MITCHELL, Florida – The Miami Dolphins announced that tight end Tanner Conner has been elevated for Sunday’s game and offensive lineman Robert Jones has been activated off injured reserve.
Jones has participated in 24 games in his career, starting eight of them at left guard and right tackle, respectively. He participated in 16 games and started seven at left guard in 2022. Jones signed with the Dolphins on May 13, 2021, as an undrafted college free agent, and he became a member of Miami’s 53-man roster. He attended Middle Tennessee State to play collegiately.
In 2022, Conner made 13 appearances for Miami as a rookie. On May 13, 2022, he signed on as an undrafted college free agent from Idaho State, where in the spring of 2021 he was selected as a wide receiver for the first team of the Big Sky. In track and field, Conner also won all-conference recognition. After signing with the Dolphins last season, he switched to tight end.
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In Week 7, the New England Patriots outperformed the Buffalo Bills in their best game of the year. Though the team was far from flawless, there were many good things to take away from the 29-25 victory.
One area that was lacking was specifically tackling. They mishandled 12 takedown attempts against the Bills, following a seven-game season average of missed tackles.
Going into yet another difficult division game against the Miami Dolphins (5–2), the Patriots are aware that inadequate tackling will not be tolerated.
“We are aware of the nature of their offence. Linebacker Jahlani Tavai stated, “They have playmakers on the perimeter and they have a really good back right now in [Raheem] Mostert. “All we need to do is focus on tackling, gang tackling, securing our tackles, and pursuing the ball.”
It was not unusual for the Patriots to play inconsistently against the Bills. Even though the average for the entire season had been seven misses per game up to that point, there had been a noticeable variation: from just two against the New York Jets in Week 3 to 12 against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 and, most recently, Buffalo on Sunday.
So, what can be done to improve in that area? For Peppers, who is ranked third on the Patriots with 44 tackles and eighth-best among the regulars (i.e. players of 10+ tackle attempts) with a 6.4 percent miss rate, the secret lies in technique and mindset.
When asked what qualities make a good tackler, he responded, “Tough.” “Principally, reduce your weight. Make sure your eyes aligned. Close out. Come in there and truly wrap, instead of just trying to throw a shoulder in a guy. stepping over. Things like running your feet. and simply applying the appropriate pressure. I think we can all perform that task more effectively.
Tavai, who currently ranks seventh in the team’s whiff rate with 40 tackles, mentioned that the team will put more of an emphasis on tackling this week.
“Our only task is to ensure that we reach the ball and pursue it,” he stated. That is what we will be focusing on and improving upon when it comes to tackling. Making sure that all 11 guys are at the ball is one way to achieve that.
While the results did not show it versus the Bills, the Patriots are investing a lot in working on their tackling fundamentals on a weekly basis.
That said, league rules are making it hard to properly execute technique in a practice situation. As Peppers pointed out, teams therefore have to find a way to simulate the setup as best as possible — something New England is willing to do, as opposed to other teams.
We practise it a lot here, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not like in college where there are a lot of live practises and live tackling drills. “While some league locations do it, it’s generally difficult to replicate that with limited padded practise sessions. It’s imperative that you replicate the tackle as closely as possible by approaching the runner, tapping him off the hip, maintaining excellent pad level, and maintaining proper eye alignment.
This week will be crucial for the Patriots to tick all these boxes. When the ball is in the hands of its playmakers, the Dolphins offence can generate yards just as well as any other team.Safety Jabrill Peppers stated, “They can convert a 3-yard crossing route into a 60-yard touchdown.” “You have to know where the guys are, be great tacklers, and be excellent in space.”
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