Ryan Fitzpatrick is a worthy role model for Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins quarterback. (Tony Cappobiano)

Pressure Point: FitzMagic brings much-needed joy in Dolphins win

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Well, that was fun.

For the love of Fitz, how often has it been possible to express that sentiment about any Miami Dolphins game during the past two decades?

Just when it was needed most, 37-year-old boy wonder Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins to a 31-13 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Thursday night performance that was as joyous as effective.

Big picture conclusions should be avoided from any given game in the NFL. But coming on the heels of troubling opening losses to the Patriots and Bills, it was a relief to allay fears of another season-killing opening winless stretch like Miami’s 0-7 start last season.

And the “We want Tua” chants can remain on hold for awhile.

Tua Tagovailoa’s time will come soon enough, and hopefully he will prove to be the wunderkind of Dolfans dreams.

Right now, this is Fitzpatrick’s team and there is no question about that in the locker room.

Tight end Mike Gesicki said: “Yeah, I mean Fitz is out of his mind. He’s [37] years old and still playing this game like he’s 23. But to have him as our leader and for you to see the fun that he has — after I scored my touchdown we just came off to the sideline and just started yelling and screaming and chest bumping; it’s so fun to play with him.”

Sure, Fitzpatrick is averaging more than an interception a game in his long career with eight teams. He may throw up three picks any given day, as he did in the opener at New England.

More about Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins’ win at Five Reasons Sports

Fitzpatrick can be ‘crazy’ good

Then he turns on that old FitzMagic and has a night for the ages as he did Thursday, opening with 12 consecutive completions. Added to the nine in a row to conclude Sunday’s loss against Buffalo, Fitz’s streak of 21 was second-longest in Dolphins history behind Ryan Tannehill’s 25, which is also tied for the NFL record.

Fitzpatrick completed 18 of 20, including two for touchdown, ran for another score and even caught one of his own deflected passes.

What stood out apart from the stats was the crazed celebration after bowling Csonka-like into the endzone for a third-quarter touchdown that blew the game open — confirming Gesicki’s “Fitz is out of his mind” affirmation.

Fitzpatrick put it in perspective afterward: “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world being able to go outside and play football with my friends.”

Cleary, Tua couldn’t have a better role model to prepare for when he gets the keys to the franchise.

No question, this Dolphins season is still more about the future than the present. This is the first forward step in a rebuilding process (last season was the teardown that began it).

Some exterior walls have been set on a foundation, but it remains to be seen how the finished product will look — it will never be finished, of course.

There will be sobering Sundays ahead for the Dolphins. They’ve got more tough opposition coming up the next two weeks with the Seahawks and 49ers.

The Jaguars aren’t on the level of the Patriots and Bills, but they were favored, and rightfully so at home in prime time of a short week for both teams.

Offense shows positive signs

We began the season with the perspective of looking for progress. And for an indication that the approach of coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier in constructing this team and Flores in coaching it is well founded.

The first two games were not encouraging. The defense, despite an extensive makeover, was atrocious. High-priced veterans signed in free agency played like suspects rather than upgrades.

The first encouraging signs are with the offense, and if began in the second half against the Bills.

Over the past six quarters, Fitz and Co. have produced 508 yards and 41 points.

The reconstructed offensive line, with right tackle Jesse Davis the only holdover, is showing potential of a solid unit. Rookie linemen Austin Jackson and Solomon Kindley are looking more comfortable each week.

Neither rookie has allowed a sack in three games. Commendable, considering they had no preseason games to get acclimated.

The Dolphins rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time this season, with a 138. They need to improve on the average of 3.8 yards a carry — even that was inflated by a 29-yard run by wideout Jakeem Grant.

That Myles Gaskin (66 yards on 22 carries at Jacksonville) has emerged as the surprise featured back is an endorsement to building through the draft rather than free agency. Veteran offseason signees Jordan Howard and Matt Breida combined for five yards on six carries and have done little in three games.

High-flying Gesicki catches on

The biggest revelation on offense is Gesicki, the 2018 second-round pick who was the target of criticism as a rookie and the first half of his second season. But since late November the lanky former Penn State Nittany Lion has seven touchdown catches, tied for most in the NFL in that span.

Gesicki’s latest was another leaping masterpiece, which gave the Dolphins a 21-7 lead. Hopefully he will be a popular target for Tua for years to come. For now, he has become a favorite of Fitz, especially in the red zone.

