DOLPHINS OFFENSE 30 DOLPHINS DEFENSE (minus) 48 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

DOLPHINS OFFENSE 30 DOLPHINS DEFENSE (minus) 48

DIRTYCASHHOLDIN

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Hello To All...... I have read all the posts about who to blame---and so forth.....but in this loss to Kansas City....there was so many mistakes on both sides of the ball....you proabably could name just about everyone who played in this game....this game was truly defined as a "team loss". Every Dolphin player on their day off today....should be looking in the mirror....this was not JAYS fault....because the guy still put up 30 points on the board.... this was not JAMAR FLETCHER's fault...although he is playing poorly.....he certainly was not the only one responsible for being fooled and completely out of position. The entire secondary...including MADISON were awful.
The Dolphins had abolutely no answer for TONY GONZALEZ---none at all. I mean...who in that secondary....did he not beat? Zach Thomas tried also...and even he had no answers....and how about that pathetic exhibition of tackling...on that one TD...with ARTURO FREEMAN recieving the final "F" grade...with that feeble attempt. Having no answer for TONY GONZALEZ was one of my main blames.

2. LACK OF A PASS RUSH---- IMO....this is very disturbing. Trent Green resemlbed JOE MONATANA in his prime yesterday....seeing his reads play out right in front of him...with a panoramic view...as the KC offensive line held back our defensive line...giving GREEN enough time to read some of the first chapters of WAR and Peace. JASON TAYLOR looked like he was not quite ready to go full throttle yesterday......and on the other side...OGUNLEYE really was pushed around. The DOlphins beef.....BOWENS and CHESTER did a pretty nice job as far as containing HOLMES....that was their job. But they could not get to GREEN either...when he did throw on first or second downs. JAY WILLIAMS and ROB BURNETT...along with JERMAINE HALEY tried also....but to no avail.....they did not get anything going.....and it was quite obvious that JIM BATES had really underestimated how TRENT GREEN would play yesterday....if he had the time to throw the football downfield....despite the containing...and the main defensive goal...which was to neutralize Preiest Holmes.

3. THE LINEBACKING..... This unit will always have trouble with a world class TE---like a TONY GONZALEZ....but thank goodness...there aren't many like him. Tony made everyone look bad the other day.....but this group in general....including THOMAS....is just not making big stops...on their man-to-man coverage assignments. MERLON GREENWOOD by far.....is playing the worst of the three....he was out of position numerous times to mention...and for a starting LB in this league to not get mentioned in a game for the most part.....each and every game so far this season....has to be explained to the fans...what is it about him....that the coaches like? Derrick Rogers....is just your very, very average starting LB in the NFL. He will make a play or two in each in every game.....but that is about all you are going to remember. ZACH THOMAS is still a great football player.....but if your an honest fan.....you have to say that he is certainly NOT playing like a Pro Bowl Lb right now. I think even ZACH knows that he is playing sub-par football right now....he is not flying around like he is accustomed to....he is not making those solo key stops....those turn-your head in amazement....type plays that ZACH is used to giving us. Our LBers.....all have to play better against the PATRIOTS...with all their 4 TE's....and recievers coming and going over the middle....they will have to all play better this game....or its going to be a long day.

4. JIM BATES HAD NO ANSWERS... This was a game where a pass rush was needed desperately on TRENT GREEN.....with some good coverage schemes.....and none of that transpired for 60 minutes of football. I did not see JIM BATES rushing TRENT GREEN....nor did I see him covering TONY GONZALEZ.....however....this guy is responsible for NOT MAKING any adjustments to get presssure....on TRENT GREEN....via it coming from the LB's or even getting the safeties coming in...or even a corner blitzing from the perimeters. Bates played a very vanilla defense....and played right into the Chiefs passing game.....as the Chiefs found ways to isolate TONY GONZALEZ....he even came out of the backfield...getting 1-1 coverages with a LB. WIth no pressure on GREEN....he had time to check off his first...and even his second reads....as the Dolphin secondary had to scramble and wonder why the ball was not even in the air yet. And you also have to give credit to GREEN as well....and to GONZALEZ. Sometimes the coverage was actually good......but these two guys were not to be denied....perfect execution. But the most glaring problem for the Dolphins defense: They could not stop the Chiefs on THIRD DOWNS. The Chiefs converted on third downs so much....this is when we needed pressure...and it never happened. ANd if there were any to speak of.....it was TRENT GREEN just running away from the defensive line....and making his own first downs. Green knew where the defense....was not....and he always seemed to find the right running lanes....

