Tua Tagovailoa says the Dolphins did what they had to against a tough Cardinals team.

Pressure Point: Dolphins are Tua’s team now

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The rush to judgment on Tua Tagovailoa after a debut start with training wheels on was not only premature it was laughable.

Coach Brian Flores made that clear at midweek when he brushed off as nonsense the notion that the Dolphins were giving the quarterback they supposedly tanked to get in the draft a 10-game audition to determine whether they should draft another quarterback in 2021.

If it is an audition, Tagovailoa passed with flying colors Sunday in his second start.

The Dolphins not only pulled off a remarkable comeback win, 34-31, on the road against a tough Arizona Cardinals team, they can confirm to have indeed found their quarterback. The outside noise can stop right there.

It was entertaining and exhilarating to watch. How long has it been since the Dolphins not only kept pace in a wide-open shootout but came out ahead?

It sure conjured memories of Danny Boy flinging it in his prime.

Tua made plays down the stretch

Tua got his first win last week on the coattails of an opportunistic defense. Afterward Flores said that one day Tua would bail out the team. Sunday he did just that in leading his first comeback win with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Make that Tua-and-0.

“I thought he made a lot of plays for us, a lot of big plays for us, especially down the stretch. We needed it,” Flores said. “They made plays, we made plays. The stage wasn’t too big for him tonight. He played well. But we had a lot of guys play well. … It was a team effort.”

Kudos to the defense for producing the first touchdown and making a vital fourth-down stop. And for field goals of 56 and 50 yards by Jason Sanders, who set a franchise record with 20 consecutive made kicks.

But the 10-play, 93-yard drive to the tying touchdown made it clear this is Tua’s team now.

The drive, which began with the Dolphins down by a touchdown, gained impetus with Tagovailoa, in the shadow of his own end zone, converting on third-and-9 with a 14-yard completion to DeVante Parker.

It featured Tagovaila twice scrambling for first downs. The first he converted on third down by juking past a defender. The second was a stunning escape from pressure for 17 yards to the Arizona 11. The following play he tossed a pinpoint strike to Mack Hollins to tie the game.

Then, following a fourth-down stop by Zack Seiler, Tua moved the Dolphins close enough for Sanders’ decisive 50-yard field goal.

Tua dazzled on the run

The runs were eye-opening, especially considering the hip injury that ended Tagovailoa’s college career.

“I think the dolphins organization, with everyone from the medical staff, if they felt that they would be putting me in a bad situation if I had to go and make a play on the run, I don’t think they’d let me go out there and play.

“I had self-confidence I would be able to go out there and if I needed to make a play with my legs, I would.”

He added with a laugh: “That was probably the slowest I ever felt. Oh, my goodness, I felt like I was running in quicksand.”

The Tua and Kyler Show, a renewal of college rivals, delivered beyond expectations. Tagovailoa and Arizona’s Kyler Murray combined for 672 yards.

Tua did his part in matching skills and scores with the superlative Murray, whose accuracy and ability to evade tacklers is uncanny.

The No. 1 draft pick in 2019, Murray has been performing for a season and a half the way he did Sunday. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 150.0.

Tua keeps pace with Murray

Tua? Frankly, it was uncertain what to expect other than that he would be asked to do a lot more than in his first start.

All he did was complete 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards, two touchdowns and a 122.3 passer rating. His 35 yards on seven rushes were second on the team.

But the passing was what everyone wanted to see, and Tua delivered on every type of throw that could be asked of him.

He did it with a limited receiving corps. Preston Williams left with a foot injury in the first half after catching a touchdown pass and getting jumped on by man-child defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.

But Tua not only made effective use of his best receiver, Parker, who made all six of his receptions after Williams left, he threw that spot-on tying touchdown to Hollins, who had no previous receptions as a Dolphin.

Tagovailoa show he can setp up in the pocket and deliver completions. He threw accurately on the run.

In the first half, he made a deep throw to Williams for 35 yards on the first touchdown drive. On the second scoring drive, he found Williams on third down near the goal line for a touchdown.

He found tight end Durham Smythe over the middle on the third look for 19 yards and a first-and-goal that set up Miami’s first touchdown.

Just the beginning for Tua

“Tua did his part. It wasn’t a perfect game. He made some mistakes like we all did,” Flores said, but added, “He fought back, we fought back as a team and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end.”

The Dolphins have now won four in a row for the first time in four seasons. At 5-3, they are very much in the playoff chase, perhaps a season sooner than expected.

When you look at the bigger picture, the future comes into much brighter focus. Just two starts into his career, Tagovailoa has already demonstrated he can be the quarterback of the Dolphins’ hopes and dreams.

And he is going to get better than he was Sunday.

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

 

Dolphins offense knows it must play better to go toe-to-toe with Cardinals

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Tua Tagovailoa’s first NFL start didn’t go exactly as many expected. And while I don’t think anyone thought he would have a big performance vs. one of the best defenses in football, we did expect more than what we saw.

Maybe, we are at fault.

After all, this was Tagovailoa’s first action since a year prior when he suffered a horrific injury—that some thought may end any chance at a professional career. It was also during an unprecedented offseason, where most–if not all–of the first-team reps went to the veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick.

On Sunday, the hip looked fine as Tua moved fluidly and played a full 60 minutes for Miami in a 28-17 win over the Rams.

Tagovailoa finished 12/22 for 93 yards and one touchdown. The numbers weren’t jaw-dropping, but I think we all realize Miami’s early lead affected the play-calling as did the Rams pressure upfront.

