Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.
Now let me check your pulse if you're not.
What is up? 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, Day one from Houston is complete and it was a good one. We got tons of football expertise from Mike McDaniel to a tongue of by lower,
Jeff Wilson, Xavien Howard to Ron Armstead. Plus I'm gonna break down practice, mostly offense, and then I'm gonna get djb Enemy from ESPN Houston on here to talk about that Dolphins defense because didn't get a chance to watch much of that as he really locked in on that side.
From Houston, this is the driver.
Definitely forgot where I was there for a moment, so not from the Baptist Health Studios, but we got some more football philosophy from coach today and I want to start the podcast with that because I feel like he's done a good job every step of the way explaining to us the context behind these practices and the plays and how you should evaluate them, and I feel like we should listen to him more than anybody else, and
I include myself in that anybody else category. But I just wanted to get this explanation of how these practices come together and the evaluation that they're looking at what should be the same thing we're looking at, and how it's not the same as what you look at in a football game the results. Right, let's go ahead and start here with coach mcdan.
Because you can get lost, and I've been very clear with the team that this is such an opportunity for technique work with some very variants on both sides, specifically for the offense in terms of the defensive structure that you're going against, and it's about our technique and developing it. I think it's hugely important that we utilize the opportunity to work on our craft. And it's quite the opposite of the x's and those, because I don't think either.
What's cool about this joint practice is both sides of the ball. The the best part of their functionality is their inherent technique obsession. So you know, I know that through uh working with Bobby Slowik, and I know that working you know right alongside Jamiico Ryans, and I know that to be the case on both sides of the ball for our team. So it is about players developing their technique and really at a critical juncture for the
for the roster decisions that are that that come. How how do guys take failures or successes and move forward.
This is gonna be a great opportunity to see that.
With a fully digested playbook at their disposal.
You're gonna get tons of audio from the players today. There was great media availabilities, lots of jobial time looking back and forth between us and the players. Let's go to t Ron Arpson on the exact same topic, the evaluation of training camp.
Yeah, so for for us, and it's my perspective, I don't think the result is as isn't necessarily the goal of part It as much as the operation and the flow and the rhythm and how consistently can we get in and out of the huddle, everybody lining up where they supposed to be, get the motion, get the play started, and then everybody want be where they are where they're supposed to be at.
The end of the play.
So the result not so much but as long as we keep doing that, everybody working in details, being exactly where you need to be doing your job, we will we will have results, and a lot of them.
Yeah, I feel like we should listen to that guy when he talks to In fact, let's go right back to t staid, because we saw the same thing today, a really good showing from the offense.
I like today. I like today. We've been having some challenges, some struggle, more so just.
The the time and and the just the vibe of the offense trying to run the operation and make it run like a machine, and we haven't been able to do that the way that we have grown accustomed to. When we're rolling, today felt normal, it felt more normal. Still had some pickups, of course, but from an operation standpoint, it felt like.
A real offense.
Now. It didn't start that way.
Two was picked off by former BAMA teammate Christian Harris, big fan of his coming out by the Way self promotion, but on that play, Harris fell into the hook zone and undercut a receiver and found the football and eventually the end zone, and Tua mentioned after practice that Harris did a good job of trusting his drop and going off of what he learned last year playing the Dolphins.
I think this is a good chance for the Dolphins to learn from this and Tua to learn from this that he was able to adjust to what the Dolphins did to beat the Texans last year and beat them really badly in the first half that two had played in. But all the displacing that Tua does with his eye movement, his body position movement, the you know moving of defenders, and he didn't take the cheese, which is a great play.
Like if you can do that and you can hold your zone and hold that that you know, part of the grass, it's a great play, especially when you find the football.
That's why it all comes down to.
Here's Tua talking about that interception as well as the pick by Jalen Petrie on the first interception.
I think it's what I've done done best is looking guys off and no looking throws into holes like that. I talked to Christian Harris buddy Alabama and told me that, dude, you did that so much to us last year that like I was like, okay, just trust my drop in in this area and he's like, I'm not falling for it.
And that's that's basically what happened.
So it's good play for him and that too, you know the mind game of that, it's like, wow, I never never thought that you'd figure that out, that piece of the game out, So that kudos to him.
And then on that that last one that man, I wish I could have had it that went back.
But then when I was trying to trying to trying to maneuver someone and it didn't work out with one of the receivers and that's that was the only place to ditch the ball.
