Drive Time - Newcomers Making Immediate Impact

day coming up on Saturday. We have to get down to fifty three and sixty nine in total if you include the practice squad extended rosters. This year, the Dolphins are back on the practice fields the wool here from coach Flora's and another trio of Dolphins players. Plus I'm gonna give you my top five newcomer performers of Dolphins training camp. All of that and more on this Tuesday, September the first edition of the Drive Time Podcast, and

we'll jump into Brian Flores is Tuesday morning. Media availability here in just one moment, But first, some roster news to get too off the top. Yesterday, the Dolphins announced the release of linebacker James Crawford and in his place on the roster a familiar face, nice rhyme and wide receiver Andy Jones. Jones is back after two prior stints with the team as he attempts to carve out a

role on this Dolphins football team. In as we are just twelve days away from the season opener, and speaking of being twelve days away, I feel like the closer we get to actual football games, you're gonna see more of Coach's personality comes out. Because this guy is all football. It's all he's known his entire life. He just loves

the game. He was all smiles, all jokes, and all laughing during his Tuesday morning media availability, busting the chops of guys like Cam Wolf and Joe Schad and like you and I, it just seems like the excitable meter gets cranked up a couple of are notches with games and the forecast with coach Flora's And with that, let's go ahead and start with a general evaluation of this

Dolphins rookie class from coach himself. Yeah, I think given a situation, I think they've they've worked hard, they've improved over the course of training camp. But you know, the big thing with the rookies, you know, on our team and really across the league is without you never really know about a player until there's live action. Um, some guys get tight when it's live actions. Some guys play better when there's live actions. So you just don't if it's hard to know, so that we're gonna go into

the unknown. Uh this season. Um, you know a little bit more in the preseason, but even that isn't a regular season game, you know. I think you know, I'm pleased with our rookie class, all of them really, you know, from the guys who we drafted early to the undrafted guys. I think they're all working hard. I think they're all they're all bought in. But um, there's a there's a lot of unknown here. Uh. As you guys can imagine,

there's you know, playing and NFL game. It's this is the speed of it, the pressure that's involved in playing in the game. The players are playing against me. He's guys are big, the physical, they're strong, they're they're tough, they're they're angry. So when you get and put in that situation, pressure bus pipes is a phrase that's been used and used for a long time and we'll see and it's it's not just that that's every team. And I'm one of the few people that probably actually really

enjoys the preseason. For me, it's like the ultimate evaluation opportunity for someone that just enjoys taking a look at how football players perform and how you can project their performance into the regular season. And I've always kind of found it fastening to discover which players performances in the preseason actually stick as legitimate looks into what they could

be in the future. Like I always go back to Victor Cruz of the New York Giants from like two thousand eight or whatever year that was when he kind of broke out and Rex Ryan had the famous Hard Knocks scene saying, who the hell is number three? Can we stop down for three? That was the greatest example of a guy that really made a name for himself in the preseason across the league for my money. But

it also works the opposite way. Like last year, for instance, I recalled Nick Needham having a tough preseason, and here he was in Week six contributing to the Dolphins football team in a rookie season as an undrafted free agent. So like Flora says, you don't really know until you know, and we're gonna find out in twelve days opening day up in New England. Up next, coach was asked we value with the offensive line and what goes into the decision to pick five guys to start and when we'll

know who goes five? Might be everything you mentioned goes into the decision and conditioning, best, best overall, But I would say, you know the number one things, the the overall group. Um, we're talking about five guys. We need to get on the same page from a communication standpoint, and I think you know, the three rookies Austin, Robert Hunt, Simon Kinley all played well at times during training camps have all made mistakes as well, So you know, these

are tough decisions that we have to make. And look, things change over the courses season, you know, like I was telling Josh earlier, we may feel a certain way now put a group out there, and look if a player freezes up and we gotta make an adjustment. I think we all we all know that. So um, but I like where they're they're at. I think they're all working.

