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Cautious Optimism

juicifer1269

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I think what Flores has done with this team, that has the worst total roster that I’ve ever seen, is as impressive as what any coach we’ve had since Shula has done.
Jimmy Johnson drafted hall of famers on defense but could never get the run game fixed and was stuck with a starting to decline, and newly injury prone Marino.
Wanny was a bad game day coach and was successful with Jimmys players. The Ricky Williams trade was a great move. Ricky melted down or it could have been franchise changing.
Saban did a really good job with a not good roster. Derek Henry’s uncle is a Dolphins fan and frequented the restaurant that I worked at for 13 years. When he went to Bama for Henry’s recruiting visit, he asked Saban why he left and he said that he wanted to sign Brees and the GM (can’t remember who it was back then) signed Culpepper so he left the following off season. Saban told him that it was his intention to stay at Miami for a long time but decided to leave. Saban could have been good for us.
Every coach since, other than Cameron, has had some big moments but all had extended streaks of bad play, bad FA moves, and continued mediocrity.
These players played hard for Flores this year. Fitz is better than what any other no win team has had but the roster in its entirety has been as bad as any I’ve ever seen. 5 wins with that roster is better than anything that any of the above mentioned coaches had done.
I’m very optimistic for the future. It was a better than expected start to this rebuild but there is still a lot to do before we are regularly competitive. They have to get the young QB right and they need to get both lines exponentially better. I do love Wilkins though. I wonder if we’d have been better off with Tunsil, Minkah, and Stills. These are the positions that we need to improve the most and they were talented.
I won’t try to lie and pretend that I haven’t been excited at the beginning, or at least after the first year, of each regime we’ve had here since the 1980s but this feels different than the others.
 
Been a Fins fan since 1971. I've never seen a head coach (including the best of all time, Don Shula) do more with less than what Brian Flores did this season. Does that mean he'll continue to get over achievement from a much more talented roster? That remains to be seen, but I join you in your cautious optimism.

I haven't seen the sun shine this bright on this organization since the mid-80's. What gives me hope is how this coaching staff has gotten results from undrafted guys as well as guys who weren't performing earlier like Rowe, Gesicki, Parker, Needham & Biegel. I'm really looking forward to what the trimvirate of Grier/Allen/McKenzie will do with their wealth of picks & cap money & knowing that the days of idiotic signings like Suh/Wallace/Wheeler/Ellerbe are a thing of the past.
 
I have found myself at ODDS with Omar Kelley this season, mainly because he's not a fan of the team, but one thing I agree with him on is that this season is the time to judge Flores as a legit HC and not a dicw roll.

I'm satisfied with AT LEAST a .500 record neXT season, nothing less...possibly more.
 
I think what Flores has done with this team, that has the worst total roster that I’ve ever seen, is as impressive as what any coach we’ve had since Shula has done.
Jimmy Johnson drafted hall of famers on defense but could never get the run game fixed and was stuck with a starting to decline, and newly injury prone Marino.
Wanny was a bad game day coach and was successful with Jimmys players. The Ricky Williams trade was a great move. Ricky melted down or it could have been franchise changing.
Saban did a really good job with a not good roster. Derek Henry’s uncle is a Dolphins fan and frequented the restaurant that I worked at for 13 years. When he went to Bama for Henry’s recruiting visit, he asked Saban why he left and he said that he wanted to sign Brees and the GM (can’t remember who it was back then) signed Culpepper so he left the following off season. Saban told him that it was his intention to stay at Miami for a long time but decided to leave. Saban could have been good for us.
Every coach since, other than Cameron, has had some big moments but all had extended streaks of bad play, bad FA moves, and continued mediocrity.
These players played hard for Flores this year. Fitz is better than what any other no win team has had but the roster in its entirety has been as bad as any I’ve ever seen. 5 wins with that roster is better than anything that any of the above mentioned coaches had done.
I’m very optimistic for the future. It was a better than expected start to this rebuild but there is still a lot to do before we are regularly competitive. They have to get the young QB right and they need to get both lines exponentially better. I do love Wilkins though. I wonder if we’d have been better off with Tunsil, Minkah, and Stills. These are the positions that we need to improve the most and they were talented.
I won’t try to lie and pretend that I haven’t been excited at the beginning, or at least after the first year, of each regime we’ve had here since the 1980s but this feels different than the others.

Just posted some PFF grades. what I found interesting was how almost all players grades improved as the season progressed. Mot surprisingly, very few grades were good 1st 4 games. Quite a few good grades the last 5. Obviously, the 1st 4 games were still learning a system AND against 4 solid teams. As it turned out, I predicted 4-5 wins, but I didn't expect the trades of solid players, nor did I expect the number of injuries. Yeah, I'm optimistic.
 
I am optimistic that Flores will coach up the team with an influx of talent. However, I am not optimistic of another year of Fitzmagic. If only he was 5 years younger... If Rosen is not the answer either, which seems to be more and more probable, then we have to address the QB position in the draft. Whoever we draft can sit for most of next year, but has got to be the answer in 2021.
 
I have found myself at ODDS with Omar Kelley this season, mainly because he's not a fan of the team, but one thing I agree with him on is that this season is the time to judge Flores as a legit HC and not a dicw roll.

I'm satisfied with AT LEAST a .500 record neXT season, nothing less...possibly more.
what if we go 6-10 next year? is year 3 playoffs or bust? seems like now coaches are getting less time than ever. it was a great job by flores and co. to keep this group playing hard and win 5 games, but september of next year it will mean nothing.
 
