The answer will be apparent before the season is over...
The question, is the issue players or coaches?
This team has not reached it's potential for the last umpteen years as every Miami fan is well aware. The coaching train just left the station leaving players like Cameron Wake, Mike Pouncey and Ryan Tannehill, bred into Joe Philbin's system to be the leaders of this football team.
I would have to conclude they failed as much as Philbin and his staff...
Wake disappears for entire games and most notably in crunch time when one play can make the difference between winning and losing. Let's face it, Tannehill has very little "IT" factor when it comes to rising above the situation and willing his team to win. Pouncey's impact is hard to determine because of the nature of the trenches, but I don't see the line fired up to win at the line of scrimmage.
The brain-trust brought in Ndamukong Suh to be a leader who elevates his teammates on the defensive line...
Is it is automatic to think, as our friend Mater (Randy) has written many times, that Miami makes stars ordinary?
Miami makes stars ordinary...
If I'm the coach of this team, or the GM, or the owner, I want to know why Miami makes stars ordinary. Do you think SF looks a little silly now for letting Jim Harbaugh walk? Was Ray Lewis really the incinerator for the Ravens? Did Don Shula really make that much difference? It almost seems greatness comes down to one man's desire being infectious enough to carry over to the rest of the team.
Personally I think it's Tom Brady and not Belichick, though having two is a damn sin!
Is this what's missing in Miami, a dynamic personality capable of making these players rise to the occasion. It's clear you can't buy it (Suh), it's clear you can't teach it (Tannehill). So it's not money, it's not talent, it's that special will inside of some men who can lead others to rise above their own expectations.
Football, more than any other factor, is a game of emotion. Think about the last time you punched someone in the face...
Think about how much emotion was stirred within you that led you to do something so drastic as to punch another person. Now relate that to the football field. The object of the game is to punch another man in the face and you better damn well have more emotion or you are going to get your ass kicked...
That is the missing key in Miami. The city may have a seedy underside, but the team, the owner, the players all walk among the rich and famous. The stadium is a catering ground for the opulent. Raw, I-will-punch-your-face emotion, is missing and in reality, frowned upon.
Somehow, the Dolphins must rekindle the emotion that leads to violence on the football field. Dan Campbell could be a step in the right direction, but when I think about Nick Saban, my overwhelming impression was that Saban could not motivate rich pampered athletes to make the emotional investment needed to win football games.
If you were given several million dollars and told to run out and risk your life and limbs, would you do it with the same passion as it took to obtain those millions of dollars? This is the quandary of professional football... It takes a special leader to make people do these things when they get paid whether they do them or not.
For the love of the game is the only answer...
Tom Brady loves the game of football, he loves it enough to will his team to win.
Ray Lewis loved the game of football enough to will his team to win...
Where are you ghost of Shula past?
When will you roam the sidelines again in Miami?
I invoke the great Gods of football and Riverdog looking down from above...
Bring a great leader back to Miami...
Make a star extraordinary
Showing posts with label Nick Saban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Saban. Show all posts
Miami Dolphin Expectations are an Illusion
Before getting into whether the Dolphins will win on Sunday in London, let’s take a little journey into illusion and see what comes out on the other side.
I’m not sure how illusions start… It’s amazing, simple clear logic usually matches actual results but those damn emotions somehow obscure the obvious. How many times have Dolphin fans heard this term recently, “he can’t be expected to learn on the job.” The object of that statement could be Ross, Hickey, Philbin, Lazor, Coyle or Tannehill.
He can’t be expected to learn on the job…
Well I’m here to present the bad news, everyone in this entire organization is learning on the job, starting at the top. Miami’s owner had no clue what it took to own a professional sports franchise five years ago. There are teams in this league with ownership ties to the infancy of professional football. Ross may have expected to dodge the shark-infested waters based on his experience selling real estate to Donald Trump, but unfortunately, it ain’t happening.
See, we talk about successful NFL franchises having long-term planning then conveniently forget about it 30 seconds later (another symptom of illusion). Foundations, not only in tenure, but also in a team’s style of play are indicative of long-term ownership.
