The Miami Dolphins are Ryan Tannehill's Team

The loss of Miami Dolphin quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2017 left Adam Gase searching for leaders to fill the void. The signing of Jay Cutler made it immediately obvious Gase was not impressed with Matt Moore. The inability of Mike Pouncey to participate in practice limited the oft-injured center. As the team's designated playmaker, Jarvis Landry's swashbuckling style left it impossible to depend on mercurial receiver. At some point, Gase realized a huge change was necessary if the Miami offense would ever reach the potential he envisioned.

Contrary to what many pundits and fans believe, Gase firmly stands behind Ryan Tannehill. Matt Moore had his moments as a Miami backup, but Moore never pressured Tannehill to start and accepted his reserve role. That acceptance left a void in the absence of Tannehill. The Miami Dolphins were now dependent on the leadership of a backup who was happy collecting a paycheck on the bench. Gase made a mistake believing Jay Cutler could lead; it was obvious by the season's end, Cutler would never play another down in the NFL.

Mike Pouncey was the player coaches proclaimed the best lineman on the team, while frustrated fans only saw a completely inept unit. Pouncey sacrificed his body for the game of football. For coaches and teammates, this is the ultimate gesture of love for the game. Leadership in the locker room comes from players willing to strap it up in the face of injury. It is often said, "after the first week, everyone in the NFL plays injured." Gase needed players willing to sacrifice, but his need for leadership was far greater.

Mike Tannenbaum refused a salary increase for Pouncey and Gase had his out. The center could remain a favorite, but the fabled "NFL is a business" line saved Gase from cutting the injury prone Pouncey without cause. With its leader unable to practice, Gase's offensive line never came together. No other unit on the football field depends more on playing together. The line could not work as a unit with Pouncey on the sideline during practice.

Jarvis Landry wanted to zig when the play was a zag... Jarvis Landry wanted to prance after a catch when his coach was running a fast-paced offense. Baiting Jarvis Landry into throwing down punches when his team was marching to score was easy. Jarvis Landry caught 112 passes and those catches were the wide receiver's only obsession. In today's fantasy world of stats, it's easy to argue, Landry was due a huge payday.

Adam Gase clearly understands money talks more than anything in football and perhaps life. Players follow the example of core leaders generally paid the highest salary. A huge payday for freewheeling Landry clearly would send the message to follow the money. In 2017 the Miami Dolphins needed a leader and Jarvis Landry was not that player. Paying him would have sent the wrong message and Gase knew it.

2018 begins anew with Ryan Tannehill back at the helm. A cohesive offensive line has practiced every single day together since the opening of training camp. The wide receiver room is now a precision group without the leading freestyler. The offense is set for the next play when the QB is ready, and a loud mouth ball-hog no longer challenges Tannehill in the huddle.

Is there addition by subtraction? In seven years with Mike Pouncey as the leader, the Miami Dolphins never fielded a decent offensive line. Four years with Jarvis Landry leading the NFL in receptions, the Miami offense never rose above average. The last eight games Miami played with Tannehill at quarterback, the Dolphins are 7-1.

The Miami Dolphins are finally Ryan Tannehill's team...

23 of the 53 players on the 2018 Dolphins were not on the team when the 2017 season began. When the Dolphin offense takes its first snap this season, only three players may remain from the 2017 season starters. The Miami brass may claim they are not rebuilding, but it certainly seems the team has made a drastic change.

In three seasons, Gase learned who could play his offensive style and who could not. Adam Gase did not make bold or rash decisions this off-season, he simply wanted players who loved the game of football. The city of Miami is an extremely difficult place to cultivate a winning football team. The players are young, wealthy, famous and in the best shape of their lives. The distractions are plentiful and difficult to avoid.

These distractions often lead players into thinking the game is secondary to the spotlight. Gase knows he must find football-first players if he is going to succeed in Miami. Ryan Tannehill is a perfect example of this type of player, Mike Pouncey and Jarvis Landry, not so much.

The Miami Dolphins are finally Ryan Tannehill's team...

This drastic change is settling in for the Dolphins; gone is the glitter and flash, replaced by football-first players. The NFL has taken on a fantasy mentality and with gambling laws changing it will be harder to avoid players looking for stats. It is a very difficult time for coaches. The off-season actions indicate Adam Gase understands and is trying to change his team to keep pace with the game's evolution.

The pre-season gave no indication whether this offense would step forward in 2018. If anything, the pre-season showed the opposite, but it was obvious, Miami held back its aces. Sit back and watch Miami fans, it's Ryan Tannehill's chance to shine. For the first time, an offense built around his strengths aligns squarely on his shoulders.

The Miami Dolphins are finally Ryan Tannehill's team...

Time for Miami Dolphin Winners

As Miami dolphin fans, we are acutely aware of the negativity that originates from a sports network in the backyard of our rivals. Having listened to enough critics, we will not condone the vicious words of hateful anonymous commentors. Every reader has a voice on the internet, and those voices have evolved until only the meanest or most outlandish get attention amid the over-saturation.

Ryan Tannehill may never be great, but the Miami quarterback is a true survivor in an age gone completely fanatical. Without an ounce of his talent, haters incessantly disparage his ability until he has become a hero in the hearts of many true Miami Dolphin fans. Hate is easy. A hater never has to face the fear of losing, like a batter that never comes to the plate will always bat one thousand… Hiding behind hateful words is easier than facing the consequences of losing.

People or teams learn how to win by facing and overcoming the pain of losing. Only two reactions come from losing, learn how to get better and win, or quit. Adam Gase felt several accomplished players were a little too comfortable with losing and those players are no longer with the Miami Dolphins. With so much distraction and unrelenting expectations, it is more difficult than ever to be a loyal fan.

Attention spans compressed into instant gratification, fantasy teams rewarding individual accomplishments and promoting fan disloyalty, all fight against a simple word – Team.

The overused term, “there is no I in team” is a little ludicrous when fantasy is all about “I” and instant gratification starts with the same letter. The quarterback is easily the most important position on the football field, but Tom Brady is not famous for his physical prowess. It’s his ability to demand complete cohesion and unrelenting commitment to team goals that marks his greatness.

Tom Brady lost a lot before he won. He sat on the bench behind Drew Hensen his senior year at Michigan and wasn’t drafted until the 6th round.

Belichick was fired by Cleveland!

Digressing into Brady and Belichick comparisons in a Miami blog is certain to bring out the haters who will miss the point. This season will be the moment Ryan Tannehill is mentioned in the same sentence with Tom Brady. The reason is simple, Tannehill has lost but did not quit, instead he has grown and learned.

Adam Gase removed the players more interested in individual accomplishments at the expense of team goals. Money cannot motivate, there is never enough. When team goals become secondary to money, it is time to part ways. Landry wanted more than his position demanded. Suh was grossly overpaid for his impact. Pouncey could no longer perform up to the value he placed on his own services.

In the NFL, there are always teams willing to pay players on the open market. Landry may never repeat his accomplishments in Miami, but he got his payday. Suh is a mercenary who made his fortune in Miami. Pouncey will be the sad story we read about ten years from now when he can no longer walk. The point is, winning and team goals must come before personal goals in the game of football.

Tannehill has had many opportunities to use losing as a reason to quit and instead has used it as a reason to learn. Ruthless anonymous commentors who can only find pleasure in knocking down others are the definition of a loser. Claiming to be a fan only to antagonize the players who have worked their entire life to reach their dreams, that is the definition of a loser.

Winners will stay with it, even when times are the toughest. The Shout is here for those fans, the faithful, and the true diehards who enter every season hopeful that the turning point has arrived.

Antagonizers, and bad mouthed losers are unwelcome here, please spew your hate elsewhere.

