Ignore Miami Dolphin Smokescreens – It’s Roquan Smith

G-day Shouters! Before our esteemed Kenny V delves into his Miami Dolphin centric draft analysis, I’d like to follow up on Miami’s defensive needs as I see them.

A previous article dissected how Miami’s lack of a potent weapon at TE affected the team’s ability to take advantage of opposing defenses. The same position had a disastrous effect on the Miami Dolphin defense. When thinking about the draft or free agent player acquisitions, in Miami…

It all revolves around the tight end.

Looking at some startling stats, I heard a Bill Parcells echo, “Stats are for losers!” Of course, Bill’s won a couple more Super Bowls than this average writer, so his words should not be taken for granted. Specific stats probably have little value in the big picture, but a distinct accumulation in a single area shows undeniable trends. It would be equally foolish not to heed the warning these tendencies indicate.

Adam Gase said something like, “people (PFF) do not know the defensive call or Kiko Alonso’s responsibility and should not criticize him on things they don’t know. He may be pursuing a guy he wasn’t specifically covering, but without knowing the call, they assume he missed the coverage.”

Those were not his exact words, but pretty close and for the most part, I agree. I don’t know the call, but what I do know is, TEs caught the ball, over, and over, and over again in the middle of the Miami defense.

Making such a statement tells us a couple things; no kudos were given for the defensive scheme, and the other linebackers on the team were not exonerated from responsibility.

On to the facts…

In 2017, ProFootballFocus graded Kiko Alonso as the No. 75 ranked LB in the NFL. Lawrence Timmons ranked 67th at his position and was Miami’s highest-graded LB. Miami ended the season shuffling a mixture of inexperienced players led by Chase Allen, Stephone Anthony and Mike Hull in and out of the line-up. This came after Rey Maualuga was arrested at a downtown Miami nightclub for brawling with bouncers in the wee hours before an early practice.

B-Bye Rey, hope those margaritas were de-lish!

The Dolphins allowed 94 catches by tight ends (most in the league) and 1034 receiving yards to tight ends (only Oakland – at 1038 – relinquished more). Opposing tight ends scored 10 touchdowns against the Dolphins, tied with Cleveland for second-most and behind only the Giants (13).

The six teams that allowed the most yards against tight ends (Raiders, Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins, Giants, and Texans) went a combined 31-65 and all missed the playoffs. Of the nine teams that allowed the most catches to tight ends, all but Buffalo had losing records.

For a sanity check, the three teams that gave up the fewest yards to tight ends (Saints, Panthers, and Vikings) went a combined 35-13…

We can backpedal a little and lament the injuries to Raekwon McMillian and Koa Misi, but honestly McMillian was a rookie and Misi was never very good in coverage.

McMillian will be a welcome addition when he returns, but there’s no telling the effects knee surgery will have on his career. The tendency to count on players returning to their previous form is a dangerous flirtation with the unknown. Misi’s injury appears to be career ending and Miami paid for services rendered in 2017, Misi will not return.

All of this means, Miami must make a concentrated effort to sure up the middle of the defense and find a player capable of covering tight ends. Defenses in the NFL are more diverse than ever.

Claiming to run a 3-4 or a 4-3 is simply a placeholder for player packages based on down and distance. Slot corner Bobby McCain played more snaps in 2017 (662) than every linebacker except Alonso (1008) and Timmons (792).

The relevance of the snap counts comes into play when an opposing offense presents a scheme with two wideouts, a slot receiver and a tight end.

Miami is in a mismatch...

If Miami cannot cover a TE with a LB than the safeties must become involved in the coverage. By moving the TE in motion across the formation, the coverage safety moves with him, or not, in either case the defense is exposed. Man coverage if the safety moves, and zone coverage if he does not.

Yes, that explanation was very rudimentary, but it was also very true…

The next time you yell at the TV wondering how that big ass TE got so open, remember what you just read.