The Dolphins were a “perfect” example of this back when Joe Robbie and Don Shula roamed the facility. The reality is, Miami last won a Super Bowl in 1974. The illusionists can point to that as lacking success, but they lost 3 Super Bowls over the next 20 years and were perennial playoff contenders.
Understanding what changed is easy, the long winning tradition ended with the death of Joe Robbie...
The league was simpler then and Robbie didn’t split time in New York or allow corporate “professionals” to his run franchise. He did not select employees based off skillfully written resumes, his hires needed at least a day of NFL experience at the job they were interviewing for.
Robbie stalked the halls of that building and knew every nuance of his football team. Football was his passion and New York was a place where enemy Jet fans forced him to keep his hands in his pockets for fear of slapping them.
These are the roots of true NFL ownership and any newcomer is learning on the job...
Okay, let’s start… New England – Robert Craft, Denver – Pat Bowlen, 49ers – Jed York (nephew of Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.), Pittsburg – Dan Rooney, New York Giants - John Mara, should I continue…
The Seahawks are the closest thing to new comers to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy since Tampa Bay. The Ravens had the same GM for 12 years through 2 owners. The Saints had an experienced coach and a great QB, not to mention the feel good story after Katrina. Teams can rise quickly, but the ingredients better be dynamic.
What is it about Florida, Tampa gave up 2 first round draft picks for John Gruden and then foolishly dumped him when the local media pressured the inexperienced ownership. The same media-fueled Tampa fans that booed Gruden, are now wishing he was back stalking the sidelines with his leering Chucky glare.
BTW, a guy named Robbie gave up a 1st round pick for coach Shula, Hummmmmm… After Robbie was gone, inexperienced ownership listened to know-it-all media and well, you know the rest…
In Seattle, Pete Carroll brought NFL coaching experience, college national championships and a burning desire to prove himself at the NFL level. Sounds a little like Nick Saban without all the outrageous expectations.
In Miami, replicating the winningest coach in football history is the only option before the media starts down the road of eviction. Yes, the same media that ran Shula out of town…
Nasty Nick Satan was just too hardnosed for those “professional” football players. He wanted them to do what it took to win and they wanted to bask over on South Beach. The media drooled over the “unnamed sources” telling them Nicky Satan wasn’t the saintly version they built him up to be. Yes Nick made mistakes, but in time, he would have put a winning team on the field. The media was not going to allow him that time and he bolted.
Nick's owner, H. Wayne Huizenga is the same guy that allowed local media run off The Don. Yep, H. Wayne knew all about garbage collecting, but was too worried about press clippings to do what was right as an NFL owner. The Don should have selected his own successor when he was ready, leaving a foundation that would continue to grow for years to come.
Water under the bridge I know, so that brings us to our maligned head coach Joe Philbin...
Oh, the media is just warming up to axe old terrible Joe and every loss is like a dry stump feeding the bonfire…
He’s too stoic, emotionless, won’t tell the poor deprived reporters who is starting at QB…
The woo, the indignity, the disgrace of it all…
They resort to asking a QB who led the Miami offense to a grand total of 2 TDs in the last 2 games whether he thinks it’s fair of mean old Joe. The QB, like the media, certainly must know more than the despicable mouth breathing coach.
Here comes that quote again, “he can’t be expected to learn on the job.” He should be prepared after all, it’s okay for the QB to still be learning in year 3, but a coach who has never been a head coach, at any level, better know how this works. That shiny resume said he could do the job and by golly, the media could do it better because they certainly will tell everyone what’s wrong.
Never head coached at any level, but can’t be expected to learn on the job...
There’s that illusion thing rearing its ugly head again. How the hell are you not expected to learn something you’ve never done before? What does that mean? Is it me? It’s like asking a kid to deliver the paper as fast as the kid before because he's smart and has a map of the paper route!
Looking past the masters of the obvious might lead to the right questions...
Given enough time, will Joe Philbin learn to be a great NFL head coach? Is he smart enough? Does he understand the game well enough? Does he have the motivational skills? Can he see talent? Can he groom talent? These are the questions a great owner will ask himself. If the answers are affirmative than a great owner will stick by his guns and there’s a reason why.
