Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano’s lack of interest in wide receivers Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall may be due, in part, to his belief that he has a talented young wide receiver on his roster who deserved more playing time last season.
Sparano said today that Patrick Turner, the Dolphins’ 2009 USC third-round pick, should have gotten on the field more than he did last season, when he played in just two games and never so much as ran a pass route.
“I don’t feel good about that from my end. I did a poor job of that,” Sparano said, per Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. “I should have got him in the game. I should have got him some exposure so I did not do a good job there.”
Sparano said he thinks Turner is a great athlete and wants to see him refine his technique so that he can be a regular contributor on offense.
“I hope he takes the next jump, I hope he becomes a little more aggressive with the ball, a little more polished with route running, those kind of things,” Sparano said. “The fundamental part of the thing with Patrick is the most important thing right now. I want to see that growth. I want to see him more aggressive with the ball when it’s in the air. He’s a big receiver that I want to see play big.”