Coffee. I love coffee. Americans love coffee. Americans drink approximately 382 cups of coffee (8 oz). per year. 54% of American adults are regular coffee drinkers, and consume on average three 8 oz cups per day. Now that’s a lot of coffee my friends.
I used to drink my fair share of coffee, and it was always regular coffee, not decaffeinated. Not a coffee snob in the least when I first started drinking it, in fact, I was an uninformed coffee novice, I couldn’t tell the difference between a gourmet cup and a cup of mud, and I wasn’t interested in doing so either.
As I got older, probably in my early 40’s, the flavor of coffee started to really matter to me. “Brands” were beginning to emerge as elite coffees, and the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup no longer applied. I can honestly say, there is nothing like the smell of good coffee brewing, nothing. If you’re a hardcore Stephen King fan, you know what the other 2 finest smells in the world are. If you’re not, you’re going to have to do a little research.
Many years ago, circa 1987, my wife (then my girlfriend) were out with a group of our best friends at an Italian restaurant in Bay Ridge Brooklyn called “The Pasta House’. We had a pretty good dinner, some wine, some laughs, and then it came to dessert. A few of us ordered dessert, most ordered coffee, and then a casual conversation about coffee ensued. My best friend Scott started to say something about coffee, and was quickly intercepted by his wife. Scott was firmly scolded because he had only been drinking coffee for a short time, definitely less than a month, so how could he possibly be allowed to talk about coffee with us seasoned veterans? Still one of the funniest memories we share, because she was so serious that he was unqualified to even casually discuss coffee, but that’s the passion coffee brings out in people.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what year it was that I became a coffee aficionado (read SNOB), time gets fuzzy as you age, and so do the inside of your ears. I had tried many of the fancy brands by going into one of their establishments and ordering by the cup, which is bewildering in some of those stores. How is the “grande” not the largest size? Why is a “tall” not nearly the biggest? So you can see I’m talking about Starbucks, and I admittedly am in love with Starbucks coffee. Here’s the twist though. I don’t like the way they brew it. So I do it myself.
You can purchase Starbucks coffee in many different retail outlets. Big box stores sell it, like Target, and some of the membership clubs do too, like Sam’s, and maybe even Costco, though I’m not positive about that. Here’s the key though friends, you have to buy “whole bean” coffee. You just can’t purchase “ground” coffee, or you may as well go back to waking up with Folgers. You need to make some effort that you care about your coffee, and grind it fresh each morning you drink it. It is such a rewarding experience grinding your own coffee. We’re talking a good old fashioned drip coffee maker. Remember those? That brings me to this.
What is happening with the way we we make our coffee? If you’re alive and it’s 2017, you either have one of those Keurig “pod” coffee makers in your home or office, or maybe both. I can’t tell you how much I despise these machines. If you really enjoy a good burger, one that was seasoned properly using a good quality meat, you can eat a whopper, and it may satiate you, but mostly, you feel cheated and empty. Same thing here. You get a minute if that of coffee aroma, and because you’re using ground coffee in a pod, the flavor just ain’t there.
Do yourself a favor. I’m aware that we’re all different. My favorite coffee for flavor, and aroma, is Starbucks House Blend. I’ve tried many different variations of their coffee, as well as other brands too, and the only one I like almost as much is the Starbucks Breakfast Blend. Buy the whole bean, and hopefully you still have a proper drip coffee maker. My formula, or ratio of coffee to water is this . . . If you’re making 10 cups of coffee, 5 scoops of freshly ground whole bean coffee to 11 cups of water. 1 cup seems to always magically evaporate, and for me, that works perfectly. The aroma is just beautiful, it makes me very happy. If you like it stronger, either use more coffee or less water, and conversely, if it’s too strong, use more water or less coffee. Experiment. If you like coffee, it’s worth a shot. If you love coffee, it’s a must!
Don’t blame me if one day you look at your silly little “pod” coffee machine with disdain, and maybe even kick it off the counter. Only negative to this is you may really start caring about the quality of your coffee. I’m aware that these silly “pod” machines are available with a reusable pod that can be filled with coffee of your choice. It’s not the same folks. It’s like buying a grilled swordfish plate at the best French restaurant, boxing it up, putting it in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and then heating it up in the microwave. NOT the same!
I do understand that in today’s lifestyle, time is of a premium, and that’s why the quick little “pod” machine is everyone’s best friend, but if/when you have time, savor your coffee, you won’t regret it! Find your favorite coffee and make it happen. Let me know what it is too, I’d like to try it as well.
Finsmob Unleashed 
Instead of Mychal Rivera in FA, I’d look to draft Engram @ TE if they think Duarte won’t develop. Engram should come after the top 3-4 TE’s taken.
Another possible seam gem is Hodges the tall kid from VaTech
I’m thinking out of the box. Yes, today is the day they let me out of the box in the psych ward.
Shine on you crazy diamond!
Well it’s finally here, woooo!
I hope tomorrow marks the beginning of great things for our country, and isn’t marred by violence and endless protests.
MAGA!
Lou, seriously, how on earth does picking any one player in the draft void you of upgrading another position? I don’t get it.
You know what, don’t be surprised if we select the best C/G at #22 to not fuck around with running our offense. We have skill, we need more depth and talent on the OL, right?
It’s about how the team gets better not preferred nonsense. LOL
you’re correct. a team gets better by adding the best talent you can every year. you don’t pick for need all of the time. but, when need meets bpa you don’t go in a different direction. if Howard or Njoku are there at #22 and so are any # of defensive prospects like Taco, Tak or Cunningham you can’t say there’s that much of a difference in draft grade between the TE’s and the guys on D to take a TE.
It’s a different story if your grades on those guys at other positions are that much higher than those at a position of need. I think that’s one of the places Ireland made his biggest mistakes. He traded out of position to get better value at a position of need.
But, look at the prospects in the top 32 and when you get down around where we are there’s not a huge drop off from one guy to the next.
However, since you brought it up, if we’re taking a G at #22 give me Garrett Bolles. I know he’s a LT but stick him inside at G and move Tunsil to LT.
but, to answer your first question, it may not void you of upgrading another position but the talent at that other position might not be what you could have had otherwise.
we REALLY need to start thinking about replacements at DE. REALLY. We also really need LB’s. But, let’s say we draft one of your mancrush TE’s in the first rd. What’s there going to be at DE or LB for us to take at #54 or later?
