DAVIE, Fla. — The Dolphins rank 30th in the 32-team NFL in pass defense. Conversely, they rank No. 1 in the league in rush defense.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin has a pretty good idea what that means.
"Some offensive coordinators in the league, or some head coaches, are going to say, ‘Why are we running the ball against these guys?' " he theorized.
He's right. Teams have attempted 172 passes against Miami, most in the NFL.
In light of such damning evidence, it'd be fair to say the Dolphins secondary of cornerbacks Sean Smith and Richard Marshall, and safeties Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones are struggling.
The Dolphins have allowed three 100-yard receivers in four games – Houston's Andre Johnson, the New York Jets' Santonio Holmes and Arizona's Andre Roberts – and they've allowed three others more than 80 yards.
"There haven't been too many big plays, it's been yards after the catch, guys have been catching the ball and running," Jones said. "We just have to do a better job tackling guys."
On Sunday, Miami travels to Cincinnati to face the Bengals' passing duo of quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green, one of NFL's most dangerous up-and-coming combinations. They rank seventh in passing offense at 279 yards per game. Dalton is the league's fifth-rated passer and Green is second in receiving yards (428) and second in yards per game (107).
"He's very explosive," Smith said of Green. "He's constantly winning 1-on-1 battles. ... He's somebody whose featured in their offense and, just like (Larry) Fitzgerald and Andre (Johnson), you have to be aware of where he's at at all times."
The secondary's problems are enough to make some wonder why Miami traded cornerback Vontae Davis, a four-year starter, to Indianapolis during training camp. The answer, however, seems obvious.
Davis, a first-round pick in 2009, under-performed for years, and apparently it's still going on now. ProFootballFocus.com has Davis rated 83rd in the NFL, two spots behind Marshall.
The problem is Miami's answer to Davis' absence — cornerbacks Nolan Carroll and safety Jimmy Wilson — has been inadequate. They play mostly in the nickel (five-defensive back) and dime (six-defensive back) formations and although both have flashed good cover skills neither is consistent.
For now the best coverage plan for Miami is good pressure up front. If the pass rush makes Dalton, or any quarterback, feel their presence the secondary has a chance for success. Miami is tied for 12th with 12 sacks, and largely because of that, is tied for ninth with five interceptions.
Outside linebacker Cameron Wake (4.5 sacks) has been effective at causing nightmares for right tackles, and defensive end Randy Starks (three sacks) has been pressing interior linemen.
But things get dicey if there's no pass rush.
Smith is having a good year. He has two interceptions, both coming in last week's 24-21 overtime loss at Arizona, and he did a good job limiting Fitzgerald (eight receptions, 64 yards, one touchdown), one of the NFL's best.
Marshall, who has been battling back problems all season and didn't practice Thursday, is a different story. Holmes and Roberts got the bulk of their yardage against him. Marshall, not Clemons, was largely to blame for Roberts' 46-yard touchdown last week. Philbin said he needed to be in better position.
"Obviously, (he) got beat deep," said Philbin, who hasn't been shy about naming the guilty party on many plays. "The guy made a little hint to the outside and got by him."
The safeties haven't been much better as they've consistently allowed receivers to get behind them, which is a sin at that position.
Miami has allowed 16 passing plays of more than 20 yards, which is tied for sixth-worst in the league, and three plays of 40 or more yards, which is tied for third-worst.
Two of those 30-plus plays are for more than 60 yards.
"There are going to be some pass completions, you have to realize that," Philbin said, "but you just have to limit the explosiveness of those passes."
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