First, I have to say disappointed. Eight and nine. That's not the standard here. It hasn't been been and it won't be. We will be better and that includes everyone, for myself to my coaching staff, players. We had expectations which were created by the excitement of the last couple of years, and we had hoped to continue it and for various circumstances didn't happen this year, and then it was unacceptable. No one's happy and we will get this fixed.
Very confident in our process and looking forward to twenty twenty five and not being out of the playoffs watching other teams play.
What is up?
Dolphans And welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and on today's show, we have a lot to get to. Chris Grear and Mike McDaniel met with the South Florida media.
As you heard off the top.
That was Chris Grear's opening statement ahead of fielding about thirty five minutes worth of questions from local reporters here in the Miami market. We'll cover all the important things they talked about. We'll discuss how I feel about them. Play some player sound bites from locker room clean out day,
and we'll see if we have time. I have some more content plan, but might have to bump that to Friday because this might be a pretty long episode covering the press conferences from the Baptist Health studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drivetime podcast. Let's go ahead and kick this thing off on the Tyreek Hill section of everything, which I'm not going to play the audio because to me, it sounded like a guy
that they were not planning on moving off of. But also, there's no reason to show your cards in that instance, so I don't want to read too far into that.
Because they both talked about productive conversations they've had with Tyreek, about emotions spilling over in a emotional situation and fighting back from two to six to get themselves in position in week eighteen, and it just kind of felt like they were holding the cards close to their vest on that which you should because if you tell the league you're going to trade the player, his value becomes depressed.
So we'll see what happens.
But my overall general takeaway from this, and this is going to be played out over the next couple of soundbites here, is that it sounds like the issues that were presented by that player will no longer be tolerated. And if that's the case, you can kind of cut the source off at the head, right, take the patient zero's head off, if you will, which then cures all the other infected zombies. Right, that's the comparison I'm making here,
So I'll use the terminology to make it stick. Let's go ahead and play this first sound bite here from this entire theme that has developed about players being late, not being accountable and kind of writing their own ticket and their own schedule, and how the head coach and the entire program can be more accountable to get players with the right mindset.
That was the main topic of the team meeting that you talk to them after. So it was not something that.
You know.
It's almost like them bringing that up means that they understood the message.
You know.
I think you know, myself, as the head coach, you're accountable for all things, and you're adjusting as the as you see the team needs you to adjust. I think you know it starts. It starts with me ultimately, because I'm accountable for all all things on the field, you know, specifically during the season and I'm not gonna waiver. I
think it was very clear. I also think that, you know, part of my motives were to make sure that without any varying confusion, that guys came to work and the you know, once we start the phase one of twenty twenty five fully knowing the expectations and how things were
going to be addressed. And I think I can find people until they're blue in the face, I can take their money, I can yell at them, but until they understand that part of the reason that we're in the position is controllable and we have to with absolute certainty and zero tolerance for anything else. We have to clean the controllables up and we can have a chance to
have success together. So you know, I I there's a reason that that was an overall theme for for the you know, final team meeting, and the whole key is that they understand the expectations and that they not only understand the expectations but embrace them, which sometimes hard lessons to do.
I want to play less of Mike because he tends to be long winded and it's not good for podcasting, although I did edit that one down quite a bit, so we'll try to get him more concise as we go along here. But I want to play the three sound bites from Zach Sealer, Bradley Chubb, and John new Smith because that's what coach is referring to. There After the team meeting, we spoke to players at their lockers
on Tuesday. Let's go ahead and start with Zach Sealer, who has some comments about guys not being on their p's and cues.
Absolutely, I think, and what McDaniel's a great job of is preaching the player locker room, and I he needs to come from us as players, leaders and captains as well as the staff and get everyone here and get everyone working together from day one and OTAs in camp and get things taken care of from day one and take care of business and start fast next year. Was that not done to the extent that it should have
been by all the players going on this year? Obviously in the background, and they need to get taken care of, and some things could have been I guess. I just we needed to be on our p's and cues earlier season and earlier in camp. And I think it's a point of focus this year and we're going to make sure we'll mess that up again.
The message seems pretty clear to me, and I apologize for the low audio there. It's as best as I can get as far as the volume for you guys. But hey, if you have a contract dispute, why don't you help out your teammates and be on the practice field. Because let's go ahead and run this audio from Zach when he was asked back in August about having missed zero days of training camp.
And one thing my mom and dad always raised me, work as hard as you can, and there's guys that need those days, and I'm blessed enough I haven't needed that yet in my career. So the point where I'm at, I want to make sure I was out there taking the reps, taking charge, and make sure everyone was up right up front and working with those guys and building that camaerie in the D line room. So it's been great.
He's been a blessing this camp to be able to get through healthy and how big excited for the season as the store.
So basically, all I'm asking for is more players with a mindset like Zach Seeler, like Bradley Chubb, and like John Smith. Let's go ahead and go back to Beachubb, who had similar thoughts.
Mike knows what he needs to do, you know what I mean.
He talked to the team, he addressed us about how he's gonna be better as a coach and as a leader of men next year.
So he knows exactly what he has to do. And we're all right there behind him, gonna move it in that the same direction.
And Smith's definitely a lot more things, you know, more house cleaning rules that we could clean up on. Now, it's not going to equate the wins. You know, it's hard to say, you know what I mean, Uh, but you know you definitely need structure anytime you were striving to do something great. So, uh, there's a lot of things that we need to clean up, you know, as uh, you know as a team, you know, speaking individually for myself, you know that I can improve on and get better.
And again I'm just gonna continue to speak for myself. But where we as a team, like I alluded to it yesterday, I think we all know the foundation that was set, and we got a good foundation. We just gotta continue to carry that out and and and the leaders in his locker room continue to stand on that and you know, continue to relay that message throughout, you know, those throughout the twenty twenty four season coming up.
I mean, that's a big reason right there, what you just heard with regards to why there are so many teams that you think are gonna be good or teams do you think are gonna be bad? And it goes the opposite direction because you just cannot peel open the proverbial chest and look into a player's heart and see what they have in there, Like you can't forecast that with x's and o's on paper and how things look on film, like you have to have the inner workings
of a team. And the Dolphins team this year wasn't out there for each other, right, That's kind of what it came down to. At least a few core players that were issued that had issues with this, and guys that show up to practice late. Guys that you know, I heard Tyreek this year at one point say they're still on special teams. Okay, I'll hang out, and you see them come out fifteen minutes later, Jalen Ramsey walking out.
They to practice, like when your best players are sending those kind of examples, and it stems from a culture where the whole premise was, you know, we're gonna ball out and get paid, and that's exactly what those guys did. Like you create issues and so now it's time to
correct those issues. And again I think the coach is gonna have a chance to do this here and like like I said, if it's if it's not fixed, then you know you're very clear about what has to happen in the future in twenty twenty six, because if it's tolerated, you have your answer. If it turns to that exact
same look, then you have your exact answer. It's like getting back with an ex who did some egregious stuff, and you know, taking yourself out of the game is the equivalent to infidelity, right, And the connection in that comparison has not lost me for what it's worth with Tyreek Hill.
But if you.
Allow that person to come back and they show the same issues, then shame on you, right, And that extends beyond just Tyreek Hill to the rest of the guys that had these issues. And you know, Mike has a chance here to grow. So many coaches, I think often grow in this league between jobs and they become an
absolute stud for their second team. I rather than bemoan this and kind of go back on some of the things I've said that I think need to happen for as far as changes go to make this team better and to compete at a higher level.
This is what we're doing.
So accept it and see how it goes, and at the very least you'll know exactly what you had and what you need for twenty twenty six.
Is that ideal? Probably not.
I wish we were in the playoffs and all this stuff had been you know, secondary non starters. But it's where we are, and it's how you have to proceed and go forward. And I just think that you take this twenty twenty five season to see if those things can get fixed, and if it's not, then you move on to twenty twenty six. But I I I it's it's not a great situation, and I want to I want to make sure I make that very clear, like that is a scary culture thing to have to fix.
Can they do it?
We'll see, but that's where they're gonna go with it. And I want to continue on that theme because it's the reason this team stunk this year. That in the quarterback injury, which we'll get to here in a second, because there was a very clear message sent to QB one from both from Chris really in this entire situation. But coach was asked, why was it a problem with players not being on time, being where they're supposed to be.
Why do the players kind of get away from the entire operation of the team and write their own ticket.
There's a lot of guys that you know, had certain finds before that didn't have any there were some people that had multiple that you know. I think there's different ways to to kind of counteract that. Bringing up as a team and continue to find guys wasn't wasn't enough. So I'm not gonna continue to just place all blame on even some of the smallest of individuals that will multiple offenders. I'm adjusting my process and make sure that it's team wide knowledge anytime that things are done that
aren't in the best interest of winning football games. Finding guys didn't particularly move the needle in the way we need to, so I'll adjust as I should as the head coach.
I mean, it seems really dubious, but again, we'll see a chance to grow and get better. One chance, right, One more on this this particular topic. What would be the punitive action if it continues, if the the late issues that proceed with you know, shifts and motions and pre snap penalties and slow starts and road environments and me me, me pulling yourself out of games. What if all that continues, Like, what's the punitive action to nip it in the bud.
We're at the point in our team where guys that are firmly aware of expectations and if your actions uh continually lead to finable offenses that you're telling me without words, that you don't want to be here. So it's, uh, you know, I think it's it's it's very clear. I think it's not an indictment necessarily of all. But we are subject to everyone's actions as a football team, so we'll address those as such.
And that's why I think you can send the ultimate message by moving off of number ten, Right, That's that's how you start this thing and say, hey, here's how we're changing. We're not going to put up with that stuff anymore. The way the Bills did was Stafon Diggs and so many teams have with devil wide receivers in the past. So if that didn't drive me crazy enough. Here's one that sent me over the over the absolute moon, this answer about the backup quarterback position.
Obviously, we drafted Skyler here, you know, three years ago, and he started the playoff game and and uh almost beat Buffalo on the road. We lost thirty four to thirty one. We beat the Jets to get into the playoffs. And then and just watching him work through the following year, which he never got a chance to a stayed healthy. He played the entire season. So we were excited about him and his growth and the players believed in him.
He won the backup job through the spring. But that said, as we always do throughout that entire offseason, and Mike.
And Steve is aware of it.
Through it, we were in on a number of top flight backup quarterbacks in the league. We were runner up for a couple of them that we wanted to get here, and for you know, some financial restraints and compensatory pick stuff, we just couldn't go to those to those prices. But all those guys wanted to come here, and so it's a position that we did not take lightly. We were working through that the entire offseason and the fact that some of those guys were willing to come here at
what we could pay them. It shows and how they believe in Mike and the staff and the offensive scheme and the players that are here. They're all excited about our skill group. So that's a position we will always focus on, and it will be a position that we will focus on this offseason, and I will tell you every stone will be unturned at that position, including the draft.
Yeah, man, Because if you're using the Jets twenty twenty two finale and the playoff tape against the Bills the week later, if you're using those two tapes as an indicator of hope, then that's another cause for reevaluation. Because that was legit some of the worst tape I've ever
seen from any quarterback on this team. I've been watching every single snap from every single quarterback on this team since Ryan Tannehillsbrookie season, really going back to Chad Henny if you count broadcast, but that's didn't include all twenty two. I digress, and that includes this season with Tyler Hunting.
With Skylar's Week three game, it was atrocious quarterback play that I can't imagine inspired any and why the coverage on Skyler had been what it became on this podcast, and then the compensatory pick stuff like six games, six and a half games your quarterback misses where you if you had an Andy Dalton or I don't want to say Joe Flacco, which is who everybody would have signed if it was up to them in the offseason, that would have blown open your face because he was terrible
this year. But man to save that and go forward with what you had because of compensatory picks in the sixth and seventh round, and I get it could have cracked into your thirds and fourth as well, but that seems like bad process because I would gladly trade a fourth round pick for a playoff appearance right now.
But it is what it is. Speaking of the.
Quarterback, there were some very very strong messages sent to a tongue of by Loa, and we'll cover that next year after a short break Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, and here are the aforementioned strong messages sent a quarterback to a tongue of by Lowa about protecting himself.
It was good to see his growth as a player. When he was playing I would say that the one thing that has come out of this even this year was the leadership part. Is all the players are talking about he's a leadership and the step he's taken and out. A couple of our free agents that come in said he was one of the best leaders they've ever been around for a quarterback, and to see where he's come
from from his early time here was impressive. That being said, he needs to be available, like he needs to know how to protect himselves, like you're going to get hit at times. It's always going to happen, but he needs to control what he can control. He understands that not being available for taking chances and risks is unacceptable to us, and he knows.
That taking chances and risk is unacceptable. It seems like he has this year to prove that he can't protect himself. And again, we have to separate this. And again, I know fans are strictly results based, and I get that your Sunday and how you spend your sundays, how you spend your money, You're entitled to that. But in terms of fixing and making them correct, you need to be processed driven. And I think it's important to separate the injuries that he can and cannot prevent, and that is
the ones that he suffered this year running headfirst into guys. Right, That's how he got hurt both times on scrambles where he ran head first, and why I laugh when everyone says it was the offensive line's fault. He never got hurt one time behind the offensive line in pass protection. If you get rolled up or if you get blindsided like he did back in twenty twenty one against Buffalo when Jesse Davis shouldn't have been out there and got
him killed in that game. To me, that's different than dropping your head into Demor Hamlin, or trying to make a tackle after you threw a pick with using your head first, or you know, trying to scramble for a first down diving headfirst into Texans defenders. All of those injuries this year were preventable by Tua himself, and I'm glad they made that point to him because someone has to find a way to get through to this guy. You just do because he has to. If you have him,
you're gonna be a good team. If to A plays all the games this year, you're probably eleven and six. You're probably going to Houston on Saturday. You probably win that game and you've done everything the fans want want you to do by breaking the playoff drought.
But that's not how it happened.
And so here we are, and it wasn't just at the quarterback position where they pointed too injuries as a reason. I think a lot of people would say excuses, but I don't like to call them excuses because reasons are reasons. I'm not justifying it. I just think there's I think that words matter, and those two words mean a lot, mean something very different. Let's go ahead and hear about how they approach their change in personnel evaluation based upon injury history.
Here's Chris career.
There's one hundred percent injury rate in football. You always talk about that, you know, Mike said it normal times, numerous times. We always look at it. We always have discussions with our medical staff. We look at guys injury history from when they're in college and high school stuff,
so when we go back. So there's always risk and signing players, but you also don't want to miss the opportunity of having or adding a good player to your roster and being afraid to make a move and missing out on someone that may become a really good player for you because you're scared of something that happened a couple of years ago.
Now, I don't imagine they'll change their process there, whether you want to hear that or not. That's usually a place where you can find talent at a bargain rate because that's the reason guys get away from injury history. So I imagine you don't see muchould change there. But again, I'm gotta let it play out and see what they do. Let's get to the one that everybody wants to talk about, the offensive line position, Chris Career.
I'm not concerned, are you? Guys are more concerned about it than I am?
The famous exhausting thing that I see on social media all the time. Let's go ahead and go to Chris as he was asked about that.
When I said that, and I'm not trying to backtrack, I believe in that. But I will always support a group of guys that have worked with a coach that we believe in that tiresly works to improve and that group did nothing but where and they still it's the hardest working group in the building. Like if you stay after practice and you guys seen there sometimes and you guys go back out and walk in the lock. Those
guys are still out on the field working. And so with that group, you know, it started the twenty twenty three off season it was you know, are they good enough?
Whatever?
And we were the number one offense, number one yards per rush, and so we ran it back with a lot of those guys while adding Brewer, who was I think an addition that people weren't concerned about because they were focused on another player that wasn't here, and rightfully so, that player was a good player for us. But adding Patrick Paul, we feel that he's going to be a good player. Myers the undrafted rookie that made our roster
as a developmental center. So we do we Philly have some good pieces at Austin was a huge loss and can't it's it's through week nine or ten. We were still up there running the ball, moving playing well, and it was a huge loss for us. And then once he went down, it was like a slow bleedout the rest of the year with guys just playing through stuff, being Nick Battle and Bruce. So yeah, I mean we had games where you know, Jackson Carmeron was playing tackle.
I mean we just you know, I think people forget Keon Smith was a huge loss for us. We had high exp we had teams trying to trade for Keon, and we were excited about him, and he got hurt in pre season win was a setback. We thought he was going to be back much quicker than it happened, and he did not come back till late in the season. So, yeah, when I was saying it wasn't concern, I'm always concerned. You're always concerned about injury. But I did think we
had created some depth. We had some players that were very confident in Butcher and Mike and the scheme and staff. Those guys I thought deserved some praise because of what they had done the year before, and they started out the year well and unfortunately injuries got to us. We didn't finish well. But yes, going forward, Toront and I
had a conversation briefly yesterday. We're going to talk again here and sometime in the next few days or a week, coming weeks, but also knowing that yeah, this will be We're gonna have to invest in the offensive line now, you know. It kindled at a fantastic job here for a few years and we're just older there now and win.
So yes, this is the time again like we did back a few years ago with Austin and Rob Hunt and Solomon Kinley and stuff, this is a time for us to again start investing in some offensive lineman.
All right, let's do this again for the forty fifth time here on the show. So yeah, I saw, you know, David Farrones had tweeted out just that cherry picked quote that I thought was really misrepresentative of what Chris actually said in that situation. But the way Chris addressed it was basically saying that we used to invest in offensive lineman. And I want to read this quote that was put out by Mike McDaniel on the Dan Levittard Show when he was asked about the approach to getting Tyreek Hill
and the team building that offseason. Here's how the quote goes. There was a particular moment that set everything off. It was early March. He had just been hired two months prior. We were going through free agency, and in that free agent process, we're meeting with all the scouts and coaches in the room, and we're discussing all sorts of things about whether we need to do this that or the other, and I knew in my mind Tua needed skill position play that were dynamic with the ball in their hands.
I saw him as this dude's a point guard. He has a gift that way. And some people, some of the people in the personnel, were like, we need to spend money on the offensive line.
Men.
I knew that.
I disagree with that, but I hate the Hey, everyone know because I said so. So I went back in the office and I cut up the tape. And so I'm cutting the tape to build the tape to explain to the entire coaching staff, to start a conversation from my lens, and I'm watching the different skill positions and as I progress through the tape, I start to notice
a trend. Wow, that's like the seventh different outbreak that I've watched to a throw to the field and outbreak to the field I see once or twice a season. That's a high risk throw that quarterbacks are nervous to make, and he would make pinpoint throws. What started as an explanation of how guys needed to be more open for Tua turned into this marvel sessh that started out about six thirty PM and I just started watching until midnight
on a random weekday in the off season. I thought I knew, but I didn't even know what we were sitting on. I'm freaking out. I know for a fact from this night of study that this is the best quarterback for our offense that I've had a chance to co which I was freaking out.
So it's a lot of good to appraise there.
But he's directly telling you that it was him that went to the personnel staff and said it's not offensive line that we need. In fact, you guys believe that
I'm going to change your minds. So I just get upset by that because everyone points to Chris Career as this guy that avoids the offensive line, and he told you in that quote, we drafted three offensive line in two years before Mike McDaniel got here, within the first four rounds of the draft, one of the first round, one in the second round, one in the fourth round, and then they went out when Mike did get here and signed to Ron Arms said, the biggest left tackle
on the market, the top paid center of the market that year, and Connor Williams that replaced Connor Williams, the guy that's even better than him and Aaron Brewer. They spent a second round draft pick this year, a premium spot on a left tackle again, So I just really really loathed this idea that they completely think the offensive
line is meaningless. They went with continuity and played through guys that were they thought could get more from their production from their overall league value of their cost based upon how they play with their continuity and knowledge of this system.
Did it work out? No?
Was that part of a lack of talent at those positions. Partially, it was also part of scheme. It was part of injury and getting depleted before the year even started. It was so many things beyond just we don't carry about the offensive line. And holy hell, that whole conversation drives me freaking crazy, man, because it's just misplaced and misguided. But it's accepted as this like universal truth that is
not the case, and that drives me completely crazy. If you can't tell, let's hit one more break right there. Let me calm down and come back to how this offensive system will change in twenty twenty five. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Up next in our press Conference roundup.
Coach McDaniel was asked about what the system will look like in twenty twenty five, and once again, I have done the work here for you guys to edit this down and make it more concise.
