Sunday, August 22, 2010
Dolphins @ Jaguars - What a Difference a Week Makes
10:13 AM | Posted by
Phins 2 Phins
Last night's game in Jacksonville was a good one, even though we had to wait 2 hours to get things going. Things started off a little bit rough but we pulled it together quickly and our starters managed to prove a week later that we can indeed play in the rain.
Contrary to last week, this time it would be the offense which would make an impression while the defense showed some weakness. but special teams continue to be a problem and don't seem to have improved much.Overall though we can take away mostly positive things from last night's game, as well as a W, even though we know wins mean nothing in the preseason, it's always better to walk away the winner, it means our backups are better than the other teams'.
Henne had a great night last night, not only did he throw two TD passes, but he was executing all the play actions flawlessly and was throwing the ball beautifully, the only thing I wish I would've seen more of from him is long pass throws. I would love for Henning to start showing some more confidence in Henne by letting him throw the ball deep down the field. Pennington who we all know has a weaker arm was given the opportunity to do so. I understand that Pennington is known for his accuracy but his first pass. which was a long one to Marshall, even though it was caught was underthrown. You have a guy that can run and catch it, use him more! That being said, Pennington had a great night as well and reminded me why I felt so strongly about resigning him, having him on the roster just makes me feel more at ease.
Marshall also had a great night, and the best part is it wasn't as a result of catching the ball. Despite the few drops he's had in the past few days, we all know Marshall can catch the ball, but yesterday I saw him become part of the team. Not once did Marshall give up after the play, instead he was seen blocking, which is what allowed the first TD, and assisting on screen plays. I love seeing Marshall taking that role in stride, he might be known to be a diva but he didn't act like one yesterday and if he continues to play this way, which I am confident he will, then he will become an even greater addition to the team than we first thought.
The player of the game last night for me was Fasano though, he executed those two routes that resulted in TDs last night to perfection, and proved that he is still the player he was in 2008. If you didn't believe the TEs would be a factor in the Dolphins' offense this season, last night served to prove you wrong. We are just two weeks into the preseason and we can already see our offensive game expanding, and the best part is I know they have a lot more they are not showing.
The offensive line was much improved yesterday as well, we still have things that need to be fixed but we are getting there. We are starting to see the things we have talked about being possible in theory starting to happen out on the field and they are working perfectly. I like the direction the offense is heading in, we are changing up what we do and taking advantage of all our opportunities. I hope we will become more aggressive in time, but the season opener is still a few weeks away so I know we'll get there.
It was the defense which took a bit of a step backwards last night. Although they were very effective at stopping the run, we had a lot of problems with the passing game. I still don't see anybody stepping up as a pass rusher and the secondary fell from that place of high praise they put themselves on last week. When it comes to the safeties, Bell continues to excel, while Clemons seems a little lost at times, I do give him a lot of credit though because he is getting better and he isn't ever to far from where he should be, he just needs to be more assertive, and that will come from experience.
The guys that I'm most disappointed about though are Davis and Smith, they both need to be more consistent. This is the second year and by now they should be able to mantain the same level from week to week, I'm not saying they were horrible, but our pass defense last night was average at best and if we want to get anywhere this year we need to improve in that area consistently. I know they have it in them I saw it last week, which is why I was a disappointed with what they showed last night. I might be expecting too much ,but I do so because I know they can deliver.
As disappointed as I was with our poor pass protection yesterday I know it is something that we have the tools to fix and I trust that as unhappy as I am about it, Mike Nolan is probably twice as unhappy and will find a way to fix it. What seems to be quite a way from fixing though is our special teams play.
Two weeks in a row one of Field's punts has been blocked, neither time has it been his fault and last night it cost us points. We can't give up points like that and we have to stop giving away the amount of yards we are giving away on those punt and kick returns, the defense doesn't need that kind of pressure and all the opponent needs is two ten yard conversions to get in field goal range.
It doesn't get much better the other way around either, we need to become more effective at blocking when we are returning kicks as well. I do like what Carroll did last night and think he is a viable option for returns because of his speed and agility, but it would be nice to help by clearing some space.
