This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.
What is up Dolphins? And welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, it's time to get into our summer content series. We're going to talk to a couple of Dolphins. Patrick Paul and Aaron Brewer joined me plus the first of eight divisional previews the AFC West up today from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
This is the Draft Time Podcast.
May daff.
Up first, Dolphin Center. Aaron Brewer joining us today on the Draft Time Podcast is Dolphin Center.
Aaron Brewer. Twin right, what's up man? How are you doing?
I'm doing good man, bless on this good Monday.
We share a birthday in case folks didn't know that, that's how we go. We kind of hit it off that way Halloween birthdays. How was last year's birthday for you? Uh?
First of Miami?
It was cool. I didn't do much last year, you know, my rad shot here. I'm just trying to get comfortable with the area. Yeah, but this year is it's my goal in the year. You know what I'm saying, Because this year turned twenty eight twenty eighth. Yeah, kind of
like a special year two for me. You know, like this meant like my theory, so you know birthday ten twenty eight ten then twenty eight two plus eight equals ten number fifty five five plus five ten twenty eight This year to mass ten man, what's it's a special year.
That's like it's like astrology.
That's the wrong term for it, but there's like, what's the There's something behind that, Like there's a I'm trying to say right here, but you believe in like some type of like divine intervention.
Almost yes, And I definitely think that's what.
It is special your year. So I wanted to I wanted to throw this by you here real quick. I got a nickname for you, ready for it. I think we should call you cold Brew.
Cold brew because you're cold on the field. That seems brew delicious. It is the most delicious strength there is. I like the opinion. So I just wanted to run that by your own.
Like a nice little ad.
Okay, he's sponsorship somewhere's I'm golling with coldbroof now on. All right, So your first year here, Aaron was outstanding. I thought you should have been in the Pro Bowl. But what what the hell do I know? So how can you take from that first year and build here into your second year with the Dolphins.
Uh, it's what I've been saying for a minute now, you know, Just that's another year on top of another year deffinitely in this same program too, because like the year before I came here, that was my first four year at starting at center. And I don't know in a while because even though even in college I was playing guard, center tackle, finished my senior year at right tackle the whole season, so I ain't never just had
a full season of just center. And so coming from Tennessee to a whole different uh what's the name scheme or whatever, similar but different scheme, have another year at center and getting comfortable in this scheme this year, like it gets real spooky, you know what I'm saying.
So, how's how's it change?
Like having the knowledge of the offense the way you do at that position, how is it changed versus going into a season where you know new leverage, new you know, new first step maybe you have to learn, Like how is it?
How different is it?
Oh?
It's a little different, But you know, we start so early in April, even like when the season going though, Like you got to learn that technique, get real comfortable with it, and the more time you got doing that technique, the better you'll be. And so that's what this situation is now.
Yeah, it makes perfect sense. What is it about playing center? Because you mentioned playing tackle and guard, but you found your home here in Miami at center. What is it about center that makes you the best version of yourself and that you like the most.
Center.
I'm just I'm in there running the show, and I like, don't nothing move before me.
I get everything going.
And so just being in that position and being able to have that first step on everybody, like even like if I was at guard tackle, like I'm an explosive player, you know what I'm saying. So I got a good first two step, first step, fast, whatever, and so at center, I'm controlling when we start and I get to jump that.
So it just it's it's a cheap code for me, to be.
Honest, because yeah, because no one knows what you know, when the ball's coming off and coming off the snap.
You're not going to move faster than me neither.
I believe that because I put together, we did a thing last year where I think we posted a reel of some of your best plays and I was tasked with going and finding them. And there was just some clips where you were out outside the numbers, putting the safety on his back, or you know, cutting off a linebacker that had you out leveraged. What's what is your favorite thing to execute on a football field? What's the thing like, you know, for a slugger, it's a four
hundred and fifty foot home run. Right for Steph Curry, it's hitting the game winning shot. What's your favorite thing to do on.
A football field?
You No, I like real like old school, like grimy football, you know, so back in the day, like them blind side hits, like big hits like I love though so whenever, like I'm running, I see like just a sweet spot, like a person standing like he's squared, or like I just find that good angle down. No, I fin to get him, like that's that home run. You just can run through a person face and it's just a bu You.
Must have been a fan of the game NFL. What's growing up?
Yes, big time breaking bones. Yeah, that was my strength. That was my stuff.
I used to play with a Marino and O J. McDuffie, Maria McDuffie every time. That was my favorite game to play. So coming into this season, we have potentially two new guards Beside James Daniels. We draft Jonah Savit Naya, which he told me I nailed his name. I think I just did it again right there, So very proud of myself for that. But two new guards potentially next to you. What's the challenge of getting to know two new players on either post?
