Bear(ing) the News – A Chicago Bears Blog

There were 11 people in the Dolphins photo when Ndamukong Suh signed his contract. And none of them was named Joe Philbin. After playing a game of “Where’s Waldo” the press finally spotted Philbin in the room. Philbin was in the audience and, as Dan Hanzus at NFL.com put it, “probably next to some schlub columnist who calls for his firing on a weekly basis. It’s just a matter of time before Joe’s desk is in the basement.”

This is the life of Joe Philbin, the Rodney Dangerfield of pro football. What kind of job Philbin is doing in Miami depends upon who you ask. This debate between veteran Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins at the Sun-Sentinel is typical. Kelly argues that the Dolphins consistently play below their talent level with Philbin as head coach while Perkins claims that he believes that this isn’t true and the Dolphins play exactly to their talent level, though they never overachieve.

This is how you know that you are the NFL coaching fraternity’s version of a JAG. Your critics argue that you suck while your defenders passionately object by claiming that you are mediocre.

Joe Philbin is on a seat that is beyond hot. It’s scorching, perhaps the hottest in the NFL. Ownership spent lavishly in the offseason on Suh and there are signs that they are about to spend more on guard Evan Mathis. Even given that, the weakest link on the team is the offensive line, the unit that is supposed to be former offensive line coach Philbin’s specialty. Not a good look.

It is against this back drop that the Dolphins visit Soldier Field on Thursday. It’s fairly clear that the Dolphins are all in and the indications are that Philbin’s going to have to at least make the playoffs or he’s out. If the team underperforms significantly, even in a preseason game, there will be howls from the fan base led by members of the press like Kelly.

Miami Rookies to Keep an Eye On

The Miami draft class is led by wide receiver DeVante Parker, chosen 14th overall out of Louisville. Parker has his flaws but his most important attribute is that he’s a legitimate vertical threat because he can create late separation with his good top-end speed, length, body control and leaping ability. The Dolphins have been heavily criticized for their poor deep passing game and Parker is being counted on to help improve on that weakness this year.

Unfortunately Parker is currently out with an injured foot. He had surgery last year to put a screw in and he had to have that screw replaced in June. Two weeks ago, Philbin sounded fairly confident that Parker would be ready to play in the regular-season opener, saying he just didn’t know if the rookie would be available for 30 snaps or maybe 60 snaps. That is probably still the case but he hasn’t sounded so sure that Parker will be fully recovered in his more recent comments.

The Dolphins second round pick was defensive tackle Jordan Phillips out of Oklahoma. He is a massive, wide-bodied nose tackle prospect that might have been a good fit for the Bears had things fallen that way. He moves well but he was unreliable at Oklahoma in terms of his on-field effort, particularly on passing plays. But he’s definitely got the potential to help the Dolphins defend the run, something they had their share of problems doing, especially late in the year. Phillips will fit in well with the Dolphins but his effort will be worth keeping an eye on Thursday night.

The Dolphins fourth round pick was offensive guard Jamil Douglas from Arizona State. Douglas reportedly struggles with speed-to-power off the edge and his below-average arm length raises concerns about his ability to prevent NFL speed rushers from turning the corner. That makes him a poor tackle prospect but a good fit for the Dolphins at guard. He has the frame, size and enough foot speed to provide depth there in a zone-heavy scheme. Douglas is currently in a competition with Dallas Thomas. Thomas is currently slightly ahead and no one is comfortable with the situation. Douglas will bear watching.

The Dolphins also took runningback Jay Ajayi in the fifth round. Ajayi is a big back from Boise State who reportedly has good overall vision, patience and agility. He is also a natural pass-catcher.

Ajayi came to the Dolphins in the last draft with the promise of being a physical, hard-knocking, capable pass protector who offers a bigger alternative to what the Dolphins have on the roster. Unfortunately reports out of camp have indicated that this has not been the case. He also reportedly needs to work on his blitz pick up.  Ajayi has no been practicing with a hamstring injury and we may not see him Thursday night.

Also drafted in the fifth round, Tony Lippett, a wide receiver out of Michigan State, is long and tall and was supposed to have had good ball skills. He’s on the leaner side so he was known to get pushed around at times. Lippett has reportedly looked good in camp and he may be a surprise on the field this year. Both Bears and Dolphins fans will be looking forward to getting a good look at him Thursday.