We have a lot of work to do before our next game Friday against the Falcons, but I do see us improving so I expect next week will be a lot better. There are a lot of things to look forward to in the Falcons game, thankfully the wait will be a little shorter and it will get us a little closer to the start of the season.
Contrary to last week, this time it would be the offense which would make an impression while the defense showed some weakness. but special teams continue to be a problem and don't seem to have improved much.Overall though we can take away mostly positive things from last night's game, as well as a W, even though we know wins mean nothing in the preseason, it's always better to walk away the winner, it means our backups are better than the other teams'.
Henne had a great night last night, not only did he throw two TD passes, but he was executing all the play actions flawlessly and was throwing the ball beautifully, the only thing I wish I would've seen more of from him is long pass throws. I would love for Henning to start showing some more confidence in Henne by letting him throw the ball deep down the field. Pennington who we all know has a weaker arm was given the opportunity to do so. I understand that Pennington is known for his accuracy but his first pass. which was a long one to Marshall, even though it was caught was underthrown. You have a guy that can run and catch it, use him more! That being said, Pennington had a great night as well and reminded me why I felt so strongly about resigning him, having him on the roster just makes me feel more at ease.
Marshall also had a great night, and the best part is it wasn't as a result of catching the ball. Despite the few drops he's had in the past few days, we all know Marshall can catch the ball, but yesterday I saw him become part of the team. Not once did Marshall give up after the play, instead he was seen blocking, which is what allowed the first TD, and assisting on screen plays. I love seeing Marshall taking that role in stride, he might be known to be a diva but he didn't act like one yesterday and if he continues to play this way, which I am confident he will, then he will become an even greater addition to the team than we first thought.
The player of the game last night for me was Fasano though, he executed those two routes that resulted in TDs last night to perfection, and proved that he is still the player he was in 2008. If you didn't believe the TEs would be a factor in the Dolphins' offense this season, last night served to prove you wrong. We are just two weeks into the preseason and we can already see our offensive game expanding, and the best part is I know they have a lot more they are not showing.
The offensive line was much improved yesterday as well, we still have things that need to be fixed but we are getting there. We are starting to see the things we have talked about being possible in theory starting to happen out on the field and they are working perfectly. I like the direction the offense is heading in, we are changing up what we do and taking advantage of all our opportunities. I hope we will become more aggressive in time, but the season opener is still a few weeks away so I know we'll get there.
It was the defense which took a bit of a step backwards last night. Although they were very effective at stopping the run, we had a lot of problems with the passing game. I still don't see anybody stepping up as a pass rusher and the secondary fell from that place of high praise they put themselves on last week. When it comes to the safeties, Bell continues to excel, while Clemons seems a little lost at times, I do give him a lot of credit though because he is getting better and he isn't ever to far from where he should be, he just needs to be more assertive, and that will come from experience.
The guys that I'm most disappointed about though are Davis and Smith, they both need to be more consistent. This is the second year and by now they should be able to mantain the same level from week to week, I'm not saying they were horrible, but our pass defense last night was average at best and if we want to get anywhere this year we need to improve in that area consistently. I know they have it in them I saw it last week, which is why I was a disappointed with what they showed last night. I might be expecting too much ,but I do so because I know they can deliver.
As disappointed as I was with our poor pass protection yesterday I know it is something that we have the tools to fix and I trust that as unhappy as I am about it, Mike Nolan is probably twice as unhappy and will find a way to fix it. What seems to be quite a way from fixing though is our special teams play.
Two weeks in a row one of Field's punts has been blocked, neither time has it been his fault and last night it cost us points. We can't give up points like that and we have to stop giving away the amount of yards we are giving away on those punt and kick returns, the defense doesn't need that kind of pressure and all the opponent needs is two ten yard conversions to get in field goal range.
It doesn't get much better the other way around either, we need to become more effective at blocking when we are returning kicks as well. I do like what Carroll did last night and think he is a viable option for returns because of his speed and agility, but it would be nice to help by clearing some space.
We have a lot of work to do before our next game Friday against the Falcons, but I do see us improving so I expect next week will be a lot better. There are a lot of things to look forward to in the Falcons game, thankfully the wait will be a little shorter and it will get us a little closer to the start of the season.
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