You are listening to the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network.
This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield. Back to throw to a looking whips about.
The wide Dolphin touchdown time recul unpelievable, just bluevire for.
A second time. Don't know where he was going right away. I want to hit that the man. I want to help you, soone, keep on your bandwagon.
Wattle, Wattle to a shot gut back to throw looking at them.
Up fires touchdown. It's Waddle his sixth touchdown.
Paradom of this day.
Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins. Now let me check your pulse if enough for.
What is up? 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, the great Joe Marino from Don Bills joins me to break down this Dolphins and Bills pivotal Week four matchup coming up on Sunday. Plus, we'll pick the games across the NFL in week number four and hear from the assistant coaches as they spoke
to the media on Thursday. From the Baptist Hell Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Draft Time Podcast, Maggie Jeffy. First, let's get right to my guest today, Joe Marino. You guys know what time it is. He has the right name. He roots for the wrong team. I make that joke every time. It never gets old. Trust me, I can confirm that he's a friend of
the show anyway, and a friend of mine. Joe Marino, Joe, here we go again, man, Dolphins and Bills, and this one seems as big as it's been for a while.
Yeah, they've been getting bigger and bigger throughout the years. I mean three matchups last year and they were all critical, obviously, And here we are surprised this game winds up being one o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. I think maybe in the future the NFL will be spotlighting these games, as both these teams look like they have some staying power here in the AFC for a while.
I'm okay not going up there on a short week in the middle of a blizzard or a potential coming a blizzerd down the coming to the pike as it was last time around that fourth quarter, But either way. Yeah, I mean, you guys kind of get the benefit in terms of, you know, January down here in South Beach a nice little a little vacation after Christmas and New Year's and we get the benefit of going up there when the leads are still changing colors and it's not
miserably cold. So looking forward to this one, Joe, looking forward to this chat. And I want to start with you with a Dolphins question, which I don't think I've ever done that, but I respect the hell out of your opinions. I want to know, why do you think it is that this Dolphins team is different so far this year? How is this year's three to zero Dolphins different or is it from last year's.
Yeah, there's some things that I really like about this Dolphins team compared to last year's.
And I think it starts with proof of concept, right.
I think there's a lot of questions about Mike McDaniel, first year coach with TUA, and how this was all going to come together. And I think you saw the foundation laid last year for what this offense has shown us it is this year, Right, there were some lulls at times last year, with some certainly some very explosive moments. And one of my biggest questions this year coming in this year was what is Mike McDaniel's CounterPunch to some of the some of the roadblocks that were put up
for them later in the season last year. And it looks like he's got all the right counter punches and all the right levers that he's pulling and has really evolved a scheme. And you can just tell that Tua's comfort in the scheme is at at a crazy level, right, I mean, just extremely, really comfortable with what's going on. And they've really added to and built upon the foundation that they laid last year with even more speed in
the backfield, with some improvements to the offensive line. But the comfort that Tua has running this offense, the speed in which he's processing what he's picking up pre snap, that's turning into post snap decisions. It's taking something that appeared like he could be dynamic into something that nobody wants to deal with. Nobody wants to play the Miami Dolphins right now with the way that this offense is hunting. So you have proof of concept on offense and building
on that. But also I think there's some legitimacy that Vic Fangio brings to this defense is certainly injuries hurt the defense last year, but I think just I think VIC is better position to maximize a very very talented defense. It doesn't even have Jalen Ramsey at this point. That still, you know, early in this scheme, right, only three games under their belt. I think it's only gonna get better and better. I think the talent is legit and on
all three levels, and so proof of concept. On offense, it's building one of the elite defensive minds in Vic Fangio, with a lot of talent, and it's getting healthy. So yeah, there's plenty to look at this three and old Dolphins team and say, you know what, I think they can stick around for a while.
