Bess talks about his special teams role

About how the competition between him and Ted Ginn pushes them both to get better, Bess said:
''He pushes me to be better and I push him to be better." (Miami Herald)

MH Note: "a claim backed up by the sight of Ginn standing down the sideline away from most of the team to yell encouragement at Bess before many punts."

MH Note: "Rookie Davone Bess, who didn't return kickoffs in high school or college, did both until the Dolphins' coaches gave Ginn the kickoff job last Sunday. After Ginn muffed the opening kickoff, then returned it 31 yards and returned another kickoff 27 yards, Baltimore went with pooch kickoffs. With their No. 1-ranked defense, the Ravens preferred giving up a few yards of field position to the threat of Ginn giving the Dolphins easy points."

Miami coach Tony Sparano says that Bess often:
"makes the first guy miss.'' (MH)

MH Note: "Bess often does, but he doesn't do it in the way, of, say, Rick Upchurch, the NFL record-setter whose skill at that made him responsible for more queasy coaching stomachs than any other 1970s punt returner. Upchurch's nimble dodges created lanes he always seemed a breath from hitting. The thickset Bess just gets overrun. Since Bess' lone return in the season opener, a 25-yarder, he's had seven returns for 66 yards, or a 9.4 average."

About their punt return unit, Bess said:
''I feel we have great preparation for it. Now, we've just got to bring what we're taught in practice to the game.'' (MH)