Speaker 1: To us fires touch style waddle stuck into the end
Speaker 1: zone of Miami board tight all tight window. They had
Speaker 1: to get that touchdown on that play. They get it.
Speaker 1: What is up, Dolphans And welcome to the Drive Time 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, it's one of my
Speaker 1: favorite times of the year, a time where there's nothing
Speaker 1: to really cover specifically and we can focus on our
Speaker 1: own football knowledge and education, and we'll do exactly that.
Speaker 1: We kick off the training camp preview looking at the
Speaker 1: quarterback position, so we'll talk to Oh, we'll talk Teddy
Speaker 1: Skylar Thompson, coach Darryl Bevil and everything there is no
Speaker 1: about the quarterback spot in Miami. Will also preview NFC
Speaker 1: West Division as we kick off our twenty two season
Speaker 1: preview here on the Drivetime Podcast from somewhere in South Florida.
Speaker 1: This is the Drivetime Podcast, so it is part one
Speaker 1: of our ten part training camp preview series, getting you
Speaker 1: ready for the end of July and the return of
Speaker 1: Dolphins football. And once we get there, it's full steam ahead.
Speaker 1: Right into the opener against the Patriots. So why don't
Speaker 1: we go ahead and just kick this thing off off
Speaker 1: the top here with the quarterback position, and it starts
Speaker 1: with the coaching staff, actually before the coaching staff, why
Speaker 1: don't we go ahead and visit the departures and arrivals
Speaker 1: for the job here in Miami. So Teddy Bridgewater has
Speaker 1: arrived via the Denver Broncos, Jacoby Brissette departs for the
Speaker 1: Cleveland Browns, Skylar Thompson arrives via the draft from Kansas State,
Speaker 1: and Jake Luton goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year's
Speaker 1: practice squad quarterback at the end of the season. And
Speaker 1: on this coaching staff, quarterbacks coach Darryl Bevil enters his
Speaker 1: first year in that position as the QBS coach and
Speaker 1: passing game coordinator for your Miami Dolphins. He's been an
Speaker 1: offensive cordin to the last sixteen years and he brings
Speaker 1: twenty five years of coaching experience, twenty one of that
Speaker 1: in the National Football League, and he's been attached to
Speaker 1: some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game,
Speaker 1: between Brett Farve, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, he's been around
Speaker 1: some of the greats, and he's also helped produce six
Speaker 1: top ten offenses during his career as an OC. He's
Speaker 1: also had integral development unique players like Percy Harvin, Jermaine Wiggins,
Speaker 1: Chester Taylor, Kenny Golladay, and countless countless others. And you
Speaker 1: can really go down the list of those quarterbacks, whether
Speaker 1: it was Aaron Rodgers talking about the early impact he
Speaker 1: had in his career, or Russell Wilson who gave tons
Speaker 1: of credit for his development under Daryl Bevel as the
Speaker 1: o C there in Seattle, or you can even go
Speaker 1: back to what Doug Baldwin, former Seahawks receiver, said about
Speaker 1: his ability to create space, to create chances, to understand
Speaker 1: the skill sets of his players and to maximize those
Speaker 1: skill sets and do their best to sort of put
Speaker 1: the weaknesses in the rear view and minimize those types
Speaker 1: of things and really focus on what players do well.
Speaker 1: So coach Daryl Bevil here, with all the experience, all
Speaker 1: the accolades and the quarterback room, you have to think
Speaker 1: that boat's pretty well for this dolphinse quarterback's room, which
Speaker 1: at a glance, you have three really different types of
Speaker 1: players here at different stages of their careers and talking
Speaker 1: of course about third year starter to a tongue of
Speaker 1: la and Bevil set of to a there's not a
Speaker 1: throw he can't make. I love the person I love
Speaker 1: his personality. I just really like him as a guy.
Speaker 1: End quote there with Daryl Bevil talking about to Ah
Speaker 1: And we'll get to the superlatives and the stats on
Speaker 1: two here in just a second of things that we've
Speaker 1: seen him accomplished so far through two years as a pro.
Speaker 1: But I want to go back to something coach Mike
Speaker 1: McDaniel said about his quarterback recently after an o t
Speaker 1: a practice about a question that was geared towards red
Speaker 1: zone passing and tighter windows, and that's kind of where
Speaker 1: the conversation evolved into. Some of the strengths of two
Speaker 1: is game one of those fitting the ball in tight windows,
Speaker 1: which will circle back on here in just one second.
Speaker 1: But here's the Dolphins head coach on his quarterback. Like,
Speaker 1: as far as his game, I think his skill set,
Speaker 1: um it it tighter areas only enhances his ability. You know,
Speaker 1: he's he's an accurate quarterback that um that really knows
Speaker 1: how to place the ball where he wants it to
Speaker 1: be placed and all all the red zone is to
Speaker 1: me is the defense is defending less amount of the field,
Speaker 1: so you're compressed UM, and we're still trying to move
Speaker 1: the ball forward and get in the end zone. So
Speaker 1: those windows become tighter. The decisions have to be quicker UM.
Speaker 1: So the work we have done, I've been very pleased
Speaker 1: UM with it, But it I see it unless you
Speaker 1: are a I would say the one outlat liar for
Speaker 1: red zone quarterback play is UM. One of the extremes
Speaker 1: and mobility. You have a super ex extream ability to
Speaker 1: um UH extend the play and win with your feet.
