Pump the Brakes

First, the Dolphins did it. They needed the win. Ohhhh, did they need the win. They traveled across the big drink with the buzz of controversy as their contrail. Injured, reeling, they put the boot on the throat of their opponent and never took it off. It was a must win and it was a should win. For that I give them a round of applause.

But, let’s pump the breaks a bit.

Stat line says Tanny’ chucked the rock for 2 TD’s with 278 yards passing and 35 yards rushing, Miller rushed for 5.3 per carry and Miami won 38-14. That’s a dominant stat line for sure.  But who did they dominate? Raiders were a MASH unit depleted at every defensive position beyond the line of scrimmage. Not to mention facing a rookie QB and Jones-Drew, their only legitimate star, unable to even pass protect and relegated to the scrap heap.

Ridiculous as it sounds we must win the bye. Packers are coming to town and they will be no Raiders in scope of challenge. We must heal. We must prepare as thoughtful a game plan as we did with the Raiders. We have a lot that still needs a fixin’ and what was fixed needs to have bound to it the most crucial attribute a football player can have: consistency.

Unless you’re gambling on Fantasy Football, stats never replace tape – ever. That’s why I still have some serious concerns.

But, to stay positive on a crucial win, let’s consider all that was won.

The Coach Philbin didn’t let the ship sink. And we came with a legitimately first rate game plan. We worked a sapped secondary and pressed the edges with QB options to expose a depleted line-backing core. The use of Tanny’ after our running game bogged down was one of the most creative exposures of another team weakness by our coaching staff that I have seen in a time-and-a-half. This should be the norm if we are to win going forward. And further kudos goes to Kevin Coyle who really challenged the WR and O-line with an aggressive attack that generated turnovers.

We also saw players step up and demand victory with some of their best gameplay of the season. First, Tannahill showed the guts of a leader and posted his best game of the year when it was most needed. He was focused and aggressive in both runs and passing. Was this a response to this week’s controversy? Who can say? But one way or the other the results were huge steps forward. How about Wallace demanding to score from the four? He is quietly smacking the lips off his doubters. Daniel Thomas ran hard and with wiggle – that was something, huh?! Jared Odrick claimed this game, making pivotal plays both inside and on the edge with his 3^rd and 1 stop-for-loss and two pass deflections and applying pressure much of the game. The secondary picked the ball and forced the QB’s go through go deep into their progression. Lastly, Derrick Shelby back-up DE came in and racked up two sacks.

All good steps going forward that need to be on the menu for further success, but some profound concerns continue.

THE most important issue was that Tannahill still lacks consistency in his accuracy as his interception displayed. Also, the inability to hit deep outs and posts continue. I don’t recall a 9 route even being attempted. This is deeply troubling because this is where Wallace excels and where explosive plays are generated. Tanny’s work underneath will get stifled by better secondary’s when they dare him to throw deep by choking off the short and medium game.

There was Landry’s fumble – again. This needs to stop now. Miller’s inability to consistently create or embellish on a run forces us to need a #1 back – though Knowshon’s return will bandage that. Middle-linebacker coverage is SO poor and if and when Misi returns it won’t help. Week in and week out the middle gets killed – real TE and QB combos with toast us. Also, Wake due to scheming seems to disappear far too much. Will Davis needs to develop stronger play fast. He is giving more than he is taking for our secondary.

This is a week to plan, fix and heal. Our next game will swing this season one way or the other. We need to beat the Packers as they are the start to the toughest stretch of our schedule. Consider this: we face Packers, Bears, Chargers, Lions, Broncos and Ravens interspersed with Bills, Jaguars and Jets. To be the best you have to beat the best. We have very little room for error.  So let’s pump our breaks, slow the roll and see clear what just happened and what’s coming. Ohh and most importantly let’s not pump them too  much. I for one will enjoy the next two weeks knowing that we are still in this and the Dolphins season still has  meaning! Go ‘Phins!

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