This is the story of our Miami Dolphins. They are the the reincarnation of the famous 1970’s cast of Saturday Night Live, the “Not Ready For Prime Time Players”. This of course was just a moniker for that cast, because most of them became stars due to their SNL notoriety, some of them huge stars like Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, and to an extent John Belushi who died way too early. The sad part is, the name fits our team like a glove. They are the complete embodiment of that phrase. They can play with the weaker teams, but put them up against any of the top tier NFL teams and they’re exposed as either too soft, too injured, too cold, too out coached, too many things to list.
Chris Grier assembled this roster knowing very well he was sacrificing the future to win now, while QB Tua Tagovailoa’s monstrous salary doesn’t affect the teams ability to provide talent around him. He said it, maybe not exactly those words, but he inferred this. We have overpaid our WR’s who now in this current state of offense are nearly obsolete. They’re underused for what they’re being paid, they’re not producing nearly enough offense for their salaries and have mostly become overpaid decoys. We have so many 1 year contracts. We have 35 players under contract, but many of those players won’t make the roster next season (or at least shouldn’t!) such as LB Channing Tindall, QB Skylar Thompson, TE Julian Hill, TE Tanner Conner, WR Tahj Washington, and DE Grayson Murphy. That takes it down to 29, and quite a few of those are not starters, like CB’s Cam Smith, Storm Duck, and Ethan Bonner, S Patrick McMorris, RB Jaylen Wright, and T Patrick Paul. TE Durham Smythe, who could easily be included as “shouldn’t be on the roster”, but then we’d have only Jonnu Smith. The point here, is that we need to find an awful lot of starters, and won’t have a lot of salary cap room to do so.
A fair question would be, “Does GM Chris Grier deserve to keep his job after failing miserably to build a contender after being given the reins and all the resources ($$$) to do so?” Has Mike McDaniel done enough to stay the course with him, and if you do axe Grier, is it the right thing to do to saddle a GM with a coach that is thrust upon him as a keeper when he might want to choose elsewhere? Both of these questions are fair. The first huge mistake, crucial mistake, was overestimating QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ability to stay on the field, and not have a competent backup in his stead. My guess is that one is a torpedo hit to HC Mike McDaniel. I’m sure if Mike told Grier he needed a better option at backup QB, he would have one, or at least they would have put forward some effort to find one. I hate to say this, but I think Mike babies Tua, and didn’t want to hurt his fragile psyche by bringing in a legit QB that can play. So we went with Skylar Thompson, who now in his 3rd year in this offense can’t even successfully complete a handoff. We brought in two guys that were discarded or on the PS of other teams and they started over Skylar, before he got injured. That’s just uber embarrassing.
We paid Tua elite QB money, and he can play elite football, as long as the competition isn’t. I understand how the NFL works, you have a QB who is competent, you pay him. Fans here will throw out all kinds of stats that Tua has, some gaudy looking ones, but to me, the stat that matters most is how he plays when the chips are down against better teams. You can take your 37-46 for an 80% completion percentage and 365 yards with 2 TD’s and shove it! It’s the most misleading thing ever. We never threatened the Packers last night, never challenged them. They were in control the entire game. I don’t blame the game on Tua, but he doesn’t help us when we need him most. Misfires, high throws, underthrown balls are what you get when the game is actually in the balance. When the game for all intents and purposes is out of reach, then he starts throwing precision passes. I watched the game, I know!
We still have a meager chance to make the playoffs, but we know what will happen if we manage to sneak in. The same damn thing that happened last night, and just about every other time this team has to go on the road and compete against a better team. They get their ass beat down, make mistakes, and for the most part, look like they don’t belong on the same field as the better team. Special teams has been a thorn in our side for this team for 2 seasons yet ST’s Coach Danny Crossman remains gainfully employed. Chris Grier who is the NFL’s GM version of Imelda Marcos in a shoe store also remains gainfully employed. HC Mike McDaniel, every players bestest friend also remains gainfully employed. I know it can’t/won’t be an easy decision to tear it all down, Ross wants to win now, but if someone with half a brain could explain to him that it ain’t happening with what we got, maybe he would relent. Rebuilds take time, no question. That could be one thing Ross at his advanced age may feel like he doesn’t have.
Our secondary is a mess. We need to shed the salary of one OLB Bradley Chubb. I don’t think any of our OG’s will or should be considered as anything other than backups. The secondary, oh lord! Jalen Ramsey and maybe Kendall Fuller are the the only starters. Chop Robinson, who made such strides against the weaker teams might have been wearing all white last because he must have been camouflaged by the snow, didn’t see him! You just can’t count on Jaelan Phillips. I love the guy, but he is quite unlucky and injury prone. We have no defensive line because if Calais Campbell is smart, he won’t come back to play here next season. Everyone else is a one year contract, so it’s Zach Sieler. Hey, the guy we picked up from Seattle a couple of weeks ago was the leading tackler, if any of these could be called that after last night’s missed tackle jamboree!
That brings me to my next point. Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer said when he played for the Bills, he knew if we they put the pedal down that our team would just give up because we’re soft as fuck. I’m paraphrasing, but the message is there, and unfortunately, he’s 100% accurate to this date. If I’m the GM, that’s the first thing I’d want to change, but how do you give Grier the keys to the car and the money to go shopping? He MADE this team, from the Head Coach he chose and together they assembled this roster. Are you going to allow them to screw it up another year? My feeling is Grier’s tenure needs to come to an end. Once again, if Grier is gone, McDaniel should go too. I don’t think he’s an NFL Head Coach. He’s better suited as an Offensive Coordinator, not a guy to hold his players accountable, because he doesn’t. If they both stay, look forward to another season of SNL, and the cast of the “Not Ready For Prime Time Players”.
Finsmob Unleashed 
Thank you, Mike E.!!! Great, spot on rant!!!
Even Brooks, after last night’s game said, he thought the team played soft. WTF?
Great write MikeE!
Thanks guys, I have purged the bile in my gut. Stephen Ross needs to do the same and heads need to roll!
