A lot has been made about the fact that the Dolphins used starting running back Ronnie Brown as the team's kick returner, along with Jesse Chatman. This is especially interesting considering how it's been talked about for a long that that Brown's workload in the offense is going to go up. It's also interesting that rookie Ted Ginn Jr. is not going to do the kick returns despite the fact that he was reportedly going to be a "return man first." That all changed, when following Thursday night's win, Cam Cameron said this about the return pairing of Brown and Chatman:
Yes, you heard (or read) that correctly. Ted Ginn is only going to be starting as a punt returner. That's right. Our #9 overall pick is only a punt returner right now...and maybe a 3rd receiver...possibly. But that's not what really bothers me about this. In fact, O.J. McDuffie sums up what is bothering me:
That's exactly what worries me. Ronnie Brown is too valuable to this offense to be out there subjecting his body to returning kicks. And if you think that returning kickoffs doesn't increase your risk to injury, then ask former cornerback Jason Sehorn, who returned one kick in the preseason and tore up his knee. His career would never be the same.
So why subject our starting running back and our best all around offensive player to this kind of punishment? That's what puzzles me. Not to mention the extra fatigue that may set in as the game wears on due to Brown's role as kick returner. Doesn't Ronnie have enough to do this year? He's likely to see his touches per game shoot up with Cameron calling the plays, so why add more stress to Ronnie's body? Besides, this team has a few other guys who could handle the return duties. Even if you still don't want to use Ginn, there's Chatman and Lorenzo Booker. Or what about keeping a 4th running back and having Patrick Cobbs return kicks? Honestly, I'd rather see anyone back there returning kicks other than Brown.
However, I guess Cam has to have some good reasons for this. Maybe it's only for the preseason. Maybe he really feels Brown could excel as a return man. I don't know. But what I do know is if Ronnie ever gets hurt returning kicks, Cam's going to have hell to pay. He may want to immediately leave south Florida if Brown got hurt because fans everywhere would be calling for Cam's head. What a quick way to end the honeymoon that would be...
Your thoughts on this?