Let the film speak and see if it agrees with Gase
Gase has stated his best skills players aren’t prepared due to a lack of effort… is it true?
Here is a detailed film study of every negative play in the 1st half of the Ravens game to see if what Adam Gase said about certain players not being prepared, due to a lack of study and effort, is true. Or is it really other factors that are the primary contributor to the awful loss? We can’t read minds, so we won’t ever know the why, but the level of production of the players will go a long to proving or disproving his point.
Here we go:
1st Drive: Starts on Dolphins 25 after a touchback
1st down & 15: Tunsil commits a False Start penalty to open the game, and then follows it up by getting beat inside on the first snap. He has a bum knee, so you need to cut him some slack. But even before the injury, this same issue was occurring. Jarvis Landry gets his hands on the ball and can’t come down with it. Tough catch, but stars need to come down with it more often than not.
During this drive, Landry misses one blocks for sure on Ajayi’s big run for 21 yards that digs them out of the early hole. In the 3rd inset, on the 1st Down after Ajayi’s run, either Ajayi or Landry mess up and kills the 1st Down play. This play is examined closer in a video following this inset.
3rd & 5: After a nice play to Fasano for 7, Miami is in a manageable 3rd Down. Matt Moore has time to throw (4th inset), but with 4 of 5 eligible receivers running routes well short of the sticks, his options are limited. I’m not a big fan of this call… and less a fan that Julius Thomas gets the pass 6 yards short of the 1st.
It feels like 3rd & 5 could have been called better than this.
Landry missing a block on Ajayi’s 21 yard run.
This 1st & 10 is an Inside Zone play with both Davis and Landry pulling. It seems to be a ‘pick ’em’ read for Ajayi. There’s a huge hole on the left and also room to run right. Ajayi delays, Landry takes a step to the LOS appearing to seal for a run right instead of running straight down the line, but by doing so, he opens a clear lane for the CB to blow the play up. Either Ajayi or Landry screwed up putting them in 2nd & 12.
Verdict: Sloppy play slowed this drive and eventually killed it. Tunsil racks up 1 penalty and 1 poor block, Landry has 1 or 2 missed blocks and the ‘drop’ of a contested ball that hit his hands. It could also be Ajayi missed a read instead of Landry missing a block. Either way, yards were there but were lost due to lack of execution, mostly by the skills. Also, a call on 3rd & 6 didn’t seem to be the best due to limited options at the marker and beyond.
2nd Drive: Starts on Dolphins 9 after poor return by Grant
1st & 10: Landry, Moore, and the OL have poor communication as a blitzing CB over Landry comes in uncontested and unrecognized to kill the play. Landry oddly is standing around looking disinterested. When you look at the blocking assignments carried out by the OL, someone screws up big time (see next inset). Pouncey or Bushrod seem to have mixed up who they should block. Wouldn’t have mattered in the long run as the CB ran in free and Landry was standing around. Complete disaster. It’s troubling that Moore never even looks in the direction pre-snap.
2nd & 13: Jammed up against their own End Zone in a long situation, the Ravens DL puts their ears back and Suggs makes a play to deflect at the LOS.
3rd & 13: Doesn’t really matter what happens. An Illegal Formation penalty on Landry would have killed the play.
Terrible 1st Down execution on right side of the OL.
Miami gave up a pick on a free DB blitzing last week, and the Ravens are just doing their homework… Dolphins not so much.
Verdict: Execution on 1st down, along with poor field position, killed this drive. Make your own estimation on Landry’s play so far and if it’s trending to be worth 12-15 mill a year.
3rd Drive: Starts on 25 after Touchback
1st & 10: Moore has a pre-planned receiver in mind. Ajayi is wide open with space and the DB has a 5 yard cushion off Landry. Not a wise read. Bushrod loses quickly, but the pressure doesn’t affect the play.
2nd & 10: Pouncey get demolished going one-on-one with Williams and is driven back, tripping a pulling Bushrod. TE Gray has the blocking assignment of stopping Suggs. Niether Gray or Pouncey have good odds on their assignments. Why not have Fasano on playside? Would you bet your house on those odds? Then why bet a play on them?
3rd & 12: A late move by the Ravens to bring more pass rushers to the LOS leaves a free blitzer coming. Either RB Ajayi doesn’t see or disregards the blindside rusher to pick a second free rusher coming at Moore’s face. It wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the pass, but those hits can end a QB. Moore misses the open receiver.
Miami continues to sure from defensive movement just before the snap.
Ajayi seems to go the wrong way and Moore miss an open Landry.