The Franchise

Nevertheless, Tua and his arsenal of weapons must play much better Sunday vs. Arizona–and that includes every aspect of the game.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is an entirely different animal for Miami’s defense to prepare for. And although Kenyan Drake might not get the revenge game he had hoped, Chase Edmonds has been every bit, if not, more impressive than Drake in 2020. And let’s not forget De’Andre Hopkins, arguably the best WR in football. Add the timeless-legend Larry Fitzgerald and the man, the myth, the legend, Christian Kirk. Miami’s defense will have their hands full.

But just like we saw the defense step up last week when the team needed it most. The offense is going to need to do much more this week.

As we heard yesterday from offensive guard Solomon Kindley, Miami’s offensive line comes into each game expecting to keep Tua clean. That didn’t happen on Sunday, and the end result led to a fumble that inevitably leads to a Robert Woods touchdown.

Miami’s wide receivers must do more.

Miami’s game plan was to get the ball out of Tua’s hands quickly. Gailey also moved the pocket for his young QB by using designed rollouts to help counter Aaron Donald and the Rams’ vaunted defense.

However, there were also instances where Tagovailoa’s wide receivers dropped the ball.

Literally and figuratively. And with Isaiah Ford headed to New England, Brian Flores needs someone, anyone, to step up.

One player who specifically needs to correct some of his consistency issues is second-year WR Preston Williams.

Williams had two drops vs. Los Angeles on Sunday. And while I won’t sit here and pretend they were game-altering miscues, they did end a few drive pre-maturely.

Another player that Tua and the Dolphins could rely heavily on is speedy wideout, Jakeem Grant.

We all know Grant is a workout warrior, but besides a monster Monday Night Football game vs. the Patriots, he’s been kept quiet for most of his career. Unless, of course, you factor in his kick returns, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Grant admits the Dolphins skill-players need to do better, which is why the team has put in the extra work (after hours) to correct some of the obvious timing issues.

“The Cardinals put up numbers and we know that we’ve got to go out there and execute to the tee. We stayed after practice. We got our timing right. All of us as receivers, we stayed after practice with Tua (Tagovailoa) just to get our timing right, so we know that we’ve got to go out there and dominate. We can’t have a game like we had last week.”

Malcolm Perry, another player that could see his role expanded over the coming weeks, had nothing but high praise for Tua.

 

Most important, however, is that Tua Tagovailoa is aware he needs to do much more to put this offense in a position to succeed.

“I think there’s room for improvement every day for me. I’m getting more comfortable in the huddle talking to the guys, getting the plays out and kind of seeing where everyone needs to go. I think the biggest thing for me is pocket presence. Being able to just step up into what feels like pressure and then also just making the throws that I need to give the receivers good run after catch.”

The Final Yard

From Tua to the offensive line, to the play-calling to the skill-players, Miami’s offense must play much better on Sunday. And everyone knows it. Now they must go out there and execute, and that’s exactly what I expect them to do. We know they won’t have RB1 Myles Gaskin. And to go toe-to-toe with one of the best offenses in football, EVERYONE will need to bring their A-game.

The Left Arm of God’s first start didn’t go as planned. But don’t let that deter you from your initial thoughts. Tagovailoa is everything we had hoped for and more. Good things come to those who wait, and for most Dolphins’ fans, the wait dates back to March 2000 when Dan Marino took off his cleats for the last time.

Last week’s game may not have gone exactly as we had hoped. But this is the game that Gailey and the Dolphins #LetTuaCook.

It’s time.

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Miami Heat(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Udonis Haslem question…again

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I don’t believe there is a story about the Miami Heat that Brady Hawk hasn’t written. He has covered the well-known free agency targets and even got to the point of desperation where he was making a case for Josh Jackson to join the Heat. He almost convinced me until I remembered it was Josh Jackson. The one name that hasn’t been mentioned throughout his onslaught of articles — Udonis Haslem.

That’s right. The culture captain himself has been left off of the laundry list of prospective Heat players for the 2020-2021 season by the man with 1,000 articles (and apparently no bedtime). *Scoffs* some boy wonder he is. Just kidding. Brady has been carrying Heat coverage on FiveReasons and has left some of us wondering if we are even worthy of calling ourselves contributors. Great job, bro.

So what does the 17-year veteran’s future hold? The answer is the same as it has been for the past few seasons — mind your own damn business. That final roster spot will have UD’s name on it until he is good and ready to retire.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. This conversation has been tossed around for years always resulting in number 40 still being on the roster. My guess is that this year will be no different. Udonis will once again patrol the sidelines and the locker room snuffing out any and all counter-culture mentality. And being honest, it should be no other way.

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

 

 

 

Hungry Dolphins Fans Should Be Craving For More Tua

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Ok, I’ll say what everyone else was thinking: I was really hoping that the stat line in Tua Tagovailoa’s first pro-career start would be something like 20-25, 250 yards, and 3 touchdowns topped off with 3 rushes for 30 yards and a rushing touchdown that had him carrying Aaron Donald on his back like Bo Jackson with Brian Bosworth. Tua would be smiling that contagious smile, dancing on the sidelines to reggaeton, and playfully bantering with Ryan Fitzpartrick and the squad of Fitzpatrick children. Of course, this would be all in a Dolphins victory.

 

Well, I got the Dolphins victory part correct.

 

The Miami Dolphins beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-17 in a game that should not have been as close as the score seems to indicate whenever people review the headlines Monday morning. That incredible first half was all that I could have asked for, though I was hoping Chan Gailey would break out the Statue of Liberty play or throw in a flea flicker. Nope. Not on the menu.

 

Dolphins fans, this was enjoyable to watch despite the cardiac nature of the finish. The constant pressure put on Jared Goff via well-timed, excellently executed blitzes was such a marvel. There was even a Jakeem Grant sighting as he returned a punt for a touchdown. Heck, even Andrew Van Ginkel got in on the act. Who out there would’ve expected that?

