Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
10 reasons Dolphins are struggling in ’17
Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase runs a fairly loose ship.
That works when you're winning. When you're not, you’re just an undisciplined team that’s heading nowhere.
The New England Patriots can effectively end Miami’s season Sunday, if they hand the Dolphins their fifth loss in a row. Losing in Foxboro for the ninth consecutive season would put Miami in a position where they need to win all five of the season’s final games to produce a winning season, which would keep the franchise’s faint playoff hopes alive.
The Dolphins desperately need to find their way and improve in all three phases to keep this from being a disappointing season in Year 2 under Gase. But considering very few of the team’s on-field issues have been fixed during from this drama-filled season, it might be too late for the Dolphins to get their act together.
Here are 10 reasons the Dolphins went from a playoff team 2016 to one that’s struggling in 2017:
No running game
Last year the Dolphins only produced six 100-plus yard rushing performances, but the team averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which ranked Miami 10th in the NFL. That was accomplished running behind Jay Ajayi. This year Miami is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and that has been consistent with, or without Ajayi, who was traded to Philadephia. Damien
Williams (3.8 yards per carry) and Kenyan Drake (5.5) need to deliver a steady diet of 4 to 5-yard runs because their three big runs the past three games has artificially boosted their averages.
Lackluster protection for quarterback
No matter who is behind center, Jay Cutler or Matt Moore, his health is at risk on every snap because of how soft Miami’s offensive line has been this season. Teams don’t even need to blitz to get steady pressure on the quarterback. Blame it on injuries to Ted Larsen, Ja’Wuan James, Anthony Steen, and now Jermon Bushrod all you’d like, but when healthy this unit has still been mediocre. The pressure they are allowing hasn’t resulted in a ton of sacks (18), especially lately, but it has nearly taken away Miami’s deep passing game with Cutler.
Third-down execution is inefficient
The Dolphins’ offense has sputtered on third downs this season, converting just 35.2 percent. Plenty of Miami’s problems on third downs are caused by penalties, which create unfavorable down-and-distance situations, many of which are third-and-7 or longer. But Dolphins’ receivers and tight ends aren’t doing a good enough job creating separation early in their routes, and have failed to produce a respectable amount of run-after-the-catch yards.
Dismal pass defense
There’s only one team in the NFL that’s allowing a higher passer rating to opposing quarterbacks this season, and that’s Oakland, which will need to overhaul their entire secondary this offseason. So what does that say about the Dolphins, who have produced only three interceptions all year, and are allowing opposing quarterbacks to produce a 104.1 passer rating. We can excuse Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley’s struggles on inexperience, but Vontae Davis and Sean Smith performed better as young players.
Minus-9 in turnover differential
The Dolphins’ defense has produced eight takeaways (three interceptions and five fumble recoveries) this season, and the offense has committed 17 turnovers (13 interceptions and four lost fumbles). Reshad Jones, who accounts for two of the team’s three interceptions and two fumbles, and Kiko Alonso, who has forced two fumbles, are the only defenders doing their part, and the end result is that only two teams (Denver and Cleveland) are worse than Miami in this critical stat.
NFL’s second-most penalized team
For the second consecutive season Gase is the leader of one of the NFL’s most undisciplined teams. The Dolphins were second in the league in penalties in 2016 with 131 — and tied for sixth in pre-snap penalties (46). This season, Miami is second in the league with 98 total penalties, and 33 of them are pre-snap penalties, which are avoidable.
Not enough big plays
Miami’s offense feasted on big plays last season, but since Cutler’s become the starting quarterback the Dolphins, who rank 30th in yards per game, have had to settle for checkdown specials. Cutler’s averaging 5.91 yards per attempt, which is a career low for this notorious gunslinger. Moore gets better results from Miami’s weapons (6.95 yards per attempt), but Dolphins’ coaches don’t trust Moore enough to hand him the keys to the offense, even when Cutler’s not completely healthy.
Slow starts
The Dolphins are averaging an NFL low five points a game in the first half, while allowing 13.4 points per to their opponents. So Miami has had to play catch-up in the second half. That’s been a consistent trend for the past two seasons, which means the coaching staff needs to do a better job with their scripted plays — usually the first 20 — and make teams adjust to them, and not vice versa. Always playing with a deficit is preventing this defense from playing to its strengths.
Defense has struggled in red zone
The Dolphins possess the NFL’s second-worst defense when it comes to red-zone performance. When teams get inside the 20, the Dolphins are allowing 70.4 percent of those 27 opportunities to turn into touchdowns. Only Cleveland has been worse, and that’s not the company anyone in the NFL wants to keep.
Poor money management
The Dolphins opened training camp with a treasure chest of cap space, but signing Cutler to his $10 million deal, extending T.J. McDonald’s contract, trading for Stephone Anthony ate up most of it. The Dolphins are projected to have $16.5 million in cap space next offseason, but only have 40 players under contract. That means Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier will have some belt tightening to do, and it might be at the expense of a few key players who will either be ask to take a pay cut or be released.