QB plays just well enough to get them beat. Trading FGs for TDs loses every time. OL can't do the job in the red zone or crunch time. D can't come up big at the end. Not Thanksgiving, Groundhog day.
Exactly the same loss we see week in and week out. Playing it safe in the redzone, the defense giving up the big drive at the end, same old same old. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? We need a coaching/front office change of direction. We should have won that game easily.
IMO, this game sealed Tony's fate. He will not be coaching the Dolphins in 2012. At this point though, I'm not convinced Jeff Ireland's fate is sealed. IMO, I think he should go as well. He is as conservative with making his personnel decisions as Tony is with his coaching decisions. If we are going to go after a head coach with an aggressive mindset, then we need to match that mindset with a general manager who is aggressive and is willing to take a risk in the draft to fill a position as important as the quarterback position. Despite that, I feel that the talent Jeff has put into place and his relationship with Stephen Ross at this time will buy him some time. I have a feeling Jeff will be hiring the next head coach.
What I saw was a team who by all rights should have been blown out battle and fought hard to win the game. Moore played decent and Reggie bush is steeping up as a leader on the team. Though I agree some things were the same, such as field goals instead of Td's. But Miami took some shoots deep and some of them paid off. I really didn't see the same old same old. I saw a team who is starting to believe in itself. Now is the golden time to play the spoiler.
The team definitely had some swagger, which was nice, but managed to pull out a vintage Miami loss. Kudos, Dolphins.
I see a team that needs to draft and groom a better quarterback and needs a top pass rusher. Everything else they're starting to do well.
Ireland has drafted pretty good for the most part but I agree that he is too conservative and his overall vision for building a team is flawed IMO. I just don't see him building a consistent winner. I hope he is gone because I don't see guys like Gruden or Cowher, etc wanting to work with him. I think he has a "rep" around the league, I mean we should have gotten Harbaugh this offseason, and someone like Cowher or Gruden (i prefer Gruden) is going to basically want a GM they feel comfortable with. I see Ireland hiring a assistant from the same mold as Sparano sadly.
I am so damn sick of field goals and we need our wrs to get seperation and the short passes didnt work against a fast defense. I want Blackmon to help our wr corp and I want a real qb this revolving door has gone on too long.i dont think Ireland has drafted that well or we would have more wins and a swagger. I want Cowher Weeden and Blackmon and a tightend and three dt's and two linebackers . Aquafin out
I hate to bag on Matt Moore because he's a backup, has played pretty well and I like his game. But today we saw why the Dolphins have to draft a QB #1. Not seeing open guys for first downs or TDs. Inaccurate throws ending drives or resulting in field goals. I mean, he mishandled three snaps today and subsequently, we didn't see a single shotgun play called the entire second half. They just struck them from the play sheet. IMO, that alone was the difference between this last second loss and the Green Bay - Detroit game, where the Packers pulled away early. And if I didn't know better, I'd have sworn Dan Henning took over first down play calling. I think Dallas was well aware that we were running the ball inside on every first down. And the insistence on running Bush inside at the goal line continues to puzzle. I was impressed with the job Vontae did on Dez Bryant. Had an INT, nearly two, and held that guy in check.
Exactly. Even with a poor O-Line and a Secondary that struggles (Though played well today...one TD that the defense actually gave up on that long Cowboy drive. The other was from the fumbled snap gift.) If you put Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Marino (we miss you....still) into the Red Zone FOUR times??? We're getting at least TWO touchdowns, probably three. We come away with four field goals in four red zone trips. Firing the coaching staff and drafting a rookie QB high in the first round does not equal a rebuild. It equals hope that you finally fix those pieces. We have reason for hope...hopefully we get a good ballsy coaching staff who hits the mark on whatever QB is drafted, and Colombo will be gone.
Matt Moore did a fine job in Dallas, and helped this team deliver a very respectable performance before a heavily viewed Thanksgiving Day audience. QB should nevertheless remain a priority in April. As for the outcome, I recall very clearly when losses such as these, were once dealt out with more frequency than they were drawn. Shula was superb at using any available tools at his disposal to pull out games in the closing minutes. Sparano otoh has a long way to go to mastering the intracacies of his role at this level, and I'm convinced we would be better served, if he developed them elsewhere. As for Ireland, the talent on this team appears to have an untapped upside under Sparano's reign, and I have no interest in seeing him leave, before that potential is more clearly realized.
The way I see these three wins and the Thanksgiving loss, this team has jelled and an attic to cellar house cleaning isn't necessary, but the result isn't enough to make it a playoff caliber team. The weaknesses remain, and the team as presently constituted has reached maximum improvement. This is where the coaches should be eking out a little more so as to win the tough games, but this staff doesn't have the smarts, and the players who can't get it done, of which there are many, are holding back those who can. A top level quarterback needs to be acquired to compete with Moore, eight guys or so need to be replaced, and there has to be a coaching change before we can progress to the next level. This coaching staff does not seem to understand that at 3-8, it is better to call plays that they don't think the team can execute, and fail, than go safe and vanilla and fail anyway. They don't want to take chances because they are afraid for their jobs. We don't need that. Ireland will leave because the kind of coach Ross will want to hire to put fannies in the seats will demand, and receive, full say over personnel decisions.
