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Ronin's 4-5 Thoughts

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by RoninFin4, Nov 12, 2013.

  1. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Well, just about everyone who has read one of my game recap threads recently knows that I'm all for a house-cleaning, so I'll spare the espousing diatribe this week and just get into the Bucs game. I think, in light of recent events, I'll switch up from Good, Bad, and Bizarre to Good, Bad, and Contemptible. I think the latter is a strong enough word for just how bad certain things are. Onto the recap:

    Good:
    - Ryan Tannehill. Regardless of how this season plays out and who stays or goes among the front office and coaching staff, the incoming front/office has their quarterback. I think the biggest thing for the remainder of 2013 is that Tannehill continues to develop and becomes THE leader, not a leader. THE leader of this team. That, and that he stays healthy.
    - Brian Hartline was his usual consistent, self.
    - Rishard Matthews had his coming out party this week and played the way I thought he could. It's really disconcerting that Mike Sherman said that Matthews has a "sleepy eyed look" and "was surprised he played as well as he did". That's as bad as Coyle's comments about Dion Jordan. If you want to watch some good football, unlike what Miami displayed Monday Night, watch Matthews' highlights from Nevada when Kaepernick was chucking him the ball.
    - Charles Clay had a quieter night than normal, and I think Tampa Bay was ready for him, but he continues to impress me with some of the catches he makes.
    - Bryant McKinnie was Miami's best lineman last night, and he's been with the team for what, like 3 weeks? I'd like to think he's earned a 1 year deal at the end of this season, from the new front office, if only to be a stopgap.
    - Randy Starks. Thanks for caring. You were about the only player in the front seven that gave a damn last night.
    - Jimmy Wilson is usually on my bad list. Not last night. Easily his best game as a Dolphin.
    - Reshad Jones, welcome to 2013.
    - Chris Clemons, thanks for being the best, most consistent DB Miami has had this year.
    - Caleb Sturgis is at least back on the uptick as far as field goals go.

    No Category:
    - Lamar Miller here didn't have a chance. Hopefully the running game gets found again. Quickly.

    Bad:
    - Mike Wallace. Standard. Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Keenan Allen, or Quinton Patton would like better in a Dolphins uniform. Thanks Jeff.
    - Mike Pouncey. Easily his worst game as a Dolphin. From that egregious penalty to simply having his lunch handed to him all game long by Gerald McCoy and Akeem Spence.
    - Paul Soliai has pretty much disappeared since coming back other than one or two possessions in the Bengals game. I'm at the point where I'd let him walk and bring back Randy Starks unless the new defensive coordinator shifts to a 3-4. Even then, I'd only take him back at the right price aka "The Aponte Special". I'll be watching tape of Louis Nix in the meantime. Sigh.
    - Jared Odrick pretty much played his way out of any contract extension talk last night. He got thoroughly "bullied" by Davin Joseph. That was pitiful.
    - Olivier Vernon was worse though. He's just not a good football player and plays WAY too many snaps. He's better off as a situational guy.
    - Dannell Ellerbe is not suited for playing MLB in a 4-3. He needs someone next to him and big bodies in front of him. I feel like he'd be better off in a 3-4, and you can't really cut him based on his contract; at least compared to Wheeler.
    - Philip Wheeler for the second straight game was a rolling dumpster fire. I'd cut him outright and take the cap hit this offseason.
    - Brent Grimes did not play well for the second straight game. Like Soliai, I'd only bring him back at the right price because there are some nice free agent CBs on the market this offseason.

    Contemptible:
    - Joe Philbin. With 11 days to plan for a game, that's what you come up with? That was worse than the performance coming off the bye against Buffalo. He seems disinterested and defeated and I feel like he knows he pretty much cut his own throat at this point. He needs replaced. Period. The coaching staff he's put in place needs replaced. Period. And, as Kheeston Randall showed on Hard Knocks last year, he does look like Mr. Mackey. Coaches like him too.
    - Mike Sherman. I mean, what can you really say? Ryan Tannehill has carried the offense to this point. I think he's definitely out of touch and does not know how to use his weapons. I think he was good in easing the transition for Ryan Tannehill into the NFL, but that's been it.
    - Kevin Coyle. I've been saying there are issues with this defense since the Falcons game. Miami has allowed 20 or more points for EIGHT CONSECUTIVE GAMES. 8 games. His misuse of personnel and poor scheme fit are just a waste of time for me to type about at this point.

