Matt Burke

Meet the Dolphins new interim head coach. It's coming, maybe not this year but next!

Nah, if Gase gets fired during a season Darren Rizzi will be the interim coach - no doubt about it.

I'm asking to telecommute as head coach. I put in my resume today.

Degarmo wrote:I'm asking to telecommute as head coach.  I put in my resume today.

If I was the owner you'd be hired already.

Degarmo wrote:I'm asking to telecommute as head coach.  I put in my resume today.

Just have a bag of coke by your side - you'll get hired for sure.

Well, y'all are hired as staff. I'll take a nice bottle of Irish whisky, 'cause I'm old school.

Burke? Way too early to crown him ANYTHING at all. We beat two bad teams with our defense, the Titans and Chargers.

Getting RUN OVER by the lowly Jets was not a good resume builder for Burke.

Didn't do all that much against the Saints either, now granted they are a far more powerful and talented offense vs the rest of the schedule we've played to this point.

Turning focus to the defense for a bit, I definitely like the way Tankersley is developing, and Howard had a really strong game on Sunday as well. Jones seems to be rounding back into form. The run defense, by and large I've got no complaints.

What I'd like to see is consistency, and we just HAVE to get off the field on 3rd down. With this offense, it's up to the defense to help out with time of possession. Force 3 and outs, or a punt after 1 first down. Don't let the opposing team grind out the ball, force them behind the chains and then get after the QB.

IMO we are going to have to take some risks on defense. Go for the turnover via sack or interception, and get off the field. Because our offense is going to suffer multiple 3 and outs for the foreseeable future. So if the defense tries to play bend but don't break, they are just going to get worn out. I'd unleash the dogs, and try and make something happen.

Great post, white.

The pass D has not been good. Consider these QB stats - completion % and QBR - in the 4 games we've played:

Rivers: 79.5%, 110.6
McCown: 78.3%, 126.3
Brees: 70.7%, 104.5
Cassel: 65.6%, 85.5

That's not good.

Too many completions, not enough turnovers, inconsistent and often invisible pass rush, way too many long drives. And yes, the run D has been fantastic...but we haven't faced a running team yet. The Chargers, Jets and Saints are really poor running teams, and the Titans without Cassel and Lewan are maybe even worse.

The points allowed is excellent - obviously - but it's not going to be hold up against the good offenses we'll face like the Pats, Falcons, Chiefs, Raiders, Panthers, Bucs. Same story as last season.

JMP wrote:Great post, white.

The pass D has not been good.  Consider these QB stats - completion % and QBR - in the 4 games we've played:

Rivers: 79.5%, 110.6
McCown: 78.3%, 126.3
Brees: 70.7%, 104.5
Cassel: 65.6%, 85.5

That's not good..

What's not good about it? I see the completion % decreasing with each game.

DolFan 316 wrote:

JMP wrote:Great post, white.

The pass D has not been good.  Consider these QB stats - completion % and QBR - in the 4 games we've played:

Rivers: 79.5%, 110.6
McCown: 78.3%, 126.3
Brees: 70.7%, 104.5
Cassel: 65.6%, 85.5

That's not good..

What's not good about it? I see the completion % decreasing with each game.

I guess if you're a 'glass half full' guy. LOL But keep in mind that Cassel may be the worst starting QB in the NFL right now...and even he completed over 65% of his passes. You look at the time of possession in that game, and the Phins still lost that battle even with the Titans rushing for under 70 yards. It's a problem - the D can't get off the field. Again, the bend-don't-break works against garbage teams like the Titans - but I can pretty much guarantee that the Falcons and all those other good offense will take advantage of the soft Miami pass D.

JMP wrote:....But keep in mind that Cassel may be the worst starting QB in the NFL right now...

I think your auto correct made it Cassel instead of Cutler!!!!!!!!

I honestly think that run defense numbers are skewed. There is a huge gap between the run defense and the pass defense. I believe its a combination of both opponent game planning and Miami's defensive front 4. I truly feel like opponents can pass on this team. Yes Cassel started but, he was behind a very physical front that rivals the Cowboys. Lewan was missing but Maulunga, Godchaux, and Timmons were very physical as well. Not to mention the rest of the D.

Umix10 wrote:
I think your auto correct made it Cassel instead of Cutler!!!!!!!!

LOL Take your pick - they both suck!

Umix10 wrote:I honestly think that run defense numbers are skewed. There is a huge gap between the run defense and the pass defense. I believe its a combination of both opponent game planning and Miami's defensive front 4. I truly feel like opponents can pass on this team. Yes Cassel started but, he was behind a very physical front that rivals the Cowboys. Lewan was missing but Maulunga, Godchaux, and Timmons were very physical as well. Not to mention the rest of the D.

