Miami "Small Box" Offense same as in preseason

Nice write up dmike. i find it hard to believe that this thread is empty. this, imho, is the best thread i've seen on this topic to date, i have seen a LOT of them. sounds like you have some back ground in football, i do not, just a fan. so what is it that is stopping us from doing more, i know it could be a number of things, including a combo of things. i have a couple of ideas.... one henne is still a little slow and hesitant to let it go, he seems a little late sometimes. he seems to be going thru progressions and i think playing pretty darn well for 18-19 games into his career, but there's room for improvement. not sure if this is his ability/inability to diagnose and read defenses,,, what do you think?

henne has seemed to have some great protection and time to throw but sometimes there are only one or two receivers running routes. seems we sacrifice to keep the guy upright,,, could be part of the issue.

Are receivers open downfield??? i don't know cause i just see the tv coverage,,,, could be part of the issue.

we are in dire need of a tight end who gets into the middle of the field,,, i think this could really help.

like i said i have no real football background, but i am very curious what you think some of the issues are. is it really as simple as calling better plays?? if that really is the case then all the fire henning guys, which i have not been to this point, seem to be correct. please elaborate dmike, thanks.

 

Nail meet hammer. You hit that one dead on Mike.

 

However, when we refuse to use motion, formation alignments, and personel choices that enhance our efforts to achieve chunk yardage it really doesn't matter that we have a QB that seems to have the intangibles to get it done. Our scheme or choice of plays has proven over and over that we do not have THE BALLS to play upfield football. We are a fearful franchise on offense- its sad to say it but it's true.




Can I use that in my sig?

Great post!

 

It's sad that the only great mismatch play-call that I can think of was when Brown was sent in motion wide on the strong side, Bess drew the coverage, and Ronnie was 1 on 1 vs the corner for a nice gain.

 

IMO Henning does an OK job moving the ball when we're trailing games (then reverts to suckyness in the redzone); however, he's more conservative when we're tied or ahead.

I watched the Giants tonight continue to push the ball downfield ALL game AND with the lead...... and it makes me wanna stick my head in a toilet.

 

doesnt wallace run a 4.2? do we have anyone that runs faster than a 4.5? maybe thats why wallace gets behind jason allen and we dont have anyone who is doing that other than the occasional hartline

 

Well..... we've just about all figured out what the issue is at this point. Now we hunker down and wait to see if Henning/Sparano ever give a crap about changing.

I'm not counting on it.

Small ball is here to stay. Count on it like pubes staying curly.

 

I was somehow hoping this issue would go away but the lack of a burner was apparent from the start. The Jets can burn with Edwards, Holmes, and Keller. Miami can only do so with Marshall and not even that often, more as a surprise since the safety is helping heavily.

Randy Moss
Jacoby Jones
Johnnie Lee Higgins

Are a few guys available in the off-season. I can just imagine what damage Moss would do on an incentive-laden deal. It would be an absolute destruction of all NFL secondaries with a relieved running game to boot.

 

I was at the game and you NEVER saw any routes being run deep... everything is an in or an out or a comeback and under 20 yards... our Oline has been fantastic at pass pro but we still dont try to go down the field...

another issue is Henne wanting to get rid of the ball too quick... yes you dont want to take sacks and you need to get the ball out of your hands, but SOMETIMES you have to make a play, and you have to wait till your guys get open... we've programmed him so much with the buzzer, and dont make mistakes, and its ok to check down that we end up with 2 yard passes to the fullback on 3rd and 8 with the game on the line...

open up the offense, open up Henne and lets see what we got...

 

So in other words we're playing Wanny ball. Is that what you're saying coach?

What I get tired of is the feeling of, when we have a lead and need to burn clock, we're going to go 3-and-out. Guaranteed. I'm not saying we need to throw or go crazy. But it's just that overall defeated feeling you get. The offense just looks like it has very little confidence there. Like a frightened turtle. They've got three plays on a sheet (a run right, a ****ty screen and a three-yard pass to the flats) and the defense knows exactly what they are because they've seen this movie 10 times on HBO3 this month.

I also don't understand why we don't run left. At all.

I heard Richie Incognito say yesterday that he and Jake have noticed and sort of alluded to not knowing why.

