Mike Gesicki has been giving the Dolphins better play at tight end in recent weeks. (Tony Capobianco for Five Reasons Sports)

Dolphins’ Walton, Gesicki show promise in entertaining loss to Bills

/0 Comments/in /by

After committing an abomination to the game of football for most of this season, the ragtag Dolphins turned in a surprisingly entertaining effort Sunday at Buffalo.

The 31-21 loss was Miami’s best performance against a team with a winning record.

By staying in the game until the Bills sealed it in the final two minutes with a rare return of an onsides kick for a touchdown by Mincah Hyde, the Dolphins gained a measure of respectability.

And yes, by losing they kept pace with the Bengals, the other winless team, in the race for the first draft pick.

That is the ongoing consolation for long-suffering Dolphins fans that are banking on a path to a brighter future through a handful of high draft picks in the next couple of years.

The general perception of how quickly they can rise from the current depths to contention may be a bit lofty, though.

Who’s worth keeping?

Using those three first-round draft picks in 2020 for the right quarterback — hopefully Tua Tagovailoa — and a couple other immediate contributors will make the Dolphins better next year. But so much is needed to build this stripped-down roster back up.

The main focal point during the interminable march through an otherwise pointless season is for players worth keeping who may contribute when the talent level rises.

Two that stood out Sunday were running back Mark Walton and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Walton, in his second start, averaged 4.7 yards on 14 carries, totaling 66 yards. Like fellow former Miami Hurricane Frank Gore, who had 55 yards on 11 carries for Buffalo, Walton has the knack for popping through holes and the drive to keeping gaining yardage after contact.

The difference was evident when Kenyan Drake (six carries for 21 yards) had the ball. Drake is fast and shifty, which makes him effective as a receiver. But he doesn’t provide the impetus for a tough ground game.

The contrast with Walton’s ability as a ball carrier makes it understandable why the Dolphins are reportedly trying to trade Drake to enhance their cache of draft picks.

Second-year improvement

Meanwhile, Gesicki, the 2018 second-round pick who disappointed as a rookie, is emerging as a potentially vital component in the offense. Gesicki had his most productive day as a pro with four catches (on four targets) for 41 yards, and he made use of his rangy frame and athleticism that was touted when he arrived from Penn State.

Most impressive was an acrobatic catch on fourth-and-8 that kept alive the Dolphins’ final touchdown drive. Earlier, he adjusted to an underthrown pass, which he grabbed while falling backward for a first down on third-and-long.

Another 28-yard completion to Gesicki was wiped out by a holding call on tackle J’Marcus Webb.

Some encouraging performances

There were other positives to point to in the Dolphins nearly pulling an upset on the road against the Bills, who are now 5-1.

Rookie wide receiver Preston Williams continues to stand out with productivity — Sunday with six catches for 82 yards. And inconsistency — his fumble in the fourth quarter led to a touchdown that extended the Bills’ lead to 10 points.

DeVante Parker, the long under-achieving 2015 first-round pick, had five catches and showed tenacity in turning one into a touchdown.

Honorable mention to the much-maligned offensive line that provided some positive push for the running game against a tough Bills d-line and allowed only one sack, on a razzle-dazzle play with receiver Albert Wilson looking to pass.

Some designed rollouts and Ryan Fitzpatrick’s ability to escape rushers and get rid of the ball quickly helped him avoid being sacked. The line had Evan Boehm at center in place of injured veteran Daniel Kilgore and Shaq Calhoun in Boehm’s spot at right guard.

On defense, Raekwon McMillan continued to provide solid play at linebacker, with a team-high six tackles including one for loss. Taco Charlton and Vince Biegel had sacks.

The overall performance of the defensive was commendable considering that veteran defensive backs Reshad Jones and Xavien Howard were both out with injuries and rookie defensive tackle Christian Wilkins got ejected for throwing punches on the second play.

