Oh here in Miami, fans should definitely be doing the safety dance. This is easily the best collection of safety talent in quite some time. In 2011, we had Yeremiah Bell and Reshad Jones, but Reshad was just getting his career started at that point. This is now the best unit on this team. I know Minkah Fitzpatrick is just a rookie, but I think you can throw out the typical rookie plan, this kid is special, and and he’s not going to be overwhelmed by anything he sees in the NFL. He was used like a pro at Alabama, exposed to just about everything playing multiple positions and assignments at Alabama. Nick Saban said he was his best player, and he could handle anything, and that’s high praise indeed. We know what Reshad is, he’s a playmaker who can make things happen against the run or pass. T.J. McDonald didn’t get a full shot here because he was suspended for 8 games, but this former Rams strong safety can lay the wood, and has had over 100 tackles in a season. The talent drops off after the super trio, but maybe this is the year that either Walt Aikens or Jordan Lucas take a step forward, learning from Jones, McDonald and Minkah. Or, maybe Maurice Smith steals the last spot.
Reshad Jones S – 6’1 215 – 30YO
Reshad has done it all as a Miami Dolphins safety. Drafted in the 5th RD (#163) in the 2010 NFL draft, he’s been one of our best draft picks in that time period, if not the best. Annually racks up 100 or more tackles, and has 18 INT’s and 10.5 sacks so far in his career, along with 5 TD’s, 3 on INT returns and 2 on fumble returns. Playmaker! He can play near the LOS, and also has the speed to make plays on the back end. A leader on this team, and one that should hopefully be a career Dolphin.
_____________________________________________________
T.J. McDonald S – 6’2 225 – 27YO
The former Rams Strong safety is a lot like Reshad in that he can play close to the LOS or make plays deep as well. He’s a very good athlete, but hasn’t been anything like the playmaker Reshad has been. Still, he tackles well, and can cover, and can be used like a safety or a linebacker, so he brings versatility. Both he and Reshad can be part of the new formation that’s sweeping the NFL for the last few years, the Big Nickel. That means sometimes deploying a combination of big defensive backs, usually safeties replacing the smaller nickel corner. I look forward to seeing a lot of T.J., Reshad and Minkah on the field together this season.
______________________________________________________
Minkah Fitzpatrick S – 6’1 202 – 21YO
The great thing about Minkah Fitzpatrick to me is the fact that while playing for Nick Saban, Saban used him in so many different situations, and Minkah succeeded in all of them. He wasn’t just a guy who was versatile enough to play multiple positions, he was excellent enough to do it better than anyone else. That’s the key right there, some guys are versatile, and can do things adequately at a few different things. Not Minkah, he kills it everywhere. We got a taste of what he’s capable of in the very first preseason game. That play where a completion was certain, but Minkah closed with a quick burst and was able to get to the receiver and cause him to drop the football. I saw him making tackles and defending the pass all over the field. good things are coming, no GREAT things are coming for this player.
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Maurice Smith S – 6’0 194 – 23YO
Right now, Maurice Smith is 4th on the depth chart, ahead of Walt Aikens and Jordan Lucas. The former Alabama, then Georgia safety was picked up by the Dolphins last season as an UDFA. So far in training camp, according to HC Adam Gase said this of Smith . . .“I think his confidence level is extremely high right now,” Gase said. “He understands the defense. It’s allowing him to play faster.” Whether he can continue to impress remains to be seen. Smith played in 6 games last season for the Dolphins.
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Jordan Lucas S – 6’0 190 – 25YO
Lucas was a 2016 6th RD pick (204th). He appeared in 8 games in ’16, and 11 games in ’17 playing mostly special teams. The former Nittany Lion safety is now 5th on the depth chart, and that’s not a great place to be, especially if we only carry 4 safeties. Last year for the most season we carried 4 safeties, but in December we carried 5. If Smith stays ahead of Lucas, Lucas could definitely be on the roster bubble.
______________________________________________________
Walt Aikens S – 6’1 208 – 27YO
Aikens is really a player w/o a true position. The Dolphins have been shuffling him around from S to CB since they drafted him back in the 4th RD (#125) in the 2014 NFL Draft. in 2015, Aikens started 5 games, but otherwise has mostly been a ST’s player, but has played in almost every game since ’14. He’s show he’s durable, and is a good special teams player, but it seems like at this juncture, he’s no more than that.
______________________________________________________
So that’s our safety situation. Depending upon how many CB’s and how many WR’s we keep will probably impact how many safeties we choose to keep, and keep in mind that if Aikens is stowed on the CB depth chart, he’s a guy who can also play safety. It’s the top 3 though, that should give Miami Dolphins fans something to really look forward to. Reshad and T.J. are a great tandem as is, so just think how much Minkah elevates the defense? I know I do all the time!
Finsmob Unleashed 
I must be stupid, but I do t get the no name pos comment?
The header as to who the starters were, instead of
Uniform number – Name – Position
was
NO NAME POS
Ahhhhh…..that is hilarious!!!….and I am an idiot.
Nah, not at all, sometimes we miss things, even when they’re right in front of us. Happens all the time.
OD,
It is only the PS, they are not even game planning for teams yet. I don’t care how many short passes we throw this year, I still can’t stand Landry because of who he has turned out to be as a person.
Blame Ross all you want, but Gase was a hot commodity when he hired him, and to me it is way to early to judge the hiring. I for one like him, and believe he was the right choice. JMHO
We have a back-up QB battle again. Not saying Osweiler lit up the world, but he looked decent. Fales had a real bad night. And Brock was second one in with no switching series like in the first game.
I know it is only pre season but we look much the same as last year. We can’t convert 3rd downs and we cannot get off the field on 3rd downs
Tanny was taking what the D was giving him!
big cushions on the outside and BOOM 6 yard pass! Miss a tackle BOOM 12 yards
It as easy as hell until we tried running the ball! Or got a holding call!!!!!!
JMHO of course
They sure were giving our speedster WRs a bunch of cushion. Offense was actually moving right well. Problem like Ken pointed out was 3rd down and as you did those penalties. Saw something to work with though.
