For discussion..QB, team, system.

[BlueFin]

Bluefin, I don't think you can blame Jay for the minny and NE lossing a couple of years ago..Jay played great in both those games..our top 5 D let those games get away...in Minny 4th and 3..QB sneak gets first down. 11 point lead the next week with 4:11 left..Jay had a lot of great games, to include that Denver comeback with a broken finger.

I don't agree, the reality of those final two games is this:

1) Minnesota had a top three ranked offense and a bottom 3 ranked defense, it should have been easy for our offense to score points and our defense should have struggled to slow them down.

But what really happened was this...........................Our offense only produced 17 points on the 29th ranked defense in the league (2nd lowest total scored on Minnesota at home all year) and yet, you say Fiedler played great? , while our defense contained the leagues #2 offense to only 20 points (2nd lowest total Minnesota's high powered offense was held to at home all year) and yet you say they let us down?

2) At New England.........Fiedler was 3-14 passing in the second half for 24 yards.....are you kidding me? The biggest half of the biggest game of the freaking year and Fiedler is 3-14 for 24 yards?

We needed this game to reach the playoffs, and Fiedler couldn't produce when he was needed.

Of course, if you simply look at the QB ratings of Fiedler's historical 4th quarters you see his play drops dramatically in the 4th.

Did the defense falter late in the season, most likely due to being worn out from playing so many minutes all year saving Fiedler's arse? yes.

Could Fiedler ever compensate when the defense needed him.....? No.

 

[cnc66]

GRYPHONK, that was a good post. You left out the Buffalo and Jets collapses. Nobody has more anxiety attacks in the fourth quarter than us. How many of us were on the phone at halftime of the Jets game delerious with joy, and how many were sick after it. I sulked for weeks.When was the last time anyone felt safe with the defense on the field with two mins to go, us ahead by four. When it really mattered we really sucked. Enemy quarterbacks always seem to have enough time (remember Bledsoe with the broken finger? our defense made him a freakin' hero)and running backs always seem to get a first down..and then some.) I bring this history up to try and demonstrate a long term failing. Something about our basic defensive philosophy is flawed and has been for a long time. When you add this advantage to the enemy(there is something to be said for the confidence this failing gives the other team) with the certainty that the out route was about to be called... again(this out route failing goes all the way back to Danny's last two years) we really have not had much to be happy about. Can anyone here actually remember a time when we were better in December than in September? I've been a Dolphins fan cnc'66 and although I know that happened, I just can't recall the confidence, the swagger that comes with getting better every week. My hope is that Nick Saban can fix that. For the first time in many years I beleive it just might be fun to be a Miami Dolphins fan.

 

[mrbman013]

I am 40 years old and have been watching the fins since I was 6 years old and I think it is a combination of everything.David Woodley bless his soul wasnt the most gifted Q B,but one JOHN RIGGINS big run on 4th and 3 we win the super bowl that year.How about Trent dilfer or Brad johnson did they scare anyone buy themselves.So lets see with a new system and hopefully a better line and running game we have a chance

 

[MDFINFAN]

I don't agree, the reality of those final two games is this:

1) Minnesota had a top three ranked offense and a bottom 3 ranked defense, it should have been easy for our offense to score points and our defense should have struggled to slow them down.

But what really happened was this...........................Our offense only produced 17 points on the 29th ranked defense in the league (2nd lowest total scored on Minnesota at home all year) and yet, you say Fiedler played great? , while our defense contained the leagues #2 offense to only 20 points (2nd lowest total Minnesota's high powered offense was held to at home all year) and yet you say they let us down?

2) At New England.........Fiedler was 3-14 passing in the second half for 24 yards.....are you kidding me? The biggest half of the biggest game of the freaking year and Fiedler is 3-14 for 24 yards?

We needed this game to reach the playoffs, and Fiedler couldn't produce when he was needed.

Of course, if you simply look at the QB ratings of Fiedler's historical 4th quarters you see his play drops dramatically in the 4th.

Did the defense falter late in the season, most likely due to being worn out from playing so many minutes all year saving Fiedler's arse? yes.

Could Fiedler ever compensate when the defense needed him.....? No.

Of course you wouldn't agree, but 4th and 3 on a top 5 D, and they QB sneaked for a first down, that's hardly Jay's fault, in that game our O barely saw the field the 2nd half and when they did they scored, would have probably scored the winning TD had C. Carter not dropped a prefectly thrown ball by Jay to him in the endzone for would have been the winning TD. The Minny game is on the own your Top 5 D..the excuse that they were ranked 3rd doesn't excuse a 4th and 3 QB sneak.

In the NE game despite the 2nd half passing, we had a 11 point lead with 4:11 left. Bad calls to run out the clock added to this, 3 straight passes when Ricky was running all over them is dumb to me, plus this wasn't taking time off the clock..however, they stopped us. Our TOP 5 D, couldn't couldn't do the same. This is the same D that has kept Brady to a 58% completion rate on our us his whole career against us. When it counted our top 5 D couldn't rise to the occassion.

Jay rose to the occassion for our D in Denver, he played his heart out in NY to score 42 points in the midnight miracle...yep our Top 5 alway comes to the recue. Any time we've score in the last 5 years and left a 1-2 minutes on the clock, can you honestly said you felt comfortable about our top rated D stopping the other team? In most cases you'd be lying to say you could. But Jay finds away if the situation is reverse, just like the Oakland game.

 

[MDFINFAN]

Nope, that's not what I'm saying.

The defense absolutely won that game. The MVP voters missed a real opportunity b/c if ever there was a game where a collective unit deserved to share the MVP award, that was it. It would have been so appropriate considering this team's MO.




I don't remember his specific stats for the second half but they couldn't have been good. You have to remember that 2001 was Brady's first year starting. The coaching staff was not going to entrust the entire offense on such a young player. Throughout the entire season, Belichick & Weis, designed game plans to protect him. They were very conservative. Run on first, run on second, pass on 3rd.

Nice response!!

However, I never used Miami's defensive rank as an argument that was someone elses argument:D

However, no matter how much one may be able to knock Bray you can't take away his 3 out of 4 SB'S. He always seems to make those clutch plays.

In a time where faNs get glamoured and wowed by the Peyton Mannings, Daunte Culpepper's of the league it is nice to know that the Jake DElhommes are semi getting it done and the Tom Bradys are getting it done.

It seems as though statistically and draft wise you are better off not being a top pick lol.

I think GM'S and teams miss the ball right now. Teams are too one sided.

It is a team sport u always need a supporting cast around you.

Taylor would not be as successful had Madison and Surtain been such great cover corners. Surtain wouldn't have been so successful had Tyalor an dthe front 7 not been so good etc...

I iwll say this, I still don't think Brady is a franchise QB, However, right now there is no other QB I wold want leading my team if I was down by 6 with 5 mins left in the 4th quarter.

Now a days, u don't need that great QB. You simply need that QB that won't blow the game and who will make that 1 throw a game that needs to be made, that 1 special play a game that needs to be made. That's why guys like Brady are special. They may not have a great game but in the 4th when u need him to he usually always comes up with the big play. Delhomme did too the year they went to the SB.

That's one reason I always liked Fiedler. No Matter how bad he played, he always had us in position to tie or win late in the game. I always felt like there was a chance somehow. I am not putting him on Brady's level. Now whether he made something happen or not is a different story. But e always gave us a chance. Whether some fans will admit that or not:goof:

Good post...kind of tells the story of this thread..coaching, supporting cast, scheme, put brady and dellhome in the position to win..then by doing so, those qb's gain confidence that they can do in every game.