Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Pennington wins Comeback Player of the Year


The Associated Press has named Chad Pennington the Comeback Player of the Year.

It really is quite amazing to see how quickly Pennington took control of this team after being tossed out of New York barely a month before the season began. He was voted a captain from the outset, and his play never faltered. This all, of course, happened not even a year after being benched in New York in favor of Kellen Clemens.

This is Pennington's second Comeback Player of the Year award. He just has that drive to succeed that few players in the league possess.

Chad received 19 of 50 votes for the award, with Kerry Collins and Jake Delhomme each receiving 6.

Joey Porter and Ronnie Brown also garnered some votes with 3 and 1 votes respectively.

Way to go Chad!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

How good are the Ravens?

As we all get ready for Sunday's playoff game in Miami, I wanted to look at the matchup against the Ravens the second time around.

Here's an email I received from a reader:
Just how good are the Ravens? Can the Dolphins score enough points against that tough Ravens defense to move to the next level in the post season?

Before I look at how good the Ravens are now, I want to go back to look at how good both they and the Dolphins were playing following their first matchup.

I'll be using the Football Outsider's DVOA ratings again, so check out that site's explanations if you aren't familiar with these numbers.

Baltimore was ranked 7th overall in DVOA at 20.2%. Their offense and special teams were struggling with negative DVOAs of -3.5% (23rd in NFL) and -1.9% (26th) respectively. However, their defense was absolutely dominating with the best DVOA in the league at -25.5% (remember, negative DVOAs are good for defenses).

Meanwhile, Miami had the 13th best overall DVOA following that game at 9.8%. Thanks in large part to the tremendous immediate impacts of the Wildcat, Miami had the 3rd highest rated offense with a 22.2% DVOA. The defense was playing right around league average (2.3%, 16th) and the special teams were horrendous (-10.0%, 31st).

So how have these two teams changed since then. Here's how both teams Weighted DVOAs look following the regular season. The weighted numbers better reflect how teams are playing right now.

Baltimore:
  • Weighted DVOA (29.7%, 3rd best)
  • Weighted Offense (5.7%, 15th)
  • Weighted Defense (-22.3%, 3rd)
  • Weighted Special teams (1.8%, 13th)
Miami:
  • Weighted DVOA (7.5%, 13th)
  • Weighted Offense (17.3%, 9th)
  • Weighted Defense (7.0%, 17th)
  • Weighted Special teams (-2.8%, 28th)
So what's changed?

Well, for Baltimore, their defense has remained one of the truly elite units all season long. Their offense, however, improved to the point that it is helping the team win games now rather than just accompanying the defense to victories. Their special teams units stayed relatively the same.

For Miami, its weighted DVOA is similar to its regular DVOA following the first game. The offense is still playing with incredible efficiency, although it's not quite as potent as it was. The defense slipped slightly while the special teams has improved a decent amount.

So at first glance, it looks like Baltimore got appreciably better in the two units that were hampering it the most while maintaining its stifling defense. That's not good news for the Dolphins.

It will be an interesting dynamic to see such a turnover-averse offense like Miami's go up against the take-away machine of the Ravens. Last time, the Ravens got the better of that matchup by capitalizing on one of Pennington's few mistakes all season long.

Baltimore completely shut down the Wildcat the first time around. Miami is now without Justin Smiley and Greg Camarillo, and possibly David Martin. In all likelihood, scoring opportunities for Miami will be few and far between. Miami may have to rely heavily on its defense stepping up big and creating turnovers that result in advantageous field position if they are to have a shot.

Monday, December 29, 2008

The Delicious Irony Of It All

I'm still riding high on this team claiming the AFC East Championship, and I just wanted to take a look at some of the ironic angles to come out of the Jets game.

** First, and most obvious, is the story of Chad Pennington returning to defeat the team that kicked him to the curb once they got their hands on the media-darling that is Brett Favre. Well, Favre obviously forgot what a grueling 17-week NFL season really feels like once December rolls around.

