Miami Dolphins coordinators and position coaches met with the media today as the team faces off against Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 16. Check out the top quotes from their media availabilities.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FRANK SMITH
(On what gives him confidence in starting QB Skylar Thompson)
"I think it's pretty evident from what you guys have been able to witness through training camp, for Skyler, he's not your average rookie. The way he's been able to prepare, the way he's been able to execute, we have full confidence in what he's going to be able to deliver to help us win on a full week of preparation. The scenario to which he went in, I can't even imagine sometimes. It's the second play of the game and you're standing there and you're kind of by yourself. I mean the rest of his position group that he's been prepping with the entire offseason was not available. So he's by himself pushing through and I think you really saw a lot of the moxie he possesses and the reason why he's going to grow and continue to get better. We felt like this week, with him being available and getting the full preparation, that he was our best chance to help us win."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOSH BOYER
(On what makes Vikings RB Dalvin Cook so good)
"He's a dynamic runner. He's very strong. He does a good job of pressing blocks and he can take – if space is available – he can take a play and make it a big play in a hurry and he's been very good at that. He's very physical, he's very big, he's very fast and he presses blocks well. He has great vision so he's able to find seams in the defense and he's been an outstanding player for him. They also use him in the pass game when there's space there, and that presents an issue, too. And we'll have to guys to close to him quickly."
(On the emphasis of tackling)
"It ties all in together with complementary football, detailing things that we want to work at and get better at. And again, I would say any time that we can eliminate yards after catch or yards after contact, it's going to do two things. I mean, really it puts the offense behind the chains, which sometimes narrows down the plays that that you can see. And the other thing that it does is it saves you field position. So it's definitely something that that we've emphasized, and it's definitely something that – and again, you can say something like, 'hey, we need to be better at this,' but like, okay, what are you doing to get better at it? And are the things that you're doing to get better at it, are they helping you? If they're not, then what you need to do is detail it a different way or take a different approach. And I think that's the great thing. Nobody's complaining, nobody's making excuses, nobody's quitting. Our guys are really detailed in what we're trying to get done. And like I said, we're really excited to go out there and play a really good football team this Sunday here at home."
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DANNY CROSSMAN
(On the boost his units get with S Clayton Fejedelem coming back off injured reserve)
I think when you have a guy that has experience and has had success and has been a productive player, when you get that guy back, I think it builds everybody's confidence, first and foremost, and it's a great example for the younger guys."
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS ERIC STUDESVILLE
(On why the run game has improved in recent weeks)
"I think the thing that I liked the most is that this entire offense is committed to this and getting better. We've done some things that we could have certainly could have done better. There's been some plays out there that we've hit not as consistently as we want. So I think there's an urgency in the entire group to get better, and that's what we're seeing. We're seeing that guys aren't saying, 'Oh, this isn't this.' They're committed to it. They're focused on it. They're taking care of each other. We're trying to get this run game going better, and it takes everyone in the run game (and) it takes everybody in the pass game. I think what we're seeing is that the whole group is saying, 'You know what? We're going to all put this on all of our backs to get this improved.'"
QUARTERBACKS/PASSING GAME COORDINATOR DARRELL BEVELL
(On his initial thoughts when he worked with QB Skylar Thompson for the first time)
"I was really fired up just with his presence and how he was handling things. I know he's a little bit older guy, but it wasn't overwhelming to him. I think is the first thing that stood out to me. And then I think the second thing was just how well he prepared himself to be ready for the moments that he was going to be put into, and every time that we've had a critical moment, he's answered the bell, and he's done a great job with it. And there's little steps along the way that just situations that he got put in, where it's like, 'okay, he passed that, what's he going to do if this happens.' And then that happened, and he passed that. So I'm just really excited about the progression that he's made."
LINEBACKERS COACH ANTHONY CAMPANILE
(On the intangibles that LB Elandon Roberts brings to the defense)
"I don't think you could coach – we were talking about passion for football. I don't think you could coach a more passionate guy than that guy. I mean I definitely talk to him more than I talk to my wife. (laughter) But I mean that in the context of like, even when he's not in the building, talking about football or texting each other. I don't know if anyone outside of this building could ever understand how much that guy cares and how hard he prepares. That's one of the great things about coaching. You're coaching a guy that's a pro. Watching him do his job every day is really cool. And how passionate he is about just the littlest things. It might be short yardage, it might be whatever it is that week. Can you get a little bit of an edge with this alignment? Is there any tells? I mean, he goes out there on Sunday and he's definitely expended all of his energy in the week, to the best of his ability, to try and get ready for the game on Sunday. I love coaching the guy, as a human being and as a player. I'm very fortunate to coach him."
