Beyond the Phins marquee names, there is a growing swell of talent emerging
The Phins are 3 games into their 2020 Season and the picture is growing clearer about what type of team they are this year. Now, the image is still fuzzy, but the next few weeks should clear plenty up. Still, some themes have been consistent so far… and a strong underswell of young, 2nd tier players is one of them.
Obviously, star players are key to NFL success, but the talent level and depth of the supporting cast are just as important–maybe even more so. While Miami doesn’t have even a single elite player, they do have a few flirting with stardom. DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Xavien Howard, Kyle Van Noy, and Byron Jones are the Phins’ best players. I’m betting with the best pay per head review sites that at least one will have their name attached to ‘game-breaker’ by year’s end. And, if you forced it out of me, I think Parker and Gesicki will be pro bowl selections by season’s end.
But, what the Phins clearly have is a swell of supporting players proving themselves to be quality additions to the roster. And, the truth is, this is the best barometer for consistency. Stars can take over games and allow inferior teams to win with their exceptional talent, but teams with quality depth have greater consistency week-in and week-out and that creates long-term success.
2nd Tier offensive players on the rise
Isaiah Ford is finally coming into his own with his good hands, route running, and size. His PFF grade of 67.2 to go along with his 103 and 8 first downs on the season is an excellent early season report card. And Ford’s 34 run-blocking reps with a PFF grade of 66.3 is the Phins best for a receiver. Ford is a money saver considering Jarvis Landry has a 66.9 PFF grade, 143 yards, and 7 first downs.
While Jakeem Grant has been less than stellar in the return game, he is starting to build momentum in the passing game and has strung together a few key plays. This is a make or break season for Grant if he wants to be back in 2021. So far, Grant has shown toughness, improved routes, and consistency to go along with his blazing speed. If he can put it all together, look out!
Myles Gaskin IS and will be the #1 running back of the Miami Dolphins… if he can bounce back from a down game in pass protection. His blocking fell from the high 60s to mid-50s by PFF standards. In Weeks 1-2 he was excellent, but he slipped in Week 3. Everything is a go for him to have a bright future… if he can protect the quarterback.
Durham Smythe isn’t an offensive threat, but he has been good enough in his blocking to be ranked the 32nd TE in the NFL on blocking alone. He is leading the Phins TEs in blocking plays and has a 72.3 and 68.3 in pass and run blocking, respectively. His run blocking grade has him ranked 16th best in the NFL, along with Gesicki who is ranked 5th, the Phins have quite a force to move the ground game.
2nd Tier defensive players on the rise
At least for one game, Zach Seiler proved to be a valuable upgrade on the defensive line. Seiler showed he could be a factor in both the pass rush and run support. While I’ve been high on Seiler, the time for him to take his spot with some big games coming up. The matchup between Godchaux and Seiler will be one of my keys to watching the next game.
Andrew Van Ginkel has had an amazing performance with limited snaps earning a PFF grade of 78.8 ranking him 9th best edge defender out of 98 other players! With only 44 snaps though has is playing just 25% of a starter. But, he had 18 of those snaps in Week 3 in pass defense and provide a good deal of much-needed pressure. Can he develop into a full-time player? Van Ginkel is a major storyline for a Phins team severely lacking the ability to pressure a QB.
Christian Wilkins took a small step back in Week, but his play still has him ranks 17th of all interior defensive linemen. His tape really impresses and gives a ton of context to his small stat line. Wilkens is showing plenty for a second-year player with his 132 snaps, 22 more than the next interior linemen Davon Godchaux. Seiler took some snaps from Wilkens and even more from Godchaux and Davis. A good rotation is critical. I expect a fresh Wilkens this week will look more like Week 1 and 2.
While the defense has been a big topic of conversation, there appears to be an upward trend
Shaq Lawson is on pace to produce his second-best season with a PFF grade of 68.9 in both his pass rush and overall grade. Like Wilkens, Lawson received a break this week and had fewer snaps in the run game thanks Grugier-Hill and Van Ginkel taking some of the load. The loss of Vince Biegel is certainly being felt on the edge. If both Hill and Van Ginkel can continue to step up, I expect fresh edge rushers to apply more pressure going forward.
Wearing #29 (formerly Minkah Fitzpatrick’s number) Brandon Jones has started from Day 1. His PFF grade is currently 62.8 (best for Phins safeties) and 30th in the NFL, which bests Minkah’s grade of 51.2. Why do I feel really good about this?!
Kamu Grugier-Hill is struggling a bit in run defense, but he is the best cover LB (nearly double that of Roberts and Baker) with his 72.6 over 31 coverage snaps. His play has allowed Van Noy to get more edge play and helped with the rotation. Miami is desperate for any quality play at linebacker. This is their weakest unit.
