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The name of the game in the NFL is turnovers. Forcing them on D and not giving them up on O.
9 teams in the NFL have a +4 turnover ratio or better at this point (The 10th team is only +1). Guess what? All nine of those teams have winning records and are having good seasons.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/OFF-TURNOVERS/2006/regular?sort_col_1=9
St. Louis and Chicago are at the top of the heap. The Rams have zero INT's - it doesn't feel good to be missing Linehan these days ...
There are the exceptions - New England and Denver have overcome a mediocre TO ratio, but that is partly a function of other factors.
Nevertheless, this Dolphin team is neither creating many turnovers (7 total and only 3 INT's) nor are they protecting the ball in critical situations. Their ratio is zero.
The TO's on D just aren't being created by a consistent pass rush and pressure - and there is not the penetration and big hits that force them. This is a problem for this team. It may be a function of the age on defense with players slowing down, not having that aggressive, hungry energy that other teams have. When you watch the way Miami plays D compared to the way Philadelphia does, you really see a difference in the youth, athleticism, attacking mode - that is just missing with the Dolphins.
On offense, it's been a function of big mistakes at the wrong time by the QB position (Harrington had two that were killers last week, leading to 14 points) and poor play by the O-line.
It's as simple as that. If you force turnovers, and you don't turn the ball over, 9x out of 10, you will win.
Forget all the other fluff about what the QB did "other than a couple of mistakes," ... that misses the point. You turn the ball over - you lose. Period (Unless you are Dan Marino and can throw 5 TD's with 2 INT's - even then, that's a problem).
If the Dolphins want to salvage their season, this is the one area that needs to change. Start forcing turnovers and stop with the INT's and fumbles. Easier said than done, of course, but no other stat really matters as significantly as that - especially on a team that has trouble generating consistent offensive drives and points - then, a turnover is brutal.
9 teams in the NFL have a +4 turnover ratio or better at this point (The 10th team is only +1). Guess what? All nine of those teams have winning records and are having good seasons.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/OFF-TURNOVERS/2006/regular?sort_col_1=9
St. Louis and Chicago are at the top of the heap. The Rams have zero INT's - it doesn't feel good to be missing Linehan these days ...
There are the exceptions - New England and Denver have overcome a mediocre TO ratio, but that is partly a function of other factors.
Nevertheless, this Dolphin team is neither creating many turnovers (7 total and only 3 INT's) nor are they protecting the ball in critical situations. Their ratio is zero.
The TO's on D just aren't being created by a consistent pass rush and pressure - and there is not the penetration and big hits that force them. This is a problem for this team. It may be a function of the age on defense with players slowing down, not having that aggressive, hungry energy that other teams have. When you watch the way Miami plays D compared to the way Philadelphia does, you really see a difference in the youth, athleticism, attacking mode - that is just missing with the Dolphins.
On offense, it's been a function of big mistakes at the wrong time by the QB position (Harrington had two that were killers last week, leading to 14 points) and poor play by the O-line.
It's as simple as that. If you force turnovers, and you don't turn the ball over, 9x out of 10, you will win.
Forget all the other fluff about what the QB did "other than a couple of mistakes," ... that misses the point. You turn the ball over - you lose. Period (Unless you are Dan Marino and can throw 5 TD's with 2 INT's - even then, that's a problem).
If the Dolphins want to salvage their season, this is the one area that needs to change. Start forcing turnovers and stop with the INT's and fumbles. Easier said than done, of course, but no other stat really matters as significantly as that - especially on a team that has trouble generating consistent offensive drives and points - then, a turnover is brutal.
