Dolphins at Patriots: A Tale of Two Halves as Dolphins Lose 27-24

by kmb8488 on Dec 27, 2011 1:00 AM EST in Comcast Sponsored Posts

Late last week, I said that the Dolphins' best chance of pulling out a Christmas Eve win in New England was to contain Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski, batter Tom Brady often and get after the Patriots' ultra-porous secondary. Surprisingly, the Dolphins did all of those things during the first half of Saturday's game, and took a 17-0 lead into halftime. A three-score lead isn't nearly enough against a peeved Tom Brady, however, and he proceeded to undo all of the Dolphins' first-half defensive accomplishments with a big second-half performance, securing a 27-24 Patriots victory.

Don't worry, plenty of blame can/should go around for this Dolphins loss.

Conservative-yet-mistake-prone second-half dooms Dolphins

How many times will the Dolphins have to play Tom Brady before their coaches figure out that it takes four quarters of scoring to beat the guy? Entering the second-half up 17 points on New England, the Dolphins fumbled the ball on their first series, went three and out on their second series, served up an interception on their third series, collected a single first down on their fifth series, and then finally found the end zone on a seven-play, 80-yard drive. You want to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium? Move the chains and make their defensive backs beat you. Instead, the Dolphins held the ball in the second-half for just 9 minutes and 51 seconds, and both Dolphins turnovers resulted in points for the Patriots. Not a winning formula when you're playing in Foxborough ...

Behold the magically disappearing defense

Miami's D came out looking pretty sharp last Saturday, sacking Brady three times and preventing the Patriots' offense from crossing into Dolphins territory until late in the second quarter (resulting in a missed 51-yard field goal). Brady got his groove back at the start of the third quarter, however, and led the Patriots to four consecutive scoring drives--two of which ended with back-breaking, 1-yard touchdown runs by none other than the dimpled one. In fact, the Dolphins didn't get another sack of No.12 until midway through the fourth quarter. You cannot make things easy for Tom Brady, and Dolphins did just that by failing to maintain the pass rush they had on tap during the first two quarters.

Insult to injury

As if it wasn't bad enough to witness the Dolphins' defense get rolled by the Patriots, Miami also lost left tackle Jake Long to a torn right bicep. You could make a strong case that Long, hobbled through most of this year with a nagging knee injury and then a back injury against the Eagles two weeks, should've been sat for the season after the back issue came up. Instead, Miami added to Long's offseason rehabilitation to-do list by bringing him back into the starting line-up (I am sure Long lobbied for it anyway--the guy would play in a wheelchair if given the opportunity). In an offseason that's bound to have plenty of questions (head coach, quarterback, defensive scheme), Long's health is going to be one of the biggest concerns.

Matt Moore dividing Dolphins fanbase?

My recap of the Dolphins' victory in Buffalo last week brought out a surprising number of comments regarding "unfair" analysis of Matt Moore as a quality stopgap--not the long-term answer for this team. Fair enough, but Moore's inability to get the offense going in the second-half last Saturday has to be a concern to even his most hardened supporters. Moore's stat line of 17/33 for 294 yards and three scores is absolutely nothing to scoff at, but Chad Henne could roll out of bed and probably put up similar numbers. For the Dolphins, it's about finishing games and keeping the offense pumping in the fourth quarter, and I don't know if Moore can do those things every Sunday. Of course, conservative coaching in the second-half might have something to do with Moore's Houdini act after halftime, but the idea that the Dolphins should settle down with Moore and forget about drafting a signal caller is flat-out insane. Moore's an adequate starter right now, but there's no way he should be viewed as the future in Miami unless he starts taking over games in the fourth quarter.

Parting shots

-Welcome to the 1,000-yard rusher club, Reggie Bush. Bush ran for 113 yards and was one of the few bright spots for the Dolphins in the second-half against the Patriots. And after going through the last few seasons with the belief that Miami's backfield was a weakness, it's now a certified strength with Bush in there. The jury's still out on rookie Daniel Thomas, but an actual offseason should have him ready for the 2012 season.

-Brandon Marshall was monstrous against New England, recording 156 yards and a score. Still, he'll most likely end up short of 100 catches this season ... again. I wonder if that'll be the case next season when a new Dolphins coaching staff is in place.

-Can the Dolphins please switch the defense back over to the 4-3 after this season? Click Wake and Merling over to defensive end, put Starks and Odrick at defensive tackle, draft a safety, find a cornerback in free agency and be done with it.

-Speaking of the draft, might the Dolphins consider finding a legitimate right tackle there at some point? If not, I hope Murtha or Jerry can fit the bill on the right side.

-The Jets are a long shot to make the playoffs, but a Gang Green loss in Miami this Sunday means NYJ will definitely be playing golf in early January. I'd hate for the Dolphins to give these guys actual hope.

