What Austin Jackson has done to prepare to be Dolphins’ left tackle. And more Tua feedback
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Friday:
▪ Rookie first-round pick Austin Jackson, the front-runner for the Miami Dolphins’ left tackle job, won’t know for a few weeks how he handles skilled pass rushers in games.
But he has his night-before-game routine already down pat. As he did at Southern California, Jackson said he intends to continue getting treatment and then purchasing ice team for the team. For the record, he prefers “vanilla, maybe fudge maybe oreos on top” and has little use for strawberry and cookies and cream.
On far more important matters, Jackson has impressed the Dolphins with his development during training camp.
“Austin is doing a tremendous job,” Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said. “Shaq [Lawson] and I have been going [against him in practice]. To have a guy like me and Shaq will help him out, giving him some tips as well. He’s doing a good job.”
New offensive line coach Steve Marshall has praised Jackson’s development and is eager to see how his rookie linemen (Jackson, guards Solomon Kindley and Rob Hunt) respond in games.
“This league is so different than college football as far as the speed of it and the mental aspect of the game, and some of that stuff only comes with playing and experience,” Marshall said. “The young guys that we do have, we’ve just got to get them in there and see where they are and put on top of it no preseason games, where they could get a little taste of what the speed of the game is.
“We’re going right into the first ball game. It just happens to be the 12-4 football team that’s the Patriots. It’s a big task; but… there’s been a lot of good. We’ve had our hiccups, but I’ll tell you one thing — the guys have fought their tails off.”
So is Jackson — who skipped his senior season at Southern Cal — ready to be an NFL starter if he’s named one next week?
“Yeah,” he said. “Taking it one day at a time, make sure I handle my assignment perfect, technique perfect. I’m ready for whatever” is asked of him.
Besides watching tape of former Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil, Jackson said he has analyzed tape of four other NFL offensive tackles: San Francisco’s Trent Williams, Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanley, Dallas’ Tyron Smith and Tennessee’s Taylor Lewan.
The goal, Jackson said, is “adding to my tool box and seeing what everybody does and creating my whole set of tools.”
Jackson said “I’ve gotten a lot better” going up against Lawson in practice and has “picked the brain” of left guard Ereck Flowers, who began his NFL career as a left tackle. And he appreciates the coaching of Marshall, who worked with Chan Gailey with the Jets.
“He’s good at knowing what a lot of guys do and understanding everybody is different,” Jackson said of Marshall. “He’s good at working individually with guys.”
Whether Jackson works out as a long-term tackle is high on the list of keys to the success of this rebuild. So far, the Dolphins have liked what they’ve seen.
And it makes sense to put him in the lineup immediately provided he’s competent in practice. The Dolphins presumably know what they have in veteran Julien Davenport, who improved in December but has allowed 18 sacks in his past 26 games.
▪ Two Dolphins defenders on Friday offered observations of what they have seen from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in practice.
“He has an arm; he can put the zip on the ball,” safety Eric Rowe said. “I noticed through camp he’s gotten better with his eyes. Before he was staring down routes. He’s gotten a lot better with his eyes,... his progressions. He’s only going to keep getting better.”
And Ogbah said: “He could scramble on you and he’s pretty mobile. He has a nice deep ball, throws the ball really well. You have to do your best to stay contained and keep him in the pocket; he might get out.”
How is it different defending Tagovailoa as opposed to Ryan Fitzpatrick?
“Fitz will run on you if you let him,” Ogbah said. “I’m more nervous about Tua’s speed than Fitz but they both have something.”
▪ In a couple of cases, coach Brian Flores’ Dolphins have opted for former Patriots over players who were already here when he arrived. And it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
A former NFL general manager told me new center Ted Karras is a slight upgrade over the jettisoned Daniel Kilgore, who signed with the Chiefs recently. Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Karras 20th of 38 qualifying centers; Kilgore was rated 21st.
Karras allowed two sacks and 14 pressures in 15 games — which are solid numbers for a center. That compares with three sacks and 19 pressures permitted by Kilgore in 13 games.
As a run blocker, PFF rated Karras 16th; Kilgore was 23rd. Karras, at 27, is also five years younger than Kilgore.
As for Roberts, the Dolphins are banking on him being just as good a run stopper as McMillan and a better defender in pass coverage.
According to Pro Football Reference’s advanced stats, Roberts has allowed 25 of 34 passes in his coverage area to be completed the past two years. But McMillan allowed an eye-popping 49 receptions on 56 targets for 568 yards the past two seasons.
PFF ranked McMillan 11th as a run defender last season and Roberts 37th.
Overall, PFF rated McMillan the 32nd-best linebacker in football last season and Roberts 39th.
Roberts started 33 of his 47 appearances for the Patriots the past three seasons but had only three starts last season.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden told Las Vegas area reporters this week that “we liked [McMillan] coming out of Ohio State, so did a lot of people, he was a high pick. He’s got a lot of production when he plays. He’s a good tackler, he’s a physical inside linebacker. [He’s] potentially as a starter as a backup MIKE and as a starting multiple position-type linebacker.”
McMillan is a good tackler, but so is Roberts, who has missed just five tackles since 2018, including only one last year.
And Karras says there’s something everyone should know about Roberts: “This is our fifth season together, and he’s just about the hardest hitter I’ve ever played against.”
▪ Tight end Adam Shaheen entered the week as the front-runner for what could be the third tight end job, joining Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe.
And Shaheen suggested injuries were a factor in why he hasn’t met expectations after being a second-round pick by the Bears out of Ashland College in 2017. He missed time in Chicago with a chest injury, a sprained ankle and sprained foot and missed the final month last season with a leg injury.
“The last three years — I’ve enjoyed them; but I’ve had injuries,” he said. “Really the biggest thing for me is always stay healthy. If I can stay healthy, then I can do I think whatever they ask from me.”
Among the tight ends, Shaheen had the most impressive reception — a one-handed grab — during the 10 practices open to reporters.
Shaheen, who’s 6-7 and 257 pounds, also has shown potential as an in-line blocker.
“We put him in roles where he’s blocking; I feel confident about that,” tight ends coach George Godsey said. “He’s got good range. Obviously when you’re a taller guy like he is, pad level is very important. That’s constantly something we’re working on. I’ve been a part of that in the past with tall guys. We kind of have a good plan on that one.
“In the passing game, not only is he a good protector just with his length — he can match up with those defensive ends — but also the size matchup on a safety or a linebacker. He’s a big, athletic man. He has some basketball background, so he makes good decisions in space.”
▪ Running backs Matt Breida and Jordan Howard have watched tape of Chan Gailey’s 2016 Jets offense to see how he alternated running backs Bilal Powell and Matt Forte.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s been out of the league [since the end of the 2016 season] because it seems like to me he’s been coaching every year since then,” Breida said. “He’s a great coach. He knows what he’s doing. His mind is crazy. He just comes up with things off his head that just make sense. I feel like we’re in a good situation with him as offensive coordinator.”
▪ Quick stuff: Rowe said Xavien Howard, off December knee injury and a 2 1/2-week stay on the COVID-19 list, “is getting back to form. Obviously a little rusty in the beginning. He looks like he’s getting back to form.”.... Found this interesting from Mike DiPasquale’s profile of Dolphins receiver Malcolm Perry on Fox-WSVN 7: Perry will serve his five-year Naval commitment as a second lieutenant when his NFL career ends. He recently took a four-week Marine training course, including combat infantry tactics and hiking nine miles a day while wearing 100 pounds of gear, including weapons.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
