Speaker 1: Cutdown Miami n What is up, Dolphans, and welcome to
Speaker 1: the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network,
Speaker 1: covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody?
Speaker 1: It is Wednesday, a special edition of the Drive Time Podcast.
Speaker 1: I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and today we're gonna
Speaker 1: get into the Miami Dolphins schedule as it is officially
Speaker 1: scheduled released day. We're gonna get to all seventeen Dolphins games,
Speaker 1: breakdown each opponent when the game occurs. All of that
Speaker 1: and much much more, plus how the Dolphins vision set
Speaker 1: forth back in twenty nineteen is coming into focus here
Speaker 1: in one. I think you all are going to love
Speaker 1: our opening segment on the podcast, and without let's go
Speaker 1: ahead and get to it on this edition of the
Speaker 1: Drivetime Podcast. And we do have the Miami Dolphins schedule
Speaker 1: in my hand right here looking at it to go
Speaker 1: ahead and get to. By now you know the order
Speaker 1: of the games. Hopefully you're already planning your trips to
Speaker 1: hard Rock Stadium and around the NFL to represent your
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins on the road this year. So we're gonna
Speaker 1: get to the schedule breakdown for you on the pod
Speaker 1: with the research that goes beyond just listening to games,
Speaker 1: will cover the short week slash long week, element by weeks,
Speaker 1: possible track game scenarios, matchups, all of those angles. But first,
Speaker 1: there's something I've been wanting to touch on. As the
Speaker 1: offseason kind of tails off here with a few moves
Speaker 1: here and there, the compensatory formula is no longer in effect.
Speaker 1: But these signings we get this time of year are
Speaker 1: not usually Markie. They're typically stuff like we saw with
Speaker 1: Eric Fisher earlier in the week, for instance, coming off
Speaker 1: a significant injury signing with a club like Indianapolis who
Speaker 1: had a huge need at the tackle position. I want
Speaker 1: to say t J McDonald was a summer signing as well.
Speaker 1: I could be wrong on that, but you get the idea.
Speaker 1: It's a player who, whether coming off injury or has
Speaker 1: a suspension, what have you, it's usually a player with
Speaker 1: some baggage. So I thought this part of the calendar
Speaker 1: was a good time to discuss this. And the point
Speaker 1: I want to get to is the cumulative process that
Speaker 1: has led us to where we are today with the
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins, a point where frankly, for my money, we're
Speaker 1: looking at the most talented Dolphins roster this team has
Speaker 1: had since two thousand two, and I know that club
Speaker 1: whatnot and seven they lost their quarterback for a few games,
Speaker 1: but defensively, running game and skill players and offense line,
Speaker 1: offensive line all the way across the board, that team
Speaker 1: was pretty loaded, even though the record didn't reflect it.
Speaker 1: But I truly believe this year's roster is the best
Speaker 1: the Dolphins I've had since that team was that nineteen
Speaker 1: years ago. And of course I see some of the comments,
Speaker 1: reviews or what have you about Travis drinking the kool
Speaker 1: aid fanboy podcast with no negativity. That's all fine, Well
Speaker 1: I don't I don't mind those types of responses. But
Speaker 1: those of you that have been with me from the Star,
Speaker 1: you know, back the lock Dawn days in nineteen, this
Speaker 1: is reaching the culmination of what I thought this team
Speaker 1: was building back in twenty nineteen. Remember my tweet after
Speaker 1: my first day watching a Brian Flores practice in training
Speaker 1: camp twenty nineteen. I still have the tweet and it
Speaker 1: basically says here that the Dolphins have not had a
Speaker 1: coach extend into his fifth year at the position since
Speaker 1: Don Shula. I believe what I saw today is the
Speaker 1: next head coach that will take that mantle. Then, as
Speaker 1: the team came together in twenty nineteen and won five
Speaker 1: games despite being underdogs in every single game, and winning
Speaker 1: three of those games as double digit underdogs, no team
Speaker 1: has ever done that before, by the way, won three
Speaker 1: games in one single season in which they were double
Speaker 1: digit underdogs. Do the moves in to jump again to
Speaker 1: ten wins with chances to win four more games for
Speaker 1: one score games or one score losses. I should say
Speaker 1: to now this what you have right now to what
Speaker 1: they've done this offseason. And that's where I really want
Speaker 1: to get into this because I see so many comments
Speaker 1: and concerns around the same stuff, and I don't want
Speaker 1: to come off as defensive here, but rather I'd like
Speaker 1: to just explain my perspective and why my optimism around
Speaker 1: this operation only continues to grow. And for what it's worth.
Speaker 1: They told me when I first started in this whole game,
Speaker 1: David locked back at Locked on Sports, please follow me again, Dave.
Speaker 1: They told me to establish your credentials and your credibility
Speaker 1: because every episode is a potential new listener who needs
Speaker 1: to gain your trust first. So you know, I mean,
Speaker 1: I've predicted this team's record each of the last two years,
Speaker 1: and that's recorded on podcast. To go back and look
Speaker 1: at I've predicted five four of the six first round
Speaker 1: draft picks made under a career in Flores. I have
Speaker 1: the pre rights and tweets to prove that. Unfortunately, with
Speaker 1: the pre rights twenty nineteen, I said, if you put
Speaker 1: a gun to my head right now, I'd say Christian
Speaker 1: Wilkins is the pick He's had to fight as the
Speaker 1: criteria of versatility, character, a work ethic, and love of
Speaker 1: the game the Dolphins. Covett also mentioned the Marrion hobby
Speaker 1: connection there with him, how do you think we had
Speaker 1: a three thousand word piece ready to roll on two
Speaker 1: a toung of VLOA at the time the pick was announced.
Speaker 1: Same story on Austin Jackson a pick number eighteen. Now
Speaker 1: I missed on Noah Ignogamy, completely whipped on that one,
Speaker 1: but you come back in one. And I mentioned it
Speaker 1: on the Kyle Crabts podcast and had the written profile
Speaker 1: on Jalen Waddle before he was drafted that it was
Speaker 1: gonna be Jillan Waddle in my opinion. Admittedly, that took
Speaker 1: a long time before I became comfortable with that prediction,
Speaker 1: as I was so back and forth on he and
Speaker 1: Devonte Smith. But luckily we learned from the Peter King
Speaker 1: article that it seems like it was always Waddle. More
Speaker 1: on that in just a moment, I also missed on
Speaker 1: Jalan Phillips. I thought offensive line might be the play there.
Speaker 1: So I think I should have known better on that
Speaker 1: pick because he fits so well. But four for six
Speaker 1: in those first round draft picks. So there's my credibility.
Speaker 1: I've urged to you all. So when I read that
Speaker 1: I'm only being a Homer, it just it doesn't like
Speaker 1: offend me. It just kind of bothers me because I
Speaker 1: put a lot of time and effort, blood, sweat and
Speaker 1: tears into this and I feel like, I mean, I
Speaker 1: think I've established that line of credibility and honesty and
Speaker 1: transparency on the podcast. And so we are almost here
Speaker 1: to my final point. But real quick, I'm putting this
Speaker 1: monologue together. I stumbled upon another tweet from November when
Speaker 1: I listed out the starting lineup from the game that
Speaker 1: day and how each player that started that game was acquired.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and visit that tweet for a second now,
Speaker 1: because it's a perfect segue into my greater roster building point.
Speaker 1: And we turned this to this tweet now that I
Speaker 1: posted on Monday afternoon. As I mentioned, I dug up
Speaker 1: some old tweets for the purpose of this research monologue.
Speaker 1: And here's what I came across. One day after we
Speaker 1: beat the Jets in nineteen for win number one under
Speaker 1: Brian Flores. The twenty two starters in that game, had
Speaker 1: they combined four premium resource players in the lineup, that's
Speaker 1: picks in rounds one through three, or a free agent
Speaker 1: signing or trade acquisition that brought back a player who's
Speaker 1: compensation was top tier or mid tier in regards to
Speaker 1: the free agent market and their compensation they made with
Speaker 1: the Dolphins. Now, granted there were two loopholes in their exhabing.
Speaker 1: Howard was hurt and Mike Kasicki didn't start the game
Speaker 1: even though he played plenty and produced big time in it.
Speaker 1: So let's go ahead and call it six. But now,
Speaker 1: of the two spots nineteen nineteen such players and the
Speaker 1: ones that aren't from that category in my projected lineup,
Speaker 1: Eric Rowe, Miles Gaskin, and Matt Skura. And you know
Speaker 1: how I feel about Eric Rowe who won fourteen of
Speaker 1: a sixteen tight end matchups last year. Miles Gaskin who
Speaker 1: finished tenth among running backs in yards from scrimmage and
Speaker 1: Matt Scura yards from scrimmage average per game, I should say,
Speaker 1: and Matt Scura who was a top ten center on
Speaker 1: tape in twenty nineteen and playing well last year before
Speaker 1: some issues with the snap. So that's the rub. This
Speaker 1: roster is full of talented players. We've established this coaching
Speaker 1: staff can develop and get results above the some of
Speaker 1: their parts. Right, That's what twenty nineteen was, and to
Speaker 1: a lesser extent as well, three double digit wins as
Speaker 1: underdogs in twenty nineteen, beating to division winners and winning
Speaker 1: five total games as dogs outright, then in I think
Speaker 1: I'm the only person on earth who predicted ten wins
Speaker 1: with this club, and now one man, I am excited.
Speaker 1: I've told you about the fit of the pieces, how
Speaker 1: Jalen waddles horizontal stretching on those drag routes that we
Speaker 1: just missed big play after big play opportunity last year,
Speaker 1: paired with Will Fuller's vertical stretch ability, the space being
Speaker 1: created in the running game because of that speed the
Speaker 1: openings and the easier leverage inside for players like Parker
Speaker 1: and Gasicki and Williams and all they have to work
Speaker 1: with the different types of packages you can deploy because
Speaker 1: suddenly you're diverse as an offense from a skill set standpoint.
