UncleJamFinFan
Practice Squad
Offensive Analysis - Pittsburgh/Miami
Disbelieving, as I was last week, of the ineptitude of what I saw on offense, I decided, again, to break down the game tape. I was concerned with the following question -- assuming we have less offensive talent than our opponent, how could we have maximized our STRATEGIC GAME PLANNING to make the game more challenging. And although one might think weather and rain played a significant role in the Dolphins game-plan, it only rained on 8 of the Dolphins offensive snaps out of 59 total plays.
Here's what I discovered --
The Dolphins had a total of 59 offensive snaps in last night's contest; 26 first half and 33 second half.
83% of all Dolphins passes or runs were either between the tackles, or drop back passes. As a defender, 83% of the time, I know I should be pinning my ears back, stacking the line and looking for the action straight ahead.
Out of 28 running plays, only 1 was outside the tackle box. It was a sweep that was blown up for a no-yard gain. All running plays were hand-offs. No pitches. No counters. No fakes. No reverses. Out of 27 plays that were run straight ahead, only 6 times did the Dolphins pull a guard or tackle. Now you might think I am crazy, but I don't think a 1.x yard-per-rush average is that bad when you are man blocking 77% of the time; 5 or 6 offensive blockers against 7 or 8 defenders on the line of scrimmage.
Out of 31 passing plays, only 4 were misdirected. Feeley was 1/2 in the first half for 6 yards on those passes and missed a wide open receiver on the second passing attempt or would have gone 2/2 for about 16 yards. He was 2/2 for 15 yards in the second half on those passes, but didn't try any more passes on roll-outs or bootlegs after the fifth snap in the second half.
Also, after the fifth snap in the second half, their remaining 28 plays were man blocking, between the tackle runs, or straight drop back passes. How is this possible? How is the play-calling and offensive game-planning so absolutely unimaginative? Weather was not a significant factor those final 28 plays. It seems like the coaching staff believes the offense is at practice and going over and over the "Middle Drill." Didn't those of you who saw practice say that this is what the "Middle Drill" looked like time and time again? A yard, maybe -- or no gain. How do the coaching staff and play callers help put them in a position to win if I know what's coming straight ahead at me as a defender? Didn't we hear four or five years ago that the Dolphins were predictable and that the defenders on the Jets and Patriots would know the play by the formation and audible call?
Now the last thing that really bothered me was what happened on the two QB sneaks. If you remember, in the first half, Feeley snuck the ball for a gain of 1 to convert a 3rd and short. Pittsburgh had 3 defensive linemen in four-point stances with two ends bracketing the down linemen. We had 7 blockers pushing 3 linemen 1 yard for a first down. That was good. But on the 2nd attempt, the 3rd quarter attempt, the Steelers had 5 defensive linemen down, 4 linebackers on their butts, a safety about 10 yards behind the line and a corner in man coverage on Booker; in other words, "9" in the box within 1 yard of the LOS. With that many defenders at the line and Booker in man coverage with really no safety help, why can't the Dolphins call a "Check With Me" play. The left side of the field beyond the left tackle was WIDE OPEN. They could have reversed the ball to Chambers, pitched it to Henry and had him sprint to the sideline, or they could have bootlegged it to that side of the field with a run-pass option and only ONE defender to contend with. Absolutely NO IMAGINATION on those 4th down calls.
If I can see this on a TIVO machine and 25 inch TV screen, why can't the coaches see it too? Why does the O-Coordinator refuse to let the ball leave Feeley's hand in the backfield and fly through the air until it is caught by a running back, who tries to get outside the tackle, otherwise known as a pitch? They let him throw it all over the field -- why not let him pitch it in the backfield?
I'm disheartened for this reason, more than any other. If you are stronger than your opponent -- beat him up. If you are smarter than your opponent, out think him. And unfortunately, we aren't strong enough to beat anyone up -- and at present, we aren't smart enough to compensate for our lack of strength.
Fiedler really is the best QB on the team, at present to win immediately. His athletic ability allows him to conceal the inefficiency of the offensive line. What do you get with him? 9, maybe 10 wins and the perennial frustration of not being quite good enough.
Feeley? Who knows. He makes as many boneheaded plays as Fiedler, though he throws a nicer ball. But I've seen him throw more balls, accurately to a defender than to our own guys and he also looks like my 7 year old nephew on ice skates when he scrambles. It's like watching the ghost of Rob Johnson without the sacks.
