Dolphins coach Brian Flores drafted the type of players he wants to build around.

Flores, Dolphins once again at the forefront of change

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Miami Dolphins’ players released a powerful video Thursday night that showed the type of leadership Brian Flores has instilled in his players.

A New Era in Miami

It has been 584 days since Brian Flores became the 13th head coach in Miami Dolphins’ history. It didn’t take long for everyone to notice a change in South Florida.

Sure, after all the moves and signing this offseason, the new players have fans excited.

But it is Miami’s second-year head coach that should give everyone the most hope, and not just for his schemes and strategy.

Earlier this offseason, I wrote about Brian Flores, his leadership during the George Floyd Protests, and how the NFL should’ve followed his lead. 

So, with the season approaching and the world watching to see how the NFL would handle protests and other social issues.

It was no surprise that once again Brian Flores and his Miami Dolphins were the first to make a statement.

 

13 Dolphins players including head coach Brian Flores appeared in this incredible video created by Kaleb Thornhill, the Dolphins Director of Player Engagement.

 

After the video released, reaction around Twitter spread quickly, as expected.

Most of the feedback was positive. However, as you can expect, there was a small group that had an issue with an NFL franchise not “sticking to sports”.

Flores was asked about his thoughts on the video and the origin behind it.

“It came about because of all of the things that have gone on in the country over – obviously starting with Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. I think this has been an ongoing conversation. I think we all know how it came about. It was a player-driven decision that came from a lot of conversations about trying to find a way to voice their opinion. It’s about issues that are important to the players and we decided to move forward with it. They are things that I’m supportive of as well, and that’s why I joined in with them.”

I could not be happier with how Miami’s players and staff have handled this unprecedented season.

There’s an old saying that “not all heroes wear capes.” The same holds true for football players and their helmets and pads.

But in this instance, Coach Flores and his players are heroes.

And like many others have said, I have never been more proud to call myself a Dolphins’ fan — that has everything to do with what this team has begun to embody both on and off the field.

He was then asked if the players had talked to owner Stephen Ross and what they hope to achieve with this call to action.

“I talked to Steve about the video. He was supportive. But it was directed at everyone. I think every individual in this country can do a little bit better. It’s players, it’s coaches, it’s owners, it’s media, it’s everyone. Everyone can do better and that was the message. I think to try to misconstrue the message or take it some other – in a different light – that wasn’t what the message was supposed to be. We can all do better. We all need to do better. What’s happening in this country and really around the world, we need change. And it’s something that we’ve been saying for a long time. The players were – the video speaks for itself from that standpoint; but from a message standpoint, it’s that we can all do better.”

The strongest statement from the Dolphins’ HC on Thursday morning was what he said regarding the NFL’s response to the ‘protest movement’.

“I think we can all do better. That was the message in the video. Nobody is going to put words in my mouth about how I feel about this, that or the other thing. I think the video speaks for itself… We’ve got kids who can’t go to school because there is no WiFi. To me, that’s a major issue because I would have been that kid growing up where I grew up. We can do better. We can find ways to help more people. That’s the message in the video. That’s what it is.”

 

Elandon Roberts, Isaiah Ford, and Mike Gesicki also weighed in on the video and how unified Miami’s roster is.

 

It took 584 days for Brian Flores to reshape the Dolphins into his vision.

We got a long way to go as a society. But if we listen to what Flores and his players preach, change could be imminent.

“We can all do better.”

 

#InBrianFloresWeTrust

 

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D' Eriq King

Miami Hurricanes Take Care of UAB 31-14 to Open Season

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The Miami Hurricanes opened the 2020 season with a 31-14 victory over UAB in front of just over 8,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium.

Finally, at long last, the Miami Hurricanes appear to have found the answer at the most important individual position in sports.

 

The stat line for King doesn’t tell the whole story, as he finished 16-for-24 for just 144 yards and a touchdown through the air. What stood out immediately was his athleticism not only outside the pocket, but also under duress in it.

 

He did miss several throws, including what would have been an easy touchdown to Jeremiah Payton.

His decisiveness when pulling it down is uncanny, and when he is in the open field his ability as a ball carrier shines.

For the night he finished with 12 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown, with a long rush of 31 yards.

King looks like the real deal and will only get better with each passing week.

Miami’s Backfield is Going to be a Problem

Speaking of the running game, the Hurricanes showed right away that their backfield is going to cause a lot of defensive coordinators to lose sleep.

 

Harris was a force to be reckoned with and set the tone for a balanced offensive attack, finishing with 17 carries for 134 yards (7.9 YPC) and two scores.

Here Comes the Rooster

Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee leaned heavily on the running game as the Hurricanes ran the ball 52 times for a staggering 337 yards.

Harris was not alone as Miami’s highly touted freshman tandem of Jaylan Knighton and Don Chaney Jr. combined for 111 yards rushing in their own right.

Knighton and Chaney bring a great change of pace and compliment Harris perfectly, and each should be able to maintain a high level of production when called upon. Miami has a history of great running backs and this group has the talent to leave their mark as well.

