Once again my fellow Dolphins fans, we have to endure another period of time where our team is in the news for all the wrong reasons. This was supposed to be the weeks of excitement about finding the right Head Coach to lead our team to success for the next decade or so. Instead, we’re left with accusations against our owner, GM and team which could hurt our chances of securing the right candidate for our Head Coach vacancy. In 2013 we had the “Bullygate Scandal” while Joe Philbin was our Head Coach. Now in 2022, we have the “Tank Scandal”, where our recent former Head Coach Brian Flores alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores an extra $100K per game if the Dolphins lost in 2019 in order to secure a high draft pick.
Of course it matters whether these things are true or not, but the fact is, even if they aren’t, the damage is done. The NFL is not going to help us in any way if they find no wrongdoing. We’re damaged goods regardless. Controversies tend to linger around things even after the air has supposedly been cleared. The Jacksonville Jaguars are about to hire Doug Pederson as their Head Coach. Jim Harbaugh who was never interviewed by our Dolphins has told Michigan he’s returning for the 2022 season. Eric Bieniemy is getting another crack at an interview with the New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins will be interviewing both Mike McDaniel and Kellen Moore. I honestly wonder what is going through both of these guy’s minds considering the state of the Dolphins Franchise.
If there is any evidence that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross tried to incentivize HC Brian Flores to purposely lose games there will be significant punishment. I don’t know if Ross will be the sole recipient of said punishment or if the NFL will punish both the owner and the team. Obviously, the great majority of us would prefer they take the team away from Ross and leave the Dolphins Franchise alone. We’ve been through enough. Punishment such as taking away numerous draft picks would hurt. I feel like our roster is getting closer and a strong free agency along with with a good draft could really improve our roster. Take away a handful of draft picks, maybe our 1st RD picks this year and next and the next, and that hurts us badly because we have multiple picks next season in ’23 which would give us some nice flexibility to stand pat with two 1st rounders or move up if some reason if we decide to get a QB. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be unfortunate to fans who get punished so often by bad management of this team over the last couple of decades. We could use a break.
I feel like we’d be lucky to get Mike McDaniel at this point, and I’d be happy if we do. I made it clear that none of the candidates, with the exception of Jim Harbaugh really excited me, but McDaniel would be my preference out of who is left. Let’s get our Head Coach and then we’ll sit back and watch the drama unfold. Nothing would make me happier to find out Flores was just a spiteful, lying sack of shit and manufactured this whole story to drag the Dolphins through the mud after being jilted by the NY Giants, his dream job. BTW, I think his other allegations are very thin at best, against the Broncos and even more against the Giants. We know Bill Belichick is NFL royalty, but his word doesn’t mean squat here. He’s not employed by the New York Giants and I think those texts are meaningless to everyone except Bill Belichick, Brian Flores, and Brian Daboll who now probably feels bad for Brian Flores, or maybe he doesn’t and is reveling in this silliness.
I’d be lying if I were to say I’m confident that we’re clean. I don’t hate Stephen Ross like some of y’all do, I think he spends a lot of money trying to improve this team. Yes, he’s gone about some things the wrong way, especially for such an established businessman. We know he courted Jim Harbaugh while Tony Sparano was still the Dolphins Head Coach. So is it possible that Stephen Ross offered Flores money to tank to get a franchise QB, of course it is. I feel that Ross’s reputation could hurt us here in an investigation. We’ll see how this all plays out. It would be great to come out on top for a change.
As many of you already know, our friend Jon “Stanger” has been released from the hospital and is now doing inpatient physical and occupational therapy, which could be approximately a 2 week gig. It’s amazing how far he’s come and now the light really is close at the end of the tunnel. So happy for him!
#stangerstrong
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
So I’m listening to WQAM (Miami Dolphins Radio) to the Joe Rose Show. He’s not in today, on vacation. They have Zach Krantz and this other guy “Hollywood” hosting. They’re talking about the McDaniel hire and what changes the Dolphins will make. Right away, Hollywood says maybe they bring in Jimmy Garroppolo, he would be a huge upgrade over Tua. It’s so lazy and weak. Put Jimmy G on last year’s Dolphins team and Jimmy G isn’t the Jimmy G of the 49ers. To be even more blunt, Jimmy G from last year’s 49ers wasn’t even much of an upgrade. Why not look at Tua’s great seasons at Alabama if you want to see greatness? We will never be satisfied with anything as Dolphins fans, it’s always “look over there, that guy would be better!” We had Marino for 17 years and we didn’t win one Super Bowl! It’s not just the QB, it’s a T-E-A-M.
They didn’t hire McDaniel to bring in Jimmy G. There is something wrong with our fan base and beat reporters
^
Yeah i mean, he was one of the best college QB’s Alabama has ever had yet people talk about Hurts and that freaky fat kid in NE like they were better we wish we had them. No ya dont, Tua is light years ahead of them, he has IT factor too. I mean last year, he did pretty solidly despite any commitment from the coach, despite a horrid OL, despite very little continuity in the receiving corps, and no running game. Im not certain he wears a yellow jacket at the end of his career but i am certain he is good enough to be our QB for many years to come.
^^^
No doubt Ken, although none of the guys from the Joe Rose Show should be considered beat reporters, but your sentiment is 100% correct.
Seems everything Jimmy G does comes off the heels of there running game
He was coming off of an injury, when we crushed them last year, but he really looked bad and tends to make the bad int, when the pocket collapses
Let the Steelers have him, and think he’ll do better there with Najee
I don’t really get the Tua hatred, and I was one who thought he was too short and injury prone to draft in round 1.
But he has bulked up some and he has shown toughness and resiliency when running the ball.
not throwing out stats, but
His accuracy is excellent, and he has made some excellent long throws. His deep ball does not look soft like Pennington’s did, which were the result of several shoulder injuries. Tua can drive the ball.
