…And now, the fanbase and the media are wondering ‘what just happened’?
What to make of the victory?
The Miami Dolphins defense wasn’t the disaster the media and many made it out to be throughout the season. It also isn’t the world beating monster they are making it out to be now.
Here is a bunch of context to help bring the perception into a middle ground:
Defense, offense, and special team all depend on each other. Miami’s offense has been otherworldly bad and has given little support all season… but, the last few weeks it has had some semi-coherent stretches.
Time of Possession is a critical stat for defenses. Fresh defenders make plays, tired ones give them up. The Dolphins TOP has shifted closer to even over the last few weeks.
Raekwon Davis was injured 5 plays into the 2021 Season. Davis is a talented player with a unique gift that for a very specific, but crucial role. The Dolphins defense slowly developed quality run defense when he returned from I.R. This wasn’t a coincidence.
High priced corners Byron Jones and Xavien Howard were injured in Week 4. While Jones looks healed, Howard hasn’t fully recovered it appears. But, the recent string of QBs and their Oline haven’t been good enough to beat the pressure defense and it’s man coverage and allowed QBs to attack Howard.
Rookies Jaylan Phillips and Jevon Holland are finding their legs in their transition from collegiate ranks to the pros.
Matchups are major determiners on how things play out. Miami can’t and won’t play this style defense against every QB.
Lamar and Tyrod are smaller QBs who aren’t masters of throwing outside the hashes and taking advantage of hot routes. They also have devastated O-lines and limited talent at receiver.
Josh Allen is huge and tall and can beat the all out blitz or break the tackle from a much smaller Holland and Jones. He also has one hellava’ group of receivers.
Tom Brady and Matt Ryan can out think the defense with alerts and hot routes and have extremely talented receiving group.
Mac Jones was blitzed and stood in the pocket strong enough to make the Phins pay.
John Gruden and Derrick Carr along with that group of receivers forced the Dolphins to be more cautious.
NFL evaluation isn’t often effective with cookie cutter takes.
Brian Flores IS a brilliant defensive mind and Josh Boyer has proved a capable young understudy.
Unfortunately, the offense isn’t nearly the equal.
So goes the offense, so goes the defense. A handful of plays would have us 6-4. Only 8 points is the difference in three wins instead of three losses. On top of this, Miami held the Bills down most of the game three weeks ago and only 14 point through two and half quarters in their first meeting, before they were gassed. Same with the Colts game, Miami limited the Colts to 7pts until 6:31 left in the third. If this defense had the compliment of even an average offense, the narrative of this season would have been flipped.
So, here we are again, much like the 2019 Season with the media drumming up hate to tossing tulips at the Dolphins and Flores. You can’t bet with the best pay per heads that the first chance they get to flip the script they’ll do it again with extra mayo on top.
Let us Phins fans not buy into it! If you want to pour out angst, pour it out on Chris Grier who strapped Flores with this offense and forced out Chan Gailey and Steven Marshall. Go Phins!!!
I was cray with joy over the win. I did not expect that! Tua looked fine for a guy gutting it out with a fractured finger. My hat is off to the defense who just came up huge! I was never so happy to be wrong! Now reality check. The o-line is horrible. Too many penalties, still. Of 22 points the field goal kicker (special Teams) had 10. The defense had a pick 6. That means the offense the offense had 6 points to their credit! That is not nearly the right ballance!
Don’t know why I had to approve you post, Van? I hate this system jimmy has here… sorry. This post of your felt really good!! I’m so happy you got so much joy out of this game! I felt the same way. Oline is the worst Oline in the history of the Miami franchise I believe. Again, it goes back to our take, Flores is the right guy for the job… Grier isn’t and has to go!!!!!! I am just not sure Ross is the right guy to make the right call… I think he’ll just keep both and push forward… I hope I’m wrong!!!
Yeah, STEVE! It was so good… my son watched with me and it was a blast to see him excited about the Phins. Think they go three in a row… hope it doesn’t (but I know it will) let Ross off the hook to keep Grier… that guy is the WORST and will only screw everything up… Keep FLores and don’t trade for Watson!!!