Flip sides of Fitzpatrick

The game was actually fun to watch, especially the childlike joy that 36-year-old Fitzpatrick played with in the return to the site of the most distinguished period of his career when he was the Bills quarterback for 55 games (53 starts) from 2009-12.

Fitzpatrick’s 11-yard scramble for a touchdown, punctuated by lowering his shoulder and bowling his way into the end zone, stands out as the highlight play of the season so far for Miami. It brought the Dolphins to within three points with 1:45 remaining before Hyde’s runback snuffed out hope.

It was also Fitzpatrick who threw the interception near the Bills’ goal line that turned the game around. The Dolphins were on the verge of extending a 14-9 lead after pulling off a successful fake field goal.

That’s Fitzpatrick’s career in a nutshell: moments of gritty brilliance offset by gut-wrenching mistakes.

It is also what happens to bad teams: They find a way to lose even while giving an inspired effort against a superior opponent.

The challenge of this season is for coach Brian Flores and staff to develop some players on this roster who can help alter that equation when reinforcements arrive next season via the draft and free agency.

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

More from Dolphin Maven

Please check out our site, dedicated to bringing you Dolphins news, insight and commentary year round.

Dutch’s Night Cap

/0 Comments/in /by

Mike “Dutch” Sonbeek starts his new video segment where he will give nightly recaps of the South Florida sports day. Today he dove into the Panthers big 6-4 win over the Devils and the Heat’s pre-season win over the Hawks.

 

 

Herro ball: Tyler’s a Big Bucket of Hope

/0 Comments/in /by

Let’s cut to the chase and get right to what everyone is thinking. What on earth are we watching right now from Tyler Herro?

His latest performance against the Hawks was no exception, 23 points in 25 minutes, 9-14 from the field, 5-7 from downtown, 5 rebounds.

As someone who has followed every Heat rookie from Khalid Reeves to players who took the floor with DJ Khaled courtside, Tyler Herro looks different.

I’m not saying he is better than any previous Heat rookie, or even comparing his potential or career trajectory when I say Herro looks different.

Tyler Herro just has a mix of confidence, swagger and polish that is further developed than any Heat player his age ever. Yes, ever.

I asked him about that confidence.  After he almost blushed, laughing innocently at the question amongst his peers who were hyping him up in the background, he responded like this:

One teammate exclaimed “Tell him you’re a hooper T”

Herro instead modestly replied, “I put in a lot of work so I believe in myself when I’m out there”

Savvy answer from a 19 year old NBA rookie.

But his teammate was on point. Tyler Herro is a hooper indeed.

A hooper that, combined with the arrival of Jimmy Buckets, has Heat fans playing in traffic filled streets of hope.

Certain specific basketball functions do stand out when it comes to Herro hope. The unique mix of shooting accuracy, balance, play making, nifty footwork, I could go on and on. It all has been immensely impressive thus far.

Footwork that somehow translates into moves that while executing, make him look like he thinks he is significantly better than the opposing defender scrambling to keep up. I don’t know why it looks like that or what it means. It just does.

The swagger makes more sense when you know who Herro initially patterned his game after.

In his very early years:

“I liked Kobe, I looked up to Kobe all the time.”

Even Heat fans who have had one too many Wade vs Kobe debates have to appreciate studying Bryant in this context. Maybe that is where the polished footwork began to be cultivated.

As Tyler matured, the great players he studied evolved.

“Once I got a little older, I watched a lot of Lebron”

Perhaps where his underrated pull up jumper and playmaking chops, apparently suppressed at Kentucky, began to be developed.

However, he has his eyes on two current NBA players most when he looks for players to emulate. “Nowadays I’m watching Devin Booker, CJ McCollum, players like that.” See any similarities? I sure do. He has quite the gravitational pull to go along with a sweet step back move. Supremely fun to watch.

