Are Dolphins Set-Up to be a Pass Heavy Offense?

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I know every offensive coordinator talks about balance and I believe that is what Adam Gase would like to see as well.

It could materialize that way, but with how the offseason has gone Miami looks like a team built to pass the ball. The offensive line, for the most part, has players who are better pass blockers than run blockers. Alberts, James and Pouncey generally fit that mold. As does Tunsil.

The Dolphins surprised by drafting a wide receiver in the third round in Carroo and brought in a running back in Drake who is best in space. Grant and Doughty are potential mismatch players in the passing game as well. The wide receiver position, on paper, looks staked.

Jay Ajayi and a better scheme for the offensive lineman could pay dividends in the running game, but that remains to be seen.

 

[Wildcat23]

I could see it playing out like the Eagles years ago and how they used westbrook. They always got flak for passing so much, but a lot of those passing plays were to the RB, and they stated multiple times, they internally count them as runs.

 

[tylerdolphin]

Whether or not it's a pass happy offense will be a good indication, IMO, of the competence of the coaching staff. Pass heavy offenses require elite QBs. The statistics bear that out. We don't have an elite QB.

And BTW I have no problem with Tannehill. I think he's good enough to win us playoff games and maybe a SB provided the right talent around him. But he's just not and probably will never be a guy you want slinging it 40 times a game. If the staff we have doesn't recognize the need to run the ball 25 times a game then they are as hopeless as the last staff.

 

[dnespins]

If the staff we have doesn't recognize the need to run the ball 25 or 30 times a game then they are as hopeless as the last staff.

consider them hopeless, then, because the only way this team sniffs 30 rushing attempts is with double digit 2nd half lead that they got by throwing the ball

 

[tylerdolphin]

consider them hopeless, then, because the only way this team sniffs 30 rushing attempts is with double digit 2nd half lead that they got by throwing the ball

Well then we will continue to lose games. This team, and most teams in general, just aren't going to win much throwing it 40 times a game.

 

[Gonzo]

I think the OL is set up pretty well for the kind of run game we will likely have. This doesn't appear to be a power running offense, so a Jake Long type would have little use in it. More athletic types like Tunsil and Douchey are better fits. For all the talk about how much better Long was at run blocking, I never saw him do the things Tunsil can at the second level. Judging from what Gase did with Forte and Langford, that's more important. I think Wildcat hit the nail on the head, though probably not to the level of Westbrook. I don't think we have that kind of weapon yet. Forte and Langford were key in both the running and passing game, which is what you need in today's NFL.

 

[fishfanmiami]

The OL should be much improved with Tunsik starting at guard (or tackle) so maybe there will actually be a few holes to run though. Gase ran the ball in Chicago and had a balanced attack. That's one reason Cutler had a good year.

I expect that to continue and be our game plan must games. I agree with brother Tyler that Tannehill should not be throwing it 40 times a game. He's much more effective running a balanced attack.

 

[Digital]

Our OL is quite misleading IMHO. On paper we have a lot of excellent players. Albert is an excellent LT ... but he gets injured every year, so while he gives us great play, he doesn't give us 16 games, and when he's been out we've truly suffered. Pouncey does some things exceptionally well, such as pull, but he doesn't have much strength at the point of attack, and cannot handle strong NT/DT types without requiring guard help. Also, Pouncey doesn't open run lanes along the interior ... he's best when he can pull and hit much smaller less leveraged LB's in space. So, while those two look great on paper ... they each have significant flaws.

Ju'Wuan James is a bit of an oddity. The guy is not strong at all. He does OK as a pass protector at RT, but he doesn't seal the edge in the run game and he isn't a good run blocker. In pass protection, he has been hit and miss. Generally decent when healthy and playing RT though. Then we have the new guy, Laremy Tunsil. He has phenomenal tools in pass protection and some power as well. I'd say he can be a great LT and if he is played at LG his first year, he'll be a very good LG as well. His pass protection will be a revelation at LG ... light years ahead of Disaster Dallas Thomas. And while the run game isn't his strong suit and he's a few inches too tall for an ideal guard, Tunsil has enough strength and heavy hands to open some run lanes as well. Instantly our best guard. He is good at opening holes at the point of attack and even better at pulling and hitting in space. His presence should break the streak of Tannehill being the most sacked. When Albert inevitably gets injured, Tunsil slides into LT permanently.