I’ve commented quite a bit on the different articles through out this season about the different problems with our team. The only thing I will say now is it sure felt good to see our D show up like we anticipated them to do from the jump this year. Yes our offense has a lot of issues and I don’t see it getting any better this season, and Tua is not our problem.Also as I’ve stated before as I think we all would agree is that Grier needs to go,one way or the other. GO FINS!!!
Flores has shown himself to be our HC and a smart and tough man… who has succeeded despite all the interference and incompetence of Chris Grier. Ross doesn’t want to move off the slithery Grier and this will likely give him an excuse to keep him… this means things won’t get better… If only he’d can Grier and keep Flores….
Even if AAron Rodgers came to play for the Dolphins we would still not have a good offense because we do not have a good offensive line Without an above average offensive line we cannot buy the QB time to wait for our receivers to go deep, or to get open. we also cannot run the ball very effectively. Sure we connect once in a while but not consistently. Throw in a lack of a good Running Back (or 2) and that means we have very poor offense. I don’t know where we are ranked on offense but I would guess probably one of the bottom 3 teams in the NFL So where are we going – the answer is nowhere. The odds of making the playoffs is miniscule, the odds of winning a playoff game are probably less than 1% Who is responsible – Ross, Grier, or Flores. I would venture to say Grier – he has been with the Dolphins a very long time maybe 20 years ?? so therefore we have had a bad offense the last 20 years. We have to go back to Dan Marino days under Shula to be proud of our offense. So a year ago we invested a lot in the offensive line and now it is worse than even back 2 years ago the obvious reason is Grier does not know how to evaluate players. Why did we sign Fuller. ?? That was a total waste of money and a spot in the roster. We do not have time for the QB to throw the ball deep. So what good is Fuller. And why do we always seem to sign these fragile players – always hurt unable to play. I am glad we won a game but we need more than just winning a few games and being mediocre all the time. In the last 20 years how many playoff games have we gone to….(one in the last 10 years) and did we ever win one ?? the answer is NO. We also do not have more than one pro player at any given time in our roster. Grier you are an embarrassment and should resign – giving up 2 top 5 first round picks for a receiver that is being used as a slot receiver. Embarrassing. I am sure Waddle is a good receiver but worth two top 5 draft picks ??? Not so sure. I would have drafted Sewell at #3, and Harris at #18. and not played all those silly trade games you did. We have a real problem with our offense Mr. Grier. We need pro players in the offensive line. (at least 3 of the 5) The scouts are probably no good either. We need an above average offensive line and Running back to win consistently. and keep our QB from taking nasty hits. (Tannehill was not a bad QB. we traded him to hide the fact that our offensive line could not protect him. While he was a dolphin he took more hits and sacks than any other QB in the NFL during those years. How long before Tua gets hurt again – I would venture to say before the end of this season. Is that so difficult to comprehend Mr. Grier. I am only a fan but I am sure I can do a lot better in free agency and the draft than what you and your scouts have done for our Dolphins team.
Ralph, it hurts to finally have a man for a coach and then to have a snake for a GM… he is everything we don’t need and Flores everything we do… Sadly, Ross appears more likely to cut his arm off than part with Grier and the winning will only give him an excuse to keep Grier… IF only Ross would be the man we need and fire Grier and keep Flores… the more I study Grier the less I like him and the more incompetent he looks. We are so close to being healed!!! SOooo close… and yet so far, Ralph. The move for Watson was too big a tell that Ross won’t make the right move… so close, Ralph.
I was cray with joy over the win. I did not expect that! Tua looked fine for a guy gutting it out with a fractured finger. My hat is off to the defense who just came up huge! I was never so happy to be wrong!
Now reality check. The o-line is horrible. Too many penalties, still. Of 22 points the field goal kicker (special Teams) had 10. The defense had a pick 6. That means the offense the offense had 6 points to their credit! That is not nearly the right ballance!
Don’t know why I had to approve you post, Van? I hate this system jimmy has here… sorry. This post of your felt really good!! I’m so happy you got so much joy out of this game! I felt the same way. Oline is the worst Oline in the history of the Miami franchise I believe. Again, it goes back to our take, Flores is the right guy for the job… Grier isn’t and has to go!!!!!! I am just not sure Ross is the right guy to make the right call… I think he’ll just keep both and push forward… I hope I’m wrong!!!
