Game 1 thoughts: Dolphins at Chargers

The Dolphins finally opened the season and once again came away with a victory that felt like a loss. Getting a tough road win against a conference opponent is a great way to start the season, but the Dolphins did everything they could to lose the game. Fortunately, the Chargers’ rookie kicker bailed them out at the end with a last-second missed FG that would have handed the Phins a loss.

It was a tale of two halves for the Dolphins offense. During the first half, I kept checking the sidelines for Joe Philbin and Bill Lazor – because the offense was absolutely pathetic. Jay Cutler threw nothing but short (very short) passes and the Phins never challenged the Charger defense. It was as if Adam Gase was terrified of making a mistake, and he coached like a scared rabbit. Jay Ajayi carried the team on his back, but even with his beast-mode running, the anemic offense managed just 3 first-half points. Boring, uninspired and flat – that was the Phins’ offense in the first half.

Two things I want to mention before moving on to the second half. First, despite all the talk about how Cutler would be a gunslinger and DeVante Parker would be the new focal point of the offense, what we saw yesterday tells me that the offense still very much revolves around short passes to Jarvis Landry. Kenny Stills and Parker combined for just 6 catches, while Landry hauled in 13 by himself – for a measly average of just 6 yards a catch. That is not a recipe for a high-powered offense. The second thing I want to point out is this: don’t let Ajayi’s performance fool you – this offensive line played horribly yesterday. Ajayi was hit in the backfield on nearly every carry, and it’s a testament to his toughness that he was able to gain so many yards. The OL was like Swiss cheese in run-blocking, especially the right side where James and Bushrod were continually pushed around. Without Ajayi, the Phins may have gotten shut out yesterday – seriously.

In the second half, Gase finally took the training wheels off of Cutler, and while it wasn’t always pretty, at least the Phins managed to get a TD and three FGs. Parker made some clutch catches and Stills had a TD. Cutler played a decent game overall, but he did take a bad red zone sack and also made one of the most bone-headed passes I’ve ever seen: throwing the ball out of bounds on what should have been a 4th down Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half. Cutler did not turn the ball over, and that was one of the keys to victory for the Phins. Overall, the offense did not play good enough to win – except for Ajayi. Red zone and third downs need a lot of work.

Now, the defense. On the plus side, the run defense was outstanding, limiting Melvin Gordon to under 15 yards. The pass defense, though…not so good. Phillip Rivers completed 31 passes for 331 yards – that is simply unacceptable. The middle of the field was wide open all day, and Rivers took advantage of it over and over. The pass rush was non-existent, and the LB play was embarrassing. Suh was a beast in the middle, and Hayes looked good in his Phins’ debut. First round pick Charles Harris played a lot and was a total non-factor. Godchaux and Phillips split time in the middle and didn’t do much of anything (unless you count Phillips’ penalty for lining up in the neutral zone). Kiko Alonso, he of the huge offseason contract extension, was invisible…unless you looked closely and saw him getting blocked out or trailing 5 yards behind ball-carriers. Mike Hull led the team in tackles, but was frequently out of position and just looked unathletic and outmatched. Rookie Chase Allen was forced into a starting role thanks to Lawrence “MIA” Timmons pulling a no-show, and he showed why he was undrafted. The kid has potential, but he’s just not ready yet. The secondary didn’t fare much better. Reshad Jones still looks rusty, missing tackles and getting caught out of position. Maxwell had a target on his back and gave up a lot of catches. Nate Allen didn’t play much and displayed hands of stone, missing two would-be interceptions. I give the D credit for keeping the Chargers out of the end zone, but let’s face it – the Phins won’t win many games if they continue to play D like this.

The return game was mostly non-existent, although Grant did have a key 14-yard punt return on the Phins’ winning drive. The coverage teams were solid for the most part, and new kicker Cody Parkey was the Dolphins offense, with 4 FGs, including a 54-yarder for the win.

The Dolphins won this game for one reason, and one reason only: the Chargers have a garbage kicker. Rookie Younghoe Koo missed two FGs last week, and followed that up by missing two more against the Phins yesterday – including what would have been the game-winner, which was just a 44-yarder. Gase did everything he could to help the Chargers on that final drive, inexplicably calling a timeout with 10 seconds left, with the Chargers having none and running around like a chicken without its head. Gase gave the Chargers a chance to re-group and kick the game winner…but thankfully Koo choked. Truly a Philbin-esque move by Gase.

