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Quick Hits: Dolphins "@" Bills

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Vengeful Odin, Dec 7, 2008.

  1. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    From 1-15 to 8-5.

    We are in first place in our division for the first time, I believe, since 2001. What a sweet win. Just a great overall effort by Miami, who really seemed to grasp what was at stake and put up an outstanding effort in Toronto today. Toronto itself was interesting, at times raucous (and split 50-50 fanwise), but most of the time it was a bit quiet, and not the typical atmosphere you would expect to see at an NFL game.

    I missed kickoff, as I was driving home from a friend's house and got stuck in traffic, so I got in a little late. Before turning the game on, I quickly changed into my Wildcat shirt, and then turned on the game. The shirt is now undefeated, 7-0. That's a pretty incredible coincidence, when you think about it.

    I've been doing some thinking. I put together a movie poster the other day, and it really got me thinking. A football team is really put together like a film production. At the top, you've got your movie studio. In the NFL, you have the owner. This is the bankroll - the entity that has a financial stake in the success of the product. On our team, Bill Parcells acts like an Executive Producer, a guy who signs off on things, but stays out of the day-to-day operations. Jeff Ireland functions as the producer, the guy who puts together the behind-the-scenes staff. Tony Sparano is obviously the director, the man running the show and making the key choices.

    Like Parcells, Sparano is gifted with an ability to get the most out of the talent he has at his disposal, a sign of a good director. We've gone from 1-15 to 8-5 in one offseason, which is simply incredible. We're talking about the playoffs, and even the division title, which is even more incredible. We're in the midst of one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history. That's mainly due to Sparano, who has done a great Parcells impression in his first season as a head coach. He's really mimicking what happened in 1996, when Parcells took over a 1-15 Jets team and led them to a 9-7 record the next season. The outlook looks bright for us to actually exceed that record this year.

    My only concern about Sparano is that I don't know if he shares his mentor's affinity to move around a lot. I really hope he's committed to being with this franchise for a long time - think Jeff Fischer in Tennessee - and not just using it as a stepping stone to another coaching job with another franchise. Don't kid yourself - turning a 1-15 team into a playoff contender will get you noticed across the league.

    That's really putting the horse ahead of the cart though. For now I'm content to savor our victory today, and look forward to our chances against the Niners, Chiefs, and suddenly mortal Jets.

    What I Liked

    This team doesn't blow teams out. We're a grind-it-out team that isn't really built to deliver quick scores. We can occasionally put points up, but most of the time we're not going to score over 30 points. I don't think we have the personnel or the offense to score in bunches. I just don't see us airing it out like the Patriots, Cardinals, or Cowboys. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Think of it this way: It's kind of like the difference in how snakes kill their prey - we're not an instant death cobra, we're more like a suffocating anaconda.

    • Solid Offense from Traditional Sets - We looked quite respectable when running our traditional offense. We didn't have a lot of negative plays, and looked good. Rich Gannon made a comment during the game about the defense carrying the offense - but I didn't see that. We didn't throw any interceptions or fumble the ball, and only allowed one sack in twenty nine passing attempts.
    • Time of Possession - Our offense really showed consistency today. No where was this more obvious than time of possession, where we held the ball for a full quarter - 15 minutes - more than the bills. While we only scored one touchdown, we had a lot of long drives, giving us an edge in field position and leading to several scoring opportunities. Even when we weren't putting points on the board we were still driving the ball on a fairly decent (12th in the NFL) Bills defense. We didn't have a three and out on the day. Every time we touched the ball we gained at least one first down. Pretty incredible day for the offense.
    • Three Points - Defensively, we did extremely well today, and that's really where the game was won. While the offense was driving up and down the field against Buffalo, the defense really shone, particularly against the run (Buffalo's leading rusher was Losman). Marshawn Lynch managed only 31 yards on 13 carries, a meager 2.38 YPC average. We also didn't give up any big gainers to the big RB, as his longest run from scrimmage was 7 yards. The Bills were just as ineffective through the air, as former starter J.P. Losman only managed 123 yards passing. Losman was more successful scrambling around, but you know you've got problems when your quarterback ends up as your leading rusher, and it just wasn't enough. The Bills only netted 163 yards offensively. Pretty dominant day for the Miami Dolphins defensively, as the Bills were pretty much ineffective pretty much the entire game.

