Random Thoughts on the Season So Far

[PhinKev]

I'm much more or a lurker these days, those I've been around for longer than most. I've seen more Dolphins games than I'd care to admit, and probably more than any of the reporters covering the team. Doesn't make me an expert on anything, just an observer.

With that out of the way, here's what I think:

The OL is woeful with Marin and Cog, and without them, cut them both.

Tanny has a big arm and throws well in the seam and to the out. Both are tough throws for most QBs and he does them well. Anything that requires touch though, just not great (with the exception of the nice wheel route he threw to Miller last week).

Judgments about QBs made early can be wrong, but that's more the exception than the rule. With QBs you can tell if they have it or not after a year or two. Not based on wins or loses, but what you see. Tanny looks like a starter to me, not a star.

Tanny is a good athlete with good straight line speed, but he is not quick. Every time I watch him, I'm reminded just how nifty Marino was in the pocket. Tanny needs good protection, he's not making people miss anytime soon.

Lamar Miller is not the answer at RB. I know he's had no holes, but he just looks like a fast guy not a running back. I like running backs that fall forward.

Boy did we not appreciate the value of Reggie Bush.

No one is going to convince me that giving away the run/pass call with the snap count is not incredibly stupid. Though they did mix it up a little last week.

The biggest mistake Jeff Ireland made was at LB (Though OL choices were awful too). The two he overpaid, are terrible against the run. If the Dline does not make the tackle the play is gong to be a nice to big gain. Neither one seems to be able to shed a block or read the right hole. It's almost unbelievable to watch how badly they read plays. I miss Dansby and Burnett and that's just sad.

The CBs have been surprisingly good. Never much cared for Carrol, but he has not been the problem. Sadly, we seemed to have drafted to replace the players that are playing adequately.

I'm tired of watching Thigpen run it out of the endzone and not make the 20. Take a knee, already.

Mike Wallace may not have great hands, but he could be such a weapon if we could figure out a better offensive scheme. Even I know where he lines up, EVERY TIME.

I've seen nothing out of Philbin to suggest that he is a top coach. Seems like a placeholder to me. No innovation, no motivation, no discipline that matters.

I think the Dolphins will be middle or the road for a while with this bunch, I'd rather shake it up and try again.

 

[Aqua and Orange]

Agreed on all fronts.

I have to add our pass rush has been excellent, draft classes abysmal, we could use a fullback with this woeful line, and need to try out Gillislee at RB. For such an underperforming team, we have WAY WAY too many "redshirt rookies."

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Your thoughts on Tannehill match mine exactly. Obviously he's working with a poor offensive line so that has to factor in. By the way, Brees looked pretty bad after two years so maybe there's hope. I think Miami can win with Tannehill, but my feeling is he's not going to win games by himself like Dan Marino did. In other words, he could be a solid starter, but he doesn't look like a franchise guy either.

Agree with your assessment on the linebackers as well. Man this group is bad and considering what Jeff Ireland spent to bring them in, it doesn't speak well to his talent evaluation.

I'm on the fence with Miller. The holes simply aren't there and I don't think Bush would fare much better. I see the issue being the offensive line. The defensive linemen more often than not have already knocked the offensive line back by the time Miller or Thomas get the ball.

Agree with you on Wallace. Unfortunately, Wallace is a complementary player who will work best when (if) Miami gets a more physical receiver or tight end who can go up and get the ball. But, the guy is almost always open. Had he made that play in the Carolina game, he'd likely be NFL player of the week. Wallace has value, but Ireland overpaid.

Ireland needs to go. I've been on the fence with him. I like his philosophy on the defensive line and he's done well for the franchise in that regard. Without a strong defensive line, I just don't see a team competing for all the marbles. On the other hand, I don't think he's done enough and I'm not sure he can recognize elite talent.

I'm on the fence with Philibin. In some ways I think he's overachieved based on the limited talent on the offensive line. On the other hand, the team seems to have become softer under his leadership specifically with missed tackles and the play of the offensive line. I think he gets one more year and, like Tannehill, I'd like to see how he does with better play on the offensive line.

