Where im at

There's nothing to "flame" you about. I'm 42 and have been tortured right along with you and everyone else. This year I chose to not heavily invest in this team the way I had in the past 35 years. I honestly paid more attention to this team when AJ Feely was the quarterback than I did this year. Now I definitely score watched, but I didn't even watch Hard Knocks and I damn sure didn't watch every game. In fact, the only game I watched start to finish this year was the one against the Eagles. Even last night, I eventually walked away from it halfway through the third. I'm right there with you at this point. I'm just done. I'll always be a fan, I do enjoy the banter of these forums, but I'm done getting emotionally involved. Between that and quitting fantasy football, it's been much better to just be a casual fan. I won't be watching the draft either. Obviously I'll read up on any guys we do pick, and I'll monitor our free agent acquisitions on this site, but I faded big time this past year and it'll continue. Eventually it may get to where I don't watch the NFL anymore.

The bottom line is we had our run in the sun, and it happened before I was even born. I was fortunate enough to see the last nine years of Marinos career and that was great, but we're never, ever going to have another quarterback like him on this team. He's my equivalent of Michael Jordan in terms of greatness for "your" team. That's it for us. That, along with the undefeated season are our shining moments and we'll never have anything close to that again.

 

Nope, don't rebuild. This has been a .500+ team for four seasons now, and there has been progress each year. Not in playoff wins, which some will say is all that matters. I get that. But the repetitive injuries are something that can't be ignored- we played a playoff game in terrible conditions with 5/11 of our defense on the field and the offense completely beaten up. We can't win that way and it keeps happening.

Some would also have a valid point saying if we beat KC earlier...or Tenn, Baltimore, Buffalo, etc. then we wouldn't have been on the road to begin with. I agree there as well. For me, it comes down to why we lost those big games throughout the season...what happened that led to our collapse? A few things stand out:

1) Tua is consistently inconsistent in big games. I believe that McDaniel put him in the best possible position to succeed with a dumbed down offense and lots of weapons, lots of scheme to get those weapons open and create space. When things are on-script, Tua is a beast and can execute to perfection. Most NFL QB's can though...Tua simply has more accuracy and a quick release.

2) Our whole offense is built around throwing to spots without much thought from Tua...drop, look, look, fire...and that first look is often to pull the safety instead of actually seeing if a receiver is open. McDaniel is a master at these little tricks and Tua is a great student, but it only works when skill players execute perfectly and the defense doesn't adjust.

3) Our offensive line has improved, but they are still not competitive and McDaniel is scheming around it. For example, the runs with Achane a few weeks ago...those answer the question, "How do you run when your team can't run block?" That one play was the answer, you take two or three guys to seal the edge and the rest of the field doesn't matter. Very smart play but it's not enough- we ran it a dozen or more times against Buffalo and they eventually adjusted because it wasn't that we were executing at a super high level; Achane simply got a single lane outside and outran everyone. Buffalo/KC took different angles and that gimmick play failed.

As many rushing TD's as we had this year, we can't consistently line up and blast the ball through the A or B gap like a traditional run team. We could early in the year and that was the real difference...blowing open holes in the interior of the line forced secondaries to adjust...which created those wide open passing lanes for our speedsters. Take away the ability to run consistently and everything else falls apart with it.

3a) The same can be said about our passing attack- Tua throws around the 2.5 mark because he has to in order to remain upright. So we don't wait for receivers to get open as much as throwing the ball to spots on the field and hoping the receiver gets there in time. Again, super high IQ play by the coach...but it's overcoming the lack of a real NFL pocket for sustainable periods of time.

4) Watching Tua run this past weekend was almost painful- he's slow, awkward, and off-balance. That's because of his conditioning and being 30-40 pounds overweight to compensate for the lack of protection and the fear of concussions. He was more durable this season- big plus, but his game consistently suffered because of the offensive scheme and missing a key receiver. Now mind you, we may have been the best one dimensional offense of all time...but it's not enough and Tua was a worse QB in January than he was in October.

5) McDaniel was not the problem as much as the team itself; we just didn't have the talent necessary to compete. I know that sounds crazy with a historically good offense that completely collapsed in the final month, but think of what we did as the Wildcat and how that success was short lived. The Tyreek in motion, for instance, was an unstoppable cheat code...until it wasn't. So we'd use the motion and go to the other side of the field; that worked for a bit as well. Everything caught up to us once Tyreek was beaten to a pulp and basically played a decoy for all but a few plays per game. Without Waddle (our only other true passing threat) it just didn't work.

