Winning against GOOD opposition... | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Winning against GOOD opposition...

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GazPhin

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I just posted this in another thread and open it up for discussion (as the news seems a bit thin at the moment):

"During the Superbowl commentary we had in the UK on Skysports, the expert (2 time superbowl winner) said (before it actually started to happen) that a good D can stop a great O.

Which leads me to the question, then why can't a great D like ours (citing St. Louis and San Francisco as opportunities to prove the point)?

The conclusion I have to reach is poor play calling from the coaching staff. One of the things that draws me to this sport is the cerebral side. The chess match between coaches. Isn't this where we are failing against playoff bound teams (losing the game to the Jets when we were winning so well by halftime up there is another case in point)? I feel a new thread coming on."

Not wanting to make it sound like an examination question, but how do we start winning against the teams who are playoff bound?

I can get the name of the expert when I get home if anyone is interested in such minutae.:lol:
 
Originally posted by GazPhin
how do we start winning against the teams who are playoff bound?:lol:
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the answer is as simple as
run the football well and stop the other team from running the football well we have not been able to either than well ag. good teams especially on the road
 
I fear Wanny buys that simplistic view...

...My view is that if everyone carries out their assignments on the field, then the winner will be determined by the mental game taking place between the coaching teams.

This recent superbowl, the best I have ever seen, was ruled by the many and varied offensive formations employed by the Rams head coach and the adjustments made by his opposite number on the Patriots sideline.

Playing a team like the Rams, if you load up against the run effectively they can burn you in the air. Balanced offense. And while the Pats retrieved the ball with good field position through good defense when they scored, both Brady and Antowain Smith contributed to the scores.

As the teams get closer through free agency, perhaps the coaching is becoming even more of a factor, though it certainly didn't hurt the '72 Dolphins having Shula in their corner.:)
 
Lot's of things factor into this.

1. We played a man over 2 coverage scheme and never deviated from that by bringing the safety up in run support.

2. We lost a lot in the pass rush department when Trace Armstrong signed with Oakland. Our sack totals dropped tremendously from last season. No pressure on the QB = QB having longer to throw the ball = more break downs in coverage.

3. Daryl Gardener injured his back, and Tim Bowens was never healthy all season long after having knee surgery in training camp. Their replacements, Jermaine Haley and Ernest Grant, were both dealing with nagging injuries as well.

4. Sam Madison missed a couple of games and seemingly wasn't as aggressive after his separated shoulder injury than he was before.

Combine all this with the fact that the defense spent around 35 minutes a game on the field, and you get the break down this defense had at the end of the season.

We also need depth at linebacker, though I thought Tommy Hendricks played pretty well in the Buffalo game that Zach missed.
 
kb21

those are all things on D, if Ricky is running w/the ball, our D is not a factor and neither is the other team's O. We need to run the ball and put in the end zone when we get near the goal line. Then force teams to throw the ball, when they have it and like you said we need an improved pass rush to help out there.
 
The reasons for our d struggleing are 3 fold.

1. Our d scheme is to easy to beet. You have to change up you scheme from week to week as BB showed in NE. The way are talent is on d is used is like buying a big screen tv, but not having cable. We need a creative D-cordinator, and one the can rally the troops.

2. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries!

3. The offense has to be able to controll the ball, and not keep the d on the feild the whole game. The mental and physical downfalls of having a 3 and out offense like we did last season are to much for any d to handle.
 
We will start to beat the better teams this year. Having Rickey will give us the inside ground pounding attack we haven't had in decades. This will keep the D fresher(changing up the scheme every once in a while will also help.) If we get the opposing team out of run mode, thats when our D can rush, but our front 4 need to get better pressure so we will not need to blitz often. This is the SB winning formula.
 
Exactly what I am talking about

Originally posted by Dajesus
The reasons for our d struggleing are 3 fold.

