W2W4: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins in Week 17
By Hal Bent
When the Patriots Pass the Ball:
For the Patriots, the question of the passing game comes down to who is on the field and who is out. On the offensive line, left tackle Sebastian Vollmer is out and his backup LaAdrian Waddle–who was released by Detroit earlier in the season–is questionable with what looked like a shoulder injury. Waddle was replaced by Cameron Fleming at left tackle as right tackle Marcus Cannon stayed on that side (likely due to the toe injury on his plant foot keeping him on the right side).
While Bryan Stork has returned at center, the Patriots have leaned on rookie fourth round draft picks Tre’ Jackson and Shaq Mason at guard. Starting guard Josh Kline has been the best blocker of the group but he has been slowed by a shoulder injury the past few weeks and only been available in case of an emergency. One offensive line grouping that would be interesting to see would be sliding undrafted rookie free agent center David Andrews back into the lineup and using Stork at guard to see if that strengthens the line. However, the Patriots have been reluctant to make that move.
Miami still has the disruptive Olivier Vernon at one defensive end spot but undersized Derrick Shelby just cannot replace the production of Wake. Former Jets defensive end Quinton Coples was picked up from waivers but has failed to make an impact in Miami. Vernon will garner attention from the Patriots and he should see a lot of tight end Michael Williams helping with a double team no matter whether he lines up on the left or right side of the defense.
At wide receiver the Patriots have all three starters injured. Julian Edelman likely will not play and Danny Amendola is questionable and may miss the finale. Brandon LaFell has landed on the injury report with a foot injury. Although he was added prior to the Jets game he still played and it is unknown if this foot injury is related to the one which saw him start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
In addition, tight end Scott Chandler has been a spectator much of December as he deals with a knee injury. The healthy receivers left are slot receiver Keshawn Martin, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and blocker Michael Williams, and running back James White. This group is paper thin and should give Miami’s secondary an advantage they did not have earlier in the season.
Of course, Miami had trouble slowing the ancient Matt Hasselbeck and journeyman Charlie Whitehurst as they combined for 279 yards of offense. Cornerback Brent Grimes is still the best of the secondary but age (32 years old) and distraction (his wife blowing up Twitter with anti-quarterback Ryan Tannehill tweets) have taken some toll. Opposite him has been veteran Brice McCain who has struggled in his first season in Miami.
Tony Lippett is the third cornerback and is a rookie who is a former college wide receiver and has passed drafted rookie Bobby McCain on the depth chart. McCain is undersized and struggled when given a chance and is not playing just on special teams. That goes for second year safety Walt Aikens who has gone from starter to special teams when given the chance to step in for Louis Delmas.
The Dolphins are fortunate to have Reshad Jones at safety as he has blossomed into one of the best at the position. Somehow oft injured and oft beaten offensive lineman Mike Pouncey got a Pro Bowl nod while Jones was not picked. Week after week Jones leaps off the game tape as one of the few impact players on the Miami defense. Jones has extra responsibility due to the weak cornerbacks and safeties he has to play with yet still has 102 tackles and five interceptions including two returned for touchdowns.
Beside Jones has been a disappointing Michael Thomas much of 2015. Thomas is well-known by the Patriots as he was the practice squad player called upon in 2013 as the emergency nickel back who intercepted Tom Brady to give the Dolphins an upset win and force the Patriots to lose the number one seed. Thomas has been targeted all of 2015 and there is little reason to believe that Brady is not aware of who Thomas is and will be looking for revenge on Sunday.
Simply put, no matter who the Patriots roll out on the offensive line and at wide receiver should matter little. The Dolphins have no one at linebacker or safety capable of matching up with Rob Gronkowski. As long as Brady and Gronkowski are on the field the Dolphins are going to be overmatched on defense on Sunday.
ADVANTAGE: PATRIOTS
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