What a miserable end to the Dolphins season! Actually what a miserable season. Hmmm…Let’s see if I can line up Buffalo in my sights….
Ehhh…Whats the point? It’s already a dump! There is nothing this astro cannon can do that they can’t do to themselves or haven’t done to themselves…
May as well start thinking about the NFL draft and get ready for 2018. And let’s start with the top – let’s start with the Heisman Trophy winner, Baker Mayfield.
Okay, settle down Tannehill lovers. I’m just looking at all options. Besides….we never draft the guys I look at anyway…so this is probably a blessing.
The Positives: If you don’t know about Mayfield by now – WAKE UP. There is a reason he won the the Heisman Trophy. He’s been dominating College Football this year and has Oklahoma competing for a National Championship (at the time this is written).
Just look at his numbers. Over 14,000 yards in four years (including his first year at Texas Tech), 129 Touchdowns and only 29 interceptions with a career passer rating of 176.00. Mayfield had 40 touchdowns in 2016 and 41 in 2017. Mayfield is probably the best Oklahoma QB since Sam Bradford and some experts since he is a better pro prospect.
He is 8th on NCAA all time passing yards and 6th in touchdowns. His 2017 QB rating is first in NCAA history surpassing his 2016 QB rating which is 2nd all-time.
We can go on forever about his stats – they are impressive. But beyond the numbers, Mayfield is confident and competitive and loved by his teammates.
Weaknesses: Okay…I know he’s smallish. He’s listed at 6’1 and might be even smaller. Although he has been durable at Oklahoma, some question whether at that size he can be that durable in the pros.
He’s not a great athlete either. He’s not a bad one – he’s just not going to make heads turn if/when he runs the 40 at the combine.
Oh – and then there is the attitude. He’s a crotch grabber…I guess Mayfield comes off a bit cocky. I’ve even seen him compared to Johnny Manziel. YUK!
The Alien Dust: He’s a gamble. What front office will take that gamble? There are many great college quarterbacks that don’t produce in the NFL. Mayfield is smallish and has that personality that gets under some human’s skin. But not this alien.
I actually love him. I think h has a chance of being a great NFL QB. His consistency in college should not be ignored. He’s a natural passer with great pocket presence and does a great job of improving when a play breaks down.
That confidence doesn’t bother me. This alien thinks a lot of humans may regret passing on Mayfie;ld. Currently I’m hearing he is the 4th ranked QB behind Rosen, Darnold and Allen – but this is a weird draft, and a QB like Mayfield of Jackson (Louisville) may not get selected as high as the other quarterbacks – but still have a better career. The QB prospect analysis always has had inconsistent results.
But the inability to predict success won’t stop this alien from comparing Mayfield to an alien weapon of destruction. Mayfield is the lethal Astro Cannon!
You can see his highlights here
Finsmob Unleashed 
He was the QB coach in CHI when Gase was OC.
Could also be related to some of the comments made about some possible coaching changes that were made during the year. I don’t know if he wouldn’t replace Christensen.
Looks like if he does get hired, Grant will finally have someone he ca see eye to eye with lol, Loggains is like 5’6. Also looks like he was previously QB coach for the Browns, so that’s not a great resume mark for being the QB coach either lol.
Lou – Yeah, we’ll see, and I pray he does as well, or close to what Belichick accomplished in his career, after those first 96 games, and that he does it here in MIA
I don’t hope or pray for any coach. I don’t get attached to any one particular individual. If he’s a winner then I’m all in. If he can’t win to save his life then get rid of him.
Gotta give it some time to pattern out, it hasnt had enough time to surmise that. 10-6 6-10 16-16…..
I cant really pinpoint any particular thing he did wrong as coach this year. I mean he didn’t get us straightened out, he didn’t seem to have a good grasp on the team this year, from a coach-player perspective, but again, it was kind of a funky year not just with us but across the NFL, and certainly our team had some hardships outside the ordinary. So while i admit i think this year kinda goes down as a fail on his part, it wasn’t egregious and it certainly doesn’t wipe out the success he had in his first year like it didn’t happen. He’s batting .500 so we can see where it goes from here.
I can’t really pinpoint one thing he did right this year.
I thought he would be safe for a little while after last season
and by the end of this season, its hard to think he can do anything more than he did this year to hurt that safety
Having a ton of penalties for 2 years in a row is really the biggest issue. The penalties killed many dirves
D, who was the QB in CLE in 2014? You know the saying. 😉
Omar Kelly @OmarKelly 3h3 hours ago
Wow….didn’t realize Ryan Tannehill’s overall win-loss record was 37-40 as a starter till now. That’s a bit disappointing.
LOL, gee Omar you just realized the Dolphins have only one winning season since 2008?
This is the kind of stuff that makes your crotch itch. Who cares if Loggains worked with Gase in Chicago. Would much rather someone like Caldwell. to come in and take over the offense. Gase will be bringing in another guy to be another Clyde so what good would it be.
Coaches usually like to roll with guys they know, not just names fans can throw around.
Seriously? That hurt Tim. Anyway, I don’t give two squirt of piss about guys they know when you’re bringing in a guy who couldn’t be the OC of a high school football team. I guess Gase isn’t finished destroying the offense.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll “raved” about DE Dion Jordan at his season-ending press conference on Tuesday.
The Seattle Times believes Jordan will be a “big factor” in how the Seahawks construct their 2018 defensive line. That line is in flux, as Cliff Avril’s career is in question while Michael Bennett seems to be being ushered out the door. Sheldon Richardson is a free agent. Jordan, a seeming 2013 draft mega bust, played just 135 snaps in 2017 but racked up four sacks in addition to a number of hits and hurries. 28 in March, he could be a find for the Seahawks.
Hey if Jordan can turn his career around in SEA good for him. He screwed up mightily in Miami. It was nobody’s fault but his.
Lou – I don’t want to have to start the whole Head Coach search, and then wait for him to possibly show enough potential so that we don’t fire him after his first bad season. I’m so tired of that shit, so yes, I pray he’s the right one and we can build around him and his vision.
he has no vision. his offense is simpler than a lot of college offenses I’ve seen.
I think lack of execution makes it seem that way
There you go throwing that execution word around. LOL
me thinks lack of good coaching is the reason
Gase blew it by dumping Ajayi, if he keeps Ajayi we’re still playing. regardless of the yards he may or may not have gotten teams had to prepare for him. I don’t think Gase knows how to play winning football.
We’re becoming that Miami Bears, doing something over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.
Drake might be better than Ajayi. We’ll know more next season.
Drake does not have the skill set of an Ajayi type, he’s more of a space guy, we need a downhill bread and butter back, one that will get you 4 yards consistently,sure drake can take it to the house but he’s inconsistent between the tackles, at 215 he’s too light, we need a 225lbs RB that stands about 5’10” or so, a low to the ground beast that defenses will have to game plan to stop.
If Loggains joins the crew it may only get worse. The guy has a shit resume and he sucks as an offensive coordinater. Maybe Clyde kept telling Gase he wanted to call the plays because he didn’t agree with the calls Gase was making and now Gase wants to get rid of him just like with Ajayi. So, he’s bringing in a “yes” man
I dont know about all that but i do think its possible he intended to bring in Loggains all along but wasn’t able to because he didn’t want to poach the guy they intended to replace him with in Chicago. It may be he is a yes man, i dunno, but i am pretty sure that the fact this happened immediately after the Fox staff was sent packing in Chicago that he had already planned for bringing him in when he could.
I dont see it, i do not see how Ajayi would have made a 3 game swing in W/L, Drake was more than Ajayi was all year and we still didn’t win. I’m beginning to think you had a Bowery Love Child too, and the mother was from England.
tampa, raiders & Buffalo at least once, we didn’t have a running game, those games we may have rushed the ball 15 times at most, we had an unbalanced attack because neither williams or drake are between the tackles RBs
Didn’t your best friend Bill Parcells take all of the Cowboys coaches and players? Did you forget the Dallas to Miami pipeline?
big difference in Dallas talent and chicago talent
If i were looking to mess with the coaching staff, i agree i wouldn’t be swapping guys on equal levels, unless of course it was a guy that Gase wanted to bring with him all along, but couldn’t because he didn’t want to poach from Fox’s staff too heavily.
