Finsmob Unleashed

We have X on one side, that much is a given. The way the Dolphins have chosen to finish the equation is X + R = CB Bliss. It’s actually a big risk. Rowe has been a part time player for the first 4 years of his career. He was drafted in the 2nd RD in 2015 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Rowe played in all 16 games for the Eagles in his rookie year, starting 5. New England was in need of a CB in 2016 and sent a conditional 4th RD pick in 2018, which at best could have turned into a 3rd RD pick if performance measures were met. Why did Philly give up on their guy so quickly, so much so that they had to wait 2 years to get compensation back for him? Very odd.

At the NFL combine, Rowe was a monster. He ran 4.45 at 6’1 205, a 3.97 20 YD shuttle which is super quick for a guy that size, a 6.70 cone drill which shows elite agility and a 39″ vertical which shows elite explosion.. Maybe that’s why Philly took him in the 2nd RD, he Mike Mamula’d them. They pretty much gave up on the guy after one season.

Rowe started only 12 games in 3 seasons for the Patriots and played in 21 games. I’m not saying Eric Rowe can’t be the guy, but so far 2 teams, and make that 2 very solid organizations like the Eagles and Patriots can’t find a way to get this guy to work, it’s a little disconcerting. He has played well in practice and looked good in the preseason so far, but it just shows how poor our quality depth is at CB at the moment after Xavien Howard. Cornell Armstrong, Jalen Davis, Chris Lammons, Cordrea Tankersley and David Rivers. Chris Lammons has flashed some but is anyone here confident that he can handle the pressure of being picked on constantly as teams avoid throwing to the side X is on? That’s a lot to handle.

Some guys develop late, some guys just need the right opportunity to shine. It looks like Rowe is going to be given every opportunity and more to seize the job opposite X so it won’t be for a lack of chances that he doesn’t succeed here. Eric Rowe was a starter at CB in college at Utah. Who was that big Utah CB we had here that everyone loved? Was it Sun Sentinel, er Sean Smith? Smith was a lightning rod. Some hated him, some defended him. My recollection is I was a Sean Smith sympathizer. I thought he was unfairly treated by the haters although he was never a great player for us. He was at the very least a serviceable player for us. Smith started 56 games in 4 seasons for us. Can Rowe give us anything like that? The SS haters will hate this statement, but if Rowe can be as good as Sean Smith, I think we’ve done well.