 

Despite all of the pyrotechnics of the first half, this was the Tua game. This game had the hype of Tua but the aftertaste of a very satisfying complete team victory. But truth be told, I really wanted more Tua. We all wanted more Tua.

 

As Miami Dolphins fans, we are so starved for a QB to give us a Dan Marino-eque lift that we glom onto anyone that feels like will come within the same time zone of that possibility. We all know that Tua represents the best chance of quelling that hunger. And no, I did not feel that way with Ryan Tannehill, though I am happy he is enjoying success in Tennessee, having rid himself of the Adam Gase stink.

 

Tua is different. He comes with a pedigree and a resume of success that we have not recently seen in a QB we have drafted since, dare I say, Chad Henne? Was he the closest?

 

In this, the seventh game of the season, we were given the opportunity to see it all come together. But rather than it be the showcasing of a franchise changing QB, we were gifted a team that came together very Voltron-like to get the dub. You’re lying if you weren’t wanting Tua and what he accomplished in his first game to be the headline for all of the major networks. We wanted to get drunk off of the coverage.

 

Rest easy Dolphins fans, there will be opportunities for more. Chan Gailey isn’t going to horde the meatier, tastier parts of the playbook. I am willing to bet that it is going to be a buffet of play calls. Chan was kind enough to tip his hand with that Wildcat play as a tease of things to come. Sure on that play Aaron Donald engulfed Malcolm Perry and Malcolm Perry’s entire family, but it was a taste. And a staple of all the upcoming menus will be Tua Tagovailoa.

 

We were robbed of several promising drives that could have given us a longer look at the Tua possibilities had it not been for some uncharacteristic dropped passes courtesy of Preston Williams. That will be a bitter taste if only because it would have also been more live reps as he acclimates to the rigors of professional life, pro-players, and his own teammates.

 

Fear not, it will come with time.

 

Dolphins fans, if you are in any way down because the stat line was not what you had hoped or that you were deprived of a Marvel Cinematic Universe level debut, I think we can take pause. I think it’s safe to say that we should take a pause for several weeks. One game does not a career make. 

 

The fact that this all came in a victory where all three areas of the team–offense, defense, and special teams–contributed to scores and excelled makes us both sated and yet wanting more. Our hunger is magnified because this victory came as a result of a complete team effort. We’re all thinking, “Man what if Tua had just gone stat machine crazy out there?”

 

But much of the offense looked rather pedestrian, as per the stats. The most exciting play on offense besides Tua’s first touchdown pass, a three yarder to Devante Parker, came on the second play of the game. And it wasn’t exciting in the traditional sense.

 

I took a long gasp as Aaron Donald did Aaron Donald things, driving Tua and causing a fumble. I was like a corner man yelling for his boxer to get up, which he did. But with no pre-season and red jerseys in practice, it was good for him to get the rust off and get the first contact out of the way. The first drive was pretty difficult to swallow.

 

Over a year ago, before wearing a mask was a polarizing test of one’s citizenship, I wrote about how I really wanted newly acquired QB Josh Rosen to succeed. He was a high draft pick with a good arm and the smarts. Looking on the menu of quarterbacks who were drafted that year, I told myself, “Why not try it out?”

 

I can play the hindsight game now and say that the Rosen one was not the Chosen One. This is to illustrate just how desperate we were as fans. 

 

It also illustrated just how low we had set the bar. It has since been raised.

 

Stats be damned, I believe we have sushi grade Tua. There is a swagger that is all confidence and toes nowhere near arrogance. Once he has his sea legs under him, he will exude even more confidence and it will be infectious.

 

I may not 100 percent trust the organization to properly handle dispensing the news of starting Tua to incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick or even septuagenarian offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.  But I do trust this staff in handling him properly. I do trust that the training wheels will come off much sooner than we think and the order of the day will be a healthy dose of Hall of Fame trending Miami Dolphins quarterback not named Marino or Griese.

 

Sounds pretty damn appetizing to me.

 

Next week and in the weeks to come, Dolphins fans we will feast.

Tua Tagovailoa wins in his first NFL start for the Dolphins.

Pressure Point: Dolphins’ defense picks up Tua; he’ll return the favor

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Of all the likely scenarios for Tua Tagovialoa’s first career start for the Dolphins, what transpired Sunday was beyond imagination.

Consider: The Dolphins win convincingly against a good Los Angeles Rams team, 28-17, and the vaunted rookie quarterback is limited to a supporting role.

Dolfans tuned in Sunday to see if the franchise has finally ended its long search for a quarterback to lead in pursuit of a championship. They received a better answer: It was another indication that the Dolphins have finally found the coach for that objective.

The occasion will be remembered as Tagovailoa’s first NFL start and first win. More significant, it pushed the Dolphins (4-3) above .500 for the first time in Brian Flores’ two seasons as Dolphins coach.

Tua didn’t dazzle, as fans and South Florida media were hoping he would. He had a shaky beginning, getting strip-sacked on his first drop-back, yielding a fumble that gifted the Rams a 7-0 lead.

His longest completion was for 15 yards. But he consistently showed the accurate touch that enabled him to post the NCAA record passing rating while at Alabama.

Modest first step for Tua

It wasn’t a debut performance that portended greatness. But Tagovailoa displayed the skill and poise to suggest he’ll be fine once he settles in.

“We have a lot of confidence in him,” Flores said. “Obviously, it’s his first NFL game against a real good defense. They’re hard to move the ball on. You’ve got to take that into account as well.

“The rest of the players on the team picked him up. Tua’s going to pick us up at some point. It’s a team game. We’re going to pick each other up.”

That’s the encouraging part for Dolphins fans. They came for Tua’s debutante ball. They were treated to an extravaganza of defense.

