Before we get down to business Dolphins fans, try to absorb the fact that this 2016 Miami Dolphins team was left for dead at 1-4, but fought hard all season long, often without many starters and managed to win 10 games and finish 10-6. Quite an accomplishment that cannot be diminished whether we lose by 1, or lose by 24. Adam Gase looks like the HC of this team for a long time, and that means we should be relevant for quite some time. Enjoy the fact that we’re playing Sunday, hopefully this magic ride continues with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. GO DOLPHINS!
from Wyo
Q – 1%?
That means that we have a better chance of catching a communicable disease than winning the AFC? (Though we might have that covered already?)
I don’t agree!
But what are your thoughts?
It’s disrespectful, but pull yourself away from being a Dolphins fan for a second. We were 4-2 in the division, which means we took care of the Bills and the Jets, but what did we do against the Patriots? 0-2, and although we came back in both games, it’s clear NE was just cruising along. If we find a way to beat the Steelers this weekend, we will play the Patriots again. Rightfully so, the Patriots are the favorite to get into the SB from the AFC. We would have to beat the Patriots in their house, after they had a 1 week rest. Not impossible, but if the Steelers are a 10 point favorite this week, I’d say the point spread against the Patriots would be 2 TD’s +.
That’s my 1st reason for understanding the 1%. I love our team, but we’re a severely faulted team. We only do one thing well, and for the most part, we don’t even do a lot of things as well as average. On offense, we’re #26 in passing. We are a top 10 rushing team at #9. We’re #17 in scoring on offense. On defense, we’re #31 in yardage allowed. We’re #15 in passing yards allowed, but that’s a bit skewed, considering teams can and have just run on us all day. We finished #32 in the NFL against the rush, allowing a staggering 2247 yards rushing.
On special teams, we’re dead last in field goals made with 16 made, and only 3 teams have either equal or worse percentage made than the Dolphins. We’re #4 in kick return average at 25.1 yards per return. We’re 13th in punt return average at 9.1 per return. On defensive special teams, we’re #7 on kickoffs, allowing only 21.7 yards per return, and on punts, we’re also #7 on punt returns defense, allowing only 8.1 yards per return.
Ok, getting the stats out of the way, we have to travel to Pittsburgh missing many of our starters, most likely the list including our starting QB Ryan Tannehill. At the time of this writing, Tannehill missed practice today. They’re going to decide as to whether he practices tomorrow, and then if he does, it’s all about his ability to move well. It’s a longshot this week that he plays, but I like that they’re being cautious.
Does all this mean I think we have no shot with Moore at QB, and Byron Maxwell, along will many others out this week to beat the Steelers? No way! I do think we can beat the Steelers, but I don’t think there are various ways, I think there’s one way. Ajayi has to at least be a factor in this game. He doesn’t necessarily have to gain 200 yards, or maybe even 100, but he needs to be near 100, and hopefully, he has more than 20 carries. We need to have some time of possession. If Ajayi has some success in the game, and Moore doesn’t turn it over more than once, I think we can win this game. On the other hand, if I was a betting man, and somehow we do get by Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t bet on MIA against the Patriots, so yeah, I can kind of understand the 1%, as annoying as it is.
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from Ken
Q – I know there are still the playoffs but the end of the season is approaching so putting on your GM cap who do you think will be our notable losses from the roster this offseason?
I think there are really just a few guys we need to try and keep here, but most of the the players that will be UFA’s, I think we let go. Jordan Cameron, Jelani Jenkins and Donald Butler, are all gone IMO. Dion Jordan is complicated, because we may still have control of him somehow, I’m not positive, but odds are he’s finally gone as well.
So who do we want to keep? Not necessarily in this exact order, Kenny Stills, Dion Sims, Andre Branch, Jermon Bushrod and Spencer Paysinger. Kenny Stills is likely the most important guy on offense, and Andre Branch on defense. Sims really came on towards the end of the season, and he’s always been a solid blocking TE, so he’s likely back here. Paysinger is a very good ST’s player, but exposed having to play LB in this defense. he should remain as a special teamer. Branch has had his best season as a DE, and he did well for us. He’s not a pass rushing monster, but he can tackle, and he did get 5.5 sacks. I’d love to have a pass rushing monster to replace him with on passing downs, but either way, I want Branch back.
OK, to get specific now as to who we do lose, because after all, that was the question! Let me get this out of the way Ken, it WON’T BE MAXWELL! lol
I think it’s unlikely that Stills get too expensive for us to keep, but hey, it’s free agency, and teams throw silly money around, and maybe some team does that, so I’ll say Stills could be one of the bigger losses. Andre Branch is another candidate to get hit with silly money. Stills is still very young, he’s only 24. Branch is a little older at 27. It’s less likely for Branch to get a ridiculous contract offer than Stills, because Stills is only 24. I think we will do our best to keep Stills, but he would be a tough loss.
Kiko Alonso is a RFA, so we basically have control. We will give him the highest tender, and may possibly try to sign him to a multi year deal. Either way, I think Alonso is in MIA next year, he loves the community here, so he’s here to stay. Damien Williams is also a RFA, and I think we’ll keep him as well.
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from Jahn
Q – Hey Mike…Why do we drive on Parkways and park on Driveways? Why does inflammable and flammable mean the same thing?
Oh…football eh?
Can the Fins advance past Pittsburgh if we can contain AB, but Leveon has his typical big day? If not, how do you game plan for their big 3 (Ben, AB and Bell)?
Jahn the Phisherman
I’m confounded by the first 2 questions. Inflammable? Flammable? Is our offense flammable? Our defense inflammable? Yes on both?
