Speaker 1: This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield. What is up Dolphins
Speaker 1: and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host,
Speaker 1: Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, we continue previewing the
Speaker 1: NFL twenty twenty five season. We go to the AFC
Speaker 1: North and a bunch of movement in that division over
Speaker 1: the course of the summer. We'll talk about the Steelers,
Speaker 1: the Browns, the Bengals, and the Ravens. Plus a pair
Speaker 1: of interviews. Will bookend it with Jalen Wright and if
Speaker 1: Emela Fund will all of that and more from the
Speaker 1: Baptist Hell Studios inside well my actual house. This is
Speaker 1: the Draft Time Podcast. Heye gaffe, All right, join us
Speaker 1: here on the Draft Time Podcast. Today is Dolphins running
Speaker 1: back Jalen Right, Jalen, what's up man? How you doing well? Good? Go?
Speaker 2: How you doing?
Speaker 1: I'm doing good. I'm excited to talk to you here
Speaker 1: today a little bit. You know, I just rookie year
Speaker 1: to second year. I love asking guys this question about
Speaker 1: the process of you know, you go from bowlgar aim
Speaker 1: to Pro Day, to combine to all that stuff that
Speaker 1: involves like track workouts, and then you get here. You
Speaker 1: got to learn a playbook and go back out for
Speaker 1: practice and you don't really get much time to yourself.
Speaker 1: But now that you've had a full year as a
Speaker 1: Dolphin and an off season to digest all of it,
Speaker 1: how valuable was that first year and how excited are
Speaker 1: you for the second year here in Miami?
Speaker 3: Very valuable? Valuable? Of course, the first year was a
Speaker 3: little long for the fact that I had to go
Speaker 3: through combine training and you know, doing hope and stuff
Speaker 3: to get to this point. So and then not only that,
Speaker 3: in the long season, longer season than I'm used to
Speaker 3: and used to in college. So I mean, it's good
Speaker 3: to get that first year out the way you know,
Speaker 3: experience it. I mean, I'm glad to experience it and blessed,
Speaker 3: you know. I'm just very excited, you know, for this year.
Speaker 1: So I think we heard a story or someone talked
Speaker 1: about this on on a podcast for somewhere otherwise about
Speaker 1: your dedication to being here first and last out type
Speaker 1: of guy. I'm curious where that mindset comes from and
Speaker 1: how you feel like it's kind of benefited you at
Speaker 1: this point of your football career.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's just just what I've what I've learned,
Speaker 3: and you know, just what I've did, and you know,
Speaker 3: in college, you know, I just took that mindset, you know,
Speaker 3: just being the building, you know, just outwork everybody, you know,
Speaker 3: just and eventually all this stuff's gonna pay off, you know,
Speaker 3: just focusing on myself, focusing on everything I gotta do,
Speaker 3: be detailing everything I gotta do.
Speaker 2: So that's really important to me. So, yeah, when you.
Speaker 1: Talk about details from the running back position, because I
Speaker 1: feel like, you know, a fan turns on a game
Speaker 1: and sees a running back and it's like, oh, there's
Speaker 1: a hole. He just ran through the hole, like whooped
Speaker 1: to do right? Or like you don't hit the hole
Speaker 1: and it's like, oh, he didn't have the proper vision.
Speaker 1: But I feel like there's way more that goes into
Speaker 1: and what a fancy's on TV. So when it comes
Speaker 1: to like all that work that you put in dedication,
Speaker 1: like what do you what are you trying to Like
Speaker 1: you're trying to learn how to play faster, right, but what
Speaker 1: does that look like in terms of how you prepare
Speaker 1: yourself to to be able to read blocks and read
Speaker 1: the right tracks and make the right cuts. Like what
Speaker 1: all goes into that?
Speaker 2: Just knowing what you're doing.
Speaker 3: I mean just really preparing, knowing what the defense is,
Speaker 3: uh want to do, just taking what they give you,
Speaker 3: you know, just pressing your aiming points right right, Uh,
Speaker 3: you know, stretching the defense, you know, just to puncture.
Speaker 3: You know, that's what the offense is about. So just
Speaker 3: doing taking the details that we learned in the in
Speaker 3: the in the in the room and taking out and
Speaker 3: putting it on the field.
Speaker 1: So and the comfort level and year two probably takes
Speaker 1: a pretty big jump for you to imagine.
Speaker 3: Definitely, uh comfortable, I'm definitely more comfortable. Confidence is definitely more,
Speaker 3: way more confident. The game has definitely slowed down, and
Speaker 3: I feel like that's that's that's that was the main thing,
Speaker 3: just the game slowing down, you know, slowing down. So
Speaker 3: you know, I'm just excited for you know this shure.
Speaker 1: So you're you're a pretty unique back in the sense
Speaker 1: that you can hit the home run, You've got a
Speaker 1: good speed, you can run guys over, Like, what do
Speaker 1: you think is your calling card as a runner? And
Speaker 1: you can say it's the versatility of my game, but
Speaker 1: I'm just curious, what do you think makes you like special?
Speaker 3: Just my explosiveness, not being able to not not getting
Speaker 3: hit by the not being being taken down by the
Speaker 3: first defender, being able to know just be I jail,
Speaker 3: you know, you know, just a good agility, good feet,
Speaker 3: h in and out of holes, you know, and then
Speaker 3: like you said, being able to hit the home run
Speaker 3: when I'm going, I'm going, you know, just being versatile,
Speaker 3: you know, being able to catch the ball out the backfield,
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 2: Ryn Roulson, you know, do all things like that. So
Speaker 2: I feel like that's my you.
Speaker 1: Know, yeah, I feel like we had a couple a
Speaker 1: couple of big runs called back last year right to
Speaker 1: get a chance to really see you open it up
Speaker 1: like you did. Was it the Georgia game, first play
Speaker 1: of the game at Tennessee for seventy five yard touchdown
Speaker 1: run That was fun to see. But in that Patriots
Speaker 1: game this year back in Week five, that was kind
Speaker 1: of the first time you got some real run. How
Speaker 1: valuable was that to kind of get called on there
Speaker 1: and and you know, Devon went down early in the game,
Speaker 1: which I imagine increased your role of that game. What
Speaker 1: was that entire moment like for you to get hey, Jalen,
Speaker 1: you're up. And then also the way you played out
Speaker 1: did that kind of hit you.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's just like I said, being prepared. You
Speaker 3: never know, Like nobody ever knew the vin was gonna
Speaker 3: go down at that moment. It's just me being prepared
Speaker 3: throughout the week, knowing what I got to do, knowing
Speaker 3: the plays, knowing the runs and everything got to do.
Speaker 3: So when that time had came, I mean, I was
Speaker 3: just ready for the opportunity. I mean, of course it
Speaker 3: was a little nervous energy out there. I mean it's
Speaker 3: just the game of the nature. But so was I
Speaker 3: got that one snap, wanted two snaps. It all settled
Speaker 3: down and I was able to play how I'm you know,
Speaker 3: going to play.
Speaker 1: So you don't have to get ready if you stay ready, right,
Speaker 1: that's the old saying. So Coach McDaniel talked about this
Speaker 1: in one of his recent press conferences about exit interviews
Speaker 1: and kind of challenging you and and you know, just
Speaker 1: having you to take the next step, and then he
Speaker 1: said that he's seen you respond in a really positive way,
Speaker 1: and then two days later we see you in the
Speaker 1: orange jersey at practice, like, okay, that's that's probably another
Speaker 1: good sign. I'm just curious what not that what McDaniel's
Speaker 1: message was, But how you've kind of approached this season
Speaker 1: and how you put yourself in position to you know,
Speaker 1: take that next step.