That draw play on 2nd and 18 pissed me the f*%k off!
What? A bunch of short, first read passes? I’m shocked.
I see Mondo is on par!
Whens the last time we say this?
And no sacks on Tanny, not even much pressure actually. Could have asked for more as far as the run game, but sure does seem the OL is set.
Some observations, I know it’s ps 2 , but, can we please begin to show we can play some run defense? And Clean up some brain dead penalties , and show some of that Dolphin famous discipline we have been known for?
For the First 2 ps games Miami is dead last on run defense. There is a huge hole in the middle that Suh used to fill, We better get a much cheaper guy to fill that IMO or teams will ball control our asses.
But not just the middle, we also got gashed on off left tackle rushes. That was never filed by Suh before and I know it’s scrubs, ps, etc, however We can’t be dead last in run defense during the season, I’m hoping the team addresses these and other issues.
On the plus side, sure is nice seeing RT, and Some quality backup Qb play, and our offensive skill players are talented and deep.
This extremely talented bunch of players need to come together as ONE
FIRST HALF D played great other than on TWO PLAYS,
OFFENSE (minus half the penalties) would have had 21 points easily,
rather than just 9 by halftime!!!
THREE STARTING O SKILL PLAYERS DIDNT DRESS,
and two of our top 3 RB’S didn’t dress!!!!
NOT DISCOURAGED ONE BIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOFINS!!!
X broke the ankles of ankle breaker McCaffrey on X interception return,
literally collapsed him on the spot with moves!!!
Sacked Newton THREE TIMES, and intercepted him all within first 17 minutes of PRE-SEASON game!!!
I’m Loving our pass defense though so far , still room to improve, but I will believe teams will struggle keeping their QB,s upright, and Yes, we will get some picks and turnovers for sure. We can’t be like the killer bees though, awesome pass defense, and powder puff soft run D. Rigging showed Us why this doesn’t work
*John Riggins
Believe me we ALL know who you meant! 😦
Lmao, sorry, I suppose that’s painfully true!
Coulda attempted onsides kick with under a minute remains after pulling within 7,
but Gase said F-THAT, let’s get outta here healthy, no reason to risk injury to tie a PS game!!!
GOFINS!!!
Forget which one, but one of the announcers said, “with the new rules why the heck would you put what you’ve been working on as far as onside kicks out there on tape?” Made sense to me.
😁
Gase and Shula were strikingly different in their discipline. I know that was 40 years ago, but someway somehow We have struggled with penalties, some of them because of undisciplined execution, and some just by mental lapse.
However it needs to be done, We simply can’t keep beating ourselves with penalties IMO
He’s got them running laps like HS kids!
Maybe the Captains need to levy fines? They should all understand money??????
I stayed off the board until I could catch the game on replay.
My initial thoughts:
-No injuries, woohoo.
-Offensive line looked pretty good. Pass blocking was good, run blocking was up and down.
-Tanny kept everything underneath. I think his longest pass was a sideline comeback about 14 yds.
-Drake had a couple of good runs, but danced a couple of times in bad spots instead of picking up what was there (RZ after INT comes to mind). Frankly, I think Gore would have been more effective in this game.
-Our first RZ trip was a disaster and we didn’t throw it once into the endzone.
-RZ offense is a concern.
-First string offense had way too many penalties.
-I was pissed about the delay of game Tanny got (then should have had a 2nd the very next play but it wasn’t called). But upon review, I couldn’t see a playclock behind the endzone anywhere, not sure, but maybe they had technical issues and were removed or something.
-Wilson gets open.
-The offense we run requires consistent precision. We have to clean up the small stuff.
-Defense played pretty good, 2 or 3 plays cost us 13 points. We should be able to clean that up.
-Our LBs are still the weakest unit on D. Alonzo still can’t cover. McMillan was good on some plays horrible on others, Baker got washed out on the big run for TD.
-Quinn was amazing. 3 or 4 pressures and a sack in the 1st couple of drives. ended with I think two sacks and had multiple pressures. It’s early, but he may end up the best move of the offseason for us.
-Not sure which kicker it was, but he drilled a 54 yder with plenty to spare.
Cav — can’t disagree with one of those and most of them match up with my own thoughts. The “offense we run requires consistent precision” was real spot on. Went just fine, but couldn’t come back from the penalties. And yeah key take away from the game was that Quinn is gonna be a keeper. And we have two real good kickers. Not even worried about which one we line up,.
I just read something that said Quinn only played 13 snaps. That doesn’t seem right, I feel like I saw him in there the 2nd quarter. But if it is right, that makes what he did even more impressive!
GOODSTUFF Kong !!!
Yea, first RZ, had a 2ND/goal from the two,
Two plays/penalties later it was 1st/goal from putter RZ
Gase got pissed at penalties, ran the ball for 3/out FG
At halftime Gase angrily said,
“””If we can’t execute/stop the pass play penalties,
then we’ll just run the damn ball everytime”””
He’s extremely annoyed with the TD deterrents!!!!
GOFINS!!!
“””Outter RZ””” not putter RZ
LOL @ the Gase comment. They cut the halftime stuff out of the replay so I missed that.
Lol, just went back and saw the responses on the no name POS comment. Cheers guys. 🙂
https://twitter.com/AsiataFive4/status/1030903410470600704
Seems like Gase has gone vanilla, doesn’t want to show anything. No inside kick, no RZ Gesicki, running on 3rd down…some of that has to do with the poor execution/penalties.
The expectation of vanilla game planning and play calling is a big part of why I don’t get too high or low after these games. We have no idea what the coaches are really looking at play to play. In PS things often don’t go down the way they would in a regular season game. We know they want execution and no penalties, but after that it’s all speculation.
Mando reports Gase seems happy (in typical Mando style he says ‘for no apparent reason’, smh). If Gase is happy with where the team is at right now, then I can roll with that. He’s the HC, and should have the true pulse of the team.
Trying to watch Rams vs Raiders, but it’s difficult. They meet week 1, so very few starters playing.
Raiders still playing thug ball.