Probably should have just sailed it to the ground. But it's a good play.
Hear him say. There the no look past he's been talking about. I've been theorizing that from practice from that perch high above the practice field, Like pretty sure two was popping these things into the no look where he's trying to hold the defender by looking elsewhere, then going right and behind them. There you go a little bit of confirmation there and he again got caught in that last play by Jalen Petrie. And I if I liked Harris Gosh, I love Jalen Petrie coming out of Baylor.
He's going to be an all pro someday. But he did a good job of playing the route combination, and somebody posted the video on Twitter. You can see him playing that short side of the field the passing weakness, not the strength of the passing game, but the weakness, and to it worked the strength and came back to the weak side, and Petrie just read the route combination, like you can look at him and he's not even
queuing the quarterback. He's just looking at the route combination and just kind of knew the defense, like that's a great player making a great play, and to a mention that there's only one place that ball can go and it can't be there. He probably should have grounded it or seld it over the top of the head there so said he wanted it back. I thought that was a pretty good, you know, admission there, Tua, and just you can see that even on the mistakes, he's processing
the game right now at a pretty high level. But it was just other than those two plays, it was really really damn good, like Tistad said, And Tua was, you know, absolutely jovial at the end of practice, which tells me that he felt it was a good day. I don't think you're gonna come to the podium and have a great time talking about movies. If you didn't feel like you kind of diced up the Houston Texas for the most part. But it was constant, tons of completions,
spread the wealth. I love the rip he had the durham smythe down the middle of the field, which was before the Peatri pick in that final period where Tua got to the backside and it must have been a third or fourth read in the progression there because he worked the front side check check, didn't see it, got back to that backside and made the catch. And I was talking to Durham about this at lunch. I said, like, looked like Tua got through your third or fourth progression.
He's like, yeah, it was cool to see. Cool get that pass there wasn't That's not a play. Ridersually get the ball.
So Tua did a good job finding all that stuff and getting back there and ripping that big shot. Let's go ahead and hear from Tua on the big play down the field to Durham's side.
Yeah, that's that's exactly what happened. On that side.
They showed inside leverage on Tyreek, then they jumped outside leverage, got Tyreek a little stuck, just had to progress.
Always nice when you asked two of a play happened a certain way, since that's exactly what happened. So my more self promotion here on my own podcast. On the very next play too, I had a forty yard touchdown the Tyreek hill. And I don't think anybody else reporting this, but I'm gonna call it that way and call me a Dolphins home if you like.
But I know what I saw.
I'm overrolling the officials on this one here, because Tyreek catches a pass and stride and turns it up much in the way you saw in the video the other day when he's in the Orange Jersey and he scored that sixty five yard touchdown. The defender scraped his fingernail on Tyreek's hip like there's zero percent chance he makes that tackle, and Tyreek finished it and put his hands up, So again that tells me all need to know. But that's a touchdown. They spot him down after a game
of twenty or so. Then it was a run stuff and then the pick budget than Petrie, but my count, it was a two play drive eighty yards down the field, six points in a game winning drive.
Scenario. That's a big time there.
And again multiple you know, stops through the progression from the quarterback to be a defense in a high stress, high lever situation. That throw to smythe one of the best I've seen from him. He was under pressure and just got through it quick, quick, quick, boom boom boom, like under three seconds. Front side one, front side two. No good get to the backside for Durham in the three position, let it rip, big time game. He was open, put it up high over the top of him like
a line drive. He goes up and gets it and takes off for a bigger run. Let's go ahead and go back to Toron Armstead, who I talk to about how the offense benefits not just in the run game, in the pass game, but in the quick game because Dolphins have been really executing the screen and short and quick game to mitigate some of these blitz looks, and again I think offset what team said to them last year to kind of throw them out of their rhythm
there late in the season. Let's go back to Tarron arms At about how valuable that is for this offense to be able to get the game out the ball out quick in the offensive line to use the d in the running game and extend that as an extension of the running game out wide on those screens.
Yeah, that's the foundation. That's the foundation.
So we'd flying off the ball, putting that stress on the ages, putting that stress on the linebackers, and then we make it look the same and as a play action with Tyreek or Jalen or chosen River somebody else coming across the field, and you're more reactive for close to being a position.
You know that that flying off the ball.
That's the foundation of everything we're trying to do, So nothing else works if.
We don't do that.
