WEBVTT - Emptying the Football Notebook 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:07.680 Practice are as Fatric drawing. What a win for this 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:14.000 Miami Dolphin team. Wow? What is up? Dolphans? And welcome 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:17.520 to the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:22.520 official podcast network, covering your Miami Dolphins each and every day. 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:25.920 How's it going, everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield, 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.320 and I am here to bring you your daily dose 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:32.000 of Miami Dolphins football. And on today's show, I am 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:35.720 back and ready to talk some football. It's great to 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:38.960 be back in the saddle once again. And on today's show, 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.160 we're not gonna have any planned segments or really any 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:44.839 order to the show. It's been a wild two weeks 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:48.839 for me, adjusting to fatherhood and balancing my schedule in 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:53.319 between feedings, diaper changes, and just general sleep deprivation. I've 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:56.200 been studying up on some football, so I'll unload the 0:00:56.280 --> 0:00:59.040 notebook I've packed full of thoughts and we'll play some 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:01.880 sound from some interviews I did for the draft for 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:04.440 the Miami Dolphins Virtual Draft Party. All of that and 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:09.200 more on this Monday, June eight edition of the Drivetime Podcast. 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.679 So for new listeners to the program here that aren't 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:18.360 on Twitter or following me at Wingfield NFL, and if 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:21.360 you're wondering where the show has been, the Dolphins were 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:23.800 kind enough to give me as much time as I 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:27.480 needed before jumping back on the microphone. And of course, 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:29.760 with things being a little bit upside down right now, 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:32.280 not a whole lot of football to talk about, I 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.479 took some time away and in that time I learned 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:39.039 a lot, mostly about fatherhood. More on that in just 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:43.280 one moment, but man, I learned just how much this podcast, 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:47.000 how much this sport and this team really are my 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.280 personal identity. I talked with my wife all the time 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.480 about the possibility of her making a career change or 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.440 maybe even becoming a stay at home mom. She's been 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:59.360 a teacher for about a decade now, and I'm not 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.960 just saying the because she's my wife, but she is 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:05.360 like the Dan Marino of teachers. She's flat out elite 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:08.280 and she loves to do it. I tweeted about it once. 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:11.160 I love listening to her take these zoom calls from 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.560 her students because right now she has a couple of 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:16.959 hours every day where she's required to make herself available 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.400 in case the kids her students have questions about the 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.640 homework packet that they collectively send out as a grade 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.920 and they rarely ever call in, but when they do, 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.720 it puts her right in her element and the kids 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:32.480 love her. It reminds me of that Brian Flores to 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:37.040 player relationship, where he and she are demanding but definitely 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:39.840 have that love from their players and or students. In 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:42.959 case of my wife, it absolutely warms my heart to 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.480 watch that. So when we talk about a career change 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:48.639 for her, she talks about how teaching really became her 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.440 identity over the last ten years. And I think that's 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:55.520 okay to feel that way. You want to love your work, right, well, man, 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:57.360 you're not going to find a human being on this 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.120 earth that loves their work more than I do. And 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.120 now as I'm living to serve my beautiful new daughter, 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:06.000 there's a bit of an identity loss when it comes 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.480 to the individual there. So I can't tell you how 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:11.280 great it feels to be back in the saddle, to 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:15.200 be back behind the microphone recording the Drivetime podcast once again. 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.880 The notes I have for my episodes are usually bullet points. 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:21.320 I've got some research facts in there. I'll go back 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:23.720 over tweets and then I just kind of do my thing. 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.880 But this thing has pages of notes because for the 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.400 last couple of weeks, I've been preparing for this show. 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.920 In particular, even when I'm not working, I'm usually watching 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.400 game pass or college tape or something that teaches me 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:39.920 anything about football. I just love it. I love this job, 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:41.960 I love this team. I love all of you, and 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.680 especially I love little Caroline Faye Winkfield and a little 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.080 bit of a snap foo on social media when she 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:50.480 was born, and I guess a little bit of a 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:54.480 peek behind the curtain, a laville magnifico, if you will. 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:58.000 I posted on social media that her middle name, Faye 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:00.880 was spelled f A y e be because that's my 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:03.760 wife's middle name. But I messed that up. There's no 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.760 e on the end of it. But Caroline Faye Wingfield 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:10.120 was born May one at seven thirty two pm. She 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:13.640 measured in at seven pounds eight ounce is long, and 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.200 I think she clocked a four five five in the 0:04:16.240 --> 0:04:18.880 forty yard dash, so not the time that we were 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.080 looking for, but she did pick it up on the 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:24.080 explosive measurements in the broad and vertical jumps, so I 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.040 think that probably solidifies her day two stock for us. 