They are 26th in the league in total offense Youth Josh Sitton Jersey , averaging 334.3 yards per game, 23rd in passing offense with 226.3 yards per game, 17th in rushing offense with 108.0 yards per game, and 23rd in scoring with 21.8 points per game. They have been beaten up on offense, playing games with starters at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, and along the offensive line. They have struggled to find a rhythm this year, and they are not the high-powered, speed based offense that was originally designed before the season.But, that does not matter because a dominant defense will carry the team. Except, that dominant defense has yet to show up. This defense, where the only real preseason question was the linebackers, has turned into a mess with presumed starters falling off the map, Pro Bowl players struggling http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-akeem-spence-jersey , and no one in the secondary seeming to know who to cover. The defense ranks 27th overall, allowing 408.0 yards per game, 20th against the pass allowing 264.9 yards per game, 30th in the league against the run with 143.1 yards per game given up, and 27th in the league in scoring defense with 27.4 the average points allowed this year. Miami’s vaunted defense is quickly collapsing on itself.“It’s not good on defense,” head coach Adam Gase said after Thursday night’s 42-23 loss at the Houston Texans. “I mean they did whatever they wanted.”Miami allowed 188 yards on the ground on Thursday, with the Texans averaging 5.4 yards per carry. “Right now, I am going to have to look at everything,” Gase said of Miami’s inability to stop the run. “It’s about the only good thing about playing on Thursday night is it’s like an extra bye week. Go back this weekend and try to look through everything, see where a lot of the problems are and look at it as a whole, not just one game, and try to get an answer.”Gase discussed his current trust level with the defense, explaining, “Well, I know those guys work hard Jesse Davis Jersey , and they try to get everything patched up as fast as possible. I mean, these guys were hired because I liked them when we were coming into this situation we were in. When Vance [Joseph] left, I trusted Matt [Burke] to get this thing going in the right direction and prove from there before. There was a lot of good thing sthat happened over the last two years. We’ve just got to figure out what is our issues. I mean, it is players? Is it scheme? We have to evaluate that. We can’t be afraid to change if we have to.”Gase has not ruled out anything - or anyone - being changed. Asked if he would consider any changes to his coaching staff, Gase answered, “I’m going to reevaluate everything this weekend. We’ve got the extended weekend. We’ve got to figure out how to get better on defense. We’ve got to figure out how to sustain drives and put it in the end zone on offense.” Directly asked if defensive coordinator Matt Burke’s position could be in danger, Gase did not definitively say no as he replied, “I haven’t even thought about that. In my head, I’m saying I don’t see that happening. We need to go back and figure out what is going on to where we’re giving up these massive amounts of yardage in the run game.”Burke has - rightfully - taken a lot of heat from the fans and media as the Miami defense continues to collapse. Gase addressed if he feels he has to take more of a personal role with the defense, stating, “I’ll get to that after tonight. I’m not there yet.”The Dolphins have to find a way to fix the defense. There are plenty of issues on offense, but the defense should not be giving up 188 yards on the ground routinely. Right now, it feels like that is the norm. It is not only the rush defense, as Miami gave up 239 passing yards with five touchdowns, but the ground game definitely feels like the most immediate issue to be addressed. If they do not find answers during this 10-day break Authentic Bobby McCain Jersey , this season will go from frustrating to abysmal very quickly. Whatever those answers are - coaching, scheme, players - they have to make those changes now. Tied atop the NFL interceptions leader with Kyle Fuller, Xavien Howard and his representation (Damarius Bilbo) can justify being handsomely paid at one of the most lucrative positions in football. For the Miami Dolphins, the question becomes: do we pay him now (during the offseason) or wait (after his rookie contract is up)? The Case to Pay Him NowThe Miami Dolphins liked Xavien Howard enough to trade up to get him in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His rookie season was marred with injuries and inconsistency, but things started to click for Howard in his sophomore campaign. You might recall “X” picking off Tom Brady twice, despite having flu symptoms. He has continued an upward trajectory, and the landscape of defensive football is changing, in my opinion. Defenses are emphasizing turnovers, and I believe defensive philosophy is going to center around this idea - rule changes make it very hard on a defense at the pass rush and pass defense level, and defenses are essentially forced to play a bend-but-don’t-break system. As sad as I am that gritty defensive football seems to be leaving the NFL zeitgeist, as they say: if you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevancy even less. So if you agree with me that turnovers are the currency of today’s defensive world, and the Dolphins have a young player, drafted by the team Youth Jakeem Grant Jersey , tied for the league lead in interceptions - isn’t the move to keep him here, even if it costs market value? Cornerback is 1A/1B with defensive end in terms of positional importance on defense. The Dolphins would be locking in a key cog in the defensive machine for the foreseeable future. If we don’t pay him now, might he feel slighted and decide to test free agency after his rookie contract is up?The Case to Wait$30-35 million-ish in guarantees, that’s what the front office would likely be looking at to sign Xavien Howard at market value. Say Xavien has an outstanding 2019 campaign and the Dolphins neglected to lock him up after the 2018 season, will his 2020 contract really be astronomically higher than what his 2019 contract might look like? We could be talking about a difference in $5-10 in guarantees (which would also coincide with a rising salary cap), which might be an acceptable trade-off because...Xavien Howard has had 3 knee ailments in 3 years.2 right knee procedures in his rookie season (before training camp and during the season), and has been sidelined for the past 2 weeks with a meniscus issue on his left knee (he has recently denied reports that he had an arthroscopic surgery on the left knee). It might be enough of a concern that the Dolphins want to see him play another season to ensure that he’s healthy enough and productive enough to justify long-term investment. Economically, the front office might see the limited potential contract growth from 2019 to 2020 to say to themselves: “let’s see how 2019 plays out.” ConclusionIt’s a tough decision. I see both sides honestly. I love Xavien, but a little worried about his long-term durability. In this moment, I’m letting Xavien play the 2019 season on his rookie contract and cross my fingers that he’s still in the conversation for long-term investment and doesn’t take the decision personally. Let me know your thoughts down below in the Comments Section!!!