What They're Saying: As Second Preseason Game Approaches Injuries Still An Issue
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Following several days of tough, hard-hitting practices the Miami Dolphins held a mild walk-through inside the team's practice bubble on Tuesday.
Considering the workout itself didn't provide much excitement, there were a good amount of topics coming from the final day of Dolphins training camp.
The big injury news was that cornerback Tony Lippett will miss the entire 2017 season after suffering torn Achilles during Monday's practice.
The injury was non-contact, and seemed like a simple enough play as described by head coach Adam Gase.
"He jumped up and then came down. No one touched him. That was it," Gase said.
It was also revealed that running back Kenyan Drake suffered a concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit during the same practice that Lippett was hurt.
Drake is now in the concussion protocol and will likely be out for a week or so.
On the positive side, as Drake enters the protocol another Dolphins running back is getting out of it.
Jay Ajayi has been cleared to resume contact and could be back on the field with his teammates when Miami faces Baltimore for preseason game number two on Thursday night.
Like Drake, Ajayi took a hard hit from a member of the defensive backfield and ended up with a concussion.
Ajayi is hoping to play on Thursday but Gase was non-committal when asked following Tuesday's practice.
"I'm still kind of thinking about it" Gase said. "We'll see."
It's definitely not the vote of confidence that Ajayi is hoping for but ultimately it's the regular season that matters, not these exhibition games.
"I think it's just more of I want to see where we're at health-wise and what's best for him," Gase added. "We've kind of discussed what our plan was going into it. Now I'm just trying to figure out are we good enough, like does he feel good enough for us to do that."
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
For the final time before Thursday's preseason game, the Dolphins allowed the media to speak with several players and the head coach.
Here are some of the best quotes from Tuesday's media availability.
ADAM GASE
"We've been going pretty hard. The guys have really been working in some pretty extreme temperatures at practice and nobody said anything and just kept working. We had some guys banged up and fairly tired being towards the end of really, the last day of training camp, and I just thought it was a good chance for us to get work in; but at the same time, kind of rest them up a little bit and get them out of the heat just so we can freshen up a little bit for the game on Thursday."
"I think [Jay Ajayi] was excited to get back out there. The things that he likes to work on, especially at this time of year, the passing game, he's always wanting to do more. He lost of reps with the amount of time he missed. I know that's one of his things. He wants to get out there and keep working on that."
"[Ajayi] looks good to me. He's executing really well and we just want to keep giving him reps just so he can really have the whole offense down."
"Well [training camp] hasn't been easy. We've had a lot of guys banged up and young guys have had to step up, which is … That's kind of what we have to do. We've had some things happen that were unforeseen, but that's the NFL. Guys have kept plugging along and kept finding ways to get better. I really liked how our guys have been locked in. They haven't been distracted by anything that's happened outside the building. They've done a good job of having that bunker mentality and focusing on the things they can control. That's what we just have to keep doing. Moving forward, just worry about what you can control."
"[Injuries are] just an unpredictable factor of the game. A lot of the injuries we're having are things that you can't control. We haven't had a ton of soft tissue injuries, which really that's the biggest thing you're preparing for. A lot of our injuries have been ACLs, biceps, you know things that … It's a part of football. It's the worst part of it, but there's nothing that you really can do to prevent it. You do everything you can physically in the weight room and try to prepare yourself and try to schedule practice right and not fatigue your guys to the point where their bodies are breaking down; but at the end of the day, training camp is meant to be hard. It's meant to harden you up. It's meant to get you in condition. So you're not going to prevent everything."
"It'll just be good to get that first group out there for a little longer this time and see if we can get something going. That's why it's kind of nice that we're playing Baltimore. It's another tough opponent with a lot of good players. They're going to be ready to go. [Ravens Head] Coach [John] Harbaugh always has his crew ready to go very early and they're going to be looking to work on certain things, and for us to be able to play them, that's good for our guys."
JAY AJAYI
"They said that, usually, concussions [take] 7 to 10 days [to recover from], so [after] about a week I was starting to feel like myself again."
"It's frustrating. You want to be out there with your teammates, practicing and grinding. It's the time we're all working on our craft to be better; but at the same time, it is better that it happened now during the preseason. We're not at the regular season yet, so I had time to just make sure I was healthy enough to be back out on the field again."
"No indication right now [if I'm playing in Thursday's preseason game]; but I'm healthy, I'm good to go. I've been practicing, so I wouldn't be surprised if I played on Thursday."
"It's great to not have to go against your own teammates every day. Obviously it's in preparation for the regular season, so we need to get that nice little warm up, tune up for that regular season. I think getting a good series here, a good quarter here, and being able to stay healthy in the process is good for us."
JULIUS THOMAS
"I think [my training camp grade would] probably about a B+. I think that getting back in the offense, starting to gel and connect with the QBs, learning the run game and all of that stuff, I feel like I've been able to pick it up as good as I probably could in a short amount of time. Just being able to get after it and work hard with the guys."
"I think [I can offer the offense] just a lot of flexibility. I think that with my skillset and the things that I've had to do different since playing in this league, I give our coordinator a lot of things he can do to make defenses stick their hand, put them in a lot of positions where they have to declare what they're doing early. I think just the added versatility probably."
"You really have to focus on the process. That's what the preseason is most for me. It's understanding your game preparation. What are you going to do that day? What are you going to do when you get to the stadium? How do you get your mind right for the game? And then when you get on the field, try to make sure you take advantage of those reps. You're out there saying I'm playing four games before the season, but how do we get the most out of what we're doing? We're going to just get that whole procedure down."
"It's really good to have some different opponents. Going up against the same guys every day, not to mention that but they start to understand the way you do things. So it's good to get some different faces in, some different defenses and really start building what we do and what we're going to have to do throughout the season."
"At the end of training camp, a walkthrough day is always appreciated. When you look at how many days out of the last three weeks we've actually practiced, it's kind of crazy that our bodies are able to put up with that kind of beating; but it's our game. That's what we do to become prepared. We're very thankful to have a walkthrough today."
"My only goals are to make sure that at the end of every practice, I know that I gave my best and that I did what I needed to do to get better. As far as goals and numbers, all of that stuff is outside of your control. There are so many things that are going to happen. I'm just going to focus on every day and making sure that when I lay in that bed, I did all that I could to be the best teammate and tight end I could be."
"I think [Jay] Cutler does a really good job of making sure everybody understands the way he wants things to go. I think that's super important for the quarterback position. We have to have an understanding of how he wants us to run the route, what he's looking for and when, situationally. He's done a really good job of coming in and letting us know, 'Hey, this is what I expect. This is what I'm looking for.' And that's definitely going to help us move faster through the getting to know him process."
"The goal is to be a really balanced offense. When you have a lot of skill position playmakers around you, that makes everybody's job easier. With our running game, with our receivers, that's really going to give us tight ends an opportunity to make plays and do different things to go out there and help our offense perform at a high level. I'm looking forward to my opportunity to make plays. I'm looking for my opportunity to help others make plays, and we're just going to try and get after it as a group and live up to the standards that we set."
