We won’t get our first look at this newly crafted Dolphins defense until our first minicamp, which will be June 5-7, but we can catch a small glimpse at the OTA workouts which will be May 22-24, May 29-31 and then June 11-14. I can’t wait to see the new faces, and even some new old faces. We’ve definitely made a lot of changes, and only time will tell if the moves we’ve made help our team. Besides the obvious cap cost cutting of Ndumakong Suh, the Dolphins brought in DE Robert Quinn for an exchange of draft picks, the Dolphins sending the Rams 2018 4th and 6th RD picks, in exchange for the Rams 2018 6th RD pick and of course, Robert Quinn. We recently traded a 2019 7th RD pick to the Detroit Lions for DT Akeem Spence. In the draft we selected the versatile FS/CB/DB Minkah Fitzpatrick who can cover anywhere on the field, against anyone on the field, from RB’s to TE’s, to WR’s. To continue the pass coverage theme, the Dolphins drafted speedy cover LB Jerome Baker in RD 3. In RD 6, the Dolphins added another piece in CB Cornell Armstrong who will add depth to our CB stable. In RD 7, LB Quentin Poling will be a ST’s player, and then we signed a bunch of UDFA’s, most notably Utah State CB Jalen Davis.
It seems as if we’ve made quite a few changes, and in my mind, it was quite necessary. Of course, offensive struggles beget defensive struggles, but I’m just talking about the defense, which was far from good last year. Mid pack in yardage allowed, and 29th in points allowed. Something had to change, and changes were swiftly made. While jettisoning Suh won’t make us a better defense, my hope is we will be less reliant on one player. As great as Suh is/was, he played an insane amount of snaps, and let’s face it, he’s still human, and at 6’4 310, playing close to 900 snaps with the majority of them being double teamed had to be exhausting. I think more frequent rotations of lineman will ultimately benefit our team. You can’t expect one man to do it all, and I think in some ways that’s what happened.
Let’s look at the front 7. New additions to this group are 2017 NFL Draft 2nd RD pick LB Raekwon McMillan. I’m excited to see the young man back on the field manning the MLB position. He earned the job last season, and hopefully now healthy, will retake it. We traded for DE Robert Quinn, and he should be starting, and then getting some help from last year’s 1st RD pick DE Charles Harris. 36 year old Superman Cam Wake returns for his 10th NFL season, and we brought back run stopping DE/DT William Hayes for another season. DT’s Jordan Phillips and last year’s 5th RD pick and surprise success DT Davon Godchaux will likely be the starters, but again, there will be frequent substitutions to keep players fresh. We may see the LB we traded a 2018 5th RD pick for to the Saints Stephone Anthony man the SLB spot, and returning WLB Kiko Alonso. We declined to pick up the 5th YR option on Anthony, which hopefully will have Anthony playing hungry for a new contract.
I think what we’ve really improved upon this season is depth, and that definitely counts big time in a sport where injuries occur daily. This is what I believe at the moment would be our starting lineup, and then depth behind the starters.
RE Robert Quinn/Charles Harris
DT Jordan Phillips/Vincent Taylor
DT Davon Godchaux/Akeem Spence
LE Cam Wake/William Hayes
SLB Stephone Anthony/T.J. McDonald
MLB Raekwon McMillan/Chase Allen
WLB Kiko Alonso/Jerome Baker
RCB Cordrea Tanskersley/Tony Lippett
LCB Xavien Howard/Torry McTyer
NB Bobby McCain
FS Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS Reshad Jones
I think safety T.J. McDonald will be transitioning to LB play on passing downs, and I won’t be surprised in the least if our 2 nickel LB’s at some point of the season are Jerome Baker and T.J. MCDonald. I strongly believe Minkah Fitzpatrick will be our starting safety from day 1, and will easily earn that spot next to Reshad Jones. I truly hope that McDonald will embrace that change and take it as a positive. We have him under contract for 4 years, now he just needs to play where we need him, and earn it! Even if Minkah Fitzpatrick does start, it’s great to have McDonald right behind him on the depth chart.
Charles Harris seems like the forgotten man after trading for Robert Quinn, but I think he will see plenty of snaps on passing downs at both RE and LE, subbing for both Quinn and Wake. I think he’s actually going to have a very nice season for us. At LB, the additions of McMillan and Baker should make both the run defense (Raekwon) and the pass defense (Baker) better. Add in T.J. McDonald, and it just seems so much better than watching Kiko Alonso trailing just about anyone from 5-10 yards behind them. I know it’s unfair, but that’s what it looked like most of the time, and that’s why Baker and McDonald are here. If Robert Quinn is healthy, we can hope for big things from him, and if he starts out hot, Wake will benefit as well, because Quinn will get more attention, which will allow Wake to just beat the RT, and not worry about a RB or TE on his side.
At DT, Jordan Phillips will have his chance to show the NFL he’s a premier player with the absence of Ndumakong Suh. He’s now going to be the man, and up and comer Davon Godchaux, who had a nice rookie season now steps up into the starting lineup. Redundantly, and I apologize, there will be lots of rotation, but the next guys in need to hold their own, and that’s where trading for Akeem Spence comes in. He’s been the next guy in for Detroit, and should thrive in that role here in Miami. Vincent Taylor will be also counted on to be that next guy in, and DE William Hayes can double as a DT on passing downs, much like the NASCAR or speed package many teams employ.
Last year at CB, Xavien Howard really made a late season push, and hopefully he takes over where he left off. Cordrea Tankersley looked good out of the starting gates, but had his ups and downs IMO, but the knock on him that he shies away from tackling didn’t show itself last year, which was encouraging. Slot CB Bobby McCain easily had his best and most consistent season last year. Arguably, he was our best DB last season. To me though, the biggest addition is S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Like I said earlier, he will be starting from day one, and he’s the lynch pin to the back end of the defense. He gives us something we haven’t had our in quite some time, a player who can protect the CB’s in our zone defense. He has the instincts, the speed, and the recovery speed to make plays in the secondary. This allows Reshad Jones to help out closer to the LOS, with Minkah patrolling the deep skies. Honestly, I just can’t wait to see this in play.
I don’t think we’re going to be a top 10 defense this season, but I do think we will be close in some categories, and if the offense holds up it’s end of the bargain, who knows, maybe top 10 is attainable. Why not us? next week, I’m going to look at the offense, but in the meantime, D-fense! D-fense! D-Fense!
Finsmob Unleashed 
OD – I’m in.
PHELON– Got your confirmation. Your 50 to my 100. You going to the Fest?
Tim Knight says:
May 12, 2018 at 12:40 pm
ORob, if you saw other parts of that discussion about the pass breakdowns, I mentioned we need to run more than 360 times. More passes to the RBs is part of the ball control offense to mix with the run.
