One coordinator remains from Brian Flores’ original staff. Here’s how his unit performed
The Miami Dolphins fired their offensive coordinator and allowed their defensive coordinator to leave for a lateral position with the New York Giants after the 2019 season. That left the team with one original coordinator from the staff Brian Flores originally hired for his first season.
Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.
And while the offense scored fewer points per game in 2019 than 2018 (19.1 to 19.9) and the defense allowed more points per game in ‘19 over ‘18 (30.1 to 27.1) the overall change was apparent but not stark or sharp.
You know what change was stark and sharp?
How the Dolphins special teams’ performed overall in 2019 compared to 2018.
In his annual special teams rankings, which respected NFL reporter Rick Gosselin has compiled for the last 41 years, the Dolphins suffered the greatest drop of any NFL team from 2018 to 2019.
The Dolphins ranked fourth overall in the special teams ratings in 2018, the last of Darren Rizzi’s nine years with the Dolphins. Under Crossman in his first season, the Dolphins dropped to 24th in the rankings for 2019.
Rizzi left for the New Orleans Saints and, not surprisingly, his arrival signaled a boon for that team’s unit. The Saints finished 2019 as the NFL’s No. 1 rated special teams unit.
The ratings take into account 22 special teams categories and assign points according to the team’s standing in that category -- one point for finishing first and 32 points for finishing last. The Saints finished first in four of the 22 categories and in the top 10 in 16 categories.
The category that hurt the Dolphins the most was opponent starting field position. Dolphins opponents typically started at the 27.9 yard line during the 2019 season and that was the worst in the NFL.
The most impressive Dolphins special teams stat last season might have been their 12 points scored -- one touchdown on a Jakeem Grant kickoff return and one touchdown on a Jason Sanders pass from punter Matt Haack on the stirring “Mountaineer Shot” play.
So what does this mean?
Well, it was a bad look for a team that enjoyed good special teams play through multiple coaching staffs while Rizzi remained in Miami.
It was also interesting in that the Dolphins generally had a lot of young talent and even routinely used multiple starters on special teams.
And it suggests great improvement must be made in 2020. Part of that improvement can be expected in that the Dolphins currently have 14 draft picks and can stock special teams with that young talent if they wish.
And based on last year’s ratings, it would be wise for them to make that wish.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 12:33 AM.
