In Malik Willis, the Dolphins now have something they haven\u2019t had in years \u2014-an athletic quarterback with great mobility.<\/p>\n
Though the question had nothing to do with Tua Tagovailoa (and his limited mobility) or any particular quarterback, coach Jeff Hafley made clear how much he appreciates mobile quarterbacks by explaining how difficult it is to defend them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty simple: Like most games, it\u2019s timing and rhythm and the ball is out or it\u2019s a bad play,\u201d Hafley said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in zone coverage and the quarterback starts to roam and wide receivers start to run around, there\u2019s holes everywhere open in zone. When you\u2019re in man coverage and the play goes off-schedule and the quarterback starts running around, do you know how hard it is to cover for those extra four, five, six seconds?<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, it\u2019s awful. Especially if the guy can throw it on the run. It makes it two parts to the play that you have to defend, and then there\u2019s the threat of him running, so now your edge guys and your D-line have to play a certain way and make sure that they don\u2019t fly by the quarterback, or you make sure you don\u2019t run a game and now a nose is wrapping to contain. You\u2019ve got to call the game differently the way you kind of run your games, the way you pressure and then certain coverages you got to play, so that\u2019s why\u201d it\u2019s much tougher to defend mobile quarterbacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s something the Dolphins were missing offensively but will have now.<\/p>\n
Willis is considered among the best runners at the quarterback position \u2014 on designed runs and scrambles out of trouble.<\/p>\n
He has 74 rushing attempts in his career for 405 yards \u2014 a 5.5 average.<\/p>\n
Sullivan on Achane<\/p>\n
\u25aa General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan adeptly explained De\u2019Von Achane\u2019s superb skill set in a conversation with Pro Football Talk\u2019s Mike Florio:<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s a rare player. His feet, his acceleration, his ability to play on all three downs. He\u2019s a very good pass catcher. He reminds me of a lot of a guy that I played with in high school by the name of Warrick Dunn, who went on to have a marvelous career.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s the 28 that he wears on his back, which Warrick wore forever. But I see a lot of similarities. Now, Warrick did it for a decade, and neither one of them are big guys, and I think if De\u2019Von was sitting here, he\u2019d be the one to tell you, like I think that\u2019s going to be the question for him. Can he be as durable as Warrick was over time? But he\u2019s a marvelous player. We wanna move forward with him. It\u2019s important to us to get a deal done. He\u2019s part of the future for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Achane made his first Pro Bowl last season after finishing first in the league in yards per carry (5.7) and fifth in rushing yards (1,350). He also had 67 receptions for 488 yards. He had 12 TDs \u2014 eight on the ground and four in the air.<\/p>\n
Sullivan has said the Dolphins want to extend Achane\u2019s contract. Achane said an extension is important to him; he didn\u2019t show up to the start of the voluntary offseason program.<\/p>\n
Hafley, meanwhile, marvels at Achane: \u201cHe\u2019s dynamic. I mean there are plays that you\u2019re not even blocked right for and he gets 6 or 7 yards. His vision, his acceleration, the way he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he\u2019s so hard to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa How much will off-field intangibles and character affect Sullivan\u2019s thinking in the draft? He says it\u2019s a difference-maker if two players are comparable. And he generally will try to avoid players if he has a concern about their makeup.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time you\u2019re trying to build a culture, we have to be so intentional about the people we\u2019re bringing in the door,\u201d he said. \u201cThese 11 players… have to be able to play, but the wiring of the kid, the passion for the game, the physical and mental toughness, being a good teammate \u2014 all that incorporates culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t say you want to have a certain kind of culture and bring the wrong guy through the door. We all get seduced by talent. I\u2019m not going to take a try hard guy over talent. But if it\u2019s close, I\u2019m going to take the guy I know is wired right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa Couple quick personnel notes from Hafley: He said there is no decision on whether Jonah Savaiinaea will compete at left guard \u2014 his position last season \u2014 or right guard, where he played in college: \u201cI just think once we get these guys and figure out what they can do \u2013 whether he\u2019s better on the right, whether he\u2019s better on the left \u2013 I think after OTAs, as we get into training camp, we\u2019ll figure all that out.\u201d…<\/p>\n
Hafley on new edge players Josh Uche and David Ojabo: \u201cThey can play the run, can set edges, can rush, can win quick, have had success in their careers. Excited to work with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n