COURTESY OF MIAMI DOLPHINS MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
(This organization had a lot of momentum at the end of last season with the turnaround you had in the second half of the year and particularly the way the last game went. I’m wondering how much of that momentum do you feel carries over into what’s going on right now – particularly given the interruption and disruption you’ve had in the last six or seven months?) – “I don’t think any, to be honest with you. I think 2019 is in the past and every year is a little bit different. This year is no different from that standpoint. The things that happened a year ago – good or bad – we’re just kind of focused on getting better each and every day. Last year is last year. (We’re) just trying to improve and get better, build some team chemistry and learn and grow as a team right now. I’m not really worried about anything that happened a year ago.”
(I wanted to ask you, I know this is probably far down the list of things that are important to you, but where do you think fans are in the component of how important it is to have them in the stands this season? Is it necessary? I know they haven’t really made a decision yet, but do you think it’s worth the risk?) – “We’d love to have fans in the stands. I’d love to have them – home, away. Obviously the fans are a big part of the game and we’re not out there without their support, so from that standpoint, it is important to me. But look, there’s a pandemic. We need to obviously use caution which we’re doing here in our building; and as a country, I think we’re all trying to proceed with caution in all of our daily activities. If we can have fans and have them at the games in a safe way, then I’m all for it. If the people who make those decisions don’t think that’s the right thing to do, then we’ll play without fans.”
(I wanted to ask you, some teams have discussed possibly quarantining quarterbacks throughout the season to make sure you can line up on Sundays if something happens in your room. Have you given any thought to that and if so what would be the deciding factor of who to put in that quarantine?) – “We’ve looked into really every possible scenario – that being one of them. A lot of our meetings are on Zoom right now so everyone, from that standpoint, is in a quarantine. So in a lot of ways it takes care of itself; but yeah, we’ve thought about that. We’ve talked through that scenario as well as a plethora of other scenarios. I think we’ve got a plan in place that we feel good about.”
(This year is obviously unique but just generally speaking, do your training camp scripts differ year-to-year based on things like coaching and personnel changes?) – “Yeah, I think every year, it’s different. To set a script in one year and think that you’re just going to copy and paste it into the next year, that’s – because of different players, different coaches, just different things that you’re doing as a team. I think on a daily basis, you’ve got to be able to change, adapt and be flexible the same way you’re going to want your team to be able to adapt and be flexible within the game; so yeah, they change. The scripts change. The daily practice schedules change and obviously this year, everything is a little bit different, so anyone who’s setting a specific training camp schedule or practice, this year is definitely different, so we’re all going to have to adapt.”
(I’m not sure you’ve seen what’s been going on with college football, but I wanted to ask what your confidence level is that the NFL can finish a regular season and playoffs?) – “I think we take things day by day by day. We try to use caution and the testing that we’re doing – continue the testing – distance, wear masks and we just kind of string those days together. If we do that as an entire league, then we’re going to put ourselves in the best position to play as many games as we can play, and that’s really all we can do. To make predictions on whether or not we can do this or that, I don’t want to get into all that. All I’ll say is we’re going to try to wear our masks, wear our contact tracers, distance and do the best we can. Obviously we all know that it’s an airborne virus and people can get infected quickly, so all we can do is do our best to prevent that from happening. I think if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to play a full season which is all – that’s all we can do.”
(I’m wondering if you could share your thinking in the hiring of Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall. I know that putting together an offensive line is difficult. What are the challenges of doing it in 14 padded practices?) – “Steve, obviously when we went with (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), I thought that it was important to go with someone who was familiar with that style of play. That played a role in hiring Steve. He’s a good coach. He’s a very good teacher of o-line play. He and I – I had a good feeling and a good vibe when we had our interview process. He works well with Chan, he works well with the offensive staff, he’s a good coach, he’s a tough coach, he asks a lot of his players. So far it’s been good. Obviously we haven’t – it’s been all walkthrough. We can only evaluate what we’ve done so far, so I’ve been pleased with that. As far as the padded practices, this is going to be the least amount of work across the league for all teams – the least amount of practices, no preseason games – in the history of the NFL. I think everyone knows and understands that. Is it enough? It’s going to have to be enough this year. We’re going to do our best to try to build camaraderie on the offensive line, on the defensive line, the quarterback room, the DB room, as coaching staff, and not make excuses about only being this or only being that. We’ll just do our best with the time we have. Again, every rep is going to be that much more important. Every meeting is going to be that much more important. That’s the messaging we convey to the players.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones. He joined the organization a while ago, but I don’t think we’ve ever actually asked you to tell us what you think he does well. In having watched all of the film of him from Dallas, what are some of his strengths, how does he fit into what you want him to do?) – “He’s a smart player. He’s a tough player. I think he can tackle, he’s got good cover skills, he’s got length, he’s got some leadership qualities. He’s a talented player and we’re happy to have him. Obviously there are some improvements he can make to his game like all players and like all coaches. Like everyone, we can all improve and get better. We’re pleased with him so far. I joke around with him a little bit that he wears some nice shoes. I was on him a little bit today. He’s good. He’s been fun to spend some time with. It’s nice to see guys get to know each other – guys from different teams – and just try to pull this whole thing together. I’m very pleased with that addition; but we’re still in a very early stage. We don’t have pads on, we haven’t put a helmet on. We’ve got a long way to go. He’s got to make some improvements. We all have to make some improvements. I know he’ll work towards that.”
(With everything that’s going on with college football, if there is not a college football season, how would that impact what you guys do organizationally in terms of scouting? Is that something you guys are monitoring?) – “Yeah, we’re monitoring that. Obviously from a scouting standpoint, this is the time where a lot of guys will be out on the road and looking at the prospects for next season. Yeah, if there is not a college season, that’s something we’ve talked about. (General Manager) Chris (Grier), myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen, we have a plan in place for how we’re going to go about this scouting season if there is no season. Yeah, obviously those conversations will be ongoing and those conversations obviously are going to stay between us. Yeah, that will be – I think everyone loves college football and wants to see it; but if we don’t feel like it’s going to be a safe environment for those young men and that’s the decision we make, we all have to live with that. From our standpoint, looking down the road, which we’re always doing that as well, if we have to make some adjustments then we will. With all of that said, my focus is on this team right now today. I’m monitoring that from afar but Chris handles more of that, really all of that I should say. When he gets on, you guys can ask him about it.”
(I wanted to ask you about Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer. You made a change at defensive coordinator. Why is Josh the right man for the job?) – “Obviously I’ve worked with Josh for a long time. He is a very good teacher defensively. He’s tough, he’s smart, he works extremely hard, and I think he has good rapport with the players. I’m very excited to see him lead the defense. I think he’s going to do a good job; but at the same time, we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of work to do. These guys are not even hitting the field yet or in pads or a helmet. But yeah, I’m excited for Josh and I think he’s going to do a good job with this opportunity.”