December 29, 2020
Production garners attention in this bottom-line business of the NFL. The Dolphins are 10-5 and generating buzz from local and national outlets. Today on the Blitz, we take a look at one of the many Dolphins offseason acquisition who has played a significant part in the five-win improvement from 2019.
Plus, we revisit Week 17 of 2019 in our 'On This Day in Dolphins History' segment and provide context as to why defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah's season is more than just his sacks and quarterback pressures.
Injury Report
The first injury report for Dolphins-Bills will be available Wednesday.
They Said It
The 2020 Dolphins defense ranks first in scoring (18.8 points per game), third-down conversion percentage (30.7) and is tied for the league-lead in takeaways (27). Their willingness to play for one another has produced some of the NFL's top production.
Take Ogbah. While his statistics (nine sacks, 21 QB hits) garner plenty recognition, he embodies the versatile, selfless mindset that makes this Dolphins D special.
"He does a lot of things under the scenes that a lot of people don't see and know," Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said. "He's kind of a swing man. The coaches put him in different positions and he always steps up to the plate and takes care of his business. He's always going to do what the coaches ask. He's one of those players that he's always going to make a play, and he's always around the ball."
National Notes
Ogbah's breakthrough performance is catching the eye of players across the league. The venerable Brandon Thorn of EstablishTheRun.com talked to six starting offensive tackles in the NFL to find out who is the most under-rated pass rusher in pro football. Thorn combined those responses with his own film study to generate his top 10 – a list in which Ogbah checks in at No. 5.
A starting O-lineman in the AFC South: "Ogbah's cross-chop move is one of the best I have seen or faced. With him being so long, you wouldn't think he's very strong but he has a great long-arm/stab move too."
Dolphins On Social
On this Day in Dolphins History
December 29, 2019 – The Dolphins cap Head Coach Brian Flores' first year in Miami with a 27-24 victory over division rival New England. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found tight end Mike Gesicki on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds to play to put Miami out in front for good. Safety Eric Rowe returned an interception 35 yards in the first half as the Dolphins upset the Patriots, knocking their AFC East foe out of a first-round bye heading into the postseason.
Stat of the Day
Ogbah has been a thorn in the side of opposing quarterbacks all season. His 62 QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus, are the third-most among all players classified as edge defenders. He trails only Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt (73) and Tampa Bay's Shaquil Barrett in that category. With five pressures Sunday in Buffalo, Ogbah would match Cam Wake's 2016 total with 67 QB pressures, the most by a Dolphins player over the last five seasons.
Content on Tap
Drive Time with Travis Wingfield returns to the airwaves today. You can find the podcast wherever you get your podcasts and get caught up on all the numbers and analysis from Saturday's win as well as sound bites from today's coordinator and assistant coaches' media. Plus, we'll recap Tuesday's events on our daily Top News story.
Dolphins Today returns as Carina gets you caught up on the latest from Davie; available on MiamiDolphins.com and the team's official YouTube page.
