Drive Time: Chargers Perspective with Matt Smith

play by play man Matt Muney Smith. A new segment, My Thursday Narrative debuts with a look at coach Daryl Bevill and what he has meant to the offense since his arrival, and of course, the season kicks off tonight in Kansas City. That means Picks is back to talking about the week that is around the National Football League from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

But they had a segment at the end of the show called airs in a Missions where stat Boy, the Great Tony Reality would rattle off the things the host missed throughout the course of the show. I want to do that on my Thursday podcast, taking a look at what maybe I left out of the Wednesday preview podcast.

And with that, I'm looking at this research packet from the wonderful folks at NFL Research and the numbers are You often forget how efficient this offense was last year because I guess of the narratives out there about all the tired talking points we cover every single offseason, and once you get to this point of the calendar, it seems like every topic has been beaten to a pulp, and then you just kind of wind up getting to the other side of your original thoughts and I guess predictions.

And I was talking to someone earlier today about how the Dolphins are like out of everybody's playoff predictions, but four months ago they were talked about as a super Bowl team. Now, I will give credit to those guys that still stuck with what they saw happen this offseason and didn't get their narrative shaped by maybe hard knocks, maybe what happened in a preseason game where no one actually played Youth Walder from ESPN picked Dolphins over Eagles

and his season predictions this year. So looking at this packet, the Dolphins were eighth last year and passing EPA and when two was on the field, they're number one in that category. And look, I know the offensive line is a point of contention for so many but I always point back to this whether it's individuals winning their matchups,

scheme doing its job, or two was quick release. As much as this offensive line takes crap from every single direction, it seems they were fifteenth last year in pressure rate. Not great, but better than more than half the league. Some more details from that packet a lot of opposite end of spectrum stuff. The Dolphins were first in pre snap motion a season ago, Chargers twenty fifth. We were second play action ran they were twelfth. Not quite opposite,

but a lot more from Miami. And I will say this though their offensive metrics can probably go out the window because it is a new system, new offensive coordinator. On the other side of the ball, we do know that Staley learned under Fangio, so there is some good information there about what maybe the Chargers will do, maybe what the Miami Dolphins will do. On their defensive side of the football. Last year, nobody played more single high

than us. That's one safety in the middle of the field, and we were also third in the league and man coverage rate at forty three percent, despite the fact once again that the personnel to meters did not match for man coverage that often. But the Chargers played single high the ninth lease last year. I think you'll probably see more of a number close to that for Miami this season.

But they did play man coverage at the seventh highest rate, which is interesting to me because they had the eighth ranked blitz percentage just eighteenth and pressure rate, which is a prominent itself because traditionally those haven't been the staples, the blitz rate and the man coverage rate of a Vic Fangio defense. But it's a nice reminder that while you have your core principles, coaches tend to construct and

tailor things around what they have in their personnel. I think it's an indicator that you could get a good dose of man coverage on Sunday because that's kind of how they remade their defense a season ago, beginning in that Miami game in early December, and their late season surge was built around the defense playing better football because the offense wasn't that great last year for the Chargers, and then J C. Jackson coming back. He was always

a man corner up in New England. So interesting stuff there. I'm very curious to see what both teams look like. That's why I haven't been to I haven't harped too much on what I think is gonna the game will look like from a schematic standpoint, because we just don't really know. But the Chargers were thirty first and rushing EPA allowed last year, and that's kind of what they If that's what they are again this year, there's no guarantee they will be, then you hope that Miami can

find some success in the ground game. In fact, Argen Mennon is a former analytics guy for the Jets and now he puts his stuff out there on Twitter, and he shared the Chargers allowed last year a rushing EPA off tackle that was the fourth highest for their opponent of all time since EPA became a stat back in the early two thousands, or that's how far back they have tracked it so far. And the Dolphins weren't historical in their success running off tackle, but they were plus

point two EPA. That's a cumulative over a rushing attack that was negative point four EPA, which was eighteenth in the NFL. And that might not sound like a big number point two obviously, but it's important to note that rushing EPA is way more difficult to rack up than passing because EPA basically tracks how much you influenced the potential outcome of a game, and a five yard rush is great to keep you ahead of the change, but it's not going to change the outcome of the game

