We’ll post Dolphins news, thoughts and reaction in this space all day, sifting through the wreckage of this unacceptable 23-20 loss to Jacksonville, so check back frequently:
4:20 p.m.: The Dolphins have traded cornerback Will Davis to Baltimore, a Davis associate confirmed. The Dolphins received a seventh draft pick in return, as first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Davis, coming off knee surgery, had two interceptions in the preseason finale but hadn't been active in the first two games of the season. Davis said the Dolphins told him they wanted him to strengthen his knee.
Drafted 93rd overall out of Utah State in 2013, Davis played in five games as a rookie and 10 in 2014 before sustaining a torn ACL. He had 24 tackles, two passes defended and no interceptions in his 15 regular-season appearances.
The move, for now, leaves the Dolphins with six cornerbacks on the roster: Brent Grimes, Jamar Taylor, Brice McCain, Zack Bowman and rookies Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett.
4 p.m. update: Highlights from today's news conferences with Dolphins coordinators Kevin Coyle and Bill Lazor:
KEVIN COYLE
### Coyle, asked if he's puzzled by the lack of pass rush (one sack in two games; see below for more details):
"We would have expected more through two games but we're seeing things we anticipated from our opponents," he said. "They’re throwing the ball quickly, using a lot of extra personnel in protecting, chipping. Tight ends, backs are staying in. We’ll get our share of sacks. We had a couple we had penalties on. We had occasions where the quarterback was flushed out and we didn’t make the [sack]. We have to improve and I believe we will."
### Coyle, asked if Ndamukong Suh is under-achieving: "I don’t think it’s under-achieving. I would want to keep the evaluation of where we’re going to be until we see things go down the road a little bit."
### Coyle said it would be accurate to say that Cam Wake (who didn't play in the second half) wanted to play, but the Dolphins thought Derrick Shelby would be more effective than Wake, even though both players were limited in practice last week, Shelby with an eye, Wake with a hamstring.
"When guys don’t practice, they have a tendency not to perform as well on game day," Coyle said. "Players may refute that. Their performance level usually isn’t up to par. That was a case of a few of the guys [Sunday] with the exception of Reshad Jones."
Wake has declined to discuss the issue.
### Of the play in which Walt Aikens was beaten badly for a touchdown by Allen Robinson, Coyle said: "Walt got beat on a double move. I told the players put on SportsCenter and you will see five or six other guys getting beat on double moves. Has it happened to us a lot? No. But it happened.
"He made a mistake, he anticipated a play they had run out of that formation. His anticipation was correct. Instead of running the route we saw on tape, they ran a go route. Is it a mistake? Yes. Is it a mistake that could happen to a 10-year veteran? Absolutely."
### On Olivier Vernon's late-game personal foul: "It was a frustrating penalty. I know OV wishes he had it back. The guy hit him late and he retaliated. That’s usually what happens. He really would like to keep his composure in that instance."
### Coyle on some things that went well Sunday: "Brent Grimes had another good game. The linebacker core had a very solid game as a group. There were a lot of guys that had winning performances."
BILL LAZOR
### He said of young guard Jamil Douglas and Dallas Thomas: "Improving but inconsistent. Not as consistent as we would like."
### Lazor said the Dolphins' injury situation at tight end is "a question. It could be concerning."
Jordan Cameron (groin) and Dion Sims (concussion) aren't healthy at the moment but their status for Sunday is undetermined. Sims has to go through the concussion protocol process. The Dolphins will gauge Cameron's progress on Wednesday.
Cameron said Joe Philbin told him not to discuss his injury with reporters.
Jake Stoneburner, the only healthy tight end on the roster, said: "Dion said he is feeling better. Jordan probably could have played [in the second half Sunday]; just wasn't worth it."
Lazor was asked if he would like to have taken more shots down the field Sunday.
"Yes," he said.
So what stopped you? "Sometimes you call the play with the purpose of getting a play launched down the field and things go wrong," he said. "We had some things we thought we would get it down the field. Whether it be decision, route running, protection. We addressed it very clearly. There is no law that says you have to throw it deep to win."
### Why haven't the Dolphins been able to get their running game going?
"We’ve been at our best when we’ve been balanced but there is no law that we have to go into a game and be balanced," Lazor said. "We’ve got to gain consistency and confidence in the run game."
### On Sunday's opponent, Buffalo: "I’ve heard people say it’s the best D-line in the league. I can’t argue with that," Lazor said.
### What changed where Rishard Matthews has gone from the fifth receiver to a key piece of the offense?
"Consistency," Lazor said. "He has come into the door the same guy every day."
### DeVante Parker, whose snaps increased from one in Week 1 to 17 in Week 2, "played better," Lazor said. "He’s gaining confidence and people are gaining confidence in him. I would expect him to continue to earn more playing time and continue to get better as he goes."