The much maligned offensive line for the most part held up against the UAB pass rush and opened huge lanes for the ground game, their continued development will be a big key to the success of the Hurricanes’ offense.

Miami was 7-of-17 on third down for the game which is a welcome sight from an execution standpoint.

Defense Settles in

UAB opened the scoring in the first quarter after a Mark Pope fumble on a punt return set them up in great field position. Tyler Johnston would hit Austin Watkins for a 16-yard touchdown to give the Blazers an early 7-0 lead. Miami immediately answered on a 66-yard scamper to knot the game at seven, and the Hurricanes would force five consecutive punts to close out the first half.

Spencer Brown did have his moments out of the UAB backfield but he was about the only one as UAB managed only 80 rushing yards total, with Brown finishing with 74 yards of that total. The Miami front seven was disruptive all night, finishing with six tackles-for-loss. However the pass rush wasn’t much of a factor as Quincy Roche managed the lone sack in the game for Miami.

DJ Ivey had a rough game and could not find the football on the opening touchdown, and the Hurricanes did not force any turnovers.

We will have to wait another week for the new Turnover Chain.

 

All things being said it was an acceptable performance to start the season considering the circumstances. King and the offense will only get better, and the running back corps can control the game when they get ahead. Lashlee wants to have a balanced attack and the run-pass factor with King will give opposing defenses a lot to ponder.

We didn’t even see the best of the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1, and they will have to have to be better when they visit Louisville next Saturday.

However the floor for this team already seems higher than any team since 2017, while the ceiling could be much greater.

Follow @5ReasonsCanes for exclusive coverage of the Miami Hurricanes all season.

Subscribe to the 5 Rings Canes podcast here.

Feature image credit miamihurricanes.com.

 

THE EXTRA YARD: Projecting the 2020 Miami Dolphins Season

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It’s a new year, and after a busy offseason expectations have been re-calibrated. Make no mistake this was a complete roster overhaul right down to jettisoning the “prospective” developmental quarterback Josh Rosen, in favor of a clearer hierarchy with the place holder in Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the QB of the future in waiting Tua Tagovailoa ready to take the reigns. A complete overhaul of the run game (which was historically inept), that came with a new 1-2 punch, a slew of interior linemen and two rookie tackles.

Now, we wait for the results.

So let’s examine what the national media thinks. Most seem to see this large influx of talent, via free agency, the draft, and just assume that — combined with the apparent demise of the New England Patriots — the rise of the Miami Dolphins is sure to come.

Others are just sold on Brian Flores, and why not?

The new coach’s roster last year was built to win no more than a game or two, and he won five, and were really close to winning two more (at Jets, home vs. Washington). The main reason the bandwagon has some passengers all of a sudden comes the exodus from Foxboro of the New England Patriots. Gone, is Tom Brady. There is no Gronk. They lost Kyle Van Noy and Ted Karras to division rival Miami. They had a league high eight opt outs, including top performers Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, and safety Patrick Chung. Make no mistake, this is a weakened Patriots squad, ready for the picking.

So let’s examine this Dolphins team.

You have to start with a philosophy. It seems to have built one, via their offseason acquisitions. They seemed to make a conscience effort to build a girthy and powerful offensive line, as they added an Offensive coordinator (Chan Gailey) that specializes in creating an interior run game based on power running.

They added one of the best one-cut backs in football, in Jordan Howard, and gave him a guy to spell him (Matt Breida), that can hit home runs from anywhere on the field. Solomon Kindley is “Jamie Nails” like, in that you have likely have not seen a man as big as Kindley move like he moves. Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras figure to be a decent double team combination to get their lead iso game going, and Robert Hunt is waiting in the wings, and will likely play a lot as a 6th offensive lineman till he takes over at right tackle. Arrow up on the run game.

How bout when they have to throw it? There is a quiet confidence in that building in Davie, that they might have replaced Laremy Tunsil, with one 1st round pick and banked the rest in the haul they received last offseason. Austin Jackson has been a pleasant surprise. The thinking at the time he was drafted, was that he was likely a developmental guy not ready to contribute. He will start at Left Tackle from day 1, prepared to defend Ryan Fitzpatrick’s blind side.

Regarding Ryan Fitzpatrick, rare is the situation where you can be confident in your aging, competent veteran QB, and know that there is likely an improvement waiting to take over on the bench (Tua). Chris Grier deserves some credit as of late, as well. After some nervous moments looking at this WR corps, Grier actively attempted to replace the opt outs of Albert Wilson/Allen Hurns, with the signing of Antonio Callaway and a trade for Lynn Bowden. The passing game powered by DeVante Parker and Preston Williams figures to be at the very least above league average, and if it’s coupled with a good run game, it should be enough to win more than you lose this season.

This team seems built to win games with defense, as here is where the most talent is concentrated. While depth is always a concern, that is true for every NFL team, except the very few that can boast multiple starter worthy players in their rotations. The Dolphins have that on two units on defense. The Defensive line is deep up front with 2nd year starter, (with a rededicated body) Christian Wilkins, steady producer Davon Godchaux, late season standout Zach Sieler, and promising rookie Raekwon Davis exhibiting that “1st round talent” all summer. On the outside, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah are massive improvements over what they had there last year.

