Coach wants the fans to know something...our new name

He can do it, but the lynchpin will be whether there is enough leadership among the players to pick up the message and run with it. If there isn't, expect the same lethargy.

"Rallying the troops" works only if that rallying can be sustained among the troops themselves, via their own energy and leadership.

 

People have been writing all this off as though it's just a mental problem. Words like leadership, motivation, energy, etc.

That's only half the story though. The O-line doesn't look good enough to compete given Tannehill's inability to escape and create so that's a major problem that isn't mental. Another would be the lack of talent in the secondary where Walt Aikens doesn't seem up to the task of playing free safety and the McCain/Taylor competition seems to regularly allow big plays. Finally, you look at the front-7 where Vernon, Mitchell and Wake aren't winning their battles and the LBs behind them are playing very average football.

 

How can you tell that the performance you're seeing on the field is attributable to deficits in physical talent versus deficits in emotional factors?

 

Campbell >>>>> Philbin, Sparano, Saban in terms of PR, but at the end of the day, talk is cheap and you still have to go win football games.

Philbin gave us passer rating differential and a whole lot of meeeeeehhhhhh...
Sparano talked about Gladiators and feeding wolves. Cool on the surface, but I doubt he had wolves in the facility.
Saban made nonsensical hand motions every time he spoke and made a stink about Little Debbie's and Red Man Chew.



Just win.

 

Listen I'm rooting for the guy I mean somewhere along the line we have to get lucky right?? However I have some concerns. In all honesty he is talking about the same issues Philbin talked about. We need to x,y,z. The proof isn't in the talking but on the field. I'm concerned about his ability to out gameplan the other NFL coaches having never been a coordinator or head coach at any level before. Can you use timeouts correctly?? There is alot of management issues he may not be good at that can cost us some game as well.

 

Beat the Titans and maybe I'll regain some belief in this team again. Until then, no dice.

 

Yep...sleeping giant....uhh huh..Sorry not taking the bait with this one. I hope for good things, but the schedule says 2-14 if this sleeping giant wakes up and turns out to be the one from Mickey and The Beanstalk.

 

I think he is certainly motivated to do the job. I just wonder if his enthusiasm and demeanor is enough to overcome the obvious lack of talent throughout this roster.

On the OL, they have Pouncey and hopefully a healthy Albert as quality offensive linemen. James has yet to play at the level he did last year at the RT position. So far this year his play as been slightly below average at best. They still have a huge problem at both guard positions and these positions won't be resolved with the players they now have on the roster.

On defense, the defensive line just isn't the dominant line we anticipated it would be. I think Wake has seen his better days already and Vernon really hasn't played well since the early part of the 2014 season. Suh certainly can't be expected to be the only effective player on the DL, no matter how much he is paid.

The LB's and the secondary, other than Jones and hopefully a healthy Grimes, are a bunch of average to below average players who need to be replaced over the next couple of years if this team expects to ever be a legitimate playoff contender.

I still have serious reservations about Tannehill as the long term answer for the Dolphins at the QB position, but right now he is the only real option for the Dolphins as the starting QB.

I think the Dolphins can still win 3-4 more games this season but if Campbell can lead this team to another 8-8 record after starting out 1-3, he should win coach of the year in the NFL IMO.

 

I watched the Bills/Titans game... there's absolutely no excuse to lose that game... the Bills offense were 3 and out for 2 and 3/4's of a quarter, and still managed to beat Tennessee. And they didn't really do anything special defensively.. I expect us to go after Mariota, and I expect 3-4 sacks..

 

We'll see how our defense looks against the titans. There the problem was scheme. We hVe more talent than the outcome showed. On offense it all comes down to Albert, Pouncey and James staying healthy. We can function at least with those three. Any game we are missing one of them we will lose and there is no coaching to prevent that

 

I have to tap-dance here a little bit because I can't identify my source, but I've heard firsthand that this organization is very excited about Campbell. Just the way he carries himself and holds those around him accountable. The way he gets in your face when you mess up or praises you on a solid play. The feeling and the energy he brings to the practice field on every down. The intensity he demands....the players absolutely love him and they feel like they're about to go to war for this guy.

So yeah, everything in DJ's post sounds 100% accurate....Dan Campbell is the real deal folks. Even though he does not have the experience on the coaching side, he was a leader on three different Super Bowl teams and he knows what a winning culture feels like. He still has the mentality of a player but also the leadership of a veteran coach, and folks inside the organization can't stop talking about how impressive he is.

So for next Sunday, expect an all-out war in the first quarter. Now, we may lose that game 77-14 but darn it, we're going to score early and we're going to knock the **** out of some people. That I can guarantee.

 

At this point, the only thing that can be done is scheme changes. We're locked in as far as "talent" goes. And while scheme changes can help w/blocking, pass rush, and coverage, we're still fielding a team w/Jamar Taylor, McCain (who might do better in the nickle), Aiken/Thomas, Kelvin Sheppard, J. Douglas, Dallas Thomas, etc... It's going to be tough sledding to scheme around those talent incidences. Assuming of course, Campbell and the staff is even capable of scheming properly.

