I’m hoping by now that you all know the rookies on the roster and who to look out for now, but just incase, here they are:
WR – Jaylen Waddle #17
DE/LB – Jaelen Phillips #15
OL – Liam Eichenberg #74
TE – Hunter Long #84
FS – Jevon Holland #22
OL – Robert Jones #65
DB – Trill Williams #51
Oh, and still 3 rookies on the practice squad who could get elevated to the game day roster too, being Gerrid Doakes (RB), Milo Eifler (IB)and Kion Smith (OL). Let’s get down to it!
Rookie Watch Game Day 3 Recap – Las Vegas Raiders (Away)
That was a lot better than Buffalo, I mean scoring any points was an improvement let’s be honest. There were a lot of missed opportunities, including a missed field goal, but the game was an improvement from the biggest low of the season so far against Buffalo. It looked like Brissett held his own and was good in places, mainly quarter 1 and 4, but the team lacked that consistency that is needed to reach the next stage of team progression.
Rolling into Indianapolis, who are 0-3, some are already billing it a must win game for the playoffs, and in part I would agree, but the NFL season is a marathon and not a sprint, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
Jaylen Waddle – Wide Reciever #17
Last week saw a lot more dink and dunk action that we saw last year under Chan Gailey and for the most part, the Raiders held Jaylen in check for most of the game giving up 58 yards, on a season high of 12 receptions, with the longest catch being 9 yards, which meant I was only 2 yards off my prediction.
This week we see Waddle come up against a Colts defence that has had 2 interceptions and an average of 6.5 yards gained per completion with a completion percentage of 68% ranking them 20th in the NFL so far, so I do expect a little bit more from Waddle this week, even if it is more dink and dunk action. However, with Dieter headed to IR, it’s going to be interesting to see how the next centre does in the Swiss cheese offensive line Miami currently has.
Bold Prediction For The Game: 0 Receiving Touchdowns, 75 yards receiving.
Jaelen Phillips – Defensive End/Linebacker #15
I severely underestimated my bold prediction in tackles with 2, and Phillips ended up with 4 solo tackles and is credited with 2 assists against the Raiders, but still no sacks yet and with a stout offensive line that Indianapolis is renowned for, I don’t see that changing this week. However, with the Colts allowing 5 sacks so far this year, 3 in week 1, then 1 per game in Week 2 and 3, there may be an opportunity for Phillips to break that duck, but he’ll have to get there before his counterpart, Ogbah.
With Wentz having a few injuries already this year and some slight cracks appearing in the offensive line, this could be a prime opportunity for Phillips to finally break out of his shell, but sadly I just don’t see that happening yet as he acclimatises to the NFL
Bold Prediction For The Game: 0 Sacks, 3 solo tackles.
Liam Eichenberg – Offensive Line #74
Miami have given the guy a pretty hard run so far in his short time in the NFL. After 3 years at LT for Notre Dame, in the space of a few short months he has played 3 out of the 5 spaces on the offensive line in NFL matches. So whilst it’s great to have the “break glass in case of emergency” procedures in place, it would be great just to see some level of consistency in where he plays so the guy can get acclimatised to the talent level in the NFL, and with DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard, challenges don’t get to much harder than that.
With that being said, I’m tempering my expectations for Liam this week as it depends on where he plays, and right now, it’s safe to say none of us have any clue right now. It would be unfair to play him against such top talent, but if I was the Colts, I’d be picking on the rookie very heavily with their two top tier defensive talents.
Bold Predicition For The Game: Survive the onslaught of Buckner & Leonard and come out with some respect.
Jevon Holland – Free Safety #22
This will be an interesting game for the rookie safety as with Carson Wentz being very immobile due to dual ankle injuries right, and losing All-Pro Offensive Guard Quenton Nelson to IR the Colts could be more vulnerable and enter a panic mode, especially when rushed. But why should that excite Holland and Miami fans? Pressure = Mistakes. Mistakes = Opportunities. Opportunities = Interceptions, and we all know what interceptions lead to…
With their big name receiver TY Hilton out, the leading WR becomes Michael Pittman Jr so we could see Xavien Howard be tasked with double coverage on him with one of the safeties, so I fully expect Holland to get in on the action this week in some shape or form.
Bold Predicition For The Game: No deep touchdown passes given, 1 INT, 2 Tackles.
And that will do us for another week of Rookie Watch! Let’s hope for a better match and outcome for our Miami Dolphins and that we get close to some more bold predictions! FINS UP!
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