The heaviest lifting remains on defense, though the unit was much better against the Jaguars, including four sacks. Several of the offseason acquisitions had more of an impact than in previous weeks. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill had seven tackles including a sack. Kyle Van Noy forced a fumble and recovered it in the scramble. Shaq Lawson had six pressures.

Notably, rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene found some redemption in coverage after getting undressed by Bills receiver Stefon Diggs.

Veteran corner Xavien Howard had an interception, but is not back to pre-injury level in pass coverge.

Better teams will continue to expose the shortcomings of this defense. Tackling remains surprisingly shoddy for a Flores team.

But for one night the Dolphins had reason to pose and puff out their chests.

For Dolfans, it was a game that left you wanting more — more celebratory screams. More quirky, crazy FitzMagic.

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

The 5 Worst Takes about the Miami Heat

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Let’s be honest, the Miami Heat have overachieved this season. Miami’s improbable run wasn’t predicted by even the most cultured of Heat fans (See what I did there?). However, there were some pretty harsh opinions of the Heat that need to be revisited.

 

  1. HHH (Heat Hate Herro)

 

We will start with this compilation of tweets about Tyler Herro being drafted with the number 13 pick in last year’s draft. Most fans groaned as they heard Tyler’s name called on draft day because of his less-than-notable collegiate career. The Kentucky product wasn’t what fans thought the team needed to take the next step in becoming championship contenders. Herro was called Tyler Johnson 2.0 and some fans even called for Pat Riley’s retirement. Thank God the front office doesn’t read #HeatTwitter (Or do they? Duh duh duh)

 

 

 

  1. We “Herd” You

 

Colin Cowherd doesn’t let something as trivial as facts get in the way of his ratings. As a result, he has had his share of bad takes. But his views on the Heat are awful. There is the “Who’s Bam?” moment from preseason trade talks and who could forget the infamous “They can’t shoot” segment that confused us all. After completing a sweep over the Indiana Pacers with a 99-87 win in game 4, Cowherd said the team had a low ceiling and would get exposed in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks. That aged like milk.

 

 

 

  1. The Gift That Keeps On Giving 

 

Colin, if you don’t watch basketball just say so. I’m not one to judge. Here he claims Bam is not a star and hammers his point home by saying the Heat center averages 10 points and 8 rebounds. At the time, Bam was posting averages of 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.1 assist. In the playoffs, his numbers are 17.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.7 assist, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. Oh and Miami is on the verge of an NBA Finals berth. 

 

 

 

  1. Screamin’ A. Smith

 

Stephen A. Smith should know better. You would think he would have more faith in the Heat with all the love he has for South Beach *insert side eye*. Smith called Jimmy Butler coming to Miami “Absolutely the wrong move”, claiming that he would never be loved like he was in Philadelphia and even going as far as to call Philly the perfect setup for him. He followed up by saying that Miami would not be better than the 76ers and that the Heat may or may not make the playoffs. The kicker was Smith saying that Jimmy would be just another “really really good basketball player” here. 

 

 

  1. “Process” Your Grief

 

And here we are with the crown jewel of God-awful Heat takes. Krystle Rich of NBCS Philly emphatically claimed that the Miami Heat would miss the playoffs or be a first-round exit should they make the tournament. She went on to say that it would take 2-3 years for the Heat to build a team around Jimmy that could compete in the East. It felt more like a boyfriend unexpectedly breaking up with his girlfriend and her responding with the first mean thing that comes to mind. Even if it is woefully out of touch. Let that hurt go, sis. 

 

 

What a difference a year makes.

 

Royal Shepherd (@RoyalAShepherd) has written for several major newspapers, including the Tallahassee Democrat and the Augusta Chronicle, and now contributes to Five Reasons Sports.

Brevin Jordan

Five Reasons the Hurricanes Will Beat the Seminoles

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The Miami Hurricanes look to continue their early season momentum as they host the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday.

Early season rivalry games have a way of setting the tone for a season.

Miami and Florida State enter their matchup Saturday on opposite plains.

The Hurricanes (2-0, 1-0) host Florida State (0-1, 0-1) in a game that looms large for both programs.

For Miami, expectations are high as they have improved each week.

While for Florida State the uncertainty lingers as the Seminoles try to rebound off a disappointing 16-13 loss to Georgia Tech.

Miami has beat Florida State three years running and oddsmakers have the Hurricanes as early double-digit favorites.

That being said, anything can happen in a rivalry game.

Especially this one.

With all things considered, the Hurricanes appear to be the superior team.

Here are five reasons that superiority should translate to an easy victory Saturday.

 

Quarterback

So far in his first season under center at the University of Miami, quarterback D’Eriq King has been as advertised.

