Call it whatever you’d like but I have to make a stipulation or correction. In my zest to kiss these rookies ass and to also welcome the vets who were brought in I referred to, in my previous post, our recent year’s Free Agency periods as “making a splash” and while true in most cases this simply cannot, nor will it be tolerated, include the signing of Ndamukong Suh. Bringing Suh to Miami was genius and will pay off in spades. Suh is a special talent. Suh is the bedrock of this team, the biggest meanest sumbitch in the league. 
Suh didn’t show up to voluntary camp, what a bad teammate, blah, blah, blah … wee wee wee
I don’t care if Suh only shows up on 16 Sunday’s (even though a gratis Friday walk thru would be nice, but whatever…) if whatever makes him so pissed off to have to leave where he is that he brings that anger on Sunday.
Is the 4-3 alright for you?
We can play something else if you want?
That kind of talent, don’t kid yourself.
So yes there is a Stipulation. You better believe it.
If you are Herman Cain then it’s “stip-a-lation”, no matter, I love Herman.
Alright Suh didn’t catapult the Fins into the playoffs last year and the Defense as a whole had it’s problems but I’m going to do with Suh what the Tannehill crowd does with him. I blame coaching and scheme, I blame lack of direction and stubbornness to adhere to a dismal plan. I expect Coach Gase and his staff to truly understand the player they have and to use him to their fullest advantage. Let the beast feed – feed the beast.
If I were the coaching staff I would intentionally piss Suh off every game day. Move his locker to a different spot every week. Don’t have his uniform ready and waiting for him. Perhaps a wet-willy, maybe a pink belly, noogie, tie his shoelaces together or the old hot foot.
Whatever it takes to get him to his utmost pissed-offness.
Suh is here, and so is a new coaching staff, everything is different now!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
For you Mets fans wondering …
I have DeGrom in my fantasy league and saw this note regarding his pitching as of late (he pitched last night; gave up 2 runs early in the game then settled down to pitch fine).
DeGrom made some progress with his mechanical adjustments, especially after the first inning, allowing two runs in seven innings Tuesday against the Dodgers.
Spin:
DeGrom’s elbow has been below his shoulder and his stride has been too far towards first base, resulting in his arm dragging and pitches coming in flat towards the plate. He allowed two runs in the first but was able to incorporate some of the tweaks as the game wore on. DeGrom went through a similar issue last season and fixed it within a few starts. This season, possibly due to his last start and then family issues, he has been unable to fix it that quickly. However, the video work and side sessions he is conducting under the tutelage of pitching coach Dan Warthen should mean the problems get remediated before too long.
He’ll be fine…..he’s the local Mad Hatter hero around these parts.
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 9:42 am
I’m in the group that wants Tannehill to stay, but thinks he must improve for us to reach the playoffs. It would take something drastic for me to say kick him to the curb. Now if Doughty comes in and lights it up…
——–
My opinion is that the QB position is extremely difficult to gauge and given that RT is still young and showing enough in the data to support him ‘growing’, he should be allowed as much time to grow into a better QB as the Dolphins have to fix their defense which is poor by any playoff team standard.
Until the Miami Dolphins defense is fixed, this team is going no where at all. They might make the playoffs but they have an extremely low chance of making it to any title game without a significant jump in defensive numbers.
The Colts are the only team i have seen in the last few years to advance on offense alone and they eventually were creamed by the Pats at home in an embarrassing fashion in the now famous ‘deflate gate’ game.
The last few SB teams (and Conf title teams) have all possessed very good defenses that are much better than Miami’s. I know Coyle sucked by NFL standards but a scheme alone cannot make a defense bad. Good players can succeed in any scheme.
Going back to RT…
Lou, even if RT fails the eye ball test for you…his data showed a slight improvement every year in multiple categories and this past year was the first regression in some of those areas. In analyzing the data itself, the regressions were not below his career averages which to me is the key.
RT really didn’t regress the team did. I don’t know how you can use his average career stats as a baseline for anything.
stats schmatz steve
like I said yesterday, if the coaching and offensive scheme was THAT bad, how does the kid progress from year to year like he did and how does he put up those numbers?
When you look at the stats I quoted yesterday there is one that stands out. If we were to assume the 43% accuracy PFF stats for Tannehill on the deep ball that puts him in the top ten is correct then the blocking needed to be there. The avg ten yd split for an NFL wr is 1.5 seconds so to run 20 yds or more the offensive line had to have done their jobs for Tannehill to get the ball off. But, I digress.
The stat that stands out to me the most is the 48% completions from 11-20 yds. On a long throw there are no reads and there are no progressions. The OC is looking for a favorable matchup and the ball is being thrown to someone who is on the outside from the get-go. So, basically, the qb gets the ball and puts it up. But, on the throws from 11-20 yds the qb needs to read the D before the snap and make the decision on his progressions before he gets the ball. It’s important he’s able to read the D properly because in determining his progressions he’s looking for his first target which should be his most favorable target. But, this stat suggest something that I saw in reviewing the coaches film of every snap of a pass play in every game last season. It appears that Tannehill doesn’t read defenses well and the reason why I say that is because, like I said, deep balls don’t require progressions. Bubble screens don’t either. Quick slants don’t either. Short passes underneath don’t either. However, you’ve got to be good at reading a defense and understanding your progressions if you’re going to excel at those passes from 11-20 yds and Tannehill isn’t with only 48% completions in that area.
GDP,
Nice, I didn’t realize he went to Stetson.
deGrom has been very impressive in that even when he doesn’t have command, or have his best stuff, he has enough guile to work through it. Some pitchers just cave in, but deGrom is a fighter. I really like his makeup.
Tall skinny kid that has life by the balls & making tons of untold money soon.
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 9:59 am
RT really didn’t regress the team did. I don’t know how you can use his average career stats as a baseline for anything.
