Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.
Now, let me check your pulse if you're not.
What is up? Dolphins?
And welcome to the Drift Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network covering your teams, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, it's gonna be an O line heavy day, at least for a segment or two. Maybe we heard from Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson. Coach McDaniel
discussed offensive line play at length. We'll dive into that, plus all the practice notes, including another day of interesting quarterback play, some back and forth in the ground game. We'll talk to Raheem Mostert about that and a hecko a lot more from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drive Time Podcast.
Heye gaff.
So we're gonna kick this thing off with some O line conversation. But before we do that, a little bit of news to bring you into the podcast. Safety Miles Dorn signed with the team this morning. Dorn was a udi to the Vikings back in twenty twenty one and played in fourteen games with Minnesota the last two seasons combined. He played a lot on special teams for them and plays with that missile mentality you often see from the core special teams guys.
He has some really pretty good technically.
Sound hits on his tape, both at safety and from the special team's clips I've seen of his. And speaking of special teams, linebacker Mike Rose also signs after spending the twenty twenty two offseason as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, a UDFA from Iowa State. That year, he was first team All American in school and played for the Saint Louis BattleHawks and the CFL. He was also an extensive special teams guy in the XFL, said CFL XFL going back to his time in college as well.
So two new players at camp, they take the roster spots opened up by the release of Michael Turk and waived injured rookie Bennett Williams. So there you go, practice number seven in the books. And it was a hot,
one man, minimal win today. No cloud coverage, no storm on the periphery to bring that cooler in, just a hot, muggy Miami Gardens mess and the guys got after it and work in that horrible, horrible, horrible hot hot heat, multiple team periods in different situations including mid and low red zone work, even a situational period at the end to see what Tua and Thompson could do with the
winding clock in late game situations. And Tua got the team into a fifty eight yard field goal chance, and Skyler, I believe, got into a fourth and long, probably like a sixty two yard field goal chance. So it was thirty seconds left, ball at midfield, no timeouts, left down by two, so two was able to get a first down and put the team in position to try a game winning field goal. I'm not so sure about Skyler's opportunity that maybe they would have had to go for
it on fourth down to give himselfs another chance. But that was into practice. But the day began with coach McDaniel. And since the theme of this opening segment is going to be on the offensive line, I want to go ahead and start here with three soundbites from Coach McDaniel as he takes us through Coach butch Berry's impact and the offseason gross of Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson.
Here's Coach first.
On coach bear relationship with him working relationship, and you know there when when you do have that, there's certain expectations that you have when you're you're joined back together, and he's met those expectations because of his uh diligent command of that crew. I think they've got a really cool thing going there where they've been working and owning techniques that other Really it's probably the best that they've been able to understand what we're trying to do as an offense.
And you know, the thing about a line.
Coaches, if you know, if you have a good one, in which I think we do have, they're typically not satisfied. They're typically very they're they're ready to get a sucker punch from from the side that they can't see. Just because that this, you're the nature of offensive line in general. You're out athleted because the best pound propound athletes really a defensive lineman in this game. So you have to be on your p's and q's. You can't be result based,
you have to be processed driven. And he's he's really done done a great job. But classic online coach Form don't ask him what type of job he's doing because he'll he'll grumble and you need to be better today, you know, which is what ultimately I think players really yearn.
For next coach.
On the development so far as second year in the system of offensive lineman Liah Meichenberg.
Year two is very exciting for multiple reasons. Like what we do from an offensive line standpoint, there's some trustfall involved where you're like, Okay, we don't want you to just block this person safely.
We want you to.
Aggressively attack, thereby making you vulnerable. That can ebbs and flows. We felt it last year. The players know it that sometimes when in the heat of battle, you revert back to things that we don't emphasize.
Well, that doesn't mean those things were bad.
It means now you're off with your teammate who's trying to do it.
You know, it's the synergy.
Of it, and he's really really taken a step forward that way.
You're two.
Since you do know what words mean, what play calls mean, what how we communicate, how we target aiming points, timing.
Since he does know that he's been able to do some things we were unable to do in year one that I was adamant that we didn't do in year one, which is moving around a little bit too, and he's I really love where he is at in the progression, but again, it is a progression that's long because you can't it like like I was alluding to before, we're trying to do stuff at a high level that you have to really kind of empty all of the old thinking and can't revert in the heat of battle. That's
where our biggest problems came, where people reverting. And he's right now doing a great job, but you have to what's going to happen when you're like the lines turned up today, Okay, Then what's gonna happen next week when you have different people. Those are the things that are monumental for him as well as all the guys that have been here to really make sure that what we're doing on a day to day basis is ingrained and not.
