It’s black Monday, a day when NFL coaches and personnel
people are unceremoniously shown the door. After an agonizing loss to the Jets,
the disappointment in Miami is at an all-time high. It was not the worst season
in Dolphin history, but after teasing of something special, the team faltered badly
when in position for a playoff run. The poetic justice of this sad ending is
the harsh reality that the Miami Dolphins are not a playoff team. Getting there
would have tricked the fans and owner into believing greatness was around the
corner.
The blueprint to stopping the Dolphin offense was perfected
in Buffalo a week earlier, but has plagued Miami all season. Ryan Tannehill is
unable to complete deep passes even when the receiver is wide open. Mike
Wallace alluded to 15 TDs left on the field, “There are so many touchdowns me
and him missed,” Wallace said. Tannehill is also wildly inconsistent on sideline
throws, even simple out routes. By defending the rest of the field, Buffalo played
to Tannehill’s weakness. The Jets simply followed the blueprint.
The ploy was so effective, the Dolphin offense scored only
one touchdown in its final 25 possessions. The Dolphins crossed midfield once
in last week's 19-0 loss at Buffalo and deepest penetration in the second half
was to the Jets' 33-yard line in the season finale. The Jets were not taking a great chance leaving Wallace in man
coverage and playing soft on the corners, the Miami offense averaged
less than 20 points per game anyway. When an embattled make-shift offensive line is expected to open holes and pass protect against an 8-man front unconcerned
about wide receivers running wide open deep, it's a recipe for disaster.
Coaches and personnel folks are on the chopping block but the players and particularly the man behind center bear the responsibility for
another lost season. "The ball was in our court and we didn't take
advantage of our opportunity," Tannehill said. "We didn't finish
strong, plain and simple. We didn't finish the way we wanted to, obviously none
of us saw this coming." Buffalo saw it coming, the Jets saw it coming.
They saw a QB unable to complete a long pass and so they
gave it to him. They loaded up everywhere else, placed the ball in Ryan
Tannehill’s hands and said, “Beat us.” Show us you are the man we should fear
when the game and the season are on the line, Tannehill was not equal to the
challenge. Ryan has an oblivious streak, "We didn't play well these last
two games. It was nothing that you could feel or sense in practice. I felt like
we had great practices both of the last two weeks. We just came out and didn't
play well on Sundays."
The NFL is a quarterback league, Bill Belichick was fired in
Cleveland and became a genius when Tom Brady dropped in his lap. The Dolphin
coaches have not seen that kind of luck since 1983 and the coaching carousel
has revolved since Dan Marino retired. It makes little sense to fire coaches
when the QB by his own admission, “just came out and didn't play well on
Sundays." Perhaps the personnel man who picked the QB should bear the
brunt in the blame game. Perhaps the offensive coordinator should be fired for
not teaching the QB how to throw a deep pass.
It doesn’t matter which of these men takes the rap as the
ceremonial guinea pig for the players on the field. The fact is, Mike Sherman
designed play after play this season that found Mike Wallace running wide open
behind the defense. If the ball found Wallace half those 15 times,
it would account for 8 more TDs this season. Jeff Ireland’s free agent
acquisition would not look so mediocre if he had put up 13 TDs. On a team that
lost 4 games by margins of 4 points or less, those 8 TDs cost Joe Philbin a playoff
appearance and perhaps his job. Even the OL coach should be safe when
considering how much better the running game could be with 8 more deep TDs keeping
safeties honest.
It all comes back to the same fact since Marino retired,
find a QB or the carousel continues round and round… It makes Boss Ross’s job a
little more simplistic. Decide to continue grooming Ryan Tannehill and hope he
somehow overcomes his deep passing inaccuracy or make a scapegoat of someone
else.
From the 30 thousand foot level, Ross should tell his GM to
draft a QB and make a competition of it. Otherwise, when the Dolphins are
8-8 next year with Tannehill, a new coach or GM won’t matter.
The wheels
on the bus will continue going, round and round…
