I don't think that there's any diva in Parker, actually. He's a very calm, humble and quiet young man. His issues have been almost entirely injury based. Now that he's finally close to 100%, and RT is able to develop some confidance in him, we're seeing what he's capable of.

The thought of he and Landry operating together, with a running game and a healthy OL is the stuff offensive dreams are made of.

 

Head over to the Dolphins' Confessional

 

Yeah, I dont think Devante has a Diva complex like most WR's. If he does, it's in the sense that he's not physical enough for his size. That's where I'd like to see him improve. Use that big body. Box guys out, time those jumps better, get physical, use your size to your advantage. He took his game to another level, against a good defense, and good corner today on that last drive. Love to see him consistently do that. Maybe Gase has finally lit that fire under Parker.

 

Prolly hasn't been a gym rat up to this point in his career..needs to add strength

 

I am glad to see Parker stepping up. I wasn't a fan of the pick. I didn't hate the pick, he clearly had potential, but I had many doubts about him. I saw it as very risky. Sometimes risks pay off. I imagine that some credit has to go to the coaching staff as well. The player has to take the steps, but the staff has to provide a situation where the player can be successful too. I think we may finally have a staff that will provide a place where some of these riskier picks will pay off for us.

 

Gase had for sure. Read an article the other day where Gase talked about he and the other coaches really working on his preparation and being a professional. I thought it was huge that Gase went over after the TD and gave him some props.

 

Parker is no deva, it just needed to mature as a professional. He is silky smooth

 

I see some saying Parker has no diva in him, yet we've heard many times how he doesn't go hard in practices. That is a diva. He may not be a whiny baby on game days. But that is not the only thing that is required to be a diva. I don't see this stretch of games as Parkers divaness being gone. I have to hear about him in practices before that label gets taken away for me.

But that is just me...

 

Fair enough. I just think that by all accounts, it seems he's more of a kid who just doesn't know how to prepare for football at the NFL level. Gase has eluded that that himself. I don't think it's a lack of effort thing on purpose from Parker because he's being lazy, it seems like this is just a scenario where he needs a mentor, he needs to be shown how to prepare the right way.

 

Earlier in the season Gase said Parker has to learn to play through pain. That is the professional way of saying "Parkers got to stop being a *****"

I don't think he was ever a diva, I do think he's been a *****. But Gase calling him out on it changed things

 

Yeah. I think those injuries last year probably slowed down his workout progress as well. If he could add strength, and play tougher and use that size and strength to his advantage, he's got a great opportunity to be great.

 

I joked at the end that the only ball Parker didn't catch all day (from what I saw) was Goff's Hail Mary at the end.

I'm surprised that Parker has turned into such a good possession receiver. He runs boundary patterns and stuff but he catches the damn ball with authority. He attacks the ball with the mindset of a pit-bull claiming a steak. He made a shoestring catch in the rain early in the GW drive. When I first saw it I went 'damn!' cuz I thought it was incomplete. Nope.

 

As far as Devante being physical: he might not be that big yet (strong), but his highlight reel is almost exclusively composed of him fighting for balls and playing physical. I definitely don't see a small man there. We're seeing a guy now that wants the ball and takes it out of the air like a Doberman grabbing a milkbone.

 

I don't want him losing any speed or quickness. While he has improved, he's still not the quickest of WRs. He needs all of it that he can retain.

 

I don't care what anyone says otherwise, but Devante should have had that INT in the endzone.

 

Theres a lot of room between being a Diva and being a total bad*** tough guy. You don't have to be one or the other. Some players are just able to play through injury better than others, through no fault of their own, also.

 

I am not talking injuries. I am just talking about just straight up not going hard during practice.

 

I think that is just immaturity. He likely has never had to work hard before and just doesn't\didn't understand what it takes.

 

I think you're confusing diva with dog, someone who isn't going hard in practice is dogging it, where a diva is a "look at me" player who is usually difficult to deal with, TO is the ultimate diva WR, but no one practiced harder than TO.

I do get what you are saying, but low effort players are dogs, and that is my worry with Parker, and Phillips as well, that they are dogs, and only give effort in spurts.

Landry exhibits more "diva" than any of our WRs imo, not that I would say he's a diva yet, or that he will be, but he shows some of those tendencies.