OT: Track Stars on Miami Dolphins' Roster and the Road to 70 Points

Submitted by massblue on September 25th, 2023 at 1:03 PM

Here is a fascinating article ($) on WSJ about the Dolphin's roster and how the team has built its offense around speed by adding former track stars.  Here are a few pieces:

Terry Hill had a problem when he coached Tyreek Hill on the Coffee High School track team. His star sprinter burst out the blocks with such force that he literally tore the rubber off the school’s track. 

“He was just so powerful with that first step,” Jerry Hill says. 

Tyreek Hill now uses that same speed to blow past NFL defenses as a wide receiver, which the Denver Broncos learned a painful lesson about on Sunday. Hill and the Dolphins raced past them in a historic offensive showing: Miami scored 70 points in a single game.  

There isn’t another NFL team that could put together a 4×100-meter relay team that is faster than the one assembled by the Dolphins. Hill, Achane, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back Raheem Mostert posted times in high school or college that wouldn’t be embarrassing at the Olympics. And they play in an offense that prizes those talents: coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme emphasizes getting the ball to players in space and counting on them to beat defenders. 

Mostert was so keen on running that he went to Purdue because the school allowed him to do both. That’s when veteran track coach Lonnie Greene started working with the player he calls the most gifted athlete he’s ever had on one of his teams.

Greene, who’s now at the University of Kentucky,, watched Mostert’s football games with one thing in mind. “My interest was hopefully that he didn’t get hurt,” Greene says. He couldn’t afford to lose his fastest runner. In the Big Ten indoor championships, Mostert won the 60 meter and 200 meter events. Outdoors, he won the conference title at 100 meters and 200 meters. 

https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins-70-points-nfl-record-speed-c05c8732?mod=wknd_pos1&mod=wknd_pos1

 

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lhglrkwg

September 25th, 2023 at 1:17 PM ^

I don't really agree with the thesis. Are the dolphins the first team to figure out that fast players are good to have? The Dolphins are very good, but I think this game says more about the Broncos being inept than it does about the Dolphins being some genius franchise because they had the epiphany that fast = good

Joined: 07/03/2008

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mGrowOld

September 25th, 2023 at 1:27 PM ^

We tried that here in Cleveland with one Mr Anthony Schwartz, WR.  Man was he fast - Olympic sprinter speed but that dude had two significant problems that led to him getting cut after two years here.

1. He couldnt catch a cold, much less a football

2. He was beyond terrified of contact

So putting track stars on your team is a wonderful strategy but only if they can actually play a little football too.  Ours most definitely could not.  

Joined: 10/04/2010

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massblue

September 25th, 2023 at 1:30 PM ^

Finding track stars playing football, but not at the highest level, may not be that difficult. The question is whether you can improve their football skills or use schemes that would emphasize their skills.

I think McDaniel has amazing offensive game plans. The question is whether NFL teams will develop new defensive schemes to challenge his game plans.  I think a similar thing happened to his mentor at the Rams. They were a high-powered offense for a few years, but teams scouted him, and now they are average.

Joined: 08/15/2009

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blueheron

September 25th, 2023 at 1:17 PM ^

"... coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme emphasizes getting the ball to players in space and counting on them to beat defenders."

This is a groundbreaking idea. I'll bet NFL offensive teams are holding emergency meetings today to discuss strategy, etc. Who knew that speed and elusiveness matter? Other teams probably don't have any guys that run under 11 seconds in the 100M.

Joined: 03/26/2009

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LBSS

September 25th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^

I thought you were exaggerating about the 100m times not being embarrassing at the Olympics. Then I looked it up, and except for Jaylen Waddle (PB 10.68), those guys all ran under 10.2 at some point. They'd never make the US team but 10.2 would absolutely have been fast enough to get past prelims and into the actual field in Tokyo. Waddle wouldn't have made it out of prelims but he wouldn't have been dead last, either. In other words, you were not exaggerating.

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Wolverinebaboo

September 25th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^

You are catching some sarcastic snark with this post, but I liked it (and it was titled clearly). It raises the bigger question of how critical unteachable traits like height and speed are (yes, I know, can speed be coached?). Jeremy Gallon--short and above average speed. Star in college and couldn't make it at the pro level.

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treetown

September 25th, 2023 at 2:44 PM ^

Nov.l24, 1977. The Miami Dolphins with Bob Griese would score 6 TD through the air on their way to a 55-14 annihilation of the then St. Louis Cardinals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvI3veqQFAQ

Not sure about any track stars on the Dolphins then - but they were a good team with some very good receivers, notably Nat Moore.

Joined: 11/10/2010

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S.G. Rice

September 25th, 2023 at 3:40 PM ^

I remember some of the famous track stars who played in the NFL -- Willie Gault, Renaldo Nehemiah.

And at least one or two really fast guys recruited by RichRod who never saw the field.

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