S Eric Rowe
(I know last year you guys were the best third-down defense and the best at getting off the field. Right now, you guys are last in the league. Is there anything that stands out to you in the first three games that correlates to some of those issues?) – “Yeah. First, it starts on first and second down. Right now, we just aren’t doing that strong on first and second down. That obviously leads to a more manageable, for the offense, third down. Third-and-short. That’s a situation that we don’t want to be in. We want to get them in second-and-long, get them to third-and-long and then get to our exotic stuff and get off the field. Just right now, that’s what’s going on.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores gave credit to some of the opponents. Good passes and great catches. Do you feel that you are getting lined up right and it’s just a matter of making those 50/50 plays at times?) – “Yeah, I mean they get paid too. They make good catches, good runs, good blocks. It’s just right now, we need to make more plays than the opponent. Those 50/50s, we have to start coming down with more of them.”
(It’s often talked about how continuity is really good for the offensive line, guys building chemistry and playing together. Could the same be said for the defensive backfield?) – “Yeah, I think it’s the same for any position group. The more chemistry you have with the guys, the locker room, outside the field, it translates. It translates on the field. Maybe not necessarily like assignment-wise on whatever scheme we have, but just kind of effort-wise. You play a little harder, you trust more, you trust the guy next to you. You know whatever job they have, you know that they are going to get it done and they know that you are going to get it done. Really any position group, that chemistry is good for you.”
(You got to come in on a few blitzes and S Brandon Jones as well. How much do you like that aspect of the game because usually you’re in coverage? Just to do something different.) – “I like it because I can disguise, especially if it’s like a tight end on the side of the blitz I’m going, I can show man because about 90 percent (of the time), that’s what I’m in. It makes it easier on me because they’re not counting me in the blitz and I don’t get picked up. Sprinkle me in on a couple blitzes. Whenever they call it, I like it. It’s a switch up. It’s a chance for me to get the quarterback and try to make a different type of play than usually man coverage.”
(You were in the quarterback’s face when LB Elandon Roberts had the pick, right? At what moment did you realize that the good guys had the ball?) – “When the crowd went ‘Ahh.’ You could tell it wasn’t the Raiders crowd because obviously it would be super loud. It was our fans there and I just happened to look and see Elandon running down the field. Obviously, that’s a great feeling because I was like, ‘We need to score.’”
(Were you worried at all? Because you got a hit on QB Derek Carr on that play?) – “I would say I ran into him. (laughter)”
(I think LB Elandon Roberts had that happen to him in Week 1 where you run into a quarterback and you never know what a penalty is.) – “When I was going, especially a guy like Derek Carr, I know he’s going to get the ball off before I even get to him because he’s looking at me running. I was trying to just mirror his hand and get my hand up to see if I could tip the ball. Obviously I missed and just kind of ran into him. For a half second I was like, ‘I hope they don’t call that.’ Then I saw E-Rob running, so I was like ‘alright, good.’”
(Did you play with QB Carson Wentz when he first got to Philly?) – “Yeah, like a training camp. Spring, training camp and then I got traded.”
(Any recollections of what QB Carson Wentz was like when he first started?) – “When he was a rookie? Obviously, he’s lightyears away from that. I remember when I first got there, he was just throwing deep bombs off the rip the first practice, and he had an arm. I was like, ‘Jeez, who is this guy?’ That was like, five, six years ago now. Obviously, he’s a lot better now.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(With the sack on Sunday – you are studious about your work. Pass rushing to you – how much have you focused on that in training camp and even through the start of the regular season in terms of skill development?) – “It’s part of being a pro. One of the things I try to always do is continue to hone my craft. Get better – pash rush, run. Just become a complete player. Be balanced and be able to stay on the field as much as I can and do my job as well as I can. Whatever the coaches ask me to do, whatever my team needs me to do, just try to develop them as much as possible, whether it’s day by day or week by week or season by season. Just always getting better.”
(As far as sack numbers go, I don’t think the Dolphins rank very high in the league. But you are in the top 10 as far as hitting the quarterback and contacting him. How do you bridge that gap between actually bringing him down versus just running into him?) – “There’s a lot of things that go into that. The fact that we are getting there and hitting him, hitting the quarterback, it does say we are able to get a lot of pressure and make a few things happen. We might have to try that much harder to make sure we get there and get home and bring him down.”
