Riding the Train: the 2013 Miami Dolphins

SMU_Sox

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Also I was responding to CC who was lamenting the run defense status given the number of high picks invested in the front 7. Jordan was one of them. Saying he isn't a run stopper is something we would both agree with.
 

sodenj5

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SMU_Sox said:
Fair enough. Although if we were bearish on him pre draft I think it's fair to say he hasn't done much to change our minds whether that is due to extenuating circumstances or not. Lane Johnson was available. I never claimed he was a run stopper. He was drafted where he was because he profiled as athletic freak pass rusher. But when you already have an average to above average pass rush and you could use a boost to your T position and a solid RT is sitting there why swing for the fences on the other side of the ball?
I honestly have repeatedly credited Ireland for making a bold move and taking the best player available in a draft that was considered deep, but not heavy with elite level talent. Pass rush was actually an area of need. Not as great as O line, but a need nonetheless. For what they gave up, I still have no issues with Jordan.
 

SMU_Sox

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With Wake and Vernon did you really needed another pass rushing de or olb? If anything you needed a DT who could rush the passer and dt depth in general as your dts after 2012 were... disappointing. We can agree to disagree on Jordan. I am not a fan and thought he was entirely overrated going into the draft. But that's me. I still think OL was much greater of need than olb de pass rusher given your personnel going into the draft.

Who would have had more of an impact on the fins this year, Jordan or Johnson? I don't see how you say anyone other than Johnson. Even going forward Johnson would be a rock at RT (perhaps LT).
 

sodenj5

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SMU_Sox said:
With Wake and Vernon did you really needed another pass rushing de or olb? If anything you needed a DT who could rush the passer and dt depth in general as your dts after 2012 were... disappointing. We can agree to disagree on Jordan. I am not a fan and thought he was entirely overrated going into the draft. But that's me. I still think OL was much greater of need than olb de pass rusher given your personnel going into the draft.

Who would have had more of an impact on the fins this year, Jordan or Johnson? I don't see how you say anyone other than Johnson. Even going forward Johnson would be a rock at RT (perhaps LT).
Vernon hadn't really emerged yet, and Wake is 31. How many more elite years does he have left? Again, at the time Miami was set on letting Martin try his hand at LT. In retrospect, you can say Lane Johnson would have been the better pick, but Miami's pass D was atrocious in 2012, and their run D was actually pretty stout. Getting a guy like Jordan brings not only a young pass rusher to groom, but a guy that offers a lot of versatility.

I think next year you'll see a big jump from Jordan, getting a full off season in, being a year removed from shoulder surgery, and having more time to digest the different roles he plays.
 

Super Nomario

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Lane Johnson was far from a sure thing, too, and Philly's been able to play him at RT (where he has more experience) whereas Miami would have probably been playing him at LT. The jury's still out on this one.
 

SMU_Sox

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Hold up. Lane Johnson was far from a sure thing at LT maybe but he was considered a top OLine prospect who could at least play guard. I remember reading Muth, I think it was Muth anyway, say that he was a beast at run blocking but had to improve his foot work pass blocking but that he deserved to be rated a 1st round prospect. Dion Jordan was all potential but didn't exactly have a tremendous amount of success in college. Iirc he was 3rd on his team in sacks. Feel free to google that if I'm wrong. Johnson had a much higher floor but lower ceiling. And frankly you can wait a year and get a pass rusher this year while Wake and OV handle that. Again... even assuming you need a pass rusher why not get a DT?
 

sodenj5

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SMU_Sox said:
Hold up. Lane Johnson was far from a sure thing at LT maybe but he was considered a top OLine prospect who could at least play guard. I remember reading Muth, I think it was Muth anyway, say that he was a beast at run blocking but had to improve his foot work pass blocking but that he deserved to be rated a 1st round prospect. Dion Jordan was all potential but didn't exactly have a tremendous amount of success in college. Iirc he was 3rd on his team in sacks. Feel free to google that if I'm wrong. Johnson had a much higher floor but lower ceiling. And frankly you can wait a year and get a pass rusher this year while Wake and OV handle that. Again... even assuming you need a pass rusher why not get a DT?
I'm not sure why you keep emphasizing DT over DE. Miami has Starks, Soliai, and Odrick at DT. It's arguably their deepest and strongest position. The play against the run this year has been disappointing, but I feel like that's attributed to the LBs rather than the line.