One last prospect worth keeping an eye on is fifth rounder, Bobby McCain, a cornerback from Memphis. McCain reportedly lacks ideal length and doesn’t have great overall range and long speed. However, he has been making a name for himself so far in camp and Dolphin fans and media members have been extremely impressed and it will be interesting to see what he can do.

The Miami Dolphins ranked 12th in total defense in the NFL last year. That was primarily because they were 6th in the league against the pass. However they were 24th against the run.  If the rush defense was the primary deficiency, they have moved to correct it.

Despite their nice overall ranking, the Dolphins had their share of troubles last year. They were up and down throughout the season and many blamed defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle for the problem. For instance, after a blowout loss to the Chiefs in September last year, the Dolphins players were reportedly “beyond furious” with the defensive game plan and reporters could hear their vocal displeasure in the locker room after the game. Probably more concerning, the year ended on a down note as there was a significant defensive slide over the last six games where they were particularly poor against the run. Coyle said in the offseason “Finishing is the name of the game. This league, the competition is so fierce, so close, the good teams find ways to win in critical situations. And we need to do that. We need to do that better than we’ve done over the past three years to get from being an 8-8 team to the upper echelon of the league. It’s making plays in crunch time.” Coyle recognizes the problem. It remains to be seen if he understands the considerably more difficult task of finding the solution.

After much uncertainty, Coyle was retained by the team after the season and in the end, the Dolphins decided to correct their problems through him instead of without him. Evidently as a result, the Dolphins have simplified their defensive scheme this year. The claim was that the complexity of the defense stunted the growth of rookies and new players to the team. There have been veterans of the Dolphins who have openly complained about how complex the system was and how much thinking that was done on the field. Indeed, defensive rookies haven’t played much for the Dolphins and it apparently has nothing to do with head coach Joe Philbin’s preference. The defense was reportedly simply too difficult to learn in the first year, especially when you’re a rookie in the NFL.

The Dolphins play a standard 4-3 which, in its simplified form, will probably be similar to the type of front the Bears used over the past decade or more before this year. As most Bears fans will know, when you play such a defense, fundamentals are key. In that respect, the Dolphins have been emphasizing better tackling in the offseason, something that they were notably poor at last year. This will be something to watch on Thursday.

Building a Wall

Those putting together the Dolphins offense might not recognize that games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage. But they definitely have the right idea on defense. This is a rugged group headed by free agent addition Ndamukong Suh. Suh promises to improve the run defense and, perhaps as important, he may help provide for a better pass rush. Outstanding defensive end Cameron Wake promises to be the major beneficiary of the increased attention which Suh will command and Dolphin fans may reasonably expect the pass rush, and therefore the pass defense, to be significantly improved by this signing.

This offseason included questions about Suh’s commitment. Suh had a previous habit of not showing up for OTAs but its one thing not to want to spend months of your precious offseason in Detroit, it’s another thing altogether to pay a man $60 million guaranteed only to have him not show up for workouts in Miami. The Dolphins, somewhat concerned about it, dispatched Mike Tannenbaum to Portland, Oregon to check on their highest paid player. He was happy to find Suh working hard at the Nike state of the art facilities. Suh apparently was spending a great deal of this time there and the Dolphins were satisfied that their investment was safe, something Lions fans could have told them without spending the price of a plane ticket.

Suh has dominated defensive workouts in camp and he’s beaten right guard Billy Turner so badly that the Dolphins replaced him with third stringer Jacques McClendon yesterday at practice. As always, how Bears Pro Bowl right guard Kyle Long does against his familiar foe, Suh, will be entertaining to watch for both Dolphins and Bears fans, even if the stakes are somewhat lower than usual.

One other point worth noting.  The Dolphins signed C.J. Mosley, late in free agency.  He’s a veteran of 10 NFL seasons who was signed as physical, savvy depth.   But there has been a lot of concern over Moseley’s performance in camp.  He is languishing on the third team for the Dolphins and reportedly hasn’t stood out against third-team offensive players. Mosley should be dominating these players and he’s not.  No team stays 100% healthy over the course of the season and the Dolphins are counting on Moseley to perform this year as part of a defensive line rotation where he could eventually be called upon to take on a major role.  Mosely’s performance Thursday night will be something to keep an eye on.

