During the summer, when we wait for the football season to begin and swim in the ocean
We fear what might be beneath the surface of the ocean…
Sharks scare all of us.
And there is no shark more fearsome than:
THE GREAT WHITE SHARK
But not all sharks are so great.
There is at least one who is
well…kind of mediocre…
Meet The Mediocre White
slightly less accomplished than some of the other white sharks
and like you…a fan of the Miami Dolphins
On an August afternoon the Mediocre White was hunting seals with a two of his shark buddies
They found the perfect spot and were ready to feast.
The first Great White turned to the other Great White barely noticing the Mediocre White lagging behind both of them.
“What’s your plan?”
The Second Great White responded “I’m gonna go deep, get a big push and leap out of the water with the biggest seal in my jaws”
“Nice!”, the first Great White responded
“You’ll get in National Geographic…I plan something a little more dubious…I’m gonna bite a baby by the back of its’ tail, drag it a little father out to the ocean, wait for its’ mother to swim out to the baby, then eat her. Then I’ll eat the baby for dessert”
Impressed, the Second Great White turned to the Mediocre White “How about you?”
“Oh me?” The Mediocre Shark was barely paying attention
“Um…you know dude…I’m gonna like, put my fin above the water and like circle the seals and then eat one”
“lame” interrupted the First Great White
“What happened to you man? ” The Second Great White disappointedly said, “You used to be great. Now you are so…Mediocre…”
The two Great Whites swan away leaving The Mediocre White.
That day The Mediocre White didn’t eat any seals. Instead he thought to himself
WHAT HAPPENED…
In the 70’s he was Great.
One year, in 1972, he was perfect, never missing a seal or a human he hunted.
Those were the days, The Mediocre White was the envy of all the other sharks. He ate whatever he liked, he spawned with whatever shark he liked, he even roomed with Steven Spielberg in college. Some say he was the inspiration for Jaws.
Though he never achieved perfection again. He had some great moments after the 70’s.
In the early 80’s The Mediocre White continued to be a fearsome hunter in the ocean. At the same time he enjoyed watching the Dolphins make Super Bowl runs.
Despite a chum strike in ’82, he finished second among all sharks in surfer limbs eaten. Only a shark named Riggins ate more arms that year.
In ’83, he grew his greatest rookie tooth. By the tooth’s second year he was setting records for flesh eaten.
The Mediocre White almost enjoyed the new tooth as much as he enjoyed watching Dan Marino throw the ball.
By 1985 The Mediocre Shark was making great memories by eating Bears on prime time.
But as great as the tooth was, the Mediocre White failed to surround his tooth with quality other teeth.
Defensively, everything got through his mouth, and he found himself forced to digest entire scuba divers, tanks and all.
Unbelievably, during the tooth’s entire career, the shark failed to hunt down a 1000 yard swimmer.
Eventually when that special tooth fell out, the Mediocre Shark wondered if he was ever achieve what he did in the 70’s again.
Meanwhile the Dolphins moved from Don Shula to Jimmy Johnson to Dave Wannstedt
The Dolphins had a few great players in that time: Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas…Ricky Williams lead the league in rushing one year. And like the Dolphins the Mediocre White enjoyed eating an occasional swimmer.
But it was not what it used to be. He wasn’t really Great anymore…
Now it seemed these up and coming New England Sharks were eaten all the best humans
By the end of Wannstedts tenure it became obvious…he was just mediocre now…
So he left hunting and went in a different direction.
The Mediocre Shark took up engineering.
He wanted to build something. Just like he believed Nick Saban wanted to build something with the Dolphins.
In his first building project he built the Daunte Culpepper Bridge:
Saban would not accept failure and either would Mediocre White.
He really insisted on Building something!
Like Saban, his next building project made people cry.
So Saban would leave the Dolphins and The Mediocre White would leave engineering.
Now he was ready for a new direction.
The Dolphins hired Cam Cameron and The Mediocre White took up work as a Park Ranger.
At a county meeting he attend determine to make a difference
“Broh’s” he pleaded to the County Council,
“We need to stop the deer deaths on the highway”
The Mediocre White raised his fin, “I propose we move the deer crossing signs away from the highway to a place less dangerous for the deer to cross, we should move the signs to the middle of the forrest”.
That year deer deaths on the highway increased by 800%
As the Dolphins moved on from Cam Cameron The Mediocre White also moved on from being a Park Ranger.
The Big Tuna was ready to turn things around for the Dolphins and the Mediocre White was ready to turn things around for himself as well. He took a job with the City.
Everyone assumed given his prior history of greatness, like the Tuna, he would excel.
They gave him a simple task. The streets need to be painted to make them safer.
Any shark can do that right?
Well…maybe not this shark…
He failed at first
and failed again.
eventually…the Dolphins found themselves in the Ireland era
And the Mediocre White found himself operating a draw bridge
He was a colossal fuck up…like Jeff Ireland
So the Dolphins found themselves in the Philbin era
and The Mediocre Shark found himself bouncing around from odd job to odd job
he tried parking cars as a valet
That didn’t last long
So he got a job as a custodian
but he often found himself late at performing his duties…
He really wasn’t very good at anything anymore…
But we all know what he is:
He is a hunter!
The 2016 football season has not started yet…
The Mediocre White wants to be Great again
Is this the year?
Finsmob Unleashed 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000682221/article/miami-dolphins-set-to-sign-veteran-cb-chris-culliver
Where’s Leon Hall?
He was signed by another team.
Oh well. Culliver isn’t really a starter, so I hope Lippett or Howard get it fast.
We could see him Fri nite @ NYG.
He’s washed up.
Culliver is younger than Hall…he’s 27yo 6’0 200, former 3rd Rd pick in 2011, He was solid in San Fran, but last season with the Skins he was hurt ACL, missed final 10 games.
If healthy I see him responding to VJ & Lou.
Culliver started 14 games in ’14, I remember watching him play, I had Gore in FF. He’s a big physical guy, but not a great cover corner
Tim, I didn’t mean that as an insult to your cousin’s family. I just think people get caught up in the MSM narrative on Trump. While Hillary is the teflon Don who can do no wrong.
But how can she ‘govern’ better? She was horrible as a NY senator, and disastrous as SOS…..if she is elected…SOS.
Have you even seen the people she surrounds herself with? Her would be advisors & cabinet?
Then look at Trump’s and get back to me on better leadership & thusly ‘governing’…..just saying. 😉
Dude, this has nothing to do with Hillary being awesome in any way. It has to do with business. My cousin is a NYC financial guy, Trump is a NYC real estate mogul and Hillary was a NY State Senator. He’s hedging his bets on what’s best for their children’s future in all phases and their hard earned investments. They feel Hillary could raise their taxes for sure, but Trump could kill investments and overall relationships with his brashness.
At the end of the day we all know morals are lacking in politics so what do you lean towards? What’s best for you and what you think will be best for most people. That’s all this is. We’re all hoping for a better Republican candidate to take her out in 4 years, but she’s going to win this election. Just saying!
