matthewcannata
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Hello! Here are my ten thoughts regarding the Dolphins game against the Falcons. This was originally posted on www.phinmaniacs.com. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @PhinManiacs
The Miami Dolphins kicked off the 2014 preseason against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, August 8 and lost 16-10. Although it was only the first game of the preseason, there were a few things that I was able to pick up on and keep in my pocket to observe over the next few weeks. Keep in mind that one cannot get too high or low on a team during preseason, especially in the very first game where the starters are out after the first series and it's a bunch of players desperately trying to make the team. In fact, over 40 of these players won't be on the roster by the end of the month, which shows just how crazy this business is. Following every game this season, I'll be posting my ten thought - win or lose, good or bad. With that in mind, here are my ten thoughts from the Dolphins vs. Falcons preseason game.
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1. The new look offense was pretty damn good
After the first team offense marched down the field with absolutely no trouble at all, I was speechless at how effective and efficient they looked. They broke out of the huddle quickly, they snapped the ball quickly and they got the ball into their playmakers' hands quickly. Then, they repeated the process. Tannehill drove down the field, going 6-for-6 with over 70 yards. The Dolphins took him out of the game after the touchdown, which was a smart move. While the offense didn't have much success the rest of the game, it's important to realize the Dolphins had Seth Lobato playing, who was signed less than two weeks ago, so don't take too much stock into it.
2. The read-option will be a staple of the offense
Almost every other play, we saw the quarterback go through the motions of a read-option play. While we'll never know if it's simply a fake or if the quarterback is truly reading the defense, we do know that this simple maneuver will keep the opposing defense honest every single play. The read-option is the newest trend in the NFL but it's a highly effective one, especially when you have an athletic quarterback like Ryan Tannehill. We even saw a twist on it. With Tannehill keeping the ball only to find defenders closing in on him, he passed the ball to Brandon Gibson towards the sideline for a respectable gain. We can expect to see more of this throughout the season.
3. Go and Go-Go are no longer in the team vocabulary
One of the thing that drove the media and Dolphins fans absolutely crazy over the past two years was the child-like cadence that the Dolphins used at the line of scrimmage. The quarterback would call out GO before every passing play and GO-GO before every running play. Fans who picked up on this knew exactly what type of play was coming when they heard the cadence and other teams knew it too, which sometimes resulted in negative plays. Well, there was none of that on Friday night. Instead, the quarterbacks mixed things up and were calling out different phrases with different snap counts. Who would've thought something so simple would make everyone so happy?
4. The defense looked like 2013 all over again
All of the defensive units played sloppy on Friday night and one of the biggest concerns once again was tackling. Numerous players missed several tackles, which resulted in big gains. In addition, the team had trouble getting of the field on third down. These two things plagued the Dolphins defense last year and was one of the reasons why they gave up so many rushing yards each week. The Dolphins were outgained 372-229. While the Falcons offense is a pretty good one, remember that Julio Jones wasn't playing and Tony Gonzalez is retired. The defense should've been better and needs to improve immediately if they want to do better in 2014.
5. The linebacker unit concerns me
One reason why the defense looked like 2013 all over again was because of the linebackers. Again, we saw missed tackles, missed assignments and stupid penalties at crucial points of the game. Koa Misi struggled making plays and was faked out on one of them. Philip Wheeler was his usual self, running all over the place but struggling in coverage and being called for penalties that extended the offense's drive. Dannell Ellerbe was playing undisciplined and was out of his zone several times. As for the backups, Chris McCain showed some raw talent and deserves a chance to stick around on the roster to develop. He could end up becoming a stud player. Jelani Jenkins started off slow but picked up the pace as the game went on. Jordan Tripp, who I loved as soon as the Dolphins drafted him, may find himself in the mix for a starting position by the first week of the season. That's how good he played.
6. The Dolphins have a serious issue at the backup quarterback spot
Yes, the Dolphins have Matt Moore but there are rumors that the team may move on from him after this season since they feel like he will want a contract similar to his current one. If so, the Dolphins have some serious issues. For one, Pat Devlin hasn't improved much over the past several years and was injured so he didn't play. The team brought in Seth Lobato less about two weeks ago but he was less than stellar and didn't show anything impressive enough to make me continue to have hope in him. Brock Jensen, who the Dolphins re-signed last week, didn't play a snap. The Dolphins will need to start thinking about the future but at this point, it doesn't look like any of these three have a legitimate shot at taking over the number two spot in 2015.
