Just got back from Philly, and I'm forced to remove the homer glasses.

[XxFiN FaNxX]

Was in Philly/Jersey shore for past 2 weeks. Needless to say, it is all about the Eagles up there. Had to watch 2 pre-season games just to see some football. I had no computer access and got zero Dolphins info while there. But I had a chance to be an impartial observer of a successful franchise, and it forced me to realize we have a long way to go.

My observations:

-Eagles have the opposite strengths and weaknesses on offense. Besides TO, they have no decent receivers. Westbrook is not a stunning RB, although a good receiving back. But they have an awesome O-line and a great starting QB.

-Eagles fans laugh at us about the Feeley trade. No really, one laughed right in my face and asked if we wanted to give a 3rd round pick for their backup punter.

-Eagles fans may be obnoxious, but they are loyal and knowledgeable. They hold the players, coaches and owners accountable.

-McNabb is not a great QB from a passing standpoint. A surprisingly large percentage of his passes are low or behind his targets; his receivers make tough catches that make him look good. But he has what we're lacking. Poise, confidence, and the ability to keep a play alive and make something positive happen, but not out of desperation. His teammates know that and so they work hard for him until the whistle blows.

-Defensively, they are stronger and deeper than us. We like to brag about JT and Zach, but Kearse and Trotter do OK also, plus they've got a lot more talent surrounding them than Zach and JT. They were deep enough at D-line to basically cut Simon.

-Which brings me to the most important observation: they're front office and administration are top-notch. They know how to build and run a team. They handled the TO thing perfectly, and now he's back in camp, quiet and catching TD's. They let Corey Simon go, but he has stated he will always love the Eagles and Andy Reid personally. They treat their fans well and with respect.

So my conclusions:

-We're moving in the right direction, but we've got a lot further to go than any of us would like to admit. Best and most important thing we did was can the old regime and hire Saban. I think Saban can get us there, just not this year. After years of bozos, I think we finally have a front office that can be on par with the Eagles.

-We can argue all we want about Gus vs AJ, but we're not going anywhere with either of theses stiffs and Saban knows it.

-O-line will take at least a year or two to develop, but could actually become a strength long term. They are young and have a great line coach.

-I fear we've wasted the JT and Zach years; this defense has aged before our eyes and the youth movement has already started (Poole, Crowder, Daniels, etc). I expect to lose Zach and Jt within the next 2 years.

- Overall, big picture is good, but this year will be a bit frustrating as we won't see the results we want fast enough to suit the fickle South Florida fan base.

Anyway, just wanted to report after stepping out of our backyard and taking off my aqua and teal shades!

:o u thought two weeks was bad...tryin livin here...AND goin to school with those idiots...then well have something to talk about...good post tho...

 

[WharfRat]

:o u thought two weeks was bad...tryin livin here...AND goin to school with those idiots...then well have something to talk about...good post tho...

I live right across the river... and work with them...

I feel your pain...

 

[dolfrenzy]

Was in Philly/Jersey shore for past 2 weeks. Needless to say, it is all about the Eagles up there. Had to watch 2 pre-season games just to see some football. I had no computer access and got zero Dolphins info while there. But I had a chance to be an impartial observer of a successful franchise, and it forced me to realize we have a long way to go.

My observations:

-Eagles have the opposite strengths and weaknesses on offense. Besides TO, they have no decent receivers. Westbrook is not a stunning RB, although a good receiving back. But they have an awesome O-line and a great starting QB.

-Eagles fans laugh at us about the Feeley trade. No really, one laughed right in my face and asked if we wanted to give a 3rd round pick for their backup punter.

-Eagles fans may be obnoxious, but they are loyal and knowledgeable. They hold the players, coaches and owners accountable.

-McNabb is not a great QB from a passing standpoint. A surprisingly large percentage of his passes are low or behind his targets; his receivers make tough catches that make him look good. But he has what we're lacking. Poise, confidence, and the ability to keep a play alive and make something positive happen, but not out of desperation. His teammates know that and so they work hard for him until the whistle blows.

-Defensively, they are stronger and deeper than us. We like to brag about JT and Zach, but Kearse and Trotter do OK also, plus they've got a lot more talent surrounding them than Zach and JT. They were deep enough at D-line to basically cut Simon.

-Which brings me to the most important observation: they're front office and administration are top-notch. They know how to build and run a team. They handled the TO thing perfectly, and now he's back in camp, quiet and catching TD's. They let Corey Simon go, but he has stated he will always love the Eagles and Andy Reid personally. They treat their fans well and with respect.

So my conclusions:

-We're moving in the right direction, but we've got a lot further to go than any of us would like to admit. Best and most important thing we did was can the old regime and hire Saban. I think Saban can get us there, just not this year. After years of bozos, I think we finally have a front office that can be on par with the Eagles.