Speaker 1: The Typically those guys are ranked pretty high, or you
Speaker 1: have decisive quarterbacks that UM nowhere to go with the
Speaker 1: ball UM and and both of those situations you just
Speaker 1: take advantage of space and UM. You can either create
Speaker 1: it with your quarterback and buy time, or you can
Speaker 1: create that space with UM timing and execution of concepts UM,
Speaker 1: which is something that two has been very good at
Speaker 1: UM his whole career. So that's head coach Mike McDaniel.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead, and here next from quarterbacks coach Darryl Bebel,
Speaker 1: who was asked about what areas of Towa's game he
Speaker 1: believes stands out most in this particular system and how
Speaker 1: he can excel, and then also the things in general
Speaker 1: that has it out about to UH so far with
Speaker 1: Coach Bebel meeting him for the first time and going
Speaker 1: through this off season together, Here's Coach Daryl Bebel. I
Speaker 1: think really a sense of timing and accuracy would be
Speaker 1: the first two things that I would say, and too
Speaker 1: has got really a great feel for both of those.
Speaker 1: I've learned a lot, you know, I've learned a lot,
Speaker 1: but I really really like the you know, the person um,
Speaker 1: the personality. You know, the longer we're here, the more
Speaker 1: you kind of get to see the real guy. You know,
Speaker 1: the first when you first meet somebody, it's you know,
Speaker 1: you're not quite sure what it is. So um, the
Speaker 1: more time we spend together, just really like him as
Speaker 1: a guy. UM, his his preparation, how important it is
Speaker 1: to him those kind of things. And then UM, what
Speaker 1: I see on the field is a guy that that
Speaker 1: really um is a tireless worker at it. It's important
Speaker 1: to him. UH. Got a good report with the guys again.
Speaker 1: We'll come back to those players in the cast portion
Speaker 1: of the Quarterback Room preview, but continue here at the
Speaker 1: group at a glance. Up next is Miami native of
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater, who comes back home from the Sunshine or
Speaker 1: to the Sunshine State, I should say, for the first
Speaker 1: time since his record breaking high school career, and I
Speaker 1: want to go ahead and play some audio here from
Speaker 1: coach Mike McDaniel, who was asked about Bridgewater's role and
Speaker 1: why he was so vital to the Dolphins offseason this
Speaker 1: this year and talking of out how at the scouting
Speaker 1: combine he kind of referenced some traits he was looking
Speaker 1: for in that backup quarterback role. And then once Teddy
Speaker 1: had signed at the owners meetings, talking about how well
Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, I was describing the strengths
Speaker 1: of Teddy Bridgewater's game when I talked about what I
Speaker 1: look for in that backup quarterback position. So here he
Speaker 1: is after the fact talking about Teddy Bridgewater. Do you
Speaker 1: guys remember around the combine, um, I was describing you
Speaker 1: know what, uh specifically what what I thought to a
Speaker 1: really needed in supportive with a backup quarterback. Unbeknownst to
Speaker 1: you guys, I was quite literally describing Teddy Bridgewater at
Speaker 1: the time just not using his name, So UM, both
Speaker 1: both players have been UM explicitly explained their roles and
Speaker 1: expectations UM and that and for that room to be
Speaker 1: their best, UM, they need to know that. And UM
Speaker 1: moving forward, were very excited to have Teddy a part
Speaker 1: of the process and UM and I hope to win
Speaker 1: some games with both those guys, UM working together and
Speaker 1: empowering to it to be the best player he can
Speaker 1: be UM. And that's something that that Teddy takes serious
Speaker 1: and is excited to do that. So you have the
Speaker 1: third year player, the longtime veteran drafted also in the
Speaker 1: first roundback in in Teddy Bridgewater. And then you have
Speaker 1: a rookie draft pick this year by way of the
Speaker 1: seventh round via Kansas State. And let's go ahead and
Speaker 1: go back to draft night when coach McDaniel and Chris
Speaker 1: Career were asked about Skylar Thompson and what stood out
Speaker 1: in his game. Yeah, I think going through the process here,
Speaker 1: we've all kind of seen him over the years, you
Speaker 1: know there because it seemed like every year Kangs State
Speaker 1: pulls a big upset over someone and he has a
Speaker 1: game that people end up talking about. So he's a
Speaker 1: competitive kid that smart, tough, you know, he's got athletic ability.
