Miami Herald Columnist Omar Kelly joins the show to discuss all the happenings of Miami Dolphins free agency. Omar explains why he is okay with building a team filled with "Leroy Hoard's." He then addresses Chunky Tua, Liam Eichenberg, Jevon Holland's worth, and James Daniel.
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00:00I'm from the Miami Herald Omar Kelly joining us there
00:05What's up, I haven't seen you in a minute Omar that's true QA must have fired me or something
00:10I listen to y'all on a regular basis. Hello everyone
00:17Hey, so check this out we
00:23Watch out
00:24Everybody needs defense alignment in offensive linemen, and there's not a lot out here and they're
00:31Overpaid too, right? So I said I appreciate
00:36that the Dolphins are trying to fill other needs instead of going out and and
00:41Doing what a lot of these teams are doing and that oh, we need a left guard
00:46We're gonna get the guy and we're gonna give him whatever he wants 77 million, right?
00:50So, I mean, what do you say? Because you know, we all know they need help on offensive line
00:57Um, I think that it's wise and responsible to be fiscally conscious and
01:05Live off a budget
01:07Especially when you know, you're on borrow time
01:11Let's not create a mess for another GM to fix and I wrote a column earlier in the earlier in the week about Chris
01:19Greer one the column was basically listen
01:23There's nobody else to blame but you you you have you have pointed fingers at everybody else to survive for 25 years
01:31The buck stops here. This is all on you
01:34But I also pointed out that during his tenure as the top level executive for the organization
01:40Not the final decision maker which began in 2019, but as the GM who ran the draft since 2016
01:48He doesn't do desperate moves
01:50Now he'll do bad deals
01:53He'll certainly make bad draft picks
01:55But he does not have the stench of desperation on him
01:59Which is why it doesn't surprise me that they're not overpaying these mediocre guards
02:04for years 77 million dollars or didn't give Milton Williams a
02:11Backup with Philadelphia the biggest free agent contract
02:14Can you imagine that a backup in Philadelphia got the biggest free agent contract of the entire offseason, right?
02:20And he's talented but is he worth 26 million dollars?
02:25Which is what which is 2 million a year more than than what you just didn't give Christian Wilkins. He's not
02:31Right. Do you I saw that you like the James Daniel pick up like his talent
02:37Yeah, how but like how worried should we be because you know
02:40The Dolphin fan is terrified because it feels like every signing comes with injury baggage
02:45absolutely, and
02:47Unfortunately, that's how you get the good deals because when I looked at just the film and yes
02:52He only had four games last season. He was by far the best Steelers offensive lineman in those four games
02:59he was a player that
03:02Clearly I think they've tried to trade for him multiple seasons
03:06but but he wasn't he wasn't available and
03:09They've had he perfectly fits their scheme now
03:13The question is will he be healthy for training camp and and if not the regular season, you know
03:18What you get in when you with the Dolphins but for 8 million a year
03:22That's a great price when inferior players are out there making 14 and 15, right?
03:27Um, you know, I don't know about the Frank Broom kid
03:30Um, I looked at him as a tackle because that's what he played last season and he stunk at left tackle
03:35He's okay at right tackle
03:37But you know, there's talk that he could be moving inside to guard I'll believe it when I see it
03:43I'm not opposed to the re-signing of Isaiah Wynn
03:47It's not it's not somebody's gonna last 17 games
03:51But he's gonna be good in the 10 to 12 games that you have him and I would love for him to be here
03:57and them also go out and address the position in free agency and
04:01Not free agency, but address the position in in the draft
04:04But I'm I'm
04:06I'm okay with the second tier the Leroy Hordes of free agency. I'm okay
04:12We're building a team with Leroy Hordes. I'm alright with it the respectable bet. You know, you're gonna get a good
04:18About 14 games out of him. He's gonna play his role. He's gonna do a job. He's gonna play special teams
04:23I'm good with right so also wouldn't have the third and one problems to we as we would be
04:29That would never be an issue
04:31So I have two things here one is
04:35One of the biggest problems I have with Chris career is this
04:39the one thing that you have
04:42to support
04:44What you're doing with the franchise is your draft picks?