The Dolphins D did what the Brian Flores-led Patriots’ defense did in shutting down Jared Goff and the Rams in Super Bowl 53 just before he took the Dolphins’ job.

What stood out Sunday was how far the Miami defense has come since the beginning of the season, turning in a dominant performance for the third consecutive game — all double-digit victories.

Dolphins defense dazzles

The Dolphins created four turnovers in the first half, including Andrew Van Ginkel’s 78-yard return of a fumble recovery for a touchdown. The defense took over the game after Tagovailoa was stripped of the ball by Rams otherworldly defender Aaron Donald on his first attempt to pass.

Throw in a stunning 88-yard punt return by Jakeem Grant and it was 28-7 Miami in a blink of an eye.

Tua’s contribution was leading a 33-yard touchdown drive following one of the takeaways, capped by a 3-yard toss over the middle to DeVante Parker on the final play of the first quarter.

Show of hands: How many in the Tua’s First TD Pass Sweepstakes had No. 1 to No. 11 on 11/1?

It was a dart through a tight window from the pocket to Parker over the middle.

“That was really fun. It always feels good throwing a touchdown and being able to celebrate with your team, and teammates on the sideline are celebrating as well,” Tagovailoa said of his first touchdown since throwing for 88 in his college career.

“It’s not easy scoring against a defense like that. But just enjoying the moment every time. And I’m keeping the ball.”

Aside from that, Tagovailoa wasn’t asked to do a lot, as offensive coordinator Chan Gailey called a conservative game. The big lead made that possible.

Shades of Super Bowl 53

It was an odd game in that instead of it being in the hands of the quarterback, it was the Dolphins defense that controlled the game.

The defense was on the field for an astounding 92 plays, to only 48 for the Tua-led offense.

It is tough to remember when it was so much fun to watch a Dolphins defense. The unit pressured and befuddled Goff with a variety of looks, much like Flores’ Patriots defense did in the Super Bowl win. Two transplants from that Super Bowl crew, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy, were key contributors. Eric Rowe, another former Patriot, had an interception and should have had another for a pick-6.

They forced Goff to fumble twice, deflected several of his passes and intercepted two of them.

Goff threw 61 passes, completed 35 for 355 yards, but had subpar passer rating of 65.9.

Tua completed 12 of 22 for 93 yards, with a passer rating of 80.3. There were four drops — Preston Williams dropped two on one series. Myles Gaskin somehow dropped another right in the midsection that prevented a first-down conversion when the Dolphins were trying to run out the clock in the fourth quarter.

“We won the game. Again, it’s a team game — I can’t stress that enough. It’s not a one-man show. I think he made enough plays for us to win the ballgame,” Flores said of Tagovailoa.

Rude welcome to the NFL for Tua

The main thing that Tua accomplished Sunday was getting the first-game jitters out of the way.

Remember, this was the first full game he has played in nearly a year. In between, there was a major injury that jeopardized his career. And there were no preseason games, due to COVID, to get acclimated to the NFL.

Notably, Tagovailoa took the rude welcome as an NFL starter by Donald and Co. in stride.

“That was a good hit. It’s football,” he said. “Tried to step up and make the throw, and Donald swiped at the ball behind me. I don’t know who the guy was that took me off my feet and pretty much body-slammed me. But hey, that’s football.

“I’m not going to lie, I did enjoy getting hit that first time.”

Now that that’s out of the way, Tua can focus on making his presence felt against upcoming opponents.

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

Season Ticket: It was a Start, and for Tua, Surging Dolphins, it’s Sufficient

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MIAMI GARDENS — What this could have been.

That was the thought on the approach to Hard Rock, where nary a brake was necessary on the Turnpike ride, off the ramp, into the finally-promising future of what was once the signature franchise in South Florida. What this could have been, if not for the global pandemic that has stopped so many lives in their tracks, waiting for some better day. What could have been, if the buzz in this town for a new Dolphins beginning, in living rooms across four counties, could be sanitarily matched in sports bars and the stadium, so more than 13,000 or so could be on hand for local football history, the official unveiling of the most important player of this franchise’s past two decades?

What this could have been.

But in a year of “if onlys,” we’ll take what we can, and so, in so many ways, the Tua Tagovailoa starting debut, in the seventh game of this weird but increasingly interesting 2020 Miami Dolphins season, was about as much as we could reasonably expect. His performance wasn’t spectacular in any sense, certainly not to his standards with all of 93 yards in Chan Gailey’s Bubble-wrapped gameplan, as he acknowledged afterwards. But we’ll take it, won’t we? Take the 28-17 win? Take the 4-3 record in an open AFC East, with the Bills scuffling and the Patriots sinking and the Jets Gase-ing? Take the hope? Take the small pleasures, in seeing his read a defense properly, in seeing him stand up after his first hit (“I did enjoy getting hit that first time; that was definitely a welcome”), in seeing him walking off a winner at the end, his mother’s eyes wet in a skybox?

“I don’t think I played to the standard of what this offense was capable of,” Tagovailoa said, after completing 12 of just 22 passes, with Miami accruing just eight first downs compared to 31 for Los Angeles.

Maybe it was somewhat on him. But the drops held him back, four in all, of he would have thrown for closer to 130 or 140 yards than his sub-100 total. So, seemingly, did Gailey. The extreme conservativism in the play-calling made it seem at times as if Tua had been elevated prior to Gailey rendering him ready, though the sizable lead likely contributed to some of the caution. Why push it if you didn’t need to, especially with the receivers struggling so much? As long as the Dolphins had enough upright defenders  — and that was an open question with the 93 snaps they were forced to play — Miami might have enough to survive the day, even against a team that entered 5-2.

