Joe Philbin pleased with defense but wants more improvement

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
The Miami Dolphins defense has been sort of an enigma this season. They usually play well early in the game but then when a stop is needed the most, they fail to make it happen. So, it isn’t surprising when Joe Philbin said that he was pleased with the defense but at the same time, also wanted to see much improvement from various players.

 “It’s a good group. We’ve obviously had some guys in the group that have been here as long as I’ve been here. A lot of those guys, Randy (Starks), Cam Wake, Olivier Vernon, Jared (Odrick), Derrick Shelby, and then Earl Mitchell has also added to the group. Anthony Johnson has contributed. It’s a good group. Certainly, there is room for improvement, things they have to do better, but I like the way they’ve contributed so far.”

Second-year cornerbacks Jamar Taylor and Will Davis were supposed to have breakout seasons this year but both have seemingly disappeared and haven’t made much of an impact. These were two players that Philbin singled out but also noted that they can do great things if they learn to become consistent.

“There’s still, I think they’re a lot like our entire football team where they’ve got to become more consistent. They’ve got to produce on a consistent level week-in and week-out. I don’t know that that should be a shock to anybody since they didn’t play a ton of football last year and they’re kind of young in their developmental stage. I think that’s one thing we’re looking for. Certainly, (I’ve) seen some very good things out of both of them. Now, we would like to see it on a more consistent basis.”

One of them may have to step up on Sunday with a neck injury to Cortland Finnegan. His status is still up in the air so we’ll see when the lineups are announced. Either way, they need to get it going and help make an impact on the defensive side of the ball.

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