Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes blow past Tar Heels
LB Alonso having resurgent season as defense ranks among best in NFL
Three turnovers returned for TDs propell Miami to 47-10 win.
DAVIE – See ball, get ball.
That has been Kiko Alonso’s approach to football ever since he started wearing pads, and over the past few years the Miami Dolphins linebacker has learned when he sticks to that approach he’s usually at his best.
“I’m just keeping it simple, doing my job,” linebacker Kiko Alonso said when asked about the 34 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles he’s produced in Miami’s 3-0 start.
Alonso, whose 34 tackles has him sitting behind only Indianapolis linebacker Darius Leonard in tackles produces in 2018, has quietly been one of the Dolphins’ top performers.
His forceful play at the line of scrimmage is one of the reasons Miami ranks seventh against the run, allowing 89 rushing yards a game. Their 3.3 yards allowed per carry ranks Miami third in the NFL.
Alonso is also a key factor in the Dolphins ranking second in turnovers created (eight interceptions and fumbles recovered) because he’s created two of them, and why Miami’s tied for third in the NFL in red-zone defense, limiting opponents to three touchdowns in their nine opportunities inside the 20-yard line.
“He’s moving well right now. He’s reacting to what he’s seeing and he’s not hesitating,” coach
Adam Gase said of Alonso, who has started all 34 games he’s played for the Dolphins. “I think it’s nice for him to have those other guys that he’s been rolling with out there [with].”
Gase is referring to Raekwon McMillan, a first-year starter who took over for Alonso as Miami’s inside linebacker, and handles the signal caller for the Dolphins defense now, and rookie Jerome Baker, who plays on the opposite side of Alonso in the base defense.
“He doesn’t really have to tell them much, because those guys are sharp and work at what they’re doing,” Gase said about Alonso’s influence over the newcomers. “I think he’s just able to go out there and play and react to the game.”
According to defensive coordinator Matt Burke, the personnel changes have allowed Alonso to get back to being the instinctive, sideline-to-sideline player that anchored Miami’s defense in 2016, a season where he contributed 115 tackles, pulled down two interceptions and forced two fumbles.
Alonso started out 2017 playing well, but as the season progressed, his performance dipped.
Nobody, including Alonso, who produced 115 tackles, one sack and forced two fumbles last season, has been able to narrow down why that was the case.
Some theories center on the matchups he was facing against Oakland, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and possibly teams building off plays and schemes that led to success against Miami’s defense during that five-game losing streak in November.
Burke blames Alonso’s issues on the carousel of linebackers he was paired with because of injuries and suspensions, and a hand injury that lingered from 2016. But those issues seem to be behind him, and it’s allowed Alonso to get back to playing fast.
Sunday’s game against New England will indicate whether Alonso’s simply on a hot streak, or if his game has legitimately improved. The Patriots are averaging 97.7 rushing yards per game, and are averaging 24.6 attempts per game.
And former St. Thomas Aquinas standout James White leads New England with 14 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, the Patriots expect to have Sony Michel, a former American Heritage standout New England selected in the first-round of the 2018 draft, more involved in the offense.
“We know they want to run the ball, and we also know that White is one of his favorite targets so it’s definitely going to be a lot on the linebackers,” Alonso said. “Whenever there’s a running back that’s a quarterback’s favorite target it’s always going to fall on the linebackers to stop them.”
And then there’s tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has been a nightmare for the Dolphins for a decade.
Alonso knows he’ll draw that assignment on occasions too because who covers Gronkowski is predicated on numerous factors, and might require more than one player if the Dolphins plan to use Detroit’s strategy and double-team the five-time Pro Bowler.
Burke is confident Alonso will be prepared for whatever the Patriots send his way.
“He’s self-driven. Kiko is sneaky, stupid like a fox. You talk to him and sometimes he seems goofy and aloof, but he’s really smart, and he’s really dedicated to preparing,” Burke said. “You walk by that linebacker room at all times of the day and night and he’s often in there watching tape. He doesn’t talk about it. He’s got a goofy personality, but he’s a committed preparer. He probably watches more film than anyone on our defense.”