And throughout the day, Houston just brought tons of pressure. They were getting into his face a lot, but I thought he was exceptional staying calm, staying with his reeds and process and just finding the solution for that given look, which on a day like today, you have no earthly idea what you're walking into in day one, I expect Miami to be even sharper, and those picks have not happen tomorrow because you're going into a game without a
game plan. Essentially, in these joint practices, you have no idea what they're going to do, and so you can't really you know, prepare for certain things. And I just thought that he was really on top of it. The backs caught a million balls once again that's been a theme all camp. Tight ends were heavily involved and when you when the look called for it, you know, he got it out to Tyreek quickly on like little flat routes or Braxen or eric Azukama on now routes or
chosen or set or river, you name it. The ball was going all over the field today. Two of his best balls were a little back pile on touch throws like little wheel routes where he got one to most or to the back pilon and another river craycraft go Koog's for both touchdowns in the mid red zone absolute dimes. They both kind of reminded me of the Trent Sherfield touchdown catch in the back corn last year against Cleveland. I asked too about facing the Dolphins defense, which has
given so far Miami's offense. It's given the Falcons offense and now today the Texans offense a lot of trouble. I asked too about facing them. Didn't really answer the question the way I asked it, But I still like what he talks about here with the idea of facing a new defense and how difficult it can be in these joint practices.
Yeah, it makes it tough going into.
Playing other teams because you're you've been practicing against the OTAs, You've been practicing a good amount of with against them in camp, and it's things that they do that sort of mitigate you to second guests yourself on certain throws.
And you know, the timing of things. Every team's different, and it's like clean slate.
You gotta figure out what this team does, they don't do necessarily what like our team does.
Maybe sometimes situationally they could.
But it's just the mind game of that, and so that's all it was.
Other QBS, Skyler Thompson found Brax and Barrios for a long touchdown, an absolute coverage bust. Barrio smoked his man. I didn't see who it was, but you know, Skyler could not miss him. He did not the ball was I like throwing the ball short when you got a guy wide open, which we've seen it happen millions of times before, and Skyler did a good job of making sure it was a big game here at Braxson Burrios and not just a big game. It goes them for
six and a touchdown. I thought Mike White played really well in rhythm. Had one throat of chosen on a curl route coming back down the stem where the ball was out before he broke down and throttled down to come back to the football, and right when he got his eyes back to the ball there it was let's go ahead and hear from Jeff Wilson here before our first break, because I think all this coincides together with
how quickly two was playing the position. Right now, let's go to Jeff Wilson about the backs involvement in the passing game.
It's very dynamic, you know what I mean. You got guys that can play first, second, and third down. So when you have that, you know, it makes it a tough room to make competition tough, and it brings like tough competition. So when you have all that keep going and you got guys that can roll like that, you know, it's really really makes the playbook easier. It'll call plays for you and it makes it bigger for you. So we just try to keep on doing everything. We can't
catch pass run and never limit our game. That way, we can always be prepared and ready for anything to.
Throw it on with.
I freaking love hafe Man. He is such a character.
Let's go ahead and take our first break right there and come back on the other side and get some more offensive No, it's here for more of the guys. Will also welcome in Djbenemy from ESPN Houston on.
The third segment.
All of that's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by I Don't Nation. Let's go ahead and keep it with Jeff Wilson here out of the break. I want to pick it right back up with him because I think Raheem Mostert's having a really, really good camp, which tracks with what he did towards the end of the season with those big numbers last year. I asked Jeff Wilson what he thinks about Raheem Moster two four years remove from his knee injury. Here's hefe on Raheema.
Oh yeah, no doubt, no doubt. He's at a high level right now, and I love that for him, and he bringing our whole room up to him. So to see him keep going, to see him keep moving, everybody try to calm home and kick that dame.
To see you moving the way you moving.
You know, I'm sure they have it for him because I know what he can do, just like we know everybody and not room can do.
So see those guys keep on executing, Man, this beautiful thing.
Let's go ahead and finish up here.
Who Jeff talked about the development of the running back room and you'll hear from Coach McDaniel in a moment on just that. As I thought there was some key kind of chosen words there from McDaniel regard the Dalvin Cook signing and the fact that we liked von A Chain a lot. Let's go ahead and ask Jeff Wilson how he feels about the backs where they've come from day one to now in Houston.
Oh man, it's in our offense. Is a lot of details, and you know.
