Joe Philbin says there are reasons why Dolphins defense has faltered

The Miami Dolphins has been reeling over the past several weeks and making things worse is the fact that they only have one sack in the last two games. However, count Joe Philbin as one of the people making excuses for their lackluster play as of late.

“A couple of things. I want to say Baltimore allowed only 15 (sacks on the season) or so. We’ve played two good offensive lines, two experienced quarterbacks who understand timing and rhythm of the passing game and do a good job of getting the ball out. Then we have to do a better job of getting to the quarterback."

So, why haven't the coaches been able to put their players in the best position to succeed knowing that they were going up against great offensive lines?

"I think it was a combination of things. I think New England was in the top five or six for fewest sacks allowed. Baltimore, its sack differential is outstanding. But we always want to be putting pressure on the quarterbacks. It doesn’t matter who we play. I think part of it was we played good offensive lines. Quarterbacks were decisive. They got the ball out of their hands and we have to do a better job getting (there).”

Although sack numbers are down, Philbin said that there has been a few hits on the quarterback along with several hurries. 
 
“We had some hits. We’ve had some quarterback hurries and those type of things. It’s safe to say there is nothing like the impact that a sack can have in the game. It’s big. That yardage that (sacks) creates, they can be somewhat demoralizing to an offensive unit as well.”

The Dolphins will face off against rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday and the defense has had success against rookies this season. In fact, the Dolphins are 2-0 when facing rookie quarterbacks in 2014. Will they be able to take advantage of that this weekend?

“It all depends. We study first the overall scheme of how we feel like teams are going to attempt to attack us. That’s important, first and foremost. Then we look at the matchups we have, maybe starting with the offensive line with our defensive line, how do they handle pressure, how is the quarterback been against pressure, do we think that is effective, what type of coverages have they had success against. It’s a little bit of everything. I don’t know that we can just say we are 2-0 against two rookie quarterbacks, but I think we kind of take in the total picture.”

If the Dolphins aren't able to get pressure on Bridgewater and get some sacks, it could be a long day for the Dolphins defense, especially with a young and hungry Vikings team.

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