Dolphin Digest – August 2019

6 Dolphin Digest AUGUST 6, 2019

Q. Regarding RB Kenyan Drake and his versatil-

ity, what have you been able to determine

about that out here, and what were the keys

to defending him last year?

BF: I’m not going to give you the keys to defend-

ing him. (laughter) I’m going to tell you that right

now. You’re not going to hear that from me. You

want me to just hand it over? I’m not going to give

you that. (laughter) Well he’s athletic, he’s explo-

sive, he’s fast. He’s a good route runner. He does a

lot of good things. How do you defend him? We’ll

let the opponent figure that out. (laughter) It’s hard

to defend him from where we sit here today. We

don’t know where he’s going to be lined (up). I think

(Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) has done a

good job. Chad, (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach)

Jerry (Schuplinski), (Assistant Head Coach/Quarter-

backs) Jim (Caldwell), (Running Backs Coach) Eric

(Studesville), they all do a really good job of coming

up with ways to put our players in the best positions

to do what they do well but also put the defense in

some tough positions. That’s game planning, that’s

coaching. We have a lot of really good coaches on

this staff and they really work hard. We talk about

competition on the field, (but) there is competition

from the coaching perspective as well, and I like

that. That’s something that we talk about on a day-

to-day basis. We’re not trying to trick anybody, but

we are trying to, there’s a little bit of gamesmanship

that goes on there from a coaching standpoint that I

like. I think we need to create that kind of environ-

ment, and I think we’re doing that and I think our

coaching staff has done a good job from that stand-

point.”

Q. What are the skill sets DT Vincent Taylor

brings that can help this defense?

BF: You see some athleticism. You see some

strength. He’s got good size. He does a good job of

staying on his feet. Again, at that position, you said

it. At that position, it’s hard to evaluate without put-

ting pads on from a run-read standpoint, going from a

run, play-action transition to a pass rush. These are

things that are, until we get the pads on, there is no

way to really evaluate it. He’s getting in better condi-

tion. I think from an understanding protection stand-

point and how to beat a protection, I think he’s

starting to understand that. I think a lot of our guys

are starting to understand that. They are all working

and that I think he’s doing a good job and I think if

he continues to just do what he’s doing, I think he’ll

be OK.

Q. The starting cornerback job opposite CB

Xavien Howard, is it safe to say CB Eric

Rowe is in the lead at this early stage, and

what do you want to see as far as those

guys?

BF: I just want to see all of them compete. That’s

really what I’m looking for. Eric, Jomal (Wiltz), Nik

Needham, the whole group. I think they’re all doing

that. I think they’re all working hard. I think they’re

all learning the defense and working on their tech-

niques, their fundamentals. It’s still very early.

There’s still a lot of time for that competition to de-

velop. We’ll see how it shakes out come training

camp.

Q. Do you anticipate CB Xavien Howard moving

like he did sometimes last year with the top

receiver, and, if so, how does that impact the

other quarterback?

BF: I think it’ll be game-plan based. If we want to

put him on a specific matchup, we can do that.

That’ll be really the same for everyone on defense.

It’ll be game planned to put them in the best position

to do the things they do well.

Q. Could you discuss your value of the fullback?

You guys drafted a fullback. I’m just curious;

do you see that as, can you just discuss the

value of what you see?

BF: I think it adds a competitiveness, a grit, a

toughness, to the team. We want to run the football. I

think having a lead blocker clear the way helps that. I

value that position. I think it brings a toughness, a

grit that I think I like in my team.

Q. Is that because the way the league is going

the other way, there’s a counterpunch to that,

or do you think you always valued that?

BF: Quite honestly, I played linebacker and I’ve

had to deal with fullbacks. It’s not always the easiest

thing to do. Wherever the league goes is where it

goes; but personally, having dealt with a lead

blocker, it’s not an easy thing to deal with.

Q. How can CB Bobby McCain help you guys?

BF: Like everyone else on our defense, I think he

does a good job of communicating. These are the

things that’ll help us. If you do a good job communi-

cating, you tackle well, we defend the deep part of

the field, we set the edge. I think Bobby can do a lot

of things from a communication standpoint, from a

tackling standpoint, from a playmaking standpoint.

He’s been very good so far.

Q. Before last year, CB Bobby McCain was

mostly slotted into the slot and then he

played some boundary, a lot of boundary, last

year. Do you see that versatility where he can

move around or is he, to you, a nickel slot

corner?

BF: I think he’s smart enough definitely to move

around. He can play corner, he can play safety, he

can play nickel, he can play a variety of positions.

He’s a smart player and a guy who’s made a lot of

plays in this league. We’re looking forward to work-

ing with him.

Q. How has the transition been for you from

leading one group to leading the entire

room?

BF: It’s been good. I enjoy what I’m doing. I love

coaching. I’m passionate about it. It’s just a bigger

group I get to impact or try to impact. Messaging is

important. Challenging them is important to me and

being demanding is important. I think that’s how you

bring out the best in people. I love being in front of a

big group. It gives me an opportunity to impact more

people.

Q. Is DE Charles Harris closer to being a vet-

eran football player or a football player deal-

ing with first-round disappointment? Has he

shaken his past? Is he moving on?

BF: I think he’s working hard. I think he’s doing

everything we ask. I think this is a smart guy. I can’t

say enough good things about him. He’s the kind of

guy we want in the building. Honestly, I don’t care

about his past. I care about right now. That’s where

I’m at.

Q. We’ve seen elements of your culture, whether

it’s the time or the wall. How much of your

culture do you feel like you established in the

offseason?

BF: I think it’s ongoing. I think of something new

every morning, quite honestly. But I can’t give it all

to them every day, so I try to give it to them in bits.

We’re trying to build a culture that’s about improve-

ment, it’s about hard work, it’s about competition,

but it’s also about honesty, it’s also about humility. I

think those are core values of mine that when you’re

not doing those things, that’s when I get a little bit

upset I would say. Specifically from an honesty

standpoint, from a respect standpoint, from a humil-

ity standpoint, I think those are important values you

have to have. That’s part of my role as a leader of

this team.

BOBBY McCAIN

Digest Photo/JOEL AUERBACH