The key for Phins fans to watch for is the development of talent
I agree completely. Not having any preseason games hurts younger teams like Miami. Add to that nearly a 50% turn-over from last year, and the issue is compounded. I was very impressed with the short week and how Flores and his staff got this team ready! Last year, we kept getting better with each week passing. Especially good is the fact that we are one of the least penalized teams in the league. This is great considering how young the team is, and also the number of new players coming over in the off-season. I would be just pure giddy if we can beat Seattle. 10 days off and the long trip from Seattle to Miami I hope will help. I stated earlier that Seattle traditionally has not been a good road team. Maybe at 3-0 they are due to miss-step and loose their 1st game? Like MJ said, our next 3 games after Seattle are winnable, SF, (really banged up), Denver, & San Diego. Did I say that the Dolphins are pretty healthy. We will certainly need Byron Jones back for Sunday’s game if we have a chance to win. Additionally, I hope that Parker & Williams are further along in their respective recoveries. Watching the Jags game Fitzpatrick did a lot of underneath passing, taking what the defense gave us. We started out running the ball real well. Lot’s of chuck runs. Then the Jags put 8 in the box. However, we never really attempted to push the ball down the field much beyond 10-12 yards. I think this might have had to do with both Parker & Williams not being 100% and thus risking a re-injury, forcing them out for future games. I too feel the excitement that finally we have a FO, HC, and personnel to keep moving this team forward in very positive direction.
Yeah, Randy made that understanding stick. If we can get healthy then we are in a very good spot. Needham is playing poorly and Igbo is raw. I’m do a study today of the Phins and I’ll watch their gameplan on O and see the routes and route combos. Overall, it’s hard to complain for me… well. at least until the last third of the season. We need to see consistency before we get too excited, but I do see the arrow pointing up on the macro level, Stephen.
I agree, player development is the most crucial thing this coaching staff has to concern itself with this year! Tough game vs. Seahawks coming up! This game will tell just how far this team has developed since week #1. I have been reading that the Seahawks are pretty banged up now. Carol said that they struggled to get a 53 man roster together. This past Sunday, a few more injuries occurred. However, in addition to Russell Wilson, the Hawks have two (2) very good WR’s. In order to have a chance to win this game, I think BOTH Byron Jones and Xavien Howard will need to play, and play at a high level! This means both being healthy and feeling good. Additionally, our offense will need to be able to run the ball well enough to give our offense a balanced attack just like vs. Jags. The environment will be in the upper 80’s temps, plus humidity. This means the on-field temperature will be in at least the mid-to upper 90’s! It has been a long time since the physical environment provided a strong consistent home-field advantage. This can only happen with our offense moving the ball up and down the field and having the opposing defense “wilt” and gasping for air. I remember the game in Adam Gase first year when we played the Steelers. The on-field temperature exceeded 100 degrees. Numerous Steeler players left the game with heat exhaustion, cramps, nausea, vomiting, etc. We need to keep the Seahawks defense on the field and Russell Wilson off the field. The Seahawks defense is not elite, and we should be able to score points. Therefore, once again, the burden will fall to our defense! Our guys need to be rested and fresh, with both top CB’s playing. Anything less could certainly spell a loss. Wilson is currently on fire, with 5 TD’s vs. Cowboys. Seattle has traditionally not been a good road team. Their plane ride to Miami is the longest ride in the NFL. They will also need to acclimate to a 3-time zone change. The Dolphins as a whole are pretty healthy and the 10 days off/prep hopefully will help. Let’s give Flores and his staff real credit for a great game plan vs. Jags. Flores and his staff out-coached Doug Marone. MJ, I know that you feel this game is another loss, and I tend to agree, but I hope that there is a let down, and the above situations work to our benefit. Thank you!
“Additionally, our offense will need to be able to run the ball well enough to give our offense a balanced attack just like vs. Jags. ” This is the key. Problem is the Oline has shown to be good at R-blocking. The TEs and WRs have been the keys to getting what he have so far. The Oline is pretty poor so far with the exception of Karras. The Oline must do better. Kindley has come back down to earth hard and Jackson is weak (he is soo young) and Flowers doesn’t use his size well and Hunt is very raw and Davis is too nice. If this line can get this area even decent, we’ll see huge results. This is the key to this season. I need to see improvement in the Run blocking this week. It will be tough because Seattle has a tough front… but, it is the key for me as far as skillset improvement. These guys are big and should run block much better than they do. This would also serve your point about this particular game and wearing Seattle out in the sun. We must run the ball… but above all of it this Oline must improve for that to happen. We could win… we can! But, we must run the ball and stop the pass…those are our current weakest points ATM.