While he may be correct but Jordan Poyer sucks and really shouldn’t be on this or any roster. I really don’t give a shit what he says
He definitely sucks as a player, more reason for Grier to get fired. He happens to be right and he lived that first hand being a Buffalo Bills player. I don’t care what he says now as a washed up player maybe 3-4 years past his good days of playing, but he said this in retrospect
I would take it more seriously if it came from a player who’s highlight this year is the definition of soft watching him being run over by Rhemandre Stevenson
We just can’t seem to kill the narrative that we can’t play well in the cold: 0 wins over our last 12 games in such conditions. This is a TEAM issue that spans at least two regimes (perhaps even three), not something that gets bestowed on 1 or 2 players today. What’s the constant? Chris Grier.
If one were to tell me pre-game that Tua’s statline would be 37 of 46 for an 80% completion percentage, 365 passing yards with 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 fumbles, and a 114.2 passer rating… I would have all but guaranteed we’d win. And he didn’t get any ‘garbage time’ stats because all he did was dink-n-dunk all game, due to 2 Safeties playing high all game. I’d call that a very valiant effort.
As a matter of fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a QB attempt 46 passes in a game and end up with an 80% completion percentage for over 350 yards… that may be a new NFL record.
We played from behind all game, so we had to play catchup all game… hence the lack of rushing attempts… and we sucked even when we did run. Our yards per carry are down BIG TIME from last season. Did Achane and Mostert suddenly forget how to run? No, our interior O-Line has drastically changed from last season.
And get this… OPPOSING DEFENSES DON’T EVEN PLAY A SAFETY IN THE BOX AGAINST US, due to playing 2 Safeties high all day to stop ‘Reek and Da’ Penguin!!! This is absolutely unacceptable, to have such poor interior O-Line play (minus Brewer) that we’ve regressed SO md uch in the running game. We should be ripping off huge runs as we had last season, perhaps even bigger with greater frequency.
So if we had the running game we had last season, opposing Defenses would probably have to bring a Safety up for run-support… opening up shots downfield to ‘Reek and Da’ Penguin as we saw last season.
It’s not that difficult to figure out! If we don’t upgrade from Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg, we’re not going to be the hot-ass Offense we were last season in BOTH the passing and running games. It would be nice to find the next Robert Hunt, for one. We need maulers who can also pull, getting away from strictly fleet-footed Guards.
Don’t even get me started on our Defense… at least regarding last night. SMMFH 😡
Oh yeah, don’t forget that Tua did what he did last night in the cold(!) and against a top-10 Defense in the Pack. That’s no small feat!
He could/should have done better especially in key moments…just saying. That’s what a franchise QB does. No excuses.
As soon as Fangio left and we heard players saying he was too tough I knew this team wasn’t going anywhere. MM should’ve said shut your damn mouths and start doing your job to the players. Instead, nothing…and I have no doubt Fangio just had enough of having to coddle players and wanted to get the hell out. Make up all the other stories you want. Fangio is a tough, old school coach who expects execution, and he realized after 1 fricking year that his HC was more worried about being players’ friend than coaching them hard.
You’ll get no rebuttal from me on this. I think you’re 100% correct.
M13,
As usual, Tua came out and shit the bed. His first half was pathetic in terms of getting his offense going and putting pressure on GB in ANY way. His stats don’t matter. He was crap when it mattered. The game was over by halftime because of our offense that…as usual…couldn’t do anything of substance when it matters but can sure put up stats that don’t mean shit.
Anybody who is blaming any of this on our defense is just deflecting ire away from Tua. This is a first year DC with a brand new defense. It’s also a group of players who we all talked about being backup type guys along the DL when they signed them. How the hell does anybody expect a first year DC with a brand new defense and shit players to do much of anything? We should have all expected the defense to suck…oh wait….we did…but now we’re acting like this offense isn’t the problem? That’s crap. Frankly, the defense has prob performed better than we could have hoped given the circumstances. You know who’s NOT earning their contracts? Waddle, Hill and Tua.
I’m not trying to absolve Tua of any blame. He did sail a couple of high passes when it really mattered, so there’s that. But Tua wasn’t (and isn’t) the problem last night.
We were playing from behind all game, thanks in large part to Washington’s muffed punt. Danny Crossman must go.
I personally believe our Defense is drastically outperforming expectations, thanks in large part to 1st year DC Anthony Weaver. It’s just that when the game really matters, our Defense seems to shrink… it’s like a Jekyll and Hyde type thing.
The entire team generally does this thing, hence 0 for our last 12 in such cold weather sits.
Our typical take on Tua: unless he is perfect he sucks. He missed 2 throws on one series last night that might have made a difference last night. Every QB, even Mahomes does that. Difference is KC’s defense tackles
From your mouth to my ears…
+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Tua is HANDS DOWN the best QB we’ve had since Dan the Man. Yes, he even got votes for NFL MVP in 2022.
Oh SHIT!!! Did my own research to find this, not from a tweet or anything else.
Tua is now the ALL-TIME CAREER LEADER in COMPLETION %!!!
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_cmp_perc_career.htm
Even with a better defensive performance, the offense didn’t do enough to win the game. We scored 17 points, and most of those points meant nothing. You can’t win with your offense doing nothing for the first half. The offense didn’t help the defense out at all. Not what this team has to do to win. 3 points in the half….11 points after 3 quarters? Yeah, it’s the defense’s fault. Lol
Our high paid WRs are getting less yard than our new TE. Jonnu was the offense last night and that’s obviously not going to win games. I could care less what the Frankenstein defense did when our offense did nothing until the end of the 3rd quarter. No team will win against good teams if they sit until almost the 4th quarter to start playing offense.
Yes I agree the O needed to play better. We couldn’t run and the OL shit the bed
^
Great write Mike E!
You are almost completely correct unfortunately as is Randy. MM is a very soft coach, who probably doesn’t believe he deserves this opportunity, because he has no clue how to coach men. He’s very smart but that’s a different skillset.
Honestly, rebuilds take a very short amount of time if done right. Everyone knew Reid was a perfect choice….in Year 2 in Philly. Everyone knew McDermott was on the right track in Year 1 with the Bills. DeMeco Ryans still looks like the right hire. Dan Campbell quickly showed his value. Etc, etc, etc. MM looked awesome early but last year really started to show his failures. You give a coach 3 years and that’s plenty of time to know if they will succeed. It’s not the process of trying to get better coaches and GMs that is wrong. It’s the selection and maybe Miami’s process that has been bad in Miami. That doesn’t mean you keep bad eggs. You find new ones until you get good ones.
