Speaker 1: You're listening to the Miami Dolphins podcast network. This is
Speaker 1: drive time with Travis Wheatfield. Back to throw to a
Speaker 1: looking gips wine, open touchdop, clerk kill. Unbelievable. Just blue
Speaker 1: fire for a second time. Don't know where he was going.
Speaker 1: Right away. A hit of that man. I want to
Speaker 1: help you soon. Up on the wattle. Waddle to a shotgun.
Speaker 1: Back to throw, looking ups up fires TOUCHPA. It's waddle.
Speaker 1: It's six touchdown past. The drive time with Travis winfield
Speaker 1: begins now. Let me check your pulse. If new intro,
Speaker 1: who this and what up? Dolphans and welcome to the
Speaker 1: drive time podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network,
Speaker 1: covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going, everybody?
Speaker 1: I am your host, Travis Ing Field, and on today's show,
Speaker 1: Thursday means the start of a new week in the
Speaker 1: national football league. steelers and browns tonight. We'll pick that game,
Speaker 1: but that's not why you're here. You're here for the breakdown.
Speaker 1: Excuse me. Dolphins and bills, a clash of two to
Speaker 1: a nose squaring off here at hard rock stadium. We'll
Speaker 1: break it down position by position, tell you what's at
Speaker 1: stake and give you the three keys to victory and
Speaker 1: a whole heck of a lot more from the Baptist
Speaker 1: health studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is
Speaker 1: the drivetime podcast and here we go again. This is
Speaker 1: my third year with the team. The preview pods haven't
Speaker 1: really changed all that much. I'm quite a fan of
Speaker 1: this format, as I don't think you'll find a preview
Speaker 1: that gives you more about each and every matchup out there.
Speaker 1: But I will say, having written the preamble on the bills,
Speaker 1: as we do weekly with the state of the opponent
Speaker 1: intro that we do on the podcast, that there's really
Speaker 1: not a lot that's changed for the Buffalo Bills. It's
Speaker 1: really just an update from the last time we played them.
Speaker 1: So with that mind, let's do a quick rundown of
Speaker 1: things I've told you about this team for the last
Speaker 1: few years. They are incredibly admirable in their process of
Speaker 1: building developing a culture, hitting on draft picks, free agents,
Speaker 1: veteran trades, you name it. They set that up by
Speaker 1: acquiring draft capital and moving off some veterans in that
Speaker 1: first year under Sean McDermott and Brandon Bean, and their
Speaker 1: arrival getting rid of guys like Ronald Darby, Marcel Darius,
Speaker 1: Sammy Watkins, trading off a lot of talent, but getting
Speaker 1: the right guys in that building for their culture and
Speaker 1: they assembled the bulk of this really good secondary we're
Speaker 1: gonna talk about here in just a second really in
Speaker 1: one offseason by signing Micah Hyde and Jordan poyer and
Speaker 1: drafting Trey White, who will not be available this week
Speaker 1: he's on P U P but that secondary really drives
Speaker 1: what they do on defense. I asked to about that
Speaker 1: last year, about how tough poyer and hide make it,
Speaker 1: and he talked about how they can flip and rotate
Speaker 1: and totally change the post nap picture based upon your
Speaker 1: pre snap read. We'll get to that matchup in a moment.
Speaker 1: Then you take the quarterback and you develop him and
Speaker 1: you start to surround him with premium talents. To fond digs.
Speaker 1: They had brought in Emmanuel Sanders, who was really good
Speaker 1: for them. Gabe Davis has taken that. Torch Isaiah Mackenzie's
Speaker 1: a beast, Dawson Knox, they draft Dion Dawkins up front,
Speaker 1: they signed Mitch Morris and Roger Saffold Upfront. Then comes
Speaker 1: that final step, the teams that are sort of in
Speaker 1: that favorites category where they do that thing where they
Speaker 1: go all in. I mentioned saffolds, a big get for them.
Speaker 1: They get another great draft pick and James Cook and
Speaker 1: of course the big marquee name is von Miller. So
Speaker 1: that's where they are, where they've been and where they're going.
Speaker 1: You know about this team and they've come out of
Speaker 1: the gates red hot to really respond after that crushing
Speaker 1: playoff defeat a year ago. And all they've done is
Speaker 1: topple last year's super bowl winner and the one seed
Speaker 1: in the A F C playoffs a season ago by
Speaker 1: a combined score of seventy two to seventeen. A juggernaut
Speaker 1: is blown in from the northeast. Let's actually go ahead
Speaker 1: and start here and hear from coach mcdaniel on preparing
Speaker 1: for the buffalo bills and that defense. And isn't more
Speaker 1: of a challenge with them coming off a shorter week
Speaker 1: and having one less day to see their game from
Speaker 1: the previous Sunday? If it's a new, uh, I don't know,
Speaker 1: a coordinator or new head coach. Um, that's a bigger issue. Um,
Speaker 1: when when you have you know, I've been fortunate to
Speaker 1: be Um and NFL long enough to know exactly you know,
Speaker 1: Um really for all the way back from the Carolina Days,
Speaker 1: Um Coach uh, well really, and and coach Fraser. But
Speaker 1: they've they've both Um done a great job and so
Speaker 1: you kind of understand. You know, like any really good
Speaker 1: high level coaches, Um, they have a principality to them,
Speaker 1: a starting point, and then it's whether or not they're
Speaker 1: doing little nuances within it, um points of emphasis. But
Speaker 1: you know, just like uh, you guys Um know that, uh,
Speaker 1: regardless if it works or not, you're gonna see outside zone. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, I know exactly. They're gonna Um play unbelievable,
Speaker 1: UH strenuous defense. They're gonna UM play hard and run
Speaker 1: to the ball, Um and they're gonna force you into
Speaker 1: mistakes because they can get home with their four man rush.
Speaker 1: So Um that it. It wasn't it was. It's always
Speaker 1: good to see and you get um different you get
Speaker 1: a different perspective of where they're at, especially game two.
Speaker 1: But it didn't really put us behind Um just because
Speaker 1: there that defense in general. Um, it's kind of like
Speaker 1: you know what it is. That's what I appreciate so
Speaker 1: much about it is because they're not hiding from what
Speaker 1: they are. Um, they say, you know, we're gonna take
Speaker 1: our guys and line up and we're gonna play the
Speaker 1: same type of same type of defense against every offensive structure,
Speaker 1: and our guys are, um, really good players that that
Speaker 1: play hard for each other and, you know, do something
Speaker 1: about it. It's what they kind of do. So Um it.