We're 1-3. Miami realistically needs to go 9-3 to have a shot at the playoffs. And of those 12 remaining games, we have 4 divisional games left (2 against NE). And while we don't have a world beater schedule remaining, we do play some decent teams. Fact is, our season is sunk as far as playoffs are concerned. And I'm not sure what a positive record in the final 12 games would achieve.

 

Keyfin? Is that you? LOL!

Truly hope you are correct and your source is as well. I like him as it seems most here do but it still comes down to, can he X and O? Can he recognize guys who can play and guys who cant and get the right ones on the field?
The most sickening thing to me is the pile of talented guys we have let go over the last 4 years simply because Philbin couldn't seem to relate to them or just plain didn't like them.

 

Those few things there are the key ingredients of a good head coach. Think about how far and wide you'd have to search to find someone with all of those.

 

Again, I wish I could say more but this is one of those "sworn to secrecy" types of deals. A close friend has contacts inside the front office though and while he never gets hard details (like Landry starting a fight a few days back), I do hear a lot about the overall tempo of the team, how they're responding, etc. And basically I've heard that Campbell walks the field like he owns the place, encouraging others but demanding 100% effort from EVERYONE...coaches and players alike. So if we see someone talking plays off this coming Sunday, then we're also going to see them on the bench as Campbell finds someone fired up and hungry to make things happen. And from what I'm hearing, nobody is exempt.

I don't think that necessarily translates to X's and O's, which is the only reason Lazor is still around and why we brought in an interim DC. That's just my personal guess though and haven't heard anything specific...I don't get those kinds of details even though I'd love to have them.

 

I'm starting to hate this guy, he's getting me excited about this team again. Don't let me down coach!

 

I'm honestly not expecting anything. One cannot come in and change a culture overnight. I HOPE that he can, but I have no expectations. All this talk has been great, and all the right things have been said. Now, I need them to shut up, and play. Don't talk, but rather, "do". I'm hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

 

If he meant he wanted to change things he would just cut James and Thomas on the oline. I don't care who you put in set an example that mediocrity is gone. Were going nowhere with these guys anyway try something new.. Until they address the issues EVERY fan has seen for years now Im not going to be happy.

 

Honestly, I think he represents our best hope for a new HC, not for anything substantial, but in a situational way, because I do think it will be tough luring coaches into this situation.

We need to get lucky, plain and simple, I think most of what we'll be able to lure here are unproven, or retreads, or journeyman, and that's not to say you can't get lucky with someone there, but thats my point, were going to need to get lucky most likely because none of the big draw names will want to come into this "situation", which includes a HUGE FO, a possibly problematic owner and salary cap issues that will make it more difficult to rebuild.

So the best thing that could happen is for Campbell to emerge as the leader we've been missing for so long, I have no idea if he will, but you never know where the next leader will emerge from, he has the attitude and knowledge, but does he have the intangibles.

I know that I like him a hell of a lot more than Philbin, who I never thought was HC material.

 

that's just basic leadership. pretty common trait among all great leaders. what always surprises me, is that in a billion dollar organization with only 32 head coaches, that more of them don't exhibit that trait.

 

Watch us come out and be down 21-0 at the end of one.

 

It would appear rather farcical, if they came out, and played great against the Titans. It would literally suggest an anomaly of sorts, rather than anything of substantial alteration was necessary.

I don't expect to see flat play out there, nor am I expecting to see a vast difference, if any, in production. I will be watching to see how Campbell steers the ship through this difficult period, what attempts he makes to stop the bleeding,

and regardless of where our record ends up, whether or not he's able to get a handle on things, if he's able to somehow achieve competitive play, or just get this team moving in a positive direction. That in my eyes would be a huge

accomplishment for a TE's coach to pull off from a stand still, when handed the baton in the midst of a 1-3 tailspin.

 

I'd be happy with a 7-7 tie after Q1

 

Get Chris McCain back in there for extra fire. Parker needs much more pt.

Ajayi would be nice to see. Way more run plays. Change the guards for heaven's sake. wtf did Michael Oher do to Vernon.

Above all remember... Philbin is gone, I know, it still hasn't hit me yet either. He literally was the ghost of "Stonewall" Jackson from Anchorman 2...



He Damn near took the soul of every last player...

 

Great question!

 

I thought the same thing. Ken Wisenhunt and Dick Lebeau both have pedigrees, with SBs behind them. They played a solid game against the Bills. I'm expecting them to attack us from the get go. I just hope we punch back and give as good as we're going to get. Dan, Lazor, and Lou have their work cut out for them this week getting ready for the Titans.

I hope for the win, but at least if we lose to do so competitively and with passion. Let's make it a dogfight to the end.

 

At this point, I only care about the next game. As for scheme being the only change, I am not sure. That comment about getting the offensive line off to a good start by working together instead of feeling on an island shocked me. You normally talk about OTs during pass protection as being on an island. The thing that is strange is I expect a better run balance during the first couple of series. It makes me wonder what we have been asking the OGs to do in the running game. It just seemed off.

