordinator) Vic (Fangio) put us in the right calls to make plays. It’s a step in the right direction, but we have to continue to improve.”
(What’s it like for you when you’re going off, LB Bradley Chubb’s getting home, DT Christian Wilkins getting home? All you guys are weaving it through.) – “We thrive off each other; we love seeing each other eat. When Chubb makes a big play, it gets us all excited. It’s just a love between us d-line. We feed off each other, and we want to see each other do well.”
(I know you guys are always happy after a win, but I don’t see any champagne being poured despite the playoff clinch. Why do you think that is?) – “We’re not done yet. This isn’t our ultimate goal. We made it to the playoffs last year, but we didn’t do what we wanted to do. We got bigger, a big surprise as (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) always says. Our goal isn’t to make the playoffs, so this is a step in the right direction, but we’re not done yet.”
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins K Jason Sanders
Q. Big smile on your face for a reason. How special was today for you and to put your team in the position you did?
JASON SANDERS: It was awesome. I felt like I’ve been waiting for that moment since the Jets game last year. To come on a big game like this against a good opponent, it feels good. I have to give a lot of credit to Jake (Bailey) and Blake (Ferguson). They don’t get a lot of credit on kicks like that. So to have a snapper like Blake and a holder like Jake, it makes my job that much easier.
Q. It felt like you kind of started it off, set the tone with a career-long field goal. I’m just curious looking back at that was there any discussion about even attempting it? What was the discussion before you went out and attempted that career-long field goal?
JASON SANDERS: We were always going to kick it, I believe, but when he called the timeout, it felt good knowing that your coach believed we were going to get these three points. When you have a coach that believes like that, it makes it that much easier, too.
Q. Was there anything that you did differently, felt differently today? Seemed like the ball was exploding off your foot?
JASON SANDERS: No, it’s just Christmas. Christmas is here. (laughter) I treat every game the same. Every preparation, every Wednesday is going to be the same for me. So coming out here against a good opponent, that’s what makes it that much better.
Q. If you spend any amount of time at one place, you’ll have ups and downs. Tua was talking about your journey, highs and lows you’ve had so far. Obviously this is probably one of the highest moments in your career.
JASON SANDERS: Not every year can be an All-Pro year. So I think I’m still hitting the kicks. I’m still right where I need to be. Couple blocks here and there. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.
Q. Last two years it’s been your kicks that get the Dolphins into the postseason. What’s it like just to have such momentous plays lying on your foot?
JASON SANDERS: It’s like one of those things. Good things happen, but it just feels that much better that it was against a quality opponent.
Q. How old were you when you first decided to play kicker?
JASON SANDERS: My brother was the kicker in high school when I was a freshman. That was the first time I struck leather. But it didn’t get serious until junior year, senior year, when you thought you could probably do something with it.
Q. You mentioned the quality of the opponent. Of course the narrative was that this team hasn’t beaten a team like that. Were you at all paying attention to that?
JASON SANDERS: That’s all noise. It’s, like, people don’t realize how hard it is to win every Sunday. So whether it’s a less opponent, every game is going to be just as difficult.
Q. What were you feeling at the end there? Looked like you were counting off the number of field goals?
JASON SANDERS: Nah, I was in the moment. I was in the moment. It was fun.
Q. Do you remember your first ever game-winning kick? I’m not talking about NFL or New Mexico. Just first-ever?
JASON SANDERS: First-ever was my senior year in college against Tulsa. And then first-ever here was the Bears, overtime.
Q. What do you remember about that kick against Tulsa?
JASON SANDERS: Just a lot of emotions go through your head. You’re calm for so long and then it’s finally time to celebrate because it’s over. You get to enjoy what happened.
Q. It’s kind of like relief?
JASON SANDERS: Yes.
Q. On the game-winner, how much do you notice the crowd? What do you see? What do you feel?
JASON SANDERS: You’re locked in. It’s between you and the uprights. When you’ve got Jake (Bailey) and Blake (Ferguson) it’s truly between you and the uprights. You can trust what they’re going to do and worry about yourself.
Q. Tyreek said he might bring back the ping-pong table for you?
JASON SANDERS: If they want to lose. That was my thing. There was a tournament. I was the guy. If they want competition, I’ll be there.
Q. The 57-yarder, did you know the distance, and did you know that it was a career-long for you?
JASON SANDERS: No. You know when it’s a long or short one. You’re not going to know the exact yardage because you want to stay locked in. The yardage doesn’t matter. So, no, I didn’t.
