The best game of the past weekend was the Saints’ amazing come-from-behind win against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have played two of the best teams in the NFL (Colts and Saints) head to head, and they were in control and actually appeared like the better team at times during each game.
APRonnie Brown
On Sunday, the Dolphins built a 24-3 lead in the first half by only throwing the ball ten times. But in the second half with the lead, when the number one running team in the NFL should take over, they actually threw the ball 26 times. Does it make sense that the team that prides itself on being able to run the ball on eight and nine-man fronts gets a commanding three-touchdown lead (then a two-touchdown lead before the start of the second quarter) and actually throws the ball more with the lead? Was it the lack of the running game or was it the fact they scored too quick? Let’s take a look:
Miami Dolphins at 15:00, (1st play from scrimmage 14:54)
1-10-MIA 17 (14:54) R.Williams right tackle to MIA 16 for -1 yards (R.Harper, R.Ayodele).
2-11-MIA 16 (14:17) C.Henne pass incomplete short right to J.Haynos.
3-11-MIA 16 (14:10) C.Henne pass deep left intended for T.Ginn INTERCEPTED by D.Sharper (T.Porter) at MIA 42. D.Sharper for 42 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Miami challenged the ruling and the play was upheld. (Timeout #1 at 13:56.)
Miami Dolphins at 13:56, (1st play from scrimmage 13:50)
1-10-MIA 23 (13:50) C.Henne sacked at MIA 16 for -7 yards (T.Hargrove).
2-17-MIA 16 (13:21) C.Henne pass short right to B.Hartline pushed ob at MIA 25 for 9 yards (J.Greer).
3-8-MIA 25 (12:46) (Shotgun) C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to B.Hartline (R.Harper).
4-8-MIA 25 (12:40) (Punt formation) B.Fields punts 46 yards to NO 29, Center-J.Denney. R.Bush to NO 35 for 6 yards (R.Torbor).
APDarren Sharper
Miami Dolphins at 10:02
1-10-MIA 20 (10:02) R.Brown left end pushed ob at MIA 26 for 6 yards (D.Sharper).
2-4-MIA 26 (9:36) Direct Snap to #23 R. Brown (Shotgun) R.Brown right tackle to MIA 28 for 2 yards (D.Sharper, J.Dunbar).
3-2-MIA 28 (8:55) Direct Snap to #23 R. Brown (Shotgun) R.Brown right tackle to MIA 29 for 1 yard (J.Vilma).
4-1-MIA 29 (8:23) (Punt formation) B.Fields punts 51 yards to NO 20, Center-J.Denney. R.Bush to NO 21 for 1 yard (V.Davis).
Miami Dolphins at 7:17
1-10-NO 15 (7:17) R.Williams left end to NO 11 for 4 yards (S.Shanle).
2-6-NO 11 (6:42) Direct Snap to #23 R. Brown (Shotgun) R.Brown right end pushed ob at NO 15 for -4 yards (T.Hargrove).
3-10-NO 15 (6:09) C.Henne pass incomplete short right to R.Williams.
4-10-NO 15 (6:04) (Field Goal formation) D.Carpenter 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-J.Denney, Holder-B.Fields.
NO 17 MIA 27, 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:18 drive, 9:01 elapsed
D.Carpenter kicks 60 yards from MIA 30 to NO 10. C.Roby to NO 18 for 8 yards (E.Walden).
Miami Dolphins at 1:09, (1st play from scrimmage 1:04)
1-10-MIA 29 (1:04) C.Henne pass incomplete short left to J.Haynos [W.Smith].
2-10-MIA 29 (:59) C.Henne pass short left to B.Hartline to NO 4 for 67 yards (T.Porter). P11
APRicky Williams
1-4-NO 4 (:07) Direct Snap to #34 R. Williams (Shotgun) R.Williams left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. R12
(Kick formation) D.Carpenter extra point is GOOD, Center-J.Denney, Holder-B.Fields.
NO 24 MIA 34, 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:06 drive, 14:57 elapsed
Miami Dolphins at 13:23
1-10-MIA 20 (13:23) C.Henne pass incomplete deep right to D.Bess (J.Greer).
2-10-MIA 20 (13:17) C.Henne pass incomplete short right to D.Bess (J.Greer).
3-10-MIA 20 (13:12) (Shotgun) C.Henne pass incomplete deep middle to T.Ginn.
4-10-MIA 20 (13:05) (Punt formation) B.Fields punts 44 yards to NO 36, Center-J.Denney. R.Bush to NO 40 for 4 yards (N.Jones).
Miami Dolphins at 8:35
1-10-MIA 20 (8:35) C.Henne pass incomplete short middle to J.Haynos (W.Smith) [W.Smith].
2-10-MIA 20 (8:30) Direct Snap to #23 R. Brown (Shotgun) R.Brown pass incomplete deep left to A.Fasano.
3-10-MIA 20 (8:21) (Shotgun) C.Henne pass incomplete short left to B.Hartline.
4-10-MIA 20 (8:15) (Punt formation) B.Fields punts 55 yards to NO 25, Center-J.Denney. R.Bush to NO 34 for 9 yards (C.Wake).
APChad Henne
With the lead to start the second half, the Dolphins come right out and throw the ball, thus resulting in a sack which puts them behind in the down and distance, and then forces them to make more throws. Keep in mind had Ted Ginn actually caught the third down pass, or even put his hands in the correct position to make the play, the Dolphins would not have turned the ball over.
Playing the Saints is like golfing with Tiger Woods. You watch him tee off and hit the ball 1000 miles down the middle and all of a sudden, you get the urge to try and kill the ball. With the Saints, watching them execute the passing game is fun to watch, but you can never lose sight of what is the strength of your own team. Clearly the Dolphins got away from their running game and put too much burden on a young quarterback and wide receivers that are not consistent catching the ball.
Of the six first down calls before they fell behind, the Dolphins ran the ball three times gaining nine yards and threw the ball three times gaining a minus-seven yards. So what happened?
Well, the Saints have some very smart coaches on their side of the field and Gregg Williams and the defensive staff attacked the edges of the Dolphins offense with their secondary, forcing the Dolphins to be an inside run team. They did a very good job of not allowing their defense to be stretched horizontally, which then creates the lanes for the Wildcat to best function.
Think of the old video we all have seen of former Packers coach Vince Lombardi teaching where he wants to run his famous power sweep. His words: “We want to create a lane here and a lane there for the back to operate”. The Wildcat is the offense before the power sweep. Instead of the quarterback running the ball on the edge with a lead blocker, the sweep was put in place to remove the quarterback, and pull the guard to create the same kind of run.
The lesson the Dolphins have to learn from this loss is their offense must always protect their defense—and they must control the clock. Building a lead without consuming the time of possession may have put the Dolphins in front by a large margin, but it never put them in position to win the game in the style they need. The Dolphins scored 28 points using nine plays—which for them might be great on paper, and it’s hard to not take the points, but it put their defense in a dangerous spot to have to consistently defend the Saints’ offense.
Miami must win on first down and be in a very manageable down and distance on third down, which allows their running game to be a factor. Their run game is a huge factor on third down especially when they are in 3rd and five or less. When the Fins cannot control the clock and win on third down—and most importantly play their signature style—they will struggle to beat any team, let alone the great teams of the 2009 NFL.
Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi
Mike I can't tell you how refreshing it is to hear someone say "the Saints have some very smart coaches on their side of the field". My Dad had season tickets while I was growing up. From the early 80's to the late 90's. I got to see the Bum Phillips years and the Jim Mora years. Then I got to experience the Mike Ditka era. Not once, never, ever, have I ever heard any one say "the Saints have some very smart coaches on their side of the field", until now. And to hear you say it makes it even more monumental.
Who Dat!
I thought it was:
(Lombardi @ chalk board)
"We want to get a seal here, and a seal here, and run the ball through the alley."
Great column anyway. That was a fun game to watch.
I respect your detailed evaluation of this. I always do give a great value to the Tavern Talk as a source of information. That said, I watched that very entertaining game and I increasingly arrived at a conclusion that just continuously emerged over the course of that contest: Ted Ginn Jr was the principle component in that defeat.
I accept the limitations of the playcalling allowing the Saints all the time they needed to come back and win, but if Ginn catches the balls thrown his way with comparable abilities to any of the FOUR primary Saints WRs, the Dolphins win that game. That is what I believe, though it makes nary a difference whatsoever what I believe.
This week we've seen at least two teams losing almost won games by completely forget the core of their offense. As Lombardi explained to us, the Dolphins completely lost control of the rythm of the game and tryed to win a full throttle game vs the Saints without having the talent and personel both on offense and defense. In a similar way, the Vikings lost to Pittsburgh mainly because they deceided to forget that they've the best runner in the league and one of the best running O-line. To make your 40years old qb throw 51 times vs the Steelers is just brainless, even if that qb is Favre. The peak of this dull strategy was their first and goal on the one yard line when they tryed TWO play actions while having Adrian Peterson in the backfield and the best O-line duo in Hutchinson and McKinnie...
what happened to conredge collins ?
Stop the dive play on the WildCat, because it means the the decision maker isn't a pure passer.
Williams stopped the dive and moved people around enough to muddy the hot and early reads. Suddenly the guy is holding the ball for a dive that isn't there.
Both the Indy loss and Saints loss can be attributed to dropped passes. We can talk about 100 other things, but if the fins receivers catch the catchable passes thrown to them, we win both those games and are 4-2 instead of 2-4. Simple enough, really. All the other stuff is academic. If you are paid to catch the football, it is not too much to ask that you catch the football, especially when it hits you in the hands. (Think Braylon Edwards all world catch in Fins-Jets game 2 weeks ago.)
| powered by TheSeats.com |
No one knows the future, but one...
Unconventional thinking, plus...
Questions and thoughts about the...
Super Bowl thoughts: Freeney,...
Is Browns GM serious about Tebow?...
Oct 27, 2009
11:21 PM
I would love to hear the Dolphins' staff explain why they did what they did. Did they really expect to win a shootout with the Saints?
BTW, that would be the same Gregg Williams who was Head Coach in Waiting for the Gibbs 2.0 Redskins until something went wrong in the interview process with Snyder. Bet Snyder would love a mulligan on that one.