 

Exactly. Why the heck aren't we running behind those 2 monsters? I was watching the game with a buddy of mine who is a Steelers fan, and we both were saying the same thing.

Also, I was calling plays for our offense before they happened. He was sort of shocked...that's how predictable we have become.

 

You aren't wrong. Henne plays horrible with a lead. WHen leading, he's 35/61 for 300 yards and 3 INTs.

 

Oh my, what short memories we have.......

Miami Dolphins at 09:17
1-10-MIA 30 (9:12) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep middle to 82-B.Hartline.

2-10-MIA 30 (9:04) 7-C.Henne sacked at MIA 27 for -3 yards (92-S.Ellis).

3-13-MIA 27 (8:25) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 34-R.Williams.

4-13-MIA 27 (8:16) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punts 68 yards to NYJ 5, Center-92-J.Denney. 20-K.Wilson to NYJ 13 for 8 yards (27-B.Sapp).

Miami Dolphins at 06:22
1-10-MIA 38 (6:22) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 40 for 2 yards (92-S.Ellis, 33-E.Smith).

2-8-MIA 40 (5:42) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short left to 19-B.Marshall.

3-8-MIA 40 (5:37) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 15-D.Bess ran ob at NYJ 48 for 12 yards.

1-10-NYJ 48 (4:55) 7-C.Henne pass short middle to 80-A.Fasano to NYJ 37 for 11 yards (33-E.Smith).

1-10-NYJ 37 (4:11) 34-R.Williams up the middle to NYJ 35 for 2 yards (57-B.Scott).

2-8-NYJ 35 (3:35) 7-C.Henne sacked at NYJ 43 for -8 yards (99-J.Taylor).

Timeout at 02:55.
3-16-NYJ 43 (2:55) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 82-B.Hartline (36-J.Leonhard) [92-S.Ellis].

4-16-NYJ 43 (2:50) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punts 33 yards to NYJ 10, Center-92-J.Denney, fair catch by 36-J.Leonhard.

Miami Dolphins at 03:11
1-10-MIA 5 (3:11) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 82-B.Hartline to MIA 24 for 19 yards (36-J.Leonhard).

1-10-MIA 24 (2:30) (Shotgun) Direct snap to 23-R.Brown. 23-R.Brown pass incomplete deep right to 19-B.Marshall.

2-10-MIA 24 (2:23) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 80-A.Fasano.

3-10-MIA 24 (2:17) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 80-A.Fasano.

4-10-MIA 24 (2:11) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punt is BLOCKED by 33-E.Smith, Center-92-J.Denney, recovered by MIA-53-E.Walden at MIA 17. 53-E.Walden to MIA 17 for no gain (44-J.Ihedigbo).

Miami Dolphins at 12:55
1-10-MIA 28 (12:46) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 36 for 8 yards (22-B.Pool).

2-2-MIA 36 (12:11) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 19-B.Marshall ran ob at 50 for 14 yards.

1-10- (11:42) 23-R.Brown right tackle to NYJ 49 for 1 yard (52-D.Harris).

2-9-NYJ 49 (10:59) 23-R.Brown right tackle to NYJ 42 for 7 yards (58-B.Thomas).

3-2-NYJ 42 (10:15) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to 82-B.Hartline [95-H.Green].

4-2-NYJ 42 (10:08) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punts 37 yards to NYJ 5, Center-92-J.Denney, downed by MIA-18-R.Wallace.

Miami Dolphins at 01:55
1-10-MIA 31 (1:48) PENALTY on MIA-72-V.Carey, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at MIA 31 - No Play.

1-15-MIA 26 (1:48) 23-R.Brown right end to MIA 43 for 17 yards (36-J.Leonhard; 22-B.Pool).

1-10-MIA 43 (1:28) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 15-D.Bess to NYJ 41 for 16 yards (52-D.Harris, 20-K.Wilson).

1-10-NYJ 41 (1:04) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 19-B.Marshall pushed ob at NYJ 11 for 30 yards (22-B.Pool).

1-10-NYJ 11 (:54) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 19-B.Marshall.

2-10-NYJ 11 (:50) 7-C.Henne scrambles up the middle to NYJ 10 for 1 yard (58-B.Thomas, 92-S.Ellis).

Timeout #2 by MIA at 00:42.
3-9-NYJ 10 (:42) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 23-R.Brown to NYJ 5 for 5 yards (30-D.Coleman).

