By now, many of you know that the Dolphins are on pace to allow a ridiculous 77 sacks, which would obliterate the franchise record of 53 set in 1969.
By now, many of you know that if Tannehill is sacked that many times, he would break David Carr’s record for most times a quarterback was sacked in a season. Carr was dumped 76 times. (The 1986 Philadelphia Eagles own the record for most sacks given up as a team – 104!)
Some other read-and-weep tidbits:
### Here’s how the 24 sacks break down, in terms of accountability: Jonathan Martin and Tyson Clabo have each allowed six, unofficially; Richie Incognito and John Jerry, three apiece; Mike Pouncey one; Daniel Thomas two; Lamar Miller one; Dion Sims one; and Tannehill one (for holding the ball too long).
### Since Pro Football Focus began monitoring sacks allowed in 2008, no tackle has allowed more than 14 in a season (Guy Whimper relinquished 14 for Jacksonville in 2011). Arizona’s Bobbie Massie allowed the most last season (13). Now consider that BOTH Dolphins starting tackles are on pace to relinquish more sacks than ANY NFL tackle in any of the previous five years. Unacceptable.
### Not only has Martin allowed the most sacks of any left tackle this season, but consider this: According to PFF’s rankings, he entered Sunday next to last (ahead of only Baltimore’s Bryant McKinnie) in run blocking.
And with the Dolphins running for only 22 yards on 11 carries against Baltimore, you can presume Martin’s run-blocking grades won’t be rising appreciably once PFF is done breaking down this game.
### The situation is so alarming that CBS information man Jason LaCanfora tweeted: “Few things in the NFL season more obvious to me right now than the fact Miami will be using its first round pick on a left tackle.”
### Went back and looked at Pro Football Weekly’s assessment of Martin before the 2012 draft. Even though he played left tackle at Stanford, the draft publication said “he lacks ideal foot quickness and agility for the left side in the pros.”
### Clabo was beaten on the devastating Elvis Dumervil sack that resulted in a five-yard loss and made Caleb Sturgis' late field goal longer than it should have been. One option would be using Nate Garner instead of Clabo at right tackle. Garner played competently in five games at right tackle last season after Jake Long’s injury.
Right guard John Jerry could play right tackle if the Dolphins feel comfortable enough to play Danny Watkins at right guard. (Or Garner could play guard.) Rookie Dallas Thomas isn’t considered ready for a more prominent role.
### Some might question the Dolphins passing on Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson when they traded up for the third pick, but I don’t. We saw Dion Jordan’s impact today when he deflected the Joe Flacco pass which Reshad Jones returned for a touchdown.
And Johnson has struggled at right tackle for the Eagles, allowing four sacks entering Sunday and ranking 63rd among 69 tackles that have played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps. The Dolphins weren't enamored with Johnson and never seriously considered drafting him.
### Tannehill said the problem with not generating a running game is that “it definitely hurts the rhythm. We want to be able to run the ball, we don’t want to be one dimensional.”
### Mike Wallace, who caught seven of the 16 passes thrown to him, on the state of the offense: “We have got to get better. We make plays but we have to make some more. We make some plays sometimes and then we stall. So we have to do a better job of moving the ball. Even if we don’t score on those drives, we need to do a better job of not going three and out so much.”
### What did Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs (who had three sacks) see in preparing for the Dolphins’ offensive line? Suggs was diplomatic: “I didn’t see anything. It comes down to the fact that I always say, this is the NFL and if a team struggles in one area you need to adjust and adapt during the week. This is a very tough Miami Dolphins team and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them again.”
### Ravens coach John Harbaugh also went out of his way to praise the Dolphins: “Joe Philbin is building something here that is very impressive. For them to come back the way they did showed tremendous courage. That was a good football team we beat out there in their place.”
### But this is discouraging: Like Tony Sparano before him, Philbin’s background was coaching the offensive line. That’s supposed to be his area of expertise, or at least one of them. And yet, after years and years, the offensive line remains a weakness, largely because of questionable personnel decisions.
### In retrospect, you wish Tannehill didn't spike the ball on first down, and just over one minute left, with the Dolphins at the Baltimore 34 after Brandon Gibson’s long fourth down reception. Yes, the Dolphins were out of timeouts. But it wasn't absolutely essential to stop the clock on a spike with over one minute remaining, and a quick pass to the sideline on first down would have been a better choice.
KAAYA UPDATE
Hollywood Hills, Cal. based Brad Kaaya, one of the key recruits in UM's 2014 recruiting class, this weekend was offered a scholarship by USC, several days after UCLA offered him. That means both of his hometown Pac-12 schools are now trying to tempt him to drop his oral commitment to UM.
Kaaya acknowledged the USC offer with this tweet: "I am committed to The University of Miami, but would just like to say thank you to the USC coaching staff for offering me a scholarship."
Rivals.com ranks Kaaya the No. 8 quarterback in the 2014 class.
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