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Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.
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Dolphins?
And welcome to the Drive 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, we've got more football practice to dissect.
The Dolphins were back.
On the field for the final week of many camps and we'll break it all down right here with practice notes. Mike McDaniel's press conference. We'll hear from Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, and Jalen Phillips from the Baptist Health studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
This is the Drive Time podcast.
I want to start this podcast today was something we've covered on previous OTA Practice reports that continues to be a theme, at least from my takeaways, mostly because we got a great synopsis of how that coverage works, how this defensive system and the man calling it, Coach Vic Fangio, benefits that defensive side of the ball and the pursuit of keeping points off the scoreboard, but also how the offense can take from what the d gives them on a daily basis with looks in practice and just the
overall reps they go through.
Let's go ahead and go to coach Mike McDaniel to.
Hear more on just that an unintended consequence.
It's something that you know as a football coach, but you it's not steadfast to the forefront of your thought process when you're making decisions like that, Okay, who what defense do you want to run?
Who do you want in charge of it?
Your mind goes straight to what the best defense we can have and want the best defensive coordinator we can have. You know, I think that has been accomplished A subset unintended consequence is that you know, the the the technique with which they perform their assignments really takes advantage of poor technique offensively, meaning that they the the way they pattern match and the way they they they really play with vision as a as a receiver, it's the best
training you could get. As the tight end, it's the best training you can get. All these route runners are getting this elite training because they're getting made pay.
When their techniques.
Off if they're not vertical enough on their stem. Traditionally, from a coach's perspective, I have to say, yeah, this worked, However in game situation it probably won't, and that you're kind of selling to them. Then you have to grab a game clip and whatever. It is so much more efficient and better for the offensive coaches when something that we've emphasized doesn't get done and the defense makes you pay, well, you know, we're pushing that envelope on both sides of
the ball. Now where and and my ultimate desire I don't want I want a good team. I don't want to go out there today and have the defense dominate the offense or vice versa. I want guys trading punches, handling, diversity, what we're starting to see is there'll be eleven guys out there. One offensive player will be off and the play will not work at all, or one defensive player will be off and it will be a big play. That's what for me as a head coach, that's how
I go to practice. I don't I want punches traded left and right. That that's the game that we play and that's how you get better at it. And that's what I'm starting to see. Unintended consequence of vic in a system is the system is so sound and true and coached. The defensive coaching staff has done a phenomenal job giving answers to the test through technique to the players that both sides of the ball are benefiting.
For sure.
Had to cut around an interruption there mid media session as a phone went off, So I apologize for that.
Hope it's sound that I'll write to you guys.
But to expand on that, and first of all, how great was that the idea that the looks that you're getting afford you opportunities to make corrections right then and there, opposed to potentially having to rep it, go in, watch it, cut it, then communicate it, then change for practice the following day.
I just have to imagine that's.
Like a coach's dream, but to expand, and this takes us into the quarterback discussion for the day June the sixth, here out at Dolphins camp. I thought it was largely an uneventful day for the quarterbacks, and allow me to
tell you how that can be a good thing. First off, though, I thought Skyler had one of his best throws I've seen as a member of the Miami Dolphins between two defenders in that turkey hole portion over the top, underneath one defender along the sideline, where he layered it with touch over the one defender, but enough zip to get it underneath the other defender before they could drive and make a play on the football. And it was located outside enough for Freddy Swain to make a catch and
get the feet and bounds. And that was after a pretty rough stretch of late timing throws and inaccurate ball, so to bounce back I thought was impressive to see there. Also thought Tua had some really nice in rhythm rips in this practice. He threatened a few passes prices in traffic that popular receiver's jersey right between the two numbers on those jerseys, one to Waddle and one to Smythe both went for twenty plus yards, possibly a breakaway touchdown
to Wattle. When you talk about what he can do with the football in space, he had one man to beat in space to make a potential long touchdown happen there. But Tua just continues to look as advertised in all assets or aspects of the position. But really those catch rock throw reps that he's really perfected, going back to his time at college in Alabama, I thought he showed the ability to sense that exterior pressure and push up
in the pocket. I think he showed you a fearless presence under that heat of a damn good pass rush this Dolphins defense has. And it's not live, but you can extrapolate what he's done in games and understand that those reps carry over live or not. It's cool to watch them go through install on air and then implement the team or the plays in the team portion of practice. I also love watching practices with my guy OJ McDuffie.
