Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey ready to build on hot start،
MIAMI — Jalen Ramsey had several dates circled for his return from the torn left meniscus he suffered July 27, including Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
The Miami Dolphins cornerback was eager to make his season debut, so he made some estimates, with October 29 being the earliest. All he knew was that he had missed the original end-of-December deadline he had been given.
“Before the operation, I said I would come back before December,” he said. “December would never have happened. November was super, super realistic. It had been the plan for a while.
“But as I started to feel good, I was begging them — you don’t usually get an MRI every month — I was begging them to get an MRI every month, just because I felt so well… We had MRIs every month and we saw how it was healing, and we kind of started progressing from there and ramping up a little bit. I don’t know exactly when I circled this match, but whenever I did, we got there after that. “
.@jalenramseyI need to make up for coaching with a pick-6 next game. 😂
(via @MiamiDolphins) pic.twitter.com/j2UbsrQv1C
– NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
Ramsey made his Dolphins debut in Sunday’s 31-17 win over the Patriots, recording an interception and a forced fumble in his first live game since Jan. 8. As they prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany this week (9:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network), the Dolphins will need Ramsey to help elevate their defense.
Before Sunday’s game, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel suggested that Ramsey wouldn’t play if he wasn’t 100 percent. They didn’t want to rush him and risk not having him at the end of the season.
But Ramsey exceeded the number of snaps Miami envisioned to get him back in action, playing all but four of the team’s 51 defensive snaps. He was targeted just three times, allowing one catch for 25 yards as the closest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Dolphins played without former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard, who they hope will be the NFL’s best tandem at the position. They’ll have to wait at least another week, but the early returns on Ramsey were exactly what they were hoping for when they traded a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams for him in March.
“He did a phenomenal job,” McDaniel said. “You want to talk about something that goes above and beyond, like you couldn’t manufacture what he brought to our team any other way. Not just his play, but the commitment that he has It took to play in that game, everyone witnessed it. You want to talk about not wanting to disappoint anyone as a teammate, it was a special thing to be a part of that, to watch his journey.
“An unwavering belief from the moment he was hurt by that mindset, telling his teammates, ‘Hey, hold it down, I’m going to come back and I’m going to beat any schedule by a month .’ That’s immediately what his mindset was.”
Ramsey was guarding wide receiver Tyreek Hill during a team drill late in the second practice of training camp when he said his left knee “kind of blew out.” He remained on the ground before limping to the sideline and was eventually taken back to the locker room.
He underwent a complete meniscus repair the following day, with reports of return varying from 6 to 8 weeks to 3 to 4 months. Ramsey said he was initially given a return date of late December, but immediately credited Dolphins team doctor John Uribe for his ability to beat that deadline.
“The stories will probably be like ‘Jalen Ramsey came back’ and ‘Jalen Ramsey beat those deadlines’ and did all of this, but honestly, none of this would have been possible without Dr. Uribe fixing my knee,” did he declare. . “They might have to do a case study on everything he did to help him heal so quickly. The coaching staff did an incredible job. I had good days. I had bad days and everything else. And the coaching staff, they I never coddled me.
“They pushed me. They were super smart with me, even when I didn’t want to be. The weight room staff, everyone, really built a perfect plan in my mind, and we we have to do it. to listen to them. That’s all.”
Ramsey joins a Dolphins defense that ranks middle of the pack against the pass, allowing the 15th fewest passing yards per game (221.5). The Dolphins also rank 24th in forced turnovers with eight in as many games – four interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
Ramsey, a former All-Pro, nearly contributed in both categories.
On the first play of the second quarter, he put his helmet on the ball and forced it out of running back Ezekiel Elliott’s grasp. It bounced out of bounds, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty against New England. Shortly after the two-minute warning, Ramsey tricked quarterback Mac Jones into making a bad throw, intercepted the pass and returned it 49 yards.
This performance was a taste of what Miami’s defense expects with him on the field.
“It’s very encouraging to start to get into our rhythm, to understand what (defensive coordinator) Vic (Fangio) expects from us,” linebacker Bradley Chubb said. “He’s starting to see – to put us in the best position, to see what we can and can’t do as players and as a team. I feel like this gel is starting to come together, and once we collect all the parts we need, there are no limits for us.”
Ramsey and the Dolphins get the Chiefs’ third-ranked passing attack — which should be motivated after a surprise 24-9 loss to the Denver Broncos.
But he takes up the challenge.
Before the Patriots game, Ramsey released a hyped video detailing his rehabilitation from knee surgery and included a clip of a sports media pundit suggesting he wouldn’t be the same player when he returned. Ramsey said his motivation isn’t necessarily to prove people wrong, but rather to prove those who believe in him right.
“Like before the game, I was telling everyone, ‘Yo, I’m going to be as advertised today, y’all,'” Ramsey said. “Like Mike, I’ll prove you right, like [GM] Chris [Grier]I will prove you right today.
“Today is going to be one of those days for me where… that’s really what it was about. It wasn’t about proving someone wrong, but I I did too, eh.”