(I guess it feels better not getting the sack but still hitting him than not getting the sack and not touching him at all?) – “You always want to go. Again, there’s always a lot of different things that go into that. Sacks are big plays but hitting the quarterback is affecting him as well.”
(I ask because a lot of fans like to clamor about sack numbers, but it feels like sacks are, like you said, a great stat but it can be a little misleading.) – “Yeah, right. Like I said, there’s a bunch of ways that you can affect the quarterback. A batted pass can affect the quarterback just as much as a sack can. It really all just depends.”
(Did you and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark go over the offseason program in August, focusing on polishing some of the pass rush moves you have? Or have you worked on developing new ones?) – “Really, like again, it doesn’t really matter about – there are a lot of guys who have great sack numbers off of just a few moves. It’s really working on what it is that you do as a scheme and what fits you best as an individual and mastering those things, and figuring out where you can take risks, where you can take shots, where you can’t, here and there. It’s all just about the scheme and what fits your skillset.”
(When you guys look back at run defense, you had some bright spots like the turnover on downs, the forced fumble. But allowing a guy to go over 100 yards, what did you find?) – “Each week the goal is just to get better. You’re always looking at what we did well, what we didn’t do well. The things we did well, we are going to try to continue to do moving forward and the things we didn’t do so well, we are going to try to improve on those things.”
(I wanted to ask you about third-down defense and time of possession. There have been several games in a row here where you have been on the field a lot. I don’t think I have to tell you that. What are you seeing as what is going wrong and how frustrating must that be to not be able to get off the field when you want to?) – “As a defense, your job is to get the ball back to the offense and get off the field as much as you can. That’s always your No. 1 goal. We’ll just keep trying to build each week, keep focusing on what it is that we need to do and execute the gameplan at a high level so we can get off the field more.”
(QB Tom Brady or Head Coach Bill Belichick?) – “What does that have to do with anything?”
(You’re a Massachusetts guy.) – “Yeah, okay. (laughter)”
(I know we talked a couple years ago about QB Tyler Van Dyke being here. He had his first start. Do you all have any sort of contact still from the Connecticut school?) – “Oh yeah, Suffield Academy. Suffield’s finest. A proud alum. (laughter). Actually, I talked to Tyler when he first came down here a little bit. I’m still open to talking to him whenever but obviously I do check in on games and that is the local team down here. I always kind of see things and pay attention to him when I can.”
(He went 10-for-11 for 266 yards in his first start.) – “Yeah, I definitely do pay attention to him. I try to support the fellow Suffield Academy alum.”
(Did you get a chance to talk to DE Clelin Ferrell, CB Trayvon Mullen Jr., WR Hunter Renfrow and C John Simpson?) – “Yeah, I was able to talk to all my guys and just catch up for a second. Just let them know I’m proud of them, keep working hard and we’re brothers.”
(Were there any jokes about how many of them ended up on the same team?) – “There were a lot of jokes, but yeah we were kind of just shooting it and just like old times. It was like we were in the locker room or something. Just kicking it, talking and making fun of each other. A bunch of different stuff.”
(This is the second game at home. Obviously the first one didn’t go the way you guys wanted. To have a successful season, you have to be good at home. How big a motivation is winning at home on Sunday or is it just about executing the gameplan that you guys have?) – “You always want to execute and that starts in practice. That starts in the meetings, it starts in the workouts and everything. It all goes into winning on Sundays. It’s definitely important to win at home. You always want to protect your house. You just have to have that mindset. You want to win anywhere but you definitely want to take care of your business at home.”
(They’re honoring Head Coach Don Shula this weekend. Do you feel that history in this building and if you had any interactions with him that you remember that stand out?) – “Absolutely. I’m definitely aware of the great history here and the great things that teams before us were able to do. The history here is pretty rich. I think that’s awesome. I think that’s pretty cool. Whenever former players come around and former coaches, I always have a little extra sense of let me listen, let me lock in or let me just go and say what’s up to that guy or that person, that coach, that former player or whatever and just shake their hand a lot of times when I can. There’s a lot of people that came before me that made the rich history here. It’s always pretty cool.”