### One other note: Lamar Miller said his ankle is "a little sore" but "I'll be good" for Sunday.
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1 p.m. update. Highlights from Joe Philbin's day-after press conference:
### Philbin today didn't criticize Ndamukong Suh, who has three tackles in two games. "They've been running away from him a lot," Philbin said.
Philbin also said he doesn't understand a Miami Herald Sunday night report that Suh was freelancing "at times, creating confusion on the defense."
Philbin's response: "There was a report Suh was freelancing. I didn’t see anything of the sort. Not sure where that came from."
The Herald's Adam Beasley said he absolutely stands behind his Suh/freelancing report.
Another report today, by Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, said Suh is frustrated by the team's "complicated" defense. Philbin did not address that report, perhaps unaware of it, but Philbin and players say the defense was simplified this off-season.
### He said he showed the team Olivier Vernon's personal foul penalty that cost the team 15 yards on Jacksonville's game-winning drive, giving the Jaguars an easier field goal (28 yards).
"I showed the Vernon thing to the whole team in the category of poise," Philbin said. "...I told the owner we would have a disciplined team when I interviewed for the job. For the most part, we’ve been that. That’s not a good illustration....
"Thirteen penalties is unacceptable. I was right saying it was most we ever had since I’ve been there. We had eight penalties in the fourth quarter. Not a good reflection on me. It's discipline, focus, technique, coaching. It’s not one person."
### Philbin said he's increasingly concerned by the team's slow starts. He said he also told player this, which I found noteworthy:
"You guys have to have faith in our staff and yourselves in terms of the way we prepare for games."
He also said he told players: "We've all made mistakes. Nobody is perfect."
### Philbin was clearly upset about the spotting of the ball before Jacksonville's 58-yard field goal to close the first half. The Dolphins appeared short-changed by a yard or two. Philbin declined to discuss that today.
### Philbin said he had no injury updates on Lamar Miller (ankle; Drew Rosenhaus said he will be fine); Ryan Tannehill (ankle, played through it); Jordan Cameron (groin) and Branden Albert (hamstring).
### The Dolphins have played only three of their seven cornerbacks on defense through two weeks. Might the Dolphins give a chance to any of the four others (Bobby McCain, Will Davis, Zack Bowman, Tony Lippett)?
"We look at everybody," Philbin responded. "I thought one of the reasons we activated [linebacker/defensive end] Chris McCain is he had a really good week of practice last week. He looked good on the rushes he had. We will look at any way to improve. Guys have to earn their playing time. We’ll evaluate that."
By the way, Pro Football Focus said Chris McCain played only one snap on defense.
### Philbin, asked by the Palm Beach Post about fans screaming for his head: "I haven’t heard them screaming for me. Are they screaming for me? Fans pay a lot of money. They’ve been extremely supportive of me and the football team. I can understand that. I hope they’re not screaming for my head."
### He said losing Cameron and Miller in the second half affected “some stuff" in terms of what the Dolphins could run. "It alters things a little bit.”
### What's the main reason for the Dolphins averaging just 2.6 per carry Sunday? "Primarily blocking," he said. "We could have run the ball better too."
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The Dolphins knew if their young players and depth didn’t play as well as they hoped (prayed?), they could have legitimate concerns at the cornerback spot opposite Brent Grimes and serious shortcomings on their offensive line.
Those problems have indeed materialized.
What the Dolphins never could have envisioned is that they would be unable to sack the quarterback.
You know how many sacks Dolphins veterans have made through two weeks? Not a single one. Miami’s only sack came from rookie Jordan Phillips against Washington.
Sunday’s inability to get to Blake Bortles was astonishing considering Bortles was sacked more than any other quarterback in the league last season and five times in Week one against Carolina. Sunday marked his first NFL game in which he wasn’t sacked at all and the first time he posted a passer rating of 100 or better (102.2).
The Dolphins and the Chargers are the only teams with just one sack; the Bears, Raiders and Colts (who played Monday) have none. Conversely, the Patriots have 11.
Miami tied for 16th in the league with 36 sacks last season and expected that figure would increase substantially because of the addition of Ndamukong Suh (8.5 sacks last season and 36 over his first five seasons), and the fact that Olivier Vernon and others would be single-blocked far more often than a year ago.
Vernon sacked Bortles once on Sunday but the play was nullified by a Walt Aikens hands-to-the-face penalty.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Dolphins generated 15 quarterback hurries on Sunday --- including six by Earl Mitchell, three by Derrick Shelby and two by Vernon --- but not a single one of them materialized into a sack.
There have been some extenuating circumstances: Vernon was limited to 30 snaps against Washington because of an ankle injury and Wake played just 15 of 73 snaps Sunday because the Dolphins apparently didn’t believe he was particularly effective after dealing with a hamstring earlier in the week.
