- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 30,987
- Reaction score
- 1,249
Positives
* Ryan Tannehill was sharp tonight. He got the ball out quick and was accurate. His ball handling slowed down the Bucs pass rush.
* Brandon Gibson was consistently available to his QB. Gibson moved the sticks on his two catches.
* Lamar Miller was effective as a receiver. He has improved by great lengths in this area since his rookie year.
* Matt Moore was in command tonight. He was accurate and consistently led the team to points. The highlight of the night was his 2 minute drill in which he led the team to a TD. The drive went 71 yards and took 1:33.
* Rishard Matthews made a pretty grab on Moore's TD pass. He had 3 catches for 43 yards.
* Damian Williams had a nice night. He ran strong routes and plucked the ball out of the air. He finished with 3 catches for 46 yards.
* RB Damien Williams ran hard. He scored a TD. He slashed and finished his runs falling forward.
* The pass coverage with the #1's was good. Outside of the Mike Evans long gain, the coverage was fairly tight early on.
* While the #1 defense had some uneven results, the #2 and #3 defenses dominated. On the night, Miami held the Bucs to 2 of 13 (15%) on 3rd down and had 5 sacks.
* Brent Grimes made the play of the night. He hustled down the field and poked the ball loose from Mike Evans. The ball went out of the end zone and turned the Bucs over. It seemed to take any momentum from the Bucs.
* Derrick Shelby showed an explosive burst on a sack (that was nullified by a penalty).
* Dion Jordan pushed the LT back toward the QB and forced a fumble in which Terrence Fede recovered.
* Fede also had a sack on the night.
* Walt Aikens showed a nice form tackle. He wrapped up the defender and drove him to the ground.
* The punt coverage unit was outstanding. Brandon Fields boomed punts and the coverage did not give much room for the Buc's punt returners.
* Kicker John Potter made the most of his opportunities. He banged a long of 51 yards.
* Bill Lazor's play calling was diverse. He gave multiple looks and his group moved the ball all night. He was also able to get multiple receivers involved.
* Joe Philbin managed a great game tonight in terms of playing time. He got RT and Branden Albert out a perfect time. At the same time, he made the #1 defense play deep into the second quarter after they demonstrated uneven play. It was obvious the defense needed additional work. Philbin and his staff also worked in some of the young kids with the #1's to see how they faired. Great job in terms of management by the head coach tonight.
Negatives
* Dallas Thomas. Thomas had an awful night. Yes, he was playing against emerging star Gerald McCoy. However, Thomas put up no fight. He was whipped in pass pro and constantly was beaten to the edge when pulling. He also had a false start penalty.
* Tannehill's fumble. He was pressured from the gap between Samson Satele and Dallas Thomas. The pressure was quick and the ball was swatted from the QB. It led to a Bucs' TD.
* Mike Wallace was uninspiring. He looked lost on a fairly well thrown deep ball from Tannehill in the 1st quarter. He also dropped a bubble screen that hit him directly in the chest.
* The running game was completely nonexistent. While Tampa has an excellent run defense, Miami had nothing to speak of in terms of running the ball.
* Daryn Colledge was very weak as a run blocker.
* Ju'wuan James had a holding penalty.
* The run defense was leaky early.
* Missed tackles by the safeties. Louis Delmas missed two tackles that would have gone for losses. The most alarming missed tackle was by Jimmy Wilson. He went for the "boom" on Evans and simply bounced off. Evans was a few feet from a TD until the great play by Grimes.
* It was disappointing after the RT fumble that the defense did not respond better after the sudden change of possession.
* Dannell Ellerbe had an illegal contact penalty that wiped away a Derrick Shelby sack.
Overall Assessment
* I have never been a Dallas Thomas guy. I think he was a reach in the 3rd round in 2013. I never saw development last year. Still today, I think he is limited. The team should try Shelley Smith or Billy Turner at RG. Turner might be green and it would give the team a rookie right side of the line. However, Turner has a much higher upside than Thomas and does nice work in the run game. I am convinced that Turner will get better as the year goes. I do not have that same feeling with Thomas...in fact, I think Thomas gets exposed even more as he gets on film. Maybe Smith is a "happy medium". Whatever the case, Thomas needs to go to the bench starting Monday.