Speaker 3: Just just just me knowing who I am, knowing when
Speaker 3: once I walk into that get into that mode to
Speaker 3: where I'm I feel like you know that that I'm
Speaker 3: just working working so hard. Like the off season, you know,
Speaker 3: I took upon myself to get bigger, get stronger. I
Speaker 3: might be around the same weight, but I lost a
Speaker 3: lot of body fat, you know, put a lot of
Speaker 3: muscle on. I still got my speed. I feel like
Speaker 3: I probably got a little faster maybe. Uh you know,
Speaker 3: just take just what I did in off season, you know,
Speaker 3: and putting it into like real practice, you know, like
Speaker 3: I said, stay in detailed and everything, you know, doing
Speaker 3: everything that asked me to do.
Speaker 1: So that requires a lot of discipline, right to go
Speaker 1: from to keep the same weight. But it's all muscle
Speaker 1: versus fat. Like you gotta say no to that ice
Speaker 1: cream or no to that like snickers bar. Right, is
Speaker 1: that tough the challenge?
Speaker 3: I mean it's tough, but uh, I mean it's just
Speaker 3: it's definitely tough. I love I love eating like sweets
Speaker 3: and you know, you know, good food. I love doing that,
Speaker 3: but you know it's it's a sacrifice that you got
Speaker 3: to make at the end of the day.
Speaker 1: Yeah, It's one of those things where like I think,
Speaker 1: the less you eat it, the more you don't crave it, right, Right,
Speaker 1: Like you get like a week away from your last suite,
Speaker 1: you don't really crave anywhere. Almost almost kind of sounds
Speaker 1: like reals right, Maybe not gross, but I was saying,
Speaker 1: all right, So last question here for you, jialing Right,
Speaker 1: Dolphins running back this offense, you know, going back from
Speaker 1: the Shanahan days, you know, even even to Mike Shanahan,
Speaker 1: Denver has produced really quality running backs and they've always
Speaker 1: looked for a certain type of back right and it's
Speaker 1: a you know, outside zone with some variation to it.
Speaker 1: What is about this offense that really excites you and
Speaker 1: how it fits your skill set?
Speaker 3: Just how they use utilize running backs, how they like
Speaker 3: to get running backs out in space. I was not
Speaker 3: just like ground and pound down heel. You know, they
Speaker 3: like to get us outside, you know, utilize our talents,
Speaker 3: utilize our speed, you know, just do it, you know,
Speaker 3: just utilize them to us our skill set. You know,
Speaker 3: That's what I like about this offense, and you know,
Speaker 3: just not only in the running backs. You know, we
Speaker 3: got weapons on the outside that brings attentions off the
Speaker 3: running backs. So you know, I just love it. I'm
Speaker 3: really blessed, you know, being this situation, to have this opportunity.
Speaker 3: You know, I thank God for everything. So I'm really
Speaker 3: excited for a big year this year.
Speaker 1: So really good stuff Dolphins running back dealing, right, appreciate
Speaker 1: your time, day man, Thank you sir, and away he goes.
Speaker 1: We're going to come back on the other side and
Speaker 1: get to four teams in our AFC North preview, Brown, Steelers, Bengals,
Speaker 1: and Ravens. That's Next Draft Time podcast, brought to you
Speaker 1: by AutoNation. Really kind of into the concept of the
Speaker 1: primetime music to queue up the next divisional preview, and
Speaker 1: we moved today. We're halfway done. We're getting to the
Speaker 1: first part of the second half of the series here
Speaker 1: with the AFC North. We'll have the NFC North and
Speaker 1: both East divisions still to go after today. But today
Speaker 1: we're talking about a team that let's go ahead and
Speaker 1: rip off the spoiler banded right away, probably gonna pick
Speaker 1: him to go to the Super Bowl for the third
Speaker 1: straight year. I'm zero for two on that. It's the
Speaker 1: Baltimore Ravens. I just love love this team, love this roster,
Speaker 1: love this quarterback, and I'm I'm looking towards doing it
Speaker 1: once again continuity. They're not gonna be working on a
Speaker 1: new play call this year. They're not gonna be working
Speaker 1: on all this new offensive lineman in Todd Monkin has
Speaker 1: seventeen year, seventeen games and a couple of playoff games
Speaker 1: with proof of concept under his belt. With Lamar Jackson
Speaker 1: loaded all up and down the roster and the coaching staff,
Speaker 1: they brought in DeAndre Hopkins, Chiudobi, a Woose, JayR Alexander
Speaker 1: who was like, I mean, a wuose was like a
Speaker 1: consolation prize to Alexander, who you know, he's had his issues,
Speaker 1: he's missed his games, but I mean, if he makes
Speaker 1: a play against Buffalo in January, you're not going to
Speaker 1: care that he missed ten games. This is a team
Speaker 1: that could afford to make a move like that. Joseph
Speaker 1: Noteboom's a really good swing tackle option. Cooper Rush a
Speaker 1: good backup quarterback. Malachai Starks was the raven of the draft.
Speaker 1: They get Mike Green, who fell because of some very
Speaker 1: questionable personal issues in his off field character stuff. But
Speaker 1: if he's on the field, he's got really good twitchiness
Speaker 1: and kind of can be like the Chop Robinson of
Speaker 1: sorts in terms of just the on field playability of
Speaker 1: his skill set. So they go out and they have
Speaker 1: a Ravens draft on the way out. Malik Harrison and
Speaker 1: Josh Jones and Patrick McCarry all I thought were good players.
Speaker 1: Marcus Williams I thought really kind of fell off this
Speaker 1: last couple of years. Arthur Maulett. Michael Pierce was the
Speaker 1: big one to me, that big defensive tackle who was
Speaker 1: kind of unicorn in terms of how this system operates.
Speaker 1: And we talked about trying to find that guy, you
Speaker 1: know in Miami with Coach Weaver, and you just don't
Speaker 1: get three hundred and sixty pound guys like that. We
Speaker 1: got a three hundred and forty pound guy that could
Speaker 1: move as well as a three hundred and ten pound guy,
Speaker 1: which I love, But Michael Pierce was kind of a
Speaker 1: unicorn that way. They also lose Brandon Stevens, who had
Speaker 1: a really rough year last year. They cut Justin Tucker
Speaker 1: for obvious reasons. The big loss to me is art
Speaker 1: Darius Washington tearing his achilles back in spring ball. I
Speaker 1: was a guy that I talked about a lot for
Speaker 1: the Dolphins, for a fit for safety and free agency.
Speaker 1: Should he make it there, he goes back to the Ravens,
Speaker 1: gets hurt, and it bumps me out for him and
Speaker 1: for the team. As far as the film, the calling card,
Speaker 1: I mean it all starts with a complex run scheme
Speaker 1: that operates behind the core power concept. With the best
Speaker 1: power runner of all time. We willing to go that far.
Speaker 1: The old heads disagree, the young guys probably agree with
Speaker 1: me on that. And then the best running quarterback of
Speaker 1: all time. You can argue to a wall about that,
Speaker 1: because Lamar Jackson is that Mike Vick. I played behind
Speaker 1: Mike Vick at Plantation Preserve golf Course a couple weeks ago.
Speaker 1: Kind of weird. He was in the group in front
Speaker 1: of me. But I'm giving this Lamar Jackson. And if
Speaker 1: that wasn't enough, that quarterback is a great decision maker.