I’m personally hoping for a more moderate Republican Party that actually has a clue because they just proved they do not. I also would not be surprised if Trump did this just for publicity and it was a goal of his to destroy the Republican Party as we know it to prove how easy it was. Trump is not your father’s conservative. He’s a Trump fan. LOL
Mike, you know when they say follow the money, that’s what they’re doing. They think Trump is a sham just like Piggy has been saying but they had to get past their hatred for Hillary to realize Trump would be worse. Remember Hillary is a Wall Street whore. The dad knows Trumps failures, he’s been working in the NYC financial industry since the early 80s and now he thinks he’s a bad guy since he’s exposed himself as someone with no clear vision, just propaganda. He’s made it easy for Hillary to run TV ads just letting him speak.
Believe me, they are all besides themselves.
I don’t think he’s a phony, any more than Hillary is. I think he’s a guy who just doesn’t necessarily know how to play the political game (He can’t control his mouth, and says things that bite him in the ass). Hillary is a much more practiced politician, but I don’t think for a second she’s a better person, or will govern better.
His father was a good man, a straight shooter. Not that that guarantees he’s a good person, but he comes from a good father.
She’s all scripted, nothing she says is genuine, and the reason she doesn’t do press conferences.
Mike look at his kids, that tells you what kind of person he is. Usually rich people have several bad apples, because the parents aren’t part of their lives.
Good stuff Mike E.
The dems want don’t want to change what the people want, they want to change the people. So they open the borders and bring in those that will vote for them. The minorities already in the country lose, because now the new people coming in are taking their benefits, and jobs. The dems keep all these people close enough to the
…poverty line to keep them voting dem.
Steve, how’s Culliver a 27yo DB who’s played less that 3 1/2 seasons washed up?
Mike asked where’s Leon Hall, I said he’s washed up.
Is Culliver the same one that played for us years ago?
No….he was drafted 3rd Rd by SF #80 overall in 2011.
Culliver deal worth up to $5M if he meets incentives.
Is he that good?
The potential is there. His career high was 2014 with 4 Int’s, 1FF returned fora TD & 15 PD’s.
Leon Hall signed with the Giants.
Thanks 😉
Listen, this was just a story I wanted to share from some family members who felt they were forced to do a 180 because of how bad they think Trump is. I’m not going to continue to debate for them. I got what they were saying and much of it was much deeper than I feel like getting into here.
That doesn’t mean I’m voting for her, just sharing.
I got that Tim….thanks for sharing….we all are sharing. I can see where people can certainly have different views or something that pulls them suddenly in another direction.
They still have plenty of time to analyze it, and do their due diligence, as we all do and will i hope.
I was the lone 3rd party guy and got the same typical wasted vote BS I get from everyone including my step-dad who was the lone Trump supporter at the table. LOL
But you know what, we all left in good graces. You can discuss politics with family and friends if you’re not an asshole. LOL
Incentive laden contract, good move or desperation?
Both
Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich has been diagnosed with a torn triceps, and is out indefinitely.
Encouragingly, Ninkovich does not need surgery. Torn triceps are often season-enders, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports Ninkovich could return as early as October. That’s an absolute best-case scenario, and probably unlikely. Ninkovich has started every game for the Patriots each of the past five seasons, playing 905 snaps in 2015. His loss creates opportunity for Shea McClellin and Chris Long.
Culliver counts $1.25M this year and $2.5M next yr against the ‘Skins cap. The contract was for an average of $8M per yr, so that I guess is a decent cap savings, but for us it seems we don’t have much to lose.
He’s on a 1yr incentive deal with us as far as I’ve seen so far. Puts Miami in a good position, and a vet besides Maxwell.
Wasn’t Culliver with us in the past?
I don’t think so
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CullCh00.htm
I think we had a player with the same name.
Just saying, I really don’t celebrate players from other teams going down to injury for our potential benefit. I want to see our Dolphins win fair and square man! Notice how I used ‘man’ to not sound so square? LOL
Could have used brah. lol
Anybody think Matt Moore will be starting by week 6? Just asking. Lol
The Matt Moore that was 1 for 6 for 4 yards in that intra-squad scrimmage?
Not unless Tanny gets injured.
Are you going to be the interim HC by then? LOL
Speaking of rigged, the FN leftwing media makes up more shit about Trump…
Nobody is making anything up
The guy bites into every shit sandwhich served to him
He can’t Keep his foot out of his mouth
If trump can’t handle the media scrutiny, he probably can’t handle the most important jib in the world either
Can’t handle the media scrutiny? Heck, he calls then out for the shills that they are, including individual journalists, like we do with hacks such as Omar….lol
How are they not? They twist everything he says.
They’re biased towards the Dems, if you like that kind of thing…
Are you thinking of S Tyrone Culver?
Hugh Culverhouse’s illegitimate son?
Probably!
gdp
Yeah but that one completion was a pea! Lol
Tanny will be fine once the OL comes together….just hope it’s before he’s 37….lol
Trump provides enough shitty sound bytes all by himself, but like I said, he’s not a practiced or an accomplished politician, who has learned the art of deception. He still shoots from the hip, which gets him in all kinds of trouble.
It’s a horrible quality In a leader
We get upset at how fake politicians are
But diplomacy means something
A smile in a nervous time can prevent a war
We need that fakeness
We need people who watch what they say
Being wreckless can have ugly consequences
Tim
There are plenty of republicans who feel the same way
The party shit the bed at the primary
They had no answer to the influx of new voters who don’t traditionally vote in primaries
The Republican party still thinks it’s 1980. Who cares what they think? Time has passed them by, they’re completely out of touch
There is always Gary Johnson
Honestly I think Mitt Romney and John McCain where much better candidates that Trump
And I think Cruz, Rubio Kasich and even Jeb Bush could have beat Hillary
I think the Republican Party will survive but I do think Trump has set that back and the smart move for republicans is to distance themselves – and many have
Calling out the media GDP is exactly Trumps problem
If he can’t articulate a policy that people can sink their teeth into he can’t win
There is something to say for keeping your eye on the ball
And Trump is definately not doing that
If you tell me Trump is being manipulated
My answer is yet he is
But most candidates don’t respond to every tweet
He’s is almost like the Miko Grimes of the political world at this point
He can’t help himself
He is getting his ass kicked the last few weeks very publicly
It looks bad for Trump right now
I think you busy are going to have to face that fact
He better turn it around in the next month or so or he is toast
gdp
Gase says he wants to call plays that are best for his players….not what he prefers. We’ll find out what he thinks Tannehill is good at by how he calls games.
LOL, well except he’s already said he’s given Tanny full reign and the ability to audible out of calls. I’d say he’s pretty confident of his QB. It’s a big reason he took the job in miami.