Slim pickens.
Lou, I’m talking no particular prospect at any position. Make your team better. That’s all that matters.
Gase wants his offense to dictate the game the way the Falcons are doing. Score too much for the opponent. I get it. That’s what he’s going to try and do here. Defense needs to be solid, not great. Make the plays you should make, and put some pressure on the QB!
I don’t agree with that assessment. I don’t think Gase cares if the offense or the defense that’s the dominant part of the team. I think he knows that his qb is just good enough to get the job done and the offense will never be what it is in Atlanta or what it was when he had Manning in Denver.
I think that’s kind of far-fetched to think that will ever happen. We have some playmakers on offense, it’s true, and they will need to create and make things happen to give us the opportunity to score more. However, we’re also going to need to have a good, strong running game and a defense that can create more opportunities for the offense.
But, again, Falcons offense? You’re dreaming Tim.
and you can’t get pressure on the qb if you ain’t got the defensive ends to do it. in addition, you’re not going to get pressure on the qb unless you stop them from running the ball and get them behind schedule on down and distance and get them throwing the ball more often and having to go further on 3rd down to get a first down.
so, we NEED defense. fuck those TE’s and their coffee pods.
you’ve probably got offense coaches on teams pounding the table for offensive players and defensive coaches doing the same for players on their side of the ball making the same arguments during the offseason leading up to the draft.
need to move the ball more on offense, need to put up more points. need to stop the run, need to get more pressure on the qb.
and I get what you’re saying Tim, I do. you take talent and you increase the overall talent of your team. that’s a given. I go back to the ’10 draft when we traded down to get Odrick in the first. We traded out of a position that if we took someone there with what was available we increase the overall talent level on the team. by far. but the argument was we already had players at those positions so we didn’t need that talent.
but, someone didn’t do their homework and did a poor assessment of the situation or the thinking about adding talent no matter what wasn’t prevalent at the time. same thing happened when we drafted Misi in the next rd and so on and so on.
so, yes, you take the best player for your team. just like Hickey said and just like Grier said in the last draft and will say again this year. I’m all for it. I just happen to think that the talent on the defensive side of the ball in the first rd will match need with BPA.
Lou, you lost me. Gase like any other offensive coach wants to dominate in his area of expertise. It’s nature. The Pats D ranks high on big leads. That’s the model.
LMAO Tim. How in the hell do you think this offense is going to put up the points of an Atlanta or NE with an avg qb at the reigns? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. yeah, we’re going to score as many points as Atlanta with Tannehill throwing the ball. Get a grip there fella.
Okay, so let’s say we go into the draft targeting Howard or Njoku in the first and maybe Bolles, Pocic or Elflein in the 2nd and land our guys. We get our offensive guys. We go from 363 to 410 pts for the yr and we have shootouts with other teams like we did when Marino was the qb because our defense sucks. After the 2nd rd the drat is loaded with DT’s but LB’s and DE’s prospects aren’t there.
I don’t think Gase is naïve enough to think he can outscore others with the qb he has without a defense that can create more opportunities for his offense. I also think you’re selling Gase short on his intellect because I think he’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for and he knows his defense isn’t good enough to get the job done.
Finally, think about this. When did Denver win the SB? Did they win it with a Manning high flying attack like they had when Gase was there and set the record?
No, they won it the year Manning missed games and didn’t play like himself and won it with great defense. Gase is a lot smarter than that.
LMAO @ Lou’s take on Gase & his franchise QB….smh!
If we re-sign Branch, we have 2 starting DE’s. Right now we have ZERO starting TE’s. Lou, you’re so worried about getting guys in to be there when our old DE’s are gone, but we have a huge sinkhole at the TE position NOW! Wake up and smell the coffee! lol
gheez Mike. Branch is serviceable but he’s not the long-term answer at DE. Wake can get the sacks but against the run he’s a major liability. We need to get DE’s in there who can go this year and replace what we’ve got for good next year. Who gives a shit about TE’s at this point. It’s ridiculous.
I’ll bet that Gase gives a shit about TE, he has at every stop he coached. He likes to use the TE, and hasn’t really been able to do that in MIA, because we don’t have the players to do it with.
In Chicago, Martellus Bennett AND Zach Miller were both head and shoulders better than what we have here now.
whether he cares about a TE or not isn’t the point. I think he’s smart enough to understand that a TE isn’t going to solve the issues they have on the team and their issues go much deeper than one position on offense.
the defense can’t stop the run. combination of play along the d-line and at LB. defense also isn’t getting consistent pressure on opposing qb’s.
If anything I’d rather we go offensive line in the first 2 rds with the prospects that are available than going with a TE in the first. We could have a shot at Everrett in the 3rd w/our comp pick or even Sprinkles. We sure as hell don’t need to go balls out on a TE in the first rd.
I didn’t say we have to go TE in the 1st RD, only 1 of the TE’s I mentioned has a shot at being taken in the 1st, and that’s Howard. The other guys are possibly 2nd and even further down. You do realize we have FA and the draft, right? You don’t think Gase is going to try to improve the TE position at all?
Looks like Jamie Collins isn’t going to hit the market. That sucks.
Not sure if you saw my post last night. Mark Dominick was the host on NFL radio, and not that he’s the end all, but he said he thinks Mike Tanenbaum and Chris Grier are going to be quiet at LB in FA, and just draft young LB’s. We’ll see, I think at the least we should pick up a couple of depth players better than what we have.
No and no!
BREAKING: President-elect Trump will name the owner of NFL’s NY Jets, Woody Johnson, to be ambassador to the United Kingdom, official says.
Prepping for the BIG SHOW #Inauguration
That is so disturbing . . .
To whom it may concern;
It is just MHO but I believe OJ Howard will have a better NFL career than either Cunningham or Foster.
In no way do I think we pass if either one is available!
But if they are both gone and the DE / Edge guys?
The we will be down to OT, OG, CB, TE, maybe Safety?
I’m concerned
About Coffee!
LOL Wyo – That, and making the Dolphins a better team, and getting a TE is a good step in the right direction, along with LB’s and DE’s, and a couple of OL.
