Miami’s final 3 games rescheduled, will not play until December 5

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Monday, the Canes and the ACC announced the rescheduling of the last 3 of Miami’s games this season. They did specify “positive tests and subsequent quarantining of student-athletes within the Miami football team.” 

 

A direct quote from Miami’s press release from Canes AD Blake James: “We are disappointed that we will not be able to play the next two weeks as scheduled but this decision was made in the best interests of the health and safety of all teams. The health and safety of our student-athletes is always our top priority and we will continue to follow the conference’s protocols in order to safely and responsibly return to play.”

 

Miami was supposed to host Georgia Tech at home this coming Saturday on November 21st but that game has been pushed back to December 19th. This game might not even happen due to a stipulation that I will go into detail about later. 

 

Miami-Wake Forest was to be played next Saturday on November 28th, but that game has been pushed back a week to December 5th. Same thing goes for UNC-Miami, which has been moved from the 5th to the 12th. 

 

Here’s where it gets tricky. The ACC Championship is scheduled for December 19th, the same day as the rescheduled Miami-Georgia Tech matchup. The Canes will only play the Yellow Jackets if neither of the two teams (essentially Miami) are not in ACC Championship contention. 

 

Here’s the revised schedule as follows:

 

12/5 Miami at Wake Forest (previously 11/28)

 

12/12 North Carolina at Miami (previously 12/5)

 

12/19 Georgia Tech at Miami (previously 11/21)*

 

*Will only be played if game has no result on ACC Championship participants

 

Manny Diaz’s squad has done a fairly good job of limiting COVID-19 exposure to his team, especially for being based in one of the US hotspots. Miami has not had to reschedule any of its games up to this point in the season and they were close to being unable to play against Virginia Tech this past weekend due to a total of 13 missing players unable to play.

 

Bam Adebayo: A Young Player’s Idol

/0 Comments/in /by

It is not everyday that a 23 year old gets labeled as a 19 year old’s dream player, but in this draft, that seems to be the case.

There’s one name that seems to come up for every big in this draft, when discussing what player they model their game after.

Bam Adebayo.

And it’s clearly not for a skill-set reason, since most of the players who mention his name play nothing like him. Instead, they model his work ethic, and more importantly, his uniqueness.

Adam Simon said in his press conference earlier in the week, Bam is “one of one,” and it’s clear that’s a mutual thought between everybody who has seen him play.

Whenever players in past drafts are asked the question of players they look up to, you usually hear LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and many other top players. But not only are those guys top five players, they’re also veterans who players in the draft have been watching since they were young kids.

So what makes it so interesting when Bam’s name comes up, is that most of these players just began watching him this past season.

Guards in the draft don’t say they want to be like Donovan Mitchell.

Wings in the draft don’t say they want to be like Jayson Tatum.

But for some reason, the star center from the 2017 NBA draft class, seems to have all the young bigs wanting to be like him.

And the best part about it for Bam Adebayo, is that he’s not even close to his ceiling. He’s evolving by the second, while improving in every part of his game little by little.

But ultimately, character matters in this league. And Bam Adebayo has just that, since it’s clear that he is a very likable player and person across the league.

There weren’t many guys shooting from way beyond the three-point line until Steph Curry did it.

There weren’t many big men shooting consistently and efficiently from three until Dirk Nowitzki did it.

And now, there aren’t many bigs who are capable of doing absolutely everything on the basketball court, but Bam Adebayo is paving the way.

And luckily, he has a herd of guys following behind him, which will alter the game of basketball yet again.

Dolphins Chargers Win

5 Takeaways from Dolphins Win Over the Chargers

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Dolphins (6-3) continued their ascent in the AFC with a solid win over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-7). The victory marked Miami’s fifth-straight and propelled them to the 6-seed in the conference.

Touted as a duel between two rookie quarterbacks, the Dolphins signal-caller played an efficient game, whereas his counterpart made a critical error in the fourth quarter. The win over the Chargers puts Miami at 6-3 for the first time since 2001. The five-game win streak is the longest for the franchise since 2016, when they won six-in-a-row.