Caldwell i think is going to get another shot this next year with some other team as a HC, i don’t think he would be interested in being our OC. John Fox and Jack Del Rio, would be people i was interested in being our DC’s as Del Rio’s defenses have always been pretty damn good and his LB’s are the strength of his defenses, Im not wanting Burke kicked out, but i do feel those two both have a better defensive mind. Del Rio i am sure will get other chances at HC as well, Fox may not.
The only concern id have with swapping any of it, is i just dont see the need to shake it up. Its not a perfect situation but stability in the staff might be more beneficial than anything we would gain replacing them. We already have lost and had to replace one coordinator, it wasnt a drastic change since we promoted from within, but im not sure changing again the very next year is smart. Im not in favor of the coaching changes, just playing devils advocate and posing a what if abotu two pretty good former DC’s.
Rob
BTW – I want to congratulate you on something – It appears you’re correct on Jon Gruden, it looks like he is coming back to coach Da Raiders.
I’m sure Gruden will want big $$$, I’d take him over Gase for sure but i’d rather have Harbaugh.
I would have taken him over Gase too, but I honestly don’t think he would have taken the job. I think he’s taking the job because it’s the Raiders, and they have a QB he can work with. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he quit after a year or two
So, Loggains is the king of the bubble screen. Should be exciting to watch that stuff again.
Some of you are forgetting how terrible our defense was last season. It didn’t improve much this year. Add to that a backup QB for the entire season and a more difficult schedule and our record isn’t much of a surprise. We still have a lot of holes to fill and a long ways to go on defense and the OL. Another year or two of smart draft/FA decisions and hopefully the overall team improves enough that a guy like Tannehill can lead us to the playoffs.
Like I keep saying… don’t blow a bunch of money on overpriced FAs and don’t waste draft capital. I’m all for taking a QB this year if there’s good value too.
OC Rob, you werent watching the games at the end were ya. Drake has all the same downhill running skills as Ajayi and he has better ability to get to the outside. He blocks better and he is a much better receiver. Yes, he’s good in space too but he runs circles around Ajayi because he is a more complete back.
he’s too tall and too light, he cant consistently run between the tackles, he’s a great back no doubt but he should be in the game only on 3rd down.JMO
He had almost 650 yards is what was a half a seasons games as a starter. Ajayi had 200 less yards in about exactly the same number of attempts. Drake also had almost 200 yards more receiving than Ajayi did in his half. The OL Drake was running behind was more piecemeal than Ajayi had. If he was such a great back, and so much more of a skilled RB, why does everything point to Drake being better?
Rob, I think Drake presents more problems for opposing defenses than Ajayi and he runs with more power than you give him credit for.
he does present problems, but he doesn’t have the power of Ajayi
I don’t really see much of a difference if at all.
I would like to get a pure brute power runner to pair with him but i completely think Drake is a 3 down back in the NFL, i dont think there is need to pull him off the field except to keep him fresh (ie give him a breather) and just to take some of the punishment off him. After seeing Tolbert this last game part of me wouldnt mind picking him up as a FA or a guy like Blount if we wanted a vet instead of drafting a guy like Scarborough
Tolbert is the kind of back we need. But I’d rather find a young guy like him.
Tim you know about defending your player child…. speak soothing condolences to him in ya’lls language so he might recover from the heartbreak of the divorce that lost him his.
I do not understand a word of this post.
it’s not how many total yards a rb can get, it’s about picking up the short yards on a reliable basis, we need a RB that is heavy and low to the ground and can get you 4 to 6 yards on 1st down, we need D’s trying to stop that, it creates short down and distance on 2nd and 3rd down and opens up the passing lanes. we don’t have that. how many times were we in long down and distance on 2nd and 3rd down, that’s the stat that will tell everything.
Loggains, rhymes with Rogaine, and if he’s hired you’re gonna pull your hair out
Loggains, no he didn’t sing Footloose, but he’s got a huge caboose
Sing it!!
Mike E. says:
January 2, 2018 at 6:12 pm
I would have taken him over Gase too, but I honestly don’t think he would have taken the job. I think he’s taking the job because it’s the Raiders, and they have a QB he can work with. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he quit after a year or two
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I couldn’t stand listening to the press conferences with Chucky as our coach. Carr was a QB that Gruden liked a lot when he was going into the draft, so i definitely think that’s part of what makes it an easier decision for him. They have a good WR corp, they have awesome defensive pieces, their OL when healthy is a really solid OL. Its a good choice, and of course he has history with them. I think if Koetter had gotten canned he might have been headed to TB, but Oakland pulled the trigger first.
I hope I’m wrong but I started with a post about how I and others thought Gase was more lucky than good when Foster went down and Ajayi ended up doing what he did and it seems that some have turned it into an Ajayi vs Drake debate.
Excuse me if that’s not the case but this is not an Ajayi vs Drake debate. The fact remains, if Foster doesn’t go down we probably don’t see Ajayi much, if at all, last year and we ain’t getting to 10-6 without the touchdowns our run game gave us.
But who is to say that if Foster doesn’t go down, that Foster doesnt get those yards rushing…. you cant change the variables and then predict with any certainty the outcome. We might have finished 12-4 for that matter, who knows what would have happened. Ajayi didnt give us 200 yards a game every game, in fact many of his games during our run were shit shows. 2.5 YPC averages. There is no denying he contributed and in some games completely carried us to wins, but he didnt in all of them, 4 total game he had 100+ yards out of 16 games. He only gave us 8 total TD’s for the year, Tanny gave us 19.
I swear to god if i were to have a police sketch artist come in and sketch what you guys were describing when ysa’ll talk about Ajayi this is what they would draw:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thebellasara/images/c/c8/Magi.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131027000137
Oh c’mon. Be serious. Like anyone thought Foster had anything left in the tank and wasn’t anything more than one of those waste of time signings this team always makes. Get real.
“he ONLY gave us 8 total td’s” love it. we had 13 rushing td’s last season. how many we have this year? Cutler gave us 19 td’s this season. but, we were 6-10.
Gase was lucky
Stanger says>>
With the Bills getting in…..9 of our 16 games were against playoff teams. Yeah our schedule was tough.>>>
Including both teams from last year’s Super Bowl and 8 out of the last 12 Super Bowl contestants
****
Yeah, except for strength of schedule doesn’t matter, remember? It didn’t matter when we won 10 games, and it doesn’t matter when we lose 10. It just doesn’t matter.
Good coaching teaches execution by getting it right in practice. There seemed to be a disconnect between what Gase wanted out of his players in practice and what he was getting. That’s ALL on him because he’s the coach, and he’s the one who decides how they practice and what is accepted. Execution on gameday is predicated on what you do all week long in practices. If your players aren’t getting it right in practice, then you’re not coaching them right. And, if they don’t get it right in practice, why the hell would you expect them to get it right in a game? And then…you know…cut guys for it.
***
This season put a number of doubts in my mind as to Gase’s viability as a coach. Stuff just didn’t feel right….and my feelings are almost always, mostly right…some of the time.
the rolling of the eyes gets old after a while. it’s okay to do it every now and then but he starts to look a bit immature with the amount of times he does it.
Caldwell just coached one of the best Lions runs in history. He isn’t looking for an OC spot unless there are no other options. No one will know that for at least a few months. Del Rio will also be doing the same.
he did pretty well in Indy too and he took an OC job after getting fired from that stint. he may not have a choice. if nobody wants him as a HC at this time he’s going to have to take something else.
He could take a year off. Sometimes coaches do that.
true. sometimes they do
Randy, he asks them to supplement with film study, they don’t, does he need to walk them home with film and pop popcorn for them so they can be in a better environment or does he need to expect them to be pro’s and do their damn jobs. Im pretty sure during practices, and on-site film study sessions, he is instructing, but get to the games and the player doesn’t know what he is doing, and this happens over and over, yeah you eventually cut the person because they are not getting it and they aren’t putting the effort to do so. Again, i dont think he id a great job this year, he seemed a bit disconnected from the players this year, when last year he seemed pretty in touch, but i dont think the Ajayi thing was him, i think it was Ajayi and i think he had it coming.
I also very much believe Gase spent excessive amounts of time trying to get Ajayi to do the things he needed to to stay on the team, he seemed to like Ajayi’s fierce play style and attitude, but when you have a job to do and a player is selfishly standing in the way of that, and every attempt to fix it is shut down, yeah fuck him, he needs to go, and if you guys didn’t like what we got for him in trade you would have really been pissed at what i would have accepted.
