Speaker 1: Factors are Dolphins factor drawing Parker Textower. What a win
Speaker 1: for this Miami Dolphin team. Wow? What is up, Dolphans?
Speaker 1: And welcome to the Drivetime Podcast, part of the Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins official podcast network, covering your Miami Dolphins each and
Speaker 1: every day. How is it going to everybody? Good to
Speaker 1: be back. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and I
Speaker 1: am here to bring you your daily dose of Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins football. And on today's show, it's a busy one.
Speaker 1: We've got a hodgepodge of Dolphins news, NFL news, my
Speaker 1: trek across the country, the return of Major League Baseball,
Speaker 1: a major trade in the a f C East, a
Speaker 1: trade for your Miami Dolphins. And we kick off the
Speaker 1: training camp preview series by taking a look at the
Speaker 1: tight ends strap in as we have got a busy
Speaker 1: one for you here on this Monday, July edition of
Speaker 1: the Drive Time Podcast, our first official Drive Time podcast
Speaker 1: from South Florida. That's right, the Wingfields have taken our
Speaker 1: collective talents to South Beach and we are here, well,
Speaker 1: not quite in South Beach. We are staying in Hollywood
Speaker 1: before our move to Miramar next week. And I was
Speaker 1: a little bit terrified for that flight, a six hour
Speaker 1: flight with my two month old daughter, but she was
Speaker 1: an absolute trooper. Well, she slept the entire time, so
Speaker 1: at least she does that favor. And if there's one,
Speaker 1: like one single shot upshot of all of this, it's
Speaker 1: that flying is exponentially better just because I don't pack
Speaker 1: the plane full of passengers. We had our own row,
Speaker 1: which was very, very nice for a six hour flight,
Speaker 1: and we are really enjoying ourselves down here. So far.
Speaker 1: We've enjoyed the weather. We've gotten to go for a
Speaker 1: nice little family walks together in the morning, scoping out
Speaker 1: all the crazy wildlife. Saw some iguanas an alligator at
Speaker 1: one point. I've been forewarned about snakes, which are positively
Speaker 1: my greatest material fear and all of life, well second
Speaker 1: to maybe the dentist like a twelve year old, but
Speaker 1: those are my fears. My wife's fear down here is
Speaker 1: those gators, and we saw one on the side of
Speaker 1: the road off a Sheridan the other day, which prompted
Speaker 1: her to go do some research on the likelihood of
Speaker 1: gator attacks, and she essentially prepared what was what amounted
Speaker 1: to a power point presentation to give me all the
Speaker 1: facts about gators and attacks from alligators, like the chances
Speaker 1: of being attacked are one and two point four million.
Speaker 1: Did you know that? Well, now you do. And also
Speaker 1: how gators can outrun their prey, including humans, in a
Speaker 1: twenty foot sprint. So she's got those facts dialed in
Speaker 1: all avoid the snakes. She'll take care of the gator information.
Speaker 1: The wingfields are ready for South Florida. Now back to
Speaker 1: the flight. How great was it to see baseball back
Speaker 1: on our televisions and laptop screens? Oh, Live sports, How
Speaker 1: I have missed you so so very much. Nice to
Speaker 1: have sports on the social media timelines compared to bickering
Speaker 1: and fighting and division. The Mariners are back. They went
Speaker 1: one and two over the weekend. I was kind of
Speaker 1: hoping for oh and three because we're gonna be dreadful
Speaker 1: this year. We can't get anybody out with that bullpen
Speaker 1: or starting rotation. And I do think they are rebuilding
Speaker 1: this thing the right way in Seattle for what seems
Speaker 1: like the first time in two decades. I kind of
Speaker 1: want my Bryce Harper or my Carlos Korea, So I
Speaker 1: kind of want to lose a bunch of games, and
Speaker 1: the guy I'm positively stoked about is outfielder Kyle Lewis
Speaker 1: couple of homers in the opening series game winning single
Speaker 1: in the one victory over the Astros. He can use
Speaker 1: all fields with power, he can play all three outfield spots,
Speaker 1: and it's just so refreshing to have a young slugger
Speaker 1: that can handle the bat the way he does. For
Speaker 1: the Mariners. It's always been false hope with guys in
Speaker 1: their late twenties or maybe even their thirties, with like
Speaker 1: a one month surge of production from a guy like
Speaker 1: a day Ho Lee, for instance, who could never hit
Speaker 1: a curveball, but because guys were throwing him fastballs and
Speaker 1: he produced early, fans got excited. But then the Pedro
Speaker 1: Serrono curse came to life, like in month number two.
