Miami Dolphins coaching staff making right moves

[DKphin]

• Inserting Cam Wake and Andre Branch as the starting defensive ends the past two games. Dolphins coaches determined that Wake simply needed to play more after two games with fewer than 20 snaps.

“The energy Cam and Andre brought, that has been the biggest difference [in the defense the past two games],” Joseph said.
“I think having Cam out there full time, Andre playing more snaps – that has helped. That has been different for us as far as the ends having more energy out there.
“Cam, he has come a long way. The first three weeks, he wasn’t Cam. Now he’s back to being Cam. If he’s one on one with most tackles, he’s going to win a majority of the snaps. So, he’s back to being what Cam was in the past.”
As for Branch, “we watched Andre on tape [from last season in Jacksonville] in the spring,” Joseph said. “You can watch an entire game on Andre and say, ‘He’s just OK,’ but you can pick 15 plays and say, ‘Boy, he’s special.’ We weren’t sure what he was going to be. But obviously, he’s talented enough to be a special guy. Right now, he’s focused. He’s in a contract year; that’s huge for him. He’s a gifted guy. He’s tall. He can run. He’s aggressive. It has been good for us.”
• Before the Pittsburgh game, Branden Albert and Mike Pouncey encouraged Gase to incorporate more inside zone runs to complement outside zone runs, and Gase was agreeable – not surprising because Gase is more receptive to players’ ideas that Philbin was.
“Calling the same run over and over gives [Gase] a little bit of a rash, but other than that, it’s been pretty darn good for turning this thing around,” offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said.
The Dolphins finally have committed to the running game, something the old staff didn’t consistently do even when Lamar Miller was playing well, and “I believe in what we’re doing with all my heart,” Christensen said. “I’ve seen it work for a long, long time and it’s based on the right things.”　
• Benching Mario Williams and Byron Maxwell. Both have played far better since, with Maxwell starting again in the wake of Xavien Howard’s knee injury.
“It’s gratifying to know that they’re hearing you,” Joseph said. “If you ask them to play better, you hope they’ll play better and that has happened in those two cases. With Mario, he has definitely come back the last two weeks and played harder. Once he played harder, he was going to play better.
“Here, it’s a multiple-coverage scheme, so Maxwell has got to play a certain way every down. Early on, he wasn’t doing that. Now he’s doing that better. It looks better for Byron. He’s jamming receivers. He’s on top of vertical routes. [This defense] can be cornerback friendly if you do it right. He’s figuring it out.”
• The biggest reason for Ryan Tannehill’s success the past two weeks has been improved protection resulting from the starting offensive line finally being healthy.
But Gase has helped matters; Tannehill is dropping back more quickly at the urging of coaches.
He’s being encouraged to use his legs, including some designed roll-outs, which makes a lot of sense.
• Creative stuff, including using Sam Young as a sixth offensive lineman on 14 plays against Buffalo and Jakeem Grant on a fake reverse on Damien Williams’ touchdown run.
“As soon as we stuck Jakeem in there on Damien’s run, you saw everybody on the [Buffalo] sideline pointing at him and Adam called a little fake reverse to him,” Christensen said. “It influenced a couple of guys, which helped Damien get the touchdown. That’s another way to handle the extra guy in the box – having a Jarvis Landry or having [Grant go in motion]. He’s improving. We’re trying to get him more and more involved in the offense. We’d love to have a package for him each week. He’s a dynamic guy.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/s...y-jackson/article111732222.html#storylink=cpy​

 

[artdnj]

thats what many have been saying, utilize Grant in creative ways.

 

[ANUFan]

thats what many have been saying, utilize Grant in creative ways.

I'm excited about that as I believe his snap count on offense is only going to increase.


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[artdnj]

I was down a bit on Gase and I believe he had a slow start but I like what I am seeing. Using players that want to play, creating a tough nosed football team, and getting the ball to playmakers. He is doing well but it has to continue, can't fold up when teams stop Jay, have to make them pay another way and I believe DVP or Grant in conjunction with Landry might be key.

Back to Gase. I was worried that Tannenbaum would handcuff him but out seems like they are working together and Gase has the balls to do what he feels he needs to do. If players play for him I'm all in on Gase. Let's hope the JTrain and Fins keep competing cause beating the Jets will feel so damn good.

 

[ladeback]

I loved Gase using Grant as a decoy on the Williams run. You knew the Bills were going to be keeping an eye on him. That was a tremendous call there.

 

[phintim]

Ajayi showed up basically out of no where these last 2 game. His stats are compatible to the greatest running backs in history with his back to back 200 yard games so IMO it comes down to the chicken or the egg. Which came first did Ajayi make Gase and the phins look good or was it the coach Gase making it happen. I am hoping its Gase. The remaining games will tell the tales as our opponents will be prepared for Ajayi moving forward. Remember when our wildcat caught the NFL by surprise and the following year it got back to coaching again once the remainder of the NFL figured it out!

 

[Beach Bum]

The thing I worry about with our offense is Gase out smarting himself. That said, he has shown the ability to dial it back to where guys feel comfortable. I am guessing that as the season wears on and our guys get even more comfortable our offense will evolve to something more variable and complex. Next year, our offense should be fully installed and implemented, so we should be able to really adjust what we do on a week to week basis depending on the defense we are facing. If all goes well. We could have an exciting and very potent offense. I would love to just hand the ball off to Ajayi, but that kind of punishment on a guy is not sustainable. If he goes down. Then what do we do?