Dolphins wary of Chargers' 'relentless' pass-rush duo | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Dolphins wary of Chargers' 'relentless' pass-rush duo

It could just be the lack of time at LT in the pros and the brief injuries here and there but it feels like Tunsil is more of a name than actually being elite right now. Not to say he's overrated.
 
Tunsil still has a lot to prove and this matchup will expose him either positively or negatively. It would be very "Dolphins-like" to have the son of one of their all-time bust draft picks have the game of his life against the Dolphins on Sunday.
 
This is a huge test for Laremy ,and I'm hoping he proves us all right. Bosa scares the **** out of me more than Ingram which makes Ja'wuans job very difficult. Even though we usually do good against the Chargers this one scares me (10-3 in the last 13 Vs Chargers since 1995). I'm sure Chargers fans are just as nervous with the talent they'll have to compete with. One more day boys and girls!!! PHINS UP!!
 
We should be wary. It will be a big test. Hopefully our tackles can hold up... preseason wasnt inspiring
 
OXNARD, Calif. -- When the Miami Dolphins picked Laremy Tunsil in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft, they did so with games like Sunday's against the Los Angeles Chargers in mind.

The Chargers boast one of the league’s most dominant pass-rushing tandems in reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Joey Bosa and sixth-year pro Melvin Ingram.

“Hands down [one of the best tandems],” Tunsil said. “It’s going to be a big test for me and [right tackle] Ja'Wuan [James].”

Bosa and Ingram combined for 18.5 sacks in 2016 and seemed to improve as the season went along. Over the final six weeks, Bosa, whose dad was a first-round pick of the Dolphins in 1987, recorded 6.5 sacks, tied for the most in the league in that span.

Tunsil spent his rookie season at guard but switched to his more natural spot at left tackle in the offseason. The year he spent on the interior of the line helped him better understand everyone’s responsibilities, he said, but left tackle is home.

“It feels good to be back on the island,” Tunsil said.

On Thursday, Ingram indicated that the Chargers weren’t worried about facing new Dolphins starting quarterback Jay Cutler.

"We don't see him as a problem,” Ingram said. “We need to go out and play our style of football."

That view isn’t shared when the Dolphins look at Ingram and Bosa, who both had 1.5 sacks in the Chargers' 24-21 loss to Denver on Monday night

“Those two guys are coming and they’re relentless, and their pursuit after the ball is thrown is really remarkable,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said. “They really put a lot of good things on tape last week.”

One way the Dolphins hope to neutralize the duo's impact is by establishing an effective running game. If they can’t or fall behind early and are forced to throw the ball more, it only will make the job more difficult for Cutler, who is already handicapped by the fact that he’s only been with the team for a little over a month.

“If we want to make this a throwing fest, those two guys are going to cause you issues. You have to do a good job running the football,” Gase said. “You have to be efficient in the passing game. You can't sit back there and hold onto the ball because they’re not going to let you.”

Because Cutler played for Gase in Chicago in 2015, his learning curve isn’t as steep as it would have been going into an unfamiliar system, but it’s still fair to question where the comfort level might be between him and the offensive line considering their relatively short amount of time together. In 15 games in 2015, Cutler was sacked 29 times, and last season, after Gase left for Miami, he was sacked 17 times in just five games.

http://www.espn.com/blog/miami-dolp...ins-wary-of-chargers-relentless-pass-rush-duo
 
I get the impression that Tunsil was trying to stay healthy in the preseason moreso than failing to block well. I'm expecting his A game. What I'm looking for isn't a zero in the sack column, but rather a 3 or less in the total pressures column. We can live with sacks, but too many pressures may make Cutler press, and that could lead to a downward spiral of INT's which would be crippling. I think James will have his hands full with Bosa.

It will be interesting to see how this game evolves by quarter. In quarters 1 and 2 I suspect we will have an edge because they are on tape and we are not. Cutler changes how this offense operates. Then I'm curious whether we save a couple wrinkles for the 2nd half. By the late 3rd quarter, we may see their pass rush tire, and if we have been able to establish the J-Train, we should be facing a softer defense.

But, our defense is in flux. The first quarter may highlight miscommunication and blown assignments. Show we hold up vs. their running game will be critical, and it scares me. I'm looking for Reshad Jones to be in the box more to help minimize this and get us off the field on 3rd down. I'm sure Rivers knows this too, and is salivating about going deep. Maxwell is terrible defending slants, so I'm expecting a healthy dose of those, but with decent INT potential for our safeties and LB's.

Both offenses should do well. Whichever offense can not get it together, will lose.
 
Depending on which source you prefer, we were either No 1 or top 5 in QB pressures last year. We had 2 fewer sacks than the Chargers.

We can bring the pressure from all over. Bosa and Ingram will have their moments, for sure, but i have faith in our oline to keep them limited.
 
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