Let's tell it like it is...

If wildcard weekend told me anything, it's that the Dolphins are simply not ready for primetime.

The Phins have neither the offense nor the defense to compete with the teams we saw play this weekend.  And the sad part is, other than the Saints, none of the teams that played this weekend is all that good...but all are head and shoulders above the Phins.

The biggest issue is the way this team is built.  They have no identity at all...no top QB, no top running game, no top receivers, no top pass rushers, no top DBs or LBs, no top returners...it's just a roster full of JAGs.  One Pro Bowler (who didn't deserve it) and no All Pros...that says it all.

The scary part is, the Dolphin coaches and staff talk about this team like they're world-beaters.  They have no clue...they can't see that this is a garbage team loaded with garbage players.  Add a garbage coaching staff, and you have a 6-10 team.

The Rams have the youngest coach in the league, and he's put together a staff that features 8 coaches with Super Bowl experience.  Meanwhile, the Phins have a staff that has barely any experience at all.  Until this team gets a real GM and a real coaching staff, we're going no fucking where.  Period.  It would also help to hit on a first round pick every now and then.

I have to disagree with your basic premise. It's not that this team isn't awful, but they beat the Falcons and Titans who both won. The Bills aren't any better than last season's Fins. The AFC is basically hot garbage burning in a dumpster fire. If the Chargers hadn't lost to the Fins they'd have played this weekend.

All I'm taking out of this postseason is that everything is all set up for the Pats to win yet another title.

I have to agree. Miami isn't in that bad of a shape from what I saw yesterday from the AFC. The Titans and the Chiefs game was more interesting for the fact that the Chiefs rely more on their TE than most thought and also the Jags nor the Bills are not ready for the big leagues either. If it true with what they are saying about the Pats having issues internally then there might be some hope next year if Belicheat is gone.

i gotta agree with JMP. i don't believe the Phins would've won a playoff match-up against any of the 4 AFC teams playing this weekend. and yes 316, aside from the Pats and Steelers, the AFC has nothing right now.

we've seen how they match-up against the Bills in making Tyrod Taylor look like an all-pro and have no answer for McCoy and Clay. the Chiefs would've hung that 21 on the Phins and Miami would've never crawled out of the hole. The Jags defense would've feasted on Miami's o-line. and Derrick Henry would've doubled his output against the Phins' front 7 and Delanie Walker would've been running free all day against Alonso.

its not that any of those teams is complete by any stretch, but they all have at least one facet of their team that would've so dominated the Phins counterpart that the balance would've been swung widely.

mercury22nathan wrote:
its not that any of those teams is complete by any stretch, but they all have at least one facet of their team that would've so dominated the Phins counterpart that the balance would've been swung widely.

That's it exactly. Like I said, there's nothing at all special about any part of the Dolphins' team and they really aren't built to compete with any of these teams. They don't have playmakers all over the roster like the Chiefs, they don't have a monster D like the Jags, they don't have the toughness of the Bills (or a player like McCoy), they don't have a team that consistently runs the ball and stops the run like the Titans, they don't have a defense as good as the Panthers, they don't have a fast playmaking defense or a bunch of offensive weapons like the Falcons, they don't have a Todd Gurley or Aaron Donald like the Rams, and they certainly don't have a team that's great in all 3 phases like the Saints.

Sure, any team can beat any other team on any given day...hell, the Jets had 3 wins this season against playoff teams too, just like the Phins. But let's be honest - the Phins just aren't on the same level as any of these playoff teams. Look at the worst game of the weekend: Bills at Jags. The Dolphins would have gotten shut out by both of those teams - no question abaout it.

The mistake that the Dolphins continually make is thinking that they're "close" and all they need are a few tweaks here and there. That's wrong. We're not close to any of these teams, and it's even worse because we also have a crappy coaching staff and a front office that is terrible at talent evaluation.

It is in the coaches best interest to continually play the "we are close" card. First because he owner is too dumb to see through the BS, and most of all for job security. Why would they come out and say where the team really is? That would be admitting failure.

scotgif wrote:It is in the coaches best interest to continually play the "we are close" card. First because he owner is too dumb to see through the BS, and most of all for job security. Why would they come out and say where the team really is? That would be admitting failure.

Absolutely. But it's not just that they're saying it...they believe it. When Adam Gase talks about how amazing he thinks Pouncey is, he means it...he's not just blowing smoke. I think Gase and Tannenbaum are egomaniacs who think everything they touch is gold, and they don't have the ability to see when they're wrong. That's why the coaching staff Gase has put together is so bad...there's no one to call him out when he's wrong, it's just a bunch of his friends that think the same way he does.

Great discussion thread and I can't argue with any of it.

What's interesting to me is how year 3 will turn out for our power troika.

In short, last year I feel like we overachieved, and this year we underachieved. Also, literally every offseason move we made (as per Hyde article) did not work out. That's rare for any team, even the Phins usually get SOMETHING right in free agency.

So heading into next year I don't really know what to expect.