The linebacking group is solid with the intelligent, versatile Kyle Van Noy, an athletic dynamo in Jerome Baker, and physical thumper Elandon Roberts taking the Mike Backer duties. There are capable players behind them in Kamu Grugier-Hill and Andrew Van Ginkel.

The secondary is the strength of this team and boasts the third of what could be a legendary 1st round haul int he 2020 NFL draft. Noah Igbinoghene has the look of a budding star, and we already know that Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are among the very best at the position. Nik Needham was very good last year and figures to take a step forward, as he adds depth to an already deep unit. In Bobby McCain, Eric Rowe, Kavon Frazier, and Brandon Jones, you have the best of all worlds, and a versatile playmaking group at safety. This is one of the best secondaries in the NFL. To complete the squad, the kicking game is in very good hands in Jason Sanders and Matt Haack.

So where are they going this year? How good, how many wins?

I see them as a team that is a “mile wide, but an inch deep.”

The Dolphins, in my estimation lack some depth to supplement that young talent. This will make the 2021 offseason a very important one. You can’t forecast injuries, so assuming health for the squad, the Dolphins should field a competitive, exciting young team this year. Their expectations should be in that 7 to 9 win range, so I will be the optimist, and say they sneak out out of the regular season with 9 wins, and a playoff berth, where I see them losing to the Houston Texans in the first round. Too much is going right for this Fins team, for Coach Flores and company to not take advantage of it.

 

Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) is one-third of the trio that does the Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) podcast.

The Extra Yard: Five things to watch Dolphins vs Patriots

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We made it.

It has been a long and vigorous offseason following the Chiefs winning it all, but universally, we can all agree what a crazy year it has been and how happy we are to know that football is right around the corner. The lack of preseason was very missed by myself due to that being the time I spend the most analyzing the Dolphins and how all the new additions are syncing with the pieces we thought best to bring back for another year. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of our control, we will have to do with what we have been given.

Here are five things to watch in the Dolphins week one matchup versus the Patriots.

Offensive and Defensive Lines

The lack of preseason creates a couple of highly interesting dynamics. Primarily around lineups, rotations, and how many snaps will each player be allowed to play? With the first couple of weeks essentially being preseason games, the two groups that will most likely be affected will be the defensive and offensive lines.

From speaking and hearing Flores, starting three rookies makes him a bit queasy, but I doubt that the starting offensive line will handle 50+ snaps right out of the gate. This is the perfect time to throw the rookies in the fire and seeing what they have. Kindley has specifically stood out all camp, and keeping an eye on his development will be critical to this team’s success. The defensive line is another group that will have a lot of bodies rotating. How are Godchaux and Wilkins developing? How are our rookies gelling? Davis seems to be standing out. Can he put it all together live? Can the new additions of Ogbah and Shaq Lawson give this team the pass rush they desperately missed last year?

Running Backs and Wide Receivers 

Another pair of groups that I will be keeping a close eye on will be the Wr and Rb groups. How are the rotations going to play out for the wide receivers on this team? No Allen Hurns or Albert Wilson due to having them opt out of the year means that other receivers will have to step up, especially since Parker has been out of practice since mid-July. How much playing time can Jakeem, Ford, and Preston coming off an ACL injury handle? Will we be forced to run more 2 or 3 tight end sets due to the lack of Wr?

Speaking of Preston, the trade for Lyndon Bowden Jr (A new LBJ in Miami) affects not only our Wr rotation but hopefully will limit the need to use Preston and even Jakeem as returners. The Rb group is impressive because of how we ultimately end up approaching who takes the most carries. Will we go with the Patriots approach, which uses one Rb for a specific role, Laird could be our James White, Howard our Sony, and Breida as our change of pace back. We could also take the 49ers approach and roll out all three guys and let whoever has the hot hand run wild that afternoon on top of all that we need to keep a close eye on how all the moving pieces in the Oline will affect the run game.

How will no preseason affect the team’s play early on?

Typically, during the early part of camp and the first few games of preseason, defenses are usually ahead of the offense. This year will be crucial to see how long offenses take to really get in sync. Will the lack of offense the first few weeks and almost guaranteed injuries force people to admit and realize how much we need at least two preseason games? Defensively, have Wilkins, Baker, Rowe, and Bobby McCain developed enough to take the next step in 2020?  Have all the new additions in Van Noy, Ogbah, Lawson, and Jones, have enough time to learn the system and execute it at a high level?

Is Xavien Howard ready to play a full-16 game season?

Will Xavien missing the whole offseason recovering from COVID and the knee injury that ended his year, be able to play at the high level we expect from the start. How many games until he can play his usual allotment of snaps? Will the most expensive pair of Cb in the NFL live up to the billing?

Will Brian Flores’ team remain disciplined in year two?

