S Brandon Jones
(When we talked to you when you first got drafted, one of the things that stood out about your game was preparation going into it and how it allowed you to play fast. I’m wondering now that you’re getting more playing time, more production, how you feel you’ve grown in terms of seeing things and reacting more than having to have to sit back and wait and let it play out before you can make that reactionary play?) – “I would say my overall mindset has stayed the same and obviously enhanced in a way. I’m really big on routine, so I like to stick to the same stuff that works for me. A big thing that works for me is meeting with my coach every morning before practice and get an idea of the game plan and overall knowing the defensive scheme. I think with those meetings, I’m not only able to get to know my position but get to know a lot of other positions. I think that’s what’s helped me slow the game down and be able to play fast.”
(You had the two big sacks yesterday. What is it about playing forward in those pressures packages that really suits what you do well? How do you think that brings out the best in your game to get two big sacks in a game like that?) – “It’s all scheme based. I wouldn’t necessarily give myself all the credit for that. The d-line did a great job of the stunt games and all of the stuff we did inside to free me up. My mindset it to play fast, trust my keys and continue with the process and kind of go from there. Obviously those were good plays, but the bad plays and the plays I should’ve made, especially at the end of the game is the stuff that sticks to me more than necessarily the good plays.”
(We talked to S Eric Rowe and DB Jason McCourty last week and they talked about the challenges of being an assignment-based safety unit. What’s it like to have roles and everybody do their roles and be subbed in and out of the game the way that you guys have so far?) – “I think overall it’s just a scheme that we do. Each week it could easily change with people in different positions and stuff like that. I would say the biggest thing, it obviously gives you a better idea – overall it kind of builds your IQ of knowing multiple different positions. I think it really benefits you and your game to be able to do multiple things. For me, I think I get so stuck on learning new stuff and this and that, and I kind of let the old stuff, the stuff that I should know, especially playing strong safety, I kind of let that stuff fall off the plate in tough situations. You saw it kind of showed up yesterday with that catch to (Bryan) Edwards. I understand the scheme. It’s what we do and makes us different from a lot of different teams. Kind of like our coach always preaches, at the end of the day you can’t let any food fall off the plate. No matter how many different roles you have, you just have to be able to execute at all times.”
(I wanted to follow up and ask you about that play to WR Bryan Edwards. To me, you can tell me if I’m wrong, it looks like one of those perfect pass situations, where there is not much you can do about it. Is that the case on that kind of throw? Are there passes in the NFL that you can’t do anything about?) – “There definitely is. Obviously they get paid like we get paid, at the end of the day. But I feel like I was in position, so I could’ve made the play. That’s kind of my mindset of it. I’m not really too big on excuses. At the end of the day, I didn’t make a play and he did. That’s something I’ve got to live with and learn from. If we get into similar situations down the line, hopefully be able to fix that and have a different outcome.”
(I just want to follow up on “can’t let any food fall off the plate,” the first time I heard that. Is that just about the constant installation and not forgetting about what you did in Week 3 even though you’re in Week 6? What is that about?) – “It goes from play calls, from your job description, cover three, or the curl flat player or hook dropper. Just how versatile we are and how much we change it. We could easily – like we did, we ran some stuff early in training camp and then stopped running it for a little bit, and then bring it back in whatever week. The weeks are kind of short, so you don’t always have time to re-teach something and start from the beginning. Even though we don’t run everything all at once, you have to, like I said, like our coach says, ‘not let anything fall off the plate.’ Even though we are not getting the practice reps at it, sometimes you have to be mentally prepared, and always ready.”
(There is so much talk about execution from the first three games. What is falling flat in terms of the play call to the execution?) – “I think it comes down to preparation and how we attack it. Obviously (Defensive Coordinator Josh) Boyer does a great job of putting us in very good situations when it comes to play calling. We just got to do a better job executing. At the end of the day it’s 11 on 11 and the guys that play better and play harder are going to be the ones that win the play. We’ve just got to dial in and take it play by play and just learn fast. We can’t let the negative plays haunt us and stay with us that long, and get things corrected when we can.”