Lol i thought the same thing , so i went on computer and did all the weeks banking.. just could nit get into watching it.. was kinda like trying to be interested in Browns Bills last night
My few observations:
Sinorice Perry can ball I’d like to keep him
Tank was getting smoked consistently, needs to buck up
Tunsil letting too many guys around/ through him …again Buck Up
McTyer is a really good tackler
Morgan as KR is horrid.. lucky to land on PS
Caroo had a really good grab at back of ez that didnt count as he was pushed iut, but he battled and contorted to make the catch ..easily could have been PI
saw those too and agree
was impressed with Jeremy Langford … brings a load a la LeGarrett Blount.
Tankersley got beat long on a perfect back-shoulder throw and all-pro catch. Who was it who said once, “There is no defense for a perfectly thrown pass.”? Tank was right there even touching the guy the whole play. No separation, but still a 20 yd completion.
Still, Tank needs maybe more anticipation or something …jump the route or pull a Grimes and play the ball better than the receiver does … the only way to stop the perfectly thrown pass is to make the QB think the WR is hopelessly blanketed and fear the INT…or make the INT.
It’s only his second year. I hope he learns faster.
I believe the play before that was identical and wr was wide open but either dropped it or was outta bounds.. yea he’s young and will improve .. not worried yet jusy observations 😎
Today we started 3 slot guys … 5’7, 5’9, & 5’10 … without Parker or Stills to go deep … also hard to dominate the RZ like that, especially while keeping Gesicki a secret.
Also without our #2 and #3 backs … both our powerbacks … which were also needed in the RZ.
(I think it was Asiata who threw a great block on the 2pt conversion.) The kid Buddy Howell continues to impress me as well.
I do believe you’re correct on it being Asiata with the great block on the 2-point conversion. That was really good to see!
especially this from MF’s post above:
Safety Maurice Smith showed why the Dolphins put him on the field against Oakland last November before his season was short-circuited because of an appendectomy.
He had a team-high eight tackles on Friday, made a great play on a two-yard loss by C.J. Anderson and intercepted a deflected ball caused by a jarring hit by Trae Elston.
▪ Laremy Tunsil’s 12 penalties last year were third-most among all NFL offensive linemen and he had another one (holding) on Friday…Kendall Langford went from unemployed Monday to making two tackles in an NFL game on Friday…
Counting the end of last season, Xavien Howard now has five interceptions in his past seven games… Robert Quinn was the first Dolphin with two sacks in a preseason game since Julius Warmsley in 2016… Vincent Taylor had a tackle for loss and continues to do something impactful every game or practice… Charles Harris had a sack and quarterback hit and continues to show signs of growth.
That was a rocker of a hit by Elston
I know right? Old school snot-knocker.
Going out on a limb here to say that I think Bryce Petty has earned a legit shot at being our backup QB for the regular season.
Fales looked lost against Carolina, and Osweiler still looks like a rookie QB out there himself.
To me they are both good third tier college QBs. Neither one is a legit NFL player. Both are inaccurate and Fales has a noodle and Oz has a fawnky delivery. OZ still steps right into sacks and Fales panic-throws too much.
Petty produces TDs. And he throws line drives.
Let’s see if he can do it against better players than the 5th stringers.
ICYMI… here’s Robert Quinn’s 1st sack yesterday. Outstanding recovery after Matt Kalil went low on him. Excellent pursuit and he wasn’t fooled when Cam tried to juke him at the end of the play.
Quinn is gonna be real nice in this d👍🍺
Agreed!
Kendall Langford looked damn good for a guy off the sofa.
He might be the run stuffer we need. He’s done that well his whole career.
Plus @ 6’6 he’s hard to throw over right down the middle where we give up so much to the TEs.
Something weird about Osweiller’s release… cant put my finger on it , just looks odd… he was firing bullets last night though.. some were harder than needed thus no catch
He comes over the top like a MLB flamethrower trajectory. Those guys are often really tall too, so maybe that’s it, but the hell of it is, he gets a lot knocked down at the LoS.
It’s like he has too much of the ball in his hand.
So better suited to Longball than our Short passing game .. be an interesting decision at Qb2
I believe if Quinn had not got Cam on that first one then Wake would’ve. Sandwich 2.0.
And here is Robert Quinn’s 2nd sack yesterday. Follow the arc of his turn… that’s pretty darn good! He may not have the burst of Charles Harris, but he’s deceptively fast and dangerously efficient.
The closing speed on this sack — AS he’s turning the corner — REALLY stands out!
I never thought of Matt Kahlil as a crummy LT, did I?
I never did, that’s for sure.
Quinn was born right next door to my grandfather’s farm.
Maybe he’ll give me a hometown discount.
It’s so sad that all my Clemson guys are disappointing us this year. Anthony looks like he just discovered football last summer, Tankersley looks shocked that the QB threw to his guy, and Branch has gone missing.
Quinn ran a 4.6 40 at his combine. @ 6’4 250. That’s TE speed right?
Yeah, that’s ‘fast-ish’ for a TE. It’s not elite (Vernon Davis was in the high 4.4s, if memory serves), but it’s fast.
My bad… Vernon Davis ran a base 4.38!!! 4.28 low (WOW!!!) and a 4.49 high.
Naples,
I don’t understand what’s up with Stephone Anthony. I think a lot of us had some level of hope for him after trading a 5th rounder for his services. He seems like a far cry of what he once was at Clemson… and after being drafted in the 1st round.
I need to find a better resource to track injuries, but I’d swear something must have happened to him in terms of injury. Either that, or he just doesn’t take his craft seriously.
I’m not nearly as concerned about Tankersley as others. IF… i say IF we’re trying to turn him into a classic boundary CB (he was drafted for his size, for one), it’s going to take him some time to get acclimated to the pro game. The general rule of thumb is 3 to 4 years for a CB to get where he needs to be.
So if that’s the plan, Tankersley is going to be alright, being he’s shown glimpses of what he’s capable of doing.
As for Andre Branch, he is who he is… and that is a very decent player. Personally, I think he’s making WAY too much $crilla for what he does (2nd highest paid player on our team this year), but it is what it is. He did have a sack yesterday, but it was negated by penalty.