__________________________________________
what i saw was you increasing the number of passes to RBs and TEs, There’s only so many plays in a game so any increase in passing is a decrease in running, that said your 360 number means we avg 22.5 runs per game. that would be better but i really want to see a little more than that considering we rushed 314 times last year.
I was increasing passes to the RBs and TEs because all of our backs are good receivers and now we have more potential talent at TE with Gesicki and Smythe and probably Derby. I was decreasing the passes at WR but hoping for more YPC and explosive plays there.
The 360 was how many rushes we had last year, it wasn’t 314. I’d like to see us over 400. I’m with you on running the ball more.
i came up with 316 RB runs
Oh I was posting total rushes but I know what you’re getting at. It was 330 for the backs because Gray’s 5 runs were as as short yardage FB/RB. I like the 25 per game number for the backs.
We avg’d 19.75 runs per game last year, i’d like to see that number at 25 avg runs per game.
For all you pass happy run critics just…. LOOK AT THESE STATS!!!!
anytime we ran less than 20 times we were 0-10, when we ran more than 20 times we were 6-0.
it doesn’t take much brain activity to realize we need to focus more on a stout running game.
Prognosis….it’s very simple, the reason we lost is we couldn’t run the ball control the LOS, we put ourselves in long down and distance and couldn’t convert the 1st down, that lead to a punt and the D always on the field, once we got behind running was no longer an option.
Cure…. make sure you have the player personel to run the damn ball!
STATS FOR PASS HAPPY RUN CRITICS
_____________________________
WK 1 SD 28 RUNS WIN
WK 2 JETS 11 RUNS LOSS
WK 3 SAINTS 13 RUNS LOSS
WK 4 TITANS 28 RUNS WIN
WK 5 FALCONS 30 RUNS WIN
WK 6 JETS 25 RUNS WIN
WK 7 RAVENS 19 RUNS LOSS
WK 8 RAIDERS 16 RUNS LOSS
WK 9 PANTHERS 16 RUNS LOSS
WK 10 BUCS 17 RUNS LOSS
WK 11 PATS 17 RUNS LOSS
WK 12 BRONCOS 28 RUNS WIN
WK 13 PATS 25 RUNS WIN
WK 14 BILLS 16 RUNS LOSS
WK 15 CHIEFS 13 RUNS LOSS
WK 16 BILLS 14 RUNS LOSS
316 rb runs
Many of our losses weren’t just about rushing attempts, it was that the offense as a whole couldn’t score, too many penalties and being a -14 in turnover ratio.
turnovers and penalties suck, the big elephant in the room though is the lack of a consistent running game as the stats above show. it’s no coincidence that we lost every game when we rushed less than 20 times and won when we rushed more than 20 times and TO’s Penalties were part of all games played
“we need to focus more on a stout running game.”….we very well may run more and hope we do cause that is what teams with the lead do. But doubting you will get your wish for “stout” in the power run way. With all the speed at wideout and now the seam getting busted by a TE….could see some running backs busting some long gains though, and all our RBs can catch too.
ocalarob says:
May 12, 2018 at 4:37 pm
For all you pass happy run critics just…. LOOK AT THESE STATS!!!!
anytime we ran less than 20 times we were 0-10, when we ran more than 20 times we were 6-0…
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That’s a VERY good stat, ORob… and stats like this (like most) need translation. I’m willing to bet (I don’t bet, so no!) that we were playing from behind most of the time. I’d look to T.O.P. for further evidence, and what’s more important, how long (time) did we play from behind.
You can find the former (yet it’s NOT THE truth teller), but the latter (which would be THE truth teller) would require ADVANCED stats (subscription to “STATS”, for example… it’s not cheap).
I DO think you’re onto something, man! Our YPC last year is also VERY telling…
But as always, the ‘Tale of the Tape’ is the highest form of dissection.
My take? Our O-Line SUCKED last year, and injuries were a part of that.
Tannehill would have taken another 50+ sacks last year had he played all 16 games, so there’s that: Cutler actually gave us a chance.
Cutler gave us a chance? He had some good moments but geez he was not good in many games. We couldn’t score way too often. Our pass pro was not horrible last year and it was not because of Cutler’s superior pocket presence. He didn’t stand tall in the pocket, threw a lot of short stuff and often threw poor passes off his back foot as he dropped further and further in the pocket.
Tannehill is better than Cutler and I’m glad he’ll be back. Say what you want about him but he’s an upgrade.
No need to look at other stats, i have looked at them i totally agree, we could not run the ball on 1st down putting us in predictable long down and distance, D’s threw a blind eye at our running game at that point and played pass, we were unable to convert, punted and put ore D in bad positions, as we fell behind we could no longer run, we were in quick sand at that point.
The thing is do what you have to do to run the ball, you need at a minimum of 4 yards on 1st down to keep defenses honest. you have to have the personel to do that and IMO Drake isn’t that guy. Gore is i just hope father time hasn’t caught him
I think that if we can open up HUGE holes on the O-Line, we can have an UDFA RB go for over 1,000 yards. As such, I agree with your diagnosis above… but I don’t think it’s on the RBs as much as one might think.
GO O-LINE!!!
OLD DOLFAN KNOWS!!!
GO PHINS!!!
See that’s the thing about stats….you can cherry pick them to support any stance.
M13, did you catch my post about a ballhawk watch?
As the below stats clearly show, Drake was and is better than either Ajayi or Williams in all categories.
ATT. YRDS YRDS/ATT LONG. TD
Kenyan Drake 133 644 4.8 66 3
Jay Ajayi 138 465 3.4 21 0
Damien Williams 46 181 3.9. 69. 0
SOOO many things need to be taken into consideration. For instance (your words), you can “cherry-pick” THESE stats.
But for what it’s worth, I AGREE with ya that mere stats don’t tell the whole story.
BailBondMike says:
May 12, 2018 at 5:33 pm
M13, did you catch my post about a ballhawk watch?
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INDEED!!! Thanks for the heads-up, Brother!
No prob! I think TJ Carter is going to be special. He displayed real good instincts as a freshman last year. A good example of his instincts in that video was toward the end where he picked off Josh Rosen. They showed the pick from 3 diff angles and in the third angle you could see how he was looking and reading Rosen the whole time.
Keys to success in 2018, do your job.
That, and SPRAY for the INJURY BUG!!!
Can’t control that. But hope is valid. 🙂
I his video again just so Son will call me a Memphis homer again.
I did cherry pick those stats. Is Drake a better back than Ajayi? Maybe. Probably. But those stats don’t tell the whole story. Ajayi was/is a headcase. Maybe he gets better, maybe he doesn’t. Drake has limited time as a starter – maybe he becomes a headcase. Probably not, especially with Gore there to mentor him. Will Drake follow instructions and prepare better than Ajayi? Probably.
Point is, if you look at stats just to support your opinion (hypothesis) it is bad scientific method.