Soooooooooooooooooo, that leaves our RG wide open and our LG open after Albert gets injured. Which will either mean our backup Kraig Urbik starts, or we start the same two horrible OG's we started last year, Disaster Dallas Thomas and Raw Billy Turner. So, while we have four very well paid former 1st round picks and another two 3rd rounders in the top 6 OL ... we still look to have an OL that allows a ton of sacks and cannot open run lanes up the middle. We do well as a pulling team ... but we don't do so great at the point of attack.

Dallas invested about as much as we have into their OL ... and they have the best OL in the league. It would be awesome if we had their OL.

 

[FinJay614]

I'm very uncomfortable with where we are with our running backs right now. I don't trust Ajayi's legs yet and want to see if he can tote the rock 20 times for 16 weeks. I'm cool with Drake running it 7-15 times per game.

And Daniel Thomas? DANIEL THOMAS?! That freaking DANIEL THOMAS? I'll save my opinion until I know that he plays better than he did the last time he was in South Florida.

All things being equal, I think we can have a stout running game but with huge question marks with two of our best three backs, I am freaking out just a little.

 

[normaldude]

If Jay Ajayi gets hurt, we might end up passing on nearly every down.

 

[Tannchise]

with Gase and the talent at WR, the only thing stopping Miami from being an elite offense is their line. Can they stay healthy and gel? They have 4 1st round picks now on that line. How many does Dallas have? Maybe they pick up a guard or two later for depth. We should expect huge things from Landry and Parker, esp with his health now. Stills? Is this a contract year? if so, expect a big year

 

[uk_dolfan]

Gase loves to run the ball

 

[Ruckus45]

consider them hopeless, then, because the only way this team sniffs 30 rushing attempts is with double digit 2nd half lead that they got by throwing the ball

30 might be a hair high but 25-30 like Tyler said is right in the middle to top third of the league on attenpts. Pretty doable. 40 passes a game might be a bit high, but I'd expect to see Tannehill at 35-36 per game which is where he has been and is right in the middle of the league on average.

The team's problem has been lack of offensive plays in general. Too many three and outs to have any rhythm out there. I'm hoping Gase can come in and get better on building drives.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

It will largely depend on the RB's. I agree with - what seems like - the consensus: it's likely Miami adds another RB. The running game in Chicago last season was more of a stabilizing force than a dynamic aspect of the offense. They ran the ball 29.2 times per game - but just for 4 YPC. The longest run on the season was 27 yards, and they only had six runs of 20+ yards. Of teams that ran the ball as much, only the Bengals had fewer runs of 20+ yards (five). Miami - by comparison - had twelve.

In Miami, I expect something between Denver and Chicago in terms of approach. Chicago was hurting at WR in 2015, and while I think Gase understands the importance of running the ball, Miami will have to be more efficient in the ground game for him to run it 29 times per game. Miami was dead last in rushing attempts per game in 2015, so we'll definitely run the ball more, but - so far - the resources are going to the passing game (including Drake).

 

[gofins60]

Our OL is quite misleading IMHO. On paper we have a lot of excellent players. Albert is an excellent LT ... but he gets injured every year, so while he gives us great play, he doesn't give us 16 games, and when he's been out we've truly suffered. Pouncey does some things exceptionally well, such as pull, but he doesn't have much strength at the point of attack, and cannot handle strong NT/DT types without requiring guard help. Also, Pouncey doesn't open run lanes along the interior ... he's best when he can pull and hit much smaller less leveraged LB's in space. So, while those two look great on paper ... they each have significant flaws.

Ju'Wuan James is a bit of an oddity. The guy is not strong at all. He does OK as a pass protector at RT, but he doesn't seal the edge in the run game and he isn't a good run blocker. In pass protection, he has been hit and miss.

The above is exactly why I've been saying that Philbin's entire o-line should be replaced. Philbin did not want the type of o-line players that he inherited so he got his own guys... and after 4 years of building he's put together one of the most pathetic lines in the league. They struggle with converting 3rd and short on the ground, and have allowed the most sacks on their QB over that period. So what if Albert, Pouncey, and James are all 1st round picks... they're useless if they can't do the job. Philbin turned Miami into a weak team, so the new regime should start off right by replacing Philbin's weak o-line!