WEBVTT - Drive Time - Dolphins Patriots Week 1 Preview 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:07.440 Fractors were dolphinsafor Grot touchdown? What a win for this 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:12.960 Miami Dolphin team. Wow me? What is up? Dolphans? And 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:16.960 welcome to the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami 0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:22.040 Dolphins official podcast network, covering your Miami Dolphins each and 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:26.240 every day. How's it going everybody? It is Thursday. I 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.159 am your host, Travis Wingfield, and I am here to 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.559 bring you your daily dose of Miami Dolphins football. And 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:37.400 on today's show, I'm just gonna be honest, whoa it is? 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:41.840 Football season tonight? Baby? I mean, doesn't that December trip 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.960 to Foxboro feel like it was twentysomething years ago? We've 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:48.279 got Chiefs Texans tonight on your television, but we are 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.519 focused on Dolphins and Patriots on Sunday. We're gonna hear 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.840 from coach some players, update, the injuries, and in between 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:58.280 all of that. Really get into the weeds on this game. 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:02.600 All of that and more this Thursday, September tenth edition 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:09.479 of the Drive Time Podcast. Season opening game is always 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:13.080 a tradition unlike any other, and I continue that tradition 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:16.520 of saying the home team finds victory. You just don't 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.440 go against the defending champs, raising the banner in their 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:22.600 own building on opening night. Not to mention, we do 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:27.119 own the Texans first and second round draft picks, so 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:30.720 technically a loss on Thursday from Houston puts those draft 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:34.040 picks right at the top of each round, straight out 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.319 of the gate. That's something we're gonna monitor throughout the 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:39.520 course of the season, heading into Draft season one. But 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:42.840 I've got the Chiefs tonight, and it's largely because of 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:45.399 their quarterback, of their m v P, of their Super 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:48.280 Bowl m v P, and Patrick Mahomes. And I'll say 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:51.840 this just before we get into coaches media for Thursday morning. 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:54.800 I understand that most of the time when we talk 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:57.560 about the all time grades, you have to support those 0:01:57.560 --> 0:01:59.960 claims with a body of work. Right, people want to 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.200 know about the number of years of production, maybe x 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.680 number of championship rings. And if you dare propose that 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:10.760 a player under the age of might be the best 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:12.920 of all time, then you're gonna be greeted with the 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.600 backlash of slow your roll, their son. But nah, my 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.800 eyes don't deceive me. My eyes have never seen somebody 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:22.040 do what Patrick Mahomes can do on a football field, 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:24.680 even though it's only been two years of course, he's 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:26.760 going to have to sustain that level of play. But 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:29.240 what I've seen so far in twenty five years of 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.040 watching this game, he's the best I've ever seen. That's 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:34.960 why I've got Chiefs tonight in the season opener. But 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:37.920 that is tonight. Sunday is our main focus here on 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:40.880 the Drivetime Podcast. And with that we turn now to 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:44.720 Coach flores Is Thursday morning media availability and up First, 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.640 Coach was asked a two pronged question about the decision 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.520 to bring in Antonio Callaway, the receiver on the practice squad, 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.720 and also the health status of cornerback Byron Jones staff 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:59.880 Chris Marvin Brandon. Um, you know, on our starting department 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:01.960 obviously does a lot of We did a lot of 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.880 work on Antonio Is along with a lot of other players. 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:11.160 We felt like it was an opportunity to had a yeah, 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.120 you know, a player, a talented player. You know, we'll 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:16.600 work with him over the next few weeks um in 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.040 the capacity that we can. Obviously not you know so 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:21.200 much because of the suspension, but when we can, we 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:24.239 will work with him. We'll see where it goes. Uh. 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.160 The first part of your question with Byron Um Byron's working, uh, 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:32.120 you know, extremely hard to um, you know, rehab and 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:34.280 we'll see where he is for for for a game time, 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:37.200 but um, you know, something he's been dealing with and 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:39.800 but he's working to get back out there as quickly 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:41.560 as you can, and you know to day to day 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:44.000 to kind of the day to day thing and next 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:46.240 for coach a question that I thought was really good 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.640 just asking him about season opening game tonight, how everybody 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.000 around the country is so pumped to have football back. 