Game 5 thoughts: Dolphins at Bengals

On a day where the running game came alive and the defense allowed just 13 points, the Dolphins still managed to lose to the Bengals 27-17 – blowing a 17-0 lead in the process.  The reason for the loss?  An anemic offense that allowed more points than it scored.

The weak offense can be attributed to three things: Adam Gase’s absurd playcalling, Ryan Tannehill playing one of the worst games of his career, and a patchwork offensive line that couldn’t stop the Bengals’ front four.

Let’s start with Gase, who as usual had no idea how to handle the running game.  Despite having two RBs (Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake) that combined for over 100 yards and 6 yards a carry, Gase gave them just 18 carries on the day.  The entire tone of the game changed on a third quarter play, with the Phins still up (I think it was 17-3 at the time) and facing a 3rd and 1.  The correct call is to have Gore run the ball, considering that he was all but unstoppable on the day.  Instead, the Dolphins throw, with Tannehill missing a low-percentage deep pass to Kenny Stills.  The momentum of the game changed right there, and the Dolphins never got it back.

Which leads to Ryan Tannehill. On the plus side, he attempted several deep passes, which was a nice change….but he missed all of them.  Tannehill was wildly inaccurate, missing open receivers short, intermediate and deep.  He threw 2 INTs but easily could have had 5.  One INT was an ill-advised blind toss into the line as he was about to get sacked.  The ball bounced off TE Durham Smythe’s helmet and landed in the hands of Bengal DE Michael Johnson, who jogged into the end zone for the TD.  The smart play would have been for Tannehill to take the sack, but for some inexplicable reason he didn’t.  Tannehill also fumbled in the 4th quarter, which was recovered by Bengal DE Sam Hubbard (an early defensive rookie of the year candidate) and run in for a TD.  That ended the day’s scoring, with the Bengals scoring 27 unanswered points (including 24 in the 4th quarter) to win.  The Bengal defense outscored the Miami offense, 13-10.

As bad as Tannehill was, his offensive line was worse.  The unit was bad from the start, giving up numerous pressures.  LT Laremy Tunsil left the game with a concussion at some point in the 3rd quarter, and after that the OL truly became offensive.  Backup left tackle Sam Young got destroyed on nearly every pass play, and committed a couple of penalties.  LG Ted Larsen looked like a turnstile the entire game, bringing to mind nightmares of Dallas Thomas.  RG Jesse Davis whiffed on several blocks.  RT Ja’Wuan James had another awful game, getting pushed around and run around and committing penalties.  C Travis Swanson was surprisingly not bad…easily the best Miami lineman on Sunday IMO.  In fairness, the line did a pretty good job run blocking, but against the pass they were absolutely brutal.

More offensive ineptitude: Dolphin wide receivers and TEs combined for 13 passes for 116 yards…averaging under 9 yards a catch.  Danny Amendola had the highest yards per catch, at 10.0.  That is what you call bad football.  RB Kenyan Drake was the best receiver on the day, totaling 69 yards and scoring a 22-yard TD.  Jakeem Grant had zero catches, and both passes thrown to him were nearly intercepted.  I think it’s time to end the Jakeem Grant experiment…he is simply not an NFL wide receiver.  He’s good for a gimmick/trick play every now and then, but he really should stick to kick and punt returns.  The Dolphins desperately need an alpha receiver – even if it’s a false alpha like DeVante Parker.  But Gase is stubbornly sticking with the smurf crew, and the Dolphins’ offense is struggling as a result.

The pitiful offense wasted a strong effort by the defense.  They allowed just 13 points, which should guarantee victory most weeks.  The Bengals did rack up yards, but the Phins’ D managed to keep them out of the endzone.  The Bengals were just 2 of 11 on third down and 1 of 4 in the red zone.  For the first time all year, the Dolphins blitzed a lot and it worked – with rookie Jerome Baker picking up 2 sacks.  Unfortunately, there was no pass rush at all when the Dolphins didn’t blitz, with Robert Quinn, Charles Harris and company really doing very little against a poor Bengals’ OL.   Reshad Jones returned from injury and was a beast, leading the team in tackles and deflecting a red zone pass that was intercepted by Kiko Alonso.  Run defense wasn’t so great, but that’s a minor complaint.   Not much else to say about the D – they did more than enough to win, but were let down by the offense.