Q. Was it a distraction, Jake Bailey counts 10 and you guys have that. Was that a distraction?
JASON SANDERS: That just goes back to Jake’s preparation as well. He knows if we have 10 we’re not snapping that ball at all. Points are points, and we’ve got to have the points. So you’ll never snap the ball with 10 guys on the field on field goal. If you want to take the delay, take the delay. But if you have a guy that believes in you, you take the timeout and take three.
Q. Blake told me he told the offense just give us a chance. Do you ever tell the offense that? Do you ever talk to those guys and say anything to them?
JASON SANDERS: No, they know exactly what to do. You have a special teams coach that has a mouth in people’s ears. There’s progression. Everybody knows their assignment.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
Q. Same question for you. I know you were not thinking this in the moment, but looking back, how important was that drive to kind of maybe change the narrative?
TYREEK HILL: I feel like every guy on the team knew what was at stake, and plus it was a big moment for us. We can look back at the course of the game. We have Tennessee being the last game we could have won and we didn’t deliver. So this game right here was kind of like the mentality game for us. When everyone on the offensive side, during meetings, we said, look, whenever we have a chance to score or win the game, or end the game with the ball, we’re going to do that. And that’s something that’s been communicated throughout our meetings and stuff like that, because we just can’t be called the best offense, we can’t be called explosive, we have to be able to have good drives and the way Tua orchestrated the last drive, it was a thing of beauty.
Q. The third-and-2, the play where you went flat, picking up the first down there, what went through that call, the play to you on the last drive in the flat that you ended up picking up the first down, just take us through that a little bit. What was the call? What was the read?
TYREEK HILL: That was just one of them plays. Coach (McDaniel) was like, ‘look, I’m coming to you no matter what.’ And the rest of the guys were all right, ‘Reek,’ we’re going to block for you. Just make sure you get three yards right here. And it was a thing of beauty. Like those guys made my job real easy, and I did, like, a counter, came back out, called a quick screen. And it was a wide-open scene. I’ve got to give credit to the guys up front and also the receivers blocking downfield. It was a thing of beauty. Right after the play one of the DBs came up to me and said, ‘y’all really ran a screen, bro?’ I was, like, ‘yeah, anything is possible with this offense.’ We kind of caught them off guard.
Q. What did you have to go through this week just to play?
TYREEK HILL: I had to go through a lot of therapy with Kyle (Johnston). I don’t like spending time with Kyle, although he’s, like, my favorite guy in the building outside of football. So just that right there, just mentally preparing and taking a lot of vitamin Ts.
Q. Life will give you the same lessons until you pass the test. Next week you guys have a match-up with Baltimore and a lot is at stake. Given that opportunity again, are you guys thinking about not taking that for granted and approaching the week with focus?
TYREEK HILL: Each and every game is an opportunity for us to prove that we are one of the best teams in the AFC. So I believe going against the Ravens will be a good test. Looking forward to it. They’ve got a good defense, real good team at that. It’s going to be fun. We can’t take no match-up lightly. They’ve got some very good players over there, good schemes, great head coach. So it’s definitely a challenge for us on both sides of the ball. All three phases, because they really emphasis special teams, all three phases. It’s going to be a real good game, down in Baltimore. Is it a night game? All right. So it’s going to be dope. Hopefully it don’t rain.
Q. You mentioned special teams there. What about the game Jason Sanders had? You got some love for your kicker?
TYREEK HILL: Yeah, he had a phenomenal game. I told him maybe we’ll bring the ping-pong table back. (laughter)
Q. You clinched a playoff spot. It doesn’t happen often here, but it seems like you guys have the bigger goals. Why is the mindset like it is? Seems like it should be a big for celebration.
TYREEK HILL: Yeah, I feel the same way. Obviously nobody’s going to remember the Miami Dolphins making the playoffs when it’s time, when February comes around. It’s always about winning the big game. And that’s where our mind is at right now. And we know we’ve got to team to do it. A lot of people have been saying we can’t beat good teams and feel like today we kind of showed that. So we can scratch that off the box. Now we just are looking for Stephen A. and Shannon Sharpe and I wonder what Skip Bayless is going to say ‘First Take.’ So interesting.
Q. You guys put up a lot of yards and 22 points with I think half of your offense was missing, offensive line was Armstead and a bunch of backups today. Did the resilience of this offense, you’re still able to put points on the board with guys that weren’t supposed to be starters going into the season?
