Tag: Jerome baker

Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker hopeful to continue career in Miami

Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker hopeful to continue career in Miami

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker is entering into the final year of his rookie contract in 2021 — and the Dolphins are going to be faced with a significant financial decision over the next six to nine months as it pertains to Baker and his long-term standing with the team. Baker who has steadily developed into an effective three-down linebacker as a member of the Dolphins’ defense over the last three years, enjoyed his best season to date in 2020.

And that means that the arrow (and the market) for Baker are pointing up. Miami could theoretically try to iron out a contract extension ahead of the start of the season, a move that could potentially save Miami some cap if Baker ends up having an even better season this year. Such a maneuver was how the team chose to tackle Xavien Howard, who after 2 seasons of play is now considered ‘underpaid’.

But that approach doesn’t appear to be on the table, at least at this point. Because when asked on Friday about his status long-term with the team, Baker indicated that there’s been no traction on that front just yet.

“All that stuff is going to figure itself out,” said Baker.

“I mean, we haven’t really talked about anything.“

But Baker isn’t letting a lack of proactive communication towards an extension deter him from his enthusiasm about the Dolphins’ organization. Baker expressed interest in playing wire to wire for his NFL career in Miami.

“I want to play here for the rest of my career. I love it here. I love the fans. I love the organization. I love everybody here. Yeah, I definitely see myself playing here for a long time.”

As the Dolphins look to transition from a team in a rebuild to a team who is an annual contender, they’ll need to transition their thought process for roster building. Not every player who is on the roster is going to be able to receive a contract extension; there will be financial decisions that are made. But young talents like Baker, who play a valuable 3-down role and are ascending talents, are always going to be hard to say no to for an extension. Baker’s value to the Dolphins’ defense grew in 2020 and it seems he’ll get 2021 to add an exclamation point and help sell the team on his value.

But no matter how it develops over the next six months, Baker has shown his hand. He wants to be a Dolphin. Which means the ball is now in Chris Grier’r court.

Jerome Baker’s first Dolphins jersey may have also been yours!

Jerome Baker’s first Dolphins jersey may have also been yours!

The Miami Dolphins took to social media this weekend to ask their fans a vital question that every sports fan must answer:

“What was your first Dolphins jersey?

Team jerseys are a staple of fan attire on game day as fans look to represent not just their favorite teams, but their favorite players, too. And given the attention paid to jersey sales (and the volume of said sales), it would appear as though many fans are destined to secure at least one jersey along the way of being a sports fan.

But sometimes, such as in the case of Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker, a first jersey can be an omen of foreshadowing — because Baker himself responded to the tweet. And, surprisingly, Baker’s first career Miami Dolphins jersey was not a ‘Jerome Baker, #55’. No, according to Baker, his first career Miami Dolphins jersey was a ‘Ricky Williams, #34’!

There were plenty of young Dolphins fans who were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s who probably got gifted a Ricky Williams Dolphins jersey in the aftermath of Miami’s mega-deal for Williams or, alternatively after he claimed the NFL’s rushing title in 2002 — only to have their collective hearts broken when Williams abruptly announced his retirement from the NFL just ahead of the start of the 2004 NFL season. The Dolphins, without Williams, promptly crumbled and finished the season at 4-12.

But fortunately this story has a happy ending, as Williams returned from retirement and went on to rush for over 10,000 yards in his career in the NFL; making those ‘Ricky Williams, #34’ jerseys the subject of plenty of positive memories and not just heartbreak. And for any kids whose first Dolphins jersey is a ‘Jerome Baker, #55’? Who knows, perhaps your future is being told just as Baker’s was way back when.

Watch: Miami Dolphins’ Jerome Baker with 30-yard sack of Patrick Mahomes

Jerome Baker of the Dolphins with the 30-yard sack of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs are used to making plays that go for big yardage. Patrick Mahomes, however, isn’t familiar with losing 30 yards on one.

The Chiefs’ quarterback was thrown for a loss — a major one — in the first quarter on Sunday.

