Now is not time to rest for Miami
Joe Schad DAVIE — Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell was one of the fifirst players out of the locker room at Buffffalo on Saturday, as he did not play due to an ankle injury.
A reporter waiting for the room to open suggested to Maxwell he should root for Kansas City on Christmas night.
“Maybe you can get an extra week of rest,” I said.
But then I thought more about it. I thought about if the now playoffff-bound Dolphins should “rest” or “shut down” any players whose bodies might benefifit from it in a playoffff game at Pittsburgh or Houston on Jan. 7 or 8. And I changed my mind. If Maxwell’s recovery puts him in a position that he would have played if this was Week 2 at New England, he should play Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium against the Patriots.
The same guideline should be used for offffffffffffensive tackle Branden Albert wrist), running back Jay Ajayi (shoulder), Jermon Bushrod (shoulder), DAVIE — A case can be made that what we have just witnessed is the most dizzying, unexpected swing in the history of the unpredictable Miami Dolphins. In a span of 70 days, they went from being a 4 team to a playoffff team.
The simplest explanation for how they did it is Jay Ajayi, because a guy clicking offff a few 200-yard rushing performances is as subtle as a freight train. But there’s more to it. Much more.
As we’ve often been reminded this season, coach Adam Gase likes to say the tape don’t lie. Well, neither do the numbers. And so a bunch of number-crunching — splitting the season between the first five games and the subsequent 9-1 run — vividly illustrates the complete nature of this turnaround.
How did the Dolphins get here? In a nutshell, by dictating the flflow of games, controlling the ball, passing less (but more effifficiently) and improving the pass defense (despite injuries to the secondary). By getting more out of Ryan Tannehill and Jarvis Landry at key times. By winning fifield- position battles. By dominating second halves. In short, by covering so many bases they were able to mask the fact that as impressive as their ground attack has been, they’re still getting hammered when the opposition runs the ball.
Given the wide range of numbers that have swung in their favor, it’s no surprise that victories have come in a myriad ways, ranging