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Miami at New England - Game Thread

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Galant, Sep 8, 2020.

  1. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Preston Williams didn't fall down....he was pushed down on yet another missed call. The Pats D held everyone but Grant all freakin' day long, and they would have held Grant if he wasn't too quick for them.

    It's also worth pointing out that Fitz was sacked once today, despite not having anyone open all day long. Hats off to that line for standing tough and holding their own. It appears to be a work in progress on run blocking though.
     
    Dorfdad likes this.
  2. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    We are honestly the slowest team in the NFL in every part of the game. We are running in mud out there. Any team with any bit of speed will cook our candyasses.
     
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  3. ripper1961

    ripper1961 Active Member

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    3 INT's = loss every time.
     
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  4. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    95 games of that ilk in the past four NFL regular seasons. 83 of them (87%) losses for the team with 3 INTs.
     
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  5. Berezo

    Berezo Well-Known Member

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    I think the offensive line is encouraging. That performance was pretty good. The run game looked better than anything last year and fitz had all day. That being said, Fitz is not only fitz now...but old as well. His arm strength looked SHOT. So many basic throws had no heat on them. Hopefully later in the year (hopefully not too much later), we let the kid play. I think everything is going to plan here offensively. However, no idea how Gailey is going to do anything productive this year.

    Defensively, its worse. They ran all over us and Cam newton looked so slow. I mean SLOW. Imagine if its Mahomes, Wilson, Jackson, or even Rodgers really...I think they all are quicker than Cam at this point in his career. I saw the defense give up because they were exhausted. Much more worrying on this side of the ball.

    We look as expected to be honest. Which really isn't good. There is supposed to be a leap in year two right? I guess not losing by 50+ in the first game is a leap? Idk, very 'meh' today but what else can you really expect at this point?
     
    Galant likes this.
  6. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    I have to agree. The stalled offense was disappointing but not unexpected, the OL performance was a big plus though. I hope they can keep it up. With the investment on the defensive side of the ball I was expecting that to be a strength. I hope they don't keep that up!

    I think I remember reading that the TNT wall was removed. Maybe that was premature and it needs to go back up!
     
  7. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    The defense actually played well in terms of points allowed if you consider the turnover margin they had today. In the past 100 games in the NFL in which there was a turnover margin of -2, the average number of points surrendered by the teams with turnover margins of -2 (the Dolphins' turnover margin today) was 28.6. The Dolphins' surrendering of only 21 points today was 0.8 standard deviations below that. The Patriots possessed the ball for roughly nine more minutes than the Dolphins today, as well.

    So, let's see what they can do when the offense isn't making their job so difficult.
     
  8. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    Unfortunately it's a bad match up next week. The Bills have an excellent defense with an explosive (though mistake prone) offense. Gonna be tough sledding.

    Defense needs to step up and lead the team. Force Allen to make accurate throws and hurry him while keeping contain. Offensively, grind and avoid the mistake.

    Need more from Howard or he will be riding the pine behind Gaskin with Breida spelling.
     
    The Guy likes this.
  9. Alan in England

    Alan in England Active Member

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    They should have stayed in the locker room for the whole game. Usual rubbish from Miami to start the season .Whoever thought Fitz was the answer was sadly mistaken. A journey man QB who has achieved nothing throughout is career. Might as well throw Tua in.
     
  10. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Missed fg before the half and the fumble at the 1, which IMO was all on the ball carrier being reckless and nothing Baker actually did other than hustle.

    As far as I'm concerned the defense gave up 31 points, not 21.
     
    resnor likes this.
  11. Simon

    Simon The Other English Simon Club Member

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    Fitz was only ever a stop-gap. You know what you get with him: some amazing moments coupled with some bonehead interceptions. This was only ever going to be Season 2 of the Rebuild. Frustrating as it is, we all need to be patient. The team needs to get to know each other, and get used to playing together. Tua will get his chance but it shouldn't be rushed.

    If I had any concerns from yesterday, they were: Chan Gailey's play-calling; the below-average performances of certain 'key' members of the D; and our struggle to deal with Cam. But it was only week 1. Time to move on
     
  12. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    You’d have to make the same adjustment for all the teams in the post you quoted.
     
  13. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I fond that logic flawed.

    It's a play that happens a couple times a season. I'm literally taking out a miracle fluke play, not a common play like an INT.

    It would impact the overall number by .01 or .02 points per game if applied. When applied to our game individually it's a 7 to 10 point swing.

    In other words it's much more relevant to our individual game than the overall data.
     
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  14. resnor

    resnor Derp Sherpa

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    It's pretty semantic, really. The defense played at a level that should have given up 31 points. They got lucky to only give up 21. If someone is going to argue that they played well based on statistics, then they should actually understand what those stats are showing.
     
  15. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure what game others were watching but we simply didn't have any receivers open, because they were being held the entire game. On Fitz's 1st interception, his receiver was pushed to the ground...that was an incredibly easy call on the field. Same with his 3rd pick where Gisecki is being held in the end zone. Even Gene Steratore said the Fins got two horrible non-calls for PI on those plays...and those two plays added at least 10 points to our score.

    I'm used to us losing @NE because it's almost never a fair game, but I have no idea how the refs could have been so horrible in week 1.
     
    resnor likes this.
  16. Not So Fast

    Not So Fast Well-Known Member

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    Refs are more rusty than the players.
     
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  17. Hooligan

    Hooligan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    A lot of good teams lost yesterday so, I'm not panicking but, next week we face another similarly athletic QB. It will be interesting to see what adjustments will be made to account for a similar threat. If Josh Allen runs all over us I'll begin to question Flores' defensive abilities.
    We'll be playing at home with a new batch of refs. No excuses.
     
  18. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    The adjustment I'm talking about is making the turnover margin -3 instead of -2. You're talking about removing the Patriots' fumble on the goal line. That play made the turnover margin -2 and not -3.

    Of the 94 games in the NFL since 2017 that have had a -3 turnover margin, the average number of points allowed by the teams with the -3 turnover margin is 30.1. The Dolphins' 28 points allowed yesterday (giving the Patriots a touchdown on the fumble) is 0.21 standard deviations below that figure.

    So, the upshot is that the Dolphins didn't do any worse defensively than expected, even when these adjustments are made. The defense certainly wasn't experiencing favorable conditions.
     
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  19. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    A lot of good teams lost sure.. but we are still the slowest team in the NFL. We are out there running with ankle weights.. we are dreadfully slow. There is a significant speed gap between us and the good teams of the NFL.

    not to mention i didnt like how our guys looked condition wise.. they arent in their best shape and i know its a weird year but, in Miami theres always been some pride about our conditioning whether its the dolphins or the Heat.
     
  20. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    I don't think that was the case.

    I think they were thinking too much. They didn't play much with conviction. When you hesitate you look slow. They were sloppy and not playing disciplined.
     
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  21. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I think that was part of it, but I also don't see any position group with particularly impressive speed.

    A few of our backs have a little burst if they are free to get going and Parker and Williams are adequate, but defensively I really do believe we are a fairly slow unit.

    Offensively I think we are adequate. Not fastest or slowest.
     
  22. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    All i know is i saw over a dozen Manny Wrights on the field yesterday.. and that aint a good thing.
     
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  23. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I mean, it takes no talent to try hard but it actually does take talent to win an NFL game no matter how hard you try.

    I think on talent alone we are better than last year but yeah, I didnt see much effort from the defense generally, minus a play here and there. Baker hustled most of the game, but hustling doesnt matter if you're out of position as a unit consistently.
     
  24. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    Brieda is one of the fastest players in the league, as is Jakeem Grant. Geiski is speedy for a tight end.

    Defensively the defensive backs have good speed, Baker has good speed. The team didn't lose yesterday because they were slow. They were more overpowered. This is not a defense that is built to beat a power running team. They need to play disciplined to be able to do so and they weren't.
     
  25. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    They played flat yesterday. They seemed to be caught off guard with the Pats running game and outside of over committing everyone on the line they didn't have an answer. And I think thats where the hesitation came in, they just really looked confused on defense. And that's not a good look for the coaching staff TBH.

    I'm not really worried, sure I wanted a better showing but this is a young team in an odd year. It's going to take a few weeks unfortunately to get it together. If this had been a team of older veterans I think they would have fared better.
     
  26. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    Well, let's be honest.

    Miami had 11 returning players on defense out of 23, and for some reason, Nik Needam didn't play much and I believe didn't play a down.

    While it isn't ideal for the coaching staff, they also had a lot of new people to the defense playing together for the first time in a game situation. Same with offense.

    I demand perfection as much as the next guy, however, I have to cut them some slack. If this continues after week 4 or 8, then yes, it is time to panic.
     
  27. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    All defensive backs have generally good speed though. Compared to other DB I wouldnt particularly say they are "fast" corners.

    I agree that we didnt lose because we are slow, I'm just agreeing that on a unit by unit basis we arent overly fast, especially defensively.
     
  28. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    I don't think we are super fast, but I also do not agree that we are slow.

    This is one of the faster teams the Dolphins have had. Heck, there was a time when Brian Hartline was one of the fastest wide receivers on the team if not one of the fastest player on the team.

