Amid crisis, Dolphins still looking to shine bright in future

Empty Dolphins Stadium "Retrieved from The Phinsider"

With the NBA season halted by the new "king of the viruses", many sports fans are eyeing the NFL draft and the 2020 season. There is no timetable on how long the "social distancing" restrictions will last, but the NFL seems hopeful with moving forward with its plans.

Saying this, my eyes are focused on the Miami Dolphins(my life long team) and their efforts to build a team that I personally believe, will make the 2020 NFL season, our year! You can quote me on saying it and I won’t retract it, I am laying all my chips on the Dolphins making the Super Bowl and if not, we will come damn close to it.

Free agency has come and gone and Tom Brady still is the talk of the town with Florida being his new home(makes you think how close the Dolphins could've been to reeling him to Miami). But Brian Flores and the front office are keeping Miami relevant. After years of non-productive drafts, wasteful spending, and consistent disappointment, Dolphins fans have lots to be hopeful for, pending the recovery from the global pandemic.

Let’s take a look at some of Miami’s biggest moves in free agency

Miami Dolphins off-season moves

Byron Jones "Retrieved from Fansided.com"

1. Byron Jones

Byron Jones is a 27 year old, 6'1, 200 lb cornerback who is viewed as one of the best in the league. Jones played his first four years for the Dallas Cowboys before migrating to the city of sunny beaches and palm trees and he brings with him a solution to future of the Dolphins defense.

The Dolphins defense, known in the past for being the backbone of the franchise, ranked 30^th in the league last year that included 13 interceptions. Out of those 13 int’s, seven came from the cornerback position, Xavien Howard only contributed with one.

Xavien Howard has not been playing bad but QB’s tend not to throw his way as he was targeted only 24 times in 2019. That is not bad considering one of his lesser known counterparts, Jomal Wiltz, was targeted 62 times. 

Jones will upgrade the twin positions, opposite of Howard, and look to replicate the success of former Dolphin standouts, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. I really miss the days when these two shined along with Hall-of-Famers, Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor. Just like Howard, teams tend not to throw Jones’ way so it will be interesting to see how both sides will be tested in the 2020 season and how new DC, Josh Boyer, will utilize Howard and Jones in defensive schemes.

My opinion:

I think this will be a good fit for the Miami Dolphins defense seeing as our corner-back position has not been consistent. Miami has had trouble over the years finding a dominant lock down CB before Xavien Howard. Now with Jones, the Miami defense should see an increase in pressures and sacks, granted the front line and linebackers come to work with the “lunch boxes”.

Kyle Van Noy "Retrieved from The Palm Beach Post"

2. Kyle Van Noy

The Dolphins stole many of the New England Patriots players from last year and one, if not the most solid of the player's came in Kyle Van Noy.  Van Noy cost the Dolphins a reportedly $51 million over 4 years with $30 million guaranteed. That's still not a bad offer for a guy who won 2 Super Bowls and was an AFC Defensive player of the year for the New England Patriots. 

What I like about this move is that Kyle Van Noy brings a boat load of experience to a broken defense looking to forge a strong front that compliments the defensive backs and linebackers. Speaking of linebacker, Van Noy can also play standing up and create great defensive mismatches against opposing offenses.

My take:

Dolphin fans should appreciate a pick-up of this caliber. Van Noy is 29 and in the peak of his career. He is a high motor guy who plays "whistle to whistle" and rarely gives up on a play. Just as any player coming into a new team or adjusting to a new coach, Van Noy will have to show up for the Dolphins in 2020 and prove worthy of at least $30 million guaranteed.

"Jordan Howard Retrieved from 

3. Jordan Howard

The Miami Dolphins is taking a chance with picking up Jordan Howard. Not saying the risk is behavioral, but Howard is 4 years in the league and had his best statistical seasons his freshman and sophomore year with the Bears.

Last season, Howard spent his first and last year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the season rushing for 525 yards 6 touchdowns. I won't be critical of the signing as Howard still has the potential to be the number one first down back for Miami. Watching film of Howard, he has good inside running ability, finding his way between the tackles, while also being able to break outside.

