Byron Jones Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee
Thursday, the NFL announced the 32 nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. Considered to be the most prestigious honor in the NFL, the award recognizes players for their excellence on the field and outstanding community service activities off the field.
Jones has been active in the community and in conjunction with Dolphins programs such as the 5000 Role Models of Excellence virtual event. There, he was afforded an opportunity to speak to local youth and share his three traits for success in any walk of life.
"A lot of kids were asking about discipline and how you focus during a class you may not like. Just grit, perseverance and determination," Jones said. "No matter what you want to do in life, those three traits will take you far. I'm sure their parents have said it many times, and the mentors from a particular group, but I think coming from an athlete it really resonates."
Jones was also the feature subject on this week's Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield. He discussed the unity on the Dolphins roster, playing for Head Coach Brian Flores and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer, his place as the head of the Dolphins Social Impact Committee, his interest in classic Porsches and much, much more.
Last month, Jones spoke with Kimmi Chex of NFL Network about the Inspire Change Initiative and the message he frequently conveys when he takes advantage of the platform afforded to him through the NFL and by the Miami Dolphins.
Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins Hurricane Eta Relief Aid
The Dolphins paired with Head Coach Brian Flores to provide Hurricane Eta relief. Flores' parents moved to Brooklyn from Honduras before he was born, but the Flores family is still well represented in their native country.
"We worked with (Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs) Jason Jenkins and our community relations (staff) and got in touch with the consulate from Honduras and put some – with help from Publix – put some packages together," Flores said. "With Spirit Airlines, we a flew a plane down there and just gave them some support, some things that they needed – a variety of things.
"They needed some support and we were happy to help and I just think about the family I have down there – aunts, uncles, my Tía Chola, my Tío Bocho, Tío Paulito – all my family down there. So I just think about them and to them, I just tell them I love them and I'm praying for them. Te quiero mucho (I love you so much) and we just try to keep supporting them."
Lynn Bowden Hoping to Build On Strong Showing
The rookie wide receiver who was acquired in September for a swap of draft picks with the Las Vegas Raiders had his most productive game as a pro Sunday in the win over Cincinnati. He caught four passes for 41 yards and carried the ball once for 11 yards.
Bowden's versatility was made glaringly obvious in college. Entering the 2019 season on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List (college football's award for the best receiver in the nation), he switched positions to quarterback after the Kentucky Wildcats lost their starter to injury.
All Bowden did was rush for 1,468 yards and 13 touchdowns, including the SEC single-game rushing record by a quarterback with his 284-yard day against rival Louisville.
Thursday, Flores talked about Bowden's growth over the course of his rookie season.
"He had four or five catches last week, he had a run, made some blocks in the running game, so I think he's really improving and getting better," Flores said. "His progress over the past three or four weeks has been good. Hopefully he continues to be productive and help us."
Seeing the offense from multiple perspectives certainly has its advantages for the rookie.
"You get the best of both worlds," Bowden said. "As a receiver, you see how the quarterback looks at it and as a quarterback, you see how the receiver sees it. I get the best of both worlds of being able to read coverages and seeing the different disguises and stuff like that."
Vote Tua
There's still time to vote for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as the Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his Week 13 performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thursday Injury Report
Dolphins:
Running back Salvon Ahmed, offensive guard Ereck Flowers, and linebackers Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy were estimated to not practice Thursday. The Dolphins held a walkthrough.
Ten Dolphins were estimated as limited participants for Miami on Thursday.
Chiefs:
Linebacker Damien Wilson was estimated to not practice Thursday for the Chiefs.
For the rest of the Dolphins-Chiefs Week 14 injury report, click here.
