MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey saw the future. And the world saw that vision realized in storybook fashion in Week 8.
Six weeks ago, the Dolphins beat the New England Patriots in prime time. Ramsey missed that game like he missed the one that preceded it and the five that followed due to a significant knee injury suffered on the second day of training camp.
“We never gave him a timetable [to return], and then he ended up telling me last time we played the Patriots, during the game, on the field, that he was coming back for this game,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday shortly after his team completed the season sweep of New England.
“I shared that with the team this last week. It was awesome to be a part of, and I think it speaks to the locker room. You don’t do all that if you’re not yearning to play with these people that you just started to become a teammate with. Big part of the reason why we won is that collective nature that he epitomized.”
Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey Calls His Shot
Ramsey was more than a galvanizer Sunday. He was one of the best players on a field filled with stars.
In his first game in a Dolphins uniform, he intercepted Mac Jones and forced a fumble (the latter was erased from the record book since it occurred on the same play as an offensive penalty).
And get this: He spoke the pick into existence, too, telling teammates he was going to get one in his first game back.
Yeah. @jalenramsey did THAT. 😤 pic.twitter.com/bvppRqFbhK
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins)
“It’s crazy.” Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “Dude really called his shot. ‘I’m gonna catch a pick in this game.’ It’s next level, bro. I’m just so glad that I’m not playing against the guy no more. The edge, everything he brings, the mentality, is just next level.”
More Insight Into Ramsey’s Recovery
While he’s been active on social media in the three months since his non-contact knee injury, postgame Sunday was the first time he spoke to reporters on the record since getting hurt.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
That gave him the opportunity to set the record straight on the exact nature of his meniscus injury and how he beat even the most optimistic timelines.
“I was locking up Tyreek one day in practice, and I made a break, and I don’t know, my knee just popped or something, gave out,” Ramsey said. “I don’t know. It probably already was a little funky up in there anyway.
“Then — I don’t know, like — I did get it repaired,” he added. “People think, ‘Oh, he came back early because he got a trim.’ No, I had a full repair.”
Jalen Ramsey at the podium pic.twitter.com/Nvrh3iDyhZ
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley)
“But just the way my body reacted to the surgery and everything and the way the blood flowed and everything that I did, I don’t know, and everybody that helped me — like I said, they might do a case study. I really can’t tell you. I’m not a scientist. I’m not no doctor. I can’t tell you how it healed so quickly or what happened, but I’m just glad it did.”
The plan was to ease Ramsey back Sunday, but his knee responded well, which allowed him to beat expectations again, logging 47 snaps.
And those were 47 elite snaps. He played the right cornerback spot the entire game. When Jones threw to that side, he completed 4 of 7 attempts for 5 yards and the pick, per Next Gen Stats.
“Just extremely grateful, thankful. Like the stories will probably be like ‘Jalen Ramsey came back’ and ‘Jalen Ramsey beat these timelines’ and did all of that, but honestly, none of this would have been possible without Dr. [John] Uribe fixing my knee.
“They might have to do a case study on whatever he did to help it heal so quickly. The training staff, they did an amazing job. I had good days. I had bad days and everything in between. And the training staff, they never babied me. They pushed me. They were super smart with me, even when I didn’t want to be smart. Weight room staff, everybody, they really built in my mind like a perfect plan, and we just stuck to it. I just had to listen to them. That’s it.”
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