A player many people, including myself, were hesitant to get excited about initially, has shown more upside than any of the rookies the Heat front office was criticized for passing on back in June’s NBA Draft. The pick makes even more sense when you factor in the apparent inevitability of Jimmy Butler arriving in Miami a few weeks later.

I guess I’m obligated to say it’s only preseason and warn not to get ahead of ourselves when measuring levels of hope associated with what we’ve seen from Tyler Herro so far.

But this kid is special. Special in a way that makes Heat fans hope Herro ball is here to stay.

Right? Right.

Dolphins win by losing to Redskins

/0 Comments/in /by

MIAMI GARDENS

Whew, that was close. Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly deep-sized the #TankForTua campaign with some fourth-quarter FitzMagic on Sunday.

There is no denying the overriding reality of this Dolphins season. A team that was constructed only to win in next year’s draft by losing on the field nearly mucked it up and pulled off an improbable comeback against an equally inept Redskins team.

Veteran quarterback Fitzpatrick came off the bench to replace an ineffective Josh Rosen and led two late touchdown drives only to fall short 17-16 when a do-or-die try for a two-point conversion failed.

The silver lining was that the 0-5 Dolphins stayed on track toward securing the first pick in next April’s draft after the Redskins emerged from the Winless Wonders Bowl 1-5.

The Bengals remained in the race by falling to 0-6, while the other winless team entering Week 6, the Jets, was threatening to upset the Cowboys in a later game.

Players not tanking, front office is

Of course, Dolphins players and coaches are doing their best to actually win the games, and they are to be commended for nearly pulling it off in this one. And you can’t fault coach Brian Flores’ decision to roll the dice and either win or lose by going for two with 10 seconds remaining.

“I was like, ‘let’s do this.’ I don’t want to play overtime,” Dolphins offensive tackle Jesse Davis said. “I think it’s a good call. I think we’ve got to be aggressive doing that. What do we got to lose? Go for it. … I like the call.”

Kenyan Drake dropped Fitzpatrick’s short pass in the left flat, though it is unlikely he would have gotten to the end zone had he caught it.

Nonetheless, for the first time this season it felt like watching a real game, at least in the final quarter.

Earlier, it was dreadfully dull as two dysfunctional teams slogged through a first quarter in which both teams had three possessions and punted reach time. The Redskins didn’t record a first down. The Dolphins allowed three sacks in their first two possessions.

0-16 far from a certainty

One thought kept recurring through the early entertainment vacuum: What number will Tua Tagovailoa wear for Miami?

He can’t keep his No. 13 from Alabama.

The Dolphins have spent two decades trying to replace their own legendary No. 13.

Tua won’t get the number. And as Sunday showed, it’s no certainty the talented Hawaiian will get the chance to fill the void that has persisted since Dan Marino hung it up in Miami.

The way things can change in the unpredictable NFL, the Dolphins may win a game or two over the next 11 weeks.

They had been outscored 91-0 in the second half this season before tallying those final 13 unanswered points.

“Everyone kind of knows the woes we have had in the second half throughout the season,” Drake said, “So for us to come back and give our team something to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to win; that’s all you can ask for, to continue to improve on a week-to-week basis.”

Tua worth tanking for

The team’s determination to win each Sunday and the organization’s strategy to lose in the best interest of the future are both understandable.

Tagovailoa has thrown 27 touchdown passes and only one interception while completing 73.6 percent of his passes this season. In his career at Alabama, he has thrown for 81 touchdowns with only nine interceptions.

For anyone questioning that tanking is the intent for Miami, the decision to make Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard inactive with knee soreness after he practiced through the week certainly looks suspicious.

Howard may have made the difference in a game in which the Redskins’ two touchdowns came on passes to Terry McLaurin, of 25 and 33 yards.

On the first, McLaurin easily beat someone named Ken Webster, who fell trying to keep up. (Webster was a seventh-round pick of the Patriots this year and released at the end of preseason.) McLaurin accounted for 100 of the Redskins 166 receiving yards on four catches.

