Some deep thinking here, not quite Jack Handy, but deep nonetheless. One common thread, no matter how thick or thin, is that we all root for the Miami Dolphins football team. How we go about doing this though, varies greatly, even here on FMU, where the demographic is mostly middle aged to older than middle aged men, with exception of our wonderful Lisa, AKA Herd. We do, however, span the country, and reach beyond the borders of the contiguous United States, as far as Canada, Manitoba to be more specific, and the UK as well. We do have some silent readers in other places that don’t comment on the blogs, but thank you for reading. What’s really surprising to me is the differences we have as to how exactly we root for the team, what our expectations are for the team, and I find these differences are all over the place, and I think there’s a pretty wide chasm in the approach of our fandom.
I’m not going to make up specific categories for fans, because I think many of us dip into too many categories to just be classified as one particular type of fan. I’ll try to make it as simple as possible, this is not a scientific observation, it’s just my humble opinion on what I see here, and then also what I observe on the social media platform “X”, AKA “twitter”. I think the extremes are even further apart on “X”, probably as much of a difference between political affiliations like far left socialist progressives compared to far right conservative nationalists. It fascinates me, it truly does. I’ll say this, as a former New Yorker who grew up in a family of NY Jets fans, my dad, a fierce NY Jets fan never gave me any crud and allowed me to be a Miami Dolphins fan despite his loyal affiliation to the NY Jets. I thank him for that, and I will never forget when we were in Florida in 1983, in the 2nd week of January, when the New England Patriots were visiting the Miami Dolphins for a Wild Card matchup at the old Orange Bowl. We were in FLA on business, and my dad asked me if I would want to go the playoff game. My then 20 year old self was so excited, and so appreciative that I answered YES faster than a Jet plane. This game was the famed “No Snowplow” game, the revenge matchup for the December 12th, 1982 game in Foxborough where snowplow operator Mark Henderson illegally cleared the field for Patriots placekicker John Smith with his snowplow, and due to the now clear playing field, Smith connected on a 33 yard FG attempt to provide the lone score of the game. So this game on January 8th had many Dolphins fans carrying signs with a picture of a snowplow inside a red circle and crossed out with a big red slash insinuating snowplows would not be allowed. The Dolphins won that game, it was my first ever Dolphins game, and I’ll never forget how the bleachers shook at the Orange Bowl, it seemed as if the stadium might collapse. It’s a wonderful, cherished memory.
Fast forward to 2024, and I’ll say this as kindly as a I can. I used to rely on Dolphins Digest, and the couple of televised Miami Dolphins games against either the NY Jets, or the NY Giants, and of course the Monday Night Football matchups, which by the way, were glorious. They really were. Thanks to the NFL by over saturating the week with Thursday Night Football, the usual slate of Sunday games, and then of course Sunday Night Football too. I’m sure I’m not alone in being a fan that was practically salivating, waiting to see a marquis matchup on Monday Night Football with our Miami Dolphins. There was nothing like it, it was like a playoff game at any time during the season, the music, the graphics, the lead in, the excitement. Anyway, my point is, not only is the NFL over saturated, but information is as well. I paid extra to get my Dolphins Digest mailed “faster”, and the damn thing still arrived after the game had already been played to read the “preview”. Listen, it’s amazing to have information at your fingertips and a few keystrokes away, but do the positives outweigh the negatives of having access to all this information? I’m not so sure, it was much simpler then, we didn’t have a care about what athletes got paid, or even have access to that information. It really was easier back then, you simply appreciated any scrap of Dolphins info you could get, including the limited amount of televised games due to not living in Florida.
So back to “X”, where the Dolphins fanbase is truly all over the place, like I said, extremes. The fiercely loyal fans bristle at any negative talk and it amuses me as they gang up with tons of “likes” to scolding replies I get back. Again, I now have information at my fingertips, and perhaps unlike the fiercely loyal fans, I choose to read it. I also watch every game, every – single – Dolphins – game, and I SEE what is happening. I see our weaknesses, and our strengths too, and I’m not afraid to talk about either of them. The fiercely loyal toe the company line to an absurd end, I find talking to that lot a complete and utter waste of time, yet sometimes the worst of me prods me to engage. Now, there exists the other extreme, where practically nothing the Dolphins do is good. The GM is a buffoon, the HC is a twinkie, the QB sucks, and no one on the team can stay healthy (last year they were right!). I cannot be what the fiercely loyal would call a “Tua supporter”. I root for him when he plays, I think he’s a great kid, a nice caring, affable young man. As a QB, however, I see his flaws more than the fiercely loyal would ever care to admit, if they can actually see them. I bring up Tua, the most polarizing player on the team for a good reason, as the Dolphins and Tua’s agent try to nail down a contract extension. Let me be up front and clear. I want Tua to get paid the least amount of money as possible with the least amount of guaranteed money and an OUT clause that allows us to escape the contract if either Tua gets injured or doesn’t play well in those big games like the Finale of 2024 in our house, against the visiting Buffalo Bills, who overcame a 3 game deficit with 5 remaining and beat us down in front of our home crowd.