Areas of Competition

Given the quality of the Dolphins run defense and the emphasis on improving the defensive line, this could be one heck of a front seven if they get their linebacker situation straightened out. The position is an area of wide open competition right now with weak side linebacker Jelani Jenkins as the only established starter. Jenkins became a starter in Week 2 last season after Koa Misi and opening-day starter Dannell Ellerbe both were injured in Week 1. He ended up leading the team with 108 tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

This year Misi, veteran Kelvin Sheppard and second year man Chris McCain are competing to be the other two of the best three linebackers on the team. Misi started last year and Sheppard has started 31 games for the Bills and Colts over his previous 4 year career but McCain has the length and athleticism that coaches look for in an outside linebacker and third-down pass rusher. Currently it looks like it will either be Misi at strong-side linebacker with Sheppard in the middle or McCain on the outside with Misi in the middle. This competition would be better addressed if Misi could stay healthy. He is currently not practicing with a calf injury. His durability is a concern.

The other competition of note for those watching Thursday night will be at cornerback opposite Brent Grimesfor the Dolphins. Jamar Taylor entered camp as something of a front-runner but he is being challenged primarily by free agent pickup Brice McCain. Taylor is a former 2013 second-round pick. He earned some valuable experience at the end of the 2014 season when he started three games in place of injured former cornerback Cortland Finnegan and played reasonably well. McCain has started 86 games over a six year career, most of which was played with the Houston Texans. These guys both look solid to me and it looks like one of those rare camp competitions where the Dolphins win either way.

Bottom Line

I didn’t have a lot of good things to say about a Dolphins offense that appears to have major problems along the offensive line yesterday. But I love this defense and, like Coyle, I’m having a hard time understanding why they slid so far late in the season last year. But I’ll say this. With the addition of Suh and reasonably solid starters everywhere I look, if these guys aren’t’ a wonderful unit to watch in 2015, Coyle should and will be fired. I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what they do on Thursday night against a Bears offense which is good at the skill positions but which, to my eye, leaves a lot to be desired at the line of scrimmage. These guys are going to be a significant challenge for them.

Points to bear in mind while watching:

1. Long Vs. Suh. ’nuff said.
2. Will the Dolphins tackle better than last year.  This is something that’s going to be critical for them over the course of the season.  It’s probably the most common reason why otherwise talented defenses can under-perform.
3. How will veteran C.J. Mosley look?
4. Matt Forte (if he plays) and the other Bears running backs against the Dolphins linebackers. This could be an interesting match up as the linebackers in competition on the outside are assigned some reasonably good pass catchers out of the backfield.
5. Will the Bears be able to run on what should be a much improved Dolphins run defense?
6. Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and the rest of the Bears passing game against an excellent pass-defending unit. The Dolphins pass rush will be something both teams fans should be interested in keeping an eye on. Wake, in particular, has the potential to eat them alive if they don’t perform well.

The Miami Dolphins ranked 14th in total offense in the NFL last year. They played with reasonably good balance in that they were 17th in passing and 12th in rushing, being almost equally mediocre in both – statistically that is.

Deep Thinking

The Dolphins hired Bill Lazor to be their offensive coordinator last year, hoping that he’d bring some Chip Kelly magic to the team after he spent time as the Eagles quarterbacks coach. Lazor kept life simple for quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2014, with a vast majority of his throws targeted at receivers on short and intermediate routes. Tannehill accumulated 1,965 of his passing yards after the catch (11th-most in the NFL), although his YAC percentage was 48.6 (19th), according to Advanced Football Analytics. This sounds OK but it points to the major issue with last year’s Dolphins offense – the lack of explosive downfield plays. Tannehill has a reputation around the league as throwing one of the worst deep balls of any NFL starter.

He wasn’t helped by the presence of wide out Mike Wallace, his only downfield threat at receiver and a disappointment as a Dolphin after signing a huge contract to come over from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013. Wallace was criticized for his lack of physicality and fell further out of favor in Miami last season following a Week 17 sideline altercation with head coach Joe Philbin in a loss to the New York Jets. He was benched in the second half, which raised questions about his future with the team. He was traded along with a seventh round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth round draft pick in the offseason.

Time will tell whether the lack of a deep threat was more due to Wallace or Tannehill. Thanks to a younger, bigger, stronger and faster group of wide receivers this year, in theory Tannehill will have more capable options in the vertical passing game. The hope is that Kenny Stills, acquired in the offseason by trade from the New Orleans Saints, and first round draft pick DeVante Parker may provide a one-two punch of downfield threats and finally force defenses to play a little further back, opening up everything else in the process.