as far as the win percentage scope goes. So passing the ball gives you much more EPA opportunity, I guess is a good way to look at that. But with that, in the individual Dolphins and Chargers game last year, it was the complete opposite in terms of running the ball wide. The Dolphins had a negative point one to six EPA running off tackle and negative point seven when running off end. Something has to give there. The Dolphins either find a way to run the ball or the Chargers make a

turnaround for the run defense. Some more cool notes here from the NFL research packet. Toungo, bai Loa, and Herbert were the first quarterbacks drafted with back to back picks and a draft This is in the weeds to both finish top five in passing yards per game since nineteen forty one. That sounds like a bob Yucker stat from the Major League Movies. The Dolphins had sixty two completions

last year of twenty plus yards. That was the third most in the NFL behind Case and Philly, and the Chargers surrendered the sixth most of those throws fifty four, which is also interesting to me because the Chargers and this Fangio style defense, the entire purpose is to keep the roof on top of the defense and limit big plays and expose the offense to more reps and more potential mistakes they could make. On the offensive side, the Dolphins averaged six point one yards per play a season ago.

That was the second best number in the NFL behind Kansas City and yards per play. If you go back over the last decade plus, that number is the most consistent with offensive success in terms of predictive models, and I think I did a podcast on that. At one point last year when our offense wasn't scoring quite enough, I think it was like after the Steeler game, but you could see their yards per play was still top

three or four in the league. And sure enough after that they go thirty against Detroit, thirty against Chicago, thirty against Cleveland, thirty against Houston. So eventually your points catch up to yards per play. If we're over six yards of play again this season, the offense is going to

be dominant. The Chargers also surrender the tenth most yards per pass attempts on throws ten plus yards downfield long passes, and Tua led the NFL in these categories on ten plus yard throws, completion percentage sixty one point nine percent, yards per attempt thirteen point nine, and a one to twenty five passer rating on such throws. Some cool stats will do this every single week or on the podcast.

We'll also hear from a prominent member of the opposition's local media every single week, and that's where we turn our attention to. Now my interview with the great Matt money Smith from the Chargers radio broadcast and joining us here on the podcast today. He is the play by play man for the Los Angeles Chargers. He'll take you Home in La on Petros and Money on five seventy AMLA Sports, and the former voice of God on the Around the NFL podcast. Matt money Smith, Money, welcome in, my friend.

their division. And I think their scar tissue from last year in this game for the Dolphins, and believe it or not, I think even for Brandon Staley and to kind of remind people or to prove himself that no, that wasn't fluky. What the defense dating back to back weeks against San Francisco and Miami when they were decimated

by injury. I think, you know, coming off a twenty seven and nothing lead and losing a playoff game, you know, allowing thirty one points essentially in the second half and right there at the end of the first half, like he's out to prove something. I think Mike McDaniel and Tua and the offense is out to prove something about

how it went last year. So I just think there's so many things that go into this game that make it, you know, a lot bigger than just a regular season contest between the Dolphins and the Chargers.

and down the list storyline after storyline. But I wanted to go to you for some more Chargers perspective and expertise here because you know, again we have the tape of these teams matching up nine months ago, but so much changes week to week in the NFL, not to mention, you know, year to year. If you could, in one answer kind of summarize the Chargers training camp this summer,

how would you do that? What were the takeaway some of the stars of camp surprises, whatever you got money from Chargers camp, go ahead and laid on us.

of it all. And to go into training camp and to watch Rashaun Slater, who was an All Pro his rookie year, the second year of Zion Johnson who's now moved back to where he played at Boston College for four years left guard, and Corey Linsley, who missed a chunk of time last year as well. To see those three operate together, especially in the joint practices against a very good Saints defensive line, and just stone them, you know,

snap in and snap out. That's one of the first things that jumped out of me and man talk about a test in week one to watch Slater, whether it's gonna be Phillips or Chubb. I can't wait for that. So the second thing is just how many more downfield throws we were watching from this offense. And I don't think it's fair to pile on Joe Lombardi, like a lot of people are a lot of that was a product of injury last year and the fact that he lost his left tackle, didn't have it, you know, Justin

didn't have his center. He had fractured rib cartilage in week two. Like the ball was coming out early for a reason. But it just looks different. It looks like those shots are there and a lot of its health again, you know, again not exciting, but to have Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer and now their first round pick Quinton Johnson out there, looks like this this could be an explosive offense. But even beyond that is the running game. You know, they just they never had a signature run

really in the last two years. You never felt like there was a bread and butter. Now they could run behind that left side of the line two years ago when Slater was an All Pro and it was effective and Austin would would you know, kind of bite off four and a half five and a half yards per carry when he ran that direction. But it just looks different. It looks like, Okay, I can see where this is going, and it just looks it looks better it looks different,

