Is the line the only real problem?

[Dave Gray]

Maybe I have rose colored glasses, but it seems to me that if that problem is fixed, you're pretty good to go in most other areas.  Not perfect and can improve, but in general -- it's all about a lack of controlling the line of scrimmage.

Tannehill has gotten sacked a lot, yes -- but it's bigger than that.  He never has time to set up and throw so it's screwing up read progressions.  It's like -- if he doesn't have his first guy open, he's going to have to pull out a miracle to complete a pass.  There is no rhythm.  It's just constant harassment.

[Jim Gray]

So much starts with the offensive line, it's hard to say if there are other problems.  I have my doubts about the quality of our running backs, but without good run blocking, who knows.

I would love to see what Tannehill could do with time and a little more space around him.  Even when he gets a pass off cleaning, the pocket looks tiny.

[MikeO]

Yes, the o-line is the biggest problem. I mean Defensive Tackle is also something that needs to be fixed. But fix the o-line and everything else really falls into place on offense.

[Landshark]

Tannehill also has issues with holding the ball too long.  With his mobility, he should be able to step up in the pocket or scramble to avoid the pass rush and I just don't see that this year.

[CF DolFan]

^^^ In general he's not allowed to. The coaches do not want him stunting his development as has happened with some running QBs. They are making him a pocket passer first. It's also why they aren't rolling him out more. 

I think one of the biggest issues with being a fan is understanding that every play, series or even season isn't about winning at all costs. I get frustrated too when we play conservative when opening things up might seemingly help ... the old "grip it and rip it" philosophy. Watching Tannehill not get frustrated and keeping things in check when everything was going completely bad was actually pretty cool. These are the same things that help him to keep his cool when down by 6 with two minutes left. He isn't going anywhere and once the clogs around him get better he will most certainly be solid.

[Pappy13]

What do coaches always preach that you need to see in a player? Consistency.

That's what Miami is missing in many players across the board, it's not just lineman. I saw this game coming from a full week away. Just listening to players, coaches and fans talk after the New England game it was like Miami had just won a playoff game. I knew otherwise. That New England team that Miami beat was a shell of it's former self missing a lot of players and it took an interception by a guy who wasn't on the team a week earlier on the last play of the game to seal the win. I knew there would be a let down against Buffalo. I've seen it way too many times in the last 3 or 4 years to think otherwise. I'd seen it happen already a couple times this year. Once to this same Buffalo team and the same backup QB. Miami's problems are not just physical, they are mental. They are too inconsistent. They lack the mental strength to get up for EVERY game, not just the games against good opponents.

And what's more, I expect another loss to the Jets and you want to know why? Look at the reaction after the game. Did Miami seemed pissed off? No, they seemed beat. No answers. They couldn't come up with any reason why they had lost. Do you remember last week after the game how Tom Brady reacted? He was PISSED OFF! He knew that New England had let the game slip away and he was angry. He wasn't searching for answers, he knew why they had lost, because they hadn't played well enough to win, that's why! And I'm sure that New England beating Baltimore had a lot to do with that entire New England team being ready to play this week.

Well I'll tell you why you lost Miami, you lost because you weren't ready to play. Not the way you needed to be ready anyway. Not like you were ready the week before against new England. You didn't come out to whip Buffalo, you came out to play and that's it. You weren't ready to scratch and claw and dig deep into your soul and do whatever it took to win, no you came out like it was a practice game hoping that Buffalo with nothing to play for would just let you have the game. Well they didn't. They came to play and Miami failed to answer that intensity. That SHOULD have pissed you off, but it didn't and the reason is because you failed to even realize why you got beat. So I expect thay you'll make the same mistake next week and think the Jets are just gonna hand you a win like they did earlier in the year. I think the Jets are gonna be PISSED OFF next week. Pissed off that these Dolphins think they are better then them. Pissed off about what happened earlier in the year and unless the Dolphins match the Jets intensity, well they are going to lose again.