I’m sorry but when Philbin did stuff like this he was crucified but it’s acceptable for Gase to do it. Shows a major lack of leadership skills. There’s absolutely no reason why Gase couldn’t have kept Ajayi and played Drake like he did and let Ajayi stew in his own juices for a bit to see how he’d respond. That would have shown more character than trading him because “he couldn’t handle him.”
He’s the head coach and he needs to learn how to handle the personalities on the team. When you get rid of them because you can’t you’re never going to learn how to handle them.
Not sure how scoring more points makes a coach lucky. Isn’t that the goal?
Because Gase wasn’t smart enough to see that Ajayi was the better back and would have played Foster ALL year because he was the vet.
You don’t know that and why is it so important anyway? We were not 10-6 or 6-10 because of a RB.
Oh, so what you’re saying is if we didn’t have those 8 td’s from Ajayi and 13 rushing td’s overall and only had the 4 we had this year we’re going 10-6 anyway last season. Interesting. lol
Its not important to try to convince you Lou, your not movable, but the only 8 TD is to show you, he didnt win us those games, WE won those games, his stats and contributions were no so staggering to forget that the other parts of the team carried us other games, we won games by contributions of all other units even ST’s, we won as a team during that span, of which Ajayi was just one player.
we had 13 rushing td’s last season and 8 of them were because of him. 4 this year and we’re 6-10 but, yeah, you keep convincing yourself that Ajayi wasn’t a difference maker.
Gase got lucky and you’re going to see that when next year is his last.
D,
You’e Making an awful lot of assumptions that have no factual basis. The bottom line is that it’s Gase’s job to have his players prepared. He didn’t do his job. Then, he basically cut a player for not doing his job. Kind of ironic.
***
Also, I heard a lot of former HCs on TV after the move question why Gase couldn’t figure out a way to make it work. I do not believe Ajayi was as disruptive or as big a malcontent as the team would lead us to believe. The players all seemed shocked, so how did they not have any idea about Ajayi being such a cancer? It’s all fishy, to me. I think Gase got dramatic and frustrated with losing and took the easy way out.
That’s a lot of assuming as well. 😉
I just look at it this way. Tannenbaum is a fuck up. Has been his entire career as an NFL exec. So, he hires Gase. Why would that be any different than anything else he’s done? He’s a fuck up. Why would he break his perfect record and start making good decisions?
Wow this is going to be a fun offseason. LOL
Tim,
Yep, I was just going with the flow. Lol
Bottom line: We need to find a way to score more. On the ground. In the air. Hell, kick off returns. I don’t give a shit, but we need to figure it out. We can’t keep averaging 21 points a game and expect to win much. It seems like i’ve been saying this for years!
***
If we’re going to stick with a QB that throws 25 TDs a year, we absolutely MUST have a productive running game….and not just a so-so running game but a pretty damn good one.
Mike E. says:
January 2, 2018 at 4:50 pm
Belichick was 41-55 in his first 6 seasons as a Head Coach. Is he any less a genius?
_______________________
Phibin’s record in his first two season was 15-17. Gase’s is 16-17. Who’s to say it doesn’t end up the same way?
Is Philbin a Head Coach anywhere else? That’s your answer
well, Gase may not last as long as Philbin did.
Yean, and that extra loss for Gase was a playoff game, something Philbin was allergic to
lol. you’re grasping at straws.
When Bryant was being a cancer in the locker room and demanding a trade from Pitt, Tomlin told him he’s not going to trade him and made him sit. He didn’t pussy out of confrontation because he didn’t know how to deal with a personality and give him what he wanted. Why? Because when you do that your players are going to walk all over you.
Some other player on this team wants out they know exactly what they need to do.
Yeah, and Belichick did it with LeGarrette Blount, who just happens to be the guy who is on top of the depth chart over the unbelievable, invincible, amazing Ajayi. I can find some bullshit to counter your bullshit every time
give it a break already. Philly uses multiple backs in their offense.
I’m grasping at straws??? You throw Phuilbin out there who never had a winning season as a HC, was never really an OC in GB because McCarthy ran the whole show there. Philbin isn’t a HC anywhere 2 years after getting fired, but I’m the one grasping. You’re ridiculous. Gase was 10-6 and went to the playoffs his 1st season. Gase was hotly sought after by a bunch of NFL teams, Philbin was our 2nd or 3rd choice and it was a shitty one at that
you threw out Belichick’s record and I showed you a darn good comparison between Gase and Phlbin head coaching record. there’s no denying that. so Gase had a 10-6 record last season. Guess what? He coached the team to a fabulous 6-10 record this season. And who cares if Gase was highly sought after by teams. Doesn’t mean he’s going to be any good. McDaniel’s crashed and burned but he’s still a great OC.
Maybe that’s all Gase is; an OC.
That actually might be the case with Gase, but that has yet to be determined, and he deserves the opportunity to prove it.
Mike E. says:
January 2, 2018 at 8:49 am
M
Just curious, would you rather have had Gase cut Ajayi?
———
“Are you serious, Clark?”
Hell nah, I don’t wish we would have outright cut Ajayi. Do ya remember the last time we had a Pro-Bowl RB? 2008- Ronnie Brown (1x). Before him? 2002- Ricky Williams (1x). Before him? 1982- Andra Franklin (1x).
Over the last 35 years, we’ve had only 4 (FOUR) Pro-Bowl bids by any of our RBs (still can’t believe Ricky only made it ONCE, SMH). So what does Gase do? He trades Ajayi (only 24 years old) away for a day 3 pick… GTFO.
Look, Bro… nobody is really going to know what happened behind closed doors between Gase and Ajayi. We’ve all heard the story that Ajayi wanted more carries, which may or may not be true… SO WHAT? That shows passion, drive, and energy . We’ve all heard the story that Ajayi wasn’t following his assignments, which may or may not be true… THEN BENCH HIM to send him the message.
What ya DON’T do is trade away a once in a quarter century Miami Dolphins Pro-Bowl RB… and for a bloody FOURTH rounder, at that, SMH. Shit, if the best offer we got was a 4th rounder (and I don’t believe that for a nano-second), ya bench him for a good month and try to trade him next year for a REAL deal if ya can’t deal with him.
The ONLY way trading him for a 4th rounder even makes sense is if we’ve got proof-positive data that Ajayi’s ‘bone-on-bone’ knee is on the very brink of ending his career… and I’m talking within a year or two, TOPS. We’d look like SHIT to the league if we swindled anybody for damaged goods, and nobody would want to trade with us in the future. We’ll see how this plays out… if Ajayi has a career-ending injury soon.
I see a recurring theme now with Gase: when he hits a losing streak, he trades or cuts players to send a message… and this past year it wasn’t dead weight like a Billy Turner or Dallas Thomas in ’15. It was our ’16 team MVP in Ajayi and Byron Maxwell. I wonder who gets cut in ’18 if we hit a losing skid: Tannehill or Suh? Who’s next?
Gase is cutting off his nose to spite his face, and our 2-7 record post-Ajayi is a FACT. Our mere 3 rushing TDs by RBs this year is a FACT. Cutler throwing against stacked coverages without Ajayi is a FACT (and he STILL put as many TDs on the board as Tannehill did last year in as many games).
I’m sorry, and this is just MY opinion… Gase screwed up, BIG TIME, in trying to “motivate” the team by using negative reinforcement this year. Actually, I’d say it had the exact opposite effect of what he had intended in that regard.
Remember: THE COACH IS NOT BEYOND REPROACH. He’s only human like the rest of us, and we ALL make mistakes. I give Gase a mulligan for this bone-headed move, due to his major success in year 1. He’d better learn from his mistakes quickly or he’s only going to have a 3-year stay in Miami. And yes, I’m pulling for Gase to be the greatest coach we’ve had since MR. Don Shula!
HELL YEAH!!!
GO PHINS!!!
GO GASE!!!
M
No one is beyond reproach. Drake proved he’s as good as Ajayi or better, so he gains some cred with his decision in that regard. We’ll never know, but unless you really think Gase is an idiot, which I don’t, I think he made the move he thought was best for the team. Much like Belichick did with Jimmy G, he found a trade partner out of our conference willing to give some compensation, maybe not the best compensation, but if Jimmy G is worth a 2, then Ajayi is surely worth a 4. Hard to argue that logic.
Let’s talk about the 2010 draft. LOL
Now you got my attention
We passed on Earl Thomas but we did land Reshad Jones.
