When the Miami Dolphins went through the first three games, all losses, without a takeaway, a premium was put on the defense creating turnovers.
When the Dolphins recorded three takeaways in the next outing, a victory, it was easy to conclude players received the message.
Perhaps too well.
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Although the Dolphins had two takeaways against the Carolina Panthers, they lost 27-24. After watching the tape, players and coaches wondered if a major reason that the Panthers rushed for 239 yards was defenders’ preoccupation with stripping the ball rather than tackling the ballcarrier.
“You have guys that are missing tackles because of too many punch-out attempts that we’ve been emphasizing to get more takeaways,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
It helped explain how Rico Dowdle had 206 rushing yards and a 9.0 average. It was the most rushing yards a player ever had against Miami.
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips said players “had good intentions of trying to get the ball out” but have to remember that bringing the player down is always Job 1.
“There’s a time and place, and I think what’s more important is getting the guy on the ground,” Phillips said. “That’s just something to continue to work on.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick says team must improve ‘in a lot of areas’
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said the tape reinforced for him that the team has to perform better “in a whole lot of areas.” That includes tackling.
“You’ve just got to know when to make the decision to punch out the ball and when to make a secure tackle,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think we definitely had a couple of guys that made the wrong decision.”
Next up is a visit by the Los Angeles Chargers that will take on a familiar theme. Just as Dowdle was filling in for starting back Chuba Hubbard, the Chargers will be without starting running back Omarion Hampton, who was placed on injured reserve with an ankle problem. Hampton has 314 yards and two touchdowns, plus 20 receptions for 136 yards. His replacement could be Hassan Haskins, who has 13 rushing yards this season and 195 in his career.
Whoever carries for the Chargers will hope to match Dowdle’s success. Too often, he got a handoff and found a parting of the sea in front of him. His offensive line dominated Miami’s defensive front. McDaniel blamed it on players vacating their assignments to cover for teammates instead of focusing on simply doing their own job.
“There was just, in the heat of battle, too many times that guys were overlapping responsibilities,” McDaniel said.
Sunday’s gameChargers at Dolphins1 p.m., CBS
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why did Miami Dolphins miss so many tackles vs. Panthers? Focus was on forcing fumbles
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