On Duarte adding weight, I agree with Tim, you can gain weight/muscle and maintain your speed. My boss early 90s was a former Giants WR, I played softball with him. He weighed 250+ and he was the fastest I’ve ever seen going down to first. It was funny as hell watching the 1B wince.
There are certain times no matter how much you try at sports that someone shows you that others are at a level you can’t dream of. And a big fast dude is one of them. In college was good enough in rubgy, and even if not as fast as the little guys figured I was a whole lot tougher than them.
One game lined up against the starting RB for Dartmouth. Dude was like 235 rock pounds (I’m hitting like 190 then) and could out run everyone no matter what size on both teams. He scored three times on long runs. Yeah all those started with me, but a whole lot of other people had chances to put him down or catch him each time. And even if he helped his team to the equivalent of the college rugby superbowl that year — not like he played in the NFL either.
I bet we pick up 2 LBs and a DE in the FA and will go BPA in draft in these positions. LB, DE, TE, OG/C in every early round.
UK
Get your tickets brother! Dolphins vs Saints @ Wembley Stadium, October 1st, 2017
I thought about doing this myself.
sb7 — problem with that game is it won’t be the Fest, which is cheaper, better and has no jet lag involved. 🙂
sometimes I read this blog and wonder if people are serious in what they are saying, or if they’re simply looking to get a reaction and are trolling.
We really have very little young talent in defense up front
We have Jordan Phillips
After that maybe Kiko
I don’t think that is a good thing. You have to bring along guys
When you look on offense
You see guy like Ajayi, Tannehill, Landry, Parker, Tunsil, Simms, James
There is some consistency in offense
If you look to FA to solve your problems
It’s usually just a brief cycle
And next thing you know the guy you brought in is a cap casualty bc the cap savings outweigh the dead money
The draft and free agency is not just about 2017
It’s a foundation
We’ve been laying that foundation on offense for years
We really need 1 or 2 heavy defensive drafts
It really doesn’t matter what we do in FA
We still need to bring in some defensive youth
These islamaphobia memes are never funny to me
Look at Kansas City
They have a solid defensive based on years of focusing on defense
Look at Pittburgh – yes that is an offensive team
But they spent the last few years building their defense with young LBs and DBs
And there is a foundation for a good defense
Atlanta is the same way
Last couple of years heavy on defense
And it’s allowing them to be more competitive (even thought they have a great offense)
If we don’t start bringing in defensive players who are going to be here 4-5 years without costing much against the cap, we are going to hurt ourselves for years
Now is the time to do this
So this idea about spending a 1st on a TE or taking the BPA even if it’s OL
I fart on it
We need young defensive players that will be here half a decade
We have those on offense already
Think about 2018 2019 and so on
That is what the draft is for
Sorry for posting the political pic!
I’m finding the hysteria going on at the moment hilarious!
I also think the hysteria is funny
I’m probably avoiding twitter today
But I have to reply bc I have a different political position
you don’t have to apologize for your politics
its all cool here
I just insist on pointing out that I differ n the subject when I see it so that people who read understand that there are many points of views
I was apologizing for interrupting Dolphins talk! 🙂
I like the OG in FA Idea!
Lets us pic Pocic or Elf as “the future” inside guy
we can pick up a starter in the 5th round (especially if we end up with 3 5th rounders)
or maybe int he 3rd (if we get that comp pick)
its a deep tight end draft
I would re-sign Simms and try to find another young TE to bring along
its a deep enough draft that I think it would be a mistake not to draft a TE
But I feel strongly that we need young talent on D that we can count on to be here 4 or 5 years from now
OJ Howard appears to be an exceptional talent
some one will love him – but I hope its not us
Mike E. says:
January 20, 2017 at 11:21 am
UK
Get your tickets brother! Dolphins vs Saints @ Wembley Stadium, October 1st, 2017
__________________________________________________________________________
Sales only through Ticketmaster (with exorbitant charges every time you type a character into your order). I’m registered! 🙂
Individual game tickets for both Wembley games will go on sale in an exclusive presale from 10am, 31st January 2017 with Premium tickets. All other price categories for these two games will follow at 10am, 2nd February 2017 via Ticketmaster.
The exclusive presale will be available for all fans who have registered their interest for tickets to the games at Wembley stadium. Registry of interest will be open until 12am (midnight) on Wednesday 25 Jan 2017 at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/NFL
General public sale for all remaining tickets will be from 10am, Tuesday 7th February 2017.
boo ticketmaster
I also don’t think we are going to find some one who blocks better than Simms in FA or in the draft
if we don’t re-sign Simms, its bound to be a downgrade to the running game
Albeit OJ Howard is a very good blocking TE as well as a talented receiver
Keep it up and you’ll talk yourself into Howard yet! 🙂
LOL Wyo – He’s almost there!
NEVER
Well that Shoots any FA LB out of sight!!!!!!!
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 7m7 minutes ago
More
Source: The impending extension for #Browns LB Jamie Collins will eclipse the per-year salary of #Panthers LB Luke Kuechly ($12.36M).
I guess the Browns can afford it
They have a ton of $$$ to spend
but this will fuck up the LB market for all of us
If they didn’t re-sign him, they would have looked even worse than they really are.
let other teams overpay for LBs in FA. I want mine homegrown.
I want my TE’s homegrown too. Look what happened when we signed other teams leftovers!
Piggy
You’re becoming too narrow-minded on this. What if the Dolphins took Howard in the 1st, Jarrad Davis in the 2nd, and say Haasan Reddick in the 3rd. That wouldn’t cut it for you?
I’ll be narrowminded. No Alabama players.
SB
OJ’s are always good players. It’s just the way it is.
This is outrageous. I came to this blog for the togetherness, the comraderie and the misery loves company-when your team sucks… factor.
All we get these days is divisiveness in-fighting and drawing lines in the sand. We used to be friends Mike E! But now? I have to choose between you and my pod-style espresso maker?
Well FUCK OFF then!
😛
Says the professional beer brewer/crafter/master . . . 🙂
Lou, I was talking about improving the overall offense which I’m sure Gase wants to do and you go right back to making it all about Tannehill. Some things never change. LOL
Far as I can see…..only possible big buys on O are TE and G (even if we keep Stills). But then I thought last year was going to be all D too.
