Speaker 1: To US buyers, touch style by waddle stuck into the
Speaker 1: end zone of Miami Boy, tight froll, tight window. They
Speaker 1: had to get that touchdown on that play. They get it.
Speaker 1: What is up, Dolphans And welcome to the Drivetime Podcast,
Speaker 1: part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network, covering your team,
Speaker 1: your Miami Dolphins. How's it going? Everybody? I am your host,
Speaker 1: Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, the schedule is released.
Speaker 1: We're gonna get into each matchup, go down the schedule
Speaker 1: game by game, talk about those matchups, the biggest questions
Speaker 1: and storylines around those teams, and how the Dolphins do
Speaker 1: ultimately match up with said team, and a whole heck
Speaker 1: of a lot more from the Baptist Health Studios inside
Speaker 1: the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drivetime Podcast.
Speaker 1: That's another miamis office. So the schedule is out, Why
Speaker 1: don't we go ahead and just kick it off off
Speaker 1: the top here by giving you the entire Miami Dolphins schedule,
Speaker 1: and we start once again with the New England Patriots,
Speaker 1: this time at home. That's a September eleventh game, one
Speaker 1: o'clock kick in the nice hot heat, humidity down here
Speaker 1: in South Florida week to September eighteen at the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 1: Also a one o'clock kick Week three back here in
Speaker 1: Muggy miserable South Florida in September on to face another
Speaker 1: division rival to a f C East games at home
Speaker 1: in September the Buffalo Bills at one o'clock and then
Speaker 1: Week four short week on the road at the defending
Speaker 1: a f C champions, the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night
Speaker 1: Football on September twenty nine. That's an eight pm kickoff,
Speaker 1: Week number five. Coming off the mini by there will
Speaker 1: go back to the division and back on the road
Speaker 1: to the New York Jets on October nine at one
Speaker 1: o'clock against Gang Green. Week six, back home for back
Speaker 1: to back games starting on October over the sixteenth against
Speaker 1: the Minnesota Vikings for another one o'clock kickoff, and then
Speaker 1: on October twenty three home for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That
Speaker 1: is the dolphins first Sunday night football game since to
Speaker 1: face the Pittsburgh Steelers eight twenty kickoff. Week number eight.
Speaker 1: Back on the road for two straight games, two straight
Speaker 1: games against the NFC North October thirty at the Detroit
Speaker 1: Lions a one o'clock kickoff. Week number nine November six
Speaker 1: at the Chicago Bears for one o'clock kickoff, and then
Speaker 1: week number ten back home November against the Cleveland Browns
Speaker 1: another one o'clock kickoff. Week eleven is the bye weekend,
Speaker 1: nice late bye towards the second half of the schedule.
Speaker 1: There I believe the last by on the schedules week fourteen,
Speaker 1: so Miami is just three weeks short of the final
Speaker 1: by on the schedule. Week number twelve we're at home,
Speaker 1: so three straight weeks at home with the bye as
Speaker 1: the middle part of that schedule. November home for the
Speaker 1: Houston Texans another one o'clock kickoff. Then it's back to
Speaker 1: back games on the West coast are California swing December
Speaker 1: the fourth at the San Francisco forty a four o'clock kickoff.
Speaker 1: Then December eleventh, potentially stay on the West coast for
Speaker 1: back to back games against the Los Angeles Chargers at
Speaker 1: so FI Stadium at four o'clock. Week number fifteen has
Speaker 1: flex potential. The game could either be on December seventeenth,
Speaker 1: a Saturday, or December eighteenth, the traditional Sunday kickoff. That
Speaker 1: game is in Buffalo, so three straight road games here
Speaker 1: in December to kick it off the Niners, Chargers, and
Speaker 1: then at the Buffalo Bills. That time is tb D
Speaker 1: because that game could be flexed to Saturday. Then Week sixteen,
Speaker 1: Christmas Day, the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers will
Speaker 1: be in South Florida at hard Rock Stadium for a
Speaker 1: one o'clock kickoff. I'm in town to play the Dolphins, dumbass.
Speaker 1: And then Week number seventeen is on New Year's Day,
Speaker 1: January one, at the New England Patriots, a one o'clock
Speaker 1: kickoff there, and then Week eighteen always finished with a
Speaker 1: game in the division, and there's why one division game left,
Speaker 1: the New York Jets, and that game also has flex potential,
Speaker 1: could either be January seventh or January eighth, Saturday or
Speaker 1: Sunday a tb D kick off. That game could move
Speaker 1: to Saturday as well. So there you go, Patriots at
Speaker 1: the Ravens home for the Bills, at the Bengals, at
Speaker 1: the Jets, home for the Vikings, home for the Steelers,
Speaker 1: at the Lions, at the Bears home for the Browns.
Speaker 1: By week week eleven, and then finishing up home for
Speaker 1: Houston at the Niners, at the Chargers, at the Bills
Speaker 1: home for the Packers at the Patriots at the New
Speaker 1: York Jets. And before we take our first break and
Speaker 1: then dive into the first half of the schedule, and
Speaker 1: then second number three, I'll be the second half of
Speaker 1: the schedule. Just want to go ahead and give a
Speaker 1: couple of quick notes here on the schedule and some
Speaker 1: interesting quirks and the way this thing lays out. So
Speaker 1: by now, you guys know, I believe if you listening
Speaker 1: to this podcast, you probably know this that the NFL
Speaker 1: schedule has a cyclical rotation that predetermines fourteen of your
Speaker 1: seven teen games every single year. Years in advanced you know,
Speaker 1: you play a certain division in the a f C Conference,
Speaker 1: you play a certain division in the NFC Conference, You
Speaker 1: play your own division six times, and then you have
Speaker 1: the two games in conference against teams that finished in
Speaker 1: the same position of their division as you, and now
Speaker 1: under the seventeen game format, the third game against the
Speaker 1: NFC also determined by where you finished in your division.
