You are listening to the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network. This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield. Back to throw to a looking clips about a wide Olphen touchdown trickquel, uncolievable, it's just blue fire for a second time. Don't know where he was going right away. I want to hit that though.
Man, I'm gonna help you. Someone will step on his man.
Away Wattle, Wattle to a shotgun. Back to throw, looking at them.
Up myers touchdown, It's waddle, It's six touchdown, Patoun the King. Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.
Now let me check your pulse if you're not for.
What is up the Dolphins? And welcome to the Draft Time podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, Game Week and also one of my favorite shows every single year, it's the season preview show where I predict every record across the NFL Division Champs, wild Card season Awards, World Champion, all the good stuff. Plus how about the weekend that
was in college football? I've got some notes on that. Plus we're gonna hear from head coach Mike McDaniel from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drivetime podcast Maye Gaff first though, before any of the juicy stuff we have coming up on today's podcast, Robbie Chosen is back to the practice squad and that rounds out the group. I believe I dropped my podcast about an hour last week before we had a bunch of names come out on the practice Squad.
And look, I get mad about it on here all the time. I'm not sure why I do, because you guys are not the folks on Twitter. You guys are my writer dies listening to this podcast. But I still get upset about the idea that I get called homer all time on the podcast, and maybe there's a little bit of that in there. But I also feel like I'm a very objective fan of this team that can highlight where I think there are shortcomings and where they
need to be critiqued in certain areas. So I say all that to preface the fact that I think this practice squad is really damn good, and doesn't that kind of jive with a roster that I think is really damn good. Which you might see reflected later on in this podcast. So the full practice squad chose him as an NFL receiver. Man, I thought he was number seven going into the cut down day and that bared fruit
eventually in the end there. But I do think that he is capable of playing at this level and is a really nice, you know, practice squad call up type of option to have there in your back pocket in case of an injury or for particular game plan specific that week, whatever you might want. I like having chosen in that position, and he's home and happy and hopefully
that makes for the best version of Robbie chosen. So the full guys that are here from are the practice squad guys that are here from camp that stayed with us, Ethan Bonner, Tanner Connor, those all right, Cameron Good to Sean Hand. I think is a great player to have just kind of waiting in the wings to pull up for you know, fifteen twenty five snaps on game day.
I've talked about this in the past. Ideally, Christian Wilkins, Zach Seeler, and Raykwon Davis are just good to go for you know, sixty sixty and forty snaps a week and you don't need anybody else, but probably not realistic to get that. So having DeShawn Hand waiting in the wings to get called up for a couple of times, maybe he gets a full time you know, uh raise and gets the contract to the active roster. I like
having him here in camp. Though AJ Johnson was that late signing, got cut a few days later, but he's back on the practice squad. Similar situation. Their depth knows, the system, knows the defensive coordinator. Those two guys I think are going to be critical parts of this roster.
They contribute at some point in the season, and you know, critical maybe over using that term, but I think that those guys are going to come in and impact games that maybe we win, that maybe put us in position to, you know, achieve our ultimate goal, which to me is a critical piece of your Brayln Sanders working back from the injury. He's back on the practice squad. And then the two undrafted rookies James Tunstall on the offensive line in a lame yuliave newcomers. This is where I get
pretty fired up about this group. Tight End Nick Bauers. I mentioned running back Derrington Evans out of app State. He went to the Titans out of college, and I thought he had explosive passing game ability as a running back. Not very familiar with offensive guard Chasing Hines from the Patriots. He was cut this training camp. He's now here on the practice squad. Safety Joshua klou is a special team's missile and a guy that plays one hundred miles an
hour downhill. But the guy that I'm most fired up on this list, there's actually two of them, but the guy that tops the list is nose tackle Rishard Lawrence. He can play like this guy is, to me, your
fourth defensive tackle. I would probably assume that he's going to run out of those elevations pretty quickly because I think that he can come in here and give you fifteen snaps where he plays that zero tech or that one shade and just eats up the interior of the offensive line and creates all those chances for guys around him. Love love love Rashard Lawrence's game and Travis why did he get cut? Well, look at what the Cardinals are
doing across their entire roster. They are shutting off good pieces across the board for what Well, we'll talk about that here in the moment because college football has a bunch of good quarterbacks right now in their landscape, and then wide receiver Rally Webb and outside linebacker Chase Winovich, a former second round pick, Chase Winovich, who's a pretty damn good edge rusher in college and had some moments the Patriots kind of faded away into the ether when
