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One of the most disappointing losses in a long time.

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by pumpdogs, Dec 4, 2016.

  1. pumpdogs

    pumpdogs Well-Known Member

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    This team really sucked me in the last 6 weeks into believing they could actually get a wildcard birth for the first time in 8 years.Boy was I wrong!Flacco who has been average at best this year looked like tom brady today and tannehill looked like the old tannehill today.
    The linebacker core today has to be the worst in the league as the entire middle of the field was wide open for flacco to prey on.I think 9-7 is the best case for this team now which once again has us sitting home in jan.
     
  2. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    You have up's and down's. The real test is how you respond after things don't go so well. We'll see.. we're still right in the middle of the playoff race even after today.
     
    Tin Indian likes this.
  3. MrPhinn

    MrPhinn Active Member

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    I'm (sorta) surprised. I've never thought much of Miami's secondary, or LB core. They're makeshift at best. A really good QB will exploit it to no end. Like today.
     
    bg34 likes this.
  4. brandon27

    brandon27 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I think there will be alot of teaching and correcting going on this week in the meeting rooms. Film study likely won't be kind. Lots of communication errors and execution errors on the defensive side of the ball.

    The loss sucks, especially since it was a blowout. I'm not entirely surprised we lost. Baltimore is a seasoned playoff run team with an exceptional coaching staff. We're a team with a rookie HC, new system, improving, growing QB, on a 6 game win streak, young, inexperienced in December playoff run type football.

    What bothers me today, is the blowout and the way it happened. They flat out stunk. I wanted to see them keep it close, and competitive, and play a hard fought game, win or lose. I just wanted them to show they were a different team than in years past.

    The good news, is the growth and improvement is certainly there, and the arrow is pointing up for this team IMO with, or without playoffs this year.
     
    cuchulainn and greyeagl53 like this.
  5. SocaCasualuk

    SocaCasualuk Active Member

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    For me its not so much that we lost, as I thought this could go either way, its the manner of the defeat that I'm worried about. If we lose today in a close one I'm disappointed, but remain hopeful, but to lose in a beat down at this stage in the season at the start of a brutal stretch for us, I'm really concerned.
    Now we will see whether this team is actually different or fools gold.
    LGM
     
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  6. dWreck

    dWreck formerly dcaf

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    No it's not "make shift at best". It's 100% make shift and patchwerked.
    It's literally only half of our defensive starters on this roster actually playing. It's probably too much to overcome. We miss Jones too much, Kiko himself being out for just a bit shows we are absolute TRASH in the middle, and our line can't get real consistent pressure to save their lives
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  7. JDelenne

    JDelenne Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I stopped watching in the 3rd Q, but there were some positives today. We really did move the ball well, especially against the touted best Defense in the league.
     
  8. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    We lost and that sucks, but I think it's safe to say that the sky is not falling. It's definitely not time to give up hope or act like the last 6 games was a fluke either...we simply had a bad day.

    I'll be honest, I stopped watching with about 8 minutes left, but the game wasn't as lopsided as the scoreboard showed. Parker had a TD ripped out of his hands on a 50/50 pass into double coverage; that's why they call them 50/50 balls. Sometimes you lose, especially with a guy that hurt his back. By the way, I don't think the defender caught that...it looked like the ball was moving as he hit the ground.

    We also missed a field goal and stalled several drives in the Raven's neighborhood, so I didn't see a whole lot different than the prior six weeks. We just didn't finish today and Baltimore wanted it more.

    As far as Tannehill goes, he had some bad breaks today. He missed a wide open Landry that took a circus move to stop the interception...only to have the ball sail for an interception anyway. It seemed like some of the early mistakes rattled hm and accuracy/pocket presence suffered, so it will be very interesting to see how well he does next week. Gase didn't help much either though with calls like running the ball on 3rd and 27 or throwing screen passes on 3rd and long...it almost seems like that INT on the deep TD pass rattled him more than Tannehill. And where was Stills? He was an afterthought today as Landry/Parker fought for yards.
     
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  9. Rick 1966

    Rick 1966 Professional Hipshooter

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    I don't know how you feel any justification for making that assumption. It's not just that we lost, we got our asses handed to us by a mediocre team that's had major problems on offense this season. The sky may well indeed be falling.
     
    dolphin25 likes this.
  10. Colmax

    Colmax Well-Known Member

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    As we speak, Buffalo is kicking some butt out in Oakland. Great.
     
  11. pumpdogs

    pumpdogs Well-Known Member

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    Ha not anymore!
     
