Jay Ajayi

Went from the outhouse to the penthouse, and I could not be happier for him That trade was literally the best thing that ever happened in his life. Yup, he sure did wreck that Eagles locker room didn't he? LMAO!!!

The way I see it, the Fins are the main reason for this Eagles title actually with all those lopsided trades. It's like they figured if they couldn't beat the Pats they might as well build up a random NFC team to do it.

DolFan 316 wrote:Went from the outhouse to the penthouse, and I could not be happier for him That trade was literally the best thing that ever happened in his life. Yup, he sure did wreck that Eagles locker room didn't he? LMAO!!!

The way I see it, the Fins are the main reason for this Eagles title actually with all those lopsided trades. It's like they figured if they couldn't beat the Pats they might as well build up a random NFC team to do it.

Yep, the Phins gave the Eagles Ajayi and Wentz, and they took the horrible Maxwell contract and Alonso off their hands. And Pederson learned under Shula! I think the Phins deserve a small share of that Lombardi Trophy for sure!

And yeah, Ajayi is clearly a team destroyer, right Gase?

The team has moved on because Ajayi wasn’t going to rescue the season had he remained in Miami. The offense ran through Ajayi in 2016 and that was great. But the Dolphins elected to be one of the most pass-oriented teams in the NFL last season (yes, in a season they lost their starting quarterback) and that pushed Ajayi aside.

Ajayi hated that. He complained bitterly about not getting the football. He became a problem for coaches, albeit not for his former teammates, who continue to like him and wish him well to this day.

The trade, brought about because the Dolphins didn’t want to suffer a player they thought no longer fit into their culture...

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article198017244.html

clearly there was no room for Ajayi - you know, considering all those 2 yard bubble screens of the Phins' vaunted pass oriented scheme. he sure doesn't seem to have a problem sharing the load in Philly.

“I trust the players,” Pederson said. “I trust my coaches. I trust they’ll make plays. When you’re playing against an organization like that, you can’t play scared. You can’t slow down.”

“We had just gone all the way down the field,” Pederson said. “I wasn’t going to stop.” (regarding 4th down pass to Foles)

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article198397174.html

anybody getting that sneaking suspicion that we hired the wrong "hot" o-coordinator in 2016? especially considering the karma of Pederson having been the QB when Shula set the coaching victories record...against, you guessed it, the Eagles.

I will go off on spoiled brat millennials all day and night if you let me, but I will never EVER bash ANYONE for wanting and getting out of a bad situation. In fact I love how more people are realizing now that there's no rule in life that you *have* to suffer in order to be happy or get what you want. If anything the more you suffer the LESS chance you have at happiness. If Ajayi really was a team killer the Eagles never would've wanted him. These days it really is all about being in the right environment. Ajayi was absolutely right to call Gase on his bullshit and I GUARANTEE there are MULTIPLE Fins players who are pissed right now that he was traded and not them.

Speaking of Eagles and lopsided trades. What do we give the Eagles for Nick Foles?

One thing in that Mando article:

The trade, brought about because the Dolphins didn’t want to suffer a player they thought no longer fit into their culture, also allowed the team to begin featuring Kenyan Drake.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article198017244.html#storylink=cpy

That's not actually true. The trade allowed the Dolphins to feature Damien Williams...Drake was just a 3rd down back after the trade. Once Williams got hurt, Drake was given the starting job because there was literally no one else on the roster. i know the Dolphins want to spin it that Gase was a genius for making Drake the starter, but that's simply not true. Gase only gave Drake significant playing time after the Williams injury.

As I've said a million times, if Gase was truly a "genius" he would have used Ajayi and Drake all along. But he didn't...he featured Ajayi, and only sprinkled in some Williams snaps when Ajayi needed a breather. Drake was nothing but a benchwarmer.

And to merc's other point: yes, Doug Pederson would absolutely have been a better hire than Gase. I'm pretty sure I mentioned Pederson as a legit candidate at the time, and I also really liked Frank Reich (Eagels OC and QB coach) - who will probably get a head coaching job in 2019 IMO.

