Dolphins@Patriots
by nossorc & Bpardo95
All Time Records: Fins lead 51-44
First Game: 11/27.1966 @ Miami … Pats 20, Fins 14
Most Recent: 9/1/2014 @ Miami … Fins 33, Pats 20
Largest Margin: in 1972 … Fins 52, Pats 0
Closest Game: in 2004 … Fins 29, Pats 28
Postseason: Pats 2-1 last: 12/28.1997 in NE … Pats 17, Fins 3
Current Streak: Fins 2 wins (2013-present)
This Decade: Pats lead 7-2
Lets get down to business:
Jarvis Landry didn’t have a target in the opening day game, now he appears the be the best pick of the Dolphins 2014 draft class by a large margin, what kind of expectations do you have for him the rest of 2014 and beyond?
I think there is little doubt that Jarvis Landry has been the best pick for the Fins and one of the best picks in the country. What he lacks in total numbers as compared to other rookie offensive players he makes up for the important of when his numbers occur. The fins aren’t as pass happy as many teams, so production will just seem lower then other rookies. He is a big reason why Tannehill has improved as well, the ability to hit a target that is going to catch the ball and give you YAC works wonders in a system like Lazors. Sadly, some of the steps taken under Lazor now include a half step back. Until we see more trust put into the players the offense will always be some what limited. Landry will continue to grow, his game is well made for both this offense and the the NFL. I think he has already become Tannehill’s go to target but with some designed crossing routes off bootleg we may be able to get a little more out of Landry dynamically.
Tom Brady has quietly been having one of his greatest seasons as a quarterback, and when you include how this season started and the weapons he has now as compared to the past, it could be argued one of his greatest individual efforts. Other than the obvious joy of watching one of the best ever to play, how has he continued to step up the game when it seemed some of the physical gifts were starting to fade?
Much like Peyton Manning, Brady’s skills and success are predicated upon his knowledge of the game and his opponent. Lucky for Pats fans, Brady never really had any superior physical gifts, so he had to rely early and often in his career on his brain. His situational awareness trumps the rest of his game and allows him to know what a play outcome should be, prior to the snap. This is what makes me believe that he will actually play into his 40s, barring some major injury or change in competitive desire created by winning 3 more Super Bowls.
nossorc
With Delmas now being sent to I.R. and Jelani Jenkins possibly missing extended time, who are the guys that step up from the shadows to fill their roles?
This is the difference between a good team and an great to elite team. The defense has no depth and don’t have the coaching to coach around the lack of depth. One of the things the Patriots have done during their run is have the next man up philosophy, even when it was the most important player on their team. Miami doesn’t have the depth right now to do this, nor do I think we will get a considerable contribution with anyone who is going to step up. Linebacker was always the weakness on this defense and now it has become a glaring whole.
Bpardo95
2. Gronkowski has obviously been a huge in the offense, 1/3 of Brady’s td passes have got to the TE this year. He is starting to set records at the position we may never see broken. What does having a playmaker like that do to opposing defenses and is there anyone that can stop him?
Having a player like Gronkowski is cheating. For all I know he is masking some of what was talked about above. He makes catches in an enormous radius, and piles on yards after the catch on a regular basis, likely inflating some of Brady’s numbers. Having a guy like him creates a mismatch from hell for opposing defenses. You can’t cover him with just one guy, I have yet to see a single player successful shut down a healthy Gronkowski. So that leaves you using another player to double team him and then you leave a player like Vereen, Edelman or LaFell open or in single coverage. Zone defense against Gronk is an absolute way to guarantee failure, he will find the soft spot in the middle all day long. I will be very interested to see if the Dolphins utilize Dion Jordan in the Gronk game plan, as many believe he was drafted for that very purpose.
nossorc
With Delmas now being sent to I.R. and Jelani Jenkins possibly missing extended time, who are the guys that step up from the shadows to fill their roles?
This is the difference between a good team and an great to elite team. The defense has no depth and don’t have the coaching to coach around the lack of depth. One of the things the Patriots have done during their run is have the next man up philosophy, even when it was the most important player on their team. Miami doesn’t have the depth right now to do this, nor do I think we will get a considerable contribution with anyone who is going to step up. Linebacker was always the weakness on this defense and now it has become a glaring whole.