———-
I look at career average the same way I look at a stock’s moving average
By regression i mean pure data…I don’t care about what caused the data to go down, i’m just making an observation that they did in several categories YR/YR from 2014/15.
Regressions are observed in comp%, TD, QB rating, sack yardage (yardage lost on sacks).
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, when Montana was in his prime he had a year where the oline was bad, his numbers were down, and they got crushed by the Giants in the playoffs. Was he a worse QB that year? The stats say he was, but was he really, I don’t think so, same old Joe.
You’re trying to say, because his stats were better than his career stats, he’ll be OK going forward. I’m saying he’ll be OK going forward, because of the team situation last year.
GDP
It’s not about the money. deGrom just has a big set of balls. He’s going to get paid for sure, but the way he battles shows he’s got some backbone. That’s the difference maker between the good pitchers and the great pitchers.
He was up in the parts recently to visit a Stetson game at his old ballpark. He was tooling around in a very high dollar lifted & jacked up pick up truck…must be nice.
Mine is broken down…lol smh
Last night vs the Dodgers out West was a good example of it. Gave up 2 runs in the 1st inning then went through 7 without giving up another run.
Suh should make everyone on the D better. If there was consistent play from the other lineman, that would help. We also need better LBs and corners. Maybe some better playcalling. Throw in some better safety play while you’re at it. .
Anyway back to Dolphins talk…..
One thing that I like about Xavien is that even if it doesn’t pan out for him in the long run at CB, he looks to also have some safety skills.
I think about what the Pats did with McCourty (drafted high to play CB but moved to FS after a few seasons).
Shhh, let’s not go there just yet.
That’s what I kept proposing for Jamar Taylor to try in camp, but he got traded for a box of cracker jacks.
Al, you been sneaking ’round my property taking pictures with your fancy camera?
LOL, my truck isn’t quite that bad, but not far off. Hope to afford another one soon. 🙂
lmfao
Steve,
I’m not saying anything other than data supports the decision to maintain the status quo with RT as starting QB for the long run.
That we reach the same conclusion with two different approaches is whatever it is.
The problem with your approach is his rookie year and second year his stats were low, you’re just throwing out a Stat to back your oponion.
getterdone says:
May 11, 2016 at 10:42 am
Shhh, let’s not go there just yet.
That’s what I kept proposing for Jamar Taylor to try in camp, but he got traded for a box of cracker jacks.
———
Agree 100%.
ProLou,
I’m not going to try and get too technical but the deep ball data could have been improved by sheer volume of throws (I believe RT had a low attempt output in past which limited the quality of the % output). That said, down and distance and score factors into data that doesn’t have a high volume of observations to normalize from. I haven’t been able to look at it, but in games where the Fins were just passing alot in the 2nd half because they were down alot might have fluffed the numbers you say he improved on (deep ball accuracy).
Since you watch the film, perhaps you can see all/most of the attempt he took and figure out what the score was in the game at each throw and also down and distance to 1st down marker and on what side of the field.
Al,
It also caused the regression in the shorter passes that Lou keeps bloviating over, thinking he has Tannehill in an Ah Ha, Gotcha moment….lol
The fact is as you stated Al, that this team was passing too much in the 2nd half because we were down a lot and we abandoned the run too easily, that’s why we saw teams pinning their ears back and jail breaking our OL & in Tanny’s face practically as he got the snap…SMH
Was bad coaching, system, & play calling….plain as day. That’s why I was one of the first to start harping on that during the season & still am afterwards.
Look at GD with his 10 dollar Jahn-like word.
Rockphin says:
May 10, 2016 at 9:24 pm
Man, man, man, man, man……. I hope Tunsil kills it at Guard this year and is the answer at LT in the future.
Albert Tusnsil Pouncey Turner James
Looks pretty good compared to last year. Let’s hope they can all stay healthy!
—————————————-
IF it does wind up he is at OG i still think you got a broken part. Turner hasn’t shown anything more than Thomas, so penciling him in as a starter to me is more unlikely than Bushrod starting there. At least Bushrod has years of experience and playing at a high level. Turner hasn’t really shown anything.
My preference would be Tunsil Albert Pouncey Bushrod James. Thomas and Turner can both be the swing OL covering OT or LT in case of injury.
I agree. If any of our guards from last year start this year then we have problems. none of them were starting material. They need to spend some of that cap room and sign a real veteran guard.
I’m less concerned about OGs than most
I think expectations on young players getting better are reasonable
However, I think the OL may break down if we are a pass heavy offense – which appears to be the model
I’m a lot more concerned about what we will asking the OL to do, then who is playing OL
Its hypothetical but I’m pretty confident running the ball a half a dozen times a game was more problematic for the OL than the personel
Did we solve that issue this offseason?
Ask yourself this – who carries the ball 20 times a game if Ajayi gets hurt?
ProLou,
I also disagree on the notion that a QB doesn’t have to make a read on a deep out.
A read must be made on every play including the safety on a deep out.
A dump off underneath must be taken if a deep throw cannot be placed into a safe area out deep where only the wr can make a play.
The last few SB teams (and Conf title teams) have all possessed very good defenses that are much better than Miami’s. I know Coyle sucked by NFL standards but a scheme alone cannot make a defense bad. Good players can succeed in any scheme.
*************
Al
I agree
and that’s why I am little disappointed in our approach this offseason
I am sure some one argues we brought in Alonso, Williams, Maxwell, Branch and a 2nd round pick in Howard – but it look like just rearranging the furniture to me rather than bringing in talent.
We have Misi and Jenkins as our LBs and those guys are….well…they are there
behind them we have a bunch of UDFA from 2015
The neglect of adding LBs has me in awe
We can all talk about Coyle and scheme but I’m tiring of picking goats
The current FO made decision and now they are going to have to live and die with them
I think we might have a good offense next year though
The Saints had the #2 offense last year and stunk
The Giants were #8 and stuck
and those 2 teams have proven Super Bowl winning QBs
are we building the same type of team around Ryan Tannehill?
