Film Shows Many Phins Issues Are Correctable

M.J.

4 years ago

Teaching and growth are core aspects of this Phins regime

The Miami Dolphins are 1-3 with two critical games coming up. The Phins record says they aren’t very good and that fans should expect an ugly 2020 Season. While I can’t deny that this could very well be the case, the film shows that plenty of Miami’s flaws are correctable. Let’s remember the growth we saw over last season, which culminated with a victory in Foxborough that put the screws in the Patriots playoff hopes! What if this young Phins sees a growth trajectory like we saw last year?

Now, there’s no doubt that this team has some talent deficiencies that can’t be resolved until the 2021 Draft. But, the Phins failure to find greater success this season has been less about talent and more about growing pains.

A young team makes young mistakes

Let’s start with the secondary…

In the left picture below, Howard isn’t set because he is communicating with the safety and WR Metcalf beat him deep, which led to the Seahawks 1st T.D. Watching it live, I blamed Howard and was furious considering he’s a veteran. But, the reality is he was communicating with rookie S Brandon Jones trying to get him to understand the situation.

The second picture is the long completion just before the end of the 1st Half. For some strange reason Noah Igbinoghene peeled off his receiver running deep to cover another receiver. This was a very rookie mistake and very correctable.

Both these plays were directly responsible for 14 pts.

In the first play of the video below, Igbo is slow to get set because he is trying to figure out his responsibilities. He misses the jam and allows a free release. In the second play, again he is a bit unsure of his situation and gets set late. To compound the issue he gives a half-hearted jam and then seems to get confused about his assignment.

Terrible mistakes for sure, but Igbo was considered a raw prospect and these mistakes are right in line with what to expect from a ‘raw rookie’ thrust into the starting lineup. Good news is Byron Jones will be back in the lineup and Igbo should grow out of these types of errors.

The Phins are young all over even at coaching

The play that effectively ended the game is the first pic below. Considering it’s 3rd and 3 and Seattle comes out with a 2 TE set, the Phins’ decision to bring only two down linemen is a real head scratcher. Add to this both LBs Baker and Grugier-Hill are very light in the pants, this was a very poor call. It was surprising that the defense held them as much as they did on this play. Notice though that DT Davon Godchaux wasn’t in on this down.

Again, DC Josh Boyer is a rookie too. He improved a ton from Week 1 to Week 4.

The second picture is a nice chunk play by Seattle because there was a huge void in the zone. Notice the three defenders nearly close enough to hold hands. This is never a good sign in zone coverage. Elandon Roberts (bottom red circle) likely was supposed to have the flats.

Both these were ugly… but very correctable.

Ryan Fitzpatrick had plenty of pressure

Ryan Fitzpatrick is aggressive and that’s where the magic comes from. While Fitzpatrick needs to take better care of the football, he was under heavy pressure, behind on the scoreboard, and both picks stemmed from a defender in his face. I’m not saying he isn’t responsible, but protection is king for a QB.

Rookie Austin Jackson is now on I.R. and Julién Davenport will take his spot. I just don’t see Robert Hunt taking the spot over Davenport or Davis moving to LT. Last season, Davenport played left side and Davis right side. This is what I expect until Jackson returns. Though Davenport isn’t the athlete Jackson is, he is far more experienced and a little less susceptible to the bull rush. Jackson who is only 20 years old was constantly getting bullied by strength. Miami might see a little more stability now that Davenport is taking over.

No, not all the Phins issues are fixable

Now, this issue won’t go away, but Brian Flores can and has worked to lessen it. You don’t need the best pay per head reviews to see that Davon Godchaux just isn’t the right fit for this defense. He was billed as an excellent anchor who was difficult to move pre dreft. Instead, for whatever reason, he has performed better as a 1-Gap penetrator. Below are six run plays where he was abused and a nice run came through his area. By my count he had 1 decent and 1 excellent run stop as well. But, generally Godchaux’s ability to anchor in 2-Gap is poor. Then when add in that he is an all but non-factor in pass rush, Miami can’t play him as much as they have and expect to win.

The good news is a Zach Sieler is perfect for this scheme and is so far appearing an upgrade over Godchaux. Godchaux must play for depth reasons, but Flores has boosted Seiler’s snap every week and when he’s in the D-line looks much better–much.

How quickly can Brian Flores get these young players to grow?

Don’t rule out a competitive season for the Miami Dolphins… just yet. They have enough firepower to go 2-0 over the next two games. At 3-3 the Phins could make December interesting, so get your popcorn and consider these next two games the playoffs. Go Phins!!!

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