He's back on the practice field and he caught a few touchdowns today so I think he's getting back into it.
I'm glad.
His speed and athletic ability are rare. It's not 4.4 speed. It's not Roberto Wallace. It's not Marlon Moore. It's not Legedu Naanee or Julius Pruitt. It's on a different level. You have fairly athletic corners out there that, if they don't give him a significant cushion, would get eaten alive as long as the quarterback has the arm to hit him.
Look back at the Panthers preseason game in 2011. You have in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd preseason game that year Clyde Gates on the outside against R.J. Stanford of Carolina, who runs a 4.42 by the way. Clyde takes an inside release and whips him. Kendric Burney tried to come over for the help but he didn't stand a chance, because he's a 4.6 to 4.7 guy. Henne somehow overthrew Gates by 5 yards...which is quite normal for Chad Henne and quite abnormal for the rest of the NFL since it's pretty hard to overthrow a guy like Clyde Gates.
A few plays later on 3rd & 10 you have Gates running to the same side against the same corner...is it any wonder that you now find safety Jordan Pugh (who runs a 4.46 by the way) about 25 yards down the field keeping an eye on Clyde Gates on the go route, instead of helping on the underneath coverage on Davone Bess, who is matched up one on one with Kendric Burney? Or what about how Hartline was able to line up in the slot on the same side as Gates, and get matched up in man coverage with linebacker Omar Gaither on a 10 yard route that would have gained the first down yardage? Gates took two defenders out of the picture and let both Bess and Hartline come free underneath him, and he didn't do it because he's "good"...he did it because he's god damn fast.
Look back at the Cowboys preseason game in 2011. Gates had a 42 yard catch. He's going up against former Utah State corner Chris Randle in man, who is playing tight. This is not a totally unathletic guy. He ran a 4.52 at his pro day but had 37 inch vertical and 10'7" broad jump. Clyde blows by him on a 9 route so fast he sucks the decal off his helmet. It wasn't a matter of Randle biting on the flat or falling for a head fake. His biggest technique mistake in my eyes was not getting a jam. He opened his hips up right away, but Clyde just blew by him with both men at full speed. Was it any coincidence that a few plays later on 3rd & 12, Gates ran another vertical and the safety was so scared of him that he vacated the hash mark right after the snap to cheat over top of Gates, leaving Jeron Mastrud WIDE open for a touchdown pass? No. Not a coincidence at all. It was a straight up double team, the kind you saw on Brandon Marshall.
Gates isn't a good player, yet. I'm not saying that. I'm saying he's a demon fast player that can actually catch the ball. Look how productive Ted Ginn was, and he was about as non-physical as you get in a football player. Why was he productive? The speed. It leaves very little margin for error. As a defense you're either playing too loose, which leaves underneath routes open, or playing too tight, which allows him to blast through the gates...or playing too much, in which case you are leaving other guys open. It's tough to walk that fine line as a defense when you're dealing with that kind of speed.
Ras-I Dowling did a superb job in man coverage on Gates in Week 1. But you know what, I've watched the coaches tape, from Week 1 to Week 17 I think Gates was a pretty different player. In Week 17 he was getting open against Revis and Cromartie. He was making short stops, showing quick feet underneath. He looked a lot more agile and under control.
Barry Jackson had a report a couple weeks ago that noted a source inside the Dolphins that swears Gates has been having a good off season and good practices, despite what you may have heard. I can believe that. I think when the Dolphins put him in a tie with Jeff Fuller for the 6th spot on the depth chart, it showed that they haven't given up on Clyde. He very well could have been at the very bottom. I think once he gets healthy and starts throwing punches again, he'll start to solify a roster spot.