Sure, sitting at home in Mississippi a month or two removed from playing what you thought would be your last down can really make you feel rejuvenated and like you made the wrong decision. And yeah, you probably did feel like you made the right decision for the first month or so once you came back. But Brett, you are too short-sighted to think of anything but the present, and that is why you completely failed your team when it mattered most this year. Face it, you can no longer compete for an entire NFL season, and I am glad that Miami could help show you the door. Maybe you'll figure this out on your own this offseason, but with you, it really wouldn't surprise me if you decided once again to come back and drag another team down with you.

** Next, how about Pennington playing such a big role in getting Mangini fired (the very guy who played such a big role in Pennington's ultimate release)? That's payback. By the way, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum shouldn't escape the blame of this season either. He orchesrated a Dan Snyder-esque spending spree this offseason that delivered them third place in the division and cap nightmares for seasons to come.

** I don't have anything against Jay Feely, even though he did have some less than pleasant parting shots for the Phins. Still, it was nice to see him go down and have Dan Carpenter nail that cluth 48-yarder.

** Oh, Ty Law. You blew off Miami's advances midway through the season because you wanted to play for a contender. Awesome decision. I'd rather have Andre' Goodman over you anyway, so thanks.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Miami Dolphins are the 2008 AFC East Champs!!!

The storybook season will continue as the Dolphins completed one of the greatest one-season turn-arounds in NFL history.

Congratulations to the 2008 AFC EAST CHAMPIONS!!!!



Wildcat By The Numbers Week 16

Here's my latest tables for tracking the success of the Wildcat formation.

With Sunday's game against the Jets essentially a playoff game, it will be interesting to see if Miami unloads any new wrinkles for the Wildcat. Now is the time to pull out the stops on anything the coaching staff has been working on up to this point.



Plays
Run
Pass
Yards
Yds/Play
FDs
TDs
Week 3, @NE
6
5
1
119
19.8
1
4
Week 5, SD
10
9
1
48
4.8
3
1
Week 6, @HOU
7
6
1
77
11
0
1
Week 7, BAL
5
5
0
4
0.8
0
0
Week 8, BUF
7
7
0
34
4.9
3
0
Week 9, @ DEN
4
3
1
-5
-1.3
0
0
Week 10, SEA
6
6
0
80
13.3
0
2
Week 11, OAK
10
10
0
52
5.2
1
0
Week 12, NE
8
8
0
25
3.1
1
0
Week 13, @ STL
2
2
0
2
1
0
0
Week 14, @ BUF
6
6
0
5
0.8
1
0
Week 15, SF
1
1
0
16
16
1
0
Week 16, @ KC
4
4
0
57
14.3
1
0
Total
76
72
4
530
7
12
8
Avg./Game
5.8
5.5
0.3
41
-
.9
.6



Plays
FDs (non-penalty)
FD%
TDs
TD%
Run Avg
Non-WC Plays
812
266
33%
28
3%
4.0 yds
WC Plays
76
12
16%
8
11%
6.3 yds



Runs
Yards
Avg
FDs
TDs
Ronnie Brown
47
266
5.7
7
5
Ricky Williams
23
137
6.0
4
1
Patrick Cobbs
2
47
23.5
1
0

Friday, December 26, 2008

Reader Mailbag: Phins-Jets Part Deux

Here's an email I received from a reader:
Since their first game with the Jets, have the Dolphins as a whole improved enough to come away with a win on Sunday? What do the Dolphins need to do to be successful on Sunday?

The Dolphins are leagues ahead of where they were in Week 1 when they lost to the Jets, and that game was very winnable, so simply, yes, Miami has improved enough to beat the Jets this Sunday and fly back to South Florida as the AFC East champs.

But let's look at some numbers, to show just how much of an improvement Miami has made since the first meeting between these two teams. (I'm going to be using some Football Outsiders advanced stats here - VOA and DVOA ratings - since they do the best job of showing how well a team is playing throughout the season. For an in-depth explanation of what these numbers mean, check out their site.)