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:54.880 Can a football coach truly sit back and maybe crack 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.480 open one and just enjoy a football game? Or is 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.000 he always on with the football? What do you think? 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:02.480 Coach says here he is when I watched the game, 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:05.280 it's you know, you can try to relax, but you know, 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:07.280 what would you do in third down? What would you 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.000 do in this situation? Too? And you just your mind 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:12.560 kind of goes And I think that's how every coach is, 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:18.479 uh you know, Pop Warner, high school, uh college, national 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.400 football leg Once you get into um, you know list 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:25.240 profession and those types of situations, your mind kind of 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:29.120 it goes there regardless. So you can try, but that 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.760 is relaxing in a lot of ways. For for coaches. 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:35.599 So uh yeah, it's it's, it's, it's it's it's nice 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:37.880 to sit and watch a game. But yeah, your your 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:39.720 mind starts to wander a little bit and start to 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:41.440 work out how would you handle this situation? Of that 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:44.560 situation still, but it's it's it's gonna be fun to 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.360 have again to watch, you know, it's been such a 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:51.120 long time, whether it's pre season. I mean, like like 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.320 a lot of people, Um, you know, I love the sports, 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:58.000 so um, I'll be watching you. I'll be working as well. 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:01.440 So it's a nor with Thursday night ones back into 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:05.000 kind of a normal routine in season. And I'm with 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:07.640 coach on that. Obviously I'm not a football coach, but 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:09.839 that's why I watched the games to kind of trying 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:12.159 to put myself in the situation of how would I 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.440 do this, How would I handle this spot? What should 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.080 this team do? Right here? And again, obviously coach sees 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:18.800 the game in a different way than all of us do. 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:21.960 But I do find that answer very intriguing because I've 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.920 always wondered that myself, like what is it like for 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.920 a coach to watch another game on television or why 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:28.920 they're getting ready for you know, the opponent that week. 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:31.480 Is it enjoyable? Is that something they don't even think about? 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:33.640 But obviously Coach tells us there that he does, in 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:35.960 fact watch the game with a different eye, a different 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:38.840 lens than your average fan. Up next, Coach was asked 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:41.640 about the leadership on this football team, and notably the 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:43.800 three captains who are here with the Dolphins who were 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:46.520 with him previously in New England. Here's Coach talking about 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:50.040 his leaders on this football team. Well, I mean I 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:54.960 think they're all you know, good players are. They're smartt tough, Um, 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:58.719 they care about the game. The team first to think, 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:03.080 you know, they tried to relationships, Um, you know throughout 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:05.880 in the locker room and you know, on defense, on offense, 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.800 on special teams. Um, there are guys who care about 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.600 those relationships. But um they also there's there's also a 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:18.320 number of other guys who who are very similar. Um, 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:22.800 guys want former Patriots like Bobby like uh, fits like 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:26.359 gotcha out. It's always good to have those types of 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:29.080 players on the team. And you know, I'm happy to 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:32.359 have you know that the reformer Patriots, but also the 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:34.760 other guys we have it captains as well. And of 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:38.400 course heading into a season without preseason, without the benefit 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.240 of having the off season program, all the uncertainty we've 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.080 talked about all week long, annually, all month long. In 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:47.520 the lead up to this kickoff, this season opener on September, 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:51.520 your Miami Dolphins coach was asked about are there any 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.000 benefits or anything that he likes about the uncertainty of 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.360 this game one as they can maybe go into the 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.400 matchup and maybe have some advantages that way. You know, 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:03.239 there's uncertainty for everyone. Well, the thing I like about 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:05.400 it is, you know, you just go back to you know, 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:09.680 your rules, your reads, um, your fundamentals, your technique, see 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.160 how how far you come along from from that standpoint. 