Even not even for us, for our younger guys in the room with people that we just driving Devine, Chris, all those guys man, all those coming in and all those little things you see that they was messing up in a are trying to get down the OTA's and now the season and here you can see that they're clamped down on it and now they're making new improvements or they trying to improve on new things. That's the
that's the whole thing, or what he possibly means. So we're not making the same mistakes and we improve in every day. So I feel like if we keep doing that, we're gonna be a tough move to stop.
Let's keep it on that same topic here and go to head coach Mike McDaniel, who talked about the development of the running back so far through training camp.
I'm I'm very happy with our running back group.
There's been a ton of development since camp started for already talented guys that I very much believe in. So overall, I'm really pumped with the running back group as far as other teams transactions, and.
Really I haven't even.
Paid that much attention other than to what what is today. Today's practice was the sixteenth of August, and I'm very happy with the crew that we're gonna I'm gonna compete with and I pumped to compete against.
This unit too, And that's something I've been feeling really all throughout camp so far. As I think you have a little bit of everything in that running back room, I think there's tons of speed and depth that really allows you to get through, you know, an eighteen game grind of an NFL season where attrition really stacks up, especially at running back. And Rahiem had some good pops
in this practice like he's had all camp long. Savon had a really crafty run picking his way through traffic and a Chang kind of quick throw up the sideline that took off for a big gainer. Just all three of those guys, really, I should include Jeff Wilson as well. All four of those guys have been alternating big plays both in the run in pass game all camp long. I thought where the Texans defense looked the best was on the line, and I really don't think.
The offensive line.
Defensive line pass rush driels are a fair fight and they typically get the majority of the wins, and their D line did on this day. It was it was a rough go for Miami's offensive line in the one on one drills, but Miami's D line gave it to Houston's offensive line as well. But you can you can see where the added space allows the defensive line to
use their length to separate. But you just don't get that in team like I heard one comment from the you know, the beat reporters there about a rep where someone got around Connor Williams, and I'm like, well, yeah, because he usually has someone leaning on him to help him in that particular look. And if that guy tries that move to create that much length and space between he and the center, he's going to catch a rack of ribs from the guard next to him, especially when
it's Robert Hunt. So the center is always almost always getting help in a condensed space, and I just don't think that replicates.
That in that drill.
I thought that the play that played out as we went a long throughout the day, Houston got their pressures from blitzes, but that was really it, and Tua had answers to that repeatedly over and over and over again. Then when it was coverage to us, sat back and went to work, like, really, damn good day for the offense really in all facets. However, the very first play of the day, Tyreek did welcome youngster Derek Stingley to
the show with a wicked release and vertical route. He was gone quickly for what could have been a long touchdown, but the Texans did get in Ontua on this one and he had to eat the rock and just take the sack or the incompletion.
I asked a Ron arms At about the slow building camps.
He kind of will mention here, and we've heard the reports on it that it hasn't been as crisp, you know, in the early going for the offense. But he made a comment about how today they're starting to hit that click. Here's to Ron talking about his career in the league and how training camp progression typically works, although it wasn't quite the same in New Orleans when he had Drew Brees and Sean Payton for a million years.
It's kind of hard to say.
I was in the regime that had a lot of consistency with the quarterback and the head coach, and then you know, it wasn't many many changes to that offense, so we would kind of jump in and pick up where we left off.
In a sense.
In a sense this being a new scheme still still you know, pretty new to everybody, So it's a lot of details that you just have to practice and get them reps and experience in order to.
Adjust them and learn how to operate. New guys on the edges.
New guys up front all that it's all about the chemistry and cohesiveness.
Let's go ahead and wrap up this segment here with a little theme I put together. Here's Tua, Tarn and McDaniel talking about the value of getting the team together outside of South Florida, being stuck in a hotel together all week, and the value of the bonding experience you get when you're away from home for a whole week.
You know, that's an.
Overlooked part of joint practices that I hold with high regarding, high high esteem, because you know, it's about a team coming together, and this offers an opportunity for for guys to you know, in the unique situation that we have in Miami Gardens is a lot of guys live all over the place, so you don't you know, people have lives and you want teams to come together and you want guys to spend time together. Well, here we are locked up in a hotel together, so there's nowhere to hide.
