While Dolphins defense searches for a nickname it’s showing its personality | Opinion
There has been talk of trying to find a nickname for the Miami Dolphins defense because it’s emerging as a unit that’s making the team a playoff contender.
The search for that nickname has so far failed to turn up something appropriate. But while everyone is searching for the defense’s name, the unit has shown us a side of its personality.
Bend-but-don’t-break.
That’s part of the Dolphins defense personality.
Once upon a time that wasn’t exactly a compliment. But that’s changed as the NFL has made rules to weaken defenses and make offenses more prolific. So defenses that retreat some but don’t fold are considered quite satisfactory.
And amid that, it’s hard to argue the Dolphins aren’t bend-but-don’t-break.
Because the Dolphins give up a lot of yards. But not a lot of points.
Because the Dolphins are No. 22 in total yards allowed. But No. 4 in total points allowed.
Because the Dolphins have yielded over 400 yards in four of their first eight games, including the last two in a row against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.
But the team won those last two games when Rams and Cardinals marched up and down the field but didn’t get in the end zone enough.
And if you don’t believe bend-but-don’t-break is a thing for these Dolphins, consider that giving up yards is painful for defensive coordinator Josh Boyer. But he rightly understands that’s not the most painful thing.
His priorities:
“I would say in order, for me, when I look at it: One is did we do what we need to do to win the game,” Boyer said Tuesday when I asked his what he wants most from his defense.
“Two, obviously, we would like to keep the point totals down. Three, we would like to get the ball back to the offense as soon as we possibly can. Obviously, we’re not trying to give up big chunk yards, big plays, but as far as the stats go, like I said last week, I don’t really pay any attention to them.
“It’s more of a factor of us trying to put our players in position to succeed and for us to win the game, and really ultimately as a defense, what you’re trying to do is limit the points and get the ball back to the offense, and that’s kind of the way we look at it, [the way] we approach it.”
So giving up yards is not optimal, but not too bad as long as the defense is keeping opponents out of the end zone and keeping the team in the win column.
“Ultimately,” Boyer said, “you’d love to go into every game and the [opposing] offense has minus yards and you intercept every pass they throw, but this is a tough league. The coordinators are good. The offensive players are good. Sometimes they’re going to make plays.
“But at the end of the day, like I said, what you’re trying to do is win the game.”
And this is where the Dolphins penchant for giving up a lot of yards is curious: Because unlike most bend-but-don’t-break defenses, the Dolphins don’t typically play it safe.
They don’t sit in two-deep zones to keep every pass in front of them. They don’t ignore blitzes.
The Dolphins play multiple looks that often include Cover Zero concepts that leave the back end of the secondary completely exposed. They blitz a lot as they did against the Rams and New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
They play a lot of man defense with their cornerbacks.
So the Dolphins do a lot of attacking on defense, which is something most bend-but-don’t-break defenses avoid.
And yet Miami is giving up a ton of yardage.
Why is that noteworthy?
Well because the team is in a stretch of games in which it’s facing offenses that churn a lot of yards.
The Dolphins left Arizona with a victory but if they look in the rear-view mirror they would see the NFL’s No. 1 total yardage offense. The Cardinals are averaging a league-leading 422 yards per game. They had 442 against Miami.
And Sunday the Dolphins host the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. Guess what team is No. 2 in total yards?
Yes, the Chargers.
They average 420 total yards per game. But although they trail the Cardinals in total yards, the Chargers present a bigger problem in that they are more balanced in how they gain those yards.
The Chargers are fifth in passing yards per game (284) and No. 8 in rushing yards per game (135.6).
“They’ve run the ball well. They’ve thrown the ball well. They’ve had explosive plays,” Boyer said. “They’ve got good players. They’ve got a good scheme. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. They’ve used numerous different backs due to injury. All of them have been successful.
“They’ve got a loaded skill receiver group. They’ve got good tight ends and they’re really running at an efficient pace. It’s going to be a big challenge for us this week.”
We get it, the Chargers are good on offense.
But, oddly, they only score 25.6 points per game, which is a modest No. 17 in the NFL.
That all suggests the Chargers are probably going to move the ball with some success against the Dolphins. But they might not get in the end zone as often as they’d like.
That wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Because that’s how bend-but-don’t-break defenses are supposed to operate.
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
