Miami Dolphins (2-1) Vs
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MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-1) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-1) THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019 – 7:00 PM (CST) MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME -– NEW ORLEANS, LA. TV: Gray Communications Regional Coverage (WVUE – FOX 8 locally) – Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Jon Stinchcomb and Jonathan Vilma (color ana- lysts) and Meghan Payton (sideline) LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Zach Strief (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: KGLA (830 AM and 105.7 FM) – Mario Je- rez (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline) THE MATCHUP On offense, New Orleans has built up the explosiveness the tight end position by adding a receiving threat in Jared On Thursday night, the New Orleans Saints will conclude a Cook and countered losses at running back and center preseason that featured grueling padded practice, non- by signing tailback Latavius Murray, drafting center Erik padded workouts focused on correction, preseason games McCoy and signing unrestricted free agent offensive in Louisiana and on the East Coast and extensive commit- lineman Nick Easton. ment in the meeting rooms, training room and weight room. This phase of meticulous preparation will all come to Defensively, much of the core that has shown significant an end when New Orleans hosts the Miami Dolphins, the improvement has returned with the biggest changes taking club’s final dress rehearsal before they return to their place on the defensive line where Malcom Brown takes home stadium 11 days later to play the Houston Texans over nose tackle and Marcus Davenport and Trey Hen- on Monday Night Football. drickson are expected to take on more prominent roles. The defensive backfield has been built up by the The Saints and Dolphins, who entered the National Foot- addition of draft pick C.J. Gardner Johnson. ball League in 1967 and 1966 respectively, have been nat- ural geographic rivals in the preseason, having played 21 Special teams return with the outstanding duo of kicker Wil times and Miami taking a 14-7 edge. The 21 meetings Lutz and punter Thomas Morstead, a pair of special- make the Dolphins New Orleans’ second-most common ists both currently at the top of their games. Competition at preseason opponent behind the Tennessee Titans, who kickoff and punt returner continues to flesh itself out with they have faced 30 times. several candidates. Both teams enter tonight’s game having utilized the pre- After 6-10 and 7-9 campaigns in 2017 and 2018, the Dol- season for specific team goals, the Saints looking to build phins underwent a coaching and quarterback change, hir- off two strong seasons and the Dolphins seeking to build ing former New England Patriots linebackers coach and continuity following a coaching change on the field and defensive play-caller Brian Flores as head coach. They philosophical change off of it. have also staged a competition for starting quarterback duties between veteran free agent pickup Ryan Fitzpatrick Surging with 11-5 and 13-3 records and consecutive NFC and offseason trade acquisition Josh Rosen as the Fish South division championships from 2017-18, there is no look to take a new direction on how to approach the AFC denying that the aim is to take the next step past last Janu- East competition. A 2-1 preseason record in 2019, shows ary’s NFC Championship loss. While the NFL is a week-by they are headed in the right direction. -week-proposition, virtually every roster move, decision and gameplan by the club is designed to work towards that goal. Dolphins vs. Saints: Preseason Week 4 2 THE COACHES ceptions. Flores was the linebackers coach from 2016-17. He coached safeties from 2012-15 and was a defensive New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted assistant in 2011. During the 2010 season, Flores was an a 126-80 overall record (.612), including an 8-6 postseason offensive assistant and also worked with special teams. He mark after the franchise had won only one playoff game was a coaching assistant from 2008-09. Flores began his prior to his arrival. Payton holds both the club’s top win to- NFL career as a scouting assistant with the Patriots in tal and winning percentage. He continues to represent the 2004 and was promoted to pro scout in 2006 before his Saints as the model of stability not only within the NFC transition to coaching in 2008. He earned his bachelor’s South, as he is the longest tenured head coach within the degree from Boston College, where he played linebacker division, but also among the most accomplished within the from 1999-2003. He was a two-year starter and part of four National Football League. Only the New England Patriots’ bowl-winning teams, earning Big East Conference All- Bill Belichick (2000) has been with the his team longer than Academic