Just a practice technique.
And then lastly to the guys we're gonna hear a lot about this preseason. Two important guys to the program this year. Austin Jackson here is coach on the Miami right.
Tackle Austin being you know, he he was out longer.
I got to see less of.
Him and he it's it's been exciting, exciting for him because what he hasn't done, what you're fearful of.
Case in point, you guys are all I know. There's several guys that.
Are very locked into one on one pass rush. And what happens to offensive lineman especially, you know when they're an important year of their career.
Is you.
Go and set on somebody and it doesn't work. It actually is quite the opposite. You get up and under or do something like that. Typically the response is, Okay, I'm not doing that again.
And where he's at is he can turn.
And have a football conversation with myself, Frank Butcher lem or Mike Judge. He can have a football conversation of what just happened so that he can do the technique he just did better.
He's he's flashed.
Some really good things, and then there's been great teaching done by the the defense when he hasn't done things correctly, so he continues to get better. He is a better player than he was last week. And that's that's where I'm at with h Really, all those guys, there's a we have a lot of competition across the board in the offensive line, room, so everyone's having to really go after it, which is a cool.
Thing as a coach to to witness.
And and right now we are in practice.
Seven of.
And we have three opportunities to practice against each other before we practice against an opponent.
So that's uh, that's what we're focused on today for him.
So I got a good look at both those guys and in general the last few days with pads going on, and I think you're going to see more growth and flashes with Eichenberg that coach described off the top. I've liked his work in the past sets in the one on one drills, but there's still some meat on the bone in terms of the team period, especially in the
running game against Wilkins and Seeler. And I really don't know what to expect because those guys are both reletive, stively unstoppable, like they've taken longtime vets and taken them to task repeatedly and actual games. So I'm not sure I would expect anyone to look good against them. But I think Liam is showing at minimum a non tomato can presence the old Daniel Jeremiah quote.
Right, if you've got a.
Few really good guys and we do we know about left tackle, center, and right guard. Then you can get by with, you know, two replacement level players. We just cannot have two guys that are total washouts. And I think you can get that from seventy four. This year, we'll see about seventy three. It's just not been materializing so far in practice, it's not Jalen Phillips really got him good on the first play of the day for a sack, and that's been a pretty consistent theme this camp.
And of course Wilkins had that day of you know, giving it to seventy four back in the indoor practice. So what are the options? Roll with the growing pains or move to a secondary option. I know that Isaiah Winn can play left guard, so I think it's a good competition there if that's where they want to go. And I'm pretty sure Kendall Lamb can play right tackle at a high level or at least the level of
Brandon Shell a year ago, if not even better. I thought his work in that spot has been really good in camp and the best I've seen on the team so far.
So that's kind of the update there.
But Liam and Austin are going to continue to get plenty of reps and seeing this challenging front will pay dividends as we go along here, I think again, Liams looked good in the one on one drills, but the team period, it's been up and down. Let's ask him about the offensive line versus defensive line drills because I'm always so curious about this. I asked Rob Hunt about it earlier in the week. Let's go to Liam Eichenberg on the value of one on one O line versus D line.
Yeah, I mean, I think line versus line drill. I think it's you know, a great time. You're going to see a lot of stuff that maybe you won't see it during the game. You know, it's a time for you know, me specifically to work on what I want to work on for that day. You know, if I'm going to rock set, upkick or you know, tight angle set, so those are the biggest things, and you know, I just got to going with a plan and you know, work from there, so one day at a time.
Also asking him about coach McDaniel's Colentarry about playing in this system, that trust of playing aggressively and not really running back to old habits and old ways of teaching. Here's Liam on his second year in the system and how he thinks that having that full year of work and the full year of tape to Tuddy can benefit him heading into his fourth year as a pro, his second year under Mike McDaniel. Check that third year here in the pros.
Yeah, I would say, just getting my footwork done faster. Let's probably the biggest thing. Run and pass, and I've just continued to work on that an individual and then on my own. So she just keep working. This is the perfect time for it. So I'm going to continue with that.
Let's go to Austin Jackson with the same question regarding the second year here in the system and how it can benefit him.
