How Does A Planned Tank Job Work?

[circumstances]

.
Yeah.

The Colts never tanked for Luck.
Didn’t happen

They started Curtis Painter (and who knows who else, lol).

Nobody was throwing picks, fumbling the ball, missing field goals on purpose.

That Colts team was about as close to a "tank" as you're likely to find.

 

[AgentXof12]

You borrow a page from MLB's book regarding team building. Not every team in MLB is in "win now" mode.

1. Trade away every player you're convinced has either trade value or won't be part of the team in 2021.
2. Concentrate on building the lines
3. Invest in only experimental/potential/diamond in the rough types that need coached up for the skill positions.

For bonus points, if you want to keep things interesting in 2020, you begin building the offense but totally scrap the defense to ensure the team has to score a lot of points to keep games fun. If you look across the NFL right now, the only teams still in the playoffs are the 4 highest scoring teams. It's a must to have an offense that can score.

So you're always trying to win whatever game you're in, but you're just probably going to lose most of the games. It's like leaving a box of donuts next to a heavy individual with no self control... that box is gonna be empty when you return. If you put people at the skill positions who have a history of bad play, bad things are going to happen.

 

[opticblazed]

It will boil down to the QB. What is most likely to happen is we aren't going to be bad enough and the site will implode. We'll probably be between 6-10 and 8-8. We have too many offensive guys who can score on any play (Wilson, Grant, Drake) and too many good players in the secondary (Howard, Minkah). Those rooting for 1-15 and 2-14 will be very, very disappointed. You'll all tell me I'm wrong now, I'll remind you when I'M RIGHT. As we've learned nothing is better than being RIGHT about what we post on here.

That's what worries me, unless we get rid of those players also?

 

[The Closer]

How many Super Bowls have they won since that tank in 2011? Just curious so I can know how long it's going to take.

Yep. They haven’t won a Super Bowl. That should be the ONLY goal for any team.

What the Colts did, was tank and lose fans, then draft Dan Marino (although Andrew Luck is not nearly that good) and not acquire good enough supporting talent/coaching that it takes to win it ALL.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Start Fales or a Mark Sanchez type quarterback. Give all the young guys a shot, Ballage over Gore etc.

 

[foozool13]

You stick an ass clown QB in there for 16 games.

 

[Danny]

You never tank.

You play young players that you think have a future on your team to get them experience.

That's it.

Nobody is losing games on purpose.

Totally agree. We'll try to move all the guys over 30 that we can move. You build thru the draft with younger players. You might get a few free agents but those would be younger and cheaper players. No more over 30 vets in free agency. When you do that your team will just lose a lot of games that first year so they're not losing on purposed, it's just what happens when you clean up the roster and the cap.

 

[Michael Scott]

It's as easy as handing the starting QB job to Fales or Falk, IMO.

I hope we go 3-13. Beat the Pats here and sweep Gase.

 

[mrbunglez]

 

[DolfanISS]

Yep. They haven’t won a Super Bowl. That should be the ONLY goal for any team.

What the Colts did, was tank and lose fans, then draft Dan Marino (although Andrew Luck is not nearly that good) and not acquire good enough supporting talent/coaching that it takes to win it ALL.

They're getting there though. I was very disappointed with them Saturday as I thought with that line they'd be able to run it and Luck would be able to throw it on the Chiefs. Luck has always had a bad playoff game along the way every time he's been in. I think he would have melted in Foxboro, like he always does, anyway.

 

[DolfanISS]

Start Fales or a Mark Sanchez type quarterback. Give all the young guys a shot, Ballage over Gore etc.

Even Mark Sanchez would be too good. It has to be Painter/Kizer/Lemon bad to have a shot. We have 3 guys who will take short stuff to the house unless we are moving on from Wilson, Grant and Drake as well (doubtful). The best chance we have is having no backup QB and having who ever the starter is go down. Otherwise I'm rather confident just based on leftovers this team will not be 1-15 and 2-14 and Finheaven will implode a little more with each of the 6 or 7 wins.

 

[Nebraskphin]

Not a fan of the term "tank" at all. Does anybody really think that the Dolphins ownership, or anybody else who works for the team, already has it in their mind that they are going to intentionally lose most of their games next year (basically forfeit the season), so they can have a better chance of possibly drafting a franchise QB in 2020 that may or may not succeed? Sure, they may be thinking that a serious rebuild is happening, but nobody already has plans to "tank" next year. Yeah, I'd love a superstar QB as much as the next guy, but sacrificing your season before it even starts so that you have a better chance of getting someone on your team that excelled in college but has yet to throw a pass in the NFL is not the way to do it.

 

[The Closer]

They're getting there though. I was very disappointed with them Saturday as I thought with that line they'd be able to run it and Luck would be able to throw it on the Chiefs. Luck has always had a bad playoff game along the way every time he's been in. I think he would have melted in Foxboro, like he always does, anyway.

We got Dan Marino at #27, Aaron Rodgers was #24, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisburger, the list goes on forever.

You don’t have to tank to get a great QB. Period.

It’s a LOSER’S MENTALITY, that only breeds more losing.

 

[BlueFin]

It’s a youth movement... and you won’t see big free agent signings unless it’s maybe Nick Foles...

 

[DolfanISS]

We got Dan Marino at #27, Aaron Rodgers was #24, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisburger, the list goes on forever.

You don’t have to tank to get a great QB. Period.

It’s a LOSER’S MENTALITY, that only breeds more losing.

Oh I agree but the majority of this site does not. They all see Luck and his 0 rings and Baker with his 7 wins as the gold standard even though the 3 best active QB’s in the league were acquired via a 6th, the 25th overall and free agency.