Speaker 1: For the Dolphins, the home tilt versus the Texans and
Speaker 1: then are both because the teams finished in third place,
Speaker 1: as well as the California trips. The Niners and Chargers
Speaker 1: finishing in third place in their divisions brings those games
Speaker 1: it could have been could have had some variants based
Speaker 1: upon the way the final game of the season went
Speaker 1: last year. The Chargers and Raiders could have been that
Speaker 1: game swapped Niners and Rams as well with that game.
Speaker 1: Miami also is gonna face three new head coaches this season,
Speaker 1: with Matt eber Flews in the Chicago Bears, Kevin O'Connell
Speaker 1: in the Minnesota Vikings, and love E Smith in the
Speaker 1: Houston Texans. And you might see three teams with new quarterbacks,
Speaker 1: a pretty low number, uh in a year where the
Speaker 1: quarterback carousel has been crazy. The Steelers, you'll definitely get
Speaker 1: a new quarterback there, whether it's Kenny Pickett or whether
Speaker 1: it is Mitch Drobiski. The Cleveland's definitely gonna get another
Speaker 1: quarterback there, whether it's DeShawn Watson and Jacobe Brissette. And
Speaker 1: then with the forty Niners, we'll see if it's Jimmy
Speaker 1: Garoppolo or Trey Lance. But those are the three teams
Speaker 1: that have potential for a new quarterback. Sands any injuries
Speaker 1: or changes like that. After opening on the road for
Speaker 1: two straight years. The Dolphins kick off their season at
Speaker 1: home in Week one this year, but the opponent will
Speaker 1: not change from the last two campaigns. The rubber match
Speaker 1: here of opening day games against the Lincoln Patriots three straight,
Speaker 1: last two in New England, this one down here in Miami,
Speaker 1: and the Dolphins, speaking of road games, that's a home
Speaker 1: game of Speaking of road games, will travel twenty five thousand,
Speaker 1: one d and seventy eight miles this season. That's the
Speaker 1: fourth most in the National Football League. That includes the
Speaker 1: back to back trips out west of the Chargers and
Speaker 1: forty Niners. The biggest stretch on the road this year
Speaker 1: comes in that stretch with Chargers, Niners, and Buffalo after
Speaker 1: that California swing, and the longest home stretch comes in
Speaker 1: weeks ten through twelve, with contest against the Browns and
Speaker 1: Texans sandwiched outside of the week Evan by and after
Speaker 1: a Week four primetime game against the defending conference champions,
Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dolphins returned to Sunday night football
Speaker 1: for the first time since seen with a Week seven
Speaker 1: home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And speaking of that
Speaker 1: Thursday night primetime game, at home last year on Thursday
Speaker 1: night on the road in Jacksonville in twenty twenty for
Speaker 1: a Thursday night game twenty nineteen. Shoot, now, I'm forgetting
Speaker 1: there wasn't a Thursday night game in twenty nine. It
Speaker 1: was the Monday night game against Pittsburgh Steelers. Eighteen had
Speaker 1: a road game against the Houston Texans. Seventeen had a
Speaker 1: rather was the Houston Texas, seventeen was the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaker 1: And my point here is going back to against the
Speaker 1: Bengals was on the road against the Buffalo Bills. I'm
Speaker 1: not mistaken. So the Dolphins for a long time had
Speaker 1: a lot of Thursday night games on the road, had
Speaker 1: the one home game against the Ravens last year, and
Speaker 1: now back on the road for t nflos are tough games,
Speaker 1: especially against the defending a f C champions and the
Speaker 1: Dolphins schedule feature is eight playoff teams from one but
Speaker 1: a combined record for the seventeen opponents of one and
Speaker 1: two and the four eight one win percentage of the
Speaker 1: Dolphins opponents from last year ranks twenty one in the
Speaker 1: NFL on strength of schedule. So those are some of
Speaker 1: the interesting notes. Let's go ahead and take our first
Speaker 1: break here quickly into this edition of the Drivetime Podcast
Speaker 1: and come back on the other side and get to
Speaker 1: the first half of the schedule breaking down everything about
Speaker 1: the Dolphins opponents. Next here, Drivetime Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield,
Speaker 1: brought to you by Auto Nation. Really the last tent
Speaker 1: pole event of the NFL off season, aside from the practices,
Speaker 1: which we know is some of the best content and
Speaker 1: some of the best stuff to really observe and talk
Speaker 1: about on the platforms and the social and all that
Speaker 1: fun stuff. Look at me talking like an old man,
Speaker 1: the platforms and social snap face that type of thing.
Speaker 1: But the schedule is the last big one, right and
Speaker 1: it's out. We've got it. We've got matchups, talk about
Speaker 1: football games, to talk about what you guys know, I
Speaker 1: love doing here on the Drivetime Podcast. And we already
Speaker 1: gave you the full schedule, which also was up on
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins dot com. It's also probably up wherever you've been.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you've seen it by now one thousand and
Speaker 1: twenty five times. But let's go ahead and break this
Speaker 1: thing down and give you some notes here. Now, I'm
Speaker 1: not gonna give you the like potential trap game scenarios,
Speaker 1: and I hate using that phrase, but one of the
Speaker 1: things we like to do in the schedule release was
Speaker 1: podcast in the past couple of years was talking about
Speaker 1: you know, how this team could be coming off of
Speaker 1: this game and just the impact of that. But we
Speaker 1: don't have that because the schedule are The recording of
Speaker 1: this podcast is before the entire schedule comes out, So
Speaker 1: I just have the Dolphins schedule here. But looking at
Speaker 1: week number one against the Patriots, that one o'clock opener,
Speaker 1: they were tenant seven last year and lost in the
Speaker 1: a f C wild Card round. They had the sixth
Speaker 1: ranked offense and second ranked defense in terms of scoring.
