Speaker 1: Practice, Patrick throwing Parker touchdowner. What a win for this
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphin team. Wow ah right, Miami Indeed, and free
Speaker 1: agency is off to a rocking start as your Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins have been busy bolstering the roster with quality signings,
Speaker 1: freak athletes, intelligent, instinctive scheme fits, and we've been doing
Speaker 1: it with clever cat management that keeps this roster in
Speaker 1: terrific financial shape going forward. What's up, Dolphins? Travis Wingfield
Speaker 1: with you here for a special series of the Drive
Speaker 1: Time Podcast, part of the official podcast network of your
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins. We aren't making these shows with specific dates,
Speaker 1: but we are rolling out a new episode per player signing,
Speaker 1: and we'll start with the details of the player's career,
Speaker 1: taking a look at their counting stats, advanced metrics, film study,
Speaker 1: character testimonies, and a whole lot more. All of that
Speaker 1: before we hear from the newest Miami Dolphins and exclusive
Speaker 1: interviews with the Drivetime Podcast. So, without any further ado,
Speaker 1: let's get in to the free agency series here on
Speaker 1: the Drivetime Podcast, and we are going to cover the
Speaker 1: cumulative approach of Miami's free agency period and the impact
Speaker 1: of all these roster editions and scheme fits and checking
Speaker 1: these crucial crucial boxes. This week in the free agent period,
Speaker 1: we'll talk about the ramifications on Miami's financial future and outcome,
Speaker 1: the way they cleverly structure these contracts to keep themselves
Speaker 1: financially free heading forward, as well as the draft impact.
Speaker 1: All of that on a future edition of the Drivetime podcast,
Speaker 1: but for today, we're talking about the individual impacts and
Speaker 1: the individual players that were signed to Miami early on
Speaker 1: in the free agency period, and today we're talking about
Speaker 1: Hawaiian native out of Honolulu, Commu gru j Hill, the
Speaker 1: linebacker edition that agreed to a contract earlier in the
Speaker 1: week and sign with the Miami Dolphins. He was most
Speaker 1: recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, but there was a six
Speaker 1: round draft pickback in of the New England Patriots. It's
Speaker 1: a one year contract for gruge Hill, continuing the theme
Speaker 1: of acquiring athletic marvels. Gruge hills testing metrics were absolutely
Speaker 1: through the roof. At his Eastern Illinois Pro day. At
Speaker 1: six ft two fift he clocked a four four five
Speaker 1: forty yard dash. He jumped thirty eight inches on the
Speaker 1: vertical jump, and those metrics earned praise from NFL dot
Speaker 1: COM's land Zerline. Explosive, quick twitch athlete has super chase
Speaker 1: speed and burst to ball carrier. Possesses above average stop
Speaker 1: start quickness, combines quick feet and loose hips for plus
Speaker 1: agility range to ball carriers will be well above average
Speaker 1: instant reaction time once he diagnosed as a play finds
Speaker 1: the ball after the snap and stays locked in wrap
Speaker 1: up tackler who likes to body up as a finisher,
Speaker 1: aggressive enough to stay at linebacker as a pro, has
Speaker 1: the burst to become a dangerous blitzer end quote and
Speaker 1: gruge Hill has added some eight to that two hundred
Speaker 1: and fifteen pound college frame. He's now around two hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty pounds, developing into a solid rotational defender on
Speaker 1: top of his special team's exploits. In Philadelphia, gruge Hill
Speaker 1: logged six hundred and fifty one defensive snaps the last
Speaker 1: two years, combined a considerable jump from the first two
Speaker 1: years of his career, when he played eighty six snaps
Speaker 1: on defense and was primarily a special teams player. The
Speaker 1: Finn's new linebacker has career tackles eleven for loss, an interception,
Speaker 1: a sack, two passes defense to force fumbles and one recovery.