OK, so
I’ve seen him throw a few bad passes, but every QB throws a few bad passes. Often what looks like a terrible throw is one where the WR and QB were not in synch. Sometimes it’s a wet ball or windy ball or a throw while being hit.
With the well documented OL youth and lack of a challenging rushing attack, the QB must get the ball out quickly. Tua did that, and we actually won a bunch of games with him as the starter.
Tua as a rookie looked better than Fields, way better than Haskins, and was not seeing ghosts like Darnold. He never looked overmatched.
I think haters gonna hate, but I’m willing to give Tua another year to mature and build out the team on the offensive side of the ball like we did on the D side.
Very nicely written and agree 100%.
He looked overmatched against the Rams and Buffalo
One thing I liked about Fitz was on 3rd and long we had a good chance to get a first down, Tua not quite as much yet, but pretty good, unlike RT
Once we get a running game and a little pass blocking think we’ll see more of the Bama Tua
Watched Burrow look awful under pressure against Tenn on one play, then great on the next, Tua is somewhere between
Tua was quite magical moving around the pocket and very good once he got outside, with no lineman in front of him
yes but Donald etc. was literally in a different league than our baby OL, so that’s a specifically bad matchup.
Against Buffalo, again we have not matched up well against them for several years now, similar to how the Ravens and Texans used to beat up on us worse than the Patriots, whom we have frequently played well against compared to how they scorched the rest of the league.
Tampa Bay seems to have the Packers that way and the Pack snuffs out the Vikes.
The way the league is with everything on display every Sunday and parity built in through the draft and FA, there will always be that team that is built just the way your team is weakest against.
Hopefully that team is not in your division, so you don’t get two auto losses each year like with us and Buffalo, and you can be dominant yourself against some team every time you play them, especially the teams in your division.
Any one finding the irony in Flores lawsuit declaring that the Miami Dolphins painted him as an angry black man, and yet what he is doing right now more makes him look like an angry black man and affects his ability to get another coaching gig than anything our side ever said?
Lol, and so true
Does all of this go away, if Houstin hires him?
Seems all NFL coaches have an arbitration clause in their contract, so it likely never makes regular court
Some powerful inner demons came together and boiled out of Brian Flores into the public sphere. From the moment I became aware of him, he seemed to be wound up too tight.
“Stone cold Flo” is a good sideline look, but it must be tempered by some levity, which I think is very difficult for Flores to grant himself.
From my distance,
He should never have filed that suit or gone public with the dirt. He could’ve gotten another job, and even if it were a DC, he’s young enough to have his career recover. His record at Miami was not a killer.
Apparently, he truly believes that there is racism in hiring practices in the NFL, and really, who doesn’t think that?
But doing what he has done has broken faith with the fans by endangering the game and making it harder to be a fan. This is inexcusable, especially since he was in reality hired to be a HC.
Something snapped in Flores’s head, some combo of his childhood, the losing streak, the tanking narrative, and maybe white assistant coaches turning down OC offers, stuff like that that we don’t know about, but something made Flores think his life calling was to be a martyr to the cause.
SO
I’m done with him.
We’ll see if he’s a martyr, Houston may hire him, otherwise I agree
Ole Belicheat must’ve really manipulated the shit out of him
Have a winning record against me, while coming from my tree, you’ll see the repercussions
Here’s a more meaningful stat, than where they were in rushing
San Francisco finished the campaign with the seventh-ranked offense in the NFL. McDaniel had a hand in orchestrating the 49ers’ aggressive rushing offense and also helped Deebo Samuel compile an All-Pro campaign with 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns.
SF doesn’t come across as an O team overall, but hard to stop with game on the line, because of the innovative plays
Boyer or Fangio, either are OK with me, then get an OC with some experience
We’ll see which WRs he keeps, but we know they’ll be asked to block, so he probably adds at least 1 tough guy
agreed and let’s not forget the role of Kittle and the other TEs in McDaniel’s scheme.
With better play calling, Gesicki, Smythe, and Hunter Long could have another career year and this one will translate into 11 + wins.
He needs to toughen up Gesicki
Think if we start seeing Gesicki videos of him hitting the weight room, it will be telling about his desire to stay in Miami
Good state-of-the-union address Mike. I, too, will be glad when the flies stop buzzing around the shit-heap the Fins have descended to as a franchise.
So, we have a shiny new coach. Gandhi wasn’t a particularly big dude but he seemed to have quite a few people following him.
Anyone who says they knew how any HC would work out is being optimistic at best, because the role has to mesh with so many parts of the organisation and make it function to the best of its ability. There’s a lot of scope for spanners (wrenches) in the works there. For my money, a smart, collaborative guy has a lot of appeal and arguably the best chance to succeed by getting everyone on his side.
Interesting Twitter stream from Travis Wingfield below, especially for those concerned about his experience. I like the fact that he is chippy and has a chip on his shoulder! I like that he is an innovator and not a follower and knows his own mind.
____________________________________________________________________________
From Travis:
There’s a lot to be excited about with the @MiamiDolphins hiring of Mike McDaniel. Some research tidbits from the staffs he’s been a part of:
– History of maximizing the QB. He’s seen systems that have produced career years for the majority of the QBs he’s been around
The commitment to the running game stands out, especially when you consider that the 49ers run-play % kept pace with teams like Baltimore and Philadelphia, who saw their QBs run a combined 338 times this year, compared to SF who had just 76 QB runs (designed or otherwise)
Entering a Week 10 game vs. the Rams, Deebo Samuel had six rushing attempts on the season. He nearly matched that total with five attempts for 36 yards and a touchdown, just scratching the surface on his ability as a ball carrier…
…From Week 10 through the Niners Championship game exit, Samuel carried the ball 80 times for 480 yards (6.0 YPC) and seven touchdowns.
He’s received high praise from Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, Joe Staley, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk Pierre Garçon, among others.
He’s coached with 118 different coaches including Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFluer, Sean McVay, Robert Saleh, Dan Quinn, Mike Pettine, DeMeco Ryans, Wes Welker, Keith Armstrong, Keenan McCardell, Raheem Morris and many others.
He’s been on staffs that have won/been too:
4 division titles
5 playoff appearances
7 playoff games
4 champ game apps
2 SB apps
#Gocoach
#GoFins
#Stangerstrong
I think all those playoff appearances and the type coaches he’s been with (innovators both sides of the ball) are very impressive.
I think it was Garcon who said the best thing about McDaniel besides that guys like him is that he’s a problem solver.
Well that’s a perfect fit for Miami football, as we have some good players, but we’ve also got lots of problems that need solving.
Ken says:
February 7, 2022 at 9:21 am (Edit)
They didn’t hire McDaniel to bring in Jimmy G. There is something wrong with our fan base and beat reporters
****
People will say anything now for clicks
The idea that We are interested in jimmy g is just ludicrous
You have to admit it would be fun to have a QB controversy 🤪
And how could we forget his 30m cap hit, that would be hole in the head fun too
McD reminds me of McDs, that pint sized HC of the Raiders, without the assholiness
Young innovators, willing to put in the time, if they’re liked in their building they’ll succeed, if not, not
McDaniel doesn’t have to rebuild he roster. He can work with what we have and just add talent
The balancing act is free agency. It’s possible we let some one like Gesicki go, but this isn exactly rebuild mode
If McDaniel doesn’t like Tua down the line, the Dolphins can simply draft a new QB while they work on building a running game and an OL. I think eventually we are going to draft a QB to bring along slowly
The reality is Tua is 23 years old, and if we can get that running game going, we can give him room to grow
Baldy Breakdown of 49ers running game from 2020
I wonder if we invest in a FB or just get creative with the position using H-Backs, extra o-line, and possibly wilkens. Probably a combo of all of the above.
Was wondering about an FB too, think we will get one, not only for the running game, but pass blocking and receiving
Watched a highlight of a play against Tenn last night, it was a max protect deep completion to Waddle
Wondering why we didn’t max protect more, I’d do it play 1 against Buffalo next season
FB can be used for that situation as well
I’ve been wanting a FB and a version of the WCO here for years, even when Tannehill was here. In short yardage and goalline you can get those Playaction calls and release the FB for pass catches all the time.
Aiight
This is an interesting take on the Flores controversy
https://twitter.com/bigoshow/status/1490510842798002181?s=21
You want to get creative with the run game
How about adding a versatile Fullback
Zander Horvath
even wears the same number as Alstott
More classic HBack
29: R1 P29 WR Treylon Burks – Arkansas
50: R2 P18 LB Nakobe Dean – Georgia
98: R3 P34 LB Brandon Smith – Penn State
118: R4 P16 RB Isaiah Spiller – Texas A&M
122: R4 P20 RB Zamir White – Georgia
157: R5 P15 FB Zander Horvath – Purdue
179: R5 P37 G Thayer Munford – Ohio State
200: R6 P21 EDGE Zach VanValkenburg – Iowa
222: R7 P3 C Nick Ford – Utah
Reason was talking about Burks last night, they think he goes well before 29
Som people think he goes top 20
He’s keeps falling to me in mocks and mike taking him
I was praying Burks would be there for us, but as we slid further and further down in the first round, my hopes have faded.
It’s karma to the negative that McDaniel coached so well that SF lasted into the playoffs so long that he got a HC job, but now he has to endure the penalty of his success by watching his hew team’s first round pick drop 10 spots due to his old team’s success.
Tua should thrive in an O where the DL doesn’t pin their ears back, let’s see if we can make it happen on the OL
More than an FB, pretty sure we’ll get a speed back
Could be Lindsey, or Breida, but he underachieving in SF, bet it’s someone drafted in a later rd
James Cook is a back to keep your eye on
Too slow, if his 4.49 time holds, was shocked when I heard he was that slow, plays much faster
It’s lateral quickness – he’s got a lot of lateral quickness
I’m really more concerned with that than 40 time
Not that it was a real game, but thought running the ball on 4th down and short, like the AFC did vs throwing on 4th and short like the NFC did was the difference yesterday
Points made above about an FB are valid in my book and very important
Let’s not forget about this guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq3rdjfQQrU
Are you more/less optimistic about the 2022 season with McD instead of Flo?
more because of the unknown and the fact that we have to fix the offense. But I hope our defense doesn’t regress.
I like the McDaniel hire. It probably means we’re gonna have a real rushing attack finally. Do we know who the DC is gonna be?
I guess Vic Fangio for DC?
Saw one tweet suggesting Fangio for DC. Grizzled O-line coach Mike Munchak was Fangio’s assistant head coach and O-line coach in Denver. If they came as a package, there could be some merit in that and you are geographically well placed to comment 😉
You posted when I was looking for the tweet! 🍺
🙂
Somebody like Garcon or Breida said that McDaniel incorporates history lessons into his schemes.
Some of those plays that Baldinger deconstructs for us look like Clarence Stasavich’s old single wing football at East Carolina.
Or you could look at Georgia Tech or Navy or any of the modern versions thereof where a team can rush for tons of yards because of the confusion the D has with something so weird.
To work in the NFL, you still need a passing attack though.
Those teams asked their QBs to be another RB, which made their plans fizzle after teams got enough tape on them.
McDaniel innovates those old playbooks.
