Gase blames OL for poor offensive performance

CHris Perkins wrote:The story is different, however, for Gase regarding the offensive line. He seems to put the bulk of the offense’s problems whether it’s running or passing on them.

The offensive linemen have taken their poor performance to heart.

“Guys are pissed,” center Mike Pouncey said. “There were fights today at practice.”

But for the quarterback, the finger of blame is a long way away.

“That’s one of the reasons I came here,” said Cutler, the 34 year old who came out of retirement in August to sign with Gase, his offensive coordinator in Chicago in 2015, and the Dolphins.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-20171004-story.html

So it sounds like the lack of effort is not on Cutler but for the fact that the OL is isn't trying. I kinda agree on that to a point. There wasn't any hole for Ajayi to run through for the last two games and for the fact that the offensive passing game isn't the greatest there has to be something that Miami can do right.

The passing offense is an absolute disaster, but it is absolutely NOT all on the offensive line.

The run blocking has been non-existent; the OL gets an F there. But the pass blocking has been OK...not great by any means, but certainly good enough to do more than score 2 TDs in 3 games. I place most of the blame for the crappy passing game on Gase and Cutler.

Gase's playcalling has been awful. Whether it's the wildcat or all the garbage WR bubble screens, he just seems lost. There's no flow or continuity to the plays, and he calls the whole game in a 5-yard box...just like Lazor used to do. The defense never gets challenged at all with Gase's BS gameplan.

And Cutler has been terrible - he doesn't set his feet, his accuracy and ball placement are awful, and his pocket awareness and feel for pressure have gotten worse each week. He looks washed-up - just done.

I'd also add that the WRs aren't getting any separation, and we don't have a pass-catching TE.

JMP wrote:And Cutler has been terrible - he doesn't set his feet, his accuracy and ball placement are awful, and his pocket awareness and feel for pressure have gotten worse each week.  He looks washed-up - just done.

but is Gase's mind, that's all the result of the O-line's piss poor pass blocking.

“You only can make a throw if you’re upright,” Gase said. “There’s been a few times where we’ve called some things and we haven’t been able to get the ball off whether it’s some kind of pressure issue, or he’s had to escape from the pocket and he’s had to lower his eyes.”

“I think the biggest thing is we just have get him comfortable in the pocket,” he said of his quarterback.

“We’ve got to be able to let him set his feet. Really, that’s the No. 1 thing that we’ve just got to keep working on.”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-20171004-story.html

while certainly won't absolve cutler of any blame, i think its hard to truly evaluate his performance behind this crap o-line that can't pass or run block.

One of the film clips from London supports this theory.

On the play we missed a throw to Parker running deep down the sideline, JuWaun James fell down on the block.  Initially, he did okay and gave SOME time to throw, but once he fell down his man made an inside move and got in Cutler's face.  As a result, he had to pull the trigger on the throw maybe a half second earlier than he wanted, just as Parker was pulling away and running more inside towards the post.  

If James holds that block, looks to me like a bomb completed for a TD.

EDIT: Here's the clip, take a look and you'll see what I'm talking about:

https://twitter.com/OmarKelly/status/915920546436669440

and another issue...

“We have to get back to the huddle and get lined up and ready to go,” he said. “It has been a big point of emphasis for us. Get to the ball, get back to the huddle, give us some time. If you are walking around or there’s malaise around, the shot clock is down. Get the play called, get up to the line of scrimmage. Nobody should be asking questions. It's not that hard. Line up and play.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article176947996.html

if guys are asking a lot of questions after the playcall, then it sounds like they haven't been coached up very well to know the plays (note in the Wildcat thread that 4 guys apparently did not perform the correct play).

more evidence:

Gase explained it this way: “We need to be more on the same page, and eliminate the mistakes of eight guys are doing it right, three guys are doing it wrong. Right now, too many guys are having an issue here or there."

so if multiple guys (not just one bad seed) don't know what they are doing, whose fault is that? i kind of think the coaches share a large part of the blame.

as far as loafing back to huddle, i am gonna keep a close eye on that from now on (cough, cough Jarvis Landry).

I'm sorry, on the Omar clip of the attempt to Parker, I can not fault the OL for protection there. On a bomb, exactly how much time do you want, 4, 5 6, 10 seconds? He was able to get the ball off without being hit. 

Also, just look at Seattle's OL. Terrible, but yet Russell Wilson succeeds.

Green Bay's OL is average at best, but yet Rogers makes plays.

Yes, our OL has been dreadful, but at some point the QB just has to make a play regardless.

I see your point. Wilson > Cutler. There was never any question about that.

scotgif wrote:I'm sorry, on the Omar clip of the attempt to Parker, I can not fault the OL for protection there. On a bomb, exactly how much time do you want, 4, 5 6, 10 seconds? He was able to get the ball off without being hit. 

Also, just look at Seattle's OL. Terrible, but yet Russell Wilson succeeds.

Green Bay's OL is average at best, but yet Rogers makes plays.

Yes, our OL has been dreadful, but at some point the QB just has to make a play regardless.

Couldn't agree more.

mercury22nathan wrote:

if guys are asking a lot of questions after the playcall, then it sounds like they haven't been coached up very well to know the plays (note in the Wildcat thread that 4 guys apparently did not perform the correct play).
...

so if multiple guys (not just one bad seed) don't know what they are doing, whose fault is that?  i kind of think the coaches share a large part of the blame.

Exactly. It sounds like there's a disconnect between the players and coaches. When that happens, it's up to the coaches to fix it. You can't just do the same things again and again if the results suck...you need to make adjustments and changes to get everyone on the same page.

...in his nine previous years of tracking blocking, a team has never finished a season with a blocking rate as low as Miami’s is now...

PFF says Pouncey has been a poor run blocker this season, ranking only 29th among 34 centers in run blocking this season. But offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said Pouncey has been the team’s best run blocker and “played extremely well all three weeks.”

Among 68 qualifying guards, PFF ranks Anthony Steen 43rd as a run blocker and Jermon Bushrod 60th. Bushrod has been very critical of his play the past two weeks.

Among 67 qualifying tackles, Laremy Tunsil is ranked 37th as a run-blocker and James 42nd.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article177219431.html

while we don't always agree with PFF's ranking, i think it is clear the entire o-line is playing like crap. but why is everyone so afraid to call out Pouncey. he is supposedly the leader. well, he's the leader of a horribly performing component of the team - take some responsibility.

Supposedly he took responsibility in one of his interviews that he had. He also stated that he was going to make sure that the OL works hard this week for the upcoming game

The "adjustments" that needed to be made have been left unattended to for 6 years. It's personnel. The personnel is crappy.

They made some stabs at sketchy players (and whether or not Tunsil is going to be anything worth anything is still a work in process), but they never went all in to fix the offensive line.  So it sucks, and the offense sucks, and it's sucked since before Tannehill got here.  

The only real shocking statistic to me is how many hits it took before Tannehill was sidelined with a major injury.

Garbage in, garbage out. If you throw crappy players at the guard positions year after year, you shouldn't be surprised when you get crappy guard play.

Ironically, we have first round picks at LT, RT and C - and all those guys look like crap this year too.

The biggest OL issue is the coach: Chris Foerster is the king of shitty offensive lines. The current state of the Dolphin OL should surprise no one with this clown calling the shots.