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***
    ⁣
    ‌⁣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.

Erik Spoelstra, The Reason for the Success

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The Miami Heat are currently 10-1 in this year’s post-season, but who is the main reason for that?

Is it Jimmy Butler’s late game heroics?

Is it Bam Adebayo’s unbelievable impact?

Is it Goran Dragic’s terrific scoring stretch?

Although these are viable options, it seems as Erik Spoelstra deserves a lot of the credit.

Game two of the Eastern Conference Finals definitely put a stamp on that, when Spo not only made huge adjustments, but got this team focused. The Heat were playing like a team up 1-0 in the series during the first half, which is very unlike them to do so. But it seemed as if every player came out of the locker room at halftime with the same exact amount of energy. They were back to Miami Heat basketball.

Spo then made the adjustments that ultimately won them this game. He inserted Derrick Jones Jr in the lineup in the second half over Kendrick Nunn, and it worked as you’d expect. Derrick matches up well with this Boston team defensively, since he can guard any of Boston’s iso players one-on-one. But he didn’t need to play much defense one-on-one, since Spo adjusted to the 2-3 zone defense, which is where DJJ fits perfectly. Not only because of his quickness and length to get steals, but just the discomfort that he gives guys with the ball in their hands.

He also adjusted some offensive schemes as well, utilizing Bam Adebayo on the pick and rolls. They know Bam is not going to take Boston’s bigs in the post on the offensive side, but he will play above, around, and under the rim.

This is just a one game sample size of the things Spo has had to do to come away with wins.

He had to make some tough decisions entering the playoffs as well. Benching Kendrick Nunn for Goran Dragic, removing Meyers Leonard from the rotation, and even giving Tyler Herro the reigns of the offense late in big playoff games. But ultimately, this has a little something to do with Spo knowing his personnel.

He knew Goran would step up to the plate to give him quality starting minutes, and he knew Meyers Leonard would step down and still utilize his voice and leadership on the sideline. That’s because these guys share the same mentality as Spo, they just want to win.

Jimmy Butler said to media after game two, “He makes everybody feel comfortable. Hell, I’m glad he’s my coach.” Even Heat legend Dwyane Wade talked about the success of Spoelstra, saying “He’s a great coach man. He won’t get the respect from the outside, but from all of us who really know, he got it.”

Erik Spoelstra and this Heat team are now two wins away from the NBA finals. And if you don’t think that Spo has something else up his sleeve to close out this series, you are absolutely wrong.

 

Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) is a regular on Five on the Floor properties.

Houtz Special: Dolphins should ‘stay the course’ with Tua Tagovailoa

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Last night, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 in an exciting primetime game.

This game had everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING.

Odell Beckham Jr. made big plays. Cleveland utilized their two-headed monster in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. And we got a preview of Baker Mayfield vs Joe Burrow. We also got this.

(P.S I miss you Jarvis Landry. #LandryGangGang)

Dolphins can learn a lot from Joe Burrow; Bengals

It was a good night of football.

But my biggest takeaway from this game–besides realizing how foolish it was to sit Kareem Hunt this week for broken Miles Sanders–was that the Dolphins need to stay the course with their young signal-caller.

Because yes, Joe Burrow looked impressive as hell completing a rookie record 37 passes on 61 attempts.

But he also got his ass-kicked, enduring 17 punishing hits throughout the three-hour slugfest.

After the game, Burrow said he was fine. But as we’ve seen first hand in Miami over the years, this type of abuse is not sustainable.

Furthermore, making Burrow throw the ball 61 times is not something we thought we’d see on this day. And behind indubitably the worst offensive line in football, this isn’t exactly a recipe for success.

Now, I know what the first thing is you’re going to say:

bUt MiAmI’S oFfEnSivE LiNe Is BetTeR tHAn CiNcInAtTi’s

Yes, this is true.

But it is also true that Miami has only played ONE game.

Offensively, the Dolphins line played solid. And if younger players like Solomon Kindley, Austin Jackson, and Robert Hunt continue to step up; and the veterans build continuity, there’s no reason why this offensive line can’t rank middle of the pack–at worst.

So, yes I concur that Miami’s offensive line is superior. It’s hard not to be.

Fitzmagic or Fitztragic?

Then there’s also this older, bearded guy on the roster named Ryan Fitzpatrick– whom is playing in his 16th NFL season. Not only did he lead the Dolphins to five wins in 2019 but he’s again reunited with 68-year-old Chan Gailey. Whose offense in week one, admittedly, looked like it hasn’t aged in a few decades. And in their first time together since 2016, there were plenty of kinks to work out.

On Sunday, Fitzpatrick looked much more like his alter-ego FitzTragic–throwing three interceptions in a losing effort. But in 2020, the leash for Fitzpatrick could be longer than a season ago– as Chris Kauffman of 3 Yard’s Per Carry notes in this elegant thread:

And the most important variable–other than health– is how well does the rookie understand Miami’s offense?

After all, we heard all offseason how it’s much more simplified than Chad O’Shea’s from a season ago.

We also know how similar Gailey’s offense is to what Tagovailoa ran in Tuscaloosa.

But in his first taste of the NFL glitz and glamour, Tua did everything asked of him on the sideline. And whether that be communicating with coaches and players, or buckling his chinstrap on every offensive position, The Left Arm of God appeared ready and eager to get out there.