Verdict: Short week, inconsistent offense, and back up QB verses a veteran defense: Defense wins on 1st Down. 2nd Down turns into negative yards with questionable blocking assignments. 3rd & very long proves too much… although opportunity for a conversion was available.
4th drive: Dolphins start at their own 16 after a punt with no return
2nd & 6: After a nice first down play with Fasano pulling and making a key block, the Dolphins run a Zone Stretch to the short side (inset 1& 2). This play has netted a high percentage of losing this season as I have documented many times before. Pouncey gets beat with a bull rush and the DT cuts off the backside of the play. Ravens are set with winning numbers protecting the outside. The following inset after this one breaks down how there’s very little chance of success due to the short side of the field and the Ravens alignment. Why wasn’t this play audibled out of, or at least audibled into running to the other side, where space and numbers supported success?
3rd & 5: Tunsil loses quickly, but Moore gets the ball off. Stills earns his money with a big play and a much needed 1st down.
1st & 10: Gase calls a consistent loser in a WR screen the Landry… it continues the losing pattern with a negative yards and kills momentum. Not sure of the blocking scheme in the play design, but it would seem, given Thomas took the outside defender and Fasano went to the 2nd level, that Landry was supposed to go outside. But Thomas, who can block a mannequin, was driven back a step and hindered Landry, even if he had gone wide.
2nd & 14: A nice Draw Play of 5 yards could have broke into a chunk yardage, but Landry’s whiffs on another block and kills the big opportunity.
3rd & 9: Damien Williams gets lit up like Christmas tree in PB and Moore gets sacked. Being far off schedule in 3rd & long gave the Ravens all the edge they needed.
On 2nd & 6, TE Thomas goes in motion and no one follows, meaning the “D” is in Zone. The DT# 93 has outside leverage, the DE is wide, and both are backed by a LB & S with a 2nd DT in 1 technique in the play-side gap, which is the short side of the field… why the hell is this play called??!!!
Landry’s biggest missed block of the night on a sweet Draw Play. The piss-poor block cost the Fins a big play.
Verdict: Sketchy calls (or lack of Qb recognition and adjustment), missed blocks by the skills, and facing long situations kills this drive.
5th Drive: Dolphins start on 25 after a touchback
1st & 10: Counter right (inset 1 & 2) that has everyone blocking perfect, even Thomas! Unfortunately that ‘everyone’ doesn’t include James, who despite having inside leverage can’t hold his block and loses to power… again. This would have been a chunk play.
2nd & 9: Moore has time, but decides to throw to Thomas instead of Landry (inset 3 & 4)… not the best read available. 3 yards to Thomas could have been a 1st and more with Landry.
3rd & 6: This a weird play (inset 5 & 6). It seems it’s a one-read-or-bust play to Wiliams with Stills setting a pick. If this is the case, it’s a poor play to base a crucial 3rd Down on one read. But Still just stands around. If he breaks into a route, the middle is wide open. Not sure of what to make of this one. A video of this play is below this inset.
James ruins a nice play.
Moore could have made a better read.
Only one option on a big 3rd & 6? Or did Stills not finish?
Verdict: Missed block by James wastes momentum, and then a missed read and weird play kills the drive. Lots of yards were lost in lack of execution. Maybe design flaw on 3rd could be blamed as well.
6th Drive: Kick off return from Drake to 16 of the Dolphins
1st Down & 10: Good protection and a sweet pick up by Ajayi is spoiled by the wrong break out of a route by Landry. The Cb is playing outside leverage and inside help is coming. Landry must make his break into the comeback outside, where Moore throws it. He doesn’t and a good play dies.
1st & 10: After a nice play by Moore and Carroo, an Inside Draw that offers a decent return is ruined by a missed crack block by Thomas.
1st & 10: Miami makes two big plays to Carroo and Stills for a combined 42 yards, then Moore makes the wrong read and throws into double coverage missing a wide open Ajayi in the flats.
2nd & 10: Landry again has issues coming out of his break. Moore throws outside, but Landry breaks wrong and makes an easy catch a harder one and it bouncing off his hands for a drop.
3rd & 10: No need to explain this one. Everyone remembers it, and even the sports betting software was shocked. Williams trips on the perfect call of a screen, and a T.D. / big play is lost.
Verdict: Everything was in play for a score, but too many mistakes by the skills, especially by Moore and Landry, cost Miami.
Here’s the evidence as best as I could provide it. I’m sure there are mistakes, but overall I feel it’s fairly sound. You make your judgement. Go Fins!!!