matthewcannata
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The Miami Dolphins traveled to Tampa Bay tonight to take on the Buccaneers and defeated them, 20-14. The game had many highlights and lowlights and we discuss a mix of them below. With that said, here is my rapid reaction and ten thoughts from the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Dolphins pulled out a win, there are still some concerns that need to be addressed this coming week in practice and I touch on some of those below.
1. Brandon Gibson is making the final roster
Forget all of the talk about wide receiver Brandon Gibson not making the roster. Tonight, he made several tough catches in key situations and proved why not only he belongs on the final roster, but also why he should be the starting slot receiver.Gibson is another security blanket for Ryan Tannehill and it showed tonight that they have pretty good chemistry together. Expect Gibson to continue to improve and recover from his injury and continue where he left off in the middle of the last season.
2. Matt Moore is the backup quarterback on this team
Matt Moore played just about two whole quarters tonight and was impressive, leading the Dolphins on two scoring drives. One of these scoring drives was at the end of the first half during a two-minute drill, where Moore completed a beautiful over the shoulder pass to Rishard Matthews. His performance the rest of the time he was in there showed why he should be the number two quarterback on the team. He had good control of the offense, made several plays and you can tell the other players on the team respected him. At this point, Brady Quinn is either a camp arm to get them through the remainder of preseason or will stick around and be the number three quarterback to help with film study and preparation.
3. Terrence Fede continues to make an impact
Seventh round draft pick Terrence Fede continued to turn heads this week after doing the same last week against the Atlanta Falcons. Fede was very disruptive and was in the backfield several times while he was in the game. He had two tackles and one sack but there were other plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet. Fede was injured on special teams coverage but let's hope it's nothing serious. He can provide excellent depth on an already deep defensive line but as we all know, you can never have enough pass rushers.
4. The defensive pass rush was much improved from last week
Last week, the defensive line was very quiet as they barely got any pressure on the quarterback. This week, it was a much different story as the team racked up five sacks and created a lot of pressure on many other plays. The defensive line is the deepest position on the team, even with the suspension of Dion Jordan. With all these guys being able to make an impact, the Dolphins should have no problem rotating guys in and out throughout the game to keep everyone fresh so the line can continue to make an impact throughout the entire game.
5. Sometimes, it's OK to check down on the pass
Someone should remind Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore that it's OK to check down a pass sometimes. On second down in the first quarter, Tannehill rolled out and had a few open receivers in the flat but chose to throw the ball about 20 yards downfield, which resulted in an incomplete pass. Later in the game, Moore was facing a third and short and decided to throw a long pass despite only needing a few yards to convert for the first down.One of the reasons why quarterbacks such as Tom Brady are so efficient is because they know when to take risks and know when to just complete the pass to keep the chains moving and stay on the field. Tannehill and the other quarterbacks need to take note of that.
6. The pecking order at the cornerback position is starting to clear
With the suspension of Reshad Jones, things got a little mixed around in the secondary with regular starting nickelback Jimmy Wilson heading to the safety position. It was evident tonight though what the Dolphins plan to do to clean up that situation. Cortland Finnegan is the second cornerback opposite Brent Grimes but when the team goes into it's nickel defense, Finnegan will move inside to cover the slot receiver while Jamar Taylor will stay on the outside. After Taylor, Will Davis is the next man in line and he was much improved from last week. Davis has a knack for being around the ball but he needs to continue to improve on his technique and footwork in order to be consistently good. Davis saw some time with the first team tonight as the outside cornerback but it's expected that Taylor will start the season as the number three guy.