Those names of old school owners had the perspective of experience to know how to select Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. They knew what a great coach looked like and had the conviction to rebuild with complete disregard to what the sensationalists had to say.
They gave those coaches the opportunity to learn…
Folks in Miami just want to skip that whole learning part…
Tannehill should be great, well in all likelihood Tannehill may be the only bird in this nest that actually has experience and he has shown the same tendencies throughout his entire QB career. Here comes the illusion again, we see this strapping youth, height, weight, arm strength, foot-speed, brains, brawn, every freaking tangible thing that could be asked for in a QB.
It’s the illusive intangibles that differentiate Ryan Tannehill and Tom Brady. The "W" in the win column. The furious 4th quarter rallies that make you sit back and say, "wow this kid's got the stuff!" Brady did that in college... Just sayin.
I’ve hear people argue that Dan Marino wasn’t that good because he never won a Super Bowl and then predict Ryan Tannehill will be great.
Will be great… Tannehill can learn on the job, but the owner, GM, HC, OC or DC not so much. Let’s get back to the illusion thing. Of all the folks listed above, only one of them is actually on the field during a game. Only one of them is affectionately referred to as the “Field General.”
Those management folks who do not take the field have never held their positions in the NFL before, not one of them. So are we expecting Ryan Tannehill to teach them?
This is the illusion I’m trying to point out, how the hell can the expectation be so enormously high for a group of individuals that are indeed learning on the job?
So there is only one answer people, only one route to success…
They all grow up together; we all suffer the same defeats that teach them how to win together.
I don’t like it.
I hate it, but I know any magic, is an illusion. If the plan is well thought out, success will follow when the pieces grow into place.
Was Stephen Ross expected to walk into the NFL and know instinctively how to build a franchise?
Was Dennis Hickey expected to have the greatest draft in NFL history on his first attempt?
Was Joe Philbin expected to understand not breaking the sanctity of the locker-room would lead to a scandal ignited by the press?
Did anyone really think Bill Lazor would call perfect games his first year as an NFL play caller?
Can Kevin Coyle truly be expected to disguise the lack of proficient players at linebacker for more than one game?
Those questions are reality.
I read all the lofty projections about games Miami should win, winning records and post-season play. I’m not sure if anyone even noticed the silence over here in reality land…
“PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS! DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT PLAYOFFS!”
Let’s just start learning how to win against the Raiders. Just one little victory, one right call, one complete pass, one QB pressure, because…
The Miami Dolphins from the top to the bottom are learning how to win in the NFL…
Demanding anything more, is an illusion.
I’m not sure how illusions start… It’s amazing, simple clear logic usually matches actual results but those damn emotions somehow obscure the obvious. How many times have Dolphin fans heard this term recently, “he can’t be expected to learn on the job.” The object of that statement could be Ross, Hickey, Philbin, Lazor, Coyle or Tannehill.
He can’t be expected to learn on the job…
Well I’m here to present the bad news, everyone in this entire organization is learning on the job, starting at the top. Miami’s owner had no clue what it took to own a professional sports franchise five years ago. There are teams in this league with ownership ties to the infancy of professional football. Ross may have expected to dodge the shark-infested waters based on his experience selling real estate to Donald Trump, but unfortunately, it ain’t happening.
See, we talk about successful NFL franchises having long-term planning then conveniently forget about it 30 seconds later (another symptom of illusion). Foundations, not only in tenure, but also in a team’s style of play are indicative of long-term ownership.
The Dolphins were a “perfect” example of this back when Joe Robbie and Don Shula roamed the facility. The reality is, Miami last won a Super Bowl in 1974. The illusionists can point to that as lacking success, but they lost 3 Super Bowls over the next 20 years and were perennial playoff contenders.
Understanding what changed is easy, the long winning tradition ended with the death of Joe Robbie...
The league was simpler then and Robbie didn’t split time in New York or allow corporate “professionals” to his run franchise. He did not select employees based off skillfully written resumes, his hires needed at least a day of NFL experience at the job they were interviewing for.