Shout out to Juice and Seth making out the pre today because he always provides that player's perspective and he loves telling me when he thinks that the defense was privy to the play because just as the offense is getting ready to rep the on air work and team, the defense is too. And there's a couple of plays where like defenders converge before the play happened, and he's like.
That's that's bs man, they know the play.
So I love Juics' perspective there, And that's where it ties back to the comment that we kicked off the show from Coach because the first red zone period was great coverage on all the reps, like two, I had four reps, and we saw him go through each read fast. On each of those plays, every single throw, you'd see him start to one side of the field and the ball eventually made it to the opposite side of the field as you see his helmet go one, two, three, four,
get across the field, make a full field read. And I think that's part of the theme we've sort of established here on the podcast this offseason, how the second year in this system can make things a little more second nature, which obviously makes you play faster and ultimately more productive.
But I thought, again he was accurate.
I think he continues to do a really good job in the practices i've seen of getting the football to the backs and tight ends again fast to maximize their chances of making a play after the catch. He didn't turn the ball over. He hasn't yet in the three practices we've seen so far from the media. I think there's a level of command that he's showing that should inspire a lot of confidence for where he is and that match is obviously the performance in terms of getting
through those reads. I just thought the defense was incredibly tough today. Those first red zone reps saw them really plastering on the outside and then communicating and driving and passing off super well in this man match pattern match type of skime that you hear coach talk about there the coach Fangio runs in terms of the fundamentals and that matching. For the first year in a new system, they seem to really be connecting on all their rules
and the structure of the defense. If this guy goes this way, you have that way, I have to do this, and vice versa. Like they are on top of the stuff early on. It looks like to me we'll find out more to go along, But I think it can be easy to lose those routes in the curl flat or the zones. Those tight end, running back, linebacker responsibilities that are you know, in today's game, a little bit of a mismatch because of the athletes you have on offense versus you know, guys that are put in there
more to defend the run. It can be a mismatch. But they were capping those potential throws to backs and tight ends very quickly, driving on those plays and not displacing coverage enough where it was causing you know, vulnerabilities elsewhere. It looks very impressive. It's just June, but I'm so impressed by the way this defense has come along already.
Let's go back to Mike McDonel now for a follow up to the Fangio question where he talked a little bit about facing a zone defense and how those challenges can you know, help the offense even more so.
The teams that are capable of playing good zone defense make you earn everything, and really they really force teams to execute and execute across the board. Whereas you know, even great Man demand coverage team one guy steps on the side of his foot right where where it's.
Where. In in zone defense, you you really have to get your depth.
The quarterback has to be precise with his footwork so that his time and is right, his eyes, his progression, the distribution has to be correct. That makes it harder to be a good zone defense, uh on the front end, because there's a lot of people working together. But if you invest time into it, you invest time and and it is a slower build. It is more of a
process zone defense. But the I think the rewards you reap you know when it's sound are are huge because it really put puts pressure on offenses to execute.
What do you say we spend this thing over to the defensive side now and here from a guy that we haven't really played much or any audio of all. No, we played his introduction press conference on the podcast, but Jalen Ramsey was out there today and met with the media after practice. Let's go ahead and hear from him on how playing and this defense in the pass can benefit him here already in twenty twenty three with your Miami Dolphins.
I mean, I know the defense, so that's how it helps.
I mean it's the same I've been running the same defense for three years now, my past three years in LA So now it's the same defense. It's just a little bit different terminology, but same type of stuff. And there's different ways to play this defense. So Vic has his own way of putting his own like flavor in it, and I guess kind of catering it to certain people who will stand out in the defense and who can stand out in any defense really.
And then conversely, wanted to ask Jalen the same question I asked coach about how the offense challenges and ultimately improves the defense just from seeing them every single day in practice.
Yeah, it's just.
Good players going against other good players and really competing and challenging us to you know, bring the best out of each other. Obviously, you know, you got the receivers, you got the running bad you got everybody over there who you need to challenge us.
