all i know is next year we better get our vertical offense going

[cpeppfan]

people blame joey, daunte, chambers, whoever for the lack of the vertical passing game, but believe it or not, after watching games and seeing the routes the recievers run, its kinda sad. i mean with linehan the vikes had a great passing game, and it wasnt because of just moss, kelly campbell, nate burleson and marcus robinson were all part of it. and when he was with the fins last season, chris chambers was in the pro bowl. now all of a sudden we dont really have a deep threat, just like minnesota this year. culpepper will be healthy. i still believe that he will be a very good and dominating player for the dolphins when healthy. he was playing basically on one good knee. and when lineman can catch him you know something is wrong. when hes healthy he can outrun most defenders(lbs, dbs, whatever). there is no excuse. i know joey doesnt have the arm daunte does, but he still has an above average arm. playoffs are a long shot now. i think we all agree, so why not try to get our deep game going? part of it has to do with joey throwing to the one guy right away, and not letting plays develop down feild. we have very talented recievers, and i still think it was a mistake to cut kelly campbell, hes a play maker, undersized, but REALLY fast. mularkey better get his but in gear or find a new job

 

[DolfinDave]

I agree that Joey doesn't let plays develop downfield. That is obvious from his low sack rate and his low yards per attempt rate. Those two stats tell me that while he is getting rid of the ball quickly, it isn't going downfield. I think Culpepper was brought in as QB in large part due to his effectiveness in throwing downfield. We can argue about Randy Moss all day long. The bottom line is that he has both the arm strength and accuracy to throw downfield as well as anyone in the league. I think the problem is the offensive line and the WRs. The line needs to be able to block long enough in order to let routes develop. And we need WRs to run those routes correctly and catch the ball when it gets there.

 

[jacques strapp]

the 4 sacks occurred when Harrington was trying to go long, so the line wasn't able to give him or the receivers the time needed .

 

[poppy]

The lack of a vertical passing game has been the bane of our offense since Danny retired. If we had a vertical attack during the 2002 campaign we would have went to the big dance instead of Oakland. Last year was the closest we came to finally having a decent one. We must get this part of the offense going next year! We absolutely must! Power Running combined with vertical passing is a deadly offensive combination if executed correctly.

 

[Dolfan11]

I think with the potential of a healthy Culpepper returning, an offensive line which should be upgraded by one or two more quality players, our vertical game will come back.

However, I think one more thing has to happen. We need another threat next to Chambers. Booker is not a threat, but he is effective in the short passing game. Ernest Wilford is a RFA this offseason, if it doesn't take much, I'd like to see him opposite Chambers. He's not the fastest, but he can get down field. He's emerging, big (6-4 223 lbs) and physical, and most importantnly he's consistent when catching the ball.

 

[Regan21286]

We can't go deep because:
1. Our OL can't hold it together long enough for a normal QB to make a deep throw. Especially not enough when Culpepper is involved. Until we get a good mobile LT, we're going to have to settle with short quick passes.
2. Booker and Welker aren't exactly speed demons. They'll turn short passes into long ones once in a while but don't expect them to be running down the field like roadrunners.
3. Mularkey doesn't know how to devise a vertical offense that doesn't involve a WR or a RB throwing it deep. The flea-flicker being an exception.
4. A vertical passing offense works best when everyone's on the same page. At this rate, we're going to need some real work done in TC and preseason.

 

[PhinsRock]

I still feel it all starts and ends with the OL, and while they have improved lately, we still need some serious upgrading at OL next offseason. Build an OL that can give Daunte (or Joey) time to let the receivers run downfield, and we'll get the vertical game back. However after OL we still need at least one major upgrade ar WR, our WR's rarely get open downfield, they just can't seem to.

 

[zonk4ever]

saban's a defensive guy. no clue on getting the offense going.

 

[clbrazee]

I still feel it all starts and ends with the OL, and while they have improved lately, we still need some serious upgrading at OL next offseason. Build an OL that can give Daunte (or Joey) time to let the receivers run downfield, and we'll get the vertical game back. However after OL we still need at least one major upgrade ar WR, our WR's rarely get open downfield, they just can't seem to.

Concur with this statement.

 

[phinphanforever]

We can't go deep because:
1. Our OL can't hold it together long enough for a normal QB to make a deep throw. Especially not enough when Culpepper is involved. Until we get a good mobile LT, we're going to have to settle with short quick passes.

True, our O-line is not the greatest but it has given the Qbs sufficient time to throw on numerous occaions. Especially in the last 4-5 games.

2. Booker and Welker aren't exactly speed demons. They'll turn short passes into long ones once in a while but don't expect them to be running down the field like roadrunners.

Slow WRs can still go downfield and make plays. Some of this has to dow to do with route running. [/quote]

3. Mularkey doesn't know how to devise a vertical offense that doesn't involve a WR or a RB throwing it deep. The flea-flicker being an exception.

True. Mularkey tends to rely on trickery to go deep.