Just knowing like first figuring out knowing them as a person, getting that connection, their friendship, their bun with each other. Then also figuring out like what kind of player they are, you know what I'm saying, Like they like a real grind me extra physical guy, or you know, it's different styles of players, and like what gets them going? What do they like, Like I said, like my home run is finding that sweet spot and just running through somebody's
face at the point of contact. Like what is their favorite blocks or what is their go to strengths or whatever. So just figuring out that out and molding with each other.
And then behind you is the quarterback obviously to a tongue of Biloa, and I remember asking him at a press conference about you last year, and his answer was something to the effect if I hope Bruce here for a long long time, and so maybe you think about like the bomb between the center and the quarterback. How would you kind of pivot that question and have me ask you about Tua, like, what was it about two of that you really enjoyed playing with him?
Uh? I feel like we just we real assimily.
You know, he got that dog and him like he sensed that same dog for me, and we just got the attitude bad We both got some personality too. It's like two goofy guys, you know what I'm saying. But we about business and so I just love that bat my guy. He a good dude, good heart, good head on the shoulders, and he's got a good mentality about how he go a bad things.
I feel like that's a common theme across the entire roster. It's like guys that can have a good time and be personable but also no one to lock in. You feel that same thing, Yeah, yeah, I do. It seems a track across the entire thing. All right, So one
more question for me, get you out of here. We've talked a lot of football, but this is your first like full year in Miami, right, is there something that you haven't done yet, like as a tourist or have the family come down, Like what's something about South Florida that you want to do that you haven't done yet.
That's why I was gonna see it.
For example, perfect and I need to see an alligator.
Yeah you haven't seen one yet. No, you do have to go out there.
Like I thought when I moved here, they were just gonna be like on my doorstep or not, like you gotta go find them.
Yeah, that's why I wear back like the house I got out here, like it's right, buy some water. And so I was like, that's why I was thinking like that, Like alligator would be not to watch any time today. I didn't seen too many videos on Instagram like alligator. Is that people patty your door trying to open their doors and.
Yeah, they're scared of youtubet.
I don't want no problem with.
No me neither Brew. New Dolphins and that great stuff. Man, appreciate you.
I talked to like seven consecutive rookies before Brew came in. So when I said new Dolphin Center, that was just a slip of the tongue.
There, and I'm not going to.
Take it out because it's so close together, but I just want to explain it to you guys. Let's go ahead and take a break right there, come back. I want to our longest segment of this show, the AFC West previous taking a look at the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, and Raids. That's next Draft Time Podcast, brought to you by AutoNation. You got to lead off these sixteen interviews. We had this for this summer with Aaron Brewer, because how much of a gem is he?
Right there?
All right, let's go ahead and pivot now to the NFL preview portion of the Draft Time podcast the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now.
I do this to really help myself just get up to date on the rest of the league, and it helps me for the rest of the season as well.
So I hope you guys enjoy these.
Let me know if you do or do not in the comments on social and we can adjust from there.
But I do like doing these for the podcast's sake as.
Well as my own knowledge, and I've always liked when other podcasts do entire league previews. So that's what I'm doing here, and we kick it off with the AFC West and the KC Chiefs, who are in the Super Bowl every damn year and the changes and the personnel changes for them. One of the real cheat codes in the league in recent years is the Chiefs ability to maintain their coaching continuity. Chris Jones said it best last year. As long as the league keeps letting us keep Steve Spagnolo,
we're gonna keep coming back here. And to a degree I agree, the quarterback and head coach certainly helps a little bit there too. Matt Nagy in his second year of his second stint in KC, and they're about to have the most dangerous offense they've had, in my opinion since Tyreek Hill, the days of Tyreek Hill. They'll have Hollywood Brown from week one. They get Rashi Rice back this year, if you're worthy in year two, Travis Kelcey, Isaiah Pacheco, Noah Gray. That's the incumbents. I love the
addition of Elijah Mitchell. I think he offers them something different that they didn't have last year at that running back position in terms of the outside zone prowess that he features a player that I thought might draw some interest from the Dolphins for that reason, the big changes come up front on the offensive line, as Joe Toney is out and so is DJ Humphries in his first round pick, Josh Simmons, and a competition between last year
a second rounder in Kingsley, Sua Mattia, and Mike Caliendo the Super Bowl starter there well as others. Frankly, I had Simmons as a top five player in the draft, but he tore his ACL in October, so he fell down the.
Board a little bit there.
But that's been the calling card of these Chiefs teams, the ability to pivot on the offensive line throughout the Patrick Mahomes era. They've gone from Orlando Brown to Donovan Smith, the DJ Humphries. They tried the second rounder in Sue Mattia last year and that did not go well, and a lot of those moves didn't go well. Jawan Taylor's one of the guys they brought in as well, and he's had a pretty up and down career there with them.
But this is the first time they'll make a change at guard with Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith both back, and that's probably the best center right guard combination in the NFL. But now there's a bit of an unknown at left guard for the first time. They signed Tooney, which was the move they made in reaction to losing their first Super Bowl a few years back to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, and he was even one of the tackle options last year after injuries decimated that group.
