Redskins = Start Strong with a WIN

Boys, we are officially in our first "Game Week" of the 2015 season!

I can't believe what a train wreck we have transpiring in Washington. If there's a team vulnerable, with the smell of blood in the water, it's them. Give them some adversity and they will fold. I want to see our defensive line dominate the Redskins offense, while our offense puts up the points to ensure there's no doubt in our victory.

This piece reinforced what I have been thinking about week 1 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/dave-hyde-blog/sfl-hyde5-washington-torn-apart-over-qb-good-news-for-dolphins-20150907-story.html

So no, it's not a must win, no it's not the end of the season if we lose, but a clean win without a major injury to our roster, it's a huge boost for me if that happens. And a HUGE disappointment if it doesn't.

Go Phins!

Like I said elsewhere, the defense should get close to 10 sacks in this game. The Skins' OL is a mess and Cousins should be a sitting duck. I don't think the Skins are a team that can exploit the Phins' weak LB corps with a quick, short passing game. On paper, the Miami D could very well pitch a shutout.

I just want to see the offense play a mistake-free, ball control game. No need for anything fancy against this opponent - just keep it conservative. That's the opposite of what I usually want to see, but in this game we should win easily and there's no need to do anything crazy on offense.

I would call this a must win. The Dolphins think they are a playoff team...if they truly are, they need to beat up on the bad teams they face - and the Skins just might be the worst team in the league.

20-0, Dolphins.

Here's PFT rankings heading into week 1.

Look who brings up the rear ranked dead last:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/09/pfts-week-one-power-rankings/

JMP wrote:I just want to see the offense play a mistake-free, ball control game.  No need for anything fancy against this opponent - just keep it conservative.  That's the opposite of what I usually want to see, but in this game we should win easily and there's no need to do anything crazy on offense.

What what what?  This sounds a lot like play it safe.  Play it safe does not equal playoffs.  What am I thinking?  Play it safe worked out great last year.  Remember when Miami played the Packers last year, got ahead, and played it safe.  See! See what I'm talking about?  Play it safe sucks ass.  The king of the jungle does not play it safe.  The king of the jungle kicks your teeth in, grinds your face in the dirt, and for good measure gives you a quick kick in the ribs while you are down.  

You want Miami to make the playoffs?  Quit all this play it safe.  Miami needs to be king of the jungle.  Miami needs to be on a mission to dominate.  Does not matter if Miami is down by 2 touchdowns or ahead by 2 touchdowns.  That swagger cannot just be on defense.  The offense needs that swagger too.  Maybe more.

Can Vanilla Joe be king of the jungle?  OK, there is a better chance of me having a three some with Catelyn Jenner and Kim Davis than Vanilla Joe being king of the jungle.  But you, you can expect Miami to be king of the jungle.  Someone needs to set expectation that Miami needs to be king of the jungle.  

I generally agree with everything you say here, Triumph - in fact, it's been my mantra for years!

BUT - in this game against the Skins, yes, I am calling for a "play it safe" approach on offense. And the only reason is because the Skins are just godawful from top to bottom...this shouldn't be anything like the Packers game, it should be a cakewalk from start to finish. I fully expect the defense to dominate, and I think the only way the game is close is if the offense makes mistakes and chokes (which is entirely possible).

This is a game where Lazor's 20-yard box offense (and the running game that he despises) should be effective enough to get the win. Tannehill still can't throw the deep ball, and we still have questions on the OL - especially if Albert can't play the full game (which is likely). Let's not keep the Skins in the game - just pound the rock and do the lame short passes to eat clock, and let the defense do the rest.

Looking at the schedule, this is the ONLY game where I'd take this approach. It's a trap game - a road game against a bad team, where our starting left tackle may or may not play the entire game. I say take the win and go home...and then go full speed ahead against the Jags.

I'd also add that this offense isn't built for swagger - not the players, not the coaches, and not the scheme. This is not a "king of the jungle" offense - it's a soft, finesse offense and until we get a new coaching staff I think that's all it's ever going to be, even if it does end up being a "good offense". It is what it is...can't change a tiger's stripes.

And...not sure who you are, Triumph, but welcome!

Thanks. I am a Miami fan of course. Given how long they have sucked you can safely guess I started rooting for the team when they were what is the word

oh yeah good. Good is the word. They were good right? It has been so long and my memory is not as good as it used to be. Now they are only as good as my portion control when I am eating or drinking beer. Sometimes good sometimes bad. Sometimes Miami being bad leads to my portion control being bad. Oh who am I kidding my portion control is always bad.

