Game Thoughts: Week 1: Ravens at Dolphins

Wow, that was much uglier than I expected. I thought it would be a low-scoring game, but the Ravens racked up 59 (!!!) points and completely demolished the outmatched Dolphins. And that’s the key word: outmatched. This Dolphins’ roster is seriously lacking in talent, even moreso than I thought.

I’m not going to talk much about the game, because it is what it is. The offensive line, as expected, was godawful, with Ravens’ defenders getting through the line with ease and constantly pounding Ryan Fitzpatrick. The biggest surprise to me was how poorly the Miami secondary played. They had trouble all day in coverage, and weren’t helped by zero pass rush by the DL. I was particularly surprised by how poorly Minkah Fitzpatrick played…he was simply terrible in coverage.

Some good things: DeVante Parker looked great, rookie Preston Williams had a highlight-reel toe-tapping TD as well as a beautiful sideline catch, and Mike Gesicki had a nice catch.

I can see why Fitzpatrick won the QB job. He has the ability to remain calm, cool and collected even when he’s getting his ass kicked on every play, and he clearly has a grasp of the offense. He made some great throws today, and I like how he constantly looks downfield.

In sum, we all knew this would be an ugly season. It’s a VERY young team, and with all the roster turnover there hasn’t been time to establish continuity. I do expect things to get better as players gain experience, but the bottom line is this: the Dolphins will be competing for the #1 overall pick, as most people anticipated. As much as it sucks to watch a game like today’s I’m actually OK with it because I fully expect a bad season and my eyes are focused on the future. This season is all about next offseason, and the fans need to come to terms with that.

Hero of the Game: DeVante Parker – very impressed by the way he played

Goat of the Game: the OL…just a BRUTAL performance.

Beer of the Game: Heineken (getting a Heineken 28-pack for $29.99 at Costco is simply one of the best deals around)

Tua Watch: Future Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa went 16 for 24 with 227 YDS and 3 TDs in Alabama’s 62-10 win over New Mexico State. He added two rushes for 33 yards and a TD.

My respect for you just went way up for posting this (and I didn't think it could get any higher).

This goes WAY beyond mere tanking. I now believe the players are in full-on Revolt/Quit Mode. They saw what Brown was able to pull and because people under 35 are delusionally insane, each and every one of them (except for Fitz since he's over 35) now genuinely believe they can do the same thing and somebody else will happily throw millions at them either next season or maybe even before this one's over.

Just so everyone knows where I stand:

I've been screaming for this franchise to be torn down for YEARS. Now that it is finally happening, I am going to embrace it. This is exactly what I wanted, and I'm absolutely on board with seeing how it all plays out moving forward. Losing this game the way we did doesn't matter...it's completely meaningless. This rebuild is all about the future, starting with next offseason.

People don't realize just how bad a state this team was in. In order to clean it up, we needed to burn it down. Sure, we could have kept guys like Robert Quinn, Kiko Alonso and Laremy Tunsil and maybe won 5 games this season, continuing to carry their contracts into next season (and far beyond, in Tunsil's case). But what would that have accomplished? It's nothing but spinning your wheels, as we've done forever.

But now there is a plan. Clean up the mess and take your lumps this season by gutting the roster, eating dead money and clearing cap space, in order to get better and build a sustainable winning program starting in 2020. The key word there is "sustainable". And you do that by building through the draft and being smart in free agency, and that's what we are set up to do.

This year, we implement the schemes, evaluate young players and get our rookie HC some experience. Next offseason, we are in a position to turn this thing around VERY quickly.

So yeah, losing sucks...but if it is going to potentially help turn us into a champion down the road, bring it on. I'm all in.

It's not the losing. That is to be expected, but to not even compete is very disheartening. I was at the game (last dollar they will get from me this year) and I left at halftime at that.

I don't mind the losing, with the long-term goal in mind, but I really thought/hoped we would be somewhat competitive.

My biggest disappointment/surprise is how putrid the secondary played. But with absolutely zero pass rush on Jackson, they can not cover forever. How bout the terrible "tackling"? I can't remember seeing so many missed arm-tackles as today. Not to pinpoint only one guy, because they all sucked, but Eric Rowe was particularly bad. And I thought he would be serviceable?

Like I said, I knew this would be a long, losing season, but I just want to see the team compete. Have a chance to keep games close in the first half and then, get out-classed in the second half. Maybe even lose some one-score games in the fourth quarter, but this one was a special kind of bad.

What sums up this game for me was the long Jackson bomb (yeah which one?) where he literally must have had 6 seconds to find his WR flying past Minkah way downfield. He could have stood there for TEN seconds and no one would have gotten close to him. I saw Wilkins just literally stop attempting to get by his man. Just basically stand right in front of him without even attempting to pass him. Wow. This is our first round pick.

