With two games left in the season, the Dolphins are 9-5. They are tied for first place in the AFC East, and they control their destiny to win the division. Beyond the already great accomplishment of having a winning record this year, something which all Dolphins fans should be happy about, this team has a chance to do something really special.
As for the game itself, it was more of the same from the 2008 Miami Dolphins. No turnovers, clinging to an early lead, creative developments on both sides of the ball, new heroes, not exactly the blueprint, but Joey Porter closing out another win. For the seventh time in the last eight games, the Dolphins were victorious. In the context of where we were last year, that's something every fan can appreciate, but right now all eyes are on the last two games of the season. Focus needs to be on taking care of business against the Chiefs - the last thing Channing Crowder wants to do is be playing for Matt Light to win the division in Week 17 - but a potentially huge showdown looms on the horizon for Chad Pennington's new squad against his former mates.
Looking ahead, which I do not advocate but cannot help, the Dolphins and Jets are each one win from playing for the division. Pennington will return to the cold Meadowlands, where he was forced out of town by the acquisition of future Hall of Famer and interception leader Brett Favre, but the question for one more week remains what the stakes will be. The consistent leader whose arm was just never good enough versus the fiery, laser-armed question mark. The you know exactly what you are getting and your limitations every week versus the limitless possibilities. Let's keep our focus on Kansas City so that we can set up this dream matchup of a football game. Don't mind me saying it now, but the winner of that game might very well host the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs. I don't like looking ahead, but let's take care of business so that Belichick's next home game will be checkers in his living room. (Did I mention I don't like looking ahead, but...)
Offensive strategy:
After my exhausting analysis of the direction I think Miami's offensive philosophy should go, the Fins came out and did some things which I thought were interesting and intelligent, but also some things which I thought weren't the best uses of their personnel. Across the NFL, misuse of personnel continues to dazzle me, and I hold to my "do what you do well and what's working" strategy. I fully understand that the Dolphins strategies aren't going to be exactly what I would choose, and though I was impressed by some overlap, I still feel like they could do better with some of their attempts at exploiting matchups. Just as in a game of chess, their are different approaches and strategies that you can use to achieve victory, but you always need to form those around and tailor them to what you have, and this is the key element of game planning which I think lacks consistency.
Now, I don't want this to read as a criticism. It is an analysis, and I thought the Dolphins actually did a lot of things very well. For example, I thought their strategy to open the game made great use of personnel mismatches. Wisely, the Dolphins coupled their Wildcat and power personnel groupings with spread formations, using tight ends and running backs masterfully against the 49ers overmatched linebackers and safeties. This is not a strategy that I talked about them employing, but it's an example of a different strategy that likewise makes good use of the pieces which you have. Every team needs to go very big to deal with the possibility of the Wildcat game, so with that knowledge, Dan Henning and company did a great job of exploiting that these guys may not be so savvy in coverage. Great job.
Unfortunately, though this strategy did build the Dolphins an early lead, things got very stale for a long time, and the Dolphins stopped moving the ball. To make matters worse, the 49ers held the ball for long drive after long drive, and Miami's offense had no chance at developing a rhythm. Penalties, including a few killer false starts, negative plays, mistakes, and dropped passes all led to issues.
Nevertheless, in the fourth quarter the offense did get moving again on one drive when they needed it, and interestingly it was the first time they used the true Wildcat. I liked that they had avoided it for most of the game, as I outlined why last week, but this was a good time to call for it. There was no movement on offense, and the team needed a spark. Ronnie Brown gave it to them with superb patience and vision, along with key blocks from Ricky, Chad, and Cobbs. Still, the lack of any actual push on the play was evidence that except for rare occasion, it should probably stay in hibernation.
The real great plays from that drive, though, mirrored by philosophy closely. The play I will discuss is the one where Chad was lined up as the focal point in the Wildcat. Although I didn't advocate this exact design - I believe there are much more beneficial ways of achieving the same principle, namely the full house and Chad in the "Spread Wildcat" - I thought the Dolphins executed the important principles perfectly. Twice earlier in the game they had run the same formation, and each time Pennington handed it off for a successful play, a run that the defense could not gang up on. However, this time Chad faked the handoff and waggled right, where Anthony Fasano was open for a nice gain. This is the type of play that is difficult in the normal Wildcat, but becomes routine when you keep the ball in Pennington's hands. I really liked how the Dolphins turned to this philosophy when they needed to pound it.
Unfortunately, there were also negatives throughout the day and that ultimately led to that important drive stalling. One that I thought clearly affected the Dolphins ability to get into a rhythm was a refusal to run the ball. I thought it was a great strategy to throw to the tight ends early and often, and it was one that worked, but at some point when the defense adjusts, you've got to put the ball in the hands of Ricky and Ronnie. The Dolphins don't have the type of passing game that can go wire to wire and win any games, so you've got to run some. It looked like Ronnie would've gone for 200 yards, too, if given the opportunity, so I didn't agree with that one. More specifically, I thought the biggest mistake the Dolphins repeatedly made over the course of the day was asking David Martin to block at the point of attack. That is quite simply not his strength right now, and the Dolphins continue to get burned on it. There was the third and one slide play at the beginning of the second half where he got blown up, and even worse than that, the third down at the end of the game where we lost two yards running behind him...two yards that would've put Carpenter's kick through the uprights. He's not good at it, and it's not working, so please stop doing it!
Still, at the same time there were definite positives, and I was impressed that I saw things that looked as if they came straight out of my last column. Importantly, there were several successful plays which relied on false pulls and misdirection. The 49ers were clearly taught to read guards this week, and a reason I think the Dolphins could have run for 200 yards is because when they gave the defense bad reads, they were not even close to making plays. The first one came straight out of my column. Pennington was lined up as the quarterback in our usual Wildcat formation, and as he handed it to Ronnie Brown coming left, the entire defense ignored him and went right, following where they believed Andy Alleman would take the misdirection on his pull. It was a big first down, and when you do things like that you get the defense confused and on its heels. Shortly thereafter, Haynos became a name learned by 49ers and Dolphins fans alike. On the few occasions that the Dolphins false pulled, it worked, and when you get something like that working, the defense can't key on pulls anymore. If the Dolphins exploit this, their misdirection game could work wonders as they approach the playoffs. The slight hesitation alone was enough to open up several pitch and counter pitch plays to Ronnie Brown, as he ran around the defense.
I really believe that the Dolphins offense will be at its best if the Dolphins keep using the misdirection game with Chad at quarterback. It gives you balance, and allows the Dolphins to have a real advantage. By continuing to pull and false pull while using multiple backs and spreading the ball around in the passing game, the defense will have no easy reads and difficult matchups. You've got to be able to run the ball with reliable quarterback play in the big games, and the Dolphins can achieve that if they allow themselves the opportunity. Most importantly, they need to make sure to keep using their strengths to win games. David Martin isn't going to win you much with his blocking, but he very well might with his hands. Likewise, there is no sense in having a Ronnie Brown on your team if you don't make it a point to get him touches. I think the blueprint is well-outlined at this point. Hopefully the Dolphins can continue getting closer to finding it.
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