My take:

Howard had less than 600 yards last year and if given the number one spot, he will have to take notes from his first two seasons in Chicago and fill in the RB gap that has been inconsistent since the trading of Jay Ajayi in 2017.

He is big back and has good speed to go with it but not the home run speed needed to take a run 60 plus yards to finish in the endzone. He reminds me a little bit of Ricky Williams with his running style. Howard's success will come at the expense of the offensive line and his determination to be a star in Miami.

4. Shaq Lawson

Shaq Lawson! This is a signing that I am truly excited about. Along with Kyle Van Noy and Chris Wilkins, Lawson will put together that strong front that the Dolphins have been longing for since the departures of veterans Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. Also, Lawson, like Van Noy and Wilkins, can play either inside or outside and possess a high motor of play. Imagine the pressure that these three can create for opposing QB's.

Shaq Lawson has developed into a dominant player but whether he will be a good fit in Miami will be dependent on how well Josh Boyer can put Lawson in positions to be successful. If teams choose to run away or double Lawson, other 1-on-1 rushes and blitz packages have to hit home. Regardless, Lawson should make a strong presence felt in Miami when September rolls around.

"Ereck Flowers Retrieved from Riggo'sRag.com"

5. Ereck Flowers

Ereck Flowers is a 6'6, 330 lineman with fair enough experience to earn a starting job on the under performing Dolphins o-line. Flowers is a native of Miami, hailing from my Alma mater, Miami Norland High. He also played collegiate ball for the University of Miami so he is returning to a familiar environment this fall. 

The downside to Flowers is that his reputation proceeds him as he was criticized for his lack of improvement through his start with the Giants. Flowers started at the left tackle position before the Redskins made the decision to move him too guard. The move was seemed to have helped the young lineman grow into a comfortable fit.

My take:

I don't think that the Dolphins can do any worse than they have been at maintaining a solid offensive line. Remember Jake Long was drafted in the first round and ended up being traded away and the ball kept rolling downhill. Flowers has shown a lot of vulnerabilities in regard to pass setting and using his hands.  I watched video of him in New York and he was man-handled by big defensive ends. Hopefully, being back home and his new start with the Dolphins, proves to be what the young guard needs to propel his career.

6. Ted Karras

Another 'steal" was Ted Karras, yet another New England Patriot, that the Dolphins swayed to warmer winters in Miami. Karras is another young player, 27, with much potential.

A couple factors to note is that Karras does not have much experience as a starter but when he was, he blocked for a Tom Brady that led the Patriots to two Super Bowls.

Karras does need to work on his footwork in pass setting and gain more lower body strength as he tends to get pushed back. He does well at finding a man upfield to block in screen plays and is aggressive at the point of attack. He may he use to pass setting seeing as Tom Brady was an air attack QB with over 4,000 yards and 20+ TD's but Karras was a part of an O-line that saw its RB's collectively gain over 1,200 yards and 14 TD's. He will be welcomed with open arms in Miami.

In closing:

The Dolphins saved money and even was said to have deliberately set themselves up to be able to spend big money this year. Really the Dolphins have been setting these types of moves up for years to finally rebuild Miami in all its glory.

Now with the draft hopefully still happening in April, Miami has a chance to fill in the rest of the puzzle with the 2020 draft class and the team’s onslaught of draft picks.

Other notable free agent signings:

-Emmanuel Ogbah; DE

-Clayton Fejedelem; S

-Kamu Grugier-Hill-LB

-Elandon Roberts-LB

-Adrian Colbert-S

The Life of a Miami Dolphins Fan

The life of a Miami Dolphins fan is for lack of better words, interesting. It always has been to me over the years. The Dolphins began in 1966 and is the oldest professional sports team in Florida. Although, the Dolphins have won only two Super Bowls for the city of Miami and loyal fans, one coming by way of a “perfect” undefeated season, the Miami Dolphins have since been an exciting team to watch while disappointing all at the same time.

