Miami Dolphins Thread

You'd have to be fairly pleased with today. I think Ireland's going out and getting the players that Philbin wants to run his team.

Long, Smith, Dansby, Fasano and to a lesser extent Bush were all Sporano players.

The addition of Wallace is a big boost for Tannehill. Cutting Dansby frees up some cap room. It's amazing to think that we still need to strengthen the offensive line having invested so heavily in it over the last few years.

There's still room for another couple of decent signings. Tight end or a tackle to replace Long might be next up. (Still hoping Long might return)

rockonollie wrote: »

It's high end salary, but I wouldn't say it's overpaying.....Wallace is a top level receiver, with superbowl rings.......and a 5 year contract means that the phins have him through his prime years.

They are paying him top 3 receiver money, which I don't think he's worth close to. I'm quite worried about this deal if I'm honest. I would much prefer if the Fins gave up a 1st and paid Victor Cruz that money, as he is a far more polished receiver.

There's a decent level of risk to this deal, as the Fins have paid him top 3 money and he needs to live up to that. Will it happen? Time will tell. But as I already said, credit to Ireland for giving Tannehill a legit deep threat.

The other deals I have mixed feelings over. The cutting of Dansby and the signing of Wheeler are strong IMO. But the cutting of our best coverage LB in Burnett for Ellerbe I not a huge fan of. It's a big contract for a guy that's going to struggle hugely with the likes of Gronk and Hernandez. Why Ireland felt me needed radical change at the LB position is strange considering the D was quite strong last season. Chirs Clemons signing I like, as he is a solid safety and will fill that gap for at least another season.

Hopefully we can pick up a CB, TE and Tackle in the coming days.

rockonollie wrote: »

Technically it's top 3 money.......but only $30 million guaranteed, which puts him on par with Larry Fitzgerald ($27mil) and Vincent Jackson ($26mil), and over the past couple of season, you have to say that he pretty close to their standard.

Maybe so, but if he is being paid the amount he is then he needs to live up to it. Just gotta wait till September now.

Looks like Keller may be the next man in, as he is in Miami at the moment. Depending on the contract, he would be a great signing.

rockonollie wrote: »

It's pretty safe to say that their picks in the first 2 rounds will now be OT,DB,LB in some order. They have 2 picks in the second round, so should be able to get 3 players pretty close to being ready to start as rookies in the positions where the need is greatest.

I'd like to see us going with a CB in the first round aswell as picking up a Vet in FA. Still some decent starting caliber CB's out there.

Sad to see Jake go, but clearly the Fins coaching staff didn't see him as being the dominant force he once was or that he could reach that level again.

A little stunned also, as this was a guy many 2/3 years ago were saying was a future HOFer. Was the only thing glossing over the fact Parcell's made a mistake in not selecting Ryan.

Happy to get out of Cleveland with the W. Some of the things I got from the game.

Positives:
- Defense was awesome in all phases of the game. I know the pass rush will get particular praise and deservedly so, but the secondary were stout also. I know they weren't really tested considering Weeden was getting very little time to throw, but they still held up and made some big plays with the INT's.
- Tannehill I though played well after a shaky start. Fin's O-Line is not great and he was forced to take some sacks, but he was getting the ball out quick and decisive. Team will be happy with his performance.
- Hartline I though was very good and caught everything thrown at him. Gave Buster Skrine a very though time and had a very productive day.
- Where did that performance from Charles Clay come from? Was all but invisible in pre-season, but turns up Sunday with some nice catches. Maybe there is hope at TE after all. He certainly has the size and speed to be effective there.

Negatives:
- Running game was dreadulf, but TBF that Cleveland rush defense is very good and most teams will struggle going up against them. But was expecting much more from LaMar Miller, who will be doing well to hold onto his starting spot next week.
- I know people are making a big deal out of the fact Miami's big money signing Mike Wallace only had one catch, but you have to take into consideration that having him on the field freed up Hartline and Gibson. Certainly, he will have to have a much bigger role going forward, I was surprised they didn't try some WR screens to get him the ball, but as I said, just having him on the field made a big difference.
- Team needs to be more clinical on turnovers and get some TD's instead of FG's.

rockonollie wrote: »

Where are the dolphin's fans at......3rd time I've been to one of their games.....first time I got a win

Sounds awesome dude. Couldn't have asked a better game to go to!!!!

Really happy with the way this team is progressing. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see last night's win, but two road wins in a row is very encouraging to see. Also was good to see Mike Wallace get more of the ball.

If the Fins can make it 3-0 on Sunday, then considering how weak the East is at the moment, this Fins side will never have a better chance to win it,

Just a pity the Fins don't play the Pats until week 6 or so.

