Miami Dolphins #1 in rushing yards per carry

[MarinoEqualsGod]

Miami #1 not making the playoffs every year too.

Buffalo says hello.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

While ypc is a useful stat, I think.it is also wise to consider the percentage of runs that go for over 4.0 yards. Throw out garbage time stats and stats against bad defenses, so that is most of the Titans and Texans runs.

If you can consistently get 4.0 yards a cary, you can be a successful running team. If not, they you will always have an offense that stutters and punts a lot.

Miller is a home run hitting back, but I have been increasingly impressed with his effort to make yards after contact, especially under Campbell. But if the OL cannot open the hole and the RB follow his blocks, the 4.0 yard consistency simply fails. One big run helps the ypc stat, but it doesn't really change the need for consistent down after down production needed for a running team to be successful.

We simply are not built across the OL to be a running team. Thomas is garbage, James is powder puff, Douglas is a rookie so ill give him time, but Turner is beyond raw.

We have no Marshall Yana types. We have no Zack Martin types. Our guys are pathetically bad at technique. We are not going to consistently generate leverage and power. Moving people simply isn't our strength.

..... And IMHO, that is what needs to change.

I agree with your theme. We've taken the zone blocking scheme angle way too far. I warned about that many times. There is nothing more overrated than so-called "system fits." I want to laugh every time I read that term, let alone see it touted. For one thing, there are only so many talented players available at each position every time your turn shows up at the draft table. If you brainstorm to reject a significant percentage of them due to supposedly not fitting your system, then you are shrinking the margin for error, not boosting it. You are forcing yourself to be correct a higher percentage than is logical, or than you otherwise would own. The idea should always be to steal a few percent here and there, not forfeit the same.

Teams like Seattle look for metric system fits based on position and the ideal athleticism required for that position. That's entirely different than saying this guy is a mauler who can't pull so we don't want him. Every time I see a true widebody guard who we passed on, I get sick.

James indeed looks like a powder puff. That's perhaps the biggest disappointment. He looked so refined in pass blocking when he entered the league last year compared to his peers, but it's worn off now that his run blocking is more in focus, along with his lack of natural bulk and power.

Virtually every team has a tough guy guard, even if languishing on the bench since he's not considered nimble enough. Somehow the Dolphins avoid that type completely. Ridiculous. I remember the days when the entire fan base knew darn well that Ed Newman was very good, but merely stuck behind Keuchenberg and Little.

 

[So Be]

Miller's starts look to be around the same as last year. Last year- 216 for 1099 yds, 5.1 avg, 9 carries over 20, 8 TD's and 69 yards per game.

This year, 79 for 434 yds, 5,5 avg, 4 carries over 20, 3 TD's, and 62 yards per game.

 

[miamiron]

Second to last if we want to be accurate. .

The Dolphins have the lowest amount of rushing attempts in the NFL with 145

 

[gofins60]

We simply are not built across the OL to be a running team. Thomas is garbage, James is powder puff, Douglas is a rookie so ill give him time, but Turner is beyond raw.

We have no Marshall Yana types. We have no Zack Martin types. Our guys are pathetically bad at technique. We are not going to consistently generate leverage and power. Moving people simply isn't our strength.

..... And IMHO, that is what needs to change.

You can thank Philbin for that because he wanted the opposite of a physical o-line that could run the ball down an opponent's throat. IMO everything Philbin did to this team was negative, and now 4 years have been wasted. Four years for nothing, plus however long it will take to acquire real talent for the o-line and all of the holes created by Philbin. Whoever takes over next season will have a lot of work to do!

 

[roy_miami]

This goes inline with what Lazor said about interceptions in his presser today (paraphrasing): if you don't have any interceptions then you probably aren't taking enough chances.

Likewise if you are leading the league in rushing yards per attempt then you probably aren't running enough.