Miami’s starting QB agreed:

“He asked some really good questions. It seemed like he saw the game pretty decent from the sidelines in terms of the stuff that we were talking about and the questions he was asking. It was good. It was a good start just to build on that communication now, just being another set of eyes for me to be able to trust. I thought he did a nice job.”

The Final Yard

Ultimately, it is up to head coach Brian Flores on when he will decide to usher in the new era in Miami.

An era, that many have dreamt about in their heads since the GOAT Dan Marino rode off into the sunset.

And despite all these words I just took an hour to type out, everything could change with another lackluster performance from the veteran Fitzpatrick.

Yes, this is a unique season. But the Dolphins have already been clear that Tua is healthy and able to play. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent Josh Rosen packing with a handful of money. Or removed Tagovailoa recently from the team’s injury report.

In the end, no one knows when the Tua Tagovailoa Era will begin in Miami.

But as we saw last season, all it takes is a few costly mistakes and Brian Flores is ready to make a change.

A change that Dolphins fans have desired for most of their life.

 

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Heat Prove They are up to the Challenge

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Rarely has a playoff matchup been introduced with this much uncertainty. Given the unprecedented bubble environment and lack of past matchups between the two teams as presently constructed, there weren’t many voices around the NBA willing to confidently predict how the Eastern Conference Finals would play out. ESPN experts were split down the middle, with 11 people picking the Heat and 11 picking the Celtics, everyone agreeing that the series would last 6 or 7 games. The general consensus seemed to be that the series could go either way. 

Still there were people who doubted whether the Miami Heat belonged, people who doubted whether they could challenge the Boston Celtics as much as the Toronto Raptors had the series before. These people took the Heat’s dominance over the top-seeded Bucks as proof of Milwaukee’s fraudulence rather than evidence of Miami’s prowess. Paul Pierce (an unbiased voice, no doubt) went as far as to say that the Miami Heat hadn’t been “tested” yet. There were some legitimate questions about whether the Heat had defensive personnel to contain Boston’s array of electric offensive players. Would Kemba be the guy to finally exploit Miami’s point of attack issues on defense? Would Crowder be able to keep up with the Celtics’ young wings? As cocky as Miami fans acted and as divided as opinions were on the conference finals matchup, there were whispers about whether this would be the round where this unlikely, unexpected Miami Heat team would be exposed and outmatched. After a dominant first quarter from Boston, people had to wonder whether Miami would get run off the floor. 

If the following three quarters of game 1 proved anything, it’s that nobody should be worried about whether Miami is up to this challenge.

With a bit of zone, plenty of trapping, and a lot of Bam flying around the court, the Heat did an incredible job of shutting down Kemba Walker and disrupting the rest of Boston’s offense. Despite a typical star scoring performance from Jayson Tatum and the odd hot shooting night from Marcus Smart, Miami’s defensive personnel showed that they could keep up. Crowder looked plenty capable of sticking to Boston’s best wings and guys like Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro weren’t the defensive liabilities some worried they may be in this series.

On the offensive end, Goran continued his all-star level playoff play, getting the Heat running and pulling the team out of their first quarter slump. Boston’s number 1 defense didn’t stop Miami from getting into a rhythm and finding their shots. Herro and Adebayo displayed a level of patience, poise, and awareness uncommon in players their age, ending with 9 assists each. Never looking outmatched, Miami found open shooters, attacked the paint, and got Boston into foul trouble. The teams seemed as evenly matched as it gets, but down the stretch of a competitive game the Heat’s leaders didn’t flinch a bit. They climbed back from a 12 point deficit entering the fourth quarter, overcame a questionable off-ball foul that sent the game to overtime, and weathered a huge clutch shot from “Cardiac” Kemba, to come away with a huge game 1 win (on the road!). All it took was a couple of clutch plays from 20 year old Tyler Herro, a couple of clutch plays from Jimmy Butler, and a game saving block by Bam Adebayo that Magic Johnson called “the best defensive play [he’s] ever seen in the playoffs”. This not-so-humble 5 seeded Heat battled Boston to the last second and never blinked. 

There are concerns, of course. While Duncan Robinson was able to get more open looks than he got in 5 games against the Bucks, he was limited by foul trouble and couldn’t find his rhythm. Kendrick Nunn continued to be a liability for the Heat, which means more weight falls on the shoulders of 34 year old Goran Dragic. Kelly Olynyk struggled, and if he can’t turn it around, the Heat will have a hard time surviving minutes where Bam rests. The Heat fell into the same offensive lulls that we saw against the Bucks and Pacers, but it looks like the Celtics have the offense to make them pay for them. The margin of error for Miami is razor thin, and Boston will punch back in game 2. Meanwhile, the recovering Gordon Hayward looms and Celtics fans have to hope that his return can tip the scales of a mostly balanced matchup. 

The Celtics aren’t the Bucks. They certainly aren’t the Pacers. Brad Stevens will adjust, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown will get going. It looks like Erik Spoelstra and the Heat will need everything they’ve got if they’re going to win the East. The outcome of the Eastern Conference Finals is not much more certain than it was a day ago, but here what is clear. Spo isn’t scared. Bam isn’t scared. Herro, Crowder, Dragic, Butler certainly aren’t scared. Riley sure ain’t scared. Nor should you be. 

 

Jack Alfonso can be found at @AlfonsoHoops. Photo courtesy of @MiamiHeat on Twitter.