I’m talking about getting the offense to play better even from within, not just adding new players. Improving the performance. They should be better in the 2nd year of the offense.
Can’t argue with that. Young and ready with Gase year two on it’s way.
ukfinfan says:
January 20, 2017 at 11:55 am….
Sales only through Ticketmaster (with exorbitant charges every time you type a character into your order).
How much extra do they charge extra if you type into your order “ffr”, “Gigi”, “TIm” or “stanger? 🙂
Jahn
Kick that espresso pod device to the curb! You need more control over the brewing process! You can’t let them determine your coffee with a pre-packaged pod! Not you!
Agree with Piggy resigning Sims is a must
Mike E. says:
January 20, 2017 at 12:37 pm (Edit)
Piggy
You’re becoming too narrow-minded on this. What if the Dolphins took Howard in the 1st, Jarrad Davis in the 2nd, and say Haasan Reddick in the 3rd. That wouldn’t cut it for you?
****************************
Mike
We are going to regret it for years if we don’t start drafting defense early
we need a 1st rounder to be a front line defensive player
I don’t think we can afford to take a TE
I think its a silly idea actually
So when you draft a LB in the 1st RD, does he come with a money and draft pick return guarantee that he’s going to be everything you want in your LB? Is he definitely going to better than the LB you draft in the 2nd RD?
If you don’t draft one it guarantees that you didn’t take the best chance to get the best LB (btw I think DE is okay too)
You always play the odds with the draft
You don’t know what the results
Your argument is applicable to any position
In any draft
If you take OJ Howard does it guaranty that you got the best TE in the draft
No
But it certainly increases your odds
This is not a conversation about who will be the best IMO
This is a conversation about where our priorities as a team should be to get to the next level
We really just can’t afford to ignore defense
We have a lot of young talent on offense
Very little young talent on defense
Bringing in some young talent on defense to spread around bets like Suh, wake and jones might really be a difference maker in 2017
And it will give us some pieces to build around in 2018 and beyond
Guess there is no such thing as an NFL offseason — just got called about our seats for the next Fest even if the schedule is not out yet. I put down a deposit (but it is small), butt that gets us in line for better seats.
Bad news is that Heath (the guy we have been working with the last three years) moved back to TN, but the new one seems cool. Key thing though is that once the schedule comes out in April we need to decide on which game in like the next week. Worked out based on our tack record that the exact number of seats not important. Can reserve and then pare down…..but the sooner we set the date the better our seats will be.
Count me in for 3
Glad to hear the P-dog clan will be back once again, and we don’t even know which game yet. But won’t be making the “in list” for a while. 🙂
Not sure if they changed or the new agent was throwing out more flexibility, but key thing was that number of seats is flexible so long as you buy a min of ten and we can reserve a block much bigger than that but back out out later. And heck with the P-Dog 3, Chef Warren, Story and me….we are on our way.
Piggy
I think there are good players all over the draft. Right now, Howard, due to his size, speed and willingness to block is the only clear cut 1st RD pick for a TE. There are a lot of LB’s that carry 1st or 2nd RD grades, at least by the evaluators I’ve read. Lets say Zach Cunningham and Reuben Foster are both off the board before we pick (likely scenario), do you reach for a LB that may be there in the 2nd, or do you take another need TE, that’s probably rated much higher than the LB? Wait until the combine, Howard is going to blow it up.
BTW – In no way do I think we need to take Howard, there are a few other guys, like Njoku, Sprinkle, Butt, and even a couple others that would probably help us, as long as we also re-sign Sims. I’m just pointing out it’s silly to dismiss Howard at any cost.
LOL you said Sprinkle Butt…
I’m probably being a little overaggressive on defense only
But I think the main point is
its not just 2017
its 2018 and beyond
and we don’t have a lot of young defensive talent on the roster right now
Stanger – You can count us in for 2, and I know, I know, we gotta pick the game 1st! lol
Awesome, but I already counted you, Son and Brian in once it came out the Steelers weren’t on the schedule. 🙂
Cool! Looking forward to it already!
And learned that the phins will be doing “Stage 3” of the renovations next year. Most of that had to do with upgrading the Club level seats, the sky boxes and the private eating spots that go with them (not our concern), but was one point of interest………under each of those big new scoreboards they put in after taking out the seats will be a full service bar.
Now that might add in a bit of pep to the Fest crew come 4th Q,
Mike E. says:
January 20, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Jahn
Kick that espresso pod device to the curb! You need more control over the brewing process! You can’t let them determine your coffee with a pre-packaged pod! Not you!
—————————————
Lol, I used to have a pretty nice espresso maker years ago. But it was bulky and took up a lot of space in the kitchen. My wife sold it on craigslist once while I was out of town on a business trip. I had to trade off for the pod maker because it was smaller and my wife vowed to make me coffee with it everyday (she wasn’t very good with the actual espressomaker so I had to do it myself back then!)
Did you know with some of them…(I don’t have K-cup, it’s something else) you can make your own pods!
Yes, that’s what’s was I was saying with the reusable pods. You can grind your own coffee and put it in that pod, but I think coffee is better with a longer brewing process, longer than the 30 seconds it takes with a pod machine. JMHO. 🙂
I know we need to draft defense, and maybe pick up a couple of pieces for defense in FA. I’m not ignoring it in the least, but we do have a need at TE as well. I’d love for our team to be really good at something, and I think with a threat at TE in addition to what we have at WR and RB, we can get there.
I agree.
Wait, so Jahn is coming to the Fest with his family, and driving an M-Special truck filled with his various craft brews??? That’s awesome!!! lol
Mike; Perhaps I could hook-up some I.V.’s and you could get a direct infusion of craft beer!! Would save wear and tear on the esophagus! –Seriously, those bars under the Jumbotrons that Young Stanger referred to might be shut down after halftime, as are most of the others throughout the various NFL Stadiums.
Well, now that would defeat the purpose of enjoying Jahn’s delicious beer, right? 😉
The idea that our defense was the problem simply isn’t supported by the data. We were ranked 18th in scoring defense at 23.8. Our offense was ranked 17th in scoring at 22.7. So this idea that our defense sucked and our offense was just fine or even good is bogus. This whole team was very average, and we need to improve on both sides of the ball. Maybe our offense improves in it’s second year under a Gase…maybe it doesn’t…but ranking 17th and scoring 22 points a game simply isn’t good enough. And, if we’re being honest, our scoring average went up after Matt Moore started playing.
