Fire McDaniel

!.Fire Grier.2.focus on I'm proving the O line.3.Draft or acquire a real back up QB.

 

I mean, I'm not gonna speak going back to when Shula retired, as I honestly don't remember, but just in the last 10-15 years, I don't think you can say that rebuild have been fine right. What I mean is, we would replace a piece here and there, a HC, an OC...but we never really did the whole thing. Get a new GM, then let him build his team.

So while I do agree with you, you can't build consistency by constant turnover, my response to that is, you don't keep mediocrity for the sake of consistency, and eventually mediocrity has to overrule potential.

 

1 and 2, definitely! 3 ? If 2 is definitely improved, 3 isn’t an issue any longer.

 

I was not one who said we would be better and stronger, not after the training camp that I witnessed

I did say that McDaniel in year three has to prove his unconventional philosophies will actually work in today’s game.

right now he’s suspect as hell

 

If Tua would quit trying to dive headfirst splitting defenders when he needs to scramble, then #3 wouldn't be an issue.

 

I'm with you. I so want him to be the guy, but still some of his play calling still blows my mind.

 

I agree with you. I would however like to get rid of Greer. I mean last year he knew he was losing X, Baker, and Wilkins and he decided to let AVG go too? He laughed at reporters saying the guards were not good enough. Im done with Greer.

 

I don’t know who this “Greer” guy is, but if he’s giving advice to Grier, yes, he should be gone, too.

 

You still have to have quality backup. Tua got concussed this year on a run. Thankfully, he did not take a big hit against the Texans

 

Seems like Mike and Tua share the same stubbornness…

 

Grier, McDaniel, Tua have had enough time. This team is soft blow it up.

 

Look, I was beating the drum on Grier the very first time he said "perennial super bowl contender". In other words, day one on the job before he did a single thing as GM, I called him a fraud and a snake oil salesman.

Looking back, we were correct in trading Tunsil, shipping off Tannehill, and drafting Tua. It could have been a different franchise with Herbert but not necessarily a better one. I'd take Tua again today between the two, but only with Mike McDaniel at the helm. I don't think very many HC's would build an offense specifically around Tua, so I give Grier credit there as well.

Armstead has been frustrating...why didn't we keep Pouncey if we wanted an elite lineman that could rarely practice? There's lots of moves that seemed counter-productive. Van Ginkel still stings. Others made sense since players vastly over-performed...but some of that credit has to go to the organization and the coaching as well. Tyreek is another move that paid some dividends, only to see him easily replaceable without decent line protection.

It all comes back to the line for me, over and over again across the seasons. In the NFL, you have to have 8-10 starter quality studs. Grier missed over and over again with linemen, and that drives me somewhat insane. But he's also hit on a lot of talent as well.

Here we are after another season aiming for around .500 in wins/losses. And I know popular opinion is to blow it all up, start from scratch, and the next guys up will probably do better. But I don't buy it, not this time. McDaniel hasn't had a losing season (yet). Grier has drafted well outside of OL, and he's let McDaniel bring in some pieces each season. We have to run this back another year, at least.

Grier has earned my respect...even though I still think he conned Ross into the job in the first place. If he goes, I definitely won't shed a tear, but I think McDaniel deserves to stick around.

 

I think it depends on how we finish. If we end up 9-8 after a 2-6 start in good part due to 4 games without Tua, that means we will have ended 7-2 on the season which is really good. Tua would have an 8-5 record which projects to 10.5 wins in a 17 game season. We shouldn't get rid of McD in that case, and I don't think Ross will.

But if we lose 1 or 2 of the remaining games to really bad teams when we're still technically in the playoff race, that's a different story. I understand not being able to beat better teams since this is still a work in progress, but we shouldn't lose to Cleveland or the Jets. If we do I'm much more ambivalent about McD and it will be interesting to see what Ross does given his typical 3 year prove it period for HCs.

 

we need to beat winning teams.

