Week 2 left Miami and their fans recovering from whiplash.
Whiplash: jerk or jolt (someone or something) suddenly, typically so as to cause injury.
On Friday, I “caught a case” of whiplash in a car accident. On Sunday, I got a second, third and fourth helping of it during the Miami / Patriots game.
First “helping” of the ‘lash (from the game) came from the 3 quick scores by the Patriots offense and the 3 quick outs by the Dolphins.
The second was when Jimmy Garoppolo went down and hope, that even the best pay per head bookie software could predict, came rushing back in.
And the third was when Miami couldn’t stop the run, and LeGarrette Blount knocked out all legitimate hope.
They say the first cut is the deepest: the poor defensive scheme, (which duplicated the Cardinals approach – with similar results), and the slow response to amend a failed tactic left me the most wounded. This was compounded by the shell-shock response by the defense that had the secondary confused, missing assignments and tunnel-visioned as their psyche was broken.
Beaten in body is one thing. Beaten in the mind is something else.
But, the biggest problem is the coaches were beaten mentally as well.
Look, I get it. Vance Joseph and Adam Gase are rookies and they just ran a stretch of facing two of the best in the business. But, the grace period for this wholesale breakdown is up — finito, gone baby, gone.
This week Miami has the edge in just about every aspect and are at home. This week is a serious crossroads because a win, a good one, is desperately need for credibility about the possibility for success this season…and for this staff capabilities.
Joseph and Gase were young talents with limited experience. Talent was supposed to supersede experience. So far, that’s not the case.
This is not to say it won’t: I believe it will. It’s not to say this regime is a failure: so much time before that’s a real subject. What is being said is that this game is a must win — MUST WIN…and in style.
Squeakers with last minute heroics are not included.
Now, I must say, the coaches recovered quicker than the players. When Garoppolo went down, Gase got it together, but consistency is the key to wins in the NFL. Flashes are insecurities and the essence of “almost was”. The Miami Dolphins and we their fans have had far more than enough of that.
That’s not what Miami needs this week…or going forward. Go Fins!!!