Timeout #3 by MIA at 00:34.
Timeout #2 by NYJ at 00:34.
4-4-NYJ 5 (:34) 7-C.Henne pass short right intended for 80-A.Fasano INTERCEPTED by 30-D.Coleman at NYJ -1. Touchback (80-A.Fasano).

 

Maybe to keep from getting him hurt?

 

IMO one of Henne's strengths is his intermediate sideline throws and back-shoulder passes. Am I wrong?

Also, if we don't get a true deep threat in here soon, will it not eventually hurt Henne's vertical game simply due to "lack of practice/repetition"?

 

It really doesn't make much sense especially not running left. For years that was the bread and butter especially considering Ronnie Brown runs better to his left (at least that's what I remember at the beginning of his career).

Just perplexing stuff really. Ted Ginn would be nice ya I admit that. When Hartline is basically making three catches a game for intermediate yardage, I mean that isn't anything Ginn couldn't do.

 

we need to start throwing to marshall. in coverage. henne doesnt understand how big of a target he is. he should go back and watch how orton and cutler made him shine. henne is not getting him the ball like they did. henne doesnt understand that marsh doesnt have to be WIDE open to make a play.

 

Note:

On today's Michael Irvin Show Brandon Marshall said the following things:


BMarsh says he felt helpless out there because even though he is able to move the ball and dominate a game when put in the right situation and positions to do so... but he felt like in the game he was in a vulnerable position where the Dolphins made it easy for Pittsburgh to defend him.

He says he doesn;t think the excuse he has heard, that Pitt played cover 2, should be ANY reason the Dolphins won;t go to him.

I agree! And it was Sparano who said that in his presser. Like if the Steelers have two deep then it totally takes away any thought of deep passes. WTF Tony??? So we'll only go deep on single high safety? lol.

Hey, that's the BEST matchup, but you can't refuse to throw deep to guys like Marshall because of a cover two look. Wow.. Cover Three, Quarters deep I understand but if we are ****ing throwing in the towel on passes over 15 yards when a defense plays two deep we are royally screwed this season. EVERY defense can just play two deep and play everyone else in underneath cover and attack the box. No WONDER we can;t run. Defenses have no need to respect a deep ball.
????: ThePHINS.com - Miami Dolphins Forums http://forums.thephins.com/showthread.php?p=1303091

lol.

Marshall doesn't think 2 safeties should be an excuse.


The OTHER thing I said all game is, Henning needed to stop running 2TE and three RB sets which kept Davone Bess ( a GREAT player) off the field. We NEED him out there.

Brandon echoes this saying we, as players AND coaches, need to do a better job and that Bess should be out there.

Look, Marshall is not dumb enough to give a direct quote like "The offensive coaching sucked"... but CLEARLY he thinks the calls abandoned passing deep and passing to him FAR too easily. He also seems to agree that Bess should be out there more (most likely meaning 3-WR sets).

Sounds like Marshall is not thrilled with the playcalling or OC either. Not upset at him, but clearly pointing out that the COACHES could have done a better job too.

Eat THAT Sparano. B.s. excuses about 2 high safties 'taking away' any hope of passing. What a ****ing joke. Even worse is the insulting accusation Tpony makes that it's always the players fault and execution flaws when we screw up.

 

We err on the side of safe throws so much that we are not a credible threat to deep defensive secondaries. This may be Henning/Sparano protecting Henne (which may partly be them not being confident the young QB can execute well on deep passes without making 'too many mistakes'. Too many means any, of course, to Sparano. lol.).

I think the routes coming back to the QB reall kills our YAC, and makes it MUCH easier for defenses and safeties to play aggressively, not worrying about being blown past. In fact, that leads to them being able to JUMP more routes and get more picks, since they don't have as much respect for having to turn and run deep. DBs do NOT play on their heels against us, they play coming forwards.

The reason I think so many routes come back is because they are friendlier to our young QB. Especially since henne has a good laser arm on flat trajectory throws, but is not as good at touch passes OVER defenders (though he is improving!). The routes are batter for a clear sightline laser throw, instead of having to touch-pass and drop the throw 'into a bucket'.

Same with the rollout routes. Easier read (half field), easier sightlines to players.

