After his first game with the Miami Dolphins, Mike Wallace was not too happy. He was only targeted five times by quarterback Ryan Tannehill, not exactly what he was expecting after signing a very large free agent contract. Wallace was not thrilled with the offensive game plan, telling reports to talk with head coach Joe Philbin about why he was not as active. Well apparently Wallace approached his coach himself and it paid off.
In Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Wallace put up a nine catch performance, recording 115 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 11 times in the game, including eight passes in the first half alone. The Dolphins got Wallace active very early in the game and he believes that is what helped his better performance.
"I think it's easier for any player when you're involved early in the game," Wallace said, the Sun Sentinel. "Not me, just anybody, tight ends, running backs, any wide receiver, whoever. If you're involved in the game early, you get into the flow of the game and you feel good."
His positivity was a far cry from his mood after Week 1. After expressing his disappointment, Wallace and Philbin met privately to discuss the wide receiver's role in the offense. Philbin told media he would make sure the big free agent saw some increased action. He held true to his word, showing willingness to experiment more with route running, allowing Wallace to be more of a deep threat for Tannehill.
Getting Wallace to be productive early also helped out other members of the offense. Tannehill was able to make use of multiple players, targeting Brian Hartline, Charles Clay and Lamar Miller. The quarterback went 23 of 34 in passing for 319 yards as he outplayed Andrew Luck and the Colts. Much of the credit could be given to Wallace.
"He was important," Tannehill said. "We knew coming in we wanted to get him involved. He is a playmaker and when you have a playmaker like that, you want to give him the ball. Got him involved early and he took advantage of it and made big plays for us ... I think when you have that type of athleticism, that type of play-making ability, to get a good jump on it, sets the tone of the game."