WR Jaylen Waddle
(You were one of the best in yards after the catch in college, probably one of the best we’ve seen in college football in years. I know a lot of them came on deep throws and some on shorter throws where you eluded guys. Where are you with YAC as a NFL player? Are you happy with what you’ve produced? Are you sort of antsy to get more as far as yards after catch?) – “Honestly, I feel like I can do more after the catch. I’ll try to do more after the catch. That’s pretty much where I’m at. I’m not dissatisfied or anything like that but I feel I can do more.”
(Can you walk us through the safety against the Raiders? What happened from your perspective?) – “We just didn’t execute the play well at all. Just execution all around. We just didn’t execute really.”
(Were you expecting to get the ball there?) – “You always – hopefully. You always want the ball. I think just execution all the way around. We just didn’t execute well. “
(It’s tough to make the decision so quickly, but did you think you should just let the ball go and not catch it and live another down?) – “I always want to catch the ball. (laughter) To be honest, I wouldn’t be like – I wasn’t going to let it go past (me) or anything like that because it’s just like an instinct to catch the ball. Nah, I wouldn’t say that.”
(How would you self-evaluate where you are right now three real games in?) – “I think there is room for improvement. A lot of improvement, just all the way around, honestly.”
(Do you feel like there is a sense of urgency in the building to kind of pick up where you left off, the way you finished that game, and kind of build on the momentum that you guys were carrying through the end of the game?) – “I think we just want to play good football all the way around through the whole 60 minutes, honestly. You can say momentum throughout the game, but I think we just want to play one full game that we just leave it all out there.”
(We talked about yards after catch at the start. What’s the key to getting you going in that way? Is it the play design? How do you set yourself up, when you’re starting a play, for a better end result?) – “I think it starts with executing the play – getting the play started and doing your ability to try to make someone miss. That’s honestly where it starts.”
(Are NFL players as fast as you thought they’d be or faster than you thought they’d be? Because at Alabama, you were just out-running people left and right.) – “I think it’s the NFL, so it’s the best of the best. Everyone is really good.”
(Are you pleased with how you’ve been able to get open? You have a large volume of catches so you’re getting open.) – “You’re always happy with that. (laughter) You’re always happy.”
(How do you feel looking back at a game where you had 12 catches but your yards per catch wasn’t really high?) – “To be honest, I don’t really look at that too much, like they tell me or anything like that. I really don’t look at it too much. I feel like we can do more. I can do more. The unit feels like they can do more. We’re just honestly going to try to do more.”
(What’s this process like? I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a team that’s 1-2. I know not for many, many years if ever. Obviously you guys are building towards something. I get all of that. But how unusual is it to be going through real growing pains when you’ve never really – the teams you’ve been on haven’t really gone through something like this?) – “I feel like we’re building, honestly. With us losing the game, I feel like we’ve learned a lot. We’re a young team. We’re just going to try to continue to get better.”
(Other than not having to go to class, what have you noticed is different about being an NFL player as opposed to college?) – “Just everyday life?”
(Yeah. Anything that has to do with anything. What’s different?) – “Nothing really. You be here pretty much all day. (laughter)”
(So that’s what’s different?) – “Yeah. You’re here all day, but that’s your job.”
(I know Hurricanes players have talked before about having a group text. Do you just text directly with DeVonta Smith or do you have a text chain with all of the Alabama rookies where you guys check in with each other every Sunday night, Monday or Tuesday?) – “Did you say all of the Alabama rookies?”
(There are a lot of them.) – “(laughter) We have a lot of group messages, but I don’t think we have one with just all the Alabama rookies.”
(Or most? Do you just text with DeVonta Smith? Or do you have a few of you guys?) – “Yeah, I keep in contact with almost everyone. But the group messages, I know that all of the receivers, we always text.”
(Do you talk about your games that week, or is it just non-football stuff?) – “Non-football stuff.”
TE Mike Gesicki
(I’m trying to remember if there would have been a previous shovel pass to you before Sunday.) – “Yes – 2018, Detroit Lions, on the goal line.”
(Who was the play-caller?) – “Adam Gase.”
(Is that a play in which you enjoy?) – “Yeah. I like any time I get to touch the football, so that was a good one.”
