The Miami Dolphins followed a flat uninspiring victory in week one with lackluster loss in week two. If the season is a marathon, Miami came out with very little desire to lead the pack from the opening gun. Joe Philbin’s stoic unemotional style has made its mark on the organization early in the season.
The Dolphins uncharacteristically amassed 13 penalties including a personal foul by Olivier Vernon setting up Jacksonville’s game winning field goal. The Miami offense ran 7 plays in the first quarter and, with only 5 in the first quarter last week the trend of starting anemically slow continued. Ryan Tannehill and the Miami offense showed some life by tying the game on the first drive of the second half, but that was it. Tannehill was unable to move the offense when the defense finally made a stand.
The running game was held to 2.6 yards per carry with Lamar Miller averaging only 1.4. Tannehill's stats looked the part completing 30 of 44 passes for 359 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The issue has always been in the “W” column with Tannehill and in a game where one drive in the final 6 could have sealed a victory, Tannehill could not muster the troops. The loss cannot be placed on Tannehill, but in a QB league, these are the games he must lift and carry the team to join the elite players at his position.
The vaunted Miami defensive line registered zero sacks and looked ineffective in the first half. No defensive lineman registered more than one tackle over the entire game. Suh and Mitchell may not be expected to make many tackles but the DEs brought no heat and were ineffective. The defense produced zero turnovers and Blake Bortles looked calm without duress the entire game.
In the simplest terms, for the second week in a row, Miami did not look prepared to play. They were uninspired, sloppy as though they had taken Jacksonville for granted in the week leading up to the game. This same issue has led Miami to 8-8 finishes the last two seasons, losing to less talented teams because they are unemotional and unprepared.
This game is the wakeup call for the Dolphins. With Jets surprising 2-0 start, the Bills looking better and NE again dominating, Miami must not leave any winnable games on the table. Joe Philbin will no longer be coaching the Dolphins if the uninspired play continues. Tannehill must find a way to join the elite QBs and come out with an ugly win.
It’s early and the Dolphins are clearly a better team than they showed in the first two weeks. It’s time to light the fire, the defense has been sluggish and the offense has not gotten untracked in the first quarter. These are signs Miami is not presenting anything different than on film and are not executing the plays they do run. There are only 16 games and at the end of the season this game may loom large as a reason for not making the playoffs.
It is not time to panic, but playing flat and barely beating the hapless redskins, then losing to the inexperienced Jaguars is not the start Miami fans were hoping for. If this team is truly the special unit many came into the season believing, the time to step up is now.
Beat Rex Ryan and the Bills!
If the Dolphins cannot get inspired by that challenge than Joe Philbin may indeed be looking for a job...
Showing posts with label Rex Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rex Ryan. Show all posts
Sorry Dolphin Fans, But Rex Ryan Did It To Us Again!
A season finale Dolphins versus Jets Post Game Courtesy of Tony Nicoletti.
It seems Coach Ryan had to offer a parting gift to his team in their 37 to 24 defeat of the Miami Dolphins. Old Ryan sure made Geno Smith look like the best kept, "big play" secret of the season. He had career stats with his 20 of 25 completions, 358 passing yards and 3 touch down effort. His primary receiver, Eric Decker had 10 receptions for 221 yards. (The most ever allowed by a Dolphin's defense to any receiver in a game).
Ryan most assuredly will not be back with the Jets in 2015 but he sure made a statement for Geno Smith to be seriously considered for another season. Mr Ryan will be pursuing his options with another NFL Franchise. Thank God he will not be in our division anymore. (I hope).
This victory did not happen the way some might have thought, though. Miami held New York's high powered running game to a net of 104 yards on 34 carries and a 3.1 yard average. The Dolphins actually stopped 7 of their runs for minus 12 yards in the process. But who could have known that the Jets 32nd ranked passing offense would have such success against Miami's 4th ranked pass defense. (Any more than the Dolphins 14th ranked running game would shred the 5th best run defense in the NFL for 178 yards on 20 carries for a 9.0 yard average).
Yes, we wanted to finish the season with a 9 and 7 record,but as the saying goes, "two out of three, ain't bad". We were all hoping that Ryan Tannehill would reach the 4,000 plateau in passing yards and for Lamar Miller to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards on the season. Both marks were achieved. Tannehill just barely got his goal and Miller almost finished with 1,100 rushing yards. Ryan Tannehill also surpassed Dan Marino's single season completion record. This was the first time in team history that the Dolphins had a 4,000 yard quarterback and a 1,000 yard running back in the same season.
The only thing that would have made these accomplishments even sweeter is if Mike Wallace could have gotten 130+ receiving yards to wind up with a 1,000 yards for the season as well, while contributing toward a potential Dolphin final game victory. He did not catch a pass all game long and for some reason, wound up sitting on the sidelines the entire second half.
Both teams started out with a 3 and out, but not before sacking each others quarterback once during their first possessions. The only difference being that Miami would not sack Geno Smith for the remainder of the game. The Jets however, added 6 more sacks, (particularly, late in the game) which ruined Ryan Tannehill's completion percentage. (And any chance of him leading a comeback). Tannehill was sacked 7 times for a staggering 51 yards of lost real estate. He was hurried and hit often too. It's a wonder he did not throw an interception, though he did get a strip sack late in the game which resulted in a Jets recovered fumble.
Miami started the scoring first on their second possession with a 37 yard field goal, after the Jets missed a 45 yard attempt that bounced off the goal post.
Score: Dolphins 3, the Jets 0.
The Jets rolled down the field for their first touchdown. It took all of 6 plays. Geno Smith highlighted C. Owusu's multiple talents with a 36 yard deep pass, followed by Owusu's 23 yard run for the score.
Score: Dolphins 3, the Jets 7.
Miami went 6 and out. (L. Miller had a nice 20 yard run and was setting the stage for better things to come).
A couple of minutes into the second quarter,Miami would get the game's first turn over as Reshad Jones tackles Geno Smith after a 2 yard scramble and forces the fumble which was recovered by Jason Trunsik on the Jets 21 yard line. Tannehill hits Charles Clay for 16 yards and on a 3rd and 1, Daniel Thomas goes in for the touch down.
Score: Dolphins 10, Jets 7.
The Jets start their next drive on their 21 yard line. Smith connects on passes of 17, 40 and 8 yards to take the lead on 7 plays.
Score: Dolphins 10, Jets 14.
Miami squanders it's next opportunity as Mike Wallace gets a false start penalty on 1st down, Daryn Colledge has a offensive holding penalty on 2nd down and Miami commits an illegal shift penalty on 3rd down. The Jets decline the last penalty since the Dolphins came up short of the 1st down, anyway.
Now New York starts on their own 31 yard line, but on 2nd and 7 Cameron Wake gets a questionable roughing the passer penalty. Ultimately, their drive stalls and they punt it, pinning Miami deep on their own 7 yard line.
At the 2 minute warning, Tannehill gets sack on the 50 yard line, but gets back up and hits Brian Hartline deep for 16 yards.Several good pass plays later he throws a 23 yard touch down strike to Charles Clay.
Score: Dolphins 17, Jets 14 at the half.
The Jets get the ball first in the 3rd quarter and runs the kick off from their 1 yard line, 87 yards to the Dolphin 12 yard line. Miami holds them on 3rd and 4th down needing 1 yard to score and get the ball back on their 3 yard line. It was a nice defensive stop.
Miami returns the big play favor on 1st down with a Lamar Miller 97 yard running play for the score. The 3rd longest running play from scrimmage in NFL history and the longest in Dolphin franchise history.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 14.
But wait! The big plays aren't over yet. On 3rd down with 4 yards to go on their own 26 yard line, Geno Smith heaves a 74 yard scoring pass to a (wide open) Eric Decker
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 21.
On Miami's next possession Tannehill connects with a 33 yard pass to Brian Hartline, driving down to the Jets 41 yard line. On 3rd and 10 Ryan throws an incomplete pass to Brandon Gibson who is called for offensive pass interference which the Jets of course, decline. However, on the ensuing punt the Jets are caught with 12 men on the field which advances the ball down to their 36 yard line. Now Miami faces a 4th and 5 situation. They decide to go for it, but the pass attempt to Jarvis Landry is incomplete and the Jets take over on downs. A gutsy call.