You know, we're still in a little bit of an evaluation phase here, UM got a practice today, UM, a couple of practice later in the week, So no official decisions have been made, and honestly, you guys will probably want know till opening day. So and we did here coach last week talk about the possibility of using rotations and trying to find ways to get guys up to speed, conditioning wise in a season where they might not be ready to play sixty or seventy snaps from the jump

in their first game. So interesting decisions that have been made all across the National Football League in the strange, strange year heading into the weirdest week one we have ever seen as far as the off season and lack of preseason goes here in the National Football League. Up next, coach was asked a two parter. First up the land and Roberts he played some fullback year in New England.

Is that on the table? And Coach also divulge his thoughts on the quarterback room with Fitzpatrick to a tongue of Byloa and Josh Rosen. Obviously, Atlant has played full back in the past and look he's he's someone who's willing to play wherever we We asked him to play. Um, but we got a lot of guys that way, so it's definitely a possibility. You know, it's not something that we're gonna make any definitive decision on right now. Um, we've still got twelve days. So that's where we're at,

where they land in. UM, as far as two A Rosen, you know, and might as well throw Fitzpatrick in there as well. UM, that's still a lot of competition at that position. So you know, we're not saying somebody's one, two three. It's still a competition. UM. And Uh, obviously fitz has played well. Uh, you know, they've all played well in spurts and they've all made mistakes. Still got a few days here. I think that, you know, we like where all three of them are, and we will

continue to leave that as a competition moving forward. Up next, coach was asked to talk about the roster and how he feels about who the top fifty three might be for now, who the top sixty nine might be on the practice squad as we have an extended practice squad for this season. Here's Coach talking about how he views the roster at this point in time. On September one, again, twelve days away from the open era. So in the fifty three, I mean, look, we've got, you know, a

lot of competition on this team, various positions. So I mean it's probably let's call it sixty players vying that you know, we feel good about, you know, to include and probably a little bit more than that when you when you start talking about practice squad spots as well, they're being sixteen um practice squad spots this season. So there's a lot of I think we got some some talented players, some guys we can develop. So as far as forecasting, you know what, who the best players are,

who the guys we think can develop? You know that that becomes a little bit of a a longer conversation we say, at least camp Um. As far as who the fifty three are, UM, I kind of look at it is who the sixty nine are to be honest with you, UM, and you know we're gonna have to release some of those guys and hope that we get them back so on the practice squad. But yeah, I mean I've got a pretty good, you know, the idea

of who the that's called sixty nine players are. The next question was QB one when would we like to know? Um as soon as possible. When you guys know, probably as late as as possible, is you know where I'll leave it. So you've got to get this thing down to sixty nine players and then from there, of course, you can always lose guys that you release and try to get them back on the practice squad if they

clear waivers twenty four hours later. So start thinking of your list, start making your predictions who might be on this roster come opening day. We have plenty of decisions to be made from the coaching staff and the like. Here at Dolphins training camp. Up next, coach was asked about the possibility of the injury that to a tongue Boloa suffered back last October. How much of an impact that could have on the decision to who was active

on opening Day at that quarterback position. Here is coach talking about tongue, about Lowe's injury and the quarterback spot in general for opening day. That is definitely part of the conversation for sure. I mean, I think you know, we're at ten months. It was a pretty serious injury. Uh he looks good, though, I mean, you guys have seen him. Uh, he looks good. He looks healthy. He's moving around to his right, to his left. But yes,

that's that's that's part of the conversation. He's a great kid. I care about him, you know, I want what's best for him. Um, And that's definitely part of the conversation. And we start with the quarterbacks there and end on this Brian Flores Tuesday morning media availability with the guys that catch the passes from the quarterbacks as coach kind of evaluates his wide receiver room here so far through training camp and again twelve days away until the season opener.

You know, guys like Ford, Hollands, Rogers obviously you too. You mentioned Davante and Preston and Jakin. I think they're all I like the that they're all working. Um, they all understand kind of their role in the offense. You know, malcom Parry's part of that as well. They all have different, uh and unique um skill sets. So I liked it that, you know, and I think you know they're rolling the

kicking game, Will Will Will. We'll also play a role in you know, that evaluation, whether it's Chime as a point return er, mccollins as a gunner. Uh, you know, Malcolm Perry, you know, in his roles as a point return or as a peeping upon. Isaiah Ford, you know, who can move around and play multiple positions. Um. I like the depth. It's it's a hard working group. You know, they all block. It's important to him. And so there

goes coach for his Tuesday morning media availability. We just got back off the practice field taking a look at the Dolphins getting loose in the early portions of practice, and as we are about to get some players here for their availabilities on this Tuesday afternoon. Again, just twelve days away from the regular season. I feel like I've said that twelve times on this podcast, but I can't

believe it's already September one. We talked about it on the podcast yesterday, how this just kind of snuck up on us, without the benefit of the preseason, without a full training camp, without all the O, T A. S. It just feels like I saw this on I think it was Mark Sessler of the NFL Network on his Twitter he mentioned that his body clock right now feels like it's still June four because we're just getting back into the football mood of things, so to speak. And

I'm with him. It feels like we still have a long way to go before the season, but just twelve days away. And speaking of the NFL network, I think I have to mention it here on the podcast made my national television debut on Monday. A little bit of nerves going into it, but for the most part, new that I had multiple takes to get it done. Flobbed a couple of takes to the guy who honked on the third take, which was going very very well, sir,

I'm not your biggest fan. I don't appreciate that we had to do about four more takes after that, but hey, it's all good. We got done, we got taken care of, and I love and appreciate all the support we got on social media. I didn't see a negative comment out there, which is so rare to see that. So all the love and support you guys continue to give me for the podcast, for the video work, for the written content. I'm just in a place right now in my life

where I cannot be happier. The only thing that would make me happier is if my wife and my daughter were down here with me in South Florida. They are still back home and say to Washington. I missed them like crazy every single day. But from a professional standpoint, man, you work hard enough at something, and you want something enough, and you take enough pride and enough joy and something,

I really do believe that you can accomplish pretty much anything. Obviously, I was never gonna be able to accomplish being an NFL wide receiver because five ft ten and sixty pound guys just don't cut it at that spot in the National Football League. But if there's something within your capabilities of your talent level, that I think you should pursue it as hard as you possibly can, because that's gonna be the message I tell my kids one day, if you work hard enough, you can do whatever you want.

And uh, it's it's just I couldn't be more were thrilled and more grateful for the Miami Dolphins and really helping me, you know, achieve my dreams and achieve where I want to go. And that's not to say that we're necessarily done here, because you always should be reaching for something higher and setting new goals too. So I've kind of, you know, re shaped my goals going forward. I think that the four or five years ago I talked to my wife about wanting to be a college graduate,

wanting to work in the National Football League. Both of those two things have been accomplished, So time to set new goals and develop that next sort of five year plan, so to speak, and and hopefully it's something here with the Miami Dolphins and staying in this organization, because so far I've been here with the team virtually for six months and in person six months in total. I was hired at the end of February and it's been just

nothing but great since then. And then when I got down here in August, my goodness, it's just I mean, being here every day, being on campus, I just couldn't ask for more. So super appreciative all the folks that gave me an opportunity along the way and the ones that put me in this position, and of course all of you guys out there, the fans and the support, I mean, the support of social media and kind of

having a recognizable name on there. I mean that that has to go a long way in the eyes of decision makers because you want to bring someone that has an audience built in, and I've certainly had that. So again, just so grateful for everybody, Super super appreciative of that. Now, I built up a segment idea here based on the most prevalent comment I saw on that NFL Network hit as we filmed that right outside the Dolphins facility. Now, in a typical year, I think you can shoot on

the field. I'm sure we'd have the NFL network guys out on the field. As again, the NFL continues to take all the precautions necessary to make this season go off. And again to that note right there, I mean the number of positive cases right now across so many tests among the National Football League. It's just it's been so

impressive the way they've handled this so far. So it's great to see football kind of trending in that positive direction to get to the season and to have games and to really help us just hopefully finally pushed beyond this whole COVID nineteen coronavirus thing, because it's a strange, strange, weird year, and I do think the return of the National Football that is going to help tremendously in terms of people's just psyches and people's well being because it

does bring back a sense of normalcy when you have football on your TV on Sundays in the fall. Nothing, nothing for me, is better than that. But to go back to this kind of long speech here, so to speak, one of the comments I saw on Twitter was about the cars buzzing by on the street out there, so he couldn't film on the practice field, had to come out to the street across from the facility. And it's I think it's thirty five miles an hour on that street.