A lot of our offense this year is designed to protect Henne.

I would argue it over-protects him.

Once we are out of the playoff hunt (and we will be, with our approach) I hope they let him make riskier throws so he can get a feel for NFL windows, and down the field throws. How can he develop those if he rarely makes them?

 

Heck no Cover 2 is not a reason to throw the ball. But my gosh what short memories we have versus Cover 2.




1-10-MIA 20 (15:00) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 23-R.Brown ran ob at MIA 32 for 12 yards.

1-10-MIA 32 (14:35) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 82-B.Hartline to MIA 36 for 4 yards (32-D.McCourty, 50-R.Ninkovich).

2-6-MIA 36 (13:58) 23-R.Brown left guard to MIA 39 for 3 yards (51-J.Mayo).

3-3-MIA 39 (13:16) 7-C.Henne pass short middle to 80-A.Fasano to NE 40 for 21 yards (31-B.Meriweather).

1-10-NE 40 (12:45) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne sacked at NE 45 for -5 yards (99-M.Wright).

2-15-NE 45 (12:13) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 23-R.Brown to NE 36 for 9 yards (51-J.Mayo).

3-6-NE 36 (11:28) (Shotgun) Direct snap to 23-R.Brown. 23-R.Brown up the middle to NE 38 for -2 yards (96-J.Cunningham).

4-8-NE 38 (11:07) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punts 27 yards to NE 11, Center-92-J.Denney. 83-W.Welker MUFFS catch, and recovers at NE 11. 83-W.Welker to NE 11 for no gain (29-T.Culver).



Miami Dolphins at 02:56
1-10-MIA 33 (2:56) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 82-B.Hartline.

2-10-MIA 33 (2:52) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 32 for -1 yards (75-V.Wilfork).

3-11-MIA 32 (2:12) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 15-D.Bess to MIA 45 for 13 yards (51-J.Mayo).

1-10-MIA 45 (1:32) 7-C.Henne pass deep right intended for 19-B.Marshall INTERCEPTED by 50-R.Ninkovich at NE 39. 50-R.Ninkovich to NE 40 for 1 yard (19-B.Marshall).

1-10-MIA 21 (7:06) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to 82-B.Hartline (99-M.Wright).

2-10-MIA 21 (7:02) 23-R.Brown right tackle to MIA 25 for 4 yards (50-R.Ninkovich, 75-V.Wilfork).

3-6-MIA 25 (6:21) (Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 15-D.Bess to MIA 39 for 14 yards (24-J.Wilhite).

1-10-MIA 39 (5:41) 15-D.Bess left end to MIA 36 for -3 yards (31-B.Meriweather).

2-13-MIA 36 (5:04) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 39 for 3 yards (75-V.Wilfork).

Timeout #2 by NE at 04:23.
3-10-MIA 39 (4:23) (Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to 82-B.Hartline [91-M.Pryor]. PENALTY on NE-32-D.McCourty, Defensive Pass Interference, 16 yards, enforced at MIA 39 - No Play.

1-10-NE 45 (4:16) PENALTY on MIA-79-P.McQuistan, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at NE 45 - No Play.

1-15- (4:16) 7-C.Henne pass short middle to 15-D.Bess to NE 43 for 7 yards (59-G.Guyton).

2-8-NE 43 (3:37) 34-R.Williams right tackle to NE 27 for 16 yards (27-K.Arrington).

1-10-NE 27 (2:55) 7-C.Henne pass short right intended for 38-P.Cobbs INTERCEPTED by 50-R.Ninkovich at NE 25. 50-R.Ninkovich to NE 25 for no gain (38-P.Cobbs).

1-10-MIA 20 (14:46) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 22 for 2 yards (51-J.Mayo).

2-8-MIA 22 (14:13) (Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short right to 80-A.Fasano (32-D.McCourty).

3-8-MIA 22 (14:06) (Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 19-B.Marshall to MIA 26 for 4 yards (24-J.Wilhite).

4-4-MIA 26 (13:32) (Punt formation) 2-B.Fields punt is BLOCKED by 25-P.Chung, Center-92-J.Denney, RECOVERED by NE-55-B.Spikes at MIA 15. 55-B.Spikes to MIA 15 for no gain (2-B.Fields).




