Drake’s conundrum

[DKphin]

“I just have to be more consistent with my play on the field. I am real critical of my performance. So if I do something that wasn’t planned, it works sometimes like the [December] Buffalo game and sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes I have to put my head down and [get] two, three yards. I want to make a big play every time I touch the ball.”

For example, Drake said in practice Wednesday, he caught “a quick hitch out of the backfield. Instead of catching the ball and falling backwards for the first down, I tried to make people miss.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article153593104.html
”

 

[ANUFan]

He's a young RB in the league. Eventually, he'll learn not every play has to be a long TD to help your team win.

 

[NY8123]

He just has to learn that sometimes the first down is the big play.

I still like the kid. I am on record wanting us to draft him so I'll stand by my convictions.

 

[spiketex]

Drake looks like he's spent a lot of time in the weights room and put on a lot of muscle - arms and shoulders are huge. It will be interesting to see how they try to give him more opportunities.
The other thing that strikes me about Drake is that he's got a solid dose of Alabama Crimson Tide expectations of being a winner. Saban invested a lot of time in building his confidence. Don't forget he ran that huge TD to win the NCAA Championship.
He is a player to watch this season.

 

[circumstances]

My gut tells me if there was no Ajayi, Drake would be a star for us.

 

['Deep]

My gut tells me if there was no Ajayi, Drake would be a star for us.

Maybe....he'd have to show he's a little more durable.

 

[Digital]

Our offense took a while to get up to speed with Gase's system last year. I'm expecting bigger and better things this year because 1) how they performed from game 6 onward was good, 2) the addition of Asiata should help shore up the run game so that we can have a run threat in every game, 3) Tannehill returns all of his targets and really found his stride last year, 4) DeVante Parker is healthy and primed to make a major leap and become a true #1 WR, 5) we added a legitimate seam threat in Julius Thomas ... as long as he's healthy he can be a mismatch, 6) and guys like Ajayi and Drake should get expanded roles.

So Ajayi wasn't really involved in the pass routes last year. I was impressed by the improvement he showed in pass protection, and I hope that continues. But from what I'm hearing, he now has added route running and receiving to his options. He was an effective pass catcher in college, so I will not be surprised if this is true. This, plus the addition of Thomas, makes our offense more multi-faceted. If this works, we can adjust to max-protect at the line of scrimmage, and in the passing game take advantage of mismatches on Thomas and Ajayi. This means more touches for Ajayi, and more hits taken. It also means he will probably be spelled more often.

This is an opportunity for Drake to come in and get more meaningful snaps. But, he needs to show better in pass protection, and he needs to move the chains when he touches the ball. He can be an explosive pass catcher out of the backfield, but his potential as a runner goes up. Stills is a legitimate deep threat that will typically draw safety help. If we can get and keep Parker and Thomas healthy that pulls defenders out of the box, especially with the speedy Drake also in the game. This will open up run lanes for Drake. If he can show pass protection, reliability as a runner, good route running and hands in the pattern, and stay healthy--and that's a lot of if's--then he looks to get a lot of opportunity this year.

So where will all these extra touches come from? I mean, I'm predicting more touches for Parker, Ajayi, Drake and the TE position (Thomas/Fasano) ... so where do they come from? IMHO, they come primarily from two sources: Landry and more offensive snaps. So Landry is an extremely good receiver ... but we forced the ball into him a lot last year. I get why. When the rest of the offense wasn't producing, wasn't stepping up, wasn't getting it done, we went to the well, and Landry delivered. IMHO, our improvements on offense will help us not need to go to the well as often. But, I'm expecting our offense to average significantly more plays this year as we finally get over the hump.