Get Cordarrelle
Right now, Atlanta is projected to have around $13 million in cap space to begin the offseason, but they only have 29 players under contract. That’s not a lot of room to work with, meaning there’s a chance Patterson has already priced himself out of Atlanta. Still, the Falcons will do everything in their power to keep him here;
Matt Ryan 48.6m cap hit, add 3 others with at least 20m 2022 cap hits and that’s 116m for their top 4 contracts
Market Value
2 yrs, $18,284,060
Avg. Salary: $9,142,030
NFL Rank: 217
RB Rank: 8
James Cook is Dalvin’s little brother. Dalvin ran a 4.49 as well, so some teams passed him over in the draft, but he has that Crazy Leg lateral quicks that make him so dangerous.
If little brother can do 88% what Dalvin does, then he’s easily worth a second round pick.
And he shared carries at Georgia, right? So might have decent wear on those wheels.
Patterson was a fave of mine all the way back to his draft class.
He’d be a perfect Deebo clone, but he’s gonna be pricey.
I think we can draft a guy to do that cheaper.
He beat our ass on that last drive of the fest game
To me. our OL coach was the worst coach on the staff.
How do you squander that much paper talent?
When asked what his plans were to fix the OL, he stuttered and stumbled for an answer and basically just said “play better.” He had no ideas.
Hey Pig
That is a dynamite draft up the page there.
If we could both those LBs and both those RBs and Burks,
that would be a draft dream come true.
Thing is, just drafting to that pattern would work well. Assuming we get a RT in FA.
Yeah if McDaniel can bring Fangio and Munchak in, he’s already ahead of any HC we’ve brought in since Ross was here. Let a veteran handle the defense, while McDaniel gets Munchack to fix the line. Bring in an OC who can get the best out of Tua. We should be on our way to improvement.
^^
uk,
I just read an ESPN article saying he wants to keep the defensive staff largely intact. So I guess we’ll see
I’m sure you’ll find another one saying the opposite Boulder. Apparently people like to speculate at this time of year cos there’s nothing else to do! 😉
SMH
The secret to a successful offensive playbook is finding a way to reset the 11 on 10 advantage that defenses have because of the limited nature of the QB position.
One way is to have a dual threat QB.
Hence the RPO fad. Or just drafting a Jackson / Allen type QB.
A better way IMHO is to use a hybrid player such as Deebo, so the D can’t figure out which he is on any given play.
BUT
The real genius solution is what Baldinger points out that McDaniel is doing by leaving the MLB unblocked and just motioning him out of the play and / or slicing the D in half so half their guys (safeties and LBs) are useless. That’s how you get 37 yard runs or long rushing TDs, or how you can more easliy rush for a score inside the 10 yd line.
These types of plays can be used at the most opportune times to keep a guessing
With Allen/Jackson you can stack the box or blitz to stop them from working, not sure how you counter these moves
Milex
@xyz
Mike McDaniel seems like the type that walked into that interview and told Ross and Grier “tough week huh?”
And can pull it off, because no one is threatened by him
lol
Oh and just for humor’s sake. Do you guys know who the o-line coach of the 49ers is?
Blow, I mean no
Looks like the 49ers are losing coaches left and right
Kentucky expected to name 49ers assistant Zach Yenser as O-line coach
Report: Broncos Interested in Ex-49ers TEs Coach Jon Embree
Broncos hiring 49ers assistant Butch Barry to coach O-line
What an fn hypocritical prick, as he’s one of the guy that’s been pushing the we need more black HCs in the NFL
Omar Kelly
@OmarKelly
·
3h
I’ve never ever seen anyone in sports have to prove they were bi-racial, multi-cultural before. Usually, people just accept it. Or….don’t discuss it. This is a sad time in this country.
Fuck those wear coasters!
After further review it appears the part about Flo not playing well with others is true, if you base it off the signing of his polar opposite McD😛
sb7mvp says:
February 7, 2022 at 11:55 am (Edit)
Oh and just for humor’s sake. Do you guys know who the o-line coach of the 49ers is?
I would have guessed who it is but I hate to be wrong so I looked it up. I was right. 😂
Don’t think he comes with McD to Miami
hahaha
That’s the guy who was snorting a white powder off a hooker while he worked for us under Gase, right?
Is there a rehab / support group for that?
Must be, he’s coaching again
I saw a report a day or 2 ago that Jon Embree could possibly be brought in as part of the offensive staff.
I’d be interested in Cole Kelley out of SE La as a QB / TE / deebo type guy.
Scored 6 TDs in a game 3 passing and 3 rushing.
Also caught passes.
6’7 248
I haven’t commented much about the shit show of late … but I’d like to share my ‘gut feeling’ about our beloved franchise … regardless of what has happened since the last second of our win over NE ticked off the clock. This opinion was developed BEFORE the lawsuit, just not expressed.
1. after decades of half-ass attempts at ‘partial’ rebuilds, 3 years ago it seemed like we finally committed to an authentic clean slate approach.
2. With depth of talent depleted we managed 2 winning seasons (both marred by horrific starts to the season … perhaps the REAL reason Ross fired Flores …)
3. Were the slow starts because of the turnover in players (part of rebuild) or was it the turnover of staff under Flores (?).
4. Flores learned from Belicheat and that means he learned that it’s “his way or the highway”. Was this the ‘conflict’ with our front office? If so, Ross should have understood the culture that Flores was coming from … and maybe this was also the Flores ‘flaw’ that caused staff turnover. Hiring an alpha is a double edged sword.
5. We keep hiring coaches who are first time NFL head coaches … but that job is also a NEW job for the coach and there is a learning curve there as well!
6. We are now on our 7th head coach in 13 years under Ross ownership (interims included). But basically it is a 3 to 4 year window for these guys who are in first head coaching position. It may be part of the win now culture in the NFL, but it doesn’t mean its the best thing for long term success.