Like I said, in a draft that was really low on elite talent, Ireland made a move and grabbed one of the few players in the draft with a very high ceiling. While it may not have been the best move for 2013, in 2014 and beyond, Dion Jordan will be a better and more productive player for Miami than Lane Johnson would have been.
 

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With Odrick, Soliai, and Starks, a rookie DT wouldn't have seen the field at all, never mind at the rate Dion has this season. I expect Soliai and Odrick to be the full-time interior linemen next year, with Starks moving on. I think Jordan was selected as a very high ceiling, project pick, which doesn't happen very often at #3. But if he develops into a premiere pass rusher, he validate the spot quite easily.
 
Soden, you just replied as I was typing this, but I'm not starting over, haha.
 
The more I look at the O-line situation, I don't think there was a single solution to be had during the FA/draft period, outside of trading for KC's Albert, who PFF has rated as the #6 overall tackle this season. (But, of course, he's hurt now.) PFF has Lane Johnson ranked as one of the very worst tackles in the league. While I wouldn't bet against him developing into a very good player, he wasn't going to handle Miami's LT any better than Martin did this season.
 
Edit: Corrections.
 

SMU_Sox

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http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2013/word-muth-eagle-twists

This is definitely counter evidence to PFF re Johnson.

The other point is that I disagree that a rookie DT wouldn't play. You're telling me Star Lotulelei wouldn't have been an instant upgrade? What about Sheldon Richardson? In retrospect wouldn't you rather have either of those two over Jordan? Granted neither of those guys are racking up the sacks but they are consistently generating pressure by pushing back the guards and centers and they absolutely crush the run.

I suppose this is just going to be one of those to agree to disagree issues.
 

SMU_Sox

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This is going to be fun to see who is right and who is dead. You should know though that it's not a good idea to go up against an agent of Gilder and a Sicilian when death is on the line. Hahahhahaha ah hahahahha ah hahhahaha.
 

smastroyin

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The problem is not the choice, the problem is the plan.  I agree Jordan is a good GFIN draft choice.  They had no reason last off-season to GFIN, and if they were going to, they needed to do something else with that OLine, which was terrible last year and managed to get worse this year (though seemed better when there were three backups playing which calls into question whether they even have the ability to pick the right players to start, nevermind coach them up).
 
In essence, the Jordan pick makes as much sense as the Mike Wallace signing, which is to say, the desperate moves of a GM who knew he was likely losing his job unless a great season happened.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Wallace has been fine. In fact, he's probably their most valuable player.
 
When you have Starks, Soliai and Odrick and are constantly getting blown off the ball inside, then something is wrong. Starks may be gone next year, Odrick, too perhaps. there are going to be some salary cap issues. Plus, getting almost nothing out of this draft really hurts them in 2015-6 when Tannehill is no longer a cheap QB cap-wise. basically Ireland has had an extra $15M and extra draft picks the last two years and has struck out.
 

smastroyin

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I have no problem with his play, I just still feel he was more of a shiny trinket than an actual well thought out addition to the team.  Put simply, if the Dolphins could effectively run play action or keep Tannehill upright, they would be getting a lot more out of him.
 
Similarly, if you were looking for a first round choice who could potentially have a big impact as a rookie, Jordan was a great pick.  If you were building up a more moderate rebuild process, I'm not sure it was the best idea to trade up there.  I guess we'll see.
 