 

Through two games King has completed 34-of-54 attempts for 469 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also added 92 yards and another score on the ground, his running ability within Rhett Lashlee’s spread offense has opened up the entire playbook. King has taken care of the football so far and is taking what the defense gives him.

Florida State allowed Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims to throw for 277 yards, and King has far more weapons at his disposal. King will have to look out for Asante Samuel Jr. in the Florida State secondary however, he picked off two passes against Georgia Tech.

Meanwhile for the Seminoles, quarterback James Blackman had a game to forget in their opening day loss. For the game Blackman went 23-of-43 for just 198 yards with one touchdown and an interception. More damning is that he lost two fumbles, against a nasty Miami front four he could be in for another mistake prone game.

 

South Florida Video

Miami Ground Game Should Feast Again

Cam Harris has come out of the gate on a mission with 263 yards in two games on a ridiculous 10.3 YPC, with touchdown runs of 66 and 75 yards already. Freshman phenoms Jaylen Knighton and Don Chaney, Jr. have been the perfect compliment to Harris, each have been solid contributors already. With King as another threat to pull it down and improved play on the offensive line, the Hurricanes ground game has been a huge factor.

Florida State did a decent job holding Georgia Tech to 161 rushing yards on 40 attempts, but they will be in for a bigger challenge on Saturday.

For the Seminoles to have any success on offense they will need to be able to run the football against a Miami run defense that struggled to contain Louisville running back Javian Hawkins. Miami had trouble with the Cocoa Beach product as he gashed the Hurricanes for 164 yards rushing.

It could be a little easier for the Hurricanes this week as the Seminoles run game did little against Georgia Tech in a close game, finishing with just 109 yards on 31 carries (3.1 YPC). If Miami can shut down the run early and get a lead, Florida State will be in trouble as the game wears on.

Phillips and Roche vs the FSU Offensive Line

Speaking of feasting, the Miami pass rush could be in for another dynamic performance against an underwhelming FSU offensive line.

Jaelen Phillips and Quincy Roche combined for 3.5 TFL against Louisville and Miami had 10 for the game.

 

Florida State did a decent job of protecting Blackman despite allowing three sacks, Blackman had ample time to throw on plenty of occasions but could not capitalize. Miami will try to take away the Florida State running game and make them one dimensional, while controlling down and distance. The Florida State offense will be in trouble if they are continually in third-and-long situations where the Miami defensive line can pin their ears back and come downhill.

Florida State allowed six tackle-for-loss against Georgia Tech and Blackman barely completed 50% of his passes for the night.

We could see a lot of the Turnover Chain Saturday night.

Miami Makes Less Mistakes

As mentioned turnovers could play a huge role in the outcome and so far with D’Eriq King at the helm the offense is taking care of the football. Blackman on the other hand doesn’t have the same accuracy and has been prone to the turnover lately having thrown five interceptions in his last two games.

Granted four of those came at the end of last season in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

Not grrrreat.

Both teams have had lapses in terms of penalties as each hit double figures last time out.

The difference was that Miami came out to play otherwise while Florida State could not get out of their own way.

Manny Diaz had the team prepared and it will be crucial to avoid a letdown in terms of emotion and intensity.

It Means a lot More to the Hurricanes.

The Miami seniors have never lost to Florida State and if the Hurricanes can take care of business it sets them up for a huge game to follow at No. 1 Clemson.

After dropping seven in a row in the rivalry the Hurricanes want to send the seniors out with a fourth straight win.

Miami is in a great position with Clemson looming on the horizon to make a statement once again under the lights.

 

It is certain to be an exciting game, you can always throw out the records when these two square off.

However Miami is trending up while Florida State is in purgatory, and overall appear to be the better team.

If Diaz can once again have them ready from the opening kickoff and they wear out the Seminoles with the up tempo offense, it should be game over.

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Follow us on Twitter @5ReasonsCanes and @DavidWEversole

Photo credit miamihurricanes.com.

The Extra Yard: Fitzpatrick leads Dolphins over Minshew and the Jags

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On Thursday night in front of the bright lights, the winless Miami Dolphins traveled north to take on their in-state rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The two teams have met a total of nine times throughout the history of the world. Jacksonville is 5-4 all-time. And yes, as Dolphins fans, we all want to forget Marino’s last playoff game.

But the truth is, the Jaguars have gone deeper into the playoffs than I’ve ever seen Miami do in my lifetime. And despite being accused of tanking like the media tried to paint the Dolphins a season ago—Gardner Minshew has Jacksonville 1-1 and playing good football.

