Phanatical
Official Daunte Hater
OK, I've read enough of these ridiculous threads and posts that state that the Dolphins offensive problems are strictly because of the QB play, the playcalling, the WR's etc. etc.. The truth is, the offense is horrid for a lot of reasons, but, in my opinion, there are three main areas that have to be fixed for the Dolphins to have success next year. Without further ado, here are the three main culprits that MUST be improved:
1. Offensive Line: . It all starts up front fellas (and ladies). This group has been bad all year long. They were terrible in preseason and everyone said, oh, just give them time. They started out the first four games getting Culpepper killed. They couldn't pass protect to save their own lives. The switch to Harrington helped in that Joey gets rid of the ball so fast. The downside is that the coaches have also gone to max protection schemes and that doesn't let plays develop, and doesn't let Chambers finish his routes. The coaches have taken McMichael (one of our most potent weapons) out of the game to be a blocker, and the quick passing doesn't allow Chambers to finish his routes and his role is now primarily a decoy. Thus, two of our best offensive weapons have been underutilized and almost forgotten because of the type of offense the coaches have utlilized in order to adapt to the poor blocking. The running game has also suffered as a result. Teams know that the Dolphins want to get Ronnie going cause they have little else. Well guess what, since the passing game is no threat they've been stacking the LOS to take Ronnie out of the game. Not to mention that the line gets no push against the better defensive lines. Remember the Minnesota game? Yeah, no push. Yes, the OL has managed to put together a few decent running games, but mostly due to a combination of weak run stopping defenses and a really good running back named Ronnie Brown. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Until the Dolphins invest some picks, money and effort into the OL then our star players will be relegated to blockers and decoys. The OL must be the first priority.
2. Offensive Coordinator: Malarkey (yeah, the spelling fits) just plain stinks. Why in the world would Saban hire a guy that was basically chased out of Buffalo for running a horrible offense? I have never understood this decision. Well, after watching him in Miami, the Buffalo fans were absolutely right, that guy is just a train wreck whose cost us a lot of games this year. Why oh why don't we RUN THE BALL when its working? Why oh why do we run gadget plays at the goal line with Ronnie frickin Brown in the backfield? Why oh why do we run play action passes with only one receiver in the patterns? Why do we put the game on Joey "Bluesky" Harringtons shoulders? The list can go on and on. The Dolphins second priority must be to fire Malarkey (yeah, the spelling fits).
3. Quarterback: OK, we've seen what we have in Harrington, a career backup. Did we really think all those Detroit fans were wrong? I was excited for a while that he was improving every game, and just when I got on his bandwagon he went back to being Joey. I understand the Lions frustration with him, he gives you just enough to tease you into thinking he's a good QB and then he unravels again. Culpepper might not ever regain his form. It's been two bad years in a row for him. He doesn't have the mobility that once made him a big threat, and he hasn't ever shown he can read defenses or that he can operate under pressure. His career winning percentage is only 48%, and his ONLY winning season was six years ago. I don't really believe that he will ever be a "pro-bowl" QB again (if he ever was). The Dolphins must draft someone with a legitimate shot of eventually taking over the reigns. We may have that in Lemon but we won't know until we give him a little more playing time. The Dolphins should release Harrington, put Lemon at second string and give him some playing time, and draft a legitimate starter. If Culpepper regains his form then great, if not, then turn to Lemon or the draft pick.
There you have it. I believe the Dolphins offense stinks because of the offensive line, the offensive coordinator, AND the QB. The offensive line must be revamped with more talent, the offensive coordinator must be replaced, and the Dolphins must get rid of Harrington and get another legitimate talent into their mix. Until they do all three of these things, they are going to be at the bottom of the division.
There you have it fin fans, tell me what you think about my three and tell me who you think is to blame for the putrid offense.
1. Offensive Line: . It all starts up front fellas (and ladies). This group has been bad all year long. They were terrible in preseason and everyone said, oh, just give them time. They started out the first four games getting Culpepper killed. They couldn't pass protect to save their own lives. The switch to Harrington helped in that Joey gets rid of the ball so fast. The downside is that the coaches have also gone to max protection schemes and that doesn't let plays develop, and doesn't let Chambers finish his routes. The coaches have taken McMichael (one of our most potent weapons) out of the game to be a blocker, and the quick passing doesn't allow Chambers to finish his routes and his role is now primarily a decoy. Thus, two of our best offensive weapons have been underutilized and almost forgotten because of the type of offense the coaches have utlilized in order to adapt to the poor blocking. The running game has also suffered as a result. Teams know that the Dolphins want to get Ronnie going cause they have little else. Well guess what, since the passing game is no threat they've been stacking the LOS to take Ronnie out of the game. Not to mention that the line gets no push against the better defensive lines. Remember the Minnesota game? Yeah, no push. Yes, the OL has managed to put together a few decent running games, but mostly due to a combination of weak run stopping defenses and a really good running back named Ronnie Brown. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Until the Dolphins invest some picks, money and effort into the OL then our star players will be relegated to blockers and decoys. The OL must be the first priority.
2. Offensive Coordinator: Malarkey (yeah, the spelling fits) just plain stinks. Why in the world would Saban hire a guy that was basically chased out of Buffalo for running a horrible offense? I have never understood this decision. Well, after watching him in Miami, the Buffalo fans were absolutely right, that guy is just a train wreck whose cost us a lot of games this year. Why oh why don't we RUN THE BALL when its working? Why oh why do we run gadget plays at the goal line with Ronnie frickin Brown in the backfield? Why oh why do we run play action passes with only one receiver in the patterns? Why do we put the game on Joey "Bluesky" Harringtons shoulders? The list can go on and on. The Dolphins second priority must be to fire Malarkey (yeah, the spelling fits).
3. Quarterback: OK, we've seen what we have in Harrington, a career backup. Did we really think all those Detroit fans were wrong? I was excited for a while that he was improving every game, and just when I got on his bandwagon he went back to being Joey. I understand the Lions frustration with him, he gives you just enough to tease you into thinking he's a good QB and then he unravels again. Culpepper might not ever regain his form. It's been two bad years in a row for him. He doesn't have the mobility that once made him a big threat, and he hasn't ever shown he can read defenses or that he can operate under pressure. His career winning percentage is only 48%, and his ONLY winning season was six years ago. I don't really believe that he will ever be a "pro-bowl" QB again (if he ever was). The Dolphins must draft someone with a legitimate shot of eventually taking over the reigns. We may have that in Lemon but we won't know until we give him a little more playing time. The Dolphins should release Harrington, put Lemon at second string and give him some playing time, and draft a legitimate starter. If Culpepper regains his form then great, if not, then turn to Lemon or the draft pick.
There you have it. I believe the Dolphins offense stinks because of the offensive line, the offensive coordinator, AND the QB. The offensive line must be revamped with more talent, the offensive coordinator must be replaced, and the Dolphins must get rid of Harrington and get another legitimate talent into their mix. Until they do all three of these things, they are going to be at the bottom of the division.
There you have it fin fans, tell me what you think about my three and tell me who you think is to blame for the putrid offense.