Special teams was a story of good and evil.  The good: Jakeem Grant ran back a punt 71 yards for a TD, Vince Taylor blocked a FG, and the punt coverage was excellent.  The evil: a few bad penalties, including one of the most bonehead plays I’ve seen this year: new Dolphin Martrell Spaight teamed up with Branden Bolden to push a Bengal punt returner out of bounds early in the third quarter, and then decided to taunt the returner for no apparent reason – drawing a 15-yard penalty that helped lead to a Bengals’ TD.   Spaight got his ass reamed by coach Darren Rizzi on the sideline, deservedly so, and may not be around much longer.

In a game filled with offensive miscues, horrific QB play, penalties in all phases, and overall sloppy, undisciplined play, the Dolphins blew a 2+ TD lead to fall to 3-2.  The offense again started slow and couldn’t convert third downs, and the offensive line was an absolute disaster. The Bears’ excellent defense comes to Miami next week, and if Gase can’t find any answers, it is likely to be another ugly blowout.  The 3-0 start that looked so promising is quickly turning to fools’ gold.


Beer of the Day: no beer…I was away for the weekend and didn’t get to watch the game till Monday night

Hero of the Game: I’ll give it to Reshad Jones, who single-handedly ignited the defense in his return to action.

Goat of the Game:  Adam Gase is a strong candidate every week, but this time I’ll give it to Ryan Tannehill, who was absolutely terrible and showed that he can’t handle pressure at all and always wets the bed in a big spot.  He’s just not a winner.  Dishonorable mention goes to the horrific offensive line, but at least they have injuries as an excuse.

I also wanted to mention that in this game, Gore was the lead back with Drake being used primarily as a third-down back/receiver. Given how they both played in these roles, that will probably be the plan moving forward.

New TE Nick O'Leary played a lot Sunday, serving primarily as an H-back and and extra blocker to help Sam 'Whiff' Young. Considering that he's small and not a particularly good blocker, I'd say that's not the best use of his skillset. Interestingly, O'Leary outsnapped rookie Durham Smythe 28-7. Smythe, as you recall, was drafted to be a blocker. Add him to the list of Dolphin draft picks that take forever to develop. And BTW, fellow rookie Mike Gesicki had just 30 snaps.

I also wanted to mention that in this game, Gore was the lead back with Drake being used primarily as a third-down back/receiver. Given how they both played in these roles, that will probably be the plan moving forward.

It's about time. Gore, even at his age, is simply the more talented runner and nearly as good a receiver as Drake. His vision, instincts and power far outmatch what Drake brings to the table. A 50-50 split, with Gore earning more carries if there is any imbalance, is the correct move.

Drake will get his plays, the receiving TD is more proof of that, but 1st and 2nd down should largely go to Gore. I've always liked him as a player, and it's clear he's still got the juice.

YESSS!!! WOOHOO!!! JMP IS STILL ALIVE!!!

Seriously, don't scare us like that again I thought you might either be dead or you'd gone full Vontae on us.

By the way, great write up JMP.

Most of the beat writers are starting to turn on Tannehill also. The most damning stat is his performance "under pressure" - which is abysmal. Damn near bottom of the league bad. Meanwhile, the top-10 quarterbacks handle pressure just fine, knowing when to throw the ball away or where to go quickly for a completion if needed.

Tanny just has none of that, his most likely "move" is a turnover.

If this regime survives 2018 (and that's a big IF) they need to do something drastic. I wouldn't be opposed to simply cutting Tannehill and breaking the bank for Bridgewater, who I think will be a free agent.

Salary cap issues can be worked out. Continuing to start a clearly not-franchise QB is the worse thing you can do, especially if "money" is the reasoning. It's all fake math anyways. Spend it, and deal with the cap consequences.

JMP wrote:The weak offense can be attributed to three things: Adam Gase’s absurd playcalling, Ryan Tannehill playing one of the worst games of his career, and a patchwork offensive line that couldn’t stop the Bengals’ front four.

