Dolphins' record in September

by **JMP** Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:10 am

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/dave-hyde-blog/sfl-hyde-20160830-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DaveHyde-blog+%28Dave+Hyde+%7C+Sun+Sentinel+blogs%29

Dave Hyde wrote:Here’s the short-cut to the Dolphins having only one playoff appearance in the last 15 years:

They’re 14-34 in September since 2004.

They’ve had one winning September in that run (3-1 in 2013).

They’ve stumbled from the opening kickoff, in other words, and never recovered. Of all years, this one is scheduled for trouble out of the gate with opening games at Seattle and New England. They then play the home opener against a bad Cleveland before a Thursday night game against Cincinnati.

That’s three of the opening four games on the road against playoff teams from last year. Two of those games are against teams – Seattle and New England – that played in the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

Anything can happen, week to week, in the NFL. But if you’re predicting this start it’s 1-3 this year, which falls in line with the other lost seasons.

The good news: Their second block of four games are all at home, all with 1 p.m. starts and only have one playoff team from last year (Pittsburgh). The others: Tennessee, Buffalo and the Jets.

So even with a slow start they can get their season back on track this year.

Damn, I knew the Phins always suck in September...but 14-34?? Wow. Shocked

Home games or not, if the team does start 1-3 then I think a record of 3-5 is probably the best we can hope for by midseason. 2-6 or even 1-7 is more likely IMO. I'm not convinced that we're ready to beat the Jets or Bills, and the Titans appear to be improved - and they can run the ball.

by DolFan 316 Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:14 am

Meh. They also clobbered the Pats in the opener one year and missed the playoffs. Anyone else remember that? I think McCain looked like a killer in that game, and did virtually nothing since. They also started 2-0 in '10 and pissed that away to 7-9, as well as turning a 3-0 start in '13 to 8-8.

Sucking in December is the real reason they miss the playoffs. I'll never forget when all they had to do was win one of the last two games VS the bumbling Bills and low-flying jets, and got whipped in both. This team only wins late season games when they're meaningless.

Then again I can remember the good old days in the 90s when a September home game was pretty much a guaranteed win regardless of opponent.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/tgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=game&year_min=1992&year_max=2001&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_month=9&game_location=H&temperature_gtlt=lt&team_id=mia&team_conf_id=All+Conferences&team_div_id=All+Divisions&opp_conf_id=All+Conferences&opp_div_id=All+Divisions&team_off_scheme=Any+Scheme&team_def_align=Any+Alignment&opp_off_scheme=Any+Scheme&opp_def_align=Any+Alignment&c1stat=choose&c1comp=gt&c2stat=choose&c2comp=gt&c3stat=choose&c3comp=gt&c4stat=choose&c4comp=gt&c5comp=choose&c5gtlt=lt&c6mult=1.0&c6comp=choose&order_by=game_date&order_by_asc=Y

by **JMP** Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:19 am

DolFan 316 wrote:Sucking in December is the real reason they miss the playoffs.

The problem for the Phins over the last 15 years is that they suck in BOTH September and December!

I agree that it's usually better to be good later in the season than early - but if you start off too poorly early it may not even matter what you do at the end.

Starting off with a losing record puts you in a hole that is often impossible to get out of. Using 9-7 as the 'benchmark' record for even thinking about playoffs, that means a team starting 1-3 needs to go 8-4 the rest of the way just to have a chance. That's not easy.

Conversely, you could be the Falcons last year, who started 5-0 and then went 3-8 the rest of the way!

DolFan 316 wrote:Then again I can remember the good old days in the 90s when a September home game was pretty much a guaranteed win regardless of opponent.

Yep, but that's ancient history!

by mercury22nathan Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:28 am

ah yes, the good old days before an owner who thinks 1 PM home games in September is a bad idea.

the seemingly annual ritual of watching a 9-5 Phins team take late season trips to NE and/or Buffalo only lose out and miss a wild card berth. Snowball anyone?

by white1 Tue Aug 30, 2016 1:12 pm

Any month you sample from a 7-9 or 6-10 squad is going to be subpar.

This isn't the year to expect a huge change in our win/loss record, either.

Like I've said ad nauseam, this team isn't built to win now - they are clearly rebuilding the roster wholesale. Teams that expect to win don't start rookies who missed all of camp at CB. They don't have zero depth at LB. They don't sign aged veterans at DE that are clearly in the twilight of their careers.

We did not have nearly the talent in place to perform a 1 year turnaround like we've seen with some other teams. This one is going to take longer.

by DolFan 316 Tue Aug 30, 2016 5:14 pm

JMP wrote:I agree that it's usually better to be good later in the season than early - but if you start off too poorly early it may not even matter what you do at the end.

Starting off with a losing record puts you in a hole that is often impossible to get out of. Using 9-7 as the 'benchmark' record for even thinking about playoffs, that means a team starting 1-3 needs to go 8-4 the rest of the way just to have a chance. That's not easy.

