Miami Dolphins post game recap: The good, bad, and ugly
The Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets played a grind it out division game, as it should have been, and there was good, bad, and some ugly on both sides.
Following the Dolphins matchup with the Jets, we take a broad look at what went well, what needs work, and what should be alarming. Every game is a learning experience and nothing can’t be fixed.
The Good
Ryan Tannehill’s Legs: Ryan’s knee looks just fine. In fact, it looks great. Gase was able to sprinkle in read-options that absolutely left the Jets guessing. The game was won by Tannehill correctly reading the defense and then popping it outside for a first down. It’s that type of diversity that will keep defenses honest against the run.
Frank Gore: That catch and run at the end was absolutely game-clinching. Frank continues to come in for a drive or two and just will-power his way towards the end zone. He also hit a MONUMENTAL milestone today moving above Curtis Martin on the all-time yards list. Congrats big G, that’s big time.
The run defense: No need to look any further than the stat line: 42 yards, 2.2 yards a carry, and zero touchdowns. When Suh left, nobody and I mean nobody, believed in this run defense. Hats completely off to Matt Burke for getting a young unit up and going.
Receiving core blocking: Do you want to know why Grant and Tannehill had success today? Because the wide receivers and Mike Gisiki showed up today with a lunch pail. Those boys were grinders and it was because of them that we ended this game. I love seeing downfield blocks and I love seeing great hardnosed football.
Defense causing turnovers: Want to know why Miami was up 20-0 at half? 2 turnovers that led to 14 points and a big stop before half that kept points off the board. We got some headhunters and ball hawks and that’s amazing. If that keeps up and the offense ever wakes up, this team can be dangerous against any opponent.
The bad
3rd down conversions: During Adam Gase’s tenure he has been ranked 25th in 2016 and 32nd last year in third-down conversion and this year is off to a bad start. The pinnacle of this issue today was him rushing up to the ball on a third and a foot and calling a pass. There should be two goals in solving this issue, make the third down manageable and don’t be cute. We got better at the former, but Adam insists on being cute with his play calls.
Secondary: Sam Darnold was carving at times today. It was looking easy as both linebackers and DB’s were getting lost and leaving Jet’s receivers with massive space. During Burke’s time with Miami, DB’s have played WAY off the ball and that is leaving space for QB’s to feast. Not to mention that almost all of Miami’s linebackers are below average cover defenders.
The Ugly
Pass Rush: I will start by saying this. Charles Harris looked bad today. Silly bad. Schoolyard bullying bad. There were several times he got off the ball, took two steps, and started spinning in place. The first-round draft pick needs to start making progress before he joins a growing list of first round fails. The bigger issue is how much money is invested in the pass rush. We have speedsters on the edges and the linebacker core that are built to bring constant pressure without bringing a lot of bodies. That’s not happening at all the first two weeks and you saw Burke start to bring several bodies at the end to help. That unit has to step up.
Ted Larsen: Houston, we have a problem. Everyone wondered how big the loss to Sitton was going to be and Ted Larsen downplayed it this week in interviews. Well, we found out how bad it was… it was a massive drop and Ryan was getting rushed, sacked, and hit all game long.
Ryan Tannehill’s feet: Gase came into Miami and the first objective was to fix Ryan’s feet positioning and pocket presence. Granted, Ryan has yet to play an accumulative season with Gase, but boy did he look bad. Tannehill threw a touchdown away due to not setting his feet and even the TV commentary was all over it. That’s an issue.
Final Thoughts:
I tweeted at half that it was finally good to see us have a buffer going in to half and was excited to see the boys feast in the second half. Boy, was I wrong. The offense was absolutely horrific and turned the ball over twice in the third quarter. However, as bad as that was, the defense more than made up for it. They did get picked apart, but when it came to it, they made big plays and sealed the game for us. That’s exciting and I can’t wait to see Oakland.