Miami Dolphins: Can they overcome their inconsistent ways?
Out of all of the teams in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins play with some of the most inconsistent tendencies that have been seen this year. Just when it appears that Dolphins have it all figured out, they succumb to either their finicky defense or Tannehill’s poor decision making week in and week out. Despite the fact that the Dolphins were tenacious during free agency, most of their supposedly monumental acquisitions have turned out to be less productive than expected. While linebacker Dannell Ellerbe has had a solid year, he hasn’t been quite as prolific as the Dolphins were expecting when they picked him up from the Baltimore Ravens. When all is said and done, the Dolphins are facing difficult times that will only continue to become more problematic unless this team can pin point the source of their inconsistent ways.
Although quarterback Ryan Tannehill isn’t going through a sophomore slump per se, he his hardly the strong armed dynamic leader that he was expected to become this year. While his accuracy has improved slightly from last season (he has completed 61% of his passes this season and only completed 58.3% of his passes last season), Tannehill is still succumbing to the same mistakes he made last year. Rather than taking the methodical approach, Tannehill continues to attempt to make big plays happen that just aren’t there which results in either a costly interception or an overthrown ball that never reaches its desired destination. Unfortunately, while Tannehill hasn’t necessarily regressed athletically, the fact that his skill set has remained somewhat stagnant has resulted in his team failing to win games that they are capable of winning.
While the Dolphins offense hasn’t been a pretty sight to say the least, their defense has been even more of a disappointment than their underwhelming offense. Coming into the regular season, the Dolphins were supposed to have a much more stout and virile defense, particularly when it came to their line backing corps and their pass rushing capabilities. Despite the fact that defensive end Cameron Wake has shown moments of defensive brilliance, as a whole, this defense has lacked a rhythmic form of attack that has prevented them from squelching an opposing teams offense throughout the entire duration of a single game. Ironically, the Dolphins went from being a clutch defensive team in close games at the beginning of the season to a depleted and incompetent competitor that can’t come through to win when it matters most.
Of course, the Dolphins also have to deal with off the field issues as well that may be contributing to this teams woeful performances as of late. The controversy surrounding the Richie Incognito couldn’t have come at a worse time for a Dolphins team that needs to allocate the majority of its time and energy to revamp this ailing football franchise. This is not to say that Incognito’s transgressions shouldn’t be properly addressed and handled in the appropriate fashion to curb this type of unacceptable harassment. Yet, for a Dolphins team that has been forced to live in the presence of mediocrity on the field, these off the field issues have most likely only exacerbated the frustrating failures that this team is currently facing on a regular basis.
However, even with the Dolphins inexplicable athletic embarrassments, they still have a chance at competing in their division. While the Dolphins have only won one game in their last six, they still have the potential and talent to make an unexpected comeback. Although they’ll have to contend with a high octane offense in the San Diego Chargers and an unforgiving defense in the Carolina Panthers for the next two weeks, it’ll give this ailing franchise a chance to prove that they can become the AFC standouts that they were projected to be before the start of the regular season. It won’t be easy, but the Dolphins have the capability to reinvigorate their team to potentially bounce back from this type of adversity.
Once again, the Dolphins are currently faced with a similar unwanted situation that they have had to contend with the last few years. As of now, the Dolphins are currently falling into the same inconsistencies that have prevented them from being successful in years past. Although the season isn’t over yet, this Dolphins needs to find an innovative way to revamp their team to avoid being the epitome of a mediocre franchise that everyone now expects them to be.