3 strategies Mike McDaniel needs to embrace to not have a repeat performance vs. the Chargers
By Matt Serniak
Real outside the box thinking here but McDaniel needs to run the ball more
We've heard this for most of last season, throughout this entire offseason, and from Mike McDaniel himself. The Miami Dolphins need to run the football more often.
We saw what could happen if Mike McDaniel disciplines himself a bit during the first Buffalo road game where Raheem Mostert was gashing them and then in the first quarter busted a big run, that sadly needed to be scored because a guy named Trent dropped a TD pass.
McDaniel has come out and said that he went up to the running backs and told them that he was wrong not to run the ball more last year. I really hope he stands by that leading from the front mentality because if the Dolphins are going to flip the script on the Chargers they need to run it at them.
The Chargers were basically daring the Dolphins to stick to running the ball last year and McDaniel fed into them by continuing to have Tua throw to the middle of the field over and over again.
The backs that the Dolphins will be going with are Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, Salvon Ahmed, and Chris Brooks. Obviously, Mostert will be the starter but I honestly think that it will be a who has the hot hand who will get the majority of the carries after the 1st quarter type of deal. Mostert will always be used but I wouldn't be shocked if Chris Brooks ends up with about 7-8 touches.
Brooks, who is every fan's sneaky favorite player now who is reaching underground band-type level and who I'm glad I got on the ground floor of, brings the element of blunt force trauma(YEAH!) that other backs simply don't have in their arsenal. Though, yes, it was the preseason, Chris Brooks looked like a guy who could handle the offense and dragged defenders every week.
Whoever is running well, I don't care, keep running the ball. If Miami is running the ball with success, eventually the Chargers will have to make some form of adjustment to it and that is when Hill, Waddle, and Berrios can do more of what they do best.