If Miami replaces Philibin, I wonder if Bill Cowher would come back?

 

[gofins60]

I think that it all comes down to Philbin and his quasi-Green Bay offense being a bad fit for this team. They should have brought in someone who could improve the prior team without making major changes. All that was needed was better coaching, playcalling, and upgrades at some key positions. They had somewhat decent blocking by the o-line (just needed a replacement or two) and a good running game, but all of that has disappeared under Philbin. Ross was given the impression that this new offense would be dynamic and explosive, but Philbin brought in a "dink and dunk" short yardage passing game that has no idea on how to use Wallace. In year two of Philbin's regime he has additional talent, but the entire team is regressing in nearly every category.

Fixing this team would be easier (and quicker) by bringing in a new coaching staff that knows what they're doing.

 

[Phindog]

Great post,agreed with everything:up:

 

[Phindog]

The OL is woeful with Marin and Cog, and without them, cut them both.

Tanny has a big arm and throws well in the seam and to the out. Both are tough throws for most QBs and he does them well. Anything that requires touch though, just not great (with the exception of the nice wheel route he threw to Miller last week).

Judgments about QBs made early can be wrong, but that's more the exception than the rule. With QBs you can tell if they have it or not after a year or two. Not based on wins or loses, but what you see. Tanny looks like a starter to me, not a star.

Tanny is a good athlete with good straight line speed, but he is not quick. Every time I watch him, I'm reminded just how nifty Marino was in the pocket. Tanny needs good protection, he's not making people miss anytime soon.

Lamar Miller is not the answer at RB. I know he's had no holes, but he just looks like a fast guy not a running back. I like running backs that fall forward.

Boy did we not appreciate the value of Reggie Bush.

No one is going to convince me that giving away the run/pass call with the snap count is not incredibly stupid. Though they did mix it up a little last week.

The biggest mistake Jeff Ireland made was at LB (Though OL choices were awful too). The two he overpaid, are terrible against the run. If the Dline does not make the tackle the play is gong to be a nice to big gain. Neither one seems to be able to shed a block or read the right hole. It's almost unbelievable to watch how badly they read plays. I miss Dansby and Burnett and that's just sad.

The CBs have been surprisingly good. Never much cared for Carrol, but he has not been the problem. Sadly, we seemed to have drafted to replace the players that are playing adequately.

I'm tired of watching Thigpen run it out of the endzone and not make the 20. Take a knee, already.

Mike Wallace may not have great hands, but he could be such a weapon if we could figure out a better offensive scheme. Even I know where he lines up, EVERY TIME.

I've seen nothing out of Philbin to suggest that he is a top coach. Seems like a placeholder to me. No innovation, no motivation, no discipline that matters.

I think the Dolphins will be middle or the road for a while with this bunch, I'd rather shake it up and try again.

Oline is our weak link no doubt,Cogs wasn't coming back but I would like him to finish the season.

Touch passes are usually the last for a solid QB to master especially if you have a strong arm.

Very few 2nd year QB's look like stars.

Marino made up with the lack of speed with his niftyness and feet,he had no choice.

Very disappointed with Lamar Miller.Bushg is gone,time to move forward....

I agree with what a few here in the millions of posts which we talkedabout it.,it isnt the Go/Go Go snap count it's the robotic lack of cadence.I am not in love with Andrew Luck like some here, but I like his Cadence out of any QB's playing currently.

We need an Instinctive Backer like Z.Thomas

Thigpen is respected by the players but just isnt getting it done on the field.

I could give or take Sherman and Philbin.

I could tolerate only one more season of seeing if Philbin Sherman could turn it around...

 

[Patrick_Bateman]

Pretty much agree with everything OP said, well done

 

[finfan54]

It just would have been nice to see RT with Keller.

Then I think you would have a much better view. But right now, its just a snapshot in time.

I could name dozens of QB's who were ordinary in year two, but now they get talked about differently.

