Tag: Kader Kohou

Dolphins 2022 midseason awards: From MVP to most improved

A number of Dolphins have shined though nine games.

With the NFL season moving to 17 games last season, there’s no longer an exact mid-point in the year, but nine games seems like a good spot to start assessing teams.

The Miami Dolphins have gone 6-3 through the first nine weeks, and they’re currently second in the AFC East, behind the Buffalo Bills, and are tied for the third-best record in the conference.

Mike McDaniel’s system and a number of talented new players have allowed the aqua and orange to take a step toward being a playoff contender, and that’s a step that Miami hopes to take this year.

At this point, let’s reflect on the first half of the season and hand out some midseason awards.

How the Dolphins can beat the Steelers on Sunday Night Football

What Miami needs to do to snap their streak.

The Miami Dolphins turn back the clock Sunday night in a prime-time matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only will Miami host the AFC bout, but they will also honor the 50th anniversary of the undefeated 1972 Super Bowl champion Dolphins team. A perfectly timed situation to celebrate, well, perfection.

After a two-plus game absence, the Dolphins will regain their unquestioned leader and most valuable player, Tua Tagovailoa. The story at this point has been told the world over, and following injuries that literally spanned head-to-ankle, the quarterback returns under the lights.

The stage is set already, but throw in a supporting cast of characters that includes the returns of ex-head coach Brian Flores and former top draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to the script, and what you have is must-see-TV on NBC again.

Those are just a few of the storylines outside the lines that will play out on Sunday night, but when focusing on the action on the field, here’s how Miami can get back to their winning ways, and snap their three-game slide.

How the Dolphins can beat the Bills in Week 3

Keys to a Dolphins victory.

Make no mistake about it, this Week 3 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills is the Miami Dolphins’ biggest September game in franchise history.

Sure, regardless of the outcome, 14 games remain for both teams with more than 75% of the season to be played. However, in the last several seasons, especially with the addition of Josh Allen and then Stefon Diggs, Buffalo has had Miami’s number. That number is seven, as in straight wins the Bills have had over the Dolphins. 2018 was the last time Miami beat their AFC East rival, and the previous two contests only saw 11 Miami points in total last season.

At the same time, this 2022 team looks and feels different for several reasons, starting up top with head coach Mike McDaniel and his philosophical approach as well as his creation of a culture of confidence and camaraderie not seen in Miami for, well, a long time.

McDaniel’s ability to allow his players to be themselves has given a breath of fresh air to the Dolphins, and their play is showing it. Even when down 21 points on the road in Baltimore last week, Miami rallied and stayed confident to pull off one of the more remarkable wins in NFL history.

The importance of this Buffalo game is that it can break their losing streak against a team who’s a Super Bowl favorite and, at the same time, extend a home winning streak to eight games. The Dolphins would also have a chance to sit at 3-0 and, pending the outcome of the Kansas City Chiefs game, could have sole possession of first place in the conference.

This game has massive short-term and long-term significance because if Miami can hold home court against the Bills, the NFL will be officially put on notice that the Dolphins are not a fluke, and this team is very much for real.

How can Miami get to 3-0 and beat Buffalo? It’s a tall order. Here’s what Miami needs to bring to the table on Sunday, in order to send the Bills crashing through them.

Josh Boyer uses interesting analogy to explain cornerback snaps in Week 2

Kader Kohou played most of the second half over Nik Needham.

During the Miami Dolphins’ 42-38, come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens, defensive coordinator Josh Boyer’s defense was, once again, without cornerback Byron Jones due to an injury that landed him on PUP to start the season.

In Week 1, against the New England Patriots, it was mostly third-year cornerback Nik Needham that lined up opposite Xavien Howard in Miami’s secondary, and he continued to do that for the first half of this game as well.

However, in the second half, Miami opted to put undrafted rookie Kader Kohou in for Needham and Needham didn’t come back to the field until their last defensive drive.

Boyer spoke to the media on Thursday and offered a cross-sport analogy for his cornerbacks that explained the usage in the second half.

“A lot of times I looked at those guys like baseball pitchers,” Boyer said, transcribed by the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi. “Like this guy’s a good matchup for this guy and this guy’s a good matchup for this guy.”

Head coach Mike McDaniel explained the decision earlier in the week without the baseball reference.

“We’re matchup-oriented,” McDaniel said. “Within a game, you can adjust plans. Sometimes it can be a look in somebody’s eye. I need to give this guy an opportunity. [Kohou] had that look about him in the second half and we felt we could feature him and he rose to the challenge. It wasn’t anything but that game. I’m not making it bigger than that. It wasn’t a bench situation [for Needham] but more a feature situation [for Kohou]. He did a very good job with his opportunities.”

Having an undrafted rookie step up, make plays and earn playing time is a great resource at this point in the season, especially when one of the top veteran cornerbacks is out. Against the Buffalo Bills, it seems like Miami could go with either cornerback in this game, and that will depend on how they see the matchup.

Whoever it is, they’ll need to be at their best.

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Dolphins CB Kader Kohou leads PFF’s Week 1 rookie rankings

What a performance from the kid.

The NFL saw some impressive performances from young players in Week 1, and the Miami Dolphins are no exception.

Undrafted rookie cornerback Kader Kohou made his professional debut against the New England Patriots on Sunday, as he was made active for the game over former first-round selection Noah Igbinoghene. While on the field, Kohou played 18 defensive snaps, continuing his stellar play from the preseason.

After Week 1’s slate of games, Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner put together a list of the top rookie performances, and Kohou came in at No. 1 with a 91.9 grade.

Here’s what Renner wrote about Miami’s undrafted rookie:

“Who, you may ask? Kohou is a 5-foot-9, 189-pound slot cornerback from Texas A&M-Commerce. To say he was not on many media draft rankings would be an understatement. You can’t do much better than Kohou did in his debut, however. He didn’t allow a catch on the day, made a tackle for loss against the run, broke up a pass and forced a crucial fumble on Nelson Agholor late in the fourth quarter.”

Kohou’s first game may have earned him more playing time going forward, and it’s awesome to see such a quick rise from a player who wasn’t even being discussed during the draft process.

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These were PFF’s 5 highest-graded Dolphins vs. Patriots

Miami got some solid performances in their win.

The Miami Dolphins, led by new head coach Mike McDaniel, defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday 20-7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

In the season opener, Miami had some impressive performances from veterans and some surprising ones from some of their young up-and-comers.

McDaniel’s team forced the Patriots to commit three turnovers, two fumbles and an interception, that led to either a score or the end of the game completely. Offensively, while there were a couple of mistakes that were close to turnovers, they were able to keep from giving the ball up.

Here were the five highest-graded Dolphins in their first win of 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.

Dolphins position preview: Breaking down the CBs ahead of camp

It’s a lot of the same faces.

The Miami Dolphins had an extremely busy offseason between the firings and hirings of head coaches, game-changing trades and impactful free agency signings.

This time in between minicamps/OTAs and training camp is a great opportunity to assess the state of Miami’s roster at each position before they hold true competitions at the end of this month and into August under new coach Mike McDaniel for the first time.

We’ve talked about quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and specialists but now it’s time to jump back to the defense and discuss the cornerbacks on the roster.