First off, I'm like most of you...I could care less about the Patriots, the Jets or the Bills. They can all rot in hell as far as I'm concerned. Okay, being a bit melodramatic here, just my utter fan devotion to the Dolphins coming through, but after today's loss, a reality is beginning to set in that I think needs to be discussed and the question asked... After our week two loss to Houston and the wins by the Patriots, Jets and Bills, the Dolphins are in the cellar at 0-2 behind the aforementioned teams all at 2-0, so the question I ask is... Have the Dolphins already fallen too far into a hole to be realistically competetive for a post season run? Please, a mature facts based discussion without insults or snide comments.
No, but if we lose 2 of the next 3 then we will without a doubt. Two games (and two of the harder on our schedule) is not something that is insurmountable, but it is a hole that will be hard to overcome, especially the way we are playing.
Not yet, but we really need to win the next 2 games, and keep in mind the Jest and Bills have not played the Pats this yr. But 3 AFC losses to teams likely to contend effectively hurts our WC chances
Realistically? yes . Teams that start 0 and 2 miss the playoffs 88% of the time I believe , add to that we have 3 division teams at 2 and 0 and two of those teams are NE and NY , doesn't offer any real hope for a playoff birth. Doesn't mean things can't turn around , and I by no means am saying to tank the year , to suck for Luck , but realistically after two games we are staring at the unenviable position of looking to next year if playoffs are the goal. I hate that , but it is what it is. Then you add as padre has mentioned , it isn't one area , it is multiple ones and what is bad can change from game to game , apparently.
There is no chance the Dolphins sniff the playoffs. None. I have to ask though, why do you even care if we do or don't? This current football team is a first round punching bag to most legit playoff teams. I don't understand the fascination with overachieving to make the playoffs when you know you got no shot at going deep.
Well, here is the thing: Texans figure to win the AFCS Pats figure to win the AFCE AFCN is wide open SD figures to win the AFCW Basically this season is a replay of 2010, meaning the intra divisional games are simply not as important to us as beating the rest of the AFC schedule, 1-3 or 0-4, this season is essentially over as that would be 4 AFC losses and we lose pretty much every tie breaker in that case.
May not be too late, but showing up next week would definitely not be too early! More discouraged by how we playing than losing. Our defense which was supposed to be our strength looks worse than our offense. Our deepest position, the DL, is not getting much pressure on the passer, but they are making up for it by not stop the run. Thought we would have to win games by the score of 13-10 this year, but it is looking more like we are going to have win them 31-30.
The d to me just not look to be in good condition, but if we recall, they did not start out 2010 as being that good either. We also have no idea how serious Vontae's injury is
I know I said no snide comments or insults, but I have to ask... Are you even a Dolphins fan? Your posts somehow suggest the contrary.
That's kinda what I was thinking...that by going 0-2 already, we've shot ourselves in the foot....especially with how well the other three teams in our division are playing.
Well, Jets and Bills have not played the pats, and tbh sort of have played soft games to start the season, so do not over emphasize.
That's the basis you need to question if someone is a Dolphin fan or not? interesting and as someone already posted. Teams that go 0-2 are very likely to miss the playoffs.
Its more than likely too deep. We obviously aren't as good as NE. Unless something crazy happens to them we will probably at the very best split with them and have another factor determine the division winner. The Jets are probably about as good as they have been the past two years, which means they can easily split their series with us. The Bills are playing well offensively, which could give our surprisingly mediocre defense problems. So that series has to potential to be split. So just in our division it doesn't look promising. And just focusing on our team, I don't see any reason why we are a playoff team. Yeah its only two games. But this team looks the same way it has for the past two years. It does one thing well, another poorly, and the rest either average or mediocre. That's enough to keep us in games for a while. But a good team pulls away or we lose close games to average teams. Obviously I hope it changes, but I'm not betting on it.
Yea I agree 0-2 in the AFC and everyone in our division is 2-0 and none of them have played each other yet.