Here, we give Ryan Tannehill one more shot. We give Adam Gase the years he needs to get it right. When the team decides their time has come, we’ll wish them good luck on the way out. Sports, like most things in life runs in cycles, and soon, our time will come again.

While we can never follow our team with blind faith, we will constructively criticize. We will handle losing with dignity and winning with grace. We will stand behind our team through thick and thin, even when it hurts.

We are Miami Dolphin fans.

Respect the Fin!

Defining The Miami Dolphin Puzzle

In recent years, when Miami Dolphin fans enter the off-season it is usually with a sigh of relief. The Dolphin football team has beat us down until a final cry of, “Uncle” is a collective gasp. Miami is not necessarily awful, there’s a level of frustration that comes with mediocrity. It’s like going to a gentlemen’s club where you can look, but do not touch. All the shiny trophies are on display, but someone else is the recipient.

In the third year of the Adam Gase era, the expectations become more urgent. Is there truly a plan in place that will lead to a contending football team? Looking at pretty puzzle pieces individually helps create the final picture. Looking at how those pieces are handled provides insight into the direction of the organization.

Miami began this off-season by discarding the corner puzzle pieces of the franchise. It’s nearly impossible to build a puzzle without the corners and when those pieces are gone, the changes can be drastic. Publicly this team has not made a declaration of starting over, but the actions are speaking much louder than the words.

The normal nicety is to cite salary cap issues as reasoning for releasing highly paid players, but the reality is much more philosophical. In the NFL, the highest paid players must reflect institutional beliefs, otherwise a team is paying for players that don’t match expectations.

Mike Pouncey led an offensive line group that did not consistently produce in either the passing or the running game. Even if the issue was more related to health than game day performance, the line could not produce with its leader watching during practice. Well liked individuals make these decisions difficult. When the robot is breaking down, it’s easy to replace, when it’s a person, it's not so easy.

Ndamukong Suh is a beast among men, he’s as good a football player as any in the league. As the team’s highest paid player, he was expected to be the example of what it takes to reach that plateau. Suh did not attend voluntary off-season programs, did not call the community home and simply was not a good example of a team player. His presence on the defensive line did not make the Miami defense formidable because, he was not a leader.

Jarvis Landry is relational to philosophy for a completely different reason, Miami placed a value on his position and his demands exceeded that value. Free agency is the quirk of the NFL. Suh left Detroit because their structure did not include $100 million dollars for a defensive tackle. Miami paid then what they would not pay for the same position today. Miami would not pay $15 million for a slot receiver.

These puzzle pieces were not leading to a complete picture. Mike Pouncey could not lead from the sideline. Ndamukong Suh could not lead while spending the off-season in Oregon. Jarvis Landry could not lead from a position that racked up statistics and did not produce results.

It’s important to note, none of these players were selected while Adam Gase was the coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Sticking with the same analogy, imagine a circular puzzle. A puzzle where many of the pieces had a curve on one side. A puzzle that had no corners but many similar pieces that connected in a smooth boundary. The idea is a little fluffy for a football depiction, but having many pieces that are each as important as the next, is the definition of the word “team.”

This is the vision of Adam Gase…

He doesn’t want the leader of his offensive line watching while his line-mates suffer through grueling practices. He does not want the leader of his defense isolated in a corner of the locker room with two dedicated stalls. He does not want his highest paid offensive playmaker coming from a position that does not lead to victories.

He wants a team that thinks less as individuals and more as a whole. He wants many smooth pieces and fewer hard edges. He wants players that work together. Most importantly, getting paid in this philosophy, means being part of the glue that holds the puzzle together, not an isolated piece.

That’s why Ryan Tannehill is still a Miami Dolphin and the others are not. Tannehill may not be the greatest QB in the world, but heaven forbid we remind ourselves how many Super Bowls Dan Marino won…

Gone are chronically injured players unwilling to step back in the pay-scale. Gone are high dollar personalities who refuse to participate in team leadership. Gone are individuals seeking inequitable pay for positional value.

These are all philosophical differences that cannot be changed in the course of a few seasons. When we hear this talk of “changing the culture,” this is what it means. It’s Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor rotating for Suh. It’s a healthy Josh Sitton and Daniel Kilgore in place of an oft-injured Pouncey. It’s Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola for the price of a Jarvis Landry.

The Dolphins are no longer accepting “the (nonsense) that’s gone on in the past,” said Gase. “I feel like we’ve added more guys than we’ve lost, I know free agency, a lot of guys are taken away there, and whether we released guys or traded guys, we’re adding good pieces to the puzzle here.”

Will it work? This will be left for the future to tell, but the vision is becoming clearer with each move. What was not clear was depending on the health of Mike Pouncey. What made little sense was signing Ndamukong Suh in the first place. What would have created an inequitable salary structure was signing Jarvis Landry.

There was a huge sentiment in the media and in the fandom, of a first round Miami Dolphin QB. Hopefully after reading these 1000 words it becomes evident why Miami did not reach to make that pick. Reaching would have been another unreasonable expectation because Ryan Tannehill is Adam Gase’s example of what he wants out of a team player.

If the QB had fallen to Miami, this would not have put that player in the position of being specifically drafted to take over the team. By reaching, Miami would have set the expectation, this is our guy, and this is the new face of the franchise. If the QB had fallen to Miami, the expectation would then have been, “he was there and the positional value was too good not to take him.”

This flies in the face of the logic, “keep drafting a QB until you get it right,” but it doesn’t mean the intention was not there. It means, either there was not enough conviction among the Miami Dolphin brain trust to give up whatever the price may have been to trade up, or they made a calculated decision to wait for the falling star that turned out wrong…

One thing is certain, there is no more time for Ryan Tannehill. The term "nonsense" now applies to injury, overspending without results, and overspending for positional value. There can be many smooth pieces in this puzzle, but only one plays quarterback and in the NFL, it better be the right piece.

Adam Gase is tied at the hip to Ryan Tannehill for one more season. If this puzzle does not produce results, the nonsense shall stop one way or the other…

The Miami Dolphin's Best Players = Mediocrity

Allowing the Miami Dolphin off-season decisions to marinate before joining the brashly negative local and national commentary has brought a new perspective.

What exactly were the Miami Dolphins with Ndamukong Suh, Jarvis Landry and Mike Pouncey?

Is it possible to break the chain of mediocrity without breaking the master links holding it in place?

The Dolphins had the highest paid Defensive player in the league for several seasons. It brought only one very fortuitous lost playoff game. Points allowed in the years with Ndamukong Suh found Miami ranked 29th in 2017, 18th in 2016 and 19th in 2015. The purpose of using these numbers is not a negative indictment of Suh’s athletic prowess. It’s a realization that one of, if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL, is simply not impactful.

A defensive tackle, even the very best defensive tackle, does not often impact games in the NFL…

Many pundits believe Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is better than Suh, 2017 – 22nd, 2016 – 15th, 2015 – 26th… The thing is, McCoy and Suh are really good and their defenses are not. Tampa even has two of the best young LBs in the game and yet, they’re not very good.

The question that must be asked is, what positions are truly impactful in the NFL?

Mike Pouncey made several pro bowl appearances, all while playing on one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The people who judge these things should know which players are good and Pouncey got their vote. Yet, the offensive line as a whole was not good. The conclusion has to be that center is not an impactful position in the NFL.

Pouncey was the leader of that unit and the highest paid player. Again, this is not an indictment against Mike Pouncey’s ability, it’s an observation that his position does not impact the NFL game and yet he was one of the highest paid players on the Miami Dolphins.

Jarvis Landry has caught more passes than any player in their first 4 years in NFL history. In 2017, Miami ranked 28th in offensive scoring, 2016 – 16th, 2015 – 27th, 2014 – 11th. Landry wanted to be paid for his accomplishments, which are clearly elite, but they had little impact on Miami’s offensive prowess.

