The Dolphins will go into the weekend with an extra day off. Tony Sparano gave his team off on Friday - meaning the players won't be back together again at the facility until Monday.
I would imagine that the coaches will still be putting in some work, preparing for a very rough stretch of games that follow this bye week. And they have some issues to address, that's for sure.
At 2-2, the season isn't lost - no matter what some might say. Are we all frustrated? Of course. But there are some positives. For example, the Dolphins are second in the league in 3rd down conversions - converting 51%. They are also in the top ten in yards allowed per play. And as I pointed out, the Dolphins are in the top ten in both red zone offense and defense.
Needless to say, though, this team has a number of areas they need to improve in if they want to make a playoff run this year. My question to you: what concerns you the most about this team right now?
Quarterback play - We've been discussing this all week long. It's obvious that Chad Henne has to do a better job protecting the football. He's on pace for 16 interceptions - which isn't an incredibly high figure. But it's unacceptable, especially for a team like Miami whose margin of error is smaller than most.
Running game - Though you wouldn't know it if you watched only these past two games, this offense is still a run-first offense. Pounding the football is still this team's DNA. The coaches believe in the importance of running and the offense isn't nearly as effective when the team can't establish the ground game. But the team is only averaging 107 yards per game and just 3.9 yards per carry. If the offensive line - particularly the interior - doesn't do a better job of run blocking, there's going to be a lot of pressure on Henne to move the football through the air.
Stopping the run - On the flip side, we had to watch the Jets and the Patriots - with players like BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Dany Woodhead, of all people - gash the defense on the ground. The Dolphins are 23rd stopping the run. Some of this could be because they have had to rely more on Paul Soliai than the team originally planned entering the season due to Jared Odrick's injury. And we're hopeful that the return of Channing Crowder could improve things. But right now, this team has a problem stopping the run - and that's a big worry.
Defending opposing tight ends - This has been a problem for years now. And it's again an issue for this defense. Visanthe Shiancoe and Dustin Keller really hurt the Dolphins in back-to-back weeks. And though the Pats' rookie tight ends didn't necessarily kill the Dolphins last week, they did still catch six passes. Next week, the Dolphins have to try and contain the super-athletic Jermichael Finley. That's going to be an issue.
Poor special teams play - We all know the problems here. Blocked punts. Blocked field goals. Poor kick coverage. And mediocre return teams of their own. The Dolphins have serious issues on special teams - it's that simple. Unfortunately, the solutions are not.
Play calling - We're all aware that there's a large group of Dolphin fans who want Dan Henning out of Miami. Has his play calling been suspect at times? It sure has. But like I always say, if some of these calls worked out for the Dolphins, people would be praising Henning. I will agree, though, that the Wildcat needs to be forgotten about - at least when the team isn't inside the red zone. Wildcat on a 3rd & 6? Never again. Please. Never again.