Robbie stalked the halls of that building and knew every nuance of his football team. Football was his passion and New York was a place where enemy Jet fans forced him to keep his hands in his pockets for fear of slapping them.
These are the roots of true NFL ownership and any newcomer is learning on the job...
Okay, let’s start… New England – Robert Craft, Denver – Pat Bowlen, 49ers – Jed York (nephew of Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.), Pittsburg – Dan Rooney, New York Giants - John Mara, should I continue…
The Seahawks are the closest thing to new comers to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy since Tampa Bay. The Ravens had the same GM for 12 years through 2 owners. The Saints had an experienced coach and a great QB, not to mention the feel good story after Katrina. Teams can rise quickly, but the ingredients better be dynamic.
What is it about Florida, Tampa gave up 2 first round draft picks for John Gruden and then foolishly dumped him when the local media pressured the inexperienced ownership. The same media-fueled Tampa fans that booed Gruden, are now wishing he was back stalking the sidelines with his leering Chucky glare.
BTW, a guy named Robbie gave up a 1st round pick for coach Shula, Hummmmmm… After Robbie was gone, inexperienced ownership listened to know-it-all media and well, you know the rest…
In Seattle, Pete Carroll brought NFL coaching experience, college national championships and a burning desire to prove himself at the NFL level. Sounds a little like Nick Saban without all the outrageous expectations.
In Miami, replicating the winningest coach in football history is the only option before the media starts down the road of eviction. Yes, the same media that ran Shula out of town…
Nasty Nick Satan was just too hardnosed for those “professional” football players. He wanted them to do what it took to win and they wanted to bask over on South Beach. The media drooled over the “unnamed sources” telling them Nicky Satan wasn’t the saintly version they built him up to be. Yes Nick made mistakes, but in time, he would have put a winning team on the field. The media was not going to allow him that time and he bolted.
Nick's owner, H. Wayne Huizenga is the same guy that allowed local media run off The Don. Yep, H. Wayne knew all about garbage collecting, but was too worried about press clippings to do what was right as an NFL owner. The Don should have selected his own successor when he was ready, leaving a foundation that would continue to grow for years to come.
Water under the bridge I know, so that brings us to our maligned head coach Joe Philbin...
Oh, the media is just warming up to axe old terrible Joe and every loss is like a dry stump feeding the bonfire…
He’s too stoic, emotionless, won’t tell the poor deprived reporters who is starting at QB…
The woo, the indignity, the disgrace of it all…
They resort to asking a QB who led the Miami offense to a grand total of 2 TDs in the last 2 games whether he thinks it’s fair of mean old Joe. The QB, like the media, certainly must know more than the despicable mouth breathing coach.
Here comes that quote again, “he can’t be expected to learn on the job.” He should be prepared after all, it’s okay for the QB to still be learning in year 3, but a coach who has never been a head coach, at any level, better know how this works. That shiny resume said he could do the job and by golly, the media could do it better because they certainly will tell everyone what’s wrong.
Never head coached at any level, but can’t be expected to learn on the job...
There’s that illusion thing rearing its ugly head again. How the hell are you not expected to learn something you’ve never done before? What does that mean? Is it me? It’s like asking a kid to deliver the paper as fast as the kid before because he's smart and has a map of the paper route!
Looking past the masters of the obvious might lead to the right questions...
Given enough time, will Joe Philbin learn to be a great NFL head coach? Is he smart enough? Does he understand the game well enough? Does he have the motivational skills? Can he see talent? Can he groom talent? These are the questions a great owner will ask himself. If the answers are affirmative than a great owner will stick by his guns and there’s a reason why.
Those names of old school owners had the perspective of experience to know how to select Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. They knew what a great coach looked like and had the conviction to rebuild with complete disregard to what the sensationalists had to say.
They gave those coaches the opportunity to learn…
Folks in Miami just want to skip that whole learning part…
Tannehill should be great, well in all likelihood Tannehill may be the only bird in this nest that actually has experience and he has shown the same tendencies throughout his entire QB career. Here comes the illusion again, we see this strapping youth, height, weight, arm strength, foot-speed, brains, brawn, every freaking tangible thing that could be asked for in a QB.
