Drive Time with Travis WingfieldWhat is up Dolphins and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and on today's show, there is a real possibility this is the last time you hear me before the twenty twenty four season is over. We'll have the recap for you guys on Sunday night, but today we're talking to Antoine Staley.
He covers the New York Jets for the New York Daily.
We'll have the week eighteen picks and probably ruin my record because who the hell knows who's going to win half these games this week. We also might stop by the Dolphins locker room to talk to some of the guys about Week eight team playing for the playoffs. All of that and more from the Baptist Hill Studios inside the Baptist Hill Training Complex.
This is.
The Draft Time Podcast.
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I would like to address something right off the top, because well, this really annoys me and I don't even think I'm going to push back on the person that wrote this review. On Apple pop cast Reviews, someone said that the actually, let's go ahead and read the entire thing. Why not be completest about it? The review says, getting lazy have followed you since Lockdown Dolphins, Travis, but your post game shows are so uncreative. You're basically reading the play by play from ESPN's gamecast plus seven minutes of Mike McDaniel talking in circles sprinkled in to get you to a thirty minute threshold. We all watched the football game, Please give us some different insights. I agree on the take on the Cleveland game, because that Cleveland game was boring as hell. That was a preseason game you watched, right. Dtr is not an NFL quarterback. He is probably playing for the Memphis Express next year or in two years. And Tyler Huntley played decent, but the Dolphins operation was not very good. Twenty to three in that type of system, in that type of atmosphere and situation was not a game that I felt really deserved a whole lot of critiquing. Now, maybe maybe I'll revamp the the way I do those shows in the future, But man, like I don't know, I feel like I gave some pretty good critical els have for the Houston game, in the San Francisco game and the Jets game. Even like I don't know, I don't agree with that on the granular level. But in that particular game, I just want to tell you that I didn't really know what to talk about because they couldn't run the ball. The passing game was you know, it was basically unimaginative, like one route reads, and there wasn't a lot to break down. Defensively, what are you gonna break down the opposing quarterback can't complete a forward pass. So I just want to acknowledge that we're gonna revamp the way we do those next season. But for that particular game, yeah, that was a tough one. I'm gonna be honest with you guys. Doing two hours of postgame radio on that game and then coming back with a podcast, it wasn't to get to a thirty minute threshold.
I have no rules on that.
As you can tell. I've done podcasts that have been twenty five minutes. I've done podcasts that have been forty five minutes. That's not what I was doing there. I was trying to give you words on the Tua injury from McDaniel because he knows better than I do. So that's what we're doing there. All right, that's enough clarification off the top of the show. Let's go ahead and get to my guest here, Antwine Staley, to break down this Dolphins and Jets matchup from week eighteen from Metlive Stadium.
Here's my chat with Antoine.
He's a call and beat writer for the New York Daily News, friend of the show, friend of the host as well.
Antwine.
Stay, Antoine, welcome back in and man, I was on your ex page getting all your bona fides lined up here before I introduced you on the show, and I got to ask you this, man, what am I looking at at that header atop your page on X Is that like a preemptive shark attack?
I'm looking at there.
I don't know what this is. It is.
It is pretty funny though.
Yeah.
It was when I was in Puerto Rico. So that's just like a rock there in the middle of the ocean. But yeah, it's kind of weird because the beach is a little bit rockier than most of the beaches in the Atlantic Ocean.
Okay, good, it's a rock. It's not a creature about to swallow you up.
No, no, no, otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you right now.
Yeah.
Man, I was at Daytona Beach this summer with my family and a shoot one of those big things just float around. The Amanite bumped my leg and Antoine, the feeling I had for one point seven seconds when I didn't know what it was was one of abject hair that everyone experience my life ever again.
Yeah, it's just like your heart drop. I guess that's probably that's that's how I felt like. I've been in the ocean with sharks and I'm like, oh, God, like you just like if I make it out of here, I'm not getting out again.
And then you go back in.
And then the last time I did it, I'm like, you know what, I'm just gonna, you know, sit at the bottom of the ocean or the tip of it and then just put my feet in and I'm good. Like it's a smart man, especially how warm the Atlantic is like anything in.
There, that's right.
Yeah, those are they're low odds that you would ever get attacked by something. But you're a man that's not playing those odds because you're a smart man, unlike a lot of us that do go in the ocean around here. So we didn't have you want to talk about ocean activities, Let's go ahead and start here, Antoine, because I want to go a big picture with you on the Jets here in just one second. And again, my listeners know that this is my least favorite team and all of professional sports. And you know, I gotta be honest, I quite revel in a four win season. But to ensure they don't make it a five win season, we need the Dolphins to take care of business on Sunday and hopefully get some help as well. And with that, can you just give me the lay of the land in terms of who might be available, who might be held out from this game. I know injuries are obviously unique this time of year in terms of who pushes to go, but are the Jets going to be playing everybody who's healthy and ready to play?
If if they have some nix and pain, then I imagine they don't play in this one. And then you know it's some big names that could potentially miss this game. I mean, he got Sauce Gardner, who's been battling a hamstring injury the last three weeks. Uh tried to play being Buffalo. He did for about a half and then end up going right back out. So I would my guess would be he does not play. Jeff Albrigs said he was one of the names that he were kind of concerned about this week. So Salce is a guy that look for. Quentin Williams also been dealing with a hamstring injury. He did play against Buffalo, but you know those hamstring injuries can you know, flare back up from week to week, so you never know, so they probably need some time to heal. I don't know if Quinton is going to play. I don't know if he should play in a game like this, especially when the heads hamstring has also been nagging him for a little while.
And more than.
Moses, who just been a warrior always saying along, been dealing with a knee injury really since Week three against the Patriots, and he's played through it may have to have some kind of procedure at the end of the year. So yeah, you got really three big names there. And not to mention ol Fashion Dowd for Penn State, the Jets draft pick. It's also out for the season and two as well with a foot injury, So they already have some injuries they're dealing with there, and now you got three major guys that could potentially miss the game two as well, So and I'll also throw into larger Verry Tucker, their right guard has been dealing with an ankle injury the last few weeks too. It's also another name to keep out.
For Okay, So that's some information I wasn't privy to because I knew about Sauce and I imagine you know that was what he missed the game down here with was the hamstring injury, and with Quinn Williams too. Like that makes a lot of sense because I mean, if you go into a game and you dress a guy that has an injury like that. To your point about Sauce last week, they could easily exit that game and all of a sudden, you're sure a body in that room. So I imagine they would probably be careful with that. But the offensive line ones I wasn't really privy to, and I want to follow up with you on that because you know, you mentioned, you know, Tyrone Smith Ssarfs obviously down for the year.
You mentioned Olufashanu being out for the year as well.
So they're with Max Mitchell right now, and then Morgan Moses a tackle who would be the replacement for Morgan Moses because that's a guy that I think is probably the best tackle on the roster right now, but going up against Chop Robinson, that's a tough matchup.
Who would be the guy that would take his place?
Well, it would be Carter Warren.
That's why I thought that's the only tackle that unless they bring somebody up, which they may have to for this particular game. But yeah, Carter Warren, somebody they drafted in twenty twenty three out of pit there had some expirits on both the left and right side. So yeah, Morgan can't go. I would imagine it would be Carter Warren. It gets to start too, and Morgan actually exited the game briefly against Buffalo there until he came back, and just you know what he's been doing all year. He's been dealing with a ton of injuries, so I would think they would shut him down. I think they should in a case like this, but they need bodies on the offensive line, and if you play Carder Warrenton, you're definitely gonna have somebody that's behind him too, just in case something would happen.
And not to mention the quarterback who you know, I want to get to that real quick. But man, just these week eighteen games Don't get me wrong. At first, I was hesitant to expanded playoffs and expanded season, but it's just more football, So why would I complain about that? But when you do get to this point of the year, you know, I'm making my picks on the show after we say goodbye to you, Like, these picks are so hard to make because there's so many games that just don't have playoff implications attached to them. So you're going to be seeing a bunch of guys that are kind of any evaluation mode for next year. But with that in mind, for the New York Jets, if they do opt to go without Morgan Moses and without Elijah Vera Tucker, like, you know, one of my biggest things in the preview podcast Antwine was how when Rogers kind of takes some hits early, I feel like it impacts the way he plays the rest of the game. And there's obviously a lot of you know, I don't want to say toxicity there, but maybe that's the right word. For a guy that's kind of possibly on the outs, playing maybe his last game there, why the heck would he want to play behind him offensive line that has multiple backups and backups to the backups. Mike crazy for thinking that, or is it Rogers all the way?
Yeah, it's definitely gonna be Rogers. I mean, I think it's two folds why I think he wants to play One. I mean, his goal was coming into the season to play all seventeen games, especially coming off the Achilles injury that he suffered in twenty three. And you know, it's a bit of a win for him, although you know it's definitely hasn't been the season anybody imagined. So I think just playing seventeen games is very important to him, and considering his uncertainty, you know, whether he plays with the Jets or anybody next year. I mean, this really could be last his final game. We could be seeing one of the best quarterbacks of all time players playing his final game ever. And two, he's trying to get his five hundred coreer. Now that's also the other thing as well. We spoke to him on Wednesday. He said he could live with, you know, being at four ninety nine, but you could tell he really wants it. He's really been pushing it the last few weeks. There wasn't able to get it last week against Buffalo there tried to you know, get some past Devonte Adams and as you alluded to, the offensive if it's not healthy and it hasn't been for a little while, then it's gonna be hard for him to you know, get that time in the pocket. And he's not completely healthy either. He's been dealing with a MCL the last couple of weeks to dating back to the Rams game. So I think when he played Dolphins the last time he started to get a little bit healthy. He was moving around in the pocket sort of what we're used to customer seeing with Rogers and then Buffalo. Yeah, you can just tell he's still not, you know, one hundred percent healthy. And you know he's forty one years old. I mean when you get that age, you mean you start having these you know, knits and pains just out of nowhere. And not to mention, you're playing at a physical game like the NFL, So that's also something to keep in mind too. When he's not one hundred percent healthy and then you have the offensive line very shorthanded due to injury, could be bad state of affairs for the Jets once again offensively if the Dolphins can get consistent.
Pressure on him.
Yeah, I'm far from a professional athlete. But if I sleep the wrong way age thirty seven, that wake up feeling sore for a week.
So I feel that for sure as far as.
Aaron Rodgers goes, yeah, we're in that same boat man, and yeah to that point, like I was hoping Rogers would get one touchdown pass last week, becau, I feel like that's the big motivation for him here is that five hundred touchdown pass. But moving on to the other side of the football, and I wanted to ask you about this Tyler dunpiece. He writes the Go Long Blog, which is a really good, just really good independent journalism taking a look at multiple teams across the league.
And he writes these in depth stories.
And you know, since he wrote the article on the Bills last year, that was kind of like, you know, it was almost like fan fiction for Dolphins fans to see all these potential, you know, concerns behind the doors in Buffalo and Orchard Park there. But since that article, they're like nineteen and four or something. So hopefully he didn't reverse curse the Jets as well. But he wrote a story from postgame up in Buffalo last Sunday, and he had a quote in there from DJ Reid about looking forward to testing free agency, and you know, you mentioned Sauce and you mentioned Quinn Williams.
Those guys have injuries. But I'm so curious about his position.
Going into this game because I feel like that's a situation where, hey, if you're not with us in this final game, where there could potentially be business decisions and guy checking out, Like you're good man, go ahead and go to freegency right now.
But I don't know how the Jets will play that. What's your whole take.
On that thing?
Well, it's all started a few weeks ago when Aaron Rodgers I believe this was after the I want to say this before the Rams game, so it was after when they played. I think it was after the Dolphins, actually, excuse me. So he was asked about, you know, just the team and just everything moving forward and how players can you know, be motivated late in the season, especially when the Dolphins eliminated them, and he basically said that he felt like players have already started to check out, and that was kind of stunning in and then I think from there then you've heard earlier players that said this. Also said something after the game against the Buffalo Buffalo last week that you know, he felt like some players had already checked out, they're looking forward to free agency or the old season or things of that nature too. And then also on top of it, we asked a few of the players, you would think, you know, division, if you're the Jets, like you would feel some kind of motivation to want to keep them out, And a lot of players didn't. They really take the bite. I mean, they really take de bait at all. They just basically I think some of the players are just ready for the season to be over with. It's been a long year. Obviously, the Jets have had a lot of changes, whether it be head coach or general manager, and it's been a really a nightmare. So I don't know what kind of Jets team we're gonna get against the Dolphins on Sunday, and it's gonna be blistery code there. So I imagine some players will be motivated to play well when in the season on a positive note there, but it's also probably gonna be other players that, you know, I don't know if check I don't know if they're gonna quit is the word. I don't know if that's the word that I would use, but I would just say that there they want, they want to win. But at the same time, I think a lot of players just want this nightmare to be over with.
That's a fair approach.
But I gotta say, man, that's just the modern day league where these these teams don't hate each other like they used to hate. Like I always talked to Oj McDuffie, my my co host on the postgame radio show, and he loves it. He lows the jersey swaps and all that stuff the other games because Oj did not like anybody on the opposing four teams in the AFC East back then.
And that's my guy. That's why he's Oj McDuffie.
Let's go ahead and pivot here real quick to the matchup and a couple of questions before we take a break, and then come back and have you on for some big picture stuff.
What do you expect from this matchup?
Man?
Like we saw the Jets passing game click, and you made the point about Rogers. I thought that was his best game, dealing with pressure and extending that he had the entire year. And I haven't watched all the games on tape, but enough of them to have that opinion. I think why was it so smooth in that game compared to what else has happened, especially since that Dolphins game down here in Miami.
I think they protected Rodgers well. I think they open it up very well to DeVante Adams and both Garrett Wilson were just having really good days there, and they were, you know, without Breste Hall in that particular game too, so it was really it was the Isaiah Davis and Brelan Allen Show against Miami, and they would just chuck had been able to chuck the ball around and data. I think that was Honestly, I think that was their best offensive game the season, albeit coming in a loss, but I definitely think they had everything going offensively, and they played what the offensive side played well enough to win the game. It was just really special teams and defense they kind of did them in late in that game. Obviously the Johnny Smith's game win a touchdown in overtime, But yeah, I think I think what I expect from this game. I think it's gonna be very low scoring. In the Middle Lands, bet life, whatever you want to call it. The wins type of typically swirl this time of the year there, it's gonna be buschery code. The highest gonna be thirty on Sunday, and then, by the way, it's a four to twenty five kickoff, so the temperature is gonna continue to steadily decrease as time goes on as well. So I think both teams are gonna have to deal with, you know, the weather in that fashion. It's not supposed to rain, but it's just supposed to be a lot of win and it's supposed to be really cold, and I think both teams are really gonna have to run the football effectively they get the job done there. It's gonna come down to turnovers as it always does. If the Dolphins can, you know, get some pressure on Rogers, especially considering the short they're gonna probably likely be shorthanded on the offensive line, I think, you know, they're gonna have a really good chance to win this game. And if they can't get the pressure on Rogers, then I think he'll be able to sport some particular matchups too as well. And then you look on the flip side, you know, the Jets have either been boom of busts as far as getting pressure. I think Will McDonald's had a really good season there at Quentin. If he can't play the then it really hurts their front line because all you really have is a consistent pass rushers Will McDonald who's having a really solid year. But outside of that, they haven't been able to rush the passer as much as they accustomed to, and I think that really hurts, especially when you're playing a team that you know can get the ball down the field and has weapons.
Yeah, it could be interesting, especially seeing how the Dolphins might be. You know who's going to be available to tackle position. We saw that Kendall Lamb has gone to IR and he was already the backup to the starter Austin Jackson, who was such a good player for the first half of this year, And now it could be looking at a combination of If teast that doesn't play, it could be Patrick Paul along with Jackson, Carmen or is a win or Liam Mickenberg playing a different position.
Like we'll have to see what happens on Sunday.
And then to your point about the Dolphins defense, we had Anthony Weaver just a few minutes ago and media availability. He talked about the chip they have on their shoulder ahead of this game, trying to, you know, to your point, they didn't feel good about the way the Jets moved the ball in that game offensively back in Week fourteen. Let's go ahead and take a quick break come back on the other side. I have a couple of big picture questions for Antoine regarding the Jets. He is Antoine Staley, my guest day on the Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. All right, Antwine, segment two with you here, we talked about this game from a perspective of the Dolphins trying to find the playoffs, the Jets trying to get to the offseason after a very tough, tough twenty twenty four season.
And that just makes me want to ask you a couple of big picture questions.
Because you know, in my preview podcast I tease how you guys know this Jets team. It's been the same operation for you know, a handful of years now. But next year we're gonna have to revamp that because it's gonna be all new in terms of the operation, new head coach, new GM presumably new quarterback as well. I just want to get your take on the big picture with the personnel. First, with Rogers, with Adams, with Garrett Wilson, who is reportedly seeking a trade if the Jets do not move off Aaron Rodgers, Can you give us the latest on those three big name players that going into this year were supposed to be a treat Well, I guess Adams wasn't there yet, but once they got Adams was supposed to be this deadly trio that hasn't really paid off. What do you think of those three guys long term future with the Jets.
I think Adams and I think Rogers are packaged deal. And I think if Rogers is not there, I don't think Adams is there as well. Because Adams, you know, he scheduled to make thirty five million dollars in twenty twenty five, but none of that money is guaranteed, So you have to look at it like this. If Rogers decides to move on, whether he retires, whether Heaton goes on to a different team, I don't think. I think Devataos wants to go somewhere where he can win, and I don't know if the Jets are going to be in that position in the next year or two. So and I don't basically being with the Raiders and the Jets for you know, the last couple of years. Yeah, I would imagine he would want to move on. So I think both of those guys are going. In terms of Rogers, I think it's probably I won't say is totally one hundred percent he's done, but I would say probably like ten to fifteen percent chance that he comes back next year. I really can't see it there. It's been a long year for him. He's kind of fallen out with ownership a little bit too, with the Johnson So yeah, I think he's going to Both sides kind of want to move on at this point too as well, although I'm curious to see if Aaron wants to continue playing. The Garrett situation is a little bit more complicated for the fact that he will probably still be under contract for two more years. They can pick up his fifth year option after the twenty four season. I anticipate them doing that.
I think.
You know, we've all the local reporters have been on this, but before the national media was. But you know, Garrett hasn't been happy for a while. You can go all the way back to training camp where him and Rogers were shouting out, shouted at each other doing practice, and you know, they kind of downplayed it, but you know, that's kind of where it all started. And then now you pick up Davonte Adams on October fifteenth, and his targets have been substantially down to the point where Adams, you know, has really become more number one receivers more, probably because his chemistry with Aaron throughout the course of the years. I don't, I don't. I won't say that he's gonna ask for a trade, but I think what Garrett wants to do is see, you know, whether Rogers comes or Adams come back or not. Wants to see who's you know, gonna be the coach, who's gonna be the general manager, and then maybe planning accordingly either either, you know. Having said that, then if that, you know, if he wants to move on with the new regime coming in, then that might be the time to do it. And his value is probably as high as it's ever been. It's probably gonna be well. I don't anticipate the Jets won't intertrade him, but if somebody wants to offer a first round pick or two, maybe potentially for Garrett Wilson, then it's something that you definitely have to listen to well.
Sitting here behind my awkward colored glasses.
I hope that Garrett Wilson is the one they move off of because that guy is an absolute stud and I wouldn't mind seeing him leave the AFC East and one.
Let's let's finish up here, GM and head coach.
It's always you know, I always say that if you cover the game, if you're a fan of the team, like it's best to either be in that position where it's like you're starting from a new or obviously to be a contenders the primary place you want to be, but being in the middle is kind of toughest spot to be. The Jets are going to go full full board this year, new head coach, new GM. What's the earlyly on those two positions, Antwine terms of what you've heard and what you think they might do well.
They've interviewed a few people including Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, also Thomas de Bee Truff and the former GM of the Falcons as well, and also former Titans GM John Robinson. So those have been the early guys that have interviewed there. As far as general manager, they could they may or may not interview Lewis Riddick, who works for analysts for ESPN, and so in terms of that then they're still I imagine they're going to hire a GM before they hired a coach there, which is the proper way to do it, although the Jets have been known to do things differently, just to say the least, So we'll see how they all transpires. But they are also today today on Thursday as we're speaking, and plan on interviewing Ron rivera h and also at some point Retch Ryan, which be a blast from the past too for Jets and Dolphins fan or.
Anybody in the AFCs.
But I don't know if Rech Ryan is going to be the answer, but he's still really close with Woodie Johnson, the owner, and I think I do expect him to interview there at some point. Outside of that, then, I think Aaron Glenn is a name to keep an eye out too. Obviously has ties to the Jets. They're played for them for eight years or so under Bill Parks sales and made a couple of pro bows. He's also really well liked within the organization. Started out with as a scout after he got done playing, and now you know helping you know, Detroit be fourteen to two heading into their final game against the Vikings as well, he's gonna We're gonna get a lot of looks too, And I definitely could see him potentially getting the job there and also maybe you know, bringing a guy like a John Dorsey there who also works in the lines organization there. So if you compare those two up, obviously they have they know each other, they have a chemistry at one another working you know, with the Lions. I think that'd be probably something I would keep an eye on.
Man, really good stuff.
He is at Antoine's daily on social on the Jets be and a columnist for the New York Daily News. And if you meet him enough, chances you are if you meet him enough, chances are you will eventually see him wearing a hat of a minor league baseball team that plays in your hometown.
Antoine, you are the man.
Appreciate your time today, dude, and hey, enjoy your vacation here in a few days.
Well I'm gonna try well, I'll know it, he'd be vacation, especially doing a GM and coaches. I enjoy trying to Jody all season as much as possible but Travis, thank you for having me on as always.
Yeah, you're the best dude.
Thanks man, And there he goes, always fun catching up with Antoine who if you guys don't know, work's down here in the South Florida market for I want to say, five or six years before he bounced around a little bit and made his way up to New York to cover the freaking jest. Let's go ahead and roll right into the week eighteen picks. We are currently sitting on a seventy two point seven percent winning percentage, which would be my all time best. But I have a feeling it's going to get ruined in this final week of the season, because well, I don't know who the hell to pick now. The highest win total of all time t was last year, one hundred and ninety one wins. We are just five wins off that mark, so get me at least six wins. I don't want to go six and ten, but get me six wins this week and we'll beat our previous high.
Go ahead and cue the music.
Starting on Saturday, Baltimore over Cleveland and Cincinnati over Pittsburgh. Once Baltimore wins that game, which they will, because you watched the Browns last week. We saw that same football game. The Steelers have nothing to play for besides seating.
I believe.
I believe the Bengals will finish their job. And remember when I sad this a few weeks back, I said the Bengals were gonna run the table and then they lost to the Steelers the very next week. Well they've run the table since then. I told you the Steelers were gonna lose like five of the last six games. They lost four of the last six games. If they lose this one, almost dead on that one. A's talked about a Broncos collapse, which we are one game away from them having their full collapse.
I don't know, man. The Chargers are the one team that I was off on. They kind of figured it out.
The Chargers are just that type of team that doesn't lose to bad teams, which in this current NFL landscape, like if you have a good quarterback, that's probably gonna happen. As evidence with Tua, we don't really lose to bad teams. SAMs one time last year against the Titans, but that's what Jim Harball teams do.
They beat the bad teams.
But You're gonna see them go into a playoff game and have no hopes unless they play you know, Houston.
But if they play.
Baltimore, they're gonna get right out of the building. So that's you know, neither here nor there. Bengals beat the Steelers on Saturday, so the Ravens clinched the division before that. The Bengals keep themselves alive on Saturday, and the Steelers lock themselves into one of their seats in the AFC Wildcard chase. I'm gonna take Buffalo over New England. I feel like Mitch Trubisky can beat them very easily. I hope the Patriots win and ruin their draft pick, but I think the Bills. The Bills will win that game. I'm taking the Falcons over the Panthers. The Falcons have something to play for. They get their win there with Michael Pennix, which if they would have gone to.
Him earlier, they would be division champs.
But what do I know.
The Commanders over the Cowboys.
I know it's gonna be kind of tough coming off the emotional high last week, and I don't know what they'll do as far as playing time goes. But if they only played Daniels for like less than a half. Maybe I can change that pick.
We cool with that.
It's hard to pick, man, I don't know. That's not really how the rules work, but it's tough to pick these games. I'll take the Packers over the Bears. I feel like the Packers are gonna try to kind of get their mojo back after losing the Vikings game.
I'll take the.
Colts over the Jags. I guess both teams playing out the stream there. The Eagles over the Giants. The Giants had their one miracle, right, They're gonna they're gonna find a way to lose that last game to get themselves better draft position. This is gonna be a tough week. We're gonna go eight and eight as best Bucks over Saints. Bucks win their division champions. That's one they actually they actually care for. I'll take the Raiders over the Chargers. I think that if they sit Herbert, that operation is going to be really funny to watch, because you know, as much as I dog on Herbert, he's way better than the alternative.
There. The Broncos over the Chiefs.
I hope, so if Carson Wentz plays the whole game, I think there's a chance, but I don't think it's gonna be a blowout. But I think the Broncos can find a way to win just because of no Travis Kelce, no Patrick Mahomes, no Chris Jones. They announced Trent McDuffie and George car Loftus and Isaiah Pacheco among those they will make an active But that does mean they're still gonna have Joe Tooney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith. They're gonna have DJ Humphries out there. They're gonna have no Agree, They're gonna Kareem Hunt, Carson Wentz. They're gonna have DeAndre Hopkins. They're gonna have Nick Bolton on defense. They're gonna have Derek Nandi on defense. They're gonna have like Jalen Watson's gonna be out there. They're gonna have a lot of their good players on defense. So I think they can. I think they can compete with the Broncos. Do I think they'll win the game? No, and the Dolphins season will end because of that. I took the Dolphins over the Jets. So I'm still like just dreading the idea of Tua not playing the last two games and that being the Offsciason discourse. But Miami gets their ninth win, which I really want that, even if it is snoop, and even if we do get eliminated, I want that.
Win Rams over Seahawks For what reason, I don't know.
In fact, I might flip that one Seahawks over Rams because I think Stafford probably doesn't playing in that game, right, they already clinched.
Why would they do that.
Cardinals over the Niners, I guess without brock perty and then I'm taking the Lions over the Vikings and a big one on Sunday night.
So those are your picks this week. Let's go ahead and take our last break.
I've stop by the Dolphins locker room to talk to some of the guys about Week eighteen and playing in these you know, basically playoff games. We'll chat with some of the guys here after this Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by.
The message this week for the Miami Dolphins is simple.
Control what you can control, and what they can control is this matchup against the New York Jets from Metlive Stadium on Sunday. With their playoff hopes still intact heading into this final game with one other game of help needed for the Dolphins to punch their ticket. Of course, fans will be watching Chiefs and Broncos, but for the Dolphins players and coaches and everybody involved with the team, the perspective is simple.
Keep it on the New York Jets.
I went over in the locker room on Thursday this week and spoke to Dolphins players about the task at hand and what must be done to win a football game of this magnitude. Where better to start for this conversation about mindset, mentality, and approach than seventeen year veteran Dolphins defensive tackle Kaleis Campbell. All right here with the Good Guy Award winner Kalais Campbell, Dolphins defensive tackle. Just want to get your measure of the room, measure your temperament here going into a big game for Week eighteen.
What's the message going to be to the.
Guys when you all take the field against the Jets on Sunday?
Yeah? Well, I mean I got a couple of days to figure out out what the exact message would be. But whenever that comes down to it, you know, it's just about you know, uh, doing our part, you know, and making sure that we are worthy of a playoff team, you know.
Uh.
The only way to be worthy is go out there and win the ball game. So you know, uh, I mean a lot of that is the message right now, you know, of preparing as a team that's a playoff team, you.
Know, and no score we're watching out someday.
Yeah, you don't want to do that, you know, you don't want to do that just our course.
You know.
Of course, if we get a big lead and you know, you start looking over a little bit more. But you know, the biggest thing is just do our part. After at the end of the day, we'll figure out what happens when it's when it games over at the end of the day. I mean, this is about you know, just playing a really good football game, enough to win the ball game, you know, and uh, you know, finishing the year with a bang.
You know.
Obviously we have the hope and aspiration to you know, become a playoff team, you know, but it's not in our control but solely in our control.
Uh.
But we have to do our part, you know. But the biggest thing is is just staying locked in, staying present.
You know.
If this is all last week, you know, we go out with a bank, you know, and if we you know, you know, do our part to earn you know, an opportunity next week and the football guys busted with that. You know, we'll take advantage of it, you know. But at the end of the day, just stay president, stay in the moment and give everything we have.
Let's stay in that room at that position group at defensive tackle and here next from Dolphins defensive tackle to Sean Hand. Big game on Sunday, Man win, get a little bit of help we get in the playoffs? What's the mindset for a player going into a game like that of that magnitude.
You gotta win it all costs. I mean, it's just for us. The playoffs started early, so each game is a winner go home.
How much experience do you have in games like this? I know you had some time in Detroit and that was before they kind of took off and got good. So is this like one of your first games obviously last year in playoffs? But how much experience do you have these types of games?
I mean, I got a little bit of experience, but I just think the mindset doesn't really matter about the experience because I go into every game, having to win and you know what I mean, focus on my keys and just ball.
So I feel like that's just the same thing.
That you carry over into the playoff atmosphere.
Because at the end of the day, it's a game.
It is more magnitude, but if you don't do the little things, you'll be lost in us aus.
It's the old adge, right, It's still football at the end of the day. Exactly appreciate man, thank you, my dog.
We've heard from the guy that's been around for seventeen years, from a guy that's been around for a handful of years. Let's go ahead and go to a younger player, second year tight end Julian Hill, who talked about this game, the approach across the entire roster and especially in that tight end room. So you've been in some big games, obviously playing in the playoffs last year, but just give us the mentality of a player of your skill set, of your experience, Like what's your thought process going into this game.
Don't make it bigger than what it is. It is another game. The only thing we can't focus on is you know what's in front of us, and that's the Jets. You know, we're not looking past it. We're not looking what happens if.
We do this, n man.
We just focused on doing our job, executing and after that, man, the cars, we dealt what they may.
It's been the messs of a team all week. I'm guessing yeah, for sure, for sure.
We know it's a big game. We know what's at stake, but we don't need to try to go out there and be something that we're not. You know, just go do your job and if you do a job, it'll be good enough.
Perfect.
Thank you man, Thank you.
And from the young tight end in the room to the vet of the room, John new Smith joins us here to talk about well, the same thing we're talking about all show along here all segment long playoff mentality week, Gay team mentality.
What's it going to take? Here's John new Smith, right.
We gotta control, we can control. Uh, we understand the urgency that we need to have going into this game. We got to give ourselves a chance, you know, and you know we we gotta, you know, just hope that things go in our favor. You know, we were preparing as if we're we're going to continue to go in there and play as you know, as if everything is on the line, which it is, you know, we don't know the unfortunately, we don't control the outcome of our future. But good things, you know, come to those who wait. So we'll be patient. We'll do what we need to do. And you know that the cause for what they may just gotta play, Just gotta play, you know what, You're gonna worry about the score for, you know what I mean. Obviously you know we're human. It'll be tempting, you know what I mean. But we got a game to win and we need to focus on us. And that's the mentality we all have, we know, and uh, you know we uh, we just we're just we're excited for this moment. Through everything that we've been through, I think, you know, the whole NFL world can say I didn't think the Dolphins will be here, you know.
What I mean.
So it's been a long road. It hasn't gone away that we expected it too. But we we thought we were resilient. You know, we looked you know, all of the doubt that was in our faces, you know, towards the beginning, in the middle of the season, all that versus that we face, and we took a head on and now I'm thankful that Week eight team, we're giving ourselves an opportunity.
To compete in the Big Dance.
All right, let's go ahead and call it a podcast right there. I think the thousandth episode of Drive Time is due for like next Wednesday or so.
It depends on what the schedule looks like we go.
We go down to three days per week once the year, and so we'll have a hiatus of sorts on the show in terms of five days week. But I'm pretty sure the thousand episode is coming up. I'll go back and check to make sure it's the right time. But I had like one sick day, a couple of holiday bumps, so I think it's bumped back to next week where it was supposed to be today, but it's not today. I'll check back on that and do something special for you guys, and just tip of the cap to all the listeners that made a thousand episodes possible here on Drive Time. In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on social at Wingfold NFL and the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Fish Tank Podcast with Seth and Juice, the YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins Today and so much more, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com Until next time.
Fins Up, Carolina and Cameron Daddy, He's coming home.
