The dawn of a new era

Apologies for the dramatics, but this is exactly what we are witnessing as fans of the Miami Dolphins: the dawn of a new era.

Gone are the days of coaches with no personality, no direction and no clue, with woefully inept schemes, game plans and strategies. In a matter of weeks, Mike McDaniel changed the landscape of this organization and brought something that was lacking: leadership and competence.

Prior to this season, you'd have to look long and hard to figure out who the leaders were...if you could even find any. Bringing in players like Armstead and Hill - who are natural-born leaders in addition to being top-level players at their respective positions - makes this locker room legit. Having a head coach that believes in him and supports him will in turn make Tua the leader he once was at Alabama. And on the defensive side, you have young players like Wilkins and Holland blossoming before our eyes into leaders - both verbally and by example - and being encouraged to do so by the coaching staff. The intangibles these guys bring to the table will be invaluable when the team faces adversity - and hopefully, unlike past years when the team folded like a cheap suit at the first signs of trouble, these team leaders will help the team rise above and succeed.

On the field, the roster itself is the best we've had since Jimmy Johnson built that great defense in the late 90s...only this time, we have a high-powered offense to go with the strong defense. As always, we will look to the OL to get a true gauge for just how good this team can be - but with a competent coaching staff and players lined up in sensible positions, that once-weak area just may become a strength by year's end. This offense has potential to be one of the league's best - loaded with speed and playmakers at every level. The defense could be dominant if they are able to play with a lead more often that not.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this could be a special season. And no, it is not all about Tua as the idiotic talking heads would have you believe. It's about the TEAM. And what better way to kick off the season than with a game against the hated Patriots. In the past, I've always said "just win" - even if it is ugly and even if it is close. But Sunday, I'm not content with that. I want a convincing win that serves the world notice, a thorough ass-kicking from start to finish that even the dumbass talking heads in the media must acknowledge. I want to bury the Patriots and start this season with a statement: we are here to DOMINATE.

GO PHINS!!!!

JMP I love the enthusiasm and I agree we are poised for a great season!

Here's something to consider, and I want to highlight your statement:

In the past, I've always said "just win" - even if it is ugly and even if it is close. But Sunday, I'm not content with that. I want a convincing win that serves the world notice, a thorough ass-kicking from start to finish that even the dumbass talking heads in the media must acknowledge. I want to bury the Patriots and start this season with a statement: we are here to DOMINATE.

Your point on leadership resonates, because this is what we are facing. An opening four games against NE, Baltimore, the Bills and Cincy. These are ALL playoff caliber teams, with the Bengals and Bills looking to make a Superbowl run.

If - IF - we lose to New England, we are staring at the very real prospect of an 0-4 start. Everything McDaniel has preached, everything we have seen in camp, all of it will immediately be questioned. I don't have to tell you what a field day the media will have if this occurs.

We are going to have to be prepared for what is a real possibility. We are I think 3 point favorites against NE at home, and the "FPI" gives New England a 51% chance to win the game. What does that say to me? This first game is not a lock at all, and I know Belichek has something up his sleeve to stymy both Tua and the McDaniel running game. He knows our defense inside and out also.

This is NOT to be a "doom and gloom" point of view on this thread. What I am saying is we HAVE to prepare ourselves for what could be a very rocky start to this season. If McDaniel is who we think he is, and we have the leaders we think we have, this team won't spiral and we will "get well" beginning with the Jets in week 5.

I look at it a bit differently, white. I look at is as an opportunity.

This is no longer a Dolphins team built to tread water, hoping to get to .500. This is a team built not just to compete with the best teams...but to BE one of the best teams. These first 4 games are a chance for the Dolphins to prove that they are legit, and that the ghosts of the past are gone.

The Patriots and Ravens are both inferior to the Dolphins, on paper. And we were 3-0 against those teams last season. You could argue that the Ravens have improved this year, but the Patriots have clearly gotten worse. There is absolutely no reason the Dolphins should lose either game, and in fact I EXPECT convincing wins against both.

As for the media darlings Bills and Bengals...they both got hot at the right time last season, but in the regular season the Bills won 11 games and the Bengals won 10. It's not like the Bills and Bengals were some kind of unstoppable juggernauts that couldn't be beaten. In contrast, a Dolphins team that was flawed at every level and in every possible way won 9 games. That said, these are the two games that will tell us exactly what the 2022 Dolphins can be. Sure, those two teams are Super Bowl hopefuls. But this year - so are the Miami Dolphins. We are now built to match up against these types of teams. We have the firepower on offense and the playmakers on defense to compete with any team in the NFL.