This is kinda what Gase was talking about when he defended Alonso. In a zone defense, Kiko is responsible for an area of the field, not a specific player. The TE runs a shallow cross, a skinny post or uses a legal pick to create space and it looks like Alonso blew the coverage.

He didn’t blow the coverage, he’s just not good enough to play zone or man coverage against a decent TE.

Therefore, if Alonso is the defense’s best coverage LB, it’s a serious issue…

The amount of money Miami is willing to pay for defensive linemen clearly indicates where they expect the pass rush to come from. This also means with four primary DL, the five offensive linemen should be tied up, because if they don’t double team Mr. Suh, most plays are going to get wrecked.

The point is, Miami does not need bruising middle linebackers, like they would in a 3-4, who constantly take on OL. Miami needs athletic, almost hybrid type LBs, that can sneak around behind the huge line and are fleet enough to cover TEs and slippery slot receivers.

As Miami looks forward to fixing the issues detailed in the stats above, it starts at LB. Alonso is not as bad as PFF seems to think. Miami doesn’t pay PFF to use their stats as many other NFL teams do.

No one will come out and say it, so I will… PFF is a paid service and the teams that pay for the service have higher ranked players overall than teams that do not.

No other linebacker on the Miami Dolphins in 2017 should expect to be a starting player in 2018 based on their performance. Timmons and Misi will be gone. If McMillian returns to form and it’s highly likely he will, that leaves Allen, Hull and Anthony fighting for a single position and playing special teams.

Getting right down to it, the defense is really not that far away. It simply needs a true impact player at the linebacker position.

In the coming weeks, you will hear QB talk, Baker Mayfield this and Josh Rosen that… You will hear Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey debated on the offensive line. Calvin Ridley will be thrown in to replace Jarvis Landry. Tremaine Edmunds will soon be the rage. Before it’s done, Derwin Jones will be the player destined to save the Miami defense.

Fa-Get-About-It!!! It’s all a smokescreen…

Roquan Smith is the player you will not hear a peep about from Miami. I’ll leave you with one quote…

“Roquan Smith is an ascending linebacker prospect with elite athletic ability, plus intelligence and an ability to be an effective cover linebacker on passing downs.”

Miami Dolphins Defense Takes W Versus Titans

The Football Gods, and leagues referees must have coagulated to agree this past week that Miami's Dolphins were due some benefit of a doubt. Miami is behind schedule as they had played one fewer game than the league has. In one fewer games (4) than the rest of the league, the Dolphins have already traveled 16,000 miles which eclipses more miles than 14 other NFL teams will travel over the seasons entirety.

After losing their week one home opening opportunity to hurricane Irma. Miami played their first home game of the season at Hard Rock Stadium today and left the building with a 2 - 2 record.

They were fortunate in that the Titans were without their all-around, highly skilled franchise quarterback Marcus Mariotta. Was it fate, or a gift from the higher powers? Those with the black & white stripes also appeared to be offering up some aqua & orange transfusions to the beached mammals.

Whatever the reasons why Miami's Dolphins got a few breaks this week?
They surely were overdue! They lost their quarterback just before the season's start, and have had plenty of flags and/or errant/missed calls go against them thus far in 2017. Let-alone what has become the rearranged schedule with the most (by far) frequent flier miles and having a wound licking bye week erased from the season's hour glass.

Whatever.
It is what it is, and the Dolphins must overcome. Today they did.

The Defense that now sports a line backing trio of Lawrence Timmons, Rey Maualuga, and Kiko Alonso shut down the Titans for 188 total yards with 19 tackles on 58 plays, along with a Kiko forced fumble and a sack. They held the visitors highly productive running back duo (DeMarco Murry & Derrick Henry) to 69 rush yards on 20 attempts. 188 - 69 is what Tennessee accrued through the air (119 yards).

Miami's Defense of Aqua & Orange blood sacked Matt Cassell 6 times via (Branch x two, Suh, Alonso, Wake/RJones .5, and rookie first round pick Charles Harris logged his first career NFL sack). The D also forced two fumbles that Rashad Jones recovered with one of them being returned for a touchdown and 10 - 0 first quarter home team lead.

