Claves para que UM derrote a UNC

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UM se juega la vida esta noche en North Carolina.

Bueno. Tampoco para tanto.

Sin embargo, los Huracanes de la Universidad de Miami tienen otra gran prueba en el segundo juego de la temporada para ellos, tras caer ante los Florida Gators hace un par de semanas en el debut de Manny Díaz como head coach.

El duelo se asoma como uno interesante, con un par de quarterbacks jóvenes, y dos entrenadores que se graduaron en la misma universidad.

Leandro Soto, de Cinco Razones Deportes Network, estará comentando el duelo para la 990 ESPN Deportes desde Chapel Hill, NC, en medio de un ambiente con mucha música country y un tailgate un tanto aburrido para él, acostumbrado a la locura que se vive en los estacionamientos del Hard Rock Stadium.

En Five Reasons Sports vamos a estar transmitiendo en vivo con mucha mas frecuencia desde los diferentes eventos deportivos a los que asistimos.

Esta vez, les regalamos una pequeña previa del duelo de esta semana, con las claves para que UM pueda vencer a UNC, las fortalezas y debilidades de cada equipo, y las predicciones de cada uno para este importante encuentro.

Miami Dolphins extend G/T Jesse Davis through 2022

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Not everyone on the Miami Dolphins roster is set to be released. On Saturday, the team officially signed veteran offensive lineman Jesse Davis to a three-year extension. This new deal keeps him from becoming a restricted free agent next season. It will pay him a total of $15 million. His guarantees equate to $8.5 million, with a $4 million signing bonus.

Obviously, locking up Davis comes from a place of necessity. In light of the trade that sent Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to the Houston Texans, the Dolphins need players who can provide depth. At the same time, Davis now projects to be their starting left tackle. With Tunsil gone, Miami only has three other players who can play tackle. Jesse Davis, J’Marcus Webb and Julién Davenport.

The only one who has any experience in Chad O’Shea’s offense is Davis. Additionally, with versatility being so important, Davis fits exactly what coach Brian Flores is looking for. Davis played every snap at right guard for the Dolphins last season, and he’s played every position except center since being called up from the practice squad in 2017. Before the Tunsil trade, Davis played almost every snap at right tackle. Now he’s expected to move to the left side against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Davis has never wowed the crowd with his blocking prowess. He grades out average at best according to ProFootballFocus. However, he’s a versatile and reliable body who can be called upon for many different situations. Miami will undoubtedly look to strengthen the offensive line in 2020, which will take Davis out of his starting role. But in the future, they will need someone who can step in during emergencies, and Jesse Davis fits that role like a glove.

Charles Harris

Charles Harris is ready to take the next step

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Heading into the 2019 season, the Dolphins have plenty of holes throughout the roster.  And whether you believe the biggest need is at quarterback or offensive line, Miami is still desperately searching for a pass-rusher to attack opposing QBs.

One player that the Dolphins hope will take the next step this season is 24- year old Charles Harris.  The 22nd-overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Harris has yet to live up to his full potential.  But in a defense that many believe is better suited for his talent, 2019 could be the year he finally puts it all together.  And for a team in desperate need of a heavy-handed pass-rusher, the time is now for Harris to ascend in Flores’ defense.

Thursday, Harris addressed the media to discuss his thoughts on the upcoming 2019 season

 

Do you think this defense really fits well with what you do well as a player?

“I think it fits everybody. Like I said before, I think the head coach (Brian Flores) and ‘D.C.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) are geniuses at the game, and putting everybody in the right position to be successful. I think that’s all you can ask for as a player, so I think it fits everybody pretty well.”

 

What’s your level of excitement heading into the start of a new season?

“It’s always motivating. I’m ready to go, ready to get to it. Just trying to start it off right and get this thing going.”

 

How much film have you looked at of QB Lamar Jackson over there, and the type of danger he could provide?

“Yeah, we’ve watched plenty of film. We’ve been watching him for a while now. I’m ready to just put it all onto the field and let it all transition. He’s a great guy with his legs and everything. He’s got an arm on him as well. We’re just trying to do the best we can to stop him.”

 

What are some of the challenges a quarterback as mobile as QB Lamar Jackson provides?

“I think people that play the game or don’t play the game, you can just watch him. We all see we’re going to try to contain him and try keeping him in the box – that’s probably the hardest thing. (We have to) make sure we have good rush lanes and things like that. That’s probably the biggest challenge.”

