The Dolphins went back to back defense with the first 2 picks in this years draft, beginning with pick #22 DE Charles Harris. In the 2nd RD, the Dolphins selected Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillan. Boy did we need this pick. Sure, some of us liked other LB’s better, but McMillan is a potential 3 down LB who can play either inside or outside, and brings with him a good history of making tackles. Lord knows this defense was crying for just that.
McMillan was a 3YR starter at Ohio State, twice eclipsing 100 tackles, 119 his Sophomore year (57 solo), and 102 in his Junior year (49 solo). While it doesn’t appear that McMillan made a lot of unassisted tackles, he has a reputation for being a good technique tackler, who can for the most part, play sideline to sideline. While he needs to learn how to stack and shed blockers better, he’s only 20 years old, so he’ll have plenty of time to do just that. Our DC Matt Burke was formerly our LB’s coach, and I’m sure he’ll be taking an interest in McMillan, and getting him to be the best he can be.
McMillan has good size at 6’2” 240, and can certainly run well enough. He ran a 4.61 40, and put up 23 reps. He most likely won’t be starting immediately, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be seeing a fair amount of snaps. He gives the Dolphins considerably better depth, at a position that desperately needed it. Kiko Alonso, Lawrence Timmons and Koa Misi will likely be the starters provided all are healthy, but having McMillan as the next man up is reassuring to me. Yes, we have Neville Hewitt, Mike Hull, Lamin Barrow (quite right!), but none of those guys have stepped up yet. Hewitt shows some flashes, but for the most part, they all seem like backups. McMillan has good potential to be a starter, and his tackling ability may have him doing that sooner than later. Getting Timmons was a huge move. He greatly solidifies the LB corp, and will play both inside and out. On the other hand, Timmons is 31, and signed for 2 years, so McMillan will get time if he needs it, but it’s clear he was taken to be a future starter.
I’m looking forward to seeing an improved LB corps, one that won’t be the sieve it was last year. Whether it’s Timmons, Alonso and Misi, or McMillan subbed in for someone, already, things are looking up!
GO DOLPHINS! ZERO IN!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Mike E: Thanks so much for this article. Drafting McMillan is, in my view, the KEY to an improved linebacker corps As Dick Butkus once said; “SEE BALL CARRIER, KILL BALL CARRIER!”
NOW, if we’d moved up in round 3 and taken McMillan’s Buckeye team mate, Pat Elflein, I’d feel a whole lot better about our offensive line. But, perhaps, taking Tankersley in round 3 will prove to have been the better move. The Gase/Grier team has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt.
You’re welcome OD – Just trying to get a fresh article out there, and not let the old one grow moldy.
In the meantime, check this out. OUCH! Man, ESPN has a hard on for the Dolphins.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19404168/quarterback-confidence-index-rating-all-32-nfl-teams-2017-post-draft-offseason-rankings
You gotta realize these guys just take their view of public perception, then scramble around the internet looking for articles to back it up, and come up with some garbage to write.
Even if not sure why the ranking was so low — they at least had one thing right about Tanny. The real Q is not if he should be our starter but rather if he plays well enough to justify the close to $20 mil he is on the books for.
FYI – Ryan Tannehill was 12th in QBR last season.
Nice write MIke E……and I was pleased with the Raekwon pick. Who is going to complain about getting a good-sized tackler in there at LB? We’ll see if he ends up being more than that, but even if he doesn’t develop his coverage skills enough to be a 3-down LB he’ll still be worth it if he stuffs RBs.
Stanger
The salary is all relative. Mike Glennon is getting $16M this season, and Brock Osweiler $21M. If Tannehill plays like he did last season, he’ll be “worth” it, whatever that means. Unless they want a draft a QB next season, or Tannehill either tanks or can’t stay on the field, I think gase is happy with Tannehill, who showed improvement with his offense last season.
Nothing I would like more than Tanny to show he is worth the money he is on the books for, but at the same time he re-signed for numbers that assumed that he would live up to his potential in exchange leaving the last years of his contract unprotected. Like that confidence. Yet after this seasons will leave us with the choice of do we want to pay him or some other guy there in free agency. Hopefully it will turn out “hell yeah we keep him” after next season, but that option will be there.
Brees, Cousins and Stafford. Brees is 38, Cousins 28, and Stafford 29. Those are the only guys that could possibly be an upgrade, but you’ll pay more for any of those guys because the salaries just keep going up. I think it’s more likely we draft a QB than sign one in FA.
Not saying it will happen, just that it is an option they have. And Gase was a QB coach…..could be he decides money can be spent better on some promising back-up for far less and put that money into other positions with maybe a top pick to develop at the same time. Or maybe he says Cousins is his guy. Or maybe Tanny blows the league away next season. Or maybe they bring some big FA in today by restructuring Tanny for another guaranteed year or two. His contract right now is what it is.
The chart I read shows Tannehill as 24th in Total QBR last year. Am I reading something wrong? I don’t pay much attention to QBR.
I eliminated the guys who didn’t play anywhere near a full season.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=0&season=2016&seasonType=REG&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&statisticCategory=PASSING&d-447263-s=PASSING_PASSER_RATING
See what stats can do to you, when you don’t look close enough😉
RIP Chris Cornell
Shame
MikeE,
I read the chart at ESPN. Isn’t that who does QBR? Were you talking about QB rating, which I think is different. I’m kinda dumb about this crap though. Mostly because I don’t care much. Lol
I was talking about NFL QB rating. ESPN made up their own QB rating system. When ESPN goes completely out of business, will it still be there?
RIP Chris Cornell. One of the greatest vocalists/musicians in rock music.
☹️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qi8hhiYEQA
Good write up Mike. I’m just really saddened by Chris Cornell’s death. 😦
I hear ya. I didn’t listen to any of his groups, but it’s a sad situation regardless.
MikeE,
Somebody just made up QB rating too! Lol All these congregate stats are just somebody’s opinion based on what they feel is most important.