And we feel it the same way.
You're gonna hear a lot from Jalen Phillips on this podcast. Let's first go ahead and go to him about how this offense makes you lock in on your job more on the defensive side of the ball, particularly off that edge position.
I mean, this offense is so multiple different things they do, so they're always testing your eyes, making sure that you're disciplined. I think that's one of the hardest things as an edge rusher, really as a football player in general, but specifically on the edge. When you have an offense that has so many different motions and so many different different possible players out of the same looks, it really just you know, kind of makes you hone in.
So it's awesome having on a daily basis.
Is frustrating at times, for sure, because there might be a couple of practices where they get my edge a couple of times and have these crazy players.
So it's definitely a good experience.
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot Tua was in the Orange Jersey. And what's funny is the first song was a Michael Jackson tune, and myself and Daniel O. Yafusi of the Miami Herald, we're trying to figure out whose playlist that might be. He picked Christian Wilkins and really sold me on the fact that it would be Christian Wilkins. But then when that Island Music popped on the second track, we had a feeling, and sure enough one came running out in the Orange Jersey.
Really good mix, really good tracks.
Some crowd pleasers and some deep cuts, one of my favorite playlifts so far in twenty twenty three. Let's go ahead and get back into the practice notes, but that's next on the Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. We are going to get back into the media availabilities here in the next segment. Let's go ahead and rip through the practice notes here and filter in some media avails as well. We covered
the quarterbacks, we'll come back to the offense. Let's go ahead and talk some defense, which we don't usually do first here on the podcast. My lifelong football study has always began with offense, and I guess my defensive knowledge is kind of a counter to that. But we got to get some love to the defensive guys because I thought they played really well today. And I'm going to start with a deep cut on that portion as well with the rookies and udfas here because there was tons
of good from that group. And it starts with Mitchell Agude, who was consistently in the backfield both as a rusher and run defender. I thought he bent the corner extremely well and played through contact in a way that you absolutely have to at this level. And you see guys at the college level, you know, win with their peer speed,
win with like a spin move inside. But the ability to play through that contact and adjust and that second move is what makes you an NFL pass rusher in my opinion, and he clearly knows how to do that, how to play off leverage of a tackle that he rushes, and how to make that secondary move to free himself up the field. Let's go ahead and go back to my guy, Jalen Phillips, who was asked about a gooday after practice.
Crazy similarities here in their career paths.
I mean, you know this on table what you've been saying. Man, he's a bother. He is super twitchy, super athletic. You know, me and miss Go we have a little bit of history now because obviously he went to UCLA and then transferred out to Miami. While he was being recruited to Miami, I kind of talked to him and told him about my journey and kind of the blueprint that that I kind of found, and he really kind of like felt
that locked in with it. So when he got to the Dolphins, I was like, man, this is not a prophecy here at this point. So it's been really cool. It just kind of being a mentor to him and seeing him work. But we got a great young group, and Garrett Nelson's don't really well.
Too, so s good Eric planes, construction, all the stuff going on there in the background. I'm also glad he mentioned Garrett Nelson because Nelson made a play early on and I told Seth and Juice that guy right there is college tape is that of a maniac in the best way possible. He plays with his hair on fire, full effort, full just production out of wanting it more than you. And he did that all day today.
He was very good.
I thought Zeke Vanderbert sorry, Vandenberg was the other one who flashed consistently, primarily in run support. You'd often see a play get made or him, you know, come in and tag off in fifty seven is right there in the mix, you know, talking about how he's down right here. I touched him down after a one yard loss. But it's tough to gauge that stuff. But typically guys reactions tell you what happened on the play. So those were
a trio of rookies, Nelson, Agude and Vandenberg. I was also really impressed by what I saw from Malik Reid his tape under Vic Fangio and Denver with some very very good stuff that we got a chance to see a glimpse of that today. He's so good with his hands and it puts him in position to hold that point against the run but also disengage as a pass rusher. But I didn't know he had the speed that I
saw today. He was quick off the football and quick to the edge, which you get tested in this defense a lot when it comes to speed off the edge. In that same position group, I thought Andrew Van Ginkel was really damn good too, and he's playing multiple roles you know, on that defense that I think suit his game well. I've always been impressed by a guy who, you know, by traditional standards, is undersized compared to his
position mates and how he plays the run. But that's where he killed it today, just fitting up and tagging off pretty regularly, you know, flowing behind blockers, which hasn't been where he's played in the past, but I think he can do it. I think the run defense really showed their stuff, and you can't mention that part of the game without Christian Wilkins. Like I wrote, I wrote, dude, he's such a freaking good player. Like I guess that
conveys my thoughts. Let's go ahead and hear Jalen Phillips on his teammate.