Believe it or not, according to passer rating this was only the 10th worst game of Tannehill's career. That's right, he's actually played WORSE nine times       The fact that most of those times were in his rookie year makes this game all the worse somehow IMO.

Let’s start with Gase, who as usual had no idea how to handle the running game.  Despite having two RBs (Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake) that combined for over 100 yards and 6 yards a carry, Gase gave them just 18 carries on the day.  The entire tone of the game changed on a third quarter play, with the Phins still up (I think it was 17-3 at the time) and facing a 3rd and 1.  The correct call is to have Gore run the ball, considering that he was all but unstoppable on the day.  Instead, the Dolphins throw, with Tannehill missing a low-percentage deep pass to Kenny Stills.  The momentum of the game changed right there, and the Dolphins never got it back.

I heard about that play already a few times, but didn't realize Gase called just 18 running plays   3rd and 1 and THAT'S when Gase decides to throw it deep?!?! Seriously?!?! This just proves he's beyond hope. And yes, I still see running as kinda obsolete in the modern NFL, but when you can run better than you pass then KEEP DOING IT!!!

Which leads to Ryan Tannehill. On the plus side, he attempted several deep passes, which was a nice change….but he missed all of them.  Tannehill was wildly inaccurate, missing open receivers short, intermediate and deep.  He threw 2 INTs but easily could have had 5.  One INT was an ill-advised blind toss into the line as he was about to get sacked.  The ball bounced off TE Durham Smythe’s helmet and landed in the hands of Bengal DE Michael Johnson, who jogged into the end zone for another score.  The smart play would have been for Tannehill to take the sack, but for some inexplicable reason he didn’t.  Tannehill also fumbled in the 4th quarter, which was recovered by Bengal DE Sam Hubbard (an early defensive rookie of the year candidate) and run in for a TD.  That ended the day’s scoring, with the Bengals scoring 27 unanswered points (including 24 in the 4th quarter) to win.  The Bengal defense outscored the Miami offense, 14-10.

Five full seasons starting and most of a sixth, and Tannehill has never won more than 8 games in any of them. It really is mind-blowing.

As bad as Tannehill was, his offensive line was worse.  The unit was bad from the start, giving up numerous pressures.  LT Laremy Tunsil left the game with a concussion at some point in the 3rd quarter, and after that the OL truly became offensive.  Backup left tackle Sam Young got destroyed on nearly every pass play, and committed a couple of penalties.  LG Ted Larsen looked like a turnstile the entire game, bringing to mind nightmares of Dallas Thomas.  RG Jesse Davis whiffed on several blocks.  RT Ja’Wuan James had another awful game, getting pushed around and run around and committing penalties.  C Travis Swanson was surprisingly not bad…easily the best Miami lineman on Sunday IMO.  In fairness, the line did a pretty good job run blocking, but against the pass they were absolutely brutal.

Come on now Jmp, you should know that asking this O-line to run AND pass block well is like someone asking you to bench press a car. Never gonna happen. Hell, I'm amazed they can even do ONE of those things well at this point.

Special teams was a story of good and evil.  The good: Jakeem Grant ran back a punt 71 yards for a TD, Vince Taylor blocked a FG, and the punt coverage was excellent.  The evil: a few bad penalties, including one of the most bonehead plays I’ve seen this year: new Dolphin Martrell Spaight teamed up with Branden Bolden to push a Bengal punt returner out of bounds early in the third quarter, and then decided to taunt the returner for no apparent reason – drawing a 15-yard penalty that helped lead to a Bengals’ TD.   Spaight got his ass reamed by coach Darren Rizzi on the sideline, deservedly so, and may not be around much longer.

Why did the Fins sign this guy again? Oh right, because roster churn. At least he actually played in an actual game, that's a step up from most of their signings.

In a game filled with offensive miscues, horrific QB play, penalties in all phases, and overall sloppy, undisciplined play, the Dolphins blew a 2+ TD lead to fall to 3-2.  The offense again started slow and couldn’t convert third downs, and the offensive line was an absolute disaster. The Bears’ excellent defense comes to Miami next week, and if Gase can’t find any answers, it is likely to be another ugly blowout.  The 3-0 start that looked so promising is quickly turning to fools’ gold.