We will get more mismatches with Thomas. We will have a reliable blocker with Fasano to protect and blow open run lanes. We will have a 'go to' guard to run behind with Asiata. While Ajayi may end up having less runs this year, I suspect he will get more TD's, more receptions, and force defenses to focus on him more often. I'm expecting our 3rd down conversion rate to go up considerably, leading to more snaps, more passes, more runs, and more time of possession. Taking advantage of speed guys like Stills, Thomas, Grant and Parker will still generate lots of chunk yardage, although Stills may have less TD's. But, our offense will become much more dynamic. For a change, we will be able to grind out long, defense-demoralizing drives that will create more receiving opportunities across the board. It will open up the possibility to kill off a game by running over tired defenders in the fourth quarter. In short, the Dolphins ability to get into third and short, and our ability to convert those third downs, will be the biggest improvement this season.

Sure, the defense's numbers will jump the most, but part of that will be because the offense limits the opposing teams' opportunities. I'm expecting a Dolphins offense that spends a lot of time on the field, and taking charge of games early and often. This means more carries for Drake, more receptions for Drake, and the opportunity to show he is more than a gadget guy. Similarly, I'm expecting the offense to incorporate Jakeem Grant into the actual offense this year, with more gadget plays. This offense looks to make some real progress this year.

 

[hoops]

My gut tells me there'd be a whole lot more tell for the opposition

 

[LDaniel7]

Our offense took a while to get up to speed with Gase's system last year. I'm expecting bigger and better things this year because 1) how they performed from game 6 onward was good, 2) the addition of Asiata should help shore up the run game so that we can have a run threat in every game, 3) Tannehill returns all of his targets and really found his stride last year, 4) DeVante Parker is healthy and primed to make a major leap and become a true #1 WR, 5) we added a legitimate seam threat in Julius Thomas ... as long as he's healthy he can be a mismatch, 6) and guys like Ajayi and Drake should get expanded roles.

So Ajayi wasn't really involved in the pass routes last year. I was impressed by the improvement he showed in pass protection, and I hope that continues. But from what I'm hearing, he now has added route running and receiving to his options. He was an effective pass catcher in college, so I will not be surprised if this is true. This, plus the addition of Thomas, makes our offense more multi-faceted. If this works, we can adjust to max-protect at the line of scrimmage, and in the passing game take advantage of mismatches on Thomas and Ajayi. This means more touches for Ajayi, and more hits taken. It also means he will probably be spelled more often.

This is an opportunity for Drake to come in and get more meaningful snaps. But, he needs to show better in pass protection, and he needs to move the chains when he touches the ball. He can be an explosive pass catcher out of the backfield, but his potential as a runner goes up. Stills is a legitimate deep threat that will typically draw safety help. If we can get and keep Parker and Thomas healthy that pulls defenders out of the box, especially with the speedy Drake also in the game. This will open up run lanes for Drake. If he can show pass protection, reliability as a runner, good route running and hands in the pattern, and stay healthy--and that's a lot of if's--then he looks to get a lot of opportunity this year.

So where will all these extra touches come from? I mean, I'm predicting more touches for Parker, Ajayi, Drake and the TE position (Thomas/Fasano) ... so where do they come from? IMHO, they come primarily from two sources: Landry and more offensive snaps. So Landry is an extremely good receiver ... but we forced the ball into him a lot last year. I get why. When the rest of the offense wasn't producing, wasn't stepping up, wasn't getting it done, we went to the well, and Landry delivered. IMHO, our improvements on offense will help us not need to go to the well as often. But, I'm expecting our offense to average significantly more plays this year as we finally get over the hump.

We will get more mismatches with Thomas. We will have a reliable blocker with Fasano to protect and blow open run lanes. We will have a 'go to' guard to run behind with Asiata. While Ajayi may end up having less runs this year, I suspect he will get more TD's, more receptions, and force defenses to focus on him more often. I'm expecting our 3rd down conversion rate to go up considerably, leading to more snaps, more passes, more runs, and more time of possession. Taking advantage of speed guys like Stills, Thomas, Grant and Parker will still generate lots of chunk yardage, although Stills may have less TD's. But, our offense will become much more dynamic. For a change, we will be able to grind out long, defense-demoralizing drives that will create more receiving opportunities across the board. It will open up the possibility to kill off a game by running over tired defenders in the fourth quarter. In short, the Dolphins ability to get into third and short, and our ability to convert those third downs, will be the biggest improvement this season.

