Dolphins' Remade Offensive Line Key to Miami's Week 1 Victory

When the Miami Dolphins hired general manager Dennis Hickey, the goal of the offseason was clear: improve the offensive line through any means necessary.

Despite having about $16 million in salary-cap room and seven selections in the NFL draft to work with, the task seemed impossible because of the impending turnover among the front line.

The Dolphins replaced both starting guards and tackles via the draft and free agency, and then they worked throughout the preseason to find a rotation that could protect quarterback Ryan Tannehill and also create running lanes for the Dolphins’ tailbacks.

With limited snaps in the preseason, there was a sense of cautious optimism that the offensive line would be improved at least enough to run a functional offense. But to have a strong confidence in a line featuring five new starters would be the same as blind faith.

Fortunately for the Dolphins, new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and offensive line coach John Benton were able to put the Dolphins’ personnel into positions to succeed. Further yet, the talent executed the game plan with only minor hiccups throughout the Dolphins’ 33-20 victory against the New England Patriots.

"

@MoveTheSticks John Benton has a lot to do with that. Oline coach in Hou the last 8 years, now in Miami. Good teacher.

— Eric Winston (@ericwinston) September 8, 2014"

The 360 yards of total offense by the Dolphins featured a dominant second-half running attack by Knowshon Moreno, who was a vital part of the Dolphins’ victory. Miami was able to punish the Patriots defense by using inside-zone runs and attacking the linebackers on the second level of the defense.

Surprisingly, the Dolphins were able to run the ball 38 times for 191 yards and pass the ball just 32 times, which is a ratio that any offensive coordinator would dream of. The offensive play-calling was made possible by a group of five men that rarely gets recognition.

But when a positional unit plays as well as the Dolphins’ offensive line played, it deserves significant recognition.

Let’s take a look at how the Dolphins were able to dismantle the Patriots defense with a remade offensive line in their Week 1 victory.

Pass Blocking

When the Dolphins signed Branden Albert away from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason, the signing showed how serious the team was about improving its pass-blocking ability.

Albert has never had issues in pass protection, earning a positive PFF grade of 23 since 2012. His ability to handle power-rushers was on full display in Week 1, as he didn’t allow one quarterback pressure in 35 passer dropbacks. Chandler Jones of the Patriots was stuffed consistently throughout the game, including this play shown below.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Just a few plays later in the second half, as Tannehill reaches the peak of his dropback, Albert delivers a punishing punch to Jones, instantly ending his attempt to get around the 2014 Pro Bowler.

Jones’ efforts throughout the game seemed inconsistent, but it was clear that by this point, he was tired of fighting a losing battle.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

For most of the game, the line gave Tannehill a clean-enough pocket to step into his throws after scanning the talented Patriots secondary. The lone sack given up actually came on a communication breakdown, as you can see below. Right guard Shelley Smith helped rookie Ju’Wuan James block out his man, and left guard Daryn Colledge had to face Chandler Jones, leaving Dont’a Hightower to have a free shot at Tannehill.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

After a 2013 season filled with 58 sacks, allowing just one against a strong opponent should be considered a win.

The unit played well together in part because of the zone-blocking scheme (ZBS) Benton brought to Miami. The ZBS puts an emphasis on quickness and hand use, instead of raw power and leverage. That’s why Miami was able to be effective using a rookie at right tackle and three cast-offs who were signed in free agency.

"

Philbin on Shelley Smith: The guy is an athlete. He can pull he's pretty good in space, he can do some things, get our on permiter toss play

— Andrew Abramson (@AbramsonPBP) September 8, 2014"

That’s not to discredit Shelley Smith, Samson Satele and Daryn Colledge. Each has his own set of skills that is very valuable to the Dolphins. Now, all three players are performing well enough that they should make their respective former teams question why they allowed them to leave via free agency.

Although Tannehill’s raw statistics weren’t impressive, he was able to deliver enough strikes to help his team outscore Tom Brady and the Patriots. His ability to operate in pockets like this is vital, because he should be experiencing clean areas more often this season.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Run Blocking

The Dolphins truly shined on inside-zone runs against the Patriots, showing the ability to seal off defenders and lock down linebackers. Let’s take a look at a few situations that exemplify how effective the offensive line was at creating downfield running lanes.

The dominance began in the second quarter, at the 7:22 mark. On second down, Lamar Miller was able to find a backside cut to the middle of the field, gaining 14 yards. His line created a wall on the left side of the line, which kept Hightower (No. 51) from getting to Miller. Then, it was up to the safeties to make a tackle on the third level of the defense.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

In the third quarter, Moreno had a gap that he exploited with ease. Once again, a Dolphins’ back cut on the backside of the designed play resulted in a big gain. The Patriots couldn’t help but overload one side of the formation, and when individuals can execute their assignment, the ball-carrier’s job becomes much simpler.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Tight end Dion Sims was able to take care of Hightower, leaving Colledge and Albert to block the defender immediately in front of them. As you can see, Moreno had a crease big enough for 12 yards on a 2nd-and-10 play.

Being able to convert first downs on long-yardage situations is a mighty power that this remade Dolphins line exploited often in Week 1.

In the fourth quarter, Satele and Smith took care of their zones well, sliding downfield with the defender. This cleared the middle of the field out for Moreno, who scampered for another nine-yard gain. His vision and patience certainly was required to help the line look adequate, but that’s the power of 11 players working well together.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

For the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, the offensive unit performed much more effectively than we ever saw in 2013 due to this revamped line. The ability to establish a threating run game made the game easier because it wore down the defense, gave rest to the Dolphins’ pass-rushers and gave Tannehill easier reads in coverage.

As the front-five offensive linemen successfully executed plays, the Dolphins poured on the points. In fact, the Dolphins only scored more than 33 once last season.

For Lazor, Benton and the Dolphins offense, Week 1 was just a glimpse of what this offense can become. As execution improves among the Dolphins’ playmakers, expect to see more praise for this offensive line.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required) or Sports-Reference.com.

All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for FinDepth. You can follow and interact with Ian Wharton on Twitter @NFLFilmStudy.