Lamar Miller is clearly the best offensive player the Miami Dolphins have, and his skills were on full display in the first half Monday night. Why was he virtually ignored in the second half?
Because the Dolphins stink, that’s why.
Miller rushed seven times for 69 yards in the first half and looked explosive on touchdown runs of 14 and 38 yards. After his second touchdown, Miller was benched for the remainder of the half. He then received only five touches the rest of the way despite not suffering an injury.
Lamar Miller says he didn't suffer an injury, his ankle was just getting taped. He doesn't know why he didn't get more second half carries
— Andrew Abramson (@AbramsonPBP) December 15, 2015
When the Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin, they hinted they would show more commitment to the running game. It didn’t really happen. They then said the same when offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was fired, yet they still won’t feed the ball to their most dynamic playmaker.
The Dolphins never trailed by more than a touchdown in their 31-24 loss to the Giants, but they attempted 41 passes compared to just 22 runs. This should give you all the context you need:
Tannehill 5.76 YPA, 1 TD on 41 attempts.
Miller 7.42 YPC, 2 TDs on 12 attempts.
Bad teams stay bad. #Dolphins
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) December 15, 2015
It seems as though every person on the planet knows the Dolphins need to find ways to get Miller the ball except the people who have the ability to make it happen. Miller hinted earlier this season that things would be changing, but we have only seen it in very brief spurts.
Next week, the Dolphins take on a Chargers team that ranks 27th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. We’d like to say Miami will run the ball more, but history tells us they will remain clueless.