Agreed. Once something is discovered (a stat/clue), it’s incumbent to follow it through to conclusion, taking it out of hypothesis to theory.
I think ORob has the RIGHT clues, but now he has to follow that up with substantial conclusions (which I’m trying to lead him to).
FWIW, my take is that it’s the O-Line.
And I’m VERY COOL if somebody reaches a different conclusion. I LOVE hearing theories that I’ve not yet considered.
I think Drake has the potential to be special. He has that rare speed. I feel that if you give him the ball enough times a game eventually he will break a big one
AGREED!
And if our O-Line gels quickly together this year, he’s going to be rocket from game 1.
Here’s one for you – Miami had a higher yards per carry average (4.0) than they did in wins (3.7). What does it mean? Nothing.
Killing the clock while playing with a lead. The opposition knew we were trying to kill the clock with a lead, thus played against the run rather than the pass.
This is ELEMENTARY!
Not trying to sound like a d!ck, but this is easy to figure out, Phelon.
Not so fast. More attempts would be indicative of playing with a lead. Higher yards per carry, not so much.
More proof that Drake was/is better than Ajayi? Miami averaged 3.3 yards a carry in Games 1-8 (the Ajayi era) and 4.4 yards per carry Games 9-16 (the Drake epoch).
And how about that O-Line of ours in ’16 vs ’17. You ARE proving your point, Bro!
And your point is NOT that Drake > Ajayi.
Your point is that stats are USELESS without translation… and I concur.
Who, What, Where, When, Why, and HOW.
pheloniusphish says:
May 12, 2018 at 6:38 pm
Not so fast. More attempts would be indicative of playing with a lead. Higher yards per carry, not so much.
————
But once again, how often did we play with a lead? Without knowing this advanced stat… yet by watching the games… I can tell ya that we VERY SELDOM played with a lead.
Thus, the stats you cited (W/L vs YPC) are still indicative of playing with our seldom leads.
Ken says:
I think Drake has the potential to be special. He has that rare speed. I feel that if you give him the ball enough times a game eventually he will break a big one
————-
Agree with you on the special, and add in some nifty shake and bake as well. Don’t think he has work horse back in him though….but then we have Gore and Ballage now.
Phelon,
I DO think we’re on the SAME PAGE, my man.
I’m all about scientific method, as well. One mere stat doesn’t tell the whole story. GAME TAPE does not lie.
My point is stats are only marginally useful in football. It’s not money ball.
Stats are more than marginally useful…..what head coach would not pay close attention? But you are right on about when you start cherry-picking them.
Situational yards per carry:
When Winning 3.7
When Trailing 3.8
When Tied 4.2
Go Jets Go !!!!
Not those Jets Silly 🤡
It was like someone saying they were pro-abortion at a meeting with the Pope…but yeah got it…. good luck 🙂
New OC Dowell Loggains said at his presser that we want to run a no-huddle uptempo offense. Yes that elusive no-huddle uptempo offense we’ve been trying to achieve since the Philbin years. LOL
I think we’re probably an 8-8ish team, but you never know. You get a few breaks during the year. A guy here or there has a really good season. The other teams have bad days. Lots of things can swing your team from 6-10 to 10-6. I just hope it’s because we see this team actually become a better team. We all know it when we see it, and we need to see it more often for me to believe we’ve turned the corner.
***
I think the defense is sorta close to being decent, but with all the new pieces I need to see it. I think the offense has potential, but it simply needs to be able to score more points. I don’t give a shit how we do it, but I think it helps when your running game can get you some TDs.
****
We’re all fans. I would think we all hope every one of our players plays really well every game. As a fan, why would you think anything else? My hope for the team and enthusiasm for their success is just as strong as anyone’s, but that has nothing to do with my evaluation of the talent on the team and in the organization. I never understand when we argue about that sort of thing. They’re two different things…..and who ever claimed a sports fan was logical in their passion for their team anyway? Lol
1st & 2nd undefeated Super Bowl champions.
Wooooo Buff !!!!
Stanger , ever notice Fireman ShitED looks like one if our posters ??
Don’t insult Rock like that….lol
🤡🤡
Booyeah !!!!
3-0 wooooooo
Steve ?? Wheres Steve ?
MF13, Phelon, etc., etc. Your comparison of Drake to Ajayi left out one statistic everyone thinks is important. TO WIT: Super Bowl Rings
AJAYI-1
DRAKE-0
That stat means nothing, Ajayi was not the key factor in them wining.
Oh, then I guess his ring doesn’t count? Boy, bookman, does THAT sound like sour grapes, The truth is Phlly’s coach was able to properly use AJAYI’s talents while Gase was not. My question back to you is this: Why did Gase find it necessary to rip Ajayi’s character while the Philly staff said nothing but good things about Ajayi’s attitude and work ethic? The answer is Gase doesn’t have the balls to admit he failed to get the most out of a talented player. Doug Pederson, to the contrary, was able to add this guy to his roster and WIN A SUPER BOWL. And you say Ajayi’s winning a Super Bowl is “a stat that means nothing.” Tell that to DAN MARINO!! (And there’s no bigger fan of Dan Marino than me!)
OD, sounds like you’re trying to prop up Ajayi’s impact for Philly to bash the org. in contrast to bookman’s sour grapes. Drake outperformed Ajayi so why are we still worried about him? Our RB group looks nice.
Exactly Tim. By the way, wasn’t Gase given credit for waking Ajayi up and spurring him to that good year? I don’t get the Gase bashing when it comes to Ajayi. If this was Shula who did it, it would not be challenged. I trust Gase to get the guys he wants. I like this team and coach, sorry for being positive.
3-1 boo
Randy, I tend to agree. For me I see talent that could be a really good team, or a team that’s trying to find their way but won’t be a bad team. We won’t get shutout or down like last year, there’s always a clunker in there, but we should be competitive most games. So for me I’m not ready to have record ideas at this time, I need more intel to get a better feel, even OTAs, minicamps and TC. You find out how things are shaping up good or bad. Like you said as fans we all want the team to do well.
Good 1st period.. i like the way we match up against Knights. I see a high scoring Fast paced series…
I hope Loggains uptempo does not resemble Lazors … man was that a misnomer ..
It’s really going to be Gase’s offense that Loggains will run. They have the same philosophy that’s why Gase brought him here. Just make it work. Tannehill seeing it from the coaching perspective on the sidelines last year might end up being a blessing in disguise. Gase touched on that a few times this offseason. Nothing about the offense is changing because of the addition of Loggains, he’s just in charge of running it.