Speaker 1: So um, I always appreciate how he played, and then
Speaker 1: how their coaches and people around him talked about the
Speaker 1: character and the person was always intriguing. And we got
Speaker 1: to the point here at the end where you know,
Speaker 1: there's a guy that has some potential to develop, you
Speaker 1: know with a quarterback, and has some upside. So we're
Speaker 1: excited and the coaching staff and Mike, you know, I
Speaker 1: let him speak on them, but they, you know, followed
Speaker 1: suit with their work. So that is the group at
Speaker 1: a glance. Let's go ahead and move onto some of
Speaker 1: the numbers and statistics and things that stand out about
Speaker 1: each of these players. The Dolphins three quarterbacks heading into
Speaker 1: training camp, and we start with number one quarterback to
Speaker 1: a tongue by Loa. And you know, I've talked about
Speaker 1: this for really three years now, going back to the
Speaker 1: draft preview series about three critical elements of the quarterback
Speaker 1: position that I personally believe that to a tongue of
Speaker 1: by low A stands out in and the numbers I
Speaker 1: think back up this claim. Those are throwing the football
Speaker 1: with great accuracy and placement and timing, eluding the opposing
Speaker 1: pass rush and winning football games. Per Next Gen Stats,
Speaker 1: only thirteen point eight percent of the QB pressures on
Speaker 1: tongue by Lowa lash year resulted in a sack under
Speaker 1: fourteen percent That was good for six in the National
Speaker 1: Football League. His twenty four point one percent pressures evaded rate,
Speaker 1: so you get a pressure, you get away from it
Speaker 1: and don't take the sack was second best in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Via Pro Football Focus, the four point eight percent sack
Speaker 1: rate that he took last year was fifth best among
Speaker 1: all NFL quarterbacks and also speaking of fifth best, he
Speaker 1: was in that same category when it came to third
Speaker 1: down conversion rate, only four quarterbacks were better than two
Speaker 1: was forty five point four percent conversion rate. He was
Speaker 1: forty four on third down a season ago. He's thirteen
Speaker 1: and eight as a starter here in Miami. He also
Speaker 1: finished seventh in the NFL last year with a sixty
Speaker 1: seven point eight percent completion rate while throwing into tight
Speaker 1: windows on nineteen point eight percent of his throws that
Speaker 1: was second most in the NFL. In fact, he was
Speaker 1: second in twenty as a rookie in that same category,
Speaker 1: so he is no stranger to making what we call
Speaker 1: NFL throws right NFL windows a receiver or a defender
Speaker 1: rather within one yard of the receiver. That's a tight window.
Speaker 1: That's an NFL throw to make them with great regularity
Speaker 1: and still has that accuracy. Talking about seventh in the
Speaker 1: NFL last year in completion percentage to fall back on,
Speaker 1: and this stat also backs that up. The completion percentage
Speaker 1: over expected, the next gen stat that you have your
Speaker 1: years and years and years of data to tell you
Speaker 1: what type of pass given the proximity of the receiver
Speaker 1: in the defensive back, the air yards that whether everything
Speaker 1: that goes into it is factored into it, and you
Speaker 1: have a completion percentage or a completion expectation or not expected.
Speaker 1: He is plus two point nine percent over expected, which
Speaker 1: is six in the National Football League a season ago.
Speaker 1: And I think we get a chance to kind of
Speaker 1: observe those things that stand out about his game at
Speaker 1: practice when you just watch him navigate muddy pockets, when
Speaker 1: you watch him throw on time and on target, like
Speaker 1: even against air, the way the ball is kind on
Speaker 1: the upfield shore, taking that receiver upfield to put them
Speaker 1: in position for ultimate yak. It's been a theme of
Speaker 1: the off season. We talked about the Niners ability under
Speaker 1: Mike McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan to get the most YAK
Speaker 1: opportunities possible. You hope that's the case here with two
Speaker 1: of Mike McDaniel, Frank Smith, Darryl Bevil, John Embrey, West Welker,
Speaker 1: Eric Stunsfield, the entire Dolphins offensive coaching staff, Tyreek Hill,
Speaker 1: Jalen Waddle, Cedric Wilson Jr. Trent Sherfield, um Eric Zukama,
Speaker 1: the entire group of players to try to maximize that
Speaker 1: stat and too, I think is one of the premier
Speaker 1: type of guys when it comes to the accuracy to
Speaker 1: help maximize that run after the catch. Number five quarterback
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater had a ninety point seven passer rating and
Speaker 1: sixty three career starts. He won thirty three of those
Speaker 1: sixty three career starts in his career so far, and
Speaker 1: you'd be hard pressed to find a more experience, more
Speaker 1: accomplished backup quarterback than Teddy Bridgewater. He started fourteen games
Speaker 1: last year for the Broncos, throwing for over three thousand
Speaker 1: yards and eighteen touchdowns with just seven and er set options.
Speaker 1: But he was best last year when under heat, under
Speaker 1: duress against the Blitz five or more rushers ad two
Speaker 1: for one, eleven for eight yards, nine touchdowns, two picks.
Speaker 1: That is a one twenty point three passer rating against
Speaker 1: five or more pass rushers. Teddy is a very knowledgeable,
Speaker 1: smart player who, like you heard coach mentioned, can come
Speaker 1: in here, help empower to and get the best out
Speaker 1: of the quarterback position regardless of who's on the field.