From the likes of Dan Marino, O.J. McDuffie, Sam Madison, Larry Csonka, Patrick Surtain, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Ricky Williams, up to Jarvis Landry, the Miami Dolphins have had numerous players who have either went Hall of Fame or solidified their legacy in Miami. But Miami seems to never be able to get over “the hump”. You know, either we are predicted to suck in the year only to either really sucking for the year with a good team. Or maybe we surprise the masses and make a playoff run coming out of a division constantly littered with talent(or at least better talent then Miami).

Or similar to this year we started off with a good first half start you the season, then, abruptly loss our way out the playoffs or put ourselves in the position to have to fight tooth and nail and need a combined four teams to lose a total of 12-15 games for us to even make a wildcard appearance. Its always a uphill struggle for the Dolphins and fans alike.

The latter is most currently what the Miami Dolphins are facing this year. Miami was favored this year to make a “splash” (no pun intended) in the AFC this year. Then when Ryan Tannehill went down with a torn all, there was still hope knowing we had players such as Jay Ajayi, Jarvis Landry, Hakeem Grant and a stellar defense to rally around both Matt Moore(who has been proven as a Miami back-up) and Jay Cutler(a veteran signed after Tannehill went down) could pick up the slack. Surprisingly, Miami fought through adversity, including a Jarvis Landry incident off the field, to start the first half of the season 4-2, including wins against the Chargers and Falcons.

After, the Miami Dolphins went on a downhill spiral losing the next 5 games, in which Miami loss three straight national TV  games, traded away Jay Ajayi, and having an offense coach resign after video emerged of him sniffing a white substance(cocaine). Adam Gase looked like he had lost control of his team and the Miami Dolphins was looking at an early off-season.

Then of course the Miami Dolphins did what they always do when they don’t show up through the latter half of the season, they “showed up”. Against a struggling Broncos team, Miami came out on top by dominating on both sides of the ball, winning 35-9. Then just a week later the Dolphins met up with the “streaking” New England Patriots in Miami.

The Patriots were looking for their 19th AFC East title(20th overall) with a win in Miami last Monday. But Miami had plans of postponing New England’s celebration, at least for one more week. New England needs to win in week 15 as well as a Buffalo loss(against Miami) to seal the deal. How about that, the New England Patriots need the hell of the Miami Dolphins to win a title! Go figure.

Now, as of week 15, the Miami Dolphins have won two straight games and are 6-7 sitting just three spots(tied with Oakland) from the 6th seed for a wildcard berth. The question now is can Miami win out the rest of the season. The Dolphins play the Chiefs in week 16 and they have the Buffalo Bills for week 15 and 17, having to play one of the two games in Orchard Park, NY. Flashback to last week, where up to 9  inches of snow was deposited over the Bills-Colts game. Even if Miami wins out, we still need a lot of help from the Chargers, Ravens, Bills, and Oakland, to have a chance at a wildcard birth, a lot of help.

At last, the life of a Miami Dolphins fan. GOPHINS!!!

Miami @ Buffalo
Sunday December 17,2017
New Era Field Orchard Park, NY 1:00 pm

Can the Miami Heat make a successful championship run in the future

The Miami Heat haven’t been to the NBA Finals since the 2013-2014 season. They have not won an NBA Finals since the 2012-2013 season during the “Big 3 Era”. And the last time the Heat seen the playoffs was two years ago when they fell to the Toronto Raptors in the semi-finals.


The Miami Heat have went through many changes over the past few years after the Big Three disbanded. Two of the biggest setbacks was first, when Chris Bosh was forced to end his career in Miami after recurring issues with blood clots in his lungs. Also, the most recent, when Dwayne Wade choose to leave the Heat and head home to play for the Chicago Bulls. Pat Riley and co. have been working diligently trying to put together a team that would be capable of returning them to the NBA Finals.


The first step Miami took was acquiring a true big man in Hassan Whiteside. While a Bosh, Whiteside combo would have been ideal, Whiteside has proven to be a dominant inside/outside center for Miami. Whiteside has had some trouble on the court with his aggressive play and body language but none the less, performs at a high level in many games.


Aside of Whiteside, Miami has not found another true power forward to compliment him as Chris Bosh did. Players like Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo have done an ok job of relieving Whiteside but is just not a Chris Bosh who can beat you in the paint and shooting outside. It you want to count James Johnson and Justice Winslow as part of the front court, then its safe to say, there is added talent in that area.


