Cameron is coaching for wins now, Beck is obviously not ready... It's not only that Beck isn't ready, our offensive line isn't ready for a pocket quarterback. You noticed nearly every play the pocket collapsed within one second, thus Beck's mistakes early in the game. I plain and simple think that we should start Lemon the rest of the year; then prepare Beck for 2008. Granted you can say "Cameron screwed Beck for playing him early", but isn't that what you wanted? Not just most of you wanted to see Beck, but also Wayne Huizenga wanted to see his rookie QB as well.. Was Cameron pressured into starting him by Wayne? I think so. As fans, all we're doing is complaining and making knee jerk reactions. "Play Beck!! Play for the future!!", "Send Ginn DEEP, that's WHY we drafted him!!!", "Put Booker in more!!"... the list goes on and on. Well the fact of the matter is you don't do things just do to them. You wait until the pieces are put together and the timing is right. The real game of football isn't what most people relate to Madden NFL 08. You can't just do a playaction pass, send Ginn deep, throw it deep and think he's going to catch it because he does in Madden. You don't just put in your rookies for them to gain experience, because you aren't the ones controlling them. I wish it was like Madden, we’d be looking at the Miami Dolphins going 16-0 and Ronnie Brown looking like Superman. But it's not a video game, it's a game of strategy. People cannot realize this and will not realize this. I understand that this has been going on for the longest time and I'm sure some of you will reply... "I've been a Dolphins fan for such and such years, what do you know?" or "You're only 19, you don't know anything".... Well go ahead and think that. I'm not going out and naming names because I don't know who does that, but I do know it does happen. No matter what anyone says, I'm not ignorant, I do know that because I feel different than the crowd, I will be criticized. In fact, it amazes me how many people are taking a revolutionary approach to the game of football. Don’t get me wrong, every single loss hurts me just as much as you. I’ve watched every single game this year go in the hands of defeat with the rest of year. I’ve sulked and mourned with the rest of you… But also like the rest of you… I still come back. I’m not thinking you are any less of a fan than me, because you aren’t. We’re all the same, no matter what is said. Saying one is more of a fan than another isn’t really fair and it’s not something that should ever come up. Is there really a point to discussing why we should fire our head coach when he’s a rookie… You guys will say “rookie mistakes” are okay for Beck, but why not Cameron? Because he’s been in the league as an offensive coordinator for years? I just don’t feel like that is a good excuse because no matter what happens, you’ll be making rookie mistakes if you’re a rookie at something. If you start your job for the first time, whether as a business executive, an attorney, or a fast food worker, it doesn’t matter how high up on the chain you are: you will make mistakes. Like or not, it’s simply human nature. This gets me into the “human nature means nothing, they’re getting paid to do this!” This is by far the most ignorant thing one can say. So let me get this straight, because their getting paid millions of dollars for something most of them worked hard to get to, they have to be inhumane? I just don’t understand how people can take this approach… It’s like telling me, okay I’m paying you $40 an hour to work on this project, because I’m paying you top dollar in the market you’re in, you cannot sleep, human emotions should be of no effect whatsoever. Now maybe this is a little extreme, but the fact is… human nature isn’t going to be ignored… no matter what amount of money is thrown around. In my mind, we are in the right direction. We have a small foundation of players to build around. Let’s face it, John Beck was brought here as our future, whether we feel like this was a good move or not, we must deal with it. John Beck makes good decisions and can make good throws if given time. Time? Time is something we do not have? Why? Because our offensive line simply cannot pass protect. Look at our offensive line… We have at left tackle, Vernon Carey. Now I’m not sure if Carey is a good fit at LT, but unless we draft a LT or find him a replacement, he’s there for better or worse. At left guard we have Chris Liwienski.. We also have some guy named Lerklerker or something of the sort. I don’t think these guys are the future. It’s been brought up that Mormino’s injury isn’t very serious and he was put on there to raise his strength. Possible future LG? Maybe. I’m just