Receiver Phillip Dorsett wants to prove Colts made the right 1st round pick
After his first game in the NFL, Phillip Dorsett called the man he trusts the most, his father, Phillip Dorsett Sr.
Throughout his life, the younger Dorsett has called his father after every game. They discuss his performance. They dissect the turning points of the game. They reflect on previous games and how the one he just played reminds them of previous experiences.
Dorsett needed his father during the late afternoon of Sept. 14. He realized he needed words of wisdom. He knew he did not play well, knew he let his new teammates down, knew he destroyed any real chance of the Colts making a comeback against the Bills in the 27-14 loss.
Early in the fourth quarter, Dorsett fumbled his second punt of the game, this one being recovered by the Bills. He pounded the turf with is right fist in disgust. And then he lay on the field, his head buried in the ground, for five seconds. The Bills made a field goal with their extra possession while Dorsett stared at the ground on the sideline.
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When his father answered his phone call, Dorsett asked one question: “Well, dad, what did you think?”
Dorsett Sr. said it was a special feeling to watch his son make his NFL debut. But he also said he knew exactly what his son was going through. He understood his son would never really get over those crucial errors. He, however, reminded the younger Dorsett to focus on the next play, despite how tough that could be.
After a practice this week, Dorsett shared what his father thought of the fumbles.
“He said, ‘Look the ball in!'” Dorsett recalled with a chuckle. “He was like, ‘Catch the ball, man! What are you doing?!’"
Perhaps every Colts fan shouted the same sentences during the game. Dorsett told his father he was too excited and that he wanted to make a play so badly on the punt returns that he overlooked the first part of his job: catching the punt.
Besides reinforcing his son to look the ball in, Dorsett Sr. said Thursday that he appreciates the privilege to still coach his son. It is what he has done since he introduced his son to football at age six.
“You just get chocked up as far as the time you’ve put in,” said Dorsett Sr., who is an assistant track and field coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, the school where his son first became a star. “Just knowing my phone is going to ring, good or bad, is a great feeling. We’ve grown up together – me being the father and he the son – and I’ve never sugarcoated anything and I’ve always encouraged him.”
That encouragement, and teaching, benefited the Colts last Sunday when they absolutely needed it.
In his third game, Dorsett was one of the heroes in the Colts’ dramatic 35-33 comeback victory over the Titans. With the Colts trailing by 13 points in the fourth quarter, Dorsett, more so than Andrew Luck, made the play that gave Indianapolis the momentum and ignited the rally. Luck, under pressure on third-and-20, heaved the football to Dorsett.
“We got the coverage that we wanted,” Dorsett said. “As soon as I turned around, I knew the ball was going to be up in the air and it was. I just tried to make a play on the ball.”
Dorsett, a 5-10 and 185-pound receiver known for his speed, was behind the defender as he ran toward the end zone. But Luck’s throw was not ideal. Needing to help his quarterback, Dorsett adjusted to the underthrown ball, jumped to get his torso above Tennessee’s Marqueston Huff, and made the 35-yard touchdown catch.
Dorsett, securing the ball as he landed, did not particularly celebrate his touchdown. He instead simply ran to the sidelines, signaling he did his job: He looked the ball into his hands.
“I’m glad we made it,” Dorsett said of the difficult play. “It turned the game around. When the ball goes up, you have to catch it, no matter how high it is or how low it is. You’ve got to catch the ball.”
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When Dorsett Sr. saw the touchdown, he reacted with pure joy: “That’s my boy!” he shouted in his house.
“It really doesn’t shock me, because I’ve seen him do it before,” he said. “But when you see it in a game, it still impresses me.”
That touchdown – which displayed speed, leaping ability and elite athleticism – was the reason the Colts selected Dorsett with their first-round pick at the 29th overall position.
When general manager Ryan Grigson made the pick, his decision was criticized by many – fans, analysts and former executives. Why not use the pick to help rebuild the offensive line? What about enhancing the secondary with one of the many talented cornerbacks? Why select Dorsett when the team had just signed Andre Johnson?
All those questions intensified after the season-opening loss. Now, Dorsett hopes his play last Sunday will be the start of what helps justify Grigson’s judgment to bet on him.
Dorsett said he does not pay attention to pressure that comes with being a first-round pick.
“No matter what round I was picked in, it really don’t matter,” he said. “In my mind, I still came here and they picked me to perform. I was always small. I’m small. I’m a small guy. You get overlooked a lot, so you always got to play with a chip on your shoulder.”
His father, though, acknowledges the pressure.
“He knows it’s more of a job now,” Dorsett Sr. said. “His boss made this choice to select him and you can’t control what a fan thinks or cares about. The main focus has to be (doing) a good job.”
Coach Chuck Pagano expects Dorsett, much like many rookies, will improve as the season progresses.
“He’s a rookie, let’s give him a little bit of time to come into his own,” Pagano said after Sunday’s win. “Not many rookies go up and make plays like he just made today. Let him build confidence and he’ll be better.”
Dorsett said he is gaining confidence, both with his play and his growing bond with Luck. He understands how confidence is what leads to success – and how it must start in practice.
After the victory over the Titans, Dorsett called his father. The conversation was calm. Dorsett Sr. said it was important for his son to stay even keel. But he also shared his emotions, and another lesson, with his son.
“I told him I was proud he made that play,” Dorsett Sr. said. “We know there’s a game on Sunday, and, again, you have to remember to look the ball in.”
Follow Star reporter Nate Taylor on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.