Here’s a look at five takeaways from the Dolphins win over the Chargers.

Dolphins’ Tagovailoa Steady in Win Over Chargers

In a game where pundits pit Tua Tagovailoa versus Justin Herbert, Tagovailoa came out on top. Football analysts have lauded Herbert for his statistical prowess thus far, but that’s led to very little winning for the Chargers. Miami, meanwhile, saw their rookie quarterback led them to yet another victory.

Tagovailoa’s now 3-0 as a starter and is the first rookie in Dolphins history to win his first three starts. He finished 15-for-25 for 169 yards and two touchdowns. His back-to-back games with two touchdown passes tie him for the third-longest streak of multiple touchdown pass games by a Dolphins rookie quarterback.

Tagovailoa’s the only rookie QB in Dolphins history to not throw an interception in his first three starts. And he’s one of only two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era (Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz the other) to win all three of his first career starts and not throw an interception.

Tagovailoa also registered the first tackle of his career after a botched snap from Ted Karras led to a fumble. The young signal-caller’s moxie and confidence continue to grow with each start. He’s been accurate and adept at fitting passes into tight windows. It’s clear he has the confidence of the coaching staff and the team.

Ogbah Continues His Great Play

Get the “Tropical Swarm” Dolphins Tee at FiveReasonsSports.com!

Emmanuel Ogbah’s been great. He sacked Herbert on the opening play of the fourth quarter. The sack was Ogbah’s eighth of the season and gave him six consecutive games with a full sack. His eight sacks are tied for fourth in the NFL. The six-game sack streak for Ogbah is tied for the second-longest in Dolphins history, trailing just Jason Taylor’s eight-game streak in 2002.

Ogbah also had two passes defensed, including one pass tipped on a fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter that forced a turnover on downs.

His continued productivity has elevated this Dolphins defense. The pressure players like Ogbah generate helps the team’s secondary. It was clearly evident in Xavien Howard’s fourth quarter interception of Herbert. With that interception, the Dolphins defense has now registered at least one turnover in each of the last 15 games.

Get one of the several Dolphins Tees on FiveReasonsSports.com! Click here to SHOP Now!

Dolphins Special Teams Elite in Win Over Chargers

The first big play of the day came from Miami’s Special Teams. Andrew Van Ginkel got free rushing up the middle and blocked LA’s punt. Jamal Perry recovered the fumble on the one-yard line. It was the first blocked punt by the Dolphins since Brandon Bolden got one on November 11, 2018 at Green Bay.

In addition to that play, punter Matt Haack pinned the Chargers at the five-yard line, flipping field position in a tightening game. Haack is fifth in the league in punts inside-the-20 (17) and eighth in net punt average (42.9). Against the Rams, Haack pinned five punts inside the 20. It was his sixth career game with at least five punts inside the 20, which is a Dolphins record.

Jakeem Grant also helped the team flip field position with his punt returns. His 294 punt return yards lead the NFL. His 14.7 punt return average stands as third-best and he leads the NFL with three punt returns of over 20 yards.

Grant surpassed Tommy Vigorito (830) for fifth place in Dolphins history in all-time career punt return yardage. Grant now has 883 career punt return yards.

Jason Sanders, meanwhile, remains one of the best kickers in the league and arguably the best kicker in Dolphins history. Sanders saw his streak of 20 consecutive makes snapped in this one, but he did net three field goals. His 20 makes are tied for second-most in the NFL so far. His .952 average on field goals is also second-best.

Sanders’ five makes from 50-yards or longer stand as second-most this season. He is 23-for-23 on point-after attempts.

Jakeem Grant Emerges as Offensive Weapon

When the Dolphins lost Preston Williams to the injured reserve, there were questions surrounding who would fill the void. Miami had several options, but Grant stood out on Sunday

Grant caught a three-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give Miami a 14-0 lead. It was Grant’s first touchdown reception since he had two in a game on September 23, 2018 versus Oakland. Grant led the Dolphins in receiving on Sunday with four receptions for 43 yards.