Thanks New Age
M – OK, so it’s the OG’s fault. Overpay for Hunt then and don’t give Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle $200M. They probably could have signed Hunt for less if they tried to do it before he became a free agent. Another bad move by Grier.
You watched the game last night, Tua impressed you??? Don’t look at the stats, look at the game. He was primarily dinking and dunking, 10 completions to Jonnu and if I remember correctly, none further than 10-15 yards downfield. Achane had 8 completions, same for him. Waddle was 4 and maybe 1 or 2 were deeper than 15 yards. Hill was 6, and 2 of them by all rights could have been intercepted, he caught one very heavily contested one, and the TD reception was a tipped ball, so that TD doesn’t mean squat BTW! Ingold had 2 easy dump offs, Smythe and Mostert 3 total, all dump offs. When the game was in the balance, that’s when all those off target throws occurred. I’m not making this up, I saw it.
Tua just isn’t elite when it matters. How many times do you have to see it before you believe it? He didn’t lose the game, but did nothing to win it either, and therein lies the problem.
Randy
says:
November 29, 2024 at 2:56 pm (Edit)
Even with a better defensive performance, the offense didn’t do enough to win the game. We scored 17 points, and most of those points meant nothing.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep in mind the last TD we scored was a tipped ball, and those could go either way. We got lucky, and it fell right into Hill’s hands in the endzone. Otherwise with that TD off the board, we scored 10 points.
Ken
says:
November 29, 2024 at 2:40 pm (Edit)
Our typical take on Tua: unless he is perfect he sucks. He missed 2 throws on one series last night that might have made a difference last night. Every QB, even Mahomes does that. Difference is KC’s defense tackles
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No Ken, the more truthful statement is Tua accumulates statistics, Mahomes wins games. He can have a shitty game, but that motherfucker will kick your teeth in at the end of the game and win it for you, while Tua is nowhere to be found at clutch time. That’s the damn truth, and has been his career here when the chips are down at the end of the season. Don’t talk to me about the Ravens in September when their entire secondary was out!
Because KC’s defense keeps them in the game
If our defense kept us in the game, Tua would still choke the game away. We score 34 points 2 weeks in a row, as soon as we face a decent defense, he goes to shit. He’s not the same player when it counts, and he surely isn’t worth $50M per season
We were down 21-3 in the blink of an eye and yet its Tua’s fault.
Ken,
The team chose to put all their draft/FA capital on QB/WR/TE. They purposely made a business decision to ignore the OL other than Brewer…who wasn’t a high dollar signing at all. I have no problem with them making that decision….as much as I hate it. It’s their decision to make. Then, you see what it produces. How would you say that decision is working?
No argument from me we needed to spend more on the OL
Exactly!
Mike E,
LOL, you were essentially quoting back to me what I stated in my original post, especially the part about dinking-n-dunking! The only difference? I don’t believe Tua is THE or A problem with this team. Now I’m not saying Tua is perfect, but if a QB has to throw a perfect game to win, that tells ya something about the rest of the team… whether it be coaching, management, or otherwise.
I think we concur on EVERYTHING else, especially Chris Grier, man! Which reminds me, NICE WRITE! We only differ on Tua, that’s all… and it’s alright to disagree.
EVERYTHING has been mismanaged this year… kicking the can down the road in order to win it all before Steve Ross passes away.
Thanks, but we really disagree on Tua. I ask you now, do you really think he played well last night? Do you think he outplayed Jordan Love? I think he really got locked in with the game out of reach and therefore, the pressure off. 7 plays, 67 yards, all short passes and a TD that was tipped and luckily fell into the endzone in the waiting hands of Tyreek Hill. ALL HAIL TUA! lol
Honestly, you said it, I said it, that drive where we eschewed the FG, and then ended up settling for a FG was the drive where we needed 7. To me, that was the game. It was 14-0, and we lucked out on a neutral zone penalty on GB to keep the drive going. We needed a TD there, and that’s when all of a sudden #1 gets the yips.
Ken
says:
November 29, 2024 at 3:32 pm (Edit)
We were down 21-3 in the blink of an eye and yet its Tua’s fault.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
YES!!! When it was 14-0, we had that long drive that was aided by a GB penalty, and we went against kicking a long FG because MM knew we needed a TD, and that’s the drive that Tua got the yips. We ended up settling for short FG so yeah Ken, 14-7 keeps us in the game. The team was deflated after that, we need that TD. Obviously the defense shitting the bed isn’t Tua’s fault, but that was a huge missed opportunity. If you watched it and paid attention, you know I’m right.
It was Tua that committed the penalties that resulted in the FG.
No, it was Tua who missed about 3 or 4 throws on that drive alone, and we had to settle for a FG. C’mon Ken, you know that’s true. Why you absolve him of any responsibility for anything is beyond my comprehension
Different drive
I’m nearly 100% sure I don’t want Grier doing anything for this team next season. He’s had plenty of opportunities, too many swings and misses. How many unqualified Head Coaches are we going to allow him to choose? We look at all the shitty Head Coaches and say how can we win with those guys? Well, look no further than Chris Grier who hired all of them
Ashton Jeanty with another 200+ yard game, his 5th 200+ yard game this season. He now has 2288 yards and 28 TD’s rushing on the season. In 12 games this season, his lowest rushing total for a game was 127 but that was on 11 carries.
Of course, we won’t be drafting him. That would be stupid. He is just fun to watch.
Isn’t our OL ranked as middling? I certainly don’t think they’re playing great, but they aren’t terrible either, are they? I guess I don’t know how we’re ranked.
Brewer is ranked high. Armstead more towards the middle. Everyone else near the bottom
Randy,
What do you rank our OL from end to end? Terron is always injured but very good when he plays. Do you agree? Do you think Paul should have been playing more? What about Jones, Jackson (on IR) now), and Eichenburg? Are they decent or who would you replace?
Jones and Eich need to be upgraded.
Good point.
