Miami Dolphins DeVante Parker still has the star receiver mentality
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins don’t know what they have in receiver DeVante Parker but Parker says he knows what he can do. So do the fans.
Speaking with the media at this week’s final practices of the off-season, DeVante Parker seemed pretty confident in himself and this upcoming season. Another strong session of practice has the media talking about what might be. It is a discussion that has been had many times before. At the exact same time of year.
When asked about his performance on the practice field and what he needs to do to maintain that in real game situations, Parker said he simply needed to stay healthy. When asked if that was all, Parker said, “That’s it. I know I can play”.
That may be so but there are a lot of fans out there and many in the media that would disagree. Sorry Parker but the reality is, no one has seen you perform on the field when it matters. At least not to the degree that one would say, “I know he can play”.
Injuries have indeed hindered Parker. From a broken thumb to a sprained whatever, the fact is Parker has missed a lot of time over his four years in the NFL including every single opening weekend of the season.
Parker practices well and you have to wonder why that is. For starters, there is no contact. Parker doesn’t have to be physical and fight for the ball. This is especially true in OTA’s and mini-camps when Parker shows the most.
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Now let’s be positive and look at this from a different angle. There is a new staff in place and Parker has been saddled with Joe Philbin and Adam Gase as his head coaches and Adam Gase and a myriad of OC’s that were not very good. Throw into that equation Ryan Tannehill and Jay Cutler and you have a player that is literally on an island waving his hands for help.
The receiver position is not easy to learn in the NFL and it does take time. Parker told the media that there is someone who is helping him. Ryan Fitzpatrick.
"“He helped me a lot with communications and signals and everything. (He’s) telling me what I’m doing and what I need to do and just be in the right spot.” – Miami Dolphins transcript release"
This is something that should not be taken lightly. Communication between QB and WR is important and there are very few who believe that Tannehill had the leadership and confidence to tell his receivers where they needed to be and what to do. Truth is Parker did look lost at times and not on the same page as his QB’s. This could prove important for Parker’s future.
While fans all wait to see what Parker will actually do when he faces the regular season, this is not the same old same old Dolphins that he has played for the last 4 years. There is leadership and accountability, at least for now.
How will Parker do in 2019? That is completely unknown.