Despite Sherman being stubborn, this team is going to win 10 games if they can stay healthy. When Wake gets back on the field, teamed up with the young Jordan...teams are going to struggle to protect the passer. We will legitimately have the Suggs-Dumurvile combo that plagued Miami yesterday. Throw in Starks and Odrick and it will be formidable. The offense shouldn't have to keep playing from behind and can start playing with a lead. Anyway, cheers...things are bright even after a loss that shouldn't have happened.

The offense doesn't need to be good. It just needs to not be bad, like it has been.

I agree. After the bye week Wake should be ready to go. Jordan should be fully implemented, and hopefully Patterson/Carroll are healthy. If that happens, this D is going to be a top 5 unit, especially against the offenses we'll be facing.

The offense has a long way to go to be average though. A long way.

A capable RT and a subpar ground game would do the trick.

The offense was putting up 24 points per game in that win streak. Changing up some play calls wouldn't hurt either.

I agree. It will take some time to get the timing down with the new toy. They also need to make more effective use of Thomas and Miller. Dump offs, screens to slow down the rush. This unit is not geared to zone block and is more adept at man blocking. They're too fat and slow to be a zone blocking group, so why force it. In points per game, they're doing better than last year and that's encouraging, but you'd like to see them up around 25-27. Anyway, I think even that will go up once the pressure is taken off by the defense.

Few things in quantity, a lot in significance.

I doubt it can be done.

Speaking of quantity and the offensive line, why the hell do they only keep 5 or 6 guys to protect consistently? What's the point of having a 5 man route on every passing play if Tannehill only has time to get through 1 or 2 reads?

You don't have the quality in your protection, so make up for it with quantity.

The problem is that while the defense might become what we think it should be, and they might start creating big plays with that new toy....Can they close games out with the run game?

I see this team losing games it should win because they couldn't keep the defense off the field in the 4th quarter while playing with a lead.

Why could they run against the Saints so easily? Why not replicate that?

Why not roll out Tannehill? Hit Wallace on a drag or deploy Hartline on a deep route?

The possibilities are there. They need to go 3-2 over the next 5 games. They also need to get the ground game going in the red zone.

At this point I'm only going to assume they matched up better.

_________________

The Saints went with a pretty soft box. Also, Miami opened things up with the pistol, which we only saw once yesterday. Ridiculous.

Neither the Patriots nor the Broncos are known for the run and when it gets tough, they throw it. The run is yesterday. Let RT load up and throw it.

Saints didn't go with a soft box...their safeties were even closer to the LOS. Small, quick OL are suited for zone blocking schemes...Pouncey might fit that description due to his athleticism. No one else. Go straight up man blocking.

BTW...they did it once in yesterday's game and got 5 yards and Miller came a shoe string tackle from breaking a big run. They never went back to it again.