Speaker 1: The ability to match up with literally any person in
Speaker 1: your secondary, more playmaking with Javon Holland, the opportunity to
Speaker 1: create space for blitzers with big bodies like a Bernardic
Speaker 1: McKinney or a quickness of an Adam Butler. And the
Speaker 1: capability to rush for and play coverage because you now
Speaker 1: have two guys that have the look of being able
Speaker 1: to win one on one pass rush situations in any
Speaker 1: situation in Emmanuel Ogba and Jalen Phillips, removing all the
Speaker 1: ways that I think this roster was built towards one
Speaker 1: singular vision. How about this, It's not just the twenty
Speaker 1: two guys on the field that paint a promising, exciting future.
Speaker 1: It's in how the Dolphins cultivated depth and created competition
Speaker 1: at their most vulnerable spots. You have some concerns about
Speaker 1: the offensive line in front of to no problem. We're
Speaker 1: now competing for the seventh eight and ninth job on
Speaker 1: the offensive line with the same crop of guys or
Speaker 1: same level of crop of guys that were solidified starters
Speaker 1: back in and even into not enough skill guys at
Speaker 1: the young quarterback's disposal, No big deal. We'll go out
Speaker 1: and add not one, but two absolutely dynamic, game changing
Speaker 1: talents that jive perfectly with the strengths of your young quarterback.
Speaker 1: And the mention of the depth Wattle and Fuller could
Speaker 1: be interchangeable in that speed role. Let's say if one
Speaker 1: happens to go down for a game or two and
Speaker 1: you only can live with one of those guys in
Speaker 1: a couple of games, a lot of what DeVante Parker
Speaker 1: does well. Preston Williams is versed in those same areas.
Speaker 1: Albert Wilson and Lynn Bowden Jr. Have similar games. This
Speaker 1: is the case almost across the entire roster. The next
Speaker 1: man up mentality is going to be a lot easier
Speaker 1: to execute when you have capable players at every position,
Speaker 1: with two or three or four players deep at all
Speaker 1: those spots. And if you haven't read the Peter Keen
Speaker 1: column from earlier this week, The Football Morning in America
Speaker 1: On Monday Morning, slash Sunday Night, Brian Flores and Chris
Speaker 1: Career both talked about the mind towards the present of
Speaker 1: a coach, but the mind towards the future of a
Speaker 1: personnel executive, and how Flores is versed in both areas
Speaker 1: as someone who came up on the personnel side and
Speaker 1: Chris and he collaborates to make sure they're satisfying both avenues,
Speaker 1: both the now and the future. It's how you win
Speaker 1: ten games last year and now you can put yourself
Speaker 1: in position to how all this young talent you can
Speaker 1: produce and elevate and developed for next season. I keep
Speaker 1: seeing the complaint in the comments on our socials about
Speaker 1: adding more tight ends. The former basketball player, I cannot
Speaker 1: fathom getting upset over a tryout for a kid who
Speaker 1: has some physical potential with literally no downside. What's the
Speaker 1: downside to that move the whole tight end room? For instance,
Speaker 1: it was a valuable portion of the roster last year
Speaker 1: with all the two tight end sets percent of the time,
Speaker 1: ranked sixth most in the NFL for twelve personnel. So
Speaker 1: how can you make that better more by at the
Speaker 1: apple to get more athletic, more versatile, and more deadly
Speaker 1: and more depth, same deal on the defensive secondary, you
Speaker 1: can cut costs with the Bobby McCain move while swapping
Speaker 1: him out for a combination of Javon Holland and Jason
Speaker 1: mccordy and for half the cost. So you're getting more talented,
Speaker 1: you're getting deeper, you're controlling costs better. Bang bang bang
Speaker 1: three for three and the depth at tight end. We
Speaker 1: talked about Gasicki Smith and Shaheen entering contract years. What
Speaker 1: if Hunter Long is an immediate hit and Jibbrey Blunt
Speaker 1: maybe shows you some of that translation that the great
Speaker 1: basketball players to tight end converts have shown. Maybe that
Speaker 1: makes it easier to say no on a massive contract extension,
Speaker 1: allowing you to get cheaper without losing a lot by
Speaker 1: way of talent irons in the fire to create flexibility
Speaker 1: both with the roster from a talent standpoint and financial
Speaker 1: flexibility in the future. On top of all of that,
Speaker 1: the Dolphins drafted this year in a way that will
Speaker 1: create an opportunity to spend like we're building a possible
Speaker 1: championship contender next offseason. Miami already has the fourth most
Speaker 1: cap based next year, right around sixty million available, and
Speaker 1: that's without decisions on some veteran players across the board.
Speaker 1: Grant Davis Wilson Alan hearns a lot of players in
Speaker 1: there that have to make decisions because this roster is
Speaker 1: so deep, and like I mentioned, maybe even some of
Speaker 1: the guys that have produced big but are due for
Speaker 1: big contracts. That's a lot of contracts you can conceivably
Speaker 1: knock off the books this year, like, for instance, Waddle
Speaker 1: taking over as a rookie contract in the receiver's room,
Speaker 1: Javon Holland for Bobby McCain. We already saw that Hunter
Speaker 1: Long the tight end for one of those vets at
Speaker 1: that position, Liam Eichenberg at the tackle position. That type
Speaker 1: of thing. Not saying it happens, but those are the
Speaker 1: options you have available for you now with competition, youth
Speaker 1: and cost control. And Flora's touched on this and the
Speaker 1: Peter King article, how the approach in twenty nineteen is
Speaker 1: different than it is for one, how then it might
Speaker 1: have been more about acquiring picks, where this year they
Speaker 1: were more comfortable to go back from twelve to six
Speaker 1: to secure the player they wanted. Priorities change the closer
Speaker 1: you get to really competing for January success. So give
Speaker 1: yourself an opportunity to make expensive player is replaceable fortified depths.
Speaker 1: You don't lose a ton when you have to go
Speaker 1: to backups weekend and week out and maximize every resource
Speaker 1: you have for building the roster. More talented, deeper, cheaper.
Speaker 1: That's the name of the game. And so I've referenced
Speaker 1: the Peter King article a few times. We'll go ahead
Speaker 1: and list a few highlights here before we get to
Speaker 1: the schedule breakdown. Let's just go chronologically real quick. Steve
Speaker 1: Ross was very excited for the trade. He likes trades.
Speaker 1: That was a quote from Chris. We are talking about
Speaker 1: Steve Ross. I just love the zeal And fandom. How
Speaker 1: I can picture Ross like me, Oh we got a trade, baby,
Speaker 1: let's go. I love that from the owner. Twenty eight
Speaker 1: trades and twenty eight months on the job is full
Speaker 1: control GM For Chris Greer, Erica Costa in Baltimore is
Speaker 1: known for his trading. He's made fourteen in that same span.
Speaker 1: Chris career is aggressive. He goes after what he wants.
Speaker 1: Brian Flores helped push the idea, says King, of trading
Speaker 1: back into the top ten over the goal line. As
Speaker 1: King writes, to ensure to get a top weapon, talk
Speaker 1: about those twelve played drives last year, how the Dolphins
Speaker 1: defense welcomed it offensively. They did the same thing, so
Speaker 1: maybe this year they want to get more explosive. So
Speaker 1: coach sees what wattle can do to a defense that
Speaker 1: he coaches and wants that for himself. Chris Greer collaborates
Speaker 1: with other gms from other teams and other leagues to
Speaker 1: really sharpen his skills as a GM. There's no downtime.
Speaker 1: Never waste an opportunity to make your roster better. King
Speaker 1: then lists four traits of a modern GM that you
Speaker 1: have to have know how to use leverage I on today,
Speaker 1: other eye on tomorrow. You cannot be afraid, and you
Speaker 1: need to work with a coach who knows how to
Speaker 1: play for today, but also stock up for tomorrow. King
Speaker 1: then writes Greer is four for four and Flora said
Speaker 1: this in the article quote you mentioned that philosophically, coaches
Speaker 1: are about today and not about the future. I guess
Speaker 1: I'm more in tune with the future. When I get
Speaker 1: into my coaching short term thought process. Chris pulls me
Speaker 1: out of that. We listen to one another and have
Speaker 1: good collaboration on everything, especially the roster. We have a
Speaker 1: similar vision for what we want the team to look like.
Speaker 1: End quote. And King writes that Miami, like they told us,
Speaker 1: felt good about getting back to six and getting one
Speaker 1: of the guys they ultimately would have liked for three
Speaker 1: plus the additional first round draft pick Kyle Pitts on
Speaker 1: the table, but if he was, and they were thrilled
Speaker 1: with Wattle, in fact, beyond thrilled. They also note that
Speaker 1: the original Niners offer was for two first round picks.
Speaker 1: Career insisted on getting that compensatory third round draft pick
Speaker 1: from the Niners, which they of course obliged, and Miami
Speaker 1: of course later used that third round draft pick their
Speaker 1: own third round draft pick, I should say to move
Speaker 1: up for Liam Eichenberg. So in a way, that negotiation
Speaker 1: helped pull a potential stalwart on the offensive line for
Speaker 1: literally no lost draft capital. When viewing it all as
Speaker 1: a cumulative sample, the Dolphins will to work their intel
Speaker 1: to predict how the board might go QB, QB, QB,
Speaker 1: and then at fourth Atlanta QB or pits then Chase,
Speaker 1: and it sounds to me like it was Waddle all along.
Speaker 1: In fact, Peter King says they were always all in
Speaker 1: on Waddle, though they never actually told him that. That
Speaker 1: was his thought and takeaway. Flora said if they go
Speaker 1: to twelve, they have to get back into the top
Speaker 1: ten and said one player we knew, we felt very
Speaker 1: strongly about, would be there at six. And of course
Speaker 1: John Lynch in San Francisco pulled the trigger on that
Speaker 1: trade and had this to say about Chris Career from
Speaker 1: the article I love dealing with Chris. He not emotional
Speaker 1: about it, and his word is everything. Chris is a
Speaker 1: rock and that quote he has sent out. Chris Career
Speaker 1: has seven first and second round draft picks since nineteen.