not sure about that because I don’t work with the Miami Dolphins so I don’t know that much within the organization. At center we have rookie Samson Satele. Samson has shown a lot of promise at center and is looking to anchor the Dolphins offensive line for years to come. No doubt in my mind that he will be back next year and I think he’ll be one of the greatest centers to play for the Miami Dolphins. The greatest? I wouldn’t go that far, but I wouldn’t put it past him. At right guard we have Rex Hadnot. Rex is the leader of the group from what I’ve heard from various reports. Rex has done a swell job and being a 4th year player, no doubt he will be resigned if possible. At right tackle, LJ Shelton has been solid at best. I don’t think he will return next year because of what I seen during the preseason. I think we’ll address this through draft or free agency. That’s 3 out of the 5 guys on the line that are looking to be the future Miami Dolphins offensive line. Add Mormino and it may be the 4th. The fact is, we’re just not ready yet. We will be, but time will heal the wounds fellow Phin fans. As for the skill players, we have guys like Ted Ginn Jr., Ronnie Brown, Lorenzo Booker, Derek Hagan, and more. There are guys that are showing a lot of promise. Justin Peele is looking to be a viable #2 TE. Ronnie Brown is obviously a great aspect of our offense and he’ll be here for years if he can stay healthy. Ted Ginn is looking to be a great player as well, his speed will be worked in the right situations, just give it time. Derek Hagan has been a scapegoat for the Miami Dolphins WRs, I don’t think he’s done as bad as most will say. He’s made his share of drops, but then again… who hasn’t? Consistency will change all of this, dropped passes and what not. Lorenzo Booker is looking to be a good situational player. His speed and elusiveness are top notch and he’ll be valuable asset to the team. We’re so close Dolphin fans. Very close. Maybe not one year, but possibly two. We need to give Cameron time to implement his system. He doesn’t have the right players. You can’t expect him to have a great team when rebuilding. His defense will be looked at this offseason. Guys like Marcus Trufant, Asante Samuel, and more will be available. Money talks, and I’m sure somewhere we’ll spend the money on a big time free agent. The defense? The defense is tired… worn out. We’ve lost 4 safeties… Zach Thomas is out. Channing Crowder is hurting… Jason Taylor is complaining… Keith Traylor is grumbling… But let’s face it, look at the list. Yeremiah Bell? If resigned, he’ll be back for depth, he won’t be starting for Miami next year. Renaldo Hill? Again, a depth player, could be a starter but who knows… Cameron Worrell? Let’s hope he’s not a starting safety again. Good kid, gives it his all, just doesn’t have the talent. Traveres Tillman? He won’t be back. Zach Thomas? I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t retire. Jason Taylor? He’s been a locker room cancer for years, it won’t surprise me if he is traded. Keith Traylor? Say good bye, we don’t need his attitude. Our defense is looking very young. We have Jason Allen looking very promising at safety. Drafting a safety would be wise, but if not, Renaldo Hill could come back or even Yeremiah Bell. Corners? Will Allen has been impressive. Personally if we can bring in a guy like Asante Samuel or Marcus Trufant. I think the corner line up of Trufant/Samuel – Allen – Lehan – Daniels is looking pretty sexy. The front seven? Channing Crowder is becoming comfortable with the MLB position, although he could be moved back to OLB. Porter will man the OLB position. We would probably draft another OLB/MLB to replace Zach Thomas, pending on Crowder. Our defensive line? Roth and Wright are looking promising. Holliday is a good DT and it’s possible that Glen Dorsey could be coming to Miami. Jason Taylor may be back, but if not, he’ll be replaced. He’s been missing tackles all year and complaining, he’s not a necessity. I think with one or two drafts, we’ll be looking very good. Not just good for now, but good for the future. If you even read all of this… then I applaud you for dealing with my speech. Granted, I’m not some type of draft guru like the likes of Boomer, CK, or KB. I’m not a source of the Miami Dolphins, but just a fan like all of you… but I do know what I’m talking about. I hope you guys understand what I’m saying… the fact remains… what do you really want? Wins or experience? You can’t have both… We’ve been spoiled as Dolphins fans… the fact is, we’ve never witnessed this side of football before. And hopefully this is the last time we’ll ever be in this situation for as long as I can remember. Let’s go get those Ravens next weekend!
