The difference between '07 and '08 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

The difference between '07 and '08

Aqua Shadow

Aqua Shadow

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We are a well coached team. You see it all the time, the good team goes into the game thinking it is a pushover and they get beat, sometimes even overwhelmingly. I honestly think that we felt that way to start the Seattle game. The 1st quarter just finalized the thought in everyone's head.

After that happened I believe we went from confident to ****y. It is a very fine line but the way we played immediately after that 1st quarter, it seemed to me like we had finally crossed it.

This happens from time to time on most teams (especially young teams) that are having success. Even well coached teams. The Dolphins aren't just well coached, we are extraordinarily coached! IMO Sparano reeled them back in for the 4th quarter to deliver that ever critical final drive that sealed the deal offensively, then our defense played well enough to stop them to win the game!

Last year, we had quite a few close games. A popular statistic around these forums was that we lost 6 games by 3 points or less. I think we had some talent (not a lot but some) and we should have won more than 1 game. IMO a good coach can be the difference in a game. You may think I'm am talking about play calls and such but I am not. Even though a coach doesn't go out there and score points, I think a good coach is worth a certain amount of points in a game. Cameron wasn't worth sh*t so we lost 6 games by 3 points or less. Sparano is worth a good deal of points IMO.

That is a testament to why we have won 5 games with even fewer big name players. I don't think we have added any big name players at all actually. We have done it with average talent or players who are too young to play to their potential. We have gotten rid of Chris Chambers who was here for a good amount of the season, we left one of our best linemen, Rex Hadnot, in the free agency pool and cut our star MLB, traded away our Star DE/OLB and kept the same exact secondary that we got burned with continually last year. Our secondary of late has been playing very well and that is not a miracle but GREAT COACHING!

A coach can't score points for a team but they certainly can put produce player who can! Have any of you noticed how many more "gems" we have found this year. How many more players we have turned from undrafted free agents or low draft picks or other teams garbage to decent and successful players on our team? That is GREAT COACHING at its greatest!

God Bless Tony Sparano and the rest of our coaches! also a big shout out to the Tuna in the sky(box) with sunglasses!
 
1 dol fan said:
We are a well coached team. You see it all the time, the good team goes into the game thinking it is a pushover and they get beat, sometimes even overwhelmingly. I honestly think that we felt that way to start the Seattle game. The 1st quarter just finalized the thought in everyone's head.

After that happened I believe we went from confident to ****y. It is a very fine line but the way we played immediately after that 1st quarter, it seemed to me like we had finally crossed it.

This happens from time to time on most teams (especially young teams) that are having success. Even well coached teams. The Dolphins aren't just well coached, we are extraordinarily coached! IMO Sparano reeled them back in for the 4th quarter to deliver that ever critical final drive that sealed the deal offensively, then our defense played well enough to stop them to win the game!

Last year, we had quite a few close games. A popular statistic around these forums was that we lost 6 games by 3 points or less. I think we had some talent (not a lot but some) and we should have won more than 1 game. IMO a good coach can be the difference in a game. You may think I'm am talking about play calls and such but I am not. Even though a coach doesn't go out there and score points, I think a good coach is worth a certain amount of points in a game. Cameron wasn't worth sh*t so we lost 6 games by 3 points or less. Sparano is worth a good deal of points IMO.

That is a testament to why we have won 5 games with even fewer big name players. I don't think we have added any big name players at all actually. We have done it with average talent or players who are too young to play to their potential. We have gotten rid of Chris Chambers who was here for a good amount of the season, we left one of our best linemen, Rex Hadnot, in the free agency pool and cut our star MLB, traded away our Star DE/OLB and kept the same exact secondary that we got burned with continually last year. Our secondary of late has been playing very well and that is not a miracle but GREAT COACHING!

