Which Unit will be better this year: Offense or Defense?

Last season the Defense started out very strong for Miami, but over the last 6 games, they collapsed like an elderly woman running a marathon in Death Valley. The Offense on the other hand was consistently decent for most of the year, however, they often had issues getting in rhythm in the first half of games, and scoring touchdowns in the RedZone.

There are many different ways to measure the success or failures of an offense and defense, however, I believe that the most important one is points scored and points allowed since the number of points is what determines if you win or lose each game. In regards to points allowed last season the Dolphins were ranked 20th in the league, allowing on average 23.3 points per game. (The best team in the league was Seattle, who allowed only 15.9 points per game.) On Offense the Dolphins were ranked 11th in the league, scoring on average 24.3 points per game. (The best team in the league was Green Bay, who scored 30.4 points per game.)

Obviously, if the Dolphins want to win more than 8 games this season, the best way to achieve that would be to increase the number of points they score each game and decrease the number of points they allow each game. On paper, both units appear improved, and most fans at the pay per head bookie service sites like AcePerHead.com would bet that they should be able to improve on both sides of the ball.

On offense, the Dolphins have brought in pass catchers that are more suited to the skill set and personality of Ryan Tannehill. In addition, Tannehill is in his second year in Bill Lazor’s offense and he already looks a lot more comfortable and sharper this off-season. When the Dolphins run the ball they have a stable of running backs that each provides another dimension to the offense. (Miller, Ajayi, Williams, and James.) The Dolphins were second best in the league last year in RedZone trips, however, they were middle of the road in converting those trips to Touchdowns. With the additions of players like Parker, Cameron, and Ajayi, they should help to improve the Dolphins touchdown ratio. So on paper, the Dolphins should have a better offense and more scoring power, however, the big wild card is the offense line, which is the glue that holds the offense together. The offense line has 2 big questions at the Guard positions, and their most important lineman, Albert is still limping his way back to health. Unfortunately, the Dolphins offense is going to live or die by the success or failure of their offensive line. If the offensive line can play well, then there is no reason why Miami’s offense can’t be a top 10 scoring offense, however, that is still a big IF.

On defense, the Dolphins have renovated their interior defensive line and signed two players from the Detroit Lions’ number 1 ranked run defense, Suh and Mosley, who should instantly improve the Dolphins’ run defense. There was not much change in the Dolphins starting linebacking unit because Misi and Jenkins are returning. The only real change was that McCain is in all likelihood going to be the starting outside Linebacker instead of the departed Wheeler. We all know that Wheeler was the biggest liability in the linebacking group last season, and McCain has a much higher ceiling, so this unit has the chance to be better than last year’s linebacking unit. In the back-end of the defense the Dolphins will still have Grimes, Delmas, and Jones, so they should continue to be able to anchor the pass defense. The biggest question mark is going to be from the cornerback position opposite of Grimes. The front runner is currently Jamar Taylor, and he flashed potential last year, but he was not as good as Finnegan. There could be a drop-off at that position from last year, and in a passing league, this could be the Achilles heel of the Dolphins defense. However, as a whole on paper, the Dolphins defense does appear improved. I believe that if the D-Line can be as dominant as advertised, then this will make the entire defense better.

In the NFL, the players playing in the trenches of the offensive and defensive line usually do not get as much recognition as the QB’s and the touchdown scorers, but they are the meat and potatoes of any team, and the level of play of those two units usually dictates how good or bad the offense or defense truly is. If Miami can get improved play from those two units, then the result should be a better overall offense and defense. Based on the importance of the two lines, I would say that the Dolphins defense can be the best unit of the Dolphins team because the D-line has the chance to be one of the best in the league, and the O-line is just hoping to at least be average. What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans think about which unit will be better this season, the Offense or the Defense?

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4 comments

  • Ralph

    I cannot understand why we are not even pursuing Evan Mathis
    Yes it puts a strain in our CAP next year but let’s be realistic next year we will loose one of our highly paid free agents and then there is the possibility we let one of those guys sign with another team who knows maybe Miller or Vernon or Taylor or another player, and that would open up the needed cap space
    Also we will have a few extra picks on the third round next year maybe as many as 3 extra picks, as compensation for the players we lost to free agency this year. That means we will be able to bring in fresh rookies to replace veterans and will have 6 picks in the first three rounds. We could trade one or two away to move up to the second round and have 2 picks in the second round thus increasing the odds that we get three starters in the draft next year. What that means is again maybe trading or cutting a veteran. Thus we would save lots more $$ and help the CAP
    So we should use the cash we have this year and sign Mathis now. It will help our offensive line tremendously.
    I for one continue to be afraid that our offensive line will not be elite if we stay put. Might not even be average. Imagine that that Albert gets hurt again with the personnel we have Ryan will be sacked 40 times and lead the NFL in sacks allowed.
    Yes our guards might turn out to be ok but it’s a gamble I would not take- but then again I am not the coach or GM
    God help us if tannehill leads the NFL in sacks allowed again – wha if he gets injured in one of those sacks – our year is over.
    Imagine Albert out for 6 or 8 games again this year, if so our OL has the potential to become again the worst in the league.
    There is no question our defensive line will be much better this year than the last few years.

    • Jimmy Bourbon

      I agree Ralph, now is not the time to worry about next year’s cap. Now we need to fix the Guard position, and there is a player out their in Mathis that is absolutely perfect for our team for many reasons. I also agree counting on Albert’s health is risk, because he has been injury prone and he still is far from 100% recoverd

  • Lemmus

    …its one thing to have better starters at several positions as the fins apparently do …its quite another to have depth at those positions …and that doesn’t look so good.

    …what happens if Albert goes down as he did last year? …how about Delmas? …etc, etc …we’re pretty thin at a number of key positions and the one certainty is that we will have injuries.

    …I think the starting offense and defense will both be top ten this year (betting they get the guards fixed) …but they were pretty good last year until the injuries hit and the team depth proved to be lacking.

    • Jimmy Bourbon

      Your right Lemmus, we got hit hard with the injury bug, and were never the same after that. However, that is football so who knows who will get injured this year. Like you said the talent has increased, but we still are thin in the depth department, which means any injury to a key player could prove disasterous