Here real quick.
Yeah, I mean Christian is the same guy every single day. He's gonna come with energy, yelling all the time and just enjoying life. And I think it shows on the field is the passion that he plays with and the energy that he has is super contagious. And so I think he's a great leader for this team, brings guys up with him and man, you see him on the field, that dude is different. Just break down the state he's different, like Christian is a botherer man.
One thing that's nice about Christian again, amidst all the chaos and the trenches and look again, it can be impossible sometimes to break down what happened on one live rep from typically bad angles of the play. But when I watch you know, tape or even games live, I'm usually seeing the play three or four times before offering
up an opinion on it. But Christian comes out of the mess wagging his finger a lot when he makes a play, and he does it a lot so it's helpful and I trust him because he knows what making a play looks like.
You know.
Again going back to Juice and Seth, he was like, sometimes you know, guys think they got a tackle, but they didn't. And I'm like, well, Christian's argument could be last year I got one hundred of these and the William Mays Hayes one.
Hundred batting gloves that he bought.
Kind of a reference off that, but in all seriousness, just getting off blocks rushing the quarterback. There was one rep where he ran a pass rush clean off the off one of the edges of the offensive line straight away for a would be sack, and the ball comes out and he turns around and pursues it twenty yards down the field. I just think he's the model player for how the game should be played. And like Phillips said, yeah, we've talked about the tape and it's different. It's a
different type of animal. After that pass rush, when I mentioned working around Austin Jackson, he got double on the next play between he and Rob Hunt, and I thought Jackson and Hunt really hit that double really well together. But it just speaks to Christian's impact, like this is a guy that can line up. And by the way, I saw the tweet from like one of the beat guys that Rayquan Davis is the reason the run defense
is elite. It's because of Christian Wilkins and Zach Steeler, and Rayquan has the role and he fulfills a certain you know role within that run defense. But Wilkins is the guy that makes it go. Steelers a guy that makes it go. And I just the reason I mentioned that is because he can play that one technique. He can play up over the nose, but to go out to the five technique or you know, outside of defensive end position that he's played a lot in his career
and get double teams as a pass rusher. Phillip said it perfectly, like just cut the tape, man. It's not hard to do and to see I thought Emmanuel Ogba played a big part in the run defense off the edge in this session. His length always always stands out, I thought. Cater Co, who had some damn good work today. Bryce Thompson made arguably the play of the day, laying out for an interception on a pass from Skyler Thompson looking for Eric Azukama, who fell down, but the route was not there.
It was.
It was a bad rep on the offense. Shouldn't have been thrown there.
Got picked off in a great diving catch Bryce Thompson as well, but he did it right in front of the defensive sideline and they were fired up for him about that play again. Good to see Jalen Ramsey out there. Like I mentioned, just watching him go through indies, like his ball skills and body control are evident, even in that portion of practice where guys are kind of getting loose and you know, maybe not ripping at full speed just yet. I thought Xavi and Howard was exceptional. One
of those quiet, shutdown type of days. We've been seeing those from him for years, and we saw another one today. I thought Justin Bethel was around the football a lot. He got targeted a lot too, And actually the catch of the day was against him from Tyler Croft who went up over the top of Bethel who was in great position and just plucked it over the top like a mossing and not just staving a pick but really scoring a touchdown as well, pulled it in for the score.
But Bethel was really good in coverage consistently. One of my favorite plays of the day was to throwing a seed to Cedric Wilson on the move out in front like he saw it early, got the ball out there, and that's that's the biggest difference I see from one to the rest of the QBS is just how on time and how quickly he played the position. But Cedric Wilson gets a step upfield and then Javon Holland comes from By god, that's John Cino's music from out of nowhere?
