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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, Dolph Fans? And welcome to the Drift Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, we continue our free agent interviews. A couple of offensive linemen down in the trenches, a couple of nice additions here with Aaron Brewer and Jack Driscoll. We'll get to know the guys, We'll get to talk about their games, we'll hear from the folks that covered them.
All of that and a whole bunch more here from the Baptist Hell Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Drive Time Podcast, my chat with new Dolphins offensive lineman Aaron Brewer. Join now by new Dolphins offensive lineman Aaron Brewer. Aaron, Welcome into South Florida.
Man, Thank you, thank you, glad to be here.
So October twenty eighth is a pretty special day, right. I bring it up because that's my birthday. Is well, we share the same birthday, crazy.
Right way, that's crazy.
Well, there's three hundred and sixty five days. There's like nine billion people in the world. You're gonna have the same birthday with some people, but you share a birthday with me. What's your favorite part about a late October birthday?
Halloween spooky season?
Same here? Yeah, like a favorite Halloween movie or anything?
Favorite Halloween movie?
Go with Halloween, Michael choice, Yes, sir, is there a certain one in the series that you like? There's like a billion of reason, good good stuff, an old soul.
Maybe.
All right, good deal, Let's go and talk some football here, because when I turn your tape on, hard pivot from Halloween to playing offensive line in the NFL. Right, but just watching you, like it takes one rep to see how you fit in this offense getting out of your stands fast and really escorting fast people into the end zone. Right, how do you think that your play style jives with what coach down you wants to do down here in South Florida.
I feel like it being is perfect because all we bet like here about speed, Like you got speed on on the outside, you got speed in the back field, and that's what we're running.
Like, that's that's me on speed. I'm getting to the second level fast.
I'm running all over the field, sideline, the sideline, end zone and the end zone. So I feel like I feel perfect into this program.
That's what I'm saying. I can watching your tape like seeing you running fifty yards down the field, like escorting either Derek Henry or Ti Tree spears into the end zone. It's fun to watch. My favorite part of your game personally. But for you, what's your favorite part about playing offensive line in the NFL?
I say, justly, I love playing offense line, but I love this football as a whole. I feel like I'll play any position on the field like playing with the same passion I play offense alone with. But I just like just just being not just being aggressive, just competing and.
The comarade with the guys too. I'm sure it's a big part of us.
Well, locker room fourth from just like my personal feeling back fay out line like as a whole. Yes, like the guys like offense, like I got a different kind of mind like with each other. There's no other position on the team that like you all out there at one time, all together, like they're right next to each other and the success y'all have all depends on each other and how y'all work together in your relationship and communication.
So like that's a different kind of bar And I really love.
That it's like five individuals as one, right, and it's the kind of the one group in the NFL.
It's like that right as a whole.
Yeah, So this might be a question for my own curiosity because again, the speed, the athleticism getting out in space is so much fun to watch. But then to be able to like anchor against a three hundred and forty pound nose tackle is a rare blend that you just don't see that off in the NFL. What have you learned in your career about playing against guys that you're giving thirty forty, sometimes fifty pounds to in the middle.
So I don't know, like many people know. But when I in college, I had played underweight as well. So like when I first went to college, like two twenty and so I had put on by like forty pounds into something got out to about two seventy, and so just really in my mindset, I had looked at it like, so I'm in the weight room, I got a strong lord bout it. I can squat five hundred, six hundred pounds. Nobody in the NFL or anybody go against it's going
to be five hundred or six hundred pounds. So I feel like if I could put that on my baking squad, like I should be able to sit down anybody like because like what you got technique, sometime when you get the right levergs on people, the only thing you're doing is using your legs, so it ain't really too much to it.
Sometimes it helps you get under those guys' pasts a little bit, right under underneathing play that way. I'm curious. I got to know, Now, what's the diet like to gain forty pounds in one summer?
Bro, When I tell you that was depressing, Like, so this is what they had me doing. I don't want to black, but because I literally I wake them in the morning. I eat two people in J's drink chocolate milk, Go eat breakfast, eat another people in J drink protein shake, my honey, finish that, go eat lunch, PBJ protein shake, dinner PBJ protein shake. Before I go to sleep, two
more PPJ and some chocolate milk. And I was doing this every day awesome, like chugging every day people, uh PB and J's every day wake up, go to sleep, the same thing. You had to do that every day, and like until we did it from May to July August for this first game. And so in that love amount of time, I put on forty pans.
That's crazy. Can you even stomach playing burn Jill anymore? Is it like not something you want to eat anymore?
At that time I had stopped eating for a minute. But like now I love PV.
We have some incrustables that we we did some work on itwave yeah, exactly, you know what's going on there. So I read a quarter about years about the difference between playing center and guard in the NFL, and you allude to the idea of assisting on blocks more so than that head up contact. I'm curious about how those two things have helped the other, if that makes sense, Like playing center versus playing guard, how has those two things helped each other?
I feel like playing both. I played tackle as well in college, so I didn't played left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle, And so just being in every position, I understand like what it takes to play that position, and so like what type of help you need or would you need to be successful with doing your job, and so I feel like it helped a lot being able to play the different positions then to go in the middle and kind of orchestrate what's going on.
So I feel like it's being very beneficial towards me.
When you play that center position. Do you take a lot of pride in like the line calls and making the checks and getting everything sorted out for the quarterback.
Yeah, because I'm I'm a team person, Like I like looking at for people and so like I feel like they just come natural with being in that center position. Like man, they just to help your brothers. Besides, you help your team and like just having the responsibility of setting the type and get stuff going.
How excited a you block for a new quarterback here in town?
I'm absolutely excited to block for to it Like he a special talent, So I can't wait to get in front of him, chop it up with him, and just get on the field with him.
A couple of your ex teammates are going to be new teammates for you again here. I'm sure you're well aware of that. David Long and John Smith. Are you more excited to block for Tua on a pass for John U. Smith or climb the second level and take on David Long out there practice. I'd be a tough one.
I like doing both, but I say probably getting out there on that screen, just in that opening space. I can still block David Long on that screen in space, have him on his toes a little bit. So I say probably getting at there on that screen. And Lenn John knew catch the ball and doing what he do best.
I saw him taking a screen for sixty yard touchdown last year.
He can move fast.
Lottp be on this team and the guy that put all together Coach McDaniel. Have I had a chance to meet him yet, and what's your first impressions?
I haven't, okay, and my first place like faird work on my heads genius. I say that I feel like he's really smart, like he understand the game on a different level, and I just love, like, hey you PUAs from what I seen, I haven't met him personally, but like from what I seen, I feel like he's a great dude, great coach and jeez, you know his stuff.
Yeah, what you see is what you get. He's a genuine article for sure. How about coach Barry. Have you met your offensive line coach yet?
Yeah, we had met not too long ago. We chopped it up and he was pretty like he was straightforward with us and just trying to grow that condition, letting each other know, like what we want from each other with the expectation.
I'm not going to do it for you here, but I have a coach bury impression that I feel pretty good about. Maybe after we get off the air here, we'll go ahead and do it for you here. Last question, I saw you talk about this. I'm not sure where I saw it, but better backflip you or Tyreek Hill.
I think I got to back. I think I do got it.
It's pretty impressive. I mean you got a yeah.
Yeah, I've been flippings since I was a kid, though, like it just never went away.
How How did you learn that?
How I learned?
What?
When I was younger, I was a daredevil, So I just used to do a whole bunch of crazy shit. But so me and my cousin, like he liked my brother, but he started two years old and he started doing backfits whatever, and so I seen him and I tried it, but I couldn't do I like be doing outside ways quick, because it's like a lot of people can't do a backflip just because he's scared to go back absolutely and so like literally it was just one day I like
I want to do it. The only way I was able to do it, I took got like in a full sprint, did the carlin just like just threw myself backwards and at the daylight after like being uncomfortable, like going there fast and throwing yourself like landing on your knees, landing on your face. Like over time usually get comfortable with it and it just become normal.
It's like riding a bike. You can do anytime now. Yeah, good stuff. Aaron Brewer, new Dolphins offensive linean appreciate your time today, man, thank you. Let's go ahead and slide one position, maybe two positions out to the tackle spot. He plays all five spots on the offensive line really in my chat with new Dolphins offensive lineman Jack Driscoll joined the podcast today. A new Dolphins offensive lineman Jack Driscoll. Jack, welcome in, man, oh, thank you, it's great to be here.
So first time was a free agent. First time since like the college recruiting, right, you get a chance to go around look for a new team. How's that process been, and why the Dolphins?
You know, it's been you know, it's been you know, hectic week, I would say, but you know when my agent kind of had callings at the Dolphins Rangers, and I was really excited, you know, I just you know, knowing the offense that they that they run here and you know, seeing how they use offensive linemen get the user athleticism, I.
Was really excited. I'm really excited to be here.
And yeah, it's funny you mentioned that, because in doing some research on your background and everything, you can almost like set a watch to it. With the Dolphins and offensive lineman ten split times, they love guys that get off the line. Right, You're one seven four, which is the ninety third percentile for all tackles in combine history. You don't know if you knew that I did not very highly ranked in the ten split time. What does that explosive first step do for you in an offense like this.
It's so important, you know, just it sets you up for success, you know, beause ultimately the guys across the ball from us are great athletes as well, So being like how I get that get off and just learning from guys like you know in Philly, from Kelsey and Lane and whatnot, and just you know, it's all they talk about, like in past bro that you know, when you are setting it's almost like one hundred meter races. But Lane would tell us, and you know, kind of
seeing how that translate is huge. And just like you said, whoever gets off the ball first a lot of times does it have a upperhand on the play.
So it sounds like you learned a lot from your four years in Philly with all the veteran experience on the offensive line.
Yeah, you know, we had some great players room and I'm thankful my time there. I think it will help me be successful here.
So one thing you all said in Philly was take snaps at both tackle spots and the right guard position and left guard.
Just right guard practice a little bit.
But okay, I figured everything I played practice. Okay, Well there you go, So all five okay, So like questions even easier. Then, what's the key to being a good swing guy that can play all five spots?
Just have the right mindset and you know understand that you know when you're the swing guy and you're backing up that it's your job to you know, be accountable for everything. And you know I always took pride and trying to make sure that when I went in that there was no drop off of that. You know, Oh I'm in the game, that's not the reason we lose, you know, So just playing at high level, and you know,
we had a high standard in our room. I know there's a high stand of this room too, so I know it's going to be you know, I have to bring my best every day these there's a lot of great players.
In this whole line.
So yeah, just like said, having a good attitude about it, and just you know, studying a craft, like watching different guys, you know, just really being prepared and just you know, doing the extra work after practice. You know, you like you said, you might only get reps at right guard at practice, but you might be playing left back in the game.
So like, you know, you better get those reps on.
So two follow ups to that, because number one, who's some guys that you have watched you're a big fan of in terms of studying their game?
Guard?
I always I always like to watch Zach Martin. You know, he was great, you know kind of at guard. You know, we've had so many good guys in Philly too, like Isaac sal Malewis from my watch lot Lane obviously playing behind him, and then you know Kelsey.
You know, Kelsey is one of the best alignment of all time.
And yeah, a lot of good options there. Something else I've heard coach McDaniel talk about before is something you touched on. It was coming into a game cold and he kind of compared offensive line played like quarterback in terms of how tough it can be to like, you're up right now, go block Aaron Donald right on this snap. I'm curious how challenging is there? What maybe what have you learned from when you know, pregame a once is three hours ago, you haven't taken a rep since then,
and it's the middle of the fourth quarter. We have to get a game winning drive. Jack, You're in for the first rep. Like, how challenging is that? And what does it teacher? Who's a player?
You know, it just teaches you a to be fountable, you know, be you know, it's like life, you ready at any time, you know, you never know what you know, let's got to throw at you in you know, at the end of the day, like I said, is just having that team first emphasis on you know, when I go in, whether it's like you said, last drive of the game or the first player or whatever, it is, like you know, it's all on you to get the
job done. And you know, like I said, you have teammates counting on your coaches counting on you, and just you know, it's like the whole thing about drawing your strength from the guys around you and just you know, being tight with that core of the guys. Just understand, like I said, we're all us. Five are out here to get the job done. And no matter who which five it is, you know, we all have the same goals.
So yeah, five guys, one position, one player. Really right, it's all one continuity.
I will drive. Yeah. I like that.
That's good. We'll have to bring that up to coach here later on. I always love asking guys about reunions. And you don't really have anybody who played in the pros with here, But I do know you played against two of our best players back in college, Tua and Wattle. What do you remember about those guys at Alabama?
I remember Wattles was one we played in the iron Ball against Wattle. It was one of the most impressive against you own. It was one of the most impressive performance ever seen. Believe he had five touchdowns, I like return returning free touchdowns or like bully crap. You know, we're doing everything we can and this guy is just absolutely torturing enough. We did win the game though, I Will said we did win that game, but yeah, you know, he was unbelievable. And you know Two is the same thing.
You know, Two is such a great player. When he played him, I think it was eighteen, they blew us out and he you know, he was bolling. So I'm excited to you know, now you know, play against those guys and now you know, to get to be teammates with them, is me be really cool.
And I know how special players they are.
There's a screenshot from that Wattle kick return where one of your guys is he's not going to catch him, but he tries his hardest and lays out and he's like Wattles in a full sprint. He's like Superman behind him. It's one of my favorite pictures in football history. Yeah, if you're behind him, you just it's showing the telllights and way of goodbye. Two more here for you here.
So your birthday is a holiday, and it's gotta be the toughest day besides maybe Christmas or things getting like for a kid that you know wants to have a different birthday than Christmas, the presence I'll go together. But a birthday on April fools, man, that could either play into your hands as like the ultimate tool or I feel like a could backfire. Is the most exhausting experience. What has been your experience on April first birthday?
And off and down?
Man?
I mean I've had, like you know, I'm and my mom one day she pated me bunch.
Of oreos for school and I never yet you know oreos that's if one buying you know, his tooth based on no no, you know, so just stuff like that.
But I like, say, I have a birthday.
Yeah, like you say, it's tough becase those guys just Hilbret Christmas, their birthday is getting forgot, if you know, it's just all mashed.
Yeah.
So it's a good birthday.
It kind of start a spring, you know what I mean, good weather, March madness, you know. So yeah, it's it's always an interesting birthday.
I say that, So I mentioned doing background you went to your Instagram, saw that you got engaged in Floridaida and that was an inlet beach, right.
Yeah, don like Rosemary, but thirty A.
A little different on the Panhills in South Florida, right, yeah, slightly different.
Yeah.
What do you think is the difference between those two parts of the of our state here, which is basically its own country.
There's a lot, Yeah, you know, there's a lot.
And I grew up coming to Florida, so I know, I grew up coming to Miami a bunch, but you know, just a heat all year round, just kind of paying. You know, it's a little bit you know, more quaint, I would say, I'm on the Panhandle, whereas you know, South Florida is kind of the hustle and bustle, you know, more busy, more you know, of a young scene and whatnot. But I think both are great. I love the state of Florida, you know, Proud to be out here.
Go home, Jack Triscoll, do Dolphins tackle Dolphins off of Lineman? Really really good stuff. They got to get Jack a little bit closer to the microphone next time he comes in here, but otherwise, really really good chats with those two guys, let's go ahead and take our first break, come back on the other side and do some analysis here. That's what we do best in Drive Time. That's next Drive Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you
by Auto Nation. Dast tape has been grounded, grinded ground I don't know the phrasing there, but Aaron Brewers tape man, Let's go ahead and start with him first before Jack Driscold. I gotta say, like, going from watching years of interior offensive line play that hasn't been that great. And you know, I thought Connor Williams was very good the last two years. Robert Hunt has had a great career for the Miami Dolphins,
which got him paid twenty million bucks per year. Right, But on balance, we've seen you know, Leam Mikenberg try inside. We've seen Austin Jackson get kicked inside a few years ago. A handful of guys that played that position over the years, and I kind of got used to like guys in the ground, guys with their heads on a swivel in a bad way in terms of like what the hell is going on out here? That famous football clip of the young man, the blind young Man playing football? What
the hell is going on? And just technique wise not good, like never the same arm hand, sorry say, the same hand leg punch combination where you time up your punch with your drop step or with your you know, getting your cleats in the ground to anchor and pad level and just all these things that cause blocks that just look bad, that look like how am I going to execute this block? Because I just don't have the fundamentals
or the technique to handle it. Well, there's a reason that Aaron Brewer made the NFL at two hundred and eighty pounds. It's because his technique is nearly flawless, and he's gained you know, fifteen twenty pounds since then, getting close to three hundred pounds now. But that's how he wins with speed, explosiveness and elite like elite technique and fundamentals.
He handles bigger bodies with pad level and leg drive and it's ridiculous how much push he can get considering his weight disadvantage, when he's able to pop you under your chest plate. And then he talked about on the podcast just a few minutes ago about his leg drive and squats and you see that power he plays with kind of has a dumpy body, right, squatty body. That's what those guys are supposed to look like. That's what
he looks like. He drives guys off the football with that leg drive, and you pair that with flat out, no question, without even a moment of debate, by far, the most athletic center in the National Football League. He's pretty damn good man. He's so clean in the way he attaches and detaches, which is so critical for your man gap schemes, which the Titans ran plenty of, and it allows you to stay flexible in those types of blocks in an offense that wants to run wide zone
and have a CounterPunch to this man in power. But also there are some counterlooks to those zone plays, like there's a play against the Colts tape last year where he takes a dummy step but counterstep to the left and there's a linebacker stacked right over the top of him, and he countersteps left, which gets linebacker to take one step that way, and then he fires back across his body with a change of direction and a crossover step that puts him like two yards wider than the linebacker,
and at that point all he has to do is turn his button the gap and steal him off. And he does that and then drives him off the football
and buries him in the turf there in Nashville. Like it's so impressive, and you know he can like he can help on a two technique in some of these looks because a lot of times, like not a lot of defenses, he's AA's play a strap zero technique, a beare front, you know, a front that has a nose tackle right over the center, and so oftentimes these guys are kind of firing off the ball and helping on blocks with the guards, and he can help on that two technique, which lines up head up over your left
or right guard and then continues that leg drive up to the second level, and then he can get off of that block and then wall off a five technique, which is a guy that plays on the outside shoulder of your offensive tackle, and he can wall that guy off before he crashes inside on a slanting rush. Doesn't get stuck on those blocks as a double man almost ever, which I've seen the Dolphins do oh many times over
the last decade plus. The way he strikes when he's out flanked by pass rushers like anything outside of a zero or one technique is with quickness and punching first.
But here's where he's gotten beaten the past, based on the tape that I watched, if the two technique head up over the guard the two I which is inside shoulder of the guard, or your three technique, which is inside shoulder of the tackle or outside shoulder of the guard, I should say, if they can absorb or withstand his initial pop, which is pretty aggressive and pretty strong, they can then use his momentum because he knows he has to get out there fast and win with that quickness,
they can kind of use that momentum against him and hip toss him, and he can either get grabby in that sense and pull a guy down on the turf or just flat out get thrown out of the play and lose the pass rush rep as it is, but man doesn't happen frequently because the punch is hardwired to the feet. He consistently gets his feet under his shoulder pads in order to be on balance when he does strike, and when he's not in position, you see the quickness
to shuffle over and get in position. He is very aware of how it's supposed to look from a technique standpoint, and he frequently is in a great position to make those things happen. I just I can't reiterate enough how low he plays defensive tackles. There's a technique it's called making a pile where they'll recognize a double team and they will turn their back and drop their knee and just try to pull the cloth of the jersey of both offensive linemen and cause a two on one pile.
Looks if I take out two offensive linemen, you're at a disadvantage in the numbers game here blocking wise. And he can thwart this because he plays so damn low and can get this controlled ribshot on those guys and knock them back while he stays on his feet. There's just there's no wasted movement in his game, fluid mover. I saw him reach block of four eye technique, which is inside shoulder of the tackle, turn the butt inside and wall that thing off for now see gap rip.
For Dereck Henry, everything he does is fully intentional. I've seen enough bad offensive line play to see what looking confused looks like. He's never that. He always is aware of what's coming. He's consistently hitting the right targets, getting his feet under him, retaining his punch until it's necessary, quiet hands, kind of like a wide receiver, and he's never on the ground like he can anchor. There's a bull rush from to Forrest Buckner as the three technique
slanting inside, and he played tackle in college. You heard him talk about it there. It's so clear that he did, because on this rep he's got it's like a third and long. So their NASCAR package wide rushers, nobody inside
the three technique position. Buckner is the closest guy to him inside, and he slants across the face of the guard for a bull rush on Brewer because that's two hundred and ninety five pounds or rather three twenty pounds against two hundred ninety five pounds, and he wants to bowl rushman, put brew on his back, and then clear
up that a gap on either side. He just throws this beautiful kickslide where he drops steps and handles him with one headed punch and the cleats hit the turf at the same time that his hands hit the pats. That is synchronicity you want from your offensive lineman. He's a fantastic player. Man. I think that there's some concerns about the size and what it can do against bigger players on the interior, but he can so frequently out
technique those guys that he can win. And then when you get that going on top of the athletic ability, no one moves like him in the entire National Football League. We're gonna have a ton of fun with this guy. He is, I think, a better fit here than even Connor Williams was, And I thought Connor Wims is the top five center in the NFL the last two years.
I'm not saying Aaron Well brute will be that he can be that, but I think that he's a better fit stylistically for the counter game, the jet sweep, the reverse game, all the different action encounters and stuff than McDaniel has in his back pocket. Brewer is the quintessential fit for the Dolphins offense in that regard. How about Jack driscoll, a guard slash tackle slash played some center and practice formerly the Philadelphia Eagles, coming to Miami for
his fifth year as a pro. And there's right guard tape, there's right tackle tape, tackle tape, and as you heard Jack say, himself. He has played left guard and center in practices as well, So very position diverse, very flexible in terms of what he can offer you, and honestly in a lot of ways. I know this is probably gonna not sound great to a law of Dolphins fans. Kind of reminds me of Jesse Davis in that way.
Not like twenty twenty Jesse Davis. Maybe more like twenty seventeen Jesse Davis when he was playing some good games off the bench there here and there. But my notes on Jack are he comes off the football quickly. I mean that's a non negotiable in this offense. I think his past sets in a phone booth at the right guard position are very nice. You see those quick feet translate. I think a little bit better inside in terms of how he can wall off some of those pass rushes
from a three technique or a two technique. He's super, super effective as a poler. All the stuff that goes with athletic ability, right like his quickness in a road environment, which is something I don't think you consider on tape most of the times unless you are a Dolphins media
member or analyst or whatever you call it. Because we saw how many times the Dolphins had issues getting their calls in and getting everybody on sync for the snap and having no pre snap alignment issues was an issue right of itself, and his ability to you know how the right guard often is the one that triggers the snap on road environments, kind of taps the center and then the center looks down, looks back up, snap comes up.
His ability to do that and then get back into a position to get off the football first is it jumps off the tape. You see it very quickly and whether it's straight ahead forty five degree angle turn and pull,
he is just quick out of his stance. Now, this is where I think that butcher Berry earns his salt, so to speak, like he did last year with a couple Dolphins offensive lineman because there's a lot of what I would consider a twenty twenty one Austin Jackson tape here, where there's impressive flashes of dominance that show you the skill set that made this guy a high draft pick.
But then there's also a bunch of weird reps where it looks totally out of sorts, like it kind of reminds me of me on the golf course or sometimes so at least the last my play to birdie one hole triple the next I don't get that many triples, but it is in my bag. But I also can't get past just some of the fundamental shortcomings, and I think bleed into bad technique that reduces any semblance of power,
feet stopping on contact, taking false steps. Is always isn't always on balance because he kind of leans into blocks instead of driving through them, and that's the feet going
down on contact thing. He does sometimes at the right tackle position set to wide and that opens the strike zone for the edge rusher to come through, or at the right guard position for a three technique to kind of see him open up that wide base, get the hands spread apart and expose the chest plate, which then allows the defender to control the rep at that point. The change of direction anytime he has to kind of shuffle, replace slide get back from an overseet not really in
his bag but a tackle. I like the quickness for his ability to get a deep kickslide that helps him cut off the arc. And there's some of the same stuff from the guard position in the running game too, where he can counter tray wham trap just get to and landmarks a little bit quicker than most guys at that position, at that size can do. So there's a lot there I think. I think ideally, I believe this is like your sixth guy in a lot of positions,
is my hope. We will see what it looks like come the spring, and I'm excited to see what the coaching staff can do with him and how they can maximize his skill set because there is a lot of talent in there. I think technique could be cleaned up, and that's what coaches are paid to do. So a lot of stuff in there. Let's go ahead and take our last break right there. Come back on the other side, and here from Tarn Davenport. We do not have a
guest for Jack Driscold. Today, we'll hear from Tarn Davenport from he covers the Titans. We'll talk to him about Aaron Brewer. That's next Draft Time podcast. Your host, Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Joining us now is ESPN's NFL Nation reporter covering the Tennessee Titans. Tarn Davenport and Tron welcome back into the Drive Time podcast.
Man, Yeah, I appreciate you having you man, It's always good to talk.
Yeah, always happy to get you on here talking about some x Titans. That seems like we have on here for every time you come on the podcast here. But before we get into that, I want to ask you
a couple of questions about the person. But first just his general usage and talking of course about Aaron Brewer, the former Titans offensive lineman now here with your Miami Dolphins, because when you watch his tape, like the athleticism, the speed, the ability to get to the second level, all those things really jump out of you, especially through a Dolphin's lens, where our run game emphasizes those things. But in Tennessee, it was like power, bigger players around him, you know,
between the tackles, downhill balling style offense. I'm curious what you made of his play style compared to what the Titans kind of identity was on offense.
Yeah, well, I think you know, they did a lot of wide zone that was one of Derrick Henry's strong points, and they did a lot of zone blocking in addition to power.
It was like a mixture of the two.
But when they go zone, I think when you look at Aaron Brewer, you kind of think of those centers like Jason Kelsey. I'm not comparing the greatness, but just the ability to get out in the open and move under control with speed and able to throttle down and destroy second level defenders.
And that's what you see him able to do.
And that's one of the things that stood out to me about him, and I thought they did a good job there. But as you mentioned, when they went to like power schemes those types of things, it doesn't really match because he's not the biggest guy.
He's strong, but he's not the biggest guy.
And actually, and when you're giving up, you know, twenty to thirty pounds to certain defenders, it's harder to move them.
Yeah, it does seem like a lot of teams have shifted more towards a balance of those two run styles, because like the Niners do it now under Shanahan, the Rams with McVeigh. I mean, these teams that have kind of, you know, written the book on wide zone outside zone
running schemes have more power in their playbook. And the Dolphins actually put together a game winning drive last year with a pretty much power running game against the Cowboys on Christmas Eve, And I'm curious to Ron because like you talk about, you know, the mix of those two
things there. Did you guys ever talk to me about that in the media in terms of the challenges that he faces because of his playing weight, his play style, in terms of going up against those bigger guys, because you're going to see bigger nose tackles, and I mean I thought, by and large, he really held his own against a lot of teams across the league.
Yeah.
Now that's something I personally had asked him about a lot of times because I know there were rumors that he was like two sixty five. I asked about his weight and he said he was up to the two nineties.
We talked about his diet.
And things like that, you know, what he would do to get that weight to where it needed to be and maintain it. And he going against bigger guys when that was something that we discussed. And he just always talked about the use of leverage, and I think when you are able to mix leverage into your game, it
helps you at times to outdo those size disadvantages. And Mike Vrabel he in fact Joe and caught him tougher than a two dollars stake and I think when you look at that analogy, it applies because the way he's able to hold his own at times against guys who are much bigger. But I think it really comes down to leverage and technique. How he's able to use that and that helps him hold his own against the bigger defenders.
And you got to look even further. He has a lot of heart.
You know, this is a guy who was an underdog, came from a very small school, and he managed to you know, go from an undrafted free agent outside chance to make the roster to eventually become a d starting center at least for a season for the Titans. So I'll just let you know that the fight is in him, and I think, you know, he's somebody that will really match with what the Dolphins do as far as like everything is movement and fast and speed and agility.
Yeah, I mean the fit there is obvious, But what you just said was kind of revealing because that's what Mike McDaniel, that's his entire journey was. You know, everyone told me couldn't do it. And he likes to collect players in his locker room to have that similar mindset because it kind of creates a camaraderie and a bomb between those guys, and it sounds like Aaron Brewer is
gonna fit right in with that. And also to your point about you know those bigger bodies like man, when I watch him play, he's like the first guy off the snap as the center, which is so difficult to do to snap the ball then get in space, and he's so quick off the snap that I think it gives him a lot of, like you talk about advantages in that leverage.
Right, yeah, I mean he who gets his hands on the other man first typically wins.
