Nov 11, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

This year we are going to roll out a review on every player on the Miami Dolphins roster who played this season.  Tomorrow you will see the first three articles as they cover OL John Jerry and Jake Long as well as RS Marcus Thigpen.  Today, I will cover OC Mike Sherman as we will also cover key coaches and management as well.

Mike Sherman had his finger on the Dolphins roster the minute he joined HC Joe Philbin on staff.  Sherman was the coach responsible for converting a former HS QB to WR at Texas A&M and then back to QB again.  Ryan Tannehill had only 19 college starts under his belt when the Dolphins made him their first, first round QB since the 1983 NFL draft.  It’s an absolute no-brainer that Mike Sherman had the most information on the young rookie QB.

After flirting with Peyton Manning and logging in a visit with former Green Bay Packer back-up Matt Flynn, the Dolphins rolled the dice on the Texas A&M product that knew how to run the offense Mike Sherman was installing.  As the 2012 season came to a close in week 17, many fans still wonder if Tannehill is going to be the next franchise QB or another in a long line of missed decisions.  Tannehill’s poise in the pocket and understanding of the system carried him through his rookie campaign but it’s the system itself that Sherman will be judged on.

The grade of Mike Sherman is a tricky one.  Discussing the pro’s and con’s of his first season in Miami is like running on a thin blade that has two sharp sides.  It’s hard to grade one aspect of the offense without having a negative to go with it.  That in and of itself is almost nothing but a negative.

On one hand it’s almost impossible to grade Sherman as an OC given the fact that he, like Tannehill, are limited by the resources available to them.  Consider that the Dolphins relied on a number 2 WR to work as the number 1.  A patch-work offensive line on the right side became more dominant than the left anchored by a perennial pro-bowler.  Only to have the right side take a fall when the LT went down and the RT moved west across the line.

The “West Coast Offense” that is being implemented in Miami is heavily reliant on timing passes and a TE.  In Miami, there was no 100% reliable TE so Sherman tried to use a combination of Anthony Fasano and a HB/FB hybrid in Charles Clay.  With no legit number 1 WR Sherman was down to using a combination of Jeff Ireland “acorns” to fill the holes in his passing game.  While overall the season produced one, thousand yard receiver and another who came close with almost 800 yards, none of the corp pulled defensive safeties off the run.

Reggie Bush came close to reaching the 1,000 yard milestone but Sherman seemed content on using him up the middle where Bush tends to struggle.  Bush is unable to hit most holes immediately and his “dancing behind the line” often leads to tackles for loss or minimal gains.  For every breakaway run Bush sees up the gut of the line, he sees 3 others that go nowhere.  This falls on Sherman.

Mike Sherman needed to find a way to get Reggie Bush more involved on the outside and in the passing game where a one on one match-up with a LB would have helped.  Perhaps Sherman was working with what the defenses were giving him or he simply felt that Bush wasn’t going to make major strides in that area of the field.  It’s hard to say but his use of Bush at times seemed confusing.

As a fan I often found myself questioning Sherman’s play calling.  Balancing on a wire between bad calls and poor execution.  There is no doubt that Ryan Tannehill missed on more than a few deep passes or under threw wide-open receivers.  It’s also safe to put blame on a porous offensive line that gave Tannehill little to no time to make a play.  While there were absolutes in the execution of the plays being called in, there is still responsibility on the part of Mike Sherman.

Perhaps the biggest question mark came into play at the opening of the second half.  Many times it appeared that the half-time adjustments that were made simply made no sense or put the team in a more critical position.  For example, why come out passing when your running game has taken over the flow and momentum?  Or vice-versa.  At times the offense seemed to click along at a very solid pace and then the Dolphins would change their gameplan and watch it fall apart.  Those kind of mistakes are on Sherman as much as the execution on the field.

With another off-season and apparently money to spend, Sherman and the executive team will be charged with repairing the offense.  Perhaps to the point where they can successfully run the no-huddle option that seemed to deplete the team throughout games.   I’m not against Mike Sherman as some others but I do believe that if you are going to give the impression that you are going to revamp a unit then you might want to actually revamp it.

I will give Sherman a C+/B- for this season strictly on the fact that his players were not exactly what you would call top of the line or really not even close but he did make Brian Hartline look almost like a number 1 WR.  Like most of the coaching staff, it will take another year to really see what his plan is and how well he is implementing it.

Oct.14, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman prior to a game against the St. Louis Rams at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Criticize Mike Sherman all you want. But he called a good game on Sunday. Granted, the Dolphins faced a terrible Jacksonville defense (31st in total yards, 23rd passing, 32nd rushing), but Miami’s offense has failed to produce against statistically “bad” defenses this year (BUF, TEN). Even though he is not popular or well liked throughout the Dolphin nation, I think OC Mike Sherman deserves some credit for his part in the Fins’ 24-3 victory over the Jaguars. Sherman put Tannehill in the position to throw down field, utilized Reggie Bush’s speed by getting him to the outside and running him off-tackle instead of running him up the middle (where he chooses to dance with opposing defenders instead of running over them or past them), and he even incorporated tight ends Anthony Fasano and Charles Clay.

