Head Coach Brian Flores updated the South Florida media on the status of his Dolphins team less than 48 hours away from kickoff, including the injury news on cornerback Byron Jones and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
"Tua will be listed as questionable," Flores said. "He was in today and practiced on a limited basis, so he'll be questionable. Byron, we're listing him as doubtful. He was out there on a limited basis as well. We'll see on that one, but we'll put him down as doubtful."
Tagovailoa's absence from practice on Wednesday and Thursday was not injury related but rather connected to an illness.
Friday Injury Report
The final injury report for Sunday is available. The Dolphins expect safety Clayton Fejedelem to make his Miami debut. The special teams captain injured his pectoral muscle in the week of practice prior to the season opener in New England, forcing him to miss the first three games.
Friday, Flores talked about getting Fejedelem back.
"He was having a really good training camp prior to the injury," Flores said. "We're looking forward to getting him out there. He's a captain, he's been itching to go. I'm excited to get him out there. He's practiced and prepared well so hopefully that translates to good play on Sunday."
Cornerback Byron Jones and safety Kavon Frazier are listed as doubtful.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (illness) and guard Solomon Kindley are questionable.
For visiting Seattle:
Out: safety Jamal Adams, cornerback Quinton Dunbar, linebacker Jordyn Brooks
Questionable: running backs Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Neiko Thrope, guard Damien Lewis and safety Lano Hill.
Beard Bros
Ryan Fitzpatrick dons the most epic beard in the National Football League. His Norse God look rivals others in the pantheon of NFL facial hair legend. Tight end Mike Gesicki has a way to go before he joins the ranks of Fitzpatrick, Brett Keisel and Eric Weddle, but a winning streak could nudge the 24-year-old's look towards that of grizzled veteran.
Rocking a solid goatee for his Friday media availability, Gesicki explained how an uncharged razor sparked a new superstitious habit.
"My razor died the night before the Bills game, so I got stuck with this bad looking goatee," Gesicki said." We didn't win, so I thought I could go home and shave; but 'Fitz' (Ryan Fitzpatrick) said it was an exception because of a career day (eight receptions, 130 receiving yards and a touchdown), so I kept it. Then we came out and won last week so it had to stay."
The tight end's production started to take off at the end of 2019 and has continued into the first three weeks of the 2020 season. No player – tight end or otherwise – has caught more touchdowns than Gesicki dating back to Week 12 of last season.
Whether it's scoring touchdowns or setting up his teammates with an opportunity to get into the end zone, Gesicki is all about doing whatever it takes to get to the winner's circle. Asked about his approach when the offense enters the red zone and creeps closer to the goal line, the third-year pro said he approaches every play with the same mentality.
"I try to keep the same mentality play-by-play," Gesicki said. "I could make a big play from the minus-40 that sets somebody else up for a score. It is exciting when your number gets called. When you play with 'Fitz' though, it doesn't matter if your number gets called because the ball can go anywhere."
An Attacking Mindset
The Dolphins are aggressive going to the 6-foot-6 weapon once inside the 20-yard-line. According to PlayerProfile.com, Gesicki's five red zone targets are third-most among NFL tight ends.
Head Coach Brian Flores said Friday he wants his entire team to have an aggressive mindset. Hosting the NFL's second-highest scoring offense (Seattle scores 37 points per game) doesn't change that fact.
"You always want to call the game aggressively," Flores said. "That's how we want to be by nature. We want our players to play physically and aggressively. We want to be smart also. Every situation is different every game is different. The timing of making a more aggressive call, everyone is a little different. You can't be all one thing."
Since his arrival in February of 2019, Flores has made his message clear regarding what he looks for in players: smart, tough, physical, disciplined players that love the sport and the process of getting ready for game day. 'There's joy in hard work,' Flores famously said at the end of last season.
Growing up on Enemy Lines
Running back Myles Gaskin leads Miami with 152 rushing yards. Yesterday, linebacker Jerome Baker credited Gaskin's production to a tireless work ethic. Flores went a step further saying Gaskin 'is really everything we're looking for in a Dolphin,' in his Wednesday conference call with Seattle media.
Gaskin, who will play against his hometown team for the first time in his career Sunday, appreciates the praise but remains hungry.
"It's a great compliment. I appreciate that," Gaskin said. "I need to get better, a lot better. That's the way of being a Dolphin, never being satisfied. Always striving for more. I don't think I've really made a splash. I appreciate all the compliments, but I need to do better."
Gaskin grew up 17 miles north of Seattle in Lynnwood, Washington. Despite the close proximity to CenturyLink Field, Gaskin donned the aqua and orange as a youth.
"I was actually a Dolphins fan when I was younger because I had a cousin who was a fan," Gaskin said.
A fellow Pacific Northwest native transplanted in South Florida myself, I had to ask Gaskin which player he most fondly idolized.
Enter Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme.
"Ricky Williams," Gaskin said emphatically. "It was my older cousin's favorite team when I was first getting into football. He had a Ricky Williams jersey and that was when I first started loving the game, so it went hand-in-hand."