On a 3rd and 9 play Geno completes a 50 yard reception to Eric Decker. Brent Grimes jumps between the receiver and the ball for the interception but Decker jumps for it too, bumping Grimes out of the away in mid air, to haul in the reception. Miami manages to hold them to a field goal.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 24.
With the score tied Miami goes 4 and out.
The Jets get the ball back but must start from their 17 yard line due to a offensive holding penalty. On 1st down Smiths throws to J. Kerley for 33 yards. After several more completions, the Jets drive stalls on Miami's 5 yard line and they settle for a field goal just as the 4th quarter gets under way. During the drive, both Koa Misi and Eric Decker would sustain injuries that would take them out for the remainder of the contest.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 27.
Miami drives down into field goal range, helped by a 17 yard pass play to Jarvis Landry. Caleb Sturgis misses the 53 yard attempt.
The Jets however, go 3 and out.
On the Dolphins subsequent drive Tannehill gets sacked on 2nd and 4 on their own 26. But on 3rd and 12 he finds Hartline for 14 yards to keep the drive alive. Tannehill gets sacked once again on 2nd and 10. They are also penalized for an illegal formation which the Jets decline so they can get the ball back.
With 5:46 left in the 4th quarter the Jets have the ball on their own 26 yard line. On 4th and 12 they line up in punt formation. However, R. Quigley fakes the punt and throw to an (uncovered) Z. Sudifeld for 39 yards to continue the drive. Jarvis Landry saves the touch down by getting an open field tackle of Sudifeld on Miami's 23 yard line. Even one of the announcers stated that we should watch out for the fake since it has been in the Jets arsenal for many years, but...
I believe the damage was done at this point as the successful fake punt for the first down swayed the momentum in New York's favor. On the very next play Geno tosses a 23 yard touch down pass to a (wide open) J. Cumberland. Olivier Vernon gets a neutral zone infraction which is enforced between downs.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 34.
Miami gets the ball back with 3:22 to play on their 25 yard line. (After Jarvis Landry runs it out from -9 yards in the end zone for 34 yards). Tannehill promptly gets sacked on 1st and 2nd down. On 4th and 16 Tannehill's pass to Brandon Gibson falls short but the Jets are called for roughing the passer. (With Miami being 10 points behind this late in the game, the Jets can afford to bring the house against Ryan Tannehill and he is taking a pounding in the process).
On 2nd and 10, New York sacks Tannehill and forces a fumble which they recover on Miami's 22 yard line. The Jets run 3 meaningless plays and kick a 37 yard field goal to seal the victory.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 37.
With 31 seconds left in regulation Tannehill completes one last play to Jarvis Landry but it's, "game over".
Most of the statistics were unremarkable in this game for the Dolphins. There where some points in the game where they played well and others where they seemed to be over matched and confused. The Miami Dolphins are a mediocre, 8 and 8 ball club that wound up splitting their games within the division this year. There is a lot of room for improvement. Having their staff intact for next season, will hopefully address the issues that need correcting. But that will be a blog for another time.
The good thing in all of this, (besides Tannehill and Miller achieving their milestones and setting team records) is that we will not have Rex Ryan opposing us on the sidelines twice a year anymore. As a matter of fact, I would just assume he gets a gig on the NFC side the NFL for a while.
It seems Coach Ryan had to offer a parting gift to his team in their 37 to 24 defeat of the Miami Dolphins. Old Ryan sure made Geno Smith look like the best kept, "big play" secret of the season. He had career stats with his 20 of 25 completions, 358 passing yards and 3 touch down effort. His primary receiver, Eric Decker had 10 receptions for 221 yards. (The most ever allowed by a Dolphin's defense to any receiver in a game).
Ryan most assuredly will not be back with the Jets in 2015 but he sure made a statement for Geno Smith to be seriously considered for another season. Mr Ryan will be pursuing his options with another NFL Franchise. Thank God he will not be in our division anymore. (I hope).
This victory did not happen the way some might have thought, though. Miami held New York's high powered running game to a net of 104 yards on 34 carries and a 3.1 yard average. The Dolphins actually stopped 7 of their runs for minus 12 yards in the process. But who could have known that the Jets 32nd ranked passing offense would have such success against Miami's 4th ranked pass defense. (Any more than the Dolphins 14th ranked running game would shred the 5th best run defense in the NFL for 178 yards on 20 carries for a 9.0 yard average).
Yes, we wanted to finish the season with a 9 and 7 record,but as the saying goes, "two out of three, ain't bad". We were all hoping that Ryan Tannehill would reach the 4,000 plateau in passing yards and for Lamar Miller to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards on the season. Both marks were achieved. Tannehill just barely got his goal and Miller almost finished with 1,100 rushing yards. Ryan Tannehill also surpassed Dan Marino's single season completion record. This was the first time in team history that the Dolphins had a 4,000 yard quarterback and a 1,000 yard running back in the same season.
The only thing that would have made these accomplishments even sweeter is if Mike Wallace could have gotten 130+ receiving yards to wind up with a 1,000 yards for the season as well, while contributing toward a potential Dolphin final game victory. He did not catch a pass all game long and for some reason, wound up sitting on the sidelines the entire second half.
Both teams started out with a 3 and out, but not before sacking each others quarterback once during their first possessions. The only difference being that Miami would not sack Geno Smith for the remainder of the game. The Jets however, added 6 more sacks, (particularly, late in the game) which ruined Ryan Tannehill's completion percentage. (And any chance of him leading a comeback). Tannehill was sacked 7 times for a staggering 51 yards of lost real estate. He was hurried and hit often too. It's a wonder he did not throw an interception, though he did get a strip sack late in the game which resulted in a Jets recovered fumble.
Miami started the scoring first on their second possession with a 37 yard field goal, after the Jets missed a 45 yard attempt that bounced off the goal post.
Score: Dolphins 3, the Jets 0.
The Jets rolled down the field for their first touchdown. It took all of 6 plays. Geno Smith highlighted C. Owusu's multiple talents with a 36 yard deep pass, followed by Owusu's 23 yard run for the score.
Score: Dolphins 3, the Jets 7.
Miami went 6 and out. (L. Miller had a nice 20 yard run and was setting the stage for better things to come).
A couple of minutes into the second quarter,Miami would get the game's first turn over as Reshad Jones tackles Geno Smith after a 2 yard scramble and forces the fumble which was recovered by Jason Trunsik on the Jets 21 yard line. Tannehill hits Charles Clay for 16 yards and on a 3rd and 1, Daniel Thomas goes in for the touch down.
Score: Dolphins 10, Jets 7.
The Jets start their next drive on their 21 yard line. Smith connects on passes of 17, 40 and 8 yards to take the lead on 7 plays.
Score: Dolphins 10, Jets 14.
Miami squanders it's next opportunity as Mike Wallace gets a false start penalty on 1st down, Daryn Colledge has a offensive holding penalty on 2nd down and Miami commits an illegal shift penalty on 3rd down. The Jets decline the last penalty since the Dolphins came up short of the 1st down, anyway.
Now New York starts on their own 31 yard line, but on 2nd and 7 Cameron Wake gets a questionable roughing the passer penalty. Ultimately, their drive stalls and they punt it, pinning Miami deep on their own 7 yard line.
At the 2 minute warning, Tannehill gets sack on the 50 yard line, but gets back up and hits Brian Hartline deep for 16 yards.Several good pass plays later he throws a 23 yard touch down strike to Charles Clay.
Score: Dolphins 17, Jets 14 at the half.
The Jets get the ball first in the 3rd quarter and runs the kick off from their 1 yard line, 87 yards to the Dolphin 12 yard line. Miami holds them on 3rd and 4th down needing 1 yard to score and get the ball back on their 3 yard line. It was a nice defensive stop.
Miami returns the big play favor on 1st down with a Lamar Miller 97 yard running play for the score. The 3rd longest running play from scrimmage in NFL history and the longest in Dolphin franchise history.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 14.
But wait! The big plays aren't over yet. On 3rd down with 4 yards to go on their own 26 yard line, Geno Smith heaves a 74 yard scoring pass to a (wide open) Eric Decker
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 21.