Bpardo95
The Pats are the number 3 scoring offense, something you always expect with Brady and Gronk around. They are also the number 9 scoring defense in the NFL now. You will win a lot of games when you average 10 more points then your opponents. Who has been stepping up to and who can we expect to have big games from? Is there anyone that can make Miami’s offensive tackles work extra hard to try to keep Tanny clean?
The Pats still do not have a strong pass rush from the defensive line, they have a lot of big bodies that should be able to slow down the run, but they don’t often get to the quarterback. The players to keep an eye on are Jamie Collins, Akeem Ayers and possibly Dont’a Hightower if he plays. Belichick and Matt Patricia have been drumming up creative blitzes for the linebackers and quite often they end up creating big plays in the form of QB hits or sacks for the Patriots. It will be up to the interior offensive line of the Dolphins to make sure they don’t lose track of these guys in the pre-snap and stick to their assignments.
nossorc
I’ve heard since day 1 of Dion Jordan’s Dolphins existence that he was brought in to handle Rob Gronkowski, do you think that is how he is used Sunday? Can he keep up?
Can anyone keep up with the guy what will go down as the best TE to play the game as long as he stays some what healthy? No. Does Dion Jordan have more of a chance than most? Dion Jordan’s greatest asset is his unique size, speed, and agility. It’s something not matched by many in the NFL. The question has always been if Dion Jordan can turn it into production. He was made the 3rd pick of the draft, and Miami was built around beating the Pats. You would think the defensive coaches would utilize the only player who has a chance to slow Gronk down, but he will not be able to do it without help and if he isn’t put in the position to. The Dolphins need to find something for him to do, because it’s becoming apparent he isn’t strong enough to set a proper edge yet.
Bpardo95
If there is a weakness versus a weakness in this game, it is the Patriots rushing game versus the Dolphins run stop. Do the Patriots have enough to take advantage there?
With the loss of strong safety Louis Delmas and possibility of Jelani Jenkins missing some extended time, the Patriots have a huge opportunity in the run game. The Dolphins have struggled as it is recently against the run and this just adds injury to insult. Blount was held in check by the stout San Diego defensive line, but look for him and Jonas Gray to have a big day on Sunday. It still remains to be seen if Gray will get some extra touches back since his Alarm-Gate Doghouse Trip and the arrival of Blount. But the Patriots would be wise to start including him in the game plan as the postseason approaches and all hands should be on deck. If Blount were to go down, it would be less than ideal for Gray to enter a playoff game with 10 carries in the last 6 weeks of the season.
nossorc
As always this time of year, the Patriots home field advantage gets a boost. It’s supposed to be around 30 degrees at kick-off, can the Dolphins handle the adverse conditions?
Adverse conditions are supposed to impact the passing game the most. If there is a somewhat strength to this offense it’s the short to intermediate passing game and a run game that can be productive when utilized properly. This will mean trusting Tannehill more in the read option. Tannehill hasn’t shown a consider depreciation in cold weather games, but then again he didn’t have much to depreciate to before this year. This will be a huge test for this offense, the way the Pats are playing on offense Miami will have to put up at least 24 to have a shot at winning this game.
Bpardo95
I just recently ordered a bunch of chickens from my Santeria contact in Miami to have them shipped up to me pronto. How many sacrifices do you think I need so the Fins have a shot at pulling this out?
Hopefully you got some rabbit feet in that order too, the Dolphins will need a picture perfect performance in all aspects of the game to pull this one out on New England’s home turf with playoff home field advantage on the line. 199 chickens, is at least worth a shot.
nossorc
Cameron Wake may have been the biggest reason for the Dolphins coming out of Week 1 victorious, but he has hit a bit of a lull in production recently, can he bring back the heat again this weekend against a retooled Patriots offensive line?
Cameron Wake was only one part of why our dline was playing well, Vernon will need to step up as well. The ends were getting all the numbers, but the interior push is what really limited what Brady could do. This is a different offense then Miami played in week one, having Gronk back and healthy will do that. This was also the offense this defense was built around stopping. Wake and this Dline seem to get up against the Pats, and they will need to if they want a shot at this game.
What will the Final score be?
Final Score: Patriots 34, Dolphins 20
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