I love what Flores has done. He's transformed the public perception and mantra, on his own. Miami went from a team all the TV talking heads bashed, for its perceived tanking, to respect for what was being accomplished with what was on the roster. No one saw this coming. Flores has instilled discipline and hard nosed football, something that was seriously lacking in prior coaching staffs. His fire and desire along the sidelines reminds me of Shula in his younger days. I admire what I saw in that final game against New England. The entire team came together and accomplished something more talented Dolphins teams could not: that was to go into New England and beat them in their house. Optimism is abound in Dolphin Land, thanks in no small part to a man from Brooklyn New York, who has single handedly given all Dolphins Fans Hope, once again.
 
I have found myself at ODDS with Omar Kelley this season, mainly because he's not a fan of the team, but one thing I agree with him on is that this season is the time to judge Flores as a legit HC and not a dicw roll.

I'm satisfied with AT LEAST a .500 record neXT season, nothing less...possibly more.
Omar is a blow hard douche bag.
Some of us have been judging Flores as a legit HC from the day he was hired.
It's nice that our beat writer finally caught up...he's still a D bag.
 
Been a Fins fan since 1971. I've never seen a head coach (including the best of all time, Don Shula) do more with less than what Brian Flores did this season. Does that mean he'll continue to get over achievement from a much more talented roster? That remains to be seen, but I join you in your cautious optimism.

I haven't seen the sun shine this bright on this organization since the mid-80's. What gives me hope is how this coaching staff has gotten results from undrafted guys as well as guys who weren't performing earlier like Rowe, Gesicki, Parker, Needham & Biegel. I'm really looking forward to what the trimvirate of Grier/Allen/McKenzie will do with their wealth of picks & cap money & knowing that the days of idiotic signings like Suh/Wallace/Wheeler/Ellerbe are a thing of the past.

And more than the results, we could see it on the field. On defense guys are wrapping up better and swarming to the ball. And I can't think of any time when I thought the team was simply flat and wasn't giving significant effort.
 
what if we go 6-10 next year? is year 3 playoffs or bust? seems like now coaches are getting less time than ever. it was a great job by flores and co. to keep this group playing hard and win 5 games, but september of next year it will mean nothing.

Depends on what they do at QB. If they wait until 2021 to pick one, which is year 3, then those are some really unfair expectations with a rookie QB. Realistically, year 3 is essentially going to be the 'rookie' year of our future QB regardless. Assumption being that if they do take one in 2020 he sits most if not all of the season behind Fitz.
 
Yesterday we got word that former GM John Dorsey is out in Cleveland. Chris Grier is relatively at the same point right now that Dorsey was going in to the 2017 offseason. Main differences are that Grier has been with Miami for years, whereas Dorsey was hired as Browns GM in Dec, 2017. The other is that Grier hired Flores & Dorsey hired Freddie Freakin' Kitchens. No comparison there.

That said, when Dorsey came to Cleveland, he was handed a ton of salary cap $ & draft picks. The jury is still out on some of the draft picks, but Dorsey swung & missed wildly on Kitchens. Let's hope & pray that Grier makes the same kind of decisions with the $ & picks that he did with the hiring of Flores.

I have lots of friends & relatives living in NE Ohio. A year ago, they were singing Dorsey's praises. Today, most of them are glad to see him fired. How quickly things can turn!
 
Depends on what they do at QB. If they wait until 2021 to pick one, which is year 3, then those are some really unfair expectations with a rookie QB. Realistically, year 3 is essentially going to be the 'rookie' year of our future QB regardless. Assumption being that if they do take one in 2020 he sits most if not all of the season behind Fitz.

yeah the details will determine the expectations
 
And more than the results, we could see it on the field. On defense guys are wrapping up better and swarming to the ball. And I can't think of any time when I thought the team was simply flat and wasn't giving significant effort.

Agree especially with what they did with the quality of players, mostly NFL left overs. I have to say I think the coaching staff did a damn good job in which you have to take into consideration the talent they were working with.

Now I still see an inordinately crazy amount of missed tackles which at this stage hopefully is recognized and improvement or upgrade will be taken in the future ( critically important )...

But these players played with Heart. They never gave up or quit and left it all on the field pretty much every Sunday. I mean it's hard to ask for much more...and were showing improvement as time went on.

But being realistic we should be acquiring players a few notches better (talent wise) than that of this season.
And what Flores and the coaching staff does with actual talent still needs to be seen before I would make a fair assessment of Coach Flores real abilities. But up to now must say I'm very pleased...

lol...as if anybody really gives a hoot about my assessment......... or should...JMO
 
Agree especially with what they did with the quality of players, mostly NFL left overs. I have to say I think the coaching staff did a damn good job in which you have to take into consideration the talent they were working with.

Now I still see an inordinately crazy amount of missed tackles which at this stage hopefully is recognized and improvement or upgrade will be taken in the future ( critically important )...

But these players played with Heart. They never gave up or quit and left it all on the field pretty much every Sunday. I mean it's hard to ask for much more...and were showing improvement as time went on.

But being realistic we should be acquiring players a few notches better (talent wise) than that of this season.
And what Flores and the coaching staff does with actual talent still needs to be seen before I would make a fair assessment of Coach Flores real abilities. But up to now must say I'm very pleased...

lol...as if anybody really gives a hoot about my assessment......... or should...JMO
Your a Dolphins Fan, we all care about we think. Great post.
 
I do think Saban could have eventually won big here. I liked the defense he was putting together. The Brees decision has really hurt this franchise. No way around that.

As to Flores, he did a tremendous job. Watching the team late in the season, I was so impressed with the effort more than anything. Miami didn't give up. Even in the Cincy game, which was a near giveaway, the team rebounded at the end to get the win. I think Fitzpatrick was a big part of Miami's success and we know he's a short-term guy. That concerns me.

Where it goes from here nobody knows. But, once again, it comes down to the big decision at quarterback. Once again, it could be a decision on an injured quarterback (Tua), or a gamble on the likes of Herbert or Love.
 
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