When Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby first arrived in South Florida last year, it didn’t take long before he began to form a strong bond with one of his newest teammates, Channing Crowder.
“It was instant,” Dansby said Tuesday.
Instant. And instrumental. The communication between the two led to a solid dynamic on the field, one that shouldn’t be underestimated as the team moves forward without Crowder in the mix.
Chemistry forming
So far, so good. Dansby and Burnett seem to be developing the very chemistry that’s so important, even though the duo has been on the field together for less than two weeks. But Burnett isn’t one for making predictions about the potential of this unit.
“It’s going well, but we have to play more,” Burnett said. “I want to reserve my opinions until after we play. I can talk you into it all day long, but I’d rather reserve my comments until after we play.”
That’s a fair and honest assessment, especially given the importance of the chemistry between Dansby and Burnett. But don’t think for a second the Dolphins would have replaced Crowder with Burnett if they didn’t believe he would appropriately fill the void when it comes to the dynamic of good communication.
“That was a big part of it, knowing that this guy was this kind of communicator,” coach Tony Sparano said. “He was that way when we had him in Dallas, and he had been that way throughout his years in San Diego.”
Burnett is the only new addition to a unit that’s returning all 10 other starters. And considering the Dolphins boasted one of the top defenses in the league, it says quite a bit about the confidence Miami has in Burnett.