Am I confusing wrestling references because I don't know what I'm talking about, But he came from out of nowhere on the opposite side of the field, and he well, he tagged off. But I've seen Javon make that play enough time to know that he was going to make a highlight level hit if we were live on the other side. I guess stop me if you've heard this before,
But Jalen Waddle is so awesome. I mentioned this in the Twitter thread the practice notes thread, But breaking down Tyreek Hill's tape last year when we got him to the Dolphins, my appreciation for his route running really grew from that study because he doesn't cut corners, which can be so easy to do, and it doesn't always have a negative impact when you do. But the way he extrapolates every route in a way that keeps the defender guessing up until decision time where he breaks the route
off at the top of the stem. And so not only do you have to beat him from a speed and suddenness standpoint, or you are already beaten in that standpoint because no one matches him in that skill set, but he's also getting a head start on you. Like imagine Max Verstappen getting to start fifty yards in front of the rest of the grid.
Good luck.
I see the exact same thing with Jalen Waddle out here. He ran one route in low red zone where like he got to the front pylon and it was like three steps and he was there and he uncovered so fast and the ball was late because it wasn't too a but the separation was so fast that it just didn't matter. And like the way he leans into that route and takes that extra step upfield to create that you know, indecision of the defensive back. It makes life
on the defense tough. It makes life on your quarterback so much easier. This dude were in such good hands with ten and seventeen and into the future because seventeen's like, what is he twenty three, twenty four years old?
Have mercy?
He also pulled down an absurd one handed catch during the on air portion of practice. This guy's at a superstar already. River Kraycraft made a tough catch on a
really good ball from Mike White. He was covered pretty well in the end zone, but White through this pass where you know it's man coverage, so he's chasing the receiver to the back pylon and then he River has his eyes back on the quarterback, so he throws it, you know, the opposite direction where they're running, which allows River to adjust, you know, away from that leverage.
The cornerback keeps moving. He makes a tough catch to score a touchdown. Go Koog's.
I thought Raheem Moster looked super smooth finding space in the run game. His backside vision pairs so well with the way he stretches you with that speed and then change course. It just forces you to defend the entire field horizontally on top of what you have to deal with vertically. From this receiving cores. I think you see the football IQ of a chain that Jimbo Fisher talked about with us in the podcast, because like Raheem Moster, there was a run today where he had daylight outside.
But again it's the same thing as Tyreek and Jalen. He's not just gonna run to the daylight. He knows if I press up to the line of scrimmage, press my left tackle, press my tight end, that's gonna suck those linebackers, those second level defenders downhill more than otherwise they would probably get more with and that creates a worse angle for those guys and bad angles in this running back, it's lights out, it's good night to the crib, touchdown,
all the fun superlatives. And after he did that, he accelerates around the edge and got loose into the secondary.
He's got some skill man.
I thought Chosen was potentially an Orange Jersey winner today. His long speed creates space in a way that I don't think we've had previously outside of Tyreek and Jalen. And he's really showing you a knack for uncovering. I didn't know he had that game in his bag. From a release standpoint, from a separation standpoint, I just didn't realize he had that tight area separation that he showed in the red zone today where he scored a few times.
He also opened up a big play by just running a takeoff that took coverage away from Cedrick Wilson coming across the field the other direction. I think Chosen might low key be a big hit here, guys, because his ability to just kind of take the eyes of the defense somewhere else and make plays because he made him today could be a big boom. We'll find out about that, but he could be a sneaky big acquisition for this offense.
I thought Liam Eikenberg had a good day in the ground game, and Rob Hunt was a guy that I typically credit with some big blocks on big running plays. That was the case again today. I relearned this every year, but gosh, it's so tough to watch more than just one side of the offensive line, and then if the play goes elsewhere, you basically missed the entire reps. So it's tough to focus on that part of the line.
It's typically why I'm light on offensive line notes. I'll go back to you know, training camp and get one on one pit drill type of content for you guys, because that's the best measure I can get because team drills it can.
Be tough sometimes to get a feel for that.
I thought the edge though, in general, got the best of the tackles, especially without Tron Arms out there off that left side, you know, Kendall Lamb, James Tunstall, Isaiah Winn. We're in there for some reps against the guys I mentioned previously, and I thought a Goode and Nelson and those guys really got their their work done in this practice.