-Look for my first 2012 mock draft later this week.

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Comments

I reallllly really hope we beat the Jets.

My Dad is married to a Bills fan and her son is a Jets fan…so I get lashings 4 times a year…lol. Would be nice to be able to say “go feed the geese”.

Still a believer in having a top tier TE.

by tuscanitunr x2 on Dec 27, 2011 9:15 AM EST reply actions

4-3 or 3-4 doesn't matter. Both are viable defenses.

My problem with the defense is personnel groupings, especially against the Pats. They aren’t the typical team so you have to adjust your groupings to them. For example, when is it ever a good plan to have a LB cover Wes Welker like Burnett and Dansby were doing in the second half? Why were they put in that situation? They were put in that situation because the Pats personnel grouping dictated the Phins grouping which put a LB on Welker. The Pats took advantage of that.

Instead, with a three score advantage after half, the Phins should have played exclusively nickel and dime. They should have invited the Pats to run the ball, consume time off the clock, and keep gains to a minimum. They should force Brady into a matchup that was to the Phins advantage. Instead they let Brady get the matchup he wanted and didn’t make any adjustments to counter what the Pats were doing.

The second half was a complete coaching breakdown IMO. They failed to put their players in the best possible position to win the game. I can’t wait for the next coaching staff to be put in place after next week, because this current staff have cost the Phins games not only this year but in the last couple years too. The Phins are talented enough to win games like this with proper coaching. The problem is that haven’t gotten that level of coaching in four years.

"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." MACBETH
"Walter, I love you, but sooner or later, you're going to have to face the fact you're a goddamn moron." THE DUDE (The Big Lebowski)

by ct1361 on Dec 27, 2011 10:36 AM EST reply actions

I agree

Fins have definitely been held back by coaching

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TE MP [RI] RF MC JJ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _SE
FL_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SC __ FB
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _QB_ _ _ _ _ Direct Snap WildSCAT Option Attack

by DolphDallas on Dec 27, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed.

I’d be in Nickel vs The Pats even without a lead.

More of Moore in 2012!

'Phins phor Liphe!

by joel311 on Dec 27, 2011 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

Besides,

Bell and Davis both excel in run support, so it’s not like you are giving up too much extra yardage on the ground.

More of Moore in 2012!

'Phins phor Liphe!

by joel311 on Dec 27, 2011 11:06 AM EST up reply actions

Hey Ct

I have some different perceptions of some of the things that went wrong in this game (particularly from the first half to the second half) than you do however I want to ask you something unrelated.

Obviously your opinions of Vontae Davis are well-documented and in the past we have disagreed (primarily last offseason) about whether or not Vontae can overcome the problems he has had in his career with press man coverage. My argument essentially has been that his limitations in press man coverage and other aggressive man concepts are not inherent in nature. That there are no physical limitations which prevent Vontae from furtehr development as a press man corner. You disagreed. Essentailly Im conceding the point. The player that Vontae Davis so often reminds me of (despite comparisons to Malcolm Jenkins) is Brandon Flowers. They have similar body type, excell in the same coverages and play technically almost identically. Both can play man coverage but struggle in press and have both been stereotyped as Cover-2 and zone coverage corners who have had to overcome that label at some point in their life. Yet both still struggle in a coverage necessary to being elite, yet are the best overall corners on their respective clubs.

Forgetting about that comparison though is why? What physical limitations does Vontae Davis have that he can’t overcome? I can’t put my finger on it and Im leaning on your perceptions.

2008 AFC EAST Champions.

by civwarbuff on Dec 27, 2011 2:32 PM EST up reply actions

Careful civwarbuff, if you start agreeing with me that will make you some enemies on this site! :)

Davis reacts well when the play is in front of him. He moves forward and backward well. He is a physical CB that plays bigger WR’s well.

What he lacks IMO in man coverage are a couple of things.

One is hip turn which basically means he doesn’t accelerate well out of a lateral break. Really good man CB’s don’t lose a step when the WR makes his cut, Davis does. That’s why he seems to always be trailing the WR on in cuts or slants but is in the WR’s hip pocket on go’s or fades, he doesn’t have to turn his hips on those routes.

The 2nd reason he struggles in man is that he lacks make up quickness. His top end speed is fine for the position, it just takes him awhile to get to that speed and by the time he does get up to speed, the WR usually has a step or two on him.

Sean Smith on the other hand is just the opposite. He has great hip turn. He doesn’t lose a step out of a break. His length compensates and helps him make up ground. Smith’s issues are playing zone. He isn’t as instinctive in zone as Davis and doesn’t break on WR’s in front of him as well.

