Miami Dolphins Thread

HigginsJ wrote: »

So what's the story with Jonathan Martin quitting the team due to bullying. NFLPA investigating Richie Incognitos role in the pranks. Can hadly have been a one-off thing that led to him leaving??

Allegedly he's been given a rough time since he was drafted last season, but rookie hazing is commonplace in the NFL......there must have been underlying stress from something else that caused the breakdown. From all accounts from within the organization, the rookie hazing is no worse than anywhere else in the NFL and definitely not at a level that would cause a mental breakdown.

As far as Incognito goes, he's in the same unit as Martin so was most likely involved, but I fear the NFLPA are targetting him because of his history.

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.

donfers wrote: »

we still almost blew it, as only we can, with that last second play by the steelers, majorly bailed out by that centimetre of antonio brown's foot on the sideline

we had them on their ten yard line, first down and a minute to go and called four conservative running plays instead of going for the TD, almost cost us, need to be more aggressive

There was an illegal lateral on the Brown play, so even if it was given as a TD, it would have been reversed on the review. But, it was still a heart stopping moment.

I can understand why they went conservative. I mean, they had to go ninety yards in under a minute, with no timeouts. The chances of converting that are very low, even if they did come close to doing so. Had they of went for the TD then you risk leaving about 40 more seconds on the clock with an in-completion or worse still, a turnover.

If the Steelers had a few timeouts going into the final two minutes, then I think Philbin would have probably went for a TD to make it a two score lead. I personally would be more concerned with the clock management at the end of the 1st half.

donfers wrote: »

how do you foresee our last three games going?

we should defeat the bills and the jets?

also the patriots are not as good as their record suggests, a lot of narrow comeback victories for them

we could win all three

As you already mentioned, the Fins have a habit of messing up good situations. So although a sweep of the next three games is a realistic target, I'm still not confident of it happening.

Even though the Pats are not playing at the level you would expect and Gronk is done, they still have a very good record against Miami. Think they have won 9 of the last 11 games.

The Bills at Buffalo in December will not be easy and the Fins have struggled in the past against them at this time of year. The Fins seem to have the measure of the Jets and Geno at the moment, so I'd probably be most confident of beating them. But if the Fins are in a position to clinch a playoff spot, they won't make it easy.

Honestly, this team could very well beat the Pats and make a balls of it against either the Bills or Jets (or even both). I wouldn't bet against anything happening!

Karma???

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

I expect you guys to beat us Sunday. Our patchwork defense which did well early in the season has long gone past running on fumes. Our offense even with Gronk on the field, still hasn't really found it's rhythm this season. With Brady anything is possible, but he can't be expected keep leading last minute comebacks. So I expect it to end this week in Miami. I always thought you guys would be our biggest competition this year in the AFC East. So I'll be surprised if you don't get out of the Division. And that was a very commendable win against the Steelers in the snow. For a team not used to playing in those conditions, it really was an excellent win.

Best thing I heard all weekend was Philbin's response when he was asked about how they prepared for the cold.....apparently they trained at their indoor facility and turned the AC up......they managed to get the temperature down to 70

Yes I think you're right about it going down to the wire alright. One thing I omitted from my last post was mentioning Coach Philbin. I don't know what you Dolphin fans think, but I think he's done a really fine job especially in light of all that Incognito crap and distractions. Things could have easily imploded for the season, but didn't and I think the HC should get some credit for that. I see 3 of you losses were by a FG or less, so you could be just as easily be sitting at 10-3 right now. Of course I'm glad that hasn't happened :pac:. I think Tannehill is doing a very good job and is settling in nicely. How the kid has not been hospitalised with all those sacks is a miracle imo. I thought our sack rate was poor this year and then I looked at the sack numbers on Ryan. I nearly had to lie down after reading it. :eek:

TaosHum wrote: »

Over the first 8 weeks, Tannehill was getting massacred. Think the Fins were giving up something like 6 sacks a game and as a result Tannehill was fumbling the ball too often. Surprisingly, things began to settle down once McKinnie came in and Incognito & Martin went out. The O-Line is by no means sorted, but its not giving up near as much pressure as it was and Tannehill is getting more time.

There was one game a few weeks back and I was seriously worried for young Tannehill. The poor kid was nearly getting killed after every snap. It was actually so bad, I had to stop looking and that's coming from a Pats fan. So I'm glad to here his working environment has become a bit safer in recent weeks.

TaosHum wrote: »

At the same time, I wouldn't be his biggest fan. He tends to get out coached quite abit, especially after half time adjustments. Hell, just look at the game in Foxboro earlier in the season. The Fins only scored 3 points in the second after dominating the first half. The Fins had no answer to Belichick's adjustments.

I wouldn't be too harsh on him for that though. Belichick has outfoxed nearly every team in the second half with his adjustments all season. So I don't think that game was a negative reflection on Philbin in anyway.

TaosHum wrote: »

Leadership (or lack of) has been an issue also. However seeing the team recover after going behind from two quick TD's in the third against the Steelers was encouraging. A sign that maybe the players are starting to believe and trust what Philbin is doing.

It was was an excellent win for you guys and it really does show to me, that Philbin is on the right track and doing something right.

TaosHum wrote: »

Looking to Sunday, I can't remember the last time I've seen such a weak (or weakened) Patriots side. Off the top of my head, you guys will be missing Gronk, Wilfork, Mayo, Vollmer, Kelly. Then you have guys that have been dealing with ongoing injuries like Spikes, Vereen, Dobson, Talib, Gregory, etc. So with all the injuries, the Fins finding some form and the game being in SunLife, everything should point towards a Miami win.

Yet I can't see anything else but the Patriots walking out with a W.

At the start of the season, I would have been happy with the rebuilt offense & the rookies showing some promise for 2014. And that was before the injury massacre got even worse. I predicted an 11-5 season for us way back in the prediction thread. So I expect to lose to you guys and the Ravens and I could be spot on yet. You can't see a Dolphins win and I can't see a Pats win, hey maybe it will be a tie.

Benimar wrote: »

Actually starting to believe we can do this. Baltimore have tougher games than us and if we can bring confidence from the Steelers game we COULD knock off the Pats.

Saying that, we could finish 7-9 just as easily as we haven't been great at putting teams away, but I'm quietly confident.

I'm still not sold on Philben though, the poor 2nd half performances don't show him in a good light and had we folded after the Tampa game I'd have been happy to see him go. He gets more time from me but I'm not in on him 100%, or anything close to it.

I'm quietly confident.....I expect them to win 2 of the last 3.....and even if they only win 1......I could easily see the Ravens finish 0-3

Biggest win of the season IMO.....really can't see Baltimore winning @Detroit, vs New England and @Cincinnati........most analysts here now have the Dolphins as the favorite for the last wildcard spot.

Today's win put their playoff chances up by 19%....they are now at 77.3

What a win that was yesterday. Considering how the season has gone so far, I was certain it would come down to the last play of the game and thats exactly what materialised. I honestly didn't think the Fins would hold on, as we have become so used to heartbreak with the team over the years. But what a moment it was for newly signed Michael Thomas, to pick off Tom Brady to seal a huge win for the Dolphins.

As for the game itself, Tannehill was immense. Biggest game of his short pro career and it was arguably his best. Alot of times you will see young QB's wilt in that situation due to pressure and the quality of the opposition. But if anyone was in doubt about this kids potential, then those fears should have been resolved yesterday.

Was good to see the coaches get creative with Wallace yesterday, using end arounds and screens to get him involved. Sending him on crossing patterns is something that needs to be included more into the offense, as one missed tackle will lead to a big game. To his credit, Wallace worked quite hard also. Was fighting back for balls and was not static waiting for the pass to get to him.

The running game was solid, with both Thomas and Miller seeing alot of time and catching a few balls out of the back filed. Their blocking however was suspect and both were responsible for giving up sacks. As for the O-Line, they had the beating of the Pats D-Line on the ground, but struggled on passing downs. The best thing I can say is that at least they held up and didn't give up crippling sacks at the end of the game. Ninkovich abd Jones are very good edge rushers, so I always expected the O-Line to struggle.

I thought the defense had one of its worse games. The run game is a problem and the Pats exploited it yesterday. Although Vereen was limited to very little, Blount and Ridley found joy. The defense also struggled to get pressure on Brady for most of the game, which allowed him to complete alot of balls to Amendola and Edelman. Some of that though I would blame on Coyle, as he sent alot of four man rushes. Wasn't until the 4th that he began to send extra rushers, which led to more success. This at least gave stand in corners Will Davis and Jimmy Wilson some hope of defending Edelman and Amendola.

All in all, it was a massive win and keeps our playoff hopes alive. Was great to see the crowd respond also, as fans in Miami aren't what you would call die hards. Was nice though to hear Phil Simms say it was the loudest stadium he was in this season.

Looking ahead to next week, the Bills in December at RW Stadium is not easy. EJ Manuel back will also give them more competence at QB and the threat of running when given the chance. The Bills are also very good on the ground (top 5 in the league) which is a big weakness of the Fins. Really hope Grimes, Carroll and Soliai will be able to go.

TaosHum wrote: »

EJ Manuel back will also give them more competence at QB and the threat of running when given the chance.

Bills have just admitted that Manuel suffered a sprained knee yesterday.....they expect him to play Sunday, but it could only be good news for the Dolphins if his mobility is affected.