Most of final four teams is display of what Miami Dolphins lack

I think Ryan stole our approach because he had Sanchez airing it out(miserably) for most of the year.

 

Or maybe he realized the Ravens even won with a terrible QB by running the ball and playing "D"

Plain and simple if you have a Qb that can manage the game and not throw it away, a good running game, and lights out defense, you are a shoe in.

Pittsburgh
New York Giants
Baltimore
Patriots count because the dink and dunk to wes is like running the ball.
Colts are an exception but manning is exceptional
If Bush gets hot Saints could be unstoppable
Vikings were well rounded till EJ went down. Slowly getting back but might not have time

 

luck

 

Hey, we have Pat White!!!!

 

We saw Henne throw the ball over 50 times in one game this year. We saw him drive down the field in under two minutes and win not one but two games in that fashion (jets and bucs). We saw him complete bombs, dumps, slants, and everything in between this season. We do need to get back to our traditional running ways, but Henne showed that he could be all-around QB for us if/when we get better talent at wr.

Our defense needs to get better, no doubt. But once Ronnie went down, our offense went to a pass first offense and while we came up short, i came away very impressed and excited to see Henne back out on the field for us next season. You give him a stable running game and a better defense and I think we're a force to be reckoned with.

 

When you defense gives up the third MOST POINTS IN 40 YEARS
THERE IS A PROBLEM...ONLY
1986...405 POINTS ALLOWED
2007...437 POINTS ALLOWED WERE WORSE THAN 2009 SEASON

2009...390 POINTS ALLOWED
3RD WORSE DEFENSE IN POINTS ALLOWED SINCE 1970(40 YEARS)

this defense needs a major overhaul and till this is done which may take two more drafts we will not make any noise in the playoffs...we may surprise a team here and there but to dominate on a weekly basis we are very far away

 

In this league major overhauls aren't needed on the defensive side. That's why a team like NO can make the NFC Championship game primarily with the addition of a FS.

So what do all four of the remaining teams have better than Miami? It's not overall defense or the rushing offense check the rankings. The difference is that they had a positive turnover differential and better passing YPA and also a better passing defense YPA.

So what do the Dolphins do to get those? Turnover differential tends to fluctuate and has a large luck element, but the other areas can be controlled. The biggest improvement would come from adding a couple of big receiving targets at WR and TE. The next biggest would be by getting improved FS play either internally from Clemons or adding a guy like Thomas in the the draft. That alone would make us a playoff team. We also need to improve at ILB but the reality is that ILBs are often out in passing situations so the impact of drafting a McClain in the first would be considerably less than getting a WR, TE or S.

 

The game has changed,teams pass alot on first and second down leaving the middle linebacker in coverage.The colts first play against us was a pass across the middle too clark who turned into like a 70 yd td.

 

But percentage wise you still get less impact from the ILB position than from the FS. We played a ton of Quarters last year and the rest of the time man/free. The result is that our Ss had way more tackles than our ILBs.

Now if you have in ILB who is a coverage maven like Willis then you could have him bring a large impact, but I haven't seen any ILB in this draft who is in that class. McClain, as good as he is, is not a coverage guy and I haven't seen anybody who believes he'll be as good as Willis. I do think Dansby could be that coverage ILB for us though.

 

The problem with dansby is i do not think the front office will pay him what he wants.

 

I think he's the most likely of any potential FAs. Dansby has already been praising Parcells so I think the interest is there on his side. On our side, I would think we would offer at least what we offered Pace. I actually think Dansby is better than Pace. And I think that Pace contract is probably what Dansby is thinking too.

 

A coverage ILB would be nice and help the team a lot. I also think a consistant run stopping ILB will also help a lot.

Teams are most dangerous when they can run and pass. Unless they have a Peyton Manning. That is what took the Saints to the next level, when they added good running to that amazing pass.

Last year Miami did not have consistant good run stopping ILB. One who can help stop the run, especially when teams are behind. For instance the Saints game. Their offense did not get going until they started to run the ball. Without that threat Miami could continue to have a good pass rush and have a much better chance of not being completely horrible.

I also think the reason why our ILBs had a lot less tackles than our safties is because our ILBs are not very good. If they were better then Miami wouldn't have to use the safties so much in run support. Having safties who do not have to worry about run support would also allow them to concentrate on passing more, which could decrease the amount of long plays.

 

It is hard to argue with success and being able to play for the Afc title is success for Ryan and the Jets. But besides Sanchez what was the main thing Ryan did to help this team out ? He went out and got himself a legitimate number one receiver in Braylon Edwards this guy has made clutch catches and stretched the field for the Jets. If only we did the same in Miami.

 

Sure it would help, but less than other positions that are on the field more often. I know fans often take the simple view that all positions are equal but that simply isn't true. That's why you see ILBs generally drafted later than core positions. If the player in question is a Willis type than you can make the argument that he'll have as much impact as a core position but otherwise it's simply a nonsensical argument. If you want the greatest impact on your teams won/loss record then improving the ILB is the not the smartest route unless that guy is truly a special player.

 

Lets put things in perspective here. The reason the Saints, Colts, and Vikings are in the conference championships are because their QB's are Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brette Favre respectively. I still firmly believe a STRONG run game with a STRONG(not MEDIOCRE) defense gets the job done. I hate Rex Ryan but i admit i liked his philosophy that they dont need bombs/ 50 yard touchdown passes, just completions.

 

eh, if nate kaeding doesn't miss all 3 field goals, we're talking about how the jets have no offensive firepower instead of how tough the jets strategy is.

I honestly believe the chargers would have won a super bowl by now with a different field goal kicker. I've never seen a bigger choke artist.

 

You don't need bombs, but you need passing efficiency. During this post season the Jets have averaged 7.4 YPA. You'll find that just about every SB winner in the last 5 years did that except for, ironically, the Colts. Whether or not the Dolphins can pass that efficiently will be the number one determinate of our future success.

 

I dont live for "if's".......And i never said they're offensively sound, i just dont buy into the notion that the only way to win in the NFL is through the air.

 

Didn't i say completions???

So defense no longer matters? The fact that we were 24th in the league for points allowed? Or how about 22nd for total yards allowed? 24th in the league in giving up passing yards? Or 18th in the league in stopping the run?

 

i have to disagree. if this was the first game he lost for them in the playoffs, fine. I'd look past it. But he did this to the chargers a few years ago as well. Again to the jets.

i don't care if the man is 100% in the regular season, you miss FGs that would win playoff games then you have to go. A kickers job is to make the kick regardless of whether or not it should have come down to him.