A look at what Miami Dolphins coaches and players are saying about their upcoming game against the New England Patriots.
On facing the Patriots...
"There's been a lot of anticipation and now it is finally here. It's Week 1 and we're getting ready to go. I'm gearing up to get ready for a game that actually counts. It's always exciting. Growing up I was a big Patriots fan, so that is always a little exciting for me - just playing against the hometown team for me growing up. I'm looking forward to that as well."
- Dolphins Defensive Tackle Christian Wilkins
"All the games are important. I realize the best teams and the best players are consistent. You can't try to get up one week and not the next. You've got to bring it every week and just be consistent. You can't think this is a bigger game - it's the Patriots at our home - you've got to approach it the same each and every week."
- Dolphins Defensive Tackle Christian Wilkins
"Week 1 always has some unknowns. You never know where you fully are coming out of camp. It's a brand new outlook for all 32 teams."
- Dolphins Offensive Tackle Terron Armstead
"I think Week 1 is always exciting. I can say every game is exciting, but Week 1 is always exciting. It's the start to a new season for our new team with the Dolphins, and a lot of the fans are really looking forward to seeing guys like Tyreek (Hill), seeing guys like Terron Armstead, seeing a lot of the new additions that we've picked up throughout this offseason. I think if I'm not mistaken, that this is probably the first time in in a long time that the Hard Rock is sold out (of season tickets). So you can see the hype around the team with the fans and all the people that want to come and see our team play."
- Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
On Bill Belichick...
"I know one thing that coaches in the National Football League – especially experienced NFL head coaches, especially arguably the best coach of all time, Bill Belichick, he's going to be prepared. So you know that as a head coach, you better prepare your team and leave no stone unturned. Otherwise, you'll end up kind of coaching with regret after the fact. Luckily, the schedule came out a long time ago, so I digested that and knew what Week 1 was, and luckily it's the Miami Dolphins versus New England Patriots and not a one-on-one square-off between head coaches."
- Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
"Coach Belichick is obviously is one of the greatest coaches in this great game we got. The way that he thinks is next level. I'm sure Coach Bill has a plan up his sleave. I feel like our coach has a plan up his sleave as well."
- Dolphins Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill
"You have to prepare for basically anything. He's one of the greatest coaches of all time. Going into the game you never know what he can come up with. So, you have to prepare for many things when you go up against a caliber coach like that."
- Dolphins Safety Jevon Holland
"Yes, I mean, he's a future Hall of Fame coach. Of course I'm excited. I love a challenge, so it's definitely exciting. It is going to be a good one."
- Dolphins Linebacker Jerome Baker
On Mac Jones...
"He's a really cool player. I really admire – it is one of my, it was one of the more impressive collegiate performances we've obviously had. We were involved in the quarterback evaluation process (in San Francisco), and just came away super impressed with his ability to play the NFL game. I think he's a guy that for whatever reason, people like to say subtle disparaging stuff. I see a really, really good NFL quarterback that he'll just continue to progress. He's one of the guys that I feel very confident in how he plays the position. And even if he has any sort of hiccups, he's one of the guys that you know is going to be a legitimate NFL player at that position, which is so hard to do. He commands the game. He really has a feel of timing and – elusive, people don't really say hand in hand, but within the pocket, he is very elusive. He's got a real cool charisma and command that I first saw when we were doing I think Zoom interviews at the time, talking to him about his stellar collegiate receivers, which one of them we have. I really like his play and I think the best is right in front of him for his career and I look forward to watching it 15 out of the 17 games of the NFL season."
- Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
On the Patriots defense...
"It's difficult every time we play a Bill Belichick defense. You never know what you're going to get. You're always seeing different fronts. I mean, he's going to find a way to confuse you. It's never normally the same. You'll get some similarities with people being in areas, but it's not usually the same, and that's what makes it pretty difficult, kind of making calls in the run game, and then kind of knowing where to go in the pass game against them."
- Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
On Wide Receiver DeVante Parker...
"It's going to be fun. DeVante's a hell of a player. He was a hell of a player here. I know he'll be a hell of player there. I'm excited to play against him"
- Dolphins Safety Jevon Holland
"He's definitely going to want to have a good game. I'm going to expect his best. There are other guys too – (Jakobi) Meyers and Nelson (Agholor) and a couple of guys on the team."
- Dolphins Cornerback Xavien Howard