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:13.800 And you know, I think at the end of the day, 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:16.640 when it comes in football, when you're you know, there's 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:21.800 a lot of different schemes, concepts, you know, defensive structures 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:25.880 and eventually you'll you'll see something that you haven't seen before. Um, 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.240 and you have to rely on your rules and your keys, 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:31.520 and if you do that, you should be okay. So 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:34.240 that part of it I like there that that unknown 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.280 is something that you know. A lot of players, uh, 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.120 they need to feel that, the coaches need to feel 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.960 that also how to respond to that will well, well, well, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:46.440 I think you know, help us moving forward, Let's go 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:48.679 ahead and finish up with this one here from yours 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:53.280 truly good morning, coach. Earlier this week, Jesse Davis told 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.840 us that he thinks whoever makes in game adjustments the 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:57.920 best would be the one that comes away with a victory. 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:02.200 I'm just curious, are those mostly code observations player observations? 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.200 And how long does it take to make those adjustments? 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:06.160 If you could just talk about the communication and the 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.600 process of in game adjustments, I mean it's a little 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.080 bit of both player and coach. I think that you know, 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:13.680 the players are out there on the field, you know, 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:18.000 they hear things, they see things. Uh, And if you 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.520 can get the players and the coaches on the same page, 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.640 then you can make some adjustments. Now, there have been 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:29.440 times where everybody's getting doubled. You know, there's only so 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.640 many people on the field. So you know, this guy 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.240 got doubled and I got double that I got double. 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:36.760 They don't, they don't. They just don't have that many guys. 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:40.319 So I mean, there's gotta be some honesty and transparency 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:42.160 there on both friends, you know, and then you look 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:45.280 at the tablet and we have films, so we just 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:47.319 try to tell them. Let's be honest, and you know, 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:49.439 if you screwed up a play, then you know, tell 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:51.480 us about it, what happened, and you know we'll get 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.600 it fixed. I got cut, I got doubled. Eight guys 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:58.040 got doubled. You know. I mean, it's just just it's 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.400 not you know, that's I've been a game when that's 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:02.920 happened too, and that's it's not funny in the moment, 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:05.080 it's funny the day after after you watch the tape 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.800 and you see the one guy in that double, the 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:11.800 guys wore just you know, could beat the block. But yes, 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.040 to answer your question, Travis, you know the end game adjustments, 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:17.800 you know you can make them, but it's got to 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:20.640 be the communication on both sides has to be uh, 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.640 it has to be transparent, has to be honest. That 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:26.400 that would be my first time. But you know, thank 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.880 you remind our guys on that too. Hey, anyway I 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:31.520 can help out, I'm more than happy to do it. 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:35.480 So now you have Brian Flores is Thursday morning media availability. 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:39.240 Let's go ahead and get into the game on Sunday. 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.440 I've been waiting for nine months to preview a football game, 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.040 and I just got chills, Like just saying that into 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.080 the microphone gave me chills. And before we talk about 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.000 Dolphins Patriots, let's first talk about some of the new 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:55.120 changes to I suppose league rules roster rules this year. 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.520 And one of those changes is, of course, the teams 0:09:57.559 --> 0:10:00.760 can now activate forty eight players on game day. It 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:02.880 used to be forty six. You had to get down 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.600 from the fifty three down to forty six, but now 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:09.040 you can activate forty eight players on game day, so 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.800 long as you have eight offensive linemen on that grouping. 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:15.320 If you don't have eight lineman, if you dress only 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.120 seven on game day, then you can have forty seven active. 