 

For a lot of people, their third year is probably their make or break year. How do you view this year for you taking that next step?

“Doing the best thing I can every single day. I try to do everything the coach wants me to. I’m working hard on the field and try to do what I can.”

 

Looking at your first two years, are you pleased with where they were and where you are now? How do you feel about your career just in total?

“I feel pleased. I really do. I’m just getting better every day. That’s all I can ask for.”

‘Oh Captain! My Captain!’ Dolphins name 2019 team captains

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On paper, the Miami Dolphins are as devoid of talent as any heading into the 2019 season.

And as we reported earlier in the week, the team had planned to vote on captains by week’s end. Well, it’s later in the week.  Which means we are pleased to announce the Miami Dolphins have revealed their captains for the upcoming season.

So without further ado, here are the four captains that will steer the Dolphins’ tank in the right direction.

Linebacker, Jerome Baker

Free Safety, Bobby McCain

Defensive Back, Walt Aikens

Center, Dan Kilgore

The biggest surprise on this list is Bobby McCain, who transitioned to free safety in the spring.  For me, I would have hoped a guy like Xavien Howard would be given the nod.  But for something that was voted on by his peers, you have to be excited about the prospect of McCain at FS.  Jerome Baker making the list should surprise no one, as he’s been the Dolphins’ most consistent player throughout preseason.  Baker is expected to ascend in Flores’ defense and will wear the green dot as the defense’s ‘quarterback’.  Walt Aikens is a special teams maven, which is obviously why he made the list. And Daniel Kilgore remains the most consistent player on the offensive line.

Who do you think should be the Dolphins’ 2019 captains?

 

J'Marcus Webb signing

Dolphins sign OT J’Marcus Webb

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The Miami Dolphins purged the offensive line after the preseason, leaving them without depth at the tackle positions. In order to mitigate that problem, Miami has signed veteran tackle J’Marcus Webb on Friday. The 31-year old journeyman was already suited up for practice that same day.

Throughout his career, Webb has started a total of 65 of the 81 games he’s played. However, the last time he’s been a regular starter was in 2015 with the Oakland Raiders. During that year, he put up a total grade of 63.3 per ProFootballFocus.

His last stint had him with the Colts in 2018, under current Dolphins OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo. Webb put up a fairly strong pass blocking grade, though his run blocking left much to be desired. Given DeGuglielmo’s familiarity with Webb, it makes sense why Miami would bring him in to be the new swing tackle, playing on the right and left.

After the Dolphins traded away Laremy Tunsil to the Texans and waived Zach Sterup (who is now on the practice squad), Miami’s need for bodies became dire. As of now, they have two candidates to start at left tackle against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Jesse Davis, who has spent the entire preseason at right tackle, and Julién Davenport, who was acquired as part of the Tunsil/Stills trade. Davenport can be developed, but his lack of experience in this offense makes Davis the more likely candidate.

This leaves rookie Isaiah Prince, Miami’s 2019 sixth round draft pick, as the likely starter at right tackle.

J’Marcus Webb doesn’t project to be a part of the team’s long term future. But there is still a whole season to play, and injuries happen. The churning of the roster will continue through the season.

To make room for Webb on the roster, the Dolphins placed rookie LB Andrew Van Ginkel on injured reserve with a foot injury he’s been nursing for several weeks.