That scares me…even though I do think I don’t know what the future holds for Tannehill
But we didn’t even give him a strong running game to work with
If Ajayi gets hurt – is Drake going to get 20 carries +
The team we built for 2016 appears to be dependent on scoring a lot of points passing the ball and frankly I hate that approach.
Im in the boat with Steve, i have been really complementary of Tanny each year and even though he didnt make large leaps towards being a complete QB, he was moving int he right direction. Last year, it just wasn’t a good year for him, and i do agree a portion of it can be put on the things, like scheme (specifically), paly calls, etc. and some on the OL protection. He did however show regression in certain areas, and no improvements in much beleaguered areas we all know he has never been good at like touch passing and pocket presence.
He has been in the league long enough to keep getting excused for not improving and my expectations for him are to return to improving, and take a decent leap forward. We cant keep stringing along expectations of “oh next year then”, it has to happen and it needs to be next year. He really has no excuses currently. He has a solid receiving corp, the team has mad improvements on the OL, he has not one but several QB friendly coaches who are doing their best to give him every opportunity to succeed. If he cant make some heads turn this year, it is definitely time to start being concerned that it wont ever happen. I hope Doughty gives him every reason to be nervous and push himself, because i do like the guy, and i want him to live up to potential instead of just being another guy who came in and played for us and then fizzled out.
Ask yourself this – who carries the ball 20 times a game if Ajayi gets hurt?
——————————
Piggy, i think Drake will surprise you with what he is capable of as a primary back, im not sure the Rb depth is going to be Ajayi as a primary and Drake as the 3rd down/scat back. I think its going to be Drake as the primary and Ajayai as the more grinder back. Gase uses both types to wear opponents down, but Drake being the more versatile and Gase being a guy who likes to mix up the play calls says he is more likely to be on the field more because he doesnt have to rotate a guy in and can keep moving with tempo.
I think Drake is close to being starter ready. On any other Power 5 conf team in college, he would have been getting volume of carries but he was behind Henry who was talented himself.
That said, this is probably no different than what Gase experienced last year with Forte and then rookie Langford. Forte got hurt, Langford came in and filled the void. They had Jacquiz Rogers backing up Forte but he got hurt halfway through the year and was IR’d.
I expect the Dolphins to still sign a veteran guy unless they feel Williams/Daniel Thomas are good enough.
They will probably still kick the tires on a veteran RB like Foster but all depends on how they see the market developing and how they see their own guys develop early in camp.
The Dolphins are not in a desperate situation IMO.
Ajayi is not at risk for any injury at the moment if that’s what the concern is by some.
The type of risk he has is a long term issue with cartilage in his knee (friction pain) which is a long run issue and not a short run. He has had no issue with it for now (he had the same condition his last two years in college and he still excelled on the field).
One reason RTs long ball stats went up is, because of Parker.
True, even though that’s why Stills was brought here. Thanks Steve. 🙂
Stills had a few nice long grabs, he avg’d 16.3 YPC & Matthews avg’d 15.4
BoulderPhinfan says:
May 11, 2016 at 11:14 am
I agree. If any of our guards from last year start this year then we have problems. none of them were starting material. They need to spend some of that cap room and sign a real veteran guard.
Reply
So you’re saying that you don’t believe 2nd & 3rd year players can develop, or improve in a better ran offense?
I think we could pick up another RB, a young guy like McGee, or Rajion Neal put them in competition with DT3/Williams/Pead, because they would offer a decent backup for losing Ajayi if that happens.
————————
Actually as i was typing this i searched for Rajion Neal and saw we signed him to PS already.
Errrr nevermind, i pulled a Boulder and found an old article by mistake LOL. JBB Boulder.
That was last year, he’s not here now, he’s a FA.
GDP
So you can’t discuss deGrom because he’ll soon be making boatloads of cash? What makes him different than almost anyone else we discuss on this blog? Even the undrafted rookies will probably earn more than me and you together, so why bother?
Exactly why bother talking about him!
I’m jealous the local boy hero is living the life, and with the freakin Mutts…so I’m gonna take my ball and go home and pout. 😦
I coulda been a contender…once upon a time I had mad talent like he did, but life threw me a sinker….oh well, water under the bridge of tears & sorrows.
RB’s willbe trimmed off teams as the TC cuts start happening as well. Could be a RB rich team will shed some grinder types and we could find one then.
I hope but that’s a gamble going into the season.
piggy,
I agree about the pass heavy offense. I’ve been saying for a few years that tanny is not brady or manning. you can’t rely on him winning games for us. We need a real running game and good defense to win with Tanny.
Gaze offense worked in Denver because Manning was good enough to get the ball out in less than 2.5 seconds. Can tanny do that? Read the defense that quickly? I’m not so sure.
We need a run game or this will be the same shit different year and I’m not sure who runs the ball if Ajayi gets injured. DT3? LOL
I think Tanny can handle a pass heavy offense, but that offense has to make sense, and take advantage of matchups, and run sensible routes, etc.
With that said, I too want to run the ball more & be balanced, & use that balance to attack when the opponent starts biting on formations & pre snap movements etc.
Even if Tanny was Brady or Manning or Brees or even Eli Manning or Rothlisberger
most of the guys were slowly brought along with running games
its one thing to have a vet QB who is playoff proven and let it fly
its another thing to put Tannehill in that position
and risk another 50 sacks this season
I hate personally hate the lets bring in more OL dialogue
I would rather see us run the ball more and take the ball out of tannehills hands a little more
and play good defense
but this team is built to get big pass yards
and give up yards too
gdp,
What I’m saying is that its not a guarantee 2nd and 3rd years OGs will develop into solid starters. We’ve been waiting for dallas fuckin thomas to develop into a starter for 3 years and we keep wishing we had brought in a real OG vet when the season starts.