Couldn’t agree more. The defense is far from being the only weakness on the team. We need Parker to step up and be that #1 receiver, we need Drake to step up and be a good change of pace back. We need to find the right pieces and keep them healthy on the O-line. We need a TE that can be a QB’s best friend. We should probably re-sign Stills, because he can make those big plays and keep them honest as a deep threat. If all that happens, we can probably score 2-3 more points per game
I figured you would find a way to work in a Tannehill slight
I’m not even touching that one
But the argument on who to draft is not an argument of what “was the problem”
I think you would be hard pressed to find a post by me stating that one thing was “the problem”
I’m talking about investing in young defensive players in the draft.
I think in the long run it will pay off if we start drafting defensive players early \\
If you guys remember, I made a stink about not drafting receivers for years
well that’s been addressed and I think it may help us for years
Its time to start doing that on defense
the point is even if we improve defensively via free agency
those free agents contracts don’t always have the same lasting effect as home grown draftees
And we are a bit lopsided when you look at both sides of the ball and the emphasis
I’m counting on offense: Tannehill, Parker, Landry, Ajayi, Simms (assuming he resigns), Tunsil, James maybe even Pouncey of I go back far enough
on defense you have: Phillips, Howard and Lippett. I guess you can throw in Jenkins and some of the UDFA LBs we picked – but I’m pretty sure their days are limited
This isn’t so much an argument that the offense can’t improve that I’m making
its also not an argument that a TE in the draft wont; help us
its an argument that are priorities int he draft should be on defense for a little while
Well said. The key part of it is that the O is young and not many places to upgrade. Maybe they won’t end up the greatest show on turf 2.0, but unlike on D we are mostly locked in. And people can spare me any kind of “bring Romo in” comments. Was hearing that on QAM yesterday, but guess they have to keep interest up during the offseason too.
YOUNG STANGER: When I renewed my tickets in January (or was it December?) my ticket guy asked me “if I knew anyone who might be interested in seasons tix for 2017?” I said,”No, but 7 folks I USED TO COME TO THE GAMES WITH HAVE DECIDED NOT TO RENEW THEIR TICKETS!” Lter in the conversation, he admitted that non-renewals were at a “distressingly high level,” – – his words not mine.
Guess we’ll see what comes on that OB — but can tell you that the ticket guys who call me are offering pretty poor seats. I then tell them where yours are and they say “well can’t offer you anything like that.” Best they have is like field level on the five or endzone.
And just cause I know from experience and you don’t — those new bars should keep serving till end of the 3rd Q, just like the beer flow does now. 🙂
EARLIER TODAY I WROTE A SHORT TRIBUTE TO EDWIN POPE on “the other site.” POPE, the Dean of Florida Sportswriters, was one of two people who strongly urged Joe Robbie to “go out and hire Don Shula” when Robbie decided to fire Miami’s first head coach, George Wilson, Sr. –EDWIN POPE passed away at his Okeechobee, Florida, residence at 88 after losing a battle with cancer. I hope many of you will enjoy my short tribute to him.
P.S. THIS SITE is blocked to me at work. But the”other site” is not.
Came into town after Pope was a regular writer, but have read his name mentioned with huge respect by guys from all the papers.
Sorry to hear the folks at your work don’t like this site but are cool with the other though. Maybe they are of scared of the Hulk’s anger….lol.
maybe its my pig ass avatar causing the site to be blocked at work
I better change it
bucky brooks top 5 ILB in this draft
1. Reuben Foster, Alabama
2. Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State
3. Jarrad Davis, Florida
4. Kendell Beckwith, LSU
5. Anthony Walker, Northwestern
I’m guessing he sees Cunnigham as an OLB
I’m guessing among others you will see Davis and McMillan flip and Walker and Beckwith flip
but other than that, I don’t think there s too much room to argue
Yeah, seems a bunch of experts see a few of those guys as interchangeable among positions, which even further proves Tim’s point about all 3 being in a box and being interchangeable.
Far as I am concerned — good.
———————————
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley
Ndamukong Suh, who has never missed an NFL game due to injury, who hasn’t been on in injury report in two months, pulls out of Pro Bowl.
3:59 PM – 20 Jan 2017
Piggy,
Not sure why you took that as a personal comment directed at you…it seems you did anyway. You are far from the only person advocating for a strong push on defense.
***
As for Tannehill, I really don’t care if you don’t like or agree with my comments about him. The QB is a big part of any offense, and Tannehill is nothing but average. Tannehill will never make this offense better….that’s my opinion….it doesn’t have to be anyone else’s. The offense was more productive with Moore at QB. You don’t have to like it. If that’s taken as a slight on Tannehill, so be it.
I didn’t take it personal
and even if I did, I’ve wiped away all my tears by now….lol
I’m the one making those comments today
So I thought you were referring to the topic of the day
no big deal
I was not offended
just trying to make it clear that its more than just drafting to improve in 2017
What concerns me is the lack of youth on defense
We need home grown defensive players
Sorry piggy,
It read more assitudish than I meant it! Bottom line for me is I think we need to improve on both sides of the ball. I’m not as concerned with focusing on defense as some others. There seems to be a prevailing notion around here that it was the defense that held us back. I don’t agree. I think both sides were lacking. I do agree that we have more young talent on offense. Hell, I’ve been saying we need to draft young talent at lb for years!
Its a little bit of everything holding us back
and not excelling
but I think some of the young players on offense will continue to improve
and on defense…well we need to make an investment IMO
Injuries had a lot to do with some of our struggles but that also exposed questionable depth. Bolster the roster on both sides of the ball the best we can and let’s give it another go. 🙂
Chock Full O’ Nuts
The heavenly coffee a millionaires money can’t buy…
Sing it!
Randy, our defense gave up the most yards in the history of the franchise. We struggled against the run. Piggy is right that we have a void of young talent. Not that there isn’t any but no real top young players on the front 7. We actually do have a lot of young or prime talent on offense. We just have to keep some of them healthy.
