As Miami dolphin fans, we are acutely aware of the negativity that originates from a sports network in the backyard of our rivals. Having listened to enough critics, we will not condone the vicious words of hateful anonymous commentors. Every reader has a voice on the internet, and those voices have evolved until only the meanest or most outlandish get attention amid the over-saturation.
Ryan Tannehill may never be great, but the Miami quarterback is a true survivor in an age gone completely fanatical. Without an ounce of his talent, haters incessantly disparage his ability until he has become a hero in the hearts of many true Miami Dolphin fans. Hate is easy. A hater never has to face the fear of losing, like a batter that never comes to the plate will always bat one thousand… Hiding behind hateful words is easier than facing the consequences of losing.
People or teams learn how to win by facing and overcoming the pain of losing. Only two reactions come from losing, learn how to get better and win, or quit. Adam Gase felt several accomplished players were a little too comfortable with losing and those players are no longer with the Miami Dolphins. With so much distraction and unrelenting expectations, it is more difficult than ever to be a loyal fan.
Attention spans compressed into instant gratification, fantasy teams rewarding individual accomplishments and promoting fan disloyalty, all fight against a simple word – Team.
The overused term, “there is no I in team” is a little ludicrous when fantasy is all about “I” and instant gratification starts with the same letter. The quarterback is easily the most important position on the football field, but Tom Brady is not famous for his physical prowess. It’s his ability to demand complete cohesion and unrelenting commitment to team goals that marks his greatness.
Tom Brady lost a lot before he won. He sat on the bench behind Drew Hensen his senior year at Michigan and wasn’t drafted until the 6th round.
Belichick was fired by Cleveland!
Digressing into Brady and Belichick comparisons in a Miami blog is certain to bring out the haters who will miss the point. This season will be the moment Ryan Tannehill is mentioned in the same sentence with Tom Brady. The reason is simple, Tannehill has lost but did not quit, instead he has grown and learned.
Adam Gase removed the players more interested in individual accomplishments at the expense of team goals. Money cannot motivate, there is never enough. When team goals become secondary to money, it is time to part ways. Landry wanted more than his position demanded. Suh was grossly overpaid for his impact. Pouncey could no longer perform up to the value he placed on his own services.
In the NFL, there are always teams willing to pay players on the open market. Landry may never repeat his accomplishments in Miami, but he got his payday. Suh is a mercenary who made his fortune in Miami. Pouncey will be the sad story we read about ten years from now when he can no longer walk. The point is, winning and team goals must come before personal goals in the game of football.
Tannehill has had many opportunities to use losing as a reason to quit and instead has used it as a reason to learn. Ruthless anonymous commentors who can only find pleasure in knocking down others are the definition of a loser. Claiming to be a fan only to antagonize the players who have worked their entire life to reach their dreams, that is the definition of a loser.
Winners will stay with it, even when times are the toughest. The Shout is here for those fans, the faithful, and the true diehards who enter every season hopeful that the turning point has arrived.
Antagonizers, and bad mouthed losers are unwelcome here, please spew your hate elsewhere.
Here, we give Ryan Tannehill one more shot. We give Adam Gase the years he needs to get it right. When the team decides their time has come, we’ll wish them good luck on the way out. Sports, like most things in life runs in cycles, and soon, our time will come again.
While we can never follow our team with blind faith, we will constructively criticize. We will handle losing with dignity and winning with grace. We will stand behind our team through thick and thin, even when it hurts.
We are Miami Dolphin fans.
Respect the Fin!
Showing posts with label Ndamukong Suh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ndamukong Suh. Show all posts
Time for Miami Dolphin Winners
at
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
Time for Miami Dolphin Winners
2018-07-29T22:32:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Jarvis Landry|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Ryan Tannehill|
Comments
Defining The Miami Dolphin Puzzle
at
Friday, May 18, 2018
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
In recent years, when Miami Dolphin fans enter the off-season it is usually with a sigh of relief. The Dolphin football team has beat us down until a final cry of, “Uncle” is a collective gasp. Miami is not necessarily awful, there’s a level of frustration that comes with mediocrity. It’s like going to a gentlemen’s club where you can look, but do not touch. All the shiny trophies are on display, but someone else is the recipient.
In the third year of the Adam Gase era, the expectations become more urgent. Is there truly a plan in place that will lead to a contending football team? Looking at pretty puzzle pieces individually helps create the final picture. Looking at how those pieces are handled provides insight into the direction of the organization.
Miami began this off-season by discarding the corner puzzle pieces of the franchise. It’s nearly impossible to build a puzzle without the corners and when those pieces are gone, the changes can be drastic. Publicly this team has not made a declaration of starting over, but the actions are speaking much louder than the words.
The normal nicety is to cite salary cap issues as reasoning for releasing highly paid players, but the reality is much more philosophical. In the NFL, the highest paid players must reflect institutional beliefs, otherwise a team is paying for players that don’t match expectations.
Mike Pouncey led an offensive line group that did not consistently produce in either the passing or the running game. Even if the issue was more related to health than game day performance, the line could not produce with its leader watching during practice. Well liked individuals make these decisions difficult. When the robot is breaking down, it’s easy to replace, when it’s a person, it's not so easy.
Ndamukong Suh is a beast among men, he’s as good a football player as any in the league. As the team’s highest paid player, he was expected to be the example of what it takes to reach that plateau. Suh did not attend voluntary off-season programs, did not call the community home and simply was not a good example of a team player. His presence on the defensive line did not make the Miami defense formidable because, he was not a leader.
Jarvis Landry is relational to philosophy for a completely different reason, Miami placed a value on his position and his demands exceeded that value. Free agency is the quirk of the NFL. Suh left Detroit because their structure did not include $100 million dollars for a defensive tackle. Miami paid then what they would not pay for the same position today. Miami would not pay $15 million for a slot receiver.
These puzzle pieces were not leading to a complete picture. Mike Pouncey could not lead from the sideline. Ndamukong Suh could not lead while spending the off-season in Oregon. Jarvis Landry could not lead from a position that racked up statistics and did not produce results.
It’s important to note, none of these players were selected while Adam Gase was the coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Sticking with the same analogy, imagine a circular puzzle. A puzzle where many of the pieces had a curve on one side. A puzzle that had no corners but many similar pieces that connected in a smooth boundary. The idea is a little fluffy for a football depiction, but having many pieces that are each as important as the next, is the definition of the word “team.”
This is the vision of Adam Gase…
He doesn’t want the leader of his offensive line watching while his line-mates suffer through grueling practices. He does not want the leader of his defense isolated in a corner of the locker room with two dedicated stalls. He does not want his highest paid offensive playmaker coming from a position that does not lead to victories.
He wants a team that thinks less as individuals and more as a whole. He wants many smooth pieces and fewer hard edges. He wants players that work together. Most importantly, getting paid in this philosophy, means being part of the glue that holds the puzzle together, not an isolated piece.
That’s why Ryan Tannehill is still a Miami Dolphin and the others are not. Tannehill may not be the greatest QB in the world, but heaven forbid we remind ourselves how many Super Bowls Dan Marino won…
Gone are chronically injured players unwilling to step back in the pay-scale. Gone are high dollar personalities who refuse to participate in team leadership. Gone are individuals seeking inequitable pay for positional value.
These are all philosophical differences that cannot be changed in the course of a few seasons. When we hear this talk of “changing the culture,” this is what it means. It’s Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor rotating for Suh. It’s a healthy Josh Sitton and Daniel Kilgore in place of an oft-injured Pouncey. It’s Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola for the price of a Jarvis Landry.
The Dolphins are no longer accepting “the (nonsense) that’s gone on in the past,” said Gase. “I feel like we’ve added more guys than we’ve lost, I know free agency, a lot of guys are taken away there, and whether we released guys or traded guys, we’re adding good pieces to the puzzle here.”
Will it work? This will be left for the future to tell, but the vision is becoming clearer with each move. What was not clear was depending on the health of Mike Pouncey. What made little sense was signing Ndamukong Suh in the first place. What would have created an inequitable salary structure was signing Jarvis Landry.
There was a huge sentiment in the media and in the fandom, of a first round Miami Dolphin QB. Hopefully after reading these 1000 words it becomes evident why Miami did not reach to make that pick. Reaching would have been another unreasonable expectation because Ryan Tannehill is Adam Gase’s example of what he wants out of a team player.
If the QB had fallen to Miami, this would not have put that player in the position of being specifically drafted to take over the team. By reaching, Miami would have set the expectation, this is our guy, and this is the new face of the franchise. If the QB had fallen to Miami, the expectation would then have been, “he was there and the positional value was too good not to take him.”
This flies in the face of the logic, “keep drafting a QB until you get it right,” but it doesn’t mean the intention was not there. It means, either there was not enough conviction among the Miami Dolphin brain trust to give up whatever the price may have been to trade up, or they made a calculated decision to wait for the falling star that turned out wrong…
One thing is certain, there is no more time for Ryan Tannehill. The term "nonsense" now applies to injury, overspending without results, and overspending for positional value. There can be many smooth pieces in this puzzle, but only one plays quarterback and in the NFL, it better be the right piece.
Adam Gase is tied at the hip to Ryan Tannehill for one more season. If this puzzle does not produce results, the nonsense shall stop one way or the other…
In the third year of the Adam Gase era, the expectations become more urgent. Is there truly a plan in place that will lead to a contending football team? Looking at pretty puzzle pieces individually helps create the final picture. Looking at how those pieces are handled provides insight into the direction of the organization.
Miami began this off-season by discarding the corner puzzle pieces of the franchise. It’s nearly impossible to build a puzzle without the corners and when those pieces are gone, the changes can be drastic. Publicly this team has not made a declaration of starting over, but the actions are speaking much louder than the words.
The normal nicety is to cite salary cap issues as reasoning for releasing highly paid players, but the reality is much more philosophical. In the NFL, the highest paid players must reflect institutional beliefs, otherwise a team is paying for players that don’t match expectations.