Speaker 1: The guys that you just know are not going to
Speaker 1: sustain that level of initial success. That is not Kyle Lewis,
Speaker 1: and I am here for it. But how about that
Speaker 1: season opening game. I had a terrible stream on the airplane,
Speaker 1: but I was so grateful to see it that I
Speaker 1: just didn't care that much. And that Yankees Nationals opener
Speaker 1: had the best regular season Major League Baseball ratings for
Speaker 1: a game, a regular season game since two thousand eleven,
Speaker 1: and I think you can probably project similar results to
Speaker 1: the other sports league starting back up here soon, especially
Speaker 1: as we get close to the start of America's second
Speaker 1: most popular sport in basketball, and then of course the
Speaker 1: king in the NFL. And with that, let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and talk about some news. The Dolphins have been active
Speaker 1: the last few days, trimming the roster down to eighty
Speaker 1: three players. The Dolphins released Jake Rudoc the quarterback receiver,
Speaker 1: Ricardo Lewis, an undrafted defensive lineman Ray Lee who actually
Speaker 1: was reported that he decided to retire his football career
Speaker 1: before it began, and Edges, Avery Moss and Trent Harris
Speaker 1: now Ruddock, Lima and Lewis never played a regular season
Speaker 1: down for the Dolphins, while Harris and Moss last year
Speaker 1: combined for more than six hundred snaps on that defense.
Speaker 1: And this goes back to the theory of always churning
Speaker 1: the bottom of the roster. There was a great segment
Speaker 1: on my favorite podcast once again, as it seems to
Speaker 1: be referenced this podcast once a week here on Drive
Speaker 1: Time to Move the Sticks podcast and how Daniel Jeremiah
Speaker 1: and Bucky Brooks had this idea about taking advantage of
Speaker 1: the sixteen man proposed practice squad idea this year and
Speaker 1: churning over that part of the roster so you can
Speaker 1: bring in new guys to get a look at some
Speaker 1: fresh bodies and try some guys out for some in
Speaker 1: house workouts over the course of the season. And I
Speaker 1: think back to the Seattle Seahawks more than anybody else.
Speaker 1: More on them here in just one minute, but when
Speaker 1: they first hired Pete Carroll and John Schneider, they were
Speaker 1: doing that. They led the league in transactions that first year.
Speaker 1: The Dolphins led the league in transactions last year. And
Speaker 1: these coaches, these Dolphins coaches, they had a full year's
Speaker 1: look at these guys, and I trust that they know
Speaker 1: what types of players they are, what types of players
Speaker 1: they want, And maybe you want to get a better
Speaker 1: look at guys you just have not seen yet. Maybe
Speaker 1: in a year with O T. A. S your opinion
Speaker 1: can be swayed by what you saw in April and
Speaker 1: May and June. But I do recall Brian Flora's last
Speaker 1: training camp with some of his media availability talking about how,
Speaker 1: for the most part, you know what types of players
Speaker 1: you have in your building because you've done the leg work,
Speaker 1: the pre work on those guys in the scouting process
Speaker 1: before you bring them in. But this all just makes
Speaker 1: sense to get a look at people that you brought in,
Speaker 1: like a guy you might want to see that hasn't
Speaker 1: been on the field in a Miami Dolphins uniform, like
Speaker 1: just for instance, at that same position, undrafted free agent
Speaker 1: Tyshan Render, what can he do? For instance, we know
Speaker 1: Brian Flores is going to be active in his own
Speaker 1: research and checking out players that he can bring into
Speaker 1: improve this roster. And I just look at this as
Speaker 1: another step, another stepping own and taking care of that
Speaker 1: process and going forward with that mindset. And so we
Speaker 1: have training camp slated to begin tomorrow on with some
Speaker 1: significant revisions to the usual schedule. I'll go ahead and
Speaker 1: wait until we have a concrete outline before we dive
Speaker 1: into that. But for now, one last bit of NFL
Speaker 1: news before we dive into the Adam Shaheen trade and
Speaker 1: the camp preview for his position. The tight ends Jamal Adams,
Speaker 1: Jets safety number six overall pick, is now out of
Speaker 1: the division. They send the all pro safety to Seattle.
Speaker 1: The Jets get back a pair of first round draft picks,
Speaker 1: a third round draft pick, and Bradley McDougald, the seahawks
Speaker 1: former safety, and the Seahawks get the All Pro safety
Speaker 1: and a fourth round draft pick. Now, that is some
Speaker 1: really nice draft compensation there for the Jets. You can't
Speaker 1: argue with getting two first round picks. That's the cost
Speaker 1: of business for some of the big time players in
Speaker 1: this league. Jalen Ramsey, Laramie Tunzel. We saw it with
Speaker 1: Khalil Mack going to the Chicago Bears. So the Jets
Speaker 1: do well to get that maximum trade compensation back in
Speaker 1: their direction. But who can say they're not glad that
Speaker 1: that dude is out of the a f C East,
Speaker 1: out of the conference altogether. He's an absolute monster and
Speaker 1: a perfect fit for that Seattle defense. We talked about
Speaker 1: this on the No the Enemy podcast and the article
Speaker 1: up on Miami Dolphins dot com taking a look at
Speaker 1: the Seattle Seahawks. How Seattle built up that defense around
Speaker 1: Pete carroll scheme, Pete Carroll's idea of what defense looks
Speaker 1: like and that Cover three's coverage scheme on the back end,
Speaker 1: and one of the key roles during those four consecutive
Speaker 1: seasons they had as the NFL's top ranked defense. Was
Speaker 1: Cam Chancellor playing in that buzz slash force role and
Speaker 1: if you want to think about what that might mean,
Speaker 1: it's a little bit of a Rashad Jones role from
Speaker 1: his peak. What was in that range for your Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins recalled that pick six against the Titans and I
Speaker 1: think it was the first Dan Campbell game. That's what
Speaker 1: a buzz looks like. You can basically make your read
Speaker 1: from that. Asian playing a quasi linebacker role, you come down,
Speaker 1: pick off the backside crossing route, maybe you step in
Speaker 1: front of a front side stick route right in front
Speaker 1: of you, and you can also act as the force
Speaker 1: run defender. Plenty of sea gap penetration there, as we
Speaker 1: saw Rashad do for so many years playing outside the
Speaker 1: tackle and run support and man, Jamal Adams is the
Speaker 1: very best in the business at just that. I think
Speaker 1: he and Derwin James, for my money, are step for
Speaker 1: step in terms of which guy is the best safety
Speaker 1: in the NFL. Think Derwin James gives you a little
Speaker 1: bit more pass rush and that type of thing, but
Speaker 1: those guys can both make an argument for best box
Speaker 1: safety in the NFL, and he gives the Seahawks a
Speaker 1: major shot in the arm. That way, so instinctive, so
Speaker 1: active and always around the football, A great get for Seattle.
Speaker 1: I'm glad that he's gone. And how funny is it
Speaker 1: that literally the last podcast we did here on Drive Time,
Speaker 1: I told you guys, I grew up with the mentality
Speaker 1: and grained in me to root against the Seattle Seahawks. Well,
Speaker 1: that's gonna have to go out the window now, because
Speaker 1: Seattle should be all of our collective second favorite team
Speaker 1: this year as well as one so as to knock
Speaker 1: those draft picks down the first round, a little bit
Speaker 1: down the rung into the late twenties, hopefully for division
Speaker 1: rival in New York at the bottom of that first round.
Speaker 1: Now another trade here in the news, and this one
Speaker 1: is even closer to the Miami Dolphins. It is the
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins, as it has been reported that a conditional
Speaker 1: seventh round draft pick is going to be sent to
Speaker 1: the Chicago Bears. And we'll get you updated on a
Speaker 1: future podcast just as soon as we know the conditions
Speaker 1: for former second round draft pick Adam Shaheen out of
Speaker 1: Ashland University. The tight end formally of the Chicago Bears
Speaker 1: and with Shaheen, let's go ahead and make yet another
Speaker 1: move the Sticks reference. They did a podcast back in
Speaker 1: like I think it was, where they talked to Chris Greer,
Speaker 1: Dolphins general manager, and he describes some prototypes the Dolphins
Speaker 1: like in terms of what players they look for for
Speaker 1: their scouting staff and players they want to bring in.
Speaker 1: And Chris Greer has a specific prototype that he prefers,
Speaker 1: but he also mentioned that you can also spanned your
Speaker 1: beliefs and your prototypes to accommodate certain players. So Chris
Speaker 1: Greer is both flexible that way, but also knows what
Speaker 1: kind of player he wants to bring to the Miami Dolphins,
Speaker 1: and we've seen the Dolphins stay true to that, especially
Speaker 1: since Brian Flora's arrived with the size slash athleticism combination players.
Speaker 1: For instance, to even go back to last year, some
Speaker 1: of those acquisitions from the a A F like Jared
Speaker 1: Jones Smith was a guy who was just an absolute
Speaker 1: mammoth of a human being with an impressive wingspan, good
Speaker 1: movement skills, and you know what, maybe it doesn't always
Speaker 1: work out, but that's how this entire process, this entire
Speaker 1: sport works right, You'll have a certain amount of resources allocated.
Speaker 1: You weigh risk versus reward, You pick your spots, and
Speaker 1: you hope the coaching staff can get the most out
Speaker 1: of a player's potential talent. And with Shahem, that's exactly
Speaker 1: what you've got here in Miami. His passing game production
Speaker 1: in Chicago, I'm sure isn't what he or the Bears
Speaker 1: had expected through the first three years. Twenty six catches,
Speaker 1: four touchdowns, two d forty nine yards. He's this sometime
Speaker 1: during his three years there, and it's contributed to some
Speaker 1: mixed usage in terms of where he lines up, what
Speaker 1: he's asked to do, so on and so forth. And
Speaker 1: now he'll get a fresh start with your Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1: And that's where we kick off the Miami Dolphins training
Speaker 1: camp preview here as we are just one day away
Speaker 1: from the team reporting to training camp. Of course, the
Speaker 1: schedule different this year. We'll talk about that on a
Speaker 1: future podcast. Let's go ahead and start here with the
Speaker 1: tight ends. And first before we do that, my goodness,
Speaker 1: I love doing these, diving into the Dolphins roster in depth,
Speaker 1: getting a good look at what each player offers, what
Speaker 1: the upside is there taking the overall temperature of the room,
Speaker 1: and that's what we'll do here in general for the
Speaker 1: tight ends. George Godzi is your position coach there, and
Speaker 1: you look at the construction of the tight end room
Speaker 1: and you basically have what amounts to a bunch of
Speaker 1: guys that can really possibly compliment Mike Gasicki, who really
Speaker 1: came on strong last year in your number two as
Speaker 1: a professional. The builds and the acup of these players
Speaker 1: that are trying to compete for playing time at tight end,
Speaker 1: they seem to really complement Mike Gasicki and his ability
Speaker 1: to make you flexible from multiple personnel packages. And when
Speaker 1: I talk about that, I'm looking at like, for instance,
Speaker 1: eleven personnel, one back, one tight end, three receivers. But
Speaker 1: because Mike Gasicki is so flexible and can play slot,
Speaker 1: he can split out wide, he can play in the backfield,
Speaker 1: he can line up in line, you can basically have
Speaker 1: a substitution package without substituting on the play, which forces
Speaker 1: the defense to stay in the same formation they are
Speaker 1: in and then you're able to adjust your formation. Maybe
Speaker 1: you go tempo and the defense can't change. There is
Speaker 1: because you didn't make any substitutions, and they won't have
Speaker 1: time to make theirs either, and so we'll see how
Speaker 1: chan Gailey wants to call it. He's used conversion players
Speaker 1: at tight end before, like Quincy and Noon Law for instance,
Speaker 1: with the Jets as his tight end. He's gone without
Speaker 1: tight ends altogether for the most part in some spread offenses.
Speaker 1: And I think that's the most intriguing part about this
Speaker 1: team this year for me. What does this offense look like?
Speaker 1: What does it want to be From an identity standpoint,
Speaker 1: I have my thoughts and my ideas. I certainly think
Speaker 1: this team could be dangerous in the R P O game,
Speaker 1: for instance, which requires quick decision making at the quarterback spot,
Speaker 1: quick processing, replacing the blitzer blitzing defenders with the football.
Speaker 1: It's basically the football equivalent of you've got to hit
Speaker 1: it where they ain't. So that tight end spot is
Speaker 1: the source of some real flexibility and an offense and
Speaker 1: a team that wants to be flexible, and that serves
Speaker 1: as a great segue into the type of player that
Speaker 1: new Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen is at that position.
Speaker 1: And I do think Shaheen could serve as a compliment
Speaker 1: to Mike Kasicki because he can do some things as
Speaker 1: an inline blocker and kind of toughen you up inside
Speaker 1: that way, but he also features a lot of athletic
Speaker 1: ability and also downfield receiving ability run after the catch.
Speaker 1: He kind of has the entire package, just has to
Speaker 1: find a way to put it all together. As he
Speaker 1: gets here to Miami and we go over to the
Speaker 1: r a S, the Relative Athletics scorecard, I always up
Speaker 1: to start there when taking a look at a new
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins player. This is courtesy of Kent Platt. He's
Speaker 1: done these things dating back to nineteen eighty seven. I
Speaker 1: don't think he did it back then, but he went
Speaker 1: that far back and tracked every single player at the
Speaker 1: combine since nineteen eighty seven and groups them into these rankings,
Speaker 1: taking a total scorecard from their height, their weight, their speed,
Speaker 1: their vertical jump, their broad jump, everything you do with
Speaker 1: the combine. He collects it into one score and Shaheen
Speaker 1: ranked among the four hundred and sixty three tight ends
Speaker 1: that he measured on the r a S since nineteen
Speaker 1: eighty seven. This guy is a small school product from
Speaker 1: Ashland University and he really emerged onto the scene during
Speaker 1: the run up to seventeen draft. With that combine, workout
Speaker 1: scouts noted his movement ability paired with a six ft
Speaker 1: six frame two hundred and seventy eight pounds, he caught
Speaker 1: scouts eyes in Indianapolis, like, for instance, NFL Networks Daniel Jeremiah,
Speaker 1: his third reference of this podcast, who compared Shaheen's movement
Speaker 1: and run after the catch ability to Kansas Cities Travis Kelsey.