7. Billy Turner needs to be the starting right guard
The Dolphins had a total of -5 rushing yards in the first half and part of the reason for that is because starting right guard Dallas Thomas struggled to get any push on the defensive line. While there are other areas on the offensive line that need to be upgraded such as left guard and center, the fact is that the Dolphins don't have anyone better on the bench to step in those spots. While Shelley Smith is a better run blocker, I feel there is too much of a drop-off in his pass protection to be a starter on this line. While Thomas is good in pass protection, the Dolphins need to be able to run the ball and Turner will allow them to do so. He has a nasty punch and an aggressive point of attack and while his fundamentals and technique may be lacking, he gets the job done. Let's hope that he gets some time with the starters this coming week in practice and even the start next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
8. Where was Jordan Tripp?
Last week, Jordan Tripp turned heads and got many people talking. This continued in practice this past week as he received some time with the first and second team. In this game though, he was quiet with only one assisted tackle. Many, including me, had hoped that he could continue to make an impact and possibly challenge Philip Wheeler for the starting job but for someone to have such a quiet night, it does raise some concerns in regards to his consistency. Tripp is young and raw and should be a starter one day but it's looking like that won't be likely to begin the season. On the other hand though, Chris McCain and Jason Trusnik were very active throughout the game and it's possible one of them may end up challenging for a starting position.
9. I have confidence the offense will score when they have the ball
For the past several years, even when the Dolphins had Tony Sparano as head coach, there was much doubt if they would score whenever the offense had the ball. When the team had the ball deep in their own territory or even on the other side of the field, no one knew what to expect and no one knew if the playcalling would be conservative or not. Now, under Bill Lazor, I have confidence that the offense will score every time they have the ball. The playcalling is unique, effective and makes sense. The pass protection is great and Tannehill gets the ball out of his hands pretty quickly the majority of the time. This offense can be one of the better ones in the NFL as the chemistry develops so keep an eye on the improvement over the next two weeks heading into the first week of the season.
10. Caleb Sturgis might not be a member of the Dolphins much longer
Caleb Sturgis battled a groin injury last preseason and is dealing with the same issue in 2014. Sturgis was scheduled to play tonight but he re-aggravated his groin during pre-game warmups. Unfortunately, this injury may end up costing him his job. This is because the Dolphins signed John Potter several days ago and tonight, he attempted a 48 and 51 yard field goal, making both of them with room to spare. Potter was a seventh round draft pick and has played for numerous teams, including the Buffalo Bills. If Sturgis can't get on the field this coming week and against the Dallas Cowboys, his time in Miami may be coming to an end.
1. Brandon Gibson is making the final roster
Forget all of the talk about wide receiver Brandon Gibson not making the roster. Tonight, he made several tough catches in key situations and proved why not only he belongs on the final roster, but also why he should be the starting slot receiver.Gibson is another security blanket for Ryan Tannehill and it showed tonight that they have pretty good chemistry together. Expect Gibson to continue to improve and recover from his injury and continue where he left off in the middle of the last season.
2. Matt Moore is the backup quarterback on this team
Matt Moore played just about two whole quarters tonight and was impressive, leading the Dolphins on two scoring drives. One of these scoring drives was at the end of the first half during a two-minute drill, where Moore completed a beautiful over the shoulder pass to Rishard Matthews. His performance the rest of the time he was in there showed why he should be the number two quarterback on the team. He had good control of the offense, made several plays and you can tell the other players on the team respected him. At this point, Brady Quinn is either a camp arm to get them through the remainder of preseason or will stick around and be the number three quarterback to help with film study and preparation.
3. Terrence Fede continues to make an impact
Seventh round draft pick Terrence Fede continued to turn heads this week after doing the same last week against the Atlanta Falcons. Fede was very disruptive and was in the backfield several times while he was in the game. He had two tackles and one sack but there were other plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet. Fede was injured on special teams coverage but let's hope it's nothing serious. He can provide excellent depth on an already deep defensive line but as we all know, you can never have enough pass rushers.
4. The defensive pass rush was much improved from last week
Last week, the defensive line was very quiet as they barely got any pressure on the quarterback. This week, it was a much different story as the team racked up five sacks and created a lot of pressure on many other plays. The defensive line is the deepest position on the team, even with the suspension of Dion Jordan. With all these guys being able to make an impact, the Dolphins should have no problem rotating guys in and out throughout the game to keep everyone fresh so the line can continue to make an impact throughout the entire game.