So you're not predicting a Fins win over the Bears when everything looks hopeless like you did in '06?  

Beer of the Day: no beer…I was away for the weekend and didn’t get to watch the game till Monday night

I feel horrible for you that you actually had to experience this game sober      

I'm so friggin done with this team. I will always root for them and hope they win a championship unless they sell the team and move. I just take my 3 hours and watch the game and hope I enjoy it then just move on. You can't get excited or have any short term hope at this time.

DolFan 316 wrote:Believe it or not, according to passer rating this was only the 10th worst game of Tannehill's career. That's right, he's actually played WORSE nine times       The fact that most of those times were in his rookie year makes this game all the worse somehow IMO.

Yep - 7 years in, and he still looks like an untested rookie far too often.

DolFan 316 wrote:didn't realize Gase called just 18 running plays   3rd and 1 and THAT'S when Gase decides to throw it deep?!?! Seriously?!?! This just proves he's beyond hope. And yes, I still see running as kinda obsolete in the modern NFL, but when you can run better than you pass then KEEP DOING IT!!!

You can't be one-dimensional these days - unless you have an excellent passing game. Ultimately, it's best to play to your strengths - in football as in all things. The Dolphins have a mediocre, limited QB with a mediocre, limited group of receivers - and two pretty good RBs (one who is going to Canton) with an OL that can't pass block at all but can at times be very good in run blocking. It's a no brainer...this team needs to run to take pressure off the lame QB, receivers and OL. It's not rocket science, but of course it is too much for Genius Gase to understand. 3rd and 1 for a team averaging 6 yards a carry? Not even a decision...you run the ball. Every time.

DolFan 316 wrote:So you're not predicting a Fins win over the Bears when everything looks hopeless like you did in '06?  

No, I am absolutely not predicting a Dolphins' win on Sunday. I don't see how they can score on the Bears, unless they get a bunch of turnovers and STs scores.

Y'all know me as the resident Tanny believer, or I was, but it's not working here.  His lack of presence with a terrible offensive line is his biggest downfall.  If he gets some protection, his downfield passing can be very good, but with what he's got in front of him now, he's not going to succeed.  He'll turn the ball over (equal fumbles/INTs) too much and it'll lose the majority of the rest of the games.

If they're going to succeed at all this season, they'll need a miracle on the offensive line, or the best OL Coach performance in 50 years, neither of which is going to happen, because the front office has set them up to fail spectacularly.  

So, here's my proposal.  Looks like there's some friction in Oakland with Carr and Gruden, and Gruden has been a fan of Tannehill (although he has also been critical of him).  Let's swap QBs.  I don't know if Carr is the real deal or a one-hit-wonder, but at this point, the change in scenery could be good for both of them.  I have no idea what's up in Oakland, this is just a feeling I have from watching body language and play execution for the Raiders.  Things may be just fine.

Why the fuck didn't we go after Bridgewater?  Seriously..

So, in conclusion, after having a leg over the side of the bandwagon for the entirety of this season, including his good games, because I can see some trends that aren't going anywhere, I am no longer defending Ryan Tannehill.  I think he had all the tools to get it done, but I don't think he's got the instinct to play the position consistently.  He's good in a clean pocket, as are most QBs, but you get in his face, and he has more than just a tough time, he becomes a turnover machine.  Hell, if he just cleaned up those TOs, they may have won the game by some abysmal low score.

But he's not cleaning up the turnovers.  He is what he is.  I'd be happy to eat crow on this one, but I don't think I'm going to have to.  I'm pissed that he didn't work out, and that they have done nothing to get ready for his departure.  I also think he's going to be here another 2 years.  Next year will be Gase's extension/firing year, then he'll stick around to "compete for a job" the year after that.

He's had enough changes.  We've got a big body of work to look at now.  He's not good enough.

P.S. - I'm calling back the search crews for you JMP.  It's funny how DF316, White1 and I worry about people.  We must be strange people in a time where lack of empathy is damn near a requisite personality trait .

Degarmo wrote:P.S. - I'm calling back the search crews for you JMP.  It's funny how DF316 and I worry about people.  We must be strange people in a time where lack of empathy is damn near a requisite personality trait .