    Colmax likes this.
  12. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    We knew going into the season the linebackers were one of the weakest points on the team. Never have been a fan of Misi and Jenkins really only had one good year. Never mind the fact that they weren't on the field today even if they had been it wouldn't have helped. Our backups at lb which have been playing most of the year are glorified core special teams guys and they got torched and exposed in the worst way today. The only guy worth his salt out there is Alonso and he doesn't cover well.

    We need serious help at lb and I'm sure it will be a focal point for next off season, As well as better depth in the secondary.

    Offensively, I really did not like the game plan much today. We should have thrown deep more often today and I'm not sure why we didn't. All those bubble screens and what not just aren't going to work if your running them darn near every series. We needed to be more aggressive today and weren't.
     
  13. smahtaz

    smahtaz Pimpin Ain't Easy

    Why is it, that the one's who expected a handful of Ws at best are the same one's who are in a tailspin today?
     
  14. Agua

    Agua Reality: Try It!

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    Need LB badly. Kiko is a playmaker, but honestly he is NOT a great tackling LB. I hope we can move him somewhere and get a badass MLB in the draft. Probably should draft 2.
     
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  15. Dolphan24

    Dolphan24 Active Member

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    You were saying
     
    Colmax likes this.
  16. Electric Boogaloo

    Electric Boogaloo Inventor of the question mark

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    Excellent game plan by the Ravens. Anyone can see that the way to attack us is to expose our LBs in coverage with backs and TEs. Unfortunately, our safeties and nickel corners were hot garbage today as well. Kiko's a good complementary LB with some coverage skills and a nose for making plays, but he needs a thoroughbred Middle LB that has the speed to "play sideline to sideline" and hold the edge runs. I've seen Kiko numerous times the past few weeks just not have the speed/athleticism/whatever to get to the edge before the back or flat pass turns the corner.
     
    Agua likes this.
  17. Rick 1966

    Rick 1966 Professional Hipshooter

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    Because the team seems to do this every year. They tease us with the idea that they might be good, then they **** the bed and the wheels fall off.
     
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  18. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    I figured we would lose. Is didnt know we wouldn't even be competitive.

    Defense didn't show up. Tannehill played one of his worst games. Too many mistakes.
     
  19. MrPhinn

    MrPhinn Active Member

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    So Miami is 6-1 in the last 7 games. Normally I would say that's great. But when you beat soft teams and then that 1 loss is a blowout against a good team, it just tells me that I'm not sure if they can hang with the big boys.....yet.
     
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  20. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Mediocre teams are not 7-5 overall and undefeated in their division. I get that Baltimore is not likely going to the Super Bowl, but they're a tough team with serious talent on both sides of the ball. It clicked for them today...I'm not sure what else needs to be said.
     
    smahtaz likes this.
  21. smahtaz

    smahtaz Pimpin Ain't Easy

    They played a team that plays in big games every year and got punched in the mouth. I'm interested to see how they respond.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  22. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    The winning streak had to end at some point. Six in a row for a team that was 6-10 the previous year is a hell of an accomplishment. Let's not forget we are a flawed team but one that still has a realistic chance at the playoffs. Let's see how we respond next week. The good thing was the whole team, offense, defense and special teams all decided to stink on the same day instead of taking turns different weeks. Maybe they got it out of their system. Personally I just look for two game improvements year to year. If we win next week we will have achieved that and everything else will be the cherry on top. We have four games left and the two games that I expect to win are Buffalo and the Jets. If we win next week and sweep the Jets and Bills thats 10-5 ( a four game improvement yr to yr) heading into the final game against the patriots. Honestly, regardless of what happens from here the season has been a success and I'm already looking forward to 2017 and one more offseason of improvement. We'll see if Tannenbaum can get us there or not
     
    KeyFin likes this.
  23. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    For the 6-game streak you've seen a lot of coaching, mostly defensively, make up for the fact we have an absence of talent in certain areas of the team. Today was a day where the talent, or lack thereof, couldn't bail out a bad coaching plan.
     
  24. Colmax

    Colmax Well-Known Member

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    I kind of wonder if Reshad Jones could've made a difference in a game like this.
     
    KeyFin likes this.
  25. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Given that he's made the argument as the best safety in football for two years straight, I would have to give than an affirmative. It's not just him though, we've been hobbled this entire year and playing second string corners, linebackers, linemen, etc. How do we even draft next year when almost half our darn starting lineup didn't play in 2016?

    I mean, we are talking about Maxwell every week....but remember that he's not even supposed to be on the field. He's our 4th or 5th best corner.

    I don't think anyone here was under the illusion that our current squad was among the best in the AFC...they've just been playing super tough with the "next man up" philosophy. Anyone who's not proud of that 6-game streak under the circumstances just doesn't understand football or how hard it is to win ANY GAME in the NFL.