It’s the illusive intangibles that differentiate Ryan Tannehill and Tom Brady. The "W" in the win column. The furious 4th quarter rallies that make you sit back and say, "wow this kid's got the stuff!" Brady did that in college... Just sayin.
I’ve hear people argue that Dan Marino wasn’t that good because he never won a Super Bowl and then predict Ryan Tannehill will be great.
Will be great… Tannehill can learn on the job, but the owner, GM, HC, OC or DC not so much. Let’s get back to the illusion thing. Of all the folks listed above, only one of them is actually on the field during a game. Only one of them is affectionately referred to as the “Field General.”
Those management folks who do not take the field have never held their positions in the NFL before, not one of them. So are we expecting Ryan Tannehill to teach them?
This is the illusion I’m trying to point out, how the hell can the expectation be so enormously high for a group of individuals that are indeed learning on the job?
So there is only one answer people, only one route to success…
They all grow up together; we all suffer the same defeats that teach them how to win together.
I don’t like it.
I hate it, but I know any magic, is an illusion. If the plan is well thought out, success will follow when the pieces grow into place.
Was Stephen Ross expected to walk into the NFL and know instinctively how to build a franchise?
Was Dennis Hickey expected to have the greatest draft in NFL history on his first attempt?
Was Joe Philbin expected to understand not breaking the sanctity of the locker-room would lead to a scandal ignited by the press?
Did anyone really think Bill Lazor would call perfect games his first year as an NFL play caller?
Can Kevin Coyle truly be expected to disguise the lack of proficient players at linebacker for more than one game?
Those questions are reality.
I read all the lofty projections about games Miami should win, winning records and post-season play. I’m not sure if anyone even noticed the silence over here in reality land…
“PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS! DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT PLAYOFFS!”
Let’s just start learning how to win against the Raiders. Just one little victory, one right call, one complete pass, one QB pressure, because…
The Miami Dolphins from the top to the bottom are learning how to win in the NFL…
Demanding anything more, is an illusion.
Miami Dolphin GM is the Key to Resurgence
The waning interest of Miami Dolphin fans is understandable when dissecting the performance of recent GMs. It would be foolish to place the entire burden on a single individual, so Jeff Ireland is merely a guinea pig for the ineptitude of the past as the Dolphins fell from grace. It started way before Jeff, but he's the most recent donkey for this example. (Donkey is kinder than ass, right?)
It’s okay to say it now... A whole draft has come and gone without Jeff Ireland and the difference is obvious. The guy could not even draft a kicker! A freaking kicker? Giving up a 2nd round pick to obtain the 3rd overall pick is okay if the player sniffs the field in two years, but alas, Dion Jordan has not.
Okay excusers explain how other players were selected early and have their own issues. I don’t care. I don’t find comfort in the misery of others. I suppose, for some fans, another player with issues makes Miami's mistakes acceptable. Sorry, I’m playing the BS card, it’s not acceptable…
Drafting three injured players in the first three rounds might be genius in a couple years if they became stars, but it ain’t gonna happen. I still have hope for Jamar Taylor, but Dallas Thomas, ummm, he’ll be lucky to make the roster this year. I know players drafted in later rounds sometimes become great but it's not how to build a great team in the NFL, or piss me off so much.
Great players in later rounds are bonuses and come along rarely. Team-sustaining players need to be picked in the first three rounds or a team will eventually fade into mediocrity or worse.
Let’s review the first 3 rounds for the five years prior to 2014…
2013 – Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Dallas Thomas
2012 – Ryan Tannehill, Jonathan Martin, Olivier Vernon, Michael Egnew
2011 – Mike Pouncey, Daniel Thomas, Edmond Gates
2010 – Jared Odrick, Koa Misi, John Jerry
2009 – Vontae Davis, Pat White, Sean Smith, Patrick Turner
Seventeen players drafted and one Pro Bowl appearance between all of them. Of the seventeen, seven are gone, some completely out of the league. Another three will have trouble getting out of training camp this year. Ten players in the first three rounds over the last five years, gone… Only five players in five years are starters!