I think both offenses are enjoying the fact that they have that continuity. And you're number two from a new play caller and offensive coordinator for going from you know, Brian Dable to Ken Dorsey and Buffalo and obviously Mike McDaniel here, and you're seeing both these offenses pick it right up. Number one for the Dolphins, number two for Buffalo. Now Miami's forty three points per game a little bit skewed by a seventy point out outburst last Sunday, which
is still absurd to me to think about. And look at my schedule here with a seventy next to the Broncos name on that schedule. So you know, I was talking to Tracy Wolfs, new to be on the podcast tomorrow and saying, like, I hope it's Dolphins and Bills for a long time, with you know, the Marino Kelly comparison to Alan and two potentially if they can continue
to be those guys for a long time here. To me, the division is the best when it's Miami and Buffalo and then the Jets and Patriots can kind of play for third place.
We can agree on that. That's for sure at Travis, that the.
Patriots and Jets can can stay down there at three and four for as long as they want.
Hopefully that's how it goes here going forward with Miami on top of course, Joe, I know you prefer it differently there, and you know.
That's where we're going to disagree. That's a pushback there.
Let's go ahead and go back to your sideline here though, and start where we always do on these podcasts with the quarterback, and this guy at Joe has always fascinated me since the days at Wyoming when I loved his college taper where he just carried a bad college team to six five wins, trying to find the way into
bowl season every single year. And he started this year as poorly as you possibly could have drawn it up for Buffalo in that offense, but then he gets right back to doing his usual stuff the last two weeks. I guess what I want to ask you, Joe, is how do you think Josh took last season which kind of you know, at times got away, especially that payoff game against Miami, got away from the patient take. What's their approach that I thought really rounded out his game well?
And then the first game of the year with the kind of you know, turnover issues. What's been the difference these last two games compared to those maybe more aggressive approaches he took Week one and last year.
Well, I think the what's been happening around him has been a lot more secure this year. And I would say in Week one against the Jets, I think Josh Allen was the problem in that game. I thought Ken Dorsey, the offensive coordinator, had a good game plan, I thought defensively, they played well enough to win. I think Josh Allen was just looking to put on a show on Monday Night Football in Week one against the defense that it wasn't time to put a show up against it.
Certainly the Jets.
Jets have Josh Allen's number, there's no question about that right now, and it doesn't feel like it's changing right It feels like perhaps it's even getting worse when it comes to the Jets having his numbers. So it's you know, that's a real test for him to be able to be patient. We know Josh wants to make all the big plays, big time competitor, all that stuff, but against the Jets team with that defense, you got to be patient, and I think they the perfect storm of Week one.
Monday Night Football was not the right scene for Josh Allen. He didn't have the right mindset going into that game, but like you mentioned, really bounced back over the next couple of weeks and did a good job of taking what Ken Dorsey built in for him. I think the protection schemes have been really good for the Bills and that's allowed Josh Allen to be more comfortable. And it's
still a new offense, right. I know that it's year two with Ken Dorsey and a lot of carryover from Brian Dables offense, but they're running twelve personnel, Travis, I mean, this is a really different look and feel. You're seeing a gap run scheme and over fifty percent twelve personnel two tight ends on the field. So there's definitely a different look and feel to this offense.
And I think it.
Does come back to Josh and being able to thread the needle between taking what's there and playing the right way, playing the smart right way, and then also you know, picking your spots on when to try to land those haymakers and he'll probably have to land a few of those against Miami and all the points they are capable of scoring on offense.
Yeah, last year we saw it on in the playoff game, right, a couple of big plays to the Dolphins defense, but a bunch of big plays for the Bills offense that got them back into the game and eventually into the winner circle.
There.
You mentioned the surrounding talent and that the twelve personnel ship is so crazy to me because you know, I remember going back when I first started working for the team and doing these previews, it was like Buffalo ran a ton of ten personnel and they were like leading the league, lapping the league by several laps in that category. Now they've gone completely the opposite direction with Keen Kid
and Dawson Knox there. But the trenches is where I want to really get to because it seemed like last year, you know, and he still does this as well as anybody in football, but Josh just kind of creating on his own and trying to find ways to mitigate, you know, breakdowns and protection and just making plays with his legs, with his arm. But it seems like this year they're just better in the trenches. How have they accomplished that?
And how do you think Miami can get them back to you know, I guess back on their heels again.