SMU_Sox

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http://www.footballoutsiders.com/under-pressure/2013/under-pressure-mckinnies-woes

Guys I'm sick and posting this from my mobile. It's Ben Muth, a former offensive lineman himself (Stanford), of football outsiders looking at the tackle position for the Fins and in particular Mr. Bryant McKinnie. I will ask Ben via twitter his opinion on Lane Johnson and the draft as the answer has mutiple parts. I'll post his answer.
 

SMU_Sox

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Thanks for the retweet Phragle. I look forward to Ben's take. Also want to thank the Fins fans here for a good discussion.
 

Phragle

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Super Nomario said:
Lane Johnson was far from a sure thing, too, and Philly's been able to play him at RT (where he has more experience) whereas Miami would have probably been playing him at LT. The jury's still out on this one.
Nitpick but that's not quite right. He came to OK as a QB and was RSed in '09, played DE and TE in '10, played RT in '11, and LT in '12.
 
He's had - IMO - the best season of the rookie tackles from the first round.
 
pdaj said:
With Odrick, Soliai, and Starks, a rookie DT wouldn't have seen the field at all, never mind at the rate Dion has this season. I expect Soliai and Odrick to be the full-time interior linemen next year, with Starks moving on. I think Jordan was selected as a very high ceiling, project pick, which doesn't happen very often at #3. But if he develops into a premiere pass rusher, he validate the spot quite easily.
 
Soden, you just replied as I was typing this, but I'm not starting over, haha.
 
The more I look at the O-line situation, I don't think there was a single solution to be had during the FA/draft period, outside of trading for KC's Albert, who PFF has rated as the #6 overall tackle this season. (But, of course, he's hurt now.) PFF has Lane Johnson ranked as one of the very worst tackles in the league. While I wouldn't bet against him developing into a very good player, he wasn't going to handle Miami's LT any better than Martin did this season.
 
Edit: Corrections.
 
Seems like you haven't looked at the rankings lately. His second half has been great both to the eye and by PFF's stats.
 
Also he's only playing RT because Philly already has an elite LT, but an old one. He'll flip over to the left side when Peters either retires or regresses.
 
SMU_Sox said:
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2013/word-muth-eagle-twists

This is definitely counter evidence to PFF re Johnson.

The other point is that I disagree that a rookie DT wouldn't play. You're telling me Star Lotulelei wouldn't have been an instant upgrade? What about Sheldon Richardson? In retrospect wouldn't you rather have either of those two over Jordan? Granted neither of those guys are racking up the sacks but they are consistently generating pressure by pushing back the guards and centers and they absolutely crush the run.

I suppose this is just going to be one of those to agree to disagree issues.
That's a solid read.
 
My problem with Jordan is that he hasn't played much, and he's not the best DE prospect. He's more of an OLB.
 

Super Nomario

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phragle said:
Nitpick but that's not quite right. He came to OK as a QB and was RSed in '09, played DE and TE in '10, played RT in '11, and LT in '12.
 
He's had - IMO - the best season of the rookie tackles from the first round.
Thanks for the correction (which just emphasizes more his rawness). I don't think you're wrong that he's had the best season of the rookie tackles, but I think he has the best situation, too. He's a raw, gifted athlete who is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and he plays RT on a team that's 4th in the league in rushing attempts and just 25th in pass attempts, while using a hurry-up system and zone blocking scheme that plays to his athleticism and youth. I don't think he would have been as successful right away in Miami, which is 12th in pass attempts and 30th in rush attempts, largely uses a man / power running scheme, and likely would have called on him to play LT.
 
phragle said:
My problem with Jordan is that he hasn't played much, and he's not the best DE prospect. He's more of an OLB.
That's the thing that never made any sense to me about the Jordan pick. He seems like a much better fit for a team running a 3-4. I get taking him if he slipped to them at 12 or something (too much value to pass up there), but I didn't understand giving up a 2nd to move up and get him.
 

sodenj5

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Super Nomario said:
 
That's the thing that never made any sense to me about the Jordan pick. He seems like a much better fit for a team running a 3-4. I get taking him if he slipped to them at 12 or something (too much value to pass up there), but I didn't understand giving up a 2nd to move up and get him.
I certainly agree that all of Jordan's strengths seem to say 3-4 OLB. He's fast, long, and very athletic. You can have him cover and chase tight ends, and also obviously send him off the edge to rush the passer.