Justice Winston still has some growing to do and if accomplished, I see him as a great resource at the small forward position, even at the power forward position, Winston scraps hard working the paint. Johnson has emerged as a “diamond in the rough”.  Johnson, who was drafted by the Bulls in ’09, is averaging just over 28 minutes a game and 12.3 ppg. True, Johnson does not have a lot of postseason experience. Johnson is also 30 years of age so long season can be much for him if not spared in substitutions. Johnson can definitely score when he is on. Being able to work off the dribble similar to Lebron James, Johnson can be and is at many times, a significant threat for Miami.


The Heat have made the most progress in repairing the back court unit following the departures of guys like Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers, and Gerald Green. Miami now has a solid “back court” in Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, and back-ups, Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Johnson. All players have been an integral part of Miami's success this year. Waiters, who  had my doubt’s about, and Dragic are averaging 15.1 and 18.3 ppg respectively. Drgaic is a 14 year veteran both, overseas and in the NBA, and has the ability to dribble/drive and finish over big men and knock down long range shots to compliment. Waiters is still a young guard and has already proven that he is capable of dominating a game and creating opportunities for other teammates. Waiters still has a lot to improve on such as long range jumpers but none the less, still is a big impact for Miami.


Wayne Ellington has been just as resourceful as Tyler Johnson AMD the goes vice versus for these two bench players. Ellington is a veteran in the league with not to much starting experience. Ellington has fell into his role well as a reserve who looks to boost the Heat when entering the game. Ellington proved his impact abilities this year for Miami by tying the Heat’s record of most three pointers in a quarter against the Atlanta Hawks. And just a few days ago, Ellington then hit seven three’s against the Pacers. One thing is for sure, we know Ellington can hit the three ball. Kind of reminds me of a Walt “the Wizard” Williams and Tim Hardaway's efforts. Ellington plays hard and plays with a chip on his shoulder and that is always something that Pat Riley in staff look for in veteran players who are placed into a balanced, role position.


Tyler Johnson is another young and rising talent that Pat Riley found and looks to harness his talent by way of the Miami Heat. Johnson went undrafted in 2014 out of Fresno State. He was added to the Sioux Falls Skyforce as an affiliate player of  Miami and after one year, was picked up by Miami in 2015. T. Johnson is a 6’4 guard who can dribble, shoot, and dunk on opposing defenders. And he looks lime he is 6’2 when he is doing it all. Johnson battled through a back and forth stint from the Heat to the Skyforce. He braked shoulder injuries and a broken jaw. All his hard work, effort, and dedication has earned him a 4 year contract with Miami worth upwards of 50 million. Johnson can very well be a deciding factor to any type of championship run as he is seen as the heart of the team.


Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and the front office have not done to bad a job of picking up the pieces from the decline of the “big three era”. Pat Riley looks for coachable players who at with something to prove but also like they have something to lose. These factors help a coach like Spoelstra, young and not to aggressive, hone his players skills. Riley has do a good job of helping Spoelstra be a leader to his players, keeping all the personalities on a stable level in a “family” atmosphere.


True, the Heat need a deeper bench especially in the front court. Also, Miami needs to learn how to hold leads and finish games. These are the things that come with time and a mesh of the entire team. Miami has yet to mesh together to blend their team to the best team it could be. But Riley has been known to put together championship teams or teams that will give the East a run for its money. And Spoelstra has done a good job of leading such talents as Wade, James, and Bosh to a Hassan Whiteside.


Its hard to tell for Miami if this will be the year they return to the NBA finals. I can definitely see s playoff run happening if the team can find a way to become “game closers” and not letting teams beat them in the third and fourth quarters. “Continuity” is something Pat Riley preaches for his players. Its one reason why he wanted to keep Wayne Ellington I’m Miami. It proved to be a good moved. Miami has to buy in to the idea of “continuity”. Consistency will be the next notion to act upon and If the Miami Heat get it right, we will soon here once again, “the Miami Heat are NBA Champions”!

