(CBSMiami/AP) — Things have looked very differently for the Miami Dolphins during their first four games of the season.
The Dolphins have totaled 71 points in their two victories while scoring one touchdown in each of their two defeats, a roller-coaster pattern that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor finds easy to assess.
“We have a better chance if we score a lot,” Lazor said Monday.
So that’s what the Dolphins (2-2) will try to do in the final 12 games. A bye this week means extra time to figure out how to get more from a maddeningly unpredictable offense.
“Consistency is what we’re looking for,” coach Joe Philbin said. “Even in the two losses we had, I would argue there were periods in time where we had momentum in the second half of those games, but we certainly didn’t sustain it. On Sunday, we just kind of kept playing. We grabbed some momentum and we never let up.
“Now we have to start playing at a consistently high level. It’s time.”
The Dolphins’ final touchdown came at 5:30 a.m. Monday when they arrived on their return from London, and the long trip was well worth the trouble. The victory put the brakes on a skid in danger of accelerating out of control.
Philbin, whose noncommittal public comments regarding Tannehill’s status created a soap opera last week, had only praise for his quarterback Monday.
“He played very well,” Philbin said. “The big thing is I thought his play speed was very good. His decision-making was good. And he threw the ball well. He had good velocity, the location was good. I think he was just kind of clicking.”
Even so, the highest-scoring performance in Philbin’s 36-game tenure was a collective effort. Of the Dolphins’ 278 yards passing, a season-high 151 came after the catch. And Miami totaled 157 yards rushing.
“With the receivers, you saw guys who were excited to have the ball in their hands and working hard to do something with it,” Lazor said. “They started to develop an attitude of how they want to play with the ball in their hands. And our offensive line felt a kind of momentum that they could control the game up front.”
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/09/29/dolphins-seek-more-consistency-on-offense/