The countdown for the 2021 football season is on, and though we are seven months out from opening day, the construction of this season's Miami Dolphins team begins now as coaches and personnel staff are hard at work putting together plans for free agency and the draft.
Yesterday, on Drive Time with Travis Wingfield, Field Yates of ESPN stopped by to talk about Year 3 in Miami under Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier. Yates talked about the people and the process, and the program steeped in growth and development.
“The people are unquestionably the right ones in place. Brian Flores – I know he did not win it but if you told me he was coach of the year this past year I would have said, ‘good, he deserves it. Chris Grier – phenomenal job. Outstanding person, level-headed leader.” Field Yates, ESPN, 2/9/21 edition of Drive Time with Travis Wingfield
You can listen to the entire Drive Time episode with Field Yates below.
Gesicki, Smythe and Shaheen
Yates, the co-host of the Fantasy Focus Football Podcast, noted that tight end Mike Gesicki's production in the box score made him quite popular in the fantasy football circles this season.
Mike Gesicki is the quintessential example of player showing improvement each season, as recognized by Pro Football Focus.
The 2020 season was an all-timer for the Dolphins tight ends room as a whole, which registered 91 receptions for 1,061 receiving yards, both franchise records for the position group. The 11 touchdowns produced by Gesicki, Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen tied the franchise tight end record.
Gesicki and Smythe entered the league together in 2018 as second- and fourth-round picks. Spending three years together in the Dolphins tight end room has cultivated quite a bond between the two, as seen on the Mike and Smythe show.
In October, Shaheen joined The Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield to talk about his first year in Miami, the contract extension he signed and the seamless integration into the tight end room with Gesicki and Smythe.
Both Smythe and Shaheen caught up with our social and video teams to talk about their potential alter egos and superhero comparisons.
The Miami Dolphins Foundation and 1,000 Meals A Day
As the 2020 NFL season comes to a close, the community efforts never stop, even for our fans. Ian Berger, who was a finalist for NFL Fan of the Year in 2020, joined the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday morning to help with the daily distribution of 1,000 meals.
The 2020 season was unlike any year before both in the NFL and everyday life. As we turn the page with an eye towards football returning to Hard Rock Stadium in the fall, the venue has been the source of nearly a half-million COVID tests and over 40,000 vaccine doses administered.
