I have long been a doubter of Brian Hartline, and I have no choice but to take back everything that I have ever said about him. He was everywhere, and you have to believe that he is helping Ryan Tannehill's development tremendously. Hartline now leads the NFL in receiving yards, and I'm pretty sure that he's up near the top in receptions, too.
Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter missed yet another field goal this week. No, we can't pin this entire loss on him, but that field goal turned out to be crucial because both teams were tied at the end of regulation. We cannot afford to continue missing field goals like this, which is why I think it's time that we get rid of Carpenter (if we can find an adequate replacement, of course). He was a big reason Miami lost in two straight games, and if he had just done his job who knows what position the Dolphins would be in right now.
Miami's defensive line didn't have any problems getting pressure this week. They sacked Kevin Kolb 8 times on Sunday. Cameron Wake had 4.5 sacks after not getting a single sack through the first three weeks. I think we can safely say that Wake isn't having any troubles this year. I actually predicted that Wake would get a minimum of two sacks on twitter, but I didn't see this coming. Wake was incredibly dominant, and the pressure he got was extremely helpful on defense. We didn't get the win this week, but if Wake and the rest of the Dolphins defensive line is able to play close to that level then we should be fine.
Turnovers hurt the Dolphins this week. Tannehill threw two picks and lost a fumble. His first one can be chalked up as Brian Hartline's fault. Hartline slipped and the ball went right into the defender's hands. I know I talked Brian Hartline up earlier, but I do have to say this. I've noticed that Hartline tends to slip an abnormal amount of times when he is on a comeback route. I'm not saying that he's a bad receiver, because obviously he's a pretty darn good one. I'm just saying that he needs to work on it. Tannehill's other interception was in overtime, and he was being hit as he threw the ball. I won't give him much fault for that one either.
Legedu freaking Naanee finally got his first catch of the season, but wouldn't you know he fumbled it as soon as he gained possession and the Cardinals returned it to Miami's three yard line. Thankfully Sean Smith was able to come up with the interception after getting away with a pass interference no-call. Naanee has been an extreme disappointment, and I can't help but think his time in Miami will come to a close after this season (maybe sooner).
This is the second week where I felt like the Dolphins were the better team in a losing effort. Turnovers and the missed FG were really what bit us in the butt in the end.
I am extremely encouraged by the young Ryan Tannehill's performance. He was dangerous this week, and you can really see that how much he is developing. I think that I might go back and watch him in the Texans game just to see how different he looks now compared to then. The more I watch the more I'm convinced that he is finally the quarterback we've been yearning for all this time.
Thanks for stopping by. Email me at paul@dolphinshout.com. I'm on twitter @PaulDSmythe.
Kenny put up a play by play in the forums. Click here to check it out.
Kenny put up a play by play in the forums. Click here to check it out.
