BY NICK ST. DENIS
As expected, Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller has been getting more carries than backfield mate Daniel Thomas. But the workload gap hasn't been substantial.
Through four games, Miller has carried the ball 43 times to Thomas's 25. And despite Miller's 4.6 yards-per-carry average compared to Thomas's 2.8, Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman isn't about to give the keys to the better player.
"[Miller] had some opportunities in the game (Monday), and he made the most of those opportunities," Sherman said Tuesday, via The Miami Herald, "but we’ll continue with the way we’ve been so far until someone really steps forward and makes that known to us."
Miller amassed 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the Dolphins' loss to the New Orleans Saints Monday, while Thomas picked up five yards on four carries. Apparently, that wasn't "stepping forward."
Thomas has had more success in the receiving game from a statistical standpoint, catching four passes for 32 yards on four targets, according to ESPN's stats. Miller has caught five passes for 21 yards on nine targets.
Both players have a pair of rushing touchdowns. Miller, however, has two carries of longer than 20 yards, while Thomas has none of that kind.
Thomas saw more time in the second half of Monday's game, but according to coach Joe Philbin, it had nothing to do with production from a skill-position standpoint.
“It was a little more pass protection related than anything," Philbin said Tuesday. ". . . It was nothing Lamar did or didn’t do.”
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