FAIRCHILD: Blame the Offensive Line

Monday, September 20, 2004
Damon Fairchild
MDBW Staff Writer

Some may look at these numbers (21.39.218.1.2-6) and figure them to be the real reason for the Dolphins inability to score. A.J. Feeley's stat line this week was all too similar to last week's, but is not the true reason for this year's 0-2 start. Not even his 2nd interception returned for a TD in two weeks can claim credit for the loss, but a look at A.J.'s numbers in conjunction with those this article started with will give an answer that is quite clear. Maybe the Dolphin QB's aren't good, but are Lamar Gordon, Travis Minor, and Sammy Morris really that bad? Lamar averaged a civilian like 1.25 yards per carry last night against a Cincinnati defense that allowed Curtis Martin to run for almost 200 last week. Did they improve that much in one week? Of course not, what really happened was nothing. Nothing improved on the Miami offensive line and the source of not all, but the majority of the Dolphin's problems became painfully apparent as A.J. Feeley was sacked twice and pressured all night long.

John Tait, Damien Woody, Damien McIntosh, and Vernon Carey. Two All-Pros who got away, one man recovering from surgery and at least to this point, a first round flop. According to many, the number one need for the Dolphins this past off-season was not related to the man taking snaps , but rather the line blocking for him. Failed attempts to land a couple of All-Pros left the Dolphins searching for someone to fill the gaps left from last year and to open holes this year. Jeno James is the only off-season acquired lineman to play steady while Wade Smith, the only returning starter from last years squad, has been all but awful. Anybody other than die hard Dolfans ever heard of Taylor Whitely before this year? Ever wonder why the Rams let John St. Clair go?

Too many projects. Too many hopes rather than justifiable confidence. The source of such terrible numbers starts right up front. It wouldn't matter if Mike Vick was at QB or Edge at RB, this team would struggle to rush for over 100 yards many times this year. Don't expect to see much out of the passing game either. Teams are going to continue to blitz like crazy until the Dolphins make them pay for it. Randy McMichael will keep on throwing fits on the sidelines and Chris Chambers will not have his first pro-bowl year unless this line evolves.

The answer? Of course I have to offer a solution. First, Damien McIntosh has to get healthy. When he does he will more than likely replace Wade Smith who has been a big disappointment this year. Dolphin coaches had hoped he would be much improved, but has lacked the necessary quickness and footwork to protect Jay or A.J.'s back sides. Second, Center Seth McKinney has to do a better job of recognizing blitzes and making proper line calls. Don't believe that Tony Wise has done such a poor job of coaching these guys that they are just idiots. They depend on Seth more that you might think and his improvement in this area is critical. Third, Vernon Carey needs to get used to the speed of the NFL game and the strength of NFL defensive linemen, so that he can replace either John St. Clair or Taylor Whitely. Neither has a strong pedigree and are at best questionable starters in the NFL. Finally, until then, the Dolphins are going to have to max protect, throw the ball more, but try doing it out of 2 receiver sets. They need to keep at least 1 back in for pass protection and 2 if Randy is running a pattern.

No, 0-2 is not the end of the world, but is surely will make things tougher down the road. The defense has played wonderfully and has only given up 1 TD in 2 games. Expect that trend to continue, thus keeping the Phins in games, but don't expect the results to be much different until the line starts both pass and run blocking. A.J. threw nice balls, for the most part, when given time and Randy and Chris could finally show the rest of the league how good they really are if given time to get into their routes. Marty Booker has been a pro-bowl receiver, so we know he can produce at the highest level. Let's hope this line gets it together so that those 3 guys can improve the box score and the final on the scoreboard.