DOLPHINS HEAD COACH ADAM GASE

Postgame Press Conference
September 30, 2018

Q: What do you tell your team after this loss?

AG: It is what it is. They beat us. They beat us in every phase of the game. They out-physicaled us, but at the same time we have to put things into perspective, one game. We have to go back to work. We have to find a way to win another game on the road. 

Q: Adam, so not a lot went right. What did you think coming in that you could do?

AG: Well, we really didn't anticipate getting out-physicaled like the way we did. We had been good all year; the first three games, as far up front and our run game. You know last week was tough, they did some things different than what we had seen and we were trying to make some adjustments and the passing game kind of came alive, so we hung on that. This game, we just couldn't get anything going. We were getting pushed back, a lot of pressure on Ryan [Tannehill] even though they weren't pressuring with blitzes. So when you are getting pressured on three, four-man rushes that's going to be an issue and that's really what happened, we could not get anything going on offense and then it just kind of trickles down to the defense because now they're on the field and we had a couple of chances to get off and we had some penalties and it just affects everybody. 

Q: So Ja'Wuan [James] wasn't in the game late in there. Was that a coach's decision?

AG: I think he may have something going on. I'm not even sure the exact situation; I haven't met with the trainers yet, but I think it was more a possible injury issue for us.  

*Q: How serious was Bobby [McCain]'s injury? *

AG: I don't know the details yet. So I'll know more tonight, but obviously him not coming back into the game wasn't really a great sign. 

Q: Xavien Howard had played well up until today. And then today it was almost like they were picking on him.

AG: Yeah, I mean it happens sometimes where it depends on coverage and call and what they call. It's just every game you've got to start over. You can't, it doesn't matter what you did last time, nobody cares. I mean Tom Brady's not going to care. So we've just got a lot of things to clean up. 

*Q: Coach, you talked about being out-physicaled. This was a game that it certainly looked like they won both sides at the line of scrimmage. It's tough, I think it took you until [Brock] Osweiler went in before you guys were able to get past your own 45-yard line offensively. What was going on that made your offense so inept throughout the majority of the game? *

AG: Just too much penetration. In the running game and pass game, they did some good stuff to where they challenged our receivers and we didn't get open fast enough. When we did have opportunities we didn't hit them, which there wasn't a lot of them. We could just never get a first down to really get things going. We lived in third-and-10-plus and that's never going to be good. 

Q: Defensively it looked like you guys were getting up field and they were kind of finding the gaps in there …

AG: We didn't do anything good today. So every question you ask can be the same thing.  

*Q: Adam, so I know it's early, but you had a chance today to put your foot on their [Patriots] neck. And it didn't happen. How does that make you feel? *

AG: Anytime you play a game or you have a chance to pull away from somebody in the division or go 4-0, I mean, there's not a lot times that opportunity comes about. There's a reason they [the Patriots] haven't lost three games in you know, 20 years, or whatever it's been. Probably since Coach [Bill] Belichick's been here. We had an opportunity. We came into a place that's tough to win and we didn't do a good job in any aspect of the game. 

*Q: How do you get this thing turned around in one week's time? *

AG: Get back to work on Wednesday. Clean up a lot of stuff. That's why we were trying to do some of the things we were doing there at the end of the game and make sure we can put something together and get into some kind of rhythm and carry it over to the next week. 

*Q: How concerned are you with that offensive line? You lost [Josh] Sitton, now [Daniel] Kilgore for the duration. You're having problems. What do you do going forward? *

AG: Well, we'll reevaluate everything when we get back. Probably on the plane tonight we'll start talking about it. We'll get more information on Tuesday when guys get back in and we get doctors and all of that stuff going on so we'll find out what the extent of everything is and then we'll adjust. 

*Q: Is Kilgore out for the year? *

AG: I don't know what he is.  

*Q: Did you think you had a game like this in you after the past three weeks? *

AG: No, I didn't see this coming. I didn't think that we would get out-physicaled. That surprised me. I knew it was going to be tough because that's just what it is. You come here, I mean I didn't see too many teams walk out of here [with a win] against a Hall of Fame quarterback. It's just not going to happen. We've got a lot of things to clean up, but it's fixable.  

*Q: You can correct mistakes like you mentioned, but how do you correct lack of physicality?  *

AG: Well, I mean we're talking about one game. One game that we got out-physicaled. It's just disappointing more than anything and we just have to go back to work and clean some things up. 

*Q: How well did they play some of the short passing game that you guys had been really successful with?  *

AG: Well, we really didn't try it. We pushed the ball down the field and that's what happens when you do that and you don't complete it. That's what you get today. 

Q: They were using seven defensive backs early, I don't know if they continued it, but a lot early. Did that take away…

AG: We knew that was coming. I mean, we knew that was the best way for them to match our speed. It didn't matter. They were still getting to their fronts that they needed to and they were putting their two linebackers on the edge in line secure, too, when they were in dime. They did a good job of just stopping the run. It's a better number count for us, but you have to take advantage of it and we didn't do it. 