I loved Ajayi when he was here, but yes he had more negative runs than + 20 i am sure … was pissed when he was traded but Drake looked good … having Gore as a player/rb coach for this year is a great plan in my eyes.. nip the My Way is better than coaches in the bud.
bookman, feel the same way. Ajayi did what he did under Gase but as we all know Gase has had an issue with him from the start before Ajayi was anything. He was left home first game of the season in 2016. There was always something there that didn’t click. That’s a coach’s right to go with players he believes in. The success of the team is on him. If it was any of us, it would be no different. It’s your job to make those decisions. Stuff like that happens all across the league but we don’t really care as Dolphins fans. LOL
pheloniusphish says:
May 12, 2018 at 5:31 pm
See that’s the thing about stats….you can cherry pick them to support any stance.
____________________________________________
so your saying that the 6 times we ran the ball more than 20 times we won and 10 times we didn’t we lost is just a coincidence?
i’m not buying that!
Yes, that is what I’m saying. It may have been part of losing, but it wasn’t THE reason.
Tim i think theyear on sidelines for Tannehill and the way he was playing prior to injury are very encouraging signs for this year. He has been plugged in and learning. I expect a lot to be pleasantly surprised by his growth this season
There’s a reason the entire org. is all in on him and we didn’t draft a QB. Whether you think Tannehill isn’t good at this or that and most think he just doesn’t have that IT factor, when you think about it, there is nothing he can’t do. Has he put it all together on an elite level, no, but he doesn’t have to. I think he will become a better version of Alex Smith which is plenty good enough to compete for a championship.
Loggains touched on this when watching 2017 OTA film before Ryan went down. He said he had so much more command of the offense than the year before when he was learning it. Gase feels the same way. That’s where the projection and confidence comes from within the org. They see the progress we don’t see from the outside. If Tannehill’s knee is good to go he could have a very good season.
Dilly Dilly 👍👍
as far as Ajayi being better than Drake or vice versa, they’re different style backs, it’s apples and oranges, forget Drakes YPC, you have to equate the long runs he had in that figure and that doesn’t tell the story, Ajayi was a more forceful runner than Drake, he can pick up the tough yards better than Drake and Drake is a better open field guy, last year too many times did Drake get stuffed for no gain or a loss on first down, he’s not a bell cow.
They weren’t that different. Ajayi a little more reckless abandon and Drake quicker and faster. They both ran out of the same scheme and had the same types of runs. It doesn’t matter anyway, I think we’ll see Drake as the #1 and as a receiver (significant weapon), Gore at crucial times in games – he’s seen everything, Ballage as a backup and KR. Gray still in short yardage here and there. We’re fine at RB. Time to move on.
Woooo 4-1 Jets
mf13ss says:
May 12, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Agreed. Once something is discovered (a stat/clue), it’s incumbent to follow it through to conclusion, taking it out of hypothesis to theory.
I think ORob has the RIGHT clues, but now he has to follow that up with substantial conclusions (which I’m trying to lead him to).
FWIW, my take is that it’s the O-Line.
______________________________________
I agree, like i said many times you have to do what you have to do to impose your will on the other team, Football is a violent dominate sport you need run blocking and you need a physical RB and i’m not so sure the OL is totally to blame, Ajayi did well in 2016, we went 10-6 and made the playoffs with that same OL, we were 4-3 in 2017 when he was dumped to philly.
I think Damien Williams was a better power back than Drake.
Liking the new OC, he’s on it!!!
Loved Christenson pressers,
Loggains doesn’t come off as a boring guy,
Seems extremely knowledgable on Fins already,
and high spirited too, looking forward to what he brings!!!
GOFINS!!!
Um, yeah! Everything Phelonnsaid about the running game. Don’t make me sick him on you again!
Sorry. Tim but I can’t factually accept your opinion that “Drake outperformed Ajayi.” Last season Ajayi ran for 873 total yards; Drake 644. For their careers, Ajayi has rushed for 2332 yards, Drake 823 yards. 10 years from now impartial judges of their two careers likely will agree that Ajayi had a better pro career than did Drake. And they’ll also agree that Ajayi won more games and more Super Bowls than did Drake. As far as my using false statistics to bash this organization, believe me, Tim, the truth is all I need to buttress my point of view that Ross has been the worst owner, in terms of W-L record, in Dolphins’ history. THAT IS THE TRUTH.
————————–
Hopefully, Ross will morph from a football underachiever to a football genius. His teams will win several Super Bowls and you guys will have the last laugh on me. I’d like nothing BETTER!! – -, But, based on his results so far, I consider that highly unlikely. His latest efforts to rid the Dolphins of some of their best performers (Landry,Ajayi and Suh) and replace them with different players MAY work out. But I’ll believe it when I see it. And, over the last 8 years, I haven’t seen ONE playoff victory. THAT IS THE TRUTH.
————————-
OUT for tonight. Take all your mothers out to dinner (those of you who are lucky enough to have moms who are still alive) tomorrow. Mrs. OD and I both saluted our Moms over an early Mother’s Day dinner tonight. How lucky we both were!
Okay, crazy stat comparisons and Ross hate wasn’t what I was discussing. Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl and plenty of average or solid committee RBs have. That debate is like saying a championship middle of the road tackle is better than Anthony Munoz. It’s kind of silly.
Exactly Tim
Apropos of nothing…I can only conclude that fans who constantly deride ownership, management, and coaches are either analytically lazy or football ignorant.
It is just an easy “fan” narrative, which is also lazy
OD – Are
We on for $50 at 2:1 odds Miami wins a playoff game this year?
YES!
Why do you bet against your team?….smh.
Sweet
You ever notice when fans talk about other teams they say well they signed and drafted this or that guy so they should be better. But when it comes to their own teams everyone is guarded and skeptical? LOL
The Dolphins have talent and reason for optimism too. It’s okay to be excited. 🙂
Lol, exactly…. this team has some really good players
As a fan I guess I do not, and will not ever understand betting on, and counting on the worst. How fun this is that? It is just a game and anything can happen. I will always believe the best can happen.
Philly went from a losing record to Super Bowl champs. Anyone can do it.
Yep! It is not like the Dolphins have no talent. This roster has all the pieces talent wise IMO.
But that was all because of Ajayi 😎😎
Yeah,
Nothing to with the coach
That’s why I can’t pick games. I’m not going in predicting a loss. Why even watch then? LOL
Lol
Its been well.documented the trials we went through last year. Highly unlikely even half that shit happens this year … stay healthy is a must though
Oink
Burp
Exactly!
Toba,
Still interested in watching the Fins against The Packers?
Interested yes, that is wifes birthday , have to talk to bosses though as my partner takes that week for opening week hunting… not sure they will let us both off … vikes is a better chance i will keep ya in the loop. Just put the hunting and game thing together on Thursday
Ok, I may go to Vikes game as well
Mr Fitzpatrick is going to have a very nice infectious effect on this team. We haven’t seen this type of individual in the Dolphin building in a long time.
They may very well have flipped the roster just right to the kind of guys they can go win with. Everyone was sure Jacksonville and the Rams were shit teams going into last season.