Mike Pouncey led an offensive line group that did not consistently produce in either the passing or the running game. Even if the issue was more related to health than game day performance, the line could not produce with its leader watching during practice. Well liked individuals make these decisions difficult. When the robot is breaking down, it’s easy to replace, when it’s a person, it's not so easy.
Ndamukong Suh is a beast among men, he’s as good a football player as any in the league. As the team’s highest paid player, he was expected to be the example of what it takes to reach that plateau. Suh did not attend voluntary off-season programs, did not call the community home and simply was not a good example of a team player. His presence on the defensive line did not make the Miami defense formidable because, he was not a leader.
Jarvis Landry is relational to philosophy for a completely different reason, Miami placed a value on his position and his demands exceeded that value. Free agency is the quirk of the NFL. Suh left Detroit because their structure did not include $100 million dollars for a defensive tackle. Miami paid then what they would not pay for the same position today. Miami would not pay $15 million for a slot receiver.
These puzzle pieces were not leading to a complete picture. Mike Pouncey could not lead from the sideline. Ndamukong Suh could not lead while spending the off-season in Oregon. Jarvis Landry could not lead from a position that racked up statistics and did not produce results.
It’s important to note, none of these players were selected while Adam Gase was the coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Sticking with the same analogy, imagine a circular puzzle. A puzzle where many of the pieces had a curve on one side. A puzzle that had no corners but many similar pieces that connected in a smooth boundary. The idea is a little fluffy for a football depiction, but having many pieces that are each as important as the next, is the definition of the word “team.”
This is the vision of Adam Gase…
He doesn’t want the leader of his offensive line watching while his line-mates suffer through grueling practices. He does not want the leader of his defense isolated in a corner of the locker room with two dedicated stalls. He does not want his highest paid offensive playmaker coming from a position that does not lead to victories.
He wants a team that thinks less as individuals and more as a whole. He wants many smooth pieces and fewer hard edges. He wants players that work together. Most importantly, getting paid in this philosophy, means being part of the glue that holds the puzzle together, not an isolated piece.
That’s why Ryan Tannehill is still a Miami Dolphin and the others are not. Tannehill may not be the greatest QB in the world, but heaven forbid we remind ourselves how many Super Bowls Dan Marino won…
Gone are chronically injured players unwilling to step back in the pay-scale. Gone are high dollar personalities who refuse to participate in team leadership. Gone are individuals seeking inequitable pay for positional value.
These are all philosophical differences that cannot be changed in the course of a few seasons. When we hear this talk of “changing the culture,” this is what it means. It’s Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor rotating for Suh. It’s a healthy Josh Sitton and Daniel Kilgore in place of an oft-injured Pouncey. It’s Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola for the price of a Jarvis Landry.
The Dolphins are no longer accepting “the (nonsense) that’s gone on in the past,” said Gase. “I feel like we’ve added more guys than we’ve lost, I know free agency, a lot of guys are taken away there, and whether we released guys or traded guys, we’re adding good pieces to the puzzle here.”
Will it work? This will be left for the future to tell, but the vision is becoming clearer with each move. What was not clear was depending on the health of Mike Pouncey. What made little sense was signing Ndamukong Suh in the first place. What would have created an inequitable salary structure was signing Jarvis Landry.
There was a huge sentiment in the media and in the fandom, of a first round Miami Dolphin QB. Hopefully after reading these 1000 words it becomes evident why Miami did not reach to make that pick. Reaching would have been another unreasonable expectation because Ryan Tannehill is Adam Gase’s example of what he wants out of a team player.
If the QB had fallen to Miami, this would not have put that player in the position of being specifically drafted to take over the team. By reaching, Miami would have set the expectation, this is our guy, and this is the new face of the franchise. If the QB had fallen to Miami, the expectation would then have been, “he was there and the positional value was too good not to take him.”
This flies in the face of the logic, “keep drafting a QB until you get it right,” but it doesn’t mean the intention was not there. It means, either there was not enough conviction among the Miami Dolphin brain trust to give up whatever the price may have been to trade up, or they made a calculated decision to wait for the falling star that turned out wrong…
One thing is certain, there is no more time for Ryan Tannehill. The term "nonsense" now applies to injury, overspending without results, and overspending for positional value. There can be many smooth pieces in this puzzle, but only one plays quarterback and in the NFL, it better be the right piece.
Adam Gase is tied at the hip to Ryan Tannehill for one more season. If this puzzle does not produce results, the nonsense shall stop one way or the other…
Defining The Miami Dolphin Puzzle
2018-05-18T09:39:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Jarvis Landry|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|Patrick Tarell|Ryan Tannehill|
Comments
The Miami Dolphin's Best Players = Mediocrity
at
Friday, March 23, 2018
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
Allowing the Miami Dolphin off-season decisions to marinate before joining the brashly negative local and national commentary has brought a new perspective.
What exactly were the Miami Dolphins with Ndamukong Suh, Jarvis Landry and Mike Pouncey?
Is it possible to break the chain of mediocrity without breaking the master links holding it in place?
The Dolphins had the highest paid Defensive player in the league for several seasons. It brought only one very fortuitous lost playoff game. Points allowed in the years with Ndamukong Suh found Miami ranked 29th in 2017, 18th in 2016 and 19th in 2015. The purpose of using these numbers is not a negative indictment of Suh’s athletic prowess. It’s a realization that one of, if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL, is simply not impactful.
A defensive tackle, even the very best defensive tackle, does not often impact games in the NFL…
Many pundits believe Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is better than Suh, 2017 – 22nd, 2016 – 15th, 2015 – 26th… The thing is, McCoy and Suh are really good and their defenses are not. Tampa even has two of the best young LBs in the game and yet, they’re not very good.
The question that must be asked is, what positions are truly impactful in the NFL?
Mike Pouncey made several pro bowl appearances, all while playing on one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The people who judge these things should know which players are good and Pouncey got their vote. Yet, the offensive line as a whole was not good. The conclusion has to be that center is not an impactful position in the NFL.
Pouncey was the leader of that unit and the highest paid player. Again, this is not an indictment against Mike Pouncey’s ability, it’s an observation that his position does not impact the NFL game and yet he was one of the highest paid players on the Miami Dolphins.
Jarvis Landry has caught more passes than any player in their first 4 years in NFL history. In 2017, Miami ranked 28th in offensive scoring, 2016 – 16th, 2015 – 27th, 2014 – 11th. Landry wanted to be paid for his accomplishments, which are clearly elite, but they had little impact on Miami’s offensive prowess.
It seems oversimplified to place the mediocrity of the Miami Dolphins on its best players. Perhaps those players are taking the heat or are justification for the mediocrity of the rest of their teammates, but...
Isn’t that how it works?
Aren’t the best and highest paid players the ones who must make an impact? Not all players can get the big contracts and therefore, the ones that do must make a difference and clearly, they have not.
Getting paid for their talent is exactly what players should strive for, it’s up to the management to decide which players impact the bottom line...
Winning...
It appears winning or lack thereof, is exactly what has led to the release of these players.
As observers, we cannot know precisely what goes on behind the scenes or in the huddle, but we can make some assumptions. Jarvis Landry could not possibly have caught more balls than any player in NFL history if he had not been thrown more balls than any player in NFL history. How can this be true and not an assumption?
Catch rate is a term used to determine the amount of times a receiver catches a ball thrown to him.
Landry 70.2 percent
Amendola 68.7 percent
Landry catches a ball thrown to him 1.5% more often than Danny Amendola, that’s it, 1.5% more often. It is not an assumption that Landry has been targeted many, many more times than Amendola, it's a fact.
This is the point where it all makes sense…
If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect to lead the league in receptions. If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect 25 carries a game (Jay Ajayi).
Paying Landry would have had the same impact as having paid Suh and Pouncey, mediocrity...
All for the exact same reason, a slot receiver is not very impactful…
Suh, Pouncey and Landry, while very good football players have not impacted the mediocre Miami Dolphins. Perhaps it’s justification for past mistakes, like giving Suh the massive contract in the first place. In a bottom line business, Miami was not winning with these guys as the leaders.
The revolving door of head coaches has had no effect and therefore, is not the problem...
The Miami Dolphins have broken the chain of insanity; they have officially stopped doing the same thing over and over again to fix the same problem…
This is only the first step, now the Dolphins must find the impact players that will lead them back to respectability. A great QB, offensive tackles, defensive ends and cornerbacks. These are the impact positions in the game of football.
Paying great players at non-impact positions has little or no effect on the bottom line…
Winning
What exactly were the Miami Dolphins with Ndamukong Suh, Jarvis Landry and Mike Pouncey?
Is it possible to break the chain of mediocrity without breaking the master links holding it in place?
The Dolphins had the highest paid Defensive player in the league for several seasons. It brought only one very fortuitous lost playoff game. Points allowed in the years with Ndamukong Suh found Miami ranked 29th in 2017, 18th in 2016 and 19th in 2015. The purpose of using these numbers is not a negative indictment of Suh’s athletic prowess. It’s a realization that one of, if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL, is simply not impactful.
A defensive tackle, even the very best defensive tackle, does not often impact games in the NFL…
Many pundits believe Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is better than Suh, 2017 – 22nd, 2016 – 15th, 2015 – 26th… The thing is, McCoy and Suh are really good and their defenses are not. Tampa even has two of the best young LBs in the game and yet, they’re not very good.
The question that must be asked is, what positions are truly impactful in the NFL?
Mike Pouncey made several pro bowl appearances, all while playing on one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The people who judge these things should know which players are good and Pouncey got their vote. Yet, the offensive line as a whole was not good. The conclusion has to be that center is not an impactful position in the NFL.
Pouncey was the leader of that unit and the highest paid player. Again, this is not an indictment against Mike Pouncey’s ability, it’s an observation that his position does not impact the NFL game and yet he was one of the highest paid players on the Miami Dolphins.