It happens to every team guys offensive line health and attrition is tough to keep up with. On defense, they lost justin read Derek Nodty and really the only notable losses there. The only name acquisition on this side of the ball was former charger of Christian Fulton. They did replace Natty with a second round pick in Omar Norman Lott,
the Tennessee defensive tackle. On the film, their calling card is Mahomes Magic, which is constrained to creativity on highlights, but make no mistake about it, the calling card of this offense is the mastery of angles, matchups, leverage the indicators from a quarterback and head coach who are completely in tune with one another, and two of the best of all time at their positions already for Mahomes add
the ultimate feel. I put air quotes around that tight end and now a handful of explosive wide receivers with a run game that I think can play on the edges but also be transitionable into a power football team down the stretch. We saw that in the playoffs a couple of years ago. It's an offense that really can adapt to all situations, and that's why they're so damn good every single January, and Mahomes is a freaking dog. The return of Rice unlocks so much for the offense.
They can give you pre snap indicators and shift it because of all the motions and speed and threats to every blade of grass. All these guys can play multiple positions, and the way that Travis Kelcey feels out soft spots, Rashi Rice is just a more explosive and faster version of that in my opinion. Obviously not as good as Kelsey in that regard, because that's what made Kelsey a
top two or three all time tight end. Defensively, it's all about fire zones, elite coaching and talent on the back end that plays on a string together, and a front that has unblockable interior presence, a mix of outside pressure players and some flexible second second level players. I should say frankly, I think they messed up choosing Nick Bolton over Willie Gay for the Miami Dolphins now the Saints last year. But Leo Chanelle has been a nice piece for them, and I will take my l finally
here on Chanelle over Tindall. I thought that was an interesting move that we could be looking back on in a few years, and that certainly has worked out for the Chiefs, not so much for the Dolphins here so far chanining Tendall, but you know, Trent McDuffie one of the best slot players in the game, if not the best. I think Jayden Hicks, their safety, is going to blossom into a star this year. Go Koog's, Chris Jones, George car Loftis, Drew Twank Well, they're loaded, man, They're gonna
be right back where they were again last year. This is like McDonald's. If you're talking about a question here, this is the question portion of the team. This is like McDonald's trying to find out how they can reduce their margins. Like if we have to complain, it's about the explosives haven't been there for the last couple of years, and they become a ball control offense.
But they've approached that and tact it in the offseason.
It's also akin to like complaining about the ice cream machine breaking down to McDonald's. Who goes to McDonald's for ice cream? I don't know if people still do that, but you've still got the burgers and fries and happy meals that make everyone happy. There the miscellaneous factors here. I've got no worries about this football team. I don't feel bad for their fans. I would ever say that, but I kind of feel like their games don't matter
until the division round. They're the new Patriots that way. The only thing I could even put here is that an injury to the quarterback, which is true for every team in the NFL coaching roster veteran presents continuity stars everywhere. Tell me why we shouldn't pick this team to go back to the Super Bowl again. Tell me why the Arrowhead invitation is going to take place anywhere outside of Arrowhead for the AFC Championship game. They have a first
play schedule, but they have always had that. The Chargers, Eagles, Ravens, Lions, Commanders bills on the docket within the first nine games. But they're going to win half of those because they always do. They beat the other teams, and they finished like a seven game winning streak. They're going to be thirteen and four going into the playoffs again, and the
trapdoor scenario. Perhaps the offensive line changes don't click, Maybe they lose one of those guys and Humphrey and Smith and have to kind of scramble again from the start. That's kind of the only way I see it. But even then you still got Patrick Mahomes and he'll make it work. The conclusion is this is the best team in football, well.
In the conference.
The Eagles kind of cracked that code last year, and I think it's going against the grain to pick anybody else, but a repeat matchup here and I will go against that grain. But that's for the September podcast when we predict all of this stuff. The LA Chargers their changes on personnel from a personnel perspective, coaching continuity a second year in a massively overhauled system, both on offense and defense.
They play wandyball right, a drive that ends and a kick is the goal, which is a philosophy that you can debate about whether or not it's a good one. Jesse Mintter's defense was no joke in year one, and to me, that's the calling card of the football team. I think their first round pick was the biggest addition they made in terms of how they want to play.
They were best when JK. Dobbins was rolling last year and will the rookie match what he was doing, because when he got hurt and he exits now to Denver, which is the one of their biggest rivals, and they use a first round pick on Omari and Hampton. Like, I'm no fantasy expert, but if I learned anything from watching John Harbaugh coach football since twenty ten at Stanford,
like Hampton's going to get approximately nine hundred carries. Like they also added Naji Harris to the backfield, but I think that the juice in his game has kind of gone by the wayside. And to rely upon Hampton in a spot where I felt you maybe could have gone after some of the pass catchers that Herbert could use in that first round, It's going to be a thing that's debated about for a while. I have my thoughts on it, but we'll find out what happens come September.