Speaker 1: In exchange for twelve, he damned near doubled his premium
Speaker 1: resource capital, which is how you wind up with that
Speaker 1: figure I showed earlier with nineteen premium resources occupying twenty
Speaker 1: two of your starting spots. Awesome, awesome stuff. And this
Speaker 1: is the three year culmination of why I've been so
Speaker 1: bullish on this pairing of Brian Flores and Chris Career
Speaker 1: and why I cannot, absolutely cannot wait for football and
Speaker 1: for training camp this summer. We gotta win games on
Speaker 1: Sundays in the fall. But I'm confident in this entire thing,
Speaker 1: and man, it feels good. All right, And here we
Speaker 1: go schedule release time. We're gonna go through each game
Speaker 1: here on the Miami Dolphins schedule. Tell you what's unique
Speaker 1: about the scheduling of it. Preview the game, tell you
Speaker 1: about the opponent's offseason, the matchups, all that fun stuff.
Speaker 1: So first, let's go ahead and list off the schedule.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you've heard it by now. Let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and get it for you off the top. In the
Speaker 1: same place last year we opened up Week number one,
Speaker 1: September twelve, kickoff in New England. Week two home for
Speaker 1: the Buffalo Bills. Same schedule for the first two weeks
Speaker 1: this year as we had last year. One o'clock kickoff,
Speaker 1: Week three at the Las Vegas Raiders, a four oh
Speaker 1: five kickoff. Week four back home for the Colts, a
Speaker 1: one pm kickoff. Two road games follow that, although one
Speaker 1: of them is a neutral site game. Week five at
Speaker 1: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defending world champions in Tom Brady.
Speaker 1: Week six, we're in London for the Jaguars, a nine
Speaker 1: thirty am Eastern kickoff. That is the Jacksonville home game.
Speaker 1: So Miami. Nine home games this year, seven road games
Speaker 1: and one neutral site game, although I know Dolphins fans
Speaker 1: in the UK will represent for that one back home
Speaker 1: for the Falcons in Week seven. No bye week after
Speaker 1: the London game October one o'clock kickoff, Halloween Week eight
Speaker 1: in Buffalo, the crazy people going through tables up there
Speaker 1: on Halloween, October thirty one, one o'clock kickoff. Two home
Speaker 1: games Texans Week nine, Ravens Week ten. The Texans game
Speaker 1: one o'clock kickoff on Sunday. The Ravens are first prime
Speaker 1: time matchup of the season. That's a Thursday night football,
Speaker 1: A short turnaround there from Miami. The long week after that,
Speaker 1: we're in the in the Meadowlands for the Jets week
Speaker 1: number eleven, one o'clock kickoff there. Then three straight home
Speaker 1: games with a bye week sandwich in their Week twelve
Speaker 1: home for the Panthers, Week thirteen home for the Giants,
Speaker 1: both of those one o'clock kickoffs. The bye week comes
Speaker 1: in Week fourteen, which has to be one of the
Speaker 1: latest bye weeks this franchise has ever had, and then
Speaker 1: Week fifteen a possible flex game like we had last
Speaker 1: year with the Raiders with the Jets at home either
Speaker 1: Saturday or Sunday tb D on kickoff Week sixteen, Monday
Speaker 1: Night football in New Orleans and the Big Easy the
Speaker 1: Saints eight fifteen kickoff Week seventeen are really one cold
Speaker 1: weather game on the schedule in Nashville as we take
Speaker 1: on Ryan Tannehill and the Titans on January second, one
Speaker 1: o'clock kickoff, and we finished the season at home against
Speaker 1: the Patriots with a one pm kickoff, So just covering
Speaker 1: some of the quirks here real quick of the schedule.
Speaker 1: There are some things you just can't know until the
Speaker 1: season gets here, like for instance, last year playing the
Speaker 1: forty nine and their whole secondary was out for that
Speaker 1: game and they had the practice squad cornerback Brian Allen.
Speaker 1: I felt bad for him in that game, with Devonte
Speaker 1: Parker and Preston Williams going back and forth taking their
Speaker 1: turns and Ryan Fitzpatrick just picking them out too. Did
Speaker 1: the same thing later on against the Cardinals later in
Speaker 1: the season. So those are factors. We'll cover those in season.
Speaker 1: You always look for potential trap spots, but those are
Speaker 1: also live occurrences. For instance, last year the Seahawks played
Speaker 1: the Cowboys before the game down here. In Week four,
Speaker 1: they were playing the Cowboys at home. In Week three
Speaker 1: it went to overtime. The defense was on the field
Speaker 1: for like ninety two snaps, and they were sluggish starting
Speaker 1: the game out here against the Dolphins coming out east.
Speaker 1: Stuff like that. So, without further ado, let's break down
Speaker 1: some football matchups week number one. At the Patriots kickoff,
Speaker 1: Mac Jones or Cam Newton. Who's it gonna be at
Speaker 1: quarterback for that team. That's gonna be a different style
Speaker 1: of offense, depending on which quarterback that is. Of course,
Speaker 1: last season the brute running game the Patriots unveiled in
Speaker 1: that opener. If it's Mac Jones, much more traditional pocket
Speaker 1: passing and kind of stand back there and let all
Speaker 1: those new weapons do the work down the field. At
Speaker 1: running back, they still have their committee. The big edition
Speaker 1: there was Mndre Stevens, the Oklahoma rookie who's a big
Speaker 1: two d and thirty five pound back that can slam
Speaker 1: the ball between the tackles. Maybe they're Legarrett Blunt. I
Speaker 1: think that's probably what they're hoping for out there in
Speaker 1: New England. Of course, the big upgrades at the skill spots,
Speaker 1: Kendrick Borne Nelson, Aghilar, Hunter Henry, and John hu Smith.
Speaker 1: I think you're gonna see plenty of twelve personnel, which
Speaker 1: becomes difficult to defend because this Dolphin's team is so
Speaker 1: deep in the secondary that forces you to play more
Speaker 1: guys in the front seven and take defensive backs off
Speaker 1: the field to both defend the run and match up
Speaker 1: with those tight ends. I saw a great theory from
Speaker 1: Evan Lazar, who covers the Patriots for CLSN Sports in
Speaker 1: Boston up there, and he talked about how the Patriots
Speaker 1: have a hole and they're scouting with receivers because the
Speaker 1: complex system they run require receivers to have a certain
Speaker 1: mental fortitude or experience, and it's tough for young guys.
Speaker 1: So recognizing that whole in their scouting process, they go
Speaker 1: out and acquire smart veteran receivers like born In Aguilar
Speaker 1: that can help out with that think. I think it
Speaker 1: makes a lot of sense. They lose Joe Tuney up front,
Speaker 1: but Michael Owennu was a Rookie of the Year candidate
Speaker 1: last year. In my opinion, not realistically because offensive linemen
Speaker 1: don't win that award, but he was great. They get
Speaker 1: back both David Andrews and Teddy Carriss goes back up there.
Speaker 1: That is the strength of their club, which I think
Speaker 1: pairs well with the running style quarterback and Cam Newton.
Speaker 1: Dante high Tower the biggest boost they're gonna get. He's
Speaker 1: back this year. He's great. I think he's similar to
Speaker 1: what Bernardrick McKinney could be here in Miami. Inside, outside,
Speaker 1: blitzing coverage, run defense, does it all. I was hoping
Speaker 1: we'd steal Lawrence guy from them. He's back, Christian Barmore,
Speaker 1: Divon god Sha, Ronnie Perkins, a much improved defensive front
Speaker 1: for them, and I think High Tower coming back will
Speaker 1: have a nice ripple effect for those guys like Chase Winovich,
Speaker 1: Josh you Ja not to mention Kyle van Noy returning,
Speaker 1: and oh yeah, they also added Matt judean Man. This
Speaker 1: team loaded up in the offseason. Stefan Gilmour and j C.
Speaker 1: Jackson arguably the best tandem in the NFL at cornerback,
Speaker 1: and I think Kyle Dougger is gonna have a big
Speaker 1: second year back there at safety, along with the ever
Speaker 1: reliable Devon mccordy. So last year, it was difficult to
Speaker 1: plan for the Patriots. In that opener, we didn't know
Speaker 1: what the Cam Newton offense looks like. Hopefully we have
Speaker 1: a better idea this time around. I'd personally rather see
Speaker 1: Mac Jones right away in game number one. We'll see
Speaker 1: what happens. I think, even at this stage of his career,
Speaker 1: can't present some challenges for opposing defenses. I just don't
Speaker 1: like playing Belichick when he's got four months to prep
Speaker 1: A tough ask for Coach Floras and his staff and
Speaker 1: this club in Week one, But they're gonna be up
Speaker 1: for the challenge. Should be another tightly contested game, but
Speaker 1: they are working in a ton of new parts, just
Speaker 1: like Miami was last year, So maybe the script gets
Speaker 1: flipped there a little bit. The Patriots traditionally have been
Speaker 1: slower starters and progressed up towards the end of the
Speaker 1: season throughout the course of that two decade run, kind
Speaker 1: of like Miami the last two seasons. This is a
Speaker 1: tough out. The Patriots are far deeper, more talented, and
Speaker 1: have more ways they can beat you compared to last
Speaker 1: year year, with both the passing game and the defense
Speaker 1: to go along with that strong running game. That said,
Speaker 1: I think the Biggot Badge hairs at the quarterback position.
Speaker 1: To me, Cam Newton is a top twenty five all
Speaker 1: time quarterback, but I think those days are behind him.
Speaker 1: Eight touchdowns in fifteen games last year, and I think
Speaker 1: if they turn to the rookie, to me, that bow
Speaker 1: is even better for Miami and Brian Flores and Josh
Speaker 1: Boyer with a rookie quarterback. The bad match up here
Speaker 1: for the Dolphins twelve personnel again takes our defensive backs
Speaker 1: kind of off the field, and the strength of this team.
