-by Erick Coleman

“Dropped balls and missed opportunities,
Miami’s season is now at half time"

Just a thread beyond the half way marker in the 2005 season, the Miami Dolphins are sitting with a record of three wins versus 6 losses. Initially this would be recognized as a sub par start to a new coaching regime, however I would disagree with this sentiment. There are certainly aspects to work on, however Miami’s improvements have certainly not been few and far between. In this installment of the objective, I will touch upon areas where the Miami Dolphins have shown progression as well as regression. In the sentiment of areas where Miami has not only not improved, but also regressed, I will examine ways to address these issues.

Miami’s general attitude has taken an upswing. Although stupid penalties drive me crazy as much as the next fan, I don’t think of some of those penalties are as much mental errors as a burning desire to make a play. One of the largest violators in this regard has been Jason Taylor, a player that certainly does not lack in football intelligence. After a rash of personal foul / self control type of penalties, Miami has seemingly righted the ship in that regard. Practice intensity has not waned; players run from the huddle to the next drill and are fined for being late for meetings. Discipline does not come over night and after the last coaching regime, Saban faced an uphill battle that he seems to be winning.

Miami’s defense has been tightening up in the latter stages of games, although you couldn’t tell from recent losses to New England and Atlanta. Of all four quarters, Miami has allowed the least amount of points in the fourth. A lot of New England proponents pointed to this exact stat when the Patriots began their resurgence. The Patriots defense has long been one that “bends and doesn’t break”; meaning that the red zone scoring against them is among the leagues lowest. This started with the Patriots learning how to control the tempo in the final quarter of the game. On the flip side of this is Miami’s offensive production during the final quarter of play. So far in the 2005 season the Dolphins have scored 23 points in the first quarter, 39 in the second, and 26 in the third. The fourth quarter is a virtual explosion with 74 points scored. These are encouraging signs.

An obvious upswing is the running game. Rookie running back Ronnie Brown is knocking on five yards a carry at 4.9 and has rushed for 678 yards. He’s been a threat in out of the backfield as well, catching 153 yards worth of passes for a 6.7-yard per catch average. Flipping this coin to rushing defense, there is some cause for concern. Miami has scored five rushing touchdowns while allowing six and has rushed for 1,002 yards as a team while surrendering 1,036. For a team that struggles to stop the pass, these are alarming numbers. Any defense, no matter the team, needs to do one thing on at least an average basis in order to have building blocks for future success. Miami has not been successful in stopping the run, as Heath Evans can testify to this past Sunday. Stopping the air raid is even bleaker.

Miami’s pass defense has given up a staggering 2,057 yards in the air, with an average of 11.8 per catch. This is good for a league basement dweller rating and is not looking to improve any time this season. Miami has also surrendered 11 touchdowns in the air. For matter of comparison, Miami’s air show has managed to put up a respectable 1,949 yards and 11 touchdowns. A large chunk of those touchdowns came in week one and two, granted, but the passing game has not been as anemic as many would have you believe. Miami’s pass per catch is a healthy 11.8 yards per catch. Those numbers are also very deceiving due to the very below average play of Miami’s “number one” wide receiver, Chris Chambers. On the onset, Chambers has nice numbers at 486 yards and five scores. Factor in dropped passes and Chambers would have 614 yards. 128 yards lost on mental errors is not an acceptable factor.

For all of the talk about Miami’s offensive line not being “up to snuff,” they have performed quite well. Gus Frerotte has been sacked only 12 times; of those 12 sacks five of those were coverage sacks. Miami’s line has done well enough to allow Brown to perform well running inside the tackles or around the ends. Miami’s offensive line has not only shown great improvement, I would argue that it’s vital to keep this line together as they are now in order to further the jelling process. The defense, and defensive line, is two areas of a completely different beast.

Miami’s pass rush has been sub par. Carter and Taylor lead the team with a pedestrian five sacks each, followed by a handful of players with two or one. As a team Miami has registered 26 sacks, below the league average of 29. Miami’s plus / minus ratio is also sorely lacking, intercepting only six passes all season. When one factors in the lack of a pass rush combined with the secondary not being able to make a play on the ball – the end result generally is not good. Zach Thomas, of course, leads the team with 118 tackles (78 solo) and rookie Channing Crowder is second with 58 tackles (30 solo).

Special teams has certainly been a bright spot for the Dolphins, with Donnie Jones punting for 2,125 yards and having 15 of his 48 punts landing inside the 20 yard line. He’s doing his job to pin the opponent back, Miami’s defense needs to start coming up with big plays to take advantage of that. Wes Welker has 276 yards in punt returns to add to his 824 yards on kick off returns and 327 yards receiving. Welker with his 1,427 yards at this point in the season should certainly be a strong candidate for season MVP or in the least an un-sung hero award.

Miami came into the 2005 season with many questions to answer and, after nine games, have many answers. Obvious upgrades need to be made at the quarterback position, and this will most likely be done in the shape of a high draft pick or an off- season trade. Even with an upgrade, I would argue that the wide receiver group currently in place now would mentally destroy a young quarterback. Something needs to be done with the insanely inconsistent Chris Chambers. Marty Booker has shown the ability to not only stay healthy but to make plays, as has Welker. Chambers and Randy McMichael have not, and the price tag that both carry to next year’s salary cap is a hindrance.

The offensive line has been a pleasant surprise and continues to show improvement week after week. This is as much a tribute to the players on that line as to the new coaching staff. Defensively Miami is a mess. Both corner back positions need to be addressed, I would not want to put all my eggs in the “Will Poole” basket for next season. Sam Madison, while head and shoulders above the rest of the backs on the current roster, is a liability. Reggie Howard should not be drawing a paycheck and Daniels is in over his head at this time. Defensive line is also an issue that needs upgrading. Carter and Holliday have combined for 60 tackles and 6 sacks. Holliday, while not a pass specialist, was brought in for his ability to draw two linemen and reduce the pressure on Jason Taylor. This has not been the case. Keith Traylor would have been a nice addition three years ago; he’s physically unable to be on the field for enough plays to truly make a difference.

Miami is an infusion of average players away from being a very strong team. A team need not be made of superstars to compete. In six losses this year, Miami was only truly out of two of those games and I argue that all six losses were a direct result of not having a proper mix of great players and average players. For every great player on the field at any given time (example: Zach Thomas) Miami has three below average players. Obtaining that mix, which I think is Nick Saban’s ultimate goal. I have confidence that Miami is on its way to finding balance.

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