IF we miss the playoffs this season, would you consider this season a failure?

[jvw]

Failure at 8-8, we started 3-0 and then lost two games we should have won Balt-Buf......if we win two of the next three and don't make it I will give them a pass at 9-7 we would be 1 game shy of what I felt we were capable of getting when the season started.....I would be happy with the development of RT unless he's the reason we lose this next few games....

 

[psfign]

There's no "rule", and i'd consider it more than just an "exception" when it's happened so many times in the last decade.

well if there's no rule, then there's no exception to it, is there? But whatever, you keep your high expections and we'll both have to hope we get better wether or not we're churning new coaches every other year.

 

[MartinTheSNAKE]

... And that last sentence is where you lose credibility. Where were all of Jim Harbaugh's growing pains? Did it take 3 years for Belichick to win with NE? John Gruden with the Bucs? Etc.

There is a huge difference between the teams. Ireland and Philbin had to do a complete rebuild. Harbaugh had a QB already in Alex Smith and some solid players around him. Ireland and Philbin started from scratch. Parcells did a pretty crappy job here with drafting players and assembling a roster. The Majority of starters on this team are players drafted by Ireland. And a few FA he has added. This team is very young and there will be some growing pains along the way. Our QB is getting better game after game and this coaching staff seems to be doing a good job with developing players as seen by the amount of players who have stepped up this year into bigger roles.

I dont see this season as a loss because i wasnt going into this season thinking we would compete for a superbowl. I expected some bumps and bruises along the way and didnt think we would be as good as we were this season. Yes we should have a few more wins then we do, but **** happens. I did not see Tannehill playing as well as he did. He has been a huge suprise to me and is going to keep improving.

Im exited to see what this team looks like next season and exited to see how we finish the rest of this season. But if we miss the playoffs, i dont see it as a total failure. IF we finish 7-9 though i would be extremely dissapointed.

 

[Vaark]

Good Poll EGoat :up: Voted happy with progress instead of failure mostly because I do not want my name lumped in witho some of the usual suspects very likely to end up in that grouping.

 

[Chri$]

i honestly predicted 10-6 season before the season started
but all i know is if we can get in these playoffs no team scares me at all! not even denver
only teams i worry about are in the NFC

 

[MartinTheSNAKE]

i honestly predicted 10-6 season before the season started
but all i know is if we can get in these playoffs no team scares me at all! not even denver
only teams i worry about are in the NFC

Meh.. i predicted 10-6 or 9-7 which is what we should end up being. But we had a few games in the bag that we lost on pure WTFness. Nobody could have predicted how bad the O line would be in the first half of the season. Had the O line not been ****, we would have won that buffalo game. Probably win the Ravens game as well. ANd the Panthers were 4-10 on their 20 and got really lucky and ended up scoring and winning.

**** happens. But i see real potential with this team. And im exited for the near future and ready to start making some deep playoff runs. Hopefully it starts this year, but if it doesnt then i wouldnt consider it a failure. Now next year is a different story.

 

[Bob512]

From a record standpoint....9-7 would be a success in my mind. 8-8 would be a disappointment. Under any circumstances, not making the playoffs is a huge disappointment....but I see progress in this team and while we have lost some games we should have won, we also won some games we used to lose (Indy, Atlanta, Bengals, Steelers and San Diego). We have 3 games left and have a chance to go 10-6. At the beginning of the year, I looked at the first 5 games on the schedule and thought we could easily be 1-4 after that stretch.

 

[Chri$]

Meh.. i predicted 10-6 or 9-7 which is what we should end up being. But we had a few games in the bag that we lost on pure WTFness. Nobody could have predicted how bad the O line would be in the first half of the season. Had the O line not been ****, we would have won that buffalo game. Probably win the Ravens game as well. ANd the Panthers were 4-10 on their 20 and got really lucky and ended up scoring and winning.