Speaker 1: In this circumstance it wasn't that big deal. And before
Speaker 1: we really get cranking here, I think it's important to
Speaker 1: update you with the Wednesday injury report because there were
Speaker 1: several guys on it for the buffalo bills as well
Speaker 1: as the Miami Dolphins. But in terms of buffalo and
Speaker 1: putting this preview together, they had four players who d
Speaker 1: MP on Wednesday. Did not practice, Micah hide, Dane Jackson,
Speaker 1: Dawson Knox and Jordan Phillips, four very important players for them.
Speaker 1: Gabe Davis, who missed last game with an ankle, was limited,
Speaker 1: so was Mitch Morse, who exited the last game at
Speaker 1: Oliver was as well. He also missed the previous game.
Speaker 1: Jordan poyer and Tim settle, who also missed the previous game,
Speaker 1: was we're all limited in Wednesday's pray this and then
Speaker 1: cornerback Cam Lewis and Linebacker Matt Mlano were full participants
Speaker 1: for the Miami Dolphins. Five D MP's to Ron Armstead, Seethan,
Speaker 1: Carter Xaviing, Howard hunter long and then Melvin Ingram, also
Speaker 1: d MP, but he was a vet rest day for himself.
Speaker 1: Channing Tindall and Cedric Wilson were limited in practice, and
Speaker 1: then tight end Tanner Connor, Break Kwon Davis fullback Alec
Speaker 1: Ingold were all full participants in Wednesday's practice. The dolphins
Speaker 1: offense is how we start this thing off, with the
Speaker 1: quarterback position versus the safety position of the buffalo bills.
Speaker 1: And the bills have been stifling opposing quarterbacks, very good
Speaker 1: quarterbacks for that matter, for a while now. So far
Speaker 1: this year stafford had five point nine yards per pass,
Speaker 1: one touchdown, three picks, was sacked seven times for a
Speaker 1: passer rating of sixty yeah, sixty three point one. Almost
Speaker 1: got dyslexic there for a second. Ryan Tannehill, five point
Speaker 1: nine yards per attempt, no touchdowns, two picks, two sacks,
Speaker 1: thirty two point seven passer right in that place has
Speaker 1: always been in his house of horrors for most quarterbacks
Speaker 1: it is. What about last year passer rating against in
Speaker 1: one eighty three point nine, fifty nine point three. That
Speaker 1: was Jacoby Beru said, eighty point six, twenty three point four,
Speaker 1: seventy point nine, that was Mahomes, seventy point five, fifty
Speaker 1: eight point two. That was to a, sixty nine point one,
Speaker 1: thirty three point four, Eighty six point seven, seventy one
Speaker 1: point five, eighty four, one, oh five point six. That
Speaker 1: was Brady, Fifty six point five, thirty one point four,
Speaker 1: eighty four point nine and sixty six. It's a lot
Speaker 1: of low numbers, guys. Only one over one hundred, in
Speaker 1: fact only one over ninety. That's only one over eighty
Speaker 1: four point nine. That that should tell you how good
Speaker 1: this defense is. I think what you're going to need
Speaker 1: is a repeat from last week from Twa, in this
Speaker 1: sense that there were so many throws in that game
Speaker 1: where he moved defenders in the intermediate portion of the
Speaker 1: field and through with anticipation and accuracy into some very
Speaker 1: tight windows. It's a fascinating matchup for so many reasons,
Speaker 1: but perhaps none more than the fact that Miami is
Speaker 1: generating a ton of space right now. Next Gen has
Speaker 1: them as a top five separation creating offense through two games.
Speaker 1: Excuse me, but buffalo also clamps thanks down themselves. They
Speaker 1: play fast and aggressive and it really permeates beyond those
Speaker 1: two safeties into that linebacker room. More on them shortly.
Speaker 1: So you have to be precise and I think if
Speaker 1: there's a week where you really can't afford to give
Speaker 1: the football away is this one. It's never a good thing,
Speaker 1: but the bill's outfit has the look of that chiefs
Speaker 1: operation where the only way you could pick them off
Speaker 1: was by winning a couple of by by a couple,
Speaker 1: I should say, in the turnover department. So for two
Speaker 1: of that high level processing, identifying where poor and hide
Speaker 1: are at all times and making sure the post snap
Speaker 1: picture jives with your pre snap read, because they're gonna
Speaker 1: bat you. They will turn you over and, like I
Speaker 1: talked about in the ravens preview tips and overthrows, they
Speaker 1: tend to have a way of finding those free footballs.
Speaker 1: Some data here. Micah Hide's replacement in the game on
Speaker 1: Monday night was Jakwon Johnson, a fourth year safety from
Speaker 1: the U. He has two eight career snaps in those
Speaker 1: four years. Twenty of his twenty two snaps this season
Speaker 1: came in that Monday night football game, replacing Micah hide.
Speaker 1: Just hasn't had to play a whole lot over his
Speaker 1: career because hide has been so reliable and with their
Speaker 1: base defense being their nickel package and one of the
Speaker 1: best slots in the game and two Ron Johnson. In fact,
Speaker 1: they rarely come out of that package. He's played eight
Speaker 1: of the snaps this season. So you don't very often
Speaker 1: get three safety packages, big nickel, is what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: The other backup is Tamar Hamlin and he is in
Speaker 1: his second season where he's played a total of just
Speaker 1: seventy eight snaps. So again, hide employer, our mainstays. Beyond that,
Speaker 1: the depth is really untested. Just hasn't played that much.
Speaker 1: So Michael Hides a big name to look at this
Speaker 1: week on the injury report. But just how good are they?
Speaker 1: I mean hide balls every year and ten year career
Speaker 1: pro football focus has him on the field for five thousand,
Speaker 1: one hundred and thirty one coverage snaps and just a
Speaker 1: smidge over three thousand yards allowed. We talked about one
Speaker 1: yard per coverage snap. Is a good place to be,
Speaker 1: not a math guy, but you get it. And then
Speaker 1: also consistently of force down around the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 1: Nineteen run stops a year ago, sixteen, fifteen, nineteen, seventeen.
