Gase cites 'ridiculous' Dolphins problem, addresses injuries and other issues

Highlights from Adam Gase’s session with reporters on Monday, with his team 0-2 and the home opener against Cleveland looming on Sunday:

• On Arian Foster, whose has a groin injury: “He’s going to be day to day. At least that looks good for us. We’ll see how he does this week. We haven’t made any decisions on whether we will try to get him out at practice on Wednesday. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.”

• If Foster cannot play, does Gase go with Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake or does he give Isaiah Pead a fresh look? “All options are going to be open. Jay was able to step in there and do that because he stayed engaged in the meetings. He didn’t get a tone of reps…. If he doesn’t do that, we would have been in a little trouble yesterday. He was able to do a great job knowing who he had to get. Some of the protections were a little different. For a guy that didn’t get many reps in the walk throughs, he did a really good job.”

• On Drake: “He did a good job. He can be very productive for us in the passing game. He gives us an element of speed on the edge.He’s a very physical guy. We want to see how far we can take him, how much we can grow this season. We want him to start understanding the whys of what we’re doing on some things, but that will come with time.”

• On Mike’s Pouncey status off a hip problem: “Pouncey is going to be week to week.”

• On DeVante Parker: “Did good. We got a couple things we got to clean up as far as route technique and assignments every once in a while, we had a thing here and there. As far as him being a playmaker, that’s pretty obvious. He’s a guy we have to keep on the field, those three receivers.”

• On problems with time of possession: “You’re going 3 and out, 3 and out, that’s going to happen. We have to figure something out. We did something different this last game. We were huddling the whole first half and time of possession was worse than it was the first game.

“Offensively, we cannot go three and out. We’ve done it so many times already it’s ridiculous. The defense has no chance in the fourth quarter of having any opportunity to be somewhat fresh if we’re three and out the entire first half. On play 75, you’re a little fatigued [defensively]. [Offensively], we have to clean some things up.”

• Why better in the second half than the first Sunday? “We just got in good rhythm. Guys made plays. Play calls were the same. We executed a little better. Made some good throws. There were throws that were tough catches to makes. DeVante got us rolling. For whatever reason, it takes that first first down for us and then everyone feels good and we get rolling. We just have to figure out a way to get that first one.”

• On how linebackers did in coverage Sunday (there were some problems): “Sometimes, when you have different combinations going on… you have to be on your execution. We had some times we did not execute what was called. We had too much conversation going on. We need to line up, get the call, execute the call and then re-evaluate after that. Until we execute the call correctly, hard to say we should do this or that. Let’s execute the call first….

“We had a couple minor mistakes that cost us. As far as guys reacting a little quicker, it would have put us in better position. As far as what the plan was and what we executed in practice, I would have loved to see what would have happened if we had executed them in the game. For whatever reason, we didn’t execute like we showed in practice. We did not do exactly what we talked about.”

• On playing two games in the next 11 days, with Cleveland Sunday and at Cincinnati the following Thursday: “You’ve got a 10-day stretch where you’ve got be great.. take care of your body. If you don’t take care of your body the entire week, it’s going to affect you for the next one.”

• Is Sunday a must win? “No. It’s the third game of the year.”

• Did Gase see lack of effort Sunday? “It looked like [everyone played hard]. After watching the film, we didn’t see anybody quit on the field. There were times on the sideline when we had some poor looks, and that look of a little bit of discouragement, but you never saw it on the field. That’s all you can ask for…. 31-3 becomes 50 or more than that especially against that team [if sulking or quitting happens]. The fact guys hung in there, defense kept trying to do everything they go to slow them down,… that’s something you want to see from your team. You didn’t hear any separation from the sideline, because I’ve been part of that before…. It was encouragement from the defense, offense encouraging defense.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Gase cites 'ridiculous' Dolphins problem, addresses injuries and other issues."