- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 30,987
- Reaction score
- 1,249
Positives
* Won Turnover Differential 3-0.
* The offense scored points off of 2 of 3 turnovers for a total of ten points.
* Ryan Tannehill was awesome today. He finished with a 123.6 QB Rating. He was 25-32, 277 yards, 2 TD's and 0 interceptions. RT had 7.1 per attempt. Tannehill contributed with his legs as well with 48 yards on 6 carries. Tannehill was terrific for the entire game. For the First Half, RT was 14-15 for 176 yards, 11.7 per attempt and 2 TD's. His rating was an off the charts 155.1.
* Tannehill to Clay for TD. RT to Mike Wallace for a TD. Great red area throws.
* Charles Clay look spry for the first time this year. He was targeted often and produced. Clay dominated the Chicago LB's. He had 58 yards on 4 catches and 1 TD.
* Lamar Miller had 61 productive yards on 18 carries and 1 TD.
* The line provided great pass protection on the Wallace TD.
* 393 total yards for the offense.
* 137 yards rushing/4.2 per carry.
* Chicago scored a TD and had some momentum. The Miami offense answered with a 7:28 drive that end with a TD. A dominant response to Chicago's score.
* Miami's 4 Minute Drill to essentially finish the game. The Bears pulled within 10 with a handful of minutes to go. Miami's offense kept its composure, kept the clock running, churned out first downs and got the ball to the two that finished with a Caleb Sturgis FG.
* The defense only gave up 224 yards.
* The defense kept the Bears to 5 of 12 on 3rd down.
* The defense held Brandon Marshall to 48 yards on 6 catches, Alshon Jeffery to 9 yards on 2 catches and held Matt Forte to 49 yards on 12 carries.
* Cam Wake had a trifecta…sack, strip and a recovery. Huge momentum, game changing play.
* Cortland Finnegan was absolutely outstanding. He had four tackles with all four being solo tackles. Finnegan also had four PD's. Two PD's that stand out was one, he was deep with Jeffery that he turned and knocked the ball down. Another, he came on a blitz and elevated to swat a Jay Cutler pass down. Finnegan forced a fumble that was recovered by Randy Starks. Finally, he was living in the head of Marshall. Simply a great day for a guy that had tough week.
* Credit to Brent Grimes for "playing large" today.
* Michael Thomas held up as the nickel playing ahead of Will Davis and Jamar Taylor.
* Reshad Jones had an interception and had a long return to put Miami's offense in business. He also led the team with 7 total tackles with all 7 solo.
* Louis Delmas 3 total tackles/3 of the solo variety, 1 sack, 1 QB hit and TFL. Very active day for the safety.
* Derrick Shelby sack.
* Won Time of Possession 37:22 to 22:38.
* Props to the two coordinators. First Bill Lazor was in a play calling grove. He started early with great design and dictated match ups all afternoon long. He kept the Bears guessing and ate Mel Tucker's lunch. Kevin Coyle had a brutal finish vs. Green Bay. Chicago had some some of the tough match ups to deal with on the outside and many figured the defense would struggle. That was not the case. Coyle had his group turn the page from last week and played a dynamite game.
* Brilliant idea for Joe Philbin to challenge the spot in 3rd quarter. It was close, but looked liked at first view he was short. Philbin called for a challenge thinking maybe he could get the 1st down with the review all the while the offense was planning on what play to run. The review came back short, but Philbin went for it anyway. Lazor called a perfect read option in which Tannehill ran for 30 yards. Great coaching.
* Philbin, the coaches and the leaders on this roster had the team ready to play today. It is especially impressive after last week's brutal finish.
Negatives
* Four sacks given up. Two of them Tannehill held on to the ball too long. One, Mike Pouncey was beaten and another was on Branden Albert. One sack pushed a FG attempt back to a 50 yarder that was promptly missed. Another sack pushed the team out of FG range near the end of the 1st Half.
* The offense was 3 of 6 in the Red Zone.
* The offense went 4 for 11 on 3rd down.
* There were some killer penalties. First, Hartline PI on Miller screen that went for big yards. There was also a, holding call (there were two penalized players) on a Miller TD run at the end of the game.
* RT could have run the ball in on the next last drive of the game. He forced the ball to Clay that went incomplete. It looked like RT could have ran the ball in.
* While the 4 Minute Drill did its job by soaking the clock. A few runners went out of bounds when the obvious prudent move was staying in and hence running the clock.
* The defense allowed 2 TD's on 3 Chicago trips inside the red area.
* Sturgis missed from 50 and had a chip shot FG blocked. The second miss breathed some life into the Bears.
* Brandon Fields punt that went just 34 yards.
* Equipment manager Joe Cimino must do more to help players with their choice of cleats. Too many slipping players the last two weeks.
* Philbin punting with 5 seconds left in the half from inside Bears territory. I would argue there is more to lose by punting then tossing a Hail Mary. In fact, more positives can come of throwing it up in terms of a TD or a PI.