Speaker 1: They added Malcolm Butler and DeVante Parker as a couple
Speaker 1: of key veteran acquisitions, and their first round pick was
Speaker 1: center Cold Strange. I talked about this being the rubber match,
Speaker 1: right the third game of the opening day schedule in
Speaker 1: the last three years. Can the Dolphins find a way
Speaker 1: to get the rubber match and get off to one
Speaker 1: and I'll start for the second straight year. Can they
Speaker 1: make it four straight over the Patriots? Can to uh
Speaker 1: get his personal record to four no career against the Patriots.
Speaker 1: Want to mark that would be if he could do it. Also,
Speaker 1: a couple of teams who were separated for that last
Speaker 1: playoff spot in the a f C last year by
Speaker 1: just a game. So these games are gonna be massively important.
Speaker 1: The Dolphins can find two wins against the Patriots and
Speaker 1: that'll go a long way towards potentially finishing in the
Speaker 1: top half of the a f C East and potentially
Speaker 1: pushing for a playoff berth And we get a chance
Speaker 1: to see the Patriots early and late, just like we
Speaker 1: did a year ago, and I thought we saw two
Speaker 1: really different teams, different Dolphins teams, I should say, against
Speaker 1: those Patriots teams number week number one. Remember the Patriots
Speaker 1: were going up and down the field on third down
Speaker 1: conversions and we just could not get off the dang field.
Speaker 1: But they would find a way to clamp down in
Speaker 1: the red zone and make them kick field goals. Very
Speaker 1: successful game plan that worked that way. But the Week
Speaker 1: eight team game, game Man, they put pressure on him,
Speaker 1: they picked him off, they returned it for a touchdown,
Speaker 1: They put him on his back and had a bunch
Speaker 1: of sacks in that game and just kind of dominated
Speaker 1: that game really from the start and We're able to
Speaker 1: put it away late with some clutch uh scrambles and
Speaker 1: runs from two A toungo by LOOA. Of course, they
Speaker 1: early touched on to jayland Wild got them off to
Speaker 1: a good start. But how do you defend this quarterback
Speaker 1: after having you know, a full season worth of tape
Speaker 1: on him, after having two of your own games of
Speaker 1: tape against him, and really two different stages of his
Speaker 1: career as an opening game rookie to the final game
Speaker 1: of the regular season. I'll be interested to see how
Speaker 1: the Dolphins play that. And it's gonna be new for
Speaker 1: really the Dolphins offensively and possibly defensively too, with the
Speaker 1: new O C and then Josh Boyer calling the game
Speaker 1: down here or I should say, you know, doing his
Speaker 1: own thing with this Miami Dolphins defense. But just looking
Speaker 1: at some of the roster pieces for the Patriots here,
Speaker 1: we know about Mac Jones and the strong running backs
Speaker 1: of Romandre Stevenson and Damian Harris to power backs that
Speaker 1: can really kind of put it to you, and you
Speaker 1: gotta find a way to stop those guys. Weapons on
Speaker 1: the outside. Davante Parker, Kendrick Born, and Jacoby Myers probably
Speaker 1: the top three guys there with Hunter Henry and uh
Speaker 1: John H. Smith almost at herb Smith. The tight ends
Speaker 1: the offensive line, despite losing Shack Mason and then um
Speaker 1: Joe Tuoney last year, still has a bunch of guys
Speaker 1: that can get the job done with David Andrews, Michael
Speaker 1: and when you Cole Stranger as a hell of a player,
Speaker 1: Isaiah Win, Trenton Brown. They're loaded up there. They're loaded
Speaker 1: in the front on defense with Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy,
Speaker 1: Davon Gagea, Ronnie Perkins, you know, josh or josh U
Speaker 1: j and Matt Judon Geese get your names right, Travis.
Speaker 1: And then that secondary that's where I'm most most interested
Speaker 1: to see this defense come along. As without j C. Jackson.
Speaker 1: Can they find a way to replace j. C. Jackson
Speaker 1: after losing him in free agency to the Chargers. They
Speaker 1: drafted Marcus Jones and Jack Jones. Can those rookies quick
Speaker 1: quickly get to speed to face a Dolphins receiving corps
Speaker 1: that has Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, Cedric Wilson Jr. Mike
Speaker 1: Ga Sicky and many many more weapons there to feature
Speaker 1: so interesting game. They're Patriots again for the third straight
Speaker 1: year in the opening game now week number two on
Speaker 1: the road against the Baltimore Ravens, who were eight and
Speaker 1: nine last year, seven teenth on offense, nineteenth on defense.
Speaker 1: They added Marcus Williams, one of the great additions this
Speaker 1: offseason in my opinion. Michael Pierce, Morgan, Moses, Mike Davis
Speaker 1: were some more veteran acquisitions there, and then Kyle Hamilton's
Speaker 1: and Tyler Linderbaum where their first round picks. I thought
Speaker 1: the Ravens had a phenomenal draft this year, the best
Speaker 1: draft really, I think of any team. And you know
Speaker 1: the Dolphins only had four picks. We can put them
Speaker 1: in that conversation with the Bravens just hit on pick
Speaker 1: after pick after pick. I think Hamilton's and Marcus Williams
Speaker 1: is an absolutely absurd combination there. It's gonna help that
Speaker 1: defensive backfield that they have those so deep with Jimmy
Speaker 1: Smith and Marcus, Marcus Peters and who's the thrown Marshawn Lattimore.