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:30.159 It was three days at the hospital, me glued to 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:32.440 the dad couch. Really not a whole lot for me 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.600 to do. You've got doctors and nurses pouring in constantly, 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:39.120 no visitors allowed because of COVID, and that was tough, 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.280 especially for my wife. I don't have a big family, 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:45.240 so it doesn't really bother me that much, but she does, 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:47.800 and so I'm just kind of sitting there without much 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.159 to do most of the time. And since we had 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:53.040 popped into the hospital a day earlier and were sent 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:56.200 home because she just wasn't ready to go into labor yet, 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:59.120 I decided I need something to do, so why not 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:03.440 rewatch twenty nineteen Dolphins season. I never rewatched any of 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:06.880 those September games for obvious reasons outside of my All 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.919 twenty two breakdowns, but I wanted to experience the entire 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.960 season again from the broadcast version, and we know the 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.479 season gets better as it goes along, and it kind 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.360 of reminds me of you know when you have a 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:19.839 song where you love like a solo or maybe this 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.120 bridge part at the very end of the song, but 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.440 it only slaps the same way when you listen to 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:26.479 the song all the way through it. It was kind 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:28.640 of like that so I wanted to appreciate the first 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:31.240 part of the season. Right now, I'm about nine games 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:33.679 into the season and I have a ton to talk about. 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:36.080 We'll get to that football stuff here in just one second, 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.680 but back real quick to fatherhood. Man. Everyone tells you 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.599 how much it's going to change you, how special it's 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:45.560 going to feel, and all the things that experienced Dad's 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.840 understand and otherwise you don't understand. And I'll say this, 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.000 they were right, every single one of them, and in 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.840 every single way. Dude, I was a freaking water works 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.520 right after she was born. I couldn't handle it. I 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:02.200 could not keep those motions and check the whole first week. 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:05.000 She'd be awake or even sleeping, it didn't matter, and 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.599 I would just hold her and feel so much pride 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:10.920 and so much joy that I just couldn't contain it. Man, 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:14.279 Like those pregnancy hormones must have been transferred from my 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:17.240 wife to me. I was just a wreck. Like every 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.919 couple of hours it seemed like I would break down. 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:22.280 But that has faded a little bit now. I'm just 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:26.640 overly infatuated with that little girl. Yeah, it's frustrating at times, 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:30.040 especially at two am when the only goal I have 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:33.200 in life at that moment is keeping the baby somewhat 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:36.000 silent so my wife can get some much needed and 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:39.560 much deserved shut eye, and then she's just crying relentlessly. 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:43.680 That part is tough, but the tradeoff is insanely worth it. 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:47.240 You lose several hours in the day just basically doing 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:50.039 mundane stuff like eating lunch and halfing to take a 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:52.400 break in between that because well, she needs a diaper 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:54.720 change or she's crying. It's just stuff that you learn 0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:58.039 to appreciate, the small moments of quiet, the small moments 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:00.680 of individuality. I think that's part of having a kid. 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.520 And I definitely have a new appreciation for people that 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:05.960 do have kids and when they show up to places late, 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.760 because I already understand how difficult it is to have 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.520 to get someone else ready. In addition to yourself, the 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:14.480 benefit one of the benefits is the excuses you have 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:16.800 to tell people. Now you can just tell them no, 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.400 because if you have somewhere they want you to be 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:21.040 and you have a kid, you can just say, hey, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.440 we're on parent duty, we're out. It's a beautiful thing. 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.160 Already used that once or twice. The first couple of 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:28.640 days were brutal. Then we had some easy ones, and 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.080 that roller coaster has pretty much continued on that track 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.480 as I talked to you. Now, I'm waiting any moment 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.360 for her to wake up and possibly have to go 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:38.080 take care of her, so we might have a pause 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:41.119 in the middle of this podcast. But all things told, 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:44.600 it's amazing. I feel so lucky to be in this position. 