Stunts Are Key For Phins Offense & Defense in 2019
Phins will attempt to replicate the Pats ability to use & defend stunts in 2019
In 2018, the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots were obviously at the opposite ends of the NFL spectrum for many reasons. But, with the addition of Brian Flores, the Phins are certain to at least schematically bridge that gap in 2019.
Last year, the Patriots’ Offensive Line was the best in the league in handling stunts called against them. On defense, the Pats were among the most in the league to call stunts. During the Regular Season, they called a stunt roughly 20% of their pressure plays. This number rose dramatically to above 50% in the Post Season!
Conversely, the Miami Dolphins’ Offensive Line was THE worst at dealing with defensive stunts in 2018. Phinsnews put out this article showing how exposed Miami’s OL was to stunts in their Week 2 game against the Jets. For the second straight year, Todd Bowles laid out the template on how to attacking Miami’s offense. I thought Miami’s line, especially Larsen, would decrease this weakness as chemistry among the linemen built over time. Stacks of injuries and a lack of solid coaching made me dead wrong in that regard.
Phins O-line needs to ditch this kryptonite to stunts… or it will be a long and ugly season.
On defense, Miami ran very few stunts in all of 2018.
You have to wonder if there was a correlation between the lack of stunts run on defense and Miami’s inability to deal with them on offense. If the Phins O-linemen didn’t see stunts in practice, it’s no wonder why they couldn’t defend them in a game!
You’d figure the staff would have considered this?
Yes, the Wide 9 is based on speed off the ball and edge pressure. Miami’s decision to force this straight rush approach, despite the lack of results over several years, was a curious one.
To the contrary, the Pats used stunts to compensate for a lack of speed rushers. Even though they fared equally as Miami in sack totals, they did far better in pressures… and in the Post Season, the Pats led all teams in sacks when they turned up their stunt pressure.
One franchise had vision, and one wore blinders, jamming their heads where the sun don’t shine.
I’ll let you bet with the pay per head software, like www.AcePerHead.com, which franchise was which.
What is a stunt?
Responding to stunts on offense and executing them on defense demands discipline and intelligence from both the staff and players. Timing on them and when they are called is crucial to a stunts success. While Miami has lacked discipline for years, I can’t speak for the intelligence level of the players. But I can certainly say the Phins staff was stubborn and short-sighted, so Gase was the primary culprit, however you slice it.
Miami’s commitment to stunts in 2019 is why I was telling Jimmy to not worry about Grier not moving heaven and earth to get a pass rushing Defensive End. Flores will schematically compensate until one comes at the right value.
This season, Brian Flores will certainly demand that both sides of the ball are familiar with stunts. Gase preferred a one-trick pony approach, Flores the Jack of all trades, master of one. Yes, that’s the original Ben Franklin quote. In this case, the ‘one’ is discipline. Go Phins!!!
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Very well done. Broken down in layman’s terms. Insightful and hope inspiring. IMO We will all see first hand how much REAL COACHING and sharing 1 vision and NO silly petty, childish selfish behavior can change players, team,culture and organizations.
Hey, Edwin… was off from Phins for a couple of days. Need to approve 1t time posters, so sorry on the delay. Your post will pop immediately going forward. Thanks a lot for the very kind compliment, sir. I too think we will see strong dividends from having a humble man with character and a brain as a coach… really looking forward to this season.
You can argue with a lot of things but you can’t never argue with perfection 17 and oh baby that’s a plaque I have personally made in my dolphin Shrine in my home from a fan of 52 years go fins
Hey, Gerald… was off from Phins for a couple of days. Need to approve 1t time posters, so sorry on the delay. Your post will pop immediately going forward. 52 year fan!!!! Wow! I only go back to 77. I really like this staff… Flores isn’t a weirdo and seems even-keeled, humble, and smart. Haven’t really enjoyed PHins football in a long time… I think it changes this year… At least, I hope so, sir.
I have often said that any quarterback with drive on a team that takes care of him through the old line and having a running attack that forces him not to throw the ball 40 times you could have took Peyton Manning and put him in the situation Tannehill had in Miami and Peyton would have sucked also good luck my best wishes for Ryan Tannehill who is a fine upstanding Christian man and he can and will be successful I hope the Titans beat the Dolphins to death with Tannehill and I’ve been a Dolphin fan for 52 years
Mariota and Tannehill have a similar skillset. Look how much better Mariota has done. Tannehill has flaws, but the Dolphins set him up to fail. He’s a good guy, but he needed the environment to be much better to succeed. I expect him to do much better in Tennesse… but I do hope your wrong: “I hope the Titans beat the Dolphins to death with Tannehill and I’ve been a Dolphin fan for 52 years” 🙂
Great article. It makes so much sense and I’m so excited to see some stunts and creativity from our defense. Our defense was so boring and predictable and l used to HATE when we had third and long and you just knew Tannehill was going to be sacked. As a Dolphin, as much as I disliked the Pats, I always marveled at their creativity on defense and wished we had a little of it. It also makes SOO much sense why we couldn’t pick up blitzes even when we knew they were coming, never having practiced against them. I wish all Dolphin fans could read this, they’d be encouraged as well, I’m sure.
Hey, Denny thanks so much… Jimmy and I mostly do this for our love of the Phins, so when a reader gets something out of it or has a good read, it’s much appreciated. Thanks, sincerely. I really do believe we will be a sound team fundamentally. Will this translate to ring? Who knows. But I do see us certainly returning to a fair level of respectability. The potential is there for more… but we must seem them and the staff in action before we make that leap. Gase is mercurial and a niche coach and person. He’ll do much better in NY with Williams as the DC. But Flores is an even-keeled and pragmatic with diverse experiences who will manage the entire team and not run it through a microscope… I expect much more stability in 2019, Denny.
good insightful article.
Thanks very much, sir.