Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted what Brad Childress would call a “kick ass” offense in Miami this year. So far, Ross has gotten his wish.
The only problem is that impressive offensive stats mean nothing unless the defense holds the opponent to fewer points than the offense scores.
Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box (via Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel), Ross said, “Our defense, which was supposed to be so good, I think allowed way too many yards, probably an NFL record. I think that could be fixed.”
Still, Ross gave some credit to the previously struggling side of the ball for its Week One performance against the Patriots.
“I think what was perceived as our biggest weakness, the quarterback situation, that was very positive as probably our best strength of the game Monday night,” Ross said.
And he’s right. The problem for the Dolphins is that, since the days of the Killer Bees defense, the team has been skewed too far toward one side of the ball. In 1982, a team heavy on “D” and light on “O” lost in the Super Bowl to the Redskins. Two years later, with a Dan Marino-fueled attack but a less-than-stout defense, the Fins fell to the Niners in the Super Bowl.
The defense got better after Marino retired, and now that the offense is waking up its fitting that the defense is lapsing into a coma, again.