Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
For Lindsay, a special source of inspiration
MIAMI GARDENS — Phillip Lindsay had to leave a crying, bawling son behind on Wednesday night when he got into an Uber that was taking him to the airport.
Phillip Theo Lindsay, 1 ½ years old, was watching his father go from Houston to Miami the night before Thanksgiving after the elder Phillip Lindsay was waived by the Texans on Tuesday and subsequently claimed by the Dolphins on Wednesday.
The fourth-year running back and one-time Pro Bowl selection knew then he couldn’t let this become a regular occurrence.
“This is my first time having to deal with a situation like this that many men have to do in the NFL,” said Lindsay on Sunday after contributing significantly in the Dolphins’ 33-10 win over the Carolina Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium. “That right there set the tone that I don’t want to have to keep doing this. So, for me, it was like the next opportunity that I get, I need to run with it.”
Cramming the playbook and getting himself acclimated with his new team after just a Thursday walkthrough and Friday practice before additional work on Saturday and even Sunday morning ahead of the game, Lindsay carried the ball 12 times for 42 yards. He was four attempts off lead back Myles Gaskin’s 16, and his 3.5 yards per carry actually led Miami in an outing where the ground game grinded for 111 yards on 39 attempts, a 2.8 average.
Maybe Lindsay’s best play, however, was a chip block he put on Panthers outside linebacker Haason Reddick off of play-action that allowed Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa the time to step up in the pocket and find receiver Jaylen Waddle for Miami’s longest play.
His mentality in executing that block mirrored the approach he’s taking with the Dolphins.
“That doesn’t take talent,” Lindsay said. “All that takes is determination and effort, and being that I have that dog mentality, saying, ‘I’m not going to let my quarterback get hit.’
“In my head, how I process things — and I’m a little crazy — but how I process things is like, ‘I’m protecting this man, his health and everything about it. And, if I sit here and I let him go and get hit — his family’s watching this, my family’s watching this — it’s a bad thing.’ On top of that, this is how I keep food on the table for my family, and I really take that serious. That’s truly how I am.”
As of Friday, Dolphins coach Brian Flores didn’t expect Lindsay to play much on Sunday, but Flores credited the commitment and long hours from Lindsay and co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Eric Studesville to allow him to get ready.
“At one point, I didn’t even know who we were playing because I was so dialed in on, so intense on what I needed to do,” Lindsay said. “Mentally, it drains you. I ain’t done that much studying since school.”
After spending his first three seasons with the Denver Broncos, Lindsay was with the Texans this year before they waived him. He had run for 130 yards and a touchdown on 50 attempts in 10 games and one start with Houston.
Lindsay, 27, was a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first two professional seasons, going for 1,037 yards and nine rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2018, his Pro Bowl season, and then 1,011 and seven touchdowns in 2019. He also caught 35 passes in each of those seasons.
His impressions of his new team, now on a four-game winning streak?
“They’re relentless,” Lindsay said. “They put all effort into it. Special teams, defense, offense, and it’s a great group of men. You guys are seeing a team that is starting to get that confidence back.”
As for little Phillip Theo, the elder Lindsay, at 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, joked: “He’s bigger than me already. … All he needs is a little chin hair.”
Jones misses game
Dolphins safety Brandon Jones was out Sunday after entering questionable with ankle and elbow injuries.
Miami started Eric Rowe, who finished with five tackles and a pass deflection, in Jones’ place alongside rookie safety Jevon Holland.
Tight end Adam Shaheen and cornerback Trill Williams, who were already deemed out Friday, were also inactive, along with linebacker Darius Hodge and defensive tackle John Jenkins and veteran safety Will Parks, who was just signed off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad this past week.
After one week where running back Salvon Ahmed was a healthy inactive at the New York Jets, Ahmed was back active for Miami on Sunday. He had five carries for 17 yards and a 9-yard reception, contributing behind Gaskin and Lindsay.
Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, a 2020 first-round pick that has been a healthy inactive for six games, was available Sunday with various injuries in the Dolphins’ secondary, including Elijah Campbell after his placement on injured reserve on Saturday. Igbinoghene got in at the end of the blowout victory.
Reiter injured
Dolphins center Austin Reiter was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. He was attended to by trainers momentarily while taking a knee on the field. Backup center Cameron Tom replaced Reiter after he walked off to the sideline.
Miami was playing Sunday with centers Michael Deiter and Greg Mancz also on injured reserve, but Deiter could be nearing a return after he went through practices this past week.
Dolphins cornerback Javaris Davis, who was elevated to the game-day roster from the practice squad on Saturday, was also injured. It’s unknown what either injury was as of Sunday night.