STORYLINES
What did Patriots coach Belichick see in Dolphins running back Williams?
When he was a restricted free agent this offseason, Dolphins running back Damien Williams took a visit to Foxborough, Mass., home of coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
Williams ended up staying with the Dolphins on a one-year deal, but clearly Belichick was intrigued enough to arrange the interview.
So what does Belichick see in Williams?
“Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake have both done a great job for the Dolphins, both running the
ball, catching the ball, on all three downs,” Belichick said this week. “It allows them to play fast. Play at a good tempo with their no-huddle, when they choose to do that. Damien has got very good quickness. He’s elusive in the open field. Catches the ball well. Has got good vision. Finds seams in the defense. And you know both guys are hard to tackle. They have a lot of talent at that running back position. Those guys are a big problem, both in the running game and passing game.”
In three starts since Jay Ajayi was traded, Williams has averaged 37 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards, with one receiving touchdown. Ajayi was averaging 62 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards before his trade to Philadelphia.
Belichick is all too familiar with making a trade or releasing a player even though he knows it’s going to be unpopular. A comparison could be made to the Ajayi trade Miami made at the deadline. Asked about what he keeps in mind when
making such a deal, Belichick said Wednesday: “I don’t know. We just try to do what’s best for the football team. And win games.”
Instead of signing Williams this offseason, the Patriots signed former Dolphin and Florida Gator Mike Gillislee.
In eight games, Gillislee has averaged 44 rushing yards. But after leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per rush last season, his yards-per-attempt average is down to 3.6, and he’s been a healthy inactive the past two weeks.
In the summer, Williams was asked about meeting Belichick.
“He’s a cool dude,” Williams said. “He’s a cool person. He’s quiet. He’s very observant.”
But because Williams has only played for the
Dolphins, the organization that signed him as a free agent, he acknowledged it felt a bit awkward to be taking a trip to the Boston area, as he will be again this weekend.
“Weird,” Williams said then of the visit. — JOE SCHAD
Alonso tasked with keeping Patriots tight end Gronkowski in check
Linebacker Kiko Alonso offers a lot to the Dolphins defense.
Defensive coordinator Matt Burke wanted to make that clear this week. We know because Burke said Alonso has “a lot” of responsibilities 10 times when asked about Alonso’s effectiveness in pass coverage.
The questioncame up afterAlonsowas exposed
twice by Tampa Bay to open last Sunday’s game, allowing completions of 22 and 24 yards to tight end O.J. Howard. By game’s end, Alonso was tar- geted 11 times and allowed 10 receptions for 138 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
Next up, he’ll have to get ready for All-Pro tight
end Rob Gronkowski to attack Miami’s defense today in New England. Gronkowski has 41 receptions for 619 yards (15.1 average), five touchdowns and 10 receptions of 20 or more yards.
“Ihonestly think he’s been pretty good,” Burke said of Alonso. “I mean, he probably had a couple of squirrelly busts last week, but in general, he’s
done a really good job.”
Burke tries to be understanding when those busts occur because of Alonso’s workload.
“We put a lot on Kiko,” Burke said. “He does a lot for this defense. He does a lot for me as a playcaller. He gets a lot of people lined up. He makes a lot of checks. We always basically put him on the hardest matchup possible, period. So we’re going to put him in spots that are tough for him at times and he’s going to have his moments.
“But I’m happy with the way he’s performed so far, for sure.”
Alonso leads the Dolphins with 69 total tackles. He also has a sack and forced two fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Reshad Jones.
This season, Alonso has been targeted 59 times in coverage and allowed 48 receptions, second-most among 4-3 outside linebackers, according to PFF. He has given up three touchdowns. — HAL HABIB
How did wide receiver Stills have a career day last week while injured?
In the end, the only thing questionable about Kenny Stills last week was why there was any question in the first place.
Stills sustained a back injury in practice and there were concerns he might not be able to play against Tampa Bay. He was listed as questionable, and even when he came out of the tunnel to warm up, there were questions over how effective he might be.
Answer: extremely.
Stills caught seven passes for a career-high 180 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown.
“I’ve always said we prepare so hard in the offseason and I spend so much time dedicating my life to this that it would take something really, really serious for me to not be playing,” Stills told The Post on Wednesday.
Stills said that while he couldn’t be positive he’d play, “I pretty much told myself I was going to play, told the coaches I was going to play. You’re always like, ‘Ah, I don’t know,’ but once you wake up on Sunday and your feet touch the ground, it’s time to go.”
The show Stills put on managed to put a dent in any old coaching theory that if you can’t practice, you can’t play. Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen certainly doesn’t subscribe to it.
“(Allen) Iverson might’ve been right: Practice is a little overrated, I guess,” Christensen joked.
The question now — if there is one — might be how Stills is feeling for today’s game at New England. His answer shouldn’t surprise anyone.
“Good,” he said. “Good enough to practice. Good enough to play.” — HAL HABIB