    From this point forward, the things I'd like to see for the remainder of 2013 are as follows:

    1A - Ryan Tannehill to continue his development and be THE leader of this team as it moves into 2014.
    1B - Ryan Tannehill to stay healthy.
    B - The continued development of the offensive weapons to go with Hartline, those being Miller, Matthews, Clay, Sims, and Egnew.
    C - Miami to play Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor and Will Davis over the latter part of the season to see what they actually have.
    D - Stephen Ross to blow up this whole operation from front office on down to the coaches. Half-measure band-aid moves are what brought Miami to this point; it's time for a cleansing. David Shaw and Rex Ryan would be my top choices to run the Dolphins in 2014 if either are available.

    I'm not even sure what to say about the upcoming San Diego game. I can see it being like all the other games. I can see it being worse than the Tampa and Buffalo games.
     
  2. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Dion Sims intrigues me more than any other rookie. He has the size to be a great target for Tannehill. He can box out defenders as we already saw with the game-winning TD catch. I wish they'd give him more of a chance in the passing game. Sherman just doesn't seem to know how to utilize his players to their strengths.
     
    Bpk likes this.
  3. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    And I don't get your criticism of Brent Grimes. What exactly did he do wrong last night? I thought he had a great game.

    Though I do agree completely on Clemons. He has been much improved and no one is talking about it. Consistently good all year.
     
    Killer Bees and gunn34 like this.
  4. mcdave21

    mcdave21 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I thought Grimes had a really good game as well. Clemons was has been improved this year but unspectacular.

    Personally, as a dolphins fan who has always hated the jets, I cannot cosign Rex Ryan as the coach of the Miami dolphins. I've spent several years hating the guy!!
     
  5. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Of all of that R4, the thing that bothers me is we consistently seem unprepared, as if the games are sidelights.

    Would be fun to just make a litany of the dumb plays our guys make, they know better, they make those same 5-6 dumb plays every game.

    -Wheeler's personal foul on 3rd and 6
    -Gunner running out of bounds "voluntarily"
    -Pouncey's personal foul
    -The indecision about fielding punts, let one bounce and be downed at the 2..next one is caught no matter what..
    -Sweep in the EZ when Sherman knows damn well we run block for ****
    -Fields being inconsistent
    -Constant missed assignments by the offensive line

    On and on, it's like "show up to the game fellas, enjoy your week off, sure you will do fine"

    Hate to say this, do think Sparano had less talent to work with but his teams were more consistently prepared and had their heads in the game, this lot acts more like a poorly prepped college team.
     
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  6. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I agree with that. Sad as it is to say that, but I agree. If anything, Tony Sparano enjoyed being coach of the Dolphins and worked tirelessly to try and build a winner. I don't get the same vibe from Joe Philbin.
     
  7. vt_dolfan

    vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    Personally...

    I want Jon Gruden. Do what it takes to get him here.

    Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
     
    Fin D likes this.
  8. vt_dolfan

    vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    Heres something interesting. Jon Gruden spent countless hours breaking down Oregons offense. He has thousands of hours of film on every single offense in the NFL. Hes broken down every single defense...this is not a guy who has used his time away from coaching..enjoying the high life and being a TV analyst. He sits in a cramped office in Tampa .. Studying

    The only reason he hasnt come back yet..I think...is he is waiting for the right place. Id love to know what he thinks of Tannehill..but I think if you gavd him what he wanted..hed be HC for Miami.next season..and man Id love to see what hes come up with in his football laboratory

    Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
     
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  9. gunn34

    gunn34 I miss Don & Dan

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    R4...I have to agree with the many others that you're wrong about Grimes. He is our best CB and played a very good game and completely shut down their best WR.
     
