Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
On what he thought of the first day of joint practices with the Dolphins
"Yeah, overall today, I felt like it was an effective practice on both sides. I think we all got really good work. Offensively, defensively, guys made plays [and there are] things to learn from, so we got what we needed out of today's practice, and [I'm] looking forward to tomorrow just getting even more work."
On what he wanted to see out of QB C.J. Stroud today
"Yeah, with C.J. [Stroud], with all our quarterbacks, what I wanted to see today was just [have] those guys operate [while] seeing a different defense, seeing a different scheme, seeing different pressures coming in. I'm seeing the guys operate cleanly, smoothly, and our guys made some plays. It was cool to see."
On the interception that S Jalen Pitre had at the end of practice
"[With] the way Jalen Pitre practices every single day, it doesn't surprise me when he makes a big play. It's expected because that's what he [Jalen Pitre] does every day. He's not going to surprise you with a wild play because that's who he is. He's consistent in his preparation and it shows when it's time to line up and compete. He's the same guy he always is, so it's very exciting for the entire team when all eyes are on us, and to see him step up and make a play like that – it's exciting and uplifting for our entire team."
On LB Christian Harris performance today after also recording an interception
"Yeah, Christian [Harris] has been doing a great job all throughout camp. It was good to see him make a play, make a play on the ball – that's what we want to do. We want to be about the ball, attacking the ball defensively. And to get a couple [interceptions] today, it's encouraging for us."
On how the team plans to improve on today and approach tomorrow's practice
"For tomorrow, we'll go in today and we'll review the practice tape, and we'll see things that we did well and highlight those things that we did well, and just show where [we can] improve. It's all about getting that one percent improvement each day, and that's what we'll look for tomorrow."
On the points of emphasis in becoming a better red zone team
"When it comes to the red zone, and just all situational football, it first starts with being smart. You have to know –offensively – where we're going with the ball. You have to be precise with your routes. Defensively, you have to be tighter in coverage in the red zone. So, whenever you operate in situational football, it's about who can be the smartest team and play the cleanest, and that's what we're looking for."
On how he wanted to simulate on-field play during practice today
"For our practices, talking with Mike [McDaniel] [and] our coordinators on both sides – they got together, they scripted practice. So, there were things they wanted to work on offensively, things we wanted to work on, so we scripted a pretty good portion of the practice. And then at the end there, we'll allow for unscripted periods just for guys to call it, so we were able to get the best of both worlds."
On what kind of security blanket TE Dalton Schultz provides for a rookie QB like C.J. Stroud
"Yeah, what does Dalton [Schultz] mean to our team? I think it's that. He provides a security blanket for the quarterback, has really good hands. He's a guy you can rely on. He's good in protection when it's called upon him, so Dalton is just a pro's pro. He's consistent in his approach every day, and it's great to have Dalton on our team."
On if he expects QB C.J. Stroud to play more snaps in this Saturday's game vs. Miami than the first game at New England
"I'll talk about reps after we finish up tomorrow."
On his relationship with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel
"Working with Mike [McDaniel] the couple years I was able to work with him – I mean, here as a player, he was a young coach, and being able to work with him in San Francisco, I'm proud of Mike and the position he's able to be in now. He's a tremendous, young coach, [and he] brings great energy to this team. These guys are prepared. He's always looking to push the envelope as far as how offense is [run]. He's not just going to do it how it's always been. He's always looking to gain an edge, always on the cutting-edge side of things. So, it's fun always to go against Mike because he's going to prepare you for things you would probably never see from other teams, so it's very challenging. And that's why I really wanted the opportunity to practice against him because I know the type of coach he is, and I know the challenges that he'll present to us defensively. And then just as a person, Mike is one of the smartest coaches I've been around. Always keeps it low-key, fun – always having fun, always cracks a joke at the right time. Very witty guy. And [I'm] just proud of the coach that he's become, the man that he's become. It's fun to see him in the position that he's in as the Miami Dolphins' head coach."
On what it's like to have someone like T Laremy Tunsil anchoring the offensive line
"With Laremy [Tunsil] and what he brings to our team, you have every team – if you're going to be a great offense, you've got to have a great protector at that left tackle position, and that's what Laremy provides for us. Laremy has done it at a high level for such a long time, right? He's consistent and he's reliable. So, it's comforting to have Laremy out there, and knowing he's played a lot of football, seen a lot of things – he's confident. When you have a lot of young guys around him, he can provide that experience to the guys, so Laremy has been really good for us."
On the level of emotions they felt during this first joint practice
"The emotions, for us, it doesn't change. We don't change who we are just because the Dolphins came in. Our intensity, our preparation – it's exactly the same. So, the Dolphins – they saw us just as we are every day at practice, and that's how it should be."
On what kind of memories he has with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel when they were both coaches with the 49ers
"Working with Mike [McDaniel], he's like in his black hole. He's quiet. [There's] not a lot of people going in [and] messing with him. His office was dark, and the film was just running. And I see [that] the wheels are turning just [thinking] on, 'What motion can I do to run the same play?' He's just always thinking, forward-thinking in the way he approaches the game, the way he watches film, and just the way he teaches. He's teaching the receivers or [running] backs. Like, his players love playing for him. He brings a great energy, a different energy from other coaches, and it's fun that a guy can be himself and still lead a team in the way that he does."
On if he ever and went and joked around Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel when he was in his office watching film
"No, I don't mess with him [Mike McDaniel] when he's in work mode."
On what goes into the idea behind the offensive line rotation
"With the rotation on the offensive line, we're moving a lot of guys around there, so most of it is load management and rep counts. Like, we want to get guys a certain amount of reps within a certain period, so that's the thought process behind why guys rotate at times, especially in practice when we can manage the plays we have called. And we may want Kenyon [Green] to see one thing, we may want [Michael] Deiter to see another play, so just a matter of getting the right look for those guys."
On what challenges the Dolphins' defense presented during practice
"The challenges with the Dolphins' defensive scheme [are that] they're going to do a really good job of setting the edge and force you to run the ball inside, and they're going to do what they do defensively. Coach [Vic] Fangio runs a very disciplined style of defense. Those guys are exactly where they're supposed to be, and they force you to earn every yard that you get, and so that's the good part about going against this scheme. Five-down fronts is different from our scheme, so our offense has to do a different job of communicating, different jobs of who they're blocking, who they're targeting. So, it just allows us to get better offensively at communicating."
