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Brent Grimes meets with press after re-signing with Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins re-signed cornerback Brent Grimes yesterday. Following the completion of the deal, Grimes met with the media.

Mike Ehrmann

Dolphins General Manager Dennis Hickey introduction - "Hey guys, I want to thank everybody for showing up. It is a big day for the Miami Dolphins, a very exciting day for our organization. As our media relations (department) has announced earlier today, we have re-signed Brent Grimes to a multiyear deal. We are excited to have him and his family as members of our Dolphins organization going forward. My exposure to Brent over the last few years has always been when I'm on the opposite sideline watching him intercept balls and hurt my team. I'm excited to have him on my team now, and just in my exposure obviously coming in here as I evaluated our roster, he always jumped out. His physical talent as well as his competitive nature were always things I valued and was excited about. As I got into the organization and got to interact with him and just to talk to Coach (Joe) Philbin and his coaching staff about the positive, high-character, upbeat personality he brings to our organization, we were very excited to lock him up to a multiyear deal and very excited to have him as part of the Miami Dolphins. I also want to thank his representation Ben Dogra, who worked alongside with Dawn Aponte through the negotiation process. It was always productive, very professional. I would also like to thank Stephen Ross, our owner, his commitment and support to bringing player acquisition here. At this point, I would like to introduce Brent Grimes."

Brent Grimes introduction: "This is awesome to hear Dennis (Hickey) talk about me like that and to know that the organization feels that way about me is a great feeling. I've been in this league a while and actually feel appreciated here. That was a big thing for me. I just want to say thank you to the whole Dolphins organization starting with Stephen Ross of course for being our owner and making a final decision that he really wants to pay to keep me here. Then I thank Coach (Joe) Philbin, Coach (Kevin) Coyle, Coach Lou (Anarumo), J.B. (Jeff Burris), Coach (Blue) Adams, all of them. All of the defensive coaches had a great deal in my success this year, and I greatly appreciate it. Then I have to thank my beautiful wife, Niko, for dealing with me all year, keeping me right and getting me up sometimes when the alarm goes off. She does a lot of things for me, getting those meals right, keeping me right. I'm just happy. I'm really happy about this. This is where I wanted to be, and I'm glad it all worked out. My agent did a great job because really I'm just a football player. I don't really deal with all of that. I told you all year I try not to think too much about the contract things, the numbers and all of (those) things. I just let him do what he does. Ben (Dogra) did a great job, and all I can say is I'm happy and I appreciate it a great deal."

(On how it felt to put pen on paper to his new contract) - "It felt awesome. It felt really awesome, especially like I said this is what I wanted to happen. For it to really work out like it did, like I said, it's awesome."

(On how he feels going into next year at his age) - "I feel great. I feel great. I feel awesome. I don't really know how to speak for anybody else, but I've seen other people my age in this league. I mean you can look at me. I don't really look like those guys. I mean I don't feel that way either. I'm just lucky to feel this way. "

(On if there was any concern with what the team planned to do in the offseason) - "No, I have great faith in what our organization will do with getting the pieces and getting who they feel like we need so we can be a successful team. We are right there. We had a lot of close games. We ended up 8-8, which is not what we wanted to be, but all of our games were close. If we make a few more plays down the stretch, that 8-8 could have easily been 11-5, 10-6, 11-5, even 12-4. With that record, that's a playoff berth. Once you get into the playoffs, hey anything can happen as you see. Time and time again, anything can happen once you make it to the tournament."

(On if there was any doubt he would sign a multi-year deal with the team) - "I don't know. I felt great going in because the people here in the organization, like I said starting with Coach (Joe) Philbin, starting with the (general manager) Dennis Hickey. They made me feel like they wanted me here. During the season and since the season has been over, they made all of the steps to make me feel like I'm wanted. I felt like things would go well, but with that being said it's a business. Things can happen that you didn't expect, so I just you know do what I do. I'm a football player. I just come in here, I work out and let my agent handle the stuff that I'm not going to handle, and he did a great job with it."

(On his comfort level in the Dolphins defensive scheme and how did it play into his decision to stay with the Dolphins) - "I mean coming here, it's football. You cover the guy that's running the route and you try not to let him catch the ball, it's that simple. People try to complicate this game a whole lot, but when it really comes down to it it's the same game that I've been playing since I was a little kid. If you can keep it simple and just go out there and try to have fun, obviously there's a lot going into it, there's a lot of preparation but if you prepare well when I get out there on the field it's just about having fun and having a good time. Being that I am comfortable with the coaches and they make me feel great, it was more of a reason. I wanted to stay here and I'm extremely happy that it worked out."

(On what message does his signing to the public)- "I don't know what message it sends, except that they wanted to keep me here. I can't really speak for what it means for everything else but I know that I'm happy that they wanted to keep me here. I'm confident that they will also get the people that they feel like they need to help us take the next step to be a playoff team next year."

(On how he views the secondary coming together next season) - "Our secondary is a tight knit group. There's obviously some people that are free agents that aren't signed yet, we still have to figure stuff out like that but that's a part of the business. Once it's all settled in and the players that I do know will be here, we've got a bunch of hard working guys that want to get better. That's a lot of the battle right there. If you have guys that want to get better and want to be good football players and will do what it takes to be good football players you're half way there. I believe that that's going to work out."

(On comparison between how he feels today and last year after a tough 2012 season) - "I felt great last year too, but this is even better. Last year it was like, ‘ok I get to prove myself again,.' I never doubted myself but being realistic, coming off of a serious injury that a lot of people had trouble coming back from, I had to prove myself. I looked at it like that, they gave me a chance to come out here and show that I could play this game at a high level and I did not want to let them down. That's what drove me all year and the fact that they supported me all year and made me feel wanted, made me want to go even harder. I'm just happy about this."

(On if he's talked to people who have had the injury before and if the second year is better) - "With anything, with any serious injury it's about once it's healed, it's about building strength and everything like that. As time goes on it just gets stronger. I felt good last year, but at this point right now you feel even better. It's going on, going to be my second year that I'm rehabbing and getting stronger, I feel great so I expect to feel even better this year."

(On how soon he heard from Dennis Hickey after he was named GM) - "I've been coming in here and working out just about every day. I would see him around and people would ask me had I seen him and then we just ran into each other in the hallway and then we just talked, like he said when he was up here, that he liked what I do, he liked how I play. He used to go against me a lot and I had some good games against them. After that we got together and he expressed to my wife how much he wants me here with Coach Philbin, with Coach Lou (Anarumo), with Coach (Kevin) Coyle. From day one, I don't' know the exact number of days after he became the GM but Dennis (Hickey) did a great job of continuing the trend of making me feel wanted around here."

(On if he had any serious thought about testing free agency) - "I don't know, I was just waiting to see what my agent said. Like I said all I was trying to do was come in here and do my part. Which my part is, stay right, get in shape , be ready and my agent will handle the rest. I didn't want to go to free agency but if that had to happen then that's what has to happen but It didn't so I don't' even want to think about that."

(On how he'll celebrate the contract) - "I don't know, I haven't planned it out. Maybe my wife will have something for me, I don't know. Put some pressure on her, maybe she'll do something for me nice. She's usually good with things like that but it'll be cool, I'm just very happy."