 

I have been tasked over the last five years with turning around two badly failing store for my company. I am not the most knowledgable or experienced manager the company could throw at the problem, in fact I had NO previous experience at the job when I started.

I took both of those locations from failing, losing money, 70% turnover, customers bailing by the hundreds to 100% increases, employee turnover at record company lows and adding hundreds of customers every day. No I didn't do it alone, in fact I really had very little to do with the actual work.

My job I learned was not to know everything or control everything or do everything myself if I wanted it done right, but to put together a team, give them the tools and training they needed to be successful and empower and encourage them to give me their best shot every day. Remove barriers to success and allow them to "just play" and we are winning now.

You don't think wanting to matters? Dolphins players have been punching the clock, heads down and not invested in their own success for a LONG time now and that's on the leadership.

Can Campbell make the players better athletes? Nope.
Can he make them better students? Nope.

Can he make them give a ish and play for each other. Maybe... If he can he'll be the best coach we've had since JJ.

 

Meh... don't talk. Show me. Talk is cheap. Results matter.

I dont have alot of faith in Campbell. On the surface it sounds good, he's good with the players, they like him, they respect him, he's a motivator. Great... but he's not an x's and o's guy by self admission. His co-ordinators leave alot to be desired, and one has never been a DC in... well decades.

So, I know we're all riding the wave of Campbell's talk here. I'll admit, I've bought in too. But... if the players have bought in, and the results don't change, that wave dies out pretty quickly, and we might be left with a staff even worse than what we had.

Time will tell. Holding out hope here, but man, its a pretty desperate situation, and a big, big, big hill to climb for Campbell.

 

Always appreciate your common sense approach Greg.

 

"Feed the Wolves!!!"

"Gladiators!!!"

"Stronger Together!!!"

"Sleeping Giant!!!"

Ugh. I hate this social media buzzword cliche NFL football world we live in now. And I hate that fans eat it up.

 

I'm going to this game. I really hope we don't get our butts kicked. Please let this be a competitive game. All this talk about sleeping giants and we're down 14-0 after one quarter it'll be a horrible feeling.

 

Dan is talking about changing the culture, igniting passion, and putting the best of our players into situations in which they can win their matchups. Not sure how you made that correlation to cutting James. You can't cut people to prove a point unless you have someone better to replace them with, or they are a detriment to the team. We just drafted James last year. He's a model citizen and I've heard or read nothing saying he takes plays off or doesn't give his all. He's not great, but he's no where near as bad or downright terrible as Clabo, Martin, Colombo, or Fox have been at RT in the past. James also has a rookie at RG next to him who is struggling and is getting little help. I think James will be fine once we improve the OL play or give some other guys a shot.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/10/ranking-all-32-nfl-offensive-lines-entering-week-5/

 

thank you. Somebody has got to say it. Like it or not this team is full of holes. It's the Titantic and the bucket isn't big enough.

For all the talk is just nonsense. These are professional athletes who play a game for a living. All the hype and hoopla is just that hype and hoopla. More directed at the fan base to get us excited. Is there something to wanting to play for a guy. Sure - to a point but only a point.

Hope I'm wrong and Dan is right. I just don't think so.

If it were that easy everyone would be 16-0 with Tony Robbins as their head coach

 

I had a very similar situation about ten years ago; the owner of a franchise asked me to turn around of of his locations that was failing miserably. And like the Dolphins, this was supposed to the the flagship store. He had invested the most money there, sent the most qualified help and even advertised it the heaviest....and it was still failing. Now, I did know my X's and O's of this industry but you know what....the X's and O's weren't the problem. People knew how to do their jobs, take care of customers, etc...they just weren't doing it well. So I pulled the management aside and asked what the problems were, because the existing managers HAD TO be a part of the solution. Because even if I turned things around 100%, the store would still fail once I left if the management wasn't on the same page.

I remember the store manager saying to me, "It's impossible...there's just too much to do and I'm only one person. I stay stressed out all day and I really hate my job." So the first thing we did was get her organized. We made to-do lists for everything and re-trained the employees on prioritizing, and within 3 days things were running like a well-oiled machine. The same manager who was about to quit looked at me and said, "I can't believe how easy this is now that we're working as a team." Three days folks...we went from losing $1,500 a week to breaking even. And in week two we were profitable.

I really didn't want to talk business here but at the same time, I was dying to talk business because I know firsthand how quickly things can be turned around with the proper leadership. So I'm really glad you posted Puka, because peeps need to realize that all is not lost at this point.

 

Dan Campbell sure has put the spotlight on himself, not the players. He's taking it upon himself to be the cog, and he should...awesome call.

I'm counting on them playing with more fire and determination, but from the comments he's made to the media so far, there's really only 2 ways this can go:

A. They rock ***, at least this week, and he looks like the dude from 300. The media would heap praise on him and he'd be the feel good story of the week.

B. They come out looking like ***, and he looks no better than Philbin. The press will have a FEEDING frenzy, and everybody would disregard him and the Dolphins 2015 season.

I'm MUCH more optimistic than I was after the Jills game...but it's fragile.