not know how many games we will win is exciting but the injury bug seems to rearing its ugly head . which is why Dave's last year with the team was a lousy year. of course we have to keep in mind that the Rickster quit on us and David Boston had his issues as well. I for one am hoping to win 10 games and make it to the first round of the playoffs. anything else will be a major letdown. question is am I expecting too much or am I close to where others are shooting for? I could be reasonably happy with 9 wins but I am wanting 10 wins for sure. 8 wins means the same ole thing like last year. I rather win 5 so we can get some much need talent instead of the usual 8-8 miss the playoffs and miss out on talent as well.
To me not making the playoffs is a disappointment, Winning the playoff game would be a surprise. Thats my hope for this season, just to make the playoffs. Anything more is good, but another 7-9 or 8-8 season would really suck.
I feel the Dolphins need to go at least 9-7 this season to show that Ireland and Philbin are the right men for the job. Anything less than 9-7 would show me that Ireland didn't make the right decisions in free agency or in his selection of Tannehill as the QB of the future for the Dolphins. An 8-8 record or worse would also have me wondering if the new GM would want to keep Philbin around as his head coach. I don't know if this team is capable of making the playoffs in 2013, but they certainly need to at least have a winning record in 2013, if they expect Dolphin fans to view the future with positive expectations.
It's early... but, I'd guess 8-10 wins as of right now, depending on how our opponents are looking. I'll say the Phins wind up #2 in the AFC East at 9-7, losing a tie breaker to IND and missing the playoffs. NE, CIN, PIT, HOU, IND and DEN are the AFC playoff teams. But, again... it's early. I'm sure we'll revisit this question at least once more before week 1.
I see no reason not to expect at LEAST a 2 to 3 game improvement. We lost 2 last year by missed/makeable field goals, which would've put us at 9-7, and in my opinion, our defense improvements alone should account for 2 more, which is why I'm fully expecting 10 or 11 wins. If the team can minimize the impact of losing Long at LT, and we don't get destroyed by injuries, anything less would be a major disappointment.
Honestly, it depends how and why we are losing. I'd love to say 9 wins... but let's say Martin is a turnstile and Tannehill is lost midway through the season, with us 4-4 at that point against tough competition. If we struggled the rest of the way and ended up 7-9, I'd understnd why... and if they got us an improved LT and Tannehill returned healthy in 2014 I'd be hopeful of the playoffs. If, however, they lose ugly all year with key players struggling and end up 7-9, I'm far less hopeful. So... yeah, it depends. That's why they play the games.
I'll be furious with anything under 9-7 I'm really sick of losing. Having said that I feel as though it is a VERY reasonable expectation, we nearly hit that mark last year anyways and when you factor in our additions I think this is an improved enough that we SHOULD be a playoff team! FINS UP! Only 26 hours and 42 minutes left till gametime!!!!
They stay relatively healthy np reason they can't win 10 games. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
Ten wins...Anything else we are treading water, still not relevant in the AFC. We dont have to win the Div every year, but we need to be threat. If by week 14 we are out of the discussion, I will be done with everyone associated with this team. Gotta win ten games.
Well, truthfully I could perceive 8-9 wins as progress so long as we finish strong. We're a promising young team.... Not a perennial contender. I do expect 10 wins. Our schedule is tough, but heck, a few breaks last year and we would have had 9-10. 11 is the surprise mark.
6-10 or below: Disaster 7 or 8 wins: Disappointing but acceptable if there were extenuating circumstances 9: wins what I expect 10+ wins: Exceeds expectations. I would be worried if the basic stats didn't support the W-L record - kind of like how Saban's and Sparano's first years were built on smoke and mirrors. Winning a playoff game: Over the moon.
Anything under 7 wins is disappointing. I think some of you are a setting yourselves up for dissappointment with such lofty expectations though. Schedules pretty rough this year
Anything under 0 wins and Ireland shouldn't be retained. Sent from my HTC One GE using Tapatalk 4 Beta
It's all very contextual. I'll play along though. 10 wins. I don't see why we can't win 3 more games than last year with an upgraded receiving unit, defense, and a full year of experience under Tannehill's belt. If we can't win 10, and there's going to be real cause for concern, especially regarding Tannehill and his ceiling. I truly think Matt Moore could win 10-11 with this team, so...
8 wins would be an improvement so I wouldn't complain that much. 9 wins is our floor imo. If we are at or under 7 wins it means either the defense sucks or Tannehill sucks (pains me to say both). I'm sticking with my 9-7 prediction.
I understand what your saying, but I always go into the season hoping for double digit wins, just trying to be positive. If I believed we were a 4-12 team, I'd be disappointed and would give up.
I'm not a Dolphin fan. However, IMO I think the team can go 7-9 to 9-7 & still be an improvement over last year. You're in the middle of a culture change. Last season, you probably had 32 people in the whole organization working towards winning. Not people "expecting" to win, because you're a professional team, or because you're paying people a lot of money, or because the other team sucked. Some people were there to get a paycheck, some people were there because the Cowboys didn't want them. Some people were there because they didn't want to get a "real job." & I'm not just talking about players, I'm talking every body who gets a pay check from the Miami Dolphins. The efforts of those 32 people can be tied directly to 4 or 5 of your wins, the other 2 or 3 were due to something beyond the Miami Dolphins control. In 2013, there may be 54 people working diligently each day to turn the Dolphins into a winning franchise & their efforts may lead directly to 7 wins & you win another 2 games by circumstances beyond your control. But that is an improvement & it's the kind of improvement I'd be looking for, because it is repeatable, it can be built upon, & it's the kind of improvement that lasts. It's not easy to see it, when you see it. It's easier to look back, hindsight it becomes clearer. But it's easy to tell, imo, if your wins are coming for some other reason. The 49ers, they did it right. The Ravens, the Packers, they did it right. Those organizations are committed to winning, top to bottom. The Cowboys, the Jets, the Lions... not so much.
