Ignore the poor offensive line play, and the injury-decimated receiver unit the Miami Dolphins had all last season.
All of that’s fixable with better talent, and better coaching — we hope.
But don’t overlook the fact that Miami had an anemic rushing attack, one that couldn’t be relied on regularly as a staple of the run-pass-option (RPO) offense.
A new head coach, one who is viewed as a run-game specialist, is in control now.
Mike McDaniel has hired a solid offensive staff, one that comes with an impressive resume and a track record of success for most of its leaders.
So, the hope is that these coaches will be able to get the Dolphins’ offense out of second gear, helping prop up the side of the ball that has held this franchise down like an anchor pins a boat to the bottom of the ocean and become a top 15 unit.
If Miami’s defense is decent moving forward, that’s all Tua Tagovailoa should need to prove he’s a quarterback worth building around because of the efficiency he’s brought to the team the past two years as its starter.
Tagovailoa’s arm strength might not be sensational, but there’s plenty of analytical data that goes in his favor so it’s scary to think what could be on the horizon if the Dolphins fixed the offensive line and establish a forceful rushing attack.
Don’t believe me? Then answer this riddle.
How is it that the Dolphins offense ranked 16th in time of possession (30:18) last season while possessing the 29th-worst rushing offense in the NFL?
Time of possession is an important statistic in football because it usually correlates to wins. If you are controlling the ball it means that the other team does not have the ball, and it is very hard to score when you are not in possession of the ball.
The answer is Tagovailoa, whose quick, accurate throws and pocket presence kept drives alive.
Take the three games where Tagovailoa didn’t play last season — a 27-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a 45-17 beatdown the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave Miami, and a 31-28 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders — out of the equation and the Dolphins’ time of possession with Tagovailoa goes to 31:54, which would be tied for fourth best in the NFL.
That’s right up there with Green Bay, Tennessee, Baltimore and Indianapolis. That’s among the best offenses in the NFL, and three of the most physical rushing teams in 2021.
And keep in mind Tagovailoa did that with the NFL’s 29th-worst rushing offense, a team that averaged 92.2 rushing yards per game and 3.5 yards per attempt, which was the second-worst average in the NFL, ahead of only Houston (3.4).
Last season San Francisco, which is the franchise whose rushing attack McDaniel led, had the seventh-best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 124.6 rushing yards per game.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who is where new offensive coordinator Frank Smith came from, averaged 107.9 rushing yards per game, which ranked 21st in the NFL.
But rushing yards isn’t the gold standard. Philadelphia led the NFL in rushing, yet were a bottom 10 team in time of possession.
Why? Because Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed just 61.3 percent of his passes, which ranked him 27th among NFL starters. Those incompletions led to clock stoppages, and drive-killing plays.
Tagovailoa’s 67.8 percent completion percentage ranked him seventh best in the NFL last season. Pair that with Miami’s third-down efficiency (40.8 percent) and it explains why the Dolphins offense was on the field so much, and oftentimes in a position to score.
Imagine how much more effective Tagovailoa could be if the run game balanced out the offense, and potentially gave him shorter down-and-distance situations to convert?
Think about what Miami’s offense could become if McDaniel brings a physical rushing attack, like the one had with the 49ers, which averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season, and a play-action based offense that keeps defenses off-balanced, to Miami.
It’s a solid blueprint, and justifies Miami’s rational behind hiring McDaniel, and their insistence that this franchise be built around Tagovailoa, who owns a 13-8 record as an NFL starter the past two seasons.
By now we should have learned that cute, finesse, fancy football isn’t taking this franchise anywhere.
Let’s hope McDaniel is able to build a team that’s able to roll up its sleeves and get a little grimy because that’s the best recipe for the Dolphins to become a winner with Tagovailoa at the helm.