So yeah, take the W and head home to get ready to go 2-0 against the hapless Jets – the worst team in the NFL. I’ll take it. But – as I said, the Dolphins will not win many games this season if they continue to play like this on both sides of the ball.

Hero of the Game: Tie – Jay Ajayi and Cody Parkey

Goat of the Game: Adam Gase, for his pathetic play-calling in the first half and dumbass timeout at the end of the game. Honorable mention to Lawrence Timmons for not bothering to show up.

JMP wrote:Nate Allen didn’t play much

https://twitter.com/ArmandoSalguero/status/909738404631396352

and the sad thing is Nate Allen played on 100% of the defensive snaps. that's right, he was in on all 58 defensive snaps and was still invisible - save for the fact that he showed up in the picture about 5 yards behind several catches.

Verner didn't get a single defensive snap.

mercury22nathan wrote:

JMP wrote:Nate Allen didn’t play much

https://twitter.com/ArmandoSalguero/status/909738404631396352

and the sad thing is Nate Allen played on 100% of the defensive snaps.  that's right, he was in on all 58 defensive snaps and was still invisible - save for the fact that he showed up in the picture about 5 yards behind several catches.

Verner didn't get a single defensive snap.

Wow - my bad! I didn't see Allen much so I just assumed he wasn't on the field. I guess that says it all! LOL

Can't understand why Verner didn't play.

Allen should have had two red zone INT's.

Birdmond wrote:Allen should have had two red zone INT's.  

Yep. I think that's the only times I saw him! Having no true FS really hurts this D...need someone back there that can make plays.

This is the first time in over a decade I enjoyed watching a game and not worrying if our QB would get sacked, fumble, or throw a pick on every play.

JEGnj wrote:This is the first time in over a decade I enjoyed watching a game and not worrying if our QB would get sacked, fumble, or throw a pick on every play.  

I'm the opposite...every time Cutler drops back, I'm waiting for the turnover.

oh, and for all that talk of how much Jakeem Grant has turned the corner is ready to make an impact with his downfield ability - he had a grand total of 1 play on offense. Caroo got 2.

Landry was targeted 15 times and caught 13. pretty good, but expected considering the short nature of the passes.
J. Thomas was targeted 3 times and caught every single one of them. it might be nice to utilize this in the red zone.
Parker (4 of 9) and Stills (2 of 5) for comparison sake.

JMP wrote:don’t let Ajayi’s performance fool you – this offensive line played horribly yesterday.  Ajayi was hit in the backfield on nearly every carry, and it’s a testament to his toughness that he was able to gain so many yards.

so true.

Jay Ajayi... generate 82 of his 122 total yards after contact Sunday, the most for any back in Week 2.

His eight forced missed tackles also led all backs...

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article173912046.html

how bad is the pass defense?

Cornerback Xavien Howard was targeted a league-high 13 times in Week 2 and allowed a league-high 10 receptions for 87 yards, including a key one on San Diego’s final drive that ended with a missed field goal. His overall grade of 46.8 ranked 62nd among all cornerbacks for week two.

While linebacker Mike Hull - forced into a major role - held up in the running game, he allowed all nine passes thrown against him to be caught for 95 yards. The targets, receptions and yards allowed were all the most for any linebacker in coverage for Week 2.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article173912046.html

look for teams to continue to attack this weakness. a pass rush would help too.

mercury22nathan wrote:how bad is the pass defense?

Cornerback Xavien Howard was targeted a league-high 13 times in Week 2 and allowed a league-high 10 receptions for 87 yards, including a key one on San Diego’s final drive that ended with a missed field goal. His overall grade of 46.8 ranked 62nd among all cornerbacks for week two.

While linebacker Mike Hull - forced into a major role - held up in the running game, he allowed all nine passes thrown against him to be caught for 95 yards. The targets, receptions and yards allowed were all the most for any linebacker in coverage for Week 2.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article173912046.html

look for teams to continue to attack this weakness. a pass rush would help too.

Yes of all the concerns for me this is #1 and it's not close. The lack of pressure against a mediocre OL is TROUBLING. I'm actually afraid to watch the game against the Falcons.

But we're 1-0 so I'm going to enjoy it.

The lack of pass rush is very disturbing, but it isn't unexpected. Wake is the only legit pass rusher on the team, and for the most part if he isn't getting to the QB no one else is. Hopefully our #1 pick can make an impact at some point, but at this stage he's not ready.