You know, when I get a task, I like to get the job done. He's huge kudos to this coaching staff or sitting with the players and helping us get a better understanding of what's expected. I think playing in this offense, we utilize speed, and you know that's just one of my many skilled traits that you know I benefit with. I think that that's a plus in this offense.
Let's go ahead and take a break right there and continue this on to the second segment because I think that Raheem Moster offered some valuable commentary about the relationship between the offensive line and defensive or I should say running backs in the running game, as well as the rest of the practice notes Raheem Audio. We're also going to hear more from coach McDaniel all that next Draft Time podcast your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation.
Yeah, I mean you have to really be in sync with the whole old line and have have have to have that understanding that that connection when it comes to you know, this game that that has been around for years. You know, you can't just it's just like the receiver and the quarterback. You know, they have to be on the same page. You have to get that feel and the time and aspect, and it's the same thing essentially
in regards to the run. So if you're able to have that connection, you know, especially in the interior where it starts with the center, if he's able to make the right calls, right reads, and then it just you know, it goes in and spreads out in front of everybody.
So that's what you want. You want to make sure that you have a better understanding of that.
And I think you've seen that come to fruition here a bit in camp, but really a carryover that began in December last year when the Dolphins finished the season with five games where they went ninety two one eighty eight, eighty two, eighty six, one sixty two on the ground. That's six hundred and ten yards one hundred and twenty two yards per game. That's compared to ninety yards per game in the first twelve weeks of the season. And I think that's one area that stands to continue into
this upcoming campaign. Like sometimes or something I think that is more indicative of how this offense can grow in the second season. Is that effort late in the year and into the second year with these same guys coming back in the continuity on offense, I don't think is getting enough publicity, at least outside of this podcast and maybe Kyle's podcast, But I think that that's going to go a long way towards his offense being even better
this year. Another way is with alec Ingold and Raheem having that full year of work and training without being in a red non contact jersey, not being on any kind of pitch counter or ramp up in training, camp. We heard he talked about that last week, and he's a huge reason why the rushing numbers were what they were in December. He looked freaking awesome down the stretch. But I talked to him today about alec Ingold's value.
Who continues to be more involved in the passing game, who just looks like he's playing a step faster coming off and off season where he didn't have, you know, an ACL.
It was the hand he broke last year, but the ACL was fine.
So he looks faster, sharper, more decisive, a little more wiggle and you're gonna hear Raheem Moster here. I had a back and forth ra him talking about fullbacks and the relationship between fullbacks and the running backs and how that all works in the running game.
Here's the back and forth with me and Raheem Moster, like San Francisco out here, he's had to be at the backs.
In the game value.
I mean, obviously you see what's going on, you know, with what I had in San fran but then also with alec Ingele, you know, he's he's at the top of his game right now.
If you see the way he gives those.
Hits and he's catching out of the backfield and he's making all these unbelievable plays.
Man.
You know, I give him nothing but credit just because I know what it looks like.
I have a good fullback in front of me.
So he's he's he's that guy, you know, he's the one that is the down and dirty guy, and that's the one that's trying to trying to do his best, you know, for the team, and he's gonna put his body on.
The line no matter what.
He he accepts challenges as you can tell, and to me, he conquers those challenges, whether it be small or big in the game plan.
He does everything that he needs to do.
So I'm I'm very happy, and everybody else around is happy that, you know, we got him. And also John love it. John love it as well. You know, he's former heisman in his in Princeton, So I mean that guy is also an athletic guy just walking around here. So I don't want to say dined out, No, not really.
You know, I was.
I was in the offense, you know, with Chip Kelly and everything that he had, you know, so they didn't really utilize all that much in a full back regard.
We were here to go back to playing in.
Uh, it would be just because I feel like with the fullbacks right now that you know in the game that we have the offense that we have, Uh, there there are eyes. That's something that we use in the in the room. You know, they're the ones that see the hole before the hole opens up. And they were ones who had to you know, hit those holes in order for us to hit them as well. So they always say let the fullback's eyes be your eyes, and I truly believe in that.