So do you think Vanilla Joe is on the hot seat this year? You do not have the highest payroll in the league and can afford to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year. I think Miami wants to get this season rolling. I do not think they hold back the offense at all. I think Lazor calls his game like normal. Yes the Passmaster Ryan Tannehill will throw lots of of short passes and long drives. Did I tell you I got Miller on my fantasy team? I am a sucker. Back to Miami. Maybe the drives will not need to be that long if the defense forces a lot of three and outs. Maybe Miami will try to jump out to early leads and then the defense really gets after the quarterback. I do not know if Miami can run the clock if they get ahead, or if the linebackers will be exposed, how badly will Vanilla Joe cost them, or if they will remain injury free because their depth is thinner than Rachael Farrokh. She is anorexic see? See what I did there? I could have said thinner than my hair line but you do not know what I look like so that joke would have really fallen flat.

OK, I'll take the bait.

Triumph wrote:So do you think Vanilla Joe is on the hot seat this year?

I would have fired Philbin 2 years ago, but that's me. In Stephen Ross's world, I have no idea when a head coach will be on the hot seat, but I will say this: I don't think Tannenbaum will stand for another season of medicority. I think he wants to put his own staff in place and will take any excuse to dump Philbin and his lackluster coaching staff as soon as possible. So yeah, I do think Philbin is in trouble. I think it's going to take 10+ regular season wins AND a playoff win to save him, and I don't see any of that happening this season.

Triumph wrote: I do not think they hold back the offense at all. I think Lazor calls his game like normal.

Well, then we'll probably see a fairly conservative gameplan. Lazor's game is the 20-yard box, with negative (meaning, behind the line) and short passes, maybe the occasional intermediate throw, and very little running. I think that's what we'll see throughout the season. But - hopefully the difference this season is that we'll have guys that can actually get yards after catch and make big plays as a result. IMO, YAC is the only way this offsense is going to become high-powered. I'll believe it when I see it, but the coaches sure think this new-look receiving corps will make the difference.

For the record, it is official: for the Skins game, Albert will start at LT and Douglas will start at RG.

Will Albert be able to play the full game? I'm guessing not...but hopefully we won't even need him against this mess of a Redskins team.

I keep thinking about last year week 1 when we handled the Pats at home. What a mirage that turned out to be. Oh well, hoping for better this year. Let's get it on!

white1 wrote:I keep thinking about last year week 1 when we handled the Pats at home.  What a mirage that turned out to be.  Oh well, hoping for better this year.  Let's get it on!

Yeah, I think that Patriot game last season was just a case of catching a team at the right time. Sometimes timing is everything!

This season I honestly don't know what to expect from the Phins. My gut tells me we're looking at another 8-8 season because of weaknesses at coaching, OL, LB, DB and overall depth, but if the Phins stay healthy and actually catch a few breaks (which rarely happens with this team)...who knows? I'd like to be optimistic, but I've been kicked in the balls way too many times by the Dolphins to get my hopes up at this point.

But - I do feel safe in guaranteeing a big victory over the hapless Redskins in week 1!

Jason Fox is back at practice today. Hopefully that means he'll be available to play LT if Albert can't finish the game. That would be much better than moving Dallas Thomas to LT and reshuffling the entire line.

The big event I'm waiting for right now is my new furniture delivery. I just bought two new leather recliners, with a table (for beer, of course) in between and a media console for my basement viewing area. I'll be watching this team in style - win or lose!

No, I'm not upgrading my TV yet. For the tech geeks here, CNET reviews (who I swear by) says OLED is the best TV they have ever tested. Panasonic just entered the market, LG was only one making them. Wait for price to come down, and skip the curved models - go flat.

white1 wrote:The big event I'm waiting for right now is my new furniture delivery.  I just bought two new leather recliners, with a table (for beer, of course) in between and a media console for my basement viewing area.  I'll be watching this team in style - win or lose!

That sounds sweet!

I'm trying to figure out my preferred setup this season, because we just got two kittens (about 10 weeks old now) and at the moment their favorite place is the living room couch...in the exact spot where I usually watch the Phins!  So, do I keep my old spot and deal with the kittens climbing on me and trying to drink my beer and eat my pretzels, or do I change my mojo and move downstairs where it's kitten-free?  Both of my TVs are pretty kick ass so that's not an issue. But the decision is further complicated by the fact that the downstairs bathroom is currently being redone, so it's out of order, and it would be pretty annoying to have to go up and down the stairs every time I have to take a piss!  

File this under: First World Problems!  

LOL! First world problems indeed.

Get that bathroom done, then make your move.

I go with changing Locations this Year and try to change the Mojo.

1984 was the Last time we opened the season in Washington and Marino threw 5 td's in a 35-17 win and of course we Lost the Super Bowl that Year. So there was some good and bad that year.

Yesterday the viewers on Mike & Mike picked Miami to win the Division, Damn talk about to much drinking in the Morning.

From what I'm reading, we are indeed becoming a national pre-season "Darling" with many pundits predicting good things, Tannehill getting some love, and some even predicting we will win the AFC East.

I hate being in this position.