If we allow Bell to go off, it could be ugly for us Jahn. I think the scenario where we can win that way is if Ajayi also goes off, and instead of a 35-31 game, it’s more like a 23-20 game and we’re in it. Pittsburgh has a lot of other guys that can make plays, but ya know what, so do WE! We need to win the turnover battle to win this one. If we can make one of those big plays on defense, or ST’s, we can take this one. Win like we’ve been winning. Find a way.
Do we get in a scenario where Franks has to kick the GW FG for us? That could be terrifying, especially if we’re down, and not tied. We handled Antonio Brown pretty good the first game, so you know he’s going to want to make things different for this game. We just need to stay close in this game, and we can win it. We can’t fall behind, or I think we’re doomed, because that effectively takes Ajayi out of the equation. It’s looking moore and moore that Moore will be the QB. Our O-line has protected Moore very well. He hasn’t been sacked in the 3 games he’s played against the NY Jets, the Buffalo Bills and the NE Patriots. That’s impressive. There’s really not one guy on the Steelers defense we have to worry about. They have 38 sacks on defense, but the leader is LB Bud Dupree with 4.5. DE Stephon Tuitt is 2nd with 4. For perspective, the Dolphins only have 32 sacks, but the Dolphins sacks are more concentrated. Wake leads with 11.5, and then Branch has 5.5 and Suh has 5. The Steelers spread those sacks around, meaning, they can come from anywhere, and Gase will have to have his team prepared for pass rushers coming from anywhere. Luckily, Moore is a seasoned veteran, and should be able to recognize quickly enough and get the ball out.
As fas as game planning against the Steelers, being disciplined, and staying where you’re supposed to be is huge. Bell isn’t a violent runner, but if we shoot the wrong gap, and leave a hole, he’ll exploit that. Cut back runs will kill us, so if we stay in our lanes, and of course, make the tackles, we can contain Bell. Brown is different, because he’s most dangerous when Ben extends plays, because he works very intuitively with Ben, and will work his way open, and Ben has the arm to get it to him. The answer to that is not to allow Ben time to do that. If we can keep Ben in the pocket, and bring him down, Brown shouldn’t kill us, as long as our coverage is sound.
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from Piggy
Q – Oinks Human,
Why does mankind insist of giving the Dolphins a 1% chance to win the AFC? I admit I don’t believe we will go to the Super Bowl, but 1%?
Are we Dolfans being sensitive? Or is cheatriots love hitting some kind of extreme that we haven’t see before?
This seems to be very disrespectful. I tend to think some of the talking heads I hear have never watched a Dolphins game.
I think we win this Sunday and lose one of the next couple of games but that’s just Oinking between us.
Trotters and Squigglies,
The Pig With No Name
(An acoustic guitar playing is heard behind an angry pig)
I honestly think it’s Dolphins fans being too sensitive. We belong in the playoffs because we willed our way to winning 10 games. Some of them were uglier than ugly (Browns), and others were close (49ers), but it doesn’t matter, we won. Now that we’re here though, we’re subject to a lot more investigation, and when you look at this team as a whole, even with Tannehill and Byron Maxwell, it doesn’t measure up to the better teams in the AFC, such as New England and Kansas City.
If they gave us a 1% chance to beat Pittsburgh, I think we’d have a gripe. They’re talking about getting past NE and probably KC, which would be stunning. NE beat us twice, the 1st time with Garoppolo and Brissett, the 2nd time with Brady. In both games, we were blown out in the 1st half. NE lifted off the throttle a bit, and the end result was closer that it really was, but in the playoffs, there will be no lifting off the throttle. I’m not saying it will be a repeat of Jacksonville’s 62-7, but it may not be that far off. I could see us losing by more than 30 to NE in a playoff game in Foxboro.
Don’t get me wrong, I love our team, and I’m so thankful they gave us an extended season, and I truly believe that extended season can be extended even one more week after defeating the Steelers, but I think that’s likely where the Dolphins 2016 storybook season ends. I think it’s pretty realistic to say it’s a long, tough hard road for the 2016 Miami Dolphins. Going on the road, already missing many players and with a few that are playing banged up, to beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Filed, the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, and if that’s not enough, to most likely beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in KC. If I were an oddsmaker, I’d put us at 5-10%, and that’s just because I’m a Dolphins fan. 🙂
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Finsmob Unleashed 
Oinks and first
Pig!
1%
1 per Oinking cent!!!
Thanks Mike E
I have a little more optimism than you do.
I should have asked why we couldn’t get close enough to rip Brady’s head off last week?
For a touted DL we sure show up small sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice job Mike E
Good job again Mike
I just got a new TV, because my bedroom TV finally gave up after 14 years. It was a faithful worker, never had a problem, it just decided it didn’t want to wake up.
The good part of the story is a I get to watch the playoffs on a new TV, and that’s exciting! As if a Dolphins playoff game isn’t exciting enough!!
Howie,
42-40 Miami
You know after watching CFB last weekend.
If we could pick up a starting LB in FA or a trade I think I would be OK with picking O.J.Howard TE in the first round!
Not a bad article if you haven’t looked at the draft yet!
https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphinsTp/status/816983712638390272
Screw Jordy Nelson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wyo
I’d love to bring OJ Howard here. I know D doesn’t love him, but I’d be very happy if he were to be a Miami Dolphin.
The 1% chance is based on FPI BS, it doesn’t take intangibles, coaching, adjustments into account. Just some stupid stats some schmuck through together to validate his job.
They do take into account however that any home game for the cheats will incur officiating bias and whatever BS the cheats pull out of their magic bag.
In the words of Han Solo: “Never tell me the odds “
LB’s get pushed down one more spot!
