Miami is better than last year: A plea for sanity after a bad loss

[MD]

I don't think we are better. We are more talented. If I can sidestep the Ryan Tannehill discussion that is ongoing in 37 different threads right now, here is how I see it:

This team has a very disturbing trend of coming out flat after big wins under Joe Philbin. A very disturbing trend, especially in division games. I see a team that comes out flat, comes out listless, comes out completely lacking in emotion and intensity, and simply can't find it regardless of what happens in the game. They start making mistakes and they just seem to give up or go into a turtle shell.

Anyone remember when the Titans whomped us 37-3? Anyone remember when we closed out 2012 being shut out by the Patriots? Everyone remembers the last two games of 2013. It is simple to offer up the quarterback as the sacrificial lamb because he was not good in those games, but do you REALLY think one player is the sole reason this team comes out completely flat and stays that way for multiple games each season? Did you see ANYONE but Mike Wallace fired up for the Dolphins today? Maybe Jared Odrick?

Do you really feel that was Miami's best effort on the field today? Do you think it was even close? Do you think Joe Philbin consistently gets good effort out of his players?

i was hoping they had turned a corner after coming out strong in last weeks second half but obviously I was wrong. Philbin and the coaching staff have a hard time keeping the team's pysche elevated after winning a big game. Can't win in the playoffs with that and after three years of seeing it, I don't think it's going to improve until a different coach is in place.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

i was hoping they had turned a corner after coming out strong in last weeks second half but obviously I was wrong. Philbin and the coaching staff have a hard time keeping the team's pysche elevated after winning a big game. Can't win in the playoffs with that and after three years of seeing it, I don't think it's going to improve until a different coach is in place.

I'm still not throwing in the towel. We have a chance for a playoff season. It's one game, and just like I did not jump over the moon after a big week one win, I am not gonna jump off a bridge after a bad week one loss.

But it's a trend at this point.

 

[LDaniel7]

we have good wrs. We need better QB play. Tannehill is an avg qb to me. Close to backup quality. And I say this because theres no noticeable leadership skills, inconsistent play. He has no personality almost henne like. He seems to say what he is told and doesn't speak what he truly feels. When pennington was here I was a huge fan of that guy. First day he came here guys noticed a change. WR's caught everything. Its not the wrs. its the qb. Our oline is not the best but tannehill holds onto the ball way too long, indecisive under pressure and is inaccurate consistently. That makes the oline look even worst.. You can't hold blocks forever. Tannehill has his moments but we don't need moments anymore..we need consistency.

Of course Tannehill needs to be more consistent.

But if you want a QB to be consistent, you give him and OL like Buffalos. You give him WRs like Buffalos. You give him TEs like Buffalos. And RBs like Buffalos.

Then he can simply be a low-level game manager like Manuel and win games, lol.

Seriously, if you want to develop QB talent, you start upfront and build from there. Something he's never had -- not this year either. The middle of the OL leaked badly, badly.

LD

 

[MD]

I'm still not throwing in the towel. We have a chance for a playoff season. It's one game, and just like I did not jump over the moon after a big week one win, I am not gonna jump off a bridge after a bad week one loss.

But it's a trend at this point.

Four consecutive games that Tannehill has not played real well and three of the last four the team has been unprepared. It's hard not to throw in the towel when you see this trend. It's not as if we are hoping our luck will change because it has nothing to do with luck. Characteristics and mechanics are the underlying cause and I don't think you'll see this trend go away.

I really am not ready to push the reset button but the thought is starting to creep in.

 

[napsndreds]

Of course Tannehill needs to be more consistent.

But if you want a QB to be consistent, you give him and OL like Buffalos. You give him WRs like Buffalos. You give him TEs like Buffalos. And RBs like Buffalos.

Then he can simply be a low-level game manager like Manuel and win games, lol.

Seriously, if you want to develop QB talent, you start upfront and build from there. Something he's never had -- not this year either. The middle of the OL leaked badly, badly.

LD

I think we have better wrs than BUFF...I don't even know why watkins was given the whole field today. I don't agree on the tight ends either.. their rbs are way better..and EJ Manuel is better than Tannehill as it stands. We can compete with buffalo but for the last 3 games our qb has sucked.. we coulda won this game and our defense was garbage as well.. Im surprised we were only down 9 points at the half.. We still had a chance.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Four consecutive games that Tannehill has not played real well and three of the last four the team has been unprepared. It's hard not to throw in the towel when you see this trend. It's not as if we are hoping our luck will change because it has nothing to do with luck. Characteristics and mechanics are the underlying cause and I don't think you'll see this trend go away.

I really am not ready to push the reset button but the thought is starting to creep in.

QB has been struggling but I honestly feel people are overstating how bad he was the last 2 weeks. Not good enough is not good enough, but people are acting like he is the worst quarterback in the world and I think that's equally as absurd as saying he played real well.

I'm just saying that I think if you look beyond the quarterback as the easy scapegoat for all of the team's problems, you're going to see awful special teams play, atrocious tackling, dropped passes, missed blocks, and a coach who decided to QUIT with 2:19 to play in the half and 3 timeouts left. If you're going to pin all of that on one person, WHO is that one person going to be?

IMHO the problems with this team go deeper than one player and the poor fundamentals / complete lack of passion for the game definitely point back to coaching.

 

[Mogwai]

Honestly, I'm not that torn up about the loss. It was a tough game on the road against a fired up team with talent. Didn't surprise me much. We are a better team as a whole than last year. What's devastating is that it showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that this team is just as QBless as its been for 15 years. Tannehill was exposed and there's no hidden potential there left to develop. That's bigger than this loss. Because we're still looking for an answer at QB.

 

[AphexPhin]

I'll have to watch more games to see if we're better or not. I do like that statement though "Dont get too high off a loss or win". I'll have to remember that for next week

 

[trojanma]

JD I agree with the regression after a big win, but I think some of that is due to the general lack of success on the team.
You cant rent a culture of winning. It has to be built brick by brick.

ITs going to take some time

Given the personnel losses before and during this game we were probably never winning it, but the nature which we lost is disturbing.

 

[tzjombie]

I somewhat agree with you LD, it's only one game and a long season ahead. Many people on this board draw conclusions based on one game on pure emotion. However I do agree that coaching is an issue. When was the last time Miami won an important game coming off a big win?? Preparing your team both physically and mentally is the coaches job and it just seems Philbin is not capable of doing that.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

JD I agree with the regression after a big win, but I think some of that is due to the general lack of success on the team.
You cant rent a culture of winning. It has to be built brick by brick.

I don't agree. Don Shula built a culture of winning immediately in Miami. Jim Harbaugh built a culture of winning immediately in San Francisco.

 

[Finland]

Guys and girls, I know that this loss hurts, but take hope from a statement that someone told me:

Don't get too high after a win. And don't get too low after a loss. Build on what was -- good or bad. And build a winner.

Many of us could see a nightmare matchup, what with the OL totally new and missing its center -- against the best DL in football. AND with the LB corps the walking wounded and a journeyman LB in the middle, against one of the best RB, TE and WR groups in the NFL.

Miami is better than last year and has yet to gel as offense, OL and D.

Don't get too low. Keep your inner balance. And move on.

Fight another day!

LD

No one is mad at the loss. they are mad the team has so many issues.

 

[trojanma]

I don't agree. Don Shula built a culture of winning immediately in Miami. Jim Harbaugh built a culture of winning immediately in San Francisco.

And at the end of the day those are outliers not the standard.

 

[LDaniel7]

No one is mad at the loss. they are mad the team has so many issues.

Those issues were all staring us in the face from last year.

Heck, I even posted last week about how Miami was NOT a well-rounded team, say, compared to Buffalo, position by position. Got hated on from some people for stating that very obvious truth.

People have no idea of the devastation that Ireland wrought on this team. Hickey has started to change that. But it was so bad that boatloads of UDFAs had the chance to make this team.

And that even then, after the roster filled out, it misses playmakers at key positions. All across the field.

Many of us could see this things BEFORE this game. Which is why it's not as disheartening as it could be.

Have to look at the glass as half full and hope it gets better.

LD