The no-name secondary the Dolphins fielded Sunday actually turned in a respectable performance, and held up despite the pass rush putting no pressure on Case Keenum all day.

“I think our defense played really phenomenal and we just didn’t pick up our stuff [on offense],” Davis said. “Whenever the defense holds them to 17 [points], I think we should definitely beat that team.”

A few days after being declared the starter for the remainder of the season, Josh Rosen took a 180-degree turn in his quest to prove he is capable.

Rough day for Rosen

Rosen’s 32.9 passer rating certainly screamed Tua can’t get here soon enough. He threw for only 85 yards on 15 completions in 25 attempts and two regrettable interceptions.

He was often under heavy pressure, particularly in the first half. But the two interceptions were all on Rosen. He shouldn’t have attempted either throw. He had time and simply made bad decisions throwing to receivers who were covered.

The main thing the remaining games will reveal is which players may have value for the future. On defense, linebacker Raekwon McMillan continues to do a solid job as a run stopped. He had five solo tackles and four assists Sunday.

Former University of Miami running back Mark Walton got his first start and averaged 5.3 yards rushing (six carries for 32 yards) and added 43 yards receiving on five catches.

Second-year tight end Mike Gesicki is becoming more of a factor in the passing game. The 2018 second-round pick made a terrific catch over the middle for 30 yards that got the final touchdown drive going.

Then there’s Fitzpatrick, who was huddled with Marino in the locker room after the game. If the Dolphins aren’t careful, old FitzMagic just might put the kibosh on this whole #tankovailoa strategy.

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

More from Dolphin Maven

Please check out our site, dedicated to bringing you Dolphins news, insight and commentary year round.

Shula Bowl Podcast

/in /by
Read more

Miami’s win over Virginia was a win for the little guys

/0 Comments/in /by

It’s not every day that the Miami Hurricanes enter their home stadium as the underdogs.

For decades, Miami has been a program that has either talked the talk and/or walk the walk. They were either a great team or at least looked the part physically. However, Friday’s 17-9 win over No. 20 Virginia felt like a win for the little guys.

Jimmy Murphy tackles the UVA punt returner before he could even think about running with the ball and the crowd goes wild. Listed at 5-7, Murphy is the shortest player on the team and is the only player on the Hurricanes with shoulder pads sticking out of the jersey.

Redshirt sophomore Turner Davidson entered the game as the new place kicker and converts two extra points and his only field goal. It was first collegiate game and it came after sophomore Bubba Baxa spent the entire previous season and the first five games of this season as the primary kicker.

“For Turner Davidson to come in and make the PATs and make that field goal in a very clutch time in the game during the fourth quarter was a huge shot in the arm to our football team,” Miami head coach Diaz said. “So, again, something that all three phases can be very proud of. It’s a very happy locker room right now as you can imagine. Now, we maybe have a little bit of momentum that we can kick on for the rest of our season.”

Davidson’s entrance into his first career collegiate game was a surprise to everyone. Listed at 5-9, 155 lbs, Davidson is the lightest player on the roster. He appeared amongst his teammates on the field like that scrawny college student in the recent NFL Sunday Ticket commercial featuring Patrick Mahomes.

“You know what’s funny? I obviously know who he is, but I didn’t know he was kicking until I got in the locker room,” wide receiver K.J. Osborn said. “I didn’t know. We were in the locker room and coach [Manny] Diaz said, ‘Special teams,’ and then they held up Turner. I looked around and said, ‘What did Turner do?’ And they were like, ‘He was kicking field goals,’ and I was like, ‘Oh.’ I didn’t even know.”

“I don’t either,” Diaz joked. “He just ran on the field during pregame and started knocking some in, and we said, Hey, here we go.”

Davidson said his approach was simply, “Don’t miss.” As simple and dead pan as it sounds, he took it to heart and made every kick.