I think my search crew found your search crew. White1 was concerned too, so add him to the group

DolFan 316 wrote:

Degarmo wrote:P.S. - I'm calling back the search crews for you JMP.  It's funny how DF316 and I worry about people.  We must be strange people in a time where lack of empathy is damn near a requisite personality trait .

I think my search crew found your search crew. White1 was concerned too, so add him to the group

I have edited the above post to correctly include White

Damn, I was only in Montauk guys! Next time I'll give some advance notice.

But back to Tannehill...

I don't think I've ever seen a QB that looks so completely different with and without pressure. Sure, all QBs hate pressure, but the good ones are able to adapt and still make plays. The bad ones fold like a cheap suit. Tannehill is total Jekyll and Hyde...he can look damn good when he has time in the pocket, but send some pressure his way and he transforms into one of the worst QBs in the league.

I've said this before, but IMO one of his biggest problems is his complete inability to read/recognize where a blitz is coming from pre-snap. As an example, on Sunday in the 4th quarter, the Bengals put up a big neon sign with flashing capital letters saying "WE'RE SENDING MULTIPLE BLITZERS ON YOUR LEFT SIDE, BECAUSE SAM YOUNG" - and not once did I see Tannehill change a play to roll-out to the right or throw a screen at the blitzing area. Instead, he acted surprised when he snapped the ball and 18 Bengals swarmed him from the left. And there was that Jets game a couple of years ago where the Jets ran the exact same safety (or CB???) blitz at least three times, and Tannehill never saw it coming. Just a total lack of awareness, and it's been that way since his rookie season.

The Dolphins are merely a stepping stone for bad coaching. My guess is the carousel will continue.

I don't think Tannehill is the answer but i certainly don't think that this is entirely on him. Gase's inability to call a game is the worse factor. But, before that throughout his ENTIRE career he has never had the best run game or even a mere mortal offensive line. Which we all know is what makes Tannehill successful. I don't critique other QB's or compare because the situations aren't the same. The simple truth about this entire team is the hatred that the Front office itself has for putting a winning product out there.

Bottom line is this Dolphins Organization sux as a whole. We are only seeing what's dropping in the Toilet bowl. Not the contents that are making this shit show. Tannebaum, Gase, Grier, all gotta go. Rizzi IMHO could be that motivational coach that we need. But i would dump every last one in the organization. All the way down to the water cooler filler upper mother fucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gase also does bear some culpability for all this.  I mean, with Tunsil out, you're forced to either run plays away or get help over there all the time.  He should know that.  The play coming into the huddle should have that in mind, and you should be talking about it on the sidelines.  "Hey, look for this, or that."

I just think he's unable to do his job very well.

Still, Tannehill has to know that pressure is going to come.  I used to think maybe he was a smart guy with his background in school, but I'm not so sure anymore.  I mean, the blitzes aren't even disguised.

Umix10 wrote:
Bottom line is this Dolphins Organization sux as a whole.   We are only seeing what's dropping in the Toilet bowl.  Not the contents that are making this shit show.  Tannebaum, Gase, Grier, all gotta go.  Rizzi IMHO could be that motivational coach that we need.  But i would dump every last one in the organization. All the way down to the water cooler filler upper mother fucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep - agreed on all points. This organization stinks from top to bottom - EVERYONE needs to go.

I actually think Rizzi is more of a head coach than Gase. It seems like Rizzi has more input on the team as a whole, while Gase just sticks with the offense. Several times, I've also seen the refs go up to Rizzi - not Gase - when a decision needs to be made. And Rizzi gets up in people's faces when they screw up...you don't see him looking lost and clueless like Gase does most of the time.

Depressing. The board seems to have fully realized what we've been afraid of. Tannehill is not the guy. Never was, just gave us "hope" in the form of a number of really good games. The beat writers are saying this out loud now also.

<sigh>. Where to go from here? Well, if Ross DOES stick with this group, this would be my recommendation. And right now it's 50-50 IMHO that Ross will not fire them all. Maybe too early to tell, but even with a disastrous season it's not a mortal lock he pulls the trigger.