The more negative a VOA/DVOA rating for a team's overall performance, the worse that team was performing/was predicted to perform.

After the Week 1 loss to the Jets, Miami had a VOA ranking of -32.8%, "good" for 23rd in the NFL. Following last week's victory over the Chiefs, Miami has a DVOA rating of 6.8%, 17th best in the league. But, at this late point in the season, it's better to look at Weighted DVOA numbers since they are adjusted so that early-season games become gradually less important. The weighted numbers better reflect how a team is currently playing. Miami's Weighted DVOA after Week 16 is 8.0%, 13th best in the league.

So, according to these numbers, Miami has vaulted from a team around 23rd best in the league to a top-15 team. That sounds about right doesn't it?

Now, let's look at how the Jets have fared over this same span.

After Week 1, the Jets had a VOA rating of 12.2% (12th best in NFL). After Week 16, they have a total DVOA of 3.9% (19th) and a Weighted DVOA of 5.2% (16th). So the Jets have stayed pretty consistent throughout the season, although it's clear that the past month has definitely seen them stumble.

The numbers bear out a simple observation of these two teams - that Miami has been getting better and better all season long, while the Jets have started to seriously nose dive over the last month. These are two teams currently headed in opposte directions, but all it takes is a single game to reverse a team's fortune. Just look back to Miami's Week 3 game versus the Patriots.

So to answer your question, yes, Miami has definitely improved enough to beat the Jets, but it's certainly no given thing at this point. And to accomplish this historic feat, Miami will need to do several things, in my opinion:
  • Be healthy - The Dolphins defense is going to desperately need Will Allen and Channing Crowder to be available at full strength. Without either or both of them, this defense suddenly has a lot more holes in it than usual. The Jets will be able to fully take advantage of that, unlike the Chiefs, who were able to draw blood, but failed to finish.
  • Handle NT Kris Jenkins. Jenkins has been fading down the stretch, but he still has the tools to dominate Samson Satele. Miami will need to have some semblance of a running game, and that will largely depend on the O-line's ability to control Jenkins. If they can't, they will be limited mostly to outside sweep-type runs.
  • Force Favre into mistakes. Brett Favre will make mistakes, that's obvious. However, it usually takes some sort of pressure to force him into making one of his patented bone-headed plays. And pressure is a result of both solid coverage by the secondary and the ability of the linemen and blitzers to reach Favre before a receiver gets open. Hopefully Joey Porter has saved his best for the most important game of the year. And if Joey gets shut down, the other guys must step up.

Derek Smith signed

With the holidays here, it's been tough to find time to get a post up, but on Tuesday the Dolphins signed veteran LB Derek Smith.

To make room for him on the roster, WR Chris Hannon was released.

This move is likely another precaution against Channing Crowder being unavailable for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Smith (6'2", 240 lbs.) is a 12-year veteran. He was released by the Chargers this year on November 12. He played in five games in San Diego, tallying 13 tackles.

This is a prudent move because, quite frankly, I was unimpressed with Akin Ayodele's transition to Crowder's spot in the defense, and underwhelmed by Reggie Torbor's transition to Ayodele's spot. Crowder will probably be listed as questionable for the game, and if he can't go, it will be good to at least have some depth at inside linebacker. Smith is a proven veteran, so he should be able to handle a limited role if forced into one.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Thoughts on Chiefs Game

As many expected over the past few weeks, Miami's playoff hopes will finally come down to next week's game against the Jets. Win and we're in - it's that simple.

But to get in this position, the Dolphins had to beat the Chiefs, in the coldest game in Dolphins' history. So let's talk about this win and what kind of questions it raised about next week.

To start off, here's an email I received following the game:
The secondary did another great job this week. What do you attribute the better play from the secondary is from? Different players? How great of a concern is it that the Offense is having some problems with run blocking? Going into the Jets game what is the greatest problem the Dolphins have on defense?