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.520 I am so thrilled and excited to raise her in 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:50.760 a place like South Florida, where diversity is both rich 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.640 and celebrated, and give her a better life than the 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.160 one that I had. It truly does change you. It 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.600 has changed me, and part of that change has been 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:01.360 the challenge of finding time to work when you do 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:04.000 work from home. Last week I had a chance to 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:07.200 write a story about the Miami Dolphins food relief program 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:09.920 and chip in my contribution. They're really cool thing that 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.560 Mr Ross, Tom Garfinkel, Jason Jenkins, all those guys are 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:17.200 getting done right now. Ross donated two million dollars and 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.440 will match up to another million of our contributions, so 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:22.800 make sure you check that out. The donations come with 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:24.960 gifts depending on the amount you want to give, So 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.120 let's do our part to help those at need right 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.160 now in our own backyard, as we will provide at 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:33.360 least one thousand meals per day for the next year plus, 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.680 which is just awesome, because, as Garfinkel said, this isn't 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:38.880 a problem that's just gonna go away. We got to 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.480 continue to lend that helping hand. So I wrote the 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.200 story about that. I was there for Flores as presser 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.079 on Thursday, which was a nice surprise as he filled 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:50.800 in for the originally scheduled Ted Harriss and Christian Wilkins, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:52.800 and he opened up by saying he thought it was 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.400 important to be the first one to talk about the 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:58.720 current climate, and since football wasn't really on people's minds 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:00.559 at the time, I just thought that was a really 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:03.719 cool move by an excellent leader in coach Flores. As 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:06.200 for the presser, I stand with coach there and echo 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:09.120 his thoughts. So I put together a little note packet 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:12.240 on one of the guys that was supposed to talk 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.520 on Thursday and was going to be part of a 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:18.080 coinciding podcast, but those plans obviously changed, and that was 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:21.520 last year's first round pick in twenty nineteen, Christian Wilkins. 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:25.000 And that's where we're gonna start with the football notebook today. 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:28.360 And I think this quote is so important from Brian Flores. 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:31.280 It was last December after the win over the Bengals, 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:34.000 and Flores was asked what it is about Wilkins that 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.880 he's always the first one to run down and celebrate 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:39.920 with his teammates, whether it's a touchdown and interception, whatever 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:42.200 it is, he's the first guy out there to celebrate 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:45.480 a positive play. This is coaches quote quote. It just 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:48.080 says he's a team guy, which we knew when we 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:51.440 drafted him. He's selfless. He understands the different roles and 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.080 how important each guy's role is. Again, says he's selfless. 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:56.959 He's a team guy. And I think we have a 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:58.960 lot of guys like that on the team who really 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:02.160 appreciate the horror work that everybody in that locker room 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:05.720 puts in each week, into each practice, into each meeting. 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.440 And I think he should celebrate. I tell those guys 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:10.360 all the time, we work hard. When we make a 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:13.240 good play, we should celebrate it. Nothing crazy, but as 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:15.320 long as we don't get a penalty, I'm good. We 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.600 should celebrate good plays. And quote and put aside Wilkins 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.520 on field production just for a moment, because I think 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:23.640 that was obviously the feather you want in his cap 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:26.240 from last year, a good rookie season on the field. 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.400 But remember this was the first draft pick of the 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:32.360 Brian Flores Chris career marriage, the regime of the two 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:34.880 of those two men, It's set the precedent and the 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:37.120 message for who they want to be in this football 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.040 team in multiple ways. You heard it in that quote. 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:43.560 You've heard it countless times from Brian Flores teammates, guys 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:46.880 that are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be great. 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.640 And I don't think that's lost on anybody. Go back 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:52.199 to when Christian was drafted. I was with Locked on 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:55.040 Sports at the time, and I did my huge deep 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.160 dive on both the player and the person and learned 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.520 that Wilkins was the substitute teacher during his time at Clemson, 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:04.480 and he referenced his ability to make an impact on 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:07.920 the lives of young people. He specifically referenced the importance 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.760 of a role model for those children that was a 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.320 person of color, and damn it, he's right. I got 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:15.440 a chance to ask me about that job when I 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.960 interviewed him back in early March. Actually, my first Dolphins 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:22.400 player I interviewed here on the Drivetime podcast really resonated 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:24.920 with the fact that you did a substitute teaching spot 0:11:25.160 --> 0:11:27.760 or some substitute teaching jobs back in your time at Clemson. 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:29.680 What can you tell us about teaching and what it 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:34.600 taught you about kind of being a professional in that regard. Well, yeah, 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.160 first of all, um, you're you're right on point. Like, 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:39.120 I'm just so blessed to be able to play this game. 