(Speaking of touching the football, it seems like you’ve done a lot of it with QB Jacoby Brissett under center. Not to say he’s going to throw you the ball more than QB Tua Tagovailoa would but what kind of chemistry did you two have considering this is your first year playing well?) – “Yeah, I mean I think Jacoby does a great job of just kind of going out there and executing, taking what the defense gives you. My thing is just making the most of my opportunities. When an opportunity presents itself, I’ve got to go out and make a play. That’s what I’m out there to do. I think that for the most part, I was able to do so.”
(Is there a greater optimism this week in practice that you guys can build off some of those late big plays and try to find some explosive plays this week?) – “I think every week there’s a lot of optimism and there’s a lot of us out there working, trying to execute. I wouldn’t say this week there’s more or less or any week there’s more or less. We’re professionals. We go about our business professionally and that’s how – it starts from the top with our coaches. They handle things in a great manner and that trickles down to us. We’re excited to get back out here and have another opportunity.”
(What do you see in this offense in terms of the lack of big plays? What’s not clicking that needs to start clicking?) – “I think that’s just how this game works. The other team is getting paid to make plays too and that’s just how it goes. I think we’ve just got to continue to keep working, keep trusting the coaching, keep going to practice and working on your fundamentals and techniques, and like I’ve said over and over again, when that opportunity presents itself, when that safety does cheat down a little bit and that post does open up and hit it, then you guys can write about that.”
(How aware of LB Darius Leonard do you have to be on every route you run?) – “Extremely. He’s a very talented player both in the run game and in the pass game. He’s extremely athletic. A ball hawk in both the pass game but also when you’re a ball-carrier. He’s going to go out there and try to punch that thing out of your hands. He’s obviously gotten all of the recognition and he deserves it all. He’s a great player.”
(What’s it like as an offense going against a player who could literally be anywhere at any given time on the field?) – “There’s a lot of good players in this league. I think you’ve just got to go out there and be able to execute no matter who we’re going against. Obviously he’s at the top of the list, so he deserves a lot of recognition and deserves a lot of credit. We’ve just got to go out and be able to execute.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle was in here earlier and I know he’s not in your position room but he’s really young and has only played three NFL games. If he did ask you for any tip or advice about navigating this rookie year, what would you say?) – “I think he’s doing a great job already without any advice from me. But (I would say) just continue all of the basic stuff – like if you were a coach, what you would say, it’s true. Just keep coming in here, keep doing what you’re doing, understand that the coaches are going to put you in a position to be successful and trust your technique and trust your work because that’s what’s gotten him here. He’s an extremely talented player – good hands, extremely fast, quick in and out of breaks, can impact a game on offense and in special teams. I think just continue to do what he’s doing and continue to grow.”
(You obviously have someone involved in the play-calling who really appreciates your skills from having worked with you for three years in Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey. Do you feel a comfort level with him during the game, at halftime or whenever to say ‘Look, I’m getting open against this look?’ Can you maybe call that a little more than maybe you would have had with Chan Gailey just because you’re more familiar with George?) – “I try to stay in my own lane. I think there’s points throughout the game where obviously you think you have this matchup or you think you can do that or this. But for the most part, I try to stay in my own lane just like everybody else. You’ve just got to trust in the coaching because they spend a lot of time up here, a lot of hours watching film, game-planning, figuring out matchups, trying to figure out and scheme up guys to get open and here and there and all of that kind of stuff. Obviously I think everybody is confident in themselves that they can go out and make plays, but that’s the beauty of this game. Sometimes you’re going to go out there and there’s not going to be many opportunities. Sometimes you’re going to go out there and there’s going to be a lot of opportunities. You’ve just got to be patient and like I continue to say, just be ready when that opportunity presents itself.”
(The fourth down catch didn’t seem like the easiest of catches. I’m just curious – I know it was a few days ago – what was going through your mind as that route was developing and sort of time was running down? You knew that it was fourth-and-20. What was going through your mind?) – “I lined up and based off of the concept of the play, I was really supposed to run a little bit of a shorter route but kind of understand the sticks. It’s a gotta-have-it play right there, so I ended up taking my depth a little bit deeper and Jacoby (Brissett) did a great job of extending the play with his legs. He put a ball out there and I think it just goes back to in big moments and opportunities, when you have an opportunity to make a play in a big moment, you just fall back on your preparation. I’ve caught a lot of footballs leading up to that moment. You just fall back on your preparation and we were able to make the play. Obviously we were still a couple of plays short on Sunday.”
