Head Coach John Harbaugh

JOHN HARBAUGH: Alright, good seeing everybody, appreciate you coming down. Beautiful day for football. I felt like we got so much out of it. Thank you to (Dolphins Head Coach) Jeff (Hafley), the Dolphins coaches, the Dolphins players, the whole organization – tremendous facility – and the players. We got a lot of good work done. I think we leave the practice a better team than when we came in. That was our goal. And now we're going to go look at the tape, study it, walk through all the corrections and whatever we need to do, and try to leave the meeting a better team than we were when we entered the meeting. So, I'm really proud of our guys. I thought we played some good football out there. And now we'll be ready to look to play even better in the game.

Q: John, do you think a hard training camp in West Virginia and a hard training camp in New Jersey hardened this team in some ways to play in 100 degrees for two hours against another team?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I do. I mean, I think our guys are in great shape and they had no problem with it. Our guys – we were strong at the end of practice. We were getting stronger through the practice. I saw that, really, from every single player on the field.

Q: Talking about the skirmishes, John, I'm not talking about back and forth pushing, but I'm talking about chemistry that you can build and galvanizing a football team. Do you think that makes sense today?

JOHN HARBAUGH: There's probably something to that. I think it's not to be ignored or dismissed. You're not trying to do that, but it's just football. It's not a game, so you don't have the same, quite, guardrails on it. And it's a violent game. And so, in this sort of an environment, you have these rules of engagement that aren't really rules of the game. And then somebody perceives somebody else goes over the line, or they do go over the line, and somebody needs to protect somebody, and that's where it goes. And I think as long as it doesn't get out of control where we get a violent type of situation, it's fine. We decided that anybody that threw a punch in those scrimmages would be treated like the game. That's why (offensive lineman) Jermaine (Eluemunor) didn't practice toward the end. He didn't really throw a hard punch, but it was to the facemask, and that'll get you in the game. So, that's a 15-yarder at least. So, we decided that we were following those rules of engagement, and that's what we did with that one.

Q: What can you say about the team's pass rush today? It seemed like you guys got there.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. It was ferocious. It was ferocious. That's practice, so you've got to come do it in the game. But I was impressed with it.

Q: We saw (offensive lineman) Francis (Mauigoa) walk off. Is there any update on him?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, it's not a serious injury. It's a stinger-type thing, so he should be fine.

Q: What stood out to you about (quarterback) Jaxon's (Dart) day? It seemed, from our vantage point, he was pushing the ball down the field.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, we didn't really run any of our play action, any of our downfield play actions in the game against Minnesota. So, you saw a few more of those in practice today, and I'm sure we'll have a few of them in the game. But those are the type of passes you work off the run game. Those are good chunk plays for us, and we had a number of chunk gains off of play action, which was good to see.

Q: How important is that for the guys? To see that sort of as validation, right? It's like, "Hey, you're working on it, but now you're able to hit them and see, okay, this is good, this is going to work." Because there's some days in practice where you haven't been able to get the ball down the field.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, yeah. I agree. I mean, I think it's one thing in theory. It's another thing in practice. You want to see it work. At the end of the day, did the play work? It could be a great play, but if it doesn't work – and there's a lot of things that go into making it work, including executing it well – then it's not a good play. So, I agree with you.

Q: John, (running back) Najee Harris looked pretty fast, explosive and strong in team drills. What have you seen from him since coming in?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, I mean, I saw today. He didn't do much yesterday. It was kind of getting just ready for the practice. But he looked good today. Some guys are going to say fresh legs, but we're all going to have fresh legs in the first game. So, I was happy to see it. He looked good.

Q: Was that always the plan, to throw him into live drills today? Because you said it was going to take a couple weeks to get into football shape.

JOHN HARBAUGH: I don't know if it was always the plan, but he was ready. He looked good yesterday and he said he felt good. He wanted to get in there, and he looked good.

Q: John, can you think back to a prior time in your head coaching career where you had a running back room this deep?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Remains to be seen. Remains to be seen. We've had good rooms. We've had average rooms over the years. So, we'll find out how good this room is.

