Behind enemy lines — Raiders vs. Dolphins: 5 questions with opposing beat writer

For complete Oakland Raiders coverage follow us on Flipboard.

Checking in on the 2-0 Miami Dolphins with veteran beat writer Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who agreed to answer five questions about the Raiders’ opponent heading in to Sunday’s Week 3 game:

1. After outlasting Tennessee in a lightning delay and beating the Jets, what’s is the defining characteristic about the Dolphins through two games?

Salguero: The Dolphins are getting better offensive line play. Ryan Tannehill is having more time to throw the football. That’s big. The Dolphins have more potentially dynamic playmakers on offense. Albert Wilson has speed. Kenyan Drake has speed. Kenny Stills has speed. It’s hard to stop everybody. And on defense, the tackling has been a bit better than in the past and the run defense, at least in the last game when Miami allowed only 42 rushing yards, has been much better.

2. The Dolphins have 60 rushing attempts and 51 passes through two games. Is that game circumstance or are they making a concerted effort to not put the whole load offensive on Ryan Tannehill?

Salguero: The fact of the matter is Ryan Tannehill is 18-7 in games he throws fewer than 30 passes during his career. I’m not saying he’s a generic game manager but I am saying he benefits from not having to carry the team. Obviously the narrative of the game will often determine how often the Dolphins can strike a balance on offense. If they fall behind, they’re going to be throwing like any other team. But if they’re close, even Adam Gase, who loves to pass the football, is going to do whatever it takes to give his team the best chance to win.

3. If the Dolphins fail to finish at .500 and/or sustain double digit losses, is that it for coach Adam Gase?

Salguero: Well, they’re 2-0. It would take a significantly unlucky set of circumstances for them to go 4-10 over the next 14 games. The only way that happens is if the roster suffers multiple catastrophic injuries that ravage the starting lineup. How is that the coach’s fault? I guess what I’m saying is I don’t see your scenario playing out. And if it does, it’s not going to be because a healthy roster decided to stop playing, which would be the only way Adam Gase perhaps loses his job at season’s end.

4. The Raiders determined that they simply wouldn’t have a defensive player at the top of their salary structure. As you look back on it, did the Dolphins’ mega-deal with Ndamukong Suh help or hurt the franchise?

Salguero: I don’t think the Dolphins have a philosophical problem with having a defensive player at the top of their salary structure.I think having such a philosophy is stupid. The Raiders wouldn’t have 27-year-old Deion Sanders at the top of their salary structure? Or a 27-year-old Reggie White? That’s nonsense. It just needs to be the right guy. Ndamukong Suh was not the right guy because he was a good player, but not a game-defining player. He didn’t change the course of games. Defensive tackles typically don’t. (Hate to inform the Raiders of this, but Khalil Mack changes games and them trading a potential future Hall of Famer is totally nuts. Plus I don’t buy that narrative. I think they traded him because they had cash flow concerns). Anyway, it obviously didn’t help the Dolphins to sign Suh. They missed the playoffs in two of the three years he played in Miami.

5. How are the Dolphins utilizing Frank Gore and will this be his last season?

Salguero: Frank Gore just became the NFL’s all-time fourth leading rusher. He’s playing about 30 percent of the time so far. He probably doesn’t believe he’s getting enough usage but it’s hard to argue with success and it is notable he was in the game late against the Jets when the Dolphins needed to keep the ball to seal the victory. I have no idea whether this will be Gore’s final season. Gore doesn’t have an idea if this will be his final year. The Dolphins also have no idea if this will be Gore’s final year. Goodness Jerry, there’s 14 games to play yet. I’m not Carnac the Magnificent!

Check out Armando Salguero on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero Like our Oakland Raiders Facebook page for more Raiders news, commentary and conversation.

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News