Death of a Finatic (symbolic)

[FSU Truth]

We are last in almost all offensive categories in the league. Do we have the dumbest, lazyest, most unprofessional, untalented, undisciplined players in the league. I don't think so. What's left, its coaching. Sometimes things are not that complicated.

People have pointed out the intellect of the players as well as some being lazy. Juice has shown an inability to run option routes, Pouncey misses line calls consistently, this is evident in the fact that in the last three years when he has been out with an injury, the line, as a whole, has looked better. JT has finally had a game where looked like he actually gave a damn and I'm not sure anyone can explain what the hell is going on with Tunsil. The consistent offsides by players on 1st down show a lack of concentration. The idea that as a whole the team is the extream you mention is obviously not the case, but we are also a 4-4 team with significant issues at key positions. The defense has faltered significantly since Thomas has been thrust into a starting position. The line has always been an issue and that blame does fall on both Gase and the front office for not addressing it in the offseason.

The fact that after running a QB out there that was retired 3 months ago, dealing with the worst travel schedule of any team in the NFL, having his entire team displaced for a week because of a Hurricane, we have no bye week and the team is still .500. The guy is doing as well of a job as can be hoped for.

 

[royalshank]

So the guy remembers games from the 70s but doesn't remember a game two weeks ago with the subsequent admission by Gase that he cut the playbook down to a bare minimum because his players don't get it? So much for not creating plays to the strength of your players.
What kind of tailored game plan can you have when one of your best receivers has no clue where to be on the field on a very easy play call and had to get yelled at by the QB?

Now let's straighten good ol' Finatic Bob's selective memory a little.
Shula was a great coach, no doubt, but he was also very flawed. His "adjusting" playbooks to personal was one of the reasons Dan never got his ring. He rode Marino's arm all mthe way to the bitter end of his coaching career. He never attempted to make a serious effort to get a running game. Our OL was purely pass protect. That's all he banked on.
- Jim Kelly (Thurman Thomas)
- Troy Aikman (Emmit Smith)
- John Elways (Terrel Davis)
- Payton Manning (Edgerin James)

Shula was never interested in adding a running game. He was piss poor loyal to coaches (Olivadetti) and lacked the vision that the game had changed from Marino's first two years. You either have to have a mobile QB (Young and Montana) with a complementary RB or have an old fashion pocket passer with a franchise RB.
We were good enough to make the playoffs but never good enough to make it back to the Superbowl.
In 1995 Huizenga gave Shula his final run. He gave him everything he needed. We signed 13 former first round draft picks but Shula could not get the Dolphins past a 9-7 record and another first round loss. The game outlived him by a few years.

Trashing on JJ is a 20/20 hindsight (with suppressed facts). JJ was the right choice. The Dolphins needed another big name following Shula. JJ had the reputation down here (from his Hurricanes days) and was a successful NFL coach. But he stepped into something which had an unwanted side effect from Shula's last year. Dead cap money. The 1995 season cost us so much that JJ was cash strapped for his entire tenure as coach. It was so bad that we still paid Brian Cox while he was already playing with the NY Jets.
JJ could never get the defense he wanted.
And Marino? He essentially abandoned us because he was the baby everybody knew he was. Wannstedt made clear to him that he would ask for less from him but would like to establish a running game (which was JJ's dream as well). But the spoiled brat he was and Marino not realizing that his arm is getting a little weaker and the little mobility he had slowly diminishing he rather quit on us instead of helping a new coach having a smooth transition. The end.
While Shula and Marino will always be the greatest coach/QB tandem we have had and will be engraved in our history forever we cannot overlook the flaws and that, in the end, they were themselves part of the reason of our problems.

Wannstedt was a crappy coach no doubt. But the chance we had to turn the franchise around came in 2005. For me that will always be the moment we missed a great opportunity. Listing crappy coaches is one thing. We all can do that. But why did we have all these crappy coaches? That's what separates you from an uninformed Finatic and an informed Finatic.

In 2005 Huizenga talked to Ron Wolf, one of the great minds of football. If I am a team owner and one of the great minds of football gives me advice I better listen. Wolf recommended a young up and coming executive he used to work with during his Green Bay days: Ted Thompson. But Huizenga loves big names and disregarded the advice and hired the college football "bombshell" Saban and a weak GM in Mueller. Saban was in charge and Mueller went along for the ride. Saban bombed and Mueller was a shell. So we went from Mueller to Ireland to Hickey to Grier (and throw in Parcell for a good mix of garbage) and on the coaching front we went from bad to worse to underground vomit.

