If that 22 yards rushing showed us anything last night, it's that Adam Gase has a new weapon at his disposal. Imagine being a creative offensive mind and watching the likes of Cam Newton tear up the league. Now imagine that your quarterbacks are Manning and Cutler. And so you pocket pass, move the chains as you can, and forget about other possibilities...
Until you arrive in south Florida and meet your new quarterback. Who used to be a receiver. Who is powerful, quick, and fast (yes, those are different things.) And who is a football player first, a quarterback by conversion.
Designed runs didn't seem to fit the last regime's style. And Tannehill's ability to simply choose to go seemed heavily inhibited by the staff. Under Philbin, Tannehill averaged fewer than three carries a game, even though those carries netted more than 5 yards per attempt. The bottom line was that old Joe and his cronies liked to control every play, to follow a script, and to know that no whipper snappers were going to foul up their regularly scheduled mediocrity. He planted his corn straight, and waited for rains that were never going to come, old Joe.
Adam Gase will want his players to surprise him. To think, to make plays, to create. And that will mean that when the other team drops those safeties deep, or plays its secondary tight, backs turned to the backfield, Tannehill will have the chance to beat one linebacker in space and put up 8, 12, maybe even 22 yards the old fashioned way.
Watch out, AFC East. You haven't seen this version of the Dolphins. You are going to hate it.
Jay Lopez
Friday, August 26, 2016
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15 comments
Exactly right Jay. It became a forgotten weapon last year.
How you defend this offense if he runs this year? Landry and Foster attacking intermediate, Stills and Parker over the top? Cameron (providing he finds his hands) in the seams? And then Thill takes off? Good. Luck. You don't have enough bodies for all of our options.
Man I hope you are right. I'm tired of watching mediocrity.
Man I hope you are right. I'm tired of watching mediocrity.
This is going to be fun, Gary. I'm not sure we are deep enough on D, so we'll need to stay healthy. But man, our offense is going to be fun.
I'm definitely hoping for defensive improvement, but we have to fix the running game. The pace of the offense might be our best chance--a tired defensive line should help. If theyou get beat off the ball because of fatigue, the run game should flourish. We looked pretty good Thursday! LOVE that the OLine seems to have been fixed. Can't wait till 9/11!! Fins up!!
I'm definitely hoping for defensive improvement, but we have to fix the running game. The pace of the offense might be our best chance--a tired defensive line should help. If theyou get beat off the ball because of fatigue, the run game should flourish. We looked pretty good Thursday! LOVE that the OLine seems to have been fixed. Can't wait till 9/11!! Fins up!!
There is a Risk/Reward with Tannehill running the ball. As long as he slides or gets out of bounds, I have no problem with him running the ball.
I hear you Carl. I will say though. Tannehill has not taken an ugly hit running yet in four years. He has however taken a few ugly ones sitting in the pocket.
I know I said exactly right, but I will say, he played receiver to get on the field, to play. He was always a QB. He was in high school and he waited his turn in a deep stable of QBs in college.
I know I said exactly right, but I will say, he played receiver to get on the field, to play. He was always a QB. He was in high school and he waited his turn in a deep stable of QBs in college.
Madphins: My point was only that his athleticism was a great enough asset that he can be considered a football player- not a passing specialist like many QB's who never have to take off the red jersey in practice.
Carl- True- but I think he's in many ways safer as an athlete making a play than as a sitting target in the pocket- so long as he slides (and we aren't playing Dallas, whose players don't seem to understand that rule.)
I'd rather let the RBs take the hits and Tannehill toss the ball. 20 million a year on the disabled list is no bargain. I know he is athletic so if the line breaks down or the coverage turns their backs and he can make a play there is that risk/reward factor.
He is tough. A couple hundred sacks proves it. But in a perfect world, we should be able to run the ball conventionally.
No hits necessary. Hook slide and use the boundary. We're going to move the chains on RT's legs this year at least three times a game. Going to help us make up for a weak stable of running backs.