Speaker 1: They can roll out three safety packages now with Chuck Clark,
Speaker 1: Kyle Hamilton's as well as excuse me, Marcus Williams. They
Speaker 1: they're gonna be able to do multiple things and get
Speaker 1: pressure upfront and and just really find a way to
Speaker 1: confuse you on defense and so getting all those injured
Speaker 1: players back. I mean, this is a team that stayed
Speaker 1: in contention last year despite all those crazy injuries, had
Speaker 1: the more players on i R. I mean, they were
Speaker 1: the one seed at the midway point when they played
Speaker 1: the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football, despite at that
Speaker 1: point having the most players on i R. And they
Speaker 1: did at the end of the season two and then
Speaker 1: they lose Lamar Jackson and that's when things kind of went,
Speaker 1: you know, downhill. But they went from eight and three
Speaker 1: to eight and nine. I believe it was. But I
Speaker 1: mean it's not like they weren't scoring and competing with
Speaker 1: teams like Green Bay. They had a great fourth quarter
Speaker 1: run where they almost came back and beat the Green
Speaker 1: Bay Packers. So they have depth with Tyler Huntley at
Speaker 1: the position, and uh, you know, that could make for
Speaker 1: some interesting quarterback discussions for them this offseason without Lamar
Speaker 1: Jackson having that contract signed yet, But that's for another day.
Speaker 1: And they also find they get a full season of
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson and j K. Dobbins. I think that's gonna
Speaker 1: be one of the most powerful one two punches in
Speaker 1: the running game. So Dolphins gonna have to find a
Speaker 1: way to come up with another game plan to stop
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson. But you know, have more running backs because
Speaker 1: they were down so many guys that got injured early
Speaker 1: on last season in training camp. You know, losing three
Speaker 1: guys in training camp, Dobbins being one of them. Be
Speaker 1: interesting and see how they defend that. You get more
Speaker 1: speed at I'm backer position to deal with with Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 1: Is this a big game for Channing Tindall's kind of
Speaker 1: indoctrination to the NFL. We saw what Jerome Baker did
Speaker 1: playing inside outside in that game last year. Lots of
Speaker 1: fun matchups on that side of the ball. And then again,
Speaker 1: the defensive dominant I think they're gonna have this year
Speaker 1: is noticeable. I think that trading Hollywood Brown Marquise Brown
Speaker 1: and then the running back depth, the combination of those
Speaker 1: two things kind of shows you what kind of team
Speaker 1: they want to be. So the Dolphin's gonna have to
Speaker 1: buckle our chinch traps and play the run in that
Speaker 1: game for sure, but also have to acknowledge the Lamar
Speaker 1: Jackson's big arm to go down the field as well,
Speaker 1: and can the Baltimore Ravens come up with a game
Speaker 1: plan to combat with the Dolphins into them last year defensively,
Speaker 1: because that was kind of when the Ravens offense kind
Speaker 1: of took a step back and the rest of the
Speaker 1: season and just couldn't quite get back to that same
Speaker 1: level of competition they were before. They have a new
Speaker 1: defensive cordnator there as well. Uh destroyed the draft and
Speaker 1: free agency. How quickly does it all come together? Interesting
Speaker 1: game here in week number two, Week number three, a
Speaker 1: game I'm sure you guys all have circle on the
Speaker 1: calendar against the Buffalo Bills at one o'clock kick off
Speaker 1: eleven and six. Last year won the a f C East,
Speaker 1: lost in the divisional round. They were the third ranked
Speaker 1: scoring offense and the first rank scoring defense. They made
Speaker 1: a bunch of moves this year Von Miller, Roger Staffold
Speaker 1: Kayer Elam their first round draft pick, and then James Cook.
Speaker 1: They also added O. J. Howard in free agency. Just
Speaker 1: a really really strong roster up and down the skill positions,
Speaker 1: the running backs, the tight ends, the receivers. We know
Speaker 1: Stefon Diggs and then now Gabe Davis kind of takes
Speaker 1: on a more prominent role in the absence of Cole
Speaker 1: Beasley as well as Emmanuel Sanders. And you know, I
Speaker 1: think Isaiah mackenzie also will play a big role on
Speaker 1: that team. A guy that I was interested in as
Speaker 1: a free agent before he resigned to the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 1: With his skill set and his speed and the jet
Speaker 1: sweeps and the ability to get vertical thought. He kind
Speaker 1: of made Beasley replaceable last year with the way he
Speaker 1: performed when Beasley was down. And they also brought in
Speaker 1: Jamison Crowders, so they're very deep at receiver. We know
Speaker 1: Miami's very deep at cornerback. Finding a way to get
Speaker 1: Josh Allen uncomfortable to get pressure on him. Can they
Speaker 1: do what they did last year in the first half
Speaker 1: of those Buffalo games and get Josh Allen uncomfortable, turn
Speaker 1: him over, force him in the third lungs, and force
Speaker 1: some inaccurate passes when he gets off the spot, and
Speaker 1: then don't let him scramble once he gets off the spot.
Speaker 1: Interesting matchup there. Can Miami find a way to keep
Speaker 1: this Buffalo defense from really really getting after it. They
Speaker 1: have all the pass rush upfront with Epanessa Rousseau at Oliver.
