The foes of last week, have turned heroes in South Florida this week, in the wake of the Dolphins domination of the Chicago Bears in Chicago. What a difference a week makes. The Dolphins took the field expected by fans on both sides, Miami's sports radio personalities and most football analysts, to lose to the Bears. Why not? Miami had done a good job of losing at home against the Packers leading the game late in the 4th quarter, by playing an overly conservative game with over 4 minutes left. This week the story would turn out to have quite a different ending however, because the Dolphins played smart but aggressive football until there was only 1:05 left in the contest, when they safety went into a victory formation.
Miami's offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, said to have been less than pleased with the Dolphins hyper conservative approach last week, called read option plays from the Dolphins 2nd drive for his offense, which Miami's quarterback Ryan Tannehill executed flawlessly. Mr. Tannehill read the Bears defense like a children story book and ran for over 50 yards. The play selection by Miami's offense kept Chicago's pass rush at bay, and defenders stayed home as a result, allowing Tannehill to take shots at his receivers with little pressure. The Miami QB was almost perfect as a passer, connecting on his first 14 attempts. The score at halftime was Miami 14, Chicago 0.
Going into the 3rd quarter, there were some questions left to be answered. What kind of adjustments would the Bears make on offense for the 2nd half? Would Miami be able to play 60 minutes of consistently good football? Would the Dolphins start to prematurely play an overly conservative game? The Bears managed to score by handing off to RB Matt Forte and setting up completions to former Miami WR Brandon Marshall. The Bears managed to cut Miami's lead to 10 points in the 4th, but with the clock running out, they were forced to rely strictly on the pass, which made the Dolphins' defensive coordinator's job easier from that point and Miami prevailed.
This week there will be talk in Miami, about a newly crowned Marino successor for the first time since Ryan Tannehill was drafted 3 years ago. The football sophisticated Miamians, can be as demanding as they are knowledgeable about the game and demanded nothing less than great potential. Ryan Tannehill, seems to have finally earned the title as a suitable successor, thanks to Bill Lazor and the read option.