Scoreboard! An inside look at the hot new game that’s the talk of Miami Dolphins camp
The season is still weeks off.
But the Miami Dolphins’ loaded secondary is already keeping score.
The buzz surrounding Miami’s new-look defense has focused on the big board in the defensive backs’ meeting room.
Seconadry coach Gerald Alexander keeps a running tally of big plays (and miscues) by his group, with major bragging rights — and maybe even a few prizes — are on the line.
“It’s a very good way to inspire all of us just to get better and to push ourselves in practice, especially the point system and whatever it is — awards that come out of it, gifts that come out of it,” said rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. “It just pushes all of us and makes it a competition, and we all love competition here. It just makes us better. To pit whatever it is — picks, [pass breakups], running to the ball, stuff like that — I feel like it just makes all of us do what we need to do in practice.”
The rules, according to second-year corner Nik Needham: Two teams (The Hood vs. The Burbs). Two captains (Bobby McCain and Byron Jones). Five points for interceptions. Three points for a recovered fumble. One point for pass breakups. And points are deducted for mistakes, like dropped picks.
“We’ll holding everybody accountable,” added Needham, “drafted” by McCain in the fifth round. “If the ball touches your hands, you need to make a play on it.”
The motivation has worked. The Dolphins’ secondary in general — and Igbinoghene in particular — has been excellent for much of training camp, even without Xavien Howard, who remains sidelined with health issues.
It’s a stark — and refreshing — change from 2019, when the Dolphins were so talent-bereft, they would often claim a defensive back on Tuesday and then play him five days later.
There were long-term advantages to that short-term pain, however. The Dolphins were able to get a very long look at Needham, an undrafted cornerback who might not have otherwise seen the field. Needham began the season on the practice squad but got the call-up to the active roster in the first month of the season.
He went on to appear in 12 games — starting 11 — and finished the season with 54 tackles and two interceptions.
Needham did all that despite reporting to camp at a too-heavy 205 pounds — something his teammates never let him forget — and actually failed his first conditioning test as a Dolphin.
“Everybody was calling me like fat and stuff, so in my mind I was like, ‘I can never have that again,’” Needham said. “So I was just always pushing my hardest to never be that guy again. Like I can’t be the only one like that. I was talking about how I got a gut at DB and stuff, so we used to make little jokes like that so I was like, never again. I can’t have that happen, so I set my mind to it.”
He followed through on his pledge. And reported to 2020 training camp 12 pounds lighter and carrying just 7.3 percent body fat.
The results on the field have matched his work off it. Last week had a few rough moments, but Needham has been excellent in an elevated role the past three practices. He was particularly active Tuesday, with consistently tight coverage and multiple deflected passes.
His role for Week 1 is unclear, but he seems a good bet to make the final roster along with Howard, Jones, Igbinoghene and perhaps Jamal Perry.
“The game is kind of slowing down a little bit for me and just in training camp, we’ve had the same guys out here — all competitive, all willing to work, all trying to give it their hardest — so it’s just been a real competitive camp this year, for sure.”
Point taken.