1-10-MIA 20 (14:05) (Shotgun) 34-R.Williams left guard to MIA 23 for 3 yards (92-G.Warren).

2-7-MIA 23 (13:40) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 34-R.Williams to MIA 29 for 6 yards (59-G.Guyton).

3-1-MIA 29 (13:21) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 19-B.Marshall to MIA 37 for 8 yards (25-P.Chung).

1-10-MIA 37 (12:59) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 34-R.Williams up the middle to MIA 39 for 2 yards (71-B.Deaderick).

2-8-MIA 39 (12:37) (No Huddle, Shotgun) PENALTY on MIA-67-J.Berger, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at MIA 39 - No Play.

2-13-MIA 34 (12:14) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 82-B.Hartline to MIA 44 for 10 yards (51-J.Mayo; 59-G.Guyton).

3-3-MIA 44 (11:36) 23-R.Brown up the middle to MIA 45 for 1 yard (99-M.Wright).

Timeout #2 by NE at 10:57.
4-2-MIA 45 (10:57) 7-C.Henne pass short right to 23-R.Brown to MIA 45 for no gain (32-D.McCourty).




1-10-MIA 18 (9:15) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete short middle to 15-D.Bess.

2-10-MIA 18 (9:08) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 15-D.Bess to MIA 26 for 8 yards (27-K.Arrington; 25-P.Chung).

3-2-MIA 26 (8:30) 23-R.Brown left guard to MIA 28 for 2 yards (71-B.Deaderick).

1-10-MIA 28 (7:45) 7-C.Henne pass short left to 15-D.Bess to MIA 37 for 9 yards (51-J.Mayo; 27-K.Arrington).

2-1-MIA 37 (7:17) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass short middle to 80-A.Fasano to MIA 47 for 10 yards (51-J.Mayo). MIA-80-A.Fasano was injured during the play. His return is Probable.

Timeout at 06:54.
1-10-MIA 47 (6:42) 7-C.Henne pass short right intended for 19-B.Marshall INTERCEPTED by 25-P.Chung at NE 49. 25-P.Chung for 51 yards, TOUCHDOWN.



.........There may have been more. Mercifully the QB was put on the bench.

 

Did you verify that all of these plays were with two safeties high? Or is this based on thikning the Pats usually play Cover Two? Serious question.

If you actually verified these are cover two, it's interesting to note there were three deep attempts:

1-10-MIA 45 (1:32) 7-C.Henne pass deep right intended for 19-B.Marshall INTERCEPTED by 50-R.Ninkovich at NE 39. 50-R.Ninkovich to NE 40 for 1 yard (19-B.Marshall).

1-10-MIA 21 (7:06) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to 82-B.Hartline (99-M.Wright).

3-10-MIA 39 (4:23) (Shotgun) 7-C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to 82-B.Hartline [91-M.Pryor]. PENALTY on NE-32-D.McCourty, Defensive Pass Interference, 16 yards, enforced at MIA 39 - No Play.


All went badly.

So, perhaps this is why the coaches have little confidence in Henne to take deep shots against two-high.

Also, we should distinguish between two high man under and two high zone under coverages. I think Henne is fine on man under coverages.

 

Why must I verify EVERY play? You took Brandon Marshall's comment about Cover 2 and ran with it as FACT that a known "Zone Blitz" team played cover 2 for the entire game. Quite honestly I do not want to go watch that disaster again. I know for a fact that New England is playing alot of Cover 2 because I have seen it with my own eyes. But if prodded enough, I'll probably go back and watch the disaster.

Here are the facts as I know them. We aired it out versus two opponents. We lost both games. The first game came down to special teams blunders. The second game was ALL about special teams blunders. But the fact remains that we aired it out and the passing game failed miserably.

We have won 4 games. We have only been awarded 3 of those games. Every one of those games followed the same formula.........and THAT is what is being complained about right here in this thread.

 

I wasn't asking to be antagonistic, Zod. I was just curious as it would mean even more if verified.

 

Maybe you are right that throwing more would be a disaster.

Nonetheless, playing small ball is not enough to win big consistently against great teams.

We are a good team trying to get by.

To become great, we'll have to come out of our shell at some point. If our QB isn't ready, well, then we won't win a Superbowl will we.

Cuz I don;t see making it through the playoffs hoping to keep every game close and avoiding risks.