Speaker 1: It's consistent for him like that every year in that category,
Speaker 1: for a guy that largely plays in the post. But
Speaker 1: he also or this also speaks to his versatility, because
Speaker 1: he can come down there and stick his face in
Speaker 1: the fan against the running game. Jordan Poyer, it's more
Speaker 1: of the same. A career passer rating against of seventy
Speaker 1: five point nine. UH, he has one thousand. There's a
Speaker 1: space in my my notes here that I messed up on.
Speaker 1: One thousand five hundred eighty four yards against and three
Speaker 1: thousand eight hundred and sixty five coverage snaps. So again,
Speaker 1: not a lot happening there for the opposing receivers that
Speaker 1: go up against him. His run stop numbers are crazy.
Speaker 1: Those are tackles within two yards of the line. Nineteen
Speaker 1: last year, thirty, thirty, one, three thirty the years prior
Speaker 1: and no. Yeah, they've combined for thirty five picks since
Speaker 1: their seventeen arrival. Before we get to our next matchup,
Speaker 1: let's go ahead and hear from coach again about Qb
Speaker 1: one and the support of his teammates. Coming off of
Speaker 1: an a F C player of the week award for
Speaker 1: to a Tunga Byloa, he's done a great job, Um,
Speaker 1: handling all the stuff that he can control and not
Speaker 1: worrying about the stuffy can't and Um, I think all
Speaker 1: our entire team felt a little ownership too, because they
Speaker 1: all have they all have his back and if um
Speaker 1: as an organization, we'd allow it, you'd hear a ton
Speaker 1: more rants from players because they see him work each
Speaker 1: and every day. Um. And like I said on Um
Speaker 1: whenever I talked to you guys last it was, I
Speaker 1: can't remember the day, Um that I don't think his
Speaker 1: teammates were totally surprised. They were just excited. Big Test,
Speaker 1: big matchup, big opportunity to keep it rolling for qb one.
Speaker 1: Moving on to the receivers and tight ends versus their cornerbacks,
Speaker 1: this is the matchup, I think that offense have to
Speaker 1: get to. Ron Johnson is one of the five best
Speaker 1: nickels in the game, but trey whites on P U
Speaker 1: P and Dane Jackson, I don't think he'll play after
Speaker 1: that very scary hit on Sunday. We'll see. I just
Speaker 1: hope he's gonna be okay and I'm happy that it
Speaker 1: sounds like he is gonna be okay. But this means
Speaker 1: the bills if he were to miss the game. Top
Speaker 1: Two available perimeter cornerbacks in terms of snaps played this
Speaker 1: season Arkayer Elam and Christian Benford, two rookies. When Dane
Speaker 1: Jackson exited the game on Monday, the bills went with
Speaker 1: the rookie duo on the perimeter of Elam and Benford.
Speaker 1: Those two battled all camp and the sixth rounder Benford
Speaker 1: actually starts the Games for this team, but first rounder
Speaker 1: ELAM comes in and out snaps him. So it's been
Speaker 1: a bit of a platoon. But if Jackson can't go,
Speaker 1: they should both get the full game and I like
Speaker 1: to keep track of these every week because we know
Speaker 1: how shifty and quick and and dynamic tyreek and Jalen are.
Speaker 1: If you guys watched inside the NFL, there's a great
Speaker 1: clip of the Ravens Defenders talking about how hard it
Speaker 1: is to defend and guys that run the way they do.
Speaker 1: But I want to look at these numbers. Uh Kyer
Speaker 1: Elam had a four, three ninety. so the straight line
Speaker 1: speeds fantastic, but a six, eight, three cones a notch
Speaker 1: above average in terms of the R A s scorecards.
Speaker 1: The shuttle and ten yards splits are a bit more
Speaker 1: average as well. So change a direction, explosion. Tyrek and
Speaker 1: Jalen really kind of shine in those areas. Christian Benford,
Speaker 1: his testing really showed his strength in terms of his
Speaker 1: imposing stature and physical play with seventeen bench reps at
Speaker 1: six FT and a half with two eight pounds. But
Speaker 1: a seven, one, three cone, four, three, four shuttle are
Speaker 1: both significantly below average, and also that four or five,
Speaker 1: three forty for the long speed. Uh. And then Johnson,
Speaker 1: Tron Johnson inside had a six three R A S,
Speaker 1: and I love to use the numbers to support these ideas.
Speaker 1: Averages five, by the way, so just over average in
Speaker 1: terms of the athletics scorecard. But I think this one
Speaker 1: doesn't really track because Johnson is incredibly instinctive and coverage
Speaker 1: and he plays way faster than he timed in every area.
Speaker 1: He did receive poor marks in terms of his grade
Speaker 1: on the three cone and shuttle time back at the combine.
Speaker 1: So the matchup in terms of matching the speed and quickness.
Speaker 1: It favors Miami, but we'll see how that plays out.
Speaker 1: The dolphins spacing and speed has really helped to US
Speaker 1: excellent performance in that game go to another level. Some
Speaker 1: of those rips down the middle. Was a good job
Speaker 1: of pressing the safeties and coming off that stem, just
Speaker 1: as you flip your hips. But that can also generate
Speaker 1: a lack of patients where they begin to squat, and
Speaker 1: we saw what happens there. Just the way speed impacts
Speaker 1: defense and the way they have to prepare for it
Speaker 1: and the backs guys off. You've already seen it happen here.
Speaker 1: We've seen the problems that tyreek and Jayly can cause
Speaker 1: for anybody. I have to imagine they'll have a good
Speaker 1: deal of help on those two. But then we also
Speaker 1: saw what the rest of this cast is capable with
Speaker 1: sensational touchdowns by Mike Gasicki and river cracraft, some clutch
Speaker 1: plays by Trent Surfield, Cedric Wilson before he got hurt,
Speaker 1: then obviously the backs in the passing game as well.
Speaker 1: And not wait to see what mcdaniel comes up with,
Speaker 1: because this dolphin skill group is so deep but also
Speaker 1: obviously electrifying, with two guys leading the team and first
Speaker 1: and third in the NFL and receiving yards right now.
Speaker 1: to Ron Johnson is the straw that stirs that drink.
