Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Stop Peyton Hillis

The Cleveland Browns are coming into town this Sunday to play against the Miami Dolphins, and if Miami wants to win then they need to focus on shutting Browns RB Peyton Hillis down.

The Browns do not have much of a passing game at all. Their top pass catchers, Peyton Hillis and TE Benjamin Watson, aren't even wide receivers. Cleveland has done so poorly this year because they don't have any consistent threats at receiver, which is the main reason they have had to rely on Peyton Hillis so much.

Therefore, if the Miami Dolphins want to beat Cleveland, they will have to focus on stopping Hillis. The Dolphins defense has had to play a lot of supremely talented running backs this year like Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, and Ray Rice, so it isn't like they don't have experience against top running talent.

The problem is that Hillis has a different running style from other top backs. Hillis has an incredible amount of power to go with his speed. Want proof? Just look at the size of his arms:

 

Those arms are scary, and they just prove how powerful he is. Just imagine trying to tackle him, but that is what the Miami Dolphins defense will need to do if they want to win the game.

Hillis has really broken out this year. Last year he only had 54 rushing yards, but this year he has more touchdowns than every running back in the NFL except for one, and has the ninth most rushing yards.

I am actually pretty concerned about how well the Dolphins will be able to stop Hillis on Sunday. Miami has had certain games this year where they just couldn't wrap up the ball carrier, and I really hope this isn't going to be one of those games. Hillis has the ability to knock over almost any tackler, so it will be scary to see how many Dolphins tacklers he will be able to get past. I'm not saying that the Dolphins defense is terrible at tackling, but they do seem to have moments where they can't wrap up the man with the ball to save their lives.

Thanks for reading, and please comment and let me know what you think Hillis will be able to do against the Dolphins defense. I'll talk to you guys after the Dolphins come out with a win.

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The Miami Dolphins Are Fun To Watch On The Goal Line

The Dolphins Were Able To Shut This Man Down For A Big Win In Week 2

I love watching the Miami Dolphins when they are on the goal line, and no, I don't mean they are fun to watch when they are on offense on the goal line.

I mean when they are on defense.

Miami is very good at goal line stands, and because of that opposing offenses who have the ball with a first and goal at the 1-yard line aren't always automatically going to score a touchdown.

Not against the Miami Dolphins defense, at least.

The Dolphins defense made their first statement in Week 2 against Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings offense when they stuffed Peterson on the goal line. Not only was that stop incredible because it was Adrian Peterson who normally breaks a million tackles running the ball. It was also incredible because they were able to do it late in the game when they were tired, and being tired just makes things worse when you are playing somebody like AP.

Peterson had been running well all night, and almost everyone watching thought he would be able to easily score, but the Dolphins defense had other plans for him.

The next statement by the Dolphins defense, and the one that really lets us know they are seriously good at stopping offenses at the goal line is the one they made last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

You may not even remember the Dolphins stand, and that is because Aaron Rodgers was able to score on a dive up the middle on 4th down, but trust me, even though Green Bay scored the Dolphins defense still did an incredible job stopping them until that down.

The Packers had the ball with a first down on the 1-yard line, and most people assumed that they would score pretty easily, but once again the Dolphins had other plans.

Green Bay tried to run the ball in three different times with Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn, but every time they were stuffed before they gained anything.

The only reason the Packers were able to score on 4th down was that they lined up in a spread offense and tricked Miami into thinking they were going to pass it because running wasn't working. Aaron Rodgers fooled me when he ran it instead, and I am pretty sure he fooled the rest of the Dolphins defense.

But other than that play Miami was able to really shut the packers down, and that should be very encouraging for Dolphins fans.

So next time you see the Dolphins on defense at the goal line you can remember that Miami's opponent won't automatically score. It is very possible that the Dolphins will be able to hold them to a field goal or a turnover on downs.

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2-0 Baby! The Miami Dolphins Pull Out A Great Win Against The Minnesota Vikings

2-0!

What a game!

Even though Adrian Peterson was able to run everywhere in the second half we should still be really encouraged by the Miami Dolphins defensive showing. There is only so much you can do against a guy like Peterson, so performances like that will happen to the best of them.

What really saved the Dolphins was our ability to turn the ball over. Miami's secondary had three interceptions, and all three were crucial. The biggest surprise today was CB Jason Allen's impressive showing. Allen had 11 tackles and two interceptions. I apologize to Jason for ever doubting him, and I am extremely glad that he was in and able to make the big plays he did.

Another huge contributor was CB Vontae Davis. Without Davis we would have lost this game. Simple as that. He had a crucial interception on the goal line and he put the finishing hit on Adrian Peterson on the hugely important goal line stand in the 4th quarter. Yes, Karlos Dansby was the first player to wrap Peterson up and he was also crucial in saving the game, but without Davis there Peterson would have been able to reach for the endzone.

The pressure the Dolphins were able to put on Favre was incredible, too. Not only did they sack him three times, but they were able to bat the ball down on a big 4th down play early in the game. The best part about the pressure, though, was the fumble they forced on Favre that Koa Misi was able to recover for a touchdown.

Not only was it the first career touchdown (of hopefully many more) for Koa Misi, but it was also the touchdown that gave the Dolphins the points they needed to pull the game out in the end.

Moving along to the offense now.

Who loved the play call for Chad Henne to immediately throw the ball long to Brandon Marshall to start off the game? I know I did, and it helped the Dolphins to start their momentum and get in position for their first score.

It was great seeing the Dolphins start off with a statement like that game even though they didn't throw many more long balls afterwards.

And, did anyone else notice how well Jake Long covered Vikings DE Jared Allen? Allen was held to basically nothing. The only time he did do anything was when Henne scrambled and all he had to do was move in the other direction to tackle him. One of those tackles was considered a sack, but don't let that statistic fool you. Jake Long had him on lock all game.


I am so glad that the Miami Dolphins hired Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator. Even with a young defensive corps that made a few mistakes (i.e. 12 men on the field call twice in the same drive) he was able to help lead the Dolphins to a victory.

Let me know what you guys thought about the game with your comment. If you would like to leave a comment you can just click here and it will take you to the commenting.

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Hopefully The Miami Dolphins Will Be Alright Without DE Jared Odrick

Jared Odrick

The Miami Dolphins starting right end Jared Odrick has a hairline fracture in his leg that he hurt during the Dolphins season-opening win.

I have read reports that say he will be out two weeks, but I have also read reports that say he will be out as many as six weeks, so it is hard to know for sure which is right.

But, I did read a report that says he will be out a maximum of two weeks on espn.com. That report seems like the most legitimate of all the reports because it gives a definitive time limit that was given by the doctor Odrick saw.

Basically, he will most likely be out for only two weeks.

The Dolphins first round pick was really doing well, too, which is why it is a shame that he is injured. He played great in Buffalo, and he helped put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

I am hoping that Miami will be ok without Odrick, and I believe they will be. Our secondary has really done well, and they should be able to do well in Minnesota against Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. Peterson is our main concern, but judging by the way we shut down C.J. Spiller I don't think he will be a huge problem.

Robert Rose is listed as Odrick's backup on the Miami Dolphins depth chart, and I have never heard of or watched him play. So, it will be interesting to see how he does. I am hoping he will be able to fill in and put some pressure on Favre.

That is all for now, and I apologize for not posting last night. Let me know what you think about Odrick, and if you know anything about Robert Rose.

Thanks for reading.

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