So what did Ted Thompson do? He talked to another team and they were happy to take him as a GM (also recommended by Wolf). He got his new team a new franchise QB, a capable coach, drafted players who love to play for the team. 9 seasons out of 11 they made the playoffs, won the Superbowl once during that time and is every year a team you have to beat to get to the playoffs and/or Superbowl.
The Green Bay Packers of the last 11 years are the Miami Dolphins North.

So, what have we learned today Finatical Bob?
a) there is a reason why we are where we are.
b) as much as we love Shula and Marino they both were the biggest hurdle to climb over. As they say: when your strength becomes your weakness...
c) not every shiny object is gold.
d) facts are a very complicated thing
e) now you are an informed finatical

I agree w much of this. However, Wanny didn't give Dan the choice of staying around so I'm not sure where that came from. The year we had about 20 1st round picks on the roster was horrible.

 

[Snakell Beast]

We are last in almost all offensive categories in the league. Do we have the dumbest, lazyest, most unprofessional, untalented, undisciplined players in the league. I don't think so. What's left, its coaching. Sometimes things are not that complicated.

Precisely. 'Tis a poor workman who blames his tools.

Miami is not the most talented team in the league, but we have weapons and we were ready to compete NOW. Granted we got behind the 8 ball to begin with after Ryan went down, but that's as much a symptom of mismanagement as it is bad luck.

I don't know whose decision it was, the incredibly foolish decision to put off surgery for Tannehill, but it is yet another example of a management team that can't get out of its own way.

Gase deserves a few more seasons before we dump him, but I'm already done with the front office.

 

[Snakell Beast]

The guy is doing as well of a job as can be hoped for.

Not true at all. This team has had opportunities to thrive this season, and we've mostly come up short. Our offensive line needs another overhaul, and Cutler just has this uncanny ability to look good while losing, so I'll hold off on advocating to fire Gase for at least a few more seasons pending resolution to the QB scenario, but the early returns are far too familiar for me to have much hope left. As far as him persevering, it's no more true than not. I've felt his game plans are limiting and the games are boring to watch. I'd rather go 1-15 with excitement than go 7-9 hanging on for dear life and dinking short passes with 3rd down draws all season.

 

[andyahs]

Precisely. 'Tis a poor workman who blames his tools.

Miami is not the most talented team in the league, but we have weapons and we were ready to compete NOW. Granted we got behind the 8 ball to begin with after Ryan went down, but that's as much a symptom of mismanagement as it is bad luck.

I don't know whose decision it was, the incredibly foolish decision to put off surgery for Tannehill, but it is yet another example of a management team that can't get out of its own way.

Gase deserves a few more seasons before we dump him, but I'm already done with the front office.

It was Tannehill's decision and his alone.

 

[Finland]

Lots of good thoughts above. One thing I remember about Shula is he would script the first drive and follow it unless things really looked off about it when the game started. I've been perplexed sometimes at how slow, unorganized and undisiplined we look starting games. Man we had a penalty before the first snap recently.

Overall though I think the game is a lot more advanced these days. Players are more talented and trained overall I would say, they are harder to manage and control, and I'm not so sure anyone would want Shula running the ship now, as some jokingly ask for. I no longer view the perfect season as the best team outing in a year. There have been teams more recently that would demolish that team. But that's just me.

So to say Shula would never do this or that is sort of irrelevant. Times have changed and running the ship has to change with it.

 

[Avigatorx]

It is not that easy to find articles from back then. The Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post did report on these things in their hardcopies. Unfortunately online archives often don't go back that far.

I did find a couple links from 2004/2005
Here is one article:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2004-01-09/sports/0401090020_1_ron-wolf-dolphins-packers

and here is a newspaper clipping from the Post
View attachment 10219 View attachment 10220

In regards to the salary cap I only found a Sports Illustrated link. Back then the Sun Sentinel ran the numbers year-by-year.

View attachment 10221

https://www.si.com/vault/1998/08/17...-ready-to-showcase-the-teams-homegrown-talent

That has to do for now.

The thing though is that these issues were well known back in the 90s and 2000s. These are no insider secrets and/or grabbed out-of-the-blue reports. And simply to understand where we are right now you have to go back and look at the route we have taken.

Thanks for the links bro:) Sorry to make you dig all that stuff up.

The articles werent really clear on why Thompson wasnt hired though. Was it us, or did he decline the job?

