Dolphins’ McCain updates status after surgery. And Gesicki’s early impression of Tua
More than six months removed from shoulder surgery that ended his 2019 season after just nine games, Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain said he’s “coming along well” and should be ready for the start of the season.
“It sucks,” McCain said of missing half of last season. “Everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to get out on the field and help the team win. Everyone feels like they take the necessary steps to be ready for the season. And sitting out that long I’m itching to get back. I just can’t wait for the season to start. I try not to dwell on the past and look forward to what’s coming.”
McCain dismissed the idea, floated by some who know him well, that playing safety instead of cornerback contributed to his injury. The physical toll is far greater at that position, but McCain wouldn’t hear of it Thursday.
“It’s football,” he said. “You can get hurt doing anything, making a simple tackle. Sometimes the easiest plays to make are the ones that hurt the most. It’s just football. Things happen. I went down, made a tackle and ended up hurting myself. That’s football. I’m not too stressed about that.”
When asked if it’s a good call keeping him at safety in 2020 (which seems to be the plan, for now), McCain responded:
“It’s not my decision to make decisions. My job is just to play football. So you know I love playing football. I love doing what I do. I am able to do it all.”
Here’s the reality: Safety isn’t just the position that Dolphins coaches believe McCain is best suited; it’s also the position that gives him the best chance to play. The Dolphins upgraded significantly at cornerback, signing Byron Jones and drafting Noah Igbinoghene.
On paper, the Dolphins look to be a much-improved team. And yet, oddsmakers and power rankers only think they will win six games in 2020.
“I think we made some picks, we had some good pickups in free agency as well, but I’m not too big on looking at ESPN, what they’re talking about in March and April and May,” McCain said. “We’re just going to take it one day at a time, get better as a team, and hopefully by the time January, February rolls around, they’ll be able to put their foot in their mouth.”
GESICKI, TUA TALK
Tight end Mike Gesicki recently called Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and was impressed by the rookie’s upbeat nature.
“Once you get drafted, your phone starts blowing up and you’ve got everybody congratulating you, so I kind of let that cool down for a little bit and I was able to just kind of reach out and tell him that we’re excited to have him and talked to him real shortly,” Gesicki said. “But I think that what you guys see from him — just kind of being super positive and a great kid and excited to be out there working — I think that’s kind of the same thing that I’m able to grasp from him as well.”
Gesicki expressed admiration for what Tagovailoa accomplished at Alabama.
“I think his performance in college speaks for itself,” Gesicki said. “I think he had a super successful career at Alabama and made a ton of plays and obviously did everything in his power to put himself in a position to be successful and get to where he is right now, so I’m really happy for him and the opportunity that he now has with us.”
▪ A video of Gesicki throwing a football over a multistory house and then catching it was widely circulated on social media this month. What led to it?
“I was honestly just super bored,” he said. “I was at my girlfriend’s beach house — pretty close to where I live — and we were just kind of hanging out and I think we saw something similar to that on the Internet and we were like, ‘Hey, I might try that.’”
He said he tried the play a couple of times before it was successful.
“A lot of people were able to see it and just kind of entertain some people,” he said. “It was fun.”
DOLPHINS’ PROPOSAL DOESN’T PASS
The Dolphins’ proposal to give the defense the option to roll the clock on the referee’s signal should the offense commit a declined penalty late in either half was not one of four rule changes approved by NFL owners this week.
The new rules and bylaws that were adopted:
▪ By Philadelphia: To amend Rule 15, Section 2, to make permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul, and any successful or unsuccessful Try attempt.
▪ By Competition Committee: Expands defenseless player protection to a kickoff or punt returner who is in possession of the ball but who has not had time to avoid or ward off the impending contact of an opponent.
▪ By Competition Committee: Prevents teams from manipulating the game clock by committing multiple dead-ball fouls while the clock is running.
▪ By League Office: Increases the number of players who may be designated for return from two to three. Incorporates interpretations applicable to bye weeks during the regular season and postseason.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 2:47 PM.
