You're listening to the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network.
This is Drive Time with Travis Wingfield. Back to throw to a looking whips about.
A wide Dolphin touchdown, Tyriquel, uncolievable, just.
Blue fire for a second time.
Don't know where he was going right away.
I want to hit that though.
Man.
I'm wanna help you.
Someone will step on your bandwagon.
Wattle Wattle to a shotguns, back to throw, looking at them.
Up fires touchdown. It's Waddle his sixth touchdown.
Parasoun of this day.
Drive Time with Travis Wingfield begins.
Now check your pulse for what is up Dolphins and welcome to the Drive Time podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield And on today's show, we're gonna hear from you. Great to Tracy Wolfson from the CBS broadcast crew you'll see on
Sunday with Jim, Tony and Tracy. Plus my friend Kyle Krabs drops by to give us Fins Draft in five from Week five in college football, Plus the Friday Detour takes us into the offensive line room to learn about technique and coach Barry's unit and how they're playing so far this year, that much more from the Baptist Hell Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the
Draft Time Podcast, May Gaff. Let's go ahead and kick this off with my interview with the great Tracy Wolfson, and I'm very happy today to welcome into the podcast from CBS Tracy Wolfson. Tracy, thank you so much for your.
Time today, Thanks for having me.
Very happy to have you on. And I know you'll probably be back in Buffalo again at some point this season. But for us, for us as Dolphins employees in the building here, we've played a lot of our games up there in December recently. Are you as excited as we are to get a go up through while the leaves are still changing colors?
Yes, I think right now it says about eight degrees and sunny. First of all, I'm coming off rain games two of the first three games of the season, so I'm looking as forward as you are to get into that environment, and certainly earlier in the season is better when it comes to Buffalo.
It's a nice break for us too, because as you know, it's still super hot and humid down here in that game on Sunday was no walk in the park for anybody that was out there. So looking forward to a little bit less humidity up there. And then I guess the next thing I want to ask you, Tracy, is and you're on the sideline, so like you're there when you know, when it's snowing out and the snowballs are
coming down, or just the complete debauchery. I guess if you want to call it of Bill's mafia, describe that atmosphere for us when you're on the sideline for not just Bills or let's just say it first at Orchard Park out there.
Yeah, I mean, I love being in Buffalo. The fans are so into it. They're intense, they've got their traditions driving up to the stadium, they're tailgating, you know, starting so early in the morning, the breaking of the table, you know, it's awesome. But they're also like, it's a great city, it's a great you know environment, and the people are so nice and welcoming, and that's what's what I love about being in Buffalo. And certainly on the sideline,
you hear it. The fans are rabid, more certain stadiums more than others. You get that, and Buffalo is certainly one of those.
How about for Dolphins and Bills because you covered the playoff game last year? Dolphins took it right down to the wire there late in the game. But I know that Dolphins fans not too fond of Buffalo fans, and I know the whole squish the fish mantra lives on pretty well up there. How do you describe Dolphins and Bills when you're out there?
Well, why would they like? Yeah?
Other right, it is a rivalry in the making, I would say, And certainly you're you're fighting for a chance to continue on in the playoffs and get to the super Bowl. So I get it. There's a lot of tension there and there's a lot of you know, there's opportunity on the line that you're playing for. So I can understand the two fan bases not liking each other. But these are two really passionate fan bases we're talking about,
so it can get a little heated. But I'm sure you know outside the stadium, everyone gets a lock.
Tracy Wolfson's CBS my guest day on the Draft Time podcast, and I know that we're recording this a little bit earlier in the week, you know, on a Wednesday. The podcast will come out on Friday. So I know you've just begun your kind of game prep here, but you still have an idea of what you're looking at when you go to Miami and Buffalo, especially the Dolphins offense that's coming out of the gates as hot as anybody ever has, really three and zero coming in number one
and virtually everything offensively. What's something you're looking forward to most about learning about the Dolphins this week or watching them on Sunday.
Yeah, I just actually watched that game from last weekend, and I couldn't believe it because I was on the air, so of course we heard about it. Jim and Tony talked about it while it was happening, but for me, I didn't get a chance to see any of it. So I just watched the game yesterday. I'm excited to see the speed in person. That's what I'm looking forward to, and I think it's going to be an interesting matchup
between the Bills and the Dolphins. When you have that speed, that's not how the Bills play, and Josh Allen's trying to play a little bit more tight to the vest, not maybe be as aggressive because of the turnovers. He's gonna have to be aggressive in this one. They're gonna have to score thirty plus points to keep up with the Dolphins. So I'm excited to see all the weapons that Miami has out there in full strength. Hopefully you
get Waddle back as well. I mean crazy to think you didn't even have him last week and seeing all of them and how Mike McDaniels just puts them in these positions, the formations and what they can do against the Buffalo defense that certainly has started out strong in the first three games of the season.
It looks like a callback to the nineties rivalries between Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. With all the points those guys score, I think you can expect something similar to that this week. I think we'll see You never know with this league, because it always throws you a curveball
when you least expect it. But kind of on that same vein you know, this is the first time you guys will be out there with McDaniel and Tua as the quarterback head coach combination because you covered the playoff game when it was Skyler Thompson, just curious to hear what you're most excited about learning about those two in their relationship together.
Yeah, I mean, we certainly will talk about that, you know, behind closed doors when we have our meetings leading up to the game. Their relationship, how it is, you know, stepped up, and also just you know, it's been documented over the first few weeks about what Tua has done in the off season with the helmet, with his body,
with his diet, with a jiu jitsu juju jitsu. But I'm looking forward to, you know, hearing it from him and really diving into that side of it and how McDaniel maybe helped him along the way and what that relationship has has grown to be. And so it's always fun to sit down, you know, off the field and really get to have a conversation. I remember meeting Mike
McDaniel for the first time. We were blown away by just the way he talks and the stories he tells, and you know how locked in he is and how smart he is as a play caller, And so sitting down with them certainly will be, you know, something we didn't get a chance to do last year. We both to and Mike, but I think. I think they'll share a lot of information that'll help us in the broadcast, no.
Doubt when you put together your your notes for a game, because like obviously for the broadcast booth, it's probably a little bit different in terms of what you're going for because they get a little more into the x's and nose where I'm sure you look more for compelling stories to tell. And every time I turn on the you know, the CBS number one game, I'm looking forward to what
Tracy got for us this week. Is there something outside of maybe the norm that you're looking forward to kind of peeling back the onion on and giving us a great story behind the scenes.
You know, I'm still digging in and I'm not sure, and I do. That's the whole key is really finding new fresh stuff. You don't want to go back, And it's why you watch some of those games, see what the stories have been told, what you can find out, what you could talk about where he most or his story has been documented. But what an incredible story it is. And I'll get a chance to talk to him, not only on Saturday when we meet with Miami, but he's going to be on our We need to talk show,
which will be airing Saturday as well. We tape on Thursday, so I look forward to kind of diving in a little bit more on him. And of course, of course a Khan. A Khan is that what we're calling him now, not a Chane. I want to hear his story, right, I want to get a chance to sit down and have a conversation with him and really hear you know, his root, his path, and so I think you just
try and find something fresh. The other thing I do is I like to feed off of what Jim and Tony talk about, and a lot of it really comes from the field. You have these stories, but you only can work them in if it makes sense. And certainly, if Wattle has a good game, you want to have some Wattle stories in your back pocket. And if Bradley Chubb has a good game, you want to have some Chub stories in your pocket so that.
You can add on.
And then I really go by whatever is happening on the field, whatever I'm watching, whatever I'm seeing. If there's an online issue, I'm going to follow up and see what's happening down there on the offensive line. So it's kind of a combination of coming up with stories that those haven't heard yet, but also reacting to what's taking place on the field.
You know, it's funny. I'm kind of listening along with you and kind of checking off my boxes here because each guy you just mentioned, they're all gems of here, human beings. Like gaining a chance to get to know these guys has been so fun to see them flourish
in the field. So you have a lot of different avenues you can chase with good storytelling there and really likable guys and tell their stories, and you also allude there to you know, kind of following Jim and Tony's league, which again Number one CBS crew, Like, I love watching your guys' games because I learned so much and become such a smarter football fan and a person that covers
the game myself as well. But I've always been so curious because, like Tony lives and dies with every single play, it seems like up in the booth, and then Jim is so stoic. He brings that PGA level presence that just kind of balances the booth out. I'm dying to know. Are they the exact same way in real life too?
Well, that's interesting I mean, I do think that's why it works so well, is you know, Jim just he's been there, done that, professionalism just is so prepared, photographic memory knows everything. What he can recall is incredible to me. You can say, you remember that game, you know, Miami Buffalo and the nine, and he can, you know, tell you every stat and what the final score was and where he was at that time. So you know, he
it's you get that, and then you get Tony. It's like you're you're hanging out with him in a bar, drinking a beer and watching a game. And I think they really do compliment each other and off the off the field or outside of the booth they do so
as well. But we get to kind of like sit back and relax on Fridays before a game, we go out to dinner all together and we get that chance to really just you know, and then then he gets into some good heated conversations, right, You get that back and forth that maybe you don't necessarily get on the air. And they have a great relationship between the two of them, So uh, I think it's a It's a perfect partnership, no doubt. And I'm just lucky to be a part of that.
That's awesome. But it's always I love knowing more about what goes on behind the scenes with the people that cover the game as well, because to me, it's just as compelling as the game itself. A couple more here for you.
I will tell you Tony gets up, he gets going. We'll be sitting at a dinner table and he will start walking around the dinner table and go off and pontificate on something we just talked about.
So that's fun.
And Jim could also you know, entertain a room like like you know, you know, like just so professional. He just gets up there and he knows exactly how to entertain a crowd, and it boggles my mind how he can just you know, do it so easily. So the two of them, they really actually have a lot of similarities in that regard as well.
Well. I think you said it best at it works so well because of that balance they bring. And then also, you know you mentioned yourself falling up their stories. It just it all clicks together so well. We're so excited to have you guys on this game and hopefully in a big Dolphins win. A couple more questions here for you, Tracy. Number one is I'm curious because I know that part of reporting and doing this job is kind of, you know, using your resources and finding out what other folks say
about these teams and these players. You know, you're in a different NFL city every week, people talk around the league. Have you caught any wind of what folks saying about this Dolphins team so far in this three and zero start.
Only positive and only be care and how they could be unstoppable. But we've seen a lot of strange things happening these first three weeks. I watched the Dallas game in person against the Jets, and I said, Wow, this is the best team in football right now. And I had the Eagles week one, so you know, all of a sudden they go out and movese to Arizona. So I think we have to temper our expectations a little bit.
It is certainly early on in the season. But what I saw from Miami in that game, you can't help, but you know, reacting like, oh wow, this is right now the class of the AFC. And we've seen Kansas City maybe not look up to the standard that they are. But again it is week four. I read everything part of my research is following every beat reporter on Twitter, and I'm telling you, I get the best information you have to follow everything up. But they're with the teams
twenty four hours a day, Unlike me. He was just switching each week to different teams in different games. And so I hear it from all different sides, and I can tell you what the Bills fans and what they were poor and what Sean mcdermotter is saying is, you know, this team is legit. They're really good, and they have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, and they're going to be extremely difficult to stop.
Yeah. I think both sides of the ball's going to be so much fun to watch, like the Marino and Kelly, like Arab Bills and Dolphins. Just keeps coming to mind when I think about these two teams and how much fun this could be and hopefully, you know, McDaniel mentioned this in a press conference that the last couple of Super Bowl appearances have come from teams that came out
of divisions with multiple playoff teams. I think this is a good chance for both these teams to kind of test their metal against one another and find out what they're made of and prepare them for you know, more important games down the line. Speaking of those big and important games, the last question I have for you, Tracy, Like NFL numbers right now are going crazy. Why do
you think that the interesting NFL right now? Like when every year it seems like I can't get any higher, why does it keep getting higher and higher every single year in this league.
I think a lot of it is the personalities on the field. I think it's the competition out there. I think it's social media. I think it's streaming. I think it's the access to game, it's fantasy football, it's gambling. It's all of that that we haven't seen, you know, maybe ten years ago. So you're seeing, you know, so many new innovations when it comes to football as well. And I think that's why the interest is so high. Gambling makes a huge difference when you can just get
the average fan. So I have three boys, and my youngest is a fan, and my oldest is a fan, and my middle one only cares about fantasy football. He's not sitting on the couch and watching a full game from start to finish. But that's what you're getting out there, and so I think that's where the interest comes. And then all of a sudden, just take a look at the tailor swift effect that happened the Tavis Kelsey. I mean, now you know how many people are just going to
tune in because they're Taylor Swift fans. They're Swifties and they want to watch her at a football game. And so it's it's amazing what social media does these days and celebrities and the commercials. You're seeing all of these players, you know, in these commercials now and so the NFL is in a really good place.
I think there was a tweet from a I think it was a diehard Swifty who kind of explained the basis of football, and it was like, each team gets four downs, try to get a first down, touchdown, six points, field goals, three points, the cyclor piece, over and over again. They're like, all right, that's all you have to know. Now, Swifties can be football fans, and we can grow audience by millions because of how many Swifties are out there. You can find her.
I say that to a lot of my friends. I'm like, just learn football, just the basics, because you can just sit down and watch it and understand if you just know the basics. I'm glad someone put that out there.
It's perfect.
I mean, it's such a great community to be a part of. I mean football, it's something you can it's a different language that you can kind of connect with anybody over anywhere you are, anytime. Great stuff, Tracy. You can find her on the sidelines this week in Orchard Park Dolphins and Bills, one o'clock on CBS. Tracy, thank you so much for your time today. It was great to meet you.
Appreciate it so much.
See you out there, and off she goes. Let's go ahead and take our first break right there and come back on the other side and hear from head coach Mike McDaniel his Friday conference. We'll also get to the Friday Detour, which is the new name of the Friday narrative here on the Draft Time podcast that's next brought to you by AutoNation. I have three soundbites for you guys from coach McDaniel on this Friday. Two are not really game related, one specifically about Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs,
the Digs. Let's go ahead and start here with a question that I found interesting about something I've long wanted to myself is how do you balance the thought of putting certain things on tape versus preserving things and games against an opponent you might see later on or for a bigger game or a playoff game, whatever it might be. Here's coach on whether or not you reserve ideas you have. I love this answer.
Yeah.
I can't speak for anybody else I know in my career. Literally it is so hard to win a game in general. But have never held anything back your kind of expectation the way I look at it, you know, I look at for instance, the Buffalo Bills are one of the best teams of football, and if instead of having an idea that you would put in your back pocket, why don't you just come up with a new idea?
You know?
So that I think, for as far as I've always looked at it, and the way that our coaching staff does is everything that we can and Cannon are able to use. We give it our best shot because we know that if we don't give it our best shot, we will learn the hard way of how difficult the NFL is.
And not to mention against the Broncos last week, the Dolphins put so much on tape that Buffalo is going to have to account for every single little movement the Dolphins did, and I think it could put them in a position where maybe they prepare for things they don't see at all, and all of a sudden, Miami has a bunch of new wrinkles for you that can be
taxing as a defense. Next, he was asked about where he would evalue with a defense right now after the offense score seventy points, and coach kind of took that question and went in another direction. Here he is so far on the Dolphins defense through three weeks.
First of all, I would say that seventy points is only possible with with our With our defense, you had three turnovers and you had a had a stop. Are three and out after a turnover on downs in our own territory. So and with regard to UH specifically in general, I see a progression each and every week for what they're trying to do and and guys finding their way
within the system. I think we have a bunch of playmakers that that know that they're playmakers and play the game of football to make plays, and I think they're starting to find within the system when it's their play to make. You know, team defense is about holding responsible. But then when there's a vulnerability in the offensive schematics,
you seek destroy and it's your play to make. And I think more often we had too many instances week one where guys were trying to be that player on every play and not a calculated trigger so to speak. That you've seen the last two weeks progressively get more consistent.
On top of that, you know, I think last game was the first game of the season that you couldn't say that the defense didn't win the game in terms of at the end making you know, being on the field against the against the Chargers to get that last stop, and then against the Patriots as well. So I see a team, that team that's getting better collectively, and you know, there's no better example by the tape than the defense and how they're they're continuing to get better.
And then we finish up here with coach who was asked about do teams ever double Stefan Diggs and spy Josh Allen. He took the question but also gave us more on the Bills two biggest stars and two big keys to wear the game On Sunday, people.
Try everything against really good offenses like that. So I think you know, it's a team defense. Those guys are the focal points of their offense, but it's not the only parts of their offense. It's the teams that whatever your plan is. If you're able to play complimentary football, you're able to be sounding coverage but then get pass rush. You're able to get pass rush but not completely void pass rush lanes. You know, there's no exact formula, no
right or wrong way. It's just you have to be a complete way because if you jump out of a gap, you know, to try to get greedy and get a sack, you know he'll step up and he'll run off to his right and throw a seventy five year bomb to Digs down the field. If you catch yourself being lazy on the back end and we have a sound rush, but then he gets an extra hitch and then you know,
Digs wheels out and you're made pay. So I think it's more about having a complete defense, not necessarily and doing what you're good at, but applying it to that specific team, which is what we're trying to do this week.
So you're here there from coach McDaniel, and next, I want to go ahead and take our Friday detour through the offensive line room. And you know what, so many people out there, Oh, the offensive line, the personnel department, the coaching staff, Chris career in particular, and apology. Are there refruns for all the likes in retweets you got over panicking over the offensive line for saying the year is already a wash because t Ron Armstead was questionable
for that first game in Los Angeles? Did sharing that video of Greer laughing about how he's not worried about the offensive line? Did that feel good? Did you get off your chest when you were using it to whine that they didn't do enough before they had even played a game? Do you still feel silly pulling all those jags on your timeline to elicit outrage and retweets? Cam Fleming, get out of here man, bring back Eric Fisher, kick the tiers on. Taylor Lawan, Austin Jackson, Kendall lamb Isaiah
Win Balin, Ben Baldwin. He's at computer Cowboy on Twitter. He runs an analytics based website that measures advanced metrics across the entire game. He put together a weekly composite offensive line rankings every single week from three sources, Pro
Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and ESPN. And what I like about it is he doesn't try to fit a narrative, doesn't try to tell you a story based upon certain cherry pick numbers, like certain analysts out there who you know what, Let's not talk about the ringing the ringer quarterback rankings. Let's just go ahead and stick with the topic here. He just provides a service without any slant on it. And look, PFF grades they kind of stink, right,
they don't. Let's just call them what they were. They're a conversation starter. We don't need to have the validity of PFF grades conversation on this podcast. But Sports Info Solutions is a hurry hit sack related stat. Hence the one hundred score we get because TUA has only been sacked once and hit just a few times, and then ESPN has a fifty seven. But either way, the composite score from Miami's offensive line is ninety one, which is best in the National Football League. So I wanted to
take a look at this closer. In ESPN's team pass block win rate is sixty percent, which is twelfth in the NFL, and their run block win rate is tenth at seventy two percent. Pro football focus is past block efficiency. Here's the individual league and the league ranks among each players who have at least eighty pass blocking snaps this year.
To Ron Armstead, well, he's tied for first, but it's not it doesn't hit the threshold because he only has twenty six pass blocking snaps, but his is one hundred because he did not allow pressure in his debut. For the twenty twenty three season, Kendall Lamb is ninety six point three. That's tied for twenty ninth among tackles. Your swing tackle technically is among the top half of the starting tackles in the National Football League. Six pressures on
eighty four pass blocking snaps. Yeah, it's a big part of why McDaniel said back in Houston if we feel if we felt like we didn't have capable NFL offensive lineman behind to Ron, maybe it would make us worried. But we feel we have that Chris Career back in April, you guys are more worried about the offensive line than we are. Maybe you'll learn to trust these guys that are experts at this stuff and have proven time and time again they're pretty damn good at their jobs. Austin
Jackson same exact rate ninety six point three. That's seven pressures, one hundred and ten pass blocking snaps tied for twenty ninth, which again sixty four starting tackles thirty two to the midway point. He's in the upper half of tackle production and pass blocking, and he's a great run blocker. Two. Isaiah Win one hundred, zero pressures one hundred and nine pass blocking snaps, tied for first, the only offense guard
with one hundred pass blocking snaps and zero pressures. The next highest pass blocking snaps without a pressure is sixty one. It's a full game or two games worth of production there. Robert Hunt ninety nine point one two pressures on one on nine pass blocking snaps has tied for fourth among guards, and Connor Williams's third among centers with one pressure and one hundred and one pass blocking snaps ninety nine point
five pass block efficiency. I mean, come on, so I wanted to talk to some of these guys and find out what the secret sauce is. Let's go ahead and start here with Austin Jackson on where he's at right now with his technique and how key it is to his game so far.
Feel pretty good. You know, I had a whole year off of football, and I watched a lot of football in that time, had a year of offseason to train, and I kind of understand, you know, just what I wanted to look like, and you know what I wanted my game to look like. So I'm happy. I'm happy to be healthy first and foremost because that's when I give my opportunities to play. So yes, very happy.
I also up with the aforementioned Isaiah Win in the locker room this week. Here's my one on one chat with the Dolphins left guard who right now is the best pass blocking garden football. So first off, I just wanted to ask you about like the hot start you're out to you. I don't know if you saw some like outside websites that grader play like no pressure is allowed so far this season from you. I'm just curious, kind of gradier first three weeks of performance so.
Far, been playing good, saying to play better, a lot of technique and fundamental the things I can get better.
On with regard to technique and fundamentals. How has like butcher Berry put his fingerprints on your guys group as a whole.
Uh, just being able to play to our strength. You know what I'm saying. Everybody is kind of different, but being able to recognize everybody's strength and then just playing to it. You know, it's just been real good.
How much do you appreciate like the passion and energy that he brings to every single meeting, every single practice.
Us enjoy them, you know what I'm saying. Uh, you know it has to come from us, but also it has to come from the closer staff. So uh, him being there every single day and having the same him to do.
How much pride do you take in the fact that you guys as a unit have not really allowed to or to get hit all that much and just run the ball for a couple of our yards every week? How much pride you take in that?
We took a lot of pride. We we just do our job, so you know, we've got to continue.
To do our job.
We also heard from Frank Smith, Dolphins offensive coordinator this week on what he's been most impressed so far by the offensive.
Line their approach.
I would imagine that again that goes all the way back to April so so many things that we are doing well so far are things that we've really started from the ground up and being our points to emphasis with the group. So I think the biggest thing with them is you're seeing all the hard work, all the hours, all the extra work they've done with you know, uh
Butch and lemb like, you're seeing it pay off. But yet now it's the consistency to keep doing it again and doing it again and doing it again until uh, you know, you get the upper he just keep playing for as long as you can. So I would imagine I would think that they feel the same way. Their approach to everything they're doing very detailed, very process ARII.
He also weighed in so far on the production of Austin Jackson back to coach.
When we talked about him, you know, through the early parts of the season, it's just opportunities to develop the consistency because I mean with Austin, you know, it's been great to watch him grow and you can the only way you can grow and develop his through playing. And again, a guy who's very deliberate in his process and has really worked as hard as anyone all right to get himself one back on the field. And to keep refinding what he's done. So I mean overall, I mean you
can't really with a lot of the guys. You can't really sit there and go like, hey, it's this one thing, because it's not the one thing that will separate the growth. It's the approach and the way they go about it. And his has been awesome so far. So we're excited for continue this week and.
Let's finish up with the guy that probably deserves the most credit so far for the way this group has played offensive line coach butcher Berry. And I've gotten to know a few offensive line coaches here one every single year i've been here with the Miami Dolphins, and they tend to be my favorite coach is because well, you guys know, I'm pretty passionate, pretty fired u about this stuff and bring a lot of energy to the podcast. Well,
butcher Berry brings more energy than I do. He had us pretty damn fired up with his press conference here he is talking about his mission with the offensive line and what he's looking to accomplish.
I don't know that I have a great answer to that question, to be quite honest with you, I think that the biggest thing that we try to just focus on every day is say that worry about what I can do today to make myself better, because as an offensive lineman, we have to understand is that every day is a groundhog day to some degree, and we got to do the same things over and over and over again.
Can we master that? Can we specifically master like, can we have five individuals do it exactly how we're supposed to do it on every single play? Is that possible? I don't know, but I'm a strive like hell to get that to happen. And so whenever that changes, then we're then we're not doing we're supposed to be doing. Okay, So I don't know how to answer that question, to be quite honest with you, but I know how we have to approach every single day. That's where I can
talk about. And so when we can get all five guys flying off the ball, setting their backside shoulder a hand at the proper aiming point, and we can do that play and then do it the next play, and then do it the next play, now I think I got something. I can be really excited to talk about it on consistent basis.
And while the offensive line has certainly made their impact, I think it's important to reiterate something that has made the podcast, really every single All twenty two podcast, and honestly goes back to when two was in college too.
One of my primary reasons for labeling too as something of a generational prospect was the way that he competes in the modern game, and it's erasing that free runner, getting off the spot while keeping your eyes downfield and being a threat to attack with your arm when there is pressure in the pocket. With all all these freak athletic pass rushers the NFL has today, it's just something
you have to have in your bag. So when he gets good pockets, he wins from those, which is the most important thing, right And when there's a leak, he
can still make plays. But then you take it a step further beyond the offensive line, beyond the quarterback, and you're seeing the effect of a team to make sure the offense is rolling the way we have enjoyed it so far, whether it's the crass crass crack toss action, in the way these receivers work their butts off to execute these blocks, to accentuate a scheme that is designed to make defenders second guess take false steps and ultimately a play slower than we play, which is incredibly fast.
And it goes back to this entire theory that like, this is why I get so irate about the conversation and we see on social which goes against the grain of what Mike McDaniel has told you and hasn't Mike McDaniel earned the utter trust of the fan base to be like, Oh, if that's what he says, I feel good about that. What did he tell you last year?
That this quarterback excels in a way of getting the football out that can also push the ball vertically, that we need to focus more on acquiring playmakers and guys that can accentuate that skill set because where he mitigates your big flaws you can potentially have is across the offensive line and in your pass protection. We saw it all year. Last year two was the best third down quarterback in the league. Last year we saw it with the way the guys ran the football after the catch.
And now you've added more firepower not just by personnel, with Devon ah Chan and Rarehie Moster in his second year off the knee injury, it's been more productive this year than really any year of his career so far. But you also do it through scheme and building it around the skill set this quarterback has and accentuating all those traits you built a year one and taking them another step in year number two. And it's not just
that it's the tight ends who have been fantastic. I think it's durham' smice's best three game start to his career. I lauded his work and chip release work back in week one, and I think he's been doing more of that throughout the course of three games. How about Julian Hill's work off the edge on that long eight Chan run which one right well, the forty yarder that left
Broncos defenders lying in his wake. Hill had a bad angle to try to get a block on Randy Gregory in the backfield, but he strained and threw his body in the way to get just a piece of him and that was all a Chan needed to win the edge.
It's been fun to watch man. We spent months talking about the impacts of the second year in this system and how traditionally Shanahan and McDaniel working alongside him, how they've always had their systems take big jumps in the second year together Atlanta, all pro level quarterback play from Matt Ryan with Julio Jones and record seting numbers. You go back to Washington to Cleveland, the second year was always substantially better. And right now Miami's offense through three
games is the best offense we've ever seen. Well that continue, we'll find out, but we've seen it so far and it begins in the trenches with the standard of flying off the football and setting up everything else around what you do around that foundation, and they have been rock solid in that foundation. That's your Friday detour. Let's go back to one of our usual stops along the road here on Draft Time and welcome back in my friend
Kyle Krabs. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by I Don'tation, joining us once again as he does weekly, to take us around the landscape of college football and give you a bit of a cheat sheet for what to look for in this week's scouting opportunity that is the weekend in college football. He's Kyle Krabs, locked on NFL Scouting Podcast, Locked on Dolphins. You guys know who he is. Kyle. How we fill in big dog fun week of college football coming up
three to zero Dolphins start. I'm feeling pretty good, how about you.
It's a good slate of college football.
There's a good game that's scheduled to be played on Sunday at one o'clock that I everybody's really excited about. So it's hard hard to complain about what we have ahead of us over the next couple of days.
So I'm pretty fired up.
We will circle back to Dolphins and Bills for the last question, as we typically do here on the show with you. Let's go ahead and start in cottage as it were. Tony really used to always say that on Around the Horn and PTI.
I got it. I loved it.
Yeah, the units maybe not so much. I know that maybe some of the younger football fans we're aging ourselves here when they actually used to watch programming on cable television. Cow that was a thing not that long ago. I digress. We're looking forward to this weekend, man, I know we had a great weekend last week with tons of big games. What are you looking forward to on the schedule this week in terms of NFL draft scouting.
Yeah, I think there's a couple of really good games tonight if we're being honest with Utah at Oregon State on FS one that's at nine o'clock. And then if you're a night out, Cincinnati at BYU at ten fifteen. So like a couple of like really good programs that are going to go toe to toe to toe tonight and kind of set the tone for the weekend. And then you get into the Saturday slate and I think you got good games in each slot. Like I'm really
looking forward to Florida Kentucky at noon. That's always a really compative SEC game with a lot of talent. I think both teams have some talent on the defensive side of the ball this year. And then you get into the three thirty slate and Kansas at Texas Kansas that is a really fun revival story as a program that hasn't had a lot of success. Texas obviously ranked number three. I'd also look at Michigan at Nebraska. I think Michigan's
loaded with defensive talent again this year. Notre Dame Duke in the seven o'clock window, and then the late night game I'm looking forward to is Bama Mississippi State. So like you got quality TV up and down the board.
How about with that particular of Finn's interest. Here are you giving me some good names every single week to take a look at. Remind me again the Texas defensive tackle you mentioned last week?
It was Sweat to Vandre Sweat.
Yes. The reason I'm bringing up because I saw, I want to say it was Jordan Reed, your former colleague and good friend of the podcast, was talking about him after the fact. You like the way he played in that game on Saturday.
Yeah, I think it was kind of a continuation of what his resume has looked like thus far as this season.
All right, cool, I I want to hear more about that. By the way, real quick before I pivot to the next question. You mentioned gonna stay. Their big game against Utah didn't go as well for the Beavers last week up in.
Pullman, Kyle, we knew that though we knew that was going to be the case because cam Ward is playing out of his mind for Washington State.
He's QB three, right, he has to be.
At this point, I digress.