Well, I think they've made two upgrades to their offensive line with two new starters. Connor McGovern coming over from the Dallas Cowboys. That was the most significant free agent contract the Bills handed out. He stabilized the left guard position, and then they drafted Osyrus Torrance out of Florida in the second round that he's become a Day one starter
at right guard. And I think those additions have been important for the Bills where there's been a lot of instability at guard for the Bills, they haven't had the same primary starters at guard year over year since twenty sixteen into twenty seventeen. It's been a while. It's been a really a revolving door with a lot of miscalculations, whether it's been extensions handed out, draft picks, free agent dollars, they haven't been able to get the guard position secured.
And I certainly hope that between Torrance and McGovern second round pick and a pretty decent free agent deal, you have that figured out. But what I think the Bills have done a better job of, like I think you have better personnel, but also their protection schemes have been a lot better where I think you make a point there. They ran a lot of ten personnel, a lout of eleven personnel, a lot of spread, and it was you know,
five maybe six man protections at times. And well, Josh Allen can make everybody miss in the pocket, so we'll put all of our eligibles out in routes and trust that the you know, the prized quarterback can make everyone miss and make throws. I think this year, they're actually
helping their offensive line there. They're understanding that, you know, you need to count for a really good defensive lineman so that your quarterback doesn't have to make everybody miss and he can feel a little bit more comfortable back
there just reading it and ripping it. And I think that's what's really manifested itself this year is a couple of better players at guard, but more willingness to help the protection schemes with even six seven man protection schemes at times, and just trusting Josh that he does have the arm talent to slot throws.
Even if you're going to play coverage against that.
So I think that's been the big difference in why the Bills have had a lot more success seemingly this year to this point.
Blocking it up and giving Josh time.
Joe Marino locked on Bills, lock on NFL Scouting, my guest today breaking down this big Dolphins and Bills matchup Sunday up in Buffalo, one o'clock on CBS, Nance Romo Tracy, the whole crew is there. That's how you know it's a big game. And Joe, I have so many different ways I want to ask you questions about this Bill's defense.
But I think I'll start here because I asked Tua in the press conference he had on Wednesday about the value of this defense having high employer back, and you kind of pivoted on me and talked more about Taron Johnson. And that takes me right into my question about the way this defense functions, because I had DMG you and asked you, like, how do they get the production they
get out of this? Look right, it feels like you would be able to just line up heavy personnel and force the Bills to shift what they want to do, which is a perpetual Nickel scheme, Like ninety eight percent of the time they're in that Nickel package. How does it function? Like, can you explain it for our fans here so we understand better.
Yeah, it's basically a four to five defense base Nickel. They live in Nickel. That's it. It's pretty much. Those back seven players are those back seven players.
They don't change.
And it really does come back to Taron Johnson, and I think Tua was wise to point that out. I think him being this multifaceted player that of course does all the traditional slot corner things in terms of covering slot players. But he's got real responsibilities as a run defender, right. I mean he's literally, I mean a Sam linebacker, right, the Sam linebacker and a nickel corner all at the same time. And you look at that and probably think, well, run the ball on them. And there are times when
other teams can run the ball on the Bills. But you know, Taron Johnson's no slouch at that position. He's paid well for what he does. He plays almost one hundred percent of the snaps and he's a key player for what they want to be And and you know they've the Bills have had. You look at Taron Johnson, Micah High, Jordan poy Er, Trey White. Those guys have been together running this defense since like twenty seventeen, and that's a lot of time on tasks together.
Right.
They've seen all the coverages, they've seen all the run schemes. They can play well off of each other. Now the other cornerback spot's been a little bit in and out, and of course, uh swapping out Tremain Edmonds this pass offseason for Terrell Bernard. But you know, I think those guys have so much time on tasks together. They've seen a lot. They play fast, and you know they're certainly giving you light personnel. You're not going to find a lighter second level of a defense in the NFL than
what the Bills have. Milano is two twenty five, Bernard's maybe two twenty five, might be two twenty and then Aron Johnson's a slot corner probably around one ninety five.
Right.