I'm actually proud to say I had severe misgivings about Gase as far back as when he allowed Dallas Thomas to start over Tunsil. Also, Drake's not an every down back, the whole reason the Fins were even able to draft him is because he could never get through a season healthy at Alabama. In other words, he's just as much an injury risk as they're now suddenly claiming Ajayi is. But hey, he catches more passes, and that's what's really important, right?

On the other hand I'm ashamed to say I somehow never even though about Pederson after the '15 season. It doesn't matter why I didn't, there's no excuse

on his insta, Ajayi took a not so subtle shot at Gase in the caption to a picture of him kissing the trophy.

THEY may have tried to discredit you, discount you, throw dirt on your name...none of it matters now. LEGACIES LAST FOREVER. funny how they were GASsEd over journalistic...look at me now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be0cPTqDCNa/?taken-by=jaytrain

i get that he doesn't like how he perceives he was treated in Miami, but what exactly is "over journalistic" supposed to mean?

mercury22nathan wrote:on his insta, Ajayi took a not so subtle shot at Gase in the caption to a picture of him kissing the trophy.  

THEY may have tried to discredit you, discount you, throw dirt on your name...none of it matters now. LEGACIES LAST FOREVER. funny how they were GASsEd over journalistic...look at me now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be0cPTqDCNa/?taken-by=jaytrain

i get that he doesn't like how he perceives he was treated in Miami, but what exactly is "over journalistic" supposed to mean?

It means he's got misplaced anger towards the local media for reporting what Gase was feeding them. Shooting the messenger, in essence. That's actually Ajayi's one real mistake but he's young, he's got time to learn that media only spouts what they're told to.

I also just want to say that the Malcolm Butler Incident makes the Ajayi trade look like a genius move and proves that even the mighty Pats aren't immune to internal dissent. That is all.

I'd love to know what Butler did to get benched. We'll probably never know the truth, but regardless, nothing will ever make the Ajayi trade look like a genius move. We got hosed, plain and simple.

Benching a CB that played 97% of the snaps before the SB so abruptly that his replacement literally had no idea he was starting until RIGHT before the game, and then refusing to even put him in at the half with the pass D getting more holes punched in it than Swiss cheese even though he was dressed out really DOES make the Ajayi trade look smart by comparison. And to make it even stupider, Butler was a FA after the season anyway! Belichick literally sacrificed any chance the Pats D had to do anything for the sake of punishing a player who wasn't going to even be around any more. There's simply no justification for that, PERIOD. If Butler's behavior was so heinous then why was he dressed? Why was he on the field for special teams? You either send him home or play him, anything else is just absurd. Belichick pulled a Gase. And trading away Garropolo wasn't too smart either. Does anybody know who Brady's backup even was?

DolFan 316 wrote:Belichick pulled a Gase. And trading away Garropolo wasn't too smart either. Does anybody know who Brady's backup even was?

Nah, Gase would have played Butler and then whined about it like a little bitch after the game. That's what he does...see the way he's treated Ajayi and Landry for proof.

The Pats had no choice to trade Jimmy G. He was going to be a free agent and they weren't going to pay what he would've gotten on the open market. They were smart to get the 2nd rounder while they could. Unlike the Phins, who are going to lose Landry and hope they get a late compensatory pick in 2019.

Brady's backup is Brian Hoyer. The Niners cut him when they acquired Jimmy G, and then the Pats signed him.

Okay JMP this is the story that I have been hearing since the trade of Jimmy G and this is from multiple sources.

Supposely Belicheat wanted Brady out and was going to start Jimmy G the year after next. Jimmy G resigning would have made it official that Brady would be out sometime too soon in Brady's case. Brady found out and wasn't with that, told the owner Kraft that he wanted to play for the Pats for the next five years. Kraft is Brady's boyfriend so he told Belicheat that Jimmy G has to go.

the Brian Hoyer situation is obvious, Hoyer is not as good as Jimmy G or Brady and Brady don't have to worry that he will get outplayed.

JMP wrote:I'd love to know what Butler did to get benched.

according to Rapoport...

My understanding is the benching of #Patriots CB Malcolm Butler happened because of a perfect storm of issues: Sickness, a rough week of practice, and a minor rule violation believed to be related to curfew.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/960664146575527937

and of course, Butler's former teammate, Brandon Browner, said that weed was involved - but oddly enough, he said this in an attempt to defend Butler?!?!