Speaker 1: He's incredibly accurate with the football. He can whip it
Speaker 1: all over the field from any platform, from any arm angle,
Speaker 1: on and off. Script is possible to stop the way
Speaker 1: our offense manipulates and creates passing windows. They do the
Speaker 1: exact same thing with angles in the run game through
Speaker 1: a myriad of shifts influence concepts. That's where you you know,
Speaker 1: show one thing and give you the the old you'll
Speaker 1: pull the rugout from under a type of deal. And
Speaker 1: personnel diversification with the full back that can play anywhere
Speaker 1: and tight ends that can burn you in the passing
Speaker 1: game but also condense down and kick your butt in
Speaker 1: the running game. Can you guys tell I'm a huge
Speaker 1: fan of this team. I think if they have a
Speaker 1: healthy Za Flowers, they probably be probably beat Buffalo in
Speaker 1: the playoffs last year. Mark Andrews, despite that drop, is
Speaker 1: a top five tight end for me. Isaiah likely I probably,
Speaker 1: I likely like him better. They returned the same offensive
Speaker 1: line that took all of four to five weeks to
Speaker 1: gel last Maybe that big concern, like, oh no, they
Speaker 1: lost some guys up front, but okay, they were like
Speaker 1: decent for four weeks and became awesome for the final
Speaker 1: twelve weeks of the season. Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Lindenbaum,
Speaker 1: Daniel Filele, who kicks inside after some years at tackle,
Speaker 1: and then Ryan Rosengarten, the rookie last year was awesome,
Speaker 1: big athletic, mean group that finishes their blocks defensively, you
Speaker 1: know the drill, Mike McDonald offshoot that struggled early. That's
Speaker 1: kind of the theme for this team is they figure
Speaker 1: themselves out, kind of akin to the Patriots of old,
Speaker 1: but really click down the stretch. I'm really curious to
Speaker 1: see what they have or what they get. Rather with
Speaker 1: the changes of cornerback again, the Packers outright cut Alexander.
Speaker 1: I think he'll probably start for them as long as
Speaker 1: he's healthy, but he's also missed those half of his
Speaker 1: career games. Basically, they'll be without Washington, without Stevens, without Malette. Again,
Speaker 1: that Washington injury changes things. I think that was going
Speaker 1: to be like their ideal big Nickel package which Miami
Speaker 1: now has with with Minka Fitzpatrick in store. But Kyle
Speaker 1: Hamilton and Malachi Starks. You can still make it work
Speaker 1: with just those two guys. But now you imagine Marlon
Speaker 1: Humphries move inside with Nate Wiggins, who had a good
Speaker 1: rookie season, and then Jy you'r Alexander on the outside,
Speaker 1: and then Cheetoh wuose the depth piece like, that's a
Speaker 1: lot of new parts in the system that requires a
Speaker 1: lot of versatility and communication. But they're getting like veteran
Speaker 1: guys they can do it, you know, and guys that
Speaker 1: have the football IQ and acumen to do it outside
Speaker 1: of maybe a piece or two here or there. But
Speaker 1: that front has a big loss to overcome and the
Speaker 1: retirement of Michael Pierce. They're deep as hell across the board,
Speaker 1: justin Meda or sorry, Nomdi Matabuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington,
Speaker 1: Kyle van noy, odell odell o'daffe o Way, Okay, adding
Speaker 1: Mike Green, Roquan Smith and Trent and Simpson, They're going
Speaker 1: to be just fine. The question for this team, if
Speaker 1: there is one, it's offensively and at the receiver depth position.
Speaker 1: But you've got Derreck Henry and those two tight ends,
Speaker 1: So do you need more than two or three receivers? Really,
Speaker 1: the one thing they have to figure out is how
Speaker 1: do they get the same production in January versus Kansas
Speaker 1: City and Buffalo. This is one of those teams where
Speaker 1: their season doesn't start until like January fifteenth, and I
Speaker 1: envy that in a lot of ways, but also it's
Speaker 1: probably kind of frustrating for that team throughout the course
Speaker 1: of the season, like when they started off zero to
Speaker 1: two last year and fans were panicking. It's like, just wait,
Speaker 1: wait until January twenty first, when you're playing in Buffalo
Speaker 1: for a chance to go back to the AFC Championship game,
Speaker 1: because that's where their seasons end. It's buffer lower case. Basically,
Speaker 1: Lamar finished three of the last five seasons. The two
Speaker 1: years they didn't, they win the playoffs once, missed the
Speaker 1: playoffs once. But the three years that he finished two
Speaker 1: losses in Buffalo won at home to Kansas City. The
Speaker 1: miscellaneous factors here, The Ravens and Bill's capsules will be
Speaker 1: pretty brief because they'll be back there again. That's a
Speaker 1: team that we're gonna have to find a way to beat.
Speaker 1: If you want to get, you know, to the big
Speaker 1: to the dance, they just have to The Ravens have
Speaker 1: to get past that final boss, so to speak. The
Speaker 1: opening schedule is pretty insane, which again, if they're five hundred,
Speaker 1: they'll be just fine, right Bill's Browns, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Rams.
Speaker 1: Five of those teams were in the final eight last year.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure anything else. Pertains in this category of
Speaker 1: this team is pretty locked and load. As long as
Speaker 1: the mars available, that's your trapdoor scenario. As always, if
Speaker 1: he plays seventeen games, he'll be a top three MVP finisher.
Speaker 1: They'll win twelve thirteen games and be right back there again.
Speaker 1: The conclusion, they'll win the division, they'll get home playoff games.
Speaker 1: Can they beat Kansasity and can they beat Buffalo? That's it,
Speaker 1: dash all, folks. And the team that I think most
Speaker 1: folks will predict as a challenger, the Cincinnati Bengals. I'm
Speaker 1: not quite there yet in terms of being the Ravens level.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and talk about this team. The changes,
Speaker 1: maybe the most interesting team in football to me. Historic offense,
Speaker 1: historic defense in the wrong way last year results in
Speaker 1: a nine wins season and missing out in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: And you know, it's fun. It's fun to root for
Speaker 1: a quarterback like Joe Burrow when you have to have
Speaker 1: that team win because they always feel like you were
Speaker 1: in those games. Remember that, was it the Pittsburgh game
Speaker 1: down the stretch last year or no, they're playing Denver
Speaker 1: right the week seventeen game. You always feel like you're
Speaker 1: in the game with Joe Burrow. But now they have
Speaker 1: a new summer directive with earlier practices, more playing time
Speaker 1: in the preseason, and hopes of mitigating what has become
Speaker 1: the norm for them, these slow starts. They lost of
Speaker 1: the freaking Patriots in Week one last year. That was
Speaker 1: a bad Patriots team, right, And there's another oh and
Speaker 1: three start. They go one in four total. They damn
Speaker 1: near skated by the Giants. In the other game they won.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty three, it was a one in three
Speaker 1: start with a loss of the Browns and the opener,
Speaker 1: and in twenty twenty two and oh and two start,
Speaker 1: including a loss of the dakless Cowboys. This year they
Speaker 1: get Cleveland and Jacksonville. So it's like the NFL saying, hey,
Speaker 1: we want Joe Burrow in the mix in January. Get
Speaker 1: off to your hot start, and then Joe can get
Speaker 1: hot and you guys can get back to winning games.