So it's just it's a small group and they are an attack oriented defense that plays up the field and you might get a few runs on them, but they're playing for negative plays.
So just to kind of follow up on that, like you mentioned the size difference, and you know Bill Parcels always said it's a game of big, strong men, right, Like what's to stop a team from just loading up and trying to out physical and outsize them? Like, has that been something teams have tried in the past and has it been successful?
I seen in the McDermott area. I've seen it happen twice, the Eagles and the Colts. Like Colts like prime Jonathan Taylor like when they were good, right, and then the Eagles a few years ago where they just kind of took the Bills will running the football, but There's been so many other instances where the Bills have historically done great against Derrick Henry, done great against Nick Chubb. They just held Josh Jacobs to negative two rushing yards on
whatever the nine carries or something. You know, So there's there's typically those instances where you feel like the other teams are gonna come at them and they meet the moment Now where I think the Bills run defense gets a little bit leaky. It's not it's not a snap to snap thing. It's that they have a propensity to get gashed. Right, they will give up a long explosive play.
You saw that Monday night football against the Jets. Breese Hall ripped out an eighty three yard run and on the other twenty six carries they had a total of eighty nine yards. Right, So it's like, how do they mitigate that one or two explosive runs that they tend to give up? You know, I wouldn't say every week, but regular enough for you to question it. And in that instance it was a misalignment. They played thirteen personnel.
The Bills linebackers didn't shift. But you know, I think you saw I think you saw in that second Dolphins Bills game last year in Buffalo, Raheem Moster had a good game, right. They ran the ball very, very effectively, and you know that can certainly happen at times. And if you're Miami and you're coming off of with three hundred rushing yards against Denver, I think you're gonna probably want to test the Bills run defense on Sunday.
Yeah, Raheem had one hundred yards in the first quarter of that game thanks to a sixty eight yard gash you had up the sideline running behind alec Ingold, who I put a lot of stock into his value on this football team. So you mentioned it earlier about the content see there on the back part of the defense.
I do my intro into the Bills, how they got here, how they built their team every single time we play you guys on the podcast, and I pretty much have a copy and paste from like it all began back in twenty seventeen, and they got these four defensive backs and then they got Josh Allen the next year. That's all you have to know. But they do have a new pairing, or at least half of a new pairing at the position you just talked about there at the linebacker spot with a guy that we know very well.
For my money, probably maybe Fred Warner might be better, but that's about it in terms of the best linebackers in the NFL. But a newer guy, Interrell Bernard, who was also a Defensive Player of the Week last year. How has that new pairing worked out, going from Milano Edmonds to Milano Bernard.
Way better than I imagined I was nervous about. This is my biggest question for the Bills going into the season was replacing Tremain Evans, a five year starter, multi time
Pro Bowler captain every year. You know, you felt like he was an important piece of the defense, especially with a lot of too high shells on defense in Tremain's range, right he six five to forty with thirty five inch arms, and he can run really fast right, and his ability to get his hands up in the middle field just it took a lot of throws off the menu, and I felt like he was really important for them.
Now.
Where Tremaine I thought was always a bit inconsistent, was playing downhill and like two hundred fifty pund linebacker, you don't want that to be an issue. But he wasn't that good playing downhill, and so I thought it was gonna be a big deal. And through three games, Terrell Bernard has just been tremendous. I did not expect this. Like you mentioned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week last week, and his previous two games were really good.
I think he's been a lot more decisive as a processor, like he will he will fire his gun and trigger downhill, and I've appreciated that he plays fast.
His communication has been really good.
It's the coverage as well that I think has really stood out to me where you'd expect that right a two hundred and twenty something pound linebacker. That's where he
needs to be able to win. And I think what he showed us so far this year in terms of being able to read the backfield in his own heavy defense, but also just have an innate feel for what's happening behind him and getting the proper depth and being able to cut off routes, it's been really good and in ways I didn't just being a strength of his at this level at this point, so I think the key for him is sustaining it and of course staying healthy.
But right now, the Bills look like they made a great choice, letting Tremaine walk for eighteen million dollars a year and leaning into their third round pick from twenty twenty two.