It seems oversimplified to place the mediocrity of the Miami Dolphins on its best players. Perhaps those players are taking the heat or are justification for the mediocrity of the rest of their teammates, but...

Isn’t that how it works?

Aren’t the best and highest paid players the ones who must make an impact? Not all players can get the big contracts and therefore, the ones that do must make a difference and clearly, they have not.

Getting paid for their talent is exactly what players should strive for, it’s up to the management to decide which players impact the bottom line...

Winning...

It appears winning or lack thereof, is exactly what has led to the release of these players.

As observers, we cannot know precisely what goes on behind the scenes or in the huddle, but we can make some assumptions. Jarvis Landry could not possibly have caught more balls than any player in NFL history if he had not been thrown more balls than any player in NFL history. How can this be true and not an assumption?

Catch rate is a term used to determine the amount of times a receiver catches a ball thrown to him.

Landry 70.2 percent
Amendola 68.7 percent

Landry catches a ball thrown to him 1.5% more often than Danny Amendola, that’s it, 1.5% more often. It is not an assumption that Landry has been targeted many, many more times than Amendola, it's a fact.

This is the point where it all makes sense…

If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect to lead the league in receptions. If Adam Gase wants a more diversified offense, a single player cannot expect 25 carries a game (Jay Ajayi).

Paying Landry would have had the same impact as having paid Suh and Pouncey, mediocrity...

All for the exact same reason, a slot receiver is not very impactful…

Suh, Pouncey and Landry, while very good football players have not impacted the mediocre Miami Dolphins. Perhaps it’s justification for past mistakes, like giving Suh the massive contract in the first place. In a bottom line business, Miami was not winning with these guys as the leaders.

The revolving door of head coaches has had no effect and therefore, is not the problem...

The Miami Dolphins have broken the chain of insanity; they have officially stopped doing the same thing over and over again to fix the same problem…

This is only the first step, now the Dolphins must find the impact players that will lead them back to respectability. A great QB, offensive tackles, defensive ends and cornerbacks. These are the impact positions in the game of football.

Paying great players at non-impact positions has little or no effect on the bottom line…

Winning

Mike Tannenbaum is on a Short Leash in Miami

As the Miami Dolphin 1st round draft mistakes pile up, contract disparities will force the team’s best players into the free agent market. Jarvis Landry is not alone, players like Olivier Vernon, Lamar Miller and Rishard Mathews and many others, had to find their way out of Miami to cash in on their talent. The refusal to admit draft mistakes and to make solid first round selections is catching up to the Miami Dolphins.

Jarvis Landry is one of the larger questions looming this offseason. The decision whether to re-sign or let some other team pay his pricey contract demands has ramifications throughout the Dolphin roster. DeVante Parker’s underwhelming performance has again exposed Miami’s complete incompetence in evaluating 1st round talent.

The passing scheme of - Landry as a short yardage monster in the slot; Kenny Stills as the homerun hitter keeping secondary’s honest; Parker as the big target that can win contested throws in critical situations, was a tantalizing thought. Coaching and building off of these players was undoubtedly Adam Gase’s long term vision, but Parker has not developed.

As a first round pick, Miami intended Parker to be a beast. Highly drafted receivers better perform, because as Landry and Mathews have shown, even Miami can draft really good receivers in lower rounds. Mike Tannenbaum certainly does not want to admit he made a mistake with Parker. The Parker Pick came prior to Adam Gase, there’s no telling what Miami would have done differently with Gase’s input.

Many players on the Miami roster have out-performed their draft status, but DeVante Parker is the one making 1st round money. Every team has examples of first round busts, but Miami is in a class by itself. These mistakes are routine and rarely, if ever corrected. Landry should have been signed last year when his price point was much lower. Mike Tannenbaum did nothing and has allowed the situation to simmer to the point where Miami will likely lose one of the team’s best players.

Miami brass decided Jay Cutler was more important than surviving with Matt Moore and paying Jarvis Landry. It turns out they could not have been more wrong. It almost seemed Jay Cutler was Adam Gase’s knee jerk reaction to losing Ryan Tannehill. It was an irrational decision that a good General Manager would have avoided. It will now cost Miami the best wide receiver the team has drafted in years.

It starts with the belief that Parker would finally become the first round beast Tannenbaum thought he drafted. By projecting Parker as a true number one receiver, Jarvis Landry became expendable. It was another poor personnel decision that hasn’t panned out. Miami is still waiting on Parker to develop, while losing Jarvis Landry is a perfect example of managerial ineffectiveness. The Landry situation reeks of Miami’s personnel department being unwilling to admit mistakes.

Ryan Tannehill, 1st round pick, seven years into his career and Miami still does not know whether he’s a true franchise quarterback. DeVante Parker, 1st round pick 4 years into his NFL career and we still don’t know if he’ll ever dominate at the wide receiver position. Ja’Wuan James, 1st round pick 5 years into his NFL career and Miami will likely not pick up his 5th year option and let him go. Dion Jordan, 1st round pick…

Miami drafts pretty good players, such as Landry and Vernon in later rounds, but pays 1st round busts longer than they should and consequently loses these good players. Charles Clay is better than any tight end on the Miami roster, yet the Dolphins let him walk when they should have paid him. These are just examples, and if nothing changes, Miami fans will be looking at mediocrity until Mike Tannenbaum is finally exposed and fired.

Admittedly, there’s still some Jeff Ireland stench in the building, but Tannenbaum has not been able to land a decent first round pick in four tries. How much time does he get Boss Ross? Will Miami fire another coach who is straddled with these inept 1st round busts before the light comes on?

Mediocrity is the worst draft position for a team in the NFL. Bad teams get high draft picks and have a better chance at picking can’t miss players. Great teams draft later, after the talented, but questionable players have been picked by teams like Miami. The Dolphins are constantly picking in the middle of the 1st round where all the busts seem to lurk. Yet in Miami, the mediocrity is blamed on coaches.

The information is available for those who follow the draft. Tannehill had all the tangibles, arm strength, size, great character, athletic, smart, but he was there at the 8th pick because his team lost a lot of close games and he had very limited experience. Truth is, Tannehill would have been there a lot longer had Miami not prematurely pulled the trigger. Tannehill is just good enough to get his coaches fired, unfortunately, the Dolphins are still trying to find a coach that can teach him how to win.

Miami was unprepared for the 3rd pick in the 2013 draft and consequently did not do the diligence needed before picking Dion Jordan. These two picks are on Jeff Ireland and Dion Jordan certainly led to Ireland’s demise in Miami. Tannenbaum is exonerated from these picks and perhaps they were so poor Boss Ross thinks Tannenbaum has done better with his marginal first round picks.

With Tannenbaum as a consultant in 2014, Miami picked Ja’Wuan James at number 19 smack in the middle of the mediocrity zone. James was a right tackle at Tennessee. The pick was suspect immediately because NFL teams don’t pick right tackles in the first round. This is absolutely no fault of James, he is what he is, a right tackle. If he was really good at Tennessee he would have played left tackle.

It’s perplexing that Tannenbaum could not come up with a better option. Miami picked a right tackle from a marginal Tennessee team with the 19th pick in the first round of the NFL draft. Every team in that draft must have chuckled, even Cleveland had to wonder about this ridiculously cautious use of a 1st round pick. This was 2nd round or later talent that Miami paid 1st round money. Since the last collective bargaining agreement, the salary cap floor is 95% league wide. The personnel department is a place with is no salary cap and yet the Dolphins could not evaluate talent any better than this?