“We played a lot of defense today,” Flores said. “Guys were a little bit gassed at the end. I can talk about conditioning now.”

He could say that with a smile, because he knows what he has here. The defense, which appeared leaky at the start of the season, with free agents struggling to acclimate, suddenly looks lethal, confounding the flustered Jared Goff with more unique, twisted looks than Khloe Kardashian’s had.

Miami has allowed fewer points than any other NFL team, and GM Chris Grier is on an even better run.

The biggest plays of the game were made by players he’s trusted, from 2019 fifth-round linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, running with a fumble like his Viking hair was on fire, to 2019 first-round defensive tackle Christian Wilkins showing better hands than anyone on offense, to free agent picks Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Kyle Van Noy all taking part in enormous plays. The Dolphins’ defense is now on offense for the first time since Jason Taylor by far was the best 99 in football, not the guy (Aaron Donald) who is now, and stripped Tagovailoa on his very first series.

It could have gotten worse from there, and Tagovailoa’s second possession wasn’t much more productive, when after a quick slant completion to Preston Williams there was miscommunication on a stop route by DeVante Parker. The receivers couldn’t consistently get separation and, when they did, Williams in particular couldn’t catch. But again, the defense was doing enough, and when Jakeem Grant exploded for a punt return touchdown, the team-record fifth return touchdown of his short career, the Dolphins could reel it in even more offensively.

Along the way, Tagovailoa made some zippy timing throws, one to Duncan Smythe and another to Grant, but the timing that mattered most was the clock ticking down. Escaping. Getting to the next game, against surging Arizona and their own smallish franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, in one piece.

Tagovailoa called his first starting experience “fun,” and said he planned to keep the ball from his first touchdown, a 3-yard dart to Parker, who made the best receiving adjustment of the afternoon. But this is a guy who would throw for more yards on the first two Alabama drives than he did all of this Sunday, so he won’t kid himself. He needs to recognize pressure from the middle faster, and to prepare for even more than the coaches outline in practice, after saying that the Rams threw some unexpected alignments at him.

“I’ve heard it many times from the guys in the locker room, it’s good that we still came out with the win,” Tagovailoa said. “Aside from that, thank God we got a good defense.”

He told the defense the fumble was his fault, an extension of the leadership he showed from the start, as when he was grabbing teammates by the shoulders as they finished warmups and headed toward the tunnel. He has charisma and toughness. That’s a start. That will get respect, as it got Ryan Fitzpatrick’s, even as hurt as Fitzpatrick was by the quarterback switch, the announcement of which was the rare thing the organization has bungled of late, with the leak of that made well over Brian Flores’ head, with someone high up telling the wrong friend who told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Flores has earned trust with everything he’s done thus far in his Dolphins tenure, which now includes a 9-7 record over his past 16 games, and improvement in several areas every week. He has earned the right to raise Tagovailoa as he sees fit, and in that sense, this was an auspicious start.

Remember, Tagovailoa’s closest NFL comp, Russell Wilson, averaged just 184 yards passing in his first six NFL starts, back in 2012.

Through the first six games of 2020, Wilson has averaged 315 yards.

Even for the best, it doesn’t happen overnight.

“What was the plan?” Flores said. “You can go through a lot of different scenarios… But the plan was to play good, efficient football. There’s some things we need to correct but it’s good to make those corrections after a victory.”

Corrections will be made.

Obstacles will be still be encountered.

But you could feel the start of something here Sunday, something that could last decades rather than years, something this place has needed as a worthy complement to the more successful Heat. There is hope here, one of the few places it seems to still exist. There was a kid wearing No. 1 who has a chance to be that guy in this town, and that one touchdown, even if only three yards, and one of only 12 completions, will likely long be remembered by those who bore witness.

You only wish there could have been more of them.

 

Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) has covered South Florida sports since 1996 and is now the CEO of Five Reasons Sports Network. 

Jason Sanders

Fresh Perspective: What makes Jason Sanders a great Dolphins kicker

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The Miami Dolphins have a long history of finding great kickers. Think back to the days of Uwe von Schamann, Garo Yepremian, Pete Stoyanovich, Olindo Mare. All of these kickers made a name for themselves wearing a Miami uniform. Mare is arguably the most notable of the bunch. However, the team now has a young kicker making the case he can be the greatest Dolphins kicker ever. Jason Sanders, 7th round pick out of New Mexico. The best going away present former special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi could have given his old team.

In just three years in the league, Sanders has already surpassed both Mare and Stoyanovich in both field goals made and attempted in a single game (seven and eight for Sanders, respectively), as well as consecutive field goals to start a season with 17. All he has to do to beat Mare’s all-time consecutive field goal record, set in 1999, is make three more field goals without missing.

But what makes Jason Sanders such a special kicker? How, after a mere two and a half seasons, is Sanders already in the conversation for best Dolphins kicker of all time?

“The biggest thing that differentiates Jason (Sanders) from any other kicker I’ve ever trained is his unique mental makeup.” said Brent Grablachoff, Sanders’ private kicking coach. “He’s the most even-keeled, neutral emotion kicker I’ve ever coached, which besides his polished fundamentals and form is what makes him so successful in his craft. He approaches every kick the same, and negative thoughts and feelings don’t get a chance to clutter his mind.

“Even the most mentally apt kicker, I feel, if things are happening around them … it’s going to affect them, at least a little. Every kick is a new kick, and the previous kick is in the past, and no longer a concern. That’s the mentality you have to have to be a successful kicker; and Jason owns that mentality.”

 

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Appreciate @kickingworld for the fine tuning! Been there since the beginning dating all the way back to high school days.