Diaz said the decision to put Davidson on short field goals and extra points is how he looked during warmups compared to Baxa, who missed four field goals and two extra points this season.

“We let it kind of go down to warm-ups and he just had a better warm-up than Bubba and that doesn’t mean that’s a permanent move or whatever, but we just felt like from a pure evaluating who was making the kicks that he was the guy,” Diaz said. “He was without a doubt the better guy in the warm-up.”

While the big guys usually get the love in Miami, and deservedly so defensively, Friday night’s upset belongs to the little guys.

Proud to Be a Miami Guy

/0 Comments/in /by

In case you haven’t noticed (aka you have a life) a minor controversy is brewing in State College, PA around race. You see, an alum of Penn State named David Petersen wrote a letter to a current player Jonathan Sunderland telling Sunderland to, among other things, cut his hair. Reaction was swift. It is 2019 and people didn’t stand for the dog whistle. Condemnation came from the school, the head coach, and the Penn State community.

So why am I writing about this? Well, Petersen chose to defend himself thusly:

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Petersen said making a racial or cultural statement “was not the intent at all. I would just like to see the coaches get the guys cleaned up and not looking like Florida State and Miami guys.”

Oh, now we’ve got something. For a slight change, he also included Florida State. But we know what he means by “Miami guys.” But it’s not just Petersen that’s at issue.

What is it about Miami that makes everyone so casually willing to stereotype it? In an era when sensitivities are high, and words are carefully spoken, why is it acceptable to treat Miami differently? Maybe it’s because Miami is so different from the rest of the country.

The Beauty of Miami

“Y’all look at these blue skies and think paradise, I look at these blue skies, and think what a disguise” – Pitbull

I wasn’t born in Miami, I was born in Texas. My family moved to Miami when I was 13. But Miami will forever be my home, even though I no longer live there. Miami is where I’m from.

And while the warm weather, the palm trees, and the party aspects of the city are certainly a draw, this is home because of the people.

When I see someone driving down the Palmetto with a mattress held to the roof of a car with only scotch tape and willpower, I think “those are my people.”

When I see two people come to blows over whether Pinecrest Bakery is better than Vicky Bakery, I think “those are my people.”

When I see an abuelita driving a 1987 Toyota Corolla in the left lane of I-95 going 25 miles below the speed limit, I think “those are my people.”

There is so much I love about this community.

The University of Miami is the manifestation of everything good with Miami. As Billy Corben eloquently documented in The U, UM has served as a unifying force for all of Miami’s communities. As diverse as the community it represents.

Miami is where I became myself, and I am forever grateful that 25 years ago my dad chose to accept a position at the University of Miami. I get that Miami, and UM as an extension of Miami, is not for everyone. It is beautifully chaotic, and some people like life a bit more structured, a bit more monolith.

But that doesn’t make Miami lesser. This is probably the time to teach Mr. Petersen, and those who so willingly use “Miami” as a pejorative, about how UM represents a community. To point out that Miami, as a city, is blue collar with a huge wage to cost of living disparity where people are grinding out a living on a daily basis. To explain how “Miami guys” like Demetrius Jackson graduate from UM and become pillars of our community, making Miami a better place on a daily basis.

Turning the other cheek and educating Petersen is an option. However…

…this is the 305. We don’t play that. You best get my school’s name out ya racist mouf.

Who told you that you could talk about my school? You need to apologize before we skewer you and cook you over La Caja China.

Mi casa ain’t su casa, so don’t be bringing it into your defense of your own racism.

Those “Miami guys” are my guys. No one talks crap about our family. We are rich in diversity and can do amazing things with pots and pans.

When you impugn the 85 players on the UM football team, what you’re actually doing is taking a shot at 6 million people. For whatever reason, this is largely seen as totally acceptable in sports media.

Well, it’s not.

And I’ll stand with our Miami guys forever and always. These are my people.

Follow us on Twitter @vrp2003 and @CaneMaven.