Q: John, during the two-minute drill for the offense, did you want more urgency from them on clocking it the first time they clocked it?

JOHN HARBAUGH: No, because (tight end) Theo (Johnson) runs all the way down for a touchdown and thinks it's a touchdown. So, you know it's going to be – if he was tackled right there, we'd all be on the line to clock it. But half the guys think it's a touchdown, so they're running down and we've got to come back. That's what causes that. So, I knew that was going to happen. It ran down a little further than it would have. We probably would have gotten another play or maybe one more play off if it hadn't. But we got it clocked and they did a good job. I mean, a 14-second clock after a completion is really good. So, to get that work after – it was (wide receiver) Malachi (Fields) who caught the ball and then got down, helped the kicker. We got, I think, three seconds, I think it was. So, we got it done in 11 seconds. That's very good.

Q: Malachi continues to impress. Whatever he's doing, he seems to jump out. Do you look at his progress and say every day he just continues to get better?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. I mean, he just keeps showing up every day. It's good to see,

Q: (Wide receiver) Malik (Nabers), was this pre-planned for him not to practice?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, we weren't going to practice him today.

Q: This had nothing to do with how he feels?

JOHN HARBAUGH: No. It's just not as controlled of an environment as we would have.

Q: What did you see from the defense on that two-minute drill? It looked like they went three-and-out, then you guys put them back in just to get more reps?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I mean, it's like they usually don't have to go back out again right away. But Coach (Jeff Hafley) wanted his ones to get another shot. We took four or five starters out. The pass rushers came out. The whole D-line came out. So, I thought they did fine. The first set, obviously, I mean, I think they lost yards, didn't they? First set. So, the goal there is to get the ball back. We would have had the ball back with 40-something seconds after we knocked them back. We had a chance, maybe, to go get a field goal. No timeouts, but you want to get the ball back and see if you can go get your field goal. That's the goal.

Q: Will you feel comfortable resting more starters in this game because of the work you got in here? Or would you like to see them back in game action?

JOHN HARBAUGH: That's a great question. That's a great question. I think we'll have that conversation tonight. Certain guys, I'm sure, got enough work. Certain guys, we'll have to talk about what we want to do. I think we'll decide tonight.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: The mustache. You're growing it all at camp so far and you're going to keep it until the end of camp?

JAXSON DART: Keep it to the end of camp, clean up, clean up before week one.

Q: Definitely you're not thinking about keeping it?

JAXSON DART: No, I'm still, I don't think I really like it that much, but I said I was going to do it, so I'm just going to keep riding with it.

Q: What makes you want to grow it?

JAXSON DART: I did a little, I did it in college and stuff, but I didn't do it last year, so I was like, let's see, let's see maybe a few years after college and see if I can grow it out better because I had a dye it in college. It's not very good now, so.

Q: How would you assess today?

JAXSON DART: I thought it was just a great atmosphere to be a part of. Obviously, it's very intense. Thought offensively, we had a pretty consistent day. I thought there were times where we had like a few mistakes, but we were able to battle back and clean things up like the next play, the next rep. We're able to hit some big shots down the field, which I was really happy about. And then just the communication of the operation, I thought (went) really well. So, I think there's obviously things to learn from, but I think for the most part I was really happy how we came out. We started fast and then it didn't matter if we had at times little lulls, we came back, played great. And then in the two-minute drive, just finishing off with that, which I thought was a touchdown. We just wanted to run out the field goal team. I was proud of the unit for that. As well as the defense too, going three and out on their first possession.

Q: Would you consider this one of your better days in your assessment? Like you said, you were able to hit a lot of downfield throws, didn't really throw many incompletions. Would you say that's a fair assessment?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I feel like I played clean. I think when you go against your defense day in and day out, eventually they're able to like know some tendencies of your installs. And I think (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard (Wilson) and the defensive guys have done a great job of really kind of making our downfield shots tough to play against. So, it was good to go against another jersey, see guys make plays.