Watch as the Miami Dolphins hunts and throws down the Super Bowl MVP for a 30-yard loss.

Dolphins giving Patrick Mahomes fits with interception, 30-yard sack

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are not having a great early go against the Dolphins’ underrated defense.

Not only are the Miami Dolphins the only team with a turnover in every one of their games this season, they’ve now created at least one turnover in their last 19 games. The defense built by head coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer is getting it done at every level, and this continued early in Miami’s Sunday game against the Chiefs.

With 9:08 left in the first quarter, Patrick Mahomes was trying to get the ball to tight end Travis Kelce, but linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel — who’s been making big plays under the radar all season — tipped the pass, and cornerback Byron Jones came up with it.

Mahomes had thrown just two interceptions this season, and if you’re going to try to beat Mahomes’ team, you’d better be opportunistic on defense. You’d also better be able to convert those turnovers into points, which the Dolphins weren’t able to do — on the resulting drive, kicker Jason Sanders missed a 45-yard field goal to the right.

But on Kansas City’s next drive, Mahomes took a 30-yard sack, courtesy of linebacker Jerome Baker Jr. This Dolphins defense is for real.

WATCH: Dolphins LB Jerome Baker mic’d up for win over Chargers

WATCH: Dolphins LB Jerome Baker mic’d up for win over Chargers

Jerome Baker is quickly becoming “must watch” entertainment for the Miami Dolphins — not only for his accomplishments on the football field but also for what he’s providing when the team decides to strap him up with a microphone. The Dolphins’ most popular mic’d up segment of 2019 featured Baker on the sidelines at a game frantically searching for his mom in the stands — and we got quite the encore from Baker this time around.

Baker was strapped up with a mic for the Dolphins’ 29-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 and he didn’t let us down.

It appears as though you can include Jerome Baker among the Malcolm Perry believers — and Baker would know as well as anyone while going against Perry throughout the course of training camp and practice each and every week.

The mic’d up segments are always enjoyable to get a sense of the chemistry with the team. And there’s a zero percent chance any Dolphins fan could watch this four-minute video and walk away feeling anything but optimism for what is brewing in South Florida these days. Last week it was Shaq Lawson who sported the microphone and introduced us to his infectious laugh. This week, Jerome Baker. Best of luck to whoever wears the microphone next for the Dolphins — you’ll have two tough acts to follow.

Dolphins’ Week 1 pass rush win-rate offers hope for 2020 season

Dolphins’ Week 1 pass rush win-rate offers hope for 2020 season

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Not a lot of things went right for the Miami Dolphins’ run defense last Sunday against the New England Patriots. But if you’re looking for silver linings regarding the Dolphins’ defensive performance, there are a few key places you can start. First and foremost, the Dolphins did only give up 21 points on Sunday — that number was 15th in the NFL in Week 1 and a far cry from some of the shoddy performances that saw Baltimore hang 38 on the Browns and the Packers hang 43 on the Vikings. If you could only rank well in one, you’d choose to rank well in scoring defense — as that gives you a better chance to win games at the end of the day.

But one other defensive area that the Dolphins weren’t just proficient in but rather quite good? Their ability to win their pass rush matchups. It might be hard to recognize given that the Patriots were so persistent running the football, but when the team did try to set up pass plays, the Dolphins were fairly persistent in defeating blocks and creating pressure. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, Miami’s pass rush was one of the best in football in Week 1 according to ESPN’s win-rate metric.

Checking in at 6th on a defensive metric after Week 1 probably feels like a glitch in the Matrix, but that is only because the Dolphins’ ability to rush the passer was hindered by New England’s successes on the ground. And in Week 1, things never feel as bad as they seem. So yes, the Dolphins’ run defense needs to play better. But their inability to put the Patriots’ running game on ice won’t be so drastic in the weeks to come — and when Miami can bolt down offenses in third and long, Brian Flores will be ready to bring the fireworks.

All in good time, Miami faithful. All in good time.

