Dolphins' offense more balanced in first game after Joe Philbin's departure

After what transpired last week against the Titans, it’s hard not to think that it was former coach Joe Philbin holding back the Dolphins offense.

Miami had a field day on the ground, rushing 32 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-10 win against Tennessee. Lamar Miller finally got the number of carries he wanted, running 19 times for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Interim coach Dan Campbell — who sure sounds honest when he speaks — said he wasn’t making the calls.

“I let (Bill Lazor) run what he wants to run,” Campbell said. “I let (defensive coordinator) Lou (Anarumo) do what he wants to do. Every once in a while I may have an idea and I’ll give them my idea or my opinion on something, but I let them handle it. The last thing they need is me looking over their shoulder. But certainly if I have something to say, I’ll say it to them.”

Lazor has stressed the need for a balanced offense since he arrived in Miami last season. He was quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia in 2013 when the Eagles had one of the league’s most potent offenses and a balanced attack that featured running back LeSean McCoy.

Before that, Lazor was offensive coordinator at the University of Virginia — a school that was among the ACC’s worst running teams when he arrived and became one of the best at running the ball.

This all bodes well for Lamar Miller, who was the #9 RB in both formats in 2014 despite only averaging 15.9 touches per game. Miller had 21 touches for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Titans last week. And it wasn't game flow that allowed Miller to see that many touches -- he had 16 "looks" (carries plus targets) before halftime.