Miami Dolphins front four showing they can stop the run and be physical

For the last few years the Miami dolphins have been the leagues poster children for not playing up to their potential, especially on defense. Now the Miami Dolphins front four are showing they can stop the run and be physical.

It seemed that a physical team would just out perform Miami Dolphins and push them around, labeling them as a finesse team. All the analysts chimed in during the preseason and questioned exactly how the Miami Dolphins defense was supposed to improve when they got rid of all their elite players like Ndamukong Suh and go with unproven youth.

Well I’m here to tell you what I witnessed Sunday was a glimpse of what the Dolphins defense can be. Tough, physical and dominant. It all starts with the front four who wreaked so much havoc on the Jets offensive line, they turned them into a one-dimensional team and basically abandoned their run game.

It has been sometime since I watched the Miami Dolphins front four man handle an offensive line, especially a line on a physical team like the NY Jets. Miami’s defensive tackles showed what they were capable of on Sunday in the MetLife Stadium against their divisional rival.

Davon Godchaux was a disruptive beast and Akeem Spence was on another level and his motor just wouldn’t quit. I watched him chase down running backs from behind and personally blow up plays on multiple occasions, this is a defensive tackle folks, and he was simple fantastic. Vincent Taylor and Jordan Phillips were also involved in stopping the Jets run game and helped hold the NY Jets running back tandem to just 42 yards. The defensive tackles were clearly the tone setters early and often for the Miami Dolphins defense.

Robert Quinn showed up as well, giving you a taste of why he was brought here, as he applied pressure the entire game and made rookie QB Sam Darnold move in the pocket constantly. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke had to be proud of his talented defensive front, as they did a beautiful job of disrupting things and absolutely suffocating the NY Jets run game.

"“Just on the surface, it was good, but there is more to be desired,  I think the plays we should have (pause with a grin), there’s more out there, I think if you ask the defensive guy out there and the coaches involved, we have more work to do and I think we can be even better” said Cameron Wake."

I look forward to watching the defensive front grow and come together. It appears Matt Burke has finally got the talent up front to disrupt things and its starting to translate into turnovers for the backside of the defense. I enjoy watching a defense that brings a little nastiness and doesn’t shy down from laying a smack down on someone (legally of course). This could become something really special and it is a major step in the right direction.