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?
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/C860AE34-0610-4B8B-AA4B-830B249736E6-e1559800254689-scaled.jpeg20032560Josh Houtzhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgJosh Houtz2019-09-06 15:39:182019-09-06 15:39:18‘Oh Captain! My Captain!’ Dolphins name 2019 team captains
Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz said weeks ago that the biggest improvement is from week 1 to week 2.
If that’s the case then the Hurricanes should be a completely different team when they travel to Chapel Hill to open the ACC slate against North Carolina on Saturday.
The Hurricanes opened the season in what was considered “week zero” against Florida in Orlando. Which means they had an extra week to prepare for their next opponent. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams looked solid in his first start but there was plenty of room for offensive coordinator Dan Enos to critique and improve.
“What happens here every day is just daily improvement,” Diaz said. “You come in, you run your stuff and you just find a way to do it better than the day before. He’s doing well but it gets back to the same point of if we were to have thrown a touchdown pass in the last drive and won 27-24, we would have not come in here and done anything differently. Jarren, like all the guys, is coming in finding a way to better master what we’re trying to do.”
“I would say my pocket presence, not watching the rush,” said Williams when asked about which area of his game saw the most improvement. “Every play, keeping my eyes down the field and if you have to run, then you have to run. But when you watch the rush, you tend to run out the pocket when you can step up and make a throw. I just feel like I’ve been really making that a point of emphasis this week of not watching the rush, just keep my eyes on my progressions and getting the ball down the field to my receivers.”
The receivers also feel like they could contribute to Williams’ improvement with better production from their end.
“The only thing we can do is make tough catches for him,” senior wide receiver KJ Osborn said. “Coach Enos is going to coach Jarren to do what he does. We can come back and communicate with him on the sideline, talk about different coverages and things like that, but the only thing we can do is keep running routes and keep getting open, communicate with him, and make tough catches for him to make his job easier.”
Over the course of the bye week, Tate Martell went from backup quarterback to wide receiver. His experience as a quarterback helped the receivers get a greater grasp of Enos’ offensive leading up to Saturday’s game.
“He’s very smart.” Osborn said. “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.”
This will be a game to watch for the intriguing quarterback matchup between Williams and North Carolina freshman Sam Howell, who also has mobility.
“He’s definitely a young quarterback, plays with a lot of passion,. He’s not scared to tuck it and run. He doesn’t run away from contact either,” senior linebacker Shaq Quarterman said. “When you’re dealing with a guy like that, you gotta be weary of coming out of pass coverage, first response it to the scramble.”
The key for the Hurricanes will be the offensive line play. The double-digit sacks that were given up against Florida will likely not happen against UNC but only because of how unprecedented that was but it will be hard to see Williams’ improvement when the name on his jersey is covered in dirt.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-1.jpg6781278Tony Capobiancohttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgTony Capobianco2019-09-06 14:57:162019-09-06 14:57:16Improved Jarren Williams, Hurricanes looking for first win
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.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/webb5.png609689Luis Sunghttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgLuis Sung2019-09-06 14:21:352019-09-06 14:21:35Dolphins sign OT J’Marcus Webb
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.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Wilkins-2-scaled.jpg20062560Jake Mendelhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgJake Mendel2019-09-06 10:49:292019-09-06 10:56:00Christian Wilkins loves Miami’s defense headed into week one
Antonio Brown is not making things easy on himself.
A lot can change in a year. Just ask Antonio Brown. The National Football League superstar was once at the pinnacle of his profession. Once the best wide receiver in the game, it appeared that nothing could take him down. however, in the last year he has become his own worst enemy.
As I’m writing this, many are still trying to figure out the details of Brown’s suspension from the Oakland Raiders. Although this is big news, it is just the tip of the iceberg. This is something that has been manifesting for the past year now. If anything, his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers sort of set the Antonio Brown train wreck into motion. On March 10, the Raiders acquired him from the Steelers for a third and fifth-round pick. Following the deal, they reworked his contract. a three-year deal with a maximum of $54.125 million, it was certainly a healthy investment from Oakland.