So that's offensively defensively. You know, this is just me relaying what a lot of the players said, and that's just how much of a difference they believe Eric Kendricks is going to make and in coordinating the defense on the field from players, you know that's wearing the green dot, and how important it is to have everybody in their same place and know exactly what their assignment is snapping and snap out because you know it full well having

Vic Fangio there. Now, it's a complicated defense and a lot of pieces, specifically on the back end have to be in the right places for it to be executed just right. And they really feel like Eric Hendricks is going to make a big difference.

What are the guys saying about Kellen Moore? Because this is a guy that I don't know if you know this money, but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and Kellen Moore played his high school ball to a small town in Prosser, Washington, about twenty minutes north of where I live. A local star up there. Took his talents to Boise, where he was one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. Big fan of him as

a player and a coach. Just some of the returns on Kellen Moore and what some of the guys are saying about him so far in year one here.

are just different. It's a different lifestyle. And I think there's a very special connection between those two that they get it. They get each other, you know, they are Like Daniel Jeremiah, who I do the games with, was up in Idaho and he's like, you have no idea how big the Chargers are in Idaho. Now He's like, I'm walking around cord A Lane and there's people in Herbert jerseys and Chargers caps because Kellen Moore is there.

Like that's how big of a deal it is. So to have Herbert from Eugene, Kellen from from you know, from Washington and playing his game is football at at Boise State, like it's a there's there's a connection there is what I'm getting at. But I do think is as special as that connection is. And what I think the biggest difference in this offense with with Kellen Moore

is going to be is the run game. Just the run Just like I said, it just never it never felt like it was working when they especially when they needed it. In that Jacksonville game a perfect example, when they needed the four minute drill, they rushed seven times for four yards. They just couldn't get it right. It seemed like every new the defense knew exactly what was coming. Every time they lined up in a formation that we

knew what was coming. And I think you're going to see a big difference in that this year, where you know, whether you want to call it, you know, wide or outside zone, whatever it is. It worked in the preseason, man, it worked as a thing of beauty. And I know

it's hard to take anything. I never want to take anything too much a way from the exhibition season, but just kind of having watched the run game the last few years and then watch it watching it this year, it seems like that is a big, big difference, and that's just going to help those play action, you know, shot plays that we know they have the personnel for and Herbert certainly has the arm for.

And these offenses that do have all these playmakers in the perimeter at the receiver positions, So it should be a fascinating matchup to see who can get more execution in the ground game. To follow up off that first question game, when you mentioned the defensive side of the ball, you mentioned Eric Hendricks. Again, I'm a WSU guy money, so Deyon Henley's my guy. I love that dude. But returning pieces as well from Andrew, like you mentioned j C.

Jackson coming back. Never really got going last year before the injury. But a loaded group my talent perspective, how do you think they'll make things challenging and opposing offenses this year?

ball save Zion Johnson. That the left guard in the preseason. Wow, he's just and you know it because you saw it. Like he is so explosive. I mean, he is so fast in that body that's now a legit two hundred and twenty five pounds. You know, is kind of that hybrid safety linebacker. I think you might see him at star I would not be surprised if you see him in the slot. I wouldn't be surprised if you see

him creeping up on the line of scrimmage. Like to me, he's got that sort of and I know it's high praise. And I don't mean to sound like a you know, a Chargers homer or whatever because I call the games. But he's just got that Derwin James. Look where you can envision him playing any position, Like I could see Derwin play outside corner, slot corner, high safety, box safety, linebacker like you know, that's what Dayon reminds me of. Where you can put him up high if you want to.