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Since founding his kicking camp – Kicking World – back in 2008, Grablachoff has worked with aspiring football kickers and punters ranging from nine years old all the way to pro level ages, and travels the country training over a thousand students a year in over 30 states. In Sanders’ case, Grablachoff has been working with him since his high school days.

Even today, Grablachoff still works with Sanders in the offseason. Sanders breaking franchise records and getting honors like AFC Special Teams Player of the Month makes no difference. However, it isn’t just Grablachoff who took notice of Sanders’ ability to stay focused. Back in 2018, Darren Rizzi cited that as one of the biggest reasons he was drafted.

“You have to have a really, really level-headed demeanor.” Rizzi said. “You can’t really be a roller coaster guy in terms of personality. I really think Jason Sanders was a really good fit from that standpoint. I’m not talking anything about his talent or his kicking ability; but I really think he’s got a really good approach of the game. I think he’s really mature above his years. I think a lot of that factors into it. That’s why certainly he takes the field with confidence every time whether it’s practice or out here during training camp, OTAs or on Sunday.”

Then of course there’s head coach Brian Flores, who also has an appreciation for the art of kicking.

“I started in the kicking game.” Flores said on October 15. “That’s where I got my break in coaching. I know and understand how important those guys in those positions are, whether it’s kicker, punter, long snapper, returners, ball security and things of that nature … Jason has done a great job. I think it’s important to him that he continues to improve and get better and continue with his consistency. That’s been good thus far and we need to just keep going in this direction. Yes, I’m very pleased at where he is, and the job he’s done really on field goals but also kickoffs. He’s done a good job from that standpoint. Just every day, just his attitude and work ethic on a day-to-day basis, he’s really done a good job really since I’ve been here.”

With this in mind, one has to wonder why Sanders struggled somewhat in college. Obviously, Rizzi saw something in Jason Sanders no one else did. Why else would the Miami Dolphins spend a draft pick on him? Still, how does someone go from a 71.4 percent field goal percentage in college to one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL?

Grablachoff offers a possible explanation.

“The thing that coach Rizzi knew and that I knew and that was also understood by another sharp AFC Special Teams coach I spoke with during evaluations, was a lot of times the misses were operational misses.” Grablachoff said. “If you watch video, the careful eye could decipher that on many of the misses Jason was getting the laces. The laces of the football were either aimed at him or aimed to the side, or the ball wasn’t optimally set up. It doesn’t necessarily mentally screw up the kicker, but physics prevail. If the ball is tilted sub-optimally or the laces are aiming left or right of target, or toward where your foot strikes the ball, it’s going to negatively affect the ball flight, trajectory, and distance of the kick.”

The physics of how field goals work is something that rarely ever comes to the minds of fans. However, bringing it up may actually answer a question that many fans are still wholly confused about. In the 6th round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Dolphins selected long snapper Blake Ferguson. That was with several skill players still available that could make a potentially immediate impact. The decision had many analysts scratching their heads, wondering why Miami would use a 6th round pick on a long snapper of all things.

“Once Jason got the opportunity to crack into the league, among the top 32 kickers and punters in the league he was rewarded with nearly perfect snaps and holds every time” Grablachoff said. “Matt Haack has done a phenomenal job, and I know that has made a huge difference in the field goal percentage rate. After evaluating game film and talking with Jason, the new long snapper has done a heck of a job this year too. That’s further helped the optimization of the snap, hold and kick operation which has equated to impressive kicking statistics this season thus far.”

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It’s very possible that Brian Flores also knew how important the long snapper is to the kicking game. Hence the 6th round investment in rookie long snapper Blake Ferguson. All of this is information that never gets talked about. Kicking is all but an afterthought in the NFL, and there’s more to it than anyone realizes. There’s also much more work that goes into being an elite kicker than anyone knows.

“One thing that maybe outsiders may not know is with a kicker, you don’t just kick 100-plus kicks a day and leave.” Grablachoff said. “Most of the training session is focused on drills. A lot of these kicking drills are stationary where we focus on making good foot to ball contact. It’s very similar to a golfer, where the club face needs to strike the ball at the correct angle. It’s similar as a placekicker. But the correct spot of the foot needs to make contact on the correct spot of the ball, and at just the right angle.

“More than half of Jason’s kicking practices are focused on drills & tactical planning than it is monotonously kicking balls. As Jason’s brothers are both involved in the military, as were both of my uncles and grandfather, I’ll give you an analogy to war. The kicker is the sniper and has to make each shot count … a one shot, one kill philosophy if you will.”

It’s clear that Jason Sanders takes what he does very seriously. But that doesn’t mean he’s all work and no play. All the proof anyone needs of this is the remarkable fake field goal last season where Sanders caught a touchdown pass from punter Matt Haack. Sanders has a very neutral mindset when kicking. But the utter joy on his face when he caught that touchdown shows that Sanders loves what he does with a passion.

“It was pretty wild,” Grablachoff said about the play. “He was getting inundated with interviews that day, so much that the son of a gun didn’t have time to get back with me after. I was mad at him, jokingly, because I wanted to do a live interview on our Instagram page that night. But he said his voice was hoarse from all the reporters’ questions. So, I didn’t get to talk to him until the next day about the play. It was pretty funny and unexpected to see live.

“And of course, I pick up my phone ten minutes later and have dozens of DMs, shares, and tweets to attend to … it went viral immediately and it was pretty neat to see the exposure for the Fins’ lonesome kicker/punter duo. Then seeing Jason and Matt (Haack) earn the NFL Play of the Year at the end of year award ceremony was pretty awesome.”

While it may not be news to hear that a player is hard-working, getting a behind-the-scenes look at what that means is very interesting. Jason Sanders shows poise with his kicks that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. Not since Olindo Mare.