On Miami's next possession Tannehill connects with a 33 yard pass to Brian Hartline, driving down to the Jets 41 yard line. On 3rd and 10 Ryan throws an incomplete pass to Brandon Gibson who is called for offensive pass interference which the Jets of course, decline. However, on the ensuing punt the Jets are caught with 12 men on the field which advances the ball down to their 36 yard line. Now Miami faces a 4th and 5 situation. They decide to go for it, but the pass attempt to Jarvis Landry is incomplete and the Jets take over on downs. A gutsy call.
On a 3rd and 9 play Geno completes a 50 yard reception to Eric Decker. Brent Grimes jumps between the receiver and the ball for the interception but Decker jumps for it too, bumping Grimes out of the away in mid air, to haul in the reception. Miami manages to hold them to a field goal.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 24.
With the score tied Miami goes 4 and out.
The Jets get the ball back but must start from their 17 yard line due to a offensive holding penalty. On 1st down Smiths throws to J. Kerley for 33 yards. After several more completions, the Jets drive stalls on Miami's 5 yard line and they settle for a field goal just as the 4th quarter gets under way. During the drive, both Koa Misi and Eric Decker would sustain injuries that would take them out for the remainder of the contest.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 27.
Miami drives down into field goal range, helped by a 17 yard pass play to Jarvis Landry. Caleb Sturgis misses the 53 yard attempt.
The Jets however, go 3 and out.
On the Dolphins subsequent drive Tannehill gets sacked on 2nd and 4 on their own 26. But on 3rd and 12 he finds Hartline for 14 yards to keep the drive alive. Tannehill gets sacked once again on 2nd and 10. They are also penalized for an illegal formation which the Jets decline so they can get the ball back.
With 5:46 left in the 4th quarter the Jets have the ball on their own 26 yard line. On 4th and 12 they line up in punt formation. However, R. Quigley fakes the punt and throw to an (uncovered) Z. Sudifeld for 39 yards to continue the drive. Jarvis Landry saves the touch down by getting an open field tackle of Sudifeld on Miami's 23 yard line. Even one of the announcers stated that we should watch out for the fake since it has been in the Jets arsenal for many years, but...
I believe the damage was done at this point as the successful fake punt for the first down swayed the momentum in New York's favor. On the very next play Geno tosses a 23 yard touch down pass to a (wide open) J. Cumberland. Olivier Vernon gets a neutral zone infraction which is enforced between downs.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 34.
Miami gets the ball back with 3:22 to play on their 25 yard line. (After Jarvis Landry runs it out from -9 yards in the end zone for 34 yards). Tannehill promptly gets sacked on 1st and 2nd down. On 4th and 16 Tannehill's pass to Brandon Gibson falls short but the Jets are called for roughing the passer. (With Miami being 10 points behind this late in the game, the Jets can afford to bring the house against Ryan Tannehill and he is taking a pounding in the process).
On 2nd and 10, New York sacks Tannehill and forces a fumble which they recover on Miami's 22 yard line. The Jets run 3 meaningless plays and kick a 37 yard field goal to seal the victory.
Score: Dolphins 24, Jets 37.
With 31 seconds left in regulation Tannehill completes one last play to Jarvis Landry but it's, "game over".
Most of the statistics were unremarkable in this game for the Dolphins. There where some points in the game where they played well and others where they seemed to be over matched and confused. The Miami Dolphins are a mediocre, 8 and 8 ball club that wound up splitting their games within the division this year. There is a lot of room for improvement. Having their staff intact for next season, will hopefully address the issues that need correcting. But that will be a blog for another time.
The good thing in all of this, (besides Tannehill and Miller achieving their milestones and setting team records) is that we will not have Rex Ryan opposing us on the sidelines twice a year anymore. As a matter of fact, I would just assume he gets a gig on the NFC side the NFL for a while.
Ugly Game Becomes Attractive Upon Last Call
A Miami Dolphin Post Game Piece by Tony Nicoletti.
As the expression goes, "The Boys/Girls always get better looking right around closing time at the bar". So was this night when the Miami Dolphins came to play the New York Jets.
It started out as a sloppy, boring, Monday night game, and the ugly parts are as follows.
Unfortunately, Denver paved the way for subsequent teams to try and use the same, "run heavy" approach that proved to be successful against Miami last week.
As many feared, old Rex Ryan pulled every running gadget play he could think of in the first half to keep the Dolphins reeling. These Jets just happened to already have the 5th best running game in the league, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that they would try to employ a similar strategy.
It worked very well for the first two quarters of the game. It helped New York jump out to an early lead with a 20 yard touch down run in the first quarter. By the time the first quarter was half way over, the home team had -2 yards passing, and 102 yards rushing. They also got a 47 yard run during that first half from Chris Johnson a 2009 two thousand yard running back for the Tennessee Titans . (CJ would wind up with 105 yards on 17 carries for the evening, as well).
The Score: NYJETS 7, MIAMI 0.
On the Dolphins second series they moved the ball down field from their own 18 to the Jets 25 yard line, (mostly on Tannehill's passing and his 10 yard run) but Sturgis missed the stalled drives 43 yard field goal attempted wide left.
The Jets followed that up with a successful field goal, early in the second quarter on their third possession of the game. Starting from their own 34 yard line and ending up on Miami's 22 yard line with all of their 9 plays being runs. At that point they had run the ball 12 straight plays and had racked up 152 yards on the ground with 19 yards through the air!
The score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 0.
After Miami follows with a three and out, NY marches down the field once again, but missed a 48 yard field goal to keep the score at 10 to 0. The drive began on their 6 and ended on the Dolphin 30 yard line. They have run a total of 14 straight running plays and have 205 yards rushing, and Geno Smith has completed 3 of 6 passes for 22 yards.
At the very end of the first half, Miami finally tie's a pink ribbon around a muddy Sow's neck by getting a field goal The drive began on the Dolphins own 38 and was halted on the Jets 25 yard line. Ryan Tannehill did connect on a nice 20 yard pass to tight end Dion Sims during the drive.
The Score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 3.
Regardless, the stats are looking butt ugly for the visitors over the first half of play. The unsightly first half totals are such.
Time of possession: New York 17:38 to Miami's 12:22.
The Dolphins looked good passing the ball, though:
Tannehill was 15 of 19 (almost a 79% completion percentage) for 128 yards while Geno Smith had the same 3 completions on 6 attempts for 22 yards mentioned earlier.
Miami only ran the ball 3 times for 15 yards. (10 of which were Ryan Tannehill's).
The Jets ran the ball 29 times for 210 yards, the most in a single half of play by any team in the last 5 years!
Fortunately, there were no turn overs by either team in the first half.
During Miami's opening series of the third quarter they marched from their own 25, only to stall on the Jets 26 yard line. The drive ended on a deep pass that Mike Wallace dropped in the end zone. Dolphin running back Lamar Miller had 4 carries for 21 yards on the series which was more yardage than Miami had accrued over the entire first half on the ground. It appeared as though the Dolphin running game might be picking up steam, though they ended up settling for a Sturgis 44 yard field goal.
The Score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 6.
The Dolphins have been very good at making half time adjustments this season. Especially on offense. Miami is supposed to be the most successful team in the NFL when it comes to scoring in the third quarter. Second half expectations were to see some good offensive adjustments by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor which at this point, seemed to become the case. Miami was moving the ball much better on the ground while Tannehill continued to be effective through the air. The Dolphins now have 162 yards passing and 36 yards rushing.
But what was really most anticipated was to witness the Dolphin defense finding a way to counter the juggernaut that was the Jets rushing attack.
New York's first possession of the second half started on their own 40 yard line because Miami kicker Caleb Sturgis squandered the kickoff out of bounds. Once again the Jets are able to move the ball down the field 33 yards, (this time with the help of a 20 yard Smith pass on a third and 5 play). Miami finally stopped them on a 3rd and 1 at the Dolphin 27 yard line by stuffing a running play for zero yardage, and short of the first down marker. The ball actually came out on the play but the Jets recovered it, and kicked a 45 yard field goal that hit the crossbar, yet still went through the uprights.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 6.
Miami gets the ball on their own 22 yard line but go 3 and out. The Dolphins punt it away to New York, and they go 3 and out as well, (for the first time in the game). Dolphin defensive end Dion Jordan partially blocks their punt attempt, it only travels 6 yards before being downed at the Jets 41 yard line, and Miami takes over with the best starting field position they've had all day.
