The Dolphins' free agent signings fit into coach Brian Flores' scheme. (Tony Capobianco for Five Reasons Sports)

The Miami Dolphins are starting to lose the right way

/0 Comments/in /by

This was closer to the perceived plan prior to the season.

Lose, but with dignity.

Fall, but with pride.

Get closer to franchise changing quarterback Tua Tagliovailoa, but stay reasonably close on the scoreboard.

After an abominable start to the 2019-20, Brian Flores and his increasingly well-organized Miami Dolphins have been doing that lately.

They took a 14-0 lead Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, before dropping the game, 27-14. That dropped their record to 0-7,  and marked the third straight game that they didn’t entirely embarrass themselves. In fact, they covered again — the spread at BetDSI.com and other sportsbooks was 13.5 or 14 at kickoff.

This game turned on a mistake we would be lamenting for weeks if we really wanted them to win — Nick O’Leary letting a ball bounce off his chest, with the carom corralled by former Dolphin defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, the first of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s two interceptions. From there, Miami inexplicably called an all-out blitz on a 3rd-and-20, which caused a short screen to go the distance. The offensive line stopped blocking, and Ryan Fitzpatrick started running for his life. Xavien Howard sat down, a consistent pattern whenever it appears the Dolphins might mess up and win.

And the tank was back on.

The tank that is required to top (or bottom) Cincy, the Jets, and all the other terrible teams this season.

The tank that Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young isn’t so happy about…

Here are some of the tweets that told the story (there’s actually some good in here!):

 

Robert Nkemdiche signing

Robert Nkemdiche promoted to Miami Dolphins active roster

/0 Comments/in /by

The Miami Dolphins have updated their active roster.

The Miami Dolphins have made a decision on Robert Nkemdiche, promoting him to the active roster. It is unclear if he’ll play on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nevertheless, his comeback is quite impressive.

He had season-ending knee surgery a little less than 11 months ago. Now, he is back to playing football.  As many of you know, he began his career with the Arizona Cardinals. He spent three seasons in the desert and came to Miami on a one-year, $1.16 million deal. The new deal came just 11 days after a failed physical designation with the Cardinals on July 28. From tearing his knee last December, to having the opportunity to play in a game, he has certainly come a long way.

For his career, he has 44 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. There is no doubt that the potential is definitely there. He was named to the  All-SEC first team in 2015 as a member of Ole Miss.

The ends are a plus for Miami Dolphins

Nkemdiche joins the likes of Christian Wilkins, Taco Charlton, John Jenkins, and Avery Moss at the defensive end position. This position could definitely be considered a source of strength for Miami. In particular, I’m excited to see the development of Christian Wilkins. The amount of youth at the position combined with the amount of veteran talent makes for a great combination.

Nkemdiche’s development will be interesting to watch as well. As a veteran, he is is trying to get back to what he was before his injury. It remains to be seen if he can do that.  A strong showing for this defense would certainly be a step in the right direction.

The Miami Dolphins have made it clear that they’re going to rebuild this roster. However, just because they are undergoing a rebuild does not mean that they lack talent. As long as Nkemdiche can say healthy, he is certainly a viable piece on the line. I’ll be interested to see exactly how he fits with the Miami Dolphins moving forward. His statistical production in particular is definitely something to watch.

Kenyan Drake’s Top 5 Miami Dolphins Moments

/0 Comments/in , /by

Kenyan Drake has always been a bit of a polarizing player for the Miami Dolphins since he was drafted out of Alabama in the 2016 draft. He has had stretches of fans asking, “why isn’t he touching the ball?!” and flashes of game-breaking ability.

With Drake being traded to Arizona today and we say our goodbyes, we will focus on the ladder of the two. The Three Yards Per Carry Podcast gives us their top five Kenyan Drake moments.

Number one shouldn’t shock anyone…….

Kenyan Drake, and his unfulfilled potential, off to Arizona

/0 Comments/in /by

We knew this one was coming.

The last coaching staff couldn’t figure out how to use Kenyan Drake.

And this one never seemed especially interested in cracking that code either — in a contract season.

So Drake, who could rip off long runs but frustrated coaches in other areas, has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals as part of the Miami Dolphins’ historic purge. This came after Drake was kept home rather than making the trip to Pittsburgh for the Dolphins’ Monday Night Football clash (?) with the Steelers.

So, you see, they didn’t get much. But this adds to their stash, and gives them even more ammunition to move up if they identify players higher in the draft that they want.

So what does this mean?

Well, first, Mark Walton (from the University of Miami) appears to be the starter for now. Kallen Ballage has not impressed this season, and it’s likely the Dolphins will address running back with a couple of their picks.

Also, it means we will likely see Drake thrive elsewhere, at least at first, like Jay Ajayi did briefly in Philadelphia.

He’s an explosive player but can be an exasperating one too.

The concern here is that the Dolphins have traded so much of their core — think Minkah Fitzpatrick, who faces them tonight — that it’s hard to know what they’ll do with the next batch of “promising players.”