 

Well then I will probably go and watch it again.

The obvious that everyone seems to disregard is the fact that we got the receiver to get the safety out of the box. So IMO the obvious question is NOT about the passing game or the playcalls that generate the pass versus cover 2. The obvious question to me is we got the safety out of the box so ........

Where is the running game?

 

It left town with the injured smiley and grove.

 

I do not think this is a Superbowl team and I can watch it. I may not like it but I can watch it. That's the difference between me and most. I like where we are at. We compete for every win and absent two special teams gaffs and one official screwing the pooch - we are undefeated. The fact is that we matter to our fans. We know what we have and the coaching staff is a part of it. But to the rest of the NFL (and I said this after the NE loss) we are irrelevant. We are irrelevant until December. We made it so with two in division losses.

 

I don't think so. I think we have two average running backs. Every excuse in the world has been made for Ronnie Brown throughout his 5 years. The fact of the matter is that he has been just slightly above average and now that seems to be gone. Take for instance the time he was run down after a 40 yard gain. I thought Ronnie ran a 4.4 at the combine. What's he doing getting run down? Why is he consistently taken down by every player in every secondary?

If there is nothing EXPLOSIVE about this offense it all starts right there. We have an old man, a never was, and a special teamer at the running back position. Love them all that you want. That is who they are.

 

Maybe the Bills will let us have Spiller. Lol.

Man, we still have lot of needs and no second round pick.

Needs: rb, te, #2wr, depth at CB, NT, another passrusher.

One of those better be an explosive returner. Maybe the NT.

 

Where to start SPECIFICALLY to address this. I know. I'll start here (since it's the last play on the board).

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b92753/Steelers-stop-Dolphins-on-4th-down

The ball is snapped at 2.5 seconds. At 6 seconds he is seen running. What has happened that was not already suppose to happen? Everyone was running down the field vertically. We are 3.5 seconds into the play. Where is the ball? Why did he run into the pressure? Why isn't the ball out? Why was it NOT thrown past the sticks on 4th and 6?

The verticals were Bess and Hartline. The underneath players were Cobbs and Marshall. The outlet was Ronnie Brown.

Let's go to another one.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b90674/Bess-26-yard-TD

This one is really easy. There are 10 defenders within 4 yards of the line of scrimmage. That only leaves one back there deep. Marshall is vertical. Hartline is vertical. Bess is underneath.

Who does the QB throw to? Where did the safety go? Did he go to Hartline? Did he go to Marshall? Did he stay in the middle of the field?

I will answer some of the safety question for you. The ball is being thrown at 11 seconds. The safety shows up at 14 seconds. So unless Ryan Clark developed speed damn near Superman, the safety stayed in the middle of the field with Marshall. That leaves you to one question? Why not Hartline deep? Why not give Hartline a chance? Where in the heck is Hartline for the ENTIRE game? HE is the number one benefactor of having Marshall on the field. It shows up nowhere in the statistics.

......and more importantly WHY has nobody commended Dan Henning for what was an excellent play call on a 2nd and 4 just before the red zone?

Let's go to a montage of work.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b5a168/Playbook-Dolphins-vs-Packers

Two verticals with no result at 29 seconds.

Here is a great one. Why? There are two deep. Count the defenders on screen at 33 seconds. There are only nine. Where did he throw? He threw into a double. Where was Fasano running? I'll answer that one. Fasano was running the crosser WIDE OPEN. The other safety went deep with Marshall.

At 39 seconds we see the Patriots in an obvious cover 3. With the big arse cushion the Patriot defenders were giving our receivers FOR THE ENTIRE game a comeback is a great call. Where is the pass? Why was this not a positive gain?

At 1:31 you can see the Cover 2 from the patriots that I referenced to BPK. Now this one is a beauty and it should look familiar. There are TWO highlights of this play in this post. Look at the safeties. One is going to Marshall. One is held by the play action. LOOK AT HARTLINE! This is a simple read versus cover 2. Where ever the safety goes, the ball goes in another direction. Freeze it at 1:46 when the ball is in Henne's hand. Is he going to give Hartline a chance? Did he give Hartline a chance on the video that we reviewed this play?

Let's go to 1:58....

