VaDolphan
QB-slash-WR
Ok, so Ricky's gone...now the rest of the organization has to step it up. And I have a feeling they will, though I do have some doubts (I'll post my doubts last).
First, the D is going to play more focused. I think that they were lazy last year b/c they knew Ricky was there, whereas when the team had no proven back, the D WAS the team. They knew they had to work their tails off in order to have a W. I think you'll see a return to this attitude now.
Secondly, this removes the idea that there's a "super-star" on the team, allowing the team to play as a cohesive group. I saw this even in the High School I used to coach...the two years that we had great tail backs starting for our squad (one kid ground out 1200 yards his senior season; the next season a new senior piled up 2000 yds and 200 pts), we didn't make the playoffs. Then last year, they made the playoffs with no proven tailback and w/o a single player rushing for over 900 yards.
Finally, there's an air of "no-pressure/no expectations". Attitude is everything...and when you face high pressure to get something done, you struggle all the more. But it wears on you, and sometimes struggling makes things worse. Do you seriously think ANYONE is believing the Phins will do ANYTHING this year? I personally hope that all the players on the team take their anger at Ricky and at the world (for thinking that they're done without him) and take it out on opposing teams this season. If you want to see how far this attitude can go, look no further than the Pistons this past year...
As for my doubts: this is an aging squad. Can the D still dominate games? Can the psyche of this team pull together after such an AWFUL offseason? Does Wanny have the huevos to coach-to-win games? I don't know. But I still have more hope than I do doubts right now.
First, the D is going to play more focused. I think that they were lazy last year b/c they knew Ricky was there, whereas when the team had no proven back, the D WAS the team. They knew they had to work their tails off in order to have a W. I think you'll see a return to this attitude now.
Secondly, this removes the idea that there's a "super-star" on the team, allowing the team to play as a cohesive group. I saw this even in the High School I used to coach...the two years that we had great tail backs starting for our squad (one kid ground out 1200 yards his senior season; the next season a new senior piled up 2000 yds and 200 pts), we didn't make the playoffs. Then last year, they made the playoffs with no proven tailback and w/o a single player rushing for over 900 yards.
Finally, there's an air of "no-pressure/no expectations". Attitude is everything...and when you face high pressure to get something done, you struggle all the more. But it wears on you, and sometimes struggling makes things worse. Do you seriously think ANYONE is believing the Phins will do ANYTHING this year? I personally hope that all the players on the team take their anger at Ricky and at the world (for thinking that they're done without him) and take it out on opposing teams this season. If you want to see how far this attitude can go, look no further than the Pistons this past year...
As for my doubts: this is an aging squad. Can the D still dominate games? Can the psyche of this team pull together after such an AWFUL offseason? Does Wanny have the huevos to coach-to-win games? I don't know. But I still have more hope than I do doubts right now.