Sports Buzz • Several Miami Dolphins are not playing up to expectations

How are our DB's awful?? We are 6th in the league in pass defense. Vontae Davis is one of the best young corners in the game. Sean Smith has really improved and has been playing well of late. Yeremiah Bell is his usual solid self, and Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones have done a pretty nice job at the other safety position. Benny Sapp I will give you, but other than that we have a VERY good, young secondary.

 

Great thoughts in both posts, Crunch. Personally, here's my take on those 4. The only one that has not absolutely met expectations, imo, is Starks:

1) Carey - Has basically met my expectations. I know a lot of guys on this board like him but I simply have never been impressed. I think his blocks are average at best (he gets more of a neutral block - so, while a defender may not make the play, it's not an absolute win; the defender may do enough to redirect the play). And I think that he makes key mistakes nearly every game - and has done so over the years - that do not always show up in the stat box. A classic is the play in which Pennington got hurt. His man beats him inside and though CP gets the pass off, it's rushed and the pocket broke down. I never relied on him for much so, personally, I don't think he underachieved as much as he's just not a great RT. If you want a team built on running the football, you are going to have to have better linemen. Period.

2) Starks - clearly has not been the playmaker this year he was last year. And, I would not excuse him b/c of the position switches. Soliai has been great at NT and allowed Starks to play his natural DT position - and he should be better. But, I still want the guy on the team next year.

3) Crowder - see Carey. My expectations for Crowder after all these years have been at zero. I simply don't want him on the team any more. He has been the most non-playmaking ILB in the league for the # of snaps he gets. By "playmaking" I don't mean making a tackle 8 yards from the LOS, but really getting in and making a big hit at the LOS. He just doesn't. In all his years, he had one slightly above average year - the 11-5 season. Otherwise, he plays as effectively as a lame-duck President.

4) Ronnie - I still like Ronnie but the running game has been atrocious this year. Part of that is the coaching (Henning has to go!). Ronnie simply hasn't gotten the carries. Part of it is the OL play (and this, imo, goes on Sparano as much as on injuries). The run blocking just hasn't been very good. And the merry-go-round in the interior 3 is frustrating. You can't build a great OL by continually throwing 15 players at 3 positions, imo. Even if a coach is frustrated with the play there - somebody has to blame (either bad scouting; bad coaching; or bad decisions about rotating so many players in and out). At the same time, Ronnie just doesn't seem to have the burst or the power he had the first 8 games last year before his injury. Part of this may be the poor OL play in the interior. But, Ronnie was an absolute BEAST last year. This year? He just hasn't had it, perhaps for all the above reasons.

I think it will be interesting to see how Ronnie does the last six games. This has been an atrocious season, offensively.

Something has to happen for this team to come out of mediocrity. I'm weary of it. This team hasn't even come close to threatening the SB since about 1994 (16 years); and really hasn't been a great team that had a legit shot at getting to and winning a SB since 1985. 25 years. Wow.

Can you believe it's approaching 40 years since a Dolphin Championship? Simply atrocious for a franchise that was once considered among the elite 3 in the entire AFC (along with Pittsburgh and Oakland). That's just bad & frustrating.

 

Agree. Just as some are baffled that he gets criticized, I'm equally baffled at the love for him. He's the complete definition of mediocrity, imo.

 

I hope BP comes back as well. I think he left too early and needed to stay on top of these guys more. There's something about the mentality he brings that TS and JI just haven't brought. I know that part of it is he casts a long shadow. But, those guys just haven't been tough enough on themselves, imo.

Fire the OC. Get a smart guy in there. Tell Chad H that he needs to get the job done or he's gone. Get a consistent interior OL. Get another ILB; a young RB; and start hitting on draft picks. Otherwise, this whole regime and system will once again be scrapped.