I appreciate that. Maxwell hasn't been great, except against Pittsburgh, but he has 8 PD's and 2 FF's on the season (7 for his career). Patrick Peterson has 1 for his career, and Richard Sherman has 5. Obviously, those are two of the better CB's to ever play the game, and Maxwell is not close to either, but his ability to force fumbles is completely overlooked. When he's playing in press, he's a very difficult CB to deal with.
If you play him in off coverage, without help, his lack of agility leaves him at a disadvantage. When Seattle played him in off, they typically had Earl Thomas covering the seam/helping Maxwell inside or had KJ Wright or Bruce Irvin dropping into zones about 7-8 feet deep. Without that help, he simply doesn't have the agility to hang with NFL WR's on in-breaking routes.
In press, though, he uses his length very well, and his balls skills are very good. He's a clever player with physical limits, but if you keep him on a line (like a runner you only want running north and south), his positive traits make him a quality starter. He's not a versatile CB. Never was, and he never will be, but he fits into what VJ said he wants to implement in Miami. In the last two weeks, VJ's vision for the D has played out. Maxwell had one of the best weeks of any CB all season against Pittsburgh. If you understand his strengths and limitations, his season has played out about as expected - relative to his tasks. Put him in specific situations, and he's good.
To add, Thomas taking responsibility for the Goodwin TD was a beautiful thing. He's not a great DB, but I hope he retires a Dolphin. That dude is pure class