As crazy as it seems, I was actually screaming for Flores to accept the opening kickoff instead of the almost-obligatory defer to the second half thing. I at least wanted to have the ball first before B'more took it and got an early lead on us. Not like it would have even mattered. I just wanted to avoid the ultimate for a bit longer.

Well, it's a work in progress. With all this roster turnover, this was bound to happen. But it's week one. Here's what I care about: in week 17, do we see signs that some of the younger players are "getting it"? Is the team starting to come together and are they implementing what the coaches are teaching? Because that's all that matters: not one game, but progress over the course of a full season.

Agreed. I just want to at least see a team that LOOKS like it is trying. I can't even say that was the case today. And I am no conspiracy-theorist, but I saw very little effort today.

Regardless of roster moves, to lose 59-10 at home on opening day is abysmal. Well, the good news for me is, hockey season is right around the corner.

scotgif wrote:Agreed. I just want to at least see a team that LOOKS like it is trying. I can't even say that was the case today. And I am no conspiracy-theorist, but I saw very little effort today.

Degarmo wrote:Regardless of roster moves, to lose 59-10 at home on opening day is abysmal.  Well, the good news for me is, hockey season is right around the corner.

I'm just glad to see that SOMEBODY understands what I've been trying to convey. How can there be any progress when things ALREADY seem to have passed the proverbial point of no return? The way this is going, the players will literally go on strike and refuse to play at all in 2 more weeks! Not even joking.

so yes, it is now cliched to say, "i knew the Phins would be bad, but not this bad." but just because it is cliched, doesn't make it any less true. this was an utter disappointment. yes, not because the Phins lost, but how they did it. sloppy, brutally sloppy. lack of talent is no excuse for gifting a team already stomping your ass drive extending holding or pass interference penalties. this just in, the Miami Dolphins still have no clue how to cover a TE. i can only assume (hope) the Phins feared Lamar Jackson's ability to run so much that they decided it was better to play contain rather to actually pass rush - although they really did neither. getting pounded by a power running game is one thing, getting continually gashed for multiple long runs while actually trying to stop the run is another.

it was like that O-line had never ever played together before - oh yea, they haven't. what was the point of letting Calhoun, a young developing rookie, take all the snaps in preseason only to then supplant him at the last minute with a washed up journey man in Isidora. where is the eye for the future in that? isn't this why they dismissed their original O-line coach - relying on no talent vets and not developing the young players? this was a coaching staff throwing its hands up and saying, "we haven't a clue. let's just throw whomever out there and hope something works." Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Rosen. Other Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Wiltz. that didn't work, how about Lammons. no go there, umm, Aikens, you're next. no running room for Ballage, let's spark things with a wildcat run for Wilson. Hey, who's this #32 guy? and why is my newly paid WR Jakeem Grant still dropping punts. the score is 59-10 and we got timeouts. no sense it taking them home with us.

ok, so yes, we as fans can tell ourselves we have to embrace the pain. its all necessary for the future. well, that don't mean crap cause if there are many more losses like this, then Ross is going to lose his nerve that this crew is on the right path and things will start all over again. that's great they have all those high drafts picks, but someone else may very well be the ones making the selections if this current crew doesn't start losing with a little more respectability. patience and Ross just don't go in the same sentence.

mercury22nathan wrote:so yes, it is now cliched to say, "i knew the Phins would be bad, but not this bad."  but just because it is cliched, doesn't make it any less true.  this was an utter disappointment.  yes, not because the Phins lost, but how they did it.  sloppy, brutally sloppy.  lack of talent is no excuse for gifting a team already stomping your ass drive extending holding or pass interference penalties.  this just in, the Miami Dolphins still have no clue how to cover a TE.  i can only assume (hope) the Phins feared Lamar Jackson's ability to run so much that they decided it was better to play contain rather to actually pass rush - although they really did neither.  getting pounded by a power running game is one thing, getting continually gashed for multiple long runs while actually trying to stop the run is another.

it was like that O-line had never ever played together before - oh yea, they haven't.  what was the point of letting Calhoun, a young developing rookie, take all the snaps in preseason only to then supplant him at the last minute with a washed up journey man in Isidora.  where is the eye for the future in that?  isn't this why they dismissed their original O-line coach - relying on no talent vets and not developing the young players?  this was a coaching staff throwing its hands up and saying, "we haven't a clue.  let's just throw whomever out there and hope something works."  Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Rosen.  Other Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Wiltz. that didn't work, how about Lammons.  no go there, umm, Aikens, you're next.  no running room for Ballage, let's spark things with a wildcat run for Wilson.  Hey, who's this #32 guy?  and why is my newly paid WR Jakeem Grant still dropping punts.  the score is 59-10 and we got timeouts.  no sense it taking them home with us.

ok, so yes, we as fans can tell ourselves we have to embrace the pain.  its all necessary for the future.  well, that don't mean crap cause if there are many more losses like this, then Ross is going to lose his nerve that this crew is on the right path and things will start all over again.  that's great they have all those high drafts picks, but someone else may very well be the ones making the selections if this current crew doesn't start losing with a little more respectability.  patience and Ross just don't go in the same sentence.