    I think the Dolphin unit is relatively talented. I just don't think they are used to playing together.

    In fact I would say the inner linebackers of Hill and Roberts, the center, and the right tackle are all the players I think NEED to be upgraded. The rest are fine to, it would be neat if they were upgraded.
    Of course this is just one game and Roberts and Hill could improve
     
  29. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    I think you have to wonder who the leaders are when there is so much personnel turnover. And when there is no leadership, there is no fire. That's why the team looked flat in my estimation.

    It's going to take a while for this team to round the corner. They have to get a quarterback who functions well, and leadership has to coalesce among the players. That won't happen perhaps at all this season. Next year is when those sorts of team characteristics can take shape.
     
  30. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Personally I think basically our entire D-Line, All of our LB and our safeties should ideally be replaced.

    I'm not a fan of the construction of our defense. Getting away from the speed topic a minute, I rare see our line get push or anyone in the secondary in position. This is going back to last season of course, we only have one game under our belts this year it's hard to say.

    I feel like our LB arent particularly good against the run or the pass, and at that point at LB, to me, its like... why are you even here.

    I'm not saying we have noone worth anything. We obviously do, but I'm pretty cold on the unit.

    In theory our offense on paper should be the team strength.
     
  31. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    I think Wilkins and Godshaux looked good. Davis is playing his first game ever. Lawson and Ogdba are first time playing in this defense and are upgradable.

    Only player in secondary that should be replaced is McCain.

    However, they didn't play yesterday. I think once things mesh, the defense will look a lot better.
     
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  32. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I agree it should get better. I agree Wilkins and Godshaux looked good in spurts. It would be nice to have some consistency from our line though. I'm not saying backfield penetration every play but we get pushed back too often for my liking.

    Guards ride our LB and DL where they want them to go too easily a lot of the time. I'm not necessarily saying everyone needs to be replaced, one solid addition to the DL or LB units could potentially bring out better play from everyone.

    It's not realistic to have an elite talent everywhere after all.
     
  33. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    Preston Williams has no shot against any cornerback with any sort of talent. Manhandled all day.

    Almost time to end this experiment.
     
  34. Patster1969

    Patster1969 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Game 1 after an acl injury and no preseason - laughable. He was a rookie FA last year, hardly an experiment
     
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  35. TheHighExhaulted

    TheHighExhaulted Well-Known Member

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    You literally just said the exact reason he is an experiment.
     
  36. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    Should have kept Raekwon. Baker was always getting out of position and misdiagnosing.

    Flores should have crowded the DL earlier in the game.

    The refs were criminals on the take.
     
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  37. The G Man

    The G Man Git 'r doooonnne!!!

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    So, how bad did Howard look Sunday? As bad as his stat line? Worse?
     
  38. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I wouldnt call him an experiment, just an unknown. He was able to get open fairly easily in his limited time last year. It's his hands that were bad last season.
     
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  39. Patster1969

    Patster1969 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    No, an experiment is the undrafted FA DE that we had in camp & tried to turn him into a TE or Neto coming in as a DT & we are trying to turn him into a G - Williams was a WR that people thought would have been a highish draft pick but fell due to "character issues"
     
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  40. ConvenientTruth

    ConvenientTruth Member

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    Several things were noticeable Sunday...

    1. Either the team hasn't grasped the full playbook (likely) or Chan is out of his element (also likely)...I think it is a combo of both. Offensive game plan was boring and stale. It didn't help that the team wants to run the ball 35 plus times a game and you get down early.
    2. One positive was the play from the o-line especially Kindley. I cannot remember when the Dolphins have drafted a solid lineman that can start in the NFL in the middle rounds...it has been ages. Jackson wasn't great, but he wasn't a disaster either. HTis development into a good NFL tackle is still a year away. He's the 3rd youngest player in the NFL.
    3. The WRs still need a massive upgrade. they are so bad at getting separation which leads to these heavily contested balls. The team is going to need to get Brieda, Grant, and Bowden involved in the passing game because Parker and WIlliams are always going to have DBs draped all over them.
    4. The LBs are painfully slow...Baker is the only one with speed, and while he led the NFL in tackles, he was out of position so many time, I thought we brought back Jones.
    5. Speaking of Jones, Brandon Jones was pretty damn good yesterday. Played a much larger number of stats, came up, made tackles...another encouraging rookie.

    Those 5 wins last season gave people a little too much hope for the team contending for a playoff spot. The team still lacks elite talent in critical areas...we still do not have a edge rusher worth a damn, WR group is average at best. I do think we will see Tua sooner rather then later...the team gets 10 days after the game in Jacksonville and play at home...
     

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