Three Miami Dolphins who must play better in Week 2

Three Miami Dolphins who must play better in Week 2

The Miami Dolphins are now more than a full 24 hours removed from their Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots. Miami’s performance should leave a poor taste in everyone’s mouth — the team was capable of winning their season opener of 2020 but critical miscues eventually snowballed into an insurmountable deficit late in the football game. It’s unfortunate, but it’s also just one of sixteen contests on the season. We’re on to Week 2, where the Miami Dolphins will be hosting the Buffalo Bills.

But if Miami’s end result is going to improve, we’re going to need to see better play from several key members of the Dolphins’ roster. Here are three players who must play better football games in Week 2.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps Week 1 was just “one of those days” for Ryan Fitzpatrick. But if the veteran quarterback is going to stave off the inevitable calls to see QB Tua Tagovailoa, he can ill afford to have too many performances like the one we got on Sunday against the Patriots. The three interceptions thrown are a little misleading — WR Preston Williams fell down at the top of his route against the best cornerback in football, Stephon Gilmore. That’s an interception every time and it is hard to fault Fitzpatrick for that play.

But the interception at the end of the first half? Brutal. The interception at the end of the game, which came in the end zone? Miami was in position no matter what to cut the lead to one score and then attempt an onside kick. Such a high-risk throw was a questionable decision at best. Miami didn’t get the benefit of a call and it was intercepted, compounding the decision.

Fitzpatrick had an earlier attempt to Mike Gesicki that was left too far inside and nearly resulted in another interception as well — the Dolphins need to iron out the timing.

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Watch: Mic’d up highlights from first week of Dolphins practices

Watch: Mic’d up highlights from first week of Dolphins practices

The Miami Dolphins have been hard at work for the past week now, looking to work their way into proper playing shape for the upcoming 2020 season. It’s no easy task, not with the unorthodox preparation window that teams have been dealt thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But one thing that we do know is that Miami’s on-field banter appears ready for game day, even if the player’s bodies need a little extra time.

The Dolphins have released the week-long highlights of players being mic’d up for practices — and the results are hilarious. Linebacker Jerome Baker, tight end Mike Gesicki and defensive end Shaq Lawson all sport a microphone for different practices throughout the week, affording fans a glimpse underneath the helmet and a much-welcomed look at each of these players (and those around them) in a more personal light.

Through the first week, Miami has released over 13 minutes of mic’d up footage for fans to watch and get to know the players — we’ve embedded the video below so that you, too, may get to know Miami’s prominent talents a little better. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/MiamiDolphins/posts/10157831193954611

 

Dolphins’ Kyle Van Noy living up to his own standard of leadership

Dolphins’ Kyle Van Noy living up to his own standard of leadership

The Miami Dolphins have made their defense a priority this offseason. The team, led by head coach Brian Flores, is looking to secure all the right pieces to make his Patriots-themed defense work — and the team wasn’t exactly shy about what they felt they were lacking this spring.

The Dolphins brought in two new defensive ends, a new defensive tackle, a lockdown corner, ample depth at safety and several versatile linebackers. It’s going to be a vastly different defense than the one we saw in 2019. And that’s a good thing, especially as the more versatile players are able to get onto the field and keep opposing offenses guessing. The task of the defensive line is pretty straight forward: own the trenches. The task of the secondary is also pretty straight forward: lock down the pass game.

The linebackers? They’ve got to help do a little bit of both. And between incumbent starter Jerome Baker and free agent signee Kyle Van Noy, the Dolphins have two threats who are viable three-down options for when the team chooses to transition into sub-package defenses. Van Noy and Baker both met with the South Florida media yesterday and spoke about the dynamics of their skill sets. For Van Noy, his versatility is critical to his success.

“I feel like I’m the last of a dying breed. I don’t think you can find players that can do all three skillsets. Usually they’re either in coverage or run, one of those situations,” he said.

“Very rarely do you get all three. I’m just trying to bring that energy to the team, trying to be a problem, a mismatch, and take advantage of that mismatch wherever I line up.”