Those are the kind of moves that can really help your football team going forward to just you know, basically supplement the rest of the roster when you get hits like that in the middle parts of the drafts. And the Dolphins are hoping they got the same thing with Devon ah Chin. Damn it said it again, Devon a Chan the running back who just went off for two hundred yards in his first real NFL action this past week.
And speaking of that, that match up right there is the funnest part of this game to me is how Bernard can continue with all that processing and keying that he and Malana both do against an offense that just has eye candy on top of eye candy. Joe, I'm sure you've enjoyed watching the tape or maybe maybe nervously watch the tape on the Dolphins offense. There a little bit. We've mentioned those games a season ago, three contests all
decided by three points or less. The Bills get two of the three, and of course the most important one in the playoffs. How do you think those matchups last year can inform us to what you expect this year? Like, what do you think the Buffalo Bills learned from the Dolphins for the first time in a long time playing I'm close.
Well, I think I think the Bills have always respected every opponent, right, I think that's they've always done that. I don't I don't anticipate that being any different. But I think last year, certainly in the Dolphins made a statement and said hey, we're coming, We're coming. We played three very close games, and even like you mentioned in the playoffs with the backup quarterback to you know, really
having the Bills in their heels. I think a lot of that was self inflicted by the Bills with their turnovers and short fields, but I mean it was a I mean, they had a chance with the Paul late in the game to go win the win the game.
And so I think that that perks you up.
And and if you know, the Bills have had a lot of success against Miami, and I think perhaps you could take it for granted and say, okay, Dolphins on the schedule, let's go. But now you know they're certainly stressing you in new ways and so I think that's what it came down to, is like this is this isn't the same Dolphins, right Obviously, it's really really different in every imaginable way under Mike McDaniel and what this team showed us last year. And so I think the
Dolphins certainly made their statement and the Bills have. The Bills have definitely become different. I think this year in so many ways, like Sean McDermott's fully taken over this defense. Leslie Fraser is no longer around, and like you would think that Sean McDermott, a defensive minded coach, would have his fingerprints on the defense. Based on comparing the way that it looks and feels and what they're trying to do through three games compared to what Fraser did, it's different.
And I mean twelve personnel. They didn't run any twelve personnel last year. Fifty percent now gap oriented run scheme. Like for as much continuity as the Bills have had, they're still evolving as a football team themselves and you know, trying to put their best roster together and lean into
the strengths of those players. And so I think that you saw two teams last year that were obviously very good teams, but even with continuity, are still evolving, and I'm certainly thinking that they have each other in mind as they try to build these rosters.
Could certainly be another case where we have three matchups again this season. I think both these teams going to be right there in the very end in the AFC playoff picture Joey and these podcast, these crossover episodes the same way every single time. The Bills win the game, if and the Dolphins win the game, if and use are fill in the blanks.
Well, I think turnovers, right, the Bills, Josh Allen can't turn over the ball in this game. Probably anticipating some points. I think maybe there's gonna be less points than some people think. But you have the value the ball, you have the value possessions, and so I think that's going to be the most important part for the Bills is taking care of the football and not giving Miami's offense
more opportunities with the ball. I think for Miami, I think they have to win in the red zone and on both sides of the football.
Right.
Field goals not touchdowns when you're on defense. Touchdowns not field goals when you're on offense because I think both teams are gonna get yards. I think both teams are gonna get down there, and both teams have been really good in terms of red zone offense and defense. But you know, they haven't played each other yet, right, I mean, there's no transitive property in football. That's something that we
always have to remind ourselves of. And so while the Bills defense has been like lights out in the red zone, you know all the Miami offense has been lights out in the red zone. So I think it's gonna be when you have a chance to score six, you got to score six and not limited to three. So turnovers for the Bills, red zone success for Miami.
I thought that was the difference in the game. Last year, we had a couple of touchdown passes go through the hands of receivers from Miami early in the game, wind up losing the game by three points. So every trip down there is critical. Locked on NFL scouting, locked on Bills, girl dad, all around, good dude, Joe Marino, nothing but the best for you, man, Appreciate your time as always, my friend.
Yeah, Travis, thanks for having me on, and I guess maybe we'll do it two more times this.
Year, at least once, hopefully twice, and away he goes. Always fun catching up with Joe. Let's go ahead and take our first break right there and come back on the other side and hear from the assistant coaches. That's next Draft Time podcast to your host, Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Picking it back up here
with assistant coach Audio. We're just going to go one by one down these clips that I thought were interesting, starting here with Vic Fangio, who was asked about the challenges of defending Bill's quarterback Josh Allen.
Yeah, he's a handful to play against. I don't think there's any one way to play him. You know, that's kind of the definition of a great quarterback. There is no one way to play him or everybody would do it. And he's tough to handle, you know, and he can You always got to defend two plays, you know, the play they call in the huddle and the play he can create on the run. And they utilize the RPO game too, which he's good at. So he's a tough assignment.
You're going to get this theme a lot on the podcast today. Javon Holland, what is it about him that makes him so special? Here's coach Fangio.
He has a tremendous impact. We utilize his abilities a lot, and as you alluded to, some of it's not very visible to the average person. And you know, he's just a tremendous player, you know, and he has a chance to be a special, special player in the NFL.
To get a scheme question into VIC about the Bills heavy twelve personnel offense. What makes it difficult to defend when you have two tight ends who are both capable of stretching the field vertically. Here's a Dolphins DC.
Yeah, it gives them a lot of versatility. They can, as you says, a twelve offense, but they can run an eleven offense with those people on the field, and then they do that, So it gives them versatility. You never know quite what mode they're in. And anytime you have versatile players offensevely or defensively, it's a plus. And they have that.
I want to go next to Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who gave us a great breakdown here on the overarching message the team put to their players, or that coach McDaniel put to the staff back in OTAs, and I just thought this whole answer was comprehensive and very good. Here's coach Frank Smith on the overarching theme from OTAs translating here to the regular season three weeks in.
The greatest opponent you face every day is yourself. How do you maximize not having to fight that opponent? You're playing with that opponent. So I think everything just goes to how do we want our tape to look? How do we want to play the look? And it starts with, you know, the basics. You know, I always laugh when you talk talk about, like John Wooden back in the day, put your socks on first and you work the process all the way to before you go to your performance.
So it's the same thing with football. You know, when you start off your off season, where can you get better at? And you identify those areas that are under your control to improve at.
And I think.
That that is the key emphasis to our program is that we're a process driven organization, a process driven program. So to improve, it's not looking at the result, it's looking at how the process to get there. And it's a constant thing and it starts every year when you start in April, you start your process over. How do you teach it, what do you enforce, how do you communicate it? How do you get guys to understand the intent?
And then the challenge then as you go through offseason, training camp, preseason, regular season playoffs, staying true to what you believe in what you're emphasizing with the group. And I think that's what he meant with it. Going back to the beginning, because it's Wednesday, process begins for the week, right, you know, yesterday.
I would highly urge everyone to go check out these press conferences in their entirety. I'm just playing some of the highlights for you guys, but they're always so informative that I can't possibly jam them into a thirty to forty minute podcast. Here, I've got two more from Frank Smith. He's going to talk here a little bit about the motions and the bedrock of the offense and how they've set the defense up to attack them. Here's coach Frank Smith on that.
I think it's kind of the bedrock to what we do. So, I mean, we start up day one, first installation, and we're moving.
So, like you know, we've.
Talked about numerous times the real thing is that we don't move to move, you know, like some people say, hey, that was eye eye candy or something to that extent. It's like, for us, there's a reason for everything we move and why we do it, and the reaction of the defense. If it's what we anticipate, there's a complimentary play that connects off of that. And if it wasn't the reaction that we anticipated, why and you know, what do we need to do to get to the reaction
with what we anticipated. So ultimately, when you move as much as we do to motion shift and do all that, it comes down to the players and their understanding of what we're trying to do and what we're trying to execute, because you could move and get them all open, but if they don't understand what the defense is trying to do inside of that, it would be fleeting. You just be trying to move guys around for the sake of
moving them. So I think ultimately it comes into yes, it helps us attack the defense, but ultimately I think it comes down to the players and their understanding of why we're doing what we're doing. And that's been the best part so far.
