Miami Dolphins’ Mike Wallace Moving
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins had a problem last season. They spent a ton of money on a wide-reciever who looked lost, inattentive, and bored. They spent 60 million dollars on a guy who didn’t go over the middle, didn’t leap for passes, and rarely ever caught the ball away from his body with his hands. In fact, Mike Wallace never muscled his way into a reception the entire year. Blame it on lack of effort or piss poor offensive play calling.
The reality is you can call it what ever you want. Mike Wallace was a one trick pony. Line up outside of Ryan Tannehill’s right side and run down the field in a straight line. Stop from time to time twenty yards down field, stop from time to tim 10 yards down field. Every now and then, run a post pattern and when your not run an out pattern. It was the kind of play calling you would expect with a rookie 7th round pick. Wallace was frustrated and the fact that he and Ryan Tannehill couldn’t hit the deep ball only made fans more irate.
In the end? The Mike Wallace of last season contributed to the firing of Mike Sherman and GM Jeff Ireland. Things were so bad that speculation ran rampant that new GM Dennis Hickey was ready to trade him and eat the salary hit. It was reported that Joe Philbin was also ready to move on. Enter Bill Lazor.
We have talked about Lazor before. He wants to bring a West Coast spread offense style to Miami. One similar to the Chip Kelly spread formation being used in Philadelphia. Lazor worked wonders with QB Nick Foles last season and Miami fans are hoping he will work the same magic with Tannehill. Yet it’s Mike Wallace who will have a huge target on his back as well.
According to reports, Wallace is ready to move on. Not from 2013 and not from the Dolphins. But move on from his one line up spot on the field. Wallace is ready to be moved around and it appears that the Dolphins and Bill Lazor are ready to do it. Wallace can find so much more success in the team offensive system by not having to line up strictly outside right. The Dolphins need to get him in motion. Line him up in the slot or doubled up with Brian Hartline on the left.
The Dolphins need to utilize their most potent offensive weapon. Today Mike Wallace torched the Dolphins defense for three deep TD passes. That’s great but it’s OTA’s. He is lining up in more than one position, getting better match-ups on the field and working hard to shed the image that was portrayed on the field last season. He needs to as fans expected and are expecting far more.
Wallace is also having fun. For the first time since his arrival in Miami. He and Tannehill are getting better together and the fact that he isn’t simply lining up and running deep, short, or wide is making it hard for the defense to defend him. It’s something that the fans were screaming for last year and something that Mike Sherman simply couldn’t or wouldn’t give them. This is simply OTA’s and there is no contact allowed. No bump and run, no jams at the line, but there is coverage. So far, the coverage is having some trouble with Mike Wallace.
Hopefully that continues come September.