Speaker 1: He has six pressures on forty one career pass rush
Speaker 1: reps and has never allowed a touchdown on three hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty seven coverage snaps, and his passer rating against
Speaker 1: checks in at an impressive eighty three point six. Special
Speaker 1: teams are where gruge Hill made his biggest impact. He
Speaker 1: was voted a twenty nine team captain on that side
Speaker 1: of the ball for his contributions. He has one thousand,
Speaker 1: ninety two career special team snaps. That's an average of
Speaker 1: two seventy three per year. Since entering the league, He's
Speaker 1: made twenty six career special teams tackles and no sis.
Speaker 1: Dumb craves versatility like Brian Flores defense, a trait that
Speaker 1: grug Hill offers in spades. His former defensive coordinator in Philadelphia,
Speaker 1: Jim Schwartz, had some glowing praise of his linebacker prior
Speaker 1: to this last season, quote, He's taken a big step
Speaker 1: to being a full time linebacker. And when I say
Speaker 1: full time, I don't mean being on the field all
Speaker 1: the time, but I mean that he can play inside,
Speaker 1: can play outside, can take on a guard, can step
Speaker 1: up and fill a run play, all those kinds of things.
Speaker 1: His understanding of the defense is really good too, and
Speaker 1: that's one of the things about having continuity. Even though
Speaker 1: it's his fourth year, it's only his third training camp.
Speaker 1: Just the accumulation of reps helps him. End quote. Let's
Speaker 1: go ahead and get now to my interview with new
Speaker 1: Dolphins linebacker Commu Gruge Hill and joining me now is
Speaker 1: new Dolphins linebacker Commu Groo J. Hill. Did I get
Speaker 1: that right, Commu? Yeah? Actually yes, I'm gonna take some
Speaker 1: credit for that. When I actually got married in Kauai.
Speaker 1: My wife and I have been back there a couple
Speaker 1: of times, so we really love it there. So big
Speaker 1: fans of your native land. Awesome? Awesome. Yeah. How are
Speaker 1: you feeling about the new contract, new team, a new
Speaker 1: city for you? How's all this kind of hitting you
Speaker 1: right now? I mean, I'm I'm excited, man, like everything.
Speaker 1: I'm ready for a change. Um. I'm to the point
Speaker 1: of my career where obviously even something somewhere nice and
Speaker 1: warm like Miami sound pretty perfect to me. So, um,
Speaker 1: I'm excited about the situation, I'm excited about I'm signing,
Speaker 1: and I'm ready to get to work. Man. As someone
Speaker 1: that is going to Miami now and it's from Hawaii,
Speaker 1: are the climate is kind of the same in terms
Speaker 1: of the weather. How would you compare those two? You
Speaker 1: know what's crazy is I've only been to Miami like
Speaker 1: one time before this, so, um, I haven't got the
Speaker 1: full experience yet. But um, from what I'm guessing, it
Speaker 1: can't be much different. I think, you know, Miami or
Speaker 1: Florida in general probably just gets a little more humid.
Speaker 1: But um, I don't know. Obvious excited. There's finally the beach. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you'll you'll find how he would it gets him for
Speaker 1: training camp for sure, So we'll see you down there
Speaker 1: from that. But in terms of choosing the Dolphins, what
Speaker 1: what was it about Miami and kind of the culture
Speaker 1: and maybe even Brian Flora is that made you decide
Speaker 1: to come down and sign with Miami. Yeah, well, uh,
Speaker 1: first and foremost, you know, uh, coach Coach Flow was
Speaker 1: a big part of why I even ended up getting drafted.