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:20.640 But I really can't imagine a team would do that, 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.920 like why not have the extra body out there for 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.520 your forty eight players. We also know about the six 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:28.800 team man practice squad this year, we of course, with Dervall, 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.520 have the exemption, so we have seventeen on our practice 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:34.280 squad and you can protect four of those players each week, 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:36.920 and that means you can protect them from Tuesday through 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.920 game day, but once Monday comes around, those players are 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.360 then eligible to be poached by other teams once again, 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:44.280 as the rule has been in the past, you can 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:47.000 sign a player off another practice squad onto your own 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.680 active roster. That changes for game preparations this year under COVID, 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.600 and you can also dress two players from the practice 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:56.440 squad on Sunday. Whereas in the past you had to 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.719 sign them off your own practice squad and get them 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.280 up to your active roster to dress them, this year, 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:03.840 you can call up to players from the practice squad 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:07.280 to dress on Sunday. Unique season and one of my 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:10.600 favorite podcast out there, the Move the Sticks podcast with 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.959 Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks. They talked about the practice 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:16.679 squad and something that Jeremiah has kind of been hinting 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.280 at now for what seems like forever, with the idea 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:23.960 of development and having a secondary process for development developing 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:27.360 players on your roster, and he mentioned on the podcast 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.400 earlier this week, how maybe some teams view this thing 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:33.040 as like a Triple A roster where you have, you know, 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:35.200 in Triple A Baseball, you have your guys who are 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:38.120 basically big league ready at a moment's notice if somebody 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.720 goes down. How maybe some teams might treat the practice 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:43.520 squad that way where you have veteran guys stashed on 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:46.080 that protected portion of the practice squad, so that when 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:49.000 somebody does get injured, maybe it's a positive test or 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.640 whatever it might be, you can pull guys off that roster. 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.280 And how he says, other teams maybe treat up more 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:57.160 like a developmental system like your double A single a 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.320 team where you want to develop players. Get them into 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:01.880 your building every single day, have them practice, work on 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.280 techniques you want to teach them, have them watch film, 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:07.439 maybe it's strength training, whatever it might be. There are 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:10.760 so many different approaches to practice squad this year, all 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.120 fascinating points, and I think it all just reminds us 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:16.319 once again the football season is back. And with that, 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:20.440 how about our first preview of the season. We have 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.360 the piece on Miami Dolphins dot com as well Dolphins 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:27.280 and Patriots Week one preview. The O and O Dolphins 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:30.240 up against the O and O Patriots on Sunday, September 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:35.680 o'clock kickoff in the East Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass Seventy 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:39.960 four degrees, partly cloudy, chance of rain on this Thursday 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.840 as we check the weather report, and so much has 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:46.000 changed since that Week seven team Game nine months after 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.240 Ryan Fitzpatrick finds Mike Gasicki for that go ahead touchdown 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:51.640 the last time the Dolphins took the field. We've seen 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:55.040 coaching changes, a draft and free agency hall and all 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.000 of that crammed around a global pandemic. But thanks to 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:01.800 the incredible work and unprecedented precautions here taken by the NFL, 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.160 we have football once more. A very different looking Dolphins 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.920 team in year two under Brian Flores travels to New 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.679 England to face a Patriots team with plenty of new 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.920 faces of their own. For Flores and the Dolphins, twenty 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:16.120 four of the fifty three players on the roster. We're 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:19.360 not here in twenty nineteen for that finale, with some 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:23.040 coaching turnover as well. We've covered those changes extensively here 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.080 on Drivetime, and the theme of change continues on the 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:28.719 other side of the ball as New England replaces one 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:32.320 former m VP quarterback with another in Cam Newton. Eight 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.400 of the Patriots fifteen scheduled free agents for signed elsewhere, 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:39.079 three of them with the Dolphins, prompting New England to 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.120 sign six free agents away from other clubs of their own, 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.920 and all of that before selecting ten new players in 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:47.840 April's draft, so plenty of change on both sides. The 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:50.679 coaching