- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 30,987
- Reaction score
- 1,249
Positives
* The team showed resiliency by coming back from a 10 point deficit in the 2nd Half by winning 33-20. They had 23 unanswered points and out gained the Patriots 223 to 67 yards in the second half.
* The running game was dominant. 191 yards, 5.0 per rush. They were gaping holes. The Pats were pushed all over the field. The RB's ran hard.
* Knowshon Moreno was unbelievable. He provided the energy and production that the offense dearly needed. Moreno went for 134 yards on 24 carries and 1 TD. He wanted to fed the ball and did not disappoint on very hot and humid day in South Florida.
* The "4 minute drill" in the 4th quarter that put the team up 10 points, was a thing of beauty. The team controlled the ball on the ground. Tannehill kept the team in the right play and worked the play clock. Clutch throws and catches were made for first downs. Most of all, the time consuming drive ended with a TD.
* The offensive line play was tremendous. 191 yards rushing and just one sack. Outstanding. The tackles kept the Pats edge rushers at bay. The entire linemen held their own and Samson Satele seemed to keep the line in the right protections consistently. Add into the mix that the RB's picked up the blitzes well and Tannehill got rid of the ball quickly, the pass protection was superb today.
* Ryan Tannehill got the ball out quick and made some smart decisions in the 2nd half throwing the ball away.
* Mike Wallace's TD catch in which he stayed with after not catching it cleanly. The catch came against Darrell Revis.
* Charles Clay, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson did not have huge numbers, but all had important, tough, physical catches to move the sticks.
* The offense was 7-13 on 3rd down.
* Cameron Wake was a beast. He had two sacks and two forced fumbles. His first strip sack snatched momentum for his team. You could feel the energy change.
* Olivier Vernon had a sack and a pressure.
* Chris McCain had a sack and showed quickness that without question he can contribute early as a professional.
* Overall, the pass rush got 4 sacks of Tom Brady. Most of the time with a 4 man rush. That allowed more help in coverage and took away passing lanes.
* Randy Starks and Earl Mitchell blew up the entire of the Pats line.
* Jelani Jenkins was solid coming off the bench. He had 6 TOT, 5 of which were solo. He also showed well in coverage.
* Jimmy Wilson filled in well at Safety. He had 7 TOT and 4 Solo Tackles. He showed toughness by returning from a cheap shot by a Patriots receiver.
* The defense was 5-17 on 3rd down. In the second half, the defense regularly got off the field.
* The D showed some mental toughness by allowing just 10 points off of 3 first half turnovers. Plus, the defense got off the field twice in the 4th quarter and gave the ball back to the offense. The offense proceeded to go 3 and out each of those two possessions…yet, the defense got another stop in which the offense cashed in for a TD.
* McCain had a blocked punt to kick start the scoring for the Dolphins.
* Caleb Sturgis seemed healed as made all his field goal attempts and banged a few kickoffs for touchbacks.
* Won the time of possession 30:27 to 29:33.
* Only 4 penalties for 26 yards.
* Joe Philbin and his staff dominated the Pats Coaches in the 2nd Half.
* Philbin used a timeout late in the game on a dead ball to give his defense a quick blow in the closing moments.
* The offensive design was a pleasure to watch. Spreading the field, the motion, the formations, the commitment to the run, getting the ball out quick and overall aggressive play calling, Bill Lazor was excellent today.
* I loved how Lazor also got physical and showed trust in his new line in short yardage situations.
* I loved the fact that Lazor attacked Revis. All everyone heard was how Revis "took one side of the field away from opponents". Lazor was having none of it and attacked Revis with his most dynamic receiver.
* Kevin Coyle used some different looks on defense as the game progressed.
* What tremendous coaching jobs by LB Coach Mark Duffner and OL Coach John Benton. First, Duffner's starters, that he worked with all offseason, went down this week…two of which happened in the first quarter. Duffner, however, had back ups Jason Trusnik, Jenkins, Jonathan Freeny and McCain ready to play. Benton had five new starters coming into this game. The team had a revolving door at Center and RG at times in training camp. However, in game one, Benton's charges ran for close to 200 yards and yielded just one sack. Tip of the cap to the assistant coaches.
* 33 Points.
Negatives
* Mike Wallace fumble
* Tannehill tossed an awful interception toward Wallace. A better thrown ball probably would have led to six, but it was not even close.
* Lamar Miller's fumble.
* Minus 1 Turnover Differential.
* Tannehill had some location issues especially early in the game.
* A tipped ball in the end zone went up in the air and Wallace gave up on the play. The ball dropped just out of his reach.
* The misconnection between RT and Wallace, in which Wallace got behind Revis, but the throw took him too close to the sideline and was not adept enough to get both feet in bounds.
* Dion Sims dropped a perfectly thrown ball that would have gone for six.
* Ja'wuan James' holding call that took a TD away from Lamar Miller and the team had to settle for 3 points.