We didn't start seeing normal defense until the Raiders game where we got a couple zeros and blitzes, and at that at that point in the season, we'd worked to that point and that's and that's what you You have to be able to take advantage of what the defense is not taking away while they're trying to take something else. So I think our ability to execute, you know, all three levels of the past game not UH, not just short,
not just long. But you have to compliment those things so that you are able to, regardless of how people plan for you, be able to go on Sunday and UH and be able to move the ball and score points. I think UH it was it was a process based upon offensive success for you know, both coaches and players to get used to anticipating the UH or to expect
the unexpected. Probably have gone twenty five games with in a row where teams are playing or introducing different coverages or different personnel groups or matching de personnels differently than what they put on tape. But as you as you grow as an offense and have experiences with each other and execute the finer details of all three levels, you are you are best prepared to make people pay for defending the deep stuff, so then they cover the short
stuff so you can throw the deep stuff. It's an endless cycle that that that has kind of We've built the system around our our players and continue to work at how to how to make sure all aspects are utilized.
So it's an interesting point because he talks about how this system is based upon, you know, adjusting to what the defense does. But it feels like every year we have the situation where that the Dolphins show something new
and it works. You know, last year was the exit emotion that helps you expand your vertical passing game that was built off of the you know, stacking Tyreek and Waller the same side of the field and running a vertical and a horizontal over to create vertical and horizontal stretch. You had those adjustments and adapting adapting the defenses had
to do to you. And then this year it was about taking this stuff underneath and finding Johnny Smith and Devon a chan and they got there again in that regard, and then things kind of peered out again down the stretch, although did they because the Nyers game was pretty good. I guess the drop passes reduced the production. But the Houston game, you know, they had a blueprint for you
that really stomped you out in that game. So to me, it's all it's going to be about how how can Mike adjust as the year goes along, as well as constructing offense going into the year that starts off stronger, which goes back to time on task and practicing, And that's just the adapting he needs to figure out, right, because we've seen like Cliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray in
Arizona kind of fade down the stretch. Kingsbury had that happened midyear this year in Washington, although they bounced back.
I thought again, I.
Thought the I thought that was just kind of a bad approach going into the year with all the screen game and short game, and it seemed like they were trying to mitigate protection issues at points early in the year with some of the injuries they had. But I just feel like, you know, we've kind of seen coaches in the Shanahan tree. You know, Kyle Shanahan was talked about among Nyers fans like is being on the hot seat, and Sean McVay kind of lost his fastball for a
year there and came right back. I think that sometimes these guys need a little bit of rejuvenation, a little bit of renaissance, and I'm hopeful. I'm not gonna stamp it with any type of guarantee your approval, but I'm hopeful that that's what happens here for Mike McDaniel. And then he talked about he was asked if Tyreek Hill remains the number one option next year, and we'll see if he's even here. But here's what coach had to say about that.
Really, my true job is to evolve to the situations based upon our players and the opposing teams players in scheme, so that will always adjust. I don't think it's effective offense to throw the ball up into double coverage and throw to where the defense is, and and so, uh we'll always make sure that, uh we complement each other so that there's no one asset that people can double. You have to make people pay other places, uh. Case
in point, John new Smith's productivity. I think he he really helped us out with taking advantage of the space that was given up to cover some of the deep zones. Uh you know from from both Reek and Waddel and and Uh. The more effective you are at doing that, then once you prove that you you can march down the field and and and beat very preventative, cautious defenses. They you have time and possession and you score a touchdown, they will try to get you off the field in
different ways. And that's and that's what opens up the full utility built of utility belt of offense.
So it's interesting because if you listen to Dan Campbell and Detroit, they're gonna do what they're gonna do, and you have to figure out whay to stop them. And I do recall McDaniel having that similar quote back in twenty twenty two about how if you are a good running team, you can just run the ball and it doesn't matter what the opposing defense does. But it sounds like or he told you point blank, like our identity is to adjust based upon the opponent, which means they're
kind of dictating the terms in a certain sense. And that's why I'm not gonna do it today, but we'll
do on a future podcast. I'm gonna talk about what has to change, and one of those things is gonna be revamping the entire running game, because I do feel that having a strong running game is really what makes to his most effective with the ball handling and the processing and the moving of the defense and taking advantage of how certain defenses present themselves based upon how you can run the football, but that can allow you to better dictate the terms, kind of like that Buffalo game
and it was like we're gonna run, we're gonna pass, and you guys can't stop either of them. It's a good way to do things. So it's good and it's bad, and I guess that's the identity. We're gonna let the defense dictate what we do and hopefully there's a little bit of both and more evolution in that guard. Next, Chris Greer was asked about a playoff mandate. I want to just play the first part of this because again it's it's kind of a shot to the quarterback.