Randy R.,
I agree completely. Not having any preseason games hurts younger teams like Miami. Add to that nearly a 50% turn-over from last year, and the issue is compounded. I was very impressed with the short week and how Flores and his staff got this team ready! Last year, we kept getting better with each week passing. Especially good is the fact that we are one of the least penalized teams in the league. This is great considering how young the team is, and also the number of new players coming over in the off-season. I would be just pure giddy if we can beat Seattle. 10 days off and the long trip from Seattle to Miami I hope will help. I stated earlier that Seattle traditionally has not been a good road team. Maybe at 3-0 they are due to miss-step and loose their 1st game? Like MJ said, our next 3 games after Seattle are winnable, SF, (really banged up), Denver, & San Diego. Did I say that the Dolphins are pretty healthy. We will certainly need Byron Jones back for Sunday’s game if we have a chance to win. Additionally, I hope that Parker & Williams are further along in their respective recoveries. Watching the Jags game Fitzpatrick did a lot of underneath passing, taking what the defense gave us. We started out running the ball real well. Lot’s of chuck runs. Then the Jags put 8 in the box. However, we never really attempted to push the ball down the field much beyond 10-12 yards. I think this might have had to do with both Parker & Williams not being 100% and thus risking a re-injury, forcing them out for future games. I too feel the excitement that finally we have a FO, HC, and personnel to keep moving this team forward in very positive direction.
Yeah, Randy made that understanding stick.
If we can get healthy then we are in a very good spot. Needham is playing poorly and Igbo is raw. I’m do a study today of the Phins and I’ll watch their gameplan on O and see the routes and route combos. Overall, it’s hard to complain for me… well. at least until the last third of the season. We need to see consistency before we get too excited, but I do see the arrow pointing up on the macro level, Stephen.
MJ,
I agree, player development is the most crucial thing this coaching staff has to concern itself with this year! Tough game vs. Seahawks coming up! This game will tell just how far this team has developed since week #1. I have been reading that the Seahawks are pretty banged up now. Carol said that they struggled to get a 53 man roster together. This past Sunday, a few more injuries occurred. However, in addition to Russell Wilson, the Hawks have two (2) very good WR’s. In order to have a chance to win this game, I think BOTH Byron Jones and Xavien Howard will need to play, and play at a high level! This means both being healthy and feeling good. Additionally, our offense will need to be able to run the ball well enough to give our offense a balanced attack just like vs. Jags. The environment will be in the upper 80’s temps, plus humidity. This means the on-field temperature will be in at least the mid-to upper 90’s! It has been a long time since the physical environment provided a strong consistent home-field advantage. This can only happen with our offense moving the ball up and down the field and having the opposing defense “wilt” and gasping for air. I remember the game in Adam Gase first year when we played the Steelers. The on-field temperature exceeded 100 degrees. Numerous Steeler players left the game with heat exhaustion, cramps, nausea, vomiting, etc. We need to keep the Seahawks defense on the field and Russell Wilson off the field. The Seahawks defense is not elite, and we should be able to score points. Therefore, once again, the burden will fall to our defense! Our guys need to be rested and fresh, with both top CB’s playing. Anything less could certainly spell a loss. Wilson is currently on fire, with 5 TD’s vs. Cowboys. Seattle has traditionally not been a good road team. Their plane ride to Miami is the longest ride in the NFL. They will also need to acclimate to a 3-time zone change. The Dolphins as a whole are pretty healthy and the 10 days off/prep hopefully will help. Let’s give Flores and his staff real credit for a great game plan vs. Jags. Flores and his staff out-coached Doug Marone. MJ, I know that you feel this game is another loss, and I tend to agree, but I hope that there is a let down, and the above situations work to our benefit. Thank you!
“Additionally, our offense will need to be able to run the ball well enough to give our offense a balanced attack just like vs. Jags. ”
This is the key. Problem is the Oline has shown to be good at R-blocking. The TEs and WRs have been the keys to getting what he have so far. The Oline is pretty poor so far with the exception of Karras. The Oline must do better. Kindley has come back down to earth hard and Jackson is weak (he is soo young) and Flowers doesn’t use his size well and Hunt is very raw and Davis is too nice. If this line can get this area even decent, we’ll see huge results. This is the key to this season. I need to see improvement in the Run blocking this week. It will be tough because Seattle has a tough front… but, it is the key for me as far as skillset improvement. These guys are big and should run block much better than they do.
This would also serve your point about this particular game and wearing Seattle out in the sun. We must run the ball… but above all of it this Oline must improve for that to happen.
We could win… we can! But, we must run the ball and stop the pass…those are our current weakest points ATM.