Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Alonso may miss game; Hull preparing
DAVIE —Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso had surgery Monday to repair his broken right thumb, but that’s not the injury that could force him to miss the game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
It is Alonso’s lingering hamstring injury that has kept the team’s leading tackler from practicing and could lead to him missing his first game of the season.
Alonso rode an exercise bike after Wednesday’s practice, and coach Adam Gase is hopeful that he’ll be able to play if the hamstring is rested all week. As for the thumb, he’ll play with a cast that exposes his fingers.
“We just want to make sure that he is as close to being as healthy as he can be by game time,” Gase said.
Alonso, who leads the Dolphins with 97 tackles, struggled mightily Sunday in the team’s 38-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Miami’s defense is built around Alonso, who is the unit’s play caller, so it wouldn’t be easy to replace him in the lineup.
If Alonso is forced to sit out Sunday’s game, Mike Hull would replace him as Miami’s inside linebacker.
Hull, a second-year player from Penn State, has used this season to establish himself as a core special teams contributor. He had five tackles against the Ravens while filling in for Alonso on 26 snaps.
“His instincts are off the chart,” Gase said of Hull, who was the 2014 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. “You see how quick he reacts compared to everybody else. Everyone is going one way, and he’s going the other, and he’s usually right.”
Hull has 20 tackles in the 15 NFL games he’s played the past two seasons, and this would be his first start if Alonso isn’t cleared to play.
“I’m going to go out there and do what’s asked of me, get everyone else right and play football like I always have my whole life,” Hull said. “Everything will take care of itself. There are [plays] I wished I had back, but I just have to grow from that performance and keep going.”
No matter which player serves as Miami’s starting inside linebacker, he will face the tough task of containing Arizona tailback David Johnson, who has rushed for 1,005 yards, caught 64 passes for 707 yards and scored 15 touchdowns this season.
Gase said Johnson will be the “toughest challenge” Miami’s defense has had because of his duel-threat ability.
Cardinals using ex-Dolphins OT
Ulrick John, an offensive lineman the Dolphins had on their practice squad earlier this season, has turned into Arizona’s starting right tackle.
The Cardinals signed John, who was on Miami’s 53-man roster in 2015, in October, and he’s started the past two games.
“Them grabbing him, that was a tough pill for us to swallow, because they’re hard guys to find,” Gase said. “Sometimes you don’t have enough roster spots, and you’re trying to develop a guy and help him get better through the practice squad. But those guys, they don’t exist around the league.”
Pouncey up for Payton Award
The Dolphins have nominated center Mike
Pouncey as their 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year candidate.
Pouncey, now in his sixth season with the Dolphins, has earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and was selected as one of the organization’s all-time 50 greatest players last year.
Off the field, Pouncey purchases tickets for each home game so that children, who otherwise would not have the means to do so, can attend Dolphins games. He hosts a charity weekend each summer with his twin brother, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, in their hometown of Lakeland to benefit the Team Pouncey Foundation. Pouncey also partners with current and former Dolphins to promote their own community events.
The NFL’s Man of the Year award recognizes players for their excellence both on the field and in their communities. Center Dwight Stephenson (1985), quarterback Dan Marino (1998) and defensive end Jason Taylor (2007) have each won the award while playing for the Dolphins.
Injury update
Jelani Jenkins (knee), Jarvis Landry (excused absence) and Pouncey (hip) didn’t participate in practice Wednesday. Center Anthony Steen, who is Pouncey’s replacement, is nursing shoulder and foot injuries but practiced without limitations. Kraig Urbik, the Dolphins’ top reserve as an interior lineman, had his participation limited by a knee injury. ... Defensive linemen Earl Mitchell (back) and Mario Williams (ankle), receiver DeVante Parker (back),
linebacker Spencer Paysinger (ankle), safety Isa Abdul Quddus (neck),
tailback Kenyan Drake (knee) and cornerback Xavien Howard (knee) all had their practice participation limited on Wednesday because of their injuries.