Make sure to check out the 5 Rings Canes podcast for exclusive Miami Hurricanes content all year long. Image by Tony Capobianco

Canes in Crisis as Season Reaches an Inflection Point

/0 Comments/in /by

Note: For more awesome photos from Saturday’s Virginia Tech game, check out Tony Capobianco’s photo gallery.

The New Miami has crashed down to earth with a resounding thud.

Gone are the hopes of a quick rebuild, replaced with the somber realization that the Canes are as far away from “back” as they’ve ever been, complete with the knowledge that the Canes may have made a colossal mistake in the coaching hire by opting not to conduct a full search, instead choosing the now familiar path of immediately pivoting to a defensive coordinator off the previous staff who had no head coaching experience. Minus the lack of coaching search, it mirrors a failed approach the Canes used in 2007 to replace Larry Coker with Randy Shannon.

Now Manny Diaz will be more involved in calling the defense. And if you’re having déjà vu, that’s because Randy Shannon famously did the same thing in 2007 as the defense got torched by North Carolina and a huge comeback attempt fell just short. We’ve been here before.

Is it time to abandon ship? Be patient because we have no choice? It helps to start with examining how we got here.

System-wide Failure

Manny Diaz joined the Joe Rose Show for his weekly appearance and got right to the point. The team can’t do anything fundamentally right: Block, Tackle, Read Plays, Kick. And they throw in a boatload of penalties to boot.

That there is problem recognition is a step in the right direction. That the list is so long is scary.

As we try to get down to the heart of the matter, we’ll find that the Canes need to focus on getting back to basics. When David Eversole wrote earlier this week that the Hurricanes Need to Stop With the Gimmicks, Start With the Winning, he wasn’t blaming the chains and rings for the losses, but merely pointing out the error of the “New Miami.”

We know that the Canes generally show up with more raw talent than their opponent. So it is very easy to reduce problems, and therefore fixes, to attitude and effort. The “New Miami” branding was about just that…this year’s team would play hard and “finish.”

Well an interesting thing happened on the way to a 2-3 record…and that thing was football. Becoming a good team takes a lot more than hard work. It takes collaboration, cohesion, competence…it takes time. Which is why it was so easy to buy into the “New Miami” with the promise of a quick fix, a magic elixir, an easy button.

We don’t know if the Diaz hire was a mistake or not, but we do know, and he has learned, that the offseason focus on attitude and “culture” was misguided. At the highest levels of FBS football, the margins are slim, and talent gaps can be easily bridged by fundamental soundness, clean play, and a level of strategic intelligence…three things that have been completely lacking.

Hay Liga

What about the short-term? There are 2 phrases from Spanish soccer that spring to mind: (1) “Hay Liga” which literally translates to “There is league” but really means there is a race for first place and (2) “sentencia” which is a phrase they use to convey that the race is over.

Miami’s goals have been completely reset. The ACC Coastal was a realistic goal, but at 0-2 with 2 Coastal losses, it’s hard to see a way back. The goal is now for Miami to be involved in an “Hay Liga” conversation in November. It’ll take some help from the rest of the Coastal, but that’s where they’re at. As for the Virginia game…well, Virginia can win that game and “sentencia” the league for Miami. Realistically, Diaz will likely be faced with a team that is fighting for bowl eligibility with little else to motivate them at the business end of the season.

It is extremely early in Diaz’s tenure, and as he continues to learn and hopefully grow, things should get better. But we’re in for a long trip and significant pain. Diaz’s moves on defense, such as they were, are the first step in a course correction after initially starting down the wrong path. But is this the right path? No one really knows. Time will tell, and in 20-20 hindsight, we’ll either see what’s happening now as clear signs that this thing was doomed from the start or signs that he was building the program. There is ample evidence to support either stance but results ultimately dictate everything.

Friday is another game, and another opportunity. This could work, and that’s reason enough. Let’s hope Diaz produces the right results.