Like I pointed out earlier, information isn’t always a great thing. In addition to being able to stroke a few keys to get info, apps like Audacy and Tune In allow you listen to just about anyone and anything, which again gives you more “information” and a whole host of different opinions. None of this existed when I was a young man. It complicates things, trust me, it just does. The more you hear, the less you like. We didn’t have access to stuff like this and just made being a fan easier. Think back to those times, and you’ll realize what I mean. My problem is I admittedly listen to too much. One thing though, I do give myself credit for, is being a discerning listener. I’ve gotten much better at dissecting dialogue and and realizing that all is not as it seems. One example is Mike Florio, from Pro Football Talk. He is a regular guest, every Friday morning on WQAM in Miami. If you don’t know, Joe Rose, former Miami Dolphins TE is the host. Florio is widely regarded as the “boogeyman” by Dolphins fans. Just an out and out “Dolphins Hater”. I’m here to tell you he’s not. Unfortunately, our Miami Dolphins have so many negative things to discuss, from losing draft picks due to our owner tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton, way back to “Bullygate”, to HC Brian Flores making racial accusations against the Dolphins. We’re in the news cycle a lot, and it’s not usually pretty. Add in it’s been 24 years since the Miami Dolphins have won a playoff game, and we somehow expect as Dolphins fans to be mutually respected and revered by talk show hosts, NFL reporters, journalists and the like. Well respected, very knowledgeable NFL man Jeff Darlington, opines on our beloved QB Tua Tagovailoa, stating he feels like the Dolphins aren’t offering Tua a “Market value” contract. He gets LIT UP by the fiercely loyal, the blowback is comical to me. He covered the Dolphins while at the Miami Herald, lives in Fort Lauderdale, and covers the NFL now for ESPN. Do they add Jeff Darlington to the stack of “Dolphins haters”?
I don’t think Jeff Darlington hates the Dolphins. This will get folks mad, I don’t think Mike Florio hates the Dolphins either. I think it’s time for the Dolphins organization to be better, from the front office to the coaching staff and the players. Be consistent, be winners, and “Voila!”, respect and admiration will come with that. How many late season collapses have we had to endure here? I still have PTSD from going to NYC Dolphins bar Slattery’s, home of NYC Dolfans, watching a couple of late season games with playoff implications, only to leave there inebriated, disappointed, and crushed as a Dolphins fan. The first one was 2013, when the Dolphins traveled to Buffalo with an 8-6 record and having a favorable matchup with starting QB EJ Manuel OUT with an injury so we faced QB Thaddeus Lewis instead. Great, right? Well, as it turns out, the Dolphins, as Darius Rucker correctly pointed out, find ways to make Dolphins fans cry. Ryan Tannehill started and was mauled, sacked 7 times, in the FIRST HALF! Matt Moore came in the 2nd half for an injured Ryan Tannehill, and though some folks preferred Matt Moore to Ryan Tannehill, it wasn’t to be on that day. He threw a quick Pick 6 and the Dolphins lost 19-0.
My next venture to Slattery’s, and BTW, I do not hold them responsible for my misery, it’s not on them. It’s the Dolphins, always the Dolphins. The Dolphins were 7-4 in 2015 as I made my way to Slattery’s from NJ. They were facing off against the Baltimore Ravens December 4th. There’s nothing like a game against the Ravens as a Dolphins fan to bitchslap you back to reality! The Ravens crushed our Dolphins 38-6, and once again, another late season collapse as we finished outside the playoffs at 8-8. There are many more examples of such things, I don’t want to bore you with them, but I’m literally afraid to go back to Slatterys. I know what awaits me there. Failure, misery, disappointment. Once again, it’s not Slatterys, it’s our f*cking Dolphins!
So, back to QB Tua Tagovailoa, and his contract situation. Those of you whom are regular readers here know my feelings on Tua. I don’t believe Tua elevates the team when the team needs it. Excuses rain down in his defense with injuries, weather, all kinds of things, but when you’re looking to pay a player a massive contract, that stuff really matters. Which, is precisely why the contract that was rumored to be done shortly after training camp hasn’t yet materialized. I think Tua is a great teammate, I think he works as hard at his craft or harder than any QB in the league. Some players are clutch, they rise to the occasion when called upon. For MLB fans, players like Paul O’Neill, Scott Brosius come to mind. O’Neill was a gifted player, Scott Brosius not as much, but both played their best baseball when it counted, the playoffs, big games. QB Tua Tagovailoa is neither of these guys. He has come up small in those games, but that doesn’t mean he can never be that guy. Here’s the split. The fiercely loyal believe he will be, God bless them. I’m going to be 61 later this summer, and I consider myself a realist. Don’t come at with the Baltimore game in September when the entire Ravens secondary was out and we won 38-35. I loved that game, it was fantastic, it really was, but context is so important. The Ravens entire secondary was out, and again, it was in September, so no playoff implications at that juncture of the season, there was a whole season left.
Before you jump on me for stating the whole Ravens secondary was OUT, you’re the same person that will say Tyreek was hurting (He still played), The O-line was injured (It was basically the same O-line the 2nd half of the season), Jaylen Waddle was hobbled etc etc. OK, but there’s one constant, and that is QB Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t play well in those games. Go check it out for yourselves, the stats and play by play are readily available. Tua as of last week said the “The market is the market”. This after Trevor Lawrence signed a team friendly, $275M, 5 year contract. Massive, right? Wrong! The first 4 years of the contract, 2024-2027 pay Lawrence an average of $22.75M. His final year has a $47M cap hit, but only a $7M dead cap hit, which means if the Jags want to terminate the contract at that juncture, they can do so easily with minimal penalty. If Tua Tagovailoa wants that contract, by all means, sign THAT market contract, because after all, “the market is the market.”
