Initial Thoughts From Miami

[Predaphin]

I agree with most of what CK wrote,except on that first play Hagan had the ball thrown to low by Beck.

And the unexpected passing game i'm sure had to do more with evaluating QB's then it being our actual gameplan.

[ckparrothead]

Originally Posted by retarmyfinfan

Nice read. Thanks for the info. Beck needs to get more confident. He seems skiddish, still shell shocked from last year. He better get over it soon or he won't last. Other then that he did decent against one of the better defenses of last year.

I don't think he seemed skiddish. I think that's sort of a projection based on a year ago.

[PhinsTD]

Originally Posted by ckparrothead

What I saw from Beck was that he was reading the coverage and taking what the coverage gave. He was doing a good job of it, moving the ball and playing the field position battle with the #2 defense in the NFL. Henne did a great job later against guys that will find themselves on the waiver wire.

Beck, to me, doesn't need to necessarily "force" balls downfield, but he needs to at least throw a few to put the threat out there. Taking what the defense gives you is nice, and I don't want to take away his checkdown skills, but we do need to force the issue downfield a little bit more to score TD's in this league.

Henne at least threw a few balls downfield, and allowed his guys to make a play. Against guys who will be on the waiver wire or not, we need to see our QB challenge the defense a bit more, rather than take one look and automatically checkdown.

Both guys have major strides to make IMO, with Beck needing to gain confidence, trust his arm a little more, and take a few more looks downfield. Henne needs to continue to mature with his reads, ability to scan the field and look off safeties, and make decisions in the pocket quicker (not uncommon for a rookie). I'm a guy who favors Henne more, and I won't disguise that, but CK is right in that Tampa's cover 2 defense is designed to be bend but don't break, and we need our receivers to step up a little bit more. Beck did what he could against what was there. How about a guy break a tackle and go 20 yards downfield with it? How about a receiver get some separation downfield a little bit? How about the OL give our QB's a little more time?

The Dolphins team I saw last night has some major strides to make to be a good football team, but while the QB's didn't play Earth shattering, they weren't the whole story when you evaluate the numbers IMO.

[Bamaphin]

I finally got to review the NFL Network replay of the game (skipped everything but the series that Beck and Henne ran), and for the most part I concur with CK's analysis. First off, I'm not a Beck fan or a Henne fan, I'm a Dolfan, pure and simple. Beck: did a good job working with what was given. I thought his low throw to Wilford, the one pass that sailed, and the complete loss of consciousness on the screen play were really his only true mistakes. Other than that his passes were crisp, on target and he moved the chains. Doing that against the Bucs defense is a strong positive. He'll be fine, still needs more work, but he'll be fine. Henne: first appearance, he seems more in control, seems to take charge and has that "leadership" quality you want out there on the field. Now, was he any better than Beck. Not really. I thought David Kircus was outstanding and Henne was the recipient of his outstanding play, while Wilford really disappointed and left some really nice throws by Henne on the ground. The one where Henne was rushed and threw a pass behind Wilford, is one that all the great tandems make as a routine. Wilord, did not create any separation and really looked like the effort was lacking. Kircus on the other hand was the opposite, created space and showed great vsion and hands. I digress a little, back to Henne..., his throw for the 21 yard completion was good, but not that special, he was a little behind and Armstrong made a nice recovery to put on the brakes and grab the throw.

Bottom line: Beck looked pretty good, so did Henne. I like them both, yet they also have lots of room for improvement. Beck needs to become more of a leader, not freeze up when things start breaking down (not the sack, he had about .75 seconds on that one, but the screen pass - no excuse for that one) let the WRs make some plays, push the envelope a little more, and yes, as everyone else has noted, he needs to not be sooo conservative. Henne, he just needs more time at NFL speed, and to learn how to manage the game. I'll admit he may have been handcuffed more than Beck because Wilford gave Henne nothing. I'd give Henne a slight edge overall against Beck, while not factoring in the the Bucs 1st string defense against Beck, but because after getting sacked, Henne got right back up and hit that 21 yard reception for a first down. That's what Marino would have done. That's why Henne has a slight edge in the competition, not because he threw any better, he really didn't, it was the intangibles that were a little sharper.

[Austin Tatious]

The linebackers were a major liability last night. They were totally controlled and brought nada to the table. We will need to address linebacker next season the way we addressed end this season.

Receiver and linebacker are the two major problem areas.

Hopefully there are some good linebackers in next season's draft. If we can get a couple of linebackers on par with what we did with Merling and Hampton, we may have something. What I like about Parcells and Ireland is that they have prototypes of what they want and they do not compromise on it.

[Austin Tatious]

What happened to Junior Glymph last night?