On the first play from scrimmage an under serious duress Tannehill tosses a short pass that was intended for Lamar Miller, but somehow the ball bounces up in the air off of Miller's two palms and is intercepted. New York corner back Darrin Walls catches it and runs it back 25 yards from the Jet 45 yard line to Miami's 30. However, the Jets do not get anywhere on the ground, (for a change) and Smith also gets sacked by Cam Wake on third down for an 8 yard loss. This effectively puts the home team out of field goal range after another three and out!
Miami's subsequent possession takes the game into the fourth quarter when the Dolphins again have to kick it away, after just 5 plays. (So much for Miami being a big third quarter scoring team). But there seems to be a theme developing here, and this is where things start looking good for the visitors.
After 3 quarters of play, Miami has a total of 201 yards, (149 yards passing and 52 yards rushing) while the Jets have 267 total yards, (34 yards passing and 233 yards on the ground). New York has only gotten 23 yards rushing and 12 yards passing during the third quarter.
It seems as though Dolphin defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle has also made some effective adjustments to start the second half. He has gone to an 8 or 9 man defensive front when the Jets have shown a single or double running back set, (respectively). It has slowed New York down considerably and forced them to throw the ball more. (Note that all three Dolphin defensive levels are in on this tackle, Wake/Misi/Jones)!
Anyway. Miami manages to pin them deep in their own territory where Geno almost fumbles the ball away at New York's 5 yard line. After a 3 and out they kick the ball from their 4 yard line to their own 49. The Jets commit a 10 yard holding penalty during the kick which gives the Dolphins a second possession starting on the oppositions side of the 50 yard line. This time on the home teams 39 yard line with 12:52 remaining in the game and the score still at 13 to 6 in their favor.
Tannehill does not waste the opportunity and immediately hits Landry on a crossing route over the middle for a 25 yard gain to the Jets 14 yard line. Then Ryan runs for 5 yards, himself. Miller runs for 3 and 2 yards before Tannehill throws an incomplete pass to Gibson. On third and 4, Miller runs it in from 4 yards out to tie it up.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 13.
The Jets get the ball back with 10:24 left to play in regulation. They have good field position on their own 39 yard line to start. Geno Smith scrambles twice, the first for 13, and the second for 5 yards. New York managed to work their way down the field on mostly, short running plays, (aside from Johnson's 13 yard scamper). They wind up with a first and 10 on Miami's 22 yard line. Percy Harvin gets 4 yards. Chris Johnson gets -1, and then Smith gets sacked for an 8 yard loss by Miami linebacker Koa Misi, back on the 27 yard line. This lost yardage is just enough for Nick Folk to miss his second field goal on the day. (A 45 yard attempt).
Miami now has the ball back with 5:42 left in the game. The score is tied and momentum has obviously swung their way. From their own 35 yard line they start moving down field. Tannehill connects with tight end Sims on a deep pass of 18 yards, and a short toss that nets 17 yards. Miller runs for 8, 3, 3, -2 yards and has a 5 yard reception to move them to the Jets 8 yard line. Surgis kicks the 26 yard, go ahead field goal with only 1:57 left for the Jets to mount a come back.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 16.
Geno Smith starts from his own 20 yard line and completes two passes for 10 and 11 yards, (sandwiching an incomplete pass). He scrambles to get a yard and they have another run for 2 yards. On his 4th passing attempt of the drive, (from his own 44 yard line) he throws deep for Jeff Cumberland at the Miami 30 yard line, but is intercepted by Dolphin safety Rashad Jones!
GAME OVER! This was the least attractive win of the season for our Miami Dolphins. But in the end, they showed some rather attractive attributes.
Like:
Tannehill going 25 of 35 for 217 yards and 1 INT. This 71.4 completion percentage is his 5th consecutive 70+% outing (a Miami Dolphin record), and 7th of this season.
Ryan wasn't great in the early going, (though his first half stats showed him completing almost 80 percent of his passes). Meanwhile, he also brought his team back in the fourth quarter in driving them to score 10 unanswered points to win the game.
The Dolphin defense finally closed out a close game with a drive stopping interception and limited the Jets running attack to just 67 yards on 20 attempts in the second half. (After being steam rolled in the first half for 210 yards on 29 carries). A shame that they couldn't make such an adjustment sooner! But Miami did hold the Jets to just 3 points in the second half and scoreless in the fourth quarter.
After 3 attempts in the first half for 15 yards Miami's offense manages to balance their attack in the second half with an additional 59 yards on 15 carries and 10 of 16 passes for 107 yards.
Despite more adjustments and shuffling on the offensive line the Dolphins only allowed two sacks, all game long against a very good Jets defensive front.
Yes. This was a pretty ugly win. A, "Coyote Ugly" affair, at that. (We have all heard how a Coyote will chew a paw off to get out of a trap). Well......after Sturgis missed that first field goal of 43 yards in this trap game, Dolphin Nation was willing to volunteer sticking his kicking foot in such a trap.
Let's just be happy that such a hideous attempt didn't become an omen for uglier things to come and that it isn't always necessary to win so.......pretty.
The 7 - 5 Miami Dolphins are presently the AFC's sixth seed in a six seed playoff chase with the 7 - 5 Baltimore Ravens coming to town!
There are four additional 7 - 5 teams (Chiefs, Steelers, Browns, and Bills) tailgating your favorite team!
San Diego's Chargers are currently the AFC's fifth seed at 8 - 4, and if able to pull even Miami wins the tie-breaker!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
As the expression goes, "The Boys/Girls always get better looking right around closing time at the bar". So was this night when the Miami Dolphins came to play the New York Jets.
It started out as a sloppy, boring, Monday night game, and the ugly parts are as follows.
Unfortunately, Denver paved the way for subsequent teams to try and use the same, "run heavy" approach that proved to be successful against Miami last week.
As many feared, old Rex Ryan pulled every running gadget play he could think of in the first half to keep the Dolphins reeling. These Jets just happened to already have the 5th best running game in the league, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that they would try to employ a similar strategy.
It worked very well for the first two quarters of the game. It helped New York jump out to an early lead with a 20 yard touch down run in the first quarter. By the time the first quarter was half way over, the home team had -2 yards passing, and 102 yards rushing. They also got a 47 yard run during that first half from Chris Johnson a 2009 two thousand yard running back for the Tennessee Titans . (CJ would wind up with 105 yards on 17 carries for the evening, as well).
The Score: NYJETS 7, MIAMI 0.
On the Dolphins second series they moved the ball down field from their own 18 to the Jets 25 yard line, (mostly on Tannehill's passing and his 10 yard run) but Sturgis missed the stalled drives 43 yard field goal attempted wide left.
The Jets followed that up with a successful field goal, early in the second quarter on their third possession of the game. Starting from their own 34 yard line and ending up on Miami's 22 yard line with all of their 9 plays being runs. At that point they had run the ball 12 straight plays and had racked up 152 yards on the ground with 19 yards through the air!
The score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 0.
After Miami follows with a three and out, NY marches down the field once again, but missed a 48 yard field goal to keep the score at 10 to 0. The drive began on their 6 and ended on the Dolphin 30 yard line. They have run a total of 14 straight running plays and have 205 yards rushing, and Geno Smith has completed 3 of 6 passes for 22 yards.
At the very end of the first half, Miami finally tie's a pink ribbon around a muddy Sow's neck by getting a field goal The drive began on the Dolphins own 38 and was halted on the Jets 25 yard line. Ryan Tannehill did connect on a nice 20 yard pass to tight end Dion Sims during the drive.
The Score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 3.
Regardless, the stats are looking butt ugly for the visitors over the first half of play. The unsightly first half totals are such.
Time of possession: New York 17:38 to Miami's 12:22.
The Dolphins looked good passing the ball, though:
Tannehill was 15 of 19 (almost a 79% completion percentage) for 128 yards while Geno Smith had the same 3 completions on 6 attempts for 22 yards mentioned earlier.
Miami only ran the ball 3 times for 15 yards. (10 of which were Ryan Tannehill's).
The Jets ran the ball 29 times for 210 yards, the most in a single half of play by any team in the last 5 years!
Fortunately, there were no turn overs by either team in the first half.