So, on Primetime in front of the entire world, the Dolphins and Jaguars faced off. But even more importantly—with Miami’s season hanging in the balance—the grizzled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick led Miami to battle against the real-life Uncle Rico, aka Gardner Minshew.

FitzMagic vs Minshew Mania

Initially, this seemed like nothing more than a game that would feature two unique QBs. Both have proven time and time again; they can pull a rabbit out of a hat. But what once appeared to be a friendly meeting between the two teams has slowly turned into the battle of the mustache and the beard. And it’s starting to get ugly!

I’m not sure how this all came about, but I’m going to do my best to retrace the steps.

That was all well and good. But then, whether he intended to or not, the man known as Fitzmagic came crashing down with the power of 100 Thor hammers.

When asked why are beards better than mustaches, Fitzpatrick had this to say:

The mustache versus the beard, I think the beard is a cooler look. I think guys that grow mustaches a lot of times have patchy sides for their beards, so they just stick with the mustache.

This was the quote that started it all.

I won’t pretend to know whether or not it was a knock on Minshew and his pre-adolescent mustache. Because the next sentence, Fitzpatrick would go on to talk about his wife’s preference on the length of his facial hair.

But what I do know is after slandering mustaches and their entire existence, the 24-year-old gunslinger would have something to say. And it wasn’t long before he was asked his thoughts about Fitzpatrick’s comments.

“I’ll let mine speak for itself. I have a lot of respect for my elders — especially when they’re much, much elder.”

MY QUICK AND GRITTY GAME RECAP

  • The Dolphins took the opening kickoff and marched the ball downfield at will; capping off the impressive drive a Preston Williams touchdown on 3rd and goal from the two-yard line. This was a unique drive because not only did the Dolphins offense have a clear identity, but the man known as The Unicorn bounced back after a critical drop in Week 2. Perfect first drive by Miami’s offense.

  • I don’t want to be the guy that sits here and points out the team’s glaring weaknesses after an impressive victory. But we need to have a discussion about Elandon Roberts. At times, he looked lost on defense and continues to be a liability in the run. Why would the Dolphins have traded Raekwon McMillan for this? At least, Kamu Grugier-Hill showed up to play. But please, stop giving key defensive snaps to Elandon Roberts.

  • Myles Gaskin is the Dolphins RB1 and continues to look impressive not only in the run game but the passing game as well.

  • Gaskin was playing so well; one of my sources reached out to me regarding this extremely confidential information.

  • Miami continues to use Jordan Howard at the goal line. A place that better suits his violent style of play. Howard once again found pay dirt, sniping Myles Gaskin after he carried the team downfield on his back. Through three games, Howard has 16 carries, 12 yards, and one touchdown. Keep an eye on Chandler Cox and Solomon Kindley on Howard’s touchdown run. It’s beautiful:

  • Wow, Miami’s offensive line really is pretty damn good this year, huh?
  • Dolphins continue to struggle wrapping defenders up. Shenault breaks off a big run after colliding with two or three defensive backs. TACKLE SOMEONE!!!!!
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick on 4th and 1 is about as automatic as Lousaka Polite.

  • The last time the Dolphins had a tight end that truly struck fear in opposing defenses was 2002-2006 and Randy McMichael. Well, I think that’s about to change with the emergence of Mike Gesicki. Ever since he heaved a football over his house, ran through a garage door, and made the catch in the middle of the street; that 2020 was going to be a big year for the Penn State prodigy. How would he follow up his 8 reception, 130 yard career day from a season ago?

  • Kyle Van Noy must’ve heard all the noise about his play early on this season because he came out and played like his hair was on fire. KVN finished the game with 5 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and….he killed a man.

  • In 2019, Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins in rushing yards and touchdowns. Here he is replicating Dolphins legend, Larry Csonka.

  • Dan Marino, aka The Goat, aka The Right Arm of God, made a cameo. And so did The Left Arm Of God.

  • Miami’s offensive line has been a breath of fresh air this season. Austin Jackson looks legit, Solomon Kindley is a mauler, and Ereck Flowers has played solid as well. Ted Karras and Jesse Davis remain the weak links, though I’d rather keep Davis around than Karras. It’s still early, but that was a wash between Karras and Daniel Kilgore.

  • Igbinoghene came to play tonight, as did the rest of the Dolphins secondary.

  • Austin Jackson continues to impress.

  • Ryan Fitzpatrick did a little bit of everything tonight.

  • Nice to see the Dolphins generate some pass-rush today. Here are Emmanuel Ogbah and Zach Sieler sandwiching Gardner Minshew on a key 2nd and 2.