The surprise of the offseason to me is just that for the entire NFL. The Chargers lack of attention to the wide receiver room. They went back and brought back Mike Williams, who just hasn't looked the same for a couple of years now. They draft Trey Harris in the second round. Some folks like his game. I think separation skills is the biggest thing for receiver and he doesn't do that at a high level, at least not yet. And I'll repeat this, no team tells you who they
want to be more than the LA Chargers. All of the receivers are above the rim guys except for the best player on the offense in Lad McConkie. But they want to run the ball fifty five percent of the time and play great defense. More changes on the offense here. Tyler Conklin is there. Makai Becton is a great signing for them. Andre James two DeShawn Hand they get him. Tony Jefferson is a good piece to bring to the
back end of that defense. They lose Josh Palmer, Hayden Hurst, Joey Bosa, a Sante, Samuel Junior, Morgan, Fox, Poona Ford, Christian Fulton. So really more out than incoming and I struggle to see where they made big upgrades on this roster just on the paper perspective from the film. Their calling card is ground and pound. Half their snaps they
come out and eleven personnel. It's three wide receivers, one back, one tight end, and the rest is divvied up across two back, two tight They ran a league leading twelve percent twenty two personneledge. I means one receiver on the field. Lad McConkie the only lad out there, if you will. And you guys know my thoughts on Justin Herbert. Good player, and this is not anything to his fault, but I think he is one of the most overrated players I've ever seen.
Cover John because very.
Good, but he's he just hasn't proven that he's in that next tier of quarterbacks. But he's definitely a franchise quarterback. And I have such an issue with the conflicting nature of the way this team is built, Like I can't fath them spending a quarter of a billion dollars in a quarterback to reduce your offense into this like rubble creating three yards in a cloud of dust approach, and that's what they were last year. You could draft a quarterback in the first round like bow Knickson, have him
do that for you. And there was more put on bow Nix's shoulders last year than what Justin Herbert was and you could do it.
I had won fiftieth of the cost.
So maybe I'm putting my foot my mouth there, but I just think it's conflicting by nature. They run gap power football, a lot of vertical options designed to create these leverage advantages and give Herbert see it and rip it options because he's not an anticipatory thrower.
It's not his game.
This is probably one of the least timing based offenses in the entire league, and they show you that by the aforementioned offseason changes. If you want to beat the Chargers, you better be ready to play from base to defeat the run, and then play physical on the perimeter and challenge the many contested catch throws they rely upon. Outside of mconkie, who I would have after seeing what McConkie did last year.
I would have gone after two or three more of those guys. But that's just me.
I'm just a podcaster. I think the defense is the calling card of this team. Aggressive blitzing. I found a great breakdown that spoke to the modularity concept they subscribe to, which is kind of what coach Weaver does, where every front can be paired with every coverage and every blitz can be called from the same combinations and it kind of reduces it down to being simpler for us but harder for the opposing offense. Is the way they approach it.
And if it sounds like we've defense well Jesse Minter also coached under Mike McDonald, who coached Weaver, coached under it is different though it's fewer fronts, pressure packages, slimmed down and streamlined, but that becomes complex because of how those fronts compared with every coverage, and you don't have to reduce the amount of coverages you have based upon your fronts. And this is where I think the Chargers
stand to gain the most ground. Second year of the system stands let them take off in that way, especially with the number of studs they have on that side of the ball. Dayon Henley Go Koug's, Khalil Mack, Tuley, Tuya Poloto, Derwin, James, Elijah Molden, the Lowhi Gilman, Tony Jefferson who played under McDonald and Baltimore I like that side of the ball a lot. My question here is
does the offensive approach work. I mean, it did to the tune of eleven and six last year, But I do kind of find it interesting, I'll say funny, interesting that they avoid any of these allegations we see against the Dolphins. The only beat quality teams, right, because the team that they beat last year that was a quality team was the Broncos.
And you guys know how I felt about that Denver team all year.
I thought they were, like the Chargers, kind of propped up by the fact that the AFC West played the NFC South last year and a down year in the AFC North, and they both had third and fourth place schedules. They beat the four win Raiders twice, the five win Panthers before Bryce Young's benching, the five wins Saints with Spencer Ratler, the three win Titans, the eight win Falcons, and we've documented that game, right The Falcons had four turnovers in the red zone that game, and the Chargers
won that game by four points. The four win Patriots. Their best win was against the Bengals, but the Bengals were four and seven at the conclusion of that game. They had a loss of the Cardinals when they were playing some of their best ball. They lost to the Steelers. They lost to Tampa Bay by twenty three, and that's a team that has so many offensive weapons, you know, a loaded group on that side. I don't think you can compete with that type of approach with your approach
you have. I think this Chargers approach is really good at solidifying wins against teams that don't have the talent you do. But when you have to go up in talent, I think it's the same complex that you face trying to win against that. So that's the biggest question I have for them. The miscellaneous factors. The schedule will on paper be much tougher this year. They lose that home game to the Chiefs, and that's that's pretty brutal to go to Brazil for that home game against division rival.