A coach can't score points for a team but they certainly can put produce player who can! Have any of you noticed how many more "gems" we have found this year. How many more players we have turned from undrafted free agents or low draft picks or other teams garbage to decent and successful players on our team? That is GREAT COACHING at its greatest!

God Bless Tony Sparano and the rest of our coaches! also a big shout out to the Tuna in the sky(box) with sunglasses!
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If Sparano was here last year, we would would have won 6 or 7 games.
 
The difference between 07 and 08 is Lemon/Beck and Pennington. Its really that simple. That in itself is the difference in losing all the time and winning most of the time.
 
1.Good QB play-Pennington is doing what Trent Green was supposed to do; be a game manager. Even before Green got hurt, he was not doing that for us. Lemon lived up to his last name, and Beck was in way over his head.

2.Using Joey Porter correctly-We brought him in to take pressure off of JT, and we did a horrible job using him last year. This year, he's already set a career mark for sacks.

3.Good coaching-It's not just Sparano though, it's everybody. David Lee brought in the Wildcat, Karl Dorrell is working with 3 UDFA's and a 2nd year WR who is only in his 4th full year of playing the position (Ginn only became a WR very very late in his Freshmen season, and even then didn't run real routes until his junior year), Mike Maser had to deal with 4 new starters on the OL (I say 4 since Carey is not playing LT), Bowles has a very limited secondary, Rogers has only 2 D-linemen who played in a 3-4 before this year (one of whom was in College at Hampton), and the LBs outside of Porter are solid but unspectacular.

You can not stress how much coaching means this season. We have a top 10 offense. I like how our WRs and TEs are playing, but in all honesty based on talent we should not have a top 10 offense. That is good coaching. You give this year's coaching staff, last year's team that started the year, we'd be alot better than 1-15.
 
I am going to expand the praise from Sparano and the rest of the coaches to include Jeff Ireland too. We haven't spoken of him in a long while but it is partially him who helped form our team and I think we also have him to thank for bringing in Pennington!

On the topic of Pennington, I think that our coaching has also affected his play positively. When he was with NewYork, he wasn't favored, so much so that they kicked him out for an old gunslinger that has 2 years left, tops. I think that we have called plays that didn't call for him to do the things he cannot do but that play to his strengths.
 
Comparing '07 to '08 is like comparing night to day. This team is so much different in every way.

The coaching is better. The attitude is better. The discipline is better. The QB is better. The schemes are better. Get my point.

Comparing the 2007 Dolphins to the 2008 Dolphins is blasphemy!
 
THE RECORD LOL :hi5:

but seriously its the coaching staff and big TUNA lol

Sparano is a great head coach and will lead us to a couple of superbowls and get a couple rings in the process
 
WVdolphan said:
The difference between 07 and 08 is Lemon/Beck and Pennington. Its really that simple. That in itself is the difference in losing all the time and winning most of the time.
Click to expand...

Yes, true, but it's the staff that brought in Pennington. :D

Cameron went into the season with Cleo Lemon?? LOL.
 
1 dol fan said:
I am going to expand the praise from Sparano and the rest of the coaches to include Jeff Ireland too. We haven't spoken of him in a long while but it is partially him who helped form our team and I think we also have him to thank for bringing in Pennington!

On the topic of Pennington, I think that our coaching has also affected his play positively. When he was with NewYork, he wasn't favored, so much so that they kicked him out for an old gunslinger that has 2 years left, tops. I think that we have called plays that didn't call for him to do the things he cannot do but that play to his strengths.
Click to expand...


All excellent points.
 
A big thing that I really love about this team is that we seem to find people who can play off the streets. Also the UDFAs have contributed pretty well too! That is more from coaching than from those guys just having talent right? or do you guys think that Greg Camarillo would have been a #1 receiver in most Offenses?
 
Lack of penalties might be the biggest area of improvement. The turnover margin is good, we are fairly mistake free both in turning the ball over and in penalties.

Also,

HEALTH, so far so good. knock on wood.
 
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