The way Miami has deployed him has been in primarily their sub packages on passing downs. When he's on the field, he can either rush or drop into coverage. He gives their speed package a lot of versatility in that regard.

I still think that with pass rush being a need for Miami, the low price of trading up with the Raiders, and the immense ceiling that Jordan has in a draft with very few elite talents, it's still a solid selection.

With an offensive line of Johnson at LT and Martin at RT to start the season, I don't know if Miami is any better off.
 

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Also, as a quick aside from the Jordan vs Johnson debate, congrats to Brent Grimes, Cam Wake, Mike Pouncey, and Brandon Fields for being selected to the Pro Bowl.

Has to feel particularly good for Grimes coming off the lost year last year. Best offseason move made by Ireland.
 

Phragle

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Super Nomario said:
Thanks for the correction (which just emphasizes more his rawness). I don't think you're wrong that he's had the best season of the rookie tackles, but I think he has the best situation, too. He's a raw, gifted athlete who is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and he plays RT on a team that's 4th in the league in rushing attempts and just 25th in pass attempts, while using a hurry-up system and zone blocking scheme that plays to his athleticism and youth. I don't think he would have been as successful right away in Miami, which is 12th in pass attempts and 30th in rush attempts, largely uses a man / power running scheme, and likely would have called on him to play LT.
 
Yeah he's certainly in a great situation but I don't think the other tackles are in poor situations either. In Miami Johnson may not be as good, but I don't think scheme is a reason he couldn't fit in Miami. Left tackles have to be great athletes in every scheme, not just Zone ones. Johnson's combine numbers are almost exactly the same as Joe Staley's who is the best there is and in a power scheme.
 
Super Nomario said:
That's the thing that never made any sense to me about the Jordan pick. He seems like a much better fit for a team running a 3-4. I get taking him if he slipped to them at 12 or something (too much value to pass up there), but I didn't understand giving up a 2nd to move up and get him.
 
I think he could play in either defense. In a Von Miller role in a 4-3, or a Justin Houston role in a 3-4. I'll give them credit on one thing. They are dropping him in coverage about 20% of the passing plays. That's the highest in the league for a DE, but it's still lower than ideal for him. He's just not a DE, he's a SLB in a 4-3.
 
sodenj5 said:
I certainly agree that all of Jordan's strengths seem to say 3-4 OLB. He's fast, long, and very athletic. You can have him cover and chase tight ends, and also obviously send him off the edge to rush the passer.

The way Miami has deployed him has been in primarily their sub packages on passing downs. When he's on the field, he can either rush or drop into coverage. He gives their speed package a lot of versatility in that regard.

I still think that with pass rush being a need for Miami, the low price of trading up with the Raiders, and the immense ceiling that Jordan has in a draft with very few elite talents, it's still a solid selection.

With an offensive line of Johnson at LT and Martin at RT to start the season, I don't know if Miami is any better off.
 
Maybe the reason it was cheap is because there wasn't good reason to trade up. Don't you think if you trade up to get a player third overall then he should play more than a third of the snaps?
 

