October 28, 2020
The bye week has a way of ramping up excitement for the upcoming game. Two weeks without Dolphins football is a long time not just for the fans to wait, but coaches, too. After the 10-day layoff following the Jacksonville game, Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores said with a wry smile that he was ready to look at a new tape.
"Yeah, I need to see some new film," Flores said eight days after the Week 3 win. "That's kind of how I feel right now. I'm competitive. We want to play, we want to coach; so yeah, I need to see some new film."
In five days, we'll get a look at a new tape as the Dolphins take on the Los Angeles Rams for the first time since 2016.
Here's what's happening today in Davie.
Injury Report
The first injury report for Dolphins-Rams will be available later today. The entire injury report for both clubs will be available in this afternoon's Top News story.
They Said It
Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores got his start in coaching on special teams.
"I started in the kicking game," Flores said. "That's where I got my break in coaching. I know and understand how important those guys in those positions are, whether it's kicker, punter, long snapper, returners, ball security and things of that nature."
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman's unit is chock full of accomplished resumes contributing to Miami's strong early-season showing in that department. Crossman spoke Tuesday about a couple of four-phase (kickoff, kick coverage, punt team and punt return) players providing a spark for the Dolphins.
"(Kavon Frazier) is one of those guys that's really settling in on those four phase core players for us," Crossman said. "Those guys need to play well, and we need to keep playing better and better as the season progresses."
"(Mack Hollins') upbeat personality really transcends and really brings a lot of guys along, when you look at him in the locker room, in the meeting room, out on the practice field," Crossman added. "He's really got a great demeanor and his approach of how he works, and I think that has a lasting impact on a lot of the younger guys."
Dolphins On Social
On this Day in Dolphins History
October 28, 2012 – The Dolphins come off the bye week with a vengeance in a 30-9 victory over the rival New York Jets. Miami opened a 20-0 lead heading into halftime and extended the lead to 27-3 in the third quarter with a Matt Moore touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano. Dan Carpenter connected on three field goals while Miami's special teams unit began the scoring with an Olivier Vernon blocked punt and recovery in the end zone.
Stat of the Day
Football Outsiders ranks the Dolphins special teams unit as the third-best in the NFL courtesy of their DVOA (defensive-adjusted value over average) metric. Kicker Jason Sanders has the most made field goals (15) without a miss this season while punter Matt Haack is 12th in net punting average (42.4) and is tied for 10th with 10 punts downed inside the 20-yard-line.
Know the Rams
Since entering the league in 2014, Aaron Donald has earned Pro Football Focus' No. 1 interior defensive line grade every year sans that rookie season – he finished second to J.J. Watt in 2014. This season, Donald is on top once again with his league leading 45 quarterback pressures and is just one sack behind Myles Garrett's nine sacks for the top spot.
Content On Tap
The Dolphins are back on the practice field Wednesday as preparations for the Rams begin. We'll cover Head Coach Brian Flores and Dolphins players' media availability on Drive Time with Travis Wingfield and Top News.
