Gase & Phins Overcome Refs & Raiders To Go 3-0

Adam Gase rallied the Dolphins past the Raiders and inept refs for the win

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Can you say 3-0, baby! Yes, sir and ma’am, the Miami Dolphins are now at the top the AFCE by 2 games. 

Phinsnews wrote that this was a crossroads game for this regime. We thought a win would go a long way towards proving that this team was finally heading in the right direction. Not cement, but add strong credence.

I’ll speak for myself now as Jimmy might have other ideas: This game ended up a far bigger win than I originally thought it would be.

This was our Pregame keys… and Miami nailed all of them:

1. 5 or lower penalties (see below for video proof of explanation before you call me nuts).
2. +2 or better turn over differential.
3. Tannehill must start taking care of the ball. 4 TO’s by him in two games is far too much.
4. DT Davon Godchaux can’t be manhandled by LG Kelechi Osemele.
5. Limit Tight End Jared Cook.
6. Don’t let Raekwon McMillan get exposed in pass defense.

Sunday’s tough win offered a far deeper look into this team’s psyche than an easy win would have…

…And that’s why I’m very excited about this team’s prospects.

Everything was against them.

1. Backed into the corner, the 0-2 Raiders were desperate and dangerous. Sun Tzu’s Art of War will tell you that’s the last place you want your opponent to be.
2. Phins were down 10 pts with 18 mins left.
3. William Hayes, Chase Allen, Andre Branch, Akeem Spence, and A.J. Derby were sidelined.
4. They had an enemy that you can’t beat… inept refs.

Let me take a quick tangent before I get to the most positive aspect revealed this Sunday that bodes well for the Dolphins future.

For the longest time, NFL refs have been the worst in all of the major sports.

The refs flagged Miami 9 times against the Raiders. Video proof shows at least 3, if not 5, were because of ineptitude or bias. I never go ‘X-files’ with ‘ref conspiracy theories’, but this week I couldn’t fight it. And the video below confirms the poor job of this week’s ‘hostile zebras’.

The 1st video proves that at least 3 calls were utterly inept.

Pass Interference calls on Dolphins Wide Receivers crippled their drive at the end of 2nd Quarter and their opening drive in the 3rd Quarter. Both times the Raiders DB’s move and engage the receivers. There is no reason for the penalty on Miami. But the worst penalty was the False Start when Miami was backed up in the 1st Quarter.

The Line Judge has ONE job post alignment check… and he screws it up. 

Add in a second crap call on the drive at the end of the 2nd Qtr. Funny how these Raider players aren’t called for holding… but Ted Larsen was.

Now the ejection of Akeem Spence is another curiosity. How do you explain this?

After the play is over, Spence is the first to be pushed. Osemele drives Spence back over a bent down player. Spence is gripping Osemele’s helmet when he goes over. Weight, momentum, bent over Osemele = why helmet comes off. He didn’t rip it off! Two to three refs see the whole thing and the coverage purposely omits the key point of the event, but they cover every moment before and after? Why? I don’t have a clue. But, I’m sure it was one crap day for the refs. How do you eject Spence under this circumstance?! And even if you do, how is Osemele not ejected?

Players should determine a game… not the refs.

Anyway…

…Okay back to why this was such a BIG win.

Every team gets games with these kinds of calls now then… Well, except for the Patriots that is. Maybe as they collapse the refs will give them less love–we’ll see.

But only good teams (Phins haven’t been one of them in a while) manage to overcome a case of ‘yellow adversity’. The primary reason they overcame the ton of adversity was that Adam Gase dialed up two brilliant calls and the players held their composure.

Good teams let bad teams beat themselves… even when the refs are against them.

Big plays in key moments are a sign of good coaching and good teams.

FYI: Notice for the 2nd straight week, #62 Larsen makes a huge block that allows a huge play to happen. Check this article if you missed his unheralded, crucial block against the Jets.

The Dolphins are proving week after week that they are greater than their problems… and that’s the mental toughness of winners. 

Some are getting on Gase for not having quick starts…

…I get it… and in the past, it was a gripe of mine as well. But, the Dolphins defer nearly every time they win a coin toss. This is because Gase is at his best as a counter puncher.

Every tactician has a mode of operation. Some attack, some defend, some like an early lead… and some counter punch. It’s not to say Gase is not trying to score early. When you go over the film, opening drives have plenty of player mistakes that are the primary reason they fail. If a player doesn’t perform his assignment than it isn’t on the play or Gase. You could blame Gase for putting the player in there, but benching Drake, Tunsil, Stills, or Tannehill is going to happen… all three prove their worth later in the game.

As an example:

This week, 2nd Down was screwed up by Stills picking up the wrong player to block. The run play nets 3 yards. It should have netted 6+… if Stills makes the right block.

As for the 3rd and 6 on the opening drive, Tannehill had a chunk play or TD if he drops the ball in right. Stills has the top of the corner and the Safety coming late. If Tannehill leads Stills the chances are good there’s a big play. Either way, this drives off the Safety for later plays and give future Defensive Coordinators something to chew on.

Gase has attacked the edges and the top on the opening drive. This stretches a defense and opens them up for later attacks and gives Gase a look at how they respond.

I’m not saying bet with pay per head services that this is a Superbowl run we are seeing and Gase is the next Don Coryell. What I am saying is that Gase finally has a team that fits his slow-cook style. Over time everything will sink up and the early leads will come… and that’s when the blowouts will happen. In a dream scenario that will occur this week in Foxborough. But those lofty expectations are for later in the week… Right now, it’s time to just enough being 3-0. Go Phins!!!

Tip:

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