The media made a big deal about the Patriots being without Trey Flowers and Patrick Chung earlier in the season, and a similar emphasis was made this week with the Chiefs facing New England without Justin Houston and Eric Berry. But consider the injury situation for Miami:
Out for the year: All-Pro LG (Sitton), Starting C (Kilgore), Starting TE (Gray), Top DE run-defender (Hayes)
Has missed multiple weeks: All-Pro FS (Jones), All-Pro DE (Wake), CB #2 (McCain), WR #1 (Parker), New TE #1 (Derby), DE #2 (Branch), ILB #2 (Allen)
Missed last week and might be out longer: QB #1 (Tannehill), DE #2/3 (Harris)
Meanwhile, LT #1 (Tunsil) left last week's game with a concussion, upon which Miami's 14-point lead was immediately surrendered via offensive turnovers. (Yes, there was a lot of defensive pressure from that left side.)
I think it's safe to say the Dolphins have been a
bit snake-bitten, and that a 4-2 start under the circumstances, is quite an accomplishment for this team and coaching staff. A bit under the radar has been the younger players that were lined up/added to fill in and replace those who have been injured, including DE Woodard (has played well; left this Sunday's game with a concussion), DE Malveaux (has held own in limited snaps), C Swanson (very solid), and TE O'Leary (Sunday contributor). Though, most importantly, Miami's recent draftees have stepped up and played well, for the most part. Godchaux, Taylor, Raekwon, Baker, Minkah, Howard make up an impressive group defensively to build with going forward. And, of course, veterans Reshad Jones, T,J. McDonald, and Kiko Alonso have made quite a number of big, game-altering plays thus far this season.
Speaking of Alonso, you sort of have to take the good with the bad. Well-coached teams are going to take advantage of his tendency to over pursue, take bad angles, and play inconsistently in coverage, but he's tough, always plays hard, and can hit with the best of them. When the D-line is playing well, and he's allowed to roam free/untouched, he can be very dangerous. He has quite a playlist of hustle plays; though, on his worst days, he can be seen running around the field like a chicken with it's head cut off.
I know it's only been one week, but I really like the O'Leary signing. He's much more comfortable in the H-back, Wing TE role, a spot Gesicki just isn't capable of filling (successfully) at this point. (Neither is Smythe.) With Derby likely back very soon, the TE room should look more like how Gase envisioned it entering the season. I think this is important considering Gase's desire to run/pass from multiple, diverse looks. 12 personnel has been abysmal with the two rookies on the field.
Kudos to the Miami FO for signing Brock Osweiler. With a salary of $880,000, he stepped in and did exactly what a backup QB is supposed to do -- rally the troops and give the team a chance to win. Brock's clearly comfortable/familiar with Gase's offense, which was demonstrated by his quick decision-making all game long. He made about 3-4 really nice plays, and most of his other throws could be categorized as short/safe. True game-management style, which I have no problem with.
But, as was mentioned above, YAC ruled the day, mostly in the name of Albert Wilson. (This dude's so much better than Jarvis Landry, it's not even funny.) Wilson nearly single-handedly won yesterday's game, turning a couple of traditional 5-10 yard gains into highlight TDs. The Bears defense looked completely gassed the entire 2nd half, as I'm sure the heat played a significant role, per usual.
Regarding Tannehill, he looked pretty relaxed/jovial yesterday on the sidelines; or, in other words, he presented the opposite of what you'd expect for someone supposedly dealing with a season-ending injury. The gentleman in the video posted earlier seems to be making a quite a few assumptions in his diagnosis. An AC joint injury hurts like hell, causes significant shoulder weakness, and can worsen if not rested. I think it's more likely that Tannehill returns whenever the pain goes away and his shoulder strength returns. Gase, today, stated that he's "day to day".
My guess? Best case scenario: Next week. Worst case? He's misses the next 2 games (Det, @Hou) and returns to face the Jets.
Somewhat interesting possibility: Osweiler with a potential "Fuck you!" redemption game in Houston. That would certainly have some entertainment potential.
Key return for next week? Bobby McCain.
Torry McTyer got picked on a ton yesterday, and based on what I saw from Tankersley (only 1 viewing at this point), he's still very much inconsistent. Considering Detroit's passing attack, McCain will be needed -- badly. Let's hope that this is the week he suits back up. I think it will be.
Re: Wake, Rotoworld posted this yesterday:
Dolphins DE Cameron Wake underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee.
The usual recovery for a knee scope is four weeks, but apparently Wake is just a quick healer that he could return for next week's game against the Lions. Wake led Miami with 10.5 sacks last season but only has one through four games this year. Oct 14 - 11:50 AM
Source: ESPN.com