staff in New England remains largely intact. There was 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.920 some shuffling on the positional roles there in the Patriots staff, 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.640 but the most notable change was the addition of longtime 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.720 quarterbacks coach offensive coordinator really offensive guru both in college 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:05.320 and the NFL in Jet Fish and establishing continuity amidst 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:07.960 the significant change will be one of the early season 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:11.400 storylines across the NFL. As both Brian Flores and Bill 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:14.760 Belichick stated and their media availability this week, both teams 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.440 will throw new looks at one another in the absence 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:21.400 of traditional off season programs and preseason The mystery really 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:25.240 amplifies the intrigue of this game and talking about the 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.320 Patriots and the personnel change as COVID changes the landscape 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:31.040 of football this season, that the Patriots had eight opt outs. 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:33.480 Among the eight players who did opt out, where some 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.920 of their top snaptakers in twenty nineteen. Marcus Cannon played 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:40.120 a thousand eight snaps. Last year, linebacker Dante hi Tower 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:43.160 played seven hundred and twenty three snaps. Safety Patrick Chung 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.160 played six hundred forty two and tied end, Matt Lacosse 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:48.760 played four hundred and thirty three. Those are four of 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.680 their eight opt outs for this season. But in the end, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:56.280 no team demonstrates the understanding of next man up more 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:59.120 than this Belichick led Patriots team, and that will have 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.080 to be the approach here in the opener. For the 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.560 Patriots last two years, they had off ball linebackers finished 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.120 one and two and then two and three in quarterback 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:12.320 pressures among off ball linebackers according to Pro Football Focus. 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.400 High Tower, who of course opted out, was in both 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.840 of those pairings, and one year Kyle van Noid was 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.320 part of that pairing. He then transitioned to more of 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.160 an edge position, playing more snaps down on the line 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:25.440 of scrimmage for the Patriots last season, So then to 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.200 replace him on that off ball rushing position at the 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:31.160 linebacker was Jamie Collins, So he and Dante high Tower 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.640 finished at two three that following season. And the forward 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.960 thinking team they are the Patriots, they have reinforcements ready 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.360 to take on bigger roles in the middle of that defense. 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.000 As is the case they planned for the next year, 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.040 the next game, the next week, whatever it might be, 0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:47.880 as well as anybody in the National Football League. They 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:50.920 went out and drafted rookie josh j from Michigan who 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:54.040 had a twenty three point three pressure rate as a 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:57.160 pass rusher his final season in college there at Michigan, 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.320 he was under coach Campanelli here who coach line actors 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:02.640 at Michigan, and he talked very highly. Gave a lot 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.520 of high praise to coach Campanelli at the scouting combine 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:08.320 back in February. Josh U j also has a former 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:12.000 college teammate there with Wolverines at Michigan and Chase Winovich, 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.600 who was a third round draft pick of the Patriots 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:18.120 in twenty nine. Team. He played two snaps last year 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.160 for the Patriots, had a little bit of injuries and 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:23.120 Nixon bruises, but he's due for a larger role this year. 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.800 He registered twenty three pressures on two hundred and thirty 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:28.440 four pass rush reps as a rookie last year, so 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:30.400 that's kind of an idea where the replacements might come 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.160 for that. They do have guys like John Simon Dietrich 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:36.240 Wise up front. You heard coach reference Adam Butler earlier 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:38.040 in the week. They have some good depth and some 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.640 good bodies up front. In that front seven to replace 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:43.120 that production they've gotten from previous guys who are no 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:46.080 longer on the team. And then in the secondary, stylistically, 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:48.760 Patrick Chung one of the opt outs. He and Kyle 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.720 Dugger are just flat out different players. But the rookie 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.760 safety just oozes the traits that we've heard Brian Floors 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:58.560 and both Bill Belichick talk about in the secondary, athletic ability, 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:02.320 ball skills, the ath this is him that he has features, range, 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.240 and coverage that Belichick will cover it out there. Dugger 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.240 registered scouting Combine testing metrics and the percentile or better 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.040 in the ten yards split, the vertical jump and the 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.679 broad jump, so he is definitely a freak athlete. And 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:17.480 despite all that change, the two main stays that really 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:21.200 drove the Patriots success in twenty nine, team remained largely intact. 