-We can argue all we want about Gus vs AJ, but we're not going anywhere with either of theses stiffs and Saban knows it.

-O-line will take at least a year or two to develop, but could actually become a strength long term. They are young and have a great line coach.

-I fear we've wasted the JT and Zach years; this defense has aged before our eyes and the youth movement has already started (Poole, Crowder, Daniels, etc). I expect to lose Zach and Jt within the next 2 years.

- Overall, big picture is good, but this year will be a bit frustrating as we won't see the results we want fast enough to suit the fickle South Florida fan base.

Anyway, just wanted to report after stepping out of our backyard and taking off my aqua and teal shades!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND 2 WEEKS IN EAGLE COUNTRY TO FIGURE ALL THIS OUT.....PICK ALMOST ANY TEAM THAT HAS BEEN TO THE PLAYOFFS IN THE PAST 2 YEARS. PLUS MOST OF WHAT IS STATED HERE IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE OF THE TWO TEAMS...

 

[FinfanInBuffalo]

My observations:

-Eagles have the opposite strengths and weaknesses on offense. Besides TO, they have no decent receivers. Westbrook is not a stunning RB, although a good receiving back. But they have an awesome O-line and a great starting QB.

-McNabb is not a great QB from a passing standpoint. A surprisingly large percentage of his passes are low or behind his targets; his receivers make tough catches that make him look good. But he has what we're lacking. Poise, confidence, and the ability to keep a play alive and make something positive happen, but not out of desperation. His teammates know that and so they work hard for him until the whistle blows.

-Which brings me to the most important observation: they're front office and administration are top-notch. They know how to build and run a team. They handled the TO thing perfectly, and now he's back in camp, quiet and catching TD's. They let Corey Simon go, but he has stated he will always love the Eagles and Andy Reid personally. They treat their fans well and with respect.

First of all, they did not handle the TO thing well. The proper way to handle it would have been to not sign him.

Second, the effective cutting of Corey Simon is very bad. They should have been able to get something for him via a trade. He was the 6th overall pick in 2000.

Overall the team has done well but it is weird that they've been unable to adequately address their weakness at WR for 3 - 4 years. The other thing that is strange is that you would think that their drafting must be very good. Here are their draft picks from 1999 - 2003. The players with the * next to their name are no longer on the roster.

2003
1 15 Jerome McDougle DE Miami (FL)
2 29 L.J. Smith TE Rutgers
3 31 Billy McMullen WR Virginia
4 34 Jamaal Green DE Miami (FL)
6 12 *Jeremy Bridges G Southern Mississippi
7 30 *Norman Lejeune DB Louisiana State
2002
1 26 Lito Sheppard DB Florida
2 26 Michael Lewis DB Colorado
2 27 Sheldon Brown DB South Carolina
3 26 Brian Westbrook RB Villanova
4 26 *Scott Peters C Arizona State
5 27 *Freddie Milons WR Alabama
6 26 *Tyreo Harrison LB Notre Dame
7 27 *Raheem Brock DE Temple
2001
1 25 *Freddie Mitchell WR UCLA
2 24 *Quinton Caver LB Arkansas
3 1 *Derrick Burgess DE Mississippi
4 26 Correll Buckhalter RB Nebraska
5 16 *Tony Stewart TE Penn State
5 24 *A.J. Feeley QB Oregon
2000
1 6 *Corey Simon DT Florida State
2 5 Todd Pinkston WR Southern Mississippi
2 30 *Bobby Williams T Arkansas
4 5 *Gari Scott WR Michigan State
6 5 *Thomas Hamner RB Minnesota
6 12 *John Frank DE Utah
6 26 *John Romero C California
1999
1 2 Donovan McNabb QB Syracuse
2 4 *Barry Gardner LB Northwestern
3 3 *Doug Brzezinski G Boston College
4 2 *John Welbourn G California
4 33 *Damon Moore DB Ohio State
4 35 *Na Brown WR North Carolina
6 3 *Cecil Martin RB Wisconsin
6 32 *Troy Smith WR East Carolina
7 2 *Jed Weaver TE Oregon
7 45 *Pernell Davis DE Alabama-Birmingham

The 1999, 2000, and 2001 drafts produced 1 player each that are still on the roster. I guess it shows that there is more than one way to be effective.

 

[wazzy]

Ok Eagles run there franchise perfectly and I think Andy Reid is a great coach but he was stubborn in the super Bowl game. Owens was getting single coverage all game and he barely went to him until they had to and he performed like he would every game. The injury didn't even affect him that game and I think they should of thrown him the ball more they probly would of won if they used him all game like they should of. That is clearly why they are losers they just couldn't finish it in the big one and quote it even as the Super Bowl favourite this year they won't even make it there.Great posts and threads people I enjoyed the read and the original poster had great observations.

 

[DPlus47]

the eagles are a very good organization, but i feel like they took too long to get some good talent at WR for mcnabb. wouldn't 1 conference championship loss with special teamers at WR be enough?

as for the SB, i really feel like they could have won the game if they'd done what wanny would have done on the kickoff at the end of the game: kick it deep, stop them and use your timeouts. that has worked a lot for the phins in the past. why the onside kick there? they had the means to stop the clock (which they used) and the means to stop the pats (which they did) and they DID get the ball back. only it was deep in their own end. that seemed crazy to me at the time. i thought the debate in the booth over whether to kick it onside or not was crazy. for me, it wouldn't have even been a question. if i'm andy reid, i know my D is stopping them, so i kick it deep and tell them to go stop them. the odds are a lot higher than the odds of recovering an onside kick.

 

[DDTDON]

I used to go tophilly once a weak and listened to I think 610AM is that right.They had a lot of people call in in and think AJ was going to be a very good QB. Some thought he could replace Mcnab. But now that he is gone They lough What ever. Maybe Im stuped but I still think the guy can be a good QB if given the Chanc. Remember hes in his third offence in 3 years.A 2nd was steap though,

HUH???? :confused:

 

[-81- McMichael]

And yeah, they only made 1 SB.......how many have we made in the past 10 years?

Eagles have played in 2 Super Bowls. Lost in '80 to Oakland and our favorite tubby boy Madden. Dick Vermeil (of St. Louis and now KC fame) was the Eagles coach. Jaws, that stupid SOB, was their QB.

 

[X-FACTOR]

:mad:

I really don't have time for this, so I'll be quick and to the point.

You said this of McNabb:

"Poise, confidence, and the ability to keep a play alive and make something positive happen, but not out of desperation. His teammates know that and so they work hard for him until the whistle blows."

Yeah, just like the poise and ESPECIALLY the confidence he showed in the Super Bowl. Pa-leeeeaze! Just stop it. I'm still wondering how long it's going to take for people to get off the McNabb bandwagon. He's a very nice guy and a very good athlete. Kindly leave it at that. I'm really tired of people making this guy out to be something he's not. Seriously, some people actually take bets on how many passes he'll throw at his receivers' FEET in a given game.

Man's been in the NFL for how long and he's still got a problem with this?!?

I think you've really lost it:confused:......................The man has only led his team to the Super Bowl and three NFC Championship games with six years of service in the league, I'd take him in a heart beat. He is farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............better and more acurate than any bullet we currently have in the chamber right now or going back to Dan the Man.
Call Saban, I BET he'll take the throws at the feet, Cambells Chunky Soup and the Championships to go with it over the so called arms he's currently coaching!!!!!

Peace.................................

 

[SammySmif]

"Finally silenced"? After three pre-season games?

You're kidding, right? No offense, but YOUR post (and your logic) is about as moronic as the posts you're trying to criticize.

Ah..no I post with knowledge of the game. If you think I'm moronic to think that Feeley is not the answer as it has been inferred on here all summer, then you are a blind optimist.

If you think Feeley is the long term solution at QB here, I don't even want to hear your reply. It will basicly sound like this to me:

"Im a blind homer idiot who doesn't know anything about football."

no offense of course.

 

[-81- McMichael]

:mad:

I think you've really lost it:confused:......................The man has only led his team to the Super Bowl and three NFC Championship games with six years of service in the league, I'd take him in a heart beat. He is farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............better and more acurate than any bullet we currently have in the chamber right now or going back to Dan the Man.
Call Saban, I BET he'll take the throws at the feet, Cambells Chunky Soup and the Championships to go with it over the so called arms he's currently coaching!!!!!

Peace.................................

Everyone has their favorites. McNabb is simply not one of mine. Yes, he's definitely better than what we currently have - no arguement there. And, yes, the Eagles have played in the last SB plus the last three NFC Championships before that. However, you could argue that McNabb was a large part of the reason for at least one of those NFC Championship losses... I'd even argue for two: Carolina and Tampa the year before that. (Granted, he got hurt [rib] against Carolina.)

You could also argue that the Eagles have been in the thick of things due to what others have been pointing out here: great coaching, great front office and solid D.

Funny, but I think I know of another team that may now have those three elements in place. Only, they have TWO solid running backs to the Eagles' ZERO RB threat. Clearly, the QB position is Miami's biggest anchor right now... around the team's proverbial neck.

 

[Rich L]

Was in Philly/Jersey shore for past 2 weeks. Needless to say, it is all about the Eagles up there. Had to watch 2 pre-season games just to see some football. I had no computer access and got zero Dolphins info while there. But I had a chance to be an impartial observer of a successful franchise, and it forced me to realize we have a long way to go.

...

-Eagles fans may be obnoxious, but they are loyal and knowledgeable. They hold the players, coaches and owners accountable.

Welcome to my world! I Live near in S. Jersey near Philly.:yell: Eagle fans are bad and bias. Just like some of the Bill trolls starting trouble around here. IMHO I think they are a bit more fragile than us because every year they get so close to winning it all. Kinnda like Fin fans being used to making the playoffs every year. (just my opinion)

-McNabb is not a great QB from a passing standpoint.
McNabb is awesome. He has mature alot over the passed couple of years. With him, our Fins would be a great team. (its nice to dream)

...
-Defensively, they are stronger and deeper than us.
Im not sold on that idea. Their D coordinator runs an aggressive system, thus they have been quite successful. Lets see how our new D does this year and then compare results.

...
-Which brings me to the most important observation: they're front office and administration are top-notch.
I agree totally.

...
So my conclusions:

-We're moving in the right direction, but we've got a lot further to go than any of us would like to admit. Best and most important thing we did was can the old regime and hire Saban. I think Saban can get us there, just not this year. After years of bozos, I think we finally have a front office that can be on par with the Eagles.

Again I agree!

 

[phinphan11]

Well, give Feeley a chance and the reigns of the team for a full season with decent personell all around on Defense and Offense, especially an O-line and we may have the last laugh!

Last laugh = :rofl3:

 

[finmann]

I would call it ****eyed optimism. I don't think anyone on this site believes our second stringers are better than everyone elses. However, I believe the "optimism" comes from the names we have for starters. With the exception of QB, have you honestly seen this much YOUNG talent at the skill positions on a Dolphins team in recent decades?

I truly believe our STARTERS are capable of a 9 - 7 or 10 - 6 season. Remember how many close games we were in last year?

HOWEVER, what separates the good teams from the great teams is DEPTH. And that's where the front office comes into play. Anyone can put free agent "names" on the field. But, not just anyone can draft. And I think that's the true underlying debate on this site.

While many fans see the "names" on the field, they cannot fathom why other fellow fans say we are "rebuilding". More involved fans realize we are one injury (or retirement) away from tailspinning into last year. And while it is true of many teams, the "elite" teams tend to not skip a beat when major injuries occur. I.E. Philly kept winning even when McNabb went down for an extended period.

I think the starters are capable of delivering an inspiring season for us. But, the bigger issue of depth is what needs addressing for the Dolphins to return to SUSTAINED glory. And that's the point most people miss.

I respect what you are saying and really love you optimism...however I really don't beleive our starters are capable of giving us a 9-7 or10-6 record this season, but it will be fun to watch Saban bring this team back to respectability over the next couple of years.

 

[-81- McMichael]

Ah..no I post with knowledge of the game. If you think I'm moronic to think that Feeley is not the answer as it has been inferred on here all summer, then you are a blind optimist.

If you think Feeley is the long term solution at QB here, I don't even want to hear your reply. It will basicly sound like this to me:

"Im a blind homer idiot who doesn't know anything about football."

no offense of course.

Because "it has been inferred on here all summer," does not automatically mean that I, too, am on the AJ bandwagon. I was pretty clear about NOT sounding off as an AJ homer... or all Go!Gus, either, for that matter. In fact, my post spoke only to what you said, which was:

"All summer long we had to read morons posting about how great Feeley would be.Well, they are finaly silenced, and next year we will have a real starting QB who can take us places."

My point was pretty clear, and I'll reiterate: it is just as moronic to jump off as it is to jump on either quarterback's bandwagon... especially after only three pre-season games. Which, obviously, isn't enough time for even Saban to have finally decided on one of them. But, hey, with your "knowledge of the game", maybe you should give Nick a call and save him the touble of figuring it out. :rofl3:

Have you ever heard the expression, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander?" Well, that was the nature of my post. You made a sweeping judgement about numorous members of this forum because of their "questionable" opinions regarding AJ's ability (or lack thereof) when you really should have specified (as I did) that you objected to their - how did you put it? - "blind optimism". Coming down hard on that would be totally cool (and I would agree with you, to boot). But it was you, and not I, that made the sweeping statement here about who is or isn't a moron.

Look, I did NOT start out trying to "bait" you, but you sort fell into it on your own.

If you read carefully, I deliberately did not call YOU a moron. I called your post and your logic moronic. Now, if you choose to identify with either of these as some extension of your personal being, then I can see why you took offense.

I thought I was clear that my "attack" was directed at your logic and your statement towards others... and not at you personally. My bad. I'll try to be clearer next time.

Hey, let's say we drop the use of the word MORON when speaking about fellow FINFANS... even when we think they're being delusional. Peace.