That might have been hard to discern there on the audio. I cranked up as much as I could, but basically talk to him about the value of the full back and playing behind Kyle Yueschek and alec Ingold here, and then just how weird it might be to go back to more single backs that he's played in two systems for so long or two offenses for so long that had a full back in front of it. But all
things told, I thought, Rahiem just looked smooth. I thought Savon Auchmann, speaking of the running backs, had a nifty run, picking through some gaps and finding the end zone for like an eight yard touchdown run. Chris Brooks continues to impress man. He had a ten yard touchdown gallup where he got pay dirt by winding his way through some really good blocks, and that compared, or i should say, combined with his ability to drop the shoulder and run
through some tackles at the goal line. That was his tape at BYU converting touchdowns and short yardage. Also had the ninety five yard touch I run in practice the other day, So those guys look good. Brooks is making a case.
Man.
I thought Devon a Chain had the day of all of them today.
His best run was a slow developing run outside where he got a really good seal block from James Tunstall. But I thought he set it up with his patients to press inside and really squeeze the formation and just get one or two more steps downhill before the safety of the corner widens back out, and that just gives him a better angle. When you have four to two speed, any advantage of an angle can turn to ten, fifteen,
twenty eighty more yards in the play right. And so he did a good job of squeezing this thing and force that second and third level to come down and get you know, decrease their depth and maximize that chance to win the corner, and he did it for about thirty or so yards in this particular rush. He had some additional shifty runs. He had some plays in the passing game, back to back completions on that Skylar Thompson, you know, situational drill trying to get back into field
goal range. I thought he ran a really good back shoulder where he got free from Aubrey Miller, but the pass from Mike White was down around the ankles and knees. We couldn't hang on tough ball to grab one of the lesser balls from Mike White. Today, I thought he had a good day, but more on him and his progression and camp so far.
Can't hit him. All didn't hit this one.
Speaking of callbacks, let's finish up the offensive line notes here, because I watched a little bit of the one on ones but was more focused on wide receiver versus cornerback today, which is typically sacrilege. But today it was not one on one but rather half field combos. You had two man route combos, three man route combos with a safety and corner to that side. The linebacker kind of contributing so it was like a half cocked seven on seven
drill that I wanted to watch. And remember how Tua talked the other day about noticing the defensive communication from his helmet camp boy. I thought the way they got around natural picks and rubs that come from those say, inside combos, and just made a bunch of.
Plays in the football.
I also thought passing off was super super solid, like these guys are recognizing and picking up their rules in their zones in zone coverage really well.
I thought we saw that today.
The pick that Xavi and Howard had on Tua was a good example of the VET sitting back, deciphering what the route combination was going to develop into and then anticipating Chosen's release to a kind of slow play vertical route where he ran under it. Put himself in position and made the play on the football. And Tua didn't throw his best ball there either, but put yourself in position, good things will happen. I like this drill because the quarterbacks will always put it up and give the guy
a chance. It's better to take the rep and just let them seeminglate a fifty to fifty ball because in game I know two was smart enough to not tempt xaviing Howard on a.
Fifty to fifty ball.
He's one of the few cornerbacks in the league where it's fifty to fifty, but the defensive fifty is not for a breakup.
It's usually for a pick.
So don't want to do that, didn't I say we go back to the offensive line. Let's do that right now. I thought Tunstall had a really good day. I saw Ryan Hayes get some action where he was the isolated man away from the slide like slide foreman to the right, keep your left tackle in one spot, and Ryan Hayes had some good work there, even put a manual Ogbom into a stale mate. We know Ogma is capable of those one on ones pass rush wins. I'm really glad
that Dan Phoene is here, man. I think he's very, very very solid option as sort of the sixth man the interior, and if he's starting, that's also not going to be a problem in a pinch starting. I think Phoene is extremely capable. Also, ask him if he's familiar with Boy Meets World when I saw him today, and he said, so, that's my guy.
I thought Cedric a boy. He had a really good day. I'm not really.
Providing a lot of updates on Connor and Rob because it's just business as usual for them, but two of the best in the league at their position. Like it's you know, another day, another dollar for those guys. I've seen enough to really want to focus on Jaren Christian and Lester Cotton. In the games, Cotton had a really good block on a screen pass out in space, and Christian's a guy that I see at the point of
attack often on some big runs. Oh and before I forget here, in one on ones, James Blackman dialed up a dime to an open Daywood Davis for six.
In that period.
All the quarterbacks dapt him up in a kind of a cool moment there, because I think it speaks to the brotherhood of the team and the chemistry in that room when you see the way they celebrate with another, both in that position, group or anywhere else.
Hey, speaking of chemistry, going a million miles.