Christian Wilkins loves Miami’s defense headed into week one

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Headed into the 2019 NFL draft there were plenty of different directions the Dolphins could go with the 13th-overall pick. When on the clock, the Dolphins decided to focus on the trenches by taking Clemson’s Christian Wilkins to be the anchor of the defensive line.
With a solid preseason in the books, Wilkins met with the media before his NFL debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens:
How excited are you for your first game?
“I’m excited as I have been for every other game in my life, pretty much; but this one is obviously a little different, it being my first game – my first official NFL game,” Wilkins said. “I’m just excited. I’ve just got to prepare every way I do for every game. I can’t get too overexcited or play too emotional or anything like that. I’ve got to play within myself, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
You said you could bring that championship mentality to Miami, how is that going?
“I just feel like I’ve got to bring the right mindset every day – just the mindset to get better and make those around me better as well because it’s not just me out there,” Wilkins said. “It’s a team effort. Hopefully just some of my good energy, my positivity will rub off. Like I said, just make all of those around me better. That’s the biggest thing. I just always try to have a good mindset
each and every day and get one percent better each and every day.”
What will we see from Miami’s defense out there?
“I love our defense. I think we’ve got a lot of good guys – guys who work really hard,” Wilkins said. “Just the group – there are good players at every position at every level, too. So just building that chemistry is huge for us and we are getting comfortable playing with one another and just creating a certain level of accountability for one another. That’s really important because that’s what allows the defense to be great.”
How do you feel about your progress since the start of camp?
“I feel pretty good, but I’m never satisfied,” Wilkins said. “That’s just the mindset I try to bring every day. I just feel like I can always get better at something, but I definitely see the improvement which is good, which is encouraging. I’m definitely not where I want to be, not even close to being able to scratch the surface on my potential as a player. There’s just a lot of parts of my game I really want to clean up and get better at. I’m definitely happy with my progress, but still not satisfied.”
Wilkins started three of the four preseason games for the Dolphins and finished the summer with seven tackles, five of which were solo. The Springfield Massachusetts native also registered a sack and looks to be an anchor for Miami’s defense for years to come. The Dolphins welcome the Ravens to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

So you’re saying we (Dolphins) don’t have a chance?

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The Dolphins had the perfect season.

And now they have the imperfect roster.

So the Miami Dolphins have accomplished something remarkable already, at least if a computer simulation is to be believed.

They have absolutely no chance of playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium this February.

Zero. Point zero.

None.

Nada.

Zilch.

Look:

That’s 10,000 simulations.

And not once does Josh Rosen hit Preston Williams in the back of the end zone with a perfect strike to capture the Lombardi Trophy.

The Dolphins were the only team with that distinction.

Seriously, anything could happen if you tried it 10,000 times.

They might even draft a good offensive lineman outside the first round.

 

We love football and of course we like seeing our teams in Miami going to the playoffs and giving us something to root for. We know it is a hard time in Miami sports, but we are glad we can be with you in these difficult moments. Just do not let us go. We will go through the painful season together, and then, at some point, everything will be alright. Stay with us. Keep listening to our Five Reasons Podcasts, please. 

Tate Martell ‘s transition to receiver going smoothly

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When Tate Martell did not win the starting quarterback job at the University of Miami after transferring from Ohio State, he didn’t quit, he adjusted.

All the way to the other side of the field.

Martell began working with the wide receivers since Jarren Williams was named the starting quarterback and he has been welcomed with open arms by senior K.J.Osborn and the rest of the receivers.

“We accepted him. It was no nothing. We accepted him.” Osborn said after Wednesday’s practice.

Tate Martell had the advantage of having a strong grasp of the offense due to having to learn the whole scheme during quarterback competition. The knowledge he brought into his new crew not only helped himself, but his teammates improve.

“Like I said when Tate first got here, he’s very smart,” Osborn said. “He’s very smart. And he helps us out in the room. Like, if there’s a question about something, Tate, he’s got the answer. You know, quarterback reads, or line, or anything. He’s very smart coming from the quarterback position.”

The mental part of the transition may be smooth but the physical part wasn’t. He may have thought himself to be a mobile quarterback but even Michael Vick never ran as much as a wide receiver. The pains from practice served as an inadvertent form of initiation to the group, according to Osborn.

“He’s starting to get those wide receiver pains from running so much,” a laughing Osborn joked. “We trying to tell people on the team it’s different at wide receiver, like you run all day.”

Martell made his Hurricanes debut lined up at wideout against Florida. He’s still listed as a backup quarterback in the depth chart but he’ll be worth taking a look at over the course of the season.

 

Listen to pur podcast 5 Rings Canes clicking here. 

Canes QB Jarren Williams

Coach Diaz and Jarren Williams Discuss Improvements

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Coach Manny Diaz and Jarren Williams have a lot to prove.

First-year quarterback Jarren Williams showed us all a few Saturday’s ago why he was chosen to lead this Miami Hurricanes team as its starting quarterback. While it did not ultimately lead to the outcome we wanted(Miami lost to #8 Florida 24-20), most Canes fans believe he is the right choice.

Coach Enos did not mince words when describing Williams and his play against Florida, saying “He did not play well enough for us to win the game.” We understand that those words were more “tough love” than anything else, and Jarren embraced it, but it wasn’t all entirely untrue. Williams had a few opportunities early in that game to break it open and could not find the open man. Although the offensive line did not play well at all, there were times where he either held on to the football too long or put his head down and took a sack.

