Rewatched the game in its entirety last night, from the first snap to the last, and overall I was pleased from what I saw out of the Dolphins FIRST teamers. Lets be honest, the Fins dominated the first half, especially on defense, which is why none of the starters from either unit came back out in the second half.
Both units showed us positives that outweighed the negatives, and both accomplished MOST things I told you they must do earlier in the week. However, we once again got a mixed bag from these Miami Dolphins, as they showed us, as the headline states, some good things, some REALLY good things, and some, well, concerning things.
I know its a day late, but here they are.
The Good:
- Ryan Tannehill. I thought the kid had his best performance so far this preseason, and the scary thing is, it could have been SO much better had it not been for TD drops by Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline. Tannehill was ACCURATE, created throwing lanes for himself, and bought time to throw the football. These are things that he had to improve upon, and he put them on full display last night. The TD pass to Brandon Gibson was perfectly placed, as were a couple big time throws to Brian Hartline in crucial situations. There is no doubt that Tannehill has improved in year two, and he appears ready for the real thing starting in two weeks.
- The chemistry between Tannehill and Brandon Gibson/Mike Wallace. We already knew that Tannehill and Brian Hartline were in sync, but the real question coming into this preseason was how long it would take for the QB to establish that same relationship with his new WR's. Well, that question has been answered now. Tannehill, for the second game in a row, connected with Wallace in some key situations, including a couple third downs, and seems to be comfortable with his $60 million dollar toy. As for Gibson, Tannehill has so far leaned heavily on the new slot receiver, and he's showed some big time faith in him. After Gibson dropped a TD last night (his second drop of the night), Tannehill came right back to him on the next drive, connecting for a big time TD right before the half. It's becoming ever more clear that with Dustin Keller done for the year, Brandon Gibson will now see an increased workload, and I think Tannehill is just fine with that.
The Really Good:
- The run defense. Remember me saying that this unit HAD to step up this week and prove to us that they could still stop the run? Well, message received, because this unit was absolutely dominant last night. Paul Soliai lived in the back field, Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler were all over the place, and Olivier Vernon set the edge nicely more than one time. Just a dominant performance.
- The QB pressure. Olivier Vernon was in Josh Freeman's face all night, and had a big time sack. Jared Odrick added another sack, and was also disruptive for the entire first half. Again, remember when I told you that somebody else other than Cameron Wake HAD to apply the pressure? Well, again, mission accomplished.
- The pass protection. Could it improve? Absolutely. But what we saw last night was a HUGE upgrade from previous weeks, and it has A LOT to do with the return of RG John Jerry. The incumbent guard played in his first game of the year last night after nursing a knee injury, and his presence was apparent right from the get go. Ryan Tannehill had ALL NIGHT to throw on some occasions, and was only sacked once. After seeing the blood baths of the first three weeks, last night was a breath of fresh air. If Jerry can stay healthy and solidify that offensive line, Tannehill will do BIG things this year, bank on it.
The Concerning:
- The running game. Yikes, was this bad. Besides a 20 yard run from Lamar Miller, the Fins were STUFFED on nearly every carry. Miller finished with 8 carries for 35 yards, while Daniel Thomas finished with 7 carries for 3 yards. Not much else to say here...
- The run protection.... because I'll continue here. No, I don't blame all of this on Miller and Thomas, because with how good the pass protection was, the run protection was equally BAD. There were times when Dolphin RB's couldn't even take the handoff without being hit. I've said time and time again, the running game will be HUGE this year for Ryan Tannehill, because without it, you lose the play action, and without that defenses will feast on the young QB.
- Special teams/turnovers. I put these in the same sentence because, unfortunately, they went together hand in hand last night. Nolan Carroll was uncharacteristically bad on special teams last night, as he was blocked into return man Marcus Thigpen, causing a fumble that would be recovered by Tampa Bay. A few punt returns later, Thigpen FUMBLED the punt all by himself, and it to would be recovered by Tampa Bay. Two turnovers in the span of one quarter. Not good at all, especially when Joe Philbin has PREACHED winning the TO battle this season. Not a good game for the special teams unit.
- The Tight Ends. Charles Clay didn't look comfortable. Michael Egnew might as well of stayed home. Dion Sims had one catch on one target. Better get back to practicing, because there was NOTHING going on in this department last night.
The Fins are back at it tomorrow, and will host New Orleans on Thursday night for the final preseason game of 2013.
Then, it's all systems go from South Florida.
14 days.
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