3 Major Developments

Here are 3 major points to take away from the Dolphins-Cowboys game:

1. It's not Ronnie's fault.

I know a lot of Dolphins fans like to criticize Ronnie Brown's supposed lack of productivity over the early course of his career, and it's especially easy to do this when the Dolphins are losing and he isn't getting the ball. However, Ronnie has shown consistently since he was drafted that he is a good running back in the NFL. When he has holes, he hits them hard, makes defenders pay, and can break some long runs. When he doesn't have holes (which is most of the time), he works as hard as any running back in the league to get every possible yard. Yes he does sometimes hesitate, but more often than not he is trying to set up his blocks and give the line a chance to get something to develop. I believe that Ronnie has been and continues to be a victim of poor blocking in front of him.

In the first half against the Cowboys, Ronnie didn't see one hole. I don't understand how Dolphins fans and media can criticize him for this. He ran hard anyway. To start the second half, Ronnie got one big hole, which he turned into a 12 yard gain, and then he got another big gain when there wasn't even much doing. They went on to score a touchdown that drive, but from then on he didn't see the ball because of 2 factors. The line wasn't opening anything up for the running game, and a couple of turnovers led to the Dolphins having to play catch-up, so they abandoned the run altogether. With all this being the case, how come people are calling for Ronnie's head? I simply don't see how any of this is his fault.

2. The tackling needs to improve.

This was the real killer against the Cowboys, and it needs to improve or else the Dolphins are in for a long season. Tackling killed us against the Redskins, too, and there is simply no reason for it. Tackling is the basis of any defense, the most important thing you can do on that side of the ball (blocking being its counterpart), and the status quo is unacceptable.

There were numerous times I noted to myself during the game when poor tackling or an inability to finish a play cost us big. In the first quarter it cost us, with even Jason Taylor getting involved in the act. There were missed sacks that turned into first downs. There was an instance where Taylor (again) idiotically ripped at the ball ON 3RD DOWN instead of tackling the ball carrier (we were bailed out by a holding). As I mentioned, Marion Barber's ran through several arm tackles on his touchdown run.

I stopped noting most of the missed tackles once the second half rolled around (but who could forget the play where Taylor was in perfect position to nail Romo, but instead was made to look like a fool), but the damage was done in the first half. The Cowboys controlled the ball for 19 minutes as a result of the missed tackles keeping drives alive, and the lack of time of possession for the Dolphins took Ronnie Brown out of the game and forced Trent Green to start forcing things on offense. This is a counter intuitive claim, but I believe the play of the defense was just as responsible as the offense for the turnover problems. Missed tackles led to long drives for the Cowboys, which led to the Dolphins inability develop a rhythm on offense (and the aforementioned problems for Brown and Green) and eventually turnovers. (Note: I know critics of my analysis would say that the turnovers and lack of productivity on offense are what led to the time of possession swing in the first place, but only one of the turnovers was in the first half, and the length of the Cowboys drives are what led to the time of possession swing, not the Dolphins going 3 and out over and over again).

3. The Dolphins defensive philosophy/scheme needs to change.

On defense, there are really two ways you can go about your business. You can be a reactionary defense or you can force the offense to become a reactionary offense. In the JJ/Wanny years, the Dolphins had defensive success with a reactionary defense because they were built for one. The had great, aggressive corners who could make plays on their own, great defensive ends who could get to the passer on their own, and a run defense anchored by Zach Thomas. Whatever the opposition did, the Dolphins could react to it and stop it. Very simple. Very effective.

In the Saban era, the Dolphins defense accomplished great things on defense by being the aggressors and forcing the offense to react to what they were doing. Much like Belichick's defense in New England, Saban would show the offense a different, disguised look on every play, and it would be up to the offense to figure it out. You never knew where the blitz was coming from, and just when you thought your only safe bet was that the blitz was coming, you would have max protect against 8 defenders in coverage. It is easy to see how this type of defense can affect a quarterback and force some bad decisions.

Saban built his defensive personnel to fit this scheme by bringing in a gap-filling nose tackle, a versatile group of linebackers (including drafting Crowder and converting Taylor), and a cover 2 secondary (the safeties are the focus instead of the corners...unfortunately Jason Allen never panned out). He had a lot of success by moving Taylor around and really unleashing the absolute terror that he could be. The Dolphins got to the quarterback, and whenever you can do that, good things happen for the defense.

Saban left, but Capers stayed, so everybody assumed that the defense would stay mostly the same. The Dolphins also brought in Joey Porter, a guy who had a lot of success in this aggressive-style defense in the past, and even though he had his critics, everybody assumed he would at least help Taylor have even more success, a scary proposition considering the year the defensive MVP had. However, somewhere along the line, the Dolphins defense fell back into being reactionary, and the problem is that the Dolphins are no longer build for it.

Instead of getting Taylor and Porter up and moving around, offensive coordinators have been able to get both of them into 3 point stances the majority of the time, causing them to become simple, traditional defensive ends. Predictably, not only have they not been effective, but the Dolphins haven't gotten anywhere near opposing quarterbacks on a consistent basis. Slide the protection towards Taylor and match Porter against a tackle, and they are effectively neutralized. Romo felt no pressure all day, and when a defense built to be the aggressor is forced to play as the reactor, a whole lot of weaknesses show up. The Dolphins no longer have the cover corners they used to, and they only have one player who serves as a true defensive tackle. Take your pick of how you would like to beat them.

All day against the Dolphins, the Cowboys did just that. Marion Barber ran all over the place, hardly ever even slowed down. Romo had a field day, too. He hardly ever felt pressure, giving him time to pick apart the zone. When the Dolphins went man, it was that much easier for him, because with nobody on the Dolphins even close to being a good enough cover man to stay with T.O. (they even tried Renaldo Hill), he was open on every 3rd down. Daniels, bless his soul, is not a man corner in the NFL. They either need to keep him in zone or get him off the field (they opted to move him to safety).

It comes down to this. The Dolphins made a mistake when they decided to ever have Joey Porter play with his hand on the ground. The Redskins exploited it, and now that the Cowboys have too, they need to fix it. However, if the Dolphins concede that they cannot create a pass rush and get to the quarterback, they will lose every game. This personnel group cannot be successful playing as a reactionary defense, but I still have faith that they can be a great defense if they recommit to being the aggressor. The Dolphins defense is facing adversity, and for it to regain its form, it will take the counter intuitive move by Capers and Co. to not try to fix its weaknesses, but instead to put more focus on exploiting its strengths.