Drive Time: Minicamp Soundbite Roundup

To a remove Dahlan Deep Speedways past.

From the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield.

He's my hands 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, it's sort of the last day of school here at Dolphins camp. We're gonna unload all the media availability soundbites that I found to be informative that we have not covered yet. This week on the show, we'll hear from

This is the Draft Time Podcast.

That's another Miami Dolphins.

This is going to be a little bit of a mixed mash of audio sound bites. I want to go back to something that I wanted to put on the Wednesday edition of the Draft Time Podcast, but it got a little bit too long, so I bumped it to today. McDaniel was asked earlier this week about two things that I found very interesting, the pre snap evolution since he entered the league back in two thousand and five versus

You know, it's really funny is the history in the twenty years since I entered the league, and how I can I can pull clips of my first full time job in Houston, US orchestrating a two minute drive under.

Center, like and.

Like the amount of motion.

Something that I think we you know, we used to lead the league in in Houston at like forty percent maybe, Yeah, so it's grown a ton and and you know that's yeah, I think from you know, it's advantageous to have a receiver background a lot of times for motioning because you know, you're you're trying to gain leverages on the defense and

To ideas that we have. So it's it's.

It's definitely completely evolved. I don't think we I don't think we installed timing at the snap motion until I want to say, maybe two thousand and seventeen or eighteen, and we we have almost half our plays that way. So that's it's been a cool process that's definitely become more of the norm. And and those cycles they will probably come back full cylinder in twenty years. Everybody will be stagnant.

And here is that follow up.

You've seen defenses kind of put into you know, buckets, whether they travel.

Or or you know, keep the the alignment and bump stuff over. But you do.

What it does do is it kind of uh, you know, because it's initial or because it's so sudden right before the snap, it kind of shows you the ins and outs of what defenses are doing. Because of that, you know, you're seeing more and more people have different sort of answers where they have auto triggers with pressures.

You know, or they.

You know, they they have more consistent rules. It's from team to team you can tell that there's live problem solving going on. It changes a little bit each and every each and every week from opponent to ponent. But the consistent thing you do see is that people are getting better and better at defending it. So you know that just keeping leverage on the defense, not making sure that that timed motion doesn't you know, get the beat up your flats, those types of things. You know, that's

Wellcome back to coach at the end of this episode and his Thursday media availability, But I want to go back now to Dolphin Special Teams coordinator Danny cross And who was asked about the new kickoff rule, which watching that in practice for the first time was strange. Just to be perfectly blunt and honest about it, watching a new football play as a thirty six year old, thirty year fan of this league and thirty year fan of this team to watch something that you haven't seen before

To me, that the main part of this play is really two things. Number One, it is going to be a play that starts unlike any play has ever started. It starts with the ball either being caught or the ball hitting the ground as opposed to every other play it's either the snap or what we're all used to, the ball being kicked. That's a completely different animal. Secondly, this space aspect completely different. However, once all that stuff you take all that at, you're still doing the same thing.

A couple of sound bites here from Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith who talked about utilizing this time and the entire you know, multiple phase faction of OTAs whether early on there's no offense versus defense is just kind of just walk throughs and some individual stuff, and then you graduate towards you know, non padded practice against defense, and he talked a little bit about using that first phase to really hone in on fundamentals and details to really improve

Try and make sure that we understand how to play fundamentally sound within our position. So not as much the scheme con is going to come, but it's making sure that in we have this time where really you have two weeks a phase one where you're in the classroom, three weeks of phase two with you're not going against anyone. That's those three weeks the first time you really don't have an opponent or someone you're going against. So you

So we use those three weeks.

It's like, okay, you know, is it releases top of the route, separation techniques, you know, blocking or motion block like whatever it is. Specific. Then you build into the scheme. So we start with the person how we can improve, and then we have the scheme as we go, so

And OTAs also thought this answer was informative with regards to taking a look at what you did a season ago and evaluating that against what you want to be in the new season. Here's Frank Smith talking about using that time once again to get better at the things you saw on tape from twenty twenty three.

We could block an opponent on cans and air, but as opposed to we can use the time to get better at maybe something that the season tape showed us that individually we could get better at, or you know, new guys are coming in, these are the things that we're going to require at the position, or new things we're looking at from our studying of ourselves, or you know, other offenses and defenses, and.

Leak through all that approach.

So that's kind of how we use the time a little different than you know, other places, but that's how we feel we can build a right for each player specifically because we use the time to what how we can best get better in it.

Last one hear from coach Smith the benefit of a third year with mostly everybody back offensively from both a personnel and staff perspective, mostly for the latter with the staff here's coach Frank Smith.

Once again, it helps just with communication anticipation, like when we're trying to get things done, just guys more quick to like you have got it, where you get more in tune with each other, just and especially in season, like that's where the real growth comes because you know, knowing of workflow or problem solving as we go into it, so it I just know this spring, we're able to anticipate certain things more or just knowing that, hey, on Wednesday, it's the structure of the day, so this is.

Coming, so we can be in front of certain things.

So all just the stronger the relationship, the longer relationship, the better communication.

And that's kind of some way hallmark around here is our ability to communicate with each other.

I always find that one probably the most interesting in terms of the communication aspect, and I compare it to making friends. You know that awkward stage when you first meet someone. You're friendly and you're cordial and you kind of put off the version of what you want to be perceived as before the true you starts to really you know, reveal itself. And that's when I think real

I tell guys like, time plus energy equals production. Right. If you're going to put in the time and without energy, you're just not going to be that productive. But when you combine the two, which you're gonna be here anyway, and you're bringing some juice, you're gonna get the most

I've been so impressed by the off ball linebacker group here throughout training or OTAs rather that I wanted to ask Coach Weaver about the value of having David Long, Jordan Brooks, Anthony Walker, you know, Duke Riley, Chang Tendall, all these guys that can kind of play with the same level of speed and tenacity going forward and backwards, as well as silent the sideline, and the value of

First off, I love that room, right, you talk about a room that brings juice and attacks the day every single day. It's them, right, and it's led by Joe Berry, who does a tremendous job with them. In this league, with the way offenses are trying to attack you both vertically and horizontally and trying to space out the entire field,

In there kind of remade the last two years at linebacker group with David Long last year and then Jordan Brooks and Anthony Walker this year. Let's go ahead and hear from Coach Weaver on early impressions of Mike McDaniel, which I don't think everyone knew this, but they know each oller since two thousand and six, and so coach talked about that and what he likes most about Coach same guy from two thousand and six as he is in twenty twenty four.

So I've actually known Mike since two thousand and six, And the thing I respect most about him is, like people think he's unique, right, he's a breath of fresh air to the profession. To me, he's who he's always been, and I think that's what I respect most about him. I've been around guys who have been put in that position where they now have some power and authority, and you've seen them kind of change like who they were from a personality standpoint, he is the exact same guy

Last part here, because we talked about it on the show yesterday. I just wanted to play the SoundBite from coach. We were talking about Kendall Fuller and what his football IQ and acumen does for the defense to make everybody around him a little bit better.

So you talked about that guy that has tremendous football IQ that his skill set knows can take all the pre snap information that is given to him and then apply and then he's played in every coverage scheme known demand. So just his vetsavvy, his presence, the professionalism he shows every day is going to have a tremendous influence on all these guys, and then when you combine him both with Jalen Ramsey and the influence he can have on some of the younger corners we have right the Campsmiths

Man.

He's just such a calming presence back there at the corner position.

We are through coordinators and the head coach. We will hear more from the head coach in a second. Let's go ahead and pause for our first break. We have a lot more to come on this edition of the Drive Time Podcast with Positional Coaches and some fun soundbites from those guys. That's next on the DT podcast, your

But for the Miami Dolphins, well, we know it's really important that we stay connected to that. You know, it's not Tua didn't just go out and do it by himself, you know, we he did go get John, But then I know John obviously headman knows John as well, and it's important that we stay kind of connected, that we don't get too far away and we're just kind of making up stuff that we don't that won't translate to us.

And we talked about this throughout the course of the week. And two was you know, compact tighter stroke that really has generated a little more pop and zip and velocity in the football. And that was something we've talked about in previous years where like the pop is plenty good enough, it's you know, there's certain maybe platforms and throws where

Yeah, I mean just just helps you be I mean two is already a really solid quarterback. He's very accurate, but there you know, there may be times in certain certain specific throws that it can help you get more velocity on those throws. You know, you're always talking about momentum and getting your body going in the same direction that you know you're trying to throw in, So all that stuff is positive. It can definitely help them.

Last one here, just wanted to play this sound bite because he talks about all the riches that the Dolphins offense has in terms of playmakers we've talked about in the podcast. Right there's like, you know, twelve, thirteen, fourteen guys who have made big plays in this league on this Dolphins offense, and some rookies that you expect to do similar stuff as well. Here's Coach Bevel on the Dolphins loaded weaponry on offense.

Well, I mean, I'm excited about the Dolphins as a whole. I mean, you know, I think two of it, like right now is playing at a really high level. Then you you know you have a great core receivers. And we've added to that in the draft as well.

We had it with Odell tight Ends.

I think we've we've improved in that area. I mean, we got we got a stellar backfield as well with you know, with Raheem, with Jeff, with ah Chan, just a lot of guys at a lot of positions. I think it'd really be a challenge for defenses with the way that might uses everybody.

From the quarterback to the wide receivers, the guys that catch those footballs. Is go to Wes Welker here, who was asked about the Dolphins offense last year. Was it too reliant on Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle and what does this offseason do to kind of expand that offense beyond just two targets that take up the line share of the workload. Here's coach Welker on a very well

Defenses, I think that's just depending on coverages and what we're seeing. And obviously we would love to spread the ball round and not just be focused on two guys all the time. But I think that's something that comes and I think we've added some pieces this year where they won't have to take on all those challenges and as far as the coverages and different things like that, where other people can can get the ball when those

I always say, if the ball is in Tyreek Hill or Jillen Waddle's hands, you've done something right, because those are the guys I want to have in the football the most on my team personally. Number two. What stands out coach about Malik Washington. I love this answer. It kind of goes back to his scollary report from the experts we talked to, as well as what we talked about in the podcast with seeing him both at Northwestern Virginia and as well here in camp so far with the Miami Dolphins.

Yeah, I think he's really good with the ball in his hands. I think he's a natural football player, understands the game and loves the game. So there's a lot

I would ever compare a player who hasn't played an NFL game to Wes Welker, one of the all time great slot receivers. But it almost kind of got the sense that he was talking about like his own skills and his own game and that answer there because you know, locked in love with the game, kind of a killer mindset. That's the stuff that I love about Malik Washington tape and that's what made Wes Welker, you know, Wes Welker.

Well, you know, it just gives us a whole other layer, uh, you know, to that room as far as being able to contribute in the past game and and do those kind of things. And you know, so we're absolutely happy to have.

Both of them.

And then obviously, you know Jillian Hill taken the next step and Durham having the year that he had last year, so and he could be capable as a pass catcher. And with teams doing all that they are to try to take away two guys on the outside, it's important to have guys on the inside. They can make teams play when they try to double the receivers on the outside.

Moving back to the defense here and the positional coaches. A guy we have not heard from on the podcast yet in Ryan Crow Dolphins Outside Linebackers Coaches. Go ahead, and first hear from him about the mentality of set in the edge. We used to hear this from Kyle van Noy. You set the edge on Saturday. It happens before the game. First priority, Well, the applesn't fall far from the tree. Here with coach Ryan Crow.

Yeah, the first thing is it's a mentality. It's the number one job. It's the first thing that they learned when they get here. And it's more than just talk. They got to go do it every single day and so you know, it's something that we never gloss over and we talk about it, we meet it and it's part of their DNA and they know that every single day.

It's like a certain intensity in his voice that is just a little bit different, right, like I haven't. There's almost like a Mike Rabel persona to him when he speaks. Let's go ahead and finish up here with Coach Crow about Bradley Chubb and Jalen Phillips and how they've attacked their rehab, but also how difficult it is to play without those guys. Coach Crow talked about them being involved in everything, much like we heard about Jayleen Ramsey a

Yeah, No, they were great.

I mean, first and foremost, they attack their rehab just like they attack the football field, and that was awesome to see, and they continue to dominate it. But they've been around meetings, they've been around the players, they come out to practice, cheer the guys on, they're watching individual to see how we do things, and I have no doubt that when they're ready to go, it'll be ready to go.

Last one here, as far as coaches go, is a conversation I had with new Dolphins cornerbacks coach Matthew Arugo, just talking about the balance of coaching superstar arga than Ramsey, who often wants to be in collaboration in terms of how the defense is called and ran and what he

Yeah.

I think our approach is teach him everything he can possibly take in, which is majority of the defense because he's a very smart football player, and then use his knowledge to be able to apply him in different ways, use different personnel groupings, whatever we need to, but to be able to make it where it's not too much of a stress, but you can use everything that he can do to his advantage and art advantage. I think that's where he is so versatile is he's very smart.

So it's not just like he can do it athletically.

He's very smart and that's really where you've seen in his career him be able to do different things because he understands the game so much.

I'm sure this is something that you have as one on one like non negotiable in terms of coaching different guys differently, because I response differently. Has it been kind of like a wants like a new challenge, but just like because he's so unique and just his persona and how he is, have you kind of like had to take on some like a new approach.

To coaching him.

I wouldn't say a new approach. I mean it still all comes down to trust and relationships. So like through last year, we built a really good relationship and I think there's a lot of trust there and even through this process of me transitioning in the being the corners coach, he.

Was the first guy I called and I talked to him, you know, and we had an hour.

Long conversation of the things that we're trying to do and get the most out of next year. So my job is still to get him to have the best season he's ever had. That's my role, and I do that for me, that's for every player, and if we get him to be really good, that's going to make the defense really good. So I wouldn't say there's a specific approach. I'd say each player has that anyways. But the trust that we have with each other is with what's helping that relationship.

And yeah, it makes perfect sense. And he's you know, been so adept at playing inside, So as Kendall in his career, what's the benefit of having really your top two corners, I guess going into your own paper have the ability to be just as good insight as they are else.

Yeah, I think that's what's so cool about this defense. You know, as you've watched it evolve, and you know we've has his own take on how we're going to apply it. But from the history of what you've seen with it, you've seen guys be able to do different things, and we're built to be able to have that. So we'll wait and see how it all looks, but it definitely makes.

It fun as a coach.

Great stuff there from coach. Let's go ahead and come back on the other side and play those soundbites from Jalen Ramsey, who talked about traveling and knowing all the positions on defense, as well as his first impressions of coach or Rugo. That's next, plus additional sound byes from coach McDaniels. Thursday, June the sixth, media availability, the last

Ramsey just the basics, same old, same mo. I mean, it's your nine for me, like I know what it takes to be successful, and we got a new defense. Just focusing on making sure I know the new defense and the positions in the defense.

I love the concept of knowing every position because when you do that, you know exactly where your help is, where you can take chances, where you can kind of lean on guys, just really helps everybody. Will you know every spot on the defense? Next one, here he was asked about traveling and the role of being a guy that moves across the formation, doesn't play just one stagnant role. Let's go back again to one of the game's best cornerbacks.

Jalen Ramsey, I.

Mean those are things that I've done throughout my whole career. Besides last year, last year was the only time I you know, didn't follow, only stayed on one side of the field. So last year was kind of a different year for me. Rather than this being different, this is like back to, you know, back to what I do, back to where I thrive and you make impact and have a lot of fun playing the game.

Lastly, here from Jalen his thoughts on coach or Rugio, new Dolphins cornerbacks coach.

Yeah, he was here last year as as as an assistant, and we had a good relationship last year and it's just grown throughout the off season and now into this mini camp.

Yeah, that's my guy.

And we'll go ahead and pick up coach McDaniel's Thursday press conference when he was asked about something very similar Ramsey and his flexibility and versatility. Let's go ahead and hear from the headball coach on just what Ramsey unlocks them defensively with his versatile skill set.

It's more about, like you know, Jalen had experience in his career playing a ton of different roles and you know he thrives.

He thrives in.

That and when the you have a full commitment from player, you have this the appropriate scheme and and and coaching where you want to emphasize that within within your whole scheme.

Man does it.

You know, anytime you can find a new way to take advantage of someone's skill set, it's hugely beneficial for the entire group. When people are maximized and you know that you have a unique skill set. There's not many comps to Jalen Ramsey, there's probably not any. And so in that thinking outside the box, finding different ways for him to thrive helps others thrive. And and I think that's that's something from a philosophical standpoint that is in

Dictate the terms.

But you know, the biggest thing that has come from this whole offseason is the for me, is the intention to have the highest functioning player coach orchestration where where guys are, trusting, where guys are coming from, and really leaning into the coaching and seeing how far we can push push each individual athlete. I think the coaching staff really on the defensive side with led By Weave, but what.

