I’ll say this right off the bat: I don’t see how Damien Williams is ranked higher on the depth chart than LaMike James and Mike Gillislee.
But it’s especially baffling to see Williams ranked higher than Jay Ajayi, given how good Jay looked last night
Last night, Ajayi showed why we drafted him: he’s a bruising runner who can make the first guy miss and then run over the second guy.
Williams, Gillisleee, and James have some moves, but they are not overpowering. The next time Lamar Miller runs through a would-be tackler will be the first. Ajayi is different.
Plus, he is British, and it’s really really cool to hear him talk. I love the guy already !
And now there is talk of putting him on the IR for a cracked rib. Players can play on a cracked rib, and the Dolphins should test those waters with Ajayi.
Ajayi got far less playing time than Williams, but he almost doubled his yardage, longest run, and yards per atempt.
Also, Ajayi did not fumble the ball, untouched. Only Williams did that. Damien Williams forgot that when you dive for the pylon, you have to have the ball in your hands. Oooops. Inexcusable and unforgivable.
Last year in the second Patriots game, we had a good chance of winning and were still inthe game when Tannehill floated a gorgeous bomb to Williams, who was wide open. Williams dropped the ball.
Joe Philbin forgets about those game-changing mistakes. Dolphins Truth does not.
So now we have to hope for several things. We hope Ajayi’s injury is not serious. We hope that the coaching staff sees what the rest of us saw from him. We hope that Philbin isn’t stubborn enough to automatically keep playing Miller and Williams when he has better guys on the bench.
I’ve become a Miller fan, don’t get me wrong. But when he needs a rest, I don’t want Williams coming in as the sub every time. Given Williams’ negative production, he is a very dangerous (i.e., danger to the Dolphins) back.
In other notes from the Bucs game:
Our 3rd and 4th QBs are the worst I’ve ever seen. Freeman and Thompson EACH had 4 interceptions in the preseason. And they played against the j.v. squad of 6th stringers. We better pray that T-hill and Moore stay healthy, or we be doomed.
New punter Matt Darr shanked a 13-yard punt the day after he was given the job. Brandon Fields, please keep your phone handy.
Andrew Franks has a scary way of hooking his field goals through. I wish we had a kicker where you knew it was going to be “GOOD” the moment he kicks it. With Dolphin kickers, you always have to wait for the hook.
At this point, I would vote for Franks over Sturgis. That is based on Sturgis’s lack of production in the past. Can’t blame him for missing long field goals all the time, but he has to make one at least once in a while.
Will Davis had a career pre-season game. Can he contribute when the games count?
The penalties hurt. Let’s hope that all the scrubs who committed those penalties are the ones cut today.
I happened to watch the game on the NFL Network’s Internet feed, so I got stuck with the Bucs’ announcers. Ronde Barber likes the Dolphins chances this year. He also played with Josh Freeman in Tampa, and when asked why Freeman’s career declined, Barber respectfully just said “Some things should remain in the locker room.”
Will Joe Philbin see something that some of us others don’t? I wouldn’t put it past Philbin to want to cut Ajayi or keep Sturgis.
Well, a couple weeks ago they said he may not make the roster because his pass blocking was atrocious.
True. And last night on the safety, he looked lost. He pounced on the ball when he could have picked it up and at least dive out of the endzone to save 2 points.
BUT…when he ran, he ran well. Hell, we could use him as a fullback in short-yardage situations. Better than watching Miller tackled for loss every single time we have 3rd-and-inches.
I agree Ajayi looks like a superior RB to Miller.
Darr’s first two punts were downed inside thr the five and he had a 65 ypp average on those two. And the punt you say he shanked was due to a bad, high snap and wasn’t his fault. He did the best he could to just get it off without it being blocked. How you missed the bad snap I have no idea.
Didn’t miss the snap at all. It was a wide snap, you’re right. Then Darr caught it. I don’t think Tampa players were as close to him as you think. He had plenty of time. Instead, he shanked it badly.
Last week, there was a low snap. He fumbled it and got sacked. Neither snap was his fault, but he has to get better at fielding the bad ones and doing something positive with it. Let’s hope it comes with experience.
Darr panicked apparently but hopefully he learns to improvise better. Ajayi looked good as advertised but we’ll have to wait and see due to his injury. I like Damien Williams. Young player with a lot of upside. He made rookie mistakes in the New England game in Foxboro last year and in the Detroit game but made one of the biggest plays of the year at home against Buffalo late in the season when he converted that 3rd and 24. He’s versatile as a pass catcher but is not much of a power runner for a guy his size. Lamike James is the guy that supposedly has flashed in training camp but has had mixed reviews in actual preseason games. His muffed punt last night won’t help his cause either. Ajayi and Miller should be a dangerous 1-2 punch once Ajayi gets healthy. Overall I think adding guys like Devante Parker and Ajayi ups the skill level to a point that we haven’t had on offense in years. With a legitimate power runner and short yardage guy(Ajayi) and a big-bodied potential #1 receiver(Parker) I’m expecting Tannehill to make another jump production wise this season. One that I think along with the upgrades on defense (Suh) will result in a significantly higher amount of wins. Yes, even with Joe Philbin coaching.
No way I trust a rookie RB, let alone a 5th rounder to assume RB1. Absolutely plug him in when Miller needs relief…. but NEVER TRUST A ROOKIE
Looks like they’re going to trust a rookie at punter,, kicker, and WR so why not RB?
Hey they trusted a rookie at QB so they’ll start a rookie anywhere.