Cornerback Xavien Howard will face a group that is deep and versatile
FOXBORO — It’s never an easy task for a coaching staff to game plan against Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.
It’s hard enough trying to stop Julian Edelman or Josh Gordon. When you factor in the uncertainty surrounding Antonio Brown, the Miami Dolphins staff has its hands full for Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
Brown, who’s accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit, traveled with the team to Miami on Saturday but it is uncertain if he will suit up. That means the Dolphins need to prepare for any possibility.
“We haven’t played in a game yet together, but we’ll see against Miami,” Edelman said about the receiving corps. “Especially against this team that knows us very well. That’s where our focus is at, so looking forward to playing against Miami. “
Coming off a 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Dolphins are off to a terrible start. Miami turned over its roster under new head coach Brian Flores during the offseason and are not expected to do much this season. In order to defend this talented Patriots receiving group, the Dolphins do have cornerback Xavien Howard, who looks like their best player.
The 26-year-old is coming off a breakout 2018 season. Last year, Howard made his first Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro. He finished tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with seven.
At 6-foot-1, Howard could match up with Gordon, who’s 6-3. Both Edelman and Brown are listed at 5-10.
“Tom Brady still has got that arm. Everybody is saying that he can’t throw but that man still has got an arm on him,” Howard said. “There’s a lot of things they are doing with Phillip Dorsett, Josh Gordon, plus ‘A.B.’ — they added him. The running backs, they have a hell of a running back corps. They do a lot of great things over there. We’ve just got to be prepared for it.”
When asked who expects to cover, Howard said, “They’ve got a lot of weapons. We’ve got to do our job. We’ve got to scheme up well.”
What makes defending the Pats receivers even more challenging is that they can line up every where. Although Edelman sometimes described as a slot receiver, the truth is that he plays very differently from what Wes Welker and Danny Amendola used to do.
Edelman does play in the slot, but he also lines up outside. Sometimes it’s a close 50-50 split. Brown is similar in the sense that he might not be the biggest receiver on the field, but he also can line up all over the place. Last week, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gordon was also seen setting up in the slot.
Gordon is considered a deep threat but given the fact that he also played inside last week, the Patriots offense has three legitimate receivers with the ability to line up everywhere.
“I think it’s great,” Gordon said. “We’ve got so many weapons, it’s going to be hard to track us down and find out where everyone is at to try and scheme against us. If we can keep defenses on their toes, the better for us.”
The Patriots head into Sunday's game as overwhelming favorites. If anything, it’ll be interesting to see how the Dolphins utilize their Pro Bowl cornerback against the Pats receivers. We’ll also see if the Patriots can reverse their luck playing on the road against the Dolphins as they’re 1-5 in their last six contests in Miami.
“It’s tough playing in Miami. I don’t know why. They always seem to have our number there,” Edelman said. “We put together a solid week of practice and we’re looking forward to going out and competing against a team that knows us very well. We know Coach Flo is going to have them ready and waiting. We’re going to try to go out there and play our best game.”
JULIAN EDELMAN
WIDE RECEIVER
HT: 5-10 WT: 198
YR: 11 AGE: 33
CAREER VS. DOLPHINS: In 13 regular-season games, Edelman has 64 catches for 817 yards and six touchdowns. He also has a touchdown on a punt return.
THE SKINNY: Edelman caught six passes for 83 yards last week. When Tom Brady gets into a bind, Edelman is usually the one he finds. There are suddenly a lot of weapons in the Patriots offense, but Edelman has the most experience and remains Brady’s security blanket. He’ll be important in every game, regardless if someone like Brown plays or not.
XAVIEN HOWARD
CORNERBACK
HT: 6-1 WT: 198
YR: 4 AGE: 26
CAREER VS. PATRIOTS: In five regular-season games, Howard has 11 tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections.
THE SKINNY: The Dolphins team has been completely torn down. The talent level isn’t there like it used to be. That being said, Howard is by far the best player on the team. He’s a lock-down cornerback. With his size, he could match up against Gordon. With his skill set, he could try to slow down Edelman. Wherever he is, it should be a fun battle.