In the edited Instagram video, Browner alludes to Belichick’s reasoning Monday that “a lot of things” went into the decision, citing marijuana possession and breaking curfew as two factors that kept Butler out of the game.

“For weed? For curfew? Man, do y’all history,” Browner says in the video.

https://nypost.com/2018/02/05/malcolm-butlers-ex-teammate-weed-curfew-led-to-benching/

i guess Butler knew he wasn't coming back to the Pats after this season (unrestricted FA) and figured he could get away with whatever he wanted. DOOH!!

rightchea wrote:Okay JMP this is the story that I have been hearing since the trade of Jimmy G and this is from multiple sources.

Supposely Belicheat wanted Brady out and was going to start Jimmy G the year after next. Jimmy G resigning would have made it official that Brady would be out sometime too soon in Brady's case. Brady found out and wasn't with that, told the owner Kraft that he wanted to play for the Pats for the next five years. Kraft is Brady's boyfriend so he told Belicheat that Jimmy G has to go.

the Brian Hoyer situation is obvious, Hoyer is not as good as Jimmy G or Brady and Brady don't have to worry that he will get outplayed.

I read that "fake news" ESPN story too, and I think it's a load of bullshit. None of that makes any sense at all. I want to see the Pats blow up as much as anyone, but this story is just total crap on every level.

And the reason they signed Hoyer wasn't to make Brady feel safe. It was because they had no other QB, and Hoyer knows that offense like the back of his hand from being a Patriot for the first 3 years of his career. Smart move to sign a veteran backup that knows the offense. And now they can add another developmental QB this offseason and keep Hoyer as insurance in case Brady gets hurt next season.

If indeed the Butler situation involved these issues, I can support Belicheck's decision, as suicidal as it might have seemed to us not on the inside.

I remember when Bobby Humphrey showed up late to the AFC Championship Game in '93, and Shula started him anyway. Buffalo came in with a banged up Jim Kelly and still thrashed a Miami team that looked pretty undisciplined and unprepared. We were so thoroughly outplayed that I doubt if this one thing would have mattered enough, but I imagine benching the guy who let his teammates down that day would have sent a message for everyone to be on their toes. Besides, backup Aaron Craver had played better than Humphrey the week before against San Diego anyway.

We all saw how disciplinary issues plagued Shula's last 2-3 years here. I rarely say this, but I would be in Belicheck's corner if this report is true.

First off, Rapaport never mentions weed. And says the rule violation was "minor".

I can't be on Belichick's side in this. Unless Butler was caught snorting coke off a stripper's ass at 2 AM or something along those lines (see what I did there?) you can't have him active but glued to the bench when your pass D's being shredded. I can see a benching for one half maybe. MAYBE. But after that no. And Belichick's supposed to be a ruthless "win by any means necessary" kinda guy to boot! We all know what nefarious lengths he'll go to in order to win a title (and lord knows what he's done that will never be found out) but NOW he decides to have principles?!?! But instead of just sending Butler home--since he wasn't playing on D anyway--he has the guy dress just so he can stand and watch?

If Brady had done the exact same thing Butler allegedly did (which we still don't know for sure, really) would Belichick have not played him? We all know the answer to that one.

Belichick screwed up, plain and simple, but nobody wants to admit it because he's the smartest man alive, or something. Hell, he and Brady by rights should have lost their last THREE Super Bowls!

Also, I'm convinced the Fins would've lost that game no matter what. Their fate was sealed when the Oilers had the biggest choke job in NFL history. I knew right then and there the Bills were reaching the SB yet again. They ALWAYS beat the Fins in Miami late in the season, to the point where they called JRS "Rich Stadium South". This happened without fail until JJ took over. And yes I'm actually defending JJ, that's how surreal things have gotten all up in here.

HalCHorn wrote:If indeed the Butler situation involved these issues, I can support Belicheck's decision, as suicidal as it might have seemed to us not on the inside.

I remember when Bobby Humphrey showed up late to the AFC Championship Game in '93, and Shula started him anyway.  Buffalo came in with a banged up Jim Kelly and still thrashed a Miami team that looked pretty undisciplined and unprepared.  We were so thoroughly outplayed that I doubt if this one thing would have mattered enough, but I imagine benching the guy who let his teammates down that day would have sent a message for everyone to be on their toes.  Besides, backup Aaron Craver had played better than Humphrey the week before against San Diego anyway.

