Dolphins’ Howard not playing ‘up to my standard’ at times. Revelations from Howard, Jones
Forced fumbles by Xavien Howard in the wins against New England and Baltimore rank in the top five of the most significant plays for the Dolphins this season.
And one of the driving factors behind those plays traces back to the Dolphins’ joint practices with the Chicago Bears in August, Howard revealed Thursday.
Howard said former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman spoke to the Dolphins that week and got him thinking about putting an emphasis on knocking the ball out.
Tillman was a master at that, forcing 44 fumbles in a 13-year career that ended in 2015. Those 44 forced fumbles are sixth most in NFL history.
“I tried to add that to my game,” Howard said.
The forced fumble late in the opener against New England torpedoed a potential Patriots game-winning drive. And the forced fumble against Baltimore was scooped up by Howard and returned 49 yards for a touchdown, earning him the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
But aside from the forced fumbles, Howard sounds somewhat dissatisfied with his season.
He described his season as merely “OK,” noting “I don’t feel I’ve played up to my standard a couple games. I’m getting back to doing things I used to do. Things I did last year are not going to be as easy.”
Howard, who has played very well the past two weeks, said teams are “attacking” him differently and not targeting him as much. “They’re running away from me,” he said. “There’s stuff on film I have to get better at.”
Per Pro Football Focus, Howard has been targeted 59 times in 10 games. Last season, he was targeted 90 times in 16 games.
Last season, Howard held the opposing quarterback to a 53 passer rating in his coverage area, second in the league behind Denver’s Bryce Callahan. This season, he’s 143rd in that category, allowing a 108.2 passer rating, according to PFF.
That analytics website said he has allowed a league-high seven touchdowns. He permitted four all of last season.
His 10 interceptions last season were the most by an NFL player since 2007. This season, he has two, along with 10 passes defended. He acknowledged Thursday that this and future seasons will always be measured against that All-Pro season of 2020.
“You’re not going to get that each year,” he said of the 10 interceptions. “Even though the goal is more than what I did, each year it’s not going to be the same. You have to look in the mirror and do what’s best for the team.”
He conceded good-naturedly that he’s “tired of the 10 picks” reference and added that “all I worry about is winning,” and not “individual stuff.”
WILKINS BACK
After missing Wednesday’s practice with a quad injury, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins returned but was limited in practice. Also limited in Thursday’s session: linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (back), safety Brandon Jones (ankle) and safety Elijah Campbell (toe).
▪ Safety Brandon Jones, who played every snap in a game for the first time in his career last week, admitted Thursday that as a rookie last season that “there were points I was kind of overwhelmed. Not having a good feel of the overall defense. Not knowing the overall picture of why we change things. Early on, I really struggled with my role on the team.”
And now? “My comfort level has grown a lot. Now, I’m playing this position but I also know what’s going on in other positions. It makes me play fast. I can be more confident.”
Though he has excelled as a blitzer, he has been told not to use a particular spin move. “I tried to do that last year but got chewed out by the coaches.”
▪ Rookie tight end Hunter Long, the team’s third-round pick, has played just 29 snaps on offense, but tight end Durham Smythe said: “Hunter is a good football player. With him not being exposed to the general public yet, people don’t know that about him. He will play in this league for a long time.”
▪ Liam Eichenberg, who has allowed six sacks and 32 quarterback pressures in his six games at left tackle, conceded Thursday that his pass protection “needs to improve. That’s what I’ve been focusing on. Run blocking is going well.”
▪ Co-offensive coordinator George Godsey ran a gadget play last week, something that’s rare for him so far this year. Does he want to run more?
“It’s hard to run it without executing it in practice,” Godsey said.
He said other gadget plays have been called this season, but the play call has been changed at the line because of blitzes.
The play last Thursday featured Tua Tagovailoa throwing to Myles Gaskin, who tossed the football back to Tagovailoa, who threw back to Gaskin.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 4:13 PM.