But if you live in Florida, you know that thirty five really means seventy. I mean, you can pretty much go as fast as you want down here. I haven't seen anybody pulled over for a speeding ticket. The only time I see cops on the road is when or in action, I should say, is when there's been an accident and they have to get out there and assess the damage and kind of, you know, decide who was at fault, that type of thing. But there's not really

speed limits and so on that main road. It sparked to this idea for a segment because I've been thinking about this when I go out and I drive in public down here in South Florida. When you get to the line at the front of the intersection and you pull up first, people getting off that line. I would like in that to Cam Wake getting off the snap count in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets. It is the ultimate first step quickness explosive in that

wide nine rush. You gotta get from zero to six and get after that quarterback and make a play for your team. That's the approach the driver's take down here. Now, when you're coming in behind those people, maybe you're the rush linebacker coming off a second level. You want to kind of pick and choose your spots based upon the matchup. Right, If you've got a bit of free reign to rush, what gap you want to rush? Are you gonna pick the minivan lane or you're gonna go behind a German car.

I mean, it's just a pretty obvious decision there. But sometimes you'd be surprised because sometimes that Honda Pilot flies off there, like Jason Taylor and his prime where the sports car at times can kind of have some of that. Maybe they're a draft bus. Maybe they don't have the urgency of the later round pick I e. The Han to pilot, whereas the BMW maybe has a little bit of complacence. He's setting in this podcast, this topic is getting off the rails anyway, I was safe out on

the side of the street. The cars do drive insanely fast down here, but we're still alive. We're still trucking. And again, thank you for all the support for the NFL Network hit on Inside Training Camp Live. My favorite part about that was Rhet Lewis throwing it to me because I'm a huge Rhett Lewis fan on the Move the six podcast when he anchors shows on NFL Network his college football work. Big Rhet Lewis fans would to hear him call my name and throw a report to me.

That was probably the coolest thing for me from my perspective.

All right, let's go ahead and get to our sandwich segment here to go ahead and kind of put the Brian Flores media to the player availability after practice here on this Tuesday, September the first edition of the Drive Time podcast on the Miami Dolphins podcast network, and I wanted to get into who have been the top five training camp performers who were not here a year ago, because we know very well about what guys like for instance,

de Vante Parker, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or even Preston Williams for that matter, what those guys offer. But I wanted to go over the top five guys who have who were imported here this offseason, whether it was a draft pick or a free agent signing or what have you, and how they've performed so far in training camp. We're gonna go off a top five newcomers here that I saw through the course of ten practices and one scrimmage on

the football field. And we're gonna start with number five, who was here only because he suffered a bit of a nick in practice at one point and missed a couple of the team portions and did not participate in the scrimmage on Saturday. It's outside linebacker, slash off ball linebacker, slash, pass rusher, slash a gap B gap rusher. Kyle van Noy. This guy, to me, was the straw that stirred the drink up in New England. He was the guy that

played so many positions. You could play him off the edge like they did almost exclusively in twenty nineteen, or you can play him in a fifty fifty split off the ball or on the edge again coming down in different gaps to rush the quarterback as a stand up linebacker at as they did in eighteen under Brian Flora's there as the d C in New England. He plays

special teams, He covers kicks, he makes tackles. He is so fundamentally sound in his run fits, acting as both the forced defender and as a guy that comes down and beats blocks on his way to the ball carrier. He's so consistent and so sound in his run defense.