One of the few bright spots last year, which we can give a tremendous amount of credit to Flores for, was the lack of penalties. The Dolphins last year finished as the 6th fewest penalized team in the NFL, due mainly to the focus Flores put on that part of the game, as well as the TNT wall from last training camp. The TNT wall did not happen this year due to the time crunch we had to get everyone ready to play week one. Can we expect to improve on one of our strong points from last year? Or are we doomed to revert to what we have grown accustomed to seeing?
Additionally, the players are not the only ones who I’m curious to see development and growth. How will Coach Flores and the staff build on last year? Can they work on situational football, starting the season strong, timeout, and challenge management? If they can improve on those while still maintaining the intense focus on penalties, we may finally have a coaching staff we can rely on.

EXTRA: When will Tua Tagovailoa become Miami’s starting QB of the future?

Finally, we couldn’t finish talking about the Dolphins without speaking or mentioning Tua– now, could we? How does he look holding the clipboard? Does the No. 1 look good on him? Will he wear a visor? No, but in all seriousness, do we get a chance to see Tua in blowouts even from the start of the season? Or will Fitz have a long leash because Tua will only be 11 months removed from a severe hip injury?

Not sure about you guys, but this year feels completely different. It feels like we have a path and a route to follow with us beefing up our Oline and drafting the face of the franchise. Let’s see what this year has in store, because I for one, cannot wait.

 

Tua Tagovailoa’s time as Dolphins savior will come

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Tua Tagovailoa wakes up every day with the same question.

Is he the lion or the gazelle?

It’s a saying that his grandfather passed down to him in his youth. The point of which is both the prey and predator do the same thing every day but only one is pursuing the other. To him, he is the predator pursuing his goals.

HIs goals were to play college football, win the national championship, get drafted to the NFL and become the starting quarterback leading his team to the Super Bowl. Half of those boxes have been checked but his time as the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins will have to wait. Head coach Brian Flores announced on Monday that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will begin the season as the starter, using the unusual, pandemic stricken offseason where there was no OTAs, minicamp or preseason games as reasonable justification.

The story of Tagovailoa’s destiny with the Dolphins began a year ago, when after another lackluster failed attempt to returned to the playoffs, owner Stephen Ross fired head coach Adam Gase and overhauled the front office. The team’s leadership now consisted of a black general manager and a black head coach, at a time when either of which are as rare as finding a Nintendo Switch on stock.

The Dolphins began the previous season trading away most of their veteran players, the last vestiges of the Gase era, and were set up to lose as many games as possible. The thought of 0-16 seemed realistic when they were outscored 102-10 in their first two games of the season.

The goal was clear, sacrifice the 2019 season to guarantee as high of a draft pick as possible to take Tagovailoa. This was the consensus with the team brass, media and fan base. In a bizarre, twilight zone reality, the fans were rooting for the home team to lose.

With Josh Rosen starting under center, the Dolphins were well on their way to 0-16 with 10 more games to go. It was almost as if he was brought in from Arizona to provide false hope while assuring offensive failure. Head coach Brian Flores and players had to constantly reject the notion of tanking.

It was only fitting that the Dolphins first win came against Gase’s new team, the New York Jets. The rise of Joe Burrow and LSU and Tagovailoa’s season ending hip injury in November made it so that the Dolphins could afford to win a few games and have a chance to claim their prize. Miami finished the season 5-11 after starting 0-7, which lead to the belief that the Dolphins have the right head coach for the job.

It all became worth it at the end when the Alabama quarterback with fifth overall pick of the NFL Draft. When Tagovailoa eventually becomes the starter, the Dolphins will be the only team in the NFL with a person of color at quarterback, head coach and general manager. The point of that, as Tagovailoa put it during his lone media session in August was “That whoever can get the job done for us, that’s who we are going to go with.”

Sports has an interesting way of converging timelines. When Tagovailoa was a freshman at Alabama, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was winning the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles. The two Hawaiians united in Davie during training camp, which helped provide Tagovailoa a sense of familiarity within the locker room.

Despite entering this season as a backup, Tagovailoa had a successful training camp. He proved that he’s healthy enough to play. He’s learning from Fitzpatrick, whom he called “a coach” and “a mentor on and off the field.”

Tagovailoa spent the entire training camp earning the respect of his teammates. Offensive tackle Ereck Flowers pointed to his improvement in the classroom. Offensive guard Jesse Davis said he noticed him being increasingly vocal and show more confidence with every week. Running back Jordan Howard said he couldn’t even tell that Tua even had a hip injury less than a year ago.

Even the Dolphins defense took notice. Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah noticed how much of a scrambling threat he is in practice. Cornerback Eric Rowe pointed to his arm strength as a factor that makes him a increasingly hard quarterback to defend.

Some quarterbacks were able to hit the ground running in the rookie year, and the best of them, such as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, took some time in the bench to learn. Tagovailoa’s time will come soon, and the Dolphins will soon find out whether it was all worth it.

 

Tony Capobianco is a lead photographer and sometimes writer for Five Reasons Sports Network.

Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores discusses his experience with social injustice.

Pressure Point: This Miami Dolphins season is not just about football

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This football season is about a lot more than football. The stakes are much more complex than vying for the playoffs.

