Dolphins Vs. Falcons: What We Learned

SPOILER ALERT: If you have the game taped or if you are planning on watching the 10:00 am NFL Network re-broadcast of the game, then why did you click on this article? O.k. just kidding but seriously if you don’t want to know what happened last night, then why did you click on this article? Kidd

The first game for the Miami Dolphins is in the books and while they are now 0-1 in another three weeks they get to hit the reset button because last nights game didn’t count. As is the case with all exhibition games, there are things that went well and things that didn’t go well. So let’s get to a recap of last nights game.

What went well.

Ryan Tannehill and the first team offense looked sharp. The offensive line did a very good job of pocket protection and the running game had a little bit of life. The opening drive was an 11 play drive that took up just under five minutes. Tannehill went 6/6 on the drive with 61 yards and a touchdown. Bill Lazor’s offense looked  quick and seemed to rely heavily on mismatches. Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace were not in the game or if they were they didn’t make a catch.

What didn’t go well.

The first team defense surrendered a nine plus minute drive that included a 34 yard catch and run by the Atlanta running back. The ball was brought back due to a penalty putting Atlanta in a 1st and 20 situation. Their drive continued and the Dolphins defense gave up three third downs on the drive. The Atlanta drive culminated in a touchdown tying the game. The Dolphins defense got little to no pressure on Matt Ryan but didn’t appear to be running much in the way of stunts or blitzes. Defensively it was very vanilla which is something you would expect from a pre-season game one with no game planning.

What went well.

Will Davis played a good portion of the game and looked energized. He had a couple of penalties called his way and overran a route that led to a 3rd down conversion but he played with a lot of aggressiveness and it looked good. The Falcons seemed content to go his way most of the game and he held up well. Davis is looking to make an impact as an extra cornerback but will start the season as the back-up to Cortland Finnegan. The Dolphins starting secondary didn’t play long.

What didn’t go well.

Rookie Seth Lobato looked lost most of the game. He settled down late in the 2nd half but his offense didn’t do much to impress. He had a few decent throws but a lot of his balls fell short. He managed to escape the game with no interceptions. Lobato played all but the first quarter of the game and had a chance to lead Miami to a possible game winning drive. On his best drive of the game, the Dolphins second to last drive, he led the team to the Atlanta four yard line down by six. Lobato would fumble the 2nd down shotgun snap. It appeared he simply missed the ball and in his attempt to recover it, missed it again. No sign of Pat Devlin.

What went well.

Lamar Miller looked good in his short time of play and seemed much more decisive in his running. Mike Gillislee didn’t look bad either against the 2nd and 3rd team units. The two runners combined for 12 carries and 41 yards.  Miller had 11 of those yards on four carries. It doesn’t sound that good but again he ran with more determination.

What didn’t go well.

Late in the game the Dolphins lost running back Damian Williams to an injury. Williams was attacking the line of scrimmage one play before Lobato fumbled. He got knocked down in the pile and had his leg bent awkwardly at the knee. Williams was carted off the field on the back of a cart and did not return. No word yet on his injury. Up until that time, Williams was doing well in the passing game.

What went well.

The tight end play looked good. At least as far as blocking went. The Dolphins did not have Charles Clay in the game. Only Brett Bracket and Kyle Miller notched receptions from the position and Bracket hauled in three for 57 yards to lead the team in receiving.

What didn’t go well.

Jarvis Landry only caught one pass on the entire game and it was for a one yard loss. He returned one kick-off for 26 yards and almost broke it all the way. Landry however wasn’t targeted but once that I recall. The announcing on last nights game broadcast was not very good and the cutaways to Atlanta sideline reporter took away from the game broadcast so if Landry was targeted more than it was an over site on my part. I have not reviewed the film yet. So why did it not go well for Landry? Simple, we all wanted to see more of him. So this was not his fault by any means.

What went well.

Rishard Matthews looks like he wants to not only make the roster but impact it. He looked very solid in his routes and caught what was thrown to him. I didn’t see any drops last night from any wide-receivers to speak of. Brandon Gibson scored the only touchdown for the Dolphins. The Dolphins have a lot of room for improvement but all teams do in week one of the pre-season.

What didn’t go well.

The defense got little to no pressure on Atlanta QB’s all night long. Atlanta back-ups had all day to throw the ball and that creates problems with coverage downfield. The defenses run defense needs a lot of improvement as they surrendered  84 yards on the night, it’s not a lot but consider that two other plays were called back due to Atlanta holding and both were very big gains.

Overall:

The Dolphins have a lot of work to do but that is not a big deal right now. Offensively the tempo was much faster than the last two seasons and you have to look at last night as a success. Defensively it was disappointing as you would expect a lot more from a team so deep on the line. I don’t have the playing snaps so I can’t say what exactly or who exactly played and for how long last night. This is pre-season game one and teams do not game plan and it’s really nothing more than a glorified scrimmage with a real game feel. We will know more next week and the week after as we inch towards the start of the season.