‘2 Down Kiko Alonso’: A Canary In The Coal Mine

The worst coverage Linebacker in 2017 was Kiko Alonso

Kiko Alonso is a high priced player who must improve or take the bench on occasion

Kiko Alonso is getting paid $8 Million in 2018, but it’s likely best for the Phins to have him take a seat on passing downs. The big question is will Adam Gase and Matt Burke have the willpower and wisdom to bench him if his pass coverage looks like it did in 2017?

Excuses won’t cut it this year with fans or the pay per head sites.

There are fans who don’t like Burke and think he should be replaced. I’m not one of them. But I do think there are lingering questions that need answering: his personnel evaluations and game plans.

Yes, it was Burke who thought Kiko could play the Will Linebacker… He was very WRONG! Kiko is totally the wrong player for that position. But it was also Burke who put together a masterful plan to beat the Patriots… He was oh-so-RIGHT on that one!

The 2017 Season was Burke’s rookie run as a Defensive Coordinator, so a learning curve is to be expected from every noob.

This season though, Burke, like so many aspects of the Miami Dolphins, is in a ‘Make or Break Mode’. I lean towards he makes it.

Gase has many hard decisions coming, but if he makes the right calls… look out!

Coach Gase is a whole other story. He’s a vet now and has experienced the highs and lows of coaching. Through his 2 seasons, Gase has shown both too much faith and patience as well as the guts to bench and cut/trade expensive and talented players. I think at this point he has a clear vision of how things must be run. So if Kiko doesn’t step up as a coverage backer, I fully expect Gase to send the overpriced LB to the bench. But will he act as I hope? As Phin Fans we know all too well, “Shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’ but didn’t.”

How Burke and Gase handle Kiko this training camp, if his pass coverage is similar to 2017 levels, is a 100% a coaching ‘canary in the coal mine’.

Not to be facetious, but FYI: “Miners used canaries to detect carbon monoxide and other deadly gases in the mines. As long as the canaries continued to sing, the miners were safe. If the canary died, they’d evacuate the miners.”

So: If Kiko struggles and gets bumped down the depth chart on passing downs, despite his large salary, it’s a darn good sign for the season. It will mean the Phins have the talent to upgrade and posses a wise staff that’s all about competition and winning.

BUT, if he looks like he did in 2017 and still shows up in the Nickel… then there could be big, big trouble ahead in 2018.

Kiko is effective when given a limited scope of duties

Just like with Burke, many say Kiko sucks and is useless. I’m not one of them. Overpriced…YES! Sucks, no.  Kiko has strengths, but his stark weaknesses force him to be a system / situational player. It’s not his fault that he was poorly evaluated and received a large contract. And to be fair, he plays with 100% commitment and effort. He’s done everything in his power to earn his raise.

Kiko is a downhill player who needed to be kept clean on run downs. When there’s a hole, and he’s kept clean by the D-Line, he makes plays. There are plenty of successful LB’s with this skillset–the most successful of course can cover. And on passing downs, he needs to play Zone Coverage with an over technique covering a smaller zone. He works best in confined places in both the run and pass. In open space, Alonso gets exposed, except when in sideline pursuit. Worst case scenario, he’s a solid 2 down LB.

Below are clips from the first game and last 2 games of the 2017 Season. They show Alonso’s weaknesses were persistent throughout the Regular Season. Most of these flaws are fixable and what we should look out for in Training Camp and Preseason to see if there’s been an improvement.

What to look for in the plays below:

1. Notice Kiko rocking slightly in the first play even before he jumps… he reveals he has flats in man coverage. Rivers knows Gates will be open on the shallow 4 Route (curl) once Kiko passes.
2. Before the snap, Kiko is creeping to his left. Rivers knows he’s heading to the flats and that the middle zone will be vacated by the time Gates crosses.
3. Kiko is jittering his left foot back and forth pre-snap. This tells Smith he’s blitzing and the middle zone will be empty for the crossing receiver.
4. Well before the snap, Kiko back peddles… and then back peddles again and again. Taylor knows Miami is in Zone and which zone will be open. Even before the snap, Taylor knows exactly where he’s going.
5. Jones is blitzing and is creeping pre snap. Kiko is read and react, but he’s creeping as well. McCown knows the slant is open and Kiko (who always bites on play-action) is too late to get back in time.

Kiko’s strong tendency to move presnap tells smart QBs where he’s going and the general theme of the play. He did this Week 1 all the way through Week 17. If he could just eliminate this one flaw, beyond his own game, the pass D as a whole would be helped tremendously.

This tendency of Alonso’s dates back to even 2016. It must end in 2018… and if not, Gase and Burke must sit him.

*Edit typo: Paysinger was marked as the Mike after Kiko… the things we miss in the edit phase.

In the plays below, both early and late in the season, we see the same issues: Inability to handle complex responsibilities in coverage, delayed reaction, tunnel vision, and a weakness in dealing with runners in space.

The most correctable and egregious of his flaws are the presnap tells. Whether it’s lack of speed, confidence, or discipline, I have no clue. But this flaw is so blatant I’m shocked it hasn’t been corrected. Kiko is a good guy and maybe he’s just trying too hard. Whatever the reason, and regardless of if he’s a nice guy or not, Gase must sit him on passing downs if it’s not fixed in Preseason. So keep your eyes on Kiko and how Gase handles him because it will tell the tale on many fronts. Go Phins!!!