Phins Run Out of Gas In Denver

Phins came out fast… and ran out of gas even faster

The Dolphins crashed hard up in the thin air of Mile High losing to the Broncos 20-13. With their five-game win streak snapped, the Phins now head to New York to face the Jets in a critical division game. Add to the concern, rookie Tua Taglovia was benched for poor performance and veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick moved a stagnant offense but threw a critical interception to end the game.

What should a fan make of the situation now?

First, the sky isn’t falling… and unfortunately, everything isn’t ‘breezy’ either. This week had all the makings of a trap game and most of the team responded well. It was the offensive rookies that were the weak link, but the keyword here is ‘rookies’.

Still, there’s no doubt the Phins playoffs chances took a hit.

Offensive rookies were full of ‘rookie blues’ in Denver

1. Austin Jackson was beaten early and often one-on-one and with stunts.
2. Solomon Kindley battled a bad foot and struggled against a very tough defensive front until he was replaced.
3. Tua had his 1st taste of pressure since the Rams game and didn’t respond well. Uneasy in the pocket, he was slow to get through his progressions and was inaccurate.

Starting three rookies at different points on the offensive line along with a rookie quarterback clearly has some drawbacks for this season as it has advantages for the next.

Plenty of Phins stepped up though

1. Veterans leadership: DeVante Parker is a stud and Xavien Howard is a ballhawk.
2. Young guns rising Andrew Van Ginkel is becoming a force and Raekwon Davis is finding his way with back-to-back quality outings.
3. The defense as a whole played excellently and made a crucial 4th Down stop. Missing Christian Wilkens and Davon Godchaux were too much of a loss for a run-heavy attack.

The elephant in the room is the move from Tua to Fitzpatrick.

It was clear that had Fitzmagic started in Denver, Miami would have put a better effort on offense. Maybe it would have been enough for the win? Is that really a shocker, though? Fitzpatrick has 16 seasons as an NFL QB, that time in the grind gives him a huge edge in handling pressure and going through his reads. The offensive line didn’t have a good day and beyond the rookies, veteran LG Ereck Flowers made too many mistakes. There was a reason Fitzpatrick had a release time of 2.7 seconds. The blockers on offense didn’t set the table for the kid to have success.

Things could get dicey if Tua isn’t supported better and doesn’t handle pressure better

This trade-off of talent over experience should have been expected when Tua was given the start. This moment was clearly coming. After Tua’s 1st start, his mobility offset Fitzpatrick’s experience and he looked fine. Unfortunately for rookies, the NFL is all about adapting.

We now have a small trend staring us in the face. In Tua’s 1st and 4th starts he looked terrible when facing a pressure defense without a lead. In his 2nd and 3rd starts, he had the lead and didn’t face much pressure.

Is this ‘trend’ the end all be all?

Nope!

This is the general formula to beat any rookie QB. Force rookie QBs to go deep into their progressions and apply pressure. Most of the time it works until it doesn’t… or they get canned. If this were Tua’s second season, I’d be concerned, so for now, this is just ‘rookie blues’ in my book. Still, you can bet with the pay per head services like www.AcePerHead.com that this is exactly the recipe every D-coordinator is going to dial up until Tua proves he can handle it.

There is no ducking adversity in the NFL.

With the Phins in the hunt for a playoff spot, what happens if he responds that same way again? Will he get pulled again? And, if not, what will the team think? What will Tua think if he keeps getting pulled?

The only way to resolve this issue is to attack it head on and beat it. Tua, the offensive blockers, and the staff all need to do better.

The next two weeks will be critical. Tua has shown the ability to grow and Flores the ability to teach. Both men and their talents will be at the center stage of all things Miami Dolphins this week. Go Phins!!!

10 More Articles for Bookmakers:

1. PPH Software
2. How do Sportsbooks Make Money?
3. The Fail-Proof Way to Start a Great Online Sportsbooks
4. Set Up a Sportsbook
5. Sports Betting Platform Providers
6. Starting a Bookie Service
7. Breaking into the Sportsbook Business
8. What is Pay Per Head?
9. Best Pay Per Head Software
10. Is the Cheapest PPH the Best One for You?