Philbin has a much more established coaching career than Gase. Gase really has very little actual coaching experience. He started out more in personnel and recruiting. Philbin has been a well-respected position coach for decades. It’s not even close. The problem is that you never know how a guy will pan out as a HC. It’s just a different animal. It’s so much more than just coaching. All first time head coaches are basically learning on the job. I don’t expect Gase to be a great HC out of the gate. I’ve liked some things he’s done and disliked others. It sounds like he’s got one more year, at least, to grow as a HC.
***
Plenty of HCs have good first years. Hell, Gruden won the SB in his first year, didn’t he? I don’t think that means much. At the least, it shouldn’t mean any more than his team’s performance this year. What keeps niggling at the back of my brain is that his teams have been very undisciplined both years. I can’t equate undisciplined play with good coaching. That’s just me.
Not his first year as a HC which was with the Raiders, but his first year with the Bucs demolishing his old team the Raiders in the Super Bowl.
That is not true Randy. Gase was OC in Chicago and receivers coach in Denver. He was never a personnel guy
you hit the nail on the head right there. how do you equate undisciplined play with good coaching? Shula was a great coach because his teams were so disciplined. Always one of the least penalized teams in the league when he was the head coach. He wouldn’t tolerate the mistakes this coaching staff has allowed over the past two seasons.
personally, I would have rather the team went after a veteran head coach after firing a first-time coach in Philbin. tried it and it didn’t work. now try a vet instead of trying another first time guy. and you always hear the players paying lip service to the coach but if they respect the guy so much than why aren’t they listening to him?
lol. maybe they are listening to him
Just for shits and giggles, say Gase benches Ajayi, and then Drake starts kicking ass like he did, and then Ajayi starts grumbling to reporters and the unrest is not just internal now, but public statements that he wants out, and demands a trade.. Is Ajayi worth more, or less at that point? Seriously, answer that honestly
Probably the same compensation.
It would have had to be done in the offseason, because that was already at the trade deadline. I’m not so sure you’re right about that.
again. Tomlin didn’t give in to Bryant. told him he wasn’t being traded. If what happened really happened then Gase should have showed him who was boss and just played Drake and made him sit. You don’t just give away talent on your team for next to nothing.
Every coach has a different style and not just one way works. Belichick is not a players coach and he’s gotten rid of lots of talent over the years. The Bills dumped 3 good players, wasted a game with a backup QB, and still made the playoffs. Petey and Tomlin both have success as player based coaches. Style and cetain decisions don’t ruin a season alone. Ajayi wasn’t the reason for 10 wins or 10 losses. This isn’t basketball.
Gase’s decision with Ajayi was strange and the recouped costs were way too low. Definitely a mistake but Drake is just as good of a RB if not better. He also doesn’t have the knee issues that may crop up at any point. My biggest issue with Gase is nothing seemed to change all year. Players still made stupid ,mistakes in Game 16 that they made in game one. That is a big warning sign. Gase’s staff was not teaching, training, and optimizing this roster. It’s a huge issue and I’m not as high on him either. He needs to clean this shit up or he will be under pressure next off season.
We’ll see what Ajayi’s value is on the open market when he’s a UDFA in 2019.
Probably not much by 19 but that is 2 years away
No one pays aging RBs much
Exactly!
As i’ve said a few times, every single player who was asked about it seemed shocked to hear that Ajayi was traded. Wouldn’t you think that if he was such a problem in the locker room and/or the class room that other players would have had some idea? Either they were clueless and we have an absolute lack of leadership, or they’re all just lying. Why wouldn’t Gase have gone to the veterans on offense and asked them to address the issue within the locker room? It certainly doesn’t sound like he did anything of the sort, but I am the first to take the things players and coaches say with a grain of salt. Lol
***
Even with alll that, we still traded a pro bowl player for a 4th round pick. That sucks anyway you cut it.
if Philbin had Ajayi and did that he would have been roasted for it
I dont think he butted heads with other players just the coach or coaches
I think what happens with things like this is we generalize insults or stigmas
I think you are right in challenging whether he was a lockeroom problem – I don’t see it
It was really Ajayi v the coaches and I think that’s it
That’s a valid reason to trade a player IMO
The coach has to build his team and win/lose his way
Other coaches, some better, probably would have just dealt with the differences but that’s not gase
But at the end of the day I’m not sure we are any worse going with Drake
It’s a bold move by Gase
He’s accountable for it
I don’t buy the character attacks on Ajayi
But I’m not sure we are a lesser team either
The trade value is not so bad for a RB
The fact that it’s a late 4th is a problem
But if it was a late 3rd I would probably be okay with it
So it’s a mi or gripe for me in terms of value
Like Tim says, a 4th RD pick is worth shit, unless WE trade it away, then it was like a 1st RD pick. lol
Was just thinking that and then I read this. LOL
Ken,
Not true. Go look at his history from when he first started. Yes, eventually he became a coordinator, but he didn’t start that way. Plus, OCs don’t really coach. They design plays. Philbin actually directly coached players.
He was the receivers coach in Denver when they had Manning
It doesn’t matter what Ajayi garners when he’s a FA again. When we traded him, he was coming off a probowl season where he was very productive. That’s all that mattered at the time he was jettisoned.
In retrospect trading away Ajayi is fine. Drake is the superior talent. He is faster, a better receiver and a much better blocker. We can argue if a 4th pick was adequate compensation but the fact of the matter is RBs don’t command great trade value especially with a history of knee injuries
I think part of the rationale with the Ajayi trade was basically “why put up with this when we have Drake”.
And in that regard Drake came through
I’m not a huge fan of getting rid of talent though
A lot of teams basically have the same level of talent and you just make your climb steeper when you let talent go
From Wikipedia:
“When Gase graduated from Michigan State, he followed Saban to LSU for the 2000 season. In Gase’s first season with LSU, he worked as a defensive graduate assistant and worked with recruiting. For the next two seasons, Gase worked full-time as a recruiting assistant for the Tigers.[2]
NFL career Edit
Detroit Lions Edit
Gase left LSU and the college ranks to become a scouting assistant for the Detroit Lions. He was hired by Steve Mariucci. Gase worked as a scouting assistant from 2003 to 2005. He also added the role of offensive assistant for the 2005 season.
Gase stayed with the Lions under new head coach Rod Marinelli and was promoted to the team’s offensive quality control coach for the 2006 season. In 2007, Mike Martz promoted Gase to the team’s quarterbacks coach.”
So he has been coaching for over 10 years and 3 years as an assistant. I think it proves my point. He was not a personnel guy and he has been a coach for over 10 years
So Lou
what about Tomlin giving in to Harrison and letting him slip away to arch rival NE?
Isn’t Tomlin a pussy for that one?
How about Tomlin cutting Blount about 3 years ago right before the playoffs, when Le’Veon Bell got hurt, and they had no back up and lost in the playoffs because of it. Hail Tomlin! LMAO! To pour salt in the wounds, Blount kicked the Steelers ass for the Patriots that year!
Mike E. says:
January 2, 2018 at 7:53 pm
Just for shits and giggles, say Gase benches Ajayi, and then Drake starts kicking ass like he did, and then Ajayi starts grumbling to reporters and the unrest is not just internal now, but public statements that he wants out, and demands a trade.. Is Ajayi worth more, or less at that point? Seriously, answer that honestly
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Man, I see what ya did there… injecting that Ajayi is/was a malcontent. Again, we’ll probably never know the real story of what happened.
And NO, I certainly do NOT think Gase is an idiot! But I do think that he’s got issues when it comes to handling conflict with other people… just a hunch.
Mike E, we apparently disagree with this whole Ajayi ordeal and it’s all good! I just hope that Gase continues to learn and that the team gels/rallies under his leadership. And you’re absolutely correct: NO ONE is above reproach. There’s no ‘I’ in team, and that goes from Steve Ross, ALL the way down to the PS players. Excellent point.
Just so you know, I don’t know, or profess (see what I did there) to know any more on what happened than anyone here, and I don’t know for sure that Ajayi was a malcontent, it may have solely been not putting in the work that Gase wanted him to do, and maybe not listening to him about bouncing runs to the outside and losing yardage, it could have simply been that. I don’t know.
None of us know the truth, and none of us will ever know the truth. All we’ll ever hear is the spin on both sides. It is what it is now.
The Flying Pig says:
January 2, 2018 at 5:24 pm
You guys would be the worst people to watch the destruction of Alderaan with
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😆
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Gase seems to be a damn smart dude, but that doesn’t mean he’s a great coach. Maybe he will be some day, but lots of guys only get 2 or 3 years to prove they are HC material in the NFL.
