Adam Gase is adamant that Albert Wilson is an outside receiver

Earlier today Adam Gase told reporters that wide-receiver Albert Wilson is not a slot guy. After reading through his press conference, he thinks Wilson is special.

After making the statement to the media, “Yes. He’s not a slot,” the media kept hounding Gase about the receiver. After the statement the follow-up was an “I don’t understand” to which Gase replied “He’s not a slot guy”. I have the full transcript below if you want to jump ahead.

Gase is seeing more opportunity with Wilson. He likes his outside speed and how he releases at the snap. He talked about how in Kansas City, Wilson was used in a lot of ways.

Gase also discussed the Bobby McCain and Danny Amendola rift and said he loves how the two of them play in fact he said it’s “fun to watch”. He cited the fact that they go 100% on every play and that he loves seeing how it makes the two of them better because of it.

This past off-season was all about change and getting players on the field that loved football and understood the team concept that Gase is trying to deliver as he tries to turn the team around. So far through five practices it seems to be paying off.

Many in the media and even more fans in the stands have been commenting about how different this team looks early in camp. It’s a good sign but we all know that most of the time things can look one way but turn out differently down the road.

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For now, the good news is the best news and if Gase has ideas for Albert Wilson then this offense could be a lot more exciting that many think. Here is the full Adam Gase transcript courtesy of the Miami Dolphins media department.

(You guys are in pads today – the first day. Is that symbolic of anything?) – “Not really because the way we practice is the same way we do when we go (with) the uppers. It’s really getting used to carrying all the equipment around and moving around. We have the possibility that we could go live. When we’re in the bubble, it’s really not ideal for us. We’d rather be on the grass when we do that.”

(Going into the bubble, was that a little bit of a downer?) – “There’s nothing we can do. The more we can stay outside, the better.”

(What is it about that bubble that seems to get the juices flowing?) – “Because it’s not 113 degrees in the heat index. (laughter) Guys are not going to get as tired in there as they would outside. The heat drains them and that’s when you usually don’t see too many tie ups and things like that. Everybody is conserving energy for the next play. When you get in there, guys get riled up and it’s festive.”

(When you guys signed WR Albert Wilson in the offseason, you came to the agreement with WR Danny Amendola the next day. What did you tell Albert about the situation he was coming into in regards to Danny also coming?) – “Well, I mean they play different positions. When you have four guys like that, usually it works out the right way to where everybody is getting on the field, getting touches. We’ve really been working on developing the right plan for Albert, because he does have a larger skillset that most receivers have. He did a lot in Kansas City. If you go back and watch his college stuff, he did everything. We’re going to keep working on finding the exact … what his role is going to be and I think that’ll develop over the duration of August. Once we figure that out – how this rotation is going to go – and when we’re going to get what group in there.”

(With WR Isaiah Ford, where is he in his development as a slot receiver?) – “I think he’s done really well from when we started that first spring. He made a huge jump in training camp and then he gets injured. I think he did a good job of staying on all the little details while he wasn’t playing. This spring, he came back. He had more knowledge than what he had before, so he was able to play faster. He had a better understating of really how to get open in that position, how to use the defense’s leverage against him and made a lot of plays in the spring. Now you see him and he’s making plays. We need to keep working on strengthening certain body parts and keeping him healthy. He’s had a little bit of bad luck. It seems like he gets fallen on the wrong way sometimes when those deeper routes, some of those linebackers kind of landing on him. But he’s tough. He keeps going back out there. He wants to be a part of it and he wants to do it right.”

(You see WR Albert Wilson as an outside receiver not a slot?) – “Yes. He’s not a slot. That’s the funny part. Nobody understands. That’s a little frustrating.”

(I don’t understand.) – “He’s an outside guy. When you play inside, it’s a different animal. You’ve got to have a special knack for it.”

(You’ve been through a lot of training camps. How do you know what’s real – the pass rush or the deep balls or a defensive end – how do you what to believe?) – “Sometimes you can tell on tape of there is a good chance he got this off or he wouldn’t. Really, when you got the receiver and DB going, you can tell. It’s pretty clear what’s going on. The o-line/d-line battle, that’s always the one you question. Really, it’s when you get into games, that’s when you really find out the answer.”