* I am not convinced Colledge is the best option at LG. He is a better pass blocker than Smith. However, Smith is the better run blocker. Perhaps the veteran is the best option for stability. However, Colledge needs to improve.
* I am still a bit worried that neither opponent has blitzed much. Just how will the Dolphins pick up the pressure? I am not so sure the Cowboys have a threatening defense to bring pressure from multiple looks and of course, preseason game #4 does not have much in the way of #1's playing.
* Developing the run game is going to be so vital. Ryan Tannehill is outstanding throwing off of play action and he has great ball handling skills. The offense can take the next step or two with a credible running game. First, a running game can keep the defense on their heels. However, it will also set up reads off of the run game and play action. The key though is to get the running game moving. There has been little sign of getting any consistent movement in the first two games. An effective running game is necessary for Miami to make any noise this season.
* Brandon Gibson needs to stick. I have read some speculation in the local papers that he could get released. I understand the team has similar receivers to him and Gibson costs more. However, he is reliable target and catches everything. He needs to be on this team.
* Am I wrong to like the offense better without Mike Wallace? Wallace does draw attention from defenses. However, I think the other receivers go where they are supposed to be and there is underlying pressure to get the ball to Wallace to "justify" his presence and his contract. Wallace needs simply needs to step up his game.
* Matt Moore is the team's back up QB. Yes, he makes a lot of money. However, he is solid. He is professional. He is a great teammate. He can win. Miami should keep two QB's and stash a young pup on the practice squad.
* I am uneasy about the starting defense. The D-line is solid. However, I do not trust the LB's at all and the moving parts of the secondary since Jones's suspension is worrisome. The run defense has not been stout. There have been way too many missed tackles. Too many 3rd down conversions have been yielded. Outside of the Grimes forced fumble, the #1's have not been close to a turnover. The pass rush has been okay, but not great. Hopefully, when the "lights come on" for the regular season, we will see better. They will be challenged next Saturday night with Dallas coming to town. With that said, I am very, very uneasy about this defense.
* Fede not only makes the 53 man roster, he could be active Week One. The former Red Fox has been a pleasant surprise.
* Jarvis Landry will be the team's kick and punt returner.
* How did Miami lose to Tampa last year? What a huge loss in retrospect.
* Ryan Tannehill was sharp tonight. He got the ball out quick and was accurate. His ball handling slowed down the Bucs pass rush.
* Brandon Gibson was consistently available to his QB. Gibson moved the sticks on his two catches.
* Lamar Miller was effective as a receiver. He has improved by great lengths in this area since his rookie year.
* Matt Moore was in command tonight. He was accurate and consistently led the team to points. The highlight of the night was his 2 minute drill in which he led the team to a TD. The drive went 71 yards and took 1:33.
* Rishard Matthews made a pretty grab on Moore's TD pass. He had 3 catches for 43 yards.
* Damian Williams had a nice night. He ran strong routes and plucked the ball out of the air. He finished with 3 catches for 46 yards.
* RB Damien Williams ran hard. He scored a TD. He slashed and finished his runs falling forward.
* The pass coverage with the #1's was good. Outside of the Mike Evans long gain, the coverage was fairly tight early on.
* While the #1 defense had some uneven results, the #2 and #3 defenses dominated. On the night, Miami held the Bucs to 2 of 13 (15%) on 3rd down and had 5 sacks.
* Brent Grimes made the play of the night. He hustled down the field and poked the ball loose from Mike Evans. The ball went out of the end zone and turned the Bucs over. It seemed to take any momentum from the Bucs.
* Derrick Shelby showed an explosive burst on a sack (that was nullified by a penalty).
* Dion Jordan pushed the LT back toward the QB and forced a fumble in which Terrence Fede recovered.
* Fede also had a sack on the night.
* Walt Aikens showed a nice form tackle. He wrapped up the defender and drove him to the ground.
* The punt coverage unit was outstanding. Brandon Fields boomed punts and the coverage did not give much room for the Buc's punt returners.
* Kicker John Potter made the most of his opportunities. He banged a long of 51 yards.
* Bill Lazor's play calling was diverse. He gave multiple looks and his group moved the ball all night. He was also able to get multiple receivers involved.