It’s way too early to call him a great coach or a bad coach. We have seen good and bad from him but he gets another year and I think it’s appropriate
Hypothetically
If Gase would have benched Ajayi for Drake 2 weeks earlier I would probably be happier with it
I wouldn’t have bought that Ajayi jersey if he was benched
LMAO!!!
Have I said this lately? IT’S ABOUT THE PLAYERS! Lol
and coaches and FO … all have a role in what the final product is and all bear responsibility.
(However, it’s not about the fans and bloggers and Omar/Armando They have no role.)
Ken,
My comments were in regard to comparing him to Philbin in terms of coaching experience. It clearly says he started out in “recruiting” and “scouting” which is personnel. I never claimed it was all he ever did, but his coaching experience doesn’t compare to Philbin’s. Until about 2007, Gase wasn’t actually coaching. You can spin it anyway you like from there, but my statement was accurate.
’18 Hall of Fame finalists are listed here: https://twitter.com/ProFootballHOF
Ray Lewis
Randy Moss
Ty Law
Isaac Bruce
Those guys jump out too me
I know I’m probably late to the party, but Carson Palmer has retired.
Arians also. I think they both needed to stop.
Carson palmer was late to that party
LOL @ all the frustrated conversations.
Just read Gase’s coaching career instead of trying to talk each other into it. Look to the right and see the timeline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Gase
He was the next hot HC candidate, got hired, lead the Dolphins to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 at 10-6, then had a bad season this year at 6-10. Okay, now he has to turn it around in 2018. The life of a coach. 🙂
I think the Ajayi fiasco was sad, and i still hate not having him, but a smart guy once told me that “to the extent that you can, each person must manage his situation to get the right people on the bus.” He said, “Now notice, I didn’t say the best people, because sometimes the best people aren’t the right mix of personalities and chemistry is super important in any major enterprise, because the sum of the parts must always be greater than the value of the parts individually or the synergistic power of enterprise organization is lost.”
You can look at any team sport and name teams that seemed to have been loaded with talent and did not win and a few teams that were bereft of talent and won anyway because they had chemistry.
What’s kind of cool is Drake could be a monster in 2018. Gase should have fun drawing up plays for his talents. Oh wait, he doesn’t know anything so that won’t happen. The FO also will never add any talent to help that happen.
That paragraph will sum up the discussions on this blog until we have more wins than losses. LOL
Tim,
Fuck off!!!
You serious, Clark, or just joking? I’m being very light hearted. 🙂
I’m over the season already because this team never got on track all season. Super inconsistent and from top to bottom everyone involved has to get back to work which reportedly has already started with asst. coaching searches.
I know this sounds stupid and wussy and accepting of mediocrity, but i don’t think 6-10 is a bad record. As long as we don’t stay mired there like we did with the last two coaches.If 6-10 is your ceiling then that is not good. But there were reasons it happened to Gase that are fixable.
I think leading the league in penalties is bad. I think our scoring rate is bad, our defensing of TEs is bad, and certain other specifics were bad. But I understand all of those problems and I hope Gase does.
Rigel Spikes
@MF13SS
now
More
Miami #Dolphins defense faced 5 of the 9 RBs who rushed for 1,000+ yards in ’17: Hunt, McCoy (x2), Ingram, Gordon, and Anderson. In those 6 games combined: 98 att, 276 yds, 2.8 YPC, and 3 rushing TDs. Where was this stellar run-D in their other 10 games? 🤔
Inconsistent like every other part of the team. A better offense and TOP would upgrade the run defense though. Pass defense could end up with more sacks and picks too due to making a team more one dimensional. That’s how this defense was built, to play off an offense that can score. Gase has said many times that’s the reason and it starts with him. He’s gotta get it fixed.
Tim,
Just joking, of course.
Cool, it was so blunt and no lol or smiley. LOL
About us allowing so many completions to the TES. That is the NFL today. The pass rush is so fierce that most QBs can’t hold the ball long enough to throw downfield often, and the big fast TE is the newest toy and the newest strategy to beat the blitz. Every team including us is looking for the next Gronk, Kelce, Witten, etc. Brady can’t last to his 40s without Gronk (and 3 little slot guys).
I imagine there are lots of fans screaming, “how do we let that slow little Landry catch 100 passes on us and get all those first downs!” He has been our solution to beating the pass rush.
The DCs are all clamoring to draft a guy who can cover the TE, but nobody has really found the prototypical TE nullifier yet. i say DCs might need to draft 6’4 245 guys who can run fast (i.e. smallish TEs) and turn them around to play Defense and call them Roverbacks or some completely new term..Remember Dion Jordan doing well at that job.
Hewitt at only 6-2 has shown that but he’s been up and down of late not even being on the team for awhile and nobody else picking him up. I think McDonald might be that guy for us. Armando has said he’s heard from sources within the org we’re looking at safety in both FA and the draft. I think McDonald playing a nickel LB role might be part of that. Maybe we want a center field type safety so TJ and Reshad can play up close more.
Every team gets beat by TEs. This is not unique for Miami. The Giants allowed an NFL record 9 or 10 straight games allowing a TE to score a TD against them this year. These TEs don’t have the numbers they do because of one team once or twice a year. LOL
exactly my point … thank you Tim
MF
great stat and very intriguing
I think we game-planned to stop the strength of teams, which we accomplished a lot of times. And not just the great rushing attacks. (See NE in Miami)
But we let several no-name RBs have great games against us while stopping the passer and several no-name QBs have great games against us while stopping the rusher.
Not “complimentary” football. … … It was just a f’d up season.
Thank you! I got to thinking how we totally neutralized Shady McCoy in 2 games and wondered if we did the same against the other top rushers this year. Sure enough, we did.
We’ve got to stop ‘playing-down’ to lesser competition and like Tim said, we’ve got to be more consistent. At least there’s hope for next year that we’ve got a good run-D against formidable opponents… and we’ve got Raekwon coming back.
We stopped Shady twice but let Tyrod beat us twice.
Exactly my point.
We held Matt Forte to 8/25 and let McCown go 18/23 for 249.
We held Flacco to 101 yds and let Collins run for over a hundred and a 6.3 yd average.
We held Lynch to 57 yds and let Carr throw for 300. (I know, but still, not complimentary)
etc. etc.
We let Carolina run for 300 yds when the only way to beat Cam is to stifle the run.
So we went 6-10 by losing our starting QB, our bye week, our starting MLB, our leading INT DB from the year before, and our DC all for the entire year.
We also lost the LG we brought in specifically to plug that hole in the OL, our OL coach committed professional suicide on national TV, our big thumper LB had a nervous breakdown on late night Police Radio, and our all Pro RB got himself traded for a draft pick, not to mention our SS was suspended, therefore all of them were lost for half a season.
Like Fasano said, “too many distractions” for a 2nd yr head coach and 1st yr DC.
Excuses, not reasons. 😉
No, excuses are things like blaming bad calls and what ifs and a misplayed timeout.
Losing your starting QB is not an excuse.
Even Bellichick did not make the playoffs when he lost his starter. Nor did Green Bay.
Losing your bye week is huge. That is almost unheard of.
Having a 1st yr DC along with a 2nd yr HC is a huge coaching disadvantage.
We needed more takeaways; all year we were crying for a pick to save a game,
but we lost our two leading INT guys from the previous year.
Having a major position coach cuttin blow on his desk while bangin cheap Vegas hoes is HUGE.
Losing Maualuga and Timmons to mental illness compounded the loss of the very draft choice we selected to fix that position problem.That’s terrible luck, not an excuse.
Man it doesn’t take long to catch up when you skip the discussions you have no interest in around here! 😉
You just like to look at the pictures bro.
To get away from from the Phins for a moment to focus on the NFL, I think two things have to happen for them to improve their game again.
1. Enough of the tacky tack calls based on the officials’ perception and playing their own personal game of chess.
2. Players are getting out of hand and the hammer has to come down on personal fouls. How about something like this – grab a guy by his face mask after the whistle, or throwing a helmut at someone, or giving a guy extra business when you know it’s wrong, and it’s not tolerated. Do it once, out for the rest of the season, do it twice out of the league forever.