I think 9 wins would show improvement and the team being "on the right track". A winning season would be enough for the marketing machines to manipulate the message and convince the fan base the team is on the right track. I think 8 wins and the team is in danger of having a look of continuing to slog through mud. I'm not sure the fan base will be too happy with it. However, it would sit Steve Ross in a difficult place and I don't expect him to be decisive about any changes at an 8-8 season. He would attempt to see the bright side. I think at 7 wins is where you will see changes made...either on the coaching staff or in the front office or both. Remember, Jeff Ireland's contract is up after this year. Ross could simply decide to not renew it, and go in a different direction. It's no coincidence that Ireland still lacks an extension. It isn't for lack of interest on Ireland's part, as he's probably been lobbying for an extension for a while. Ross wants to see how this year plays out before he does anything and I think if the team is still 7-9 then he will let Ireland walk. However, at 7 wins the turnover in the front office may not be sweeping. You could even see Brian Gaine promoted in Ireland's place. Coaching staff changes won't be about Joe Philbin. But there could be some turnover amongst the position coaches. They took a chance on some new coaches like Zac Taylor and Dan Campbell, and if Ross has a bug up his butt then they could get victimized regardless of Mike Sherman's wishes (Zac Taylor is his son-in-law). More likely, you could see Ken O'Keefe just politely step back into the college football world, a "mutual" decision, etc. I think at 6 wins or fewer, you start to see more wholesale changes. Much less likely that Brian Gaine would end up promoted at that point. There would be a good chance that Joe Philbin would end up victim to whoever Steve Ross brought in from a front office standpoint to re-make the team. Ryan Tannehill would be on notice that he'd have probably one more year to show that he's the franchise quarterback, assuming the Dolphins don't have a chance at Teddy Bridgewater. If they do, all bets are off.
I don't think the record really matters. What matters is how well they play. If they show they can beat elite teams, that will go a long way. If they're the type of team that inexplicably doesn't show up against worse teams, and end up 8-8, then that's a lot more promising than finishing 8-8 by squeaking out wins against average teams but losing to good ones. Sent from my HTC One GE using Tapatalk 4 Beta
I expect 9-10 wins so 12 wins would be a pleasant surprise and exceeds my expectations. 7 wins or less is a massive disappointment
9-7 to me would show we are on the right track. 8-8 would be acceptable, but 6-10 or 7-9 would just be a major disappointment.
I hate that some of us have the "depends on what teams we play" mentality. Proof that we have lost the culture of winning. Not our fault as fans though. I expect the same thing every year. Playoffs! We start there.. Anything less pisses me off..
hey Okie WHICH PART OF OKLA ARE YOUR FROM ? I agree with your post I don't feel the good vibes I had that I had when we had Welker , Chambers and Zach and Surtain the players we have now just don't excite me as much as I want .
With all the money spent in free agency, anything short of a winning season (9 wins) has to be considered a major disappointment. Especially considering the Bills and the Jets should be pretty bad and even the Patriots are dealing with adversity. I'd be shocked with a playoff win.
Vegas has the Dolphins win total over/under @ 7-1/2 ! I'd say thats about right on with this team. Mark me down for 7 wins .... 7-9 and a whole lotta crying on talk radio. Playoffs! PLAYOFFS!! PLAYOFFS!! see Jim Mora rant....
I almost look at 8-8 as a worst case scenario for this team. It would most likely mean another mediocre season. One where there could be very little improvement on last year, especially in the QB department. Maybe more poor production from Tannehill and an awful TD/INT ratio. Maybe the pieces put in place by Jeff Ireland failed to make a positive impact. But as you suggest, 8-8 would be an improvement on paper and might keep everyone in place for at least 1 more season of mediocrity. Perhaps longer if Ireland was signed to a lengthy contract. If this team can't win at least 9 games, I'm sorry to say but I'll be that fan hoping for an epic failure of a season. Right now; however, I'm hoping for a Superbowl run.
Stringer's point is the right one, it seems to me. Expectations always lead to frustration. It all depends on how they play and what injuries there are. I'd be surprised at 10 wins or more. 6 wins or fewer would be disappointing. But, I can see 7-9. We have a number of new players. They are all still very young. And, the RBs are extremely young. So you have a combo of: young, inexperienced RBs. A young, shaky LT. A young QB and several new parts that need time to gel - I think the offense will struggle early and that could lead to a less than stellar record. The most disappointing thing for me, however, wouldn't be the 7-9 record as much as all the 1 year contracts of players who are likely going to be heavy positive contributors (Grimes, Clabo, etc.).
Yea, anything less than 9-7 is a disappointment IMO, though I'd be shocked if we were worse than 7-9. I'd be pleasantly surprised with anything over 10 wins, and I just want to get in the playoffs before worrying about winning a game there.