During Miami's opening series of the third quarter they marched from their own 25, only to stall on the Jets 26 yard line. The drive ended on a deep pass that Mike Wallace dropped in the end zone. Dolphin running back Lamar Miller had 4 carries for 21 yards on the series which was more yardage than Miami had accrued over the entire first half on the ground. It appeared as though the Dolphin running game might be picking up steam, though they ended up settling for a Sturgis 44 yard field goal.
The Score: NYJETS 10, MIAMI 6.
The Dolphins have been very good at making half time adjustments this season. Especially on offense. Miami is supposed to be the most successful team in the NFL when it comes to scoring in the third quarter. Second half expectations were to see some good offensive adjustments by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor which at this point, seemed to become the case. Miami was moving the ball much better on the ground while Tannehill continued to be effective through the air. The Dolphins now have 162 yards passing and 36 yards rushing.
But what was really most anticipated was to witness the Dolphin defense finding a way to counter the juggernaut that was the Jets rushing attack.
New York's first possession of the second half started on their own 40 yard line because Miami kicker Caleb Sturgis squandered the kickoff out of bounds. Once again the Jets are able to move the ball down the field 33 yards, (this time with the help of a 20 yard Smith pass on a third and 5 play). Miami finally stopped them on a 3rd and 1 at the Dolphin 27 yard line by stuffing a running play for zero yardage, and short of the first down marker. The ball actually came out on the play but the Jets recovered it, and kicked a 45 yard field goal that hit the crossbar, yet still went through the uprights.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 6.
Miami gets the ball on their own 22 yard line but go 3 and out. The Dolphins punt it away to New York, and they go 3 and out as well, (for the first time in the game). Dolphin defensive end Dion Jordan partially blocks their punt attempt, it only travels 6 yards before being downed at the Jets 41 yard line, and Miami takes over with the best starting field position they've had all day.
On the first play from scrimmage an under serious duress Tannehill tosses a short pass that was intended for Lamar Miller, but somehow the ball bounces up in the air off of Miller's two palms and is intercepted. New York corner back Darrin Walls catches it and runs it back 25 yards from the Jet 45 yard line to Miami's 30. However, the Jets do not get anywhere on the ground, (for a change) and Smith also gets sacked by Cam Wake on third down for an 8 yard loss. This effectively puts the home team out of field goal range after another three and out!
Miami's subsequent possession takes the game into the fourth quarter when the Dolphins again have to kick it away, after just 5 plays. (So much for Miami being a big third quarter scoring team). But there seems to be a theme developing here, and this is where things start looking good for the visitors.
After 3 quarters of play, Miami has a total of 201 yards, (149 yards passing and 52 yards rushing) while the Jets have 267 total yards, (34 yards passing and 233 yards on the ground). New York has only gotten 23 yards rushing and 12 yards passing during the third quarter.
Anyway. Miami manages to pin them deep in their own territory where Geno almost fumbles the ball away at New York's 5 yard line. After a 3 and out they kick the ball from their 4 yard line to their own 49. The Jets commit a 10 yard holding penalty during the kick which gives the Dolphins a second possession starting on the oppositions side of the 50 yard line. This time on the home teams 39 yard line with 12:52 remaining in the game and the score still at 13 to 6 in their favor.
Tannehill does not waste the opportunity and immediately hits Landry on a crossing route over the middle for a 25 yard gain to the Jets 14 yard line. Then Ryan runs for 5 yards, himself. Miller runs for 3 and 2 yards before Tannehill throws an incomplete pass to Gibson. On third and 4, Miller runs it in from 4 yards out to tie it up.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 13.
The Jets get the ball back with 10:24 left to play in regulation. They have good field position on their own 39 yard line to start. Geno Smith scrambles twice, the first for 13, and the second for 5 yards. New York managed to work their way down the field on mostly, short running plays, (aside from Johnson's 13 yard scamper). They wind up with a first and 10 on Miami's 22 yard line. Percy Harvin gets 4 yards. Chris Johnson gets -1, and then Smith gets sacked for an 8 yard loss by Miami linebacker Koa Misi, back on the 27 yard line. This lost yardage is just enough for Nick Folk to miss his second field goal on the day. (A 45 yard attempt).
Miami now has the ball back with 5:42 left in the game. The score is tied and momentum has obviously swung their way. From their own 35 yard line they start moving down field. Tannehill connects with tight end Sims on a deep pass of 18 yards, and a short toss that nets 17 yards. Miller runs for 8, 3, 3, -2 yards and has a 5 yard reception to move them to the Jets 8 yard line. Surgis kicks the 26 yard, go ahead field goal with only 1:57 left for the Jets to mount a come back.
The Score: NYJETS 13, MIAMI 16.
Geno Smith starts from his own 20 yard line and completes two passes for 10 and 11 yards, (sandwiching an incomplete pass). He scrambles to get a yard and they have another run for 2 yards. On his 4th passing attempt of the drive, (from his own 44 yard line) he throws deep for Jeff Cumberland at the Miami 30 yard line, but is intercepted by Dolphin safety Rashad Jones!
Like:
Tannehill going 25 of 35 for 217 yards and 1 INT. This 71.4 completion percentage is his 5th consecutive 70+% outing (a Miami Dolphin record), and 7th of this season.
Ryan wasn't great in the early going, (though his first half stats showed him completing almost 80 percent of his passes). Meanwhile, he also brought his team back in the fourth quarter in driving them to score 10 unanswered points to win the game.
The Dolphin defense finally closed out a close game with a drive stopping interception and limited the Jets running attack to just 67 yards on 20 attempts in the second half. (After being steam rolled in the first half for 210 yards on 29 carries). A shame that they couldn't make such an adjustment sooner! But Miami did hold the Jets to just 3 points in the second half and scoreless in the fourth quarter.
After 3 attempts in the first half for 15 yards Miami's offense manages to balance their attack in the second half with an additional 59 yards on 15 carries and 10 of 16 passes for 107 yards.
Despite more adjustments and shuffling on the offensive line the Dolphins only allowed two sacks, all game long against a very good Jets defensive front.
Yes. This was a pretty ugly win. A, "Coyote Ugly" affair, at that. (We have all heard how a Coyote will chew a paw off to get out of a trap). Well......after Sturgis missed that first field goal of 43 yards in this trap game, Dolphin Nation was willing to volunteer sticking his kicking foot in such a trap.
The 7 - 5 Miami Dolphins are presently the AFC's sixth seed in a six seed playoff chase with the 7 - 5 Baltimore Ravens coming to town!
There are four additional 7 - 5 teams (Chiefs, Steelers, Browns, and Bills) tailgating your favorite team!
San Diego's Chargers are currently the AFC's fifth seed at 8 - 4, and if able to pull even Miami wins the tie-breaker!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Sunday's Miami Dolphin Game is Jeff Ireland's Superbowl
Jet QB Geno Smith summed up the
Dolphins - Jets match up this Sunday by saying, "It's pretty much our Super
Bowl." His words stretched south to Miami where the game may have as much
impact on the Dolphins GM as it does on the New York coaching staff.
The
Dolphins have not played past the regular season since 2008. The fan-base has
become as fickle as a team that can create a stir with a sensational win
against New England one week, only to gag in a devastating loss to Buffalo the
next.
In his 2nd season as head coach, Joe
Philbin needs to show improvement. It’s doubtful his job is as tenuous as that
of Rex Ryan who will close out his 3rd consecutive season out of the
playoffs. The Jets are the Dolphin’s greatest rival, a perspective not lost in
Miami.
A victory ensures the first winning season for the Dolphins in 5 years. The game is pivotal for Boss Ross and Dolphin fans everywhere. Yet the man
who stands to gain or lose the most by the outcome is Jeff Ireland.
The Jets have only one remaining
hope for their season as Antonio Cromartie made clear, "This is our last
game of the year, and we want to make sure it's their last game, too."
Just four weeks ago, the Dolphins crushed the Jets but even then Cromartie
felt, "we were the better team."
He feels the same now, "do I
feel like we're a better team now? Yeah, we're running the ball better and
we're playing the pass a whole lot better. I think the biggest thing for us is
to put it all together and win a game on the road."