Speaker 1: You can kind of reduce that by the way you
Speaker 1: call the game offensively. For New England, the good matchup
Speaker 1: is continue to run the football at this Patriots team.
Speaker 1: Over two hundred yards against the Patriots last year in
Speaker 1: that week fifteen win. They invite it. They want you
Speaker 1: to run the ball because the passing games more explosive
Speaker 1: and more dangerous. But if you can commit to it
Speaker 1: and get that consistent five six seven yard clip per run,
Speaker 1: you're gonna be in great shape. You limit explosive plays
Speaker 1: in the back end, and you hit one yourself, you're
Speaker 1: gonna find yourself in good position against this Patriots team.
Speaker 1: I think both of these games will be close this
Speaker 1: year again Week two against the Buffalo Bills, the home
Speaker 1: opener September nineteen, one o'clock kickoff. You just have to
Speaker 1: find a way to stop Josh Allen, and maybe it's
Speaker 1: more four man rushes. Maybe you force him to throw
Speaker 1: into coverage and go vertical more often where that's a
Speaker 1: lower percentage throw for this offense. Look at the opening
Speaker 1: portions of that Week seventeen game last year. Miami gets
Speaker 1: a pick and it forces a punt in their first
Speaker 1: two drives. Because of that style of defense, you have
Speaker 1: to capitalize on turnover opportunities. Josh Allen threw a couple
Speaker 1: of dropped picks in that week to game last year.
Speaker 1: You have to catch those because otherwise this offense is
Speaker 1: going to make you pay for those failed mistakes. Are
Speaker 1: not capitalizing on those mistakes. Gosh, this quarterback is good
Speaker 1: at running back. Matt Brita is there. He adds speed
Speaker 1: to a backfield that has some with Devin Singletary to
Speaker 1: go along with the physicality of Zack Moss. That's a
Speaker 1: good trio back there. Stefon Digs is the best route
Speaker 1: runner in football. Perhaps four man rushes me and you
Speaker 1: can double him and take him out of the game.
Speaker 1: I think no, John Brown's a significant loss for stretching
Speaker 1: the field vertically for Buffalo by Isaiah Mackenzie likely slides
Speaker 1: into that role, although he does plenty of jet sweep actions,
Speaker 1: so maybe he can't do both of those at the
Speaker 1: same time. They replaced John Brown with the Emmanuel Sanders,
Speaker 1: still a very super super crafty veteran, but I like
Speaker 1: our ability to match up with him and really anyone
Speaker 1: across the league for that matter. And they address their
Speaker 1: biggest weakness with their first two picks in this year's
Speaker 1: draft with Greg Russo and Carlos Basham. We'll see how
Speaker 1: quickly they acclimate. But they also have Tremaine Edmonds and
Speaker 1: Matt Mulano at the second level of that defense coming back,
Speaker 1: which just creates so many blitzing opportunities. Miami will have
Speaker 1: to both run the ball and work the quit game
Speaker 1: into those vacid holes by the linebackers and all the
Speaker 1: movement this defense calls for. Sean McDermott moves things around
Speaker 1: kind of like Coach Flora's and they are pretty deep
Speaker 1: upfront to a J. E. Panessa startul Is back after
Speaker 1: opting out last year, Vernon Butler, Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes.
Speaker 1: No shortage of names for the Buffalo Bills defense. On
Speaker 1: the back end, Trey White is elite, but this is
Speaker 1: where they kind of have a bit of a hole
Speaker 1: in their roster. They've had some trouble at that cornerback
Speaker 1: to spot for a couple of years now. Last year
Speaker 1: they tried Josh Norman that didn't work out. This year
Speaker 1: looks like there's a good ballot between Levi Wallace to
Speaker 1: Ron Johnson and Dane Jackson, though Johnson is a quality
Speaker 1: slot cornerback. This is where I think Miami's best matchup
Speaker 1: comes from. More on that in just one moment. They also,
Speaker 1: for my money, have the best safety tandem and football
Speaker 1: and Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer do not overthrow footballs
Speaker 1: because these guys will capitalize and pick them off. As
Speaker 1: we saw it last year. You get them when it's
Speaker 1: hot and human here in Miami, which is obviously a
Speaker 1: great thing, and you don't have to trade it off
Speaker 1: for a December game. I shall come to find out
Speaker 1: here in just a moment, I think that helped keep
Speaker 1: Miami in the game last season. Hopefully we don't lose
Speaker 1: Byron Jones on the third snap of the game. This year,
Speaker 1: they get the Steelers Week one, Buffalo does, so I
Speaker 1: don't think there's any hangover material there for them. A
Speaker 1: great debut spot as well for Will Fuller after his
Speaker 1: one game suspension. This is the best team in Miami schedule.
Speaker 1: To me. The matchup that is really intriguing in this
Speaker 1: one is the The Bills run more ten personnel that's
Speaker 1: four receiver sets than anybody in the NFL against what is,
Speaker 1: for my money, the best secondary in the NFL. The
Speaker 1: bad matchup for Miami is the man coverage against those
Speaker 1: long routes, the crossing routes, the drags, the deep overs,
Speaker 1: which pairs with Alan's ability to extend plays. You've either
Speaker 1: got to hem him in and stop that like the
Speaker 1: first two series last week, or find a way to
Speaker 1: just play more zone coverage, I guess, because he will
Speaker 1: burn you on that. The good matchup is the Dolphins
Speaker 1: new wide receiver depth against their kind of limited depth
Speaker 1: in their own secondary. Week number three, we go back
Speaker 1: on the road to the Raiders September twenty four, oh
Speaker 1: five kickoff. What a weird offseason for the Raiders. Traded
Speaker 1: their three of their four best offensive lineman away from
Speaker 1: mid round picks, which worked out well in front of
Speaker 1: Josh Jacobs last year in that bruising style, only to
Speaker 1: come back and use the seventeenth pick on a player
Speaker 1: to replace the lost talent and a guy in Alex
Speaker 1: Leatherwood who was in the sixties and seventies on Draft
Speaker 1: Networks big board and Daniel Jeremiah's big board. Then they
Speaker 1: use premium money on another back in Kenyan Drake, which
Speaker 1: is a damn good backfield. But if you're building the
Speaker 1: backfield and lopping off lineman, that's an interesting strategy to me.
Speaker 1: One Derek Carr, He's fine. The fans of the Around
Speaker 1: the NFL podcast, no, the Andy Dalton line. To me,
Speaker 1: it's the Derek car line. If you have a quarterback
Speaker 1: worse than Derek Carr, you need a new one. If
Speaker 1: you have Derek Carr or above, you're probably okay. But
Speaker 1: he's on that fringe in the middle of the pack.
Speaker 1: Darren Waller, Henry Ruggs, Hunter, Renfrow. The addition of John
Speaker 1: Brown I love they have a good match of athletic ability,
Speaker 1: quick separation and vertical stretching ability on the defensive side.
Speaker 1: Max Crosby and Cleveland Farrell. You know, Crosby was a
Speaker 1: fifth round pick who had better production than the fourth
Speaker 1: overall pick in Cleveland Farrell. That's kind of something they
Speaker 1: do in Oakland or in Las Vegas now, rather over
Speaker 1: drafting players to fit their culture and such. Janik and
Speaker 1: gock Way, Carled Nassib and they really added more pieces
Speaker 1: to that upfront pressure and they got plenty of pressure
Speaker 1: in that Week six team game last year, So that
Speaker 1: would be a challenge for Miami. Their linebacker overhaul was
Speaker 1: a disaster with Nick Kwitdakowski and Corety Littleton. Maybe year
Speaker 1: two is better for those guys on the back end. Again,
Speaker 1: this defense just has kind of some some depth issues.
Speaker 1: Tray Von Mullen, Damon Arnett. That's some young, inexperienced corners
Speaker 1: on the outside. Casey Hayward's a big improvement in the
Speaker 1: slot for them, and then Trayvon Marriage, Jonathan abe Him
Speaker 1: and Tyree gillispe some young safeties on the back end
Speaker 1: there for my or for the Raiders, this long trip
Speaker 1: out west is tough, especially after a hot, humid game
Speaker 1: with a difficult Buffalo. Bill's team could be a tall
Speaker 1: order in Week three. The bad match up here for Miami.
Speaker 1: We saw it last year, Darren Waller. If it's good coverage,
Speaker 1: it's still not good coverage because the way he impacts
Speaker 1: the defensive lineup now with Henry Ruggs and John Smokey Brown,
Speaker 1: that's a lot of speed and matchup problems, especially when
Speaker 1: you factor in Josh Jacob's power and Kenyan Drake's dynamic
Speaker 1: ability in the backfield. The good matchup here, broken record,
Speaker 1: seems like so far this the thin secondary the Dolphins
Speaker 1: will face in this game. Second level defenders that Miami
Speaker 1: can really work on the R P O game and
Speaker 1: just have better effort. Go back to the Miles Gaskin
Speaker 1: long catch and run last year. The Dolphins played harder
Speaker 1: on that play than the Raiders did. We're coming back
Speaker 1: home in Week four for the Colts October the third,
Speaker 1: one o'clock. Carson Wentz's mechanics have been a problem for
Speaker 1: a while now. It's a big gamble for a Super
Speaker 1: Bowl ready roster here. Could they have made a play
Speaker 1: for Justin Fields. I'm not sure if they out was
Speaker 1: something they thought about pre draft. Once they went in
Speaker 1: on Carson Wentz, that was out the window. Be curious
Speaker 1: to see how he rebounds in a new city. At
Speaker 1: running back, Jonathan Taylor was awesome last year. Nihem Hines
Speaker 1: is a great player. Marlon Macks damn good too. Behind
Speaker 1: that really strong offensive line, It's a little bit of
Speaker 1: everything behind the best offensive line in the game. Pass catching,
Speaker 1: physical running, outside runs, and Quentin Nelson, Ryan Kelly and
Speaker 1: Chris Reid by the way a win for me on
Speaker 1: Chris Read loved that signing back in twenty nineteen. He's
Speaker 1: playing good ball and Brandon Smith very Dolphins like in
Speaker 1: the way they did this offensive line put a lot
Speaker 1: of resources into it. Eric Fisher is the big question.
