Is Hard Knocks a Mistake in Miami

I’m torn between how much fun it will be to watch my Miami Dolphins on Hard Knocks and WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING! When Philbin says, “No. 1, it was a football decision, it was made by the football operations staff. Our owner supported this decision, but in no way shape or form forced us to make the decision.” All I can think is Bullshit!

Man, it will be so cool to see the Fins finally getting a little national exposure, wait let me think about this, first time head coach, new coaching staff, new offensive, new defensive and a rookie QB! Well if Merriam Webster ever needed a scenario to describe the word “distraction,” YouTube meets the dictionary. (hummm that’s an interesting idea!)

There is no person on the planet that can make me believe Joe Philbin was not out muscled on this decision. Which means, when he said the words, “I’m personally very excited about it,” he was being much less than honest. So, Joe is a company man and I would venture guess, he had absolutely no choice, which means Boss Ross made this decision.

Maybe we could think Jeff Ireland was behind it, but I don’t see that either, Ireland has too much to lose from losing this season, maybe even more than Philbin. Jeff is just not the kind of guy to put himself out there voluntarily so he was subjected to the same arm-twisting as Philbin. Certainly, the Boss would listen his football people, over the media relations staff that got his prize possession in the national media void, where the Dolphins currently reside.

It all leads to Harvey Greene and the media relations staff with another desperate attempt to regain national recognition by attracting attention, off the football field. The question we have to ask is, does more harm than good come from this decision.  From the fan perspective, it is difficult to frown at the thought of going inside the Dolphin training camp, from the football perspective; it seems like a very foolish idea.

Another thought influences my personal perspective; it could be a good thing to have the pressure that comes with the spotlight squarely on the team. Think of the games last season where an opportunity to win was squandered by a team, that has forgotten how to win. The Jets and Bengals were able to use the exposure as a springboard to the playoffs, why not Miami.

Winning is an attitude that must be cultivated and it comes from functioning at peak performance in the heat of the moment. That moment cannot be experienced on the practice field, which is why teams scrimmage against each other in the pre-season, but this form of the spotlight intrigues me. Could the Dolphins actually practice a little harder, pay a little closer attention to detail, learn how to act in the bright lights?

Being in the initial camp of thinking this was a stupid idea, the second thoughts are beginning to look better than the first. The cameras will keep the team on their toes, I highly doubt any player will want to be exposed on national TV by showing up drunk, like Vontae Davis did a couple years ago. We won’t hear Joe Philbin tell everyone it’s time for a “God damn snack!”

Okay, I’m in with it, but the question is, what do you think?

Tannehill Will Ride the Pine in Miami

From the group of Matt Moore, David Garrard and Ryan Tannehill the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins will emerge, but unfortunately is there not a franchise QB among them… Moore and Garrard have flirted with elite status for moments in their careers, but neither has parlayed those moments into long term success and time is not on their side.

Once the euphoria of the Dolphins actually drafting a first round QB wears off, the reality that Ryan Tannehill was a huge stretch becomes apparent. Tannehill completed only 12.5% of his passes over 20 yards and that number alone should raise some serious red flags when looking for an NFL caliber QB.

Consider the following chart, Moore 2011, Garrard 2010, Tannehill 2011 Texas A&M…

The chart above shows the passing splits of the three QBs in contention for the Miami Dolphin starting job. They are all equally adept at throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage, but even when stretching to 1- 10 yards the stats begin to waver on Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill does maintain his own on the intermediate passes of 10 -20 yards, in fact he is better the Moore or Garrard, but then we see the problem area.

Ryan Tannehill is no better than Chad Henne when it comes to delivering the "chunk plays." He only completed three passes over twenty yards, nearly as many as he completed to defensive backs. What this means for Dolphin fans is that rushing Tannehill on the field would be a huge mistake.