One thing is clear......this is a defense crying out loud for the return of one PATRICK SURTAIN. You can really see now....just how valuable this cornerback means to this defense. We need his return...and fast...if we hope to combat the BRADY bunch.... but Pat Suratain is only 1 player.....he can only make so much of an improvement on this defense... and I do know one thing......our secondary is not going to be the main problem...as this season goes down. I really believe that the secondary's overall performance in this last game....is probably an abberation....its highly unlikely that each and every one of those guys will play that poorly as a unit again.

It is the lack of a pass rush....and the complete lack of any adjustments by our defensive coordinator...as the game dictates...is what is troubling right now to me. I have to wonder what game plan BATES has for TOM BRADY and all those recievers that will have to be covered.....and at the same time.....what will he do if BRADY is back there....picking us apart with no pressure from the defensive line?

Notice I did not blame our offense? Yes RICK fumbled....and JAY was not very good...throwing interceptions....and making bad decisions as well. Jed Weaver's penalty to take his own TD away.....the OL had trouble....NORV takes RICKY out of the game.....only 14 carries.....Jay should have done this...NORV should have done that.....even McMichael struggled with double coverages.

However.....the Dolphins offense scored 30 points. When you have JAY FIEDLER taking a 7 step drop....and heaving and hoe-ing the football in catch-up style....even though the Dolphins offense puts up 30 freaking points.....there is nothing more to say....

The Defense gave up 48 points.....that is the bottom line...and that is where the blame is to go.

DCH
 
I'd have to disagree completely with the assessment of the linebacking corp. There is but one smoking gun to indict our linebacking corp, and that is Tony freaking Gonzales. But I got a newsflash for ya. When you've got a tight end covering an all-world TE like him, you've got a mismatch. End of story. Any team with a good tight end LOOKS for that matchup and throws to it pretty much regardless of whether the TE is open. You know why? Because its a mismatch unless the TE is a mediocre piece of crap. Tony Gonzales is not. He beat Rodgers, he beat Zach, he beat Freeman, he beat Marion, and heck he even beat Sam freaking Madison. But what do those last three have to do with the LBer corp? Nothing. Thats what. Now unfortunately Priest also managed to get some yardage receiving against our linebackers, but with Tony Gonzales hurting us as badly as he was, I'm sure the linebackers were doing a little more worrying about him in the passing game than they were Priest in the passing game.

What did the linebacking corp do? Oh, they only shut down for the most part the 2nd best runner in the league...Priest Holmes. We're talking about a guy who led the league in rushing last year, garnered 180 yards against the PATRIOTS only a week ago, and up until last week was 2nd in rushing only to our own Ricky Williams. Priest only had one good run of the day, a 26 yard TD that really wasn't so much the linebackers' faults as much as it was the secondary for having absolutely no backside containment whatsoever, allowing him to completely reverse field and set off for the endzone before anyone could catch him.

The steaming pile of turds in this game were the secondary, and to a much smaller degree the DL...not the linebackers. We're talking about pro bowl players who couldn't cover a tight end. We're talking about Sam Madison getting burned by Johnnie Morton on short and intermediate routes. We're talking about Trent Green being able to basically throw it to whoever is being covered by Jamar Fletcher, time and again, and being able to count on either a completion or a penalty. We're talking about Arturo Freeman getting so shaken by Tony Gonzales that he completely whiffs on a tackle because he tried to make the devastating spear hit rather than keeping his head up and grabbing him with both hands and bringing him down with Madison's help. We're talking about a defense that felt so helpless in the secondary that by the end of the game on 3rd down obvious passing situations they had every single linebacker deep in coverage protecting against passes to Tony Gonzales, rather than a guy making sure that my 80 year old grandmother couldn't wheelchair past the line of scrimmage for a 20 yard 1st down. You want an adjustment for Tony Gonzales? That was it, and then Trent Green took off for the races. It was just one of those days where Green did everything right and it was just plain BIZARRE. I saw Trent Green get hit....get hit hard sometimes too. I saw us get the pressure on him. I saw Jason Taylor looking like his old self against the run, shedding a tackle and dropping the RB in the backfield. Sure, I saw JT look pedestrian as a passrusher, but Adewale Ogunleye got pressure...and our DTs aren't there to penetrate and get pressure they are there for the run. Yeah, sometimes Trent had a little too long to throw. But sometimes he didn't...and he still completed it against this awful-looking secondary.