So the truth for DW is as follows. The team is NOT "Close." The team was never "Close" under your watch. A team should never stop competing because it lost it's best player. And it's your job to make sure contingencies are in place for that to happen. The more I watch this fiasco, the more I'm hoping to see Jamie Kennedy jumping out of DW's skin screaming, "You've been X'd, Dol-Fans." The nightmare continues --
Disbelieving, as I was last week, of the ineptitude of what I saw on offense, I decided, again, to break down the game tape. I was concerned with the following question -- assuming we have less offensive talent than our opponent, how could we have maximized our STRATEGIC GAME PLANNING to make the game more challenging. And although one might think weather and rain played a significant role in the Dolphins game-plan, it only rained on 8 of the Dolphins offensive snaps out of 59 total plays.
Here's what I discovered --
The Dolphins had a total of 59 offensive snaps in last night's contest; 26 first half and 33 second half.
83% of all Dolphins passes or runs were either between the tackles, or drop back passes. As a defender, 83% of the time, I know I should be pinning my ears back, stacking the line and looking for the action straight ahead.
Out of 28 running plays, only 1 was outside the tackle box. It was a sweep that was blown up for a no-yard gain. All running plays were hand-offs. No pitches. No counters. No fakes. No reverses. Out of 27 plays that were run straight ahead, only 6 times did the Dolphins pull a guard or tackle. Now you might think I am crazy, but I don't think a 1.x yard-per-rush average is that bad when you are man blocking 77% of the time; 5 or 6 offensive blockers against 7 or 8 defenders on the line of scrimmage.
Out of 31 passing plays, only 4 were misdirected. Feeley was 1/2 in the first half for 6 yards on those passes and missed a wide open receiver on the second passing attempt or would have gone 2/2 for about 16 yards. He was 2/2 for 15 yards in the second half on those passes, but didn't try any more passes on roll-outs or bootlegs after the fifth snap in the second half.
Also, after the fifth snap in the second half, their remaining 28 plays were man blocking, between the tackle runs, or straight drop back passes. How is this possible? How is the play-calling and offensive game-planning so absolutely unimaginative? Weather was not a significant factor those final 28 plays. It seems like the coaching staff believes the offense is at practice and going over and over the "Middle Drill." Didn't those of you who saw practice say that this is what the "Middle Drill" looked like time and time again? A yard, maybe -- or no gain. How do the coaching staff and play callers help put them in a position to win if I know what's coming straight ahead at me as a defender? Didn't we hear four or five years ago that the Dolphins were predictable and that the defenders on the Jets and Patriots would know the play by the formation and audible call?
Now the last thing that really bothered me was what happened on the two QB sneaks. If you remember, in the first half, Feeley snuck the ball for a gain of 1 to convert a 3rd and short. Pittsburgh had 3 defensive linemen in four-point stances with two ends bracketing the down linemen. We had 7 blockers pushing 3 linemen 1 yard for a first down. That was good. But on the 2nd attempt, the 3rd quarter attempt, the Steelers had 5 defensive linemen down, 4 linebackers on their butts, a safety about 10 yards behind the line and a corner in man coverage on Booker; in other words, "9" in the box within 1 yard of the LOS. With that many defenders at the line and Booker in man coverage with really no safety help, why can't the Dolphins call a "Check With Me" play. The left side of the field beyond the left tackle was WIDE OPEN. They could have reversed the ball to Chambers, pitched it to Henry and had him sprint to the sideline, or they could have bootlegged it to that side of the field with a run-pass option and only ONE defender to contend with. Absolutely NO IMAGINATION on those 4th down calls.
If I can see this on a TIVO machine and 25 inch TV screen, why can't the coaches see it too? Why does the O-Coordinator refuse to let the ball leave Feeley's hand in the backfield and fly through the air until it is caught by a running back, who tries to get outside the tackle, otherwise known as a pitch? They let him throw it all over the field -- why not let him pitch it in the backfield?
I'm disheartened for this reason, more than any other. If you are stronger than your opponent -- beat him up. If you are smarter than your opponent, out think him. And unfortunately, we aren't strong enough to beat anyone up -- and at present, we aren't smart enough to compensate for our lack of strength.
Fiedler really is the best QB on the team, at present to win immediately. His athletic ability allows him to conceal the inefficiency of the offensive line. What do you get with him? 9, maybe 10 wins and the perennial frustration of not being quite good enough.
Feeley? Who knows. He makes as many boneheaded plays as Fiedler, though he throws a nicer ball. But I've seen him throw more balls, accurately to a defender than to our own guys and he also looks like my 7 year old nephew on ice skates when he scrambles. It's like watching the ghost of Rob Johnson without the sacks.
So the truth for DW is as follows. The team is NOT "Close." The team was never "Close" under your watch. A team should never stop competing because it lost it's best player. And it's your job to make sure contingencies are in place for that to happen. The more I watch this fiasco, the more I'm hoping to see Jamie Kennedy jumping out of DW's skin screaming, "You've been X'd, Dol-Fans." The nightmare continues --
