Undefeated Dolphins Q&A
by Trey187 | 8 years ago | 0 Comments
We had a sit down with the Miami Dolphins head coach to see how he felt about this season and some of his players.
Q: So, you just came off a close win to the Pats, which leaves you still undefeated, what will you be doing to prepare for the right now 3-1 Bills? How will you handle LeSean McCoy?
A: As cliché as it is, it's gonna have to come down to gap integrity and fundamental tackling. We have to get multiple guys on him every time he has the ball. He's tough to bring down, especially in space. We've definitely got our work cut out for us going up against him.
Q: Right, a question a lot of fans are asking is: how do you feel about Jay Ajayi as a leader for your team? Has he established himself as a guy that others will look to for leadership in tough games? If not, who has?
A: Jay really progressed in the leadership department over the off-season. He was a quiet kid last season when he first won the starting job in camp, but he played well last season and really took control from a leadership standpoint. He's not a big rah-rah guy, but he does have his more outward moments. He's definitely done a good job leading by example. Kenneth Dixon was really brought in to be that short yardage power back, but he's learned a lot from Jay and we really look to lean on him for the next few weeks while Jay is out. Nonetheless, Jay was really good last week in practice with teaching Kenneth how to handle being the starter. I think all the guys can't wait to see Jay come back with a vengeance and ready for some big playoff action. That's speaks volumes to me about how much respect he has in the locker room.
Q: Right on. Currently defense has racked up a total of 16 INTs this year, and 6 Forced Fumbles. Is this something you work on weekly, or are these guys just a bunch of playmakers? Do you think that contributes to your record at the moment?
A: Turnovers are a big part of our defense. We work on tip drills and punching the ball out on an almost daily basis. The defense knows giving the ball back to our offense gives them the best opportunity to keep points off the board. Reshad Jones and Isa Abdul-Quddus are both exceptional ball-hawking safeties. Our defensive backs work on disguising their coverages a lot in practice. It's a lot easier to get a game changing pick when our DB's are confusing the quarterback. Cam Wake, Lamarr Houston, and Suh have forced a lot of those fumbles getting strip-sacks. When you have those 3 on the line nearly every play as well as Hegamin coming off the edge, you can really get into a guy's head.
Q: I see that, you guys definitely are punishing offenses. But, for your team offensively, what's a guy like Jarvis Landry doing for you? He's putting up spectacular numbers right now?
A: Juice is great in space. He's said God hasn't made a DB that can stop him. He's great at reading coverages from anywhere on the field and sitting in the open areas against zone. It's almost like having an extra quarterback on the outside. Where he really punishes guys is in one-on-one coverage. He really accelerates out of his breaks, and once he hits the open field he's tough to catch and bring down.
Q: Right, I can definitely see that. For Ryan Tannehill, do you feel that he's going to lead you to a playoff push this year? Do you think he can stay healthy?
A: I really believe in Ryan. I know he's had his doubters over the years, a lot of people questioning his ability to read defenses and feel the pocket. But, he picked up the offense quickly in camp last year and having been in it for a full year now he's really got a grasp on the whole thing at this point. He's definitely got the leadership skills in the locker room and he's carried the team on his back at times to get back into some games. The Patriots game a couple weeks ago comes to mind. We were down 20-12 and going on the field with a 2 minute drill planned out. Ryan really put the team on his back in that game. That's the kind of quality you want in a franchise quarterback. As far as injuries go I'd rather not jinx him, but he's one of the toughest guys I've ever had the benefit of coaching. It seems I can always rely on him to be healthy week in and week out.
Q: Ok sounds good, for my final question. What's your mindset during the week for practice? Do you think staying undefeated is possible?
A: Coming into every week our goal is to finish the week 1-0. Watch the film, look at what you can do to make yourself a better team, then forget about last week's game and try to go 1-0 this week. Everyone in that locker room hates to lose. They wanna go undefeated every year. I'd like to believe we can get through a 16 game schedule unscathed but this is the NFL and every team is competitive. The end goal is to win the Super Bowl, and these guys work toward that goal day in and day out to make sure we don't fall short. They tasted the playoffs last year and for a lot of them that was the first time, but the way we lost really put a bad taste in their mouth and I know they're going to do everything they can to not taste that again.