He's so solid in coverage, finding passing lanes, getting to his landmark on those pass drops, and as a pass rusher, to me, one of the most underrated pass rushers in the entire National Football League because he kind of has that lengthy looking build his his torso looks a little bit elongated compared to what more of a stout, true powerful edge rusher might look like. But he used that to his advantage in the way he creates leverage and

creates bend around that edge. He has active, active hands. He knows how to keep himself clean off those blocks and get into the offensive lineman then create space and from their work in that small amount of space to bend that edge to cross face to use the arsenal of rush moves. He has to get after the quarterback and he's been so efficient rushing the quarterback in this exact scheme that you just think that's going to be

the exact same translation over here to Miami. He had fifty eight pressures on four forty nine pass rush reps back in eighteen. He had a gaudy twelve point nine percent pressure rate that season, and his versatility in terms of directional rushing is completely there as well. He had a sheriff a gap pressures. His pass pass rush productivity off the right side was nine point two that was eleventh from that position in and seven point five p rpen as well. In the running game, he had thirty

run stops that year. Those are tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage, and he missed five tackles on the entire season. He was the fifth highest graded run defender that year for the Patriots in team playing in this system under this head coach. He allowed eighty six receiving yards on eighty six pass coverage reps. So pretty easy math there. One yard per coverage snap on Kyle van Noy that earned him the eighth best coverage

grade of outside edge defenders back in teens. You go across the entire board there in Pro Football Focus or just in the signature stats they have, he grades highly across all of them. I can't say enough about Kyle van Noy what I think he brings this defense and all three phases of the defense, in the communication, in the leadership, in the veteran example, He's gonna set on

this defense. Very very stoked to have Kyle van Noy here, who's been working out on the field every day, by the way, with the injury that he had last week in practice. So tough guy as well, going to be available for you when you need him on game day. My number four newcomer training camp performance for the Miami Dolphins here in twenty has been shack laws in the

defensive and signed over from the Buffalo Bills. You look at the athletic measurements that he has, he was an eight point three nine score on the Relative Athletics scorecard courtesy of Kent Lee Platt math Bomb on Twitter does great work. We reference him all the time on this podcast. This guy has been consistently on the football field. Two pass rush reps and forty pressures last season with the Buffalo Bills. That's a third team point four percent rush

rate or successful rush rate. Four lawson seven sacks equated to a two point three percent sack rate and twenty one quarterback hits gives him an impressive seven percent hit rate on quarterbacks last season. He had a pressure in sixteen of buffalo seventeen games last year, that of course includes the wild card game, and in weeks eleven through seventeen, he had twenty two total quarterback pressures. That's three point

six seven per game. He committed just three fouls on the entire season and his only drawn of flag eight times in his four year career. So discipline, athletically built, good pass rusher, very good run defender. He had twenty four run stops last year. That's an eight point four run stop percentage that ranks seventh best in the NFL. And he was also in the top ten on tackles for loss with thirteen TFLs among all d ns. Now, as far as his performance in training camp, again very

impressed with his second week here. He was getting constant pressure on the quarterback. He has a really good way of playing with power through the tackle to get that upfield rush. He leans into the tackle and resets the lion of scrimmage, resets that pass set and forces the quarterback off the spot, and then he uses the arms and the hands to get himself free. We saw him working with Emmanuel Ogball on that clip at Dolphins camp.

So just two guys that are powerful, strong, long, and can get after the quarterback that way and also play the run as they get to the quarterback, so they can be three down run defenders and get after guys. Mary and Hobby loves this guy. Brian Flores loves this guy. Shaq Lawson has been as advertised through training camp, my

number four newcomer here in Miami Dolphins camp. My number three newcomer is a rookie and he's the only one on this list that is a rookie Ray Kwon Davis and at six ft seven three and thirty pounds, this guy is an absolute monster. He has one of the longest wingspans and all of the National Football League. I have compared his body composition in the past to Klaas Campbell. He just looks big among big guys out there. And

you talk about the position of versatility. Last year for the Crimson Tide, three snaps as a B gap defender. That's gonna be between your guard and your tackle, one two up over the nose, straight over the center, sixty three reps outside the tackle, and fifty nine reps in the a gap that of course, between the center and

guard on the interior there. This guy has earned good grades from Pro Football Focus throughout his college football career eighty four point nine, eighty one point nine, and eighty three point two. He had one thousand, eight hundred forty nine snaps there at Alabama, made ten career sacks at Alabama, also had sixty six pressures over three years and seventy five run stops. He's a pocket collaps or a run game penetrator, uses that length and power to reset the

