Wow wow wow I can’t believe I’m saying this but in about 15 years we finally have an offense that’s better than our defense!
Today game against the ravens exposed our secondary. I’m not sold on our coordinator I don’t think he is very creative but relies more on talent.
that’s said what can we do to improve / fix the defensive woes before it costs us a playoff spot down the line?
Page 1 of 2
-
Defense came up with some big plays in the second half and 4th quarter. They need to play better for sure.
Tin Indian and Dorfdad like this. -
I'm not worried. They'll learn from this. One major difference from past defensive failures is it's not personnel this time. McDaniel is shaping up to be a very good coach, though I admit the team was really sloppy today (that concerns me more than defense). I think the defense will learn from this and be better down the stretch.
-
I'm not and have never been a fan of Boyer and his defense. Games like this were just lurking, waiting to happen. We faced a lot of teams who just didn't have the talent to make us pay last year, and looked better than we were because of it. Our run D is highly suspect, and we'll always be in danger of giving up huge passes if we keep doing Cover Zero.
Hopefully, Byron Jones is back in Week 5 vs the Jets. If he's good to go, that will be big, because Needham is much better in the slot than on the perimiter. We also need to play Rowe at SS instead of Jones when he's healthy too, because Brandon is a huge liability in pass coverage.
As for the pass rush and the run defense, its just going to have to get better with experience, hopefully. Jalen Phillips is looking more and more like a workout wonder/bodybuilder instead of a pass rusher. Miami needs to let him focus on just rushing the passer 100% of the time and not drop him into coverage. -
Myself personally, I think it’s way too early to be Chicken Little. Keep in mind…
-Offenses have the advantage early in the season due to the limitations on training camp for defenses. Pads and full contact occur much later in training camp than in years past thus, takes defenses a little longer to get their engines warmed up
-This wasn’t the New York Jests or any other scrub team in the league. The Ravens are one of the premier teams in the league with an NFL MVP as their quarterback. That’s a tall order for any team to have to defend. Give credit to the players and coaching staff for stepping up when need be to give the offense the chance to get back on the field.
I can almost guarantee everyone here there will be quite a bit of film study following this game and the defense will adjust accordinglyjdallen1222 likes this. -
One reason the D looked bad was Lamar.All things considered they did make just enough of a difference to win.That and Harbaugh.
-
Again, for how bad the defense played in the first half, they still came up big in the second half. They forced the field goal, they forced a 3 and out, they forced a turnover on downs. While not a perfect game, the defense didn't fold and kept on playing. They deserve credit for the win as well.
-
dolphin25 likes this.
-
Two things:
1) The Ravens have consistently had one of the top NFL offenses for awhile now. We also humiliated them last season in their own house, so they were coming with a grudge.
2) Jones being out at corner makes a big difference. The Ravens also timed a zero blitz perfect and Lamar Jackson got an easy TD. Then the 1st kickoff of the game. That's 14 right there on 2 plays (technically 1 play). So with point #1, I don't think it's panic time quite yet.dolphin25, Phil Hutchings and jdallen1222 like this. -
The defense will be fine, you can’t rely on them to score every week. Once Byron Jones is back things should settle down in the backfield.
KeyFin likes this. -
The D was much better in the second half last night.
it wasn’t only the offense that helped us recover from a 21 point deficit in the fourth quarter.resnor likes this. -
I'm not going to go into panic mode yet. Lamar is so dynamic and he clearly has some good, and fast, guys to throw to. That was a tough offense to contain. We have a very similar test coming up with Josh Allen and the Bills this week and they better be more ready for it.
If it keeps up another game or two, I will be very concerned. -
To the Ravens’ credit, they got nothing from their running backs (we got lucky not to see Dobbins) and still scored 38. We won’t know how good or bad the run defense is until we face a better running team. I still think we can improve at MLB.
More concerning to me are the big plays given up and the lack of a consistent pass rush. If Jones is definitely going to be ready to go week 5, then I think they can tread water until then. If there’s any doubt, then I’d bring in Haden as tirty8 said.
As far as the pass rush, maybe unleash the speed of Tindall every now and again on third and long to strike a little fear into opposing QBs.KeyFin likes this. -
resnor likes this.
-
resnor likes this.