The problem with the Phins secondary is the pieces don’t match. Smith needs to play man to be effective. Davis needs to play zone. Jones at safety plays man well. Bell is a disaster in man (and zone IMO, he can’t cover at all). Nolan wants to play more man but can’t because of his secondary.

If the Phins convert to a Tampa 2 defense, keep Davis at CB and move Smith to FS. If the Phins want to play press man, keep smith at CB and move Davis to safety and let him cover TE ’s in man.

Hope this helps.

by ct1361 on Dec 27, 2011 6:11 PM EST up reply actions

No worries ct1361

I had come to the conclusion this season that my arguments to you last offseason were incorrect, that you were right and that Vontae Davis limitations in press-man coverage he is unable to overcome. Essentially that they are inherent. So I leaned on your knowledge of the game knowing that we disagreed on the issue.

I appreciate your insights.

By the way I believe you asked me awile ago who the man is in my picture. I dont know if you saw my response or not. If not its Major General William Bate of the Army of Tennessee C.S.A. My picture had been George Brinton McClellan before changing it.

2008 AFC EAST Champions.

by civwarbuff on Dec 28, 2011 8:04 AM EST up reply actions

Well there were alot of things that went wrong in the second half.

There isn’t one single thing, on offense or on defense to point to that can define what happened. It was a series of things that snowballed out of control. As for coaching though, on defense schematically there are a few factors IMO. First the Patriots made some great halftime adjustments. On the first two series of the second half they decided to stretch the defense out and went 5 wide every single snap of those two possessions (with their Tight Ends wide as well as in ace formations e.t.c) They did a great job shifting up their personnel groupings and picked up the tempo of their no huddle offense. (not like they had run it in week 1 but faster than in the First Half) The Dolphins did a few things in the second half that we hadn’t down in the First. The first was we decided to run two deep safety coverages almost every snap and we changed the underlying theme of our coverages from man to zone. The first decision was IMO a huge mistake and I would love to ask Mike Nolan what the thought logic was and why the decision was made to go to shell coverages in the second half. The two deep coverage is a massive sacrifice. Deception which Mike Nolan so intensely implemented into our game plan is virtually abandoned in such a static look. Deception is critical against the Patriots, not so much because you can fool Tom Brady with different coverage or pressure schemes but because you can disrupt the rhythm of their offense and confuse the protection. The two deep shell surrenders that initiative. It also dicates the pressure and handcuffs the coverage. If the Pats go 5 wide and your in two deep shell with consistancy, no matter the personnel you put on the field it becomes a numbers game. With two deep and 5 wide that consumes 7 of your 11 players. So your consistently presenting the offense with 4 man pressure and usually out of static looks. It also becomes harder to run zone because you have less people to do it so the coverages become more conservative and induce checkdowns.Mike Nolan continued to blitz what pressures he could bring were limited. I dont understand the change and why Mike Nolan who emphasized all week the importance of deception against the Pats gave it away in the second half is beyond me.

2008 AFC EAST Champions.

by civwarbuff on Dec 28, 2011 8:55 AM EST up reply actions

This is what happens to a defense when an offense goes 5 wide. It takes away the defenses ability to disguise coverages and rush packages.

It simplifies a QB’s reads. If you ask any QB that is seeing a bunch of different looks out of a defense he will say to spread them out and simplify the reads. Then it becomes a matter of personnel and taking advantage of matchups, like Welker on Burnett.

As I alluded too above, this puts Nolan into a quandary because he can’t trust his DB’s (Davis, Bell, Allen, Carroll) in man coverage especially against Welker, Gronkowski, and Hernandez.

Thanks for the update on the generals.

by ct1361 on Dec 28, 2011 10:20 AM EST up reply actions

I just remember you asking.

As for the simlification of a defense when the offense spreads it out I understand that. That wasn’t entirely my point but it’s ok.

2008 AFC EAST Champions.

by civwarbuff on Dec 29, 2011 8:41 AM EST up reply actions

Nice Write-up

still, to lose by 3 points without your star left tackle and best corner is commendable…Fins played hard…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TE MP [RI] RF MC JJ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _SE
FL_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SC __ FB
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _QB_ _ _ _ _ Direct Snap WildSCAT Option Attack

by DolphDallas on Dec 27, 2011 10:52 AM EST reply actions

This game sucked!

A woman is an occasional pleasure but a cigar is always a smoke.
- Groucho Marx
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats. -H.L. Mencken.
"Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it."
"The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos."

by Alpha6 on Dec 27, 2011 11:45 AM EST reply actions

very in depth , lol

founding member of the dolphins really old bastards fan club GO PHINS... TO THE GRAVE BABY!

by daytonadolfan on Dec 27, 2011 6:25 PM EST up reply actions

it's Sparano's fault isn't it?

doesn’t matter who the coach is, they find a way to lose………………………………………………

by FinFinatic on Dec 27, 2011 12:35 PM EST reply actions

kmb8488...????

