This is a moderated phorum for the CIVILIZED discussion of the Miami Dolphins. In this phorum, there are rules and moderators to make sure you abide by the rules. The moderators for this phorum are JC and Colonel.
Hooligan2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just a few weeks ago some of the usual suspects
> were calling for us to tank the season to get a
> good draft pick.
>
Yes, that's what a lot of people do after the first loss of the season. It's silly.
I never want the team to lose for draft position but to their defense, with our recent past and a bunch of first time coaches, it looked like another lost season at 1-4.
I don't think anybody could have seen this turn around coming. We're winning games we're accustom to losing. It's nice to see this team fight to the end. We've finally turned that corner and the band wagon is starting to fill up.
That said, reading the game day thread you'd think we had lost by 30. Some people just like to nitpick and complain. I saw a qb that was dared to win a game win the game. I saw a D that went into prevent up 31-14 and almost couldn't stop the momentum they helped get rolling. I saw some boneheaded play calling on both sides of the ball. But what is most memorable is despite those calls, the team never quit and made the plays to win when needed. That's the sign of a good team.
jsm08 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I never want the team to lose for draft position
> but to their defense, with our recent past and a
> bunch of first time coaches, it looked like
> another lost season at 1-4.
>
> I don't think anybody could have seen this turn
> around coming. We're winning games we're accustom
> to losing. It's nice to see this team fight to
> the end. We've finally turned that corner and the
> band wagon is starting to fill up.
>
> That said, reading the game day thread you'd think
> we had lost by 30. Some people just like to
> nitpick and complain. I saw a qb that was dared
> to win a game win the game. I saw a D that went
> into prevent up 31-14 and almost couldn't stop the
> momentum they helped get rolling. I saw some
> boneheaded play calling on both sides of the ball.
> But what is most memorable is despite those
> calls, the team never quit and made the plays to
> win when needed. That's the sign of a good team.
Agreed.
But I do think the last 4 games look scary. The Ravens and then the AFC East.
The O-line subs....They were more than just filling a position on the line yesterday against the 49ers. They were credible; however, when all the starters are playing, the entire O-line blocks and protects better. We need to get all the starters healthy to improve the offense. The running game is critical to winning against the toughest teams.
The defense struggled yesterday. Good passing teams can take advantage of our iffy secondary....in particular NE. The Dolphins are still not at the level offensively, IMO, to stay with the Patsies juggernaut offense. To beat them, the defense must step up, cover as tightly as possible, man-to-man and put considerable pressure on Brady. To a lesser extent we must do the same to all other opponents. If the team can do that, we have a good chance of winning 9 or maybe 10 games.
The team as a whole is improving. It appears coaching is better than in past years. Tannehill looks more poised and more certain of what he needs to do. There's still plenty of room for improvement; it's just a question of whether he has the ability to get to that level. I hope he does and gets there soon.
I'll give the subs their due because they certainly did better than what we had in Turner & Thomas vs. Tenn. But for a realistic shot at playoffs, I think getting at least 2 of the starters back is necessary. I'm not counting on Pouncey but Tunsil & Albert need to get back asap. For the future, the defense still has a lot of holes as SF showed us yesterday. Need to upgrade line-backing & get a young pass rougher to groom. Still need more depth at corner back but a lot depends on whether Xavien Howard ends up being decent & whether Lippett continues to improve.
Part of the problem yesterday is that the lack of a running game really exposed our defense. When we can run the ball well, we can control the clock, limit the possessions and time of possession, and keep teams from coming back on us like that.
We will need our O-Line at least 80% healthy for the Ravens and Cards.
I'd be surprised if Pouncey plays at all this year. Getting Tunsil & Albert back would be huge. Easier to make up for missing one lineman than your three best.
It's still gonna be tough because of the Western Division. Look every one of those damn teams, even SD with a losing record, is there.
Translation: They will gobble one Division Championship spot and probably the two other wild cards which translates into: We have to take the AFC East against New England to get into the playoffs.
I certainly was not the one talking about draft choices this year but whoever was was neither a traitor nor a loon. He was just being realistic.
As far as the west goes, Denver still plays the Pats, Chiefs, Raiders and Tenny. KC still has Tenny, Atl, Raiders, Denver and S.D., so while we still need to take care of business, the West getting 3 playoff spots isn't a lock by any stretch.
I was more worried about Rivers and the Chargers than I am about Flacco and the Ravens. They're 4-0 against their crappy division and 2-5 outside of it.
If we get Tunsil and Albert back we'll find a way to win this game.
jsm08 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was more worried about Rivers and the Chargers
> than I am about Flacco and the Ravens. They're
> 4-0 against their crappy division and 2-5 outside
> of it.
>
> If we get Tunsil and Albert back we'll find a way
> to win this game.
I hope you are right jsm08, This is the first game I have a check in the L column since PITT. I was wrong then and hope that Im wrong now. I am afraid of the Ravens front 7 totally shutting down our running game and then going after Tanne. Their D is #1 against the run and #2 overall. Corners used to be their weakness but the D backfield is pretty good this year.
Tannehill will have to continue to excel for us to pull this one out. He is better than Flacco, luck is such a big part of his game. If Wake and company hit Flacco early and often he can be rattled into INTs.
This is the game where the Phins need to take that giant step for Phinkind.
Yeah Mizzou, I'm a little worried about this one as well with a beat up offensive line. With that said, ran well against the Jets and the Chargers, both had top 5 defenses against the run when we played them (jets were #1). Teams have been stacking the box and making RT beat them, and he has been. My fear with Baltimore is that they don't need to stack the box to play great against the run.
We need to establish the run early, I almost see us going downfield early to open up the run game.
The Ravens are a 3 1/2 point favorite. They're 6-5 and have been beaten at home by the Raiders and Redskins. They have been beaten on the road by Giants, jets and Cowboys. It'll be a tough game but, they're not dominant like in years past. Three of their wins have come against the Browns (twice) and once against the Jags.
........................................
The Clown Show Continues
-
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2016 03:04PM by Hooligan2.
mizzou15 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jsm08 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was more worried about Rivers and the
> Chargers
> > than I am about Flacco and the Ravens. They're
> > 4-0 against their crappy division and 2-5
> outside
> > of it.
> >
> > If we get Tunsil and Albert back we'll find a
> way
> > to win this game.
>
>
> I hope you are right jsm08, This is the first game
> I have a check in the L column since PITT. I was
> wrong then and hope that Im wrong now. I am afraid
> of the Ravens front 7 totally shutting down our
> running game and then going after Tanne. Their D
> is #1 against the run and #2 overall. Corners used
> to be their weakness but the D backfield is pretty
> good this year.
>
> Tannehill will have to continue to excel for us to
> pull this one out. He is better than Flacco, luck
> is such a big part of his game. If Wake and
> company hit Flacco early and often he can be
> rattled into INTs.
>
> This is the game where the Phins need to take that
> giant step for Phinkind.