Here's the deal - when a football team struggles to play away from home, it's the sign of a mentally weak football team that lacks leadership. The mentality of a football team always starts with the coach and quarterback.
The players aren't stupid. They can look around and see all the poor players Miami has constructed their roster with. They know they have no shot. The Dolphins have at minimum 10 players in key roles that they need to be able to count on that are garbage - and I don't mean garbage by NFL standards. Some of 'em are garbage by any standard. Just pathetic.
Miami is poorly coached, woefully unprepared, and has no leadership. They have three players that are worth what they're compensated.
You don't watch enough NFL. I've seen you concede as much many times.
The Dolphins have a perfectly normal roster based on the middle of the league. That's ongoing and the reason we have won 6 to 10 games every season since 2008. That can't happen if your personnel is garbage. I'll take a decade worth of sample size above any subjective assertion.
Minnesota has had a disappointing season but quite a few special players, especially on defense. Those players were eligible to return to 2017 form and they did yesterday, making us look bad.
But just imagine if some backup running back on a garbage college opponent broke free on an untouched 75 yard touchdown run to open the second half against Alabama. Nick Saban would be in disbelief and going nuts, even if it was from a specialized offense like Citadel. Meanwhile that happened for the Dolphins yesterday and nobody on either side acted as if it was a monumental fluke. We had a 50+ yard touchdown run from a different backup running back the week prior. That is simply NFL reality, when even seemingly overmatched teams are not that far away from a physical standpoint.
Miami does not have dedicated players. That is maddening and such a contrast to the Dolphins I grew up with in the '70s. I have emphasized it countless times. The personnel department does a terrible job in prioritizing those self-motivated types.
Until that changes, nothing good will happen. We have to field a roster with mentality like the Ravens, in which even poor situational spots like at Kansas City and playing with a one-dimensional rookie quarterback can be (almost) overcome via a relentless attitude and plenty of intelligent play.
I agree that the linebacking is dreadful. That is one position where we are Crap instead of Crowd, and it shows up countless times per game. Jerome Baker looks like an Ethiopian distance runner out there. Yes, he can run but my gosh does he get washed out with ease. Total non-factor. I tried to maintain belief in McMillan but he is a plodder and not starting caliber.
Also, our special teams are elite. That in itself keeps us in many games and has decided some in our favor. The punt return team had some letdown yesterday but as long as we keep booming them out there I'll take my chances.
The special teams can easily dictate field position all day against weak offensive teams like the Jaguars and Bills.
