Four Suggestions for the Dolphins Coming Out of the Bye

The Miami Dolphins are back from their bye, with their next matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins still are looking for their first victory of the season, but the big-picture reality is they're simply looking for improvement, period — regardless of results.

And it didn't take a master's degree in applied football analysis to see there were many, many areas where the Dolphins could get better.

The question, of course, is how much better the Dolphins can get and in what areas.

Starting with the game against the Jets, here are five recommendations to help achieve that improvement:

FIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE DOLPHINS POST-BYE

1. More small ball

The Dolphins offense has solved the problem of never throwing downfield that was an issue the past couple of seasons, but they've gone overboard the other way.

Malik Willis leads the NFL in intended air yards per attempt while also leading the NFL in lowest completion percentage, and those two things, umm, probably related.

So whether it's OC Bobby Slowik calling too many downfield passes or Willis looking for the big play, let's force the issue by calling for more short, safe throws, whether they be bubble screens or quick outs.

2. Unleash Kacmarek

By all indications, rookie tight end Will Kacmarek has been as good as advertised with his blocking ability and now it's time to make more use of him.

Through five games, Kacmarek has played 41.3 percent of the offensive snaps, and it says here that number should be higher, particularly if the Dolphins are going to rely on the running game as they should.

Yes, Kacmarek has dealt with some health issues going back to training camp, but when healthy, the Dolphins need to have him on the field on offense more often than not.

The Dolphins were next-to-last in the NFL in rushing average on first-and-10 through Week 6, and that needs to improve and Kacmarek can help improve that.

3. Elect to receive if you win the coin toss

This might apply only for the Jets game in Week 7, but the Dolphins need to experience what it's like to play with a lead and if they get the chance to get the ball first, they need to accept it.

They had that chance against Cincinnati, but elected to defer. One 81-yard kickoff return and minute and a half later, the Dolphins were down 7-0 and already playing catch-up.

4. Get more aggressive on defense

The Dolphins defense has outplayed the offense so far this season, but that's not to say it's been perfect.

And the one glaring stat that's troubling is the completion percentage allowed, which is much more problematic than Willis' low number.

And we get the idea of making sure not to give up the big play, which the Dolphins have accomplished, but there's also something to be said for forcing the action.

The Dolphins have played soft coverage on the back end, while blitzing at a very modest rate.

Maybe taking some chances here and there with heavy blitzing and press coverage could result in giving up some big plays, but maybe it also could produce more takeaways.