TYREEK HILL: Our offensive line coach, he is one of the coolest guys on our team. Like he does a great job of just coaching those guys. I sometimes, just during practice, I go over there and watch him coach because he’s one of my favorite coaches, like the way he coaches those guys and the way he challenges those guys over there. You know football is all about next man up. Whenever guys get their opportunity. It’s all about playing for one another and they do a good job of protecting Tua.
Q. How much more enjoyable will Christmas be tomorrow?
TYREEK HILL: It’s going to be fun, man. My grandma is in town. I haven’t seen my grandmother in a year. So I’m very excited about that. I’m just happy. I’ve been in the holiday spirit all week. My grandma is in town. She kind of surprised me. Sweet potato pie. You know grandma, she brought it all the way from South Georgia. So really looking forward to that now.
Q. Talk about Tua’s demeanor in the huddle on that last drive, in a drive like that, that is as important as the last one. And how has that changed from the first time you have been in a position with him like that?
TYREEK HILL: Tua was turned up towards the end of the game. Towards the end of the game he was getting guys going, he was getting guys rolling. I love to see it. I love to see that kind of intensity, especially out of Tua. Digging into guys a-holes and getting guys lined up and stuff like that, making sure we’re operating properly and getting in and out of the huddle. So it was a nice thing to see. I almost had words with him because I almost – ‘my bad bro, I’m jogging out the huddle’ so it’s a thing of beauty, man.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q. What does this mean to you and the team?
COACH MCDANIEL: It means we won our 11th game. It means that the team isn’t crazy for feeling the way they feel. I think, specifically since I’ve been in the National Football League, I think the experience for players has changed with the advent and heavy push of social media. I think it’s really hard to ignore the noise, so to speak, or not hear it. I think you’re going to hear it. And so it’s impossible for people not to know all the things that we’re not capable of doing. But I’m proud for this team because regardless of what people say, you have to get to a mode where you’re solely worried about doing your job and being responsible for that with your teammates. And anything else, you get distracted and lose focus on what actually matters. So I thought this is a big win for this team because it’s always big when you do something that internally you know that you’re capable of. And when it comes to fruition, it’s pretty satisfying. I think a lot of their training – I think a lot of the season came out tonight. I think there are really cool results when people persevere through tough times and don’t let tough times wear you down too much. Nobody on this team thought we were going to lose that game. And that’s pretty cool when everyone tells you that you can’t do X, Y or Z. So that’s what that is. It’s a win against a really good team that is tough to beat, just in general, that has playoff experience for the last several years. But then it’s like, awesome, check that box, let’s get as healthy as we can, and let’s go play the Baltimore Ravens. So we’ll be fully on that tomorrow. Tonight, I think it’s just satisfying to have an earned victory that took everybody. And I thought there was, from the beginning of the game to the end, you know, from DeShon Elliott making that stop on the goal line that gave us another down and we got the turnover, all the way down to there’s just to the plays that were made on the final drive. And I thought it was very fitting that for a game that people – our locker room is filled with “they said you can’t” – filled with guys that have been told they can’t. One of which is Jason, can’t make 50-yard field goals. So that’s what it’s about is taking things into your own hands, working to be the best version of yourself, cutting no corners. And you get results like that in a high-stakes game with a lot of pressure. This team was fully confident and knew it would take all 60 minutes. So it’s a cool one to be a part of. I think a lot of the guys are happy because their Christmas isn’t ruined.
Q. 3:27 when you take over at the 25. What’s your mindset there aside from getting in field goal range?
COACH MCDANIEL: I was excited to see which phase was going to win the game. I wasn’t going to count our defense out for a second and I wasn’t going to count our offense out either. And the second that they scored the touchdown, went up by one, I was happy for the opportunity because I know you have to figure out a way to win in those moments to have the season that you want. I was very pumped. I was confident that our guys would execute. And I think we got – it was cool that we matriculated down the field. Their pass rush was real and we were able to get into scoring position. And then to be able to convert to get to first down, to get – it epitomizes what the Dolphins are. Jeff Wilson comes and fights for the yardage that allows us to kneel down and kick a field goal. That is happening all over the place in all three phases, which is why you’re seeing a team that is playing very hard for each other each and every week. So many guys are contributing. So many guys are stepping up with injuries, and that’s the most fun football to be a part of.