True, but at least the NFL has been a standard for a long time, and you can compare players more easily with that being the case. ESPN factors in a lot of situational football. You’ll have a higher rating if you lead a game winning drive. What happens though if you lead a game winning drive, and then your defense shits the bed, and you don’t get that boost in your stats? Just leave it the way it was.
MikeE,
That’s why I usually try to go with what I see on the field. Stats can be informative, but they can also be deceiving. In Tannehill, I see an average QB who won’t win or lose games for you. I think after 6 years he is already what he’ll be. If he could just get his TDs up to around 30, I’d feel better about what he does. I don’t really care about the other stats…just get the damn ball in the endzone. We aren’t winning anything if we don’t start scoring more.
As you know from your earlier post stats can bite you, but I don’t know how anyone can say RT is what he is. Some guys bloom later than others, some are in better systems for them…
http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/2330/tom-brady
Wow a post about the rookie LB becomes another Tannehill discussion.
QB’s don’t win games, teams do. Drew Brees is 21-27 in the last 3 years. Is he losing all those games?
What would we be talking about right now if we went Brees instead of Culpepper? They get paid the big money for a reason.
Of course it’s an important position, but teams don’t solely win or lose because of their QB
Could not agree more. And to my mind that gives us hope to win it all in say two-three years.
He also puts up sick numbers. QBs – too much credit and too much blame.
Everyone said Flacco was the next great QB when they won the SB. Is he great, or was he just on a great team?
Flacco reminds me of Eli. They can make all the throws but they don’t really “carry” their teams. What ever that means. 😉
Tim
Absolutely, Brees does put up some crazy stats. It actually made me think to myself, you know how everyone says if Tannehill just throws 30 TD’s we’d win 12 games and go deep in the playoffs. Brees threw 37 TD’s last year, 32 and 33 the previous 2 years, and couldn’t sniff the playoffs. It’s never just one thing, our defense was so bad at times, it may not have mattered.
It’s not that cut and dried as we know. Joe Montana threw 30+ TDs once with 31 in his 9th season. I know different era yet Marino was throwing in the 30’s and 40’s.
Not…going to…engage…..
Don’t be a Phelonius Puss!
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/05/18/10-miami-dolphins-under-pressure-this/
Pressure? Nah, just performance. We’re not any different than most teams.
Somebody say Tannehill?
I don’t know about that guy he can’t hit the receivers going long or connect with the receivers in stride. We have a franchise draft for qb’s next draft
Yeah never happens. LOL
we may have to cut our loses next season. The guy just hasn’t been the guy who could lead this franchise to the promise land. Come on, the guy was drafted in 1st round and there QB’s in league who were drafted in 5th round who lead his team to playoffs except 1 time during career.
Just maybe we should consult with Mike how good a QB we could have gotten with our 4th rounder last year instead of that guy that never plays or doesn’t even make the game day roster.
So long as Tannehill recovers 100% (there’s no reason to think otherwise, per reports), I think he’s going to ROCK this season. I’ve got 99 reasons why he WILL rock, so I’ll share two: we FINALLY have a running game to support him and we FINALLY have a seam-splitting TE (Julius Thomas) who isn’t concussed/knee injury/bad Draftee (see Jordan Cameron, Charles Clay, and Michael Egnew) to pair with a formidable WR corps.
If our O-Line holds up, Tanny could take us places this year… and our D is looking fierce enough to force 3-and-outs, giving our Offense more time to score points.
Time shall reveal…
The seam-splitting TE is a STAPLE of the Gase (QB whisperer) Offense.
We have a lot of talented players. Team game. Do your job. 🙂
jetssuck . . . you asked . . . Dak Prescott
Who is that? 😉
I predict (being he plays all 16 regular season games) that Tanny’s numbers SHOULD be…
– 4,200+ passing yards
– 35+ TD passes
– Under 15 INTs
– Close to a 100.0 Passer Rating (not ESPN’s wacky QB Rating)
– Close to a 67% completion percentage
– Under 35 Sacks
If the above numbers are attained, he’s worth paying the money we’re paying him (IMO). Of course, there will be other factors/situations/numbers to translate… this is a mere generic benchmark of expectations for paying Tannehill just north of $20M this season.
GENERALLY speaking and in a so-called ‘perfect world’ (and IMO)… if Tanny can’t attain the above numbers, it’s time to move on from him. He’s now a 5-year NFL starting QB, so he now is what he is. If after 6 years we’re still waiting for his testicles to drop (ie: excuse makers), it’s time to move on. There’s NO reason to be paying two players ‘QB money’ unless either are worth their weight in gold.
Again… I DO believe that Tannehill will ROCK this year! We’ll see!
None of those stats matter. What if we rush for 25 TDs, have 3 DEF TDs and 2-3 ST’s TDs?
EXACTLY! I hear that, and that’s exactly why I stated there will be “factors/situations/numbers to translate” regarding my generic baseline. Nothing can be pure regarding raw numbers.
But the truth: Tannehill must EARN those $$$ this season, one way or the other. I truly do trust in Gase regarding this matter.
GOT INTO the Tannehill discussion a little late. But ONE FACTOR that’s been overlooked is the fact that Tanny played for two of the worst head coaches in Fins history (Sparano and Philbin) whereas Marino played most of his years for the Don of Miami.. Also, as much as I’d LIKE TO FORGET IRELAND, the TRUTH IS Tanny played for a team that was largely put together by the WORST GM IN DOLPHINS’ HISTORY!! Bad head coaches plus a horrid GM meant that Tannehill had two strikes against him from Day 1.–This is NOT to totally excuse him from his inconsistent play. FAR FROM IT. But if you put the entire mix together, Bad coaching, horrid GM, consistently poor play from the O-Line, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A KID WHO HAS SO FEW GAMES AS A COLLEGE STARTING QB???
———————————-
I’M STILL WAITING to see what Tannehill can do with an offensive line that, for an entire season, is ranked in the Top 10 lines in the NFL To say that he’s been the victim of an under performing, often injured and under talented O-Line is to say the obvious. NO ONE expects this guy to be the next Marino or Peyton Manning. We’d just like to know if he can, indeed, toss 30 TD’s and fewer than a dozen picks in ONE SEASON?? Let’s all hope this current O-Line can STAY TOGETHER for this upcoming season so we can find out.