7. We head into this offseason with the MOST cap space in the NFL … the perfect situation for committing to a full rebuild through the draft.
Finally: My gut feeling is that our franchise is going to continue the ‘rinse, spit, repeat’ because we have “Jerry Jones Syndrome” in ownership. If Flores wanted Herbert, let him have him. We can’t keep hiring people in a ‘win now’ position and then not allow them to make the decisions that will influence how they are evaluated. The coach develops the philosophy and culture of the team … GM is supposed to use team resources to get the players for that philosophy.
Without knowing what Flores and FO “didn’t get along” about, it’s hard to know if our new coach has the behind the scenes skills to pull it off.
We may never know what happened and who is truly to blame, which usually means the blame is shared. I will cheer for McDaniels because that is my habit. 🙂 But deep, deep down it feels like our football team is a toy for the Monday morning billionaire at the top. And, yes, as the owner that is his ‘right’, but it doesn’t make it the ‘right’ way to build a winning franchise.
Go Dolphins.
Makes sense, ball control O pretty much what Tua is built for and the type of O our D needs
^
Piggy, I like your draft! I think spending 3 picks on the backfield might be too much when there are some good backs available in FA. We can bring back Duke and/or sign Penny to go with Gaskins, Draft one and draft a FB. Also, see what Doaks can bring to the table in year 2.
You’re a run guru, do you want or need a wing it big arm semi accurate QB, that you’re asking to throw short quick passes?
If you’re going to run the ball a lot, you better have an accurate QB or one that is good on 3rd down
When talking about getting a Debo type receiver, don’t forget we have a former running QB turned WR coming back this year in 5’11, 204 pound Lynn Bowden. Hear a lot about McDaniel maximizing a player’s abilities. Bowden could be our Debo.
He flashed right away, too.
Cute couple. And our HC is a sharp dresser.
At the risk of sounding terribly inappropriate homeboy got himself a white woman
Never stopped you before😝
Herd – do you play the bagpipes? 😇 You have a lot of “north of the border” heritage in you!!! 😉
LMAO, the coach that was doing blow off his desk at the Dolphins facility and getting outed by a hooker he was ‘in love’ with ended up coaching again in the NFL?!
In crazy times, that is the craziest thing I’ve read in weeks…
The guy was well connected. Just look at the teams he was with in his career.
O-line, TE coach for Denny Green in Minnesota, O-Line coach for Dungy in TB, followed Dungy to Indy, Came to us in 2004 as a OC for Wannstadt, Went ot the Ravens to be an o-line coach for Billick, o-line coach in SF for Mike Nolan, went to the Redskins in 2010 for Mike Shanahan, then bounced back and forth between the 49ers and us
Not that surprised. They have cap issues and Barkley can’t stay healthy and may be broken.
The Dolphins are taking their time interviewing an underwhelming list of Head Coach candidates. Personally, I’d prefer an offensive minded coach to improve the outlook for Tua and his pals in 2022. My other preference is for a veteran guy to lead the team and not for another first-time HC to be given the reins. Jim Harbaugh fits the bill, but the Phins are not willing to say they have interest; we’ll see about that. I’m surprised Doug Pederson isn’t on the list, especially given his history with the team. One thing is certain, I do not want to see Vance Joseph back in any capacity.
Only when the HC is in place can we truly focus on team shaping. Whoever comes in will, seemingly, not have the choice of whether to stick with Tua or not. Front-office faith in Tua has silenced the Deshaun Watson rumors for now. It seems a rift with the young QB was Flores’ undoing with the latter being the biggest advocate of a trade with Houston. Tua doesn’t have the arm talent to be successful without an improved O-line and run game. And if the 49ers keep winning, the Phins might be out of position to draft an elite OT prospect. Nonetheless, if Miami doesn’t address the line this offseason, 2022 will be another year without a trip to the playoffs.
– David Payne, Dolphins Analyst
It’s typical that no matter what we do, the media has to start rumors like now we’ll go after Jimmy G because they know the Watson nonsense carries no weight anymore. I’m excited for McDaniel’s offense and working with Tua. Go Phins!!!
Looks like Lovie Smith to Texans, maybe these last 2 hires will…nevermind, they’re never satisfied
Would Flo take the HC at Texas to rehab his image and get some cred back to go for another HC? or is he too toxic to ever work in the NFL again?
excuse me … I meant the DC job.
When is the press conference introducing Mike McDaniel as HC?
It is odd that nothing has appeared on the Dolphins website except a “5 Facts” fluff article by Travis the Shill Wingfield.
There are reports and pics of him, his wife and baby girl headed to Miami. But not sure when the presser will be.
He’s always a douche
Gee Armando, that was some really deep. LOL
This was an interesting tidbit. I wonder how much truth was to it.
“Flores is a leader, but sometimes he was, well, too much of an alpha. And that put off some people on his earlier staffs and on his roster.
The Dolphins didn’t know this when they hired him. They didn’t know he one time tried to fight a player during a film session when he was with the Patriots, and if they did know, they ignored that as a warning sign about his personality.”
Things soured with Flores and the team wanted to go in another direction. He’s not the only coach to be fired.
He was too much of an “alpha”….lol
Is Mando 12.
What a snarky little post.
Even if all he says is kinda true, the tone is so condescending. Armando must view himself as the yoda of football. Except that yoda would never use his understanding of life to void the humanity of everyone else. No one is perfect, Armando, not even your lordship.
Lol….he is always such a wet rag
Dennis Allen hired as Saints HC so Flores is out this year.
The Saints without Payton is going to be one of the most interesting stories I don’t care about in the NFL.
LOL
Anybody who has ever played sports knows no team is some monolithic bro fest. Some players on your team are competing for your job, and coaches need players to make them look good, while players need the coaches to pick them or play them, so there’s a tremendously complicated dynamic with very high stakes.