Q: Second week in a row the running game hasn't done anything. What do you think the cause of that has been?

AG: I just think we have to get into a better rhythm. I've got to do a better job of making sure we're giving the backs more touches and just be more consistent. I've got some ideas on what we're going to do. 

*Q: Kenyan Drake I think had three rushes today.  *

AG: There were some runs called in there that ended up getting flipped out to one of the receivers because of the number count, but that's football. 

Q: You guys were rolling confidence-wise. How do you prevent this from being deflating?

AG: We're going to have to work, that's what the NFL is. Trust me, by Wednesday they'll forget about it. 

Q: Do you buy into the idea that this is a measuring stick because of who New England is?

AG: I think it's one game in a 16-game season.

Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill

Postgame Press Conference
September 30, 2018

Q: Where do you start with today as far as looking at what went wrong?

RT: Not a lot went right for us. It's tough to say one thing at this point because we didn't really execute any part of the game plan that we wanted to. To say one thing is going to be difficult at this time, I don't think it''ll ever be one thing, I think we didn't come out and start the game like we wanted to. We didn't convert on third down, we didn't take care of the football. We didn't gain yardage, we didn't do anything that we wanted to. So, lot of work to do and look forward to getting back to work on Monday.

Q: What do you think went wrong in the second quarter when the Patriots scored 21 points?

RT: A lot went wrong for us, you know. I think offensively we didn't move the football, we didn't get the ball in the end zone. They're a good team, they're going to score points and as an offense, we didn't do our job and put the ball in the end zone. Just have to take a real good reflective look at this game and what we didn't do well and learn from it and then get ready for the next.

Q: You're off to a good start in the big picture with a 3-1 record. Does this loss cloud that or do you just look at it big picture?

RT: We just stepped off the field so obviously this one stings and not happy with really anything that we did out there offensively. So we need to take a real look at what we did today. You know, it is one game and we have to be able to move forward but this one stings right now. We didn't do anything that we wanted to do. So we have to be able to execute better and learn from our mistakes.

Q: As one of the captains of the team, what do you tell the guys about how to move past this?

RT: Like I said, we have to take a real look at the tape, take a real evaluation of what we did and did not do like we wanted to. And once we hit the ground on Wednesday, it's get ready for the next one. It's one game whether you won by 50 or lost by 40 or lost by one, it's one game and we try to keep a 1-0 mindset every single week. So it doesn't really matter what happened the previous week, you have to be able to reset, refocus and go get the next one.

Q: What happened on the fumbled snap?

RT: Yeah, I've just got to catch the ball. It's a pistol so we're in the shotgun there and just got to catch the ball.

Q: So it wasn't a bad snap?

RT: No, I've got to catch it.

Q: What did it feel like to you in the huddle? Was there miscommunication? What did it feel like was going on to make it so difficult to move the football?

RT: No, there wasn't miscommunication. I thought we communicated well. I felt like every time we stepped in the huddle there was a positive energy and we felt like we were going to get it going and inevitably, we'd have a penalty, we'd have a negative and just wouldn't get it going. So I can't say that it wasn't for lack of focus or miscommunication or anything like that, we just didn't come out and execute. I don't think any position group really probably feels like they played well. So when that happens, you're going to have a poor output all the way around. So it starts with me, I have to be better at the quarterback position and then the rest of the guys will follow.

Q: You tried to establish the running game and they penetrated the line, caused problems for you. Did just nothing work?

RT: Yeah, we were searching. We tried to get the run game going a few different times in the game and they were doing a good job up front of shedding our blocks and making tackles around the line of scrimmage. I have to go look at the tape, I don't know exactly what was happening but we weren't able to get the run game going and that hurt.

Q: You guys were feeling pretty good about yourself coming in here 3-0. Does losing a game like this hurt your confidence or how do you react from this?

RT: Yeah, it definitely stings, but I don't think it hurts the confidence. I'm completely confident in the guys that we have in that locker room, that we are a good football team and we'll win a lot of games. But this day stings, the way we came out and performed, did not perform, it really stings. But it doesn't affect the confidence that I have in the guys in the locker room and the ability they have and what I think the team that we're going to be as the season goes on.

Q: How do you feel physically? Looks like you took some licks there.

RT: Yeah, yeah. Took a few shots but I'm doing good.

Q: You guys have had some lopsided scores on the road. Why is it on the road that you guys get in these one-sided games?

RT: Yeah, I don't know what the answer to that is specifically but like I said, nothing was executed the way we wanted to offensively today and when you don't do that, when you never get anything going, you play a good team on the road, that's what's going to happen.

Q: We saw some creative play-calling the previous three games and not so much today. Why was there not the same type of creativity today?