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:40.839 I mean, it's literally a kid's game when I get 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:42.880 to play it as a job, and it's something I 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.000 love and I'm so passionate about and I'm just straining 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.160 best to be able to play the game. Um. But 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.000 it was awesome when I was at Clemson to be 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.120 able to teach, Uh, you know, I was able to 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:53.400 be the substitute teacher pretty much the home spring of 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.640 my senior senior seeing the senior year. Um, and it 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:59.120 was just it's just it was it was actually pretty 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:01.400 cool to see how many of the things I learned 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:05.000 in football I translated to the professional world. Uh, you know, 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:07.360 that was pretty cool to see, just like time, menationment, 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.120 being organized, having a plan, having a routines that come 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:12.400 up there and just you know, just trying to be 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.000 your best because other people are counting on you. So 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:17.000 that's that was kind of like what was pretty cool. 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:19.800 But I I thought it was important for me uh 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:21.880 to be a substitute teacher when I was at Colluption 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.839 just because one of it was it was my senior year. 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:26.520 I wanted a little extra money, so I was able 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:28.319 to do that at a job here, So that was cool. 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.400 And I felt like those also something I'd be good at. 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.920 Two and the book was cool for me. Uh And 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:34.920 when I thought the cool the kids, that was pretty 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:37.680 cool was that, um, when you're when you're a young kid, 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:41.240 you are just throughout your school career in general, you 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.880 don't typically uh get to have a male teacher a 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.839 lot of time as females. So I thought that was 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:47.400 cool and not only to be mail, but to be 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.439 a black male teachering and stuff and being and being 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:51.720 trying to be a positive role model on positive figure 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:53.920 for a lot of us, because that was that was 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:56.000 an awesome experience for me and I I learned so 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:58.280 much from the kids, just as much as even more 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:00.400 than I was going to teach them. So a look, 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:02.679 none of us know how the on field product is 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:04.880 going to turn out. That is the beauty of sports. 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.680 And you know, I'm as bullish on this team and 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:10.240 their ability to win games as anybody out there, and 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:12.840 I've laid out those reasons countless times. But beyond that, 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.760 you just have to be proud of the organization for 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.720 who we are, both in the words of leadership and 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.000 the actions of those same leaders. It's so inspiring. It 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.959 makes me very prideful. As far as on the field, 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:28.320 Christian Wilkins, this from Pro Football Focus, actually had the 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:32.120 second most pressures with thirty by a rookie interior defensive 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:36.280 lineman since two thousand sixteen, per Pro Football Focus. And 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:38.599 I took that tweet from them and took the opportunity 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:41.199 to post some clips of Christian Wilkins. And one of 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:43.800 the things I think is so important with Christian and 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:46.440 from that podcast back in March, he even mentions it 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:49.360 about the more things you can do, the better chances 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.800 you have of sticking around this league longer. And I 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:55.120 think above his ability to lead and have that infectious 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:58.920 personality and the ruboff that work ethic has onto other guys, 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:01.480 is who he is on the football field. And if 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:03.760 you go back to Clemson's tape, you're gonna see him 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:07.160 winning a lot with quickness, and that's certainly an element 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:09.840 of his game. There's very much there as a professional. 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:12.720 But where I was so impressed was his ability to 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.319 hold the point and play with power and to really 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.800 read and react accordingly, because that is too gapping, right, 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:22.080 And we know there's more of that from last year's defense, 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.440 and you saw a lot of it. Duo is a 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.120 blocking scheme that's very common a run play where you 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:30.000 basically get to double teams on the interior trying to 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.160 wipe out the beef of the defensive line. Then the 0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:34.960 running back can make linebackers in the second level miss 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:37.360 on his own right. So you'll see some reps where 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:40.240 Wilkins has to absorb a double team and the primary 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:42.440 goal is just to park his butt in that gap. 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:44.600 They want to move you out of that gap, you 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.400 have to stop them from doing so. And my goodness, 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:49.880 he's so strong in the way he can just anchor 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.320 on one foot, doesn't need both of them, just one 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:55.760 ft power foot, lock it out, stop the momentum, and 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.280 that's when the hand fight really begins. And he's so 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:00.640 crafty that way. So if you have a game plan 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:02.880 that calls for a lot of two gapping, he can 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:06.080 do that. If you want to penetrate upfield and one gap, yep, 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:08.360 he can do that too. And part of the idea 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:10.360 we want to be able to be flexible in our 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.160 game plan week to week depending on the opponent. Right, 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:15.680 that's the plan. That's what he fits very well. But 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:20.200 even further, his position versatility helps Brian Flores do the 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:23.480 other thing that he's just as known for multiple fronts, 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:26.240 and that's something I recognized in the rewatch and going 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.680 back to camp