Speaker 1: And there are a lot of changes for this team
Speaker 1: in the personnel world. New defensive coordinator lou and Aarumo
Speaker 1: is out. Al Golden is in interesting to say the least,
Speaker 1: I guess not that surprising from a team that's in
Speaker 1: danger of losing their first round pick. Over a unique
Speaker 1: contract stipulation. I am team Shamar Stewart all the way
Speaker 1: on that. By the way, I'm gonna have to do
Speaker 1: some research on the scheme because before our next segment,
Speaker 1: because there's some retention on defense. But I don't know
Speaker 1: what to expect here. Before I got into the tape,
Speaker 1: our old friend Charles Burks coaches the corners there and
Speaker 1: former Dolphin Jordan Kovacs coaches the safeties. The rest of
Speaker 1: that defensive staff has changed, though the offensive staff remains
Speaker 1: the same. The big thing right now is going to
Speaker 1: be the availability of Trey Hendricks and Shamar Stewart. I
Speaker 1: think that Bear is watching because that's likely their top
Speaker 1: snap takers off the edge. One two there they most like.
Speaker 1: They mostly kept their own with deals for Joseph Aside, Jackson, Kirkland,
Speaker 1: cam Sample, Marco Wilson, Cody Ford, Mike Kasiki, bj Hill,
Speaker 1: and then of course the big one was t Higgins
Speaker 1: there the last two with the only players I thought
Speaker 1: were like, really, you know, priorities for me. They brought
Speaker 1: in samajp Ryan and to Daryl Slayton, who was a
Speaker 1: good pick up, or in Burks and Lucas Patrick. They
Speaker 1: lost a Keeam, Davis Gaither and Jermaine Pratt, who were
Speaker 1: the middle linebackers there for a long time. Trent Williams
Speaker 1: has gone, Mike Hilton, Sheldon Rankins, Alex Kappa, and the
Speaker 1: big one that really makes hendricks and Stuart so vital,
Speaker 1: Sam Hubbard retired, one of the most underrated players in
Speaker 1: the league for years. You know, Davis, Gaither and Pratt
Speaker 1: were eighty five percent snap takers there for a long time.
Speaker 1: And then the kind of like the last of that
Speaker 1: Super Bowl defense outside of Hendrickson, and it appears Burke's
Speaker 1: and second round linebacker Demetrius Knight will be the replacements
Speaker 1: for with Logan Wilson also in the mix there too.
Speaker 1: As far as their film, the calling card offensively, I
Speaker 1: could recite this in my sleep. Defensively, I had to
Speaker 1: watch some coaching clinics here Zach Taylor outside zone run scheme,
Speaker 1: but a passing offense that more closely resembles what Burrow
Speaker 1: had at LSU. And if you get into the weeds
Speaker 1: of the Bengals content, you know, the drave time of
Speaker 1: Bengals content one of the areas of contention, and Borough's
Speaker 1: preference to play from the gun and empty formations. Is
Speaker 1: that it reduces their options from a run game standpoint,
Speaker 1: and we've talked about that at length for different teams
Speaker 1: across you know, Aaron Rodgers podcast or we're going to
Speaker 1: talk about him in a second, actually, but also the
Speaker 1: entire off season of trying to find ways to take
Speaker 1: some of the workload off of Tua's plate, you know,
Speaker 1: lighten the load off his shoulders there a little bit.
Speaker 1: And I think if Burrow would maybe be more accepting
Speaker 1: to that, maybe it reduces some of the big passing numbers,
Speaker 1: but maybe you become a more winning operation that way.
Speaker 1: I'm not knocking Burrow at all, but I think that
Speaker 1: a lot of quarterbacks have to kind of go through that,
Speaker 1: especially nowadays, where you've been playing seven on seven camps
Speaker 1: your entire life, and it's kind of a different beast
Speaker 1: at the NFL now. But this is also why this
Speaker 1: is one of the few places where I think Mike
Speaker 1: Kasicki actually works as a player. You have to accept
Speaker 1: that you will get nothing from him in the blocking game,
Speaker 1: right I think Joe Burrow prefers it that way, so
Speaker 1: maybe it does work out that way, and they listen
Speaker 1: to their quarterback I'm super curious if some extra reps
Speaker 1: and attention to the slow start kind of comes with
Speaker 1: some more variety and formations and grouping. And look, I'm
Speaker 1: not monishing it at all. They scored thirty points per game, right,
Speaker 1: I think the argument of running the ball and controlling
Speaker 1: the clock is a slippery slope too. The offensive job
Speaker 1: is a score points. However, you have to do that,
Speaker 1: you should, you should do it, and when you play
Speaker 1: when you paid Jamar Chase and T Higgins and rightfully so,
Speaker 1: I totally get spreading the ball out forty times a game.
Speaker 1: In fact, last year was a change. They ran sixty
Speaker 1: percent of their offense from eleven personnel. That's down from
Speaker 1: seventy five percent twenty twenty three and eighty three percent
Speaker 1: the year prior. The big change came with more twelve personnel,
Speaker 1: which was just six percent three years ago, twelve percent
Speaker 1: two years ago, and then last year thirty percent, So
Speaker 1: big jumps there. However, sometimes the numbers live that's directly
Speaker 1: led to or tied to Mike Kasiki. And while yes
Speaker 1: he is listen is a tight end. He's a slot receiver.
Speaker 1: They do not ask him to block. Drew Sample did
Speaker 1: out snap Kasiki forty eight percent to sorry fifty eight
Speaker 1: percent to forty six percent. So there you go, and
Speaker 1: they know what they like. They have a type, right,
Speaker 1: we all have our types. They like big bodies on
Speaker 1: the perimeter, big body pass catchers. Andre Josi Evash played
Speaker 1: eighty percent of the snaps last year. Chase is the
Speaker 1: only one of the players on the top four that's
Speaker 1: under six foot three. He's six foot and plays a
Speaker 1: lot bigger than doesn't he The line has been the
Speaker 1: question here for years, and we'll cover that in the
Speaker 1: questions portion of the show. The Al Golden move makes
Speaker 1: sense because of the familiarity of the position that has
Speaker 1: the most retention for the Bengals. They're cornerbacks. Golden wants
Speaker 1: to play man. He wants to disrupt you at the
Speaker 1: line of scrimmage, and that suits Cam Taylor Britz game.
Speaker 1: It suits Dj Turner and Dax Hill a safety convert.
Speaker 1: They'll deploy something called the viper think like Jabrill Peppers
Speaker 1: and Josh Mattelis at Michigan, where Al Golden was most
Speaker 1: recently at. I think that suited for Jordan Battle, but
Speaker 1: could see Dax Hill doing some of that as well,
Speaker 1: and Golden is also famous for saying that his Mike
Speaker 1: linebacker is the problem solver in the defense, and that
Speaker 1: might wind up falling on the shoulders of rookie Demetrius Knight.
Speaker 1: So those two positions will be critical to get sorted out.
Speaker 1: But they also have Logan Wilson there that can do
Speaker 1: that stuff as well. I really think them bringing back
Speaker 1: bj Hill and signings Late and his big body guys
Speaker 1: that can two gap is going to make life a
Speaker 1: lot easier on those linebackers. The question for them, it's
Speaker 1: been the offensive line for the longest time and they're
Speaker 1: going to go into the season with a lot of
Speaker 1: unknown there. Dylan Fairchild expected to start as a rookie,
Speaker 1: and free agent Lucas Patrick is supposed to be the
Speaker 1: other guard. So that's I don't know what you're going
Speaker 1: to get there. Ted Kerris still anchors the pivot. He's
Speaker 1: kind of find his home post Dolphins career. Orlando Brown
Speaker 1: is the left tackle, and this is why you have
Speaker 1: to draft tackles. They're paying Brown seventeen million dollars a
Speaker 1: season and he's been like replacement level for the last
Speaker 1: couple of years. He also or then the other guy
Speaker 1: that liked the most on the entire offensive line of
Speaker 1: Mariusmim's got hurt last year, but I think he has
Speaker 1: the biggest upside to be like an actual Pro Bowl player.
