The Top 10 Hard Knocks Episode 5 Moments
The fifth episode of the "Hard Knocks" in-season series on the Miami Dolphins once again featured heavy doses of Mike McDaniel, with some Tua Tagovailoa (and very little Tyreek Hill this time) but there also was a lot of screen time devoted to Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Braxton Berrios.
We count down the top 10 moments, from this vantage point:
10. PROPS FROM THE JETS
We have to say we always enjoy the postgame interaction between opponents, and this one was short but sweet. It involved Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson telling Tua, “You're fun to watch. You guys are fun to watch." The Dolphins most definitely are that.
9. THE TYREEK SITUATION
Not a whole lot of time was devoted to Tyreek Hill's week trying to get himself ready for the game against the New York Jets, though we did see a shot of him in a walking boot the day after the Tennessee game. And his game-day warmup was chronicled and the best part was wide receivers coach Wes Welker telling McDaniel after Tyreek was declared inactive. "All our guys ‘ game are going to elevate. I can feel it."
8. RAHEEM'S RECORD
There were a couple of cool lines after the highlight of Mostert setting the Dolphins single-season records for overall touchdown and rushing touchdowns with a 2-yard run in the first quarter with "You're surfing alone" and “You’re an island by yourself, Raheem.” And then there was this cool nugget from fullback Alec Ingold after Mostert spiked the ball so hard following his touchdown that it bounced into the stands. "There'll be eight people looking for that football," Ingold said.
7. DOLPHINS MATH
If you're anywhere on social media, chances are you had heard about South Florida elementary schoolteacher (and big Dolphins fans) Mary Martinez using the team to teach math to her students. Cool to see her tally up Hill's season yardage total after the game against Tennessee to his current total of 1,452 yarrds, 578 shy of his goal of 2,000.
6. THE SIELERS AND THE RV
After profiling the Van Ginkels in a previous episodes, this time we got a chance to meet the Sielers, Zach and his pregnant wife Hannah, and their story of previously living in an RV. There also were cool shot of Hannah watching the Jets game from Michigan, where she had her baby shower to celebrate the pending arrival of a boy in March. After explaining Sieler's journey from Division II walk-on to very good NFL player who landed a three-year contract extension, narrator Liev Schreiber delivered this great line: Sieler has gone from rolling stone to cornerstone."
5. THE CHUBB HIT
While the game action sequences sometimes don't offer anything new, watching Bradley Chubb's hit on Zach Wilson that forced the fumble that Sieler recovered in the first quarter was something else. No wonder Wilson eventually left the game with a concussion. That was a major collision.
4. THE POST-TITANS SPEECH
While multiple coaches are featured delivering speeches in a normal episode, this time it was McDaniel only and he certainly delivered the goods in the speech he gave after the painful loss against Tennessee. “For 20 minutes we’re going to talk about this game and why it was the greatest thing that ever happened to us … because plain and simple we’re going to make it way. This was about as team of a loss as I’ve ever been around.” McDaniel talked about players trying to do too much in that game, pointing out one player where cornerback Xavien Howard looked like he cheated in the hope of getting an interception and wound up allowing a completion to DeAndre Hopkins near the end of the first half.
3. BERRIOS, TIKTOK AND BRAD PITT
Another couple featured in this episode was wide receiver Braxton Berrios and his influencer girlfriend Alix Earle, who has 6 million TikTok followers, prompting Schreiber to one time say, "Tick, tock, time for Braxton Berrios to exert some influence of his own." While the episode featured the couple putting lights on their Christmas tree, it ended with Berrios talking about getting his eyebrows plucked by Earle. Berrios joked at the end that it turned out to be a bad time to be miked up as the whole eyebrow conversation was taking place. We also had this funny moment with Wilkins' nickname of Berrios after he caught that pass near the sideline against the Jets. "F---ing Brad Pitt. F---ing Brad Pitt. We’ve got a celebrity."
2. THE WADDLE TOUCHDOWN
You know the 60-yard touchdown pass from Tua to Jaylen Waddle was going to be featured, but it was even cooler than imagined. The setup to the play had McDaniel saying in his headset that he was going to get the ball to Waddle more and then saying right before the touchdown was shown, "I’m having a really tough time not visualizing a one-play drive here." Indeed, the touchdown was a one-play drive and McDaniel punctuated it by saying of Tua's throw, "Oh, what a f---ing dime!"
1. SALT AND PEPPER
This is an easy call on so many levels. Watching the interaction between Sieler and Wilkins was just great, from the two talking about their bond, some friendly trash talking to them singing a Zac Brown Band song together. "That's my guy, that's my brother," said Wilkins, who nicknamed this duo "salt and pepper" and the "Oreo package." And maybe even best was Wilkins' reaction after Sieler got a sack against the Jets and was yelling, “That’s my friend, that’s my friend.” Seeing the two bouncing around, Hannah Sieler said, “They’re so cute.” That was great stuff.