Super Nomario

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phragle said:
Yeah he's certainly in a great situation but I don't think the other tackles are in poor situations either. In Miami Johnson may not be as good as quickly, but I don't think scheme is a reason he couldn't fit in Miami. Left tackles have to be great athletes in every scheme, not just Zone ones. Johnson's combine numbers are almost exactly the same as Joe Staley's who is the best there is and in a power scheme.
There weren't / aren't any questions about Johnson's athleticism; his combine numbers dwarfed Fisher's and Joeckel's. The questions were about technique and experience, and going to a run-first ZBS offense was a good fit for him as a rookie. Maybe, like Staley, he develops into the kind of player who would succeed in any system, but getting drafted by the Eagles was a better fit for his current skill set than the Dolphins would have been.
 
phragle said:
I think he could play in either defense. In a Von Miller role in a 4-3, or a Justin Houston role in a 3-4. I'll give them credit on one thing. They are dropping him in coverage about 20% of the passing plays. That's the highest in the league for a DE, but it's still lower than ideal for him. He's just not a DE, he's a SLB in a 4-3.
I'm dubious of the idea that there's a "Von Miller" role, because we haven't seen anybody really succeed in it other than Miller. At the end of the day, unless you're going to run an overload blitz, mathematically you can only have two edge rushers, so one of Wake / Jordan / Vernon has to kick inside (not really their skill set) or come off the field.
 

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Super Nomario said:
There weren't / aren't any questions about Johnson's athleticism; his combine numbers dwarfed Fisher's and Joeckel's. The questions were about technique and experience, and going to a run-first ZBS offense was a good fit for him as a rookie. Maybe, like Staley, he develops into the kind of player who would succeed in any system, but getting drafted by the Eagles was a better fit for his current skill set than the Dolphins would have been.
 
Right, but I don't think theres anything that suggest he wouldn't also play well in Miami. In his last 7 games he's positive11.6 at PFF with only 13 pressures allowed. I think that's good enough to translate.
 
Poor Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 58 times. 58! In 15 games that's already 8 more than the the second highest since 2008. I'm surprised he's still standing. Do you think Tannehill would trade Jordan for Johnson? I do.
 
Super Nomario said:
I'm dubious of the idea that there's a "Von Miller" role, because we haven't seen anybody really succeed in it other than Miller. At the end of the day, unless you're going to run an overload blitz, mathematically you can only have two edge rushers, so one of Wake / Jordan / Vernon has to kick inside (not really their skill set) or come off the field.
 
Well I don't think he'd do it as well as Miller, but when you have a very athletic pass-rusher that's too light play on the line, then the Von Miller role is the only option if you want him to play a lot. Plus Jordan is fantastic in coverage. In theory that'd put less pressure on is pass-rushing ability.
 
I think Wake would do fine working on a guard man up, especially if Jordan is out wide taking the tackle up the field. There just has to be proper spacing.
 

Super Nomario

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phragle said:
Right, but I don't think theres anything that suggest he wouldn't also play well in Miami. In his last 7 games he's positive11.6 at PFF with only 13 pressures allowed. I think that's good enough to translate.
 
Poor Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 58 times. 58! In 15 games that's already 8 more than the the second highest since 2008. I'm surprised he's still standing. Do you think Tannehill would trade Jordan for Johnson? I do.
I think a good part of their problem is Tannehill's inability to set protection and recognize blitzes. (FWIW, PFF appears to agree, ranking Miami's "pass block" as a team at +0.5, 16th in the league). But tackle's definitely been a problem, and Johnson would have helped.
 
phragle said:
Well I don't think he'd do it as well as Miller, but when you have a very athletic pass-rusher that's too light play on the line, then the Von Miller role is the only option if you want him to play a lot. Plus Jordan is fantastic in coverage. In theory that'd put less pressure on is pass-rushing ability.
If Jordan really was fantastic in coverage, wouldn't Miami have dropped him back more than 42 times? He seems like Miami's version of the Jamie Collins problem, except the Pats knew he was raw going in and picked up picks trading back for Collins, while the Dolphins traded up for Jordan.
 
phragle said:
 I think Wake would do fine working on a guard man up, especially if Jordan is out wide taking the tackle up the field. There just has to be proper spacing.
I guess you could do this every once in a while but I have a hard time seeing it as a regular thing.
 

SMU_Sox

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SN Tanne has that problem, sure. But in his defense he gets pressure so often that even if he does recognize it it is often too late anyway. That article that Ben Muth posted is great. Tanne scrambles to the left on one play when he was faced with pressure up the middle. Honestly it was a good move. The problem? His left tackle got beat. Completely.
 

