Thoughts on the Dolphins/Jets Game

Nice Key! Among other great points, I like that you were objective concerning RT. The thing I keep telling myself is that Gase and RT aren’t blind and stupid. For every obviousy poor play that RT and our offense had that I see, they probably see 10 more instances. As I said in another thread, we were sloppy. However, when they are tallying the wins and loses at the end of regular season, all they care about is the “W”. How we got it doesn’t matter. :-)

Yeah I agree.

Simple summary so far this season: defense very good, offense average, Gase 2-0.

"Surfs Up 99 wrote:

Nice Key! Among other great points, I like that you were objective concerning RT. The thing I keep telling myself is that Gase and RT aren’t blind and stupid. For every obviousy poor play that RT and our offense had, they probably see 10 more instances. As I said in another thread, we were sloppy. However, when they are tallying the wins and loses at the end of regular season, all they care about is the “W”. How we got it doesn’t matter. :-)

I'm definitely a Ryan Tannehill fan and I think his ceiling is huge, but the mistakes that he made today aren't really coach-able moments. And for the most part it's all little stuff; protecting the ball, sliding in the pocket, planting your feet before launching a deep pass....he absolutely knows to do these things. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm being way overly picky here, but I think we have to if the goal is the Super Bowl.

I mean, if the goal is being 8-8 or 9-7 then sure, that little stuff doesn't matter. But if the goal is 12-4 and AFC Champs, then we have to clean that stupid stuff up. A better team would have beaten us today.

The Offence will fix the problems it has! No need to worry about that. The Defense is fantastic and can only get better week to to week. When we beat the Raiders next week, we will then be 3-0 and on a collision coarse for week 4 to play the Pats in their own backyard! We're gonna bleed, we're gonna sweat to compete for first place in the division!!

"Canadianphinfan wrote:

The Offence will fix the problems it has! No need to worry about that. The Defense is fantastic and can only get better week to to week. When we beat the Raiders next week, we will then be 3-0 and on a collision coarse for week 4 to play the Pats in their own backyard! We're gonna bleed, we're gonna sweat to compete for first place in the division!!

Of the four games to start the year, I felt the most confident in playing the Raiders and the Pats. The Raiders for obvious reasons (new coach, new system, rebuilding) and the Pats game because we just have their number with our high pressure D. I don't know if we fix all the offensive problems next week BUT I really like out chances of going 4-0 at this point and controlling the division.

In my season prediction thread, I did think it would take us three weeks to really get the offense chugging along. We lost Sitton though and that's a huge blow, plus we'll be mixing Parker into the rotation next week. So I'm not sure if we'll be rolling on all cylinders by next Sunday.

not right away no, but eventually? This team could be scary good!

"Canadianphinfan wrote:

not right away no, but eventually? This team could be scary good!

I think so too...especially if we figure out the offensive line. Thank God we had a solid veteran backup in waiting.

Good post, agreed on all points..

Godchaux had an outstanding game,

Mink was so solid

"djphinfan wrote:

Good post, agreed on all points..

Godchaux had an outstanding game,

Mink was so solid

You stole my comment, deej. The interior DL was very dependable this game, I just wish we could have stopped Darnold quicker after he leaked out of the collapsing pocket.

"KeyFin wrote:

In my season prediction thread, I did think it would take us three weeks to really get the offense chugging along. We lost Sitton though and that's a huge blow, plus we'll be mixing Parker into the rotation next week. So I'm not sure if we'll be rolling on all cylinders by next Sunday.

I like that we are finding ways to win. If we can get it all to come together, my blood pressure will benefit. :-)

A lot to like, and a lot to hate. You can't take those two W's away. I really hope we can improve on mistakes and beat Las Vegas next week! Glad that, that game will be on TV here in LV! So ill be ordering pizza, and watching at home! 3-0 would be a great start. 1 game at a time! I am also happy that Darnold did not come back to beat us, because thats all we would have heard on ESPN for a week

:dolphin:

"KeyFin wrote:

Let me start with the obvious- we're 2-0 in games that I didn't think we'd win on paper. We're also 2-0 in games we've faced adversity where we'd rarely pull things together this early in the season...and wins are the only thing that matters in the NFL. So being 2-0 is a fantastic start to the season regardless of what I say in the rest of this review.

Why are we 2-0? That's easy- our defense is as good as expected; maybe even better. Tannehill had more rushing yards on a couple of carries than the entire Jets team...remember how we were supposed to suck against the run? And remember how NY was supposed to run all over us? Yeah, that didn't happen folks. We continue to force turnovers, continue to force QBs into bad situations, and this defense is LEGIT! Combined with great special teams play, and there won't be too many games this season that we're not competitive in.

Kiko stood out to me today. His technique is awesome- he leads with the shoulder so he can throw a punch at the ball, and the guy was seemingly everywhere in these past two games. He forced one turnover today and partially jarred the ball loose a few other times...he was my MVP of the game. The entire defense deserves props though from Wake/Quinn demanding double teams on the edge to our ball hawks in Howard, Jones, Fitz and McMillian. McCain rebounded nicely too.

However, that's where the good news on the day stops. Adam Gase said at halftime that the team didn't execute and we had to do a lot more on offense in the 2nd half. Our 1st quarter scores all came off the defensive pressure, great punts and turnovers....meanwhile Grant continued to give us great starting field position. Yet our offense was flat, uninspired and just kept making mistakes.

I know a lot of folks here won't like this, but I saw a lot of the pre-Gase Tannehill today that thinks too much in the moment. Yes, he had a great QBR on the day, he was insanely efficient and he threw two TD passes while running for almost 50 yards (or maybe more- haven't seen the stat lines yet). He did well in most regards of the game, yet he played poorly on several critical downs as well. He fumbled twice (both times, running with the ball outstretched) and missed a wide-open Wilson on the deep TD because he didn't plant his feet. This happened several times as he tried to do too much, too fast.

As good as this kid is, he seems to struggle with getting out of his own head and just executing sometimes.

Again though, we're 2-0 and that's perfect by NFL standards...just don't think that this team is perfect. We have a lot of work to do on offense from the top down. The line had some issues today as well and even though we have awesome talent at RB/WR, it all needs to come together in a hurry. Gruden is going to throw the kitchen sink at RT next week and it will define what this team will become in 2018.

The good news on offense is that you can just see the potential for huge breakout plays, so I don't think we're too far from where we need to be. I also think the defense and special teams are already there- this COULD BE a massive year for the Fins. But now is the time to get picky, to be that jerk who raises hell over the little things and fine tune our processes to make this a championship team. We have the talent, the coaching, the depth....everything else is in place.

Great game today Dol-fans! We beat the stinkin' Jets in NY and it rarely gets better than that! Now let's get back to work and get ready for the Raiders.

I agree with all of this post. I think the section I made bold can use a little more perspective.

"but I saw a lot of the pre-Gase Tannehill today that thinks too much in the moment. Yes, he had a great QBR on the day, he was insanely efficient and he threw two TD passes while running for almost 50 yards (or maybe more- haven't seen the stat lines yet). He did well in most regards of the game, yet he played poorly on several critical downs as well. He fumbled twice (both times, running with the ball outstretched) and missed a wide-open Wilson on the deep TD because he didn't plant his feet."

Each and every one of these points of weakness lend themselves to being easy improvements to make over the next few games.

No mater how hard Tannehill prepared himself during his off year, the speed and required reaction times of real time NFL level football don't get better overnight. The fact that he plays as well physically and mentally as he is now doing, shows his exceptional ability as a quarterback. His improvement over the next few games is almost a certainty, in that these are smaller details of his entire playing profile that he has overcome in the past and, with the performance of the current offense and defense, will improve even more over the next game or two.

I almost feel sorry for the embarrassment the next two teams are going to face when we beat them, in spite of the local and national sports press's probable low opinion of the Dolphins.
Yes, I almost feel sorry for them, but not quite :dolphin:.

Wins a win but we got lucky easily could have been 28-20 Miami loss. Thank goodness the jets were the jets!

One of those fumbles was on Fat Kilgore not RT.

Great post however, agree on all fronts.

"Fin-O wrote:

One of those fumbles was on Fat Kilgore not RT.

Great post however, agree on all fronts.

That was the 3rd fumble. The first was when RT rolled out on a bootleg and got nailed by the LB...he recovered that one on his own. The 2nd was the fumble/sack where he tried to throw it away and it slipped out of his hand.