Rookie DT Davon Godchaux forced the first fumble on the Titans third possession that #20 recovered at the visitors 42. Miami's O (cough, cough excuse me) drove the ball 19 yards for a 40 yard field goal and 3 - 0 advantage.

This is where things get sticky.
The Titans first play from their 25 goes for 11 rushing yards with another 5 being added due to defensive holding. The next play is a 59 yard touchdown bomb to the tight end. Fortunately the second tight end is ticky-tacked for offensive pass interference which nullifies the go ahead visitors score.

Two plays later on 2nd & 20 from the Titans own 31. Those of black & white stripes must have been playing Marco-Polo or been distracted by the ghost of Joe Robbie as they never (blew a whistle), ruled the play incomplete, or a fumble, or a recovery, or a defensive touchdown. They themselves had no idea of what took place until watching the mandatory (on a potential score) review. ""They never ruled a touchdown"", but upon review they gave Miami/Rashad Jones the touchdown.

It was an odd bang, bang play that seemed like Jones didn't pick up the stationary ball until 10 seconds after Alonso sacked and or caused the ball to be fumbled (nearly 10 yards forward) as Cassell's hand was simultaneously attempting to move forward from the cocked to firing position. The whistle never being blown was key, and likely the only reason Miami was awarded the score rather than just possession of the ball. It was odd, because the Dolphins are rarely offered oxygen and 14 point swings from those in black & white stripes. But Hey, we'll take it, the defense deserved this W, and that play resulting in a 10 - 0 first quarter lead didn't hurt!!

Tennessee scored 3 first half points, and tied the game at ten with their initial third quarter possession. The Titans were penalized 11 times for 77 yards and won the time of possession battle by 30 seconds. The Dolphins committed 5 penalties for 23 yards. Both teams had two turnovers.

DeVante Parker left the game early, wanted to return, but staff decided to live for another day.

Miami's only offensive possession that led to a touchdown came from the Dolphins 42 yard line with 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and ended 1:18 into the fourth quarter when Jay Cutler hit Jarvis Landry from six yards out. 16 - 10 Miami as the missed extra point turned the games remainder into a series of rectal exercise reps.

The Dolphins D was Da'Chit!
The Dolphins O was Da'Stench!
The Dolphins D held the Titans to 188 total yards.
The Dolphins O (cough, cough excuse me) accumulated 178 total yards with 100 coming via the ground games 31 attempts.

And it's not the quarterback who was relentlessly harassed the entire game and or all season every bit as much as Miami harassed today's opposing quarterback Matt Cassell with six sacks. Cutler avoided all but one sack.

Miami's offensive line has been horrible this season if not the last 15 years. Ajayi's getting hit upon the hand-off. Cutler at the snap is being forced into water bug mode sliding from one ripple to the next wave, and into the tsunami before managing to thankfully rid himself of that for which others playfully try to kill.

BA where are you, are you in shape, wanna come out of retirement and play the seasons remainder? We won 9 of our last 11 last year with you Tunsil, Pouncey, Bushrod, & James!

This past Thursday Defensive coordinator Matt Burke was asked if he'd agree that the defense played well enough to win the previous two games.

He adamantly replied ""no, we lost. The defense missed plenty of advantageous opportunities to flip the field and help out the offense. We aren't gonna play that game in my room, we win and lose as a team""!!

Today the Dolphins defense made the game changing play's that won if not helped the offense and team to win.

Miami is 2 - 2, and the defense will need to continue to play their best ball.
The offensive line needs to figure things out quick, or the Dolphins are gonna need the higher powers to continue to be of aqua & orange plasma.

In the batters circle stands what should be the defending World Champion Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were 3 - 0 before suffering a home loss last week. They (conveniently) had their bye (what's that) this week and will have been sleeping in their own beds for three weeks by the time the struggling Dolphin offense comes to town.

C'MON O-LINE
GO FINS!!