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the MerryGoRound

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by the 23rd, Aug 28, 2011.

  1. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    I just don't know, with every year that passes
    the team begins to look more like a MerryGoRound to me: first take a look @ the ever-changing offensive line debacle, then take a gander @ the running stable decision: Williams & Brown for Johnson & Bush. Why clean house in the running stable, exchanging comparable running backs, when the obvious problem was the offensive line? Next they fire Sparano, then hire Sparano (the Jim Harbaugh incident), then go with another starting QB, the Kyle Orton affair, to only wind up keeping Chad Henne...

    it is within the realm of possibilities that something is basically wrong with this structure. what do you think?
     
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  2. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    my only "for sure " thought:
    Sparano is responsible for fixing this offensive line & he better get it fixed before the opener.
     
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  3. SCall13

    SCall13 ThePhins QB

    Our FO obviously has an obvious issue of indecisiveness and a lack of a grasp of our real needs. At least it seems that way. On one hand, I'm glad we didn't bring in Orton. On the other, I don't understand what we're doing with our OL, RB, and then ****ing around with the safety position. Granted, I'm not, by any means, comfortable with our secondary, but in my opinion, just as you mentioned, the FO seems to be ignoring more obvious issues on this team.
     
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  4. SCall13

    SCall13 ThePhins QB

    I agree. Coaching the O-line is supposed to be his strongest attribute. But year after year since Sparano has been with Miami, it has crumbled like dried out bread.
     
    Abbi Normal likes this.
  5. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    That doesn't really work if you take a look at the reality of head coaches from certain positions.
     
  6. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    actually, what I'd like to know is what works or at least how things are supposedly working
    because I can't figure it out, what little that makes sense seems to reverse field & dissipate

    I've had it with:
    1) the double talk & excuses
    2) the uncertainties & lack of real leadership
    3) the evasiveness & deceit under the guise of "need to know"
    4) people throwing panties & darts in every direction
    5) the pandemonium & utter confusion, the hysteria generated by misplaced hopes & blame

    there probably is an overall master plan & template
    that has been superimposed upon the franchise by the current regime
    a plan for everything, top to bottom
    & everything is progressing just the way it is supposed to be.
    I just don't get it.
    I'm probably not smart enough to comprehend it... at least I hope so
     
    padre31 likes this.
  7. RGF

    RGF THE FINSTER Club Member

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    I happen to agree. Especially with the RB`s. Does`nt make sense why we would get rid of R.B. and R.W. and aquire Bush and Johnson. The instability at OL is inexcusable also at this stage of the coaches and GM`s regime. The one step forward -two steps back habit is getting tiresome.

    Also, it would be great for Sparano to fix the OL problems before the opener but ,up til now,why should we actually believe he will ?
     
  8. RGF

    RGF THE FINSTER Club Member

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    Jest at its best !!! (At least I hope so). :confused2:
     
  9. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    If the problem with our offense were the RBs, then you guys would be right. The problem with our offense is the OL. The thing is, the RBs are at the very least, more athletic than R&R were. Thomas being younger and athletic, and certainly has room to grow. Bush is not as physical inside as R or R, but he can supply what neither of those guys could, game-breaking plays. Were they a victim of Henning as well ?? Probably so. IF...LJ can be the physical inside runner that he has been in the past, we have a pretty good overall group, including Sexy Rexy who can fill in if needed, temporarily at least.

    Back to my point, the problem is the OL...period. It is not the RBs. The success or failure of this season will hinge on the ability of them to get the right side fixed, likely with someone from the group we have now. Sparano can't be blamed for tinkering around this OL this year, he really hasn't. Of course, since it was supposed to be his forte, we all expected a better OL by now. It hasn't all been his fault. If we still had healthy Grove and Smiley, we might be singing a different tune. However, they aren't here or healthy. But Carey and Colombo don't look like they belong on an NFL roster right now...we'll have to wait and see what happens in the next 10 days or so...
     
  10. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    I coached high school soccer in Broward County for fifteen years without a losing season
    my statement @ the beginning of every year was that if I did not have a winning season I would resign
    the only reason I bring this up is to point out the importance of someone being responsible for end results

    clarity, commitment, competence & responsibility are things that a winning organization needs. I don't see that here.
     
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  11. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Yes, like Harry Truman used to say, "The buck stops here". :up:

    Then of course we had GWB saying, "I'm the decider." :confused2:

    15 straight winning seasons is very impressive. What made you stop coaching? Burnout? I think that's what gets to a lot of good ones who finally stop coaching.
     
