The Audible Ep. 62 | Jerome Baker

They'll come back I believe Thursday. Uh, and then uh and then next week. Kind of a bouncy schedule. It's kind of week to week to say exactly what days are gonna go. But they'll practice. They'll work three days a week. And uh, John, I missed. I missed Monday, and I was out of town, and uh, I spend a little guy out here a little bit for the practice the other other practice, and and the first thing that struck me watching this practice, and look, I don't

I don't care how you know Ryan Fitzpatrick throws. I'm not care how Josh Rosen, how many interceptions he throws. I'm not sure, Christian Wilkins out what you know, I don't. I want to look at the coaches and see how they're um, how it's different, how it's different, and what they're doing, and what kind of personality this team has. And and just in the brief time watching John when

I saw is I saw no wasted time. You know, when you when this this drill ends and this one starts, you better get your ass over there because you no loafing there's because it's it's gonna start. It's gonna start right away. It's on one man's watch, and that's the

head coach, Brian Flores. And it's good to see, you know, guys with urgency, even at this time of the year when you're just trying to get through and learn systems you learn, trying to learn new plays and schemes and where to line up and what leverage you need and where the ball needs to be located and how how the running back is gonna run this route on on zone or versus man coverage and little things. They're going at a pretty good clip. And they're going because the

head coaches demand ending that they hustle. The head coaches demanding that their discipline. The head coach is demanding and all the coaches, you know that filters down from one man, and that's Brian Flores, but all the coaches, from coordinators to two guys that are offensive assistance, they have to be accountable for the tempo and the pace and the and the culture that's trying to be instilled in O t As. That carries over into the summertime when you start,

you know, training camp. It's funny, John, because you you look at you know, we're we're kind of looking at players and coaches. Well there's coaches and coaches too. You know. Brian has to stand in front of his group and say, this is what I expect, this is how we're gonna run our drills. This is how I don't want to I wante guy's lollygagging out there. It's time to get your drill, sprint and get your ass over there. Let's

get to work. And I think so. So the coaches have to the coaches that haven't been around Brian Flores and or been around that that that that organization that he's come from. Um, they gotta they gotta understand what his parameters are, what he wants for them to drive his players by, and so you can see it out there. And then the next thing I saw is, you know,

there's a price to be paid out there. There's a little price, you know, if a guy jumps off side or whatever, there's a price to be paid out there. Guys are take off, take off, And that's what I've seen coaches running with the group and stuff. So he's automatically, I mean, he's beginning from day one. You know, you can talk about, you know, curtailing penalties, you can talk about curtailing mental errors, you can talk about doing your job and not trying to freelance, not trying to do things.

But until there's a price to pay, it's easy to say, well, he won't do it next time. We'll get him in the meeting room. Yeah, well we will get that cleared up the meeting room. And I like to I kind of like that instantaneous Hey, you know, you screwed up, get going. You're held accountable for your mistakes. And and I don't want it to make it sound like, hey, this is a massive chaos that guys are running around there.

There's a lot of teaching going on in the midst of having a up tempo, high energy practice because he's not afraid these this coaching staff is not afraid to pe to play, to go over a play because of a mistake. They're not not gonna say, like you we just talked about. Hey, we'll take care of it in the meeting room in the next install. Hey, we don't want you to do this. Do it over again, do it right, and now get back in the huddle for

the next play, because we gotta get going. We can't we can't keep the other eighty nine guys on hold for you to have this repeat every every so often. So make a mistake, correct a mistake, get back into the script, and get back into what you're supposed to do. You know, he reminds you. It kind of reminds me. And look it's early on, I mean, but you know,

he reminds you. One of my favorite movies, this movie Crimson Tide Um Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman and they're on there and and and there's a there's a fire in the in the in the kitchen, and and there's chaos and then Gene Hackman puts a throws a throws a disaster drill on him in the middle and Denzel watching, Well why did you do that? He goes, You know what, anybody can do these things when they're not under durest.

I want my guys to be able to do it when they're under durest and they've got to react and they've got to do something, and not that, but but I think that's the kind of mentality that this coaching staff has bring. I think there's gonna be situations out there where they put him in pressure situations and it doesn't go to hey, get well, get you know, feel

comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Right. That's where it all comes down to, because in a game, there's not a whole lot of times where if you've played or I've played in a game where wow, this is going so nice, that's exactly the way I dreamt about it. This is

exactly way I went through walkthrough. It's mass chaos. You guys are running all over the place and you're trying to make plays, but you're still discipline enough to stay within the system throughout all these bodies flying around you or motion. You know, you're acting to motion. What leverage do I have? Oh? I missed him because he got

outside of me. There's a lot of things that happened on every play in the National Football League, but you have to be able to be under control when everything's hit in the face. And I think that's the type of practice and that's the type of mentality that he wants to instill, even even the in these O t A s where it's voluntary, but if you're out there, it's mandating that you do your job, and you can there's a you can kind of tell there's an era

of pressure out there. There's a little bit of you know, a little and look, I think the good thing about it from a from a if you're a fan and you're looking at this and say, well, what can we get out of this? I think the good thing about this is that all these players, every single one of these players out here, for the most part, are new to these Most of these coaches. There's a couple that stuck around, a couple that had been here before and in this and that, but for the most part, they're

new to these guys. So they've they've got no they're they're not they're there's not card boss. First time first time you you I gotta I gotta you know what if I'm if I'm a five year veteran and I'm out there and I've been starting every game for five years and this staff comes in the first time, I was gonna I gotta prove myself from these guys. They

don't know anything about me. Guys that are kind of in that that frame, you know, Laramie Tunsel, Guys that are in that three, four or five years, Avian Howard, and they know you're good. But I want to know what you do under can trust, you want to know what you do under Duret. I want to know what you do in terms of, hey, hop in there at free safety and run a couple of reps and you're a corner, you're a nickel, you know, let's see how

you do. I want to put you in that situation because you might have to play there, and I think that's exactly what this team needs. I think the other thing to John is I think the youth in this team. I think it's a good group youth wise for for Brian and his staff to really influence them, because they're not looking. If you had a bunch of guys in here there seven, eight, nine, ten years in the league, they're gonna go, especially if they've been through a number

of staffs. I've heard it, been there, done that. I'm just gonna do the same shit I do. It served me well for eight years. I'm gonna keep doing the same stuff I used to do, just thinking I've got young guys that that that they're just trying to figure out, you know, like these guys were drafted this year and some of the guys who were drafting that they're still trying to figure out what life's like in the NFL.

How are I And now you've got a group that they can mold these guys, I think a little bit more than a veteran laden roster. When when you're coming into this situation, just think about what you've heard over the past week. When you hear quotes like from Joe Flacco, it's not my job to get this rookie ready, well kind of it is. You know, I don't think that you have to, you know, play by play and rep by rep kind of critique him. But he's looking at

you on how you do your reps. I'm sure that Jake Rudoc and Josh Rosen are looking at every rep that Ryan Fitzpatrick takes and whether Ryan Fitzpatrick is offering information or being helpful, that's not the important thing. The important thing is if they ask, you're there to give feedback. But watch how I do it, you know, watch how I go through these things and try to mimic me.

Because I've been through six or seven offenses. I've been in the league fourteen years going into your fifteen season, I've seen it. I've been around the block. I've been around good coaches. I've been around great coaches. I've been around some mediocre guys. Here's what I'm here's why I'm trying to do it this way. You know, this is what this staff wants. This is how I'm gonna adapt

my wisdom. And it's your job, as a rookie or first year or second year guy, to kind of mimic me if you see me do something that's positive, because that's the way I wanted I wanted taught. So so you're learning on the job. So I think that you know, whether you're a second year, first year, third year guy, or you're a fourteen year guy, you're trying to do your job to the best of your ability to mimic

what they've done. In the classroom to bring on the field because the guy behind you needs to do it that way too. And you know, it's a funny thing about the National Football League. You know John is in football in general, because I saw it in college a little bit too, but not not so much as is in the NFL. But you know, you come in here, and I remember when I came in, I was drafted. I was the first round draft pick. I come in Larry Gore and they drafted two line who outside linebackers,

Larry Gordon one side, me on the other side. And and I came in and Bob Mathison was the incumbent. Bob Mathison was the guy that was that's they they want to practice. I lined up behind Bob Mathison right. I was number two in line. He was number one. And I'll tell you what, that guy spend as much time helping me, you know, he and he knew down well here I was standing there for I was standing

there to take his job. And and that guy couldn't have been more helpful, more supportive, more just from whatever I needed and really became a very very close friend of mine. And and as I looked around on that team, Now remember a lot of these guys on that team were guys that were kind of at the end of that arc of the seventh because I was in there with you know, Jake Scott was here, Dick Anderson was here,

Larry Little, Kuchenberg, Langer Greasy. I mean, I came in with that whole towards the end of that that group's career. And and so those guys had no reason to to help guys. And and I'm watching and I'm looking at Bob helping me, and I'm looking at someone talking to Larry Gordon and helping Larry. And then the next year A. J. Dewey and Bob bomb Hora comes in and I see Manny Fernandez, they're working with him, and I see Stanfield working with and I see these guys. They didn't have

to do that. But and I but I think that's part in parcel of what what what will and can make this franchise get it back to where it was if you've got that kind of a mentality going into it, and it seems to be something of at least look, you can talk about all you want until you see

it on a regular basis. They in games in situations, you know, when that guy gets pulled out of the game, does he go mope on the bench or do you come over and try to support the guy that they just went in, take the criticism and wait for his next opportunity. And I think that that goes back to the way the culture was built with those teams in the Miami Dolphins, with the organization. I mean, that was

just a given. And I think that happened more in that era than it does now because everybody is so individualistic in terms of my brand and the way I do it, Whereas if the organization or the culture takes care of it, you're morph into that once you become a member of the fabrica that football team. Because look, because you you you know that that's all you know. You come in to the league and that's what's going on. That's all you know. You don't know what's going on

and somewhere else Cleveland or whatever, you know. It's like when I came in the league, there was when I came in the league, steroids were just coming onto the scene, and there was no rules against steroids, and and and there were teams that were steroid teams, and there were teams that weren't steroid teams. You know, don't don't. Shula was a you know, he was he was a stickler for the rules. These are the rules, these are rules.

No well no, no, no, you know we're we're not we're not going out of the bat And it wasn't illegal, but it was you know, it was gray. Then there are other teams you go, you go there, you know, free Wheel, you're freewheel and everyone knew and you knew and and so you know, I always felt myself lucky to go to a team that more then I got to the other one. Who knows. I'll tell you a funny story. So I played in Toronto my first five or six years in Canada. So I get traded to Ottawa.

And Ottawa was always a team that we had a really good record against, especially you know, whether they had equal talent or more talent. That year, we found a way in the second half to win. So I remember going in and and at halftime one game, you know, we were having our way with this team. And at halftime I see all these guys, you know, kind of taking whenever they were taking and and and it was okay. And then all of a sudden we started getting worn

down as the season went on. I got mad one game and I said, why did you guys start taking that ship at the beginning of a game. We're getting halftime, and halftime hasn't been a problem the second half. The first half we're having a problem, right, So start taking that stuff earlier. But it's right, It's it depends on culture and where you're at and who's accustomed to, you know, doing whatever it is that's out there. See we're you know, me coming to the Dolphins and and having that kind

of tutelage and that kind of atmosphere in there. I I could, I could, you know. And over the years that I played, the guys that played for the forty niners had the same kind of conversations with them, guys that played for the Charges when don Koreyelle was there and they were rolling pretty good without same kind of thing. Cowboys.

You know those teams, those teams that were constant he win and all Pittsburgh, they all had that same mentality whereas, hey, you know this guy's you may not like this guy that we just drafted, but at some point he's gonna be he's gonna have to help us win a game, and if he's not ready then then then then it affects all of us. And so there's that now that

there was the other things at the time. Cincinnati wasn't a good football team, Green Bay wasn't a good football team, and you talked to the guys there and they're like, jeeus a free for all up there, knowing you know, guys, guy in front of me there right, you know, I asked him one time once something. I just turns and walking away from me. So, you know, different franchise, different things, but kind of getting taken it back to where the

conversation started. I just think that the mentality of this franchise, with the age group of people and with some of the veterans sprinkled in there. Keiko is a good example. You know, Keiko is a guy that's gonna any one of those linebackers. I don't care who he is, it comes up to him, is going to get an education. He gonna, Hey, this is this, this is how I

do it. This is what I'm looking at. LOO got to look for this because if you see this, it means that you know, I think you know, I think he's and I think there's plenty of those guys out there in this football there's a lot of teaching going on and I really got to commend, you know, the staff for the way they're going about, you know, the work that they're putting in in the O tas and the attention to detail, because they know it's those little

things that end up getting you in the end. It's those little things, that little mistakes that they're trying to correct. When you're trying to build a football team, you're trying to get to a point where these types of things are second nature to you. You don't have to think about them because they're already expected and you've wrapped them and you've done it, and you're not gonna do those

types of things again to beat yourself. Those are the things that you can get done in O t A s and those are the things you can try to make it happen on a regular basis. And I think that's where the staff's going. And that's why you saw maybe all eleven guys taken off and running and the coaches running, because the attention to detail and all the stuff that you need to do to try to build that culture. So it's it happens second nature to you.

Those are the things that that build winning franchises and organizations, I think, and it's it starts with O T A S. I might tell we got someone just off hot off the practice field. He's running, he's been running. I saw him out. It is hot off the practice field, too, isn't It definitely is Jerome Baker joining us here in the in the program, and Jerome it's you know you it's gone through the draft, has come through the rookie minicamp.

Now everyone's together and really getting your first couple of practices under this uh, under this new h new coaching staff out here. What what's the what's the tempo, what's the mentality? Uh? As you guys got ready to get started these O T A s um just go out there improve it every day. Uh that's kind of what we just you know, do saying every day. So it's definitely being a hot one. It's definitely been tough, but

I'm just constant gotta get better at something. You're not not for nothing to my brother, but you you're got a little pumped up there. You know. You spend a little time in the weight room this offseason. Yeah, this this year. Uh, you know, I definitely spend a lot of time in the room. So I'm definitely did you have a goal in your mind? And what did you want? What you want to do? Did you want to gain more weight? Did you want to just what? What? What was your what would you what do you? What do

you want? And you still got still out of time doing it? But yeah, I just wanted to, um, just build a lot of a lot more body mass. Uh you know today I waited at so I want to play at two or third year on that ring? So uh what I was eighteens definitely spent some time away

from Joan. What you learned about yourself after, you know, your first year, your rookie year, because for us watching you play, it seemed like you got better as the season went along, You got more comfortable, more familiar with where you needed to be in your drops or how you were gonna attack a running play when you watched yourself on film? What did you learn about yourself? A lot of time. I know what I have to do,

I know what I you know would it be? But I just didn't have that confidence confidence of you know, um, letting others know speaking what I speaking out on what I see? UM and this shot. You know, I took that role head on and uh, um, just you know, be more vocal, be more of a later role. So so basically half of the equation is is the physical and mental, but a lot of it is communication when

you're on the field. Because we were just talking about how practice is kind of like organized chaos and you have to kind of be comfortable when things get uncomfortable. That's where the communication on the field helps. I would assume right and communication kind of you know, uh relaxes everybody and gets everybody in that you know, the right page.

So um, that's how I've really been focusing on this whole you know, O t a s uh and you know, just constantly get better at that, and that comes with a new system. I would assume a lot of different asks, I guess for you know, all eleven on defense, how's the scheme coming with with you and the defense? Are you guys getting used to calls and and different and familiarizing yourself with you know, just a little changes maybe on the defensive side. Yeah, you know, you just gotta

learn the concepts uh. And the great thing about this defense you kind of just got learned the defense. You can't just learn where you're at in your spot. So, um, you know, that's definitely easier on pretty much any player. So it's definitely been fun and I'm just constantly get better. It's a little bit of how practice out there this afternoon or this morning, and uh, you've got a little running out there to do every now and then. Every now and then you gotta run in touch the wall

over there. Yeah, it's a little a little kind of reinforcing, reinforcing rules and whatnot. Oh yeah, definitely, Um, you know, Coach Floyd, he prized himself on being the best conditioning team, and uh, you know, we're gonna follow this lead and definitely go out there and you know, be the best conditions. And I saw so I don't know what they don't know what, I don't know whatever what someone did or whatever that they had a little run over. I saw

coaches running. I thought I saw Josh boy Hamstring, the damn Traders jumping anybody. Renzo I thought wasn't running. It was not running walking over there and turned around back everyone everyone gets caught up in the in the running thing out here. Yeah. Yeah, if you you know you're part of the defense, you all got run, so pretty much everybody had to run how much? How much? Scheme wise on defense? Um, do you feel you guys have

put in so far? Um? You know the great thing about that is, uh, you know, putting a lot of schemes. But you know, it's just you kind of got to learn the concepts and you can, you know, change it as you go. So, uh, it's definitely a lot. But I know there's a lot we're seeing enough in the defense to kind of get a feel for what the concept is gonna be overalls as you move along. Yeah, yeah, you can definitely start to feel how the defense is gonna be. Um. And now it's just really folcus on

your technique and um taking ownership of it. So it's definitely all good. You had your rookie season last year and now you gotta hold new cropper rookies in here. You you kind of eyeball them a little bit. Let me take a look at this guy and see what he's all about. And some guys come in with some pretty heavy reputations in here. I mean, when you come to the NFL, your reputation kind of you know, it doesn't matter, so um, you know, I'm just trying to

teach as much as I know. It's kind of cool to see, you know, one of my old teammates here, so uh, you know, you kind of just trying to teach as much as you can. Uh. I know where they at their position as far as just you know, O T A S. They still got to stay here longer. Um, they're still going back to the hotel. So just kind of giving them much advice you can. And I'm trying

to help him along the way. John Jenrey, We're just we're talking before you came, and we were talking about that that it's kind of an oddity in the NFL where you got you guys that come in they're standing behind you in line. They want to take your job, but you're helping him do You're helping them get better

each and every day. That's a that's a pretty odd situation I think in the work environment where you sit there and you help some guy that that all he wants to do is beat your ass out and take your job from you. I mean, that's all about the compare to you are me. You know, I go out there every day and uh, I just try to be the best I can be. Um, you know, just helping the team as much as I can and helping a guy behind me. God forbid something happening to me, but

that next guy behind me got to step in. So that's how I just go out there and play and just do my thing and uh, just try to be the best I can be. You know, we've asked a lot of the guys we had a chance to talk to about, you know, the different mentality uh that that your new head coach brings to the table. And then in the new staff, what has it been like for the players embracing a new message, embracing a new uh culture. I guess on defense, on offense, on special teams, getting

getting all ninety guys going in the same direction. How has it been for you guys receiving the new messages and new new things up on the wall? Because there's a lot of things that when you think about them, they're simple when you read them, but they mean a lot to you. I mean, the cool thing about us, we're very very young. Um so you know, we have a few veterans, um Bobby and all those guys, but

but the most part we're pretty young. So we kind of just followed a coach flow lead and uh, you know, he shown an NFL he can win. So who just follows leading and get to he and that means something. I would think when when you get a guy that's been with an organization that's once championships, that's been successful, especially on the defensive side, because you know, over the last few years you feel like you're in an offensive minded team and now you've got a guy that has

led defenses to championships. That's got to mean something for you guys on that side because you know that that magnifying glasses on you pretty good right now. Oh, it definitely is. I mean coach flow. He'll walk in pretty much anybody position room. He's gonna ask you questions, he's gonna coach you up. Uh. You know, he really knows the defense to a t. So when he, you know, walks into the meeting room, he walks to the drill. Gotta be your a game that you know, it just

sets the caution of our defense. You know, I have to play well and um, you know take your defense. I'm sure you saw the Christian Wilkins when the draft night jumps up, when jumps on Roger Goodelly, so you can see his his personality as soon as they mentioned his name as a as a draft pick for the Miami offense. Now you've been around him a little bit, is he that kind of Is he that does that his personality or he's a fun young guy? Uh? Yeah, he just go out there with most He really goes

out there and play hard. But um, you know he's not afraid to less person out of the shows. Uh. You know that just brings energy to you know, the defense, so you know, we all take it. And that's just who he is. And it's that kind of I had guys who I played with him and then they a. J. Dowey was a good example. He comes in and I just kind of sparked our whole defense and kind of

lifted you up. It seems like he might be one of those kind of guys that you know, has that personality and and has a game to go with it. Uh to totually carry a lot of guys along with him. Yeah, definitely. I mean he definitely got the game go with it. So, um, he can bring all energy one as long as you make plays. He he's a big athletic guy, and it seems like when you look at your defense the way you want to be multiple on defense. You need guys to play maybe you know the drop of that different

position than you're accustomed to. And that is that what you were talking about about learning all eleven positions and how you're going about learning the defense because you never know where you're gonna maybe ask to be played. Yeah, and that's exactly what I'm talking about. You just got to learn the concepts of the defense. So if you plug anybody anywhere, they understand what's happening. Um. So he definitely can play multiple, multiple positions. So it's definitely watch.

You've been busy during the offseason, get ready for for camps and get ready for the for the season everything. You're also been busy up in Cleveland. You're putting together a foundation up there. Microsoft's helping you out with that. With that, why don't you why don't you tell us? Uh, first of all, why why why are you doing that? And what is your foundation? Who do you expect to benefit with this foundation? Um? I mean since I was a little kid, I always wanted to just give back

as much as I can. Me going to NFL it was just a blessing. But um, I definitely want to bless other people. So I had the opportunity with Microsoft to throw an event. Um, and it was similar to like a shark tank type of deal. They come up with the idea or business and uh, you know, just kind of just grow them and teach them little tips. It was definitely a cool experience of you know, you can just hear kids just wild imaginations. But um, it was kind of cool just to you know, help them

know that it's possible. Like whatever you think of, it's definitely possible. And after words, and I got the chance to play mad with if you guys, Uh I won. But it was definitely fun. No, I don't take a lot on anybody now. Three definitely funny. So what did you see? How the kids that you're working with up there? They what are they looking for? What are were they looking for? Out of you people? Um? So somebody just

to believe in them. Uh that's pretty much only thing they want, somebody just to say I believe in you and I can help me anyway you can't, I can't. And uh you know that's that's what I all I wanna do is just know that they have somebody you know, to look too, and I believe in whatever it is so. Um that was kind of like my whole mission of

you know, my nonprofit. So that's definitely you hook up with Microsoft, certainly somebody that there's certainly uh you know, do a lot of things with youth and help them from everything they do with sorts of good A good partnership between you and them though, Oh yeah, definitely. I mean growing up in Cleveland, I always passed my soft store and uh, just to get a chance to actually work with them is definitely a blessing. Um. And they

helped me so much and I definitely appreciate them. Remember any of the crazier ideas or some of the ones you said, man not be a pretty good idea, right, Uh, it was one. I mean a lot of them do with animals. You can tell like a lot of the kids was very passionate about animals, um. And at one point they were talking about just animals, animals, animals, and it was like, uh, the one kid just screamed out, why don't you just get a zoo? It was like so so it was like, yeah, that kind of is

like what you're saying. They were definitely passionate about animals, and I never forget that. So are you happy to be back out in the back out back in back in business out here. You got a field, getting around

getting to it. And how anxious are you for having gone through your rookie year, going through the going through the off season, kind of doing an inventory of Jeez, I didn't realize it was gonna be like this, or I didn't know that, or oh that's that was That's easier than I thought, all those things that you go through your rookie year, getting a foundation to move forward.

Are you looking forward to getting back to the regular season and being able to put some of those things you learned both playing last year and as many games as you played in and what you've been able to do during the off season to try to improve in the areas that you want to improve, and you're looking forward to getting back and seeing how you can run down of the field. Oh yeah, definitely, I'm looking forward

to it. I mean, last year, you know, I learned a lot as far as like the little things matter, um, as far as just eating right, I'm going to sleep early, I'm watching a little film. Um, no matter what is, those little things really add up un towards the end of the year. That's when you see the effects of it, if you like me, a whole bunch of honey buns, and towards the end of the season, it was like

my body just couldn't hold up to it. Uh, So this show, I definitely just want to, you know, focus on the little things, the right things, and um, awesome, you just play you know my best ball thing. I lived on Hamburger helper and it wasn't helping anybody, helping anybody. The only person was helping was a guy was playing.

Appreciate your time, man, I know you're busy out there and I got a let a lot of stuff going on, but it's great to see you guys back out in the field and uh really looking forward to seeing what this football team is gonna be like and really really kind of I think John I were talking what this team is gonna look like from the standpoint of what coaches expectations are and how that translates over into what kind of team you guys can be. Oh, you're definitely

I'm definitely excited. I appreciate you guys for having me. Thanks. I appreciate it. Man, A good stuff. It's it's just like I said, good you had the things, though, too stayed bad. We did. We did. The thing was learning me Tounco last week with the chicken wings, and Renzo stayed back in a few years. It was extra yeah, off color. I saw him the next day and he said, oh no, no, that didn't look like fun. That was it. Well, you know what, I didn't eat much, I didn't need much,

but I felt him later on. I can tell you that I had had, I had, I had two b two bites out of one. Yeah, and I felt that. So But anyway, good to see, you know, I think to me, I look at Jerome and I look at ray Kwon McMillan's two guys. I'm really I'm really expecting to see a big lead. And I think one of the big things that you I mean, he looked different. Look he looked at you know, you look at it. You look at his arms, you look at his shoulders. He may not have gained that much weight, but he's

he's thicker than he was. And you know the other guy that to me that I think is is it is paramount for him two have and and I haven't had a chance to see him out there yet, but paramount to to follow that path. Is Mike Gasecki. Yeah, I think I think Mike. I think like Mike, he didn't I know, he didn't have this season that he expected last year or wanted. I know he probably didn't have the type of season that the team wanted. But I think the team understands it. Hey, your rookie, I understand.

Let's let's let's you're thrown in, let's reconnect here. And and I know I've I've heard from Mike that, uh, you know, he knew he needed to get stronger, he knew he had to be a bigger, more physical guy out there. So he's gone in and and and gone to work at it. So it's gonna be interesting to see what his body makeup is going to look like as as we get to training camp, because look, I know we're talking about O t as now, but there's still still too much to two and a half months

for these guys to to go. So there, he's not like not like Dad works over for Jerome or for Gaseki or any of those young guys that that need to get in that weight room. So but but I'm really interested in seeing how Mike um looks and how he because I'm expecting big things out of out of Gasecki this year. I think there's two things and he nailed one of them. Bo about when you think about Mike Kisicki, what he needed to improve on strength and

overall strength. Number one, you know, being able to do everything as a tight end. You don't have to do it exceptionally well in terms of blocking, but you need to have the ability to block and and be able to get informations where it's just not a stand up kind of slot receiver. And two, I think explosiveness, being able to have that quicker twitch getting down the field, getting in and out of routes, being able to explode off the ground, which we saw him to catch the

football and come down with it. Not so much when he has the football, because we saw him do that a few times too many, getting up in the air and getting exposed. You know, in terms of big hits, you don't want to do that. But attacking the football and coming in and out of routes, that gives the quarterback a little bit more room and a little bit more anticipation on where you can expect the ball to come.

He's almost got to change just looking this is from where I sit and watch, it's almost gotta change his running stuff because he's that, you know, his thing. He's got that long stride and that long strides alright as you get down the field, but getting off the line of scrimmage are you've gotta have that shortest, quicker, choppier.

And so I'm gonna assuming that that's kind of one of the things that they're looking at with him too, because you know that, you know that, you know that that that old college and they think that one big step inside and go outside where you stand stiffs out there. Yeah, you do that and the guys come on over. I'm waiting for you. You know, That's one of those kind

of things. So but I think there's and I think that you look at all these young guys, I think you can still look at Gotscha, Vincent Taylor, all those young guys, Jesse Davis, all those guys that are that are expected to be better this year than they were last year, expected to be type of players that make this team better than they did last year. Seeing how all those guys have really you know, progressed and moved on,

uh with an offseason. Wait wait working And you know I always say go back and look at your mistakes and then let me let me see how may these mistakes I can I can overcome in a six month period before we get back at it again. Yeah, I think it's critical. You mentioned a lot of those guys and getting back to Jerome and being versatile on defense side.

There's there's none better. There's no better example of being able to stick a guy in at outside linebacker and then maybe move him to the strong side and drop him in space and then being able to rush him off the edge. You know, if he's at two to thirty two thirty two and still has that speed and can do multiple things. Now in year number two for this defense, it just gives you more flexibility and you're not worried about getting the right personnel in the game

where he's already in the game. You know, you flip from a four three three four and he's one of those outside guys that could either rush, that could drop, that can hang on the tight end, that can cover back out of the backfield. You feel like you're more multiple with your with your base eleven out there. If Jerome can you know, fit that bill along with McMillan, as we talked about in Kiko and the rest of that lineback and talked about in the past here offensively, right.

You know, I like that, you know, I like that situation where you have two running backs back there where you can you know, one of those guys is a guy you can send out in the slot and now all of a sudden you go from a base, You go from a base to back offense. All of a sudden, you're in a four wide or maybe a five wide with with somewhere the one sliding out and back up.

