I know that this game is in no way Nolan Carrolls fault, (more so Henne and Henning. But they're such easy targets) but this just isn't acceptable anymore. Just going off memory here: Jason Allen drops the easiest pick 6 of all time against Buffalo. Benny Sapp also dropped a pick 6 against buffalo. Jason Allen drops an easy one against the Jets. Kendall Langford actually had a chance at a pick near the end of that jets game too. Chris Clemons drops two Ints against Cinncy, one even gave them a TD. Sean Smith drops an easy pick against Baltimore. And now this, Nolan Carroll literally has the game in his hands and drops it. And as if scripted, a tipped pass lands right into a Browns defender and he doesn't drop it. I can't believe i'm complaining about this defense because overall they're a pretty good defense, but this is just ridiculous. These are just the plays I remember, I'm sure there are a ton more. But just going off that, that's 8 Ints and 3 touchdowns left on the field because of our defenses inability to make a play. You could make a montage of every play our DBs should have made but didnt and the video would actually be almost 2-3 minutes long. It's been said before that the Jet's are the luckiest team in the nfl, but if you believe in luck, then i have to say that we're the unluckiest. 2-3 drops? fine. 4-5? not great bu whatever. 8 or more? for Shame defense, for shame. I don't know where those INTs would put us as a team but theres no way they don't give us more points and help us win more games. /rant. Sorry.
Well, I tink you can hang todays loss on Henne and Henning but I agree with you that the secondary really needs to start making those plays. They leave way too many plays on the field.
LOL If Mike Nolan and this defense weren't as good as they are, the dolphins would be 3-9 right now. blame the offense being ranked near the bottom of the league and the horrible special teams play for the dolphins demise. sparano and henning must go. They're equally awful. Sparano is not cut out to be a HC in the NFL, he belongs in the high school ranks.
The defense did play great, but this a game of turnovers, 3rd down efficiency & redzone efficiency. I mean it really is. We're a stout defense, but you look at the successful teams/offenses and they're good because they get short fields. We were good last week because of the short fields we got and the momentum changes. You can't just say, well we're good at this and we did this. There was a play to be made and he's just as accountable as Chad Henne is for the terrible plays he made.
We're going to bash Henne around here all week for leaving plays on the field... two of the INT's were on inaccurate passes, one over throw, one underthrown, both with the potential to be big plays if hit. Carroll left the biggest play of the day on the field IMO today. While he's young, and promising for sure, you just can't do that. That was perfectly played by him, thrown right at him, he put himself in perfect position to come up with the INT, and bring it to the house for the INT and he flat out dropped it. It's inexcusable. The whole secondary, all year, that's been the story. Theyre put in the positions to make the plays, whether it be by coaching, or by a great individual effort, and more often than not they fail to execute and come away with the turnover.
Parcells once said when he was coaching, he'd always yell more at the players who were doing well then the ones who weren't. "if you lose a game 6-3, the defense gave up too many points. And if you lose a game 56-55, your offense didn't score enough points." Our defense is much better than our offense, especially without Brandon Marshall, and they know it. The defense should take it upon themselves to win football games, ya know, like the ravens did for 10 years before Flacco came along? The offense should and will receive all the blame, but the defense could have won this game and they didn't. Nothing will change that.
right, when you think back to when we were 11-5, it was because we had a very good turnover ratio. Our defense didn't make a lot of turnovers then either, but our offense barely made any. Now that our offense by nature of a young/inexperienced/bad/whatever qb we have a lot more turnovers, and the defense needs to answer in turn. It's not about total number, it's all about ratio.
Our defense is good at not losing games, like today. They played well, stopped Hillis, held the score down. But when your offense is struggling the defense needs to step up and make a play so that the T-E-A-M can win. I guarantee you every defender in that lockerroom would rather win 45-42 than lose 13-10. Cleveland's D made the plays to win the game. They blocked a FG and made 2 INTs. Our defense played just well enough to lose. end of story.
- You'll lose a great majority of your games at the NFL level when your offense only makes it to the red zone one time out of 16 possessions (as they did today). - You'll win a great majority of your games when your defense holds the opponent to 10 points. The Dolphins would be 3-9 without Mike Nolan now. The Dolphins would be 9-3 or 8-4 now with a real head coach and offensive coordinator.
This isn't a thread bashing our defense, no one here is doing that. We know they're quite good. But whether or not this defense has what it takes to win a game by itself, im certainly questioning that. It wasn't that long ago we had a defense of Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Madison/Surtain. Those guys won football games like the one we saw today almost every week. What's the difference? They played like they had to win it. Did Surtain or Madison or Marion ever drop gimmies like the ones we've seen this year? I really want Patrick Peterson in the draft.
The defense played exceptionally today, but it's the little things that can seal the game for you. Things like, say, a key interception thrown right at you in the fourth with less than a minute to go inside the opposing team's 40. You gotta finish strong.