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  12. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    I don't get this bro. What needs haven't they tried to address? Our OL isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be nor is that much different from most other teams around the league. Do you guys remember what it was like before thy drafted Jake? For a long time, our QBs were getting killed. It was 1 to 2 steps back and crush!!! No time to go through any progressions nor make proper reads. No chance! Just a disaster. Since these guys took over and we drafted Jake and Carey was playing solid at RT, etc, our QBs have had much more time than in many years. S--t, our QBs since have had much more time to go through their progressions and reads, etc. It's amazing how some people forget what our line used to look like. Yes, there have been issues with the interior here and there, but again, that's not much different than a lot of teams and they did try to make improvements there with spending a 1st rd pick on an interior lineman. Please don't tell me that you're going to make a judgement on him based on his first 3 preseason games. I actually think, at times, he's made some solid blocks and showed good potential. There's a lot of responsibility for that position and a lot to learn and he had a shortened off-season. It, at least, most definitely shows that they are aware that the interior OL was a "need" and definitely tried to address it as such.

    RB was a need. I liked the R&R Express, but they were what they were and that's all they were going to be. :pointlol: Ricky's best days were behind him and Ronnie was as good as he was going to get and we just needed more speed and versatility and that's just what they tried to do with Bush, Thomas, Johnson, Clay, etc. If you look at a lot of the moves they made for the O, you can obviously see that they wanted to open things up and spread things out and create some much needed team speed. They definitely have done such. We all complained about how boring, predictable and conventional our O had become. They were aware of the need for a change and made strong efforts and spent a lot of resources to do just that.

    As for the S position, they upgraded from G. Wilson to Clemons and while Clemons is the antithesis of a ball-hawk, he's been a solid upgrade from what we've had. Now, they've brought in Jones to give Clemons some competition.

    Now, can we use upgrades at certain positions?..sure. You always try to upgrade as much as you can given your time and resources, but to say that these guys do not have a grasp on our team needs, I believe is off-base.

    I guarantee that the biggest determining factor for whether or not these guys are deemed a success or failure will lie in the QB position. This is not a bash on Henne. If we have that type of franchise or just very good quality of play from our QB, I guarantee that a lot of chips will fall into place and you all will be much happier. JMO.
     
  13. xphinfanx

    xphinfanx Stay strong my friends.

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    If its not broke don't fix it.
    The RBs needed fixed negetive attitude and trash mouth is a like a virus especialy on a young team. I hate to see them go but glad RW attitude was not tolerated. As for the O line it was not complete last year, still needing work so I am glad they are still working on it and hope they don't stop until its succesful.
     
  14. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    an elite pro-bowl quality Left Guard would have been the way to go in free agency, not more of the same with a higher price tag. trading Williams & Brown for Bush & Johnson makes little sense to me, a mix & match maybe but one set for the other, no. as far as I can see, it was an imprudent, desperate & misguided, expensive move.

    MerryGoRound?
     
  15. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    I don't get this 23rd...do you really think that RB and RW are better than the combo we have now ?? I don't. Ricky has seen his best days several seasons ago, when he was off galavanting the Australian outback. First he deserts us a week before TC begins, then we bring him back, he has a couple of fillin years and then he starts badmouthing the regime again ?? No thanks...fool me once, shame on me...fool me twice....Brown has was solid, but you could not depend on him staying healthy and he was limited in what he could do. He was not very explosive the last couple of years (when he played) and couldn't be a game changer back. These guys were so great, that they are nothing more than backups to their new teams ?? So you think we should have someone else's backups on our team instead of a promising youngster, who admittedly still has to learn the game and a bona-fide playmaker ??

    I am as frustrated as anyone regarding this OL. Sparano has to fix it. But what's with the ultimatums ?? To a certain extent he can't control injuries. He took a shot with FAs and that didn't work so he's going thru the draft. I'm not excusing any of the mistakes he's made but they happen... No matter what the talent on this team is better than any regime we've had since JJ was here.

    Part of what is forgotten is just how bad this team was, in terms of talent, when these guys got here. Not only were our starters poor, but so were our backups...Remember Rex Hadnot and Samson Satele were revered on this forum! This team, even if Sparano is fired is significantly better than it was when he got here.

    The OL is not as bad as even I make it sound right now. Getting Long back will get us back to where we should have been at the beginning of TC. Murtha has surprised me in how he's handled the LT spot while Jake's been out. In fact, I can't believe it's the same guy from last season, but what we know is that we have at least a swing tackle to cover injuries if needed. There is time to rectify things along the OL. The right side has to be resolved.