Speaker 1: He's not going to be ready for this game. I
Speaker 1: wouldn't imagine we'll find out comes training camp. I think
Speaker 1: the one weakness this team could have as a receiver,
Speaker 1: t Y Hilton is good, but he's long in the tooth.
Speaker 1: Michael Pittman Jr. Had a great playoff game last year
Speaker 1: against Buffalo. Will see how much he jumps in the
Speaker 1: year two and then Paris Campbell hasn't quite live up
Speaker 1: to the hype of the Senior Bowl and pre draft process.
Speaker 1: That's about where it ends. Twelve personnel was popular in
Speaker 1: Philadelphia for Wentz with Goddart and Urts. They might have
Speaker 1: the same thing here with Jack Doyle and mo Alei Cox,
Speaker 1: which again twelve personnel to me is not my favorite
Speaker 1: against this Dolphins defense. DeForest Buckner was a huge, huge
Speaker 1: acquisition on their own defense last year. An awesome player.
Speaker 1: Grover Stewart is like and Dominican suit of me. I
Speaker 1: love watching him play. He is one of my favorites
Speaker 1: in the league. And then Quitty pay their first round
Speaker 1: draft pick. I think he could produce right away. I
Speaker 1: also think highly of Ben Bonagu out of TCU a
Speaker 1: couple of years back. They've got some crazy linked and
Speaker 1: explosiveness up front that could create some one on one
Speaker 1: matchups that are difficult to defend against. And then Darius
Speaker 1: Leonard isn't as good as they come at linebacker and
Speaker 1: Bobby Oka Rickie, that's a lot of speed there to
Speaker 1: match the speed Miami now has on offense, and again
Speaker 1: the broken record thin in the secondary. Kenny Moore and
Speaker 1: Rocky sin have some nice upside. They're good players. Xavier
Speaker 1: Rhodes had an awesome bounce back last year with his
Speaker 1: new team, and Julian Blackman out of Utah had a
Speaker 1: great rookie season. I loved his game in college and
Speaker 1: the pros. Some scheduling quirks. Here a good time to
Speaker 1: get this cold team, I think again, Eric Fisher likely
Speaker 1: starts the year on pup, so Sam Tevy at left
Speaker 1: tackle to matchup you like they're plus getting Carson Wentz
Speaker 1: mechanically repaired. If that's possible, you probably think it takes
Speaker 1: more than four weeks. The matchup I don't love here
Speaker 1: is the power run game and versatility of that backfield
Speaker 1: to exploit Miami's Amba package, plus possibly more twelve personnel
Speaker 1: to get the defensive backs off the field. The matchup
Speaker 1: I like is the ability to possibly overpower their undersized
Speaker 1: defense because Leonard and Oka Riki are both sub to twenty,
Speaker 1: to create one on one matchups on the back end,
Speaker 1: and also the pass rush against that left tackle. Tough out.
Speaker 1: Though this is a good football team. Week five, back
Speaker 1: on the road at the Bucks, October the tenth at
Speaker 1: one o'clock. Last we saw Tom we beat him in
Speaker 1: week seventeen nineteen. This is the style of quarterback Miami
Speaker 1: has feasted on over the years, and so you kind
Speaker 1: of get a couple of stationary quarterbacks here back to back.
Speaker 1: I'd much rather get them early than late. They have
Speaker 1: the best offensive line in the league in my opinion,
Speaker 1: and it's not just because of Tom. It is legit, legit,
Speaker 1: no cracks in that line with the starting five, and
Speaker 1: these guys brought everybody back. Leonard for Nett in the backfield,
Speaker 1: physical presence that could be tough in the humidity of
Speaker 1: Florida if they get out to the lead with him,
Speaker 1: and then Geo Bernard a great addition to the backfield
Speaker 1: as well. I quite like his game. I wonder if
Speaker 1: they might make Ronald Jones available via a trade because
Speaker 1: that's three deep at the running back spot. Mike Evans,
Speaker 1: Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, Cameron bray O, j Howard,
Speaker 1: Scotty Miller. Yeah, the hits keep coming, and they keep
Speaker 1: coming on defense too. On the interior and Don mckin,
Speaker 1: Sue and Vita Vella. Veya is one of the best
Speaker 1: players up front in this league and as good of
Speaker 1: a DT pairing as there is. Steve McClendon and Nunez
Speaker 1: roaches provide good depth Shack Barrett and elite pass rusher
Speaker 1: Jason Pierre Paul still getting the job done, and they
Speaker 1: add Joe try On with the thirty second pick. It
Speaker 1: gets better. At linebacker, Lavante David is a Hall of Famer,
Speaker 1: Devin White might be even better than that. And then
Speaker 1: in the secondary, I love me some Carlton David's big
Speaker 1: physical press corner. Sean Murphy Bunting had a breakout yere
Speaker 1: with a bunch of takeaways last year in the postseason,
Speaker 1: Jamal Dean similar in terms of the physical press corner.
Speaker 1: And then Antoine Winfield Junior. You guys know how I
Speaker 1: feel about his game. He is a stud. This can
Speaker 1: be You know, these game can be track games before
Speaker 1: you head off to London because the travel is a lot.
Speaker 1: You go back to hard knocks. When the Rams were
Speaker 1: going over to London, players had to go up to
Speaker 1: coaches and say, hey, I gotta get they're not hard knocks.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, uh all or nothing. The players were going
Speaker 1: up to coaches saying, hey, can I get tickets for this?
Speaker 1: Can I can I schedule this? Can I pack this bad?
Speaker 1: Whatever it might be, it's a lot to coordinate during
Speaker 1: the weeks. That's something to think about. The bad matchup
Speaker 1: here is the weapons paired with elite protection for one
Speaker 1: of the game's best quarterbacks of all time. And I
Speaker 1: don't care how many rings he has, Marino is still
Speaker 1: little better quarterback. The good matchup here, the guns to
Speaker 1: match up, and then if you spring a leak, Brady
Speaker 1: can't get out. So if you can confuse and pressure
Speaker 1: him and force bad decisions, just like in twenty nineteen,
Speaker 1: only you do it with a far more talented defense,
Speaker 1: you can pick this team off. I think this is
Speaker 1: the second toughest team on the schedule, behind the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 1: Week six in London at the Jacksonville Jaguars, a nine
Speaker 1: thirty a m. Eastern kickoff on October seventeenth. Trevor Lawrence,
Speaker 1: how quickly will he acclimate to the NFL? He's gonna
Speaker 1: play a week one right away? Is he ready to
Speaker 1: play early? Does it take some time at you get
Speaker 1: some tape and also have a few weeks of looking
Speaker 1: at his game. I love Travis E. T n and
Speaker 1: James Robinson. That's a tough backfield, is very dual, versatile
Speaker 1: and multiple. Their thinn at receiver DJ Chark is the engine.
Speaker 1: Laviska Chanel can be what Albert Wilson was in those
Speaker 1: two games three years ago. They signed Marvin Jones, but
Speaker 1: that's a very thin group there. I like the way
Speaker 1: Miami matches up on the back end. They're very thin
Speaker 1: at tight end, as evidence of the Tim Tebow signing.
Speaker 1: On the offensive line, Brandon Lindore at center still awesome,
Speaker 1: Cam Robinson, Jowan Taylor a good tackle Combo not great,
Speaker 1: and their guard situation is a little shakier with a
Speaker 1: j Can and Andrew Norra. That's where you can really
Speaker 1: exploit this offensive line. I think on defense, Josh Allen
Speaker 1: and Calevan Chase on both explosive first step upfield rushers.
Speaker 1: You have to be athletic to run them around the
Speaker 1: quarterback and give space for two A tongue of byaloa
Speaker 1: pretty thin inside as well. Devon Hamilton' Taven Brian a
Speaker 1: couple of names you can run the ball hopefully, because
Speaker 1: Miles Jack and Joe Schober are more coverage rush linebackers
Speaker 1: that want to kind of move around and fly around
Speaker 1: and not take on blocks. Good player as though, very
Speaker 1: good players, and the secondary they're very young and that's
Speaker 1: never a good thing. I like Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco,
Speaker 1: but shoot, we saw what happened last year. Even with c. J.
Speaker 1: Henderson second cornerback off the board, Jeff Okudo was first,
Speaker 1: and he was even worse. All young cornerbacks struggle. It'll
Speaker 1: be feasting time for a finally tuned passing game, I hope,
Speaker 1: which I think Miami has. They landed Shaquille Griffin in
Speaker 1: the offseason. He's a damn good player, but everything beyond
Speaker 1: him remains unproven. That slot position is dicey, especially if
Speaker 1: you want to ask Tyson Campbell to go there. He's
Speaker 1: never played slot in college, so playing there as a
Speaker 1: pro six weeks in could be a struggle for him.
Speaker 1: Schedule quirks no buy post London game. We have nine
Speaker 1: home games now, seven true road games and this one
Speaker 1: a neutral side game with a huge Dolphins contingency in
Speaker 1: England on the road the week before, but the shortest
Speaker 1: trip on the schedule to Tampa Bay, so it's a
Speaker 1: little bit easier, eases a little bit of that stress.
Speaker 1: The good matchup here, interior your size and lean on
Speaker 1: their undersized, thin middle defense, takeaway playmaking opportunities for the linebacker,
Speaker 1: and then it's waddle on Tyson Campbell all day long.