Speaker 1: Teddy helps you accomplish that with his presence, with his
Speaker 1: veteran established resume in that room, to go along with
Speaker 1: tah to go along with Darryll Bevil and the entire
Speaker 1: offensive staff there. Number nineteen, Skyler Thompson is the winningest
Speaker 1: quarterback in Kansas State football history. The Dolphins seventh round
Speaker 1: draft pick has a penchant for playing his best ball
Speaker 1: in the biggest moments, like you heard Chris Career talk
Speaker 1: about right there. Forty career starts and twenty four wins
Speaker 1: are the most in school history. That also includes a
Speaker 1: twenty one point comeback over number three ranked Oklahoma back
Speaker 1: in any again, back to Chris Freer's comment, the tide
Speaker 1: of the largest comeback in Kansas State football history and
Speaker 1: also was the program's first road win over a top
Speaker 1: five team in the eight people. He was off to
Speaker 1: a redheart, red hot start that season with six hundred
Speaker 1: forty six total yards rushing and passing, nine touchdowns and
Speaker 1: no turnovers. He was also the only player in Kansas
Speaker 1: state history with six thousand passing yards and one thousand
Speaker 1: rushing yards. So that is your quarterback room preview. Let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and take our first break and come back
Speaker 1: on the other side and kick off. The first part
Speaker 1: of our next series are NFL Preview starting out west
Speaker 1: in the NFC with the Rams, Seahawks, forty Niners, and
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals. That's next Drivetime Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield,
Speaker 1: brought to you by Auto Nation. Back here on this
Speaker 1: edition of the Drive Time Podcast, picking it right back
Speaker 1: up with one of my favorite series of the season.
Speaker 1: It's my chance to get a look at the rest
Speaker 1: of the NFL. As we really work on everything Miami
Speaker 1: doll fins around here, but this time of year, taking
Speaker 1: a look at the entire league kind of balances out
Speaker 1: your opinions and your takes, I think a little bit.
Speaker 1: To have better knowledge of the entire league, and who
Speaker 1: doesn't want to hear about football all year round? Also,
Speaker 1: let's go ahead and start here in the NFC West
Speaker 1: in order of their one finish, and of course we
Speaker 1: start with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams,
Speaker 1: who you know, the great saying f all then picks
Speaker 1: go all in and the aggressive style of less need
Speaker 1: Sean McVeigh and the entire operation. There is the big
Speaker 1: storyline with that team. But I think what gets lost
Speaker 1: in the sauce a little bit is their ability to
Speaker 1: hit on draft picks in the mid to late rounds,
Speaker 1: where you know, we talk about cornerstone style players, right
Speaker 1: the Blue Chippers, your quality starters, guys that really helped
Speaker 1: round out the entirety of your roster and help supplement
Speaker 1: that star quality on your roster. And they also have
Speaker 1: adequate stars, guys that you know you can pluck into
Speaker 1: there and give you above replacement level play and again
Speaker 1: supplements their star approach with something that you can kind
Speaker 1: of take more control all over, like rather than playing
Speaker 1: the draft odds, which for the Rams has actually been
Speaker 1: pretty good to them with those mid round picks. But
Speaker 1: you know, over the course of a long period of time,
Speaker 1: your draft odds fifty fifties a great batting average, So
Speaker 1: that's a coin. But they decided to push their premium
Speaker 1: resources towards the proven star talent, and they done not
Speaker 1: for years and years now, even Brandon Cooks Marcus Peters
Speaker 1: going back a few years, and you have to pay
Speaker 1: a premium for that, right, But I think rounding out
Speaker 1: the rest of their you know, quote unquote twenty two
Speaker 1: starters and then key role players, like your top twenty
Speaker 1: two is what it used to be back in the
Speaker 1: nineties in terms of guys that played the most, but
Speaker 1: now it's more like thirty fifty guys that you need
Speaker 1: to depend on the play on offense and defense. That
Speaker 1: of course trickles into your depth and special teams, and
Speaker 1: you can round that out with draft picks and new
Speaker 1: d f A classes, then you're gonna be cooking with gas.
Speaker 1: And the Rams have done that. And that's where I
Speaker 1: think this front office and coaching staff doesn't quite get
Speaker 1: enough credit for the l A Rams. We talked about
Speaker 1: the blue chip players, right Stafford cup Donald Ramsey. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's as good as any any team's top four and NFL,
Speaker 1: but you don't hear as much about the Van Jefferson's,
Speaker 1: the Tyler Higbees, the Brian Allen's Rob Havenstein, Havenstein's Joseph
Speaker 1: note Booms, Greg Gains, Ernest Jones, Leonard Floyd's Taylor Raps
Speaker 1: Nick Scott Do I need to go on and on
Speaker 1: and on, and it's all orchestrated after the job that
Speaker 1: less Snead does by one of the best coaching staffs
Speaker 1: in the NFL, Sean McVeigh, one of the you know gurus,
Speaker 1: the pioneers of the stretch boot action condensing formations to
Speaker 1: help find a maximize space. Liam Cohen's the new offensive
Speaker 1: coordinator up there are over there, I should say, he's
Speaker 1: up from Kentucky or down from Kentucky in that same
Speaker 1: role where he brought the Wildcats offense with Kentucky to
Speaker 1: a new level after coming from the Rams previously as
Speaker 1: the quarterbacks coach there. So I think that's gonna be
Speaker 1: a perfect fit as it has been in the past
Speaker 1: with him. Then you go on defense to Raheem Morris,
Speaker 1: who came from that Tampa to kind of old school
Speaker 1: thought but has done what all great coaches do and
Speaker 1: adapts with both the times and his personality or personnel.
Speaker 1: I should say, when you've got Jalen Ramsey, you want
Speaker 1: to play a lot more man. But it also helps
Speaker 1: you get creative with your zones and disguises because Ramsey
Speaker 1: can do all that too. So Raheem Morris has the
Speaker 1: full complement of his playbook to play with. And let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and take a look what they did in
Speaker 1: the off season. It's a typical Rams offseason, a couple
Speaker 1: of big moves, a lot of departures. Alan Robinson Bobby
Speaker 1: Wagner both come to l A. I mean, that's some
Speaker 1: big time firepower. They're gone our Sony Michelle von Miller,
Speaker 1: who was a splash last year, and really, I mean
Speaker 1: without him, do they win a Super Bowl? Probably not.