  • Andrew Van Ginkel needs to get more opportunities because when he does, good things happen.

  • Not only is he a mauler, but Solomon Kindley is a hype man.

  • Xavien Howard put the game away with this interception. Is he back?

Final Stat Line:

I don’t know when the Dolphins/Jaguars All-22 will be out, but when it is, I promise to bring you plenty of content on Twitter.com.

Goodnight, all.

P.S

beards > mustaches

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Meyers Leonard: The Leader, The Voice, The Hammer

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It’s clear that Meyers Leonard is a true proponent of taking pride in work ethic and character. And well, that’s been on full effect during this postseason run.

When talking about the many factors that led to this this run, you’d probably start with Bam Adebayo’s impact, Tyler Herro’s breakout, Goran Dragic’s consistency, or Erik Spoelstra’s adjustments. But Meyers Leonard’s leadership should be pretty high up on that list.

Not many guys would absolutely embrace a role that means no on-court playing time, especially someone with the competitive spirit of Meyers. But he did. It’s another clear representation of that character. There’s a mutual respect between him and Erik Spoelstra, which led to the understanding of playing the role of the vocal teammate. When Erik talked about Meyer’s support the other day, he said “Meyers is one of the most special people I’ve had the opportunity to coach and be around.”

Meyers was a guy throughout the season that was a vocal floor general when in the game, who would make guys feel comfortable especially on the defensive end. Now, he continually utilizes this off the floor, standing next to Coach Spo pointing and calling stuff out.

And the word vocal can’t describe what he does on the sideline.

Screaming. Clapping. Fist-pumping. Directing.

He mentioned that he’s “the most jealous of watching our team’s success.” But team success doesn’t always mean on-court play. It means that you contribute in a way that you are most capable of in a given situation. And without Meyers’ leadership, these guys wouldn’t be where they are.

He ultimately wants to get the best out of all of his teammates, especially the young guys. After Tyler Herro’s 37 point explosion in game four, he praised not only the performance, but the work ethic that he always preaches.

 

The Miami Heat are now up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, one win away from the NBA finals. And if the Miami Heat were able to face off against the Los Angelas Lakers, there’s a chance that Meyers not only will make an impact off the court, but also on the court against the Lakers plethora of bigs.

Character. Work Ethic. This takes you a long way. Listen to the wise words of Meyers Leonard.

 

Three Keys for the Miami Heat to win Game 4

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The Miami Heat only lead the series against the Boston Celtics 2-1, after a tough Game 3 loss.  There were quite a few minor issues that occurred on Saturday night, but they should be easy to clean up. Going into Game 4, the NBA odds here show the Miami Heat as three-point underdogs to Boston.

Here’s what needs to happen to pull off the win.

#1: Jimmy Butler raises his intensity out the gate.

It was pretty clear that there was a lack of energy from Jimmy Butler in game three, which definitely isn’t normal. Not only does that hurt Jimmy’s performance, it hurts the whole team. This entire team feeds off the energy of Jimmy Butler, mostly on the defensive side of the ball, which leads to scoring. And since Jimmy had three whole days to let that sink in, it will awake a beast. There’s a good chance he will be seeking to get near the rim early, which then opens up the floor for their shooters. He ultimately wants his teammates to be the scorers since it translates to wins, but it’s up to him to bring that offensive aggression to get them going.

#2: Miami must cut down on turnovers and mistakes.

One thing about this Boston Celtics team is that they thrive off of their opponents mistakes. Three straight turnovers from Miami late in the second quarter extended Boston’s lead at the half, which ultimately was a huge reason for them losing that game. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown love to run the break and get out onto the open floor, which is why Miami must cut those opportunities down as much as possible. And the way to make less mistakes with the ball is to make instinctive decisions instead of holding it and eventually getting stuck. That’s why Miami must get the ball to their veterans in those instances, and let them control the pace.

#3: Erik Spoelstra adjusts his adjustments.

Erik Spoelstra has coached a pretty great series so far, after making some huge adjustments, including implementing the zone defense and modifying the rotation on the fly. Although those great decisions won them those first two games, it’s now time to adjust once again to his own adjustments. And there’s not a better coach to do such a thing. For one, with Gordon Hayward returning, it makes it harder for Miami to use the zone for an extended amount of time. When Gordon gets the ball at the free throw line, it’s hard for Miami to recover defensively. Also, Spo will need to make another defensive change to try and eliminate Boston’s dribble penetration. Boston had a field day in the paint against Miami in game three, which doesn’t sit well with Spo. That’s something they worked on in practice over the past few days as well, which says that they’re ready.

