Preseason games in the NFL might not count for teams’ records, and many starters aren’t playing, but there’s a reason that they exist.
This is the opportunity that coaches and front office members use to evaluate their team and scheme. Can this scheme work with the backups and third-stringers? If it does, then that likely means it will work with the starters.
During Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins showed some building blocks of their new offensive system under new head coach Mike McDaniel.
This week, former NFL offensive lineman-turned-analyst Brian Baldinger took to social media to show four examples of successful plays that will only be improved by the Dolphins’ best players getting involved during the regular season.
.@MiamiDolphins had 4 “ Chunk” plays on 1-10 calls. The #phins are learning a proven system. It doesn’t matter who is in the game. Players are interchangeable WHEN they execute. It’s the new “Miami Sound Machine”. #MSM #PhinsUp #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/M344I1Hrmc
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 14, 2022
In this breakdown, Baldinger points out the use of the run, setting up their play-action plays which allow for easy chunk gains. While this is much easier to do against a defense that’s mostly backups and roster hopefuls, the scheme is designed to get guys open quickly and easily against NFL starters.