Speaker 1: Austin Corbette's gone to the Panthers. Sebastian Joseph Dave, very
Speaker 1: underrated player, one of those mid round trafficks we talked about,
Speaker 1: has gone across town to the Chargers. Darius Williams went
Speaker 1: to the Jaguars, and they traded Robert Woods to the
Speaker 1: Tennessee Titans. Odell Beckham still out there. We'll see what
Speaker 1: happens with him. But in the draft, these are the
Speaker 1: guys they've hit on now. Number in the third round
Speaker 1: Logan Brusts, the offensive guard from Wisconsin number four, number
Speaker 1: four the fourth round to Kobe Durant, the cornerbacks from
Speaker 1: South Carolina State that's the same college as Darius Leonard
Speaker 1: and hbc u uh number in the fifth round Kirra
Speaker 1: and Williams running back from Notre Dame. Just a a
Speaker 1: bruiser of a back and a guy that can kind of,
Speaker 1: you know, get the tough yards and short yardage. And
Speaker 1: they had two picks in the six and three in
Speaker 1: the seventh round. So can those guys hit again? That's
Speaker 1: kind of the first storyline look at. Just keep hitting
Speaker 1: on those mid round draft picks and you can continue
Speaker 1: to go out and get Bobby Wagner's and Alan Robinson's
Speaker 1: and more storylines for this team. Repeating is so tough.
Speaker 1: It hasn't happened in almost twenty years since the oh three,
Speaker 1: oh four Patriots did it back to back years. The
Speaker 1: Broncos before that in the nineties, very tough to do.
Speaker 1: Replacing production. We talked about Miller, Corbett, Joseph Dave Woods,
Speaker 1: Beckham is Acres coming in for Sonya Michelle kind of
Speaker 1: coming off that injury type of replacement there is that
Speaker 1: going to be a positive move for that other storylines.
Speaker 1: Can they be even better because year two of Matt Stafford,
Speaker 1: wouldn't that just mean they're better and more acclimated? How
Speaker 1: did they replace Andrew Whitworth, one of the Goats offensive
Speaker 1: tackles of all time? Having steen a note boom or
Speaker 1: their note boom filled in last year when he was down?
Speaker 1: But can they do it for a whole season? Those
Speaker 1: are some of the things for keeping an eye on
Speaker 1: here with the Los Angeles Rams, a team that took
Speaker 1: them to the NFC Championship. Game Wire is the San
Speaker 1: Francisco forty Niners who have a consistent running game to
Speaker 1: talk about who this team is consistently finds way to
Speaker 1: get big chunk games in the running game off the
Speaker 1: edge or inside. They're creative and the way they do
Speaker 1: that they're creative and the way they create chances for
Speaker 1: their players and the usage of said players. They are
Speaker 1: absolute Yak dynamos. Whether it's George Kittle at tight end,
Speaker 1: who kind of is the straw that stirs the drink
Speaker 1: that helps them be flexible across personnel packages, then you've
Speaker 1: obviously got Deebo Samuel and Brandon Yuke, two of the
Speaker 1: very best Yak players in the game just as they
Speaker 1: were in college. And then on defense, just a relentless
Speaker 1: pressure group up front to get pressure with four play
Speaker 1: coverage and that has been portable from Robert Sala to
Speaker 1: Chris Kuser Rick and Nick Bosa sure helps the heck
Speaker 1: of a lot. And speaking of those defensive coaches, Tamiko
Speaker 1: Ryan's is a shooting star as an assistant man like
Speaker 1: it still feels like he was just playing yesteryear, but
Speaker 1: he goes from a possessional coach to defensive coordinator in
Speaker 1: short order and turns it around or it just turns
Speaker 1: around his first year and is really really damn good
Speaker 1: at the job. He empowered was his stars like Fred
Speaker 1: Warner to flourish and man the creativity he shows with
Speaker 1: him in both their rush package and coverage game. It's
Speaker 1: a masterclash job. Ryan's was one of the headiest players
Speaker 1: you'd ever encounter with the Houston Texans, so it should
Speaker 1: be no surprise he's a rock star DC as well,
Speaker 1: and you parted that with an offensive staff that just
Speaker 1: knows exactly what they are and how to tailor things
Speaker 1: to their players. Will come back to this in the storylines.
Speaker 1: What they did in the offseason cornerback to Various Ward,
Speaker 1: part of their biggest acquisition to help out that second Dary.
Speaker 1: They also got George Odom from the Colts in that
Speaker 1: second Dary, Ray McLeod from the Pittsburgh Steelers or In
Speaker 1: Burke's at linebacker and Carry Hyder upfront returns to the
Speaker 1: defensive line. So they went big on the defense this offseason.
Speaker 1: Gone are Lake and Tomlinson, they're really good. Guard has
Speaker 1: gone to the Jets for he moster here in Miami obviously,
Speaker 1: so as Trent Sherfield. They lost three players to the Broncos,
Speaker 1: Kawan Williams a really good cornerback, Tom Compton and offensive lineman,
Speaker 1: and d J. Jones a really good rotational defensive lineman.
Speaker 1: So too is Cantavia Street off that defensive line. He's
Speaker 1: in New Orleans. In the draft, their first round draft
Speaker 1: pick was Miami's this year their second round pick defensive
Speaker 1: and Drake Jackson from USC. Third round. They've had two
Speaker 1: picks running back Tyronne Davis Price from l s U
Speaker 1: and why receiver Danny Gray from s m U. The
Speaker 1: Niner storylines this year very interesting team. I mean, this
Speaker 1: whole division really is who's the quarterback is a Trey.
Speaker 1: What do they do with Jimmy Garoppolo if it's not
Speaker 1: Jimmy Garoppolo and will Trey if he hits the ground
Speaker 1: running quickly kind of maximize that Shanahan system in a
Speaker 1: way we saw Matt Stafford do with Sean mcveighs system.
Speaker 1: That's certainly possible. They obviously valued that kid. He is
Speaker 1: super super talented with the rushing ability, the kind of
Speaker 1: uh elastic arm that can whip the ball all over
Speaker 1: the football field, take advantage of those vacated spaces, the
Speaker 1: boot action, all that fun stuff. Fascinating team to watch
Speaker 1: this year. How do they replace the coaching the coaches
Speaker 1: they lost last year with Mike McDaniel, John Embrey, West Welker,
Speaker 1: Anthony Lynn was a tremendous hire to help get them
Speaker 1: that coaching staff ended back out. And then also who
Speaker 1: takes over as the lead out behind Kyle us Chick.
Speaker 1: I mean most are it was kind of the guy
Speaker 1: going into the year last year, and then you had
Speaker 1: everybody else that was fighting for reps as well. Who
Speaker 1: among that everybody else steps up? Trey Sermon, Elijah Mitchell,
Speaker 1: Jeff Wilson, the rookie Davis Price and interesting to see there.
Speaker 1: What does Deebo Samuel's follow up on corporate uh performance
Speaker 1: look like compared to last season. He was the catalyst
Speaker 1: that sparked that that run for the Niners last year
Speaker 1: all the way to the NFC Championship game and then
Speaker 1: finally the health of this football team. It's been simple
Speaker 1: for them over the years since Shanahan got there. If
Speaker 1: they're healthy, they go to the Final Four. If they're not,
Speaker 1: they don't make a playoffs. So it's been a big
Speaker 1: factor for them, a big you know. Coach McDonald talked
Speaker 1: about this on the fish Tank podcast about the variants
Speaker 1: and different variables that can they can drive results that's
Speaker 1: not necessarily reled to your process. Good example, they're the
Speaker 1: Niners have been so banged up some years and it
Speaker 1: costs him in some of those years. This is a
Speaker 1: team the Dolphins played from this division. Week thirteen of
Speaker 1: four or five, kickoff in San Francisco. It's the second
Speaker 1: of a three game homestand for the forty Niners. Let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and take our last break here on this
Speaker 1: edition of the Drivetime podcast and come back with the
Speaker 1: Cardinals the Seahawks, the division superlatives, and I'll give you
Speaker 1: a couple of recommendations as well. To close out this
Speaker 1: edition of the Drivetime Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought
Speaker 1: to you by Auto Nation. Picking it back up here
Speaker 1: on this first of our training camp preview and NFL
Speaker 1: season preview editions of the Drivetime Podcast, I'm back home
Speaker 1: in the Northwest. I recorded this one in the Southeast, though,
Speaker 1: So who knows how to do this intro the proper way.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and jump right back into the NFC West.
Speaker 1: We did the Rams, we did the Niners. Pick it
Speaker 1: back up here with the Cardinals, who finished third in
Speaker 1: the division last year, and the last two years for
Speaker 1: the Cardinals have kind of followed the same script in
Speaker 1: a lot of ways. Hot start injury to their m
Speaker 1: v P paced quarterback at that time, then they're never
Speaker 1: quite the same, never quite recapture that magic they found
Speaker 1: early in the season, and they made the playoffs. So
Speaker 1: that was a great accomplishment coming from picking first in
Speaker 1: the draft just three years ago all the way to
Speaker 1: the playoffs this year. That's kind of a natural progression
Speaker 1: for a team making that run, building up to that run,
Speaker 1: and under Cliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals have been up there
Speaker 1: with the Bills in terms of their offensive anomalies. Nobody
Speaker 1: runs anywhere near as much ten personnel as those two offenses,
Speaker 1: though the Cardinals saw that number kind of decreased last
Speaker 1: year when Zach Urts became such a focal point of
Speaker 1: their offense after a midseason trade. So now with DeAndre
Speaker 1: Hopkins down for the first six games for the suspension,
Speaker 1: we maybe see a shift in attack again, or is
Speaker 1: it more of the vertical passing game with Mark Ke's
Speaker 1: Brown teaming back up with Kyler Murray like they did
Speaker 1: at Oklahoma when they made all that magic in the
Speaker 1: vertical passing game. This team is very interesting as well. Again,
Speaker 1: this division is so interesting on the other side of
Speaker 1: the ball. They've drafted the last two years range e
Speaker 1: athletic linebackers with all the physical talent in the world,
Speaker 1: and Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons. In fact, the talent
Speaker 1: they have in that back seven is positively dripping with upside.