So really good work all the way around.
Some back and forth, Like coach mentioned, let's go ahead and take our last break right there and come back on the other side and get additional media availability soundbites. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. So we heard additional media here, and I want to go ahead and play some sound from both or all three Mike McDaniel, Jalen Phillips, and
Xaving Howard. Let's go ahead and pick it up here with Coach who talked a little more heat and Panthers. He talked about is there more pressure on the Dolphins this year because of the success of those two teams.
Here's Coach This question fires me up because I've had you know, it's kind of I've been frustrated with myself because I don't.
Think I've really adequately articulated that experience. It has been unbelievable.
The the support, the excitement, just the general enthusiasm for the Dolphins, you know, when I'm at an event that is, you know, an organization's pinnacle of working for an entire year to get into these playoff games that are hard to get to. That by itself has been unbelievable. I've tried to share it to with the team as much as I can. They know they feel it when they're out and about as well.
So the the.
Team within this building is very aware and definitely finds exuberance from all of the juice that that is in South Florida right now.
Lots of juice.
How about coaches comments to Eric Spolstra after some of these big wins.
Oh yeah, they have a text thread. Here's coach.
The best words I could come up for textan right after they won Game seven was something that he knew what I was getting at.
But adversity's opportunity. You I say that to the team all the time.
I really really believe that, and I don't care how sick of sick anybody ever gets of hearing it. I think it's true to the to what life and professional sports and team is all about.
And you want to talk about a team that has.
Utilized adversity for their own gain, that those lessons, especially now you know, buying large. You know, almost every player on our on our team is watching their season, the heat season unfold, and it's hard not.
To, you know, you hear all these people so surprised.
I feel like there's a sports caster every you know, a national sports caster definitely not local, but naturally sportscaster every week or every game that's.
Saying, oh yeah, they have no chance.
That, you know, is the pinnacle of success in sports is a group of individuals working towards a goal and not letting anything stand in their way. So they're they're it. You know that just for example the last game they just won. You know, there's a lot of I to be able to look at a sports team and say, you know what, I don't necessarily know how they're going to do it, but I'm not going to bet against them.
I think it it's an example for all teams I think we're very fortunate to see it firsthand and feel like we're indirectly a part of it. But you know, I I think it also goes for just people in general. I think it's a it's a life lesson that it's amazing what you can accomplish when you really, really, really commit.
So we've heard from Jalen Phillips a lot. Let's go back to coach on Jalen Phillips.
Brian Baldinger in the house today asking great questions here he is talking about the development and the arc of Jalen Phillips, and here's Coach's answer.
I've seen him practice at a level that's far superior than any other level of practice that I've seen from him since I've been here.
So take that for what it's worth. You know, you don't, you don't.
I think it's very important not to get ahead of yourselves. It's hard, very hard for people on the outside because like you're excited about the team, so you're thinking of September, we're thinking a day at a time, And all I know is the you know, the last practices I'm seeing him have have been the best practices that he's had.
I think that's very encouraging, you know that. You know. One of the things that.
You know Vic and I shared on his interview was his appreciation for that for Jalen in particular, who he was very high high on coming out, so very happy with where he's at. He is goal oriented, great, great human being that has his vision set on what he wants to do, and now he's just trying to take care of it each and every day.
And it's cool to watch a young player.
Not get caught up in September and get more focus on June sixth, which is the only day that exists.
And we'll hear from JP on this as well. But how about the element of Chubb and Phillips working together. I mentioned it in the OTA notes two weeks ago about how those guys spend the entire pre practice working on some pass rush hand placement stuff together. You see the affinity for one another there. Let's go ahead and hear from coach on the pairing of those two and how they work together.
Yeah, I really appreciate you.
You'll notice it today just in general, they gravitate to each other and that to me speaks it speaks of everything that I want in a team. I don't want players trying to have success in spite of someone. I want players competing, making each other better and trying to be the best versions of themselves. So they they have been, you know, they they want to be a great pair and they want to be a part of a great defense and they're doing handling that the right way instead
of just wishing and hoping. They're working the you know between coach Fangio, who has you know, coach elite edge player.
