AFCE Week 2: Dolphins@Bills
This week’s key divisional matchup features two undefeated teams fighting for the right to say ‘We own you!”. Both the Dolphins against the Patriots and the Bills against the Bears had great season opening games.
We have asked two very loyal and dedicated fans, Carlos Calle (cacalle) and Stephen Flowers (ArcherNoles1863), to go head to head……enjoy!
1. How’s Sammy Watkins handling his role and maintaining his recent injuries?
Watkins appears fine and he played 95% of the snaps on offense, which means the nagging rib injury is a thing of the past. His role in the offense is still largely unknown as during the preseason he did not play much. In week 1 for the most part he was used as a decoy, which allowed Mike Williams and Robert Woods to make the big plays they made. Against the Dolphins I expect them to unveil more of his role in the offense and being used as a Percy Harvin-type playmaker.
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How did Ryan Tannehill look against the Patriots?
Tannehill looked very pedestrian on Sunday producing only 178 yards passing. This is largely with not able to be accurate with the passes. Whether throwing behind, over or under the receivers you can see yards and points where left on the field Sunday afternoon. Like Lazor mentioned passing game needs to improve and I can see this more a direct “call-out” to Tannehill. Once he gets his throw slightly accurate the sky’s the limit with this offense. Also must mentioned was sacked only once in the entire game.
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Seems like Bills have a one two punch at RB. Who adds more value to the bills offense?
Spiller is the home run RB in the offense as every play there is a possibility he takes it to the house. However for the most part those big plays are few and far between and instead we see a guy who gets stuffed at the line instead of finding the open lane and getting positive yards. The RB who adds the most value is Fred Jackson who until further notice is the best RB on the Bills. He has the best vision; best pass blocker and the best receiving threat from the backfield. Also as shown in the Bears game, he has some moves and defensive backs better be on notice.
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Do you think the Dolphins new look OL will be able to contain a pretty good Bills front four?
Kudos to the o-line for really giving the Fins room to run and time for Tannehill to throw; last year was a huge mismatch with Fins weakness against Bills strength. Will be interesting to see how Fins handle considering both teams are coming off great wins in week one. RG and RT will be my spotlight and how the rookie James will handle Mario Williams off the edge. Will the Fins be able to duplicate their zone blocking 2-4 yards down down the field. Establishing the run will be HUGE as this will keep the edges at bay.
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Being bills swept Miami last season is there any reason to be concerned with a small sample size from week one?
The Dolphins front four concerns me because Cameron Wake is still a top 10 defensive end. Ryan Tannehill concerns me because I believe he is a really good QB when his offensive line decides to block. On the Bills side, the offensive line has concerned me all preseason particularly the guards as no one has played at even a serviceable level. What doesn’t concern me is how well the Dolphins handled the run and ran the ball. The Patriots only ran is 20 times, Bills will probably run that much in the 1st half. The Patriots run defense is awful so I don’t expect the Dolphins to have the success they did in that department.
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Who is the most important player not named Tannehill for the Fins this Sunday?
Hard to pick one player but need to mention the linemen. Both side of the ball need to win the battle of the trenches. Bills are too good running the ball as well as stopping the run. Fins need to execute their style of play on both sides and dictate the tempo of the game. As for individual, I would have to say Charles Clay. Had a rough week one (no surprise) and needs to be more involved.
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How is EJ progression coming along from ota to week one of the season?
He has looked leaps and bounds better than last year. His mechanics are better, his footwork is improved, and he is actually progressing beyond his first read. The biggest progression that I have noticed is he is starting to get way better at anticipating where his receivers will be “throwing them open.” The thing he still needs to work on is his ability to react when the pocket breaks down. Right now his tendency is to scramble instead of keeping his eyes downfield. Also his mechanics under pressure breakdown and that is when his accuracy goes haywire. The Dolphins game will be a big test for him in regards to his improvement in that department.
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Will the Dolphins be able to stop the Bills rushing attack?
Can the running be stopped? No but can it be contained yes. And by that it means eliminating those screen passes that killed Miami in the past and improve the tackling. This week will be telling, as we have none of our starting LBers. I can only assume Bills will attack that and run down hill. This will put a large amount of pressure on the d-line and requires stout gap control and setting the edge. As long as the three LBers can be decent at best and not have a complete meltdown this could be a tight ball game. (fingers crossed)
Excellent job by both our writers, thank you for your time and dedication to both your team and the site!
Final scores?
Bills 23 Fins 21
My prediction unfortunately doesn’t side with my beloved sea mammals, as much as I want to be a homer and believe we’re going up there and pull the win I can’t ignore the facts.
Bills 24 Fins 17
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