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This game will define the 2014 Miami Dolphins

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Bumrush, Nov 22, 2014.

  1. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    I don't expect to get much love for this thought, but I really believe that the outcome of this game will define the 2014 version of the Dolphins. On the road in a hostile environment, touchdown+ underdogs missing a starting CB in Finnegan, a reshuffled line after losing our All-Pro left tackle and Clay possibly missing the game. Great teams like the Patriots always find a way to overcome adversity, especially in November and December. The Dolphins have shown glimpses of elite play, but have not been able to put together a stretch of it consistently.

    This is also going to be a benchmark game for Tannehill. Denver will, in all probability put up at least 28 points, and that's assuming the Dolphins D plays well. The question is, can Tannehill lead this team to 35+ points on the road and win a crucial game with playoffs on the line and the AFCE within reach?

    Big game this week. Biggest game in decades in that it can really signal a new era of football in Miami. I'm cautiously jacked as hell right now. The ramifications of us winning will allow us to talk about a serious playoff run. Great teams figure out a way to do. Can we be great come Sunday?

    No moral victories on Sunday. Let's hope we keep playing aggressive on D and Tannehill puts on a show to give us hope that this may be the start of something special.
     
  2. TooGoodForDez

    TooGoodForDez Deion Sanders for GM

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    It would be super disappointing if the D allows 28 to Broncos. Rodgers was the only QB in the last 7 games to get close to that number with 27 points, and that was with last second heroics and our time mismanagement. I certainly do not expect Broncos to score over 23.

    RT has had wtf outings in the past. Hopefully this is not one of them. Equally, it's time for the Oline to start dominating and it's time for Lazor to utilize the run more, call a balanced game, and worry about winning and scoring, rather than developing the offense and RT, and dickin around with playcalls.
     
  3. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    The first NE game supposedly defined us.
    Then the first Buffalo game supposedly defined us.
    Then the KC game being a response to a loss supposedly defined us.
    Then the Raiders game proving we can beat the teams we're supposed to beat defined us.
    Then the GB game defined us.
    Then the blanking of the Chargers defined us.
    Then the game against Detroit defined us.
    Then finally beating Buffalo defined us.
    And now, after all that, this Broncos game is going to define us.

    We must be pretty hard to define.
     
  4. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    You're a real buzz kill, Fin D.
     
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  5. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    but he's right. This game will only define us if we win. But I guarantee that if we do win (which I don't think we will) someone will say it when we go up to Foxborough.
    At this point, all of these regular season games are important, but the only ones that define us are if we win a playoff game.
     
  6. Piston Honda

    Piston Honda Well-Known Member

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    Its a tough job but someone has to do it.
     
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  7. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Our level of play defines us, not the scoreboard.
     
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  8. Roll Tide

    Roll Tide New Member

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    You are what your record says you are.
     
  9. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Your record is your record, that is all it is. It does not define the team. Regardless of what our record ends up being, we are drastically better team overall then we were last year, because our level of play is significantly better. Anything from injuries to bad luck can alter a team's record without illustrating how good they are playing.
     
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  10. Scrap

    Scrap Active Member

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    I agree that the record does not always say how good a team is. We were certainly better than our 1-15 record that one year.

    As for this game, I believe coming out and stomping them or coming out and getting stomped will be the only outcomes that would reveal anything to us. We all know we have a good Dolphins team this year. What we don't know is whether they are able to turn that corner or whether they will let us down again. Barely winning or barely losing just tells me that two good teams went to battle and one of them won.
     
  11. Fins Hipster

    Fins Hipster Banned

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    This team has played 10 games and has already been defined. It's a team with a great defense, an above-average running game, and a slightly below-average passing game. That makes it a slightly above-average team overall, a team on the cusp of playoff contention. Rather than this game's defining anything in some new way, the outcome will either reflect the definition already present, or be indicative of an isolated difference in either the Dolphins or the Broncos, or both, that isn't likely to be sustained. When Ryan Tannehill begins to consistently evade pressure and hit targets downfield that have broken free of coverage for big, game-changing plays, that'll be when this team has been redefined, because at that point its slightly below-average passing game will have been ratcheted up a significant notch. And while that may happen against Denver, it'll be too early to conclude that it reflects the sort of consistency in that area that can redefine this team.
     
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  12. MikeHoncho

    MikeHoncho -=| Censored |=-

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    Might be fair to say we are defined by the last game we played on any given week
     
  13. pmj

    pmj New Member

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    If we win this game and end up losing to the Jets, Ravens & Pats, then no, this game didn't define anything. The goal is 10-6 to get a playoff spot. Whatever way we get there if we do, I think we'll all be happy.

    I'm not going to expect that we should win, although of course we'd be disappointed to lose. The way we play definitely matters (call it moral victories if you want). I want to see our passing offense (and Oline) be able to do something against a damn good pass rush and want to see Tannehill continue to grow. But winning in Denver against Peyton should not be the expectation that we define our team on.
     
  14. jw3102

    jw3102 season ticket holder

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    Sorry but this is not a great defense. Great defenses do not give up two long TD drives in the final minutes of a game to lose the game. As this defense did in the games against the Packers and Lions.

    It is a very good defense, but this team will only go as far as Tannehill and the offense can take it.

    This game against the Broncos may not define the season for this team, but the next six games will be a defining period in the career of Tannehill. He needs to lead this team to at least four victories over the next six games to give the Dolphins the best possible chance to make the playoffs and show that he is the future for the Dolphins at the QB position. Hopefully over the next six weeks he will continue to show improvement and prove he is the right man for the job.
     
