Merged:fins will win 12+ games this year and heres why/7-9 8-8 is realistic/My View

[gr8slayer]

My view......... Although it wont matter much

As many of you know I dont talk much "crap" but I feel the need to right now.

I must know why some of you think that you are a lock for the playoffs right now? Granted you have a new coach, new RB, couple new OL, Boston back (dont know if thats a good thing), a guy who in my opinion is the best TE in the league, and a fairly solid Defense how are any of these things a guarantee other than the TE?

Ronnie Brown - Great college RB and has just as much potential as anyone but WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE? Seriously? What has he done? Be excited about having "the best back in the draft" but dont start throwing out these "oh he is going to have 2,000 yards this year and have double digit TD's stuff. You wont know what you have till about week 12.

Nick Saban - Once again I raise the question, WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AS A HEAD COACH?? Am I missing something? Was he an HC in the past and I just didnt know it? Last time I checked ole Steve Spurrier didnt work out for the Skins. He was every bit as successful as Saban, maybe even more so. So what has he done? Only thing Im giving him so far is that he is welcoming Ricky back with open arms. Other than that, what has he done?

Defense - Your guys are starting to age and the age is starting to show. Zach (one of my favorite guys) is starting to really show age with injuries and missed time. Junior same thing. You have subracted Surtain (Ill never understand that. You got rid of Knight (correct me if Im wrong and Ill eat my words) which was freaking insane, he and Taylor won that Patriot game for you last season. Taylors numbers are going down, is it because of age or because teams respect him enough to double him? Either way, numbers are down. You got rid of Morlon Greenwood, why? The guy was really up and coming IMO. You signed Traylor, who cares?

QB's - Gus and A.J.? That is the second weakest QB core in the East (infront of the Bills, who knows how good Losman is yet?). They are horrible. Had Feeley pulled his head out of his *** last season and made some much better throws you all might have beat us in that second game. He lost that game for you in the forth.

My point? You just came off of a 4-12 season. Sure you finished strong by beating NE (very very impressive) but what right now makes you better than the Pats, Bills, and Jets? You are Im sure aware that you play in the toughest division in football. You think the rest of the East is going to lay down and let you run them over?

Just my opinion, I know Ill get some flak for it but at least Im coming with facts and not smack talking.

 

[painnotpleasure]

We know. We know. Well at least I know, we're not a lock for making playoffs.
It's just been really good to see some optimism around here for a change. We'll settle this... this season on the field... and we'll see who's right about what. You make some good points, and I agree with how we don't know what to expect from Ronnie Brown, Nick Saban, etc. etc. Ronnie hasn't stepped foot into the NFL yet and Saban has coached a single game in the NFL as a HEAD COACH. We'll let actions speak louder than words. Overall though, I am pretty confident with our team... but by no means do I feel we are a "lock" at playoffs. Although when it comes to betting, I would say that us beating the 5.5 spread (for wins in a season) is a LOCK, and I want to get a piece of that action.

 

[Butterfrog 2.0]

My point? You just came off of a 4-12 season. Sure you finished strong by beating NE (very very impressive) but what right now makes you better than the Pats, Bills, and Jets?

Nothing, but We all hope that we are!!! LoL, we are going in the right direction, and we're all very very excited about everything right now........The Coaching staff, The awesome draft we just had, the newly signed Free agents. NOTHING in the NFL is guaranteed, but at least for the moment it appears like bright skies, and smooth sailing for Miami

 

[King Nate]

My point? You just came off of a 4-12 season. Sure you finished strong by beating NE (very very impressive) but what right now makes you better than the Pats, Bills, and Jets? You are Im sure aware that you play in the toughest division in football. You think the rest of the East is going to lay down and let you run them over?

Just my opinion, I know Ill get some flak for it but at least Im coming with facts and not smack talking.

