State of the Dolphins (long)

[vinivedivichi]

After the last few weeks it's hard to see the Dolphins in a positive light. For many weeks I told everyone that we were a talented team, we just were killing ourselves. That's still true, we just have gotten to the point where shooting ourselves in the foot is the rule rather than the exception. The most disappointing aspect of this season thus far is that by all accounts we should be playing better. If you have the talent, and you don't perform up to expectations, isn't that the coaches fault? Yes and no. I think Saban has made some mistakes, just like EVERY coach/GM in the history of the NFL, but in his defense there are some underlying problems.

I'll start with the way the team is playing. Whether we want to admit it or not, this team has always been mentally weak. Bad things tend to snowball with this squad, and concentration and doing "the little things" have always been big issues. Call me crazy, but I think this whole season looks a lot different if we somehow pulled off that kickoff game @ Pittsburgh. I can honestly say I've never seen a team that is so "fragile." Look at our "stars;" Chambers, McMichael, and Mare especially are so Jeckyl and Hyde. They tend to cave under pressure and thrive when nothing is on the line.

Maybe Wanny instilled some bad habits that are proving hard/impossible to fix, or maybe these are just not championship type players. We all, including myself, thought that with Saban we would AT LEAST have a team that played fundamentally sound football and the days of incompetence would be over. Well, it looks like that's not really the case. Is it Saban's fault? Maybe it is, but I just don't feel that way. Listen to Saban's press conferences. He knows what our problems are and he addresses them the only way he can. They do repetitions they do everything possible. How do you get your stars to play more consistent? They need to perform on the field and that's all there is to it. Save for going on the field and catching/passing/blocking for them there's really nothing Saban can do about guys that don't execute things in games that they show they have the ability to execute in practice.

After every game we continually run ourselves in circles looking for why we lost the game. One week it's Chambers, then McMichael, then the defense, then Culpepper...etc. The fact is, we aren't going to win until our guys start playing "winning football." Instead of having a different goat every week, we need to have guys stepping up to lead us. It's not an issue as to which guys need to be replaced...it's a general attitude that needs to be embraced, very similar to what happened last year. Until every player focuses on doing everything he can do every single play this season is going to continue the way it has. It's a choice they have to make.

As for personnel decisions, Saban has been criticized by both fans and the media for getting rid of Gus in favor of Joey and Daunte. Although we one 6 games to end last season, we all knew that wasn't a championship team. It would have been very Dave Wannstedtian to stick with the known (Gus) and drive towards being a decent team. Instead, Saban knew Gus wasn't ever going to win us a SB so he looked for an upgrade. IMO his assessment that we needed an upgrade was right on and I have no problem with him taking the risk of getting a new QB.

Did he make the right decision by acquiring Daunte/Joey instead of Brees? It sure looks like he hasn't so far, but let's not forget that Saban wants to build a team the right way, focusing on the future as opposed to an endless cycle of acquiring short term band-aids. Daunte no doubt has more raw ability than Brees, but even forgetting about the knee injury there are legitimate concerns as to whether he can process information quickly enough to be a championship QB. Saban obviously thought that he could when he acquired him, and I think that we have a coach that does a pretty good job of doing due diligence when making personnel decisions.

The winning streak last year may have made us forget about the condition we were left in by Wanny. This is a team that was average/below average talent-wise, old, and overpaid. To turn the ship around in 1 or 2 years Saban would have had to be 100% right on every personnel move and he hasn't been, but look at the general trend. We are getting younger, and when our older guys retire we have some guys behind them that should be able to step in and perform.

For everyone calling for Saban's head, please tell me who would do a better job that is available. Look around; you won't see anyone with his credentials and knowledge of the game. Saban will right this ship, it's just going to take time.

 

[muscle979]

After the last few weeks it's hard to see the Dolphins in a positive light. For many weeks I told everyone that we were a talented team, we just were killing ourselves. That's still true, we just have gotten to the point where shooting ourselves in the foot is the rule rather than the exception. The most disappointing aspect of this season thus far is that by all accounts we should be playing better. If you have the talent, and you don't perform up to expectations, isn't that the coaches fault? Yes and no. I think Saban has made some mistakes, just like EVERY coach/GM in the history of the NFL, but in his defense there are some underlying problems.