Jarvis Landry has caught more passes than any player in their first 4 years in NFL history. In 2017, Miami ranked 28th in offensive scoring, 2016 – 16th, 2015 – 27th, 2014 – 11th. Landry wanted to be paid for his accomplishments, which are clearly elite, but they had little impact on Miami’s offensive prowess.
It seems oversimplified to place the mediocrity of the Miami Dolphins on its best players. Perhaps those players are taking the heat or are justification for the mediocrity of the rest of their teammates, but...
Isn’t that how it works?
Aren’t the best and highest paid players the ones who must make an impact? Not all players can get the big contracts and therefore, the ones that do must make a difference and clearly, they have not.
Getting paid for their talent is exactly what players should strive for, it’s up to the management to decide which players impact the bottom line...
Winning...
It appears winning or lack thereof, is exactly what has led to the release of these players.
As observers, we cannot know precisely what goes on behind the scenes or in the huddle, but we can make some assumptions. Jarvis Landry could not possibly have caught more balls than any player in NFL history if he had not been thrown more balls than any player in NFL history. How can this be true and not an assumption?
Catch rate is a term used to determine the amount of times a receiver catches a ball thrown to him.
Landry 70.2 percent
Amendola 68.7 percent
Landry catches a ball thrown to him 1.5% more often than Danny Amendola, that’s it, 1.5% more often. It is not an assumption that Landry has been targeted many, many more times than Amendola, it's a fact.
This is the point where it all makes sense…
If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect to lead the league in receptions. If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect 25 carries a game (Jay Ajayi).
Paying Landry would have had the same impact as having paid Suh and Pouncey, mediocrity...
All for the exact same reason, a slot receiver is not very impactful…
Suh, Pouncey and Landry, while very good football players have not impacted the mediocre Miami Dolphins. Perhaps it’s justification for past mistakes, like giving Suh the massive contract in the first place. In a bottom line business, Miami was not winning with these guys as the leaders.
The revolving door of head coaches has had no effect and therefore, is not the problem...
The Miami Dolphins have broken the chain of insanity; they have officially stopped doing the same thing over and over again to fix the same problem…
This is only the first step, now the Dolphins must find the impact players that will lead them back to respectability. A great QB, offensive tackles, defensive ends and cornerbacks. These are the impact positions in the game of football.
Paying great players at non-impact positions has little or no effect on the bottom line…
Winning
The Miami Dolphin's Best Players = Mediocrity
2018-03-23T09:41:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Danny Amendola|Jarvis Landry|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|
Comments
Miami Dolphins are Playing the Wrong Defense
at
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
After a hopeful 10-6, 2016 season, the Miami Dolphins regressed to 6-10 in 2017. The Vegas lines actually predicted such an outcome. The Dolphins won 12 consecutive games by 7 or less points, a feat that is impossible to sustainable over time.
This team needed to make significant strides in 2017, with more convincing victories, or the statistics would eventually even out against them. Miami endured a mountain of well-documented adversity, including losing their starting QB, which meant getting better in 2017, would be an uphill climb.
The Jay Cutler experiment was made out of desperation and the Miami Dolphins should not be ostracized for making this move. Matt Moore may have made it through a whole season, but his injury history did not indicate this being a serious option. Cutler clearly told Adam Gase he would only return from retirement if he was the starting QB.
Gase and the Dolphins threw the dice, seeing this move as perhaps the only real option to salvage the Miami offense for the 2017 season…
The Dolphins thought they could rely on their defense to make up for the uncertainty on offense, but they were wrong. The problems on offense were expected with the hurry up preparation of Jay Cutler. The holes in the defense came as a surprise and ruined Miami’s season.
The defense began to unravel during the 40 – 0 beat down by the Baltimore Ravens…
Baltimore exposed the gaping holes in the wide 9 alignment by rushing for well over 4 yards per carry. The 4-3 depends on the defensive line to hold up against the run and be dominant in rushing the passer. The wide 9 splits the defensive ends outside the offensive tackles. Baltimore was able to exploit this and open huge gaps in the middle of the defense.
Linebackers, Alonso, Timmons and Maualuga combined for 21 tackles in that game. Defensive linemen, Suh, Godchaux, Harris, Hayes, Philips, Fede, Taylor and Wake combined for just 7 tackles without a single sack…
The big money players on the DL were beaten badly, Suh had 3 tackles and Cameron Wake had none. The linebackers were finishing plays, but not before allowing gashing runs into the second level of the defense.
Miami’s offense gave up two pick sixes and a fumble recovery touchdown in this game. The defense did not seem to be an issue at the time, but the Dolphins were blindsided.
The blame was heaped on Matt Moore, starting for an injured Cutler, but the problem was far deeper. The Ravens forced Miami’s DE’s outside and pulled trapping guards into the resulting gaps, opening up huge running lanes.
Miami needed to get this fixed and they knew it. The LBs would have to play closer to the line and tighten up between the tackles, a safety would need to sneak into the box to assist.
The following week against the Raiders, the rushing lanes were somewhat shutdown, even though the Raiders ran for over 4 YPC, but the effort exposed what would be Miami’s Achilles Heel the rest of the season.
Raider TE Jared Cook slashed Miami’s secondary and LBs for 126 yards and a whopping 15.8 Yards Per Reception. The Dolphins were exposed, they had no answer for TEs or personnel to help solve the problem.
The Miami philosophy of playing from the inside out with a dominant defensive line was proving easy to defeat. In this defense, the 4 DL need to apply max pressure without blitzing because the three linebackers are needed to drop into coverage zones and shut down inside runs.
Miami ranked 27th in sacks per game…
To put that into perspective, 7 of the top 8 teams in sacks per game went to the playoffs and only 1 team in the bottom 8 made it to the dance…
Ndamukong Suh, Andre Branch and Cameron Wake accounted for over 26% of Miami’s 2017 salary cap…
Reshad Jones, Kiko Alonso, Lawrence Timmons, T.J. McDonald, Xavien Howard, Stephone Anthony, Reakwon McMillian, Bobby McCain, Cordrea Tankersley, Tony Lippett and Chase Allen accounted for less than 23% of Miami’s 2017 salary cap…
If there is any question about Miami's defensive philosophy, follow the money…
The problem is, Miami is paying for an ancient scheme that is no longer valid in the NFL…
The Patriots had 221 snaps in Dime (6-DB) Personnel this year and an astounding 161 snaps in Prevent (7-DB). Miami had SEVEN total snaps in a Dime defense. (Thank you whomever I stole these numbers from!) The Patriots faced 3rd & 10 or more on 54 snaps this year and yet they played 6 or more DBs on 382 snaps.
The Miami Dolphins used the Dime package only 7 times…
Of course Miami couldn’t cover tight ends, they were depending on low paid LBs and secondary when the rest of the NFL has evolved hybrid players capable of covering and assisting the run. Miami spent over one fourth of its salary cap on a defensive line that ranked 27th in sacks per game.
The Miami defense ranked 16th overall in 2017, 16th against the pass and 14th against the run…
On the surface, the defense looks average but because of the disparity between DL and the rest of the defense, Miami was a disaster at stopping crucial 3rd and long situations. Consider these stats…
3rd and 10 or more yards:
Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Y/A Y/C
34 46 73.9 396 8.6 11.6
74% percent of the passes thrown against the Miami defense on 3rd and 10 or more yards were completed for an average of 11.6 YPC. This is atrocious and worse, these plays, that could get the defense off the field, are demoralizing.
On the opposite side, offenses converting these plays are laughing at the Miami defense…
30 total sacks for one of the highest paid position groups in the NFL…
All of this is not pointing out that the Miami DL is bad. It’s showing that the Miami philosophy of paying for a great defensive line is a faulty premise that no longer works in the NFL.
The ball comes out too quickly for DL to get to the passer. If the QB can run (Tyrod Taylor) the DL is not fast enough to contain him. Once the defense has stopped the opponent for 3rd and long, there are not enough good players in the secondary to finish the series.
It’s very apparent Miami needs to change its defensive strategy…
More to come on what changes could be made.
This team needed to make significant strides in 2017, with more convincing victories, or the statistics would eventually even out against them. Miami endured a mountain of well-documented adversity, including losing their starting QB, which meant getting better in 2017, would be an uphill climb.
The Jay Cutler experiment was made out of desperation and the Miami Dolphins should not be ostracized for making this move. Matt Moore may have made it through a whole season, but his injury history did not indicate this being a serious option. Cutler clearly told Adam Gase he would only return from retirement if he was the starting QB.
Gase and the Dolphins threw the dice, seeing this move as perhaps the only real option to salvage the Miami offense for the 2017 season…
The Dolphins thought they could rely on their defense to make up for the uncertainty on offense, but they were wrong. The problems on offense were expected with the hurry up preparation of Jay Cutler. The holes in the defense came as a surprise and ruined Miami’s season.
The defense began to unravel during the 40 – 0 beat down by the Baltimore Ravens…
Baltimore exposed the gaping holes in the wide 9 alignment by rushing for well over 4 yards per carry. The 4-3 depends on the defensive line to hold up against the run and be dominant in rushing the passer. The wide 9 splits the defensive ends outside the offensive tackles. Baltimore was able to exploit this and open huge gaps in the middle of the defense.
Linebackers, Alonso, Timmons and Maualuga combined for 21 tackles in that game. Defensive linemen, Suh, Godchaux, Harris, Hayes, Philips, Fede, Taylor and Wake combined for just 7 tackles without a single sack…
The big money players on the DL were beaten badly, Suh had 3 tackles and Cameron Wake had none. The linebackers were finishing plays, but not before allowing gashing runs into the second level of the defense.
Miami’s offense gave up two pick sixes and a fumble recovery touchdown in this game. The defense did not seem to be an issue at the time, but the Dolphins were blindsided.
The blame was heaped on Matt Moore, starting for an injured Cutler, but the problem was far deeper. The Ravens forced Miami’s DE’s outside and pulled trapping guards into the resulting gaps, opening up huge running lanes.