Know that as he’s rotated on our new-look D-Line, he’s going to freshly beat the crap out of his worn-down assignment. I’m none too concerned about him… he’s going to be alright.
I’d like to talk about the ‘vanilla play-calling’ in preseason games, BOTH sides of the ball. Y’all know what that is, right? Of COURSE you do! And it’s for the same reason we retreat to the ‘Saban Bubble Thingy’ and don’t allow reporters or fans inside at times.
NOBODY (no team) in the league wants to advertise the potential aces they have up their sleeves… whether it be play-calling, formations, featured STUDS on a given play, etc, etc.
It was rather CLEAR that we’d rehearsed the ‘Wildcat’ back in ’08 before unleashing it on the league. And why did it take the league by storm? Because we weren’t ADVERTISING what was up our sleeves in front of fans, the media, in-game during the preseason, potential spies, etc, etc.
We can go 0-4 in the preseason for all I care. Just DON’T sustain any significant injuries, tip our hand of what’s in store for the regular season, or advertise a clear and blatant weakness of ours.
GO PHINS!!!
HELL YEAH!!!
Tannehill threw 4 TDs to Gesicki in camp all in one day, right?
No use getting that on tape for bellicheat et al to game plan for.
No use showing how we’ll employ Gore in short yardage or goal line plays.
Not like he needs practice or needs to get in shape. Guy’s like a short superman.
MF13 I hope I don’t sound too much like a Clemson homer above. I didn’t mean it that way.
It’s like how you say you don’t trust Alabama DBs, which is a valid judgment on your part.
Well let’s hope Minkah improves the track record on that one.
But I’m just saying when guys come out of a national championship level program like Alabama or Ohio State let’s say, then ppl are right to expect them to perform well in the league, even if they aren’t all HoFers. That’s what makes these three Tiger players a disappointment.
But you make very valid points above that help assuage the pain a bit.
As far as Stephone, I don’t think it’s commitment, i think it’s IQ. Let’s say football IQ. He seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time 90% of the time. In college he was so superior athletically that he was able to recover from bad angles with his speed and with his strength he could arm tackle guys or ragdoll blockers without having a clue what the reads were. Not possible in the NFL.
I think what you say about Tank and Branch is a perfect analysis. I just hope we don’t give up on Cordrea too soon, and then he becomes a star for someone else.
A fresh Branch vs a tired OL just might win us a game, either in the 4th qtr or late in the year when they’re banged up and he’s not.
No, Bro… you don’t really sound the part of a Clemson HOMER, if you will. All 3 of the players you mentioned were drafted (and for GOOD reason) within the first 3 rounds (Stephone in the 1st, Branch in the 2nd, and Cordrea in the 3rd).
AGREED with you on Stephone’s possible lack of football IQ: that’s something that scouts/GMs need to ESPECIALLY be aware.
Happy to have quelled your anguish over Branch and Cordrea, though. 🙂
Oh and Quinn’s a DE fast as a TE, which is really impressive.
Not a freak like Vernon, but he was a WR in a TE’s body..
I’ve gotta say… I’m EXTREMELY disappointed in our LB play thus far this year. IMO, LB is more or less a ‘plug and play’ position that doesn’t take YEARS of development like SKILL positions (QB, WR, DB) do. How did Lawrence Timmons say it? “Find ball, tackle”, or something of the sort?
Thus, it’s not like we’re tying to HIDE or HOLD BACK (vanilla) our LBs from doing their basic jobs. That Christian McCaffery run yesterday (for example) made me wanna PUKE… WTF was that?!!
We’ve all got VERY high hopes for Raekwon, but he looked HORRIBLE again, yesterday. And most of y’all have already seen me post his CFF stats… he really wasn’t that good in college to begin with. He was a liability against the pass, very reactionary in coverage, played nicely vs the run… but he played behind a very good D-Line @ Ohio State.
Look, I’m NOT trying to trash Raekwon… but I think ALL too many were thinking he was going to be the next best thing since Urlacher, Willis, or Zach. Time shall reveal, and we must be patient…
It’s actually PAINFUL watching Raekwon trying to keep up with TE Ian Thomas on that 27-yard TD reception yesterday.
NOTE: Ian Thomas ran a 4.65 at the Combine: 4.60 low, 4.75 high.
And just for reference, Mike Gesicki ran a 4.54 at the Combine: 4.47 low and 4.64 high.
Naples, I suggested last night that I thought that Maurice Smith made the team with last week & last nights efforts, dudes balling
Same with RB Perry, badd-ass #4 RB!!!
Also suggested that Petty should get a shot at goin second,
Though next week goin second is the 4th quarter anyways…
Maybe he gets a start in finale (if not THill for a series or so),
or at least second,
but that not likely vs 1’s or 2’s either…
Gase suggested at the start that at all positions,
he wants to keep the bubble guys that produce TD’s!!!
Mighta waited too long to see what Petty can actually do vs higher rated players??
FALES first series began with a first/goal, and we kicked a FG!!!
Fales won last week, Oz won this week, but
Petty drove the team long distance for TOUCHDOWNS on each the Fins 2 game final drives, both on his only series of each game…
Yea against those about to be cut, but he definitely deserves a better opportunity in the last two PS games!!!
GOFINS!!!
was agreeing with you
also hard to dominate the RZ like that, especially while keeping Gesicki a secret.
Yeah, I don’t think that was the case. I saw some real embarrassing bone head plays by Gheysucki on the replay.
Yet both McMillan and the invisble Branch, are in our top 5 🤔..
Thank you Manitoba.
and PFF
and MF
I needed that.
I will say this, I do not spend a lot of time analyzing the games in Pre season. I really think that making any conclusions is premature. In a few weeks we will not care at all. Do not over analyze
i think Gore will be the feature rb on this team, he may not see any pre season carries. no way drake can handle that load, buddy howell seems to be productive.
You’re on your own, everyone else thinks Drake has the best chance on our team to be the next superstar. I love Gore, always have, saw him play a lot in SF, but he wasn’t brought in to be a feature back.
a power running game on the inside and speed on the outside will spread the defense and open up the field.
sorry
not panicking, just observing both the bad and good.