RB Malcolm Brown
(You guys had some periodic success in the run game yesterday, I was just curious what you think went into some of the moments where you did have some successful runs? Most notably, the 24-yard touchdown run.) – “I think it was just a collective thing. The offensive line was doing a great job. Obviously, I had a touchdown run and a couple runs at the beginning of the game as well. Myles (Gaskin) had some really good tough runs too. It was just a collective effort throughout practice, just trying to hone in on the techniques and the details of a daily routine. To be able to apply that from practice to game day. Just showing up, us practicing well and being able to do that in practice throughout the week helps us out.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the emotions of the game. It was such a roller coaster game. You guys get the early lead then fall behind then come back then you have a chance in overtime. What was that like in terms of the emotional roller coaster?) – “That’s just what the game is about. Definitely having those fans back in the stadium definitely brings some more energy to it. It was just up and down. We just have to be able to stay level-headed and stay balanced throughout those types of situations when games are going like that. Locking in on you, especially with an away game like that, to be able to lock in with those guys that are on the field with you and the guys that are in between the lines. Locking in with those players and locking in on the techniques and details of everything to drown the crowd out. I think when we are out there, we hear it but we don’t hear it at the same time. The energy was great. I just wish we would have come out with the win.”
(Nobody ever thinks that they are practicing poorly, but when you guys perform like you have in the last three games, that includes the victory against the Patriots and execution is brought up so much, how do you fix that?) – “It takes some time. I think this team, we see that we can get things done and it just takes some consistency throughout practice. Sometimes it doesn’t always come together right away. Sometimes it does. It’s a long season and I’m definitely still very confident in this team. I feel like you guys that really watched that game, you saw the fight that we had, you saw that this offense does have some juice to it and I think it has some fight to it as well. That really gave me some confidence last night. That game, obviously not getting the win but that type of game definitely gave me some confidence. I’m definitely excited to move forward and improve on what we have. I know even from preseason game to preseason game, from Week 1, we’ve made some steps. Like I said, I’m very confidant in this team and I feel like we can get things rolling because we’ve got some juice on this offense.”
G/T Jesse Davis
(The move to left guard is not something that is uncommon for you. How do you feel like you performed and the unit performed?) – “I think moving from one side to the other is difficult. I wouldn’t say I played very well, but we fought hard. I think the unit showed some grit that we didn’t show in the Buffalo game. I think we gave ourselves a chance to win that game. I’m proud of the guys of how we responded, bouncing back after that week.”
(When you rush for over 100 yards, that’s a good milestone that a team often makes as a goal. How do you keep that going? This is the first time you guys have done it this season.) – “Just keying into the game plan. When we get those opportunities, we’ve got to make sure that we’re hitting the right spots. I think the backs did a great job. I think their communication was a lot better, considering the environment that we were in. It’s just day to day. Doing our walkthroughs and doing our preparation.”
(I’m not big on the notion of must win games, but you certainly don’t want to fall to 1-3 after four games. How would you describe the level of urgency amongst you and your teammates?) – “Every week we are thinking we’ve got to win this one. Definitely this would be a good week to get a win back, to put us back on the right track and build the confidence even more. But we’re day to day. We’re focusing on the Colts and how we’re going to win this game.”
(Is losing the game the way you guys lost, where you seemed out of it, you make the late comeback, you convert a fourth-and-20 to keep your hopes alive, is that almost more frustrating than if you’d lost 25-14?) – “Every loss, it hurts. The way we fought and how the game was going and the momentum I felt we were building, that one definitely hurt. But watching the film, looking back, there were opportunities that we missed. A loss is a loss. It all sucks.”
(I know you played guard yesterday, but you played so much tackle I thought it was good to ask you. It seems like a lot of pressure comes off the edge when they send extra rushers off the edge and you guys squeeze in to pick up some of the inside rush, and then the rush comes off the outside. I’m curious what kind of challenge does that present to an offensive line when you get that pressure off the edge where they show pressure inside to get you to squeeze then bring guys off the outside? How difficult is that to deal with?) – “Depending on the protection, it can be difficult, especially at the tackle spot. It’s all about communication is what it boils down to. Each pressure that we see, some can be multiple blitzers or maybe one. They all have their challenges and our rules. It all depends on what protection it is.”
(We’ve talked about this many times, but how much of it – obviously offensive linemen want to run the ball because they are on the aggressive, as opposed to the counter. How much of running the ball is a mindset?) – “I think every offensive line wants to have a good run game going. That sets up the pass game, but it also gives us better opportunities as well. Instead of being in second-and-long, you’re second-and-five or second-and-manageable. Our mindset, yeah, we always want to run the ball. We want to be the aggressor. We want to show our force. You’ve just got to run the game plan called.”
CB Byron Jones
(I wanted to ask about your matchup with TE Darren Waller yesterday. I know you’re giving some height to him and he’s a different position, a bigger guy. Just curious the challenges that go into that and how you feel you performed in that role?) – “He’s a big, fast, receiving tight end. He’s a guy that has a really good catching radius. He has really good speed. The plan was to use me to kind of throw him off his game. Oftentimes he has a safety or maybe a linebacker on him, so we figured we would put a cornerback on him and see how he responded. We had some fun out there, some good battles, some back and forths. Just fun overall.”