I'll start with the way the team is playing. Whether we want to admit it or not, this team has always been mentally weak. Bad things tend to snowball with this squad, and concentration and doing "the little things" have always been big issues. Call me crazy, but I think this whole season looks a lot different if we somehow pulled off that kickoff game @ Pittsburgh. I can honestly say I've never seen a team that is so "fragile." Look at our "stars;" Chambers, McMichael, and Mare especially are so Jeckyl and Hyde. They tend to cave under pressure and thrive when nothing is on the line.

Maybe Wanny instilled some bad habits that are proving hard/impossible to fix, or maybe these are just not championship type players. We all, including myself, thought that with Saban we would AT LEAST have a team that played fundamentally sound football and the days of incompetence would be over. Well, it looks like that's not really the case. Is it Saban's fault? Maybe it is, but I just don't feel that way. Listen to Saban's press conferences. He knows what our problems are and he addresses them the only way he can. They do repetitions they do everything possible. How do you get your stars to play more consistent? They need to perform on the field and that's all there is to it. Save for going on the field and catching/passing/blocking for them there's really nothing Saban can do about guys that don't execute things in games that they show they have the ability to execute in practice.

After every game we continually run ourselves in circles looking for why we lost the game. One week it's Chambers, then McMichael, then the defense, then Culpepper...etc. The fact is, we aren't going to win until our guys start playing "winning football." Instead of having a different goat every week, we need to have guys stepping up to lead us. It's not an issue as to which guys need to be replaced...it's a general attitude that needs to be embraced, very similar to what happened last year. Until every player focuses on doing everything he can do every single play this season is going to continue the way it has. It's a choice they have to make.

As for personnel decisions, Saban has been criticized by both fans and the media for getting rid of Gus in favor of Joey and Daunte. Although we one 6 games to end last season, we all knew that wasn't a championship team. It would have been very Dave Wannstedtian to stick with the known (Gus) and drive towards being a decent team. Instead, Saban knew Gus wasn't ever going to win us a SB so he looked for an upgrade. IMO his assessment that we needed an upgrade was right on and I have no problem with him taking the risk of getting a new QB.

Did he make the right decision by acquiring Daunte/Joey instead of Brees? It sure looks like he hasn't so far, but let's not forget that Saban wants to build a team the right way, focusing on the future as opposed to an endless cycle of acquiring short term band-aids. Daunte no doubt has more raw ability than Brees, but even forgetting about the knee injury there are legitimate concerns as to whether he can process information quickly enough to be a championship QB. Saban obviously thought that he could when he acquired him, and I think that we have a coach that does a pretty good job of doing due diligence when making personnel decisions.

The winning streak last year may have made us forget about the condition we were left in by Wanny. This is a team that was average/below average talent-wise, old, and overpaid. To turn the ship around in 1 or 2 years Saban would have had to be 100% right on every personnel move and he hasn't been, but look at the general trend. We are getting younger, and when our older guys retire we have some guys behind them that should be able to step in and perform.

For everyone calling for Saban's head, please tell me who would do a better job that is available. Look around; you won't see anyone with his credentials and knowledge of the game. Saban will right this ship, it's just going to take time.

Good post, I generally agree with it. If the players are playing well at practice and choking every sunday there's not much taht can be done right now. He'll have to replace them in the offseason.

 

[finsrule84]

a logical post in the Miami Dolphins forum after a loss? No wai!

 

[zonk4ever]

Everyone's answer is for Saban to replace everyone! Even if everyone needs to be replaced, what logic is there for Saban to do the replacing? He ain't set the world on fire with his moves!!!

 

[RoninFin4]

You say focus on the future and Saban building "his team, with his type of players". That certainly does not seem to be the case. Daunte, Shelton, Anderson, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday, Keith Traylor, Donnie Spragan, Travares Tillman...the list goes on, are all veterans and for the most part are 30 years old plus. I understand teams need veteran leadership, but don't be blinded by the fact he thought he could eek out years of them and try and build a quick contender. Zach and JT are both over 30, playing great mind you, but they're not gonna be around for the long haul. This team needed rebuilt from the beginning, starting with adding youth. He's failed to do that, so I don't really see how you can say he's built for the future.

Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder are the only draft picks that see significant action and look like they'll be high caliber players in the league, but please, specify how you see him building for the future and not band-aiding the situation. I disagree with that statement completely.

As far as the week-to-week excuses/reasons why we lose, it's quite simple, good teams find a way to win those close games, get those bounces - much like the Patriots do. Bad teams don't. Granted I think Saban may still turn out to be a good coach, I don't see his talent in player evaluation, motivation of the team, the only marquee teams beaten during that 6 game streak were San Diego, whom was fighting for their playoff lives at the time, and New Englad who almost beat us with Matt Cassell playing for most of the day. So, if you could, justify your means to say he's building for the future. I just don't see it right now.

 

[RoninFin4]

No response?

 

[SatelliteJack]

You say focus on the future and Saban building "his team, with his type of players". That certainly does not seem to be the case. Daunte, Shelton, Anderson, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday, Keith Traylor, Donnie Spragan, Travares Tillman...the list goes on, are all veterans and for the most part are 30 years old plus. I understand teams need veteran leadership, but don't be blinded by the fact he thought he could eek out years of them and try and build a quick contender. Zach and JT are both over 30, playing great mind you, but they're not gonna be around for the long haul. This team needed rebuilt from the beginning, starting with adding youth. He's failed to do that, so I don't really see how you can say he's built for the future.

Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder are the only draft picks that see significant action and look like they'll be high caliber players in the league, but please, specify how you see him building for the future and not band-aiding the situation. I disagree with that statement completely.

As far as the week-to-week excuses/reasons why we lose, it's quite simple, good teams find a way to win those close games, get those bounces - much like the Patriots do. Bad teams don't. Granted I think Saban may still turn out to be a good coach, I don't see his talent in player evaluation, motivation of the team, the only marquee teams beaten during that 6 game streak were San Diego, whom was fighting for their playoff lives at the time, and New Englad who almost beat us with Matt Cassell playing for most of the day. So, if you could, justify your means to say he's building for the future. I just don't see it right now.

The point is that we were 4-12 two years ago, and it took Dave about 4 years to make us that bad. If you're going to be reasonable, you have to give Nick the same 4 years to dig us out of that whole. The biggest setback in my opinion was losing Linehan. You can't build a foundation when there's a different person calling the plays every year. You need consistancy among the entire coaching staff. Another setback was our six game win streak last year costing us a higher draft pick. We vastly overpreformed last season and while I like watching us win, it really cost us. Saban has made mistakes, yes, but so does any coach. The truth is that he has made more good decisions than bad ones and he isn't too stubborn to correct what he's done wrong (a la Fiedler). If we're still a poor team in two years, call for his head. Until then, be patient.

 

[RoninFin4]

I didn't call for his head, I even said I think he may turn out to be a good coach, but if you're going to rebuild, what he's done in bringing in players isn't necessarily better for the team. Why bring in surplus veterans that were cut for reasons? As for Fiedler, the QB issue jury is still out. Joey isn't the answer, we won't know about Daunte until later on. IMO he's got an ego and thinks he can make players better in his system, which hasn't quite worked as we thought it would based off last year. I also seem to know of a coach named Marvin Lewis who had his team in the playoffs within 3 seasons, and he inherited a far worse team than Nick, I think Saban has let this team slip in year two; he preaches progress all the time, our record has regressed.

 

[vinivedivichi]

You say focus on the future and Saban building "his team, with his type of players". That certainly does not seem to be the case. Daunte, Shelton, Anderson, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holliday, Keith Traylor, Donnie Spragan, Travares Tillman...the list goes on, are all veterans and for the most part are 30 years old plus. I understand teams need veteran leadership, but don't be blinded by the fact he thought he could eek out years of them and try and build a quick contender. Zach and JT are both over 30, playing great mind you, but they're not gonna be around for the long haul. This team needed rebuilt from the beginning, starting with adding youth. He's failed to do that, so I don't really see how you can say he's built for the future.