Even if they don't want to see me, they have to run into me. But the we we specifically try to orchestrate the whole joint practice session and the travel times around that coming out here before the player day off so that guys can really invest into each other, and I think they really have between position, dinners and various things. I know rookies are preparing to skit for the veterans to be entertained with on Thursday night.
So there's a lot of good things going on. And happy to be here in Houston.
Yeah, I think it's really really good.
We had an off day yesterday coming here, went to dinner with the guys on Monday, and then we also got to go watch a movie, you know, yesterday, so it was cool. It's like a movie fest yesterday, just movie happened and watched Oppenheimer.
That was pretty good. Freaking long, that's a long movie.
Oh my gosh.
Sound of Freedom's good.
Yeah.
Sound of Freedom is definitely really good.
You get should watch that, especially you guys are kids.
That's thanks for dinner. Mike White paid for dinner. I know exactly what.
Yeah exactly, Yeah, Mike White paid for dinner the vet. But yeah, thanks, guys, appreciate it.
Thanks, you appreciate it.
Yeah, No, it's it's important.
It's important get a chance to know some guys have some have some some unusual conversations that you just don't really have time to have uh in a normal setting, and then you come out and.
Compete against another team. UH protect each other.
That that energy that us against them, that vibe that you just won't necessarily get in training camp because we're all on the same team.
Uh. So I enjoy it. I enjoy it for sure. I think it's I think the joint practices are great.
Let's go ahead and take our second break right there and come back on the other side, and we're gonna hear more from Mike McDaniel from Xaviing Howard and my guest today from ESPN Houston, dj B Enemy breaking down all things Dolphins defense versus Texans offense. That's Next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by automation. Let's open up this segment here with coach who touched on the status of Christian Wilkins. I think Dolphins fans are gonna want to hear this.
You know, Christians, such a good player, such an important person in the locker room, who has made it clear that he feels that his plays deserving.
Of a contract.
We would agree as the Miami Dolphins organizations. Henceforth, we are in negotiations and us. As a result, he's hasn't been participating in the team and you know when he next participates.
That he'll we have to.
And then finally we also heard from Xavier and Howard who gave us unsolicited a practice player of the day.
The defense is good.
You know, he made a plays gang, especially in.
A lot of players that you know, uh that dro the ball no matter where he haet on the field, so you know, makes some plays.
You know, we have some stops and stuff like that. Was overall, it was good. It was a good joint practice.
And x is always going to stay humble about his production and the way his team plays. But I wanted to run this because I've been talking about it a lot on the podcast, and you'll hear it more from my guest here in just a second as well. How good the secondary has done at minimizing busted coverages, keeping the roof on top of the defense, communicating and making sure big plays are limited.
It's going wrong.
Will we got to words on it.
You know, it's says some new scheme and you know, you pulling on on this gave better.
You know, we all got to be on the same pace.
So there you go.
I only saw a small portion of the practice on the defensive side, including a two minute drill to end practice, and it went like this, Elijah Campbell in that big nickel role, which I think he is very well suited for, and if you want to go nickel or dime like, he is a.
Good depth piece in the defensive backfield.
But I was just talking about how surprised I was to see him out there with the ones, and all of a sudden he breaks on a ball for a pass breakup and nearly picks it off. He's had a
great camp so far. Then Jerome Baker gets to the quarterback in like one point two seconds and I saw him getting some lunch downstairs after practicing, and I said, I don't think I've ever seen a quicker sack than the one you had today, and he laughed about it and said they still didn't give it to me though, So that kind of let the Texans extend to play and Stroud gets a completion on that play, but for
me it was still second in a mile. And then on the very next play, which was first in ten technically, Jalen Phillips consented for a sack which I was told was one of many on the day. Speaking of that, Let's go ahead and get to my guest today from ESPN Houston, Djbenemy, who broke it all down for us and joining us now here from Houston Dolphins and Texans joint practice Day number one in the books is Houston or ESPN Houston reporter, I should say, djb Enemy, DJ, how are you today?
Man? I'm doing good. I'm glad to be inside.
You know, it's kind of hot outside and you was out there, but it was hot, but I'm glad to be inside.
It was a good day of practice though good competition overall.
I was warned that it was going to be just as hot as it is down South Florida. But I gotta tell you today was I don't want to call it a walk in the park, but it was a lot better than what we're used to down down our neck of the woods.
Really, It's so funny because like a lot of like Texan guys say, it's so high.