(When was the last time you found yourself matching up with a tight end and did you find it more challenging than covering up a wide receiver or less challenging?) – “They are both – it’s been a while. That’s kind of how I got my hay was guarding tight ends my rookie year, my second and third year in the league. I enjoy guarding the bigger guys. You get to be a little more physical. You get away with a little more pushing and tugging. The challenge with those guys is that even when you’re on them, they still have a big catching radius. Just being able to adjust to the ball when it’s in the air and swat it down is the biggest thing when you’re guarding somebody that big. The small shifty guys are always tough. Different body types always have different challenges. Just with bigger tight ends its definitely their catching radius and overall size.”
(I just wanted to get into the mindset of a cornerback. I’ve always had this theory that in these hurry-up, need to score quickly situations when you need to get down the field more, pass interference should be viewed as a play, just like you guys effectively got to the 1-yard line on a pass interference call. Do you think about that in those situations as a cornerback?) – “Honestly you just use your techniques. Whatever you’re coached at those moments, whatever you’re coached and practiced is going to show up in those moments. You don’t play any softer or any harder than you need to. We understand that we have big situations, third down and we’re trying to get off the field, obviously a fourth-and-long, when the game is on the line and you’re trying to guard him tight. Just keep your hands clean – that’s first, second down or regardless of the situation. Definitely third and fourth downs in our defense, specifically we’re trying to get off of the field. At the end of the day, the quarterback needs to throw a good ball, the receiver needs to make a good catch, so as a DB you can’t panic. They still have to execute well on their end. Even if they are open before the ball gets to them, so don’t panic and just play good technique overall.”
(Last time I spoke to you on the podcast, we spoke about your love for cars. I was curious if you’re a Formula 1 fan and if you’re at all excited about the upcoming race here in Miami Gardens next year?) – “Yeah, I started getting into F1 about two or three years ago, so I’m still new. But I love it. I haven’t had a chance to watch much this year. I’ve never been to a race in person. I’m looking forward to actually being there, seeing the cars and being a part of the show. I’m a huge fan and obviously every day we’re seeing the construction outside. It’s kind of cool to see it come together. Definitely looking forward to joining the show.”
(The first three games you guys haven’t executed offensively and defensively how you felt like you should based on the talent that’s on this team. What is the disconnect that’s happening right now that has led you guys getting off to a 1-2 start?) – “I don’t think it’s necessarily a disconnect. It’s just guys need to execute when the moment is presented to us. Yes, we’re a young team, but at a certain point there really is no excuse. I’m going to tell you what, the coaches do a really good job at preparing us throughout the week. It’s really up to us as players to spend extra time studying or really putting the pressure on each other to perform when the lights are on, on a Sunday afternoon. This is a tough learning process. In the league, if you’re off just by a little bit, the scoreboard could be ugly or it could be a tough game like this. We’re looking forward to the challenge of the Colts next week, and try to get back on the winning side.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(A couple weeks ago you mentioned T Austin Jackson is a left tackle. Was his play yesterday good enough to where that continues to be the case? Obviously, there were a couple late penalties and a pass protection breakdown. He had some good moments too. Is he still your left tackle moving forward or do you look potentially at competition there moving forward?) – “There’s always competition every week. I thought Austin did some good things yesterday and there are some things he can do better. I think that’s the case for really everyone on our team, myself included. The goal is to make the corrections and improve throughout the course of the week. I know he’s a hard-working kid and it’s important to him. He’ll try to do that and we’ll help him try to do that.”
(With the offensive line as structured yesterday, do you feel like you want to give this particular group with these guys in these positions some time together moving forward and grow with these five, health permitting?) – “I think they did some good things, that group yesterday. Some things that we can do better. We’ll make those corrections. I thought the communication was good. I thought there were spurts of good execution and I think it’s a group we can move forward with.”
(In terms of the running game, how encouraging was it to see the unit get – I know QB Jacoby Brissett had a lot do with it – over 100 yards rushing and do you feel like that is something that can be sustainable?) – “I think you always want to get the run game going. I think we were able to do that – not consistently enough but we got it going a little bit and we will try to build on that. The o-line was a part of that, obviously Jacoby was a part of that and the backs ran hard. We will try to build on that.”
(I noticed QB Tua Tagovailoa on the sidelines yesterday, just curious as that’s a long flight and a big pain to travel. Is he feeling any better or are there any signs of progress with how he’s doing?) – “We are taking it one day at a time. He’s getting better each day. He’s working hard to improve and get out there. He wanted to be with his teammates and support his teammates, that’s why he made the trip. That speaks to the kind of kid he is and we were happy to have him there. He’s doing better. He’s getting better every day.”