The 95% salary floor means Boss Ross is not being generous with free agent money, it means he has to spend this money. If Ross was really interesting in making the Dolphins relevant again he would be spending money paying the best talent evaluators in a department that has no salary cap. Any talk of Ross being generous is bogus, he’s spending money he has to spend on players, while the team is obviously lagging behind in the personnel department.

Now the Landry situation comes full circle back to DeVante Parker… Miami picked Parker 14th, smack in the middle of the mediocrity zone. Parker has one year left on his rookie deal before Miami will have to pick up his 5th year option. It certainly seems Miami is not going to pay Jarvis Landry, leaving a huge void in an already imperfect offense that will now depend on Parker. This is not moving forward, this is moving backward and the reason is simple, horrendous first round picks over the last 6 years.

What is obvious from the outside, is the ego-driven mess going on inside. Landry is better than Tannehill, Jordan, James, Parker, Tunsil and Harris, yet Miami is going to let him walk and keep the first round ineptitude. Do they actually think the locker room does not notice? Is there a separation in the  building? Is Tannenbaum completely disconnected, telling Boss Ross these picks will someday pan out and they should play hard ball with their best player?

The precedent and example Tannenbaum will leave on this locker room by not paying Jarvis Landry will destroy any good Adam Gase will ever do. The players will know, this team is not based on meritocracy, it is based on draft status. Landry is better than the last six first round picks, has been playing much better football for much less money than DeVante Parker. Letting him go will prove Mike Tannenbaum has no clue how to run a football team.

Mike Tannenbaum has one chance to clear the air.

Re-sign Jarvis Landry…

The Miami Dolphins Need a Beast at Tight End

The Miami Dolphins have never drafted a tight end in the first round of the NFL draft.

Mad Dog, Jim Mandich came in the second round almost 50 years ago. Since then, Miami has flopped with names like Loaird McCreary, Chuck Bradley or Andre Tillman in the second round. Tillman sounds familiar if one can recollect anything from 1974. Way back to the early 80’s Miami had some luck in the later rounds with Joe Rose, Bruce Hardy and Dan Johnson.

Perhaps the most accomplished tight end in Miami history is Keith Jackson who came as a free agent in 1992. There are a few semi-recent names, Ferrell Edmunds, Randy McMichael and Donald Lee that do not inspire much. Charles Clay 6th round in 2011 and Dion Simms 4th round in 2013 were obviously not worth the price and the Dolphins allowed them to walk as free agents.

From the last four drafts, no TE has started a single game. Miami hasn't had a TE finish in the top 20 in catches at the position since Charles Clay in 2014.

The West Coast offensive revolution may have minimized the position, but for the Dolphins, it was never a priority. Defenses adapted to the West Coast scheme as the game evolved, and the tight end has made a resurgence.

The following stats are defensive and will be used in the future to discuss Miami’s second most urgent need. The fact that the TE has evolved as a weapon should be obvious.

The six teams that allowed the most yards against tight ends (Raiders, Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins, Giants, and Texans) went a combined 31-65 and all missed the playoffs.

The three teams that gave up the fewest yards to tight ends (Saints, Panthers, and Vikings) went a combined 35-13.

The nine teams that allowed the most catches to tight ends, excluding Buffalo, all had losing records.

The Dolphins allowed 94 catches by tight ends, the most in the league.

Only Oakland allowed more tight end receiving yards (1034 to 1038) than Miami.

Tight ends scored 10 touchdowns against the Dolphins, tied with Cleveland for second-most and behind only the Giants (13).

Okay, those are defensive stats I was able to cull from various sources (thank you whomever).

By analyzing the defense we can see where we lack in offense. Julius Thomas caught 4 TD passes for Miami and that’s it. The Eagles? 14… The Patriots, 10. Of the TEs with the most TD receptions, 4 of the top 5 were on playoff teams and 2 are in the Super Bowl. Ertz and Gonkowski both have 8 just behind Jimmy Graham who finished with 10.

Clearly we see the evolution or rebirth of the tight end in the NFL. Using the stats above it’s plain to see how hard it is for teams to match up against these players and yet Miami has ignored the position.

The Dolphins obviously thought DeVante Parker could be the big body mismatch the team is desperately lacking but heading into his 4th season, it’s not happening. His body doesn’t hold up like these bigger tight ends and he doesn’t play well when he’s nicked up.

How hard are these guys to find?

Miami spent a 2015 first round pick on Parker, TEs picked in that draft were, Devin Funchess (2nd), Maxx Williams (2nd), Clive Walford (3rd), Tyler Kroft (3rd), Jeff Heuerman (3rd), and an assortment of other no-names. Miami acquired AJ Derby (6th) who has caught 2 TDs in his career. Only Funchess surpassed that total with 17 TDs from that entire class.

When Belichick sees Gronkowski, Miami sees Parker.

The point is, these guys are hard to find, but they are vital to modern offenses, the Eagles have three TEs, Ertz, Burton & Celek that are better than any TE on the Miami roster. How do the Eagles end up with three, while Miami has Julius Thomas and Anthony Fasano, two players well past their prime?

The reason is simple, Miami has made no priority to upgrade the position in 4 years and very little throughout its entire history. The Dolphins are more concerned solving how to stop them, instead of how to acquire them.

Successful teams in today’s NFL landscape have either ushered in the TE evolution (NE) or have followed close behind. The Dolphins, constantly playing in the shadow of the Patriots, have never been able to create an identity. Miami and all the other AFC East teams have looked at stopping the beast instead of becoming the beast.

Free Agency is not the answer to this TE dilemma, it is obvious with the failure of Julius Thomas and Anthony Fasano. Please say no to Jimmy Graham, while he led the NFL in tight end TDs, there’s a reason the Seahawks will let him walk in FA. Miami would get swindled again trying to fix a problem they should be evaluating and drafting.

A beast at the tight end position would make the Dolphins a different team. DeVante Parker is not that player.

Imagine Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills with Rob Gronkowski?

Let that sink in…

Get a tight end beast and take over the East!

Fins Up!

Should the Miami Dolphins Re-sign Jarvis Landry

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The Jarvis Landry saga has reached critical mass. These negotiations were destined to become contentious when Miami failed to sign him prior to the 2017 season.

There are reasonable expectations and points to ponder on both sides, but just the mere fact that Landry has not already signed is a clear indication, he is swinging for the fence. And why not, these players are lucky to get one shot at a big payday and they should go for the bank when the opportunity arrives.

From Landry's side, there's a lot to be happy with. He owns the NFL record for the most catches in his first 4 seasons and will own the record for 5 shortly into the 2018 season. While players like his buddy OBJ or Antonio Brown have spent multiple games on injured reserve, Landry has been on the field proving his longevity and toughness.

When things are going well, we hear how Juice Landry is the spark that ignites the Miami offense. His enthusiasm rubs off on the entire team and generates jolts of energy leading to big plays.

There's one other item of significance that should not be overlooked when thinking about whether Miami should pay Jarvis Landry...

In four years, Landry has made a grand total of $3,474,911.

Miami has had the NFL's leading receiver in his first 4 seasons at a paltry $875,000 per season.

The Dolphins certainly don't want to make that number public even though it's very easy to find. Landry has been grossly underpaid regardless of what the Dolphins want the public to believe.

On the negative side...

Landry's agent has played some media cards recently suggesting Landry has put up these catch numbers while playing with inferior talent at the QB position. This is a terrible negotiating tactic. Throwing other players under the bus is what Miko Grimes is good for, not a professional agent even if he believes it's true.

Damarius Bilbo basically let the cat out of the bag with this one single statement. If Landry did not believe this was true, he would never have put this thought prominently in the mind of his agent. They may now reverse course and say it was taken out of context or it is fake news, but it's too late. We know now what Jarvis thinks and why these negotiations have taken so long.