-
Also, I can't agree on Boyer - him getting fired means the defense went completely downhill and I'd rather see us be successful. This is a year where things may be a bit more open than we thought and Tua may be finally poised to leap into upper tier QB territory. We need to go for it, not faff about on the assistant coach carousel.Phil Hutchings, dolphin25 and Dol-Fan Dupree like this. -
But I'm an extremely low risk, slow paced, highly methodical person, and that's how I prefer my football to be as well. Everything about the way that we play defense turns my stomach. I've always rooted strongly for similar schemes to blow up and fail on other teams, like the Ryan family employed. Hate it. -
After living thru Tom Olivadotti's bend dont break - that always managed to break - I am not a fan of it really, but currently we do pretty well at it. At the end of the day what matters is points on the board - Not yardage given up.
I don't think you can go all out after a QB's like Jackson and this week Allen. You have to get pressure but keep your lane somehow so you make it harder for them to escape the pocket. That's when those guys get really troublesome. That said the Titans had one well timed Safety Blitz early in the game on a 4th down attempt. It didn't get home but it completely disrupted the play and forced the turnover on downs. Gonna have to pick our spots carefully. -
I agree Olividotti was horrible defensive years. I was in elevator with him once, and wanted to say "you're terrible!" but he was bigger then I thought he was :)Tin Indian likes this. -
I have to admit at the time I was ready for Shula to go if for no other reason that he wouldn't fire Tom Olivadotti. He was awful and cost us most of Dan's great years with his sorry defense.dolphin25 likes this. -
Week 9: The 4-13 Houson Texans, quarterbacked by Tyrod Taylor, who gift wrapped several turnovers to the Fins. Miami was extremely fortunate to win this game, even as it was.
Week 10: The Baltimore Ravens, who were absolutely decimated by injuries. Credit for the coaches using the aggressive scheme in this game, because it was the right call against this particular opponent in this case. On this night its what needed to happen to squeeze out the win.
Week 11: The 4-13 Jets, quarterbacked by Joe Flacco. The game was actually tied at 14 in the 4th quarter, and Miami would have been losing if not for two missed FGs by the Jets, who put up 380 yards of offense on the day. The game was actually won by the Fins offense, who put together back to back drives totaling almost 15 minutes in the second half and played keep away.
Week 12: The 5-12 Carolina Panthers, quarterbacked by the ghost of Cam Newton. Newton was just absolutely terrible, and was eventually benched. The Fins were aided by RB McCaffery going out injured early on.
Week 13: The 4-13 Giants, quarterbacked by Mike Glennon. Miami should have won this in a laugher, but needed several missed FGs and bad turnovers by the Giants to seal it. Our defense gave up some really easy big gains to NY where the defenders just looked lost, and a better opponent would have probably torched them on that day. They got lucky it wasn't someone decent.
Week 15: The 4-13 Jets again, this time QBd by rookie Zach Wilson. Like the earlier matchup, the game was tied in the 4th quarter. This time at 24, before a late TD by DeVante Parker sealed it for Miami.
Week 16: The Saints, QBd by rookie Ian Book, in his first NFL game. Again, the Dolphins caught the biggest of breaks, when New Orleans was forced to start their 4th QB, and he was essentially a helpless sitting duck.resnor likes this. -
-
Defense played great today. On the field for that long and they have the ability to stop the Bills TWICE at the end, once to prevent a TD and the second time to prevent a game-winning FG? Defense is fine. This team is on track for a deep playoff run.
dolphin25 and Phil Hutchings like this. -
-
My nerves can't take much more of this...:sad:dolphin25 likes this. -
I'm as thankful and happy as anyone that we won the game, but don't let the W and the opponents gaffs blind you.
Our defense sucks the majority of the time. -
Oh.. and the Bills "screwed up" those drives because of our defense!Springveldt, dolphin25, Dol-Fan Dupree and 1 other person like this. -
-
It was far from pretty but Buffalo had no punts in week 1 and had no 3rd and 10+ in week 1 or 2. You can't overlook how insane they are on offense.
Letting Allen dink and dunk you do death was painful to watch but it did kind of work. Would have worked a lot better if they can figure out how to tackle himSpringveldt and dolphin25 like this.
Page 1 of 2