The numbers indicate Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman believe Tannehill has the potential to become an NFL caliber QB, but it is not likely to happen this season. If the Dolphins do play Tannehill it will be in a dink and dunk fashion that NFL defenses will soon identify and shut down. Once that happens, Miami will be forced to throw the ball down the field and as the chart indicates, bad things are likely to happen.

Taking Tannehill out of the equation would be the best option for the Dolphins and that will bring the competition down to Moore and Garrard. The chart above does seem to favor Garrard, but as Raheem Morris was fond of saying in Tampa Bay, “stats are for losers.” Unfortunately that maxim did not work out well for Raheem.

The bottom line for Miami fans is, Ryan Tannehill is not a savior and will not be the second coming of Dan Marino, with a starting assignment coming at some point as a rookie. Tannehill needs time to develop the touch and anticipation required to throw deep balls in the NFL. Starting Tannehill early will lead to a very predictable Miami offense and do more harm than good to Tannehill’s confidence.

The fans will never have the patience to allow Tannehill to grow into the position so it is imperative the coaching staff is not swayed by public opinion to rush Tannehill on the field. All QBs are different and all take different amounts of time to learn the NFL game. Tannehill will need time, the question is, will Miami fans wait it out through the growing process?

There is a veteran coaching staff in Miami, even though Joe Philbin is a first time head coach, he has groomed QBs. Miami will settle with either Moore or Garrard and Dolphin fans will need patience if they expect Tannehill to reach his potential. It’s obvious from the chart above Ryan Tannehill was picked on potential and not his statistics.

Can Dolphin fans wait it out? It’s a lot to ask of a fan base that as not hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in nearly 40 years… Tannehill and the coaching staff will need broad shoulders to weather the coming storm when the savior finds himself riding the pine…

Got The Message?

It seems that Karlos Dansby did.  In a recent interview with the Sun Sentinel it appears that Karlos is stepping up to the plate as a leader on this team.  He came to the OTAs in shape 6'4" 250s.  Better yet, he's talking about winning the AFC.

It's been awhile since I have heard talk like that!!  OK, OK, I know some of you are saying "now Dog don't get ahead of yourself here". I can tell all of you this, if as a football player, or in anything one may do in life you must believe you can do it in order to succeed.

Karlos Dansby is setting the standards high for this season.  Reggie Bush did the same thing a few weeks ago with his stating he would lead the league in rushing.  I don't remember hearing anyone say we would take the division title for quite some time.  Maybe it is braggadocio on Dansby and Bush's part.  I don't know, but I sure like the way it sounds.

OTAs recap

Most of you have been following OTAs so you may have seen most of this.  I thought I would post this for those that don't have the time to follow all the media outlets.  Most of what I am writing came from the Palm Beach Post and the Sun-Sentinel.

There has been some talk of Ross saying that MM will likely be the starter.  That was countered by Joe Philbin when he said that is not Boss Ross's call.  Philbin went as far as to say Ross does not sign his pay checks, that is done by the treasure of the Dolphins organization.  (That made me laugh, I like you Joe but come on dude !!!)  Joe said the QB position is a open competition as all the positions are.  (Well I don't believe that either, but I'll roll with that statement for now.)

86 of 89 players were at the OTAs  of the 3 that were missing, they are still in classes at school.  Vontae Davis, Jerome Messam, and ( Jonas Gray who ?) sat out of todays session.  In the 4-3 defense Odrick has been moved to the LDE and Wake is playing RDE.  Burnett and Misi are flip flopping from strong side and weak side OLB with Dansby in the Middle.  Jones and Clemons are at safety and Marshall is filling in for Davis with Smith on the other side for the CBs.

John Jerry at guard and Murtha are manning the right side.  Reports have it that Jerry looks heavy 20 -30 lbs.  (What else is new ?)  Naanee, Bess, and Hartline have manning WR positions, and Bush has been seeing some time in the slot.

Early reports have it that Lamar Miller has looked good so far.  Burnett said guys look good without the pads on and when the pads go on things will change.  " Right now guys are trying to learn a new system, and you can't take to much out of the OTAs."

All of the QBs have had their moments so far, as Burnett said they are trying to learn a new system. 

From the Palm Beach Post, Philbin said : The Dolphins currently have 12 receivers vying for five roster spots, and Philbin said at this point it’s hard to judge them. “We haven’t seen a lot of press man-to-man yet,” he said. But Philbin said he has three criteria: “One of the things that will be interesting to see is how they separate against man coverage. You’re looking for guys who can make a play on a vertical ball down the field, that’s something that’s very important. And third, a guy that’s a consistent ball catcher, I know it sounds simple but sometimes it’s overlooked.”
* Philbin, on how the practice went: “I was really pleased with the effort out there today. I thought the execution was relatively good for the vast majority of practice. The last team practice we had got a little sloppy. My guess is guys got a little tired, the heat and reps caught up with them.”
* Philbin, on what he hopes to accomplish during this three-day OTA (Wednesday and Thursday are closed to the media): “You want to start building some chemistry. We exposed the guys to a lot of information. You want to see some leaders emerge, you want to see the units play together, you want to see good communication on both sides of the ball. You’re looking for a lot of chemistry, communication and that consistency a little bit.”

From what I have read the pace of the practices has been fast ( like in 2 minute drill fast )  Philbin has been having the offense running up tempo for the entire practice.  Going as far as setting the 40 second clock up to 33 seconds.  They have been running 2 complete 11 on  11 drills on each side of 50 yard line.  As soon as one side of the field runs a play, the other side of the field will run theres.  The reporters are saying they don't have time write down what is happening between plays because there is no time to do so.

David Garard said if they play like this during the season, defenses are going to have a hard time getting there players on the field between plays.  (I don't know about the rest of you but I like the sounds of that.)  A few players said the practices are running at warp speed and they were not ready for that.

Looking for DVDs of Miami Dolphins Games? Check out Ron's World

I think you guys are going to really like this site that I'm going to talk about in this post. I've ordered countless Dolphins games from Ron, and I think that you guys will enjoy what Ron can do as much as I have.

A few years ago I stumbled across a website called Ron's World of Miami Dolphins. I thought it was going to be another typical fan site (not that there's anything wrong with that), but boy was I wrong. What makes Ron Weiss and his site so special is that he has close to 800 FULL Dolphins games that he can make into DVDs for you.

Ron's collection is incredible. Ron owns the largest collection of Dolphins games in the world. Nobody has more games than Ron. He even has the Miami Dolphins first ever win in 1966. I'm not kidding when I say this guy has an amazing collection. He gave me the entire 2010-2011 Dolphins season last year, and we're going to do the same thing again this year.

Now, to what I know you're wondering: how can I get some of these games for myself?

Well, you have two ways of getting them from Ron. You can either buy them from him or you can trade him Dolphins memorabilia and stuff like that for them.

To order the games or talk about a trade just email him at finfanron1@aol.com. Here is his website where you can find all of the games that he has:
RonsWorldofMiamiDolphins.com

To find the games just look at the tabs at the top of the page with the dates on them.

I promise you that he will not cheat or scam you. I can personally vouch that he is honest and will never cheat you out of anything as I have received multiple sets of DVDs from him.

And, if you're interested he also has the Pro Bowls with Dolphins players in them and other really cool videos that you won't find anywhere else.

I encourage you all to take a look at the games he has. I am pretty confident that just looking at some of the descriptions of the games will bring back some very fond memories.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this, and I hope you guys find some games that interest you. If you guys order any games let me know which ones. I'm curious to see what everyone orders.

The Miami Dolphin Offense Revealed

I’m sure folks are wondering and yes, I do have a copy of Bill Walsh’s playbook from the 80’s and what I’m presenting comes directly from that playbook. With the play clock it seems astonishing that teams can get personnel in and out of the game so quickly…

When different personnel groups enter the game, it is vital that everyone know what group should be on the field. When teams change personnel, everyone going onto the field calls out the group, and uses the associated hand signal.

