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A missed sack, a trash-talk penalty and a learning lesson for the young Miami Dolphins
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- A missed sack, a trash-talk penalty and a learning lesson for the young Miami Dolphins
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Chris Johnson has watched the play over and over.
The Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback had what seemed to be an easy sack of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on a corner blitz last Sunday.
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Johnson had nothing but open field as he ran toward Maye, who was about to throw the ball on fourth-and-2. Johnson dove at Maye's feet but somehow missed the quarterback altogether, resulting in a Patriots completion in what was eventually a 24-19 comeback win for New England.
"I don't enjoy seeing it," Johnson, a first-round pick, said on Wednesday. "It's an embarrassing play, but at the end of the day, I feel like it's a reminder to me what happens when you mess up in a big moment. So I can't wait to get on the field and make it up."
Johnson is a versatile corner who has played mostly at nickel but also lines up on the boundary at times. He called the missed sack an "out-of-character" play, and Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said it was a "one-time" mistake that coaches can correct.
The play certainly wasn't the reason that Miami blew a 10-point halftime lead en route to its sixth loss of the season. Hafley referred to a number of missed opportunities that kept the Dolphins from holding onto their lead Sunday, which he hopes his young players can learn from.
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"You continue to learn from stuff like that in those moments," quarterback Malik Willis said Wednesday, "and what you feel in those moments and where you need to dig deep and continue to strive for it. (That's) why we need to execute every time we get a chance and why every series matters and why every play comes down — it matters. And a lot of times it gets blamed on one or two plays, that's not the reality of it. It takes the entire composure of a game to really, dedicate whether you win or lose. So I think we just gotta continue to push forward. That's it."
Another teaching moment came when second-year running back Ollie Gordon was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for trash talking to a Patriots defender following a 5-yard carry in the third quarter.
The play turned a third-and-5 into third-and-20, which the Dolphins didn't convert while clinging to a three-point lead. Hafley removed Gordon from the game for a play, and the running back appeared visibly upset while Willis spoke to him on the sideline.
Hafley said he spoke with Gordon several times since then, noting he and coaches will teach the running back how to better manage his emotions.
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"It was one of those things where I took it too far," Gordon said Wednesday. "Sometimes you've got to be quiet and go back to the huddle, and that's one of the things that I've got to get better at."
Proctor returns to practice
Rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor returned to practice Wednesday after being sidelined in Week 8 with a concussion.
Hafley said Proctor, drafted 12th overall in April, is advancing through the concussion protocol, and he was listed as a full practice participant on Wednesday's injury report.
His return could be a boost for the Dolphins run game, which had topped 100 yards rushing in five straight games before being limited to 74 yards against New England.
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