Speaker 1: Their swing tackle is projected to be a rookie who
Speaker 1: played guard in college. That's Jalen Rivers. I don't know.
Speaker 1: I think if you're looking for it to change, then
Speaker 1: you're not going to find it. But then again, Joe
Speaker 1: Burrow makes it work. So I get the investment and
Speaker 1: the resource allocation for that reason. But the way, I'm
Speaker 1: glad we saw Tua get some more, you know, support
Speaker 1: in the interior offensive line in the run game and
Speaker 1: off the edge of tight end in terms of the
Speaker 1: blocking game, I wouldn't mind seeing more of that for
Speaker 1: Burrow as well. But again it works for them. And
Speaker 1: then all the changes on defense, Let's not sugarcoat it.
Speaker 1: They have to have Trey Hendrickson. Without him, nothing on
Speaker 1: this defense I think works. The miscellaneous factors here. I
Speaker 1: don't think they can afford a slow start this year.
Speaker 1: I mean they couldn't afford the last two years, right
Speaker 1: because they missed the postseason. But since that Super Bowl
Speaker 1: season they've made the playoffs just one time out of
Speaker 1: three seasons, and Burrow ended up one of those years
Speaker 1: on IR the second time in his five years, which
Speaker 1: brings a college coordinator up, or bringing a college coordinator
Speaker 1: up as a fascinating concept. And I don't think the
Speaker 1: stare down with Stuart and Hendrickson is nothing. But I
Speaker 1: also think the Higgins signing and listening to Burrow has
Speaker 1: the opposite effect a positive ones. So it's kind of
Speaker 1: an interesting team man the trapdoor scenario. Burrow's missed fifteen
Speaker 1: starts in his career and that's not nothing and broken record.
Speaker 1: But if they don't have those two pass rushers, I
Speaker 1: don't see this defense getting any better. And this probably
Speaker 1: belongs to the miscellaneous portion category of the pod here,
Speaker 1: but they play against goff Love Rogers twice twice to
Speaker 1: Alan Kyler, Drake may Boenix. It's eleven games against quarterbacks
Speaker 1: that I would say are either top of the league
Speaker 1: or right there in the top of the league. The
Speaker 1: conclusion here, any team with Joe Burrow is a threat
Speaker 1: to go all the way, quite frankly, but can that
Speaker 1: defense keep up with all the guns in the AFC?
Speaker 1: Is there enough balance on offense as confident as you
Speaker 1: are in the quarterback. I think there's an equal number
Speaker 1: of questions elsewhere. But if you play seventeen games, they're
Speaker 1: gonna win seventeen or they're gonna win ten games. Right now,
Speaker 1: seventeen to no. That's the Bengals. The Pittsburgh Stealers are next,
Speaker 1: and they just got a big, big jolt in the
Speaker 1: arm with John News Smith and Jelen Ramsey as two
Speaker 1: of the biggest changes this offseason. I'll write this down.
Speaker 1: I'll go to this part that I wrote down first.
Speaker 1: I'm glad that Aaron Rodgers saga got resolved before I
Speaker 1: recorded this, and I was gonna record this podcast on Monday,
Speaker 1: June thirtieth before the Ramsey and Smith trades came down,
Speaker 1: So I'm glad that happened as well. But they have
Speaker 1: continuity on staff Tomlin, Arthur Smith, Tarrell Austin, but major
Speaker 1: changes to the personnel in Aaron Rodgers. You guys know
Speaker 1: about that. DK Metcalf, Robert Woods, Mason Rudolph, They went
Speaker 1: Derek Harman in the first round, they signed Darius Slay,
Speaker 1: and they pick up Jalen Ramsey. So between Rogers Metcalf, Woods, Slay,
Speaker 1: and Ramsey you're averaging like age thirty four across the
Speaker 1: board there. I like the depth signs a lot. Actually,
Speaker 1: I probably like this portion of the team more just
Speaker 1: in terms of what you're paying and what you're getting
Speaker 1: in terms of playtime with Malie Harrison, Brandon Eckles, Wan
Speaker 1: Thornhill and Daniel Ukulele. You CALLI that's not how you
Speaker 1: pronounce that. It's a team that well, it's not unlike
Speaker 1: Rodgers last team, right, they felt they've been a quarterback
Speaker 1: away since Ben retired on the way out Nause Harris,
Speaker 1: George Pickens, James Daniels, Minka Fitzpatrick, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields,
Speaker 1: Mike Williams, Nate Herbig and Larry Ogan Joe. That's a
Speaker 1: lot of losses man, big changes for Pittsburgh this year.
Speaker 1: They're calling card. Nobody loves twelve personnel quite like Artie
Speaker 1: Smith does, and that's part of why they got John
Speaker 1: new Smith now and now they're gonna have Darnell Washington
Speaker 1: and Pat fryar Moose. So I imagine you're going to
Speaker 1: stay in your twelve personnel grouping pretty much every single snap,
Speaker 1: and maybe even some thirteen there as well. I think
Speaker 1: this pairing with Rogers is super interesting because Rogers had
Speaker 1: that career regression around twenty seventeen with some injuries and
Speaker 1: some of his lowest career passer ratings prior to Matt
Speaker 1: Lafleur's arrival in Green Bay. But then he wins back
Speaker 1: to back MVPs, and I think you can point to
Speaker 1: a little more emphasis on the run game, playing under center,
Speaker 1: and subscribing to the ideals the system can what they
Speaker 1: can do to reduce the number of high stress reads
Speaker 1: and reps from the quarterback. I say all of this
Speaker 1: because I think that he had that with the Jets,
Speaker 1: or I don't think he had that with the Jets,
Speaker 1: And I think he'll get it here. I really do,
Speaker 1: and have a hard time believing the things that he says,
Speaker 1: but I think he'll be more open to it than
Speaker 1: he was with the Jets. So it's probably going to
Speaker 1: be this giant melting pot of concepts of power football,
Speaker 1: quarterback autonomy, big bodies in the run and pass game,
Speaker 1: Rogers having complete control over the run screen, quick game
Speaker 1: that developed shots off of all of that, I think
Speaker 1: Rogers will play well and then call it a career.
Speaker 1: It's kind of I think he wants to go out,
Speaker 1: and I think it's how he will go out. I
Speaker 1: think the line will be very good. Roderick Jones has
Speaker 1: a lot more development to occur and has not been
Speaker 1: the player that I think a lot of folks thought
Speaker 1: he would be and be included, But he has all
Speaker 1: the tools. Isaac Somalu, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick have all
Speaker 1: played at a high level in the league as recently
Speaker 1: as last year, and then right tackle Troy Fatana was
Speaker 1: a guy couldn't shut up about the entire last draft
Speaker 1: process and he missed his whole rookie season. But the
Speaker 1: depth there solid too. And again Friarmuth and Darnelle with
Speaker 1: Artie Smith, I think that they're going to be fired
Speaker 1: up about the offense there with DK metcalf Rogers on
Speaker 1: the back shoulder conversions and the go routes that convert
Speaker 1: off of that, like that's what DK does best. I
Speaker 1: think it's a good pairing there for them, as long
Speaker 1: as they're on the same page. It's interesting their first
Speaker 1: matchup with the Ravens featured a really good scheme defensively
Speaker 1: of using a safety as a robber, a delayed spy
Speaker 1: to kind of jump crossers and then account for the
Speaker 1: quarterback run. But the Ravens adjusted to that by rolling
Speaker 1: power down their throats in that season finale, and they're
Speaker 1: pretty beefy and deep across all three layers. I think
Speaker 1: Austin will adapt accordingly to what teams show him this summer,
Speaker 1: and I think that makes for some interesting choices in
Speaker 1: the back end with Deshaun Elliott and one thorn Hill.