**** happens. But i see real potential with this team. And im exited for the near future and ready to start making some deep playoff runs. Hopefully it starts this year, but if it doesnt then i wouldnt consider it a failure. Now next year is a different story.

yea im just finally getting over that carolina loss after back 2 back wins to numb the pain
i will be fully cured of that 4th n 10 play if we beat the PAYtriots

 

[PCmor]

I really don't know how to answer. I'd consider it a major disappointment, but not an out-and-out failure. I've seen a lot of things that I question and a lot of things I have reservations about, but I've also seen progress made.

I'd like to see some changes in the FO and coaching staff, but I also wouldn't be devastated if the Dolphins nearly stood pat in those areas. The team needs a major upgrade in depth, IMO, and I'm not sure Ireland can accomplish that, but I won't mutiny if he's back, either.

Next year, though, expectations should be very high. If this team misses the playoffs this year and next, heads should roll.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Good Poll EGoat :up: Voted happy with progress instead of failure mostly because I do not want my name lumped in witho some of the usual suspects very likely to end up in that grouping.

I agree that it's a good poll but after the way this team started, the couple of losses to bad opponents we took, and the opportunity we have now when it's all on the line... man, I'd be pretty bummed out if we don't find a way to get in.

 

[MartinTheSNAKE]

I agree that it's a good poll but after the way this team started, the couple of losses to bad opponents we took, and the opportunity we have now when it's all on the line... man, I'd be pretty bummed out if we don't find a way to get in.

Yea but they are losses which SHOULD have been wins. Freak losses that just dont happen. We outplayed these teams. Carolina.. How the **** do they march down the field 4-10 on their own 20? ANd score a TD? **** happens. THe chances of us losing being up against the bills on a strip fumble at the 45 or w.e... **** happens. We totally outplayed the Ravens.. they got lucky late. **** happens.

Pats came back all thanks to the refs and 3 horrible calls. Bullgate going down before we play the Bucs. 5 games that we SHOULD have won... In retrospect... We should be 12-1 right now... 5 turn of events caused us to be where we are at now. I see the potential in this team and they have played well enough to be in EVERY game except for New Orleans.

 

[ProStyle]

This season is already a failure. We should've been winning the division and having a Bye.

 

[gofins60]

Well my explanation is not up there so I would say this season would be a failure because we have blown large leads against NE/Carolina and lost to a 3rd string quarterback and a winless team. I am not really concerned with the Saints loss or Ravens loss and I understand this is a young team but even going 1-3 or 2-2 in those games would have made a HUGE difference. Buffalo and Tampa were games that they absolutely should have won. To me that makes it disappointing and a failure if we do not make the playoffs since the opportunity to do so was pretty easy given all the injuries the pats have endured and a majority of the afc looking average. With all that said, I am very happy with the direction this team is headed with the development of Tanney, Clay stepping up, Brent Grimes and the defense looking good.

I say changes need to be made even if they make the playoffs. If I were Ross, I'd focus on finding answers to these questions:

1. Who is ultimately to blame for NOT upgrading the o-line? They looked bad in preseason and at the start of the regular season, so why was nothing done? I know Ireland only brought in cheap Free Agents and a draft pick that can't play. Did the coaching staff demand better players? Why were no changes made to the o-line until after the meeting with Ross? The poor o-line play has led directly to losses, so someone needs to be held accountable for not fixing it.

2. Why did this team dominate the Pats and Panthers in the first half, only to be shut out in the second and lose? It appears that our coaching staff is being out-coached in the second half of nearly every game.

 

[Hayden Fox]

I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted progress. Jury is still out. The last two weeks there has been progress. However, three games are left to determine what this season consists of.

 

[maralieus]

You can argue all you want, it was a bad draft along with million wasted in FA. I'm fine with giving Philbin another year but Ireland has been given more than enough time and has proven his incompetence.

I don't see our FA's as being all that bad. Gibson was a very good pickup, Clabo has turned it around, Wallace gets a lot of flack, but with a new team, new scheme, a QB that hasn't shown he can throw the long ball consistently, and a terrible o-line for most of the year, I give him a pass. Hell he may still break 1000 yards this season. Not to mention how much it has opened up the middle of the field for our other guys. Ellerbe I'm not sold on, but haven't given up on either, Wheeler might suck but still not positive. Grimes was the FA pickup of the year in the whole league IMO.