(In order for Dolphins QB "Snoop" Tyler Huntley to be the starting quarterback for this game, what was the process and timeline as far as seeing that Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was unable to go?)
"It's been a 'since last game' process. The hip injury which he sustained in the Houston game and was made worse on one particular play against the (San Francisco) 49ers. Then you come in and you see that the injury is a little worse, but you try to forecast how things will heal based upon the only thing that you have to work with, which is the previous week's forecast from the Houston game to the San Francisco game. So we were hoping and anticipating for a timeline similar to that, and as the week progressed, we didn't see the improvement we'd hoped for, but still really allowing his body the full amount of time to heal. Ultimately he absolutely wanted to play. It wasn't a pain tolerance thing, because he wanted to. That's not in the equation for him. The main thing was that he not only was super susceptible to a much more significant injury based upon that injury if he were to fall in harm's way, but a major factor was the lack of strength due to the injury, and his inability, as we forecasted, to protect himself and his teammates within the pocket and doing the things that he normally has to do. Really, I think it was Friday or Saturday, that the hopeful trend of improvement, we were kind of faced with the reality that it was kind of plateauing right then. And then ultimately all the way up until this morning I kind of kept an open mind and a hopeful mind. I think the major thing in the process, I think what was evident was the positives of time for Snoop and for how far he's come since we last played with him. I thought that was a tremendous outing for him. I thought he made some plays and was very good with the ball, and those are always cool things for a player when they're playing a team that they were on in that same calendar year."
(Given the significance of this game tonight and that he didn't play, and you describe the significance of the injury and the pain if he were to play today, is it realistic to think that he could play next week? Is it a question of whether he needs surgery down the line?)
"Surgery is not currently on the table. I mean, aren't you talking about next year? It's hard to forecast next year. C'mon – calendar joke? Like I said, we had reasonable, hopeful expectations for his body, and he absolutely had the same expectations. So, to even begin to forecast this next week is difficult because we were waiting until the last hour. Ultimately, he is super important to our team. It was not ideal in any way, shape, or form to have a game like this and not have him available, but it was also, from a medical perspective, not an option for him to play. We'll be hopeful for that as we progress. I can't even lean one way or the other really. We'll see what the world has in store for us."
(To follow up, is this injury in any way related to the previous injury?)
"No. It's not at all."
(What is your perspective as the team is still alive going into Week 18?)
"I don't know. I'm very proud of the locker room and the coaching staff, and just really everyone because this one was important for the obvious reasons, but also because we were 2-6 staring at the LA Rams, and winning this game put us at 6-2 cents. Some of the best things in team sports occur when you have to galvanize together and there's a lot of people telling you that your season is over, this, that, and the other. I think it speaks to that, and on top of all that, you're going through that stretch where you're 5-2 in your last seven games, then on gameday you're faced with not having your starting quarterback. Defensively, team football, they rose to the occasion. Having a couple turnovers and not letting them into the end zone. Guys made some plays just across the board. It was a team win that felt really good for all the reasons above and one that I thought was earned through not only this last work week, but the accumulation of work weeks as they've bonded together."
(Tyler said he finally started to get the hang of this offense after his third start. When was it noticeable to you and your staff that Snoop was starting to find it?)
"Honestly it was running 'not' our offense. When he came back from injury and he was doing the service team's work, you could feel an enhanced confidence that was bleeding over from his ownership of what he was tasked to do as a quarterback for our offense. You could feel his impact on the daily practice field. When you're talking about a backup quarterback, that's a big deal. When you're making an impact of providing energy and also making confident plays, it was right when he returned from injury. He made a pretty noticeable impact on the practice field in service team and it was trickling over into our offensive stuff. It's been a cool process with him and to watch him kind of evolve."
(We know how much Dolphins LT Terron Armstead means to this team. Can you give us a sense of what he was going through tonight? We saw him on the sideline flexing the knee and we know he exited the (New York) Jets game. What has he been through these last few weeks?)
"I can't understate the mental component to it. He's really testing the boundaries of what will can do. It's very important to him, this team is important to him. He has been one of the main voices, the pillars of reason. When you have adversity in the season, the leaders are leaned on that much more. His fight week in, week out, is not gone unnoticed by all his teammates for sure. Also I think it kind of helps in an indirect unintended consequence way by seeing this guy doing everything he can to play. Then the frustration that ensues when he's unable to, his teammates I think indirectly have an appreciation for being on the field in their own right, that much more. Just because you're seeing guys that when he's not out there, he absolutely and positively wishes and would do anything to be out there with his teammates. He continues to improve and be a linchpin for this team. We're all happy that he gives it his all every week."
(What about Dolphins DT Calais Campbell and that he has an opportunity with this team to get into the tournament?)
"I think that's why he's here. Every week you're just like 'wow, we're fortunate to have this guy.' He almost has that youth football energy towards football. Like just a love for it that he's never really satisfied. His appetite for the game is real and every time he speaks, the team takes it super serious and it leaves an impression on them. I think he's one of the absolute reasons we're still alive for postseason play, and we get an opportunity to play one guaranteed game. If we take care of business, we have an opportunity to keep going in the season, which has been the whole motive and point of trying to turn this thing around, because you know if you're able to, you're also a weathered, experienced, tough team that has all those components of what it takes in December and January football."
(There is such a difference between how the season began and how it's ending. When you look at turning points, what's the main turning point that stands out in your mind?)
"It was the Monday night game in LA. I think we were able to win that game, it was one of our first examples of complementary football in all three phases. I think it was a hard fought game. As a team, you're embarrassed of your 2-6 record being on national television, and I challenged guys to own that and do something about it, and they really had that sense. Once you do that, you win a couple games in a row, then a lot of times people break the next time there's a setback. What I've seen is guys not blinking anytime something maybe doesn't go the way that we'd hoped to the point of being a situation where the last two games we knew we had to win and have some help, and as a result we're staring another playoff game in the face with the New York Jets that we'll have to earn. That'll be our complete focus. If you focus on that, then hopefully you have an opportunity to focus on another opponent. We'll have to first get to that, which will start the second that tomorrow starts. Otherwise, I'm getting excited to get on the plane and take a nap."
(Can you run us through the process behind the 4th and one play call – the pitch to Dolphins RB De'Von Achane?)
"When I called it, I didn't think it was going to end up that way. Otherwise I wouldn't have called it. It was a situation of being a little aggressive because I was aware that in about ten minutes, the dry night we were having was going to turn into a wet one that I kind of figured that this was the moment to try and go get a lead. You would need the execution of a lot of pass plays in wet weather to come back from. They did a good job. They were blitzing and unfortunately the way that (Browns CB Mike) Ford (Jr.) aided the play, we didn't get a chance to down block something at the point of attack, so it looked like their own decision for sure. But that's the nature of what I signed up for, so it was more just a misplaced play call for the defense that they executed, but we had a rhyme and reason. I'm sure it didn't feel that way when it didn't work, but that was kind of the thought process."