His ability to create separation on his routes makes him a reliable go-to for Tagovailoa. In his three starts, Tagovailoa has targeted Grant 12 times, which matches the amount of targets Grant received from Fitzpatrick through the first six games of the season.

Grant’s game-breaking speed adds a layer previously absent from this offense. While they’ve yet to incorporate it, Grant is regularly in pre-snap motion, indicating a jet-sweep could be part of the offensive game plan moving forward.

Dolphins in Prime Position for Playoff Push After Win Over Chargers

The AFC East playoff picture remains a logjam after Week 10. Thanks to Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary heave against Buffalo, Miami stands within 0.5 game of the Bills with seven games to go. A win next week in Denver would pull the Dolphins even with Buffalo because the Bills are on their bye.

The Dolphins currently hold the 6-seed in the AFC standings, one of six teams to sport a 6-3 record. Miami holds the tiebreaker over the Titans and Ravens based on best win percentage in conference games. The division tiebreaker keeps the Dolphins ahead of Cleveland (Baltimore wins tie break over Cleveland based on head-to-head win percentage).

The Colts lead the AFC South. Miami trails the Raiders in the standings because Las Vegas sports a better conference win percentage. The Dolphins travel to Vegas in Week 16.

According to Tankathon.com, the Dolphins sport the 12th-easiest remaining slate of games, based on strength of schedule. Miami final seven opponents have a combined .477 winning percentage. The Bills, meanwhile, face a slightly tougher slate, as their final six opponents have a .509 winning percentage.

Three of the other teams vying for an AFC playoff spots hold easier roads ahead: Baltimore (.461), Cleveland (.445) and Las Vegas (.444).

What this means is, Miami needs to win the games in which they are favored and knock off, at the very least, the Raiders in Week 16. The Week 17 matchup against the Bills could very well be for the AFC East division title.

Don’t miss the Five Reasons Sports Dolphins Post-Game Show! 

Phillips, Hedley earn ACC weekly honors

/0 Comments/in , /by

DE Jaelan Phillips and P Lou Hedley had phenomenal performances in Miami’s 25-24 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday and both were rewarded by the ACC. Phillips earned the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for the 2nd week in a row while Hedley won ACC Specialist of the week for the second time this season, earning it previously against Pitt four weeks ago. 

 

Phillips has left his mark on the defense ever since he arrived and probably had his best performance all season against VT, compiling 8 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.5 sacks. Even while having a heavier workload due to multiple players on the defensive line missing the game, he still managed to best his performance from last week against NC State, when he had 10 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. 

 

Hedley’s punting has always been a key factor in influencing field position for opponents and this game was no different. He averaged 52.4 yards/punt on 7 punts this past Saturday as both his and Jose Borregales’ performances played big roles in helping the Canes pull off their comeback victory. 

 

Stay tuned to @5ReasonsCanes and @PaulAustria_ on Twitter for the latest in Hurricanes news and catch us on The Sixth Ring show twice a week as we get you ready for Miami’s matchup against Georgia Tech this Saturday. Game will be at 8 PM on ACC Network.

 

Also, sign up for an account on Prizepicks.com, where you can pick the over/under on fantasy projections on some of your favorite players. Enter the promo code “five” to double your initial deposit

 

Some Miami Heat Draft Notes from Media Session Day 4

/0 Comments/in /by

Two guys that talked a little about the Miami Heat possibly picking them were Arizona teammates, Zeke Nnaji and Josh Green.

When Nnaji was asked about what teams he worked out with, the first team he brought up was the Miami Heat. He mentioned that they were the first team that worked him out.

He also mentioned quite a few times that his body fat is down to 5.9%, and he’s added 20 pounds of muscle. It almost seemed as if he was mentioning it for a specific reason.

He also brought up the fact that Andre Iguodala was a mentor for him, whenever he would come back to Arizona to speak with the team.

And with his improved shooting, he believes he can play some power forward, so Miami definitely could take him with that 20th pick.

Josh Green, on the other hand, did not mention any workouts with the Miami Heat, but did talk a little about the interview he had with them.

He said, “It was a good call. I was able to meet them all…I think they’re interested for sure.”

