Reconnecting with his Hispanic roots in the Miami area seems to have worked wonders for Kiko Alonso. The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, could not be more pleased with the outcome of bringing him to the team.
Taking Alonso on was a gamble, considering that the linebacker was coming off two ligament injuries in his left knee, which had seen him miss an entire season in Buffalo and part of one in Philadelphia. But Miami also seemed the ideal destination for the son of a Cuban father and Colombian mother. His parents met as students in Newton, Massachusetts, where Alonso was born.
Alonso claimed before the season started that his knee was "100 percent" but not everyone around the league believed him. The Dolphins had faith and Alonso has repaid them with an excellent start to the campaign.
In Week 1 against Seattle, the speed he displayed as an middle linebacker surprised everyone. Seahawks running back Christine Michael thought he was in the clear when he took a lateral and caught the defense off guard. But his hopes of a long run were dashed by Alonso.
"The first thing I thought was: 'Oh, no. We're in big trouble,'" cornerback Byron Maxwell recalled. "Then I saw someone burst across the field. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know who it was. I only recognized Kiko when he got up after bringing down Michael. I knew the new kid was fast, but I never imagined he was that fast. We're lucky he's on our side."
In Week 2 against New England, Alonso did not take his foot off the pedal. He recorded 11 tackles and one fumble recovery for the second consecutive game, and forced Jimmy Garoppolo out of the game with a big hit as the Patriots quarterback got rid of the ball.
Following the second round of games, the analysts at Pro Football Focus named Alonso the "league's best linebacker against the run in the first two weeks."
In Week 3, Miami finally played at home, and finally got a win. Alonso made eight tackles against the Browns, which placed him among only seven players in the NFL with 30 or more tackles in the first three games. One other player to reach that total is his teammate, safety Reshad Jones, who, along with Alonso and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, form the backbone of a defense that is beginning to strike fear into opponents in this season.
Week 4 proved an embarrassing one for the Dolphins as they fell 22-7 to the Bengals in Cincinnati, but there was little the Dolphins' defense could do when it was mainly the offense struggling to generate anything.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase has talked about Alonso as a spark that ignites the Dolphins' defense. "Sometimes all you need is a guy like him who inspires others, and then you have 11 fireballs behind the ball," he said.
"I just try to make plays to help the team," Alonso said. "Finally I'm healthy and I can cut loose. It's all about making big stops and getting the offense out on the field."
Along with his self-confessed passion for "doling out hits on the field," Alonso also takes a keen interest in both Cuban and Puerto Rican food. His father was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Alonso still spends his vacations there. Granted, that's when Alonso is not traveling instead to Cali, Colombia, where his mother is from.
Alonso also loves Latin American soccer and is a fan of Colombia's national team in particular, "Especially Cuadrado," he said, "as well as James [RodrÃguez], [Carlos] Bacca and Jackson [MartÃnez]."
If the Dolphins had the offensive firepower that Colombia possesses with these strikers, maybe they could look forward to making the playoffs this season. However, the 30 points scored against Cleveland gives supporters reason to hope. If the team can manage to generate that offensive rhythm more often, they could dare to set their sights high. There is one thing Dolphins fans can be sure of: With Alonso and company, Miami have got defense covered this season.
Read the original Spanish-language version of this story here. A feature on Kiko Alonso will be part of the One Nación special that will air on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