Build a damn Oline in this draft and get a seam busting TE. Looking to the draft. And if you look around at the teams we are fighting the playoff spot for, our Oline right now is looking decent. Its just a matter of making the big plays when you need them. But having a real TE is an issue.

 

[PhinKev]

I agree with finfan54 and phindog that the QB evaluation is not complete. Players in their second year have been known to get better. The best example is Drew Breeze. But, usually its the cutting down on the mistakes, I don't remember too many that started to throw the ball better. You can pretty much see the ability to throw early on. Tanny has a big arm and makes some great throws on the seam and the out. He did that last year too. I'm trying to think of a QB who had very poor touch on the deep ball and learned it later. I Can't think of any to be honest, but perhaps one of you can.

 

[gofins60]

I don't like the fact that Tannehill is having trouble hitting Wallace in stride on the deep passes. However, I'm willing to give him more time, but it must be with a new coaching staff and a new offense that has a more balanced attack. I'd like to see more deep passes, screens, and running rather than the short passing game that Philbin is giving us. I think that with a big strong o-line to protect him, Tannehill will have an easier time improving his game, as he'd have more time in the pocket to let plays develop. Philbin hasn't placed any importance on the o-line since he's been here because his offense is based on short timing routes. A strong o-line and a good running game will definitely help Tannehill, but I don't think that those are "must-haves" in Philbin's system.

 

[Pelorus Jack]

Agree with the OP..

Every year this team seems to be on the right path and then it all seems to fall apart.

Injuries, internal conflicts, bad play calls, lacking team leadership, poor motivation, little inability to overcome obstacles, etc. etc...

Will we ever see this team back to being elite or are the Dolphins just doomed to perpetual mediocrity?

 

[Etuoo33]

Good points all! I don't know why we still have the holes on the OL at TE and LB that we have had for the last 3-4 years? Like the point made earlier, the OL does not seem to be a valued commodity, and that baffles me. You can't win if you can't protect the QB and/or run the ball consistently. Good young LB draft choices have been a need for several years now, Misi is just OK not a game changer, and the book on Jordan has yet to get past the preview. A big seam buster threat at TE.... How many on this board have talked about this sore spot? Even when Keller, a former 1st round choice, was with the Jests, the only time he came to play was when he played the Phish. He did show promise but again an incomplete "what if" here? Clay is a nice complement but not "the" answer. Is the other Dion? I'm not sure he has the speed to bust the seam like this offensive Offense needs. I think he will be a younger better Fasano ( who ever thought we would miss him? I do). Enough of my whining though...

 

[Namor]

This season reminds me of masturbation.
It started off feeling good,and then we realized we were just f***ing ourselves.

 

[utahphinsfan]

My thoughts on the season but primarily going forward.

Sherman & Turner need to go.

I'd like to see Yeatman get a fair shot at OLT & move McKinnie to ORT. I really like Groy from Wisconsin & Su'a-Filo (Ucla) to restock at OG. Garner & Brenner s/b kept as backups.

I am somewhat impressed w/ Miller but there needs to be a stable. Lamar could be the Homerun threat if/when the OL ever gets back to average Keep Gillislee & Thigpen as the 3rd down specialists depending on situation. Get rid of Thomas. Draft Prosch (Auburn FB) & Blue (LSU) as the Power Back.

Morris (Iowa) could be the answer @ MLB. Ellerbe & Wheeler on the outside make more sense. Misi & Jenkins s/b kept for depth. Bring back Kaddu & get rid of Spitler.

As I've mentioned before, Wallace and Ryan need to work on Chemistry. Further, the pistol needs to be the base set to take advantage of RT's mobility & would by a few seconds w/ the OL woes.

I pray Keller and Gibson come back 100% and that the Dion's make significant improvement in yr 2.

 

[Phantom]

Like I said after last season, if you have a chit load of draft picks, and money to spend, Jeff Ireland isn't the guy you want picking and spending. That is on Ross, and that was the biggest mistake made going into this season.