I agree the secondary is made up of a bunch of players who have dropped a lot of easy interceptions this year. Yet it is very difficult for me to fault the defense for the teams record this year. When your offense only averages about one TD a game. The offense is the problem. Not the defense or the secondary. The receivers on the Dolphins; who are paid to catch the ball have dropped their fair share of passes this year also. I can live with the defensive backs dropping interceptions. What I can't live with is an offense which is as ineffective as the Dolphins.
I wish we hadn't traded down in the draft and had taken Earl Thomas...I'd much rather have him than both Odrick & Misi.
I'm not questioning whether this defense can win a game themselves, because they can. They did it in Week 1, Week 2, and they did it this week. I'm just tired of not being able to make the BIG play. I differ in the view, that we are a "bend but don't break" defense. I think we're the opposite. Matter of fact, I think we're a dominating defense and if we don't screw an assignment up, miss a tackle to create a big play, you're not just going to dink and dunk you're way down the field on us. My problem is time and time again our DBs, not including the Langford dropped INT, have had an opportunity to make a momentum-swinging/game-changing play and have failed to do it. The worst part is that these aren't difficult, jaw-dropping plays. These are plays designed by our coaching staff to force turnovers. The play was executed correctly in all facets. Yet, we had a chance for a bigger result and weren't able to bring it home. We get pressure on QBs, we force poor decisions, but can't capitalize on them.
Sorry OP but your fishing. I understand your pain but we have bigger problems then just a young secondary.
we just have horrible luck with turnovers this year. every time we have a chance at an interception it seems we drop it. every time the other team has a chance at an interception it seems they make it. just horrible luck. we'll see next year if the trend continues. i think its just a weird year
This defense more then held up it's side of the game. A lot of Henne homers will want to distract the fans fron the 15 bad plays henne made by starting threads about the 1 non play a rookie CB made. It the WR still didn't get the reception.
Never claimed we did. This was just an opportunity to WIN because of defense, and we didn't. Football is a game of moments. One moment Carroll had the game in his hands, the next a browns DB does. The difference? They made the play. And the one they had to make was harder no less. I don't buy that he's 'young' either. I don't see how age affects a guys ability to catch a football. Not at this stage anyway. And NO, im not saying dump Nolan Carroll, i like the kid and hope hes a starter some day. I just can't believe this defenses inability to make a game-changing play. also this thread wreaks of people not reading what I wrote and just going off the title. I never said anywhere that we need to scrap the secondary, or that we lose games because of defense, etc. my complaint is this, and only this, they need to catch the damn ball.
I couldn't agree with you more. The ENTIRE offense, from Henning on down, played like crap. The calls were head scratching, the blocking was less than mediocre, the run game looked bad and Henne stunk up the field. However, Carroll lost us that game just as much as the offense did. I have never seen DB's that can't catch. They are horrible with their hands.
This thread reminds me of the angry mob scene from the movie "The Animal". Everyone got torches and are ready to roll, all they need is a leader to point which way. The bottom line, and not that this is something newly learned, the Dolphins are an inconsistent team. The team as a whole has been that not just one unit. The Dolphins secret weapon this year against opposing teams is the Dolphins own inconsistencies. IMHO, I believe this has to do with young talent and a head coach that's still a little wet behind his ears.
That long pass that Clemons was right there on should have been incomplete. It seems like almost every time a ball is up in the air and Clemons has a good shot to make a play on it or knock it down, he doesn't. I am a fan of his but he needs to complete plays more often. Cleveland was backed up before that long pass that led to the first touchdown of the game. No more chance of playoffs now.
I agree. Our defense is great (top 5), but we just can't catch INT's for ****. INT's hitting these guys straight in the hands. INT's that are guaranteed TD's. It's sickening.
I do not like Nolan Carroll in the secondary. Didn't like the pick on draft day. He is a converted WR and special teams guy, started at corner in college his junior year, then was out for practically his entire senior year 2009 due to broken leg. I like him as our kickoff returner, certainly better than Cobbs, but he makes me nervous on defense, not a place the coaches should count on him. Nolan Carroll has never caught an interception in his LIFE! Yes he should have good hands being a former receiver and kick returner... but I'm not surprised this kid choked in the heat of battle. Am I crazy or do balls NEVER go Vontae's way? Any have numbers on passes in his direction? I know he's been beat a few times this year, but overall I'd consider his performace this year SHUT DOWN! Isn't it sad our defender with the most interceptions this year is no longer on the team? The current roster has six interceptions this year, that's six in twelve games. Nobody has more than one pick. That's gotta be on pace for a franchise record, at least since the merger. Much like the OP, I LOVE what the defense is doing this year, they are the reason we are a .500 football team and not battling last place with Buffalo. I am the first to cheer for the development of Wake, Solai, Clemens, Davis, etc. They have made tough defensive stands and held the Browns to 10 points in 59 minutes. But holding on to a few of those interceptions would make all the difference. Last year's Super Bowl champion Saints ranked 20th in points allowed and 25 in yards allowed, but they were #2 in the NFL in turnovers. In the Super Bowl, the Colts were matching them score after score, until the game-changing pick six. Holding onto a few more of those opportunities will be necessary for this defense to become elite. Our offense needs all the help they can get, a few turnovers to create a short field or a game-winning pick six would be great.