The Miami Dolphins found their offensive groove in Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills — logging season highs in points and yardage en route to a 31-21 loss to their division rivals. But the Dolphins should be encouraged, as the Bills tout one of the more stout defenses in all of football and the Dolphins were able to move the ball at will against them for the first two thirds of the football game.
Does that mean the Dolphins’ issues have been resolved? No, of course not! But they came out and played hard, focused and executed. That execution was on display everywhere, including up front in the trenches — as pointed out by NFL.com’s resident film junkie Brian Baldinger, who praised the Dolphins for their inside zone execution against Buffalo.
One thing not mentioned by Baldinger that needs acknowledgement? This is a great read of the line of scrimmage by Mark Walton, who has clearly emerged as the Dolphins’ lead back in recent weeks. Walton spends little time in the backfield before his eyes shift off of LG Michael Deiter’s hip and into open space, supplemented by a hard cut back into the interior of the point of attack. The discipline up front to secure the blocks and Walton’s quick decision making and sudden cut all add up to a chunk gain for the Dolphins — something we haven’t seen a ton of yet this season but are starting to see more and more.
Even more impressive is the Dolphins’ inconsistencies in availability up front — Michael Deiter is the only offensive lineman who has played the same position all season long and Miami featured a new starting center against the stout Bills defense. Say what you will about this 0-6 Dolphins team, but they get easier to watch by the week and the chemistry/execution on the field is coming along quite nicely.