So I don’t want to take the gamble that turner or Douglas will turn into solid starters this year. IF they are then they can beat out whomever vet we bring in.
We have brought in vet OG’s, they just weren’t good enough to supplant the youngins, especially in a poorly ran offense by Philbin/Lazor.
I think Turner, f or example, ws much better run blocking than pass blocking
I really think the best thing we can do for our OL is to run the ball more
rather than just playing musical guards
D,
I posted a response above to your comment made at 11:24 am.
I thought i had it as a stand alone post but it was stuck on the ever annoying reply lol
Yeah i agree with that. I also think the long term friction pain thing with Ajayi is exactly why he wont be a bulk carry guy. You cant really extend the life of guys like that by just limiting carries, so i expect to see a good amount of Ajayi, i just think it will be more of him complementing Drake than the other way around. Ajayi is a really talented runner too, i think this puts us in a good place for 1 and 2, and Pead as a 3 is a really solid 3rd. Whatever guy we get to be the 4th, i think should be seen as a fluid position, if out depth at RB does get depleted, by the time we get down to using that guy, we probably churned that position until we have a solid guy there too, Having the three guys we do makes me pretty solid on the RB situation.
In regards to Drake I liked Griers comparison to Curtis Martin in regards to college injuries. If healthy I think Drake could be a beast. To me he seems to have a chip on his shoulder about playing behind Henry & he’s looking to prove he was the better player.
D
If Ajayi goes down
It does matter if Drake is a part of mixing it up
or a 3rd down back
Drake missed time in 2014 and 2015 bc of injuries
I don’t see a 20+ carry guy in Drake
You draft a Drake to pair with an Ajayi (who is a very good receiving back) to be a pass heavy offense
That is what the Dolphins built this offseason
but you need Ajayi to be healthy if there is any threat of balance to the offense IMO
Boulder, Miami signed Kraig Urbik as you know, & he has started many games for the Jills. Hopefully he brings something to the table in Miami @ 30…after all, you don’t last 7+yrs in the NFL if you’re that horrible. 😉
I hope he’s the answer. As you said. if we run the ball more then we’re in better shape.
From Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders. Least it seems we ain’t getting overly-puffed this year. And I see the team as good as last if not better.
———————————————————–
Full AFC projected playoff standings
Here’s what the 2016 AFC playoff picture would look like according to our early projections.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)
3. New England Patriots (10-6)
4. Houston Texans (8-8)
5. Cincinnati Bengals* (10-6)
6. Baltimore Ravens* (10-6)
7. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
8. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
10. Denver Broncos (7-9)
11. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
12. Tennessee Titans(7-9)
13. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
14. New York Jets (6-10)
[b]15. Miami Dolphins (5-11) [/b]
16. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
That ain’t the way to put bold on something here?
bold ?
you need to use strong and /strong in less than and greater than
bold
Thanks Boulder…..my lesson for the day, even if the way I was used to comes with less typing. 🙂
http://www.thephinsider.com/2016/5/10/11650106/miami-dolphins-running-back-jay-ajayi-kenyan-drake-nfl-mess?utm_campaign=thephinsider&utm_content=article%3Atop&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
****
Not everyone feels as confident as you guys about what we did at RB this offseason
You guys are really bold to say that sort of stuff
LOL — I’m guessing there will be a lot of BOLD comments today.
Stanger, Gase needs to post that pre-season playoff prediction in the locker room!
Absolutely
That’s bulletin board stuff.
he was delicious over a bed of greens with a little mango salsa on top
Mmm, I freaking LUV mango salsa….now you’re talking.
So Miko Grimes is cooked!
LOL @ “if you blow on him, he might fall apart.”
from piggy’s article.
I found that part a bit awkward
keep the conch away from Drake
I don’t know if Gase is a fiery kinda of guy
he seems little more cerebral than that
What was it that Sparano had in the lockerroom
Lobsters o something?
I forgot
lobster bibs?
That was Pornstache who put lobster traps on the ceiling throughout the locker room.
What was Sparano
“Feed the dog” or something…
the Wolf
That didn’t work out the way we wanted
Now that would be a RB I would be confident in
Good to read from the ESPN Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson in answer to “Will the offense skip a beat without Gase?” And Gase will be calling the plays.
————————
“We have no clue how Adam Gase will ultimately fare as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but he is a great offensive coordinator. Look at the job he did with Jay Cutler. Gase is the real deal.”
The Bears were 21st in the league in offense last year
Cutler had a great year
Does that make him a great OC?
I watched like one of their games last year, so what do I know? NIce to hear from a reporter that did though…….and he had to be the hot young hire for a reason.
Maybe, given the situation there.
ouch! from walker
The early predictions are in from the Football Outsiders, and they predict the Dolphins will go 5-11 this season.
Morning take: Coming off a 6-10 campaign, the Dolphins are not getting much respect in the national media. I do not expect the team to do worse than last year. But it’s debatable if the team is much better than the 2015 group.
I’d rather be the underdog, you shouldn’t have the high expectations before doing anything. That’s from a team stand point.
Aww, Piggy, I want that lil puppy passed out in the big dog bowl….he’s a cutie.
LOL @ you guys salivating over Fournette….let’s see what our stud potential RB’s do first shall we?
If they wear our medical staff out
We will all be salivating for Fournette next season
besides Fournette is the kind of RB you salivate for, no matter who you have on your roster
personally I like him more than Elliot
Stanger
I think Gase was the hire for Tannehill
I think the thinking was investing in Tannehill
I’m just pointing out that the report’s statement that he was a great OC is flawed given the Bears offense
But he does have a reputation of being great with QBs \
Cutler was definatly a project and Gase deserves credit for that
but I’m not going to call him an OC for the 2015 Bears offense
Way I see it we put a whole lot of cards into the O……just hoping we got the right guy playing the hand.
Can’t see the D being much above average given the moves, and most of that is cause I think they underperformed last year and am expecting a bounce back..