Boston Celtics(16-2) @ Miami Heat(7-9)
Wednesday November 22, 2017
American Airlines Arena; Miami, FL
Game covered on: Fox Sports SUN

Panthers dominate on both sides of the ball to hand Dolphins third consecutive primetime loss

The streak continues for the Miami Dolphins. After last night, the Miami Dolphins have lost three consecutive night games that were nationally covered this year. I tried to research such a streak and to no avail, it seems Miami may be the first team to do so.


I sat down with a neighbor, also a Dolphins fan, cracked a brew and was ready for a tough, physical, and strategic game that never came. Even when the score was 10-7, I could still see the struggle, the lack of effort, and the timid coaching strategies, that has plagued the Miami Dolphins in their last three losses.


The Panthers lead early in the second quarter, generating a 10-0 lead. Miami was able to cut that lead to 10-7 on a Julius Thomas touchdown catch from Jay Cutler. Prior, Miami only gained 46 yards through three drives. The scoring drive took 4:47 seconds and the Dolphins offense drove the ball 75 yards. This was the last glimmer of any spark Miami would show for the night.


The Panther route started when Jay Cutler threw an interception on the first play after Miami's defense forced a punt. None other than “all-world” linebacker Luke Kuechly was on the receiving end. This was with 47 ticks left on the clock until halftime. Maybe offensive coordinator/head coach Adam Gase should’ve considered taking a knee. The interception gave the Panthers the ball back on the Dolphins 35 yard line. Tack on an extra 15 yards for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Julius Thomas and Cam Newton’s offense was now on Miami's 20 yard line.

Cam Newton found Ed Dickerson in the endzone for his first, but not last, passing touchdown with :19 seconds remaining before halftime. Once again, the Miami Dolphins found themselves chasing the lead going into halftime. Out of all nine games this season, in only one game did Miami have the lead going into halftime. They are 3-5 this season when another team leads going into the half.


If your are wondering if Adam Gase or a team veteran would give a motivating speech to help the team recover, seeing as they were only down ten, I am guessing that did not happen. When you have a team who believes in their abilities or in their coaching staff enough to rally around them, you see it transpire on the field. The Miami Dolphins Did not rally around their coach and maybe did not pay to much attention at halftime to the adjustments. Its obvious the Panthers planned on keeping the foot on the gas coming out. The first drive out of halftime for Carolina was similar to Miami’s first scoring drive and ended after a 75 yard stroll down the field. Three minutes out of halftime and the Panthers were now on top of the Dolphins 24-7.

Just like that you could see the deflation in the entire Miami team. The cut became a gash and the bleeding began for Miami, and never stopped as one announcer pointed out in the game. Miami turned the ball over on downs and the Panthers bullied their way back into the endzone on their next drive thanks mainly to the rushing attack from Cameron Artis-Payne, John Stewart, and Newton. The trio, along with a little help from rookie Christian McCaffrey, rushed for 294 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins, whose offensive line did not like as bad as previous games, only gained 100 yards on the ground with a big chunk of that coming on a Kenyan Drake 66 yard run that stopped the bleeding for the Dolphins. It was an impressive run by Drake who continues to show potential as being a number one running back but it came to late in the game for Miami.


With the score now 14-31, it looked like the Dolphins might mount a comeback. But the defense was to worn and could not hold back Cam Newton and the explosive Panther offense. The first play with the ball back, Can Newton took what seemed to be a quarterback draw play 69 yards to the Miami Dolphins 18 yard line. Three plays later, Newton threw his third touchdown of the game to McCaffrey, the score now 38-14. The Panthers would go on to score on their next drive which solidified Carolina scoring on all of their second half possessions, neither punting the ball or turning the ball over. Unless you count the last drive in which the Panthers took a knee to end the game.

Jay Cutler found Jarvis Landry for one more score to close the defeat margin but the Dolphins once again failed to win a primetime game this season. No only that, Miami's defense gave up nearly 600 yards to a Panthers team who had a solid running back but mediocre receivers. Those receivers were able to make bigger plays than Miami’s all star group led by Jarvis Landry.



