Dolphins season on the brink after 2nd half meltdown versus Patriots
What I didn’t like (cont’d)
Referees – I’m not blaming this loss on the referees. But, I didn’t like the phantom defensive holding/pass interference calls. I didn’t like the call against Vernon on the ‘batting the ball’ penalty. Often times these kind of calls even out in a game. BUT, it seemed that the Patriots got the benefit of the doubt on more than a few occasions on Sunday. I could also do without Joe Philbin clapping after a bad call. He should be riding the referees, getting in their ear after a bad call, not cheerleading.
Caleb Sturgis – Sturgis started the season on fire. BUT, he missed 2 kicks on Sunday that would’ve made the game a 1 possession game. The Dolphins used a 5th round draft pick on this kid, they need to get better. If you really want to feel good about the team, take solace in knowing that Sturgis has been the best draft pick from the 2013 class, thus far. Thanks Mr. Ireland! (sad face)
Ryan Tannehill – For too many weeks, Tannehill has been on the wrong list in our post game wrapups. Yesterday he played pretty well, although he turned the ball over 3 times. He’s not going to make it through the season if he keeps getting hit like a pinata back there. He MUST do a better job of protecting the football, both in the pocket and when he’s throwing. 1 of his 1 INTs was a desperate hail mary at the end of the game, when his receivers were no where near the ball.
Drops – Mike Wallace had 2 end zone drops and Charles Clay had another. Against teams like the Patriots, you must make the most of your opportunities in the red zone. The Dolphins did not. Tannehill placed the ball nicely on a few throws, but his receivers didn’t come down with the ball. This has been a problem all season and the receivers must do a better job of helping their young QB out.
Rush Defense – The Dolphins rush defense did not do a good enough job on Sunday. They allowed 152 yards on the ground, including 125 by Blount and Ridley (5 ypc average). That is simply not good enough for the ‘strength’ of your defense.
Overall, this game was a disappointment, but is pretty much what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the 17-3 halftime lead, but the Dolphins could not sustain that level of play in the second half. What’s frustrating is the fact that the coaching staff went away from what worked in the first half: running the ball and controlling the clock. The propensity for this coaching staff to hit the panic button and abandon the running game has been a concern all season long. Running the ball controls the clock and keeps Tannehill from getting killed, why not stick with it?
The Dolphins now have a very short week to prepare for the Bengals on Thursday night. The Dolphins face a virtual ‘must win’ if they want to even think about climbing back into the AFC playoff picture. They aren’t in it now, so I’m not even getting into that. The Bengals are coming off of a 49-9 whooping of the Jets on Sunday. So year, this season is on the brink right now. Hopefully, they can rebound and put this ugly loss behind them and get back to winning football games.
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