WEBVTT - Breaking Down Flores' Presser and Free Agency Primer 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:17.400 Down, Miami Drawn. What is up, Dolphans, And welcome to 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.079 the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins official 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:25.639 podcast network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it 0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:29.320 going everybody? It is early week. I am your host, 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.840 Travis Winfield, and on today's show, we're gonna get into 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:37.159 Coach Flora's press conference his media availability from the end 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:40.080 of last week. We'll talk about his comments on two 0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:42.519 A tongue by looa, the third pick in the draft, 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:46.640 some coaching staff reshuffling, and a whole lot more. Plus 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.080 we'll get you updates on the latest pro days and 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:52.120 get you ready for free agency kicking off this week 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:54.840 here on the Drive Time Podcast. All of that and 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:59.639 more on this on this final episode of the league year, 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:05.960 a day shin of the Drift Time Podcast. So we've 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.320 got Coach Flora's last week in lieu of his annual 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:13.760 live Combine presser and flow spoke to the media through 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:16.520 our good old Zoom platform. And I might be a 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:20.400 victim of hyperbole like a lot of the time. For instance, 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:23.280 I told my friends that the South Park vaccination special 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:26.440 that came out last week was the best episode those 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:29.040 guys have ever done, and I still stand by that claim, 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:30.920 but I can see how they can tell me that 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.800 I'm crazy for saying that after a twenty four year 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:36.839 run of Brilliance and how much that's saying about the show. 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.280 But I thought that this press conference from Coach was 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:43.120 the best one he's given since I've been here for 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:46.120 these press conferences. And I will say this, Normally we 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.840 get a very fired up, loose but excited ear to 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.600 ear grin on Coach before the season opener, at the 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:56.600 start of training camp, whenever there are pads popping and 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:00.640 football to be played, because well, he's a utball coach. 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:04.080 He's told us before how much he loves coaching football. 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:06.720 But I got that same vibe from him last week 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:10.600 at this presser. He entered the chat by asking everybody 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.080 how they're doing, a big smile on his face. He 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.720 congratulated Omar Kelly for the birth of his child, and 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:20.240 a congrats are in order here on the Drivetime podcast 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:22.800 to Omar and his wife. Omar was one of the 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.400 first people that kind of showed me some South Florida 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:27.680 hospitality when I was down there for training camp in 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.640 twenty nineteen. So Omar, congrats to you and your wife, 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.680 my good friend, and he was joking with Cam Wolf 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.080 of ESPN, another friend here of the podcast and a 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:38.960 friend of mine as well, about parenting a newborn. Cam 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.280 also recently had a little one, and oh yeah, before 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:45.399 I buried the lead any further speaking, a little ones, 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:49.239 Caroline took her first steps this weekend, and I celebrated 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.600 that harder than I did the two of the Holland's 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:55.280 touchdown the fits to Holland's sideline shot in the Raiders 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.520 game to any play this year. I was spiking the football, 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.520 so to speak, after watching Caroline take her first steps. 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.680 But now I feel like dropping her off at college 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.840 is like right around the corner. Time truly does go 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:10.720 by way too fast for a parent. She's been around 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:13.200 for ten months and I feel like the time was 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:15.880 already flown by. But back on track here, it was 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:18.240 just great to be back in one of these and 0:03:18.280 --> 0:03:20.920 as brief as they are, it's great to get tangible 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:24.160 football news and not just the old according to sources 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.760 type of headlines rumors that we see from January through 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:30.359 the start of the league new year, the new league year, 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:34.080 especially without the scouting combine, and we were fortunate to 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.360 get the Senior Bowl this year with coach, but that 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:39.160 was six weeks ago. So the football kind of feels 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:41.920 like it's picking back up a little bit here. And 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:45.720 just as I'm sure you are as well, I am 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.320 here for it. Let's go ahead and kick this off 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.080 with Brian Flores his opening remarks. We're gonna hear from 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.760 coach Flow and then check in with my thoughts and 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.440 analysis after each answer. So first, here's coach talking about 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:00.000 a sort of state of the Dolphins, type of a drest. 