Now we see what Arizona does with him.

Last man who was part of the Miami Miracle, turn off the lights.

Miami Heat have a stud on the rise in Kendrick Nunn

/0 Comments/in /by
The Miami Heat have certainly benefited from his contributions.

Although the Miami Heat lost by a 112-106 score on Sunday evening, there were many positives to take away from the game. One of them was the continued production from rookie shooting guard Kendrick Nunn.

For the third game in a row, Nunn played well. In 40 minutes of action, he shot nine-of-17 from the field. He managed to go five-of-nine from beyond the arc and made both his free throws. In addition to his shooting success, he also recorded four rebounds and two assists. In total, he scored 25 points on the evening. With both his field-goal percentage and three-point percentage above 50%, it’s safe to say that he was efficient.

It was good to see him play well on Sunday, especially coming off back-to-back games. He had a solid game on Saturday as well, but the efficiency wasn’t there. In particular, he was cold from behind the arc against Milwaukee. He finished two-of-eight in that department. Nevertheless, his overall body of work was impressive. He finished with 18 points on the evening.

It’s good to see Nunn provide this sort of spark for Miami. You can definitely tell the potential is there. As a matter of fact, the potential is not only there, it is a tangible thing. In his last preseason game against Houston, he scored 40 points in 40 minutes of play and shot 55.6% from the field.  In what is a very talented and crowded Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat are going to need as many scoring options as possible. Nunn certainly provides that, and it is an unexpected surprise.

For me, the sample size is still a bit too small to fully judge what he is capable of. However, there is no denying that he has provided a spark for the Miami Heat. I’d expect that to continue as the season goes on. He certainly has the talent and capability to be successful. It will be interesting to see how he does over the next couple of games. He has a skill set that is sustainable, and that will definitely work in his favor moving forward. He is a good basketball player, and success definitely has a chance to be a part of his future.

Ryan Tannehill is turning the corner… for Tennessee

/0 Comments/in /by

Maybe he just needed another seven years.

Or another month?

Either way, this is the most Miami Dolphins thing ever.

They have spent 19 years looking for Dan Marino’s replacement, so much so that executives and coaches accepted seven seasons of slightly-above-mediocrity from Ryan Tannehill, making excuse after excuse for his inconsistency, simply because he was better than some of the impostors who preceded him.

Finally, everyone, from owner Steve Ross on down, had enough. So, after Tannehill lost the last remaining argument for retention — durability — they let him walk, and he went to Tennessee ostensibly to back up Marcus Mariota. Mariota, however, has his own issues, and so Tannehill has replaced him.

And now Tannehill is 2-0, after beating Tampa Bay, 27-23, on Sunday.

Sorry, we had to get the Adam Gase mockery in there.

Tannehill, who had his best previous stretch under Gase in 2016 before getting hurt, has been sharp for the Titans.

What about the fade pattern he struggled to throw with the Dolphins?

Even our Luis Sung is impressed…

He seems to be enjoying himself, after South Florida got stale…

Look how comfortable he appears at his post game presser. He was a bit, shall we say, stiff, here.

 

And they love him in Tennessee…

So, are they getting suckered, or is this for real?

Is Tannehill, at last, on the fringe of elite?

Are we bored, during this lost Dolphins season, to be asking these questions?

The Miami Heat ended the Five Reasons curse!

/0 Comments/in /by

Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat may win another championship together someday.

But they will never accomplish anything quite like this.

Since Five Reasons Sports Network was born in 2018, we had 12 watch parties prior to Saturday evening. One didn’t count for our record — it was FC Barcelona against Real Madrid, and we don’t really have a horse in that fight. But the other 11 were Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins or Miami Hurricanes road games.

And we lost them all.

Every single one.

And some weren’t close. That included a Heat at Milwaukee Bucks game last season, when we gathered at Duffy’s in North Miami Beach.

So we expected the same Saturday at GQ’s Drafthouse a little further north, in Lauderhill in Broward County.

Top team in the East as the opponent.

Road game.

No Jimmy Butler — and a thin bench due to suspensions.

Then, a 21-point deficit.

So did we all just drink too much?

Or did our halftime giveaways — shirts and autographed cards — turn the tide?

Did this really happen?

Did the Heat… win? In overtime, no less?

Yeah, it happened.

It happened even with the Heat shooting free throws at an Andre Drummond clip in the last few minutes.

It happened even after Derrick Jones Jr. got hurt (groin) and Kendrick Nunn (great again) fouled out.

It happened even with me posting premature tweets about them winning.

It happened even with us all dressed horribly.

It happened, because Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow were relentless on defense, and Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk were major contributors on offense.

And now can it happen again?

We have another watch party, Nov. 26 at Duffy’s in North Miami Beach for the game against the Rockets.

Yes, Harden and Westbrook. On the road.

But we’re on a winning streak.

And the Heat are different this season.

We just promise we won’t do this:

 

Miami Hurricanes name Jarren Williams QB1

Defense Responds, Williams Sparks Offense Late. Canes Win, 16-12!

