It's now been over 24 hours since the Dolphins dominated the Bills en route to their first win if 2009. There's been a lot written and said since then and I wanted to just highlight some of it. But first, incase you haven't heard, the Dolphins will bust out their orange jerseys on Monday night against the Jets. And yes, the Dolphins are undefeated (2-0) when wearing those gloriously ugly uniforms.
Now onto some talking points:
Don't go "Henne crazy" just yet
In his latest "Hyde Five" post, the Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde is quick to point out that we shouldn't "overdo Henne." Writes Hyde:
In his first start in 2007, on a cold November day at Philadelphia, John Beck completed nine of 22 passes for 109 yards. No touchdowns. No interceptions. No sacks. His running back was Jesse Chatman. His line was questionable. His leading receiver was rookie Ted Ginn Jr. (four catches, 52 yards, long of 22)
Considering Chad Henne had an extra year to get ready and a far superior supporting cast, his first start was similar to Beck’s: 14 of 22 for 115 yards, a touchdown and six sacks (two fumbles).
No one can get carried away with what he did in the 38-10 rout of a mystifyingly inept Buffalo team. You didn’t see anything new from this offense under Henne. Nor did you see any play that gave a glimpse of what he can be.
Hyde's feelings basically mirror mine on the situation. He goes on to write that Henne did "manage a good game" and "did everything he was asked." But let's be honest for a second - Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Miami's defense won Sunday's game - not Chad Henne.
But please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not bashing Henne. In fact, I'm complimenting him. The gameplan heading into Sunday's game was clear. The Dolphins were not going to ask Chad Henne to win them that game. But Henne could have lost them the game. Any young, inexperienced quarterback can lose you a game (just ask the Jets). To his credit, Henne never made the costly mistake. But now we have to see how he progresses and when the coaches begin to take the training wheels off of their young quarterback.
On a side note, like Hyde points out above, we can't forget that Chad Henne fumbled the ball twice on Sunday. If that was Trent Green, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, or Chad Pennington back there fumbling twice, many fans would be on his case. But I don't hear anyone killing Henne for his fumbles. But a 28 point win over a division rival tends to do that. Let's just hope he protects the football better in the future.
Offensive line needs to get better fast
I'm obviously not talking about the unit's ability to run block - they continue to get better and better every week. But their pass protection clearly needs work - and fast. The Jets come to town on Monday night with their "blitz all day, every day" mentality. The Dolphins, of course, are well aware:
Center Jake Grove and his fellow offensive linemen will have to be especially alert to Ryan's exotic fronts. "They blitz almost every play it seems like; they're bringing guys from everywhere," Grove said Monday, a day after the Dolphins (1-3) dominated Buffalo 38-10. "We're going to have to be great at identifying the fronts, seeing where the blitzers are and keeping our quarterback up, something we didn't do yesterday." Almost lost in Sunday's rout were the six sacks by Buffalo. It was the most sacks by a Dolphins opponent since New England had seven while winning 28-7 in December 2007. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Buffalo didn't do anything out of the ordinary on defense. He blamed his interior linemen for three sacks and said two were because of missed blocks, one by tight end Anthony Fasano and one by running back Ronnie Brown. Sparano said Henne held the ball too long on one sack. "It goes to back to self-inflicted things," Sparano said, referring to the mistakes that led to an 0-3 start. "This isn't someone doing something to you; that is a one-on-one matchup that you did not win." Unlike the Bills, the Jets will take an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to the pass rush. That strategy has been one of the keys to New York's surprising 3-1 start with Ryan in his first season as a head coach. Entering Sunday's 24-10 loss at New Orleans, New York had sent added pressure 62.4 percent of the time, according to statistics compiled by ESPN. The NFL average through three games was 35.6 percent. "They bring the heat," Dolphins guard Justin Smiley said. "It's going to be a great test for us." Sparano makes it a point to talk about how these errors that resulted in surrendering six sacks to Buffalo were "self-inflicted" and were just "one-on-one matchups that you didn't win." But is that a good thing or a bad thing? On one hand, it's good that it's not a scheme-related or recognition-related problem. On the other hand, it's just a case of the Dolphins linemen getting beat man to man - and by players who aren't as talented as the ones they'll face on Monday night. Without a doubt, Miami's pass protection will be one of the most critical aspects to Monday's game. The Jets get after the quarterback play after play - and will welcome back their best pass rusher, Calvin Pace, now that he has served his four game suspension. What will be interesting is how the Dolphins adjust their protections - if at all. Wake needs more snaps
The Palm Beach Post's Brian Biggane brings up the obvious question following Cameron Wake's three-sack performance against the Bills. Writes Biggane:
With Joey Porter out of the lineup due to his ongoing hamstring problem, Wake got an opportunity for more playing time and made the most of it, amassing 21/2 sacks as the Miami defense consistently put pressure on Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards.
You just know Porter is going to be back for the huge game against the New York Jets next Monday night, so where does that leave Wake?
Regardless, Wake seems to have earned the right to move ahead of Charlie Anderson on the depth chart. The Dolphins need to harass Mark Sanchez as much as possible; Sanchez had a fumble in his own end zone recovered for a touchdown Sunday. Even though Jason Taylor came on late and played well Sunday, Wake has the quickness (and youth) that neither Taylor nor Porter any longer possess. He needs to play.
Brian sums up the issue pretty well. In a nutshell, how do the Dolphins go about getting enough snaps for their three top pass-rushers?
I'd expect a rotation of some sort, keeping the veterans fresh and getting Wake more reps on the field. But one intriguing idea that I've been itching to see come to fruition is having all three on the field at one time in obvious passing situations.
Here's how you do it. You put Jason Taylor and Cameron Wake at the defensive end spots with their hand in the ground - Wake on the strong side and Taylor on the weak side - in a four down linemen formation. Then you let Joey Porter stand in a two-point stance on either side and you rush five guys - the four linemen and Porter. In behind you have either Channing Crowder and five defensive backs (nickel) or no linebacker and six defensive backs (dime).
It's worth a shot - in my opinion.
Quick Note
Phillip Merling's ankle injury is reportedly not as serious as originally believed. That's good news for sure.