Dolphins' Pead says he's past 'knucklehead years,' seeks redemption

[DKphin]

In four years, Isaiah Pead has gone from a promising early draft pick to an unemployed tailback looking for work.

But Pead, who was taken 50th overall in the 2012 draft by the St. Louis Rams, isn't making excuses for why his NFL career hasn't taken off.
While a torn ACL he suffered in 2014, and a suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy have slowed his career, and tarnished his name, Pead is simply thankful for the opportunity the Miami Dolphins are providing him.
"I've had my knucklehead years in the past," said Pead, who worked out for eight teams before Miami offered him a contract. "You grow up, learn from it, that's life."
Pead blames immaturity and injuries on the unimpressive start to his NFL career. But he's confident he can turn his story around if given the right opportunity.
"Everything happens in life for a reason," said Pead, who has carried the ball 19 times for 78 yards in his 27 career regular-season games.
He has also caught 14 passes for 94 yards and returned 18 kicks for 413 yards with an average of 22.9 yards per return.
His production has been so encouraging that head coach Adam Gase said that when Pead is in the game he's motivated to call plays for the former Cincinnati standout, who rushed for 3,288 yards and 27 touchdowns on 545 carries in his college career.
"He's been pretty consistent. I don't think he's changed much as far as what he's done from the first day he's gotten here compared to what we saw the other night," Gase said. "It seems like every time he touches the ball, something good happens for us. We'll just keep trying to get him in there."
Pead's emergence will make the tailback position one of the most challenging evaluations when it comes to determining how many running backs to keep. Jay Ajayi and Arian Foster are viewed as the front-runners to start, and Kenyan Drake's status as a third-round pick this year will likely keep the rookie safe despite his lingering hamstring injury, which has prevented him from practicing for the past two weeks.
"I've always had this skill set. I've just never really been able to play in the games. I'd do it in practice, but nobody would see it but the team," Pead said. "I've always had a strong belief in myself and a passion for the game. And I don't let any outside noise, or [past] mistakes discourage me."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-dolphins-notes-0823-20160822-story.html

 

[CChambers84]

Gonna be tough deciding on a 3rd back but I say lets go with Pead. Thomas has had hit shot and Williams hasn't shown much of anything

 

[oasis]

Pead HAS to show he can play ST. He's proven he's a better HB than Thomas or Williams.

 

[uk_dolfan]

he has been a complete bum since he got drafted. I am far from convinced that he isnt this years Naanee or lamichael james

 

[Austin Tatious]

I'd absolutely put Pead on the 53. He was a nice candidate to take a shot on.

Damien Williams doesn't run particularly well, but coaches always like him for the concept of special teams. There are little things there that coaches want. Rizzi's say would probably be Damien. But we could keep both Damien and Pead by putting Drake on IR with designation to return, so that Drake has a cushion on getting healthy and staying healthy. Then at week 6, if someone else is banged up, Drake comes in.