Miami should expect good return on Ginn investment

By Danny Dabiri  |   Thursday, May 17, 2007  |  Comments( 24 )

Miami Dolphins
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When coaches preach about football, they always emphasize the three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. The third phase, however, doesn't often get the attention it deserves.

An effective return game is vital to special teams, obviously. Many important games are won and lost as a result of a big return. Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, such an event has been a rare occurrence during their long history.

Here is a brief recap.

On Jan. 2, 2005, Wes Welker returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens. That was the team's first kick return for a TD since 1989. The last punt return for a score came in 2000, when Jeff Ogden scored on an 81-yard scamper against the Green Bay Packers, the first since 1993. That makes four touchdown returns in 17 years. To be fair, Welker was an adequate punt return man (he averaged 9.2 yards per runback in 2006), but with his departure to New England, Miami had to find a replacement this offseason.

Enter rookie Ted Ginn Jr., the ninth overall pick in last month's draft, a former Ohio State star.

Ginn set a Big Ten record with eight touchdown returns (six punt return TDs and two kickoff scores) in only three seasons with the Buckeyes. He capped off his special teams heroics for OSU by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the National Championship game against Florida; unfortunately, he injured his foot shortly after.

Crunch the numbers for a second. Ginn has produced twice as many big plays in the return game in three years than the Dolphins have in nearly a two-decade span.

It's clear that Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron was enamored by that fact. Upon drafting Ginn, Cameron immediately justified his decision.

He described Ginn as "just a football player." The new coach said that Ginn "has tremendous speed and with that comes a rare ability to change the game. It is so vivid, in my mind, what an impact kick and punt returner can do to your team, especially if you're a good defensive team."

The addition of a playmaker of Ginn's caliber should be the determining factor in reversing the Dolphins' historic return woes. Of course, this is contingent on him making a full recovery from his injury. But when Ginn is ready, he will surely impress and mesmerize Dolphins fans clamoring for a special teams gamebreaker.

He has the support of Cameron, who promised to the fan base, "you will be thrilled every time you watch him as a punt returner."

Considering past history, if the rookie has any impact whatsoever, it will be a dramatic improvement.
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CommentsComments: 24  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
jax		08:58 AM
05/17/2007
I cant wait to see Ginn. I dont like the lis franc (sp) fracture/sprain. That kind of injury hurt Mare, sidelined Brian...
No.2
Andy		09:31 AM
05/17/2007
Ted Ginn has the chance to be a dynamic return man for the Dolphins. His biggest challenge is whether or not he will be a...
No.3
Ron		09:39 AM
05/17/2007
Special teams plays have always had great impact on wins & losses. Not only the return game, but blocked punts, return coverage...
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