And I would think so too, since he’s the type of polished player that Miami would possibly consider. If Miami doesn’t take him with the 20th pick, I believe the 76ers would snag him with the 21st pick, due to the relationship with Ben Simmons.

Vernon Carey Jr also spoke with media today, but wouldn’t discuss any workouts with teams. I’ve talked about the connection with Miami for a while now, so it’s clear he will be considered.

Jaden McDaniels and Nico Mannion are also in that 20 range, but neither mentioned Miami when discussing the teams they’ve worked out with.

It’ll be interesting to see what Miami does with this pick on Wednesday, especially since there’s a chance it won’t be in their possession for long.

Miami Heat Off-Season: Best Player or Best Fit?

/0 Comments/in /by

NBA trades will officially begin today, and there’s a chance Miami could be among one of them pretty soon.

There’s talk of Miami packaging young assets for the big star, or they could potentially just acquire a role guy.

The question is what is Miami’s goal this off-season, landing the best player or landing the best fit?

Two players that land under that category are Danilo Gallinari and Wesley Matthews, since it was reported that both may have interest in Miami.

Danilo Gallinari is clearly an outstanding player for this team offensively. Many rave about the fit next to Bam Adebayo, but the fit with Duncan Robinson stands out more. Having two guys in the starting lineup, along with Tyler Herro potentially, that are that deadly from three would improve Miami’s biggest strength even more. But, it also hurts there biggest weakness.

At this stage, Miami’s offense is not a worry at all. Obviously there’s always room to improve it, but defensively is what Miami should be looking at more. If Miami has Herro, Duncan, and Gallinari in the starting lineup, it would honesty be a defensive nightmare.

Some will say that you can stagger the starting lineup, but the ends of games will be the bigger issue. If you can’t put your best overall lineup on the floor on any given night, there’s something wrong with the roster.

Now, the Wesley Matthews pick-up seems to be a lot more appealing to Miami’s needs. He’s an ideal 3 and D guy, that can guard opposing wings and guards. And most importantly, he complements Miami’s young and evolving offensive talents.

Some may argue that obviously you take the guy that can average 20 a night, but ultimately, I believe there’s a chance you can get that from Herro next season. Instead, this 20 point per game scorer will have a defensive co-pilot helping him out every step of the way.

Although I’m discussing the better pick-up, Miami could potentially end up getting both.

But if, for some reason, only one could get acquired, I’d probably go with Wesley Matthews. I’m probably a small percentage of people that think that, but I believe in best fit instead of best player, unless you’re talking about a total superstar.

We will see how this all plays out, since there’s a good chance Miami’s roster will look a little different next season.

Stock Up & Stock Down Week 10

/0 Comments/in /by

Welcome back to another installment of Stock Up & Stock Down. In Week 10 of the NFL season our Miami Dolphins faced the Los Angeles Chargers and came away victorious . Leading throughout after a blocked punt put us on the 1 for the first drive of the game. The Defense showed Herbert cexotic looks all afternoon long leading to his worst game as a pro. With so much to dissect let’s dive right in:

Stock Up

 

Salvon Ahmed:

One of the most impressive rookie performances of the year (excluding Tua) has to have been Salvon Ahmed against the LA Chargers. 21 carries for 85 yards 1 TD with 1 catch 5 for yards is what Salvon was able to finish with for the day which it was the closest in recent memory that we have gotten to a 100-yard rusher (we are officially 27 games straight without a 100-yard rusher). I look forward to showing you guys this week how impressive and complete of a game that Ahmed had as I saw him catch passes, run the ball, and protect Tua in pass pro. Regardless of who comes back from injury, from this point forward this should be Salvon Ahmed’s backfield to lead.

Flores:

Coming into this game I fully expected Flores and his defense to come more focused and determined to play well compared to last week vs the Cardinals. Flores coming from the Patriots style of defense showed that their core belief of destroying rookie QBs traveled down south. Coach Flores all afternoon long showed exotic blitzes and coverages ranging from having no lineman with their hand on the ground and sending the house multiple times on third downs. While we did give them a chance late in the game, we held tough forcing Herbert into a late interception by Xavien Howard. Another of my gripes with the coaching staff is the conservative calls which wasn’t how we played when we decided to go for 2 to make 28 and a 2-possession game and while it did not work out, it still showed the ability for the coaching staff to learn from previous mistakes and improve.

