Bye Week Evaluation

Going into the season, I think it is good to recall that while there were some pundits who thought very highly of the Dolphins chances there were others who did not.

Several of us on here saw 9-7 as a reasonable, near-best-case-scenario, possibility (really anywhere between 7-9 and 10-6 in a best case scenario for most folks). I think that's still about right, 7-9 to 9-7.

So, where are we as a team? There are certainly weaknesses both defensively and offensively. But, there is also still some talent. If the team had an above average offensive line in place, I think they'd be clearly a 10-6 or 11-5 team and would win the division. Not a big SB contender but - you get hot at the right time and that would be a possibility. Tannehill would be given the time.

But, I really like a lot about where we are as a team (in spite of the glaring weaknesses).

Defensively:
1) I like what Dion Jordan does (especially given that he essentially missed the entire off-season because of his injured shoulder - let's not forget that he not only missed reps but when you have a shoulder injury that's going to limit upper body weightlifting as well). Jordan is already bigger than Jason Taylor ever was. I think Jordan could be a 265-270 player if he wanted to with speed. Give him more strength and he's going to be huge. His long arms are such a great asset. I'm pumped for this player given his extremely limited action this year. It will also be really interesting to see what Jordan does after the bye when Wake comes back healthy. We've not had much chance to see the two on the field at the same time but I think that could be big for us in weeks to come (if both can remain healthy).

2) We have had a pretty depleted DBackfield. Ostensibly what would have been the #s 2, 3, 4 CBs have been "out" (one, Taylor, also had no offseason or preseason). There still is some great potential there. I'm interested in seeing what happens in the bye week and whether the rookies can step up. If we get those guys all healthy our DBs are going to be much better.

3) We've also been missing our best player on the team the past 3 games (Wake). He's massively important to the D. And, we also have had another top D player out for some period (Soliai).

Offensively, we have a lot of work to do. But, it's not all bad.

1) I think the negativity toward Wallace is just too much. You simply can't think in terms of the contract and expect him to be a Megatron type player. That's not his game. The media and fans just need to let it play out. He still can be and is an asset out there.

2) I wasn't a huge fan of the Gibson signing but I think he's been a really good #3 WR. I actually like all our WR's. I don't think that's where the problem lies with this team anymore. Wallace, Hartline, Gibson and Matthews are good enough to be a winning team. I guarantee you Tom Brady would be salivating with those four on his team right now!

3) The OL is significantly problematic at this point at 3 positions - though Martin has been serviceable. But, Clabo has been a real problem. So, too, Jerry. Too bad he doesn't have the intensity and work ethic of his brother. This has to be a major priority in the offseason. They probably should have gone after Albert in the trade and possibly Levitre in free agency (I think they could have afforded it). It would have stretched them a bit financially for next season but I think they'd have still been able to maneuver well. Ireland simply can't wait 2-3 years to develop an OL! By then guys like Wake will be out of gas and some other contracts will be having big cap hits.

4) The lack of a running game is also partly a product of the OL but not entirely. I still like Miller but they did not need to go into the season without a veteran behind Miller. Ireland's man-crush on Daniel Thomas was a) completely inexplicable given the past two seasons (I think it has to be some pride about his picking him); and b) a costly mistake. He is an inconsistent runner with no explosion, little vision, and can't really pass block very well (in fact, none of the RB's can pass block which is an additional problem).

5) Tannehill. He still has a number of positives:
- Good release.
- Good accuracy.
- Solid arm.
- And a generally cool head under pressure. He's made some big plays at crucial times. I still like the kid's potential.

That said, I mentioned this in another thread, I think he has two significant areas in which to improve: 1) Pocket Awareness - he simply is not being instinctive enough with the pass rush. Several times he's been so focused downfield that he has just moved to exactly the wrong spot in the pocket (this is not in any way to exonerate the OL play - because they are in fact allowing the pocket to collapse on nearly every play - there is rarely an ideal pocket formed). 2) Vision of the Field - I also think this impacts his pocket awareness a bit. He simply needs to be able to scan the field "holistically" as great QBs do. Everything I am seeing when I look at the "coaches film" on Game rewind says he is looking right at the #1 target to see if he gets open; then, if time, shifting to the #2 guy; and only occasionally to the #3. Of course, he's not getting a great deal of time back there so that is a significant issue in hindering his development in scanning the field. There's no doubt this can be a problem if Miami doesn't change something. However, he still has it on his shoulders to scan the field and read the D as a whole more effectively then decide where to go.

Coaching:

1) I like Philbin as a head coach. Fans need to be patient with him. He has done a solid overall job.

2) O-line coaching. In some ways it's a chicken-egg thing when the OL performs well or poorly (who's really to blame?) . But, I am not a big fan of Turner. He's fiery but I've never felt the "fiery" types make great coaches. We fans love that kind of thing when a coach talks tough. But, give me a great technician type (Alex Gibbs) and I'll take that any day. Whether Turner is that or not I don't know.

3) The OC - I will put this on Philbin and Sherman. I think they have been mediocre at best and very inconsistent. Great opening game plan against the Colts. But, otherwise, not very impressive. Maybe it's a limitation with the OL and Tannehill's limitations. But, they have not utilized Wallace effectively the way the Steelers did. I think they've simply said, "run the standard route trees and hope you get open." Of course, Wallace is limited on deep plays because of the pass-blocking issues. But, I also think more screens and slants are in order for him. However, it's generally been pretty bland with overall play calling. I think they could mix things up a bit more effectively. Still reserving judgment here as it's early and the team has a long way to go.

Moving forward:

Buffalo is a must win. No two ways about it. They have to win and go to 4-2. A solid win (i.e., not going down to the end of the 4th quarter) would really help the team's overall confidence. But, a loss to a team that has had to resort to hiring QBs from the Wal-Mart grocery line would be pretty disastrous after a bye week, to say the least.

Hopefully, the team will remain healthy. With the bye week giving them another week to get players healthy (really comes a perfect time given the injuries) and also to work in the rookies some more on the defensive scheme (Taylor, Davis, Jordan) this should put us in good position. Also need to re-evaluate the OL situation.

I still think we'll be near 9-7 and borderline playoffs but - unless a near miracle happens on the OL I don't think we'll make the playoffs. That's not all bad if we can get 2-3 new players in the draft and revamp the OL, we should be in prime shape next year to be really competitive for the playoffs.

 

Yeah. That was a killer. Even Jeff Allen starting at KC at OG would have been better.

But, I do think if we have the other positions in place, we can get by with Martin at LT. He still has a long way to go though.

Essentially there are 3 positions on the OL to replace. That's a tall order but that has to be the focus in the off-season and I also like the idea of seeing what Yeatman and Garner can do.

However, I also think that there is a reason those guys aren't starting already - that Clabo simply beat them out in training camp.