Miami Dolphins need to play press coverage against the Patriots
When the Miami Dolphins take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, press coverage will be an important defensive tactic to slow down the Patriots.
Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain are two of the best cornerback’s that have ever worn the aqua and teal. What they were best known for was their press coverage. They would jam the wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, ensuring that their timing with their quarterback was ruined, their route was offset and more importantly the targeted wide receiver couldn’t make the play.
It’s Patriots week. If you take out the wildcat game the Dolphins are 0-14 in Foxboro the last 14 years.
Ryan Tannehill has never won in New England.
Cameron Wake has never won in New England
And more importantly Adam Gase has never won in New England.
The opportunity is right for the taking. The Dolphins being 3 and 0, the Patriots have problems on both sides of the fields, the setting is right for a statement game – but from whom. Do the Dolphins use the mantra that they are the new kids on the block? A David vs Goliath foreshadowing, that has been a long time coming?
Or, do the Patriots make the statement that being 1-2 means nothing. A team that they have owned for the past decade, with an undefeated record means nothing. They are the defending AFC champs until someone takes their crown.
If the latter is true, the Dolphins needs to go back to their old school days. What I mean by this, is that when Surtain and Madison played the Dolphins strength was in their defensive line (sound familiar). They had Trace Armstrong, David Bowes, Daryl Gardner and of course Jason Taylor. The Dolphins employed two starting cornerback that pressed the wide receivers to disrupt their timing which allowed their best asset, their d-line, to get to the quarterback. Dave Wannstedt wasn’t the best coach for the Dolphins but he understood, one key aspect; the best secondary is the one that plays the shortest amount of time.
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Matt Burke, the Dolphins current DC needs to approach the game with the same mentality. All fans know that Brady and Billy Boy are going to come out with a scripted game plan, and that plan will be quick release throws to off-set the pass rush. If I were Burke, the first thing I would do is go and speak with Danny Amendola and ask him the quick routes he ran during his tenure in New England. What’s the best type of bump and run to play, where will Brady be looking for his 2nd or 3rd reads.
The premise of press coverage is to jam. The cornerback will line up right in the face of the wide receiver and as soon as the ball is hiked, place his hands inside the chest area, with a jolt. This type of distribution allows the cornerback to read the body language of the wide receiver, thereby trying to understand their flow and basically predict the path of their routes. Timing is imperative in a west coast offence as it sets time intervals when QB a should make his 1st to 3rd reads. The introduction of the press technique offsets that relationship. However, as the NFL has aged, the Wide Receivers have gotten bigger, more developed and smarter. With the adaption of motions, stacks and inline formation it makes it hard for cornerbacks to press the wide receivers.
On Sunday afternoon the battle of the two heavy weights won’t be in the trenches, rather Josh McDaniel versus Matt Burke. The creativity for both of these coordinators will be on display on Sunday, and we will witness how this chest game unfolds.