Speaker 1: And I had Minka here as a capable starter as well,
Speaker 1: but he's not there anymore. So it's going to be
Speaker 1: too safety with thorn Hill and Elliott obviously, but then
Speaker 1: obviously Joey Porter, Junior, Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey is
Speaker 1: a really good one two three. Where does Beanie Bishop
Speaker 1: wind up? Where does Brandon Eckles want? Maybe we go
Speaker 1: back to the Steelers for more depth at cornerback and
Speaker 1: make more deals there. I don't know. Ideally they sit
Speaker 1: back and coverage with light boxes and put a lot
Speaker 1: of those state on those safeties plates, but injuries to
Speaker 1: Cam Hayward and TJ. Watt have really challenged that. Patrick
Speaker 1: Queen and Peyton Wilson's a nice linebacker duo. Nick herbig
Speaker 1: is back and Alex high Smith is the best player
Speaker 1: and no one talks about in all of football, although
Speaker 1: Keanubenton might be in that category as well. The question
Speaker 1: here can Rogers seamlessly fit into a new team. I
Speaker 1: don't think it's gonna look like the Jets, where he
Speaker 1: was essentially a GM there to go along with that
Speaker 1: and the OC gig and the quarterback gig. I think
Speaker 1: he does. I think it's gonna work for him this year.
Speaker 1: I think that line is good. I think his top
Speaker 1: receiver fits his game. Robert Woods will be where he
Speaker 1: wants me to be at all time. So I guess
Speaker 1: I don't really have a lot of questions about the
Speaker 1: offense right now, but the age and health of that
Speaker 1: defense has been a question for a while. I think
Speaker 1: they brought in so much secondary help to move to
Speaker 1: I wrote this down to move Minca around, but that's
Speaker 1: not gonna be the case anymore. So Ramsey probably figures to,
Speaker 1: you know, slot into that role. But they got steam
Speaker 1: rolled down the stretch in the ground game, and can
Speaker 1: they fix that. I don't know if they made enough
Speaker 1: move to fix that. I think the questions are fewer,
Speaker 1: especially compared to the pass because of the quarterback. They
Speaker 1: have miscellaneous factors here. They have to start fast. There's
Speaker 1: a lot of volatile personalities from Rogers to Pickens, to
Speaker 1: Slay to Elliott to Patrick Queen who had questionable effort
Speaker 1: down the stretch at times. Those injury issues have seen
Speaker 1: the defense fade down the strets and it's essentially the
Speaker 1: same group. But I do feel the schedule sets up
Speaker 1: for a fast start Jets, Seahawks, Patriots. That could be
Speaker 1: a three to zero start very easily, and then Vikings
Speaker 1: and then a bye and then the Browns like four
Speaker 1: and ones, not crazy. After the bye, they get Lamar Jackson,
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow twice, Tua Herbert Allen, Goff Love Rogers and
Speaker 1: Artie Smith's relationship is worth mentioning here. They'll go as
Speaker 1: far as those two take them. But I also think
Speaker 1: this is the type of thing that Mike Tomlin was
Speaker 1: built for. So I'm bullish from the Steelers this year.
Speaker 1: The trapdoor scenario, quarterback injury, defensive age and injuries. If
Speaker 1: Metcalf starts slow to become vocal, as much as I
Speaker 1: like it, there is some projection on the offensive line.
Speaker 1: If Broderick Jones is not taking another step, and Troy
Speaker 1: Fatanu's injury, he kind of develops or regress stunts his growth,
Speaker 1: that's the word I wanted. Then they're gonna be in
Speaker 1: trouble off the tackle position. My conclusion bullish on this team.
Speaker 1: I think a playoff spot's gonna come down to Bengals
Speaker 1: and the Steelers for me, and I'm not sure who
Speaker 1: I would taken that spot just yet. But I don't
Speaker 1: love the early buy for a team with an older
Speaker 1: defense that has so many parts that have missed a
Speaker 1: lot of games. But man, if they had Rogers any
Speaker 1: of the last five years, I think we view the
Speaker 1: Steelers a lot different. Is it too late for that?
Speaker 1: Maybe I think he's got one more ride left in him.
Speaker 1: Let's go to the Cleveland Browns here and put a
Speaker 1: bow on this thing. The Browns are synonymous with change
Speaker 1: and they deserve everything they got the last three years,
Speaker 1: but that all appears to be over after Deshaun Watson
Speaker 1: suffered an achilles injury. It sets back his recovery from
Speaker 1: an achilles injury for twenty twenty five. It's that whole
Speaker 1: year in question for him, and the Browns went after
Speaker 1: his replacement, not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times.
Speaker 1: That's the biggest change. Kenny Pickett trade. Are they gonna
Speaker 1: start with Kenny Pickett, Dylan Gabriel in the third round
Speaker 1: and then Shador Standers in the fifth round and the
Speaker 1: return of Joe Flacco. It's got to be Joe Flacco, right,
Speaker 1: That's my almost certain pick for Kevin Stefanski. And speaking
Speaker 1: of the coach, the staff is the same Tommy Reese
Speaker 1: back at OC, Jim Schwartz back on that defense. In
Speaker 1: those quarterbacks I mentioned Tevin Jenkins, Cornelius Lucas, Maliite Collins,
Speaker 1: Jerome Baker, Julian Aquara, Joe Tryon, Shoyinka Mason Graham and
Speaker 1: Carson Schweschinger and Quin Shawn Judkins. I love that one,
Speaker 1: two three punch of draft picks on the way out,
Speaker 1: Nick Chubb, hakeem Adenji, James Hudson, Elijah Moore, Wan Thornhill,
Speaker 1: Dalvin Tomlinson, Mike Ford and famous Jamis Winston. The film
Speaker 1: calling card a return back to the Stefanski roots from
Speaker 1: which which come from you guessed it, the Shanahan McVeigh tree.
Speaker 1: And they got away from that with the Watson move
Speaker 1: which we've discussed. Don't need to belabor that point beyond
Speaker 1: just a totally different approach. They're offensively less, big play hunting,
Speaker 1: more quick game, ball out of the quarterback's hands, playing
Speaker 1: off the outside zone, stretch game, and a quarterback that
Speaker 1: has seen everything in Joe Flacco doesn't like TikTok dances,
Speaker 1: which I'm with the old man on that one. And
Speaker 1: the way he's younger than me, and the way they
Speaker 1: were able to mitigate the offensive line injuries is he
Speaker 1: hell is Fleck, I'm thirty seven, I'm a man, I'm forty.