What is killing us for sure is our first round picks. It's been forever since we drafted an impact player in round 1. Tunsil, Parker, Harris are killing us because none of them are good enough.

white1 wrote:

What is killing us for sure is our first round picks.  It's been forever since we drafted an impact player in round 1.   Tunsil, Parker, Harris are killing us because none of them are good enough.

We absolutely have to start hitting home runs in round one, and also the draft in general. We need to start drafting impact palyers...not just guys that show up and do their job. I know a lot of Dolfans loved our last draft, but did we actually get any impact players? I'd say no.

Harris only had 2 sacks and 2 passes defensed, with no fumbles.
Tank had 0 INTs, 0 fumbles and just 7 passes defensed.
Godchaux had just 1 fumble and 1 pass defensed with 0 sacks.
Vincent Taylor had just 1 pass defensed and 0 sacks or fumbles.

That's not to say that any of these guys aren't good...it's just that they aren't making the types of big, game-changing plays that the Phins desperately need. We have to start drafting some future stars, not guys that are just average starters.

Bottom line, we're terrible. We don't have much talent on this team. We've got maybe one or two first-team all pro types, maybe. The rest of them are all just league fodder, guys you don't build around, guys that get plugged in.

If I were to list our issues . . . it would actually just be more prudent to say what doesn't need replacing and work out from there, but I see nearly every position on the field needing a major upgrade if we're going to get to any significant winning level, and we'll need a coach that can actually get them organized, believing, and buying in (really buying in, not the bullshit they spout in order to retain their jobs).

As far as home runs in the first round, I'd settle for a double at this point even.

I just love when people list all the starters that we have drafted. It doesn't mean that these guys are great players, most are just replacing average to bad players. That is how you get a team of JAG's. 

Now, if you hit on a couple impact to star type players each draft, then those JAG's become complimentary pieces to add depth and fill out a roster, not dependent upon to be something they are not capable of.

scotgif wrote:I just love when people list all the starters that we have drafted. It doesn't mean that these guys are great players, most are just replacing average to bad players. That is how you get a team of JAG's. 

Now, if you hit on a couple impact to star type players each draft, then those JAG's become complimentary pieces to add depth and fill out a roster, not dependent upon to be something they are not capable of.

Nailed it, scot.

I will say this team has an uncanny knack for winning far more games than their talent level says they should, which I can't explain. Naturally, this is a bad thing since Ross keeps being convinced they're better than they really are and thus refuses to make any significant changes. If they'd finished with 3 wins like they "should" have, then we'd see at least an attempt to get better this offseason.

Basically, since the turn of the century, the Dolphins have done the exact opposite of what winning teams do from the top on down. 2018 isn't going to be any different, because nothing has changed.

Miami is heading toward Cleveland status. We are closer to 0-16 than 16-0. What stood out to me is the aggressiveness and the will not quit attitudes of these teams. You can tell the players want it. Miami looks like they want to take a vacation during the game.

CarsonChris wrote:Miami looks like they want to take a vacation during the game.

Yep. That was a big problem under Philbin, and it seems like it's gotten worse under Gase. It's almost a given that we'll be losing at halftime, lucky to even have points on the board. During the 2016 season we at least came alive in the final 10 minutes of the game many times, but this season it was usually a 60-minute sleepwalk. I don't know if it's a lack of preparation, the players not caring, the coaches not knowing what they're doing, or something else...probably a combination of all those things. Regardless, it's a huge problem and I don't believe that this coaching staff can fix it. This is a lazy, undisciplined team that lacks fundamentals...and that all starts at the top. No one is held accountable - not Tannenbaum, not Grier, not the players, and certainly not Gase. Sadly, I think nothing will change till Ross is gone.

No one is held accountable - not Tannenbaum, not Grier, not the players, and certainly not Gase. Sadly, I think nothing will change till Ross is gone.

Eliot Wolf is now an assistant GM in Cleveland. Hopefully he is still available when Tannenbaum inevitably gets shitcanned along with this entire regime.

Ross needs to hand him the keys with one requirement: Win.

Get out of the way and let him run the org. It sounds like that is pretty much the power Tannenbaum has now. He's just not good enough.

I’m looking forward to the XFL! Tired of the politicized NFL. I watch football to get away from the BS. Can’t do that with the PC bullshit they espouse!

CarsonChris wrote:I’m looking forward to the XFL!

Me too! I liked the XFL the first time around, and I'll definitely watch the new version. I try to ignore all the NFL BS and just watch the games.

The senses are heightened for every one because the dolphins have been so terrible. It is so exhausting trying to figure out what works and wha doesn’t. In a billion dollar industry, you can’t afford to miss in every aspect. The significance of this point is that we haven’t found a regime that doesn’t know how to look at the bottom line, WINS!!!!!!!

The root cause of all our problems is simple IMHO. Money, Money, Mon ayyyy!!!!!! We can’t afford to pay a DT (no matter who it is) 26mil a year. Or a suspended player a long term contract. Or a 1yr wonder at MLB and move him to WLB. How can you justify paying a guy who has never played a down in Miami over a guy who lead the NFL as a receiver in their first 4 years. This is a classic example of piss poor money management.

