The Time Is Now For Legedu Naanee
By Matt Patrick
Miami Dolphins WR Legedu Naanee had one of the best performances this year in training camp. He seemed to have instant chemistry with QB Ryan Tannehill and was his early “go-to” receiver. We all had such high expectations for the six year veteran to be a playmaker and a deep threat in the passing game. But after the first three games of the regular season, Naanee has been completely non-existent. He struggles to get open to provide a target for Tannehill. After taking a three week vacation, the time is now for Legedu Naanee to establish himself as a weapon in this offense.
July 28 2012; Davie, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Legedu Naanee (19) makes a catch during practice at the Dolphins training facility. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
At this point, I have run out of excuses for Naanee and so has the rest of our fan-base. It’s time for him to produce or quickly find a replacement. Only three passes have gone in his direction so far this season and two of those were picked off. One could easily make the argument that he ran a bad route which led to Tannehill’s first interception in the Houston Texans game.
His poor performance started during the preseason. He recorded just four catches for 39 yards with a few dropped passes during those four games. However, at that time I was not overly concerned. Since we were still in the preseason I assumed his lack of productivity was because he was sharing playing time with fellow WRs Roberto Wallace, Julius Pruitt, Marlon Moore, Jeff Fuller, Rishard Matthews, Chris Hogan, and B.J. Cunningham.
But fast forward to today. Naanee has zero catches on the year and according to Pro Football Focus, he is tied for being the 97th ranked receiver in the NFL. At this point, I’m getting tired of people making excuses for him. For example, claiming that he contributes with his great “blocking” skills is no longer an acceptable argument. He needs to step up to the plate and make some plays this week to help out our rookie QB. This has to be the game where he breaks out of his shell and proves to everyone he can contribute on this team.
In my opinion, he has officially reached a fork in the road where he has to pick a direction of where he wants to go in his career. If he continues to remain in a coma this week against the Arizona Cardinals, his time could be up. I would much rather give a rookie WR with some upside like Rishard Matthews the chance to make some plays and have an impact on our offense. So the time is NOW for Naanee.