Speaker 1: They really have to look for an ultimate They have
Speaker 1: the look, I should say, of an ultimate matchup eraser
Speaker 1: in a league where everybody wants to get mac hups
Speaker 1: because you know, Buddha Baker does different things than Jalen
Speaker 1: Thompson at safety. Simmons and Collins are very different linebacker
Speaker 1: in terms of how they can match up. Then you
Speaker 1: got Byron Murphy and then who's that number two cornerback?
Speaker 1: That could be a storyline to look at here heading
Speaker 1: into the training camp, taking a look at the offseason.
Speaker 1: Marc's Brown the big edition at receiver, the first round
Speaker 1: traffic to get him back, will her Nandez on the
Speaker 1: offensive line, and linebacker Nick Vigil. Where they're big ads
Speaker 1: gone are Chandler Jones. They're outside rush running back Chase
Speaker 1: Edmonds here in Miami obviously, Receiver Christian Kirk to the Jaguars.
Speaker 1: Cornerback Malcolm Butler retired, Jordan Hicks went to the Vikings,
Speaker 1: and Jordan Phillips went to the Buffalo Bills. The NFC
Speaker 1: West does not pick in the first round. Three teams
Speaker 1: no first round pick so far. In the second round,
Speaker 1: tight end Trey McBride from Colorado State. He was tight
Speaker 1: end one first one drafted. Number three are the third round.
Speaker 1: I keep saying number defensive end Cameron Thomas from San
Speaker 1: Diego State, and then another d n in my j
Speaker 1: Sanders from Cincinnati. The storylines for this club. Can they
Speaker 1: get the second half of the season to match up
Speaker 1: with the first half of the season because they are
Speaker 1: a potential number one seed the last couple of years
Speaker 1: in the first part of the season, injuriesa Kyler kind
Speaker 1: of change course there and they can't rEFInd that magic.
Speaker 1: Can they overcome DeAndre Hopkins being down for the first
Speaker 1: six games the season? That would be a big one
Speaker 1: to look at. And the pieces seem to be there
Speaker 1: on defense? Can they get that production total defense and
Speaker 1: scoring in the top half top two thirds of the league.
Speaker 1: If they can do that, we know what kind of
Speaker 1: firepower the offense has or has had with that quarterback
Speaker 1: at the controls. I mean, he's still there, so big
Speaker 1: time production possibility on offense. And then how do how
Speaker 1: do Marcus Brown and Trey McBride add up to the
Speaker 1: equivalent of replacing Hopkins for six games? For Christian Kirk
Speaker 1: and Chase Edmonds both gone, that's a lot of firepower lost.
Speaker 1: How do they replace that? To me, Ron del Moore
Speaker 1: seems like the natural guy kind of step up in
Speaker 1: Christian Kirk's absence. Is their twelve personnel package here to say,
Speaker 1: your top of the league last year in that usage,
Speaker 1: but now you have McBride and Arts. Is it more
Speaker 1: two tight end sets? How does the growth of Simmons
Speaker 1: and Collins kind of round out that defense to very
Speaker 1: versatile play years? And then I think among the most
Speaker 1: underrated duos in the league at safety, both Washington and
Speaker 1: Washington State products Buddha Baker and Jalen Thompson. Don't forget
Speaker 1: about those guys, very good players. And then a tough
Speaker 1: division in year four, an important year for Cliff Kingsbury
Speaker 1: and Kyler Murray. That's a very fascinating team to look at.
Speaker 1: There finally, the fourth team here from last year, the
Speaker 1: fourth place in the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks.
Speaker 1: Not another team that I find very fascinating for different reasons.
Speaker 1: Who they are? Who are they? Part is of their team?
Speaker 1: Capsule starts with a massive change right the biggest in
Speaker 1: the division. Russell Wilson's now gone from the NFC West.
Speaker 1: They were a powerhouse under his watch, never missed a
Speaker 1: game play like an m v P half the damn
Speaker 1: time does Pete Carroll go back to the ground and
Speaker 1: pound after all the police and let Russ Cook they
Speaker 1: got two first and two seconds and that Russell Wilson trade,
Speaker 1: so this is a good year to assess what they
Speaker 1: have and how to spend that draft capital in the future.