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Super Nomario said:
If Jordan really was fantastic in coverage, wouldn't Miami have dropped him back more than 42 times? He seems like Miami's version of the Jamie Collins problem, except the Pats knew he was raw going in and picked up picks trading back for Collins, while the Dolphins traded up for Jordan.
Jordan is a lot like Collins, but instead of only having the tools to play in coverage (like Collins) Jordan has actually done it. At Oregon he played slot cornerback all the time. He is fantastic in coverage. I don't know why Miami uses him wrong.
 
Super Nomario said:
I guess you could do this every once in a while but I have a hard time seeing it as a regular thing.
Spacing is the same principal the Wide-9 defense is built on. It's a great defense in passing situations.
 

Clears Cleaver

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I want to see stats when Miami goes no back. I think Tannehill gets sacked an inordinately high % of those plays. And I agree he sucks at calling protections. Oddly, Miami has only thrown deep to Wallace a couple times while doing play -action max protect. Huh?

Lose today and season seems like a complete fail. Win today and get in and it hits most people expectations. Weird.
 

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Clears Cleaver said:
I want to see stats when Miami goes no back. I think Tannehill gets sacked an inordinately high % of those plays. And I agree he sucks at calling protections. Oddly, Miami has only thrown deep to Wallace a couple times while doing play -action max protect. Huh?

Lose today and season seems like a complete fail. Win today and get in and it hits most people expectations. Weird.
 
I'd be surprised if Tanny isn't sacked at a higher rate in empty backfield formations. Oddly enough, though, Tannehill routinely states that these are his favorite formations.
 
Miami's just got to win. That's it. I believe the Ravens lose or the Chargers win today.
 
Two losses in "must-win" games vs. sub-.500 teams to end the season would change the way I feel about this coaching staff long-term.
 

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Well, the Sherman-Tannehill experiment looks like at best a mild loss for Ireland and the Dolphins.  I think Tannehill has some skill, but he also is clearly not Brett Favre, which is how Sherman insists on calling the offense.  Maybe with another year he can get there, but the performance of the offense in these last 6 quarters is outright terrible.
 

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God damn it. Hartline look like he tore a ligament. The D needs to step up. Jets are pounding them with the run and making Geno Smith look actually comparable.
 

Clears Cleaver

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If I was a dolphin hater I would absolutely love watching this team. So predictably awful. Just a losing organization.

I'm done.
 

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I want Mike Sherman to die after that playcall on third down.
 

smastroyin

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Well, come on, it's only the third time today that that play has gone for negative yards.  Eventually it's going to work, the game film from 2004 says so.
 
I do think the fact that the defense has also decided not to stop any plays is going to hurt Philbin's chance to keep his job.  Literally the only thing saving him right now is the fact that you can't just keep changing coaches every two years.  You can't look this bad for two weeks in a row with the season on the line.  Fuck this whole team for treating barely beating the Patriots as if it were the Super Bowl.  
 

Clears Cleaver

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If anyone remains from this staff and front office then Ross has given up. He should just sell to the LA franchise.
 

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Talk about coming up small.  I mean, from the get-go it appeared no one showed up today, with the rather ironic exception of the pass protectors.  Dropped passes, poorly thrown balls, no defensive pressure on Smith, shitty punts, etc., etc.   It's going to be a relief not to have to muster up hope every Sunday.  

I'm not sure how to prioritize the changes this team needs to make, but starting at the top will be a good start.  Anyone have any ideas for a decent pool of potential GMs?
 

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Hugely disappointing. I think the loss of Hartline hurt this game, but the play calling sucked, Tannehill didn't play great, and the defense couldn't stop the run most of the game.
 

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I don't know how this season can be seen as anything but a failure....
And I'm not even talking about the national embarrassment from the Martin incident, just on the field....
 