The Dolphins organization as a whole has failed over the course of the past few weeks. I mean they have failed the fans many times before, but it seems this may take the cake. In a year where we had our most potential of making a solid playoff and maybe championship run, we seen our top running back from last tear traded in what seemed like a “personal” move for Adam Gase(we only got a 4th round pick for him). We had an offensive line coach on a live feed sniffing what looks to be(and pretty sure was) cocaine. We have had Adam Gase continuously stick up for Cutler and not taking charge at anything that was actually wrong with the team. Not to mention he took a Jerry Jones approach to the NFL flag protest and told his players of you “don’t want to stand” then “stay in the tunnel”. We, as Dolphins fans, have been failed for a lot of years but none like this year.



The defense looked gassed and linebacker Kilo Alonso stood out the most. Missing tackles and getting juked by Carolina’s swift backs. The cornerbacks could not cover receivers who could not match up with what the Panthers had in Calvin Benjamin. Jay Cutler threw off his back foot almost every pass play, decreasing accuracy in his passes. Cutler also made critical mistakes that kept the defense on the field more than any coach would want their defense on the field.



While its true the Dolphins can still win out to make the playoffs, they may be to broken to recover. A game like Monday’s against the Panthers sets a team apart from where they are and where they want to be. The Miami Dolphins are not sure of where they are and not sure of where they want to be after Monday's loss. The Dolphins are up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. And while the Buccaneers sit at 3-6, they have enough talent to upset the bruised and beaten Miami Dolphins. Not to mention Miami should be on a bye week this Sunday. But due to Hurricane Irma, the Dolphins have to play out the rest of the season without a break. Do you think the Miami Dolphins have what it takes to still have a successful season? Let me know what you think in the comment section.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6) @ Miami Dolphins (4-5)
Sunday November 19, 2017 1:00 p.m.
Hard Rock Stadium; Miami, FL

Oakland capitalizes on Miami's mistakes in penalty plagued game, take win

The Miami Dolphins are on a streak. However, the streak is losing two consecutive primetime games to an AFC opponent. Miami(4-4) was defeated by the Oakland Raiders(4-5) Sunday night at Hard Rock stadium in Miami, FL.

Miami was coming off a blow out/shut out loss to the Baltimore Raven, who like the Raiders, are a struggling team with loads of talent. To credit Miami, it definitely wasn’t the same performance as last Thursday night.

In a game plagued by penalties by both teams, it was important to capitalize on any available opportunity to put points on the board. The Dolphins and Raiders had racked up 105 and 107 penalty yards, respectively. But it was Oakland who took the most advantage of their defensive stops and penalties by Miami.

The first time was after a Kenyan Drake fumble in the second quarter. The Raiders offense, led by Derek Carr, then took the ball and went 81 yards to the endzone to put Oakland back in the lead. Oakland also took advantage of penalties on the next two drives. One drive, holding Miami to a field goal instead of a touchdown and the next to score a field goal for themselves to go up by four points at halftime.

Aside of the penalties, the Dolphins actually played good football throughout the game. Jay Cutler, who was in his second game back starting after a ribs injury, threw for 300 yards and 3 scores with no interceptions. This included a 15 yard touchdown strike to Julius Thomas to help put Miami within three points with 1:32 left in the game. The other scores were to Jarvis Landry and Damien Williams.

I have to say Jay Cutler played lights out football. He kept his turnovers down, was only sacked one time(amid the poor offensive line play), and completed 81 percent of his passes. The running game was somewhat staggered as this was the first game without running back Jay Ajayi, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kenyan Drake ran fairly well, taking on the number one spot in the backfield. Although he did not have any touchdowns, he gained 69 yards on 9 carries(7.7 y.p.c.) that included a 42 yard rush for his long. Damien Williams performed at a lesser rate only gaining 14 yards on 7 carries. Don’t count him out though, Williams was electrifying in the past game. Williams was targeted six times and caught all six passes for 47 yards. And to top it off, Williams caught a ten yard touchdown where, after making a tackler miss, “superman” jumped to the goal line to score. One of the best plays I seen all night.