 

Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) contributes regularly to Five on the Floor platforms.

Jimmy Butler, Game Three Struggles to Game Four Showcase

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“We’ll bounce back.”

That was what Jimmy Butler had to say after a tough game three performance. He knows what this Miami Heat team is capable of, but more importantly he knows what he is capable of.

Some may say that Butler wasn’t himself in game three, but maybe he was just too much like himself. Being the unselfish teammate that he is, relying on co-stars Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. He loves getting these guys going from the jump, since he continually says that’s how they win games.

There’s no denying that, but ultimately these guys can’t carry the entire load for three and a half quarters every game. Even Jimmy realized that, saying “We put too much pressure on Bam to always be there, he can’t save us every single game.”

Even though many people want Jimmy to just go out there and try and score every time he gets the ball, that’s just not him. What he can do though, which he didn’t do in game three, is bring an immense amount of intensity and energy. He didn’t even have the same fire on the defensive end. Just a lot of standing around, which led to a bunch of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown drives to the basket.

And it definitely isn’t easy to just bring a great amount of energy every game without fans. They must try and find a spark themselves, which will start with Jimmy Butler. It’s simple, if Jimmy has it, the whole team has it.

And it seems as if he will have it on Wednesday. He mentioned that “It gets old playing from behind consistently,” so it’ll be interesting to see how Jimmy adjusts.

That game three loss may have been the best thing that could’ve happened to this Heat team. Although they ended up getting the win in games one and two, they didn’t play particularly well for most of the game. This loss gives them a clear indication of what they must do to close out this series. Erik Spoelstra knows it. Jimmy Butler knows it. The whole team knows it.

And once again, it’s now time for Jimmy to prove why he came to Miami. Not by scoring 40 points, but by being the most energetic and best floor general that he can be.

As much as people want to critique Jimmy’s game, he’s currently 10-2 in the postseason playing this way. He must be doing something right.

 

Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) is a frequent contributor to Five on the Floor platforms. If you want to sponsor his or anyone else’s work at Five Reasons Sports, reach out to Sales@FiveReasonsSports.com

Dolphins rookie quarterback Noah Igbinoghene had a rough day against the Bills.

Pressure Point: Dolphins’ defense worse despite additions

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For Noah Igbinoghene, the effect is the opposite of counting sheep to get to sleep. The Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback may find it difficult to nod off because of that endless loop running through his head of Stefon Diggs burning him on pass after pass Sunday.

Igbinoghene, in his second NFL game, found himself on the spot when highly paid veteran Byron Jones went out with an injury on the first series of Sundays’ 31-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

He drew the short straw on the assignment of shadowing Diggs, one of the top receivers in the league. Igbinoghene had trouble keeping up with the shadow, let alone Diggs, who proved unstoppable in piling up 153 yards on eight catches (19.1-yard average) including a touchdown.

“It’s definitely a teaching moment,” Igbinoghene said. “I learned a lot today, not only about him but about myself as well. I’ve just got to respond and come back the next time.”

It wasn’t just Igbinoghene who was exposed as Bills quarterback Josh Allen undressed the Dolphins’ defense for 417 yards and four touchdowns.

Plenty of Culprits

Veteran corner Xavien Howard said John Brown was his man on the 46-yard touchdown strike that clinched the win for Buffalo. Safety Bobby McCain arrived late trying to help Howard.

Remarkably, the Dolphins had the lead in the fourth quarter before The Bills put together scoring drives of 71 and 75 yards in the final five minutes.

Somehow the game never felt that close, nor the outcome in doubt, because the Bills were able to do seemingly whatever they wanted against the Miami defense most of the day.

The Dolphins offense caught some lightning in a bottle following a 45-minute delay due to lightning near Hard Rock Stadium in the third quarter to grab a 21-17 lead. But earlier Preston Williams dropped a catchable would-be touchdown on fourth-and-1 — and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s play selection on the sequence that preceded it was head-scratching in its own right.

Certainly the offense has its share of inadequacies. But two games into the second season of the Brian Flores era, the most troubling observation is that a defense which was abysmal last season has somehow, inexplicably, gotten worse.

Newcomers not helping

That despite spending heavily on defense in free agency and adding players such as Igbinoghene, a first-round pick, in the 2020 draft.

In Week 1, the Dolphins gave up 357 yards against the Patriots. Sunday, they gave up 342 yards in the first half to Allen and the Bills, who averaged 9.2 yards.

The final tally was 524 yards for Buffalo with an average of 8.9 yards per play.