In summation, don’t blame Mike Florio, Chris Simms, Jeff Darlington, or any other NFL affiliated talking head who says derogatory things about the Dolphins. Don’t blame them, blame the Dolphins. You want respect? Earn it! Don’t make it seem like you’re one of the top NFL teams because your QB led the league in passing yards, and you were 9-8 and then 11-6. 9-8 because the QB was hurt, and concussed multiple times during the season and couldn’t finish the season. 11-6 in 2023, SECOND PLACE IN THE AFC EAST, after having a 3 game lead with 5 games to go. Healthy, in 2023, but couldn’t finish the season. Oh, he played alright, but couldn’t F-I-N-I-S-H !!! Yes, finish strong, and win! Once again, don’t blame the defensive injuries, it’s embarrassing. Don’t blame the O-line, don’t blame nagging injuries to Hill or Waddle either. Blame the Dolphins for choking at the end of the season as per usghe. Why is it anyone who follows this team for the NFL should respect this team, or believe that they should be ranked near the top? I see this on X from the fiercely loyal and I laugh inside as I throw up in my mouth. They see what I see, what YOU should see but either choose not to, or just can’t process it properly because your emotions won’t allow you. It’s time for the Dolphins to step up and EARN that respect, win the damn division, win some playoff games and then who knows, we might all get what we want, happiness, and RESPECT.
Finsmob Unleashed 
I can tell ya’ll that our short-sits don’t rank anywhere close to the “Brotherly Shove” (or ‘tush-push’) of the Eagles.
The problem isn’t the conversion percent on 3rd and 1, it’s the number of times we ran it
Would like to know the number of times we had 3rd and 1
50% conversion on 3rd or 4th and 1 is good? Wtf…lol
The percent is skewed, because of the limited number of runs
Not sure what you mean by the percent is skewed. The percent of 3rd and 4th and 1s is exactly 50%. That’s not a skew, that’s a mathematical fact…lol.
If you’re trying to say they mostly passed in those situations, I agree. That’s not a skew. That’s the fucking problem….lol. You should be able to convert on 3rd or 4th and 1 by RUNNING the fucking ball and converting 80-90% of those runs. No Xkews!
Anything new in Dolphins land? I took some time away from social media.
Nothing new. Want to talk politics? 😉
Nope! We’re all in a very fucked place in this country.
Not enough people know what liberty means and it disturbs me. It’s not just about Biden and Trump. It’s so much deeper than that.
There are people who are seeking absolute personal freedom while supporting people who will murder them for being who they are. WTF is going on?
SEEMS terrible to me, too, Krishna.
On another topic, I just finished watching Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s special report on CNN titled “The Last Alziehmer’s (SP?) Patient. I was shocked to learn that meaningful progress has been made in the treatment of this horrid condition. Those of us in the later stages of our lives who come down with this disorder now have a reasonable chance at returning to a more normal fate in our final years!
Has anyone seen any public appearances by Steve Ross in the last year or so? –A local outlet reported that he has cut back on public appearances and now lives a more reclusive life style. While I strongly disagree with the direction he has taken this franchise, I absolutely would NOT wish any mental shortcomings on him or his family. As of tomorrow morning I will be walking my dog further and eating more fruits for breakfast. It’s never too late to upgrade a healthy lifestyle.
I think he’s been told to stay out of it. You lost 1st and 3rd round picks due to your ignorance. Just make the team experience good for the players.
Short and sweet 😆
We had order.
Old man Ross got an idea.
There goes our 1st and 3rd round picks.
This image obviously comes from the “Lost Book of Nostradamus”, and he was NOT depicting our Phins!!! 😉
JEFF DARLINGTON WITH UPDATE ON TUA AND TYREEK CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
Posted by Mike Oliva | Jul 8, 2024 | Dolphins News | 0
Jeff Darlington joins SportsCenter to report on the Miami Dolphins in talks with QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill on new contract extensions ahead of training camp.
I don’t disagree with this, at all….
___________________________
IF MIAMI’S OFFENSIVE LINE FAILS IN 2024 REMEMBER THIS WAS A CHOICE BY GRIER/MCDANIEL
Posted by Mike Oliva | Jul 8, 2024 | 2024 Season, Dolphins News, Offseason | 0
As we get closer and closer to training camp and the start of the 2024 NFL season, you look at Miami’s roster and the position groups and see what areas are strengths and weaknesses.
I wouldn’t say Miami has too many position groups that are weaknesses, but there are a couple, and one that stands out as a sore thumb is the offensive line.
That isn’t to say the offensive line will be “bad” in 2024, just that heading into the season, it is a big question mark, which I think any objective observer of the team would willingly admit.
While Miami had the #1 offense in the NFL last year, with many of the same players on the offensive line back in 2024, this offensive line struggled in crucial spots, was 31st ranked in pass block win rate, and had numerous lineups due to many injuries.
This offense performed despite the offensive line, not because of it.
This past offseason, the Dolphins front office, including general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel, among others, had a choice: Revamp the unit and upgrade some key spots, or stick with the status quo mostly and run it back with the same group.
They made a choice to bring back Isiah Wynn, not replace Robert Hunt, and stick with the tandem of Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm at left tackle.
And because they made those choices, IF (again IF) the offensive line fails in 2024 and holds this team back, it cannot be used as an “excuse”.
The Dolphins didn’t want to pay Robert Hunt $100 million, I get that. But they could have spent some money to find a suitable replacement.
The Dolphins wanted to move on from Connor Williams, and Aaron Brewer is a “nice” player, but they could have spent a little more to get a better center than Brewer.
The Dolphins didn’t have to stick with Armstead/Lamm at left tackle and could have come up with a better solution for left tackle. They decided not to though.
That is the point: when you make a choice, you can’t then point to it as an excuse if things don’t work out.
Armstead and Wynn have a long injury history; if/when they go down again this year, you can’t act surprised and say, “Didn’t see that coming.”
An excuse is when guys like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips go down to injury, nobody saw it coming, and there is no real injury history with either player. That’s just bad luck, and yeah, it can be an excuse IF the team loses because they aren’t on the field.
