testtubetimmy
Supreme Lord Emperor
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
- Messages
- 504
- Reaction score
- 28
- Age
- 40
Where to begin? I guess we'll chart a course similar to the Dolphins season the past few years; starting off strong but inevitably collapsing to expose the weak underbelly of a sub-par coaching career. Note that he is not a bad guy, which makes what comes next all the more disheartening. Can you still feel bad for someone after you demand he pack up his desk and go?
First off, you WANT Joe Philbin to succeed. This is the one of many parallels you'll notice that entwine the personality of both the coach and this team. You WANT the Dolphins to succeed, not just because you're a fan, but because you generally like who they've put on the field. You like the idea of Tannehill being the franchise QB when he displays perfect touch on passes, athletic ability and decision-making skills. You like the idea of Cam Wake eating Quarterbacks like popcorn and Brent Grimes one-arming interceptions in the end zone. This is a team of playmakers; you can see that. You see the potential within the team, and we see Philbin's too.
He throws challenge flags very well. Seldom missing a chance to correct an official, or spot a candy wrapper on the floor, he is very perceptive. If we were building him in Madden, Joe Philbin's Attention to Detail rating would be in the high 90s. This is a guy who prides himself on being well prepared, who knows how many snaps every player has taken, and who (after first being hired) Stephen Ross complimented as being very well organized. Joe Philbin is a professional.
Isn't that what want? Don't we appreciate the press conferences where he doesn't break down like [STRIKE]Rex Ryan[/STRIKE] a blubbering idiot? Shouldn't we celebrate Joe Philbin because he keeps it together? He keeps an even-keel even when his own players are screaming at him to do something different, anything to jump start a team that seems to collapse every f---ing week? No, this is where, like the Dolphins, Joe's good nature can't compensate for a lack of grit and passion.
When your boss, after being asked why in the world he hired you, can only muster an off-hand compliment about you being well organized, you know you're in trouble. The best element you brought to the table was a clean trapper-keeper with a Green Bay sticker on it. You weren't guy #1 on the list (Harbaugh) or guy #2 (Fischer) you emerged from a murky pool of "maybes" and "mehs." And, at the end of year 2 when the whole world would have nodded in silent agreement had Ross cleaned house fully, he decided to part ways with an antagonistic GM but give the nice guy one more shot. The justification? Joe's only working with the pieces Ireland gave him, and Ireland was fired for [STRIKE]not ceding power to Aponte[/STRIKE] doing a piss-poor job, so a case could be made to spare Mr. Nice Guy. With one condition: Get to the playoffs next year, Joe.
And here we are, a year removed from a 2 game collapse that ended our post-season hopes...and also a week removed from a 2 game collapse that ended our post-season hopes. Does it hurt more this time? Or does it strangely make sense?
To me, we lacked the fire that lacks in Philbin's eyes. He is a stand-up professional and his team attempts to radiate and reflect the same image. Just show up to work, do your job well, the winning will come. But in that mantra, you fail to account for the emotion and the heart of the game. Too often, Philbin leaves it to the boys on the field to inspire each other, to rally and win, as if the motivation for a fighting spirit was inherently built into the idea of being a professional. Yes, there should be leadership on the field, but a young player will repeat what his coach tells him. A young player will take cues from his coach, who in this case pushes him to do his job well and execute. Does his coach tell him to make a play? Does his coach grab him by the neck, with a steely resolve in his eyes, and say "Go win this, I've seen you do it" ? We don't know what Philbin tells Tannehill, outside of press conference ramblings and politically correct maneuvering. But something tells me, after never seeing Philbin raise his voice (except to mightily emphasize the points he is reading from his post-game note card) that our half-time adjustments don't inspire any Academy Award Winning performances. Oh, also being outscored by the Patriots 23-0 after keeping the game close ALSO tells me something is rotten with this coaching staff's halftime adjustments.
After that dismantling, the heart was gone from this team, and one has to wonder was it ever there to begin with?
So Joe Philbin, you may be well organized and observant as a hawk. You may be quick with a one-liner and very thorough with your game planning. But what you lack, what this team lacks, is the fire to turn it around at the last moment. To play with heart for all four quarters of a game. To outmaneuver and outsmart the enemy. To creatively utilize every option at your disposal. And to inspire your men to win when they cannot inspire themselves.
Maybe this is why Jim Harbaugh is such an appealing option for many Dolfans. His fiery passion conjures a spit-flecked caricature in your mind's eye, the exact opposite of Philbin's level-headed demeanor. Desperate fans ignore that his own team may be quitting on him, instead focusing on his magical turnaround of a basement-dwelling sub-team into a Super Bowl contender. Like him or not, Harbaugh's team is a reflection of himself: Intense, dominant, egotistical, mistake-prone, unlucky, fickle. Is he someone we want running this team? That remains to be seen.
Sadly, this is not an introduction (or endorsement) for a new coach, merely a final nod to a man so many hoped would climb the hill. Who was given another chance, after a national scandal rocked his locker room, to make things right; to prove that when the chips weren't stacked against him, he could deliver on a playoff win so elusive for so many years. And here we are like stood-up prom dates, watching the other kids drive to the after party as we carry our shoes home, wondering how many more times we can do this.