If the “E” personnel should be on the field, the 'E' man would holler out 'E-personnel, E personnel,' and signal by holding out three fingers sideways (like an 'E') on each hand.



These formations are basic, and while used in play calling, the initial purpose is to get the right personnel group on the field. Each of the base formations is further broken down, for example:

For our understanding, I will just illustrate how the BASE package works. In its simplest form it is called RED.

The illustration above shows the BASE RED formation, but if this was changed to an A-C STRONG formation, we would have to understand what “A-C” means. A-C is referring to the back alignments. From behind, “A” is left, “B” is in the middle and “C” is on the right.

In the base formation there is no “B” so when the formation is A-C STRONG it means the Fullback (C) is lined up on the same side as the TE, making it A-C STRONG. It will always be prefixed by defining the side of the field, RED RIGHT A-C STRONG.

‘F’ SHORT detonates bringing a the “Z” in motion to crack back on the OLB.

‘Y’ MOTION would look like this.

Here’s what the entire BASE formation package would look like…

Okay class, that’s enough for today… Take your time and try to digest all of this. I know it all seems complicated and remember, I only showed the base package, there are 6 more! The next time you hear someone call a football player stupid, you'll know better!

This is why I love the game. The intricacies set it apart from any other sport. Looking at what we see here gives fans an indication how good the coaches have to be to get these players to understand the complications of the game.

Next installment we’re going to start running some plays!

The Miami Dolphins have Playmakers

When assessing the possibilities for the Dolphins West Coast Offense (WCO) it is important to understand the base formations in the WC system. The chart below is a graphic of the 7 most prominent formations from Bill Walsh’s WCO. It’s easy to see how the NFL passing game has changed from the 1980’s to today.

All of these formations with a split backfield can now be run from the shotgun as well as under center. For the purposes of this examination I’ll just stick with the QB under center. I’ll take each formation and add the players to connect the dots to the personnel. Once the names are in place it will be easy to see the Dolphins have a dilemma. There may not be enough balls to go around.

 

The base formation would have this personnel package.

Already this package opens up questions at the fullback position. Daniel Thomas was a 2nd round pick and should be on the field even if it means playing fullback.

 

 In this formation Egnew gets a shot, but that takes Thomas off the field.

 

This formation gets Clyde Gates on the field, but at the expense of Agnew.

 

The rookie Miller gets a shot, but where is Agnew, Thomas and Gates?

 

The rookie is back on the bench and Clyde Gates is wondering what it takes to get playing time, hey what about Bess?

Miller, Clay and Gates in the same package... Hey what about the fullbacks on the roster and where is Thomas?

 

Yeatman makes an appearance in the goal line package... Well you can see where this is going, so the question is, what are the Dolphins going to do with all the playmakers on the roster? The question for the folks on Dolphinshout is, will Miami be cutting loose some good players on the final roster? Which of these formations would the shouters man differently and why?

The West Coast Comes to Miami

The West Coast Offense (WCO) is a name generally associated with legendary San Francisco coach Bill Walsh. The early roots of this offense were instilled by Marv Levy, then head coach at the University of California Berkeley and further developed in the vertical passing offense of Al Davis, a disciple of Sid Gillman, but took hold in 1968, when Walsh joined the staff of iconic coach Paul Brown with the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals. It was there that Walsh developed the philosophy now known as the "West Coast Offense.”

Interestingly enough, Brown is also the mentor of Don Shula and many of the innovators who pioneered the modern NFL passing game. Until this time and even in Shula’s early years with the Dolphins, the NFL was primarily a running league. Like the running game, the early passing game was a highly disciplined precision offense, practiced to perfection. The schemes and routes rehearsed until a system of timing developed that took advantage of a Quarterback’s footwork to release the ball in precise rhythm with cuts of a primary receiver.

The basic change in the WCO is not necessarily the actual plays; it is more the freedom given to the QB to exploit a defense by removing the rigid constraints encouraged by the Lombardi inspired running attack. Offenses were being defended by reading blocking patterns and sending more defenders to the point of attack on a run play or dropping into coverage when blocking schemes dictated a pass. The WCO was developed to exploit defensive adjustments by the extension of layers within the basic play.

In the WCO passing game, it is important that both the quarterback and the receivers be able to read the coverage of the defense. Unlike many passing plays that are designed for a primary receiver, the quarterback needs to be able to choose the receiver he is going to throw the ball to prior to the snap. The receivers need to be able to recognize the coverage, and make necessary adjustments to their routes, or even run entirely different routes. The WCO does not rely on a dominate receiver because any receiver can become the primary receiver based on the read at the line of scrimmage.

The much talked about receiver progression is not driven by the QBs ability to identify different targets in the course of a play, but by the design of the play moving defenders away from the intended target. A quick pass on a three-step drop, is followed by the same receiver running the same pattern, looking exactly the same but with the intention of exploiting the defender adjusting to that route while leaving a route behind him open.

The first fifteen to twenty plays are often scripted to see how the defense reacts to those plays in order to understand how that will affect the secondary and tertiary layers of the same play. That is what all those pictures fans see QBs and coaches look at on the sideline, not the actual play, but how the defense reacted to it. With the WCO offense, the same play is dynamic and designed to exploit a defense in motion, using the defense against itself in the course of a game.

The philosophical difference in Miami will come from a change to attacking from the offensive side of the ball verses the defensive side. Bill Parcells was a defensive coach, who believed football games were won the defensive side of the ball, with the offense responsible for scoring points, but most importantly, for ball control, and not giving away points. Tony Sparano, as a disciple of Parcells, followed the same philosophy and the Dolphins were built in that image.

The hiring of Dan Henning is a clear indication of this philosophy, because the Henning offense was a regimented run based offense that employed a dominate receiver in passing situations. It is easy to see why Brandon Marshall was acquired given these constraints. Sparano knew the philosophy was antiquated and tried to modernize it by dabbling with the Wildcat and then hiring Brian Daboll, but the structure initiated by Parcells and Henning could not evolve, especially in the presence of Brandon Marshall, though it did begin to take root.

Now, removing Marshall from the equation not only makes sense, but also is imperative to the evolution of the Miami offense. The teams now playing at the top of the league with the possible exception of the Giants… Green Bay, New Orleans, New England among others have abandoned the notion of defense winning championships, but a combination of both will always be necessary.

In Miami, there will not be an extreme change on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense will look more like the Marino era than any conception that has followed. This philosophy puts a premium on QB play, but is actually QB friendly due the use of layered plays. In a layered offense, plays are built from basic three step drops that grow from the quick out, slant and Hitch, to five-step drops and seven-step drops designed to give the receivers time to maneuver before the ball is thrown. This technique gives maximum separation between the receiver and defenders, whether running vertical routes or crosses.

It will take time, but it is apparent why many folks around the league think Ryan Tannehill may be further ahead of Moore or Garrard in many aspects of this offense. It is also clear why Tannehill was drafted. What is not clear is why Matt Flynn was left on the table, but Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman are much better judges of these two players than personnel folks less familiar with both.

Welcome to a new world in Miami where the West Coast Offense takes center stage!

A Little Change of Pace..

Alrighty, let's change the tune around here for a moment : ) !!
O'Kay, so we've recently gone over who we like and dislike ..
I personally can't wait until Tannehill takes the bull by the horns !!

I'll tell you one thing, it's quite obvious that our Franchise Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is COOL UNDER PRESSURE of all kinds ..



Or is he ??



I LOVE THE GUY, he's gonna be special !!
I just wanted to give you all an opportunity at a wide variety of facial expressions, and this did it for me !!


Miami Dolphin 2012 Rookie Class




Miami Dolphins question to the fans ..



Who do you lust over ?? GOFINS!!

So who do you hate ?