04:49And you let them all walk
04:51Nobody does but but Omar nobody does that
04:56It's the thing that shows that you are building a team and you are picking talent well
05:03they've let more guys walk then I
05:07I'll agree with you and I'll go it. I'll do this with you. I
05:11Hear your point
05:13But are you willing to pay Robert Hunt 20 million dollars a year? No, that was a shot
05:18That was the price that yeah, I got the price. Are you willing to pay Javon Holland 15 million dollars a year?
05:25Everybody on this
05:27Knows draw a $50 million
05:29But here's here's the deal with you
05:31They just signed a backup who's got who played one-third the snaps and has more interceptions, right?
05:36But one of the things about that position that's a little different is that it's so dependent on what you do up front
05:44Okay, and so and so if you go sign
05:4820 million dollar corners and and all that if you don't have a pass rush you wasted your money
05:54I will I will counter you and say
05:57the
05:59Xavier Howard Jalen Ramsey were contributors to them setting a sack record in
06:052023 true and the safety play even though it wasn't phenomenal because I really don't think Javon. Javon Holland hasn't
06:12He's made like three plays a year in four years
06:15Like that that's not that's not a playmaking safety
06:18I don't know where he gets this whole reputation as being a playmaker because he's not I saw Rashad Jones
06:23I know what a playmaker looks like that. He was not Rashad Jones, but I
06:28Will argue with you. I'm not gonna disagree with you that
06:32Pressure helps the secondary, but the secondary also helps the pressure
06:37Also helps the pressure if you make the quarterback hold the ball a second longer than he hopes to
06:43You know you can get there it goes hand it goes hand in hand
06:47Now they didn't get pressure last year and they were also weren't good in the secondary
06:51So right, but still they produced a top 10 defense, which still blows my mind
06:57But you know that that was just a reality of the situation
07:01Are you happy that Tua is getting fat again? Because I think this is great. I don't want skinny Tua
07:07I hated skinny Tua Omar. I hate running Tua. I hated that entire idea
07:12I like chubby jujitsu Tua he played games. Hey
07:17Omar I told him this I said one word
07:21one word
07:23Off-season, whatever dude. I don't I'm glad this is what he's doing in the off season
07:33Listen y'all judging him. He probably had like
07:37Five beers and in in 20 wings at the time the job
07:45Of him celebrating his birthday on a yacht. Oh, we can tell Omar we can tell
07:52Every single one of y'all would look exactly like to a look in a picture right now now to your point Tobin. I
08:01Also preferred chubby Tua. Yeah
08:05What last year when everybody was talking about?
08:07Oh how slim he is how he lost weight and this and this Tua gave up sugars. He trimmed down
08:14It what you could see it, but he's thick. He's a thick um, look at his mom and dad
08:21They're thick. He is naturally thick. That is his build. He is
08:25Thick he will he was always thick. He was never thin. He's always gonna be thick
08:32He's always gonna have a booty on him. Like y'all need to let Tua live man. Let that man live in the offseason
08:38Exactly, dude. Hey, there's no such thing as a thin Samoan
08:41I'm just saying like this. You see here's the thing. I feel like he had a year where he's healthy
08:47He was he had a year where he's healthy and then it's like, oh now it's on my terms now I can go do things
08:54I'm gonna add things. It's like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't go away with what worked and what what worked was
09:01weight and not running
09:03um
09:04No, he disagrees with you because I actually
09:08The whole putting on weight and trying to be runner and more athletic
09:11It didn't make sense to me and then it got knocked out of his his mind in in game number two
09:18Like no dude, but he wants to be more elusive not necessarily a scrambler, but I I don't disagree with you Tobin
09:25I I hate that this picture is just being
09:28Nick Hicks is gonna have a field day with you. I hate that. I hate that
09:33Picture is just being
09:35Nick Hicks is gonna have a field day with you people like Nick Hicks his trainer. He's going to destroy you people
09:43um
09:43Tour is going that
09:45Tour is not lazy
09:47If if there's anything that he can do to improve his game, he's gonna do it every single offseason
09:53Let that man have a week to eat his wings and and drink his beer
09:57I I was honestly shocked. He had a beer in his hand because I I didn't even know he drank beer like
10:03To you know, I I honestly would think to it doesn't even drink I I would in my mind
10:09That's how like purest he is of of an athlete
10:13I really don't think to a drink and I I probably don't think he drinks
10:16Like I think the the beer was in his hand is like, you know, when you when you he was passing it on to somebody
10:21No, no, no
10:22I'm, i'm i'm not really a drinker and if I want to hold on to something in a social setting for a very long time
10:29It'll be a beer because I can hold that thing for like three hours. Yep
10:33Yeah, I I could just sip and sip and sip. I'm not gonna drink it
10:36it's not gonna get chugged and I think that I I gotta ask around because I I
10:41I am mind blown that y'all are obsessed that he's like a little bit chunky and we were all looking like that on the boat
10:49but
10:50Tour was drinking and I was like, yo, that's that's kind of a little weird for me
10:55Is Eichenberg finally gone? Like they're not bringing them back. Are they?
