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Did the Dolphins really do well in 2012?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by The_Dark_Knight, Jan 1, 2013.

  1. The_Dark_Knight

    The_Dark_Knight Defender of the Truth

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    I don't know if this has been discussed in other threads and if it has, my apologies, but I did notice some folks were talking about the positives and negatives of this year's season under rookie head coach Joe Philbin.

    I was perusing the NFL news about all of the coaching firings and took a closer look at Miami's record a little closer.

    The Dolphins finished the season 7-9.

    Of the 7 victories, five came at the hands of sub .500 teams (Oakland, St Louis, NY Jets, Jacksonville and Buffalo) Only two wins came against teams with winning records (Cincinnati and Seattle)

    Of our 9 losses, five of those losses came against teams with winning records (Houston, Indianapolis, San Francisco and New England twice)

    Miami's last significant win came November 25th when we defeated the Seahawks 24-21

    Coming down the stretch, we soundly defeat Jacksonville and Buffalo and yet lose to San Francisco and New England twice, the second loss an utter disgrace.

    My measure as to whether or not this year would be deemed a success was how we played towards the end of the season under first year coach Joe Philbin. Miami lost 5 of our last 8 games, two of those losses to Tennessee and Buffalo.

    Was this season a success? That's wide open for discussion but when you lose 5 of your last 8 games when everything should be beginning to click and come into focus, I don't know. It's hard to say.

    I know our team lacked skill positions on offense that other teams enjoyed and if Ireland's stockpile of draft picks this offseason, plus $40 million in salary cap space doesn't address our team's shortcomings, next year is going to be a very long season.
     
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  2. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

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    Could say the same about a team like Denver. 13-3 and they lost to Atlanta, NE, and Houston. Who did they really beat? Same for New England. They beat Denver, and who else? Us?

    At the end of the day, we had a couple of losses that we should of won (NYJ, Ari) and lost to a few teams we could of beat on paper (Tenn) and hung tough against a few big dogs, NE (home) and San Fran. What that adds up to depends on the development of our young players (Tannehill specifically) and our off-season. Inexperienced rookie QB + no offensive talent = 7 wins? Who would of thunk it? After the PS, did anyone think we'd win more than 3 games? Be honest...
     
  3. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Success for me this yr is all about Tannehill, I thought he played well up until the last NE game.

    This could easily be a off season of a rebuild w/FA and all of the draft choices.

    A coach usually wants his players, Philbin had to work with Sparano's roster for the most part.
     
  4. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    How many different ways can we pick apart our season to ask the same question? not criticizing your post, but it will generate the same discussion.

    maybe different questions: if Pagano did not come down with treatable leukemia to inspire the Colts, would this still be a relevant discussion? my gut says that if Pagano is healthy, the Colts also end up around 7-9 and Tannehill and Luck are both in the same situation. and before someone blabbs that it didn't make a difference, see the Saints after Katrina. inspiration like that can make a difference in winning the close games.

    looking at the other rookie QBs, Seattle had a superior team at almost every single position. not that we were that bad, they just have more talent across the board. If Tannehill was playing in Seattle, would they still be where they are now? good chance IMO.

    RGIII, not much I can find to pick apart his season, he turned out to be much better than I thought he would. However, I still stand firm that his career will be riddled with injuries. He took a pounding in college and he took a pounding this season.

    all the experts stated Tannehill was still raw and needed time to develop. By starting Tannehill this season, hopefully we won't have as many ups-and-downs next season. Outside of the sporadic good play by Hartline and BUsh, we didn't have players on offense that could consistently help carry our rookie QB through the ups-and-downs. That's why some of us really wanted/hoped Reggie Wayne would sign in the offseason.
     
  5. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    You answered your own question, yet do not seem to realize it. Hell no, it was not a success.
     
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  6. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    I had us pegged as a 5win team, tops.

    Should also note that Seattle game is pretty damn impressive given the tear they went on after that loss.
     
  7. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Did you also hold the same opinion of Henne after 2009? Basically, all Tannehill showed me was that he is an athletic version of Henne. Mid 70s passer rating. More ints than TDs. Less than 7 ypa. Sub 60% comp pct. Tannehill at least can threaten a defense with his running ability, but it took him over half the season to realize it. Yes, people are mostly optimistic about Tannehill, but as I recall, after 2009, the same pct of people were optimistic about Henne.
     
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  8. Serpico Jones

    Serpico Jones Well-Known Member

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    This.
     
  9. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    A losing season is never a success in my eyes, but there are things to be excited about moving forward.
     
  10. VManis

    VManis Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Henne was a 4 year college starter who was suppose to be NFL ready. Tannehill was suppose to be a project. If anything Tannehill overshot expectations.
     
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  11. ToneyTone

    ToneyTone New Member

    I think we came away with very little questions answered or came away with the answers we weren't expecting. We still need to be looking at every position on the offense side of the ball including qb.
     
  12. Serpico Jones

    Serpico Jones Well-Known Member

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    Tannehill had the exact same offensive coordinator and system that he had in college so he did have that to his advantage.
     