To say it is slow in Dolphin land would be putting it mildly, there simply is little to talk about.  I guess that is a good thing. I always felt it is better for a team to have a quiet off season.  It's boring but it is still a good thing.

So I am going to go in a different direction. I am going to tell you about a few teams I can't stand.  First off is the Dallas Cowboys.  I only have 2 favorite teams in the NFL.  The Miami Dolphins and anyone playing the Dallas Cowboys.  Man did I hate the Dolphins bringing in all the cast off Cowboys to play down here.  I don't have any problems with the players it's just the fact that they came from the Cowboys that bothered me.

A very close second is the NY Jets.  I can't figure out why I hate the Jets maybe it's that stupid chant of J-E-T-S jets, jets, jets.  Couldn't they come up something better than that ?  I guess it makes more sense that I dislike the Jets because they play in our division.  Maybe it is their fans that make stomach turn.  I don't see how year after year their fans talk about how great the Jets are and they suck as bad as we do most of the time. 

I am trying to think of a player I really don't like other than anyone that plays for the Cowboys I can't think of any.  Wait a second Joe Montana could come close to the hate category, but not really.  What I didn't like about him was everyone thinking he was better than Dan Marino.  That is an " ABSOLUTE JOKE " Joe Montana was no Dan Marino it isn't even close.  Although the " CATCH " by Dwight Clark against the Cowboys was pretty cool.

Miami Dolphins Give Cameron Wake $49 million Extension

The Miami Dolphins have agreed to a 4 year, $49 million extension with OLB Cameron Wake, according to the Miami Dolphins.

Wake, who might have been the most underpaid player in the league, didn't attend the non-mandatory workouts that the Dolphins held about two weeks ago. We weren't quite sure how long he was planning on not attending, and thankfully we didn't have to get to that point.

He is widely considered to be one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Pro Football Focus actually had him ranked as the best 3-4 outside linebacker and the 16th best player in the NFL.

I have to say that I'm thrilled that the two sides were able to reach an agreement. Wake is an extremely valuable part of the Dolphins defense, and now we have him for four more years. He is a high-character player that is exactly the type of player that new head coach Joe Philbin is looking for.

Hopefully newly drafted pass-rusher Olivier Vernon is able to strengthen this pass-rushing group to a level close to that of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Here is a little highlight video that I found. Hopefully you guys like it.


Thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think below. Feel free to contact me by email at paul@dolphinshout.com and follow me on twitter @PaulDSmythe.

The NFL Must Pay for the Past to Preserve the Future

Depravity has no boundaries in the life of a child... A poor child and parent do not think about whether a concussion will lead to brain damage 30 years later. These children know only the mean streets, where drugs, guns and death are a part of daily life. The NFL and other sports are one of the few avenues out of the cycle of depravation.

The taste of honey is sweet but short lived; Roger Goodell is quoted as saying, “if a player makes an opening day roster, his career is very close to six years.” That number is probably closer to 4 years, but even at 6, it means there is not a lot of time to make money as a NFL player. The average middle class working stiff may take 20 years to make $1 million dollars, in that time, he understands the importance of those pay checks.

A kid who has never worked a real job, but is a gifted enough athlete to be treated “special” by our sports crazed society, does not learn to respect the fruits of labor. At 23 years of age he lands on several million dollars and no one can tell the youngster not to spend the money. Youth does not have age as a barrier and does not consider the fountain of youth, one day running dry. The kid has glamour, beautiful companionship, fast cars and the Ponderosa as a home.

In the NFL land of milk and honey, it’s the player’s body he must put on the line in order to keep the elixir flowing. By the time his mind catches up, the body is damaged beyond repair. His ability to sustain the lifestyle is gone, but the bills accumulated along the way are far from settled. The companionship obtained from living in the spotlight moves on for another taste of glitter and the world comes tumbling down.