11:00I I said
11:02Hey, every every team has one of those guys that can play three positions whether you like them or not
11:10And that's why he may come back um
11:14I want him to have a fresh start. He deserves a fresh start
11:18If he's just sitting there for the minimum salary
11:21Would I sign him? Yes
11:24uh
11:25listen
11:27He started playing bad when his shoulder went out
11:31Does anybody care? No, they don't right and this has been four years of of riding the eichenberg express
11:39It is what it is. We know what it is. He's not coming back here to start
11:42um
11:43Would he would I sign him as a backup as a six seventh guy?
11:46Absolutely for for like a minimum or one year two million dollars, but here's the thing because of your reaction tobin
11:55He needs a fresh start to go somewhere else michael deeter. You don't even realize that he's a star
11:59He was a starter for the washington commanders. Was he really? Yes, he was. I didn't like
12:05and
12:05That's three years removed from being a bust here
12:09like
12:10Got sometimes the uh, no ignagini starter for the washington commanders all season, right?
12:16Sometimes guys just need a fresh start and and and and eichenberg
12:22He can play
12:24Am I interested in counting on him? Absolutely not. I still think he poked out zach sealer's eye
12:30I still think it was him. No, he didn't that that's the that's the one thing like he said
12:37No, I think zach said
12:39Somebody asked did eichenberg do he's like no, that's the first thing everybody checked. It wasn't like that's what you say to protect your friend
12:47Yeah, so so no. No, I think eichenberg told me I wasn't even on the field. Don't blame me
12:53Like he's like because he knows the reputation right like he and he really feel why was he?
13:02Ron
13:03Like he knows the reputation and I think he can't he was like it wasn't me. Don't even ask I didn't do it
13:11Like I wasn't even on the field. So omar
13:14when you look at
13:16How this team is constructed?
13:19And what they're trying to do and and how they're trying to handle free agency
13:23we can all be fine with what they've done to this point simply because
13:27There's really not nothing out there to go throw a whole bunch of money at for for this team
13:32Right the the numbers aren't right
13:35I just told tobin that I believe
13:38It's not who is how?
13:40It's not who's on the team
13:43But it's how they play football
13:45they're not
13:47physical enough
13:48they're not
13:50um
13:51I don't see anybody you added that's gonna change the physical dynamic
13:54But can that but here's the thing can that come from?
13:57The coach and saying just how we're gonna do things is gonna be a little different. We're gonna be more physical
14:03We're gonna so when you look at the success of the teams in the nfl
14:08The one thing that they have
14:10Is that kind of physicality up front on both lines of scrimmage the good teams, right?
14:15So so if we all know this
14:18Then why are we watching wildcat?
14:22Why why aren't we watching what I said?
14:24Why are why are we watching this wildcat?
14:27Everybody's sprinting all over the field and then when it's third and one you go, what do we do now?