(There were a lot of things that went right in those final few moments where you guys were able to rally the way you did. What did you see on film that maybe you could build off on this Sunday from last week?) – “I think honestly just kind of getting into a little bit of a flow. You could see guys getting confident, going out there and making plays. In terms of Jacoby (Brissett) to the receivers to myself to the backs. Adam Shaheen had a good one that ended up getting called back. There are a lot of guys that are capable of making plays. We’ve just got to get into a flow, trust the coaching and trust the gameplan to go out there and be able to execute it. I think you saw that in the fourth quarter but we’ve got to be able to sustain that. We started off fast but can’t really have those lulls in the middle of the game that lead to having to fight back. We’re a talented team that we can fight back, but ultimately you don’t want to put yourself in those positions.”
QB Jacoby Brissett
(It’s a home game where you know you’re going to be the starter. How many people are you going to have in the stands?) – “All of the people in Dolphins jerseys are going to be for us, so all of those people.”
(Any special thought about facing the Colts and your fondest memories of your time there?) – “I mean obviously good, bad, sad, happy memories from there. That’s about it. I’m just playing football now. Kind of put that to the side.”
(Any time a guy faces his old team, no matter the sport, there’s always that parallel drawn, there’s always that storyline is obvious. As an athlete, is it kind of overstated? I mean you want to win with whoever you’re playing with and whoever you’re playing against. Is that…) – “Yeah, and it makes it more than what it is. I’m not here for like a revenge game or anything like that. I want to go win just because I’m playing football and I’m playing in the National Football League. We need a win so that’s what the purpose of this game is.”
(Can you carry some momentum, especially from the end of the second half of last game to this game, especially with the sense of urgency that you guys had the second half of the last game?) – “Yeah, for sure. That’s what we’ve been talking about is just building off of that momentum. Like I said after the game, we obviously lost but we did a lot of good things, especially coming from the week before that. Just finding those key things that we knew that we wanted to harp on and get better at. We did a lot of those things, so just find ways to keep doing those more and more. Obviously on the practice field, just pushing that mindset of we can’t wait until the fourth quarter to actually play football.”
(Piggybacking off of that, obviously play calls are dictated by the score and the clock specific to the fourth quarter and overtime when you guys were in that situation. But is there more of a – from a play-calling perspective, can you be more aggressive based on the success you had and what you just mentioned in the fourth and overtime?) – “I think every game and every situation is just so different. When we play against a defense like that, they’re not going to let you just go out there and just throw bombs every play. That’s why probably that game looked like that. Then we saw them get tighter and tighter and that’s when they presented the opportunities for a lot of those down-the-field throws. But every game is different. You’ve obviously got to pick your spot in this league and you’ve just got to make sure you hit them.”
(What has been missing from this offense in terms of the ability to hit big plays? Obviously you added a lot of big-play wide receivers this year. When you look at film, why have there not been more big plays do you think?) – “We just missed them. Yeah, we just missed them. We’ve just got to hit them. I don’t know how else to say it. We’ve just got to hit them.”
(The familiarity aspect of the Colts, how much can you take away from knowing them and vice versa?) – “Yeah, it’s that ‘chess match’ but obviously it’s different. I’m in a different scheme than I was when I was there. They’re a different team obviously. Different players playing in different positions. A lot of the same players are playing, obviously. But it’s going to be different. Yeah, obviously you have some type of familiarity with each other. I’ve been going against them for four years. But they know that as well, so obviously they’re not just going to come out and say ‘Jacoby, do you remember this from training camp your second year? We did this. Beat us here.’ It’s not going to be like that. I’m sure they’re going to have their own wrinkle and stuff like that.”
(On the flip side though, do you feel like – you were just there last year. Do you feel any different as a player?) – “For sure. I think I’m a way better player, better teammate, better man from my time there. Yeah, I think I’m better.”
(Is there anything you can do, without obviously divulging the gameplan, but is there anything that you can do to kind of combat what they know about you? They could have a different scheme but still…) – “Yeah, just like they think that I’ll know everything they’re doing, at the same time you’ve got to stop one another and go against it. It’s just going to take good fundamentals, good technique, good execution. I’m not playing by myself out there. It’s a good thing I’ve got 10 other guys that are going to be out there with me. We’ve just got to be good play after play.”
