Miami Dolphins Week 10 Stock Report
The Miami Dolphins are not out of the playoff hunt yet. They are on the ropes, though, reeling after throwing a couple of haymakers and being hit with a couple in response.
The Dolphins responded well to the change at head coach, and won their first two games under interim head coach Dan Campbell to bring their record to 3-3. Two straight losses, however, have put them right back where they started, sitting two games below .500 at 3-5.
By now, we've all heard plenty of blame being lofted at Campbell for some coaching blunders that cost the Dolphins points on offense and defense. Let's not forget, though, that Campbell has been a head coach for barely more than a month. In other words, most of the players he's coaching have been playing football at least 100 times longer than Campbell has been a head coach.
Here's a look at some of those players, and how their play is trending off of the Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Stock Down: Brent Grimes
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The Dolphins defense does not have many talented cornerbacks, but Brent Grimes is supposed to be one of the best in that group. Over the past two games, he has been far from that.
Against the Bills, Grimes allowed a completion on all five of the passes thrown into his coverage, yielding 143 yards and a touchdown in the process. During the Dolphins' back-to-back losses, Grimes has yielded nine receptions on 11 targets for 195 yards and two scores, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ordinarily, one could chalk this up to a couple of bad matchups. After all, the Dolphins were up against New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady the week before and Grimes was matched up with ultra-talented wide receiver Sammy Watkins in Week 9. However, Grimes is at the age (32) where it is time to start wondering whether he is on the downside of his career.
The Dolphins certainly need to find out sooner than later, because the future of their secondary might depend on their ability to reliably replace Grimes as the top cornerback—unless, of course, he can snap out of his slump before it's too late.
Stock Up: Ryan Tannehill
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Few Dolphins players can hold their heads high after what happened Sunday against the Bills. Ryan Tannehill is one of the few who could walk out of Ralph Wilson Stadium knowing he did just about everything in his power to guide the Dolphins to victory.
The fourth-year quarterback completed 27 of his 36 throws (75 percent) for 309 yards and earned a 100.3 passer rating for his efficient performance against the Bills defense. He might have been credited with the fumble on the bad snap by Mike Pouncey that went for a safety (more on that later), but it was hardly his fault.
There have been times where Tannehill has needed to step his game up to help the Dolphins win. This was not one of those times. The Dolphins need to do a better job around him as a team, particularly in the running game and on defense, if they want him to be the franchise quarterback they hope he can be.
Stock Down: Mike Pouncey
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Two straight weeks with a bad snap has resulted in center Mike Pouncey being scrutinized for his on-field play for the first time in his career.
In Week 8 against the New England Patriots, Pouncey messed up the snap count, delivering a shotgun snap to Ryan Tannehill before the quarterback was ready. The ball sailed past his head and resulted in a safety. In Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, Pouncey messed up the snap count and delivered a shotgun snap to Tannehill before the quarterback was ready. The ball sailed past his head and resulted in a safety.
If it felt like deja vu against the Bills, there was a reason why.
The Dolphins don't have a "center problem" so to speak, but Pouncey is supposed to be one of the best players on the team. He can't be consistently causing problems for the offense.
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Stock Up: Jarvis Landry
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Week after week, Jarvis Landry inserts himself further and further into the discussion among the league's best slot receivers. Week 9 was a continuation of those efforts.
Landry did it all against the Bills—except for score a touchdown. He finished with 11 receptions for 69 yards and ran the ball four times for 18 yards. He also completed a pass to quarterback Ryan Tannehill for nine yards.
In the past four games, Landry has caught 25 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Right now, he's on pace to finish with 106 receptions, 1,070 yards and four scores. His 53 receptions are currently the 10th-most among all pass-catchers in 2015.
There's a lot of uncertainty with the Dolphins right now, but one thing that's totally certain is Landry's place in the offense as one of its most valuable and reliable weapons.
Stock Down: Jason Fox
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Injuries on the offensive line have forced backup tackle Jason Fox into the starting lineup. The Dolphins pass protection has suffered greatly as a result.
Against the Bills, Fox yielded three hurries and a sack of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, according to Pro Football Focus. In the past two games combined, Fox has given up eight hurries, two hits and a sack. The Dolphins also had just one rushing yard on two carries to the right side against the Bills.
It was a forgettable day for Fox, to say the least.
The Dolphins offensive line was one of the units that led the offense to its dramatic turnaround under Dan Campbell, opening up holes in the running game and protecting Tannehill when he was in the pocket. That was before right tackle Ja'Wuan James suffered a toe injury that has kept him out of action over the past two games.
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