Thanks for the email.

I'd say the secondary played well, but I wouldn't say they played a great game. Tony Gonzalez pretty much had his way against them throughout the game, they were caught out of position and got burned on a few big screens, and they gave up a few big plays over the top to taller guys like Devard Darling and Mark Bradley.

That being said, they clamped down when they absolutely had to, and Andre' Goodman had a huge game despite being targeted early and often.

I think the main reason the secondary is playing so much better this year than last is a simple matter of health. There was absolutely no continuity amongst the unit last year with all the safeties the team had to sift through and the shoulder injury that hampered Goodman. The players composing the group this year are hardly different than last year, save for some of the backups like Nathan Jones and Tyrone Culver.

Will Allen is and has been for the past few seasons one of the elite corners in the league, although he is rarely credited for it. But like Nnamdi Asomugha in Oakland, it often doesn't matter how good one corner is if the guy opposite him can't hold up under increased attention. And that was largely the case last year. Teams just figured it was easier to avoid Will Allen and target a significantly limited Goodman or an average Michael Lehan instead. This year, however, Goodman is back at full strength and it's showing. He's in the midst of a career year. Perhaps he's the kind of player who really turns it on in pressure situations. Up until this year, he's never played on a winning team, so this is really new territory for him. Whatever the case may be, he's proving to be equally dangerous opposite Will Allen.

Of course, Renaldo Hill's entrance into the starting lineup for Chris Crocker also made a world of difference as far as communication goes, and having Yeremiah Bell stay healthy for every game is a huge factor too.

As far as the run-blocking is concerned, Miami may not be successfully running out of conventional sets as much as I'd probably like them to, but that doesn't mean they aren't getting it done. Andy Alleman has filled in nicely for Justin Smiley at LG, although it's obvious that the coaching staff is still afraid of just pounding the ball up the middle. And that's to be expected since a middle three of Alleman, Satele, and Ndukwe is rarely going to get the huge push you'd like to see. But these interior lineman aren't bad at pulling and out in space, and that's why we've seen an increase in the number of sweeps and outside runs.

Against the Jets, the run-blocking could be an issue. Samson Satele will have to go up against NT Kris Jenkins. Even though Jenkins seems to be wearing down a bit as the season goes on, he still has the ability to dominate Satele much the same way that Vince Wilfork did. If that happens, Miami's running game could face some big problems. As it is, the Jets have a top ten defense against the run. Seattle was able to get some things going against them though, so perhaps Miami will find some weakness to exploit. If not, this game will rest on the arm of Chad Pennington - and that's not the worst thing in the world.

Heading into next week, I think Miami's biggest concern on defense is going to be how to deal with the Jets if they employ a spread-style offense like the Patriots did in their big win over Miami. Miami doesn't have the secondary depth to cover four and five receiver sets, and the Dolphins have not done well at pressuring the QB when the defense gets spread out like that. If Brett Favre is given ample time to throw, he'll find the open guy.

The Thomas Jones/Leon Washington combo also scares me a bit, and the defense had better know where Washington is at all times when he's on the field.

Wildcat By The Numbers Week 15

Last week, the Dolphins almost went an entire game without running a play from the Wildcat formation, until they called on it late in the fourth quarter, on a critical clock-eating drive.

And the outcome of the play was a huge 16 yard gain by Ronnie Brown for a first down.

As Miami is forced to play its last two games of the regular season on the road in cold weather, the team may look to run the ball a bit more than they have been recently. That could lead to a renewal of the Wildcat being used around a half-dozen times a game.

On the other hand, perhaps Miami has been relatively shelving the Wildcat over the last month or so, in preparation for unveiling some new wrinkles against the Jets, in what very well may be the deciding game for the AFC East championship. That certainly would be an interesting way for things to shake out.