Miami needed to get this fixed and they knew it. The LBs would have to play closer to the line and tighten up between the tackles, a safety would need to sneak into the box to assist.
The following week against the Raiders, the rushing lanes were somewhat shutdown, even though the Raiders ran for over 4 YPC, but the effort exposed what would be Miami’s Achilles Heel the rest of the season.
Raider TE Jared Cook slashed Miami’s secondary and LBs for 126 yards and a whopping 15.8 Yards Per Reception. The Dolphins were exposed, they had no answer for TEs or personnel to help solve the problem.
The Miami philosophy of playing from the inside out with a dominant defensive line was proving easy to defeat. In this defense, the 4 DL need to apply max pressure without blitzing because the three linebackers are needed to drop into coverage zones and shut down inside runs.
Miami ranked 27th in sacks per game…
To put that into perspective, 7 of the top 8 teams in sacks per game went to the playoffs and only 1 team in the bottom 8 made it to the dance…
Ndamukong Suh, Andre Branch and Cameron Wake accounted for over 26% of Miami’s 2017 salary cap…
Reshad Jones, Kiko Alonso, Lawrence Timmons, T.J. McDonald, Xavien Howard, Stephone Anthony, Reakwon McMillian, Bobby McCain, Cordrea Tankersley, Tony Lippett and Chase Allen accounted for less than 23% of Miami’s 2017 salary cap…
If there is any question about Miami's defensive philosophy, follow the money…
The problem is, Miami is paying for an ancient scheme that is no longer valid in the NFL…
The Patriots had 221 snaps in Dime (6-DB) Personnel this year and an astounding 161 snaps in Prevent (7-DB). Miami had SEVEN total snaps in a Dime defense. (Thank you whomever I stole these numbers from!) The Patriots faced 3rd & 10 or more on 54 snaps this year and yet they played 6 or more DBs on 382 snaps.
The Miami Dolphins used the Dime package only 7 times…
Of course Miami couldn’t cover tight ends, they were depending on low paid LBs and secondary when the rest of the NFL has evolved hybrid players capable of covering and assisting the run. Miami spent over one fourth of its salary cap on a defensive line that ranked 27th in sacks per game.
The Miami defense ranked 16th overall in 2017, 16th against the pass and 14th against the run…
On the surface, the defense looks average but because of the disparity between DL and the rest of the defense, Miami was a disaster at stopping crucial 3rd and long situations. Consider these stats…
3rd and 10 or more yards:
Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Y/A Y/C
34 46 73.9 396 8.6 11.6
74% percent of the passes thrown against the Miami defense on 3rd and 10 or more yards were completed for an average of 11.6 YPC. This is atrocious and worse, these plays, that could get the defense off the field, are demoralizing.
On the opposite side, offenses converting these plays are laughing at the Miami defense…
30 total sacks for one of the highest paid position groups in the NFL…
All of this is not pointing out that the Miami DL is bad. It’s showing that the Miami philosophy of paying for a great defensive line is a faulty premise that no longer works in the NFL.
The ball comes out too quickly for DL to get to the passer. If the QB can run (Tyrod Taylor) the DL is not fast enough to contain him. Once the defense has stopped the opponent for 3rd and long, there are not enough good players in the secondary to finish the series.
It’s very apparent Miami needs to change its defensive strategy…
More to come on what changes could be made.
Miami Dolphins are Playing the Wrong Defense
2018-01-11T13:38:00-05:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|Andre Branch|Cameron Wake|Matt Burke|Miami Dolphins|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|
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A Long Day Ahead for the Miami Dolphins
at
Monday, November 20, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
This Miami Dolphin article could be about horrendous officiating, or repugnant play from Jay Cutler, or a defensive letdown after Matt Moore brought Miami back from the dead, but it’s really about the future. Because “at the end of the day,” no one is really sure what the future is for the Miami Dolphins?
Not to offend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they are not a very good football team, yet they made Miami look bad. So bad, it is hard to envision this team competing against even a mediocre NFL schedule. Let’s do a little rundown of what the future looks like for the Miami Dolphins' offense. We’ll start from the top and work our way down.
Adam Gase… He’s fiery, easy to like, gives off the air of intelligence. He knows all the buzz phrases, “at the end of the day.” Between Gase and Ndamukong Suh we hear so much about the end of the day that it’s no wonder Miami can’t figure out how to start the day or a play for that matter. It seems obvious as the penalties mount, his players don’t get the idea that, “at the end of the day,” all those penalties committed during the day equal a losing football team.
Gase is stubborn to a gaping fault. At the end of the day, the end of last week, the end of the week before, even a casual fan can see, starting a day with Jay Cutler is a losing proposition. Not Adam Gase, he’s the quarterback whisperer, he can make a 12 year losing QB into something he’s never been, a winner. Sorry Adam, climb down from the Whisperer Platform or “at the end of the day,” you’ll be joining the Jay Cutler Fired Coaches Association.
There are other issues creeping through the new-coach beer goggles, but we’ll stay at the QB position because, “at the end of the day,” the NFL game is really about having a great QB… Or not. Miami is definitely on the NOT side. Cutler clearly is a NOT, but Adam Gase believes the players around him are more at fault for his pathetic play than Cutler himself. This is an issue for a coach who will trade his best running back for disagreeing with him. Because, “at the end of the day,” no other player is going to come forward and suggest Jay Cutler sucks for the sake of his own welfare.
“At the end of the day,” Jay Cutler will not be playing in Miami next season. The Miami Dolphins have injured QB Ryan Tannehill ready to make a full recovery. The QB whisperer can surely turn this 7 year mediocre passer into Tom Brady just look at what he’s done with Jay Cutler… NOT! There’s no magic potion for Tannehill, there’s no epiphany that can change a man from what he is, into what you’d like him to be.
“At the end of the day,” Miami does not have a great QB on this roster, not injured, not Doughty, not Moore. There is none, but there’s some new-coach beer goggles that disagrees and this is a huge problem. It means there’s no future hope, “at the end of the day,” all Miami fans can have to look forward to is, more mediocre football. Tannehill is not the answer and if Miami does not address this in the next draft, this article will show up again about the same time next year.
Now let’s be realistic about this offensive line, it’s sucked about as long as it’s leader, Mike Pouncey has been at center. “At the end of the day,” we have to take a long look at why all those first down runs up the middle get stuffed, time after time, after time. If Mike Pouncey is your proclaimed best offensive lineman than obviously something is really wrong here. Every other position on the line has been like watching a carousel go round and round when perhaps the problem is the one you haven’t fixed.
Coach, us laypeople don’t know how NFL locker rooms work or how the NFL drug testing works, “but at the end of the day,” we’ve been around this block long enough to know what a stoner looks like. In this politically correct world, no one can say what they really think, but we all know what it looks like. When there’s a coach sending videos of himself sniffing white stuff and there are players with glassy eyes and stupid grins, we know what it looks like.
When an offensive line jumps off-sides time, after time, after time… We know what it looks like.
Aside from DeVante Parker being perpetually injured, the wide receivers are solid. The running backs are dependent largely on the offensive line play and are easy to acquire so there’s no issue at those positions, but tight end? It seems as though the position has been an afterthought and will probably continue to be so for the foreseeable future. “At the end of the day,” Miami has too many other issues to address the tight end any time soon.
“At the end of the day,” how about the kind people on this blog discussing these offensive thoughts before delving into the other side of the ball. The unspoken issue in Miami is a coach who has strapped his immediate future to a losing QB and has placed his team’s long-term future in the hands of mediocrity. “At the end of the day,” as long as the quarterback and center positions remain the same, so will the fortunes of the Miami Dolphins.
It’s looking like a long, long day ahead…
Not to offend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they are not a very good football team, yet they made Miami look bad. So bad, it is hard to envision this team competing against even a mediocre NFL schedule. Let’s do a little rundown of what the future looks like for the Miami Dolphins' offense. We’ll start from the top and work our way down.
Adam Gase… He’s fiery, easy to like, gives off the air of intelligence. He knows all the buzz phrases, “at the end of the day.” Between Gase and Ndamukong Suh we hear so much about the end of the day that it’s no wonder Miami can’t figure out how to start the day or a play for that matter. It seems obvious as the penalties mount, his players don’t get the idea that, “at the end of the day,” all those penalties committed during the day equal a losing football team.
Gase is stubborn to a gaping fault. At the end of the day, the end of last week, the end of the week before, even a casual fan can see, starting a day with Jay Cutler is a losing proposition. Not Adam Gase, he’s the quarterback whisperer, he can make a 12 year losing QB into something he’s never been, a winner. Sorry Adam, climb down from the Whisperer Platform or “at the end of the day,” you’ll be joining the Jay Cutler Fired Coaches Association.
There are other issues creeping through the new-coach beer goggles, but we’ll stay at the QB position because, “at the end of the day,” the NFL game is really about having a great QB… Or not. Miami is definitely on the NOT side. Cutler clearly is a NOT, but Adam Gase believes the players around him are more at fault for his pathetic play than Cutler himself. This is an issue for a coach who will trade his best running back for disagreeing with him. Because, “at the end of the day,” no other player is going to come forward and suggest Jay Cutler sucks for the sake of his own welfare.
“At the end of the day,” Jay Cutler will not be playing in Miami next season. The Miami Dolphins have injured QB Ryan Tannehill ready to make a full recovery. The QB whisperer can surely turn this 7 year mediocre passer into Tom Brady just look at what he’s done with Jay Cutler… NOT! There’s no magic potion for Tannehill, there’s no epiphany that can change a man from what he is, into what you’d like him to be.
“At the end of the day,” Miami does not have a great QB on this roster, not injured, not Doughty, not Moore. There is none, but there’s some new-coach beer goggles that disagrees and this is a huge problem. It means there’s no future hope, “at the end of the day,” all Miami fans can have to look forward to is, more mediocre football. Tannehill is not the answer and if Miami does not address this in the next draft, this article will show up again about the same time next year.
