I've said this about Gase before and I'll repeat it here ... when he knows he has a mismatch in the run game, he exploits it. Our run game last year was defined by two very telling stats: Yards Before Contact (YBC) and Yards After Contact (YAC).
Our OL had the fewest Yards Before Contact of any OL in the NFL last year.
That means not only did we not open holes, but we also failed to keep run-blitzes out of the backfield. This is the worst possible statistic an OL can have at running the ball ... it simply means they were not doing a decent job on nearly enough plays. Consider that this statistic was also buttressed by the fact that when we did have a mismatch against a poor run defense (like vs. Timmons in Pittsburgh), we pushed it and had higher reps of success boosting our stats. So to have done this badly simply means our OL suuuuuuuuuuuuucks at run blocking. Our YBC was horrendous. The fact that we had success running the ball is a testament to Gase and Ajayi. Let's be clear ... Bushrod was one of the very worst run blocking guards in the league last year. I give him a bit of a pass since he played hurt a lot (something nobody else on the OL seemed to be willing to do) and adjusted to a new position. He did have a few good run blocking games ... but not many.
Ajayi had the most Yards After Contact of any RB in the league last year.
This guy had to fight through traffic in the backfield a lot. But his bruising style allowed him to lead the league in this vital statistic ... again. He is extremely adept at minimizing contact. He stays just far enough away that you can get a hand or arm on him but not a shoulder and can't get that elbow wrapped around him. That spacing, coupled with his sheer power, jump-cut ability to create space, exceptionally good downward stiff-arming, and light feet allow him to escape most sloppy tackling and drag most good tackling for extra effort yards. His YAC is the result of being a great back, and is the thing that breaks many of his plays open for chunk yardage. Yes, it also is a big part of the reason he gets 1st downs. Unfortunately, our OL's inability to open holes greatly brings down his yards per carry, leading many people to miss just how effective he has been.
Enter Isaac Asiata.
I'm a bona fide fan of Isaac Asiata. This guy has everything I'm looking for in a guard. He has the power, with enough sand in his pants to withstand bull rushes and enough push to blow open holes. He has good technique to play with leverage and positioning, which is most of the battle. He also happens to have very quick feet to get into position, and enough speed to pull effectively. He's not Mike Pouncey at striking his target on the move, but when Asiata hits 'em, they're shocked and locked at that point of the play. IMHO, if the Dolphins improve the YBC this year, it will be on the back of an Isaac Asiata dominant charge. Like a rhino, he will need to blow open holes and spring Ajayi into the secondary. If he can do that, we'll be half-way to having good guards. If for some unseen and disappointing reason he cannot even win the starting job ... I see our run game falling backwards in 2017. I'm not convinced with Larsen, and while I'm happy to have Bushrod, IMHO, he's not a starter. All of my faith in our interior line improvement rests with Isaac Asiata. We have the skill position people ... we just need the OL to work well as a unit in both the run and pass games.
