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Dolphins DT
Daryl Gardener
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DAVIE, Fla. — Give Daryl Gardener and Tim Bowens brownie points for modesty.
The Dolphins may have the best pair of starting defensive tackles in the NFL, but
Gardener and Bowens won’t come out and say what many league observers believe is
already obvious after the team’s 7-1 start.
"I’m gonna say it might be and it might not be," Gardener said.
"That’s all I have to say."
Said Bowens: "For what we do, I’m gonna leave that one alone."
If only opposing offensive linemen were so lucky.
Sweeping the sand out of the Sahara Desert might be easier than blocking Bowens and
Gardener this season. The massive duo — Gardener is a chiseled 6-6 and 315 pounds,
while Bowens is 6-4 and 315 — is a major reason why the Dolphins after nine games:
- Had one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses, surrendering a meager 90.1 yards a
game.
- Had surrendered just one rushing touchdown.
- Did not allow a running back to post a 100-yard game in the first eight games, a
statistic made even more impressive by the fact that five of the backs faced —
Denver’s Terrell Davis, Arizona’s Adrian Murrell, Buffalo’s Antowain Smith,
Philadelphia’s Duce Staley and Tennessee’s Eddie George — were 1,000-yard
rushers in 1998. Smith snapped the streak with a 126-yard outing in Week Nine.
Bowens and Gardener have become so dominant that the Titans — who field one of the
NFL’s most physical backs in the 240-pound George — didn’t even bother
trying to test the middle of Miami’s defense. Almost all of George’s 14 carries
came around tackle, including a pitchout that gained only three yards on a 4th-and-5 from
the Dolphins’ 36-yard line in the second quarter.
"Obviously, we can’t defend everything," Dolphins head coach Jimmy
Johnson said. "But more and more teams are going to try to bounce the ball outside
because they know they’re not going to have a whole lot of success inside."
The Raiders tried a similar tack the previous week, which made sense considering
bruiser Tyrone Wheatley — who entered as the team’s leading rusher — was
having little to no success. Oakland sent third-down RB Randy Jordan around tackle three
times in its nickel offense. Jordan gained 12 yards on each of his first two carries, but
the Dolphins wised up to the play and limited him to a one-yard rush the final time
Oakland ran it.
"I haven’t seen anyone run on the Dolphins between the tackles the entire
year," said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, whose team was shut out by Miami 17-0.
Bowens and Gardener don’t have the statistics that reflect their hard work.
Gardener has 39 stops; Bowens has just 25.
But the tackles that Gardener and Bowens don’t get usually belong to MLB Zach
Thomas. The way Miami’s defense is structured, Gardener and Bowens are responsible
for clogging the middle to allow the undersized Thomas (5-11) to swoop in for the tackle.
Thomas has 86 tackles through nine games, which are 31 more than runner-up FS Brock
Marion.
Thomas said that having Bowens and Gardener in the middle is key because, "I can
just get up and run. When things are going well, it’s tough for (blockers) to get on
you."
Bowens and Gardener relish the success of those around them.
"It all starts up front," said Bowens, a ’94 first-round draft pick who
was voted a Pro Bowl starter last season for the first time.
"Me and Daryl come in every week knowing that we’ve got to be dominant up
front so the guys behind us can fly around and make plays," Bowens said.
"That’s basically our job, just to make sure everything is scratched out in the
middle and (the offense) has to go to the sidelines, because we’ve got the speed to
run down anybody there."
Said Gardener, the first player selected by the Dolphins (20th overall) in
Johnson’s first draft as Miami’s coach in ’96: "With our play, we
realize this could be a really special year as far as our goal and what we have to do to
be successful. We realize that if we’re not dominant or we’re not playing to the
best of our ability, we can be beat.
"We look at it like it’s almost an insult if somebody tries to run on us
while me and (Bowens) are out there."
Dolphins ORT James Brown knows what it’s like to have to face Bowens and Gardener
on a regular basis in practice and admits it isn’t fun.
"They’re both big guys," Brown said. "Tim Bowens has always played
with good leverage, and Daryl, I think he learned a little bit from Tim. He might not
admit it, but I think he’s learned because he has gotten better every year he’s
been here."
Actually, Gardener has no problem praising Bowens for giving him frequent advice.
"My first couple of years, everything I learned was from Tim," Gardener said.
"From head to hands to steps. I think the biggest part for me was by me being so
tall, I have a problem keeping my pad level down. Tim and Trace (Armstrong) have helped me
take care of that. And then Tim, for the most part, helped me with my hands. If you shoot
your hands, you can’t lose."
In turn, Bowens said he feeds off the enthusiasm Gardener brings to the game.
"It’s his excitedness on the field," said Bowens, who is currently
leading the Dolphins with 88 consecutive starts. "I’m the type of guy who
doesn’t show much emotion. When I see him showing emotion, it gets me fired up."
So why don’t Gardener and Bowens get the same publicity as other dominating
tackles such as Oakland’s Darrell Russell or Tampa Bay’s Warren Sapp?
First, Gardener and Bowens do a disservice to themselves when they regularly refuse to
speak with the media. Gardener and Bowens are also regularly removed on passing downs when
the Dolphins switch into their nickel defense, which limits the duo’s sack totals.
Bowens reached the Pro Bowl last year without recording a sack.
But for Gardener and Bowens, respect is shown by all the double-team blocking both
players regularly receive.
"That’s been happening ever since I started playing with Tim," Gardener
said. "They already had problems with Tim, so then they started to try something
else. I was the weak link until I learned technique and what to do.
"Last year teams had problems, and they showed us a lot of respect for what we
did. It’s even harder this year. Teams already know from what we did last year that
if you’re going to win, you’re going to have to stop us. You have to slow us
down or do something."
Said Bowens: "Just knowing that next to you you’ve got a guy who’s equal
to you or even better, you can’t ask for anything better. I know if I’m not
playing well, this guy is next to me. I know he has my back, so there’s no worry
there. I think we just feed off each other." |
