Dolphins looked better without Mike Pouncey

The Miami Dolphins found their offense on Sunday when they put up 20 unanswered points on the Falcons to upset Atlanta. The difference from the first half to the second? Mike Pouncey.

When Mike Pouncey is healthy there are few in the NFL that are better than him. The problem is that Pouncey doesn’t seem to be healthy all year long. On Sunday it wasn’t his hip that took him out of the game, it was a concussion.

Pouncey left the field with under a minute to play in the first quarter and was ruled out for the second half. The Dolphins anemic offense was set up for more dismal play in the second half as Pouncey is by far the best offensive lineman that Miami has on the roster. Or is he?

The Dolphins came out on fire for the second half scoring on every possession except the final drive when they took a knee. The Dolphins opened the second half with two touchdowns and two field goals while the defense took Atlanta to school. What was said or what adjustments were made in the locker room is unknown but Jake Brendel made the most of his time on the field.

The back-up center played hard and more often than not he pushed the Atlanta defensive line off the ball. He created holes and gave Jay Cutler more time than he had in the first half. Jay Ajayi ran hard and found holes. Brendel was the only change on the offensive line so but it is safe to say the entire line played better in the second half.

Is this to say that Brendel should start over Mike Pouncey? No, not at all. It does however bring up a question. Is Mike Pouncey capable of playing at a higher level? Through the first four games Pouncey has played well but he has not been able to generate the push that Brendel did on Sunday.

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So what could the problem be? Pouncey has had a history of hip issues and perhaps that issue is at fault. If Pouncey is having pain or even discomfort he may not be able to fire off the ball or hold his position if his hip is creating an issue for him. We all know that Pouncey is tough as nails and he surely won’t be telling his coaches there is an issue, if there is one, until it gets really bad.

Against the Falcons however the offensive line moved very well once Brendel took over. In fact, Brendel was able to not only push the defensive line around but was able to get to the next level and take out linebackers which provided more running room for Ajayi.

If nothing else Brendel appears to be a player that Miami could eventually replace Pouncey with. Not to say this year unless Pouncey doesn’t return or he goes down for any reason. This is simply an observation and is not intended to ridicule Pouncey or his play but instead to open the discussion of why Miami’s offense looked better without their all-pro center.

Of course the half-time adjustments could have made all the difference and Brendel just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The Dolphins will face the Jets next week and the Dolphins looked really bad in their first meeting in New York. Whether or not Pouncey plays will be determined after he goes through the concussion protocol.

If Pouncey misses next week and Brendel plays well the Dolphins should at the very least consider moving Pouncey out to left guard to see if the change could help and/or make the line better. One game doesn’t make Brendel and while he played very well on Sunday Miami shouldn’t be ready to throw him in full-time but we may get an extended look at the 2nd year center if Pouncey can’t return. If he plays like he did against Atlanta, this discussion may become a lot more interesting. If nothing else, the Dolphins appear to have a future starting center on their roster.