Adam Gase Has A Lot To Ponder Following Another Ugly Dolphins Loss
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
DAVIE (CBSMiami) – For the second straight week the Miami Dolphins looked a like a lost team, unable to generate any momentum on either side of the ball.
The offense has produced just one scoring drive over the past two games.
The defense has held the team close in each contest but failed to make any big, winning plays. The unit has just four sacks and one fumble recovery through three games, with zero interceptions.
Bottom line: it's not good enough.
Head coach Adam Gase had to face a lot of tough questions following Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints in London, many of which he did not have the answers to.
Yet.
"That's what we're going to have to figure out," Gase said. "Just seems like we're having just too many, every time we get something fixed, something else pops up. So gotta kind of figure out what's going on. We gotta do it quick."
CHANGES ARE COMING
With the game being a day old and the team having endured a nine hour flight back from London, it's safe to say that Gase and his staff has looked at the film multiple times.
Which means by now they probably have an idea of what they want to do.
Last season after a 1-4 start and back-to-back ugly losses to Cincinnati and Tennessee, Gase made some drastic changes.
After blaming the offensive line for the struggles of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Gase cut linemen Billy Turner, Dallas Thomas and Jamil Douglas. All three had been recent draft picks by Miami.
Thomas was taken in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Turner was a third round pick the following year and Douglas was a fourth round pick in 2015.
(For what it's worth, Turner is now a backup guard with the Broncos, Douglas is a backup in Atlanta and Thomas is currently out of the league.)
This season the blame is somewhat universally being shared by the entire offense, from the play calling to the execution, so it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff zeros in on the biggest issues.
"We're trying to figure out," Gase said. "Just talking after the game, we're all just trying to figure out is it one thing that we're kind of slowing us up or is it multiple guys? Is it play calls? Is it the scheme?"
Those questions will need to be answered, and quickly if the Dolphins are going to salvage their season.
Yes, Miami started 1-4 last season and still made the playoffs, but it's extremely rare for a team to reel off nine wins in 10 weeks and banking on the Dolphins to make another run like that is foolish.
Gase and his staff need to identify whether the problem is a personnel issue, a coaching issue, lack of execution or some combination.
"That's what we need to take a look at," he said. "That's what I'm saying, I wish I could say it's just this, and that's why — we've got to figure this out quick. I know there's too many good players there. And for us to kind of put the performances we put up the last two weeks is — we've gotta get it cleaned up."
NO QUARTERBCK CONTROVERSY
Jay Cutler has been known during his career as a quarterback that loves to sling the ball all over the field.
His arm is one of the best in the league. The guy can throw.
The biggest issue with Cutler over the years has been with his decision making, something that Gase has been able to keep under control when the two have worked together.
Cutler did have an interception on Sunday but it appeared to be on a fade route to Julius Thomas that the tight end failed to make a play on.
It didn't take long for the finger pointing to trend in Cutler's direction and it was a popular question after the game.
Gase quickly shot down the idea of making a change at quarterback.
"Everybody wants to point at the quarterback all the time," Gase said. "I heard that last time I got here, and Ryan [Tannehill] is not here to blame this time."
Remember last season, Tannehill struggled mightily during the first few weeks but as the offensive line play improved, so did the quarterback.
Expect Gase to clean things up on the o-line before making any moves at QB.