point of attack. His PFF run grade last year was eighty seven point nine and ninety point four and twenty eight team, both of those in that Elite blue category on Pro Football Focus. He also had a one hundred and eleven inch broad jump at his scouting combines. This guy can blow off the tape as far as his power explosiveness. You see it in the athletic testing metrics as well, and that has translated onto the field here

at Dolphins camp. He has been a tough block for anyone across from him, consistently collapsing the interior of the pocket. He can go up and down the line of scrimmage and it's the same story over and over again, resetting guys, pushing them back into the backfield, resetting the line of scrimmage, and showing that power and strength both against the run and against the past. Rae Kwon Davis has looked damn

good on the field and training camp so far. Number two newcomer at training camp has been cornerbacked Byron Jones. And again I'm a process over results guy. And you might see some highlights on the five or six clips you've seen from practice out of a thousand snaps of Byron Jones, where Preston Williams Davanta Parker makes a one handed catch. Let me tell you those are few and

far between, because Jones is consistently in great position. He is so smooth at running guys into the boundary, into the perimeter, forcing them into that fit portion of the field. You might see a red line on the practice field, that is the fit between the red line and the perimeter of the football field. You want to condense guys as far as you can towards that perimeter and the

receiver wants to stay on that red line. But Jones does so well with his just kind of veteran sav vness and his physicality of his game and the way he challenges routes all the way from the press all the way to the top of the route and the catch point. He can force guys into that perimeter and really narrow that window for the quarterback. And we've seen that. We've also seen Fitzpatrick and Williams and Parker make plays in that tight window. But that's why he was number

one last year in yards per target allowed. To check that number two in the NFL. With five point one yards per target. He allowed the ninth fewest receptions per game and the fourth fewest yards per game across the entire National Football League. He was fourth in both player profile dot COM's coverage rating and catch rate allowed. He also forced better than fifty percent tight window throws according

to NFL Next Gen Stats. The next closest cornerback on that list was so better than a ten percent drop off from number one down to number two. This guy can play all over the formation. He's missed one game in his career has nine team pass breakups over the previous two seasons. He just continuously makes plays. He locks guys down on the perimeter, he can condems inside in the slot, he can play safety. This guy is a

pros pro. He's out there working on the craft every single day, working on things tracking the football, getting his pressed down, getting his jam, his handwork, his feet work, all the technical traits that Brian Flores loves in the cornerback. He's out there working on those every single day. This guy has just been so impressive and his career so impressive.

Here with Miami, I have the list of Michael Thomas, Alshon, Jeffrey Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Brandon cooks Odell Beckham, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas again with zero catches, and t Y Hilton, these guys that he held the two or less catches over the previous two years in those matchups. Byron Jones has looked the part of a lockdown cornerback here in training camp in Miami, number one training camp newcomer for

me is gonna be Emmanuel Ogba. You just look at the makeup of this guy back in at his combine a four six three forty yard dash, thirty five and a half inch vert hundred twenty one inches on the broad for a guy that goes six four, two hundred and seventy three pounds with thirty five and a half inch arms. Those arms ranked at ninety four percentile in the National Football League, as does his broad jump and vertical jump better than percentile across defensive ends. To talk

about that thick, powerful frame. The broad shoulders helps him hold up the point against the run, helps him detached from blockers. As a pass rusher, he had five and a half sacks last year, playing a career low two hundred and fifty one pass rush snaps. He does have eighteen snap sacks over the course of his career, and he plays an average of six hundred thirty one snaps per season hundred twenty five pressures across his four seasons.

His career PRP pass rush productivity is eight point three percent hit a ten point seven percent pass rushure pressure rate last season, I should say, which surpassed his career best nine point four seen with the Browns. Eighty three run stops, which are tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage on nine hundred and sixty five running

down reps. That's a career run stop rate of eight point six percent, and among players with ten or more games play, og bast ten point six run stop rate last year was fourth best in the National Football League among defensive ends. And we've seen that on the field here and training camp so far. The length, the strength, the power, the ability to work off of blockers, to go inside, to go up the field and run the arc, to get in the passing lane and bat passes down

at the line of scrimmage. He has sacks, he has p bus, he has run stops, he has pressures. He has done it all here at Dolphins training camp. So Kyle van Noy, Ray Kwon Davis, Byron Jones, Shack Lawson, Emmanuel Ogba my top five newcomers who performed well in training camp this year for the Miami Dolphins, and we spent it forward. Now for a little bit Dolphins media availability.

