Falcons vs. Dolphins

I've only watched the first half so far, but wow - really loving the offense!

Tua was excellent, completing 11 of his first 212 passes and showing great command of the offense. SOme clutch third down completions again.

The OL was great - strong pass pro and opened some holes for the RBs. Dieter looks rock solid in the middle and I saw Hunt absolutely manhandling people. Kindley had some steamroller blocks and Jackson didn't get beat, as far as I can tell. Davis was steady at RT, and from what I heard Eich was excellent at RT later in the game.

Gaskin looked fantastic as both a runner and receiver. I really think he's going to have a big season. Brown had a couple of decent runs but gave up a sack with poor pass pro.

Waddle looked explosive and made some nice plays. There was a bit of an injury scare as he went into the locker room with an apparent knee injury while blocking, but he came out for the next series and was able o continue playing. Hollins again had a strong game with some great catches in traffic. Gesicki had a huge 30-yard catch and run in the seam.

The defense gave up more yardage than I'd like, but they were rock solid overall and allowed just 3 points in the half. LB Sam Eguavoen made the team last night - I saw him get 2 sacks and knock the Falcons starting QB out of the game, and in the second half he had 2 more sacks and a safety. He was all over the place. Ogbah got some good pressures, Davis, Seiler and Wilkins were stout on the line, and AVG was always at the ball. The secondary was strong, with Rowe knocking down a 4th and goal pass, Jones and Howard locking down their receivers, and Needham showing tight coverage. I didn't see Iggy on D in the first half, but he did have a nice kick return and a great STs tackle.

Overall, this was a half that has me super-excited for the regular season. I knew the defense would be great, but we're starting to see the offense come alive. Once the top receivers are back on the field, this offense has the potential to be explosive.

Second half was good too!

Really impressed with the OL throughout the game.  The 2nd and 3rd team OL played well.  Coleman, Skura and Eich all looked great.  New LT George Little saw a few snaps and looked great - showed good strength and feet and really looked the part.

Eguavoen continued to play like a man possessed.  He was truly a one-man wrecking crew.  Fellow LB Calvin Munson had a great athletic INT that led to the Dolphins final TD of the day.

Watching this game, I saw 3 WRs that won't make the team, but showed that they belong in the NFL: Malcolm Perry, Kirk Merritt and Robert Foster.  All three looked good at receiver and made contributions on STs.  It shows how deep this WR group really is.

EDIT: forgot to mention: Brissett looked solid - made some nice throws and seems to have good command of the offense. And, Hunter Long had a great block on a running play.

Anyway, a great team effort with a lot of notable performances across the roster.

Falcons were not playing many starters. AJ MCCarron got hurt and that left Franks to carry the day. He was completely lost at times by that disguised coverage.

The 2nd and 3rd stringers playing a vanilla defense left the Falcs too many holes at times it seemed.

Again, my first impressions is the Dolphins have a good starting team, but I do not think they have the depth at D-line or O_line to make a deep playoff run.

Tua looked good and I really like the way he seems to be emerging as the team leader. If he can start connecting on those deep throws, the offense could really start to put the fear of the Phish in the opposing defenses.

They need a good majority of players to stay healthy though.

All I got out of it is that Falcons fans better get ready for their team to be the first to go 0-17. I mean, they got shredded by a mediocre at best QB like TUA

But seriously, any D that can make THIS O-line of bumblers, busts and bums look like the Scarnecchia-coached Pats is a horrible one indeed!

finfanatic wrote:Falcons were not playing many starters. AJ MCCarron got hurt and that left Franks to carry the day. He was completely lost at times by that disguised coverage.

The 2nd and 3rd stringers playing a vanilla defense left the Falcs too many holes at times it seemed.

Again, my first impressions is the Dolphins have a good starting team, but I do not think they have the depth at D-line or O_line to make a deep playoff run.  

Tua looked good and I really like the way he seems to be emerging as the team leader.  If he can start connecting on those deep throws, the offense could really start to put the fear of the Phish in the opposing defenses.

They need a good majority of players to stay healthy though.

You can only play against the team that's in front of you. And since it's preseason and there's no gameplanning or anything like that, you're really looking to see how guys perform individually. It doesn't matter who they played against - the OL did their job, Tua looked poised and in command, the backs got yards, Waddle made plays, etc.

As for depth on the DL - I think that may be the strongest, deepest unit on the team. 6-deep with the veterans Wilkins, Davis, Ogbah, Seiler, Butler and Jenkins, plus the youngsters Strowbridge, Ledbetter, Jones and Render. And then of course Jae Phillips will play DE sometimes, as will AVG and Biegel. Not just the DL, but the entire front 7 is absolutely LOADED.

In fact, I'd say that the only position on the team that isn't loaded with depth is OL - and even that may be deep if the young guys like Coleman, Little, Queiroz Neto, Jones, etc. continue to develop.

IMO this is the deepest Dolphins roster we've seen in many, many years.

This Team will be Cutting some Good Players this Year compared to some Teams from the Past. Now just need to get some Wide-outs to Practice this Week to Work on Timing.

Tua's pass to Gaskin for the TD was perfect. It was only 5 yard throw but the timing was what made it bigger. We have yet to see Parker Fuller and Wilson on the field with Waddle. That's a dynamic threat. The receivers can clear the under routes it's going to open up big plays.

CarsonChris wrote:Tua's pass to Gaskin for the TD was perfect. It was only 5 yard throw but the timing was what made it bigger. We have yet to see Parker Fuller and Wilson on the field with Waddle. That's a dynamic threat. The receivers can clear the under routes it's going to open up big plays.

Exactly. I can't wait to see the full group of receivers out there. It sounds like Parker and Wilson are ok, and Williams has been cleared to practice. Fuller is really the only unknown, but it doesn't seem like the team is worried about him.

A big "if", but IF this WR group stays relatively healthy we are going to see some firepower!!

finskev wrote:This Team will be Cutting some Good Players this Year compared to some Teams from the Past. Now just need to get some Wide-outs to Practice this Week to Work on Timing.

Definitely. I'm hoping we can trade a few of these extra pieces...better to get something than just cutting them.

I'm really liking what Kirk Merritt has done this offseason. He was making plays throughout camp and it has translated to the games. I would think he'd have some trade value.