I have one here from Joe Casper, Dolphin's safety's coach, and I asked him a question about Javon Holland playing outside the scheme, and he talked about PhD level player that Javon is. I'll go ahead and save that for when you guys see it on YouTube, but I wanted to play this clip when I asked him a question. I'm just gonna go ahead and play the entire question and answer from me to Dolphin safety coach Joe Casper, coach.
I don't know if you happened to see Hard Knocks this summer, but there was a clip where the Jets defense was watching Aaron Rodgers and they were kind of, you know, excited about what he brought to the offense. I'm curious, when you guys go back and watch your practice tape. With Tua's level of anticipation, the way he sees the field, do you guys have some of that as well?
Yeah, I mean I didn't see Hard Knocks this year, but I will tell you that when you have a quarterback playing as well as two is playing, that it excites the entire organization. You know, when you see a guy making the throws, he's making making the decisions he's making the explosive plays. It fires everybody up, fires me up on the sideline. So yeah, I mean.
Doubtly that's our leader.
So we love to see him do such a good job.
And we'll go ahead and finish up here with Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Berry, who's just fired up to bear.
Pretty cool?
Oh, pretty cool. I mean that's how I felt watching the entire thing. Let's go ahead and start here with coach Barry, who let's see what did he give us? Why has the offensive line been so good? He didn't really have a great answer, he said, but then he gave us a great answer. Here's coach Barry.
I don't know that I have a great answer to that question. To be quite honest with you, I think that the biggest thing that we try to just focus on every day is say that worry about what I can do today to make myself better. Because as an offensive lineman we have to understand is that every day it's a groundhog day to some degree, and we gotta do the same things.
Over and over and over again. Can we master that?
Can we specifically master like, can we have five individuals do it exactly how we're supposed to do it on every single play. Is that possible? I don't know, but I'm a strive like hell to get that to happen. And so whenever that changes, then we're then then we're not doing we're supposed to be doing. Okay, So I don't know how to answer that question, to be quite honest with you, but I know how we have to approach every single day. That's what I can talk about.
And so when we can get all five guys flying off the ball, set in their backside, shoulder in a hand at the proper aiming point, and we can do that play and then do it the next play, and then do it the next play, now I think I got something I can be really excited to talk about on a consistent basis.
Coach Mike McDaniel has mentioned a few times the right kind of players they bring in here, So I'm curious from your teaching aspect, how coachable is this group on the offense?
Coach is this is very coachable group.
They're very cool and and talk about being grateful.
I'm grateful as I'll get out to walk into that room.
I'm excited every day to walk into this building a to get a chance to work with Mike Frank, Chris Greer and then let alone walk into that line room. We got a bunch of guys that are highly motivated to be at their best right and that's all that's all we want is guys to play at their very best for me, for me to consistently try to get that out of them.
I owe it to them. I owe that to them. That's my job.
Just insanely good. There's a lot more in there, chew On. I want you guys to go to the YouTube channel again and check that stuff out, because they were just fantastic all day for us on this media availability. Let's go ahead and take our last pause right here and come back on the other side and do Week four game picks. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, and finishing up with the Week four picks. Let's go ahead and cue the
music and get this going. Thirty five and thirteen on the season is yep, boy, and I don't feel that great about this week. I think there's a bunch of games where I am completely fifty to fifty split and that starts here with Detroit and the Packers on Thursday Night football. I really want to go Packers here, but
I also really want to go Lions. I like the Lions at home more than I do on the road, although it should be pretty nice in Green Bay, and the Packers are still pretty banged up, even though Christian Watson and Aaron Jones could still go in the game. Gosh, I'm conflicted here. Give me the Lions. I think the Lions are going to continue to roll from what we saw last week. I think they had a bit of a down week in week number two after beating the
Chiefs in primetime in week one. Give me the Lions on the road for a big Thursday night football win. Then we go over to London, and this one is a little easier. I do not believe at all in what the Falcons offense is doing right now. Give me Jacksonville to win and bounce back after a big loss of the Texans a week ago. Give me Jacksonville in London.