Speaker 1: He really kind of jumped on the table for me,
Speaker 1: and you know, he put his faith in me. So
Speaker 1: you know, reuniting with him is like first and foremost,
Speaker 1: just like I'm excited for that and Um, you know,
Speaker 1: I know he knows what I can do. I know
Speaker 1: what he he does, you know what I mean. And
Speaker 1: I think we're excited to work with each other and
Speaker 1: just a kind of all factors. I know what he's
Speaker 1: doing with the culture down there. Um, you know the
Speaker 1: guys coming in, everyone's hungry, everyone's ready, and I think
Speaker 1: it's gonna be exciting year. For sure. When you first
Speaker 1: got drafted by the Patriots there with Brian Flores and
Speaker 1: you were in that linebacker room with him, did you
Speaker 1: kind of have the sense this is a guy that
Speaker 1: is going to be a head coach on the line
Speaker 1: Oh for sure. You can just tell by his demeanor
Speaker 1: and not only like from the from the players, but
Speaker 1: like even though other coaches had had uh big respect,
Speaker 1: he kind of ran a lot most of the individual
Speaker 1: drills or whatever it is, the walk throughs, and and
Speaker 1: you know he just had that that little um swaggered
Speaker 1: him a little bit. So, Um, you definitely can see that.
Speaker 1: We way back then too. We've heard players talk about it.
Speaker 1: We've heard Stephen Ross the Dolphins on our talk about
Speaker 1: the leadership that Brian Flores provides. But he also runs
Speaker 1: a very complex and multiple defense a defense that really
Speaker 1: relies on versatility, and your former defensive coordinator in Philadelphia,
Speaker 1: Jim Schwartz, had some affusive praise for you and your
Speaker 1: ability to do multiple things. Is that versatility kind of
Speaker 1: the thing that sets you apart from the rest in
Speaker 1: your opinion? I think so, And I think you know, um,
Speaker 1: in my in my uh eyes, you know, my career
Speaker 1: really hasn't even started because my situation in Philly was
Speaker 1: a little different. But coming coming here to the Miami, um,
Speaker 1: and I know, I know flow like that's kind of
Speaker 1: what I said before. I know he knows what I
Speaker 1: can do. And um, I mean I think that's just
Speaker 1: what sets me apart from from other players, is I
Speaker 1: can you know, I can be put in different situations.
Speaker 1: I you know, I feel like I can play to
Speaker 1: run like a linebacker, but run like a safety and cover.
Speaker 1: So that's that's that's my strengths. So whether it's blitzing
Speaker 1: the quarterback, dropping into coverage, playing the run, you can
Speaker 1: do it all on the defensive side. But you also
Speaker 1: were voted a special team's captain last year in Philadelphia?
Speaker 1: Was it? What is it about you and your character
Speaker 1: that makes for a good leader and a team captain. Um,
Speaker 1: I think the biggest thing for me. Um. One of
Speaker 1: my first two years in the league, I just you know,
Speaker 1: my role was was simply cut out as as a
Speaker 1: special teamer and and I really bought into that. And
Speaker 1: I'm I'm a person to wear whatever role you put
Speaker 1: me in, and I'm gonna try to be the best
Speaker 1: I can be UM in that role in that position. So, UM,
Speaker 1: I really ran with that, and I think you know
Speaker 1: that that's what really helped me. That's what the guys
Speaker 1: looked up to. I think, um, you know, last three
Speaker 1: years in Philly and helped me to be where I
Speaker 1: am today. So I don't want to make this a
Speaker 1: sore subject here commed, but I gotta ask you, since
Speaker 1: you are such a special teams ace. You were on
Speaker 1: the other side of the field last year of the
Speaker 1: Mountaineer shoot the Dolphins touchdown with a punter throwing to
Speaker 1: a kicker for a touchdown. Can you give me the
Speaker 1: opponent's perspective on that play? Like, what were you guys
Speaker 1: thinking as that formation was kind of was kind of
Speaker 1: developing the play got snapped. It's crazy. I actually wasn't
Speaker 1: on the field day that that that play we had
Speaker 1: our big goal block team out, but um, I mean
