By Sean Dyer
MIAMI – Through six weeks, the Miami Vice sit at a disappointing 2-4. A combination of poor play and poor management has led to the team’s demise. Six weeks is long enough to put together an analysis of the Vice’s play thus far, so here we go.
The Miami Vice running game has been one of the best in the league with the duo of David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot leads the league in rushing through six weeks, with 703 yards. David Johnson, holding his own, is third in the league with 568 rushing yards.
Elliot is the early favorite for Rookie of the Year honors and some, like CheatSheet’s Jimmie Kaylor, have gone as far as suggesting he could be the NFL MVP. Not to be outdone, David Johnson leads the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns and his 833 combined rushing and receiving yards also tops in the NFL.
The Miami Vice wide receiving corps has produced rather respectably as well. A.J. Green (606 receiving yards) and Amari Cooper (585 yards) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league in receiving yards.
Where the Vice wide receivers are slacking is in the touchdown column, especially Amari Cooper who has found pay dirt just once in six contests. Cooper is not concerned about his lack of touchdowns thus far, and the Vice are hoping to start seeing Cooper in the end zone more frequently.
Star wide receiver Dez Bryant will return from injury and be back on the field come Week 8. The Vice hope that Bryant, along with Green and Cooper, can ignite the passing game in the second half of the season.
The Vice will need to rely on their receivers in the passing game because their quarterback play has hindered their success thus far.
Russell Wilson, expected to lead the Vice this season, is just twenty-first in the league in passing yards and has thrown just five touchdowns. Wilson’s lower body injuries have affected his running abilities (just 35 rushing yards), thus decreasing his value to the team.
Miami’s other quarterback, Eli Manning, has not had much problem getting the ball down the field. Manning is second in the league through six weeks with 1,788 passing yards. Eli’s issues have been in the red zone. Manning’s 8-6 touchdown-interception ratio has prevented the Vice from putting up points.
Despite the struggles, Miami Vice management has yet to make a move. They have made no free agent pickups or trades thus far.
As the losses continue to pile up, the Vice will evaluate the market and look for improvements.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has a 14-4 touchdown-interception ratio and is ranked the fifth best quarterback through six weeks. Stafford would be an improvement over both Wilson and Manning.
Michael Crabtree, Terrelle Pryor Sr., and Randall Cobb all rank as top-15 wide receivers with Crabtree hauling in five touchdowns on the season. Any of these three could help the Vice receiving corps, although they may wait for Dez Bryant to rejoin the lineup before shaking things up.
As good as the Vice running game has been, Carlos Hyde and Spencer Ware may both be worth looks. Hyde’s six rushing touchdowns and Ware’s 646 combined rushing and receiving yards put them both in the top-12 among running backs.
A few free agent moves, players recovering from injuries, and an improved passing game could help the Miami Vice win more games in the second half of the season.