"Irishman wrote:

No mater how hard Tannehill prepared himself during his off year, the speed and required reaction times of real time NFL level football don't get better overnight. The fact that he plays as well physically and mentally as he is now doing, shows his exceptional ability as a quarterback. His improvement over the next few games is almost a certainty, in that these are smaller details of his entire playing profile that he has overcome in the past and, with the performance of the current offense and defense, will improve even more over the next game or two.

I agree- he was very sharp last week and pretty darn sharp today as well. Today, there was no pocket when he threw the bomb, just like there was no pocked when he dumped off to Gore on the pass that was in the dirt (that Gore scooped up for a 20 yard 1st down on 3rd and 19). That's offensive chemistry stuff that everyone needs to work on and I think it will consistently improve over time.

As far as his decision making and handling pressure in the moment, I think that will come as well IF we solve the larger problem of protection breakdowns. Because once he starts playing like that 2015 QB that's always running for his life, then the timing goes out the window and he's thinking too much.

The good news is that our defense is young and hungry- I expect them to get better as well. Like others have said, that's freaking scary what we could be come December and beyond. Then we have Grant as a TD always waiting to happen, solid special teams in general, great skill players on offense, etc....I'm definitely not worried at this point about how we'll win ballgames.

The last play of the first half sums up everything for me- we bend but don't break. NY essentially had three chances within 2 seconds to punch that ball across the goal line. Three times, we landed a punishing hit to prevent it. The offense definitely has some room to grow if our boys on D keep playing at those ridiculous levels.

"invid wrote:

You stole my comment, deej. The interior DL was very dependable this game, I just wish we could have stopped Darnold quicker after he leaked out of the collapsing pocket.

I thought we did well defending Darnold, that kid is gonna be a great qb so to defend him as well as we did, I’m good.

2-0. Great job. I can't complain, but...

Did we draft a 6'6" seam threat with 4.5 speed or was I dreaming??? 4 preseason games & 2 regular season games = 2 catches for 10 yards.

Im confused

It seems like Tannehill is still adjusting a bit. There were times when he was better than last week, and times when he was worse.

On the bright side, I'm glad he's running more.

Hi,

I’ve just joined the forum, but I’ve been following the Dolphins since Dan Marino's rookie season. I live in the UK, but come over twice a year and stay near Orlando.

Pre-season, I wasn’t very optimistic about the team, but so far the results have been good.

I’ve been very impressed with young Minkah Fitzpatrick. His tackle near the goal line last week was great and he made some big plays today too. He seems to read the game well for a rookie. It’s very encouraging for the future.

Frank Gore also seems to be a great addition to the roster and it’s great that he has settled in so well.

I know there are bigger tests to come, but I’m looking forward to the season.

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

Hi,

I’ve just joined the forum, but I’ve been following the Dolphins since Dan Marino's rookie season. I live in the UK, but come over twice a year and stay near Orlando.

Pre-season, I wasn’t very optimistic about the team, but so far the results have been good.

I’ve been very impressed with young Minkah Fitzpatrick. His tackle near the goal line last week was great and he made some big plays today too. He seems to read the game well for a rookie. It’s very encouraging for the future.

Frank Gore also seems to be a great addition to the roster and it’s great that he has settled in so well.

I know there are bigger tests to come, but I’m looking forward to the season.

Welcome aboard Phil! Glad to have you here!

We need to come out with better energy after the half. Change up whatever halftime routine they go through

"phinswolverinesrockets wrote:

2-0. Great job. I can't complain, but...

Did we draft a 6'6" seam threat with 4.5 speed or was I dreaming??? 4 preseason games & 2 regular season games = 2 catches for 10 yards.

Im confused

unless he's put in situations where he can use his catch radius, he's a liability on the field at this point.

I think if gase can find him ways to just have him be a receiver and get him in motion to get free releases, he can make some plays.

"Tin Indian wrote:

Welcome aboard Phil! Glad to have you here!

Thanks, TI.

I don’t pretend to know or follow the Dolphins intimately, but I regard Miami as my football team.

I watch many sports, but my first love is Manchester City, whom I’ve been supporting for nearly 50 years now.