Brought back down to earth with a bang last night. For me, that was a game to show how real this team was and sadly the Fins got taught a few lessons.

Not going to take anything away from the Saints, they were the better team and exploited some of Miami's weakness' in defense. With so many weapons, Miami just don't have the strength in depth to cover them all, which is why Sproles ran riot in the first half.

The offense I think will be disappointed with some of their play, as poor playcalling, execution and moral killing turnovers were avoidable. With under two left in the first half, Miami were driving with an opportunity to take the lead into the half with a TD. On first and ten, Hartline throws a ball intended for Hartline on a short slant route, which was picked off by Greer and the Saints eventually went on to score a TD. Its things like that that change games.

What is really worrying is the performances of Mike Wallace. If he continues to perform as he has done, his expected stats after 16 games will be something like 60 receptions for 700 yards and 4 TD's. Considering Miami decided to vastly overpay for him, this simply not good enough for a supposed number 1 receiver. Serious work will have to be done in order to start making him produce.

Tough loss that. Game was there but just couldn't execute at the vital time. Some points from it:

- Not too many words bad enough to describe how awful the O-Line was today. An absolute mess all season and pretty much cost the Fins today. Worst Tackle tandem I have seen in quite a while. Going to be a long season for RT unless things drastically improve.
- Speaking of RT, I thought he was immense today. Made some huge throws and continued to ball even though the O-Line was imploding, receivers were dropping balls and the run game non-existent. He has such a bright future if he can survive this season.
- Run game again not there, even more so than usual. Philbin had given up on it during the second quarter which says alot. Blocking needs to improve also.
- Although Mike Wallace had a better game statistically, I thought he was average enough again. Dropped far too many balls and not working hard enough to beat his man to the ball.
- Was nice to see Charles Clay come up with some big catches, including the back shoulder TD, although he did have a bad drop. Think he could be worked more into the passing game.
- Hard to but much blame on the defense on this one. Missing key players in Wake and Patterson. Ellerbe then went out in the 2nd quarter and Carroll in the 3rd. Even with this I still think they held up well. Great to see Dion Jordan make a big play on the pick 6.

All in all, 3-2 after 5 games, 4 of which against quality opposition is better than I was expecting. But think we will have to go at least 4-2 against AFC East opponents if we want to make the post season.

Frustrating loss, but again this is on the offensive. Tannehill has so much potential, but his pocket awareness still needs development. That strip sack and other sacks are down to not getting the ball out quick enough and with a very ordinary Tackle combination, he simply can't afford to hold on too long. Again, the Tackle's are getting beat easier the game goes on. Clabo got owned in the 4th by Williams, when he was doing decent enough for the other three.

Simply put, we are 3-3 and that's probably Miami's level. Still alot of work to do especially on the offense, but there are positives. Credit to the Bills, they are playing well with a 3rd string QB, but these are the games Miami had to be winning if they wanted a playoff berth.

Hi lads. Another long suffering fan here, and another who was drawn in by the talents of Dan Marino (although I have to admit that my all-time favourite Dolphin is Zach Thomas)

The first Dolphin's game I watched was Marino's last.... Maybe I'm the problem.

We could well have been 6-1. The nature of those last three loses where gutting

Delighted with that win. Wasn't the greatest performance ever, and still leaves a lot to work on, but they showed a mental toughness and belief that had been missing since the trip to New Orleans. Hopefully this will be a confidence builder and with a much more lenient schedule coming up we can put a good run of wins together

I think the real positive that came from the game is that we can rubbish all the rumours that Philbin has lost the locker room. Every single player gave absolutely everything they had. How some of the players on D finished that game is beyond me. they looked out on their feet at the end of 3. Seems as though Sherman listened to the calls to run the ball more too. And the O-line looked a lot more comfortable going forward run blocking than pass blocking. I hope thats the game that signals us turning the corner this season. Onwards and Upwards

Benimar wrote: »

Two yards rushing..TWO yards :eek:

As Taos Han mentioned in the Week 10 thread the team could completely tank the rest of the season now. There is just a horrible 'vibe' about the whole thing from the Incognito/Martin issue to the poor on field play to a fairly apparent lack of off field leadership.

Once the investigation is completed I can see there being a massive clear out (regardless of the results of the investigation). I really cannot see Ireland and Philbin being back next year. To be honest, I wouldn't lose any sleep over either being gone.

Looks like the reset button is needed...again

I'd be very surprised if Ireland is kept. In Ross' interview last night, he never mentioned Ireland, even when Tirico brought him up, Ross began speaking of Philbin. Won't be disappointed to see the back of him. The continuing state of the O-Line over his tenure is an indication of what he has brought to this team.