With this offensive line, Grier, McDaniel, and the others making the decisions know the history of the players, and they decided this group is “good enough” to win with. So, if it is the reason it isn’t, that isn’t an excuse.
It’s also why we didn’t try to run on 3rd or 4th and 1, because our win rate was only 50%…lol
4th down conversion rate by distance
For the most part, as teams get farther from the first-down marker, it becomes more difficult for them to convert. There are a few exceptions in the data going back to 2013, largely due to smaller sample sizes where a longer distance has a higher success rate. However, there is a clear point at which it becomes significantly more difficult to convert.
Based on data going back to 2013, teams have had a success rate of 39.4 percent going for it on fourth-and-8. If teams wanted to try for it on fourth-and-9, that success rate dips a whopping 9.8 percent down to 29.6 percent.
There are still gaps near the top. It is more than 8 percent more difficult to convert on fourth-and-2 than it is to convert on fourth-and-1, and it is another 9.8 percent gap between fourth-and-3 and fourth-and-2. But at a certain point, successful conversions happen fewer than 25 percent of the time.
Distance (Yards)Conv-Att (Percent)
1 1,500-2,291 (65.5%)
2 429-750 (57.2%)
3 231-487 (47.4%)
4 196-422 (46.4%)
5 158-358 (44.1%)
6 121-281 (43.1%)
7 83-193 (43%)
8 54-137 (39.4%)
9 37-125 (29.6%)
10 93-335 (27.8%)
11 24-88 (27.3%)
12 20-64 (31.2%)
13 12-54 (22.2%)
14 12-57 (21.1%)
15 14-64 (21.9%)
15+ 32-230 (13.9%)
I really can’t say what we did in FA on the OL is good but we also drafted Paul in the 2nd round. There are some new bodies competing. We’ll see what the best 5 are.
14 days to TC
UHG! First day back after 12 days off and I am wiped out already and I just got back from lunch. LOL This work stuff sucks!
lol, it does
I wonder what the status on Phillips and Chubb is right now?
I heard Chubb is only back to very light jogging. I have a feeling, at the least, Chubb will start season on IR with designation to return.
My guess is they both start the season on PUP
Is that 8 games?
The player has to remain on the reserve/PUP list for at least the first four regular season games. Once a player leaves the reserve/PUP list, he has up to 21 days to return to the 53-man roster. He can practice with the team until he’s taken off the list.
This would mean the beginning of October to start practicing. Not sure if is ready by then.
They can be on pup a maximum of 6 weeks then have to go to IR if not ready.
Well, Phillips popped his Achilles in late November and got the traditional surgery (not the new one Aaron Rogers got), so the “typical” recovery is 9 months to a year or more to full strength. Chubb tore his ACL Dec 31st and that recovery is also 9 to 12 months.
so for both we are looking at BEST CASE Scenario August / September before they can START getting their atrophied muscles back into NFL athlete shape, but more likely October / November. If they don’t have any set backs.
Does anyone know what the new one that Rodgers got is? Seems strange that a player would not get the best available option?
Is there a body of work that proves the results are better? He hasn’t played yet and he got hurt on the 4th play of the season.
Rock could be right about PUP. The 6 weeks on PUP followed by 21 days to go on active 53 roster. That would put him or both in line to come back last weekend of October, 3 1/2 months from now.
That’s the Fest game!
The IR rules have changed so much I’m not sure what they are anymore. I don’t feel like looking it up. 🤣
I believe you can stay on IR with the designation to return as long as you need to and has the same return policy as PUP, 21 days to practice then they have to be added to the 53.
Also, to go on IR with the designation to return, a player has to be on the initial 53 then moved to that designation. If they are put on IR before the final cut down to 53, they are gone and IR for the season.
The quickest players to return from Achilles surgery:
RB Cam Akers in 2021, 25 weeks (5.75 months)
WR Michael Crabtree in 2013, 28 weeks (6.44 months)
RB James Robinson in 2021, 37 weeks (8.51 months)
WR Sterling Sheppard in 2021, 38 weeks (8.74 months)
At the start of TC Phillips will be 34 weeks (November 29, 2023 – July 24, 2024) post surgery.
At the start of the season Phillips will be 40 weeks 4 days (November 29, 2023 – September 8, 2024) post surgery.
For the fest game, Phillips will be 47 weeks 4 days (November 29, 2023 – October 27, 2024) post surgery.
The 40 week mark at the start of the season is 9.20 months into recovery from surgery.
Tim Knight
says:
July 9, 2024 at 4:12 pm
Is there a body of work that proves the results are better? He hasn’t played yet and he got hurt on the 4th play of the season.
—————————
I have no clue. I remember him limping badly in one of the Jets OTA’s and had to be attended to by the trainers. Haven’t heard anything on it since though.
The team did a good job adding Barrett, Chop and Kamara. That was an obvious sign we’re not giving up on the season. Phillips and Chubb for the 2nd half of the season could be huge! They’ll both want to get going and prove themselves. Depth is good 🙂
YUP! See below…
I think it’s rather telling that we drafted both Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara in April… not to mention we added Shaq Barrett via FA.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
I like Rich Eisen
https://phinphanatic.com/posts/rich-eisen-dolphins-take-will-anger-bills-fans-were-thrilled-about-that-01j2cfbx7jrt
I don’t know how “telling” anything about a 9 to 12 month injury is. I mean, they knew last year the day after it happened that those two guys weren’t going to be ready for the beginning of this year
Look at BB Mike’s 4:28 PM post above. There IS a chance one or both could be healthy by game 1 of the regular season. But instead of leaving it to chance (or “telling”), we doubled-down.
I’m good with that.
