Fins Film: Brice McCain Has Been a Disaster
There's been much fuss about the general ineffectiveness of the Miami Dolphins' defensive line through three weeks of the 2015 season.
It's a fair criticism, especially when considering Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake carry an average combined salary of $26 million, according to Spotrac. But football is a game full of layered variables, where the play of one unit almost certainly affects the play of another.
What's undeniable is the Dolphins have an issue at corner. Opposite of Brent Grimes lives Brice McCain. While Grimes is having another standout year, ranking third among cornerbacks through Week 3 out of the 100 to qualify, according to Pro Football Focus, McCain ranks 91st.
McCain should be sponsored by Target because opposing quarterbacks are attacking him with vehemence. After making what could hold up as the finest interception of the NFL season in Week 1 against Washington, it's been downhill since. He was thrown at a whopping 10 times on Sunday amid 26 snaps in coverage with Tyrod Taylor converting six of those attempts for 100 yards.
Focusing on Week 3, the video evidence is disturbing.
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Soak in this early deep ball during the first quarter, where McCain is actually in decent position during most of the route but fails to make a play on the ball after playing on top of wideout Sammy Watkins.
Next, we have a collaborative disaster by multiple defenders when trying to tackle Charles Clay in space. McCain was the last line of defense before hitting paydirt, taking a poor angle and failing to use the sideline as an extra defender. It was as if Clay -- a decent pass-catching tight end -- morphed into Barry Sanders on this play.
That wasn't the last time Clay got the best of him, getting blown back on a block on the outside during a sweep. He was probably going to get eaten regardless, with fine blocking by Buffalo.
These two plays in the next video came on shorter routes, with McCain providing more cushion than a cell in a psyche ward.
First, he gives up the slant on a platter. Next he gets gashed on a comeback route, although resident football expert Channing Crowder confirms it was a terrible call to play three deep with just a few yards for the first down.
The theme is it doesn't matter whether it's short or long, run or pass, McCain has struggled immensely. The bad news? Jamar Taylor didn't look much better against Buffalo, getting roasted by Chris Hogan on a deep ball in the fourth quarter. Safety Walt Aikens was also playing deep but provided no help when it was needed.
I could have included more plays from Sunday but I'm not a big fan of horror films.
Tasked with facing mammoth Jets wideouts Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker on Sunday, the job isn't about to get any easier.
Logic says it's time to pull the plug on Brice McCain as a starter. What's terrifying is the real possibility there may not be a better option on the roster, leaving Dolphins coaches and our eyeballs with the hope he improves as the season progresses.
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