ESPN voices say Dolphins closer to Bills than people know, could win playoff game or two
A six-pack of media notes on a Thursday:
▪ The regard shown for the Dolphins on studio shows on ESPN, NFL Network and FS-1 one largely depends, naturally, on how each individual panelist and analyst views the team’s roster.
But even though it’s meaningless in the grand scheme, the Dolphins are riding a wave of positive momentum in the past two weeks - from Willie McGinest imploring critics to get off Tua Tagovailoa’s back, to Marcus Spears telling the world that Miami’s offense will be “hell on wheels,” to this week’s high praise from ESPN staples Dan Orlovsky and Ryan Clark.
“The Miami Dolphins are closer to the Buffalo Bills than most people want to admit and mainly those people in New England,” Orlovsky said this week on “Get Up.”
“They have the same record as the Baltimore Ravens over the past two years, 19-14, and that’s with the worst offensive line in football. They added the best left tackle in football [Terron Armstead]. They added a receiver with 200 catches, 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. This is a very good football team based on their defense.”
Clark said: “I agree with Dan. I agree that the Dolphins are the second-best team in the AFC East. I agree that the Dolphins are a team that can challenge the Buffalo Bills. Are they the Buffalo Bills? Hell, no. Are the Buffalo Bills my favorite to win the AFC? Yes they are.
“But the Dolphins have improved so much throughout this offseason onto a team that was already finishing strong last year with a great defense.
“I expect the Miami Dolphins to challenge to be in the playoffs and I wouldn’t be surprised if this team was able to advance through a round or two with this team gelling late in the season when you have a guy like Mike McDaniel making the calls, who’s learned through Kyle Shanahan.”
Asked by host Mike Greenberg if he’s a “buyer” on Tua Tagovailoa, Clark said: “I am a buyer. What we often miss about quarterbacks is their supporting cast. You surround him with the skill people they now have and an offensive-minded head coach [and it’s a positive]. You get protection and you’re not going to ask Tua to be the best quarterback in the NFL or the guy that leads you.
“He’s going to have to make winning plays. If you can get some of that Jimmy Garoppolo magic — two NFC Championships, a Super Bowl — under the same type of offense that Tua Tagovailoa will now be in, with more explosive players” then that’s a winning formula.
Orlovsky and Clark also heaped praise on Jaylen Waddle.
“We could see Waddle ascend to being a young version of Tyreek Hill [averaging] 15 yards per catch,” Orlovsky said.
Clark said: “If you take Tyreek Hill and said, ‘We want to get another Tyreek Hill. Who would it be?’ You would say he would be Jaylen Waddle. After the second half of the season, you know he’s a baller. Both of those guys on the same time, run first, play action, good offensive line now. I expect the Dolphins to be good, and I expect Tua to take the leap we usually see from Year 1 to Year 2 in Year 3.”
▪ ESPN’s Zach Lowe did a good job explaining why Tyler Herro “is perhaps the most polarizing high-wattage player in the NBA” and why, if you “ask 50 executives and coaches” what peak Herro will become, “the gap between answers will be wider than for possibly any other NBA player. You hear everything from “All-Star” to “Lou Williams/Jamal Crawford 2.0” — a one-way bench scorer who will get exposed on defense in the playoffs.”
Lowe notes that “most of Herro’s issues on defense are physical. He’s not an explosive athlete. His first step on defense is slow and heavy; crafty ball-handlers shake him with crossovers and head fakes.
“Opponents averaged 1.08 points per possession when they shot out of isolations against Herro, or kicked to teammates who fired — 230th among 263 players who defended at least 75 isolations last season, per Second Spectrum.”
His conclusion is that CJ McCollum, not Devin Booker, is the reasonable expectation of what Herro can become.
“McCollum feels like a reasonable outcome: second option on decent teams, third option on great ones, maybe never quite an All-Star [though Herro making one or two All-Star rosters would not be a huge shock],” Lowe writes.
“That is a really good player. It’s not an All-NBA type, but it’s not an empty calories bench scorer either. Herro becoming that player soon — or doing enough to convince the other 29 teams he’ll get there — would change Miami’s trajectory.”
We recommend the piece on ESPN Plus. Incidentally, ESPN is raising the price of ESPN Plus from $6.99 per month to $9.99 per month, beginning Aug. 23. That includes lots of streamed content and exclusive pieces on its website.
▪ Couple things from the ongoing ACC media day in Charlotte beyond the multiple stories that colleague Susan Miller Degnan will post:
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke told ESPN West Palm Beach’s Ken LaVicka of the FSU loss: “I think it really created a monster out of us. [It brought] one of the best coaches in the country… “I honestly don’t think Coach Cristobal is here if we won that game.” …
Cristobal, speaking about UM safety James Williams and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor on ACC Network: “They have flashed they can be great players. Now it’s up to us to push them and make them uncomfortable and prepare them for moments in packed stadiums with the game on the line. We are coming at James and L.T. all camp long, So be prepared, buddy.”
▪ Roy Firestone, the talented longtime former ESPN talk-show host, is hosting a new series “GOATs” for Canesport.com, a collection of interviews with Canes greats, including Mario Cristobal, Jimmy Johnson, Bernie Kosar, Jim Kelly, Mark Richt and others. Firestone says he hopes this format “will become a new franchise for many NCAA athletic departments.”
This project is part of a career renaissance for Firestone, who also is hosting three one-hour specials for ABC and ESPN, featuring interviews with Julius Erving, Martina Navratilova, Dennis Rodman, Katie Ledecky, Jerry West, Cal Ripken Jr., among others. Air dates haven’t been announced.
▪ Among the ESPY award winners from Wednesday night:
Best Championship Performance: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Eileen Gu, Skiing
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: Katie Ledecky
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Stephen Curry most 3-pointers made in NBA history
Best Play: Megan Rapinoe Scores from the Corner
Best Comeback Athlete: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Best Team: Golden State Warriors
Best NWSL Player: Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
Best MLS Player: Carlos Vela, LAFC
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports: Bryce Young, Alabama Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma Softball
Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best MMA Fighter: Charles Oliveira
Best NBA Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Best WNBA Player: Candace Parker, Chicago Sky
Best NFL Player: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best Athlete, Men’s Golf: Justin Thomas
Best Athlete, Women’s Golf: Nelly Korda
Best Athlete, Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal
Best Athlete, Women’s Tennis: Emma Raducanu
Best Boxer: Tyson Fury
Best Driver: Kyle Larson, NASCAR
Best Game: Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Buffalo Bills in OT
Best Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Best Olympian, Men’s Sports: Caeleb Dressel, Swimming
Best Olympian, Women’s Sports: Katie Ledecky, Swimming
Best WWE Moment: Cody Rhodes returns to WWE at Wrestlemania
▪ Quick stuff: Former Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty, who spent his final NFL season with the Dolphins last year, retired and joined NFL Network’s weekday show, “Good Morning Football.” Jamie Erdahl, the former CBS college football and NFL sideline reporter, takes over as host, with McCourty, Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt and Will Selva alongside...
Amazon and Apple reportedly have emerged as front-runners for NFL Sunday Ticket beginning in 2023, when the package will be offered as a streaming service. This is Sunday Ticket’s final season on DirecTV.
