Today this team grew up and learned how to win

[sports24/7]

Regardless of our record the one thing that worried me the most this season is it looked that Miami didn't know how to win games. In three games they had the chance to win and couldn't do it. They didn't make the necessary plays to "get the job done" I thought it could be one of two things:
1. The players on this team simply just are not winners and will never know how to win. This would mean we had a long way to go and needed to completely retool

or

2. They just simply don't know how to win as a team and will learn under Saban. THis would mean some players here would have to get better and the team would only need some tweaks.

Today they proved it could very well be the latter. When it was crunch time Gus made the throws and the recievers got open and caught them. Then line blocked when they had to block. And most importantly the defense stepped up big late in the game. They did the necessary things needed to get the "W". If they can build off this that means alot more than draft position, it means this team may be good sooner rather than later.

 

[ffphin]

I agree with u on most of that but I am hardly ever neg. on the team but on third and LONG we gave up I thin four of them.... No team should be able to win any game if they give up third and longs. But besides that Miami all in all looked really good and I can't wait to see Nublars highlights.

 

[LostInPatsLand]

Regardless of our record the one thing that worried me the most this season is it looked that Miami didn't know how to win games. In three games they had the chance to win and couldn't do it. They didn't make the necessary plays to "get the job done" I thought it could be one of two things:
1. The players on this team simply just are not winners and will never know how to win. This would mean we had a long way to go and needed to completely retool

or

2. They just simply don't know how to win as a team and will learn under Saban. THis would mean some players here would have to get better and the team would only need some tweaks.

Today they proved it could very well be the latter. When it was crunch time Gus made the throws and the recievers got open and caught them. Then line blocked when they had to block. And most importantly the defense stepped up big late in the game. They did the necessary things needed to get the "W". If they can build off this that means alot more than draft position, it means this team may be good sooner rather than later.

I still think we need an infusion of talent from the draft, but your analysis is otherwise pretty solid.

 

[SMadison29]

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.

 

[adamprez2003]

I think its far more important for us long term to get a top 10 draft pick. Learning how to win will come next year. If it starts coming at the end of this season it would be an utter waste of a valuable opportunity. We have a chance at an impact offensive or defensive lineman and Hawk or Greenway. If we play well enough to creep up towards .500 we will be picking somewhere between 12 and 15 and there are no impact players left in this years draft at that spot. Good players but not impact players. If we lose one more game we should really consider starting Sage or Cleo for the rest of the season to assure us a shot at an impact player. We have suffered through losing seasons for one year and a half, five more games shouldnt kill us

 

[R_t_Kraken]

Regardless of our record the one thing that worried me the most this season is it looked that Miami didn't know how to win games. In three games they had the chance to win and couldn't do it. They didn't make the necessary plays to "get the job done" I thought it could be one of two things:
1. The players on this team simply just are not winners and will never know how to win. This would mean we had a long way to go and needed to completely retool

or

2. They just simply don't know how to win as a team and will learn under Saban. THis would mean some players here would have to get better and the team would only need some tweaks.

Today they proved it could very well be the latter. When it was crunch time Gus made the throws and the recievers got open and caught them. Then line blocked when they had to block. And most importantly the defense stepped up big late in the game. They did the necessary things needed to get the "W". If they can build off this that means alot more than draft position, it means this team may be good sooner rather than later.

I don't know man, I mean they looked good a lot during the game but then they'd turn around and shoot themselves in the foot. What was it 3 INTs called back because of a flag? Mare missing the usual chipshot to give us 19. The Ronnie B fumbles. The Pass Interference on 3rd and 28. The team looked good in a lot of areas, but they also made a lot of mistakes. This was a team in our league after all, most of us just felt the Moss/Porter vs our secondary was a huge missmatch and we'd lose because of it. But the secondary stepped up pretty well, and it didn't hurt that Collins was half the QB Frerotte was on the day.

With that said, I love the win, and I think the team is finally starting to become a real team. This year we have an outside chance at making a run for the playoffs. Next year I think we make it by winning the division.

 

[unifiedtheory]

I don't know man, I mean they looked good a lot during the game but then they'd turn around and shoot themselves in the foot. What was it 3 INTs called back because of a flag? Mare missing the usual chipshot to give us 19. The Ronnie B fumbles. The Pass Interference on 3rd and 28. The team looked good in a lot of areas, but they also made a lot of mistakes. This was a team in our league after all, most of us just felt the Moss/Porter vs our secondary was a huge missmatch and we'd lose because of it. But the secondary stepped up pretty well, and it didn't hurt that Collins was half the QB Frerotte was on the day.