Parker is out with a foot injury and the hope is that he’ll be ready for at least limited snaps by the opener.  Nevertheless, how often the Dolphins throw deep and how effective they are at it will be a point of interest to keep an eye on Thursday night. We will also want to keep an eye on how Wallace does with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback under offensive coordinator Norv Turner in Minnesota this season. Between the two, much will likely be determined in Miami about the reasons for the limitations in their offense, past and/or present.

One last note on the Dolphins’ receiving game. The Dolphins signed Jordan Cameron at tight end while losing Charles Clay in free agency. Clay accounted for a lot of yardage last year but wasn’t particularly effective at scoring touch downs in the red zone where tight ends can become such a huge factor in the game. The hope is that Cameron, a former Pro Bowler, can improve this area of the game and it will be interesting to see if that is evident on Thursday night.

Line Dancing

Lack of a deep threat aside, there has been much offseason hand-wringing amongst fans and media in Miami about the offensive line.  And with some justification.

The Dolphins use a zone blocking scheme, something the Bears will be doing more of this year and it will be interesting to observe their technique along the line. At least where they have the talent to play there.

The Dolphins are well-established at right tackle, where Ja’Wuan James is a solid starter, and at center, where Mike Pouncey is a star. The problems come when you look virtually everywhere else.

They start at left tackle where Branden Albert is normally the best player in this group.  But he has undergone a knee reconstruction. He’s supposed to be ready for the season opener but he hasn’t seen the practice field and no one knows if he’ll be the same coming off of the injury. Jason Fox is supposed to be starting at left tackle in his place but he didn’t play in Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage and may be injured. Donald Hawkins reportedly is not playing well at the position as Fox’s backup. It will be a bad sign if whoever plays outside linebacker for the Bears on Hawkins’ side on Thursday night, likely either Jared Allen or Pernell McPhee, doesn’t dominate.

Both guard positions are arguably an even bigger problem. Albert at least is a very good player when healthy. But the right guard is Billy Turner, a virtual nobody. How big of a nobody? When looking for biographical information about Turner on the Dolphin’s website the only notation was “No data available”. Other sites where they apparently care more about Turner than the Dolphins do indicate that he was drafted in the third round in 2014 by the team.

Turner has been competing with (and understandably losing to) newly signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. In fairness, a likely guess is that, for the purposes of practice in camp, the Dolphins have been often leaving Turner to single block Suh, something that no sane offensive coordinator would do very often in a real game. It will be interesting to watch Turner against the lesser talent along the Bears defensive front to see how well he can be expected to play against normal competition.

The left guard competition is between Dallas Thomas and rookie Jamil Douglas. It sounds like the third year veteran Thomas is winning the competition but that’s not very comforting to many Dolphins fans. Veteran football writer Armando Salguero at the Miami Herald calls Thomas “only good enough to be embroiled in a full-blown competition with a rookie fourth-round pick who is still learning the offense”.

The Dolphins are painfully aware that they have a problem at guard. They sent a committee of players to woo guard La’el Collins, the undrafted standout from LSU, but they were unsuccessful. They were amongst the first teams to call Evan Mathis after the Eagles released him but they are reportedly far apart on money. Still, no one would be surprised if something is done on this front before the season starts.

Bottom Line

The Dolphins are going to be a good opening opponent for the Bears defense with their newly minted 3-4 scheme. Problems along the Miami offensive front should give fans a good idea of where the Bears are in terms of their front seven. Given the Bears’ inexperience in the scheme and the apparent lack of talent in this area, the Miami offense should still be significantly better but not overly so. They should offer just the right degree of competitive challenge to allow some individual Bears players to perform without the team overall being completely buried by a much superior unit.

Points to bear in mind while watching:

1. How well will the Bears outside linebackers do against a team that should be badly hurting at left tackle?
2. How will the Dolphins competition at left guard between Thomas and Douglas grade out? How will right guard Turner grade out against fair competition?
3. How will Bears rookie Eddie Goldman, who shows a fair prospect of starting at nose guard, do facing a Pro Bowl-quality center in Pouncey?
4. Will Tannehill be able to effectively throw the deep ball against a mediocre Bears defensive backfield that is unlikely to do anything fancy on Thursday night?
5. Will the Bears linebackers and/or safeties be able to clamp down and keep tight end Cameron out of the end zone?