Thoughts on game 8 - Phins at Bills

Beer: Molson Canadian

Hero of the Day: Lamar Miller

Goats of the Day: Bill Lazor, and the entire Miami defense


I don’t have much energy to write a full report of the game…I’m slipping into apathy with this team.  But don’t worry, I still have some anger to spew…

Let’s start with the Miami defense.  Stats don’t always paint a complete picture, but in this case they do.  Take a look at the numbers the Bills put up, if you can stomach it:
266 yards rushing
61% on third down
Zero turnovers
Two 100+ yard running backs
One 150+ yard receiver
Tyrod Taylor completed 92% of his passes for a near-perfect QB rating of 146.5

This was just a dreadfully inept performance by the Phins defense, on every level.   Just when you think the linebackers can’t possibly get any worse – they do.  The amount of tackles they missed today was eclipsed only by how many times they were caught completely out of position.  And the DBs couldn’t find a way to cover Sammy Watkins…even Grimes got toasted by him a couple of times.  Reshad Jones had a good game as usual, but the other safeties (Thomas and Aikens) were completely invisible, unless you managed to catch a glimpse of them as the Bills’ RBs were blowing past them.   Just horrific.

Sadly, the offense wasn’t much better.  Lazor’s playcalling consisted of a handful of passes thrown 10+ yards down field, and the rest thrown between 5 yards and -5 yards from the line of scrimmage.  “Dink and dunk” would be an improvement…it’s like he’s calling plays to try to fail.  It’s mind-boggling how inept this guy is as a playcaller…I can’t fathom how he even got to the NFL in the first place.  He’s a joke.  Tannehill did nothing to change the outcome of the game, although he wasn’t helped by the godawful playcalling and RT Jason Fox letting Jerry Hughes dominate him every play.  Regardless, the fact remains that on most Sundays Ryan Tannehill is simply another player on the field…he is not a game-changer and he is not a winner.  

And I continue to get nauseous at the way the Dolphins use Jarvis Landry.  Can you please let the guy run routes downfield instead of having him guard the line of scrimmage 90% of the time????  Today Landry caught 11 passes (a career high) for a meager 69 yards…an average of just 6.3 yards.  I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of a team’s #1 receiver catching 10+ passes with an average that low.  Landry is a helluva player, but he is completely wasted in this garbage offense.

Lamar Miller was the lone bright spot on offense, looking unstoppable on screen passes as he gained almost 100 yards receiving.  He also added two TDs on the ground.  Also good: rookie Jay Ajayi saw his first NFL action and contributed a sweet 23-yard run.  

So, there you have it.  Another ass-kicking at the hands of the Bills.  This Dolphins’ team is just too soft to compete with the other teams in the AFC East, and as I said last week I fully expect them to end with an 0-6 divisional record.  They are already 0-4, so that’s not exactly a stretch.

I have literally been looking forward to this all day. Which is actually kinda sad

About Tannehill...truer words have never been typed.

Someone called Tannehill a coach killer. That's as true a statement as you'll ever have about him. He isn't a leader of men. He doesn't inspire the players around him. He's collecting a paycheck

Tannehill limits the offense. He looks for the outlet receiver 95% of the time.

I coined the term coach killer for Tanny and I think that's exactly what he is becoming. By the stats, he looks pretty good but in key situations he contributes to losing the game. Yesterday, it was missed snap safety and two sacks on 3rd down one of which he fumbled.

We are heading for a total rebuild and I don't think they will let Campbell do it. New gm and head coach coming, I hope the new guys find a qb. Trade away suh, his contract is not all that ridiculous but he's worthless here

white1 wrote:I coined the term coach killer for Tanny and I think that's exactly what he is becoming.  By the stats, he looks pretty good but in key situations he contributes to losing the game. Yesterday, it was missed snap safety and two sacks on 3rd down one of which he fumbled.

We are heading for a total rebuild and I don't think they will let Campbell do it. New gm and head coach coming, I hope the new guys find a qb. Trade away suh, his contract is not all that ridiculous but he's worthless here

Yep, Tannehill is nothing more than a compiler. His stats look pretty good because all he does is throw 2-yard passes, but when you need a big play in a big game he always fails. As Carson said, he's simply not a leader. He's a JAG - and that's the worst thing you can say about a starting NFL QB.

And yeah, I now believe Campbell is a goner. I'm hoping we hire a GM first, and then he and Tannenbaum can work together to find a head coach. Everyone needs to have the same vision.

I was checking out overthecap.com the other day, and the Suh and Tannehill contracts are genuinely horrifying. Both of them need to be gone but if they were both gotten rid of before 2017 it would absolutely cripple this team even worse than it already is.

Suh could return to dominant form if we implement the right scheme, he may actually be worth keeping.

Tanny is a goner, and I believe the team did a good job giving us an out in 1 or 2 years, can't remember the details.

Like I said before Miami will have to do exactly what Jerry Jones did draft Oline players until they find the right pieces. Miami has a talented WR core and the RB aren't bad either. Get a better than average QB and a better OLine then Miami might do something.


Miami also need to look into replace some of their DB as well. Grimes was okay but old age is getting to him and Taylor is just Taylor not good enough to start but okay enough to play the slot.

I wouldn't rule Campbell out.  I can forgive him for a couple of clock management errors four games into his head coaching career.  He might learn from his mistakes, and if he does, that's more than Failbin, Bumstedt or Camoron ever did.