This will piss a lot of you off…
https://x.com/BehizyTweets/status/1810807061858451704
BREAKING: Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be a front-row attendant at Trump’s Miami rally This rally already has some of the biggest names attending. Democrats should just forfeit the election at this point
fake news. Photo-shopped
WTF, this is wrong video.
Copied ad instead.lol
LMAO
The only snap Belicheat is likely to hear from now on is the elastic from underwear and the straps on the nearest defibrillator!
Page Six on X: “Jordon Hudson, 23, helped boyfriend Bill Belichick, 72, realize ‘there is more in life than just football:’ report https://t.co/lmuz2QUqDJ https://t.co/XQr2CC2fDL” / X
That inane grin says it all. He’s toast. I’ll take the under on 5 years
I am sure that 24 year old is DEEPLY in love with Bill…..FFS what is wrong with people?
👍
We’re definitely in the mix as one of the better teams.
Fuck You Tua, this is the Big O Show
I agree with everything he said.
Not sure why you said fuck you Tua though. His agent is trying to get him the best deal possible. It’s business.
Agreed with Tim. Why would ya say “Fuck Tua”, Steve?
The NFL is a business, as we all should know by now. And with that stated, I think Big O hit the nail on the head: it doesn’t matter. We’re going to get a hungry Tua, regardless.
That’s called WINNING!
Because Tua is being a punk, if you don’t want fans bashing you, keep your piehole shut
The market is what the market is
Is it written somewhere, that you pay the position and not the player, and the next one has to make more per year?
I don’t believe those other QBs are 1 concussion away from ending their careers, nor have they ever been
Tindall is now on his 3rd DC in 3 seasons in Miami. One could also say he’s on his 4th DC in 4 seasons dating back to his last year in college.
I feel bad for these cats who are stuck in these situations.
I should add, it would NOT surprise me to see Tindall breakout this season.
Nor would it surprise, if he’s cut
His slow learning curve trumps his athleticism
This is a big TC for him. Take in the coaching and lean on the vets for pointers, there are 3 of them as off ball LBs.
I came across an article or tweet the other day that said Zieler will be a great fit in the schemes Weaver likes to run including the twist-stunt.
Would that be Zie Zieler🤪
I don’t have much hope in Tindall breaking out. He is slow to react. What he lacks I don’t think is coachable, instincts.
Would be nice, if he did, but I agree
He didn’t bite as a pup or a teenager
At GA he was easily fooled
yes, and the talk coming out was he also didn’t grasp the playbook well at all
I don’t think anyone is counting on Tindall, at this point anything he does is a bonus
If he’s on the field with the game on the line we’d be in a shaky situation
I’d be stunned if he receives any meaningful playing time.
Might be interesting for those who get into the schemes. Haven’t read it yet though.
https://sumersports.com/the-zone/shanahan-schemes/
I read that earlier today. It’s a little verbose, but a really informative read for sure .
I will check it out.
Tindall breaking out is gravy. He’s not being counted on as a key player at this time. However I do think Cam Smith is expected to perform.
If we lose ILB David Long in FA next year, ILB Harold Perkins would be my pick in the 1st round. He will be one to watch on LSU this season.
I think 15 snaps per game for Campbell was probably light on my part. It will probably be in 20+ range. Depending on the score and the game will determine that. He is a savvy vet but 37 years old.
4-3 and 3-4 doesn’t really matter anymore because of so much nickel. But I think we see these guys on the field a lot:
Sieler, Campbell, Long, Brooks, Chop, Barrett, Ramsey, Holland, Fuller, Poyer and Kohou. Then add Phillips and Chubb to the mix down the line.
We’ll see who else steps up. Weaver is looking for a bully defense, not finesse. The rest of the DL will define that.
My sleeper is Mo Kamara. I see James Harrison in him. Others have compared him to Elvis Dumervil. I’ll take anything close to that. 🙂
If we can get away with only playing Campbell 15 snaps a game early in the season I’m all for it
People don’t realize negative plays, those that went in your direction and you made no impact, hurt almost as much as an impact play helps, depending on situation
Play 1 you made a tackle for a 1 yard gain, play 2 you whiffed on the tackle 5 yard gain, play 3 (3rd down) you missed the tackle and runner gained 5 or you were doubled and held your ground on 2 yard gain
Which of these interior DL do you think join Sieler and Campbell? I’d say 3 or 4.
Jones, Tart, Gallimore, Hand, Pili, Mack, Harris, Kendrick or Payne.
Jones, Tart, Gallimore and hopefully Kendrick, but he’s likely going on the PS, so likely Harris
Interesting take, I agree with some of it, but having your QB hurt one year and everyone else the next isn’t what every other team deals with
https://twsn.net/2024/07/the-miami-dolphins-will-never-win-a-super-bowl-with-mike-mcdaniel
MMs style of finest ball doesn’t exactly translate to end of season and playoff ball, like the FL Panthers he’s going to have to make some changes
Getting some physical football from EZ and something, anything from TE should go a long way to fixing the scoring droughts
Philly plays to get to 3rd and 1 or 2, then they have 2 plays to let Hurts do his thing, we need to Losaka Polite short yardage plays too
finesse
Mike Straw just came across like a like an old man / hater. GET OFF MY LAWN! sports writer. Click bate with no substance.
Tim Knight
says:
July 10, 2024 at 9:45 pm
Tindall breaking out is gravy. He’s not being counted on as a key player at this time. However I do think Cam Smith is expected to perform.
See, I totally disagree with this stance. It shouldn’t be considered gravy that our first draft pick in 2022 progresses to be a functioning piece of the team (not even a starter, just a competent back up even) In this age of high priced FA you MUST hit on draft picks. Our 2022 draft was a complete waste. Why are we in cap hell? because grief cannot run a draft.
