Dolphins season on the brink after 2nd half meltdown versus Patriots
What I liked
Rushing Offense – In total, the Dolphins rushed for 156 yards on 31 carries. That is good for a 5 yard per carry average. THAT is what we’ve been waiting for. The problem is that the Dolphins only rushed 8 times in the 2nd half, by my count. Lamar Miller rushed 18 times for 89 yards (4.9 ypc) and Daniel Thomas ran 9 times for 47 yards (5.2 ypc). If the Dolphins had stuck with the running game, the outcome of this game might have been different.
1st Half Defense – The Dolphins offense helped keep the ball away from Tom Brady in the 1st half, limiting him to only 10 minutes with the ball. The Dolphins allowed under 60 yards to the high powered Patriots offense and picked off Brady’s first pass of the game. A great start that they couldn’t sustain in the 2nd half.
Jared Odrick – Odrick had a good game with 2 sacks, 1 Pee Wee Herman dance, and 2 tackles for loss. A good game out of the Dolphins former 1st round pick. Hopefully he can maintain this level of play for the rest of the season.
Dimitri Patterson – Patterson seems to be recovered from his early season injury. He helped shift the early momentum of this game when he intercepted Brady’s first pass attempt of the game. He also had 2 passes defensed. Welcome back Dimitri.
What I didn’t like
Coaching – The Dolphins coaches did a great job of gameplanning for this game. It showed in their first half success. They were committed to the running game and helped keep the ball away from Brady. Another benefit of running the ball was that the Dolphins didn’t allow a sack in the first half. The problem is that the Dolphins failed to stay with the run. Running only 8 times in the 2nd half, when you have a 2 touchdown lead, is a problem. Where were the misdirections? The reverses? All of the things that worked in the first half were seemingly lit on fire or placed in a garbage can.
The Dolphins coaches were outcoached in a bad way by the Patriots in the second half. They couldn’t protect Tannehill (6 sacks in 1 half) and had no answer to the Patriots barrage of blitzes. The more I see of Mike Sherman and Joe Philbin, the less I like. They cannot expect to win when they are regularly outcoached by the opponents. (continued on page 3, CLICK HERE)