And
If you don’t mind me Oinking
We have to try to keep them here is it’s feasible and they are still producing
I honestly think the best use of our FA $ is keeping our team together
It’s also good to add depth
I think of an elite player hits FA – it’s okay to give a big deal too
But I don’t like paying guys like Vernon as if they are the top DEs in football
I totally agree. Chemistry is a big deal for a football team. Lots of moving parts that need to be on the same page. I’m not big on a lot of addition by subtraction. That can create status quo year after year. We’ve been there done that. Add quality to your quality and build a better team.
I don’t view FA as you have to sign a Suh. You can find quality players for what you want to do. Not all FAs get big money, but they can still help your team.
I said this the other day, we could probably sign four players to 4 year $25M deals that would improve our team. They may have never been all-pro or made a pro bowl, but they’re still good players and better than what we had at a few positions. Then add a few more lower tier guys to compete, and then draft.
If stills wants #1 receiver money or even #2 receiver money do you give it to him?
LMAO @ Moore made our offense better.
Tonto say, Tannehill baaaad, Moore goood!
The idea that our offense was better with Moore is laughable. Moore had an excellent game against the Jets but a mediocre one against the Bills where he barely completed 50% of his passes. Thereafter he put up 14 points at home against the Pats
For all those people who think Moore makes our offense better must really think Gase is stupid for starting Tannehill
Who started the “Tanny Sucks” already?
It is what it is!
They are what they are!
You don’t get to tell me what that is!
😉
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/822611926102503425
piggy that’s right. here is his OLB top 5
1. Tim Williams, Alabama
2. Takkarist McKinley, UCLA
3. Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt
4. Ryan Anderson, Alabama
5. Devonte Fields, Louisville
That is very high for Devontae fields
I would have tj watt and Duke Riley higher
Maybe even Vince beiges higher than fields
I do like Fields though
Tim
I’m generally okay spending in FA for a player like Suh
Might take on it is that, it’s hard to get players like that when you aren’t picking early in the draft
So big spending on elevate guys is okay
But what happens if FA is that guys that are pretty good get paid like they are the best in football
If the FO went after Eric Berry aggressively I would be okay it’s it
I don’t want it
I don’t think we need it
But I think he is the best S in football
But I would prefer we just use FA this year on some lower price FAs
Filling up the roster
And keeping players like Simms and Stills
If anything maybe find a starting OG which should be relatively inexpensive
To me going after a player like Ingram
Who I think is good but not Von Miller status doesn’t make much sense
He’s probably going to get paid like Von miller
Agreed!
Boulder
I probably pay Stills pretty well
I would overpay for him
But not Antonio brown or Fitzgerald money
Guys who produce who are getting that 1st contract after their rookie contract are going to get paid
But you ought to be able to keep your guys without going crazy
unless your Billycheat!
Then you let them go without over paying!!!!!!!
Gibril Peppers would be an awesome and very interesting first round pick.
I wouldn’t let him slip past us. He coyuld be used in a variety of ways in the NFL.
I doubt he makes it to 22
I do agree we should take him if he is there
I did a mock with peppers yesterday
I saw that. I loved that draft.
What if Deshaun Watson is there at 22?
I’d take him. I’d just take him.
Nope. Not sold on him. I don’t like any of the QBs this year. Fortunately we don’t need one
I am. Winner and a real good arm.
Defense
Defense!
Boulder, Stills knows he’s not a Julio Jones. Not sure why anyone thinks he’s going to get some crazy contract. 700+ yards and 9 TDs doesn’t scream I’m unstoppable. LOL
Stills is a nice speed complement WR, maybe he gets even better, but his numbers do not suggest out of this world contract money.
I think he’s in that 4 years $25M range. That’s life changing for him. I’d give that to him, he’s 24 years old and a playmaker.
Keep him.
Whenever he scores I sing – you’re Stills the one
LOL
He wants to say in Miami
Peppers might be there at 22
He’s not a conventional prospect
So how does he fit
There are few higher ranked Safeties and LBs
Currently CBS has him at 16
I’d love to get that guy
There are a few guys I take over him
But I ended up drafting him, then Demarcus Walker in the 2nd and beckwith in the 3rd
Which was perfect
Peppers will be great vs the pass
I think he would really help us against Tom Brady and those short passes
Piggy, the biggest knock on Peppers and one of the reasons why he’s fallen and may continue to fall before the draft is teams aren’t thrilled with his coverage skills. they say he’s really good down in the box vs the run but his coverage skills leave a lot to be desired.
22: R1P22
EDGE RYAN ANDERSON
ALABAMA
54: R2P22
TE JORDAN LEGGETT
CLEMSON
98: R3P34
LB KENDELL BECKWITH
LSU
167: R5P22
LB KEITH KELSEY
LOUISVILLE
177: R5P32
LB HARDY NICKERSON
ILLINOIS
185: R5P40
C KYLE FULLER
BAYLOR
207: R6P22
DL TANOH KPASSAGNON
VILLANOVA
243: R7P22
G KYLE KALIS
MICHIGAN
Mike E,
to answer a question you posed to Piggy earlier, NO, I wouldn’t be satisfied with Howard in the 1st, Davis in the 2nd and Reddick in the 3rd. Davis IS NOT a 2nd rd prospect and Reddick is an edge guy who fits a 3-4 at OLB much better than he does a 4-3. In addition, he’s got off-field issues.
That draft would absolutely suck.
I don’t want to be stuck with a new version of Jenkins and Misi for another four years.
Stills is getting $35-$40M.
We gave all that money to an avg qb who is nothing without the playmakers who surround him but people don’t want to pay the playmakers. Boggles the mind.
This offense relies a hell of a lot more on the playmakers that the avg qb gets the ball to than it does that qb. They are the one’s who will put the points up.
Lou
Circumstances have a lot to do with a QB’s success, or failure, and you know it. Tannehill can be better than average, and he showed that this season. I expect even more from him next season. As far as Reddick, it wasn’t really about Reddick, you can plug in whatever LB you want, my point was you can draft Howard, and still end up with 2 good LB’s in this draft. Conversely, you can draft 2 LB’s early, and end up with a good TE later on too.
You can substitute whoever you want for Davis too, the names weren’t important to what I was trying to get across.
