Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast Dives Deep into Raiders-Dolphins

Our latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast features a Miami Dolphins insider to help break down Sunday's matchup.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (94) sack Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (4) during the second half of an NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Nov. 19, 2023. / JIM RASSOL/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders come out of the bye week with a matchup against the Miami Dolphins, a team surging after a solid win over a very good Los Angeles Rams squad.

Our Hondo Carpenter is joined Miami Dolphins On SI beat writer Alain Poupart, a longtime Miami Dolphins beat writer with decades of experience on this episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast:

Here is a partial transcript from defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's Thursday press conference:

Q: Talking about the speed of the Dolphins, obviously what jumps out is Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle's speed. What do you think of those guys and Jakorian Bennett's speed in matching up with those guys, is that kind of exciting for you to see yourself?

Coach Graham: "There's several guys we have on the defense that can run. Now, I'm not saying I want to line up and do a foot race with anybody from Miami, these guys can run run. I say, 'True speed is true speed out there on the field.' And it's not limited to those two players. So, for us as a defensive staff, we've got to figure out the best way to deploy the defense and try to keep this speed under control a little bit and take away the space, staying on top, things of that nature. Whether it’s Jakorian [Bennett], Jack [Jones], all our defensive backs, I mean we've got guys that can run, too. So, it's going to be a fun game in terms of just being able to challenge yourself. I think that's the big thing for the players, it's a good challenge."

Q: We've seen Decamerion Richardson rotating in and out with some players. It feels like it's more about what he's doing rather than what others are doing. What has he been doing to kind of force your hand and get him on the field?

Coach Graham: "A lot of things we saw when we were looking at him and we were scouting him during the draft process; the guys upstairs, Champ [Kelly], BY [Brandon Yeargan], they do a good job of giving us some feedback and spending time with those guys in the offseason, during the season, whatever it is. And he's really diligent. He works really hard. I think his best attribute is a rookie – and the best rookies I've been around – they do a good job of listening and then correcting mistakes and getting that mistake and just being done with it. That's one thing I've seen with him, whether it's his cover two drop, whether it's leverage in man-to-man. Not saying he's going to be perfect, but you can tell there's an intention there to, 'Hey, I messed that up twice, I'm done with that so I can move on, so I can improve. Coach, what else you got?' And those guys Ricky [Manning Jr.], [Matt] Feeney, GA [Gerald Alexander], they do a good job of coaching them up and he works really hard. I'm really, really excited about that."

Q: Christian Wilkins has obviously been out for a while with injury, but he practiced against those guys a lot in the last couple years. Is there any way you can pick his brain and talk to him about what he's seen from them?

Coach Graham: "Absolutely. We're in the business of gathering information. Christian [Wilkins], he's a smart football player, he picks up on tendencies well. So, absolutely getting information from him."

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