I’m sure Gase and staff are seeing both as well.
They know what they are holding back, as far as the playbook is concerned.
Yet this is why they have preseason games, for evaluation of personnel and knocking the rust off.
Many ppl say the coaches don’t actually game plan per se in the preseason, because they want to expose their players to one on one matchups to see what is what in the case that their guy is forced into that on any given play in the Regular Season. That results in some guys not getting any help or the “vanilla D” that gets beat so bad.
But I think all coaches and some more than others slip in a little bit of the more sophisticated stuff.
Some of it is ego, because they all hate to lose.
Sometimes it’s complicated and the team or certain players really do need the practice.
O it’s stuff new to the playbook, and they truly want to see how it looks in live action to get a baseline on tape to tweak before things count.
I saw several plays this weekend, that made me think, why the hell is that team showing that play in preseason.
same here … plus it’s almost like the other coach be like “heyyyy, c’mon man, you breakin’ the gentleman’s agreement.”
But QBs get hit hard now, so this isn’t red jersey stuff.
Sorry but what I’m saying is that play on which Raekwon looks so slow and Thomas so fast was one of those where we were playing vanilla D, and they pulled out an intricate, highly designed play they wanted to look at.
Notice how the two receivers cross right in front of Raekwon. Whether they knew or cared that he is a rookie or not, they knew that this would cause him to take a false step to follow the first guy.
By the time Raekwon stopped his full speed to his right, shifted his weight and turned 180 degrees, then started running to his left, it was all over.
Raekwon ran a 4.61 40 and Thomas a 4.65, both at the combine.
That play was designed to do exactly what it did. Strip the DBs off the top to go with the deeper crossing WR and leave a MLB forced to reverse direction and chase a TE who is already running full speed the other way. The TE did not even need to make a sharp cut either into or out of his pattern. Just run as fast as possible in that S shape. A perfectly designed play.
Now it’s on tape.
Now we can show that to Raekwon and say “look, if you see that coming, don’t even think about the WR. The DBs will pick him up, you crash the TE route, so it’s not even an open throw.” Thomas does not have the twitch to shake Raekwon without help from a pick play like that.
That’s what I thought when I saw the replay, he didn’t recognize the play and was hung out to dry. Thanks for the learning material Carolina.
This was one of the plays I was thinking about in my response at 9:34 above.
yeah not only did we see a play to teach Raekwon with, but we also saw a nifty design to use with our own shiny new rookie FAST TE.
Find the MLB dropped in coverage and cross the TE under a deep threat WR and bingo, 25 yd TD.
I just hope both DC and OC were taking notes.
Malveaux looked great.
If Hayes is going to be hurt all the time, maybe we need to keep Malveaux to set the edge against the run.
Just watched most of the first half. I have no problem the way Tannehill played and the short passing game. I didn’t like that they tried the bubble screen twice in a row on the right, and then once on the left, but they’re clearly just working on that, they wouldn’t do that in a game that counts. The McCaffrey 71 yard run everyone just got blown off the ball, it happens. Quinn just missed penetrating and just got chipped at the last second. Quinn was killing it, not just the 2 sacks, he looked insanely fast and had a nice tight radius to the QB, wasn’t running too deep and have to circle around, he really looked great.
Honestly, that big run by McCaffrey did not sadden me that much.
Unless we don’t fix it.
It was another perfect teaching moment for our DC.
That was the OLB’s man. Was it Kiko or the rook?
If the LB on that side even slows down the RB a half step, then TJ knocks the shit out of him for a 2-3 yd gain.
TJ took the proper angle for that. But the RB was already loose full speed.
Even all pro Reshad got beat. It was the LB’s mistake. One guy missed his lane assignment. Boom. McCaffery is that fast.
The scary thing is every team has a RB that fast, so if we don’t fix that, we are toast.
But no one is like McCaffrey.
ORob buddy if you will slightly give up on the bell cow role for Gore, I would agree with you perfectly.
Gore is just what we need to complement Drake, and we saw where we could’ve used him on 4 RZ drives that resulted in FGs. Even Sinorice and Buddy were useful up the gut down close at other times.
Raekwon struggled some because some of the big Panthers O-line were right on his ass, but I saw on a could of quick passes where he was free from blocks just how quickly he closes and how well he tackles. Phillips and Gadchaux and whoever else are going to have to keep the big boys off McMillan. Spence didn’t look that good, but just one half I’ve watched.
Kendall Langford might be just the vet to keep Raekwon clean.
We also did not have Phillips for that game. Talk about the Bigs.
We fans are going to need to be patient and hope we don’t go 0-6 before we gel.
We have lots of youth in significant roles.
We also have 13 new guys in our first 23 starters. I know not all are rookies, but still …
PLUS we have a new OL coach, DL coach, DB coach, and OC.
Lots of stuff to mesh for a young HC.
13 new starters from last year out of 23 first string positions.
I am counting Drake (or Gore ORob), because he has never been a #1 RB even in college.
QB* RB* TE slot LG RG C PK MLB OLB DT DE plus wherever Minkah plays.
That’s a lot. We even have a new QB/C pair to work on cadence and exchange.
So some of those presnap penalties last year were on Smokin’ Jay,
and some this year might be on the new signal callers gelling.
Holy crap the refs think they are the stars and not the players again. Can’t even tackle the QB anymore by some refs, not others. Inconsistency means know one really knows enforcement of vague and ill thought out rule changes.
The Maim game was ok, but some of the other games, QB is touch Him easy, asking QB kindly if it’s ok to touch him in a football way, permission needed first !
How does spell check not like the way I spell Miami, lol. Changed to Maim? Lol
Dolphins are last in run defense, true the games don’t count, but in 3 weeks they count. We better see some signs that We are capable of it in Suh,s absence
Shula always claimed penalties were lack of self discipline. He may be right, delay of game penalties are the worst display of ineptitude I can think of in the NFL.
Clock mismanagement? really? At the NFL level? SMH
You guys are making football into rocket science. It’s not that complicated. PS games are for practice. I’m discouraged to hear we’re still having procedural-type penalties, but this is the time of year you expect them to happen so you can work on them and get better. You screw up. You learn. You correct. You build from there. Let’s see how they’re doing when games count.