With that said, I love the win, and I think the team is finally starting to become a real team. This year we have an outside chance at making a run for the playoffs. Next year I think we make it by winning the division.

It also helped that Holliday and J.T. were lights out today.

Today felt good. Winning, no matter what our record is, feels WAYYYYYYYY better then losing.

 

[sports24/7]

The point is they did what it takes to win. In the NFL there are winners and losers, and if the young players on this team don't learn to win they will never be winners. I truley believe one of the biggest reasons the Dolphins never got over the hump in the past decade was because they didn't have enough winners. Today they may have given up some bad penalties, but they still did what it took to win the game. Against a very potent offense the defense stood tall. And as for the draft pick, I would love to see the team have a top pick and get a Matt Leinart, but good teams draft well regardless of where they pick and there will be a good player there wherever we pick in the draft. It is more important that the players we have now that will be here in the future learn to win. The quicker they learn that, the quicker we will become a winning football team.

 

[Despacio]

Miami made a lot of mistakes today that are par for the course. But, they sure surprised me when they marched downfield and answered Raider TD's TWICE late in the game. And the momentum was heavily against the Fins after both TD's.

But, such confidence and execution may not show up next week or the next. Nontheless, I agree that today there were some steps taken for this team.

 

[Despacio]

You know, the thing that bother me about all this "progression" is that we may have to do it all over again when we bring in a young, raw QB.

 

[finfan54]

Regardless of our record the one thing that worried me the most this season is it looked that Miami didn't know how to win games. In three games they had the chance to win and couldn't do it. They didn't make the necessary plays to "get the job done" I thought it could be one of two things:
1. The players on this team simply just are not winners and will never know how to win. This would mean we had a long way to go and needed to completely retool

or

2. They just simply don't know how to win as a team and will learn under Saban. THis would mean some players here would have to get better and the team would only need some tweaks.

Today they proved it could very well be the latter. When it was crunch time Gus made the throws and the recievers got open and caught them. Then line blocked when they had to block. And most importantly the defense stepped up big late in the game. They did the necessary things needed to get the "W". If they can build off this that means alot more than draft position, it means this team may be good sooner rather than later.

I believe its #2 however, we need better talent at a few positions.

 

[finfan54]

The point is they did what it takes to win. In the NFL there are winners and losers, and if the young players on this team don't learn to win they will never be winners. I truley believe one of the biggest reasons the Dolphins never got over the hump in the past decade was because they didn't have enough winners. Today they may have given up some bad penalties, but they still did what it took to win the game. Against a very potent offense the defense stood tall. And as for the draft pick, I would love to see the team have a top pick and get a Matt Leinart, but good teams draft well regardless of where they pick and there will be a good player there wherever we pick in the draft. It is more important that the players we have now that will be here in the future learn to win. The quicker they learn that, the quicker we will become a winning football team.

Lets also keep in mind that this was the Oakland Raiders without Warren Sapp and a few others. I think we did not beat ourselves this week although ronnie fumbling twice is not good. Week to week is another story. Buffalo Bills next! Lets give all those 20,000 traveling buffalo bills fans something to cry on the way home about!

 

[inFINSible]

The Raiders have our o-line from last year.

They had opportunities all over the field and they just didn't execute.

I didn't see us win this game as much as I saw the Raiders lose it. It seemed to me like we kept trying and trying to give them the game but, they were more intent on giving it to us, and finally, they won the battle.

 

[Phantom]

We found a team that shoots themselves in the foot more than we do, although we tried to hang with them...... It was a road win, which is good. Winning breeds winning and lets see if they can build on it by winning at home against Buffalo.

 

[ItalianDolFan]

if we dont lose another game, or lost just one more game this year.....we will have at least a .500 record. But if we lose next week, id seriously just give up the season......we need a top 10 draft pick, hell...a top 5 is better. No way do we make the playoffs on an 8-8 record, even if we did....we wouldnt go far against the Colts or Bengals...both of whom are awesome at passing. If we can get Nate Clements and Julian Petersen in the offseason, im all for Matt Leinart. If we dont get them, then forget Matty. Defense wins games, not offense.