For the second straight year the Miami Dolphins finished with a 7-9 record. However they feel like a team that is not on the rise, but on a little bit of a decline. They have a lot of talent, but are weak at the QB spot. The defense is pretty good, but plain and simple they do not score enough points. Personally I think their use of the Wild Cat offense disrupts their offense and does not allow it to flow, and that a more traditional attack would get this team over the hump.
The offense scored the third fewest points in the NFL with 273. That is just 17.1 points per game on average. Three different men were under center for this team with Chad Henne seeing the most time there. He completed 61.4% of his passes and had 15 TD’s and 19 INT’s. Quite simply that is not good enough. The running game averaged 102.7 rush yards per game, and the O line gave up 38 sacks. It feels safe to say the offense has a few holes.
The defense on the other hand is pretty good. They gave up 333 points or 20.8 points per game on average. Their take away differential was -12, but the offense gave up 21 interceptions. The Dolphins D did force just 13 fumbles and had just 11 INT’s. So they need to go after the ball a little more. They did record 38 sacks so they can get pressure on opposing defenses.
It seems pretty clear from these numbers that the Dolphins need a better answer at QB. They seem to like Tyler Thigpen, but I don’t think he has the skill set to get it done at this level. They may need to use another high round draft pick to yet again find try and find the next Dan Marino. They could also use a little help along the O line.
Related Links:
- Miami Dolphins news and notes
- The Business of the NFL
- Joshua Lobdell.com