Stepping up
Young Dolphins making strides. Omar Kelly,
Like any parent raising an impressionable young person trying to find his or her way in this world, the best formula is to keep reinforcing your core values.
Instill a work ethic, provide discipline, inject your belief system, reinforce their confidence, and then hope that one day it all clicks and everything you’ve planted bears fruit.
The payoff might not happen immediately. But with a little diligence, and patience everything you’ve invested will likely produce a harvest.
Coach Adam Gase’s harvest is starting to arrived courtesy of a few second and thirdyear Miami Dolphins, who are putting together some breakout performances in December.
This season was supposed to be about growth, development and discovery. Even though the outcome hasn’t always been kind to Gase’s team, the performances we’ve seen from players like Kenyan Drake, Xavien Howard, Jordan Phillips, Bobby McCain, Jesse Davis and Laremy Tunsil serve show that the mission is on the verge of being accomplished.
We’ve been wowed by the potential of Drake, who began the season as Miami’s No. 3 tailback and is blossoming into a dangerous NFL weapon.
As the last man standing in the Dolphins’ injury-depleted backfield, Drake has
carried Miami’s rushing attack with two consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, balancing out what was once an anemic offense.
“I feel like I try to go out there with a level of arrogance that I feel like I can go out there and help this team win in any way possible,” said Drake, the Dolphins’ 2016 third-round pick. “My confidence has stayed pretty stagnant because, regardless if I fumble or whatever the case may be, I’m going to go out there to prove that I can be a top-notch player.”
We’ve witnessed Howard, the Dolphins’ 2016 second-round pick, struggle for much of this season, overcoming injuries and then adversity. But the former Baylor standout never hung his head before rebounding with two games in a row that featured a pair of interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Howard intercepted New England quarterback Tom Brady twice in the Dolphins’ 27-20 upset victory over the Patriots on Monday night, and locked down New England’s top receiver, Brandin Cooks, all game, allowing just one catch for 38 yards on the Patriots’ final possession.
“To be very honest and frank, it’s not surprising,” Dolphins pass rusher Cameron Wake said of the young cornerback, who dominated practice all offseason. “From the moment he arrived on campus last year, I knew the ability he had, the type of mentality and what he can bring to the table. You can tell him I said, ‘It’s about time.’”
The same can be said for Tunsil, the Dolphins’ 2016 first-round pick, who has been hot and cold all season. It’s his first year as Miami’s left tackle so growing pains were to be expected, and they certainly came, especially early. But it appears Tunsil is settling in with a veteran like Ted Larsen playing next to him at left guard, and is providing more consistent play.
And the Dolphins’ entire offensive line has begun to settle in, opening up running lanes and producing an adequate pocket for the quarterbacks.
Jesse Davis, whom we’ve seen transform from a former practice squad member in 2016 into an NFL starter in the span of seven games, deserves some credit here, too, because he’s used this extended tryout to impress Miami’s coaches.
Davis is yet another example of what happens when young players seize their opportunities, and provid the type of performances that help teams win games.
All it requires sometimes is patience, and a continued investment, even during the rough times, which will come in professional sports.
“I give him a really hard time,” Gase said when asked about Drake. “Just to see his engagement in meetings and practice and how much you can see the effort he’s putting forth to try to make sure he does everything right. He wants to be a reliable guy. Just seeing that growth really fast, it’s been fun to experience.”