Kiko Alonso of the Miami Dolphins intercepts and returns it for a touchdown as Tyrell Williams of the San Diego Chargers chases at Qualcomm Stadium. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
- Left tackle Branden Albert is having a good season. But left tackle Laremy Tunsil, if needed this week or in the future, will be really, really good. Gase says Tunsil prefers not to have to move around and Tunsil has told me he has a comfort level with his mentor Albert, the savvy veteran, to his left. But if Albert (dislocated wrist) can’t go this week or for a few, we saw how Gase’s play-calling with Tunsil at left tackle will lean heavily on, well, play-calls to Tunsil’s left. On Jay Ajayi’s 40-yard run at the start of the second half, tight ends MarQuies Gray and Dion Sims were aligned to the left and had strong blocks. But there was Tunsil, smoothly picking up his block as well. On Ajayi’s 21-yard run around Tunsil in the third quarter, the rookie again sealed off his blocker as wide receiver Jarvis Landry did a great job with downfield blocking. When filling in at guard, Kraig Urbik was solid.
Cameron Wake is one of the five best pass rushers in the NFL right now. Yeah, yeah, he’s 34 years old and coming off a — yeah, you know. Wake me when he stops humilating offensive tackles and crushing helpless quarterbacks. One play that stood out to me was a Wake sack that didn’t count because it was negated by a Bobby McCain (he struggled) penalty. It would have been Wake’s third sack. Miami led 21-17 near the end of the third quarter. Wake got an incredible jump at the snap and the Chargers right tackle immediately seemed off balance. Wake straight bull-rushed him. Philip Rivers had a wide-open receiver and he was looking right at him, but it was irrelevant, because he was about to be devoured. Who in the NFL, right now, would you rather have lining up to sack Cam Newton on a third-and-9, in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line? You could certainly argue Von Miller or Khalil Mack and maybe Lorenzo Alexander or Chandler Jones. I’d take my chances with Wake.
Ryan Tannehill is moving his feet with his head up and seems more willing to take a calculated risk. These are two great advances. In the second quarter, Tannehill felt pressure and shuffled out of the pocket; finding Jarvis Landry for a completion. The completion was short of a first down but was a really good indication of how all those footwork drills Tannehill did with Gase is paying dividends. Though it did not count, due to penalty, a 41-yard throw Tannehill made to Parker 6:08 left was telling. The best part was that Tannehill gave Parker a chance to make a play on a ball when he was not clearly open. How accurately Tannehill throws deep, on the move, off-balance, under pressure, is eye-opening. Gase’s utlization of Tannehill’s athleticism is a huge plus moving forward. That pass was 40-plus yards in the air, up high for the Gumby-like Parker, and on the money.