Watch it stop. There are plenty of players who can control themselves to maintain the league. I don’t want to hear about testosterone levels etc. Do most of us everyday citizens not control ourselves to not mug someone or start a stupid fight? No different here. Here are the rules. Abide by them or you’re out.
I think the level of team play overall this season was the worst I’ve seen since watching the NFL for 40+ years. You might be talented but are you a professional?
Some people are super smart but socially fucked in the head so they’re recluses and not a part of a team. The NFL brand should have the same standards.
I agree that a real investigation needs to be done into refs favoring the “golden boy” players and teams. Andrew Luck got lots of calls his way. There are others.
Certain teams get obviously favored by the refs, whether they are “story-book” seasons, big markets, or favored owners or what, the perception is spreading among fans and even TV commentators that game changing calls are made to help a favorite team catch up in a game or hold onto a lead.
Also this bumping of the refs should be an automatic DQ and one-game suspension and doubled each time after.
Naples, I was being tongue and cheek about excuses vs. reasons. I believe in reasons. This season, nothing seemed to go right for us. Excuses for some, reasons for others. 🙂
gotcha
I think Gase can do better.
But man, what a screwed up season that just was.
We saw it al year and Gase was at a loss. His career is on the line. Some guys can handle it and some can’t. We’ll see if can turn it around. Life of a coach.
Team game needs team players.
TWO POINTS then I’m outta here for several days.
#1: Did NOT check prior contributors up the page, so this may be VERY OLD NEWS. Who was the ONLY team to beat both Georgia and Bama this season? Why, of course, it was AUBURN!! – – And WHO just beat Auburn on a neutral field? Why, of course, it was the Knights of UCF. HC Scott Frost may be right when he takes the members of the College Football Playing Committee to task for not giving the team from Central Florida enough respect for being the ONLY Division I school to run the table with a PERFECT 13-0 record this year. I’d certainly rate Frost’s team NO LOWER than 4th or 5th if I had a vote in the voting process. But I’m afraid that the final vote will barely put them in the Top 10 —- which is a slap in the face to a really outstanding team that took on all comers willing to play them. IF a 4-loss Auburn team STILL finishes above UCF, many will be pissed!!
#2: ARMANDO’s column today concerning the disgusting lack of professionalism in the Dolphin organization was dead on IMHO. He reports many (most?) on the team were laughing and joking after being crushed 40-0 by the Ravens on national television this season. He further cited many instances where guys stayed out all night, showed up late for practice, and were NOT fined or punished. I’ve known a few drill instructors who would LOVE THE CHANCE TO PERFORM AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT on these assholes we have for players (please check Mando’s report for the details). NO organization can tolerate this kind of behavior and be successful!! The fact that, to my knowledge, no one in the Fins’ organization has taken on Armando or contradicted anything in this article speaks volumes.
And what it says isn’t good. But what can we expect from “The Doofus Brigade” and their lackeys?
OUT for several days.
Why the fuck is there even an argument involving Arian Foster?! Lmao……Ok, let’s pretend Foster wasn’t Arian Foster…..I mean, he’s had a heck of a career and way better and proven over Ajayi. Of course you start a healthy Foster…… wow.
2nd…..Drake had the highest yards after contact in the league final 5 games of season and also 5th highest yards per carry in the NFL for the year. Wtf did we lose letting Ajayi go?
Deep breaths and let it go!!!!!!!!! 😉
If you want to bitch?
Why did we have Foster instead of Gore?
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 14 (G.B.): Roquan Smith, ILB, Georgia (B+)
Round 2 Pick 11: Billy Price, C/OG, Ohio State (A)
Round 2 Pick 14 (G.B.): Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma (A-)
Round 3 Pick 11: Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State (A-)
Round 4 Pick 11: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State (A)
Round 4 Pick 32: Josh Sweat, DE, Florida State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 11: Dimitri Flowers, FB, Oklahoma (A+)
Round 7 Pick 7: Arrion Springs, CB, Oregon (A-)
Round 7 Pick 11: Damon Webb, SS, Ohio State (A-)
I know exactly why Gase dumped Ajayi, it’s in the stats, Going in we were 4-2, he got 13 carries against Baltimore when they got blown out, Ajayi was pissed that his team lost and he probably felt that if they fed him the ball like they should have they would have stood a chance.
I think the blow out had more to do with Matt Moore than Ajayi anyway.
It’s public knowledge that Ajayi was bitching about it to the assistants, I’m sure it started with the @jets and N.O.’s games where again he didn’t get the touches that resulted in losses.
I think Ajayi was pissed because of the losing involved when he didn’t get the carries not just that he wasn’t getting enough touches and he was voicing his opinion.
if that makes him a malcontent i’ll take 53 of them.
Drake is a good back, he can get separation but he’s not a bread and butter back, he doesn’t fare well picking up the tough yards, he doesn’t plow defenders over he out maneuvers them.
he’s a great addition to this team however you have to have a rb that makes the tough yards after contact, not one that can burst for 50 yards on any given play but for the most part get stuffed for a loss as well
like a devonta freeman, leonard fournette types, Drake doesn’t fit their mold IMO.
Gase will need such a back next year or he’ll need a job.
MF 13,
can you do me a favor? since you’re the expert stat man can you tell me how many times we were in long down and distance on 2nd and 3rd down. is there a percentage to compare it to the rest of the league or compare to last years dolphins?
I may be wrong but this is the stat that may be very telling as to why we didn’t have success, IMO we didn’t pick up the tough yards on 1st down making 2nd and 3rd down tougher.
i had seen too many times post ajayi where we had 2nd and 13 or 3rd and 10.
if you have a RB that can consistently pick up 4 yards on 1st down, then you’re faced with 2nd and 6 makes the playbook is wide open and keeps defenses guessing.
it makes the game a whole lot easier.
we didn’t make the playoffs on first down.
NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!
I think the biggest issue that led to Ajayi being traded was inconsistency. Statistically he had a “good” season in ’16. with 1272 yards at 4.9 yards per carry. However, he got more than half his yards on the year in only three games. When you look at the other 12 games he played in (left home game 1) he only averaged 54 yards per game at 3.66 yards per carry. He had too many runs for losses that were masked in the stats by 10 yard runs.
He wasn’t a good blocker on passing downs and was not a good receiver either. This is not a sour grapes post. I liked Agayi and really enjoyed watching him play with passion when he was “on” but there were too many games when he wasn’t on. I can understand why the FO made the decision.
I think Drake will be the starter moving forward and I think he will be a good player for us. I just want to see the Oline finally get sorted out! I am sooo tired of using first round picks on linemen and then still having shitty line play.
No no no no! You can only look at the three big games….the rest don’t count! We missed the play offs this year because we traded Ajayi! Don’t you know anything!?! Ajayi is a football God! If Miami would just have kept Ajayi they could have cut the rest of the offensive players. And if they would get rid of the owner, GM, and Coaches and install Lou, they would be Super Bowl champs forever!
The short passing game was 1000x better when he was gone
I heard from sources with the team that Ajayi was an ass in the locker room. A cancer. Missed curfews, treated people like shit.
But other than that, he was a God.
Well that and thru 7 games he averaged 19.7 carries and 3.3 yards per carry. But really, otherwise he was a God.
I never heard anything negative from any teammates about Ajayi. I think the source of that stuff is just people spreading rumors which are based on speculation and nothing more.
There was obviously an in house conflict – but all the facts I hear indicate it was with the coaching staff, not the lockerroom or other players
Contrast that to what we hear about Eli Apple where a teammate openly calls him a cancer. Nothing like that ever happened with Ajayi
Actually heard it from some of the security peeps
ocalarob says:
January 3, 2018 at 7:59 am
MF 13,
can you do me a favor? since you’re the expert stat man can you tell me how many times we were in long down and distance on 2nd and 3rd down. is there a percentage to compare it to the rest of the league or compare to last years dolphins?…
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You’re too kind, sir! I’m not availed to such precision stats without a premium membership to a major database site. That’s the kind of data that broadcast corporations subscribe to, in order to bring ya these intriguing stats in-game. And being I’m not a corporation, I’m not willing to foot that relatively expensive bill.
If I come across something on this matter during my many internet travels, I’ll certainly post it here… you’ve got me equally as curious! But I CAN tell ya this: our Offensive penalty problems have put us in MANY long distance sits on 2nd and 3rd downs. Our undisciplined play has been a drive-killer all season long.
Yes, exactly. And inconsistent play from multiple positions. The most consistent guy on the team is Suh and DT doesn’t change games alone.