I hope Minkah is the game changer I think he is. If we hit on Gesicki, Baker, Smythe and Ballage top 4 rounds where in good shape. McMillan is like adding another good, young LB but already knowing the system. The talented young players are the key to me. If they do their jobs we’ll be a good team.
Game 1 BAYBEE !!!!
Congrats
Thank you thank you very much 😎
Bookman, aren’t Elephant Rider and Top up by you?
Top I think is a ways from me, but ER is in the same town
Bookman are you 100% in for Packers ?
Yes
Top, been thinking about you man I hope you’re getting better. Stay strong bro.
Where’s TOP and what’s up?
He came on on draft weekend or right around then he said he had suffered a stroke.
Fuck me I think I might have seen that but also know two people who just went through that the last few days. Be happy peeps! 🙂
Get well TOP.
My Ex wife (mother of my kids) had one Monday , seems to have been minor as she is showing no lingering effects hope that the same can be said for Top
Oh shit sorry to hear. Top i too hope ya okay sir.
Top – Hope you are kicking some stroke ass. Semper Fi, Brother.
Rockphin says:
May 12, 2018 at 9:03 pm
Um, yeah! Everything Phelonnsaid about the running game. Don’t make me sick him on you again!
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he hasn’t a clue, blurting out stupid stats that mean nothing for the sake of argument, he has brought nothing to the table to reflect last years failures, all he has is Hogwash.
I want Miami to succeed more than anyone, and i believe they are on the right track, it seems Gase knows he has to run the ball better, That’s why we got Gore and Ballage.
we shall see.
I can tell you now Drake can not be the starting RB or we will lose.
Your dick ngnwromgnand thetbis that
WTF?
More fun stats – Ajayi by down last season:
DOWN = 1 67 212 3.2
DOWN = 2. 62 224 3.6
DOWN = 3 9 29 3.2
DOWN = 4 1 2 2.0
Some powerful back, especially on first down.
more funner stats, 2 wins 7 losses without Ajayi 14-8 with Ajayi
O Rob – Stupid stats or stats that don’t fit your particular narrative? Maybe they are one and the same to you. S’okay…you know what you know.
I’m not much of a stat person unless one jumps out and hits me in the head, one stat i do like is QB rating, it seems to go hand in hand with playoff appearances, normally the top 12 out of 15 top qb ratings QBs are in the playoffs.
and just looking at the amount of carries as it relates to wins and losses is another stat that has jumped out at me.
do you really think it’s a coincidence that we lost every game we didn’t run the ball 20 times and that we won every game we did?
I actually agree that not running the ball at least 20 times correlates to losing. Just don’t agree on the why. Generally, when they didn’t run it 20+ times it was because they were playing from behind. Had nothing to do with who the RB was.
and the reason they got behind is because they couldn’t control the ball, too many times we got stuffed on first down for negative yardage putting us in predictable passing situations, we were unable to pick up 1st downs, had to punt putting our D in bad situations. then we get down and now we pass every play! like we’re in quicksand going down.
you have to be able to gain the tough yards imposing your will in the running game, we need 2nd and 5, the D is guessing at this point and you have a powerful RB that they have to add assets to stop, 2nd and 11 they’re playing pass all the way. they know you have to pass, that is not a balanced offense
There are many reasons they got behind. Sometimes it was the offense, sometimes the defense. I don’t think they stopped an opponents opening drive from scoring once last year.
“Imposing your will” is a great platitude. Just is not reality.
I’ll take 3.2 yards on first down from Ajayi, because he demands attention from the D putting 9 and 10 in the box to stop him which leaves other facets of the offense open
Lil
sorry to hear about TOP, get well my friend,
see you guys later
Rock is speaking in tongues.
TOP
You rule! Get well my friend
Bookman:Still gonna try for packers but will have ta let ya know after i talk to boss … hope ta see ya there as well as Miami and Minny 😎
No problem!
I’m out. Later all.
ocalarob says:
May 12, 2018 at 11:16 pm
I’ll take 3.2 yards on first down from Ajayi, because he demands attention from the D putting 9 and 10 in the box to stop him which leaves other facets of the offense open
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Rob,
Last year, what percentage of plays did Ajayi see 8, 9, or 10 in the box? On 1st down? 2nd? 3rd? What are those same stats for Drake? You use this particular rationalization a lot, but how much of what you say in this respect is what is actually happening? I don’t know the stats above, and I’m betting you don’t either, but are instead going off nothing but perception. I would bet the numbers are similar for both backs.
Another rationalization you use is that teams will only bring extra men in the box to stop a RB if he gets tough yds up the gut. Teams will bring extra men to stop an effective back regardless if the back is gaining yds tough up the gut, or off tackle, or to the outside. Drake breaking big runs and being an effective back can/does/will still force teams to react by bring extra men in the box. This is offense imposing it’s will. Again, it doesn’t only happen with ‘tough yards’ on 1st down. If you can run the ball, you can impose your will.
This idea that because you can run the ball up the gut, you will always have 2nd and 5 or 6 isn’t true either. You’ll have poor 1st downs to overcome just like every offense. The offense you describe has been around forever. It’s called Marty ball. A good Marty ball team gets into the playoffs often, but not a lot of SBs. You point to Jax, but they didn’t win a SB. We’ll see how JAX does this year. I’ll bet it ain’t a SB. Schottenheimer never got one either although his teams were often in the playoffs.
The (win/loss) to (O/U 20 rushes) stat is a piece of data that matters, but you are completely confusing causality with correlation. 20 rushes does not guarantee a win by itself (causality). The 20 rush plateau correlates to wins because usually if the game plays out in a manner that lets us get to 20 rushes, then things went right that also helped us win (correlation).
If rushing 20 times was a stat that literally means you win (causation), then why not just rush it 20 times to start the game every time to guarantee victory? Because it’s not that simple. It was touched on above that many factors are involved. Maybe we don’t hit the mark because we fall behind bad early (something that happened a lot last year), or maybe we hit the mark because we get a lead early passing the ball, then we run to finish the game regardless of whether running was effective or not. Maybe our defense keeps the score low which allows us to play ball control. Or maybe both offenses are lighting it up, more plays are run, so we get more rushes. Then other times, it might be exactly because of 20+ rushes, and running the ball dominantly. Point is, lots of factors can be attributed to 20 rushes and the CORRELATION to winning.
One of our biggest problems last year, including with Ajayi, was teams would blow us up for losses too often on 1st down. Again, this was because of a combination of things. Sometimes 8 in the box, sometimes poor blocking, sometimes poor running, a lot of times poor everything. It wasn’t just because they put 8 in the box only when Ajayi was playing, then for Williams and Drake we just couldn’t run. I think we were poor at executing run plays across the board for large portions of the year. You always give Ajayi a pass for all his poor runs with the blanket ‘he faced 8 in the box’, or ‘even though he was getting stuffed, because he faced 8 he opened up the offense’.