Overall Assessment
* What a great response after the brutal Green Bay game last week. The win shows a few things. One, the team is mentally tough. It would have been easy to see a hangover from last week, but we certainly did not. The team turned the page and put in a complete game for all four quarters. Secondly, it shows that Joe Philbin and his staff still have the attention and respect of the team. The coaches have been ripped by some players (on and off the record) and media types. Yet, Phlbin and his staff stood above the noise. Thirdly, this game had such a feel to me as last year's game in Foxboro. Miami on the road, dominates the first half, but were "only" up 14. Yet, this time when some adversity hit, the offense followed with long drives and the defense created turnovers. This game might show that Miami is a tougher team than the past and maybe learned something from the Packers game.
* Joe Philbin and the players were right that a "great week of practices" yielded to a strong performance on Sunday.
* The team played a strong 4 quarters for the first time this year.
* Miami persevered against some tough, tough match ups versus the Bears.
* I agree with Trent Green that it was good to see other players come to the defense of Finnegan when Marshall pushed him. They showed some unity.
* I was totally confident that Cortland Finnegan would be fine after last week. He is a true professional that understands the game. He bounced back in a big way.
* Jamar Taylor and Will Davis are simply bit players. It is obvious the staff has little faith in them as Michael Thomas got the call as the nickel today. Taylor looked out of place when he filled in for Grimes late in the game. Davis does not sniff the field anymore. These players will be needed as the season goes on and it is vital they stay positive and develop. Dennis Hickey must continue to churn his roster to find a "diamond in the ruff" that can contribute.
* Caleb Sturgis is unreliable.
* I still think the team is going to be better off moving Pouncey to C. Pouncey got smoked on an early sack and had a false start penalty. I will keep arguing about putting your best players in the positions they play best.
* How disinterested did Jay Cutler look when they had a puncher's chance near the end of the game? Awful body language.
* I am shocked that Brandon Marshall came up so small. He was owned by Finnegan and Grimes. However, Marshall started to sulk when things did not go his way (where have I seen that before). He started pushing Finnegan when the game was over (where have I seen that before). Reports state that he went off in the locker room because he was frustrated. I agree with sentiment that trade of Marshall was right, but the drafting thereafter was awful. I do not miss him on this team.
* It was great to not have an ex-player come back and haunt our team. Many of us have scars from the past from former players having career days against their old team. Today, Miami was up for the challenge and won the battle against their ex-mate.
* Won Turnover Differential 3-0.
* The offense scored points off of 2 of 3 turnovers for a total of ten points.
* Ryan Tannehill was awesome today. He finished with a 123.6 QB Rating. He was 25-32, 277 yards, 2 TD's and 0 interceptions. RT had 7.1 per attempt. Tannehill contributed with his legs as well with 48 yards on 6 carries. Tannehill was terrific for the entire game. For the First Half, RT was 14-15 for 176 yards, 11.7 per attempt and 2 TD's. His rating was an off the charts 155.1.
* Tannehill to Clay for TD. RT to Mike Wallace for a TD. Great red area throws.
* Charles Clay look spry for the first time this year. He was targeted often and produced. Clay dominated the Chicago LB's. He had 58 yards on 4 catches and 1 TD.
* Lamar Miller had 61 productive yards on 18 carries and 1 TD.
* The line provided great pass protection on the Wallace TD.
* 393 total yards for the offense.
* 137 yards rushing/4.2 per carry.
* Chicago scored a TD and had some momentum. The Miami offense answered with a 7:28 drive that end with a TD. A dominant response to Chicago's score.
* Miami's 4 Minute Drill to essentially finish the game. The Bears pulled within 10 with a handful of minutes to go. Miami's offense kept its composure, kept the clock running, churned out first downs and got the ball to the two that finished with a Caleb Sturgis FG.
* The defense only gave up 224 yards.
* The defense kept the Bears to 5 of 12 on 3rd down.
* The defense held Brandon Marshall to 48 yards on 6 catches, Alshon Jeffery to 9 yards on 2 catches and held Matt Forte to 49 yards on 12 carries.
* Cam Wake had a trifecta…sack, strip and a recovery. Huge momentum, game changing play.
* Cortland Finnegan was absolutely outstanding. He had four tackles with all four being solo tackles. Finnegan also had four PD's. Two PD's that stand out was one, he was deep with Jeffery that he turned and knocked the ball down. Another, he came on a blitz and elevated to swat a Jay Cutler pass down. Finnegan forced a fumble that was recovered by Randy Starks. Finally, he was living in the head of Marshall. Simply a great day for a guy that had tough week.
* Credit to Brent Grimes for "playing large" today.
* Michael Thomas held up as the nickel playing ahead of Will Davis and Jamar Taylor.
* Reshad Jones had an interception and had a long return to put Miami's offense in business. He also led the team with 7 total tackles with all 7 solo.