Then they come back for a road game after that, which usually you get that game at home after that. Then they have to go home game in game three. Then week four they're on the road back to New York, and then they come back home for a game Week five, and.
Then in week six they're down here.
So they're traveling all over the Globe those first six weeks Brazil, Vegas home, East Coast home, Miami, like brutal start. After the bye week, they get the Eagles, the Chiefs, the Texans, and then they're in Denver. I think this is the year you really find out what this team is made of. Their trappdoor scenario. They had the quarterback injury two years ago, but they were losing games before Herbert went out that year, so you can kind of I mean, if it lose Herbert, it's gonna hurt a lot.
Obviously.
I think the second year and a follow up for a new system can be a difficult kind of the way it was for Esperano and Gaze down here in Miami. I think the test of a harder schedule and a full year of tape could make them have sort of a reinvention necessity this early on the season. Especially with that schedule and how it stacks up. This is a tough team to peg for my conclusion here, to me,
I don't think they got better on paper. To me, they focus on things that help you beat bad teams and doesn't give you a real fighting chance against the superior teams. They're well coached, they play good defense, and they know who they are. My questions would be, yeah, it's a great you know, a great stack of wins they got against those aforementioned quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Mason,
Rudolph Kirk, Cousins, Aidan O'Connell. But this year they get Mahomes twice, they get Knicks twice, they get Gino twice, they get Tua Daniels, Rogers, cam Ward, Jalen Hurts, C. J.
Stroud.
I am fascinated this team and leaning towards them being outside the playoffs, but again we'll cross that bridge come September. The Denver Broncos personnel changes. It's a big year for the Broncos and a great example of how you really don't know anything in the NFL. Right, that was a team that was supposed to be doomed by the mistake that was the Russell Wilson trade and contract, and just one year later they're in the playoffs with a promising
rookie quarterback. The challenge now is taking that next step against what figures to be a much tougher schedule. Their offseason, as it usually does, tells you what they've felt they had to get better at They were linked to Colston Lovelin all throughout the draft process, but they did bring in Evan Ingram who has a similar style of game, and like the Chargers, they got bigger at the pass catcher options.
More on that in a moment. They also land JK. Dobbins, who I.
Just love a week or two ago, and he gives a huge boost of the running game which was really lacking parts besides rookie RJ. Harvey before that. Outside of that, it was mostly moves on defense Drake Greenlaw tellanoa Hufongo with the two biggest moves. They go Jade Barron in the first round, then r J. Harvey and Pat Bryant from Illinois in the second and third round. The departures not really a lot of notables here. They lose Cody Barton that was the big contract that got signed elsewhere,
but outside of that they're all back. The coaching continuity in the division here is rare because our third straight team has the exact same head coach OC and DC with Sean Payton, Joel Lombardi, and Vance Joseph On film,
the calling card is the West Coast style offense. It exemplifies all the experience that Bodnicks gathered in college playing was It six years there at Auburn and oregan and his growth is really something that should be studied because after his Auburn career, I don't think he was a draftable quarterback. Then he shines to Organ goes was it eleventh overall, tenth overall and plays really well as a rookie, pairing that processing and decision making with some nice creativity
off script. But like all players, there's plenty of room to grow there. They do a great job to exploiting the areas of the defense that are willing to give up playing that short passing game with a good rhythm, some West Coast principles that kind of stretch you horizontally, and they did this with almost no semblance of a running game. Between the Dobbins addition and the growth of an offensive line that has a lot of continent in
the exact same five starters and same system. If bowenex takes another step, they could have a pretty damn good offense. I love Marvin Mims, Courtland Sutton finally stopped having bad injury luck last year. Troy Flanklin sort of a go route merchant and I think Evan Ingram is the big slot that can really help take this passing game to the next level, especially in a West Coast style offense. Do they see him as Jimmy Graham type. I think
that's kind of the vision there. And Vance Joseph is a well traveled DC who has a deep rollodex of calls and blitzes that he is willing to call at any point, any game, any down, distance, whatever it is, he can go after it. And it's fun to watch, especially with their additions on that side of the football.
Fourteen of the fifteen highest snap takers on that side of the ball are back and they add Baron and Hufonga to Sertan and Riley Moss with Brandon Jones, it's a nice secondary man they extend Jonathan Cooper and I bet you Zach Allen is the player that not everybody on this pod has heard of. He is a Zach sealer of sorts who plays a little more outside the Dre Greenlaw audition. John Franklin Myers, Nick Bonito Stefense is nice, dude.