Good points. In the Titans game, keep in mind that with Cassel at QB the Phins were able to essentially ignore the passing game and key on the run. If you make Cassel one-dimensional, it's game over. The Titans have two great tackles, but they are fairly weak on the interior OL, and without Lewan the entire line was weakened. The Titans' OL, even with Lewan, just doesn't compare to the better OLs in the league, like Dallas, KC, Oakland, etc.

I don't think we'll see the same physical, attacking D from the Phins on Sunday in Atlanta. If they take that approach, Ryan will carve them up. We just don't have the personnel to play that way against good offenses. Look for Freeman and Coleman to have a huge impact in the passing game, catching passes against Timmons and Maualuga - and both of those backs have take-it-to-the-house potential any time they touch the ball.

Matt Burke should be getting a lot of credit for the defensive performance this team has shown this year. He is going to make somebody a great head coach in a couple years!

CarsonChris wrote:Matt Burke should be getting a lot of credit for the defensive performance this team has shown this year. He is going to make somebody a great head coach in a couple years!

I haven't seen anything that makes me think Burke could be a head coach, but he's done a better job than I expected.  There's still a ton of problems with this defense, but so far he's doing a pretty good job of hiding them.  I'm not sure how long this D can keep doing well with an inconsistent pass rush, poor pass D and very few turnovers, but for now they are getting the job done.

If by "getting the job done" you mean "dragging the offense kicking and screaming to a possible playoff spot" then yes, I agree

DolFan 316 wrote:If by "getting the job done" you mean "dragging the offense kicking and screaming to a possible playoff spot" then yes, I agree

LOL

I just wish we could have a game where, 1. the Phins look good in the first half, and 2. the Phins' offense and defense BOTH play well at the same time. It's just such a frustrating team to watch, even when they win.

Okay let's talk defense for a minute.

From my post above:

What I'd like to see is consistency, and we just HAVE to get off the field on 3rd down. With this offense, it's up to the defense to help out with time of possession. Force 3 and outs, or a punt after 1 first down. Don't let the opposing team grind out the ball, force them behind the chains and then get after the QB.

Yesterday's game is exactly what I'm talking about. You can't hold the Falcons high powered offense (well, until last night) to 0 points in the second half, then give up 28 to the McCown-led Jets. That first drive, we might as well not have been on the field the Jets made it look so easy.

I am going to scream if we keep starting Phillips. He single handedly kept the Jets second scoring drive alive, starting with his bullshit missed tackle on Forte on 3rd and 19. I think he committed a penalty immediately after that play, and he was promptly pulled from the field. Start my boy Godchaux, spell him with Taylor and forget we ever drafted Phillips. He sucks.

I don't know who the Jets OC is, but he seems to know how to attack what Burke is doing. I'm really hoping it's our young secondary guys growing into the starting roles, and not some scheme problem or weakness.

In any case, we need to be able to rely on our defense, especially now with Moore subbing in for Cutler, and the pathetic state of our offensive line. The Ravens have been struggling mightily, it's time to light them up like we did against Tennessee. Shut them down and leave no doubt about the win.

Good post, white.

Win or lose, it's absolutely unacceptable to allow 28 points to the Jets - a team with a 38-year old journeyman QB that's been on more teams than any other QB in NFL history, no true #1 or even #2-level WRs, a TE that was almost out of the league last year, and a no-name OL. Inconsistent pass rush, terrible tackling, terrible coverage by the LBs, DBs that give up tons of catches...same story every week. Josh Freakin' McCown had THREE TDs yesterday - THREE!! I know many Dolfans are starting to think Burke is some kind of genius, but as for me I'm just waiting for the wheels to fall off - there's no way this defense can continue to be so bad against the pass and continue to win games - it's just not sustainable.

And it's not just the pass - yesterday the Phins allowed Jets' RBs to average 4.8 yards a carry and last week Falcons' RBs averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Lucky for us, both opponents stopped running in the second half for some reason, or we might have lost both games.

I will credit the Dolphins defense for making the Falcons abandon the run in the second half. Their run defense stiffened late, several stops and tackles for loss - I think it was Hayes that got Coleman for an 8 yard loss in the second half.

Tough for an opponent to stick with the run if they are losing yardage and getting behind the chains.

white1 wrote:I will credit the Dolphins defense for making the Falcons abandon the run in the second half.  Their run defense stiffened late, several stops and tackles for loss - I think it was Hayes that got Coleman for an 8 yard loss in the second half.

Tough for an opponent to stick with the run if they are losing yardage and getting behind the chains.

I don't know...if you're at home and up by more than 2 scores in the second half, I think you run the ball and shorten the game. Giving up on the run is why the Falcons lost IMHO. They ran the ball just three times in the 3rd quarter - and one of those runs went for 20 yards. Especially on that last drive - they were already in FG range and didn't need to throw downfield passes, yet for some reason that's exactly what they did and Ryan threw the INT.

NFL coaches are stubborn and continually out-think themselves...instead of doing the smart thing, they have to try to somehow trick the opponent or catch them off guard so they can show how amazing they are. More often than not, it backfires. It happened with the Falcons throwing the ball on that final drive, and it happened yesterday with the Jets trying to throw the ball downfield instead of going to OT.

white1 wrote:I am going to scream if we keep starting Phillips.  He single handedly kept the Jets second scoring drive alive, starting with his bullshit missed tackle on Forte on 3rd and 19.  I think he committed a penalty immediately after that play, and he was promptly pulled from the field.  Start my boy Godchaux, spell him with Taylor and forget we ever drafted Phillips.  He sucks.

So THAT explains the post on this other message board I saw calling Phillips a "retard" Don't worry, I only look but I never post. Hey, even married guys look every now and then

white1 wrote:Tough for an opponent to stick with the run if they are losing yardage and getting behind the chains.

IKR? Makes you wonder why some people here keep expecting the Fins to do it

JMP wrote:NFL coaches are stubborn and continually out-think themselves...instead of doing the smart thing, they have to try to somehow trick the opponent or catch them off guard so they can show how amazing they are.  More often than not, it backfires.  It happened with the Falcons throwing the ball on that final drive, and it happened yesterday with the Jets trying to throw the ball downfield instead of going to OT.

And yet somehow, when coaches keep going brain-dead VS the Pats, to the point of giving away multiple Super Bowls to them, it's hailed as further evidence of their greatness. Hmmm...

It seems like most teams have been able to throw on us at will. If I was the Jets I go for it also. We’ve made most QB’s look franchise caliber

i really do want to see Burke succeed - and there are still a lot of holes in the defense, but i think they have definitely improved over last year's performance. although, he still needs to address some of the simple mistakes...

Why did screens give the Dolphins so many problems against the Jets?

“First play of the game, we were lined up wrong,” Burke said. “Defending screens is about recognition... Two of the screens we gave up we were lined up wrong which I am obviously not happy about.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article180612976.html

i kind of think that 6 games in the Phins should ought to know where to lineup at the beginning of the game.

Cordrea Tankersley was clearly to blame on the Jets’ first touchdown pass. But was the second TD pass Tankersley’s fault or was he supposed to get safety help (from Reshad Jones)?

“Both,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “It was a miscommunication. We should have had better pre snaps communication which would have provided better help for him. He was expecting help and didn’t get it but that was partly his fault that it wasn’t communicated before the snap. I felt he slowed down a little bit because he expected the help.”

and shouldn't most of the pre-snap communication issues have been addressed by now?

CarsonChris wrote:It seems like most teams have been able to throw on us at will. If I was the Jets I go for it also. We’ve made most QB’s look franchise caliber

Yep, teams have thrown all over us. But it's situational football - the score is tied, there's less than 50 seconds left, and you have the ball deep in your own end. That's not the time to start slinging the ball around. You run a safe play on first down, and if it doesn't work you go to OT. But that play wasn't high percentage for the Jets - nothing good was going to come of it. They screwed up - big mistake - and we fortunately took advantage of it.

mercury22nathan wrote:i really do want to see Burke succeed - and there are still a lot of holes in the defense, but i think they have definitely improved over last year's performance.  although, he still needs to address some of the simple mistakes...

Why did screens give the Dolphins so many problems against the Jets?

“First play of the game, we were lined up wrong,” Burke said. “Defending screens is about recognition... Two of the screens we gave up we were lined up wrong which I am obviously not happy about.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article180612976.html

i kind of think that 6 games in the Phins should ought to know where to lineup at the beginning of the game.

Cordrea Tankersley was clearly to blame on the Jets’ first touchdown pass. But was the second TD pass Tankersley’s fault or was he supposed to get safety help (from Reshad Jones)?

“Both,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “It was a miscommunication. We should have had better pre snaps communication which would have provided better help for him. He was expecting help and didn’t get it but that was partly his fault that it wasn’t communicated before the snap. I felt he slowed down a little bit because he expected the help.”

and shouldn't most of the pre-snap communication issues have been addressed by now?

Who makes the calls on defense these days? Usually it's the MLB, but we only use an MLB on like 15 plays a game. Maybe Timmons? And Jones in the secondary?? Just guessing here. But regardless, someone on this defense has to step up and get these issues fixed. Too many players out of position and looking lost. Tank is a rookie so I suppose he gets the benefit of the doubt, but what about Jones and Alonso? Veteran players shouldn't look so lost at this point in the season. And what the hell does Nate Allen even do? I don't think I've ever seen a more invisible safety.