Sports Buzz: Thursday Dolphin nuggets

[gafin]

Sports Buzz: 9/17/15 Thursday Dolphin nuggets

Several young defenders getting chance to play meaningful snaps


Growing up in Utah, Zach Vigil remembers hearing the name of another Zach --- former Dolphins star Zach Thomas --- and thinking, “That guy is pretty cool.” Now, years later, Vigil hopes to follow in Thomas’ footsteps – as an unheralded middle linebacker who was sold short by NFL teams in the draft.

Vigil is the most improbable of a handful of young Dolphins defensive players who are receiving meaningful opportunities early in the season.

There’s second-round pick Jordan Phillips, who had Miami’s only sack Sunday. There’s second-year defensive end Terrence Fede, who filled in for injured Olivier Vernon against the Redskins and produced the most tackles of any Miami defensive lineman (six) in 38 snaps.

And there’s Walt Aikens, who has competently handled a starting safety job since a torn ACL ended Louis Delmas’ season in mid-August.

But Vigil’s rise is the most surprising, because he wasn’t drafted out of Utah State. He didn’t even bother watching the last day of the draft, instead spending the time with the family’s 14 horses that are used to help the Zigils hunt elk and deer.

He said several teams inquired about him after the draft, but he preferred Miami because defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle and linebackers coach Mark Duffner “took the initiative to reach out to me before the draft.”

Coyle, who split middle linebacker snaps evenly between Kelvin Sheppard and Vigil in the opener, said Vigil first caught his eye “back in the spring. He led the nation in tackles in college. Sometimes you may not think he looks the part, but yet he finds the ball.”

Vigil was delighted recently to meet Thomas, who was a fifth-round pick in 1996 and was a first-team All-Pro five times.

When Thomas addressed the team last month, “I was pretty attentive,” Vigil said. “He's somebody you can model after because he came in every day and did the work. That's something I've always done my whole life. He’s someone you can aspire to.”

Vigil is accustomed to being overlooked. He didn’t have a single scholarship offer when he walked on at Utah State.

“The NFL, at the time, seemed improbable,” he said. “I just wanted to earn a scholarship so my parents wouldn’t have to pay.”

He finally got one after two years and received valuable mentoring from another Utah State alum, Bobby Wagner, who was a first-team All Pro linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks last season.

“The big thing about Zach is his confidence,” linebacker Jelani Jenkins said. “Everybody can feel his confidence as a mike linebacker. He finds the ball. He gets off blocks. That's why we like him.”

Vigil is surrounded by other NFL neophytes who are trying to make a mark on this Dolphins defense.

Phillips, who said he “could have played better” in 11 snaps in the opener, was tired of hearing that he didn’t play hard every down at Oklahoma and has displayed a more consistent motor since coming to the Dolphins.

“There were too many people saying I was lazy, so I said I’ve got to fix it,” he said. “I don’t think my effort is in question anymore.”

Veteran defensive tackle C.J. Mosley, who has been paired with Phillips on the second team, said: “The young man can play football, no doubt. He has all the tools. He still has to learn the game. It's something that's going to take time. I'm trying to help him out as much as I can. Right now, it's basic stuff he can get better at, as we all can.”

Phillips said Ndamukong Suh and Derrick Shelby also are mentoring him.

More here:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/

 

[hoops]

by key plays i sure hope stoneburner didnt mean across the formation post snap to pick up a clean de tight ends to try and work vertical off pa without dion sims

 

[datruth55]

by key plays i sure hope stoneburner didnt mean across the formation post snap to pick up a clean de tight ends to try and work vertical off pa without dion sims

I sure hope not. That play hasn't worked yet.

 

[ANUFan]

With or Without Jones we should be able to beat Jacksonville. If we can't beat them without Jones then this team is in real trouble.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

by key plays i sure hope stoneburner didnt mean across the formation post snap to pick up a clean de tight ends to try and work vertical off pa without dion sims

Call me crazy but I like that play. Reason being is that it could be effective vs teams like the bills that use overload blitzes and angle slants. We have yet to run off of it and have always shown PA. I could see it resulting in a big rush gain in the situation. :idk:

 

[hoops]

Call me crazy but I like that play. Reason being is that it could be effective vs teams like the bills that use overload blitzes and angle slants. We have yet to run off of it and have always shown PA. I could see it resulting in a big rush gain in the situation. :idk:

if we havent run out of it last year at least something is wrong cause you should be setting your play action up off of it...the run out of the hard action needs to set the table for the pa

but against the bills if its mario williams remove the pa part from the gameplan with or without sims...no tight end of ours can handle williams off a free clean release 1 on 1...there isnt one in the league that can

and jake stoneburner isn't gonna block squat for ya edge rush wise clean release 34 olb or 43 de...he cant block a paper bag which is why you are better off with him in an h back role

 

[Aqua and Orange]

He led the nation in tackles in college.

Wait, what?

This has got to be a typo in that article.

Everywhere I'm looking I see he lead his TEAM in tackles, and was 84th in the nation.