Speaker 1: He even called him Baby Gronk at one point, so
Speaker 1: Jeremiah loved him from Adam Shaheen coming out of the draft.
Speaker 1: He also noted the rarity of Shaheen's size speed combination
Speaker 1: on his draft report. He also mentioned Shaheen's movement ability
Speaker 1: has a similar vibe to that of a wide receiver
Speaker 1: at two hundred and seventy seven pounds. No less, and
Speaker 1: Shaheen's college career began, of course, on the hardwood, which
Speaker 1: makes sense for how he moved so well. He was
Speaker 1: a basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
Speaker 1: He transferred to Ashland and walked onto the football team there.
Speaker 1: At Ashland, Shaheen caught one nine passes for one thousand,
Speaker 1: seven hundred and fifty five yards and twenty six touchdowns,
Speaker 1: a good touchdown percentage there in terms of catches per touchdown.
Speaker 1: NFL dot COM's lanzerline echo Jeremiah's thoughts and his pre
Speaker 1: draft report on Shaheen, saying, quote, he's big, he's fast,
Speaker 1: and he's tough after the catch. Who doesn't want that?
Speaker 1: When you watch him dominate his level of competition, it's
Speaker 1: easy to get excited about the potential result if size
Speaker 1: and athleticism translates to the next level end quote. And
Speaker 1: since that time, Shaheen has dropped some weight. He checked
Speaker 1: in last year on the Chicago Bears official website in
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen at two hundred and fifty seven pounds, so
Speaker 1: down about twenty pounds, and there was a story up
Speaker 1: on CBS sports dot Com last summer that Shaheen dropped
Speaker 1: the weight to improve his flexibility and core strength. Now
Speaker 1: you know, on this podcast, we love getting into the analytics,
Speaker 1: the nitty gritty, the metrics, and I love talking about
Speaker 1: player usage and how this all kind of formulates together.
Speaker 1: With the Dolphins tight end room, Mike Kasicki came on
Speaker 1: strong and his second year last year with the Dolphins,
Speaker 1: he led Miami and snaps played with seven hundred and
Speaker 1: one offensive snaps. That was six of the offensive snaps.
Speaker 1: Durham Smith was second with four hundred and eighty two
Speaker 1: snaps that's forty four point seven, while former Dolphins Nico
Speaker 1: Larry and Clive Walford both played less than one hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty snaps on the year. But playing in eight
Speaker 1: games for the Bears last year, Shaheen played one hundred
Speaker 1: and seventy four offensive snaps and a Worring to Pro
Speaker 1: Football Focus, he was in line, which means attached to
Speaker 1: the line of scamage outside either tackle for one and
Speaker 1: ten of those one hundred and seventy four snaps. He
Speaker 1: was out wide as a receiver thirty one snaps and
Speaker 1: in the slot as a receiver for twenty seven of
Speaker 1: those snaps. He was also considered an offensive lineman for
Speaker 1: four snaps and in the backfield for two Bears plays.
Speaker 1: Last year, he was praised for his ability in college
Speaker 1: to latch on as a blocker and displaced defenders in
Speaker 1: the run game. There at Ashland, one of the primary
Speaker 1: functions of an inline tight end is playing that head
Speaker 1: up football blocking down in the running game, and in
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, Shaheen was in line for sixty five point
Speaker 1: five percent of his snaps, which of course compares to
Speaker 1: Mike Asiki being in line for twenty two point seven
Speaker 1: percent of his snaps and Durham Smith a lot closer,
Speaker 1: actually even more than Shaheen with seventy eight and a
Speaker 1: half percent of his snaps in line in ten. So
Speaker 1: it tells you about the players the Dolphins have in
Speaker 1: terms of where they're lined up, where they might be
Speaker 1: used this season and beyond and tie it ends are
Speaker 1: typically prominent fixtures on special teams as well, especially guys
Speaker 1: that make up the second and third tight end spots
Speaker 1: on the roster, and Shaheen offers that for the Dolphins
Speaker 1: as well. During his twenty seventeen rookie campaign, Shaheen played
Speaker 1: a career high three hundred and eighty eight snaps, including
Speaker 1: one hundred and forty nine as a special teamer. He
Speaker 1: joins Gisicki, Smyth free agent signing, Michael Roberts, practice squad
Speaker 1: member from last year, Chris Myrick, and of course undrafted
Speaker 1: rookie this year, Bryce Stirk. And we'll go ahead and
Speaker 1: turn now and break down the rest of these Dolphins
Speaker 1: tight ends Adam Shaheen joining them in the tight end room.
Speaker 1: This year, we start with a fellow prominent inline blocking
Speaker 1: tight end and Durham Smith, who has two years of service.
Speaker 1: This is his third now in Miami, Jersey, number eighty
Speaker 1: one went to Notre Dame. He's gonna be twenty five
Speaker 1: point oh on opening day and he has two years
Speaker 1: left on that rookie deal and going off of his
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen utilization, there was very little mystery about the
Speaker 1: type of player the Dolphins beliefs Smythe to be again
Speaker 1: on the field. Fort of the Dolphins plays seventy eight
Speaker 1: and a half of those in line reps and he
Speaker 1: was near that four eight times. Shaheen ran a four
Speaker 1: seven nine Smythe round four eight one forty time. And
Speaker 1: he really excelled in college in Notre Dame's run heavy system.
Speaker 1: He was a beast on tape blocking guys and moving
Speaker 1: him off the football. He's also sprung some pretty big
Speaker 1: runs here for the Miami Dolphins. You go back to
Speaker 1: the game against the Patriots. I recall this like it
Speaker 1: was yesterday. He sprung a huge hole on that Brandon
Speaker 1: Bold and long touchdown run in that game. He too,
Speaker 1: was regularly called upon as a pass catcher in college,
Speaker 1: he had just twenty eight catches in his four years there,
Speaker 1: and his professional development or deployment rather has been similar.
Speaker 1: Thirteen catches in two years, but he surrendered just five
Speaker 1: quarterback pressures on one and thirty two pass blocking reps
Speaker 1: over his two year span. His run blocking grade last
Speaker 1: year improved by more than eleven points on Pro Football
Speaker 1: Focus from his rookie year to year number two and
Speaker 1: if anyone's going to beat Smyth for number two tight
Speaker 1: end duties as he was last year, they're gonna have
Speaker 1: to prove they're worth On special teams. Smith was second
Speaker 1: on the Dolphins last year and special teams tackles for
Speaker 1: Danny Croftsman's unit. He played four hundred and seventy three
Speaker 1: snaps as a special teamer since his rookie season. And
Speaker 1: here's a good quote from George Godsey, Dolphins tight ends coach,
Speaker 1: who praised Smith's improvement on the field, in the weight
Speaker 1: room and excelling in the role that was asked of him.
Speaker 1: This from a December three media availability from God's see quote.
Speaker 1: This year, Smice put on i'd say twenty pounds from
Speaker 1: the end of last year, so that's helped him. He's
Speaker 1: understanding the offense. He does a great job with his
Speaker 1: details and knowing the assignments. There haven't been many missed assignments.
Speaker 1: That gives him a start. And then for as far
Speaker 1: as executing at the point of attack, a lot of
Speaker 1: times the runs are directed at him, so it's either
Speaker 1: point of attack blocks, sometimes pulling, sometimes cutting off the backside.
Speaker 1: He's had multiple assignments and he's performed well throughout the
Speaker 1: year end quote, and that kind of goes back to
Speaker 1: this idea about how much of a role tight ends
Speaker 1: have on the offense. They really have to learn the
Speaker 1: most of the offense aside from the quarterback, because they
Speaker 1: have to stay in in block, they have to learn
Speaker 1: pass protection assignments, they have to stay in for run blocking.
Speaker 1: They have to be able to flex out and run
Speaker 1: routes as a receiver. So the fact that Smith and
Speaker 1: Gisiki are both growing and getting better in year two
Speaker 1: and in year three, that's a positive sign for those
Speaker 1: guys because tight end, as everyone knows, is a tough
Speaker 1: tough position to come in and learn right away. In
Speaker 1: your number one, so your number three for Smith and
Speaker 1: Gisicky should get some more improvement based upon based upon
Speaker 1: those past two years. Another guy I like in this
Speaker 1: room is Chris Myrick. First year of service last year.
Speaker 1: This is going to be a second year with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1: He wears jersey number eighty five. He went to Temple
Speaker 1: Temple tough kid opening day age of twenty four point
Speaker 1: nine years old, and he has two years left on
Speaker 1: that undrafted rookie deal. He really embodies what the Owl's
Speaker 1: football program was there at Temple Toughness. We know Brian
Speaker 1: Flores loves that word, and his collegiate production came primarily
Speaker 1: like Derham Smith, as an inline blocker. He averaged one
Speaker 1: point one catches per game in college, but he earned
Speaker 1: a spot on the twenty nine team practice squad doing
Speaker 1: large part of some work in the running game, but
Speaker 1: he also emerged as a pass catcher with a very
Speaker 1: strong camp and made some big time plays as a
Speaker 1: member of the third team offense during training camp and
Speaker 1: showing his worth uprooting defenders off the edge of the
Speaker 1: formation in the running game as well. He goes six
Speaker 1: ft five fifty pounds and his work in practice last
Speaker 1: summer really translated into game day production during the preseason.
Speaker 1: He caught all eight of his exhibition targets, went for
Speaker 1: one hundred two yards on those eight catches, and moved
Speaker 1: the change six times on those eight catches. He concluded
Speaker 1: the preseason with strong marks across the board and Pro
Speaker 1: Football Focuses grading system. He posted an overall eighty nine
Speaker 1: point six offensive grade that actually led all Dolphins offensive
Speaker 1: players last year. In the preseason, George Gatzi had this
Speaker 1: to say about Myrick's attitude and work habits during last
Speaker 1: year's training camp. Quote, he took advantage of his reps.
Speaker 1: He did well in the run phase, did well in
Speaker 1: the passing phase, as you saw in that last game,
Speaker 1: referring to the six catch game he had in the
Speaker 1: fourth preseason game. I like the way his attitude is.
Speaker 1: He comes into work, doesn't say much, as pretty much
Speaker 1: most of the rookie shouldn't say a lot. He learns
Speaker 1: from the veterans and then goes out there and gives
Speaker 1: it the best he can. He's a great effort player too.
Speaker 1: When you can bind all of that together, that's really
Speaker 1: where we made the most. Where he made the most
Speaker 1: of his opportunity and quote and like Smith, and like
Speaker 1: Shaheen Meyrick right there with a four point eight one
Speaker 1: forty yard forty yard dash time at Temple's pro day
Speaker 1: and twenty nine team he put up twenty three bench
Speaker 1: reps and had a thirty two and a half inch
Speaker 1: vertical up next here, going in order of jersey number
Speaker 1: for the Miami Dolphins tight end room undrafted rookie this year,
Speaker 1: Bryce Stirk, You'll see him at number eighty seven out there.
Speaker 1: Montana State product. He is twenty three years old on
Speaker 1: opening day. It's got three years left on that contract.
Speaker 1: Miami's lone rookie in this tight end room is going
Speaker 1: to attempt to convert from the defensive side of the
Speaker 1: ball to the tight end position as a pro. He's
Speaker 1: a former high school tight end. Stirks college career began
Speaker 1: at the University of Washington and ended with All American
Speaker 1: production at Montana State. He was six and FCS last
Speaker 1: year in sacks and first and tackles for lost. In fact,
Speaker 1: he made thirty seven tackles for loss in a two
Speaker 1: year span there with the Bobcats. Hard work as a
Speaker 1: staple of Brian Flores's Dolphins roster, and that's exactly where
Speaker 1: Stirk will have to shine to successfully make the transition
Speaker 1: back to the offense. He has a great story up
Speaker 1: on the Bozeman Daily Chronicle where he detailed his workouts
Speaker 1: in preparation for his pro day and how much work
Speaker 1: he put him to getting ready to play either side
Speaker 1: of the ball this run up to the draft. And
Speaker 1: up next in order of jersey number, we go to
Speaker 1: Mike Gassicki, who broke out last year in a big
Speaker 1: way down the stretch. He's got two years in the NFL,
Speaker 1: entering his third with the Miami Dolphins. You know what
Speaker 1: number he wears, number eight, Penn State product, twenty four
Speaker 1: point nine years old on opening Day. He's got two
Speaker 1: years left on that rookie contract. And again, I think
Speaker 1: few players shine brighter on this roster last year than
Speaker 1: Mike Gassicki during that five and four finish to the season.
Speaker 1: A former college vaul lleyball player who specializes in out
Speaker 1: leaping and out rebounding opponents, became a true red zone
Speaker 1: threat down the stretch and an explosive playmaker in this
Speaker 1: Miami passing offense. He tied for seventh and touchdowns with
Speaker 1: five and twelve in receiving yards with five hundred and
Speaker 1: seventy yards among tight ends last year in the NFL,
Speaker 1: and as things started to change for this twenty nineteen
Speaker 1: Dolphins team. The same was true of Gassicky. From that
Speaker 1: Week six game against Washington to the finale in New
Speaker 1: England Week seventeen, Gassicki was fourth among tight ends and
Speaker 1: touchdowns and tenth in receiving yards and Dolphins tight ends.