Now let’s be realistic about this offensive line, it’s sucked about as long as it’s leader, Mike Pouncey has been at center. “At the end of the day,” we have to take a long look at why all those first down runs up the middle get stuffed, time after time, after time. If Mike Pouncey is your proclaimed best offensive lineman than obviously something is really wrong here. Every other position on the line has been like watching a carousel go round and round when perhaps the problem is the one you haven’t fixed.
Coach, us laypeople don’t know how NFL locker rooms work or how the NFL drug testing works, “but at the end of the day,” we’ve been around this block long enough to know what a stoner looks like. In this politically correct world, no one can say what they really think, but we all know what it looks like. When there’s a coach sending videos of himself sniffing white stuff and there are players with glassy eyes and stupid grins, we know what it looks like.
When an offensive line jumps off-sides time, after time, after time… We know what it looks like.
Aside from DeVante Parker being perpetually injured, the wide receivers are solid. The running backs are dependent largely on the offensive line play and are easy to acquire so there’s no issue at those positions, but tight end? It seems as though the position has been an afterthought and will probably continue to be so for the foreseeable future. “At the end of the day,” Miami has too many other issues to address the tight end any time soon.
“At the end of the day,” how about the kind people on this blog discussing these offensive thoughts before delving into the other side of the ball. The unspoken issue in Miami is a coach who has strapped his immediate future to a losing QB and has placed his team’s long-term future in the hands of mediocrity. “At the end of the day,” as long as the quarterback and center positions remain the same, so will the fortunes of the Miami Dolphins.
It’s looking like a long, long day ahead…
A Long Day Ahead for the Miami Dolphins
2017-11-20T07:46:00-05:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Jay Cutler|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|Ryan Tannehill|tampa bay bucs|
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Dolphins Officially Defeated by the Raiders
at
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
The Miami Dolphins are 4-4 at the midpoint of the season and perhaps it’s expected from a mediocre team with stars that don’t shine at critical moments. Aside from Ndamukong Suh, the rest of Miami’s defensive “playmakers” took the night off, particularly on third down. Exasperation mounted on every third-and-long the Raiders made with inexplicable ease.
The joke in Oakland must have been Kiko Alonso in man coverage. According to the Miami Herald’s Adam H. Beasley, Alonso allowed five catches for 82 yards to Jared Cook and gave up a 12-yard pass to Michael Crabtree. Five of the six catches went for a minimum of 10 yards, including four third-and-long conversions.
It took Matt Burke a full quarter to switch from man coverage, to a holier than Swiss cheese zone. The zone was not helped by Cameron Wake who had only one tackle and no QB pressures. The poor defense also featured Rashad Jones trailing badly on third down and TD receptions.
There simply was no pressure on third down, no pass rush and with LBs and secondary unable to play man coverage, Burke could not blitz. For the second consecutive home game, the sod at Hard Rock Stadium came out of the ground in divots that would make Tiger Woods proud. These games each followed a Miami Hurricane home game the previous night and the next home game will also follow a Hurricane’s home game.
Stay calm Adam Gase, hopefully this is the worst the NFL can throw at a young coach when the officiating crew piles it on. On the surface, the crew for the Raiders game can point to parity in numbers as a justification of fairness. The Dolphins committed 11 penalties for 107 yards Sunday, including five in the fourth quarter. Oakland had 10 penalties for 105 yards, parity right? It was timing of these penalties that destroyed Miami.
Gase said. “We'd start a series out and Damien [Williams] has a huge play and we've got a holding call and we're on the 20. Who knows, maybe if we don't get the holding call he gets tackled at 10 yards, but we'll take, so it's not first-and-12 or whatever.” On a play with 12:46 left in regulation and the Dolphins down four. Williams caught a short pass, got to the right edge and raced down the sidelines. A big-gainer, wiped out because Jarvis Landry held. The Dolphins’ drive stalled immediately thereafter. Three minutes later, on another possession with good field position, Kenyan Drake ran for four yards on first down.Mike Pouncey held turning a second-and-6 into first-and-20, another Dolphins drive squandered.
The defense had two late secondary penalties on Oakland’s game-winning touchdown. A Xavien Howard pass interference call gave the Raiders a first-and-goal at the 3. It was perhaps the only legitimate penalty in the game. The Raiders got to that position because of a highly questionable flag thrown on the play before. The Raiders converted third-and-6 when Derek Carr connected with Seth Roberts for 29 yards along the right sideline. But the refs tacked on 15 more by saying Reshad Jones illegally hit a defenseless receiver – a debatable call, to say the least. Jones said after the game that there was nothing he could have done differently on the play.
The Dolphins still had a slight chance to make it a game late, but Jermon Bushrod all but ended that by holding on fourth-and-9, wiping out a 14-yard completion to Julius Thomas.
The Dolphins average of 7.5 accepted penalties per game. Many of these flags can be thrown on any play in an NFL game, yet the officials chose to pull the flag every time Miami made a play that would change the momentum of the game. Fans turn away when it appears officials dictate the outcome of games. Why bother playing or watching a game decided by referees?
Pointing fingers at officials inevitably leads to the standard comments about being poor losers, etc. The Dolphins have to figure it out or they will end up like the Miami Hurricanes with yellow flags littered field and officials dictating the outcome. Plays like Drake fumbling at the 18-yard line do not help overcome a flag filled game.
Miami must generate pressure from its defensive line. The DL features the highly paid Suh, Wake and Branch, plus 1st round draft pick Harris. Wake cannot come up empty and leave it on Alonso to cover receivers for 4 to 5 seconds. The defense will only go as far as the DL takes them. Suh played a great game, his diving strip-sack should have won the game if not for the flag happy referees.
If Miami is going to depend on speed rushing ends to generate pressure the playing surface must be built for speed. This surface is hindering Miami from getting the best performance from their best players. The field must be repaired or replaced.
In a season that has moved from one calamity to the next, add the field and the officials to the list of obstacles this Miami Dolphin team must learn to overcome.
The joke in Oakland must have been Kiko Alonso in man coverage. According to the Miami Herald’s Adam H. Beasley, Alonso allowed five catches for 82 yards to Jared Cook and gave up a 12-yard pass to Michael Crabtree. Five of the six catches went for a minimum of 10 yards, including four third-and-long conversions.
It took Matt Burke a full quarter to switch from man coverage, to a holier than Swiss cheese zone. The zone was not helped by Cameron Wake who had only one tackle and no QB pressures. The poor defense also featured Rashad Jones trailing badly on third down and TD receptions.
There simply was no pressure on third down, no pass rush and with LBs and secondary unable to play man coverage, Burke could not blitz. For the second consecutive home game, the sod at Hard Rock Stadium came out of the ground in divots that would make Tiger Woods proud. These games each followed a Miami Hurricane home game the previous night and the next home game will also follow a Hurricane’s home game.
Stay calm Adam Gase, hopefully this is the worst the NFL can throw at a young coach when the officiating crew piles it on. On the surface, the crew for the Raiders game can point to parity in numbers as a justification of fairness. The Dolphins committed 11 penalties for 107 yards Sunday, including five in the fourth quarter. Oakland had 10 penalties for 105 yards, parity right? It was timing of these penalties that destroyed Miami.
Gase said. “We'd start a series out and Damien [Williams] has a huge play and we've got a holding call and we're on the 20. Who knows, maybe if we don't get the holding call he gets tackled at 10 yards, but we'll take, so it's not first-and-12 or whatever.” On a play with 12:46 left in regulation and the Dolphins down four. Williams caught a short pass, got to the right edge and raced down the sidelines. A big-gainer, wiped out because Jarvis Landry held. The Dolphins’ drive stalled immediately thereafter. Three minutes later, on another possession with good field position, Kenyan Drake ran for four yards on first down.Mike Pouncey held turning a second-and-6 into first-and-20, another Dolphins drive squandered.
The defense had two late secondary penalties on Oakland’s game-winning touchdown. A Xavien Howard pass interference call gave the Raiders a first-and-goal at the 3. It was perhaps the only legitimate penalty in the game. The Raiders got to that position because of a highly questionable flag thrown on the play before. The Raiders converted third-and-6 when Derek Carr connected with Seth Roberts for 29 yards along the right sideline. But the refs tacked on 15 more by saying Reshad Jones illegally hit a defenseless receiver – a debatable call, to say the least. Jones said after the game that there was nothing he could have done differently on the play.
The Dolphins still had a slight chance to make it a game late, but Jermon Bushrod all but ended that by holding on fourth-and-9, wiping out a 14-yard completion to Julius Thomas.
The Dolphins average of 7.5 accepted penalties per game. Many of these flags can be thrown on any play in an NFL game, yet the officials chose to pull the flag every time Miami made a play that would change the momentum of the game. Fans turn away when it appears officials dictate the outcome of games. Why bother playing or watching a game decided by referees?
Pointing fingers at officials inevitably leads to the standard comments about being poor losers, etc. The Dolphins have to figure it out or they will end up like the Miami Hurricanes with yellow flags littered field and officials dictating the outcome. Plays like Drake fumbling at the 18-yard line do not help overcome a flag filled game.
Miami must generate pressure from its defensive line. The DL features the highly paid Suh, Wake and Branch, plus 1st round draft pick Harris. Wake cannot come up empty and leave it on Alonso to cover receivers for 4 to 5 seconds. The defense will only go as far as the DL takes them. Suh played a great game, his diving strip-sack should have won the game if not for the flag happy referees.
If Miami is going to depend on speed rushing ends to generate pressure the playing surface must be built for speed. This surface is hindering Miami from getting the best performance from their best players. The field must be repaired or replaced.
In a season that has moved from one calamity to the next, add the field and the officials to the list of obstacles this Miami Dolphin team must learn to overcome.