Speaker 1: He's good in both man and zone coverage and he
Speaker 1: can fit the run. Always keep your eye on seven
Speaker 1: and I would try to maybe facilitate matchups outside of
Speaker 1: his area of coverage. Some numbers for them to Ron
Speaker 1: Johnson's seventy three coverage snaps this year, just fifty seven
Speaker 1: yards allowed, nine of twelve completions, no touchdowns, no picks
Speaker 1: and a pass breakup. Benford's played fifty eight coverage snaps
Speaker 1: and allowed seventy three yards. That's a little over one
Speaker 1: per coverage snap. The one guy on this team that
Speaker 1: has that stat five of eight, no touchdowns, no picks,
Speaker 1: one P bu. been really good for them. So is
Speaker 1: ELAM forty one coverage snaps, forty yards allowed. Five of six,
Speaker 1: no touchdowns, no picks, one P bu. I mean again,
Speaker 1: across the board. This team has just been so tough
Speaker 1: through the first two games and coach talked about the
Speaker 1: performance of Jalen waddle and tyreek Hill and his desire
Speaker 1: for bald attribution. Let's go back to coach. I hadn't
Speaker 1: personally been around, UM, two players in the same position,
Speaker 1: group of that caliber. Um. I think you know, it's
Speaker 1: the what, if you had to is exciting thought. Um.
Speaker 1: But then, more than anything, I tried not to get
Speaker 1: ahead of myself with any of it. You know, you're
Speaker 1: trying to acquire, Um, you're trying to get your hands
Speaker 1: on some talented players for Um, our quarterback to throw to,
Speaker 1: Um as well as to hand it to and Um, etcetera, etcetera. Um.
Speaker 1: But you Kinda I think it's important to put stuff
Speaker 1: in the player's hands and kind of see how they
Speaker 1: digest all the stuff and really how they Um, you know,
Speaker 1: to kind of let your offensive scheme evolve. So, Um,
Speaker 1: I wouldn't say I would envision it. Um, and I
Speaker 1: probably didn't allow myself to hope that they they would
Speaker 1: be that productive on a given game. Um. But you know,
Speaker 1: the best thing about it is is, uh, I I
Speaker 1: don't think, if you ask them point blank if they're
Speaker 1: very happy with the game, I think they were happy
Speaker 1: with being able to make plays. Um, but you know,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of stuff for them to clean up,
Speaker 1: especially in the first half. So while they were making plays, Um.
Speaker 1: You know, I that's not the final product of the vision.
Speaker 1: To me, I think. Um. I think the final product
Speaker 1: is uh is uh, you know, better execution with other
Speaker 1: things that where they're not at the point of attack,
Speaker 1: and then, Um, offensively, it would be everyone. Um. You know,
Speaker 1: I don't think you ever wanna uh go that extreme
Speaker 1: with targets. Um. I think the best Um your offense
Speaker 1: can be is when you can distribute the ball. Um. Um.
Speaker 1: But shoot, I'M NOT gonna argue with hot, hot hands.
Speaker 1: So Um, I'm also not hardheaded that way. So I
Speaker 1: think we um there's a lot more to see from
Speaker 1: them for the for the rest of the course of
Speaker 1: the season. Um, but they also know that's on them
Speaker 1: to develop their game um within the offense, because I'm
Speaker 1: pretty sure every other defense um also took note and
Speaker 1: we'll have a plan um to to get in front
Speaker 1: of them as well. It's gonna be a long podcast today.
Speaker 1: We have a very important game coming up and I'm
Speaker 1: excited for it. So we're gonna go ahead and take
Speaker 1: our first break and we'll come back and talk about
Speaker 1: the dolphins offensive line versus the bills defensive line and
Speaker 1: plenty more matchups to come. Here next on the drive
Speaker 1: time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by
Speaker 1: auto nation. Now where these dolphins and bills games went
Speaker 1: in the other direction the last couple of years and
Speaker 1: they've added to that. Unit is on the offensive line
Speaker 1: versus the defensive line, to pass rush of the bills
Speaker 1: versus the pass pro for the Miami Dolphins. But the
Speaker 1: dolphins have also added to their pass pro and offensive lineabilities.
Speaker 1: Vaughan on Tehran is elite on elite, two of the
Speaker 1: best in the game going toe to toe in this matchup.
Speaker 1: Tehron has been everything you'd hoped he'd be through two games.
Speaker 1: Eighty eight pass blocking snaps, three pressures, not a single
Speaker 1: qb hit. He's helping the inside post with enough athletic
Speaker 1: ability to get back to the edge and run guys
Speaker 1: around the ARC. Watch the job he does on the
Speaker 1: first tyreek touchdown. He squeezes inside then races back to
Speaker 1: get a shot on Justin Houston, to just keep him
Speaker 1: off of two in time for him to make that throw. Very,
Speaker 1: very good. But Vaughan's also doing his thing too. Man
Speaker 1: Six pressures, two sacks, three qb hits and a variety
Speaker 1: of pass rush moves, that ghost move he pulled in
Speaker 1: the opener to dip under Joe, note, boom and then
Speaker 1: accelerate off that pivot foot. It's unreal. It's kind of
Speaker 1: equivalent to Jalen waddle and the way he generates space
Speaker 1: on that game winning touchdown with that pivot step and
Speaker 1: the reverse kind of spin out and the way he
Speaker 1: exploded out of that break. Vaughan is the pass rusher
Speaker 1: version of that. That's the headliner. But wait, there's more.
Speaker 1: Vaughan has the six pressures. Boogie Basham who. If you
Speaker 1: guys listen to the draft episodes back in I was
Speaker 1: a huge fan of his game. He's got seven to
Speaker 1: lead the club at that position. Jordan Phillips has more inside.
Speaker 1: Greg Russeau has six of his own. They have waves,
Speaker 1: they've got scheme, they've got guys that can win head up.
Speaker 1: A J epiness as a pocket collapsing extraordinary in terms
Speaker 1: of his power and heavy hands with which he plays.
Speaker 1: He's primarily been on the offense. Is Right, and Greg
Speaker 1: little is also powerful as hell with exceptional length. The
Speaker 1: matchups in this one are interesting, but I think little
Speaker 1: can go get that one if he plays like he
Speaker 1: did last Sunday. Rousseau and Basham are similar with their
Speaker 1: length and power. We talked about this last week. The
Speaker 1: styles that make fights types of matchups right with our
Speaker 1: offensive line and that Ravens big defensive line. It's not
Speaker 1: far off here either. They're pretty big and and imposing.