Plus, some people are just obnoxious, no matter if it’s a sports team or a sports blog. So fights happen. And they don’t always end in a happy Hallmark ending.
Grow up, Armando. You haven’t yet.
Jimmy G to Washington? or Pittsburgh? or NO? or TB? or Carolina. Lots of jobs out there this year.
Yeah and it won’t be Miami. From some of the stuff I’ve read about McDaniel he reportedly likes Tua and wants to work with him.
Well the team came out and said he is their QB this year, so anyone coming in would have to work with him
Yeah and he wouldn’t have taken the job if he didn’t have confidence in Tua.
So now that McDaniel is our HC we can expect our offense to resemble the 49ers.
1. OL will be more mobile but still physical.
2. Lots of run game in different ways and we’ll probably have a FB on our roster.
3. Quick passing game with more roll-outs, boots and play-action.
This offense really does fit Tua.
The top FB in FA is the Ravens Patrick Ricard at 6-3 311. They used him as a FB/H-back and extra OL. He didn’t rush much at all but he did have 29 catches and 5 TDs in his 5 year career. He also played some snaps on defense and on STs.
I didn’t realize he is 6’3”!
Yeah he’s a big physical dude. He was a DL in college and the Ravens used him as a DE and FB pretty much from the beginning. He’s one of those guys that can do a lot for your team.
God, that is a big FB. But we have Hunt and Wilkins, so we don’t need him.
I think a FB is a waste of a roster spot, but I’m sure many disagree.
Like I said to Brian above he’s one of those guys that can do a lot for your team. Look at him as a FB when we want to use one, an extra blocker as a TE or 6th man and he plays STs. He’s also played some DL so he’s a depth guy if other guys get banged up in a game. He could be like what Mack Hollins is for us, STs first and then on offense when we need him.
Cordarrelle = Deebo
One thing I see is everyone is trying to find our Deebo. Sometimes you just have a guy that has so much talent like Deebo Samuel that you just create different ways to get the ball into his hands. I think Waddle is that type of player but you won’t see him taking hand offs in the backfield. Maybe screens and quick hitters but no handoffs unless it’s like a jet sweep. I’m not sure Bowden is a guy that earns a lot of touches although I agree he’s the right body type and speed to do that. Albert Wilson would be too but we have to re-sign him. I’d prefer we draft a quality RB and re-sign Duke and we must draft another WR to take some coverage off of Waddle
I agree except that I think Waddle is too slender and too valuable as what he is best at to risk him in the Deebo role.
Yeah Deebo is a unique talent. I mean we could try to find a guy like him, but it’s probably not easy. I agree how we’ll use Waddle. All of it is still going to start up front. The OL will be the first order of business while looking to add skill players.
I’m excited for Tua. We’ll likely see more under center, some RPO because he’s good at it, and I think we know there will much more emphasis in the run game.
Bri- didn’t realize he was 6’3? You knew he was 311?????
Um, I didn’t know that either. I guess I just basically knew his name and that he is a battering ram.
“Iron Head” Heyward’s boy is in the Draft!
Mike, the chance of us signing Laken Tomlinson just went up. It would be good to add a vet on the OL who knows how the offense works. He’s got a nice body of work being durable and starting in most games over 7 seasons. 112 games played and 104 starts.
Yeah, agreed. We could really use him and another vet that will anchor the line. I still believe at least 3 of the guys we have can be starters. Hunt will definitely be starting and I also believe Jackson and Eichenberg will too. I can see Kindley as well if we bring in the right coach.
Yeah some of the young guys we have already will be in the mix mainly because they have to. You really can’t turn an OL over in one year. But like we’ve all been saying we need to add more of a vet presence and Jesse Davis can’t be a starter. I don’t mind him for his versatility and depth though. It’s not easy to find guys who can do that either.
So I see they hired the candidate that was least objectionable
hoorey
Why is that?
Naples – I meant that you want get Waddle lots of touches, but not like the Niners used Deebo. We’d get him killed using him like that. Need to get him out in space.
^
“Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans havi
hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr.
Flores’ goal in bringing his case is to provide rez
opportunities for Black and minority candidates
be considered for coaching and executive positi
within the NFL. However, we would be remiss n
to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three final
for the Texans’ head coach position and, after a
great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious
that the onlv reason Mr. Flores was not selected
was his decision to stand up against racial Inequality in the NFL”
That didn’t copy right, but you get the gist . Enough already . Good God.
It is obvious the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was because he’s an asshole.
TIFI !!!
Yeah okay that’s it, it has nothing to do with Flores taking on a risky proposition of blaming people for racism because he got fired when he was fucking hired as a 1st time HC with the Dolphins. His power play is failing and I see it continuing to do so. Unless he can prove the accusations against Ross he loses. The Giants and Broncos have already called him out for BS.
Correct, he made his bed now he needs to lie in it
I like Germain Ifedi at RT for us because he won’t be too expensive and he’s a former 1st round pick with with 85 games played and 83 starts in 6 years. He can also play RG.
He’s a big boy too! 6’5 344
How do you speed up the process for a rookie HC?
Bring in a coordinator with HC experience. Fangio
That’s a good point. I don’t have a problem if we keep Josh Boyer if he wants to stay, but Fangio would be a good vet if that doesn’t work out.
I think the new system may be better for Austin Jackson
We will see….can’t get any worse
Haha! No shit
Sign a couple of vet OL and target Tyler Linderbaum in the draft even with a trade up. He’s the type of mobile C we need in this offense. We can go WR in the 2nd round, it’s a pretty deep class.
Tim
From what I read about Ifedi, he’s coming off a knee injury
If we sing him, do we sign another OT to play on the left side or do you let guys on the roster now compete for that spot
He did have a knee injury missed some time but came back in December.