VERY well stated, Mr. Campbell. That’s EXACTLY how I feel, as well.
I’d settle for 4/5 OL being healthy after last season!
Good write up Mike. IMO, Raekwon will be the week one starter. Misi will be the back up or be cut.
I hope so, if he’s ready to go, that would be awesome
Unless Misi is not ready to go, I see Alonso, Timmons, Hewitt, McMillan and Hull or Lacy as our game day 5.
soooo, what are we talking about today? Our 2nd round pick? No?
Tangents, man, tangents
just who is this kid Dak Prescott.How is he paid 20 times less than tanny?If that’s so then he is a great bargain. Now what has our fourth rounder from last year done? I don’t remember him making any game changing plays. I believe that Dak guy even made the pro-bowl his rookie season.
If the O-Line is right (ie: the Cowboys), you can have GRAND years from rooks like Dak and Zeke. This is why Old Dolfan and I are hitting the nail HARD on as much.
By the way, it’s good talking to you, jetssuck! I’ve missed ya, buddy!
I see Harris being used off the edge in multiple ways.
Tannehill
Aaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
TODAY’s paper notes that MLB games are now at a record length, 9 minutes longer than last year’s games!! Many are skewering commissioner Rob Manfred. They are WRONG!–Next season, Manfred can, by HIMSELF, put in the 30-second clock, limit catcher’s trips to the mound, and limit step-outs by batters WITHOUT THE PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS APPROVAL (per the current CBA). I’d LOVE to see him do it! But one more major change is called for. I favor cutting 1 minute of time between the end of a half inning and the beginning of the next half inning. This would, by itself, cut 18 minutes off of a 9 inning game. But, of course, the owners likely WON’T give up those 18 1-minute commercials. OR WILL THEY?? With just these steps I’ve outlined, MLB can cut OVER 30 minutes from the average time of a 9-inning game.
OD
The ironic thing about shortening the games in MLB is they’re doing it for people who won’t watch the games anyway. The people who love baseball aren’t complaining about the time of the game, it’s the casual fan (read YOUNGER fan) who wants everything now. Why taint the sport for those spoiled Millenials who would rather just watch the highlights the day after, if that? Just leave it be, and if the sport dies, it dies, but why butcher it to cater to people who aren’t really fans in the first place? JMO bud.
That’s your POV. I went to a game last year and it took over 4 hours, this year’s game was 2.5 hours, and let me tell you it was really nice. If you like to watch the grass grow, then you’re in the leave it alone group.
I can almost guarantee you if you look at the demographics for who complains about the game being too long, it’s not the hardcore baseball fans, but the casual fans who don’t have time to watch a 3 hour game because they don’t care enough to do so in the first place
For me it isn’t really the length, it’s the wasted time that makes things boring. Step out of the box before every pitch, take off your glove, put it back on…it annoys me as much as the unwritten rules. Someone getting missed off, because someone flipped a bat, WTF is That? If game was more physical they wouldn’t have to…
…play macho with these unwritten rules, they could leave the aggression to happen during play.
Kong trying to incite a riot
mf13ss says:
May 18, 2017 at 9:25 pm
If the O-Line is right (ie: the Cowboys), you can have GRAND years from rooks like Dak and Zeke. This is why Old Dolfan and I are hitting the nail HARD on as much.
By the way, it’s good talking to you, jetssuck! I’ve missed ya, buddy!
————————————————————————————-
Always GREAT to talk with you Been busy fixing this stubborn vacuum that won’t stand up and keeps falling down.This morning I conquered the world by getting the $4 part out of the vacuum after 3 months. These repair shops wanted to charge us 18.99 to put new part in and 10.99 for part. After 3 months of abuse of wife calling me idiot to educated idiot and grand kids having to vacuuming the whole house because the In-Laws vacuum is very heavy and they give me stinky eye every other day when it’s time to vacuum.I can’t wait to tell them the good news I got the old part out of vacuum. Now, I have to figure how to put the new part. Who’s the educated idiot.
The moral of the story for you guy’s is good things happen when you are patient. Maybe I’ll put the new part in less than 3 months or maybe I won’t. Who said life is fair?
Steve
To me, it’s really obvious why the game takes so long. Starting pitchers usually don’t go past the 7th inning, and sometimes they get pulled much earlier. That means endless pitching changes to exploit lefty/righty matchups, set up man and closer. It’s not the trips to the mound by the catcher, or pitchers taking too long to pitch, it’s the newer nature of the game and lack oF starting pitching talent, and the refusal of owners and managers to allow their $120M arms to go through the stress of throwing more than 100 pitches
Nope it’s all about between pitches nonsense.
Sure it is Steve. You’ll eliminate about 5 minutes. Have at it.
How do you figure? 10 seconds off of every pitch, over 200 pitches in a game, I’m pretty sure that’s a little over 5 minutes. Even cutting 5 seconds off is a lot more than 5 minutes.
Is it awful of me that i kind of pull for this Drew Morgan kid out of Arkansas to make it on the team just so i can have Omar peterbed that we have ANOTHER white receiver on our team….
Seriously though, Morgan is a really awesome receiver, all heart, gritty Welker/Edelmen type of receiver, i like him a good bit, the above was me being a shit head lol.
LOL
D’s new Fin jersey
Number: 00
Name: OmarPeter-bed
LOL @ D – too bad he’s a longshot, it would be fun to see.
Yeah not going to be easy to make this team at WR which is a good thing.
M,
In regards to your tweet in regards to stink bugs….nothing outside the norm up here.
Always GREAT to talk with you Been busy fixing this stubborn vacuum that won’t stand up and keeps falling down………I can’t wait to tell them the good news I got the old part out of vacuum. Now, I have to figure how to put the new part.
