Dolphins Notebook: Perry to COVID-19 list, Parker Explains His Part, Happy Tua, and More
The Miami Dolphins now are back to having two players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Cornerback Jamal Perry was placed on the list Wednesday and will be joining running back Matt Breida, who was placed on the list last week.
Perry has played in 10 games with one start this season and has 23 tackles on defense, though most of his playing time lately has come on special teams. Even then, the last thing you want to have happen when facing the Kansas City Chiefs is run short of defensive backs.
PARKER: "WE'RE A FAMILY"
DeVante Parker spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time since being ejected in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals for his part in a scuffle after a second questionable (dirty) hit by gunner Mike Thomas on Dolphins punt returner Jakeem Grant.
"I saw a guy hit him twice and I’d just seen Coach Flo (head coach Brian Flores) go out there, so then I go out there and the guy starts swinging, so I’m just trying to have my teammate’s back," Parker said. "That’s it. That’s all it is. We’re a brotherhood. We’re a family, so you look out for your teammates."
Parker was ejected along with teammate Mack Hollins and Bengals safety Shawn Williams, who the NFL suspended Monday for a separate incident where he stepped on the back of guard Solomon Kindley's leg at the end of a play.
Parker said it's his understanding that he'll be getting a fine from the NFL for the ejection, though he hasn't been in the locker room yet this week to pick up the envelope from the league office.
THE FLORES FAVOR
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday he indeed sent Brian Flores a care package including Kansas City barbecue as a thank you for the Dolphins defeating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Week 17 of the 2019 season.
For those who have forgotten, that Dolphins victory made Kansas City the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and the Chiefs were able to stay at Arrowhead Stadium on their way to the Super Bowl after the Tennessee Titans upset the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.
"Yeah, listen, Brian is a good man, first of all," Reid said. "I know how hard it is when you go play your old team and then to pull one of them off, it’s pretty exciting for you and it was exciting for us at same time. Yeah, that catapulted him into this season and the great things he's doing. I thought I’d just send him a little thought from Kansas City and Kansas City is known for its barbecue. No better present to give than the good Kansas City barbecue here."
The Dolphins victory paved the way for Reid to win his first Super Bowl title and it just so happened that SB LIV was played at Hard Rock Stadium.
Reid, though, isn't looking at his upcoming trip nostalgically.
"I’ll just say that the people there were phenomenal," Reid said. "They treated us great. The hospitality was unbelievable. We appreciated all that. Different situation. I mean, there’s not all the glitz and glamour like there is for a Super Bowl. We’re trying to get ourselves ready to play against a good football team and it happens to be in Miami. Tough place to play and that, but we’ve got to get ourselves ready to play the Dolphins. And that’s where all our focus is. We’re not thinking about all that other stuff as much as we are just trying to prep for this.”
TUA TIME
Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa conducted his weekly media session Wednesday and it was pointed out to him that he looked a lot more cheerful than at the same time last week.
While he's coming off an impressive performance and no doubt happy to be in the lineup and to have bounced back after he was benched at Denver in his previous outing, Tagovailoa said there was a simpler reason his mood was better.
"Adversity has always been in my life," Tagovailoa said. "From high school, college, injuries and also in the NFL. I think that's just life. I think last week I was a little down because of the way I practiced. It wasn't to the standard that I wanted to practice. You learn from those things. Like I said before, it's a continuous learning process in the NFL. You learn day to day, week to week. There's always something to learn because defenses aren't going to stay the same. It's going to be different and you can also expect some nuances coming into this game."
