Miami Dolphins defense upset and frustrated by effort on Sunday

On Sunday against the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins made Geno Smith look like a hall of fame quarterback and the rest of the Jets offense look like the most dominant unit in the entire NFL. Following the game, the players talked about what happened and why they allowed 37 points to an offense that has struggled the entire season.

“We were just out of position today. We were in man coverage and got beat on a deep ball,” Koa Misi said. “We were in zone coverage and got beat on a deep ball. We gave up too many big plays today. They came out and made plays today, we didn’t. They won the game.”

Jared Odrick said that coming into the game, they knew that the Jets were going to run some reverses but they still weren’t able to stop them. Odrick said they focused on stopping the run and not letting big plays happen but the big plays and reverses were the ones that killed them.

“You can’t put your finger on it, but from my seat, my perspective, we have to be able to execute,” he said. “It’s being in the right place at the right time. Be in your gap, stop the run, your man, pressure the quarterback. Whatever it is, all of us. You could sit there and point the finger at somebody for not having an assignment right, but there’s 20 plays you didn’t have the assignment right yourself. The thing is it’s a collective effort. The thing is just everybody’s got to want to do their jobs much better.”

Cameron Wake agreed with Odrick and said that the Dolphins just shot themselves in the foot way too many times.

“Well to me, the most disappointing thing is, briefly going through my mind, my memory; the big plays, the touchdowns, it was busted coverages or guys let free. I mean, it wasn’t necessarily anything that they did, you know, it’s us not doing, because of shooting ourselves in the foot. You know, guys running free into coverage, not getting to the quarterback, things like that, reverses; whatever it may be, those plays are the plays that you have to have in this league. You know, if you go out there and sometimes get the job done and sometimes, don’t;  I mean that’s where you end up: 8-8.

Odrick said that looking back on the season, it’s hard to put it all into perspective because of how hard everyone has worked and how much effort everyone has put into it.

“How many hours we were in that building, how many hours of film we watched, all the work that’s gone into these Sundays that people don’t see, all the effort, all the emotion, all the ups and downs, the lessons we’ve learned, everything. That’s what sticks out. It’s the amount of effort that these guys put into their jobs and into one another.”

Wake was visibly frustrated and he has now seen another season go by without making the playoffs. For him, the most frustrating part was that they were able to show at different points in the season their ability to dominate yet could never put it all together.

”This is what I’ll say: the frustrating part is looking again, looking back over the season, we’ve shown in every capacity of football, whether it’s rushing the passer, stopping the run, intercepting, I mean, every area of defense, we have shown that we have the ability to get it done. But the consistency is where the issue is. You can’t just one game, go out there and stop the run; next game, they run all over you. One game, nobody can throw the ball on you, next game, they’re going for 300 yards. Like I said: it’s that up and down that kind of kills you, so the ability’s there and that’s what makes it frustrating; doing it day in, day out, regardless of the situation, regardless of the game, regardless of the opponent; that’s when you’re going to excel. We’ve had those ups and downs and we have to get them fixed.” 

Changes should be coming for the Dolphins defense but no one knows how much though. We’ll find out in the coming days and months.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs