Adam Gase was brought in to bring out the best in quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins offense.
Thing is, if the Miami Dolphins defense isn’t reliable it will not matter even if Tannehill ends up throwing for 5,000 yards.
Gase is hoping for a rebirth from former first overall selection Mario Williams who had a nightmarish performance last season in Buffalo.
Williams, Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Earl Mitchell look like a formidable foursome even though they have yet to play a game together.
Miami Dolphins Defense Looking Up
“The sky is the limit. Anytime you come into the preseason, paper is just that. It’s paper. On Sundays, especially when live bullets are going, that’s what it all boils down to,” said Williams via transcript. “And I think the more and more we go out here and get repetition and gel together, I think it can push our limit higher. We just have to keep after it and just keep trying to get better every day.”
There is a strong possibility that Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will send his d-line starters against the Dallas Cowboys in Miami’s second pre-season game on Friday. Should that turn out to be true, Suh’s expectations are simple.
“For me, it’s consistency. That’s going to be our biggest thing – being consistent,” said Suh. “Execution is a big part of that – being consistent and coming downhill, understanding what we have to do in our assignments and go from there.”
Looking to Improve on Last Season
The defensive group from last season ended up ranked 25th is total yards allowed and 30th in turnovers. Gase hired Joseph counting on the success he had in Houston and Cincinnati as defensive backs coach would come to South Florida. Joseph’s biggest challenge has to be getting his biggest star to buy into what he’s selling.
“I think our adjustment has been fairly smooth. We put a lot of work in, in OTAs and minicamp. That was Vance’s goal: to push us hard in those particular instances in that period of time,” explained Suh. “Obviously coming into camp, re-visit those pieces and build on our fundamentals. Obviously, we got pads on (and) we get a lot more work done. We can work on fine tuning certain things, but overall I think it has been a good transition.”
Defensive Ends Looking for Redemption
Suh can’t do it without comebacks from Wake, who tore his Achilles’ last season after racking up seven sacks in just seven games. Williams, meanwhile has a lot to prove following his final season in Buffalo, by far the worst of his four years in Western New York.
“I think the biggest thing for us that we’re both coming from is that we’re going to come out here and work to get better,” said Williams. “No matter what – no matter your past, no matter where you’re at right now, good or bad – there’s always better. And we’re trying to find ways to be better.”
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