Special teams are a unit on a football team that is often overlooked until there’s a big play or a mistake in a game. The Miami Dolphins special teams unit has played well this season and they especially did in their 27-23 victory against the New York Jets last Sunday.
Miami’s special teams accounted for two field goals, three extra points, a touchdown and a touchdown that was negated by a penalty. It is rare to have a special team unit that is responsible for that many points during a course of a game. Without that group, the Dolphins might have lost that game against the Jets.
After the Jets had retaken the lead 23-20, Jakeem Grant returned the kickoff 22-yards, but the Jets were offsides. New York then re-kicked and then Dolphins rookie Kenyan Drake returned a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 5:15 left in regulation. That score then made it 27-23, which proved to be the game-winner.
Some teams don’t have one dynamic returner, but the Dolphins have three if you include receiver Jarvis Landry. Dolphins assistant coach and special teams Darren Rizzi said having that many return options is a great problem to have.
“This is my eighth year here, and certainly, it’s something I’ve always been striving to get to a point where you have multiple guys and have some options,” Rizzi said. “Certainly, we have a lot of guys in the building that have proven they can do that. Obviously, Jarvis (Landry) has done it for a few years now and now with Jakeem (Grant) and with Kenyan (Drake). Damien Williams is another guy that has been back there before…..For a special teams coach to have options back there where you’re not just a one-trick pony, it really helps you. It helps your game plan. It helps you strategize against your opponent and it certainly helps you during a game.”
Miami has a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown. They’re the only team in the league that has at least a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown this season.
Drake has returned four kicks for 155 yards and a touchdown this season (38.8 yards per kickoff return). While at Alabama, Drake is also known as the player that ran back a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Clemson during last year’s National Championship.
Grant has been used both as a kickoff and punt returner this season. He has 12 punt returns for 132 yards (11 yards per punt return) and a 74-yard punt return touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. He also has 10 kickoffs returns for 252 yards (25.2 per kickoff return). If it weren’t for a Drake block in the back, Grant would have had a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Jets.
Before the season, the Dolphins coaches wanted to limit the number of returns Landry had this season. He has just seven returns for 78 yards (11.1 yards per punt return). Last season, Landry returned 36 punts for 356 yards (9.9 per punt return) and he scored a touchdown that won the game against the Washington Redskins.
Williams also can return kickoffs as well. In 2015, Williams returned 21 kickoffs for 457 yards (21.8 per return).
Miami has shown halfway through this season that their special teams is an area teams will need to plan for each week.
Twitter: @antwanstaley