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:03.200 So a couple of quick updates last couple of months, 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:05.080 you know, as I you know, last time we talked, 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:08.760 I want to say, at the Senior Bowl, and you know, 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:12.480 at the end of the season, I talked about, UM, 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:14.680 you know, us kind of doing a full evaluation of 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:20.360 our team, UM and really the entire operation season. H. 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:22.360 So we did a deep dive on a self scout 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.040 from that perspective, really across the board, offense, defense, special team, 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:31.159 our operation, UH, you know, scouting any and any everything 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:33.640 that we felt like we could approve on. We kind 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:36.640 of talked about, UM, look, our our goal is to 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:43.800 to improve at every position UM coaches players, strength and 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:48.000 addition and you know, nutrition, training. So we kind of, 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.400 uh that's kind of been what we've done the last 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:55.559 couple of months. UM, Chris and our stock scout and staff, 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:58.720 they've been they've been great, they've been phenomenal. We just 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.400 actually just got done with our draft meetings last week, 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:06.520 UM look with no no combine and UM quite a 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.640 few limitations this year due to do the COVID nineteen 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.320 and the pandemic. Really they've kind of handled that without 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:16.560 any complaints, no issues, and they did a really nice 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.280 job as far as getting background and we had some 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:22.000 really good uh good dialogue and a lot of great 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.960 meetings over the last couple of weeks. UH. And that 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:29.960 is you know, specific to the draft, but also free agency, 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.960 you know, pro pro department first. UM, So we're gonna 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:38.240 name Danny Craftsman assistant head coach UM and Special Teams. 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:43.640 Danny as as you guys know, UM has been uh 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:49.000 instrumental in the development of uh this team or coaches staff, 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:51.719 and I'm just grateful to have someone of his skills 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:57.680 UM to bounce ideas off of two uh. Uh. He's 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:01.680 just been an invaluable asset. UH. Named Georgian Eric co 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:06.480 coordinators on offense, UM look, they've both done uh on 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:10.680 outstanding jobs and they at their respective positions. UM, have 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:14.479 a lot of respect for both guys, very knowledgeable, UM, 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:18.800 very good teachers, and uh I think they both bring 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:23.600 different you know, uh uh they both have different perspectives 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.480 and that that that uh, that's that's been a good Uh. 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:29.120 We've had a lot of great dialogue. Really, I would 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.640 say these last couple of months with with those two 0:06:31.720 --> 0:06:36.160 as as well as our entire offensive staff other offensive 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:38.600 coaching staff changes and look, you guys have got a 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.640 press release on this later on today. Uh So, Mike 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:44.240 Judge is going to go to um, you know, from 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:48.200 quality control to assistant tight ends, and Sean Flaherty, who 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:50.880 was uh also a quality control goa, will go to 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:55.839 assistant on line offense. Defensively, a couple of changes there. 0:06:55.839 --> 0:07:00.279 So Charles Burke's, um, well, he'll be the cornerbacks coach. 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.120 Obviously he worked with the corners you know for the 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.520 last couple of years. He's done a nice job. So 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.960 officially the cornerbacks coach. Austin Clark's gonna coach defensive line, 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.360 and Robbery Land is going to move to outside linebackers. 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:15.480 So there you have at the opening UH State of 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.800 the Union address there from coach some coaching staff changes 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:21.520 as well, and he took on another question regarding coach 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.560 Godzie and Studentsville later on, so we'll circle back to that, 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:28.360 but it is official those are your co offensive coordinators. 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.760 Other moves along with that, Danny Crossman promoted to assistant 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.320 head coach and you know a respective guy in the 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:38.560 building communication on point A leader. We talked about the 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:40.920 scream here on the podcast. It's a question I asked 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:43.920 the special teams, the core special teamers on this team. 