Ronnie Brown and Channing Crowder are the only draft picks that see significant action and look like they'll be high caliber players in the league, but please, specify how you see him building for the future and not band-aiding the situation. I disagree with that statement completely.

As far as the week-to-week excuses/reasons why we lose, it's quite simple, good teams find a way to win those close games, get those bounces - much like the Patriots do. Bad teams don't. Granted I think Saban may still turn out to be a good coach, I don't see his talent in player evaluation, motivation of the team, the only marquee teams beaten during that 6 game streak were San Diego, whom was fighting for their playoff lives at the time, and New Englad who almost beat us with Matt Cassell playing for most of the day. So, if you could, justify your means to say he's building for the future. I just don't see it right now.

I think you are making a mistake that a lot of fans seem to make personnel-wise. We obviously don't have a crew of young all-pro's waiting to take over, but we are starting to collect some young guys that will be on the roster for years. Guys like Roth, Brown, Daniels, Hagan, Toledo, Allen, Crowder and Evans look like they will/can be starters for us. That's a pretty good list for two years. We certainly have a lot more work to do, but given the limited opportunities we've had I'd have to say that Saban has done a pretty good job selecting guys that will be a part of this team for a long time. It's unrealistic to think we could find a boatload of starters with 13 or so draft picks. If you need proof at how well Saban has done, look at Wanny's drafts. He left us totally devoid of young/cheap talent...as a result we are an old, overpaid team.

As for the older veterans Saban signed, they weren't brought in to be cornerstones. They are all stop-gap type guys, and they even know that. It would be great if there were talented young, relatively cheap, guys available in FA, but the truth is that rarely ever happens. Saban has to maximize future benefit while also trying to be successful in the short term. The guys you mentioned were brought in to fill short term needs. Sure he wants to win in the short term, but it's not happening right now...that doesn't change the fact that the primary goal is to systematically improve the roster. Firesales are for baseball, not football. The economics of football contracts make it impossible to have a firesale.

As for his coaching/motivational abiltiy, I guess I would just say have faith. We are a franchise still in a state of flux; there has been a ton of roster turnover the past couple of years. You don't dummy down the system to win games in the short term, you just deal with the growing pains. Once we get to the point we are returning most of our team every year, the mistakes will go away. Until then we'll probably be a second half (of the season) type team.

 

[RoninFin4]

I think you are making a mistake that a lot of fans seem to make personnel-wise. We obviously don't have a crew of young all-pro's waiting to take over, but we are starting to collect some young guys that will be on the roster for years. Guys like Roth, Brown, Daniels, Hagan, Toledo, Allen, Crowder and Evans look like they will/can be starters for us. That's a pretty good list for two years. We certainly have a lot more work to do, but given the limited opportunities we've had I'd have to say that Saban has done a pretty good job selecting guys that will be a part of this team for a long time. It's unrealistic to think we could find a boatload of starters with 13 or so draft picks. If you need proof at how well Saban has done, look at Wanny's drafts. He left us totally devoid of young/cheap talent...as a result we are an old, overpaid team.

As for the older veterans Saban signed, they weren't brought in to be cornerstones. They are all stop-gap type guys, and they even know that. It would be great if there were talented young, relatively cheap, guys available in FA, but the truth is that rarely ever happens. Saban has to maximize future benefit while also trying to be successful in the short term. The guys you mentioned were brought in to fill short term needs. Sure he wants to win in the short term, but it's not happening right now...that doesn't change the fact that the primary goal is to systematically improve the roster. Firesales are for baseball, not football. The economics of football contracts make it impossible to have a firesale.

As for his coaching/motivational abiltiy, I guess I would just say have faith. We are a franchise still in a state of flux; there has been a ton of roster turnover the past couple of years. You don't dummy down the system to win games in the short term, you just deal with the growing pains. Once we get to the point we are returning most of our team every year, the mistakes will go away. Until then we'll probably be a second half (of the season) type team.