 

[phins_4_ever]

Thanks for the links bro:) Sorry to make you dig all that stuff up.

The articles werent really clear on why Thompson wasnt hired though. Was it us, or did he decline the job?

It was us.
At that point Huizenga played with the idea to hire Spurrier as well. Thompson and Spurrier? No way.
He then went the route to hire Saban. Saban and Thompson? No way.
Mueller was the right (and weak) GM for big, stubborn coaches like Saban.

I remember an interview back then that Thompson wanted control over football operations including HC. He later got his wish in Green Bay and fired Sherman. Sherman had one sub .500 season but made the playoffs pretty much every year.

Maybe one of these days I do a deeper search and find some more stuff. There has to be more somewhere. :roflmao Most out of town people are like "what? No way." It was a huge issue on sports talk back then. I think it used to be 790 WAXY at that time. Since WAXY was further south than WQAM and WIOD I had a rough time getting them in Palm Beach County. Car was always the best option. :D
I have family up in Wisconsin. They are huge Packers fans. (Packers are my second favorite team). And when we get together Thompson is a frequent subject. They still thank me for the Dolphins rejecting Thompson.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

After things stay in house for over a year, its time to take another approach.

Perhaps. I certainly give Gase some leeway here.

 

[JakeemThe Dream]

Well said.

Thank you!! PHINS UP!!

 

[JakeemThe Dream]

It was us.
At that point Huizenga played with the idea to hire Spurrier as well. Thompson and Spurrier? No way.
He then went the route to hire Saban. Saban and Thompson? No way.
Mueller was the right (and weak) GM for big, stubborn coaches like Saban.

I remember an interview back then that Thompson wanted control over football operations including HC. He later got his wish in Green Bay and fired Sherman. Sherman had one sub .500 season but made the playoffs pretty much every year.

Maybe one of these days I do a deeper search and find some more stuff. There has to be more somewhere. :roflmao Most out of town people are like "what? No way." It was a huge issue on sports talk back then. I think it used to be 790 WAXY at that time. Since WAXY was further south than WQAM and WIOD I had a rough time getting them in Palm Beach County. Car was always the best option. :D
I have family up in Wisconsin. They are huge Packers fans. (Packers are my second favorite team). And when we get together Thompson is a frequent subject. They still thank me for the Dolphins rejecting Thompson.

Cool stuff bro!! Inside info is always awesome (:

 

[JakeemThe Dream]

We are last in almost all offensive categories in the league. Do we have the dumbest, lazyest, most unprofessional, untalented, undisciplined players in the league. I don't think so. What's left, its coaching. Sometimes things are not that complicated.

Well yelling at your coaches, not knowing your routes, not studying your playbook is about as unprofessional and lazy as it gets. Pouncey all but admitted that they were slacking. We looked pretty undisciplined last game (although that was a ref issue IMO). If you were the Head Coach, would you put up with that garbage? No player denied anything Gase said. He must be telling the truth. Yes, we are extremely talented which is why we should be better. I agree with that. Although, we do have Jay Cutler at QB lol and we're still 4-4. I thought Gase called a great game last week. Execution is the reason things look so bad.

 

[Aquablood]

Well yelling at your coaches, not knowing your routes, not studying your playbook is about as unprofessional and lazy as it gets. Pouncey all but admitted that they were slacking. We looked pretty undisciplined last game (although that was a ref issue IMO). If you were the Head Coach, would you put up with that garbage? No player denied anything Gase said. He must be telling the truth. Yes, we are extremely talented which is why we should be better. I agree with that. Although, we do have Jay Cutler at QB lol and we're still 4-4. I thought Gase called a great game last week. Execution is the reason things look so bad.

You completely missed my point. I am sure the players were slacking as you put it. I agreed with you there. The questions need to ask are; why suddenly dolphins players are slacking? Why players on the other teams do not ( or not to our degree ) ‘slack’? Given the same circumstance, will other coaches in the league do a better job? ( including a contingency plan for center position during off season ). Our offense looks totally unprepared to start every game, does it totally fall on players?

We need to answer these questions. Not just say Gase took us to playoff in his first year, therefore he can do no wrong.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Some guys are just turds.

You flush turds.

 

[Bumpus]

Hmm ... Finatic Bob was 10 years old in '66 ... WOW! I didn't know that! He must be right. :facepalm


Why the **** do people on the internet feel the need to whip out credentials? Like they mean a damn thing from an anonymous person anyway. :laugh