Dolphins Notebook: Miami CB Sean Smith set to cover Bengals WR A.J. Green
Miami Dolphins CB Sean Smith should be up to the task of trying to contain Bengals WR A.J. Green on Sunday.
The defensive back will be challenged by one of the better deep threats and red-zone weapons in the league; Green has made 27 catches for 428 yards with three scores this season. Smith, meantime, has 14 tackles this year and overcame a nagging hip injury to limit Cardinals star WR Larry Fitzgerald to eight catches for 64 yards and a score. Fitzgerald was targeted 15 times.
“From a physical standpoint, Sean is a good matchup against big receivers -- big, physical guys that can run,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said. “It was great to see him take the challenge and play perhaps his best game since he's been a Dolphin. Throughout the game, he was steady. “
The former Utah star also made a pair of interceptions in the overtime loss at Arizona and Dolphins coaches won't hesitate to leave him in one-on-one coverage against another elite pass catcher. Still, expect Miami to roll safety help over the top and mix its coverages.
“I don't think you can do one thing,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. “I firmly believe that coaches on the other side are smart people, and if you do the same thing that you did for 70 plays last week and you do the same thing continually, I think people catch on.”
Catching On: Philbin isn't sure about the play of WR Jabar Gaffney.
The Dolphins signed the free agent after cutting No. 3 WR Legedu Naanee earlier this week. Gaffney has had limited practice time in Miami but is coming off a career season with the Washington Redskins where he posted personal bests in receptions (68), receiving yards (947) and tied a career-high with five touchdowns.
“We've just been with him for a couple of hours, so we have to see what he can do,” Philbin said. “We still have to see how quickly he can pick up the system, how well he can get open, catch the ball, block and all those things. So we'll just learn a little bit more about him.”
Gaffney also will help bolster a unit that features a long dropoff after WRs Brian Hartline and Davone Bess. The duo combined for 19 catches and 376 yards with a touchdown against the Cardinals but were targeted a whopping 31 times.
“I'm not worried about what other people thought about our receivers,” Philbin said. “What I'm worried about is, are they getting open, are they catching the ball consistently, are they helping us move into scoring territory and ultimately score points? So I think they're developing.”
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