Adam Gase blaming the offense is not whole story

Adam Gase blames the offense.

"It’s not the defense" the coach said today about the team's problem losing the time of possession battle two weeks in a row.   "Offensively, we cannot go three-and-out. We’ve done it so many times already that it’s ridiculous. The defense has no chance in the fourth quarter of having any opportunity to be somewhat fresh if we’re three-and-out the entire first half. And then we get back into the game and we’re like, ‘C’mon defense, stop them now.’ Well, on play 75, you’re a little fatigued.”

Except the Miami Dolphins defense was a turnstile against the New England Patriots, letting running back LaGarrette Blount rush for 123 yards on 29 carries and letting backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett look like they were Joe Montana and Steve Young on Sunday.

But it's the offense's fault the Dolphins lost against New England.

The Pats gained 465 yards, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. But the 31-24 loss was on the offense.

Sorry, I disagree.

Look, the Dolphins offense was in a coma to start this game. It went three-and-out the first three drives. The first six drives were:

Punt.

Punt.

Punt.

Punt.

Fumble.

Interception.

And that's just not good. It's no way to support the guys on defense.

But at the end of the day, the Dolphins offense finished this game with 24 points. It had 23 first downs. It gained 459 yards. Those are not problematic numbers. Those are good numbers.

Gase's point is that when the offense failed to extend drives early in the game, it asked the defense to go back on the field time and time again. And eventually the unit played 80 snaps which is way too many.

But here's the thing: If the defense gets off the field, which is kind of what it gets paid to do, it doesn't play 80 snaps. If the defense doesn't let the Pats convert 50 percent of their third down plays, they're not on the field as many plays.

Another little issue with Gase's logic is that the defense could not have been tired the first series of the game ... when the Patriots marched 75 yards on eight plays. It was the first series of the game!

Was the unit tired the second series? It gave up another TD march on the second series. The second series!

Was the unit pooped when they took the field for their third series? Because, that's right, they gave up another TD on that one.

Three series. Three touchdowns allowed.

Is that the offense's fault?

Last week in Seattle, I understood the idea of blaming the late defensive collapse on the offense. In that game, the defense actually kept standing up to the Seahawks, possession after possession. And the offense didn't give them much rest because they couldn't generate anything against the Seattle defense.

But Sunday against New England? That was a trouncing of the Miami defense. Receivers were running free. Sweep plays were going to 20-plus yards. Tight end Martellus Bennett, who had five receptions for 114 yards,  might catch another few passes later this afternoon because the Dolphins still haven't figured out how to stop him.

That was not about the Miami offense, folks.

I understand Gase is the offensive play-caller so he is going to be particularly hard on that unit. He expects great things of that unit. And so he sees its failures as the reason the team is failing.

But there are pitfalls in that.

So Adam Gase is blaming quarterback Ryan Tannehill for this loss? Because Tannehill is the face of the offense he's blaming. Gase is also supposed to be the coach who's got Tannehill's back.

So which is it? Is it Tannehill's fault or do we have Tannehill's back?

How about the running game? Does Gase blame the running game. I'm told he does not because it's pretty hard to generate a running game when your team is down 21-0 early in the second quarter and 24-3 at halftime.

It's also hard when the starting running back -- Arian Foster -- plays all of 10 plays before leaving with a groin injury. (Gase, by the way, says Foster is day to day but privately it does not look great for Foster this week against Cleveland. We'll see on that).

So if it's not the defense and not the running game, it has to be the quarterback and the passing game and his receivers, right?

Yes ... logic is not a friend of that thinking because Tannehill threw for 389 yards and 2 touchdowns. And Jarvis Landry caught 10 passes for 137 yards. And DeVante Parker, playing with a hamstring injury, caught eight passes for 106 yards. And Jordan Cameron had five catches and a TD. And Kenny Stills had a TD.

it was obviously all their fault the defense is terrible right now.