Will Drake change one thing that has resulted in getting fewer carries? Here’s the answer

One reason why injured Frank Gore has 53 more carries than Kenyan Drake this season is that Dolphins coach Adam Gase likes the reliability of Gore and believes there’s a greater chance of lost yardage when Drake carries the football, which is statistically true. But there’s also a better chance of a more explosive play with Drake.

Drake hasn’t complained publicly about Gase’s thinking, but when asked Thursday if he would change his running style as a result of that, he made clear that he would not.

“I am not changing my game because I am who I am,” Drake said. “That’s why I’m here.”

Asked if he has to fight instincts to try to turn negative runs into big plays, Drake said one of the reasons he has been able to succeed is “because of my instincts. There is nothing else to change. I am who I am. Try to minimize the plays that might result in a loss with trying to do too much. You have to take the wins with the losses.”

Drake has 103 carries, barely over 7 per game. He also has 44 receptions.

Gase said Thursday that Gore — who’s out for the season with a foot injury — “did a good job of making sure there were no negative plays.”

Asked if he has had similar conversations with Drake, Gase said: “We talk about it so much. It’s not like I keep it a secret from anybody. Let’s stay out of it.”

Here’s what the data shows:

▪ Of Drake’s 103 rushing attempts, 16 have lost yards, and eight of those have lost three yards or more. By comparison, 10 of Gore’s 156 rushing attempts lost yardage, none more than three yards.

▪ Drake has seven carries that have gone for no gain and Gore 13.

▪ Of Drake’s 103 carries, 13 went for 10 yards or more and four went for 20 or more. Of Gore’s 156 carries, 12 went for 10 yards or more and five went for 20 or more.

NEWCOMER HURT

Dolphins and former UM defensive tackle Kendrick Norton, poached from the Carolina Panthers practice squad this week, sustained an ankle injury and could not practice in his second day with the team.

“I got the call [Tuesday] and then like three or four hours later I was on a plane on the way down here,” he said. “I’m excited to be back in Miami where it all started.”

He said before the draft, the Dolphins “expressed a lot of interest and they were trying to get me down here but I guess they had different priorities. But I’m here now. .... I’m driven to go out and carve a name for myself and make everyone who passed on me … show them what I can do.”

▪ Cornerback Xavien Howard practiced on a limited basis for the second day in a row and hopes to play Sunday against Jacksonville after missing two games with a knee injury.

But safety T.J. McDonald (ankle) again missed practice; he was non-committal about playing Sunday but it doesn’t appear likely. Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has been playing corner, would be a logical option to replace McDonald at safety.

Gase said linebacker Kiko Alonso is “hurting” with hamstring and knee injuries and has been limited in practice the past two days. But Alonso is planning to play Sunday.

▪ Less than a week after a miraculous final-play win against New England, the Dolphins last Friday filed a trademark application for the phrase “MIAMIRACLE” with the intention of using it on assorted merchandise items — including apparel, jewelry and toys.

▪ Gase told Jacksonville media that Ryan Tannehill is underappreciated. “He’s had some really outstanding games,” Gase said. “The thing that a lot of people focus on is the fact that not only this year, but our first year together, we played some tough teams on the road and we haven’t done well as a team.”

▪ Gase was surprisingly not critical of his team when asked why Miami is 1-6 on the road (and 1-10 in its last 11 on the road): “I think our away games we played some good teams. We caught Cincinnati when they were first the division and one of the hottest offenses in football. New England is always a tough place to play. That’s probably why they have the best home record over the last three years. Indy was hot when we got them. Green Bay was still playing pretty good at the time. Houston, obviously, has continued playing well through the entire year.

“We got Minnesota probably at the wrong time where it was do-or-die for them. They make a coaching change and their guys were pretty fired up to play. They’re a tough defense. We got caught on the wrong end of that one and played it poorly as a whole team and we got way behind on a team you can’t get behind on.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 4:49 PM.