I certainly hope We correct whatever We need too and We are ready to Win the Season Opener!
One game at a time, it’s Win or go home in a few weeks, fans are always ready, lol
“Ninety percent of the game is half mental”
Was that Yogi talking about how to get picnic basket turnovers?
Hey hey Boo Boo
“””Smarter than the average bear”””
I heard that somewhere before
Steve, you’re a Bay Area guy ???
I lived there between 75-98, (16-39) Love & Miss it badly!!!
SF, Marin, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Santa Cruz 😍 !!!
“His name kept coming up since the spring. Hayes was getting on me pretty good about just, ‘Take a look at my guy. Take a look at my guy.’ We brought him in and a couple of other guys in, did a workout, and our guys felt like he looked like the best guy. And then they asked him to run the conditioning test and he crushed it. That was great to see because it’s hard to find guys that can come in here, especially at that spot, and be in shape.”
“And then he plays 18 snaps.. For him to come in there and not have any errors, just minor technique things that we just do different than he really hasn’t done before, I thought it was a great sign for us. Having a guy that’s a veteran guy that basically everybody in this building respect, it’s good to have him here.”
— Gase on Kendall Langford
I know I never wanted him to leave to begin with,
Good to have him back!!!
GOFINS!!!
I like the fact Drake didn’t start at Bama, he’s fresher than the average Bama back that had to handle several hundred carries, and go through poundings and injuries . He was good enough to start for almost 100 percent of NCAA teams, the notable exception being the overloaded with talent Roll Tide Rosters.
I really like our stable of backs, We should get some damn good production IMO, especially if the OL has truly improved.
David,
That is a good point about Drake not having the wear and test on his body because he was a role player at Bama.
“””Sloppy play, penalties, and SIX INJURIES hurt Vikings”””
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24411188/minnesota-vikings-lose-6-players-injury-preseason-game
Keep it simple Miami, save the good stuff for the regular season!!!
Evaluations are what the PS is about, NOT WINNING!!!
Browns had undefeated o17 PS, and 0 – 16 Regular season!!!
GOFINS!!!
Naples
“””13 new starters from last year out of 23 first string positions.””””
EXACTLY what my June Starting Roster Piece suggested would take place!!!
Yeee Haaaa, GOFINS!!!
My June 3rd Starting Roster Projection Piece
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2018/06/2018-miami-dolphins-starting-roster_3.html?m=0
June 3rd
Tried to include link, but didn’t post ??
16 plus minutes of Gase (video presser)
GOFINS!!!
Coaches up Tank in the presser. Nice.
Thank you, KV.
Morning Guys, idle thought,,, What bugged Me about the Mcaffrey 71 yard TD was the fact our DL wasn’t holding the edge, nor plugging the middle. The linebackers didn’t perform up to their name, back the line. They were not in position to make plays, so they did not make em.
And the safeties? They are also responsible for run Containment as well, a safety that can only cover passes won’t be at the NFL level past training camp.
This was a defensive breakdown at 3 different levels, SMH. We have to get some things tidied up before the games count,
Lol at this oxymoron post.
our DL wasn’t holding the edge, nor plugging the middle
That’s what I meant, I shouldn’t post before first cup of coffee, lol
Everyone knows it’s preseason, but.a veteran like Reshad Jones being out of position on at play tells me the guys are not mentally ready yet.
The penalties suggest the same thing.
Gase addressed the teams shortcomings and suggests they can get fixed in a couple weeks. I’m sure the penalty problem is a much easier fix, You just don’t stop the run when it feels good, it’s a mindset and a lifestyle of thinking IMO.
I am concerned of our defense, because I know our team success , advancing to a super bowl and possibly winning it, can only happen with a top ranked defense. We had top ranked defenses for our Super Bowls, it wasn’t coincidence IMO
Penalties happen more at the wrong time in preseason, because the game is officiated differently. I say at the wrong time, because we didn’t have a lot, they just occurred at inopportune time.
YES, DAVID, Miami’s lack of a reliable run defense is worrisome. But so is Tennessee’s pass defense. The Titan’s allowed 226 yards passing IN THE SECOND QUARTER of their game against the Bucs’ Jameis Winston the other night!!! IF I WERE ADAM GARSE, I’d call plenty of medium range and deep passes on opening day!! – – But, looking at his past, I’d expect more dink-and-dunk passes, instead that come-up short of a first down, even if completed!!! Hope GARSE proves me wrong!!!
Way to go out on the line SI, after the public has already bet the shit out of the over -200 currently.
In the presser Gase was asked why they couldn’t convert 3rd downs? and he asked what was the down and distance? then he continued to say 3rd and 13…3rd and 25…3rd and……This is exactly what i’m talking about.
you have to be in a manageable 2nd and 3rd down situations to convert, you need a powerful running back to get you in those situations…..something we lacked last year with Drake.
not being able to convert stresses your whole team, Defense can’t get rest. it takes more energy to play defense than it does offense because they have to react whereas the offense knows where they are going.
at least it comforts me to know Gase is aware of this, how he goes about achieving this is another question…hold the bubble screens..give it to GORE!
That’s a little loosely coupled to your argument.
like your brain loosely coupled to your lips??
I bet I know what your lips aren’t loosely coupled to😀
^ ghey ^
I bet my fist could loosely couple your teeth!
I bet it could too, that would mean you’d mostly miss the mark like most of your posts.
if Gore were to get injured we would be doomed, Ballage looks like a heavier Drake, we need a low to the ground rb to back up Gore, maybe perry or buddy howell may fit that role better than drake or ballage although i have not seen enough of ballage to rule him out but i do know Drake can not fill that role.
just checking my with you guys. Wicki has nothing on it. Was it a huge Burn back in the 1940’s to add an R to the middle of someone’s name?
“Did you see Jarmes? Ha! He can’t even dance the jitterbug! What a rube!”
Was that a thing?
I’m thinking more roaring 20sish.
When the New Englanders removed the r from the end of words they needed a place to put it.
