5 things to watch from Miami Dolphins on Sunday
By Brian Miller
Aug 29, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (52) on the bench during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
KELVIN SHEPPARD
When Kelvin Sheppard played with the Indianapolis Colts he was just o.k. Since his arrival in Miami he has shown small flashes of potential but has relatively played at or below, “just-o.k.”. O.k doesn’t cut it anymore. Sheppard is regularly out of position and has not done a good job supporting the run. In fact the addition of Ndamukong Suh was supposed to free the inside linebacker to support the run defense.
Last week against the Redskins, Sheppard played very inconsistent and the Dolphins leaned on un-drafted rookie Zach Vigil to give him breaks. Vigil didn’t play bad but he played like a rookie. That shouldn’t be something the Dolphins are worried about but Sheppard has given the team nothing to really support starting him. If it weren’t for the outside problems the Dolphins faced, Koa Misi would still be inside. Someone believed that moving Misi outside and Sheppard to the starting middle role was a good idea, it may have simply been the better of two evils.
LINEBACKERS
The Miami Dolphins linebacker unit is a mess. In fact it’s probably more a mess than the offensive line in many regards. Koa Misi is serviceable on the outside but he isn’t a game changer. He will make one, maybe two big plays a game but he is more of a support player than playmaker. Jelani Jenkins is still improving and he is far better against the run than the other linebackers and he does a solid job in pass coverage as well. The Dolphins can’t run a 4-3 defense and get quality production from one of three positions.
At some point the Dolphins need to make a decision about how they are going to handle this unit. Last week Chris McCain, the early pre-season favorite to start outside, was a healthy inactive for the game last week. The Dolphins may want to give a longer look to Zach Vigil and elevate him to the starter sooner than they would have liked or envisioned. Vigil isn’t ready to start though. He has a lot of work that needs to be done in his game but where he excels over Sheppard is that he doesn’t quit and has a very high motor. Vigil lacks experience but Sheppard lacks the talent.
Against Jacksonville the Dolphins linebackers won’t face the same type of rushing attack from the Jaguars that they did against Washington. Rookie runner T.J. Yeldon averaged over four yards per carry agains the Panthers last week but it will be tough to average that this week. The Panther defense was banged up in week one and star linebacker Luke Kuechly didn’t play. The Dolphins linebacker need to do more than simply make a play or two, they need to start controlling the defense and being an answer rather than a question.