LOL!! This reminds me of a story my brother told me last month. His weed whacker stopped working so he took it to the repair shop down the mountain (he lives in the hills in Colorado) and they wanted $49.00 to fix it. (60 mile round trip) He asked what was wrong with it and they said the fuel hose dry rotted and was cracked. He was like fuck that, I’m not paying $49 for $0.05 of rubber hose so he goes home and goes on line to buy the hose part. Everywhere he looks they want at least $8.00 plus shipping for the hose. He’s like fuck that it’s 3″ of clear hose, I’m not paying $14 with shipping for 3″ of 1/4″ thick hose. So he keeps looking and finds a roll of the same hose 50′ long for $12.00 and buys it……
I was like wait, you spent $12.00 but wouldn’t pay $14.00? He’s like I GOT 50′ OF IT FOR $12.00 I AIN’T PAYING that for 3″ of hose!
But now you have 49′ 9″ of hose you don’t need and still need to fix it yourself…
“it’s the principle of it”
So I was talking to him last week and asked “did you ever get your weed whacker taken care of?”
He said “Yup, but I broke the spud trying to get the old hose off”
What did you do?
“I bought a new fucking weed whacker…..”
I laughed until I couldn’t breath and told him “well, at least you have 49’9” of hose you can hang yourself with….
LMAO
LMFAO! That’s great
LOL
THAT’S a good one but you never know when he might need that size hose again.. I think you missed my point I’m the only educated idiot but I have not vacuumed the place in 3-4 months. I’m not the educated idiot after all..
It seems like ESPN never gives the phins any respect. They must all be jets fans over there.
Boulder
Don’t worry about ESPN, they’ll be out of business soon, and they can take that fucked up QB rating system down the toilet with them! lol
I have not vacuumed the place in 3-4 months. I’m not the educated idiot after all..
My $500 Dyson vaccum works fine and I still haven’t vaccumed my place in 3-4 months…. LOL
The floor is just going to get dirty again.
Yeah what’s the point. LOL
Don’t knock it until you try it !! Doesn’t feel as good on hardwood floors 🙂
I get the grandkids to vacuum the place every other day. Now who’s the iducated idiot. I caught my cat rubbing her ass on carpet several years ago. Turns out she was eating the christmas tree tinsels. That cost a small fortune at the vet.
Tannehill Tannehill Tannehill Tannehill
***
Now I’ll sit back and watch somebody complain about Tannehill getting picked on. Lol
Leave him alone you Nordic Prick!😂😂😂
I would imagine sphincter splinters would hurt like hell
If I remember correctly Tim use to post exercise videos of guys who practiced sphincter exercises. I looked it up, just in case you can’t find them in past posts of them. Below is detailed exercises website if anyone wants to practice for prevention.
https://www.bladderandbowel.org/conservative-treatment/sphincter-exercises/
Used to? He’ll probably be posting that shit in about 5 minutes! lol
Is that how you viewed them, as a sphincter exercise. LOL
He’s busy playing poker with the other dogs right now.. Probably bluffing the other dogs with a pair of 2’s.
So a guy comes home really late from the bar with a duck under his arm and finds his wife sitting up waiting for him which annoys him. He looks down at the duck and says “thish ish my pig”
his wife looks him up and down and in disgust says that is a duck you drunken fool.
Man says “I wasn’t talking to you”
good one.
WHEN I SAY I’M BROKE – I’M BROKE!
A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day;
to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.
‘Good morning,’ said the young man.
‘If I could take a couple minutes of your time. I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners…
‘Go away!’ said the old lady. ”I’m broke and haven’t got any money!”
and she proceeded to close the door.
Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open…
”Don’t be too hasty!” he said. ”Not until you have at least seen my demonstration.”
And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto her hallway carpet.
”Now; if this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet,
Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.”
The old lady stepped back and said,
”Well let me get you a fork, because FPL cut off my electricity this morning.”
I didn’t forget u lawyers today,,
A lawyer, who had a wife and 12 children, needed to move because his rental agreement
was terminated by the owner who wanted to reoccupy the home.
But he was having a lot of difficulty finding a new house.
When he said he had 12 children, no one would rent a home to him
because they felt that the children would destroy the place.
He couldn’t say he had no children, because he couldn’t lie — we all know lawyers cannot and do not lie.
So he sent his wife for a walk to the cemetery with 11 of their kids.
He took the remaining one with him to see rental homes with the real estate agent.
He loved one of the homes and the price was right — the agent asked:
“How many children do you have?
He answered: “Twelve.”
The agent asked “Where are the others?”
The lawyer, with his best courtroom sad look answered “They’re in the cemetery with their mother.”
MORAL: It’s not necessary to lie, one only needs to choose the right words…
and don’t forget, most politicians are, unfortunately, lawyers.
GREAT STORY, JS.
——————–
I would not be true to my hockey roots if I didn’t make this comment on the Stanley Cup Conference Championships. The side of our family that lives in Tennessee was going WILD when the Predators blew through the first two rounds of the playoffs with easy wins over Chicago and St. Louis. Now they’re playing the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Finals. The Preds took a 2-1 lead after 3 games. Game 4, last night, was in Nashville before a frenzied group of home town fans. Trailing 2-0 after 2 periods, the Predators stormed back and tied the game at 2-2 with just 13 seconds left in the final period. A win in overtime would give them a commanding 3-1 lead in the 7 game series. But it was not to be. With their captain out of the OT with a concussion he suffered when kicked in the head by a skate, they suffered an even greater loss when their top scorer was seriously injured. He limped through the overtime but it was obvious he was badly hurt. After Anaheim scored the winning goal in OT, this injured player was diagnosed with a serious injury to his femur that required surgery. He’s OUT for about 2-3 months, at least. So, instead of leading a 7-game series 3-1, the Nashville Predators face almost certain elimination, tied 2-2, with 2 of the final 3 games scheduled for ANAHEIM. NBC Sports commentator Keith Jones said “Nashville faces truly insurmountable odds minus these two key players.” Sometimes Lady Luck is a cold hearted bitch, eh?