Sure, the defense's numbers will jump the most, but part of that will be because the offense limits the opposing teams' opportunities. I'm expecting a Dolphins offense that spends a lot of time on the field, and taking charge of games early and often. This means more carries for Drake, more receptions for Drake, and the opportunity to show he is more than a gadget guy. Similarly, I'm expecting the offense to incorporate Jakeem Grant into the actual offense this year, with more gadget plays. This offense looks to make some real progress this year.

Underrated post, Digital. Thanks for putting the time into it.

However, I'll say this: All the above assumes that the interior of the OL holds up and that 1. Tunsil will adjust quickly to life at LT in the NFL and 2. James will show up to be at least average at RT.

Those are huge assumptions that I'm not willing to make. IF Miami has simply average OL play, as in top 15 in the NFL overall, then the sky's the limit. IF Miami pulls out yet another year where the OL plays for half a year as the league's worst, and then slightly improves to almost mediocre after that... well, stick a fork in RT17 and stick a fork in the offensive high-level success.

LD

 

[Digital]

Underrated post, Digital. Thanks for putting the time into it.

However, I'll say this: All the above assumes that the interior of the OL holds up and that 1. Tunsil will adjust quickly to life at LT in the NFL and 2. James will show up to be at least average at RT.

Those are huge assumptions that I'm not willing to make. IF Miami has simply average OL play, as in top 15 in the NFL overall, then the sky's the limit. IF Miami pulls out yet another year where the OL plays for half a year as the league's worst, and then slightly improves to almost mediocre after that... well, stick a fork in RT17 and stick a fork in the offensive high-level success.

LD

Great points LD.

I have faith in Tunsil and hope for James. Tunsil showed last year that he was rock solid at LT, so I expect he will be just as good this year. As you mentioned, James is very hot and cold. But, once he got the hang of the new coaching along the OL he had some impressive games towards the end of the season. I wouldn't say I have faith in James ... but at least there is hope. Now Pouncey ... your guess is as good as mine on whether he will be healthy and how many games he will play. And you're right of course, the OL is our X-Factor this year.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Drake had two game-changing plays in limited opportunities, and was a big part of why the team went 10-6 and not 8-8.

I don't know. I think that a guy who has shown the ability to create GREAT plays in limited opportunities and has an exceptional trait (and make no mistake, his speed is exceptional) is someone you want to work into your offense and special teams a bit more.

 

['Deep]

Drake had two game-changing plays in limited opportunities, and was a big part of why the team went 10-6 and not 8-8.

I don't know. I think that a guy who has shown the ability to create GREAT plays in limited opportunities and has an exceptional trait (and make no mistake, his speed is exceptional) is someone you want to work into your offense and special teams a bit more.

I'd ultimately like to see him carrying 10-12 times a game and keep him in his kick returning role. He's not going to beat out Ajayi as the feature back nor do I think he could ever take on that role and be injury free. He's dynamic in small doses tho.

 

[Dajesus]

Our offense took a while to get up to speed with Gase's system last year. I'm expecting bigger and better things this year because 1) how they performed from game 6 onward was good, 2) the addition of Asiata should help shore up the run game so that we can have a run threat in every game, 3) Tannehill returns all of his targets and really found his stride last year, 4) DeVante Parker is healthy and primed to make a major leap and become a true #1 WR, 5) we added a legitimate seam threat in Julius Thomas ... as long as he's healthy he can be a mismatch, 6) and guys like Ajayi and Drake should get expanded roles.

So Ajayi wasn't really involved in the pass routes last year. I was impressed by the improvement he showed in pass protection, and I hope that continues. But from what I'm hearing, he now has added route running and receiving to his options. He was an effective pass catcher in college, so I will not be surprised if this is true. This, plus the addition of Thomas, makes our offense more multi-faceted. If this works, we can adjust to max-protect at the line of scrimmage, and in the passing game take advantage of mismatches on Thomas and Ajayi. This means more touches for Ajayi, and more hits taken. It also means he will probably be spelled more often.

This is an opportunity for Drake to come in and get more meaningful snaps. But, he needs to show better in pass protection, and he needs to move the chains when he touches the ball. He can be an explosive pass catcher out of the backfield, but his potential as a runner goes up. Stills is a legitimate deep threat that will typically draw safety help. If we can get and keep Parker and Thomas healthy that pulls defenders out of the box, especially with the speedy Drake also in the game. This will open up run lanes for Drake. If he can show pass protection, reliability as a runner, good route running and hands in the pattern, and stay healthy--and that's a lot of if's--then he looks to get a lot of opportunity this year.

So where will all these extra touches come from? I mean, I'm predicting more touches for Parker, Ajayi, Drake and the TE position (Thomas/Fasano) ... so where do they come from? IMHO, they come primarily from two sources: Landry and more offensive snaps. So Landry is an extremely good receiver ... but we forced the ball into him a lot last year. I get why. When the rest of the offense wasn't producing, wasn't stepping up, wasn't getting it done, we went to the well, and Landry delivered. IMHO, our improvements on offense will help us not need to go to the well as often. But, I'm expecting our offense to average significantly more plays this year as we finally get over the hump.

We will get more mismatches with Thomas. We will have a reliable blocker with Fasano to protect and blow open run lanes. We will have a 'go to' guard to run behind with Asiata. While Ajayi may end up having less runs this year, I suspect he will get more TD's, more receptions, and force defenses to focus on him more often. I'm expecting our 3rd down conversion rate to go up considerably, leading to more snaps, more passes, more runs, and more time of possession. Taking advantage of speed guys like Stills, Thomas, Grant and Parker will still generate lots of chunk yardage, although Stills may have less TD's. But, our offense will become much more dynamic. For a change, we will be able to grind out long, defense-demoralizing drives that will create more receiving opportunities across the board. It will open up the possibility to kill off a game by running over tired defenders in the fourth quarter. In short, the Dolphins ability to get into third and short, and our ability to convert those third downs, will be the biggest improvement this season.

Sure, the defense's numbers will jump the most, but part of that will be because the offense limits the opposing teams' opportunities. I'm expecting a Dolphins offense that spends a lot of time on the field, and taking charge of games early and often. This means more carries for Drake, more receptions for Drake, and the opportunity to show he is more than a gadget guy. Similarly, I'm expecting the offense to incorporate Jakeem Grant into the actual offense this year, with more gadget plays. This offense looks to make some real progress this year.

The Saints lead the NFL in plays on offense with 1105, and Miami was last in the NFL 912. There are a Few factors that go in to that but the most important is 3rd down %. Big surprise the Saints were best in the NFL on 3rd down converting 49%, and Miami was 25th with 37%. The point is the answer how to get JT, Drake, and Parker more snaps is to convert on 3rd down. The Saints has 193 more snaps, the Pats had about 150 more. If we can get on that level JT could easily catch 60-70 balls, and Parker could match Jarvis in the 90s, assuming those players are ready to step up.

 

[kcbrown]

Most Alabama players are worn out buy the time they get to the pros, especially running back....not Drake, he still has some juice left due to his injury history/back-up status in college. Time for him to blossom.

(Would love to see our offense get an additional 100-150 snaps this year).

 

[tazthenomad]

Most Alabama players are worn out buy the time they get to the pros, especially running back....not Drake, he still has some juice left due to his injury history/back-up status in college. Time for him to blossom.

(Would love to see our offense get an additional 100-150 snaps this year).

IMO, most of the responsibility for this to happen is about equally divided between OL play and the defense more than any of the skill players on offense.