he got traded to the Cleveland Browns, but he is now here in the system playing more of that true you know, three four outside rush linebacker and maybe gives you a chance of some you know, sub package rush options when you have to get into your depth if guys get nicked up throughout the year. So I think this practice squad is damn good. There's NFL players all
throughout it. Deshaan hand aj Johnson, Darrington Evans, Joshua kalou Rashard Lawrence, and Chase Winovich are six guys I think and chosen, so seven guys that I think are going to play games for you this year. If not more than that. Tanner Connor I like him. Cameron Goode might get a call up at some point two. I think it's a very good practice squad. We also got captains and how far have we come from twenty twenty one's captain list, which I don't have to remind you guys
what that was. But the captains this year to a tongue Bai loa no brainer there. He's the leader of this football team. Tyreek Hill. He sets the standard every single day by how he works in practice. To Ron Armstead as a coach on the field, he is a third captain. Christian Wilkins. I think the way he addressed that press conference and congratulating his friend Zach Steeler pretty much tells you all you need to know about how
he works. And he's a great example as well. Xavian Howard has really developed his role as a leader on this football team over the last several years. Javon Holland is the guy they kind of all point to in that defensive backfield, and alec Ingold. I think that's pretty much six of the same guys from a year ago, if not mistaken. And then alec Ingold also a team captain this year. So Tua Cheetah Te Staid, Christian, x Man, Javon and alec Ingold are your team captains. Coach mentioned
the team captains in his press conference on Monday. Let's go ahead and play that sound for how that selection process plays out.
So that's something that we do, a player driven vote that that the locker room really comes up with, which is one of the reasons it's it's such a special honor to each and every one of those guys because it's voted on their most important on the on the most important really first person of opinion in the building.
That's that's their peers in the locker room.
We also got injury updates from four key pieces Jalen Wattle, Brandon Jones, and Devon A Chain all going to practice on Monday, which obviously puts them in great great position to play in the game on Sunday. No Tron Armstead on Monday, but I think you would start looking at Wednesday for when you start trying to evaluate whether or not he will go for that week one game. He has talked about that being his mission, his target day
all along since the injury back in Houston. Didn't practice really all last year, but got out there for games and was awesome. So keeping checks on t Ron Armstead, you know, I rather have them healthy for the link the season to pose this game but if we get him back, obviously that would be great against Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Last thing before we get to the college football weekend, coach addressed the backup quarterback position, which goes to Mike White. I think that was a no brainer.
You guys on this podcast know how I feel about that. Here's coach on the backup QB for the Miami Dolphins.
Informed him late last week, We'll be going with Mike White as the backup to start the season. Feel super fortunate in our situation. Was kind of what we're hoping for is you know, we've learned the hard way that you need available players and your roster just in general.
And I thought Mike White and Skyler.
Competed all the way until the last rep and when it really came down to it, I thought they both made just cases. But for our football team and really adhering to exactly what a backup quarterback needs to do.
They'll they'll, you know, I'll be active each day. But to be able to understand our system in such a short period of time that Mike White did, and the command really he exudes in the huddle, and you know you're you're solving an imperfect puzzle as a backup quarterback where you don't get any of the reps during the week and have to master your situation, your craft repless.
So I think relying on Mike White's bets, an experience, and really all the growth that he did this offseason make you feel pretty comfortable with that.
Do do do?
Do?
Do?
College football weekend? Baby? So first, thanks? First, the Pac twelve was thirteen and oh. From week zero to week one, USC won two games. The Koogs ran rough shot over Colorado State. I think it's going to be fitting when the Pac twelve has potentially the best season of any conference before it dissolves next year. Or it sounds like it could be a two team conference for Washington State and Oregon State, which means what one game to get
into the College Football Playoff every year. I'll take that, but I'm going to be in talking about the future of the Power four conferences or however it's gonna shake out. Honestly, I don't really don't dive that deep into it. I'm just mad that Washington State got left out when they are better than substantially better I should say than a lot of the programs that are remaining in those Power
four conferences. Not to mention Oregon State, who's number eighteen of the country right now on the outside looking at let's go ahead and start in that conference at the premier position, because all the good quarterbacks right now, for the most part, are in the PAC twelve. Caleb Williams from USC, he has unreal creativity ability and that seems to be the theme right now among the college landscape.