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter 14s14 seconds ago
Florida CB Jalen ‘Teez’ Tabor announces he is declaring for NFL draft
Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero 5m5 minutes ago
Miami’s Ryan Tannehill will definitely not play this week according to a league source.
Wyo
Wake deserves much consideration, but Jordy Nelson did have a fantastic season for the Pack. Considering Wake’s age and type of injury, it’s more impressive what he was able to accomplish IMO
Screw Jordy!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Ken says:
January 5, 2017 at 10:04 am
In the words of Han Solo: “Never tell me the odds “
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Post of the year so far. OK I haven’t read every single one, but it just is!
Not sure if this is good or bad for the warm weather fins. Probably puts more emphasis on running, and makes us less likely to attempt to kick long FGs. Oh well, it is what it is.
Howie
20-17 MIA UK
(hope no one has picked that score already)
I know I’m allowed 1 change, but I’m taking this score with the impression that Matt Moore is starting for MIA.
Howie MIA 26 – PIT 23
Really cold weather is the enemy of an injured knee, so I’m thinking there’s practically no shot Tannehill plays this week. Next week is another story.
He’s already declared out.
I’m glad!
Oh and good job Mike – appreciate all the time you put in and feel ashamed my question quotient has been poor this season. Hope you get to do at least one more so I can redeem myself and we have another game to watch, but I don’t think I can bear to watch that one live if we get that far as I will need to fast forward to the point of no return and delete quickly to minimise the pain. I share your fears on that 3rd potential rematch 😦
Thanks UK – No worries bud, you’ve probably been busy nuke-proofing your home now that the Donald will soon be taking office. 🙂
As far as a rematch with NE, yeah, I don’t think that would go well for us, but . . . Ya never know!
We took a leaf out of his book and we have the Irish building a very high wall on their West Coast!
I think the next logical question is, do they put Tannehill on IR and free up a valuable roster spot?
I read that the thinking was that no one could come in off the street and contribute immediately. I vote for IR. We aren’t going to beat the Pats even with Aaron Rodgers in at QB, so I would!
UK
It’s kind of an enigma. If you beat Pittsburgh, and Moore plays well enough to help us win the game, do you really consider going back to Tannehill, who still is likely damaged? I suppose if he recovers really well, and can do everything he was able to do before, you have to consider playing him, but it can’t be an easy decision. At this point, it also seems unlikely that he’s going to get that much better in the next week, but sometimes it happens like that.
Despite Lou’s protestations to the contrary, Mike, Tanny gives us the best hypothetical chance of winning. As you pointed out though, increasing the chances from no chance to virtually no chance isn’t worth the risk playing in the cold at NE when they are the best team in the NFL, rarely make mistakes and you just know will do enough to beat us. It’s a risk versus reward thing with me. Don’t risk your MVP in a game you can’t win with the current injury depleted roster. We are building, our star is on the rise and Brady is ageing. If Tanny is hobbled and it gives just one of the NE cheats an extra advantage to get to him and hit him it sets the franchise back a season. I don’t play him.
All good points UK, I don’t disagree at all
Don’t risk your MVP? Ajayi is playing.
And how he and the OL goes will decide if we win.
been that way all year
Reasons not to trade Tanny
2011 Matt Moore (12) Chad Henne (4)
2010 Chad Henne (14) Chad Pennington (1) Tyler Thigpen (1)
2009 Chad Henne (13) Chad Pennington (3)
2008 Chad Pennington (16)
2007 Cleo Lemon (7) Trent Green (5) John Beck (4)
2006 Joey Harrington (11) Daunte Culpepper (4) Cleo Lemon (1)
2005 Gus Frerotte (15) Sage Rosenfels (1)
2004 A.J. Feeley (8) Jay Fiedler (7) Sage Rosenfels (1)
2003 Jay Fiedler (11) Brian Griese (5)
2002 Jay Fiedler (10) Ray Lucas (6)
2001 Jay Fiedler (16)
2000 Jay Fiedler (15) Damon Huard (1)
I rest my case!
Reasons not to trade Moore too!
Again, if we got Cunningham, Charlton, Pocic and Elflein out of the deal in the first 2 rounds I’m running to the phone.
My score assumes 2 FGs. Are you listening Franks? On the other hand, maybe a missed XP?
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 2m2 minutes ago
Vance Joseph says Byron Maxwell is “day to day. … We’re not sure. He’s fighting to play this week.”
Adam BeasleyVerified account
@AdamHBeasley
Joseph said his “sole focus” this week is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Acknowledges that he wants to be a HC, but has not scheduled any meetings
Awesome as always Mike E. And whether it is 1% or 5%, this is still a team that scored less points than it let in. Your choice as to smoke and mirrors, clutch or plain old good coaching.
The perils of the triple bundle. I spent a full day without phone, TV and internet. Was working and then all of a sudden not. The Uverse guy found out what was wrong in two seconds — the power plug to our main line access had been unplugged. One of those situations where I didn’t even share what had happened Since I didn’t do it figure it was either one of the dogs (if one learned to jump higher than they already can) or the other half. Saw no gain in making any of them feel foolish.
Oh boy! Did you feel like John McEnroe, happy that they can see what’s in and what’s out
Lou
Why do you even entertain the notion of the Dolphins trading Tannehill for a 1st and 2nd RD pick? I know we all throw shit against the wall, but do you really think the Dolphins would actively shop Tannehill? Do you think there are suitors that will make that kind of proposition w/o shopping him? If not, isn’t it pointless?
I just like to keep things interesting. It’s better than me being one of those ppl who are agonizing about when he’s coming back. That’s just as pointless.
OK, fair enough. I include myself as one of those, and it probably is pointless, because it’s not going to happen this season.
