*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Sep 04, 1997: -- Stubbs On IR; Punter Signed --
** Stubbs on IR **
The Dolphins placed defensive end Daniel Stubbs on injured
reserve yesterday following successful surgery to fix a tear in the
right patellar tendon in his knee. Stubbs injured his knee on Sunday
in the game against the Colts.
Being placed on IR means that Stubbs will not be able to play
again this season, even if he heals successfully. League rules
prevent him from playing again this year once he is placed on injured
reserve.
Defensive end Dunstan Anderson will get a chance to play now
that Stubbs is injured and defensive tackle Shane Burton will also
fill in for Stubbs on some plays.
** Kyle Richardson Signed **
The Dolphins signed free agent punter Kyle Richardson
yesterday as insurance in case John Kidd can't punt on Sunday against
the Oilers. Richardson, at 6'3" and 215 pounds, played his college
ball at Arkansas State.
Richardson played for the Rhein Fire of the WLAF this spring
and was second in the league in punting, averaging 44.2 yards per punt
and having a 37.6 yard/punt net average. The 44.2 yards per punt
average places him second in the WLAF, but his net average of 37.6 was
the best in the league.
For those who don't know, the net average is the distance of
the punt minus the return yardage. A better net average indicates a
better starting position for the kicking team, but could be due to
better coverage from the coverage specialists as much as how well the
punter is kicking the ball.
Usually, however a better net average is indicative of a
better "hang time" on the part of the punter, which gives the coverage
men more time to get down to the returner.
** Injury Update **
Right now, it appears that there is about a 50-50 chance that
Zach Thomas will play on Sunday. He practiced yesterday, but is still
listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Oilers.
According to the Herald, if he does play, he will be part of a
4 linebacker rotation consisting of Rodgers, Hollier, Harris and him.
John Kidd is also currently listed as doubtful for Sunday's
game. His hamstring is still bothering him and is described as being
"black and blue" by JJ.
Jerris McPhail is also described as having trouble with his
wrist, although he isn't on the official injury report. McPhail's
wrist is swollen and that prevents him from blocking, holding or
catching the ball well. McPhail will probably be inactive again this
week against the Oilers.
And last, but not least, tight end and longsnapper Frank
Wainwright is listed as questionable on the injury report, but all
indications are that he will play this week.
** Wooden is AFC Defensive Player of the Week **
Safety Shawn Wooden was named AFC Defensive player of the week
for his performance against the Colts on Sunday. Wooden made 6
tackles, recovered a fumble and made two interceptions in the 16-10
win over the Colts.
My Comments:
The injury to Stubbs is difficult to accept after all the
injuries that have happened to the team this summer. It's hard to
imagine why all these things are happening - not just to the Dolphins
but to all the teams.
In any case, it's doubtful that the injury to Stubbs will make
that much difference on the team this year. Jason Taylor has been
playing like a man possessed and as long as he is able to keep up the
intensity, will have more impact than Stubbs could hope to have.
Dunstan Anderson is another interesting play who will get his
chance on Sunday to shine. He had a good year in the WLAF and a
decent preseason with the Dolphins this summer.
The injury to Kidd could hurt, but the signing of Richardson
should help if Kidd can't go on Sunday. I've never heard of a pulled
hamstring being "black and blue" before, but it seems unlikely that
Kidd will be back.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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