Troy Aikman sees a little bit of the CFL in the Miami Dolphins’ record-breaking offence.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, the former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback and ESPN broadcaster made the comparison between the Dolphins and Canada’s three-down game.
“A lot of credit goes to their personnel department and the way they’ve been able to bring in some speed. The way they motion and use those guys and get them running, in some ways it looks like a CFL offence, where they’re hitting it on the fly with some really fast people and they’re stretching the defence,” Aikman said. “And (quarterback) Tua (Tagovailoa) is making great decisions and delivering the ball like a point guard.”
The Dolphins obliterated the Denver Broncos 70-20 on Sunday to improve to an AFC-leading 3-0. In that game, they set an NFL record for most offensive yards, with 726.
The CFL comparison likely is being made because of the way the Dolphins put speedy receiver Tyreek Hill in motion.
In the NFL, a receiver or running back can only be in motion horizontally along the line of scrimmage and a player moving toward the line of scrimmage must be set before the ball is snapped.
In the CFL, all receivers and running backs can be in motion — a term known as “the waggle.”
NFL players such as New England Patriots receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Philadelphia Eagles centre Jason Kelce have called in the past for the NFL to adopt the waggle rule.
Hill is second in receiving yards this season, while Tagovailoa is second in passing yards.
“They’re definitely hitting on all cylinders,” Aikman said of the Dolphins. “When you put up 70 points, a lot of good things are happening.”
In arguably the most anticipated game of the season, the Dolphins are in Buffalo on Sunday to face the 2-1 Bills.
The Bills have allowed the second-fewest points in the league, while the Dolphins have scored the most.