Anthony Weaver Makes Strong Statement On Dolphins' Run Defense

The Miami Dolphins are five weeks into the season, and the run defense is making defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver sick. 

“So, there are times in that game when you're watching tape and you want to throw up, particularly because it's some of the guys that were making some of the errors,” Weaver told reporters on Thursday. “It was unlike them. So the beauty is that we have an opportunity to correct it. We have no time to hang our heads and to walk around like we're at a wake, right? And I thought the guys yesterday at practice did just that.” 

The Dolphins’ run defense has allowed 436 yards on the ground the past two weeks, including 236 to a Carolina Panthers team that was using its backup running back, multiple backup offensive linemen, and was ranked near the bottom of the NFL in rushing yards. 

Weaver believes a lot of the team’s struggles against Carolina came down to players not focusing on making tackles and trying too hard to create fumbles. 

“They gained about 140 of those 200 yards on four runs, right?” Weaver said. “So if you have 30 runs and four of them go for 140 and the other 26 go for 60, everything you're doing is not wrong. Now, as it pertains to those four runs, particularly early in the first half, a lot of that was like second-level misfits.”

“And then guys trying to make plays on the ball before we stopped the ball. That's probably the bigger issue. Some of those big runs that are 50 for 40, for 20, they should go for eight, for nine.” 

This is something we covered in our film review after the game. The Dolphins’ defense allowed an absurd 6.16 yards per carry after first contact. You’d have to go back to 2016 to find a worse output for the Dolphins. 

How Does Miami Fix Its Run Defense? 

While the tackling issue Weaver spoke about extends to all levels of the defense, stopping the run stops upfront with the defensive line, especially in the interior. 

Right now, those guys are getting pushed off the line scrimmage way too easily. Weaver wants to see them get a bit more aggressive in shedding blocks. 

“Your hat may end up in the wrong gap,” Weaver said, referencing the play of the defensive line. “Get off the block and tackle the ball at the end of the day. So those guys got to get back to doing that a little bit more and understand they're not glorified offensive linemen out there. We're not just trying to keep our backers free. We're trying to get off blocks and make plays.” 

The Dolphins have just 16 tackles for loss this season, and eight of them are courtesy of inside linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, who have four each. In fact, the only interior defensive lineman with a tackle for loss this season is Zach Sieler with two. 

“With our guys in particular, I just think there are plays that should be made by the defensive linemen that are getting to the linebackers,” Weaver said. “... I think we're hanging on blocks a little bit too long. Where, all right, there's the ball. Like, get off the block and go tackle.” 

A more aggressive mentality from the Dolphins’ defensive line would certainly help — that group has been pushed around a good bit. However, like Weaver mentioned, that comes with risks. 

It could result in a player being out of position because they’re trying to make a play in the backfield. Still, it’s hard to argue that a few tackles for loss wouldn’t go a long way. 

Miami’s run defense is reeling, its defensive coordinator is getting sick watching, and the whole unit is struggling. It’s time to try something different and see if it sticks.