Speaker 1: They added Von Miller to go along with Matt Milano
Speaker 1: and Tremaine Edmonds. We talked about Kayer Elam on the
Speaker 1: back end. He's gonna have a big role in that
Speaker 1: defensive backfield this year. As Levi Wallace departed for the
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Steelers. I think it was, uh, we'll get to
Speaker 1: that here in just one second. I forgot my notes
Speaker 1: right here, but I forgot if he's on the Steelers
Speaker 1: or somewhere else. Um, Michael Hyde and Jordan Poyer is
Speaker 1: as good as it gets. So Elam could be the
Speaker 1: guy that really has the you know, has to get
Speaker 1: accomated quickly, and based upon what we saw in the
Speaker 1: draft video and him talking about being the best NoteTaker
Speaker 1: in the country, could be a guy that fits in
Speaker 1: right away with them. But for the Bills, can they
Speaker 1: get over that hunt Man? A couple of really tough
Speaker 1: playoff losses for them against the Chiefs the last couple
Speaker 1: of years. Do these pieces push them over the top?
Speaker 1: Big early season match up here from Miami against the
Speaker 1: Buffalo Bills at home too divisional opponents in September in
Speaker 1: Miami here at the a f C East Week four
Speaker 1: on the road for the Bengals eight team kickoff on TNF.
Speaker 1: They were tenants seven last year and made a miraculous
Speaker 1: run to the Super Bowl, losing that game to the Rams.
Speaker 1: They were eight and scoring offense seventeenth and scoring defense.
Speaker 1: Offensive line remake because the big additions there for that squad.
Speaker 1: They went out and got Alex Cappa a great addition there,
Speaker 1: Lyle Collins another great addition, and then our former player
Speaker 1: here and Ted Harriss to play some center for them.
Speaker 1: You know, that's a really good looking club they got
Speaker 1: in in Cincinnati once again to rebuild that offensive line.
Speaker 1: But how quickly does it? Gel? Can that take some time?
Speaker 1: Can Miami getting them early be a good thing? I
Speaker 1: will see about that. Being on the road on Thursday
Speaker 1: night certainly is no favorite of the Miami Dolphins, but
Speaker 1: you can gotta find a way to go out and
Speaker 1: get dubs when you can. Joe Burrow and Jamaar Chase.
Speaker 1: Can they recreate the magic they had last season? Isn't
Speaker 1: more Tyler Boys, It more t Higgins. You know, Burro
Speaker 1: is gonna be a full you know, two years off
Speaker 1: the injury could be a nice little sign for him
Speaker 1: to be completely back and really pick up where he
Speaker 1: left off last year in the postseason. But with all
Speaker 1: those new names up front, can they get the Dolphins
Speaker 1: games and and really relentless pass rush and multiple guys
Speaker 1: they have to throw pieces at you. Can they get
Speaker 1: that blocked up? That'll be interesting to see. Just curious
Speaker 1: see how this Bengals team comes together after a tough
Speaker 1: Super Bowl loss. Typically those teams haven't always fared as well.
Speaker 1: But the Bengals are young, they have a really good quarterback,
Speaker 1: they have good weapons, they have a really, really good,
Speaker 1: underrated defense, and they'll be interesting to see this match
Speaker 1: up here with a couple of tough games off the
Speaker 1: top here for the Miami Dolphins, Week number five at
Speaker 1: the New York Jets, who were four and thirteen a
Speaker 1: year ago, ranked scoring offense thirty second ranked scoring defense.
Speaker 1: Can Miami keep it rolling eight and two since four
Speaker 1: straight wins now I think it's five of the last
Speaker 1: six as well. Can they find a way to just
Speaker 1: keep Zack Wilson in the second half performance of that
Speaker 1: game he played last year compared to the first half performance,
Speaker 1: because now he has a bunch more weapons. We saw
Speaker 1: Elijah Moore really have a good game in that game
Speaker 1: against the Dolphins last season. Corey Davis was out in
Speaker 1: that game as well. Getting both those guys on the field,
Speaker 1: getting Garrett Wilson on the field, c j Uzama a
Speaker 1: big addition there. They made a bunch of changes on
Speaker 1: the offense, Usama tight end, Lake and Thomas in the guard.
Speaker 1: They added to that d line that just keeps getting
Speaker 1: deeper and deeper. Sheldon Rankings to go along with Quin
Speaker 1: Williams and John Franklin. Myers will get Carl Carl lost
Speaker 1: him back off the edge. Hill part nicely with Jermaine Johnson,
Speaker 1: the rookie out of Florida State first round draft pick.
Speaker 1: They also took Sauce Gardner in the first round. We
Speaker 1: mentioned Garrett Wilson traded up for Bruce Hall. They signed
Speaker 1: DJ read to kind of go along. There was Sauce
Speaker 1: Gardner at the cornerback position. That was a position where
Speaker 1: they really got thin quick last year and they rebuilt
Speaker 1: it in a big way this year. So can they
Speaker 1: compete at a different level and really helped keep this
Speaker 1: keep opposing offenses at bay And then on the other
Speaker 1: side of the football, can they can they minimize the
Speaker 1: Dolphins damage with the rush games they got after them.
Speaker 1: Last year's Dolphins had so much success getting after the quarterback,
Speaker 1: creating takeaways and making the big plays. Interesting matchup there
Speaker 1: with the Jets on the road in Week number five,
Speaker 1: Week number six, back home for the Vikings eight and
Speaker 1: nine a year ago, fourteenth ranked offense, twenty four ranked defense,
Speaker 1: and for them, they went out and added Chris Read
Speaker 1: on the offensive line, and then Zadarius Smith and Jordan Hicks,
Speaker 1: and the defense drafted Andrew Booth Jr. And Louis Seen
Speaker 1: to the defensive backfield. And that's scenario that I'm curious
Speaker 1: about with this, uh you know, this first team on
Speaker 1: the schedule for a new head coach against the Miami Dolphins,
Speaker 1: they went from Mike Zimmer to now Kevin O'Connell. But
Speaker 1: on defense, you know, they drafted dbs and signed dbs
Speaker 1: year after year after year, and that was an area
Speaker 1: where they they those guys didn't always work out and
Speaker 1: they had to find a way to get production back there.
