Madison says Howard must ‘get his confidence back’ and ‘dominate.’ And Dolphins notes
The Dolphins aren’t sure if they will get Byron Jones back from injury this season.
Now they must hope they will get the vintage version of Xavien Howard back after a rocky start to this season.
And regaining the All-Pro version of Howard is every bit as important as the play of the cornerback lining up opposite him.
Among players who have been targeted at least 30 times in coverage this season, Howard has the worst passer rating against (from a defensive standpoint), according to Pro Football Focus.
Howard has been targeted 43 times and permitted 29 catches for 482 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions, according to PFF.
That’s a 144.6 passer rating in his coverage area — much worse than the 88.2 passer rating he allowed last season and 53.0 in 2020, which was best in the league for a cornerback who was targeted at least 60 times. He had 15 interceptions combined in 2020 and ‘21.
“He’s got to get his confidence back, knowing he’s healthy, and whoever he’s covering, he has to dominate, like he has the past couple years,” defensive backs coach Sam Madison said Thursday. “Get his confidence back, get his hands on the ball.”
Madison liked how Howard was able to intercept a pass against Chicago, but the play was negated by a holding penalty against Howard.
“Now he’s got to take it to the next level and dominate every play,” Madison said.
In Howard’s defense, injuries to two groin muscles impacted him in at least two games earlier this season and sidelined him for one game.
“He’s a playmaker, and these nicky-nack injuries can take a toll,” Madison said. “Not really having him during training camp. Now he’s feeling comfortable.”
With Jones still out after March leg surgery, the Dolphins are moving forward with Kader Kohou as the starting cornerback opposite Howard. The undrafted rookie has a solid 89.5 passer rating in his coverage area.
“He doesn’t shy away from contact or any challenges,” Madison said. “When you talk to him about something, he’s going to try to execute it.”
EZUKANMA EXPLANATION
Rookie fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma has been inactive all nine games this season, even with River Cracraft sidelined the past two games. Why has that been the case?
“We’re probably a little more comfortable with other guys right now,” receivers coach Wes Welker said Thursday. “That’s no fault of Erik. He’s working his tail off. Do we put somebody else down who’s earning it the whole time?
“It’s more about him continuing to get better. When the opportunity arises, being ready for that opportunity. We don’t know when that’s going to happen.”
But to play him ahead of another backup receiver who has been playing well is something “I don’t think is fair to Erik or anybody else to change it,” Welker said.
Earlier this season, Welker cited the need for coaches to be confident that Ezukanma had a full understanding of the offense and his responsibilities.
The fact that practice squad player Braylon Sanders was elevated and played ahead of Ezukanma against Detroit was a byproduct of Sanders having more experience at the particular receiver position played by River Cracraft, who has missed the past two games with a neck injury.
Cracraft returned to practice on Wednesday but was limited.
SANDERS’ STRUGGLES
Jason Sanders’ miss of a 29-yard field goal against Chicago was the first time in 32 career attempts that he hasn’t connected on an attempt between 20 and 29 yards.
“That’s a kick that has to be made,” special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said Thursday. “You can’t miss that kick. Wind is a factor in everything but you’ve got to make that kick.”
Sanders is 11 for 15 on field goals this season, with the 29-yard miss against Chicago and misses on all three of his attempts from 50 yards or more this season.
Since the start of last season, Sanders is just 2 of 9 on field goals of 50 yards or more after making 12 of 15 such kicks during the first three seasons of his career.
On the positive side: Sanders is 8 for 8 between 40 and 49 yards this season; he’s now 40 for 50 in his career on such kicks.
But his 73.3 percent field goal accuracy would be the lowest of his career, down from his career mark of 82.2.
“He knows what he’s done to have success,” Crossman said. “The work he puts in during the week and the success he’s had” gives him confidence..
QB RUNS
Five days after Chicago’s Justin Fields set a modern era quarterback record with 178 yards rushing on 15 carries (11.9 average), including a 61-yard TD against Miami, Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer was asked if the team needs to do anything differently against particularly mobile quarterbacks in the future, including perhaps assigning a spy for the entire game.
Rookie linebacker Channing Tindall seemed to be in that spy role for a few plays, but he played just five defensive snaps, all in the first half.
“They had five designed quarterback runs in that game,” Boyer said. “We feel good about a lot of those.”
But “we could have done a better job. That starts with me. I’ve got to put players in a better position and how you detail what you’re doing, how everyone else and their play affects guys responsible for him. We need to do better. That comes down to putting guys in a better position. If this comes up again, this is the route to go.”
This wasn’t the first time that a running quarterback tormented the Dolphins.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson ran nine times for 119 yards, a 13.2 average, with one touchdown on a 79-yard run.
Buffalo’s Josh Allen ran eight times for 47 yards (a 5.9 average) in the Dolphins-Bills game earlier this season, after rushing 13 times for 90 yards (6.9 average) in two games against Miami last season.
Miami faces Allen again on Dec. 17 or 18 in Buffalo. The date of that game will be announced later this month.
▪ Boyer’s impressions of outside linebacker Bradley Chubb during his first eight days (and one game) with the team since the trade with Denver:
“He’s an extremely hard worker, in here early and late. He’s a phenomenal person, a charismatic individual. Love everything about how he’s been since he’s been here. He’s still learning some nuances.”
Boyer said Chubb probably had a “little anxiety” playing for the first time with a new team.
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