Ireland had 5 picks in the first 3 rounds, and what amounts to a blank check in Free Agency (due to the cap situation) and what do they have to show for it?  One extra win.  Still no "winning" season, and arguably more holes than they had a year ago.
 
Yes there were some moments where Tannehill flashed, which gives hope, as well as a few others.  And it was nice to see the team respond and right the ship, at least momentarily, but coming into today this team was the 28th ranked Offense and 20th ranked Defense.  That is not a playoff team...
 
I can only hope changes will be made in the front office.  It would feel like a huge weight has been lifted and I can at least have some hope again, even if it turns out to be an illusion.....I'll at least have hope going into next year. 
If the Front office remains in tact....Then I'm not going to know how I'll feel come September.  Even if it looks like I should be excited I'll have Einstein's definition of Insanity playing through my head....It's been years now and I see no reason they'll be change without actual change.
 

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Super Nomario said:
That's the thing that never made any sense to me about the Jordan pick. He seems like a much better fit for a team running a 3-4. I get taking him if he slipped to them at 12 or something (too much value to pass up there), but I didn't understand giving up a 2nd to move up and get him.
 
Especially because the price for Branden Albert was a 2nd round pick. 
 
So, instead of Branden Albert at LT (and, presumably, a full season of Richie Incognito at LG, with Martin as RT or depth) and either Sheldon Richardson or Jarvis Jones (as the DL pick at 12 overall), the Dolphins got Dion Jordan, half a season from Incognito/Martin, and gave up a conditional late round pick in 2014 to get Bryant McKinnie's last season(s). 
 
Dion Jordan better turn out to be very, very good or this series of moves and the PR disaster that accompanied them go down in history as one of the worst sets of decisions by a GM ever. 
 

rymflaherty

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^
Here's another scenario, and probably the one I was arguing for most this past off-season...
I would have just given Long the Franchise tag.
I had no problem with Ireland not wanting to give him a long term deal after a couple sub-par injury plagued seasons, but it could have helped stabilize things if you had him for one more year.  At that point you could not only assess Long and see if the injuries would continue to mount and his best days truly were behind him, but it would also give you another year to evaluate Martin.
I believe that one year would have allowed them to make a much better decision on each tackle spot...
 
Instead you wind up with like 14m committed to two DT's.  Both solid, but not spectacular.  And already having depth at the position,
 
Whatever....When I really think about most of the moves the past 5 years I get frustrated.  It just pisses me off. 
As I said in my last thread, I can only pray there is a change....And I pray Ross opens up the search and looks for the honest to go best candidate, and doesn't limit the search by looking for Carl Peterson buddies, or limiting yourself to only candidates that agree to keep Philbin.  Not that I'm 100% for firing Philbin....I'm just 100% behind finding an honest-to-God talent evaluator, someone from a well run organization, and then allow them to make the decision.
 

Clears Cleaver

Lil' Bill
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Philbin and his staff should go. 20th ranked defense. 28th ranked offense. How can you keep Sherman? Why, because he works so well with Tannehill? 28th. He's fired. Bye.

The GM goes. Has to. I'd bring in cowher. Or Shaw.
 

rymflaherty

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With SD in, that means Miami went 4-1 vs. the other AFC playoff teams.
 
Yet with the season on the line they score 7 points total in two weeks vs. the Bills and Jets.  Ugh!
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
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Both the Jets and Bills have stout front 7s that can generate pressure both up the middle and at the edges. Possibly their greatest strengths too... coincidence? Hardly.
 

rymflaherty

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SMU_Sox said:
Both the Jets and Bills have stout front 7s that can generate pressure both up the middle and at the edges. Possibly their greatest strengths too... coincidence? Hardly.
 
And the Dolphins also dominated the Jets, beat the Bengals, and held their own a couple weeks prior vs. the Panthers.
It also doesn't explain the shitty performance by the defense vs. those teams offenses.
 
