SkapePhin
☠️ Banned ☠️
- Joined
- May 20, 2002
- Messages
- 43,878
- Reaction score
- 12,956
Watching consistently cursed teams like the Vikings and Eagles, as well as the Jags who have horrid for several years make it the championship games gives me a bit of hope for the Dolphins future. While there are several holes to be filled, none of them are so bad that there isn't hope.
For as much of the struggles that the Dolphins had this year, they were still in it in the 2nd to last week. With competent, more consistent QB play that Tannehill would have added, I'm confident the team would have been a wildcard team for the second consecutive year. I know many people are down on Gase, but he showed me enough year 1 to believe he has the ability to turn things around unlike prior Dolphin coaches...
What REALLY gives me hope for the future is the current state of the AFC. The old guard is on the way out.
After this year, the Patriots will be more vulnerable than ever with both coordinators on the way out, some internal strife between BB and Brady as well as Brady's advancing age which WILL eventually catch up to him sooner than later without a clear plan to replace him that they had with Jimmy G. BB is looking to bookend his legacy with 2 dynasties... If he wins this year, this could be the end of his final dynasty...
Looking at the other AFC teams, there aren't many elite QBs left at the beginning of their career to wreak havoc on the conference, and certainly not in the AFC East which makes it easier to advance into the playoffs.
Big Ben is at the tail end of his career, with probably only one or two seasons left. Andrew Luck may never recover to where he was. Rivers, who many consider a franchise guy, but has never really been a playoff factor is also in his final years. Of the young guns to take on the throne, only Carr and DeShaun Watson seem like legitimate threats to become consistently elite down the road. Thankfully both are out of the division.
And who are the great coaches in the AFC? BB obviously, but he only has a few years left too, and perhaps if things go sour he could choose to finish his career with another team. Andy Reid is a guy who wins a lot of games, but can't progress in the playoffs. Tomlin is a good coach but has made some questionable moves in the past few years. Gruden is back, but history doesn't bode well for retreads who were out of the game for a long time. Harbaugh might be the best AFC coach outside of BB.
So there is a definite opening in the AFC. The barriers that the Dolphins' have dealt with for nearly 2 decades are beginning to break... Sunny days ahead!
For as much of the struggles that the Dolphins had this year, they were still in it in the 2nd to last week. With competent, more consistent QB play that Tannehill would have added, I'm confident the team would have been a wildcard team for the second consecutive year. I know many people are down on Gase, but he showed me enough year 1 to believe he has the ability to turn things around unlike prior Dolphin coaches...
What REALLY gives me hope for the future is the current state of the AFC. The old guard is on the way out.
After this year, the Patriots will be more vulnerable than ever with both coordinators on the way out, some internal strife between BB and Brady as well as Brady's advancing age which WILL eventually catch up to him sooner than later without a clear plan to replace him that they had with Jimmy G. BB is looking to bookend his legacy with 2 dynasties... If he wins this year, this could be the end of his final dynasty...
Looking at the other AFC teams, there aren't many elite QBs left at the beginning of their career to wreak havoc on the conference, and certainly not in the AFC East which makes it easier to advance into the playoffs.
Big Ben is at the tail end of his career, with probably only one or two seasons left. Andrew Luck may never recover to where he was. Rivers, who many consider a franchise guy, but has never really been a playoff factor is also in his final years. Of the young guns to take on the throne, only Carr and DeShaun Watson seem like legitimate threats to become consistently elite down the road. Thankfully both are out of the division.
And who are the great coaches in the AFC? BB obviously, but he only has a few years left too, and perhaps if things go sour he could choose to finish his career with another team. Andy Reid is a guy who wins a lot of games, but can't progress in the playoffs. Tomlin is a good coach but has made some questionable moves in the past few years. Gruden is back, but history doesn't bode well for retreads who were out of the game for a long time. Harbaugh might be the best AFC coach outside of BB.
So there is a definite opening in the AFC. The barriers that the Dolphins' have dealt with for nearly 2 decades are beginning to break... Sunny days ahead!