(The defense has a lot to do with it but when you are putting together an offensive game plan for the week, can a team even say ‘We want to get more deep balls, we need to get more deep passes?’ Can you even say that as part of a game plan knowing that flow of game is going to dictate so much of what goes on?) – “Yeah, I think every week you’re trying to create explosive plays offensively. Once you get in the game, you have to take what they give you. Oftentimes, most teams are trying to limit the big plays and you have to have good execution to create explosive plays. Every team wants them. We try to get them and we had a couple opportunities for them. We got the ball downfield. Didn’t make as many as we needed to win the game and we’ll always work to try to create more.”
(How much consideration, if any, was given to the idea of going for the first down on fourth-and-2 in overtime and if so, what led to the decision to with the field goal instead?) – “We were going to kick it. That was the thought there. Pick it up or kick it. We believed Jason (Sanders) was going to make it, which he did. We thought we were doing some good things there defensively at the end to give ourselves an opportunity to get it back. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, we weren’t able to execute the way we needed to. We were going to kick it the whole way if we didn’t get it. Kind of give ourselves an opportunity to extend the game and give our defense a chance to get the ball back.”
(I noticed yesterday CB Byron Jones traveling quite a bit with TE Darren Waller. I was curious if you could tell us what it is about Byron’s skillset that went into the decision to have him cover Waller so often and how you felt he performed that task?) – “Waller is a great player. Obviously he’s been extremely productive throughout the last couple years. We knew we had to have a good plan. I think part of that was having Byron cover him a little bit. Eric Rowe covered him. We tried to jam him. He still got his targets and made a couple plays for them. At the end of the day, we didn’t do enough. That starts with me and we need to do a better job of getting them prepared to go out there and execute.”
(We heard from QB Jacoby Brissett yesterday. He said that it was part of Gus Bradley’s defensive scheme to keep offenses in front of them and that it’s a battle of attrition to see who breaks from their scheme first. Is there ever a point where taking what the defense gives you becomes inefficient?) – “I don’t think so. I think there’s a discipline. I don’t think it becomes inefficient. I think oftentimes what happens is when you take what they give you, if you continue to get first downs doing that, move the ball and they will change what they are doing and that’s when you get your opportunities offensively. That’s kind of a back and forth game that offenses and defenses play with one another. I think we had some other opportunities where we could have pushed the ball a little bit. I think they did a good job, credit to Gus and Coach (Jon) Gruden for their game plan. At the end of the day, when it’s overtime, we weren’t able to execute and pull out the ball game. But no, I think the best thing to do and the smartest thing to do is just take what they give you. But you have to execute. I think there’s plays to be made on any defense but you have to execute.”
(You talk about execution then you also take ownership for the fact that the team is not executing. How much do you put on what’s going on or the struggles that are there on the coaching staff not reaching or utilizing the team in the right fashion?) – “I think that’s how I feel about the situation right now. We’ve got to do a better job of putting these guys in position to have success and close out games and be competitive in games. Like I said, that starts with me. We have to prepare them better and then we have to play more consistently. We got off to a fast start yesterday, kind of leveled off in the second and third quarter. Las Vegas made some plays, came back and that’s the game. There’s ebbs and flows in every game. They played well, then we played well. We played well, then they played well. That’s kind of how it goes. We need to play more consistently and that’s going to be something that we talk about a lot this week.”
(What did you think about what you saw from WR Will Fuller in his first action with the Dolphins?) – “Will looked good. I wish we would have gotten a few more opportunities. He made a few catches, made a few blocks in the run game. I thought he did some good things. It’s good to get him out there. It’s been a while since he’s played. He was happy to get out there, feel the speed of an NFL game, get hit and things like that. It was good to have him out there.”
(In terms of the run defense, it has to be disheartening for them to be able to run 19 yards to be able to put themselves in scoring position. Where do you feel like this team is stopping the run at this point?) – “I think we’ve done a good job in spurts. We were actually just talking about this. I think when everyone is taking care of their responsibility and doing what they are supposed to do, it’s good. We’ve run into some issues, especially in a game like that where everyone is trying to make a play and everyone is trying to help the team win. It’s genuine, it’s sincere. But we had a couple guys get out of their gaps trying to make a play several times, I would say, in the second half and it was to our demise. That’s something we need to learn from and we just need to – even though everyone is trying to help the team and make a play, it’s always best to handle your responsibility, be in your gap, be where you are supposed to be and as a team and as a unit, we will handle the run game.”
