Our defense was fine, and will be fine. The problem was with offense. Last season, how many INT we turned into TD? I could be wrong, i don't remember any.
Predict Dolphins’ Defensive Rank This Year
- Thread starter DZimmer000
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WaddleWaddle
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I think the defense is set up to improve upon their performance last year. Idk if we will be at the top of the league in turnovers again but I'd be shocked if we finish outside of the top 5 because of the type of defense flores likes to run. Our pass rush should be improved with Phillips coming in, biegel coming back and avg having another year of experience too. Holland is much more of a ball hawk then McCain so even if Howard's int totals decrease a bit, I wouldnt be surprised if Holland makes up the difference. I have alot of faith in this staff developing igbo while he learns from howard and jones and people also forget how good justin Coleman was in the slot before he signed with Detroit. Whether he starts or not, the competition between him and needham will make them both better. Not to mention another offseason for guys like Jones, Sieler, Davis and Wilkins as well.
One thing people overlook is the impact that will come from the expected improvement of the offense.
I just think back to that KC game last year:
1st drive - 3 and out
2nd drive - defense gets int and offense starts at Mia 43. Ends in missed FG
3rd drive - defense gets that huge 30 yard sack and offense starts at KC 44. Ends in TD
4th drive - defense gets int and offense starts at KC 47, ends in FG
4 drives and 3 of them with great starting field position and it resulted in a 10-0 lead. Obviously it's no guarantee but hopefully with Tua's progression combined with his first full offseason with his receivers and the additions of Fuller and Waddle, I'd expect more than 10 points. Hell even an extra TD and a 17-0 lead instead 10-0 would be huge.
My favorite part about this team is they are so young so while I expect improvement because of the draft and free agent signings, I also just expect to see improvement from so many individual players that play meaningful snaps. Hell our offensive line started 3 rookies last year without any offseason basically.
One thing people overlook is the impact that will come from the expected improvement of the offense.
I just think back to that KC game last year:
1st drive - 3 and out
2nd drive - defense gets int and offense starts at Mia 43. Ends in missed FG
3rd drive - defense gets that huge 30 yard sack and offense starts at KC 44. Ends in TD
4th drive - defense gets int and offense starts at KC 47, ends in FG
4 drives and 3 of them with great starting field position and it resulted in a 10-0 lead. Obviously it's no guarantee but hopefully with Tua's progression combined with his first full offseason with his receivers and the additions of Fuller and Waddle, I'd expect more than 10 points. Hell even an extra TD and a 17-0 lead instead 10-0 would be huge.
My favorite part about this team is they are so young so while I expect improvement because of the draft and free agent signings, I also just expect to see improvement from so many individual players that play meaningful snaps. Hell our offensive line started 3 rookies last year without any offseason basically.
Fin Thirteen
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Our DLs and rush guys should be at least as good as last year, hopefully better.
CBs should be better with good nickel options and Igbo deputizing on the boundary.
Safety looks to be upgraded between Holland and an improved Jones adding to Rowe.
Linebacker is the big question mark for me. They made a ton of moves but I'm not clear if they were for the better.
Overall, i see a stingier d in yardage and points conceded terms (esp vs better offenses) though unlikely to hit the same turnover heights as last year.
CBs should be better with good nickel options and Igbo deputizing on the boundary.
Safety looks to be upgraded between Holland and an improved Jones adding to Rowe.
Linebacker is the big question mark for me. They made a ton of moves but I'm not clear if they were for the better.
Overall, i see a stingier d in yardage and points conceded terms (esp vs better offenses) though unlikely to hit the same turnover heights as last year.
PHINANALYST
Seasoned Veteran
I think right around 10 ... give or take a couple ....
Not talking TOs like last year, but total Defense - unlike last year!!
Do NOT think we can sustain that TO rate again this year ... but certainly would be nice!
Not talking TOs like last year, but total Defense - unlike last year!!
Do NOT think we can sustain that TO rate again this year ... but certainly would be nice!
Feverdream
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Statistics, are mostly misleading, and almost always over-used, and over-valued.
A couple of scenarios: Some teams give up too many yards, are reasonably easy to run against, but get bailed out by causing/receiving an inordinate amount of turnovers. (Like we were last year). Does this mean that the team is good defensively, or just the beneficiary of a large number of lucky breaks? We caused most of these turnovers last year, but we all know that very few teams do this two years in a row.
You could rank a defense by how many points it gives up over the course of a season... but this too, is somewhat misleading. For instance, a low scoring team, or a team that runs the ball a lot tends to shorten the game, with the opposing team dialing back their offense and playing the possession game-- running the clock, rather than the offense.
So... I believe that the real ranking of a defense comes down to how it does vs. elite teams when it absolutely, positively has to stop several drives in a row. But, yes... this is almost impossible to measure.
So that brings me back to the Original Post and it's question...
I can't give you an answer, because any answer that it generates won't really answer the question of whether our defense is good enough.
A couple of scenarios: Some teams give up too many yards, are reasonably easy to run against, but get bailed out by causing/receiving an inordinate amount of turnovers. (Like we were last year). Does this mean that the team is good defensively, or just the beneficiary of a large number of lucky breaks? We caused most of these turnovers last year, but we all know that very few teams do this two years in a row.
You could rank a defense by how many points it gives up over the course of a season... but this too, is somewhat misleading. For instance, a low scoring team, or a team that runs the ball a lot tends to shorten the game, with the opposing team dialing back their offense and playing the possession game-- running the clock, rather than the offense.
So... I believe that the real ranking of a defense comes down to how it does vs. elite teams when it absolutely, positively has to stop several drives in a row. But, yes... this is almost impossible to measure.
So that brings me back to the Original Post and it's question...
I can't give you an answer, because any answer that it generates won't really answer the question of whether our defense is good enough.
CSONKA1966
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I think we will be top 5 in points allowed and min. top ten in yds. I think our run defense will improve, we have a ton of talent in our cbs and safeties. The key will be how good is Phillips. If he stays healthy and is even just good as a rookie. We have one of the best ds in the nfl. If he is really as good as or a little bit behind Chase Young as some have said. Our defense is scary. Our offense should have longer drives, plus we have not ignored special teams.