Dolphins
New Dolphins S Jordan Poyer still feels like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder even though he is joining his fourth franchise at the age of 32.
“Seventh round, 218th (overall pick) coming out of Oregon State as a consensus All-American, getting cut by Philadelphia, going to Cleveland and playing there for three and a half years, having a pretty bad injury then them not wanting to bring me back, then playing in Buffalo for seven years, getting cut with a year left on my contract,” Poyer told reporters, via DolphinsWire.com. “This is just another one of those opportunities, like I said, another one of those great opportunities to go out there and prove to myself really, and to everyone else around me, that I can still play and play at a high level. I can still help win games. I have a lot of experience in this game, a lot of experience within this division, of a lot of people that I’ve seen over the years and played over the years. I’m going to bring all that knowledge here to ultimately help the Dolphins win football games. Like I said, I’m here with an open mind, open heart, open arms, to learn, to grow, to evolve as a person and as a player, and just bring the best version of myself that I can to help this team win football games.”
Jets
New Jets WR Mike Williams spoke about his excitement to join the team and play with QB Aaron Rodgers. He also compared WR Garrett Wilson to former Chargers teammate Keenan Allen.
“I just felt like it was a great fit for me,” Williams said. “Aaron, I want to be able to play with him. Pick his brain, learn from him. Playing alongside Garrett, kinda reminds me of Keenan a little bit. Similar style play, great route runners and I feel like we can complement each other in that area. The running game is pretty good, defense is elite so I just feel like we have a pretty good opportunity in front of us.”
Patriots
Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt was a big part of why TE Austin Hooper chose to sign with New England.
“We worked together for two years. Really smart guy. Good energy in the building. That’s a huge part of it,” Hooper said, via PFT. “Most people just think of the three hours you see on Sunday, but there’s many more hours throughout the week where you’re spending a lot of time together, and it makes work so much better when you enjoy the people you work with. It makes sense, right? His style, his approach, his offense, his understanding of his personnel, and who he is as a man and coach, it’s going to make it really fun to be in the building every day.”
It’s clear that Van Pelt’s style of coaching is appealing to Hooper.
“Just a guy who’s played a lot, been through a lot, coached a lot, and has seen the game from every angle,” Hooper said. “Being able to work with him and seeing him be the same dude every single day — I’m not implying he’ll let things slide — he’ll address issues as all good coaches do, but there’s a way to go about it, which inspires the guys and keeps the atmosphere good, keeps the atmosphere one where you can learn. One where you can try stuff out at practice, one where you can push that boundary. I worked with a lot of coaches and not everyone is like that.”
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