Week 3, mini-test

[His'nBeatYour'n]

This week will be a mini-test for new coach Nick Saban and his new-look Dolphins.
After 2 weeks, Saban has experienced his first win, and his first loss. The test for us fans to watch on Sunday is how a Saban coached team responds to a loss.

1 game, or 2 games, don't make a pattern. But, there is no doubt Saban will be evaluating his team's performance and improvement during the bye-week.

Win or lose this Sunday, the following bye-week could bring about some changes to the starting lineup. A shake up on the O-line, in the secondary, or at WR isn't out of the question.

-Can Ronnie improve his overall running performance?

-Can Chambers respond to some criticism for inexcusable drops over the first 2 weeks?

-Can the O-line improve it's collective discipline, consistent technique and less penalties?

-Can Linehan scheme his way around these weaknesses until they become strengths?

-Can Gus continue his steady leadership of this offense through these growing pains?

-Is the Defense for real? Or are they still the 04' unit that gave up drives like the 90 yard one the Jets had on Sunday?

I can't wait to find out.

 

[furball4]

Real defenses give up 90-yard drives. Pretty regularly in fact. They just do it slightly less often than others. Any team that can hold its opponents to an average of 13.5 points per game without much deviation is super-bowl caliber on that side of the ball. The horrifying thing last year was losing games where we held opponents to 10-17 points. There were four of those. It's true that the defense wasn't consistent last year, but that was game to game. Drive to drive consistency just doesn't exist in the NFL. If it did every game would end 0-0 or have nothing but field goals. It's also true that our defense played about 30% more ball than anyone else last year. Run-run-pass-punt hardly gives you time to catch your breath!

 

[PressCoverage]

Drive to drive consistency just doesn't exist in the NFL. If it did every game would end 0-0 or have nothing but field goals. It's also true that our defense played about 30% more ball than anyone else last year. Run-run-pass-punt hardly gives you time to catch your breath!

agreed, totally!... i've been thinking that for years about this team, and the perceived failures of this championship-calibur defense.... the vanilla offense has overworked them and held them back by the end of the year...

but don't tell guys like "nyjunc" that.... he's convinced Miami's defense breaks down because it just isn't very good...

 

[Slappy8800]

our secondary isnt very good

 

[His'nBeatYour'n]

Real defenses give up 90-yard drives. Pretty regularly in fact. They just do it slightly less often than others. Any team that can hold its opponents to an average of 13.5 points per game without much deviation is super-bowl caliber on that side of the ball. The horrifying thing last year was losing games where we held opponents to 10-17 points. There were four of those. It's true that the defense wasn't consistent last year, but that was game to game. Drive to drive consistency just doesn't exist in the NFL. If it did every game would end 0-0 or have nothing but field goals. It's also true that our defense played about 30% more ball than anyone else last year. Run-run-pass-punt hardly gives you time to catch your breath!

Fair point. I never questioned whether we had a real defense or not. I believe we have a very good D. I was just wondering if our defense is the one that stopped Denver on 8 of 9 plays inside the 1 yard line, or the one that allowed Chad Pennington to lead a 90 yard drive immediately after our offense had captured the momentum. If it wasn't for this drive I believe, in my humble opinion, that the Dolphins win Sunday's game.

I do blame the offense when they blow opportunity after opportunity handed to them by our defense.
But.
In years past, it seemed that everytime the offense would finally do their job, the defense would let them down. It was a pathetic see-saw effect. In the 120 minutes of football the Fins have played this year, the defense only did this once, but I believe it cost us the game. I don't want to see it again. I am not another bandwagon naysayer, I just want to see the Dolphins at their best.