You guys already know I'm taking Miami over Buffalo. Just think our offense right now is playing at a level that cannot be stopped or matched on the other side of the football. And then another game where I don't know who to pick, but this one's because they're both are terrible. The Bears and the Broncos. I don't know. I think there's gonna be a hangover effect for the Broncos next week. Give me the Bears get their first win and get off the Schneid. Give me Baltimore over Cleveland.
The Browns are playing great defense right now, but if you look at their opponents kind of a kin to what the Bills have been facing so far. They have played Pittsburgh, who cannot get out of their own way. They have played the Bengals, who look awful on offense, and then who was their other game against, I don't know, but either way, they've played three really poor offenses. I think the Ravens give him a wake up call and show them what real offense looks like. Give me Baltimore
big over Cleveland. This another game that I just don't know who to pick, because both offenses are stuck in the mud right now, even though they bounce back on Monday Night Football over the Rams. I think the Bengals offense is just not clicking at this point. Burrow, without that pocket mobility he usually has, is just not playing very well, but still the Titans offense is even worse somehow,
and this Bengals defense. The reason I'm taking this one is because the Bengals pass rush upfront against the Titans line. Give me the Bengals to top the Titans. I got the Colts to continue rolling, and we talk about the Bengals pass rush upfront. The Rams offensive line with a couple of injuries, just like last year, all of a sudden cannot block for Matt Stafford. I like the Colts to whether it's Richardson or Minshew, to get this dub right here and go to three and one on the year.
Who we're to see in that coming Bucks and Saints another game? I have no idea because Derek Carr will not play. I'm taking the fighting Baker Mayfields over the Saints, and that one. A couple of Jamis turnovers should do the trick there if that is to happen. Give me the Eagles over the Commanders. I don't think I have to explain that one. Pittsburgh over Houston. I really want to take the Texans here because hey, hey, guys, go
ahead and pull in closer. Who told you about c J. Strouw, Who told you crow I was the best quarterback in his class. It didn't even freaking close. And isn't it weird how when you went from the pocket in college you can win from the pocket in the NFL. I saw a tweet of Zach Wilson highlights at BYU, and I'm like, what the heck happened to Zach Wilson. It's like, Yeah,
he's doing the exact same thing. He's taking the snap and rolling out to his right and throwing from outside the pocket in open space to receivers open down field. Like that's not NFL football. That's why he's not good. But CJ. Stroud can win from the pocket. I say all of that, Just pick the Pittsburgh Steelers here because the Texans offensive line is still so bad. So give me TJ. Watt and the boys to get home and
frustrate the rookie in Pittsburgh's win in this one. The Vikings and Panthers another battle of two zero to threes. Give me Minnesota big in this one. Just had a believer in the Panthers team right now. I think they're at least a year away, and I think they took the wrong quarterback as well. Give me the Chargers over the Raiders for similar reasons as the Raiders are just I don't think they're gonna be very good. Chargers seem to be hitting their stride a little bit offensively here
defense to a question. But give me the Chargers to beat their division rivals. Give me the Cowboys big over the Patriots after a tough loss of the Cardinals week ago, and the Patriots get their first win. I think those two roles reversed this week. Niners over the Cardinals, Chiefs over the Jets, and then we'll take Seahawks over the Giants on Monday Night football. So there you go. Good stuff, Week four. Picks in the books tomorrow. Tracy Wolson. Kyle
Krabs joins us for five on Finn's Draft. We have our Friday D Tour. That's what I'm calling it right now. It's like a drive put right, you get it. We're in the car. We're driving on the street, taking a D tour to go talk about what was a narrative formerly the Friday Narrative is now the Friday D Tour. Play on the fact that we're driving, going off script and giving you something interesting around the football team. We'll do that surrounding the offensive line on the podcast tomorrow.
In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Wingfold NFL and the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank Pod with my guys Seth and Juice, the YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins Today and so much more. And last button not leaves to Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time finds up Carolyn and Cameron.
Daddy comes home.