Speaker 1: Coach George Gotzi highlights some improvements that Gascki made from
Speaker 1: his rookie year up to year number two on that
Speaker 1: same December the third media availability last year, talking about
Speaker 1: Durham Smith, but he had this to say about Gascki. Quote,
Speaker 1: at for any first year player is going to go
Speaker 1: through some bumps the first year. Just showing him the
Speaker 1: tape that we could get better at releases, we could
Speaker 1: get better at route stems, we could get better at
Speaker 1: the top of the route. We can communicate better with
Speaker 1: our teammates the quarter of a specifically, we can catch
Speaker 1: the ball more before and after practice. To his credit,
Speaker 1: he's accepted all of that. He's worked hard, He's taken
Speaker 1: countless reps in practice to improve his traits. I'm happy
Speaker 1: he's able to go out there and perform and quote,
Speaker 1: and Gassicki's usage and production are that of a souped
Speaker 1: up wide receiver. Of those seven hundred one snaps he
Speaker 1: played last year, four hundred sixty one came inside from
Speaker 1: the slot, seventy eight flexed out wide as a perimeter player,
Speaker 1: and he was fourth among all tight ends in the
Speaker 1: NFL and slot yardage production with three two yards from
Speaker 1: that position and third and touchdowns according to Pro Football
Speaker 1: Focus with three touchdowns from the slot and of course
Speaker 1: no touchdown was bigger than Gassick's game winner in that
Speaker 1: week seventeen victory over the rival Patriots. His dual functionality
Speaker 1: we talked about this really perpetuates Miami's preference to play
Speaker 1: fast and feature an offense that has multiple looks on
Speaker 1: the offense. This guy is a physical marvel six ft
Speaker 1: six and absolute weapon with a forty one and a
Speaker 1: half inch vertical and a four point five four forty
Speaker 1: time just blowing the doors off the combine back in ten.
Speaker 1: He allows Miami again to seamlessly transition from a variety
Speaker 1: of personnel groupings on offense. Finally, one quick change to
Speaker 1: the roster here as we're going to go over the
Speaker 1: final tight end on the roster, but it has been
Speaker 1: announced on Monday afternoon the Dolphins have cut tight end
Speaker 1: Michael Roberts, so they'll go forward into camp with Shaheen
Speaker 1: on the roster now and Michael Roberts now has been
Speaker 1: cut from the Dolphins roster, bringing the roster tolled down
Speaker 1: to eighty two players. On this Monday edition July of
Speaker 1: the Drive Time Podcast, as the Dolphins have a new
Speaker 1: looking tight end room to go along with Gassicki and
Speaker 1: Smythe this year, some new additions there to hopefully get
Speaker 1: even more production out of the tight end position with Stirk, Shaheen, Gasicki, Myrick,
Speaker 1: and of course Durham Smythe. As we'll get a look
Speaker 1: at all of these players and all of the Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins players and training camp coming up next month in
Speaker 1: the month of August. Football is almost back. It's almost
Speaker 1: here and gonna get you guys prep for training camp
Speaker 1: here on the Drivetime Podcast, taking a look a deep
Speaker 1: dive at each position on this Miami Dolphins roster. Before
Speaker 1: I get out of here today, I want to make
Speaker 1: a few quick takes, a few quick notes on a
Speaker 1: very very popular comedy show here in America. I've been
Speaker 1: watching The Office a lot, been playing it on Comedy
Speaker 1: Central almost every single day. I have a few takes
Speaker 1: here I want to run by you guys. First. The
Speaker 1: best episode is the Coup the Crentice, the dentist scene
Speaker 1: between Dwight and Michael, when Dwight tries to go behind
Speaker 1: Michael's back and take his job from jam and then
Speaker 1: Michael finds out about it and tries to play coy
Speaker 1: and gives Dwight the eminem's and then checks his mouth
Speaker 1: for that crown. Absolutely hilarious, and I think Rain Wilson
Speaker 1: is an underrated actor. He does so good in that
Speaker 1: show of playing that character. It's a perfect character for
Speaker 1: that actor. Speaking of a perfect character, I don't think
Speaker 1: he's a perfect character, but I think that's why I
Speaker 1: like him so much. Ryan is my favorite character. Is
Speaker 1: that weird of me? Does that make me crazy? That's
Speaker 1: just how I feel. I think season three is the
Speaker 1: best season on the Office, and a runner up for
Speaker 1: best scene is when Ryan and Stanley go on the
Speaker 1: sales call together and Ryan asks Stanley to take the lead.
Speaker 1: Stanley kindly obliges, and then they get to the office
Speaker 1: and Ryan goes blank trying to sell the pitch to
Speaker 1: all of Stanley's friends, and Stanley cannot quit laughing about
Speaker 1: the hilarity of the entire situation. Tell me how bad
Speaker 1: my office takes, all right? Know a lot of folks
Speaker 1: will not agree with those office takes. And one quick
Speaker 1: apology here for some maybe shaky sound quality. I don't
Speaker 1: have the best set up yet in the airbnb we
Speaker 1: are in, but hopefully we get that all ironed out
Speaker 1: here very soon. In the meantime, you all please remember
Speaker 1: to subscribe to the Drivetime podcast on Apple, podcast, Spotify,
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast from. Go ahead and subscribe,
Speaker 1: rate and review the show. Give me a follow on Twitter.
Speaker 1: It's at Wingfield, NFL fall the Dolphins at Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1: Check out the fish Tank and the audible podcast, and
Speaker 1: of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up.