Oh, really over the UNC kid, Maybe I've got questions about him.
I do the Taylor Williams I think is head and shoulders in front of the pack for quarterbacks. But I'll give you another interior defensive line name and then I'll give you a linebacker. Go for it, So stay on the defensive side of all. Dante Corleone is an interior defensive lineman with Cincinnati. He's a red shirt sophomore six three three twenty. He has three consecutive games with a tackle for loss. He's already got like six career sacks.
He's got two sacks this season, So you're getting three down production from a six to three to three to twenty bowling ball in the middle, and he's going against BYU, and like BYU is pretty routinely known for like big bodied defensive linemen.
They play their zone scheme. They're pretty well.
And twenty six year old grown men too.
Right, Yeah, so you're you got that working against you as a young kid. So I think that's one name is Corleone for for Cincinnati And then Junior Colson, the linebacker from Michigan UH is like six to two two forty two forty five.
He's long.
He's got a really fascinating story with some unfortunate circumstances. He had his father pass away. He's born in Haiti. His father passed away when he was seven. He got adopted and was brought to the States when he was nine, and he found American football and he started playing that and he's had this rousing success at the University of Michigan. He's a two and a half year starter now for
them at linebacker. And he runs well, he hits, he tackles in space, and you think about all of the defenses across the league that want to play light box counts right to prevent explosive plays in the passing game. All these two high safety trends that you're seeing. He could play off of contact. So he's he's a name that really pops and again Nebraska, I think he's primed for a good showing.
I hope the Corleone kid does the you can't see express as an audio platform. But the Italian like fingers together was that chef's kiss type of motion every time he makes a play. The Maris have an outthrow named dominic Canzone who does that. After every hit he gets, he runs around the basis to the chef's kiss symbol as it were. You mentioned light boxes. You know, undersized or undersized is probably the wrong term. Nowadays because it
is more prevalent. But let's just pivot on that to Dolphins and Bills because both these teams do like to play light boxes. The Bills defense, which is a fascinating matchup to me because of how light they are on defense versus Dolphins offense that can line up with you know, twelve twenty two to twenty one personnel and kind of punch you in the mouth. Kyle, what are you looking forward to in this game? It's the game of the weekend, It's the early game of the year in my opinion.
Dolphins and Bills.
What do you think, a man, Yeah, I'm really fascinated to see how Miami kind of probes the Bill's defense. Obviously, it's strength and strength with how well the Dolphins offense is ranked versus a Bill's defensive ranking that's like top
three in every major statistical category acrawl the board. I think Miami can bring some unique challenges that they haven't necessarily faced yet to test their communication and watching the build up throughout the course of this week, I think some teams they didn't really have a chance to try to stay committed to running the ball. I think Mike McDaniel the momentum that they've built in that regard. I want to see some of that toss crack that they
ran against Denver. I want to see him runing against the Bills because they got guys like Leonard Floyd and Greg Russo who are lean bodied guys on the edge, and I want to see, like, can we get durham smythe and alec Ingold stepping down on those guys and creating some movement and getting speed to the edge.
And if they do, I think it sets up really well for Miami, I.
Said my period podcast. A big game for alec Inglo. I think he had a great game out there last time last December, and the Dolphins were very close to finding victory in that one as well. KYLEI he said it all once again. Man appreciates you week five now in college football, man flies by faster every single year, locked on NFL scouting, locked on Dolphins. Appreciate your time, my friend, and we are just a couple of weeks away from seeing you, right.
That's right, Yeah, Anthers, Panthers, Panthers.
Let's go baby, All right, we'll see that. Man appreciate it all.
Right, Travis, Thanks Man.
Oh that was a fun, fun Friday podcast for you guys. The big game coming down the pike here about forty eight hours away from when I'm gonna publish this podcast. I feel really good about it, guys. No Jordan Poyer in this game for the Bills back end, so that's a big, big loss for Buffalo and it looks like we should be getting Connor Williams back in the fold. We'll see about Jaylen Phillips. Check my Twitter for the update of depth or not depth chart the injury report
with game statuses. But in the meantime that's gonna be my time. You all, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on social at link for the NFL and the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fish Tank podcast with Seth and Juice.
Check us out on the post game show. The podcast comes out right afterwards, so you can roll into that, roll into the Drive Time Recap podcast on Sunday night after your Dolphins get to four and oh also check us out on YouTube. The media Availabilities Dolphins a day, so much more up there, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com until next time. Fins up Carolina Camera and Daddy, and He's coming home for you tonight