How To Be Good

I tweeted yesterday that the Dolphins will likely get to claim the Number 1 ranking in run defense on Sunday as it would be tough for both the Ravens and the Steelers (the other teams virtually tied right now in top three) to hold their opponents to the number required to stay where they are (1. Ravens) or move up (3. Steelers).  Of course, that will only last a day, as the Dolphins will have just as hard a task of keeping the Jets dormant on the ground on Monday Night.

I bring this up because there's definitely a correlation between the top rushing average on offense and the 2nd best defense against the run.  Competition makes for better practice and performance and thus it's no surprise that the two aspects of the team's make-up is so strong.

And the same correlation goes in hand with the Passing game and the Pass Defense.  It's not a surprise that they are the two weakest elements of the team, having to practice against each other.  Now, with Chad Henne taking the lion's share of the practice reps I expect this to slowly but surely change.  The competition between Sean Smith and Vontae Davis during the pre-season got them ready to play in the NFL.  But now that it has been re-ignited, it could prove to be the catalyst for pro-bowl level performance.  I would suggest that Will Allen's sub-par play thus far this season is due to not only the weak competition at WR, but also the fact that his biggest competition on his side of the field is Nathan Jones.  

But a couple of things are likely to change our pass defense woes.  First, the rising stars of Brian Hartline and Patrick Turner, and secondly, the improved passing from Chad Henne.

In a way, they go hand in hand, because Henne has practiced pre-dominantly with Hartline and Turner for months before becoming the Dolphins starter. Turner has apparently started to turn it on, and why wouldn't he now that his 2nd team QB has been promoted?  How many of us have been stuck in a rut with the B team at one point in our lives, only to get motivated when one of our peers actually makes it out of that rut first?   There's no doubt, seeing Hartline and Henne rising to the top, has lit a fire in Turner to try to elevate his game also.  And Hartline has been steadily rising from day one.  He makes a lot of mistakes, but what rookie doesn't, and the fact he's getting the opportunities to make those mistakes shows how the coaches feel about him.  It's likely Hartline could be with this team longer than any other receiver on the current roster.  

But back to my main point, which is, the defense now will have to compete more against the different receivers, taking more shots downfield, faster passes, different QB, etc.  It will force them to up their game in practice.  I'm a firm believer in the 'Practice Hard - Play Hard' motto.  The faster and more challenging the practice, the more likely the team is going to be able to go into the actual game in full-speed mode.

So while it's unlikely we can get our passing game rankings in the top 10 or 15 by season's end, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up a respectable 'somewhere in the middle' (i.e. 15 through 20) . If we keep on playing the run the way we have, we should end up in top 5 or 10 both rushing and stopping the run.  But it's early yet.  Lets work on it in practice.