One Rainy Sunday, Miami Iost a QB and Found a Coach

In spite of improving to 8-5, the Miami Dolphin victory against the Arizona Cardinals rings hollow. Played in a torrential downpour nearly the entire game, Miami led the sloppy turnover fest until the last minute when the officials finally gave the Cardinals enough chances to tie.

The referees threw 14 flags against the Dolphins for 118 yards in a game that lasted nearly 4 hours. The Cardinals were awarded 5 first downs by penalty, while the low-blow that ended Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill's season, suspiciously went uncontested...

With 1:46 left in the third quarter, Former Hurricane Calais Campbell dove directly into Ryan Tannehill's left knee. Shock hit the Miami sideline as the iron-man quarterback limped off the field with a torn ACL. Backup quarterback Matt Moore was called into action after attempting eleven passes in his last three seasons combined.

The narrative of the game from this point on is worth rehashing as the Miami Dolphins miraculously wrestled away a victory. This game alone should garner the points necessary to make a case for Gase as coach of the year.

Adam Gase was in no hurry to call on Moore's right arm to carry the Dolphins from the Cardinals 45. Three straight J-Train runs left Miami going for a 4th and one when the officials called Anthony Steen for an unusual false start forcing a Miami punt. Aided by three penalties, Arizona found the endzone to pull within six points when the Dolphins blocked the point after attempt and Walt Aikens returned it for two critical Miami points.

The officials must have been as surprised as everyone watching and the much anticipated flag, did not fall. Nursing an eight point lead, Gase stuck with the J-Train until Moore finally attempted a pass to Damien Williams that fell incomplete for a three and out. Badly in need of a first down, the Dolphins punted back to the Cardinals at the fifty-yard line with 5:12 left on the clock.

An invigorated Cardinal team needed only 2:13 of the clock to tie the score with a successful two point conversion. Again the Dolphin offense looked defeated, going three and out. Moore completed his first pass to Jarvis Landry who had 103 yards receiving in the game, but could only manage six on the play, forcing another Miami punt.

With 1:55 left, Vance Joseph gambled and Bobby McCain stripped Palmer who fell on his own fumble for a loss of six. Miami wisely called a timeout and this proved pivotal when Arizona punted after a short pass and an incompletion.

Landry struck again returning the punt 20 yards setting up Miami at the Arizona 47 with 1:29 remaining. The ball got loose on the first play, a 5 yard run by Damien Williams but the ruling of down by contact was upheld as the Dolphin faithful held their breath.

After a 12 yard completion to Kenny Stills who had 97 receiving yards in the game, the Dolphins called their second time out with 43 seconds remaining when Matt Moore found Stills again for 29 yards! A declined defensive pass interference call stopped the clock with 37 seconds remaining.

Two short gains by Damien Williams and Miami used it's last time out with 1 final second left on the clock. Arizona attempted the obligatory freeze by following Miami's timeout with one of their own. Andrew Franks calmly stepped up and drilled the 21-yard field as time expired in the pouring rain.

This gritty performance more than any other in recent Dolphins history showed a team and a coach clearly unflappable by whatever unfortunate circumstances a game can present. One sided officiating left the fans completely exasperated while Adam Gase simply stared down the referees with a glare so intense it burned right through them.

Gase lost the quarterback he so meticulously groomed and remained unfazed as Matt Moore stepped in and showed his acumen. Calling a timeout at 1:49 when Palmer went down with a sack was pure genius and a sign to his team... Adam Gase was not about to give up on a Miami victory. The defense responded and got him the ball back!

In previous years, with previous coaches, the sense of dread on the sideline would lead to despair and a total loss of the moment, but not Adam Gase. After an abysmal performance the previous week, through the rain, in spite of the officials and losing his QB, the man did not blink. He calmly led his team to victory...

This game ball goes to you... Adam Gase!

The Dolphins are not heading to the Super Bowl in 2016, in fact it may be a few years before this team approaches the level of champions. One thing is certain, Miami has found a coach the players, assistants, ownership and fans can look forward to watching blossom into greatness.

In one rain soaked afternoon in Miami, the Dolphins found the man...