I was impressed to see such an overall solid performance by the Dolphins offense. Especially with DE/LB Khalil Mack chasing Jay Cutler and friends all over the field. It looked as if he had a motor that would not turn off. As a former defensive end, I applaud Mack for his efforts Sunday night, as he alone put more pressure on Miami then I seen in awhile from a single player.

Miami could have pulled the win out but in the end, the Raiders took advantage of Miami’s mishaps. The Dolphins defense set their offense up on two separate occasions to take the lead and potentially close the game out. Ndamukong Suh forced a Carr fumble in hall of fame fashion. Suh beat his blocker and turned the corner heading for Carr. Seeing as he wouldn’t make the sack, Suh jumped, left his feet, stretched out, and knocked the ball from Carrs' hand. This is why Suh was paid big bucks and these types of plays are why he has been a major factor for Miami's defense.

The offense did not capitalize on the turnover as the offense gained only 5 yards on four plays and then punted. The score was still 20-16 and Miami’s defense came back on the field and forced a punt this time. Only allowing one yard on three plays and forcing an Oakland punt. Miami's offense was given another chance at this to convert turnovers into points. But this time the Raiders defense gave no ground, holding Miami to -8 yards.


As I said earlier, the team who capitalized the most on the others mistakes, was the team to take the game. As Al Pacino stated in, Any Given Sunday, “it’s a game of inches” and all the inches matter when you have two teams who are trying to find their niche. I loved the fact that Miami seemed more physical this game. They were more in tune with the goal to get accomplished. It was the “inches” that made the difference between winning or losing….That’s football, as well as life, as Pacino said, that’s all it is. A game of inches.

Next game:

Miami Dolphins(4-4) @ Carolina Panthers(6-3)
Monday; November 13, 2017 8:30 p.m.
Bank of America Stadium
Game covered nationally on ESPN

Miami Heat pull off win after losing late game lead

The Miami Heat was able to pull out a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, even though they was outscored 35-15 in the fourth quarter. It was all Miami through the first three quarters.

Hassan Whiteside continued to own the paint for Miami as he delivered 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Of course it wouldn’t be a Whiteside party of there wasn’t any blocks, and Whiteside had two poster worthy blocks. Other than Whiteside, Miami's other big men have not lightened the load, combining for just 5 points and 7 boards in comparison. Kelly Olynyk did defend the paint well enough when Whiteside was on the bench.

Miami’s guard/forward play has proven once again that you will have to slow them down, aside of Whiteside, if you want to have any chance of beating the Miami Heat. A good trait for a playoff caliber team. I don’t even know where to start…We can look at Tyler Johnson who scored 19 points and dished 3 assists, and got 3 steals. And did I mention, through Spoelstra strategy, he did this while coming off the bench.

How about Wayne Ellington(we haven’t even talked the starters yet), who came off the bench to spare 27 minutes overall and going 5-9 in three point attempts on his way to a 17 point night out. Then of course there is “the Dragon”, Goran Dragic. Dragic only scored 12 points but that included 6 assists as he was the leader of the offense as always and created enough plays for his teammates to capitalize on. Dion Waiters did not play due to the birth of his newborn daughter(congratulations) and players like Ellington, Richardson, and Johnnson(Tyler) picked up the slack.

If we consider James Johnson a guard based on his dribbling and scoring ability(I definitely do), he added to Miami’s backcourt assault adding on 5 assists and 14 points. And no, I couldn’t forget about one of my favorite players, Josh Richardson or Mr. Consistency. Richardson went something like 14 points, 4 assist, and 3 steals. Last week, Erik Spoelstra compared Richardson to former Heat star Dwayne Wade after a win over the Hawks. “He was great defensively. Those are the type of plays at the rim we had a former two-guard here make, those kind of blocks.”, said Spoelstra referring to how Wade use to make aggressive defensive stops at and above the rim. Spoelstra continued, “there’s just not many twos in the league that can make those kind of plays and then guard one through four.” Richardson has been an valuable part of t Miami Heat's offense since being drafted in 2015.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been a playoff caliber team for several years and will be for time to come. Even with the departure of Chris Paul, the Clippers still show that they are a fast pace, aggressive, and coachable team. So the fourth quarter run wasn’t no surprise. Lead by all-star Blake Griffin, the Clippers mounted a successful come back in the fourth. But thanks to two free throws by James Johnson and a big defensive contest by Whiteside on Griffin, Miami walked out of L.A. with a another win. I would like to see Miami close such games with out the late game dramatics.
None the less, as the saying goes, “a win is a win”. The Miami Heat are facing another tough challenge out the western conference as they take a short road trip from L.A. to Oakland and face the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors.