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:45.920 I always like to ask him about the scream of 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:48.600 Danny Crossman because of training camp, you can hear it 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.560 from anywhere within earshot of the facility there. And there 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.400 was a great story on the Blake Ferguson, Sam egg 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:58.000 Will Vaughan podcast we did back in December for My 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:03.000 Cleats My Cause, and I asked Ferguson about the last 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:05.520 time he got screamed out by Crossman and he told 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:07.920 me about a half hour ago at practice, and then 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:10.640 I asked Sam the same question. He said, well, blake'sid 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:12.400 a half hour ago, so for me it was about 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:15.560 forty five minutes ago. So he's always Uh, He's always 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:17.760 making sure guys are coached up and most of all, 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:20.760 he's overseen one of the better special teams units in 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.960 the league and for my money, the most innovative as 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:28.520 far as creating plays through deception, whether it's fakes, blocked kicks, returns, 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:31.280 pinning kickoffs deep and forcing the return man to come 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.360 out that sort of thing. So well deserved their coach 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:37.840 absolutely a position that he's earned through his time here 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.720 in Miami. Mike Judge gets the call from quality control 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.680 to assistant tight ends to work with George Gatzi in 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.360 that tight end room, and Gotzi retains that tight ends 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.440 position as well as Eric Studisville retaining his position as 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.640 the running backs coach. The other movie, you heard coach 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.000 talk about their Charles Burke's. That was a name that 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.280 Gut reference on the podcast a lot last year and 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.600 impressed conferences through players and coaches about a guy who 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:03.960 worked kind of hand in hand with the players on 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:07.440 individual instruction. Byron Jones talked a lot about this when 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:09.520 he would speak to us, and I mentioned it from 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:13.400 my observations at practice how much he and Charles Burke's 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.120 work together pre practice on ball skills and turning and 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.800 locating the football and catching the football and all the 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.720 stuff that went into Byron Jones' career high this year 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:25.720 with the two interceptions. So Charles Brooks he also gets 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.840 that promotion. Austin Clark goes from his old post as 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:33.360 the outside linebackers coach to defensive line coach, and he 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:35.720 was one of the guys that was talked a lot 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.360 about among players this year in terms of his ability 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.000 to teach and help guys develop their skill sets. From 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:44.319 Andrew van Ginel who complimented coach time and and time again, 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.800 time and time again. Jerome Baker talked about him, Coach Campanelli, 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.680 the linebackers coach, talked a lot about him. So he 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:52.880 gets moved to the defensive line, where really his his 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.400 specialty was a little bit of the pass rush moves 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:57.600 and and how he got guys to develop the arsenal 0:09:57.640 --> 0:09:59.679 of pass rush moves. He's he was talked about a 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.439 lot of Emmanuel Ogbas Shack Lawson in that regard as well. 0:10:02.440 --> 0:10:05.400 So he gets that call and then finally taking over 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:09.360 his role as the outside linebackers coach previously is Robbie Leonard, 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:11.920 who was also an assistant position coach last year there 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:14.040 as well, so some changes to the staff. Coach Flor 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:17.920 has covered those as well as the kind of unorthodox 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:20.760 move to have co offensive coordinators. I don't think any 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:22.440 other team in the NFL has that, So we're gonna 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.040 find out how that works. And coach was of course 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.640 asked about that at the first question at his press 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:31.840 conference about the collaboration between George Gadzi and Eric Studisville 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:36.680 co offensive coordinators. Definitely collaborative. I think, Uh, that's something 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.719 we've talked about, UM, and those are kind of ongoing discussions. 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:44.960 So we have I would say, cemented a a way 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:49.120 of how we're gonna do it. UM. But I think 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:52.240 just from a play calling standpoint, a lot of that 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:56.080 the leg works done during the week. I know George, uh, Eric, 0:10:56.200 --> 0:11:01.160 George's call plays in the past. Uh, Like Eric was uh, 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:03.320 you know a COVID. You know, we had the situation 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:04.920 where we had to have a back about every position. 