Speaker 1: But you know, that stretch zone can possibly kind of
Speaker 1: have an impact that way too. The offense did do
Speaker 1: a really good job of mixing it up and using
Speaker 1: the run pass and play Platt, play blast, Pay Pat.
Speaker 1: I'm keeping it a play pass. We'll have to have
Speaker 1: that again this week. So Jordan Phillips, you guys know him.
Speaker 1: He's a menace in side man. He actually leads this
Speaker 1: team with eight pressures. Like I mentioned, he loves to
Speaker 1: fire off the football in that one gap penetration style
Speaker 1: of defense up the field. He'll get in there quickly,
Speaker 1: but he also goes offsides a whole lot because of
Speaker 1: that style. It's a good matchup for Connor Williams, who's
Speaker 1: played really, really well so far this year. And then
Speaker 1: the guard play with Liam and rob kind of bleeds
Speaker 1: into our next position group here, since the bills linebackers
Speaker 1: just love to walk up in the a gaps and
Speaker 1: they're so damn athletic and quick. So we move on
Speaker 1: to the running backs and linebackers, but with some variation here. Uh,
Speaker 1: that's true, very position in both these teams for the
Speaker 1: way they bleed into each other. But Buffalo will include
Speaker 1: Edmonds and Milano as rushers as much as any team.
Speaker 1: They are also a massive part of the run defense
Speaker 1: equation to come down there and run blitz. Lano did
Speaker 1: leave the game on Monday, but it looks like he
Speaker 1: was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. But these
Speaker 1: two players are kind of like high employer and how
Speaker 1: complimentary they are of each other. Mulano is an absolute
Speaker 1: technician with instincts that just kind of gives him a
Speaker 1: half step on most every person he goes up against,
Speaker 1: and then edmonds is just a better athlete than most
Speaker 1: of the guys he goes up against and akin to
Speaker 1: last week, I would think you need to try to
Speaker 1: do your best to give Edmunds a lot of eye
Speaker 1: candy to really work on manipulating his reads and getting
Speaker 1: him out of position. If the dolphins can run the
Speaker 1: football effectively and in the way I think they're, we're
Speaker 1: destined to against the Ravens if not for the scoreboard
Speaker 1: kind of dictating they don't do that that, I think
Speaker 1: they might be able to provide the rest of the
Speaker 1: team with the opportunity to play a complimentary style of
Speaker 1: game that you need to be this buffalo bills team.
Speaker 1: So I mentioned big rob and Liam and the offensive
Speaker 1: line portion, obviously, but they've pulled and let up into
Speaker 1: gaps as lead guys and it was really effective and
Speaker 1: they're hitting some nice second level blocks in that guard
Speaker 1: and that's why I wanted to discuss this matchup and here,
Speaker 1: because I think it's a big key here, not to
Speaker 1: mention the time that Edmunds and Milano spend down on
Speaker 1: the line, particularly as a gap rushers. It's why I
Speaker 1: also believe having a center like Cornor Williams. A lot
Speaker 1: of you folks at their Oh apologies to this team
Speaker 1: for the way of moving car and center Connor Williams
Speaker 1: and center. He's been very dangn good and the football
Speaker 1: I q he possesses and the way he communicates things
Speaker 1: across that line. And as for running the Games, I've
Speaker 1: been so impressed with as for the running game, I
Speaker 1: should say I've been so impressed with chase and Raheem
Speaker 1: in all phases, run game, pass pro pass game. PFF
Speaker 1: says one pressure allowed, combined a hurry with no Qb
Speaker 1: hits and just twelve pass pro reps. small sample but
Speaker 1: very good. Some numbers for Buffalo. EDMUNDS already has nine
Speaker 1: run stops. Milano has three. In coverage, Edmonds allowed seven
Speaker 1: of twelve completions, forty six yards, no touchdowns, no picks.
Speaker 1: Very good, and Milano four or six. Thirty nine yards,
Speaker 1: no touchdowns, one pick. They've allowed one passing touchdown this season.
Speaker 1: That's why you keep seeing Zeros in those t he's
Speaker 1: allowed callumn and Milano last time around in the game
Speaker 1: in Miami, was so adept at buzzing too his hots
Speaker 1: and taking away that first read and, you know, really
Speaker 1: forcing the dolphins offensive line to protect longer and causing
Speaker 1: some of that pressure they got. The dolphins lead the
Speaker 1: League in priest NAP motion. That's one way to displace him,
Speaker 1: but it will also be on tour to do his
Speaker 1: part with that. Let's go ahead and hear from two
Speaker 1: on the benefits of motion and how that can help
Speaker 1: us offense. Yeah, well, we get to see what kind
Speaker 1: of defensive what kind of defensive front. They run um
Speaker 1: if they do adjust their fronts. With our motions, with
Speaker 1: our tight ends and then with our Um, you know,
Speaker 1: jet motions with Tyreek, Jalen and all our other guys
Speaker 1: in the back end, we get to see how they
Speaker 1: move within their coverages, Um, you know, and it's gonna
Speaker 1: be uh, it's gonna be a real good challenge for
Speaker 1: us this week because of how sound buffalo plays defensively.
Speaker 1: With those it's just such a fascinating matchup all the
Speaker 1: way around. I can't wait for Sunday where, a few
Speaker 1: days out, I think we can score, but can we
Speaker 1: stop the bills from doing it? Let's find out. Dolphins
Speaker 1: defense are our safeties versus their quarterback. So no game,
Speaker 1: no team, no player is perfect, right, but the quarterback
Speaker 1: coming to town challenges you to be as close to
Speaker 1: perfect as you possibly can. Allow me to explain. The
Speaker 1: titans are a good defense. They're well coached, they have
Speaker 1: talent at all three levels. Granted, they were down Landry
Speaker 1: Dupre and Fulton in that Monday night football game, but
Speaker 1: it's still a very good defense. Everything they threw at
Speaker 1: Josh Allen he had an answer for. It. was kind
Speaker 1: of mind numbing and I turned the chance. I went
Speaker 1: to the Eagles Vikings game. That one was boring too,
Speaker 1: and I think I wind up watching Rick and Morty
Speaker 1: or maybe the dolphins game again. But most teams began
Speaker 1: by playing too high against buffalo to prevent the deep stuff.
Speaker 1: Opening drive, it's third nine. They go to man, which
Speaker 1: is a safety in each deep path of the field
Speaker 1: with man coverage underneath. And he goes and converts on
Speaker 1: the critical down with a scramble. Literally within that same series,
Speaker 1: same defense to man. All just splits the middle of
Speaker 1: the field between the two safeties with an absolute laser
Speaker 1: to Jamison crowder to move the sticks. I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: go through the whole thing, but the titans would pivot
Speaker 1: to quarters. They assigned a mega call, which is man everywhere.
Speaker 1: He goes at one point on Stefon diggs. They eventually
Speaker 1: got to zero. It just didn't matter. They're a freight
Speaker 1: train on a mission right now after their quarterback nearly
Speaker 1: willed them to victory in that divisional round game last
Speaker 1: year and seemed to have picked up picked up right
Speaker 1: where they left off. You guys know the score. He's
Speaker 1: arguably the most physically gifted player the position has ever seen.
Speaker 1: It's that crazy to say he can drill every throw
Speaker 1: and then some of the throws that maybe only Patrick
Speaker 1: Mahomes can make, like one of two. He'll scramble, he'll
Speaker 1: beat you with speed, he'll run you over and the
Speaker 1: most frustrating part of trying to defend him now is
Speaker 1: that he's really beginning to settle into just playing the position.
Speaker 1: And when I say that I mean he's willing to
Speaker 1: attack the vulnerabilities and just take what's there. We saw
Speaker 1: it against the rams. Then they start to press and
Speaker 1: come up all of a sudden he exploits that soft
Speaker 1: but down the field. If there's one thing, one thing
Speaker 1: we've seen in the matchups down here against this quarterback,
Speaker 1: he has put the ball in harm's way a few times.
Speaker 1: That game could have been a different result if we
Speaker 1: just catch one or two balls off Kyle van noise
Speaker 1: hands are exhabing Howard's hands late in that game. If
Speaker 1: he does give you those chances, which seems to be
Speaker 1: lessening with each week he plays. But if he does,
Speaker 1: you've got to make those plays. Last note here. Like
Speaker 1: most of the top quarterbacks, blitzing tends to invite better
Speaker 1: production and Allen's pretty much pretty much good in that department.
Speaker 1: Two versus the blitz. Fifty eight point five, six point
Speaker 1: two yards per tempt, twelve touchdowns, four picks. It's not terrible,
Speaker 1: but it's far off from his not blitz production of sixties.
Speaker 1: Seven percent seven point five yards per pass, thirty three
Speaker 1: and eleven picks when not blitzed. But this year it
Speaker 1: really ramps up. Thirteen of nineteen for a buck, eighty
Speaker 1: and two touchdowns and note picks. His completion percentage is
Speaker 1: ten points lower, but he's averaging point eight more yards
Speaker 1: per pass and both of us interceptions are against non
Speaker 1: blitzes and also when he's not under pressure. So I'm
Speaker 1: not sure if there's much as to glean from that.
Speaker 1: If you blitz him, you just have to get home.
Speaker 1: That's basically what it comes down to. As for our guys,
Speaker 1: it's not that far off from the Buffalo Pairing, although
Speaker 1: it's more of a trio here as we have eric
Speaker 1: row in the fold, the ability to disguise and flip
Speaker 1: and rotate and show blitzes and bluffs from every direction
Speaker 1: from any player anytime. Brandon, Javon and Eric have to
Speaker 1: be on their a game. They have to tackle well,
Speaker 1: they have to communicate well and the disguise needs to
Speaker 1: be good enough to fool him a couple of times
Speaker 1: to get those potential turnover opportunities. It's a tall, tall
Speaker 1: order man. Last year in the game in Buffalo, where
Speaker 1: they had just ten points through three quarters, that's a
Speaker 1: game plan that was super effective. But the again, the
Speaker 1: margin for air is so razor thin, as we saw
Speaker 1: in that fourth quarter. Once he kind of got going,
Speaker 1: we went zero on thirteen snaps and it forced some
Speaker 1: in completions courtesy of some free runners and sped up operations.
Speaker 1: And you better get home because if you don't, they'll
Speaker 1: be dancing in the end zone. Will come back on
Speaker 1: the other side here on the draft time podcast, brought
Speaker 1: to you by auto nation, and tell you about those
Speaker 1: guys that you're trying to keep from dancing in the
Speaker 1: end zones at hard rock stadium. Stay tuned. I hope
Speaker 1: I don't see a bunch of dances and blue jerseys
Speaker 1: in the end zone. And one of the guys that
Speaker 1: it starts with, who's done at four times this year
Speaker 1: in two games, is Stefon Diggs, who's arguably the craftiest
Speaker 1: receiver in all of football, a premier route runner with
Speaker 1: exceptional change of direction, the mastery of footwork and landmarks
Speaker 1: and stemming and stacking and some of the most reliable
Speaker 1: hand you'll find in football. We talked in the quarterback
Speaker 1: portion about teams playing shells to keep things in front
Speaker 1: of them. Diggs has only been targeted twice beyond twenty
Speaker 1: yards this year, and the results two catches, yards and
Speaker 1: two scores. This is why it's so critical to play smart,
Speaker 1: disciplined football for sixty minutes. They only need one shot
Speaker 1: to make you pay. He's been the most fit, shouldn't
Speaker 1: intermediate receiver through two weeks as well, catching five of
Speaker 1: six targets for seventy yards and two touchdowns. The only
Speaker 1: place he hasn't caught a touchdowns underneath, where he's also
Speaker 1: caught thirteen of four teen balls for a Bucko one.
Speaker 1: So yeah, Alan two digs this season is two with
Speaker 1: to seventy and four TUDDIES. And we know what he's
Speaker 1: done in this building since becoming a Buffalo Bill. So
Speaker 1: how do you contain that guy? Well, I don't know
Speaker 1: what you do. I mean this year it just hasn't
Speaker 1: mattered that much. He caught two of three passes on
Speaker 1: Ramsey for sixty three and a touchdown. No other Ram
Speaker 1: Force and completion in that game. He caught uh all
Speaker 1: three of his targets on Caleb Farley, all three on
Speaker 1: Roger McCreary last week and trade avery on both targets.
