SEATTLE -- DeVante Parker is nursing a hamstring injury (again) and the Dolphins are almost definitely going to err on the side of caution and hold him out of Sunday's regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Parker, who hasn't been through a full practice in 13 days, is listed as questionable for the game.
"My biggest thought that goes through my head is I want to make sure this is for the duration," Dolphins coach Adam Gase said Friday. "I do not want to have a setback. I do not want to let, basically, one game determine, ‘Does that mean he’s going to miss three more (games)’ if we say, ‘He’s good to go this one,’ but he’s not really?
"We’re going to keep evaluating him. Obviously, he’s trying to get back as fast as possible."
This is smart. Gase is apparently willing to wait another week and let Parker be fully ready to play rather than sending him into a this game less than 100 percent and risk he re-aggravate the hamstring that will put Parker out two or three weeks and games.
Hearing this, some Dolphins fans on both sides of the Mississippi (I recognize the west side today because I'm on the west side of the great river now) think Parker is a lost cause.
My Twitter mentions are freaking.
My email inbox is filling up.
Oh noes, DeVante Parker is a bust!
To which, I advise, stop. Tap brakes. Find patience.
We are talking about the first game of a second-year player's career. We're talking about a player who has proven when he's healthy he can play at a high level in the NFL -- and if you don't believe it, consider the 20-plus yards per catch average from November to January last season. We're talking about a player who is only 23 years old.
Look, I know the Dolphins have their hands full trying to get Parker to be a better professional. But not all young players mature at the same rate. Jarvis Landry isn't much older than Parker but is light years more mature.
The measure of a good organization and coaching staff is not worrying that your fantasy team got blown up because Parker is still nursing a nagging injury. The measure of a good organization is showing the right amount of patience with their players, especially the ones who don't come along quickly.
I remind you the Dolphins have recently pulled the trigger way too quickly on players because they didn't have enough patience. The team traded away Vontae Davis because he was too immature. How'd that work out?
And while I admit Parker is not the most mature guy in the world, it is not the headache causing maturity issue. He's not out getting in trouble. He's just something of a kid.
He'll grow out of it. He'll grow up.
Have patience.
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