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Canes came into this game needing to win to keep their season from completely dismantling. While the hopes of playing for the ACC Championship game seem slim, there is still a slight hope that a win today could help build momentum for the rest of the season(we thought that after Virginia also). N’Kosi Perry was named the quarterback late this week ahead of today’s game against the University of Pittsburgh, but it was Jarren Williams who finished it.

Williams was still nursing an upper extremity injury during the week, which apparently led to coach Manny Diaz naming Perry the starter. While many people outside the program continue to call for Perry to remain the starter or even for Tate Martell to get a chance(Martell did not travel with the team due to a medical leave of absence), today’s game showed why Jarren Williams may still be the best option at quarterback for the Canes. Williams showed a lot of toughness on that drive and zip on the touchdown throw for the game-winning score. If you ask me, I think that the shoulder looks fine.

That Was Ugly

It was an ugly win. The offense for 90 percent of the game was atrocious, but 10 percent was all we needed. The biggest play of the afternoon came when Jarren Williams replaced the struggling N’Kosi Perry and led them down the field and threw a 32-yard touchdown strike to KJ Osborn with less than a minute remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter.

Perry’s stat line does not look very good. He finished 10/24 for 104 yards and an interception. Williams came in for the final 2 drives and finished the day 4/8 for 50 yards including the 32-yard touchdown pass to Osborn. Osborn had a solid game finishing with 6 catches for 94 yards and the touchdown grab.

The only other guy on offense that was productive was Cam Harris, who always runs hard. He finished the game with 16 carries for 60 yards and a score. The absence of Deejay Dallas was sorely felt. The Canes hope to have him back next week.

The Defense Responds

The defense responded in a big way today, with what I believe was their best game of the season. They made big plays when they needed to and held Pitt to just 12 points on 4 field goals. Defensive end Gregory Rousseau continues to dominate for the Canes. He finished the game with 7 total tackles and 3 sacks!

The big bounceback of the game was unquestionably the play of DJ Ivey. After multiple blunders last week against Georgia Tech, including the complete whiff on the receiver during the fake punt that resulted in a touchdown, Ivey picked off the Pitt quarterback twice! He finished with 2 tackles and the 2 interceptions.

Others that played well on defense were Jon Ford, Pat Bethel, Bubba Bolden with a forced fumble and Gurvan Hall with the fumble recovery. Shaq Quarterman also had a very good game, finishing the afternoon with 12 total tackles. Guys were having fun on the sidelines today.

The Price is Right

Did the Canes find a kicker in walk-on third-string kicker Camden Price? It seems like it. Price connected on both of his kicks and as sad as this sounds, looked really good doing so. Both kicks were nothing out of this world, but the way our kicking has been, this kid looked like an All-American doing it. He connected on a 22-yard field and an extra point. Price has a strong leg and looks to be kicking with confidence. We all have seen what a lack of confidence can do to a kicker.

FSU Week is Here

Now, it’s rivalry week. It’s FSU week! The Canes go to Tallahassee to face FSU next Saturday. Game time should be announced soon. Look for it to be either a 3:30 pm or 7:30 pm start. More info as the week progresses.

 

Follow us for all your Canes info at @CaneMaven. You can also follow Jazz Santana for Canes and 5 Reason Sports news and info at @jazzsantana.

Check out the @5Rings_Canes podcast for all your Canes insider info and recruiting news!

Twitter Thread: Nekias Duncan breaks down Heat’s opening win

/0 Comments/in , /by

 

The Miami Heat Opened up the much anticipated 2019-2020 season Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.  Nekias Duncan (@NekiasNBA) of @miaheatbeat, Bleacher Report and Five Reasons Sports breaks down and provides commentary for some of the Heat’s best plays and sequences in the 120-101 victory.

 

Follow the thread below:

Follow the Five on the Floor and @5ReasonsSports podcast for South Florida’s the most in-depth Miami Heat coverage all year long.

New father Jimmy Butler likely out for Bucks

/0 Comments/in /by

Jimmy Butler’s official Miami Heat debut is still on hold.

Butler, who missed the season opener for undisclosed personal reasons — though the team hinted it was the birth of a child — was still in the hospital with the child and mother Friday and Erik Spoelstra said he probably won’t make the Heat’s road trip that starts in Milwaukee on Saturday.

(Butler could join the team in Minnesota to face his former team Sunday.)

Here’s Spoelstra on the happy news:

Also not with the Heat on Friday: Dion Waiters. He won’t make either part of this trip and will rejoin the team Tuesday at home. James Johnson (conditioning) is not traveling either.

So it appears that the Heat will start the same lineup they did in the season opener.

That’s Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard, Justise Winslow and rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro.

Nunn had 24 in his debut, and he sounded Friday as if he expected it, saying it went about how he visualized.

Here’s the clip:

Make sure to join us at GQ’s Crafthouse in Lauderhill starting at 5pm, for a watch party.

Free food, and t-shirt giveaways.

We’re 0-11.

Jimmy being out doesn’t help that. But at least we’ll be drinking.