Scott Barnett says
“Still, I see Pouncey’s return doing more for the running game than passing game. Among all 29 centers to play on at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps, Pouncey ranked ninth-best in pass-blocking efficiency in 2015. This is impressive, but Pouncey’s backups were more than adequate at protecting Tannehill in his replacement (zero sacks, two QB hits, 10 QB hurries across 648 snaps). The bigger boost will be for Miami’s running back Jay Ajayi. Last year, backup Anthony Steen was the worst run-blocking center in the league across his seven starts.”
Who is Scott Barnett? That name doesn’t even register a bell, man.
Whoever he is, he doesn’t know how impactful Pouncey was/is for us… he actually under-rates him by LARGE.
Though… I thoroughly agree with him on our lack of depth behind Pouncey.
Mike, where’d you learn how to do math, crackerjacks😉 saving 2 second between pitches is more than 5 minutes, by using a clock it saves about 7-10 seconds per pitch.
For those math challenged like Mike, that’s 30-40 minutes per game.
Steve
I was never great in math, but regardless, I don’t think it’s the pitchers taking too long that slows the game. If you watched games in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, they were much faster, simply because there were far less pitching changes. Every pitching change is a delay of the game, and now, you can almost count on there being at least 2 pitching changes per game, with the advent of the set up man, and the closer. Add in the 7th inning specialist, and the countless lefty/righty specialists, and it just goes on and on. To me, it’s very shortsighted to try to speed up the game by rushing pitchers delivery to the plate, but again, that’s just me. The game has changed, and unless anew philosophy emerges where starting pitchers are encouraged to throw 130 or more pitches per game, the game will be slow.
Its not the pitchers that are slowing the game down, its the hitters. Those guys that step out of the box and unvelcro their gloves after every pitch are the worst offenders.
I thought they were already enforcing a batters box rule. Not sure how long it is, maybe 20 seconds after a pitch.
mlb.mlb.com/mlb/pace-of-game/
After we sign Charles Harris and Cordrea Tankersley, we’re going to have roughly $16M in cap space (WOAH!).
Sign one more DT (Tony McDaniel, $985K last year) and either a C or G (Orlando Franklin, $5.6M last year).
That would leave us with roughly $9.4M to rollover to next year in order to re-sign Jarvis Landry. For the record, we rolled over $8.4M last year to this year.
good analysis. Maybe mangold if he is still available.
Thank you!!! Yes, Mangold is an option. Problem is we’re probably betting on Pouncey to be healthy this year and by the time he goes down, another team will likely have already signed Mangold.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/05/20/former-dolphins-g-m-lands-with-the-bills/amp/
Heard that yesterday, Bills got the Silver Fox. They’re stocking up with Dolphins current and former personnel guys.
I’d say good move by the Bills. Thought Hickey did a good job for us. He only lost out cause of the regime change.
I agree, Hickey was good
So since we are sharing stories…..will offer up one from Friday night. We are a dinner with two other couples. Wife puts me on orders not to do/mention three things and then does them all. I turn to Dameon (faux UK Phin, who will be at the Fest) and explain that adding, “how does she get get away with these things that I couldn’t?” His quick British reply….”haven’t you noticed yet that you don’t exactly look like her.” 🙂
LOL – Women get away with all kinds of shit. Just the way it is
And they know that too. And my wife has like what my Mom had…….no matter what she does the charm factor is there.
I think the best way to speed up baseball is just to blindfold the batters. That wasn’t so hard.
2016 Miami Dolphins O-Line Stats (via Football Outsiders)
RUN BLOCKING
Power Success: 52% (#28)
Stuffed: 24% (#31)
2nd level yards: 1.40 (#3)
Open field yards: 1.13 (#4)
RB Yards: 4.59 (#8)
PASS BLOCKING
Sacks (adjusted): 30 (#22)
As you can see, Jay Ajayi succeeded DESPITE our O-Line. And as you can see, our O-Line still ranked in the 3rd tier giving up Sacks.
Are either Ted Larson or 5th Round rookie Asiata an upgrade from Tunsil at LG from last year? Has Pouncey finally discovered the ‘Fountain of Youth’? Will Bushrod (I wanted to re-sign him as a backup) improve from last year, or is ‘Father Time’ going to set in? Is James finally going to live up to his 1st Round status?
I would say we need to further address the O-Line. And if we put too much on Ajayi, that bone-on-bone in his knee is going to haunt our house.
Not that anyone who’s evaluating has it completely right, but Ajayi did most of his damage after first contact. I’ve said that many times to anyone preaching how good the running game was. Also, he did most of his big damage in 6 games, including (3) 200+ yard games
I totally agree with ya, Mike E. And most of his big damage was in the 5 games that Pouncey was on the field. Once Pouncey goes down again, our contingency plans will not live up to expectations. I don’t care if we have 4 players on the roster who can play Center, we will be significantly weaker because they suck.
THIS is one of the reasons Old Dolfan and I were VERY high on drafting Pat Elflein.
mf13ss says:
May 20, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Thank you!!! Yes, Mangold is an option. Problem is we’re probably betting on Pouncey to be healthy this year and by the time he goes down, another team will likely have already signed Mangold.
————————————————————————————
lets not forget Pouncey made the probowl as a guard and that’s his natural position from HS and college. The position change could help him medically with less stress on hips during the pre-snap position he takes.
I hear ya, but in this case, the damage has already been done to Pouncey’s body. Even if we wrap him in ‘bubble wrap’, he’d probably catch a large splinter while sitting on the bench.
I’ve got NOTHING against Mike Pouncey whatsoever, but to mortgage our season on his health is most unwise. And to sign Nick Mangold right now would be sending the wrong message to Pouncey, undermining Gase’s strong faith in Pouncey. This is quite the conundrum, buddy!
He himself has said Guard is his
natural position. We might have a very impressive line with mangold (center) multiple probowls and pouncey(guard)(center backup)
Mangold might make some of the guard feel uncomfortable…..but they are all on compete status anyhow. Gotta figure that Pouncey’s main concern is his health. He knows he is starting so long as he is good to go.
jetsssuck says:
May 20, 2017 at 1:39 pm
He himself has said Guard is his
natural position. We might have a very impressive line with mangold (center) multiple probowls and pouncey(guard)(center backup)
——-
I suppose that’s a possibility. Actually, that’s a damn good idea on second thought if we can make it happen. I’m seeing your vision, jetssuck!