IMO, a non-biased evaluation of our team and its chances at a superbowl victory cannot be smaller than Oaklands, despite their record, the defense they have and their running game/OL unit which are good. QB play, while not everything is most things, and they have a guy playing the position who is just now dressing for his second game. I think their percentage chance to make it to round 2 is simply lower than our, and i think therefore that leads to an evaluation that their chance to make it to and win the superbowl to be less than ours. How low they gave us as our percentage was not nearly as insulting to me as it was to have Oakland at a better chance, or even Houston really.
James Walker ESPN Staff Writer
Dolphins DC Vance Joseph said you can make a great highlight tape with second-year DT Jordan Phillips. But you can make a really bad “lowlight” tape of Phillips as well. Joseph wants Phillips to eliminate the bad plays.
Good Job Mike!
I’m just looking forward to the game and if we win that would be awesome. If we lose, then we can at least celebrate a season where we finally had a winning record and made the playoffs. The team can build on that in the future.
Exactly – Right on!
professorloumiamidolphinsblog says:
January 5, 2017 at 11:10 am
Again, if we got Cunningham, Charlton, Pocic and Elflein out of the deal in the first 2 rounds I’m running to the phone.
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Like all those players, a little meh on Charlton, but you have to give a what are your plans at QB then, if you ink that trade. I can see your point in getting these players to hlp us in other areas, but i dont see your full vision on this trade without the, ok now how do i address the weakness i created at the most important position on a football team.
it’s a team game and that ONE player isn’t as important as getting those four guys who can improve the team immensely. Pocic and Elflein solve our issues on the o-line for a good # of years and most likely make us a much better offense from day one.
Charlton is the heir apparent to Wake’s position and probably gives us the ability to create more pressure on opposing qb’s than what we’ve seen this season and Cunningham is going to be all pro at the next level.
With what we would have on the offensive line added to the players we have at the skill positions the so-called weakness that was created is no longer a weakness because Gase can operate his offense with any # of qb’s in his system.
Tannehill is NOT the most important piece of this offense. He never has been and he never will be. Losing Stills to FA would give us a much bigger hole to fill.
as far as Charlton goes you should really go back and look at his film if you feel that way. he’s actually moved up from a high 2nd projection to mid 1st rd but the fact that he declined to play in the Senior Bowl could slide him.
more teams prefer the Senior Bowl than the underwear olympics because they get to see the players up close and perform in game situations with the coaches.
D
I hear ya on Oakland. Thing is, I don’t really care what they say about Oakland, so it doesn’t bother me either way. I do think Oakland still has a better shot than we do, because they do play at home until they meet NE
My point on shopping Tanny, isnt that its a crazy idea that a team would do it. WAY crazier shit has happened, players you thought were complete untouchables get dealt, it happens, no one is safe, period. There are things that dimish the chances though, big contracts, injury history, age of the player, etc., those all factor in on it being worth it or getting the return on investment you want.
My thinking with the trade talks is this, shopping a injured player before he has shown his recovery is good will not net you the value you are suggestion. Fully healthy, back on the field lighting it up, sure, in the QB hungry world and the weaker class of QB’s in next years draft, you might be able to get that value (could, Tanny lovers, im not behind doing it) but right now, and through the off-season if he doesn’t come back and do something special, it isn’t going to happen.
I wouldnt agonize over him coming back either, i dont think its going to happen, and i wouldnt at all rush it. In fact the guy that might garner the best value for trading (and i think you would really need to consider doing that trade as well) will be Moore if he is able to lead us at least past the first round. His trade value is going to go up significantly. Wanna talk trade, thats the guy and the talks will need to be dropped a bit from including a 1st. Might get a upper middle round pick offer from some team for him, maybe even a this year upper middle, and a conditional 2018 middle rounder, but thats about where it will top out.
I’ll go on record saying we won’t trade Tannehill or Moore.
gee you’re taking a real risk there. lol
I know we’re not going to shop Tannehill and I know nobody will ever come knocking on our door with that offer if he isn’t being shopped.
I’ve done several hypos that I knew wouldn’t happen like trading for Ryan Matthews and Kendricks but I like to live in fantasy land from time to time. It’s what I do.
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2017 at 11:47 am
D
I hear ya on Oakland. Thing is, I don’t really care what they say about Oakland, so it doesn’t bother me either way. I do think Oakland still has a better shot than we do, because they do play at home until they meet NE
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No they dont Mike, they didnt win their division, KC did.
Oakland is a WC like us. They play at Houston at Houston this round.
Oh, that’s right. Temporary confusion. lol
Jason Lieser @JasonLieser 17m
17 minutes ago
Dolphins OC Clyde Christensen says figuring out more plays for Jakeem Grant “will be a fun offseason project.”
Imagine what this offense could be next year if they could get Grant involved in it and defenses thinking about having to account for him. Ppl want a TE. If we get Grant involved in the O this team won’t need a TE. Gray and Sims will do just fine.
Same type of player, Tavon and Tyreek. Rams just suck more.
I don’t see this being difficult. Look no further at how the Rams use Tavon Austin. Problem solved.
I was thinking more along the lines of Tyreek Hill.
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/817054056929787905
I think Gase has to trust Grant more, and if/when he does, he’ll incorporate him into the offense
There’s plenty of ways they can get Grant and others involved. It’s one of the few complaints I have for this year is not making full use of the whole roster, and that includes the guys that they use the most already.
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 39m39 minutes ago
Christensen on Matt Moore: “He knows he’s our relief pitcher. … He assumed he was [starting unless] Ryan had a miraculous recovery.”
Lou, I wasn’t trying to take a risk. I find it funny how quickly fans are always looking to trade players.
Just like when fans on the radio call in making baseball trades and think packaging a bunch of average players for a super star is viable.
