COURTESY OF MIAMI DOLPHINS MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
(I know CB Xavien Howard is out and LB Jerome Baker is on the COVID-19 list. I know you’re not doing football activities just yet, but without those two guys to start, how do you guys lift off here at the start of training camp with welcoming so many new guys and a bunch of you guys really only having one or two years of experience in the league?) – “With a lot of the guys coming in, even though the veterans still haven’t reported and all of the things – they had their physicals today – everybody is just trying to learn the playbook one day at a time. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, veteran, rookie, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a new season, a new start, so you’ve got to kind of learn the playbook as you go and keep getting better each and every day. I only wish the best for my teammates and we can’t wait to have those guys back. They’ll be fine. They can pick up right where they left off.”
(You were allowed in the building before other vets because you’re rehabbing right?) – “Yes.”
(What has that experience been like? You were one of the first allowed back in. Things were kind of unknown with the COVID-19 protocols and now there is a pretty robust program in place. Were you nervous at first going in there? Do you feel more confident now? How has it been?) – “I wasn’t too nervous going in because I know they worked really hard to make it safe for us. As I got into the building, I saw all the extra precautions and all of the things that they’ve put in place to make sure that we’re safe and to make sure that we know we’re six feet (apart) and no one is too close and just the way they keep the facility clean. They do a great job. I want to thank our staff – the Dolphins staff – just for the job that they do, because we all feel pretty safe.”
(You were one of the guys that actually got an opportunity to work with the new helmet that the NFL is proposing for COVID-19. I was told that you tried to practice and couldn’t make it through warmups with it on. What was that experience like and have you tried more to use it?) – “It wasn’t too bad with the face shield and the covering. I don’t believe it’s mandatory, but it wasn’t too bad. I can’t say – I would suggest that everyone tries it for themselves, because me speaking about it, somebody else may feel differently about it and the next person may feel another way. I would just say that everyone should try it for themselves the first time and see if they like it. It wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t exactly that you couldn’t breathe or that you couldn’t make it through warmups, or that it was a lot harder. It wasn’t too much harder, but it is different. It’s very different. It’s the new normal. I would just advise that everyone try it for themselves.”
(I just wanted to ask you about your new defensive backs coach, Gerald Alexander. If you could just talk about the type of energy, leadership and coaching he offers, and how he’s teaching so far in the DBs room?) – “We’re all learning pretty well. He’s a really good coach. GA’s (Gerald Alexander) a real good coach. He’s coming from the University of Cal, but he’s still a really, really good coach, and we’re all learning the defense as we go. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, new coach, old coach, everybody can be better each and every day, and that’s what we’re striving for.”
(What’s your chemistry with S Eric Rowe at this point and you guys coming around a second year as a safety duo?) – “Just trying to make sure that we – because everybody wants to win at the end of the day. Everybody wants to win. With chemistry, it’s hard with everybody not being able to be in the building the way we normally would be. Just coming along, training this offseason with E-Rowe (Eric Rowe) and just seeing the way he works, and us working together and understanding that it’s going to take everybody in the back end, that’s going to be real big for us. The way we can click in any kind of way because the defensive backfield, that’s a family. You’ve got to make sure you take care of your family and we take care of one another.”
(The first-round pick, CB Noah Igbinoghene, what were your thoughts when he was drafted? It looks like he’s going to get a shot to play some nickel. And how much do you know him and what can you tell us about him as a person?) – “I know Noah works his tail off. He trained with me in the offseason a little bit as well. He works his butt off. He’s a smart kid. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a good player. Like I said, everybody is learning each and every day. Everybody is going to get an opportunity to compete, everybody is going to get an opportunity to play football and that’s all you can ask for. Him playing corner, him playing nickel, that’s not for me to speak on. I know he’s going to be a good player in this league and each and every day, he’s getting better and learning, and that’s all you can ask for.”
(I’ve wanted to ask you, you’ve been through so many secondaries, you’ve had a lot of great cornerbacks in your unit. What’s it going to be like to be playing in a unit where you’ve got CB Xavien Howard on one side, and CB Byron Jones on the other?) – “Those two guys, they’re two great corners – two really, really good corners in this league, two of the best in this league. Having those guys and like I said, getting those guys in the building as soon as we can and getting them on the field and us joining together and us coming together as a unit, that’s going to be real big for us. They’re going to be two good players. I’m not going to sit there and speak on expectations that we have for us, but we know where we want to be and who we want to be and we want to be the best versions of ourselves, and that’s being able to help this team win.”
(You talked about how you were working out with CB Noah Igbinoghene in the offseason. Where was that, how often was that and could you also give us a glimpse into what it was like working out with him, the interactions and just kind of the vibe you got from him?) – “He’s a real good player. He’s fast. He’s skilled. He’s smart. He understands the game. He understands football. Like I said, that’s just going to come with us being together each and every day and us learning together as a unit with everyone. I’m not going to tell you where we were, but I will tell you that we were working and we were getting it in.”
(There is certainly a pretty good chance that you guys might be playing games with no fans. I’m just curious what you think that might be like. You’re an emotional dude that kind of feeds off the fans.) – “I understand that. I want to first off start by saying that we don’t have any better fans than the Dolphins fans here in Miami. There are no better fans. But at the end of the day, we’ve also got a job to do and regardless if there are 60,000 fans, 20,000 fans or zero fans, it doesn’t matter. You’ve still got to get the job done and you’ve still got to win football games. It will definitely be different. It will definitely be really different without fans, but you’ve also got a job to do.”
(Can you take us through what’s different with reporting this year with the COVID-19 precautions versus last year? What does the building looks like?) – “Like I just said, everyone comes into the building and no matter who you are, you’re going to have a mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to get COVID-19 tested. You get COVID-19 tested first thing in the morning. You’re going to put your mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to have your tracer on so you can’t be too close to people, especially people that are Tier 3. You’ve got to make sure – it’s also just a case of disciplining yourself (and) being disciplined as a team. People tend to forget that you can’t just catch COVID in the facility. You can catch COVID outside of the facility as well. It’s everywhere. You’ve got to be disciplined as a team. You’ve got to understand that you’ve got to hold your brothers accountable with each other. As far as stepping out and going to dinner with a lot of people, going to nightclubs, going to bars, being with different women – whatever you bring home, you’re bringing it to the family. It’s definitely going to take a lot of discipline. The most disciplined team will end up playing the most games and being the healthiest at the end of the day.”