Miami’s defense has chance to look good vs. Jets’ offense

By Anthony Bialy  |   Friday, November 30, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Miami Dolphins
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The New York Jets' miserable season is only made more bearable by the fact that AFC East rival and Sunday's foe Miami is relatively even worse at winning. That has distracted from the 2-9 Jets' own ineptitude, but what can't be hidden is that, in a Dolphin-free vacuum, they are a thoroughly inept franchise right now.

For the 0-11 Dolphins, this game has to be seen as an occasion to unearth and exploit the weaknesses of a marginally better squad. And actually, by overall score, Miami is technically just better: The Dolphins have managed 94 points fewer than opponents compared to the Jets' 97. To provide an idea of how closely bad these teams are, consider that the Dolphins have scored 183 points and given up 277, while New York has gotten 181 and conceded 278. That's eerily close, and it's evidence that the Jets are one team against which the league's sole victory-free organization might have decent prospects.

In particular, the Jets are hideously weak offensively, both generally and in several key specific areas. Attacking an opposition's vulnerable points isn't an option the Dolphins have had during much of this season, considering how many of their own lapses they've had to overcome. But this week, their defense could face an actual chance to possibly turn a close game in their favor for a change.

The Jets are bad in the air, evidenced by the fact they're only racking up 184.3 passing yards per game. Their quarterbacks have achieved a meager 73.6 rating, with current starter Kellen Clemens currently at an unfortunately pathetic 56.9. On top of that, they've been sacked an excessive 29 times in their 11 games. It would seem to be an uncommon opportunity for the Dolphins to get good results out of their cornerbacks and maligned pass rush.

The baffling thing is that the junior New York team has two fairly impressive receivers. Jerricho Cotchery has 54 receptions for 730 yards, which works out to 13.5 yards a grab, while Laveranues Coles has 529 yards in only nine games. They're the two serious threats to receive passes, as the next best wideout is second-year man Brad Smith with 234 yards, so cutting off the Jets' pair of genuine options is going to be crucial.

Failing that, the way to keep the Jets grounded is through rushing the quarterback; for Miami to be successful, it'll have to improve on the number of sacks it gets per outing. The Dolphins have a mere 17 in their 11 games, and they have the possibility to pump that average in this contest. Using Joey Porter in more of a pass-rushing mode, where he seems most comfortable and effective anyway, would be an advisable tactic to use while facing this Jet team.

The, um, feisty linebacker's tackle numbers have increased the past three games (six, seven, and eight, respectively, each topping his previous game high this season of four), and using him more aggressively will benefit both his numbers and his team on the scoreboard. Let Porter attempt to cause chaos versus a team renowned this season for allowing it.

It's not as if the Jets can compensate for a contained passing attack by rushing the ball profusely: They gain a below-middling 96.5 yards a game on the ground, only picking up 3.7 yards per carry. It would be one thing if they were at least proficient at running it, but the truth is that the Jets aren't good in either of the two known ways to move the ball forward.

Considering the inefficiency illustrated by so many unimpressive numbers, it's predictable that New York only musters 16.5 points per game. On top of that, the Jets don't protect the ball all that well, as they're minus-5 in turnovers. Of course, Miami averages 16.6 points per game itself and has the same turnover margin, so the Dolphins should aim not to outscore the Jets but rather limit them on offense more than they are limited themselves.

It all adds up to an occasion where the Miami defense can inflict damage upon a feckless adversary and keep the score down for its own offense's benefit, maybe even enough to finally, mercifully conclude with a victory.
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