Review of Miami Dolphins second preseason game
“It’s only the preseason!” That is the refrain from Dolphins fans that have high hopes for the 2016 season. The reality is that, through two games, Miami looks to be far from being a competitive team.
Pass offense (C)
18-30-194, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
Good news: Miami officially surrendered 3 sacks in the entire game. Ryan Tannehill threw 2 touchdowns, both caught by Kenny Stills, who appears to have shown up after being invisible between May’s minicamp and last night’s game.
Bad news: Those three sacks were not representative of how the offensive line and Ryan Tannehill produced.
Against a ‘suspect’ defensive line, Tannehill was harassed constantly and was slow to progress through his reads when he wasn’t. Matt Moore suffered a concussion, during his brief time in the game, when he was forced to scramble and took a shot in the head from James Morris. Lastly, Brandon Doughty got strip-sacked when the offensive line caved against Dallas 2nd-string defense.
Rushing Offense (C)
Good news: Isaiah Pead broke off a nice 45 yard run in the third quarter made Miami’s rushing numbers look respectable.
Bad news: For the second straight week, Miami was unable to run against the opposing first-team offense. With the exception of Pead’s 45 yard run, Miami rushed 28 times for 75 yards (which equates to only 2.68 yds/carry.
Rushing Defense (D)
Good news: The Dallas Cowboys, with possibly the best OL in the league, will make alot of teams look bad this year.
Bad News: Miami allowed 34 rushes for 170 yards and 3 TDs on the ground against Dallas. Allowing 5.0 yards/carry is not acceptable no matter who the opponent is. Missed tackles were a problem for the second week in a row.
Pass Defense (D)
Good news: Cameron Wake was scratched from the game just before it started so Miami’s pass rush was short an important piece. Isa Abdul-Quddus should have had an INT of Dak Prescott in the second quarter that was nullified by an Andre Branch “roughing the passer” penalty.
Bad news: His INT was the only real sign of resistance Miami’s pass defense showed the entire night. Miami registered no sacks while Tony Romo and Dak Prescott had all day to throw the ball. Both QBs marched up-and-down the field with little resistance from the heralded “wide 9” defense.
Overview
Tannehill still appears to be slow reading the field but he had two touchdowns and a couple other chances that were dropped. So far,the offensive line does not look improved from a year ago. And the defense looks just as bad, if not worse, than last year.
Don’t get me wrong. With two preseason games left, and many more practice reps to be taken, many of Miami’s “warts” can be corrected. However, through ‘meaningless’ games, Miami still has a long way to go.