Today, Cane Maven was at practice and listened in on what Coach Diaz and Jarren Williams had to say on what the redshirt freshman quarterback has worked on improving since his first game and if his progression has changed as a result of the Florida game:

Coach Manny Diaz says, “if we would’ve thrown a touchdown pass on the last drive and won 27-24, we would not have come in here and done anything differently.” Williams later said, regarding what had changed, “my pocket presence, you know, not watching the rush” and “every play you have to keep your eyes down the field and if you have to run, you could run”.

Follow me on twitter @jazzsantana for all the latest Miami Hurricanes news.

 Check out the @5Rings_Canes podcast for your Canes insider news and analysis.

 Go Canes!

Wait, the Dolphins Will Play Football This Week?

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Now that the dust is settling on the Miami Dolphins offseason, there is actual football on the horizon.

The bloodletting has ceased (for now) and the Miami Dolphins will attempt to field an NFL roster Sunday when they host the Baltimore Ravens.

Cuts and trades have left the 53-man roster a barren wasteland void of talent or hope for this season.

Tank you very much indeed.

 

These teams are polar opposites in many facets, starting under center.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will start an NFL football game for his eighth team Sunday.

Lamar Jackson has seven career starts.

Jackson improved as the year went on after taking over for Joe Flacco, and the Ravens were actually a top ten offense in terms of yardage last year.

A lot of that was thanks to Jackson who was second on the team with 695 yards rushing, and Baltimore won six of his seven starts.

Miami was abysmal against the run last year allowing 10 teams to eclipse 100 yards on the ground.

They could be even worse this time around.

The game plan for Baltimore should be simple, pound the Miami front seven into dust on the ground.

Perhaps Vincent Taylor could have been of assistance.

Mark Ingram still has a lot left in the tank at age 29, before the emergence of Alvin Kamara he started to put up excellent numbers in New Orleans with two consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns.

Look for Ingram out of the backfield as well, he has averaged over 43 receptions over the last four seasons.

The departure of Kiko Alonso won’t hurt the pass coverage at least.

Could we see Some Early FitzMagic for the Dolphins?

On the other side of the coin is the savvy veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who comes out guns blazing in the September heat.

 

 

Who can forget the swag that was FitzPatrick during the early part of last season.

He put up three straight 400-yard performances to start the season.

Elite.

Then he went full journeyman.

In that third game last year, Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions after just one in the first two games.

Tampa Bay took the loss in that one and in five straight games to follow. In those losses Fitzpatrick threw eight picks versus just six touchdowns.

That’s the Fitzpatrick most of us expect.

He does have some weapons in Preston Williams, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, and Mike Gesicki so there will be some moments.

However the back line for the Ravens is an opportunistic and savvy group in their own right, windows will be tight for Fitzpatrick.

Same Ol’ Ravens D

Safety Earl Thomas joins the Baltimore secondary after a tenuous departure from Seattle. The departure of Eric Weddle left a void in that group and Thomas has the experience to adjust quickly and lead a talented bunch.

 

Baltimore was the top rated overall defense in yards allowed while holding opponents to just 3.7 yards per carry.

Expect the Ravens to stack the box and dare Kenyan Drake and Kallen Ballage to put their foot down and earn the tough yards.

That could be a challenge behind what remains of the Miami offensive line.

 

Hopefully the big boys find their parking spots prior to Sunday, they will likely want a quick escape after the final whistle.

If (when) Miami gets behind the chains, Baltimore can pin their ears back and force Fitzpatrick into mistakes.

There is very little optimism for the Dolphins faithful but home games can take on a life of their own.

Should Miami be able to hang early and stop the Ravens offense, they could keep it close for a while.

Unfortunately it shapes up to be a long day in Miami Gardens, Baltimore simply has too much depth and overall talent.

These teams have a lot of history, including the 40-0 dismantling of Miami in 2017 which will be remembered for an Alonso hit on Flacco more than anything else.

Prediction: Ravens 27, Dolphins 17

Follow us on Twitter for more Miami Dolphins news @SportsWaveDave and @5ReasonsSports.

Make sure to check out and subscribe our Dolphins podcasts Three Yards Per Carry and The Fish Tank.