The Sports Xchange

DAVIE, Fla. — Miami Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is preaching change – to personnel, the offense, the defense, and even the locker room.

Campbell re-arranged the locker room seating as the Dolphins returned from their bye week. Mostly it was younger players and newcomers to the team that moved. For the most part, veterans such as quarterback Ryan Tannehill, center Mike Pouncey, left tackle Branden Albert, cornerback Brent Grimes, strong safety Reshad Jones, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cam Wake stayed put.

Suh and Wake, in fact, still have an entire row of lockers to themselves. The rest of the defensive line moved in around them.

“For those guys,” Campbell said of Suh and Wake, “it stays the same, which is good.”

The thinking behind the locker room changes was putting position groups together – wide receivers, defensive backs, offensive linemen, etc…

“I think he’s just trying to build more unity between positions,” right tackle Ja’Wuan James said.

As for the changes to personnel, the offense and defense, Campbell said they should be evident in Sunday’s game at Tennessee.

“There might be some things in there that are designed to help our offensive line a little bit more as far as to get going a little bit early, which if they get going early, then you’re only helping your quarterback out,” he said.

“Defensively, there are going to be a couple of tweaks that we’re going to do. Possibly mixed-down type stuff, whether it’s a technique or those things, what we’re doing coverage wise and what it’s going to look like.”

As for personnel tweaks, Campbell said, “I don’t think they’ll be significant, but there could be a few people who move here or there.”

REPORT CARD AFTER FOUR GAMES

–PASSING OFFENSE: D. Miami has allowed 10 sacks, and QB Ryan Tannehill (5 TDs, 3 INTs) has struggled to make accurate throws and recognize blitzes. WRs Jarvis Landry (28 receptions, 270 yards) and Rishard Matthews (17 receptions, 278 yards, 3 TDs) have been positives, and for the most part so has TE Jordan Cameron (12 receptions, 170 yards). But this is a major concern.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: F. It has pretty much been a total failure. RB Lamar Miller (37 carries, 131 yards, 3.5 yards per carry) has hardly had holes to run through, and he has had even fewer opportunities. Miami goes away from the run too quickly when it encounters a deficit. RB Jonas Gray (10 carries, 49 yards) might get more action in the next few games.

–PASS DEFENSE: D. Miami only has one sack, and that’s a huge disappointment when you have a defensive line that includes tackle Ndamukong Suh (10 tackles, no sacks) and ends Cam Wake (one tackle, no sacks) and Olivier Vernon (four tackles, no sacks). The pass rush hardly mounts a threat, and the pass coverage has been barely credible. Opposing QBs have a 95.8 passer rating, which is 19th in the NFL.

–RUSH DEFENSE: F. Opponents are averaging 160.5 yards per game, which is dead last in the NFL. The front seven has been abysmal when it comes to stopping the run. SS Reshad Jones (team-best 43 tackles) has been pretty much the only aggressive players against the run. This might be the most disappointing aspect of the entire team, and that’s saying a lot.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus. K Andrew Franks has missed an extra point and a 42-yard field-goal attempt. P Matt Darr has been solid (48.8 yards per punt, 5th in NFL). But penalties have hurt, such as the one in which S Walt Aikens got a 5-yard running into the punter penalty that extended an eventual touchdown drive for Buffalo. The bright spot is Landry’s 69-yd punt return touchdown that basically won the Washington game.

–COACHING: F. Interim coach Dan Campbell, the former tight ends coach, replaced Joe Philbin, and interim defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the former defensive backs coach, replaced Kevin Coyle. Also, special team coach Darren Rizzi was promoted to assistant head coach/special teams coordinator, and Al Saunders and Ken O’Keefe were named senior offensive assistants. That’s how you know the first four games were a coaching disaster area.