And I thought it started off, really with one-on-ones. We had like four bombs out of the gate. So, guys' legs were looking good out there.

Q: I know in these kind of settings, sometimes, especially the heat emotions get the best of you for certain guys. What's that like when things are getting a little chippy? And what are you trying to learn from those moments?

JAXSON DART: I actually kind of like it. I like to see the guys competing. I think that when you're in an atmosphere like this it's kind of inevitable to have, you know, a little pushing and shoving at times. But I think the biggest thing is that we're still trying to create our identity fully as a team before week one starts. And I think that in these moments is a great chance for us to stay together and have your brothers back, compete through the whistle. And then when you have a situation like that two-minute, you saw the offense, defense come together. And I felt like we dominated that.

Q: What about that big clearing bench brawl? The one with (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) came in, had to be held back.

JAXSON DART: (Laughter) I didn't see. I didn't see what happened. I just looked over, saw the 1-9 jersey in there, the red, 1-9 jersey. And I was like, I got to go. I got to go help my boy. I don't know what's going on over there.

Q: It looked like someone came from the side and like really threw a punch at him. How heated was he after that? And it looked like he was unhappy.

JAXSON DART: I mean, I still got to catch up with him. Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) was kind of talking to him. So, I didn't have a chance to really have one-on-one yet. So, I'll be figuring out what happened.

Q: Jaxson, are you starting to look for (wide receiver) Malachi (Fields)? I mean, he's a rookie, but he made a ton of plays today. It seemed like you were finding him. You were even throwing to him to set up that field goal at the end of the two minutes.

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I mean, I'm not surprised of what he's doing. The guys loved his tape. I loved his tape. I knew through conversation how like smart of a football player he was. So, coming out here of learning a new offense, him being able to be efficient. And then you just saw his catch radius in college, which was, he made some unbelievable catches. And I thought that kind of what he did was a little limited compared to what he can do. And I've loved having him out there. He's a true competitor, a true pro and it's been really great to see because I think that as a team we needed a guy like that to come step up, especially on those outside making contested catches and downfield plays.

Q: Does a day like today against different defense, you know you have a lot more to go before the real season, but does it let you at least see the light at the end of the tunnel? Like, okay, we're getting there. You know what I'm saying? As opposed to practice with your own guys. It's a different defense that you guys did well.

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I think that, I feel like offensively we've had like a lot of really good times throughout the camp. Maybe it hasn't been like the most consistent every single day, but I mean, who really is? Especially, when you have a great defense that you're going against every single day.

So, I think that we're just continually making adjustments, making corrections, installing new things, finding things that we're best at. And I really feel like the past week, week and a half, we've really started to excel and take the right steps. And I think that that's really where you've seen our offense kind of mold into what we think it's really going to be.

Q: It looked like five wide receivers were rotating in with the one's. What's the advantage of that from a quarterback standpoint?

JAXSON DART: I think that they all have different skill sets, which is fun because we can put guys in different spots and they do things really well and different. So, I've liked continuing to grow our relationship with each and every one of them. I thought guys really came out today and made a lot of really good plays. And I think that you could really tell in the one-on-ones and then the start of practice, guys making down the field catches, making contested catches, maybe looks where maybe the look looked a little covered and then being able to freestyle it and make good plays to get open. I was really happy about that.

Q: Jaxson, how useful is a joint practice as compared to a preseason game? How much does it help you get ready for the season comparing those two?

JAXSON DART: Well, I think the reps are a big help in the preseason. You don't really know how much you're really going to play. So, situationally, it's good to go against another team, like the two-minute drive or different red zone drills and sections of practice. So, I think that it's very valuable for us. It definitely brings a little bit of freshness because you're not just playing against the same guys every day. And I think that it definitely helps your team make the right steps to what you want to be.

Q: Do you want to play Saturday?

JAXSON DART: I love playing football. So, I don't care whether it's 6 a.m. in the morning or 9 p.m. at night, I'm ready to go whenever.