You can have him as a box safety. So he's going to be an important piece. I think he's going to be an important piece. Look, Derwin James was an All Pro his rookie season. I'm not saying that's what Dayon is, but I do think he is going It's going to be interesting to see if Kenneth Murray can finally realize all that potential that he has physically that

just hasn't quite come together. And a lot of people have talked about how Eric Hendricks has helped him out a lot, and they're expecting big things from from Kenneth because he got his fifth year option declined. It's going to be a free agent at the end of this year. And I mean you see this right when you're around the Dolphins, there's certain players that when they're walking around, and I would imagine Jalen Phillis is like this, Like when you see him walking around, You're like, my god,

what is that? You know that's Kenneth Murray. Like when you see him walking and then you see how fast he moves on the football field, You're like, that's just not that. That should be illegal, like that that's going to kill somebody. But it just hasn't quite come together for him. So that's that's going to be an important part. And I think just having this defense healthy. I even forgot where you were going with it. I'm sorry you mentioned Dayon and I got all excited because it was

so fun to watch him out there. But I think you know, oh, jac Jackson, right, So that's remember how this game was played last year, right, It was actually the rookie Josser Taylor that was just impressed man on Jalen Waddle on every snap. So if you can turn that into j C. Jackson, we know he's one of the best press man corners out there. He's very physical

at the snap. Mikey Davis is a legit six two, two hundred and five pounds to be able to have the full complement of weapons to hopefully be able to do what they did last year, I don't expect it to be that way, you know, Mike, Like you mentioned, Mike McDaniel's way too good of an OC, of a play caller as a head coach to do the same thing you did last year. But that goes a long way, right, and trying to disrupt the timing and try to get

physical line of scrimmage. So if Jc's out there, I think that's going to go a long way.

able to stay healthy. It's been a rough go in really the entire seven years that they've been here, They've had at least one major injury every single season. And considering how things went last year in losing JC and Joey and Slater and only having Mike Williams and Keenan Allen out there for one hundred and thirty eight snaps or one hundred and thirty eight dropbacks. Like, I get it. I get that you want to if you're going to put them in harm's way, let's make sure it's in

a game that counts. So I think that's one part of it. The other part I also think is they're a balanced team, much like the Dolphins are a balanced team. When you practice, again, when this offense practices against this defense, you are practicing against what they believe are an elite unit in the NFL, and so you're going to have iron sharpens iron in your practices, and you don't necessarily need to go out in the preseason and face the backups for New Orleans in order to get yourself ready

for a regular season game against the Dolphins. You're you know, they love the joint practices. They went hard in those joint practices against a very talented Saints team, and they felt like they get more out of that than they do plaan their starters in a regular season game. So I mean, I'm sorry in a preseason game. So that's

the thought process behind it. If it were me, I'm a little more in the Mike Tomlin you know kind of category which I believe he stole the saying from Bill Parcells, which is, you know, it's hard to win a boxing match if you don't spar So, I think that's how I do it. But I understand it, and I you know, like I said, I think both the Dolphins and the Chargers are fortunate that they're very talented

on both sides of the ball. And these you know, in practice every day you're going against any elite offense versus an elite defense.

down out. They were terrible against the run. They would just miss assignments and teams would rip off sixty yard runs in forty yard runs and like that's what so much of their their issue was on defense. Last year, they'd be given up third, they'd be like third nineteen and a missed assignment would allow that to be converted

far too often. So they've got, you know, when they've got a team behind the sticks, they got to cash that in on third down and prevent those explosives because I think they gave up more explosive runs than any team in the league last year. The second thing would be they got to win the third quarter like they have had far that. This was in the game last year against the Dolphins, right, they're smoke of the Dolphins and next thing you know, you're like, holy Cole, they

could lose this game. You know. Yeah, they let teams back in way too much last year. So that's that's the charger side. Dolphins just run the ball man like I was so surprised last year, and like you said, Mike McDaniel acknowledged it. It's like, man, you've got this is a team that's given up explosives and you've got one of the fastest players in the NFL and Raheem and

Jeff Wilson, you know how explosive he is. Like, I expect them to come out and test to see if what I just said is true, if this defense is fixed against the run, because once you get that thing going, now you're talking about shot plays or opening up because they got to commit resources to try to slow that thing down. So I think if they're effective running the ball, it's it could end up being a long day for

the Chargers. Second is you know Vic vic Fangio when he was with the Broncos, and you know they had good pieces on defense. You know, a couple of those games he gave Herbert fits. And I think if coach is as good as we all know he is, and this roster is as talented as it is on that side of the ball, that'd be The other thing is is it one of those Vic Fangio games that we've seen when he was with Denver that frustrates Justin Herbert. So that's I think that's I think that sounds about right.

