Its good sometimes to get a barometer of where you are as a team. Where is this team? At least 2-3 years from being elite. We aren't even close to the Saints and other upper echelon teams. Not only did they leave us beaten and battered, they are talking mega disrespectful smack. We didn't earn respect, they didn't offer it. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ette-dolphins-arent-as-good-as-everyone-said/ Tannehill isn't close to where he needs to be. Fumbling, throwing INTs, not having hot options, throwing inaccurately. Not sure he ever gets there, but he isn't close yet. Playcalling still putrid. Third and one inch...Wow. Thats inexcusable. Bad play, bad execution, bad QB for not getting out of it. Horrible all around. Defense...how many thirds and longs did we allow? Geez. Perhaps they get a small break because we're missing Cam Wake and Dimitri Patterson. But what does that say for coaching that if two players go down we give up 38 points? Not much. All is not lost for the future...but let's be honest. The Fins are about the future..not the now. And not next year...We are talking 2015 or beyond. This team is a midlevel team with a midlevel QB that might not be the answer. We have to consider this. Its good to have an honest barometer of your team.
I'm not sure that was a barometer of anything. Look at the last 5-6 games the Saints have played at home on Monday Night Football. They've beaten up everyone, with some very good teams on that list. It's a tough situation for any team. Let's see how this team responds this week and going forth. That's your barometer.
Might be...might not be. We'll see. After watching the Saints completely dismantle us, I am reasonably certain this is not a playoff team. But we'll see.
Jesus...did people think we were going to go undefeated? We lost to probably one of the Top 5 teams in the league right now. Relax. The same issues that we had last night....we had Game 1....Game 2....and Game 3. We still won those games. When you play the Saints the margin of error is much less. Regroup this weak. Most Galletes comments on all of the linemans lockers and lets go to work.
I've been one of the biggest Ireland critics on this board and I thought 8-8 was our ceiling but to suggest that last night is a barometer or a refferendum on Tannehill is ridiculous. Anybody would've taken 3-1 at this stage, particularly with the loss being to an NFC opponent. What this game told us is that we're not as good as the Saints and that there is a difference between good QB play (like we usually get from Tanny) and elite QB play, which Brees displayed. Tanny may never get to Brees' level but he is still good. We are a good team. We are not a great team. We will beat the teams on or below our level but will struggle with the elite teams. there is nothing we can do right now to change this. Martin and Clabo are what they are and there are no other options. Our depth at LB and in the secondary is what it is. However, what we can start doing is playing to our strengths more, particularly on offense. Why Thomas continues to steal critical carries from Miller is beyond me. We busted out the Pistol and Read Option and it worked to the point we outgained the Saints in the 1st half. Can we try this again please? how many times did the 3 man front need to get gashed by Sproles to stop doing it? This was a game that was unlikely to be won even if we played our best but coachin and turnovers turned it into a blowout
Question on your point on Miller Schmolioot. Has Miller ever had reports of conditioning issues? I thought I heard someone mention that last year. Maybe that is what lends Thomas to get more carries. I don't know. I'm just throwing out "Maybes" at this point. He could be one of those guys who doesn't have an 80% so he burns a lot of gas.
I think you're stretching the negatives here too far. This team ISN'T ready for a marquee primetime matchup, but it very well might be as soon as later this year. Tannehill had a bad game, and picked up two unlucky ints (deflection & pinball), but that doesn't mean his development is derailed, nor that he's going to need 2+ years to have a better game. We were a few third/inches or that first (bad) int away from possibly being up at halftime. While they stunk it up in the 2nd half, that's not a team that needs 2-3 years to rebound from a road loss in the dome... we get one favorable break in the first half and this could have been a different game. Sure, pick up an OT/G and CB depth in the offseason, but even with injuries don't count them out this year.
Because we lost to the Saints we aren't ready for Primetime. I don't get that. Are only the Packers, Saints, Seahawks, 9ers worthy of playing on MNF? You're an NFL team with a young QB....a Speedster at WR....and on kicks and Lamar....and one of the best pass rushers in the league. W/L/Draw.....we are ready. Atlanta and the Colts both play on Primetime....we gave them the business. We just lost folks. No need to bleed the cat.
Not that I'm aware of, but it's possible and they'd never tell you anyway. I'm not a coach but anybody watching the games can see that Miller is better. I understand that Miller can't take every carry but they continue using Thomas for series at a time in critical moments. It's been 3 years. How much more do they need to see from the guy?
The Saints dismantle everybody in that dome. Did you forget the shellacking they gave the Patriots a few years back?
Daniel Thomas had 4 carries. Are people really complaining about that? Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
For me, it's not that we lost but the way we lost. We didn't just get outscored, we were completely dominated. The Saints embarassed us on national TV. We barely put up a fight after the first half, and this is from a supposed second half team. Good teams lose, especially on the road to other good teams, but we didn't just lose, we got our butts kicked by three touchdowns.