All 3 of our backs had the same issues throughout the year. The difference with Ajayi (at least I believe this to be true and the main reason why Gase got rid of him) was he exacerbated things by improvising too much when nothing was there, made it worse, and kept putting us in real bad 2nd and longs too often. Frankly, I think if our oline was more effective run blocking early last year, and our team executed run plays even just a little better, Ajayi would still be our lead RB.
I do agree with you, that running the ball effectively makes an offense better. We need to be able to run the ball when the other team knows we want to run it. I also agree we need to be far more balanced on offense this year. We were way too predictable last year. I blame that on Gase’s execution and scheme. I am hopeful he can correct it. He shown he isn’t afraid to make changes.
I don’t agree that we have to have this specific ‘power back’ based offense where we always rush it on 1st down or we’re in trouble. We have three backs with skills, including a true powerback in Gore, and hopefully we will utilize all 3 in a dynamic offense that can run and throw the ball a variety of ways. Not 3 yds and a cloud of dust every 1st down. Can you say Sparano? Another proponent of Marty ball. 😉
Cheers!
Judging by the logic here….Trent Dilfer was a better QB than Marino.
How’d I miss TOP? Damn….get well man!
Top Secret – My best to you brother! I hadn’t seen that you suffered a stroke. I hope for a full, speedy recovery for you. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, I know you have it. I also went through that, so if I can help you in any way, I’d be happy to.
Happy Mother’s Day Herd! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Rob,
Last year, what percentage of plays did Ajayi see 8, 9, or 10 in the box? On 1st down? 2nd? 3rd? What are those same stats for Drake? You use this particular rationalization a lot, but how much of what you say in this respect is what is actually happening? I don’t know the stats above, and I’m betting you don’t either, but are instead going off nothing but perception. I would bet the numbers are similar for both backs.
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in 2016 when Ajayi broke loose teams had to game plan against him to stop him, they did slow him down but it came at a cost. i’m really not looking at numbers i’m just relying on my eyes and what i see, Drake IMO is not as forceful a RB as Ajayi, sure Drake broke off big runs but he also got stuffed too many times behind the LOS on 1st down. that kills an offense to be in 2nd and long. that said Drake is still a great back if being used in the right situation.
Drake breaking big runs and being an effective back can/does/will still force teams to react by bring extra men in the box. This is offense imposing it’s will. Again, it doesn’t only happen with ‘tough yards’ on 1st down. If you can run the ball, you can impose your will.
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Drake did break off big runs and had 2 great games out of the 5 he started, Drake has to have open field to break off those big runs he’s not gonna run DL or LBers over like Ajayi, I don’t think teams were that worried about Drake as much as they were worried about 2016-17 Ajayi because drake could be stopped if he got hit where Ajayi was looking for contact.
This idea that because you can run the ball up the gut, you will always have 2nd and 5 or 6 isn’t true either. You’ll have poor 1st downs to overcome just like every offense. The offense you describe has been around forever. It’s called Marty ball. A good Marty ball team gets into the playoffs often, but not a lot of SBs. You point to Jax, but they didn’t win a SB. We’ll see how JAX does this year. I’ll bet it ain’t a SB. Schottenheimer never got one either although his teams were often in the playoffs.
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Look at seattle with Marshawn Lynch, They pummeled Denver and should have beat the pats in the SB had they given it to Lynch.
i’m not advocating that we run on first down every time but i think we should run on 1st down 75% of the time depending on the situation and when we do run on 1st down we have to be assured that it will result in positive yardage, when you run on 1st down and get negative yardage that takes that play away, when that happens you become predictable
The 20 rush plateau correlates to wins because usually if the game plays out in a manner that lets us get to 20 rushes, then things went right that also helped us win
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Maybe in some instances but i don’t buy that, the reason we won all the games we rushed over 20 times was because rushing the ball was effective so that’s what we did.
look at the Titans game, it was tight all the way and we squeaked out the win, same with Atalanta game, we were not sitting on the ball running the clock down
One of our biggest problems last year, including with Ajayi, was teams would blow us up for losses too often on 1st down. Again, this was because of a combination of things. Sometimes 8 in the box, sometimes poor blocking, sometimes poor running, a lot of times poor everything. It wasn’t just because they put 8 in the box only when Ajayi was playing, then for Williams and Drake we just couldn’t run.
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look at the win/loss record when ajayi played vs post ajayi, 14-8 vs 2-7, that speaks for itself
No… It does not. It’s kind of like saying “When we threw virgins into the volcano, it didn’t erupt. When we ran out of virgins and stopped throwing them into the volcano, it erupted. Ergo it was the virgins that kept the volcano from erupting.”
i believe had we kept ajayi we would have fared better last year, we would have beat the raiders, the bucs and one of the buff games putting us at 9-7 instead of 6-10, the reason we lost those games were a lack of effective running.
i think Gore is way better than any rb we’ve had in the recent past, i just hope father time hasn’t caught him.
Happy Mothers day SON! you motha 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms 💐🌹
With all respect to the mothers some of you guys are married too (and all the props in the world to them), on this board at least…..today is Herd Day. 🙂
Holy crap, I just read about TOP above. Positive vibes being sent your way from Cali, TOP!
Happy Mother’s Day Herd, and to all Mothers out there.
in 2016 when Ajayi broke loose teams had to game plan against him to stop him, they did slow him down but it came at a cost. i’m really not looking at numbers i’m just relying on my eyes and what i see, Drake IMO is not as forceful a RB as Ajayi, sure Drake broke off big runs but he also got stuffed too many times behind the LOS on 1st down. that kills an offense to be in 2nd and long. that said Drake is still a great back if being used in the right situation.
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Drake did not get stuffed behind the LOS more than Ajayi did, and you don’t know that Ajayi saw more 8-man fronts than Drake in ’16. You assume this and continually repeat it as fact. And 2nd and long killing an offense – agreed, but you give Ajayi a pass and use it as detriment to Drake to support the narrative.
Drake did break off big runs and had 2 great games out of the 5 he started, Drake has to have open field to break off those big runs he’s not gonna run DL or LBers over like Ajayi, I don’t think teams were that worried about Drake as much as they were worried about 2016-17 Ajayi because drake could be stopped if he got hit where Ajayi was looking for contact.
In the latter part of the season, Drake led the league in yards after contact, so this is another myth.
Apologies for no delineating line. My response is this part:
In the latter part of the season, Drake led the league in yards after contact, so this is another myth.