Look at the potential trouble spots on the Dolphins this year and start with the offensive line. Four players selected and one starter in the bunch. When they finally give up on Dallas Thomas, three of those players are completely gone. Miami has an issue at linebacker… Anyone see a LB up there, one, poor lonely Koa Misi and he’s good, but Pro Bowl?
The jury is out on Ryan Tannehill, he might be good eventually… Pouncey seems bent on enough stupidity to run himself out of Miami. The only real player in the bunch is Olivier Vernon but I’m left to wonder what happens to him when the third pick in the 2013 draft comes off suspension?
I know the excusers will load up and tell me all the reasons I should polish a turd, but my eyes are not blinded by fandom. I’m not a sheep following a fool into the same burnt pasture. The Dolphins lost their luster because they hired terrible personnel directors while searching for some retread-coaching star.
Poor Jeffery, we’re just using you as our example of the worst GM in Miami history, no offense though, swear…
Jordan was injured and was picked at a stacked position, why trade? I don’t get it? Some chart from one of those coaching-retreads said it was a great value… The bottom line excusers is, none of the top players in that draft were much better and the trade lost a 2nd round pick while gaining nothing.
Tannehill… Well I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. Something tells me, draft a player when they should be selected and take the bonus points if they turn out to be great. Drafting properly works this way, it makes more sense than reaching for a player who was uncertain then, and is uncertain now.
It means another GM whisperer took advantage of our boy Jeffrey and we Dolphin fans get to argue about Tannehill’s potential. WooHoo, I love potential… I wonder how potential beer tastes, must be like O’Douls, a freaking tease!
Pouncey, no reach - PRO BOWL…
Odrick, injured, he’s been okay if you accept a lost year from your first round pick.
Davis, well I don’t need to explain why this pick was never going to pan out…
I think I made my point, argue if you wish, but it fails to sway eyes not easily mislead by blind faith. So without further ado, let’s look at what’s different about the 2014 draft.
First, no reaching…
Ja’Wuan James is a right tackle, Miami desperately needed a starting right tackle. I realize most fans have never taken a three-point stance and tried to make a first step. Here’s the deal, left tackles need to be comfortable planting their right foot. In other words, most of the good ones are left handed. They don’t make good right tackles because those guys are right handed and plant with their left foot.
Jarvis Landry was selected at a position the “experts” are calling the deepest on the team… It’s another case of the “experts” trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Both Gibson and Hartline are coming off injury and Wallace, well let’s just say, he’s got a little Teddy Ginn in him. (Good thing Jeffery didn’t pick Ginn, I could have a field day!)
The running back debate… Hi Dolphin fans, I’ve got a golden chariot and it’s being pulled by the most magnificent donkey you have ever seen! Backs are a dime dozen on any team capable of drafting offensive linemen. GM ineptitude is what this is all about, can anyone say, “cart before the donkey!”
Billy Turner, I don’t know, but the signs are good…
Maybe Miami is on the right track with Dennis Hickey. The Dolphins could sure use a break.
So I guess the whole point is, even Tony Sparano may have been a decent coach, we’ll never know. The problem in Miami has been in the personnel department and unfortunately, it’s been overlooked for the glitz of coaching-retreads.
Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Bill Parcells, riding that golden chariot, whipping the poor hapless donkey.
All along, the horses picked by other teams are winning the race.
The retreads, they sold the gold chariot and retired to retread land where they could fool other fools into following…
Miami fans…
Well I guess they're waiting to see if Dennis Hickey knows the difference between a horse and an ass...
It’s okay to say it now... A whole draft has come and gone without Jeff Ireland and the difference is obvious. The guy could not even draft a kicker! A freaking kicker? Giving up a 2nd round pick to obtain the 3rd overall pick is okay if the player sniffs the field in two years, but alas, Dion Jordan has not.