New Age – I would start Paul sooner than later to see what he can do at LT. I would also start giving Jaylen Wright more carries. We keep guys under wraps in their rookie seasons and then have no idea what we got.
That’s my thought especially with the season being about over. I’ve never understood letting a RB sit. No one does that. I bet MM would have sat Saquan his first year.
I know Achane is great, but I think he gets too many touches. Wright needs to get a few series to get a get into a rhythm. I see UDFA rookies get more playing time than our 4th RD pick
I agree. I don’t know why an ex running game coordinator never wants to run the damn ball. I look at Detroit’s combo getting over 160 runs each and our top guy has 139…and the next is Mostert with 65. He doesn’t know what kind of offense he wants to run.
PFN – Pro Football Network has us #19, with
Armstead – Jones – Brewer – Eichenberg – Lamm
All I saw last night were green and gold jerseys in our backfield all night long…including disrupting fucking handoffs! WTF? Lol
I don’t think that’s good…lol
The 1 game where Wright had double digit carries he had 13 carries for 86 yards against New England the first time we played them. Since then, he hasn’t had more than 7 carries in a game
Mike E.
says:
November 29, 2024 at 3:40 pm
Thanks, but we really disagree on Tua. I ask you now, do you really think he played well last night? Do you think he outplayed Jordan Love?…
————–
I think our redzone Offense sucked last night. I mean, we couldn’t even run it in from the 1 yard line starting with 1st and Goal (another piece of evidence that our interior O-Line sucks).
For whatever reason, Tua’s TDs become limited in the redzone… and it’s something that I’ve observed since his rookie season. Seems most of Tua’s TDs come from his long ball outside of the redzone. Don’t know what’s up with that, either. So if there’s a limitation to his game, I think that’s it.
Aside from that aspect of Tua’s game, YES, I believe he played rather well last night, in the cold, where 2 high Safeties once again limited ‘Reek and Da’ Cheetah… better known as his bread-n-butter over the last 2 seasons. Coach McD MUST do something to get ‘Reek and Da’ Cheetah more involved if the go routes are neutralized.
Honestly, I thought our Defense would have shown up last night against Jordan Love’s 2nd most INTs in the NFL and his #32 ranking in completion %: our Defense shit the bed last night… in primetime… and in the cold temperatures. Like I’ve been saying, it’s been a TEAM failure in the cold to the tune of 0 for our last 12 games.
I really don’t want to shape or fit narratives… rather, I like hearing different perspectives from everybody. And that’s why it is always alright to disagree. I’m just not seeing how Tua is to blame for our losses, most of which have come in his absense ever since we drafted him in ’20.
Can’t lie, I wish Tua would be able to put the team on his shoulders and be a clutch player like Marino… and perhaps it can still happen. But as currently constructed by Chris Grier, I don’t see that happening any time soon (see our O-Line). If we can’t run, then all we can do is pass the ball, which then becomes all too predictable for Defenses to defend.
Coach McD MUST draw up plays underneath to keep ‘Reek and Da’ Penguin involved.
But on a very positive note? HEY! We’ve gotta TE who can catch and run!!! GO JONNU!!!
He had an opportunity last night, but bounced and threw over his receivers heads that could have inspired the team.
But, he didn’t.
He bragged about bringing it and then didn’t.
After last night’s game, our current YTD (year to date) overall O-Linemen grades from PFF for the 2024 season
T-Stead: #2 overall OT
Kendall Lamm: #36 overall OT
Austin Jackson: #60 overall OT
Aaron Brewer: #5 overall C
Robert Jones: #47 overall G
Liam Eichenberg: #66 overall G
PFF has us graded as the #15 overall pass-blocking O-Line (keep in mind that Tua gets rid of the ball in just over 2 seconds on average), and the #17 run-blocking O-Line (LMAO 😆 ).
Lol…64 Gs on 32 teams and we have one ranked 66. WTF?!!! Lol
You got it, bud! To me, that absolutely unacceptable!
And I had so much faith in Eich when we drafted him.
It’s OK, Tua gets the ball out quick enough. NO he doesn’t and it’s not his fault…lol
Is Mike Hunt here??? Mike Hunt??? Oh, wait, it’s Robert Hunt. Oops!
😆
Great write up Mike E!
All the money spent on a bit above average injury prone QB and 2 small WRs. They are easily neutralized as we have all seen. This offense has become good ol dink and dunk. Lot of money being paid for that.
1st and goal on the 1 and can’t run a sneak. That right there is a huge problem. All the teams know it too.
The coach is over his head and is not a leader of men. The GM is full of himself and built a soft roster of 2nd and 3rd stringers.
RIP
I haven’t played Madden Football in over a decade. However, I’d played Madden Football for over a decade straight before putting it down and was a winner.
Know what I learned on the Offensive side of the ball? If one is mismatched in the passing game, one had better be able to run the ball… and vice-versa… and it all begins in the trenches to be able to do both.
And it’s not too different when it comes to the Defensive side of the ball, either: it all begins in the trenches.
I feel this team has been built inside out. I do understand how the game has changed (thanks, Roger Goodell, SMH), and I understand why Chris Grier reverse-engineered it. However, football fundamentals (unless changed further!) still remain.
Can’t tackle? Ya lose. Can’t run the ball in critical sits? Ya lose. Mismanage the clock? Ya lose. Lose the turnover battle? Ya lose. Commit too many penalties? Ya lose. Can’t adapt in-game? Ya lose.
i don’t think it was 1st and goal. 2nd and goal, yes….lol
An Achane impressive run up the middle made it 2nd and goal from the 1
Maybe. I was drowning myself with beer in frustration by that point. Lol
Lol…me too
M13, another ILB to put on your list to check out is Chris Paul, Jr, 6’1, 235 from Ole Miss.
“Paul may be the best tackler in this class, coming to the point of contact with excellent technique and play strength, driving his feet through contact, and wrapping up. He rarely misses tackles, flying all over the field and staying in front of ball carriers with good control to avoid whiffing.”
PFF has him ranked higher but I think he might be available when we pick in the 4th round. Draftbuzz has him ranked as the #6 ILB.
But the uniforms were awesome!
Lol…yes they were for visitors
The only bright spot. Lol
My title for this piece would have been “Mike E On Fire.” But then the chances of us making the playoffs going in were slim and we were serious underdogs. Did all that much change?