Speaker 1: I love that matchup. I just hate the idea of
Speaker 1: moving Campbell to a new position where corners almost never
Speaker 1: have good rookie seasons. The bad matchup is the versatility
Speaker 1: in the backfield and a strong, possible power running game
Speaker 1: with James Robinson. We saw it for glimpses last year,
Speaker 1: but the scoreboard took away the Jaguars running game in
Speaker 1: that Week three win from Miami. I am happy to
Speaker 1: get them earlier, but regardless, this Dolphins team is just
Speaker 1: simply further along with a deeper, better roster against a
Speaker 1: rookie head coach, and again Flores and Boyer against a
Speaker 1: rookie quarterback. Week seven home for the Falcons, October twenty one,
Speaker 1: one o'clock kickoff. I always think Matt Ryan's a threat,
Speaker 1: but against stylistically, he's the quarterback that Miami has had
Speaker 1: success with here in recent years, and that new system
Speaker 1: with Arthur Smith could be interesting. Maybe some more twelve
Speaker 1: personnel again, but Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts. That's
Speaker 1: a tough, tough matchup. They might have the shortest backfield
Speaker 1: in the NFL. I guess Mike Davis is the starter.
Speaker 1: They added a rookie tackle in Jalen Mayfield to book
Speaker 1: in with Jake Matthews. I wonder what that means for
Speaker 1: Kayleb McGarry, who's had a rough go his first couple
Speaker 1: of years in the pros. I like Chris Lyndstrom inside,
Speaker 1: but they have some question marks at center and the
Speaker 1: other guarden position as well. And on defense, the story
Speaker 1: is as old as time, the Falcon struggle with their
Speaker 1: pass rush. Grady Jarrett is exceptional inside, but there's a
Speaker 1: lack of outside presence. I expect more from Marlon Davidson
Speaker 1: than year two. It should be noted they signed Dante Fowler,
Speaker 1: but it takes more than one guy to tangle for
Speaker 1: a pass rush. Dion Jones is the marquee name a linebacker,
Speaker 1: and it's pretty thin after that, and you think that's
Speaker 1: then the secondary man. They're asking a bunch of guys
Speaker 1: to have breakout type seasons like Isaiah Oliver, A j Terrell.
Speaker 1: Richie Grant is a rookie safety a lot of people
Speaker 1: liked out of UCF. They also added veteran Dron Harmon
Speaker 1: for good presence on the back end. Coming back from
Speaker 1: overseas after this or to face this game, that's kind
Speaker 1: of tough asked. Thankfully it's at home, though, and it
Speaker 1: starts a nice stretch of home games from Miami plus Atlanta.
Speaker 1: Outdoors is always a different team, even if it's perfect
Speaker 1: weather in Miami this time of year, going from their
Speaker 1: dome to outdoor humidity and sweat on the football could
Speaker 1: be a lot different of a story. The bad match
Speaker 1: up here we saw it last year Darren Waller and
Speaker 1: Travis Kelsey. The top level tight ends are unguardable. Eric
Speaker 1: Rose shut down fourteen tight ends last year, but both
Speaker 1: those guys had huge days because they had huge days
Speaker 1: on everybody. I think Pitts is in that year one category.
Speaker 1: The good matchup here explosive players on our offense against
Speaker 1: a bad, thin secondary with no pass rush which could
Speaker 1: create deep drop opportunities and double moves for vertical explosion
Speaker 1: from Will Fuller and Jalen Waddle. Week number eight the
Speaker 1: Buffalo Bills again our first repeat opponent. Halloween October thirty one,
Speaker 1: one o'clock kickoff. Thank god, it's not December in Buffalo again.
Speaker 1: I'm so sick of those games. The last time we
Speaker 1: damn near won a game in Buffalo was when the
Speaker 1: game was in late October and twenty nineteen had them
Speaker 1: down in the fourth quarter with the ball on the doorstep,
Speaker 1: turned it over and the game went south from there.
Speaker 1: But getting Buffalo twice before November, I think is a
Speaker 1: great opportunity to get at least one of those games.
Speaker 1: I want that week to game bad Man, Buffalo and Halloween.
Speaker 1: Where would you rather be than that? I'm sure we'll
Speaker 1: see some crazy stuff that our eyes can't believe was
Speaker 1: we head into the parking lot into the building. Week
Speaker 1: number nine, we come back to South Florida kickoff November
Speaker 1: November the seven at one o'clock Eastern probably run through
Speaker 1: this one quickly. Tough to imagine a worse off season
Speaker 1: four a team, and they signed so many marginal level
Speaker 1: starters to one year deals just to kind of round
Speaker 1: out the roster. This wasn't a club that was so
Speaker 1: top heavy for so many years, and eventually, without a
Speaker 1: solid foundation, the House of Cards did topple. Just a
Speaker 1: really weird offseason, unprecedented, I might say. And that's aside
Speaker 1: from the legal trouble with their quarterback on the heels
Speaker 1: of a holdout in trade request and in a modern
Speaker 1: era where teams are willing to step back and take
Speaker 1: the medicine and really rebuild. Listen to the free agent
Speaker 1: signings the Texans made, Tyrod Taylor, Philip Lindsay, Mark Ingram,
Speaker 1: Andre Roberts, Alex Ericsson, Dante Moncrief, Chris Calmley, and this
Speaker 1: list is like twenty five names long, all players that
Speaker 1: It's just it's really weird to me. Then they spend
Speaker 1: their first pick of the draft on what the eighth
Speaker 1: quarterback in the draft taken in Davis Mills, who was
Speaker 1: beat out by kJ Costello at Stanford. I don't know, man,
Speaker 1: this is a weird one. This is a game where
Speaker 1: you have a short week coming up afterwards. That's always
Speaker 1: kind of tricky. But luckily it's this team at home
Speaker 1: for Miami. The good matchup here. I mean, this is
Speaker 1: a roster that's it's really thin at every position, so
Speaker 1: I think, you know, the Dolphins have one of the
Speaker 1: deeper rosters in the NFL Week ten primetime versus the
Speaker 1: Baltimore Ravens November the eleventh Veterans Day kickoff on Thursday
Speaker 1: Night football. This is a big sign of this team's growth.
Speaker 1: Early season Thursday Night football games they are only carried
Speaker 1: by NFL Network is usually where teams that are expected
Speaker 1: to be at the bottom of the league play. Miami
Speaker 1: was there last year with the Jacksonville game, but this
Speaker 1: spot is nationally televised on both NFL Network and Fox
Speaker 1: and they save big draws for those games. So big
Speaker 1: respect to the league given given Miami some big respect,
Speaker 1: I should say I am excited for this litmus test.
Speaker 1: Man Lamar was Game one back in the Brian Flores era.
Speaker 1: It didn't go well. I'm excited to see how far
Speaker 1: this team has come. This is a great measuring stick
Speaker 1: for it struggled against running quarterbacks in the past and
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson is a frigging chore and the running game
Speaker 1: really functions because of Lamar. But JK. Dobbins gave him
Speaker 1: another gear last year. Justice Hill is a nice speed
Speaker 1: merchant and Gus Edwards is fine too. Rashad Bateman could
Speaker 1: possibly be receiver number one there. Hollywood Brown had a
Speaker 1: nice late season surge last year. They signed Sammy Watkins,
Speaker 1: also drafted Thyland Wallace to go with Devin DuVernay. They've
Speaker 1: got Mark Andrews Nick Boyle at tight end. This offense
Speaker 1: has some nice pieces to it. Orlando Brown has gone,
Speaker 1: so was Matt Skura and d J. Fluker, who of
Speaker 1: course are both here now. They added Andrew Villa Nueva
Speaker 1: and Kevin Zeisler, who I think maybe are getting close
Speaker 1: to the you know that over thirty gang. With Ronnie
Speaker 1: Stanley coming back at left tackle, should be interesting to
Speaker 1: see how that line adapts to all those changes up front.
Speaker 1: On defense, the same old story Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe,
Speaker 1: Brandon Williams, Justin Mattabuki story as oldest time with the big, imposing,
Speaker 1: tough defensive line and linebacker looks way different. They've lost
Speaker 1: some guys recently. Taias Bowser and Partnell McFee are the
Speaker 1: most accomplished rushers and they do it with power. They
Speaker 1: also added Adolf Away at the end of round one,
Speaker 1: and Patrick Queen is the traffic cop and very fast
Speaker 1: in the middle of that defense. This is a team
Speaker 1: that challenges Miami's depth in the defensive backfield with Marlon Humphrey,
Speaker 1: Marcus Peters, Uh, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young. But safety is
Speaker 1: the question mark Gino Smith and Chuck Clark and DeShawn Elliott.
Speaker 1: We'll see how deep that runs. Playing this team at
Speaker 1: night and I talked about playing the one o'clock kickoffs
Speaker 1: from Miami. I think playing this team at night is
Speaker 1: the one possible team you can have an advantage against
Speaker 1: because they run the ball like a two thousand one
Speaker 1: football team sixty run and that can wear a defense down,
Speaker 1: especially in the heat and the humidity. That is a
Speaker 1: to me and a bonus from Miami, even though we
Speaker 1: have the acclamation to the weather they're running game against
Speaker 1: this defense at nighttime is better than a one o'clock
Speaker 1: kick in my opinion. The bad match up here for
Speaker 1: Miami the run game with Lamar and Dobbins. It's just
Speaker 1: so tough and you have to be so disciplined and
Speaker 1: also just fast to chase him down. The good matchup
Speaker 1: here I think deep shots without the presence of a
Speaker 1: true pass rusher or efties with elite range on the
Speaker 1: back end, and if they want to play man across
Speaker 1: the board, I think that also bodes well for mesh
Speaker 1: and drive concepts where you can displace guys with different
Speaker 1: things up front with the type of throws that constructs
Speaker 1: the defense horizontally as well as vertically. Tough test here
Speaker 1: litmus test for the Dolphins weeka Levin at the Jets,
Speaker 1: A long week here November the twenty one one o'clock kickoff.
Speaker 1: Zach Wilson's first game against the Dolphins will be at
Speaker 1: home in the meadow Lands. I think it's gonna be
Speaker 1: a struggle for him early on, and they've got no
Speaker 1: backup plan at the quarterback there. He is the guy
Speaker 1: all the way through. We'll see how his first year finishes,
Speaker 1: but I don't think it's gonna be as dazzling as
Speaker 1: you would like for your rookie quarterback. Michael Carter is
Speaker 1: their best running back. He was a fourth round draft pick,
Speaker 1: possibly the best left side of the offensive line in
Speaker 1: the NFL as early as this year. But Daniel Jeremiah
Speaker 1: said the idea that your worst offensive lineman is better
Speaker 1: than your best offensive lineman. And they really only addressed
Speaker 1: one or two spots on the old line because George
Speaker 1: Phanton Chuma Adoga are both kind of battling for the
Speaker 1: right tackle job. And remember Emmanuel ad against this team
Speaker 1: last year, four team pressures, two sacks, four quarterback hits,
Speaker 1: and his two best pass rush grades of the season
Speaker 1: on Pro Football Focus, and those came against Umadoga and
Speaker 1: George Fant respectively. Better receiver in my opinion in Corey Davis,
Speaker 1: but he had the one big contract year. I really
Speaker 1: like Denzel Mims game, and Elijah Moore is going to
Speaker 1: be a good pro. But really, two or three deep
Speaker 1: is about as soon as it gets in the National
Speaker 1: Football League, especially against a deep Dolphin secondary. They're deeper
Speaker 1: upfront on defense. The one markete name as Quentinnin Williams.
Speaker 1: He broke his foot recently but should be back for
Speaker 1: the season, and he was a big problem last year
Speaker 1: in the middle in those games against Miami, especially game
Speaker 1: number two. They also add Sheldon Rankins and he compliments
Speaker 1: Williams well. And they also get way better off the
Speaker 1: edge with Carl Lawson, who I think is only scratching
Speaker 1: the surface on his NFL career. It's the back seven
Speaker 1: where things get really dicey. C. J. Mosley is back
Speaker 1: and Jared Davis is there. Our top cornerback is Blessed Austin,
Speaker 1: so you know how that goes. And then Marcus may
Speaker 1: is a damn good player at safety for them as well.
Speaker 1: So the Dolphins come off a long rest here following
Speaker 1: the short week and the Thursday night game so that
Speaker 1: bodes well. Would have loved to have gotten the rookie earlier,
Speaker 1: but this just means more tape on him. I think
Speaker 1: this is the worst defense on paper you'll see on
Speaker 1: the schedule, and any rookie quarterback against Josh Boyer and
Speaker 1: Brian Flores, to me, is a bad proposition. And I'm
Speaker 1: just not that into Zach Wilson's game we're gonna see.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's cut from the same cloth at
Speaker 1: the real dogs at the position are. We're gonna find
Speaker 1: out soon enough. The best matchup here at Dolphins speed
Speaker 1: versus Jets back seven slow players all over the field. Again,
Speaker 1: Waddle and Fuller, I think have a nice matchup a
Speaker 1: nice day. The worst matchup is the interior defensive line
Speaker 1: of this Jets young ideal against the shuffled interior offensive
Speaker 1: line of Miami with guys playing new spots. Hopefully we've
Speaker 1: jailed by that point. Week twelve, Verse the Carolina Panthers,
Speaker 1: November one o'clock kickoff. Sam Donald's career against the Dolphins
Speaker 1: four touchdowns, ten picks, one win, four losses. I like
Speaker 1: that matchup. The problem with this team is Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 1: He's banged up a lot, but when he's healthy, he
Speaker 1: is all over the field. He's catching passes, He's a
Speaker 1: possibly twenty yards from screaming guy if he can stay healthy.
Speaker 1: They lose Curtis Samuel, who I just love his game,
Speaker 1: but they add Terrence Marshall to go with Robbie Anderson
Speaker 1: and d J Moore. That's a decent receiver corps. But again,
Speaker 1: this is, for my money, the best secondary in the NFL,
Speaker 1: and we've got the speed to match. Byron Jones on
Speaker 1: DJ Moore, Noah Agnology on Robbie Anderson, Xaving Howard on
Speaker 1: Terrence Marshall. That sounds good to me. We'll see what
Speaker 1: Flow wants to do. Taylor Molten is the one good
Speaker 1: tackle they have. I think the other one is a
Speaker 1: cast off, possible tryout competitions and camp. The Phillips and
Speaker 1: og Bob matchup Jalen Phillips and the Manuel a bad.
Speaker 1: This game should be good. They're solid across the middle,
Speaker 1: but no real depth in there. It depends on when
Speaker 1: the game is because they have like five guys that
Speaker 1: can trust right now. If someone goes down, that's when
Speaker 1: the Dominoes can start to fall. Defensively, Brian Burns. You
Speaker 1: have to get him blocked. He is a very very
Speaker 1: good speed rusher, and Derek Brown is powerful and should
Speaker 1: be better inside in year two. This year, they've got
Speaker 1: a nice deep rotation there at linebacker. They add Denzel
Speaker 1: Perriman to help that run defense. Also, Hassan Reddick and
Speaker 1: Shack Thompson very athletic linebackers, so they have the speed
Speaker 1: there as well. I love that remade group in the
Speaker 1: secondary once again, same story, kind of thin back there
Speaker 1: a J Boyer, Rashawn Melvin. They're both new, but I'm
Speaker 1: not sure how much is left in the tank on
Speaker 1: those guys. J C. Horne was one of my favorite
Speaker 1: five players in this draft, but again rookie cornerbacks, and
Speaker 1: then Jeremy Chen he was fantastic last year. Kind of
Speaker 1: isaais sim Simmons light but played better than Simmons And
Speaker 1: you're number one, you have to I d him on
Speaker 1: every single play as you're getting Donald's old team and
Speaker 1: new team in back to back weeks in an interesting
Speaker 1: middle portion of this Dolphins schedule. The bad matchup McCaffrey
Speaker 1: just in general, he's a great player. The good matchup again,
Speaker 1: speed versus the aging corners on the outside. They're faster
Speaker 1: in the middle, but on the outside they're older, and
Speaker 1: I think the Dolphins can exploit that. Jeremy Chen might
Speaker 1: be a good matchup to you race our tight end,
Speaker 1: So really relying on that early separation to mitigate pressure
Speaker 1: from Brown and Burns upfront, that would be beneficial. An
Speaker 1: opportunity here to heat Sam Donald up with some pressure
Speaker 1: and focus on McCaffrey, match up with the safety help
Speaker 1: and get good quick game of its those older aging cornerbacks.
Speaker 1: Week thirteen, we're home again for the Giants on December
Speaker 1: the fifth at one o'clock. Daniel Jones at quarterback. I
Speaker 1: think Miami matches up very well with that position. Sake
Speaker 1: Kwon Barkley's back, that's your focus. Good backs and back
Speaker 1: to back weeks here. You gotta tackle him, you gotta
Speaker 1: match up, You've gotta keep your eyes on him in
Speaker 1: the screen, game, swing game, flare game, handoffs, whatever it
Speaker 1: might be. Focus on stake Kwon Barkley. Ideally they get
Speaker 1: your peek and then they can slip one over the
Speaker 1: top to Kenny Golladay, who's like a three route guy,
Speaker 1: but one of those routes as vertical or try to
Speaker 1: get that slot fade going to Kadarius Tony Sterling. Shepard's
Speaker 1: probably their best receiver overall, and Evan Ingram requires attention
Speaker 1: on the interior as well. They addressed the weapons big time, questionably.
Speaker 1: I just I wasn't a fan of the Kenny Golladay
Speaker 1: price tag, but they kind of neglected one of the
Speaker 1: league's worst offensive lines. They took Andrew Thomas last year
Speaker 1: over Tristan Worfs, McKay Beckton, and Jedrick Wills, who were
Speaker 1: basically all three Pro Bowl tackles. Matt Pert was not
Speaker 1: good as a rookie either. Those of their starting offensive
Speaker 1: tackles again, Emmanuel Ogba, Jalen Phillips mount up defensively, there's
Speaker 1: issues abound. The line is stout, running will be tough,
Speaker 1: Dexter Lawrence is a monster, and Danny Shelton does not
Speaker 1: move easily. But you know what this means, yep, this
Speaker 1: is a pretty slow defense. So crossers mesh shallow stuff.
Speaker 1: Screen game could be a simple game plan to just
Speaker 1: relies on all the speed you have. I did like
Speaker 1: zz Ojulari in the second round, great pick there. The
Speaker 1: defensive backfields kind of a mess Logan Ryan is a
Speaker 1: hell of a player, but they spent big on a
Speaker 1: Dory Jackson who did not farewell in Tennessee. There are
Speaker 1: just so many names in here that never developed. Sam Bill,
Speaker 1: Julian Love, Xavian McKinney's only in year two, so will
Speaker 1: give me a pass. Jabrill Peppers. Those are all favorable
Speaker 1: matchups for Miami. With the bye week coming, you have
Speaker 1: a chance to kind of unload the clip here and
Speaker 1: get all your bullets out and and be a tendency
Speaker 1: breaking game for you and the bad matchup in this game,
Speaker 1: I'm not sure there's when I don't like. Barkley is tough,
Speaker 1: and Caldarius Tony could be a challenge if the slot
Speaker 1: position doesn't kind of sort itself out through the competition.
Speaker 1: I personally think that it will, but it's a bit
Speaker 1: untested as we stand here today. In May. The good
Speaker 1: matchup their tackles versus our pass rush. Daniel Jones is
Speaker 1: the most turnover prone quarterback since entering the NFL. Against
Speaker 1: the top takeaway defense of the Miami Dolphins. Week fourteen
Speaker 1: is the bye week, one of the latest in the
Speaker 1: history of the franchise. This gives the guys, what will
Speaker 1: be a surely much needed day off for a week
Speaker 1: off of rest heading into those final four games. Plus,
Speaker 1: if the game against the Jets coming up is flexed
Speaker 1: to Saturday, you get the extra day of prep without
Speaker 1: losing a day in the previous week prep since you're
Speaker 1: already off on the bye week, so that takes us
Speaker 1: into week fifteen versus the Jets could be December eighteen
Speaker 1: or nineteen with a time TBD. Second repeat opponent. We
Speaker 1: already broke down their game. This is the fifth home
Speaker 1: game in a six game stretch. It's important to take
Speaker 1: care of business there and get on a run for
Speaker 1: the stretch run with three good teams coming because fresh
Speaker 1: off the bye week them coming here for the heat.