Steve
I think The argument for the media being liberally biased was a lot stronger before FoxNews blew up and before social media
Nowadays there are plenty of perspectives to chose from
I read an article about Trump not really kicking a baby out and I beleive it
And beleive it was manipulated – so I agree to some extent
But he has earned a lot of the scrutiny all by himself
And that is just kinda who he is
It always worked for him before he was running for office
So it’s hard for him to change that now
IMO he just doesn’t have the make up to be a leader
Piggy
The Republican party wanted Marco Rubio, who is a puppet, and then seemed to hope for Ted Cruz. Hopeless is what they are. Until they come up with a modern approach, and go from right wing nonsense, to more moderate, they will never compete with the Democrats, no matter how many shitty candidates (Obama, Clinton) get elected They must change, or they will be left out in the rain at every election. Those are the facts Jack! lol
They can use a makeover I guess
I really am still a fan of the concept of having 3 or 4 parties
But the republicans can probably go in more of a libertarian direction and save their base before the 2020 election
But I would prefer a republican, libertarian, democrat and Green Party on every states ballots and at every debate
imo trump as a candidate moves in the other direction
Instead of being a two party system
We are now 1 party
He basically is so bad he is giving the election away to Hillary
Maybe between now and the election, Gary Johsnon picks up steam
And maybe this is a good thing that leads to 3 or more strong parties in 2020
That’s what I’m hoping to get out of it
But I do think the republicans as a party took a big punch to the gut in 2016 and I think Trump is the biggest factor or at least the biggest evidence of it
^
Alright I got my .02 in on politics without losing my head
I just didn’t want the blog to be cluttered with Trump love
Especially given that I basically think of him as a hemoroid in our collective ass cracks
To say that means you approve of the corruption in Washington, by both parties, open boarders to bring in more clones to vote for the dems, raising taxes, more social programs…
gdp
Gase has never said tannehill was a reason he took this job..big or otherwise. That’s something you say. Lol
***
Actually, didn’t he say he hadn’t spent much time looking at or evaluating Tanny before he came here?
Jeb, Johnson, Rubio, McCain, Kasich, Hillary….all ‘establishment’ & Neocon picks….so how would any of them make anything different or improve America, and namely American “citizens”???
This why all the push back against Trump….he’s got them freaking out how they couldn’t get one of their own to be leading the race to be their next ‘puppet’! They’re pulling out all the stops, and growing more desperate by the day.
I for one LOVE seeing them squirm! It’s about time. Even if they cheat Trump out of this election, Trump will still have done great by Americans, cause he’s woken up a lot of sheep and head in the sand masses.
Kudos Donald J. Trump!
I think you are way off by calling him “anti-establishment”
He is just inexperienced in politics
I’ve never heard anyone take their lack of experience and twist it to be anti-establishment
I’ve never performed brain surgery
You can make an argument that I’m anti-establishment among the medical community
But I still would not know what the fuck I was doing in the surgery and would probably kill the patient
LMAO!!!!!
Randy, trust me…no #1 HC candidate who had his choice of 6-9 teams says, ‘oh I don’t care who the QB is, just give me any old 6-10 team”!
He knew about Tannehill, he’s just being coy about it.
My god….even my Tanny chatter can’t stop you guys from talking politics. Sad and boring. Lol
gdp
Gase is smart. He knows that he’s only saddled with Tannehill for one year if things don’t go well. Then he gets to pick his own guy and build from there. So no…I don’t trust ya. Lol
Ahhh, the old I’ll take this job then suck for Luck so I can get my own QB and win lots of championships….yeah, that’s the ticket.
I think most coaches want to have their qb in in their 1st year on the job
At the end of the day, 3 or 4 years is what coaches get to get on track
So if you want to bring in your guy
The time to do it is year 1
I don’t think a Coach squeezes and extra year by waiting until year 2
I really think Gass believes in Tannehill and took the job insert sing that he was his qb
But I guess if 2016 is a disaster – you might be right
Phelps wins. Ledecky wins. Nice.
USA USA USA, oh wait, that sounds racist. I apologize to bloggers around the world.
Who said that?
You can’t say that it isn’t politically correct. You can only say go team.
gdp
That’s a new one on me. It’s hard to keep up with everything everybody finds offensive anymore. Lol
I think your sideburns disgust most of America! Trim that!!! LOL
All you need to do is find the right silly walk. 🙂
Pig, speaking of leaders, in your opinion who has the makeup to be a leader? Certainly no one in my lifetime that’s been in the Whitehouse. Bernie wilted against Hillary Rotten, as did Rubio against Trump. Trump is a great leader, just don’t confuse how he says things during a campaign fool you into thinking he’s not. You want to change the corrupt culture of American politics, you have to make bold statements.
The Brits really pushed back against and lashed out at Churchill early on too. He spoke his mind and it frightened many.
I can’t beleove you just compared Trump to Churchill
Ever hear a Winston Churchill speech
His farts had more substance than Trump
Trump is a fraud
I’m sorry you guys are so taken in by him
It’s not just what he says it’s what he does
I don’t see a great leader in Trump
A see a cowardly fragile man who can’t take criticism
He’s not making bold statements about policy
He’s making crazy statements to get attention
yhere is nothing bold about calling people crossing the border rapists
It plays into every stereotype a minority has ever faced
That’s not bold or courageous
That’s cowardly and manipulative
Picking on people who have nothing is about the lowest thing a person can do whether their running for public office or not
What makes you think he is a great leader?
I would rather have Hillary
I think she would be a better leader than him
But I hesitate to say great
Think she is more status quo than anything else
I can tolerate status quo
I think the real heart of the problem in American politics is the two party system
Not necessarily money or corruption
Those things go hand and hand with politics
The belief that trump will end that is a fallacy IMO
He just hasn’t done it as a politician Yet
But he hasn’t been an elected figure yet
I don’t know how old you are but
In terms of my lifetime I think I would probably say Reagan or Bill Clinton
I happen to like Obana
I didn’t vote for him in 08 but there are qualities Obama has that I really like
There are also qualities I don’t like and the same goes for the others mentioned
But nothing compares to the quantity of qualities I see in Trump that I think are horrible
I would not trust Trump to buy my socks much less run a country
In terms of right now I’m curious to see if Gary Johnson gets in the debate and how he does
To me Johnson is the guys with great ideas who is fearless
And the 3rd and 4th parties are faithful to their ideals
Rather than interest groups
Trump has been a great leader in everything he’s accomplished. If you think status quo is ok, there’s nothing anyone can say to you except, lets see if you still feel that way in 8 yrs. Hillary has health issues that she won’t disclose, so she may not see 8 more.
Why did Mickey file for divorce from Minnie?
