While the “Preseason Miami Dolphins ” had suckered the hopeful fans once again into believe they’d finally turned the corner and become a relevant football team in the NFL, the “Regular Season Dolphins” pulled a “Mola Ram Kali Ma” (for you Indiana Jones II fans) and ripped out many of our hearts, once again. The team is 4-7 with a likely offseason purge only 5 weeks away, but there’s one silver lining, one life line that the Dolphins have: they have $&%@ canned offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. The big question is will there be any difference, and if so how much will there be? And if it’s shows to be a big difference, what will it mean in the long term?
Dan Campbell was the guy who made the decision to fire Lazor because the offense was anemic and uninspired for weeks. In addition, Campbell was looking to have a more balanced offense by committing to the run where guards who are better at the run game can be put in a better situation. However, Lazor failed for weeks to obey orders. It was only fitting that Lazor finally got canned after calling 9 running plays out of a total of 67 offensive plays. Now QB coach Zac Taylor will take over as the new offensive coordinator and most football gambling fans are betting that Miami will at least try to run the ball 50% of the time against the Ravens. The Raven though battered with injuries are stout against the run, so it will not be an easy task. Another interesting note with Lazor’s firing is that we found out he lied about Tannehill having “full control” of the offense. Taylor will give Tannehill more flexibility to make audibles at the line of scrimmage and if Tannehill sees an opportunity, he will have full opportunity to take advantage. As an added bonus, he was allowed to have input on the game plan. This is Tannehill’s week to show it was Lazor holding him back and not his lack of ability. This week Tannehill will get to stamp “RT” over the game like none he has ever had before – so he’d better show up.
I do not expect to see a brand new offense from the Dolphins. I also don’t think Tannehill should be expected to post gaudy numbers as the line may be without Pouncy and Jame again. But, it’s a fact that Lazor was too stubborn and insubordinate to be flexible and listen to other people’s suggestions or his superiors orders. He was hated and his personality and his play calling was a factor as to why the Dolphins lacked productivity on offense. How much of a factor and if it was a major one will be revealed sunday against the Ravens. Hopefully, the change will make the offense less predictable, and maybe we’ll finally see Lamar Miller crack the 20 carry mark in a game this season. I would love to see Miami finally use the run to set up the pass.. But ultimately, it will come down to Tannehill, now with the control, to limit his mistakes and create a few moments that suggest he can use the added dimension to excel.
The money men opened up the Dolphins as a -4 point favorite at home against the Baltimore Ravens. The action has come in pretty split so far, and as of now the line has only slightly moved down to Dolphins -3.5. In addition both teams have their fare share of injuries, with Monroe, Williams and Flacco out for the Ravens, and James, Mitchell, and Matthews out for the Dolphins, with Pouncey and Stills currently listed as questionable.
Both teams are all but out of the Playoff race, but the Dolphins have more to prove and have more jobs on the line…and it’s Dolphin’s turn to show Lazor what a grudge is by showing him up. This will be a showdown of philosophies between the former TE coach turned head coach and former OC just recently sent to the unemployment line. If the “O” shows an uptick for this week, and more importantly beyond, then the TE coach wins. If there isn’t a noticeable offensive appreciation, then Campbell will end up being replaced. What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans think about the Dolphins latest endeavor, and whether or not we will see any difference on offense?