Miami Dolphins coaches and players comment on their upcoming game against the New England Patriots.
On facing the Patriots...
"They are a good team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. With guys like Matt Slater from a special team standpoint, and (Stephon) Gilmore, (Devin) McCourty, Adam Butler, I mean they've got good players defensively and offensively starting with Cam. This is a solid team and they are well-coached. This will be a huge challenge and we're going to have to play well. We're going to go up there and play a competitive game."
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores
"We know they're going to be tough and smart and know what they're doing, and they're going to have something unique for us that's going to make us think. They're going to challenge us every step of the way and it's very exciting to go back. I know many of these players very personally, and to go back and compete now as a rival faction is very exciting. It's going to be fun, but we're going to have to bring our very best when it counts the most here Sunday afternoon."
- Dolphins center Ted Karras
"I think you just kind of do your best. You try to research as much as you can, who you have and then you kind of go from there. I think with everything going on everybody's in the same boat; so they kind of know how I play, but I don't know how their rookies are going to play, who's going to line up with their d-line situation. You just go out there and you try to do your best and then you come to the sideline, communicate and then whoever makes the best changes will probably win that game."
- Dolphins offensive lineman Jesse Davis
"Yeah, going against them, they're familiar with me. I'm familiar with them. I'm excited for this task. They've been talking trash the four years I've been there, so I'm excited to see if we both can back it up. (laughter)."
- Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy
"They have a good system and good coaching. They're a tough team; but if we play our game, we know it's going to be a challenge. We're just ready for whatever they throw at us. If it's Week 1, Week 2 or the end of the year, we're just going to be ready for whatever. We know they're a good team but every team is good in the NFL."
- Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams
"They've got good players is one thing. When you have good players, it's hard to win; I don't care if you're home or away. They've won a bunch. They believe they can win and you have to go fight your rear off to go win up there. It's always been a tough place to play, but the good thing about it is the players on the field that get to go play the game and make the difference. Our crew went up there last year and won, so I think they've got a great belief about what they are capable of doing."
- Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey
On facing Cam Newton...
"A guy like him is obviously extremely talented. He can extend plays and make every throw. Obviously you want to contain him and keep him in the pocket. That's easier said than done. You want to continue to be aggressive, but he's a good player. If you are too aggressive and he slips through or finds a step-up space, he can hurt you. It's going to be a great challenge for us."
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores
"Cam brings a Cam effect. That man is a gamer. (He's a former) MVP, so he knows how to win. He knows how to play to his strengths. He's a really good passer. He can throw on the run really, really well. But the Cam effect is definitely the running. Being able to have that as, I guess, your third option – hand the ball off, throw and then be able to run and create something out of nothing – it's tough to guard. We have our hands full and we're doing everything we can to prepare for it; but we're excited for the challenge. We know how good he is and we respect him as a player."
- Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy
"When you look at film, all you see is Tom Brady. You can go back three years and you still see Tom Brady. You keep seeing Tom, keep seeing Tom; but the one thing about Cam is – it's Cam Newton now. He can do it all. He's got a strong arm, he can run, he's athletic. If you still think about Tom and all of that, it's going to be a long game. I think we do a great job of just making sure everybody remembers that it's going to be Cam Newton. The type of player he is, he's dynamic. In our heads, the coaches do a great job of constantly putting that in our ears. It's going to be a different quarterback. A lot bigger, stronger, just an ultimate different player. I think we have a good idea that's it's Cam Newton, it's no longer Tom."
- Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker
"Cam Newton is an extremely talented player. Obviously we've seen that for a decade in the NFL. He's very talented. He's got a big arm. He can make all the throws. He can run if he needs to run and I would say Josh McDaniels for – you call it almost two decades – he's been a solid play caller in this league. So I know this: I know that Cam is a good player and I know Josh is a good coach, so I'm sure there will be a good marriage there and like New England will do, they're going to try to get the best out of their players and put them in position to succeed, and Josh has shown the ability to do that year after year. So I think it will probably be a good marriage and be smooth for them, and we'll just have to see what it is. There's no film on it. There's no tape on it, and again it's going to have to go back for us, we need to focus on our fundamentals and what we're trying to do; but we know we're facing a really good quarterback and a really good coordinator."
- Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer
On the Patriots defense...
"They're very talented on defense; very talented and experienced in the back end. So for us, it's trying to throw to the open guy, trying to pick the best matchups. They do a great job of making sure that everything is contested and challenged on every play. We'll have to play our best, whether it's receivers, tight ends or backs, the way that I'm throwing the ball. Everything is going to have to be on point for us to be able to move the ball versus these guys."
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
"It's absolutely going to be a huge challenge. They're going to be well-prepared and raring to go. There's still a ton of great players on that whole front. That whole defense is dangerous and we've been preparing hard and we've still got a bunch more preparation to go. It's going to be the biggest challenge yet of our careers as a team together. So we're going to have to go up and play our very best for 60 minutes to leave Gillette Stadium with a victory."
- Dolphins center Ted Karras
"Their best players are going to be on our best playmakers. So the way these games go, do their guys make more plays or do ours? Going into matchups like this, I just want to make sure that my guys know that I have the ultimate confidence in them, and I'm going to give them opportunities to go out there and make plays. That's no secret to the defense. That's no secret to my guys. That's how we'll figure out who is going to win the game – if our big playmakers show up and I can get them the ball or if they can't."
- Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
On the return of NFL games...
"It's unique. But I think the excitement is truly – it's around the whole building of just like any organization, nobody has played football in so long. We haven't played any preseason games, we really didn't have OTAs in the sense of being out on the field. I think not just us, but everybody in the country, everybody is waiting to play football. The excitement level is definitely up there. What's unique is this is the first time there is not a preseason game. The first game is a real game, so all those nerves you have or whatever it is, you're going to have to get over it quick, because it's the real thing. I think we're all excited; we're all prepared. Guys are just ready to go out there and just have some fun."
- Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker
On playing at Gillette Stadium without fans...
"I was kind of preparing myself for that. I don't know how it's going to be. I think it's going to be kind of either a dead feeling or it'll just kind of feel like practice. I don't know. It's going to be interesting to say the least."
- Dolphins offensive lineman Jesse Davis
"I think we're going into it with the assumption that it will be – whatever decibel levels it can get up to, it will be loud enough that we will have to make hand signals or silent count or things of that nature. That's how we'll prepare for it. It will be different; it will be unique. I don't think any of us have been in a situation like this in an NFL game. There is going to be a little bit of a learning curve here as well."
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores
"I think it's going to be a cool experience. I don't think people are looking at it the way that I've been looking at it. I've been looking at it as the fans get a close, inside (look) at what guys on the field are communicating, trash-talking. Kind of like what you've seen with the NBA, you get to hear the ball dribble and you don't necessarily get to hear that all of the time. I feel like that's what it's going to be like on a football field. I think the smacking is going to be louder, the trash-talking is going to be right there in prime television. I think it's going to be a good atmosphere because at the end of the day, you're going to find out it's the team versus the team. There's no real home-field advantage. Obviously you have to make the road trip out there, but you're basically going against that team and they're going against you. You've just got to outperform (them), so I think that's pretty cool."
- Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy
