Drive Time: Cam Brown Interview and NFC North Preview

Published Jul 1, 2024, 2:55 PM
Free agent linebacker Cam Brown discusses his move to South Florida and what he brings to the defense and special teams with Travis. Plus, we preview the NFC North. How can the Dolphins learn from the Lions run last season?

To on the move, Glan Deep Speedwys Peace do Hell from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield. He's got my advands in the playoffs. What is up Dolphins? And welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's showed, the preview series continues on into the NFC North, a very fascinating group of teams. Here we'll go through the Lions, Packers, Bears, and Vikings, run it all through the Dolphins lens and chat with one of the I think most under the radar signings the Dolphins made this offseason, in linebacker Cam Brown. From the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

This is.

The Drive Time Podcast. Dash off the top. As you can tell, I think maybe some great news. I feel so much better, And I waited until Monday morning to record this podcast because Saturday wasn't a lot better, Sunday wasn't a lot better. But finally on Monday, starting to feel a little bit better. And as the entire office took the week off, I'm back working because I was so sick last week that I fell behind my schedule. So with that, we jump into a division that I think features some teams that we can learn from, and we'll go ahead and try to do that right now with the team that I think every Dolphins fan kind of wants to follow the same timeline in terms of the Dan Campbell build and where he got in year three compared to where Mike McDaniel wants to get the Miami Dolphins in year three. The Detroit Lions, and they finished last year twelve and five. They won their division. They lost in the conference championship after opening a twenty point lead in the first half of that game. Just brutal. Get at me on Twitter. Tell me if the Dolphins did that this year, if they made the AFC Championship game and had a three score lead and ended up losing the game, how do you react to that as a Dolphins fan. I don't think I can handle it. I think the teams that haven't been there, the fan bases that haven't been there, I don't think we can handle that. I guess Lions fans probably couldn't handle that. Maybe they didn't, maybe they maybe they don't exist anymore anyway. And just like that it is a different tune with the Detroit Lions, is it not. I mean, I think one of the more commendable builds in modern NFL history, because in modern history teams don't stay as patient for as long as that team did. They developed an identity, they kept grinding away at it. They built their team inside out, which was a little bit scoffed at, especially last year in the draft they took on a quarterback that was completely given up on. I have never liked Jared goss game, even when he was balling with the Rams. I still thought there was deficiencies to his game. But he has really taken the next step as a quarterback and playing the position of quarterback there and rehabilitated his career and turned him into one of the top twelve quarterbacks in the National Football League, which I kind of think in and of itself is instructive in a league that is lacking patience in so many ways, in so many ways at so many key spots right and for this team, they had key elements of the rebuild all over last year's success. Pine Seuwel was kind of the guy that jumped started the whole thing when they took him very high in the twenty twenty one draft. He anchors one of the best offensive lines in the game. Actually, it is the best offensive line in the game. They added weapons all over in the draft with Jamir Gibbs, which again was laughed at, but I thought it was I loved Jamiir to me. Last year there was two backs that were different than everybody else named Jamiir Gibbs and von A chien cofigure I'm and Ross Saint Brown clearly, also with Jamison Williams Sam Laporta, and then that defense made big strides too, though as we'll see in the concerns, it's not done just yet. And you might call the Dolphins last time they played the lines, it was up and down the field for two a Tyreek Waddell and the A couple of losses to a then five hundred Packers team and a bad Bears team after an eight and two start, had some of those same old Lions conversations percolating. But then they win three of the last four. They win two playoff games, they which, by the way, real quick. Sometimes winning playoff games is as favorable as your draw, right, And granted, you know, good for the Lions they won their division, and that Rams team was no easy out, even though I picked against them all year. That was a good Rams football team they beat. But then they get the Bucks in the divisional round. Can we have that? Can we get the Steelers at home in the divisional round this year? That would be a guaranteed trip to the conference championship game. They build that huge lead in their conference championship game, and now they have the challenging task of finding out how to surpass those final thirty minutes of football to get into the biggest game in all of sports and then try to win a sixty minute contest against the other best team in the NFL. And frankly, I thought their offseason was fantastic and they're gonna have to try to find, you know, find out how to become to take that next step, really because there's so many steps along the way. But I feel like when you get to that level of accomplishment, you win your division, you win some playoff games, you get that close in a big game against a great team the Niners, I don't feel like you have to kind of like recreate some magic. Maybe that's just who you are at that point. The players, they brought in. I mean, this is a fantastic offseason. DJ Reider is one of the best run stuffing and just space eating nose tackles and has some pass rush in his game in the NFL. On the outside, they go out and get Marcus Davenport, who I think is kind of a nice third, you know, a third pitch in your bag to Aiden Hutchinson along with John Kaminski and even Josh Pascal had some nice reps last year. Carlton Davis and a Meek Robertson is a good, you know, move in the right direction at cornerback, especially when you pair that with first round pick Terry and Arnold, who I thought was maybe the best corner in the draft. Quiny and Mitchell probably was for me, but Arnold was right there neck and neck with with Mitchell and then Kevin Zeidler on the offensive line, which just fits their mold. And I hate the loss of Chauncey Gardner Johnson, although he rarely played last year, being injured most of the season, Josh Rends was a nice number three receiver for them. Jonah Jackson goes to the Rams. That's probably the biggest loss, and that's a big downgrade gold Zeitler, or from Jackson to Zeitler. They lose Benito Jones here and zach Ertz to the Washington Commanders. What do they do well? I think you know by now, and the whole biding kneecaps thing is actually kind of legit. They win in the trenches, they run the football, they stop the run. They built it from the inside out, and they buy into this grit mentality, right, they embrace it. And it's that's one of those things where it's like so many guys have come and said that. I think back to Joe Judge, like what was he doing, Like having guys like dive on loose footballs and there was some gimmicky thing he did with the Giants, and it was like, oh, yeah, that's a gimmick. But Dan Campbell lives it. He breathes it. He drinks two venti Starbucks coffees every single day and he can't help but let those coffee beans course through his veins and come out the other side as grit. They established a culture and funnel all of their decisions through that lens. I think all the best teams do that, and the Dolphins do that as well, which by the way, is develop skilled players, get an accurate, on time smart quarterback who can take advantage of that and build your team on the perimeter inside. So it's a different philosophy, different approach, and that's how these two teams are built. They create spacing in the passing game. Ben Johnson like, my goodness, how fortunate can you be that you have a superstar coordinator who like doesn't have all that much interest in leaving for a head coaching job. They're just doesn't happen. That does not happen. But the Lions have that. They attack all levels of the field from different groupings and looks. They can get you know, Sam laporta vertical from twelve personnel. They can spread it out and get Jamis and Williams down the three down the scene from the three position. They're just really impressed from how they can create their different looks and generate spacing because of Ben Johnson, who just doesn't want to leave, it seems like. And they also develop their players, which all great teams do that. Like I know, for fans, if a rookie comes out and has his first game and it's not good, you're gonna say he can't play or maybe for a full season. Hey, he doesn't doesn't have it For an Austin Jackson who struggled for multiple years, he can't do it well. The best programs develop their players, and players get better every year in those programs. And look, I thought they should have gone to Jamiir Gibbs much earlier than they did. Maybe they still regret that. I doubt it because they were eight and two when he kind of got his workload going. But they clearly have plans for players and they stick to that usage and stick to their guns. And he really broke out towards the end of the year. Again he and h hm, maybe my two ferret backs in all of the game. What's the concern or fatal flaw here? Can they slow down the best offenses in the NFL? Because down the stretch last year it was kind of just like Hope and pray defensively, and granted we talked about three big cornerback moves they made to address those those glaring holes in the defense, but it's been the Achilles Hill, you know, down the stretch the last two years. Their depth was exposed late. They are deeper now, but they're counting on a lot of imports to solidify things, and sometimes that doesn't always click right away or at all, but they've also had a tremendous amount of success doing that with young players. Also in the pass rush. Is there enough? I know I talked about Marcus Davenport, but is there enough beyond Aiden Hutchinson, Because John Kaminski and Josh Pascal had really good years last year, but they have to keep building on those years and all those defensive tackles are greatest stuff in the run. You know, reader on Woozy on WUSA, Rique like I loved his game out of udub Levi on Musa Rik and Ali McNeil loved his game from NC State too, But Marcus Davenport is kind of the next guy in line at the edge. Rusher loved his game in college, didn't really work out for the Saints, went to the Vikings for a year, had a decent year. Is it enough? That's just I guess if you're picking, you know, if you're picking at this team, that's the question you have.

There.

Some interesting things about this team are biggest story lines. They're the hunted now right right Like last year they were coming off that impressive finish and it was like, well, they were a darling eight and nine team, and maybe they were nine and eight, I can't remember. But now they're a twelve win Division champion, Conference championship game participant. You know, Ham the Banner teams are coming after him now, and the Packers got better and the Bears got better, and well, you know they have to play from that position, from that perch. And they had two games against the Bears last year they should have lost, playing in kind of like that spoiler versus a big dog rule that's gonna be your entire year. This year they went won in one of those Bears games, should have lost both of them. But you have to learn how to win games when teams give you their best shot every single week. Goff post extension, I just felt like that's always worth watching. I felt like he was playing with house money because it was like, what else do I have to lose? But now there are Super Bowl or bust expectations. And once previously in his career, a team decided like, if we're gonna get over the hump, we have to move on from this guy. Can he not let history rewrite itself there? And then also have they groomed a Ben Johnson replacement. He's eventually going to leave, I would think, right, But all of these issues, like our potential issues, are like great things to have go against you, so I don't think it's that big of a deal. My final roster thoughts. There's so much to like, but I just want to highlight the games that didn't come up here. Frank Ragnow one of the best centers in the NFL. Taylor Decker's been a pillar a tackle for them. Jack Campbell, I thought had a up and down rookie year, but I love his physical profile, his athletic complex. He just is a good looking linebacker. Alex angzelone, He's been making plays for years. One of the first guys I scouted at Locktown Dolphins actually Brian Branch, who had a fantastic rookie season as kind of that slot and safety position from Alabama. Kirby Joseph another guy that man the Lions built Travis Wingfield's team. Kirby Joseph from Illinois has had a fantastic start to his career, and I did mention Jamison Williams. He's on the list. I think he's in the breakout Star Watch list for me, what can we learn from the Lions. Well, if there's a better trust the process team in the NFL, show me, because there there isn't. I'll admit I was quick to question what they were doing, but they were might. They remained vigilant in their approach. And I think we can learn from how Dan Campbell grew and developed as a leader, and he was transparent about that. And McDaniel has things that he can grow and get better at, too, right, and I think he will because he doesn't have the ego that bogs him down. And I think he and Campbell are similar in that mindset of like, I'm in this position that look at all the resources I have, I want to use those. It better not to bang my head into a wall and be like I got here because I'm the freaking man. No, I'm want to use my resources. So I think that McDaniel can learn from that. From Campbell, I think that he has that same mindset. So I'm excited about that. Been a quarterback, like I don't know, man, Maybe players can change the mind of the masses. The same people that sent Goff out to pasture now praise him effusively. I'm one of those people I thought he was. I thought he was awful as a ram early on in his career. I thought that he reverted back to that later on in his Rams career. I thought his cow tape was bogus. I thought his Hard Knocks appearance was was like, oh, you don't know where the sun rises? Like, I was not a Jared Goff fan, but now I can see that he's a very good quarterback. Most of all, which, by the way, like putting him like sixth and two of like fourteenth is freaking hilarious. Most of all, I just like how they've just kept adding and developing and helped turn over one of the best rosters in the sport. It's it's Dolphins light. It looks like the Dolphins of this offseason as well. So what do you know? The Dolphins looking to be the Lions this year. Next team on our list here the Green Bay Packers. Seeing that I am personally struggling to figure out where they're going to land the most of the teams I've done so far. Last year, they go nine to eight, They finished second in the division after a really brutal start to the season. They lose in the divisional round of San Francisco after playing pretty much a perfect game against the Cowboys in the wild card round. And for those keeping score at home, all those people that think the Packers are this juggernaut all of a sudden, who couldn't lose last year that would not have been enough to get in in the AFC. I just think it's important to recall context when we start making these grand extrapolations of the final game or two of the season. Yes, they blew the doors off the hopeless Cowboys in that playoff game, and that was impressive. Yes, their young quarterback got much better as the year went along and took massive strides towards becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the entire National Football League. But I don't think that means you completely discredit or throw away a Week two loss to Atlanta, or a Week five loss to Vegas, or a Week seven loss to Denver or the Sunday Night to Minnesota. Because early in the year that offense was unwatchable, and then they weren't. It began really on Thanksgiving when Jordan Love went off and took it to the lines and beat them in their own house. Then they beat the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Then they lose the Giants and then the Bucks, and then secure a playoff spot with a three point win over Carolina. They blow out the Vikings with a third stream quarterback, and then they get an eight point win and only score seventeen points in the Chicago Bears at home. I think we're gonna see the Packers picked to be that team this year. I'm just looking at the results of that coming from the playoff game fair enough, impressive, and then the two games that were nationally televised, one being one of the games, it's the most watched every year on Turkey Day. All three of those games get insane ratings. So I guess I'm asking, will the real Green Bay Packers please stand up? And by the way, that took me like fourth times they get that correct? Can you see that five times fast? Will the real green Bay Packers? And you lifelongs know how I felt about Jordan Love as a prospect, Oh buddy, if you can figure out Twitter search these days and the elon era, which is just a horrendous website all of a sudden, if you can figure out how to search on Twitter at Wingfold NFL, Jordan Love, go ahead and do that because I loved his game and I still feel that way. I just think we should look at the entire book, not just our favorite chapters. Some big moves for the Packers this offseason. They brought in Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, and Jordan Morgan was their first round pick out of Arizona. Out is josh Niezman, guard John Runyon. They lost Darnell Savage, David Bachtiari retired. I believe Aaron Jones is out, Devondre Campbell is out, and so is Jonathan Owen. So lots of turnover there in Green Bay. In terms of departures. What do they do well, stop me if you heard this before. On this offense, they marry the run in the pass. They utilize rare quarterback traits to expand the field. But how will that change going from Aaron Jones, one of the best peer zone runners to Jacobs, who was a little more behind the pads. Will they go more man gaffed with the Niners and Rams have in recent years. I think that's kind of what that tells us. They have evolving top targets in the passing game. They built this thing with all these young pieces developed together, and like the Steelers and Packers are so in the way the draft receivers so well for so long. I mean, who has developed better star talent on the perimeter than the Packers last twenty years. And now they get Jaden Reed, Romeo Dobbs, Dontavian Wix who looks like an absolute baller, and Christian Watson was kind of the guy that was. He was taken before any of those dudes, and he might be the number four right now with Jordan Love too in the same kind of capsule of drafts two or three years there for the foreseeable future, they have all these guys on rookie contracts and that's gonna make them, you know, able to build up other parts of the roster. And not to mention the last two tight ends in the draft they took where Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, who both can play as well. Now I'm not sure what they'll do on defense with Luke Hafley coming from the college game, but they previously were so good at gap control, winning one on ones, and that's done through prototype. They have these big, big edges and true two gappers inside with both Rashaun Gary and Lucas van Ness and Preston Smith on the outside, and then on the on the inside with Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt and Carl Brooks. They have those guys that can eat space inside too. It's the concern or flaw on this roster. It has to be the offensive line, which is strange because they have like no money tied up in their quarterback and receivers right now. They've had to bounce Elton Jenkins all over the place, and this guy is a freaking all pro wherever he lines up, and he's filled in for injuries the last couple of years. Bakhtiars Tiyari has finally gone. Him and his unreliable play and dubious politics. They're gone. But they'll look to first rounder Jordan Morgan to fill that void, to get Jenkins and Zach tom back to their original positions. And then they went out and got Andre Dillard, which go Koog's but like, dude can't play front seven depth. We saw it really really take a hit with just one loss in Rashaun Garry. Last year. They did draft Eddrian Cooper just two years after kway Walker. I was a big fan of his game, as well in college, and that's kind of a sign that, hey, it ain't clicking, Bubba. I think it's it's a big year for the corners, Alexander and Stokes in particular. Jai Year is a strange dude, and he's had some strange plays. They're one injury and we are into players with completely unknown, unproven resumes. Some interesting things about them and biggest storylines love and year two of a team friendly deal. Does he push for the mega deal to get done after breaking out down the stretch? Does an impact you know, into the season. I doubt it, but we'll see not a fantasy guy, but who emerges from the pack as the guy. Like there's so many guys that are ballers in this skill group and I want to say Dontavian Wicks, but I sort of like them all. Michael Bolton finally the ones hunting the Lions. Like that rivalry fascinates me and just got even better. I wish it was the Thanksgiving game again. Calling up a head coach to coach your defense and from college is it is interesting. It's a fascinating new trend that you know coaches want the hell out of college because college football sucks now, But yeah, that's what that's what coach Hafley's gonna do. Some final roster thoughts here. I just noticed as I go through these how many teams are pretty thin in the defensive backfield just in terms of proven players. Maybe that's for the next section, though we're already we've already kind of covered this roster pretty well. What can we learn from the dolph from the Packers about the Dolphins the importance of depth? As I mentioned this, I do think they draft well and typically do it at the more expensive positions, which is the best way to sustain success, right and why I think Miami has and we'll continue to do so with quarterback and Tua receiver and Waddle, offensive line with Jackson and Hunt, the comp pit coming back for Hunt and your edge and Phillips. They've done a good job drafting in those spots. The Packers have done that really really well in the last few years. So there you go. Let's go ahead and take our first break right there. Come back on the other side and talk to linebacker Cam Brown. I had a fun chat with him. That's next Draft Time podcast to your host, Travis Wingfield. Brought to you by Auto Nation.

What's up?

Dolphins? Travis Wingfield here with you guys on the Draft Time podcast. My guest today is Dolphins linebacker Cam Brown. Cam, welcome in and how you doing today?

Man? I appreciate you having me man doing well? Doing well? Complain about anything.

I gotta well. I do have to apologize for that up here. I didn't realize we were gonna have a bunch of six five guys joining me, which I should have because it's a football players. But I appreciate you making do with with my setup I gout here work. That's kind of the name of the game, right, That's how That's how this entire league is. You have to find what you can, what you can make work and do your best with it. Right adjustments exactly exactly so for you as a draft pick back in twenty twenty, right out of the out of the pandemic year, was that a pretty crazy year to go into the draft where everything's held online zoom and all that stuff.

Yes, yes, it was.

Actually my pro day got canceled two days right before that was I went to the combine and didn't put up the numbers I wanted, and then pro day got canceled. It was kind of heartbreaking. But you know, like you said, adjustments.

So teams have teams have like no info on you then, right, because it's it's your tape, I guess.

Yeah, no, it was. It was definitely a weird process. And then you're sitting at home. Gyms are closed for three four months, right, and then we get into August. You're like camp supposed to start and you're still sitting at home.

It was, it was. It was an interesting experience, to say the least.

What did you do to stay in shape?

Honestly, just jogging?

Really, I ran got into the gym every once a week probably like I was. It was very slim, but uh, they actually ended up sending us some weight, so you know, the stack of the dumbbells or your chance of weights. Yeah, we got on those bench the little squat variations with it as much as you could.

But honestly, it was a lot in home stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

So my first year in the NFL was also twenty twenty, and so it was an adjustment for me because there are certain you know, just everything was so restricted in terms of where you could go. You don't want to be in the players because I want to get players sick if I'm sick, and so it was a unique way to come into the league. But since then I've learned that it's pretty damn cool to work in the NFL. It's not like that all the time. Was it the same for you as a player? Yeah?

Yeah, the adjustment is definitely different. Matter said the same as Yeah, same experience. That the fact that it's better because when you're playing football and there's no fans that you like a scrimmage out there and you can hear all the coaches yelling, you hear all the adjustments. It's just not the same experience as having sixty thousand fans out there screaming their heads off.

You know, it probably felt like that you didn't get like your NFL debut in a lot of ways because like it's not the same experience, like you said, right, was it? I don't want to say it was it tough to get up for because I know you got up for an NFL game, Like the guy across from you doesn't care if there's no fans in the stands, right, But it's just I'm so fascinated by that unique experience, Like did you was twenty twenty one almost like feel more like your debut because it was back to normal.

Honestly, for family, I would say, so if you're having the family for that, for that experience, but now at the end of the day, you're still playing football, so that twenty twenty year. I mean, once you got hit in your face by three hundred, yeah, I know, I'll wake you up. You'll feel like a debut for sure. Absolutely fun. So you make your debut with the Giants. You play some linebacker, but a lot of work on special teams. And I always love asking guys this, how does you know I guess not the key to special teams, but how does your skill set skill set translate to being a good special teamer? Honestly, I mean I'm long, tall, fast like that. It's hard to block that in open space.

You know.

It's I'm used to going against a lineman, so when I'm lined up against somebody that's my weight even less, it's a lot easier to get off of block. So, honestly, I think the skill set's very fitting because undersized outside linebacker, oversized inside linebacker, so you get a mixture both and I mean, honestly, especially about how much you want it and how hard you want to play. Anybody could do it. It's about how much you would do. It's about the will, right, Yeah, it's about the willpower. So I mean, for me, it's been it's always easy because I love playing football. Running hit, running hit is what I always say, Like that's what I was born on. And it was just like watching guys like earl Acker, Ray Lewis and things like that, like all you want to do is hit somebody, And when you're my size, it makes it a little bit easier, you know.

Yeah, no, no question about that. I mean, and you know, this is a pretty good linebacker group we have here in Miami. So between the inside outside stuff, have you kind of have you? It sounds like you have a lot on your plate in terms of the combination of those, but also special teams. How do you balance a workload of getting ready for you know, what what might come outside linebacker, what might come on inside linebacker, But also I got to get ready for special teams too.

Honestly, I think just my career has put me in the position because even from childhood I play it outside d N and then high school more middle inside. I think back in college I was back back and forth, doing a little bit of both. And then my first years in New York were too. The first two years were outside, last two years were inside. So it's like I've been prepared for this, Like I like it. It makes me. I'm comfortable in both spots. So honestly, it's no real stress. It's just it's kind of just how what I do at this point just football, right.

I know back in the day, it was like if you had a defensive end, he played defensive end for sixty five snaps and that was all he did and no one else came into that spot for him. But now it's like, you know, guys shift, guys move or sub packages. It's just a different game than it used to be twenty years ago. So a guy like you, that makes sense that you you've kind of found your footing. So you leave the Giants, you come here to South Florida. First time was like a free agent, right, Like you have a chance to pick and that's the first time since college that you had a chance to do that. What was that process like for you?

Uh, Honestly, when Miami, when I got the interest from you guys, it was pretty easy. You know, when you when you come from a state that's tax heavily when you when you have so much family that's down here, and that's probably where I should have started. I do love my family, got a lot of family down here, spent a lot of childhoods down here, so I got a lot of ties to the South Florida area. And honestly, I mean, it's the great opportunity. It's good weather, like I said, good people, coaching. Mc daniel's young coach Brian. Guys win a lot of games last year. I'm just happy to be a part of the process, you know, just want to be a part of the growing of Miami Dolphins.

I love asking that question because I always get the same reaction with guys. It's a big smile, like you like you gave him right there, and then it's the weather, and then you know, you talk about the other great stuff too, But it's it's it's not a bad place to be. It's not bad at all. You mentioned coach McDaniel, So that's that's something that you know typically comes up in these in these chats, is something that attracted you to the Dolphins. And he's obviously you know one of one, right, He's he's so unique. Tell me about that, tell me about experience of getting the no coach and just have fun. That's been so far.

Honestly, I mean he's lighthearted, he's you can tell he's very analytically smart about what he goes through the process that he goes through. But at the same time, he's he's a young guy, so he's very relatable to us. He's cracks, jokes, he thinks he's funny.

Is he funny?

But he's a.

Shooter, He's a volume shooter.

But yeah, I can't complain about him. And he's a good dude.

He's good, young, brings energy to the team, gets the guys going. So everything positive to say about him.

How about coach Weave and know it's his first year here, you guys kind of get here around the same time. What's it been like working with him?

Honestly, it's been great.

It's been great because former player, you know, he can relate to a lot of things are going through. He also understands the process and on a deeper level, so it's easy for us to follow his lead, you know, And I feel like he's got a good plan. He's ran a similar defense that I'm used to from in New York. So honestly, for me, it's been a good transition, been smooth.

Yeah, how's it been getting to know that the roads is down here in South Florida. I always ask guys, how do you how you handling the other turnpike?

And and honestly, I compared to New York, I love it, true, twenty five minutes to get everywhere down here, I'm not mad at it.

So I've been enjoying it well.

And then we're happy to have you Cam Brown appreciate its time to the man.

Thank you appreciation.

Yeah, there he goes. And when you watch Cam Brown's tape, whether it's special teams or defense, really really insane length. And he kind of popped during OTA's you know, back in the spring, earlier the spring. So I think that he's a guy that could could make an impact maybe early in the year if you need it. With you know, Chubb and Phillips kind of working their way back in the lineup, but for sure going to be an ace on special teams. Let's go ahead and take our last break right there, come back on the other side and pick it back up. In the NFC North with the Minnesota Vikings, that's next Draft Time Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. NFC North Divisional preview here on a July the first episode of the Draft Time Podcast, we pick it up with the Minnesota Vikings, who finished seven and ten and third in the NFC North last season. Quarterback injuries sure do stink, don't they? Even before Kirk Cousins was injured, though they were one and four start the year, three and four after he was lost, they caught a little bit of lightning in a bottle with Josh Dobbs, the alopecia astronaut, and then they fell into the abyss of the unwatchable who remembers that three to zero win over the Raiders. I do, I just can't with these, Like I'm a Mariors fan. As of this taping, the Minors are three and a half games up in their division. They were ten games up in the division like a week and a half ago. But they can't score runs. They averaged three point nine runs per game and if if a team scores four, they're just not gonna win those games. And I'm like telling my buddies, like, enjoy this the lead while you have it now because this will not be sustainable. I don't trust anybody that can't score in any sport that you have to score to win. So the Vikings were that last year. Can they become not that?

So?

After a five game winning streak, which was a miracle to me, they dropped six of the final seven to finish with the worst win percentage this organization has had since twenty thirteen. They got their due in large part to a defensive structure overhaul, going from an offshoot of the Fangio system with Ed Dontell that did not work at all, that couldn't stop a nosebleed to the Brian Flores blitz, blitz, blitz and blitz again. Oh when you're in doubt, go ahead and blitz once more. Type of approach. Interesting team this year. I want to go ahead and get into this with the changes, big moves coming in. Aaron Jones leaves the Packers and comes over to the Vikings. Blake Cashman was a Packer once, He's now a Viking. Jonathan Grenard and Andrew Van Ginkel are the big additions off the edge. Shaq Griffin a big cornerback edition there. They also get Robert Tanya and Sam Darnold as the quarterback who they signed from a veteran contract, and then JJ McCarthy was the guy they drafted in the first round. They also picked up Dallas Turner in the first round of this year's draft. Departures Kirk Cousins the biggest one there running back Alexander Madison. They lost Hakeema Denji, Marcus Davenport, dj Wanham, and Daneil Hunter. Three edges that played the most for them last year. They're all gone. They also lost linebacker Jordan Hicks. What do they do well, Well, it's another version of the Shanahan offense. They present different looks, I'm sorry. Rather, they create space and to marry the run and pass game. My first note here is on defense. They present different looks and pressure from any one of the eleven players on the field at any given time. They utilize positionless players like a Josh Mattellis, who had a career a breakout last year under coach Flores. Kind of think of like Brandon Jones' skill set, which you know, if you can get that to play like an all pro, then you're doing something right. And they are just willing to go down swinging and they kind of did towards the end of the year. Stop me if you've heard this before. They marry the run in the past with an aggressive mindset to stretch the field vertically and horizontally. They have the only receiver that I'll listen to in an argument with regards to the best in the league over Tyreek Hill in Justin Jefferson, although I'll still take the speed of Tyreek Hill. And this also allows them to stretch the field along with Jordan Addison, who was an absolute stud and I think him and Jefferson can become that next great duo. I would have loved to see them retain kJ Osborne. What are the concerns or the potential fatal flaws on this Vikings roster. That's a ton of pass rush to lose man. Just pass rush, but big bodies with length who can queue up some of those blitzer from the back end. I mean that really helps when you run all those stunts and games and picks that Floras likes to run Hunter Davenport and won them. We're all such space and block eaters. And I love Andrew Van Ginkle more than anybody else in the NFL really, especially as a person. But that's just not his game. And Dallas Turner looks the part, but he's a rookie, so we'll see. Also, there's a rookie quarterback, and can you ever really trust that? For me, I wasn't high on McCarthy coming out. I thought his tape was full of NFL bread and butter throws that he just consistently missed at me each Again, interesting things about them are big storylines. If the defense plays above board like that, again, does Flora's get a head coaching Look, I mean, it would take a lot of trust to let him out of the Keuston organization again, developing a quarterback, you know, it's great to have to hang on to your star receiver to do that. But I'm still just I don't know about McCarthy, man, I don't know if he's got it. But also I'm also still bitter about Brandon Marshall being traded ahead of the twenty twelve season, Like, hey, let's go ahead and trade Brandon Marshall, and then Johnson can be a ding donk get himself cut and then all of a sudden we're throwing to Robert Moore as Brian Tannehill's second top target behind Brian Hartlin. Then also the year after the regression to the mean. I will explain that here in the final segment or the next segment, I should say my final roster thoughts here. I think the roster is fine, but could be a lot better with better process. They've done some interesting draft day trading that has put them on the wrong side of the Jimmy Johnson Trade value chart the last two years. I never understood allowing your division rival to come up and get a game changer in Jamison Williams and just wait on him, he'll break out. I don't get sending what equated to two first round picks to open get Dallas Turner, who I liked a lot. It's just been a strange process in terms of utilizing draft capital to overspend for certain pieces. Now all of that said, I'm obviously incredibly dubious in the quarterback position, which I think will sink this team. I wonder how much Aaron Jones has left. I love the top two receivers and tight end and TJ. Hawkinson, but beyond that it's pretty thin. I think their tackle duo is one of the best in the entire game, with Christian Darisa as one of the best tackles that no one seems to talk about, and then Brian O'Neil also is in that category. They also have an awesome center and Garrett Bradbury, but questions at guard. But we've also seen this system that's kind of the area where it's like, okay, we're okay not investing in the guard position on this offense. On defense, Harrison Phillips has become that dude post Buffalo career never leaves the field. But I really don't like the reimagined edge group going from what you had, Like Gink is really the only proven guy there, and Johnathan Grenard is very solid tode, don't get me wrong. And man, every time it feels like I'm saying this, but there's not a lot of depth in the secondary. They have to get more from recent high picks and Lewis Seene and Andrew Booth who have not played at all. And then Harrison Smith remains with my top players on any team, especially for this Vikings team. Well, can they tell us about the Miami Dolphins. I think that this exercise is beneficial for any Dolphins fan because I say this all the time. I feel like we're not measuring ourselves to the rest of the league, but rather against perfection. Like obviously I'm obsessed with the NFL and grind tape on all three to two teams, but like again with baseball or Hoop for that matter, I watch the Mariners or the Heat. Those are my teams pretty much every night they play, but literally won't turn on another game until the playoffs because I don't want to, and that cost me perspective and I accept the fact that it makes me kind of a casual. But the Vikings the last few years have reminded me of the Dolphins teams I grew up on. Every two presidential terms. We'd sneak into the Cinderella or into the tournament as a Cinderella. But from the opening snap you can see that we weren't on the same level as the twenty sixteen Steelers, of the twenty eight, two thousand and eight Ravens, or even before that, when we had teams with actual identities in the defense and running game of the early two thousands, as those teams lost to the Raiders and Ravens in the postseason quite convincingly both those years. The twenty twenty two Vikings were a magic carpet ride right, thirteen wins. Then you lose the Giants, the freaking Daniel Jones Giants in the wildcard round. Well, that defines a team that was using buzzer beater field goals and saying fourth quarter in overtime luck. Remember the Bills fumbled the football at the one yard line to lose that game. I remember that well because I remember saying we're out of Buffalo, we have the AFC eas lead in the on the postgame radio show, or when they beat the two A list Doll team by a touchdown that year, or needed the greatest comeback in NFL history to be a Colts team that won five games that year. My point is I feel this they had Jeff Saturday coaching and they were down by thirty points. I feel this iteration of the Dolphins are impervious to that. That's why I'm getting out here. Yes, we have our struggles on the road against playoff teams, but aside from the Titans game, which ah, that damn Titans game, we handle our business against the teams we were supposed to beat. And that's to me a mark you should strive for. The Vikings were not that, and one year after going thirteen and four, they win six fewer football games, and with that wholesale changes and building a whole new program. Kevin O'Connell's still there in a really good football coach. But now they break in a rookie quarterback who I don't think can play with a defense. It's probably closer to win now mode. My point is continuity and being dominant in your wins is a much clearer indication of a contender than a team who scrapes by each and every single week. Case in point twenty sixteen Miami Dolphins. We finish up here with the Chicago Bears, who also won seven games last year. When where when did they win seven games which was good for fourth in the division. I would have said five wins tops. They began the year zero to four looking like the Bears, and they extended a franchise long losing streak to fourteen games. I must say, I'm thrilled to the seat. They seem to be on the comeback here and have some exciting rookies, because we know one thing for sure, they're going to dominate the primetime slots. How many times have you watched bad Giants or Bears teams on primetime because of their markets like five times a year. Trading the first pick in twenty twenty three to the Panthers looks like one of the most lopsided trades in league history right now, because Bryce Young can't play and it results in another number one pick overall, which of course goes to one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects of recent memory. Now I will not follow suit and call him generational more on that moment, but Caleb Williams is there now and he's already the thurning quarterback. Yeah. Going back over their schedule, it's easy to see why they did win seven. Actually, they've got their their biggest win over the Lines in Week fourteen, and then that came after riveting twelve to ten victory over the Vikings. And was that Jaron Hall they beat? And then wins over the Cardinals and Falcons who were also playing out the string, and they damn near beat the Packers in Week eighteen in a game that would have knocked the Packers out of the playoffs. There's also sixteen thirteen over the Panthers in there. Like man the middle class, the NFL is kind of done, huh. Like teams don't really want to be middle. They want to be either good or really bad. Like we mentioned that in the positional battle or quarterback battle in the AFC North, Like, teams don't really want to, you know, go with a Joe Flacco. They rather go with a Tyson Bagen or a Jaron Hall and try to strike lightning rather than just get by. And if they win four games, good, they'll draft the quarterback next year. Just it's a weird dynamic right now in the NFL. And the Bears kind of you know, I guess the Bears in the bike has kind of fit that mold too. The receiver, the big moves in receiver Keenan Allen was a huge get for them, DeAndre Swift, Gerald Everett. They got in Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills. They brought in two safeties and Kevin Byrd and Jonathan Owens. And then of course in the first of the top ten of the draft, I should say, Caleb Williams and rome A Doonsay going out, Deontay foreman, Darnell Mooney. They cut Cody white Hair and they lost Robert and Justin Jackson was a big loss in the defensive line. Eddie Jackson and Justin Fields were two big cuts they made. Also, are they they trade Justin Fields? I forget it's so what they do well, it's all so new. But Shane Waldron is a stud man. Most people think Caleb Williams will at least be solid this year, and I think Odoonsay is going to be the rookie of the year quite frankly, but Keenan Allen's Keenan Allen DJ Moore is the best receiver in the team. I like Swift and Everett too. They get you know, they get vertical, they get a lot of four verts. They've run a lot of misdirection and exploitation of man coverage of deep over routes. I think they'll do a good job of creating space and utilizing the run game and the screen game to get easy yards that sets up those shots those playmakers. Now, I still question whether or not Williams has the ability to grow and develop as an on schedule passer, because there wasn't a ton of that on tape at USC And the last time I saw a quarterback that ran towards his own goal line that often, it was Zach Wilson, but he's also one of the best creators we've seen in terms of just making plays off script. I just have more questions than most folks about his game. On defense, they play match and pressure with four. That's a ebra Flu's former Viking or not making Colts strategy they ran when he was up there, and they do that pretty effectively, even though the personnel has been really bad the last few years. The concern of fatal flaw obligatory. Ricky Quarterback mentioned the front seven depth. They stripped it to the studs two years ago. Remember that game before or before they played us, they traded away, Like, shoot, who was it they traded away? Now I'm drawing a blank. They traded away their Leonard Floyd Baby, No, I can't remember it was. They got rid of their entire defensive front. Was it Roquan Smith might have been.

