New Dolphins tackle 10 creative questions. Fun facts, insight from Poyer, Brooks, others

The Dolphins’ media Zoom sessions with all their new players elicited the usual share of football-oriented, need-to-be asked questions. What position will you play? What did you learn with your last team? What appealed to you about the Dolphins?

Those media interactions, conducted in recent days, also produced some creative, outside-the-box questions.

Ten notable ones:

▪ To new Dolphins offensive lineman Jack Driscoll, after coming to Miami from the team (the Philadelphia Eagles) that had by far the most success pushing their quarterback (Jalen Hurts) to first downs on third- and fourth-and-short:

Should they ban the tush push?

“That’s a great question. There is a lot more that goes into it than meets the eye. Those guys up front on the Eagles do a great job and Jalen spearheads it with being able to squat 600 pounds. I don’t think they are going to ban it.”

Do you have any secret you could bring to help Miami dominate on that play?

“I can’t disclose right now. Maybe in a later meeting.”

▪ To new Dolphins linebacker Shaq Barrett:

You’re one of the few players, along with [Dolphins receiver coach] Wes Welker, who had the privilege of playing with both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady during their careers. What was that like and how fortunate do you feel that you got the chance to do that?

“I was very fortunate. It was amazing to see those guys ready to work. I know it might be cliché but they literally were in there early before everybody else. They got a lot of film work in, more than everybody else. Then they’re still cool guys, down-to-earth guys, that hang out and joke around with you.

“As a fan before I got to the NFL, I didn’t know how they would act because they have a persona bigger than life on the football field. Just to see them and meet them in person and see how cool they are and down to earth, it was really cool to see.”

▪ To safety Jordan Poyer, on being drafted in the 41st round by the Marlins in 2009:

You were actually drafted by the Florida Marlins going back to 2009... Was there a decision that you had to make? How good of a baseball player were you?

“Yeah, I was really good. My signability wasn’t high coming out of high school, so I ended up signing with Oregon State with the intention of also playing baseball there too. So I did play baseball there for a year at Oregon State. It was extremely hard. I wasn’t a very studious student-athlete. I was more just the athlete part than the student part. So it was extremely hard after my first year playing baseball, especially seeing the guys during offseason workouts grinding hard and I’m swinging a baseball bat.

“It just didn’t sit right with me. So I made the decision in college that football was going to be my path and essentially I put all my eggs in that basket. And shoot, 12 years later, I’m still playing at a high level. I do wonder if I kept the baseball bat in my hand, where it would’ve taken me.

“The reason I didn’t sign with the Florida Marlins was cause my signability – I wanted to go to school. I wanted to play in college. I wanted to experience college. It was a big decision, but you’re a young, 18, 19-year-old athlete turning down an ‘x’ amount of dollars to basically play in a farm system. I figured if I was good enough to still play baseball, then I could’ve got re-signed or re-drafted another two years down the road. But it didn’t end up happening like that.”

Poyer went 3 for 12 with a double, two walks and a stolen base for the 2011 Oregon State baseball team before focusing on football.

FYI: Former closer AJ Ramos was the Marlins’ best pick in that 2009 draft.

▪ To Jordyn Brooks, on his absurd tackle number in 2021:

One hundred eighty four tackles in one season. How does a guy compile that many tackles in one season and how many times do you wake up on a Monday morning feeling like you were in a car wreck?

“Yeah, that’s every Monday morning after the game. I don’t know. I think it just comes from having instincts, being able to see the ball, willing to make certain tackles and just hustling. I think that’s one of the parts of my game that has been with me since I started playing, just always being around the ball and hustling, playing hard.”

▪ To Jonnu Smith, on being a skilled pass catching tight end now paired two of the fastest receivers in football:

What are your thoughts on being a tight end in an offense that has the kind of wide receiver speed the Dolphins have with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle?

“Yeah, you smile from ear to ear. That’s going to create a lot space. Those two speed guys, some of the fastest guys in the NFL, if not the fastest. That’s just going to cause so much havoc to the defense. To be able to use those guys to my advantage; those guys are going to be able to open up space. And likewise, me as well, just adding another pass-catching element to this offense and being able to get those guys open more.”

▪ To defensive end Jonathan Harris, on being on the losing end of a 70-20 Dolphins blowout win against Denver last year, with Miami scoring the second most points in NFL history.

What was your impression of the Dolphins offense when you were here at Hard Rock Stadium last September?

“Explosive. They exposed a lot of weaknesses in our defense. But after that, we figured out a lot of things and kind of went on a streak ourselves. I guess thank the Dolphins for exposing us.”

▪ To Poyer:

You mentioned in the past you have a strong relationship with Tyreek and Tua.... How much did that make the decision easier knowing you have some guys here who you already have really strong relationships off the field with?

“It made the decision a lot easier for sure. Tua, he was at my golf event a couple years ago. I went to his birthday party, not this last year but the year before. Tyreek, I’ve hopped on a couple podcasts with him. I’ve been around him for quite a bit. We have the same agent. Even Raheem Mostert, training with him and Braxton Berrios down at Pete’s Bommarito. It’s a really good group of guys.”

▪ Barrett, on his return from an Achilles injury:

What advice, if he would ask for it, could you give to Jaelan Phillips who is going through one of his own (following his Nov. 25 torn Achilles)?

“For the first maybe three months or two months when you’re in a boot, you’ve got like a little arch in your heel, you’ve got to do all that. Then once you’re done with all that and you’re out of the boot, just start warming it up, loosening it up. You’re going to start walking around on it a little bit. Just trust it, though, because after the months of being in that boot and that cast, it’s pretty much healed.. It’s going to hold up.

You don’t have to worry about it re-tearing, pulling or anything. When it’s time to go, just start going and believing that it’s going to hold up.”

▪ And, finally, the most unusual question, served up to Barrett:

Can you quantify what is a dawg? A lot of people have a misinterpretation of what a dawg is on a football field.

“A dawg on a football field, you’re super aggressive. You might talk a lot. You might not even talk at all. But you’re going to let the person know that you are right there play in and play out. You’re going to bring it every single play. It’s a mentality that I’m going to get the job done no matter what it takes. Sometimes it’s like alright, he got me this play. Dang, good job. Nah, he might have gotten you this play but you are going to come back and you’re going to get him the next play, the next play, the next play. You don’t get no ‘good jobs.’ It’s like there are no friends on the football field when you’re a dawg.

“I understand we’re boys outside of football. But right now, I’m going at your neck right now. I want you to feel my presence on the football field…. But you know a dawg out there when you see him. That’s why I’m happy because I know Chubb is a dawg out there. I know Phillips, I haven’t gotten to meet him but from watching his play, it looks like he’s a dawg out there too. [Jalen] Ramsey is a dawg. I’m glad to be on a defense with those types of guys.”