We had this romantic idea that Jarvis Landry was the yin to OBJ's yang. We thought all along we got the more humble version of the Beckham side show. What we got was a player who desperately wants out of Beckham's shadow, for his own moment in the spotlight.

Show me the money!

All Damarius Bilbo had to say was, "my guy has been playing at a Pro Bowl level for the Miami Dolphins at bottom basement prices." Period, plain and simple, but he threw out some dirty laundry and started a dumpster fire.

From the Dolphin's perspective, that's exactly what they've been dealing with. A player who should keep his head in difficult situations, but instead loses his cool and costs his team numerous foolish penalties that lead to losing games. The player obviously doesn't recognize his own faults or these poor emotional decisions would have been corrected.

The same player that doesn't study well, doesn't always run proper routes, has now allowed a locker room leadership issue to bubble to the surface thanks to his own agent. When the team says there are locker room leadership issues and the agent says, "he has not had the greatest QBs throwing to him." A tiny crack appears and we get to see inside the locker room fraternity for a brief moment.

$875,000 a year for 4 years is chump-change in comparison to Landry's performance on the field. Even if the Dolphins pay Landry $15 million for the next 4 years, it only averages out to about $8 million a year over 8 seasons including his first 4.

Why the contention from Bilbo? Why the mud slinging when all he has to say is, "Jarvis Landry is well worth $8 million a season, even as a slot receiver."

The only thing that makes sense is, Landry is unhappy with his QB situation. Hence, he is unhappy with the coaches and management backing and paying a mediocre QB room...

QB - Coaches - Management... Perhaps Jarvis is right, they all suck and he should move on.

Otherwise, he should fire his foolish agent. Admit there are things he needs to work on and negotiate with numbers, not dumpster fires...

Belichick outcoached in Miami Dolphin Victory

Early in the first drive on Monday night, Adam Gase sent Kenyan Drake in motion to the far sideline, just to watch who followed. When a linebacker scurried after Drake, Gase smiled. Belichick did not think Kenyan Drake could beat him. Jay Cutler promptly threw the pass and though it was only an eight yard gain, Adam Gase had his answer, Kenyan Drake… 114 yards rushing and 79 yard receiving, Ajayi who? This is the offense Gase has been trying to run since landing in Miami.

There was a lot of media talk in New England about respecting the Dolphins, yadda yadda… Reality is, eight straight victories does not help the respect factor. Belichick respects one player on the Dolphins offense, Jarvis Landry. Cringe Miami fans, Billy will be the GM Miami is bidding against when Landry goes on the open market next season, but that is a discussion for another time. Gase confirmed that Landry was the weapon Billy Boy would try to take away and it played straight into the game plan. On one Monday night, Gase had outsmarted Belichick and was ready with Kenyon Drake.

Incredibly, Jay Cutler outperformed Tom Brady throwing 25 of 38 passes for 263 yards, three TDs, but it was Drake who stole the show. Kenyan had 193 total yards and Gase used him all over the field, as a back, in the slot, as a wide out, coming in motion. Belichick had his defense all set up to shut down Landry and Gase figured it out almost immediately. Amazingly, Gase was able to sense when Matt Patricia was leaning toward Drake and it led to two Jarvis Landry TDs.

Cutler was spreading the ball all over the field, hitting seven different receivers in the first half. The TD throw and circus catch by Jakeem Grant was a thing of beauty. Grant also had a chance to ice the game in the fourth quarter on a bomb that bounced off his hands. Grant will remember the miss perhaps more than the catch, but when it was all over, he was forgiven! Even much maligned DeVante Parker came away with 4 clutch catches for 40 yards.

All the offensive talk was overshadowed by the aggressive defense that kept Tom Brady running for his life all night. Six hits planted him on his backside along with two sacks. Miami’s Boy named Suh did exactly what he said he would do and pissed off Brady with a hard sack. As Gase is fond of saying, “Brady could feel Suh” the whole night. The numbers do not reflect the impact Suh and Wake had on Tom Brady and the New England offense, but Brady will remember.

Missing the Gronk, his favorite target, Brady threw some uncharacteristic interceptions to Miami’s new ball hawk, Xavien Howard. Howard had two interceptions while covering Demaryius Thomas last week and two interceptions while covering Brandin Cooks on Monday night. Amazingly, the Miami defense held the Patriots to an unheard of 0 of 11 on third downs. It has been 423 games since 1991 that New England was held without and 3rd down conversion! Astounding defense…

It was a night of redemption for Matt Burke, he called blitzes and stunts from multiple angles, after Miami had shown New England nothing two weeks ago. His defensive backs were able to play tighter coverage mixing zones with man to confound Brady. Assigning Xavien Howard to man-cover Brandin Cooks resulted in two classic picks. Wake, Godchaux, Phillips, McDonald, and Jones, all came from everywhere keeping Brady antsy and guessing. Tom Terrific threw more passes in the dirt than Cutler would have on a bad Smoking Jay evening.

The pressure from the Miami front four came from the middle as Jordan Phillips and the Boy named Suh got to Brady for sacks. Brady was hopping around in the collapsing pocket looking very uncomfortable. Playing with a lead definitely suits the talent of the Miami defense and it shined. The wide nine, easily gashed with a persistent running attack when Miami plays from behind is a monster when this defense plays with a lead.

A season that seemed long gone two weeks ago is somehow back to a sense of relevance. The talk of playing for draft status rings as hollow as the selection of Dion Jordan with the 3rd pick. There is no value in drafting high if a team does not believe it can win. Aside from the quarterback, winning in the NFL is not so much about talent as it is about heart and precision. When a team is smart and plays with passion, there is always a chance for victory. Neither star of this game, Drake or Howard was selected in the 1st round.

If one game can make a season for Miami Dolphin fans, this was that game. Adam Gase finally outsmarted Bill Belichick and the future now looks much brighter in Miami.

Dolphins Officially Defeated by the Raiders

The Miami Dolphins are 4-4 at the midpoint of the season and perhaps it’s expected from a mediocre team with stars that don’t shine at critical moments. Aside from Ndamukong Suh, the rest of Miami’s defensive “playmakers” took the night off, particularly on third down. Exasperation mounted on every third-and-long the Raiders made with inexplicable ease.

The joke in Oakland must have been Kiko Alonso in man coverage. According to the Miami Herald’s Adam H. Beasley, Alonso allowed five catches for 82 yards to Jared Cook and gave up a 12-yard pass to Michael Crabtree. Five of the six catches went for a minimum of 10 yards, including four third-and-long conversions.

It took Matt Burke a full quarter to switch from man coverage, to a holier than Swiss cheese zone. The zone was not helped by Cameron Wake who had only one tackle and no QB pressures. The poor defense also featured Rashad Jones trailing badly on third down and TD receptions.

There simply was no pressure on third down, no pass rush and with LBs and secondary unable to play man coverage, Burke could not blitz. For the second consecutive home game, the sod at Hard Rock Stadium came out of the ground in divots that would make Tiger Woods proud. These games each followed a Miami Hurricane home game the previous night and the next home game will also follow a Hurricane’s home game.

Stay calm Adam Gase, hopefully this is the worst the NFL can throw at a young coach when the officiating crew piles it on. On the surface, the crew for the Raiders game can point to parity in numbers as a justification of fairness. The Dolphins committed 11 penalties for 107 yards Sunday, including five in the fourth quarter. Oakland had 10 penalties for 105 yards, parity right? It was timing of these penalties that destroyed Miami.