Matthew Rougo is doing.

And and Brian Duker and the communication that's going over there. There's not one player in the back end, including Jalen that is has any questions on on why they're the motive of their coach and that I'm very proud of.

This this offseason because those.

It's hard in the NFL, uh too, There's so many different things going on with with individual players and and you know the there everyone has scars, so so to be able to actually have the right coaching points and then being able to reach the players is super important.

Let's finish the show here with a very great long answer from Coach about the idea of a playoff drought twenty four years and how the Dolphins have kind of made that their mantra to lead into the idea of snapping that drought to really, you know what would mean a lot to a lot of people in the South Florida market and Dolphins fans all.

Over the world.

I thought the entire breakdown of this and just the idea of really leaning into what's going to come in you know, the last couple of months of the calendar year. Here's Coach McDaniel on leaning into what is certainly going to happen when you put yourself in position to make a run of the playoffs, you're going to hear the same thing you heard the last two seasons.

Well, I think it's important to understand, like we're talking about narratives to a degree, and to understand narratives aren't a bad thing.

Narratives are based upon past.

And hedging opinions moving forward, and so like to me, you have to I think it's important to get in front of that and know what's coming for players that are going to experience it directly and then leaning into that.

You know, I don't.

I think it's hilarious to say now that you have pressure on you in this business.

For the reason of.

Like are are you blindfolded with earplugs in? Like, dude, like it's a it's achieved now?

Or watch out?

Well the same thing in regards that, Hey, things have happened, those those two things of the last two seasons.

The seasons have ended.

A certain way, and about thirty to forty percent of the team were part of it.

The other part, the other portion of the team wasn't. But what what can we learn from all of this?

And how do we adjust our our.

How do we adjust what we.

Do now to hedge our bet then? And little things you know, you take whether it's a game or we need to finish the season better so you get what you emphasize. Well, why not find ways to emphasize finishing in everything you do?

Obsess about it? Why not.

Have you know for half the off season you know you're trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day, and I had every staff meeting I put like at seven twenty four or three twenty four or five twenty four.

Like the number twenty four. Okay, to you guys, it means nothing.

That's how many years it's been since the organization's won a playoff game. We are going to hear about that come playoff time, you think, so to me, you do that to empower guys to know what's coming, to understand it, to not run from it. Because if you're going to achieve success where people are predicting failure, you're gonna have to go above and beyond. And that is what every single player has done in their life at one point in time. You've every player has flourished when people said

You're staring at.

About forty sixty percent turnover almost every year.

Like so.

I think I think that's how you attack it. You know, what's going to be said to you by your friends or you know, maybe some media members come next December. Let's talk about it now, like whatever, like the yes, that's that's not what you want said about. You don't want your team to be said, Okay, you can't finish or you can't do that. You don't want to hear that. But whatever, what if you heard you could, does it change anything. Let's go attack it and let's go achieve

Do you feel that as well?

Personally?

What I mean, year three, you got to win a playoff game this year?

No.

I When I got hired, I said it in like my first team meeting, it was twenty two years at the time, just because like, yeah, I mean that, you don't hire someone for moderate success or failure or anything.

You hire them to win. And I know we have to we have to do that. So it's the same that nothing's really changed.

I don't feel pressure that way, because I feel I feel pressure the way enough pressure having the job in general, Like I don't eat any like there's not anymore to like I And you're hired for a reason. You understand that, and you're trying to, you know, help be a part facilitate and be a part of a team that can that can succeed in the failures of the previous twenty two or twenty four seasons.

So it's the I.

Knew what I was signing up for with this job, and.

For me to not think that we need to win would be what So I'm entitled to the job. You know, that doesn't make any sense to me, So No, it's going about business, trying to maximize guys day and day out, get the team as good as they can, and you know, lean into to your teammates to go try to achieve something that will mean a lot to a lot of people.

All right, there we go, a longer podcast than you usual with those soundbites, but I mean, I'm not gonna not play Coach McDaniel and he gives us gold like that, So there you go. We'll come back on Monday. We are two times a week from now until training camp, so backing down one episode per week. We'll come back on Monday with my pod with David Long. I chatted with him individually, and then also my chat with the specialists Blake Ferguson, Jason Sanders and Jake Billy. Don't want