To on the move, going deep speedlers Peace. From the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield. He's my avands in the playoffs. What is up Dolphins and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, the Finns were back on the field and I was back in the stands taking notes. We're breaking down another Dolphins practice. We'll hear from head coach Mike McDaniel, durham
smythe as well. Another flagship edition of the podcast starts right now from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
This is.
The Draft Time Podcast, Ye Daffy. We call it the flagship podcast here because breaking down practice is what we do best on this show. And again I will put it up there against anybody else that evaluates a football practice for your Miami Dolphins as the top place to go for your notes, and the aggregators of Dolphins podcast Land will prove that in their own right by showing you my tweets and my stuff that comes out as they report it as if they were actually there. But
I digress. Another football practice broke out on this sunny and rainy Tuesday from Miami Gardens hot as hell, then a' monsoon which we needed badly, and then the field was dry like an hour after all of that. I've been here for almost five years now and the weather still fascinates me. So my apologies for starting off with small talk on you guys some weather we're having, huh, but your weather authority here at five o'clock starts off the show to get to our lead story. Our at least
toy today was to a tongue of II LOOA. He was here ripping passes, kicking ass and taking names, chewing bubble gum all out of bubble gum, that whole thing. And look, he has been here, just not for the last week's media viewing session. And I think I mentioned this on the podcast last week sometimes or this one single time, because I don't think that Tua has missed a camp practice since I've been here, which spans his
whole career OTAs or training camp. But when he's not out there, I probably get a little bit wider of a scope of practice. But then there's also how much smoother having a top ten quarterback in your practice in the NFL tends to make the practice look a little bit better. It makes the receivers jobs easier, It makes the run game work a little bit better. We know what his processing and trigger combination does for the offensive line.
It was just seven on seven when he played. It was actually Mike White and Scolar Thompson splitting the team reps in full eleven v. Eleven. But seven on seven I saw three catch and runs on quick hitters where the wide receivers plucked the football off the stripe of their helmet in full stride and then outran the defense to the end zone. We saw all year last year
with Tyreek Hill. We've seen Jalen Waddle working this year in hype videos online to catch the ball in that way opposed to going up high to make the catch with his body. And I saw on one instance Malik Washington not do it properly and not expect the football out of his break and he dropped the ball. And then I saw a few other guys do the exact same thing. Sorry, I gotta stop. I'm popping my wedding ring and that's probably making that sound. We'll stop doing that.
I saw a few other guys do it and catch it and take off, and it does a coaching point. Catch the ball on the move, don't lose your cleats in the ground because you can continue to progress up feel with this, and that's how you erase angles and score a long touchdowns. I saw Eric Azukama do it. I saw River Craycraft do it. I saw Anthony Schwartz do it. Two of those guys are known for some speed, one of those guys not so much. But a good a good accurate throat can help a not so fast
guy do that. And this is not just a drill that affords that because it didn't happen one thing in other quarterbacks. It only happened when two was out there. And TUA is a point meant viewing and it's these little innocuous things and then I mean are seemingly innocuous. They're not innocuous, but maybe if you're not looking for these things, they are that I continue to point out when it comes to time in the system, to continuity,
to polishing an already professional approach. And that was kind of the theme today, So I wanted to focus on something coach McDaniel said in his pre practice press or this is a follow up answer to an earlier question about where Tua can grow in his third year in year program and how that third year of continuity provides benefits. Let's go ahead and start here, though, about the improvements of working with John Beck.
Deliberate intentionality with anything you do renders like some unexpected consequences that are definitely desirable. I think he uh without thinking is you know, probably generated a little more force on the on some throes he's trying to drive.
You know, I have.
Uh, actually extensive experience with uh with the coach that he's working with, John Beck. I was a coach and too thy eleven for the the Washington team that that he quarterbacked, and have have been on a couple of.
Teams where he's he's.
Uh worked with some of the quarterbacks we've had already, So there's some familiarity with that, which is awesome because well, Johnny knows what we're trying to do in the in the in the direction with or.
How we asked the quarterback to play.
So I think I think just that connectivity to your your game and finding or trying to unearth every single inch and iota of of professional development that in itself.
You're headed in the right direction.
So I think there's there's some things that I'll probably see every day, and when you when you talk to him, I think there's uh sometimes that he's effortlessly doing some of the things he's used to doing, just not really having to think as much because he's been so deep diving into his trade.
I've generally steered my eyes elsewhere from the quarterbacks during individual driels the last few years. In twenty twenty, it was all I could watch, understandably so right trying to measure Tua and Fitzpatrick versus Josh Rosen who even twenty nineteen couldn't hit Joe Chamino standing still by the sidelines
in individual driels. But I digress. But today I wanted to get a look since this was the first live look we've seen at Tua, or at least that I was supposed to be at, of all the off season work. And I think that in those videos that have been posted with him working with John Beck or with Waddle and Reeke down here with Nick Hicks on their own,
I see a little more compact, mechanical approach. He's a little tighter in everything he does and an even shorter wind up that tightened up everything else as a result. And I mean that is throwing mechanics. One oh one,
it's a football, it's a baseball, it's otherwise. I've told the story about my own growing journey on here and tightening up my windmill release I used to have, and how it made me go from playing second base to shortstop and third base because my arm strength improved enough to be able to make the throw across the diamond. The tighter you can be, the more velocity you can generate on a ball, football or baseball or whatever you throw.
Think about it like a rubber band, An old, oft used rubber band that hangs like a sleeve of wizard will not snap as hard when you slingshot it against your buddy's arm. But a fresh, crisp one that we all look for in life that can leave a mark. If you slingshot it onto your friend's back arm whatever, it can leave a bruise there, right. So I noticed that in individual drills. Then I watched it in routes on air, and then again during the team periods or seven v seven, and it was more of the same
in terms of timing and accuracy. Like I said, he was dialing up dudes right out of the break and into the run after the catch. One percent better is how the elites focus on their improvements because they're already so good, right, They're not going to make major strides. They're not going to turn from a night ninety five golfer into a eighty and below golfer like Travis Wingfield did in two years of really grinding on his swing. It just doesn't happen at that rate when you're already
that good. Now I can break eighty now, But am I going to break seventeen times soon? Probably not. It's a much lower progression there, But one percent better when you are the elite of your profession, that one percent can make all the difference. And today I saw a quarterback that looked one percent better than in January when we last saw him. Let's go ahead and hear from his head coach on the growth and what year three can do for this talented quarterback within this system.
That's been a cool process because you have two years under your belt together where you you know, all you've seen is his game progress.
And I think year three we really.
Got to, you know, take a step back and assess not just the things that he liked or the things that he looked comfortable with, but what are some things maybe he hasn't looked comfortable with in the past that we can get him some.
Comfort levels with it.
Kind of we've kind of re challenged ourselves and how we verbalize stuff. And you know, the bottom line is our connectivity with how we see things and what we're trying to do with every different assignment, that can always get cleaner.
And I think it really has.
I think there's been some cool things. He will be here today and you know, in the in the short amount of time, he had two practices last week and we we saw some growth and development within what we're what we're specifically asking him to do. So it's been very exciting because you know, you're at this point we're like, all right, well, let's really push ourselves to challenge this guy, because all he ends up doing is rising to the
challenge within what we ask him to do. So I think to expect, you know, the same if not more growth within your game from each year, I don't think is.
Crazy. I think for us to.
Expect just as much, if not more, from year two to year three is very safe for our expectations, and I know he feels the same way too. There's a lot of places where we can get our game better. So excited about this opportunity on May twenty eighth.
And what do I always say about a coach or a player providing feedback on some of your thoughts or theories or hypothesises that you perceive to be factual. It's for the ego satisfaction aspect of the job, right, Nothing better than that. Ever. I just think it's common sense, though, to be totally honest. Intimate relationship, friendship, coworker. Any relationship improves over time, especially in the communication aspect. I played golf with a couple of guys here that are two
of my best friends in the whole world. When I first met them, you had to be reserved and not be your full authentic self, right, But then now we play golf and they get the full authentic Travis Wingfield experience, And so I thought that was really really going to help a team that is trying like hell to get over this proverbial hump, to get through the wild card round and play their best football late in the year
and be a team that's playing on divisional weekend. You're saying the Dolphins have a chance to go win a game and make an appearance in the conference championship game because through two years we've been eight and three and nine and three. Right, great starts to seasons and full transparency. Look at the schedule, it's probably gonna line up like that again. You're probably gonna be on Thanksgiving DA against the Packers and you're probably gonna be let see one, two, three, four, five, six.
That means we've played eleven games. You're probably gonna be like nine to two going into the pack of the game, like most likely right, like in that range eight and three. Yet, worse to me, one of those seasons saw our quarterback get knocked out and finished nine to eight. The other one and we lost in the playoffs. So then last year we had the quarterback and not much else because everybody else was hurt, and then the production slowed down and then we had a tough showing in the playoffs
in miserable temperature. So what is next? How do we replicate that early season's success and then how do we get to the next stage? I asked Raheem, most dirt and Durham smythe about this. Durham caught a touchdown today from Tua, by the way, a nice shot over the middle as Durham caught it and took it to the
ground right over the goal line for six. And on the play I noticed Tua, which this is where I think you guys are going to be so impressed by you know, Okay, let's pull the curtain back here a little bit. We see so many comments about this quarterback can't read a defense, which I always find those comments interesting because do you know how to read a defense? Then how do you know that, right? Because if you can't see it, you can't do it. If you don't know how to teach it, you can't teach it, or
whatever the saying is. And I just don't think many folks know what they're talking about when they say that.
Some of you do, but I think a lot of folks on Twitter who like to say things just to say them, say that because it sounds good, right, But with Tua, and he's been since Alabama, But I watched that guy today go front side one two high low, read, get to the backside, find your third guy in the progression, and that was Durham Smith on this play and when you do that, he held the safety with the hips and the stripe of the helmet all aligned towards one
side of the field, that safety has to respect the boundary. Whip that thing back to the field and you've created the window and then you've ripped the window. That is what elite quarterbacks do, so to a very high level throw on that. Speaking of that, let's go ahead and hear from Durham Smith on the year three growth of his quarterback and playing in this offense and what that can do for the entire group on offense.
Yeah, I mean, I think for me it's just familiarity with the scheme. But what's fun about this offense is it changes so much and kind of evolving manner every year,
so that kind of keeps it fresh. Obviously, I know everything that we're doing right now in terms of terminology and movements and things, but there's always going to be new wrinkles thrown in which kind of keeps it fresh for us that have been here for a couple of years now, and I'm just kind of excited to see where where the evolution takes us next.
And then Raheem Moster was up next, and we'll go back to Durham smythe because he's always so good in the media. But I asked Durham a similar question about the second time he's been with McDaniel for a third year and the benefit of a third season in the same program. And if you guys recall the third year in San Francisco for Shanahan and McDaniel produced a ten point lead in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. Now, they didn't finish the job, but if the Dolphins were
in that position, sign me up today. I'll take the heartbreak that comes from a Patrick Mahomes seventeen point fourth quarter ons law, even though it's not possible for us in the AFC, I will take a loss in the Super Bowl any day of the week right now, to be perfectly frank with you guys, And Raheem gave me an answer. There's a lot more than just that. And gosh, I am so glad we have this guy both as a player and a presence, because well, this is what it sounds like to be a leader.
You know, when you get you know, guys coming in, whether you're you're new or a vent like myself in a program whereas it pretty much matters in the third year. I mean, for me, I feel like this is just one of those make or break years, you know. Me personally, I feel like I want to win a championship. I want to I want to.
Go after one, and I want to, you.
Know, get past the first round because these past two years have been bs, you know, in my in my own view. But you know, it's all about breaking that that cycle and going deep into the playoffs and entering the championship round and then onto the big dance.
So anything and everything that that that'll help.
Whether it means come out here and do what you have to do and senate based or not, it all depends on what's your core values.
And for me, my core.
Values is being with my teammates and then also getting better for myself and winning a championship.
That's all all I care about right now.
Some more notes here from the notebook on to a tongue of Bailoa. I had a throw to Anthony Schwartz on a drag route where Ethan Bonner is all over this route on top of the receiver, but TWOA throws a handoff that allows him to catch it away from the cornerback can't defend a perfect pass right and it goes in for six. And just all practice, I kept writing down, it's nice to have a real quarterback out
or who does this at a high level. Next play, Tua scrambles and extends and throws a ball against a plaster Taj Washington, who Nick Needham had basically taken him out of the play. But it's not open and it's the play is probably shut down, but in practice you try to see what you can get away with here.
So Tua throws it to a spot where Taj can kind of at the last minute create some separation because Nick's back is to the quarterback at this point and the spot that Tua puts it and allowed him to get off of the separate or get off the coverage and have a play on the ball. He didn't squeeze the ball, he dropped it, but it was right there. We'll hear again from ToJ Washington in just a moment.
Tua did have one miss in the day. He threw a backpile on the little wheel route to Jody Forts and that he just clubbed up one on like probably had some win in the back there. I make way too many golf references on the podcast now, but it was basically just a little bit too strong and too high. Overthrew it, and he knew it right away because he dropped to a knee like a I can't believe I missed that throw. Speaking of that to be a fly
on the wall man. After one of those sessions where Tua went TD TD TD incomplete TD short gain TD again in mid red zone work from the ten yard line, the linebackers came over to him and I saw Tua do a Jordan shrug, and based on how he was moving guys and squeezing windows and basically doing whatever he wanted in the drill, my guess is that they were like, bro, how the hell did you do that? Like what we had that covered perfectly? And he hits the old dice
roll shrug right the security guard. It's fun to see and he and Jordan Brooks, who I think I've mentioned in the podcast. Jordan Brooks has kind of kind of reminds me of Jialen Ramsey, like there's not a lot of like pleasantries there. It's just like he's here for one thing and one thing only. But I saw Jordan Brooks laughing with Tua after one of these reps. And it's always great to see your leader, your quarterback, the face of your franchise get friendly with a new guy
who buys in right away that quickly. I just it seems obvious. But I've seen enough takes on Twitter and why why do you care?
Drivers?
I don't know, but I've seen enough takes of like, you know what, the right guy doesn't have the right leadership, Guys don't respect him. Like if you think that, you don't know what you're talking about. And Jordan Brooks the
situation like, to me, that validates that. Oh. I also forgot one throw on air where Tua threw this super anticipatory shot to Crai Craft in the corner of the end zone on air, like a speed out route that was to the field, so to the wide side of the field, and it looks so beautiful, and they came right back to it in seven v seven to the corner and he was the corner was all over it. But Tua puts it high and away and Craikraft makes this beautiful catch where only he could he could make
the play, and he did just that. Tua also dropped a seed to Eric Azukama for a long touchdown. And I love this play because he was in the three position, which means the closest to the quarterback from a bunch shrips. You guys know what that means, right, It's from a trip's formation and tied to the formation, and he just runs the skinny post that got him a favorable matchup, and he ran by everybody, and Tua saw it early
and let this thing fly early. And when the Eric Azukama and the football met at the goal line at the exact same time, it looked like the TP roll toss on Little Giants. It landed right there, soft as it can be. You can't drop that football. Then he finishes the day with one you've seen on our social channels two with Ta Taj Washington. A beautiful route, a little fake double move where he gets on top of the dB, stacks him and then angles it back inside
to create this outside lane to throw to. And that's what great deep receivers do. You give your quarterback room to throw to the outside where you can throw you away from the coverage. And in fact, if you go back to the Patriots touchdown last year, Tua did exactly that on that throw the Tyree kill the long touchdown in the first or second quarter of that game. Go watch it. It was the exact same thing. Taj stacks, the dB tracks it reels it in for six. What
a great day for a quarterback. I want to go ahead and end the first segment with this. I thought this was a great Q and a session with Mike McDaniel regarding to a gaining some weight last year, as you all know, and now dropping it this year. What's the thinking there? There was a shift in mindset, right, Well, here's what coach had to say about Tua's weight training and what it was all for last year and what it's all for this year.
That's a very understandable misconception. It was not We were not on a offseason weight program last year. Was strength and so him getting stronger and then the UNDI intended consequences for him personally and how he saw his game. His strength increased, but he you know, he didn't really He felt like he could have the same amount of strength and kind of reshape his body and be a little lighter on his feet.
So it's kind of the natural evolution of you.
You get stronger, and then you you'd you'd really pay attention to your diet and and uh, you know the times that you're eating and when your chloric in take is those types of things, so he can maintain that strength, those strength gains while also uh, you know, being a little a little more limber within the pocket. I think is what drove him to kind of attack that which he's done a great job of.
Really fun opening segment that let's go ahead and take our first break, comeback on the other side and talk about the rest of practice and play some more sound by Strive Time podcast your host Travis Wingfield, brought to
you by Autotation. Javon Holland rocked the Orange Jersey on Tuesday, May twenty eighth, the second media availability session of OTAs, and I thought Taj Washington going back to him, ran a great route on him for one of the three scores on the day where he gave him a little bit of cheese to the outside and kind of crossed face and to a found him for six. It kind of reminded me of a Wes Welker route, which if you can run those and you have his vertical speed.
I don't know guys, I don't know these draft picks, man, they look pretty freaking good. But Javon would get redemption later on a great rep on the other rookie Washington where he matches Maleiak's pattern, squats and drives downhill and met the rookie at the catchpoint for a short pickup. I think you're gonna see a lot more Javon in coverage making plays in the football this year. He just looks more in tune with that type of def or
with that type of role in the defense. And this is without even Jaalen Ramsey or Kendall Fuller out there. So we'll see when they get a full compliment. But it was good to see him out there barking out signals, rotating from his pre snap position and just kind of being the jack of all trade in his orange number eight jersey, and he was really helping head off some
intermediate routes throughout the course of the day. I think my player of the day besides Tua, was Channing Tindall and I had four splash bloys for forty one in a pretty short period of time. Some of the notes on him here, he met the running back, he beat him to the track on outside zone and wax the back and you could hear it from the stands. It was like, hey, don't make contact, but if we're going to try to win a spot, we're going to have to try to win the spot with whatever way we can,
and he did that. He also drove on a throw to the outside on Taj Washington that he was all over and he got a lot of love from his teammates because it kind of looked like that was the opening for the quarterback. But Tindall's speed and instincts to get out there was what prevented the play from again touchdown. And he forces an incoplete on that play. On the very next rep, he re routes and then squats on a flat route to the running back and Tua has to just ground this thing. Check that it was a
Texas route. I apologize, a little Texas route over the middle where the running back angles outside and cuts back across the face, and he just took it away and the sideline erupted again. It was good coverage across the board. But to show the ability to play, I thought those two reps playing one on the perimeter one on the interior, we have to kind of process and be physical versus
the speed you have on the outside. It's a great sign for changing Tendall, who has not made a lot of progress in the first two years in terms of on field production. Speaking of number forties, number forty himself, Nick neat Hum, I thought he was right there with Tindall for the Orange Jurdy consideration. I mentioned the player earlier where he locked up a route from Taj where the plays kind of over and he just kind of
forces him into the end line. He also flew into the snap when a nice timed up runner in the backfield to meet Jeff Wilson Frey would be collision three or four yards behind the line of scrimmage. Of course we tag off in practice. Staying on defense, I thought Moe Kamara showed a good combination of punch, hands and feet and how they all worked together. They were working on long arms to lock out but keep their chest cleaning.
He looked very effective in doing this. I also thought his hands just looked quick and powerful during indies and that translated the team drills with some good get off and swipe combinations. Cam Smith spoke to the media and I'm just I'm kind of intrigued by his entire aura. He seems to get it to me. I know that's kind of like an intangible factor. But he was really good with the media. I thought that he showed the good change of direction and just how smooth he moved. Man,
he's so quick. There's a reason he was considered a potential first round pick by some. Speaking of quick movers, Saran Neil moves really well. His speed just shows up in the in the gunner role on the perimeter at cornerback. He I think he might be a hit just in terms of producing in any way he possibly can. I don't think it'll be at cornerback because we're super deep there, but gosh, that he is quick, man. I think that's
going to really play out in special teams. Leonard Pain is a guy that I think could be a dude the way he moves under the canopy drill where you're basically forced to keep a certain pad level and move with your knees bent. Do you guys know what I'm
talking about? They roll out this like canopy thing where you basically do your sideline sideline to your side, shuffling and pursued downhill to state a certain pad level, and he plays under that thing so well that I think shows a combination of where he wins on tape with the ability to both be low and you know, be
a tough target for offensive line and to hit. Would also be explosive and quick because he got under the pads of the offensive lineman a couple of times in team drills, including some work against Liam Eikenberg that kind
of pushed him on his back foot. If it wasn't tendall or need him, then it was Chop Robinson, which I know you guys want to hear that because the first two guys, you know, a nice depth defensive back, a linebacker who hasn't played it all for two years, and then your first round pick this year, who do you want to hear about. I had him wrecking three plays solely from just his get off. He is so
freaking quick off the football. He got off one time and Austin Jackson got him down, but I think he grabbed the face mask and pulled him down that way. But he and Austin were going back and forth all day. There was one where he chopped, dipped the corner and got around him on the outside and Austin walled him off when he tried to shoot inside on one of them and shut that play down. So it was like a good battle for both of those guys in a
good test for both of them. Then they swapped the offensive line and brought in another right tackle who I don't remember who it was, but chopped he took it to him in He kept burning that edge and rooted to the quarterback. He swatted one ball in the passing game and tagged off the back on another, and I gave him a sack on another play. So three impact plays there in a short team period for Chop Robinson.
I had Patrick McMorris making two plays as well. He got to the flat after a quick checkdown to the back and forced the running back out of bounds on a short throw and got some love from his teammates for doing that. He also was all over Julian Hill on an incomplete pass from Mike White when he bootlegged out and was the only possible option. He tried to force it in there, which I think is a practice throw you wouldn't make in a game, but mc morris
was all over and forced the incompletion. Some more quick rapid fire I had Duke Riley making the first run stuff of practice and coming off the pile fired up. And he also showed the team his music video I understood today, which so he was in a great mood all day. Not a good development here from last week I talked about Jack Driscoile having some good reps. I
didn't think today was the same for him. He was over a skis, fell forward a few times and Isaiah Mack got him really off balance on one particular rep. I had Neville Gallimore taking Andrew Mayer on a run back to the backfield with a really good rep. Galam Morris popped a few times in these practices. Some of these rookie offensive line are getting batis him by fire. Here Kamara had a nice upfield move that overset Bayron Mactos the tackle and then cross overstep for a hit
on the quarterback. That was impressive. Skyler had a really nice throw to Tanner Connor for a touchdown. I was watching the rush but so I didn't really see it, but I saw him just kind of rip this throw and Tanner Connor made a catch and kept on moving the same way you talk about the receivers, we'll see curious see what Tanner Connor can provide this camp in preseason.