  10. fin13

    fin13 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I can't believe that now Sporano has become the best tasting ****, that guy was and is useless
     
  11. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Sparano is not a better coach than Philbin. That's just frustration and anger talking from fans. If Ireland had gotten Albert this off season, we aren't having any of these discussions.
     
  12. Sumlit

    Sumlit Well-Known Member

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    Well I'm not going to speak on the Sparano vs Philbin debate, however I must say this team's constant lack of preparation game after game, even when given more than usual time to do so, is very indicting on the coaching staff. The also apparent lack of game to game adjustments and modifications of the gameplan is again a poor reflection on the coaches, IMHO.
     
  13. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Last year with more prep time we smashed the Jets in Jersey and beat the Seahawks. This wasn't a problem last year. I don't know why it is this year.
     
  14. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Never said he wasn't our best CB. I said Chris Clemons has been our best DB all season - CB & S. As for Grimes in the Tampa game, to each their own. He made a nice play in the endzone, but also had a bad PI and his run support continues to be dismal.

    That said, WHEN Dimitri Patterson has been on the field, he's been better than Grimes. Those games have been few and far between though.
     
  15. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    That PI call was bogus though.
     
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  16. LI phinfan

    LI phinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Thanks for your insight on Ellerbe. Was not made to play MLB in a 4-3...not even close. He rarely is moving forward and is making all his tackles 5-6 yrds down the field. Once he is blocked, he stays blocked. Greatly disappointed in how he is being used...Wheeler? Your summary nailed it!
     
  17. ATLFINFAN

    ATLFINFAN Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The thing is, to me anyway, the first few games they were making halftime adjustments that won the game. It's like they don't even bother with game planning to start either half.
     
  18. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Not in today's NFL apparently.
     
  19. vt_dolfan

    vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

  20. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Bad calls are bad calls. I don't blame players when a bad call is made. You might be right about the run support stuff, but he's innocent in that PI call.
     
  21. Finrunner

    Finrunner Season Ticket Holder

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    What I don't get about Sherman (well, one of the things) is why he won't keep going to our strengths (in a particular game) until the other team stops it. I realize we've had games where we gave up on the run, and it cost us. But when we went to a spread offense and let Tannehill make quick decisions (usually to Matthews), we shredded the Bucs. Tannehill completed 12 passes in a row. So, instead of coming out in the second half with what was working, we went back to more traditional offenses and kept trying to work off of those, and they just weren't working.

    Why not just keep putting the pressure on the Bucs until they stop you? All of a sudden, Matthews is looking like a star, Clay and Egnew get catches, Hartline is in the mix, and Tannehill looks great. And we go away from it, again and again.

    And we get the key INT (Wilson!) that should have helped us clinch the game and put the Bucs in desperation mode, inside their 10 yard line, and we run a slow-developing wide run to Thomas that gets nothing to start that series. Which killed us from the start. Finally, the defense gives us the short field, and we go away from the only thing that worked for us on first down. To me, that was the key "drive" of the game. And we failed. Set up by a horrible first down call. Tannehill probably ought to have run for the pylon on second down after breaking past the rush, but it was the first down that set the tone. A killer.

    It's like, when we can pass, we run. When we can run, we pass. I'm so frustrated, I'm probably not making much sense. Each game, though, I find myself increasingly frustrated with Mike Sherman.
     
  22. dullfandan

    dullfandan Active Member

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    I can relate to almost all of the op.. Clay played so bad Monday, why? Not only dropping passes but his blocking was the worst of anybody else on the team.. Lining up wheeler on a wr is not his fault, although he's still bad... I'm not sure the dolphins are ready to change to a 3-4... That would involve blowing up our whole front seven... And I don't see that happening.. I'm almost certain that a 6-10 season would do more good than squeaking into the playoffs.. Once we know we are out of it some guys like sims, egnew,JJ, Taylor, and Thomas can get some playing time.. As long as there's a chance coaches are gonna play the vets and not give the rooks a shot... Same goes with Wallace, if we are close to that 6th seed they will play conservative but if we are out of it I can see them trying to find wrinkles to get Wallace the ball deep...
     

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