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How Are You Feeling About The 2016/17 Dolphins So Far?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Galant, Jul 9, 2016.

  1. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    So far, we've not seen a great deal of the Dolphins as they embark upon the Adam Gase era. We're barely a few footsteps out on the journey and the only thing determined this far is the personnel aspect in terms of the draft, free agency and the coaching staff. So many unknowns remain; far more unknowns than knowns at this point. So it's obvious that we've yet to see what will happen with this squad.

    With that acknowledged, though, what are your feelings for this new era and this current squad? We had a rough year last year in many ways, and at least schedule-wise this year could be tougher than last. Still, are you expecting a similar, losing record, or so you hope, think or believe that this year's team will, or can, prove to be winning material and fight their way to earn a winning record? Or maybe you think they'll do even better and make the playoffs.

    Will it be Gase? Will it be played performing, at last, to meet expectations and beyond? Will chemistry finally be found? Or will holes and weaknesses be exposed again? Will they only prove that they just don't have what it takes?

    What's your gut feeling for this season and this team, right now?
     
  2. Finster

    Finster Finsterious Finologist

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    So many unknowns at this point, it's hard to gauge anything imo, new coaching staff, rookie HC, which has never worked for the Dolphins in their history(maybe we are due, just based on the law of averages), rookie DC, questions at RB, LB and CB, our ability to stop the run will likely hedge on our LBs, as we don't have a good runnstuffing Dline, questions on how good Wake will be, and Williams, though I think Williams will bounce back, and the big question, will QB17 take the next step.

    The closest I could put it is 6-10 to 10-6, until more info is available.
     
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  3. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Yeah, too many unknowns right now. Almost worth moving those "1's" to the other side: something between 0-16 and 16-0! More accurate but less precise. Works for me.

    Can't wait till the season starts. Then we can really get back to Tannehill discussions but with more data!
     
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  4. Fin-O

    Fin-O Initiated Club Member

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    I just want to feel Gase's presence on this team in 2016. The results really are trivial. We aren't going to win a Super Bowl this year, but I would love to see his impact on this offense specifically #17.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  5. tirty8

    tirty8 Well-Known Member

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    Great question! Going into this season, I am thinking about the Dolphins as 'parts' instead of an entire team because so much will be new. Here are my feelings about the different working parts of the team.

    Adam Gase - If any of you have followed my comments prior to Gase's hiring, you know that I am skeptical of the hire. I have long felt that he may have benefited more from the presence of great players instead of being a so-called genius. What does make me happy is that it appears his fingerprints were all over this draft. Although I may disagree with some of the draft picks, it is clear that "he got his guys." Just from an organizational standpoint, I think that this is a move in the right direction. By giving Gase more control, you give him more accountability. The Dolphins have had a nasty habit of holding onto coaches too long, and some of it is because there was a lack of unified vision. Clearly, players were forced upon Philbin, and it makes it difficult to assign blame. I truly do feel that Gase's destiny is in his own hands, and I really like that.

    QB - This is the part that I am most nervous about on many different levels. I am an avid RT supporter, and for years I have felt a majority of the blame for some of his weaker performances has been due to his supporting cast. For the first time, I really think that his offensive supporting cast is pretty good. Although not perfect, I do not think that the Dolphins' offense is not worse than the average team's, and I can no longer say, "RT would do much better if he played on team X." What scares me the most is that if RT does not work out, Gase is a dead man walking. Next year's draft is shaking up to be a really weak class as far as quarterbacks go. Next year, the Dolphins will either a) be forced to stick with RT or b) draft a quarterback, and I think either choice ends with the same outcome - Gase will be out the door and the franchise will hit the reset button, again. During this draft, we went all-in with RT. He has to be a top half quarterback - not a top ten.