1. Our d scheme is to easy to beet. You have to change up you scheme from week to week as BB showed in NE. The way are talent is on d is used is like buying a big screen tv, but not having cable. We need a creative D-cordinator, and one the can rally the troops.
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Varying the defensive scheme to a) attack the offense and deny them a comfort zone and b) disrupt the offensive playcalling. Bill Bellichick may have been the MVP(erson) on the Pats side.

Players have to step up, but the calling has to reflect this added intelligence.:D

(Keeping the D off the field by running the ball for several minutes at a stretch is going to help them keep fresh as some have already said).
 
Originally posted by GazPhin
I just posted this in another thread and open it up for discussion (as the news seems a bit thin at the moment):

"During the Superbowl commentary we had in the UK on Skysports, the expert (2 time superbowl winner) said (before it actually started to happen) that a good D can stop a great O.

Which leads me to the question, then why can't a great D like ours (citing St. Louis and San Francisco as opportunities to prove the point)?

Well not turning the ball over 4 times a game would help! A good defense can beat a good offense by getting turnovers. If you give more than you get you have no chance. If Lamar Smith could hold onto the ball or Jay doesn't giveaway possesions in both the Rams and 9er games, our defense might have had a shot controling them and getting some turnovers of their own. Look at what New England did against the Rams. They got a bunch of takeaways and protected the ball on offense. Before you knew it the tortise beat the hare!
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2. We lost a lot in the pass rush department when Trace Armstrong signed with Oakland. Our sack totals dropped tremendously from last season. No pressure on the QB = QB having longer to throw the ball = more break downs in coverage.
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Our interceptions, the all important turn-overs, also dropped drasticaly because of a lack of a pass rush. In 2000, all 4 starters had 7 ints., in 2001 Marion led the team with 5 and no one else had more than 3.
Getting pressure on the QB is as important as stopping the run. The difference being, that if you can't stop the run, you die a slow death and if you can't rush the passer you die faster, either way you're dead.]
In a game where a player who runs a 4.55 forty is considered average and a person who runs a 4.35 is considered fast, the margin of error is so minute that the mental preparation is key to outperforming others who are basically equal to you. The coaching staff is responsible for all things mental so I guess you are absolutely right when you say that the coaches can be the difference makers. The problem lies with each individual and what it takes to properly motivate them and get their head where it is supposed to be. You could be battling, as a coach, anything from heartbreak, to jealosy, to apathy, and you have to somehow, be able to solve ALL these problems on any given gameday. I't's not as easy and cut and dried as some of us like to believe. All the variables that have to come together for a championship season, make that season a miracle tantamount to conception.
 
there are 2 ways to look at:

given the 2001 coaching staff what did we have to do to beat good teams: run the ball, stop the run and not turn it over.

or

the coaches should have been more flexible to find ways to work in passes to the TE and backs and other plays to supplement a weak running game and on D should blitzed to get more pressure and brought the S to let the D line be more creative.

Obviously, looking at NE, the latter point makes more sense, but Chan, Bates and Wanne were pretty damn stubborn last year so we lost based on the former.
 
Your defense is fast and on the smaller side....(J. Taylor and Z. Thomas) they start strong but die at the end of every season....Look at the records, it's true......9-2 to 10-6, 8-2 to 9-7.......
 
Originally posted by Billsfan
Your defense is fast and on the smaller side....(J. Taylor and Z. Thomas) they start strong but die at the end of every season....Look at the records, it's true......9-2 to 10-6, 8-2 to 9-7.......
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That's likely because they've been on the field for so long for so many games. If RW turns out to be all that everyone thinks he's going to be in Miami then that should remedy a lot of that fatigue that you've pointed out since there will be far fewer three and outs, thus allowing the "D" to rest up on the sidelines for the next attack.

The defense has been relied upon to win most of Miami's games for them the past several years. This year the burden will be shared equally with offense taking their shots and defense taking theirs which should alleviate that late season swoon and give the whole team fresh legs to roll into the playoffs with.

:band:
 
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