Dolphins Officially Defeated by the Raiders
2017-11-07T08:40:00-05:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Andre Branch|Cameron Wake|Charles Harris|Damien Williams|Hard Rock Stadium|Jarvis Landry|Kenyan Drake|Kiko Alonso|Miami Dolphins|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|Rashad Jones|
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Miami Dolphins Implode on National TV
at
Friday, October 27, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
Debacle is a mild word for this abysmal performance…
40-0
Let me type that again: 40-0
There it is. How much more can be said without getting sucked into the same vortex that sank the Miami Dolphins? What is it with the Ravens? It seems Miami always saves the worst for Baltimore, but it was more than that, the Dolphins were exposed.
An article earlier this week explained Miami’s O-Line deficiency when facing a 3-4 defense, it was starkly apparent on Thursday night. Mike Pouncey cannot block big strong nose tackles one-on-one and consequently, he needs help. The moment one of the guards slides over to help Pouncey, the “A” gap opens like a can of Busch Beer. Free running blitzers attacked Matt Moore or Jay Ajayi with the same whooshing sound.
It may have been the sound of the air coming out of Miami’s season…
Mike Pouncey might be a really good technician. He might be really good at making line calls. He might be really good at sealing a zone, but he cannot block one-on-one. Was Adam Gase making a case to explain to himself why Miami needs a better center? Gase called the same running play into the “A” gap on first down, after first down, after first down. I know all the experts proclaim Pouncey as the best Miami offensive lineman. I guess I’m just too stupid to know I’m too stupid and Pouncey is really good.
As casual fans, we’re not capable of understanding the subtle nuances. I’m sure Adam Gase will proclaim Mike Pouncey played, “an outstanding game last night.” Sorry Adam, Pouncey was pathetic. I know, I’m just too stupid to know I’m too stupid.
These excuses, intangibles or nuances we fans don't understand will mean nothing to next nine teams the Miami Dolphins play. As Gase is fond of saying, “The film don’t lie.” Every team playing Miami will sign a couple 350 pound nose tackles to attack the weakness, Mike Pouncey.
Was this a pre-season game? It certainly seemed as if Gase was working off a play sheet with only 3 plays. Ajayi into the middle of the line, Ajayi into the middle of the line, Ajayi into the middle of the line. By the time Matt Moore dropped back to pass, the entire stadium was pinning their ears back and whooshing through the “A” gap. Damien Williams couldn’t decide which free runner to block and just whiffed on them all.
Miami had no answer to the Ravens. Zone blocking doesn’t work against a 3-4 defense with three large defensive tackles coming straight ahead and blitzing LBs swarming behind. Adam Gase looked as lost as his team, calling play after play straight into the defense. A few screen passes were attempted but telegraphed to the point where the Ravens zipped past Pouncey before Matt Moore could even catch the snap.
That was the “0” part of the score, what happened on the 40 side was easier to understand when two Matt Moore pick sixes are included.
The defense started okay and kept Miami in the game, but the short week and a complete lack of offense caught up to them. By the third quarter, the defense was spent… Frustration became apparent about the time Kiko Alonso decapitated Joe Flacco. He didn’t hit the QB with his helmet, but the blow was brutal and started a melee. The image of Flacco rising loopy from the ground, raising his finger and calling the parking lot attendant, was classic.
The chippy play continued until punk QB Ryan Mallett, who replaced Flacco, learned a quick lesson about bating an angry Ndamukong Suh. Suh lifted him off the ground by his neck and stared him down. The fear in Mallett’s eyes was palpable and from then on the game was a matter of getting it done.
Burke’s defensive coaching was as questionable as Gases offensive offense. The Ravens pulled a play from tony Sparano’s book and lined up unbalanced with two tackles on one side and a TE on the other. Burke did not respond until the fourth quarter. The Miami defense did not adjust and Baltimore ran the play again and again and again.
Thank you NFL for taking another swipe at the Miami Dolphins. After scheduling the team to travel 14,000 miles in three weeks, Miami also had to endure an away game on Thursday night. It was completely obvious, Miami was not prepared to play this game. The long week ahead is the only redeeming factor in a season now minus a bye week.
40-0
Let that resonate… 40-0
It will be interesting to see how Miami responds. This season, by all accounts, was over before it started and somehow the Dolphins are still alive. It’s just a single game in a long season…
We R Not Normal
Miami will be back.
40-0
Let me type that again: 40-0
There it is. How much more can be said without getting sucked into the same vortex that sank the Miami Dolphins? What is it with the Ravens? It seems Miami always saves the worst for Baltimore, but it was more than that, the Dolphins were exposed.
An article earlier this week explained Miami’s O-Line deficiency when facing a 3-4 defense, it was starkly apparent on Thursday night. Mike Pouncey cannot block big strong nose tackles one-on-one and consequently, he needs help. The moment one of the guards slides over to help Pouncey, the “A” gap opens like a can of Busch Beer. Free running blitzers attacked Matt Moore or Jay Ajayi with the same whooshing sound.
It may have been the sound of the air coming out of Miami’s season…
Mike Pouncey might be a really good technician. He might be really good at making line calls. He might be really good at sealing a zone, but he cannot block one-on-one. Was Adam Gase making a case to explain to himself why Miami needs a better center? Gase called the same running play into the “A” gap on first down, after first down, after first down. I know all the experts proclaim Pouncey as the best Miami offensive lineman. I guess I’m just too stupid to know I’m too stupid and Pouncey is really good.
As casual fans, we’re not capable of understanding the subtle nuances. I’m sure Adam Gase will proclaim Mike Pouncey played, “an outstanding game last night.” Sorry Adam, Pouncey was pathetic. I know, I’m just too stupid to know I’m too stupid.
These excuses, intangibles or nuances we fans don't understand will mean nothing to next nine teams the Miami Dolphins play. As Gase is fond of saying, “The film don’t lie.” Every team playing Miami will sign a couple 350 pound nose tackles to attack the weakness, Mike Pouncey.
Was this a pre-season game? It certainly seemed as if Gase was working off a play sheet with only 3 plays. Ajayi into the middle of the line, Ajayi into the middle of the line, Ajayi into the middle of the line. By the time Matt Moore dropped back to pass, the entire stadium was pinning their ears back and whooshing through the “A” gap. Damien Williams couldn’t decide which free runner to block and just whiffed on them all.
Miami had no answer to the Ravens. Zone blocking doesn’t work against a 3-4 defense with three large defensive tackles coming straight ahead and blitzing LBs swarming behind. Adam Gase looked as lost as his team, calling play after play straight into the defense. A few screen passes were attempted but telegraphed to the point where the Ravens zipped past Pouncey before Matt Moore could even catch the snap.
That was the “0” part of the score, what happened on the 40 side was easier to understand when two Matt Moore pick sixes are included.
The defense started okay and kept Miami in the game, but the short week and a complete lack of offense caught up to them. By the third quarter, the defense was spent… Frustration became apparent about the time Kiko Alonso decapitated Joe Flacco. He didn’t hit the QB with his helmet, but the blow was brutal and started a melee. The image of Flacco rising loopy from the ground, raising his finger and calling the parking lot attendant, was classic.
The chippy play continued until punk QB Ryan Mallett, who replaced Flacco, learned a quick lesson about bating an angry Ndamukong Suh. Suh lifted him off the ground by his neck and stared him down. The fear in Mallett’s eyes was palpable and from then on the game was a matter of getting it done.
Burke’s defensive coaching was as questionable as Gases offensive offense. The Ravens pulled a play from tony Sparano’s book and lined up unbalanced with two tackles on one side and a TE on the other. Burke did not respond until the fourth quarter. The Miami defense did not adjust and Baltimore ran the play again and again and again.
Thank you NFL for taking another swipe at the Miami Dolphins. After scheduling the team to travel 14,000 miles in three weeks, Miami also had to endure an away game on Thursday night. It was completely obvious, Miami was not prepared to play this game. The long week ahead is the only redeeming factor in a season now minus a bye week.
40-0
Let that resonate… 40-0
It will be interesting to see how Miami responds. This season, by all accounts, was over before it started and somehow the Dolphins are still alive. It’s just a single game in a long season…
We R Not Normal
Miami will be back.
Miami Dolphins Implode on National TV
2017-10-27T09:07:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Baltimore Ravens|Jay Ajayi|Joe Flacco|Matt Burke|Matt Moore|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|Ryan Mallett|Tony Sporano|
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The Dolphin Defense Flounders as Jay Cutler Shines
at
Monday, August 28, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
The
sense coming into the third preseason game was the Miami defense would
need to carry the team until the offense found its swagger. Jay Cutler
needed time to shake off the rust and find a rhythm with his receivers.
The opposite proved true, Adam Gase’s offense quickly adjusted to
Cutler’s quick release and carved up the Eagles secondary, while the
Miami defense struggled mightily.
Jay Ajayi slashed and bruised his way through the Philadelphia defense for nearly 6-yards a carry and even Mike Pouncey walked away smiling. The Cutler signing looked almost prophetic as Matt Moore threw two ugly interceptions, one resulting in a pick six. With the Dolphins threatening to score, Moore tossed a rookie INT into two defenders with no Miami player close enough to contest.
If anything, the 38-31 loss to the Eagles seemed to vindicate Adam Gase’s decision to pull Jay Cutler out of retirement for one last shot at something special. The offensive line mostly held its own with Mike Pouncey out of bubble wrap for the first time this preseason. An ugly missed block by left tackle Laremy Tunsil caused Cutler’s only bad play, a strip sack-fumble leading to an Eagle TD. Both Tunsil and right tackle Ja’Wuan James looked slow and unprepared for live game action.
21 dynamic points with Jay Cutler at the helm, showed the Miami offense did not miss a beat without Ryan Tannehill. In fact, Cutler was noticeably more at ease in Gase’s offense after only 18 days in Miami, than Tannehill had been in a full season. With the playbook relegated to only a few pages, it should be quite interesting to see the transformation with a full arsenal on display. Cutler seemed particularly eager to find DeVante Parker in one on one situations and their 72 yard hook-up was a teaser of things to come.