    RB - This is the one position that I disagree with the masses. I really don't think losing Miller/CJ Anderson will be as big as people make it out to be. Miller was solid and underused, and I never really thought that CJ Anderson was very good. Miller had gotten really, really expensive. In general, the problem with running backs is that they get hurt, and their injuries tend to linger. An ACL injury not only causes these guys to miss the season, but it can affect their speed too, and once their speed (especially in Miller's case) is gone, they are not the same player they once were. Before you know it, the guy you have signed to a mega-deal is no longer "that guy." Miller is good but in no way is he Adrian Peterson good where you can put the load on his shoulders to win a game. Additionally, I think running backs can be "easily" found. Ajayi looked promising last year, and I am excited to see him in an expanded role. I also think that Drake is a great complement to him, and there is a lot of potential in our backfield. My guess is that we have a slight decline in production in the RB category, but not enough to justify Miller's contract.

    WR - This is the group I am most excited about it. Whatever you are looking for, we got it. Possession guys - check. Speed guys - check. Route runners - check. Big body guys - check. Playmakers - check. This group will make it very difficult to make excuses for RT/Gase. They have weapons, and they will be accountable early.

    TE - I personally thought we should have let Jordan Cameron walk. I was unimpressed with his on the field performance. I truly thought Dion Simms was a better tight end. Unfortunately, I don't think he is the type of tight end both Philbin or Gase wants. I think that Duarte could eventually become a difference maker but will probably be used situationally this year. Overall, I do consider this group a strength.

    OL - I am so happy Tunsil fell to us. For the first time, I think that there will be some real protection for RT. When RT has time to set and read the field, he does a pretty good job. I still have concerns about depth and am fearful of injuries, but I think the Phins addressed the line as much as I could reasonably expect in the offseason.

    Offense - Overall, this is what I am most excited to watch. There has to be major improvements here. I am a reasonable man, and I understand that there is a lot of young talent on the team. A slow start would not bother me at all as long as we can see significant improvement by the end of the season. If we start slowly, we just need to stay the course. We cannot rush to judge (bench RT). The focus of this year needs to be the long term.

    DL - Despite some lingering questions, I think that this will be the strongest part of our defense. Wake's injury worries me, but I expect to see him playing at a "high" level at some point in the season. Mario Williams is a different kind of concern to me. His production lacked last year, but he was playing out of position. He was rumored to have given up and that scares me with our really young team. My biggest fear is that he wanted that one, last payday, and Mr. Ross was more than happy to give it to him. With two big question marks, it makes me happy that we signed Jason Jones. He brings great depth, and I expect to see significant playing time from him. As an organization, I think we need to expect Jordan Phillips to solidify himself as a starter in the middle. He has all the physical tools to be successful. If he is our opening day starter, I think it is a really good sign. If Earl Mitchell beats him out, I think it will speak volumes about his future. Although Suh may not have lived up to expectations, I feel that Joseph's attacking defense may suit him more. I fully anticipate a stronger second year in Miami for him. Overall, I think Vernon leaving really hurts, but he got a contract that will be difficult to live up to.

    LB - I am holding my breath on this unit. Honestly, I think we only have three NFL starting-caliber linebackers (Misi, Alonso, Jenkins). If one of these guys goes down with an injury, we are in real trouble. I also think that it is difficult to know what to expect from Alonso who has been particularly plagued by injuries in recent history. Being on his third team in three years is not a particularly good sign. Even the biggest Alonso fans have to enter this season with bated breath. I currently believe that the organization has too much stock invested in undrafted free agents/castaways from other teams. I hope that the team addresses this position in the final wave of cuts or possibly through trade at the end of the preseason.

    CB - Okay, if I was apprehensive about the linebacking unit, I am petrified with our CB position. I think that this is our biggest gamble going into the offseason. We may have as many as two starting caliber corners (Maxwell and Howard) or as little as zero. With the exception of Maxwell, we will be starting a young, inexperienced corner (possibly a converted WR). Our nickel back will be also be young and inexperienced regardless of who starts. Ifo could be a huge steal for us or possibly not even make the team. My fear is that Cleveland cut him. In terms of salary, he costs almost nothing, so that does speak volumes of what Cleveland thought of his future. My big concern is that we have a lot of stock in project players, especially at this one position. Also, the general lack of experience is concerning because we do not have a veteran to turn to if these guys aren't progressing as quickly as we'd like. I hope the front office is monitoring the Cromartie/Hall market. Additionally, we should consider cuts and trades to solidify this position.