The motto is called “Fast and Furious” and like James Dean or Jimmy Hendrix, ends with a death wish. Americans relish this cowboy mentality but when the gravy train shuts off, there is only a broken man in body, spirit and wallet. Only those not gifted enough to play the game can see the nonsense of the trappings.

The NFL must look at our game from both the side of the player and the side of the management. The game cannot survive without the changeover of talent every 6 years. The talent starts in youth leagues, high school and college all to culminate in a tiny window of 6 years. The lawyers and the media will chip away at the billion dollar monopoly looking to hack off a piece, but the game will only survive with the continuous influx of youth and this is what must be preserved.

The ownership and management of the NFL must understand its longevity depends on children and parents willing to risk injury for glory and wealth. This puts the onus on the league to make the proper response to lawsuits and reviews of injuries like concussions. The league cannot make a statement like, “the players know the risks,” because this would be an exoneration of their own responsibility to the sport.

The owners must look at how their response will be received by the parent of a child not yet of age to put on shoulder pads. Those children are the future stars who will keep the game from being smoothed, by the greed spawned from its own success. Taking care of the players who gave up their bodily youth to fill the coffers will show the future players, they will not become the next group pushed aside the moment their knees can no longer stand the pain and pounding.

For its own good and the future of the game, the NFL must acknowledge the risks and put in place a system where the players health and even homestead and be provided for the rest of their lives. If this plan is not agreed on due to greed on the part of owners and current players, it will only lead the to the spigot of youth, which is the game's future, slowing to drip and eventually the game will die.

There was Brilliance in Drafting Ryan Tannehill

In an NFL dominated by the QB position, a GM is defined by his ability to find pro bowl talent at this critical position. Ireland was in the Tuna sized shadow of Bill Parcells and Miami fans will never know whether it was Parcells pulling the strings when Matt Ryan ended up with the Falcons and the decade long search for Dan Marino’s predecessor continued.

Ireland is well aware of the leap of faith he made in the selection of Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill critics used the 19 starts, 12 – 7 win/loss record and 12.5% completion percentage on passes over 25 yards to paint the picture of Ireland making desperate leap with the 8th pick in the draft. Dolphin fans have learned over the last five years that Ireland is not impetuous with his draft picks and does not allow fans to dictate the decisions he makes on draft day.

Ireland was convinced Tannehill was worthy of pick, but to say he was staking his career on what many thought was a reach, is a fallacy. The economics of the NFL have changed the definition of a reach when it comes to the QB position.

It is important to understand, Ireland was not alone in picking Tannehill. Joe Philbin had seen his share of pro bowl QBs in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Mike Sherman not only coached Tannehill at Texas A&M, but was head coach at Green Bay when Brett Favre built his legend.

This collective brain trust has seen a lot of QB play over the years and these same men turned down the likes Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn to get to Tannehill. Manning may say he felt comfort in the open arms of John Elway, but those arms were willing to give away the team’s future for instant success that may, or may not come to fruition. The Broncos unceremoniously traded Tim Tebow to the Jets because the organization was unwilling to step on Manning’s toes.

It was truly a stroke of luck when Manning ran into Elway’s open arms. Miami does not need a QB whose legacy was made with a horseshoe on his helmet. Manning will never relive the success he had at Indy and Miami was the beneficiary of Elway’s love affair.

Joe Philbin groomed Matt Flynn for four years and it’s obvious he did not see the makings of a pro bowl QB. Flynn will turn out to be a good QB, but the chances of him evolving into a franchise QB are slim. The same coach saw something much different in Ryan Tannehill because it is doubtful Philbin would agree to the draft selection if there was doubt in the decision.

All of this seems to place the future of Ireland, Philbin and Sherman, squarely on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill. Nothing could be further from the truth, Ireland has done his job and now he must allow Philbin and Sherman to do theirs. Tannehill’s draft status should not be a driving reason to rush him on the field.

The rookie salary cap does not place the same onus on teams to put their investments on the field. It’s the same reason Jake Locker and Christian Ponder were drafted last year, picking them does not financially strap a team as it would under the old CBA. It makes Jeff Ireland a little more of a fox than the GMs and critics still living in the past.