Dolphins played to Win. This is all that we asked from this team at this point. Supper Job. There are still some games the Fins can win this Season.
Yeah, STEVE! It was so good… my son watched with me and it was a blast to see him excited about the Phins. Think they go three in a row… hope it doesn’t (but I know it will) let Ross off the hook to keep Grier… that guy is the WORST and will only screw everything up… Keep FLores and don’t trade for Watson!!!
I’ve commented quite a bit on the different articles through out this season about the different problems with our team. The only thing I will say now is it sure felt good to see our D show up like we anticipated them to do from the jump this year. Yes our offense has a lot of issues and I don’t see it getting any better this season, and Tua is not our problem.Also as I’ve stated before as I think we all would agree is that Grier needs to go,one way or the other. GO FINS!!!
Flores has shown himself to be our HC and a smart and tough man… who has succeeded despite all the interference and incompetence of Chris Grier. Ross doesn’t want to move off the slithery Grier and this will likely give him an excuse to keep him… this means things won’t get better… If only he’d can Grier and keep Flores….
Even if AAron Rodgers came to play for the Dolphins we would still not have a good offense because we do not have a good offensive line
Without an above average offensive line we cannot buy the QB time to wait for our receivers to go deep, or to get open. we also cannot run the ball very effectively. Sure we connect once in a while but not consistently.
Throw in a lack of a good Running Back (or 2) and that means we have very poor offense. I don’t know where we are ranked on offense but I would guess probably one of the bottom 3 teams in the NFL
So where are we going – the answer is nowhere. The odds of making the playoffs is miniscule, the odds of winning a playoff game are probably less than 1%
Who is responsible – Ross, Grier, or Flores. I would venture to say Grier – he has been with the Dolphins a very long time maybe 20 years ?? so therefore we have had a bad offense the last 20 years.
We have to go back to Dan Marino days under Shula to be proud of our offense.
So a year ago we invested a lot in the offensive line and now it is worse than even back 2 years ago the obvious reason is Grier does not know how to evaluate players.
Why did we sign Fuller. ?? That was a total waste of money and a spot in the roster. We do not have time for the QB to throw the ball deep. So what good is Fuller.
And why do we always seem to sign these fragile players – always hurt unable to play.
I am glad we won a game but we need more than just winning a few games and being mediocre all the time. In the last 20 years how many playoff games have we gone to….(one in the last 10 years) and did we ever win one ?? the answer is NO. We also do not have more than one pro player at any given time in our roster.
Grier you are an embarrassment and should resign – giving up 2 top 5 first round picks for a receiver that is being used as a slot receiver. Embarrassing. I am sure Waddle is a good receiver but worth two top 5 draft picks ??? Not so sure. I would have drafted Sewell at #3, and Harris at #18. and not played all those silly trade games you did. We have a real problem with our offense Mr. Grier. We need pro players in the offensive line. (at least 3 of the 5)
The scouts are probably no good either.
We need an above average offensive line and Running back to win consistently. and keep our QB from taking nasty hits. (Tannehill was not a bad QB. we traded him to hide the fact that our offensive line could not protect him. While he was a dolphin he took more hits and sacks than any other QB in the NFL during those years. How long before Tua gets hurt again – I would venture to say before the end of this season.
Is that so difficult to comprehend Mr. Grier. I am only a fan but I am sure I can do a lot better in free agency and the draft than what you and your scouts have done for our Dolphins team.
Ralph, it hurts to finally have a man for a coach and then to have a snake for a GM… he is everything we don’t need and Flores everything we do…
Sadly, Ross appears more likely to cut his arm off than part with Grier and the winning will only give him an excuse to keep Grier… IF only Ross would be the man we need and fire Grier and keep Flores… the more I study Grier the less I like him and the more incompetent he looks. We are so close to being healed!!! SOooo close… and yet so far, Ralph. The move for Watson was too big a tell that Ross won’t make the right move… so close, Ralph.