Ingold: Time to Draw a Line in the Sand

Miami Dolphins FB Alec Ingold Making It His Mission to Help Short Yardage

Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold (30) run with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium last season. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins added some intriguing pieces in the offseason to provide more options in the passing game, but improvement in one key area will have to be more organic.

Put another way, it just might be returning players who will hold the key to getting better in one offensive area where the team came up short last season: short yardage.

As the starting fullback on a team that was 5-for-11 in gaining first downs on third-and-1 runs and 9-for-22 overall, Alec Ingold says he took that disappointing showing "extremely personal."

"I think that's literally one of the job descriptions of playing F in this offense, whether you're a slot wide receiver, a fullback, second tight end, like that F spot, being able to move the sticks, it's part of your job description," Ingold said after practice Wednesday. "You're playing within those margins of the game. So the more that we've worked on it all the way throughout OTAs, being able to put it out onto the field, I think it's gonna be fun to see just being able to make that next first down and giving us three more opportunities for those, you know, 60-yard explosive plays that are going to happen, but then being able to stay on track a whole lot more efficiently. So yeah, I did take that personally."

DOLPHINS JUST "HAVE TO GO GET IT"

The Dolphins have talked all summer about being more physical and shedding their finesse reputation, though the focus has been on defense.

We indicated earlier this summer that more physicality was just as needed offensively, particularly in those short-yardage situations, where those extra first downs could make the difference between winning and losing key games down the stretch.

Ingold certainly didn't disagree with that idea, as evidenced by his response when he was asked whether the key to improvement in short-yardage situations will come from better technique or more physicality.

"At some point you gotta draw a line in the sand, you just gotta go get it," Ingold said. "Like that's what it is. So, yes, we can talk about X's and O's. Yes, we can talk about technique. But at the end of the day, like, you have to move your man past that line of scrimmage so that the back or whoever can get that first down. So I think it's a combination of both."