* Jarvis Landry did not come up to fair catch a punt. By letting it bounce, it lost close to 20 yards of field position.
* The head referee helping Brady up.
* The officials missed an obvious offensive PI on Brandon LaFell and another PI on Malcom Butler in which he close lined Brian Hartline. Two brutal misses by the officials.
* I was little taken aback that after a Patriots penalty near the end of the 1st half, Joe declined the penalty forcing a 4th down, but a closer FG. With 10 seconds left, I would have pushed the Pats back and re-do the 3rd down play.
Overall Assessment
* I guess the "downloading" of Marcus Thigpen and Don Jones did not matter much…nor the week of practices versus the Eagles this summer…nor leaving for South Florida a day early.
* The loss of Dante Scarnecchia might end up being one of the Patriots biggest departures in the Bill Belichick era. He was an excellent line coach.
* For one week, the Logan Mankins trade was a bust. We shall see what happens the next 15 games for the Pats.
* The New England Patriots are a dirty football team. Between late hits on the QB, peal back blocks, throwing forearms to ball carriers heads, the Pats acted like cheap shot artists today.
* It was tremendous to see teammates step up for each other when the Pats did their dirty hits. Courtland Finnegan, as example, hopped right up in the face of a Patriots receiver that illegally ear-holed Wilson. It was simply awesome to see players having each other's back.
* The resiliency that Miami showed today just might show this is a different team. Teams over the past few years might have gone on to get pasted after 3 first have TO's. Not today, the team kept grinding and end up winning by 13 points.
* 2nd half stat that I cannot get over: Miami had 223 yards to New England's 67…a lot of those 67 came on "garbage yards" late in the 4th.
* How good is Cam Wake? He is a leader. He is dominant. He is simply a pleasure to watch.
* Creating TO's is huge. When the Fins take the ball away, they can play with anyone.
* Props to Dennis Hickey today. His new Oline had a tremendous game. FA pickups Moreno, Mitchell, Finnegan and Delmas had nice games. It is obvious he found some LB depth along the way. Congrats Dennis on your first win as a GM.
* The heat and humidity IS a home field advantage for the Dolphins through the first part of the year.
* While the young LB's came through, depth is an obvious issue going into next week. A couple LB's that can pick up the system quick and help on special teams are needed ASAP. I am not expecting any of the anticipated starters being available for Buffalo.
* Limited QB talent coming the next three weeks.
* Vital to remember that it is just Week One and there is a ton more work to do.
CONGRATS ON THE WIN! IT WAS FUN!
* The team showed resiliency by coming back from a 10 point deficit in the 2nd Half by winning 33-20. They had 23 unanswered points and out gained the Patriots 223 to 67 yards in the second half.
* The running game was dominant. 191 yards, 5.0 per rush. They were gaping holes. The Pats were pushed all over the field. The RB's ran hard.
* Knowshon Moreno was unbelievable. He provided the energy and production that the offense dearly needed. Moreno went for 134 yards on 24 carries and 1 TD. He wanted to fed the ball and did not disappoint on very hot and humid day in South Florida.
* The "4 minute drill" in the 4th quarter that put the team up 10 points, was a thing of beauty. The team controlled the ball on the ground. Tannehill kept the team in the right play and worked the play clock. Clutch throws and catches were made for first downs. Most of all, the time consuming drive ended with a TD.
* The offensive line play was tremendous. 191 yards rushing and just one sack. Outstanding. The tackles kept the Pats edge rushers at bay. The entire linemen held their own and Samson Satele seemed to keep the line in the right protections consistently. Add into the mix that the RB's picked up the blitzes well and Tannehill got rid of the ball quickly, the pass protection was superb today.
* Ryan Tannehill got the ball out quick and made some smart decisions in the 2nd half throwing the ball away.
* Mike Wallace's TD catch in which he stayed with after not catching it cleanly. The catch came against Darrell Revis.
* Charles Clay, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson did not have huge numbers, but all had important, tough, physical catches to move the sticks.
* The offense was 7-13 on 3rd down.
* Cameron Wake was a beast. He had two sacks and two forced fumbles. His first strip sack snatched momentum for his team. You could feel the energy change.
* Olivier Vernon had a sack and a pressure.
* Chris McCain had a sack and showed quickness that without question he can contribute early as a professional.
* Overall, the pass rush got 4 sacks of Tom Brady. Most of the time with a 4 man rush. That allowed more help in coverage and took away passing lanes.
* Randy Starks and Earl Mitchell blew up the entire of the Pats line.
* Jelani Jenkins was solid coming off the bench. He had 6 TOT, 5 of which were solo. He also showed well in coverage.
* Jimmy Wilson filled in well at Safety. He had 7 TOT and 4 Solo Tackles. He showed toughness by returning from a cheap shot by a Patriots receiver.
* The defense was 5-17 on 3rd down. In the second half, the defense regularly got off the field.