(Having played with QB Andrew Luck and QB Tom Brady – two outstanding quarterbacks obviously – is there something that they had in common that sort of will always stand out to you?) – “I just think their will. Watching those guys and seeing on a daily basis what they battled through – I mean even Phil (Rivers). Just seeing what those guys battled through to get back to the next week and not get through, but actually work and fight each day throughout the week to fill up on Sundays and things like that, I think that’s what stands out the most. Especially at this position. It’s to be able to get up and go again.”
(After a couple of tough weeks in a row, where would you say the confidence level of this team is? Is it fazed at all?) – “No, I think it’s rising. I think we see our potential but we also see where we need work at. I think the coaching staff and players are doing a good job. It’s early in the season. Let’s just keep stacking days, stacking weeks, and just finding ways to get better at these things because we know it’ll pay off in the end. Just like surrender the result. As long as you keep on finding those steps to get better and better and better, then everything else will take care of itself.”
T Austin Jackson
(As you look back at the tape last week, what were your takeaways as far as how you did? Where do you go from here as far as improvements go?) – “Yeah as a team, we started out fast. We didn’t take advantage of our defer, so we got the ball back at halftime and we didn’t capitalize on some points in the middle. I think playing the whole game – executing the whole game, not just playing. Executing the whole game is probably my biggest takeaway from the film.”
(As far as your play, just thoughts on how you did and where you would like to get better.) – “I did some things as well. I definitely was more consistent in my pass pro, technique-wise, in terms of just doing the right thing.”
(Where do you think this offensive line is in relation to being able to hold your blocks long enough to allow either QB Tua Tagovailoa or QB Jacoby Brissett to look downfield and push the ball downfield, rather than just dump ups and short passes?) – “I think it’s there. We have some plays where we throw the ball short and some plays where we throw the ball long. Some plays we’re throwing the ball short and it turns into throwing the ball long. That’s just kind of football. I definitely think this offensive line can do that – can do both.”
(I think it was on the RB Malcolm Brown touchdown run where you sort of buried a guy. How did that particular play … how did that feel for you?) – “It felt good. It’s part of what we do day in and day out. We work to do stuff like that. It felt good. Looking to get a lot more.”
(One week removed from your absence, did you feel a bit stronger overall and a little bit better stamina?) – “Yeah, definitely. I’m not making any excuses or anything but I definitely felt the difference having a couple of weeks under my belt going into this last game.”
(It felt like – and I’m not an offensive line expert – but it felt like at times, for you, and you can tell me if I’m wrong, there was a little bit of hesitation off the snap, perhaps wanting to ensure that there wasn’t a false start. Tell me about that. Were there times where you felt maybe you were slightly hesitant on Sunday?) – “No, especially because being away, I can’t hear the quarterback a majority of the time. I’m already looking at the ball so whenever the ball goes, I go. Kind of like the receivers. Sometimes you have to hesitate coming off the ball if you’re reading like a stunt or a blitz. You’ve got to abort your first mission and go to your second gameplan, so that’s probably where you see that.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(With regards to two guards who were here earlier this year – Ereck Flowers and Jermaine Eluemunor – both have played well this year and neither has given up a sack. I’ve never asked this but I’m sort of puzzled – what was the incentive in moving from Flowers and paying him $6 million even though the cap savings wasn’t very big and with Jermaine as well, what was the thinking in moving on from both of those when perhaps they could have helped?) – “I’m really more worried about the guys on our team and the Indianapolis Colts, so that’s kind of where my thought process is – not really any other players on any other team. I’m worried about the guys on our team, getting us better and helping us and helping our guys improve. I’m worried about our team, not so much those players. That’s really my answer to that. I haven’t really given that much thought – really any thought – and I’m kind of worried about our guys.”
(Has the evaluation, do you think, been good enough on the offensive line? Not in terms of coaching, but in terms of evaluating players you bring in and the ones you keep? Or looking back, do you think things should have been done differently in some regards?) – “I’m not one to look back. I’m more in the moment, in the present, and focus on the guys on our team – our coaches, the people in our building – and what’s in front of me. Not necessarily what’s gone on in the past. I think that’s the way I’ve handled really everything – football, life – and that’s how I will continue to do it.”