They'd better shape up, because reputation alone doesn't win super bowls.
 
Everything the TWO of typed is true...

... especially what CK had to say, but what came to mind while reading CK's post was that I believe the KC OL is one of the better OL in the NFL. I mean how many former pro-bowl OL do they have? Not making excuses for the loss, just thinking things thru here, or at least what came to mind at this moment. :D

At some point I think we need to give the opposition some credit. I mean the Broncos just lost to the Ravens. I tell you, this is one confusing NFL season thus far.

Oliver...


Originally posted by ckparrothead
I'd have to disagree completely with the assessment of the linebacking corp. There is but one smoking gun to indict our linebacking corp, and that is Tony freaking Gonzales. But I got a newsflash for ya. When you've got a tight end covering an all-world TE like him, you've got a mismatch. End of story. Any team with a good tight end LOOKS for that matchup and throws to it pretty much regardless of whether the TE is open. You know why? Because its a mismatch unless the TE is a mediocre piece of crap. Tony Gonzales is not. He beat Rodgers, he beat Zach, he beat Freeman, he beat Marion, and heck he even beat Sam freaking Madison. But what do those last three have to do with the LBer corp? Nothing. Thats what. Now unfortunately Priest also managed to get some yardage receiving against our linebackers, but with Tony Gonzales hurting us as badly as he was, I'm sure the linebackers were doing a little more worrying about him in the passing game than they were Priest in the passing game.

What did the linebacking corp do? Oh, they only shut down for the most part the 2nd best runner in the league...Priest Holmes. We're talking about a guy who led the league in rushing last year, garnered 180 yards against the PATRIOTS only a week ago, and up until last week was 2nd in rushing only to our own Ricky Williams. Priest only had one good run of the day, a 26 yard TD that really wasn't so much the linebackers' faults as much as it was the secondary for having absolutely no backside containment whatsoever, allowing him to completely reverse field and set off for the endzone before anyone could catch him.

The steaming pile of turds in this game were the secondary, and to a much smaller degree the DL...not the linebackers. We're talking about pro bowl players who couldn't cover a tight end. We're talking about Sam Madison getting burned by Johnnie Morton on short and intermediate routes. We're talking about Trent Green being able to basically throw it to whoever is being covered by Jamar Fletcher, time and again, and being able to count on either a completion or a penalty. We're talking about Arturo Freeman getting so shaken by Tony Gonzales that he completely whiffs on a tackle because he tried to make the devastating spear hit rather than keeping his head up and grabbing him with both hands and bringing him down with Madison's help. We're talking about a defense that felt so helpless in the secondary that by the end of the game on 3rd down obvious passing situations they had every single linebacker deep in coverage protecting against passes to Tony Gonzales, rather than a guy making sure that my 80 year old grandmother couldn't wheelchair past the line of scrimmage for a 20 yard 1st down. You want an adjustment for Tony Gonzales? That was it, and then Trent Green took off for the races. It was just one of those days where Green did everything right and it was just plain BIZARRE. I saw Trent Green get hit....get hit hard sometimes too. I saw us get the pressure on him. I saw Jason Taylor looking like his old self against the run, shedding a tackle and dropping the RB in the backfield. Sure, I saw JT look pedestrian as a passrusher, but Adewale Ogunleye got pressure...and our DTs aren't there to penetrate and get pressure they are there for the run. Yeah, sometimes Trent had a little too long to throw. But sometimes he didn't...and he still completed it against this awful-looking secondary.

They'd better shape up, because reputation alone doesn't win super bowls.
 
CK, in talking about Gonzo you said "when you have a tight end covering a tight end like him." I know that's not what you meant to say, did you mean linebacker? I love your steaming pile of turds characterization of our secondary. Truer words were never spoken. They were all horrible, including Sam Madison. I also think DCH was right in that you go a whole game and never hear Greenwoods name called. What is your opinion on utilizing Rodgers and Greenwood more as blitzers, something like the Steelers do when their front four isn't getting enough pressure?
 
I'll tell you one thing... when you get pressure on the QB, your secondary looks a hell of a lot better. this is the NFL.. if you give a QB time he will find somebody... corners should not have to cover people that long. You have to presssure QB's in this league and force them to make a bad throw.. if they can just relax and take thier time they will make a great throw... that is why they are in the NFL... I hate this drop 7 guys into coverage and make them pick us apart... cause they do.. I would rather cover man to man and blitz everybody else..
 
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