Q. Tell us about the decision to go screen to Tyreek on the third-and-3?
COACH MCDANIEL: I was trying to – getting Tyreek the ball isn’t that novel. I was picking the play that I thought you guys would second-guess the strongest if it didn’t work. (laughter) No, you’re going through – it was a nice discourse. I was pumped about our offensive coaching staff. We kind of went back and forth with a couple of different calls. And then as we thought about it, where we were on the field and kind of the look that Tyreek had in his eye, he’s got to a place where he knows when a defense is fully committing all of their resources to stopping him and it’s not frustrating him. He’s just trying to find his moments to do something great. That is something that is not easy to do, especially when he’s put as much pressure on yourself as he does. But you want to talk about something confident. As long as we had someone in between the first primary defender and him, he’s going to find a way to get those yards. So I thought it was well-executed, good ball placement. Braxton Berrios did a great job and Lester Cotton did a phenomenal job as well. That’s what it takes for those type of wins.
Q. The use of technology you know that because of social media and everything that sometimes it is hard for guys to drown it out. I’m just curious, what’s your message throughout the season and maybe this week? Was it, if you hear it, internalize it, use it to push you further or drown it out?
COACH MCDANIEL: No, as I’ve been a head coach, I’ve kind of recognized that it’s impossible to be in a vacuum. So, I didn’t really explain it that well. I can’t remember what day it was. But I’m assuming I was tired in my press conference, but when I was talking about telling people, F off, it wasn’t you shouldn’t have that question. People are entitled to any question they want. It’s understand that this is going to come. People are going to say this, this, or that. And respectfully take that information and that’s the F off part, is you’re not allowing other people’s information pushed on you to occupy rent in your brain, that you know that that’s going to come. So I think for me, when there’s going to be narratives that the team is going to hear, I try to talk about them because I know that it’s going to be talked about. But you do that so hopefully they trust you enough that it doesn’t now occupy their brain because you said it, but you’re trying to really position them in the direction where, hey, this is going to happen. Don’t even bat an eye. People are going to talk about not – everyone’s going to talk about stuff we haven’t done until we do it. And you shouldn’t get mad at that. It’s like, yeah, we haven’t beaten a team with a winning record so we’re vulnerable to that. All the things that you haven’t done, should we really be entitled to blind faith before we do it? That’s kind of where they were at. I feel like the team did a good job of it not really owning their minds and souls in the process of the week because that’s what happens if you get distracted and start thinking about, ‘I’m so pissed that someone said we couldn’t beat a team.’ You’re now not thinking about your job, and that’s the challenge for all teams. And just with this massive amount of information that’s always thrown at you, with millions and millions upon millions of people having an opinion of you and how your performance was, you just have to come to grips with the fact that – I talked to them from my perspective. I know exactly what’s going to happen if a play doesn’t work or if a decision doesn’t work out, as it should. So I think that was that strength. That’s what I was proud about, is the team came together and found a way to focus on what matters. Because all the other stuff, it’s not ‘woe is me’ because that’s part of the reason why we get compensated the way we do. It’s part of the reason that people care. So being able to focus on what your job is, is monumental and in games like this if you’re not that way, you will lose them somehow, some way.
Q. You talked about the Tennessee game, about the lessons that you learned by the team and also by yourself. What did you think you learned in that game that came to play late in this one?
COACH MCDANIEL: From the team’s perspective or mine?=
Q. Yours.
COACH MCDANIEL: Mine? Really from that game, there’s some times as a coach that you can try to will things into existence and you can kind of – like one of my starting points of how I just view this whole game, is I have a job to do to put people in position to succeed. But like, I never am responsible for the results that are good. Like, I could call a terrible play and it works or I could call the perfect play and it doesn’t work. It’s the players and putting them in position for success. And sometimes I can fall into the trap of, like, I need to make the perfect call. It’s not that. It’s giving people opportunities in a smart fashion relative to what the defense is doing and what you’re successful at. So more listening to what’s going on right in front of me and less trying to take the game into a schematic place because I don’t see it that way. I think you prepare a certain way. If your players are prepared, they know exactly what to do in certain scenarios. And then in moments like those you get the ball to whom the quarterback is confident in, who will be open, and who’s really got the hot hand and live from there.
Q. There will be a lot more in Tua’s career going forward, but in this point do you think that final 3:27 was career-defining at this point with what he was able to do and with the stakes that were part of that?