Very real prospect at an 0-4 start? I see a very real prospect of a 4-0 start.

I was just going to post something similar. This feels like a statement game. The team hyped up Tua. Tua needs to have a monster game. The offense in general needs a monster game. Defense also.

My prediction 37-14 Miami. Tua 20 of 24 324 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. Miami has 500 yards offense.

Mac Jones looks like Daniel Jones. 30 of 47 275 yards 1 TD 3 int.

CarsonChris wrote:I was just going to post something similar.  This feels like a statement game. The team hyped up Tua. Tua needs to have a monster game. The offense in general needs a monster game. Defense also.

My prediction 37-14 Miami. Tua 20 of 24 324 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. Miami has 500 yards offense.

Mac Jones looks like Daniel Jones. 30 of 47 275 yards 1 TD 3 int.

Yeah, definitely feels like a statement game.

I'm thinking that the Pats will want to control the clock with the run, to keep the Miami offense on the bench as much as possible. But if the Dolphins are able to jump out to an early lead, Jones will be forced to pass and our defense can feast. So really the key for me is: don't let the Patriots establish the run. Score early and often and take them out of their comfort zone. I think we can and will do just that.

I love your predictions for the QBs. I'll go one step further and say that Mac's yardage total will only be that high due to garbage-time completions late in the game, when it's already over.

I don't know? I can't believe the Pats are going to be as awful as they have looked in pre-season, but...

And, this is McDaniel's first game? The Oline might stink mightily again? Tua has questions?

And the D? This is going to be the first time we see Flores D without Flores! Boyer has a tendency to play too much zone with a 4 man rush IMO. And that is what gets the Phins BEATEN IMO.

So, I do not know what to expect. Either way it goes, everyone will take the good and run wild, or the bad and run wild. When we all know it will take until week 4 before we can actually say anything for certain.

But I agree with JMP on one thing: I do not want to see a squeaker by the Phins. I want to see an epic beat down of the Pats. A beatdown so epic it makes the Pats question if they are in the right profession!!

And it would be mighty nice to see Tua hit a few deep passes just to shut the idjits up!

finfanatic wrote:I don't know?  I can't believe the Pats are going to be as awful as they have looked in pre-season, but...

And, this is McDaniel's first game? The Oline might stink mightily again? Tua has questions?

And the D? This is going to be the first time we see Flores D without Flores! Boyer has a tendency to play too much zone with a 4 man rush IMO. And that is what gets the Phins BEATEN IMO.

So, I do not know what to expect. Either way it goes, everyone will take the good and run wild, or the bad and run wild. When we all know it will take until week 4 before we can actually say anything for certain.

But I agree with JMP on one thing: I do not want to see a squeaker by the Phins. I want to see an epic beat down of the Pats. A beatdown so epic it makes the Pats question if they are in the right profession!!

And it would be mighty nice to see Tua hit a few deep passes just to shut the idjits up!

Last year the Patriots had limited success because they had a strong OL and could run the ball, and they had a good secondary. This year, their running game looks to be in shambles and their secondary is garbage. Their top receiver is a former Dolphin who would have been the #4 receiver (at best) on the current Dolphins team. They lost their offensive coordinator, who has a long history of scheming his way to victories, and replaced him with a defensive coach and a special teams coach...both of whom had disastrous head coaching stints that showed they knew nothing about offense. I'm sick and tired of hearing about Bill Belichick the genius....seems to me like Tom Brady was the only genius in that relationship. The Patriots are dead...they may not know it yet, but they're about to find out on Sunday. Mike McDaniel in his first game as a head coach is going to make Belichick look like a has-been that is passed his expiration date.

I'll go as far as to say this is the most must-win opener in franchise history. A loss and the season is over already. 0-4 would be guaranteed, and out of the 153 teams to start 0-4 since the merger, just ONE ('92 Chargers) has made the playoffs. Only two more even had winning seasons, at 9-7. Yes, the '70 Bengals somehow reached the playoffs despite starting 1-6 but even THEY weren't 0-4. BTW I finally figured out how to share links from Stathead so you guys can actually see what I'm talking about.

https://stathead.com/tiny/fH2PH

That's why it's going to hurt so much when Parker beats Iggy for the winning TD in the last 30 seconds, and maybe on the game's final play. It's going to happen, I can feel it. I want to be wrong. I want this to be shades of '06 when Jmp successfully predicted the 1-6 Fins beating the 7-0 Bears, but I've already got a plethora of pessimistic posts at the ready. I'm just hoping Jmp will be able to get it together enough to post a game recap since win or lose I love those

JMP wrote:Last year the Patriots had limited success because they had a strong OL and could run the ball, and they had a good secondary.  This year, their running game looks to be in shambles and their secondary is garbage.  Their top receiver is a former Dolphin who would have been the #4 receiver (at best) on the current Dolphins team.  They lost their offensive coordinator, who has a long history of scheming his way to victories, and replaced him with a defensive coach and a special teams coach...both of whom had disastrous head coaching stints that showed they knew nothing about offense. I'm sick and tired of hearing about Bill Belichick the genius....seems to me like Tom Brady was the only genius in that relationship.  The Patriots are dead...they may not know it yet, but they're about to find out on Sunday.  Mike McDaniel in his first game as a head coach is going to make Belichick look like a has-been that is passed his expiration date.

You've been wrong about the Pats' demise before.

https://dolfancave.forumotion.com/t1483-die-pats-die

Me, on the other hand...

https://dolfancave.forumotion.com/t1911-the-pats-dynasty-in-memoriam

Just sayin'

The past is the past. We're in the present, where Belichick is steadily declining without Brady. And now without Josh McDaniels, this ship is sinking.

Fuck the Patriots. I'm not scared of them, and you shouldn't be either. Their time has come and gone.

This is the first time in 22 years I'm feeling somewhat confident in what we can do.

CarsonChris wrote:This is the first time in 22 years I'm feeling somewhat confident in what we can do.

Yeah, this year definitely feels different. It's the first time since Marino's heyday that we actually have a competent and legitimate offense. That's a long damn time!!!

Welp, the new era so far looks the same as the last half-season of the old era.

Welp, the new era so far looks the same as the last half-season of the old era.

Patience, patience!

We won the game and that was my number one goal going in. Also, very encouraged by the 4th and 7 call leading to the Waddle TD. The game takes on a totally different character if that play is not called - and Flores would have never called it. McDaniel is aggressive, I will give him that, and that's exactly what this offense needs.

white1 wrote:

Welp, the new era so far looks the same as the last half-season of the old era.

Patience, patience!

We won the game and that was my number one goal going in.  Also, very encouraged by the 4th and 7 call leading to the Waddle TD.  The game takes on a totally different character if that play is not called - and Flores would have never called it.  McDaniel is aggressive, I will give him that, and that's exactly what this offense needs.

Yep, and even moreso than being aggressive...I love how that called showed that McDaniel trusts Tua and has faith in him. That is HUGE for a young QB's confidence. This is a head coach that gets it.

With all due respect to the defense (outstanding all day yesterday) that pass to Waddle was the play of the game to me. Mainly because of what it represented.

Who can forget:
Flores trying to run against Jacksonville late (cost us the game) on 4th and 1 when Tua was killing it that day, giving the freaking Jags the ball at midfield?
Flores allowing that ridiculous screen in the end zone at Las Vegas last year that basically cost us that game, killing what had been a Dolphin juggernaut up to that point even with Brissett at the helm?
Philbin "too queasy" to give Tanny a chance to win the game against Green Bay on 3rd and 7, content to punt the ball back to Aaron Rodgers with 2 1/2 minutes to go?
Finally, too many Bumstedt "it's not a sin to punt" moments to list that ended up biting us on the ass late in games with a tired D?

McDaniel gets what none of the above ever did. Well, Flores had a go for it attitude in his first season, then lost it as soon as he got a top 5 draft pick to work with at QB. (???)

That one call has me optimistic. The man saw an opportunity to go for the jugular and took it.

When the Phins D is stomping the grapestuff out of the Pats, it should be easy for any HC to go for it.

McDaniel just made the correct, logical decision. And I agree, he should get some kudos for that.

I also agree, the list of HC who were chicken-hearted gutless bazterds should make any PhinPhan blow chunks unceremoniously!!

A win is a win, and while I wanted to see MORE, I will take the win and if the Phins can't manage to be an offensive juggernaut, I hope they have a pile of wins just like this one!!

finfanatic wrote:

McDaniel just made the correct, logical decision. And I agree, he should get some kudos for that.

I also agree, the list of HC who were chicken-hearted gutless bazterds should make any PhinPhan blow chunks unceremoniously!!

Yep, that's exactly it: it was the LOGICAL decision...and when was the last time a Dolphins head coach did anything logical? It is refreshing to have a head coach that understands modern-day offensive football!