Recapping Dolphins/Giants 2016 Preseason Game #1
Alright so the 1st game of the 2016 NFL Season is in the books for the Miami Dolphins! Talk about one hell of a game, you don't usually see those sorts of shootouts in games nowadays, let alone ones that happen in the preseason. Regardless, it is now time to see the fallout and gains that happened from that performance. The play-by-play reviewer which allows me to write the recaps for the game is pretty solid, but it's not perfect. I get to see a general timeline of what happens right after a game, but you can't replay every single thing to see what happens. Because of that, I have a thing where I create little notes throughout the game just in case I forget to mention them in the game recaps. It's good because it focuses on tacklers who make big stops on short gains, little things that tend to go unnoticed for the guys who don't have the ball in their hands, and just in general is solid to have to look back on. Here are the ones I made regarding this past game between the Dolphins and Giants.
Perfect! Now I can see who did what that wasn't instantly mentioned. The biggest one I have to say is regarding the defense. I completely forgot to mention how well Mike Hull did on some stops. The only time I mentioned Isa Abdul Quddus was on that blown tackle when he got beasted on by Rashad Jennings, and now it can be seen he actually did make a nice play later on in the game. There was great work by Olomu/Patmon as gunners so that helps their case to be on the team. I would go on later to mention how Xavien Howard got burned badly on 3rd and 13 and that really should be mentioned even though I didn't highlight on it in the recap. When Myles White picked up 33 yards, it was because of the fact Howard got burned and didn't back pedal quick enough out of the gate. That happened in the 4th quarter of the 1st preseason game, that simply isn't acceptable and will be noted.
Alright so now that everything that I took away from that game has been noted... what's changed?
Stock Rising After Game #1:
+++ HB Damien Williams
+++ WR Jakeem Grant
++ WR Matt Hazel
++ LB Mike Hull
++ CB Tony Lippett
I would say these are the 5 biggest guys who really made some waves in Game #1. Damien Williams may have single-handedly in that game given himself a spot on the 53 man roster. That doesn't mean he's going to be jumping Jay Ajayi or Arian Foster just yet, but he looked utterly sensational and could have had even more yards if some flags didn't go against him. Jakeem Grant also had a sensational day and that mostly has to do with the return game. Getting a kick-off return now that the touchback gets you to the 25 and kickoffs are looking like they'll be more and more obsolete? Great game by him. Matt Hazel needed the ball to make an impact and he did a great job with it, even more than just the 80+ yard touchdown when he burned Trevin Wade. He may very easily find himself rising up the depth chart. Finally you have Mike Hull and Tony Lippett who were just two defenders that had strong nights. Lippett forced a turnover while Hull as I noted made some nice tackles, and made more plays than his counterpart in Zach Vigil to get mentioned in this section of the recap.
Stock Falling After Game #1:
--- SS Shamiel Gary
-- WR Leonte Carroo
-- CB Xavien Howard
-- Entire Run Defense
- LG Dallas Thomas
Woof... Shamiel Gary just had himself an atrocious night. He didn't tackle well, he didn't cover well, and for a 26-year old who went undrafted and the organization doesn't really have an obligation to keep you around, that could mean lights out for him. The rest of the guys on this list have something to be wary of. Leonte Carroo failed to make an impact all night in the passing game and probably would have flown under the radar... until he had that penalty on that monster run by Damien Williams, and now you see his stock falling. Xavien Howard takes a hit because he got hurt real hard on that 33-yard pass to Myles White, and with Tony Lippett getting some noise you could see some changes in the depth chart. Finally, I had to call out the run defense and that goes for everybody on defense who played tonight. From Suh, to Wake, to the 3rd units who were out there when Vereen/Jennings tore it up... just unacceptable play tonight. That has to get better in practice. Finally, Dallas Thomas since he allowed that sack despite the fact the offensive line gave all 3 QBs time tonight to do some damage.
So there it is... my recap of the game vs the Giants, now it's time to see the personnel changes.