Will Sanders eventually miss? Probably. But with the kicking team Miami has put together, it may be quite a while before that happens. There’s always that possibility that Sanders will put together a perfect season. But, Sanders’ mental makeup is still intact, and he refuses to get ahead of himself and lose that focus.

“That’s the goal, right? You want to walk out being 100 percent.” Sanders said in mid-October. “For me, when the season is over, it’s a good time to reflect on what you did during the season … It’s a long season. That’s kind of why I want to stay on the same line right now just going forward.”

If Sanders is successful in his goal, then in time, he may just break more records. And perhaps, prove himself the best kicker the Miami Dolphins have ever had.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for seven years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

trade deadline

Fresh Perspective: Top 3 potential trade deadline targets for Miami Dolphins

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As the trade deadline quickly approaches, the Miami Dolphins have some interesting possibilities to explore. With Tua Tagovailoa set to make his debut as Miami’s starter, the future is now. But the future is also still the future, and there are players available to acquire that could help the Dolphins now and in the years to come. General Manager Chris Grier has proven he’s willing to make deals when he sees an opportunity. The draft day trade for quarterback Josh Rosen comes to mind.

Obviously, any acquisitions need to be at a good price. Miami shouldn’t try to trade simply for the sake of trading. Nonetheless, part of being a GM is doing due diligence. Here, we shall take a look at the top three players who could potentially find roles with the Dolphins if they were acquired.

DL Quinnen Williams – New York Jets

The New York Jets are a miserable 0-7 and are on the fast track to drafting Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. As such, the Jets are in a prime position to be sellers at the November 3 trade deadline. They have already traded defensive tackle Steve McLendon and a 2023 7th round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2022 6th round draft pick. So at the risk of accusations of tanking, New York needs to build up draft capital to create a decent team around Lawrence.

Probably their most valuable piece – aside from QB Sam Darnold – is second-year defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Coming out of Alabama in 2019, Williams was considered the most dominant interior defensive lineman in all of college football before the Jets drafted him 3rd overall. He dominated one-on-one blocking, held his own against double-teams, and most felt he still hadn’t even reached his ceiling.

So why would he even be available for trade with all that in mind? Simply put, Williams has had a somewhat disappointing start to his career. In the 13 games he played for New York in his rookie season, Williams only contributed 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks. For someone projected to be the best defensive lineman in football in a few years, that’s not the stat line teams hope for. He has improved so far in 2020, already recording three sacks in seven games. But he’s not making a difference in whether the Jets win or lose. Also, there are some analysts who believe that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has misused Quinnen Williams so a good offer may be enough to shake him loose.

This is a two-fold situation. The Miami Dolphins need defensive tackle depth with the loss of Davon Godchaux to injury. Not only that, Godchaux is in a contract year, and he’ll be looking to cash in in 2021. By acquiring Williams before the trade deadline, Miami takes care of their depth problem and even potentially upgrades from Godchaux. Not only that, Williams will be under team control until 2023, meaning the Dolphins have relatively cheap, possibly elite talent for a few more years. Icing on the cake? If Miami trades for Williams, and Godchaux signs a huge contract elsewhere, they will still be eligible to receive a high compensation draft pick. Trades are not included in that formula. There are very few downsides.

That being said, acquiring Williams isn’t likely to be cheap. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Jets are looking for something more than just a 2nd round draft pick. Of course, the Dolphins do have the draft capital to meet their demands. Miami can easily package their 2nd rounder, along with one or two late-round picks to sweeten the deal.

Ultimately, this boils down to how badly the Jets want to sell at the trade deadline. According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, the Jets have not yet received any “serious” offers for Williams. And according to Manish Mehta of New York Daily News, the Jets are trying to trade Williams before the trade deadline. Of course, Brian Costello of the New York Post says the opposite. So there’s no telling what the Jets are really thinking right now. In a vacuum, if Miami is willing to send a package of picks to New York for a young defensive tackle brimming with potential, it might be worth the risk, especially if they can get away with keeping both 1st round picks.

WR John Ross – Cincinnati Bengals

John Ross is good at one thing. He’s really, really fast. So why bother trading for someone who is essentially just a taller version of Jakeem Grant? Because speed kills, and Miami’s WR corps – without Albert Wilson – is lacking serious top-end speed. While DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki (a tight end) are all terrific options to catch contested passes, they don’t have the speed and agility to break away at the line of scrimmage. It’s often a challenge to catch the ball.

This is why Jakeem Grant’s lack of targets is puzzling. Through six games this season, he’s only been targeted 17 times, 13 of which have been caught. Perhaps things will change with Tua Tagovailoa taking the reins. Ryan Fitzpatrick prefers taller wide receivers, and getting the ball to Grant requires pinpoint accuracy on account of his size. Tagovailoa projects to be a more accurate passer, but that doesn’t mean Miami should stand pat with one speedster.

Ross suffers many of the same issues Grant does. He tends to drop passes, his reliability is suspect. Not only that, his early career mirrors that of DeVante Parker’s. Often injured, Ross has only played in 24 of 48 games since he was drafted 9th overall in 2017. Now, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Ross is requesting a trade. Rookie WR Tee Higgins is impressive, and Ross’s snap count has decreased dramatically. He wants to play.

If the Cincinnati Bengals decide to honor the trade request, Ross could be had relatively cheaply. He has the makings of a redemption project, so perhaps a 3rd or 4th round pick would be enough to shake him loose. His contributions with the Bengals are minimal, and his reliability is suspect at best. Let us not forget, however, that is exactly what everyone thought about DeVante Parker. Looking into Ross’s history, a lot of the same patterns emerge. Nagging injuries, lack of confidence, no investment in taking care of his body, too much investment on social media.

Ring any bells?

