Dolphins rookie Kenneth Grant believes the time has come to make a greater impact.
MIAMI GARDENS ― Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver feel first-round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant has been a bit too robotic in the first three games, and the rookie agrees.
"Sometimes I think I try to play the system too perfect and then it kind of hinders my ability and what they brought me here for," Grant said, two days before a "Monday Night Football" game against the New York Jets. "And it's to be a freak and be a monster in the trenches. So I think this week I kind of got, I'm getting past that playing robotic and playing with instincts now and just playing freely."
Grant, 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, can move really well for a big man.
But so far this year, Grant has eight tackles, one batted pass, no tackles for loss, no quarterback hits and no sacks.
"Each game it feels a little less big for him and the bottom line is he knows that we all count on him to really press the pocket and be active in the run game," McDaniel said.
It's not only Grant who's played a bit tentative in the early season, as Miami's defense has struggled.
This week, Weaver, the defensive coordinator, went on several rants about the need for the team to be more physical, aggressive and violent.
"Oh yeah, for sure, I think this week (Weaver) definitely turned it up," Grant said. "He said 'enough of the nice guy stuff. It's time to be more violent and create that knockback.' Especially (Friday) because today was kind of a short yardish day. And short yardish is where we've been living in. So I think he's kind of — we're all tired of it. But him specifically, he's tired of being nice."
Miami Dolphins need Kenneth Grant to work with Zach Sieler
The Dolphins need Grant to eventually work closely with veteran Zach Sieler in a way not too dissimilar from how Christian Wilkins and Calais Campbell once did.
Those players ran stunts and games that freed Sieler up for tackles for loss and sacks.
"It's a lot of things we do right now that we try to work off of each other, but it's getting there, it's getting a lot better," Grant said. "This week specifically, it's getting way a lot better because everything's getting simpler and things like that. We're trying to simplify things, so it's not a whole bunch of thinking. Like I said earlier, so I won't play robotic games. Play faster."
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Kenneth Grant says DC Anthony Weaver demanding violence
Category: Football