Bleed the wolf
Choke the Chicken
dance the monkey
Piggy, is that what the kids are calling it these days?
Whoa, maybe Piggy has something here.
I’d dance all over this monkey all night long….
I bet by game three Gase will be beating yoursin with hisin and then taking yoursin and beating hisin. Because if they don’t bite as pups then you are what your record says you are until there’s no more excuses. That’s the definition of insanity.
Master of cliche & sound bites 🙂
Well Gase certainly bit as a pup. He was pretty much on the Michigan State coaching staff as a college freshman.
Absolutely awesome article on Gase’s journey into coaching.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-adam-gase-bears-spt-0729-20150728-story.html
Bad news is he comes from the Saban coaching tree, but then there is…..
————————–
During Super Bowl week in New York in 2014, Manning referred to Gase as the “smartest guy I know,” pretty remarkable coming from arguably the smartest quarterback in the game. Gase said he learned plenty from Manning as well.
“The way he looked at the game makes you look at the game different as a coach,” Gase said. “You talk about going into a meeting room and preparing for the fact that he may ask you a question. Are you prepared for it or not? Are you going to have an answer for him? He doesn’t do it just to do it. He has legitimately thought through things — ‘Hey, what if they do this?’ You’ve got to be on it.
MiamiDolphinsTopNews @MiamiDolphinsTp 20m20 minutes ago
Why 2015 was Ndamukong Suh’s best season yet http://gettopical.com/miami-dolphins/7217fce3f144192c004b23427e03bdb3?src=twitter … via @PFF
It’s PFF — but still agree. Suh was a force. And teams game planned around him. Part of that was slanting in behind the space he leaves cause he is going like a bulldog to the QB…..but then we should be able to game plan around that ourselves.
getterdone says:
May 11, 2016 at 12:58 pm
Whoa, maybe Piggy has something here.
I’d dance all over this monkey all night long….
hmmm all night long? good for you, i was done between 2 and 3
LOL, would have to figure out a way…never say never.
The Flying Pig says:
May 11, 2016 at 12:44 pm
If they wear our medical staff out
We will all be salivating for Fournette next season
piggy,
not me. i was hoping they didnt address the rb position this year and next year go after dalvin cook. i think he is a much better back the fournette
What NCAA games were you watching last year
Naked Cheerleader aerobic athletics?
Not overall, but used specifically to his skill set he is pretty damn good. Lightning in a bottle. Fournette is a better feature back over cook though.
Going back a few posts but Fournette is a prospect on par with Peterson and Gurley and better than Elliot imo.
Wait till you guys see Ajayi rockin it in his 1st full season as a starter.
I like Ajayi but he is not Fournette and his ability to stay healthy and have a long, durable career is also in question.
wyoming85 says:
May 11, 2016 at 1:32 pm
What NCAA games were you watching last year
Naked Cheerleader aerobic athletics?
yes, but not sure what that has to do with cook being a better back then fournette
D
i disagree. i saw almost all the FSU games and a few of the LSU games. dont get me wrong here it is splitting hairs. both guys are great backs. i just think cook was a bit more evasive and has a better ability to make people miss vs fournette is more a power back running thru people. i would always take the back with the better ability to make people miss
I agree with that assessment, but im looking at the bigger picture of their size and overall ability to mitigate the punishment of being hit. I dont think Dalvin will be as able to make people look stupid and make them miss in the NFL, so id rather have the bigger back who can absorb the hits better.
Piggy, dont know what to say about Drake that will convince ya, im sure its not really possible at this point but they guy only had one significant injury. He suffered a broken bone to his arm (i believe the radius bone) which those heal fully 99.999% of the time. His injuries arent consistent like multiple MCL/ACL/PCL’s. He had a sprained ankle, quad contusion (bruise), mild concussion, and cracked ribs. These are things you get playing football, and dont show a patttern of injury. Id be much more concerns with a player that suffered major injruy to the same location, ie multiple knee ligaments, or foot injuries, than i would a guy who got dinged up some playing a rough sport.
I am sure there are tons of guys out there with negative feelings towards the pick or the guy, but i have seen an equal number saying that was a stud pick. I know what i saw watching him, and i have seen almost as many Alabama Games as UF games, Drake is a stud, he’s equal to Miller as a runner and he’s a better receiver. It is always true that the proof will be seen when the pads come on, but from my perspective the guy has all the potential to really be our next guy and i think the coaching staff /FO feels the same because they took him at a very respectable round and pick position.
D
You are not going to convince me he didn’t miss time in 2014 and 2015 due to injuries bc that is just not the way it is
He did miss time both seasons.
I don’t know what that means for 2016
but there was nothing wrong with Miller
we didn’t use him
we made a decision to allow Miller to part
bc of that (and not signing CJ Anderson) we had to use a 3rd round pick on a RB instead of another position
I really don’t think there is a lot Drake can do to make up for putting ourselves in that position. But if he stays healthy and produces and we don’t have other needs we could have used the 3rd for, it all becomes academic
If not I think we look back at the decision and hold the decision makers accountable
Its definately a decision by the powers that be to both let Miller go, take a shot at CJ Anderson, and draft Drake (he was the 3rd RB off the board) over a few other guys
To me – letting a vet go and picking up a RB who had injuries in college seems like a big risk to take. So far I feel like this FO is taking too many risks
GDP
No shit man. Sorry to hear that. Seriously. I hope you’re at peace with that.
Ill say this for Saban and coaches coming from his coaching tree, they did learn a helluva a lot about preparation, putting you fullest effort into building championship teams. So its not all bad, and to be honest i may be one of the few here that thinks, had Saban been able to manage the NFL player personalities, we might be talking about him in a much more revered light. His coaching ability is undeniable, he just demands respect from his players and in the NFL you arent going to be able to get the level of response from the players you can in college.
Completely agree D. Saban is obviously one smart guy even if an egotistical jerk.