Goodbye, Joe Philbin. I wish I could say I didn't know this would happen. I think we both, deep down, knew you weren't the answer for the Dolphins. I wish you luck in your next endeavor, and good luck in the final two games of the season.
First off, you WANT Joe Philbin to succeed. This is the one of many parallels you'll notice that entwine the personality of both the coach and this team. You WANT the Dolphins to succeed, not just because you're a fan, but because you generally like who they've put on the field. You like the idea of Tannehill being the franchise QB when he displays perfect touch on passes, athletic ability and decision-making skills. You like the idea of Cam Wake eating Quarterbacks like popcorn and Brent Grimes one-arming interceptions in the end zone. This is a team of playmakers; you can see that. You see the potential within the team, and we see Philbin's too.
He throws challenge flags very well. Seldom missing a chance to correct an official, or spot a candy wrapper on the floor, he is very perceptive. If we were building him in Madden, Joe Philbin's Attention to Detail rating would be in the high 90s. This is a guy who prides himself on being well prepared, who knows how many snaps every player has taken, and who (after first being hired) Stephen Ross complimented as being very well organized. Joe Philbin is a professional.
Isn't that what want? Don't we appreciate the press conferences where he doesn't break down like [STRIKE]Rex Ryan[/STRIKE] a blubbering idiot? Shouldn't we celebrate Joe Philbin because he keeps it together? He keeps an even-keel even when his own players are screaming at him to do something different, anything to jump start a team that seems to collapse every f---ing week? No, this is where, like the Dolphins, Joe's good nature can't compensate for a lack of grit and passion.
When your boss, after being asked why in the world he hired you, can only muster an off-hand compliment about you being well organized, you know you're in trouble. The best element you brought to the table was a clean trapper-keeper with a Green Bay sticker on it. You weren't guy #1 on the list (Harbaugh) or guy #2 (Fischer) you emerged from a murky pool of "maybes" and "mehs." And, at the end of year 2 when the whole world would have nodded in silent agreement had Ross cleaned house fully, he decided to part ways with an antagonistic GM but give the nice guy one more shot. The justification? Joe's only working with the pieces Ireland gave him, and Ireland was fired for [STRIKE]not ceding power to Aponte[/STRIKE] doing a piss-poor job, so a case could be made to spare Mr. Nice Guy. With one condition: Get to the playoffs next year, Joe.
And here we are, a year removed from a 2 game collapse that ended our post-season hopes...and also a week removed from a 2 game collapse that ended our post-season hopes. Does it hurt more this time? Or does it strangely make sense?
To me, we lacked the fire that lacks in Philbin's eyes. He is a stand-up professional and his team attempts to radiate and reflect the same image. Just show up to work, do your job well, the winning will come. But in that mantra, you fail to account for the emotion and the heart of the game. Too often, Philbin leaves it to the boys on the field to inspire each other, to rally and win, as if the motivation for a fighting spirit was inherently built into the idea of being a professional. Yes, there should be leadership on the field, but a young player will repeat what his coach tells him. A young player will take cues from his coach, who in this case pushes him to do his job well and execute. Does his coach tell him to make a play? Does his coach grab him by the neck, with a steely resolve in his eyes, and say "Go win this, I've seen you do it" ? We don't know what Philbin tells Tannehill, outside of press conference ramblings and politically correct maneuvering. But something tells me, after never seeing Philbin raise his voice (except to mightily emphasize the points he is reading from his post-game note card) that our half-time adjustments don't inspire any Academy Award Winning performances. Oh, also being outscored by the Patriots 23-0 after keeping the game close ALSO tells me something is rotten with this coaching staff's halftime adjustments.
After that dismantling, the heart was gone from this team, and one has to wonder was it ever there to begin with?
So Joe Philbin, you may be well organized and observant as a hawk. You may be quick with a one-liner and very thorough with your game planning. But what you lack, what this team lacks, is the fire to turn it around at the last moment. To play with heart for all four quarters of a game. To outmaneuver and outsmart the enemy. To creatively utilize every option at your disposal. And to inspire your men to win when they cannot inspire themselves.
Maybe this is why Jim Harbaugh is such an appealing option for many Dolfans. His fiery passion conjures a spit-flecked caricature in your mind's eye, the exact opposite of Philbin's level-headed demeanor. Desperate fans ignore that his own team may be quitting on him, instead focusing on his magical turnaround of a basement-dwelling sub-team into a Super Bowl contender. Like him or not, Harbaugh's team is a reflection of himself: Intense, dominant, egotistical, mistake-prone, unlucky, fickle. Is he someone we want running this team? That remains to be seen.
Sadly, this is not an introduction (or endorsement) for a new coach, merely a final nod to a man so many hoped would climb the hill. Who was given another chance, after a national scandal rocked his locker room, to make things right; to prove that when the chips weren't stacked against him, he could deliver on a playoff win so elusive for so many years. And here we are like stood-up prom dates, watching the other kids drive to the after party as we carry our shoes home, wondering how many more times we can do this.
Goodbye, Joe Philbin. I wish I could say I didn't know this would happen. I think we both, deep down, knew you weren't the answer for the Dolphins. I wish you luck in your next endeavor, and good luck in the final two games of the season.
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