The question now becomes: why hasn’t Mangold been signed? Is his heart still in football or is he considering retirement? Is he healthy now after being placed on IR last year? How much money does he want?
If we can make this happen and if the price is right, I cosign on your idea.
you have to figure the crouched position during the pre snap is where most of his damage of the hips is coming. Hell how many seconds is he in the low crouched position before snapping the ball. That position of crouching so low as he does isn’t going to help his degenrating hips. The move to guard is less crouching during pre snap and that alone may help prolong his career
Rigel Spikes @MF13SS · 2m2 minutes ago
@MikeTtweet @ArmandoSalguero Mangold to Center and move Pouncey to Guard in ’17? Interesting thought, via blog friend ‘jetssuck’. Thoughts?
I don’t know what your response is I am not into that fancy communications as you and trump seem to be.
we have to sign mangold first but we do have the benefit of tannabaum working with him before in NY plus we don’t have state income tax.
jetsssuck — in the new communication world……M13 just gave your thought about as good a credit there is on the twitter account with his name. Take the compliment my friend.
^^^
Stanger is CORRECT!!! Thank you, Stanger, for acknowledging what I just did, Brother. Props!
I could have EASILY stolen jetssuck’s individual thought as my own, but I’m NOT THAT GUY. I give CREDIT to original thought. I’m one of the most decent individuals one will ever meet, and you can see it by my actions.
thank you very much–Maybe I’ll let my wife see this she thinks I’m a iducated idiot.
jetsssuck says:
May 20, 2017 at 2:05 pm
I don’t know what your response is I am not into that fancy communications as you and trump seem to be.
———
LMAO!!! 😆
I just communicated your thought to the Twitter world, putting YOUR thought out there to be considered. I REALLY like your idea, man! Perhaps your idea will take hold… we’ll see! RESPECT to you.
Twitter is the one trump communicates on?
Correct.
To my man, Son…
Dr. Myron RolleVerified account
@MyronRolle
Been waiting on this moment since the 5th grade. To be Dr. Myron Rolle. Glad it came today!… https://www.instagram.com/p/BUUo7gDjNTb/
there family is from down here. Isn’t he the one that had rhodes scholarship?
YUP! He’s the one!
gotta run guys good talking with you
Good talking with you as well, my friend! Be well!
Good to hear!
This is all Gase, he wouldn’t let Parker be a slacker. That’s what sets the great ones apart, they don’t stand for mediocrity.
Mike E says the Bills are “stocking up on Dolphins current and former personnel guys.”
IF I WAS STEVE ROSS, I’d be right on the phone telling the Bills what a “Great Success Jeff Ireland was!”
Not sure Mangold is the answer. He’s 33 and has had durability issues. I also doubt he wants to play on the cheap.
ON ANOTHER HOT TOPIC: – – –
Currently it is 96 degrees in the north Tampa suburbs and the temps are still climbing. The last 3 days the highs in Tampa have been 98, 97 and 98 with some of the suburbs hitting triple digits. These highs are running about 10-12 degrees above normal for the days. New record highs for these days are breaking old records by 3-4 degrees. And Tampa has been keeping weather records since the 1850’s!! Governor Rick Scott still believes there’s no such thing as climate change. And he suggests that those reporting these temps have “hidden agendas.” He even fired a former staffer who used the term “climate change” when answering a question from a reporter. Talk about “hidden agendas” – – WOW! The flat earth advocates must be smiling.
Of course there’s climate change, when has it ever stayed the same throughout history? The question that’s a conspiracy is it’s caused by man. No evidence supports this.
Well, Steve, you sure as hell wouldn’t last 1 day on Scott’s staff. It’s clear we are in the era of “alternate facts,” at least as far as Scott’s concerned.
Just wanted to check in and say thank you to all on the blog who have served in the military. You are the real heroes and a simple thank you isn’t nearly enough for the sacrifice you have made.
Well said Herd. And we can start with OD on that. For sure Top, but we haven’t seen him in a while (Digsby too on that). Not sure who else there is.
Thanks Herd, and my sentiments as well to other vets.
And thank you GDP. Didn’t know.
Miami Herald:
The Dolphins have no plans to sign free agent C Nick Mangold.
Miami could use insurance for Mike Pouncey (hip), but Mangold wants a starting job and more money than the Dolphins could offer. It sounds like Miami will move forward with Kraig Urbik and Anthony Steen behind Pouncey. The Ravens are Mangold’s most likely landing spot.
Guess that settles it as far as him……unless he doesn’t get what he is looking for elsewhere.
I am groot
I’m always appreciative of our armed forces and all the people that put themselves in harms way to protect us.
I thought the OL…while dealing with lots of turmoil and player changes…played OK last year. They weren’t outstanding, but they weren’t bad either. Like pretty much the whole offense, they were too inconsistent last year. They most definitely need to improve, but I saw improvement last year over 2 years ago. I think they contributed to the individual success of other players, but they need to do it more consistently and at a higher level. The same can be said for everyone on this offense.
Agreed and the entire team agrees with this. 🙂
I notice climate change but I’m not sure that it’s because of humans. The question I always ask is why in the new millennium are we breaking some records from the 1800s before the industrial age?
Cycles.
Randy, Christensen has said their biggest issue was a low number of snaps on offense. Their production per play numbers were good, just not enough of them. That’s how you go from average to top notch. Control the game with TOP and points.
Here’s a homer’s look at William Hayes:
http://www.thephinsider.com/2017/5/21/15667772/90-in-90-miami-dolphins-roster-breakdowns-de-william-hayes-rank-playoffs-draft-nfl-2017-predictions
Mando says he isn’t projected to start. Who cares who starts in our rotational positions? This guy will make a huge contribution when he’s on the field, and gives us run stuffing ability we’ve sorely lacked.