Tindall making a D contribution or not is the only consideration at this time, where he was drafted means nothing to the gravy train as he’s a bust that can’t be counted on to contribute
Rock, Tindall was essentially a 4th round pick. At this point it doesn’t matter where he was drafted. It’s about whether he gets better or not.
The other problem I have with Tua is how they’ve created this narrative, that is painting the team as the bad guy, sure it’s his agent doing it, but he hired the agent to rep him and doesn’t have to use that approach
You can say it’s business, but when you air some dirty laundry in public it becomes more than business, his agent is fighting dirty
Tua had been this likeable, team first, good guy his entire career, true colors?
RIP Shelley Duval
If the rumors are true, that the Fins aren’t offering Tua market value, why would the Packers and Cowboys re-sign their QBs ahead of Tua’s contract, since the Fins may reset the market in their favor?
In response to thise that think we better get Tua signed before Dak or Love
I find it hard to believe that Grier and McDaniel believe in Tua as their QB, but they’re telling him we don’t think you’re worth market value. That’s not a vote of confidence. It doesn’t add up to me.
I got my free tix for training camp this morning, tix still available on the app, for Aug 6th and 7th joint Falcons practices
I don’t see much atrophy
https://x.com/KingOfPhinland/status/1811071765512151160
I see he cut his hair. That dude is ripped.
https://x.com/Titans/status/1811465691561656619
Titans have signed Jamal Adams.
Not that Jamal Adams is going to be a game-changing force for the Titans, but that team is going to surprise a lot of people… even without Derrick Henry. We play them in week 4 on Monday Night Football.
Our offense is going to score a lot of points. This season will be about the revamped defense and clutch play in big games. Yes that means Tua for all you haters. 🤪
It’s not about scoring a lot of points, it’s about scoring the necessary points, like KC does
Against Dallas we drove for the winning score thru the air and the last first down was achieved on the ground with Wilson, that’s how we need to play in 2024
I hope we sign Tua with a team friendly deal before the season, because baring injury we’re going to be mostly unstoppable, missing links are Jonnu and Wright (who runs inside with power, as well as around the end)
Superman is almost back
https://phinphanatic.com/posts/dolphins-jaelan-phillips-looks-totally-shredded-new-workout-photo-01j2exs2hr74
Maybe this hyperlink will work, if not click on it in the article above
Phillips recently took to social media
This is a positive article about special teams, more specifically how Tahj Washington can make the 53, but it points out a few other additions that should buoy our 31st ranked special teams. (Aside: Why is Danny Crossman still employed with the Dolphins??)
https://www.thephinsider.com/2024/7/12/24196050/miami-dolphins-training-camp-preview-2024-special-teams-secure-tahj-washingtons-53-man-roster-spot
The Miami Dolphins were forced to overhaul their defensive line this offseason when Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis departed in free agency.
Without much cap room to work with, the Dolphins opted to cast a wide net in their hunt for productive replacements, signing Calais Campbell, Teair Tart, Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, and Benito Jones all to deals worth no more than $2 million. While it could be enough to patch holes, few believe the defensive line is a strength of Miami’s roster.
But is the new-look Dolphins defensive line one of the worst in the NFL? That question was answered by ESPN’s Mike Clay who used a formula to grade and sort every position unit heading into the 2024 season.
Mike Clay saying we have the 25th best (7th worst) defensive line.
That might be fair as they have proved nothing yet. None of the others get to the QB like Seiler and Campbell but Jones, Gallimore and Tart are stout vs the run. IMO, Benito Jones is an upgrade over Raekwon Davis. If they all pick up this new scheme and gel early, I think they will be at least top 20, no injuries possibly top 15.
I think Tua Tagovailoa = Baker Mayfield in a lot of ways. Baker’s deal he signed last year was for an average of $33,333,333 a year. Tampa got a deal.
Their #’s before MM came along are comparable. Put Mayfield with MM in this O and I believe he would exceed Tua’s output especially with his ability to scramble.
C’mon. Not even remotely close.
I am glad Bills don’t have Diggs anymore, but:
@SSSSvekisSports
WITHOUT Diggs…Allen’s performance against the Dolphins
3-1
72-118, 913 yards, 10 TDs, 3 INTs, 102.8 passer rating
29 runs, 318 yards (10.97 yards per carry), 3 TDs
I’m just going to leave this hear as a trigger for someone…
https://x.com/FrontOfficeNFL/status/1810779289530552823
https://media.tenor.com/mHSEkbUrvksAAAAM/bait.gif
I am really getting sick of the offshore fishing here. Got to my first spot, first drop caught my personal best Lane Snapper at 17.5″. Second drop hooked what felt like a bigger red snapper. Less than 5 seconds the rod doubles over and felt like it was going to break. After about 15 min I got it up to where I could see it and it was about a 7′ Bull Shark. As soon as he saw the boat it ran again and broke me off. Fishing went cold for a bit then hooked another snapper only to get “sharked” again. I moved a half mile to another reef and got “sharked” on my first 2 hookups. Winds laid down and it turned to glass so I went out another 10 miles. First drop I thought I got sharked but it was fighting different. Got him up from the wreck and it turned out to be my personal best Amberjack at 39″. They are out of season. Next drop, hooked a red snapper, got him up to where I saw color and was reaching for the net and as I looked back he gets nailed by a shark and it immediately cut me off. I said “fuck it”, I threw out a deep troller hoping to get a Wahoo or King Mackerel while looking for any patch of sargassum to get some little chicken dolphin. No luck. Trolling back to Pensacola Beach, I hook up on the troller. Wahoo, no. King, no. It was a big stank ass Barracuda. Some how he must have knicked my line above the wire leader and broke me off after a couple minutes and took my $50 lure with him.