14:33Um
14:34because that's not even what that's not even what
14:37That's not even what 49ers do and he came from the 49ers. Let's throw out the third and one fourth and one struggles
14:44Okay, because it's been a struggle for three years. Okay, I I have beaten them over the head about it for three years
14:51clearly, they don't have an answer the best answer that i've gotten is
14:55This is our running scheme. This is how we're built and we've done everything
15:00We work every and we practice to run an outside zone and you could talk about this better than anybody leeroy
15:05That outside zone ain't gonna work
15:07on third and one
15:09No
15:10and
15:11So can you get a short power game?
15:16Obviously they can't because they've tried for three years, right?
15:19now what do you do to counter that is
15:22You can't do quarterback sneak. I'm not opposed to what you're saying about the wildcat
15:27I'm, really not
15:29Yeah, is is it is that the number one problem that we have as a dolphin fan base?
15:34No, it's not but is it a problem that's gone anywhere for three years? No, it's not like
15:40I I they can't answer it and it's it's it's it's a deeper problem than just let's just add a power back
15:46Because you got a fullback, right? It's it's it's not it's not overall the way they do things
15:53Yes, it's overall the way they do things and their motion quick game spreads you out
15:58Okay, that approach works and it made you a top offense for two years
16:02It tanked last year, but it you know that that had other variables and circumstances to it
16:08but
16:09The problem that you have at third one fourth and one short yards conversion. That's a completely different entity
16:16that is
16:17that is a that is a
16:20major problem that they have to fix but it has nothing to do with
16:25Your left you you didn't you didn't have success last year because you couldn't run the ball not because you convert third
16:31well, because here's the other problem is
16:35They tried to run the ball
16:37But then you get in second and 12 a second 13
16:39Could you run that wide zone?
16:41And now you're behind the chains and now you're playing catch-up football and you do it five drives a game
16:46To where you can't have success running the football because there's nothing wrong with second and seven
16:51But that's an offensive line problem in my mind. You think it's an offensive line?
16:56They won't get you anything
16:57Okay, they weren't they weren't get you any because you can't go from running for 2400 yards and five yards of carry in one season
17:05to
17:06Inept if it inefficient the next season with pretty much the same talent because what finished the season last year
17:12Was the exact same thing that was on the offensive line minus austin jackson
17:16And i'm not a big believer that austin jackson is that much of a difference now with austin jackson
17:21They did have a four game span where they ran for 150 yards, right?
17:25With austin jackson and then he went down in buffalo and the running game disappeared with the exception of cleveland
17:33one game in cleveland like
17:35That I mean
17:36and for the second half of the season
17:38They kept trying to fix the leaks and patch the holes and address the issue
17:45and isaiah wynn finally got unleashed and then it came alive and then it disappeared again and
17:51And by the time we got to the end of the season
17:53you know, you know leroy players just trying not to get hurt like
17:57That's that's that's all they try not to try to do once you realize you ain't you ain't getting there
18:03Once you realize once they once they got to the first quarter and saw kansas city was blowing out whoever they were losing
18:09To denver. I forget what it was
18:12They was like, yeah, we done
18:14And it wasn't just tyreek. So, you know, I know fans would be like, yeah tyreek tyreek quit on the team blah blah blah
18:21blah blah
18:22I don't believe that
18:23I do believe that but it
18:25They're literally they were they were saying their goodbyes to each other in the third quarter like yeah, but but you can't be the leader
18:31And do that
18:32Who who said tyreek was a leader?
18:37That's
18:38Everybody made everybody
18:40Best player isn't always you cannot have your most immature player be your leader. It just it don't work. Correct
18:47Like it it and I I never I I had never I knew he was a captain
18:53But tyreek and a leader come on, man
18:56like
18:56Really?
18:57Right. Omar. Thanks for the time, man. Really appreciate it. Go check him out. Miami herald all day, right all day, dude all day
19:05Uh follows work at the miami herald dolphins in depth podcast. He does a fantastic job follow him at omar kelly
19:11Always appreciate the time man. Thank you