Now It's Davone Bess' Turn

First, let me start by saying two things.  One, join me and JL tonight on Finsaradio.net at 8PM Eastern time when I continue to dump on Ted Ginn…that should get the callers rolling in.  I will also have a look at some personal Joey Haynos information from an interview I completed with him so you will get a peek at that.  Also will touch on the Patriots game coming up and the season remaining.  Don’t miss it!  2nd, keep an eye on NFL.com for this weeks player of the week honor voting.  Make sure you vote for Ted Ginn as ST player of the week.  He deserves it.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Chris Chambers was cut by the San Diego Chargers today.  Will the Phins take a look?  Not sure I like that.  He was another WR who couldn’t catch passes in Miami unless they were destined for ESPN.

Now, on to Davone Bess.  I like Davone Bess.  In my opinion he is the best WR we currently have on the roster and honestly, I think in another year or two when this offense starts to really form Bess will be to this team what Anquan Boldin is to the Cardinal.  Yes, I think he can be that good.  But first, he has to stop putting the ball on the ground.

Bess has been Mr. Hands for the Dolphins but his fumble against the Saints two weeks ago was not only preventable, but turned the entire game around giving the Saints some degree of momentum going into the half.  Bess holds on to that ball and the Dolphins run out the clock and open the 3rd up by 3 scores.  Forget the time out taken by Sparano…it never should have been an issue.

This past Sunday, Bess almost single handedly gave the game back to the Jets.  First on a muffed punt that on replay showed his eyes were closed as the ball went into his hands.  O.k. fine, a muffed punt.  Still, he put the ball on the ground yet again but the Jets did not review the play.  More than likely the play would not have been reversed but the fact that he is having trouble holding on to the ball is disconcerting.  Bess is supposed to be the go to guy and over the last few games, he has been anything but.

Bess is making the grabs that he needs to and when I say “go to”, Bess has been fantastic in getting the first downs and he isn’t having an issue with dropped passes.  It’s what is resulting after the catch is made that needs to be addressed.  Now some will wonder why I didn’t just throw Bess under the bus wheels like I did Ted Ginn who played a far better game on Sunday.  The reason is simple.  Bess is playing football.  He just needs to play with a little more ball protection.

Another big disappointment this year is the play of Anthony Fasano who may end up losing his time in game to Joey Haynos if he continues to play the way he is.  Fasano was stellar last year but this year he is not getting the separation that he did in the past.  His real fault this year however is his ability, or lack of, to hold on to the ball.  He has fumbled twice earlier in the season that directly contributed to the loss in Atlanta, and has on at least 3 occasions dropped balls that should have been caught…one would have been 6 points.

The problem with Fasano and making catches seems to be with the way he is trying to catch the balls.  He is double clutching it.  When the ball is thrown to him, he initially gets two hands on the ball and then for some reason is letting go of it and trying to regain control of the ball.  In that split second of catch and release so to speak, he is getting hit and the ball is no longer around his fingers.  Fasano needs to get his hands on the ball and while still holding it, bring it to his body.  It’s a mechanical fix that I am surprised the Phins haven’t picked up on yet.

It’s hard to outright dog guys on the team that fight for yardage, fight for positions, and fight for the team.  Still, it is worth noting that on an offense where the team lacks any true stars outside of the back-field, anyone who is capable of making a play, should be making a play.  Bess and Fasano have shown they can make plays and do it consistently.  Right now, they are not doing anything consistently.  That needs to change.

I wonder if the emphasis on the WC this year has taken away from some of the rhythm on the offense.  These guys are not seeing the amount of looks that build momentum.  Just a thought.  What are yours?