Here's my very simplistic summary: We lack wired explosive athletes. That's what I notice every Sunday when watching the Dolphin game side by side with every other game in the same time slot. Other teams have athletes with defined physiques who explode off the ball and create havoc, human wrecking balls. Even when Minnesota was losing you could see the sculpted athletes all over the field. Our guys look like they have too many Little Debbie snacks in them, perhaps left over by Nick Saban. It's the most unathletic looking team I've ever seen. The guys who are in shape simply aren't special enough. Also, there's no doubt we don't have enough dedicated guys with ideal clarity, the type who made the early '70s teams so special. Today there was a very late flash of Cleo Lemon all smiles on the sideline as the final seconds wore down. You had Derek Hagan make a celebratory almost arrogant body motion when he finally caught a ball down the sideline, when we were way behind in the second half. Jason Allen was seemingly playing to the crowd in semi-taunting fashion briefly when we got that fumble in the 3rd quarter. There was nothing like that in the glory era. Those guys knew the score and the responsibilities of their craft. Defeat was not tolerated. Let's not lose sight of this: We are so inept it's very nearly an 0-17 tally right now. Our starters were mangled in preseason and only the late heroics by Beck salvaged 2 wins via a pair of 2 point conversions. Just imagine the field day the press would be having if we had lost those exhibition games to Jacksonville and Kansas City. Frankly, I'm glad the last two weeks brought everything into proper focus. For a while there was plenty of garbage that the team was better than its record. When Miami played at Philadelphia and at Pittsburgh those teams were not motivated. It was, "Here comes winless Miami into our joint and we'll dispatch them somehow, without much effort required." Obviously the field conditions played a part in Pittsburgh. But when you had divisional rivals the last two weeks, one coming off an embarrassing loss at Dallas and the other buoyed by good play and a playoff opportunity, Miami's true level resurfaced in utter clarity. Bravo. You never want to pretend a hopeless team is somehow more than that. Offseason decisions need to be made based on walkovers like the last two weeks, not phony close calls like the one at Pittsburgh. The problem with losing games to divisional rivals, particularly at home, is they get a severe built-in edge over you in the next meeting if it is at their place. My Fury of Anti-Revenge theory. It's not so much a theory as startling fact, as witnessed today. Buffalo now owns 4 straight wins over the Dolphins. If they host Miami in the first meeting next year the Bills will own a massive advantage in energy and motivation, determined to verify the pecking order has not changed. Same thing for the Jets via their two wins this year. If the '08 schedule places those two teams at home against the Dolphins in the first meeting, particularly if it is in the first 5 or 6 weeks, you're virtually in a 7-0 to 14-0 hole before the game begins to level off. That's why it's absolutely crucial to defeat division rivals at least once every year. But our home stadium is such a glorified warehouse we basically play 8 road games and 8 neutral site games every season. Wow, that rambled from topic to topic. I'm tired and frustrated.
Yep, Cam really has made himself look bad by NOT trusting in himself. He knew Beck wasn't ready, Cleo wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible either . . . he gave us the best shot to win, and Cam pulled him because of the demand for Beck . . . as a HC, u can't do that . . . u gotta do what is best for the team . . . and this is the reason why he lost the team. Cam really has to prove to me that he is the guy these last 3 games, he really can show me alot by how he coaches this team in the state it is in.
excellent post GK...and I agree. I think the defense is much more of a need than the offense because the offense is very young and inexperienced. I hear the draft this year is loaded with good defensive backs and would love to snag one to sure up the secondary.
I get what you're saying man and to some degree, I concur. But zero wins is just unacceptable. (and yeah, if you want to lump me in with all the other "zero win" guys that's fine) I get it. This team has very little talent but the turnover of new to old players (as in new faces, not age) was not that great. This team is/was talented enough to win 2-4 games. Injuries of course factor in. But make no mistake about it, coaching has lost us atleast 2 wins. That goes all the way back to training camp. All season it feels like Cam has been coaching not to lose. You can't win football games like that. Cam looks lost on the sidelines. He looks lost in the press conferences. And because of it, he's lost the team. Cam was a failed experiement in Miami. We always talk about how Beck needs to show us something. How Jason Allen needs to show us something. Well Cam needs to show us something too. So far he's only shown us the ability to either get blown out or lose a close game. A rookie HC has no business rebuilding a franchise.
Grid gets the award for Greatest Optimist. Awsi gets the award for Greatest Realist. Congrats, gentlemen.