Adam Gase

The Dolphin - Raider Match-up

The Oakland Raider - Miami Dolphin games have lost a little luster over the years but these two teams don’t like each other. It goes way back… In the 1974 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, Miami was about to earn a 4th consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Only 24 seconds remained in the game when Raiders RB Clarence Davis somehow caught the game-winning touchdown pass with three Dolphin defenders draped on him and QB Kenny Stabler throwing from his knees.

Ever wonder where the “In the Grasp” rule came from? It wasn’t the last time the Raiders changed the rulebook… In a 1978 game against the Chargers, Stabler fumbled the ball, RB Pete Banaszak deliberately batted it into the end zone, TE Dave Casper recovered for a touchdown and the Raiders won. After that play, only the offensive player fumbling the ball could advance it. Remember the tuck rule, this time the Raiders were on the wrong side of what surely should have been a Tom Brady fumble. A little history lesson makes it easy to see why the Raiders are the most hated team in the NFL, not to mention their obnoxious fans.

That 1974 playoff game was the end of an era for the Dolphins. When Joe Robbie refused to pay Larry Csonka the million dollars he demanded that off-season, Csonka, with Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield defected to the World Football League’s Memphis Southmen. That playoff game would be the final game together for one of the greatest teams in NFL history. For old school Dolphin fans, it will live on in infamy. These players have no link to that history, but it’s time to remind them of their roots and give them a reason to hate the Raiders as much as their fans do.

The Raiders 7-4 record is out of line with its statistical performance. The Oakland defense, allowing over 5 yards a carry, ranked 20th against the pass and 27th in scoring, is not a formula for success, but the Raiders have found their stride. QB Carson Palmer, after a complete collapse in his 1st game, a 28 to 0 loss to KC, has reeled off 3 consecutive victories. The statistics are indicative of the mistake of using overall stats to predict how a team is playing later in the season. The Raiders are playing above the numbers in the stat column and will prove formidable, if taken lightly by the Dolphins.

Oakland has been able to overcome the loss of starting QB Jason Campbell and RB Darren MacFadden, not making the playoffs since 2002 is fueling the Raider fire. Miami will need to play at the top of its game to beat a Raider team that is rolling downhill. Losing to the Cowboys effectively eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs but this is also a team on the rise. Miami will need to force the Raiders away from its 4th ranked rushing attack and then bring pressure on Palmer to create turnovers.

On the offensive side of the ball, Miami must not revert to a vanilla game plan on 1st down. The Dolphins find trouble offensively when forced into predictable play calling on 2nd and 3rd down caused by forcing the run between the tackles on 1st down. The Dolphins reverted to predictable play calling against the Cowboys and went away from what had led to a 3 game win streak. The Dallas game plan looked like the Miami coaching staff trying to change what was on film in the 3 previous victories.

Dallas showed a weak front on 1st down and Matt Moore checked to running plays, but the front was a façade as Dallas was bringing safeties in run support at the snap. The coaches showed a season long inability to make adjustments during the game. In-game adjustments are often overrated and teams do not vary much from the game plan, but that only alludes to a flawed game plan from the beginning. The Dolphin offense plays better when not forcing the run early and the game plan must take advantage of this strength. Spreading the field and pulling the defense out of the box opens the running lanes.

Tony Sparano broke his tendency to establish the pass with the run prior to the Dallas game and the old phrase, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” applies well for Miami. The Miami offense works better by setting up the run with the pass because this approach takes advantage of Reggie Bush as a pass receiver. Defenses must respect Bush when he lines up out of the backfield and cannot stack the box giving Bush the open space he needs to use his elusiveness. Forcing Bush to run between the tackles takes away the advantage Miami gains from Bush’s ability in the open field.

The Keys…

Play with the passion of the past.
Shut down the Raider running game.
Pressure Carson Palmer and create turnovers.
Spread the offense on 1st down.
Set up the run with the pass.

Miami 31 – Oakland 14

How The Lockout Has Helped The Miami Dolphins And Chad Henne's Leadership

First, I want to say that I absolutely want the Miami Dolphins to add another quarterback by either free agency or trading. Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen are not enough, and the Dolphins should add a player with some previous experience to compete for the job.

