Miami Dolphins secondary set for another tough test on Sunday

Written by Matthew Cannata at 9:00 AM EST | Twitter: @PhinManiacs

The Miami Dolphins secondary is set for another tough test on Sunday against the Detroit Lions and of course, they are looking forward to the challenge of limiting the likes of Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and yes, even former Dolphin Reggie Bush.

Louis Delmas will be making his return to Detroit but he said he isn’t holding any grudges and it isn’t a game he had circled on his calendar when the schedule came out.

“The one thing about me, I don’t hold grudges or anything like that. To be honest with you, it’s just another road game for me. I know I had been there for five years, but my times in Detroit are done. My time with Detroit has been done since I signed with Miami. It’s a job, it’s a battle that we’ve got to go take care of, and that’s the only way I think about it. I know they’re a great opponent. I still know a couple of guys up there. It’s business. I’m going to go up there and play football like we do each and every week.”

As far as Johnson goes, Delmas said he went up against him several times in practice and lost every battle, which is probably something Dolphins fans don’t want to hear.

“He’s a heck of a player. He’s one of the more talented players I’ve ever faced. We’re talented too. We’ve just got to go out there and play our game and hopefully the best man wins.”

Cortland Finnegan, who has gone up against Johnson in the past, said that it’s not easy facing someone like him, but you need to do your best to limit his big gains.

“There you go. Enough said right? Megatron, he’s got a name like that so say no more. You just try to limit his big gains, you know he is going to make plays. He is a future Hall of Famer. He is a big physical receiver. They throw the ball up and he can go get it, (he) runs good routes. What else do you want me to say? He’s great. What he does is so dynamic and you can’t even take anything away from Golden Tate. He is playing at an extremely high level, so it’s one of those things that you try to limit their big plays and their gains and just their points and go from there.”

Brent Grimes, the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, said he’s faced Johnson one-on-one a few times and noted how great of a player he is.

“He’s a great player. It’s a tough matchup, he’s a great player, one of the best receivers ever. Those are the facts of the matter. You just have to compete, that’s what this league is all about, you go out and compete week in and week out and try to make plays. Everybody knows what he can do, what type of plays he can make, the problems he presents for a defense. He can’t help but be physical, he’s a huge dude, really big. He’s a great player. He can do everything. I have the utmost respect for his game. I know I’m probably being a little repetitive, but week in and week out, it really comes down to just playing your game, fundamentals, technique, trying to make them make mistakes and, if they do make a mistake, capitalize on it.”

The Dolphins will also have to deal with the passionate fans in Detroit and will have to work to silence them quickly. According to both Finnegan and Delmas, the stadium gets very loud and they’re always fired up from the second the ball is kicked off. Getting off to a fast start on both offense and defense will definitely go a long way towards making that a reality.

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