Gase said. “We'd start a series out and Damien [Williams] has a huge play and we've got a holding call and we're on the 20. Who knows, maybe if we don't get the holding call he gets tackled at 10 yards, but we'll take, so it's not first-and-12 or whatever.” On a play with 12:46 left in regulation and the Dolphins down four. Williams caught a short pass, got to the right edge and raced down the sidelines. A big-gainer, wiped out because Jarvis Landry held. The Dolphins’ drive stalled immediately thereafter. Three minutes later, on another possession with good field position, Kenyan Drake ran for four yards on first down.Mike Pouncey held turning a second-and-6 into first-and-20, another Dolphins drive squandered.

The defense had two late secondary penalties on Oakland’s game-winning touchdown. A Xavien Howard pass interference call gave the Raiders a first-and-goal at the 3. It was perhaps the only legitimate penalty in the game. The Raiders got to that position because of a highly questionable flag thrown on the play before. The Raiders converted third-and-6 when Derek Carr connected with Seth Roberts for 29 yards along the right sideline. But the refs tacked on 15 more by saying Reshad Jones illegally hit a defenseless receiver – a debatable call, to say the least. Jones said after the game that there was nothing he could have done differently on the play.

The Dolphins still had a slight chance to make it a game late, but Jermon Bushrod all but ended that by holding on fourth-and-9, wiping out a 14-yard completion to Julius Thomas.

The Dolphins average of 7.5 accepted penalties per game. Many of these flags can be thrown on any play in an NFL game, yet the officials chose to pull the flag every time Miami made a play that would change the momentum of the game. Fans turn away when it appears officials dictate the outcome of games. Why bother playing or watching a game decided by referees?

Pointing fingers at officials inevitably leads to the standard comments about being poor losers, etc. The Dolphins have to figure it out or they will end up like the Miami Hurricanes with yellow flags littered field and officials dictating the outcome. Plays like Drake fumbling at the 18-yard line do not help overcome a flag filled game.

Miami must generate pressure from its defensive line. The DL features the highly paid Suh, Wake and Branch, plus 1st round draft pick Harris. Wake cannot come up empty and leave it on Alonso to cover receivers for 4 to 5 seconds. The defense will only go as far as the DL takes them. Suh played a great game, his diving strip-sack should have won the game if not for the flag happy referees.

If Miami is going to depend on speed rushing ends to generate pressure the playing surface must be built for speed. This surface is hindering Miami from getting the best performance from their best players. The field must be repaired or replaced.

In a season that has moved from one calamity to the next, add the field and the officials to the list of obstacles this Miami Dolphin team must learn to overcome.

Miami's Majestical Dolphins Dispel NY's Jets

Adam Gase' Miami Dolphins are 13 - 4 over the teams last 17 regular season games. Those 13 wins started with a double-digit dousing of the 2016 Steelers. The Dolphins have won 13 consecutive games that Jay Ajayi had 18 or more attempts in while also continuing their franchise record streak of 12 consecutive victories by one score or less.

2017's Dolphins have been cloaked with curses cast upon them over the seasons entirety. (Tannehill, Irma, PPD, Timmons, 16,000 miles traveled by game three, at NY & London debacles, OL Coach Forester), and all of that took place on a weekly basis before game five.

The sky has been falling on Miami since the pre-season.
Not once have they ever cried wolf,
they just Huff & Puff & Blow Down one distraction after another.

Gase flicks the inconveniences from his shoulder as he states. ""We'll move forward, and do our thing"".

What is Miami's thing?
Start slow, and finish fast against all odds?

Week one Dolphin home opener cancelled.

Game one at LA's home opener took 9 unanswered late game Dolphin points for the 19 - 17 W.

A 16 - 10 Victory Versus the Titans came via the games only fourth quarter score, a Dolphin Touchdown.

Miami tapped their counter-spell-less magic wand 20 times over the final 21 minutes to beat the (home team and coming off a bye) Atlanta Falcons 20 - 17.

And today in hosting the New York Jets. While trailing 14 - 28 with 11:21 remaining on the game clock. The Miami Dolphins scored 17 unanswered points for the 31 - 28 VICTORY OF GLORY!

Today's "inconveniences" included a disasterously sloppy field, a few highly productive offensive plays negated by the starting centers handkerchiefs drawn, and a couple brainfarts on what should/would have been early game defining defensive third down stops.

Oh Yea.
While trailing 21 - 14, and with the Dolphins driving on the opening third quarter series. Quarterback Jay Cutler (sternum/ribs), & Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil (knee) were forced from the game on back to back plays.

Adam Gase
Flick the inconvenient crap from your shoulder, move forward, and win against all self destructing odds.

New York opened the game with a 75 yard drive resulting in a (29 yard TD pass) that Miami matched on their opening series. The Cutler to Landry four yard connection was the Dolphins first offensive touchdown in the first half of a game this season, (let-alone in the first quarter of a game). The Jets had another 75 yard drive in the second quarter (result an 18 yard TD pass) that the home team answered after covering 70 yards of their own. Tight-End Anthony Fasano's four yard reception from Cutler tied the game at 14 - 14.

On Miami's next possession from their own three yard line Cutler had a ball batted up and intercepted at the LOS. NY's offense walked it in for the 21 - 14 halftime lead.

To open the third quarter, Cutler drove Miami to it's 45 when on first and 10 he went down upon a vicious hit and incompletion. A defensive holding penalty gave the Dolphins an automatic first down. Adam (Prince Charming) Gase had a backup date for the ball, and the slipper fit Matt Moore. Though he went three & out to finish that particular possession.

On the fifth play of Miam's next offensive series Moore threw an interception at the Dolphins 45 yard line. Seven plays later the jets scored on a 9 yard touchdown pass for a 28 - 14 lead with less than 2 third quarter minutes remaining.

Miami followed with a four & out 6 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Adam Gase had an idea for a motivating Dolphin Tee-Shirt design  last year that Cam Wake saw and approved of. Gase broke the T's out this past week of practice, and it says.
""We Are Not Normal""!!

At this point of the game with (14:45) remaining. The Dolphins Defense did the norm, and allowed the Jets just 13 more offensive plays on 5 possessions.

Wake conjured up 2.5 sacks while Suh had the .5 to total 3 sacks, Terrance Fede recovered a fumble, and Bobby McCain pulled a rabbit out of the hat of NYQB McCown.

Meanwhile.
Matt Moore shook off the tightness of hibernation, and drove the Dolphins to 17 unanswered slight of hand points in the final eleven minutes.

After the Dolphin D forced a three & out for minus 6 yards, Miami took control at NY's 42. Four plays later Moore hit Kenny Stills for a 28 yard TOUCHDOWN to pull within 21 - 28.

Another Defensive three & out for minus 10 yards gave Miami the ball at their own 45. Six plays later Matt Moore hit Kenny Stills again. This time they did it twice from three yards out (though the first was nullified via a bogus OPI handkerchief). The second was good for the game tying score of 28 - 28.

Four more Jets along with seven more Dolphins offensive plays resulted in two punts, and gave NY the ball at their own 15 yard line with 47 game seconds left to tick away till overtime.

On first and 10 a mystical unicorn breached from beneath the quagmire of turf and propelled Bobby McCain from nowhere and into his own zone for the game clinching interception. It was just Miami's second pick for the year, but it was also the second consecutive game clinching ""Pick Of Destiny"" as Kicker Cody Parkey nailed the slippery 39 yard, 31 - 28 game winning fairy-tale.

NY passed for 180 yards on 27 attempts, and ran for 92 on 22 totes for 16 total first downs. Their D forced two turnovers, and had three sacks.

Miami quarterbacks completed 25 of 37 for 304 yards. Jay Ajayi (23/51) got his (18-plus game winning carries) while the team produced just 53 rushing yards on 25 attempts as the Dolphins totaled 25 first downs.