Plays
Run
Pass
Yards
Yds/Play
FDs
TDs
Week 3, @NE
6
5
1
119
19.8
1
4
Week 5, SD
10
9
1
48
4.8
3
1
Week 6, @HOU
7
6
1
77
11
0
1
Week 7, BAL
5
5
0
4
0.8
0
0
Week 8, BUF
7
7
0
34
4.9
3
0
Week 9, @ DEN
4
3
1
-5
-1.3
0
0
Week 10, SEA
6
6
0
80
13.3
0
2
Week 11, OAK
10
10
0
52
5.2
1
0
Week 12, NE
8
8
0
25
3.1
1
0
Week 13, @ STL
2
2
0
2
1
0
0
Week 14, @ BUF
6
6
0
5
0.8
1
0
Week 15, SF
1
1
0
16
16
1
0
Total
72
68
4
473
6.6
11
8
Avg./Game
6
5.7
0.3
39
-
.9
.7



Plays
FDs (non-penalty)
FD%
TDs
TD%
Run Avg
Non-WC Plays
754
243
32%
23
3%
4.0 yds
WC Plays
72
11
15%
8
11%
5.8 yds



Runs
Yards
Avg
FDs
TDs
Ronnie Brown
44
253
5.8
7
5
Ricky Williams
23
137
6.0
4
1
Patrick Cobbs
1
3
3.0
0
0

Cramer released, Kershaw called up

In a move to protect against Channing Crowder's possible absence from Sunday's game in Kansas City, the Dolphins promoted LB William Kershaw from the practice squad.

To make room for Kershaw, the team cut FB Casey Cramer.

Hopefully this move is just a precaution and not a sign that Crowder will definitely miss the game, though he is listed as questionable on the injury report.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Congrats, Joey and Ronnie!



Joey Porter and Ronnie Brown were selected to the 2009 AFC Pro Bowl team. Porter will start at outside linebacker, while Brown will serve as a backup running back

Great job, guys.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Thoughts on 49ers Game

A reader sent in this general question about the 49ers game:
The defense played a great game to keep the Dolphins in it and get another win. Davone Bess had a couple of nice returns. What are your thoughts on the game as the Dolphins make a run at the playoffs?
The most encouraging thing about the defense's performance today was that it continued its strong play the entire game, despite the fact that it was on the field for over 38 minutes, a whopping discrepancy in the time of possession.

As the game wore on into the fourth quarter and Miami was allowing the 49ers to keep it close, I started to get nervous for the defense's ability to hold up after being on the field for so many plays. The fact that they held up and put the skids down when it mattered most was encouraging.

The front seven did a great job getting pressure on Shaun Hill, and on the back end the secondary did a relatively decent job of keeping the big play at bay. Will Allen struggled a bit today, as Isaac Bruce had a lot of success against him throughout the game. I don't expect that to become a trend though.

As far as the push to the playoffs is concerned, it really does seem like things are shaking up for the Week 17 game against the Jets to be for all the marbles. Obviously, Miami can't afford to overlook the Chiefs, especially since that game could be a mess weather-wise.

My concern at this point is that it is unrealistic to think that the defense can continue to shut opponents out of the endzone for the rest of the season. Teams will eventually pass the pylons, and when they do, Miami's offense is going to need to start to score more points. The offense started off tremendously today, but with limited time on the field, they never got into any rhythm and stalled out continuously throughout the second half. It's now been since the Patriots game that Miami has scored over 16 points. That likely won't be enough over these next two weeks.

Wildcat By The Numbers Week 14

Here's my latest tables for tracking the success of the Wildcat formation.

Once again, the formation was essentially shut down last week against Buffalo, with the exception of a single first down.

I get the feeling that the coaching staff has been purposefully keeping the playcalling from the Wildcat formation rather vanilla over the past few weeks, perhaps in order to catch a team sleeping in these final three weeks on a new wrinkle. We shall see.



