Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals Live Game Chat

Here we go. Let's get this win

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Miami Dolphins Pregame Look See

This week's game against the Bengals should be another tough go for the Dolphins, but Ryan Tannehill will give us hope. Don't expect another 400 yard performance, but we seem to be able to convert some of those 3^rd and hopeless situations because of him. That in itself is a positive, unlike the past.

So let's get to it. The Bengals have Andy Dalton who has a touch over 1100 yards passing, 8 TDs, 4 INTs, and a QB rating of 103.0. That's pretty good folks. Their rookie receiver Mohamed Sanu even has 1 TD pass from the wildcat that went for 73 yards.

Their wide receivers are led by AJ Green who has accumulated 428 yards on 27 catches and 3 TDs. AJ towers over the other receivers. He has nearly twice as many catches and yards as his nearest teammate. Their other big target is Jermaine Gresham, their TE. He has 1 TD for 22 yards, so Dalton may look for him in the end zone when they are inside our 30.

Their rushing game is pretty much a one man show. They have the law firm of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who has 282 yards on 82 carries for a 3.5 yard average and 2 TDs, which is pretty pedestrian if you ask me. He also has 3 fumbles to date. He definitely left his Patriots mystique back in New England when it comes to coughing up the ball. Hopefully the Dolphins can jar one loose from him. Don't count on that happening the Dolphin just don't do those types of things. Cedric Peerman has only 5 carries for 71 yards for a whopping 14.2 yard average.

Defensively they have 7 players with double digit tackles, 17 sacks, and only 1 interception. Geno Atkins leads their team in sacks with 5 followed closely by Michael Johnson with 4 sacks. The Bengals have really been getting to the QB so far. What is strange about those stats is they only have one pass interception to show for that, which leads me to think the opposing QBs are having time in the pocket. No picks equals very little pressure even though they have 17 sacks.

Special Teams. Their place kicker has not missed this year. He is 7 for 7 (make a note on that Mr. Carpenter). Their punter has put 9 of his 17 punts inside the 20. Adam "Pacman" Jones has returned a punt for a TD. Over all they have a good special team, but we will get an opportunity to return their one and only kickoff.

The Bengals are giving up 234 yards a game through the air and 131 rushing yards a game for an average of a big 5.3 yards a carry. They are ranked 19^th in team defense, 2 spots below ourselves.

Cincinnati is tied for their division lead with the Ravens with the Steelers 1 game back, and they're on a 3 game winning streak. None of that is good for us. I don't like to see us playing teams that are on a roll.

Our best chance to win this game is to contain AJ Green and Andy Dalton. We can't allow their pass rush to sack Tannehill, and we have to make them go the length of the field to score. Doing those few things will greatly enhance our chances of winning. We should be able to move the ball on them. Our problem will be ourselves. We seem to be putting things together, but our mistakes are killing us. Last week Sean Smith made a play when it mattered. If we can get more plays like that we can beat the Bengals.

Can Philbin and Tannehill Make Miami Relevant?

There is little debating, success in the NFL comes from the marriage of a head coach and QB. Given all things equal or close in the competition between Matt Moore and Ryan Tannehill, the logical selection was the rookie. Joe Philbin is well aware of this coach - QB connection, just like Tony Sparano knew he was in trouble when Chad Henne proved incapable of being an NFL starter after Chad Pennington could not stay healthy.

Philbin also knows three years is probably all he has to show there is potential for greatness in Miami or he will follow Sparano’s footsteps out the door. It’s almost like this season is a free pass and Philbin knows, what he develops now will carry him later. Perhaps for these reasons, he made critical decisions now without worrying about the results this year.

Two plays… A missed 48 yard field goal and poor coverage on a fourth down 10-yard TD pass are the difference between 1-3 and 3-1. There were a lot of great plays leading up to the ultimate coup de grâce as the Dolphins jumped on their own swords and allowed the Jets and Cardinals to squeeze out victories. The silver lining is, Miami outplayed both teams and is poised to overcome the mistakes in route to a transformation every Dolphin fan can sense, if not yet see.

Some of the numbers do not equate to the confidence emanating from the Miami locker room, with a 66.4 passer rating, Ryan Tannehill is the 31st rated QB in the NFL. But the team has rallied around the rookie with the number 1 rated rushing defense, the top rated receiver and the 6th rated rusher. A closer look shows the numbers don’t lie and the confidence is justified. Miami is ranked 9th in total offense and 17th in total defense.

The rookie has only 2 TDs with 6 INTs and is still feeling his way in the NFL, but the optimism comes from Ryan Tannehill’s ability to recognize his mistakes and rapidly correct them. The best example of this is when the Houston Texans timed up his release and batted balls down like they were using ping pong paddles. Since then, Tannehill has had no significant reoccurrence and has found passing lanes with the help of his offensive line.

The common stat circling the media is the 306 yards passing Tannehill threw while under pressure against the Cardinals. The poise is there, but the attempt to rescue plays when the blocking scheme breaks down has led to compounding errors. If these issues are as rapidly assimilated and rectified as the batted balls, the wins will begin to accumulate.

The need for scoring will be paramount as offenses begin to attack Miami’s Achilles Heel in the secondary. Richard Marshall and Nolan Carroll have both spent more time in the training room this week than on the practice field. The number 1 rated rushing defense is a product of great play by the front seven, but also is an indication of teams exploiting Miami’s 30th rated pass defense.

Trading Vontae Davis may now seem like a mistake, but the voice of Mike Singletary lashing out at Vontae’s brother Vernon, reverberates in Joe Philbin’s decision. “I would rather play with 10 people and get penalized all the way until we've got to do something else. Rather than play with 11 when I know that right now, that person is not sold out to be a part of this team. It is more about them than it is about the team.”

“Cannot play with them… Cannot win with them… Cannot coach with them… Can't do it…”

Philbin made the decision, he could not coach Vontae. Davis may come round like his brother, but it was Singletary who paid the price and Philbin was not going to allow his team to be brought down before he had a chance to build it in his image. Teams will attempt to exploit the Miami secondary and there are not a lot of options for the Dolphins except perhaps to match scoring, until new bodies are acquired next season.

Without the poor example of Vontae Davis, Sean Smith finally had the breakout game Dolphin coaches have been waiting for. Smith will be tested for the remainder of the season and it will make him understand that games can be lost by getting beat on any single play. Smith could not celebrate a two interception performance when one missed coverage ultimately lost the cardinal game for Miami. This is an upside for the Dolphins, Smith was not reaching his potential and part of that was the backseat he had taken to the underachieving Vontae Davis.

The strategy this season must move toward a pressure defense, with press coverage on the corners and an assortment of blitz packages designed to force 3 step drops and create turnovers. The pressure must lead to QB hits and sacks, or there will be a potential for big plays. Points by the Dolphins also helps to make opposing offenses one dimensional, but unfortunately they will be forced to play into Miami’s weakness in the secondary. The Dolphins could be in-line for some shootouts.

The Dolphins are a work in progress, playing at high level for a coach and QB the team is rallying around. They are not ready for primetime, they are a few players away, but the expectations are always high in Miami. The joy may not come in victories for Dolphin fans as much as it will come from watching the growth of a rookie coach and a rookie QB as they begin the journey.

The feeling is definitely different than in past attempts, this is no Cam Cameron – Trent Green, Nick Saban – Daunte Culpepper or Tony Sparano – Chad Henne relationship, Philbin and Tannehil have the feel of something special. Fans have a front row seat to watch what could quite possibly be the return to prominence of the Miami Dolphins.

Buckle-up Fin Fans, this is going to be fun to watch…