The Dolphins said Wake was not injured Sunday and Wake said afterward that any questions about his lack of playing time should be directed to the coach. Hmmmm.
How bad is the Dolphins’ one-sack-every-two-game pace? Consider that the team that finished last in the league in sacks last season, Cincinnati, still managed 20.
The Dolphins couldn’t have expected problems with their pass rush, but they probably should have braced themselves for shortcomings in their secondary.
After coming up short in a late bid to sign free agent Buster Skrine (who joined the Jets) and opting to take DeVante Parker instead of trading down for a cornerback in the draft, the Dolphins hoped that some combination of Brice McCain, Jamar Taylor, Zack Bowman, Will Davis and rookies Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett would be good enough to supplement Brent Grimes.
So far, it hasn’t been, aside from a terrific interception from Brice McCain in the opener.
Brice McCain, who has been starting on the boundary, allowed four of seven passes thrown against him to be caught on Sunday for 80 yards, including a 54 yard pass to Allen Robinson, in which McCain oddly ran past the play and didn’t try to make a play on the ball. Though two games, 7 of 11 passes thrown against McCain have been caught for 129 yards and a 96.4 passer rating.
Taylor allowed two of four passes to be caught for 26 yards (and has a 92.4 passer rating against him through two weeks), but the bigger problem has been his penchant for penalties resulting in first downs. He has committed three of those, including an illegal contact infraction on a 3rd and nine. A few plays later, Robinson beat Walt Aikens for a 46-yard touchdown, pushing the Jaguars’ lead to 17-6.
Kevin Coyle so far hasn’t given a single defensive snap to Bowman or Bobby McCain, while Davis and Lippett have been inactive for the first two games.
The other problem the Dolphins could have seen coming: a leaky offensive line. With Branden Albert limited to 19 of Miami’s 68 snaps, Jason Fox was exposed by Jared Odrick, including a sack and a resulting fumble late in the game.
The play of the young guards also has been disappointing. According to Pro Football Focus, rookie right guard Jamil Douglas ranks 72nd and left guard Dallas Thomas ranks 74th among 84 guards. Douglas, through two games, has allowed seven quarterback hurries, fourth-most among guards.
What’s more, right tackle Ja’Wuan James committed three penalties, all costly, and yielded one of the three sacks that Miami relinquished on Sunday. (Fox and Douglas were beaten for the others.)
And Miami’s run-blocking has been deplorable. The Dolphins ran for just 42 yards Sunday (2.6 per carry), with Lamar Miller gaining 14 yards on 10 carries before leaving with an ankle injury. Through two games, the Dolphins are averaging 58 yards rushing (third-worst) and 3.4 per carry (tied for 26th).
Agent Drew Rosenhaus said on his WSVN-7 segment that Miller’s injury isn’t serious and he should be ready for Sunday’s game against Buffalo.
Other tidbits:
### After giving middle linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Zach Vigil 19 snaps each in the opener, Kevin Coyle used Sheppard on 27 plays on Sunday, Vigil just five. Sheppard had a big role in two key run stops in the second half.
### Notable snap counts defensively, beyond Wake’s 15: Among defensive ends, Vernon played 46 of 73, Terrence Fede 43 and Derrick Shelby 42…. Among d-tackles, Suhg played 60, Earl Mitchell 57, CJ Mosley 15 and Jordan Phillips 14…. Among defensive backs, Reshad Jones played all 73 defensive snaps, Brent Grimes and Brice McCain 72, Aikens 57, Michael Thomas 16 and Taylor 43…. Linebackers Jelani Jenkins (72) and Koa Misi (70) played nearly every down.
### Notable snap counts offensively: Four starting offensive linemen played every snap. Fox played 49 in relief of Albert, who left for good late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury… Jordan Cameron was limited to 28 snaps by a groin injury. That, combined with the absence of Dion Sims (concussion), necessitated Jake Stoneburner playing 37… Lamar Miller had 40 snaps, Damien Williams 31 and defensive tackle Mitchell played one as a fullback…
Here’s how receiver snaps were distributed: Jarvis Landry played 62 of 68, Rishard Matthews 52, Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings 36 apiece and DeVante Parker 17.
### PFF said Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi graded out the best of Dolphins defensive players, and Aikens and Brice McCain the worst… Among offensive players, Jason Fox and Dallas Thomas graded out worst.
QUICK HEAT NOTE
As Yahoo first reported, Dan Craig, the Heat's Summer League coach the past three seasons, will move from Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff to become head of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat's D-League affiliate, three sources confirmed Sunday afternoon. He replaces Phil Weber, who joined the New Orleans coaching staff.
Chris Quinn, who assisted at Sioux Falls last season, is expected to join David Fizdale, Juwan Howard and Keith Smart on Spoelstra's staff.
Twitter: @flasportsbuzz
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