Daniel Jeremiah in that booth. So I know you're not gonna listen to Charges Radio on the game on Sunday, but it's a pretty good booth they have out there in Los Angeles. We have a football game tonight, the Chiefs hosting the Lions for Thursday Night Football Kickoff. I'm going to enact my old man habit of getting a dairy Queen blizzard and watching the game not by myself. Have a couple buddies coming over tonight for the first time in a long time, Caroline and Cameron looking forward

to that as well. But let's go ahead and pick these games this week. Last year, I was one eighty nine and eighty and two two ties on the NFL schedule, also one for your game because the Bengals and Bills were canceled. On the podcast. We've been doing this for This is the third year we'll pick the games every single game. So the two year cumulative record three hundred and seventy seven wins, one hundred and sixty three losses,

three ties, And I didn't put the percentage ups. I'm gonna do some live math for you guys right now on the air. Three seventy seven plus one sixty three is five point forty three seventy seven divided by five forty That is a sixty nine point eight win percentage. If you round up at seventy percent, that's the goal.

This one really conflicts me because I don't want to pick against Kansas City because I think Andy Reid, coming off of any additional time to prepare as impossible to beat, evidenced by Patrick Mahomes's Week one numbers that are basically the greatest numbers of all time. I also don't like Jared Goff on the road. I think it's been an

issue for his entire career. Even if it's gonna be a nice, sweltering night in the Midwest, and no Chris Jones means I think the Lions offensive line is gonna whoop the Chiefs butt in the trenches, maybe run the ball successfully. I think the absence of Travis Kelcey is massive, even as good as Mahomes is. But all that said, I'm not going against the defending world champions in their building.

I think the only time, going back to maybe the Ravens and Broncos game, that they flipped the they put the game in Baltimore despite the fact that Denver no reverse that I was in Denver, despite the fact that Baltimore had won the Super Bowl because there was like an Orioles game or something, and they flipped it. And then the Peyton Manning led Broncos through like six touchdowns in

that game and beat them. But I think after that the only road team to win the opener was the Alex Smith led Chiefs Patrick Mahomes's rookie year on the road in Foxborough when Kareem Hunt had that like seventy five yard touchdown catch. So I'm gonna take the chalk and take the team raising the banner, give me the Chiefs and the opener Atlanta and Carolina Caroline's awfully banged up.

I also just don't really believe in their offensive operation at this point, and I cannot wait to watch the Falcons do their thing and run the football over and over and over again. I think they're gonna have a kind of Titan South there under Arthur Smith. Give me Atlanta. Give me the Browns to continue upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals. They seem to have their number for whatever reason. I don't believe in their quarterback. I don't want to believe

in their quarterback. But I think in this instance, Joe Burrow coming off the calf that rob him of the entire preseason and training camp, might be out to a slow start like you had last year. Four picks in the opener. Give me the Browns over the Bengals. I'll take the Jags over the Colts. I just probably won't pick the Colts a whole lot this year, even though I love their quarterback. I just think that entire operations

not great. The Vikings over the Bucks. I'm not going to pick the Bucks to win many games this year. I think it was four in total. And where is that game? I think it's in Tampa. Either way, Give me the Vikings to get a win with Kirk Cousins

over Baker Mayfield, Titans, and Saints. Not many of these games really like, I mean, Week one's tough to talk about impact games in terms of your playoff standing, but there's just not really many games where it's you look at it like, oh, that AFC team has to lose for us. So there's not a lot of like scoreboard watching I think this week. But give me the Titans over the Saints, even though it's in New Orleans. I think that people are sleeping on the Titans this year.