It was 4 carries too many. He is virtually useless. He can't play. And it's not like his blitz pickups are so great that it overcomes all of his other deficiencies. We may not have any other options right now, I get that. But the notion that Thomas and Miller are "close" in play level is just nonsense.
Thomas is definitely much better recognizing protections. Thigpen is too raw to see regular snaps. Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
This is what I was getting at. Its not like we played well and lost. We lost all composure the first time we played a team that didn't fold. Coaching, Offense, Defense, STs, and QB play--all lacking. Our 60M wide receiver dropping easy passes. These guys dominated us. It was like Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney. A big time beat down.
Sometimes a loss like this is what a team needs to get a reality check, we beat the 85 Bears at our home but yet they still went on to win the Super Bowl so who says we can't do the same this season once all of our injured players come back.
I agree the second half made me so angry that I lost my mind. I thought we were going to give them fits in the first qtr Miller is faster then I expected . what in heck was Mike Wallace's problem last night ? I don't think this has any merit but we need more help at tight end, and more help at runningback Lamar is good but Thomas wasn't good enough . our entire oline ought to be canned but we cant do anything about that now. we may not win more games the 6 or 7 just for that reason alone . I was hoping for a 9 or 10 win season but looking at how we got torched in the secondary last night we just may be a year away from being a really good team. Mike Sherman and Tannyhill are not going to get us there because if a qb isn't good in college I don't see how he can be expected to be good in the pro's. I was totally wrong about Hartline that kid can play and Gruden praised him a lot last night. Tannyhill they said was sacked more times then anyone in the league . If this is the case and our oline doesn't protect him better he will become David Carr II .
In one of the hardest stadiums to play in, against a HOF qb, and sproles/graham at the top of their game. This team is young and admittedly, they are are outclassed by the saints. Good news is that this was the hardest game on the schedule for us. I noticed you weren't around when we were 3-0.
Why? We already have 3 wins and we play the jets twice, bills twice, and the bucs, chargers, and bengals. None if them have anything close to what the saints do
I'm really getting tired of Wallace by the way. He's easily becoming my least liked player on this team. And I really dislike Daniel Thomas but Wallace.... no wonder Pittsburgh fans don't miss you. 60 million and you've shown up 1 of 4 games so far this season.
Don't underrate any of those teams, those are not gimme's. The Bills can play with anyone, so can the Chargers and the Bengals. Bengals pass rush is far better than the Saints that had backups starting yesterday. As much as we can go 4-0 playing the Bills, Bengals and Chargers we can also go 0-4.
We're better than them. We should win all of them. Football doesnt work that way, i know, but we should. That's not under rating them. Also, I don't play for the team, so that doesn't matter anyway.
I don't think there's anything prime time about it. The team isn't good enough to beat one of the top couple teams in the league.
Our offense was moving fine except for some really stupid turnovers. Three mistakes made an 18 point difference.
We're tied with the Browns for the easiest schedule left in the AFC. We're also tied with the Texans for having the hardest schedule so far. There's no reason we don't win 10+ games.
Its deserved. Two huge turnovers that pretty much put the game out of hand. He played well for the most part in the first half, but you can't turn the ball over like that and expect not to lose.
That's encouraging. I think a couple of plays really change the complexion of the game. The 3rd and Inch, if it was converted and led to 6, big turnaround. And the turnover right before the half was huge. Easily should have been at least 3 points for us if not 7. Big difference mentally going into the half. And part of the problem w/ out D, aside from the fact that they were playing a great QB w/ great tools, was that they were gassed. A little more time of possession at times during the game and they get a little bit of a breather makes a huge difference. Rushing the passer is exhausting.
Exactly. I am not sure why its off limits..."but the Saints are good" They say. Yes, they are. But if you want to be elite, you have to beat the good teams. We are not. We are not close. That was the premise of my post.
Both the first half turnovers were huge. We were well on our way to scoring when Tannehill fumbled. He either needs to cover with both hands in that situation, or better yet get down.
There were really two plays that put the game out of reach. If those two plays don't happen, then its a game. I'm not sure how that qualifies as "not close", but to each their own.
I don't think anyone ever claimed we're elite. A lot of us think this team can make the playoffs, and that, IMO, hasn't changed.
Yeah. I can't believe we are so far removed from the preseason already. To be 3-1 was the dream of a blind homer.
Especially not if we turn the ball over 3 times. The turnovers put the game out of reach IMO. I think we would have ultimately lost, but I think the deficit would have been around 10 points. We were playing with them going into the last 2 min of the first half. When Tannehill threw that pick, it broke our backs, it really did. If we come back down and get a field goal even, we are in the game in both a physical sense, but also an emotional one. The crowd likely wouldn't be as enthused either. We still have holes, but we are better than we have been for a while.
Who said we were elite? Everybody has been talking about hopefully making the playoffs, nothing about being elite. Stop putting words in people's mouth to prove an argument. And the Saints have made many "elite" teams look incompetent in the Dome in Primetime. Like already said they dismantled the Patriots in 09. And this team might be better than that 09 team.