Totally agreed… except for Suh. Suh is one of our prime offenders when it comes to penalties. Take away his penalties, and he’s definitely our most consistent guy in terms of playing.
He was consistent at penalties as well as play…You could count on him getting an offsides at the worst time.
Credit to SB nation – The Phinsider
Scouting
Deadline for underclassmen to declare for Draft: January 15
East-West Shrine Game: January 20
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl: January 20
Senior Bowl: January 27
NFL Scouting Combine: February 27 – March 5
Free Agency
CFL Try-out and negotiation deadline: January 31
Franchise/Transition tag period opens: February 20
Franchise/Transition tag period ends: March 6
Legal Tampering period: March 12-14
Free agency and trading begins: March 14, 4pm ET
Deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets: April 20
Deadline for club to withdraw RFA offer and replace with June 15 Tender (1 year, 110% of previous salary): June 15
Deadline to re-sign franchise player: July 16
Deadline for new team to sign transition player: July 23
League Admin
Annual league meeting: March 25-28
Spring league meeting: May 21-23
Rookie Football Development Program begins: May 14
Signing bonus spread over two years: June 2
Offseason Training Programs
Teams with new head coaches may start programs: April 2
Teams with returning head coaches may start programs: April 16
NFL Draft
2018 NFL Draft: April 26-28
OTAs and Minicamps
Rookie Minicamp: 3 days between May 4-7 or May 11-14
OTA and Minicamp window: May 28 – June 24
Training Camp
Training camp: Mid-July (Veterans: 15 days prior to first preseason game or July 15, whichever is later; Rookies: May report up to seven days prior to veterans; Quarterbacks and injured players: May report up to five days prior to veterans if rookies have reported
Preseason
Hall of Fame Game: August 2
Hall of Fame Weekend: August 2-5
Deadline for signed players to report to receive accrued season: August 7
Regular season
53-man roster cuts: September 1, 4pm ET
Practice squads: September 2, 1pm ET
Week 1: September 6, 9-10
2017 Draft re-do
R1P22: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
R2P54: Pat Elflein, C/G, Ohio State (would have played Guard for us with Pouncey at Center)
R3P97: Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
R5P164: Jamal Agnew, CB, San Diego
R5P178: Davon Godchaux, DT, LSU NAILED IT!!!
R6P194: Vincent Taylor, DT, OKST NAILED IT!!!
R7P237: Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech Time shall reveal
Some people will say hindsight
But I’m pretty sure there were a few mocks which went Foster, Elfein and Lawson 1,2 and 3
I was actually singing Lawson’s praises for a couple years before the draft
The odds of this blog drafting just like 1-3 instead of what happened are pretty high
Most of us wanted Foster instead of Harris
And I suspect Elflein would have been the popular pick as well having taken a LB in the 1st
Lawson in the 3rd would have been a no brainer if you pass on pass rusher early and that’s NOT hindsight
I like the players we got – but passing in Foster for a pass rusher does reek of overthinking it a little
Randy says:
January 2, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Bottom line: We need to find a way to score more. On the ground. In the air. Hell, kick off returns. I don’t give a shit, but we need to figure it out. We can’t keep averaging 21 points a game and expect to win much. It seems like i’ve been saying this for years!
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If we’re going to stick with a QB that throws 25 TDs a year, we absolutely MUST have a productive running game….and not just a so-so running game but a pretty damn good one.
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This is something i can get behind, i have made this exact statement plenty of times. There is no argument in my opinion that you can win and consistently win with a QB who isn’t elite, one that carries a team. The argument for going with a QB like Tanny and not trying to reach for better is, you have to play complimentary football, all phases have to work in sync and you have to have a team of mostly top players around him. This is a hard thing to do in the age of free agency when you likely face a yearly struggle to keep your team together. Elite level QB’s can bridge gaps and transitioning of other playmakers to the next man up. They give you the luxury of continually building through the draft by giving you the most important point of stability and a guy that can be turned to to work with whatever he has. This is why Brady is extremely valuable to his team, and it goes beyond his prowess as a QB.
As for the RB situation, my argument isnt that a good RB isnt needed, its Ajayi was a good back, and Drake looks to be at least equal to the task. Thats the part that others cant seem to let go of. Do we need a good running game, yes, thats not even a point of argument, but did we need Ajayi to win, im saying no, he didnt win us games because of his talent level, he won us games because or running game worked that game. So end of this argument for me is, any back that can do that, helps us win games. The stats are there to show that Drake was more than equal to the productivity of Ajayi and all arguments being made in contrary are all completely opinions as they keep referencing Drake is just a 3rd down back, and Drake cant power run, which he showed at the end of this season is false.
Ideally i still think we want a bruiser back to compliment Drake, but its not because Drake cant handle being a 3 down back, its because running into 400lb men 30-40 times a games would break anyone down, so id prefer if it were more like 20-25 and the bruiser taking the other 10-15 of it on him. I dont have any problems though feeling we have a better running game with Drake though, and until any real information is brought forward to show it, im not inclined to trust anyone elses opinion over my own.
Oh and Gase might could have continued to work through the issues with Ajayi, he could have benched him and let him learn that way, there were other ways he could have handled it. Id also offer to M13 and some of the others that seem to feel like the only thing Ajayi did was bitch about more carries, but if you are going to take information that was reported you have to take all of it and not the part that seems to justify your argument. It was also mentioned in the same articles that he stormed out of meetings, complained openly to other staff members and players about the way Gase was coaching (ie spreading disparaging remarks about the staff), basically being a selfish player and all the while not putting effort to improving his craft, which if he had followed the coaches directions, likely makes the running game work as intended an that means he does get more carries and means we do run more and means we do win more games. It isnt solely on just Ajayi for the losses, it definately is on Gase for some of this too, but Ajayi wasn’t the perfect back you guys want him to be as fans, he was a player who had reached the point he didn’t want to do what coaches told him to, he cared more about his success than the teams success, he became cancerous and they cut that cancer out before the spread of began to affect others.
It’s Gase’s team to do with what he wants, and if he, from a position of knowledge (remember we just “think” we know), went that route, despite having a desire to give us the best chance of winning, then i think it must have had to been that way to right the ship. Yes we ended up 6-10, but i dont think Ajayi makes much if any difference over that and there is nothign that can be said to prove otherwise.
From the Ravens game: PBP “tape don’t lie”
“Ajayi gained 21 yards on his first carry and then totaled two yards on the final 12 carries of his day. TWO yards. Ten of Ajayi’s 13 carries were for one yard or less. Impossible to defend. Almost impossible to explain. Let’s start with Ajayi, who, as Gase has said repeatedly recently, must take what the defense gives him, even if it’s only three or four yards. Too often, Ajayi has tried to make something bigger happen when it isn’t there.”
There was just too much of this throughout last season and the beginning of this season.
Tim, you mentioned above about the NFL suspending players for the season for BS after the whistle and indefinite suspension for subsequent behavior. I do not like that idea as Landry would be suspended game one of the season and out of the league by game one of the following season. He really needs to tone down his BS after the whistle. I know he got at least 3 unsportsman/personal fouls this past season that I can think of. Maybe more.
From Dave Hyde:
4. DeVante Parker and Laremy Tunsil flopped. Throw in tight end Julius Thomas, if you want, to illustrate the offense’s problems. But Parker and Tunsil are first-round draft investments. Parker had one touchdown, no 100-yard games and a deflating 11.8-yards a catch this year. Tunsil had nine pre-snap penalties and a fifth-most 12 penalties in the league on top of meh play. The larger issue: Throw in Ja’Wuan James not being missed when Sam Young played right tackle and the Dolphins got the minimum from their top picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016. With 2012 top pick Dion Jordan in Seattle, this spotlights the forever issue in this franchise.
I still say give Parker and Tunsil time, parker is at the end of the rope but….
The problem with this statement is that Parker and Tunsil weren’t great but they were nowhere near Jordan bust territory and grouping them together as “the problem with this franchise” is really oversimplistic
drafting busts like Jordan is not a re-occurring problem for us. drafting players like Jordan is realy a huge setback
but even if Parker and Tunsil don’t get any better – they have no business being in the same conversation as Jordan
I don’t think Tunsil and Parker’s average play really crushed us this season. I think it was the “things that need to be cleaned up” as Gase said in every press conference” that never got cleaned up
D – Great post at 10:28AM
SB – Also a great post at 8:10AM
at sound slike an excuse to me
What does Andy Van Slyke have to do with it?
