Sports Buzz: Foster and Running Backs update

[cuchulainn]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/

• The Dolphins aren’t pursuing Houston free agent running back Arian Foster, who visited Dolphins headquarters earlier this spring, but they will consider him if they have an injury or if their young backs falter. Foster is still working his way back from a torn Achilles sustained Oct. 25.

Offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said rookie Kenyan Drake “has been excellent,” and Drake said he’s more prepared for the NFL after learning different formations and other intricacies from Alabama offensive coordinator and former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.

Drake remains the front-runner to back up Jay Ajayi. Meanwhile, Christensen said he has been unable to judge Damien Williams because he has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Incidentally, the Dolphins did not offer running back Dan Herron a contract after his Monday workout but he remains on their radar should Miami determine it needs help at the position.

• Jamil Douglas said he knows he needs to master backup center to solidify his roster chances. He's also getting snaps in the five-way competition at right guard.
He brushed up his work at center by snapping the ball at least 25 times a day throughout the offseason. Is he tempted to practice snapping in his living room?
"Not really snapping," he said. "I'll line up in my living room and put some hats down and whatnot and make my calls based off where my linebackers are and stuff like that. I don't really have anyone to snap to at home so the best I can do is mirror what I'm going to be doing."

[cuchulainn]

I read this as Foster is still recovering and won't be able to play anytime soon.

Fluff stuff on Drake. That kid has the bone density of year old stick of candy cane.

Douglas was a LT/LG, not a RG/OC. Can't hurt to have him taking OC snaps - he was abysmal last season.

[Driven_Phinsane!]

You'd think the way Douglas snapped the ball last season when thrown into the fire, he'd be snapping the ball 250 times a day, not 25..Really, what the hell is 25 reps gonna do for you??!!! Btw, Pouncey should join his ass since his snapping wasn't that shit-hot either!

Yeah, i don't think Foster is ready either..and to be honest i don't think we're all that interested..though IMO, a healthy Foster would be the perfect back in a Gase-run offense...Speaking of backs, after initially saying he wasn't interested in playing football anymore i read recently that Knowshon Moreno wants to play again..not that we'd be interested but just throwing it out there...

Personally i'm very interested to see what Drake brings to the table; if Ajayi can pound the rock & wear down defenses, Drake could be the perfect change-of-pace, homerun hitter to come in and take advantage of a worn down D, if of course Drake can stay healthy..Those are some seriously BIG 'IF's' right there!!!

[DolphinsFreak]

I'm not happy that this coaching staff feels so comfortable rolling with TWO unproven players as their #1 and #2 running backs. It's a risky move for a first time coach. If I had an opportunity like Gase has right now I wouldn't feel comfortable with this situation and I would be bringing in a veteran who knows the speed of the NFL. Granted, Foster is injury prone, but when healthy he is one of the better RB's in the league and could teach this young running backs a thing or two.

[Driven_Phinsane!]

I'm not happy that this coaching staff feels so comfortable rolling with TWO unproven players as their #1 and #2 running backs. It's a risky move for a first time coach. If I had an opportunity like Gase has right now I wouldn't feel comfortable with this situation and I would be bringing in a veteran who knows the speed of the NFL. Granted, Foster is injury prone, but when healthy he is one of the better RB's in the league and could teach this young running backs a thing or two.

I 100% agree, though if Foster isn't healthy enough to go, he wouldn't be an option at this point...Not sure who else is out there currently that we could bring in and look at it as an upgrade...

[DolphinsFreak]

Arian Foster, Ronnie Hillman, Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Polk, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Joique Bell, Fred Jackson, Steven Jackson, etc. List came from Yahoo Sports so if any of these players are gone please write them a strongly worded letter.

[Driven_Phinsane!]

Pretty sure Hillman finally resigned with Denver, loved Bradshaw but believe he's pretty much done, Polk might be worth a look, liked Pierre Thomas but not sure how much an upgrade he'd be, would be cool to bring Bush back for a look (but pretty sure that's not happenng), Bell, meh, absolutely loved Fred Jackson but don't know if he has anything left, Steven Jackson is done, IMO...Looks like there are definitely options available, at least hoping we're considering it!

[cuchulainn]

Pretty sure they'll wait until they can get a full evaluation of Ajayi, Drake, Williams, and Pead before making a move for a vet. Chris Polk might be the more viable option as he's young and experienced.

[kelbail2.2]

Greer?, Tannenbaum?, Gase? already screwed the pooch taking Drake over Dixon. If Gase wanted a versatile back he already had him in Jay Ajayi, the only college RB to rush for more than 1,500 yards and have 500+ yards receiving in the same season. As a matter of fact his 1,823 yards rushing, 535 receiving and 32 touchdowns in 2014 are all as high or higher than Drake's career numbers of 1,509 rushing, 556 receiving and 23 TDs. Oh, we better not forget Drake's ONE return he had for a touchdown in his four year career. Special teams ace!?😴 So is he the next Ted Ginn or Eddie Moore?
We needed to find a legitimate #1 RB and completely overlooked an NFL prototypically built tailback (5'10, 215) that put up 1st round stats; 5,055 yards rushing with 72 TDs and 969 yards receiving with 15 TDs, 849 of those receiving yards coming in his last two years averaging nearly 15 yards per catch. Daniel Thomas will never sit behind Drake on the depth chart is my prediction unless it's just a matter of saving face.
Too late to cry anymore about it. Let's hope Ajayi mans up and Drake can spring the occasional big play and prove the value of this pick with 8-10 touchdowns this year.