Sorry MikeO, I've played sports too long not to realize what I see when I see it. I've seen this before in teams, teams that I have played on. Teams that were physically and athletically superior to the competition, but didn't prepare for the game like they normally do, didn't take it seriously, didn't get pumped up to play the game, came out flat and got beat. You can't play a game like football without intensity. You have to be ready to play and I'm not talking about TALKING about being ready to play, I'm talking about REALLY being ready to play. Ready to play like this team has embarrased you and you want revenge. Ready to play like your self respect is at stake. Ready to play like it's more than a paycheck which you will collect at the end of the week.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that Miami gets pissed off at some point and proves me wrong on Sunday. I hope they show me all next year, but this year they haven't yet shown me they can do that. They haven't yet shown me they have the mental makeup for that. They haven't shown me the consistency of a winner and that's why this team is 8-7 and hoping that things work out right for them next week rather than 9-6 today and in control of their own fate.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[el diablo]

Wow Pappy, you said a mouthful. Most of it I agree with. They lack consistency. Which falls on the coaching & the GM. You have to be able to get the most out of the players you have. Just like you have to be able to build a team to fit a concept. It's not just about maintains a consistent GM/Coach/QB relationship. The o-line is a huge gaping hole right now. But it's not the only hole. If Ireland stays, then you have to worry about what new hole will open up. If Ireland is gone, then you have to worry about a possible new philosophy. I'm hoping for a new philosophy, because the conservative approach to games doesn't do it for me. So, we'll see how things turn out.

[CF DolFan]

We need pretty much a new O-line, a couple of DTs who want to play every game, some new LBers, a full back, a physical running back and a partridge in a pear tree!  It also wouldn't hurt to get a big physical receiver.

[Tenshot13]

What do coaches always preach that you need to see in a player? Consistency.

That's what Miami is missing in many players across the board, it's not just lineman. I saw this game coming from a full week away. Just listening to players, coaches and fans talk after the New England game it was like Miami had just won a playoff game. I knew otherwise. That New England team that Miami beat was a shell of it's former self missing a lot of players and it took an interception by a guy who wasn't on the team a week earlier on the last play of the game to seal the win. I knew there would be a let down against Buffalo. I've seen it way too many times in the last 3 or 4 years to think otherwise. I'd seen it happen already a couple times this year. Once to this same Buffalo team and the same backup QB. Miami's problems are not just physical, they are mental. They are too inconsistent. They lack the mental strength to get up for EVERY game, not just the games against good opponents.

And what's more, I expect another loss to the Jets and you want to know why? Look at the reaction after the game. Did Miami seemed pissed off? No, they seemed beat. No answers. They couldn't come up with any reason why they had lost. Do you remember last week after the game how Tom Brady reacted? He was PISSED OFF! He knew that New England had let the game slip away and he was angry. He wasn't searching for answers, he knew why they had lost, because they hadn't played well enough to win, that's why! And I'm sure that New England beating Baltimore had a lot to do with that entire New England team being ready to play this week.

Well I'll tell you why you lost Miami, you lost because you weren't ready to play. Not the way you needed to be ready anyway. Not like you were ready the week before against new England. You didn't come out to whip Buffalo, you came out to play and that's it. You weren't ready to scratch and claw and dig deep into your soul and do whatever it took to win, no you came out like it was a practice game hoping that Buffalo with nothing to play for would just let you have the game. Well they didn't. They came to play and Miami failed to answer that intensity. That SHOULD have pissed you off, but it didn't and the reason is because you failed to even realize why you got beat. So I expect thay you'll make the same mistake next week and think the Jets are just gonna hand you a win like they did earlier in the year. I think the Jets are gonna be PISSED OFF next week. Pissed off that these Dolphins think they are better then them. Pissed off about what happened earlier in the year and unless the Dolphins match the Jets intensity, well they are going to lose again.

Sorry MikeO, I've played sports too long not to realize what I see when I see it. I've seen this before in teams, teams that I have played on. Teams that were physically and athletically superior to the competition, but didn't prepare for the game like they normally do, didn't take it seriously, didn't get pumped up to play the game, came out flat and got beat. You can't play a game like football without intensity. You have to be ready to play and I'm not talking about TALKING about being ready to play, I'm talking about REALLY being ready to play. Ready to play like this team has embarrased you and you want revenge. Ready to play like your self respect is at stake. Ready to play like it's more than a paycheck which you will collect at the end of the week.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that Miami gets pissed off at some point and proves me wrong on Sunday. I hope they show me all next year, but this year they haven't yet shown me they can do that. They haven't yet shown me they have the mental makeup for that. They haven't shown me the consistency of a winner and that's why this team is 8-7 and hoping that things work out right for them next week rather than 9-6 today and in control of their own fate.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

TL;DR

Try the cliff notes version.