What's disturbing to me is the pass defense scheme. I know it's like beating a dead horse, but the middle of the field is just wide open. One thing I noticed yesterday is that when Howard and Maxwell were covering receivers on the boundaries, the receivers often ran patterns that brought them to the middle of the field. In most cases the receivers were out in front, with our corners trailing, and there was absolutely no sign of a safety nearby to help out. This led to easy pitch-and-catch opportunities for Rivers all day. Where the hell are the safties when that's happening? The answer is, they're both playing deep because of the "can't get beat deep" philosophy. That's all well and good, but that scheme allows your opponent to get first down after first down - it's just too easy. Now, when we play sloppy, unorganized teams like the Chargers, we can keep them out of the endzone with this philosophy. But when we face legit offenses like the Pats or Falcons, for example...it's a sure way to give up 30+ points.

A couple of other notes:

Seemed like the Miami D blitzed more than usual yesterday. Of course, I don't think any of the blitzes actually caused pressure on the QB, but it was interesting to see Burke being a bit aggressive. Now we just need him to get more creative with the blitzes and not make them so obvious.

Just an observation: it's scary to think that Gase and Burke had an extra week to prepare for this game, and the crappy gameplan we saw yesterday was the best they could come up with. That's not good.

Interesting that we play the Jets next week. That game may very well determine which team has the worst LB corps in the NFL. I know it's early, but I'll be shocked if the Jets win even one game this season - they are BAD.

Tunsil continues to piss me off. Gave up two sacks and some pressures. Unacceptable. Play up to your potential!!

white1 wrote:Tunsil continues to piss me off. Gave up two sacks and some pressures. Unacceptable. Play up to your potential!!

Yep, Tunsil certainly is nowhere near the player he was billed as. I thought he was just adequate at guard, and so far it's the same story at LT - which is supposedly his "natural" position. He seems to be a better run blocker than I expected - so at least that's good.

YESSS!!! WOOHOO!!! THE GAME THOUGHTS ARE BACK, BABY!!! HUZZAH!!!

Almost makes up for the 100-degree temps this week in late September. I hate weather.

So glad to see the recent draft picks are working out fine But that makes me even more mystified as to how this team was able to win scoring under 20 with apparently the worst middle of the field pass D ever

DolFan 316 wrote:
So glad to see the recent draft picks are working out fine

Yeah, we got nothing from our first rounder, our second rounder is on IR and I'm pretty sure our third rounder was inactive. It's only one game, but I don't see the situation changing any time soon.

Did Caroo even catch a pass yesterday? Did he even play?

The last two draft classes have produced a couple of return scores (one of which helped beat the Jets so there's that) and...uh...um... Remember, Ajayi was drafted three classes ago now.

DolFan 316 wrote:Did Caroo even catch a pass yesterday? Did he even play?

I think Carroo was in on two plays...not that I even saw him, but I saw it online.  That pick becomes worse by the week.

By the way, Grant was in for just one play...a fake jet sweep to the left on one of the stupid reverses to Landry.  It fooled no one.

The major difference between Cutler and Moore at this point is turnovers.  That said, WTF do we pay Moore for anyway?

Great write-up.

I am glad we won, but you wouldn't know it from my posts.  The reason?  We looked absolutely terrible.  The main takeaway from the game?  Hey look, two bottom-tier NFL teams playing terrible football.  Wonder where in the Top 15 they'll each end up in the draft.  Which one of these former-proud franchises is going to actually turn the corner?  Why can't San Diego do anything with a QB like Rivers?  

Basically, I felt bad for Rivers, and the fans of both teams.

Eli was smart not to go to SD.  

Replace San Diego up there with Los Angeles, the city that can't fill a fucking soccer stadium to see NFL football.  Goodell should have  never allowed the cheap-ass Alex Spanos to move the team.  Another cocksucker of an owner in a league full of 'em.

The Chargers, on paper, look like a really good team - maybe even great. But they're sloppy, undisciplined and unlucky (and they have a useless rookie kicker). They're like the Murphy's Law team of the NFL...anything that can go wrong, does go wrong.

I definitely feel bad for Rivers. It's fashionable to dump on him nowadays, but I think he's still a great QB...he's just asked to do way too much because he's surrounded by ineptitude and he never has a healthy OL or a healthy group of receivers.

JMP wrote:The Chargers, on paper, look like a really good team - maybe even great.  But they're sloppy, undisciplined and unlucky (and they have a useless rookie kicker).  They're like the Murphy's Law team of the NFL...anything that can go wrong, does go wrong.  

I definitely feel bad for Rivers.  It's fashionable to dump on him nowadays, but I think he's still a great QB...he's just asked to do way too much because he's surrounded by ineptitude and he never has a healthy OL or a healthy group of receivers.

The Chargers have more talent than the Fins for sure, maybe even significantly more. But the Fins have the luck, which in today's world Trumps all. (See what I did there?)

I wouldn't call either team "bottom tier" either. They're both in that nebulous next tier between straight up hot garbage and average. Teams like the 49ers, Browns, Bears, Bills and Jets are the true bottom tier. Colts might be this season as well. Rams were also firmly in this area but might be moving up this season.

Here's my take. The Dolphins went into the game with a game plan that they executed. The short passing was used to negate SanDiego's pass rush. The running game combined with the short passing game was designed to eat up clock and keep our defense off the field. The offense stalled in the red zone but out kicking game was on. We controlled the clock and our offense was on the field 7 minutes longer than the Chargers. Controlling the clock was something Tannehill has never seemed to grasp. Would like to see us figure out the red zone so we produce touchdowns. Overall the offense gets a B grade.

The defense has a lot of warts. The Chargers used a short passing game also throwing the ball in the 5-7 yard range. They just got more YAC. Those short to intermediate passes were there all game long. In part due to the emphasis of stopping the run. Miami gave up more points overall but even the defensive game plan worked. Miami took away the Chargers best offensive weapon in Gordon. By limiting his runs we controlled the clock. C-

Parkey was on fire. Hitting the 54 yarder at the end was money. We haven't had a kicker look that good in a decade. We gave up some chunk yards in the return game and our punter absolutely sucked. If not for Parkey this unit would have the lowest grade. Parkey bumps up my assessment by one full grade. B-

The coaching grades are harder to determine. Gase's team won using a game plan that he put in place. I give an A- or a B to Gase. He gets a deduction for the timeout and the lack of creativity in the red zone.

Kudos to the defensive coordinator. He game planned to stop the run and did. This left the Chargers one dimensional and also helped in time of possession. B- to a C. We need to stop the passing games of other teams. Disrupt the timing of the other team.

Overall the team gets a B- We won ugly but we won.


The

If we're giving grades, I'd give the offense a C (only that high because of Ajayi), the defense a D, special teams an A (because of Parkey and the coverage teams), and coaching a D. Overall, maybe a C- because of the win - but we only won because of a missed FG.

Coaching was very disappointing...threw away the entire first half with crap play-calling, and then the dumbass timeout at the end. Rookie coaching from a guy who is no longer a rookie.

CarsonChris wrote:Here's my take. The Dolphins went into the game with a game plan that they executed. The short passing was used to negate SanDiego's pass rush. The running game combined with the short passing game was designed to eat up clock and keep our defense off the field. The offense stalled in the red zone but out kicking game was on. We controlled the clock and our offense was on the field 7 minutes longer than the Chargers. Controlling the clock was something Tannehill has never seemed to grasp. Would like to see us figure out the red zone so we produce touchdowns. Overall the offense gets a B grade.

The defense has a lot of warts. The Chargers used a short passing game also throwing the ball in the 5-7 yard range. They just got more YAC. Those short to intermediate passes were there all game long. In part due to the emphasis of stopping the run. Miami gave up more points overall but even the defensive game plan worked. Miami took away the Chargers best offensive weapon in Gordon. By limiting his runs we controlled the clock. C-

Parkey was on fire. Hitting the 54 yarder at the end was money. We haven't had a kicker look that good in a decade. We gave up some chunk yards in the return game and our punter absolutely sucked. If not for Parkey this unit would have the lowest grade. Parkey bumps up my assessment by one full grade. B-

The coaching grades are harder to determine. Gase's team won using a game plan that he put in place. I give an A- or a B to Gase. He gets a deduction for the timeout and the lack of creativity in the red zone.

Kudos to the defensive coordinator. He game planned to stop the run and did. This left the Chargers one dimensional and also helped in time of possession. B- to a C. We need to stop the passing games of other teams. Disrupt the timing of the other team.

Overall the team gets a B- We won ugly but we won.


The

I'm pretty much in agreement.