In this scenario with adding LG Tomlinson and RT Ifedi you then have Jackson and Eichenberg compete at LT and Hunt and Kindley compete at RG. Then Linderbaum at C and Deiter as the backup. Not saying any of this will happen just playing roster GM. LOL
IN TERMS of entertainment value, the current Olympics broadcast effort has to be THE WORST ONE I’VE SEEN THIS CENTURY!! – – To wit; I was having a bit of a hard time falling asleep last night. There were NO Ronald Reagan movies on the channels I searched, so, as a last resort, I turned on the Olympics broadcast. BINGO!!! – – Within 5 minutes, I was no longer able to keep my eyes open!!
——————-
SLEPT a solid 8 hours and woke up refreshed!
——————-
Y’all have a GREAT TUESDAY!!
AND, remember. WE ARE ONE DAY CLOSER to ridding ourselves of Steve Ross!!
Of course the lawsuit was a factor in considering Flores for the Texans HC job, duh, but that statement sure makes it sound like he was entitled to the Texans HC position. Looks like his lawyers communicate publicly just as poorly as he does.
It’s unfortunate but he’s put himself in a bad situation. He’s become sort of a pariah. Maybe he gets a DC or other assistant job, but as of now he pushed himself out of the league. Maybe he goes to college like other coaches have done and then reinvent themselves. It’s sad actually. I thought we had our HC to keep building and competing.
Welcome to the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel!
If you were to give a grade to our OL what would it be? I’d say as a group C- at best. Even if you think I’m being generous, that’s not good enough.
Do we want to go into the 2022 season betting on the current group? I wouldn’t. We need vet upgrades and to push the young guys to compete for jobs, not just settle because of their draft status. Not all draft picks pan out. You can grumble about that but talent on the field is more important than paper tigers. We can’t win hoping these young OL will get better.
I’d give it an F. They were the worst in the NFL, so they have to get the worst possible grade!
The worst isn’t always an F. But being at the bottom still sucks! LOL
Stop ruining the curve Tim!
Great comments on the Flores power play Tim. Spot on.
Ever mind that Lovie Smith’s record is 89-87.
Never mind…effin’ spellcheck
He’s a good coach and I thought he was long gone because I didn’t recognize him with the long gray beard as DC with the Texans. He will give them some stability at HC as they try to rebuild their football team.
I’m pretty excited about the McDaniel hire. I was hoping for a proven successful coach rather than another 1st timer, but I like everything I’ve read about this guy. I have the same stupid hope I have every time we reset that this time we’ll do it right. It’s nice to know this isn’t a fully reboot; we have some strong pieces in place, so hopefully we can have a decent 1st season of the new regime.
It’ll be Tua’s 3rd new system in his 3rd year, reminds me of Alex Smith and how he had a new system every year for his first 5 years (if memory serves).
YUP! Pretty much sums up how I feel as well, below.
I’m feeling the same as you.
The thing I’m excited about with Tua is he’ll be another year removed from the hip injury rehab season. The broken ribs was a nasty sack and I thought a defensive player can’t plow the QB into the ground like that but it happened. Then he fractured his finger. So I get the questions about him holding up.
But he rebounded starting many games down the stretch and finishing the season. He’s entering his 3rd season and will be the old age of 24 in 2022. LOL
2022 is a big year for him and I think McDaniel will help him grow as a QB.
Honestly, I think I’m liking what I’m seeing so far with all the REAL news surrounding McDaniel. One thing I don’t like? Seems Gesicki might not get re-signed: McDaniel loves a blocking TE (first) who can catch (second). We’ll see what happens… I really want to retain Gesicki.
Only other thing I don’t like? We’re far behind in hiring some of the better coordinators/positional coaches for McDaniel. The timing always sucks for us, as we (under Ross) are late birds (as opposed to early birds) to get a firm/qualified staff together.
I’m hearing it’s a 4-year deal for McDaniel, unlike the 5-year deal for Flores.
What I really like? If it ALL comes together, we could quickly return to the playoffs with some minor tweeks and FA pickups (most $$$ under the cap in the NFL).
I hope Josh Boyer learned some things from Flores on the Defensive side of the ball. If not, I’m with many of y’all in picking up Fangio to be our DC.
That literally looks like my 3rd grade yearbook pic
We’re the gift that keeps on giving to the 49ers. By us Phins hiring Mike McDaniel, they automatically get awarded two 3rd round picks.
Shouldn’t WE get awarded two 3rd round picks for hiring/promoting a minority as our HC?
Roger Goodell is fucked up, just like our batshit crazy owner.
I’m getting tired of everything in the US being all about race. The radical left is hijacking our country in an attempt to destroy capitalism… which is what made us great to begin with.
Started the Prime show Reacher; so far it’s pretty good. The guy playing Reacher certainly has a different physical presence than little Tom Cruise did, lol.
I think lost in the shuffle is this fact: Brian Daboll probably knew the tendencies of Tua like the back of his hand. Now that he’s the HC of G-Men, the Bills have lost a guy in Daboll who helped to minimize Tua’s effectiveness against them.
I think/hope we’re going to start beating Buffalo again!
Kong – We’re up to episode 7 of Reacher. Really like it. Does Reacher remind you of Tim Warburton at all? He keeps coming to mind, every episode.
Aha! That’s who it is!! I’ve been sitting here thinking he reminds me of someone (assuming you mean Patrick Warburton).
Yes, Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld).
Now for a break from coaching news
😆
I’ve always enjoyed these Robot Chicken takes on Star Wars!
I would love to see McDaniel use Austin Jackson in an eligible position and send him in motion on run plays like how SF was using their OL in the run game. I think Jackson’s inherit athleticism could be effective in that role.