The Miami defense on the other hand did not look much different than where it left off ranked 30th in the NFL last season. There were a couple of bursts in the first quarter, including a tipped ball interception that saw 340 pound Jordan Phillips rumble to the 2 yard line, but overall, the defense was not good. Byron Maxwell lost interest in coverage resulting in a 50 yard TD completion to Alshon Jeffery. Bobby McCain was caught flat footed on multiple occasions and hopefully Reshad Jones was simply rusty because his tackling was pathetic.
Key defensive free agent acquisition Lawrence Timmons looked incredibly slow reacting at the point of attack. The step Timmons was rumored to have lost, did not come from his feet, but rather in his inability to recognize the play before being blocked out of it. It was not a good sign for Miami, when Timmons looked lost for much of the evening. For whatever reason, Kiko Alonso and Ndamukong Suh did not appear to be interested in the game as their names were rarely called.
Playing T. J. McDonald at safety seemed counter-productive when the player will be lost to suspension for the first 8 games of the season. Obviously, Nate Allen was nursing some vague injury, but aside from Xavien Howard, the Miami secondary had trouble in staying with Eagle receivers the entire night. With blown coverages all over the field and missed tackles, Matt Burke’s defense looked a long way from being ready to open the season in two weeks.
Before reading too deeply into negative reactions, this was a preseason game and for the defense, it certainly looked the part. There is work to be done all over the defense, from the line play, to linebacker positionings and in the secondary. The positive is the plethora of opportunities Miami coaches will have to teach from the many mistakes.
In all, the Miami Dolphins can safely place the loss of Ryan Tannehill behind them in the mental preparation for the season. Jay Cutler is going to be just fine and may even be the NFL’s biggest surprise. The concentration should now be centered on getting the offensive line playing together, healthy and in sync.
On the defensive side, there simply must be more intensity. In this game, there were a few moments of true dominance, but far too often poor execution led to costly chucks of yardage and touch downs.
Suh’s name was not called, Alonso’s name was not called, Jones’ and Maxwell’s names were called for all the wrong reasons. If these guys are joining Cameron Wake as the money players on this defense, then they’re going to have to strap it up and bring some conviction. After spending two days practicing against the Eagles, Lawrence Timmons' lack of anticipation should be a huge concern.
It’s a preseason game, and drawing too many conclusions from these games is a mistake…
The Dolphins now have a very good read on what they need to sure up over the next two weeks.
They can do that with a comforting sigh knowing the loss of Ryan Tannehill will have little or no impact on the season’s outcome.
Welcome to Miami Jay Cutler!
Jay Ajayi slashed and bruised his way through the Philadelphia defense for nearly 6-yards a carry and even Mike Pouncey walked away smiling. The Cutler signing looked almost prophetic as Matt Moore threw two ugly interceptions, one resulting in a pick six. With the Dolphins threatening to score, Moore tossed a rookie INT into two defenders with no Miami player close enough to contest.
If anything, the 38-31 loss to the Eagles seemed to vindicate Adam Gase’s decision to pull Jay Cutler out of retirement for one last shot at something special. The offensive line mostly held its own with Mike Pouncey out of bubble wrap for the first time this preseason. An ugly missed block by left tackle Laremy Tunsil caused Cutler’s only bad play, a strip sack-fumble leading to an Eagle TD. Both Tunsil and right tackle Ja’Wuan James looked slow and unprepared for live game action.
21 dynamic points with Jay Cutler at the helm, showed the Miami offense did not miss a beat without Ryan Tannehill. In fact, Cutler was noticeably more at ease in Gase’s offense after only 18 days in Miami, than Tannehill had been in a full season. With the playbook relegated to only a few pages, it should be quite interesting to see the transformation with a full arsenal on display. Cutler seemed particularly eager to find DeVante Parker in one on one situations and their 72 yard hook-up was a teaser of things to come.
The Miami defense on the other hand did not look much different than where it left off ranked 30th in the NFL last season. There were a couple of bursts in the first quarter, including a tipped ball interception that saw 340 pound Jordan Phillips rumble to the 2 yard line, but overall, the defense was not good. Byron Maxwell lost interest in coverage resulting in a 50 yard TD completion to Alshon Jeffery. Bobby McCain was caught flat footed on multiple occasions and hopefully Reshad Jones was simply rusty because his tackling was pathetic.
Key defensive free agent acquisition Lawrence Timmons looked incredibly slow reacting at the point of attack. The step Timmons was rumored to have lost, did not come from his feet, but rather in his inability to recognize the play before being blocked out of it. It was not a good sign for Miami, when Timmons looked lost for much of the evening. For whatever reason, Kiko Alonso and Ndamukong Suh did not appear to be interested in the game as their names were rarely called.
Playing T. J. McDonald at safety seemed counter-productive when the player will be lost to suspension for the first 8 games of the season. Obviously, Nate Allen was nursing some vague injury, but aside from Xavien Howard, the Miami secondary had trouble in staying with Eagle receivers the entire night. With blown coverages all over the field and missed tackles, Matt Burke’s defense looked a long way from being ready to open the season in two weeks.
Before reading too deeply into negative reactions, this was a preseason game and for the defense, it certainly looked the part. There is work to be done all over the defense, from the line play, to linebacker positionings and in the secondary. The positive is the plethora of opportunities Miami coaches will have to teach from the many mistakes.
In all, the Miami Dolphins can safely place the loss of Ryan Tannehill behind them in the mental preparation for the season. Jay Cutler is going to be just fine and may even be the NFL’s biggest surprise. The concentration should now be centered on getting the offensive line playing together, healthy and in sync.
On the defensive side, there simply must be more intensity. In this game, there were a few moments of true dominance, but far too often poor execution led to costly chucks of yardage and touch downs.
Suh’s name was not called, Alonso’s name was not called, Jones’ and Maxwell’s names were called for all the wrong reasons. If these guys are joining Cameron Wake as the money players on this defense, then they’re going to have to strap it up and bring some conviction. After spending two days practicing against the Eagles, Lawrence Timmons' lack of anticipation should be a huge concern.
It’s a preseason game, and drawing too many conclusions from these games is a mistake…
The Dolphins now have a very good read on what they need to sure up over the next two weeks.
They can do that with a comforting sigh knowing the loss of Ryan Tannehill will have little or no impact on the season’s outcome.
Welcome to Miami Jay Cutler!
The Dolphin Defense Flounders as Jay Cutler Shines
2017-08-28T06:04:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Byron Maxwell.|Cameron Wake|Jay Ajayi|Jay Cutler|Kiko Alonso|Laremy Tunsil|Lawrence Timmons|Miami Dolphins|Mike Pouncey|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Patrick Tarell|Reshad Jones|Ryan Tannehill|
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The Dolphin Defense Flounders as Jay Cutler Shines
at
Friday, August 25, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
The sense coming into the third preseason game was the Miami defense would need to carry the team until the offense found its swagger. Jay Cutler needed time to shake off the rust and find a rhythm with his receivers. The opposite proved true, Adam Gase’s offense quickly adjusted to Cutler’s quick release and carved up the Eagles secondary, while the Miami defense struggled mightily.
Jay Ajayi slashed and bruised his way through the Philadelphia defense for nearly 6-yards a carry and even Mike Pouncey walked away smiling. The Cutler signing looked almost prophetic as Matt Moore threw two ugly interceptions, one resulting in a pick six. With the Dolphins threatening to score, Moore tossed a rookie INT into two defenders with no Miami player close enough to contest.
If anything, the 38-31 loss to the Eagles seemed to vindicate Adam Gase’s decision to pull Jay Cutler out of retirement for one last shot at something special. The offensive line mostly held its own with Mike Pouncey out of bubble wrap for the first time this preseason. An ugly missed block by left tackle Laremy Tunsil caused Cutler’s only bad play, a strip sack-fumble leading to an Eagle TD. Both Tunsil and right tackle Ja’Wuan James looked slow and unprepared for live game action.
21 dynamic points with Jay Cutler at the helm, showed the Miami offense did not miss a beat without Ryan Tannehill. In fact, Cutler was noticeably more at ease in Gase’s offense after only 18 days in Miami, than Tannehill had been in a full season. With the playbook relegated to only a few pages, it should be quite interesting to see the transformation with a full arsenal on display. Cutler seemed particularly eager to find DeVante Parker in one on one situations and their 72 yard hook-up was a teaser of things to come.
The Miami defense on the other hand did not look much different than where it left off ranked 30th in the NFL last season. There were a couple of bursts in the first quarter, including a tipped ball interception that saw 340 pound Jordan Phillips rumble to the 2 yard line, but overall, the defense was not good. Byron Maxwell lost interest in coverage resulting in a 50 yard TD completion to Alshon Jeffery. Bobby McCain was caught flat footed on multiple occasions and hopefully Reshad Jones was simply rusty because his tackling was pathetic.
Key defensive free agent acquisition Lawrence Timmons looked incredibly slow reacting at the point of attack. The step Timmons was rumored to have lost, did not come from his feet, but rather in his inability to recognize the play before being blocked out of it. It was not a good sign for Miami, when Timmons looked lost for much of the evening. For whatever reason, Kiko Alonso and Ndamukong Suh did not appear to be interested in the game as their names were rarely called.
Playing T. J. McDonald at safety seemed counter-productive when the player will be lost to suspension for the first 8 games of the season. Obviously, Nate Allen was nursing some vague injury, but aside from Xavien Howard, the Miami secondary had trouble in staying with Eagle receivers the entire night. With blown coverages all over the field and missed tackles, Matt Burke’s defense looked a long way from being ready to open the season in two weeks.
Before reading too deeply into negative reactions, this was a preseason game and for the defense, it certainly looked the part. There is work to be done all over the defense, from the line play, to linebacker positionings and in the secondary. The positive is the plethora of opportunities Miami coaches will have to teach from the many mistakes.
