Post by Guvmintcheeze on Sept 14, 2015 11:45:28 GMT
Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins' offense show issues similar to 2014
LANDOVER, Md. -- The Miami Dolphins spent a lot of time diagnosing their offensive issues from a year ago. This summer, coaches were not afraid to point out publicly to their players and media that Miami wanted to clean up issues in the red zone, protect the quarterback better and run the football more consistently.
All of those issues showed up again, however, in Miami's 17-10 victory over the Washington Redskins in the regular-season opener.
Is this a one-game aberration or a sign of things to come once again this season?
The biggest concern for the Dolphins is that they were 1 for 3 in the red zone. Miami failed to convert on fourth-and-1 and settled for a field goal after Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes' interception.
Pass protection has been an issue for years, and that was the case again against Washington. The Redskins sacked quarterback Ryan Tannehill three times for minus-44 yards. One sack caused a fumble that was recovered by the Redskins in the third quarter.
Miami also had 2 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 74 yards rushing for the game. Those numbers simply aren't good enough for a Dolphins team that is expected to improve on both sides of the ball.
"They didn't do anything crazy. They kind of played how we expected them to play," Tannehill said of Washington. "We just didn't execute well. We didn't run the ball well. We didn't get the ball down the field at all, and it's tough to keep the chains moving when we don't do those things. I think we got to come out next weekend and start the game faster."
The Dolphins (1-0) won’t win many games this year scoring just 10 points on offense. Fortunately for Miami, Washington (0-1) is a bad team that is trying to rebuild, and the Dolphins' defense kept the Redskins from scoring a lot of points. In fact, Miami’s most explosive play came on special teams, from receiver Jarvis Landry on a 69-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. That was the true difference in the game.
Tannehill was one of the NFL's hottest quarterbacks in the preseason but failed to carry that into the regular-season opener. He looked shaky at times, throwing for 226 yards and one touchdown. Tannehill also nearly threw an interception in the third quarter, but it became a completion to receiver Greg Jennings.
The Dolphins will take the ugly win. But the offense is aware there are plenty of things to clean up before its Week 2 game on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1).
"I mean, it's the first game of the year," Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron said. "There's a lot going on. There are adjustments to be made and corrections to be made, but we'll get it right. The timing was a little bit off, maybe, but there's no cause for concern."
LANDOVER, Md. -- The Miami Dolphins spent a lot of time diagnosing their offensive issues from a year ago. This summer, coaches were not afraid to point out publicly to their players and media that Miami wanted to clean up issues in the red zone, protect the quarterback better and run the football more consistently.
All of those issues showed up again, however, in Miami's 17-10 victory over the Washington Redskins in the regular-season opener.
Is this a one-game aberration or a sign of things to come once again this season?
The biggest concern for the Dolphins is that they were 1 for 3 in the red zone. Miami failed to convert on fourth-and-1 and settled for a field goal after Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes' interception.
Pass protection has been an issue for years, and that was the case again against Washington. The Redskins sacked quarterback Ryan Tannehill three times for minus-44 yards. One sack caused a fumble that was recovered by the Redskins in the third quarter.
Miami also had 2 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 74 yards rushing for the game. Those numbers simply aren't good enough for a Dolphins team that is expected to improve on both sides of the ball.
"They didn't do anything crazy. They kind of played how we expected them to play," Tannehill said of Washington. "We just didn't execute well. We didn't run the ball well. We didn't get the ball down the field at all, and it's tough to keep the chains moving when we don't do those things. I think we got to come out next weekend and start the game faster."
The Dolphins (1-0) won’t win many games this year scoring just 10 points on offense. Fortunately for Miami, Washington (0-1) is a bad team that is trying to rebuild, and the Dolphins' defense kept the Redskins from scoring a lot of points. In fact, Miami’s most explosive play came on special teams, from receiver Jarvis Landry on a 69-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. That was the true difference in the game.
Tannehill was one of the NFL's hottest quarterbacks in the preseason but failed to carry that into the regular-season opener. He looked shaky at times, throwing for 226 yards and one touchdown. Tannehill also nearly threw an interception in the third quarter, but it became a completion to receiver Greg Jennings.
The Dolphins will take the ugly win. But the offense is aware there are plenty of things to clean up before its Week 2 game on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1).
"I mean, it's the first game of the year," Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron said. "There's a lot going on. There are adjustments to be made and corrections to be made, but we'll get it right. The timing was a little bit off, maybe, but there's no cause for concern."