Thanks for clearing up what you said. It makes more sense now, but I still feel there were too many stop-gap/band-aid veterans brought in. I'll remain faithful to the Fins for sure, but Saban's wearing my patience, after all, he did say after the New England game, that this last season would be the last 16 game season around here...that's a lot of balls right there, and we're certainly not maintaining a pace for a playoff push. But thanks for elaborating your post, I'd go on more, but a marketing midterm is going to thrash me tomorrow if I don't study.

 

[Phanatical]

For everyone calling for Saban's head, please tell me who would do a better job that is available. Look around; you won't see anyone with his credentials and knowledge of the game. Saban will right this ship, it's just going to take time.

I'm not calling for his head, but this offseason he made bad choices and now the team is in a funk. Frerotte was able to win with basically this same group of guys, so what does Saban do, he lets Frerotte go and brings in two losers to run the team. A team can compensate for a bad player at any position EXCEPT QB. You can't win with a crap QB and that's what we have, two crap QB's. That's Saban's fault. He should have kept Frerotte and/or spent the money for Brees.

 

[vinivedivichi]

I'm not calling for his head, but this offseason he made bad choices and now the team is in a funk. Frerotte was able to win with basically this same group of guys, so what does Saban do, he lets Frerotte go and brings in two losers to run the team. A team can compensate for a bad player at any position EXCEPT QB. You can't win with a crap QB and that's what we have, two crap QB's. That's Saban's fault. He should have kept Frerotte and/or spent the money for Brees.

I'm happy you said that. Doing what Saban did after winning 6 games at the end of last season took a lot of guts. It would have been very easy to keep that group intact knowing that the talent wasn't there to win a SB, but also knowing that the team would perform well. That's essentially what Wannstedt did for 5 years.

Instead, Saban knew that the team we had last year was only decent so he tried to upgrade the roster. The roster was basically overhauled for the second straight year. As a result of the turnover, we once again have a team that has not gelled. Does that mean that the offseason acquisitions were all mistakes? No, it just means that the continuity is not there yet...and I think that is to be expected. The good thing is that the roster should pretty much stabilize after this year and we shouldn'thave to endure early season growing pains anymore.

 

[Phanatical]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phanatical
I'm not calling for his head, but this offseason he made bad choices and now the team is in a funk. Frerotte was able to win with basically this same group of guys, so what does Saban do, he lets Frerotte go and brings in two losers to run the team. A team can compensate for a bad player at any position EXCEPT QB. You can't win with a crap QB and that's what we have, two crap QB's. That's Saban's fault. He should have kept Frerotte and/or spent the money for Brees.

I'm happy you said that. Doing what Saban did after winning 6 games at the end of last season took a lot of guts. It would have been very easy to keep that group intact knowing that the talent wasn't there to win a SB, but also knowing that the team would perform well. That's essentially what Wannstedt did for 5 years.

Instead, Saban knew that the team we had last year was only decent so he tried to upgrade the roster. The roster was basically overhauled for the second straight year. As a result of the turnover, we once again have a team that has not gelled. Does that mean that the offseason acquisitions were all mistakes? No, it just means that the continuity is not there yet...and I think that is to be expected. The good thing is that the roster should pretty much stabilize after this year and we shouldn'thave to endure early season growing pains anymore.

Yes, I agree it took guts and he went for it in terms of finding a new QB. HOWEVER, he went for the gutsy play and it backfired. CP and JH were severe downgrades. Not to mention that Mularkey has been horrific. This is all on Saban. Like I said, I'm not calling for his head, but he made bad decisions and it has taken this team to the cellar of not only our division, but the entire league. That's all on Saban.

 

[Bofin]

optimism and reason, i hope your right. if nothing else it puts a positive spin on what seems to be a real mess

 

[vinivedivichi]

He inherited an old, overpaid team that was already in the cellar - he didn't have to take it there. If you take a step back you can see that there has been an influx of young talent added to the team since Saban arrived. Daunte may or may not be the answer at QB, but in a sense it's irrelevant to whether or not Saban has done a good job. If you expect him to be right 100% of the time then you are being drastically unfair to him. Nobody can hold up to those standards. As a whole it's apparent that he is upgrading the team. More often than not he is right...and that's all we can ask.