Injuries happening and not using that as an excuse. You know, it is what it is. Every team deals with it, you know, I would say our biggest one, no matter what happened, is obviously the quarterback. When he misses six and a half games, when you miss it by a game getting into the playoffs, to me, that's the difference there.
And again, yeah, he's right, because if you're eleven and six and you're going to Houston this week, things are a lot different, which is about where I think you'd be, maybe even twelve wins. But who gives the damn. It's all the same regardless either way. But here's where I come down on two. It because you guys know that I believe this guy is one of the best players in the entire league at his position. That has not changed.
I think that's been proven out. And I again more behind the scenes stuff where I can tell you that he is the adult in the entire building, in the entire room with how this offense operates. But I will tell you this, and I go back to all the fans that say move on from two.
It's time.
It's proven, it's been proven he's not the guy. Like, you can't just say that because you have to have an alternative. I'm gonna move off to and do this because just moving off of him puts you in the territory of the Bears and the Giants and the pre Patriot. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be a two win team that can't They just cannot compete. And if you move off to that's what you're gonna become.
Unless because there is no option for twenty twenty five, you're gonna draft the fourth quarterback in a bad quarterback class. You're gonna sign Andy Dalton, you want to sign Sam Darnold. What's the plan? Because there isn't a good option there. And so here's where I come down with Tua is keep him and if he proves he can't stay healthy again, then when you get the opportunity to replace him, then
you do it. But if he can't stay healthy, I'm rocking with the top ten quarterback who can't stay healthy. But you have to have alternatives if you want to move off of him, and if he can't stay healthy again in twenty twenty five because of decision making that puts himself in bad spots that I'm all with you guys, that we can then decide, all right, how do we
find the next guy? Because we cannot keep doing this year after year, and at least in twenty twenty five, it sounds pretty strong like you're gonna have a different backup quarterback that can help keep things afloat. Speaking of to us go heading clothes on this, Chris Greer was asked about the hip injury.
Is it serious?
Once again, he's going to tell you more about kind of teaching this guy how to play smart. But there's also some good stuff in here about how he grew this year as a player in his age twenty sixth season. And the opening answer here is were you concerned or is there concern long term about that hip injury?
No concern at all, No concern at all. He's talked there's it was a very unique injury, and there's no concern at all, I think from us and you've heard, i mean, everyone talks about it. Like players that can operate this system at the levels that he does. We're very excited. You know, he's twenty six years old. Still growth. I think every year you've seen growth in what he does.
This year, Mike and I talked about some of the steps he took when he was on the field and he can still ascend, which is, you know, kind of weird for a quarterback that's, you know, played as much as he has in won as many games as he has from high school, college and the NFL. And so we're very confident. His teammates are very extremely confident in him. And I think that's been the one thing that seeing here is that he knows how important he is to
these guys, and they've told them. And again it's his availability of controlling what he can control, like throw the ball away, you don't have to run around be superman lived for the next play and the sooner. He understands that, which he's told Mike and I. He understands that clearly because this was hard for him, missing these last two games after he played all last season. It was hard for him. And what you love about him is his
competitiveness and his fight. I mean, you guys are seeing a little bit of how he is now when he's pissed, and that's what you love about him because he shows that to us all the time. And it's not taking the competitive spirit out of him. It's just having him play smart and realize how important he is this franchise.
I should have known that was going to be the entire podcast I wrote a whole separate podcast for you guys that will bump to later in the week and we'll cover that probably on Thursday, I think is the plan. But in the meantime, you can find the entire press conference on our YouTube channel, I believe, but you don't get my commentary.
Oh one last thing.
They said they would love to have Kalais Campbell back if he wants to come back, so hopefully he does.
All right.
Meantime, subscribe, rate review the show, follow me on social at LinkedIn NFL. The team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank podcast with my guy Seth and Jews. Check out the YouTube channel for Dolphins HQ, which is going to be every other week now on the YouTube channel, as well as media availabilities and so much more, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com Until next time.
Bins up Colin and Cameron Daddy then just coming home.