Speaker 1: The way they mitigated offensive line injuries at the end
Speaker 1: of twenty twenty three is a testament to the system
Speaker 1: and the play caller and coach, and for that reason,
Speaker 1: I think it'll be better, But will it be good
Speaker 1: enough to disrupt a loaded AFC? They did hit on
Speaker 1: the Jerry Judy reclamation project. He's become what we thought
Speaker 1: he would be in college, and they are who we
Speaker 1: thought they were. The depth beyond him probably goes in
Speaker 1: the questions category. Deontay Johnson slated as a starter. I
Speaker 1: like Cedric Tillman. DeAndre Carter like one of the best
Speaker 1: tight ends in the game and David Nijoku in that line,
Speaker 1: Dwan Jones, Joel Botonio, Ethan Posk, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin,
Speaker 1: they've all missed more games than any offensive line of
Speaker 1: football last three years, but they're good players when they're healthy.
Speaker 1: On defense, Jim Schwartz wants to blitz, blitz and blitz
Speaker 1: some more. Everything he does is designed to create one
Speaker 1: on ones for Miles Garrett, which makes sense, duh and
Speaker 1: Mason Graham adds to that in a big way, especially
Speaker 1: with Malite Collins. But who will step up as the
Speaker 1: other edge presence on this team. They passed on the
Speaker 1: possibility of Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter for that matter,
Speaker 1: to move back for a future one, which I like
Speaker 1: because they're not going to win anything this year. But man,
Speaker 1: I love their back seven. I love the Schweeshinger pick.
Speaker 1: Jordan Hicks is a good player they missed. They've really
Speaker 1: missed Jeremiah Owusu Coromo since his injury. He's going to
Speaker 1: be out for the entire year. Again, that that just sucks.
Speaker 1: Sometimes football sucks. But Denzel Ward, Greg Newsom, Martin Emerson,
Speaker 1: Grant del Pitt, Ronnie Hickman. It's a decent backfield, but
Speaker 1: Ward is the star of that group. The question, I think,
Speaker 1: my biggest question is what's the planet quarterback here? Because
Speaker 1: Flacco obviously, you know, we spent three picks in the
Speaker 1: third fifth round range, and if you count Kenny Pickett
Speaker 1: because they traded for him, they have a future. One
Speaker 1: that I am is for a quarterback next year if
Speaker 1: it doesn't go well, and that would likely come after
Speaker 1: a complete detonation, right like if they win four to
Speaker 1: five games again, the offensive line is going to see
Speaker 1: a major change, the coaching staff probably two. It's why
Speaker 1: I think I might just like bite the bullet and
Speaker 1: start Shador because like, what good does Joe Flacco winning
Speaker 1: you games? Do you know what I mean? Your your
Speaker 1: best player wanted out until you gave him more money
Speaker 1: than anybody else. And the Watson decision ruined a pretty
Speaker 1: good core and quite frankly, I think they're, you know,
Speaker 1: they're going to be getting out of it for within
Speaker 1: the next year or two. They have to get out
Speaker 1: of that so weird times in Cleveland. The miscellaneous factor here,
Speaker 1: it's fair to ask whether Shador as quarterback two or
Speaker 1: even quarterback three. Looks like is that a distraction? I mean,
Speaker 1: the guy got a freaking speeding ticket and it was
Speaker 1: like the story of the across the league. They play
Speaker 1: in a really good division. Is anybody going to pick
Speaker 1: them to win any of their first seven games? Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Viking, Steelers, Dolphins.
Speaker 1: I don't. I wonder if they're starting to Flacco by
Speaker 1: that game against US trapdoors. There isn't one for teams
Speaker 1: of this caliber. Conclusion feels a lot like the twenty
Speaker 1: nineteen Dolphins. To me, think of a transition year in
Speaker 1: a very good division and conference. The division superlatives give
Speaker 1: me the Ravens to win the division. The best quarterback
Speaker 1: is Lamar Jackson. The best non quarterback offensive player is
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase. The best defensive player is Miles Garrett. The
Speaker 1: best coach is John Harbaugh. My favorite rookie is going
Speaker 1: to be Malachai Stark, so I think we'll look just
Speaker 1: like Kyle Hamilton did as a rookie there. And the
Speaker 1: best under the radar stud is Alex high Smith. This
Speaker 1: was the easiest division to do the superlatives for, so
Speaker 1: there you go. Let's go ahead and get to my
Speaker 1: last part of this podcast, my chat with Dolphin Safety
Speaker 1: I fat to Mela fam Wu. That's next Draft Time podcast,
Speaker 1: brought to you by Auto Nation. Joining us today on
Speaker 1: the Draft Time podcast is new Dolphin Safety. If I
Speaker 1: Mela fan Wu, if he I fought to, what do
Speaker 1: you prefer to go buy?
Speaker 2: If he?
Speaker 4: Honestly, it doesn't really matter to like, people call me ify.
Speaker 4: Most people call me if he My family will call
Speaker 4: me both. I just like for one announcers to say
Speaker 4: my name, I say you fought to, But in the building,
Speaker 4: outside of the building, people can call me ife.
Speaker 1: Okay, good to know we're on the same page there
Speaker 1: with all of that. So you arrive here and we
Speaker 1: haven't had a chance to having the podcast quite yet.
Speaker 1: But what kind of led to UH coming to Miami
Speaker 1: in the free agency process?
Speaker 2: What kind of led to it?
Speaker 4: Just you know, talks with with my old team Detroit
Speaker 4: and then I just you know, got a lot of
Speaker 4: interest from Miami. And obviously my old coach, coach Duker,
Speaker 4: he was there with me in Detroit for three years.
Speaker 4: He was my position coach. So that led to that
Speaker 4: relationship already being there. So that was like a big
Speaker 4: factor and making it and making a decision coming to Miami.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what was it about the relationship with him that
Speaker 1: you guys were air twined there in Detroit? But you
Speaker 1: guys were pretty close, it sounds like.
Speaker 4: Yeah, So when I had got moved, I was a
Speaker 4: corner and then when I got moved to safety, he
Speaker 4: was my coach. And in my first full year at
Speaker 4: safety twenty twenty three is when I had a really
Speaker 4: good year. And I think a lot of that is,
Speaker 4: you know, credit to him. And then now that he's
Speaker 4: the passing games coordinator here, I pretty much like know
Speaker 4: all the coverages and stuff he's installing because it's a
Speaker 4: lot of carryover from Detroit and a lot of you know,
Speaker 4: from where he was in the past, So the terminology,
Speaker 4: a lot of it is the same, and schemes and
Speaker 4: things like that.
Speaker 1: Does that kind of give you a different level of
Speaker 1: almost like voice in terms of the way you communicate
Speaker 1: because obviously, you know, oftentimes a new gut in new
Speaker 1: system you kind of have to like, you know, learn
Speaker 1: from the other guys that have experienced it, but you
Speaker 1: have experienced in the defense. So does that kind of
Speaker 1: empower your voice right away? As a new player here?
Speaker 2: I would say so a little bit.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Obviously, the guys that were here last year, you know,
Speaker 4: they learned the defense and there's stuff that's a little
Speaker 4: bit different, like some terminology and things like that, but
Speaker 4: the overall scheme has a lot of similarities. So I
Speaker 4: guess it does give me a little bit of a
Speaker 4: voice because it's not completely new to me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that it makes perfect sense. And you talk about
Speaker 1: that experience in Detroit and the idea of going from
Speaker 1: corner to safety. I know it's not totally form like
Speaker 1: a lot of guys do it, but I feel like,
Speaker 1: you know, offensive linemen do it all the time, like
Speaker 1: year to year, game to game sometimes. But from the
Speaker 1: cornerback to safety position, how did that, I guess help you.
Speaker 1: How does playing multiple spots throughout the secondary improve the
Speaker 1: way you kind of see the field in that position
Speaker 1: on the back.
Speaker 2: End, Yeah, it definitely helps.