 

The “winning teams” mantra is just lazy. At the end of the season the team is ranked based on all games played. The NFL doesn’t look at what teams had losing seasons and then remove those wins from the record.
For the 1,000,000th time, this is the NFL, not NCAA. Every week we see “bad” teams beating “good” teams.

And people need to stop listening to the sports media. Look at other teams and their records against “winning” teams over the past few years. Hell, the Chargers are something like 2-5 this year and the past two years they were 1-12 against playoff teams. The Dolphins are 1-5 this year and were 3-10 the past two. Yet the media solely talks about the Dolphins…and their undereducated fans parrot that. If the Dolphins had only beat “winning teams” over the last 3 years they would have had losing seasons each year. What then? Would people cry about not beating “losing teams”?

Here’s a better mantra: “Win all 17 games. If you don’t, win the division. If you don’t, get a wildcard. Then win a playoff game.”

 

I'm not sold on getting rid of McDaniel. What he has done with the offensive side of the ball has been remarkable, considering he's missing key pieces that Grier has demonstrated an inability to hit on...the offensive line.

if you look at just STATS, the line seems like they are playing well because of how seldom Tua is being sacked. They must be playing great, right? WRONG! Look at how many of Tua's passes have been short dinks and dunks this season, quickly getting the ball out to avoid a negative play and at least getting some yardage. Look at how many of our run plays are outside of the tackles. We cant run inside of the tackles to save our lives because of the likes of subpar players like Eichenburgh. With the explosive ability of our running back corps, I so often wonder what could be if we could actually run the ball right up the gut.

I am one who is of the opinion I'd like to see what McDaniel could do under a new GM that could deliver a solid offensive line...open holes up, hold pass rushes for at least 3 seconds so plays downfield could develop and Tua not having to run for his life after 2.3 seconds.

On the flip side of team coin...as well as the defense has been playing "statistically", I get so fed up with this perceived inability to tackle. Deebo Samuel's touchdown...Poyer, Ramsey and Brooks I believe if was; you mean to tell me not ONE of you....3 on 1, couldn't tackle him and you let him score? No, let's not TACKLE him, let's hit him and hope I knock him down. Look at teams with historically great defenses...Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chicago; when they're defensive players get a hold of you, you're being TACKLED.

Bottom line, the base of the team is here...there is a core to build around but Grier is not the man to do it. It's time for him to go.

 

We could have a stellar line if Grier hadn’t passed on excellent prospects (Torrance, Humphrey) for reaches and guys he picked to look smarter than everyone else (for lack of a more reasonable explanation).

His condescending attitude towards the questions about the guards shows you how little he values the OL and the opinions of others.

 

More context:

Record against playoff teams 2023:

Lions- 2-3
Chiefs- 1-4 (Won Super Bowl)

2022:

Rams- 2-5 (won Super Bowl)

2021:

Bucs- 1-4 (Won Super Bowl)

 

This is what makes me chuckle when writers and others state that defenses have figured out the McDaniel system. Defenses have an easier time because of our inability to run the ball effectively. And our inability to run effectively comes down to a weak offensive line. Grier dismissed this as being something he wasn't worried about. That failures and the shortcomings are typically coming down to two things in the McDaniel era, injuries and an unwillingness to improve the line.

 

There is so much more than just the OL. Having no real back up QB this season, poor construction of the roster overall, not signing players at the right time and giving out contracts without real need, not good enough drafting and always gambling to look smarter than any one else but all that and more don’t matter! When I saw Ross giving McDaniel the game ball after last game, I knew teflon Grier is more than safe. He’ll be here a lot longer at least as long as Ross is here…

 

Our backups (sans Skylar) would have played much better with a better o-line. Tua makes this oline serviceable with his elite anticipation, elite processing, and elite arm quickness.

 

Would‘ve, could‘ve, should’ve, it don’t matter. and of course the team is much worse without Tua, our coach was especially brought in to coach Tua and there is probably no one else who can run this O like him. Fact is, it hasn’t resulted in real success and with Grier in charge I don’t see much change in the future, more of the same old mediocrity…

 

What are you talking about?