Piggy/gdp
I think a coach would prefer to have his QB his first year. Why would he not? If he does…gravy. But, I’m guessing they look at a whole lot more than that. I’m guessing it has a lot more to do with the organization. Like you, I’m guessing, but I bet Gase sees an athletic, smart player who’s a hard worker and a good teammate, from what we know….who’s gonna work hard to give you whatever he’s got. There’s clay there to mold. I chuckle to myself when people think I hate the kid. I actually like him. That doesn’t mean I can’t have issues with how he plays QB. Richie Incognito was my favorite player, but I wouldn’t have let the a-hole in my home. Lol
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Gase has a huge ego, he thinks he can make any QB great, so why not take a vet? Kelly in SF isn’t getting a new QB, Pederson did, but also has 2 vets, in NY no new QB, Clev a retread in RG3. Sure they’d all like to have the QB that’s the sure thing #1 pick in the draft, but they all can’t do that. You’ve got an OC just waiting for his turn, how does he have any leverage to get that great QB his first yr, most don’t.
Good points…..
As bad as Tanny has had it with getting sacked, questionable offensive weapons (until now), and verifiable horrid coaching/systems changing…Tanny joins only Dan Marino & Peyton Manning as QB’s who threw for over 15,000 yards their first 4 years….so, yeah, there’s some clay to finish molding with for the young buck! 😉
my reply was for Randy Trump 😉
Those yards mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. For example last year he threw for 297, and 307 against the Bills in blowout losses, and 300 against the cheats in another blowout loss.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter 14m14 minutes ago
Patriots starting defensive end Rob Ninkovich now is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after tearing his triceps today, per source.
That’s not too bad for them, there was talk of the entire yr. Most of us still can’t believe Ninkovich was cut by us after having a great camp.
gdp
I’d be willing to bet you any amount of money that Gase has nothing but respect for Philbin as a coach. Just me, but I think folks are going way too overboard on that crap. Tannehill has flaws, and they aren’t a coach’s fault. Was Philbin a good HC? No, he wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean how he and his staff handled Tannehill was wrong. Every coach Tannehill has ever had since college has put reigns on him. Why? Were they all wrong? Do they all suck? Did they all just not see what you keep claiming to see? I find that hard to believe….and I question coaches just as much as anybody! Lol
***
Remember when Lazor was the “great, young offensive mind” just waiting for his chance? Lol
Yes I remember that on Lazor….then we saw 2 seasons of the most bizarre ever play calling sequences, route concepts, lack of running, etc.etc.
A COUPLE OF “OLYMPIC SNAFUS” recently came to light. #1) attendees report standing in line for HOURS to get way overpriced food of suspicious origin. Finally, organizers have allowed fans the right to leave the Olympic grounds, drive downtown, and get food and return to the games. #2) Green pee (NOT to be confused with Green Peace) water in the huge diving pool came out of nowhere in a 24-hour period. Organizers say they have no idea what happened to cause the water to turn turn green pee in color. When in doubt, seek the obvious answer?? Wait until more events take place in the polluted waters of Rio. And I wonder how many attendees will come back with Zika or some other dangerous diseases and infections?
————————
TO GIVE CREDIT where credit is due, I have to say many of the events have been very entertaining. Me and Mrs. OD have watched about an hour or two each night so far. The Phelps saga contiues to amaze us (21 gold medals in his career!). Many other events have been terrific.–Just hoping that Olympic Security continues to prevent a catastrophic attack by terrorists.
Here you go Pig. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/09/media-justify-anti-trump-bias-claim-hes-too-dangerous-for-normal-rules.html
It’s obvious in your responses you’re buying the BS
…that the media is selling.
complete conservative bullshit about the Media
Trump is applying for the most scrutinized job in the World
WAHHHHHHH – I want to be President but I’m being Scrutinzed
Wahhhhhhh
what a baby
get over it and do your job
Tell people what your policies are and why you are qualified to be president
Earn that vote, no matter what other people say about you
Do you think Hillary is obvlicous to the stuff people say
She has been riddled with controversies too
Fox News put a target on her a long time ago
and she is stuck with it
but she doesn’t publicly make an ass of herself evertime she speaks
Its not a double standard
its the way the job works
They are both applying for the toughest job in the world
they better be able to take negative stories and be able to speak with people and earn their vote
if you think the media is bad now wait to your commander in chief
We can all watch every speech either Hillary and Trump give on youtube
we are not dependent on the media’s interpretation anyway
The defense of trump based on media biased is so condescending
We can all judge for ourselves
we are not dependent on some one else’s opinion
as it turns out – a lot of people agree that Trump is a clown after watching him
and he is accountable for that, not the media
its not the product of media bias
its the product of being judge when you act like a clown
and no one is above that
People are judging him
get over it
it comes with the job you are applying for
I’m going to guess that about 5 out of 10 people that think he is a clown now
thought he was a clown before he ran for office
Its not like he was a beloved figure before he threw his hat in the poltical ring
If you haven’t watched the 30 for 30 on the USFL
you should
it was made before he was running for President
so you don’t have to concern yourself with poltical bias bc he wasn’t a political figure when it was made
And they don’t paint a pretty picture of Trump
His business partners blame him for driving the USFL into failure
It’s like raaaaaaaaaaain on your wedding day
It’s the free riiiiiiiiide that you just didn’t take
A black fly in your Chardonnay
Yeah, a little off the wall.
RIP John Saunders.
What happened?
Not sure how he died but it’s been reported he has died at age 61.
http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/17263104/john-saunders-long-familiar-air-face-espn-nearly-30-years-died-age-61
He’s right there with Stewart Scott, didn’t care for a lot of the others. Always profession and respectable.
Agreed.
Foster not playing on Friday. To me that means they have big plans for him this year.
Agreed and he really doesn’t need a 1st PS to get ready, he’s been there done that.
You don’t work the heck out of an old war horse….you only wonder whether he is stilllready for battle.
Omar Kelly @OmarKelly 5h5 hours ago
Damien Williams was just used as a fullback. I can see that working because Williams is so physical.
Do we have a pure FB on the roster? If I was one trying to make the team that would scare the heck out of me.
No we don’t have one, just use a TE, but Damien is a physical blocker, so…
So just scheme flexibility being explored. Wouldn’t mind seeing Suh at FB on the goal line though.
Just did a check on prices for the Fest game in our section.
Best on Stubhub is $80.
From the Dolphins is $90.
Best on the NFL exchange is $100.
The Fest tix are $65 (and no 20% fee tacked on)
All of you guys are free to call me anal in the future, but realize there is a plus side to having me be so. 🙂
Anal can be good.
steveccnv — pretty sure you are not one of the women I have ever slept with. 🙂
Your The Man !!!
Looks like Stanger won’t be buying any beer at the game😉
It ain’t over yet…..Dolphins go 0-4 to start and the feature event at the Fest will me being flogged as I scream “but I did tell you guys the Steelers game was a bad idea.”
Did he take his own life?
I don’t know
but its interesting
Gase likes shorter passes
I don’t love the fact that Pitt and Arizona happen to be two of the top offenses in the league
Philbin was also a short pass guy
Even with lazor
So, why ever draft long, fast guys who can go deep anymore then?
I think Gase meant the majority of throws not all of them. You can set up deep throws off of play-action though.
There is a point there though. Hands, size and YAC fit in more with the new O’s.