Q: We didn't talk to you the other day, (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) obviously started practicing more in live setting. What's that like for you as a quarterback to have him back in that mix?

JAXSON DART: I mean, he's made huge plays I feel like every time he's touched the field. So, I think that for me, obviously, you just love having a guy out there that changes the whole dynamic of an offense. He's so competitive. He's another element to our team that can really bring an attitude of just the mental side, but also just like the approach of what we want to be. So, he's definitely taking the right steps and I can't wait to continue to have him out there more.

Offensive Linebacker Brian Burns

Q. How was it out there and dealing with this heat in this practice today?

BRIAN BURNS: It's Florida, so you know what you're getting when you come here. Other than that, I feel like we battled through it. It wasn't nothing crazy. It was enough.

Q: What did you think of the defense's performance from your perspective?

BRIAN BURNS: Overall, dominant. I feel like we didn't play to the standard that I hold us to, or our leaders hold our defense to because coming out as our first joint, trying to be smart, make sure everybody gets taken care of, but at the same time, they're not our team. So, when you have an opportunity to hit them, you hit them. And you hold them up and they get hit again. We started to do that later on, towards the middle of the day and the rest of the day on. But we had splashes in the beginning, but I wanted to swarm from when we first got out here and it just took a little bit to get going, but I understand it's our first joint. But I let it be known, we don't wait to get punched in the mouth. That didn't happen, but we don't wait to get punched in the mouth to fire off on somebody.

Q: I saw you policing the physicality, trying not to make it too crazy with the fights. How do you feel like both teams did? It seemed like it escalated a couple times.

BRIAN BURNS: The Dolphins practice very well. They got some competitors over there. I did like the way they practiced. It was a good practice. We got a lot of good work in, but the fights, it's unnecessary. Of course it's camp and I ain't mad at a fight or nothing like that, but just don't let it get in the way to work. We got a lot of things to do and a lot of big things I want to do this year, so we can't let reps go to waste. So, we got to make sure we keep the main thing the main thing.

Q: You guys have been practicing very hard in this camp under (Head Coach John) Harbaugh. Did you see the results of how you guys have been working the previous three weeks and how you guys played today?

BRIAN BURNS: For sure. I ain't gonna lie, if we didn't practice as hard as we do, I don't know if we would have made it through this heat. And the level of competition that we practiced with today. But I feel like us practicing as hard as we do, definitely prepared us for all of this.

Q: How much more does that give you confidence that, hey, when the season comes, week one hasn't been great to you guys, but like, hey, we're going to be ready to go week one this year, maybe to a point that we haven't been in the past.

BRIAN BURNS: I definitely think we're going to be ready to go. There's a lot of things that we can learn from this tape. Although, I feel like it was a dominant day, (there's) still a lot of growing that we can definitely capitalize off of. So, I'm glad that we came out here and we got this work, but I definitely think we're ready for week one.

Q: Do you think the defense got better today?

BRIAN BURNS: For sure. It's just a different feel. It's a different look. Playing against somebody else, it's always going to feel different. And that's the only way you truly test yourself. Going against (quarterback Jaxson) Dart, AT (offensive lineman Andrew Thomas), I know them like the back of my hand. They know me like the back of their hand. So, it's always going to be like a mental battle for the most part. But when you're going against somebody else that you don't know in a different color jersey, something different comes out on both sides. And that's what you love about joint practices.

Q: On that note, the Dolphins ran a pretty unique run scheme last year. Did you guys feel like you adjusted well to it today? And did you guys feel like the run defense played well against that run scheme?

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, I feel like the run defense did very good. But we still got to go to the film to check out everything, but there were maybe one or two that I can remember right now that squirted out. But at the end of the day, ultimately, we did a great job in the run. And they do have a distinct scheme, I would say. It is confusing and it can mess your eyes up. So, it was challenging.

Q: What was it like in general playing against a different scheme than what you're used to playing with against Dart and the first team?

BRIAN BURNS: It makes you focus on your keys. It makes you focus on your eyes and focus on your keys. And really understand exactly what you're looking at, because there's a lot of window dressing. And that's the only difference with going against a scheme like that, but we did well.

Q: This is your eighth year for you. You're a local guy. Can you just touch on the foundational training that you've learned from Optimist and high school at American Heritage and how it helps you out today?

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, man. I ain't going to lie, coming from south Florida, we just bred to do this.

As a kid, you just get put into it. And the way these kids are raised in football is why I feel like we have so much talent in the league now. And it just continues to happen. Coming from Heritage, being with great coaches, understanding and going against healthy and great competition is kind of what bred that greatness inside of most of the south Florida athletes that we have now. And we better never be able to stay out there, including Georgia. And we ain't even talking about Utah.

Q: When you said you guys were dominant, but there was still some stuff you had that you left out there. What is it defensively? Because you guys were in the backfield all day. I think you had like six or more sacks.

BRIAN BURNS: We had more than six. You talking about the whole day?

Q: I was looking for confirmation on that. Yeah, you just said there were still things that you guys need to get to.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, operation-wise, it was a couple of busts. It wasn't perfect by far. And you're not always going to get perfect, but you can strive for it. And we just have to make sure we're all on one accord, playing the same thing, get the right call. Our operation needs to be a little bit better. And just sometimes a little bit of gap discipline in some of the runs that squirted out.

But ultimately, the day was good. It's just those few little nuances that we need to tweak.

Q: Do you know the number? Sacks.

BRIAN BURNS: No, I don't know the number of sacks, but it was more than six.

Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas

Q. What happened with your foot? Are you okay?

ANDREW THOMAS: The new cleats that they made for offensive linemen, I'm not a huge fan of. So, I wear the older style. Sometimes the glue wears down. So, I was trying to sit down on a bull rush and the bottom plate just came off. So, I had to switch. No injuries. I'm good.

Q. What did you think of how you guys moved the line of scrimmage today up front?

ANDREW THOMAS: I thought we played with the right intensity. I would say – it's hard to see when I'm out there, but I would assume there's some stuff we have to clean up and technique-wise. They had some movement, a little bit of different fronts than we're used to, but I thought we played with the right intensity. We've just got to continue to capitalize on that and build.

Q. How out of control did that one scene get there with – (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) looks like he maybe took a punch, and how do you guys kind of regroup from that situation and then keep getting the work in?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I didn't even see. I just saw everybody run over. Obviously, it's joint practices. Tempers flare. Just got to be smart, make sure everybody's taken care of, and then get back to the work because that's what matters the most.

Q. In the offseason, you guys talked – a bunch of offensive linemen talked a lot about getting on the move more. (Senior Offensive Assistant) Greg Roman's scheme. I know you did a little bit of it, especially when (Lions Pass Game Coordinator Mike) Kafka came in last year. How do you think everybody's adjusting to that, and how is everybody – specifically like the rookie for example, (offensive lineman) Francis Mauigoa, how is he on the move right now?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, G-Ro's (Senior Offensive Assistant Greg Roman) done a great job. I mean, his scheme is so complex, so thought out. He has a run and an adjustment for every single front, every single pressure. And obviously we're not game planning in the joint practice. We just want to work on fundamentals. But I'm excited for our first time to step on the field and be able to run some of those schemes.

Q. Do you think the way you guys practiced in West Virginia and the way you practiced back at the facility helped you guys get ready for this heat and several hours of this?

ANDREW THOMAS: No, definitely. I mean, every time we practice, it's almost two and a half hours. We're getting  after it. (Head Coach John) Harbaugh runs a tough training camp. So, I think we were ready for – obviously the heat is not fun, but I'm a Georgia boy, so I was okay.

Q. How much do you think this was a big step for the offense to come up against another team – you hit a bunch of big plays against them, and to be able to do it, obviously, in the outside environment. How do you look at that?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I think it's a great step. Like I said, I want to go back and watch the film and see exactly what we need to correct, but I think, one, just being able to hit somebody else, is refreshing, and especially for our younger guys to get some more opportunities against different fronts, different pressures, different techniques. Hopefully it propels us for the season.