They're healthy right now. Their offensive lines not great, but Ryan Tannehill's literally never had a good offensive line except for like the one year they went to the AFC Championship game. I think he'll find a connection with DeAndre Hopkins. I think Derek hen he has a chance to get some good push in this game and some good totals. I'll take the Titans to win on the road in New Orleans. This is the one that I think I'll probably watch in the morning, This one. And Cleveland versus Sincy.

Give me the Niners over the Steelers on the road. That everyone's buying the Steelers hype right now, I'm just not seeing it as much. I like their defense, I like the weapons on offense in their offensive line. But we'll see about Kenny Pickett A good preseason does not get me as excited about a quarterback that does some other folks. Gonn be the Niners to continue doing what they do and win football games. I'll take Washington over Arizona.

I'm not going to pick the Cardinals one time this year. I think Washington's going to be a saur Prize playoff team. That one's easy. Baltimore over Houston. Houston has some issues at tackle right now, their offensive line is awfully banged up, and the Ravens I think are going to come out and kind of set the league on fire this year.

Give me Green Bay over Chicago. I know Aaron Rodgers owned the Bears, but I think Jordan Love is going to pick up where Rodgers was not very good last year and play even better than what Rogers was this season ago. Also, I think we're here early on Bears hype after a crazy off season full of spending for them. Give me the Eagles over the Patriots, although I think that could be a little bit closer than maybe some

folks think. I saw a great tweet from Brett Coleman that you guys know who he is talking about how the Eagles worst offensive game last year was against the Colts and they cover one package they deployed that kind of stifled that Eagles offense. Well, no one runs cover one better than Bill Belichick. But still give me the Eagles in Tom Brady or on Tom Brady Day, I

should say, in New England, Seahawks over the Rams. I wanted to pick the Rams to upset them here because those two teams seem to always play really close games. But because it's in Seattle, I'm gonna go ahead and take the team that I think is much better in this one, Denver over the Raiders. This is a coin flip to me. But give me the Broncos because it's in Mile High and the Broncos record in September when teams have not had a chance to adjust to you know,

full conditioning. Going up into that altitude and playing is very difficult. Honestly, I'm very fifty to fifty on Dolphins and Chargers. If you told me we had a healthy Jalen Ramsey and a fully healthy Toron Armstead, I would take Miami. I still actually am going to take them because I just think that we are going to out coach them, and I think our quarterbacks can outplay their quarterback. Give me the Dolphins over the Chargers, although I'm not

as convicted as I usually am on those picks. Give me the Cowboys over the Giants. One of these teams I think is going to go to the Super Bowl this year. The other one I think is going to disappoint in terms of what their record was a season ago. I'll take the Cowboys in prime time, and then the Bills over the Jets. Speaking of overhype, I'm just not buying it. I think I maybe have undersold it a

little bit. I think the Jets could still win eight, nine to ten games, but I think their opening start is going to be critical, and I don't think it's going to go off well for them like they had hoped it would to kick the season off, because I just I don't know, man, like that. That offense has so many holes right now, and we don't hear about it. I know, like you know, Joey Jets loves telling you how Breeze Hall and Dalvin Cooks the best backfield in

the NFL. Like pound sound with that stuff. Man, Josh Allen is still Josh Allen. That defense is healthy again. Sean McDermott's a great coach, give me Buffalo over the Jets. I hope they do spoil that opra because I didn't want that that's hype to chill the f out for a little bit. All right, let's go ahead and take our last break right there and come back on the other side and finish up with the Thursday Narrative. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to

you by Auto Nation. Tis the season four football Dolphins. Join your Miami Dolphins for our season kickoff party at Oasis on Saturday, September ninth, where fans can enjoy giveaways and a guest performance from Grammy nominated DJ Audience. For more information, visit Miami dolphins dot com. Slash Kickoff. Another new segment we're going to do on the podcast here every Thursday. I'm calling it the Thursday Narrative. A storyline that develops throughout the week that I think is worth

pursuing and sharing with you guys. And this week it kind of came about naturally. I'm hoping that's how it happens every single week about quarterbacks coach Darryl Bevell, and I referenced the Jory Epstein piece on Yahoo from earlier in the week where she detailed coaches retin a surgery, he had, the recovery process, and how he essentially for more than a week, was confined to lying face down on different you know, massage tables and beds throughout the

course of his house. So sounds terrible to me, but to fill his time, all he really did was watch practice tape. There's a great photo in the story of coach lying face down on the edge of the bed with a tablet that he's watching back the plays from that day's work. In fact, coach McDaniel talked about that on Wednesday.

