vaphinfan13

It’s pretty hard to write good things about a game when you are so utterly disappointed in the outcome. I suppose my opinion doesn’t really matter but that hasn’t ever stopped me from giving it. The Dolphins lost the game this week for the very same reason they lost to the New York Jets and the same reason they’ve been losing games since the Wannstedt regime. They abandoned the run AGAIN. They ran the ball 20 times against a team that is not good at stopping the run. Their last drive, they ran the ball well. That’s what happens when you run the ball and then run the ball again. The defense gets tired and holes open up. Imagine if they had decided to run the ball no matter what in the first and second quarter. The Texan’s defense would have been tired in the third quarter while our defense was fresh. Instead our defense spent way too much time on the field and was tired when it counted.   I really do believe that the Dolphins have work to do to be a playoff team but it still disturbs me that they can’t get up for teams they should beat. I’m over it now so let’s move on to the “mission at hand”.   I’m not going to go crazy on stats like I did last week because on paper, the Dolphins should have destroyed the Texans but we’ve already talked about how that turned out. I’m sure I’m going to sound like a homer if I say the Dolphins are going to win so I’m going to do the same thing I did before the Chargers game and tell you what I think the Fins need to do to get a win. The Baltimore Ravens have, arguably, the best defense in the NFL. Too bad for the Ravens that their offense cannot keep up or they’d be contenders.   On offense, the Dolphins have to maintain a balanced attack. Yes, I am condoning throwing the football. Chad Pennington has proven his trustworthiness with taking care of the football. You cannot run it at or around this defense on a consistent basis. They’re too good and too fast. You have to keep them off balance, mix it up, and find cracks because there are going to be very few gashes. The Dolphins offense is pretty well suited to attack this defense if they stay patient. The short passing game and consistent running game will give the Dolphins enough points to beat this team.   On defense, the Dolphins have to consistently stop the run. Make the rookie beat us. Derrick Mason is the only good receiver this team has. Todd Heap is having a horrible year but should not be overlooked. If the Dolphins can stop the run first and make Heap stay in to block, that’s one less weapon to cover. If we can stop the run, play action goes away and then it’s tee off on the rookie QB time. Joe Flacco is not a bad QB but he’s a rookie who can be rattled and the Dolphins will throw wrinkles at him to keep him off balance and he will make mistakes.   On special teams, the Dolphins must improve. They must keep the returner in front of them and not give up big plays on special teams. Last week was the first time I heard Jacoby Jones name since last season.   The Dolphins have a good opportunity to rebound from the loss to the Texans and get a win before a big game against the Bills next week. What it will boil down to is can they play the type of game that they played against the Patriots and Chargers and commit to the run and play solid defense or are they going to drift away from the run game because the Ravens stuff it a couple of times and give time of possession to the Ravens. I’m going to be a homer and say the Dolphins win a close one 17-10. I’ll be blogging at least every 4 days or so during the season and in the off-season when news strikes. Check me out. Any constructive criticism you have to offer is appreciated and if there is anything specific you’d like me to discuss, let me know.