Where our D is going is just case we are ate to party. Throws have to get off quick. Yesterday’s Duper is today’s KR/slot guy.
Teams/QBs who get rid of the ball within 2 seconds are not going down the field.
Exactly TIm. And the knew schemes are saying that has to be so. Part of the reason we are now going to press cover BDs rather than the next Revis.
Sorry — “DBs”
at a minimum
you need the threat
but I think Tim is right about what he is saying
He is basically saying the short throwing game is the majority of the offense in most offenses
I just hate his examples of teams that don’t do that bc those offenses kick ass
Stanger, Revis is a press corner though.
You got me on that, thought he was a pure cover guy. Maybe I got press cover confused with how we have been looking for big CBs. Never played the game in my life.
Would Grimes have been a better example? Was just going small and following WR’s down field.
He is a good overall corner but he’s better man on man than off man or in zone. When Revis was at his best he was excellent at forcing WRs to the sideline and closing off how much room they had to catch the ball. He would be in their hip pocket but he also utilized his grabby hands as well. LOL
Am I getting my terms confused hear? Thought our new D was big Cbs was based on big Cbs who bang the heck out of WRs at the line and follow them for only so long before they turn over. Was it press cover zone or something?
Just thought it was different than what Revis did. But I could be wrong and sorry if not using the right words.
It appears that we are setting up the offense to be an up tempo quick pass g team while setting up the defense to be an aggressive attacking D that attacks the quick pass offense. It looks like we finally have coaches who understand the Evolution of the game around the league and are setting themselves up to attack and defend against it
D is different for sure……still not sure what the O will be. And heck……I’m normally two-years behind what the current trend is. Pretty sure Gase isn’t though.
I saw this same thing posted the first year philbin was here and every year after.
That’s true and it rarely happened or at least not as much as projected.
its deja vu
but its the right attitude
We are going to see if holds up during the season
So our OL has just been getting ready for the new NFL by not being able to block for more than a couple seconds. See, I knew they didn’t just suck. Lol
??? Who said that?
Now we only have to wait and see if the schemes the coaches install work and if the current players can successfully execute them. 🙏
The short passing game are high percentage passes and mixed in with the run you can go on long drives and hope somebody breaks one. Also you can play uptempo and Gase doesn’t like to change personnel within a series. He wants whoever is out there to get the 1st down and keep the drive going.
I read that the offense has rebounded since its poor showing last week and has been holding its own and making some nice plays against our Defense the last two days.
Keep it up, both sides, battle it out, make each other better, teach each other HOW you beat them when you do so they are better next time. (Like Wake did with James last offseason) Go Dolphins.
That’s definitely what you want, both sides making each other have to rebound and correct mistakes. The tougher you’re pushed the better you get.
Stanger, when Rex was in NY he had Revis out there covering guys man on man. Sometimes he’d jam at the LOS and sometimes he’d just react and run with them. That’s man coverage. Press is a form of it but you don’t have to jam to play man. Off man is what we played often which is also confused as zone. Playing 5+ yards off the LOS doesn’t necessarily mean zone unless you’re staying in your zone and passing your man off onto the next part of the field. If you follow your man even in off man that’s not zone.
TIm — I read about out knew scheme at one point…..and it was different than what I had learned before (perhaps only cause the Phins had never used it before). And it was all tied to why they were going big at corner. Press was in there and so was not one-on-one coverage.
But like I said, not an O and X guy. And maybe they have changed since then.
Do you know what coverage we are planning on? Maybe that is a more simple question to start with.
Madison and Surtain played press and man coverage most of the time. That’s what we’re doing now under VJ. The idea of big corners is similar to a LT with long arms, use leverage to slow down the rush just as the press corners will do the same to slow down the routes and allow the pass rush to get there before a guy is open. The counter to that is when teams spread the field not all the receivers have to be on the LOS so they have some room to work with to beat the jam, so you also need quick twitch corners who can stay with their man underneath – the Welker’s and Edelman’s of the world.
Thanks TIm — great info. Maybe I am just not remembering what it was or maybe it was just the read of whoever was reporting it. Could have sworn it was going to be jam the guy at the line (why big CBs were being looked at) but the trade off was that you only have to follow close for at most ten yards cause after that not your guy.
Saw it as a hybrid zone/cover thing.
Only reason I brought up Revis was cause thought he had the Island “just you and me” thing going on.
The less plays you have to run to get points, the better.
That’s why chunk yards matter. Not every offense has the same resources and I think this whole short thing going on in practice these days is just a way of implementing Gase’s concepts easier.
It’s building from the inside out in a way.
He’s showing the offense how to jab …after they get that down, he will show them how to setup their hooks and uppercuts off those jabs. One thing at a time.
People like Omar like to fear monger to make their audience feel like they can trust only those ‘eyes’.
That’s pretty much what the Walsh offense with Montana did. How many times did you see Rice and Co. split the field on a quick slant and take it to the house? Montana wasn’t airing it out most of the time. You spread the defense out laterally and then vertically.
Stanger, all teams play some press, man, off-man and zone. Some teams do more of one thing or the other more often. We’re going to jam the Marshall’s and Decker’s of the world more often than we have in the past with bigger cover guys.
To me Bobby McCain could be the answer to cover the Edelman’s of the world. Edelman was one of the quicker short space guys in drills at his pro day and McCain was one of the better ones at the combine.
Edelman:
SHORT SHUTTLE: 3.92 seconds
THREE-CONE: 6.62 seconds
B. McCain:
SHORT SHUTTLE: 3.82 seconds
THREE-CONE: 6.80 seconds
That’s why McCain is looked at as more of an inside corner – 5-9 195 and really quick.
Decker? McCain will be jamming him from the slot😉
LOL, doubt it. If we can get Howard healthy we’ll have 3 big corners to matchup on bigger receivers and yes that includes Gronk. Then use McCain on the gnats. 🙂
R. Jones, IAQ, Thomas and Aikens will also play a role in some matchups.
Culliver could be a pleasant surprise in a month or so.
You said we’re going to jam the Marshalls and the Deckers. Decker plays the slot. How do you jam that?
Decker lines up outside in pro-set but sometimes in spread if he’s inside you can’t do that so you need the right guy on him. But I’m not a fan of 5-9 vs. 6-3.
Tim — you got me to search for the article I was looking for. The term was “press zone,” which I was not familiar with.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-dolphins-0508-20160507-story.html
“The Dolphins plan to utilize these new bigger cornerbacks in a press-zone scheme, which allows the cornerbacks to be physical at the line of scrimmage with the receivers, but then drop back into zone coverage.”
And wouldn’t be surprised if that is just something made up given the the source…..which turned out to be Omar.
That’s Cover 3 like Seattle plays often – 8 in the box for run defense, two corners manning up on the perimeter and one deep safety. The 3 LBs and SS have to determine run or pass quickly and react. If it’s a pass they drop into their underneath zones. The corners still cover their outside guys and the deep safety still plays center field (Earl Thomas).