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:09.559 So Eric, Eric was preparing to call the game if 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.400 something happened to Chan the entire year. So I think 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:16.600 both guys are equipped to do it, and we have 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:19.920 not cemented a hey, we're gonna do it like this. Uh, 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.680 but I think, you know, we'll figure out a way 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:24.800 that's collaborative at the end of the day, puts our 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:28.520 team in the best position to have success offensively. Success offensively, 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:30.560 I mean that's the key, right getting the offense up 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:33.160 and down the field, putting points on the board, regardless 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:35.320 of how you do it through the passing game, the 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:39.320 running game, a combination of both professional style attacks college 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.280 style looks that have become more and more prevalent in 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:45.640 the National Football League over I guess the past decade 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.160 or so, But you look at what both these coaches 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:50.880 have done in their short times in Miami and their 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:54.640 careers beyond that. Eric Steudisville, I mean, I've rember praising 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:58.280 this guy's running schemes back in eighteen when originally with 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.600 Adam Gae in the mix, it was all outside zone. 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:05.000 You recalled that ten season with Jagi. Get out on 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.000 the edge, let him pick his hole and then let 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:09.600 him get vertical or let him get square rather to 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.560 the line of scrimmage and get himself upfield on those 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:15.280 outside runs. And then we go out and signed Frank Gore. 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:19.600 Here comes Eric Studisville, and you've got missed direction, You've 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:22.600 got gap scheme. You've got all kinds of different whaan 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.960 blocks and traps and different counters and and different ideas 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:27.800 in the running game. And I became a big fan 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:30.120 of coach at that time. He of course one of 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:33.720 the holdovers from that previous coaching staff here under Brian Flores. 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:37.360 So it tells you about his his ability to lead, 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:39.840 his ability to teach, and what Brian Flores thinks about 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.680 what makes a good coach. I think Eric Studisfield checks 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:46.559 those boxes. And look at the running backstables that Studentsville 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:49.000 has worked with here in Miami. I mean last season alone, 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.240 everyone projected Jordan Howard Matt Brita as a one to 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.520 punch and who's the running back that goes out there 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:57.360 and get seventy seventy percent of the workload in week 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:00.120 one and produces in a big time way. Finishes the 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:03.800 season with the eleventh most average yards per scrimmage per 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.640 game in Miles gascon And we saw that in training camp. 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.160 If you guys read the training camp reports, listen to 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:11.959 the podcast back in August, your boy was very very 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.320 high on Miles Gaskin despite the fact that he went 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.480 to you dub Go Coogs. But I was here to 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.600 watch him just shred up defenses as a member of 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.559 the Miami Dolphins, and he was doing that, and Eric Studisville, 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:24.920 I think seventh round draft pick here, has a little 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.560 bit to say about the development of that young player. 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.920 So teaching leadership type right type of guy for this job. 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:33.800 And then George Gotzian and you go back to some 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:37.080 of the old transcripts last season. He was always a 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:39.599 great interview last year and I can only imagine that 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.120 if he can explain football to US media adults the 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.760 way he did, then he can definitely do that to 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.720 professional football players. I asked him a question last year 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.640 about going empty, which is where you have no running 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:53.559 backs in the backfield. You've got your five offensive lineman, 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.959 you've got your quarterback, and your five available options. Your 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:59.840 five eligible options in the passing attack are all fly 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.079 xed out. And when you're in thirteen personnel, which means 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:05.719 one running back, three tight ends, the first number is 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:08.560 the running backs, the second number is the tight ends, 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.560 and then the leftover is your receivers. So one running back, 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.440 three tight ends, and one receiver, and they would go 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:16.880 empty out of that package because you've got Mica SICKI 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:20.280 