It’s fair to call it a healthy investment because of the stuff that proceeded before the deal. Calling out JuJu Smith-Schuster for fumbling was, to put it lightly, a bad move. Sharing a locker room video on Facebook live following the Steelers victory was also not ideal either. He did apologize for it, so I have to give credit where it is due. For every step forward he may have taken, he always took two steps back. He was benched last December before Pittsburgh’s game against Cincinnati for a dispute with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
I hate to say it, because I’m not a fan of big Ben, but Roethlisberger looks the best out of anybody following the Steelers drama. He still sits from his perch as the team’s starting quarterback.
Anyway, I digress.
Brown’s tenure in Oakland, for how short it has been to this point, has been eventful so far. From freezing his feet in a cryo- chamber to having a dispute over helmets, he has certainly made for good television. If anything, he may have been the most interesting part of this season of Hard Knocks. The dispute on Thursday with general manager Mike Mayock is just the tip of the iceberg to all the things that have led before it. It’s a shame that his legacy is being tarnished by his actions. He’s a very good wide receiver, and the numbers certainly don’t lie.
1,000 total yards in six straight seasons, 74 career touchdowns, and seven Pro Bowls. Those are just some of the accolades he has accumulated in his career. With so much talent, he is now throwing it all away. He was once feared by cornerbacks. Now, he is being feared by the entire National Football League because you never know what is going to happen next. The undoing of Antonio Brown is one of the most fascinating things I have seen. It’s not fascinating like exciting, it’s fascinating like “Wow, I can’t believe he self-destructed that quickly.” It’s sad really, and one of the more shocking stories in all of football.
Who knows what will happen next in this saga? As Antonio Brown has taught us, expect the unexpected.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Antonio-Brown-photo.jpg388671Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2019-09-05 18:08:322019-09-05 18:08:32Crashing from Grace: Antonio Brown is his own worst enemy
You can help our neighbors in the Bahamas donating at Marlins Park!
The Marlins informed the following in a statement earlier today:
The Miami Marlins and the Miami Marlins Foundation are joining the community’s efforts in assisting our neighbors in the Bahamas who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Marlins Park will serve as a donation site during the upcoming homestand, September 6-12. Drop-off locations will be on the East and West Plaza at Marlins Park, beginning two hours prior to first pitch. Come and help donating with us!
The Miami Marlins Foundation will donate all 50/50 Raffle proceeds – and match those funds raised – from the upcoming homestand to the relief efforts after Dorian did a lot of damage in the Bahamas.
In addition, fans attending games this homestand can help donating $1 at any Marlins Park concession and round up their purchases at the Marlins Park retail stores. Donations by fans will be matched by the Miami Marlins Foundation.
Needed items include water, canned goods, can openers, mosquito spray, sunscreen, diapers, baby formula, first aid items, flashlights, batteries, and small generators.
The Marlins thank partners Pepsi, Sedano’s Supermarkets, W.B. Mason, and Goya for their pledged donations to the Marlins organization’s efforts.
For more information on the Miami Marlins, please visit the team’s official sites, Marlins.com and MarlinsBeisbol.com.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/20190328_133349-scaled.jpg12442560Alejandro Villegashttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgAlejandro Villegas2019-09-05 18:03:052019-09-05 18:06:09Help the Bahamas donating at Marlins Park!
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.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svg00Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-09-05 15:44:322019-09-05 16:20:03So you’re saying we (Dolphins) don’t have a chance?
As the Dolphins tank away everything but their toilets at the Davie practice facility, we’re getting closer to the no-tank team in town getting rolling again.
The Dolphins will likely have lost four games by then.
So it was a welcome sight to see new alpha Jimmy Butler back in the United States after his extended European vacation — and even better to see him working with the Heat’s new kid hope, Tyler Herro.
The Miami Heat seems to be the only Miami professional team that is not tanking (the Panthers are from Broward, so do they count?), and we will definitively be very close to the team, as usual, but this time, going very often to the arena, to provide you with interviews, live analysis before and after games and a lot of Alf complaining. Please check out Five on the Floor and Cinco Razones Deportes Network (for Spanish listeners). We will have a blast!
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Tyler-Herro-1.jpg20161504Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-09-05 11:04:562019-09-05 16:28:00The Heat have their Hero and Herro together
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.
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 describingWilliams 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”.
Where has Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jarren Williams improved since his first game and has the result against Florida changed that progression? @MIASportsMavenpic.twitter.com/fLCK8AeWLE