Speaker 1: His only forced in completion in that game was against
Speaker 1: safety and Monty Hooker. When was the last time Diggs
Speaker 1: didn't have a huge game? It's basically last like December,
Speaker 1: because it was January. He was balling too. We spent
Speaker 1: a lot of time on digs, but this group is
Speaker 1: restocked and loaded again. Isaiah Mackenzie is a very nice feature.
Speaker 1: That opens up their horizontal stretch with some of the
Speaker 1: priests now motion stuff they do jet sweeps and drag
Speaker 1: routes and things of that nature. His speed can help
Speaker 1: create space and Ken Dorsey uses him so nicely in
Speaker 1: that role. He's a big part of the R P
Speaker 1: O zone read stuff they do where Josh has options.
Speaker 1: We'll see about Gabe Davis's availability. He was limited on Wednesday,
Speaker 1: but he broke out in the playoffs last year. Then
Speaker 1: in week one was that dude again, despite missing week two.
Speaker 1: Last on Monday night he's a big target who can
Speaker 1: sink his hips and create separation, which is a nice
Speaker 1: combination to have for a big target like that. But
Speaker 1: he also makes tons of contested catches and he paces
Speaker 1: his routes really nicely. So patients and staying in that
Speaker 1: hip pocket and face where these DB IS gonna be
Speaker 1: a big deal. Dawson Knox is an effective inline blocker
Speaker 1: and dynamic pass catcher. The potential matchup with he and
Speaker 1: Eric Rowe, I think, is a very good one. Then
Speaker 1: you still got Jake Cumro had a big game on
Speaker 1: Monday night as well. I think Kator Co, who's propensity
Speaker 1: to come up and make a tackle could really help
Speaker 1: ease some of the strain the bills put on you underneath,
Speaker 1: and then whatever role that is with him. Also like
Speaker 1: his potential to match some of the jet sweep stuff
Speaker 1: and quick stuff to MC Kinsey, because he's shone well
Speaker 1: in that area and this is a good test for him.
Speaker 1: I think everyone's expectations of bounce back game for x,
Speaker 1: just because we know how good he is and how
Speaker 1: rare of a game like that was on Sunday for him.
Speaker 1: I'm curious to see the plan for how they want
Speaker 1: to cover these guys. You know, I wish I could
Speaker 1: tell you what happens from a matchup perspective. Uh, we'll see.
Speaker 1: It's it's been not nick Needham's best games against the
Speaker 1: buffalo bills last year. Seven of eight for ninety four yards.
Speaker 1: Didn't play in the week two games, just two snaps.
Speaker 1: In the previous year. Eight of nine in those two
Speaker 1: games for a buck sixties, six and three touchdowns. I
Speaker 1: expect nick to bounce back and and kind of you
Speaker 1: know he's the kind of guy that bounces back from
Speaker 1: that stuff. In it was a lot of man and
Speaker 1: digs just kept getting us all those crossing routes over
Speaker 1: and over again. The numbers say it was more mixed
Speaker 1: in terms of coverage last year and I think a
Speaker 1: lot of it depends on Davis's availability. Could be one
Speaker 1: of those situations where you go x on Gabe Davis
Speaker 1: and just try to get him out of the game
Speaker 1: and then bracket stefawn digs and see what happens from
Speaker 1: there with Knox and Kumero and Mackenzie and make the
Speaker 1: backs beat you as well. It's IT'S A lot. It's
Speaker 1: a lot on their offensive line versus our defensive line.
Speaker 1: This is a key element too. Obviously the dolphins have
Speaker 1: done well to apply pressure on Alan the last few meetings,
Speaker 1: but he does tend to extend at some point and
Speaker 1: usually that's when teams pay the most. Buffalo has made
Speaker 1: some changes up front. We'll see about Roger Saffold and
Speaker 1: Mitch Morrise's availability. The left guard and center were injured
Speaker 1: on Monday night and they were limited in practice on Wednesday.
Speaker 1: That replacements Greg Van Rotten and center at Center and
Speaker 1: Bobby Hart at left guard. He was suspended for throwing
Speaker 1: a punch in the game on Monday. But more saffold
Speaker 1: and Dawkins is arguably the best center, left guard, left
Speaker 1: tackle Combo and football, particularly Dawkins. He's an all pro
Speaker 1: potential left tackle who can do some stuff we've talked
Speaker 1: about with Tehran in terms of ISO, slide protection, the
Speaker 1: ripple effect that he gives you. Morris is very interesting because,
Speaker 1: like we talked about with Connor Williams, we know Miami
Speaker 1: loves to blitz and run rush games up front. Getting
Speaker 1: that stuff communicated it's gonna be huge. So I'm really
Speaker 1: curious to see if Mitch Morris can play in this game.
Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and see their numbers this season. Doc Gains,
Speaker 1: one pressure and no hits. I mentioned to Ron Armstead.
Speaker 1: It's basically the same production right now. SAFFOLD five pressures
Speaker 1: and one hit. The to filling options on their roster
Speaker 1: currently are two tackles, Tommy Doyle and David Kessenberry. Now
Speaker 1: kessonberry has played some guard, but they also have former
Speaker 1: dolphins center greg manse on their practice squad and Van
Speaker 1: Rotten played guard for the jets last year, so they
Speaker 1: do have options. Morse one pressure and no hits. Of
Speaker 1: Van Rotten's nineteen snaps and one pressure, no hits. Ryan Bates,
Speaker 1: their right guard. Don't know much about his game. Five pressures,
Speaker 1: one sack and one hit allowed. And then Spencer Brown,
Speaker 1: the right tackle, was impressive as a rookie out of
Speaker 1: N I u last year. He's got that kind of
Speaker 1: road greater bully mentality, so I'd be curiously if you
Speaker 1: want to try to match that or go speed rush
Speaker 1: and get him with speed off the edge. He's allowed
Speaker 1: two pressures of one sack and a hit. It's a
Speaker 1: good matchup there for Emmanuel Augubay. I think when he
Speaker 1: lines up in that primary left defensive end position. And
Speaker 1: then you have to mention Christian and Zach because they
Speaker 1: just continue to be so impressive. These guys do so
Speaker 1: well to control the point. I thought they did last week.
Speaker 1: Really it was just that one Lamar Jackson run in
Speaker 1: the ground game, but otherwise they were they were pretty
Speaker 1: much on it, especially in short yardage. Zack seeler's the
Speaker 1: best shortyarage defensive Lineman in the NFL. I'll put my
Speaker 1: name on that. In a game like this and Buffalo,
Speaker 1: you know, they go forround fourth and short a lot,
Speaker 1: because why wouldn't they? They convert all the damn time.
