To quote the great late Denny Green the Dolphins were who we thought they were. Or, we should have known who they were. I’ll admit, even I thought this team had a different vibe to them. The way they been pushing people around defensively to how fast they were playing on offense this year I actually had the thought that this Miami team would actually compete with New England and hold their own. I now realize that I must have been under some sort of spell to think that this Miami team was any different than any other Dolphin’s team I’ve ever seen and the only way to break myself out of that spell was to witness Miami get taken on a stroll to the wood shed. Fortunately, reflecting deeply on the Dolphins has allowed my rage to subside and I can calmly write this blog. Let us all take a deep breath and clear our minds. See, we can move on as long as we move on together.

1. A great dad joke here would be “would the real Miami Dolphins please stand up.” That’s good for a couple of laughs. But, for us completely tortured Miami fans, there’s nothing funny about what happened yesterday. The Dolphins showed you who they are. They showed everyone that when they play a team that’s actually good and there’s some stakes on the line like a bigger lead in the AFC East, 2-0 in the division and the chance for the country to say “you know the Dolphins aren’t that bad” that they don’t just rise to the occasion. That they look like a team that wanted absolutely to be somewhere else. This is who they’v been for my entire life. Not really any real significant wins against teams who are good. And they don’t just lose, they get obliterated to the point that you can’t recognize the team. I wrote in my 5 goals blog this weekend that Miami needed to punch back when New England predictably strikes first. Instead of punching back, Miami hid in the corner. Not only did Miami not punch back, but they let the Patriots continue to punch them over and over again, which is a very poor strategy to have when going into a fight.

2. Many Dolphin’s fans actually wonder out loud to other people on this planet, why the media always always laugh at this team and pick them to never win anything. My response to them has always been why would anyone with a brain ever think anything different when this is what always happens when the Dolphins are in a big game? I’ll begrudgingly follow this team into the dark, but I know full well that eventually I’m going to fall off a cliff into a pit of despair.

3. Pretty good job of stopping the Patriots on their opening drive and holding them to just 3 points after they got the ball to the 3. Miami punted, and New England got the ball down close and the defense held them. It felt good to do that.

4. It was only 3-0 after the first quarter. Let that sink in if there’s any more room in your body that’s not already filled with woe, anger, fear and jealousy.

5. The offensive line got whopped all damn day specifically when they were run blocking. We knew they weren’t the most dominant unit on the team especially with Sitton being done for the year but holy hell I didn’t think they were this inept at executing anything that could be called a running play. Miami ran the ball collectively 18 times for a staggering 56 yards. I also think it’s fair to say that going forward running out of the gun might not be the best option for Miami. This unit simply can’t create any holes and with the RB not really getting a running start when getting the ball, it’s creating to many no gains or negative plays. Things get even worse for the Dolphins o-line with the news about Kilgore…

Not great considering that Ja’waun James left the game due to an injury. Not sure what the Dolphins are going to do in regard to bringing in some guys just to add depth but it’s safe to say that the depth that was behind Miami’s starters are not going to cut it. Larsen and Swanson are going to get abused.

6. I realize the game got out of hand, but 3 carries for Kenyan Drake seems a bit low. That’s 8 carries in the last 2 games. I said last week that this whole not getting Drake involved smelled a lot like Lamar Miller. Now it’s starting to stink like Jay Ajayi. I’m just waiting to start hearing reports that Gase and Drake had words or something like that. Gase fanciest himself some kind of an offensive guru so I’d have to think a way to make things easier for him is to get a play maker like Drake involved. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think I am unless there’s something happening behind the scenes. Doesn’t make any sense for him to be used so infrequently.

7. The first TD by the Patriots, as much as I hated it, as much as my initial reaction that it was an illegal pick play was actually a legal pick play.

Article 4 of the NFL Rule Book “Other Prohibited Acts by the Offense. Blocking more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a pass being thrown is offensive pass interference.”

James White came down the line, one yard of the line of scrimmage without using his arms and got in the way of the CB thus leaving Patterson wide open. We all say the Pats are breaking the rules on those plays. Well on this one, it was very legal, and I hate it because Miami doesn’t have the brain power to run a play like that. That’s what I hate the most.

8. However, the refs flagged Miami on two illegal contact calls on 3rd downs that extended drives for the Pats. There was hardly any contact and the little that there was deemed illegal. Garbage calls. Garbage calls that an average team like Miami can overcome very often.

9. I think we can pump the brakes on Tannehill and his numbers he’s put up this year because I don’t think 11-20 for a cool 100 yards is very good. I said last week that we had to curb our enthusiasm on his stats from last week because two of his scores and 95 of his 289 were on 13-inch flips of the ball. Oh, and that completion % and being 4th in the league with it. You know what another stat Ryan is up there in? Most completions that only go 1-3 yards. Everyone wants to crush Landry for having so many catches for such a little number of yards, me included. Well, the same has to be said about Ryan. The Patriots came out and pressed covered the life out of the receivers, who couldn’t get open ever. I also think that the o-line did an adequate job of pass blocking and yet Tannehill couldn’t find anyone. What’s also telling is this line from Gase…

So, what you’re saying is that Amendola and Grant all day were open and the ball wasn’t getting thrown in their direction and it appeared that the line gave the QB time to make those throws. That’s interesting. I’m sure this won’t turn into a thing that will explode all over the place. All I’m saying is that it’s a funny world out there and Gase is probably smart enough to have the thought that he’s never actually brought in his kind of QB to run his offense. That’s what I’d be telling Ross when he talks to me. I’d lead out with that.

10. The #FreeGesicki movement is still fighting the good fight but it doesn’t appear that any of the Dolphin’s staff really much care for us. Whatever. That’s not going to stop us from supporting our guy.

11. Miami’s d-line was nonexistent. They got zero sacks on Brady with just about zero ounces of pressure on him. He had all day to throw. They also gave up 175 yards on the ground, 112 of them to a rookie in his 3rd game. The injuries to Hayes and Spence really took a toll on that unit. Charles Harris not living up to that 1st rd. pick that was used on him is not helping. It’s probably still a bit early to call him a flat out bust but why would I think he’ll turn it around any time soon? I haven’t really seen any flashes of a guy who can be more than a rotational DE.

12. McMillan and Baker are not getting the job done. They’re both dissecting plays to slowly for what the positions require and when they get even a finger put on them from an offensive linemen or FB, that’s it. They’re getting blocked. Just watch this montage of Sony Michel’s career day. The d-line also is big part of the problems that occurred.

Both very young guys that have  a lot of opportunity to get better. But honestly, McMillan just looks like a guy that’s just okay. So does Baker. The LBs a collective hole also had a predictably tough time guarding James White. Me and probably every other person who writes about the Dolphins said they had to know where White was because one of the aspects of the Patriot offense is throwing to the backs. White had 8 catches for 68 and a TD. Seemed like every 3rd down they went to him and the got it. Wish Matt Burke saw that coming.

13. The Patriots used FB Pat Devlin so well that he might of just put FBs back on the map. The guy tooled Dolphin LBs all day. Go figure that one of the best teams in the league can use a position that’s pretty much been frozen out of the league and use it successfully.

14. So typical that of the Dolphins to give up a TD that looks like this…

This was so Miami it hurt me in ways I can’t understand. It brought me back to that time Brett Favre in a Jets jersey late in a game on a 4th and forever from the Dolphin’s 25 threw a ball straight up in the air and the ball fell back the endzone and somehow Jeremy Kerley caught it with no one around. It didn’t make sense then and it doesn’t make any sense now. But yesterday’s play just goes to show you that if it’s really stupid and shouldn’t happen the Dolphins will go the extra mile and make it a reality.

15. All things considered, I thought the Dolphins secondary played alright. A few drives were extended because of some garbage calls and the defense had to respect the run all day because they couldn’t stop it. All that and they played well enough to win as long as everything else played well, which none of the other aspects of the team did. It didn’t help that Reshad Jones was a late scratch. I can’t express enough just how much trouble this team is in if Jones is out for a while. He does so much. Especially with McCain sustaining an injury that will keep him out for a few weeks. Sucks on many levels but I thought McCain was having a terrific start to the year. He had a beautiful INT early in the game and it just seemed like he was trending in the direction of having a very good year.

It was nice to see Minkah have a solid game and cap it off with his first pick.

16. You want a stat that will make you feel like the Dolphins are screwed? Here’s one

17. Hey Danny Amendola, welcome to this side of the Dolphins/Patriots rivalry.

18. Matt Haack, the potential MVP so far on this team, had a bad game. He shanked a few punts which led to not winning the field position battle. Again, like many aspects in football like penalties, injuries and getting bad calls, this team isn’t good enough to over come bad special teams.

18. You want a stat that just a bit weird? Jason Sanders has only attempted 2 FGs this season. Both were in the opening week.

20. Kallen Ballage had his first carry of his career. So, there’s that

Self-Actualization- Not a good feeling right now. Not a good one at all. Sure, you can and I will say that Miami is still leading the AFC East at 3-1 and that there is still a lot of football to be played. We can go the glass half full route if you’d like. But with all the injuries that are piling up and the fact that the offense has no identity of what they want to accomplish, it’s hard to say that this team is going to get anything of merit accomplished this year. But, it’s the AFC and there is no dominate team. Maybe others can take out the Patriots for us and Miami can beat the elite of the conference like Kansas City, Baltimore (yeah right), Jacksonville. Seems like this Miami team can’t do any of that, but I suppose it’s possible.

Sucks that this Miami team won’t be joining the 1972 Dolphins as the other undefeated team. That would have been nice. Oh well, more champagne for those guys.

We’re onto Cincinnati in what seems like a must win game or at the least a must show up game. I hope they just don’t get blown out. I’m tired of seeing this team lose via destroying’s. I don’t like it.

Worst part about all of this is I should have known better. Should of trust my instincts and not get distracted by team photos following TDs and mid-play high fives. Should have been better than that.

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