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The NFL has certainly become a league of wide-open passing over the past few seasons. As throwing became more evident, teams started to run away from leaning on the running attack to win games. When the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII by pounding powerful Marshawn Lynch throughout the playoffs; however, teams started realizing that having a dependable back may not be a stupid idea. One team that certainly agrees with that theory is the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins need their running backs to flourish this fall if they want to contend for the playoffs. Last season, Lamar Miller made the most of his starting opportunity rushing for over 1,000 yards. The problem with the former Miami Hurricane is his diminutive stature. While Miller made many tacklers miss darting to the outside, he rarely racked up yards rushing off the tackles. To help add some steak to Miller’s sizzle, the Dolphins drafted running back Jay Ajayi in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Ajayi may be the most important player Miami drafted in May. Some consider Ajayi a bust-in-waiting because he battled knee problems during his tenure at Boise State. Some doctors consider his knee to be worn down to bone rubbing up against bone. A few draft experts reported that Ajayi was erased from some teams’ draft boards because of that painful prognosis. Other people think Miami’s pick of Ajayi on the third day of the draft will end up being a steal. The playing life expectancy of a rusher is usually not long so even if Ajayi can’t sustain a very long career he can give it his all over a shorter period of time. Besides, Ajayi isn’t expected to carry the load thanks to Miller’s presence.
Miller may actually see the starting duty. That is the plan as the Dolphins edge closer to training camp. Having Miller making his moves on a defense may exhaust the opposition. On third down, Miller can come out and Ajayi can check in. If it is a third-and-short situation, the Boise State bully can push his way through the offensive line and keep the chains moving. If the third-down play calls for a pass, Ajayi is adept at both staying in to block and catching the ball out of the backfield. The Dolphins tried this two-headed monster plan the past couple of years with Daniel Thomas acting as the bruiser, but he never lived up to the expectations of a late second-round selection.
Having a consistent running game will also aid Ryan Tannehill in his quest to become a top-tier quarterback. A successful rushing unit will force defenses to loosen up in pass coverage giving Tannehill more open receivers to connect with. Miami’s quarterback will also not be put in the situation of having a bunch of second- and third-and-longs if Miller or Ajayi can pick up early yards. He also won’t have to line up in the shotgun and pass in third-and-short if Ajayi is able to pick up the small yards.
Miami offensive coordinator Bill Lazor saw how effective a great rushing game could be when he was on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff. Many people think that Chip Kelly’s offense is made up of four passes on every possession, but take a look at how dominant LeSean McCoy was in 2014 and how dangerous Darren Sproles was last season and it’s easy to see how important running is in the Eagles’ offense. That is the same offense the Dolphins’ use now with Lazor calling the shots. In a city where the residents are used to seeing horrendous hurricanes and sensational rainstorms they will be satisfied if Miller and Ajayi provide just a little thunder and lightning.