You don’t trade your starting QB and you don’t trade your quality backup who likes being here for the exact reason we’re in now, he can help us continue to win.
my comment was a joke
I understand that. But I see people talking about it so if it’s not likely why talk about it? LOL
Because………………..I gotta be me, I gotta be me……
If I’m going to start complaining, I’m much more disappointed we haven’t used Leonte Carroo, who we traded up for, as opposed to Jakeem Grant who was a 6th RD pick
Rizzi was talking about Carroo today and said one of the reasons he’s been inactive is because he’s not getting things down on special teams like they need him to.
That’s because Carroo is behind the 3 main guys. It’s likely that Carroo and Grant are not up to speed like the others in this offense which is likely more complicated than what they played in college. We don’t need them to play more right now. It’s okay to develop rookies.
D, on our chances being lower than Oakland and Houston. You have to look at what we’d have to do to get to the SB. Beat Pitt, then NE, then whoever is left most likely KC. Oakland and Houston could possibly get an easy route beat each other, then KC, then maybe even host us.
Wyo
Like I said the other day, more Etta is betta!
professorloumiamidolphinsblog says:
January 5, 2017 at 11:47 am
it’s a team game and that ONE player isn’t as important as getting those four guys who can improve the team immensely.
———————————
You essentially want a Houston scenario. Great skill players, amazing defense. However, you’re forgetting we are in a division with the New England Patriots. We won’t be winning a division by default because everybody sucks so bad. And Houston barely won the division at that. And they won in spite of their QB, not because of what he brings to the table.
No thanks. I do not want to be Houston. I’d rather have a QB locked down like the Titans or Colts and build around that.
yeah, but you’re assuming that our qb is the reason we’re winning and that’s an inaccurate assumption.
And you’re assuming that having no QB at all and winning is sustainable. It’s not. Houston’s point differential this season was -49. That is the exact opposite of sustainable. Houston is an embarrassment to the playoffs.
I’m under the assumption that our QB is assisting in wins, not adversely affecting our team’s performance which is exactly what could happen if you throw Tannehill away.
you’re selling short Gase and giving Tannehill way too much credit. when we are successful on offense it’s about the entire offense and not just the play of one guy. If you look at how we came out after half time in the last game and just took the ball on a long drive and scored a td, that wasn’t about Matt Moore or any one particular player.
That’s Gase making his adjustments and shredding a D. The qb is just a cog in the wheel.
answer this. what changed from when we went 1-4 to us reeling off numerous wins?
If Matt Moore can throw 8 td’s in three games does it really matter if Tannehill is the qb? Seriously. Gase makes this offense work. it’s not about the qb.
Mike,
hasn’t Caroo been injured here and there? I agree though. Would have liked to see more of him, but the coaching staff basically said they weren’t confident in him. Don’t know how much is him, and how much is the coaching staff not being able to coach him up.
the big thing is when you’re in his position on the depth chart you need to play st’s before you crack the lineup and Rizzi said today Carroo hasn’t done what he’s needed to do to play special teams to this point. So, he’s inactive until he starts contributing on st’s.
you don’t say?
I didn’t say. Rizzi did
stanger,
Or, we played a lot of really bad teams and eked out wins. There’s that possibility.
Nobody cares who you beat on your schedule, just win the games. Nobody cares that the Pats have feasted on a weak division for many years. But now it’s an issue that we finally broke through and made the playoffs. Enjoy it bro! 🙂
We beat Buffalo twice, and the Steelers. Both teams were playing very well when we beat them. We also beat the Cardinals who are never an easy team to beat.
Randy — seems that goes with the smoke and mirrors option. Oddly enough though…..the exception to that is the Steelers. And — not that I hope for it — our D-line does have away of putting QBs on the bench. Don’t think that factor is included in the 1%.
maybe next Lou can entertain us all with what he will do if he hit the lotto. that is probably more likely then trading t hill for 1st and 2nd picks
ooh. there’s an idea. I can go on for days about that one.
There’s a fine line between 10-6 and 6-10 in this league. There’s too much parity. Be happy we’re on the other side of it instead of disparaging the accomplishments.
^ precisely!
That’s a bingo!
Meanwhile Pigsgerald and Family excape the Frozen NE with a trip to the Bahamas! 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMXF-9sh2G0
Tim,
My comment was in response to comments about why nobody was giving us a snowball’s chance at getting through the playoffs. My guess is it’s because we barely beat a bunch of really bad teams and didn’t look good doing it. NE, on the other hand, beat the bad teams and the good teams and looked good doing it, for the most part. I never claimed it was “an issue”.
Another reason nobody is giving us snowball’s chance in hell is that we’re really banged up and playing with a lot of backups and young guys who maybe aren’t ready for prime time. But the fact we made the playoffs anyway is a good sign for us moving forward because we did it without being at full strength or at least without a lot of our main guys we went into the season with. I also understand most teams are banged up at this time of year, but we weren’t the deepest team to begin with.
Apparently we were fairly deeo.
At some positions, but not throughout the roster. But I’m proud of this team and I’m not taking anything away from them.
MikeE,
54-105-1. That’s the combined records of the 10 teams we beat this year. Pitt was the only team with a winning record.
***
Anyway, I’m done and out of here. Enjoy the playoffs! 😊
There were only 4 teams that finished with winning records on our schedule. Also the reason the Bills didn’t have a winning record is because we beat them twice.
eggsactly. it doesn’t matter what the records were of the teams we beat. only thing that mattered is we won. when we finished 6-10 nobody was looking at the records of the teams we lost to saying we have an extremely difficult schedule.
Nobody said, “man, look at the records of the teams we played. we had an extremely difficult schedule. kudos to us for even winning 6 games”.