They might even have too many guys in that back seven, because I don't see starting spots for guys like Ja Kwan McMillan, who was a good slot for them last year. Chris Abrams trained can play some ball. Nick Bonnido's a backup too. They have really good depth on that defense. The question is, I think the second year leap that you expected to make after a surprising first year is one of the toughest things to accomplish in this sport. I think it's fair to look at the receiver corps
and ask the question. Sutton, Ingram, and Dobbins have all missed a ton of games, and an injury to any of them makes their respective group super thin, super quick. I'm also not all the way there on Knicks yet. He made me wrong that first year, for sure, but there's still a lot of bad tape to pour through there, which he's a rookie so obviously, but I don't think there's a lot more of a ceiling to stretch to.
I think he's kind of maxed his talents based upon his age coming into the league and what you saw from Oregon to now and the scheme I thought protected him in a big way, like twenty nine touchdowns and twelve picks and only a ninety three pass rating. It's because they their whole game was short. It was a six point seven to YPA with a high passing figure there. And as much as I love their defensive personnel, it's so hard to have back to back dominant seasons on defense.
The miscellaneous factors I talked about the schedule. This schedule ends with Texans, Raiders, Chiefs, Commanders, Raiders, Packers, Jags, Chiefs, Chargers. Six of the nine are playoff teams. Two of those teams are the Raiders, who are not a pushover anymore. I'd be surprised when they get back there their trapdoor scenario. The leaders of all the skill groups have missed double
digit games over the last two seasons each. If the rising quarterback has any type of regression with how they've struggled to run the football, games could become a slog and I can wear a defense down, especially in the Mile High City. Remember this is the second where we nitpicks, so we're gonna get critical here. My conclusion is, I think the Broncos are a lot like the Chargers. There's some proof of concept, but I think we need to see more before I go all in on both those teams.
I think the schedules put got those teams in last year. I think the Broncos got better. I think the Chargers did not get better. So I think I like Denver Moore, but I kind of have them both in the same vein there. And that brings us to our final team here in the AFC West, he Las Faga Raiders. The changes personnel wise, a team with some changes in the coaching staff for the first time here. I cannot wait to see what Pete Carroll looks like and what he's
got a piss leave here in his first year. Bringing back Antonio Pierce last year I thought was always not a great decision. I think having a qualified coaching staff could actually make a big difference for the Raiders here. They put together an awesome staff, and part of that was retaining the defensive side of the ball with Patrick Graham and a lot of the coaches on that side of the ball who have done a really good job the last couple of years, and bringing in Chip Kelly
to coach the offense. They spent the sixth pick of the draft on the best running back to come out since Bijon perhaps Sakwan. They bring back Geno Smith or bring in Gino Smith, I should say they signed Raheem. I'm rooting for him big time. And they add Ian Thomas to a tight end room that has Brock Bauers and Michael Mayers, the best tight end room in NFL history. Maybe they signed Alex Kapitaz tabilized the interior offensive line.
And then i'll defense the way they retained the coaching that they that they had on the defense, I am so impressed by that for Pete Carroll, but they also have some new parts in that secondary. Trayvon Merrick left, he was a guy that I talked about in the podcast a lot. Replaced him by another guy I talked about in the podcast, and Jeremy Chim. They lost Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, and Marcus Epps, bringing in Eric Stokes and
Lonnie Johnson to fill that void. The film here the calling card, and you can see that personnel shift kind of match with Pete's defensive principles, which I'm curious to see how they inject that into what Patrick Graham does, which, as you might recall, is lots of tight fronts, big bodies up front, trying to stretch your interior gaps to create advantageous looks on the outside for a Max Crosby back here. It was you know, they wanted to get
Jadavian Cloune involved. They wanted to get Kyle Vannoi going in that role. Then you've got similar presentations that generate variations of cover one, Cover three in man, which is their three primary coverages. Their front is loaded with Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler, Tyree Wilson, with Max Crosby and Malcolm Coons off the edge. They did lose Robert Splain inside replaced him by a land than Roberts. Frankly, I liked our secondary a lot last year. This year I have more
questions and answers there. Offensively, Gino's ability to play from under center and play pass and then rip anticipatory throws with velocity down the middle of the field can really put your run pass defense in some peril. And with Chip Kelly, you know he's going to find ways to maximize space and get you know, vertical options in oermedia options and check down and really attack every level of
the field. I cannot wait to see what that looks like and how teams have to play that style of passing defense against an offense that has a running back that can make you pay against light boxes. Those two tight ends they've got are ridiculous and lends this self to the idea they're probably going to stay in twelve personnel most of the game. My question for them is how will the defense mesh the two ideologies together, and will they pretty much brand new secondary mesh and how
quickly can they do that? Offensively, I think it's you know, we've sort of directed our eggs to the baskets outside of wide receiver, and I get if you don't have playmakers in that position, I worry about that.
Jacoby Myers is a good player.