Team honors in 2003. Born on February 24, Payton’s 13 seasons. Payton is also one of just seven ac- 1981 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Flores and his wife Jennifer, have tive NFL head coaches to lead a team to a Super Bowl vic- two sons Miles and Maxwell and a daughter, Liliana. tory. The others are Belichick, the Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll, the Oakland Raiders’ Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002), the Baltimore Ravens’ John Har- baugh, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Doug Pederson and the NEW ORLEANS – MIAMI STATISTICAL Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin. The 2018 Saints edition COMPARISON posted a 13-3 regular season record, secured the NFC’s number one seed for the postseason and advanced to the 2018 Regular Season National Football League NFC Championship game. A franchise-record five players Rankings were selected to the Associated Press All-Pro team and a Saints Dolphins club-best eight were named to the Pro Bowl. New Orleans’ ten-game winning streak was the second-longest in club Record 13-3 7-9 history and the longest run of consecutive victories in the Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 31.5 (3) 19.9 (26) NFL in 2019. The streak only sits behind in club record Opp. Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 22.1 (14) 27.1 (27) books, New Orleans’ 13-0 start under Payton in 2009, the Total Off. (NFL Rank) 379.2 (8) 289.9 (26) season when they captured Super Bowl XLIV. Payton Rushing Off. (NFL Rank) 126.6 (6) 108.6 (18) earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Eastern Passing Off. (NFL Rank) 252.6 (12) 181.8(30) Illinois, where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing Total Def. (NFL Rank) 349.1 (14) 391.9 (29) yards, at the time the third-highest total in NCAA Division I- Rushing Def. (NFL Rank) 80.2 (2) 145.3 (31) AA history. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Passing Def. (NFL Rank) 268.9 (29) 245.8 (21) Hall of Fame in September of 2000 and had his jersey re- Kickoff Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 24.3 (10) 24.1 (12) tired in a ceremony in September of 2010. He received an Punt Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 6.5 (24) 10.5 (9) honorary doctorate from his alma mater in 2013. Payton Turnover Margin (NFL Rank) +8 (7) +5 (11) was born December 29, 1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and Penalties 94 108 raised in Naperville, Ill., Payton has a daughter, Meghan Penalty Yards 939 978 and a son, Connor. Opp. Penalties 85 107 Opp. Penalty Yards 814 856 Brian Flores became the 13th head coach in Miami Dol- phins history on February 4, 2019. He spent 15 seasons SERIES HISTORY with the New England Patriots organization, where he served in a variety of different roles and helped the fran- The Saints and the Dolphins have met 20 times in chise win four Super Bowls and seven AFC champion- the preseason, making Miami the club’s second-most com- ships. Flores coached defense for his final eight seasons in mon opponent for exhibitions. The Dolphins lead the pre- New England and was the team’s defensive play-caller and season series 14-7. While the Dolphins lead the all-time linebackers coach in 2018. In the Super Bowl victory last series 6-5, New Orleans captured the last meeting between season, his defense limited the second-highest scoring the clubs with a 20-0 shutout win at London’s Wembley offense in the National Football League (Los Angeles Stadium on October 1, 2017, as they were on their way to Rams) to just three points, tying a Super Bowl record. As an eight-game winning streak in a resurgent 11-5 season defensive play-caller, the Patriots defense improved from that saw the Black and Gold capture their first NFC South 17th in the NFL to seventh in passer rating and were tied title since 2011. for fifth in the NFL in takeaways and tied for third in inter- Dolphins vs. Saints: Preseason Week 4 3 LAST REGULAR SEASON MEETING final 12 contests of his final season in South Florida… Saints Senior Offensive Assistant/Wide Receiver Curtis Saints 20, Dolphins 0; October 1, 2017 @ Wembley Sta- Johnson served as wide receivers coach at the Univer- dium– It took Drew Brees and the Saints six days and a sity of Miami (Fla.) from 1996-2005...New Orleans Line- first half before they finally found their footing in soggy backers Coach Mike Nolan served as the Dolphins’ defen- Great Britain in their first trip back since 2008. sive coordinator from 2010-11…Saints WR Ted Ginn Jr. Brees threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns and the was a first round draft choice (ninth overall) of the Dolphins Saints scored all but three of their points in the second half in 2007 out of Ohio State and played for Miami from 2007- as they defeated the Miami Dolphins 20-0 on a rainy Sun- 09...New Orleans LB Alex Anzalone played at the Universi- day afternoon at Wembley Stadium.