Win the East????  Hell, I'll just settle for a win in week one at this point.  Baby steps.  It's one game at a time for me, because I do not want or need to get burned again by this team.

The last time the Fins were this hyped up as SB contenders was '06. Remember how well that worked out?

Even *I* don't think they'll start out 1-6 again but they're sure as hell not starting 5-0 either.

The sad part is, if the Fins lose it still might mean the Skins are awful. The Texans started 2-0 two seasons ago and then lost out. The Titans waxed the Chiefs in last year's opener and finished 2-14.

DolFan 316 wrote:Even *I* don't think they'll start out 1-6 again but they're sure as hell not starting 5-0 either.

Yeah, I see a lot of Dolfans on other boards predicting a 6-0 start. Simply put...not happening.

People seem to be making a big deal about the QBs the Phins are facing early on, but doesn't it seem like the Phins BLOW against lesser QBs?? Thad Lewis, EJ Manuel...and who could forget Geno Fucking Smith's PERFECT QB rating last season????? Be careful what you wish for...

I don't know how smart NFL coaches are anymore, but the blueprint for beating the Phins' defense was drawn up last year when the Pats destroyed Suh and the Lions: quick, short passes and runs outside. That plan will work against the Phins over and over (assuming the opposing offense is talented enough...) because our DEs aren't great run stoppers and our LBs are weak. It'll be interesting to see how this D holds up, because everyone is putting so much faith in Suh - and he wasn't able to deliver by himself in Detroit, great as he was.

People seem to be making a big deal about the QBs the Phins are facing early on, but doesn't it seem like the Phins BLOW against lesser QBs?? Thad Lewis, EJ Manuel...and who could forget Geno Fucking Smith's PERFECT QB rating last season?????

Exactly my concern and I have not forgotten.

Coyle has proven he can take a good defense against an overmatched QB, and totally fail to create a scheme and make the right calls to dominate the opposing offense.

In fact, he's shown that his unit can be embarrassed in these situations.

I hope he has learned and improved, but there's just no evidence of that yet. IMO Coyle could be one of the key factors holding us back this season.

JMP wrote:...the blueprint for beating the Phins' defense was drawn up last year when the Pats destroyed Suh and the Lions: quick, short passes and runs outside.  That plan will work against the Phins over and over (assuming the opposing offense is talented enough...) because our DEs aren't great run stoppers and our LBs are weak.  It'll be interesting to see how this D holds up, because everyone is putting so much faith in Suh - and he wasn't able to deliver by himself in Detroit, great as he was.

i don't know about you, but i was watching that game last night wondering whether the Phins secondary would have fared any better than the Steelers? Edelman was picking up 8 to 10 yards per reception before a defender got even close. and its not like it was a few surprise catches, Brady kept throwing those quick passes to him over and over and Pittsburgh had no answer. and then once they get in the redzone, you might as well just lay down cause it seems like Gronk is going to catch anyways. i know the Steelers defense has really taken a step back, but they way the (cheating) Pats picked right up where they left off last year really put the fear in me for the Phins chances.

Some of last night was certainly the Steelers defensive weakness.

However, there is no doubt the Pats offense picked up right where they left off - Brady isn't regressing by any means.

With that said - he's vulnerable to pressure and their two rookies on the o-line kept him clean. Also, forgot where I read the quote, but Dick Lebeau was a huge part of Steelers defense and his absence clearly hurts them.

In any case, the Pats aren't going anywhere and they are not going to just "give up" the division. If we want it, we are going to have to take it.

mercury22nathan wrote:
i don't know about you, but i was watching that game last night wondering whether the Phins secondary would have fared any better than the Steelers?  Edelman was picking up 8 to 10 yards per reception before a defender got even close.  and its not like it was a few surprise catches, Brady kept throwing those quick passes to him over and over and Pittsburgh had no answer.  and then once they get in the redzone, you might as well just lay down cause it seems like Gronk is going to catch anyways.  i know the Steelers defense has really taken a step back, but they way the (cheating) Pats picked right up where they left off last year really put the fear in me for the Phins chances.

Yeah, that's what the Pats do, and no one seems to be able to stop it. And when they have a running game too, as they did last night, you're just not going to beat them.

It's been shown over and over that the way to beat the Pats is to harass Brady, but there's not one team in the league that can consistently do that. Those quick passes are just deadly. (The Dolphins offense tries to do the same thing, but Tannehill isn't Brady and the Miami OL hasn't held up. Maybe this year will be different...)

white1 wrote:their two rookies on the o-line kept him clean.

and that's another thing. why is it the Pats can just plug and play multiple rookies on the o-line with no problem and the Phins can go 15 years without finding a minimally satisfactory OG?

Saw an interesting stat on espn website, Cousins has only been sacked 16 times in 427 dropbacks in his career, So getting to him might be more difficult than we figure.