[fyo]

Tannehill also has issues with holding the ball too long.  With his mobility, he should be able to step up in the pocket or scramble to avoid the pass rush and I just don't see that this year.

He sure wasn't holding the ball too long in the Buffalo game. Roby (or whatever his name was) was let through untouched a dozen times and the pocket collapsed in towards Tannehill (leaving NO POSSIBLE WAY to step up) on pretty much every single drop back.

Pathetic.

[MikeO]

PFF Stat from this morning . Miami has given up 58 sacks through 15 games. According to them 41 are the fault of the o-line 17 are the fault of Tannehill.


By comparison:
Baltimore has given up 46 sacks. 21 on the o-line and 25 are Joe Flacco's fault.
Carolina has given up 42 sacks. 21 on the o-line and 21 are Cam Newton's fault
Dallas has given up 35 sacks. 20 on the o-line and 15 are Tony Romo's fault

Overall Tannehill falls in the "middle of the pack" when it comes to sacks that are his (ie The QB's) fault. The "League Average" for sacks that are the QB's fault is 15.75 (round up to 16) which Tannehill is right at with 17. So the notion he holds onto the ball too long doesn't really stand up to the numbers

[Landshark]

What do coaches always preach that you need to see in a player? Consistency.

That's what Miami is missing in many players across the board, it's not just lineman. I saw this game coming from a full week away. Just listening to players, coaches and fans talk after the New England game it was like Miami had just won a playoff game. I knew otherwise. That New England team that Miami beat was a shell of it's former self missing a lot of players and it took an interception by a guy who wasn't on the team a week earlier on the last play of the game to seal the win. I knew there would be a let down against Buffalo. I've seen it way too many times in the last 3 or 4 years to think otherwise. I'd seen it happen already a couple times this year. Once to this same Buffalo team and the same backup QB. Miami's problems are not just physical, they are mental. They are too inconsistent. They lack the mental strength to get up for EVERY game, not just the games against good opponents.

And what's more, I expect another loss to the Jets and you want to know why? Look at the reaction after the game. Did Miami seemed pissed off? No, they seemed beat. No answers. They couldn't come up with any reason why they had lost. Do you remember last week after the game how Tom Brady reacted? He was PISSED OFF! He knew that New England had let the game slip away and he was angry. He wasn't searching for answers, he knew why they had lost, because they hadn't played well enough to win, that's why! And I'm sure that New England beating Baltimore had a lot to do with that entire New England team being ready to play this week.

Well I'll tell you why you lost Miami, you lost because you weren't ready to play. Not the way you needed to be ready anyway. Not like you were ready the week before against new England. You didn't come out to whip Buffalo, you came out to play and that's it. You weren't ready to scratch and claw and dig deep into your soul and do whatever it took to win, no you came out like it was a practice game hoping that Buffalo with nothing to play for would just let you have the game. Well they didn't. They came to play and Miami failed to answer that intensity. That SHOULD have pissed you off, but it didn't and the reason is because you failed to even realize why you got beat. So I expect thay you'll make the same mistake next week and think the Jets are just gonna hand you a win like they did earlier in the year. I think the Jets are gonna be PISSED OFF next week. Pissed off that these Dolphins think they are better then them. Pissed off about what happened earlier in the year and unless the Dolphins match the Jets intensity, well they are going to lose again.

Sorry MikeO, I've played sports too long not to realize what I see when I see it. I've seen this before in teams, teams that I have played on. Teams that were physically and athletically superior to the competition, but didn't prepare for the game like they normally do, didn't take it seriously, didn't get pumped up to play the game, came out flat and got beat. You can't play a game like football without intensity. You have to be ready to play and I'm not talking about TALKING about being ready to play, I'm talking about REALLY being ready to play. Ready to play like this team has embarrased you and you want revenge. Ready to play like your self respect is at stake. Ready to play like it's more than a paycheck which you will collect at the end of the week.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that Miami gets pissed off at some point and proves me wrong on Sunday. I hope they show me all next year, but this year they haven't yet shown me they can do that. They haven't yet shown me they have the mental makeup for that. They haven't shown me the consistency of a winner and that's why this team is 8-7 and hoping that things work out right for them next week rather than 9-6 today and in control of their own fate.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

This is why Mr. Ross needs to clean house at the end of the season

[el diablo]

^^^^^ He should, but he won't.