You said it was “so much more than the OL”.
The OL sucks, and other than injuries, there really isn’t more than that.

 

I stated a few things already and there is still more, AVG for instance. If you don’t see it that way, why do you want Grier gone then?

 

I want Grier gone, but as I’ve stated many times, he’s not the worst in the league… not even close.

The AVG thing was a head scratcher. I see no reason to not pay him $10m. However, no one knows what really happened there. Some say he wanted to be closer to home. Some say he wasn’t even offered a contract. Some say that his injury scared the Dolphins off. There are other rumors and unless AVG says the reason we may never know. And without knowing what actually happened, how can I blame someone?

If Grier just didn’t want to pay him, then he’s a buffoon.

This roster (when healthy) is good. Grier missed on Poyer in FA, but most everyone other free agent has been good to great. I think Holland was a good pick because he’s got the talent. However, he’s making business decisions right now trying to avoid injury because he thinks he’ll get paid. So in that way he’s a POS. I think he’ll get his payday and play like crap for the rest of his career.
Achane
Waddle
Jackson
Tua
Howard
Tunsil
Wilkins
Minkah
Hunt
AVG
JP
Sander

And there are others, all players drafted by Grier. He’s able to pick well, but not OL, specifically OG’s. (Even though he did draft Hunt).

Anyhow, OL and injuries have been this teams Achilles heel.

 

Doesn’t seem to me you want him gone and I never said he‘s the worst GM in the league….

 

Yes I do

 

"when healthy..."

That's the problem with Grier teams, in a nutshell.

Everything has to go perfect, no injuries, nothing, or Grier's teams go to crap.

 

Also, picks like Tunsil or Minkah, a bunch of those pics, weren't hard. Grier seems to almost always go with safe picks, which is fine, but if they don't stay on the team, then it's kinda pointless to use them as evidence that he drafts OK.

 

3 on that list are OL. I think the bigger pattern with Grier is almost all his hits are in rounds 1 and 2. Everyone on your list except Achane, AVG and Sanders was round 1 or 2. Chop can also be included now and he was round 1.

I think the primary issue with Grier is he is wasting middle and late round picks. He has picked good OL in the past, just not enough because many good teams get their OL with a mix of high, middle and low round picks. Grier is missing the mid/low rounders.. for all positions.

 

If there was a betting line that phillips would suffer a major injury.. it would pay 1 cent for every 100.00 you put on that line.. his durability was a major question mark… and yet we use a first rounder on him…

 

If the only choice was edge back then I would have preferred the other Canes end who‘s in Buffalo now, although Phillips definitely has the higher ceiling. That’s another big thing with Grier he gambles to much on potential and not factoring in other things imo…

 

Am I? Who have I called busts, other than guys like Dion Jordan or Pat White, or guys like that?

 

While I think about it, my only real hope atm is McDaniel. He made Tua a really good NFL QB, our O was explosive and he seems to grow, learn and is a really smart guy! He‘s had a lot on his plate as a first time head coach with a owner and GM with no real plan, hopefully he has the right one…

 

In my 50+ years of watching this game, I’ve come to the indistinguishable conclusion that if you can’t run the ball, you’re only going to go so far, particularly in December and now January.

Miami Florida is one of the very very few cities in the NFL that has the benefit of temperate weather year around. Because of this, in Miami, we can run a high powered passing game but the odds of being able to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs is remote at best. So to succeed, teams MUST be built to go north and be able to effectively run the ball in the cold weather cities of Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and even Buffalo. If you can’t run, you’re going to lose in those cities, especially come crunch time as well as playoffs. And in order to run the ball, you have to win in the trenches and that entails having your offensive line as priority number 1.

We’ve all seen how Grier prioritizes the importance of the offensive line.

 

Weren’t Phillips’ issues in college concussion related? Not really a predictor of future leg injuries. I could be thinking of someone else, though.