Bad Miami pass offense to face bad Browns pass defense

By Anthony Bialy  |   Friday, October 12, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Miami Dolphins
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First of course is the obvious concern for a person's well-being: The important thing is that Trent Green is able to recover from the hit he sustained and conquer his symptoms. Now we can get to the fact that, aside from a moderately decent first game performance, he has been largely ghastly as a Miami Dolphin. As Green focuses on becoming whole again, the starter by default, Cleo Lemon, can focus on trying to get a rickety passing team on target against the 2-3 Cleveland Browns during Week 6.

From what Lemon showed in his first 2007 regular-season action, Miami isn't exactly ready to install the run and shoot. He went 15 for 27 after being pressed into action following Green's horrid collision. Factor that with 151 yards, no touchdown passes, and an interception, and that's how we end up with a paltry 56.2 rating in the first partial action of the Lemon era.

The positive news for the Dolphins is that the stoppable force known as their passing game is about to face a very movable object in the Browns' air defense. Cleveland is 31st in the league in that category, conceding 267 passing yards per game in a sadly porous effort to slow foes.

Most shockingly, opposing quarterbacks have collectively accumulated a passer rating of 102.1 while facing the Browns. By comparison, Peyton Manning's rating for last season was 101.0. Statistically, each week they're literally making the other team's quarterback look better than the one considered perhaps the best ever.

To be fair, the Browns have faced Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and New England in three of their first five games, meaning they weren't trying to stop passing slouches. But, regardless of who they've played, they still haven't had answers. That's true both directly in the secondary and up front, where they've only managed four sacks.

From Miami's perspective, the circumstances surrounding this game are as ideal as could be for a winless team with a shaky, mediocre quarterback pressed into the starting role. They've been averaging a touchdown reception per game with Green manning the controls, and it would logically seem that even such meager production would be difficult to maintain with a clear-cut backup in place.

But they lucked out this week. By chance of schedule, the Dolphins are going to be able to ease their way into getting Lemon involved thanks to the particular opponent's fecklessness. Cleveland has already surrendered 15 touchdown passes, meaning this is shaping up to be a battle versus a team that isn't passing well versus one that is seemingly unable to stop any thrown ball from being completed.

Dolphins fans who have had precious few happy 2007 moments can at least know it's possible they're facing the one team that isn't going to put up a tremendous struggle to stop the pass, even if it's against a squad featuring a weak throwing game with its second option behind center.
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About Anthony Bialy

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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
rai		03:17 AM
10/12/2007
Lemon is more mobile and perhaps has a stronger arm than Green, so let's see how he plays after receiving most of the reps in...
No.2
Rob		10:02 AM
10/12/2007
I think the Phins are tired of losing and they will come out swinging. Lemon will provide better mobility at QB and with a...
No.3
Dave		12:45 PM
10/12/2007
It's times like these where a team needs to dig deep and figure out what they are maed of. you can sink deeper or come out...
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