Gauging the Phins ‘O’ from Preseason Play

Some turn preseason into the end all be all and some say it’s nothing

When the Miami Dolphins racked up nearly 400 yards in rushing against the Falcons and Texans, the talk was that ‘the offensive line and run game had finally arrived’. Now, after a poor performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the narrative is either ‘It’s only preseason and it doesn’t mean anything’ or ‘We are doomed’!

So what can be gleaned from this preseason about the Dolphins offense… if anything?

Preseason is the most misunderstood period of NFL football

First, let’s be 100% clear, the preseason is both meaningless and important. Points that are allowed or scored as well as victories and losses are meaningless beyond moral victories and the individual play of the players along the way. This is where the misnomer of the preseason stems from equating wins and points to what the Regular Season performance will be. Of course, good play and wins along the way are icing on the ‘real cake’ of the ‘real preseason value’ because winning is always a good thing.

Obviously maintaining health goes without saying and is the only way a team can ‘win’. Nothing good ever comes from an injury and a preseason injury adds insult to injury. But there is a fine line between preserving health and compromising the health of a player come the regular season. Players need enough contact to get their bodies acclimated to the abuse of the Regular Season. This has to have coaches guzzling vats of Maalox to figure that line out.

So, let’s get into the real value fans should pull from preseason:

1. Discipline: Penalties or lack of penalties is a good gauge of where the player base is at. However, a key to this value is who is committing the penalties. Rookies and guys who aren’t making the team provide little value.
2. Individual performances: The performance of a player and who they are facing each rep of this performance is a good way to evaluate the player. It’s not an exact science, but a quick example is a starter facing a guy who won’t make a roster or the converse situation makes for excellent context.
3. Athletic talent, strength, technique, play instincts/recognition: The way a player moves, the strength displayed, the technique executing a play, and the ability to read a situation is the biggest thing you can garner from the preseason. But, again it’s not an exact science, and technique and instincts/recognition can and often do develop over a season and beyond. Strength can be developed as well, but that takes the offseason and likely multiple ones and the growth is usually not a transformation from night and day. Athletic talent is usually what you see is what you get from a rookie with the only change coming to the downside from injury and age.

You can bet with the best football software that coaches use practices and scrimmages as the backbone for their evaluations of a player, position groups, and sides of the ball. The preseason games play a role too in either confirming or denying what their practice and scrimmage evaluations are telling them.

But, for fans, preseason games are usually the only time where we get to see the players perform and get our grubby hands on the tape to look over. That’s why preseason is critical for fans who are trying to create their own evaluations because we get to see for ourselves and not rely on the evaluations of others. Preseason allows fans to use their eyes and not just get quotes from the media, staff, and players. Again, there is a fog of war over this valuable information, so definitive stances are very rare as there are many layers to consider in this as well.

So, what can be learned from the Phins preseason?

What did the Preseason tell us about the Dolphins?

The first clear thing we learned is the Dolphins offense will start the season banged up to some degree. We all know the injury situation, so I won’t regurgitate the long list of injured players. This wasn’t a healthy Training Camp for the Dolphins, but even though we were injured nothing was season-ending and that’s good. The biggest near-term concern of these injuries is when will Terron, Waddle, and Achane be game-ready. We’ll have to wait and see about that and likely to gameday as NFL coaches hold these secrets tighter to their vest than the nuclear codes.

Beyond this, my evaluations from this preseason are that this offense is going to handle the ‘lesser’ defense and likely dominate them with their vast array of athletic talent, but they clearly lack physicality on the offensive line. Dialing it in on some of my observations on the offense:

1. Tua looked good sans that ugly first-drive interception. He looked very good when it came to him absorbing hits and hitting the ground. This might be the biggest clear takeaway beyond the injuries… and might be the best good news as well.
2. Big runs on the edge and big pass plays over all three games are more of what we saw last season–and it might even be a greater strength this season. Tua and the rest of the offense in the second year of the offense, the additions of Chosen, Berrios, and Achane, and the slow emergence of Ezukanma with Hill, Waddle, and Mostert turn lesser defenses into road kill—nearly overkill. The pop run against the Jags showed even against a good defense Miami can make the big play. The question is how many will they get against these good defenses? Will there be enough to provide quality balance?
3. Unfortunately, the inability to run the ball between the hashes and in the Red Zone from last year replayed this preseason and it creates a not-so-pretty trendline. While Terron returning will pick this up a notch, it’s a clear big wart on the offense. Eichenberg, Wynn, Jackson, Lamm, and Cotton struggle against power and size and this becomes a critical issue in ‘tea-cup’ football. Maybe Robert Jones returning and getting some starting reps can help in this area.
4. Even though the protection suffered at times, my projection is McDaniel’s game-planning and calling to protect and attack the weaknesses of the defense, and Terron returning to the fold will provide better protection. My only concern is how many extra blockers and how much play-action will they need to add to create this protection. Less is more when it comes to attacking a secondary. More receivers in routes give the quarterback more options and stress the defense by spreading out the coverage and forcing the blitz.

Pulling it all together, the Dolphins will be a big-play offense that can instantly add points and change the game. But, the frequency of these big plays will be dependent on the blocking and our ability to run the ball inside. So, given what we’ve watched from the individual play of the starters and backups of this offensive line, we will be inconsistent. But, if this O-line can stay healthy and grow as individuals and as a unit that consistency could drench opposing defenses in gas for this flamethrower skills talent.

Also, another hope is that the defense under Vic Fangio will create more stops to give the offense more chances. Even a couple more cracks at it by this offense compared to last season could translate into more points, easier positions late in games, and more victories. Wouldn’t that be a sweet change of pace?

In the end, they play these preseason games for a reason and they DO offer insight. But it’s all projections of evaluations because only the Regular Season tells us for sure what is what, not a single game or a few games, but a large chunk of games… and in many cases the entire slate from start to finish. Look no further than last season for validation of the patience needed. Big Phins season is inbound and coming lightning fast, Phins fans–I can’t wait! Go Phins!!!