who's uber athletic. Adam Shaheen. Same idea there as far 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:23.200 as the way he scored at his combine workout, and 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:25.200 Durham Smith can do some things in the passing game 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.360 as well. And so when I asked him that question, 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:30.840 he lit up. How to thorow insightful answer about the 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:33.240 advantages of being able to go to that third team 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.960 personnel package and to go empty from it when you're 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.280 gonna get a base defense to counter that look. So 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:41.480 I just look forward to what both he and students 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.040 feel can cook up together in a collaboration, and also 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.360 their press conferences with us this year, because they were 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:52.400 great in I have to imagine that continues in Coach 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:54.680 Flores was then asked about his quarterback, of course, to 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:57.200 a tongue of Valoa, a hot topic down here in 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.440 South Florida, a topic, a point of contention, a player 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.600 that Coach Flora's is very excited about for his second 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:06.640 year in the National Football League. Yeah, I mean I'm 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:09.080 excited about, you know, to a in this upcoming season. 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:13.120 We think, uh you know, we we you think about 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.520 his situation last year coming off the hip kind of 0:15:16.520 --> 0:15:19.520 threw him in the fire there um on week seven, 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:21.840 a week uh we game. I'm not sure exactly what 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.120 week it was, but you know he started nine games. 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.240 I thought he made a lot of improvement really throughout 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:30.320 the course of the season, had some ups, had some rounds, 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:34.960 UM and like all the rookies, UM and like any rookie, uh, 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:39.120 I'm really excited about this. Uh this this you know 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:43.560 that year when a year to jump having uh being 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.040 more comfortable even down here in South Florida has got 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:47.760 a place. I mean, I love that rookie year. You 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:49.160 got a lot going on. You know, you gotta get 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:50.920 a house, you gotta get a car, you gotta move 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.560 to a old new city. I mean, there's so many 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.680 things that are going on. I thought he handled it 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:58.720 well last year. But I'm really excited um about you know, 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.880 this upcoming year. Especially you know again we gotta think 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:04.440 that he had O T A s and you know 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:08.640 I had a different training camp. Uh So look, you 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:10.640 guys know me. I mean I'm all about the development 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:16.320 of players, uh and you know, helping them develop and 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:20.840 helping them u UM get better. And I think, uh, 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:25.040 you know this this time or you know an off season, 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:27.920 UM is really going to be helpful to him. Um 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.640 and really all the rookies, and I'm really excited about, 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:34.040 you know, working with him in all season. So that 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:36.920 was the first question about the quarterback position. We're gonna 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.680 circle back to the backup question towards who will be 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:41.880 to us back up this season. Let's go ahead and 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.080 though and get another follow up here about the starting 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:47.640 quarterback into a tungue by looa from head coach Brian Flores. Yeah, 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:49.600 like I said, I think he's, you know, a talented player. 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.800 I think, um, you know, we here believe in developing 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:59.120 players at all positions. And I think I think, you know, 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:02.400 with an off season with its votas, with you know, 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:06.080 more reps, more repetitions, like like you know, any player 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:11.000 or uh, I think you know, they develop and get 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.920 and get better. So um, and I think he feels 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.240 the same way. Man. Look too, and I had lunch yesterday, 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:21.560 so uh we we we you know, and look, we 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:23.639 talked about his family and I think a lot of 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:28.080 that is you know, that development about building relationships. So uh, 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:32.200 you know, he's doing well. He's confident. I'm confident in him. Um, 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:36.840 and uh, I think you know, I'm looking forward to 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.159 this Auson. So there's a lot to unpack there from 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:42.040 coach Flora's a couple of long answers there about his quarterback. 