* Joe Philbin managed a great game tonight in terms of playing time. He got RT and Branden Albert out a perfect time. At the same time, he made the #1 defense play deep into the second quarter after they demonstrated uneven play. It was obvious the defense needed additional work. Philbin and his staff also worked in some of the young kids with the #1's to see how they faired. Great job in terms of management by the head coach tonight.
Negatives
* Dallas Thomas. Thomas had an awful night. Yes, he was playing against emerging star Gerald McCoy. However, Thomas put up no fight. He was whipped in pass pro and constantly was beaten to the edge when pulling. He also had a false start penalty.
* Tannehill's fumble. He was pressured from the gap between Samson Satele and Dallas Thomas. The pressure was quick and the ball was swatted from the QB. It led to a Bucs' TD.
* Mike Wallace was uninspiring. He looked lost on a fairly well thrown deep ball from Tannehill in the 1st quarter. He also dropped a bubble screen that hit him directly in the chest.
* The running game was completely nonexistent. While Tampa has an excellent run defense, Miami had nothing to speak of in terms of running the ball.
* Daryn Colledge was very weak as a run blocker.
* Ju'wuan James had a holding penalty.
* The run defense was leaky early.
* Missed tackles by the safeties. Louis Delmas missed two tackles that would have gone for losses. The most alarming missed tackle was by Jimmy Wilson. He went for the "boom" on Evans and simply bounced off. Evans was a few feet from a TD until the great play by Grimes.
* It was disappointing after the RT fumble that the defense did not respond better after the sudden change of possession.
* Dannell Ellerbe had an illegal contact penalty that wiped away a Derrick Shelby sack.
Overall Assessment
* I have never been a Dallas Thomas guy. I think he was a reach in the 3rd round in 2013. I never saw development last year. Still today, I think he is limited. The team should try Shelley Smith or Billy Turner at RG. Turner might be green and it would give the team a rookie right side of the line. However, Turner has a much higher upside than Thomas and does nice work in the run game. I am convinced that Turner will get better as the year goes. I do not have that same feeling with Thomas...in fact, I think Thomas gets exposed even more as he gets on film. Maybe Smith is a "happy medium". Whatever the case, Thomas needs to go to the bench starting Monday.
* I am not convinced Colledge is the best option at LG. He is a better pass blocker than Smith. However, Smith is the better run blocker. Perhaps the veteran is the best option for stability. However, Colledge needs to improve.
* I am still a bit worried that neither opponent has blitzed much. Just how will the Dolphins pick up the pressure? I am not so sure the Cowboys have a threatening defense to bring pressure from multiple looks and of course, preseason game #4 does not have much in the way of #1's playing.
* Developing the run game is going to be so vital. Ryan Tannehill is outstanding throwing off of play action and he has great ball handling skills. The offense can take the next step or two with a credible running game. First, a running game can keep the defense on their heels. However, it will also set up reads off of the run game and play action. The key though is to get the running game moving. There has been little sign of getting any consistent movement in the first two games. An effective running game is necessary for Miami to make any noise this season.
* Brandon Gibson needs to stick. I have read some speculation in the local papers that he could get released. I understand the team has similar receivers to him and Gibson costs more. However, he is reliable target and catches everything. He needs to be on this team.
* Am I wrong to like the offense better without Mike Wallace? Wallace does draw attention from defenses. However, I think the other receivers go where they are supposed to be and there is underlying pressure to get the ball to Wallace to "justify" his presence and his contract. Wallace needs simply needs to step up his game.
* Matt Moore is the team's back up QB. Yes, he makes a lot of money. However, he is solid. He is professional. He is a great teammate. He can win. Miami should keep two QB's and stash a young pup on the practice squad.
* I am uneasy about the starting defense. The D-line is solid. However, I do not trust the LB's at all and the moving parts of the secondary since Jones's suspension is worrisome. The run defense has not been stout. There have been way too many missed tackles. Too many 3rd down conversions have been yielded. Outside of the Grimes forced fumble, the #1's have not been close to a turnover. The pass rush has been okay, but not great. Hopefully, when the "lights come on" for the regular season, we will see better. They will be challenged next Saturday night with Dallas coming to town. With that said, I am very, very uneasy about this defense.
* Fede not only makes the 53 man roster, he could be active Week One. The former Red Fox has been a pleasant surprise.
* Jarvis Landry will be the team's kick and punt returner.
* How did Miami lose to Tampa last year? What a huge loss in retrospect.
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