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On TVD:
“I was concerned about surrounding him with the caliber of talent that will allow him to be successful,” “You have to be able to block it up and you have to scheme it open too. Systematically, it just didn’t fit. They worked for us at Oregon and Alabama, but when you are in a roster transition and it doesn’t fit, you have to find tweaks to make things work. We didn’t do a good enough job when the injuries piled up. Tyler doesn’t get enough credit. A lot of guys would have run for the hills. He was instrumental in getting guys on board. The guy is motivated and focused on having a great season and a great football team.”
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On the WR room:
“We feel better about wide receiver, not only because of the two guys we have added, but also the uptick in levels of commitment and performance so far by some of the guys that have been here.
Jacolby George and
Brashard Smith have taken a tremendous step up…All of a sudden these guys have gained eight, ten, 12 pounds and they are grinding.
Isaiah Horton hasn’t gotten a chance yet and he is looking great.
Xavier Restrepo has always busted his butt. Then you got guys like Ray Ray Joseph and
Robby Washington, those guys are impressive dudes that can really roll.”
- Mario mentioned there are a number of guys out recuperating from off season surgeries. Mentions the new guys and others will get plenty of reps,
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On recruiting and the transfer portal: (hints there could be more additions)
“You can never have enough defensive linemen and then experience at every position like a corner than can play in man coverage, a true nickel, a safety,” “You are always looking at different positions and you have to see how you come out from a health standpoint from spring football.”
On the 2022 season:
“We knew it was going to be a difficult challenge…There is a reason we were brought here—and it wasn’t because things were going well. There had to be an upheaval, especially culture wise with the capacity to work, the ability to press and push and be a team that can face adversity and then close a huge talent gap, which is defined by the NFL Draft. The last five years are the worst in recent Miami history. We knew we had to fix it and it stinks and hurts, but you have to be a tough son of a gun and go right back to work.”
On Dawson, new OC:
“He is an elite play-caller and quarterback coach,” “Part of his history is being in the ‘Air-Raid’ system, but as you can see over the last several years, those guys have transformed and evolved into guys that get downhill in the run game with power, counter, split-zone, and pin-and-pull and all that good stuff.” “What we expect is a very explosive enhancement to the offense and a guy that knows how to get the ball to the playmakers with a fortified and enhanced offensive line,”
On Guidry, new DC:
“Schematically, he is really hard to play against—and I have played against him before,” “You are never sure where the pressure is coming from and you are not getting the same picture every snap and that makes it hard for an offense to play against. That is one thing we had to take a drastic step in. Last year we were implementing a system and we stayed vanilla during the course of the year and this defense gives us a chance to be dynamic.” “The thing I like about him is he gets his guys to play really, really, really hard,” “They are flying all over the place and knocking people around. They get to the ball in a hurry and they finish. They are good tacklers and they are schematically aware of where their help is.”