I bet Rockrphin would tell them where they could put it😉
for all you 1.8 Drake Dummys…..when we play the Titans and it’s first down and 10 and Gore is at RB behind Tannehill then we will know that you were all wrong.
Does that make you a Gore Globber?
anything to stop the 6-10 seasons!
Damn OCR is desperate if willing to swallow a load of Gore, ENJOY 😋
LOVE MY DOLPHINS, but not that much!!!!
GOFINS!!!
We’ll start in two back set, LOL!!!
While I’d seriously doubt that the first play of the first game will prove anyone to be right or wrong!!!
Pretty sure OD means Gase is an arse, thus the G-ARSE. I disagree though. I think Gase is pretty smart, players have to execute
I was thinking Garse was a pun on farce, but whichever it is he did it twice. Whichever it is pretty clear OD not a Gase fan at the moment. Not sure if it will work out, but he ain’t Sparano or Wanny either.
LOL @ Rob – Team player!
Who gives a shit!
Suh your teams ranked bottom half!
Guess that Suh forgot the real funny part,
or thinks that he himself is good for a laugh
“”””In the three years Suh was with the Dolphins their run defense ranked 28th in 2015, 30th in 2016 and 14th last season. So, not exactly stellar when middle of the pack is your best showing.
((((( Last year, with Suh playing 81 percent of the plays, the Carolina Panthers rushed for 294 yards against Miami. They had a 69 yard run. And a 43 yard run.)))))
It wasn’t funny then. “”””
Or was it ???
GOFINS!!!
Aaron Donald from Rams is the same type of player, all about his numbers at the expense of the team numbers. Maybe we’ll see this year how the Rams run D is affected.
Any given sun day: The NFL and American Cancer Society have partnered to help coaches and players prevent skin cancer due to extended time in the sun.
I always wondered what they did to prevent skin cancer, seeing as they’re in the sun a lot.
I thought Garse was the sound that Goofy makes.
Thatd be Ohhh GARSH while blushing when he’d get a complement ,
or when surprised…
Stopping the run is a TEAM EFFORT. There is no one guy who just does it by himself. Judging a single player for a team’s run defense is missing the mark. Sometimes, teams don’t even expect their DL to stop the run. Their job is to create lanes for LBers. Unless you know how the coach is designing the defense, it’s impossible to know.
Really liking what we might do as far as protecting the pass with the guys they line up, but am concerned about the rush D. But your great point is you can’t really know right now. Different D for sure and they are just testing out the pieces.
Mondo can’t even trow a compliment unless it’s backhanded!
LOL — great play… must have been blown coverage instead of the scheme.
That was like Sammy Madison, picking off the ball from some other team mates responsibility, playing the field not just his zone/man…
Loved #29 Sammy Madison, & Fitz gonna carry that # into infamy,
while X does the same for the position of Sammy!!!
GOFINS!!!
Sometimes a defender just sniffs the play out, He has it in his mind what is going to happen, and when it DOES, its Candyland! Lol. I love defenders like this, they have a nose for the ball and anticipate before it happens!
Whether it was called or not is irrelevant, because Howard was in the right position, and He made the Pick!
It’s called peaking in the backfield.
Wow, We didn’t win the first 2 PS games, and ESPN premature ejaculated over it and called the Dolphins WORST team in the NFL. Dead Last. Now if that isn’t prematurely freaking out over nothing, lol
I certainly don’t feel that’s close, nor is it warranted. It looks like ESPN needs to spend some more money and get better quality sports reporters in this case.
We as fans say We want to see improvements here and there, fans in 1972 were always finding things We could improve on, just not online, lol
Anyways, the Fins will play well this year,offense is greatly improved with a real starting QB now, not Cutler and Moore. oL looks better, and skill players, RB, WR! TE look ready to go.
We have the talent on defense, most of it very Young, and Maybe some need to have more patience, a lot of new faces using preseason to iron positioning and responsibilities out.
If the Fins go 0-16, then of course We are the worst, lol. But I see 8 Wins absolute Minimum, if team gets on a tear maybe 10
Agree with team looking like it could be better, who on ESPN put out we were the worst team in the league?
I triied to read the Heralds report on it, but decided it wasn’t worth $1.99 to read senseless drivel.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pft50dq77eQ I found this , 3 reporters counting us out already.
Our offense has been mediocre at best for years. I don’t see much different this season.
No worries, it’s good the Media challenges us with bs, even if it’s bs, lol
The team will prove em wrong when the season starts, those minimum wage matrix stars will be eating crow feathers and trying to make excuses while choking on them, lol
I’m not sure why anyone would take what they’ve seen from 2 preseason games and form an opinion on the this team for the rest of the season. What is that opinion based on? The first game, starters, played maybe 2 series. The 2nd game about a quarter, maybe a bit more. If you play FF, are you basing who you take for FF from preseason results? I’d think not!
Randy says:
August 20, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Stopping the run is a TEAM EFFORT. There is no one guy who just does it by himself. Judging a single player for a team’s run defense is missing the mark. Sometimes, teams don’t even expect their DL to stop the run. Their job is to create lanes for LBers. Unless you know how the coach is designing the defense, it’s impossible to know.
Yes that’s true, but one guy can be responsible for the lack of success, like someone on the DL consistantly going upfield to rush the passer on a running play, leaving a gaping hole behind him. There was talk that teams game planned doing this to Suh.
George Iloka got released today Mike E too bad we’re loaded back there but he must be done if they cut him already.
PS is vanilla play calling and just seeing who is fundamentally sound. To think you see everything a player is and everything the offense can do in a PS game just isnt fact. They are just seeing how these players execute. Im not worried about these games much, other than the discipline issues, like injuries, that kill drives, stuff like that delay of game.
The coaches are seeing or not seeing what they need to to cut down to the 53, so there isnt much, as a fan to worry about. Its nice to see Quinn rack up sacks, but it doesnt ultimately matter, he’s a lock to make the team. I like tat we get to feel more comfortable about how he will fit in our D, but did anyone really doubt it? I didnt.