For South Florida, that was underscored last week when the Miami Dolphins began a practice with a 20-minute discussion on the field about racial injustice in the wake of the police shooting of yet another Black man — Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Unlike some teams which canceled practice for a couple of days, the Dolphins elected to continue doing their jobs while adding their voices to a societal issue long overdue in coming to the forefront in this country.

“We spoke as a team. We understand there’s a lot of things that are not where they need to be right now. It pains us,” said Dolphins coach Brian Flores, a Black man of Honduran descent who grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the roughest parts of New York City.

“I lived this. I grew up in this era. I’ve had guns pointed at me by police officers. This is not something I take lightly. We need change. That’s where I’m at on that situation.”

Best guess on the Dolphins season-opening roster

Football, a sport dominated by Black players, finds itself smack at the crossroad of the national divide regarding racial issues and the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted minorities in the United States.

The movement Colin Kaepernick started four years ago in protest of police brutality, which drew major pushback and cost him his job as an NFL quarterback, now drives the conversation throughout America’s sports leagues.

The NFL season is less than two weeks away — the Dolphins open Sept. 13 at New England — and the discussion surrounding the team is a disparate salad of roster competition, politics and public health concerns.

All Tua needs is time

In a normal year, all of the focus around the Dolphins would be on roster battles and the depth chart, such as the status of rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

A year ago “Tank for Tua” was the alliterative obsession of Dolphins fans and media in the belief that if the team lost enough it might have a chance to draft the would-be savoir quarterback from Hawaii by way of Alabama.

Remarkably, it happened. The Dolphins, two decades into their search for the next Dan Marino, ended up with Tagovailoa.

Curiously, there were rumblings of concern on social media when Tua received mixed reviews in the first two weeks of training camp and had an unimpressive performance in Saturday’s scrimmage while running with the first team in the absence of veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose mother tragically passed away earlier in the day.

That’s so Dolphins.

But astute fans understand there is no rush with Tagovailoa — that’s why Fitzpatrick is here this year — and there is no sense in rushing to judgment during training camp. The important take on Tua right now is he is showing the mobility to suggest the major hip injury is mostly behind him, though Flores said Tuesday he is being cautious with the rookie and his health history is still a determining factor in when he’ll play.

That Tua’s talent will reach its zenith is more predictable than most questions in this season of uncertainty shrouded by a pandemic.

And it’s not just NFL football.

Views on the Raekwon McMillan trade

Politicizing football

Football has been turned into a political football in matters of the nation’s health, national politics and the national anthem.

We have a president, whose approach to the COVID-19 crisis has been to mostly ignore it in the belief it will eventually go away, bellowing that it would be “a tragic mistake” if college football doesn’t go ahead with the season.

Curiously, his call for colleges to play ball singled out the Big Ten, which coincidentally plays in Midwest swing states that are vital to his reelection chances.

The premise is that youth and overall health of young athletes will help them avoid the most serious symptoms of the coronavirus.

Nonetheless, the athletic department of Iowa, a Big Ten school, announced Monday it is pausing workouts for all sports until after Labor Day following a major surge in coronavirus cases. The department reported 93 positive results out of 815 COVID-19 tests taken between last Monday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, a group of eight Nebraska football players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten seeking to invalidate the conference’s postponement of the fall football season.

They are part of a growing #WeWantToPlay movement that prominent college players have joined in response to the Big Ten, Pac-12 and several other conferences delaying their seasons.

NFL season like no other

The NFL ditched the preseason but is proceeding hell-bent on starting the regular season on time. It won’t be business as usual, though. The Dolphins are among few teams planning to allow any fans at games, limited to 13,000 at least initially.

Notably, they won’t have to contend with a hostile crowd at Gillette Stadium in the opener. The Patriots won’t have fans at games, at least through September.

That won’t be the only unusual look NFL stadiums this fall. The league announced this week that end zones will be inscribed this season with two slogans: “It Takes All Of Us” on one end line, “End Racism” on the other as  part of its social justice awareness initiatives. The league will also allow similar visuals on helmets and caps.

But, if teams are able to keep COVID-19 at bay — and that remains a notable if — there will be the mundane matters of football to bring some sense of normalcy to autumn.

For Dolphins fans, the question of when to take the wraps off Tua will receive most attention. Of greater consequence to the local football product will be the verdict on all the other newcomers, draft picks and veteran free agents, who were brought in to upgrade an ineffective offensive line and a porous defense.

In the bigger picture, the season will be about a lot more than that. As well it should be.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Time for Dolphins young quarterbacks to shine in Fitzpatrick’s absence

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Before Dolphins players hit the field earlier today, Coach Flores addressed the media. And he dropped a bombshell that Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kavon Frazier would miss today’s practice.

The reason per Flores was ‘personal’ with no time-frame expected.

Coach Flores did have the perfect response when asked if it was going to be long-term with Miami’s starting QB.

“When you’re dealing with personal matters, it’s case by case. I think we’ve all dealt with personal things. I’m sure you have; I have. I’m going to support my players and however much time they need with specific situations, that’s what they’re going to get. I think we all should have an understanding from that standpoint and quite honestly … when we’re talking about things of that nature, some things take precedent and I’m going to respect that.”