The Jets can finish .500, and win on
the road for only the second time this season, but more importantly, they can
knock Miami out of the playoffs. When the Jets search for ways to add meaning
to a game without playoff implications, the Dolphins have a much more tangible need to win.
There were
plenty of excuses for the Miami offense gaining only 103 yards in Buffalo
last week and a listless defense yielding over 200 yards rushing. The bottom
line is, Buffalo came to play and Miami did not.
Players play the game, but motivation falls squarely on head coach Joe Philbin, and his coordinators. Three consecutive wins prior to Buffalo found Miami on cruise control with easily winnable games against the Bills and Jets.
All the euphoria disappeared when the Dolphins stumbled badly in Buffalo and a fan-base attuned to disappointment jumped
off the bandwagon. Even a victory Sunday could leave Miami out of the playoffs
if circumstances fall more advantageously for other teams. The Dolphins lost
control of their destiny.
2013 opened with a plethora of draft
picks and mega-money for free agents, Jeff Ireland was dispatched to make a
contender. The expectation from Boss Ross is higher than 8-8 and no
playoffs for 5 straight seasons under Ireland’s reign as GM.
Ross, is the type
of owner who comes to town with an open wallet anticipating money will buy
results. The Ross mandate is, world class facilities and best in class operations
will lead to best in class results, provided the people in charge are best in class.
He can buy facilities and operations… The people must prove their competence or
suffer the consequences.
Of the free agents Ireland acquired,
only Brent Grimes has matched or exceeded expectations. None of Ireland's draft
picks have made an impact and the only starter is a 5th round kicker.
The 3rd overall pick in the draft played 15 snaps in the devastating
defeat in Buffalo.
The Quarterback picked 8th two years ago spent
most of the day on his back getting sacked 7 times. While teasing with moments
of promise, Tannehill showed zero leadership when needing to be in the face of
his lethargic teammates.
Joe Philbin brought a player development
philosophy to Miami. Fans ingrained in a culture of instant gratification find
it hard to understand why the 3rd player selected in the draft is
not in the starting lineup. It is not an understatement to say Jeff Ireland has a
lot riding on Sunday’s game.
In simple terms for Ireland, great players get on
the field even if they have to throw someone else off to get there. Dion Jordan
could evolve into a pro bowl player but for fans hoping to see greatness
anywhere in the Miami lineup, he is another Ireland disappointment.
This season comes down to a
single game with the outcome decided in the trenches, a place on the Dolphin
2013 roster where Ireland failed miserably. He showed no understanding of the
dynamics when drafting an overly sensitive tackle to play next to an overly
obnoxious guard.
On the opposite side, an afterthought tackle was thrust on to
the field next to a guard mismatched to the system. To say the Miami Dolphin offensive
line was a disaster is another incredible understatement.
On the positive side, Ireland has
shown a slow progression of plugging holes in a depth chart bereft of talent
five years ago. Going into this off-season with a glaring need at offensive
line but talent at most other positions is a much easier recipe than building
from scratch.
A winning season and a playoff appearance likely equate to job
security for the entire Miami staff but falls short of the expectations for
many pessimistic fans. In a sport predicated by which team comes into the game with
the greatest desire, Ireland could be at the mercy of the team he built.
Geno Smith’s
words may be a better fit for Jeff Ireland, "It's pretty much our Super
Bowl." The office of the Miami Dolphins billionaire owner is nestled in
one of those New York skyscrapers.
They say, “the bigger the boys, the bigger
the toys.” In this land where livelihoods are decided by office
bragging rights, Jeff Ireland’s future may teeter on whether the Miami Dolphins
show up on Sunday.
Boss Ross is a patient man and understands the benefits of
long term thinking but this is a toy after all, and if misfit toys are no longer fun to play
with, change is a certainty...
If the Dolphins take another day off Sunday, Jeff Ireland could end up being more like Woody and less like Buzz Lightyear.
The Dolphin's - Tom Brady Defense
Beating the Patriots is never easy with Belichick at the helm and Brady behind center, but Brady has a weakness and the Dolphins have exploited it in prior seasons. Brady is one of the hardest working QBs in professional football. He gains an edge over opponents by recognizing tendencies and understanding what to expect when he sees certain defensive alignments prior to the snap.
Coming out of college Brady’s athleticism was so gangly he dropped to the sixth round of the draft even after consistently showing the ability to come back and wins games at Michigan. The magic of Brady is in the pre-snap read and a clean pocket. He does not run around creating time with his feet or make off-balance throws dodging defenders. He methodically moves through a progression he has analyzed before the snap, while taking small precise steps to avoid pressure and maintain balance.
Brady is the most mechanically sound quarterback in the NFL. His balance and consistent arm motion are the keys to his accuracy. They are also the keys to defending him. When Brady does not play well it is because his pre-snap read has been disrupted and he is forced to throw from awkward arm angles. Easy to define perhaps, but much harder to perform when Belichick and Josh McDaniel know their own weakness.
There was a time when Rex Ryan was in consideration for reaching the status of “great NFL coach,” due to his ability to hold Belichick and Brady in check and playing in two consecutive AFC championship games. The distinction was short lived when Ryan's concept of the Amoeba Defense was diagnosed and defeated by Brady and the New England coaching staff. No self respecting Dolphin fan would ever consider stealing a page from Ryan’s playbook, but Joe Philbin and Kevin Coyle could take the concept to another level.
The Ryan defense consisted of several basic defensive packages disguised by players not coming set until seconds before the play clock expired. It was not long before Belichick realized using an up tempo no-huddle offense would catch the Jet defense out of position wandering in the Amoeba. The Jet defense was ineffective against a quick-snap offense and the Patriots also discovered they could add at least ten extra plays per game to their offense.
The Patriots then perfected the up tempo offense they currently run and the Jets sunk back into obscurity. The Ryan defense was too undisciplined and utilized too much random movement to function in the rapid succession of the Patriot offense. The idea is correct; Brady makes most of his decisions prior to the snap. Clouding his ability to recognize coverages and blitz packages forces Brady off his pre-snap read causing indecisiveness and hesitation. In those pivotal seconds the pass rush has the extra time to bring pressure.
The key for Miami is disciplined deception… Less drastic than an Amoeba approach, the idea is to combine the Amoeba concept with the zone blitz. By using movement and unusual positioning prior to the snap, then filling a predetermined zone or man coverage with the nearest player, the pre-snap read is negated. Notice the seemingly random positioning of the defenders in this example.
The defense looks almost random, but is actually aligned to quickly move to a designated zone or man coverage. In the next example, follow the sequencial movement at the snap, the arrows point to zone areas and the circles are man coverage responisibility.
The defense looks very convoluted in the initial picture but becomes a single high safety with safety help on the strong side and man coverage on the weak side. This is a cross between the Dick Labeau Zone Blitz defense and the Rex Ryan Amoeba defense.
The mistake that Rex Ryan made was to have players moving at the snap in random directions. The players in the example above are spaced at awkward intervals and have some freedom to vary those intervals, but they are essentially set at the snap. When players are moving they can be caught out of position and play can be dictated by the offense. In this scheme the defense dictates to the offense because the gaps are random and require the lineman to choose a player or a spot.
Notice how the offensive players most likely to be thrown quick passes are man covered and the defenders remain in their positions in both examples. The short passing game is defended but any attempt to work down the field will require the QB to allow the defense to rotate into position before being able to read the coverage. The extra second gives the pass rush time to bring pressure.
This is one example of how Tom Brady can be made to second guess his pre-snap read and take a little longer to deliver the football. Over the course of a game these situational additions to the defense can disrupt Brady into making bad decisions and cause turnovers.
Tom Brady and the Patriots are not going to be shutdown, but by frustrating Brady, altering his pre-snap read and getting pressure, the Dolphins can beat the Patriots and end the year on a very positive note. The illustrations were meant for example and by no means an attempt to oversimplify the task of beating Brady and the Patriots, but it can be done and the Dolphins are ready for the challenge.
Happy New Year Dolphin fans!
Coming out of college Brady’s athleticism was so gangly he dropped to the sixth round of the draft even after consistently showing the ability to come back and wins games at Michigan. The magic of Brady is in the pre-snap read and a clean pocket. He does not run around creating time with his feet or make off-balance throws dodging defenders. He methodically moves through a progression he has analyzed before the snap, while taking small precise steps to avoid pressure and maintain balance.