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.639 That secondary we talked about, led by Defensive Player of 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:27.760 the Year Stefon Gilmour. It's just chock full of athletic, 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.120 aggressive cover guys that can locate the football and take 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:33.760 it away. Nobody had more takeaways last year than New 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:37.840 England with twenty five interceptions on defense, and few teams, really, 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.480 if any, can claim a better offensive line than New England. 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.520 Even without right tackle Marcus Cannon and the opt out 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:48.040 on the interior, they are loaded with guys. They they 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.440 thought that Joe Tuney was valuable enough at left guard 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.520 and he would have cashed in big time on the 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:56.560 open market, but he was franchise tagged this offseason. Center 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.359 David Andrews is back after missing last season with some 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.880 blood claw and his lungs. Great to see him back 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:05.119 in healthy playing again. He has surrendered only seven sacks 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.760 over a four year career. And right guard Shack Mason, 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:10.919 once upon time, got a big contract extension in New England. 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:12.879 One of the best right guards in all the National 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:16.080 Football League. He's allowed only three sacks over the last 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.040 two seasons combined. Some matchup highlights I want to talk 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:21.520 about in this game the Dolphins run defense versus the 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.840 Patriots run offense. We know by now Cam Newton has 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:27.840 over five thousand career rushing yards if you include the playoffs. 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:30.840 He's moved the chains just shy of four hundred times 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.560 and has sixty touchdowns on the ground. Again, all those 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.480 stats playoffs included, and their backfield is deep. It produced 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:40.640 the fourth most two back sets in the NFL last year, 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.760 and running back Rex burkehead average four point five yards 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:47.000 per carry and three point three two yards after contact. 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:49.720 He led the Patriots in both those departments, according to 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.760 Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins have a plethora of new 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:55.720 bodies on their defensive front to help combat that Patriots 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.520 run game. We know about rookie ray Kwon Davis seventy 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.400 three career run stops at Al Obama. On the interior 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:05.120 of that defensive line, veteran Emmanuel Ogba has a PF 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:07.800 career run stop rate of eight point six percent. One 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.320 of the better ones at his position group, Shack Lawson 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:12.680 had thirteen tackles for lost last year that was top 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:15.800 ten among defensive ends in the NFL. The Dolphins also 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:18.920 added linebackers e Land and Roberts, formerly of the Patriots. 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.160 He has a ten point eight career run stop rate 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.000 on Pro Football Focus, and Kyle van Noy had thirty 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:26.440 three run stops last year again with the Patriots, and 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:29.440 Commu grug Hill played more special teams than linebacker in 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:32.400 his career so far, but he has eleven career tackles 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:35.720 for loss in the NFL. The next matchup Dolphins offensive 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:38.879 line versus the Patriots rush. Bill Belichick schemes pressure as 0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:42.040 well as anybody, any of the defensive masterminds really in 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:44.960 the history of the National Football League. You think about 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:47.960 Buddy Ryan in the past, maybe some Dean Ps and 0:19:48.000 --> 0:19:50.480 those Ravens defenses for so many years there you go 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:53.280 back to Dick Lebau with the Steelers, Bill Belichick's right, 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:55.560 and that entire group, and probably the top of that group, 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:59.240 of course, with the six six Super Bowl championships and 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:02.400 having a up six scoring defense each of the last 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:05.200 four years. It's not all about getting sacks on the quarterback, 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:07.440 which of course are big game changing plays most of 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:10.760 the time, but making the quarterback feel uncomfortable disrupting the 0:20:10.800 --> 0:20:13.200 offense is timing, and that's kind of been the theme 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:15.360 of their past rush the last few years. They get 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:17.600 tons of pressures. They don't leave the league in sacks, 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:19.920 but they get so many pressures to force the quarterback 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:22.359