[cuchulainn]

They may view Ajayi as a true #1 option. He was projected as a low 1st/high 2nd round pick before the knee rumors dropped his stock.

Drake is definitely a complimentary player. Not sure I see the Reggie Bush comparisons, but hoping I'm wrong and he's turns into a solid player.

Thomas is last resort. Was so pissed when we brought him back. Gase having him in Chicago was the only reason IMO.

[DolphinsFreak]

Going into the season with your TWO top running backs being unproven players in the NFL is a mistake. They should have brought in some veteran talent and now there are not any left in free agency. There's Foster, who the team already stated they are not interested in. So, the Dolphins are going to roll into the 2016 season with two rookie running backs and no back ups that are worthy of carrying the load. Not a smart move in the offense that Gase plans to run. Maybe he should have pushed harder for either Miller or Anderson.

[cuchulainn]

Daniel Thomas, veteran NFL running back. lol...

[cuchulainn]

You'd think the way Douglas snapped the ball last season when thrown into the fire, he'd be snapping the ball 250 times a day, not 25..Really, what the hell is 25 reps gonna do for you??!!! Btw, Pouncey should join his ass since his snapping wasn't that shit-hot either!

Yeah, i don't think Foster is ready either..and to be honest i don't think we're all that interested..though IMO, a healthy Foster would be the perfect back in a Gase-run offense...Speaking of backs, after initially saying he wasn't interested in playing football anymore i read recently that Knowshon Moreno wants to play again..not that we'd be interested but just throwing it out there...

Personally i'm very interested to see what Drake brings to the table; if Ajayi can pound the rock & wear down defenses, Drake could be the perfect change-of-pace, homerun hitter to come in and take advantage of a worn down D, if of course Drake can stay healthy..Those are some seriously BIG 'IF's' right there!!!

Agree... if Douglas is going to be the backup OC, he needs to be getting those reps in everyday with Mitchell or Phillips bearing down on him. And Pouncey has never been good with Shotgun snaps going back to his Gator Days. I think the hips are going on him and wished we traded him a couple seasons ago instead of signing him to that fat contract.

Foster is a poster boy for the walking wounded. He's only ever completed 1 season. Even if he wasn't coming back off the heel, he'd be a rotational guy anyway. I think Ajayi is under rated. He was our best back last season at yards after contact.

Hoping Drake brings more to the table than pizza and hot wings. Don't need to see another fat Alabama RB bust.

[Driven_Phinsane!]

Hoping Drake brings more to the table than pizza and hot wings.

lol,, too funny!...Though i do like pizza & wings!!

[cuchulainn]

Lol... yeah, somebody needs to get that kid some food that can build bone density without increasing his waistline.

[Driven_Phinsane!]

Don't need to see another fat Alabama RB bust.

Speaking of fat Alabama RB busts, i just read that Trent Richardson says his comeback will ultimately land him in the Hall Of Fame...Someone needs to check that boy for CTE 'cause he's obviously taken a few too many blows to the ol' noggin...

[cuchulainn]

lol... yeah, Richardson is another who got too caught up in off the field BS and never focused enough on improving himself.

In ''colletch'', he ran behind an OL at Bama that I could have stumbled for 4 YPC behind. Have to work for it at this level.

As for the HOF and other accolades, Jamar Taylor was saying the same thing right up until we traded him for pizza n wings. ;-)

[cuchulainn]

Interesting... Drake and WIlliams (and Daniel Thomas) are definitely NOT 3 down backs...

• Gase said prefers three-down backs to specialists, and that appears likely to affect how he uses his backs: "Any time you're playing that spot in this offense, you have to be able to do it all. It's not a one-trick pony type of offense. You have to be able to protect. You have to be able to run the ball. You have to be able to catch. So we really don't believe in 'Hey, you're just a first and second down back.' I don't know what that means. We look for guys that can stay on the field all three downs because we're not looking to sub personnel. We want guys that can be in great shape, stay out there and then, if we need to switch somebody out because we're having a long drive, then so be it. But really, whoever the guy is that we're starting with in the series, that's the guy I want to finish."

[Driven_Phinsane!]

Yep, that's why a guy like CJ Anderson would've been the ideal back in this type of O (Also a healthy Arian Foster,, isn't that an oxymoron??) Unfortunately i've been reading that Ajayi has thus far exhibited Roberto Duran hands in practice,, you know 'Hands of Stone'...

[kelbail2.2]

I'm hoping Ajayi pans out as a legit #1. Just think we should have brought in the best RB to challenge for the top spot instead of a proven backup with concerns with his durability and toughness to hack it in the NFL.

[cuchulainn]

Agree... still, if this new OL can open some holes, Ajayi is going to run with power, violence, and authority.

Still won't be surprised if we sign another vet after camp cuts start happening.

[FTLDOLFAN]

It looks like we are going with Ajayi as our feature back and Drake as the complementary #2 back who would also essentially be the 3rd down back because of his speed and receiving skills. Williams and Thomas are just there for depth purposes and to play on special teams. I think one of them could end up being cut if we pick up another RB who gets cut from another team. I don't think Foster has anything left in the tank.