Cutler went 12 of 16, 138 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int for a 114.1 QBR

Moore was 13 - 21, 188, 2 TD, 1 Int for a 102.9 QBR

Landry had 7 receptions for 93 with a TD.
Stills converted 6 for 85 with two TD's.
Fasano caught 3 for 25 with a TD.

Miami had 76 penalty yards which was 48 fewer than NY's, and the Dolphins won the Time Of Possession battle by nearly four minutes.


At 3 - 2 Miami's average output was 12.?? points per game. With today's 31 the average has been up'd to 15.?? per.
2017's Dolphins have won three in a row and are 4 - 2 after six games played.

""We Are Not Normal""


Four Days Till Miami Visits Baltimore on Thursday Night Football..

GOFINS!!!

The Miami Dolphins: A Tale of Two Halves

The Miami Dolphins spotted the Atlanta Falcons 17 points in a lackluster first half that looked like the Dolphins were ready to implode. Mike Pouncey ominously headed toward the tunnel just before intermission with a concussion. Jay Cutler refused to set his feet, dancing around imaginary rushers before unloading short or off-target. These Dolphins were the first team in 13 years not to score a touchdown in the first quarter of 5 consecutive games to start the season.

The chants of, “we want Moore,” could be heard all the way from Miami. Subjected all week to every cocaine snorting meme imaginable, the only people who still believed were in that locker room at halftime. A 15-play, 75-yard, 8 minute drive to start the third quarter sparked the comeback. Jay Cutler finally found his legs, maneuvering up and out of the pocket, then firing to Kenny Stills in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. The Dolphins had scored! The Dolphins had a pulse and it seemed that’s all they needed.

The defense, which had played well despite giving up 17 first half points, smelled blood in the water and promptly forced a three an out. Then divine invention set the stage…

Atlanta punter Matt Bosher shanked a 26-yard kick giving the Dolphins possession on their own 49. Two Falcons penalties: a 26-yard pass interference penalty on a deep pass to Jakeem Grant and a late hit on Jay Cutler, that negated a Deion Jones interception, changed the momentum of the game. Cutler floated a pass to Jarvis Landry for an easy seven-yard touchdown. “I was wide open,” Landry said. “No one can guard me. Great play design from coach.” The score was 17-14 Atlanta, but the magic was with Miami.

On Atlanta’s next possession, a Falcons holding penalty followed by a Cam Wake sack brought punter Matt Bosher back on the field. The snap seemed to bounce off the up man or perhaps it was a mishandled fake, but either way, Bosher never got the punt off and Miami took over on its own 48. Gase seized the moment, calling for a nine-yard pass to Landry on 4th and 2 before Cody Parkey nailed a 49-yard field goal with 8:39 left, to tie the game.

Newly acquired William Hayes dropped Tevin Coleman for two yards, and then a loss of eight on consecutive runs. Matty Ice had that far away “how did we give up a 28-3 lead” look in his eyes as Dolphin defenders pummeled him on nearly every play. After a Falcons punt, Jay Ajayi ripped off two 18-yard runs, Cutler hit Landry for 10 yards on a third and nine, and Parkey hit a 38-yard field goal with 2:30 to go for a 20-17 Miami lead. After 20 unanswered second half points the Dolphins would not be denied!

The Falcons drove from their own 13 to the Dolphins 26, it looked like the game was heading for overtime or a last minute Atlanta victory when Rashad Jones did his thing. Rookie Cordrea Tankersley had great coverage on tight end Austin Hooper, when he reached in, deflecting a well thrown pass. Jones “kind of cheated a little bit backside and I kept my eyes on the ball” grabbing it at the Dolphins 6 for an interception to win the game.

The victory was one to savoir for the Miami Dolphins. Postponing their first game and giving up their bye week to Hurricane Irma, going in consecutive weeks to LA, NY and London, then dealing with a coach’s snorting fiasco, brought out the true character of this team. These guys don’t quit, they don’t make excuses and they should never be counted out of a ballgame.

Jay Ajayi rushed for 130 yards on 26 carries. Jay Cutler, threw for just 151 yards but was victimized by five more drops (three by Landry, two by Ajayi). Cutler looked gun shy and confused in the first half, but something clicked after intermission and he orchestrated four scoring drives in the final 28 minutes. His 76.7 rating was not as bad as the numbers would imply, but it was a tale of two halves.

The Miami defense dominated the second half, allowing just 106 yards.

With the Jets coming to town, Miami, left for dead several weeks ago, is 3-2. The second half performance against Atlanta is the type of comeback that changes a season. Jay Cutler is streaky, but clearly we have not seen him reach his peak and that bodes well for Miami. The loss of Pouncey somehow focused the offensive line and perhaps the off practice days for Pouncey are hindering, more than helping.

This Miami defense is going to lose the Dolphins another defensive coordinator, after the season, if this performance continues. The DL is the best collection of players for the Dolphins in many years and perhaps one of the best in the NFL. Maualuga and Timmons have solidified a weak linebacker corps and the two young corners are playing lights out. The thought of TJ McDonald returning at safety in a few weeks may be giving OC’s nightmares.

As Miami finds its offensive stride, this team has nowhere to go but up!

Miami Dolphins Defense Takes W Versus Titans

The Football Gods, and leagues referees must have coagulated to agree this past week that Miami's Dolphins were due some benefit of a doubt. Miami is behind schedule as they had played one fewer game than the league has. In one fewer games (4) than the rest of the league, the Dolphins have already traveled 16,000 miles which eclipses more miles than 14 other NFL teams will travel over the seasons entirety.

After losing their week one home opening opportunity to hurricane Irma. Miami played their first home game of the season at Hard Rock Stadium today and left the building with a 2 - 2 record.

They were fortunate in that the Titans were without their all-around, highly skilled franchise quarterback Marcus Mariotta. Was it fate, or a gift from the higher powers? Those with the black & white stripes also appeared to be offering up some aqua & orange transfusions to the beached mammals.

Whatever the reasons why Miami's Dolphins got a few breaks this week?
They surely were overdue! They lost their quarterback just before the season's start, and have had plenty of flags and/or errant/missed calls go against them thus far in 2017. Let-alone what has become the rearranged schedule with the most (by far) frequent flier miles and having a wound licking bye week erased from the season's hour glass.

Whatever.
It is what it is, and the Dolphins must overcome. Today they did.

The Defense that now sports a line backing trio of Lawrence Timmons, Rey Maualuga, and Kiko Alonso shut down the Titans for 188 total yards with 19 tackles on 58 plays, along with a Kiko forced fumble and a sack. They held the visitors highly productive running back duo (DeMarco Murry & Derrick Henry) to 69 rush yards on 20 attempts. 188 - 69 is what Tennessee accrued through the air (119 yards).

Miami's Defense of Aqua & Orange blood sacked Matt Cassell 6 times via (Branch x two, Suh, Alonso, Wake/RJones .5, and rookie first round pick Charles Harris logged his first career NFL sack). The D also forced two fumbles that Rashad Jones recovered with one of them being returned for a touchdown and 10 - 0 first quarter home team lead.

Rookie DT Davon Godchaux forced the first fumble on the Titans third possession that #20 recovered at the visitors 42. Miami's O (cough, cough excuse me) drove the ball 19 yards for a 40 yard field goal and 3 - 0 advantage.

This is where things get sticky.
The Titans first play from their 25 goes for 11 rushing yards with another 5 being added due to defensive holding. The next play is a 59 yard touchdown bomb to the tight end. Fortunately the second tight end is ticky-tacked for offensive pass interference which nullifies the go ahead visitors score.

Two plays later on 2nd & 20 from the Titans own 31. Those of black & white stripes must have been playing Marco-Polo or been distracted by the ghost of Joe Robbie as they never (blew a whistle), ruled the play incomplete, or a fumble, or a recovery, or a defensive touchdown. They themselves had no idea of what took place until watching the mandatory (on a potential score) review. ""They never ruled a touchdown"", but upon review they gave Miami/Rashad Jones the touchdown.