So. I would release Tannehill. He has to have next to 0 trade value, so don't even try. Cut him.

Following the release of Tannehill, I would also release Osweiler and Fales. Falk is a rookie, so I would keep him on board to see if he can develop.

Now, put the full court press on getting Teddy Bridgewater. We get an immediate starter who has proven himself in the league.

Release Juwaun James. He's not good enough for a 1st round right tackle.

Spend significant draft and free agent resources to build a legitimate offensive line. One with quality starters and depth. Doesn't matter what it takes. Do it.

Parker is gone.

Draft a QB in the 1st 4 rounds of the draft. Someone we've done the homework on and are excited about, even if it takes a couple years. Bridgewater starts for the foreseeable future.

white1 wrote:Depressing.  The board seems to have fully realized what we've been afraid of.  Tannehill is not the guy.  Never was, just gave us "hope" in the form of a number of really good games.  The beat writers are saying this out loud now also.

<sigh>.  Where to go from here? Well, if Ross DOES stick with this group, this would be my recommendation.  And right now it's 50-50 IMHO that Ross will not fire them all.  Maybe too early to tell, but even with a disastrous season it's not a mortal lock he pulls the trigger.

So.  I would release Tannehill.  He has to have next to 0 trade value, so don't even try.  Cut him.  

Following the release of Tannehill, I would also release Osweiler and Fales.  Falk is a rookie, so I would keep him on board to see if he can develop.  

Now, put the full court press on getting Teddy Bridgewater.  We get an immediate starter who has proven himself in the league.

Release Juwaun James.  He's not good enough for a 1st round right tackle.  

Spend significant draft and free agent resources to build a legitimate offensive line.  One with quality starters and depth.  Doesn't matter what it takes.  Do it.

Parker is gone.  

Draft a QB in the 1st 4 rounds of the draft.  Someone we've done the homework on and are excited about, even if it takes a couple years.  Bridgewater starts for the foreseeable future.

Great post!

Realistically, yes - we're not going anywhere.  But who knows...maybe Gase finds his good luck again and this team finds a way to win with late-game heroics and back into the playoffs like 2016.  In that scenario, Gase and Tannehill are back next season.  Of course, I don't expect any of that too happen...I think we crash and burn and Ross cleans house.  But - we're only heading into week 6.  Let's see what happens by the second half of the season. I have a feeling it's going to get really ugly.

If we move on from Tannehill it likely won't be for Bridgewater - unless the Saints decide they don't want him. According to this article from September 7: "the Saints created $2.71M in 2018 cap space by converting just over $4M of QB Teddy Bridgewater's base salary into a signing bonus and adding two voidable years to his deal." https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/07/saints-rework-teddy-bridgewaters-contract/ So, the Saints control Bridgewater's future right now.

The 2019 free agent QB class looks awful, and right now the 2019 draft class does too...though that can change in the offseason. Oregon's Justin Herbert will likely be the first QB taken, maybe even #1 - probably out of the Phins' range unless they want to trade tons of picks. Some lower-ranked QBs the Phins could consider: Drew Lock (Missouri), Nick Fitzgerald (Mississippi State), Kyle Kempt (Iowa State), etc. But yes - we MUST draft a QB regardless. It would be interesting to see the Phins add an innovative offensive coach and see what he could do with Nick Fitzgerald...that dude has an insane skillset.

Aside from QB, the priority has to be OL and DL. We need starters at center and right tackle, and maybe left guard depending on Sitton. And on defense, we need pass rushers, pass rushers and more pass rushers. DE is a gaping hole...Wake seems to be just about done, Quinn is making $12 million this year and has 1 sack in 5 games, Harris sucks, Branch will likely be gone and sucks anyway, and Hayes is done. And of course, we also need LB, CB and WR. UGH!!!!!

BTW...wouldn't it be great - just once - to NOT think about the coming offseason after week 5?

And on defense, we need pass rushers, pass rushers and more pass rushers. DE is a gaping hole...Wake seems to be just about done, Quinn is making $12 million this year and has 1 sack in 5 games, Harris sucks, Branch will likely be gone and sucks anyway, and Hayes is done. And of course, we also need LB, CB and WR.