Brian Flores was able to bring out the best in DeVante Parker. Perhaps he can do the same for John Ross. If they decide it doesn’t work out, they can let Ross go in the offseason no worse for wear and try to get a comp pick for him. If he does play well, then he can be re-signed to an affordable deal and add blistering speed to a WR corps that desperately needs more of it.

Safety Justin Reid – Houston Texans

The younger brother of Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid, Justin Reid has had a mixed start to his career. On the one hand, he’s very versatile. He can play in the box and as a deep safety. That fits the Miami Dolphins defensive style to a tee. On the other hand, Reid isn’t exactly playing at a Pro Bowl level. He’s good, but not great. That can change, however, if put on a team that values the secondary like Miami does.

While Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe are coming into their own, adding a young, developing player like Reid could offer a new range of possibilities for the Dolphins. Reid is only 23 years old, and he’s under team control until 2022. He’s also insanely cheap with his rookie contract, so the cap hit would be negligible.

As of now, the Houston Texans are 1-6. They have almost no draft capital whatsoever, and their salary cap is not a pretty sight. They only have about $7.5 million in cap space this season, and next season’s cap projects to be even worse with DeShaun Watson’s contract set to give him a massive pay bump. Houston needs to do something to collect picks for the future, because extending existing players isn’t going to be easy with their cap woes.

Any one of these three players gives Miami an added dimension they’re currently lacking. They also fit the youth movement the Dolphins clearly are looking for. Will they go out of their way to pursue anyone at the trade deadline? That remains to be seen. There are even rumors Miami may be sellers, as media speculates Ryan Fitzpatrick could be on the move.

Whatever the Dolphins decide, they should heavily consider using some of their picks to acquire established talent and potential before the trade deadline. Thanks to world events, NFL scouting has taken a massive hit. Picking players in the 2021 draft beyond the 2nd round is going to be riskier than ever as a result. So there’s no reason not to explore the possibility of acquiring young talent from bad teams looking to rebuild. With Brian Flores in charge, they may get something out of those players that previous regimes could not.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for seven years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

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Teeest

World Series Game 4 shows why baseball is beautiful 

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No other sport has what baseball has.

Football is religion, basketball is popular and hockey is just intense but baseball is beautiful

Only baseball gives you that one moment where everything can go one way or the other. Think of a situation in the card game “war.” You reach a stalemate with two cards of equal value, so three come out on each side and it all depends on the next draw.

That’s baseball at it’s best. Game 4 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays had what makes any postseason event feel so amazing.

Stakes.

It’s the key to every meaningful moment in sports. Without stakes, the game just becomes background noise in your living room or sports bar.

With the Dodgers leading the Rays 7-6 at the bottom of the ninth, it was time to send their closer on the mound. Three outs and the Dodgers go up 3-1, one step closer to their elusive championship, something they haven’t achieved since 1988. The Rays need to come back and claim this game to tie the series.

Now the cards are being stacked.

That isn’t the only thing that is on the line in the ninth inning. Reputation is on the line as well. Kenley Jensen has been with the Dodgers for a decade and the closer for eight years. With 312 career saves and 936 strikeouts in 636 innings, he is considered one of the best in baseball. Yet even he has shown to be mortal, and because of his elite status, his blown saves get magnified. Last year, he let a career high save opportunities get away from him.

The stage was set with two outs and a runner on first base. The Rays had their best hitter at the plate, a rookie. Randy Arozarena has literally played only two months in the big leagues yet has become a legend by hitting a postseason record ninth home run earlier in the game.

Arozarena was called on to be the hero once more while Jensen was relied on to shut him down.

The objective was clear; hit a home run and win the game or get a hit and keep the inning alive for the next guy to have the opportunity to be the hero. Fail to reach base and the game is over.

These are stakes. This is now the part of the game where after all the cards have been drawn, this next card decides it all. Jensen threw nothing but sliders and cutters just trying to get the rookie to swing and miss; a strike looking, a foul ball, three straight balls, another foul ball. In between each of those pitches is the anticipation everyone feels, desperately trying to wish their preferred outcome into existence.

After all that, after spending one minute, which felt like one hour, waiting for the pitch on 3-2, the result was a walk. So now it falls on someone else. The result of that last at-bat could mean nothing or everything. It all depends on what happens next.

Ask yourself, where else in sports creates this kind of tension in between the action? You can find something close to this in football but that only comes with the momentum of the final drive or the last second field goal that is almost supposed to happen every time. Basketball free throws don’t come nearly close. Hockey has this in shootouts but those are only for the regular season.

Only in baseball where someone with the reputation and stature of Jensen could fall to someone like Brett Phillips, who is on his third team still looking to establish himself.

Prior to this game, Phillips was known only for having a unique laugh. He has played for three teams but has a .202 batting average in 153 career games over four seasons. His hometown Rays traded for him in the middle of this truncated season.

This was his sixth postseason game but only his third plate appearance. There is no way Jensen could not get this guy out. In any other sport, this would be a one-sided affair.

This is where the final cards are flipped.

Phillips hits a single to centerfield, scoring Kevin Kiermaier to tie the game. Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor kicked the ball, and Arozarena was off to the races. Taylor threw the ball to first baseman Max Muncy, who relayed it to catcher Will Smith.

If Smith catches the ball, he would have Arozarena, who stumbled around third dead to rights and the game would be extended into extra innings. Instead, the ball bounced off of Smith’s glove and Arozarena slid into home plate to end the game.

Now Phillips is a hero for his hometown team. The series is tied and there is still a chance the Rays could win their first ever championship.

On the other side, this could be the moment that leads to the Dodgers losing their third World Series in four years.

This doesn’t happen in any other sport. That’s what makes baseball in the fall so beautiful.