You keep killing in the backfield, and all of a sudden, drake goes out and to one side and you go mismatch exactly and you can do that, you know, I think the Dolphins are starting to get that type of

mix of guys where you can do that. On the defensive side of football, you can be in a three four quarterback comes up, then you can switch over to a four three, drop one guy down, and you know, and and give those looks that that that I think, you know, when when you look at that, you look at the franchise up north, you look in New England early on, and and and just look at Bill Belichick.

I think over his career as a defensive guy. You know, the one thing that was always every time you played against a Bill Belichick defense, you knew that it was gonna be different than it was the week before. He's gonna change something to make you and and very similar back to when back in the day when when Bill Arnsberger was I remember talking to quarterbacks after I retired, and we'd be at a golf tournament or whatever, and so they're having a couple of beers with her talking.

You know. The one thing that always pissed me off about you guys is it we always felt like we had to play defense on offense for the first first half the game to figure out what figure out what

you guys are gonna be doing to us. And then by that by the time we figured out we're two touchdowns down, you guys go back and now we've got to go back and just you know, and so you know, you talk about offense is dictating you know, a multiple defense and can give you different looks, show you different things, have different guys be the key guy weekend and week out.

When one week and maybe Rakkwan blitzing or the next week and maybe you know, maybe maybe maybe because your guy this point, you know, and and when you gotta be able to fare out. Now Jesus, all right, let me see we're gonna go in this game. We think you're gonna do this, but we we gotta try to figure out, you know, and then before like I said, if you can do it right and your offense kicks in, then then you're always ahead of the game. And I think that I think with this group and with someone

look at look at like Wilkins. I mean, you know, with an offense drafted Christian Wilkins. I said, you know, great player, but where where I said, you know, we we you know, we've we've got defensive tackles. Are really need was for that edge edge rusher out there. And then you start looking to go, wait a minute, you can play. You can line up out there. He's he's got the speed, he's got the quickness to go out

there yet. Or he could be a nose tackle, or he could be a tackle, or he could be a three, you know, a defensive end in the free man line or kick out in the fore man like so another guy that gives you multiple options. That a good defensive coordinator that's going to adapt his offense his defense around his players, rather than make his players adapt to his defense. I think you've got a multitude of those guys on

this defense. As you move forward and as they understand the game, that can really give you a lot of options to look a lot of different ways. Well, you hope, so you hope that this defense can be able to keep people out of the end zone and kick field goals,

because that's the name of the game. On defense, it seems like the advantages on the offensive side of the football with all the rules and all the passing that you see in the National Football League, and it's the team that, hey, we may give up a ton of yards, and we may give up some first downs, and we may give up some explosive plays, but all of a sudden, you know, you're kicking the field goal instead of you know, kicking an extra point in the second half of a game,

and that means a lot. You know, you don't think about it at the time. I was good, you know, good, we gave up three, But that's okay. You give up a couple of threes instead of six. Those things add up, and especially for a team offensively, at least last year, you know that struggled to score with consistency. You hope that you have a defense that has answers, especially when they get inside the twenty yards. John, one thing we haven't talked about, and let's let's do it here is

is the quarterback situation. You've been out there, you watched

a couple of practices. Now you have a chance to see these guys a little bit and then look it's it's you're barely scratching the surface, is you know, So there's a very premature conversation, but just early on when you have a chance to to look at the first thing when I see when I when I really look at um at Ryan Fitzpatrick, and I don't know why it strikes me is because I've seen him play played against the Dolphins when he's a Buffalo, and I think

I remember the thing the same thing. I saw that guy smaller than I thought he was, you know what I mean when I first when I first saw him, and you kind of have an image of him and where you don't see him in person. You know, I sixturely got six three six four, big strapping guy back there. He's short, he's he's probably short. His quarterback to have out there right now. Probably, yeah, I think he might be.

And you know, the one thing that strikes me about Ryan Fitzpatrick is that he doesn't look like he's going into his fifteen season in terms of arm strength, in terms of velocity, in terms of recognition, in terms of anticipation, all the things you would say, Well, that guy's gonna be. You know, he's a young guys. He's his arms still alive, and he's got quick feet and everything matches up, everything matches up. He is, he's very sound in terms of

being able to deliver the football. So those are good things. You know. You think a guy like that, so many years in the league, so many camps, so many reps, he still looks like he throws it very well. Well, look at everything I've been told, and I've talked to people excuse me, didn't know Ryan pretty well or been around him enough, and they say, this guy's will workout. Feend he's gonna come in. He's gonna be I don't know what kind of shape I know they're talking about

him earlier. He's eating donuts or whatever. But but he's gonna come in in shape and ready to go. And so he's gonna send an example there and he's done. You know, you don't stand in this league for fifteen years without having the goods to get the job done. Now let's switch over to Josh Rosen. You had a chance to look at him a little bit, um, What are your first thoughts about seeing him out there? Same? Pretty much the same thing I thought the day we got him and I got to watch the tape live.

Arm a lead arm uh, good velocity, good location. I think he's adapting to playing in South Florida, right. I think that that's probably the biggest change for Josh Rosen is you know, humidity, getting getting through things, uh ball kind of like you know, having a little uh dampness or wetness on it. You know, like there's a lot of things that people take for granted. What why did he you know, why was there a bobble there on a center quarterback exchange? Or why did that ball come

out a little bit high or low? Uh? It's it's because it's different. It's a lot different, and I think he's probably adjusting to those things. But what I've seen in terms of a bill, you like, there's a lot of there's a lot of head nodding going up and down and going, wow, that was pretty good. You know that that looks like an NFL arm. That looks like an NFL quarterback. So I would say there's a lot

there's just scratching the surface. You know. He played four teen games as a rookie on a on a very mediocre team, and that's why they had the first pick overall this year and took another quarterback. But I think he's gonna be able to fit this system a heck of a lot easier than he will that he would have in Arizona running kind of a no huddle, up tempo quarterback having to move type of offense. Not saying

that Josh doesn't move well. He has good feet, Everything matches up well, good drops on the move, so I throw the football, so he checks all the boxes as a quarterback. It's just about opportunity and how he's going to improve in this system once they have a full installed because right now, you know, I would say Jake Rudoc and Ryan Fitzpatrick a little bit more ahead of the curve in terms of installing the offense and being able to know exactly what they're doing on everything and everything.