* Louis Delmas 3 total tackles/3 of the solo variety, 1 sack, 1 QB hit and TFL. Very active day for the safety.
* Derrick Shelby sack.
* Won Time of Possession 37:22 to 22:38.
* Props to the two coordinators. First Bill Lazor was in a play calling grove. He started early with great design and dictated match ups all afternoon long. He kept the Bears guessing and ate Mel Tucker's lunch. Kevin Coyle had a brutal finish vs. Green Bay. Chicago had some some of the tough match ups to deal with on the outside and many figured the defense would struggle. That was not the case. Coyle had his group turn the page from last week and played a dynamite game.
* Brilliant idea for Joe Philbin to challenge the spot in 3rd quarter. It was close, but looked liked at first view he was short. Philbin called for a challenge thinking maybe he could get the 1st down with the review all the while the offense was planning on what play to run. The review came back short, but Philbin went for it anyway. Lazor called a perfect read option in which Tannehill ran for 30 yards. Great coaching.
* Philbin, the coaches and the leaders on this roster had the team ready to play today. It is especially impressive after last week's brutal finish.
Negatives
* Four sacks given up. Two of them Tannehill held on to the ball too long. One, Mike Pouncey was beaten and another was on Branden Albert. One sack pushed a FG attempt back to a 50 yarder that was promptly missed. Another sack pushed the team out of FG range near the end of the 1st Half.
* The offense was 3 of 6 in the Red Zone.
* The offense went 4 for 11 on 3rd down.
* There were some killer penalties. First, Hartline PI on Miller screen that went for big yards. There was also a, holding call (there were two penalized players) on a Miller TD run at the end of the game.
* RT could have run the ball in on the next last drive of the game. He forced the ball to Clay that went incomplete. It looked like RT could have ran the ball in.
* While the 4 Minute Drill did its job by soaking the clock. A few runners went out of bounds when the obvious prudent move was staying in and hence running the clock.
* The defense allowed 2 TD's on 3 Chicago trips inside the red area.
* Sturgis missed from 50 and had a chip shot FG blocked. The second miss breathed some life into the Bears.
* Brandon Fields punt that went just 34 yards.
* Equipment manager Joe Cimino must do more to help players with their choice of cleats. Too many slipping players the last two weeks.
* Philbin punting with 5 seconds left in the half from inside Bears territory. I would argue there is more to lose by punting then tossing a Hail Mary. In fact, more positives can come of throwing it up in terms of a TD or a PI.
Overall Assessment
* What a great response after the brutal Green Bay game last week. The win shows a few things. One, the team is mentally tough. It would have been easy to see a hangover from last week, but we certainly did not. The team turned the page and put in a complete game for all four quarters. Secondly, it shows that Joe Philbin and his staff still have the attention and respect of the team. The coaches have been ripped by some players (on and off the record) and media types. Yet, Phlbin and his staff stood above the noise. Thirdly, this game had such a feel to me as last year's game in Foxboro. Miami on the road, dominates the first half, but were "only" up 14. Yet, this time when some adversity hit, the offense followed with long drives and the defense created turnovers. This game might show that Miami is a tougher team than the past and maybe learned something from the Packers game.
* Joe Philbin and the players were right that a "great week of practices" yielded to a strong performance on Sunday.
* The team played a strong 4 quarters for the first time this year.
* Miami persevered against some tough, tough match ups versus the Bears.
* I agree with Trent Green that it was good to see other players come to the defense of Finnegan when Marshall pushed him. They showed some unity.
* I was totally confident that Cortland Finnegan would be fine after last week. He is a true professional that understands the game. He bounced back in a big way.
* Jamar Taylor and Will Davis are simply bit players. It is obvious the staff has little faith in them as Michael Thomas got the call as the nickel today. Taylor looked out of place when he filled in for Grimes late in the game. Davis does not sniff the field anymore. These players will be needed as the season goes on and it is vital they stay positive and develop. Dennis Hickey must continue to churn his roster to find a "diamond in the ruff" that can contribute.
* Caleb Sturgis is unreliable.
* I still think the team is going to be better off moving Pouncey to C. Pouncey got smoked on an early sack and had a false start penalty. I will keep arguing about putting your best players in the positions they play best.
* How disinterested did Jay Cutler look when they had a puncher's chance near the end of the game? Awful body language.
* I am shocked that Brandon Marshall came up so small. He was owned by Finnegan and Grimes. However, Marshall started to sulk when things did not go his way (where have I seen that before). He started pushing Finnegan when the game was over (where have I seen that before). Reports state that he went off in the locker room because he was frustrated. I agree with sentiment that trade of Marshall was right, but the drafting thereafter was awful. I do not miss him on this team.
* It was great to not have an ex-player come back and haunt our team. Many of us have scars from the past from former players having career days against their old team. Today, Miami was up for the challenge and won the battle against their ex-mate.