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:44.840 The number one takeaway, the smile, the excitement about his 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.560 young quarterback twenty three years old, rookie deal got a 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.640 team on the upswing. Why wouldn't coach be excited about 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:53.320 where this football team is going? And remember this time 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.720 last year to a ton of Volo was you know, 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.680 arguably the top quarterback in the draft class, and he 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.080 was battling all season long with Joe Burrow for that 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:03.760 distinction before the injury occurred. And of course he was 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:06.000 then available at the fifth pick in the draft. But 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.159 this is a young man that is breaming with talent 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.840 and special skill sets and leadership quality and spirit that 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:16.440 is infectious and can really reverberrate throughout the course of 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:18.240 the locker room. A guy that could be a catalyst, 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:21.200 a guy that can be the one that rises all tides, 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.040 as it were. You recall the great UH conversation that 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:26.720 Nick Saban reference when he was at Alabama after to 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.840 have suffered that devastating hip injury, and Nick Saban dials 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:32.879 up to UH and two was the one that cheers 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:35.240 him up. It's just that type of character, the type 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:37.800 of person. It's something that Brian Flora's and Chris Career 0:18:37.880 --> 0:18:40.560 have both spoken about in terms of what he was 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:42.639 as a person in the locker room and a person 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.520 as a Miami Dolphin. And you heard coach talk there 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.080 about having lunch with his young quarterback and asking about 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.760 his family and building that relationship. When Flores was first 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:54.280 hired here and I did Locked on Dolphins, I had 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.960 a great Brian Flores podcast where I had Patriots beat 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:01.560 writers on former Patriots players talking about Brian Flores. And 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:03.800 one of the things that came across my research was 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:06.040 he had won an event at the y m c 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:08.600 A up there in Boston, or not an event, he 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.600 won an award at an event celebrating the y m 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.440 c A and his brother and all the charitable contributions 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.840 he had made. And Devin mccordy was one of the 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.120 people that presented an award, the award to Brian Flores, 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:22.760 him and a couple of other Patriots players, and they 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:25.919 talked about how genuine his care was for those players 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.639 and how much he meant to them as not just 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:31.639 a coach, but as a man, a mentory person that 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:35.200 made them better people, better husband's, better fathers. And we're 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:36.840 gonna roll something here at the end of the podcast 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:40.760 that kind of confirms that the way Flores is perceived 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:42.840 about the league, and we're gonna go back to last 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:46.040 year's free agency podcast to go ahead and prove that point. 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:48.400 But I think that's a very critical element here about 0:19:48.440 --> 0:19:50.920 the coach and the quarterback having that relationship, kind of 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:53.280 seeing the game the same way, seeing life in a 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.520 similar way, and having that trust with one another. I 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:58.200 think that's gonna go a long way. But well, I 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.399 think also goes a long way is act to the 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:03.000 skill set. And I tell some friends this now and then, because, 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:05.639 as you guys know, all I do is update my 0:20:05.800 --> 0:20:08.399 white board here and watch Dolphins games and and just 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.480 pretty much immerse myself in Miami Dolphins football. That's what 0:20:11.520 --> 0:20:13.720 I've been doing since I was about sixteen years old. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:18.000 And rewatching the games. After the Rams game, which I 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:20.240 thought he played much better than the box score indicated, 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:22.879 after the Cardinals game, where he was flat out dealing 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.240 and showing you the processing and anticipation and off script 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.000 ability and accuracy and third nine conversions and big time 0:20:30.080 --> 0:20:33.040 fourth quarter game, tying drives and putting the team in 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:35.040 position to win the game in the fourth quarter with 0:20:35.080 --> 0:20:37.360 the Jason Sanders field goal. And then you go into 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.440 the Chargers game and it's fourteen zip Dolphins driving into 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:43.080 the red zone. We get a bad snap that turns 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:45.280 into a turnover and a big return for the Chargers. 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:47.320 But at that moment, about a quarter and a half 0:20:47.359 --> 0:20:51.120 into that Chargers game, to have had thrown several strikes anticipation, 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:53.560 he had that great play where the ball was snapped 0:20:53.600 --> 0:20:55.720 at his feet, he scoops it up, throws a fifty 0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:58.520 fifty ball to DeVante Parker who pulls it down. And 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:00.320