I'm a bit disgusted by the defense's performance last night, but hopefully its a learning experience. We get those guys later in the season again . . . the Fins have to be more prepared.
Stock Up
Chad Henne - The guy looked seasoned out there didn't he? Shame he couldn't end his night mistake free on the stat with that last second throw up INT but you see how the change to Daboll has helped Henne grow in the offseason. We know he still needs improvement with his touch passes (fades, sideline, etc.) but he definitely has made some serious strides into being the leader of not only this offense, but this team. And I am LOVING this new found mobility. Chad ran under 5 seconds at the combine . . . he has some athleticism.
Anthony Fasano - The guy made some incredible catches last night. I like seeing that from Fasano, I know he has some ability in that department, way for Daboll to start using that in the offense. With all the mismatches on the field, guys like Fasano and Bess can have real good years in this offense. Consistency is the key. Can't wait for him and Rosario to get in on more 2 TE sets, and hopefully throw in some Charles Clay as well.
Brian Daboll - I'll get this out of the way first . . . work on the inside the 10 yardline stuff immediately. You gotta get stronger there if you ever wanna really earn the praise of the Dolphin fans. However, man it is a breath of fresh air to see us air the ball out like we did in that game. Love the spread offense, love the improvements in Chad Henne and love seeing you on the sidelines. Keep doing your thing man, it wasn't perfect but it surely was refreshing and I'm looking forward to more.
Playmakers on Offense - Bush, Marshall, Bess, Hartline all had solid games. Combined with Fasano and hopefully Clyde Gates and Daniel Thomas soon, these 7 guys have to make the tough catches, get the YAC, keep the chains moving and stay healthy. This offense has some potential to be real explosive. There is a good mix of guys here, it all needs to come together and Henne has to continue to improve under center.
Stock Down
Jason Trusnick - Absolutely dreadful last night. Penalties, poor tackling, poor blocking . . . he made this team on his special teams ability but he hurt the team far more than he helped the team. Seriously, I would have much rather kept Quinton Spears as a raw pass rusher than this guy that gives us very little if anything on defense and is also costing us field position on special teams.
The Defensive Line - You couldn't have told me that we would lose the battle in the trenches when we were on defense before the game. This DLine is supposed to be the strength of this team and they got manhandled last night. I expect alot more from this group and they are better than what they showed against New England. I know in the 3-4 the pass rush is supposed to come from the OLB's, but in this 3-4, we have guys who are supposed to rush the passer from the end position. Wake can't do it by himself.
Ritchie Incognito - This guy was getting blown up all night. Yea I know it isn't easy to handle Wilfork and Albert inside, but he either was holding or he was getting beat. He almost got Henne killed on one play. I never liked him at LG, I know he can play better than this, I still sign O'hara, move Pouncey to LG and figure out the right side with him, Carey, Colombo and Garner.
Karlos Dansby/Kevin Burnett - What a WEAK debut from these 2 guys. Defense was out of place the entire night . . . they missed more tackles than anybody and they did a less than stellar job in coverage. The team will get over the loss of Channing Crowder sooner than later, but they definitely missed him tonight as a leader on the field and a run stopper.
Dog House
The Secondary - Oh man where do I begin. Benny Sapp was getting beat like a drumstick by Wes Welker. Welker does this to most of the nickel backs in the league, but Sapp just couldn't keep with him. He wasn't good enough. Bad thing is, he probably is the only playmaker we have in the secondary and was a direct cause of the INT that Odrick had. Davis/Smith . . . man you had a chance to show the world you were an elite duo and you whiffed badly. Brady was torching you guys all over the field. Smith is back to wimping on tackles and Vontae couldn't lock **** down last night. Not a good start for this duo. Poor Nolan Carroll, he is better than what we saw last night, it isn't fun when Brady starts picking on you. He can make you look real bad. Half the time he didn't know where he was supposed to be lined up, that is a reflection of your leaders on the field, which was clearly lacking on defense last night. Last but not least, my man Reshad Jones. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE night . . . he was late to the party the entire night. Out of position, terrible angles, he looks slow out there, I dunno . . . Chris Clemmons needs to be starting next week against the Texans. Reshad isn't ready to man the FS spot. Yeremiah Bell starts the year off missing more tackles . . . his time is almost up here in Miami, Reshad should be gearing up to take his spot, not battling the steady Chris Clemmons. Still, I can't be any harsher on these guys, because the front 7 didn't do a good job putting Brady under pressure . . . any secondary needs that, but they performed extremely poor yesterday. Saw Jimmy in the game for a minute, he was beaten by Brady for a touchdown . . . he is a rookie folks, he isn't some kind of folk hero, he is gonna have his bumps, but temper your expectations, especially against a QB like Brady.
Conclusion
The Dolphins lost to a better team last night, but that still is no excuse for the defense to lay down like it did. I mean seriously . . . cramps? Who in the hell is the conditioning coach? There is no excuse for these guys not be in shape, I don't care if that hurry up was brutal . . . they were gassed before the first half was over. The offense needs to get better on the goalline. We can't settle for field goals under 20 yards. Those need to be touchdowns. Should be a very busy week and I expect us to bring in a few veterans this week. Hopefully we can convince Will Allen we are dumb azzes and O'hara that we need him. It doesn't get any easier for this defense next week against Houston and Andre Johnson. Mike Nolan could become an enemy to the Finheaven faithful real quick.