They've had a couple of months, a couple of months ahead start even with him on this system. So they a little bit. It's funny because you mentioned that the uh, the climate change coming from you know, and he's, you know, don't. People don't, people don't. I was just talking to somebody this weekend and and they said, well, you know, yeah there, I said, Jesus, you know, I said, I'm not humid here. It's human Florida where you're adding, no, no, this is

a humidity, you know. And and growing up in northern California, so he's a guy that he's an l a guy Arizona to places where there's no humidity whatsoever, and no humidity speak of. And you come out here in the heat and the humidity. And I've told people, I said, look at it was never the heat that bothered me. It was that humidity that jumped on my back and I tried to carry it. Took me almost two years to get acclimated to to playing in the hut and

humidity down here. And again it's not the heat, it's just had humidity that just it, I said, takes your legs out from under you. And you know, you you feel good about it. I feel like I'm running around two two pieces exactly, So that certainly is gonna be something for him. Yeah, I think I think it's imperative for Josh to be in the best shape possible when he comes back for a training camp, so he doesn't

have to worry about. That's one thing he can put aside and say, you know, I've given myself the best opportunity to go out and compete to be the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins because I'm in shape and I know what I need to do. Now, I just let my ability take over. We're coming out here, and I got drafted in coach and we got mini camp this week because we had pushed our draft back. It was a whole fiasco. So so I got drafted on a Tuesday or Wednesday, whatever day it was, and we

had mini camp that Friday. And the last thing he said before and you're better be ready for the twelve minute run. I hadn't run because you know, my year of the draft was supposed to be in April, like it always is, and someone was trying to trying to uh someone. Someone started a lawsuit to make it the draft illegal based on based on flood anti Uh what Uh? I knew that. No, So we didn't know what it was. They said the draft being canceled, been postponed. We didn't

know what it was. And then all of a sudden, I don't even know what week it was in May, and they go, okay, draft next Sunday. So you know, you're out there drinking beer and doing everything. Everything in the NFL is so planned out. Now, well, well there was. There was. It was a class action lawsuit against its antitrust that they know. They're they're trying to claim that it was illegal, legal to force you to go someone that you were driving. So they're trying to ball like

Kirk Flood with the free agent stealing baseball. So it was the same kind of a deal. So it was we're just in a stand still there. So all of sing get draft and I hadn't worked out, I hadn't done anything, you know. I'm like, oh, you're so we can I get down here. The day before minicamp, they put me up at the Miami Lakes in the beautiful because we're practicing at St. Thomas Biscay and calls at the time and I said, God, damn, I go, what the hell man, it was hot and muggy, and I said, man,

I better go out and run a little bit. I went and round about a block and I was sweating. I don't even make it a full block. I'm not gonna be able to make it. So so the first day of first day of min camp, so they had two first round picks. Larry Gordon was the seventeenth pick in the draft. I was a nineteen. So they bleft both of us. So so I said, well, show, I'm just gonna hang with Larry. You know, I'm gonna just stayed by Larry. As long as I'm with Larry, I'm okay,

you know. And so I'll never forget Larry had uh. For whatever reason, Larry played the Arizona State. He had a little he had little bells on his shoes, right, a little little bell, I asked, a little bells? He I don't know. I just like it. And so so we start running and I'm about a little bit ahead of of of Larry, but I can hear himcause I hear the bells. Right. So running and I'm dying, man, I mean, you know, I'm lap two laps in. I gotta get like five laps and two laps in. I'm

gonna but I still here. All of a sudden about the third laugh, and you think they're getting no more well, so I look back. I look back and Larry's walking shot. I'm okay. It's like I started took a couple of stuffs. Man, you'd have thought Mount Vasuvi's exploded coach what he started going crazy? I'm looking at it. You can't even you know, So it was. It was a miserable first day of me. But but that, but and Larry is the same guy

who's the Arizona guy. So you come out here in the human and I and I was just I was in pretty good so I was in good shape. But man, the humidity just sucked it right out of me. Man, it makes a coward of a lot of people because you can go through going I feel pretty good right now, and then all of a sudden, you know, five or ten minutes later, you know, the piano jumps on you.

You're going, I can't move, and that's why you know, and you know, and I gotta feeling this is gonna be a regime that's gonna be saying we're gonna be outside. This is gonna be we're gonna be outside, and we're gonna be and and because to me, I still say it's it's for the first half of the season. It's the greatest home field advantage that there is in the National Football League. I know we've got it. Tampa may have a to a degree, jack, but not to degree

that is down here, you know. And so it's it's you know, I know in that first half of the season when people we never lost down here, in the first half the season that people feared, they were so worried about coming down and having to play the Miami Dolphins at one o'clock in the month of September and and in October, and you knew they were They knew they were gonna be in their darks. They're gonna be

in their dark jerseys. And I remember playing the Bears and and what are you telling about the two tackles? The real story of North Jackson also the guy one of the guy the tackle I'm playing against, and it was it was one of the real hot days. And I'd rush him and as we'd walk him, you know, kind of walking back, and I go, man, jeez, it's hot out here for me. I don't know how you

can stand it. You know, every I just give a little every now, just give a little little reminder you get out of man it's hot, okay, coach, you may get this guy out of here. Bring school you. But yeah, it's a it's a big dis It's gonna be interesting to see. Another thing about do they still have Do they still have the if you're drafted a PAC ten the quarter rule out there? I think it's different. I think.

I think because when they drafted, like a couple of guys, they've drafted from the West Coast and don't come out until which usually is June. So you miss, I don't know if they've corrected that. I'm not sure, you know, so, I think it's school by school, but definitely in the in the PAC twelve where you kind of miss out on on the beginning part of of the ot you're still in school. Yeah, there's nothing they can do about it.

I think you're right. I think that rule changed over the last handful of years that because it was really it was a detriment to the point where I at one point I singing, you know, I'm not gonna wouldn't draft. I wouldn't draft a guy unless he was just or if you knew you were coming out, you just wouldn't go to school anything exactly. Just get out, That's what I do. I just so I got drafted, and I don't know if I the jury still out on me.

And it's about thirty some years later, forty years later. Uh, alright, So here we are week one of mini camps, John, what do you what do you what do you expecting

this team to look like? Uh? When when you come back to training camp as you kind of as we follow them through these next this month or so of of these O t A s and getting acclimated to all the climate, new people around you, new surroundings, new locker room, new places to go, new you know, trying to find places to live, all that, new coaching staff, A lot, a lot of a lot of change in this organization that needs to be stabilized come come July and certainly going into September. I think it is on

on the fast track to being stabilized right now. I think that the expectations of this new staff have fully been implemented in terms of every day you have to go prove it. Every day you have to come out out and be ready every day that there's something out on the football field that's being taught a different way that you better catch onto because if not, you're gonna be in the back of the line. I just feel like this team will be better mentally prepared to play.

I think physically, and we talked about that a lot today. I think this team will be one of the best teams in in terms of being in shape, in terms of being able to run and hit, in terms of being able to not be uh cowards of fatigue. I think that this team will have have that instilled fully instilled as it gets to training camp, because there are no no shortcuts right now in O. T A s. They are working hard, they are running from drill to drill,

and if not, they're gonna do it over again. And if you make a mistake, you're gonna do it over again. So I think I think the discipline that we've kind of been yearning for over over the last three or four years in terms of personal discipline, each player taking it upon themselves to be disciplined is being influence and re emphasized on a daily basis by this coaching staff.

And I think if there's one thing I can take away from o t as this team will not beat themselves in two thousand and nineteen in terms of fatigue or in terms of mental or physical mistakes. Those things are being emphasized right now. I look around the roster and another um, running back, Mark Walton, comes. He's had a little tryout and and and hung on here. So it's gonna be interesting to see how Mark Well, he had a kind of you know, a hot and cold

career at the University of Mind. Me saw him do a lot of really good things for the Hurricanes, So it's gonna be interesting to see, uh, if he can kind of meander his way through a pretty pretty crowded room in the locker room, especially when you throw the fullback in there. There's a couple of guys on the constan that's kind of gonna be an interesting watch too.

I think Mark Mark Walton is one of those guys that you know off the field, got into a little bit of trouble, trying to straighten it out, trying to get back, you know, second third chance. Maybe this is the this is the team, this is the roster where his speed and his quick twitch gets you a little

bit something different in the backfield. He will have a chance to compete a guy like Preston Williams, a big wide receiver from Colorado State, kind of the same similar situation, had something happened to him off the field where got in trouble trying to fight back from that. A big body, uh in terms of height at six four, a good,

good looking receiver. So there's a couple of guys that are on this roster that are young guys that are gonna get a chance to have a second chance at a career in in the National Football leagu So it'll

be interesting following a couple of guys like that. I don't that that meeting room for the defensive back A lot of guys, em dB, are you looking at rosing Man, A lot of guys in that in that defensive backfield room in there A lot of competition, a lot of competition and being able to play corner, being able to play nickel, being able to pinch it at safety. If you can do those kind of things in this defense.

You know, we talked a little bit about the defensive tackles, kicking outside of the end, but at defensive back, if you can do two of three positions, what's you're strange things, your your chance to have opportunities. Yeah, so it's gonna

be interesting to see. You got another uh they gotta finish up this week and then next week another three more three more days of meeting and they go back to back after that, they go straight through all the way through mandatory, which I believe is the fourth, fifth, and sixth or somewhere in there of June Junior. Yeah. I think they're done on the on the sixth, yeah, yeah,

and then it's and then they're offense. Yeah. So that's uh so there's still a lot to see, still a lot of a lot of guys to kind of evaluate a little bit. And you look, you know, it's it's it's you know, you walk in all the newspaper, guys are here, so it's it's it's it's fun now because you open the newspaper and a lot of dolphin talk, a lot a lot of information out there, a lot of misinformation floating around and and this and now. But it's it's fun to you know, it's funny for this one.

To me, it's it's it's interesting because not only you're looking at the new players and guys that can help this football team and free agents that have signed. Draft choices that have been in, uh, free agents from you know, from post draft that have come in and if there's any moves that will be made now as well as

the coaching stuff. There's a lot of a lot of really things that are interesting to look at with his football team besides coming out and going on this guy through two interceptions today and that guy through a nice touchdown. And it's good to watch your draft choices too. You know, you talked a little bit about Christian Wilkins today being able to kick around at different positions. They threw Michael Dieter in right away at left guard and getting him opportunities.

Van Ginkle he's been at with the rush ends, he's been with the linebackers. He's he's kind of doing a little bit of everything. You know, Prince at tackle getting the chance, and then Cox in the backfield being able to play a little bit of of of full back, a little slash tight end. You know, you've got Gaskins that gives you a little bit of that twitch like

like a Mark Walton from the running back position. So not only looking at guys that are on the roster, young, young guys that are on the roster, but the the rookie draft choices and seeing how they've been able to uh get their traits out on the football fields at multiple positions. All right, John, that's gonna do it for today, John k Jimmy Kimbo Camper. We'll be back with you

next week. So so join us in and we'll have a little bit more and uh probably a little bit more to talk about with some of the guys after watching them out there. Unna work a little bit and things always shake up out there. Get a couple of guys, uh maybe to join us as well. Alright, guess only we'll catch you next week. We'll see on the audible, Okay,