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As the Miami Dolphins return to the field following their bye week, fans have a lot of expectations for the team. Changes to the pass protection, improvement in the running game, getting back to stuffing the run and getting after opposing quarterbacks, wide receivers eliminating drops. There really are a lot of things this team needs to do better, and things the fans want to see.
One of those is the return of the deep ball. The Dolphins signed wide receiver Mike Wallace this offseason to provide the deep threat needed for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The team would now have the ability to open up the playbook and attack opponents. Except, after five games, the deep ball has been a rarity for the team.
Could changes be on the way, however?
Asked what the one part of the passing game he wants to see get better over the final 11 weeks of the season, Tannehill told the media yesterday, "We'd like to hit a few more down the field shots, we've been really close at it a few times and we feel like if we hit a couple of those we're right where we want to be."
Asked a few minutes later on what he can do to improve himself, Tannehill again turned to the long ball. "I think one of the things I hit on earlier, is deep balls, we had some opportunities there and we're really close, we just need to connect on those. Like I said, I think we're doing a decent job on third down, a decent job in the red zone, we can't let that slack off, we have to continue that. I think if we hit those deep balls, it would really open up a whole other part of our offense."
Obviously, things like wide receivers holding on to passes and the offensive line pass protecting better, but at least the idea of more long passes is there. Hopefully we will actually see it.
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