Poor Brian Flores didn’t get the Texans job because he filed a lawsuit. Not going to lie it probably didn’t help his cause but he should thought of that first before he decided to burn bridges with gasoline
The kid who’s playing Reacher also played Hawk in the Teen Titans series. Good series…and not for kids….if you haven’t watched it. Big dude, and he got bigger for Reacher. I finished the series and thought it was good. He’s not a fantastic actor, but the show was fun.
There are some interesting FA OL choices this year. Jensen, Scherff, Tomlinson, Brown and some others. I wonder if a guy like Brown would be a good signing because he can still give you solid play at his age, and he could be a veteran mentor to Jackson and others on the line, which I think we really need. I think we have talent on the OL, but they had nobody coaching them and nobody leading them.
^
If we can sign Munchak as OL coach, I think we’ll see an immediate improvement in the OL. He’d be a good fit for all these young, undeveloped guys. I’d really be happy if we could hire him.
I’m excited by the potential of the hire, but not necessarily the performance of the Fins if that makes sense. I noticed a lot of posters got a bit giddy about our prospects last year, post-draft. Understandable, after what direction Flores seemed to be leading us, but like a lot of false dawns in S. Florida, it was all fools gold. My mantra for the last decade has been a combination of Wanny (don’t take the cheese) and fat-boy Parcells (you are what your record says you are …… not what your record says you were last season). The good thing about the NFL is that you can turn your record round very quickly and success isn’t an impossible dream (though it seems that way as a finfan).
I’m optimistic about Tua being better again this season. I’ve read a lot about the torque he gets from his core now compared to pre-hip injury to aid this deep balls and zip – only time will tell if he gets back to as good as new or if there’s a glass ceiling in place, but I do think he has enough to get us to the promised land if used properly. I also think McDaniel may be the one to do so. He seems to be a coach (like BB) who gets the best out of players by scheming around them rather than a “here’s my scheme, let’s start knocking square pegs into round holes” approach taken by some coaches.
Enjoyed mulling over this thread below and the stats it threw up. Some good stuff in it (some of which has already been discussed on here before). I’m not the RPO’s biggest fan as our line doesn’t seem to have the aptitude mentally, physically or both to run it without a shower of flags. I hope we see less of it. I’m also not a fan of the WR screen game as we’ve been so bad at it since forever, but it seems we may be seeing more of it, alongside the outside zone run. Both require our WRs and TEs to block effectively. Hmmmmm. Over to you coach – you listening Gesicki?
https://twitter.com/PFF_RyanSmith/status/1490759932668432385
Ryan Smith
@PFF_RyanSmith
·
17h
Here’s a stat that may surprise you:
#Dolphins led the NFL in play-action percentage (35.4%)
#49ers were 15th (26.9%), while the league average was 26.2%
________
Yes, this does surprise me.
We probably “fake ran” more than we actually ran. lol
Nothing gets me more than playaction on 3rd and long, because the D doesn’t buy it and all it does is allows the pass rush to get to QB
We ran PA way too much without it having much positive effect
Only really works if you’ve been successful running the ball, so this stat to me means we had clueless cocos (nuts) running the O
BTW – That quote from Brian Flores’ lawyer is such a big slap in the face to Lovie Smith. If I were Lovie I’d be pissed at that statement. He basically dismissed Lovie completely as being a qualified candidate. Fuck him! His douchebaggery continues!
Yeah, there was no reason to add the other stuff. Just congratulate the guy and move on, or say nothing at all.
Another confusing thing is why are his lawyers speaking for him? Why doesn’t he come out and tell Lovie Smith himself, “Congratulations, happy you, black man, got the job, but you know the only reason you got it and I didn’t is because of my lawsuit”.
It’s a brilliant move of catch 22. Make sure you’re unhireable via lawsuit, then complain that you’re not hired because of the lawsuit.
What it means to me is they really don’t care about what they say they’re suing for
Wonder where they learned that🤔
Not a stretch to think the lawyers are in it for money/fame
https://ninernoise.com/2022/02/06/49ers-roster-follow-mike-mcdaniel-dolphins/5/
Reading this thinking backup TE meh, 33 yr old Sanu whatever, 30 yr old oft injured Mostert (aren’t we trying to move on from Parker), expensive Laken, if #1 is Garo Polo I’m done reading this
Ryan Smith
@PFF_RyanSmith
·
19h
The data proves you don’t have to be a great running offense to be successful with play-action
Tua’s passing in 2021:
PA – 80.3 grade, 106.5 passer rating
No PA – 55.1 grade, 77.4 passer rating
What it proves is you can take practically any stat and find someone you wouldn’t expect to excel in that stat and excel
Tua may be very good using PA, it’s just not proven this way
You said we ran PA way too much without it having a positive effect and I showed you where it did.
Who would you guys like to see at OC? Go with someone young? I was thinking possibly Kubiak, but he just announced retirement. I’m not sure I want to go that direction. We haven’t done well with pulling OC’s out of retirement or close to it. I mean, Henning gave us the wildcat to be successful for one regular season, but that was it.
Finding coordinators is outside my pay grade, just hope we get someone with experience or someone that is familiar with McD’s style like his asst OC in SF
Don’t know who his asst was, just guessing he might be a good candidate
I hear Bienemy is looking
He only gets mentioned, because the media likes to stir shit up
Don’t like those that ride the coattails of great players as the reason they’re good at their job
We saw Gase get notoriety this way, we’ve seen many college system QBs do this too
Latest QB drama is apparently Kyler Murray wants out of Arizona
Someone told him he’s the greatest to ever play the game, and it went to his head, but reality is he struggles with some of the same height issues Tua does
LMAO
Lol, think Houston just became part of the lawsuit
Houston, you have a problem
LMFAO
What would Flores’ response have been, if the Texans had hired an internal white HC, instead of DC Lovie Smith?