It was an odd bang, bang play that seemed like Jones didn't pick up the stationary ball until 10 seconds after Alonso sacked and or caused the ball to be fumbled (nearly 10 yards forward) as Cassell's hand was simultaneously attempting to move forward from the cocked to firing position. The whistle never being blown was key, and likely the only reason Miami was awarded the score rather than just possession of the ball. It was odd, because the Dolphins are rarely offered oxygen and 14 point swings from those in black & white stripes. But Hey, we'll take it, the defense deserved this W, and that play resulting in a 10 - 0 first quarter lead didn't hurt!!

Tennessee scored 3 first half points, and tied the game at ten with their initial third quarter possession. The Titans were penalized 11 times for 77 yards and won the time of possession battle by 30 seconds. The Dolphins committed 5 penalties for 23 yards. Both teams had two turnovers.

DeVante Parker left the game early, wanted to return, but staff decided to live for another day.

Miami's only offensive possession that led to a touchdown came from the Dolphins 42 yard line with 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and ended 1:18 into the fourth quarter when Jay Cutler hit Jarvis Landry from six yards out. 16 - 10 Miami as the missed extra point turned the games remainder into a series of rectal exercise reps.

The Dolphins D was Da'Chit!
The Dolphins O was Da'Stench!
The Dolphins D held the Titans to 188 total yards.
The Dolphins O (cough, cough excuse me) accumulated 178 total yards with 100 coming via the ground games 31 attempts.

And it's not the quarterback who was relentlessly harassed the entire game and or all season every bit as much as Miami harassed today's opposing quarterback Matt Cassell with six sacks. Cutler avoided all but one sack.

Miami's offensive line has been horrible this season if not the last 15 years. Ajayi's getting hit upon the hand-off. Cutler at the snap is being forced into water bug mode sliding from one ripple to the next wave, and into the tsunami before managing to thankfully rid himself of that for which others playfully try to kill.

BA where are you, are you in shape, wanna come out of retirement and play the seasons remainder? We won 9 of our last 11 last year with you Tunsil, Pouncey, Bushrod, & James!

This past Thursday Defensive coordinator Matt Burke was asked if he'd agree that the defense played well enough to win the previous two games.

He adamantly replied ""no, we lost. The defense missed plenty of advantageous opportunities to flip the field and help out the offense. We aren't gonna play that game in my room, we win and lose as a team""!!

Today the Dolphins defense made the game changing play's that won if not helped the offense and team to win.

Miami is 2 - 2, and the defense will need to continue to play their best ball.
The offensive line needs to figure things out quick, or the Dolphins are gonna need the higher powers to continue to be of aqua & orange plasma.

In the batters circle stands what should be the defending World Champion Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were 3 - 0 before suffering a home loss last week. They (conveniently) had their bye (what's that) this week and will have been sleeping in their own beds for three weeks by the time the struggling Dolphin offense comes to town.

C'MON O-LINE
GO FINS!!

The Miami Dolphins Need to Pay Jarvis Landry

“We’re building something special here…”

This quote leads to a curious case with Jarvis Landry and his value to the Miami Dolphins. Will it become a point of contention the longer the prolific wide receiver remains without a contract extension? As a slot receiver, Landry is rarely mentioned in the same sentence with his flashy college teammate Odell Beckham. Yet Landry holds the NFL record for the most receptions in his first two seasons, catching 194 passes. Landry and Beckham are tied for the most catches after three seasons with 288.

Landry is oft criticized for finding the endzone only 13 time in three seasons but he has a history of mastering perceived shortcomings. Overshadowed by Beckham and posting a pedestrian 4.61 40 yard dash allowed Landry to slip to the Dolphins in the second round. At 5’11” he’s not the biggest target, in fact, few of his tangible measurements stood out during the 2014 combine. Only when plugging in the tape does Landry’s value as a football player and teammate become apparent.

Landry is the spark plug that ignites the Miami Dolphin engine. Landry is the playmaker in moments of desperation. Landry is the leader when others lose confidence. These intangible assets, unlike 40 times, are his core value. On a team with a subdued Ryan Tannehill at QB, the fiery leadership comes from another position in the huddle. That position belongs to Juice Landry, he is the juice that gets the party started.

“We’re building something special here…”

A slot receiver is not typically a big money player, that designation goes to DeVante Parker with his first round pedigree and off the chart combine numbers. Clearly tangible measurements do not make a football player. Parker may one day live up to the team’s draft day expectations, but this is more an indictment of the process. Rewarding 40 yard dashes over demonstrated accomplishments on the football field has led to more Dion Jordan’s than Jarvis Landry’s.

Those first round mistakes created the rookie salary cap because the risk/reward of the unknown is a losing proposition. The notion of paying more to veteran players is a joke and a lie. The NFL power brokers grew tired of their own mistakes and decided to mitigate them by forcing rookies to demonstrate their worth before any big money changed greedy hands.

Under the leadership of Adam Gase, the Miami Dolphins have made a paradigm shift in personnel philosophy. Moving from perennial winners of March free agent Madness to a pay-for-play homegrown revolution. Gase’s message is simple and direct, “put it all on the field for me and you’ll get paid by me.” In the free agent age, where money-grabs rule, and players usually switch teams to obtain their perceived value, the approach is both refreshing and enlightened.

“We’re building something special here…”

The concept offers a subtle solution to the question, “how do you motivate players after they become multimillionaires?” Football players like Juice Landry are not as motivated by pure dollars as many outside the locker room would think. Football players know, a single hit or shift in a scrum pile can end their careers’ instantly. When the opportunity to get rich knocks, only a fool wouldn’t jump, especially after working their entire lives to achieve stardom in their chosen profession.

Clearly, the resounding drop-off in performance when players switch teams shows that dollars rarely motivate. The answer lies in the locker room where Jarvis Landry sits waiting on his payday and watches outsiders like Ndamukong Suh stride in with $100 million dollars in their pocket. Resentment is probably a word rarely uttered in NFL circles and yet, why did Suh leave Detroit to get paid? He now sits with two locker stalls in an obscure corner, his $100 million dollars flying like banner over his locker. Are the players around him not supposed to feel resentment?

Therein lies the answer… The Miami Dolphins (among other teams) flounder because, letting players walk out the door to get paid sends the wrong message. Bringing in players from other teams and paying them sends the wrong message. Kenny Stills could have a better contract, Kiko Alonso could have waited for free agency, Cameron Wake could have played out his contract, and Andre Branch would’ve received the same deal elsewhere. They chose to stay in Miami.

“We’re building something special here…”

Teammates motivate multimillionaires… Not coaches, not dollars, not accolades, teammates. When players jump ship to get paid, the locker room breaks down. When new players enter that are not part of the chemistry, the locker room breaks down.

Gase has made a brilliant observation, teammates motivate multimillionaires… 

When teammates hold each other accountable, the dollars are of no consequence. The bad ass defensive tackle in the corner is as much a part of the fabric as the geeky clutch kicker. Together, they strive for greatness and the dollars take care of themselves. “Play for me and I’ll get you paid.”

“We’re building something special here…”

Jarvis Landry is the embodiment of this philosophy because he does not need dollars to put it out on the field. He is the player Adam Gase envisioned when he thought through this personnel concept and now The Juice needs some oranges squeezed! Would it be surprising to learn Jarvis Landry asked his coach to, “take care of my boys first?” It is purely conjecture, but Landry making that statement rings true, because he’s the ultimate teammate.

And now, it’s time to pay The Juice.

“We’re building something special here…”