And then I also put this note in here that I never saw Zach Steeler get moved the way he did on an Austin Jackson rep where he moved him six yards off the football, carried him from the lion of scrimmage all the way into the end zone. That was impressive to watch. And then I also just put a couple of notes in here. Patrick Paul holding the
individual work bags. It seems like it's not fair to go up against that guy, like he hulks over these smaller players that are his same position players and they don't really move him much. So I just thought that was kind of funny worth noting. And he had some good work today but also some kind of inconsistent reps. I'm curious to see how it plays out next week and just how he's grown over the last couple of months.
But something to keep an eye on there. Let's see, there was a I think I mentioned it earlier, but I'll say it again the Milake Washington play where he got into a window and two of like it's there's such an emphasis on come out of your break ready for the football because Tua throws. He's plays that way. I thought Malik came out of the break a little bit slow and didn't wasn't expecting the football, and that's gonna be a good coaching point for him to learn from.
I'm curious to watch him catch those slant routes as to go forward Dix. I think he'll learn from that moment where he wasn't ready on that one. My last note is on Eric Azukama. My gosh, I'm so intrigued by this freaking player man, just in the way he moves, in the strength he displays. He kind of reminds me of like Brent Grimes in like the catlike movement, Like
he kind of bounces around. Like there was a play where he dove for a ball on an off script play or to a rolled right and found him outside and he probably should have caught it, but he didn't. He didn't hang on and like he was like whipping his legs around. And I'm just like, this guy has endless energy like he was. You know, when you put your this is gonna make some of you guys laugh.
You know, when you put the cups of your hand on the bend to the back of your knee and then you like whip your legs up and down so it makes a noise like he was kind of doing that. Does that make sense, He's just kind of wiredy. Does that make sense? I don't know. But he bounces around.
He's so damn physical. And he had this one rep as the motion man that are our famous cheap motion where he gets a fantastic release, rips off the route at the top and two was late to see it to work the backside, but his route was so good that he stayed open for a maximum amount of time and the ball hit him right and stride. I'm just so intrigued by this particular this route and his entire day that he had because he was making plays all
up and down the field. Nin I think, man, he will talk about it on the podcast tomorrow spoiler alert, but he might be my twenty twenty four Austin Jackson, I want to talk a little bit more about that, not with Erica Zukam, but someone who would know. We'll check in next with more drham Smith soundbites here and also finished with coach McDaniel talking about sophomores and the sophomore slump that's all next Draft Time podcast your host
Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Autoation. So we heard Durham Smith talking about yet year three and how beneficial that is. I wanted to follow up with him since this is his and many of the guy first time being in the same system for three consecutive years, and how much you rely on past film versus what you're doing today.
Yeah, no, you definitely look and now that's why I try to call it more of an evolution than just a change, because the basics are going to be the basics in this scheme, in this offense. There's just little nuances here and there that make it, you know, look different to the defense or out of movement here, so it makes it look a little bit more complicated than
it is. So you're always looking back at those basics and the actual structure of the plays, but then ready for the nuances that you know we'll be coming.
There's two more soundbites here, just because he was still good. I want to talk to Durham Smyth on how you review last season and where you guys came up short. Do you work on your deficiencies? Do you really hone on what you do well? Here's Durham Smyth on how you balance what you work on in the off season.
Yeah, I mean I think there's a little bit of both to it, especially this time of year. Everyone has a different approach. I think what we've done a lot, or what I've done this offseason is trying to, you know, focus on deficiencies a little bit and then focus on those, but you know, you can't completely neglect other parts of the game because then those become deficiencies. So it's a
little bit of both. Obviously you're more focused on the things that you wanted to improve on, but it's really everything.
Final one here for Durham Smyth, I thought this was a good question by Omar Kelly asked him about how he calls him the janitor because he cleans up so much, and Durham just gave us really good insight here in terms of what that means exactly and how this system empowers you to help out your teammates. Here's Durham Smith.