Now that I have said that, I now want to say that I have been very impressed with Chad Henne this offseason. He has been charged with showing the rest of the Miami Dolphins offense to the players, and from what I can tell he has been doing well at it.

Henne's ability to hold these player workouts has been a reflection of leadership qualities that I never knew he had, and frankly I wouldn't mind him starting next season simply because of how much he has been able to work with his players this offseason.

As much as you would expect the lockout to really hurt a team putting in a new system, I honestly think it has helped the Dolphins offense. I know it must sound crazy for me to suggest that a team would be able to implement a brand new offense using one player's knowledge of the offense without any coaches around better than if they did have coaches around teaching the offense themselves, but hear me out on this.

The players have had an extended amount of time to put the offense together. Instead of lessening the amount of time that the players have to work together, the lockout has increased their time together working on the offense.

The players have also been able to learn the way that they want to learn and focus on what they want to focus on with the offense and haven't had to worry about their coaches getting in the way. I love the idea of the players having the chance to do what they want to do with the offense. If they see something that needs fixing they can make that change and then tell OC Brian Daboll once the lockout is lifted. I'm not saying that coaches are bad because they aren't, but I do think that it is good to let just the players work together by themselves and see what works best, and this lockout is allowing them a lot of time to do just that.

I know I seem like I am doing a complete 180 with Chad Henne, but I thought a lot about it yesterday and I feel like Henne makes much more sense as a starter than Tyler Thigpen and a lot of the potential QBs that Miami could add. Henne knows the offense the best and has had a lot of time to learn and work on it.

There are only two players that I would want the Dolphins to start over Henne and a third that I think would have about a 50% chance of starting. The two starters are Kyle Orton and Carson Palmer, and the 50/50 guy is Vince Young. Orton is my hands-down favorite option and Palmer is another option that I would trust to lead the team. Young is a wild card who could either be great or awful. I tend to lean towards him being great if he came to Miami, but he could just as easily be awful.

I want to know what you guys think. I hope you liked and were able to follow what I was trying to say on today's post. Please let me hear your reactions with a comment (or two) below.

Thanks for reading.

You Tell Me: Carson Palmer Or Chad Henne For The Miami Dolphins?

I hope this never happens for the Miami Dolphins, but it is possible so I have to consider the possibility.

A few days ago the Miami Herald suggested Carson Palmer as a possible quarterback replacement for Chad Henne and the Dolphins next season.

My question to you guys is who would you rather: Chad Henne or Carson Palmer for the Miami Dolphins?

I am hoping that it never comes down to this, but it is possible so I want to know who you guys would rather see if these two were the only options.

I like to avoid putting my opinion in the post of a "You Tell Me," but I have to say this. I think it would be a huge mistake to get Carson Palmer. Palmer is fading and would only be a short-term replacement like Chad Pennington.

At least with Chad Henne he has time to improve and develop. Palmer wouldn't get any better. He would just grow older, and that's not what we want. I'm tired of these quick fixes to a major problem. Either Miami stays committed to Henne or they find another young quarterback to develop. Bringing in an old veteran won't help at all.

Now let me know what you think with your comment below. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to a good debate.

The Miami Dolphins Must Not Pursue Carson Palmer

I am not sure whether or not Stephen Ross, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano are actually considering whether or not to try and bring in current Bengals QB Carson Palmer, but I really hope they aren't.

Palmer has been able to put up good numbers throughout his career, but he just hasn't been able to win. He has never won a playoff game after 8 years in the NFL, and bringing him in would only provide a one or two year (at best) bandage for Miami's quarterback woes.

Not only that, but it would keep Miami from a shot at a bunch of other really good quarterback prospects available this offseason. It would be a waste of an opportunity if the Dolphins just decided to settle for Palmer instead of going after a better player like Ryan Mallett, Cam Newton, Kevin Kolb, or Vince Young.

Bengals owner Mike Brown has said that he doesn't want to trade Palmer, but I doubt that he will actually try and force Palmer into retirement. He will try and trade Palmer for some type of value instead of just losing him.

So, cross your fingers Miami Dolphins fans, and hope that we don't hear Carson Palmer and the Miami Dolphins mentioned together in the news at all in the next few months.

Thanks for reading and please be sure to leave your comments.

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