The reality is, even if Tannehill does not become a great QB it is not the critical mistake it would have been in previous years. Simply comparing Matt Ryan’s contract, to the contract Tannehill is likely to sign, allows Miami to take as much time as possible to groom Tannehill and fans need to be aware of these economics.

The Dolphins could sign Matt Barkley next and a QB the year after and still not pay as much as the Falcons paid for Matt Ryan. Jeff Ireland is well aware of these economics and that means drafting Ryan Tannehill was not only the right thing to do but a coup when placed in the proper perspective.

From this point forward every QB that a coach or GM has even an inkling of a pro bowl future will be drafted early and often. Whether the NFL brain trust is shrewd enough to have planned for the QB bonanza we are likely to see is questionable, but in light of the NFL’s penchant for QB play, it was a brilliant move.

Ireland caught the tip of the craze and many are sure to follow. Whether Tannehill becomes a great QB will not mean the end of Ireland’s career and many may eventually realize... He’s not the idiot they believe.

Love Him or Leave Him !!!

Since it is a bit slow in Dolphin Land I thought I would ask what everyone thinks about Roger Goodell.  Do you think he went to far in suspending the Coaching Staff and the Players ?

I look at Roger Goodell as the Daddy of the NFL.  Some times a Daddy must do things he doesn't like to do, but because he feels it is best for his Family he must act.  It isn't a great position to be in I might add.  He will be dammed by the players and coaches if does something, but if he sits by and does nothing,  Then nothing will change, and the behavior will not change.

The last year of Pete Rozelle rule there were 70 off field transgressions in the NFL.  Last year under Roger Goodell there were 16.  Folks !!  Roger may not be liked but he is doing something right !!!  Some people may not like him, but you can't argue with those numbers.

Now I also am a Daddy, and one of the rules I had for myself in being a Parent was this.  If you expect nothing from your Child that is exactly what you will get. 
" Nothing "  Roger Goodell is being a good Daddy in my eyes.  He expects his players to act in a professional manner while they are under his watch, and if they don't then be prepared to pay the price.

Who's Your Man?!!!

I thought I would deviate from the draft talk to give everyone a break. Every now and then something pops into my head that gets me thinking about everyone who reads the Dolphin Shout. This is one of those moments. With all the players that have graced the field for the Miami Dolphins.

Who has been your favorite player? Has or is it someone that is obscure as mine is? Is it someone that was an absolute stud on the field, or a player that overcame get odds to make the big show? Is it a player that did something for the Community, or a charity that is near and dear to your heart? Maybe it is someone that you know personally. What ever the reason, I would like to hear about it.

I will give you my favorite player. I lived down in Broward County when the Dolphins came to life. In all the years I lived down there I never once met a player, but one sticks out in my mind. He wasn't what I would call a star on the team. Oh, he had his share of starting assignments and he was an important part of the team.

My Man was Howard Twilly. If a few of you are thinking to yourself WHO??? Don't feel left out, because that is what I thought when the Dolphins drafted him out of Tulsa. I knew about him, he owned all the receiving records at Tulsa, but I thought why select him in the draft? I mean he was S-L-O-W even in that era, when there were no combines to measure the variables as there is today.

All Howard Twilly did was make plays for the Dolphins. Every year Coach Shula was trying to upgrade his position, selecting a WR opposite of Paul Warfield to replace Twilly. Shula finally found a replacement for him in Marlin Briscoe in a trade with the Bills. The following year Briscoe was successful in dislodging Twilly from the starting line up. It really didn't matter though. Twilly continued to do what always did. Make that first down catch or TD catch when it was really needed. He had no speed to stretch the field, but what he did he did better than anyone they had on the team was he made plays and he had the knack of making them at the most important time in the game.

Howard Twilly was undersized and slow, but he was a gamer, and I like players that produce when they are not the best athlete on the field.