Speaker 1: Getting more of that production could be a key from
Speaker 1: Miami fourth down stops or takeaway. So if they're gonna
Speaker 1: give you a chance, you gotta rise to the occasion.
Speaker 1: Those guys, along with Ray Kwon Davis, against that interior
Speaker 1: and offensive line, could be a big deal for mine
Speaker 1: because if you can put pressure on Alan up the
Speaker 1: middle with some of the potential uncertainty about who's available
Speaker 1: inside for Buffalo, that could be a sneaky way to
Speaker 1: kind of disrupt their game plan. For this dolphins defense
Speaker 1: at running back in Linebacker, you know again there's so
Speaker 1: much carry over for all these positions. It's a big game.
Speaker 1: From Miami's edge and outside linebackers. I think we have
Speaker 1: just having consistently one the one on one pass rush situations,
Speaker 1: and that's always the best way to topple a quarterback right.
Speaker 1: It's not blitz and when your pass rush with four
Speaker 1: man or three man rushes, hopefully we get some opportunities
Speaker 1: for Phillips, Melvin Ingram Van Ginkle Ogba and flowers as well.
Speaker 1: The bills are also deep at running back, man James Cook.
Speaker 1: James Cook is explosive and an option in the passing
Speaker 1: game for then and then Devin singletary just keeps on
Speaker 1: producing and fending off additions who are coming in there
Speaker 1: for his job like a cook, like Zack Moss. He's
Speaker 1: shifty as hell. He's a smart, patient runner with a
Speaker 1: second gear. It's so crucial to get knocked back and
Speaker 1: control the points of the land. And Roberts can do
Speaker 1: what he does best and go knock heads between the
Speaker 1: tackles and then freeing up Jerome Baker to use his
Speaker 1: speed to combat all the speed the bills have, as
Speaker 1: well as rush the quarterback, obviously against that interior mug
Speaker 1: up the a gaps, run games. Get quick pressure on
Speaker 1: Josh Allen. We saw in the first drive of that
Speaker 1: twenty season finale, the Byron Jones pick. That was good
Speaker 1: pressure on that drive. Get get that done a lot.
Speaker 1: You could do a lot of that and we've also
Speaker 1: seen plenty of Duke Riley. Same idea here. I like
Speaker 1: Miami speed on defense and despite the Production Baltimore had
Speaker 1: last week, we did see that speed pop a few times.
Speaker 1: Just a big game for every position group. Man, we
Speaker 1: get two special teams here. UH, the bills don't punt.
Speaker 1: They put in three times this season and on one
Speaker 1: of them they recovered a muff. Thomas Moore stead has
Speaker 1: been exceptional, as you know, both with distance, hang time
Speaker 1: and also a situational kicking. Sanders hasn't missed. Bass hasn't missed.
Speaker 1: Miami's D v O A and special teams in football
Speaker 1: outsiders thirty one sample sizes there. They went from ninth
Speaker 1: last week to thirty first this week after that kickoff
Speaker 1: return for a touchdown buffalo second. So they're good and
Speaker 1: special teams to what's at stake. You know I've been,
Speaker 1: I guess, Pooh pooing my own segment here through two
Speaker 1: weeks and I'll still kind of do that. But Division Games,
Speaker 1: as coach told us, it's like the money ball at
Speaker 1: the end of the rack and three point contest at
Speaker 1: the NBA All star weekend. They do count for a
Speaker 1: little bit extra. Plus seven straight wins from Buffalo over Miami.
Speaker 1: It would be nice to exercise that demon here. We
Speaker 1: see them again in frigid buffalo in December in a
Speaker 1: game that I'm guessing we'll get flexed to Saturday night
Speaker 1: in the freezing cold and those in front of those
Speaker 1: crazy fans. If you guys saw Monday night football, you
Speaker 1: know how hard is to play in that place, especially
Speaker 1: on primetime. But this is our home game. I wish
Speaker 1: it was hot. Our home field advantage with that raucous,
Speaker 1: loud dolphins crowd. A win gets you out of the
Speaker 1: gates at three Oh, with three wins over two one
Speaker 1: playoff teams. So what's at stake? A chance to get
Speaker 1: out of the gates atop the division, but nothing is
Speaker 1: going to be clenched or eliminated in week three. My
Speaker 1: three keys of the game contain Josh Allen. If you
Speaker 1: can contain one element of his game, whether it's the
Speaker 1: arm or the legs. That goes a long way towards
Speaker 1: beating him, because they do get in trouble but he
Speaker 1: tends to rescue them because he's so Dang special. If
Speaker 1: you can consistently contain one area of his game, you
Speaker 1: have a chance also protect to a key number two
Speaker 1: against this, this buffalo pass rush. Obviously you can't let
Speaker 1: what happened last year happened again, and if you can
Speaker 1: consistently get good pass pro I like our matchup on
Speaker 1: the perimeter. And then three, win the turnover battle. Man.
Speaker 1: You have to get, I think, plus two in this
Speaker 1: game because the bills don't punts. You have to turn
Speaker 1: them over. Try to get stops that way. Thursday night football. Tonight.
Speaker 1: I'm taking the steelers over the browns. Tomorrow is a
Speaker 1: football Friday show. Joe Marino joins us to break down
Speaker 1: the buffalo bills further. Week three picks, College Foot Ball,
Speaker 1: week four games. I'm watching your mail, bad questions, audio
Speaker 1: from the assistant coaches. That's gonna be my time today, guys.
Speaker 1: Until next time, you all. Please be sure to subscribe
Speaker 1: to the podcast on Apple podcast. Leave us a rating,
Speaker 1: leave us a review. You can follow me on twitter
Speaker 1: at Wingfield NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check
Speaker 1: out the fish tank podcast with seth and juice, as
Speaker 1: well as twitter spaces every Wednesday at eight o'clock on
Speaker 1: twitter DOT COM. Check out the Youtube Channel for media
Speaker 1: availabilities dolphins. Today there's some fish tank and drive time
Speaker 1: content up there as well. And, last but not least,
Speaker 1: MIAMI DOLPHINS DOT com. Until next time finds up caroline.
Speaker 1: Daddy's coming home.