it was one ugly game: 1) offensive line failed to set the pace for the rest of the team. they didn't win the line of scrimmage & the run went south, with the passing game right behind it. 2) the war was lost in the trenches, the injuries to Grove & Ferguson were too much to overcome 3) the offensive play calling was atrocious 4) the hopes of a playoff spot are no longer in our hands. time to start thinking about & preparing for next year. 5) Henne still has time to make his bones, however, GinnJr. is a bust. got to let Pat White run the WildCat & give Turner some playing time. coach up & experiment are the order of the day 6) if Henne makes his bones, the road ahead won't be too difficult. we need a play-maker @ WR, stud NT & quality ILB, maybe a TE & quality a center/guard to solidify the bench. not too bad going into the third year. this is how it ends, with a new beginning: Hope to Contend in 2010 however that will in large depend on how we utilize the remainder of 2009
anarchy & indecision reigned throughout the game we learned nothing from playing Tampa Bay we earned the loss honestly & got what we deserved we are a mediocre NFL team in the midst of a rebuilding process it is what it is most important question to be answered this season: Henne
The problem is that we should never have been in that position against a clearly crappy Bills team. I think the thing that struck me the most was how our defense front got handled by a bunch of backups.
True... I think the sucess from last season covered up some of our warts... We have a long ways to go. Personally, I think we are a couple off seasons away from being a true super bowl contender.
I don't agree our offensive line didn't control the LOS. We rushed for 157 yds at 4.2 a carry and allowed one sack. I think most of us would take that from the OL week to week. There are some places to lay blame, but the OL is not one of them.
Anyone happen to notice where Crowder was on that 31 yard scramble? I know he was out of position and just running around SOMEWHERE.
somewhere being decleated. lol.. guy has looked up at his ankles in mid air several times. JS, can you post those youtube clips?
Crowder was on the other side playing the flat zone. Torbor was playing in Ayodele's position on that play. The only thing that would have helped is if Torbor followed the running backs pass release. As soon as Porter lost containment, there was nobody there. I think the coverage dictated the circumstance. This had to be 1/4, 1/4, 1/2. There is no other explanation for the missing free safety. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009112901/2009/REG12/dolphins@bills#tab:watch
Strong safety, not free safety. Bell shot down for tight end coverage for some reason... I think it's Bell's fault that the scramble happened, it appeared he left his assignment.
Here is a better video link. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8149096e/Fitzpatrick-rushes-for-6 You are wrong but it's an easy mistake to make. Quarter, Quarter, Half and variations of it are used to hide an inexperienced secondary. Hundreds of high schools live off three coverages because they are a MAN coverage team. Those coverages are 1 Deep (Man Free), 3 Deep, and Quarter, Quarter, Half. You must have them all if you are to have a chance at defensing a spread attack. We are that high school team. Sure we sprinkle in Cover 2 (man) but seldom do we ever run any other coverage where our corners are not locked on the #1 and #2 receivers in deep coverage. If you will remember, this team was torched early in the season while attempting to mix in Cover 2 (zone). It was determined real quick that our safeties were susceptable to the deep ball. Go back to preseason posts. Members took a scorched earth attitude toward Wilson and Bell. The staff saw it too. We never went back to any coverage having to do with a two deep zone. No cover 6. No cover 8. No quarters. Nothing that would leave Bell and Wilson alone on the stud receiver. That little diatribe brings me back to the coverage played (quarter, quarter, half) in the video. The first place the standard Quarter, Quarter, Half weakens is the flat zone to the strong side. Go to the video now and watch Channing Crowder. Does he look at anything before moving to the flat zone? Nope! That is his responsibility in the coverage. That's where we compensated. Now what did that compensation open up? Well ask yourself who has the hook zone on the strong side? And if that person has the hook zone, would it not make sense that they are responsible for the off tackle that Channing Crowder vacated? This is the expanation for what you see Bell doing. He isn't moving forward to cover the slot (the fellow you mistakenly called a TE). The slots outside release is covered. Bell is moving forward to defense the play action from the running back. That is his responsibility. This play call was straight out of the book versus quarter, quarter, half. We are predictable. This is a triple receiver set. We will be in quarter, quarter, half 8 out of 10 times versus trips. We are that high school team. Quarter, Quarter, Half tries to make up for its flat zone coverage leaving a vulnerability by having the corner or the SS work upfield fast and hard. In this case it was the strong safety. I'd bet a bag of donuts the slot was running a skinny post. Our defensive strength worked for us on the play. The pass rush flushed the QB out of the pocket. But the QB is an Ivy league player. He knew the coverage. He knew where the least pressure was to run. He ran toward the fellow in the secondary left covering half of the field. All that secondary player could do was cover his receiver man on man. The corner expects Torbor to cover anything else coming out of the backfield on his side. Three things happened here. The weak safety played over the top of the strongside because the strongside safety came up in run support. Porter lost containment. Torbor's feet were in stuck in cement. The story is told by Crowder's first move.
Crowder is on the opposite side of the field. During the game they showed a different angle in replay (none of which from that link) that showed that Wilson shot back to weak side cover 2 and Bell shot down the field. You don't know the playcall nor do I, but I am assuming that Bell's assignment was strong side cover 2. You can't even see Bell shoot down while Wilson drifts up to cover 2 from that video because of the angle so I don't see how you can call me wrong.
Here ya go.... The down starts on the 31. 00:27 from the far side...... Owens and Crowder standing on the 20 at the sideline. Owens ran a hitch. Vontae Davis and Evans standing on farside hash at the 25. Bell is still on the farside NUMBERS at the 20. He has reversed field. 00:28 Sean Smith and the slot are at the 8 farside in between the numbers and the hash. Wilson is on the goal line. Freeze it right when Marshawn Lynch is turning back. You see that body in front of the O in Buffalo? That's Gibril Wilson. He's on the farside hash and the QB has been running for his life for 18 yards since he left the pocket. I'm glad you saw someone on the weakside behind Vontae Davis because me and the Ivy league quarterback saw nobody on that side of the field.....
in one way this was a very good game it put a period @ the end of the sentence for Miami now, we can get on with rebuilding the team coaching up the potential, re-evaluating & experimenting it exposed every weakness of the team now, we can move on ... focusing on 2010
I cringed when this play unfolded. It looked like Fitz was moving in slow motion down the field and everyone else was in super slow mo. Yeah it stung.
Am i the only one who hasn't learned anything from this team? Screw 2010, it's 2009. We win this sunday and were one game back of defending the AFC East crown. Our playoff hopes are far from over in my opinion. We lose to the pats, then it will be a very tough hill to climb. But this team doesn't give up, that i know,even when things look the worst. See Carolina game.