Yeah, I think this offense, especially in the run game at the point of attack, puts the tight ends and the fullbacks in positions to kind of clean up for each other and then clean up for you know, tackles and stuff that are also at the point of attack. So I think, as me and Alec and you know some some other guys that have been here a good amount of time now have become more familiar with the offense,
we kind of play just off each other. You know, the scheme says to do this, we're responsible for these people. But you know, if Alec picked somebody else up, I'll take his man and goes back and forth, and the same way for our tackles. Now that I've been here for a couple.
Years, I want to finish up here with two more soundbites from head coach Mike McDaniel, who was asked about Devon ah Chan's second season and how he can build on the rookie campaign. And I think this should excite a lot of you guys. Here's Coach McDaniel on a Chan and the expectations for your number two.
Important offseason for him, because you know, the you're just really hanging on by your cotails as a rookie in this league in general, the way things are kind of structured is, you know, there's so much time devoted to working out and getting your testing numbers right and then the second that you in your training for kind of these these timed measurables, then you immediately transition.
Once you're drafted into kind of.
Practicing, you get a little breath of a break and then you're still on your rookie season year two, you kind of let let everything settle, understand much more of the wise of everything that you do. And for him, you know, the the more he can understand within the offense, the more ways he can get the ball.
He had outstanding ball production, some.
Of which I know he feels specifically that there's more out there from the opportunities he had last year. And then being able to find different ways to get people of the ball, whether that's different types of pass routes, whether that's different types of run schemes, that you can get comfortable with all of those.
Things, more ways.
To be at the point of attack and to play within this offense. That's what this off season really provides for him. So seeing some strength gains and you can tell by his body he's put some work into it, and then him just understanding everything about our offense so he can be as big a part of it as possible.
That's his goal.
Yeah, And We talked about it on the show last week, right, catching a bunch of passes from different alignments and routes and just all the things that he can do. Some of the meat on the bone in the passing game last year. I think the next step for Devon han and why I think this offense can be even better and why I keep going back to six hundred points
because I think it's possible. I think they're the best dam offense in the league, one of the best offense we've seen in the league in a long long time. Let's finish up here with coach McDaniel on where is the line between taking the next step or entering the dreaded sophomore slump. Here is McDaniel just opening on some interesting philosophical football knowledge.
It is real, it's ever present. It's never gonna go away in the game, because you know that a lot of times lessons have to be learned the hard way. A lot of times there's if you have success as a rookie.
There's you go one of two ways. You're either.
Starved for more or you can get kind of comfortable. I know there's each and every year there's there's examples for both and that's that's something that you know, we were talking with devaon in our exit interviews when he when he was exciting building that whatever you did this year, are you expecting more or less? Well, if you're expecting more, you definitely can't do less. And so that you get in or you get out what you put in. And
and I think he's aware of that. And and because nobody wants to have have the climax.
Of their career be their first first year.
So you just keep it real with with guys and very honest and and bring up with examples that's happened in in the course of your career and try to give them the most tools to succeed the way you know they want to because a lot of times people say always say I want to be better, but it just doesn't happen.
All right, So you go really fun podcast today. I just cannot get enough of football practice and breaking it down for you guys. We'll do it again next week three consecutive days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Tomorrow's episode, we're going to take a look at twenty twenty four breakout candidates who might be the next Austin Jackson. On Friday, I'm going to do a mailbag, so we'll get those questions into the review the Apple Reviews. I'll put a
thread up on Twitter as well. I want to hear from you guys, so please be sure to ask you some questions to finish with the podcast this week. In the meantime, that's going to be my time, and you guys know, my favorite part of this job is being around the guys, and you can do that this weekends. Fens Weekend is back in Coconut Grove, joined Dolphins players, coaches, alumni and more for a one of a kind offshore fishing competition and an evening celebration with food, drinks, and
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