Monday Read Option: What a Difference a Year Makes in Miami
By Jason Lisk
One year ago this weekend, the Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin story hit the public. Martin had left the team prior to the Halloween night game, reports began to emerge about Incognito’s role in the incident soon after, and on Sunday, November 3rd, Richie Incognito took to Twitter to blast ESPN.
It seems like a lifetime ago, and things have changed so much in Miami, not just over the last year, but in the last month. Near the end of September, an AFC East quarterback who was statistically near the bottom of the league was receiving plenty of criticism, and there were questions about whether he should remain the starter. Tom Brady?
How about Ryan Tannehill. As the Dolphins were getting ready to leave for London to play the Raiders, Joe Philbin refused to publicly answer a question about whether Tannehill would still be the starter, and Tannehill said it caused a stir and a distraction. If not for Brady’s resurgence over the last month, people might notice just how drastically different the Miami offense has performed.
First 3 Games: 56.5% completions, 5.0 yards per attempt, 4 TD, 2 INT, 8 rushes for 18 yards
Last 5 Games: 68.9% completions, 8.2 yards per attempt, 10 TD, 4 INT, 23 rushes for 227 yards
The only Miami loss over that span was the wild Green Bay game where Aaron Rodgers threw the game winning touchdown on the final play.
On Sunday, Miami destroyed a San Diego team that looked like a contender a month ago, and has now lost three straight to fellow AFC playoff hopefuls. Philip Rivers was taken out of the game after this sack/fumble in the third quarter, with the game already well out of reach.
That was the fourth turnover of the game, and third in the quarter, as Rivers was harrassed all day. On offense, meanwhile, Tannehill has found his stride in Bill Lazor’s offense, spreading it around and utilizing his feet more. One big difference is the emergence of Jarvis Landry. It will go mostly unnoticed with how the game turned out, but after an offensive pass interference call, Miami was in a first and long when Landry freaked out Reggie Walker to pick up yards to make it second and short on what would be the first touchdown drive of the game.
Landry would also cap off the day, with this touchdown following the Rivers’ fumble to extend it to 37-0. This play was originally called out of bounds (and of course Mike Carey said the play would stand as called), but the replay showed that Landry again showed insane balance to tightrope the sideline and get the ball inside the pylon, when nothing appeared available.
So while New England has been blistering hot in the AFC over the last month, they aren’t the only ones. And remember, Miami has the victory in week 1 still sitting there, setting up a big potential December showdown in Foxboro.
It’s a long way away, but not nearly as far as that time when the locker room was dysfunctional and the offensive line was a mess and two starters were embroiled in a national soap opera. That seems like it was a lifetime ago after yesterday’s game.
SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER
The 49ers may look back at Sunday’s game with much regret by the end of the year. San Francisco fell to 4-4 with an uninspired offensive effort against the St. Louis Rams at home, and the game’s ending was particularly tough to take. San Francisco had the ball near the goal line with a timeout, down 3. Overtime looked like a worst case scenario, and the 49ers were trying for the outright victory. The earlier pass to Michael Crabtree–to me–looked like a touchdown catch, but I’ve long since stopped trying to figure out what is and is not a catch, and when. (I thought if they weren’t going to call it a touchdown, it would be because the ball touched the ground and was incomplete, but instead it was called a catch but not a touchdown).
Then, on second and third and goal, San Francisco went with a two play sequence of trying a pass (which should have been expected, and was defended well) followed by a QB sneak. Kaepernick lost control on the snap but appeared to regain it, then lost the ball in the pile as he fell toward the end zone. Was he in? I think it was close, but I understand how you don’t reverse that.
And now, San Francisco is in big trouble. The good news? They start getting some key players back on defense soon.
MORE ROBERT GRIFFIN DRAMA
Robert Griffin III is back. That means complaints and leaks about how he has alienated people, before he even took the field on Sunday.
After the game, Jay Gruden went hard at ESPN’s Britt McHenry, who had the initial report of discord (initial this time around I mean) on Sunday morning.
"“I saw those,” the coach said when asked about the pregame reports. “It was an amateurish report. It was totally not true. And for anybody who reads that to believe that, they’re an amateur. Anybody who reports that’s an amateur. It’s totally false. And just something else that you have to deal with up here at a press conference, that Robert has to deal with, that the players have to deal with, that they’re going to write about and ask about. “But we are in D.C., and it is Robert Griffin, and they’re always going to try to tear him down and tear us down for whatever reason,” Gruden went on. “But we’re going to stay united as a locker room, and that’s that. We’re not going to let anybody get to us. That’s some small-time reporter reporting fiction.”"
THE WILD AFC
A year ago, it looked like an AFC playoff spot would go to an 8-8 team, and until a late miss by Ryan Succop to keep San Diego alive, it would have.
That won’t be an issue this year. Ten of the twelve teams in the AFC North, East, and West have a winning record after week 9. We assume the Colts are in good shape in the AFC South, but that means you can expect lots of key games coming down the stretch. Right now, only two games separates the top record (New England at 7-2) from teams that are on the outside at 5-4. Right now, half of the teams who have a winning record will end up out of the playoffs. Should be a fun second half.
MARCUS LATTIMORE’S FUTURE UNCERTAIN WITH CONFLICTING REPORTS ABOUT RETIREMENT
Finally, a sad note. Last week, Marcus Lattimore finally returned to the practice field after nearly two years since his terrible knee injury at South Carolina. Just a few days later, he missed Friday’s practice with soreness in his knee, and Ian Rapoport said last night he was weighing his options.
ESPN’s Adam Caplan reported that Lattimore is retiring from football, and Lattimore’s agent disputed that the decision had been made. However, it is still on the table, as Lattimore struggles with where to go next. It’s a reminder that–even with modern medical advances that have players coming back from injuries faster and better than ever before–there is still a limit to what the body and mind can endure. Lattimore has been working for the last two years to get back, and is no doubt dealing with some frustration over another potential setback. It was one of the most horrific knee injuries in a long time, and good luck to Lattimore whatever he chooses.