DL MALIEK COLLINS
What have you seen from QB Tua Tagovailoa?
"That's a dynamic team, a dynamic offense. He's obviously having a great season. To come back from that concussion earlier in the season and get right back in line and keep progressing. We've got a challenge."
How does Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel's offense make you know your keys with misdirection?
"That's how I play anyway. I focus on my one singular key, my guard. Wherever he moves, I'm getting up the field vertical trying to get penetration as a three technique in this system."
Why do you think Miami's offense has found success this year?
"Big plays for sure. Having an explosive offense. Their defense has been good for the past three or four years, just seeing them. Big plays really. You have to limit those big plays and keep everything in the bottle defensively."
How will the defense approach trying to limit what Miami's offense can do?
"One takeaway from the last game is that we have to take the ball away. That's critical. Me myself, when I'm going in for a tackle, I've got to punch at the ball better. Not just punch the ball but punch the ball out. Make sure I'm getting the ball out to give us the opportunity to score."
Has there been any conversation amongst the players about what you need to do to turn things around?
"We're always having conversations with each other about what more each of us can do. Hold each other accountable. But one thing for sure is taking the ball away. We've got to do that. You can't not take the ball away and win. That's not the game in the NFL. We've got to give the offense more opportunities to score. We've got to limit other teams' drives. That's just the game."
What do you make of Miami's running backs?
"You see dynamic backs. Backs that can run routes. Backs that are elusive in space. We've got to run to the ball. We've got to tackle. We need all 11 guys in the picture on defense. When we come back and watch that film, we need all 11 guys showing up and going to get the ball out."
Can you talk about the Thanksgiving giveaway event the defensive lineman hosted?
"I think we're going through what I would say is a tough season, but it can't limit what we do or how we impact the community. We came together as a D-line and went to H-E-B, and we helped some families out that were Thanksgiving shopping or shopping just to get some food. Everybody came away from that feeling a little bit better. Hopefully that can transpire and build something for this upcoming week."
Does a holiday week like this act as a refresher during what is a tough season?
"I don't really know how to speak to that from a team aspect. But as for myself, I feel like I was blessed with perspective. Just being able to look on the bright side of things and not always just looking at the dark or whatever we might be going through. I'm always able to look at things and how blessed I am to be in this position or how blessed I am to just be here in this space."
What types of moments in your life have influenced that bright side perspective?
"I've had a lot of moments. My youngest son was born at 24 weeks. He was 1 pound, 8 ounces. Just seeing the fight that he had in him to keep going. That was my rookie year. So, I mean, seeing the fight that he had, I can never fold based on that. Just having that instilled in me, what he instilled in me, which is crazy."
WR NICO COLLINS
How does the team get better after last week?
"I'd say just continue to build every day, work hard, watch the film, and correct the mistakes we made. Just continue to keep going."
How do you think QB Davis Mills has handled everything this season?
"He's the same guy. He never gets too high, never gets too low. He's always positive, still positive. I'm pretty sure he knows, we watched the game film, there's probably things on there he probably missed, but he's on a mission this week to correct those. We know his mindset is keeping going. He's never going to get down on himself."
What's your continuity with QB Davis Mills like to this point in the season?
"The growth is still growing. Just a lot of room for improvement in both of our games. That's what we're going to continue to keep doing. Continue to grow, continue to work on our craft and continue trying to make plays for the offense."
What are some of the offensive mistakes that you're seeing pop up week-after-week?
"We just have to stay out of third-and-longs. Keep getting better on early downs. We have to start the games a little faster than we have been. You can't start the game slow in this league. Just continue to put points on the board."
In what ways you think you can put points on the board and start faster?
"Just continue to keep going, trust the process, trust the gameplan and continue to go out on gameday. Just ball out and then see what happens."
What have you seen from the Dolphin's secondary?
"It's secondary is pretty solid. Great secondary, great team. We're going to watch the film today, get the gameplan together. I'm looking forward to playing them this week."
DB DESMOND KING II
What does the Dolphins receiving core bring?
"Explosiveness. That's one word you can use to sum up their offense and the players they've got on their team. They got Tua (Tagovailoa) back. They're rolling right now. They're doing what they were expected to do. I'm going to say our key is to not give up the deep ball against them. They've got Tyreek (Hill), they've got (Jaylen) Waddle, so we know what's going to come with that."
What have you seen from QB Tua Tagovailoa this year?
"I haven't watched much Tua (Tagovailoa) football lately after what happened to him, but I will look at that stuff this coming week."
How easy is the transition to step outside to cornerback from the nickel position?
"It's the same. I've been there before. I did that last year. Not anything new. It's something that I've been in that position before. It's good to just be available for the team when they need me."
What has been your advice to DB Derek Stingley Jr. as he works through his injury?
"That's tough because I know it's his rookie year. Keep your head up and keep working and get back healthy."
Has it been a challenge helping DB Derek Stingley Jr. and DB Jalen Pitre keeping their head up?
"It's a part of football. That's going to happen. That's going to come with it. Everybody has been down that road. Like I said, as a rookie, you have to think like a goldfish. They say goldfish have the shortest (memory). It's just got to go right out the window, right out the door and you've just got to go to the next play. Can't let that play affect the rest of the plays in the game."
What's the vibe right now in the locker room?
"It's still the same. We're a family and we know this is not the path that we want to go down right now. We just got to find a way. Got to find a way to pull it together. Got to stay together. Can't let this separate the locker room or the team, so that our goal right now, kind of regroup and go on to the next game. Go in with the same focus as next week."
Do you feel like it has separated the locker room or are you saying before it happens?
"Before anything, we don't want this to be a distraction to what we're trying to build. I think right now we just have to find a way and stay together."
What's the difference from the first few games when you were forcing turnovers to the past few games?
"That's our goal as a team. On offense we want to protect the ball. Defense, we want to get the ball for our offense. That's just something that we've been stressing for the past year since I've been here. That's going to be the goal. That's going to be one of our values as a team in each and every game. We just got to create those turnovers on defense and on offense we've just got to protect the ball."
When it comes to forcing turnovers, do you feel like you've been out of position or has the aggressiveness not been there?
"No, when the opportunity presents itself, we've got to capitalize. That's just what it is. The quarterback is not going to throw you the ball, obviously. Like I said, when that opportunity shows up, you have to capitalize on it and that's what is going to make that difference."
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