Speaker 1: On defense, the system has always been the cover three
Speaker 1: with a big even front to kind of match up
Speaker 1: and and create chances for their fast, aggressive linebackers, which
Speaker 1: was Wagner and right before now you're kind of putting
Speaker 1: a big jump on Jordan Brooks. Can he make the
Speaker 1: mark on this defense and take over that role. They
Speaker 1: have a lot of depth across that defense, but there
Speaker 1: should be some interesting camp battle to see who starts
Speaker 1: and who gets the most playing time deep across all
Speaker 1: those positions. They've long been a team that drafted to
Speaker 1: their own board and made no apologies about it, so
Speaker 1: you see lots of Seattle Seahawk type of players on
Speaker 1: this roster. They also traditionally have a lot of success
Speaker 1: in the middle to late rounds, and man, they took
Speaker 1: their swings this year. I think their off season is
Speaker 1: really kind of shrouded by the Russell Wilson trade, but
Speaker 1: they had a good draft and made a bunch of
Speaker 1: savvy additions. Let's go ahead and see what they did
Speaker 1: in the offseason. You chend into Whoe Suit from the
Speaker 1: Charger is really good. Addition, their quarnerback Already Burns. Defensive
Speaker 1: lineman Quentin Jefferson has been a very good rotational d
Speaker 1: lineman for a long time. Justin Coleman from the Dolphins
Speaker 1: comes back to the Seahawks. Quarterback Drew Lock tight end
Speaker 1: no offense, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris. Both those Broncos
Speaker 1: have been good players so far in their careers and
Speaker 1: then gone. Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagon to the Rams, DJ
Speaker 1: Read to the Jets, Gerald Everett to the Chargers, Ethan
Speaker 1: Postic to the Ounds. Carlos Dunlap and Carrie Hyder are
Speaker 1: both gone as well. They drafted Charles Crossed out of
Speaker 1: Mississippi State with the ninth pick in the draft. In
Speaker 1: the second round, they got Boya Mafe from Minnesota and
Speaker 1: running back Kenneth Walker from Michigan State. Love their third
Speaker 1: round draft pick, offensive tackle a Louis A. Lucas out
Speaker 1: of Washington State, and then Kobe Bryant from Cincinnati in
Speaker 1: the fourth round. I think all those guys could possibly
Speaker 1: be five hundred plus snaptakers this year. I'm intrigued by
Speaker 1: this team, which takes us into the storylines. Maybe the
Speaker 1: intrigue is not necessarily dreaming of a Lombardi Trophy, but
Speaker 1: to see how the roster plays out ahead of a
Speaker 1: couple of drafts with tons of capital. I like how
Speaker 1: this league is kind of going in this way where
Speaker 1: some teams make the aggressive splashes and get that proven
Speaker 1: talent while other teams reassess and accumulate capital. Seattle is
Speaker 1: obviously getting the capital part downe right now. Can they
Speaker 1: find that clarity on the offensive line with Lucas and
Speaker 1: Cross If those guys can be pillars on the offensive line,
Speaker 1: that's a big boon for that Seahawks offense. Does Kenneth
Speaker 1: Walker solidify himself in a pretty nice stable of back
Speaker 1: with Rashad Penny and Chris Carson Metcaffine Lockett is as
Speaker 1: good as it gets for a receiver one and two.
Speaker 1: But who beyond that steps up? Dwayne Eskridge was a
Speaker 1: draft pick last year, bow Melton this year probably your
Speaker 1: top candidates to do that. I think Shelby Harris is
Speaker 1: very underrated. Like I talked about, so is Quandre Digs.
Speaker 1: One of the most underrated safeties in football. And then
Speaker 1: can there you place dj Read on the outside and
Speaker 1: get back to that preferred style of defense that we
Speaker 1: saw flourish under the legion of Boom storylines of the division.
Speaker 1: Can they get three back to the postseason? It's possible.
Speaker 1: Wagner versus the Seahawks twice year, definitely keep an eye
Speaker 1: on that. And then the matchups like Rams versus Niners.
Speaker 1: They're strange rivalries. The Niners have beaten the Rams like
Speaker 1: seven times straight until that NFC Championship game. Even the
Speaker 1: Niners down years, they were finding ways to beat those
Speaker 1: good Rams teams. Then the Seahawks have like two wins
Speaker 1: over the Rams going back to seen and the Cardinals
Speaker 1: have one win in the last eleven games against the Rams.
Speaker 1: This division finds ways to kind of cannibalize itself. What
Speaker 1: happens this year. Are the Seahawks friskier than expected? I
Speaker 1: think they could be. I'm curious see which teams get
Speaker 1: more aggressive like the Rams in this division. Trying to
Speaker 1: grap kate what they did exactly. Again, this NFC West
Speaker 1: is fascinating. My divisional awards, Kyler Murray's my top quarterback
Speaker 1: in the division. My non quarterback is Trent Williams, the
Speaker 1: Niners left tackle defensively, Aaron Donald duh coach. I'm going
Speaker 1: to McVeigh and Shanahan. I can't differentiate the two. The
Speaker 1: breakout candidate for me is Ron del Moore. I think
Speaker 1: he's gonna have a big year in the shoes of
Speaker 1: Christian Kirk. My top rookie is Charles Cross. That's chalk.
Speaker 1: He was the first pick in the draft of this division.
Speaker 1: And my division champion is the Los Angeles Rams. A
Speaker 1: couple of recommendations here. Callie Coffee down here in Broward
Speaker 1: County is really damn good. Just discovered them. Go give
Speaker 1: them your business. They make a great cappuccino, a great latte,
Speaker 1: they make a great Americano. Big fan of their stuff. There.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and call it a podcast right there.
Speaker 1: I had some other stuff to talk about. We'll come
Speaker 1: back and talk about better call Saul and the Barry
Speaker 1: season finale. Because we're getting short on time here, Let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and wrap it up and reminds you to
Speaker 1: please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us
Speaker 1: a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me
Speaker 1: on Twitter at Wingfield NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1: Check out the fish Tank podcast and the Twitter space
Speaker 1: to show with myself, o J and Seth. Those guys
Speaker 1: are at the fish Tank. Obviously, check out our YouTube
Speaker 1: channel for all the media availabilities, some drivetime sit downs
Speaker 1: and Dolphins Today, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins
Speaker 1: dot Com until next time finds up Caroline Daddy, He's coming.