7. Ja'Wuan James played the majority of the game
It was interesting to see Ja'Wuan James playing in the second half of the game but as I thought about it, I realized that it made perfect sense. Besides getting NFL game experience at right tackle, which is invaluable, he was able to play next to Dallas Thomas to start the game and then Billy Turner when he came in. Turner and Thomas are fighting for the starting right guard position and this shows that the coaches still haven't locked in a starter. James was able to build something with both of them during Friday's game and should pay dividends down the road when the team does name a starter at the right guard position. By the way, James played pretty well, not allowing a sack. His run blocking does leave a little to be desired but he was never a strong run blocker coming out of college.
8. I feel bad for Damien Williams
Damien Williams, an undrafted running back, suffered a nasty knee/leg injury and had to be carted off the field. After the game, he was in a walking boot. Williams was showing some promise in camp and was a candidate to make the team's final roster. However, with the odds already stacked against him, this injury does him no favors and could find himself on the injured reserve list within the next few days. Joe Philbin didn't have any updates on him after the game but we should find out more information in the coming days. For now, Daniel Thomas is breathing a little bit easier.
9. Marcus Thigpen may have to blame Jarvis Landry for losing his job
While it was only one play in the first preseason game, Jarvis Landry showed tremendous burst, vision and speed when he returned a punt for 48 yards early in the game. Landry, who was criticized coming into the draft for a slow 40 time, showed everyone that there's a difference in game speed and a straight 40-yard dash. If Landry continues to impress, it will mean the end of the road for Marcus Thigpen, who hasn't done much to contribute on offense the past two years. The Dolphins will surely keep on experimenting with Landry in the next few weeks but after the first game, I think it's safe to say that Landry has the lead in this competition.
10. Why were there so many damn flags?
It seemed like there were way too many flags thrown during Friday night's game, with one coming out almost every two to three plays. Several of these flags wiped out huge plays for both teams. Yes, the officials need preseason too but they were pretty bad and too flag happy, especially with some pretty questionable calls. With the new rules the NFL instituted in the offseason, including illegal contact, I hope that this isn't the direction the league is moving towards. Otherwise, games will become almost four hours long and the defense will be severely limited in how physical they can play. Let's just hope it was the first game jitters for the referees and the flags get cleaned up over the next few weeks.
The Miami Dolphins kicked off the 2014 preseason against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, August 8 and lost 16-10. Although it was only the first game of the preseason, there were a few things that I was able to pick up on and keep in my pocket to observe over the next few weeks. Keep in mind that one cannot get too high or low on a team during preseason, especially in the very first game where the starters are out after the first series and it's a bunch of players desperately trying to make the team. In fact, over 40 of these players won't be on the roster by the end of the month, which shows just how crazy this business is. Following every game this season, I'll be posting my ten thought - win or lose, good or bad. With that in mind, here are my ten thoughts from the Dolphins vs. Falcons preseason game.
----------------------------------
1. The new look offense was pretty damn good
After the first team offense marched down the field with absolutely no trouble at all, I was speechless at how effective and efficient they looked. They broke out of the huddle quickly, they snapped the ball quickly and they got the ball into their playmakers' hands quickly. Then, they repeated the process. Tannehill drove down the field, going 6-for-6 with over 70 yards. The Dolphins took him out of the game after the touchdown, which was a smart move. While the offense didn't have much success the rest of the game, it's important to realize the Dolphins had Seth Lobato playing, who was signed less than two weeks ago, so don't take too much stock into it.
2. The read-option will be a staple of the offense
Almost every other play, we saw the quarterback go through the motions of a read-option play. While we'll never know if it's simply a fake or if the quarterback is truly reading the defense, we do know that this simple maneuver will keep the opposing defense honest every single play. The read-option is the newest trend in the NFL but it's a highly effective one, especially when you have an athletic quarterback like Ryan Tannehill. We even saw a twist on it. With Tannehill keeping the ball only to find defenders closing in on him, he passed the ball to Brandon Gibson towards the sideline for a respectable gain. We can expect to see more of this throughout the season.
3. Go and Go-Go are no longer in the team vocabulary
One of the thing that drove the media and Dolphins fans absolutely crazy over the past two years was the child-like cadence that the Dolphins used at the line of scrimmage. The quarterback would call out GO before every passing play and GO-GO before every running play. Fans who picked up on this knew exactly what type of play was coming when they heard the cadence and other teams knew it too, which sometimes resulted in negative plays. Well, there was none of that on Friday night. Instead, the quarterbacks mixed things up and were calling out different phrases with different snap counts. Who would've thought something so simple would make everyone so happy?