Frustrated I hauled ass back in and anchored up off Pensacola Beach with about 100 other boats to watch the Blue Angels practice for their Pensacola Beach Air Show this Saturday. It was freaking amazing! Had one fly about 100′ above the boat. It was so loud and powerful I felt my nuts vibrating. I’m not exaggerating. I looked at the wife and she was covered in goose bumps. If watching the Blues doesn’t make you feel prideful, nothing will. I got choked up several times.
Long story short, this one snapper I am going to eat for dinner tonight is the most expensive snapper I will have ever eaten. lol
Baker Mayfield 2023 – 64.3%, 4,044 yards, 28 TD’s, 10 INT’s, 94.6 rating, 163 yards rushing with 1 TD, 8 fumbles with 3 lost.
Tua Tagovailoa 2023 – 69.3%, 4,624 yards, 29 TD’s, 14 INT’s, 101.1 rating, 74 yards rushing with 0 TD, 13 fumbles with 5 lost.
The numbers are meaningless. Tua is a much better QB. Tampa’s offense struggled mightily last year. Ours did not and has not for 2 years in a row
I don’t remember Tua fumbling that much. I’m guessing some of those were attributed to bad snaps.
correct about the bad snaps those were a problem last year
That’s been an issue with Williams.
Steve, I agree about the Cowboys game. During a season you need to win some games in different ways. A shootout, a tough defensive grudge match, a come from behind win stealing a game etc. But I do expect our offense to score a lot of points in a lot of games. Will the defense get the necessary amount of stops for us to win a lot of games?
You really see the zone blocking scheme in these clips.
https://x.com/PFF/status/1811769986488430739
Tua has stats and rankings that are tops in the league but until he wins some big games that will be a continued criticism. When he does that, critics will find something else to call him out on. That’s just the way it is for him.
This is sadly true.
https://x.com/schadjoe/status/1811834304256725495
I’m not wishing summer away because I’m enjoying it. But I am excited about the season. I’m not going in worried about anything, just going to enjoy it because I do think we’ll be a good team and we’ll be in the playoffs again. We’ll see how far this group can go.
Same here. Just spray for the injury bug and there’s no telling how far we could go.
Injuries can derail any team. Even Mahomes and the Chiefs got dominated in the Super Bowl against the Bucs because their OL was obliterated with injuries and they couldn’t block anyone. Mahomes was running around like Fran Tarkenton 20+ yards in the backfield and couldn’t make a play. Injuries do matter.
Well then come on down to endless summer Florida 😜
How about looking at it from this perspective, instead of looking at overall stats for Tua . . .
Tua’s record in the last 5 games of the last 2 seasons: 3-7
As I said in the article, be a finisher. Having great overall stats during the season don’t mean anything, they really don’t, if you can’t finish. Why some call this a narrative is beyond my comprehension. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and we’ve finished the last 2 seasons miserably. You can bet your ass this is why he’s yet to get the contract he wants. They know!!!! Even if you can’t admit it, they know this!!
That’s his next step and he knows it as well as the team. Tua will help put points on the board. Lots of different factors go into a football game. Defense, special teams and field position are a big deal. Complimentary football. That’s how you win championships.
^
Yes Tim, all of the above, but if the most important player on your team (QB) comes up small each and every time in those games, you know what the big issue is.
Yes, Tua has to do his part in big games. That’s already been said. 🙂
Test…
https://x.com/schadjoe/status/1811834304256725495
Nope, didn’t work.
Worked for me
Joe Schad
@schadjoe
Tua Tagovailoa will be featured in this year’s ESPN “My Wish” Series on Wednesday, July 17. Yisroel, 15, is on a transplant list and needs to give himself shots to overcome the impacts of his disease.
·
33.9K Views
Although you can just copy it like you were copying text, which is what I just did
Tua’s record in the last 5 games of the last 2 seasons: 3-7
——————–
Baker Mayfield led his team to a 5-1 finish and slaughtered the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last season.
I saw your comparison above, and they’re really not too far apart. Also, no doubt he played better at the end of the season and helped his team to the playoffs, while Tua played poorly and gave up our division to the Bills.
I’m not buying that bs, Tua was concussed at the end of 2022, clearly not himself, in 2023 the ending schedule was brutal and we were playing with guys off of the street
Mayfield can’t sniff Tua’s jockstrap
HOW did ya get the whole tweet to post without a mere link, Bro?
YESSIR!!!
Nice
M13, I did what MikeE said. I highlighted the entire X post then copied and pasted. Done on computer though.
Alec big mouth Baldwin gets off, because of the lame ass prosecution team withholding evidence, reminds me of the OJ prosecution team
He’ll get spanked in civil court, but no time in prison
It’s not right right that you can be so negligent that you kill someone and face no time
The experts say you don’t point a gun at someone directly on a set, you point it just off center, and it’s not possible for a revolver to fire without pulling the trigger, so he lied about that under oath
Tua played last year with one arm behind his back, his goal was to not get hurt…
If you can’t adlib in today’s game you don’t have much of a chance
He needs to take risks this year and remain in the game, if he can do that we’ll reach our goals
The D will go as far as the passrush takes it, Barrett, Chop and Kamara will need to hold down the fort
Robert Jones was mauling guys on the final 1st down of the Cowboys game drive, allowing us to win the game, for his mauling ability I’d like to see him be our starting RG
Jones is pretty good but he always gets hurt.
I’d say more dinged up, maybe due to his physical play style.
Then again, who doesn’t always get hurt on our OL??? lol
What about a platoon system, where Jones plays when we need physicality, such as 3rd and 1 or when the matchup calls for his style of play
Was thinking that could be a tell but then again, also a smoke screen.
would only be a tell, if he couldn’t pass block
Let the RG competition go into the regular season, if there’s no clear cut winner
3rd and 1, 12 personnel with Jones as the 2nd TE, bring him in motion to crack behind the center or pull for a tush push
That’s fine, just pull Tua and have a RB run the play or Tua might get a bad boo boo
https://x.com/i/status/1812118704819240999
WOAH!!!
And I’m going to the beach this coming week. Maybe I’ll bring personal cages for me and mine as we wade in the water. Lots of shark attacks are being reported this year.
That’s probably a Basking Shark, harmless but really big. They eat like whales gobbling up small fish and krill.
Yes, the Basking Shark is an incredible species of shark. They are the ‘mouth breathers’ of sharks, if you will. Menacing in looks only.
Like the Whale Shark.
Rookies report to TC in 3 days!
The season will be here before we know it.
Pretty fair analysis. Tired of Dolphins “super fans” including Tua among the elite QB’s and Kurt explains very astutely why he isn’t, and those are the same things I always say as well. If you’re not one of those QB’s that no matter what can elevate your team to a victory. He absolutely is NOT that guy. Could he become that guy? I suppose we’ll find out this season
Tua knows he can improve in some areas and the team told him there are things we want you to get better at, and it’s been reported the offseason he had with John Beck’s QB camp was inline with what they wanted him to work on. Most of it was based on footwork and velocity. My guess is the deep out which is about 10 yards vertically but 20 yards horizontally. It’s a long throw even if it doesn’t look like much.
I like Kurt a lot. Good stuff!
We’re all in awful times. 😳
Those fuckers had their private meetings all week and this is what they came up with
2 BS impeachment trials and numerous other BS state charges didn’t work so……
Holy shit!!!!!!!!!!!!
They got the sniper
Nobody took it seriously, even after being WARNED, REPEATEDLY, FOR YEARS.
They tried to kill Steve Scalice, they tried to kill Rand Paul, and now they tried to kill Trump.
WAKE UP, MUTHAFUCKAZ
wasn’t a sniper. Was someone with a pistol. Fired 7 or 8 shots, pause then one. My guess is a a 1911 single stack 45 ( 7 or 8 round magazine). Saved the last round for himself.
Ugh
To our democratic friends on the blog…you did this. Your party did this. You have accepted the politics of division, of racial identity, of socialism. This elects Trump and you will reap what you sow. The only good socialist is swinging from a rope.
^
isn’t it funny how jacked they have him slightly after 8pm 🖕
Who is going to be the more impactful signing? Jonnu or OBJ?
Honestly, I don’t care at the moment. There was just an assassination attempt on a former US President and current candidate, in order to keep communism growing in the USA.
This is an OUTRAGE, and on the world stage.
Get ready for WAR now.
Really?
To Naples
He might have taken one in the chest too
I don’t think it could have been a pistol. Sounds like distance was too far.
They recovered an AR from the dead shooter being reported
😡
Omg I just heard… I’m out having drinks on Saturday night! Normal.
I condemn this attack in the strongest terms.
I abhor gun violence. I do NOT want Trump killed or harmed.
We MUST protect the political process.
Candidates MUST be allowed to speak and be free to appear in public.
This is NOT the Anerican way.
I thought that was the case.
Glad you weren’t trying to be “cute”
Sad days
Also I might be down there soon I’ll let you know
No such thing as gun violence. Only people violence.
Biden’s remark was about as short as his answers at the debate.
His use of the word Donald was most insincere, and took him long enough to respond
I do Not support Communism. Putin is a Communist. I hate Putin.
Communism is a stupid idea. It invites totalitarianism.
America should NEVER have a dictator.
We MUST support Democracy. It is the greatest invention.
One spectator killed and 2 critically injured.
Tragic
Son … and anyone .. who wants to come down, can stay with us,
and we’ll give you the grand tour of Fort Myers, the beach, and Naples.
We live close to the airport.
It’s hot and humid, and our golf course is closed for summer maintenance now,
but it’s beautiful in the fall.
I’ve hosted one from this blog for a Dolphins victory.
Let’s have a bunch more this year.
I had a possible fishing trip scheduled down there but had to cancel. I was going to hit you up if I was going to make it.
Plan it.
Pensacola is 600 miles away from Naples … same as Charleston, oddly. My 3 family cities.
so it’s a solid day’s drive. You don’t want to drive down and try to drive right back. You could crash here and then go back more fresh.
I wouldn’t be any help about fishing, except for which restaurants serve excellent local hogfish and tripletail.
but we could have some fun swapping Charleston memories.
So it was A sniper. Not a very good one. Taken out by a Secret service counter sniper. I can’t post the video.
Damn
Well, at least we know the Clinton’s weren’t behind it. They only hire the best.
Wasn’t Trump supposed to announce his VP running mate tonight?
Good God.
Nothing to see here, carry on
The Internet is savage
Well if I am going to be blamed for the shooting I can at least now express my hope that maybe now Republicans will support gun control
OMG Clark
Forget about Hulk, you’re now CLARK KEN(t)🤪
gun control
remove gun and that is what it is.
I wonder how much of a possibility that Tulsi Gabbard could be his VP pick?
Wow, 9 people in jail for Boating Under the Influence of Alcohol. I guess the Blue Angel Air Show at Pensacola Beach was a good time. Until…
Going to be a busy day.
The former president said in a statement that “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.”
________
LMFAO!!!
That’s funny?
I get what he’s saying, but it’s in poor taste
It’s fucking hilarious! So, blind!
NEW BLOG UP!!!!