Perfect72
It's Only Happened ONCE!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2015/01/nfl-title-games-a-lesson-in-finishing.html
Did you watch the two games on Championship Sunday?
If you didn't watch because you are a Miami Dolphins fan and your team has conditioned you that football season ends the last week of December then please take a look at what happened on Sunday because it serves as a lesson for what is highly important.
Finishing.
Sunday was a lesson in finishing -- a how-to and how-not-to.
The Green Bay Packers, an outstanding team by most accounts, did a terrible job of finishing on Sunday in the NFC Championship game. Leading by 16 points at halftime and by 12 with just over five minutes to play, the Packers all but had a Super Bowl ticket punched late Sunday afternoon.
And then they failed to finish.
The Packers collected their fourth interception of the day to seemingly seal a victory but safety Morgan Burnett personified the misbegotten spirit that possessed the team by simply falling to the ground with the pick instead of charging downfield for an extra 10-15 yards to get his offense closer to field goal range.
(He was obviously trying to avoid a fumble by going to the ground. He was, obviously, trying to play not to lose instead of pressing the issue.)
No problem. All was still good at that point for the Packers and the Seahawks had to feel deflated.
And then Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, a gambler throughout the season, went into a shell. He has Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. He has a fine offensive line that protects Rodgers like the QB was Fort Knox. McCarthy also has an outstanding, winning receiver corps.
But against a stacked tackle box, McCarthey ran the football on first down. Ran the football on second down. Ran the football on third down. The strategy lost four yards. It took 72 seconds. Punt.
And then the roof caved in for Green Bay. Seattle drove for a TD. Green Bay still led 19-14. Then Seattle attempted and succeeded in recovering an onside kick. And then the Seahawks scored another TD and converted a two-point conversion.
Suddenly, the Seahawks led 22-19.
The Packers, now desperate, unleashed Rodgers again and got themselves a field goal to tie the game. Where was this before?
Anyway, the game went to overtime and Seattle scored a TD on its first possession. Game over.
And the lesson?
Well, the Dolphins had games against Denver, Detroit and Green Bay practically won for 55 minutes last season. And then breakneck comebacks happened. And losses happened.
It was as if nobody knew an NFL game is 60 minutes long.
Was it coaches going into a shell? Was it not having a killer instinct? Was it sudden lack of talent showing itself in the final five minutes after hiding for 55 minutes? A lack of execution? What was it?
All I know is no loss leaves a more bitter taste than a loss after a game that seems won. It is deflating. It raises questions both inside and outside the organization. And when it happens over and over and over it cannot be dismissed as sheer happenstance.
The AFC Championship game also is a lesson in finishing.
The New England Patriots demolished the Indianapolis Colts and in doing so looked nothing like the team the Dolphins beat in the regular-season opener.
The Patriots, everyone would agree, started slow and were not a very good football team early on -- managing only a 2-2 record the first four weeks. But they're 12-2 the past 14 weeks.
The Patriots grew. They found their identity. They settled players into roles that seemed better, right -- moving players around on the offensive line, making multiple lineup changes at running back, even playing Darrelle Revis differently later in the season than they did earlier.
This wasn't atypical. The Patriots often get better as the season progresses.
They seem to often finish better than they start.
And that is a stark contrast to the Dolphins.
The Dolphins are 5-3 in September the past two years and if that level had been maintained, the team would have been in the playoffs in 2013 and perhaps in '14 as well. But that didn't happen either season because the Dolphins finished poorly both seasons.
Miami lost the final two games in '13 and lost three of the final four in '14. A defense that was solid early in the season had, for multiple reasons, fallen off the table by season's end. And an offense that is young, that should be growing together, was struggling more at season's end than it did earlier in the year.
Opponents, it seemed, had figured the Miami offense out.
Look, I'm not going to blame a lack of talent exclusively. I'm not going to blame a lack of execution exclusively. I'm not going to blame the coaching exclusively.
I expect everyone knows all of them have conspired to make up late-season nose dives that all fans would rather forget.
So what's the solution to finishing poorly and not improving over the season like the best team in the AFC East does?
No, the answer is not deflating footballs, smart guys.
The Dolphins will again this offseason try to improve their talent. They will try to fill holes. They will address what they believe are needs, wants and must-haves. There's nothing new in this. My personal opinion is Miami's two biggest needs are cornerback and guards (one for certain, but perhaps two). Linebacker later, people.
The Dolphins must also study the approach of their coaching staff. What are they doing that habitually gets less rather than more production out of players late in the season? What can they change to change a now obvious trend? How can they finish close games better? Is it more aggressiveness on offense and defense? Less aggressiveness on offense or defense? Less Kodaking? Better clock managment?
When Sunday's game was over, Aaron Rodgers sighed and said, "We gave it away."
Dolphins fans know how he felt.
Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolp...ames-a-lesson-in-finishing.html#storylink=cpy
Did you watch the two games on Championship Sunday?
If you didn't watch because you are a Miami Dolphins fan and your team has conditioned you that football season ends the last week of December then please take a look at what happened on Sunday because it serves as a lesson for what is highly important.
Finishing.
Sunday was a lesson in finishing -- a how-to and how-not-to.
The Green Bay Packers, an outstanding team by most accounts, did a terrible job of finishing on Sunday in the NFC Championship game. Leading by 16 points at halftime and by 12 with just over five minutes to play, the Packers all but had a Super Bowl ticket punched late Sunday afternoon.
And then they failed to finish.
The Packers collected their fourth interception of the day to seemingly seal a victory but safety Morgan Burnett personified the misbegotten spirit that possessed the team by simply falling to the ground with the pick instead of charging downfield for an extra 10-15 yards to get his offense closer to field goal range.
(He was obviously trying to avoid a fumble by going to the ground. He was, obviously, trying to play not to lose instead of pressing the issue.)
No problem. All was still good at that point for the Packers and the Seahawks had to feel deflated.
And then Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, a gambler throughout the season, went into a shell. He has Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. He has a fine offensive line that protects Rodgers like the QB was Fort Knox. McCarthy also has an outstanding, winning receiver corps.
But against a stacked tackle box, McCarthey ran the football on first down. Ran the football on second down. Ran the football on third down. The strategy lost four yards. It took 72 seconds. Punt.
And then the roof caved in for Green Bay. Seattle drove for a TD. Green Bay still led 19-14. Then Seattle attempted and succeeded in recovering an onside kick. And then the Seahawks scored another TD and converted a two-point conversion.
Suddenly, the Seahawks led 22-19.
The Packers, now desperate, unleashed Rodgers again and got themselves a field goal to tie the game. Where was this before?
Anyway, the game went to overtime and Seattle scored a TD on its first possession. Game over.
And the lesson?
Well, the Dolphins had games against Denver, Detroit and Green Bay practically won for 55 minutes last season. And then breakneck comebacks happened. And losses happened.
It was as if nobody knew an NFL game is 60 minutes long.
Was it coaches going into a shell? Was it not having a killer instinct? Was it sudden lack of talent showing itself in the final five minutes after hiding for 55 minutes? A lack of execution? What was it?
All I know is no loss leaves a more bitter taste than a loss after a game that seems won. It is deflating. It raises questions both inside and outside the organization. And when it happens over and over and over it cannot be dismissed as sheer happenstance.
The AFC Championship game also is a lesson in finishing.
The New England Patriots demolished the Indianapolis Colts and in doing so looked nothing like the team the Dolphins beat in the regular-season opener.
The Patriots, everyone would agree, started slow and were not a very good football team early on -- managing only a 2-2 record the first four weeks. But they're 12-2 the past 14 weeks.
The Patriots grew. They found their identity. They settled players into roles that seemed better, right -- moving players around on the offensive line, making multiple lineup changes at running back, even playing Darrelle Revis differently later in the season than they did earlier.
This wasn't atypical. The Patriots often get better as the season progresses.
They seem to often finish better than they start.
And that is a stark contrast to the Dolphins.
The Dolphins are 5-3 in September the past two years and if that level had been maintained, the team would have been in the playoffs in 2013 and perhaps in '14 as well. But that didn't happen either season because the Dolphins finished poorly both seasons.
Miami lost the final two games in '13 and lost three of the final four in '14. A defense that was solid early in the season had, for multiple reasons, fallen off the table by season's end. And an offense that is young, that should be growing together, was struggling more at season's end than it did earlier in the year.
Opponents, it seemed, had figured the Miami offense out.
Look, I'm not going to blame a lack of talent exclusively. I'm not going to blame a lack of execution exclusively. I'm not going to blame the coaching exclusively.
I expect everyone knows all of them have conspired to make up late-season nose dives that all fans would rather forget.
So what's the solution to finishing poorly and not improving over the season like the best team in the AFC East does?
No, the answer is not deflating footballs, smart guys.
The Dolphins will again this offseason try to improve their talent. They will try to fill holes. They will address what they believe are needs, wants and must-haves. There's nothing new in this. My personal opinion is Miami's two biggest needs are cornerback and guards (one for certain, but perhaps two). Linebacker later, people.
The Dolphins must also study the approach of their coaching staff. What are they doing that habitually gets less rather than more production out of players late in the season? What can they change to change a now obvious trend? How can they finish close games better? Is it more aggressiveness on offense and defense? Less aggressiveness on offense or defense? Less Kodaking? Better clock managment?
When Sunday's game was over, Aaron Rodgers sighed and said, "We gave it away."
Dolphins fans know how he felt.
Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolp...ames-a-lesson-in-finishing.html#storylink=cpy