This post literally could not have assessed the situation any better

I also want to add, that if this kind of losing keeps up the NFL will likely hold an emergency meeting and institute an NBA-style draft lottery starting next year. Which actually might be a good thing TBH.

The NBA draft lottery is totally legit and has never once been fixed.

Eliminate the draft entirely.

Degarmo wrote:The NBA draft lottery is totally legit and has never once been fixed.  

Eliminate the draft entirely.

I'd rather have that happen (and it's going to happen in the very near future) than see the Fins get the #1 spot and draft a QB, only for said QB to refuse to sign. And if this team is singlehandedly responsible for getting a lottery instituted and it winds up costing them Lawrence down the line, it's their own damn fault.

mercury22nathan wrote:so yes, it is now cliched to say, "i knew the Phins would be bad, but not this bad."  but just because it is cliched, doesn't make it any less true.  this was an utter disappointment.  yes, not because the Phins lost, but how they did it.  sloppy, brutally sloppy.  lack of talent is no excuse for gifting a team already stomping your ass drive extending holding or pass interference penalties.  this just in, the Miami Dolphins still have no clue how to cover a TE.  i can only assume (hope) the Phins feared Lamar Jackson's ability to run so much that they decided it was better to play contain rather to actually pass rush - although they really did neither.  getting pounded by a power running game is one thing, getting continually gashed for multiple long runs while actually trying to stop the run is another.

it was like that O-line had never ever played together before - oh yea, they haven't.  what was the point of letting Calhoun, a young developing rookie, take all the snaps in preseason only to then supplant him at the last minute with a washed up journey man in Isidora.  where is the eye for the future in that?  isn't this why they dismissed their original O-line coach - relying on no talent vets and not developing the young players?  this was a coaching staff throwing its hands up and saying, "we haven't a clue.  let's just throw whomever out there and hope something works."  Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Rosen.  Other Fitzpatrick not getting it done, let's try Wiltz. that didn't work, how about Lammons.  no go there, umm, Aikens, you're next.  no running room for Ballage, let's spark things with a wildcat run for Wilson.  Hey, who's this #32 guy?  and why is my newly paid WR Jakeem Grant still dropping punts.  the score is 59-10 and we got timeouts.  no sense it taking them home with us.

ok, so yes, we as fans can tell ourselves we have to embrace the pain.  its all necessary for the future.  well, that don't mean crap cause if there are many more losses like this, then Ross is going to lose his nerve that this crew is on the right path and things will start all over again.  that's great they have all those high drafts picks, but someone else may very well be the ones making the selections if this current crew doesn't start losing with a little more respectability.  patience and Ross just don't go in the same sentence.

Can't argue with any of this, but again - this is a roster made up of cast-offs and undrafted rookies. 59-10 is an extreme embarrassment and it was as ugly as it gets, but it's one game. Knee-jerk reactions are the norm these days, but come on...let's give this a chance.

The Steelers looked almost as bad as the Dolphins did last night, and the Falcons didn't look much better. Those are teams with Hall of Fame-level QBs and superstars on both sides of the ball. These things happen. It doesn't mean the world is ending...it's just a piss-poor game.

Now, we see what this coaching staff is made of. Back to work, and let's see how the coaches and players respond heading into a game against the best team in the NFL.

I don't mind the losing, with the long-term goal in mind, but I really thought/hoped we would be somewhat competitive.

I was particularly surprised how poor our defense played. In retrospect, it makes sense given the weakness at D line, and the ripple effect that has on what I think (?) is a very good secondary. Just can't cover all day, and no one ever could. We just forgot about the complement of pass rush vs secondary, and the obvious flaw in our very weak front 7. Clearly, Baker plus "not much else" is not enough to generate a pass rush.

Now, we see what this coaching staff is made of. Back to work, and let's see how the coaches and players respond heading into a game against the best team in the NFL.

A thousand times this.

Losing to a playoff team, and a consistent contender with an excellent coach is one thing. If we lose like this to the Bills and/or Jets, that's a problem. I'm not so much concerned about a revolt as the staff's ability (or lack thereof) to address problems in the face of adversity, and demonstrate that player development is happening even in the midst of what is going to be a long, painful season.