An hour today, I asked coach about the importance of chemistry before practice today.
Here's Mike McDaniel.
I've fallen victim of it as well in my life.
You know, it's one of the things that I think is valuable of remembering all those moments as a fan and remembering all those moments when I was a college player before I got coaching, that these are a collection of human beings.
That are.
That have all the ills and all the strength of all of us. So when you and ultimately players end up shaping what your team looks like, the players are the culture, and when you are when you're adjusting something that's so significant to their lives, which is the locker room, you treat it like human beings in every sense and
how that's going to affect other human beings. So I think, you know, we think a lot about the residual effects of a in the whole development of the team because we're recognizing that these are human being, human beings individuals that are all affected by things as well. So I think it's important to remember that human scope in the whole process.
Let's keep this bad boy rolling here with the offense and the cubes starting with two a tongue of bailoa. I feel like I say this every damn day, but man I thought to it. Had his coolest rep of camp today in the opening period. Now he's been money all camp, he nearly had his first team period interception, had one in the seven on sevens last week and then one today and one on ones, but still has not been picked off in seven days of team drills,
which is, you know, seven practices. I don't know how many reps that is, but you get the idea.
It's a lot.
It's probably equivalent to, you know, a quarter plus of a football season. But X had him today on a miscommunication where Wattle went high and to through low to the goal line. Wattles at the back of the end zone and X is right there, but he dropped something that would have been like a ninety eight yard pick six return. So X dropping picks is not usually common, but last year happened a couple times. I think we'll
get it back this year. But the rep that I loved, Tua gets pressure up the middle and around the offense is left. He hits the top of his drop, springs up from the interior pressure, and it was like watching a veteran two bag work the base on a double play. You know, each step puts yourself in position to take
the next step. You know, get that right foot cleared, make sure the basement is not going to take out your legs and drop the arm down and fire that thing off to first base to get the second out of the play. He hitches up, slides out, but knows he's still not out of the woods yet, so he works the arm angle down around the trash and throws the ball to the side of the guy's helmet, drops it to that three quarter arm slot, and fires it in to a wide open wattle.
For a completion out wide.
It was a really impressive play, and that reminds me of what Coach said on play ca the podcast with Jordan rod Reeg from The Athletic check that out if you have not heard that yet. Of thinking that your play call is what makes a play, we've seen, Coach said, We've seen trash play calls work and good ones not work. So the audacity I think that you're the one making
this all click is a little bit ego maniacal. Well, this is one of those instances where the quarterback made a bad play, not the call, just the bad protection a good play.
And haven't we seen Tua do that to a.
Degree of high execution on third downs for a while now, Because today I had him with seven chances during the third down period and completions and conversions on six of them. The seventh was another case of maybe my favorite play in camp. And I'm air quotes here, and I know it becomes reductive when you become repetitive, but I think
it might have been a no look throw. He had one route to the perimeter that little I guess rail or whatever you want, the sale up the sideline and then the rail down the middle up the seam, and from my vantage point, it looked like he was coming to the sideline, and the defense did too because they moved that way. But then he rifles the thing back almost across his body. I've not seen him throw at this kind of alossie before. He just rips this shot
to Eric Sober. I think it surprised the tight end because he got his hands up late and couldn't hang onto the ball, but it was right on the money, So I think the arm is stronger from multiple slots, which is a big key for him, because if I had the knock to his game at all, it would be that once he gets around the trash and has to move out of the pocket and throw on the move with that pressure coming from all angles, that's when
the plays don't really go your way. But it's the quick sun movement where he gets to a reset position. I think he's really great at it's just when he gets chased, he's not gonna be as good. But I saw in this practice in this month multiple slots of arm positioning and footwork where they are in terms of how he's got his base and his power generator down low. I think the activity in the pocket is quicker. I think he's showcasing a variety of pitches in his bag.
I use that phrase all the time, don't I so imagine the crap eating grin I displayed when I heard this from coach McDaniel about how his off he's in training and improved strength has helped his game.
Arm wrestling competitions.
Uh, he's less prone to defeat.
You know, there's unintended consequences.
He really took his training on his body serious this offseason for a multitude of reasons.
And you know, I've seen various things.
Uh where there's just a he has a little more uh short area explosiveness where you're able to manipulate yourself in the pocket, you.
Know, at a more I don't know explosive rate.
He's also you know, I I don't know this to be fact, but it appears by my layman's eye that he is.
