Are The Dolphins Too Aggressive?

Sept 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) heads back to the sideline during the second half against the New York Jets at Sun Life Stadium. The Jets won 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

When was the last time that the Miami Dolphins were aggressive on offense?  I can’t really think of a time outside of their “Wild Cat” in 2008.  Beyond that, maybe under Nick Saban and OC Scott Linehan?  Maybe?  Prior to that one season I would venture traveling back to the days of Dan Marino.  So is it appropriate here in week 4 to ask if the Dolphins offense is too aggressive?

I know, it’s a debatable topic given the fact that many don’t see the Dolphins offense as all that forward thinking.  Aggressive?  Some will laugh at the notion considering they are more of a running offense than a passing one.  At least successfully.  Still, it’s hard to argue with the fact that the Dolphins approached the NY Jets game in week 3 with a faster approach and in the end played for a TD rather than a win.

Mike Sherman said that he had called plays that were considered “stick routes” and that Ryan Tannehill changed the play or the read.  Some fans have applauded Tannehill for showing the guts to audible in only his third week of regular season NFL work.  While the change worked for the Brian Hartline long completion, it didn’t work with the other attempts to hit the end-zone in OT rather than hitting easier routes to get Dan Carpenter closer.

On the flip side of that coin, Tannehill was doing what most fans have been begging for.  For over a decade fans have wanted more Dan Marino aggressiveness than the dink and dunk passing game.  The fact that Tannehill has the drive to change plays at the line of scrimmage in a tight game is a trait many fans will applaud.  Sure, the Dolphins lost but despite the failed attempts to get the ball in the end-zone, Tannehill did get the team into position to win.  Dan Carpenter who only a short time earlier made the 41 yard game tying field goal, missed the winning 46.

Tannehill has a lot to learn as he progresses through his first season as an NFL starter.  He is doing so with one of the weakest receiving corp’s in the league.  He is doing so with a team that ranks 2nd in the NFL in dropped passes.  On Sunday, Tannehill changed plays that were basically his guys or no guys passes.  The chances of those balls being intercepted were low given the types of patterns being run.  Unlike the underneath routes that the Jets were trying to take away.

Regardless of the outcome of the game, the question still remains should Tannehill in week 4 of his NFL career be allowed to make those calls himself?  Or should he be learning to play at the level first before attempting to outsmart the defenses?  He has had success on some while not so much with others.

As a fan do you want him to grow into his role on the team with that aggressive nature or find it after he settles in?  It’s an interesting issue facing a team that hasn’t been this forwardly aggressive in a long time.  So much so that fans were and still are, questioning why the Dolphins weren’t more “typical” in their approach on Sunday in over time.

What do you think?