Head Coach Dom Capers
(On the expectations of the offense this year) "I expect us to take a step forward. We have guys who have played together. We played a lot of young guys who gained a lot of experience. Most everyone is in the same position. We do have some changes on the left side of the offensive line with Chester Pitts moving inside and Seth Wand playing there. Todd Wade and Mark Bruener on the right side have a lot of experience in the league. Our skill people have been productive and we expect continued improvement."
(On Mark Bruener) "I'm glad we have Mark Bruener, in a number of ways. I think he is going to be one of our team leaders. He's a pro. He's a hard worker and a steady guy who won't get rattled in pressure situations. He's been there and he's done it."
(On Robaire Smith) "He's a big, strong, physical guy. You need power up there and guys who can hold their own on double teams. He has that kind of body mass and athletic ability. I think he'll give us some pass rush on third down."
RB Domanick Davis
(On being the starting running back at the beginning of training camp) "It feels great knowing I'm the number one back heading into this season. It just means I have a certain role to play now. I have to get guys to do the right things and be a role model for everyone. That's what I'm doing and it feels great."
(On questions of his durability throughout the season) "I'm ready. It's a question mark for everyone because they've never seen me go through a whole season or start at the beginning of a season. They won't know until they find out. We'll see."
(On how last year's experiences help him heading into 2004) "I learned a lot in my rookie year, and I had to learn it fast, in a very short amount of time. Now I'm very comfortable and the game is slowing down for me. I'm looking forward to the season. I have a whole lot of confidence in myself. All the guys on the team are backing me up. It makes want to go out there and prove to them what I can do."
(On the expectations others have of him following his rookie season) "Everybody is watching now. I guess you can say the pressure is on me, but I don't feel it. I'm just going to go out there and play football."
C Steve McKinney
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*(on how the Dolphins will respond to what his brother said) "It's a tough situation
for him to be in. Ricky was a huge part of their offense. Now it's going to be
up to a young offensive line to really do some good stuff this year."
(on the zone block offense w/ Domanick and if it's been difficult) "It hasn't been that bad. It's been a pretty smooth transition. The guys have really picked it up well and the coaches have done a good job explaining it to us. I think its really going to benefit Domanick too. He's the kind of back who is really good at making one cut, hitting the hole full speed and running through arm tackles. It's not only going to play to our lines' advantage because we are more athletic than some lines, but also Domanick and his style of play."
(on how Domanick becoming a standout RB): "No doubt. He's got the ability obviously we've seen that. I think he has a lot of confidence coming into this season a lot more experience just carrying the ball so much last year. Those holes are going to seem a lot bigger to him this year."