Totally agree.

Given the needs as you listed... I'd probably "gamble" on keeping Alonso, McMillian and Baker at LB. By "gamble" I mean I would choose to invest in other positions first. There's no way we can upgrade everywhere in one offseason. Just too many other high-priority needs to invest more in that position.

At CB, I am liking how McCain developed on the boundary. My plan would probably be to release McDonald, keep Fitzpatrick at the slot corner spot and add a true ball hawking free safety. Quality safeties can usually be found either in free agency or with a later draft pick. Much harder to find a starting CB IMO.

My priority and premium draft picks would go to DE. I'd love to see us double down and add two quality rookies at that spot. I'd use later spots to try and find a versatile C/G and RT. With the improvement we are seeing from Taylor and Godchaux, two good ends would go a long way towards having a very good defensive line.

If we move on from Tannehill it likely won't be for Bridgewater - unless the Saints decide they don't want him. According to this article from September 7: "the Saints created $2.71M in 2018 cap space by converting just over $4M of QB Teddy Bridgewater's base salary into a signing bonus and adding two voidable years to his deal."

Disappointing. I did not know that. Clearly the Saints may very well be planning for life after Brees.

This leaves us in the familiar pickle. We need to upgrade at QB, but lo and behold there are very few (if any) free agents worth chasing, and the draft class is always a gamble. Not going to be easy.

If, as we expect, even our front office realizes Tannehill is not the answer, then year 4 is going to be very hard for this regime. Finding a starting QB when you are at square 1 is not an easy thing. There are probably 10 teams a year in the very same situation. Outside Bridgewater, I can't think of a backup worth trading for. And those are valuable picks when we're looking for help at DE and RT.

If Gase stays and decides to dump Tannehill, I'm guessing Osweiler/Fales compete for the job. Given what else is out there, there may not be a choice - and Gase seems to prefer players he knows.

I hate this time of year because it isn’t but. A quarter of the way done and the dolphins suck ass. While I don’t believe the dolphins will compete anymore I do think that the number one priority is to get rid off the structural organization. 1st and foremost. Then the coaching staff. Then the roster purge. Believe it or not this is what builds a championship caliber team. Cohesiveness and seemless transition.

With that being said, once that’s in place, Miami should go rounds 1-7 on a fricking QB. I don’t care about any other position I need to find a fuckin QB with some intestinal fortitude! Our cap situation sucks so we have no hope in getting a roster we want until a couple more years. Draft a QB IS THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO DO IN THE NEXT DRAFT. Despite how crappy the class maybe!!!

With the lack of free-agent QB talent that will be available, we will have Tannehill for the foreseeable future.  The only smart move is to draft a QB early, trade what you have to in order to get the right guy (or hopefully luck out and just have him fall in our lap), and then wait 2 more years for N'Kosi Perry .

We sorely need a real offensive line.  We need to protect the QB.  As JMP pointed out, we also need DL guys.  These positions (not filled by free agents, and we shouldn't go bat shit on that end either) should be the remainder of the draft and I'm not joking.  I see maybe three guys worth keeping out of the OL/DL bunch right now, and not as a stud starter, just depth.  So, in my opinion, they need 7 OL guys, f'in SEVEN, sheesh.  

This all assumes what Umix proposes (and I think we all agree) of a full front office douching.

I think we could win some with Tannehill and a really good OL for a year or two, but we'll never win a playoff game, so what's the point?  I mean, we win some right now, and it's not good enough.

Degarmo wrote:Gase also does bear some culpability for all this.  I mean, with Tunsil out, you're forced to either run plays away or get help over there all the time.  He should know that.  The play coming into the huddle should have that in mind, and you should be talking about it on the sidelines.  "Hey, look for this, or that."

I just think he's unable to do his job very well.

Still, Tannehill has to know that pressure is going to come.  I used to think maybe he was a smart guy with his background in school, but I'm not so sure anymore.  I mean, the blitzes aren't even disguised.

Why don't we ever run a screen at the blitzing side? A real screen...not that bubble screen crap. Or hell, run any play that exploits the open area created by the blitzer. That's Offense 101.