U seem to be a matt moore hater…? How many times do i have

to repeat myself…MATT MOORE IS THE BEST QB TO COME TO

MIAMI SINCE DAN MARINO. period.

I said three years ago that chad henne was a coach KILLER !! The reason

coach sparano was FIRED, he held-on to chad henne to long!!

chad henne donot have the skill set to be a starter in the nfl. period.

YOU got to notice after chad got hurt and matt took over this dolphins

team start winning…this offense is must better, all because of a UPGRADE

in the QB play !!

Matt Moore got the skill set to be a francise QB but i do agree miami should

draft a first round QB to backup matt moore next year if he don’t get better.

I look for this dolphins team to be a playoff team next year!!

by Dolfan77 on Dec 27, 2011 12:36 PM EST reply actions

Chad Pennington

That is all. Matt Moore can’t hold Pennington’s enormous jock.

Phinsider HOF C/O 2009
Winner of Six Career Matty Awards
Vice Grand Poobah of the RGIII Fleet
Occupy Joe Robbie

by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 27, 2011 5:04 PM EST via Android app up reply actions 1 recs

well said

That is all.

The Phinsider

Sept. 26, 2010 - 2013 Draft Kyle Padron Bandwagon

by Kevin Nogle on Dec 27, 2011 5:27 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions

I've sent the monkey to Mr Medic... that is all...

by Alpha6 on Dec 27, 2011 7:57 PM EST up reply actions

Hey corpral, you got a smoke!

wopper "the king" computer
We often look rite past the positive's cuz the negative's-r-so hard they dominate! Have you touched & preened your beaver-pelt yet!

by wild zion beaver on Dec 28, 2011 8:00 PM EST up reply actions

Moore is better

Moore is playing better than any rookie this year not named Cam Newton. He’s 11th in QB rating and that with an O-Line that’s given up the fourth most sacks. He can throw every throw. Has has presense in the pocket and he hits big plays down the field.

If Chad Henne were doing these things we would be talking about our franchise QB…. Why is it that Moore does it and he’s just a journeyman. As far as a fourth quarter QB… That last drive for a TD was a thing of beauty!!! Is it Moore’s fault that the snap came early and caused a fumble earlier… It it Moore’s fault Colombo let the pass rusher take an inside route to the QB to cause a fumble? Is it Moore’s fault the line gave up 5 sacks? Is it Moore’s fault the defense could not make the stop at the end of the game?

Lets realize we’ve gotten what we wanted out of Henne. Except his name is Moore.

by sdelinois on Dec 27, 2011 3:02 PM EST reply actions

Great for Moore. He's in his 4th season though..

Newton is in his first..

Matt Moore is a journeyman because he has done this routine on two teams now, and I’m not interested in yet another season of mediocre football. Great, we beat other shit teams, but continue to lose to playoff teams. Story of this decade. I’d like this trend to stop.

Phinsider HOF C/O 2009
Winner of Six Career Matty Awards
Vice Grand Poobah of the RGIII Fleet
Occupy Joe Robbie

by Little Nicky 21 on Dec 27, 2011 5:07 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

Seems to me that one of the biggest factors for losing this game isnt mentioned

The Patriots have found their “Wildcat”. I dont mean that they run a wildcat offense, but that they found their gimmick that teams havent been able to beat.

When chips are down, as they have been in three games this season: Washington, Denver, and Miami, they turn to the no huddle in the second quarter early and often. Teams have yet to find an answer for this, seeing as it becomes disadvantageous in that the defense becomes no longer able to correct their personnel.

First set of plays they went to the no huddle 6 times, it resulted in mismatches on several occasions, at some ponts leaving Burnett in a position to guard Wes Welker, the result?? A New England touchdown.

Second set of plays, again they went to the no huddle 6 times. Again with the same results. Another New England score.

They then went no huddle 7, 5, & 3 times, each often leaving the Miami defense in poor mismatches. Truth is, we should NOT have had 3 time outs at the end of the fourth quarter. Once they saw that this was leading to disasterous matchups, they should have at least used one or two to regroup.

by dolphinfan4lyfe on Dec 27, 2011 6:35 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I am ok with 3-4 or 4-3...

We switch back and forth between 4 man and 3 man fronts anyway. I like what we do on defense for the most part. But I don’t understand with CBs built for man coverage why we INSIST on playing zone EVER. I hope Nolan learns that zone sucks and they beat us when we play zone all the time.

We had [Brady] down… but we didn’t kick him. We helped him up and gave him a PowerPuff Girls band-aid for his knee. What exactly did you expect would happen when we did that?

by Jason Scott_90 on Dec 27, 2011 7:13 PM EST reply actions