Chiefs started 1-5 just last season and made the playoffs. Just sayin' Cool

And they're not even the record holder for worst start by a playoff team. That would be the '70 Bengals, who started 1-6--with a 14-game schedule, mind you--and still somehow won the AFC Central.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cin/1970.htm

Now I do agree that this particular team cannot have a bad start and make the playoffs, but then again they aren't making the playoffs this season with a great start either.

by DolFan 316 Tue Aug 30, 2016 5:16 pm

BTW no team in Fins history has made the playoffs after a 1-3 or 0-4 start, and only the '78 and '08 teams did so after starting 2-2. Lots of 3-1 starts with no playoffs to show for it as well, though.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/tgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&year_min=1970&year_max=2015&game_type=R&game_num_min=1&game_num_max=4&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&temperature_gtlt=lt&team_id=mia&team_conf_id=All+Conferences&team_div_id=All+Divisions&opp_conf_id=All+Conferences&opp_div_id=All+Divisions&team_off_scheme=Any+Scheme&team_def_align=Any+Alignment&opp_off_scheme=Any+Scheme&opp_def_align=Any+Alignment&c1stat=choose&c1comp=gt&c2stat=choose&c2comp=gt&c3stat=choose&c3comp=gt&c4stat=choose&c4comp=gt&c5comp=choose&c5gtlt=lt&c6mult=1.0&c6comp=choose&order_by=game_date&order_by_asc=Y

by mercury22nathan Wed Aug 31, 2016 9:47 am

wow, Phins haven't started 4-0 in more than 20 years (1995) - this after having done it 4 times in the 20 prior to that.

by finfanatic Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:07 pm

I would be beating the danged table and pounding on someone to get as many September home games as possible in the heat and humidity.

Then come out in that no huddle and run and gun the other team's defense until they just wilted in the 4th!!

But then again...Ross has never revealed himself to be especially bright when it comes to things football.

SIGH

Just look at that traveshamockery of a stadium he has funded. Dude must be as clueless when it comes to architectural design as he is things football!!!

In his grave, Joe Robbie must have turned over another dozen times seeing this travesty!!! this sham!!! this mockery!!!

by Degarmo Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:17 pm

Ross is sucking the ball bag of Roger Goodell for Super Bowls, and he doesn't want the Phins to have September home games anymore.

Remember when he decided to have all the September home games at 4:00 p.m. for one season? This was supposedly for "fan comfort". Fuck you, I don't believe you at all. Winning is much more comfortable than a 2 degree drop in heat in the stands. On the field, it's a huge difference, but in the stands, packed in like sardines with 72,000 sweaty fans, it's hot as hell, regardless of 1:00 of 4:00. It only approaches a little more comfortable for night games.

On the field, though, at 1:00 there is NO shade, and it's brutal.

by finskev Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:07 pm

What ever there Record is this Year in September I won't be seeing it, For the First time since I have had Directv which is 1999 there will be No Sunday Ticket in the House, Just tired of the Crap with New Customers getting it for Free and I'm Paying $300 for a Terrible Product from My Team. Now to get back to topic I see 2-2 somehow with them winning one of the 3 rd games in September.

by **JMP** Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:33 pm

finskev wrote:What ever there Record is this Year in September I won't be seeing it, For the First time since I have had Directv which is 1999 there will be No Sunday Ticket in the House, Just tired of the Crap with New Customers getting it for Free and I'm Paying $300 for a Terrible Product from My Team. Now to get back to topic I see 2-2 somehow with them winning one of the 3 rd games in September.

I called DirecTV and they offered me deals that work out to me paying nothing for Sunday Ticket, plus a discount off my regular service for the rest of the year. Essentially, they lowered my Sunday Ticket payment to $50/month for 6 months, and then gave me a $50/month discount on my service for 12 months - so they cancel each other out and I am not paying any extra for the Ticket, plus when the Ticket payments are done my bill will be $50 less each month for 6 months. I'm very happy with that.

It's a pain in the ass to call, but they are always willing to work with you. The first person I spoke with gave me a much lesser deal, but when I told her it wasn't enough and I would have to consider canceling my service, she transferred me to someone else that gave me the deal I took.

by finskev Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:57 pm

I called and she offered me Two deals and I didn't like either one, I might call back, But maybe a Year without Me Watching could be the Magic to success. LOL

by Degarmo Wed Sep 07, 2016 12:56 am

They can't beat my current deal, and I gave them ample opportunity. So, fuck them and their Sunday Stick It.

I'll watch Red Zone and do the online thing, or just replays.

This entire overpriced bullshit of entertainment needs to come down a couple dozen notches in price, much like the phone companies did with long distance quite awhile ago.

by DolFan 316 Wed Sep 07, 2016 9:24 am

The sad thing is, you can get Netflix, Hulu AND Amazon all for about half the monthly cost of DirecTV's normal package.

If I wasn't living with someone who just *had* to watch local news in the morning for half an hour because "weather" I'd have done it a while back.

The REALLY sad thing is, the local meteorologists are flat out wrong at least 70% of the time even with their fancy-schmancy new and improved Doppler radar. Seems to me they were actually more accurate 30 years ago before all that.

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