(Yesterday in an interview, Trent Dilfer, who has worked with QB Tua Tagovailoa, stated that Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye is the Dolphins play-caller. So the question is, how Charlie been selecting the plays?) – “I mean we’ve talked about this. Charlie talks to the quarterback. We’ve talked about why he’s the one who gives him Play 13, Play 33. We’ve had that discussion. It’s a collaborative effort offensively. George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville) are the co-offensive coordinators. They have a process that we feel very comfortable with. Charlie is part of that process, as we’ve talked about in the past. We’ll continue to go that way.”
(Is there any change this week to the offensive play-calling operation?) – “No.”
(On Saturday, they’re going to honor Coach Shula and finally do a celebration of his life. I know it has nothing to do with the game but, when you work here, how much – he’s everywhere. Pictures are everywhere, a statue and everything. Is he always just kind of in mind on some level, when you work for this team? Isn’t he always in the psyche somewhere?) – “Yeah, I mean he’s one of the greatest coaches of all-time. I think he’s made an incredible impact on a lot of players. A lot of players, a lot of coaches and this league. It’s obviously a rich history here with the Dolphins. We have a great alumni base or alumni group that’s around the facility and at games. I think that’s a great thing, from Nat Moore to Dan (Marino) to (Bob) Baumhower. We’ve got a lot of great players who are around and I think it’s great. I think Coach Shula, I think it’s great that we get to honor him. I know we tried to do this last year but with COVID, it wasn’t to the level that it should be and that it will be this weekend. I’m glad the fans get to be at the game and honor him then, and I know we’re doing something Saturday night. It’s obviously a very rich history. He’s a great coach. It was an honor and privilege for me to get to speak to him and get some insight from him about coaching and about helping guys become the best version of themselves from a preparation standpoint, and then take the things that they learned from football on the field and use it outside of football when they’re done, to help them attain success in other areas, which has certainly been the case with a lot of players he’s had.”
(What more can you tell us about any advice Don Shula might have shared with you or more about that wisdom of just how to help players develop as players and men?) – “I think it was always – some of his conversations or our conversations were about being demanding of the players. It’s something that they need – that discipline, toughness and hard work and guys who are competitive and guys who love to play. Those are the guys you want to have on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys – you don’t really worry about anybody else. You just worry about the guys on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys and they all kind of band together and work together, you’ll get the results you want. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of time and preparation. Those are kind of the conversations we had.”
(When you play a team this early in the year that’s winless, in your history does that team with an 0-3 record play with a certain aspect of desperation knowing that their season is salvageable but they can’t afford many more losses? And would you put yourselves at 1-2 in that category too?) – “This is a good team. I would say it’s a very good team. I know they’ve played some tough opponents. They’ve been in every game. They’ve got good players, they’ve got good coaches. They’re skilled. Every game is a meaningful game in this league. They’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. I think that’s what the preparation is about this week, really in all three phases. Today is a big day for us from a preparation standpoint, getting to know this team and then trying to execute in practice the way we want to execute in the game. All of them are important. I think it’s important to them, it’s important to us and I know they’ve got a good team. I know it will be a tough 60-minute ball game.”
(Considering Indianapolis has pretty intimate knowledge of QB Jacoby Brissett, what can you as a staff do to help mitigate that effect on Sunday?) – “That’s a great vocabulary. (laughter) I had to kind of go through that. (laughter) Obviously yeah, they’ve got a history with Jacoby. They know him. He’s got knowledge of some of their players as well. At the end of the day, there are some things that they could take from that, but it comes down to execution. It’s a team game. It’s not Jacoby against one other person or that one player against Jacoby. It’s a team game. It takes 11 guys offensively, 11 guys defensively, 11 guys in whatever kicking game or phase or unit we’re dealing with to gel, get on the same page, have good communication and execute as 11 guys turned into one team on a given play. There are some things that may help that unit, but those get integrated over the course of the week. I’m sure they’re having conversations about Jacoby and Jacoby is having conversations with our team about some of the things that they do well and some things that we probably want to stay away from. I know the knowledge and the history that they have with him and he has with them will have some bearing, but I think at the end of the day, it’s about the 11 guys on the field.”
