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Thoughts on the Dolphins/Jaguars Game

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by KeyFin, Sep 25, 2020.

  1. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Wow, folks...I haven't written one of these in quite some time. So much has changed in the world and the league since December when we embarrassed the Pats with an energized yet depleted roster and the great Bearded One ruining the Pats final push to the playoffs.

    Week one was sloppy, as expected, and we simply couldn't get any separation. The line was a mess in run blocking, we couldn't dial up any pressure, and the Bearded One couldn't catch a break on PI...they just called them INT's instead. Not a great first game at all and not much to write about.

    Week two showed a little bit of promise...we saw a little bit of chippy attitudes on offense even though we still weren't getting open. The secondary still struggled though and I just wasn't feeling a full game review...it was seeming like a very long, painful season.

    And then we arrive at week three to play an average team...on three days of prep....on a Thursday night.

    Immediately on that first drive, I noticed something was very different...that offensive line was punching people in the face and throwing bodies to the ground. Oh boy, I thought, this is going to be a really good night...I just knew it by the third or fourth snap of the game. Fitz was absolutely on fire, making great decisions most of the time and forcing throws into tight windows. Was Gisecki, Williams or Parker open? It didn't matter...just thread it in there and move the sticks...they weren't going to drop the football without some serious PI...which the refs finally decided to call. A LOT!

    At times, it still bothered me that Parker wasn't getting open (not that it mattered), but he is still nursing the leg so that's okay. The important part was that he insists on playing injured....no more time off for nagging injuries...he's playing thru it and going hard. Good for him. Gisecki is still showing out as well since defenses really can't figure out how to cover him without getting hands on him....how many 1st and goals at the one did we have from him breaking open in the endzone? He frustrated the heck out of Jax all night.

    Everything came off the run game though- those power formations with a fullback lighting someone up and that scrappy line hitting people at the 2nd level. Our big boys were playing mean in the trenches on both sides of the ball, in fact....how beautiful was it to see a 4-man rush with two players hitting the QB? This was easily our 2020 coming out party, the new Dolphins have arrived to show what they're made of...and it was absolutely glorious.

    That reverse to Jakeem Grant as he absolutely smoked the end and tried to run a complete 5k maraton to the end zone? It was so much fun....and he had SEVEN blockers 25+ yards downfield. Linemen, receivers, Bearded Ones...they were all throwing bodies around and extending plays through sheer violence.

    Our corners still aren't 100% up to the task and that's okay...we slipped out of press man last night to lessen the learning curves for now. It was still solid improvements all the way across the secondary.

    Overall, I have no idea what this game means for the season, but I can't overstate how much of a turning point it was for this team. The violence in the trenches, the physical route running and aggressive play-calling, the explosive pressure off of 4 and 5 man rushes...it was all a breath of fresh air for Miami. And to be 100% honest, this was the type of win that changes a team's course for the season. You don't come out that violent, that aggressive, and just forget how amazing it felt to complete break the opponent's will in the very first series of the game.

    Folks, I am excited about the 2020 Miami Dolphins in a way that I haven't felt in a very long time, and most of it is because of that very angry, physical offensive line. The run opens up the play action. The play action leads to big chunk yards from receivers that just can't be covered one on one. And that gets the defense fired up and finding ways to get opponents off the field.

    I don't know what this means for the remaining 13 games, but like I said...our players will not forget how mean and bad-*** they felt in this game. It really feels like the start of something special.



    **** One side thought- how do you fine folks feel about the Jax player who was ejected from the game? He was flat on his back with a ref laying on top of him, and twice that ref threw an elbow to his pee-nuts. Was it wrong for the player to shove him off his nether-region? Does that really deserve an ejection...what happened to social distancing, LOL? I felt like that was a horrible call.
     
  2. Pandarilla

    Pandarilla Purist Emeritus

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    Yup, Oline continues to impress...
     
    KeyFin likes this.
  3. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    I know this might be Dolphin Homer mumbo jumbo but I wonder if Austin Jackson's situation where he had no power in his lower body helped his game because he no longer could rely on his strength and had to really work on his technique and quickness.

    For a guy who had the tape he had last season and to play as well as this season surprises me. I thought he would be a healthy scratch this season to learn his technique or starting because how can he be worse than Julian Davenport.

    He is playing really well.
     
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  4. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    To me, Jackson was the total package until he opted to have the surgery, which was why his film last season was underwhelming. I thought we over-paid for him in the draft but since tackles were coming off the board quickly, I can also understand why we took him when we did. I have a feeling that he will be a solid long-term addition to this team....maybe even in Tunsil territory someday. It's premature though to project that kind of growth off of a few games.
     

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