MIAMI GARDENS — To shadow, or not to shadow?
It’s among the biggest decisions of Sunday’s epic battle between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, and that makes it among the biggest decisions of the Dolphins’ season.
Do the Dolphins use All Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, a likely future Hall of Fame player, to shadow Buffalo All Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs?
And if so, does Ramsey shadow Diggs even when he goes to the slot?
Or, do you shadow Diggs only in specific situations such as third-and-long?
Or, do you just play Diggs straight up, the way you play almost every wide receiver, mixing it up between man and zone coverages?
For the past two days I’ve quizzed Dolphins players on both sides of the ball about this dilemma.
I’ve compiled their feedback in my head.
I’ve come to a definitive conclusion.
I’d shadow Diggs with Ramsey, all over the field, all the time.
Recall that Diggs torched the Dolphins with six receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns in Buffalo’s 48-20 pounding of Miami in Week 4.
He’s capable of torching them again.
Understand something, shadowing Diggs is the riskier choice.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday he prefers not to shadow a wide receiver although he’s done it in the past.
“When you have two corners you think are pretty good,” he said, “you’re less likely to do it.”
I’m guessing the Dolphins play Diggs straight up and don’t shadow.
After all, there’s lots of talk in Buffalo nowadays that Diggs’ snaps have been reduced recently. Some speculate he might be injured.
Whatever the case, some of the chatter is that since the Dolphins played Buffalo in Week 4, Diggs’ snaps are down (he’s played fewer than 60% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps in the last three games, according to one report) and he’s not running those deep, touchdown-producing routes as often. Observers have noted that since offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over for Ken Dorsey, wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Gabe Davis get as much situational playing time as Diggs. And Buffalo is running the ball more.
Those people make it seem as though Diggs’ role in the offense has been marginalized and his threat has been minimalized.
That might be true, numbers-wise, and against teams other than the Dolphins.
But I’m sticking to my theory of having Ramsey shadow Diggs.
I’d put my best on Buffalo’s best, all the time.
There are benefits to shadowing.
One player told me having Ramsey shadow Diggs helps keep Ramsey’s head in the game, that it’s too easy to temporarily lose focus when no one throws in your direction.
I just like the idea of the Dolphins putting their best on Buffalo’s best.
Here’s my reasoning:
If you don’t use Ramsey to shadow Diggs, it’d be easy for Buffalo to keep Diggs away from Ramsey, Miami’s best defensive back.
Let’s assume cornerback Xavien Howard doesn’t play due to the left foot injury he sustained in last week’s 56-19 loss at Baltimore.
And let’s assume Eli Apple, who was briefly benched earlier this season. starts in Howard’s place.
Buffalo kept Diggs away from the Dolphins’ best defensive back, Howard, in their game earlier this season.
Ramsey (knee) was sidelined so Howard and Kader Kohou started on the boundary, on the right and left, respectively, in the base package. In the nickel package, cornerback Justin Bethel played the slot. Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland started at safety.
In the second and third quarters, when Diggs did most of his damage, the Bills lined Diggs up opposite Kohou on the defense’s right side.
So, if Miami doesn’t use Ramsey to shadow Diggs, the Bills could simply shift Diggs to the slot to produce that Diggs vs. Kohou matchup again.
Or, Buffalo could put Diggs on the defense’s left side, where he’d be lined up opposite Apple. Baltimore took advantage of Apple fairly frequently last week.
Fangio, however, might contend he’s equipped with two good corners and there’s no need to shadow.
“Eli recently has played better than he did earlier in the season,” he said.
If Ramsey is on Diggs, the Dolphins must decide whether he’ll go with him into the slot, too.
Ramsey shadowed New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson three games ago when Howard (hamstring) was sidelined. In the nickel package, Apple played the left boundary and Kohou shifted to the slot.
Ramsey didn’t cover Wilson when he lined up in the slot, so the Jets produced a desirable Wilson vs. Kohou matchup.
Players tell me there are a couple of major problems with shadowing Diggs.
Firstly, players say it’s more difficult to disguise your coverage when you’re shadowing a wide receiver.
You’re almost certainly playing man-to-man when you shadow a wide receiver, especially if the wide receiver is in the slot.
You can play zone outside around the shadow but you’re playing a tricked-up defense, almost similar to a box-and-one defense in basketball where one defender is man-to-man and the other four play zone.
That’s not ideal.
Secondly, players say when you shadow a wide receiver they’re now in an unfamiliar situation, meaning they’ve deviated greatly from their normal defense.
Communication becomes more essential, and that hasn’t been a strength for the Dolphins’ secondary recently.
Communication errors bit them numerous times last week at Baltimore.
Also, recall the Dallas game when the Dolphins were trying to limit All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Miami’s cornerbacks were at full strength, meaning it was Ramsey and Howard on the boundary, and Kohou in the slot. Elliott and Jones started at safety.
It appeared there was miscommunication on Lamb’s 49-yard touchdown reception. Lamb, escaping Ramsey and Howard, lined up in the slot against Kohou. But Lamb cut inside at the snap.
You see Kohou pointing and Elliott coming over but it was too late. It was a costly miscommunication. And then Jones missed a tackle.
There’s pluses and minuses to everything.
The biggest minus to not shadowing Diggs is the Dolphins losing the AFC East title and having to make a trip to Kansas City for a first-round playoff game.