Speaker 1: we're on the bench. We and when we totally caused
Speaker 1: by surprise, I couldn't I couldn't believe that they ran
Speaker 1: down looking back now that he's supposed to do it
Speaker 1: was crazy. And when the NFL honors Play of the
Speaker 1: Year last year, so definitely got some recognition there. But
Speaker 1: as far as playing the defensive side of the ball,
Speaker 1: when you prepared for this Dolphins offense, what were some
Speaker 1: of the challenges they presented, whether it was Ryan Fitzpatrick
Speaker 1: or some of the guys in the running game, what
Speaker 1: were some of the challenges the Dolphins offense gave to
Speaker 1: you last year as an opposing defender. Well, you know,
Speaker 1: I think the you know, the biggest thing is they
Speaker 1: just have weapons, like real serious weapons with Parker as
Speaker 1: receiver and and um, you know, fit see and there's
Speaker 1: all kinds of these these these weapons out there that
Speaker 1: he has different formations they're busting out into and and
Speaker 1: just running so many different things. Um, you know, and
Speaker 1: obviously with them struggling last year a little bit, but um,
Speaker 1: they're almost more dangerous that way because you didn't know
Speaker 1: what was coming and um and That's why I'm excited
Speaker 1: for this year. You know. I know, Flow just kind
Speaker 1: of getting everything going, getting his guys in there, and
Speaker 1: and you know it's gonna be a thing this year,
Speaker 1: I think. And when you talk about teammates that you're
Speaker 1: joining this year with Miami, you also have some past
Speaker 1: history with guys like Ted Carress, for instance, or Kyle
Speaker 1: van noy A Land and Roberts. What can you tell
Speaker 1: us about those guys in the new Dolphins for regents
Speaker 1: they brought along along with you. Yeah, I mean, I'm
Speaker 1: so we're all in agree, Chad, and we're all kind
Speaker 1: of messing around right now. Just crazy guy. We're just
Speaker 1: all reunited again. And you know, I even got one
Speaker 1: of my former egos friends down there, Mac Hollins, and
Speaker 1: so me and him are still to be back together again.
Speaker 1: And I mean it's just you can just see the
Speaker 1: chemistry already building. And we all haven't stepped on the
Speaker 1: field together in a long time, but I mean you
Speaker 1: can just tell the excitement and the the build up
Speaker 1: that we have right now. I'm excited for it. If
Speaker 1: I ask you, Commo to give me your scouting report
Speaker 1: about what you're going to provide for the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1: What can Dolphins fans expect to get from you both
Speaker 1: on and off the field this year. The biggest thing
Speaker 1: is I'm gonna be um, you know, whatever role they
Speaker 1: have me, and I'm gonna be the best at it.
Speaker 1: And I think my biggest strength, like like you said,
Speaker 1: me and no flow and whoever else is We've we've
Speaker 1: talked about this before, and what I want to do
Speaker 1: is I want to be the best coverage linebacker in
Speaker 1: the field. Um. The game's turned to you know, really
Speaker 1: really passing league and there's not much linebackers I can
Speaker 1: cover and and and do what what teams need them
Speaker 1: to do. And I I'm gonna take pride in that.
Speaker 1: And you know, oh, I know, I just want to
Speaker 1: be one of the best monarchies on the field. And
Speaker 1: We've talked a lot about football on this podcast obviously
Speaker 1: a Dolphins podcast here the Drivetime Podcast with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 1: I've got Cammu gru j Hill, Dolphins new linebacker here
Speaker 1: on the official Dolphins podcast network. But one of the
Speaker 1: themes of these podcast commu has been basketball and how
Speaker 1: well guys can play on the hardwood. How good is
Speaker 1: your game? Yeah, I played defense. I play above the rim.
Speaker 1: But I don't know if I'm not much of a shooter.
Speaker 1: That's that's been a pretty common response. I love it,
Speaker 1: but that, hey, that means you get out there, you
Speaker 1: try hard, you hike those shorts up around the upper quad,
Speaker 1: and you just get down there and play some defense man.
