Bill Lazor settling into his own as offensive coordinator

Written by Luis Sung | Twitter: @FLSportDebater
When offensive coordinator Bill Lazor first came to Miami, the expectation was that he would immediately transform the Dolphins offense from a dismal failure into a high-powered juggernaut. 

Sometimes it's not that simple.

There have been times when the Dolphins offense has struggled, whether it was because of failures on the offensive line, lack of production from the running backs or mistakes in the passing game on the part of the quarterback or wide receivers. Other times it was questionable play-calling, an issue that Dolphins fans have had to suffer through since Mike Sherman was the offensive coordinator.

But suddenly the Dolphins offense has started to look a lot more like fans expected, almost inexplicably so. But there might just be a very simple explanation to all this: It's quite possible that Bill Lazor has finally figured out how to use the talent the Dolphins have at their disposal.

“The skillset, a little bit. I think what we’re trying to learn more about is how they approach preparation, how to get them to have the most possible attention to detail and some of the mindset, preparation, intangible parts of the game, which, they’re here, so they have them, they’ve used them, that’s how they got to this point." Lazor said. "Now, as a coach, can you maximize it? Can you get them a little better, one percent better, two percent better?"

Part of what makes the offense suddenly so potent is no doubt the fact that Lazor has finally figured out how to utilize tight end Charles Clay, who has found himself more involved in the offense since the Packers game.

"The more I’m around him, the more skills I see that he has. We’re trying to expand some of the things that he can do in some of the routes we ask him to do." Lazor said. "The only limitation is time. He works on something he tends so far to get it and look natural at it."

Now that Lazor has seen firsthand what Clay is capable of, he seems to making a conscious effort to get him more involved in the offense, as well as every other player on the team.

"We want him involved. I think we feel that we’ve got a whole group of guys that could get the ball and it’s hard to come out of the game and be happy that everyone got enough balls." Lazor said. "Let’s face it, there are never enough. We take 90 plays in a game, I guess if we could, I think we’re better when he gets the football, no doubt about it.”

It would appear that Lazor is finally comfortable where he is and he now has a pretty good idea of what to expect from his players. Now he just needs to build on what they have down since the second half of the Green Bay Packers game, and the Dolphins will suddenly look like serious threats to whoever comes their way.