Matter of fact, admitting that he made mistakes after the game was over is by itself more than those guys ever did.

Without Wake this could get ugly fast. If he squeezes 7-9 out of this bunch it would be something of a miracle; even 6-10 would be enough for me to want to give him consideration for a full season.

Oh don't worry - we'll quickly discard Campbell in a rush to hire the next Cam Cameron.

Don't believe me just watch.

rightchea wrote:Like I said before Miami will have to do exactly what Jerry Jones did draft Oline players until they find the right pieces. Miami has a talented WR core and the RB aren't bad either. Get a better than average QB and a better OLine then Miami might do something.


Miami also need to look into replace some of their DB as well. Grimes was okay but old age is getting to him and Taylor is just Taylor not good enough to start but okay enough to play the slot.

The Dolphins have absolutely drafted O-line players over and over, and have also spent big money on free agents. The key is, as you said rightchea, they haven't gotten the right pieces yet. They have failed over and over with draft picks, hitting only on Pouncey and, to a much lesser extent, James. But draft picks used on Martin, Thomas, Turner and Douglas have all failed. We need a GM that knows how to identify and acquire legit OL talent, and a coaching staff that knows how to develop them. Most important, we need to be able to draft quality linemen after trhe first round.

And yes, the secondary is a disater. Jones is in his prime, Grimes is in decline, and everyone else is garbage. Well, Bobby McCain looks like a keeper as a nickle corner, but beyond that the cupboard is empty. Taylor sucks and needs to go...so sick of watching him get beat in coverage and whiff on tackles.

HalCHorn wrote:I wouldn't rule Campbell out.  I can forgive him for a couple of clock management errors four games into his head coaching career.  He might learn from his mistakes, and if he does, that's more than Failbin, Bumstedt or Camoron ever did.

Matter of fact, admitting that he made mistakes after the game was over is by itself more than those guys ever did.

Without Wake this could get ugly fast.  If he squeezes 7-9 out of this bunch it would be something of a miracle; even 6-10 would be enough for me to want to give him consideration for a full season.

Personally, I want to keep Campbell. As I've said, I like his vision for the team and I really don't see a better option out there. All he needs IMO is a legit GM and a pair of quality experienced coordinators, and I think he'll be just fine. But, as the losses pile up I think Ross and Tannenbaum will get antsy amd will look to make a big splash by hiring a big name coach...I don't know who that might be, but both Ross and Tannenabum always try to grab headlines above all else. I don't think they'll be content with keeping Campbell if the team continues to crash and burn.

I actually stopped watching when it was 19-7 and just put it on My GAME TRACKER on Yahoo and starting watching other games, I never do that but when You can't catch a Snap inside of your own 5 because your Fuckin Scared, I just knew it was going to be a Bad Day. 11 catches for 69 yards is a Joke, Imagine what the conversation is Like between beckham and landry when they talk on the Phone, Hey Odell I caught 11 and You only had 5, Odell goes but I averaged 21 yard a Grab while You had 6.3 Inches a Catch. SMH

I never watched the game. I figured that Miami was going to either loss bad or just loss.

All he needs IMO is a legit GM and a pair of quality experienced coordinators, and I think he'll be just fine.

Totally agree.

The question will be, does Campbell have the network and can WE (Tannebaum will help) land two good solid coordinators willing to work with him?

Also, as you said later in the post, Ross cannot resist a big splash. If there is a big college name or a hot candidate somewhere, he will try like hell to hire that person.

Truthfully, we probably need to get a GM first. It should be the new GM decision if Campbell is the head coach for 2016 or not. If I were GM, given how 2015 went down, I'd give Campbell one year and see how he does with players I bring in. Then I have the luxury of choosing a coach after I've had a year to start restructuring the roster already - obviously a guy I hire will share my vision for the team.

I think if Campbell stays then the Tannebaum stays, Campbell goes, tannbaum is done as well.

I think Tannenbaum will replace Hickey at the end of this season, and I don't think he's learned a damn thing about his failure in NYC.

I think that he'll pay an offensive lineman (ONE) some unreasonable amount of money to come in and replace Brandon Albert.

I think our head coach will not be Dan Campbell, but Campbell will go on and become a good head coach somewhere else, eventually, not necessarily right away (like Bowles).

I think I need a drink, because I don't see this getting any better in any real sense anytime soon.

GM first is the way to go - I agree, white. One possibility is that Tannenbaum makes himself GM...that wouldn't surprise me at all.

One thing to keep in mind is that both Tannenbaum and Campbell have ties to Bill Parcells...so maybe that helps Campbell get the job. Probably not, but something to consider.

I fully expect the Phins to restructure Suh's deal next season. That accomplishes two things: first, it pushes money back further so that Suh's contract haunts us even longer, and second, it frees up money immediately so Tannenbaum can sign another big money free agent and continue this cycle of trying to patch holes with overpriced veterans that don't work out, continuing to destroy the cap in the process. Then when April rolls around, Tannenbaum will trade away draft picks for more veterans, and we'll wind up with just 4 or 5 draft picks and will once again be unable to build depth. And so it continues.

So, yeah, I agree with Degarmo - Dolphins Tannenbaum will end up being the same as Jets Tannenbaum...only this time, without the AFC championship appearances.