I don't think this season was a failure and I don't think a rebuild is in order. We were just so limited due to injury and other teams catching up to our offense that it created the perfect storm.

Tua would be the league MVP in Dallas or Baltimore (great lines) and would probably win a Super Bowl. And as much as McDaniel has helped him look elite with gimmick timing throws, I don't feel like it's sustainable since you can't take a receiver off the street and have them flourish in the offense. Everything is precise timing to avoid making Tua think and I feel like that hurts his game overall...like he's regressing as a player because the coach is working so much harder on finding little exploits.

I would expect us to win 10-12 games next season with this team and whoever else we add. I also think we'll dominate with our starting D and we'll once again blow teams out in September and October. But eventually Tua has to be the man and he's just not that guy because of McDaniel trying to scheme away everything instead of creating something sustainable. Like the Wildcat, the rest of the league is copying us and having success...it's a great compliment. But it's not their core offense for a reason.

In short, I blame McDaniel's success for Tua's and the team's failures...if that makes sense to you.

 

Just turned 41 and I emotionally divested awhile ago. Sports are cool, but too dumb to put so much into. I enjoy and have fun during winning periods, I root for the team, I want them to do well ... but I have no hesitancy with tuning out when it goes bad anymore. Just no sense raging instead of just flipping the switch to off. The moment the Bills scored that return TD my TV went off. Peacock exclusive playoff game? Yeah no thanks NBC you greedy effs.

I've also worked on expanding my general NFL interest and knowledge. I have a somewhat diverse rooting interest because my family moved a lot and different folks have picked up different teams. I also have always loved the draft, the free agency period, etc ... I love team building stuff, and that has expanded to pretty much the forefront of all my sports interests. Baseball trade deadline, NHL draft, I'm here for it.

It probably helps a lot that I am not a Florida/Miami resident, it would be tough growing up loving the "local" team, but c'est la vie. I don't care if people think less of it or I that I am a bandwagon or anything of that nature. I'll do what I do. I'm at the point where I almost root more for the lack of success for our AFC East opponents than for us. I hope the Patriots suck for another decade. I hope Rogers retires and the Jests suck. I hope Allen regresses and throws 8 INTs in a loss this playoff season. That's fun.

As for the team, I really really like Mike McDaniel as a person, but he needs to up his game next year. I'm rooting for him a lot more than most other blah names that have come through. I'll give him time and I'm good letting him decide what to do with Tua. Grier is an OK executive. He's hit some Home Runs, he's had some big strikeouts. Need better drafting, though losing our first last year (which was total BS from the league, just absolute garbage) was brutal. But we can't have our picks sitting on the bench. We need 3-4 impact players from this draft. It's doable. No projects, just guys who can line up and play. Gotta get some decently priced vets that are good and play with an edge.

I'm excited for next year in almost more of an intellectual "will we find the right puzzle pieces" more than anything.

 

I'm Ryan, I'm 45, and I too have been abused by the organization known as the Miami Dolphins. This organization has officially killed my passion for the game. I just can't get really invested in them, because they always always always let me down.

Nothing to flame about, Vinny. I agree with what you say. There are no good options right now. We are stuck with Tua basically. Incentive laden contract with tons of outs is probably what we gotta do. Honestly, maybe Tua pushes to leave if he doesn't get a great contract.

 

I feel you man. Been a fan for 40 years(46). I remember the heart break of losing to the 9ers in the Super Bowl. Thinking we’d be back but never did. We had the QB for 15 years but couldn’t put a defense or running game behind him. Then he retired and we had the running game and defense, but no QB. And now I don’t know what we have.

I’ll always root for the Dolphins but don’t get too up or down with them. Apathy is probably the best word to describe where I’m at. I get tired of seeing the win now mindset but we’re never really able to win now and collapse late in the season. At this point, that’s just dolphins football until they prove us wrong.

 

I just turned 50 and I'll tell you something amazing I learned within the past few years- football is just football. It's not life and it's not something to get upset about. So I enjoy the wins and shrug off the losses, and it's a lot more fun living that way.

 

I'll be 52 this year and what's most disconcerting about this team this year is that what made it the most distinctive in the league was something completely unrelated to winning: the ability to do elaborate and rehearsed end zone celebrations after touchdowns.

That doesn't exactly augur well for a Super Bowl win in the near future, unless an overhaul of the team culture can ensue.