The answer to this depends on what you’re referring to as “all”. If you meant the fact that this team never shows up in big games, then no, nothing changed. If you meant did our season change due to the loss, yeah, it sure did. I don’t see us making the playoffs and if we fold up altogether, that could be enough to warrant change up top.
hi everyone, happy holidays to all. Is Grier fired yet? Have we improved the trenches this year? Do we have a team that can compete against any quality teams?
I see the answers are no to all those questions, so take care and maybe some day I’ll be back when this team is worth watching and taking about.
lmao…
Hey Rich, good to see you back! See ya in another few years or so. 🤣
Been a while, was your handle rgs, or something like that?
Yes, Mike that is me. I see nothing has changed with this team. They are still a mess. I don’t waste much of my time with the team anymore. At least until changes are made at the top and this team is built the right way. ….From the trenches out. IMO, you don’t build around WRs. I still watch every Miami game, but in condensed replays and still haven’t missed watching a game in 30+ years.
Good to see you!
Iowa has 20 total yards of offense at the half.
Not watching this one though. Watching Georgia Tech beating up Georgia. It’s only halftime though.
RJ Harvey is such an underrated RB for UCF.
I would love to get him as our RB #3. PFF has him as a 4th rounder but draftbuzz has him as an UDFA. If he is there in the 7th round, I’m pulling the trigger. Him or Woody Marks.
Good rant my friend. And to add on to the piling on .. I believe it was still 3rd 1/4 and there were 11 ACCEPTED penalties against us .. that’s on coaching as well ..
Shula’s turning over in his grave. I was a proud Dolphin fan back then knowing we were one the least penalized teams for years under his reign.
Spot on and as Herd noted…he doesn’t hold his besties accountable!
Lol…for context, I reread Mike E.’s rant and the last paragraph was another gut punch.
Holland is a FA after this season. Are the Dolphins handing out a mega safety contract for him? I wouldn’t . He has steadily regressed since his rookie year.
Nope, they may have actually gotten that one right. Maybe we get a look at McMorris and see what we have in him. Poyer should be gone next year whether he’s under contract or not
McMorris is the only Safety under contract next year. IMO, Holland has been playing “soft” lately. I saw it in Thursday’s game. He’s not worth big money.
Plus, he seems to deal with injuries every year. Probably why he has lost a little edge to his game.
Not one “Rockphin was right about everything”?
The prognostication of which is immortalized on this blog.
I’ve been with you even though I was trying to show some optimism.
there were many of us saying the same thing, just not with the same vitriol.
Man, I feel bad for Georgia Tech QB Haynes King. He played his heart out last night only to lose in the 8TH OVERTIME to #7 Georgia 44-42. He left everything on the field.
Unfortunately, it was his 4th quarter fumble on 3rd and 1 that caused the OT. He got the first down but a hard hit by the Georgia safety knocked the ball out with just over 3 minutes left. The first would have helped run the clock down.
Not all his fault as their kicker missed a short FG earlier in the game that would have been the difference.
King was 26 for 36 with 303 yards, 2 TD’s with 0 INT’s. Also had 24 rushes for 110 yards and 3 TD’s.
He’s a decent prospect, especially with his running ability. I feel he is still “green” as a passer. He would be a great UDFA pickup to develop on the PS.
yeah, I was pulling for GT, great game
Probably going to watch Michigan at OSU this morning. Many prospects to watch on both sides, especially on defense.
OSU – DT Tyliek Williams, DT/NT Ty Hamilton, ILB Cody Simon, CB Denzel Burke, SS Lathan Ransom, NB Jordan Hancock, LT/LG Donovan Jackson, QB Will Howard
Michigan – DT Mason Graham, DT Kenneth Grant, ILB Jaishawn Barham
TE Colston Loveland might be out for Michigan and also CB Will Johnson (who I really like)
I would like to watch South Carolina at Clemson but don’t get ESPN at work. Some good prospects in that game also.
Cade Klubnik is a QB on the rise for Clemson. Not sure if he will enter the draft though.
I know Naples will be watching that game. Hope he is doing well.
McDaniel’s Phins are 1-14 against teams with a winning record in his tenure.
still upset about thurs
but on 12/8 I’m still going to watch the Dolphins take their frustrations out on the jests
I’m not betting on it
Well it’s a nice weather game against a sub .500 team so…..
So, we have a chance
👍
https://x.com/FitzMagic_14/status/1862893156204744856
OSU QB Will Howard showing why he will be a late day 3 pick.
Damn Michigan! That INT hurt.
Regardless of what happens with management and the coaching staff and I’m not sure that’s going to change in 2025, there are positions I think we need to get better at.
DL
ILB
CB
G/T
QB (veteran backup)
100% Tim. I will throw Safety in there also.
I’m not that concerned at safety just yet.
Klubnik has to show what he is made of now.
Damn, he was doing it until the INT. Sucks
Clemson out of the playoffs for sure. Not sure if it is enough for SC to get in though depending on what Alabama does today.
PSU is one step closer to the Big Ten Championship. Just need to win!
Not a good start
Everyone throws these stats out there that are tops in the NFL. . I’d trade all those gaudy stats for a few fucking wins when we need them. Those stats don’t add up to shit if we can’t beat good teams with him as the QB. Who cares about completion percentage or yards? TD’s are king! Winning is king! We don’t do that when we need to
1-14 against teams with winning record. That is the only stat that matters. Who cares they beat up on the bottom 3rd of the league. This team is just the best of the bad teams. Yay!
Damn the truth hurts. lol
Tim – I’d draft a QB as well. Doesn’t have to be 1st RD, but if there’s value there, pull the trigger in any RD. Tua is too unreliable as far as staying healthy and beating good competition
That’s where I’m at.
Sign Mariota as a vet backup then draft one to develop. Find another UDFA QB to bring in also, possibly Haynes King.
MY homer hype with Kurtis Rouke is gone. He is accurate as hell but has little escape ability/mobility. That’s not what we need. Will Howard burst his bubble with me today also.
They may be replaced by Klubnik, who lost the game with his INT in the end. Though he is a better passer than I thought and definitely more mobile than I thought.