Stock Up
Chad Henne - The guy looked seasoned out there didn't he? Shame he couldn't end his night mistake free on the stat with that last second throw up INT but you see how the change to Daboll has helped Henne grow in the offseason. We know he still needs improvement with his touch passes (fades, sideline, etc.) but he definitely has made some serious strides into being the leader of not only this offense, but this team. And I am LOVING this new found mobility. Chad ran under 5 seconds at the combine . . . he has some athleticism.
Anthony Fasano - The guy made some incredible catches last night. I like seeing that from Fasano, I know he has some ability in that department, way for Daboll to start using that in the offense. With all the mismatches on the field, guys like Fasano and Bess can have real good years in this offense. Consistency is the key. Can't wait for him and Rosario to get in on more 2 TE sets, and hopefully throw in some Charles Clay as well.
Brian Daboll - I'll get this out of the way first . . . work on the inside the 10 yardline stuff immediately. You gotta get stronger there if you ever wanna really earn the praise of the Dolphin fans. However, man it is a breath of fresh air to see us air the ball out like we did in that game. Love the spread offense, love the improvements in Chad Henne and love seeing you on the sidelines. Keep doing your thing man, it wasn't perfect but it surely was refreshing and I'm looking forward to more.
Playmakers on Offense - Bush, Marshall, Bess, Hartline all had solid games. Combined with Fasano and hopefully Clyde Gates and Daniel Thomas soon, these 7 guys have to make the tough catches, get the YAC, keep the chains moving and stay healthy. This offense has some potential to be real explosive. There is a good mix of guys here, it all needs to come together and Henne has to continue to improve under center.
Stock Down
Jason Trusnick - Absolutely dreadful last night. Penalties, poor tackling, poor blocking . . . he made this team on his special teams ability but he hurt the team far more than he helped the team. Seriously, I would have much rather kept Quinton Spears as a raw pass rusher than this guy that gives us very little if anything on defense and is also costing us field position on special teams.
The Defensive Line - You couldn't have told me that we would lose the battle in the trenches when we were on defense before the game. This DLine is supposed to be the strength of this team and they got manhandled last night. I expect alot more from this group and they are better than what they showed against New England. I know in the 3-4 the pass rush is supposed to come from the OLB's, but in this 3-4, we have guys who are supposed to rush the passer from the end position. Wake can't do it by himself.
Ritchie Incognito - This guy was getting blown up all night. Yea I know it isn't easy to handle Wilfork and Albert inside, but he either was holding or he was getting beat. He almost got Henne killed on one play. I never liked him at LG, I know he can play better than this, I still sign O'hara, move Pouncey to LG and figure out the right side with him, Carey, Colombo and Garner.
Karlos Dansby/Kevin Burnett - What a WEAK debut from these 2 guys. Defense was out of place the entire night . . . they missed more tackles than anybody and they did a less than stellar job in coverage. The team will get over the loss of Channing Crowder sooner than later, but they definitely missed him tonight as a leader on the field and a run stopper.
Dog House
The Secondary - Oh man where do I begin. Benny Sapp was getting beat like a drumstick by Wes Welker. Welker does this to most of the nickel backs in the league, but Sapp just couldn't keep with him. He wasn't good enough. Bad thing is, he probably is the only playmaker we have in the secondary and was a direct cause of the INT that Odrick had. Davis/Smith . . . man you had a chance to show the world you were an elite duo and you whiffed badly. Brady was torching you guys all over the field. Smith is back to wimping on tackles and Vontae couldn't lock **** down last night. Not a good start for this duo. Poor Nolan Carroll, he is better than what we saw last night, it isn't fun when Brady starts picking on you. He can make you look real bad. Half the time he didn't know where he was supposed to be lined up, that is a reflection of your leaders on the field, which was clearly lacking on defense last night. Last but not least, my man Reshad Jones. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE night . . . he was late to the party the entire night. Out of position, terrible angles, he looks slow out there, I dunno . . . Chris Clemmons needs to be starting next week against the Texans. Reshad isn't ready to man the FS spot. Yeremiah Bell starts the year off missing more tackles . . . his time is almost up here in Miami, Reshad should be gearing up to take his spot, not battling the steady Chris Clemmons. Still, I can't be any harsher on these guys, because the front 7 didn't do a good job putting Brady under pressure . . . any secondary needs that, but they performed extremely poor yesterday. Saw Jimmy in the game for a minute, he was beaten by Brady for a touchdown . . . he is a rookie folks, he isn't some kind of folk hero, he is gonna have his bumps, but temper your expectations, especially against a QB like Brady.
Conclusion
The Dolphins lost to a better team last night, but that still is no excuse for the defense to lay down like it did. I mean seriously . . . cramps? Who in the hell is the conditioning coach? There is no excuse for these guys not be in shape, I don't care if that hurry up was brutal . . . they were gassed before the first half was over. The offense needs to get better on the goalline. We can't settle for field goals under 20 yards. Those need to be touchdowns. Should be a very busy week and I expect us to bring in a few veterans this week. Hopefully we can convince Will Allen we are dumb azzes and O'hara that we need him. It doesn't get any easier for this defense next week against Houston and Andre Johnson. Mike Nolan could become an enemy to the Finheaven faithful real quick.