Look at seattle with Marshawn Lynch, They pummeled Denver and should have beat the pats in the SB had they given it to Lynch.
i’m not advocating that we run on first down every time but i think we should run on 1st down 75% of the time depending on the situation and when we do run on 1st down we have to be assured that it will result in positive yardage, when you run on 1st down and get negative yardage that takes that play away, when that happens you become predictable
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The year Seattle pummeled Denver in the SB, Lynch averaged 18.8 carries a game. The year they lost to the Pets he averaged 16.5 carries a game. Seattle was a defensive juggernaut that held teams to low scores, yet they still didn’t play Marty ball.
And again, Ajayi last year got negative yardage on a ridiculous number of 1st down plays. So again, ideas getting twisted to support a narrative (i.e. if you believe what you wrote, why doesn’t it apply to Ajayi in 2017 when he was awful in this regard).
Cav — been waiting to be on same time as you……..we shot down the redbirds like clay pigeons in Pittsburgh. But then series after that the buccos got swept in four by the Nats, but then don’t know any Nats fans. 🙂
Lol, yeah, after you guys pulled out the 1st game (i think you came back in the 9th) you guys tuned us up the next two. I have actually been pleasantly surprised by the Cards this year. We’ve been better than I expected. We’ll see if we can keep it up. 🙂
Right now you guys are in first in the Central over us by percentage points, but that won’t keep up….least as I hate to admit it, on our side. Would rather have you guys take the div than the Cubbies though. More looking at the cushion above .500 with a sneak into a wildcard as a dream (jeez my Bucs are just like the Phins).
Maybe in some instances but i don’t buy that, the reason we won all the games we rushed over 20 times was because rushing the ball was effective so that’s what we did.
look at the Titans game, it was tight all the way and we squeaked out the win, same with Atalanta game, we were not sitting on the ball running the clock down
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This is just reinforcing my point. A perfect example is the Titans game. Ajayi rushed 25 times for 77 yds (not good), but we jumped out to a 10 point lead early, then our defense kept the game close allowing us to run even though it wasn’t very effective. If the Titans grabbed a lead early and/or our defense had stunk it up, we would have had to abandon the run.
The reason we didn’t hit 20 in some games is because sometimes the game situation didn’t allow it, hence 20 rushes correlates to winning, but doesn’t cause it. Example: If we’d rushed 20 times against Baltimore, we still would have lost.
Stanger,
I’m just glad the Mets came down to earth early on this year so we don’t have to keep reading all that garbage from the stinkin’ Mets fans around here. 😉
JBB guys
I actually love hearing the Mets talk. My family had seasons for them when I grew up. And even if I chose the Bucs instead…..still my “2nd favorite” team, even if not in the rotting for the team that is hot so can claim am a fan if they win kinda way.
Booooooooooooo! Hssssssssss!
lol 🙂
Back then Cards and Bucs were in the same division as the Mets. Might be dating myself, but you guys sucked then and Steve Carlton was about the best pitcher there was.
Echo all of KONG’s comments. May TOP and HERD both have a gazillion positive days in their futures.
————
BOOKMAN asked me a very good question. “WHY do you bet against your own team?” The answer SHOULD be obvious, but apparently is not. I’ll give you a hint: ROSS IS THE REASON!!!
I NEVER bet against the Fins when Robbie and, later, Huizenga, owned the team. There was always hope that, next year, things would be good and the Fins would be legitimate playoff contenders. IN FACT, beginning in 1970, the Dolphins WERE legitimate playoff contenders for most of the next 30 seasons (feel free to look that up!). Then came Huizenga’s awful 1-15 season. Thankfully, Wayne’s “going away present” was an 11-5 season capped by a playoff appearance. Most season ticket holders expected Ross to “keep the winning tradition alive.” But he failed miserably. Currently, he stands at 65-81 with NO playoff victories. Every head coach and every GM/Head of Football Operations he has chosen have, in my opinion, failed to deliver. Most draft choices also have been failures–some have been disasters!!! Ross has created a culture of failure that just won’t go away. He persists on hiring/retaining/giving pay raises to proven failures—a policy that has NEVER WORKED ANYWHERE IN NFL HISTORY!! –And when his scouts deliver a big winner in the draft he is just as likely as not to TRADE THEM AWAY FOR MID TO LATE ROUND DRAFT PICKS!!! — Again, this is a policy THAT HAS NEVER WORKED ANYWHERE IN NFL HISTORY!!
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Sadly, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my beloved Dolphins will NEVER get to a Super Bowl as long as Steve Ross owns the team because Ross is incapable of picking the right people to run his franchise just as he is incapable of hiring people to treat his season ticket holders fairly. And I back this opinion with MY MONEY, just as I’ve used MY MONEY IN THE PAST TO SUPPORT THIS FRANCHISE. –I am looking forward to the day when my faith in ownership will lead me TO BET ON THIS FRANCHISE. But that will never happen as long as Steve Ross owns the team!
I just can’t understand why you are not a billionaire NFL owner. You have it all figured out.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
OD — don’t think you have ever made it so clear that you don’t like Ross before. 🙂
Even if our opinions on him differ, he is 78. So there will be a new owner at some point. When it comes to him though, I go with be careful what you wish for. He gave us shade and escalators for $500 mil out of his own pocket and spends up to the cap every year (many teams don’t). Even if we want to dominate the NFL….lots of worse owners out there. Am hoping Gase (who I also like) is setting up a system that will make us like the Steelers or Pats, but even if he doesn’t…..there is always who he puts in there next.
Rob,
Respectfully, I think your logic is flawed, and your reasoning is specious. I believe last year we had a lot more issues than which RB we had in the backfield. And all our RBs faced the same issues. Our coaching was questionable at best, we lost our starting QB, our effectiveness rushing the ball was awful across the board, we had issues on defense and we were too undisciplined.
I disagree with a lot of your reasoning, but funnily enough we end up in a similar place. I wholeheartedly agree with you that our running game will be a major factor in determining where we end up this year. I’m glad we have a what appears to be a good stable of backs and look forward to the year.
Hopefully at the end of the year we can argue about why we were so good in 2018 instead of why we didn’t win enough! Cheers 🙂
stangerx says:
May 13, 2018 at 12:28 pm
Back then Cards and Bucs were in the same division as the Mets. Might be dating myself, but you guys sucked then and Steve Carlton was about the best pitcher there was.
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Stanger,
I remember when we were all in the same division. Hence my giving the Mets fans on the board the finger.
I don’t remember the Cards ever sucking though. Are you sure that happened? Maybe you were thinking about another team.
1972 Steve Carlton went 27–10 with a 1.98 ERA and 310 strikeouts….and yeah I watched some of those wins and K’s.
Carlton won the Cy Young and Phillies went 59–97. Do the math on that. One of the best seasons ever, for Steve at least.
Yeah, that is way before my time, lol.
Cy Young winner on a 59 win team, and he got nearly half their wins, wow.