Me, I'll be cooling because obviously I'm from South Florida. I'm from Miami. So yeah, like the weathers or whatever, you know, it's it's the thing to me.
The only difference is Miami's a little more we're here, yeah, like a little more dry. So like when the wind's blowing, it's usually blowing with like just hot air with some times the winds blowing down at the crib. Some times that could be a little bit cooler because of degrees from the ocean.
Yeah, I thought it was the humidity was the big difference, I thought for me, because you know, doesn't matter a time of day you walk outside in South Florida, it's just hits you like a freaking oven opening up. So I thought it was a little bit break That early morning practice was certainly appreciated there as well, but enough whether talk DJ. I wanted to get you on here because the Texans have a couple of practice fields that it's a hard angle to see both at the same time,
and you were over there taking diligent notes. I saw you when I came over getting some notes in your notepad there on Texans offense versus Dolphins defense. I wanted to bring you on and ask you about that and just kind of start off here with your general takeaways from that session. When they were facing whether it was CJ. Stroud, Davis Mills, Ones, and twos, threes, whatever you got for us, Just curious your overall takeaway from the Dolphins defense in this day.
Yeah, I mean there were a lot of players where CJ didn't restlarly know where to go to the ball and was holding it right. He'll look one way, look right, and look like and everything was basically covered. Obviously, There's some plays where you know he would still find a guy, but for the most part, there are a lot of plays, especially early on, where Vic you could tell Vick was confused in CJ, which is normal. Vicker is one of the best DC's we can go as far as say ever, like he's one of the.
Best ever, so like that was kind of expected. Obviously.
There were also some plays where Jayler Phillips was able to beat George Parp and get pressure obviously, you know on the other side of Larry Tungsten was kind of holding it down. Like there wasn't really much pressure cover for Larabies aside because Laramie is one of the best
tagles in the league. But I think what we saw today was Vic be you know, the front seven look good because there weren't that many plays where you saw even a run game get going, like there was a one play where I remember Damian Pierce got a big run and maybe Devin Singletary, But for the most part, when they were running the ball, the Texans all offensive line wasn't able to create the increases necessary for Damien or Singletary to get to the second level. So the front,
the front seven stood out. Obviously the back end was was pretty good, but you know, I can't I expect that, especially going into the Texans wide receivers and Textan wide receivers and all. There's still questions there based on the production of twenty twenty two. So but overall though, I think there was if you're a Dolphins fan, this was a day where you could feel comfortable knowing that they had it on paper, they had the advantage, and they executed efficiently.
It's it's been kind of a theme, and I almost feel like this is probably true for most teams when they hit those joint practices. Even watching the Hard Knocks episode the other night, you know, the Jets were not happy with the way they performed against the Panthers. The Jets offensively against the Panthers defense, and you know, I
talked to two about this after a practice. How when you go up against your defense and it's the same coverage as their same looks and generally the same you know scheme every single day, then you get something different. It's a little bit of a shock to the system, you know, thirteen fourteen days into this, and I think we saw that both from the Atlanta practice last week and now here with the Texans. Sounds like on both sides of the ball a little bit at least early.
For the Dolphins offense. They got going later on.
But I wanted to go back to that what you mentioned with the you know, the coverage being so sound in the back end, because that's been really one of my themes so far off camp is how I think that the Dolphins have taken to Vic Fangio's defense and obviously, like you mentioned, one of, if not the greatest DC of all time and fatializes in just that right, like these these men match coverages where you get pressure four or five up front and drop a bunch into coverage
and confused posing quarterbacks. I think that probably comes the territory with the guy like CJ. Stroud, who hasn't seen you know, a bunch. He's a rookie obviously, but I just your takeaway on the Dolphins second darying that back end and kind of how they were able to put the clamps. I know you mentioned the receivers versus a cornerback matchup, but what did you see in general from how the Dolphins just kind of operate as a whole back there.
Yeah, there weren't that many booking plays at all. In honesty, the only plays where.
Like see if they would have some success, especially down in that red zone, was when like he had to kind of like scramble around to try to create something.
And to be honest, you can live with that if you're a DC.
You can live with that, unless like the the scramblers like Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts or even Josh Allen.
But for the most part though, you can live with that.
If you got a young quarterback running around trying to make something happen. I'll let you know his first and second readason there and the pressures getting to him nice having to create something out of nothing, and that puts you in position to succeed every single time.
