Dolphins DBs face questions galore
Age questions. Health questions. Talent questions. Even rhetorical questions dance around the Miami secondary, such as the one Bobby McCain asked after this week’s game in Orlando: “Will we get better?” the 2nd-year CB asked.
One of the first football cliches I ever heard was, “You can never have enough healthy cornerbacks to start a season.”
At least I thought it was healthy cornerbacks. The current Dolphins management seems to think it’s, “You can never have enough cornerbacks with questions to start a season.”
Age questions. Health questions. Talent questions. Even rhetorical questions, as cornerback Bobby McCain asked after a second preseason game where the cornerbacks did nothing to change their flashing-neonlight status to opposing quarterbacks.
“Will we get better?” the second-year cornerback said Thursday night in Orlando.
That’s the first question that swings this season.
“There’s always room for improvement,” McCain said. “We’re always working to get better. We know we can do the job. We’ll be fine.”
At the start of June, July and August, that was always the answer from team insiders whenever the cornerback issue was raised. “We’ll be fine.” The calendar is about to flip to September. They aren’t fine.
You need three capable cornerbacks just to line up on game days. The Dolphins have one in Byron Maxwell. Even he isn’t a sure thing, what with his one year in Philadelphia that led to a quickie divorce, as well as a shoulder some say is fine and others say remains a risk.
But Maxwell is gold compared to the other two cornerback positions right now. Starter Tony Lippett and McCain are low draft picks in just their second year. Most such cornerbacks are considered threeyear projects.
So this isn’t to pick on them. Opposing quarterbacks will do that enough, anyhow. Dallas’ Tony Romo and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan showed that these past two preseason games, lining their top receiver on Lippett’s side and throwing their first pass right at him.
Dallas’ Dez Bryant drew a pass interference. Atlanta’s Julio Jones got a 17-yard gain. That didn’t set the tone as much as reinforce every fear of what’s happening in practice as the opener pulls into view.
Yes, I know it’s just preseason. I know those are two potent pass-catch combinations.
But this was more than a hiccup.
Rookie Xavien Howard (knee surgery) is expected to play for the first time in Thursday’s preseason finale. Maybe he’s the cavalry. Or maybe Chris Culliver can be a couple of months from now when he’s expected to get on the field with his reconstructed knee.
That’s a lot of crossing-your-fingers hope, though. Take Howard. Considering how this coaching staff slow-cooked top pick Laremy Tunsil this preseason for fear of losing his confidence, what would it say if they start Howard off an injury right away?
Last year, the Dolphins entered the season with a glaring deficiency at guard. It never improved. It helped sink the season. Guard isn’t even a position of impact, as most teams invest cheaply in the position.
A glaring deficiency at cornerback is different. It’s a known season sinker in this pass-happy NFL era. And it’s not like the schedule helps. The Dolphins play the top fourrated quarterbacks from last year, including Seattle’s top-rated Russell Wilson in the opener.
“You never have enough healthy cornerbacks to start a season?”
That’s the normal philosophy. The Dolphins plan to cross their fingers and hope some of these cornerbacks with questions are the answer.