Plays
Run
Pass
Yards
Yds/Play
FDs
TDs
Week 3, @NE
6
5
1
119
19.8
1
4
Week 5, SD
10
9
1
48
4.8
3
1
Week 6, @HOU
7
6
1
77
11.0
0
1
Week 7, BAL
5
5
0
4
0.8
0
0
Week 8, BUF
7
7
0
34
4.9
3
0
Week 9, @ DEN
4
3
1
-5
-1.3
0
0
Week 10, SEA
6
6
0
80
13.3
0
2
Week 11, OAK
10
10
0
52
5.2
1
0
Week 12, NE
8
8
0
25
3.1
1
0
Week 13, @ STL
2
2
0
2
1
0
0
Week 14, BUF
6
6
0
5
0.8
1
0
Total
71
67
4
441
6.2
10
8
Avg./Game
6.5
6.1
0.4
40
-
.9
.7



Plays
FDs (non-penalty)
FD%
TDs
TD%
Run Avg
Non-WC Plays
715
233
33%
21
3%
4.0 yds
WC Plays
71
10
14%
8
11%
5.6 yds



Runs
Yards
Avg
FDs
TDs
Ronnie Brown
43
237
5.5
6
5
Ricky Williams
23
137
6.0
4
1
Patrick Cobbs
1
3
3.0
0
0

Friday, December 12, 2008

Lehan released from IR

I really don't understand the rationale behind this move, but the team has released CB Michael Lehan from Injured Reserve.

Lehan can now sign with any team.

I don't get this move, primarily because if he returned to health next year, there was a decent chance that Lehan could have made the team and improved the CB depth. Cutting him now saves the team the $600,000 roster bonus it would have owed him if he was on the team next year, but that's not a lot of money saved when compared to what Lehan might have been able to offer the team in 2009.

Stashed on IR, Lehan was not taking up a roster spot any longer, so it's not as if this release frees up another spot to sign someone.

It's a curious move, and I'll be interested to see if any other explanation comes out in the future as to why it was made.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Practice squad: Heerspink brought back, FB added

With LB Rob Ninkovich being poached by the Saints and RB Jalen Parmele by the Ravens (that's the risk you take when you stick your sixth-round draft pick on the practice squad), the Dolphins had two open spots on their practice squad.

To fill them, the team signed T Daren Heerspink and FB Chris Brown.

Heerspink, you'll remember, was with the Dolphins throughout training camp and the preseason. He's been out of football since then.

Brown (6'1", 249 lbs.) was an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee this year. He was picked up by Jacksonville and stayed on their practice squad until November 28th when he was released.

Here's an excerpt from Brown's NFL Draft Prospect page:
Listed as a tight end by Tennessee, and even lines up in a three-point stance at times, but his future in the NFL is as a fullback or H-back. In today's NFL, most fullbacks are not blow-'em-up pounders but athletic position blockers who can catch the ball and play special teams. That's why Brown, who had 41 catches for 282 yards and six touchdowns in 2007, will be more coveted by teams than many people expect.

Here is what the team's practice squad looks like now:
  1. RB Lex Hilliard
  2. WR Anthony Armstrong
  3. LB Will Kershaw
  4. WR Todd Lowber
  5. DT Joe Cohen
  6. CB Will Billingsley
  7. T Daren Heerspink
  8. FB Chris Brown

Monday, December 8, 2008

Thoughts on Bills game; Reader Mailbag

I'm going to use a reader's email as a jump-off point into talking a little bit about the Bills game:

The defense did a great job and the offense was a bit weak especially in the red zone never the less they got the job done. The receivers made plays to keep ahead of the Bills. Do you think the Dolphins currently have the receivers they need to be successful with in the future? How much of an effect overall do you think that Lou Polite has had since he has been with the team?

The number one thing that I took out of the Bills game was that the Dolphins truly put together a rare "complete game." By that, I mean that all phases of the game were perfectly complementing one another all game long.

Sure, the offense only had one TD, but the flow of this game dictated that long, time-consuming drives were more valuable than scoring TDs every time down the field. And as Vonnie Holliday said after the game, the best defense is the one on the sideline. The ability to take such a commanding lead in the time of possession battle played right into the defense's dominant performance.

