ESPN - Dolphins O-line responds to criticism - AFC East Not bad, but nothing we didn't know, really. Actually, I didn't know we got Ndukwe at the end of last season, off the Ravens' practice squad.
I just hope they can keep things together. How this team goes this year is a direct reflection of how well the OL plays. We don't have the passing skilled players in general, so the best talent we have is R&R...They can't get it done without the OL playing more like last week the rest of the season...
I just hope we can perform well 1) against 4-man fronts 2) out of a base set, not just in the Wildcat Until I see those two things, this O-line is not yet proven.
The offensive line seems to be building chemistry as the weeks go by. However, here are a few numbers to look at. 3.1, 2.35 and 6.35. Those are our yard per carry averages in each game. In the New York game, it was 3.1 and in the Arizona game it was 2.35. It seems to have regressed against a worse rush defense. We don't know defensive gameplans of the opponent so take the statistics for what they're worth. I thought you made a good point Bpk, you said that we want to see how they perform out of a base set, instead of the Wildcat/Single-wing. In the first two games of the regular season, in which we didn't run the Wildcat, we had a 2.6 yard per carry average between Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. In the game that we did run the Wildcat, we had a 4.4 yards per carry average between the two. So far this season, we've played the 5th ranked rush defense (NY), the 15th ranked rush defense (AZ) and the 25th ranked rush defense (NE). Between all three games, our yard per carry average is 4.4. According to those numbers, our yard per carry average would be 4.4 against a 15th ranked rush defense.
Well, in all honesty, two weeks ago, the team DID look pretty good, not only out of the Wildcat, but also out of the Base set.
It wasn't bad, true. BUt it did not impress out of base. It was decent. Two bad games and one decent one out of a base (with no TD's out of our base, if I am not incorrect) does not, to me, indicate that this line has "arrived" and can be expected to perform well week after week. I think part of htat base success was also due to the defense dealing with the sprinkled in runs from the Wildcat formation, and having trouble adjusting back and forth, being frazzled and winded plus demoralized to boot. Again, I will be impressed when I see that O-line run a traditonal base and dominate play after play, mano-a-mano. The four-front thing also worries me... because if the Wildcat is less effective against a four front, then we will have to rely more on our base formations again, which are okay, but not as effective as the Wildcat. Hopefully, this weekend we'll see continued progress, however, and the team can gain most of its yards (and TDs) out of base formations, with the funky stuff being a bonus, instead of it putting dinner on the table.
Our o line must be getting better for ESPN to write an article about it. haha. Man our oline is sweet. Their gonna get us production.
If this line keeps getting better, and better... which it should as time goes on this season... we're going to surprise alot more people than we surprised with our upset of new england! its going to be great IMO. we definately have the pieces upfront on the O-line in place IMO... too bad Thomas had to go down though...
Ronnie Brown did score his second touchdown out of a base formation. I think it was 15 yard run when he ran Ellis Hobbs over in the endzone.
If we play as well as we did against the Pats DL, we can beat anybody. The Wildcat was only 6 plays, and Chad P. completed 17 of 20 from our regular front sets. The OL is coming together and so is the rest of this young team, it's gonna get more fun to watch every week.