My guess is technically Hayes does start, if only cause he won’t be part of the nickle package. I’m guessing that of the top 4 that Branch gets the most snaps, least in a close game.
My point was it doesnt matter who starts, just put the best in for the situation.
And it was a great point. Was just running with what we might see.
You can’t always substitute guys in and out every play. Good OCs will take advantage of defenses who need to sub guys in all the time by not letting them. NE does this all the time. Better to have a guy who can do both. Part of why I don’t like guys who are one dimensional. They can be kept off the field, and a smart QB will change up the play and take advantage of their weakness. You would prefer to have starters who are complete players.
Wasn’t talking every play, more about who is logical for the base and who is for the nickle. Plan last year was to turn Wake into a pass rushing specialist. Didn’t work out with Mario going down, but am guessing they will try to go that way this year with Hayes in there and a now proven Branch. Pretty clear what Harris’ strong suit is as well.
Someone always has to do it Sherlock😉
The term “starter” is irrelevant and ‘coach-speak’. Our base 4-3 D will feature Branch and Hayes opposite one another as DEs… FACT . Why? MR. Wake is being utilized as a pass-rushing specialist under Gase, as will the rook Charles Harris, who isn’t yet proficient against the run.
The term “starter” can be defined in SO many ways… hence ‘coach-speak’. Hayes’ run-stopping proficiency all but guarantees he’s a STARTER in our base 4-3, 1st-and-10 Defense.
*Harris’ run-stopping…
Why did I type Hayes’???
All good, I fixed it.
Yeah, ignore my 4:55 reply comment above. I’m multi-tasking and mixed up Harris and Hayes. HAYES is our run-stopper, HARRIS is our future pass-rusher.
It’s not as easy as people think for offenses to simply go hurry up all the time. It depends on the previous play and sometimes they need to get themselves lined up right.
sometimes is not correct, they have to always get lined up right and that’s why they practice.
but sometimes they can line up on the left as long as it is correctly but that is why they practice
You ever see an offense have confusion and not get the play off on time? A lot of times it’s based on what the defense is showing and they need to get out of the play or get the right matchups. If it was that easy teams would never huddle and always go hurry up.
now if they plan on running a double reverse they have to correctly remember they are more than likely going to end up with alternative facts and confusion won’t help with all the practice time in the world. Black may be white for some people and black may be black for the other.
gotta go good talking with everyone today.
At some point Brady has to start to show his age, but as long as he’s relatively competitive I expect he’ll play, so if that’s this year, why not us to win the division? ZIZO
The guy also lives a charmed life. Twice in the SB teams have had brain farts to throw the game away. It’s unreal.
And 2 Eli Manning miracles, so…
Only remember one. Yes Eli had to make a crazy play. But Brady just watched as the other teams self-destructed.
stanger,
I was just sort of commenting on 1 or 2 down players as opposed to 3 down guys. I just meant you’re better off with more of those guys instead of having to go to multiple sub packages all the time. Probably just a dumb comment because the NFL is a package league. Lol
***
I think you’re right. Our DE situation is fairly clear in terms of what guys do best. We’ll have to wait and see how the young fellas develop.
THANK YOU, HERD, for the nice comments. I started out life in an orphanage in Canada. Two older folks adopted me when I was just a few months old. At age 7, Mom & Dad decided it was time to move to the United States. I was thrilled! However, the thrill was somewhat diminished by 5 brutal winters in Buffalo. But when Mom & Dad moved to Florida, the “THRILL WAS BACK, BIG TIME!” Ever since then, I have considered myself 100% American. I was not a supporter of the way the two major parties were running the Vietnam War. But, unlike some, I never wavered in my support of “my” country. The two years I spent on active duty were the two most important years of my life. I learned to overcome adversity. And, in doing so, I helped thousands of American war casualties who really needed help.
————
The United States has given me everything I have in life. A family. An education. A job I love dearly. I can not possibly put into words how thankful I am.
Thanks Herd for the kind words and thought.. Memorial Day is a day to celebrate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Those of us who served and are still kickin’ get our day on Veteran’s Day. I would echo OD’s sentiments – everything I have and everything I am I owe to America. Not the least of which was allowing me to serve (and not grow up!) for 21 years.
Appreciate your service. Which branch was yours?
The OTAs start tomorrow?
yup
QUIZ OF THE DAY (even if a different one….with no known right and many possible answers)
Where has FFR been?
I’m thinking that Ken broke the chains of basement couch….and ffr’s been looking for a replacement. 🙂
You want to know why we won’t make the playoffs…..just read the five reasons why from a dude on “Musket Fire”.
“Despite these great players on the roster, the Dolphins are due for a downswing in 2017. Just like the 2014 Bills and 2015 Jets, tough times are coming for Miami in their attempt to knock-off New England. ”
1 — Schedule tougher (we got lucky last year)
2 — Ryan Tannehill (“passer rating is just 86.5 and despite the investment in players on O”)
3 — O-Line (Pouncey may not be healthy + “the mess at guard”)
4 — Weak LBs “held together with bailing wire and hope”
5 — Suspect secondary (Maxwell is overpaid, other CBs have serious flaws…Isa was godlike)
https://musketfire.com/2017/05/22/new-england-patriots-5-reasons-miami-dolphins-will-not-win-afc-east/
Because past history from other AFC East teams means something. These 5 reasons are weak at best, does this guy even get paid to write this shit? Not sure what Maxwell’s salary has to do with it.
Schedule and O-Line would be two of my top ones as to what to worry about, but some of the others are pathetic. But what else do you expect from a Pats homer?
pheloniusphish says:
May 22, 2017 at 8:56 am (Edit)
Thanks Herd for the kind words and thought.. Memorial Day is a day to celebrate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Those of us who served and are still kickin’ get our day on Veteran’s Day. I would echo OD’s sentiments – everything I have and everything I am I owe to America. Not the least of which was allowing me to serve (and not grow up!) for 21 years.
Well now. If not the two groups you mention, who is Armed Forces Day for? And it really doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t take a special day for anyone to say thank you or show their appreciation. I have the right to have all these opinions and views and can freely say them here or anywhere for that matter thanks to people like you.
Sort of makes you wonder if it’s really a good idea huh? 😉
Ha….It is always a good idea! You know, I am not sure about Armed Forces Day. I suppose it is for the guys still on active duty? I always appreciate someone thanking me for my service and didn’t mean to imply you did or said something wrong.
Actually I always feel lkke I should be thanking people for letting me serve. Where else was I going to get to paid to roam the globe and act like a juvenile if not the Corps?
About DeVante Parker
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article151925887.html
Go figure, someone acting like a pro in the off-season and getting results. The more I read about shit like this, the more I realize what a bunch of shitty motivational coaches we’ve had.
Yeah it seems that way. I also think Parker needed to learn how to be a pro. He’s only 24 so he’s still a pretty young guy.
Stanger – Marines.
Semper Fidelis my friend. Obviously not as long as you, but one of my god parents’ sons was like the shyest kid you ever met. He served in the crew for a 155 mm howitzer for three years (even if non-combat areas). And came back a man. Told him then “do you realize this is the first time you ever looked me in the eyes.”
Party with arty!
Not only where is FFR, where is Lou too. Maybe they are together. A 3rd rate romance, secret rendezvous.
Lou, blew off this blog. Only posts on the other one now.
His choice of course, but still sorry to hear that…..especially given what a great poster he is and how may friends he has here.
Agreed, he felt disrespected about some plagiarism comments thrown his way.
Flips it right back to up to him though. I never even caught what was going on about that. Would be sad if he stormed off cause of just what a poster or two said. Still up to him though…..we each have our own way in life.
Stanger, neither did I. I saw the plagiarism thing being discussed but never knew what it was about. We can’t really plagiarize here anyway, we’re not paid for our comments so no profit, no plagiarism.
Whatever it was it was I guess. But we can both agree that Prof Lou is one of the best around…..real smart football mind and great guy to boot. Just hope he is doing well. And smart as he is am sure it is about more than just this blog and the other one.
I vaguely remember the plagiarism thing here. Did someone from our blog actually accuse of him that?
I think it was probably joking and ball busting but again, didn’t know the details. I saw the tail end of it.
I vaguely remember the plagarism thing. Something about using certain phrases? Oy….How can someone plagarize a fan post site!?!
Did we draft any of Lou’s guys?
I thought he was hiding lol
Not sure about the draft but far as I can figure Lou both brought us Larsen (he was all over him) and got Bushrod to not retire simply by pissing him off on twitter. Lot more than I have done…..am missing me some Prof Lou.
Lol@ pissing him off. That’s true. Lou is on Bushrods dartboard.
Who is going to be our resident Tany-hater if Lou is gone?
Randy. LOL
C/G – Pouncey, Urbik, Steen, Larsen, Bushrod, Asiata
OT – Tunsil, James, Young
Unless there is some sleeper or injuries, I see this being the 9.
I’m not a hater! I just see things clearly. Lol
That’s what all the haters say!
Tim Knight says:
May 22, 2017 at 5:37 pm
…We can’t really plagiarize here anyway, we’re not paid for our comments so no profit, no plagiarism.
————
Tim, plagiarism has absolutely nothing to do with getting paid or for profit, my friend. You’re thinking about copyright infringement, which IS about getting paid or for profit… two separate items here, though they do overlap in certain aspects and issues. The only reason I know this is because I’m both a writer and an independent music producer/lyric writer (ASCAP)… it’s my job to know the difference to protect my work, whether offensively or defensively.
That stated, I’m not trying to revisit the several feuds amongst us posters regarding plagiarism over the years, and no names need to be mentioned to reopen old wounds. I agree that most of the feuding has had more to do with ball-busting taken as a personal attack. And I agree with Stanger that sometimes there are things going on in one’s life that adversely affect their ‘blog life/behavior’… been there and done that myself, as have most of us.
I think our group as a whole (BOTH blogs) is comprised of good, decent people. But when ya have so many people involved, conflicts and disagreements will occur at times. What’s awesome is that our group has managed to resolve conflict and agree to disagree so as to put negative thought behind us, for the most part. And we’ve seen old friends come back after long departures, as well. 🙂
GO MOB!!!
GO PHINS!!!
HELL YEAH!!!
Ugh! Plagiarism on a blog means nothing. We post tweets, articles and quotes all the time.
Nobody cares here if someone plagiarizes something by someone. Most of the time it’s simply agreeing with it.
I agree with ya… but it has nothing to do with money or for profit. That’s all I’m saying, and I wanted to correct ya. That’s all! 🙂
It’s a legal thing. Not worth continuing on with this. On a blog it’s silly.
Silly indeed! That’s where we agree!
I merely wanted to let ya know that plagiarism has nothing to do with $$$… it’s about intellectual honesty. And on a mere blog, it’s all good. I’m WITH ya! 🙂
M13, it’s always about $$$. LOL
INDEED IT I$!!! LOL
“If you want to know the truth, follow the money”. One of the truest things ever stated.
Kiko Alonso @elbravo_47 · 2h2 hours ago
ICYMI: My first blog on my new website, on finding my fit in Miami with the @MiamiDolphins.
http://www.kikoalonso47.com/2017/05/09/where-i-belong/
I think the least mentioned team wide improvement we picked up is team speed. Which is not always a function of 40 yd dash times, but takes into account lateral mobility, quick first step, quick-twitch athletes, high motor guys, see-ball-get-ball guys, guys who are adept at sifting through the trash (using quick feet), quick-rise jumpers, and even quick-punch hand-fighters.
These talents vary from position to position, but can be quantified by the number of career INTs Lawrence Timmons has or the number of blocked FGs Vince Taylor has or the number of pancakes Asiata got from his heavy-hands initial punch knocking guys off balance. We got a thumper MLB who has excellent upfield speed, the best spin-move in NCAA last yr in Harris a DT known for jumping the snap count really well, defeating double teams and wrecking blocking assignments. A 4.4 CB,
not sure what happened to the rest of my sentence but … n/m