Speaker 1: And the Vikings defense twenty fourth last year in scoring
Speaker 1: was just not the defense we came to know. And
Speaker 1: they have so many guys up front, with Danil Hunter,
Speaker 1: with Dalvin Tomlinson, dj one of them. They've got Patrick
Speaker 1: Jones up there as well, Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks
Speaker 1: at linebacker, a bunch of good defensive backs as well.
Speaker 1: So I think this team is gonna be on the rise,
Speaker 1: a better Vikings team than they were a year ago.
Speaker 1: And then on offense, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson, I
Speaker 1: have to imagine this kind of Sean McVeigh level offense
Speaker 1: with Kirk Cousins on the boot, some naked action finding
Speaker 1: those guys and playing off the running game gonna be
Speaker 1: a tough, tough offense to stop. Similar system in terms
Speaker 1: of horizontal movement to play action boots. Could Miami possibly
Speaker 1: see what's coming having a better field for that system
Speaker 1: but also works both ways. Interesting matchup there for that reason.
Speaker 1: And then just how quickly does you know GM questy
Speaker 1: a Dopo Mensa's roster come together. It's always curious to
Speaker 1: see about how new coach, new GM's kind of put
Speaker 1: their roster together and how quickly acclimates. Always the case
Speaker 1: here with a new coach and a new GM Week
Speaker 1: seventeen Primetime Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home here
Speaker 1: at hard Rock Stadium. They were nine seven and one
Speaker 1: a year ago and lost in the a f C
Speaker 1: wild Card round. Had the twenty first rank scoring offense, ranks,
Speaker 1: scoring defense, and Mica Fitzpatrick's first game against the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1: That's that's one of the obviously headlines there. Who's the
Speaker 1: quarterback going to be? Will Kenny Pickett have taken the
Speaker 1: job by then? Will you start opening day? Will it
Speaker 1: be Mitch Drabinsky who gets his starting job or starting
Speaker 1: status back in the NFL back on track? And then
Speaker 1: you know they have so many weapons on the outside.
Speaker 1: I'm curious about George Pickens because this Steelers team has
Speaker 1: drafted receiver after receiver after receiver that has hit big time.
Speaker 1: Can they make him the next one to go? Along
Speaker 1: with Deonte Johnson and Chase Claypool. Really explosed weapons there,
Speaker 1: Pat Friars, Nag Harris, good looking offense, offensive line. Will
Speaker 1: see how far it comes. That was an area they
Speaker 1: tried to address last couple of years. They went after
Speaker 1: Mason Cole this offseason. Can those guys get up and going?
Speaker 1: And then Miles Jack and Carl Joseph and Levi Wallace
Speaker 1: on defense are some nice additions there as well. So
Speaker 1: this matchup. I'm looking at how the Dolphins can get
Speaker 1: get that front seven blocked, because we know what those
Speaker 1: guys can do in the rush game finding multiple bodies
Speaker 1: on t J. Watt. He is an absolute monster. Week
Speaker 1: number eight. We'll take our break after this one. The
Speaker 1: Detroit lines three and thirteen and one a year ago,
Speaker 1: twenty fifth ranked offense, twenty first rank defense. They've been
Speaker 1: patient at the quarterback position, didn't draft on the last
Speaker 1: couple of years, going full team ahead with Jared Goff
Speaker 1: into three season, and uh, will they do what they
Speaker 1: did a year ago so many times where they just
Speaker 1: took the air out of the ball and ran the
Speaker 1: football relentlessly and kind of helped develop Dan Campbell's culture
Speaker 1: there in Detroit as a team that's tough and once
Speaker 1: to get after you and bite your knee caps off,
Speaker 1: and man, they played hard for him, so you know
Speaker 1: they're gonna play hard against this Dolphins team as well.
Speaker 1: But I think Miami matches up well with their new
Speaker 1: strengths because they went out and got DJ Chark, they
Speaker 1: went out and drafted Jamison Williams. Miami obviously has the
Speaker 1: horses on the defensive backfield to help keep up there
Speaker 1: as well. They got Mike Hughes and de Shaun Elliott
Speaker 1: in the defensive backfield and Josh Pascal on the front
Speaker 1: in the draft as well. That team interesting game. They're
Speaker 1: on the road in Detroit, get to play indoors obviously,
Speaker 1: but we'll see if if it's a run heavy team,
Speaker 1: a past heavy team. I'm not really sure what that
Speaker 1: lines offense will look like this year. Jared Goff's production
Speaker 1: this year is he can kind of take that next
Speaker 1: step and really take hold of that lion's job. Be
Speaker 1: curious to see how that goes with they established the
Speaker 1: culture year ago. Will the wins follow this year? Hopefully
Speaker 1: not against our Miami Dolphins. Will find out Week number eight.
Speaker 1: All right, go ahead and take our break right here
Speaker 1: and come back and get to the rest of the
Speaker 1: schedule here on the schedule release edition of the Drivetime Podcast,
Speaker 1: your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nations.
Speaker 1: Keep on rolling here on the schedule release edition of
Speaker 1: the Drivetime Podcast. We pick it back up in week
Speaker 1: number nine. Chicago Bears, who were six and eleven a
Speaker 1: year ago, twenty seventh ranked offense, twenty two ranked scoring defense.
Speaker 1: New head coach Matt eber Flews new GM Ryan Poles.
Speaker 1: That means a new looking team there, and what can
Speaker 1: they do to build around Justin Fields and your number two?
