The Miami Dolphins are happy it’s Thanksgiving week, and there’s a lot for them to be thankful for over the past few weeks. On the other hand, they don’t want anything to distract them from the roll they’ve been on. They’re looking to balance Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family with their mission to win their forth straight game.
Not only are the Dolphins ready to feast on turkey, ham and stuffing with their friends & family, but their family on the practice field are licking their chops for the Panthers. The defense, more specifically, are licking their chops for quarterback Cam Newton, who they were supposed to face week one before he was cut by the Patriots.
“Every time we play him, it’s always fun,” admits Dolphins safety Eric Rowe. “He’s one of the most competitive quarterbacks at least when I’ve played against him, that I’ve been against in the sense of he’s talking crap to everybody – linebackers, DBs, d-line, it doesn’t matter. He’s on the sideline talking crap. I like that.”
“In the eighth grade when he was at Auburn,” says Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker. “I was that kid in the back of the class looking up YouTube videos watching his highlight tapes. I’m still that fan of him. Just to go out there and compete against guys you looked up to is definitely fun. He’s Cam. He has a personality but at the end of the day, he loves to compete. If anybody knows that, I know that because I watched him quite a bit. I’m definitely excited.”
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense have been starting to click since his return from fractured ribs and a broken finger. The running game has improved along with a inspired plays, like a 65 yard touchdown toss to Mack Hollins, which was the longest of Tua’s career so far. But things may not be as east against Carolina, who have the best passing defense in the NFL.
“They don’t give up big plays much,” says Tagovailoa. “It’s more of a eight-play or 12-play drive. They really make you work for points. You don’t ever see them blow coverages. You rarely ever see a three-play or four-play drive and a team scores on this team. They do present a big challenge for us.”
Dolphins center Michael Dieter was back at practice on Wednesday, and may be activated off the injured reserve list, where he’s been since early October. Meanwhile, wide receivers Will Fuller and Devante Parker, along with running back Malcom Brown, need more time to recover from their injuries, according to Coach Flores.