He has more.
Pitches in his arsenal, Like you know, he can layer stuff and drive it just with even more command. Then you know, he's already pretty dept at considering his accuracy. So I think it just overall helps him feel prepared and execute a lot of things. And the residuals are apparent and various.
We're hitting a point in camp where two A camp updates will kind of lose their luster. I mean, I know they won't because everybody wants to hear about quarterback one, and especially this guy who's just a lightning rod of engagement and conversation. But he's so consistently good, and that's what you want, obviously. I think the White Thompson battle has ratcheted up another level. From the first few days
of camp. I know there were some conflicting opinions about White's work and OTA's me on the positive side of that, and into the first few days of camp where I was beginning to agree more with the other side about how his production and performance had been so far. But from that moment from Sunday to now. I think Mike
Whites looked really good. Before we get into that. Coach touched on the backup quarterback competition and how you view that in a scope that is a different or is it similar to how you view your QB.
One really good question from Daniel O. Yafusie the Miami Herald.
He always does that great read to go follow his stuff, but also a great answer here from coach McDaniel.
It's an interesting question because there is a what's unique about the quarterback position.
There's so much stuff going on.
You're the you touch the ball every play and if you're off, it fails. So one thing with with with guys at the quarterback UH position competing is I find you have to be even more resistant to making assumptions determinations. You have to let it play out longer because you know so many All of a sudden things can click and your game changes a lot.
There's a lot of things that.
They've they've been coached in the past, and having an idea of what exactly we're trying to get done. Sometimes you could you don't know why someone's not completing something and then all of a sudden it becomes second nature, and they'll do it three times in a row and you'll ask them why, and it was because they were thinking about it in an.
Inverse way, like very very common.
So you kind of have to be a little more patient with the process and let it play all. Let it all play out at that position, because as soon as you predetermine one thing, next day some guy will light it up, you know.
So why had a really nice shot to Burrios for six in mid red zone work, the only quarterback to score on the one play they were each given in that scenario. He converted the second most third downs, went three for six by my count, and I thought he made sound decisions, put the ball on time and on target and move the offense this offense sometimes that's all you need. And I'm just not seeing it from the other quarterback on the roster who had some nice work
in the third down portion I mentioned. I just don't really know the process here of making checks. But they had some run plays that were successful with that unit, specifically in the mid low red zone. But the same issues persist where they drive me crazy. Throw the ball when it's there, throw it, and also the ball placement like the checkdowns that wind up with the back's feet.
I just can't do that. It's driving me crazy. The Cam Smith pass breakup you saw with an NFL level throws a touchdown all day long, but still a good play from the rookie.
I think it's a good spot right there for us. Take our last break.
We'll go ahead and finish out the rest of the practice notes with wide receivers, tight ends and the entire defense. And I've got some more Coach McDaniel commentary. That's next Drift Time podcast, your host, Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation.
Football is back.
We say it forty five times a year, but tonight the Hall of Fame game returns. We got the scrimmage at hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Zach Thomas's induction joint practices next week against the Atlanta Falcons.
We made it, guys, we made it. Back to practice notes.
Continue to be impressed by wide receiver eric As Zuokama, although he did have to exit practice at one point the day.
Do not have an update.
There had a really nice block that sprung one of the backs for a nice chunk of yardage. I think he's a souped up Trent Sherfield and would be surprised if his role was not. As such, really impressed by
Braxon Barrows has worked this camp. He's been showing that release in quickness at the line that frees him up so quickly when he's either not pressed or facing one on one coverage, and he can use those moves and you're gonna get lots of that in this offense when you've got ten and seventeen, two of the best wide receivers in all of football outside I think Barrios would be my fourth in the pecking order right now, with Wilson next, then Craycraft and chosen has just not been
chosen for a whole lot of targets. I think Sober is a guy who had more in him in the run game than what the NFL tape has shown so far from him his career. I think it's showing here every practice. It seems to be gin a play where he's walling off working as the split flow man, getting up to that second level one attacking, attaching to a key block. I think Durham's having a solid camp, including a walk in touchdown today where he got free on a passmn scaler Thompson.
That's the offense. How about the defense, because they had.
