Dolfans
I have mixed feelings following the end of the '09 season, like my feelings the season was a mixed bag of expectations & production.
I too suffered from the emotion of wanting to win plus the misguided perception that even after losing 4 starters including starting QB & RB that this team was capable of winning.
Thats what leads me to my mixed feelings regarding Sparano & his coaching staff taking a closer look at both the reality and perception of how the HC and staff did may shed some light on whether critisim towards Sparano is merrited or not.
Reality:
---------
schedule- much has been made of the SOS miami played this season and certainly it was a factor to both the reality and perception that haunts the '09 dolphins.
The fact that starting 0-3 faced with the leagues toughest schedule ahead of them that Sparano was able to get the team back into post season contention up till the last week of the season is certainly a statement to Sparanos ability as HC.
Roster:
--------
A quick look at the starting defense and we see that the biggest weakness LB are the oldest group on the defensive side of the ball
LB's Taylor,Porter,Aoydelle are 35,32,& 30 with any defense LB's are important in the 3-4 they should be the heart and soul of the 34, with that said that Pasqualoni found away to keep this team in most every game tells me his critisim may be unfounded,even when teams jumped out early on the fins late in the year defensively they found away to keep things together as the offense mounted comebacks.
As a whole I dont feel the roster is all that impressive, sure you have 2 very good RB's and a franchise LT after that you might be hard pressed to name any one on the team that could start for the '09 post season teams including the Jets.
This isnt an indictment on the coaches or Ireland in fact if anything it maybe proof positive this team is in great hands.
Injurys & Turnovers:
----------------------
this was two catagories where miami was almost unparalled in '08 leading the NFL in least TO's with 13 and suffering no major injury they put together a great season, '09 brought a more earthly performance in both TO's and injury one could argue that losing a starting QB,HB,NT,& CB would keep any team out of the post season think about removing the starting QB from any of the teams in the playoffs this season could they have survived without Brady,Manning,Rivers,Palmer,Flacco,Romo,Favre,Warner,Brees ,ok now remove their starting RB, ok now take away the most important interior linemen on D still in the playoffs? fine now take away their starting CB leaving them with 2 rookie starters at CB.
Well Im sure you can see that any team faced with those odds would be hardpressed to contend for a playoff spot, now factor in the toughest schedule in the NFL and its clear to me that Sparano and coaches did one real heck of a job with this team.
Negatives:
------------
For the most part it was coaching deccissions that were the most negative from game management( Time out at the end of the 1st half against NO when NO had no TO's) the impression Sparano gave by calling Time Out after a Y.Bell int at Buffalo...doesnt he know the clock stops after change of possession? down to roster mismanagement going into every game with Pat White as the #2 QB finally caught up to them in week 17.
Player development ok maybe Im nit picking here but one must ask how much better have the young players, outside of Jake Long,gotten?
the young group in question would be Donald Thomas,Kendall Langford,Phillip Merling,Cam Wake,Sean Smith,Vontea Davis & Chad Henne
Langford has been a starter since day one but has his play improved? same question should be asked regarding all others including Henne
where these players better after game 16 then game 1?
Perceptions:
-------------
For the most part my perception was this team should win each week I admit not the most realistic perception but I never felt that they didnt have a chance that perhaps was the biggest problam we as fans didnt see the honest short commings of the team.
Another perception was that the team was built to win now, clearly by starting two rookie CB's the brain trust knew they would struggle some as well leaving themselves with a 2nd year backup to Pennington again my perception was ok fine Henne can handle the pressure of leading a team into the post season if need be but realistically thats alot to ask.
Lastly I feel that while the team one 11 games in year one under Sparano the 2nd year often is a bit of a step back and for this team all things considered 7-9 with the schedule and injurys is about where this team should have been in fact when the schedule was released in the spring I thought wow if they win 8-9 games that will be a good season and that was before a single injury.
Dolfans I do have some concerns about the direction of the team but truthfully if you remove the emotion and look at this from all directions I think that Sparano and his coaches got about every ounce of production from the talent they had to work with, my hope is that Ireland can bring to this team more young talent that can help make this team a true contender year in and year out so that the reality & perception of what we want our dolphins to be can be one and the same.