 

Many are speculating Fitz could be out for a significant period of time, given the team’s recent workout of veteran QB Jake Rudock. But no one truly knows and it’s all speculation, for now.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Fitzpatrick. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen this offseason–the show must go on.

With Fitzpatrick out, this would open the door for rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa to take the reigns.

But as we learned over the first few days of camp, Josh Rosen wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If Miami’s 37-year old QB is out a significant amount of time, the team would then have to turn to 23-year old Josh Rosen or 22-year old Tua Tagovailoa. Both players have a lot to learn in Chan Gailey’s offense.

According to Safid Deen of the Sun-Sentinel, both QBs had an up-and-down performance.

Before anyone jumps, take a few steps back from the ledge because no, the sky is not falling.

It should go without saying that two young quarterbacks can improve their game. Hell, most of the veterans could as well. But it’s clear as day just how important Fitzpatrick is to this team–especially this season.

To play devil’s advocate, what if Fitz isn’t back in a timely fashion?

What if the show must go on with Tua Tagovailoa or Josh Rosen. Two quarterbacks drafted in the top-10 of the NFL draft over the last few seasons. What then?

In the perfect world, Miami’s situation would shape up a lot like the situation in San Diego many years ago. The Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers and it pushed Drew Brees to become a very good NFL QB. If Rosen becomes a viable option, his trade value could skyrocket. But let’s face it–Josh Rosen? Tua Tagovailoa? As long as the Dolphins are winning football games, that’s what fans truly care about.

Struggling in practice isn’t ideal. But one thing I refuse to do is worry that Tua hasn’t already proven to be the savior many of us have hoped.

Peyton Manning struggled his entire rookie season. Mahomes didn’t see the field until the final week of the season.

There are 23 days between now and the Dolphins first regular-season game. If Fitzpatrick is away from the team for an extended period of time, it could be the Tua Tagovailoa era sooner rather than later. That is only if he can supplant the 2018 first-round pick.

Any other season, I might be a little worried. But in an unprecedented offseason where most of the offense was taught via Zoom, I’m not worried.

 

Next week I will take a look at the Tale of the Tape between Josh Rosen and Tua Tagovailoa.

5 Reasons for Dolphins fans to be Quietly Confident before 2020 Season

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2019 was a tough season for fans of the Miami Dolphins who had to watch their side fall to seven successive defeats at the start of the campaign, at one point looking dead set to become the 3rd team in NFL history to go 0-16.

Fortunately, things improved in the second half of the season, sparking claims that the team intentionally lost their early games to guarantee better draft picks. The Dolphins won five and lost four of their last nine games to finish the season with a 5-11 record.

The odds makers suggest, (we recommend visiting OLBG’s page on legal bookmakers) there is plenty for Dolphins fans to be optimistic about heading into NFL 2020. In this article we’ll look at 5 reasons why fans can be hopeful of a much better showing than last season from their team.

 

  • Free Agents Add Experience

 

The Dolphins have been busy in the off-season adding to their roster and have seemingly set their sights on adding more experience to their line-up. Former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones was the standout signing in the free agent department, joining the Dolphins for the biggest contract in NFL history for a cornerback.

In addition to that the Dolphins have added edge rusher Shaq Lawson and line backer Kyle Van Noy to their ranks. There is no shortage of talent in the franchise’s new additions, and with the arrival of Byron Jones the Dolphins have boosted the experience in their ranks.

Jones and fellow veteran Xavien Howard look set to form an elite duo with the Dolphins next season, which will be cause for optimism for fans. There was an element of naivety to the team last year, so wise heads should help to settle some of those concerns.

 

  • Hopes High for Jordan Howard

 

One of the standouts moves of the off-season anywhere was the arrival of Jordan Howard at the Baptist Health Training Facility from Philadelphia. The former Pro Bowl running back has ability and attitude in absolute buckets.

In Howard’s four NFL seasons to date he has put up an average of over 1,100 total yards and will be looking to improve upon that in Miami. Howard is an undoubted upgrade on last season’s running back Kalen Ballage and at the very least should be able to get Dolphins fans out of their seats in excitement.

Rookie eleventh-round pick Malcolm Perry is also very highly regarded in NFL circles and could surprise a few defences throughout the season.

 

Jordan Howard will add much-needed power, pace and excitement to the Miami Dolphins ranks

 

 

  • Brian Flores Seems the Real Deal

 

Finally, there is a Bill Belichick assistant that actually seems the real deal in his own right as a head coach. Flores’ name may be associated with the Dolphins poor start last season but it’s important to remember that he took a team that were being widely condemned as the worst in NFL history at one point and made those claims look ridiculous at the end of the campaign.

After going 0-7 the Dolphins didn’t even finish the season as the worst team in NFL and even had a say on the Super Bowl, upsetting the New England Patriots to allow the Kansas City Chiefs to sneak into No.2 AFC seed and bye.