I don't know.

They stripped it to the studs and have begun to rebuild it since then with Montese Sweat, with DeMarcus Walker, Jacob Martin, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter. I just don't know much about beyond that. Even that list is like, it's okay, and Roquan Smith's absence has been felt since he left. Neither Tremaine Edmunds or t J. Edwards really panned out in year one. Some interesting things about them are biggest storylines. Can they make it a quick turnaround, because I think that seven wins was good last year for them, but it wasn't really indicative who they were. If they can win nine games this year, that'd be a massive overhaul for the Bears. I think they made the moves and are on the correct conference to that a massive year for Matt Eberflus if he doesn't. If it doesn't work out for him this year, he's gone right. And then also Kaylee Williams coined the next chosen one? Does it pan out in year one and be honx. We've seen a quarterback like Justin Herbert be really good at first two years and pretty bad is his his third and fourth year, So you never know how it's gonna work out all the way through final roster thoughts Odoonsay, Allen and DJ Moore probably right there for one of the best groups in the NFL. It's impressive really remade the receiver. The offensive line has been the Achilles Hill for a while, but they nailed the Darnell Right draft pick, and Tevin Jenkins is a hit inside, which buy myself on the back two guys I like quite a lot in the recent draft classes. I like the defensive backfield, but we've seen how defense is with one strength and one you know not as a strong part of the unit can rebook the effectiveness of a good rush or secondary like if one's not good, the other one probably can't be good either. And keeping Jalen Johnson was a home run to me. I do want to see what Kyler Gordon looks like in year two. He had a rough rookie season after I thought he was gonna have an impressive NFL career. What can we learn about the Bears from the Dolphins perspective? Nothing? I mean, honestly, they're different ends of the spectrum. Now, we are a championship roster with the abilities to sustain that for you for years, whereas the Bears are in the part of their cycle where they hope they can utilize cap face and patch up issues and build the roster up to a point that it can contend. Of course, THEO with a rookie quarterback, they can't do that for a while. It all comes back to how good Caleb is, right, and you'd hope he's good right away because if he's not, again, ebra Flus won't be back, and then you hate the same issue that many young quarterbacks have, lack of continuity. Then also, if they're good, Shane Waldgon probably gets a head coaching job. So it's just it's tough to sustain continuity in this league. I guess to me, that's to take away more about twenty twenty five than it is this year prediction time, So these can change, remember that they will change. I'm going Lions eleven to twelve wins once again, right back at the top, Packers nine to ten wins, the Bears seven to eight wins, and the Vikings four to eight wins, so really like or four to five wins. So really it's the exact same as last year with the Vikings. Just go back a little bit more for me and the Bears win the same number of games, but I think that they're a better football team. Best quarterback in the division for me is Jordan Love. The best non quarterback on offense. I just think Pina Swool is so so good. The best defensive player is very tough, I Rashaun, Gary, Aiden Hutchinson, DJ reader, Jalen Johnson. I think I'm taking Jalen Johnson.

There.

The best coach to me is Matt Lafleur. My favorite rookie in the entire draft was Roma Doonsay, so I'll take him. And then my fantasy sleeper, Cole Comet. I think is a chance to make some plays in that twelve personnel, you know, tight end heavy offense that Shane Waldron wants to run to get vertical with those guys. And can you call Jamison Williams a sleeper? Probably not, but he'd be my pick if you can. So there you go. That's the NFC North. Let's go ahead and get out of here. We're gonna move the podcast from Thursday up to Wednesday so you guys can all enjoy your Fourth of July holiday without hearing me in your ears. We will preview the AFC South and talk about C. J. Stroud and the Houston Texans and those fun teams. But for now that's gonna be my time. You all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Spotify, where you get your podcasts from. Go ahead and leave us a rating. And leave us a review. You can follow me on social at Winkle NFL. The team at Miami Dolphins. So I got the Fish Tank podcast with Seth and Jus. Check out the YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins to Day and so much more, and last, but not least, to Miami Dolphins dot Com. Until next time. Finn's up, Carolyn and Cameron. Daddy, He's coming home.

M

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