Dolphins defenders can’t stay with the receivers they’re trying to cover, can’t get pressure on the quarterback and can’t stop the run.

Tackling is atrocious, and toughness often seems lacking. That was evident on a first-half scramble by Allen, who took four Dolphins to get to the ground. The multi-talented Bills QB ran over Kyle Van Noy — a veteran linebacker the Dolphins spent $51 million to sign in the offseason — on initial contact.

Run D, Pass D, it’s all bad

At New England, the Patriots ran Miami ragged with 217 yards on the ground. Sunday, Allen and his receiving corps simply shredded Flores’ secondary, which got no help from the pass rush.

The defensive front has yet to get meaningful contributions from newcomers such as Shaq Lawson and Raekwon Davis.

Allen was only sacked once and generally had all the time he could have wished for to find any of his talented receivers running away from Miami defenders. The Bills kept running crossing routes because the Dolphins showed they couldn’t keep up with the receivers.

“We struggled to cover them. They’ve got good receivers,” Flores said. Then, after a pause: “We struggled to cover them. They got open. [Allen] had time to throw it, we didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback. I don’t want to put it all on the coverage guys. It’s a team game. But it starts with me and we’ve got to do a better job of putting them in positions to cover them better.”

Flores seemed at a loss as to how to address those issues. There isn’t much time to do so before the Dolphins travel to Jacksonville for a Thursday night game.

Quick turnaround

There was no update on Jones’ injury or status following the game, but they may well have to face the Jaguars without the league’s second-highest paid cornerback. Which means, the pressure will remain on Igbinoghene and others, such as Nik Needham, who also struggled.

Asked whether he received words of encouragement from any veterans, the Igbinoghene said, “Just that it’s the league, it going to happen. It happens to everybody.

“I hold myself to a high standards, so of course I didn’t want that to happen. But it did happen. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve just got to move on.”

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

Five Reasons to Like the Canes Win Over Louisville

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The Canes went on the road with the whole nation watching and walked out of Louisville with a comfortable 13-point victory. With Florida State on the horizon, here are 5 reasons to like Miami’s performance against Louisville:

  1. D’Eriq King is fantastic. King was in total control of the offense. There were some questions after the opener around the subject of whether the offense was holding back. Those questions were answered. King was called upon time and again and repeatedly delivered pinpoint accurate passes. If not for seven drops by Canes’ WRs he would have thrown for another 50-100 yards and at least one more TD. His final numbers are still strong: 18-30, 325 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. But he actually played better than those numbers show. A calm, measured, experienced performance from Miami’s senior QB.
  2. Brevin Jordan is the best Tight End in the country. We knew this, and he confirmed it. Rhett Lashlee did an excellent job moving Jordan around the field and Louisville couldn’t cover him. 7 catches, 120 yards, and a TD. But he also converted several key 3rd downs, including a 3rd and 11 on the Canes’ second TD drive. Jordan’s presence helped settle the offense down, as reliability builds a foundation that everyone can lean on. After hurdling a defender to set up the second TD, Jordan was rewarded with the final TD of the game. A complete performance from arguably the Canes’ best player.
  3. Jose Borregales is a weapon. Okay…I know two weeks in a row on a kicker might feel like a bit much. But we’re all about progression. Last week, we were confident that at least Borregales would make the field goals he should make. This week, we’ll discuss what field goals he shouldn’t make.‌⁣
    ⁣
    ***crickets***
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    ‌⁣The only open question now is whether the Canes have the best kicker in the country. Facing 4th-and-5 at the Louisville 40 in the 2nd quarter, I went through my mental rolodex of options. Punt, pin them deep, try to force a 3 and out late in the half and score on the half’s last possession OR go for it because 5 yards is very doable. It never even crossed my mind that kicking a FG was an option. Louisville seemed to not trust it either. They sent someone back to return the FG that would inevitably fall short and left a fake prevention defense on the field. I thought there was half a chance that the FG would be a pooch punt. Instead…right down the middle, had plenty of leg to go another 10 yards. And it wasn’t just that kick. Against UAB, Borregales made all 4 XPs and his FG…a marked improvement from last year. But the FG was easy and XPs are XPs. In this game? Made all 5 XPs and made 4 FGs, 2 of which were over 40 yards, and one was the aforementioned 57-yarder. And all the kicks were perfect, right down the middle. Not only are those FGs misses last year, those are misses for the majority of college kickers.
  4. Bubba Bolden is a play maker. If one player flashed consistently on defense, it was Bubba Bolden. Bolden had 11 tackles, 9 of which were solo. His ability to read and react to plays from his safety position and come downhill to blow up plays was a consistent theme for this Canes’ defense. Louisville does an excellent job of isolating players and opening up space to create one-on-one matchups. Bolden short-circuited several could and should have been big plays. When Louisville dissects the film, they’ll have to logically conclude that Bolden was just too good on the night. Several of Bolden’s tackles were in space on 3rd downs, helping the Canes to hold Louisville to 4-of-14 on 3rd downs. On a night where the Canes defense didn’t exactly shine, Bolden did and was spectacular.
  5. The Defensive Line has depth. We knew about Jaelin Phillips. We knew about Quincy Roche. We knew about Nesta Silvera. And they all showed out brilliantly. Phillips showed his complete game, pressuring the QB and stuffing the run…despite being held the entire game. Roche blew up several plays, including a screen in the first half to force a punt and a key 3rd quarter sack. And Silvera provided push the entire game, including one time hilariously blowing up a run play by manhandling a Louisville lineman and shoving him back into the RB. But what stood out to me is rotation. With the Canes playing faster on offense (they were -17 minutes in time of possession today, although a lot of that was down to the 3rd quarter), the defense will need to rotate. And while the secondary struggles to find its sea legs, increasing pressure is getting put on the Canes’ defensive line. Both Jared Harrison-Hunte and Cameron Williams showed they could be counted on. The Canes rotated them in, and they answered the call, with sacks, key tackles, and disciplined play. That is a game changed going forward.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a contributor for @FiveReasonsSports and generally covers the Miami Hurricanes. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003