Side of the tight ends, there's a lot of questions about who's going to catch passes there the miscellaneous factors we've mentioned the schedule for everybody in this division, much harder for all four teams, but something else. They've got home games against the Bears, Cowboys, Browns, Giants, and then
obviously the divisional games against Denver and Case. Those are fan bases that travel really well, and these teams that have these recent moves, the home games become road games pretty quickly, and I think Pete Carroll's going to be great. But anytime you have a seventy eight year old head coach seventy five howl is he that's been out of the league for a couple of years, I think it's fair to wonder if the fastball is still there. The trapdoor scenario for me is back to the secondary and
changes and meshing of defensive ideologies. I think the offense has a pretty good plan and contingency in place, but I think the other side kind of needs to prove that. And man, I hate this, but Christian Wilkins hasn't practiced this spring since that foot injury last year, and it would be a bummer if that foot injury changes his career trajectory. It sucks for the Raiders and it sucks for Christian, and Christian is a good dude, So that makes me sad.
My conclusion very tough division.
I don't think there's a team that improved its coaching staff the way the Raiders did and the quarterback position to boot I also think you have to pass and defend the pass in this league, and that's where the questions are on paper for this team. So in this conference with all these quarterbacks, to me, that's tough They're gonna be a lot better though, and that brings us to division superlatives. My winner the Chiefs, the best quarterback Mahomes,
the best non quarterback on offense. I'm gonna go Brock Bauers. I mean, he was kind of legendary last year. Best defensive player. It's real close right here. I'm gonna take the hometown kid and Patrick Sartana second, although Chris Jones says, what's up? My best coach, Andy Reid, the best rookie, it's gotta be Ashon Genty obviously, d and my best under the radar stud.
It's between two players.
But I'm gonna go with Dayon Henley here, the Washington State Cougar, a lum and linebacker for the Chargers.
He is an absolute monster.
All right, last break right here, come back on the other side and talk to Patrick Paul. That's next Draft Time podcast, brought to you by Autoonation. Joining me today is Dolphins left tackle Patrick Paul. Pat what's up?
Man?
Not much? How you doing?
I'm doing good?
It's it's I was just talking to Malik Washington about how much changes in three hundred and sixty five days for everybody football players myself, anybody in the world. A lot can change in one year. Can you take us through what the last year has been like for you and how it's different from the last time you were in that chair versus today.
Uh yeah, definitely a lot of changes in the year. Like you said, the first year, you're a lot more nervous. Everything's so tense, and it seems like it's the longest year of your life coming in into year two. Now you have a whole off season in front of you, and you have so much free time learning how to take care of your body, learning how to operate as a pro when you're off and you don't have time you know, well, you're not fully busy and committed, like
dedicated to a football like system. So you had four months off, so learning how to take care of your body it was great, and just learning my own system.
So that's a big part of football, right is trying to know exactly offensively what you're doing every single snap. But then there's the individual portion of it that's I've been having this conversation with everyone that's done this so far today. It's kind of fascinating because you get your Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, practices.
It's all situational. It's all like red zone, you know all that stuff.
But then you kind of have to take some time yourself to really fine tune in on like your matchup that week, or maybe something that you're doing that you want to improve upon. When you take a look at your technique and fundamentals, like what's Patrick Paul's approach to like I got to tighten up this or that, Like how do you kind of assess what you see on film and then go put to practice When it comes to developing your fundamentals, Uh.
Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing is knowing what the correct technique looks like and doing that every day. I'd say, practicing those perfect techniques and basically elite techniques and fundamentals. Practicing that every single day, and as you keep doing it, it becomes a habit and you learn what it's supposed to look like, what it's not supposed to look like. Also, coaching has a big thing to do with that, also, what they want from a player basically doing that exactly
every single day. And when you practice those elite fundamentals and techniques each day each day, you're just going to see it resonating into your game. It's not going to be all at once, but it's going to slowly start pouring in and as it goes on, you're just going to notice that it's part of what you're doing and you learn from it. You start, you know, creating ways of your own, but then just expanding on that. So it's a niche day, it's an everyday thing.
It's kind of the same thing for like podcasting a little bit mostly writing. Like if I go back and read my writing from five years ago, I'm like, that was terrible. That's a bad piece of writing right there, And I don't want to sit here in how you say, like my football was bad five years ago. But if you went back to like your freshman year at Houston versus where you are today, fundamental wise, what would your reaction be to those two videos side by side?
Do you think the freshman year one would make me sick? Make me want to throw up? So yeah, you're definitely at it, like ages like fine wine, as you just keep honing in on it and keep getting better at it.
That's the beauty of the game, though, right The beauty of everything we do is the way we grow and become just you know, more well rounded people, right, I mean do you do you take that same approach and things outside of football but in your entire life.
Really it's everything in life.
You know.
You're just trying to expand on it different ways to take care of your body and now have the golf tick. So learning about golf, so this is a whole other obstacle. But yeah, but yeah, we're taking it a day at a time.
Yeah, I'm saying that because you come you come in here, and we've talked about this off the air, but like I just I'm so obsessed with golf. Man, I've put so much time into it. And I remember we talked about this a while ago. So you're it's it sounds like it's ramping up.
So yeah, definitely got spoiled with the second course that I ever went to. This is Shelby.