Right, Yeah, exactly right. So really good stuff there, and I want to talk a little bit more about just being around the guy the person here for a couple of minutes. I believe the last time we had you, I was talking about David Long and that worked out pretty damn well for us. So hoping to go two for two with this next one here, and I'm fired up about Aaron Brewer. Man. I think I'll start with this spot talking about kind of the maturation and the
mental side of it. He's played all the interior spots and I always find that fascinating for offensive linemanhouse seamlessly they can switch positions like that because it's a different job really in different roles and it's a different, you know, game that you're playing. I'm curious how you would describe his eagerness or his willingness to play go to play center, and just the volatility of switching spots like that, because
that was his career the first few years. How did he approach being kind of a jack of all trades on the inside.
Yeah, for him, it was really just about attacking and getting in where he could fit it, and that was his thing where he knew that he was, you know, a guy who was on the fringe of the rosters, so he was just trying to find a way to fit in any way possible. I think when you look at just the ability to play center and guard, it's a big difference because I mean, still, you're in the phone booth and everything's coming at you fast and all that stuff.
That's one hundred percent true. But the other thing.
That you have to look at is just the fact that you got to snap the ball and get your head up in time to get that guy who's in front of you, and that's no easy task. And then on top of that, you got to make sure that the ball is getting where it needs to be to the quarterback. So a lot of that is you know, difficult, but he's able to manage to do that, and I think, you know, that's a credit to him. And then you just look at the person that he is. You know, again,
like I said, the underdog part of it. You know, the guy he was, he was not even on the radar.
You know.
In fact, John Stretcher, who was Mike Frabele's personal assistant, he was the one that that kind of found him so to speak, and put him onto the Scouts and you know, he just worked his way into into the system. And I think, you know, when you look at at Brew, he was one of my favorite guys to talk to in the locker room, whereas like you know, he's somebody that I would go to until not about football at
the time, just you know, about other stuff. And it's always cool to have that type of relationship with with a player. And that's something that I'm sure you guys are going to experience because he's he's a really cool dude.
He's into fashion, he's into music.
You know, his I G page is always interesting, just and his his pregame outfits and stuff like that.
It was cool to document those things.
That's exactly why I wanted to have Toron devinport On from ESPN covering the Titans for ESPN, I should say, really good stuff. There. One last question for you here at to Aron before I get you out of here. What about the leadership and the role of being that conduit between play caller and quarterback as the center, because it's just such a unique position in this league where you're kind of, you know, biking line checks for the
most part. How did you, I guess, grade him as it were in terms of his ability to communicate protections and just be that trusted voice in the middle of the offensive line for a quarterback room that you know, saw three different guys play this year. What did you kind of make of his ability to be a stabilizing force in the middle of the Titans offensive line from a communication and just leadership standpoint.
Yeah, that's one of the things I like the most about camp is you get to be there for the full practice and there's not a bunch of noise and
stuff like that. You could hear them communicate and and and talk, and that's something that he did a really good job with I remember around this time last year, I guess more like next month in April, and may like leading up to many camp I remember when it was clear that he was the starting center, asking him about that leadership and being the quarterback of the offense as far as the offensive line is concerned, and he said that that's something that he took personally, and then
he was in the quarterbacks room with them at times, you know, in addition to the offensive line, you know, just trying to make sure that that communication was as clear and concise as possible. So I think that's an example of how how seriously he takes it and how much he wants to make sure that it's all.
Fort Thron Davenport covers Tennessee Titans for ESPN at TD Davenport, thank you so much for your time today. Drive to wherever you're getting safely, and we'll talk to you soon.
Man. Thank you all right, for sure. I appreciate you.
Travel and off he goes. Fun conversations they're all around. Let's go ahead and call it a podcast. We have one more of these scheduled as it is right now. Will there be an episode for Odell Beckham? We will find out in the coming days and weeks, I am sure, but for now on Friday, we're going to have Fortson and Neville Gallimore and I also have a media member sound by for Benito Jones to not get Benito in
the studio for the podcast. But we'll cover the rest of your Dolphins thirteen free agent acquisitions on the Friday podcast in the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, is to jar tune in where ever get your podcast from. Go ahead and leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on social at Wingfold NFL. The team at Miami Dolphins check out the fish Tank podcast was set and Juice. Check out the team YouTube channel for
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