I can kind of venture to, I don't know, extrapolate what that would be like a week like this, like I mean that, So, you know, what was cool was the tea moment with that because that little story, which you know, people have their own stuff to worry about when you know there's so many little stories like that where people are sacrificing things, going through things to contribute to this team, whether it's coach or player. And I

think it wasn't lost on on the quarterbacks. You should have seen there the first time we talked about it after you got the surgery. You should have seen their eyes light up when I was like, so, this practice is all Bev's got going. He's gonna watch it on his iPad for the next twenty four hours, so just.

And the story that I shared, or in that story that I wrote, I shared a link where Aaron Rodgers praised Bevll for correcting some of his basic fundamentals as a rookie quarterback from that story, he said, I'm reading from the story now. In fact, Rodgers credited Bevell in part for helping him undergo a major fundamental change in the way he carried the football on his dropbacks. At the University of California, Rogers was taught to hold the ball high near his ear hole of his helmet at

all times. He needed to change that in the NFL. That process continued under Mike McCarthy, who was hired in two thousand and six to replace Sherman, and under McCarthy's

first quarterback coach, Tom Clements. At cal Rogers said quote, we were very robotic in the way we dropped and obviously the way I held the football, so being able to naturally on my own lower the ball to where I was throwing at a butte college and in high school to learn to tie my feet with the route time my feet, I should say with the first was the first important lesson in the league. And I do

appreciate Coach Bevel's help with that end quote. And yesterday I asked to a tongue Bai Loa about the relationship between he and Daryl Bevell and how it has evolved in the second year together. You might recall toua last year talking about how coach had his family over to their residence for dinner and a movie. So I was just curious to find out how the relationship has blossom further here in the second year together.

as good as it's ever been. And some of that guidance is a big reason why to just relate those two things together, Let's go back to Frank Smith, and you heard coach rather to talk about Coach Bebel's attention to detail. So first thing that comes to mind when Frank Smith thinks about Coach Beble and his impact he's had on him.

I mean, hell, what was it two weeks ago? We were joking about something and then we pulled up the Saints Vikings playoff game from nine in the NFC Championship game because we're talking about Brett Favre and his ability and is just courage in the pocket. And it was like it flashed us back because then I got to New Orleans right after that season, and then we opened with the Vikings to start that season in ten. And

you know, his wealth of experience is great. I mean everything, Like I think we talked about before, it's perspective and who you work with. You know, if we all came from the same place I thought the same thing, had the same viewpoint, right, it'd be a pretty boring day, you know. I mean we'd all just kind of go

like we're good. When you deal with guys with perspective and you know, and expertise like he has, it's been awesome, And I think that's the great part of our staff is that the perspective from everyone.

not just to accumulate stats. And I always had a lot of respect, and now that I've got to know him, my respect was justified.

on this team another top ten offense last year. So he's been an integral part of the development of offenses, but also some unique players like Percy Harvin, Jermaine Wiggins, Chester Taylor, guys that had multiple roles and offenses, and of course less others. And you can now add quarterback to a tongue by Loo to his resume of curating increased production from a player's previous accomplishment. So there you go. That's the Thursday narrative, that is the Thursday podcast. Let's

go ahead and get out of here. Tomorrow, I'm going to introduce some new segments as well. I believe we're going to have a beat writer interview. I think David Faronus will join the podcast. Also going to do a weekly segment with Kyle Krabs from Lockdown Dolphins five on the Finn's Draft. We're gonna talk college ball with Kyle Krabs. Until then, though, you all, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, on Spotify, wherever get your podcasts from. Go ahead and leave us a rating, leave

us a review. You can follow me on social at Winkle NFL and the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank podcast with Seth and Juice and our postgame show on Almost at five sixty on one oh five point nine FM and also on the iHeart app and WIOD I believe that's the AM station, and of course the YouTube channel for Media Availabilities and Dolphins Today and last button not least, Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, Finz, Carolin and camberon Daddy shou