(How do you assess where WR Jaylen Waddle is at through his first few games?) – “I think he’s – look, he’s a young player. Every time he goes out there and sees a new defense, a different style of corner that plays maybe some off-technique or maybe some press, we get into stacks and bunches and see how teams play them. Sometimes they zone it, sometimes they man it, sometimes they do something 4-on-3 or 3-on-2, so I think it’s a learning experience for him every week. I think he’s – he works, he’s got the right routine, he’s doing a lot of the right things, he’s asking the right questions. I think over time, if he continues to do what he’s been doing, he’ll be just fine. I think that’s the case not only for Jaylen but for a lot of our rookies and young players. I think developing in this league – every game, every practice is an experience. I think everyone is a little bit different – the amount of reps, a timetable – but I think our guys are working in the right direction.”
(A phrase that keeps coming up in relation to the offense is taking what the defense gives us. Given that though, the Raiders the other day had 10 plays of 23 yards or more. I’m sure that’s not what you intended to “give them.” So with that going on, what do you do offensively to create more of those kind of big plays and at what point is it a matter of not just taking what they give you but imposing your will and taking what you need?) – “I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is execution. I think if you execute, then offensively – really across the board, your operation, in and out of the huddle, fundamentals, technique, throwing, catching – you’ll move the ball. I think in some instances, you’ve got to make plays against what’s going to be good defense. Making throws into tight windows, giving receivers a chance to make some plays or breaking a tackle in the run game if we’re one-on-one, I think that’s how you create bigger plays. We need to do a better job of that. We need to put them in – as coaches, we need to put them in better positions to take those shots. We’ve talked about it but you also don’t want to force things and create negative plays the other way. There’s a balance there as far as being aggressive and being smart. We’ve got to find that balance.”
(Everyone wants more explosive plays on gameday. What can you emphasize in the week of practice?) – “I think everybody wants to see more explosive plays. I’m that way as well. But I want us to play smart, tough and disciplined and give ourselves a chance to win at the end. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for. Every game is a little bit different. They just are. There is no one formula for having the results you want. But explosive plays definitely help. Every team wins a little bit differently and every game is a little bit different. Sometimes you need more explosive plays, sometimes you need more explosive plays in the kicking game, sometimes you need a better running attack, better run defense. I mean every game is a little different. We need to execute in all phases, in all areas, better.”
(How do you balance what you’re talking about there, you wanting an offense and a team that can win in different ways, versus the concept of identity? They seem to conflict, the notion that we want to win in different ways versus this is who we are, this is what we do best. How do you juxtapose those?) – “I don’t think they conflict. I really don’t. I don’t think they conflict at all. I think we want to be a balanced team. We want to be able to be productive offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think those are three different areas. I don’t think your identity can be just one thing, otherwise you don’t have a – I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think that’s what we want to be. I think that’s the identity, in a perfect world, we can have success in a variety of ways. We don’t work on everything so we can be good at one thing and have that one thing be our identity and not be good at anything else. I don’t think anybody is trying to do that. We may have a difference in opinion as far as that’s concerned, as far as identity of a team. I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think some people’s identity is probably more of what the masses think than the actual team.”
(Last year, the defense gave up the lowest percentage of third-down conversions. Right now the defense is allowing the highest rate of third down conversions. When you look at the film, what hasn’t been working. Or what’s stood out to you that’s been allowing the defense to not get off the field?) – “I’ve taken a hard look at this myself and at the end of the day, our opponents are making more plays than we are. It’s just as simple as that. Good throws, good catches, contested catches. The rush is probably a half second late, so we need a half second more coverage. The difference between winning and losing those plays, it’s small. The margin for error is small on those, and right now we’re not – as far as the contested plays, the contested catches, getting the ball out, getting the extra half-second or quarter of a second to get to the quarterback, we’re not getting there. We’ve got to do a better job and that starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys in position to make those plays, to keep leverage, to get the ball off of them. I would say some credit to our opponents. As a coach, when you sit there, I think sometimes it’s a good throw and a good catch, and that’s happened a few times already this season. But we’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to do a better job defensively getting us off the field and putting our offense back on the field.”