We're gonna start here with kicker Jason Sanders, who first was asked about being in a situation where other teams across the NFL, because you have the three specialists, will use their kicker as the emergency punter in an event where the punter goes down. Here's Jason Sanders on his ability to punt should something happen in game. To Matt Hawk, we'll mess around every once in a while and at practice, UM, I would say that I'd be a good name ergency putterer.

I'm not gonna be an NFL putner in the league, but the emergency putter, I'll be there. And entering a year number three here for Jason Sanders, he was asked to evaluate year one versus year two and what he looks forward to here in year number three. The first season, UM, I felt like I didn't have as many kicks where I definitely didn't have as many kicks as I did last year. UM first years, I think it was a rather short year where we didn't we didn't back it

out very far. But when the second year came around, it was good to see the confidence that that coach Florida's and Cross Manhattan me and to throw me out there when we needed three points. And reflecting back, I mean, I like as as low as my percentage was last year, I liked the things I did. I had a lot of big kicks. It was a slow start, but I had a lot of big kicks and in a couple

of big plays. We'll go ahead and finish up here with Jason Sanders on a question regarding on side kicks and how different that play has become under the new rules of how you can only get a certain amount of yardage run up to the ball on on side kicks. Here's Jason Sanders talking about the challenges of the nuancede kick rules. Every kickoff on side kick, it's gonna be a lot harder. You don't get that running start as you would two or three years ago. So I mean

it changes the kicks. It changes what somebody was good at they can no longer do because it's it's harder to get the ball back. So, um, I think having a kicker that they can do a different variety of on site kicks is is going to have that kickoff return team. Guess you know what's going to happen. And I think that's what I might give you an edge on the kickoff team that to get that ball back. Next, we hear from Jesse Davis, another fellow Pacific Northwesterner, always

wears his manor hat here around campus. So go ends Jesse Davis. Let's start with a question from me to Jesse about the availability throughout the course of his career, playing in forty seven out of the possible forty eight games. Jesse, how's it going? Man? Um, You've played in forty seven of a possible forty eight games over the last three years at a position that's not exactly easy to show durability. Yet I'm just curious, what is it about your regiment

that makes you available for this team every Sunday? Staying healthy is probably the biggest one, you know, and then playing through the little things which everybody does. And um, you know, I just want to be, you know, for anything this team needs me to be. You know, that's what I'm gonna be. And I think that's why, you know, we kind of extended in the off season, but I

mean before the season last year. But you know, I love I love being you know, the wanted feeling, and hey, we you know, we can put this guy anywhere and you know, hopefully you can succeed there, and I, you know, I take a lot of pride in doing that for this organization. And here is Davis talking about moving across the offensive line, playing multiple spots in his career. Here he is on the strength that he provides the Dolphins, whether it's right guard, right tackle, wherever he might play.

Here's Davis on his strengths. Um, you know, I kind of bring a lot to table in both those positions. But you know, playing next to um, either Ted Carress or you know, rookie Solomon Kinley or Rob Hunt, um, you know, it doesn't really matter to me where they where they stick me. But next we get an evaluation from Davis on a couple of the rookies on the offensive line, and Solomon Kinley and Robert Hunt, how they like they're you know, they're big guys that can move people.