To get into the playoffs, we are most likely looking at facing off with the Jets, and either Baltimore or Pitt - whichever doesn't win the division. The Jets game will be key - if we lose that go 0-2 in the division and 0-1 against what would likely be a direct playoff rival. It would also mean at best we are 2-3, more likely 1-4. That is not a hole we climb out of imo. And just looking through the remaining 14 games, it is hard to see more than 5-6 wins all told.
It just seems you're cheering for the Dolphins to lose which makes absolutely no sense to me coming from a fan. A fan cheers for his team to win, no matter how good or how bad they are.
0-2 isn't the biggest issue here. The Dolphins are in too big a hole talent wise to be competitive for even being close to a post season run. Our staff left too many need positions unaddressed while actually making 2 positions weeker. (OL and RB).
Dolphins most likely have to go 9-5 or 10-4 to make the playoffs. They're already 0-2 in the AFC, 0-1 in the division, so 9-7 probably won't do it, but it's possible... They would probably need to sweep the Jets. (Well, we're also 2 games behind the Bills and the season just started....so we need to beat them also) The Patriots suddenly become the Dolphins best friends. However, this team is way too inconsistent. Ireland & Sparano will most likely be gone in 2012.
I understand the frustration, but come on. You start a thread saying we should lose for luck and now you say the dolphins might as well give up after two games. Really? The guys on the roster are the Dolphins. Those men from the glory days are part of our past, and they will stay there forever. If you dump our roster right now all you are left with is a Logo and a Logo can not win games. Fans support the men wearing the logo. I am not saying you should not critique the team and the organization, that is healthy. But outright writing them off, to me, is ridiculous.
And who was co-coach of the year.....I believe it was TS and Mike Smith. I don't think were done, but if we lose next week?
I just see some differences between that team and this one. Back in 2008, in the first game, we started the game off really slow on offense with our new Quarterback that had only been here a few weeks. But by the end of the game, Pennington was mounting a ridiculous comeback that only ended on the final play throwing into the end zone from the red zone, and failing to come away with the necessary score. Honestly I remember my buddy a Jets fan being absolutely convinced during the 4th quarter that the Jets were going to lose and that Pennington was going to complete the comeback. It just fell a little short, but we gamed to the finish in that game. In the next game, the entire team came out totally flat and got housed by the Cardinals after traveling cross-country. That wasn't a stamina issue, that was just a game where nothing we schemed went right. Here we have two games where we were able to stay semi-competitive for about 50 minutes in each game and then fell apart due to what seems like a conditioning problem. That to me is a little more concerning than what was the issue back in 2008 in our 0-2 start that year. I miss the days when the Miami Dolphins embraced their home heat advantage, with the 1pm September home games being viewed as bonuses on the schedule because we were so relatively unbeatable in those games. Those teams never had stamina issues. Then comes along the Nick Saban Memorial Bubble...and we've not been a September home team since. It's not just the bubble, I think it could be an attitude thing.
You need somebody to inject some life into this franchise. I would love to see John Gruden here and he seems to like Mike Nolan. Heck he probably likes Daboll too. Maybe you need someone like that to give you that edge. Could Henne realistically run a WCO?
Yessir, have to keep some perspective as I can recall the "how soon will Henne start" stuff from 08-09, and then watched those same people STHU about it when Henne struggled.
I think we're in too deep of a hole...just because of how this team "looks" out there. There is no sense of urgency, no consistency. They get 1/2 way through the third quarter of the last 2 games and look completely gassed. The only guys that looked like they had their legs under them late were Marlon Moore (probably because he was just on ST) and Daniel Thomas (rest? youth?). I know Nolan Carrol was supposed to have help over the top by Jones (well not so much know, as assume), but WTF was he doing on Andre Johnson in the first place..why didn't they tell SS24 to shadow him? christ...
This season so far is going exactly as I thought it would. And with that, I still think we have the potential to be 7-5 going into the Eagles game. It's going to be how we finish the year that determines our playoff fate, as per usual. Hopefully the offense is hitting its stride by then and we can win the games we typically lose at the end of the year.