4. The defense looked like 2013 all over again
All of the defensive units played sloppy on Friday night and one of the biggest concerns once again was tackling. Numerous players missed several tackles, which resulted in big gains. In addition, the team had trouble getting of the field on third down. These two things plagued the Dolphins defense last year and was one of the reasons why they gave up so many rushing yards each week. The Dolphins were outgained 372-229. While the Falcons offense is a pretty good one, remember that Julio Jones wasn't playing and Tony Gonzalez is retired. The defense should've been better and needs to improve immediately if they want to do better in 2014.
5. The linebacker unit concerns me
One reason why the defense looked like 2013 all over again was because of the linebackers. Again, we saw missed tackles, missed assignments and stupid penalties at crucial points of the game. Koa Misi struggled making plays and was faked out on one of them. Philip Wheeler was his usual self, running all over the place but struggling in coverage and being called for penalties that extended the offense's drive. Dannell Ellerbe was playing undisciplined and was out of his zone several times. As for the backups, Chris McCain showed some raw talent and deserves a chance to stick around on the roster to develop. He could end up becoming a stud player. Jelani Jenkins started off slow but picked up the pace as the game went on. Jordan Tripp, who I loved as soon as the Dolphins drafted him, may find himself in the mix for a starting position by the first week of the season. That's how good he played.
6. The Dolphins have a serious issue at the backup quarterback spot
Yes, the Dolphins have Matt Moore but there are rumors that the team may move on from him after this season since they feel like he will want a contract similar to his current one. If so, the Dolphins have some serious issues. For one, Pat Devlin hasn't improved much over the past several years and was injured so he didn't play. The team brought in Seth Lobato less about two weeks ago but he was less than stellar and didn't show anything impressive enough to make me continue to have hope in him. Brock Jensen, who the Dolphins re-signed last week, didn't play a snap. The Dolphins will need to start thinking about the future but at this point, it doesn't look like any of these three have a legitimate shot at taking over the number two spot in 2015.
7. Ja'Wuan James played the majority of the game
It was interesting to see Ja'Wuan James playing in the second half of the game but as I thought about it, I realized that it made perfect sense. Besides getting NFL game experience at right tackle, which is invaluable, he was able to play next to Dallas Thomas to start the game and then Billy Turner when he came in. Turner and Thomas are fighting for the starting right guard position and this shows that the coaches still haven't locked in a starter. James was able to build something with both of them during Friday's game and should pay dividends down the road when the team does name a starter at the right guard position. By the way, James played pretty well, not allowing a sack. His run blocking does leave a little to be desired but he was never a strong run blocker coming out of college.
8. I feel bad for Damien Williams
Damien Williams, an undrafted running back, suffered a nasty knee/leg injury and had to be carted off the field. After the game, he was in a walking boot. Williams was showing some promise in camp and was a candidate to make the team's final roster. However, with the odds already stacked against him, this injury does him no favors and could find himself on the injured reserve list within the next few days. Joe Philbin didn't have any updates on him after the game but we should find out more information in the coming days. For now, Daniel Thomas is breathing a little bit easier.
9. Marcus Thigpen may have to blame Jarvis Landry for losing his job
While it was only one play in the first preseason game, Jarvis Landry showed tremendous burst, vision and speed when he returned a punt for 48 yards early in the game. Landry, who was criticized coming into the draft for a slow 40 time, showed everyone that there's a difference in game speed and a straight 40-yard dash. If Landry continues to impress, it will mean the end of the road for Marcus Thigpen, who hasn't done much to contribute on offense the past two years. The Dolphins will surely keep on experimenting with Landry in the next few weeks but after the first game, I think it's safe to say that Landry has the lead in this competition.
10. Why were there so many damn flags?
It seemed like there were way too many flags thrown during Friday night's game, with one coming out almost every two to three plays. Several of these flags wiped out huge plays for both teams. Yes, the officials need preseason too but they were pretty bad and too flag happy, especially with some pretty questionable calls. With the new rules the NFL instituted in the offseason, including illegal contact, I hope that this isn't the direction the league is moving towards. Otherwise, games will become almost four hours long and the defense will be severely limited in how physical they can play. Let's just hope it was the first game jitters for the referees and the flags get cleaned up over the next few weeks.