I like Dillon Gabriel but with his small size, it’s just hard to determine where to take him.
The QB with the most fit is Cam Ward but the Dolphins will win just enough to take us out of that window to draft him.
49er’s at Bills tomorrow night might be a big snow game if the lake affect keeps up.
We all know QB is a big deal. At this stage Tua is the guy, we need more competence at backup QB. I don’t think now is the right time to develop a young QB early in the draft unless it’s a no-brainer.
If we draft a QB it won’t be until day 3
I agree. That’s why I like the idea of getting Mariota as backup and draft one between the 3rd to 5th round.
Tim, I think we need to hit on 3 starters this next draft. I’m thinking 1 DT, 1 OG and 1 safety.
I don’t see a stud ILB that could possibly come in and start in the NFL. Best we resign Anthony Walker and draft one.
Only QB’s I would take at this point in the 3rd are Drew Allar or Cade Klubnik.
Fourth round Jaxson Dart or Dillon Gabriel. Fifth round Kurtis Rourke or Brady Cook.
Other day 3 QB’s: Miller Moss, Haynes King, Kyle McCord, Conner Weigman, Will Howard, Seth Henigan
TBH, I don’t think Drew Allar lasts past mid 2nd round the way he’s been playing. Might be talking about him being a 1st round pick and a top 5 QB come draft time.
I did not realize Syracuse QB Kyle McCord is the NCAA passing leader. Going to stay there also with 305 yards do far today.
M13, here is another safety to check out when you get a chance. Jalen Catalon, 5″11, 205 pounds. He was stellar at Arkansas as a freshman with in 10 games he had 99 tackles and 3 INT’s, then caught the injury bug. Transferred to Texas then to UNLV. He’s been playing lights out there with 77 tackles, 2 sacks and 5 INT’s this year. He’s a heavy hitter.
Yes, another Jalen. lol
UNLV also has a day 3 ILB to check out in Jackson Woodard. He transferred to UNLV from Arkansas same as Catalon.
Congrats Penn Stater’s! Next up Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game to see who gets the bye in the playoffs.
U of M choking like the Dolphins
U of M defense can’t stop teams like the Dolphins also.
FSU starting the freshman QB tonight.
Alright, I’m going to (once again) share something with y’all that Lance Zierlein personally shared with me many years ago, via Twitter/X.
In short yardage and goal line sits, a WCO O-Line simply hasn’t the time to run their ZBS… it would take too long to develop. In THESE sits, it becomes man-to-man/SMASHMOUTH football out of necessity.
Does anybody here believe our interior O-Line is built for man-to-man/SMASHMOUTH? Of course not! We fared so much better last season with Robert Hunt and Isaiah Wynn as our starters at the Guard positions… not to mention Connor Williams had more grit and sand in his pants than Aaron Brewer currently. Unfortunately, our O-Line got killed by the injury bug last season: we never had a chance at Arrowhead Stadium.
If we don’t fix our O-Line (going on like… forever), we’re going to continue to see more of the same results in the win-loss column. This is WHY our rushing YPC are down, WHY our rushing TDs are down, and WHY Tua doesn’t get more redzone TDs.
And OH YEAH, the same can be said of our D-Line… especially after losing Christian Wilkins to FA.
Calais Campbell has been a blessing to our D-Line, but we NEED new blood.
bailbondmike says:
November 30, 2024 at 6:55 pm
M13, here is another safety to check out when you get a chance. Jalen Catalon, 5″11, 205 pounds. He was stellar at Arkansas as a freshman with in 10 games he had 99 tackles and 3 INT’s, then caught the injury bug. Transferred to Texas then to UNLV. He’s been playing lights out there with 77 tackles, 2 sacks and 5 INT’s this year. He’s a heavy hitter.
Yes, another Jalen. lol
————–
Thank you, sir! I always appreciate a heads up from you.
Here you go if you want to watch it. I didn’t.
bailbondmike
says:
November 30, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Congrats Penn Stater’s! Next up Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game to see who gets the bye in the playoffs.
———-
Thank you!!!
WE ARE!!!
No to McCord
No to Allar as well (kills me to say that).
Agree
I like Nussmeir who just threw a dime
I like him also but probably gone by end of 1st. I really don’t see us taking a QB in the 1st.
I just wish he was more mobile
I think his stock has fallen a little bit
WOW! Has this guy been reading my posts here over the last several months? Only thing is that we could not afford to re-sign Robert Hunt after last season. Now had we moved to extend Hunt after the 2022 season… that would have been wise.
LOL, it’s like he addressed every conversation we have had on here for the last year and a half in one video.
rich0322
says:
November 29, 2024 at 6:39 pm
hi everyone, happy holidays to all. Is Grier fired yet? Have we improved the trenches this year? Do we have a team that can compete against any quality teams?
I see the answers are no to all those questions, so take care and maybe some day I’ll be back when this team is worth watching and taking about.
———–
RGS!!! I miss ya, Brother! Good to see ya on here, man!
Well another long TD by Nussmeir maybe his stock isn’t falling
^
Ken, you are probably right about his stock falling a bit. He had some not so good games vs some ranked teams. It’s not an elite talented QB class though. There are QB needy teams. These QB’s will be drafted higher than they should be this next draft. Nussmeier is ranked QB5 by draftbuzz and a 2nd round pick projected. Four other sites have him as a day 1 pick.
I think it will come down to how QB desperate some teams are.
He sputtered a bit about the mid point of the season but the guy has talent and it is on display tonight
HIs OL sucking was a big part of it.
Dolphins win out
I wouldn’t be surprised if we did and miss the playoffs or going as the 7 – having to travel to Buffalo
I actually would love it if we have a 1st round match up with Buffalo
sure – it’s a nightmare matchup for us
but if we somehow pull off the upset, it would make the the ups and down of the entire season worth it
IU rebounding from their loss to OSU. 45-0 through 3 quarters. IU defense has only allowed the Purdue offense 37 yards of total offense through 3 quarters. Kurtis Rouke almost flawless 19-25 for 274, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s.
Can’t believe IU left the starters in there for one more drive.
Kurtis Rouke should be done with 12 min to go still. 23-31 for 349, 6 TD’s and 0 INT’s.
Purdue with only 55 yards of offense.
Ewers with a bad 93 yard pick 6
Ewers with a fumble
4 narratives the Dolphins failed to end in embarrassing loss to Packers
They sure did a great job of silencing their critics…By Brian Miller | Nov 30, 2024
Miami Dolphins v Green Bay Packers / Patrick McDermott/
Entering the week, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said the Dolphins wanted to “kill narratives” that have surrounded the team the last few years.
The Dolphins still have a thin shot at making the postseason, but if we are being honest with ourselves, 2025 is their best chance to do something better than what they put on the field in 2024. The question is, can they “kill” these narratives next year? Can they learn anything from them?
Dolphins didn’t successfully put an end to these ‘narratives’ in Week 13
Dolphins are still an undisciplined football team
You can’t win a football game when you keep giving referees a reason to throw yellow flags. On Thursday night, the Dolphins gave them more than enough reasons. The lack of discipline has been alarming most of the season, but when a game is as important as Week 13 is, you would expect the team to come out playing like it mattered. Instead, they made critical errors throughout.
Miami had 10 penalties in the contest.
Dolphins can’t beat teams over .500
This season, the Dolphins are 5-2 against teams with a .500 record or worse, but 0-5 against teams with winning records. Miami lost games against Green Bay, Seattle, and Arizona and two against Buffalo.
If there is any good news for the Dolphins, they only play one more team with a winning record this season, the 7-5 Texans. That should work in their favor. They play the Jets twice, the 49ers, the Browns, and the Texans.
Houston is still over .500. Miami has not consistently beaten playoff-contending teams since Mike McDaniel became the head coach. The team simply doesn’t show up to play against good opponents.
Dolphins can’t win in cold-weather games
Another sub-40-degree game and another loss for the Dolphins. There are plenty of people who will remind fans the players are not all from the South and most are from northern states where playing in cold weather is normal, but for whatever reason, the Dolphins struggle when it gets cold. Tua, again, didn’t win when he made it clear he was ready to “kill” this particular narrative. “Bring it on,” he said.
Weather wasn’t the problem. Everything else was.
Dolphins offensive line is better than what fans and media think
Chris Grier and McDaniel don’t have a problem with the offensive line, but Miami was unable to move the ball on the ground Thursday night and was unable to protect Tua. The Packers’ defense got consistent pressure and collapsed the Dolphins’ pocket because their coverage was near perfect, and the Dolphins’ offensive line was anything but.
Eventually, when you have a line playing above their talent level, it comes back to bite you. On Thursday, it bit them.
The real reason the Miami Dolphins are not a good football team and can kill the narratives?
Lack of discipline. Lack of preparation. Lack of quality depth at nearly every position. Poor special teams and poor coaching. Poor personnel decisions and, of course, poor tackling.
____________________
Like most on here have been saying all year and prior to the start of the season.
Dolphins’ reason for Thanksgiving failure is painfully obvious
This is not a physical team.
By Brian Miller | Nov 30, 2024
The Miami Dolphins were dealt a big blow to their playoff hopes on Thursday night, but there is one reason they lost above all others.
Yes, the Dolphins were out-coached on both sides of the ball, and yes, they failed to prove they can beat good football teams, but the question is why. Why can’t the Dolphins beat good football teams? The answer is quite simple. Good football teams are physical football teams. The Dolphins are not.
After the game, linebacker Jordyn Brooks even admitted the Dolphins had played “soft” against the Packers.
The Dolphins have only two physically imposing players on their roster: Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler. Campbell has been an outstanding addition this season, while Sieler is having a Pro Bowl year.
Dolphins are a finesse team that wants to be physical
Watching the torture that was Dolphins football, it didn’t take long to realize that Miami wouldn’t go toe-to-toe with the Packers physically. The Packers brutalized the Dolphins. Tight end Tucker Kraft played as though he was possessed when he had the ball. Not one time was he knocked backward, and he bowled his way over defenders like they were hardly there.
When running back Josh Jacobs had the ball, the Dolphins couldn’t bring him down with three players. He kept churning, pushing, and gaining yards, not inches, all the while carrying three Dolphins defenders.
The Dolphins have two great wide receivers, but the Packers have physical ones. Miami couldn’t stop them when they had the ball. If they didn’t tackle them immediately, the receivers would pick up another 10 yards easily.
Teams typically emulate their coaches.
The team is not playing to a high level of intensity on defense. The Dolphins’ offense isn’t built to be physically imposing. They are built for speed, and when speed is taken away, they have little to offer.
On defense, they should be physical, but they are not. There are far too many arm tackles and too many players take hits rather than giving them. Great teams play physical on at least one side of the ball, but the Dolphins don’t on either side.
The Dolphins are not built to be strong and imposing, and until they do, they are not going to win against the teams that consistently make the postseason. The Dolphins are that fringe team that can do just enough to keep you hoping and then just enough to rip out your soul.
_____________
Soft, like the coach…lol
When you don’t hold coaches and players accountable, and instead make them your besties….accepting mediocrity is inevitable with an ‘aw shucks’ approach, i.e. soft. Lol
imo…lol
Barry Jackson
@flasportsbuzz
You don’t get outscored by 168 points in your last 11 games against playoff teams because of luck, or cold weather or tough breaks. There was a major flaw to their roster construction philosophy. Omar and I discuss
OK, we’ve identified the problem. Now it’s fucking time to do something about it! BYE BYE Grier/McDaniel!!
I’m tired of this team trying to look pretty
This is one of the DT’s I want.
DT Derrick Harmon, 6’5, 310 pounds from Oregon. Where he will get drafted, I am unsure as 5 sites have him as a 1st, 4 sites a 2nd and PFF has him rated as a 3rd round prospect.
My top 5 DT’s for the draft would are:
DT Mason Graham, 6’3 320, Michigan, projected as DT1, 9 sites have him as a top 10 pick. Of the 10 sites, the latest he is projected to go is pick #16.
DT Derrick Harmon, 6’5 310, Oregon, as above. Projected as DT4.
DT Walter Nolan, 6’3 305, Ole Miss, projected as DT2, 5 sites have him going in the 1st round. The other 5 sites have him going in the 2nd round.
DT Tyliek Williams, 6’3 327, Ohio State, projected as DT5, 8 sites have him as a 1st, 1 2nd round and 1 very early 3rd round pick. They say he can run a 4.7, we’ll see.
DT TJ Sanders, 6’4 295, South Carolina, projected as DT3, a bit undersized but would be a solid 3-4 DE, 7 sites have him as a 2nd and 3 sites as a 3rd.
All 5 are very solid run defenders. Only Sanders would worry me vs a power scheme.
Others for 3rd or 4th round: Deone Walker 6’6 345 Kentucky, Dontay Corleone 6’1 320 Cincinnati, Omar Norman-Lott, 6’3 315 Tennessee, Kenneth Grant 6’3 318 Michigan, Demonte Capehart 6’5 315 Clemson.
Rock, I found our new punter. Brendan Hall from Montana State. With cleats on he is 6’9. He doesn’t kick it super far but kicks it super high and still in the 50-60 yard range. He doesn’t out kick the coverage.
He also does their kickoffs. He can kick FG’s but not very accurate. Though, if you need to try a game winner that is out of your regular kickers range, he has made several in practice from 70+ yards, I think longest in practice was 75 yards.
Need Falcons, Patriots and Eagles to win today.
I guess Steelers win also
Do we really?
If anyone wants to continue with false hope, yeah
I just want to win as many as we can I am not thinking of playoffs. Been my feeling since 2-6
Damn Pats! Missed FG now and INT in red zone
Cousins sucking ass big time
What else is new
Ken
says:
December 1, 2024 at 1:42 pm (Edit)
I just want to win as many as we can I am not thinking of playoffs. Been my feeling since 2-6
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Win as many games as possible??? To what end? Do you want to ensure that Grier and McDaniel keep their jobs? Do you want to have worse draft position? I’m very curious to see your reply
To what end? My enjoyment. I am not over thinking it
Fair enough. I’m a hardened mofo, I don’t care much about winning meaningless games now. I’m looking to the future already. I fear if we finish winning 4 of 5 or all 5 that could be enough to leave everything as is, which I believe is a mistake
It will be interesting to see if they do anything different moving forward or if they stick with their build plan. I really don’t expect them to do anything differently in regard to their vision for how they want to build this team. We will hear over and over that it was just the loss of our QB that contributed to our poor record, and they’ll just run it back again.
Ok, fug it. Colts, Chargers won. Broncos are going to beat the Browns Monday night in Denver.
Need Saints to win to move us up to pick #11
Figures . . .
Chargers S gets clutch pick 5 days after he was cut by Dolphins
Marcus Maye played 11 games with the Miami Dolphins and started three, but didn’t record any interceptions. He didn’t take long to make an impact with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Just a few days after he was claimed by the Chargers off waivers, and five days after he was cut loose by the Dolphins, Maye came up with a clutch fourth quarter interception in the end zone against the Atlanta Falcons to preserve a 17-13 lead for Los Angeles.
Well, Cousins threw 4 INT’s. Odds were in Maye’s favor.
But yeah, figures
Is the NFL rigged? Raiders drove down in range for a game winning FG vs the Chiefs. Raiders were going to run one more play, then kick. A line judge threw a flag for false start before the ball was snapped and was running on the field. The ball was snapped anyway and Raiders QB was not ready for it resulting in a fumble and Chiefs recovered. The play should have been called dead/no play and Raiders backed up 5 yards still in FG range.
Another ref threw a flag a second flag after the ball was snapped for an illegal shift which a play continues until the play is dead and the play counts.
The refs huddle together for a while and decide to do away with the 1st penalty and go with the 2nd penalty giving the Chiefs the ball with a couple seconds left. Game over, Chiefs win.
Of course, the Chiefs are guaranteed a playoff spot. A Chiefs loss would have given the Bills the edge for the bye and homefield advantage.
More clarification. Both refs threw their flags about the same time. One was blowing his whistle to blow the play dead for false start and before the botched snap was recovered. The other ref was calling illegal shift and letting it play out.
After their huddle, they call the illegal shift and give the Chiefs the ball despite the one ref blowing the play dead before the ball was recovered.
Watching it, IMO, they made the right call, in illegal shift over false start but the play was being blown dead before the ball was recovered.
Who’s ball is it?
The Chiefs, always the Chiefs now that Brady is out of the NFL and it’s Patrick Mahomes turn to be GOD
Draft position won’t matter if the same people are making the decisions. Fundamentally flawed.
It’s the mud hole. You can keep adding fresh water all you want but it will always be a mud hole. It needs to be repaired. Problem is it appears the powers that be don’t see it? I can’t believe that. There has to be changes after this season.
Quite true my friend, quite true. We need someone to fix this roster, not have the same duo continue to fuck it up!
I will say it this way…lol.
Speed kills…
…it sounds like a good idea, until it isn’t, i.e. cover 2, opposing D in your backfield disrupting fucking hand offs (wtf), and smallish players getting crushed.
Football needs 33 players..you need power, speed, and finesse in balance. All we have is speed., some finesse with Tua
Jonnu is a physical player, and he’s benefitted the most from us scrapping the deep ball and throwing short and using yards after the catch. Achane has as well
Not that Achane is physical, just that he’s seen a ton if touches both rushing and in the pass game.
Jonnu is physical but our line is woeful in that area,…2nd,3rd,and 4th and one from goal…wtf….not talking about Achane.
But, who could run it in? Ingold?
DL is NOT a Tsunami running downhill like GB, Ravens which takes power, speed, OL has no power.
STs suck and all on coaching…finesse.
Ranting…lol
Tua
Terrible hit on Trevor Lawrence.
@RapSheet
The #Commanders are waiving former first-round CB Emmanuel Forbes, as his time in Washington is done. In addition, RB Austin Ekeler goes to Injured Reserve.
—————
While I wouldn’t put a waiver claim in for Forbes (unless the Commanders are on the hook for most of his salary), I’d sign him as a FA in a heartbeat and play him as a nickel CB and backup boundary CB. #ManCrushUniversity
The Commanders have only used him as a man-to-man boundary CB, but he excels in zone and his size is fit for nickel. Another example of square pegs for round holes, and the Commanders just funked up.