Mike Wallace never thought his season would begin like it has when he signed with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason. The receiver admitted on Wednesday he is "worried" about his role in the offense and the lack of looks his way, Pro Football Talk reports.
With the exception of a big game against the Indianapolis Colts, Wallace hasn't enjoyed the type of success he anticipated when he signed as a free agent with Miami. Through four games, Wallace has been targeted just 27 times. He's caught 15 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown - nine receptions, 115 yards and the one touchdown came from the Indianapolis game.
Having entered the season with big expectations, Wallace is now concerned about his role in the offense.
"I'm definitely worried about it because it's game four," Wallace said on Wednesday, according to Pro Football Talk. "I'm not paranoid or anything but in Week Four it's not the way I imagined my first four weeks going. Definitely not. I'm pretty sure it's not the way anybody imagined it going. So for myself, and starting with myself, [quarterback] Ryan [Tannehill] and coaches, we all got to do a better job and find a way to make it work."
Wallace earned a five-year, $60 million contract in March with Miami because of his play-making ability. With incredible speed, Wallace can blow the tops off defenses while picking up huge chunks of yards. Making game-changing plays became Wallace's calling card in Pittsburgh.
"I got to make big plays," Wallace said. "That's my main thing. I've been used to making big plays. And I definitely, definitely can make big plays. That's what I do. That's why I came here. That's why they signed me. It just hasn't happened so far for one reason or another."
Wallace commands the attention of defenses, which often play two deep safeties to take away the deep ball. It doesn't help that Miami's offensive line is porous, already giving up 18 sacks in just four games. While Wallace wants the deep ball, the coverage and the lack of time quarterback Ryan Tannehill has in the pocket limits the potential for big plays.
"I know one thing, we not going to be able to go through a whole year like that," Wallace said. "We have to make big plays. We have to back defenses up. That's what we have to do. Extra film work, different plays, whatever it is, whatever it's going to take, we have to get it done. We have to make big plays."