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  15. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    Time management ?? Came down to one player not making a play on D...but that's over and done with, what really matters here is can this team show the ability to 'stick with' a superior team... They've done it a few times this season, would like to see one of the those close games we've had so far, go our way, but both of those games did come down to the D letting the us down...Can we do it again ?? They are a bit beat up and the DL should be able to put pressure on Manning...if so, we have a chance...barring any letdown by the D again..
     
  16. xphinfanx

    xphinfanx Stay strong my friends.

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    If the Phins pull out a win in Denver this week we should have a good shot at making a legitimate run at a playoff spot.

    That would almost define this season but there's still more games and it is our Phins.
     
  17. Deus ex dolphin

    Deus ex dolphin Well-Known Member

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    I was going to go with, "It defines our team, until the next game".

    If we win at Denver and then lose to the Jests, the warm fuzzy will go away completely. I think we end up with a Division deciding game at New England in December. Exciting times for us as Dolphin fans, to still be in the thick of things this late in the season. Too many seasons the last 10 years or so that we have been looking ahead to the draft.
     
  18. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    I agree.. I just like picking on Fin D. It helps my self esteem.... :shifty:
     
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  19. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I could see where it "defines" us. We are coming into the game on the cusp of being a playoff team. We are 1-2 against probable playoff teams (1-3 if you include KC). We have the chance to beat a top ten team tomorrow. That would improve our "definition" from playoff contender to Super Bowl contender.
     
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  20. Aquafin

    Aquafin New Member

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    the simpler way to define us is -

    are we scoring more then 1 touchdown per half ?

    are giving up less the 24 points per game.

    are we settling for field goals when we should be scoring touchdowns ?

    how is our running game ?

    how thin are we at tight end , oline and runningback ?

    who is this years Channing Crowder ? ok kidding
     
  21. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    Sticking with an beating one are different things, we will need to start beating them this week and into the playoffs
     
  22. I think defined is a poor choice of words. I think the game is going to be a good measuring stick of how good the team is.

    They are playing a team that is considered better than they are. On paper this game looks like a loss. They will need to play their best ball to compete. The fans should have a better indication of how solid the team is in respect to the other teams.

    So far this season we have won all the games we should of. Its mostly been done in a convincing fashion. The games we have lost have been played solidly.

    The only two games that dont fit is buffalo but thats divisional and happens and the chiefs dominated us at a time when they were red hot.
     
  23. HogsHDFinsfan

    HogsHDFinsfan New Member

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    Exactly
     
  24. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I don't think we have to win, but I believe we have to take them to the wire, and then win the games we are supposed to win ( jets twice, Vikings and Ravens at home) .that is where my expectations are at at this point, because to do that it will mean growth as a football team.
     
  25. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    agreed rook.
     
  26. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    not true for me, win ten games period, and win the ones at home.
     
  27. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    And please keep QUEASY out of the PlayCalls.
     
  28. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I think that's one of Parcells' dumber quotes.
     
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  29. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    Games against good teams are measuring sticks of how good a team is at that point in time. This is one of those measuring stick games. That's why it's never about the scoreboard, it's always about how the team plays. That's what's important to me in terms of defining where the team is right now. The scoreboard matters for the playoffs obviously, but for anybody whose level of analysis goes beyond "what was the score?", then how the team plays is far more important definition-wise.

    And the overall record is a poor substitute since a team changes throughout the year. Most successful teams get better throughout the year and peak late. The Pats have been far better second half of the season teams than first half of the season teams, but the ones who only focus on the record are the ones posting about how "NE is done" early on. The Ravens and Giants are recent teams with marginal records who barely got into the playoffs and then went on to championships. They clearly were not what their record said they were and they were not defined by any one regular season game.
     
  30. Alex44

    Alex44 Boshosaurus Rex

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    This week will define our perception of the team, but more likely they have been the same team all along either way.
     
  31. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    No it won't. It will change every week. There's no such thing as a single game defining an entire team. We could realistically lose and lose badly to the Broncos and then become motivated and win out and go 11-5. We could win in Denver, and many key players could get hurt, costing us the season.
     
  32. Alex44

    Alex44 Boshosaurus Rex

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    Did you just quote out of context to take my agreement with you and make it seem like a disagree for fun? :lol:

    Your statement validates mine. It will change our perception of the team. I didn't say or mean permanently.
     
  33. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    ravens are a damn good team. that's another wire game. agree with the rest. i think we have to beat the patriots. a sweep of the patriots will say to the world there is a new sheriff in town. we are built to matchup with the patriots and if there will be a defining game of the regular season for us it will be that rematch
     
  34. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    No I'm saying that it won't define our perception, because our fans change perception every week.

    Basically, this game will neither figuratively nor literally define this team in reality or perception.
     
  35. WhiteIbanez

    WhiteIbanez Megamediocremaniacal

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    The identity is there if that's what you mean by definition..... Now go out and prove it.
     
  36. Alex44

    Alex44 Boshosaurus Rex

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    It will be defined for a week.
     
  37. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    By whom?
     
  38. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Every game defines the team.

    Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
     
  39. Hellion

    Hellion Crash Club Member

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    Here and there
    The casual fan the national media and fans of other teams, you know the people that don't matter basically.
     
  40. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I agree with Fin D...which is like a Christmas miracle all in itself, that this game will not define us.

    However, since it is being seen by the entire country and since 97% of the experts pick Denver to stomp us (and probably 97% of football fans in general), this game will certainly define how we're viewed by non-Miami fans. When we beat NE and Buffalo...so what...those are conference games and people expect the division underdog to come out strong. Beating Denver would be completely different though and it would legitimize us to the entire nation. So yeah, it does define us if you care what others think...I just happen to be the type that could care less.
     

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