The only small hope we have at this point is that every year there seems to be a team that starts out looking like trash that get things turned around and look like a completely different team by the end of the season. Maybe that could be us this year? The problem is, that doesn't always mean playoffs. Think Cowboys last year, and Titans from I think 2 or 3 seasons ago when they started 0-6. The other problem this usually happens to teams that our much better coached than the Dolphins or as a result of a coaching change.
Not too deep of a hole yet, but Sparano needs do a better job of having this team prepared to play SOON or he won't last much longer. Ross won't stand for empty seats. We've gone 0-2 before and pulled off a good season, but we can't afford to be dropping home games. Our home should be our advantage. Time to fix that quick.
It pains me to say this but from what I have seen I think they are in deep trouble.The players for the most part don't seem to be able to block and tackle .When they start performing basic fundamentals on a regular basis they will win a game.The offense and defenseive line have been bad.
mathematically, we're still alive having said that I have no great expectations for this year we need another HeadCoach to move forward
No. Even taking into account the difference between mathematical elimination and realistic chances to make the playoffs, you never know what is going to happen in a locker room over 14 games. One day a few people get really, really pissed; the team has a meeting and kicks the coaches out, the butt-draggers get some Mafia justice, the emotional level surges, people get serious, the team leaders talk to the coaches, the coaches listen, and the team starts winning more than they lose. 14 games is a long time.
Yes. This team is going to frustrate the hell out of us this year, they are going to be in so many games yet find ways to lose them, just like last year. Nothing seems to have changed this year, all of last years problems are still there. The only bright side so far are Henne and DThomas. The biggest disappoint by far is the DL, they can't stop the run or get any pressure.
Well, lets look at our remaining schedule: 3 Sep 25 MIA @ CLE Improved Browns team and tough stadium to play in. Browns win. 4 Oct 02 MIA @ SD Don't match up well vs Chargers. Travel across country to start off 0-4 5 Bye 6 Oct 17 MIA @ NYJ Jets are better. We might split with them this year, but this isn't the game we win. 7 Oct 23 DEN @ MIA Finally a game we can win, and we get that win. 1-5 8 Oct 30 MIA @ NYG Have to travel back up to the Meadowlands for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. This time we come away with the win. 2-5 9 Nov 06 MIA @ KC Hey...we are on a roll now vs another horrible team. 3-5 10 Nov 13 WAS @ MIA Washington is improved. More improved than Miami is. Phins still can't really win at home. 3-6 11 Nov 20 BUF @ MIA Buffalo is better, but somehow Miami wins this game. 4-6 12 Nov 24 MIA @ DAL Dallas...thanksgiving and we are the turkey. 4-7 13 Dec 04 OAK @ MIA Raiders have to travel across the country. It is a 1pm game, so we win. We lose if this is moved to 4. 5-7 14 Dec 11 PHI @ MIA Doesn't matter who the QB is for the Eagles, we will lose. 5-8 15 Dec 18 MIA @ BUF Bills get the revenge and win in the cold. 5-9 16 Dec 24 MIA @ NE We get our asses handed to us again by the Pats, in the cold. 5-10 17 Jan 01 NYJ @ MIA Jets need the win, and we throw in the towel. 5-11
Unless we're maiking the playoffs, lol, I see no reason to care about 3 or 4 extra wins. I'd rather get the pick. It's not in my nature to actively root for the team to lose, but I'm starting to really not care about the results of these games
Because people here have become acustomed to believing that the playoffs are the goal. Not building to win a Super Bowl, but just to get to the playoffs. That's what happens when you have a fan base that has to be mostly over 40 to remember when the Dolphins were perennial playoff teams and if there had been message boards like this, would have been arguing about are we good enough to get home field advantage this year or have to play on the road to get to the Super Bowl. The majority of the guys posting on this board are in their 20's, and can only really remember the Dolphins as nothing but mediocre. They just don't get why people like me, at 51 are just completely embarrassed & pissed off why its taking so long to become an elite team again.
I don't see a suck for Luck in the making. Ross is going to pull the plug on Sparano before it comes to that (the home opening fiasco all but guarantees it), and an interim HC usually sparks an underachieving team to play closer to its talent level; see Dallas or Minny last season. I see another pointless 7-9 season either way.