Barry Bonds
going back to the conversation about the offense shooting themselves in the foot. Tunsil with 9 pre-snap penalties led to 9 down and distance issues. Pouncy had several too. How does a CENTER who snaps the ball get flagged for a false start? These along with Suh’s multiple, multiple off sides / encroachment penalties were killers. Gase needs to get them to clean this shit up.
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D says:
January 3, 2018 at 10:28
…Id also offer to M13 and some of the others that seem to feel like the only thing Ajayi did was bitch about more carries, but if you are going to take information that was reported you have to take all of it and not the part that seems to justify your argument.
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I never ONCE qualified that it’s factual Ajayi griped over wanting more carries. I DID say that IF it’s true, so what? That’s a winner’s mentality. And I don’t present an argument, only an opinion from the outside looking in. If Ajayi’s career ends soon, we’ll know why Gase traded him for a mere 4th rounder.
And once again I will state: we will never know the truth… only the spin from both sides.
Its not a winners mentality though, as you are representing it as, its a selfish mentality because pair it with the rest of that information, it shows me first over team, which is exactly what Gase complained about and exactly why he traded him.
We won 3 more games than I expected to win this season, so that’s a plus in my book. There’s still a good many things that Gase needs reflect on an correct this offseason. As I said before, he needs to bring in some outside people to consult with. First priority is to get the team disciplined. That alone will give us a couple more victories. The coaching is inconsistent and it’s showing on the field.
LA Chargers game, Ajayi averaged 3.54 YPC on 1st down.
Jets game Ajayi averaged 2 YPC on 1st down.
Saints game Ajayi averaged 7 YPC on 1st down.
Tennessee game Ajayi averaged 4 YPC on 1st down.
Atlanta game Ajayi averaged 4.81 YPC on 1st down.
Jets game Ajayi averaged 1.92 YPC on 1st down.
Baltimore game Ajayi averaged 0 YPC on 1st down.
Overall Ajayi averaged 3.32 YPC on 1st this year for us. (7 games)
Oakland game Drake averaged 4.2 YPC on 1st down.
Panthers game Drake averaged 2.33 YPC on 1st down.
TB game Drake averaged 0.2 YPC on 1st down.
NE game Drake averaged 8.5 YPC on 1st down.
Denver game Drake averaged 8.69 YPC on 1st down.
NE game Drake averaged 4.77 YPC on 1st down.
Buffalo game Drake averaged 3.9 YPC on 1st down.
KC game Drake averaged 3.89 YPC on 1st down.
Buffalo game Drake averaged 6.57 YPC on 1st down.
Overall Drake averaged 4.78 YPC on 1st for us this year.
*Keep in mind the first 3 games listed here for Drake he was still second in opportunities, because Williams was still getting the majority of 1st down carries, if you just averaged off what he did as the primary back, it would be even higher.
The thing is
We barely used drake until the trade
Why?
Why didn’t we have a tandem attack?
I don’t get it at all
Probably because Ajayi was already bitching about carries and that would have just stirred the pot. I agree, i would have done it that way prior to the trade, but im thinking it would have just solidified the need to trade and Ajayi probably would have been on board with it if that happened, if he wasn’t already.I mean thats another assumption we have, that Ajayi didnt request to be traded if he wasnt going to get more carries. Would that change everyone’s opinion about him if they knew he wanted to bail on the team for the betterment of hims?
I find it hard to believe that Gase did this to accommodate Ajayi before he was traded
and if he did – shame on him and fire him immediately
My point is that this was never about Ajayi vs Drake
Personally, I like the offense better with Drake
but we didn’t trade Ajayi for Drake
we had them both and didn’t use Drake when we had them both
any argument that the offense is better with Drake is a poor refection on the decisions made before the trade occurred isn’t it?
If ajayi made demands for certain carries or demanded a trade I would have bigger issues with Ajayi. but that is quite a leap to assume. And really, the team cans till bench him and keep him and wait for greater value.
BailBondMike says:
January 3, 2018 at 10:48 am
Tim, you mentioned above about the NFL suspending players for the season for BS after the whistle and indefinite suspension for subsequent behavior. I do not like that idea as Landry would be suspended game one of the season and out of the league by game one of the following season. He really needs to tone down his BS after the whistle. I know he got at least 3 unsportsman/personal fouls this past season that I can think of. Maybe more.
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This is very true. I love Landry’s passion, but he has to get it under control and/or just channel it in a better direction. Its an easy sport to lose your cool in, as there is nasty shit going on on the field that a lot of observers dont know about. Its also a very violent game, and it sets man against man in what essentially is combat. Still kill the person on the play, destroy them, humiliate them, do whatever in the legal boundaries you can to demoralize them, but after the whistle, go back o the fucing huddle and plan to do it again next play, the shit after the play doesn’t help anything.
The Flying Pig says:
January 3, 2018 at 12:32 pm
The thing is
We barely used drake until the trade
Why?
Why didn’t we have a tandem attack?
I don’t get it at all
————-
THIS is what I don’t understand, either. We keep on hearing that Gase prefers a tandem attack, yet he has never utilized a tandem attack while in Miami. Even after the Ajayi trade, he has leaning on either Damien Williams or Drake… never both and equally.
I don’t care if we use a tandem attack or a featured back, I just want to see success… but what Gase says and what Gase does is completely baffling on this subject.
I think leaning on Drake is a result of the injuries at the end of the season
I tend to think he wants multiple backs too
but it was odd that Drake/Williams had so few carries before the trade. This is not a player’s decision this is a coaches decision. So people should stop blaming Ajayi like he was the one demanding all the carries. even if he demanded it, Gase didn’t have to do it. I mean, come on!
I just think the trade was Gase’s disciplinary decision for butting heads with the coaches i.e. “my way or the highway” and every coach has the right to run the team his way – they just remain accountable for that. So I don’t care for the projection that Ajayi is a lockeroom cancer now or that Gase knew exactly what he was doing bc if he did, then he didn’t act on it for the first part of the season and that’s pretty ugly too
Rockphin says:
January 3, 2018 at 11:45 am
going back to the conversation about the offense shooting themselves in the foot. Tunsil with 9 pre-snap penalties led to 9 down and distance issues. Pouncy had several too. How does a CENTER who snaps the ball get flagged for a false start? These along with Suh’s multiple, multiple off sides / encroachment penalties were killers. Gase needs to get them to clean this shit up.
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OC gets a procedure call a lot of times when someone else does something wrong. It could mean a double clutch of the snap, but the only one i really remember with him was the time he was called for moving his off hand. When i went back and watched it it might have moved ever so slightly but there was no movement in his feet, etc and it wasnt his snap hand that moved so that shouldn’t have been called.
Any coach who worries about a player bitching about carries or catches or targets or whatever isn’t focusing on what matters. I hope to Jahn that had absolutely nothing to do with why they didn’t play Drake more. That would make me question a coach even more because that should absolutely never be a consideration.
that would be the weakest example of coaching I can think of
You guys seem to forget, and this is a part of my larger point: Damien Williams got 4 consecutive starts after we traded Ajayi. It’s almost as though we stumbled upon Drake by accident. Drake didn’t start until AFTER Damien went down… and after Damien’s paltry 3.93 YPC.
It’s not as though we traded Ajayi with the thought, “WE’VE GOT DRAKE!”. Damien was plan B, Drake was plan C. This factual history can’t be revised.
I never understood Damien getting the start either. Maybe he was practicing better? Who knows, but I agree, this is on Gase, one of the list of questionable things we will never get to the bottom of.
I don’t get it either, but at least we know we’ve got a stud in-house with Drake… even if by accident.
I’d like to see us bring Damien back due to his versatility; he’s a very nice weapon to have. Now if we can find a short-yardage GRINDER, I think we’ll have a complete stable of RBs.
Gase recently said he’d still prefer a 2 back system. So it will be Drake/Williams or Drake/someone else in 2018.
Could that even mean the Dolphins use their first-round pick — which will be 11th overall — on a quarterback, even with a healthy Tannehill?
“We’ve always said we’ll take the best player on our board,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. “I talked from Day 1. If J.J. Watt’s on the draft board when we’re picking, we’re not going to pass on J.J. Watt because defensive end we feel good about. All positions. We’re evaluating everything. Every position, it doesn’t matter, quarterback, tackle, defensive tackle. Everything’s wide open for us.”