Special Teams:

A couple of weeks ago it was the punt return for a TD and this week there was not a better time to see the Special Teams be, well special. Going ahead and blocking the first punt of the game gave us a lead to start the game after we had just deferred the ball. Little details like that go along way especially when you see the end result being only a 1 possession game. There were also multiple times where Jakeem was a shoestring tackle away from taking it back to the house as he had punt returns of 18,19 and 20 yards. Each passing week shows that this is as complete a team as any in this league. We can rely and expect excellence from all 3 phases of the game, the offense, the defense and the special teams.

Raekwon Davis:

Having spent the previous 2 weeks diving deep to see what is going with our rookie DL.

Hearing that Wilkins would be officially out for the game made it obvious for me to know that he would be getting a major opportunity to make a name for himself in this league and he delivered. Raekwon played like the player we expected to see when we drafted him with so many WR and RB still on the board. Finishing the game tied for the lead in tackles with Elandon with 7 tackles (4 solo) Raekwon showed that with more in his plate, he can step up and handle it. Can’t wait to do another Juan on Juan this week featuring Raekwon.

Tua Tagovailoa:

The stat watchers will come out and see that Tua only threw 169 yards and see that Herbert threw for 187 and think that Herbert had the better day overall. Those people could not be more wrong. The more Tua plays the more he understands that he does not need to do anything more than what is expected of him. Some may call it a game manager but ultimately right now Tua’s main job is to hold and gain a bigger lead after either the defense or special teams do their part to affect the score. There will come a time where we will need Tua to go out and win us a game that we have no business winning, it will come eventually when we can hear all of the praise for Tua after a monster game, but until that time comes, let’s continue to fill our young QB with confidence because right now, the sky is the limit for him and this team.

****

Trust the Flocess

****
Stock Down

 

Rush Defense:

Even though the defense didn’t give up a 100-yards rushing on the ground for the second time all year (today we gave up 99 & Seahawks we gave up 98) it was still discouraging to see the Chargers be down the entirety of the game and down to their almost 3rd or 4th string RB and we still almost give up 100 yards. How long can this glaring weakness in our defense last before a team exploits it to hand us a loss. Flores and company have got to figure it out and hopefully having Wilkins back next week plus the confidence gained by Seiler and Raekwon this week helps this defense fix this issue.

Jordan Howard:

This is probably the nail in the coffin for him. Down our top 2 RB and we still sit Howard down. Only a matter of time before he’s cut because Salvon has shown he belongs on the active roster and we may need Jordan’s spot once Gaskins comes back. This will be the last time I write about him as a huge disappointment for me as I really thought he could fix our issues at RB.

Ted Karras:

It’s no exaggeration at all to say that Karras almost single handedly lost us this game. Getting the ball back up 2 scores in great field position and with the ability to go ahead and kill the game with a 3 score lead we had 2 separate snaps that Karras fumbled. The first one Tua was able to recover and make a hell of a play to DVP for 23 yards. The second one proved to be the back breaker as it occurred on the Chargers 9-yard line and was returned 38 yards before Tua wrestled him down. After the TD that followed the game never felt like it was fully in our control the rest of the way. Hopefully a week of practice can correct these issues as neither snap were Tua’s fault but still put him at risk to get hurt.

Devante Parker:

If there were a scale of concerned measured from 1-10 with 10 being the highest, I would say I am a firm 7 in what DVP has shown this year. I obviously realize that he has not been healthy all year and it takes time in practice to sync with a rookie QB which DVP is most likely not participating in fully. Having said that I don’t know how much longer our offense can survive with games a 3-game stat line of 9 catches for 98 yards and 1 TD. We need the 1200-yard WR we saw last year, and we need Chan to focus on making DVP a priority early and often next week when we play the Denver Broncos.