Mmm, eleven cups of water and 5 scoops
Great job Mike. I’m not fussy about coffee I just want it hot and black.
I didn’t used to be either, it just kinda got important to me at some point. Like some guys really care about their scotch, or vodka, I don’t like Scotch, and I probably couldn’t tell you the difference between Grey Goose and Giorgi. I think I tasted something I really liked , and decided I wanted that or better from now on.
Or in Bookman’s case, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, and don’t dare sub in Diet Sprite for Diet Dew! lol
What’s the coffee they have in New Orleans? Community coffee? From what I remember that’s some vile stuff right there. I think someone told me it’s chickory in it. Whatever, just call it the worst thing ever.
Never been there, although I would like to go there someday.
Cafe du Monde
Tim,
I bet stills wants more than that, more like 8-10 mil/ year which is 2nd wr type money. He had 9 Tds and has speed. Someone will pay him that.
I definitely think that what he is going to be looking for. I think there may be teams willing to pay him that. I personally feel our team and the way we use him, is worth maybe an offer of 6-7per, more in guarantees if the per amount is lower. That would be the most in negotiations I would do. I think giving guarantees to a young guy like that at the WR position isn’t scary so we might be able to offset bigger per year offers by giving more in guarantees.
Everett is a local kid, playing at South Alabama here in Mobile. U have seen him play a few games, he isn’t a typical TE prospect in sense that he wiuld be a Bennett or Graham or even a Witten type. He is going to be more like Clay/Hernandez type.
Sprinkle to me is martellus Bennett
Lou I’d be fine with either of them as backups, Jenkins more than Misi because of his coverage ability and position flexibility.
Herd, yeah there are a few different coffee companies in New Orleans, community is the more generic one, the foldgers of new Orleans coffees. There are better. One thing about a lot of them is they are very bold, due to use of chicory in their blends. It’s not for everyone but to those that like it, there is no substitute.
Some tornadoes tore through town last night. Our house is okay and we are okay. We are still without power though. We’ve been up since 3 whenever the alarms went off.
Being without power sucks, but glad that is all that went down. Hoping the temp is OK so that not having either heat or AC is an issue.
People love community coffee in this area.
I’m more with D than Boulder on what Stills might get. Would love to keep him, but way I see it he is the least needed wideout for us down the road. And figure he was the fourth choice on who to defense against after Landry, Parker and Ajayi, and benefited from that.
And look at the list of what wideouts were paid last year.
http://overthecap.com/position/wide-receiver/
Know numbers are inflated for each FA signing class, but if he wants say $8 mill a year…..I say tell him to see if some other team will offer that. IMO he is worth solid but not great #2 wideout money.
You can look at it that way but we haven’t gotten out of DVP what we thought we would get to this point either. He’s not showing up for us like we need him to.
Stills is more valuable to us than Landry because he puts points on the board and that’s the object of the game. Score more points than your opponents. Without Stills, we don’t have the 22.7 ppg avg on offense we had this year but we are down below 20 like we were last season.
Stills is getting $35-40M and he’s getting it from us and, like I said before, I can’t believe everyone’s okay with spending the money we spent on an avg qb who’s done pretty much nothing to earn the money but you don’t want to pay Stills. Boggles the mind.
Lou guess we see if he gets that $35-40 mil (assuming you mean over four years), but if he does hope it is not from us or at least the contract is back-ended with the fourth year as pure cut.
And not sure how our QB comes into it (seems a different subject), but when you say Stills is “more valuable to us than Landry” then we just don’t agree on one of them at least. I’d be more than happy to do a re-do with Landry for the money you suggest.
not sure how the qb comes into it? seriously? how do you justify paying a qb what we paid him and then you’re going to say Stills isn’t worth the money. $35-40 M isn’t a lot of money for Stills. Landry is going to want Cobb-type money and I’ll gladly pay Stills the $35-40 M before I’d pay Landry what Cobb got.
I’m just glad Phins fans ain’t running the show.
Lou — Even if just a fan, really like how they did Tanny’s contract. Yeah the per year numbers are big but after next season he is purely cutable. Even if he doesn’t progress to what he is slated for as far as salary, they will have all the leverage in the year to ask him to take less come 2018.
the point is, Tannehill has never been that valuable to the team and you’re pinching pennies with a guy like Stills. Again, not a lot of money for a playmaking wr who can score from almost anywhere on the field.
Pretty sure I got your point Lou, and I’m actually “pinching” millions. 🙂
We’ll see what happens, but your passion for Stills makes me reconsider his worth a bit,…..even if don’t think will ever be with you on him being more valuable to the team than Landry.
yeah, you can discount my opinion if you want. doesn’t matter to me but Stills is here to stay.
If “discount” means that you have helped change my mind about Still’s worth even if not willing to completely change my mind on him….then guess that it is what it is. Could not have more respect for your football savvy my friend. And we will see what happens with Stills.
how much is Landry worth?
Would depend on the specifics of the contract and that a re-do comes cheaper, but in real terms I’d be fine with $10-11 mil per year.
Mike,
when you look at the LB class there’s a lot of edge rush types after the 1st rd who would need to be converted to OLB like Misi was when he was drafted. To me they aren’t as valuable to a team like us because of the amount of time it would take to convert them and get them playing well in our system if that would even happen. Misi never became the player I think they envisioned him to be and he was that same type of player. Undersized DE converted to OLB.
That’s why I like guys like Price and Phillips later, in mid rds, if you’re going to do something like that.
Someone will take Reddick to play that pass rushing OLB position and he will have more value to them because of that.
But, to answer your question about taking two LB’s early on and then a TE or a TE in the first and two LB’s later it doesn’t work that way.
Like every good GM says, you let the board come to you. If we can’t get one of the better LB prospects in the first rd it’s slim pickens afterwards. In the 2nd rd we’d actually be better off looking at some of the tackle prospects and thinking about moving one inside like Dallas did with Martin. Take a guy like Lamp or Moton and put them inside at one of the guard positions.
Of course, a guy like Leggett is also an option at TE. But where LB is concerned, it starts to thin out in the 2nd rd and gets really thin starting in the 3rd rd. The prospects aren’t there. Some guys decided to stay for another year and had a definite impact on the LB class. That’s why guys like Elijah Lee moved up so quickly after he declared. Otherwise, he’d probably be in the 5th rd.