I have mixed feelings following the end of the '09 season, like my feelings the season was a mixed bag of expectations & production.
I too suffered from the emotion of wanting to win plus the misguided perception that even after losing 4 starters including starting QB & RB that this team was capable of winning.
Thats what leads me to my mixed feelings regarding Sparano & his coaching staff taking a closer look at both the reality and perception of how the HC and staff did may shed some light on whether critisim towards Sparano is merrited or not.
Reality:
---------
schedule- much has been made of the SOS miami played this season and certainly it was a factor to both the reality and perception that haunts the '09 dolphins.
The fact that starting 0-3 faced with the leagues toughest schedule ahead of them that Sparano was able to get the team back into post season contention up till the last week of the season is certainly a statement to Sparanos ability as HC.
Roster:
--------
A quick look at the starting defense and we see that the biggest weakness LB are the oldest group on the defensive side of the ball
LB's Taylor,Porter,Aoydelle are 35,32,& 30 with any defense LB's are important in the 3-4 they should be the heart and soul of the 34, with that said that Pasqualoni found away to keep this team in most every game tells me his critisim may be unfounded,even when teams jumped out early on the fins late in the year defensively they found away to keep things together as the offense mounted comebacks.
As a whole I dont feel the roster is all that impressive, sure you have 2 very good RB's and a franchise LT after that you might be hard pressed to name any one on the team that could start for the '09 post season teams including the Jets.
This isnt an indictment on the coaches or Ireland in fact if anything it maybe proof positive this team is in great hands.
Injurys & Turnovers:
----------------------
this was two catagories where miami was almost unparalled in '08 leading the NFL in least TO's with 13 and suffering no major injury they put together a great season, '09 brought a more earthly performance in both TO's and injury one could argue that losing a starting QB,HB,NT,& CB would keep any team out of the post season think about removing the starting QB from any of the teams in the playoffs this season could they have survived without Brady,Manning,Rivers,Palmer,Flacco,Romo,Favre,Warner,Brees ,ok now remove their starting RB, ok now take away the most important interior linemen on D still in the playoffs? fine now take away their starting CB leaving them with 2 rookie starters at CB.
Well Im sure you can see that any team faced with those odds would be hardpressed to contend for a playoff spot, now factor in the toughest schedule in the NFL and its clear to me that Sparano and coaches did one real heck of a job with this team.
Negatives:
------------
For the most part it was coaching deccissions that were the most negative from game management( Time out at the end of the 1st half against NO when NO had no TO's) the impression Sparano gave by calling Time Out after a Y.Bell int at Buffalo...doesnt he know the clock stops after change of possession? down to roster mismanagement going into every game with Pat White as the #2 QB finally caught up to them in week 17.
Player development ok maybe Im nit picking here but one must ask how much better have the young players, outside of Jake Long,gotten?
the young group in question would be Donald Thomas,Kendall Langford,Phillip Merling,Cam Wake,Sean Smith,Vontea Davis & Chad Henne
Langford has been a starter since day one but has his play improved? same question should be asked regarding all others including Henne
where these players better after game 16 then game 1?
Perceptions:
-------------
For the most part my perception was this team should win each week I admit not the most realistic perception but I never felt that they didnt have a chance that perhaps was the biggest problam we as fans didnt see the honest short commings of the team.
Another perception was that the team was built to win now, clearly by starting two rookie CB's the brain trust knew they would struggle some as well leaving themselves with a 2nd year backup to Pennington again my perception was ok fine Henne can handle the pressure of leading a team into the post season if need be but realistically thats alot to ask.
Lastly I feel that while the team one 11 games in year one under Sparano the 2nd year often is a bit of a step back and for this team all things considered 7-9 with the schedule and injurys is about where this team should have been in fact when the schedule was released in the spring I thought wow if they win 8-9 games that will be a good season and that was before a single injury.
Dolfans I do have some concerns about the direction of the team but truthfully if you remove the emotion and look at this from all directions I think that Sparano and his coaches got about every ounce of production from the talent they had to work with, my hope is that Ireland can bring to this team more young talent that can help make this team a true contender year in and year out so that the reality & perception of what we want our dolphins to be can be one and the same.