Q. What did that feel – you guys had some rotation with guys coming in and out, but how do you guys think you did as a line just going against other new players for the first time?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I thought communication was good. There's always technique to clean up. I think we probably could have covered down a little bit more, especially some of the turnovers that we had, just making sure that we're training our habits to cover down the ball because you never know what can happen. But like I said, I think intensity and physicality, I think we brought that today.

Q. Why do you think (wide receiver) Malachi Fields has been able to come on so quicky. I mean, he made a lot of plays today in his first action against an NFL opponent. What do you see with him?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I would say first, obviously, he has the physical traits to be a good wide receiver. But I would say more so is just his attitude. He was an early draft pick, but that's not how he acts. He approaches the game every day trying to learn something new. We asked him to go put his face in and try to dig out the safety, he's running in at full speed. And that just speaks a lot to his character and what he's willing to do for our team. So, I'm excited to see him play.

Q. Just looking back at the first preseason game, a lot of simulated pressures, a lot of aggressive looks from (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard Wilson. How did that prepare you today for what you saw from (Dolphins Head Coach Jeff) Hafley and their defense?

ANDREW THOMAS: Honestly, Dennard's scheme is way more complex as far as different types of pressures and stuff like that. And the same way we're not running everything, I'm sure their defense is not showing a ton of stuff, but like I said, it's good to see something different, just to go through our communication, technique, adjustments, and make sure we're all on the same page.

Q. A few weeks in now going against Dennard, what do you make of that?

ANDREW THOMAS: It reminds me of my – I think it was my third, fourth, and fifth year when we had Wink (former Giants Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale). Normally in training camp you don't game plan your defense, but we put in protections to game plan against Wink because his stuff is so unorthodox. And that's kind of the point that we're getting to with Dennard. They do a good job of disguising, safety rotation, different pressures. And I think one of the cool things is we have so many – I call them apex predators as far as our linebackers and outside linebackers. You put them in different spots, you don't know who's rushing and who's down, who can drop, because they're all gifted. So, I'm excited to see them play.

Q. Do you think the trade of (Jaguars offensive lineman Daniel) Faalele creates urgency on the interior for the guys who are battling for these spots? Like you saw today, Josh (offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu) steps up when Sisi (offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa) leaves. Does a move like that get people's attention?

ANDREW THOMAS: Not necessarily. We love Dan (Jaguars offensive lineman Daniel Faalele) here. I'm excited to see him play with the Jaguars. But I think everybody, each and every opportunity they get, they take advantage of it. And obviously it's a numbers game. So, when you get your rep, you just try to take advantage of that and cheer on each and every one of our teammates. We want everybody on the team, but we know the reality of this business. That's not true. So, you're just always trying to put your best foot forward.

Q. What have you seen from Josh? He's playing tackle, now back at guard. Has been there before. It seems like a constant back and forth from him. Last year was a tough year for him. He didn't play. What do you see from him?

ANDREW THOMAS: I think it's a testament to his character. I think it's easy, especially what he dealt with last year, it's easy to go into the dumpster. But he's in every meeting. He's supporting us, being a good teammate. And like you said, playing guard and tackle. People don't understand that that's not easy to do. He doesn't complain, he just comes in, tries to learn and give his best. So, I'm excited to see him get an opportunity, and hopefully he makes the most of it.

Q. With the preseason – I don't know when we're going to talk to you again – you obviously didn't play in the opener. Being healthy for the season is paramount, but would you like to get into preseason? Where do you stand on that? Is it mandatory for you to get some game action or is this good enough for you here, you think?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, I used to think that I needed every single preseason rep, and then last year I didn't do any of the camp and I thought I played just fine. But no, I'm listening to whatever Coach Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) wants us to do. If he says I'm out there, I'm out there. If he says I'm not, then I'm taking care of my body and trying to help the guys out there.