* The D showed some mental toughness by allowing just 10 points off of 3 first half turnovers. Plus, the defense got off the field twice in the 4th quarter and gave the ball back to the offense. The offense proceeded to go 3 and out each of those two possessions…yet, the defense got another stop in which the offense cashed in for a TD.
* McCain had a blocked punt to kick start the scoring for the Dolphins.
* Caleb Sturgis seemed healed as made all his field goal attempts and banged a few kickoffs for touchbacks.
* Won the time of possession 30:27 to 29:33.
* Only 4 penalties for 26 yards.
* Joe Philbin and his staff dominated the Pats Coaches in the 2nd Half.
* Philbin used a timeout late in the game on a dead ball to give his defense a quick blow in the closing moments.
* The offensive design was a pleasure to watch. Spreading the field, the motion, the formations, the commitment to the run, getting the ball out quick and overall aggressive play calling, Bill Lazor was excellent today.
* I loved how Lazor also got physical and showed trust in his new line in short yardage situations.
* I loved the fact that Lazor attacked Revis. All everyone heard was how Revis "took one side of the field away from opponents". Lazor was having none of it and attacked Revis with his most dynamic receiver.
* Kevin Coyle used some different looks on defense as the game progressed.
* What tremendous coaching jobs by LB Coach Mark Duffner and OL Coach John Benton. First, Duffner's starters, that he worked with all offseason, went down this week…two of which happened in the first quarter. Duffner, however, had back ups Jason Trusnik, Jenkins, Jonathan Freeny and McCain ready to play. Benton had five new starters coming into this game. The team had a revolving door at Center and RG at times in training camp. However, in game one, Benton's charges ran for close to 200 yards and yielded just one sack. Tip of the cap to the assistant coaches.
* 33 Points.
Negatives
* Mike Wallace fumble
* Tannehill tossed an awful interception toward Wallace. A better thrown ball probably would have led to six, but it was not even close.
* Lamar Miller's fumble.
* Minus 1 Turnover Differential.
* Tannehill had some location issues especially early in the game.
* A tipped ball in the end zone went up in the air and Wallace gave up on the play. The ball dropped just out of his reach.
* The misconnection between RT and Wallace, in which Wallace got behind Revis, but the throw took him too close to the sideline and was not adept enough to get both feet in bounds.
* Dion Sims dropped a perfectly thrown ball that would have gone for six.
* Ja'wuan James' holding call that took a TD away from Lamar Miller and the team had to settle for 3 points.
* Jarvis Landry did not come up to fair catch a punt. By letting it bounce, it lost close to 20 yards of field position.
* The head referee helping Brady up.
* The officials missed an obvious offensive PI on Brandon LaFell and another PI on Malcom Butler in which he close lined Brian Hartline. Two brutal misses by the officials.
* I was little taken aback that after a Patriots penalty near the end of the 1st half, Joe declined the penalty forcing a 4th down, but a closer FG. With 10 seconds left, I would have pushed the Pats back and re-do the 3rd down play.
Overall Assessment
* I guess the "downloading" of Marcus Thigpen and Don Jones did not matter much…nor the week of practices versus the Eagles this summer…nor leaving for South Florida a day early.
* The loss of Dante Scarnecchia might end up being one of the Patriots biggest departures in the Bill Belichick era. He was an excellent line coach.
* For one week, the Logan Mankins trade was a bust. We shall see what happens the next 15 games for the Pats.
* The New England Patriots are a dirty football team. Between late hits on the QB, peal back blocks, throwing forearms to ball carriers heads, the Pats acted like cheap shot artists today.
* It was tremendous to see teammates step up for each other when the Pats did their dirty hits. Courtland Finnegan, as example, hopped right up in the face of a Patriots receiver that illegally ear-holed Wilson. It was simply awesome to see players having each other's back.
* The resiliency that Miami showed today just might show this is a different team. Teams over the past few years might have gone on to get pasted after 3 first have TO's. Not today, the team kept grinding and end up winning by 13 points.
* 2nd half stat that I cannot get over: Miami had 223 yards to New England's 67…a lot of those 67 came on "garbage yards" late in the 4th.
* How good is Cam Wake? He is a leader. He is dominant. He is simply a pleasure to watch.
* Creating TO's is huge. When the Fins take the ball away, they can play with anyone.
* Props to Dennis Hickey today. His new Oline had a tremendous game. FA pickups Moreno, Mitchell, Finnegan and Delmas had nice games. It is obvious he found some LB depth along the way. Congrats Dennis on your first win as a GM.
* The heat and humidity IS a home field advantage for the Dolphins through the first part of the year.
* While the young LB's came through, depth is an obvious issue going into next week. A couple LB's that can pick up the system quick and help on special teams are needed ASAP. I am not expecting any of the anticipated starters being available for Buffalo.
* Limited QB talent coming the next three weeks.
* Vital to remember that it is just Week One and there is a ton more work to do.
CONGRATS ON THE WIN! IT WAS FUN!