Their share of good plays too, The corners had a bunch of them. I thought it was funny that Cam Smith, you know, I tweeted about him at practice. How I haven't seen him targeted a whole lot the last few days. With the officials out at practice, I was curious to see how he'd respond to that challenge since he's so aggressive and you know, for lack of a better term,
can be grabby at times. Never flagged and shoot, I didn't see him targeted until I did as I tweet this, and the next play they moved to red zone, he gets a pass breakup that you can see on our socials. Cater got flagged covering Tyreek on a third down play that I'm not sure I agree with. I mean, I'm way the hell up there, so what do I know? But my takeaway was that again, this guy went up against one of the best receivers in the in the league, the best receiver routinely and.
Competes with him.
X had two chances at picks, did not grab either of them. How out of character is that? But it's a reminder why he never sees the football out here. Just don't try that man. He usually finds a way to get the ball. Eli Apple showed the reaction and instincts I talked about when he signed here with a really nice transition out of the back pedal to close down on a shot outside to river Craycraft to break that thing up.
I thought.
Kedrin Smith had a really nice day. He had a rap against Tyreek where he impacted the timing on a quick throw into the end zone and the pass went incomplete. Also inserted against the running game a couple of times. The same thing I said about hunting Williams applies to Seeler and Wilkins real quick.
Here's coach McDaniel on Christians.
The classic Christian. He he he goes about his daily business and gets satisfaction on earn earned things. He doesn't. That's that's not in him. I think he is. His teammates appreciate that. They know that when he comes to work, they're going to get his energy and we've learned to count on that.
Wilkins had one of the more impressive reps of camp where there was and I'm not sure if it was if I saw it right, either split flow or a pulling guard. Either way, someone coming across the formation for a kickout block, but Christian won so quickly that he thwarded the puller trying to get around the edge and then stuffed the back seiler was throwing dudes out of the club and shutting things down. Also had to as a pass rusher. Cameron Good continues to have a solid camp.
He made a big run stuff in mid red zone where he came off the play, expressing his satisfaction by yelling some colorful words about his excitement about the play. Van Ginkle's been rock solid all camp long. He made a quick stop on or a stop on a quick hitter, and the get in a field goal range period where he got through a block and made that stop. Elijah Campbell continues to impress. He dropped a pick where he squatted,
drove and beat the receiver to the spot. The ball hit him in the chest, but I think the receiver's hand was in there to break it up. So that's the notes. I want to close with two quotes here from coach. First, he touched on the decision to schedule practice and do it the way they do it in terms of how does the offense know what the defense
is going to do and vice versa. He'll touch on that first, and then we'll come back and the selection process of the orange jersey, and then we'll get out of here.
You know, that can happen organically in like a non scripted period, depending on what the emphasis of that day is.
When when it comes.
To periods like that, that's pre planned so that guys can have a legitimate.
You know, so coaches can.
Prepare guys just in general about all right, and it's and it's said like on the practice face, so that period.
You're speaking of was a pressure period.
And that that allows for us to work on the stuff that gives us issues with pressure as opposed to just throwing plays out there, so that both sides can be challenged appropriately that way.
You know, it's it's just like calling it in a game.
What what are you gonna call when you're expecting pressure or what are you gonna what.
Is gonna what is not gonna get called?
Because you're fearful of the result of pressure, those two things get planned into it, uh.
Which is why you have a period of it.
It's so that you can really get better on both sides and you kind of know what's coming. It is about practice performance that day. There are underlying things, you know. As a team, it's it's you're writing your own story each and every day. So and within that story there are things that go on all the time that the
team's very privy to, you know. And and when someone is able to make certain plays based upon coaching or based upon hey, maybe they messed something up earlier and then they that factors in as well.
But it is it is solely about uh, somebody that epitomizes what we're trying to do that day.
So the jersey is really a reflection of what our team wants and that person's effort that day. It doesn't mean that they were perfect or that they had the statistically greatest day ever, it's about doing their job that day and how it affects the team. And also you're
gonna be the DJ. So and the one thing that all the players know is there's we don't have any time for people their their opinions really about your DJ set list, because if they if they don't like the music, then just be the Orange Journey the Orange Jersey winner flat out, So as.
Much as it behooves me.
There's some musical selections that I'm not super excited about, but if I want to do something about it, I better win the orange jersey today.
All Right, there we go, fun practice, fun week. So far here, seven days in the books. We're gonna come back tomorrow and do it all over again. Then we'll see you on Saturday at hard Rock Stadium for the scrimmage live from the ballpark.
In the meantime, that's gonna be my time. You all.
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