And again, like there were a few plays. I know you probably saw it or maybe did.
It, but we'll see you will try to go deep, because he went deep three times to Nico Collins twice and then went deep to Exaviorer Hutchinson, the rookie out of Iowa State, and both all three passes fell incomplete. You know, all three passes, and I remember one to Nico down the right sideline whenever two Dolphin defenders right there right. It was going to basically take a perfect throw and a perfect touch from a.
Top tier receiver to make that connection happen.
And you just can't expect that from You just can't expect that from a rookie against a big vaguel defense, you know, year one trying to make those type of throat But that goes to show you that the coverage, as you mentioned, the communication sticky coverage everybody there's supposed to be. So yeah, no, the secondary on the back end was was a was was exceptional.
That's why I'm excited to have your voice on the podcast here because people are gonna hire. I think that I coach you up because you basically just said what I've been talking about for fourteen days of Dolphins camp were last year. It was all these deep balls that the Dolphins were getting over and over again. It just doesn't happen this year. And they've been efficient in the intermediate and quick game, but the deep stuff has been
really well covered by the Dolphins. D so good to hear that it's been a theme here in these joint practices. You know, it's funny you mentioned that one run that got loose.
Was was it Singletary that had the big run?
Because they have that video board out and like behind the both practice fields, and every once in a while they put up a player from the other field and you could see it and I saw, I forgot that Singletary signed here. Man, he had a really I think it was him based upon the speed that I saw, and I don't think anybody else can run like he does on that team. But the way he got to the backside that you know, the bounce lane outside was
pretty impressive. So it sounds like the run defense that was pretty solid for the most part.
Yeah, absolutely, the defense was that that kind of surprised me a little bit. Cat You know, I hold the text of office the line of high regard, and there wasn't that many creatures created. Now, granted, you know, with the run game, it's kind of tricky because you know, you just never know if Damian Pierce can break up few tackles and get that, you know, that five yard gain or tear a two yard gains on paper to like six yards and then bust one because he did that a bunch of last year.
But again, like there's a lot of game tackling.
There wasn't that many one on one tackling where Damien was able to break loosen and it's one on one. A lot of it was game tackling, you know, at the line of scrims for times a few yards pass
the line of scrimmage. So Dolphins defensive front Someone asked me how the Dolphins overall looked and I said solid, And I said that the front seven might be something like you might have something there, like something legitimate to where the loss of Jalen Ramsey might not even be as noticeable because you're going to have a front that good.
The way Phillips has been playing, it's good to hear that he continued going where he was going today because he's been like that all camp long, and he just seems to be on the trajectory that really speaks to his you know, his growth as a player in his third year and hopefully some of those press this year that happen last year turn into more sacks for him this season. Where were some areas the Texans you thought
performed well on the offense side of the football. Where do they kind of give mind me some trouble?
Uh?
In the red zone? Yeah?
In the red zone, Tank Dale had about I think two to three touchdowns, but some of them took a little bit. They're more long developing, and we all know just based on just that preseason game Week one, like you know, holding the ball that's gonna.
Lead some issues.
So again, like now if it was one, two, three boom touchdown, then that's a little different. Like when tull was down doing red zone. There's some plays where it was one through three throw touchdown, Like he had two touchdowns where it was like all you turn up to that was within the rhythm of the offense where some.
Of the tank stuff was easy.
The tank for touchdowns was a little bit touch that red area of in rhythm or outside of the rhythm. But again I would say the red zone is where the Texans offense had some success. CJ made some really good throws, some ubscribed, had a couple of nice scrambles. So I would say the red zones with the Texans offense had some more success, but in between the twenties they didn't have that much.
DJ appreciate your time today.
Man, know you're a busy guy, so DJ baname ESPN Houston, check you stuff out.
Thank you again for your time today.
Sir, no prob Thank you for having me.
All right, there you go.
Day one from Houston is a rap. We'll come back tomorrow and do the exact same thing. I believe I'm gonna have another guest on to help out with the line of sight because offense and defense is tough to watch at the same time, also have Steve Golcie on the podcast on Friday here from Houston. Plenty to come your way on the Draft Time podcast. In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.
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You can follow me on social at winkled NFL, follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank podcast with Seth and Juice, the YouTube channel for media Availabilities, Good Ones Today, Dolphins Today, and so much more, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com Until next time, Finn's up Carolina and camera and Daddy will be home in a few days.