Since I was.
Before kindergarten maybe then uh, you know with coach slowik and and coach Harmon has been helping out that I've seen significant gains and improvements.
On our edge play that I'm that I'm fired up about.
And you know, all you can do is really position yourself to be at your very best for when Pad's come on in uh July practice three for that position. And that's what I've seen them do, working on footwork, hand placement, disruption, the their their handful.
And that's a good thing, not the.
Best thing for a practice that you're trying to orchestrate
some sort of success. What you'd you'd rather practice against it than have a surprise come whatever, which is imperative for for for really our offense and defense or defense needs uh hyper productivity from edge play as well as you have to go against productive edge play because the really good teams generally have that whether it's a four three or three four, and you're gonna have to figure out how to how to to execute offense against that.
Let's ask JP about coaches comments regarding the way he's practiced this year.
Here's Jalen Phillips.
Oh, I just try to take a day by day.
I honestly don't think it's been as good as he said they were, but I'm just a really hard critic on myself and awesome constantly trying to improve. So it's been a great offseason so far though. Obviously feeling confident and comfortable in the defense, comfortable with the guys, So just looking to build on you know, what we did last year and well had done so far this offseason.
And your experience working with Bradley Chubb.
JP.
Here's the Dolphins outside linebacker.
Yeah.
I mean we definitely spent a lot of time getting closer with each other off the field, and I think that just helps on the field. I think when you have those relationships with your teammates and it just you know, brings up the motivation, makes want to play for them even more. So I think it's just iron sharpening and iron with us. We're competitive, but you know, we're for
each other. So whether it's the weight room, whether it's off the field with our habits, whether it's out here, like, we're always.
Making sure that we're on point.
So it's nice to have kind of like an accountability brother when it comes to that.
And why don't you go ahead and tell us about the best part of Bradley Chubb's game.
I mean, he's just he's a baller bro, He's a game. His technique is really what I like the most.
I kind of look out to him when it comes to that, honestly, and have him kind of put me on games, showing me different techniques and things. So I think he's very crafty and obviously physically gifted. So I love having him on the opposite side of me for sure.
And last but not least, you heard him talk about technique and fundamentals. Here's his takeaway from what Chubb and coach Fangio and just the idea of perfecting technique and what it means to him to be sharp with your technique.
Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to get everything to kind of be muscle memory at this point. I think that's kind of the moment when that switch happens, is when you know all the things that you're working become just second nature, so that when you're playing, not even thinking about throwing moves and different doing different things, or just going.
So I think that's kind of what I'm trying to get to and what I've been working towards.
Xavier and Howard has his charity softball game coming up on June seventeenth. We asked him about that and why maybe baseball softball not his preferred game.
We'll still recruit, still trying to get some guys that come in to all a couple of guys on the team coming and other guys around the league, especially on guys.
From here also in the league. Trying to get the gumbyballs.
I just want to kiss the ball, really, I don't want to beat. I'm scared to get hit by the ball, you know, I don't want to catch it though.
All right, there you go, tons of media in this podcast. You know, practices are short, it's limited. Team periods, So not a ton to cover like we get in training camp, but I think it's fun to talk about what we see on the football field.
Those are my car keys.
But let me know you guys, think you guys like the style of the podcast kind of incorporating some more audio into the mix there as we go along. I want to hear from you guys.
I want to make the show for you guys.
Really, There's some stuff in here for me always obviously, but it is ultimately for you guys, the fans.
Also want to go ahead and tell you about.
Tehron Armstead's work over the weekend and really promote what he did for that family out in the state of Illinois.
Go ahead and check out my timeline.
I retweeted the tweet from toront arms So basically gifted a family some transportation for both the children and the parents. There, So really cool stuff from Tron Armstead. We back at it again tomorrow, guys. Another day of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. More media coverage as well. Plenty of content coming away here on the Draft Time podcast. In the meantime, that's going to be my time you all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.
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You can follow me on Twitter at Winkfield NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank podcast with my guys Seth and Juice. Check out our YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins Today, and so much more. At last, but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com. Until next time, Fins Up, Caroline Cameron, Daddy, He's coming thro