Well I won't give you flak because you said what you thought just like everybody else does on this forum. But I will say that right now nobody is better than anybody in any division. Every team is 0-0 and we'll see who is better once the season STARTS. Being a Dolphins fan though, I would go toe-to-toe with any Pats, Bills, or Jets fan to tell them why I think Miami is the best team in the WORLD. But being devil's advocate, everybody is at square one and I don't see how anybody can tell me that any team is the best when none of them have played yet.

 

[gator_sensation]

Well I won't give you flak because you said what you thought just like everybody else does on this forum. But I will say that right now nobody is better than anybody in any division. Every team is 0-0 and we'll see who is better once the season STARTS. Being a Dolphins fan though, I would go toe-to-toe with any Pats, Bills, or Jets fan to tell them why I think Miami is the best team in the WORLD. But being devil's advocate, everybody is at square one and I don't see how anybody can tell me that any team is the best when none of them have played yet.

I totally agree. Yet some people don't understand that. People making tons of predictions and we don't even know who is going to be on the 53 man roster!

 

[Alien]

all the points you bring up are good ones which is why a sane fan wouldnt be predicting any kind of superbowl run. i would be extremely happy for an 8-8 season and just for our team to prove it can play with some of the best teams in the league, but then next year and the year after i expect greater things.

 

[gr8slayer]

8-8 sounds more like it.

 

[DiepatriotsDie]

Well we appreciate your insight, but as a Bills fan, surely you must understand what it's like to enter a season hoping for the best. Fact of the matter is, and this is pretty simplified, we lost a significant player, and went from 10-6 to 4-12. Sure there were other factors, but not too many. Not to mention that that 10-6 team should have won a couple more games. Now there's a good chance that player we lost is coming back, and we've improved in almost every other position since then, with just a question or two in the secondary and o-line. We have every reason to think that Saban is a better coach, basing it on the fact that our previous was about as bad as it gets, and Saban has already showed us plenty of offseason moves that we like. I mean, I honestly know Bills fans that are talking Superbowl right now, and I think that sounds pretty dumb myself. I'm glad you admit that there's a chance that Losman could be a bust, and I think your assessment was at least kind of fair, but by the same token, I don't think our optimism is being too overdone. I say anywhere from 8-8, to a pretty darn generous 10-6. We'll see.

 

[DolfanISS]

Nothing, but We all hope that we are!!! LoL, we are going in the right direction, and we're all very very excited about everything right now........The Coaching staff, The awesome draft we just had, the newly signed Free agents. NOTHING in the NFL is guaranteed, but at least for the moment it appears like bright skies, and smooth sailing for Miami

Very good post. I don't think there is 1 football fan, across the United States, that is telling themselves, no matter what happens my team will never, ever, ever in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years have any prayer of making the playoffs in 2005. If they did, why bother watching????????

I've posted many, mant times that I wasn't impressed with Buffalo's run last season judging from the quality of the opponent's they beat up on. The one postive I can see is that if you're a good team, which the Bills were but I stress good, you should beat up on inferior oppenets and they did. However they beat up on the hapless NFC West (playoff teams or not even the Dolphins beat up on the 1st place Rams and took Seattle to the wire, I don't need to speak to SF and Zona) you beat us by 10 (BIG DEAL), Cincy (BIG DEAL) and Cleveland (WOW). The only AFC team the Bills beat that posted a winning record was the Jets, on a windy day at the Ralph. During that run Bills had 2 shots to impress me, NE blew them out of the Gillette stadium and Pittsburgh backup players denied them a win at home with the playoffs on the line.

Now with a rookie QB Bills fans believe they will take off in 2005. Maybe they can beat 2 AFC teams with winning records newt year. My point is this is all opinion and all objective.

 

[IAFINFAN]

You have valid points, but even if we do as bad as last year there are a lot of positives heading into the season. I will give you Saban hasn't coached an NFL game as as the man in charge yet, but he isn't Wanny. The stories out on last years coaching staff and who they didn't get along really put last season in prespective. If the coahes don't really know what is going on how can the players function as a team when the coaching staff can't. Or old cordinators might have been able to coach, but couldn't teach. This is what the new staff can do and are expected to do. The half hearted play that we suffered through lastyear won't fly this year. Saban's rep is on the line whether he wants to admit it or not. That alone will drive him to succeed.