I see what you're trying to say.  And it is true that regardless of their record, those teams pose unique problems for the Dolphins...but more than anything it illustrates that this team is the definition of mediocrity.
They are the proverbial team that can win, or lose any week.  Up until today every home game was decided by 4 points or less.
And if it is strictly due to matchups, that this team was blown out by the Jets and Bills  then it just speaks to how far this team still has to go.
 

Clears Cleaver

Lil' Bill
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Aug 1, 2001
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2-4 in division. Again. Build your team to win your division. It's 37.5 percent of your schedule. Whatever.

These guys are losers. The organization top to bottom is a losing one
 

CouchsideSteve

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Just an incredible rollercoaster of a season. From the elation of the 3-0 start and comeback win over ATL (when we still thought they were good), to the Martin/Incognito scandal and loss to the then-winless Bucs, followed by perhaps Tannehill's best stretch of football and the dramatic Week 15 win over NE, capped off by a couple of truly pathetic performances against BUF/NYJ.
 
I'm disappointed, but not surprised. I was long of the opinion that Ireland needed to be fired to turn the page and move forward, and after some temporary disillusionment, I've settled back at that place. It's unfortunate that Philbin - who I think is a class act and solid tactical coach - would likely be a casualty as well, but the team simply hasn't drafted and developed enough talent to win. I'm going to have a really hard time mustering optimism for next season if Ireland doesn't go.
 

smastroyin

simpering whimperer
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I can't see how Ross can keep Ireland.  He is a despicable human being and his despicable practices don't produce high level teams.  I'm sure he's charming in person and sucks Ross's ego like every good sycophant should, but he's worthless.
 
As for Philbin, I think he ends up a victim because how can your team just not show up two weeks in a row in December?  Maybe he gets by with firing his coordinators.  Sherman was there specifically for Tannehill and hasn't gotten any improvement out of him at all, while other parts of the offense have faded.  The playcall on 4th and inches yesterday should have been enough to get him fired on the spot.  Under Coyle the defense has gotten worse each of the last two years in points and yards, and he wasn't able to effectively use Jordan - I presume he was part of the input to that choice to trade up and draft.
 

rymflaherty

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At the risk of over-simplyfying this and placing too much importance on the QB position -

I think we saw an overall mediocre to poor roster of talent, and the overall ebb's and flow's of this team mirrored the QB play.

Has anyone taken a look at Tannehill's splits?

In wins
66%  2,146 yds. 7.58 ypa 13 TD 5 int  96.4 rat
In losses
55%  1,767 yds. 5.79 ypa 11 TD 12 Int 68.0 rat
 
Now I realize Tannehill shouldn't get all the blame, or credit in either case....but I think you look at those numbers and are led toward one of two conclusions -  Either this was a good to great Dolphins team brought down by Tannehill, or a mediocre to poor team that Ryan at times elevated.
When I look at who the win's and losses were against I'd lean toward the latter.
 

Super Nomario

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rymflaherty said:
At the risk of over-simplyfying this and placing too much importance on the QB position -

I think we saw an overall mediocre to poor roster of talent, and the overall ebb's and flow's of this team mirrored the QB play.

Has anyone taken a look at Tannehill's splits?

In wins
66%  2,146 yds. 7.58 ypa 13 TD 5 int  96.4 rat
In losses
55%  1,767 yds. 5.79 ypa 11 TD 12 Int 68.0 rat
 
Now I realize Tannehill shouldn't get all the blame, or credit in either case....but I think you look at those numbers and are led toward one of two conclusions -  Either this was a good to great Dolphins team brought down by Tannehill, or a mediocre to poor team that Ryan at times elevated.
When I look at who the win's and losses were against I'd lean toward the latter.
All 2013 NFL QBs in wins: 64.9% completion, 7.8 Y/A, 480 TD / 157 INT, 100.0 rating
In losses: 58.1%, 6.5 YPA, 325 TD / 345 INT, 74.1 rating
 
This kind of split is pretty normal.