What happens to Philbin will be interesting. Ross seems to like him and you could argue he deserves another season. However, with the results of the NFL's investigation to come and the team in danger of capitulation, his position may be untenable come January. The flatness of the performances after our bye and after 10 or so days since the Bengals is unacceptable though. I wouldn't be too disappointed if he was culled either.

You mentioned what IMO is the Dolphins biggest problem, which is the lack of leadership. Its seriously lacking throughout the team, which is again a problem created by Ireland, having got rid of Dansby and Long among others

Well, another deflating loss at the death in a game that was there for the taking. Frustrating because in the first half, the defense absolutely dominated Carolina's offense and Tannehill was connecting with Wallace for big gains. The killer though was taking three field goals, when we were in their 20 for two of them. The no-call at the end of the half on the helmet to helmet from Keulchy was big.

In the second, the defense was never going to be able to limit Carolina's Offense like they had and unfortunately, the offense failing to score any points was the beating of Miami. Tannehill was unable to connect with Wallace and the running game was non existent.

With 5 games remaining, at least we are still in the hunt and with the way the fixtures have panned out, we are still very much in it. Games remaining look like:

@Jets
@Steelers
Pats
@Bills
Jets

I personally don't see this team, with the lack of leadership and consistency it has shown since Week 4 being able to knock off 4 wins out of 5 (with 3 on the road) but one can hope. The only thing I can take solace in is that the Jets look worse than Miami do at the moment.

On a sidenote, its becoming clearer with each passing week that Ireland has to go at the end of the season. When you see players like Dansby, Long and Bush continuing to play well after their spells at Miami and in comparison to guys Miami spent big money on (Wallace, Ellerbe, Wheeler) under-performing (along with the cluster**** of an O-Line) then alot of blame has to be placed on Ireland.

Those three players were also leaders, something Miami is clearly lacking on the field at the moment. I haven't been overly impressed with the coaching staff either, with their inability to scheme Wallace more into the offense, Sherman's playcalling and lack of playing time Jordan is receiving. Also, Philbin doesn't seem to have instilled much belief and leadership into this side. However culling Ireland would be a good start.

I'm not sure about a complete cull. We've had 2 in the last 5 years and haven't really moved any further forward. Consistently a 7-9 team that keeps promising to make the leap but never quite does.

Ireland has to go. I'd let him take Sherman with him. I'd have a bit more time for Philbin. There are a few small problems that need addressing that would go a long way towards fixing the thing.

1) O-Line is abysmal and despite high draft picks under Ireland things have gotten worse. He's consistently failed to get it right. Only Pouncey has been an sort of long term answer. Jake to be fair had his injury problems.

Jake Long- 1st round
Mike Pouncey- 1st round
Jonathan Martin- 2nd round
John Jerry- 3rd round
Dallas Thomas- 3rd round THIS YEAR!!!

2) No running game. Linked to not having a line. Tannehill's expected to lead a team basically on his own and but for the very odd occasion he's had to do it with his arm and under pressure. Need a running game.

3) Play-calling especially on offence has been nothing short of criminal. A blind man could see what the Dolphins are going to do at times. Too predictable and too restrictive on Tannehill.

Sort out the line and sort out the running game. If Tannehill has time to throw and a running game to keep the defence guessing then we should make progress.

Easier said than done though

Delighted with yesterdays win against the Steelers. Considering the weather, the game being played in Pitt and the Steelers fighting to stay in with a shot at the playoffs, this was a great win for the Fins. Not only did the Fins score a TD in the 4th for the first time in 8 games, they scored more than 30 for the first time this year also.

After the Bucs game, I thought this team would implode with the seemingly lack of leadership and the Martin/Incognito situation. However I'll give credit to the coaches and players for being able to bounce back giving themselves a real shot at the post-season.

The O-Line over the past few weeks has been greatly improved. It's still by no means solid, but they are protecting Tannehill better and opening more holes on the ground. Who would have thought the trade for McKinnie would work out so well?

Was delighted with Tannehill yesterday. After the pick six, I felt he could wilt under the pressure and knock to his confidence. But he responded very well and led the offense to two TD drives after it. He may not be setting the world alight statistically, but with all things considered (poor O-Line & run game) I think he has been excellent and maturing each week as a passer.

Next up is the Pats, who are now without Gronk. I really hope the fans in Miami respond and pack out Sunlife, as this is the biggest game for Miami in quite some time. A win Sunday and I will start to believe this team can actually pull this off.