and even preseason. There was a lot 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:31.040 more variety early on, but I think as the year 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:34.120 goes along, for whatever reason, be at injuries, maybe the 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.800 flexible personnel you need for it is just not quite 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:38.520 there yet. A lot of the stuff kind of went 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:41.080 by the wayside, and we saw a lot more bear fronts, 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:43.560 for instance, And that's how you wound up with both 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.960 he and Devon god Shaw alternating so much between big 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.520 end where they're playing that four technique head up over 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.840 the offensive tackle and every position from that spot all 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.200 the way inside, all the way to the zero technique 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.480 head up over the nose tackle over the offensive center, 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.720 and this is true really for the entire defense. Are 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:03.720 you guys as familiar with my white board I have 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.600 in my office locked on listeners? Certainly are, But if 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.080 you're new, I maintain my own white board here for 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:11.840 the Dolphins. It's a cheat sheet. It's got every player 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:14.400 of their number. I try to color coordinated based on 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.880 how I think snap counts might go for that season. 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:19.320 And I used to do it with the following distinctions 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:23.720 on defense line, linebackers, corners, and safety, but we now 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.240 know that's not going to give you an accurate depiction 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:30.360 of this defense. So now I've got down lineman, edge 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:33.760 off ball backers, and defensive backs. Because let's face it, 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:36.080 if you're a dB in this defense, you can probably 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:38.800 come down and play some true cover corner as well. McCain, 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.800 row and rookie Brandon Jones all have done that as 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:45.200 recently as last year with their exceptional cover skills, but 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:48.520 are also safeties on the roster. But in this exercise, 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:50.760 I really had a hell of a time figuring out 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:53.720 where I had to put guys. Jason Strowbridge and Curtis 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:56.080 Weaver I think are good examples two rookies in the 0:16:56.080 --> 0:16:58.680 fifth round. You'll read some tweets or whatever out there 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:01.200 that say so and so is a five technique, But 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.600 that's really selling a player short, especially these two guys. 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.680 Strode Bridge played a little bit of everything up front 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:10.400 at North Carolina, and then he gets the Senior Bowl 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:12.679 and they talk about maybe playing him more off the 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.520 end position because he played a little more inside at 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.800 North Carolina, probably needing a few more pounds to stock 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.520 up and play a true nose tackle or defensive tackle. 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.000 So one week he does one thing, the next he 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.480 might do another. And the same is true of Curtis Weaver, 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:29.840 but probably working inside out compared to the converse with 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:32.880 strode Bridge going outside in. And what I mean by 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.400 that is strode Bridge probably plays the five technique, maybe 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:38.639 the wide five and condensed his inside, whereas Weaver starts 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:41.240 at the five technique and works outside to the edge 0:17:41.280 --> 0:17:43.760 position and maybe more of a stand up on ball 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:47.200 type of linebacker. And that really is true of the 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:50.080 entire roster. Where do I put loss in an og ball? 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.960 The two free agents they can offer the same flexibility. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.520 How the hell do I classify Vince Beagle and Andrew 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:58.480 Van Ginkle? These are good questions to have to find 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:01.400 solutions for because the more guys you have, the better, right, 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:03.399 So if you have to figure it out, then what 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:05.080 do you think the opponent has to do? They have 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.159 to spend their week figuring out what you want to 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:09.560 do as well. And so because of that, I think 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:12.000 you're gonna see the kitchen sinc this year from Flores 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:14.800 in every look he has in his playbook and adventure 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:17.160 to guess that playbook is the size of a phone book, 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:21.800 is on the table, odd front, even front, under bear, marble, Amba, radar. 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:24.120 I can rattle off all these different names for you, 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.800 and I'm sure they're probably in the thought process of 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.840 being in that playbook and that man, that fact I 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:34.200 am very excited about. In all right, what else here? Okay? Yeah? 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:37.240 I tweeted yesterday about the NFL network re airing the 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:41.240 a f C Championship Game and the Super Bowl Patriots 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.919 and Chiefs and Patriots and Rams. Those games played in 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:47.720 twenty nineteen, but for the season where Flores called the 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.040 plays against the Chiefs and Rams and really did a 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.480 hell of a job limiting two of the best offenses 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.400 in football that year, save one half where Mahomes got 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:58.480 loose because well, that's what he does. He's Patrick Mahomes 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:01.399 fifty touchdown passes and VP that year, but he was 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:04.280 under fifty complete in that first half, and they shut 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:08.000 the Chief's offense out and just generally had the Chief's 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:11.280 offense off balance with the contained rush scheme and good 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:13.879 coverage on the back end. And I see the parts 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.760