Sneak peek at
Pro Football Weekly’s Preview 2000

Analysis of Miami’s defensive backs

June 13, 2000

Editor’s note: What follows is an excerpt from Pro Football Weekly’s Preview 2000 magazine, which hits the newsstands July 5. This is PFW personnel analyst Joel Buchsbaum’s analysis of the Dolphins' defensive backs. Buchsbaum analyzes all 31 teams in Preview 2000. Once a week, we’ll showcase a different excerpt from the magazine on ProFootballWeekly.com.

Sam Madison is one of the game’s best corners. He plays the ball well, but Jacksonville burned him for two scores in the playoffs.

Patrick Surtain struggled after replacing Terrell Buckley on the other corner and gave up too many big plays when the Dolphins asked him to play aggressive, bump-and-run coverage.

While Madison and Buckley love playing up on the receiver, Surtain is more of a zone corner who lacks great speed and a catch-up burst. Buckley’s propensity to gamble caused the Dolphins to really sour on him last season, as they found out why Green Bay gave up on him despite his fine movement skills and athletic ability. Buckley is always looking to make big plays, but he often winds up giving up as many as he makes because he gambles so much and does not show good judgment about when to take chances.

If Buckley, a free agent, leaves, look for third-round pick Ben Kelly to replace him in the equation. Kelly is also shorter than 5-10 but is more disciplined than Buckley.

FS Brock Marion played better but was still a semi-disappointment. He does not show a lot of range against the pass. Brian Walker, a former Dolphin who signed as an unrestricted free agent, will challenge Calvin Jackson at strong safety. Walker is a better ball athlete, while Jackson may be the tougher of the two.

Grade: B

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