[kizzaboo]

Originally Posted by Bamaphin

I finally got to review the NFL Network replay of the game (skipped everything but the series that Beck and Henne ran), and for the most part I concur with CK's analysis. First off, I'm not a Beck fan or a Henne fan, I'm a Dolfan, pure and simple. Beck: did a good job working with what was given. I thought his low throw to Wilford, the one pass that sailed, and the complete loss of consciousness on the screen play were really his only true mistakes. Other than that his passes were crisp, on target and he moved the chains. Doing that against the Bucs defense is a strong positive. He'll be fine, still needs more work, but he'll be fine. Henne: first appearance, he seems more in control, seems to take charge and has that "leadership" quality you want out there on the field. Now, was he any better than Beck. Not really. I thought David Kircus was outstanding and Henne was the recipient of his outstanding play, while Wilford really disappointed and left some really nice throws by Henne on the ground. The one where Henne was rushed and threw a pass behind Wilford, is one that all the great tandems make as a routine. Wilord, did not create any separation and really looked like the effort was lacking. Kircus on the other hand was the opposite, created space and showed great vsion and hands. I digress a little, back to Henne..., his throw for the 21 yard completion was good, but not that special, he was a little behind and Armstrong made a nice recovery to put on the brakes and grab the throw.

Bottom line: Beck looked pretty good, so did Henne. I like them both, yet they also have lots of room for improvement. Beck needs to become more of a leader, not freeze up when things start breaking down (not the sack, he had about .75 seconds on that one, but the screen pass - no excuse for that one) let the WRs make some plays, push the envelope a little more, and yes, as everyone else has noted, he needs to not be sooo conservative. Henne, he just needs more time at NFL speed, and to learn how to manage the game. I'll admit he may have been handcuffed more than Beck because Wilford gave Henne nothing. I'd give Henne a slight edge overall against Beck, while not factoring in the the Bucs 1st string defense against Beck, but because after getting sacked, Henne got right back up and hit that 21 yard reception for a first down. That's what Marino would have done. That's why Henne has a slight edge in the competition, not because he threw any better, he really didn't, it was the intangibles that were a little sharper.

That screen was a busted play to begin with. He made the right decision and cut his losses before the DL ate him up.

[vinivedivichi]

Really good write-up. Appreciate the effort.

Consider me convinced that the media hates John Beck. Was he excellent? No, but I am just amazed that the story from most media outlets is that Beck failed to get us in the endzone. I thought he played within the offense, which is basically what we want from him. He made good reads and made it a point to make quick decisions. That's a good thing. Start quick and then learn to have presence in the pocket. Beck and Henne both had pretty good games, but I think Beck is more 'polished' at this point in terms of working within the system.

[godolphins1985]

Originally Posted by kizzaboo

That screen was a busted play to begin with. He made the right decision and cut his losses before the DL ate him up.

see im not the only 1 that felt that way about the play. It wasnt the right decision because there were other options period. There are other recievers on field and he had no pressure.

[Hellweed]

Alright. I knew a fair write up on the game would pop up on here at some point. Almost couldn't wait. Nice work CK.

[ckparrothead]

I'm sorry but on a busted screen play the heady thing to do is to turf the ball, not to try and make some crazy **** happen and risk turnover or a nice chunk of lost yardage.

[ckparrothead]

It was also, keep in mind, a 2nd & 6....which is an opportunistic play. It was not imperative that he complete the play, because they get the chance to move the sticks on 3rd & 6 which is manageable.

[Bofin]

watched the taped game on nfl channel. came away impressed with both beck and henne. this was the first preseason game of a completely new offensive install with many new faces. beck looked better than last season to me, made some good throws and moved the ball on a very good first team defense of tampa. same for henne, just against lesser competition in their 2nds and 3rds. plenty of room for growth from both guys and 3 more pre season contests to step up and take the number 1 qb job. the addition of pennington here makes the next couple weeks really intrigueing and exciting. i don't think any qb distanced themself last nite, just my opinion. the best man for the job will play.

[ckparrothead]

Originally Posted by Bofin

watched the taped game on nfl channel. came away impressed with both beck and henne. this was the first preseason game of a completely new offensive install with many new faces. beck looked better than last season to me, made some good throws and moved the ball on a very good first team defense of tampa. same for henne, just against lesser competition in their 2nds and 3rds. plenty of room for growth from both guys and 3 more pre season contests to step up and take the number 1 qb job. the addition of pennington here makes the next couple weeks really intrigueing and exciting. i don't think any qb distanced themself last nite, just my opinion. the best man for the job will play.

That's the thing I don't think anyone can honestly deny.

[vinivedivichi]

Anyone who knows football will tell you that you throw the ball away in the case of a busted screen. This isn't Madden football...