I’m sorry dude…..as I looked up and then put out only after realized you guys let him go to the Phillies (who did suck bad). I might have caught him in 1971 against the Cards, but if did don’t remember.
I was meaning we never sucked, ever. lol, joking of course.
But regarding Carlton and the Cards, you would definitely know better than I. I would have no idea what we did before mid 80’s if it wasn’t for the internet and sports shows.
But we have the internet now, so you can look up. Carlton to the Phils is your guys “Bambino to the Yanks trade.” And Cards were a respectable team back then. I just stepped into the picture right after the Miracle for the Mets in ’69 and before GIbson’s miracle year of his own.
look at the win/loss record when ajayi played vs post ajayi, 14-8 vs 2-7, that speaks for itself
No… It does not. It’s kind of like saying “When we threw virgins into the volcano, it didn’t erupt. When we ran out of virgins and stopped throwing them into the volcano, it erupted. Ergo it was the virgins that kept the volcano from erupting.”
You ignore any fact, stat, or circumstance that doesn’t support your myopic world view of football.
The team needs more virgins damn it!
If anyone has any video proof of Ajayi running DL over I’d love to see it because I never saw it happen. Most of the damage Ajayi did was at the 2nd level. He didn’t bash through the LOS knocking people over, he found gaps and ran through them and punished LBs with poor angles and ran DBs over.
Byfhulkian Smash
well that didnt work..
Reading some of these comments are better than sunday comic strips ever were
?
there we go !!!! Cheers Steve !! 🙂
Ken hope Sunday am finds ya feeling on the upswing.. Thinking of ya..
Happy Mother’s Day, Herd!
Yea, what he said, HAPPY MOMS DAY you thundering HERD you!!! 😜
GOFINS!!!
This sucks! Wife and I waited to take our vacation until after spring brake and before school is out. Leaving tomorrow for 3 days on Key Biscayne then 6 days in Key West and it is supposed to rain the whole f….ing time. Guess it will be a lot of drinking indoors.
But it will be a warm rain 🤔👍
Thanks Toba, I needed that. LOL
Who goes to Key West for the weather? 🙂
My wife and I went on the Jet Ski group tour that leaves close to Mallory Square. Costs a bit, but if you get the chance on a good day it is amazing. And was both our first times on one….so no previous experience required.
CavalierKong says:
May 13, 2018 at 11:46 am
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Drake did not get stuffed behind the LOS more than Ajayi did, and you don’t know that Ajayi saw more 8-man fronts than Drake in ’16. You assume this and continually repeat it as fact.
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i’m not assuming teams had to stop Ajayi after ripping back to back 200 yard games, i watched it.
some of Drakes first down runs last year in the 5 games he started
1-10-MIA 19
(14:56) (Shotgun) 32-K.Drake right guard to MIA 20 for 1 yard (99-A.Gotsis; 56-S.Ray).
1-10-MIA 44
(12:17) (Shotgun) 32-K.Drake left guard to MIA 46 for 2 yards (48-S.Barrett).
.1-10-MIA 13
(4:54) 32-K.Drake right tackle to MIA 16 for 3 yards (92-Z.Kerr).
1-10-MIA 48
(14:49) 32-K.Drake right end pushed ob at DEN 47 for 5 yards (54-B.Marshall).
kansas city
1-10-MIA 25
(9:40) (Shotgun) 32-K.Drake left guard to MIA 27 for 2 yards (96-B.Logan).
1-10-MIA 29
(1:43) (Shotgun) 32-K.Drake up the middle to MIA 30 for 1 yard (95-C.Jones).
1-10-MIA 25
(10:24) 32-K.Drake up the middle to MIA 19 for -6 yards (96-B.Logan).
1-10-MIA 25
(15:00) (Shotgun) 32-K.Drake up the middle to MIA 22 for -3 yards (58-M.Milano).
That’s not always on the RB. Same thing happened to Ajayi plenty of times. Many times it’s about a lack of blocking. Let’s hope our OL does a better job this year, we have the skill at RB to be good.
I would be shocked if Drake is the starter in the seasons opener.
We’ll see
He’ll probably be one of the first cuts in training camp. 😉
That’s another bet I’ll take and I’ll give you 2:1 on Drake, barring injury before first regular (non-preseason) game of the season being the starting running back for Miami.
It doesn’t really matter. Both Drake and Gore are going to play. Ballage should get some snaps too. I think Drake is going to be used as a receiver too, not just out of the backfield but in the slot or out wide. Saw some of that last year.
Ajayi WHOOO ???
Loved Ajayi through o16 which made his head big and turned him into a Diva!!!
From what I’ve seen of Ballage, he has better vision, balance, speed, & power, a bunch of his highlights displayed all of those skills combined on single plays!!
See’s hole, bounces through, streaks to sideline, tip toes down sideline with several defenders trying to push him out, then burst inside and over a squared up SafEty,
saw it 10 plus times!!! He’s got it all, including good knees & attitude!!!
According to his efficiency/effectiveness in the formation
And his reaction toward the question
I’m expecting to see quite a bit of WC via BALLAGE!!!
GOFINS!!!
And i can give equal or greater number of instances where Anahi got stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage. Dude…you are being irrational about this.
Stanger – I loved when the Mets, Cards and Pirates were in the same division. For some reason, freaking John Tudor is all I think about those days, he was so good, and always saved his best for the Mets. I was just looking at the ’84 season, and I totally forgot that Andy Van Slyke came up with the Cards, and not the Pirates.
Remember the classic game in 1985 Darling pitched against Tudor at Busch Stadium that was 0-0 in the 11th when Strawberry hit one off the scoreboard for the win off Ken Dayley. Darling went 9 innings and Tudor 10. Unreal pitching performances by both.
Cubs, Phils and Braves too, but they were after thoughts in those days. And Van Slyke was my favorite player at one point. Dude could play and boy did he always have good quips.
Stanger, do you have to have any kind of water safety course for the jet ski rentals?
They give you a talk before you leave on how to use the things, put you on them and then do a short ride out to a point where they assess you. They separated us into advanced, medium and “got to watch you closely” groups. Only problem with being in the slow one is that you get to the next meeting spot while everyone has been hanging out for a while. And each group has a guide. Cost like a hundred per person though for like 2 or so hours.
BBM – Where you guys staying in Key West?
The Casa Marina, Waldorf Astoria. I have a Hilton rewards card. LOL
Nice place…Hemingway’s bar.
A few years ago my wife and I rented Pretty Joe Rock off of Marathon for our anniversary week in February. It’s a house on a ~5000 sugared foot caye, totally cool place. Cold and gale force winds the whole week.
Sounds nice! (except for the weather) I wonder if that was the one I had a flier on. It was like your own 10 acre island. Not sure though.
I think the place you’re talking about is on the other side of the island. Pretty Joe is much smaller and got chewed up by Irma. It was pretty cool despite the weather.