Overall, I have never been this excited to not only watch our Miami Dolphins play the most complete games since 2008, but to also be able to tell and show you guys how we are doing. Keep an eye for later this week’s Juan on Juan. Till next time guys, Fins Up!

Gabe Vincent: Possibly The Next Man Up

/0 Comments/in /by

One thing about the Miami Heat is that they don’t lack an ounce of shooting. But luckily in today’s NBA, there can never be too many shooters on a roster.

Something I’ve mentioned as of late is that depth will be huge this upcoming season, for many different reasons. And having Gabe Vincent at the end of the bench is more than ideal.

In the G-League this past year, Vincent averaged 23.7 points, while knocking down 4.4 threes a game.

Shooting is the first thing that sticks out in his game, since he’s not afraid to put shots up. His confidence is clear when on the floor, since he came out firing in the first game he played for the Miami Heat.

He checked in when Miami faced the Los Angeles Clippers back in February, and hit three triples right when he got out there. Although it can be streaky at times, it’s always good to have a shot maker like him on the roster.

He’s also an underrated attacker, which is what he showed in some of the regular season bubble games. Although he had limited minutes and didn’t jump out in the stat sheet, he made some intriguing plays offensively that showed he can get some bench minutes if need be.

He also won the G-League Most Improved Player Award this past season, and he seems eager to continue to improve and round out the rest of his game.

While I can point out some things that Gabe may need to tweak to get minutes in this league, there’s no way of actually knowing until he gets some minutes this next season. One of the reasons he didn’t stick out in most of the games he has played, seems to be due to a certain level of comfort. Some guys like Tyler Herro are able to blend in quick, while others need some time to get ready.

Duncan Robinson took a year to prepare in the G-League, and look where he is now. Vincent is also about the same age as Duncan was when he went through this process.

It’s definitely not insane to think that Vincent can potentially get playing time next season, especially since there’s a good chance Spo goes deeper into his bench. Some of it may be predicated on who Miami drafts, since if they draft a point guard, it’ll be clear they aren’t planning on his development.

Miami always enjoys grabbing un-drafted players who have something to prove, and it’s obvious that Gabe Vincent is determined to prove himself.

Dolphins Chargers

5 Keys to Dolphins-Chargers in Week 10

/0 Comments/in /by

The Miami Dolphins (5-3) enter their Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers (2-6) coming off perhaps their best win of the last several seasons. The 34-31 victory over the Cardinals, coupled with the breakout performance from rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, has most Dolphins fans excited for not only this season but also the future.

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins return home to face another up-and-coming AFC team in the Chargers. LA has Justin Herbert, who they selected with the No. 6 pick in April’s NFL Draft, manning the helm. Although their record doesn’t show it, this Chargers squad is a good team.

Here’s a look at five keys for the Dolphins against the Chargers in Week 10.

Dolphins-Chargers: Deal with Injuries

The Dolphins lost Preston Williams to the injured reserve this week. Miami’s wide receiver room took the loss and will pivot to young players to fill the void. Lynn Bowden Jr. returned from the COVID-19 list. Kirk Merritt remains an option from the practice squad.

Antonio Callaway seemed to be an option, too, but he’s reportedly not performed well in practice. Callaway is coming off a knee injury and may not be ready to contribute.

Matt Breida missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury. He’s been limited in practice throughout the week. Jamal Perry (foot) and Durham Smythe (concussion) were limited participants as well.

The Chargers, meanwhile, officially ruled South Florida native Joey Bosa out for Sunday (concussion). They’ll also be without RB Justin Jackson. OG Trai Turner (groin) and OT Bryan Bulaga (back) are questionable for Sunday.

LA is already without a number of stars, including RB Austin Eckler, CB Chris Harris Jr., S Derwin James and former Dolphin C Mike Pouncey.

Manage COVID Concerns

COVID-19 continues to complicate matters for the Dolphins. Kyle Van Noy and Christian Wilkins, two starters on the defense, landed on the COVID-19 list on Thursday. According to reports, Van Noy’s move to the list comes from contact tracing. It’s unclear with Wilkins

NFL’s contact tracing protocols force players to isolate for five days from the time he was in close contact with an infected person before he’s eligible for return. The five-day count doesn’t start from the day the player is put on the list, so there’s a chance both Van Noy and Wilkins can play.