Though Miami still ended up with more field goals than touchdowns, one particular play call by Sherman caught my eye. It came on Miami’s first touchdown with 7:34 remaining in the first half. On a second and goal  from the Jacksonville 4 yard line, Reggie Bush came in motion from the far right side and Tannehill faked the sweep left hand off to him. This caused the Jaguars’ defensive line and linebackers to bite on the left-end run, and Tannehill was able to roll right easily and hit either Anthony Fasano on the right side flat, or fellow Aggie FB Javorskie Lane on a hesitation route. Lane ended up being wide open due to confusion amongst the Jaguars’ D, and he fell untouched into the end zone.

The play was essentially the same sweep run that Miami ran under the Wildcat with running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. However this play was modified perfectly to cause the Jags to over-commit to Bush’s left sweep to the outside, and gave Tannehill an easy four yard toss to Lane for the touchdown. I loved this play, not only because it worked well but because it was the first unique approach we’ve seen Sherman take inside the red zone. One could argue that one of the main woes for this team has been their inability to score touch downs while in the red zone. Instead of trying to pound it inside repeatedly, Sherman dialed up a beautiful play that resulted in a beautiful touchdown.

Even though this Dolphins’ offense has struggled to put up points (especially in the most crucial stages of games), I think Mike Sherman is doing the best he can with what he’s got. My only complaint is I’d like to see Sherman use Bush and the other running backs more in the passing game. However, he does not have a big, speedy wide receiver that he can use to stretch the field, nor does he have a Gronkowski type tight end that is dominant inside the red zone. However, I think we can expect to see similar play calling that we saw against the Jags in the future. While the Jags aren’t statistically the best defensive team, Miami’s offensive domination overt he Jags was a change from the recent offensive struggles of previous games. With a few play makers in the upcoming draft, Miami’s offense should grow and become even more dangerous. I’m interested to see Sherman’s changes against the Bills and Pats the Second time around.

FINS UP!

Oct 7, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) calls a play during the second half in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Dolphins won 17-13. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-US PRESSWIRE

Ryan Tannehill was always the key for the Miami Dolphins.  Most believed he could be a good NFL quarterback but considered him a project.  After five NFL weeks, he has shown his future is now and his trajectory is now pointing toward superstardom.

Tannehill has shown no fear in the pocket and has chosen to remain there a few precious seconds more than the average NFL quarterback.  It helps that he has a good offensive line but Tannehill’s poise under pressure is one of his many good traits.  Tannehill is also athletic and makes strong, accurate throws when forced to move.  Just this past weekend he completed a long pass to Brian Hartline well after his pocket had collapsed.

Despite his amazing skill set when the ball is in play, Tannehill is at his best before the ball is snapped.  He is confident when reading defenses and head coach Joe Philbin has given him some freedom in directing the offense.  Philbin and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman deserve credit for understanding that Tannehill is ready for more responsibility and, of course, the rookie signal-caller deserves credit for having a strong football IQ.

This “project” has already surpassed many young starters, with more NFL experience, in being prepared to succeed in the league.

What about the weapons around him?  Miami supposedly had a wide receiver deficiency to go along with a rookie quarterback and a first-year head coach.  In contrast, Hartline leads the NFL with 514 receiving yards and Davone Bess is 19th with 346 yards.  The Dolphins are 14th in the league in net passing yards and, except for their opener against the Houston Texans, they have not been forced to pass.  With the 8th best running attack in the league (135.6 yards per game), passing is a choice.  While some of the credit goes to Philbin and Sherman, most of the credit should go to Tannehill.  Miami has a balanced offense that ranks in the top half of the league.  This is a far cry from the preseason expectations of the Dolphins.

The offense will improve as Tannehill will only get better.

Miami has the best run defense in the league and, on the other side, they have a strong offensive line and potent running game, led by Reggie Bush.  The Dolphins dominate the trenches.  This was Jeff Ireland‘s blueprint for success.

With the ascension of Tannehill and Hartline, this team has above-average talent in more than half of their starting positions. Tannehill, Bush, Hartline, Jake Long, Mike Pouncey, Richie Incognito, Cameron Wake, Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Kevin Burnett, Karlos Dansby, and Sean Smith.

The Miami Dolphins can win now.

The defending champion New York Giants were not a juggernaut last year.  They squeaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 record and a negative point differential.  As we all know, they played well in the playoffs, beating the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots.  The Giants won with strong play by the offensive and defensive lines, tough running, and great play by Eli Manning.  Sounds an awful lot like the Dolphin gameplan.  Sure, Manning is much more seasoned than Tannehill and you can argue Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham are better than anything that Miami offers.  Were the Giant receivers that good last year? or was it Manning’s play?

His older brother Peyton Manning and Miami’s divisional foe, Tom Brady, have shown us repeatedly how much a good quarterback can make everyone, from the general manager to the kicker, look better.

The Dolphins can win now and Ryan Tannehill can be great.

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