But Van Noy is also trying to be a leader. He spoke about how his familiarity with the defense can help him be that.

“I want to be a leader on this team. I’m not a ‘rah, rah,’ type of guy. I just hope to lead by example with the way I work every day as a professional. I just want to be the best teammate I can be.”

For Baker, Van Noy is already fulfilling his end of the bargain. Baker referenced Van Noy’s guidance and experience as being a key dynamic of his offseason thus far, noting that Van Noy has adopted something of a mentor role for the athletic third-year linebacker.

“It helps me every day. Kyle, since the day he walked in, he’s kind of just been in my ear about anything and everything – if it’s on the field, if it’s off the field, whatever it was – he’s definitely been a great mentor, just an older vet, so I definitely appreciate that,” said Baker.

Getting to hear the dynamics that exist in the linebacker room, but specifically between these two, is a strong development for the team — mainly because the linebackers are going to have to fulfill a lot of roles within Brian Flores’ defense. Baker and Van Noy should be the team’s two constant fixtures on the second level, so having them hit it off this early in the process seems to indicate they’ll mesh well on the field, too.

LB Jerome Baker dishes on favorite part of playing for Brian Flores

LB Jerome Baker dishes on favorite part of playing for Brian Flores

How does Jerome Baker fancy having Brian Flores as his coach? Who was Baker’s inspiration and role model in playing linebacker? What is his favorite thing about Miami?

These are just some of the topics Miami Dolphins LB Jerome Baker tackled during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session — effectively a fan question & answer thread that allowed Baker to connect directly with fans who opted to literally ask him anything.

If you missed the thread, you can find it below and read all of your questions for yourself — but we will be tackling some of the highlights here as well.

I am Dolphins LB Jerome Baker. AMA! from miamidolphins

Perhaps the most relevant question came from a fan who asked what it was like to have Coach Flores serving as his head coach as compared to some of his other coaches. Here’s what Baker had to say on Flores’ behalf:

“Coach Flo is a unique coach. What I mean by that is he learns you the players and he tries in any way to get you to play at the maximum level. If it’s challenging you with words, if it’s challenging you mentally. He does everything to get you to be the best player you can be. He does a great job establishing trust with guys. Once you establish that you can really push guys to their limits so they can be their best. I really appreciate that about Flo. He does a great job with that.” – Jerome Baker

What makes this insight from Baker so interesting is when you contrast it to the point of view and perspective of former Dolphins DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, who made waves yesterday after his most recent telling of how he ended up leaving the Dolphins last September. And, based on the words of Baker, the words of Fitzpatrick and the actions of both men, one reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that Baker rose to the challenges Flores posed to him individually — and seems to be better because of it. Fitzpatrick on the other hand? He seemingly decided he couldn’t be bothered to be challenged and only wanted to play the game the way he felt was best.

So be it.

Baker also gave a good amount of love to a former Pittsburgh Steeler, linebacker Ryan Shazier. Baker was asked who he looked up to:

“I think the one person I really looked up to and really got me to really play linebacker honestly was Ryan Shazier. It was weird because in high school I played RB. That was my main focus. I played defense because we didn’t have enough guys to play. I went to go watch him play when I was recruited by Ohio State. It was one game they played Indiana in 2013 or 2014, it was a cold, slushy, snow type of game and he had on this oversized long sleeved and it was so windy you could see it blowing in the wind. All the recruits left because it was too cold outside so they just went up to the boxed seats they had for us and I stayed to watch and I was just in such awe of this guy who was just running sideline to sideline…he ended up getting like 20 tackles or something like that. And since that day I was like, I want to play linebacker. I got to talk to him, I still talk to him. I modeled my game after him. I think he was the one guy who I really owe as to why I play linebacker.”

Dolphins fans owe Shazier for the inspiration too, as Baker is a promising young staple for the team’s defensive unit and figures to play with more consistency with better pieces around him on defense. And maybe, with some luck, Miami can play some cold weather games in January this year and Baker can show off that same mental toughness that Shazier inspired him with all those years ago.