5. Sometimes, it's OK to check down on the pass
Someone should remind Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore that it's OK to check down a pass sometimes. On second down in the first quarter, Tannehill rolled out and had a few open receivers in the flat but chose to throw the ball about 20 yards downfield, which resulted in an incomplete pass. Later in the game, Moore was facing a third and short and decided to throw a long pass despite only needing a few yards to convert for the first down.One of the reasons why quarterbacks such as Tom Brady are so efficient is because they know when to take risks and know when to just complete the pass to keep the chains moving and stay on the field. Tannehill and the other quarterbacks need to take note of that.
6. The pecking order at the cornerback position is starting to clear
With the suspension of Reshad Jones, things got a little mixed around in the secondary with regular starting nickelback Jimmy Wilson heading to the safety position. It was evident tonight though what the Dolphins plan to do to clean up that situation. Cortland Finnegan is the second cornerback opposite Brent Grimes but when the team goes into it's nickel defense, Finnegan will move inside to cover the slot receiver while Jamar Taylor will stay on the outside. After Taylor, Will Davis is the next man in line and he was much improved from last week. Davis has a knack for being around the ball but he needs to continue to improve on his technique and footwork in order to be consistently good. Davis saw some time with the first team tonight as the outside cornerback but it's expected that Taylor will start the season as the number three guy.
7. Billy Turner needs to be the starting right guard
The Dolphins had a total of -5 rushing yards in the first half and part of the reason for that is because starting right guard Dallas Thomas struggled to get any push on the defensive line. While there are other areas on the offensive line that need to be upgraded such as left guard and center, the fact is that the Dolphins don't have anyone better on the bench to step in those spots. While Shelley Smith is a better run blocker, I feel there is too much of a drop-off in his pass protection to be a starter on this line. While Thomas is good in pass protection, the Dolphins need to be able to run the ball and Turner will allow them to do so. He has a nasty punch and an aggressive point of attack and while his fundamentals and technique may be lacking, he gets the job done. Let's hope that he gets some time with the starters this coming week in practice and even the start next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
8. Where was Jordan Tripp?
Last week, Jordan Tripp turned heads and got many people talking. This continued in practice this past week as he received some time with the first and second team. In this game though, he was quiet with only one assisted tackle. Many, including me, had hoped that he could continue to make an impact and possibly challenge Philip Wheeler for the starting job but for someone to have such a quiet night, it does raise some concerns in regards to his consistency. Tripp is young and raw and should be a starter one day but it's looking like that won't be likely to begin the season. On the other hand though, Chris McCain and Jason Trusnik were very active throughout the game and it's possible one of them may end up challenging for a starting position.
9. I have confidence the offense will score when they have the ball
For the past several years, even when the Dolphins had Tony Sparano as head coach, there was much doubt if they would score whenever the offense had the ball. When the team had the ball deep in their own territory or even on the other side of the field, no one knew what to expect and no one knew if the playcalling would be conservative or not. Now, under Bill Lazor, I have confidence that the offense will score every time they have the ball. The playcalling is unique, effective and makes sense. The pass protection is great and Tannehill gets the ball out of his hands pretty quickly the majority of the time. This offense can be one of the better ones in the NFL as the chemistry develops so keep an eye on the improvement over the next two weeks heading into the first week of the season.
10. Caleb Sturgis might not be a member of the Dolphins much longer
Caleb Sturgis battled a groin injury last preseason and is dealing with the same issue in 2014. Sturgis was scheduled to play tonight but he re-aggravated his groin during pre-game warmups. Unfortunately, this injury may end up costing him his job. This is because the Dolphins signed John Potter several days ago and tonight, he attempted a 48 and 51 yard field goal, making both of them with room to spare. Potter was a seventh round draft pick and has played for numerous teams, including the Buffalo Bills. If Sturgis can't get on the field this coming week and against the Dallas Cowboys, his time in Miami may be coming to an end.
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