In all, the Miami Dolphins can safely place the loss of Ryan Tannehill behind them in the mental preparation for the season. Jay Cutler is going to be just fine and may even be the NFL’s biggest surprise. The concentration should now be centered on getting the offensive line playing together, healthy and in sync.
On the defensive side, there simply must be more intensity. In this game, there were a few moments of true dominance, but far too often poor execution led to costly chucks of yardage and touch downs.
Suh’s name was not called, Alonso’s name was not called, Jones’ and Maxwell’s names were called for all the wrong reasons. If these guys are joining Cameron Wake as the money players on this defense, then they’re going to have to strap it up and bring some conviction. After spending two days practicing against the Eagles, Lawrence Timmons' lack of anticipation should be a huge concern.
It’s a preseason game, and drawing too many conclusions from these games is a mistake…
The Dolphins now have a very good read on what they need to sure up over the next two weeks.
They can do that with a comforting sigh knowing the loss of Ryan Tannehill will have little or no impact on the season’s outcome.
Welcome to Miami Jay Cutler!
Jay Ajayi slashed and bruised his way through the Philadelphia defense for nearly 6-yards a carry and even Mike Pouncey walked away smiling. The Cutler signing looked almost prophetic as Matt Moore threw two ugly interceptions, one resulting in a pick six. With the Dolphins threatening to score, Moore tossed a rookie INT into two defenders with no Miami player close enough to contest.
If anything, the 38-31 loss to the Eagles seemed to vindicate Adam Gase’s decision to pull Jay Cutler out of retirement for one last shot at something special. The offensive line mostly held its own with Mike Pouncey out of bubble wrap for the first time this preseason. An ugly missed block by left tackle Laremy Tunsil caused Cutler’s only bad play, a strip sack-fumble leading to an Eagle TD. Both Tunsil and right tackle Ja’Wuan James looked slow and unprepared for live game action.
21 dynamic points with Jay Cutler at the helm, showed the Miami offense did not miss a beat without Ryan Tannehill. In fact, Cutler was noticeably more at ease in Gase’s offense after only 18 days in Miami, than Tannehill had been in a full season. With the playbook relegated to only a few pages, it should be quite interesting to see the transformation with a full arsenal on display. Cutler seemed particularly eager to find DeVante Parker in one on one situations and their 72 yard hook-up was a teaser of things to come.
The Miami defense on the other hand did not look much different than where it left off ranked 30th in the NFL last season. There were a couple of bursts in the first quarter, including a tipped ball interception that saw 340 pound Jordan Phillips rumble to the 2 yard line, but overall, the defense was not good. Byron Maxwell lost interest in coverage resulting in a 50 yard TD completion to Alshon Jeffery. Bobby McCain was caught flat footed on multiple occasions and hopefully Reshad Jones was simply rusty because his tackling was pathetic.
Key defensive free agent acquisition Lawrence Timmons looked incredibly slow reacting at the point of attack. The step Timmons was rumored to have lost, did not come from his feet, but rather in his inability to recognize the play before being blocked out of it. It was not a good sign for Miami, when Timmons looked lost for much of the evening. For whatever reason, Kiko Alonso and Ndamukong Suh did not appear to be interested in the game as their names were rarely called.
Playing T. J. McDonald at safety seemed counter-productive when the player will be lost to suspension for the first 8 games of the season. Obviously, Nate Allen was nursing some vague injury, but aside from Xavien Howard, the Miami secondary had trouble in staying with Eagle receivers the entire night. With blown coverages all over the field and missed tackles, Matt Burke’s defense looked a long way from being ready to open the season in two weeks.
Before reading too deeply into negative reactions, this was a preseason game and for the defense, it certainly looked the part. There is work to be done all over the defense, from the line play, to linebacker positionings and in the secondary. The positive is the plethora of opportunities Miami coaches will have to teach from the many mistakes.
In all, the Miami Dolphins can safely place the loss of Ryan Tannehill behind them in the mental preparation for the season. Jay Cutler is going to be just fine and may even be the NFL’s biggest surprise. The concentration should now be centered on getting the offensive line playing together, healthy and in sync.
On the defensive side, there simply must be more intensity. In this game, there were a few moments of true dominance, but far too often poor execution led to costly chucks of yardage and touch downs.
Suh’s name was not called, Alonso’s name was not called, Jones’ and Maxwell’s names were called for all the wrong reasons. If these guys are joining Cameron Wake as the money players on this defense, then they’re going to have to strap it up and bring some conviction. After spending two days practicing against the Eagles, Lawrence Timmons' lack of anticipation should be a huge concern.
It’s a preseason game, and drawing too many conclusions from these games is a mistake…
The Dolphins now have a very good read on what they need to sure up over the next two weeks.
They can do that with a comforting sigh knowing the loss of Ryan Tannehill will have little or no impact on the season’s outcome.
Welcome to Miami Jay Cutler!
The Miami Dolphins Need to Pay Jarvis Landry
at
Friday, March 24, 2017
Posted by
Patrick Tarell
“We’re building something special here…”
This quote leads to a curious case with Jarvis Landry and
his value to the Miami Dolphins. Will it become a point of contention the
longer the prolific wide receiver remains without a contract extension? As a
slot receiver, Landry is rarely mentioned in the same sentence with his flashy
college teammate Odell Beckham. Yet Landry holds the NFL record for the most
receptions in his first two seasons, catching 194 passes. Landry and Beckham
are tied for the most catches after three seasons with 288.
Landry is oft criticized for finding the endzone only 13 time in three seasons but he has a history of
mastering perceived shortcomings. Overshadowed by Beckham and posting a pedestrian 4.61 40 yard
dash allowed Landry to slip to the Dolphins in the second round.
At 5’11” he’s not the biggest target, in fact, few of his tangible measurements
stood out during the 2014 combine. Only when plugging in the tape does Landry’s value as a football player and teammate become apparent.
Landry is the spark plug that ignites the Miami Dolphin
engine. Landry is the playmaker in moments of desperation. Landry is the leader
when others lose confidence. These intangible assets, unlike 40 times, are his
core value. On a team with a subdued Ryan Tannehill at QB, the fiery leadership comes from another position in the huddle. That position belongs to Juice
Landry, he is the juice that gets the party started.
“We’re building something special here…”
A slot receiver is not typically a big money player, that
designation goes to DeVante Parker with his first round pedigree and off the
chart combine numbers. Clearly tangible measurements do not make a football
player. Parker may one day live up to the team’s draft day expectations, but this
is more an indictment of the process. Rewarding 40 yard dashes over
demonstrated accomplishments on the football field has led to more Dion Jordan’s
than Jarvis Landry’s.
Those first round mistakes created the rookie salary cap
because the risk/reward of the unknown is a losing proposition. The notion of
paying more to veteran players is a joke and a lie. The NFL power brokers grew
tired of their own mistakes and decided to mitigate them by forcing rookies to
demonstrate their worth before any big money changed greedy hands.
Under the leadership of Adam Gase, the Miami Dolphins have
made a paradigm shift in personnel philosophy. Moving from perennial winners of
March free agent Madness to a pay-for-play homegrown revolution. Gase’s message
is simple and direct, “put it all on the field for me and you’ll get paid by me.”
In the free agent age, where money-grabs rule, and players usually switch teams
to obtain their perceived value, the approach is both refreshing and enlightened.
“We’re building something special here…”
The concept offers a subtle solution to the question, “how
do you motivate players after they become multimillionaires?” Football players
like Juice Landry are not as motivated by pure dollars as many outside the
locker room would think. Football players know, a single hit or shift in a scrum
pile can end their careers’ instantly. When the opportunity to get rich knocks,
only a fool wouldn’t jump, especially after working their entire lives to
achieve stardom in their chosen profession.
Clearly, the resounding drop-off in
performance when players switch teams shows that dollars rarely motivate. The answer lies in the locker room where
Jarvis Landry sits waiting on his payday and watches outsiders like Ndamukong
Suh stride in with $100 million dollars in their pocket. Resentment is probably a
word rarely uttered in NFL circles and yet, why did Suh leave Detroit to get
paid? He now sits with two locker stalls in an obscure corner, his $100 million
dollars flying like banner over his locker. Are the players around him not
supposed to feel resentment?
Therein lies the answer… The Miami Dolphins (among other
teams) flounder because, letting players walk out the door to get paid sends
the wrong message. Bringing in players from other teams and paying them sends
the wrong message. Kenny Stills could have a better contract, Kiko Alonso could
have waited for free agency, Cameron Wake could have played out his
contract, and Andre Branch would’ve received the same deal elsewhere. They chose to stay in Miami.
“We’re building something special here…”
Teammates motivate multimillionaires… Not coaches, not
dollars, not accolades, teammates. When players jump ship to get paid, the
locker room breaks down. When new players enter that are not part of the
chemistry, the locker room breaks down.
Gase has made a brilliant observation,
teammates motivate multimillionaires…
When teammates hold each other accountable,
the dollars are of no consequence. The bad ass defensive tackle in the corner
is as much a part of the fabric as the geeky clutch kicker. Together, they
strive for greatness and the dollars take care of themselves. “Play for me and I’ll
get you paid.”
“We’re building something special here…”
Jarvis Landry is the embodiment of this philosophy because
he does not need dollars to put it out on the field. He is the player Adam Gase
envisioned when he thought through this personnel concept and now The Juice
needs some oranges squeezed! Would it be surprising to learn Jarvis Landry
asked his coach to, “take care of my boys first?” It is purely conjecture, but Landry making that statement rings true, because he’s the
ultimate teammate.
And now, it’s time to pay The Juice.
“We’re building something special here…”
The Miami Dolphins Need to Pay Jarvis Landry
2017-03-24T09:13:00-04:00
Patrick Tarell
Adam Gase|AFC East|Andre Branch|Cameron Wake|Devante Parker|Jarvis Landry|Kenny Stills|Kiko Alonso|Miami Dolphins|Ndamukong Suh|NFL|Odell Beckham|Ryan Tannehill|
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