(That said, how would you describe what you saw from your defensive lineman today?) – “I feel like they’re doing the same thing every day that they’ve been out there. They’re attacking. There’s great penetration. They’re coming off the edge with … The get off is remarkable. I think (Defensive Line Coach) Kris (Kocurek) has done a really good job of getting those guys … For how hard they work in individual, you wouldn’t be able to tell what they do in individual and then they transfer to team drills, because those guys just bring it. How they pursue the ball, get back to the line of scrimmage, go to the next play, there’s a lot of energy exerted on one play and they just move on to the next one. He has developed those guys. That’s a tough group. They’re really trending in the right direction.”

(QB Ryan Tannehill was talking today about turning 30 and saying it feels like he’s 25. Do you see him as a late bloomer?) – “I don’t know. I mean he has had good seasons in the past. I don’t even know how many times he has thrown for 4,000 yards. It seems like before I got here there were a lot of positives that were going on. I thought he did a good job in 2016 and put us in position to win games. He figured out what was best for us and how to manage the offense and play complementary football with the defense. Last year, we thought we were heading in the right direction and then we lose him for the season. Now, he seems to keep getting better. I guess I look at 30 now and it doesn’t seem – for quarterbacks – it doesn’t … How many guys to we have that are 39, 40 and they’re MVPs of the league?”

(The last two days you’ve worked with the wide receivers. What’s that like for you and how does it help?) – “I don’t know. Every once in a while I just try to get involved somewhere. For the most part, I try to stay away and let guys do their job; but every once in a while, it’s fun for me to go over there. It’s kind of where I got my start in Denver and I always enjoyed that and can talk a little bit to those guys and try to get them going and gas them up a little bit. I don’t know. It’s fun to do it.”

(It looks like WR Albert Wilson may have popped you trying to break away one time.) – “No, he tried to. It didn’t work.”

(Do you need a backup slot behind WR Danny Amendola who is not named WR Albert Wilson?) – “Why are you so stuck on this? (laughter)”

(Didn’t WR Albert Wilson play slot for KC?) – “He played all over the place. He was everywhere. He played outside. He played inside. He played running back. He did a lot of stuff. It’s not that he can’t play slot. He’s really good outside.”

(But you don’t see WR Albert Wilson as a slot?) – “It’s a different spot for our offense.”

(What do you like about WR Albert Wilson out there?) – “I like his speed (and) the way he releases. He’s strong. When you give him locked routes and say, ‘This is what you’re going with,’ he’s good to go with it. He’s the one guy that’s trying to learn all the ins and outs of the offense.”

(What have you learned about CB Xavien Howard over the last week?) – “I think he’s coming along just really on pace with what he did first year to second year. Going to this year, you see his confidence is way up. He challenges everything. He’s aggressive when he’s pressing. I think him going against those receivers, it pays off, because those guys they can be tough and he’s not afraid to get physical with them. I think him and DeVante (Parker) have some really good battles, because it really gets physical between those two guys. It seems like his ability to track the ball, he keeps finding ways to get better in that area. He’s in on a lot of plays.”

(It’s well documented that you’re an offensive guy. We know you have no problem talking smack to the defense. Do you notice when guys emulate your style on the offense talking smack to the defense will all the altercations that happened today?) – “I don’t know. Does anybody talk…”

DE Cameron Wake:

“No. They know better than to do some stuff like that. (laughter)”

Head Coach Adam Gase:

“I think they pick their battles. I think some guys … Everybody has a different personality. For me, I don’t get a lot of interaction with the defensive guys until we get to practice. I don’t always start it. I’m just reacting sometimes. (laughter)”

(Do you like what you’ve seen, like the intensity of WR Danny Amendola going against CB Bobby McCain? Is that a good thing?) – “That’s fun to watch. They’re making each other better, because they compete every snap. Really, that’s what we’re looking for (with) those outside guys and the inside guys. We’re looking for those guys to compete and they’ll find … One guy might have a really good day one day. Bobby is going to come back the next day if Danny had a good day. We just keep seeing a back and forth there.”

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