Speaker 4: You know, from corner you go from kind of just
Speaker 4: seeing half the field, you know, focus on your matchup essentially,
Speaker 4: and then now safety you're seeing the full field. But now,
Speaker 4: because I played both, I kind of know pretty much
Speaker 4: what everyone's doing on the field the whole back seven.
Speaker 4: I'm able to know, you know, what kind of stresses
Speaker 4: a corner out and moving from corner to safety. I know,
Speaker 4: like what can stress out with a safety If a
Speaker 4: corner doesn't you know, do x y Z might stress
Speaker 4: out to safety and stuff. So I feel like I
Speaker 4: just have a you know, overall comprehension of all the
Speaker 4: positions that maybe someone who just played one position the
Speaker 4: whole time wouldn't wouldn't have, like if.
Speaker 1: Like he's playing this leverage and I know when I
Speaker 1: played that leverage that this is where I was like
Speaker 1: kind of vulnerable. So you kind of have that knowledge
Speaker 1: of stuff like that. Yeah, Yeah, that's really cool. I'm
Speaker 1: excited to see how that how that works out here.
Speaker 1: You mentioned your four years during Detroit with Coach Duker,
Speaker 1: and I know, like you had some really good, you
Speaker 1: know production when you were there, but missed some time
Speaker 1: with some injuries as well. Just the entire experience in Detroit.
Speaker 1: What did you take from that? How did that kind
Speaker 1: of teach you and make you the man you are?
Speaker 2: You know here today sitting with me, My time in
Speaker 2: Detroit just taught me like resilience in my individual journey.
Speaker 4: You know, I had you know, some injuries and I
Speaker 4: came back and I just never gave up, and I
Speaker 4: was able to show what I could do in the
Speaker 4: times I was on the field, but also overall, like
Speaker 4: when I first got there were thirty thirteen and one
Speaker 4: and I was, you know, there for the change and
Speaker 4: I was a part of the change.
Speaker 2: So I just, YEA had resiliency. And I've seen the
Speaker 2: lowest of the low and I've.
Speaker 4: Seen you know, I've been to the NFC Championship as well,
Speaker 4: so I've seen both sides of it, and I feel
Speaker 4: like it's helped like me kind of just block out
Speaker 4: noise and just be resilient and you know, just keep
Speaker 4: going and you know, attacking the day, being grateful for
Speaker 4: every opportunity and being intentional with every time I step
Speaker 4: on the field or in you know, in the building.
Speaker 1: That the experience of going from a like you mentioned
Speaker 1: a three and thirteen and one team to NFC Championship
Speaker 1: and seeing that growth and the process, because that was
Speaker 1: that was kind of your guys' idea. There was like
Speaker 1: that this is a process, we're going to build towds,
Speaker 1: We're going to stay on this track. And it worked
Speaker 1: out and that the Lines have become one of the
Speaker 1: powerhouses in the NFL. What did that teach you in
Speaker 1: terms of, you know, being committed to the process and
Speaker 1: seeing how a team can go from you know, a
Speaker 1: team that's picking top five of the draft annually to
Speaker 1: a team that's competing for Super Bowls every year.
Speaker 4: Like I said, I think it taught me resilience and
Speaker 4: just you know, discipline and just what can happen when
Speaker 4: everyone buys in, even though, like you know, the outcome
Speaker 4: you know at the time may not you know, be
Speaker 4: what you want, but just the just the faith and
Speaker 4: belief in buying into a program and a coach and
Speaker 4: the system, and it just shows you, like what the
Speaker 4: benefits could be when you trust the process.
Speaker 1: And when you do that, you wind up here in
Speaker 1: Miami with with coach Weaver in this defense? What is
Speaker 1: it about this defense do you think accentuates your skill
Speaker 1: set as a player.
Speaker 4: I feel like there's just a lot of you know, hungry,
Speaker 4: younger guys, especially in the back seven that I think
Speaker 4: we're all just extremely motivated. And not to say that
Speaker 4: it wasn't like that in Detroit, but when when you're
Speaker 4: in a place like that, I feel like it just
Speaker 4: you know, it's a lot of competition.
Speaker 2: Everyone just feeds off each other.
Speaker 4: And then I would say, just up front in the
Speaker 4: front seven, I feel like we just got dogs all
Speaker 4: across the line, the linebackers, and I just feel like
Speaker 4: we're just you know, hungry and very very competitive group.
Speaker 4: So I just feel like we're all gonna thrive together.
Speaker 1: So it sounds like and just being here for a
Speaker 1: few months like you've kind of gotten pretty close to
Speaker 1: teammates already and kind of had that bond and that
Speaker 1: relationship developed across the board there with those guys.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's always going to be like mainly
Speaker 4: your position position groups the closest. That's just naturally how
Speaker 4: it happens because you spend the most time with them.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I feel like I definitely have gotten close
Speaker 4: with other teammates, you know, on offense and even just
Speaker 4: you know, d linemen and linebackers and everything like that.
Speaker 1: What are you most looking forward to? Last question here
Speaker 1: for you, if you, what are you most looking forward
Speaker 1: to here in your first season with the Dolphins.
Speaker 4: Most looking forward to? I'm honestly just most looking forward
Speaker 4: to stepping on that field and just stepping on the field, honestly,
Speaker 4: and just playing with a new team. And just getting
Speaker 4: this opportunity. You know, pretty much most of my season
Speaker 4: last year, I was out most of the season. So
Speaker 4: I'm just grateful to be here, grateful for a new start,
Speaker 4: and I'm just excited to just step on the field.
Speaker 4: And it's a blessing and I thank God for it
Speaker 4: and I'm just just ready to ready to go. It's
Speaker 4: ready to play again.
Speaker 1: We're looking forward to seeing you out there as well
Speaker 1: on Sundays. A Fatumlafama, new Dolphins safety, appreciate you time.
Speaker 2: Today, man, Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it, and
Speaker 2: it is.
Speaker 1: The most wonderful time of year. That's right, Miami Dolphins
Speaker 1: training camp right around the corner, and you can reserve
Speaker 1: your tickets right now. The Dolphins are back on the
Speaker 1: field for Back Together weekend on July twenty sixth, a Saturday,
Speaker 1: first Dolphins practice open to the fans in the public.
Speaker 1: The Dolphins will take Sunday off and be back on
Speaker 1: the field for a Monday practice on the twenty eighth,
Speaker 1: as well as the twenty ninth and thirtieth, all open
Speaker 1: to the fans. After a Thursday day off on the
Speaker 1: thirty first, Miami's right back to work for the first, second,
Speaker 1: and third of August. All those practices open to fans
Speaker 1: as well. The next practice available to the fans August
Speaker 1: the sixth, and then a pretty good gap there with
Speaker 1: the joint practices up in Detroit and Chicago. Miami's back
Speaker 1: for three more practices in front of the fans here
Speaker 1: at the Baptist Hill Training Complex August eighteenth, August twentieth,
Speaker 1: and August twenty first. That twenty first date is a
Speaker 1: joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars. So July twenty sixth,
Speaker 1: July twenty eighth, twenty ninth, thirtieth, August first, second and
Speaker 1: third August sixth, August nineteenth, August twentieth, and August twenty
Speaker 1: first against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Book your tickets now on
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins dot com. In the meantime, you all please
Speaker 1: be shared, subscribe, rate review the podcast, follow me on
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Speaker 1: Dolphins dot Com until next time. Bins up Carolin Cameron
Speaker 1: and Willow Daddy he's already home.