Year 2 under Brian Flores and Chris Grier as head coach and general manager is a wrap. Tuesday, both Flores and Grier met with the South Florida media to discuss the 2020 season and what's ahead for the Miami Dolphins.
Here are the highlights from that press conference.
Grier on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa:
"He's our starting quarterback. He did a nice job this year of coming in as a rookie with no offseason and the challenges of dealing with all of that. Very happy with him and looking forward to watching him progress with an offseason here and going into next year."
Flores on the coaching staff:
"We expect everyone back."
Grier on competition:
"We always talk about – Brian and I, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon Shore, scouts and coaches – competition makes everyone better. We talk about upgrading the roster in all areas. There's places that we want to upgrade on all parts of the roster and obviously having playmakers on offense and defense is what the great teams have and we'll keep doing that here in trying to address issues on both sides of the ball."
"You're always looking to bring in guys that fit your system and will push people and make them better."
Grier on player development:
"I would say Brian and the coaching staff deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what we did this year in terms of the roster with having so many new players and young players with only one player over 30 on the roster. Their development plan for how they brought along a lot of these young players I don't think gets enough credit."
Grier on Emmanuel Ogbah's first season in Miami:
"Emmanuel did a good job for us this year and he's the right kind of person as well. He came in right away and worked hard. I think Brian and the coaching staff did a great job … figuring out what he does well and his strengths in the scheme and he just kind of took off from there once everyone got a feel for what he did best."
Flores on the development of the offensive line and the coming weeks for the Dolphins:
"I think that group made a lot of improvement. Obviously we played a lot of young guys there along with the two guys we signed as free agents … These next (4-6 weeks), for us as a staff and to include Chris, we're going to evaluate everything … we're just trying to create a vision for what we'd like the 2021 season to look like. "
"My snapshot (immediately following the season) is it was an improved group ... We saw development from the young players. That's always what we're looking for. We saw development from the veteran players. I thought the group came together. It wasn't perfect but I thought they were solid."
Grier on consideration for GM of the Year:
"To me, at the end of the day, it's about building the thing right and winning games."
"I don't think there's any question that Brian is the Coach of the Year … What he did with this roster, this team, to go through this with the pandemic, the young players, how young we were with no offseason and a completely new roster, to win 10 games with what we have, and a rookie quarterback and eight rookie players on offense playing, Brian and his staff did an unbelievable job."
Grier on the people behind the scenes playing through a pandemic:
"I'd also like to thank Brandon Shore and (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston for keeping us updated on protocols through everything and updating the COVID procedures. Then, Brian enforcing it with the team and reminding them every day that he loves the guys and don't be embarrassed if you get COVID (because) it's not anyone's fault. I think it created a sense right from the start that the team knew that Brian had their backs, believed in them and the team believed in him and it showed this year on the field."
Flores on 2021 goals:
"The goal is to get better every day. We try to develop the players, the coaches, the people within the organization, develop ourselves and let the results take care of themselves. That's what we talk to the players about: let's do a good job with our process, our preparation."
"We'll take it one day at a time and try to get better every day. We won't leave any stone unturned. We'll do everything possible to bring results to the fan base, to the people in our organization. That's important to us. It's something we talk about on a daily basis."
Grier on 2021 goals:
"It's a process and we're just (focused on) getting better every day. We've never set a timetable for anything. It was just about getting better each day and that's all it is."
To hear the full press conference, check out the latest edition of Drive Time with Travis Wingfield, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network.
Miami Dolphins Announce 2020 Team Awards
The Miami Dolphins today announced their team award winners for the 2020 season. Cornerback Xavien Howard was named the Dan Marino Most Valuable Player, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick earned the Don Shula Leadership Award, safety Bobby McCain was named the team's Ed Block Courage Award winner and the team's Social Impact Committee earned the Nat Moore Community Service Award.
Members of the committee include cornerback Byron Jones,running back Patrick Laird, linebacker Elandon Roberts, linebacker Kyle Van Noyand defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. The committee was formed by Dolphins players to positively impact civic engagement, education and economic empowerment. The group donated $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Fines and Fees program, which assists returning citizens who have outstanding fees to complete their sentences and become eligible to vote. They also provided $300,000 to public schools in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties to bridge the digital divide and assist with wireless technology for underserved students. The Nat Moore Community Service Award is given each year to a Miami Dolphins player recognized for his involvement in the South Florida community. Moore spent 13 seasons in a Dolphins uniform, culminating by his placement on the Dolphins Honor Roll in 1999.
Dolphins Sign 12 Players to Futures Contracts
The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed 12 players to reserve/futures contracts: defensive end Nick Coe, safety Brian Cole, cornerback Javaris Davis, cornerback Tino Ellis, center Tyler Gauthier, tackle Jonathan Hubbard, linebacker Kylan Johnson, tight end Chris Myarick, guard Durval Queiroz Neto, defensive end Tyshun Render, quarterback Reid Sinnett and long snapper Rex Sunahara.
