What, Miami top 10 D on 3rd downs last year. | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

What, Miami top 10 D on 3rd downs last year.

MDFINFAN

MDFINFAN

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Yea of course there were specific circumstances that stood out this season. This was really a bright spot of our D this year and I hope it only gets better. For so many years in a row we were terrible in this category and it showed via our record.
 
Really shocked by this as I remember games against the Seahawks, Raiders and especially 49ers where we could not get off the field
 
Didn't get to be 11-5 by blowing all the 3rd down defensive snaps. Still so much room for improvement. Hoping with better pass rushing and secondary play that can improve this year.
 
I noticed we were doing a lot better this year on 3rd down. I know at times it was frustrating and seemed like we couldn't get off the field. But come on, even the Steelers defense let 3rd down conversions go here and there. I remember the past few years it felt like almost every drive we would let up a third down. Now we have it down to 31 percent. That seems pretty hard not to notice.
 
emeraldfin said:
Really shocked by this as I remember games against the Seahawks, Raiders and especially 49ers where we could not get off the field
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The Raiders only converted 2 of 11 3rd down attempts against us. Seattle converted 7 of 15 and San Francisco converted 8 of 15.
 
mikethewreck said:
Didn't get to be 11-5 by blowing all the 3rd down defensive snaps. Still so much room for improvement. Hoping with better pass rushing and secondary play that can improve this year.
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That's an understatement. In 7 of 16 games, teams converted 40% of more of their 3rd down attempts against Miami, including 3 teams that converted 50% or more.
 
Geforce said:
That's an understatement. In 7 of 16 games, teams converted 40% of more of their 3rd down attempts against Miami, including 3 teams that converted 50% or more.
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At the same time how much did they score TD's against us? I just got done watching Seattle, SF, and Buffalo games. Alot of teams drove well on us only to fall short in the red zone. The second NE game was really the only game we got blown out in.

We had a stretch where nobody scored a TD in the first and fourth qtr's for a long stretch because the announcers were always quick to point that out.
 
Geforce said:
The Raiders only converted 2 of 11 3rd down attempts against us. Seattle converted 7 of 15 and San Francisco converted 8 of 15.
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Strange that when watching the games it seemed worse than it actually was. Was completley wrong about the Raiders game, the Seattle game was fairly balanced, but the 49ers totally dominated us that entire game and I would have expected their 3rd down % to have been higher.

But, I underestimited how well the D did on 3rd down.
 
finfan54 said:
At the same time how much did they score TD's against us? I just got done watching Seattle, SF, and Buffalo games. Alot of teams drove well on us only to fall short in the red zone. The second NE game was really the only game we got blown out in.

We had a stretch where nobody scored a TD in the first and fourth qtr's for a long stretch because the announcers were always quick to point that out.
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Thats a good point actually.Would love to see the stats for our redzone defense.
 
finfan54 said:
At the same time how much did they score TD's against us? I just got done watching Seattle, SF, and Buffalo games. Alot of teams drove well on us only to fall short in the red zone. The second NE game was really the only game we got blown out in.

We had a stretch where nobody scored a TD in the first and fourth qtr's for a long stretch because the announcers were always quick to point that out.
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The scoring and red zone defense is another issue and I know all about the three game stretch, St Louis, Buffalo & San Francisco, were the defense didn't allow an offensive touchdown.

It's about games like the one against Seattle where the defense had the Seahawks in 3rd & 7, 3rd & 8, and 3rd & 9 inside their own 40 and allowing them to pick up the first down instead of getting off the field and giving the offense ball at the 30 or 35 yard line instead of inside the 20. It's about winning the field position battle and/or "those hidden yards" Coach Sparano talks about.
 
emeraldfin said:
Thats a good point actually.Would love to see the stats for our redzone defense.
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The Dolphins were very good in red zone defense and red zone offense last season:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11824674

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Each week in game-plan meetings, coaches on both sides of the ball put in plays that they like each week. In Miami, however, they focus on what it will take to win (I hate the saying, "what we like this week." I prefer "What it will take for us to win this week."). For example, what are four or five critical aspects of the game, in all three phases, that must be honed in order for Miami to be in position to win? You might beat the Dolphins next season, but it will require hard work and careful game planning along with solid execution.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Miami won last year because of its attention to detail and its ability to play well in the red zone on defense, making it very hard for the opponent to score touchdowns. Forget the yards-against stats. Pay close attention to who plays great defense in the red zone -- that's where you'll find a team in every game. Miami ranked ninth in points allowed last year because of its red-zone performance.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Conversely, when the Dolphins moved the ball into the red zone, they ranked seventh in scoring touchdowns. They're good at keeping opponents from scoring and very good at finishing drives. This is what makes a team effective.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]The Dolphins might not have been very talented at wide receiver last season, but they rarely dropped passes. They finished fourth in the NFL in dropped passes, which for me is a huge statistic. (Side note: Back in the 1980s, everyone in college football wanted to install the BYU offense, but the missing aspect of the attack was that they rarely dropped passes. It's in the execution, not in the plays.) The Dolphins might not have been talented at wideout, but they could execute. Expect them to execute again this year.
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
The Dolphins have quality execution. They protect the football. They also have some very talented young defensive linemen who will show marked improvement this year. The rarity of injuries allows them a lot of practice time as a total team (keeping the number of practices with pads down late in the year, which ultimately hurts football teams late in the season). All these factors make the Dolphins a tough team in 2009.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The Dolphins are a very good football team -- they weren't just lucky last year. They are extremely well-coached and they have incredible attention to detail, making their opponents play their best. They force opponents to find alternative ways to win the game. They are disciplined. They have a "Born to Run" mentality to keep doing what they do well. (That is when teams don't get bored doing the same things. They perform with enthusiasm, as Bruce Springsteen does every time he plays Born to Run in concert.) [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] I like the Dolphins. I like their team toughness, and I like them to be back in the playoffs next season."[/FONT]
 
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