AFC Notes: Dolphins, Patriots, Kyle Dugger

Dolphins

Dolphins’ HC Brian Flores is hopeful that DT Christian Wilkins (quadriceps) and LB Andrew Van Ginkel (back) can play Sunday against the Jets. Flores also mentioned that QB Tua Tagovailoa will start and is no longer limited in practice.

“He’s had a good couple days of practice,” Flores said, via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “We’ll see how [Friday] goes. He’s had some discomfort but fighting through it. He’s looked good.”

• Flores also explained why the team chose to add QB Jake Luton to their practice squad: “We [studied] him before the [2020] draft. He’s someone we had some interest in. Felt it was good opportunity to take a look at him. We’ll keep working with him and see how that looks.”
• As for recently signed DT Andrew Billings, Flores is unsure if he will be promoted to the active roster: “There’s a lot we got to get through, playbook, getting to know his teammates. I’m not sure he knows how to get to the stadium yet… He’s done a good job. The first day in pads, he showed some things we liked. If he can help us, we’ll put him out there.”

Kyle Dugger

Patriots’ players are impressed with S Kyle Dugger continuing his breakout season, wondering how he ended up playing in Division II during his college years at Lenoir-Rhyne. Recently, veteran safeties Adrian Phillips and Devin McCourty spoke about Dugger and his abilities on the field.

“What’s crazy with Dugg is it’s so nonchalant,” Phillips said, via Zack Cox of NESN.com. “You’ll be watching film, and a freaking tackle or a guard will come up to him, and he won’t see him, and then he’ll see him at the last minute and just shock him and knock their head back. (We’re) like, ‘Bro, did you see him coming? Did you load up for that?’ And he’s like, ‘No, I just saw him at the last minute and just gave him a little shoulder.’ He’s just super explosive, and that’s what helps him go out there and make those plays.”

“Dugg’s like a Swiss Army knife,” McCourty said. “I mean, we laugh at the fact that Dugg goes down there and in the box, in the bubble, and takes two steps and hits a lineman and stalemates him. Me and AP will look at him like, ‘Bro, you didn’t even look like you saw the lineman coming.’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t know. Just hitting.’ It’s so quiet; doesn’t think anything of it. I ask him every week how he ended up as a D-II player, because he’s a physical freak.”

Patriots

Patriots’ LB Matthew Judon and company certainly played with an edge on Thursday night in their win over the Falcons. It seems that the team is ready to embrace the rhythm that their defense has fallen into, with Judon now third in sacks and defensive backs Kyle Dugger and J.C. Jackson moving up the interception charts.

“We kinda wanna be a-holes on the field, but good guys off the field,” Judon said, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “Make sure we don’t get penalized. We play within the rules, but we’re a nasty group. So that’s how we like to play, and that’s how we gotta play in order for our team to win. We’re catching our stride. We had a lot of new pieces. Now, we’re in a rhythm. I think we’re just all playing with a lot of confidence.”