All of this is still predicated on the 4 man pass rush. Don’t get to the QB and guys will get open all day against any scheme.
And isn’t the 4-3 under they said we would be using the key scheme in Seattle as well? Maybe we should a big CB who has played in that scheme before.
Maxwell did in Seattle when they won the SB and shut down Gase and Manning. Howard played on an island at Baylor. They are trying to move in that direction.
Think of Madison, Surtain and Marion. That was cover 3.
If healthy this is what the secondary is shaping up to be.
CB: Maxwell, Lippett, McCain, Howard, Culliver/Chekwa
S: R. Jones, IAQ, Thomas, Aikens
That’s 9 and that’s about right unless we go with 10 DBs.
Defense:
DL 9
LB 6/7 (depending on STs)
DB 9/10 (depending on STs)
Offense:
OL 9
TE 3/4 (depending on STs)
WR 5/6 (depending on STs)
QB 2/3
RB 4/5 (depending on STs)
STs Specialists:
K 1
P 1
LS 1
With Culliver it gives us 2 vets, so we’re now legit back there, as long as guys get and stay healthy.
Tom, Decker plays in the slot.
Yes but I wouldn’t put McCain on him exclusively. That’s a different matchup. I think McCain should cover the inside gnats. LOL
You missed the point, I was busting your balls a little bit. See under your post above.
This is Cover 3 zone with man on man implications. We will run this at times.
Until this offense shows it can hit deep throws consistently, it doesn’t matter what they do. Teams will continue to play us tight to the LOS and dare us to throw long. That’s how teams have been playing us for several years. And, that’s one of the reasons our OL is always under such pressure. We never back a defense off.
Stills showed a penchant for the deep ball last season & then when Parker finally saw the field he avg.d 10.3 yds per catch….this was in a POORLY ran Lazor offense.
I can’t see it regressing or even hovering around the same…I see an improved offense that will get even better as time goes by…..same with the Defense.
The Phins will be fine. Too much panic over just 10 days or so of training camp in mostly tees & underwear….lol
oops, hit wrong key…19.3 yds avg for DP.
I think there were missed Opportunities to go deep last year that really limited he offense
But it’s not the only way to diversify the offense a little
It might help to have a stronger running game too
A consistent mid range passing game might help
I thought we took a step back last year in that dept
The one play type that Tannehill has consistently shown he is good at is play action from under center. I forget the exact stats but he was top half of the league or higher. What does Lazor do? removes under center from the formations…..
I think Gase will play route combinations that are complimentary rather than crowd the field route combinations Lazor ran. It will open up those “WOW he was wide open over the field, why are our guys never wide upon like that” plays.
I believe he will play complimentary football all around. Balanced run / pass / play action and in combinations that work. That’s my hope anyway. LOL
Pigger,
Every team misses a chance to go deep several times a season. That’s why Gase points out today’s very athletic DE’s / pass rushing specialists. Some of these guys pirouette & spin as good as the top US gymnasts….lol
I do agree the lack of a ‘consistent’ running threat had greatly affected having much consistency in the passing game as a whole…we saw it from protection issues, to crowding the short game and not getting spaces to let the intermediate passing routes develop correctly.
Thank goodness Gase is here with a similar style of offense (cause the NFL is built now for the quick passing game), but with that he brings an entirely new way of running it.
I’m real confident we’ll see a marked difference if we can keep a starting 4-5 on the OL and health @ RB & our #1 WR spot / DP.
Yeah
I think Randy manors a good point though
Gotta exploit those opportunities when they present themselves or the defense will have a much easier time
In case we need help on the OL. 😉
Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it ALL before, repeatedly. Until this offense proves it week after week, I’m not buying it. You guys must really enjoy the Kool-aid. Lol
We all see talent scattered around this roster, both new & recent, both young & old..
We see a first choice HC candidate wanted by many teams, who seems to get it, and who seemed to do it with success, and we got him.
How could any longsuffering Dolphin fan not be optimistic when seeing several key pieces to an NFL puzzle here now in 2016….let’s see if it comes together with a little fan support.
It all comes down to, can the offense move the ball effortlessly on a regular basis. This means the D has to work to stop our O. Take the cheats for example, if you don’t scrap to stop them, they’ll gof up and down the field all day long (they don’t stop themselves). If we struggle to move it (everything has to go right), then it will be the same ole 8-8 or worse.
And then be pulled out two guns and de.sides the we give him the dirty diaper…… it had to be the strangest robbery in history.
WTF
I get what you’re trying to say, just seems so off the wall and a little bit too aotocorrected.
Tannehill said, he believes he has the credibility now to demand excellence from the O. I wonder where he got that from😉 and why I posted in this spot.
I find it hypocritical of the sports media to say guys like Bortles and Carr are better than RT, based on stats, then as an RT argument people will say he’s thrown for more than 4000 the last 2 years, and they’ll respond, but he hasn’t had a winning season yet, as if the other 2 have.
Carr and Bortles have been better FF performers. That’s probably where it comes from. I’m not even kidding . . .
Bortles did most of his damage after games were already out of hand, the ARod factor.
The Jaguars were not good, but I think they should be better this season. They have serious talent on that team, and those 2 WR’s are fantastic (Hurns and Robinson) (The Allen Bros)
I agree, but the major injury bug has hit them hard.
There’s a difference between being a quick short yardage passing team, and a team that throws lots of check down passes. In the past RT has thrown too many check down passes, that’s all he did 1st half against SD. I’m OK being a short pass team, just do it quick.
The Patriots have lived on it for a decade. Every now and again they throw a little deeper, and it’s usually Gronkowski, because no one can cover him.
Yes the threat of throwing deep, that’s what keeps the D honest. When they get behind or need a late score, they usually bring out the book of cheats, those illegal rub routes, that are more than a rub. LeBatard hates their offense for this reason.
How do you guys feel about our CBs now that we have Culliver? Sure he’s still nursing the knee, but being a vet he doesn’t need camp reps like a rookie.
I like that Culliver is a physical guy, I watched him play for SF. Not sure he’s a real cover guy, the safeties are going to have play well with the CB’s we have on our roster. Their play will be key.
Randy, not sure why you made the Kool-aid comment, I haven’t seen anyone here predict anything other than the type of offense and defense we’ll run. Everyone seems to be in we’ll see mode.
He’s a hardened fan (logically). Anyone buying into anything, or showing any kind of optimism brings him back to “been there, done that”. I get it. I find it difficult to let myself get excited. I hate the letdown.
That’s fine I’m just not seeing grandiose predictions by anyone. All GD is saying is he believes Gase will call more sensible plays than Lazor did and he’s excited about the skill players which we all should be because we do have quite a few good skill players.
Carr and Bortles both had 30+ TDs last season
I know its just a stat
but its a big one that is hard to ignore
I really like what those guys are bringing to their team
Tannehill’s also a little older than those guys
So he is kinda past the “this guy has potential” phase
People Are starting to say – that is what Tannehill is 24 and 12 with 4000 yards
where is I think you think younger QBs have a shot to be more efficient
but let’s face it
they have been really bad teams before those QB were there
so the expectation level is that if they bring those teams to 8-8
they are getting better
For Tannehill
if we get to 8-8
it will be kinda like “same ole Dolphins”
If the Dolphins had 3-4 wins before Tannehill
and then 8 wins the next season after they bring him in
people are talking about his potential as well
But that’s not the case
We have kind of ben average
and I think Tannehill is perceived to play into that and not be our way out of being average
Those guys Bortles and Carr are guys that the media is saying is making bad teams better
Its a different dynamic
It’s the same situation, a couple of team wins doesn’t change that.
much easier to go from 2 wins to 5, or 5 to 7, than it is to go from 8 to 10.
Bortles is getting too much credit for garbage time stats.
Piggy
So if Tannehill throws 30 TD’s or more this season, but the Dolphins are 7-9 or 8-8, will it still be his fault that we don’t win?
Right, the Jags won 5 games and the Raiders 7. LOL
However I do think both teams are on the rise but it’s not just because of the QBs.
think about how bad those teams were before Carr and Bortles were their guys
A lot of other players have helped them become better. That said JAC won 5 games last year so from 3 to 5 is not a big jump. The Raiders have completely overturned their roster the last few years and Mack and Cooper are a big part of what they’re doing now as well.
Its not his fault we don’t win now
there are a combination of factors
He is just one of the factors
but if he threw 30TDs our offense would have been considerably more productive
and the argument that his play is a factor is weaker
Not true, add 2 more TDs to 3 division games we got blown out in and we’re still 6-10.
Much will happen between now and Week 1 so I’m not really going to dive too deep into thinking what the coaches are going to do from now till then.
Bobby McCain has been pegged as a slot guy on paper but he’s capable of handling boundary (maybe not ideally for press but he can play pure corner).
His first NFL start was against Jordan Matthews in Philadelphia and from what I remember, Matthews didn’t do shit.
Piggy
Yeah, the Jags were 3-13 Bortles first season, so they really improved going 5-11. lol
They have a lot of talent on that team, they should be much better than last year.
They do have bad luck with their top rookies going down with injuries though – Fowler and Ramsey.
Has anyone ‘seen’ Howie lately? Is he going to do the score thing?
Best quote I’ve heard from camp thus far is: “Tannehill must have Landry on his FF team and he’s determined to win”.
When like to check down Landry is your guy.
But, if Landry catches another 100 balls this season chances are good we don’t have a winning season.
It’s going to come down to more than that. Remember our defense was pretty bad last year. We were last in rushing attempts and the offensive play calling was absurd at times.
I expect Parker to be close to 70 receps this year but Landry could still have around 100. PF and PA will be the key. 😉
I agree the D needs to do it’s part but you win when you score more points than the other team and the ball needs to be spread out a lot more on offense than in the past. Tannehill can’t continue to target one wr while others are getting open deeper and give us a better chance of moving the ball.
I think Parker is closer to 50 catches and Stills is probably around 40 and Landry’s numbers are reduced. That should be the plan. I don’t think Gase wants one guy catching that many passes; especially if others are open and we’re not moving the ball effectively.
Okay guys
Why don’t we all just keep believing the dialogue that Ryan Tannehill is unfairly judged
and the Jags and Raiders, of all teams, are getting preferential treatment
I’m not even talking about Tannehill. I’m talking about the Jags and Raiders.
I also don’t care about what pundits are saying about Tannehill and the Phins. I want to see them play better, not listening to people telling me what they are.
OK, will do. lol
Raiders are going to have a good team this year. Could win their division
could win the super bowl. more than likely not though.
Or at least they should.
I wonder where Sam Bradford is going to end up.
He’ll start for the Eagles this year. Wentz is going to sit his rookie season and Daniels will be the backup.
Word is Wentz is picking up the offense better than Bradford and Pederson is really happy with what he see’s. It’s not that cut and dry.
In Dallas, ride the pine next year, then be a stopgap QB, until they get a real one. Romo will be done after this year, he’ll try to play in 2017, but his back won’t let him.
Or Romo’s potato chip shoulder may not last more than a few games.
Lou, I just read somwhere that the plan is to sit Wentz this year and he will likely be inactive most of the season. That said I don’t really care what happens in Philly. LOL
they were thinking along those lines but with Wentz picking up the O and Bradford being behind at this point they don’t know if that’s going to be possible if he plays well enough in preseason. of course, a lot hinges on his performance then. that said, I’m not a Philly fan either despite living in PA but I am interested to see what Wentz does
Pig,
I’d be fine ranking Tannehill anywhere from 10-25 among the current starting QBs. He can’t win without a really good team around him and that applies to almost every QB in the league. The problem is the amount of cap space he eats up relative to his production and talent level above average replacement value.
I’m pretty much to the point where I think we should start Matt Moore or an equivalent 5-8 million/year QB and focus on the defense/draft. You’ve got to wait until a QB falls to you in the draft or you have a high enough pick to get one at good value then hope you get lucky. Giving away all your assets like Washington or LA just did is too risky, IMO.
This team needs to build up young talent and keep improving depth with the draft and bargain FA moves. Get to the point where we can manage 8-8 with just about anyone at QB, but keep a good cap situation so we can keep our great young players while we patiently wait to find the right QB.
I like Tannehill, he’s just not a good fit for us right now given our top heavy roster, lack of depth, and no proven quality coaching staff/FO.
That would be fine, if this were the 70s, and weren’t paying Suh. By the time you find a QB you’ll have to pay the rookies big bucks. We tried doing it every year between Marino and RT, no thank you.
drg, your post isn’t realistic. First off the team is constructed to win now. Suh, Mitchell, Williams, Jones, Branch, Misi, Alonso, Jenkins, Maxwell, R. Jones and IAQ on defense is a now defense. On offense we have more youth but Tannehill, Albert and Pouncey are being paid to win now.
Whether you think they are good enough or not to win now, that’s where we are. If this group doesn’t win now there will likely be a lot of changes next year and the year after as we move on from the bigger contracts and start over. We have a bunch of guys who will come off the books next year and the year after. It’s set up to compete now. The cap is not an issue moving forward because a lot of contracts can be terminated in the next couple of years if this current team fails.
Just go for the ride and hope for the best. What you’re suggesting is not going to happen this year.
drg, one more thing. “He can’t win without a really good team around him and that applies to almost every QB in the league.”
Marino already proved that as much as that hurts to say.
Even in NE with Brady when he has a bad day, somebody else always seems to step up and they still get the win. You can’t say football is the ultimate team sport and then put it all on the QB. It’s an oxymoron. You need a competent QB and a balanced team to win. RT is competent QB even if he’ll never be elite.
I think different coaching could have gotten more wins last year with the same team. Coaching is much more important than QB IMO.