Encourage you to read the article when you have time. Included in there is that the only person from Michigan State who came with him to LSU was one Adam Gase.
Cook is a good back too
in general 2016 looks like a very good year for RB
I wonder how much it would have cost us to franchise Miller to keep him for 1 year
about 9mil
AP’s contract really fucks up the franchise tag for RB’s. he has a 14 mil YPA so when they average out top 5 it really pushes that number up.
So as part of his reasoning that we will finish with a worse record than last year part of it is we arent getting much respect from the media…. who gives a fuck, since when have those guys been absolutely spot on with their assessments. Hell last year we were supposed to be great and finished 6-10. Im almost in the mindset that whatever those hacks in the media say, turn 180 from that and thats probably close to the fact. This team to me is a big ole ?, there can be optimistic assumptions, there can be pessimistic ones, but truthfully with as many new faces as we have, there isnt really any way to know. All i know is i personally feel better about this team right now and i hope by time they take the field in regular season we can have a better idea of if the vibe i am getting translates to better play.
“Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a seven-year extension Tuesday. The deal is worth $175 million.”
And this baseball…..that’s all guaranteed money long as you show up to work. Suh and Tanny might be counting how much they have in their change jars after reading about that contract.
Sorry Piggy i was wrong it was over 11mil for the franchise tag on RB
even worse
WTF
I was thinking 7M or something
Piggy he missed time for random injuries, thats not having injury history. Tearing 2 ACLs or suffering a lisfranc and missing more time to re-aggravation of that injury shows a pattern of injury. Brusing a quad, then twisting an ankle, etc is not a pattern of injury, these are incidental injuries that can happen any time to any person, and doesn’t show he is prone to a certain type of injury. Im not arguing he missed games due to injury, im arguing that your idea that he has any pattern of injury to make you feel he is at a higher chance to be hurt doesn’t make sense since these are unrelated and very common random injuries.
All you have to do is look at the injury reports each week to know a lot of players get hurt playing this game and miss time.
His body is fragile though, so I don’t know how much you can spin your injury debate. I don’t think it matters, because we should have enough depth to keep a D honest, if he misses a few games oh well.
I said before the draft if we didnt address the RB position in this draft it wouldnt kill us because of the next years talent pool. Past Fournette and Cook you have Nick Chubb who was out performing Gurley when he replaced him in the lineup, behind the same line and in the same offense. Sony Michel, McCaffery, Gallman, Hurd, all really good guys too, maybe not on the level of those other 3 but good RB’s. Im not sure Hurd wont be mentioned among the top guys by end of the year, but really depends if he continues to progress from where he was last year.
Saban’s strength is recruiting and he knows that hes not better than the college formula. I can’t honestly say that Saban is a good coach when it comes to x’s and o’s.
D says:
May 11, 2016 at 2:37 pm
I agree with that assessment, but im looking at the bigger picture of their size and overall ability to mitigate the punishment of being hit. I dont think Dalvin will be as able to make people look stupid and make them miss in the NFL, so id rather have the bigger back who can absorb the hits better.
funny, i was thinking the exact opposite. i was think fournette would get hit a lot more in the nfl why i preferred a back like cook with the ability to make people miss.
oh well not that it matters either back would look great in a fins uniform but here is to hoping they are picking so low in the first round that they dont have a shot at either.
Or Drake is so good we don’t need another back.
I guess the best way to see if Drake is durable or not is to wait and see. No denying his talents.
silence on the blog for the next 4 months? lol
What discussing whether he is or isn’t durable or what he’ll be in the NFL? It’s all speculation and imagination, there will be plenty of other topics to discuss. He really could be a mismatch nightmare for opponents as a receiver either out of the backfield or lined up as a receiver in the slot or wide. He should be a really fun player to watch.
D
I don’t really know what the injuries are
I just care that they occurred and that is what his history has been
so we take that risk when we draft him and rely on him
At this point in May
the only ting we are doing is guessing what will happen
but I’m calling it a risk in May
maybe it ends up being a risk worth taking
I thought trading down from 8 to 13 was a risk in March
in April, it paid off with Tunsil and 2 guys penciled in to start
but I still think the trade down was a risk
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 3:29 pm
Or Drake is so good we don’t need another back.
if drake is great and this team is 6-10 again who cares
Mike, because we won’t have to waste a pick on an RB.
Saban reminds me of some one who should step on a land mine after contracting herpes from a ladyboy
I really don’t have much else to add about Saban than that
so cheady has a new cook book out. i bet it is $200 worth of recipes of how to make a good souffle without air.
Found this funny for two reasons — used to work at a Japanese Hibachi joint during school and cause it was Mother’s Day. Nothing like bringing Mom out to dinner and causing a riot just cause the bus boy smiles.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/video-of-mothers-day-brawl-at-east-point-restauran/nrKSD/
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 3:53 pm
Mike, because we won’t have to waste a pick on an RB.
not sure what that has to do with the team being 6-10 and anyone caring about having a good RB
You said if he’s great and the team finishes 6-10
Who cares, Mike cares.
sb7mvp says:
May 11, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Saban’s strength is recruiting and he knows that hes not better than the college formula. I can’t honestly say that Saban is a good coach when it comes to x’s and o’s.
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I dunno, he does do that well, recruiting i mean, but i have seen him make adjustments middle of a game and the team come out and really dominate second half, i have also see his teams consistently close out of games strong, those are all things that reflect on coaching.
Most the X’s and O’s stuff he leaves to his coordinators but i think he manages them and the game plans, and as i pointed out above is responsible for the halftime adjustments to those plans.
Whatever he does well or not…..hard to argue with the success on the whole package. And that includes picking people who do what he can’t do as well.
I remember a interview when he was down here where he said they would spend a whole day discussing possible ways to defend a 3rd and 7 situations. He said that’s what he loves about the game.
i was just looking at a few scouting reports, etc on some of our new players and one of them was on Xavien Howard and it was saying, Howard will need to keep a close eye on Grant (meaning Jakeem) for the upcoming game vs TTU, he is Mahomes’ favorite target, and is dangerous in the open field. Got a two fer in that article lol.
finfanrob says:
May 11, 2016 at 3:45 pm
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 3:29 pm
Or Drake is so good we don’t need another back.
if drake is great and this team is 6-10 again who cares
———————————-
If Drake is great and we are 6-10, then obviously we dont need to work on RB, we need to focus elsewhere.
D, you said this morning you thought Turner and Thomas would be our swing tackles. Why would either of those guys ever play tackle over Tunsil, Bush rod, and the other vet tackle we acquired?
Ask yourself this – who carries the ball 20 times a game if Ajayi gets hurt?
Why do we need someone to carry it 20 times a game? Gase said he wants a stable of backs. The biggest reason I don’t like Damien is, because he sucks running it, once someone is nicked up you need someone to step up, DT3 or Pead can handle that role.
He does want a stable, but I’d bet if he could get a real talented RB that could be the man, he’d gladly take him.
Steve, what makes you so certain that DT3 or Pead can handle that role?
I mean where have they shown they could before they got a 2nd & 3rd chance here in Miami??? lol
Father of the Decade….NOT!
An arrest warrant has been issued for former Colts and Jaguars LB Clint Session.
He faces six months in jail for failing to pay nearly $382,000 in child support for his special-needs daughter, who has cerebral palsy, encephalopathy, and blindness. Worst Dad of the Year Session tried to say he “couldn’t afford” the child support, but had given his parents $5 million to hold onto, and spent nearly $1 million on a house and car for his new girlfriend.
Saban is good at picking on the other team’s weakest point. Bellicheat is also really good at that.
They’re buddies & even coached together….
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 5:20 pm
D, you said this morning you thought Turner and Thomas would be our swing tackles. Why would either of those guys ever play tackle over Tunsil, Bush rod, and the other vet tackle we acquired?
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Steven Swing tackle doesn’t mean they start, that means they can fill in at OT positions, which they can. They might would shift people around differently if other people got hurt, i was more meaning utility OL, but swing tackle applies to anyone who could come in and play either tackle position and that also applies. Man you have seemed really antagonistic recently Steve. I think you know well enough i wasn’t suggesting they would play over Tunsil or Bushrod. Did you not read the thing i posted before that about saying i dont think either of them sees the field as starters?
It’s the political season everyone is harping on the littlest things lol
.. And who’s going to pay for the wall?…
Sorry Steve lol…hope i didn’t incite a parent yelling at you vibe there lol
Well, in fairness to angry Steve…lol
Albert & James are the starting tackles.
Backup OT’s: Tunsil, Bushrod, Young
I’d tend to think Thomas would be a swing back up OG at best…Turner definitely 1st priority @ OG unless he wins the RG spot.
Then there is Urbik that has more experience than them all put together @ OG & OC.
Which leads me to the Tannehill-Suh-Miller(Ajayi-Drake) debate. In a game that is so team oriented as football, the team’s strengths are negated by the team’s weaknesses. So Suh was nearly perfect (hypothetically at least) but that MLB was nearly perfectly awful. So they cancel each other out. Wake was great but Jamar Taylor was awful (let’s say). No matter how good Tannehill was, Fox was so bad as to cancel him out. So you go through the roster like that and what you get is a 6-10 record which means that our best were canceled by our worst and our middle was somewhat below average. Every time Grimes made a play, Brice McCain let one get by him for a score. And so on. I actually think our players were about a 9-7 team last year, but our coaches were at about a 4-12 level. Hence the 6-10.
Interesting, OV had several huge 15 traders called against him and Jones would BLAST someone…
Now we have 4 solid tackles and at 4 playmakers. I like it.
Yarders
Mainly because we kept getting outcoached, we could never string together even 3 wins in a row.
(I think.)
So are we better than last year?
I bet Gase is a better HC than Philbin, just for the reason of coaching to his players’ strengths instead of stubbornly trying to force guys to play different than their best way.
There really is no way to say. I get a vibe from Gase that is really encouraging for me. The players we drafted seem to have fire in their blood, i really like that. There are hints that we should be better but there is no way to know until we take the field. New coaches, new players, counting on so many of those new players to step into and run with starting roles. I think its just too hard to judge one way or the other.
Actually from Gase, VJ, and Christensen. Each has a little different vibe but they all seem really passionate about their jobs.
I’d be willing to bet the deed to the house that Gase becomes a better HC than Skeletor.
Lol
I know Vance is a better DC than what we had. I think our new OC is better than the quirky and eccentric yet predictable Lazor, who was clearly not ready for full on Offensive responsibility.
I like what I’m hearing from Vance and I think his guys are gonna play inspired ball for him
I know Alonso is better than that kludge we had at MLB. I know Tunsil is better than whoever he replaces. I know our depth on the OL is better by adding Urbik, Bushrod, and Young over our OL subs last year. Our TE room is better, Our WR room is better, our Safety best 4 is better.
Had a good draft last year with some good players who should take a step forward. A full year of Parker will be exciting and Phillips will be better
You say that GD, but i heard Christensen in his recent presser say that Thomas could play OT, he mentioned him specifically as a guy who could cover OG or OT positions for us. I think logically, yeah at this point there is no way we can have confidence that if a guy goes down we might not want to shift someone else over instead of bringing those guys in, but honestly im not sure that bringing them in in a pinch wouldnt be better than shifting all the OL around just so you dont have to.
Coaches will know what to do there, but according to Christensen himself, they will dress the guys that are versatile enough to fill in at multiple positions. Guys like Young or Bushrod would be more permanent moves not in-game moves. If we lost James for example i think they probably have Turner and Thomas dressed they may put one of those guys in and next week Young fills in for the next game if James is still unable to go.
