Bill Lazor on Dolphins' deep ball: 'We've got to figure it out together'

[AgentXof12]

You damn right he had an attitude because he getting paid a lot of money to make big plays!! But when your QB is unable to throw the deep ball it can be frustrating, guess who got all the blame "Wallace". All these questions will be answered soon will Tanny continue to miss the deep ball and will Wallace be able to catch deep ball from Teddy, only time will tell.

You're right about two things, and I feel you're wrong on two others. Wallace was paid to make big plays, and we're going to see the truth soon enough for Tannehill, Wallace, and Bridgewater. I will give you those two.

It's arguable whether Tannehill is bad throwing deep, but it is not debatable that he can throw a deep ball. I think that when you say "unable to throw the deep ball" what you're really implying is that he isn't good at hitting targets deep. Tannehill can throw it as deep as anyone ever could. So why not just say that he's bad at deep passes? It's very debatable that he is bad, by the way, as there are plenty of people who study football who will say he's actually alright at it.

Please read this, as it's one of the better break downs I've read on a deep pass that Tannehill got blamed for but analysis tells a very good story:
http://www.thephinsider.com/2014/10...-attempt-from-miami-dolphins-quarterback-ryan

Secondly, Mike Wallace did not get all the blame. You are evidence of that. You clearly don't blame Wallace. Frankly, Tannehill took far more blame in the game day threads than Wallace, except for when Wallace clearly did something unbelievable like give up on a play or try to one hand grab an easy pass.

I understand being a fan of a player like Wallace and being frustrated with who you believe is the root cause of hate for a player you like, but a reasonable look at the numbers and the tape will always balance out that perspective. I blame Wallace for not doing more on plays, but I never stop believing the guy is nothing less than a star. I wish we could have kept a guy like him while drafting Parker. I think the whole offense would have thrived with defenders not being able to double cover anyone.

 

[Phinatic8u]

The passes Wallace couldn't catch or wouldn't try to catch will be caught or at least tried to be caught by every WR on this team now.

That's the biggest difference between this corps and years past, real WRs instead of guys trying to play WR.

 

[ohall]

You damn right he had an attitude because he getting paid a lot of money to make big plays!! But when your QB is unable to throw the deep ball it can be frustrating, guess who got all the blame "Wallace". All these questions will be answered soon will Tanny continue to miss the deep ball and will Wallace be able to catch deep ball from Teddy, only time will tell.

You act like Wallace didn't drop his share of well thrown deep passes thrown to him.

And sorry, there's no excuse for quitting on your team mates and the fan base that pays for his salary. His quitting IMO is proof positive where the real issue was with RT and Wallace connecting on deep passes.

 

[jvw]

IMO, the time to figure it out was prior to last season when everyone saw that there was a problem with Tannehill hitting Wallace deep. Instead of fixing the problem, Philbin and Lazor went away from the deep ball and used Wallace on shorter routes. If you have a guy who can get past the defense, then something is terribly wrong if he's not scoring numerous long TDs. A few of those quick-strike TDs could have put Miami in the playoffs.

I'm not looking to place blame on the players (because IMO both Tannehill and Wallace are at fault), but the coaching staff failed the team by not fixing a huge problem. On any given Sunday there are always a few long TD passes from around the NFL shown in the Highlights, yet Miami had just one or two TDs from (barely) outside of the red zone over the entire season! Any decent Head Coach would have had his players working on a problem until they got it right, or replaced them with someone who could perform. Philbin, who wants an offense based on short timing routes, decided to ignore the problem since the deep ball really isn't part of his offensive philosophy.

Now, Wallace is gone and they have new WRs. It's possible that Wallace was the problem and now they'll be able to go deep. But, it could be that Tannehill just isn't good throwing deep. He has gone (somewhat) deep to other WRs in the past with success, so IMO it's either a problem strictly between Tannehill and Wallace, or Tannehill can only go deep on certain throws to certain areas of the field. It must be one or the other, and if the coaching staff still doesn't know what the problem is, then the problem lies with the coaching staff!

Fixing something mid season is not a easy thing to do when you practice only 3 days.....most of practice is preparing for next weeks opponent....the time to improve is the off season and training camp.....

 

[jvw]

You damn right he had an attitude because he getting paid a lot of money to make big plays!! But when your QB is unable to throw the deep ball it can be frustrating, guess who got all the blame "Wallace". All these questions will be answered soon will Tanny continue to miss the deep ball and will Wallace be able to catch deep ball from Teddy, only time will tell.

I agree with everything but one thing, RT has the arm strength to go deep, his problem was connecting with a speed demon like Wallace.......I am sure they hit many deep passes in practice but come game time the timing was off which can be frustrating....I put more blame on RT than Wallace only because we saw what Wallace could do when big Ben threw him the ball......we have yet to see RT connect with any one consistently with the deep ball.....

 

[tommyp]

wallace was such a jerk (with gibson) ... not speaking and having gibson translate.. glad they are both gone

 

[whizafriz]

wallace was such a jerk (with gibson) ... not speaking and having gibson translate.. glad they are both gone

I still can't believe he actually decided to do that.
As a household name, how do you let yourself appear in public like that? Afraid that you're going to say the wrong thing... Dude, you just half-assed the last game of the year and quit on the team. I don't think "No Comment, ask my friend" is what people want to hear.

I'm shocked Gibson even obliged to do that -- just said to me he didn't care much at all about the team. Other players were pissed. He as a Fins player should have been pissed too.

 

[gregorygrant83]

I think there were several factors that aided in the deep ball struggles. Tannehill needs to get better throwing the deep pass, no doubt. During his brief qb experience at Texas A&M he didn't really have an NFL type deep threat receiver and the only one he has had in the NFL is Wallace. And in Miami he had Wallace, but with Wallace as the number one option he was often the focal point of opposing coverages. I think Parker, Jennings, Stills and maybe Hazel could be down the field threats, as well as Jordan Cameron. Stills, Miami's best deep threat will not see a lot of double coverage or defenses rotating to stop him when they have to deal with Parker, Landry, Cameron and/or Jennings on the field.

 

[I am Bane]

WRs and Tannehill need to put a lot of extra work and time into practicing, get the timing down, etc... Tannehill needs to become consistent with it accurately, as well as in games the O-Line needs to be able to give Tannehill and the WRs the time needed for it to open and and be delivered!!!

it is a whole unit needed to make these plays happen!!!

 

[MarinoEqualsGod]

Wallace "self-proclaimed" that he is the fastest WR in the NFL. How will the deep ball improve with a slower K. Stills??? It all starts with # 17. Tannehill has to improve his deep ball accuracy plain and simple and the O-line has to give him more time as well.

IMO, the biggest problem with the deep ball chemistry between RT and MW was that Wallace would usually start his route slow, then shift into high gear as the ball is thrown. That has to be tough for a QB to throw an accurate ball when he isn't running at the same speed before the release, as he is after. Wallace deserved most of the blame and I'm also of the opinion that RT's deep ball improves this season. Addition by subtraction...

 

[LANGER72]

RT should be reading the Defense at the snap and calling plays at the LOS. That will get the deep passing game going.
IMHO, his deep ball should have a slightly higher trajectory to allow the WR to run under it.
They should put a small trash can on the golf cart and have him practice putting it into the bucket at 30-50 yards out.
Crossing patterns, deep outs, and fly patterns. (the lawn maint guy would be pissed)

 

[zach attach]

So many threads about what going to happen, year after year. I hope he gets it, and I hope we can stop talking about it soon after. Until then, it's a problem and everyone knows it.

 

[warren4prez]

Some of you guys are missing the point. There were times I felt Wallce could have gone up to fight for the ball but that's a different issue. When we speak of deep ball we're talking about hitting the player in stride, and these were opportunities that he CONSISTENTLY missed. That's my issue I would make the agruement about our Oline but there were many moments were we held up just fine. He just needs to hit the deep all at least 30% of the time and that 2 extra wins, but I hope he proves me wrong but time will tell. Go Phins!!

 

[NBP81]

Some of you guys are missing the point. There were times I felt Wallce could have gone up to fight for the ball but that's a different issue. When we speak of deep ball we're talking about hitting the player in stride, and these were opportunities that he CONSISTENTLY missed. That's my issue I would make the agruement about our Oline but there were many moments were we held up just fine. He just needs to hit the deep all at least 30% of the time and that 2 extra wins, but I hope he proves me wrong but time will tell. Go Phins!!

Thing is he`s hitting very close to 30% with anyone not named Wallace on deep throws since he`s been here...

 

[39wildman]

Everyone still fails to see the issue with Wallace . His issue is .... His attitude is ****.

He complained after the FIRST game in Miami when we beat the browns .

He had just received a ridiculous contract , we won the game and the first thing he does ? Complain .

Wallace will never see the ceiling his physical abilities provide.

1) awful attitude , flat out horrible
2) awful hands. Some of the worst hands I've ever seen on a "#1 receiver" ( which he isn't btw)Wallace and dolphins just didn't work out. it happens a lot. Wallace is still good wr. mike numbers will go up this year w Viking.