You know they're smart, you know they're they're very coachable people. On the differences, I'd probably just say, you know, the heights them, but you know they're they're two good rookies. And then you know, I'm glad we have my our team. And this Dolphin's offensive line has been remade pretty significantly with Ted Carress, Eric Flower's, Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt, Solomon Kinley, you have the undrafted Jonathan Hubbard here as well, plenty

of guys new to this offensive line. Here's Davis evaluating the differences between this time last year on the offensive line and now this season, going into camp and into the regular season just twelve days away, I feel like we're more solidified positions than last year. You know, we had a lot of guys coming in we didn't know exactly where they're gonna be, including myself. Um, you know, a lot of changing, a lot of moving parts as

it was all season. But you know, this season has been i'd say a lot more solidified in the position you know, specific spots, and so I think guys have you know, learned technique a lot better and how this offense has been running. So it's been nice to see. And one more from me. Yeah, we saw a clip on social media of Shack loss and complimenting Emmanuel Ogba's big,

heavy hands. I'm just curious, going up against og Ball as much as you have in practice, what are some of the challenges that that length and power that he offers presents to you as alignment? Yeah, I mean that's the one thing I've noticed, as well as how long his arms are. You know, it's kind of hard to get a punch on him. Um in passtro you know, and we've had our our vows there in practice and he's a good good Dan. I'm glad he's on our team.

But yeah, he's very strong, warm, heavy hand guy. And I guess the social media references would be the theme of the day for me and my questions. As next, we turn it forward to running back Matt Brita and my question to him about something I saw on Twitter. Hey, Matt, we saw a clip of you kind of john with

Jerome Baker a bit during the scrimmage. I just want to kind of get your side of not only that battle, but just in general talking about the challenges these Dolphins linebackers present to you, both in coverage and defending the run. Oh yeah, they're all very fast, very physical, and they all can cover it and run and hit. So uh, you know, it's new. It's a very unique situation. We have a lot of guys on the team that can do all that and uh, you know, it's just fun.

Pie gets a guy because they're making me better, um, you know every day and uh iron, like I say, Iron Shoppers Lion, and uh, it's just great having those guys out that they compete and you know, I can talk a little bit trash to and next, something Brita had talked about previously, I think in his previous media availability. Here he is again talking about some of the impressions he's gotten from the Dolphins locker room, again making the comparison to the first time he arrived in San Francisco

to now here in Miami. Uh, you know it's awesome. Uh, Like I to tell people for this locker room kind of minded you a little bit of you know, San fran when I first got there. Um, how's got a lot of young guys, Um, guys who've got big eagles on the team. You know, I think a lot of guys flight. They got a lot to prove in the league, and you know that's only gonna help our chemistry as the season goes on, and we're just gonna build on that. I've got a lot of guys who love to compete,

and I'm just very happy to be here. Next, Breeda was asked about the absence of live tackling and practice and how it might translate the way it did in college According to a reporter to ask this question, how there's been more miss tackles in the first week of college football this past week and how that might affect the NFL and the Miami Dolphins, uh College a little different the NFL. I mean, we we still are able to practice tackling without actually having to, you know, go

to the ground or actually hurt each other. Um. You know, that's one thing I feel like, you know, we do a great job of. Coachload does a great job in sizing every day is tackling ball, security, turnovers and work on every day. So I don't think we're gonna have a lot of miss tackles. And we'll go ahead and finish up here with a question that always is gonna get on the podcast if you get a player talking about scheme and breaking down some stuff on the offensive

defensive side. Here is Matt breed To talking about running not just outside but also in between the tackles and how he prides himself on that physicality of the game and the quickest way to the end zone is right up the gut. I love it. I mean that's one thing, you know, since I was a little kid. I love it, just you know, the high information, getting the ISOs running

up the middle. Um, that's quickly hands on the meat. Um. You know said, the outside zone is great, but I love going straight down because you know, I can just burst through the line, get to the second level, and like I said, it's fast away to the end zone, all right, And there you have it. Matt Brita, Jesse Davis, and Jason Sanders talking to us here today as well

as coach Flora's tomorrow. On the podcast, we're gonna cover coaches media availability, I believe, look at the offensive coaches on Wednesday, player Day off, and then we get full force into things over the weekend ahead of cut down Day on Saturday. We're gonna have all that covered for you here on the Drive Time podcast. But in the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast from.

Go ahead and subscribe, rate and review the show. We've climbed back up into the top two hundred on Apple Podcasts. To go ahead and help us out and keep us there. Give me a follow on Twitter. It's at Wingfield, NFL. Follow the Dolphins at Miami Dolphins, check out the Fish Tank and the Audible podcast. Brand new episode of Fish Tank up right now, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time finds up