Where Would You Rank Miami’s Defense? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Where Would You Rank Miami’s Defense?

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Just read an article on NFL.COM ranking the top nine defenses in the NFL. No surprise, Tampa Bay and Buffalo were included. So was New England, which did surprise me. Miami wasn't in this group.

I'm assuming that had a lot to do with the Dolphins run defense and the difficulty repeating turnover success.

Still, am I being a homer saying Miami should be ahead of New England? I definitely think the Dolphins are a top 10 defense.
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
Just read an article on NFL.COM ranking the top nine defenses in the NFL. No surprise, Tampa Bay and Buffalo were included. So was New England, which did surprise me. Miami wasn't in this group.

I'm assuming that had a lot to do with the Dolphins run defense and the difficulty repeating turnover success.

Still, am I being a homer saying Miami should be ahead of New England? I definitely think the Dolphins are a top 10 defense.
Click to expand...

Yeah crazy how Miami wasn’t included.
 
Good question. The homer in me says "HIGH!" But that really depends on what statistic is driving the ranking. For example, Miami was top 5 last year in Points Scored Against, and 3rd-down conversion % I believe. But nowhere NEAR top 5 in yards given up. I saw them last year as more of a bend-but-don't-break defense. When Elandon Roberts went down with the knee injury, we really faltered the rest of the way. Too many injuries collectively doomed any chance in that Buffalo game.

Early in the season, we were pleasantly competitive against Buffalo, Seattle, & Kansas City; teams considered top 5 or 6 powerhouses. This year, I think we're significantly better, and starting healthy. Everything depends upon health. On PAPER, we CAN be a top 5 defense. But there's no question in my mind that our team is better (dare I say vastly) than last year. They will be fun to watch.
 
What separates our defense from pretty much every other team on that list is depth. We have at least 4 guys capable of starting at safety. We have a ton of CB depth. We have a respectable DL and LB rotation. The Bucs, for example, have a good defense with literally zero depth behind their starters. A few unlucky injuries and they have no names on the field.
 
Flo has his Defense. It is now a complete reflection of him. I see him going for best NFL defense on a yearly basis here on out. If our offense produces and minimizes three and outs, we will have the top defense.
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
Just read an article on NFL.COM ranking the top nine defenses in the NFL. No surprise, Tampa Bay and Buffalo were included. So was New England, which did surprise me. Miami wasn't in this group.

I'm assuming that had a lot to do with the Dolphins run defense and the difficulty repeating turnover success.

Still, am I being a homer saying Miami should be ahead of New England? I definitely think the Dolphins are a top 10 defense.
Click to expand...

May be recency bias.

Keep in mind that the last time anyone saw Miami’s defense was when Matt Barkley was scoring relentlessly on them.
 
Statistically the Dolphins were a middle of the pack defense last year against the run and the pass. Their turnovers on defense is why many fans think of them as a top 10 defense. They really lacked a consistent pass rush last year and they were average at best against the run.

The addition of McKinney and the upgrades on the DL they made in the off season should help against the run while Phillips should provide pressure and allow Ogbah to avoid many of the double teams he went up against last year. I expect them to have a better pass rush this season and I believe they will get better play from the safety position.

They appear to have upgraded enough throughout the defense to have a top 10 caliber defense but the new additions on the defense need to play as well as we all expect them to if they want to be a top 10 defense in 2021.
 
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