    S - I love Reshard Jones, and personally would pay the man his money. You can see him give 100% every play, and he has been an anchor on defense. I am glad he has reported, and I really hope something can get worked out. I hope that Isa can provide some consistency on the field and be an upgrade from Aikens. With a few of our corners offering position flexibility, I am optimistic that this unit will do well.

    Dion Jordan - Dion is possibly the most controversial player on this message board. I would personally cut him immediately upon reinstatement, so that he will not receive his roster bonus. His lack of dedication, off field problems, and lack of production on the field makes this an easy decision. A player can only live on his college years for so long, and it would be crazy to think that his time off made him a better player. The fact that no one who drafted him is still employed with the Dolphins should make this move easier. Dion Jordan has absolutely stolen from this team, and I think it would be crazy to let him rob us one more time.

    Vance Joseph - I cannot imagine that Joesph is happy with the offseason. Whereas I saw Gase's fingerprints all over the draft, I did not see much in the way of defense. I fully understand and appreciate the fact that you cannot build an entire team in one offseason We are lacking depth at multiple places on the defense, and I cannot fault Joseph for that. I fully expect the 2017 offseason to be heavily focused on defense. As for right now, I will be very patient with him. I love his philosophy, and I respect Marvin Lewis and his coaching tree. If the defense is in the bottom half of the league, I think it speaks more to our talent level than Vance Joseph's coaching abilities.

    Defense - I think that there is just too much uncertainty here to have a good feeling about this year. The Phins have put too much stock into risky veterans, players with injury problems, late round/undrafted free agents, and younger players (which is a short-term problem). I have been a fan long enough to know that many of these types of players just do not pan out. A reasonable hope is that some of these players do wind up shining. Unfortunately, my guess is that a lot of them will fail to live up to expectations.

    Special teams - I think that my biggest hope is for a better return game that does not involve Landry (He is too good to return kicks). Between Drake and Grant, I think that there is a lot of potential for some big play returns and opportunities to shorten the field. Matt Darr exceeded expectations last year, and expectations are that he will have another stellar year. Andrew Franks was good from short range, but weak from longer kicks. He missed more extra points than he should have. He will be challenged in camp by Marshall Koehn. It is entirely possible that our week 1 kicker may not be currently on our roster. I certainly think that this is a position that could be upgraded during cuts.

    Overall - As far as wins and losses are concerned, I think the year will be a disappointment. I think we will be drafting somewhere near the top 10 next year; however, I think wins and losses may not be the best way to judge this team. We have a lot of new/young faces on offense and a slow start would not surprise me. Here are some of the things I will be looking for:

    1 - Can we get to 3rd and manageable? Last year we found ourselves in 3rd and way-too-long. By simply getting into manageable positions will show us a lot about Gase as a play-caller.
    2 - Can we get into sustained drives? Again, last year we went 3 and out way too many times. Even if we are not scoring, getting a few first downs would say a lot about Gase and the direction of our offense.
    3 - RT - I cannot stress it enough; he has to improve. We need to see better deep passes (last year was an improvement) and better pocket awareness (A lot of his sacks were his fault. If he through more passes away and avoided sacks, it would help a lot even if it affected his completion percentage.)
    4 - Can we trust the young backs? We are actively monitoring Arian Foster, but I think as a fan base, we would like to see our younger backs step up and earn a starting position.
    5 - The new guys - Starting with Tunsil, we need to see solid performances from our younger players. We need players to turn into bonafide NFL starters.
    6 - The end of the season - By the end of the season, we need to be scoring points plain and simple. We cannot be in a position where we need to commit resources (draft picks + free agent dollars) to the offense. In order for our future to be bright, we need to show that we can score with this group of players.
    The Defense -
    7. Player development - Like I said before, I worry about the overall depth at defense and the fact that we have a lot of wildcards. If Joseph can develop some - not all- of these players, it will make his job a lot easier. I think that this aspect may be even more important than the overall ranking of our defense.
    8 - Medical rehabbing - Can we properly rehab players coming off of injuries. Although injuries can be fluky, we need to see the defense especially stay healthy.
    9 - Can we improve our defense before the start of the season? I think we need to look at other teams' rosters for the solutions to some of our problems. We need to look to acquire players through waivers and trade. I think it is highly likely that we will wind up cutting a pretty good receiver. If we could get a solid defensive player out of that receiver, it could really help us out. My guess is that Hazel could be the odd man out. If Carroo has a solid summer, Kenny Stills could be available as well.
     
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  6. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Good post!

    Even though I don't agree with everything, the key thing for me is that bolded part. Totally agree on that. What I don't agree on is the "not rushing to judge RT" part. I think the only realistic hope this year is that Tannehill and Gase really do click and all Tannehill needed was a better surrounding cast and coach.

    If that turns out to be true, we can win a lot of games even with a below average defense. But if Tannehill doesn't improve with a better surrounding cast, it's time to rebuild IMO.
     
  7. Agua

    Agua Reality: Try It!

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    Just a personal observation, this team looks too comfortable. Maybe its an effective new style of coaching. I hope it is.
     
  8. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Quality post Tirty8. Thanks.

    Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk
     
  9. dolfan7171

    dolfan7171 Well-Known Member

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    I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to training camp for more improvement in each practice. This team is going to be great this year. I just know it!
     
  10. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    I am more optimistic, despite free agent losses, than last year. quite simply, the offense - between Gase, a better line and the depth at WR. Should be a strength to rely on. As for the defense, last year was a disappointment, but they look like they are scheming different AND they went out and traded/drafted positions that were weak last year (even known in the offseason) at LB and DB
     
  11. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Last year, I felt sure that the team had 10-6 type of talent going into the season. Honestly, even after starting 1-3, they really still should have been able to turn things around and win eight or nine games, but the coaching mess was just too much to overcome. This year, I am more optimistic about our coaching than I have been in a decade, and the only position on the team that is likely worse than in 2015 is at running back, while the OL and DL should both be better.

    My feeling is that in the AFC, there are a ton of teams that are a lot like Miami and will be fighting it out for the wild card spots, including our division rivals Jets and Bills. The season could go a lot of different ways, but right now, I'm thinking 8 or 9 wins.
     
  12. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    I bought in hard to last years squad and was completely wrong about them so this year they have to show me. I like a great many things I have seen so far with the staff and the players they have brought in, but these players have to step up and do there jobs, these coaches need to prove they can X and O as head coaches and in there respective coordinator positions. Like I said, they have to show me at this point.
     
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  13. Dorfdad

    Dorfdad Well-Known Member

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    Regardless of how we feel about the new additions / subtractions its going to take some real gametime to gel these players together into a unit that can consistently win. Personally I do not see all the unknowns working out in our favor. We have alot of high risk big reward additions but what happens if those don't pan out? We have no backup or young players to grow into these positions. This team for like ever has always been a were not rebuilding team but one that thinks they are constantly in the hunt when were not.

    Honestly my take is were a 6-10 team right now possibly 8-8 if things go right.
     
  14. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    Many blamed the coaching for the team not winning last year. IF that is true and we hired a good coaching staff this time around, logic would state we should have a winning record this year.
     
  15. Pauly

    Pauly Season Ticket Holder

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    My expectations:

    Passing offence.
    Over the last 2 years Tannehill has shown that he has been able to maintain a 100 passer rating in positive situations, measured in various ways. I believe that Lazor's playcalling fell apart under pressure [because Tannehill maintained his performance levels when under Sherman, but they dropped off under Lazor]. I expect a more consistent performance, closer to the high levels he showed in positive situations, all season. Tunsil shores up the line and Parker, Landry, Stills and Carroo make for a deep and threatening WR corps.

    Rushing offense.
    We have no proven NFL caliber starter. Gase has shown at his previous stops that he has a genuine commitment to the running game. So I expect Miami's rush/pass ratio to shift more to higher than the 36/64 ratio of the Lazor years towards the low 40s/high 50s ratio. However I feel that it is very unlikely that the rushing offense will be more efficient. So I expect more rushes but for fewer yards per carry.

    Overall I expect the offense to be more balanced, with the improved consistency of the passing game more than making up for the loss of efficiency in the rushing game. I also expect that a more serious commitment to rushing will make it harder for opposing Ds to shut down our offense.

    Defense.
    D-Line. I expect this to be the strength of the D. The Vance Joseph D uses a lot of attacking fronts and we have D-Linemen capable of making his schemes effective. I am concerned that we are relying on bounceback from Wake and Mario Williams and someone to step up next to Suh.

    Linebacker. mutter mutter mutter we shoulda traded up for Myles Jack at the end of the first round. Apart from Kiko Alonso the talent base is pretty low and we're relying on Kiko to stay healthy. This is the part of the team that terrifies me. Maybe we get lucky with Jenkins and Alonso and whoever the 3rd LB turns out to be. We're not far removed from last year when we were talking about rookie UDFAs as upgrades to our LB situation.

    DBs. This is going to depend on young players leveling up real quick. Reshad Jones will be strong and IAQ appears to be better than Walt Aitkens or Michael Thomas, so I'm not so concerned about the S position. But we will need at least 2 of Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett and Bobby McCain to be at least adequate started level CBs (I consider that nickel CBs have to be starter quality in todays NFL). Vance Joseph's schemes appear to suit Byron Maxwell's skill set better than what he was asked to do in Philly, but you really have to worry when a team trades away a high priced FA for peanuts (like what we did with sending Mike Wallace to Minny).

    If the sun the moon and the stars all line up we could have a devastating D. More likely is that we will be patching holes on D again next off season. It also possible we can whiff on most of the gambles in which case we're headed for a bottom 3 D.

    Putting some numbers out there.
    I think an offence rated 10-12 is a reasonable expectation.
    Defense could be anywhere from top 10 to bottom 3, but I think that it will probably finish ranked 20 +/- 4

    I like the moves and they seem co-ordinated to a plan that FO and coaching agree on (not like acquiring Dion Jordan). What I don't like is how many of the decisions are high risk/high reward choices. I think most of the risk is on the Defensive side of the ball. In terms of record 8-8 looks fairly reasonable because I don't think the risky choices will split all one way or all the other way.
     
  16. rdhstlr23

    rdhstlr23 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Yeah. That's where I'm at.

    I predicted 6-10 last year due to terrible coaching and a disbelief in our QB. Both turned out to be true.

    I'm the complete opposite this year. I'm all in on Adam Gase and Vance Joseph. I really believe we, FINALLY, hired the right coaching staff to move this team forward. From all indications, they work well with Chris Grier and personnel too - which is so important. We're getting the players the coaching staff wants.

    I'm not a huge Tannehill fan, but I'm a huge Gase fan. And I think Gase can help get the most out of him. Is that enough? We'll see.

    Most are predicting us to win 6-8 games. I think we win 8 or 9. And I have some hope for a Wildcard Playoff berth, as well.

    In short, I'm really excited and optimistic for the season.
     
  17. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    Basically agree with everything here. I feel the offense should be better b/c of Gase and better expected talent/health on the OL. Tannehill is who he is and that's pretty good. He basically puts up about top 5 numbers when he gets good protection and balanced play calling and that's enough to win as long as the D doesn't sh*t the bed. I am a bit worried about our depth at RB. I'm less confident about the D b/c of the injury concerns with Kiko and Wake and the questionable substitutes should they go down. Pass rush will be very important given our youth at CB. And it'll be even tougher on the D if teams are running over our LBs.
     
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  18. tirty8

    tirty8 Well-Known Member

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    One thing that keeps me up at night is injuries. Although injuries are difficult to predict, I often like to play the game, "What would happen if player X blew out his ACL?"

    There are certain areas where I think we could potentially even lose key players and still be alright. For example, if we lost Juice, that would be a key injury, but I do think that we have so much depth at WR that it certainly would not cripple our offense.

    What scares me most is that there are certain fairly average players that could get hurt, and it could be devastating. In particular, I think do not think that we can afford to lose any of our starting linebackers. Like seriously, I think if Koa Misi got hurt, it would be a big problem, seriously. I am not a big fan of Maxwell, but could you imagine if he tore his ACL in the final week of the preseason? I am skeptical of Tony Lippett, but if he truly beat out Howard, I would be more than happy with him starting, but if Howard and Lippett were handed starting positions because there was no better alternative, I would be scared to death. Honestly, I think if that happened, we could have a bottom five defense.

    Here is a list of players that I think would be devastating for us to lose. These are not necessarily our best players, but positions where I think that our depth is so thin that there would be a significant decline at the position as well as the offensive unit as a whole. For that reason, I am NOT putting an offensive lineman on this list because I think we could sustain one significant injury on the o-line and still be okay.

    Ryan Tannehill
    Jay Ajayi
    Kenyan Drake
    Ndamukong Suh
    Byron Maxwell
    Koa Misi
    Kiko Alonso
    Jelani Jenkins
     
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  19. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    Honestly, after 10+ seasons of different stories on the new coach, the new free agent signings and new draft picks, I'm reserving judgement until I see them in a game. Too many times my optimism allowed me to start believing the hype to only watch this team who may be in playoff contention fold, ending their season with 6-8 wins.

    Moving on from my now current cynicism, I like what I've heard about Gase, I like our draft, I like that we didn't go after the biggest name FA and I like the trade with Philly. I also like that we are getting bigger in the secondary and I won't see tiny CB's get manhandled by bigger receivers(hopefully). I hope that Gase can do for Tannehill what he did for Cutler and Manning. I hope that after 9 seasons, we can finally field an OL that controls the line of scrimmage, can pick up a blitz and keep our QB upright.
     
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  20. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Feel good about this season. I predict 9-7.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
     
  21. Limbo

    Limbo Mad Stillz

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    Big turnarounds are usually sparked by one of two things: a new HC, or a new QB. The Gase hire gives me hope, as I thought he was the best candidate.

    This time last year lots of posters said "Tannehill's ready to make the jump," "Lazor's the best coach on the staff (promote him!)," "this is the most talented roster we've had in 10 years," etc. But we still had a HC-QB pairing that had only delivered mediocre seasons...so the results were again mediocre.

    I think we go 10-6.
     
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  22. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    I honestly have no fear of devastation to lose the first person on the list; or really anyone on that list.
     
  23. rdhstlr23

    rdhstlr23 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Is it because you already think we will be bad with those players?

    If so, then I totally get it.

    However, if you expect Miami to have any hint of success then losing Tannehill, Ajayi, Suh, Maxwell, as well as Albert (would cause Thomas to play LG), Reshad Jones would absolutely cost us wins.
     
  24. roy_miami

    roy_miami Well-Known Member

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    Actually, they are almost always coincide with a new QB.

    It feels to me like the coaching search was limited to candidates that liked Tannehill. Anybody that didn't need not apply.
     
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  25. rdhstlr23

    rdhstlr23 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    That's not true.

    Last year the Carolina Panthers went 15-1 after going 7-8-1 with the same QB. The Minnesota Vikings also improved their win total by 4 games, from 7-9 to 11-5.
    In 2014, the Lions went 11-5, coming off year they were 7-9 (in 2013) with the same QB.

    I have no statistical backing of this, but my gut says the biggest turnarounds are generally due to 3 things - schedule, injuries (less of them, staying healthy), and coaching.
     
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  26. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    The coaching search was limited to the most popular consensus for the best new up and coming coach available.
     
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  27. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Exactly This! Can I like this 1000 Times?
     
  28. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    I think we would be just as good with their backups. Albert to me would be the biggest loss. I am not sold on Tannehill, I think we win just as many last year with his backup.
     
    gunn34 likes this.
  29. rdhstlr23

    rdhstlr23 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    That's fair.

    I disagree about many of those players, not including Tannehill. For example, in no world would Miami be just as good without Suh. None. But, that's just me.
    Regarding Tannehill last year, I think you're right. This year, I hope Gase makes it easy for him and something clicks. That's my hope anyway.
     
  30. Rick 1966

    Rick 1966 Professional Hipshooter

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    I honestly have no idea at this point. The media prognosticators think we're going to be cellar-dwellers, far below .500. That seems too pessimistic to me. But what our actual record will be? I have no idea. Not a clue.
     
  31. jw3102

    jw3102 season ticket holder

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    I like the hiring of Gase, but I am still not convinced Tannehill is the long term solution for the Dolphins at the QB position.
    So I see Gase and the FO using the 2016 season to determine if they have the answer at the QB position already or if they need to upgrade the position going into the 2017 season.

    I think the Dolphins still have serious needs at the LB position and there is still a huge question mark regarding the secondary at this time. I think they are closer to a bottom ten defense than they are to being a top ten defense at right now.

    I have been stating for the last several months that this looks like a 6-10 team heading into the season. I think with a few more quality drafts and if Tannehill can make a huge leap in his development under Gase, the Dolphins should be able to contend for a playoff spot by 2018.

    With the question marks on defense, this season will be about finding out the players they can build this team around over the next several seasons. Hopefully Tannehill will end up being one of those players, but the 2016 season should answer this concern, one way or the other.
     
  32. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    I actually feel better about the defense then I do the offense. I think the DC will let them play more aggressively.
     
  33. Rock Sexton

    Rock Sexton Anti-Homer

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    6-7 win team again. Too many new parts - both staff, scheme, and personnel ....... and a head coach trying to bite off more than he can chew between leading the team, running the offense, and coaching up Tanny.
     
  34. Kud_II

    Kud_II Realist Division

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    I've never been less interested in an upcoming Fins season. I'm more interested in the Fla. Panthers next season at this point.
     
  35. JJ_79

    JJ_79 Well-Known Member

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    Health is the key to our season and then it's up to Tannehill and the offense. I think we need a d-heavy draft next year, and if Tannehill, Gase and the offense show that they can be something this season, next season could be really interesting.
     
  36. gunn34

    gunn34 I miss Don & Dan

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    I'm tired of waiting for RT17 to get it. I think we win 4 or 5 games this year and pick top 5 in the draft.
     
  37. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    lots of new faces, lots of 2nd year players, do they not deserve you excitement..Your saying you will punish those players because of the results From past years.
     
  38. Finster

    Finster Finsterious Finologist

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    If I can speak for Tin, because I feel his pain, it's not about punishing the players, heck, they don't get punished for us saying "wait and see", it's all about protecting ourselves from being punished, because the higher your hopes, the longer the fall when it doesn't pan out, and it's a miserable feeling.

    I've been emotionally disconnected for a couple years now, for my own protection.
     
    dolphin25 likes this.
  39. Rickysabeast

    Rickysabeast Royale With Cheese

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    I have learned something being a fan for 37 years. I love reading the news at training camp. I really look forward to it. But, we don't know much. A lot of what happens in the regular season is all about luck and the right players staying healthy while having good depth. We've been paper champions so many times and looked great after the draft and free agency. Never in late July, have I not expected us to go to the playoffs. Yet we often don't. I hope with all I know and am, that this will be a great year. Last year was really one of the tougher years to stomach so we're so very due. I like everyone else on this site do so live and die with the Phins. If we win, game days a great day. I'm whistling and laughing and high fiving all week long. Food tastes better, colors are brighter and the world is an awesome place. Conversely if we lose, just stay the hell away from me. Employees are hiding from me, dogs are whimpering, door hinges are tested, and ultimately that week sucks and sucks hard. Two loses in a row and I'm taking the calm pills my wife buys for me from Puritan Pride like they are mentos. I'm $10k's in easily to Dolphins expenses over the year. Watched them in Tampa, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Indy and countless times in MIA. I'm at the point where I think the players are less in than fans like myself. I should have a seat of honor at every game and be able to flip the coin before kickoff. Cheerleaders should have my picture taped on the wall in the practice studio and bring me beers in the stands while singing the Dolphins fight song to me. We're all the same
     
    dolphin25 likes this.
  40. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    sadly, i am like that too. If the Dolphins win it is a good week, if they lose the week is crap.
     
    Rickysabeast likes this.

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