Ask a casual NFL fan what he thinks of the Miami Dolphins, and one of the first things you’re likely to hear is, ‘They really have an awesome defense, don’t they?’, etc. Of course, those of us who follow the team closely know that that isn’t close to being accurate. Miami struggled early last season against the pass, particularly when free-agent acquisition Byron Jones was out, and they struggled all year long against opposing teams’ running games.
As is the case with most teams, the Dolphins generally tended to fare much better against the run when they were ahead; their problems stopping the run most often manifested themselves when they were playing from behind and the other team was playing ball control and/or trying to run out the clock.