The team quit on Philbin, and I hate when people use last year to compare things, because Philbin lost them. We can’t go 10-6 this year, because it’s very hard to improve by 4 games. No it isn’t, especially when you under performed. Coaching and QB need to be balanced, one isn’t more important than the other. You could say, Shula and Griese aren’t balanced, but we aren’t in the 70s.
No doubt Philbin lost the team. So did Coyle his defense and Lazor his offense. But Tannehill got them all fired. LOL
Last year was a shit season and we should just let it go. If we’re 6-10 again this year than we can’t keep rolling with the same players and paying them big money moving forward. What’s the point?
DRG
I think Tannehill is average right now
So I tend to agree with your ranking albeit I am probably more like to say 12-19 range
average is not so bad
I think Eli Manning and Joe Flacco are average QBs to
and they have 3 rings to show for it
They make big plays and I do think Tannehill can play at that level even when those 2 guys are at their best
I also think there is value to sticking with your guy even when you have to face the bumps and bruises
I’m not eager to move on from Tannehill
I just don’t covet him and I’m not we would be much worse with another average QB
I also think he may not be done improving and he might be able to be better than he has been
and some coaching with exploits his strengths and hides his weaknesses might really make him look much better
But I completely agree with you in terms of defense
I see an average player in Tannehill and I wonder why we build around him
instead of building around the great player on our roster – which is Suh IMO
Its why I am so upset at the direction we went in our offseason (queue the but we acquired Maxwell and Alonso replies)
I defense could have been the key part of our success
but I think with the moves made, weaknesses are likely to show up during the season
I had something else in mind when we went into the offseason
I would have liked to see the draft focus on bringing in young defensive talent
but what do I know
Given all that though, I think we may have made the right moves to be successful
and Tannehill is likely to have a year similar to last year statistically or even better
I don’t see him getting any worse
The direction the team went in the off-season, was akin to taking advantage of opportunity. Taking BPA in the draft falls in line with this. You go out and say we must get…your chances of succeeding are much less. No way do we trade up for Howard, unless we needed a CB desperately. I loved the off-season moves, with the salary cap issues we had, I thought they killed it. Buffalo had cap issues, and they stunk it up.
Tim,
I agree that we start Tannehill this year and see where it takes us. He’s a better option than Moore or anyone else we could get for under 10 million/year. Next year it’s a different story though. I have serious doubts about this roster. Our OL has been a bottom five unit for the past five years despite all the money/picks invested in it. We fell off a cliff defensively and something like 1/5 of our cap is spent on a guy at a position that doesn’t impact our W/L record all that much.
I was referring to what I’d like to see us do after this season. Maybe we get a surprise and this team makes the playoffs, but what I’ve seen and heard so far has me expecting more of the same. Wish I had more faith in Tannenbaum, but he seems to always give away assets to move around in the draft instead of picking up value.
Just my opinion, but we need to be rebuilding rather than trying to win now. The pieces just don’t seem to be there.
Steve,
Look at Denver, Seattle. They win with defense and solid QB play, although Wilson is really efficient at what he does. Will be very interesting to see how Denver does this year with a bottom five QB.
Seattle wins games when Wilson doesn’t play well. That’s the sign of a good team.
To win with D you have to be great on D, like top 10 in history great. The rules favor being great on O, it’s much easier to succeed. I think Denver’s issue this year will be more about the guys they lost on D.
Denver’s high powered offense got throttled by Seattle’s defense in the SB a few years ago. Denver’s sub par offense got a SB win last year because of their defense. Brady’s first SB win where he won MVP and didn’t deserve it – should have gone to Ty Law who had like 10 tackles and 2 crucial picks. Really good defense can take out a really good offense. See our SB in 84/85 against the 49ers. Everyone points to their offense but their defense kept us limited on the scoreboard so their offense could do their thing.
Really good defense still wins in this new NFL that is geared to more offense but still people can’t see it.
Pig,
My only problem is that we are getting the same production or possibly less than a Tyrod Taylor or most of the rookie contract QBs. Hard to swallow paying your QB 18 million/year to give you that type of production. I realize that’s the reality of the NFL these days, but I think the smart teams will move away from paying average QBs huge $$ in the future. Tannehill would probably get Fitzpatrick level money if he hit the market right now.
Not trying to make it sound like I think Tannehill is trash. I actually think he’s underrated a bit right now, but not at 18 million. Unless he shows major growth this season I think we should move on.
Steve,
We traded up to get Howard and gave up I think a 4th when he probably falls to us anyway. We traded a 3rd/4th/6th or something like that to get a third or fourth receiver? Just bad value moves that add up over time and thin a roster out.
You don’t have the answers on those moves yet. It’s funny how much mid round picks get valued during the draft but in a few years you realize they’re crap shoots. Just some food for thought.
Of course they’re crap shoots, but that’s why you have to load up on them. If you trade them all away it forces you to hit on almost every one.
The Howard trade up happened, because we were thin at CB, you can’t fill all your holes in FA. You don’t know that he falls to us, they didn’t want to take the risk, that’s not a bad move. Better safe than sorry, especially when the comp was a 4th. The Carroo trade up makes sense, you can’t just Ireland it all the time and take fallen crap.
drg, have you noticed what the top DTs in the league make? Teams feel differently about the DT position than most fans and even media. Suh has had games in his career where he wrecked games and was absolutely an integral part in winning games. But he also got caught up in the mess that was the Dolphins last year. That doesn’t mean he’s still not one of the top 5 DTs in the league. One player does not win games alone. There are too many plays that happen and too many things can happen. They can however make a big difference in why you’re still in the game.
An expert last year before the season said, if we don’t put guys around Suh he’s useless, because they’ll double and triple him and make him non existent. Funny how that turned out.
Tim,
Yeah, they help, but teams with Suh on them have averaged in the bottom half in run defense throughout his career. He doesn’t get to the QB that often either. Not saying he isn’t a great player, but an average team shouldn’t target him and pay him the biggest FA contract in history thinking it will take them to the next level.
I was generally happy with our offseason other than the unnecessary draft trades that gave up picks and future assets. Hoping it signals a change in philosophy for the organization. Tunsil should be a great value pick for years to come. If Alonso plays up to potential the trade with the Eagles will look much better.
DET was one of the top 5 rush defenses of all time with Suh a few years ago.
On another note, did you see what we did on day 3 of the draft? We took like 3 picks and turned them into 5 picks and the reason I believe we did that is because once in the 5th rd we felt there wasn’t much difference in what’s left on our board that we can’t get in the 6th and 7th rounds so we did just that, loaded up on our options.
Meaning if you’re grades on prospects are between 5.3 and 5.0 in the 5th but you feel the next 150 prospects all fall into that same grade, trade out and maximize your chances. Bill Walsh did that all the time.
That said, if those players don’t pan out, it didn’t mean anything. We shall see.
Except fans usually don’t bring that up, they just want to bitch about the picks they gave up. I however agree totally with your post.