    But it's not time to issue ultimatums. First off, Sparano is acutely aware that his job status is at best tenuous (I mean, have you ever had your boss start to look for a replacement before firing you ??). Second, the offense, despite the glaring run blocking inefficiencies was able to move the ball against a very good D. Thirdly, there is still more time and there really isn't a 'drop dead' point. Ross will see to that when he deems the time right, and we all know his timing isn't exactly dead on...
     
  16. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    Friend Larryfinfan: I don't really get it either, however...
     
  17. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    we're not in total disagreement:
    1) I would have kept either Ricky or Ronnie (or both), depending on contract options & not opted for Johnson. I think Bush was a reasonable but unnecessary move, especially considering contracts. the running stable was flush as it stood. the offensive line was always the culprit
    2) My first concern in free agency would have been the immediate acquisition of an elite, pro-bowl caliber Left Guard. Murtha has not surprised me. I've been his advocate & in his corner since day-one. I also believe that John Jerry & Joe Berger should be competing for RG. allowing Carey to compete with Murtha for the start @ RT. having said that, even @ this late date I would be scouring the NFL for elite interior linesmen.
    3) in my eyes, the answer is ultimately in coaching & Sparano should be held accountable for this offensive line.
     
  18. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    Well, the R and/or R debate is moot. I wouldn't have been unhappy with keeping Ronnie around, but I think he underestimated his own value in pursuing FA, and as a result ended up where he would have been with us except with a different team. A situational back. I think that Ireland felt he had his Ronnie replacement and perhaps a bit more in Thomas. That is yet to be determined. You can't judge the kid in 3 PS games, with no offseason acclimation just yet. He'll have to grow up (in NFL terms) quickly to prove he was worth the 2nd round draft status.

    I am a bit surprised by the Bush signings, given the history they have with FAs with injury histories that haven't worked out for us. Bush is an NFL elite playmaker when healthy. Whether he can stay healthy or not remains to be seen. But the backfield of Thomas and Bush creates much more in the way matchups and creating mismatches than the R&R backfield, I think we can both agree on that.

    Yeah, I might have done the same as to a G. Bush and Burnett were probably more important to the team so it's also hard to put them down for those moves. We don't know how things unfolded for them in the shortened FA signing period and how it unfolded for the players involved. I believe that many players took what was in front of them and didn't look around too much before signing... I don't think I can agree with you on Berger and Jerry either....did you see how Jerry played this last game ?? It wasn't pretty at any of the positions he played. I believe he's simply playing just to have a spot on the roster. As for Berger, C is his best position, but we clearly have two guys who are simply better than he at C (Pouncey and Incognito).

    If there is a move I can't figure out just yet, it's the Carey move. Why was/did he re-sign and 'agree' to a position move and what was the motivation. He's clearly not athletic enough to compete at RT any longer due to age and physical condition. He's not faring too well at RG (where I am surprised because since he was drafted, I've been of the mind that his natural position is RG and one he played best at in the past tells you how much I know). Was the position change his idea or was it the braintrust's ? Did he sign here at a reduced salary because he simply would have done anything to stay (always being a Miami boy) or was there more to it ? We don't know and probably won't know until after it is no longer relevant to the Fins, but the entire ordeal was....fishy to me...

    Again, in regards to Murtha, if I didn't know better, I'd say there was an imposter last season to the guy wearing his uniform this year... He was absolutely horrible wherever he played last season. He either saw the light or as I said is someone else this year.

    EDIT: Or maybe I'm just seeing him thru aqua colored glasses like many were seeing Satele and Hadnot ?
     
  19. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    a failure to communicate?
    1) Berger @ RG not C to compete with Jerry, moving Carey to compete with Murtha @ RT
    2) continue to scour NFL for upgrades in the interior line, O'Hara being one of several considerations
    3) I would have kept either Ricky or Ronnie (or both), depending on contract options & not opted for Johnson. I think Bush was a reasonable but unnecessary move, especially considering contracts & injuries. the running stable was flush as it stood. the offensive line was/is the culprit.
    Sparano has to step up as coach
     
  20. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Who are both still playing and starting in this league.
     
  21. Southbeach

    Southbeach Banned

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    There were a lot of really good guys on the OL available in FA. It's disturbing that we did not go after any of them. I can somewhat understand the moves made, and not made, at RB, QB, and S but not the OL.

    We are still looking to find "real" starters on the right side, and even with a band aid which I hope we get, will be doing the same next year.
     
  22. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    agreed
     
  23. miamiron

    miamiron There's always next year

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    Do you honestly thing that will happen??
    4 seasons of drafts and free agents
    and this problem is still here a few more weeks isn't going
    to solve this mess
     
  24. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    I honestly think it has to happen for us to have competitive season & Sparano maintain his job with the Dolphins.
     

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