Belicheat has proven time and time again how to spend cheaply. he’s willing to part ways with high priced guys over cheaper options. This has gotten him a bunch of role players who excel in his system and 5 maybe 6 Super Bowls. It’s laughable, comical, Hilarious even. Brady makes 22mil in cap space compared to Suh’s 26. The best QB of all time makes less than a guy who gets 5.5 sacks a year. Go figure. The Patriots top 4 players, Brady, Gilmore McCourty and Gronkowski are the only players who take up double digit cap space. Beyond that no one is above 8.9mil. Miami by comparison goes Suh, Tannehill, Jones, Branch. Hovering around 8-9mil? Stills, Alonso, James, Pouncey, Wake, and Timmons. Compared to HIghtower and Cooks for the Pats. I hate the Pats but their philosophy is better then the rest of the league. Until the dolphins embrace the philosophy we will still be frustrated as fuck!!!!!!

Good post, Umix. It's amazing how this team wastes money. And that's why the Landry issue is so puzzling - they're willing to throw tons of money at mediocre players when there's no reason to, but they couldn't even bother negotiating with their best player till he became a UFA???

I HATE the idea of overpaying players. But the thing with Landry is: in principle, I do not want to pay him $14 or $15 million. I'm not sure there's ANY WR I want to pay that much - even the best of the best. But you can't look at this in a vacuum - it's not as easy as saying "I won't pay a (slot) receiver that kind of money!" Because the Dolphins have set up their offense to run through Landry, that makes him more important than any player on the offense other than the QB. Seriously - everything we do on offense revolves around Landry. So if he's gone, you're not just replacing 100 catches - which is hard enough. You're replacing Tannehill's go-to receiver, you're replacing our 3rd down specialist, you're replacing the only good blocking WR on the team, you're replacing the toughest offensive player on the team, etc. etc. Landry means so much to this team - and I don't think we'll fully realize that till he's gone. And don't be fooled by Landty's pathetic yards per ctach this season: that's a direct result of Gase's boytoy Cutler stinking up the joint, and Gase himself calling crappy plays.

Getting rid of Landry means completely starting over on offense, and hoping you can find 2-3 players in the draft or free agency that can make up for what he did for this team. The more I think about it, I just think it's a colossal mistake to let Landry go. Keep him, and improve the OL and especially the playcalling - and then maybe you'll see a real offense.

That is exactly true JMP and here the thing per PFR.com:

Landry - 1st rec, 69 catch rating, 17th in yards, 4th in TD's (tied with Antonio Brown, Marvin Jones, Alshon Jeffery)
Stills - 49th rec, 164th catch rating, 26th in yards, 28th in TD's (tied with Dez, Larry Fitzgerald, and a bunch of others)
Parker - 53rd rec, 135th catch rating, 53rd in yards, 161st in TD's

There should be no issue with signing Landry. This is more than just replacing some WR that is on the team, this is replacing the only WR that is doing something on the field every time he is out there. No team would have his many issue signing your TD machine until you can either find someone to match that or do better.

The issue is not just signing Landry but signing him at the right price. No one disputes how much Landry means to the offense. No matter how “passionate” he is. The issue at hand is like i stated before. Miami’s mishandling of the teams financials that put them in this spot. I mentioned before that the top 4 salaries for the Patriots are Brady, Gilmore, McCourty and Gronk. All have been Pro Bowlers.( I use the Pro Bowl as a gauge because it’s easier to make the pro bowl than all pro). The top 4 for Miami is Suh, Tannehill, Jones, and Branch. By comparison. Only two of the top 4 players made the Pro Bowl. Again, managing the team finances has got to be a priority. Not leaving enough cap room for contingencies are unacceptable.

Umix10 wrote:The issue is not just signing Landry but signing him at the right price.   No one disputes how much Landry means to the offense.  No matter how “passionate” he is.  The issue at hand is like i stated before. Miami’s mishandling of the teams financials that put them in this spot.  I mentioned before that the top 4 salaries for the Patriots are Brady, Gilmore, McCourty and Gronk.  All have been Pro Bowlers.( I use the Pro Bowl as a gauge because it’s easier to make the pro bowl than all pro).  The top 4 for Miami is Suh, Tannehill, Jones, and Branch.  By comparison.  Only two of the top 4 players made the Pro Bowl.   Again, managing the team finances has got to be a priority.  Not leaving enough cap room for contingencies are unacceptable.

Agreed, but because of mismanagement the Phins have to overpay for Landry. They could have worked out an extension last season, like the Seahwaks did with Paul Richardson, and they would have gotten him at a more reasonable price. But because they chose to ignore the situation, now they either overpay or they lose him.

The only offense play worth a crap has been Landry and they are running him out of town as a FA but we still have the Kneeler.
Unless something drastic happens in the off-season like moving up in the draft or going after Cousins next year they will probably be the last place team in the AFC East and fighting for the #1 pick instead of battling for the playoffs. But hey they hitched the cart to broken down Tannehill hoping after 7 years he finally goes from average to franchise.