That said, I've been a Dolphins fan since the 1970s and I'll go to my grave behind them, regardless.

 

This team is hopeless. They claw and scratch their way above mediocrity and can't get far enough up to make any difference. They lack mental toughness and discipline and no change of coaches or GMs seems to be able to change that.

 

Hahaha I like how we've all given our ages and tenure following this team as if we're diseased self help seeking individuals.

"I'm Bobby, 42...Been a fan since 89...The first time I saw Marino throw a TD pass, I was hooked."

Hell I guess we are diseased and suffering at this point. KeyFin clearly being the spokesman for rational thinking of the group. This being my first year of attempting my Dolphin sobriety. Somebody get me another white chip after last night.

Man! It's been F*****g bad! The only other fan base in the sport that shares our pain are Browns and Lions fans. I usually just hug it out with those people. We exchange numbers and call each other when it gets bad.

 

The central issue on this team could very well be that Grier wants to make good on his selection of Tua, and his hiring of a head coach after Flores overemphasized the ability for the new coach to maximize Tua's performance. That then created a situation in which McDaniel had to pull out all the stops to get Tua to perform better, thus creating his kid gloves approach to Tua and by extension the rest of the team.

I suspect the tension between GMs and head coaches to make good on the talent the GM has acquired is a central issue on many teams. The GM can hire and fire the head coach, yet the GM's performance is measured primarily in talent acquisition. That's not an inherently amicable relationship.

 

Jens here, turning 45 in a few weeks and used to really be invested in pro sports. Still love all my teams (Eintracht Frankfurt, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, Miami Marlins, Miami Hurricanes) but don’t get invested and follow them like I used to. Frankfurt and the Dolphins are the only ones that get me riled up and really emotional sometimes.

All of the teams I follow are not the cream of the crop but the good thing is, I witnessed most of those teams winning a title. I like rooting for the underdog, makes wins more special.

With the Dolphins I‘ve always been invested and what hurts me the most, is, that it used to be a first class organization but in the last 2 decades this has turned into a clown show. I really thought this year would be different and that Tua would be the guy. But it looks like that’s not the case and we have to clean house again, hope that’s not the case and they turn it around. Because if we want to get back to where we once were a long time a go, we need stability in management and coaching and better drafting.

 

I mentioned above that I have a variety of rooting interests - one is the Lions since I moved to the greater Detroit area 6 years ago. My parents and rest of my fam have lived here since 2001ish, so a few of my younger siblings are big Lions fans. I listen to Detroit sports radio a lot (my job is solitary and affords me that ability). And man, they are turning it around, but they need the game tonight so bad. I'm rooting hard for them and Dan Campbell. It's fun for me to compare the teams since they are similar in many regards.

Another interesting team semi in the same boat is the team on and losing right now ... the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, they had the incredible Jimmy run and the historical success like us, but since Jimmy left they haven't been able to get over the hump. I'm left looking at QB's like the Lions' Goff, Dallas' Dak Prescott and our own Tua in the same boat. And I'll throw in Cousins as well - good but not elite QBs. I think you CAN win if everything falls right, and you will have some regular season success and not just suck, but the hump is a struggle. There are few enough truly uber-elite game changers. Not sure it's realistic to plan around obtaining one, just roll with the tide until it's obviously untenable and then roll the dice. I don't think Tua or we have hit that point.

 

It all starts at the top. The owner is a clueless clown. Man has absolutely no earthly idea how to build a winner or who to hire that can do that.

 

This is definitely a big fear of mine. Grier trying to fit a square peg in a round hole because the alternative is has to admit Flores was right, and he completely flubbed the rebuild. How could you possibly expect to keep your job after that? Ross is the only one that can save us at this point.

 

Yep, they are in an interesting position. A lot of what people are saying about Tua was previously said about Dak - unable to match the moment, turnovers in key situations, etc. But it also shows that teams often will try and stick it out - it's just so much easier and more likely to get worse than better. You keep building the team and hope your QB has a Flacco run (no not this Flacco, the prior one with the Ravens).

True game-changing QBs are incredibly rare. Rogers is on his last legs, Mahomes is obvious. People say Josh Allen and he can be, but he's also as likely to be a total mess. Lamar with his legs. Burrow is up there, but his injuries are starting to get concerning. Stroud looks like he could be next, but needs more than one season ... and Jordan Love looks like he is ascending. Though he is also in his fourth year.

Anyone else is really just a side grade or downgrade to Tua.