Speaker 1: Week sixteen, the Dolphins are on the road at the
Speaker 1: Saints December two on Monday Night football Bump bump bump,
Speaker 1: uh eight fift kickoff. One of the more interesting unknown
Speaker 1: teams on the schedule for my money, they won games
Speaker 1: without breeze over the years, but sound defense and a
Speaker 1: running game. But the offense is so reliant on two
Speaker 1: players in Kamara and Michael Thomas. But Jamis Winston thirty
Speaker 1: I n T s the last time he played a
Speaker 1: full season. Pressure and complex looks. Who does that sound
Speaker 1: like that creates bad decisions? Alvin Kamara, That's what I
Speaker 1: wrote down. For running back, He's, in my opinion, this
Speaker 1: first or second best player at the position in the league.
Speaker 1: Michael Thomas is still as coming back this year from
Speaker 1: an injury plague season. They lost Emmanuel Sanders and their
Speaker 1: number two receivers Trey Kwan Smith and their top tight
Speaker 1: ends Adam Troutman, so depth issues there. The line is exceptional.
Speaker 1: Ryan Ramcheck is an all Pro to ron Omstead. Armstead
Speaker 1: has been recently as well Eric McCoy, Caesar Re's Andrew's Pete.
Speaker 1: That line might be better than Tampa's as the best
Speaker 1: in the league. They lost Trey Hendrickson, but Cameron Jordan
Speaker 1: is still there. That would be a baptism by fire
Speaker 1: type of situation towards the end of the season for
Speaker 1: whoever's at right tackle, especially if it's rookie Leam Eichenberg,
Speaker 1: Marcus Davenport, Carl Granderson, Tanno Paso. They're loaded up front.
Speaker 1: They add Peyton Turner, who could be a great situational
Speaker 1: pass rusher from day one, especially this late the season
Speaker 1: to Mario Davis is an intelligent Mike linebacker that gets
Speaker 1: them lined up. Zack Bond and nice player off the
Speaker 1: edge and in the secondary, I love love c J.
Speaker 1: Gardner Johnson and Malcolm Jenkins. Marshawn Lattimore is a monster,
Speaker 1: Marcus Williams is tremendous, and they've got some decent depth
Speaker 1: there too with Patrick Robinson and p J. Williams. Possibly
Speaker 1: an extra day to prepare for this game with a
Speaker 1: possible Saturday kick with the Jets the week before. The
Speaker 1: bad matchup is just camera and that offensive line. They
Speaker 1: are dangerous, as we saw all year and all his
Speaker 1: career so far. The good matchup here thirty picks from
Speaker 1: the quarterback against a complex defense that can force bad
Speaker 1: decisions from opposing quarterbacks. So the takeaway battle from me
Speaker 1: decides that game. Tough matchup everywhere except the very most
Speaker 1: important position on the field. Week seventeen at the Titans
Speaker 1: January the first one o'clock. Ryan Tannehill ascended into a
Speaker 1: top ten quarterback and frankly he's been top five in
Speaker 1: production the last two seasons, but I still think he
Speaker 1: falls in that eight to nine range, kind of like
Speaker 1: I always thought he was. Derrick Henry is an absolute
Speaker 1: beat and is the train and the engine of that offense.
Speaker 1: This team lost a lot of offense of talent with
Speaker 1: both Corey Davis and John hu Smith. I love me
Speaker 1: some a j. Brown, He's fantastic, but Josh Reynolds is
Speaker 1: the number two receiver there and Des Fitzpatrick, a fourth
Speaker 1: round rookies also in the mix. Their top tight ends
Speaker 1: Anthony Ferkster, so some real depth issues there. The line
Speaker 1: is still a beast led by Taylor Lawan, who's a
Speaker 1: great left tackle. I'll be curious to see where Dylan
Speaker 1: Radon slides in. Replacing Jack Conkin. Was a struggle for
Speaker 1: that team last year with then as Kelly he is
Speaker 1: now gone, but they're gonna try with Radans. I would
Speaker 1: assume they had the second most pressures on the team
Speaker 1: coming from that right tackle spot, so it's a big
Speaker 1: question mark. But Roger Staffold and Ben Jones inside they
Speaker 1: can move people off the football. Tough physical matchup. Defensively,
Speaker 1: I like the additions of Caleb Farley and Monty Rice,
Speaker 1: but Farley's medical is a bit of a worry. Maybe
Speaker 1: he'll be back for this game. In week's seventeen, Malcolm
Speaker 1: Butler is gone, so even if he plays, remember our
Speaker 1: rookie cornerback rule comes up again. Up front. Jeffrey Simmons
Speaker 1: is an absolute problem, so explosive forty four pressures last year,
Speaker 1: major disruptor. You have to game plan around him. D
Speaker 1: Nico Autrey is a nice player. I love me some
Speaker 1: Rushaun Evans as an absolute car crash player at the
Speaker 1: second level, and then getting bud Dupree. I was kind
Speaker 1: of hoping this game would be earlier because bud Dupree
Speaker 1: will coming off a serious injury, might not be back
Speaker 1: early on, but he should be back for this one.
Speaker 1: He should be a major major boon for a team
Speaker 1: that needs more pass rush help, and Harold Landry on
Speaker 1: the other side, he benefits from a big time Maybe
Speaker 1: they finally solve their pass rush because those guys can
Speaker 1: both play. Jayon Brown's basically Jerome Baker light and in
Speaker 1: the second area that's where it gets a little bit
Speaker 1: dicey g Norris Jenkins was signed there. I think he's
Speaker 1: beyond his prime. Then Rookie Farley and Christian Fulton, who
Speaker 1: had some struggle last year at his rookie season. Kevin
Speaker 1: Byrd's in All Pro safety, but behind him with Kenny
Speaker 1: Vaccaro gone, they're a little bit thin. This is really
Speaker 1: the only possible cold weather game on the schedule, which
Speaker 1: is crazy to me. The bad matchup here, I'm curious
Speaker 1: to see how they alter the offense with the loss
Speaker 1: of John H. Smith and if they really go out
Speaker 1: with which which package they deploy most on offense A
Speaker 1: loving personnel twelve personnel. Tannehill plays better with more tight
Speaker 1: ends on the field, but we know they want to
Speaker 1: run the ball, so just getting Derrick Henry to the
Speaker 1: ground and tackling that's the part they always worry about.
Speaker 1: And do you commit bodies to free up their deadly
Speaker 1: deep game with Tannehill and A. J. Brown, It's a
Speaker 1: tough ask. This offense is good the good matchup. Fortunately,
Speaker 1: the matchups are favorable across the board. On the other side,
Speaker 1: getting the ball out quick can mitigate the passable past
Speaker 1: rush prowess off the edge with Dupree and Landry, and
Speaker 1: I think you can scheme around that and really capitalize
Speaker 1: once again with your depth against their lack of we
Speaker 1: finish up in Week eighteen. How weird is that to
Speaker 1: hear with a one o'clock kick off against the Patriots,
Speaker 1: our final repeat opponent. Somebody in this game will be
Speaker 1: playing for something here, whether it's seating, a playoff spot, division,
Speaker 1: maybe something is going to be on the line here
Speaker 1: home against the Patriots in Week eight, team you cannot
Speaker 1: beat that. And also if they're out of it, you
Speaker 1: probably see Mac Jones. If Cam Newton struggles at all
Speaker 1: this year, you probably see Mac Jones regardless. So I
Speaker 1: think there's a good chance you're gonna see the rookie
Speaker 1: quarterback in this one, facing his former college teammate into
Speaker 1: a tongue by Loa. The themes of the schedule, possible
Speaker 1: five rookie quarterbacks on the schedule, a lot of thin secondaries,
Speaker 1: some good twelve personnel teams, a late bye week, and fourteen.
Speaker 1: You've got some good short week luck here with the
Speaker 1: Apostle Bowl nine days for the Saints, as well as
Speaker 1: the long week to prepare for the game. After the
Speaker 1: Thursday game, you get a great stretch of teams with
Speaker 1: lower records right in the middle to get heated up.
Speaker 1: You've got great early season divisional tests. The only cold
Speaker 1: weather games in Nashville and January, which probably is like
Speaker 1: thirty degrees at worst. Typically, all Sunday games in Miami
Speaker 1: kickoff at one, and I love that the only late
Speaker 1: start is the one I think that benefits the home team.
Speaker 1: With the Ravens and that power run game, I kind
Speaker 1: of wish it started a little bit softer. Not having
Speaker 1: Will Fuller for the Patriots sucks in Week one, But
Speaker 1: that tough December January stretch is beneficial because this team
Speaker 1: plays its best ball as the year goes along. They've
Speaker 1: improved each month in nineteen then again up until December.
Speaker 1: But if they beat the Chiefs in that close game
Speaker 1: last year, that would have been the case again with
Speaker 1: a four and one market back to back months. So
Speaker 1: if we're gonna win twelve games, which I think is
Speaker 1: not just doable, it's my personal expectation, we have to
Speaker 1: establish the we can run the football better, that our
Speaker 1: arsenal of weapons is much deeper and more explosive, and
Speaker 1: we need to sustain the things that made us shine
Speaker 1: on defense last year. I think that with the increased
Speaker 1: experience of those rookies who accounted for four thousand snaps
Speaker 1: last year. Man again, get me to August. All right,
Speaker 1: that's my time on the podcast. Today. We have Rashad
Speaker 1: Butler coming up on Friday and a Dolphins player coming
Speaker 1: up on the Monday Podcast. Subscribe, rate Review, follow me
Speaker 1: on Twitter, Fish Tank, and the Ottawo Podcast, and of
Speaker 1: course Miami Dolphins dot com for your entire Miami Dolphins schedule.
Speaker 1: Until next time, fins Up.