Dismal season shakes team to its core
Year 2 under Gase calls everything into question about future.
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — As awful as the Miami Dolphins had played, as many yards as they had allowed, as many receivers had run free and penalties had been committed, as many fake punts the New England Patriots had converted, they actually had a chance.
The Dolphins trailed the Patriots by 11 points and field
position was good and Matt Moore was under center and maybe, just maybe, he could pull off the type of fourth-quarter miracle that seemed to occur so naturally and often last season.
The 2017 Miami Dolphins are not the 2016 Miami Dolphins.
And so on back-to-back snaps, Moore was obliterated.
Moore was sacked seven times Sunday. On this first down, a linebacker named Elandon Roberts ran through the middle of Miami’s offensive line, completely untouched. On second down, a defensive end named Kyle Van Noy beat Miami’s right guard on his way to Moore.
“It’s hard when you’re going backwards,” Moore said after this 35-17 loss.
And this is the grand con-
cern. The Miami Dolphins have lost five consecutive games to fall to 4-7.
Miami coach Adam Gase is 14-14 in the 28 games he’s coached, including a playoff loss at Pittsburgh last season. And so, the question must be asked, is Miami right back where they started, when Gase took over?
Or even worse, are they going backwards?
“I can’t comment on step backs,” Dolphins captain Michael Thomas said. “I don’t want to compare this year’s team to last year’s team. We talk about talent and how much talent we have back this year and we should automatically be better. You still have to go work. You still have to go win those games. Last year’s team was built differently than how this team is built.
Last year we had issues. This year we have our own issues.”
Last year, Miami found a way to overcome its issues. This year, Miami repeats and compounds its issues again and again.
The mistakes build upon themselves, leaving the players and coaches to generate the same awful, stale responses that losing teams regurgitate so often.
They have to check the film. They have to correct their mistakes. They have to iron things out. They’re self-inflicted wounds.
These are things stated by the Dolphins of old. These are things repeated by Dolphins now.
One year ago, it seemed like Miami had found all the answers. One year later, it seems like so many of those questions are questions once again.
Gase brought back players like Kenny Stills, Andre Branch, Kiko
Alonso and Jermon Bushrod because he wanted to build on what Miami had accomplished last season with a 10-6 record and unlikely playoff appearance.
But it would be hard to say the Dolphins are building on what they did last season. If anything, this team has been shaken back to its foundation.
And it’s been all aspects — offense, defense and special teams.
Zero points against the Saints and Ravens. Six points against the Jets. Three points through three quarters at New England on Sunday.
The defense?
Complete regression. After five straight strong weeks to start the season, six consecutive disasters.
More than 1,600 yards allowed in the past four games.
Tom Brady didn’t need to play quarterback for the Patriots. Scott Zolak could have completed four touchdowns against that Dolphins defense.
Coverage busts. Players running wide open. Completely wide open.
“We can’t make those mistakes and allow those big plays,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “Some of those plays we can’t recover from. You give Tom Brady chunks like that and he’s going to capitalize.”
And special teams? What a slap in the face that Bill Belichick and the Patriots ran a fake punt from their own 27-yard line just 48 seconds into a scoreless game.
What does that say about Belichick’s lack of respect for the Dolphins’ ability to consistently score or stop the score? Jjust like the Dolphins, Belichick checks the tape.
How demoralizing is this losing streak?
“Losing is not fun,” McDonald said. “It’s not going to stop on its own. The fire is not going to stop burning. We have to put it out.”
The 2016 Miami Dolphins won close games, overachieved, won in dramatic fashion and, in general, endeared themselves to the South Florida community, which rightly felt that in Gase, they had found their long-term coach of the future.
This is not to suggest Gase is not the Dolphins’ long-term coach of the future.
However, the 2017 Miami Dolphins have been boring, have underachieved, have lost in awful fashion, and, in general, contributed to nausea and dismay.
Does a 4-7 record align with the talent in this room, Jarvis Landry?
“It doesn’t,” Landry said Sunday.
The Dolphins have turned the ball over, committed too many penalties, shown a lack of discipline, struggled to protect and to pressure, and for the love of Don Shula, can anyone cover a tight end?
This Dolphins team isn’t making the playoffs.
e they were never going to make the playoffs after Ryan Tannehill went down. Maybe his return spearheads a turnaround in 2018. Maybe this is all a stroke of good luck, and the Dolphins land a franchise-anchoring star with a Top 10 pick in the next NFL draft.
All those things you loved about the Dolphins last season?
“This year, we just haven’t found our stride,” center Mike Pouncey said. “It’s just unacceptable.”
Unacceptable, yes.
But is it a significant step back?