Omar brings up what I have been saying. We had problems before we ever took the field for the first game and it had nothing to do with coaching. No one deserves to stay and have any say in where we go from here in my opinion. Time to turn the page and move on from the stench.
By Omar Kelly
Sun Sentinel Commentary
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- Mike Tannenbaum & Dennis Hickey knew that the Dolphins had offensive line and linebacker issues, but did littl
How many of the Dolphins' glaring problems from 2014 were fixed this offseason?
The Miami Dolphins still have the same issues the team struggled with last season
Can we put the pitchforks down and pause the "fire Joe Philbin" campaign for a minute?
Or better yet, a couple weeks? I'm thinking until midseason, after the Nov. 8 rematch against Buffalo.
As poorly as Philbin and his coaching staff have performed in the first three games — and they have done at best a mediocre job putting the Dolphins in a position to win on Sundays — it's also reasonable to conclude that Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Dennis Hickey have failed at their jobs as well.
Tannenbaum and Hickey deserve a round of applause for offering Ndamukong Suh more money than anyone else in the NFL and landing the All-Pro defensive tackle. But that's one player who hasn't delivered on expectations, just like these Dolphins.
And the truth is that the team Tannenbaum and Hickey handed Philbin has glaring holes everywhere. It's about as deep as a wading pool from a talent standpoint — which we're seeing with every injury.
The front office's job is to give the coaches an improved roster each offseason, to address the squad's deficiencies through free agency, the draft, and waiver-wire rummaging.
Ask yourself: What problematic area from the Dolphins' 2014 team got fixed this offseason?
Go ahead and list them. I'll wait.
And don't say the receiver clearance sale worked in the Dolphins' favor, because quarterback Ryan Tannehill is leaning on Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews, two holdovers from last year's unit, not newcomers Greg Jennings, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills.
Last year's defensive front struggled stopping the run, especially late in the season. The inability to stop the run remains problem No. 1 on this year's defense, and that's with Suh.
Last year, the offensive line was a monumental disaster. Nothing has changed but the name of the starters, and this year's line, which played without left tackle Branden Albert on Sunday because of a hamstring injury, might actually be worse.
Tannehill has been sacked seven times this season, and he is under pressure or hit once every 2.9 times he drops back to pass. And last year the Dolphins at least ranked second in the NFL in yards per carry, but this season they're averaging just 72.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 27th out of 32 teams.
That means this offensive line has been a failure in both aspects of the jobs, and there is no solution in sight.
The most troubling aspect of the run game struggles is the fact that the Dolphins consistently try to convert third-and-short situations out of the shotgun, or with gimmick running or pass plays.
Where is the power package to convert those hard-to-get first downs, or to punch the ball into the end zone? Maybe if they had that physical running back — or the fullback everyone knew these Dolphins needed — offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wouldn't be calling passing plays four straight times from the 2-yard line like he did in the 41-14 loss to Buffalo.
Last year's linebacker player was subpar. Most of the stops the linebackers made came 5 to 7 yards downfield, and that's being generous.
That unit sparingly made impactful plays, and nothing has changed after three games in 2015. The only thing that's different is that Kelvin Sheppard has replaced Philip Wheeler as the third linebacker on the field. The front office knew the Dolphins needed help at the position and did absolutely nothing of substance in the offseason, unless you count signing Spencer Paysinger, a career special teamer, and adding Zach Vigil as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Brice McCain was the first answer to the offseason question of who would play opposite Brent Grimes. Well, the veteran has been picked on the past two games and appears to be in over his head as a boundary cornerback. McCain, who was used more as a nickel back in his prior stops in Houston and Pittsburgh, was one of five defensive backs the Dolphins added this offseason. It would be a shame if none of them helped patch this leaking secondary.
Those were all issues that anyone who was watching last season should have seen. Yet Dolphins management appears to have failed to provide solutions.
Luckily for Tannenbaum and Hickey, nobody is calling for their heads in the way that people are for Philbin.
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