    What I Didn't Like

    It's hard to critique this game. It was our most complete victory of the year, and we really closed it out well. The chat was telling - folks were as focused on the New England and New York games as they were on watching us finish the game. I don't recall the last time we were relevant this late in the season in 2005 we weren't really relevant until the last few games of the regular season, and in 2003 we were missing our starter for a fair chunk of the year. Really, you'd have to go all the way back to 2001, when we went 11-5 and won the division. I'd probably take this team over that one, even with their flaws, as they play a hard-nosed classical brand of football that, as a fan, I really enjoy watching. Today we saw a lot of that - we physically dominated Buffalo on both offense and defense, something we haven't done to another team in a long time. The few things I didn't like were minor - and in some cases, were actually corrected mid-game.

    • Penalties - We a a few too many penalties for my taste, particularly on offense. No major ones, just a few ticky-tack procedurals that put us in a bad position on offense. We're lucky that we were moving the ball on offense, as the false starts and holding calls didn't really cost us a lot in terms of the game today. That won't always be the case, however.
    • Pass Rush - We really didn't start to generate consistent pressure until late in the game, when Losman was chucking it on every down. Early on, especially in the first half, we didn't do much to get to the quarterback. Our first sack didn't come until 10:35 in the third quarter. That's a little too long to wait for a sack, at least in my opinion. When we did finally start getting pressure on the Bills the wheels really came off, and Losman really buckled under the pressure, throwing an interception and fumbling twice.
    • Cutesy Play Calling - We sometimes have a tendency to get a little cute with our play calling. I know part of that is so that we look unpredictable on offense, but at times it can be irritating. We also make it a point to get everyone involved - almost to a fault. Today, we used Ricky quite a bit, even though Ronnie Brown was averaging 4.38 YPC. I know there are two schools of thought on this - and I'm in the camp of using whatever is working to win. Brown's workload aside, it looks like it may be time to add some wrinkles and freshen up the wildcat. Today we ran the package a total of 5 times for a total of 11 yards, just over a 2 yard average. The entire point of the Wildcat is to spice up our offense, not drag it down. As it stands now, it's become routine and predictable. Perhaps we are saving the new stuff for the Jets, or even later in the season.

    Gameballs of the Week

    This was a team victory today, and we got contributions from everyone on the roster from top to bottom. That's a sign of a good team.

    • Davone Bess - Davone Bess remains one of the most pleasant additions to the Dolphins team this year. He was targeted early and often by Pennington. Since the Camarillo injury, Bess has really stepped up his game further - 15 catches and 158 yards in 2 games. He's also becoming extraordinarily consistent, as he's gone for over 50 yards receiving in each of the last four games. He's not putting up rookie of the year numbers, but I think he should be in consideration to be a part of an All Rookie team. It's hard for me to fathom how this guy went undrafted. Truth be told, I could see him as a younger faster version of Wes Welker in a few years.
    • Kendall Langford - Langford did a great job today plugging up the line of scrimmage. He had several stops for no gain, and was largely responsible for Lynch's poor outing. Probably one of his best games this season.
    • Charlie Anderson - Early on, Anderson was our most effective pass rusher. Anderson displayed great technique in forcing two fumbles today, raising his arms and coming straight down on Losman's throwing arm. Textbook. Anderson is only 26, and has really improved as a situational pass rusher. He's not an every down option for us opposite Porter, but he is capable of making big plays from time to time.
    • Joey Porter - Two sacks on the day for Porter, who finally busted loose late in the fourth quarter. He also ended the game emphatically - with a strip sack to close it out. Good day for Porter, who got back on track after having some quiet games recently. He has a good chance to build on that success in the coming weeks against San Fran and KC.
    • Will Allen - Allen played a pretty spectacular game today, making a key (and, if you're a Buffalo fan, controversial) interception that really ended any chances of a Bills comeback late in the fourth quarter. More importantly, he blanketed noted Dolphins killer Lee Evans throughout the game. Evans had a surprisingly quiet game, only 3 catches for 23 yards. (It didn't help that Losman was overthrowing him every time he was open) Regardless, Will Allen remains our single best pass defender. He had a great game today - Pro Bowl level for sure - even by the standards against we normally compare him.

    Goats of the Week

    Honestly, no one really played badly today. The team looked sharp, disciplined, and focused in all phases of the game - even on kickoff coverage.

    • Ted Ginn - Ginn was pretty much silenced today, with only one catch. I don't know if that was because the game plan focused more on Bess, or if Buffalo was focused on not allowing him to get open downfield. I guess it's probably a combination of both. We did try to get him involved with an end around, but I would have liked to see us try and use him a little more. He'll be matched up against Nate Clements next week, which will be a challenge for him.
    • Dan Carpenter - I don't know what was up with that kickoff in the fourth quarter. Botched onside, botched squib, I'm not really sure. The FG miss doesn't bother me, as it was bound to happen, but that kickoff should have cost us points.

    Overall Thoughts

    Consistency and Execution. That's what I think of when I look back on this game today. Offensively we controlled the line of scrimmage and won the time of possession battle. Defensively we shut down the running game and, eventually, pressured Losman into poor throws. We didn't make any major mistakes, and we really looked like the better team. Tony Sparano has this team firing on all cylinders, and has made what once looked like a pipe dream (the Playoffs), actually look obtainable. Pretty extraordinary.

    Next week we get San Francisco, a team that gave the Patriots a lot of trouble today. The Niners have looked better as of late, though their still a ways away from turning the corner. The good news is the game is at home, which means San Fran has to come cross country to play us, something that has caused the west coast teams quite a bit of trouble this year. I think it's going to be a good game, and probably an extremely close, low scoring affair. I expect Miami will come out on top - this was a win I actually predicted during the preseason, before Chad Pennington and the team began exceeding all of our expectations.

    This team is 8-5. Man, I can't wait until next Sunday.
     
  2. brandon27

    brandon27 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    nice write up as alwasy bro. I can't disagree with your gameballs of the week. Bess was outstanding again today. I hope we lock him up long term very soon. I dont know how long he's under contract for, but he has earned some cash, and time here in my opinion.

    Charlie anderson had a great game today. It was nice to see him step up out there.

    Ginn... i still feel he just lacks confidence, and i still think he tries to shy away from contact if at all possible. He better grow out of it soon. Its performances like today that are never going to allow him to shake that dreaded "bust" label he's been given. No, im not calling him that, so relax everyone. Im simply saying until he becomes a consistent contributor, people are always going to be on his case.

    I dont think we can put carpenter down as a goat today though. He's been solid all year, he did make 3 field goals today and an XP. So it was a 10 point game for him, we did only score 16. That kickoff though.. it sure was ugly, Sparano sure let him know it too

    It was nice to hear langford's name called a few times today as well. That was refreshing. Still think he's going to be great for us.

    Next week, the 9ers worry me. Theyve looked pretty good here as of late. Singletary might have found a way to get through to them. we better watch out next week.
     
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  3. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    The good news is that the game is in Miami ... and not in San Fran. Also, Frank Gore has a nasty ankle sprain, and preliminarily, it looks like he will be out of action against us, which is a big plus. I think we match up well against them, though I agree Singletary has done a good job as HC, pants dropping aside.
     
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  4. Firesole

    Firesole Season Ticket Holder

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    Umm...the Niners gave the Jets a lot of trouble today...and beat them. The Patsies eeked out a win versus the Seahawks today. Great write up nonetheless.
     
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  5. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    This is something that we've all discussed throughout this forum. Outside of Porter, we lack a consistent pass rusher or any type of pass rusher for that matter. Porter is being keyed in on now after his first 13 sacks came and despite him being keyed in on, we still can't get any type of pressure applied by our other guys. That worries me. I didn't catch today's game because of a blurry stream and it wasn't on T.V. but it seems that it got going at least a little which is positive. At least some signs of life being shown. I think that's something that will be key going into a game against a team that has allowed more sacks on first down then on second and third I believe. Many of those sacks came from when J.T. O'Sullivan was starting; As we know, he holds on to the ball quite long. Shaun Hill is different as he gets the ball out quicker but he's still getting sacked two or three times a game. I think we're going to have to rush the passer in that game. I feel confident that we can win but Singletary gets his guys fired up and ready to play every week.


    The several stops for no gain line put a smile on my face because coming out, he had good read and react skills. I was happy to read that he displayed it out on the field. I'm glad that he had a strong outing today after he hit the rookie wall very hard.

    Everyone liked him when he came over from Houston. We thought we got ourselves a guy who could rush the passer and he looked good in camp. Then hit the hamstring injury and then the Special Teams penalties and it all went downhill from there. It is good that he had a good game today.

    Buffalo must hate him lol. Two games this year and two games he came up with a big play late to seal the win. Love Porter.

    Awesome.

    I wonder how we do against their defense. Their run defense is in the middle of the pack but I read that they were allowing something like 3.2 yards per rush. That's a great number for them. We may have to win this game with passing and I know their Safeties are very slow and the defense doesn't game plan well either. I feel confident going into this game but I'm aware of us playing down to our competition and that worries me.

    Great write-up as always man.
     
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  6. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    Nice write up!
    Going to that Niner game!
    Cant wait.
     
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  7. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    Well, they're coming off a big victory (despite the fact I thought they were playing the Patriots, lol), traveling cross country, and it doesn't look like they're going to have Frank Gore available for the game.

    I don't think we will blow them out, because Singletary has done pretty good at getting his team ready to play. It's going to be a low scoring game, probably with both teams under 20 points.

    Martz has a tendency to abandon the running game, I expect this will be highlighted if Gore is absent as expected. He presses the passing game, and sometimes his playcalling suffers because of it. Hill is a gamer, but I don't think he has the receivers to beat us through the air.

    Defensively they're decent against the run and have one of the game's best young linebackers in Patrick Willis. I'd expect to see Nate Clements matched up against Ted Ginn, which means we'll be again relying on Bess and the other receivers. I'm hoping to see us run some misdirection plays, maybe some screens, draws, counters. We haven't really used the counter much at all this year. That could help slow down the push up front, as I expect the Niners to try and exploit our weaknesses at right and left guard.

    Should be a fun one to watch. I think it's going to be an old-fashioned slugfest-type game.
     
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  8. The Aqua Crush

    The Aqua Crush New Member

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    The niners will have an intersting choice to put clements on Ginn or Bess. Do they want to eliminate the deep threat or the sure catch bess?

    We need to keep our backs away from willis and Fasano and Martin have to run deep middle seam routes. Shorts ones they may pay the patrick price.

    Either way should be a good game and if gore is unable to go that would be a huge help for us.

    I can't believe were even in this position, its surreal.

    Any one know what our record vs common opponents is in case us and the pats tie record and divisional record? Thats the third inter division tie breaker and the only one i know is we beat the chargers and they lost to them. Either way i hope we win out and leave our destiny up to ourselves (which i'm sure is being preached one game at a time in our dressing room)
     
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  9. Jaj

    Jaj Registered

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    If we were to both win out, we would take it based off of our conference record being better. As far as our common opponents, as of now we're just about even.
     

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