|
 |
Andre' Goodman
Putting The 'Good' Back In Goodman
By ALAIN POUPART
Dolphin Digest Associate Editor
Cornerback Andre' Goodman very obviously has been playing better football in the last several games, but he prefers to take a different view of his situation.
"To me," Goodman says, "I shouldn't have started as bad. It's hard to say you're playing better unless you start off pretty rough. I shouldn't have started rough. What you're comparing it to, it's kind of hard to play worse than what I was. But I feel good."
Those last four words are the ones that really matter.
Goodman has reason to feel good. His play in recent weeks has been very impressive and a big reason for the resurgence of the secondary.
When people talk about the Dolphins secondary, the conversation usually centers around Will Allen and how close he is to being a Pro Bowl cornerback. Or around safety Yeremiah Bell and how he always makes plays and just needs to prove he can stay healthy over the long haul.
But Goodman quietly goes about his business and delivers. He's almost the forgotten man in the secondary.
His interception to clinch the victory at St. Louis last Sunday might have been his biggest play to date, but he has made them on a regular basis lately.
Just look at his weekly stat line since the Dolphins embarked on their 5-1 run that's gotten them in playoff contention.
He had two passes defensed against Buffalo; a tackle for loss and two passes defensed against Denver; a pass defensed against Seattle; a tackle for loss against Oakland; and two passes defensed, including his interception, against St. Louis.
We'll leave out the New England game because that was a bad day for everybody on the Dolphins defense.
For the most part, opponents have had little success throwing the ball against the Dolphins over the past month and a half. That, as much as anything else, is why Miami has been winning.
There are many reasons the secondary has played so much better after a difficult start, and Goodman starting to play more aggressively is among them.
"I think he's playing with a lot more confidence," said Coach Tony Sparano. "I think confidence, as a corner goes, is probably one of the critical factors. People talk about size and speed and all of those things, ball skills, but to me, confidence at the corner position is a critical factor. ... I'm not saying he wasn't confident, but I think early in the season, learning the defense, doing all of those things, maybe not as confident, but right now, I see him challenging every ball."
Goodman indeed is playing aggressively on defense, and that has paid off more often than not.
Yes, he did get beat by Randy Moss for a touchdown pass two Sundays ago and was flagged for pass interference on the play, but covering Moss one-on-one is no easy task and that penalty should have been offensive pass interference if anything.
The bottom line is Goodman simply hasn't been beaten that often in recent weeks.
Even opponents have noticed the improvement in the Miami secondary and in Goodman.
"Oh yeah, no doubt about it," said Buffalo wide receiver Lee Evans. "The guys are playing with a lot more confidence, especially Goodman. He's playing at a much higher level than he was earlier."
But it's not like Goodman hasn't shown that ability before.
Signed as a free agent in the spring of 2006, he very well might have been the team's best defensive back that year before his play slipped last season as he tried to bounce back from a shoulder injury.
So maybe there was cause for concern early this season when he got off to a bad start. But his play recently should make the Dolphins strongly consider re-signing him next spring when he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
"He's challenging every ball when the ball is in the air," Sparano said. "What he is doing that I think that's impressive is he's not afraid to make a mistake. I think when you play that position, if you play that position afraid to make an error, you're probably going to make a bunch of errors. 'Can I go for the ball? Can I not go for the ball?' It's one of those kind of things. You do have to have good judgment, but I think right now he's playing smart, aggressive football back there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
