The Phillips question that has been answered and a defensive change. And Tua questionable
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ When the Dolphins drafted Jaelan Phillips and decided to move him from defensive end (his primary position at UM) to linebacker, there was some concern about whether they would waste a talented pass rusher by using him a lot in pass coverage.
Those concerns were exacerbated by his usage in the preseason finale against Cincinnati.
But the Dolphins, to their credit, have deployed Phillips in pass coverage on only 27 occasions this season compared with 235 snaps rushing the passer.
And Phillips has been targeted only once in coverage; that pass was completed for 11 yards.
Phillips is showing incremental growth as a pass rusher. He produced four pressures (and half a sack) on 28 pass rush chances against Houston.
For the season, he has 21 quarterback pressures, which is tied for 39th most among edge players and comparable to two edge players drafted after him who have played similar pass rush snap counts — Baltimore’s Odafe Oweh (24 pressures) and the Giants’ Azeez Ojulari (21). That’s per Pro Football Focus.
Phillips has two sacks, compared with three for Oweh and 5.5 for Ojulari.
Buffalo Bills edge player and fellow former Hurricanes standout Greg Rousseau — selected by Buffalo at No. 30, 12 spots after Miami took Phillips — has three sacks and 17 pressures in 142 pass rushing chances.
“My game is consistently evolving,” Phillips said this week. “With pass rushers, they’re like pitchers: you need a good fastball and a good offspeed [pitch].
“It’s figuring out what works for me against different tackles. It changes every week. You have to attack everybody differently. I don’t watch college tape anymore [to see what works]. I’m trying to continue working on my game and seeing what works.”
He said the move from end to standup linebacker hasn’t been a difficult adjustment, in part because he stood up some at UM and a lot during his time at UCLA.
“It allows you to see better,” he said of standing up instead of having a hand in the dirt. “I’m comfortable doing either technique.”
Phillips held up a “U’ sign after getting his half sack last week.
“I knew that was about to happen.,” he said. “I did it for the fans. You’ve got to represent. That was fun though. I was talking to one of the offensive linemen before the game and I was like, ‘Yeah, when I get a sack, I’m going to throw up the U and see what happens.’”
Though there has been improvement, there remains considerable room for growth. Pro Football Focus rates Phillips 100th among 110 qualifying edge players this season. But Baltimore’s Oweh and Phillips rank first and second among rookie edge players in quarterback pressures.
▪ The Ravens prepared for quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett this week. Brissett will start unless Tagovailoa’s fractured finger improves in the next day. The Dolphins will make the decision a few hours before Thursday’s game.
“When you watch them and watch the tape, they run their offense, but it’s a little different variation with the two quarterbacks,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. They emphasize different types of plays, more with one or the other. So, we just have to be ready for all the options.”
As far as his preparation is concerned, Brissett said it makes no difference whatsoever in when he’s told he’s starting — whether it’s the day before, two days before or two hours before kickoff.
▪ Though the Dolphins’ decision to have co-offensive coordinators has drawn sneers from some NFL people (including former Cleveland general manager Michael Lombardi), Durham Smythe said that George Godsey and Eric Studesville sharing the job hasn’t resulted in any communication breakdowns.
“There’s not confusion,” he said. “One person talks about this. One person talks about this. There’s not that confusion it might sound like. They have pronounced roles.”
Smythe said Godsey and Studesville never stand up in front of the offense at the same time.
“At times, George will talk about something and sit down” and then Studesville will get up and speak, Smythe said.
Godsey calls the plays and specializes in the passing game. Studesville specializes in the run game.
▪ Cornerback Byron Jones said one factor in the Dolphins’ improvement defensively the past two weeks is “we’re throwing a little more at offenses.”
The blitz packages have seemed more creative and more effective.
Linebacker Jerome Baker agrees: “I think that’s a credit to our coaching staff. They have that mentality that they’re going to let it all loose. They’ll say, ‘Let the bullets fly and empty the chamber.’ They definitely put us in situations to have good blitzes and good disguises and they teach us really well.”
Cornerback Nik Needham said another development is players are “listening to what coaches were preaching. We’re doing a better job of executing the game plan.”
▪ We’re told that if the Dolphins had claimed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on waivers — not realistic because of his salary — he wouldn’t have been thrilled because he wanted to go to a winning team with a proven, established quarterback.
▪ The Dolphins put center Greg Mancz (ankle) on injured reserve; he will miss at least three games. The Dolphins signed center Cameron Tom to back up likely starter Austin Reiter against Baltimore. Center Michael Deiter remains on injured reserve with a foot injury.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins signed guard/center Evan Boehm — who started eight games for them in 2019 — to their practice squad.
The Dolphins protected running back Gerrid Doaks, linebacker Vince Biegel, receiver Kirk Merritt and cornerback Jamal Perry from poaching from their practice squad this week.
INJURY REPORT
The Dolphins listed Tua Tagovailoa (fractured finger on throwing hand) and safety Elijah Campbell (toe) as questionable for the Baltimore game.
But Brian Flores has said Tagovailoa will be active against Baltimore and will either be the starter or the backup to Brissett (if Tagovailoa can’t make all the throws needed because of his fractured finger).
Here’s my Wednesday piece on where the Dolphins stand at wide receiver -- Part 3 of my ongoing series on the rebuild just past the halfway point of the season.
Here’s Part 1 of the series on how the Dolphins botched their offensive line construction.
Here’s Part 2 of the series on where the Dolphins stand at running back and tight end.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 4:15 PM.