Flores clearly has talent when it comes to getting the most out of his players, inspiring performances out of several very limited players last term. This time round, Flores has a deeper roster to choose from with far better players at his disposal.

If the 39-year-old coach can integrate his new arrivals well then there is every chance that he will get great things out of his team this season.

 

  • Tua Tagovailoa Marks a Bright New Dawn

 

After a horrible couple of decades for the Miami Dolphins, things finally start to be looking up and improving. One of the major reasons for optimism is the acquisition of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the franchise’s most exciting prospect since 1983, when they drafted Dan Marino in the first round.

Tagovailoa struggled with a hip injury last season and there were concerns that that injury could linger on into NFL 2020 and play havoc with the Dolphins seasons. Fortunately, rumours coming out of the franchise suggest that there is cause for cautious optimism regarding the quarterback’s return to competitive action.

If fitness is no issue for Tagovailoa this season, he will most likely be one of the Dolphins key players, taking the burden off of veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s already aching back. Last season the 37-year-old was the Dolphins leading rusher, which is a sign of just how overworked he was last year.

 

  • The Return of Chan Gailey

 

As alluded to in the previous point, the Dolphins offensive game last season was nothing short of spectacularly bad. The fact that 37-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick seemingly had twice the pace of anyone in the offence was real concern for Dolphins fans.

This season, Fitzpatrick will drop back as the bridge quarterback whilst DeVante Parker returning from injury will inject some much-needed pace into the line-up. Dolphins fans will have fond memories of returning offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who helped the franchise to their last playoff victory nearly 20 years ago.

Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley all came in in the first four rounds of the draft and will provide Gailey with plenty of options to choose from over the course of the season. Gailey might not transform the Dolphins into an offensive powerhouse in 2020, but he will surely improve upon their showing from last season.

5 takeaways from Dolphins first padded practice

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Dolphins players put on the pads for the first time this offseason, and the team made sure to keep a tight lip on what went down during Monday’s practice. When we’re able to spill the beans, 3 Yard’s Per Carry’s very own Alfredo Arteaga will have a juicy article.

But for now, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from yesterday’s Kyle Van Noy, Jerome Baker, and Ted Karras press conferences.

Kyle Van Noy is not going to answer questions about Tua Tagovailoa

One of the main focal points of the Miami Dolphins for the foreseeable future is QB Tua Tagovailoa. But as we learned Monday afternoon, some of the veterans are not going to be baited by the media’s questioning.

“Only defense or Kyle Van Noy questions” Miami’s new defensive playmaker said. And who can blame him? It’s only a matter of time before folks are asking New England how Tagovailoa compares to Tom Brady.

Tua is the future—the entire team realizes that. But just like Tua had to sit and wait his turn at Alabama, he must now do the same in Miami.

Josh Rosen to Jakeem Grant for six

Most people are ready to give up on 23-year old Josh Rosen, but I’m not. I liked the trade then, and I like it now. Tua Tagovailoa is the QB of the future. But what does the team have to lose with keeping Rosen around? Maybe he transforms into a valuable trade asset. Worst case scenario, he can be sheltered from the world and used as the Dolphins’ emergency QB.

Nevertheless, if all reports are true, Josh Rosen connected with Jakeem Grant on a beautiful deep ball. Throw of the day is what many analysts in attendance are saying.

Jerome Baker is learning from Kyle Van Noy

There’s no veteran player on the Dolphins roster that has fans pumped up like Jerome Baker. Whether it’s his balls-to-the-wall style of play or his quirky personality off the field, Baker is destined to break out in year two under Coach Flores. And with a seasoned veteran like Kyle Van Noy getting comfortable in South Florida, Baker has done everything he can to learn from the Super Bowl champion.

 “It helps me every day. Kyle, since the day he walked in, he’s kind of just been in my ear about anything and everything – if it’s on the field, if it’s off the field, whatever it was – he’s definitely been a great mentor, just an older vet, so I definitely appreciate that. I always make fun of him because I think he’s like the second-oldest player on the team. He’s definitely unique, but he’s a great person and also a great player.”

 

Rookie from Georgia impresses

During Monday’s press conference, one of Miami’s beat writers let it slip that Solomon Kindley was getting reps as the starting offensive guard. While we can not confirm nor deny these accusations, Dolphins center Ted Karras had nothing but high praise for the rookie.

 “I’ve been very impressed with all of the rookies that we’ve brought in this year and pretty much everyone on the o-line is really working hard and everyone is kind of finding their fit and earning their role. Those young guys have really been fun to work with so far. I’m really excited for not only this year but their careers moving forward.”

Prime-Time Tagovailoa

As you would expect, the talk of the town this offseason is 2020 5th-overall pick Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins franchise QB continues to take each day one step at a time.

First, here’s what Flores had to say about his young signal-caller:

“We’ll take it one day at a time. He’ll be out there today along with the rest of the quarterbacks and the majority of the players on the team. He’s looked healthy in the OTAs and walkthrough type practices. This will be the first one in pads. Yeah, he’s looked healthy. We’re taking this one day at a time with Tua, as we are with every player, and hoping that he improves on a daily basis. Like any rookie, he needs the snaps and he needs the reps to improve and get better and give himself a chance.”