COACH MCDANIEL: I think it was a big moment for other people, probably something – there’s always validation when you’re able to come through in a big moment. But really the way I look at everything and the way I try to talk to the team is we define ourselves each and every day. So, like, what does that mean for him? It’s validation, but it also means nothing because it’s not like what would have changed if we didn’t win that game. That’s the way you have to look at things. You’re constantly chopping wood to be the best version of yourself while holding on to your belief in yourself and everybody else. I’m sure deep down it gives some sort of validation, not that I would see. And to me I don’t think you’re going to like the results if you’re living in the past, off your past accomplishments. You have to be satisfied with how you go after that day and what’s set in front of you that day. For him, that’s the only way he’s going to be satisfied, is that relentless pursuit of improving his game. I think – I’m happy for him – but there’s not one player on our team that was surprised. You know what I mean? I don’t really know where that leaves us, but, man, I need a drink of water.
Q. I saw Steve Ross walking off the field and he shook his fist. This has to be a very satisfying win for him. Have you had a chance to share a moment with him and has he expressed his joy to you?
COACH MCDANIEL: Yeah, it really brings me a lot of joy because the way I look at it, and from my experience, he was the one owner that decided that I was worthwhile to interview and took a shot on me where a lot of people in the first hiring cycle don’t. And in the process of getting to know him, there’s a ton of things that I could find from a relatable standpoint from both myself and just – he has earned everything to his name on his own and been extremely successful to do that. And I know that he hadn’t felt that same success with the Dolphins, by his own admission. But you want to talk about a guy that positions an NFL franchise to succeed where he doesn’t use his power of being the owner, like, literally, he could tell me to stand on one leg for the rest of the week. (laughter) But he doesn’t. He hires people and lets them do their jobs and supports us; reaches out to me after a tough loss, is worried about me. So for me, it’s hard for me not to look like I – part of the million reasons that I have to do my job to the best of my ability is to bring to him what I think he deserves because he’s, I mean, I can’t imagine an owner I’d rather work for and he deserves that satisfaction. And I know a lot of guys are happy that they can do that because he deserves it. He gives us everything that we could possibly want to try to have a winner.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins LB Bradley Chubb
(Last week was the defense holding down the fort, but this week special teams was very special, especially K Jason Sanders. Five field goals, three from 50+ yards. Just how special is your man?) – “It’s dope. It’s dope when one side is lacking or whatever the word or term is I’m looking for, it’s dope to see that the special teams group is going to step up. If the defense is down, the offense is going to step up and vice versa. It’s just dope to see this team be a complete team and we’re going into these weeks with the preparation and the mindset that we are a complete team and to go out there and continue to prove it is dope.”
(You’ve been chanting ever since you came into the hallway, “who can’t?” How great is it to shut the naysayers and haters up that you guys can’t beat a team with a winning record?) – “It’s cool, man, it’s cool, but we’re not done. We’re not even close to being where we want to be. There’s a lot of plays we left out there and championship teams don’t leave those plays out there and it’s just finally good to get over that hump of the narrative and changing the narrative to be what we want it to be and how we want to approach everything and it’s just been dope to see this team come together, not worry about the outsiders, the naysayers and just do what we do and prepare like we’re a championship team each and every week. I got emotional with the ‘who can’t’ because at the end of the day we put our heart and put our soul into this and for somebody to tell us we can’t do it, we’re going to want to go out there and prove them wrong every time.”
(What was the atmosphere like?) – “Electric, electric. It’s kind of cool that their fans traveled so well, too, because it was just nonstop energy the whole game. Just seeing them tears and people going crazy over touchdowns and field goals, whatever the case may be. It was just an electric atmosphere and one of those that we want to continue to play in.”
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Postgame – Dallas
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. What are your emotions right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: A win. We got a win. That’s all you can ask for in this league any which way you can get it. That’s all you can ask for. Very proud of our guys. They played their hearts out against a really good team. The opposing team played really well. I got a lot of respect for those guys on both sides of the ball. I got a lot of respect for their coaches as well. They’re well-coached. They played a hard game. And these kind of games, in December, that’s how they go. Whoever has the ball last normally, that’s what you can do with that.
Q. After you took two knees (inaudible) and second when the kick was being made, what were you doing? Did you watch?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I don’t think I watched when Jason kicked it. I think I just walked onto the field with my hands up. I didn’t even look at it. But when we took that final knee, that was really cool. I just think of the amount of work that it takes to play a game week in and week out, to prepare for a really good team on Sunday. Every team is good. So to do that and then come out with a victory, a hard-fought victory, that makes it all worth it.