I dont think we or the reporters even really know who is ahead and who is behind in these camp battles though we might get a glimpse of that when the 4th game happens and all they have in there are the ones fighting for those last spots. Im encouraged by our team right now, things definately will need to be cleaned up but we arent looking like a complete shit show. When real football starts again we can start out bitching and moaning, but just take the good stuff from PS games and hope we see more of it when regular season rolls around than we do the bad stuff.
GoodStuff D !!! 😋
stangerx says:
August 20, 2018 at 3:01 pm
LOL — great play… must have been blown coverage instead of the scheme.
————————————–
Why? LB can be in man with CB’s in Zone or vice versa. Its not all in zone all in man in the defensive scheme.
Was bashing Mando for his take on it. He at least seemed to know.
and more good stuff than this too:
https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/8/20/17759562/miami-dolphins-2018-season-excitement-ryan-tannehill-return
Kevin Nogle knows his stuff. Phinsider depends on who you get, but Nogle is spot on.
LOL, it depends on the Nogle you get, too. But it was a good write. Seems he read my notes from the other night.
Why? LB can be in man with CB’s in Zone or vice versa. Its not all in zone all in man in the defensive scheme.
Reply
I read somewhere that X had become “free” on that play because of the scheme and had no responsibility as it worked out so he was able to just play the QB.
Correct. When a play breaks down on either side of the ball, freestylin’ can and will occur.
unless I’m tripping it was in X’s own words.
“the most underrated QB in football.”
https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/8/20/17757970/miami-dolphins-ryan-tannehill-breakdown-expectations-outsider-view
on Tannehill … from a Browns fan.
Let Me give ESPN a little hint since they must be new to their jobs.
A lot of things will be differant when the season starts, just a few things
1 This is a football. Lol
2Starters get the lions share of the snaps, then second string.
3 We will only have the best 53 players left at that point, a lot of guys not performing will be gone.
4 Anyone named Osweiler won’t be allowed anywhere near a live football, lol or hopefully the locker room either.
5 there are many more, but We don’t want to overload the minimum wage rookies at ESPN, if they can get the first 4, maybe We can add a couple more next season!
LOL
LOL, we ARE, after all, talking about Disney! And Disney is the only company on EARTH who could possibly funk up Star Wars!
My boycott of Disney/ESPN/ABC is ON!!!
Suh is chiding us, as if HE could have made the tackle on the Mcaffrey TD. A quick peruse through the NFL stats show us that Suh had 29 tackles in 16 games. That’s less than 2 per game, making it highly unlikely he can stop every run in the middle.
I liked him here, he was decent, but overrated and way way overpaid.
If we overpaid for 29 tackles again, We wouldn’t have near as many other weapons, Suh would be gobbling up too much of our cap, much more than he does RB,s
It was foolish to overpay in the first place, IMO . We should have drafted and developed a NT, and been further along working in other talented players We needed.
Sometimes You have to cut losses to get gains.
I agree with those who say you can only come to a few conclusions on Miami’s season when you base them on 2 exhibition games. However, ONE of the few conclusions is THIS: Miami’s run defense has sucked for many years and i’VE SEEN NOTHING during the preseason that proves we’ve reversed this troubling trend!!
——————–
Conclusion #2: Over the last few years, GARSE has shown a maddening tendency on 3rd and 7 or 3rd and some other number to throw a very short dink pass and HOPE the receiver can break several tackles AND GET THE FIRST DOWN!! –Shitty strategy, Garsee boy!! –And, of course, when the receiver FAILS to get the first down, either he gets BLAMED (“He ran the wrong pattern,”) or the reporter is asked by the head coach, “WHAT was the down & yardage?” My response to the GARSE MAN would be this:”It doesn’t matter, coach. If it’s 3rd and 7 or 3rd and 17, you need to call for a pass that LONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A FIRST DOWN!!!!!” GARSE, of course, disagrees. He’d rather 1) blame the receiver. 2) blame the reporter. 3)blame the fans who dare to question him. 4)blame the officials who put the Fins in 3rd and long. Or, less often, blame the assistant coach he hired who is smoking dope or snorting an illegal substance.
Frankly, I’ve had enough of GARSE’s lame excuses. Yet, sadly, he’s EXACTLY the kind of coach that Ross would hire—-one who loses more than he wins. Indeed, the ONLY head coach Ross has hired who had a winning record here was, are you ready, kiddies, Todd Bowles, current head coach of the Jets, who went 2-1 in three games as head coach. When Bowles applied to get the job, Ross told him “You didn’t make the cut,” and hired Joe Philbin!!!
ESPN says Miami is the worst team in the NFL. Boy do I hope THEY ARE WRONG!!
Our rushing defense rank in the years that Kendall Langford played for us:
2008 – 16th
2009 – 15th
2010 – 4th
2011 – 3rd
per PFF
I dunno… but there’s been only ONE person that I know of, that has been concerned about our run-Defense (speaking ONLY of our fan base). And it had NOTHING to do with losing Suh.
It’s too early to tell after a mere 2 games in the preseason, but I wanted us to bring in Johnathan Hankins for a REASON!
I can’t boycott Disney, they create work for our community, the best kind, the kind not related to Disney, lol
I have personally met many Disney employees, and aware of their style of Management at the Mouse.
1. Must be willing to start for federal Minimum wage.
2. Refer back to 1 if in doubt.
3 if You get a successful review in 90 days, You get a whopping .$ 0.15 cents raise!
This style of management gets You the least productive workers IMO, even if the benefits are decent.. Their middle managers were paid to train cheap new hires, and when the cheap guys knew about 30 percent as much, the “overpaid ” were let go. They describe the process as preparing for Ones funeral, humiliating, and obviously ends in unemployment.
Disney is building ton s of parks, and making crap loads of movies, they are cutting employees, installing huge solar farms, doing everything they can to cut costs on running parks, since they are constructing new ones everywhere.
So Yea, When Disney bought out ESPN, what would be Your guess what happened to the experienced ” overpaid” . You got it, bring in the cheap hires
They put out a great product, but the service is often lacking even though they claim everything’s perfect. And don’t even look at the employees parking lot, looks like a junkyard, no one can afford a car that’s guaranteed to get them to work