It's a man free coverage and they are saying "torch us" with the fade. Well then he got that one. But here is the thing about man free. He's seen it since high school. But I want you to look at something different. Who on the other side was coming back to the QBas you say that we do too much? Where in any of this video have you seen it other than the off coverage the Patriots gave us? Who had the single on Brandon Marshall on this play? I mean Marshall is the beast right? He's standing up there in the slot and he's going to being working against a guy one on one on a crosser. This is THE play that we saw Kyle Orton giving Marshall last year. Did we give it to him?



There are plays left on the field. YOU of all people should know this. It is the reason why I am so disappointed in this thread.

 

So you agree that Henning sucks.









JOKING!!!



Persuasive argument, Zod. Do you feel Henne is doing a decent job considering his inexperience? Do you think his field view, recognition and decisions will improve a lot or will he be missing opportunities more than is acceptable?

What's your opinion on what the coaches could do differently to improve these plays being left out there?

 

BPK, while stumbling through all of the highlights on NFL.com I arrived back at the Patriots. Here is what's newsworthy.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b13f15/QB-Henne-to-RB-Williams-28-yd-pass-TD

Freeze it a 1 second. It's two high safety coverage and it's an absolute monster of a playcall. Take note at how QB friendly the call is versus cover 2.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b13978/RB-Williams-16-yd-run

Another play versus cover 2. We don't use motion?


http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b139bb/Patriots-defense-INT

Another 2 safety package. It's a triple receiver package and Cobbs is in the game because it's 1st and 10. THAT kept linebackers on the field for the Patriots. This means that more than likely the QB will nothing exotic. It's a base cover 2 versus a triple receiver package Mr. QB. Have your way with it.

Fast forward to 39 seconds. How long did Brandon Marshall run with not one defender with 12 yards of him? Who was the safety on Henne's right covering? It had to be either Hartline (on the deep crosser) or Marshall (in the deep middle). The QB didn't make the decision. Me with Henne's arm? I'm throwing it to Marshall.

This is THE play that phins fans want called. This is THE play that phins fan want the QB to make. Where did the ball go?

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b135fe/QB-Henne-to-WR-Bess-19-yd-pass-TD

You have seen this one already. It's just another example of two safety coverage for the purposes of this post.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b135fd/Patriots-defense-INT

More two safety coverage. It's two in the backfield and passing on first down. How much more can the QB ask for? Motion was used to get Marshall to run under Hartline. It's a simple read from here. Hartline is taking the safety deep. Marshall is going to run a deep crosser. The linebacker is part of the QB read. If the linebacker drops deep (as he does) the outlet is Ricky. Watch Ricky! Who is anywhere near Ricky at 4 seconds? This ball was forced and what's worse is it is forced with a wide open outlet.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/miami-dolphins/09000d5d81b135d6/Patriots-defense-sack-5-yd-loss

This is pretty simple. It's a two safety coverage with two vertical patterns. You are either going to throw it into a double or you are not. Fasano and Ronnie are working underneath. The strip happens anywhere from 2.5 - 3 seconds. A hurried mental clock? If the mental clock was working, the ball would be in Fasano or Ronnies hands.


Now the Henne lovers will come around saying I just don't like Henne. That is simply not true. I have said that I like this team. I like what they are doing. I like the direction they are headed. I will watch this guys growing pains. I just will not watch and then read that it's the offensive coodinators fault.

Dorkmando's latest blog read "curious playcalls". He seems to be the leader of a bunch of morons that don't understand what is happening out there. What's happening is this kid is being properly cared for. It's happening with formations. It's happening with personel. It's happening with down and distance. If you don't know what Henning is going to do there is a damn good chance that the DC on the other side does not know neither. Muck had it wrong earlier. Wannyball was run against 8 in the box, run against 8 in the box, and then pass against cover 2. Henning will NOT allow that to happen. I'm actually thankful for it.

Then again we could try to get Jason Garrett. How's that protection working out for Dallas?

 

Sadly, I'd prefer if Henning were more the issue than Henne.

Easier to tell Henning to call games differently or replace him than it is to replace a franchise QB if Henne's issues don't improve.

That said, I think you expect these issues from Henne at this point. By game eight next season, Henne should be much better at making the right reads and throwing to the open man.

Boy, watching a QB develop is like watching a pot waiting for it to boil.