Miami Dolphins loss highlights continued problems

The Miami Dolphins have a few issues that will need to be worked out before the 2018 season. Sunday night’s loss to the Raiders exposed those issues.

Adam Gase wants fans and the media to believe the problems exist because there are a few bad apples in the bunch. One less after Jay Ajayi found his way out of Miami and into the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Gase is wrong

There may be issues of players not studying the playbook or re-watching the game film but the problems with the Dolphins lie far deeper than what each player individually does on his or her own. It starts with Adam Gase.

Last night there was no Jay Ajayi and Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake fared just as well as Ajayi had all season. Jay Cutler made 11 straight completions and the Dolphins were not dropping passes. Even Julius Thomas was tackled only one time by that phantom blade of grass.

Still the Dolphins lost. Still the Dolphins got off to another slow offensive start. Still Adam Gase looked completely irate and dumbfounded. Still the offensive line played poorly. And still the Dolphins were an undisciplined team.

This is where the problem lies. Discipline.

Miami continued to rack up penalties. False starts, holding calls, pass interference. To be fair some of the calls on Sunday were atrocious and many are still wondering how Reshad Jones is called for a late hit out of bounds when both he and the ball carrier met the sideline at the same time but it was Jones’ helmet who was ripped off his head by the facemask. The runner even held it in his hand.

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Aside from some questionable calls the Dolphins were a mess again. The offensive line played better but they weren’t great. There needs to be a solution but unfortunately that solution won’t come until 2018’s off-season. Miami has little options right now. The street free agents are no better than what the Dolphins have on the roster and the trade deadline has passed.

For those concerned about a few or a couple of the teams “best” players not getting in line, it’s hard to point to who exactly Gase was referring to last week. Jarvis Landry is playing Jarvis Landry football. His routes, so far as we know, are accurate and his play is always 100%.

Somehow the Dolphins have lost their way. Is it a lack of talent? Yes on the offensive line it’s a lack of talent. Jermon Bushrod is showing his age. Mike Pouncey is not himself. Ja’Wuan James is good in pass protection but lacks run blocking strength. On the left Laremy Tunsil finally had a decent game.

The Dolphins better start blaming the offensive line. If it’s not their fault then there is only one person to blame for the offensive woes and that is Adam Gase. Play calling is horrible and makes little or no sense. So the question is this. Are the plays not being executed or are they simply not good calls? The truth lies somewhere in between but as fans we continue to see that nothing is working the way it should. And these slow starts are not helping at all.