Speaker 1: They really went defense in the draft and in free agency,
Speaker 1: and you know, I thought, what Fields does best is
Speaker 1: extending make plays and has a chance to be a
Speaker 1: really good quarterback with that. But also his on structure
Speaker 1: stuff is the Dolphins we talked for a long time
Speaker 1: about the struggles against running quarterbacks. Thought last year was
Speaker 1: really kind of a turning point for them in terms
Speaker 1: of how they defended those quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson. So
Speaker 1: can they do it again against a guy like Justin
Speaker 1: like a Justin like Justin Fields? I should say almost
Speaker 1: got that backwards there, but um, that's that's the big
Speaker 1: thing there. Then, Also, how do they protect Justin Fields
Speaker 1: because he took a lot of hits last year behind
Speaker 1: that offensive line they threw the ball a lot, or
Speaker 1: I should say ran the ball a lot early downs
Speaker 1: and put that offense in the third long situation. So
Speaker 1: a new offensive staff, they're a new really roster and
Speaker 1: team and just a new vision. Curiously, how that all
Speaker 1: comes together for the Miami Dolphins on the road in
Speaker 1: Chicago and week number nine, but taking a look at
Speaker 1: justin fields against this defense, it's kind of what I'm
Speaker 1: most curious about in that particular matchup week number ten
Speaker 1: against the Cleveland Browns eight nine last year offense. On defense,
Speaker 1: we know about Deshaun Wattson the big acquisition they made
Speaker 1: there also brought in Jacoby Brissette to see which one
Speaker 1: of those guys plays quarterback in this game. But a
Speaker 1: very talented team and a tough division, a tough conference
Speaker 1: who kind of pushed their chips in and can they
Speaker 1: get back to that team that was so effective and
Speaker 1: one one big games and found a way to get
Speaker 1: into the playoffs and win that first playoff game in
Speaker 1: a long time, and then one a bit of a
Speaker 1: step back. But Kevin Stefanski to Kevin Stefanski is gonna
Speaker 1: have those guys playing hard, kind of playing right. He's
Speaker 1: gonna have a good game plan for you. So you
Speaker 1: have to prepare for that that running game with Nick
Speaker 1: Chubb and Kareem Hunt and the Ernest Johnson, they have
Speaker 1: a pretty much brand new receiving corps. When they brought
Speaker 1: in a Marii Cooper for that trade from the Cowboys,
Speaker 1: bringing Jachem Grant as well, and also Donovan People's Jones
Speaker 1: and that receiving corps, so they have kind of changed
Speaker 1: that group. The offensive lineman's really really good. That's a
Speaker 1: that's a good on good matchup there in this game.
Speaker 1: Brown's offensive line Dolphins defensive line. We'll be I'll be
Speaker 1: curiously how this team comes together, you know, kind of
Speaker 1: a new piece, new quarterback there. Will he be able
Speaker 1: to come in right away and make an impact? And
Speaker 1: will they go more towards play a passing team than
Speaker 1: they were the running team the last couple of years
Speaker 1: or does it all kind of play off each other.
Speaker 1: I'm sure it does, But this is an interesting matchup
Speaker 1: here for both these teams. We gleven buy a week
Speaker 1: week number twelve, Houston Texans one o'clock kick off four
Speaker 1: and thirteen. Last year thirty ranked offense, seventh ranked defense.
Speaker 1: Sneaky good rivalry here, right. I mean, the Dolphins had
Speaker 1: issues with Houston up until about but have beaten them
Speaker 1: twice since then. And you know, the Larrymie Tonsil trade
Speaker 1: was really that's that's going to tie these teams together
Speaker 1: for a long time because a significant portion of Miami's
Speaker 1: roster in the top part of the roster. Waddle Hill
Speaker 1: Holland came from the Houston Texans trades. That's interesting that
Speaker 1: it's worked out that way. Now we'll get a chance
Speaker 1: to see tons All back here in Miami against the
Speaker 1: Dolphins for the first time since that trade. And they
Speaker 1: made a bunch of great trafhics. I was one of
Speaker 1: the best trafts this entire year with Derek Stingley, Kenyan Green,
Speaker 1: Jalen Petre and John Mechi. I think all four of
Speaker 1: those guys play significant snaps and play well in their
Speaker 1: rookie season. They got interesting receiving corps there with Brandon Cooks,
Speaker 1: who's one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL.
Speaker 1: And then I'm also curious about Davis Mills. Will he
Speaker 1: take hold of this job because the depth in that
Speaker 1: quarterback room is it's Kyle Allen and Jeff Driscoll, So
Speaker 1: they really kind of leaving Davis Mills there. How can
Speaker 1: he work for Lovey Smith, who's back in the head
Speaker 1: coaching chair. Will he go back to more of his
Speaker 1: Tampa two looked while he changed it up? Interesting to
Speaker 1: see how the Houston text and shake out this year.
Speaker 1: Week thirteen at the San Francisco forty nine against Kyle
Speaker 1: Shanahan and that team. They were tenant seven last year,
Speaker 1: lost in the NFC Championship game. Thirteen ranks scoring offense,
Speaker 1: twelve ranks scoring defense. And we know about the matchup
Speaker 1: there with with McDaniel going back to his old stomping grounds,
Speaker 1: John Embrey, West, Welker Raheem most are all those guys
Speaker 1: going back to their former team. But I'm more interested
Speaker 1: here in just the matchup and also talking about the
Speaker 1: Houston Texans trade. The Tray Lance trade kind of came
Speaker 1: about from the Miami Dolphins, and again that's how the
Speaker 1: Dolphins were able to get Wattle and Hill. There so
Speaker 1: more symmetry with regards of how both these teams were built.
Speaker 1: But Trey Lance, is he gonna be the guy? Are
Speaker 1: they gonna go to him? Is it gonna be Jimmy
Speaker 1: Garoppolo open or well? This week thirteen, but I would
Speaker 1: have to imagine by this time it's it's Trey Lance.
