Dolphins’ Coach and Kicker to blame for loss to Jets

Sep. 24 Post Game 4 comments ---Bill

The Miami Dolphins entered Sunday’s game with hopes of improve to 2-1 on the season.  For a portion of the game, the Dolphins outplayed the Jets.  BUT, crucial mistakes by the Dolphins coaching staff and former Pro Bowl kicker, ultimately cost the Dolphins that victory.  Watching the game on Sunday felt like a roller coaster…but it felt like a roller coaster I’d been on before.  The Dolphins once against managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  AND, like many other times, they did it to themselves.

Let’s start the festivities today, talking about Joe Philbin.  Philbin is a rookie head coach and quite frankly, he’s making decisions ‘in-game’ that are hurting the team, not helping them.  When Philbin was named Dolphins coach, Dolphins fans were excited because they knew that Philbin helped create the offensive powerhouse that was the Green Bay Packers.  We thought the Dolphins would be an attacking, aggressive offense.  Through 3 Dolphins games, do we still feel that way?  What I saw on Sunday was a coach that was scared and a coach that played not to lose instead of trying to win.

Ryan Tannehill was not at his best today.  He threw 1 interception and it was returned for a touchdown.  Don’t coaches encourage quarterbacks to have a short memory and forget those types of bad plays?  Apparently this coaching staff couldn’t forget it themselves.  For most of the game, Mike Sherman and Joe Philbin had training wheels on Ryan Tannehill and relied heavily on their running game.  We’ll get to that in a second.  But after the Dolphins went up 17-10, the Dolphins playcalling was atrocious.  The Dolphins decided to throw the ball 18 times and run it just 6 times in the 4th quarter, when they led the game.  This allowed the Jets to eventually take the lead 20-17.

Tannehill, to his credit, made big plays when he needed to.  He has to be more consistent, no doubt.  BUT, he moved the Dolphins down the field for the go ahead touchdown, the game-tying field goal that forced overtime, AND into position for what would have been the game winning field goal.  Tannehill faced a Rex Ryan defense for the first time and didn’t look great, but when he needed to, he led the Dolphins down the field.

The Dolphins got the ball late in the 2nd quarter and were intent to run out the clock.  Instead of taking a knee, the Dolphins decided to run the ball with Reggie Bush.  Reggie finished the day with 10 carries for 61 yards (6.1 yards per carry).  Of course, Reggie was injured on his first carry, trying to run out the clock and would miss the rest of the game.  From what we hear, Reggie will be okay, we suspect a knee contusion (bruise), but an MRI on Monday will tell us for sure.  But, why would Philbin risk an injury to easily the Dolphins more important player when he was just trying to run out the clock?  IT MAKES NO SENSE!  (continued on page 2, click below)

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  • J.J.

    Give him credit he did not come unglued.This is his 20 something stat so he has a lot to learn. But for Philbin that was one bone head call.

  • Jose Mesa

    If you replay the game before the halftime you might have missed the decision that happened several plays before the handoff to Bush.The dolphins had the ball deep in their own part of the field close to their own goal line with less that a minute to go.I was watching the game with a couple of friends, and I commented that they could run out the clock without even a risky punt with the punter standing on the end line of his own end zone.How? they had a third down and all they had to do was run the ball and then run the next play clock down to zero, and take a penalty and never punt.What they did was attempt a throw down the sideline which is not that risky but the incompletion stopped the clock and the snap to the punter was low and a lot could of happened on the punt.They (Jets) roughed the punter and the Dolphins received a new set of downs and in that series is where Bush was hurt.If you dont believe me watch the replay Im very sure because like I said deep in my own part of the field with a 10-3 lead and getting the kick after halftime I commented that strategywise I told my friends I would run the ball on third down and burn the clock and get the ball in better position hopefully after halftime.

    • http://www.phinnation.com Bill

      Jose – You’re right, it was after the roughing the kicker call..I must have been thinking it was a new drive b/c that extended the drive. Thanks for catching that!

  • chirs

    Hey…..I’m just glad we’re blaming someone else other than Ireland. While we’re at it, I blame him for the refs, the poor economy, illegal immigration and cheap beer.