But as I've said before, McDaniel coming from that Shannahan tree should have a wealth of information to study. Look at why McVay and LaFleur's offenses are working while ours is coming up short. What are the needs to address? What are the playcalls we are missing? What are the strategies we aren't using? McDaniel needs to figure it out.

 

Ohh! Big Vin. You’re not an effin’ carton of milk. Don’t worry. You’re not going anywhere. Consciousness remains .

 

Our holograms can watch us finally get that playoff win in the year of our Lord 2116.

 

I’d like to fit a square peg in his hole. Oh!

 

After letting things marinate, it's painfully obvious that this quarterback and finesse offense, as is, will never travel late in the season and win in harsh weather and harsh environment.

It's going to be either, win the number one seed or completely overhaul the offensive philosophy to deal with the late season grind. Get some beefy offensive lineman in the draft and a power running back. If they can somehow get Derrick Henry in here for a year or two, I say go for it.

They have to run it back next year. Tua is going to have to develop a second tier to his game. He is going to have to put the concussion history aside, lose weight and start using his legs more. He is too predictable at the moment. Sitting in the pocket and playing pitch and catch is great in September, October and November. It's not going to work in December and January on the road.

 

I keep stressing it - McDaniel needs to take a long, hard look at the running attacks coming from LA and Green Bay - those are both coached from the same tree so it shouldn't be anything wildly different than he's doing now. I'd suggest San Fran but CMC is an outlier as a back, though maybe we could do more with Achane in that mold. I would also look at what the Lions are doing. They focused on OL and built a very good one that allows for both a dominant run game and gives a limited passer in Jared Goff plenty of time to read, dissect and make accurate throws. I can see Tua doing well in that type of system. But we definitely need an offensive overhaul - more focus on running, physicality, more diverse route running - just line up and be someone's problem. Henry is an interesting dude - him and Achane would be a combo. I know he doesn't do much in the pass game, but sometimes you just need a dude to run people over and get those 4 yards.

 

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, but we need to overhaul the OL in order to make that happen. Stronger, meaner, more athletic guys who can stay healthy, along with some adequate depth. There are a few guys I would keep, but most I would let go. Maybe see if someone will give up a mid round pick for Armstead and take his salary off the books.

 

Nobody is taking Armstead, but he becomes cuttable after next year. The Washington kid could start at LG and then slide into LT when Armstead is done. Big decision on Hunt coming up. He's a valuable player and an excellent OG, but can we afford the salary with all the other considerations is the issue. I'd be looking hard to move on from Williams and upgrade from Eichenberg.

 

Where I am at? I am 61 years old and been a fan since 1970, where I am right now is where I was 50 years ago, no Superbowl victory to celebrate as a fan.

 

If he retires while still under contract, does that change anything with regard to the salary cap?

 

Umm...if you've been a fan since 1970, then you have TWO SB victories that you could have celebrated.

 

59 here. I was massive fan for many years. I think I checked out when Tannehill was the guy, although I could not stand Fiedler. Keep the coach, he can only get better. I'm ready to move on from Tua.

 

I get the general sense people disregard the impact of injuries and missed games has on a team and its identity. OL was constantly in need of using backups. It has to be addressed. Possibly with as many as three new starters. You aren't going to do what you want offensively when you can't field a quality OL that stays on the field. if Armstead retires it's probably a blessing because he's missing games or playing less than 100%.

Other issues: WR depth. Need for a power back to go with Achane. Inside linebackers who don't impact games, Baker/Long, lack of depth. Tua developing the bad habit of not taking what is available.

And I'm not negative about 2024 at least when it comes to the offense. The skill pieces and coach are there to allow us to score points. The question of overall health for the defense is the a big one. A solid draft with smart free agency signings and we're back to being SB contenders.

 

Every team in the playoffs has dealt with key injuries. The Bills had a horrible spate of key injuries.

 

Agreed, but that wasn't the problem in KC. In KC, they were only missing really one key piece on offense, and that was Connor Williams.

I'm sure every team would sign up for that if it meant keeping everyone else healthy. And it's not like the offense struggled a little. It completely didn't exist outside of a Hail Mary lucky underthrown catch.

 

Remember Grier's famous line, fans are more worried about the oline than he is. Absolutely no surprise how things worked out. The man is a complete idiot.

 

When Miami went undefeated in 1973 in the Superbowl that year was 1972 was effected by injuries namely the starting QB Bob Griese.

 

Then why didnt the offense score points the last several games?