Dolphins
Dolphins DE Bradley Chubb made headlines when saying players lied last season about having the right culture. When asked about the topic, Mike McDaniel said he wished Chubb had come to him last year when he thought players were lying.
“It would have been awesome if he had told me on the front-end when they were lying,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
As for WR Jaylen Waddle, McDaniel said he’s become more of a leader around their locker room.
“He’s understanding his role as a leader a little more. He has taken more ownership in the totality of practice. When he feels a lulls, he has no problem going over to the defense and starting some competitive vibes… The best players have to strive to be better… Everyone gets juiced when Waddle is juiced. He’s been more juiced lately.”
Defenses also seemed to adjust to Miami’s offense last season. McDaniel admitted they need to figure out their own alterations and they need to keep a balanced attack.
“One of the things very clear is defenses spent time trying to… make us perform in all facets,” McDaniel said. “They’ve showed us we have to earn our way out of that. You can easily [do that] as a group. If you’re trying to do it just with passing, it’s going to be difficult, close to impossible. It speaks to what we preach every day — balance, run affecting pass and vice versa. The point was kind of proven last year. It’s up to us to lean into our philosophical beliefs…. You need to threaten people in multiple ways or they will make you pay.”
Jets
Jets RB Breece Hall is entering the fourth year of his career, marking the final season of his rookie contract. Hall wants to prove he is still “one of the best” running backs in the NFL.
“Just proving that I’m still the guy and still one of the best in the league,” Hall said, via Susanna Weir of the team’s site. “Just trying to go out there every weekend and prove that I deserve to be out there.”
As for playing under new OC Tanner Engstrand, Hall said he’s proving to be very detailed.
“He’s all about business,” Hall said. “He loves ball. I love how detailed he is and how he’s on everybody.”
Engstrand has gotten a strong first impression of Hall, calling him a tireless worker and an “all-around player.”
“He’s just a worker,” Engstrand said. “He’s going to go to work, he works on his craft, he’s detailed, and he is an all-around player. He’s not pigeon-holed into one type of back. He’s not an inside runner, not an outside runner. He can do a lot of all of it. The pass game is huge for us, too.”
Patriots
Patriots QB Drake Maye said new HC Mike Vrabel has done well holding him accountable for mistakes and understands there are consequences to not executing their job.
“I think that’s something that I think is neat. I think Coach Vrabel has kind of set that tone when he came in here and he got hired of, ‘Hey, if you’re not doing the right thing for a period of time, there’s going to be some consequences,’ and I think that’s something we need to establish,” Maye said, via the team’s site. “I think it’s something that me growing up with three older brothers and [being] around older people my whole life, I’ve kind of been comfortable, once I got acclimated, which I feel like I definitely am now, to kind of step into that zone. Hey, especially offensively, if somebody’s not doing their job – and it starts with me, I’ve got to do mine first – but if somebody’s not doing their job and repeating mistakes, I think there’s got to be a consequence. I think at some point it hurts the football team, and I think it hurts everybody in that building.”
Maye notably tossed four interceptions on New England’s first day of minicamp. Maye reflected on the picks and knows he can’t create bad habits.
“I think there’s a balance between trying things out and turning the football over. Going back to that day, a deep one, Gonzo fell off. Not to get into football, but Gonzo fell off. Gonzo made a good play. The other one, they bring cover zero, and you just got to have cover zero answers in this league. I learned with that one. I think Hunter [Henry] got held on one. You can take that stuff with a grain of salt, but at the same time, you don’t want to turn the football over and get in bad habits. I feel like I’ve done a good job of trying to keep the football in our hands, and that’s one of our key focuses.”
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