Brady is the most mechanically sound quarterback in the NFL. His balance and consistent arm motion are the keys to his accuracy. They are also the keys to defending him. When Brady does not play well it is because his pre-snap read has been disrupted and he is forced to throw from awkward arm angles. Easy to define perhaps, but much harder to perform when Belichick and Josh McDaniel know their own weakness.
There was a time when Rex Ryan was in consideration for reaching the status of “great NFL coach,” due to his ability to hold Belichick and Brady in check and playing in two consecutive AFC championship games. The distinction was short lived when Ryan's concept of the Amoeba Defense was diagnosed and defeated by Brady and the New England coaching staff. No self respecting Dolphin fan would ever consider stealing a page from Ryan’s playbook, but Joe Philbin and Kevin Coyle could take the concept to another level.
The Ryan defense consisted of several basic defensive packages disguised by players not coming set until seconds before the play clock expired. It was not long before Belichick realized using an up tempo no-huddle offense would catch the Jet defense out of position wandering in the Amoeba. The Jet defense was ineffective against a quick-snap offense and the Patriots also discovered they could add at least ten extra plays per game to their offense.
The Patriots then perfected the up tempo offense they currently run and the Jets sunk back into obscurity. The Ryan defense was too undisciplined and utilized too much random movement to function in the rapid succession of the Patriot offense. The idea is correct; Brady makes most of his decisions prior to the snap. Clouding his ability to recognize coverages and blitz packages forces Brady off his pre-snap read causing indecisiveness and hesitation. In those pivotal seconds the pass rush has the extra time to bring pressure.
The key for Miami is disciplined deception… Less drastic than an Amoeba approach, the idea is to combine the Amoeba concept with the zone blitz. By using movement and unusual positioning prior to the snap, then filling a predetermined zone or man coverage with the nearest player, the pre-snap read is negated. Notice the seemingly random positioning of the defenders in this example.
The defense looks almost random, but is actually aligned to quickly move to a designated zone or man coverage. In the next example, follow the sequencial movement at the snap, the arrows point to zone areas and the circles are man coverage responisibility.
The mistake that Rex Ryan made was to have players moving at the snap in random directions. The players in the example above are spaced at awkward intervals and have some freedom to vary those intervals, but they are essentially set at the snap. When players are moving they can be caught out of position and play can be dictated by the offense. In this scheme the defense dictates to the offense because the gaps are random and require the lineman to choose a player or a spot.
Notice how the offensive players most likely to be thrown quick passes are man covered and the defenders remain in their positions in both examples. The short passing game is defended but any attempt to work down the field will require the QB to allow the defense to rotate into position before being able to read the coverage. The extra second gives the pass rush time to bring pressure.
This is one example of how Tom Brady can be made to second guess his pre-snap read and take a little longer to deliver the football. Over the course of a game these situational additions to the defense can disrupt Brady into making bad decisions and cause turnovers.
Tom Brady and the Patriots are not going to be shutdown, but by frustrating Brady, altering his pre-snap read and getting pressure, the Dolphins can beat the Patriots and end the year on a very positive note. The illustrations were meant for example and by no means an attempt to oversimplify the task of beating Brady and the Patriots, but it can be done and the Dolphins are ready for the challenge.
Happy New Year Dolphin fans!
Jets Intentionally Injuring Impact Players
Week 14 – 2010: Nolan Carroll
Intentionally tripped, on the sideline while covering a punt.
Jets coach Sal Alosi admits intentionally tripping…
Week 6 – 2011: Reggie Bush
Right arm hanging at his side with neck injury.
Leaves game after being pulled from the pile…
Week 17 – 2011: Davone Bess
Sprained MCL.
Bart Scott hits in the knee…
Week 3 – 2012: Reggie Bush
Bruised knee.
LaRon Landry claims hit intended to take out…
Roger Goodell can fine the Saints and suspend their head coach, force their DC into retirement, but if he thinks there needs to be a bounty for teams to intentionally try to injury players, he’s sadly mistaken. The New York Jets target impact players on the opposition every week and because there are no cash bonuses involved the targeting is not labeled "bounty," but playing with the intent to injure is no different than a bounty program.
Against the Dolphins, the Jets have either caused an impact player to leave the game or made blatantly dirty moves, even from the coaching staff. It is no coincidence that either Reggie Bush or Davone Bess has been injured against the Jets in each of the last 3 meetings. To think players like Richie Incognito are not aware of this trend would be equally gullible. The Dolphins do not play with the intent to injure, but when the opponent has a history of hurting the best players on their team it would be foolish not send an early message.
An eye for an eye justice is known by the Latin Lex Talionis.
No one in Miami is claiming the goal of taking out any Jet player, but when Incognito is on record as saying he has hostile intentions, it is probably a good bet for the Jets to pay attention. The Dolphins understand the Jets are a dirty football team, the history doesn’t need to be researched, it’s evident in the scars on their knees.
The problem with playing dirty is the idea of taking away a man’s livelihood in an already short-lived profession. Players that would normally not get drawn into making cheap shots or late hits can be pulled across the line when their livelihoods are threatened. The Dolphins know the only way to combat dirty play is to play with extreme aggression within the rules. This is the approach the Dolphins must take to neutralize the contemptible play of the Jets.
Lex Talionis
Most of the transgressions have come with Rex Ryan as the coach, but when it continues with Tony Sparano, integrity comes into question. Perhaps Sparano can blame Jeff Ireland or Stephen Ross for his firing in Miami or maybe he can justify himself by being all in with the team that hired him, but to condone such actions speaks volumes for his lack of honor. The players he once coached recognize this and will take special pleasure in making sure he has a bad day.
It is foolish to antagonize an opponent and is the reason most good coaches place a muzzle over the mouths of their volatile players. Rex Ryan has failed to do this and now his own players are leaking out, there is intent to injure.
The NFL need not get involved in this matter, Richie, Jake, Mike, Cameron and Karlos among an entire team are ready to deal with it the way it should be dealt with. It is little wonder Bush was unconcerned about Darrelle Revis.
Lex Talionis
Nothing to see here commissioner, you have your hands full with the mess you made in New Orleans. The Dolphins will handle the dirty work. The rest of the league will turn a blind eye, perhaps even applaud because they have no doubt seen their own playmakers targeted by the same unscrupulous play.
Watch out New York, the boys from Miami are not happy and the nothing will create change faster than losing in the NFL. We got your number…
Lex Talionis
Intentionally tripped, on the sideline while covering a punt.
Jets coach Sal Alosi admits intentionally tripping…
Week 6 – 2011: Reggie Bush
Right arm hanging at his side with neck injury.
Leaves game after being pulled from the pile…
Week 17 – 2011: Davone Bess
Sprained MCL.
Bart Scott hits in the knee…
Week 3 – 2012: Reggie Bush
Bruised knee.
LaRon Landry claims hit intended to take out…
Roger Goodell can fine the Saints and suspend their head coach, force their DC into retirement, but if he thinks there needs to be a bounty for teams to intentionally try to injury players, he’s sadly mistaken. The New York Jets target impact players on the opposition every week and because there are no cash bonuses involved the targeting is not labeled "bounty," but playing with the intent to injure is no different than a bounty program.
Against the Dolphins, the Jets have either caused an impact player to leave the game or made blatantly dirty moves, even from the coaching staff. It is no coincidence that either Reggie Bush or Davone Bess has been injured against the Jets in each of the last 3 meetings. To think players like Richie Incognito are not aware of this trend would be equally gullible. The Dolphins do not play with the intent to injure, but when the opponent has a history of hurting the best players on their team it would be foolish not send an early message.
An eye for an eye justice is known by the Latin Lex Talionis.
No one in Miami is claiming the goal of taking out any Jet player, but when Incognito is on record as saying he has hostile intentions, it is probably a good bet for the Jets to pay attention. The Dolphins understand the Jets are a dirty football team, the history doesn’t need to be researched, it’s evident in the scars on their knees.
The problem with playing dirty is the idea of taking away a man’s livelihood in an already short-lived profession. Players that would normally not get drawn into making cheap shots or late hits can be pulled across the line when their livelihoods are threatened. The Dolphins know the only way to combat dirty play is to play with extreme aggression within the rules. This is the approach the Dolphins must take to neutralize the contemptible play of the Jets.