My goodness, these quarterbacks are evolving in a way that I'm curious to see how it shakes out in the next ten years or so. But all these kids have been practicing that Patrick Mahomes throws out in the backyard, and look, at the risk of sounding like the old man yelling out a cloud, it just doesn't matter that much. I know. We're breeding a generation of analysts like the TikTok guy who thinks that quarterback plays about arm strength
and nothing else. But go back and watch all the great quarterback performances this weekend, and what did you see time and time again from all of them? Shador Sanders torched the horn frogs from the pocket. By the way, eventually he's QB one whenever he comes out. I just love the way he places the football, the poise that he shows, the athletic ability obviously is there, the way he handles the big moment. He as the kids say, has that dog in him. I am so impressed by him.
The pedigree is a big part of it, you know. I think his dad's a little bit of a crazy person, but in a good way. They should benefit him. Big fan of Shadurro Sanders, man. I thought Williams and Drake May from North Carolina were exceptional whooping up on that South Carolina team that just couldn't block for Spencer Ratler. But Rattler's you know, he ain't it either. But those guys are going to be one two off the board
this year, no doubt about that. You can kind of, you know, pick your poison with what you want to go with there in terms of what you like. May reminds me of like Justin Herbert. And then Williams is such a playmaker. I don't have a comp for him yet. Man, he's fun to watch. And I should clarify that I'm not anti arm strength. I just I really kind of do this. I did it with Ryan Tannehill. I've done it with twa tongue ba loa. I'm gonna do with
arms strength. Now it seems to be the next thing where I go heavy the other way to try to sway this public opinion. But I just think the arm strength is pointless without the other traits. But if you have it with the other traits, that's how you get Dan Marien, That's how you get Patrick Mahomes. So it is worth noting, you know that it's a valuable trait when you have the other stuff to go along with it. It's also worth noting how much easy gas there is
out of this crop of quarterbacks. Man, did you guys watch a Tennessee game against Virginia on Saturday. I'm not sure I've ever seen a football jump off a hand of a quarterback like it does for Joe Milton, maybe Mike Vick. Goodness, he had a sixty five yard air yard throw where it looked like he was just kind of getting warmed up. It's crazy, I don't know, kind of like Anthony Richardson last year though. The ball takes
off on him a lot. And that's where I kind of come into this whole like developmental segment here where it's so critical to get these kids in a place that can facilitate their mechanics and not just foster good mechanics,
but avoid creating bad habits early on. Here I go making golf comparisons once again, they don't they say that when you're having a bad session on the range, don't just keep hitting and hitting and hitting bad balls, because you develop bad habits and bad mechanics in your swing. It's the same for a quarterback. It's very tough to reconstruct a player's framework from what got them to where
they are. It's why it's so important. Like it's not about when you get drafted, but where you get drafted, right, I know you've heard that before. It's so critical where these guys go because if you go to DW. Loggins, good luck. But if you go to you know, Darryl Bevell,
big difference. But imagine getting those traits curated early on, kind of like Tua was with his pops, but then obviously at Alabama with Nick Saban and Brian Dable and Lane Kiffin, an all star ensemble he had there to make sure those mechanics never got lazy and drilled and repped them every single day. I digress on that point, Quinn, you were from Texas. Also on that level, Michael Pennix, I liked him in Indiana. I love him at you
dub as much as I hate to say that. Such a smooth and easy throwing motion to push the ball vertically torched up Boise with that awesome receiving core of the Huskies have this year Pack twelve is awesome. Man, that's gonna be a fun year in the conference. The last year in the conference. I really really like Jordan Travis from Florida State. Similar to Sanders, he has the poise and composure control of his huddle and the football.
