Rushing attack credited for Miami Dolphins success in London

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
The Miami Dolphins rushing attack was a huge reason why the team was so successful against the Oakland Raiders in London as they racked up 157 yards on 35 carries. The ability to keep the Raiders off balance with a good mix of runs and passes was the catalyst for them to have such a productive day on the ground. Ryan Tannehill realized this and gave credit where it was due.

“Yeah, Coach Lazor was dialing them up.  We had a consistent run game.  We were able to run the ball consistently, get positive plays, and the receivers were getting open downfield.  They were able to get open, get open quickly, and I was able to get them the ball.  That's kind of the offense we want to have is a steady, confident run game and then a pass game that that gets rid of the ball quickly and receivers are getting open downfield.”

Tannehill contributed to the rushing totals with 35 yards on 5 carries – all out of the read option plays. We’ve seen plenty of fakes the first three weeks of the season but this was the first time we saw him run with the ball and it paid off.

“It kind of came up as the game went on.  Coming into these games we never know exactly how defenses are going to play us.  Because of the zone reads that we do, you never know if a team is going to try to crash down and take it back or make a QB run.  Coming in you have to stick to your keys and make the reads.”

Tannehill is an extremely athletic quarterback and should be using his feet a lot more in various situations throughout the game. If it can get one or two first downs and keep a few drives going, then it is something that should be done when the time is right. Let’s hope we see more of it as the season moves on.

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