Miami Dolphins big issue which turned dream NFL | NFL News

It was supposed to be the yr the Dolphins finally discovered their toes and swam with the sharks of the AFC. Instead, Miami have began and ended their season belly-up, gasping for air while their rivals feast on their errors.

And errors is strictly what brought about a once-promising season to flip to catastrophe, according to former Dolphins quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who has no doubt as to why the South Beach dream turned into a recurring nightmare for the Florida trustworthy. Speaking completely on the state of his former franchise, Rosenfels admitted that while the league is a “meat grinder” of expertise, Miami have been their own worst enemies.

“The NFL is an interesting game. There’s a lot of great players and a lot of great coaching,” Rosenfels said. “Mike McDaniel is a really good coach, but this team really struggled this year with turnovers.

“Anytime you might be in a league where all people has very equal expertise, which the NFL very a lot has, there’ll of course be some outliers. There are groups with misplaced expertise, such as the Tennessee Titans, but the Miami Dolphins are a proficient group.”

The stats, however, tell a story of a team that simply cannot keep hold of the pigskin when it matters most. It has ultimately cost McDaniel his job, and he will head to Los Angeles to be offensive coordinator of the Chargers.

“[Miami] led the league in phrases of interceptions and they’ve had eight fumbles, which is close to the underside of the league,” Rosenfels said. “Turnovers have actually harm them this season and that’s one of the main causes that they’ve struggled to be constant so that’s one thing they’ve to positively tackle in the off season.

“High expectations are always tough, especially after McDaniel has been there a number of years.

“Usually the more years a coach is there and the quarterback is there, the upper the expectations; of course, they haven’t lived up to those expectations.”

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But it isn’t just the flashy offensive stars failing to click; the defense has also been soft and was a big contributor to their disappointing campaign. Rosenfels said: “One of the largest challenges, other than the turnovers, is stopping the run.

“There are certain key statistics I look at when I look at an NFL team. Statistics depend on how you read them and what you think of them, but certain ones really stick out. Defensively they struggle to stop the run; when you struggle to stop the run, they’re giving up about five yards a carry, which is in the bottom quarter of the NFL.

“That means other groups are creating third-and-short conditions and getting a lot of 1st downs. The league is about cross rush, it’s about turnovers, and you might have to stop the run to get groups into third-and-long conditions so your cross rushers have a probability to get to the quarterback.

“But if it’s third and two or third and three all the time, the coordinator on the other side isn’t going to draw up plays where the quarterback has to hold onto the ball very long.

“Then your defence never will get there. They have to do one thing about stopping the run next yr if they need to get back into the playoff hunt in the AFC East.”

While some fans are calling for a complete “burn it down” reset, Rosenfels believes a more surgical approach is required to save the project.

But where should that upgrade begin? Rosenfels has a message for those obsessed with “attractive” signings and highlight-reel superstars.

“Anytime you are attempting to improve your roster, in my opinion it’s very ‘sexy’ to speak about receivers, a new working back, a new quarterback, or possibly a nook.

“But the reality is this game is about the lines, and they need stronger offensive and defensive lines that are dominant.

“That would put less stress on their quarterbacks and receivers to make the performs they’ve to make.

“They could sometimes just win games by playing solid offence, without having to move the ball as much or take the risks they do now, which has led to all their interceptions and fumbles.”

Sage Rosenfels was talking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest NFL odds forward of the Super Bowl.