Miami Heat @ Golden State Warriors
Monday November 6, 2017
Game covered on FOX Sports Sun

Miami has no answer for Ravens in 40-0 shutout

As a fan, I was left speechless Thursday after the Miami Dolphins (4-3) fell, hard, to the Baltimore Ravens(4-4). As a analyst of the game, I had quite a few things to say.

As I stated in my last blog on the Dolphins and Jets, the Baltimore Ravens were a team that need not be taken lightly, despite their (3-4) record. Anyone who has followed the Ravens for the past 10 years or so should know that the Ravens is never a gimme game.

Miami came into the game on a two game winning streak, in which they came from behind in both games, heading into Thursday night. I felt good about our team momentum and believed the team would use it to propel them past the Ravens. A team who has given the Dolphins just as many problems as the Patriots have over the years.

Matt Moore started the game over the injured Jay Cutler but could not find the same rhythm he had in the Jets win. Moore, who was under continuous pressure from the 11th ranked defense, attempted 44 passes and only completed 25 of them for 176 yards. Moore did not throw a touchdown but two interceptions. Those two interceptions were both returned for touchdowns by the Ravens defense. One by linebacker C.J. Mosley and the other by cornerback Jimmy Smith.

The Miami Dolphins could not get the passing game and the run game did not produce any better. Jay Ajayi and Kenyon Drake only combined for 45 yards and no touchdowns. There was no daylight as the Ravens played good gap control defense and dialed up some pretty impressive blitz packages. The offensive line, with all due respect, did not show up and is the main reason for Miami's shut out.

The Dolphins defense is not off the hook either. Miami's defense, who has fallen to 12th in the league, gave up 26 points to the Ravens offense. That included ten points from "automatic" kicker, Justin Tucker. Matty Mornhinweg's offense, who was ranked last in the league in passing coming into the game, played lights out football despite losing Joe Flacco.

Flacco went down after a questionable hit by linebacker Kiko Alonso as Flacco scrambled for a first down before sliding, Alonso meeting him on the way down. This created a chain reaction as offensive line, Ryan Jensen hit and laid on Alonso. Ndamukong Suh then hit Jensen and, with cornerback Bobby McCain, rolled on him as he did Alsonso.

More players joined the scuffle and penalty flags were thrown. Alonso, Suh, and Jensen stayed in the game but will most likely be receiving fines. This was about the most passion the Phins showed in the game. Even with Joe Flacco going into concussion protocol, Miami's defense allowed a second string quarterback to come in and control the tempo of the offense.

Ryan Mallet entered the game and was able to slow the Dolphins defense down by understanding his role and making the plays he needed to make. Mallet did not try to go above and beyond to be the savior Thursday night. He only threw 3/7 for 20 yards and one touchdown. Other than that, he handed the ball to running backs Alex Collins and Javorius Allen who, together, ran for 174 yards. Credit the coaching staff for being able to adapt to losing Flacco.

The only thing I could appreciate from this game was the fact that although a vicious hit, the result was seeing teammates stand up for each other. I wish Joe Flacco well wishes as he is a good and model player but I liked the effort Alonso showed trying to prevent the first down. He was playing for his job just as Flacco was. Hats off to Suh as well for protecting his teammate as well.

Adam Gase and the Miami Dolphins have a lot to think about this week. From fines to possible suspensions, and having to answer for all the things that went wrong on Thursday. Miami is back home this Sunday against a struggling Oakland Raiders(3-5). But after Thursday night, who is to say the Raiders are the ones struggling and not the Dolphins.

Oakland Raiders @ Miami Dolphins
Sunday November 5, 2017
Hard Rock Stadium
Kickoff: 8:30 pm