Patriots 2014 Opponents, 5 First Impressions of the Dolphins
 Logan Ryan sacks Miami QB Ryan Tannehill during a 2013 meeting in New England. (USA TODAY Images) |
The New England Patriots open the season on Sunday in South Florida for a divisional game against the Miami Dolphins. Game time is slotted for 1 p.m. and will be televised locally on CBS.
Something we did at PatsFans.com last season that we’ll continue with this year is a quick look at the opposition (Our 5 First Impressions) and then followed later in the week by a key matchup look at each team and who has the “Razor’s Edge” in each phase of the game. Look for our “Razor’s Edge” piece on Thursday.
The Patriots (12-4 in 2013) come in with a healthy Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo, three keys pieces to the team that were missing for most of last season. The team added WR Brandon LaFell in the off-season to bolster the wide receiving corps and traded just a week ago for TE Tim Wright who should become a nice weapon for the offense in the red zone.
But the biggest additions for the team come on defense, the Pats added CBs Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (suspended first 4 games) in the off-season which immediately upgrades New England’s secondary and gives them unprecedented depth at the corner position.
The Dolphins survived the turmoil of the Richie Icognito – Jonathan Martin saga with a coaching staff that pulled the team together but went a disappointing 8-8. Late season losses to the Bills and Jets ruined a shot at a playoff spot but the team is looking forward.
Miami has an entirely new revamped offensive line (LT Brandon Albert, RT Ja’Wuan James) and also added some nice pieces to the offense bringing in Knowshon Moreno as well as drafting WR Jarvis Landry. The secondary got a boost with the addition of CB Cortland Finnegan. The advent of the up-tempo offense coupled with a strong defensive line has Miami thinking they could vault themselves into playoff contention.
Here are Five First Impressions of the Dolphins:
Defensive Line is Strength of this Team: For the past few years, Miami has had a very stout defensive line and this year’s squad is no exception. Every conversation about Miami’s defense starts with the explosive Cameron Wake but he’s joined by the equally productive Olivier Vernon giving the Dolphins outstanding disruption on the edge. Dion Jordan will miss this game while serving a league mandated suspension.
They will be looking to disrupt the timing of Tom Brady’s passing and force him into making mistakes. Miami has always given Brady a tough time and in the first meeting of 2013, Brady was held to 116 yards passing, getting sacked three times. In New England’s last 13 games in Miami, they are only 7-6.
The inside of the Dolphins defensive line consisting of Randy Starks and Jared Odrick should be of considerable concern for New England this week as the Pats have a new interior OL and have had trouble with this duo in the past.
With the Patriots looking to remain balanced in their offensive attack, it will be no easy task to run on this group although they did a decent job of it in 2013. In two games the Patriots ran 59 times for 248 yards and two rushing TDs. This battle will definitely be one of the keys on Sunday.
The Dolphins Offense Wants to Push the Tempo: Miami is looking to emulate the Eagles’ offense of Chip Kelly by going up-tempo in 2014. New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor came over from Philly where he got a great season out of QB Nick Foles. Now he hopes to do the same thing with third year QB Ryan Tannehill.
They’ve shown only brief glimpses of it during the pre-season but have made it clear that they plan to show more of their cards once the season starts on Sunday. With the Patriots having to contend with a speeded up game as well as the stifling, steamy conditions in South Florida in September, the plan is to wear down New England.
Lazor’s offense is built to do just that, Miami likes to work in the intermediate area between the hashmarks and with Wallace and now with the rookie Landry, have the weapons to stretch the field and keep defenses guessing.
The RB Starter Is Moreno: The training camp battle to be the starter in the Dolphins backfield has been won by Knowshon Moreno who came over from the Denver Broncos. In his first pre-season action against the Dallas Cowboys in what is generally thought to be the tune-up for the regular season, Moreno carried 10 times for 64 yards and looked impressive.
Incumbent Lamar Miller has been under increasing scrutiny and hasn’t been effective as Moreno this summer. In 2013, Miller gained over 700 yards rushing and had a 4.0 average but 140 of those yards or nearly 20 percent came on just four carries. The rest of the season he averaged around 3.3 yards per carry. Some of that can be attributed to the poor play of the offensive line last year, but some of it has to fall on Miller’s shoulders. Now, he’ll come in to spell Moreno but for the time being he is no longer the go-to guy.
New OL But the Edges Are Better: After seeing QB Tannehill sacked an NFL leading 58 times in 2013, something had to be done. The first move was to bring in LT Brandon Albert from the KC Chiefs. He’s been solid throughout the summer and brings a needed measure of protection on Tannehill’s blindside. Right tackle Ju’Wuan James was drafted in the first round (19th pick) in the 2014 NFL Draft from the University of Tennessee. He’s stepped in and been a starter since OTAs.
Like New England, Miami has questions on the interior of the OL where C Mike Pouncey is recovering from off-season surgery and they have some different faces. Samson Satele, will fill in for Pouncey and Daryn Colledge and DallasThomas are the guards.
With an entirely new slate on the offensive line it may take some time for the unit to truly gel together, especially when using the up-tempo game. But the Patriots defense like Miami’s may choose to attack the passing game through the interior of the offensive line.
Tannehill Will Ultimately Decide How Far Miami Goes: The Dolphins have assembled a nice group of targets around QB Ryan Tannehill. They have Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, newcomer Jarvis Landry along with TE Charles Clay and Moreno out of the backfield; they have plenty of wealth to spread it around.
New Offensive Coordinator Lazor wants Tannehill to make quick decisions, get the ball out quickly and spread it around wearing down the opposition and then pounding the ball with Moreno and Miller to close out games.
They’ve certainly spent the money at wide receiver and now the ball is in Tannehill’s court. He’s has the confidence of the coaches and his teammates, who are convinced that the offense will “light it up” in 2014.
But against a generally poor defensive team in the Dallas Cowboys in the Dolphins “dress rehearsal” game, Tannehill was not at his sharpest and made some poor throws and decisions. Overall he finished 13 of 20 for 119 yards and one interception. If Miami is going to threaten New England seriously for the division, it will require Tannehill taking the next step. And Sunday is a perfect opportunity to do so…
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.