4. A vertical passing offense works best when everyone's on the same page. At this rate, we're going to need some real work done in TC and preseason.

Any offense, whether it's power running or vertical passing, that wants to be succesfull requires everyone being on the same page.


One thing that I would add to your list, and which I think is probably the most significant reason we don't have a succesfull vertical offense, is the fact that Joey can't make certain throws. Especially long ones.

 

[malzj]

Nobody really knows if Saban has any sort of mind offensively. All i know is his philosophy and that is to throw it downfield often.

Mularkey hasn't got a clue... He's just terrible. He hasn't implemented any of the game he supposedly brings. "power running with strategic downfield strikes". A bunch of BS.

 

[Regan21286]

True, our O-line is not the greatest but it has given the Qbs sufficient time to throw on numerous occaions. Especially in the last 4-5 games.

They maybe give QB's long enough for medium-short passes but rarely ever long enough to complete deep passes.

Slow WRs can still go downfield and make plays. Some of this has to dow to do with route running.

They can go downfield, but they won't get open downfield quick enough unless you have a superb OL. And also route running and breaking jams within the 5 yard line by DB's.

True. Mularkey tends to rely on trickery to go deep.

I think a lot of that has to do with his inability to construct plays that have deep routes that aren't just straight runs and have deep routes that minimize time which OL has to block for. If you see all the trickery like the flea flicker, it's not the QB or the WR, it's the OL blocking. With the defense confused on rushing, it gives the QB more time.

Any offense, whether it's power running or vertical passing, that wants to be succesfull requires everyone being on the same page.

True, but we haven't seen that happen and the coach has to do his best to ensure everyone's on the same page. That's why he's the head coach.

One thing that I would add to your list, and which I think is probably the most significant reason we don't have a succesfull vertical offense, is the fact that Joey can't make certain throws. Especially long ones.

I disagree here. Joey can make those throws. He's got an above average arm and has been able to make 25-30 yard+ throws deep this season. Take Chambers, under Culpepper his longest was 26 yards, while with Harrington it was 46 twice. Joey's only issue is that he's been so adjusted to fighting for his life under a porous Lions OL that he's now adjusted to being very jittery in the pocket. That lack of confidence in a line and himself will lead to bad decisions. That's one thing Saban just needs to fix. He's admitted himself that Harrington can make the throws, he just needs to be on the same page as the WR's and tone down the mistakes.

 

[Tigers2003]

I agree that Joey doesn't let plays develop downfield. That is obvious from his low sack rate and his low yards per attempt rate. Those two stats tell me that while he is getting rid of the ball quickly, it isn't going downfield. I think Culpepper was brought in as QB in large part due to his effectiveness in throwing downfield. We can argue about Randy Moss all day long. The bottom line is that he has both the arm strength and accuracy to throw downfield as well as anyone in the league. I think the problem is the offensive line and the WRs. The line needs to be able to block long enough in order to let routes develop. And we need WRs to run those routes correctly and catch the ball when it gets there.

The OL is a big part of it. They are not keeping the defenders at bay long enough for the deep passing game. When looking at a impact FA for the OL or highly rated draft prospect excelling at pass protection technique should be key consideration.

At WR we need one more deep threat. If you want a premiere passing game teams nowadays should be able to go deep with both #1 and #2 receivers. Chambers can't be the only thing close to a deep threat. With the issues at OL the FO should look at WR potentially with second or third pick dependent on if a can't miss at safety or a top notch OL (especially projected RG or C) that the FO covets slips.

 

[DolfinDave]

The OL is a big part of it. They are not keeping the defenders at bay long enough for the deep passing game. When looking at a impact FA for the OL or highly rated draft prospect excelling at pass protection technique should be key consideration.

At WR we need one more deep threat. If you want a premiere passing game teams nowadays should be able to go deep with both #1 and #2 receivers. Chambers can't be the only thing close to a deep threat. With the issues at OL the FO should look at WR potentially with second or third pick dependent on if a can't miss at safety or a top notch OL (especially projected RG or C) that the FO covets slips.

If the Oline was a big part of it, he would have a higher sack rate. Don't get me wrong. The Oline is not good and if it isn't the top priority in the offseason, it is one of the top priorities. But I don't think Joey is even looking to go downfield nearly enough. If he were and the Oline wasn't doing its job, he would be getting sacked more often. And since he isn't getting sacked, we can look at his very low yards per attempt and see that he isn't completing a lot of intermmediate to long throws.

I am also very skeptical about the WRs. Since I can't see them on tv running their routes, its hard for me to be too critical of them. I do know that Chambers disappears a lot and drops a lot of balls. But given that we took Hagan in the 3rd round last year and I think Chambers is making a decent chunk of change, I don't see us drafting a WR high in the draft or spending a lot of money in FA to get one. I think you have to see if Hagan can be a starter. And if we can improve the Oline and solidify the QB play, we can get a clearer picture of Chambers.