So yeah, that's uh, that's where every piece of grass is like manicured by like la scissors.
I mean, the best place I've ever been.
Yeah, It's it's beautiful. Man, A good golf course is hard to be Did you did you walk or were you on a cart? We're on the car okay, So yeah, cause when you walk course, you kind of get to like feel you kind of feel like you're in tune with nature and like the whole course and everything. So it's a little bit different that way. But man, the book, I feel like it's biting everyone around her these days.
It's amazing.
You gotta get a club fitting, right, Yes, did you buy club yet?
No, I'm going, I think by the end of this week after you know, I'm locking in for now and then we'll get the break.
Yeah, yeah, because i think, uh, let's just let's just do the whole thing here. Because you played that one time that my buddy saw you.
You rented clubs, right.
Yes, so that was the So that was the third time my golfer.
Okay, yeah, there's no way those clubs like fit.
Now. People keep telling me like, yeah, you need to get fitted. It's going to help what you're swing. You're going to see like a drastic change in my game. Because I'm six seven thirty seven in charms, you know what I mean. So yeah, like I'm using these clubs, I'm bending down. It just doesn't feel right. So I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna go after we're done.
I'm gonna I want to I want to see what it looks like when you flush one man, it probably goes it probably looks like happy.
Gilmore like into the mountains.
You know makes us addicted, So it makes you addicted. Is when you get that it's on the money.
Yeah, you've had a couple of those.
I've had a couple of those. Yeah. The first time it was the one at Shelby. I birdied once. I was like, Okay, yeah, I'm a golfer.
Let's go.
He's a sick going just like the rest of us. Man, just just enjoy the ride.
I'll tell you this. There's highs, there's lows. It's a lot of fun. There's a lot of moments you're like, I'm never playing this game again. But it's all fun. Lets let's pivot back to football here, because we kind of got off the track there, and I do apologize my audience. I make so many comparisons to football like technique and golf because I think it is kind of applicable, right, Like,
there's so much that goes into that. But in terms of the second year, what excites you the most man about coming back and being with this group for a second season, whether it's individual, the entire picture, Like, what's got you most fired up for twenty twenty five?
Okay, yeah, twenty twenty five. I think it's I'm very excited this year to just see what this team's going to do. This group. I think we have a really croose group this year that has grown with the work and we all have the same mentality which every team should have, is to win the Super Bowl. But we're doing things that I think that are going to be
able to separate us this year. I'm going into my first year as the starter at left tackle, so just basically going into this year with the approach to keep that position, make it a franchise, and be for the rest of my career. That's the goal. And it all starts when you're getting into this role.
So yeah, I can't wait to watch it.
Man.
And going back to last year, You've talked so much about how much Taran meant to you in terms of his tutelage. But I guess I'm curious to ask like all those because he's talked about, you know, the way he had to get himself ready for a game at this stage of his career was tough, and so in lieu of that, you were able to get a lot of practice reps, but you also got something like three hundred and forty snaps in at left tackle or either tackle spot this year.
What did you take from all that?
How valuable do you think that was in comparison to if you didn't get all that time to practice and play games?
That's the true. Those reps are valuable, very very valuable, especially you know, getting your first start going at it and being mivable to prepare that week and you know, get what it feels like to go through a game week. It was good, not just having it this year, but having it last year, being able to work off of that. Also learning how to just go on the fly sometimes to get in there, really testing the mental because you have to be always locked in every single game. Last
I was locked in like I was playing. So those were all invaluable reps and just knowing how to prepare. So I'm really excited for this year, really excited.
There there are ten things I could ask you about. I'll get you out here because we're already get long at the time here, But there's two things I was thinking about. Number One, last time we did this, you talked about after your football career. You want to be the president of your home nation. Yeah, Nigeria and Jerry, Okay, is that still an aspiration of.
Yours that's going to happen.
Okay, that's going to happen.
It's already updates to the whole story. You just just leave it at that.
This is you know, I'm so young right now. I'm twenty three. You know, football happy, let football half for first in my forties. I'll start umbarking on that.
Yeah.
Yeah, And I guess that'd be the same answer to my next question. Because we had you on the panel at Draft night as well as my my radio program there. I told you you got some pretty good media shops and tea stad get your coach up there as well.
No, this is from University of Houston. Yeah, we had to. We took classes and everything on this stuff.
Very nice, man, very nice. So that's something you're interested interested in too. They kind of go hand and hand.
Yeah, I'd pop in and do some stuff.
Yeah, good stuff. But appreciate your time today, man, best of luck this season. I can cannot wait to watch you play and we'll see you out there soon.
Man.
Thank you. I appreciate it all.
Right, Going down to two episodes a week.
The podcast is gonna look like this every once in a while, so lengthy episodes. Next, we're gonna do the NFC West and have Bradley Chubb on the show. I can't wait to bring guys this Bradley Chub chat.
It was so very good. In the meantime, gonna be my time.
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