And Dolphins center Ted Karras on how Tagovailoa handles himself:

“I think he always handles himself well. He’s a very impressive young man. I don’t have too many nuggets for him but I’ll help him out when he needs it, which is not often. It’s fun to work with all of the guys so far in this offense. It’s coming together and obviously we have a long way to go, but we’re getting there one day at a time.”

This article was written by Josh Houtz, part of The Extra Yard at 5 Reasons Sports. He doesn’t think Preston Williams should be on special teams.

 

E-5: EA Sports Madden Franchise must learn from Crash Bandicoot

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More and more news is coming out regarding EA’s alleged commitment to improving the long dormant “Franchise Mode” in their annual release of Madden. Back in July, after backlash from longtime fans regarding the lack of attention given by the developers to the classic game mode, EA came out to make sure fans knew they were heard, and vowed that things would change.

However, the initial announcements were met with skepticism. For years, EA has placed heavy focus on their Madden Ultimate Team mode, which is more reminiscent of a gacha mobile game than anything. Also, EA is unveiling an all-new game mode called “The Yard,” which has several similarities to the classic NFL Street franchise made by the same company.

“We wanted to create a new way for players to express themselves and take on small-sided football in an arcade-style experience that’s completely new to Madden,” Seann Graddy, Madden NFL’s executive producer, said in a statement. “Players will delve into all-new gameplay on mobile and on consoles that will bring to life the backyard football that NFL players and fans grew up loving, where the rules are relaxed, and you can win with attitude.”

It’s undeniable that their focus on newer game modes and of course their Madden Ultimate Team has been remarkably profitable to EA over the years. And it isn’t limited to Madden either.

According to their financial reports back in May 2020, EA numbers broke personal records in the year 2020. Through their Ultimate Team modes across all their sports franchise titles – which of course includes Madden as well as FIFA – EA generated a total of $1.49 billion dollars, which is a $120 million increase on last year’s revenue total of $1.37 billion.

But it’s that incredible profit margin that has fans of Franchise mode believing that no matter what the developers say, there will never be a truly increased emphasis on Franchise mode again. Several cuts to Franchise mode have been made over the years in order to give resources to the luck and mission-based gameplay that Ultimate Team offers. Legendary players such as Dan Marino and Randy Moss are relegated exclusively to these modes, while Franchise mode is forced to make players haphazardly create their own versions of the same characters.

There is a reason that many fans of the classic game mode yearn for the days of old. It isn’t merely out of a sense of nostalgia, it’s because they want to see the old mode evolve and immerse them in a realistic experience that hasn’t been seen since the Nintendo GameCube or PlayStation 2 generation of consoles.

It’s time for Madden to take a page out of an old platforming mascot’s playbook, and reignite the fanbase’s passion by revitalizing their past glory.

Every gamer out there knows Crash Bandicoot. Even if they didn’t know about him when they were kids, with the remakes of the original trilogy as well as Crash’s original (and best) kart-racing experience, you would have to be living under a rock to still not have at least heard of him. Now, the success of the N. Sane Trilogy has brought a full revitalization of the IP to the forefront, as Crash prepares to debut his first brand new game since 2008.

Much of the renewed success of Crash Bandicoot comes solely from a place of passion from both fans and developers, who wanted to ensure that Crash’s comeback would be successful by tapping into what made him great back when he first debuted. And it worked.

The remake of the first three original games – which released in July 2017 – sold over 10 million units by February 2019, with even more undoubtedly being sold since that time. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled quickly surpassed even those numbers, breaking a franchise record upon launch as it sold over half a million digital copies upon its release in June 2019.

Those numbers cannot be denied. And unlike Madden, which always seems to leave at least one large portion of the fanbase unsatisfied, Crash Bandicoot has been met with almost universal approval and praise around the world.

If there’s one thing the world of gaming has shown, it’s that nostalgia is a very powerful tool to generate sales. Activision put Crash Bandicoot into hibernation after his last attempt to make a game in 2008 met with underwhelming results to say the least. But that game had strayed so far from Crash’s roots, it was hard to tell that it was even a Crash game to begin with. That is where things went awry.

The time has come for Madden to go back in time and use what fans loved so dearly about the old games and update them for a new generation. Bring back the Position Battles in Preseason so that there’s a point to playing in them. Reinstate the ability to have certain retired players become members of the coaching staff if the player so desires. And yes, bring back the Team Builder/Create-a-Team function that has not been seen since Madden 08.

The best way to introduce new features is to also give players something familiar to lure them in. Madden Franchise mode has so many old and forgotten features that could easily be brought back if the developers chose to. Already, EA has come out with specific future plans for improving Franchise mode post-launch, which includes gameplay tweaks for a more enjoyable experience. However, what they truly need to do, is to simply go back to the past and bring it to the present.

If they listen to the fans’ specific desires, much like Crash Bandicoot did, there’s no doubt fans will be saying “Woah!” again in no time.