MIAMI GARDENS — With his 24th birthday around the corner,Jacob Rodriguezwas presented with something he’d longed for.
Don’t think of it as a gift. It is, after all, something Rodriguez earned. Besides, when was the last time anyone had work piled on their shoulders and considered that a gift?
When the Miami Dolphins released veteranTyrel Dodson, it cleared the way for Rodriguez to start at inside linebacker and serve as a quarterback of the defense, receiving play calls from coach Jeff Hafley, relaying it in the huddle and making necessary adjustments on the fly.
Buy Miami Dolphins tickets on StubHub
All for a guy whose first NFL snap is still more than a week away.
"I think it's a blessing. I think it's something you pray for," Rodriguez said Sept.
2 in his first comments since the moves became official. "I think it's something that you want, is you want kind of all the weight on your shoulders. You want it to be kind of ‘do or die’ on that aspect."
The decision wasn’t a surprise. The Dolphins had taken steps to smooth a potential Rodriguez-for-Dodson swap. Hafley was radioing in calls to Rodriguez, who wore the green dot symbolizing the radio helmet in both practice and preseason games. Hafley said he wanted Rodriguez to get used to hearing his voice and cadence in calling plays.
“When Jacob is in there now, I will be the one talking to him because we have to get that — the communication — down,” Hafley said. “But it’s been that way for most of training camp.”
Rodriguez filled a similar role at Texas Tech, performing it well enough to warrant the Dolphins spending a second-round draft pick on him this spring.
"I think to have that helmet communication is awesome," Rodriguez said. "I prefer it. I like to hear the call and then articulate to everybody else and then kind of get guys lined up where they need to be. I think that's kind of how my brain is wired and how it works on the football field, so I like having it. I had it a year in college and I loved it.”
Rodriguez didn’t hear Hafley’s voice at Texas Tech, which is why the two didn’t want to leave anything to chance when it comes to communication in the few seconds coaches have to relay calls. Dolphins fans are painfully aware of what happens when calls aren’t expedited (hint: delay of game, 5 yards). Rodriguez said he and Hafley have even worked on “little fillers” in the coach’s speech patterns to get used to one another.
In a perfect world, Hafley will give Rodriguez the ideal defensive call based on the opponent and the down and distance. Except football isn’t played in a perfect and predictable world. That’s where the coaches’ trust in Rodriguez comes in.
"I think in any call you kind of have a, not 'get out of jail free' card, but every call you have a check that you can go to be able to put your team in the right position," Rodriguez said. "So if it's something that we're not used to seeing, it's something that we haven’t prepped for, we can kind of get out of it and get into something that's a little safer for us. It might be a little more conservative, but if something comes in, we haven't seen it before, just make sure everybody's on the right page."
The Jacob Rodriguez-Zach Thomas comparisons will continue
Coaches wouldn’t hand Rodriguez the role if they didn’t feel he was ready for it. Ever since Rodriguez was drafted, he has inspired comparisons to Dolphins Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas, and not just because they’re both Red Raiders. Just as Thomas was renowned for hours of film study, Rodriguez appears to be following his mentor’s footsteps.
Rodriguez has heard stories about Thomas being at the training facility at all hours for film study.
“Luckily now we got it on our iPad,” Rodriguez said. “So we can just take it home and watch it there. So I’ll do that and lay on the couch instead of watching the show (on TV).”
Dodson, who made 129 tackles last season, has since joined the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad. Just as Thomas learned the NFL is a business his rookie year when the Dolphins cut veteran Jack Del Rio, the same thing has happened this summer.
"With T-Dot — seriously, I looked up to him," Rodriguez said. "He had a career year last year and he's going to do great things in the future, and so I just kind of wanted to learn and understand from him. I sent him a text yesterday just telling how much I appreciate him and how much he's meant to me since I've been here."
Rodriguez isn’t looking at where he is today as the end of a long journey, but rather the continuation of one.
“It’s more like you’ve got a job to do,” he said. “You’ve got to keep doing it.”
Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jacob Rodriguez: You want all the weight on you
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