Miami elevated defensive tackle Benito Jones from the practice squad. Rookie defensive end Jason Strowbridge could see additional time on the field.

Matt Cole, who would’ve been an option at wide receiver off the practice squad, landed on the COVID list as well.

Miami also announced quarterbacks coach Robby Brown, defensive line coach Marion Hobby, quality control coach Kolby Smith and outside linebackers coach Austin Clark will miss their second game in a row due to COVID protocols. Last week, the Dolphins were without five assistants in Arizona.

Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander seems to be on track to return to the sideline for Sunday.

Dolphins-Chargers: Pressure Herbert

Justin Herbert has been impressive in his seven starters despite winning just one game. He’s piled up stats and excels in the vertical passing game. Herbert’s arm allows him to attack downfield. When he’s protected well, Herbert completes 71 percent of his passes for 8.1 yards-per-attempt, with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

When pressured, though, his numbers drop. He completes 59 percent of passes under pressure for 7.7 yards-per-attempt. He’s thrown seven TDs and two INTs under pressure.

Pick up the latest Dolphins Tee “Tropical Swarm” on FiveReasonsSports.com!

LA’s o-line has allowed 111 pressures in 2020 and they may be without Bulaga, who’s only allowed four of those. Herbert faces pressure on 29.1 percent of drop backs, which is third most in the league. He’s been blitzed 65 times, hurried 52 times, hit 21 times and sacked 14 times.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, blitz on 41.6 percent of pass plays, which is the fourth-highest rate in the NFL.

Miami’s 20 sacks are 13th-most, and their 75 pressures are 14th-most. Hurrying Herbert seems to be the plan heading into this one, however, the Dolphins may flip the script and force Herbert to show his patience against zone coverage.

Emmanuel Ogbah leads the Dolphins with 34 quarterback pressures. His seven sacks are tied for fourth-most in the NFL. His 13 QB hits are tied for seventh-most and his three forced fumbles are tied for second-most this season.

Pick up on of the many Dolphins Tees over at FiveReasonsSports.com! Click here to Shop Now!

Handle LA’s four-man rush

While the Dolphins send extra men at the fourth-highest clip in the league, the Chargers blitz the least in the league. LA blitzes on only 13.6 percent of the time. The Chargers deploy three deep defenders on most pass plays.

LA relies on a four-man rush to generate pressure. Normally, the Chargers sport a pair of elite edge rushers in Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but Bosa’s been ruled out. That’s a huge loss for LA, considering Bosa’s generated 37 QB pressures. Ingram, meanwhile, has generated 23 pressures, but he’s missed three games this season.

Miami’s offensive line has done well protecting Tagovailoa over the last two weeks. He’s been pressured just 8.3 percent of the time. He’s been blitzed 27 times in his two starts. When not facing a blitz, Tagovailoa has completed 72.7 percent of his passes, connecting on two touchdowns.

Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras have played particularly well this season. They’ve played a combined 604 pass-blocking snaps this season and have allowed with just 15 pressures.

Dolphins-Chargers: Sort out RB

The Dolphins lost Myles Gaskin to the injured reserve last week. Breida then missed the Cardinals’ game with a hamstring injury. So Miami turned to Jordan Howard and rookie Salvon Ahmed.

Howard underwhelmed, gaining just 19 yards on his 10 carries, though he did score a short touchdown. Ahmed played the majority of the snaps and picked up 38 yards on his seven carries. Tagovailoa gained 35 yards on seven scrambles.

The Dolphins could add DeAndre Washington to the mix this week. He sports a 4.0 career yards-per-carry average and has reliable hands out of the backfield. He’s a shifty back who could fit what the Dolphins do well with Tagovailoa.

Miami may need the pass to set up the run. The return of Bowden and the activation of Malcolm Perry affords Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey with versatile playmakers to incorporate. Jakeem Grant could play a role in the running game as well with jet sweeps.

