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Palardy Earns AFC Praise

Miami Dolphins punter Michael Palardy was recognized for his performance in the victory against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium

Alain Poupart

Like many players on the roster, punter Michael Palardy got off to a slow start in the 2021 season before really picking up his game in recent weeks.

Palardy has one of his strongest performances to day in the 20-9 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday and he now has been rewarded for that effort.

Palardy was named Wednesday morning as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 48.3 gross yards with a net of 44.7 yards on his six punts, three of which ended up inside the 20. The highlight was a career-high 65-yard punt in the third quarter.

It marked the first such award for Palardy, who joined the Dolphins as a free agent this offseason after he was released by the Carolina Panthers.

The last time a Dolphins punter had been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week was in 2018 with Matt Haack, who left as an unrestricted free agent this offseason before the Dolphins signed Palardy.

Palardy had an almost equally impressive outing in Week 12 against Carolina when he averaged 40.5 yards on four punts, all of which ended up inside the 20.

It's the second time a Dolphins player has won a weekly award this season. CB Xavien Howard was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Week 10 Thursday night victory against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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