RT: Yeah, we never got into rhythm. When you're not getting first downs, you're not moving the football, you're not getting the defense on their heels a little bit, it's tough to get those play calls in. We were constantly in long yard situations behind the chains and when you're in those situations, you can't call those types of plays. We didn't execute offensively and put ourselves in a position to use those to our advantage.

Q: What specifically were they doing to slow down the offense?

RT: Yeah, they did a good job. They gave us a few different looks. I don't think anything really surprised us with what they did. They kind of came out and played us kind of as we expected that they would play us. You have to

DOLPHINS LOCKER ROOM

Kiko Alonso, LB

(On the results of this game affecting next week)

"That's what it is and although it was ugly, it is just one loss. We are on to Cincinnati [Bengals] and obviously we have to get better."

(On what went wrong with the game plan)

"Poor execution and pretty similar to last year when we were here. It is a poor excuse."

(On being 3-1 and where the team is now)

"Of course, at the end of the day that is where we are at. The most important thing is getting better and focusing on the Cincinnati [Bengals]."

(On not being able to win on the road and the defense)

"I don't know about the big picture, but as far it goes today. We didn't play winning football. As the defense, first thing's first, you have to stop the run and obviously we didn't do that today."

Danny Amendola, WR

(On being on the other side of a Patriot onslaught)

"We didn't get it done today. We got to look at film, see what we can learn. It's a great learning experience for us. We're 3-1 and we've got to get better. So back to work this week and get ready for our next game."

(On what the Patriots did to limit the offense)

"I'm going to have to look at film and break it down. They are a good team and we didn't play well enough to beat them."

(On the team)

"We have a good team. We have a lot of good football players in this locker room. We have a lot of faith in each other and this was a learning experience. We've got to get better from this one."

Brandon Bolden, RB

(On how the Patriots played today)

"I expect everybody's best from everybody every time I line up and play. So I wasn't expecting them to be bad, I wasn't expecting them to be good. I was expecting them to line up and play football."

(On if anything surprised him today)

"I didn't get surprised by anything. I've been in that locker room and this is the first time I've been in this locker room. Like I just said, we line up to play football; the ball didn't bounce our way. We didn't get the win, they were the better team today. We're going to have to go back, take care of ourselves, and come back and get ready for next week."

(On if he noticed if it was difficult to play here as an opponent)

"No I didn't find it difficult to play here. I've lost games here and I've won games here. So to answer the question, we came in trying to win every game. We just didn't win today."

Jesse Davis, G/T

(On the game and what went wrong)

"I have no idea, but we will have to check the film and see what went wrong and what went right. I don't know at this point."

(On the play of the offensive line)

"Obviously not well enough to stay on the field. There is always something that we can improve upon."

Minkah Fitzpatrick, S

(On what the Dolphins need to do to get better)

"A lot of different things. We've just got to do our job on defense and execute. Not give up the big plays and play our gaps on the run. We've just got to execute."

(On how the defense can get off the field)

"We've just to do our job, win third down and not give up big plays. Everybody just has to do their job."

(On getting his first NFL interception)

"It was good, but at the same time, I wish it had came at a better time. I'm going to keep working, try to get better and get some more."

Jakeem Grant, WR

(On what the Patriots did to stop the Dolphins offense)

"I feel like it's nothing they did. I feel like we went out there and the penalties and all those things killed us. We just shot ourselves in the foot, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball."

(On how he feels having three wins and one loss)

"This loss hurts. We definitely wanted to get the win, but we just need to keep things rolling as we go forward. We just need to get those things corrected."

Xavien Howard, CB

(On what was the biggest thing that went wrong for the defense)

"We got to stop the run and we got to stop some of those explosive plays. We had a good script but they came out and executed."

(On the 55-yard touchdown catch by Cordarrelle Patterson)

"It was a pick play. I was in man coverage and they picked me and he got wide open. It's stuff that me and Minkah [Fitzpatrick] have to communicate knowing what they are going to do and how they are going to attack."

(On what the emotion was on the field after getting so many penalties)

"It was tough. Most of them were on third down and we would have gotten off the field. We've just got to play. We can't leave it in the referees hands."

Kenny Stills, WR

(On the loss and bouncing back)

"You correct the mistakes that we made today, go out there, put it behind us and try to find a victory next week. It's a long season; we're 3-1 after the first quarter of our season. We got beat today, but like I said we got to go out there and make corrections. We'll go out there and strap them up again next week and try to get a victory."

(On the offensive struggles)

"It's things that we always talk about; penalties hurt ourselves on those drives. We weren't able to beat man coverage, and get first downs on third downs. They played well [and] they beat us, but I think there are a lot of things that we did to ourselves to keep us from having good drives and putting points on the board."

(On if the Patriots defense was surprising)

"I haven't watched the film, but based off what I saw out there, it was a lot of what we expected. We just didn't execute. We hurt ourselves. We've got to do a better job."