Three Piece Picks: UFC Fight Night (Felder vs Dos Anjos)

/0 Comments/in /by

Main Event: #7 Paul Felder vs #12 (WW) Rafael Dos Anjos

 

Pick: Rafael Dos Anjos

By: Decision

Breakdown: Paul Felder is coming in on 5 days notice taking this fight which makes this fight all the more crazy. We might see him come out early and try to get an early win which he is more than capable of doing. Rafael Dos Anjos is coming in having lost 4 of his last 5, but 3 of those are fights against Usman, Covington, and Leon Edwards which are not easy outings. This fight is a little more one dimensional as Felder does not utilize the takedown very often. He tries to stand and bang and it is evident with 10 of his 17 wins coming by knockout. This fight is an uphill battle for Felder because of the lack of time to prepare and if Dos Anjos can take him down early, it would tremendously hurt the chances of him winning the fight. I see Dos Anjos winning this one because he can change levels if need be and he has had a longer time to prepare for a fight. Felder is tough so this one has a good chance of making it to the judges. 

 

Co-Main Event: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Khaos Williams

Pick: Khaos Williams

By: Decision

Breakdown: If you can hold your breath for the first two and a half minutes, then you can bet on Khaos Williams winning this fight. Most of Abdul Razak Alhassan’s fights have ended within the first half of the first round. If you can hold him down and eliminate the power early, you have a much higher chance of winning the fight. Alhassan has not won a fight outside the first round. Khaos has the ability to take the fight to the ground. It was shown in his fights outside the UFC. If he is able to utilize his wrestling and take this fight down, it really gives him a huge chance in this fight. Abdul is shown to gas out in the later rounds and his punches become very labored. He has a good chance to win the fight in the first two and a half minutes but after that, his chances go down heavily. Khaos should come in with a good gameplan and should be able to take this fight.  

 

Fight #3: Julian ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ Marquez vs. Saparbek Safarov

Pick: Julian Marquez 

By: KO

Round: 2nd Round

Breakdown: Marquez is coming in off of a two-year layoff so it will be interesting to see how the time off has affected his game. He comes in still decently young at 30 years old and only has 9 total fights on his record. As of right now, he sits at 7-2 with 6 of his 7 wins coming by way of KO/TKO. As for Saperbek Safarov, he’s had a tough outing here in the UFC. He has gone 1-3 in his 4 fights losing all 3 via finish. It seems like he has had a tough time finding his footing in the UFC. It is favorable that we will see a finish in this fight. Safarov does have the ability to take this fight down and if he does he have a gameplan to win. But the advantage on the feet is heavily favoring Marquez and we will take him by the win. 

 

Fight #4: Kay Hansen vs Cory ‘The Hobbit’ McKenna

Pick: Kay Hansen

By: Decision

Breakdown: This strawweight bout is an exciting one as we’ll see Cory McKenna make her UFC Debut to take on Kay Hansen. Kay Hansen is coming in with an edge especially on the ground. She has 4 of her 7 wins by submission and in her first fight in the UFC, she was able to get two takedowns and an armbar for the victory. This fight is going to be a tough outing for Mckenna. She is outmatched on the ground and Hansen is known to be able to get the fight on the floor. It is possible that Cory steals a round by being abe to keep the fight standing for a small period of time, but this one feels like it’s going to be a lot of groundwork with Kay Hansen on top. 

 

Fight #5: Eryk ‘Ya Boi’ Anders vs Antonio Arroyo

Pick: Antonio Arroyo

By: Decision

Breakdown: This fight is a very close one in the betting books with Anders coming in -155 and Arroyo coming in at +125. Anders is coming in having lost 4 of his last 6 and 3 of those 4 losses have come by decision. On the other hand, 9 of 12 fights for Arroyo has ended in the first round. He is more well rounded as he has 4 wins by knockout and 4 wins by submission. I think the ability to take the fight to the ground and control the position for Arroyo will be the key to the fight. Anders does seem to have the power advantage in this fight, but the power gets neutralized on the ground. 

 

You can follow Johnathan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo