Dec
15
Quarterback: B+
I knocked Ryan Tannehill for a horrendous performance last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, but he answered back with a good performance against the Giants.
In this game we saw Tannehill use his legs to escape New York pressure. Sure, the Giants have a horrid pass rush and a horrid pass defense, but Monday night it was on Tannehill that he did not get sacked at all throughout the evening.
What held him back in the second half? Well, he still made some bad throws, especially his worst throw of the game to Jarvis Landry after a sequence where he looked stellar stepping up in the pocket and escaping the pocket. His wide receivers did him no favors, though, and his tight ends were a glaring issue throughout the evening.
In the end, Tannehill’s performance was good, but not great. He was a solid B-plus, but you need an A-plus quarterback in the NFL, especially when the team of players around you commit the dumb mistakes that they do. He didn’t lose the game, but he couldn’t win it either. Can he be an A-plus QB? I wouldn’t blame you if you had your doubts.
Running Backs: A-
The good with the running backs: Lamar Miller.
Miller had 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Jay Ajayi had 15 yards.
Combined number of carries: 17.
This was in a game where Miami was never more than one score away, and for most of the second half was either ahead or tied.
It was a bad job by the coaching staff, especially since he wasn’t hurt, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post: “Lamar Miller says he didn’t suffer an injury, his ankle was just getting taped. He doesn’t know why he didn’t get more second-half carries”
I’ll get to the coaching staff later.
Wide Receivers: C
I can’t say that a single wide receiver was good today—not even Jarvis Landry, despite his 11 catches for 99 yards. He was targeted 18 times, so the fact that he didn’t score a touchdown or at least get to 100 yards is irritating.
Many of the remaining receivers had a hand in dropping balls that should’ve been caught. However, Kenny Stills made the best catch of the night, a 47-yard touchdown pass, thanks in part to Tannehill’s wonderful throw.
Tight Ends: F
They can’t block; they can’t catch. What more is there to say about Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims? The sad part is, Tannehill and the Dolphins offense actually tried hard to get the tight ends involved.
Defensive Line: B-
Miami’s defensive line was extremely uneven on Monday.
At times it looked dominant, especially when stopping the run as it held the Giants to an average of 2.9 yards per carry.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t get to Eli Manning, which was primarily due to Manning’s mastery of the pocket. However, there were times when the defense couldn’t complete the sack even though Manning was in its grasp.
Linebackers: D
The Miami linebacking unit’s theme was missed tackles, as it has been all season long. It was a dreadful performance.
Defensive Backs: F
Nothing was more dreadful than the Miami defensive back’s performance—even eventual Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones.
Odell Beckham Jr. owned any cornerback the Dolphins threw at him, whether it was Brent Grimes, Jamar Taylor (referred to as “Jamar Fletcher” by Jon Gruden) or even Brice McCain.
It was an ugly performance that exposed a big concern Miami will have to address in the offseason.
Special Teams: A+
Matt Darr was spectacular, and the special teams did well on returns.
Coaching: F
Why did Lamar Miller only carry the ball 12 times? That along gives them an “F.”
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 4]
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.