Miami Dolphins struggle in short yardage

MIami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin expressed his frustration over the team's struggles with third-and-short situations with the Sun-Sentinel on Thursday. The Dolphins have converted just 8 of 15 first downs when faced with third-and-1 this season, something Philbin understandably wants to see improve:

"When you're watching a player on second down you're screaming through the phones, 'Get the first down,' because nobody likes to get stuck on third-and-1.

"It's not unlike other plays, but obviously, sometimes your run percentage is up, so you're not usually as unpredictable as you might be. It comes down to execution; we just have to do a better job and I'm confident we will."

Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman is guaranteeing improvement:

"That certainly has been a bone of contention with me. It's a matter of repetition in practice. There's no excuse for us not to get a yard. It's a matter of me putting them in those situations ... in contact situations where it's full bore. It's a bit different when it's full speed, when the defense can tackle as opposed to just playing on your feet. We have to liven that period up.

"It's unacceptable. We'll get that fixed, I promise you."

The Dolphins host the St. Louis Rams on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FOX.