It's the morning after, and I'm here to give you a sober and fairly objective look at the Miami Dolphins' 2010 debut performance.
This defensive battle brought us laughs, tears, and little bit of heartburn.
(My Mom always taught me to start with the bad news, so let's begin there.)
NO ES BUENO:
1. The Dolphins lack killer instincts. This is nothing new. For as long as I can remember, Miami has never been able to put other teams away. They won't blow out inferior opponents, they will (usually) just squeak by. This may not matter much against Trent Edwards -- who would have trouble scoring with a pocket full of pesos in a Mexican whorehouse -- but this accounts for several loses each year.
Remember the Indianapolis and New Orleans games last season? Remember how the Dolphins could have and should have beat each of those soon-to-be Super Bowl contestants? The problem was the Dolphins didn't know how to put them away. Sure, both of those offenses were phenomenal but Miami should have never let them back into the game.
The Dolphins have been unable to capitalize on momentum and good breaks for as long as I can remember being a fan. For over a decade they've absolutely anti-clutch when playing with the lead. In the dreadful Wannstedt era, the Dolphins would run up the middle on 1st and 2nd Down, run a five yard hitch on 3rd and 8, and punt the ball away. That insufferable style of play cost them victories every season.
These days they mix in some screens passes so it seems less predictably safe on paper but it's really just the same old ultra-conservative approach.
It's a bit clichéd but a team has to play to win. They can't bury their heads in the sand for the entire second half and merely hope to not lose.
Which brings us to my to my next concern....
2. The coaching staff makes worrisome Game Day decisions. I have no problem with the way the team is coached from Monday to Saturday. When they take the field, the players are focused and prepared. The staff does a great job in between games.
The problems come on Sunday. Atrocious clock management, an inability to make necessary package and personnel adjustments when defending against 3rd Downs, and absolutely horrific play-calling by the O.C. Dan Henning.
Can't we add one more assistant to the sidelines whose sole job is give clock management advise in the last few minutes of each half? Every game, Tony Sparano makes a clock gaffe; it's embarrassing.
3. Now in his third year, Chad "Check Down" Henne fails to impress. To be fair, he didn't have a bad game. He was mostly consistent; he didn't commit any turnovers. He did enough to win the game on the road in Week One. That really shouldn't be ignored.
But this is Henne's third season and he still hasn't given me any reason to scream "franchise quarterback!" from the rooftops. And that sucks.
More than that, we really need to figure this all out. Maybe he's our guy, maybe he's just a guy. It's not his fault if he's the latter but we would certainly have to adjust our strategy. If the last ten years have taught this team and its fans anything it's that stopgap quarterbacks will not allow a team to elevate above mediocrity.
The Dolphins need a franchise quarterback and we desperately need to figure out if Henne is that man before the season's end. That means we need to start asking him to do more than manage the game efficiently. We need him to make plays, take chances, test his skills, and succeed (or even falter) under pressure.
Sometimes checking down to a running back in the flat is the smart play. But not usually on third and long, and not this many times each game. Every time he risks nothing we learn nothing about his mettle or his physical abilities.
THINGS I LIKED:
1. It's a Dolphin win. They won their season opener in a hostile stadium against a divisional opponent. Maybe all of those previously mentioned negatives are a one time affair?
2. The defense looks superb. Sure, the cast of Jersey Shore could probably hold Trent Edwards to 150 passing yards, but we can't take anything away from the way Mike Nolan's defense dominated yesterday's game.
Linebacker play was great. How long has it been since we could say that? Miami's biggest free agent acquisition this off-season was Karlos Dansby; with 8 tackles and a sack, he was the opposite of disappointing. Rookie stand-in Koa Misi and second year fan-favorite Cameron Wake has sacks of their own as well. Again, it's too early to know for certain, but maybe our middle four won't be a sore spot this season? A boy can hope.
The secondary looked solid as well. Chris Clemons, for one, had five tackles (and a great time smashing faces). The unit doesn't earn a gold star, though, because they dropped several interception opportunities. That just won't cut it against a more resilient team.
The defense didn't force a single turnover, in fact, but at least...
3. The offense never gave up the ball. I'll take a zero turnover game every time I can get it on the road.
CONCLUSIONS:
Really, there are more questions than answers at this point in the season.
- Brandon Marshall had a solid debut, but will Henne and the O.C. allow him to become an impact player?
- Is Jared Odrick worthy of that first round pick? His name was only mentioned once, as far as I can remember, before his injury.
- What's up with the inconsistent kicking? Dan Carpenter missed a field goal and one kickoff went out of bounds; Brandon Fields had a game saving punt near the end but his early kicks were terrible.
- Will our "new" defense force enough turnovers?
- Can Jason Allen keep up the good work?
But, a win is a win and the Dolphins are exactly where they need to be after Week One. 1-0, tied for the lead in the AFC East, undefeated.
