Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Defensive line prepares for life after Suh
DAVIE — Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke is talking a collective approach to replacing tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Suh was released in March and has since signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
“Obviously we had a lot of history with Suh,” Burke said Saturday. “He’s a good player. Organizations have to make decisions on certain things. It’s always hard to move on from guys. Obviously, on the field the guys you have relationships with. That’s part of the business, so we’re prepared for that. I’m excited about that room. We’ve got some young players.”
Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor, Akeem Spence and Jordan Phillips are among those in the mix to help replace Suh. Burke said he will most likely play four tackles because of the defensive style they want to play this season.
“Really, there’s going to be an open competition,” Burke said. “In an ideal world, we play four tackles and rotate them through. The way we want to play and the style we want to play, we want to keep them fresh. We’re asking guys to play full-speed, chase the ball and attack and do those things. It’s hard to do that if you ask them to play 80 snaps.”
Student of the game
First-round draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick is showing signs he has potential to make an immediate impact. Burke has been impressed with Fitzpatrick’s football IQ. He played three seasons at Alabama and left as the school’s all-time leader with five interceptions returned for a touchdown.
“In the limited interaction I’d had with him, he’s shown ability to be a bigpicture thinker,” Burke said. “He understands football. He’s a student of the game in that sense. … We’re just kind of starting him out.”
Fitzpatrick, who can play every position in the secondary, said he’s in the perfect situation because he can learn from Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald.
“It definitely helps out because I can go to them for anything,” Fitzpatrick said. “I can ask them about offthe-field stuff, I can ask them about on-the-field stuff. I can just soak it all in and learn from both of them and a couple of other guys and a couple of other vets. That’s it, really. Just sitting underneath their wings, grow underneath them and whatever happens, happens.”
Three safeties a strong possibility
Burke said there will be plenty of times he’ll showcase a lineup with three safeties. McDonald, Jones and Fitzpatrick, could play together in certain situations.
“It’s always good to have different weapons,” Burke said “We’re going to put the best 11 players on the field, maybe play to play, week to week, game to game in terms of our matchups.”
How fast Fitzpatrick develops will play a large role in the pairings. Burke said he will evaluate it on a daily basis throughout the season.
“There may be times where T.J. and Reshad are a better grouping for us or Minka and Reshad are a better grouping for us or something else,” Burke said. “I think our challenge as a coaching staff is to just get the best feel for how to utilize those guys, what each of their strengths are.