Also articles out there on his relationship with Belichek and how they shared ideas and gameplay shows me Saban can do it the NFL. Big difference between Spurrier and Saban is Sabann puts in a lot of hours watching tape trying to find anything to improve or exploit to get an advantage. It has been well documented how Spurrier wanted in and out, didn't like putting in the hours that it requires to make in the NFL.

Your entitled to your opion but I am very glad Saban is here wouldn't trade him for anyother one coachi coachng in the NFL right now.

 

[feelthepain]

As many of you know I dont talk much "crap" but I feel the need to right now.

I must know why some of you think that you are a lock for the playoffs right now? Granted you have a new coach, new RB, couple new OL, Boston back (dont know if thats a good thing), a guy who in my opinion is the best TE in the league, and a fairly solid Defense how are any of these things a guarantee other than the TE?

Ronnie Brown - Great college RB and has just as much potential as anyone but WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE? Seriously? What has he done? Be excited about having "the best back in the draft" but dont start throwing out these "oh he is going to have 2,000 yards this year and have double digit TD's stuff. You wont know what you have till about week 12.

Nick Saban - Once again I raise the question, WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AS A HEAD COACH?? Am I missing something? Was he an HC in the past and I just didnt know it? Last time I checked ole Steve Spurrier didnt work out for the Skins. He was every bit as successful as Saban, maybe even more so. So what has he done? Only thing Im giving him so far is that he is welcoming Ricky back with open arms. Other than that, what has he done?

Defense - Your guys are starting to age and the age is starting to show. Zach (one of my favorite guys) is starting to really show age with injuries and missed time. Junior same thing. You have subracted Surtain (Ill never understand that. You got rid of Knight (correct me if Im wrong and Ill eat my words) which was freaking insane, he and Taylor won that Patriot game for you last season. Taylors numbers are going down, is it because of age or because teams respect him enough to double him? Either way, numbers are down. You got rid of Morlon Greenwood, why? The guy was really up and coming IMO. You signed Traylor, who cares?

QB's - Gus and A.J.? That is the second weakest QB core in the East (infront of the Bills, who knows how good Losman is yet?). They are horrible. Had Feeley pulled his head out of his *** last season and made some much better throws you all might have beat us in that second game. He lost that game for you in the forth.

My point? You just came off of a 4-12 season. Sure you finished strong by beating NE (very very impressive) but what right now makes you better than the Pats, Bills, and Jets? You are Im sure aware that you play in the toughest division in football. You think the rest of the East is going to lay down and let you run them over?

Just my opinion, I know Ill get some flak for it but at least Im coming with facts and not smack talking.

Put any spin on it you like but the fins were the best 4-12 team in history. If we had won 9 or ten games last year would you be questioning our enthusiasm of the up coming season?? I veture to guess, no! We had a ton of bad luck and very bad coaching. We had a better roster before camp and all the problems then the year before when we won 10 games. We were also considered SB contenders. But then Ricky quit, David blew out his knee, DW had his power reduced and that one was key because I think DW was bitter and resentful. This is why AJ was not given a fair chance in camp and why Jay was the starter when the season opened.

The only reason AJ saw any game time was IMO because WH told Wanny to put AJ in.
After DW left the team improved...imagine that!! You are a Bill fan and as much as you try to post like a human being here, being a Bill fan is something you can't hide forever. Think what you want, but the fins are more talented then the Bills, they were last year too they just had too many things go wrong all at once giving them no chance to overcome everything last year. You don't go 4-12 after adding talent to an alredy playoff worthy team. The Bill fans love the fact that fins were so bad because it gives them a chance to say whatever they want without using their brains.

If you think for one minute that Saban won't be a HOF coach then your lying to yourself. Saban has what it takes, I have not heard one expert say Saban could fail. Everything and I mean everything leading up to his hire was nothing but positive abour Saban. So I think I'll listen to the experts on what kind of coach Saban will be.
He has only been here since Christmas and we had the best darft I've seen in Mimami since I've been a fan some 23years!! And he's taken this team from cap hell to cap heaven. Wanny did niether in the five years he was here. Ricky is coming back, he wouldn't have if Wanny were still coaching. I could go on all night about the positive things that have occcurred since Saban's hire, Linehan, Houck two more huge reasons to think this team will not finish last in our division this year, but your team probably will. What positive things have happend to the Bill's this offseason?? Rosco Parish??? Good player but nearly the improvment that can be compaired to the fins. I don't mind you questioning our enthusiasm, I don't mind the fact that you might not agree with my POV, this is a forum for football talk you make a valid point and I counter. Thats it, thats all. No insults, no hate just mutual respect for a sport we both love. I sure wish the posters at The Billszone would act like adults and just talk football and leave out all the stupid insults, but I guess thats just asking too much.
__________________

 

[Boik14]

As many of you know I dont talk much "crap" but I feel the need to right now.

I must know why some of you think that you are a lock for the playoffs right now? Granted you have a new coach, new RB, couple new OL, Boston back (dont know if thats a good thing), a guy who in my opinion is the best TE in the league, and a fairly solid Defense how are any of these things a guarantee other than the TE?

Ronnie Brown - Great college RB and has just as much potential as anyone but WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE? Seriously? What has he done? Be excited about having "the best back in the draft" but dont start throwing out these "oh he is going to have 2,000 yards this year and have double digit TD's stuff. You wont know what you have till about week 12.

Nick Saban - Once again I raise the question, WHAT HAS HE DONE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AS A HEAD COACH?? Am I missing something? Was he an HC in the past and I just didnt know it? Last time I checked ole Steve Spurrier didnt work out for the Skins. He was every bit as successful as Saban, maybe even more so. So what has he done? Only thing Im giving him so far is that he is welcoming Ricky back with open arms. Other than that, what has he done?

Defense - Your guys are starting to age and the age is starting to show. Zach (one of my favorite guys) is starting to really show age with injuries and missed time. Junior same thing. You have subracted Surtain (Ill never understand that. You got rid of Knight (correct me if Im wrong and Ill eat my words) which was freaking insane, he and Taylor won that Patriot game for you last season. Taylors numbers are going down, is it because of age or because teams respect him enough to double him? Either way, numbers are down. You got rid of Morlon Greenwood, why? The guy was really up and coming IMO. You signed Traylor, who cares?

QB's - Gus and A.J.? That is the second weakest QB core in the East (infront of the Bills, who knows how good Losman is yet?). They are horrible. Had Feeley pulled his head out of his *** last season and made some much better throws you all might have beat us in that second game. He lost that game for you in the forth.

My point? You just came off of a 4-12 season. Sure you finished strong by beating NE (very very impressive) but what right now makes you better than the Pats, Bills, and Jets? You are Im sure aware that you play in the toughest division in football. You think the rest of the East is going to lay down and let you run them over?

Just my opinion, I know Ill get some flak for it but at least Im coming with facts and not smack talking.

I dont think we're a lock for anything and youre assesment aint that far off imo. i think we'll get 7-9 wins but it wont come easy in the toughest division.

RB - I think we have capable players here. Ronnie, Ricky, Lamar Gordon, Kay Jay. We have enough guys to carry the load, even if it starts out by committee (which could happen a few weeks until ronnie adjusts a bit). Sammy Morris is a capable FB.

Coach - Spurrier and saban is like apples and oranges. Saban is a lot more like BB; conservative when he needs to be, likes to use the deep passes, and a very good defensive mind. You dont interview with 7 different teams over the past few years unless people see something in you. We already know hes a good player evaluator and his assessment of needs and how to patch them up is above average. Compare our offseason to those of others in the league and we did as well as anyone. Theres a lot more depth and a lot more capable players. Plus our cap is better. At the very leat hes done that.

QB - I agree. It could be a hell of a lot better. We'll wait and see. Gus is my choice as starter.

D - I think the fact its a vet group with above average ability. My only concern on D is @ CB opposite Sam, DT cause of the injuries we've had, and FS cause Tillman is an unproven for a full season. As far as JT, his stats did decline but mostly due to the triple teams and doubles w/a Te or Back chipping. Our DL was banged up and you need to keep that in mind. He was the only starter there for a long time. Now Carter (can play DT/DE), Chester (if healthy) Holliday, Traylor, Roth, Vickerson...theres depth there both young and older. I think as long as our DL is much improved JT's stats will be back to 12-15 sacks and plenty of pressures/tackles for loss etc.

I dont know that we're necessarily better than NYJ or BUff; def not better then NE. But what I think we do have is a team thats gonna win a lot of lower scoring games if we need to; a team that will win in spite of what our QBs do whether theyre great or awful. To me if we can split 1-1 with buff, ne, and nyj we'll improve by at least 3-4 games cause i think St nick is avery strong coach in the area of game planning based on what ive seen in college; we'll wait and see how that translates in the pro's.

 

[Dolfan99]

San Diego went 4-12 in 2003 and 12-4 in 2004.... previous records dont mean anything in this league

 

[Omaha_Dolfan]

I must know why some of you think that you are a lock for the playoffs right now?

Easy Answer, Wanny isnt the head coach anymore. With Wanny gone and Fiedler gone, (Granted I do believe Fiedler got a lot of crap that was undeserving but he was so closely associated to Wanny he had to go) why wouldnt we be?

Seriously all we as Fin Fans need to be optomistic is the fact that Wanny is gone.

 

[tay0365]

Who are we going to beat heres the schedule:

Broncos......Miami will be home, Sept heat, and are a tough team in the 1st game of the season. W

@Jets .......Miami got destroyed last year in Giants stadium, Miami will go all out in this game, so this game is very winnable. L (could also be a W)

Panthers....Miami at home, we should win this. W

@Bills them by 7....This could be a tough game to win, but if Losman proves to not be ready to start, we could have a good chance. L (but it also depends on Losman)

@Bucs us by 10....Bucs have a ways to go, they have lost too many players. W

Chiefs..... IF we were in KC, this is without a doubt, is a loss, but Miami is home, has a Defense (Miami was in every game but 1 game), and this year they seem to have a better offense then last year (At least on paper), but this team is going to be tough. L (This game could just as easy be a W)

@Saints..... Saints are at a very dangerous point, and could very well be worse this year, then last. W

Falcons......This team in Atlanta would scare me a little, But in Miami. W

Patriots........ This team lost to us last year in Miami, and they want revenge, but we always play them tough here. L (Could just as easy be a W)

@Browns....This team is in rebuilding stage, and they lost their star TE, a player they counted on. W

@Raiders.....Raiders will be a very explosive offensive team, but will have problems on defense. Miami should have the enough defense to slow them down on offense, and pound it out on offense against their defense. W

Bills.....This will be a tough game for us to win if Losman proves to be what the Bills expect of him, but if not it should be a blowout by us. Even if Losman is the real deal, I think we just win. W

@Chargers... This is a very confident team, that has plenty of talent, and will be tough in SD to beat. L


Jets......This is a game that i think Miami will play their hearts out, there is no way this team will allow themselves to be swept. W

Titans.....Miami should have beaten this team last year, with a better HC, and better talent, they will. W

@Patriots....I just don't see us having any kind of a chance to beat this team, this late in the season. L

I say 9-12 wins (My prediction is 10 wins, but they could get 12 wins, or only get 9 wins, but can't see them getting less then 9 with the talent on the team, and no more then 12 with the changes that have been made)