Dan Carpenter's excellent job with his field goals ensured that Miami's clock-killing drives came away with some points and prevented Buffalo from getting the ball with a short field, if he were to have missed.

As far as the receivers are concerned, the short answer is "no" - the guys currently on the roster are not good enough to keep this team's progression going in the future. For the most part, they've done an admirable job this season, but the unit as a whole still needs a lot of work.

For starters, as I've mentioned several times here, Ted Ginn won't ever be able to truly live up to his potential until there is a stronger thrower at QB. That's not to say he can't be useful, he is and will be, but he won't be a No. 1 WR with Pennington here. And that's absolutely fine, as long as Miami can somehow find a No. 1 guy to play opposite him, but that's much easier said than done.

Greg Camarillo's injury is still a big question mark. He would make a fantastic third receiver, but he may not even be ready to go at the beginning of next season, and once he's fully healed he may not have the same quickness and speed that made him so adept at getting open.

Davone Bess has transferred into Camarillo's starting spot nicely thus far, but I don't think he's talented enough or big enough to be a starter. A starting duo of Ginn and Bess is just too small.

Brandon London is still very much a prospect. He has all the tools to be a top-3 WR guy but he still has a lot to show. And Ernest Wilford should probably be getting the boot next season.

So, I suppose it depends on what timeframe you are talking about when you say the future. Obviously, if you are talking about just the next three games (and possibly playoffs), then yes, the guys we have are good enough to be successful - heck, they have to be. But if you are talking about next year or the year after, then no, upgrades are needed, specifically that big, dominating No. 1 guy.

Now on to Lousake Polite. I absolutely love this guy. He has been lights-out for Miami in short-yardage situations and I don't think he's had an unproductive carry yet. With ten carries, Polite has converted 9 first downs. That kind of efficiency is amazing, and it has really helped this offense to have the ability to keep drives going rather than settling for a punt or FG attempt when all that's needed for the first down is a yard or so. He's also added another first down through the air for good measure. Obviously, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams could probably have picked up some of these first downs as well, but having a guy like Polite in the backfield as well, stops the defense from keying in on either back. He also deserves praise for the solid blocking he's providing in the run game and in pass protection. The team just might have uncovered its fullback for the forseeable future when they signed Polite.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Wildcat By The Numbers Week 13

Here's my latest tables for tracking the success of the Wildcat formation.

Last week against the Rams, Miami used the formation only twice, its fewest attempts out of the Wildcat all season.

It will be interesting, going forward, to see how Justin Smiley's absence affects the usage and effectiveness of the Wildcat, given that he was one of the strongest pulling blockers from that formation.



Plays
Run
Pass
Yards
Yds/Play
FDs
TDs
Week 3, @NE
6
5
1
119
19.8
1
4
Week 5, SD
10
9
1
48
4.8
3
1
Week 6, @HOU
7
6
1
77
11.0
0
1
Week 7, BAL
5
5
0
4
0.8
0
0
Week 8, BUF
7
7
0
34
4.9
3
0
Week 9, @ DEN
4
3
1
-5
-1.3
0
0
Week 10, SEA
6
6
0
80
13.3
0
2
Week 11, OAK
10
10
0
52
5.2
1
0
Week 12, NE
8
8
0
25
3.1
1
0
Week 13, @ STL
2
2
0
2
1
0
0
Total
65
61
4
436
6.7
9
8
Avg./Game
6.5
6.1
0.4
44
-
.9
.8



Plays
FDs (non-penalty)
FD%
TDs
TD%
Run Avg
Non-WC Plays
659
216
33%
20
3%
3.9 yds
WC Plays
65
9
14%
8
12%
6.1 yds



Runs
Yards
Avg
FDs
TDs
Ronnie Brown
38
226
5.9
5
5
Ricky Williams
22
143
6.5
4
1
Patrick Cobbs
1
3
3.0
0
0