Once again, like we did last year, I think we end up taking the best players for the team regardless of position.
We know we need help on the o-line, pass rush, LB first and foremost. O-line has a ton of guys to choose from but your pure DE’s and LB’s don’t give you the same opportunities in this draft to get the guy you want or need. I’ve never been a fan of just taking someone just because you have a need at a position. We need LB’s but I’d rather we not waste the resources on those players just because we need them just to replace them 2 or 3 yrs down the road, if not sooner.
Tak McKinley withdrawals from Senior Bowl due to torn right labrum that may require surgery.
Shoulder or hip?
C’mon now Lou, that sounds utterly ridiculous. I will bet you that at least 5 LB’s from this draft play either 4-3 MLB or OLB and start this season, and all of them aren’t going in the 1st RD. You’re totally exaggerating the situation.
Normally your first line would make sense, but I think Lou is spot on with his post.
I’ll take the bet!
3 maybe as 4-3 LB’s
Be careful what you bet, Mike said this season and not opening day.
SB7, glad you’re okay. Sucks about the power. I hope not too much damage in your area.
Anyone else think these ESPN AFC East awards are retarded?
This is what happens when you don’t take a LB early 🙁
22: R1P22
DL DEMARCUS WALKER
FLORIDA STATE
54: R2P22
TE O.J. HOWARD
ALABAMA
98: R3P34
C PAT ELFLEIN
OHIO STATE
167: R5P22
LB MARQUEL LEE
WAKE FOREST
177: R5P32
EDGE TYUS BOWSER
HOUSTON
185: R5P40
EDGE JALEN REEVES-MAYBIN
TENNESSEE
207: R6P22
G ISAAC ASIATA
UTAH
243: R7P22
CB ASHTON LAMPKIN
OKLAH
You have to wait until FA because that may eliminate some positions.
22: R1P22
LB ZACH CUNNINGHAM
VANDERBILT
54: R2P22
EDGE DEMARCUS WALKER
FLORIDA STATE
98: R3P34
EDGE DUKE RILEY
LSU
167: R5P22
TE JEREMY SPRINKLE
ARKANSAS
177: R5P32
C JON TOTH
KENTUCKY
185: R5P40
G KAREEM ARE
FLORIDA STATE
207: R6P22
LB BEN BOULWARE
CLEMSON
243: R7P22
EDGE DEATRICH WISE JR.
ARKANSAS
That’s better
I just got here so if we are still talking about Coffee I myself dont really care about all that freshly ground stuff and I cant stand my wife’s Kuriig machine.
For the price of those 12 little cups I can make about 250 cups of my El-Cheapo Dollar General crap.
Maybe I should break her dumb machine while she is not looking and then she will have to drink mine.
Thats not going to happen, I’ll be at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that night spending a hundred bucks to get her a new one 😦
LOL
LMAO!!
Brian in NY says:
January 19, 2017 at 6:51 pm
Mike thinks less of you now because you don’t import your coffee directly to your house from Columbia , have someone bring it to your house by mule, and have a butler grind the beans fresh and pour it into a fine china cup using a french press.
That is exactly what I do!! (Except for the mule part) I drink 4-5 cups brewed strong and dark every morning of freshly ground beans made in a French press, never with cream or milk but sometimes a half teaspoon of sugar. I swap around between where it is imported from Sumatra, Panama, Colombia, Viet Nam, Uganda, Hawai’i, etc. I do use fine china cup and saucer so as not to ruin the taste, but also have some high grade china mugs for when I am running late and take a big dose with me in the car to finish on the way to work.
I almost never drink coffee any time else unless I am up writing in the middle of the night.
I despise iced coffee.
I was just doing a mock draft and was so disappointed with the way it was going I just abandoned it. I still can not believe we gave up a 3rd and a 4th for Caroo
I agree with Lou and I also disagree with Lou.
I think this is true with me and just about everybody on this blog.
I think that is why I come here and what makes it such a great blog and so much fun.
I agree with Lou that TE is a deep and rich class this year, so there will be quality in later rounds.
I disagree that it is not deep in edge rushers and LBs. But he is right that all the stars at those positions will be gone by the third (or even end of the second!!!) because of the high regard given to those positions by teams right now, so the good ones will all be snapped up one after another after another, so if we want a true playmaker at those positions, we must draft them in rounds 1 and 2 or we will miss out.
I disagree with Lou that Tannehill is just average, but I know what he means by saying you must surround him with high quality or you will get a 6-10 season.
Well, what is average? Is it a QB who is ranked approximately 13th-20th in the league? If so, then he is probably average.
I agree with Mike E that coffee is awesome and should be brewed and not dumped out of a little plastic pod like it was fast food ranch.
I also agree that we badly need a seam splitting TD scoring TE, but I disagree that Howard is it or that we must get one early in the draft. Unless we meet our needs for LB and pass rusher in FA.
I agree with Wyo that Dolphins cheerleaders help make America great (not joking) and I am thankful he puts their pictures on here, but I disagree that Trump will help make America great (hoping I am wrong on this part).
I agree on Trump, because his personality won’t allow it, SMH.
I agree with Getter on Tannehill but disagree on Trump (see above).
I disagree with Brian on coffee/tea, but i agree on things I think he said about education.
I agreed with Piggy about the Samurai and now about the LBs, and I don’t eat pigs, but I disagree with his vehicle preferences. Actually I can’t think of anything I disagree with Piggy about except I’d like to read less about colons maybe.
I agree with Randy on both sides of the ball being equally average last year. But I disagree on this making me pessimistic as we had game-winning plays on both sides and I think the arrow is pointing up on both sides. I do think we need to focus on Defense in this FA/draft, although another OL and another TE are needs, so he’s right there.
I agree with Tim about not reaching for need, but I disagree on forcibly taking the top rated player on your board when your turn comes up, because i think drafting a QB this year in any round would be horribly wasteful and drafting Caroo last year was also wastefully redundant.
I think Safety is a sneaky need for us. I think Quddus should be a really good back-up, not our other starter. I think McCain is also possibly unworthy of the minutes or crucial plays he is asked to play. If we see a high quality slot corner or nickelback we should take him.