WR Parker: Demanding ball ‘just not me’
The “gigantic” year isn’t happening.
A good year?
It’s still possible for DeVante Parker, although there is work to do. First, Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said, Parker has to get back to the mind-set he had coming out of training camp, before an ankle injury slowed him.
“I just thought he was so darn hungry,” said Christensen, who had predicted Parker would have a “gigantic” season.
Good luck trying to discern where Parker’s hunger level is. He’s famously tight-lipped, even in his
third NFL season. There’s a belief that the more the Dolphins target Parker, the better, but Parker isn’t the one saying it.
“I don’t tell them to throw me the ball or anything,” Parker said. “I don’t demand the ball. I’m not that type of player or a person. That’s just not me.”
Parker has 378 yards receiving through nine games played by the team, although Parker has been healthy enough to play only six games and start five. There are two ways to interpret that. His yardage pace would extrapolate to 672 over a 16-game season if games missed weren’t factored in. If it is, his average of 63 yards per games played would give him 1,008 for the year. His career best was 744 last year. He has only one touchdown after scoring four last season.
Parker said his ankle injury, dating back a few weeks, is still “nagging” him.
Parker caught six passes for 66 yards on nine targets Monday night against Carolina. Would he like to be targeted more?
“Whatever helps the team out, helps the team win,” he said.
Coach Adam Gase would like to see Parker impose his will more, but isn’t pushing it.
“You always want that, but you’re still dealing with a very young player,” Gase said. “You’re deal
ing with a guy that has missed time in his career, early in his career. I’ve been around this before. I’ve seen situations like this where you’re kind of waiting for a guy to take that step.
“Sometimes it takes longer than other guys. Some guys just grab it right away and take it over. He just has to keep getting better and then get that feel of, ‘I can dominate, and I can consistently make the plays that we need to make.’ It really starts with growing that confidence in practice, being consistent every day, giving that quarterback that reliability of when he puts that ball up, there’s one guy coming down with it.”
So when will Parker, 24, be the guy demanding the ball more?
“Probably when I get a little more years under my belt, maybe,” Parker said. — H.H.