I thought he makes really good decisions where he just kind of throws the ball into the soft spots of the coverage and then Washington State bump fifty twenty four over Colorado State. That game was early, was over early. But quarterback Cameron Ward is not going to be a first rounder. I thought he had a chance to be, But coming back just watching this one game, there's still some deficiencies in his game that have to get ironed
out before he gets to the professional level. Might not even be a Day two pick, but man, the ball is up and out quick released from him from any platform. He's got Jalen Hurt's running skills, and I think he's going to be the developmental prospect that everyone clamors over this year and this year's class. With regards to he's got the physical traits. We've got to get it all packaged up together. So I play both sides out there
a little bit. I like the physical traits, but if I want an NFL quarterback, you better be able to win from the pocket and above the neck. Good week for the PAC twelve. Great week in college football. Some more names I liked. Wisconsin running back Braylan Allen's a first round pick. If they'll still exist at the running back position, you want your Jonathan Taylor Redo. He is at downhill freight train that has speed and power. My goodness, what a monster he is. I think he's only true
sophomore too. Speaking of absolute loads at the running back position, how about UTSA running back Gavorian Barnes. He had a touchdown run against the Houston Cougars where he was stood up at the three and just powered his way into the end zone. He's five nine, two fifteen a modern day muscle hamster. Love the speed of Louisville running back Jawar Jordan. He had that house call that put the
game away against Georgia Tech. What else here Utah safety Cold Bishop back to that Gator game on Thursday night. Sorry jt Our resident in house Gator here watching the Gators get beat up by the Pac twelve power Utah Utes. But Cole Bishop ky of reminds me of Javon Holland. Man. He can attack the land scrimmage. You can play coverage, but mostly the instincts. He has to play his job, but also come off of that make plays outsider structure who he's good. Had a sack against the Gators as well,
where he timed up his blitz beautifully. I mentioned Travis Oh I did not mention Travis Hunter from Colorado. I mean cornerback one. Play him on the board right now, take him first. Overall, that guy is an absolute freaking monster. Dylan Edwards the freshman running back, who boy, he looks like a nice piece down the line, maybe for this team in the future. And finally, just loved the Florida State game. I love that they kicked the crap out of Brian Kelly because those videos are so cringe of
him dancing with his freaking recruits. Yuck. But they killed the transfer portal, didn't they? That key on Coleman receiver like three tunnies in one game, nine for one twenty two, smooth runner after the catch with that kind of size, Keeping eye on him as a potential future number three for the Miami Dolphins. Baby, That Florida State team in
general just really damn good. That defense on the opening stand down on the goal line, just waves of rushers and interior guys that played low you know, verse the rusher verse verse verse. He's gonna be a top ten pick at some point despite some mental errors. I thought that Patrick Payton looks the part of the modern day edge rusher. But man, fun weekend in college football. You've got Duke and Clemson tonight, So looking forward to that.
Let's go ahead and take our first break right there and come back on the other side and talk some NFL football. I'm doing my picks, my season awards, my division champions, my world champion, all that fun stuff. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Autoation. Tis the season for football Dolphins. Join your Miami Dolphins for our season kickoff party at Oasis on Saturday, September the ninth. Fans can enjoy giveaways and
a guest performance from Grammy nominated DJ Audience. For more information, visit Miami Dolphins dot com Slash Kickoff Today. Let's do some predictions one of my favorite segments of the entire year. I think about it all off season. I draw up my wins and losses to get to two hundred and seventy three games before I officially write it down and make my official predictions for the upcoming season closed. Last year, Eagles over Bills made the mistake of unders in Kansas
City after the Tyreek Hill trade. But that won't happen again this year, at least not in the regular season. Let's go ahead and do the awards first. My MVP, I'm not gonna pick against Patrick Mahomes until he isn't around anymore. I guess my Offensive Player of the Year is Christian McCaffrey. I just love, love what he's done to that position, to that offense. I think that he was kind of the guy that got them over the hump last year, of course, until they got banged up
in the NFC Championship game. My Defensive Player of the Year is Shjalen Phillips. Go talk to a walk about. He's gonna have fifteen sixteen sacks. He's gonna make impact plays for a Dolphins team that's gonna go pretty far. Comeback Player of the Year DeMar Hamlin. There's nobody else. Offensive Rookie of the Year. This is a tough one, but I'm going Zay Flowers. I think the Ravens offense has a chance to be explosive this year, and I think that he could be the number one by the
end of it all. I just don't buy into odell Or Rashad Bateman the way I do him. Smooth mover, great speed, seems to have a good connection so far with Lamar Jackson and Camp. Defensive Rookie of the Year. I didn't love the choices here, but I'm going Lucas van Ness from Green Bay. I think he's gonna slot in right away and beat people up on the edge and get a bunch of sacks and put himself in position to win that award. The Coach of the Year
for me is going to be Ron Rivera. Why is that because I have the Washington Commanders in the playoffs. You said, what, Yeah, that's what I did. Let's go ahead and get to my playoff predictions here in my season prediction, let's start in the NFC. Actually, because let's make it more exciting to wind down, we'll go backwards and read the NFC West first, Seattle eleven and six, San Francisco eleven and six, the Rams five and twelve,
and the Cardinals won in sixteen. This has the Seahawks as the division champion, the two seed probably gonna regret that, and the Niners as the five seeds. So no team has flipped me more than the twenty twenty two to twenty twenty three Seahawks. I talked about in the draft episode how tough of a time they've had finding hits in the draft, but that all changed last year with one of the best rookie classes really of all time. I like this year's class two San fran could go
fourteen to three. But you see my theme here. I know Perdy played well, but I think there's a lot of positive surrounding circumstances that helped that. If he does it again, I won't ever question it again. But I just think that there was a lot of luck involved in that run they had last year. But also it's such a loaded team they're going to be there in the very end. The Rams in transition with like forty rookies, whatever it is. I like their ability to get coached up,
but with Coop. Without Cooper Cup to start the season, Stafford is off injury, that's going to be the real key there. I just don't trust me to win a bunch of games this year. And then the Cardinals cutting McCoy and rolling with Clayton Tune and maybe Josh Dobbs, the guy they just acquired last week, gives me some pause on their ability to compete. I think it's gonna be a long year for them out West. In the NFC South, the ten and seven Saints when the division
get the three seed. The Falcons just missed the playoffs at nine and eight, the Panthers five and twelve, the Bucks four and thirteen. As you can tell, I think there are two tiers in this division and the teams within them are impossible to separate. I go New Orleans
because of the quarterback experience with Derek Carr. I think he's in that underrated category, the same as Cousins in Tannehill and Dak I love Atlanta's roster, but we have no idea at the quarterback position, and I don't frankly believe that much in Ritter, but I think they could zig on teams that have loaded up the top of the pass with a great offensive line and the best stable of backs in football. I think Caroline's just not
going to be good yet. Their offensive line was terrible in the preseason and they just don't have a ton of weapons. After DJ Shark went down, next year team for me, and even then, I'm not a big believer in Bryce Young either. I like the Bucks roster a lot, but I just used to be super high on Baker Mayfield. I'm not anymore. He's been on multiple teams the last few years. So the NFC South shakes out that way. The NFC North Green Bays my division winner at ten
and seven. They're the four seed, Detroit eight to nine, Minnesota seven and ten, Chicago six and eleven. I think that those records kind of reflect the parody in the division. Like you could probably flip a coin and pick your winner here. But I just think that Jordan Love is really good and don't care what else there is about that like. I think he's awesome. They had some injuries last year. I thought should have made them run the
ball more. I think they will this year because their quarterback's not gonna insist they make it go through him, because he only cares about himself. I think they're gonna win with a young quarterback who has all the talent in the world. And I like that defense a lot too. I hope Detroit wins it, but I never like buying the hype of a team with that trajectory the first
year that everyone expects. I'll probably pick him to come back next year with the division, but it always seems like the big expectations to make that jump from like sweetheart team into division champion. It's usually a first year let down. But I still think there's talent all over that team.
CJ.
Gardner Johnson is going to make a big difference to that defense. Minnesota lopped off a lot of key parts, but I like their coaching staff and I think that Kirk is underrated. Plus Justin Jefferson is just impossible to stop. But that defense was a tire fire year ago and they didn't do much to change it. They obviously changed the system, but the personnel I just don't see it yet. And then a four win improvement for Chicago, who has a super young defense. I like Justin Fields to establish
himself this year as well. In the NFC East, I have the Eagles at thirteen and four as the one seed, the Dallas Cowboys eleven and six as the sixth seed, the Washington Commanders ten and seven as my seventh seed, and the Giants fall to eight to nine, three playoff teams.
Once again. I know the Eagles lost a lot, but they also brought back a lot of the parts we thought they might lose, and they're just loaded and have drafted for future problems that gave you, Oh, you lose Javon Hargrave at age thirty one, here's Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter ready to replace those guys. That's kind of how it is across the board. The offense is not going to be stopped with that offensive line, with that quarterback, with those weapons. Dallas is a team that I absolutely
love this year. I'll be interested to see how they change. Going from Kellen Moore to Mike McCarthy. I think that's a big downgrade. But the roster's still so good, just loaded on defense as well. I'm a big Washington Commanders guy this year, even though I don't really believe in the coaching quarterback, but that seventh seed is really up in the air to me in the sense that anyone could nab it, and so I'm just kind of going
off the reservation here. I think they have the weapons to help Howl hit the ground running in a front on defense that can beat teams up. I think the Giants are better, but I thought last year's schedule helped them get the double digit wins. Now they have a very tough road, good test for Brian Dable and company. AFC West Chiefs fourteen and three they're the one seed. Sorry Dolph fans. Chargers ten and seven are the seven seed, then Denver seven and eleven, in Vegas six and eleven.
Learn my lesson last year with regards to picking against Mahomes, I will not do that again this year. I don't care what the surrounding parts are. He's the best quarterback of all time. He's going to win most games that he plays. The Chargers I think could easily be a fourteen win team, But I feel like I've been saying that since like two thousand and eight. There's no reason
they can't be other than Charger luck. They're loaded, and because of that hesitantcy, I'm just gonna split the difference and put them in the postseason with ten wins. I think both Denver and Las Vegas are better, but really really tough schedules. I think people are sleeping on the Las Vegas offense and that Denver defense has been good for so long.
Now.
Out in the South, gosh, this division is terrible. Tennessee nine to eight, four seed, Jacksonville eight to nine, Houston seven and ten, Indianapolis five and twelve. It's all basically them beating each others what I have. I think people are sleeping on the Titans. That's what's new for Ryan Tannehill in his career, the most underrated good quarterback for
the last eleven years. They were ravaged by injuries. Last year, still were in a game to win the division with Josh Dobbs under center in that last game of the year, and they were close. The Jacks couldn't score on them. Mike Rable one of the best coaches in the NFL, and that defense is still sick. They will not go quietly, kind of in wait and see mode. On Jacksonville. I think the offense is awesome. I think Doug Peterson has turned things around there and Lawrence and really is going
to be awesome for them. But I think there's just so many questions on defense that didn't really address it from what they had a year ago and had some major drought. Slasher on offense too big believer in two things with Houston, Demiko Ryans and CJ. Stroud. I just think they're a year or two away. A soft schedule here in this division helps them get to seven wins, but I think gone are the days of them just being a big circle win on your calendar. That defense
could be good right away and Stroud could play. I think Anthony Richardson's going to be good, but it's going to take some time. He had like sixty more college pass attempts and Trey Lance this will be a good year for him to just get reps while they worked to discover who his weapons will be. Long term, I'm curious to see if the offensive line bounces back from a rough rough year and then who steps up on that defense. AFC North Bengals twelve to five is champs.
The three seed Baltimore eleven and six. I've seed Pittsburgh and Cleveland both go eight to nine. You could tell me anybody but Cleveland wins this division, and I can see that case. Although the records you can see that I have two clear favorites, and that's honestly a kind of a coin flip to me. Burrow missing all of camp and how he began last year off of missing camp makes you think there could be a slow start there in Cincinnati. But the dude just wins, and they
are talented as hell. I don't think enough is made of the loss of Baits and Bell though those guys played ninety eight and ninety nine percent of the snaps on defense in one of the tougher secondaries to grasp and operate, and they're going to be replaced by Nick Scott and Dax Hill, two young players there. I'm so intrigued by the weapons that Lamar has this year in Baltimore.
Thinks a Flowers are going to set the league on fire as the Rookie of the Year category that I put him in, and if they can even stay healthy on defense, ever, they're so good back there. They got healthy late last year where impossible will score on down the stretch. Get that for seventeen games, they could be really good. I like Pittsburgh's defense and the way they
remade the offensive line. Kenny Pickett is already better than I thought he would be, but we got to see it before making him, you know, raking him among the top quarterbacks in this conference, not saying he can't, but he's not Mahomes, Herbert, Allen, Tua, Rogers, Lamar Burrow, Lawrence. He's not those guys yet. Cleveland has a case for the most talented roster and the damn conference. But it just hasn't clicked for that quarterback. And I suspect that
Karmel will never let that happen. But I want to see him play before I get him any estimations. AFC East Miami wins it thirteen and four, two seed, Buffalo eleven and six is the sixth seed, Jets nine and eight, Patriots six and eleven. The toughest division in football for my money. Look, I believe in this team. I believe in what they were doing going back to the initial start of the rebuild in twenty nineteen. They've brought talent at every position, multiple guys that can impact games in
multiple ways and give you different avenues to victory. Run game, pass game, defense, it doesn't matter. I think we're well coached. I think we're as talented as anybody in the league. I think we have one of the best home field advantages in football, and I think last year's experience is going to go a long way into fortifying this team's toughness and resolve. I think people saying Buffalo's window is over is outside their minds. The injuries we talked about
the Miami had last year also applies to Buffalo. They had one of the game's top quarterbacks and coaches, and getting ployer and hide back on that defense is massive. The first six weeks or so are going to tell me the story of the Jets this year. Brutal start, and I think a slow start could make that honeymoon face come to a close real quick with that quarterback. But even if it does, it's a talented team who
I expect to be there to the very end. I think the Patriots are better than a six win team, but six games against this division, playing the NFC East and AFC West, it's a tough schedule, and I think they're the biggest unknown in the division at the moment, but that seems to be where Belichick thrives. I think Bill O'Brien's got a big upgrade of what they had
a year ago. So that's your division standings. Let's go ahead and take our last break right there and come back and tell you who's going to go through the playoffs. We'll also hear from head coach Mike McDaniel all of that next Draft Time podcast your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nach Tis the season for football Dolphins. Join your Miami Dolphins for our season kickoff party at Oasis on Saturday, September ninth, where fans can enjoy giveaways
and a guest performance from Grammy nominated DJ Audi. For more information, visit Miami dolphins dot com Slash Kickoff. We left you with the playoff predictions. Let's go ahead and get to it. In the NFC, the Commanders lose on the road to the two seeded Seahawks. In the NFC, the Cowboys go on the road and top the Saints to get a road playoff victory. The Niners do the same thing in Green Bay and advance into the NFC
Divisional Round. There, the Eagles top the forty nine ers for back to back years, and the Cowboys beat the Seahawks to get into the NFC Championship game. In the AFC side of things, the Chargers lose on the road to the Miami Dolphins. In fact, we're gonna get three road teams to win in the playoff round. The Ravens over the AFC South champion Titans, and the Bills go on the road to avenge their loss to the Bengals a year ago. This gives us the Bills at the Chiefs.
Give me the Bills to pull the upset. We're gonna have a playoff season full of avenging losses. So the Bills get their big win over the Chiefs to make it to the AFC Championship game, and the Dolphins top the Ravens here at home in the AFC Divisional Round to get to the AFC Championship. That means it's Bills at Dolphins and Cowboys at Eagles. Give you the home team. In the AFC, the Dolphins down the Bills, and down there, I guess the team that kept them from getting over
the hunt for the last several years. And then the Cowboys go on the road and get a win in Philly and give me the Miami Dolphins over the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. You heard it here. First look, I think Miami is gonna be very, very good. I think the AFC is maybe the best a conference has ever been, And predicting playoff games at this stage in the month of September is impossible. And literally, I think any one of those teams I picked in the AFC
could go. But I'm gonna take us because why not. We have the roster, we have the quarterback, we have the coaches. Let's go do it. Let's go ahead and finish up the podcast here with coach McDaniel. We're talking Chargers game. We're talking game planning and x's and z's and matchups all week. I've got tons of audio already from ty Greek, from Christian, from javon on playing this Chargers team. We're gonna hear about that on the Wednesday
preview podcast. Let's go ahead and hear from Mike McDaniel on facing the Chargers and what they saw in the game last year to help them prepare for the game. This year.
It definitely comes comes up over the course of the off season, at least one seventeenth at the time, you know, divvied up amongst the other the other games. But no, there's a there's things you learn, you all, you always have to be careful about making too many absolutes. A lot of times there's, uh, you know, those are game specific situations, whether that your health, the opponent's health, where you're at in the season, what you're good at, what
you're bad at. Bottom line was I thought they did a great job last year in those two teams.
Last year's teams.
You know, they did one of the better jobs all season. But that, uh, this is a new new year. Really as the way kind of look at it, you do learn certain things about individual players, maybe play calling, you know, degree of tendencies. But you know, Week one has a great way of kind of like equalizing that because you know you're kind of you have all these things on your side of the ball, whether your offense, defense, or special teams that you've been working on to unveil. So
there's a little balance of that. You know, we will be watching last year's game, but not with too much weight relative to the guys we have now and what we've been emphasizing this offseason.
I kind of feel like we're gonna find out about Mike McDaniel a little bit, Not that we don't know him already, but I think you're gonna learn about coach on this game on Sunday, because there was some salt there on Matt press conference that I quite enjoyed when he was asked about the Brandon Staly play and kind of laughed about it, like, I think this guy is not so much, you know, the nice guy that we all want him to be in terms of how he attacks things. I think you might get version of killer
Mike this week. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Let's go back to that game and hear more about coach facing a team that game.
No, I think the season and its entirety was motivating enough, not just one particular game. I'm sure from an individual standpoint, players often harbor those individual matchups, those hey it's Manda man coverage and I'm covering you and you're running this route. Those types of things you develop you kind of.
Have a memory of.
And But but overall, as a team, you know, we're we have been focused on the Miami Dolphins for every every day since we've gotten back together in twenty twenty three, and I'm.
Pretty positive that.
Up until this game and then after this game, most of the guys that are going to be focused on the Miami Dolphins as well, so to not making more of one individual opponent, it's more about us and how it relates to us. I'm sure there'll be a couple Hey, I'm gonna get you this time, you got me last time, But that's kind of the that's kind of the case with all these.
You heard Coach allude to a couple of times. They're the idea of kind of winging it, not winging it, but kind of being chaos in week one in terms of not knowing what to expect. I wanted to ask Coach, how much do you on your assistant coaches in those situations in a game where you just don't have the film on the team from games prior.
The best staves are the ones that you know it's it's not just one voice. And the more we're around each other, the more we understand what each and each one of our pros and cons skills and maybe things that we can help each other out with. That's a ever moving piece that the strongest ones are the ones that can really utilize each other for the benefit of the whole group and not just each and every entity.
So I look forward to that. I could feel in the preseason it was one of the better orchestrating coaching stats that I've been on in the preseason. So I'm excited for the residuals of that moving forward this year.
Let's go ahead and finish up with the thing I allude to first. There the laugh about the stately plan. Here's coach McDaniel.
It wasn't like they reinvented defense. It was more that their guys understood their issues in each individual coverage and really played in a competitive spirit.
I thought there was a lot.
Of fifty to fifty balls that went away of the Chargers last year, and I just really thought overall that the that the team itself took, you know, took that game with its seriousness, and you could see a unit that was well coached and well schooled at the opposing team's offense in this case. So I just thought they were very competitive and did a very good job challenging things that we're trying to do.
That particular game.
Man, We are almost there and I cannot wait. Dolphins and Chargers Sunday at four twenty five out here in the East. All right tomorrow, Jordan Rodrieg joins me to break down the play Callers podcast and looking forward to that all summer, plus Wednesday, the game preview. Thursday, we're gonna have a Chargers beat writer on here to talk about the game. And then Friday plenty of open locker room content and all kinds of fun of Reverend Dolphins content.
Fun week coming your way, Week one almost here in the meantime, that's gonna be my time. Subscribe rate review, check out the podcast, check out the social media's at Winkle NFL, at Miami Dolphins, check out the fish Tank podcast and our YouTube channel for Dolphins Day and media availabilities, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up Carolyn and Cameron Daddy Union's coming
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