We all saw how disciplinary issues plagued Shula's last 2-3 years here.  I rarely say this, but I would be in Belicheck's corner if this report is true.

Agree completely, Hal - well said.

Hell, he and Brady by rights should have lost their last THREE Super Bowls!

Yes, and it aggravates me to no end listening about the "genius" of Belichek and how great Tom Brady is.

Of course he's a great coach, and of course Brady is a great QB. But let's not elevate them to God-like status either. There's a lot of talent in the league and more than one coach has either beaten them outright, or had them on the ropes and solely through poor judgement calls let them back into the game.

Don't tell me how great it was that Butler was so well coached and ready to jump that inside slant route against the Seahawks. Instead, tell me how demented the mind of a coach who literally *doesn't want* Marshawn Lynch to score the go ahead touchdown in the Superbowl. This from a rushing attack the Pats were literally powerless to stop all day. Gassed and late in the fourth quarter, as time wound down. There are no words to describe the poor judgement here. The Pats luck out, take advantage of this colossal mistake and win the game.

Don't get me started on the GREAT COME BACK against Atlanta. Please. 28-3 and running the ball at will in the first half, this is an offensive coordinator so focused on the air attack he forgets one of the most basic rules of the game. When you have a great score advantage, the opponent is no longer the enemy, the clock becomes the enemy. Kill the clock. I could tolerate maybe a lopsided pass-run in the second half, but FIVE CARRIES?!? FIVE!??!?! That is gross mismanagement of the game and blunt ignorance. Worse, late in the game after the huge Julio Jones catch to get into FG range, yet another opportunity to ratchet down and run the clock down to control the final minutes. No, refused. Called another pass play. Yet again, the Pats were lucky to get handed the opportunity, capitalized and won the game.

Winning always goes along with someone else losing, and yes, many teams have made a habit of shitting the bed when they play the Pats, and others have found ways to beat them. Regardless, to be that consistently good for that many years is unprecedented in the history of professional sports. The level of success absolutely elevates them to god-like status, not just in the NFL but the entire world of pro sports.

To go back to that Seattle /NE Super Bowl, let's just suppose that Pete Carroll doesn't lose his ^&%$ing mind and just calls Lynch's number again at the 1 yard line.  If that happens, Belicheck suddenly becomes a major goat because:

1) He had the DIME defense on the field, at the 1 yard line, with time running down, and:
2) He failed to call timeout to stop the ticking clock with precious time running out!

Brady would have been stuck with about 20 seconds to pull off a miracle comeback instead of what would have been about 45-50, and everyone would have wondered how the Hell such a great coach could manage the clock so poorly and not put his goal line defense in.

Instead, Carroll trumped him by doing something that made even LESS sense.

White1, I have a man crush on you now. That is all.

Carroll paid back his debt to the Godfather with that call, into the perfect defense, that they never ran before until that play, that was put into the plan for that one game.

Bellichick also decided to throw the Super Bowl when things started breaking against him. Krafty Bob and Tom Brady believe they're bigger and more important than Darth Bellichick, but after the Garoppolo trade and this horseshit with Brady's jackass of a personal trainer health guru moron, he decided it was all over in New England.

During the Super Bowl, the opportunities presented themselves for New England to take over the game, and in the second half, the sith lord proved they could win that game with just Brady and Gronk, but they tailed off that approach, even though Gronk was still open. They showed that combo was entirely unstoppable on that one drive in the 3rd, so much so, that I was sure Gronk was getting 17 receptions, 250 yards, and 4 TDs just in the one half.

Now Bill will wait until the time is right, and if things don't fall correctly, he's going to go coach the Jets (after the Dolphins turn him down to sign Gase to a 27-year contract that somehow actually counts against player salaries) . . . to 4 more Super Bowls.

HA - conspiracy stuff is fun

Oh, I'm waiting for a Gase extension any day. Surprised it hasn't happened yet, to be honest. Ross is probably waiting till we start next season 0-4.

I'll just add that Gronk is on a different planet compared to the rest of the league. That dude is just unreal.