Kicker Jose Borregales is Miami Hurricanes X-Factor

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The Miami Hurricanes are 2-0 after a dominating 47-34 victory on the road against Louisville.

Most of the credit for this hot start will go to the newly added quarterback D’Eriq King, who thew for 325 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-30 passing. The Hurricanes have seen stellar quarterback play before, although this year might be different. Offensive personnel has never been Miami’s problem, even in a year that ended with a 6-7 record.

What makes this year different is kicker Jose Borregales, who nailed four field goals. What makes those kicks notable is two of them went as far as 48 and 57 yards, with the latter breaking the Cardinal Stadium record for an opponent by the six yards and the overall mark by five.

Could you imagine the Hurricanes ever attempting to kick field goals from those distances a year ago? The furthest Camden Price kicked was a 32-yard field goal against Florida State.

Miami had to use three different kickers in 2019. Their 28-21 overtime loss to Georgia Tech was a nightmare kicking wise, as both Bubba Baxa and Turner Davidson went a combined 0-for-3 in field goals. Worst part is all of those field goal attempts were short distance.

Davidson was made to be a hero for merely converting one extra point and a 19-yard field goal in Miami’s 17-9 upset win over No. 20 Virginia, a team that finished its season at the Orange Bowl. The bar was set that low due to Baxa missing half of his field goals. An argument could be made that the Hurricanes season would have gone in a much different direction if he only missed just a quarter of his field goals.

While that was happening, Borregales was at FIU giving the Panthers confidence that most of their offensive drives will at least result with three points. He was instrumental in FIU upsetting Miami at Marlins Park this past November, making all thee field goals including two going over 50 yards.

The Panthers started calling Miami the “University of Coral Gables” after that game. This website actually sells shirts with that name.

Nevertheless he joined the so-called University of Coral Gables as a graduate transfer because as he admitted last November, it was his dream school and his brother, Andres Borregales, will soon replace him next year.

The rankings are a bit suspect this early in the strange 2020 season. Both Miami and Louisville were unranked a week ago hosting C-USA opponents. The ACC is considered as the superior conference so for both teams to jump so high in the rankings after predicable wins seemed unusual. A conspiracy theorist would tell you that the rankings were manipulated to make the Saturday night game an easier sell. With little to none fan attendance in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, college football has become virtually exclusively purposed for television.

Miami came out on top so now next week’s home game against their bitter but weaker rivals, the Florida State Seminoles, will not only be another primetime affair but also attract ESPN College Gameday to brace the campus with their presence. Had Louisville won, maybe No. 25 Pittsburgh would have jumped higher in the polls than it otherwise would after being Syracuse to make their matchup with the Cardinals a marquee matchup, rather than a mere matinee.

The Hurricanes have a good chance to start 3-0 and be well positioned for championship contention. Maybe Clemson goes through the entire season without a challenge but the face that Borregales can put the Hurricanes in field goal range as soon as their offense crosses the midfield logo gives them a chance to unseat the champs.