Q. On that last drive, just what do you see? Obviously you kind of got a next drive started with the facemask penalty. What were you seeing on that drive even down to that big third, that completion to Tyreek?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think they played what they wanted to play early on. Then we started to see them make some adjustments, not with the second, not necessarily the second or third series, but as they found their rhythm with what they like to call defensively, with how they wanted to cover our guys and stop the run, they sort of mixed some other things in, but they were very sound. They play hard. So got to take these wins as they come.
Q. Want to ask about that final stretch. When you got the ball with 3:27 left, it looked like you gathered everybody to maybe get everyone focused in the huddle? That’s what it sort of looked like anyway and also on that pass to Tyreek, that third-down pass, it looked like you turned to him and maybe said something, maybe changed something right before the snap?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: No, I’m just telling them what they probably already know. But the entirety of the game or for most of the game, third downs, as we got closer into the red zone, they were trying to double Tyreek. So I basically just told them it was man. So when Tyreek motioned over and they both ran over, Tyreek already assumed that, okay, it’s man but now I’m being doubled on this play. So when Tyreek came back out, the guy watching him was trailing him. And nobody wants to be behind Tyreek so they’re going to try to overplay it. When that happened, there was a screen and Tyreek was able to do what Tyreek does.
Q. What can this win do for the confidence of this team going forward? You’re four wins from the Super Bowl now. If you win four games, you win the Super Bowl.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: You know, I’m so proud of this team for continuing to come in day in, day out and just work on their craft. I don’t think anyone is necessarily worried about what anyone else is saying outside of the guys in the building. The confidence, I mean, everyone has confidence in each other and themselves. I don’t think winning these games do anything more or anything less. But it sort of reiterates the work that we put in and gives us the satisfaction that the work that we do put in pays off and we’ve seen it today.
Q. When you come in on a drive like that and you need a field goal to win, or at least try to get a field goal, maybe use as much of the clock as possible, how do you manage being aggressive versus not making a mistake in that situation? How as a quarterback do you manage those two things?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think around the league everyone knows that three minutes and 20-something seconds is normal play for any quarterback. That’s how we looked at it. We didn’t have to do anything more than what was required for us during that play. We didn’t have to take a shot if it wasn’t necessary. As long as we got completions and we got the ball moving forward and they were positive plays, that’s all we could have asked for.
Q. The win clinches a playoff spot. How important is it to cement now that you’re in the postseason?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It’s awesome. That’s what we work hard for throughout the entirety of OTAs, training camp and that’s why you try to win as many games as you can early on in the season. But I don’t think that changes our mindset as a team. I don’t think we look at our next opponent or our schedule any different than how we have, where we’re going to continue to play our opponents the way we should play them and that’s hard. And we know we’ll get their best. They know they’ll get ours.
Q. Because the narrative of not having beat a team with a winning record going into a game in 15 months, was that drive, when you look back at it, kind of a must-score, defining drive for this team?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: The way I look at it, man, I just continued to go back to the work that our guys put in day in, day out. Obviously our defense didn’t want to allow them to score, but that’s how football works. As we were on the sideline we were going through the scenarios of if they score this is what we look to do. If they don’t score or if they do kick a field goal, here’s the scenarios that would need to happen. I mean, I’m just very proud of our guys. I’m just very happy that collectively we were all able to do something like that and show everyone that we’re fast but our team is also very physical and we can play with anyone.
Q. How much better does a win make your family’s Christmas?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think it makes the Miami’s Dolphins’ families, everyone that’s under the Miami Dolphins, I think it makes their Christmas a lot better. Everything is good when you’re winning.
Q. When you passed to Waddle, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. You have him and Tyreek over that mark. Can you touch on that as far as did you ever think that was possible coming into the year?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Would I have thought that was possible? Yeah. But with the season that Tyreek’s having, would I have been able to tell you that the catches that Waddle was getting that he would eclipse it? No. But I think that should tell you a lot about those two guys. Competitive greatness. When Tyreek was out, Jaylen Waddle stepped up and did what he needed to do to help our team win that game. And you could see how happy Tyreek was for him. This game, Waddle’s out, Tyreek’s up. Every time Tyreek catches the ball, you can look on the sideline and you can see how happy Waddle is. It’s not just with ‘Reek,’ (Tyreek Hill) it’s with everyone and with what they’re doing with that success. And you can’t leave someone like Raheem out, for things that he’s battled throughout his career, things that he’s had to go through. And so I’m very proud of those guys. I’m very proud of this team. I think that tells you a lot about the character that we have on this team and the men that we have. But we’ll enjoy this. Merry Christmas to everyone and we’ll be back next week.
