OC Tackles Short-Yardage Issues

Running the ball and short-yardage situations continue to be issues for the Miami Dolphins, the most recent examples coming in the Thanksgiving night loss against the Green Bay Packers.

In his first media session since the game, offensive coordinator Frank Smith addressed the issues that surfaced against Green Bay, specifically addressing why Tyreek Hill wasn't in the game on the third-and-goal and fourth-and-goal failures and why the team never uses an extra offensive lineman in short-yardage situations.

We'll start with the idea of not using a sixth offensive lineman, a tactic employed by most teams at certain times.

"Just because for us it's like we like using our tight ends and we like the versatility that tight ends give us," Smith said. "It's like, in my time in New Orleans, we used heavy offensive linemen a bunch. As in Los Angeles, we used heavy offensive linemen a bunch. It's like, OK, what do you do? OK, it's either run or action. Few teams use linemen and do things outside of the conventional norms.

"So we like the ability of having tight ends with, as we view it, a complete skill set that allow us to do our full offensive output. But it's on us and as coaches to make sure we put them in positions where we run schemes that are complementary to their skill set. Because most times the guys when they bring in a sixth offensive lineman, they all run the same play. They run just power and try and mash it up in there. And we don't run that stuff. We run outside zones. So it's like you're going to put a sixth offensive lineman who's going to (try to block) a nine-technique playing in space. It's like on the edge. That's better for a tight end skill set. That's what we try and do."

THE FAILED GOAL-LINE PLAYS AGAINST GREEN BAY

The Dolphins, as fans would know, failed to score after reaching second-and-goal from the Packers 1-yard line down 27-11 early in the fourth quarter.

The last two plays we run with Hill on the sideline.

"Well, we're down inside the tight red zone and once we got in there we liked our heavier personnel groups trying to invite a defense to run on and we just didn't execute," Smith said. "And we were close on two of the plays. You can talk about many different things; however, it's execution you change four plays in that game and the outcome could be drastically different and that's what we need to improve on."

Not specific to the short-yardage situation, the Dolphins simply haven't run the ball well at all in the past four games, though that didn't stop them from being able to defeat the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots.

The Dolphins have failed to average more than 3.2 yards per rushing attempt in that span, something that's going to have to change down the stretch.

"Well, it's diminished considerably," Smith said. "I think that we're close. I mean, we had an explosive run called back, ball got outside, and you know, 'Reek lost leverage on the corner and he got called for a hold and otherwise that was gonna be an explosive run. Normally what happens is once you get one of those runs going, things get going, that's when you build momentum. You get in your groove blocking and I just think that's where we're trying to get back to.

"It's just get that groove, that rhythm, what we're doing. However, ultimately for us it's that how do we maintain efficiency and score points. That's ultimately what we're doing. Defense presents different variables that we have to adjust to and as long as we're maintaining our efficiency and gaining yards to score, that's ultimately what we're trying to do."