How Will Davis Fill the Shoes of Godchaux?

Loss of Godchaux puts serious stress on Phins Defensive line

I’ve written a bunch of times over the last year that Davon Godchaux just doesn’t fit the Phins 2-Gap system. The tape confirms Godchaux thrived at shooting the gaps in the 1-Gap system of the Wide-9. It’s not a knock in the least, the great John Randle went to the Hall of Fame as a 1 Gap DT but would have flopped if he had to take on blockers. Despite Godchaux being better suited for another scheme, the Phins will sorely miss him in the weeks to come especially this week against the Jets.

Denver… ahem, New York is up next

First, since the beginning of the season, I had the Phins playing the Broncos Week 6… whoopsie. What a shock when I found out they weren’t! Well, I’ve recalibrated and now it’s the New York Jest traveling down to Miami instead.

On the face of it, a Dolphin blowout of the Jets sounds about right. But, with the injury to Godchaux and Kyle Van Noy battling a groin injury, Phins should be wary of a trap game and expect a tough fight. You throw out records in Divsion games.

Certainly, Miami has a strong advantage over the Jets. If I recall correctly, this is the first time the best pay per head reviews have had them as a strong favorite since the 2018 Season. But, the Dolphins were heavy favorites last week and won. So, let’s hope the Phins don’t count their chickens before they hatch.

Never overlook or count out division opponents

Lost in the Jets terrible season is that they have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, an elite cornerback, two Top 15 cover linebackers, the 9th best run-blocking Tight End, and the great Frank Gore. And, despite Adam Gase being an uneven coach and person, he has a talent for surprise wins.

Joe Flacco will be the starting QB this week because QB Sam Darnold (shoulder) has missed two practices. Also, LT Mekhi Becton (shoulder) hasn’t practiced this week and looks to miss his second game. At least the loss of Beckton offsets the loss of Godchaux.

The defensive front handling the loss of Godchaux will be critical going forward and it is a key point this week against the Jets. They will certainly look run the ball and throw the short rhythm game behind Joe Flacco and their best unit the O-line. If the interior D-line wears down, the Jets blockers will feast on the Phins small linebacker. With enough time and the threat of the run maybe Flacco can find some magic… and then things could get tight.

How will Miami work around the loss of Godchaux?

There’s been some talk of Godchaux playing with a sleeve. I just can see that happening. A one-armed defensive lineman not named Reggie White is a huge liability. So, Godchaux is done for at least 3 months. I expect last week’s game to be Godchaux’s last as a Phin… unless they somehow make the playoffs.

With Shaq Lawson back and an extra helping of Andrew Van Ginkel, Zach Seiler can focus on the inside with Christian Wilkens. Unfortunately, Miami needs more than that. They were running a steady diet of Godchaux, Seiler, and Wilkens the last few weeks with a dash of Davis. Rookie Raekwon Davis is now front and center, but Miami will likely need one more DT for depth and insurance.

Phins B-team extra D-linemen…

DE rookie Jason Strowbridge 6’5” 275 isn’t a DT, but is beefy, so maybe he’ll be called up since he’s on the 53 man roster
DT rookie Benito Jones 6’1” 316 lbs.
DE rookie Nick Coe 6’5” 291 lbs.

Since we didn’t get to see how any of these players deal with NFL talent, it’s a roll of the dice if any of the above will get called up. The reality is Davis much find a role where he can be productive.

Davis appears to be a 2-down player

I put out an article last week with film on Davis against the Seahawks if you want to see his tape from that game check here. Davis tape continues to match up with what we see here. The first couple of plays is Davis in 3-Tech, followed by a few in 2- tech, and the last is his lone snap 0-tech / Nose Guard.

You can see the pattern continuing that Davis does better as he slides closer to the center. He has a nice pass rush at 3-tech using his strength one-on-one with the guard, but the bull rush is his only move and is easily neutralized with a double. Also, Davis has little ability to work in space and that weakness gets magnified as he moves to the edges of the line. But, inside he overwhelms the smaller centers and has the angle on the guard. Despite his disadvantage of being so tall, these two factors allow him to thrive.

At least for this year, Davis can be effective as a nose guard in the 0-2i tech with Wilkens and Seiler on either side. If schemed right Davis can also be effective over the guard… in small doses.

Phins are in big trouble is Seiler or Wilkens goes down

I’m super interested to see how Brian Flores handles the defensive tackle situation with Davis. I think of Davis as one of those big plugger NTs from the ole’ days but taller and slimmer. My 2 cents is let Davis control the A-Gap this way he isn’t chasing plays across the field. Let the giant use his size and strength to control the middle and demand doubles.

I wondered in the Preseason if Davis would take Godchaux’s job in 2021.It came a lot faster than I expected… and frankly, I’m a little less confident he can.

Still, the Jets secondary and pass rush is poor, so if Fitzmagic and Parker can shine early, the D-line might get a one week reprieve by playing with the lead. Go Phins!!!

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