  13. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    I don't think the loss on Sunday was a "disgrace". We had left 17 points on the field when it was 21-0. That game could have very well been 21-17 heading into the 4th quarter.
     
  14. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    Baloney to your last point. When you draft a young, raw QB, you have to give it a couple of years to see if he's your guy or not. giving up on him after his rookie season is insanely stupid.
     
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  15. ToneyTone

    ToneyTone New Member

    Nobody said to give up on Ryan. Why wait two years then give him some competition at the position. Do it now. We still need a good backup anyway.
     
  16. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    Matt Moore is one of the better backups in the league. Need's to be resigned though.
     
  17. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    Here's my view of the offense:

    - Quarterback. Ryan Tannehill and his progression. It's not really a questionmark in my opinion. We are rolling with him for another 2 years minimum, no matter what happens. Starting quarterback is off the table. We may need a backup if Matt Moore does not resign. The staff loves Pat Devlin, is he ready to be the backup?

    - Running back. Does Reggie Bush return? Do we even want him back? Depends on the price tag and how willing he is to accept a shared role with Lamar Miller, who I think could be a REALLY good player. What about Daniel Thomas? He's a decent 3rd down back and occasional runner but he may be the odd man out in a Miller/Bush scenario. I think we need to look at the position and get ourselves a goal line/power back. If Bush walks we need at least 2 new players at the position to push Thomas and Miller, with the hope one of them is a power back who can punch it in the endzone and get 1 yard when we need it.

    - Fullback/H-Back. Javorski Lane is overrated on this board. Charles Clay seems to take 2 months to realize there is a season going on. I like Clay's mismatch potential but I would not rely on him. I go and find another guy to compete in camp to push one of them off the roster.

    - Wide Receiver. Biggest black hole on the roster. Brian Hartline needs a contract. Bess needs to find a true role. We need a dependable #1, Greg Jennings. I throw the farm at him. It would let us go BPA in the draft instead of reaching to fill this need. Even if we sign Jennings (or Bowe or Wallace) I still draft or sign at least 2 other receivers that can compete for top 4 roles right now. Saturate the position with talent and let them fight in camp. Mathews has size and potential but I think he's the type of player who should get pushed off the roster if Ireland does his job correctly.

    - Tight end. We MUST sign Anthony Fasano. He gets a lot of flak around here but he is a good all around player and leader. He's be one of the best #2 tight ends in the league. What is Mike Egnew? Is Charles Clay a tight end? This position is screaming for an infusion of talent. Use at least one of our 5 top 100 picks on a tight end, regardless of Fasano signing or not. If Fasano walks, we must sign a starter and draft a guy who could potentially start. If Egnew turns out to be a player then even better.

    - Left Tackle. I franchise and sign Jake Long. We can't let the talent we have walk. I think Jon Martin is serviceable over there by why open the hole now? Give Jake the one year franchise deal and see how healthy/good he is, giving Martin another year in the weight room.

    - Left Guard. Incognito is a serviceable player at guard but I don't like his price tag to be honest. This is one spot where I'd look long and hard at finding a new starter. I'd like to replace both guards.

    - Center. Mike Pouncey might be the best in the league.

    - Right guard. See Left Guard.

    - Right Tackle. It all depends on Jake Long of course. If we let JAke walk (doubt it) then we need to find a right tackle and a swing tackle (unless the staff is sold on Yeatman). To be honest, regardless of the Jake Long situation, I draft/sign a starting quality right tackle. the worst thing that happens is Jon Martin gets beat out of a starting spot and becomes a swing tackle for a year or two while he gets stronger. It's a win/win.

    The roster is so full of holes. We could potentially be looking at having 3 returning starters (Tannehill, Martin, Pouncey) from the opening day offense. While I don't think we WILL do that much house cleaning (we don't have enough resources to blow up one entire side of the ball and address the defense as well) I can see us having new starters at Running back, one of the guards, tight end and receiver.

    This is without looking at the facts of our defense, which also needs an infusion of talent. We need an end (so Odrick can get kicked inside when Starks walks), depth on the line (I'd like to see two ends and at least one tackle brought in), maybe a middle linebacker (depending on how much this staff like's Dansby and his big ticket) and depth at linebacker (when Trusnick is the first guy off the bench outside you have issues), at least 2 corners (this is our second biggest need IMO) and a safety to push Chris Clemons (if he signs).

    Man...it is not pretty.
     
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  18. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

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    He also had the disadvantage of only being a college qb for a year and a half.
     
  19. Rick 1966

    Rick 1966 Professional Hipshooter

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    Punt. What we did really well this season was punt.
     
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  20. Perfectville_USA

    Perfectville_USA Mr Perfect

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    The o-line got toasted for 7 sacks, hard for and QB to look good against that.
     
  21. Aquafin

    Aquafin New Member

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    i think we are in this freagin mess because Miami let go some good olinemen in Sparano 's second year and we created more holes then we filled so it would seem to benefit us to focus on one side of the ball this offseason and just tweek the defense then the next year draft more for defense. I know that may be lame but it sure makes sense to me .
     

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