    The loss today sucked bad, but most of you expected us to lose anyway. In fact, most of you expected for us to lose most of those last six as well, so I can't imagine how you can feel bad about this one.
     
  26. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    Truth be told I'm shocked we've made it this far without a team figuring out "hey, these linebackers suck! Let's just throw it in the seams on literally every play!"

    It was infuriating how easy it was for Flacco to throw it over the middle. Holy ****.
     
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  27. Califin

    Califin Well-Known Member

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    The Ravens have served as our presiding interdivision nemesis , having at least twice before, sent us home bruised and reeling from the front doors of the postseason, each time starkly aware of our glaring limitations, and exposed vulnerabilities, each in a similiar drubbing, each no less sobering than the last. As I recall, the one factor common to each defeat has been the man behind the curtain, John Harbaugh
     
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  28. pumpdogs

    pumpdogs Well-Known Member

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    I really hate the ****ing ravens!Why does it seem like we play them every year?
    The linebackers and safeties have finally been exposed and next week it will be david johnson and vernon davis that continue where the ravens left off.I am thinking we are going to have to win a shoot out next week.The cardinals are better than the record shows.
     
  29. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    I think we all are and that will tell us if our team culture has really changed for the better. It's not going to happen over night, but good teams and coaches learn from being embarrassed like this.
     
  30. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    Good Lord guys, it was ONE loss...granted a PAINFUL loss but ONE loss!!!! The Dolphins hadn't won 7 games in a row since 1985, probably long before some (if not most) of you were ever born!

    Now, I watched the game and was extremely frustrated with our overall performance. The DC never made any adjustments for the quick passes that Flacco threw and as a result, or D-line was never able to get any pressure on Flacco. I dont think I ever saw us go to a nickel or dime package to help out our linebacking corps who couldn't cover the TEs or WRs off the quick slants.

    Offensively, Tannehill was WAAAAAAAAY off today. I can't count how many of his passes were BEHIND his receivers in mid-stride. As for rushing, I knew it was going to be a daunting task for the J-Train to get rolling, but had Tanny had a better game....and let's admit it, this one was a bit un-charactersitic compared to his last 6 performances.

    We all had a slice of humble pie today. The season's not done and we all knew deep down there was no way we were going to win out the season. What's going to show whether or not we're a GOOD team is what we do after this loss.
     
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  31. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    I think the Ravens are an example of what a true playoff team looks like. While they have struggled at times this year they have a rock solid OL that was able to neutralize our pass rush, a defense that stifled our offense forcing 3 turnovers and a QB who can make plays.

    They exposed our defense. They didn't even really try to establish a run game. We all knew that our secondary was weak, sans Reshad Jones, but they haven't been too exposed because our pass rush can limit that exposure due to hurries, hits and sacks. Well that was nonexistent today and our secondary problems were exposed. The loss was disappointing but not the end of the world. We all knew we weren't going to win out the rest of the season and this was a tough game on the road.

    I'm not panicking on the season or packing it in. We have winnable games each of the last 5 weeks. I honestly never thought we would win more than 6 games with a rookie head coach and major holes on this roster. Every win here on out is just icing on the cake.
     
  32. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I honestly feel like this huge loss was coming. Didnt get to watch the game yesterday, and glad i Didnt. Followed the score on my phone.

    We still have a shot at the wildcard and we cant possibly play worse than we did yesterday... so there is that silver lining..

    Everyone made it seem like we have a very easy end of schedule... i see three division opponents which each always plays us tough. Patriots are no gimme, Bills have been solid all season and the jets have always been a thorn on our backside..

    And the Ravens are in the playoffs every season. The cardinals arent some team to overlook.


    As a matter of fact we havent done **** to overlook any team, even the 49ers has given us trouble. So yeah. We will see what this team is made of soon. Hopefully we go 4-0 or 3-1 at worst. But the AFC West is not going to be good to us. 10-6 is probably not good enough
     
  33. Finatik

    Finatik Season Ticket Holder Staff Member Club Member

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    They exploited our lack of LB depth. When you play your 3rd stringers there will be a drop off in talent. Flacco was doing 3 step drops most of the time and the ball was out within about 2 seconds. There isn't any defense that can get to the QB in that amount of time. That coupled with the CB's and DB's playing 10 yards of the ball, it fit right into the game plan the Ravens had developed. Until Vance can figure out how to stop this formula, expect to see this every game until they do. Team now have a road map and if the NFL is one thing, it's a copy cat league.

    And give the Ravens some credit. They are excellent tacklers. They played extremely disciplined football, maintained their lanes and angles of attack and most times made the initial hit take down the player they were targeting. Maybe we can steal their talking coach from them. Lol.
     

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