Liquid Fire

The Miami Dolphins will host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday during the first round of the NFL Playoffs.  It will be Miami’s first post-season appearance since the 2001 season where they were dominated by……you guessed it, the Baltimore Ravens.

Offensive Gameplan

Miami’s Keys to Victory

1. Use a short passing game as an extension of the running game.

Baltimore has not allowed a 100 yd rusher in over 2 years.  This unit is extremely physical and aggressive; pair that along with Rex Ryan’s exotic blitz packages and you have on of the best defenses in the league.  Miami will NOT be able to pound away on the ground consistently against the Ravens.  Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams must have the ball in their hands for Miami to win.  By motioning Brown and Williams to the slot or split wide,  Chad Pennington can hit them on short to mid-range passes to get them the ball in space.  Miami must run timely screens to slow down the pass rush, along with draws.  Look for Miami to get the ball in the hands of Patrick Cobbs on reverse plays out of the wildcat.   When Miami does run, look for 3 TE sets, with Fasano, Haynos, and David Martin.  All 3 are very capable recievers and this set will allow Miami to show a run heavy formation that they can run out of and use to play-action out of.

2. Hit Baltimore deep.

Chad Pennington MUST be on target on his mid-range and deep throws. Baltimore likes to create a lot of havoc and confusion along the line of scrimmage. Pennington must attack soft spots in the defense that are 15 to 25 yds downfield.  This requires two things. Pass protection and clean releases by the WR’s.  If Chad can hit Tedd Ginn deep early in the ballgame, it will force the Ravens to have safety help over the top, which in turn will help open up single coverage on other Dolphin playmakers.  Davone Bess is another target that Pennington must involve early and often.  Bess is extremely gifted at route running, has excellent hands is great at making defenders miss.  Chad is amazing at those touch passes down the seam and look for TE’s Martin and Haynos to exploit that area.

3. Be Creative. And Fearless.

Miami must match Baltimore’s intensity from the first snap.  Dont be afraid to use the entire playbook. This is the Playoffs so this is no time to leave bullets in the gun.  Whether it be new tweaks in the wildcat,  a 3 TE run heavy formation, or running a spread attack out of the shotgun with some no-huddle,  Miami must mix all these aspects and more into their gameplan.  Baltimore runs a complex, physical scheme aimed at generating pressure on opposing QB’s.   Miami must counter this by being unpredictable in their formations,  aggressive in the passing game, and relentless in their pass protection.

Key Stat

Baltimore’s defense is ranked #1 in the NFL for takeaways.

Miami tied a NFL record for the fewest turnovers in a season.

So whats gonna give?  Baltimore has more playoff experience on their team but they are led by a rookie QB.  Both teams are hot and both have vastly improved since their week 7 meeting earlier this year where Miami was punched in the mouth.  Miami’s lone victory last year came at Baltimore’s expense.  The Ravens came into that week 7 showdown with revenge on their minds, and they got it.  Now I see  the pendulum swinging the other way with Miami extracting their own revenge as Tony Sporano will have these guys fired up.

GO MIAMI