The last 2 seasons, and you could look this up if you want to waste your time, I was on record as saying we should have been a 10 win team but we had the biggest bunch of losers and quitters on this team in the history of the team.
But, the coaching staff has made a drastic change in the culture and the attitude of the players on the team and that’s made a huge difference. Are we a juggernaut? Hell no. But, we find ways to win and we’re at the starting point right now. Add some players on both sides of the ball and we can compete with anybody.
Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero 14s14 seconds ago
Jelani Jenkins is practicing for second day in a row.
Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero 2m2 minutes ago
Byron Maxwell is not practicing during period open to the media. Safety Bacarri Rambo is practicing.
They said maxwell is day to day which is code name for he’s not playing
Tomorrow will be the key for him.
I know every teams have injuries, but we are down:
A starting QB
A Pro Bowl Center
A seam threat TE
A starting CB
Two starting safeties
Two starting LBs
And one Mario Williams.
Wondering if we still have the partridge in the pear tree ready for game day…..but we are still in the playoffs.
Yep – Considering that, I think we should be proud of making the playoffs
On D that is six of our opening day starters.
who are the 2 starting LBs that are down? I only count misi.
I thought Jenkins was out too…..or were you just taking a hit on him?
Lou, I agree this team should be better next year with another offseason for the new regime to build it the way they want it. This year was just the beginning of that process and most of the team was inherited.
We were down a seem threat TE going into the season. I’m not sure that should be counted. Lol.
I had high hopes for him……maybe someone will be the 2.0 of our hopes for that next year. Sims is good, but a seam threat he is not.
if Gase can beat the steelers on the road with this team, he should be the COY hands down.
stanger,
per wyoming post it sounds like Jenkins is ready to go.
Cool enough. I know a lot of the guys are down on him, but pre injury this year thought Jenkins offered a good option, in coverage at least.
The problem with Jenkins is he hasn’t been healthy enough to do his job well. Hopefully, if he plays, he fares better than he has most of the season.
Jenkins hasn’t been healthy for 2 seasons now.
LOL @ SB – I told ya so!
Haha. I threw that one out there for you.
A little alley-oop
Lou i think QB is more to a team than just his ability to affect a Win. I think the game is a team game, and i agree that all units have to contribute to be a team capable of cosnistently winning, but QB is a position that a lot of times is the continuity of a team. Losing a QB is one of the most detrimental things that can happen to your offense. This is precisely why i think we all underestimated the value of Matt Moore, because he has come in and kept a level of continuity that most teams lose when their starter goes down. You can look to tons of other teams and the meltdown that has ensued when the starter had left for validation to this. I dont disagree with your statement, but i do very much disagree witht he assuption that you can just stick anyone in there and expect to maintain success.
I also just wanted to see what your ideas were for QB with that question i posed. I mean you have to think about those things when purposing to trade away your starting QB, and i assumed you had some plan for that, i just wanted to know what it was because it might help to see the full vision of what the outcome would have been if we did get the trade, did get the draft picks, etc.
Agreed. Teams’ overall records with backup QBs are notoriously bad. We have a very capable one in Matt Moore.
We dont play too bad in Pittsburgh, i mean sometimes out players get a forceful anal fisting but we win there, in the cold even…..
Cameron was on pace for 56 receptions, 440 yards and 8 TD’s. The NE game, before Cleveland(where he got hurt early) he had gotten 7 targets so it looked like they were beginning to click. Its a shame he got hurt because i do think at the end of the year we could have seen some decent numbers out of him.
That said, i wouldn’t put any expectations on him returing to the team nor would i want him to be our primary TE. His health is unreliable andif i were him id retire before i became this….
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 2m2 minutes ago
Gase said he watched Tannehill move around yesterday and thought “he still needed more time.”
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 54s54 seconds ago
Rambo and Jenkins “looked good” today in practice, Gase said.
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 2m2 minutes ago
Gase on Maxwell: “We’re running out of time. … It’s been a while since he’s practiced.” Doesn’t sound encouraging.
This means brown will kill us.
There is also this
Armando Salguero ✔ @ArmandoSalguero
Won’t be surprised if Byron Maxwell, who didn’t work during open portion of practice, shows up on injury report as having practiced limited.
Only Omar!
No thanks. I doubt Gase would hire him. He’s too much a blowhard even if not the HC. My defense is the best, this is the most talent I’ve ever coached, we will dominate all opponents. Fuck that shit!
I would be OK with it if it were actually true! 😉
If you’re Gase you’re not hiring a former HC who has a huge ego to be a coordinator. It can be a cancer for the team. There are plenty of other coaches out there who understand defense. It’s still about talent.
Rex is the exact opposite of who Gase is…part of why I like our new HC.
If we hire Rex, he’s going to want to run a 3-4 defense, and we’ve discussed this, too much personnel turnover. Not happening.
Also if Rex is such a defensive guru he should be able to coach any system. I believe he did coach a 4-3 defense in Baltimore but I don’t remember if it changed to a 3-4 when he became DC. He wasn’t the DC in 2000 when they were one of the best ever, he was the DL coach until 2004 and they played a 4-3 at that time.
Still I hope we stay away from him. LOL
I say we go Rexy if Vance leaves. He should be an expert on Parker’s lingering health problem…..or at least be willing to inspect his foot over and over again.
Tim
I agree on Rexy. Too big a story and personality. I want the defense to be about the defense, not the guy who runs the scheme
Its not IF Rex can coach an 4-3 Defense, i think it is if he is willing to. In Buffalo he had a ready made 4-3 defense that was pretty damn elite and he came in and force a 3-4. You think he wouldnt want to do the same thing here, and i think Gase if he is willing to hire the guy, would eb willing to let him do his thing on defense, meaning he wouldnt stand in the way of the switch.
I dont think Gase and Rex will ever be paired up, i think they are WAY different people and i dont think Gase would particualy care for Rex’s style of work. Gase is very serious about the game of football, Rex is serious about being a wild and crazy cartoon character.
LOL and agreed.
I bet Gase would hire a former HC to be the DC, just not that one lol.
Well he went for a 1st time guy right out the gate in VJ.
“VJ one and done”
Yeah but because he became a HC.
Maxwell didn’t practice today
😤
WY
The trip to the Bahamas was Oink!
🙂
Is VJ officially a head coach?
Not official, but it sure looks like he’s going o be the HC of the Broncos
No team can even interview Joseph until we are out of the playoffs. And even when teams do they have to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Not against that, but there is the flip side on that when any African-American is brought in.
That’s not true Stanger, if we beat Pitt VJ will be interviewed by Denver in Miami next week.
OK — will trust you on the new rules on that, even if sure that wasn’t the case before. Could anyone have talked to him before now?
Ivery heard it all week, so I looked it up. To talk to him they just need permission by the team/HC.
Stanger, the rumor is Elway liked VJ having interviewed him when he fired Fox and then he went with Kubiak who he obviously knew better. So VJ would be coming back a few years later for another interview. There seems to be a buzz about him in Denver. He also has a relationship with Wade Phillips and would likely retain him as DC. Denver was the #4 in overall defense so that would keep things in place there. This scenario wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Not saying it won’t happen, but buzz is just buzz when no one is supposed to be talking to nobody…especially when the Rooney rule is involved. Makes all the sense to have the top candidate to satisfy that to be the the first one through the door. Buzz has it that five teams have asked about Joseph, and not like our D ranking is top ten.
The NFLN reported it’s a real interest based on what I said. It has nothing to do with talking to anyone yet. People in NFL circles hear things and know things about young coaches on the rise that the fans do not and it has nothing to do with rankings. They can see through the talent they had etc.
The Bears offense wasn’t all that last year in terms of rankings but Gase is our HC now. Fans play with stats too much and it’s not as big of a deal as NFL people think about it.
The reason I mentioned the Broncos defensive ranking is Phillips has been coaching that group for two years and they were the best last year and still really good this year. Yes they have talent which is the key, but keeping the scheme they’re running with the same guy would be appealing to me if I’m Elway.
Apparently it doesn’t matter what VJ did this year, he seems to have the respect from around the league, and many believe that he’s going to be one of the next great HCs.
Like I said, it may be absolutely true. Bit then there is the Rooney Rule and our D ranking. So may not work out too.
VJ is black, so what does the Rooney rule have to do with it?
Each team has to satisfy the rule is all….
“The Rooney Rule is a National Football League policy that requires league teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs. It is sometimes cited as an example of affirmative action, though there is no quota or preference given to minorities in the hiring of candidates.”
We heard the interviews between our beat writers and VJ, he’s got an aura about himself that exudes confidence. I feel it, but I haven’t seen it displayed on the field yet. That all out blitz on the Edelman TD was inexcuseable.
Stanger, what point are you trying to make about the Rooney Rule?
Are you saying teams may just be interviewing him, because he’s black?
Just that every team has to bring in a candidate for HC who satisfies the requirement. I think it is a good policy, but still every team has to do just that. Might be Vance Joseph is the next HC of the Broncos or some other team, but some person who will satisfy the rule will be brought in….why not go with the best candidate?
I think VJ will make a great HC some day, but I think anyone that signs him this year will be in for a rude awakening, if they expect results right away. Denver may be the exception, since their D is really good.
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/817115186758877185
VJ has nothing to do with the Rooney Rule, he’s a legit HC candidate. I still have no idea what your point is Stanger.
Tried to explain, but agree that Joseph is a good coach and may get a HC spot. Sorry if my point about the Rooney Rule didn’t come through. Key part is all teams have to interview a minority candidate. Sorta figured all would try to bring in the best one available.
I think Stanger and others, and I was in this boat last week, are ignoring there has been a buzz about VJ the same way there was about Gase prior to becoming a HC within NFL circles. People in the biz know more about which coaches are coveted than fans and some media types do. Many of them simply look at rankings and blame coaching for it if it’s bad. When it’s good they credit the QB. LOL
There is an insider intel that goes on throughout the league and many of these people know each other one way or the other. Fans and most media do not have access to that intel. Has anyone ever sat in the film room with any coach to get a real feel for who and what they are?
Also people act like first time HCs or coordinators just started to learn the game of football and have no clue what a play or game plans looks like. LOL
Steve
From what I’m getting from what Stanger is saying is the Rooney Rule exists, so he feels it’s possible that not only are teams interested in VJ because he’s one of the best candidates out there, but he also satisfies the Rooney Rule if they don’t hire him. That’s my take on what he’s saying
He’s right but VJ is past just satisfying the rule. Teams do like him. He’s coached with a lot of teams and well respected coaches and he’s well thought of. Now he could end up not getting a HC job. Maybe he’s not ready or fell just short. If he doesn’t get the job do you think he’ll go back to being perceived as just a Rooney rule candidate? I do and it’s unfair.
Perception is not always the truth. In fact it’s probably closer to 50/50 than it is accurate.
Not necessarily, but that’s one of the pitfalls of having such a rule in place. The sword cuts both ways. Not really important what we think anyway, he is good, and he will get hired sooner than later
So what is your point on the Rooney Rule? We all know what the rule is. Are you saying teams may just be trying to interview him to satisfy the rule?
Look up one
Steve — just saying the Rooney rule is there. And it does come into play. Not like I am a racist far as I know…..come to a Fest and you can meet my wife.