Lex Talionis
Most of the transgressions have come with Rex Ryan as the coach, but when it continues with Tony Sparano, integrity comes into question. Perhaps Sparano can blame Jeff Ireland or Stephen Ross for his firing in Miami or maybe he can justify himself by being all in with the team that hired him, but to condone such actions speaks volumes for his lack of honor. The players he once coached recognize this and will take special pleasure in making sure he has a bad day.
It is foolish to antagonize an opponent and is the reason most good coaches place a muzzle over the mouths of their volatile players. Rex Ryan has failed to do this and now his own players are leaking out, there is intent to injure.
The NFL need not get involved in this matter, Richie, Jake, Mike, Cameron and Karlos among an entire team are ready to deal with it the way it should be dealt with. It is little wonder Bush was unconcerned about Darrelle Revis.
Lex Talionis
Nothing to see here commissioner, you have your hands full with the mess you made in New Orleans. The Dolphins will handle the dirty work. The rest of the league will turn a blind eye, perhaps even applaud because they have no doubt seen their own playmakers targeted by the same unscrupulous play.
Watch out New York, the boys from Miami are not happy and the nothing will create change faster than losing in the NFL. We got your number…
Lex Talionis
The Bill Parcells Scandal: Just Go Away Already And Leave The Miami Dolphins Alone
A few days ago, Bill Parcells admitted that current Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan was the runner-up for the Miami Dolphins Head Coaching position behind Tony Sparano.
To me, this looks like Parcells is just trying to cover up for his mistakes in Miami. He knew that he messed up the job he was supposed to do when he joined the Dolphins, which is why he left early, and now he is trying to make it seem like he was the reason the Jets are successful now.
Parcells claims that he called Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and convinced him to hire Ryan as Head Coach. All of this happened while he was still in Miami as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Basically, what he is saying is that he helped one of the Miami Dolphins bitter rivals hire a good coach that would make them very, very successful while still pretending to be working in the Dolphins favor.
Stephen Ross should read over Parcells contract that he signed when he joined the Dolphins, and see if there is some clause or agreement in it that prevents Parcells from helping division rivals, because that is exactly what he did.
It was like he was committing treason to his country, but instead of his country it is was Dolphins organization that he was with at the time.
And then, what did Parcells do 20 months after he basically "cheated" on the Miami Dolphins?
He left his position earlier than expected and became just a consultant for the team, all the while taking a bunch of money with him.
"Why did he leave so early?" You ask.
Well, he realized the team that he spent two years putting together wasn't going to be as good as he had planned on it being (mainly because of the quarterback he hand-picked). So, he decided to, essentially, cut his ties with the organization and escape the blame.
And guess who didn't receive the blame after an unsuccessful season by the Miami Dolphins ended?
You guessed it, Parcells. Sparano was left as the scapegoat if things went wrong, and that is exactly what he was once the year ended.
Fans forgot about Bill Parcells and how he influenced the team before he left, and instead of Parcells taking the heat that he deserved, poor Tony Sparano almost lost his job while Parcells was still being paid for a job he wasn't doing for the Miami Dolphins.
Thankfully, we still have Tony, and we can see what he will be able to do with an offseason of his own where he can make his own decisions without Bill Parcells in the picture.
Even though we have had Tony for three seasons now, this fourth season will be the one that we are finally able to see what Tony Sparano will be able to do with a football team, and not just Bill Parcells using Sparano's heavily tinted glasses as a mask if things go wrong.
I want to thank you guys for reading the Bill Parcells scandal. What is so sickening about all of this is that Parcells helped the Jets more than he helped the Dolphins, and the Jets aren't even paying him. Something is wrong with that picture, and I want people to know about it.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, though, and maybe it helped sway your opinion of the liar they call the "tuna". Let me hear your reactions with comments, and as always you can just email me at
paul@dolphinshout.com
Subscribe to DolphinShout
To me, this looks like Parcells is just trying to cover up for his mistakes in Miami. He knew that he messed up the job he was supposed to do when he joined the Dolphins, which is why he left early, and now he is trying to make it seem like he was the reason the Jets are successful now.
Parcells claims that he called Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and convinced him to hire Ryan as Head Coach. All of this happened while he was still in Miami as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Basically, what he is saying is that he helped one of the Miami Dolphins bitter rivals hire a good coach that would make them very, very successful while still pretending to be working in the Dolphins favor.
Stephen Ross should read over Parcells contract that he signed when he joined the Dolphins, and see if there is some clause or agreement in it that prevents Parcells from helping division rivals, because that is exactly what he did.
It was like he was committing treason to his country, but instead of his country it is was Dolphins organization that he was with at the time.
And then, what did Parcells do 20 months after he basically "cheated" on the Miami Dolphins?
He left his position earlier than expected and became just a consultant for the team, all the while taking a bunch of money with him.
"Why did he leave so early?" You ask.
Well, he realized the team that he spent two years putting together wasn't going to be as good as he had planned on it being (mainly because of the quarterback he hand-picked). So, he decided to, essentially, cut his ties with the organization and escape the blame.
And guess who didn't receive the blame after an unsuccessful season by the Miami Dolphins ended?
You guessed it, Parcells. Sparano was left as the scapegoat if things went wrong, and that is exactly what he was once the year ended.
Fans forgot about Bill Parcells and how he influenced the team before he left, and instead of Parcells taking the heat that he deserved, poor Tony Sparano almost lost his job while Parcells was still being paid for a job he wasn't doing for the Miami Dolphins.
Thankfully, we still have Tony, and we can see what he will be able to do with an offseason of his own where he can make his own decisions without Bill Parcells in the picture.
Even though we have had Tony for three seasons now, this fourth season will be the one that we are finally able to see what Tony Sparano will be able to do with a football team, and not just Bill Parcells using Sparano's heavily tinted glasses as a mask if things go wrong.
I want to thank you guys for reading the Bill Parcells scandal. What is so sickening about all of this is that Parcells helped the Jets more than he helped the Dolphins, and the Jets aren't even paying him. Something is wrong with that picture, and I want people to know about it.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, though, and maybe it helped sway your opinion of the liar they call the "tuna". Let me hear your reactions with comments, and as always you can just email me at
paul@dolphinshout.com
Subscribe to DolphinShout
Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets: The Last Important Matchup For The Dolphins This Year
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| Please Dolphins, Stick It To This Man On Sunday |
Another season is nearing its conclusion for the Miami Dolphins. Instead of going to the playoffs, they are instead preparing for another long offseason. We can discuss the multitude of reasons for such a poor season, but the fact of the matter is that the Dolphins won't be in the playoffs.
I would rather that Miami tanks the rest of the season, honestly. Instead of winning for no reason, why not lose to get a better spot in the draft? They aren't going to do that, but they would be much better off if they did.
The only game that I want the Miami Dolphins to try and win this year is this week's game against the New York Jets. I would love nothing more than to shut Rex Ryan up once more. It would leave us with something good to remember from this season after almost everything else was a disappointment.
This week may be the best week to play the Jets, too.
They were just exposed badly on Monday night against the Patriots, and while the Dolphins aren't close to the Patriots anymore, at least we know they have a good shot against the Jets.
Mark Sanchez looked almost as bad as Chad Henne looked against the Browns, and if the Dolphins secondary is able to catch the ball they should have a chance at disrupting Sanchez like the Patriots did. The key will be stopping TE Dustin Keller. He ran all over the Dolphins earlier in the year, and Miami hasn't shown any improvement this year when it comes to covering tight ends.
This is purely hypothetical, but maybe Tony Sparano is starting Chad Henne for just this week's game because he wants to beat the Jets. While I do believe that Tyler Thigpen would be a better choice at starter right now, Henne knows the offense better than Thigpen, and he has experience playing against the Jets. I know this likely isn't Tony Sparano's motive for playing Henne, but I wish it were.
I would love nothing more than for the Dolphins to head into New York and stuff a loss in Rex Ryan's mouth. He has been relatively silent since the loss to the Patriots, so imagine how little he would talk if he lost to the Dolphins. He buried the game ball from the New England game, so he would probably have to blow up the game ball from this week's game if Miami wins.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about "tanking" the season.
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