Here were some of the postgame comments that stood out after the Dolphins' 16-14 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second preseason game, along with some perspective:
"It was a good week. I think maybe personally more than on the field it was just very nice to see everybody and just a lot of special people here."
— The week-long trip to Tampa to hold joint practices with the Buccaneers before the preseason game at Raymond James Stadium was beneficial in a lot of ways for the Dolphins, but it had extra meaning for some players with connections to the Bucs and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick certainly fit into that category.
"I think most of the learning comes in the next 24 hours. There were some good plays and some bad, but there was a lot to learn from."
— After Fitzpatrick started the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons, second-year player Josh Rosen got the start against Tampa Bay and called his performance positive overall. Most importantly, he views what happened in that first half Friday night as a good learning experience.
"It's just that I need to unleash the beast. I need to play fearless out there."
— Among the players who stood out Friday was night was LB Sam Eguavoen, who signed with the Dolphins out of the Canadian Football League in the offseason. Eguavoen said the key to his performance against Tampa Bay was playing with more aggressiveness.
"I'm becoming more and more comfortable by the day. I have good (veterans) around me that help me, encourage me to be my best and who are there for me whenever I have questions or anything."
— The development of DT Christian Wilkins — and all rookies for that matter — continues with each practice and each game, and the first-round pick from Clemson says his teammates have been a big help and so has continuing to understand the different between the NFL and college levels.
"My main thing is to staying consistent — stacking days, even games. Just come in, watch the film, correct my mistakes and just come ready to play the next game."
— After making an impact on a regular basis for the past several days, rookie WR Preston Williams has to deal with a performance against Tampa Bay that wasn't up to that level. He fully understands that the key, as Head Coach Brian Flores has preached time and again, is consistency.