As far as potentially replacing VJ, i think id like to either promote Burke and then pick up a guy from the college ranks to fill the LB’s role, or there are guys like Will Muschamp who could come in as a DC directly from college and really do well. I also think if Mike Smith doesnt get a HC job, i might would offer him the DC position, maybe with a little better pay than he is getting from the Bucs right now.
Can you hire a guy laterally like that? I don’t think the Bucs have to allow an interview
You can hire a guy laterally, but they can shut it down. I am not sure if they would or not.
VJ has a lot of ties with Colorado, he played College football there, and i bet made a lot of connections during that time.
I really dont see VJ going anywhere but Denver TBH, and i think there is a storng possibility that Kyle Shanahan is on equal footing as a candidate there, given his fathers relationship with Elway, the success he had in Denver and how well the Falcon’s Offense looked.
Gotcha D – Is Smith on a multi year contract with TB, or did he do a 1YR deal, hoping to get another HC job?
At least we aren’t the only ones with a white elephant!
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter 35m35 minutes ago
Randy Gregory suspended without pay for at least one year for violating NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 5m5 minutes ago
#Cowboys DE Randy Gregory is 24. He’s been suspended 3 times by @NFL. Failed a combine drug test. Played in 14 games in 2 years. 1 sack.
Im with Mike and i have been vocal about it so im trying to restrain my argument against it. The rule probably was very necessary to even things out, but it does cut the other way when it takes the legitimacy of a black candidate away if a person can think or feel they got that opportunity because a team was forced to.
VJ deserves his shot because he’s a good coach, Bowles was a good coach, one of the coaches i think is one of the best all time, Dennis Green, same deal. I just dont like the fact an argument can be had against it because of that rule, and i believe the rule isnt needed anymore because Green, Tomlin, Lewis, Caldwell, etc have proven that. It shouldnt be a relevant rule any more.
I don’t think Bowles is a good coach, but that only comes what I see on the outside. He doesn’t seem to make adjustments, he just seems like a deer in headlights.
Evening Update
First Ever Playoff Edition
DOLPHINS-STEELERS
Piggy 31-24 MIA
Son 18-16 MIA
Howie 27-24 MIA
Old 30-28 MIA
Prof 33-24 PIT
Herd 30-27 MIA
B’man 42-40 MIA
UK 20-17 MIA
MikeE 26-23 MIA
GO DOLPHINS!!!
I’m going to discuss our game this Sunday. We’re in the friggin playoffs peeps!!! 🙂
Turnovers and penalties will likely decide the outcome of this game. Both effect field position and momentum.
How much of a killer is it when on 3rd and long you get the stop only to find out you had a personal foul, holding or PI and automatic 1st down. Or on offense you get a false start on 3rd and 2 and now it’s 3rd and 7 or you turn it over at the worst time.
To me that’s what turns games around. Rarely do you see one team just destroy the other without penalties and turnovers.
You can bet we’ll get a holding penalty on both sides of the ball to negate a good play, just life in the NFL when playing at Pitt in playoffs. Overcoming it will be the deciding factor on us winning.
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2017 at 5:27 pm
Gotcha D – Is Smith on a multi year contract with TB, or did he do a 1YR deal, hoping to get another HC job?
—————————————
I couldn’t find anything concrete about his contact details but i believe it was a one year contract. I think it was a try it out contract, because he was not attached to Keotter previously and he was trying for a HC position before settling on their DC position.
Which is probably how we would get him too, he is probably going to run the circuit for HC and then fall back to a DC gig. He apparently was deeper in the running for our HC position than a lot of people know about. I found some articles that said before they locked on to Gase, Smith was one of the top guys up for consideration.
Hmmm, that’s interesting, and I didn’t know that
Smith is a good coach.
Yeah Tim thats what i was saying earlier, we need to play a really disciplined game, good solid tackling, fundemental football, dont shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties, etc. We need some contributions from other groups too like ST’s . Its going to take a much better game than we showed against the Bills or the Pats (though i do think the Pats game was just a “dont care about this one” thing). We have to come to play our best football and i think if we do we have a legitimate chance to win.
Play sound football and let the playmakers make big plays. If we fail there we lose. Same for the Steelers.
Tim about the HC ad a DC, im not saying Gase would want a guy who was previously a HC, im saying he wouldnt turn one away just because he was formerly a HC. I think he would get the best guy, my statement was more that his issue with Ryan wouldnt be because “he was once a HC”. It would be because he wouldnt want Ryan’s silly antics on his team.
Yeah I understand. Hiring Rex is like hiring a megaphone of self serving nonsense. LOL
My preference is to promote Burkes, or hire a guy like Will Muschamp. For all the failures of Muschamp as a HC his defenses are sick, he flipped Auburns defense around in 1 year, they went from having one of the worst defenses in the SEC to having one of the best. He is really solid in finding the right talent (granted he has only done so at a collegiate level, but… he knows what works in his system), and he mixes formations and calls a really good defensive game. I think he would be equally successful in the pros and have never understood why he keeps banging his head on the wall trying to establish himself as a HC (which i know all to well his failures there) when he could go to the NFL as a DC or position coach, and make his way up from there. Clemson’s DC would be another guy i would consider, especially for a Linebackers coach consideration, their LB’s are really solid.
I would look to someone Gase knows, he’s going to hire the new DC if VJ gets a HC job. I don’t think he goes to college unless he really knows the guy.
His next door neighbor?
I been telling you VJ is good as gone and RT wont be playing even if we make it to the Super Bowl…
Take it from me, I know 🙂
You’re fucking awesome!!! LOL
LOL – Howie is ALL knowing . . . .
Howie – Without telling too much, are we going to be happy Sunday afternoon, or not? 🙂