I bet they’d take the first draft pick someone offers for Thomas if someone called and offered a 7th he’d be gone.
I would think so too, and that’s why Christensen is saying Thomas can play OG and OT. You hear it every yr, where the coach is talking someone up, even though we’ve seen that player stink it up in preseason games and the next thing you know he’s a goner, traded for a 7th rd pick.
If they play an attacking style as they say they are even from the DT position, i think we could see a lot of Phillips, granted IF he has kept himself in shape over the off season.
We have the same Kicker and Punter, but they aren’t rookies anymore.
steveccnv says:
May 11, 2016 at 4:44 pm
You said if he’s great and the team finishes 6-10
Who cares, Mike cares.
not sure where you are going with that. if it is an attempt to trash mike e or get me too you are wasting your time. i may have my fun joking around not reading his blogs or hand jokes but if you want me to trash him not gonna happen. and by trash i mean be disrespectful. joking in fun is all good for laughs being disrespectful behind his back i am not gonna do got to much respect for him to do that
It was meant to be funny saying Mike cares, because of his stance on draft picks.
If Drake is great and we are 6-10, then obviously we dont need to work on RB, we need to focus elsewhere.
D,
that wasnt the point of the conversation. it had nothing to do with the draft. believe i said something of the effect if they are 6-10 again who the hell cares if one player had a great year.
so will our backup LBrs cost us games? Again? Will our new CBs cover well enough and long enough to give our DEs and DL time enough to get to the QB? Is a committee of Ajayi and Drake better than a Miller and Ajayi one? Those are really the questions for 2016.
The biggest question is and has been the biggest question for the last 4 yrs, can RT take care of business, if he does the other things that don’t go as well as planned aren’t that important. The D sucked last yr at times, because the O kept 3 and outing, and got run down. I’m not saying everything has been his fault, it hasn’t, but he has to step up this yr. Philbin hurt him more than helped him.
The D is going to give up points and yards at times, but that’s what the rules dictate. Even the Donkies with that great D last yr had some issues holding teams at times, as did Carolina. When that happens though your O must be able to score.
and in the….just for piggy post
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/the-price-of-bacon-the-year-you-were-born/ss-BBsCdh0?fullscreen=true#image
i do love how they started with the year 2016, cause i am sure all those 1-5 month olds are just jonesing to get some teeth to eat some bacon and want to know what momma paid for it
I like Christenen but I think that’s a lil coach speak there regarding Thomas. Yes Thomas played OT in college, so that ability is there, but remains to be seen at the pro level, even by Clyde Christensen.
There are other more capable guys that he’d have to work & prove his way past….IMO.
Thomas has played many many snaps at OT for the Dolphins, although he was awful.
Oh and I cannot see how anyone can think Mario Williams is not an upgrade over OV. Especially in this way that I am analyzing. Williams is one of the best DEs ever. OV is ok, but for every couple sacks causing a loss of 5-7 yds. each, he cancels himself out with a 15 yd foul.
D, we’ve seen Thomas play tackle, that was one of Philbin’s faults, thinking he could play tackle. Watching tape of him at Tenn. he sucked playing tackle. My point was, a tackle that could actually play tackle will be backing up Albert and James, even if they’re starting somewhere else.
I wasn’t angry, I was just wondering why you’d use Thomas and Turner’s names in the same sentence as the word tackle 😉
I know what a swing tackle is and it aint either Thomas or Turner.
Running the ball more with authority will be key, but so will calling an offense that makes sense during in game situations with time, score, down, & distance.
It means calling better pass plays as well. All this will greatly help any OL vs being too predictable and letting the other team tee off like we saw over & over & over, last year.
Go Gase, Tanny, & OL!
For the running game to be effective, you have to be able to run the ball when they expect you to run it, and/or run it enough to keep them honest.
At this stage of what we’ve seen recently I’ll take the keep ’em honest, if we can do that RT should have a banner year.
Yep, hence my saying run with authority, especially late in games with a lead…between the 2 backs Ajayi & Drake, we should be able to wear on teams in various ways too.
Olivier Vernon had 7.5 sacks in 2015, 29 for his 4-yr career, for an average of 7.25 per yr. for a total loss of 171 yds.
In those four years, he had 17 accepted penalties for a minus 161 yds. And 4 more that were declined.
CANCELLATION.
LOL
getterdone says:
May 11, 2016 at 6:05 pm
Steve, what makes you so certain that DT3 or Pead can handle that role?
I mean where have they shown they could before they got a 2nd & 3rd chance here in Miami??? lol
————————————-
I’m talking about a backup role, to run 5-10 times a game as the #2 back, if one of the top 2 got hurt.
Either of those guys can run the ball for enough yards to keep a D honest, something Miller couldn’t do consistently for us. Sure he had some big games, but as soon as he had some nice gains the D would key on him and he couldn’t do squat.
WOW, so something Miller couldn’t do, but ya have confidence that Vaginafeet will be able to do? Ooook then, hope you’re right. 🙂
DT3 can run with a little power, he’s no Miller, but Miller killed us in 2nd halves running the ball, that’s why he didn’t get the carries, not because they just stopped feeding him. Miller was hot or cold, DT3 is more steady 3.5 per carry, not great, but sometimes you just need to get a few yards to keep them honest. We tried at times with Miller to keep them honest and he’d lose 2 or gain 1.
DT3 has skills, he just has poor vision.
Brock Osweiler says he’s struggled to pick up the Texans’ offense.
“It’s like you speak Spanish your whole life and then all of a sudden, they tell you to go learn French and do it in front of 70,000 people,” Osweiler said. “There’s some carryover from my previous years. It’s not like I’m a complete rookie with no base, but obviously there’s a lot of new things.” Osweiler’s in the early stages of Bill O’Brien’s scheme, but the comments raise concern over how quickly he’ll get acclimated.
_____________________________
At least we haven’t heard this out of Tanny….lol
And yet the experts have them winning their division or at least being right there.