Speaker 1: But you never know. The Niners have had success with
Speaker 1: Jimmy Garoppolo. They know how to coach that team, they
Speaker 1: know how to play hard. They win a lot of
Speaker 1: football games. One of the better teams in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Is it gonna be Lance's offense? Is it gonna be
Speaker 1: Garoppolos is one question? And then also what does Deebo
Speaker 1: Samuel look like in that encore to that fantastic year
Speaker 1: he had a season ago. I'm sure he's a guy
Speaker 1: you have to game plan for. And I'm excited to
Speaker 1: see how the Dolphins defend a guy like Deebo Samuel,
Speaker 1: but also George Kittle and that strong running game defense
Speaker 1: will have their work cut out in that football game.
Speaker 1: Week fourteen, Los Angeles Chargers, and they're one of these
Speaker 1: twenty draft class matchups again like Week number four against
Speaker 1: Joke with Joe Burrow. Now justin Herbert, they were nine
Speaker 1: an eight a year ago, fifth ranked offense, twenty ninth
Speaker 1: ranked defense to have got The Dolphins won that first
Speaker 1: matchup against the Charges back in so this is the
Speaker 1: second matchup against those two. And then I'm curious see
Speaker 1: how this game plays out from a management standpoint, because
Speaker 1: we know Brandon Staley and that Chargers offense they're gonna
Speaker 1: go for it on fourth down as much as they
Speaker 1: possibly can. Went way more than anybody else last year
Speaker 1: had a bunch of success going for it on fourth down,
Speaker 1: and just looking at the Chargers roster like can they
Speaker 1: stay healthy? Because I mean they went out and added J. C.
Speaker 1: Jackson and Khalil Mack. What a great duo that was
Speaker 1: to add also got Sebastian Joseph Day and Ion Johnson
Speaker 1: and the draft class and Kyle van Noia and Troy
Speaker 1: Reader and Gerald Everett. They are just loaded, Justin Herbert,
Speaker 1: Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller, Joshua Kelly, I mean, Keenan Allen,
Speaker 1: Mike Williams, Jalen got Guiton, Josh Palmer. They're loaded. They're
Speaker 1: absolutely loaded. Can the offensive line kind of get get
Speaker 1: up to the level of the rest of the roster
Speaker 1: there in terms of the skill players and the quarterback
Speaker 1: in the running back position and make that offense hum
Speaker 1: like a top unit? They mean, there were fifth in
Speaker 1: the NFL last year. They could get even better with
Speaker 1: better protection, and we saw what Frank Smith was able
Speaker 1: to do for that offense in terms of their old
Speaker 1: line production from last year compared to twenty. Hopefully has
Speaker 1: the same impact here. But I'm curious to see how
Speaker 1: the Dolphins defend. Justin Herbert they did a great job
Speaker 1: on him in this rookie season. You're number three. Different
Speaker 1: story there. We'll see how they can defend him with
Speaker 1: mixing their coverage is getting some different hopefully some some
Speaker 1: mistakes made by by the quarterback and get some takeaways
Speaker 1: as a result. I'm also really curious see what the
Speaker 1: Chargers you know, surrounding games are on this one, because
Speaker 1: you know they have such a tough schedule. Excuse me
Speaker 1: against the a f C West. Is it sandwiched by
Speaker 1: the Broncos or by the Broncos Chiefs. If that's the case,
Speaker 1: maybe that's a game in between there. You catch him
Speaker 1: in a good time, So that's always how it goes
Speaker 1: in the schedule. It's not about who you play, it's
Speaker 1: when you play him. Right, Well, these these teams will
Speaker 1: look drastically different in week number fifteen than they do
Speaker 1: in Week number one, that's for sure. Week fifteen, Buffalo Bills,
Speaker 1: we already broke them down. Week sixteen, Green Bay Packers
Speaker 1: Christmas Day thirteen and four a year ago, lost in
Speaker 1: the Divisional round. Tenth ranked offense, fourteenth ranked defense, and
Speaker 1: Davante Adams. What does life look like without Davante Adams
Speaker 1: who steps up in his absence, Christian Watson, Alan Lazard,
Speaker 1: you know Randall Cobb is still there, a bunch of
Speaker 1: young guys not receiving corps and Aaron Rodgers has a
Speaker 1: way of moving that offense regardless of who's on that offense.
Speaker 1: But you also have to keep an eye off for
Speaker 1: that one to punch in the running game with with
Speaker 1: a j. Dillon and with Aaron Jones, two of the
Speaker 1: really good running backs in the NFL, And how do
Speaker 1: you play Rogers? Do you blitz him? Do you play coverage?
Speaker 1: Interesting matchup there. It could be a fun game of
Speaker 1: cat and mouse on Christmas Day as the Packers look
Speaker 1: to finish off another strong regular season here and the
Speaker 1: Dolphins hope to as well. Week seventeen Patriots broke them down.
Speaker 1: We eighteen New York Jets already broke them down as well.
Speaker 1: So that's your schedule. Check out Miami Dolphins dot com.
Speaker 1: I believe we have a five things piece about the
Speaker 1: schedule up there as well, so don't miss that. We're
Speaker 1: gonna have the U d F A podcast for you
Speaker 1: guys with Emery Hunt coming out on Monday, taking a
Speaker 1: look at all the rookies that are here this weekend
Speaker 1: for Rookie Mini Camp. Will have coverage of that on
Speaker 1: Twitter as well, so follow me on Twitter at Wingfield NFL.
Speaker 1: Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Go ahead and subscribe
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Speaker 1: Until next time, finds up Caroline Daddy. He's coming home
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