From The Flying Pig

 

Q – Mike

 

If you were Colonpokey who would you target?

1. Brady Quinn

2. Domo Arrigato Mr. Lobato

Or 3. Mike Vick

 

Might as well start this off silly, because we’re a silly bunch of Dolphins fans. If I were Colonpokey, I’d be targeting Brady Quinn. He looks like a pretty boy that would be a good home for Pokey. I think they’d get along great for the short time that he remains on the roster. I’ll be surprised if Quinn is here for the regular season. Best to be “In with Quinn” or is it just IN Quinn while it lasts. I could also see why Mike Vick would be a good target, considering Pokey’s past success with Jets QB’s. Lobato just isn’t a big enough name for the Pokey to bother with. That’s easy to see.

____________________________________________________

 

from Ken

 

Q -The ultimate question: What’s our record going to be and do we make the playoffs?

 

I’m feeling pretty positive about our team. Although it was one series, and it was against Soliai led Falcons, I really liked what I saw from that first drive. I think most of us realize that we go as far as Tannehill is able to take us, and a lot of that rides on how well he is protected, how quickly he gets the ball out, and of course, how well he orchestrates Bill Lazor’s offense. It was just a tease, but that series leads me to believe that this offense will be putting points on the board, and if we do that, I think 11-5 is attainable, and if we do that, I expect we would qualify for the playoffs. I think the O-line will be much improved from the sieve it was last year, and also believe that Lazor will help Tannehill by giving him faster developing plays, shorter routes, and more motion to confuse the defense a bit, as compared to the rather stale looks given to him by Sherman. Still a little concerned about our LB’s, but I think they will get the best talent on the field, and that might not be the 3 guys we currently have starting. Don’t be surprised if Tripp or Jenkins is in there instead of Wheeler or Misi if they don’t get the job done.

____________________________________________________

 

from Wyoming

 

Q – Mike

 

I’m not going to ask a roster question even though I have several!

The ESPN / NFL.com preseason rankings have the Fins as the 2nd ranked Offense and the 3rd ranked Defense in the AFC East.

Where do you think we end the year at?

 

I would guess that the New England Patriots would be #1 in offense, and it’s hard to argue with that. They always seem to find guys to plug in make it work, and as long as Brady is healthy, it makes sense. Despite that, I think there’s a very real possibility that Tannehill eclipses Brady, and if that happens, the Dolphins will be the #1 offense in the AFC East. I really like our receiving corps, especially the depth. I think we have 5 legit NFL receivers on the roster (Wallace, Hartline, Gibson, Matthews and Landry) and possibly even 6. That’s a far cry from what we’ve had here in the past.

 

Defensively, I think that might be right. I think the Bills might be the best defense in the East, followed by the Jets, and then us. Unless our LB’s start making a difference, instead of making mistakes, I don’t see why we’re better than the Bills and Jets. I’m not sure yet what to make of our D-line with Mitchell and Starks in the middle. The hope with Mitchell is that he’s more of a penetrating type DT compared to Soliai, but that remains to be seen. Also how much of a factor is Dion Jordan when he comes back in game 5? Is he a versatile pass rush threat that will be used in various positions, or will be a second fiddle to Wake and Vernon, and watch from the bench when Vernon and Wake are playing. Jordan can elevate this team if he can be a terror like Aldon Smith. I’m hoping they get Jordan on the field as much as possible, and find a way to maximize his abilities.

____________________________________________________

 

from TryPod

 

Q –

I am still of the same opinion as I have been for the last 4 years, that being we are a mediocre team, and I would not be surprised with anything from 7-9 to 9-7. Am I selling this team short? O line in turmoil, Tanne in the 3rd year of his career, the year when “pups bite” if they’re going to, still not sold on coaching staff, many of whom are new.. is there something to give hope, Draft pick that is going to change things (Landry?), anything that says this team is actually going to take their first positive step towards relevance?

 

I know you wouldn’t think it with my sometimes negative outlook, but I think think we should be headed to the playoffs this season. I don’t really see the O-line in turmoil, I think we will end up with 5 solid starters. Albert is rock solid, Colledge is a solid vet at LG, Satele worries me, but apparently, he’s better than Sam Brenner and Shelley Smith because he’s a proven starter. I’m glad that Dallas Thomas seems to be at the point where he can be counted on, and I think Ja’Wuan James is a big upgrade over anyone we’ve had play RT in recent years. If Satele is the weak link, it’s not so bad, the G’s and running backs will chip in and help out. We know Satele can snap the ball well enough, and for the most part can hold his own, he’s just a liability when playing against a big mover in the middle like Vince Wilfork. We’ll have to leave it to benton to scheme help for him.

 

I think our offense may be the best offense we’ve had in a while, with a solid WR corps, a better O-line, and Tannehill primed to make the jump from mediocre to better than average to great. My biggest concern right now is our defense, namely the LB’s. I’m not a fan of Wheeler playing like a chicken with his head cut off. having a high motor is great, but playing out of control and overrunning plays all the time negates the motor. I think Misi might be OK in the middle, but I’m not sure if he will be any better than OK. Ellerbe will be better at OLB, but having 2 question marks at LB is not a good thing. I think the hope is that Misi will make the tackles that Ellerbe got washed out on in the middle, and he might, but we’ll have to see. I saw a lot of missed tackles early against ATL, so not a great start there.

 

I think the secondary will be improved, with or without Reshad Jones. I loved what I saw out of Will Davis, he looks instinctive, and gets back to the ball very quickly on those curl routes, while for years, we’ve seen these big cushions, and completions in front of our CB’s all the time. Davis may not be the starter, it might be Taylor, but still, I like the combo of Grimes and either Taylor or Davis better than Nolan Carroll. Patterson was hurt too often to be counted on, although I really liked him. Jimmy Wilson may just take advantage of his opportunity to play FS, and I hope he does. I think, as I mentioned above, 11-5 should not be out of the question for this team. 10-6 is more likely, but I’m aiming high. (Admittedly, Rockphin sent me a free shit-ton of Kool Aid, and I’ve been swigging it regularly. 🙂

____________________________________________________

 

from GDP

 

Q – After seeing the big return by Landry against the Falcons, do you think the Phins should continue to develop him as a return man (which he never was @ LSU) and risk injury, or preserve him for his WR skills when called upon?

 

Great to have ya back on Ask Mike E,

GetterDone Phins

 

 

Absolutely! You should have the best guys doing what they do. If Landry is better at punt returns than Thigpen, it would be foolish to keep him out just because of fearing an injury. He’s no less likely to get hurt returning punts than he is going over the middle to make a catch. Another aspect of this is that Landry is NOT an indispensable player. He’s 4th on the depth chart at this time, and as long as Brandon Gibson, Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace are healthy and producing, it’s going to stay that way.

 

I want to win, so if Landry makes us better, then by all means he should be our punt returner. If Dion Jordan can play ST’s, why not Landry?

____________________________________________________

 

Ah, so what’s up with the surprise that I was talking about . . . .

 

Well, while my boys were hanging with this Dolphin . . .

 

 

I was hanging with this one . . .

 

 

OK, and now for the babe of the week . . . . . . .