Miami – Three Performances of Note
Third Year’s the Charm
A pair of 2011 draft picks picked up the Miami offense Sunday as Clay finished at +4.2 overall while running back Daniel Thomas graded at +3.3 on his 26 snaps. In addition to his touchdown, Clay picked up three first downs with his five other receptions to finish with six catches for 90 yards. He even notched his first positive grade as a run blocker, finishing at +1.0, on the strength of solid blocks against perennial top run stopping linebacker Jarret Johnson. For Thomas, it marked another strong performance on the ground as he finished with 57 yards on 10 carries, including four forced missed tackles and a touchdown. He kept the Dolphins in manageable down and distances situations with his signature run coming at the 11:51 mark of the fourth quarter as he ran through Te’o before sidestepping Wright on his way to an 8-yard gain. The pair of third-year players proved quite valuable to the Dolphins’ offense on Sunday.
Stout Soliai
Miami’s defensive line has played well throughout the season with defensive tackle Paul Soliai playing the role of run-stopping nose tackle. He was at it again Sunday finishing at +4.4 for the day including +3.7 against the run. He tied with a number of players for a team-high three stops, but he did so on only 15 run snaps while creating disruption throughout the game. Even when he didn’t find his name on the stat sheet, he redirected runs toward his teammates as he did on back-to-back running plays early in the fourth quarter. Soliai got involved as a pass rusher as well, picking up a hurry and a hit on his 18 rushes. The seventh-year defensive tackle is now grading at +10.9 on the season including +7.8 against the run.
Inconsistent Ellerbe
After starting the season with four straight negative grades, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe put together three straight positives before posting a -2.1 last week and now a -3.9 effort on Sunday. His up and down season is not what the Dolphins had in mind when they paid him in free agency last offseason. Ellerbe graded at -4.6 in the running game as Chargers linemen had their way with him at the second level throughout the game. He was driven well out of the play when left guard Johnnie Troutman got a hold of him at the 5:56 mark of the first quarter while Fluker had it much easier with 0:51 to go in the second as he pounced on Ellerbe who tripped over himself in pursuit. He was simply slow to react and unable to shed blocks all afternoon, a dangerous combination for any linebacker.
Game Notes
- Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill graded at -1.4 as a passer including -2.3 on throws beyond 10 yards and to his left
- Chargers RG Chad Rhinehart pulled the lone positive grade up front as he finished at +4.0 overall.
- Dolphins undrafted rookie free agent Sam Brenner made his NFL debut playing 61 of the 65 snaps at left guard. He finished at -0.4 overall, surrendering a sack and a hurry on his 38 pass block attempts.
PFF Game Ball
Tight end Charles Clay’s +4.2 performance and key 39-yard touchdown earn him the game ball this week.