Speaker 1: Well ready, we'll love to see that. I do. Got
Speaker 1: to ask you this too, because, like I said, spend
Speaker 1: a couple of times in Hawaii. My wife and I
Speaker 1: had sushi there and we can't have sushi back Stateside
Speaker 1: anymore because it ruined it for us because it was
Speaker 1: too good. Is that the best food the islands can offer?
Speaker 1: What's the best food out there? I mean yeah, I mean, Si,
Speaker 1: you're not. I can get freshure fishing than the food
Speaker 1: in Hawaii. Uh and in the fishing Hawaii, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: I mean local food for me is just what I've
Speaker 1: been raised on. So the second I get off the
Speaker 1: playing and I was like, my mom, bring me, bring
Speaker 1: me a lunch play or something. So um. I mean,
Speaker 1: it's it's all good. It's funny though, because I'm kind
Speaker 1: of the same way. I'm a little hesitant to try
Speaker 1: some sushi out here. A little bit of a sushi
Speaker 1: Miami might change me a little bit. Yeah, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1: I've had it a few times in Miami. It's pretty good.
Speaker 1: What about like activities doing stuff as you know a
Speaker 1: child in Hawaii, I'm sure you had all kinds of
Speaker 1: different things to explore out there. Yeah, I mean, I
Speaker 1: mean the biggest thing we just I was I was kidding.
Speaker 1: My mom never ever bought me a PlayStation or a
Speaker 1: video game or anything kind of Everything was just outside.
Speaker 1: Was going to the beach or just playing playing with
Speaker 1: your friends around the block or whatever whatever it was.
Speaker 1: But um, that's really it really beats a lot of beach.
Speaker 1: We we spent some time and like I said, in
Speaker 1: Kawaii and we went to a shipwreck beach and leaf
Speaker 1: who are la? WHOI I think is how you pronounce it.
Speaker 1: Are you familiar with the area at all? I've been
Speaker 1: when I was really young. I went, Well, I went
Speaker 1: there and I have a couple of friends that live
Speaker 1: in Quiet. It's super and I think, yeah, it was gorgeous. Man.
Speaker 1: We did some some cliff jumping and some boogie boarding
Speaker 1: out there, and it had a great time on the beach.
Speaker 1: But I want to look up any more your time here.
Speaker 1: Com We really appreciate you doing this today. Congratulations on
Speaker 1: the contract, best of luck this year, stay healthy, and
Speaker 1: welcome to Miami. Man. Awesome man. Thank you for having
Speaker 1: me again. And I'm excited for everything. So decided to
Speaker 1: get down there. Let's go. Yeah, we're certainly looking forward
Speaker 1: to having you down here, So thank you for your time.
Speaker 1: And there he goes Comu Gruge a Hill, new Dolphins linebacker,
Speaker 1: Special teams ace. You heard him talk about coverage, playing
Speaker 1: the round, does a little bit of everything. Super versatile player,
Speaker 1: super likable guy, quite obviously good leader, team captain. Fits
Speaker 1: the theme here in Miami. Smart, tough, discipline, guys that
Speaker 1: care about the game, that care about their teammates and
Speaker 1: winning games on the football field. All right, that's the
Speaker 1: last one I recorded here. I'm not sure where it's
Speaker 1: gonna be put out there, but we have ten of
Speaker 1: these things now out there for you guys on the
Speaker 1: Dolphins podcast network here the Drivetime Podcast, and we are
Speaker 1: going to have a bunch of draft previews for you
Speaker 1: coming up in the next month, taking a look at
Speaker 1: the cumulative roster, putting this whole thing together, talking about
Speaker 1: what each guy can do for this roster. Exciting times ahead,
Speaker 1: and if you want to catch all ten of these
Speaker 1: interviews with the dolphins new free agent signings, go ahead
Speaker 1: and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, podcast, Google, Spotify,
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast from. Go ahead and leave
Speaker 1: us a rating, leave us a review, and give me
Speaker 1: a follow. On Twitter, it's at Wingfield, NFL. Follow the
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Speaker 1: next time, fins up