New England will crush this squad, and that's fine. But at some point we need to see some glimmers of hope, some competitive games and narrow losses. Getting embarrassed every week proves nothing.

Final thought: The questions on Flores are now flying from the local Miami media. Given the roster churn and the quality of the Ravens this is ridiculously early. But the owner is reading too, and he's not a great football mind. Let's all pray that Grier and Flores can convince him to stay the course.

white1 wrote:

Final thought: The questions on Flores are now flying from the local Miami media.  Given the roster churn and the quality of the Ravens this is ridiculously early.  But the owner is reading too, and he's not a great football mind.  Let's all pray that Grier and Flores can convince him to stay the course.

I think Ross is totally on board with the rebuild, and has his eye on the prize: a franchise QB in 2020. Once this total rebuild was set in motion, I think everyone involved knew it was going to be a very bad season. This season was always going to be about 2020.

BTW...

The scores the last 3 times the Dolphins played the Ravens:
2016: 38-6
2017: 40-0
2019: 59-10

That's a combined score of 137-16!!!!

I vote that next time, we just forfeit and move on.

well damn maybe Miami was just suppose to lose this game

rightchea wrote:well damn maybe Miami was just suppose to lose this game

Seriously! I knew that the Ravens owned us, but I guess I blocked out just how bad it was! Disgusting.

Hey we scored more points than either of the two previous losses! Progress?

white1 wrote:Hey we scored more points than either of the two previous losses! Progress?

And, we could have had another TD with that Williams drop (which was actually a great play by the defender.)

JMP wrote:

white1 wrote:Hey we scored more points than either of the two previous losses! Progress?

And, we could have had another TD with that Williams drop (which was actually a great play by the defender.)

Put the sugarcoating gun down, the margin of loss is increasing with each loss

We just need to see improvement. We knew this year was going to suck. This loss didn't surprise me, but the lack of effort did, particularly on defense. A lot of guys had quit when it was 14-0. You could see it by body language. This actually really does remind me of the first year when JJ took over in Dallas. A bunch of guys were like, "Fuck this guy," and just collected checks. The important time is going to be who goes and who stays after this debacle is over, and who we get in the draft. If they're on the right course, we'll see instant improvement next year, but I wouldn't expect a winning season until at least 2021.

Degarmo wrote:

We just need to see improvement.  We knew this year was going to suck.  This loss didn't surprise me, but the lack of effort did, particularly on defense.  A lot of guys had quit when it was 14-0.  You could see it by body language.  This actually really does remind me of the first year when JJ took over in Dallas.  A bunch of guys were like, "Fuck this guy," and just collected checks.  The important time is going to be who goes and who stays after this debacle is over, and who we get in the draft.  If they're on the right course, we'll see instant improvement next year, but I wouldn't expect a winning season until at least 2021.

Yep. The thing with this defense is that it's not all that complex...it's just that players are asked to do so many different things. When players are introduced to this system, it's probably really difficult to learn their assignment on any given play given all the different looks and formations. That comes with repetition, and these days there's limited time to practice. The players are still new to this - it's going to take time.

Now, some players will eventually "get it" - and others won't. That's what we'll need to find out.

mercury22nathan wrote:getting pounded by a power running game is one thing, getting continually gashed for multiple long runs while actually trying to stop the run is another.

umm...

...some players were upset that coaches didn’t adjust their game plan, which was based on the assumption that the defense would face a downhill running game and would be unlikely to be skilled enough to throw deep.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article234589222.html

so the defense was actually trying to stop the run the entire game and was still gashed for 265 yards at a 5.8 per carry average. so not only was the defensive game plan crap (as Jackson did indeed successfully throw deep), but they couldn't even do what they were trying to do.

Raekwon McMillan (22 snaps) and Reshad Jones (32) played well under the team’s 77 defensive snaps.

But they appear to have underestimated the value of McMillan against the run; he graded out among the best in the league in run defense the final five games last season, according to PFF.

yes, the roster sucks, but the piss poor game plan is on the coaches.

This is how I am judging Flores and staff, but ultimately Flores. We know we are a undermanned. I am watching how he reacts in-game to the flow of games. What adjustments he makes. First game, epic fail. Not the loss, but no adjustments to what is taking place.

All that matters now is what happens moving forward - will Flores and his staff learn from their mistakes, and will the players develop and progress as the year goes on? Again, it's one game - the story has yet to be written.

And anyone thinking that Raekwon McMillan is some sort of savior is sadly mistaken. He's a JAG at best, regardless of PFF's weird grading system.