Okay excusers explain how other players were selected early and have their own issues. I don’t care. I don’t find comfort in the misery of others. I suppose, for some fans, another player with issues makes Miami's mistakes acceptable. Sorry, I’m playing the BS card, it’s not acceptable…
Drafting three injured players in the first three rounds might be genius in a couple years if they became stars, but it ain’t gonna happen. I still have hope for Jamar Taylor, but Dallas Thomas, ummm, he’ll be lucky to make the roster this year. I know players drafted in later rounds sometimes become great but it's not how to build a great team in the NFL, or piss me off so much.
Great players in later rounds are bonuses and come along rarely. Team-sustaining players need to be picked in the first three rounds or a team will eventually fade into mediocrity or worse.
Let’s review the first 3 rounds for the five years prior to 2014…
2013 – Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Dallas Thomas
2012 – Ryan Tannehill, Jonathan Martin, Olivier Vernon, Michael Egnew
2011 – Mike Pouncey, Daniel Thomas, Edmond Gates
2010 – Jared Odrick, Koa Misi, John Jerry
2009 – Vontae Davis, Pat White, Sean Smith, Patrick Turner
Seventeen players drafted and one Pro Bowl appearance between all of them. Of the seventeen, seven are gone, some completely out of the league. Another three will have trouble getting out of training camp this year. Ten players in the first three rounds over the last five years, gone… Only five players in five years are starters!
Look at the potential trouble spots on the Dolphins this year and start with the offensive line. Four players selected and one starter in the bunch. When they finally give up on Dallas Thomas, three of those players are completely gone. Miami has an issue at linebacker… Anyone see a LB up there, one, poor lonely Koa Misi and he’s good, but Pro Bowl?
The jury is out on Ryan Tannehill, he might be good eventually… Pouncey seems bent on enough stupidity to run himself out of Miami. The only real player in the bunch is Olivier Vernon but I’m left to wonder what happens to him when the third pick in the 2013 draft comes off suspension?
I know the excusers will load up and tell me all the reasons I should polish a turd, but my eyes are not blinded by fandom. I’m not a sheep following a fool into the same burnt pasture. The Dolphins lost their luster because they hired terrible personnel directors while searching for some retread-coaching star.
Poor Jeffery, we’re just using you as our example of the worst GM in Miami history, no offense though, swear…
Jordan was injured and was picked at a stacked position, why trade? I don’t get it? Some chart from one of those coaching-retreads said it was a great value… The bottom line excusers is, none of the top players in that draft were much better and the trade lost a 2nd round pick while gaining nothing.
Tannehill… Well I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. Something tells me, draft a player when they should be selected and take the bonus points if they turn out to be great. Drafting properly works this way, it makes more sense than reaching for a player who was uncertain then, and is uncertain now.
It means another GM whisperer took advantage of our boy Jeffrey and we Dolphin fans get to argue about Tannehill’s potential. WooHoo, I love potential… I wonder how potential beer tastes, must be like O’Douls, a freaking tease!
Pouncey, no reach - PRO BOWL…
Odrick, injured, he’s been okay if you accept a lost year from your first round pick.
Davis, well I don’t need to explain why this pick was never going to pan out…
I think I made my point, argue if you wish, but it fails to sway eyes not easily mislead by blind faith. So without further ado, let’s look at what’s different about the 2014 draft.
First, no reaching…
Ja’Wuan James is a right tackle, Miami desperately needed a starting right tackle. I realize most fans have never taken a three-point stance and tried to make a first step. Here’s the deal, left tackles need to be comfortable planting their right foot. In other words, most of the good ones are left handed. They don’t make good right tackles because those guys are right handed and plant with their left foot.
Jarvis Landry was selected at a position the “experts” are calling the deepest on the team… It’s another case of the “experts” trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Both Gibson and Hartline are coming off injury and Wallace, well let’s just say, he’s got a little Teddy Ginn in him. (Good thing Jeffery didn’t pick Ginn, I could have a field day!)
The running back debate… Hi Dolphin fans, I’ve got a golden chariot and it’s being pulled by the most magnificent donkey you have ever seen! Backs are a dime dozen on any team capable of drafting offensive linemen. GM ineptitude is what this is all about, can anyone say, “cart before the donkey!”
Billy Turner, I don’t know, but the signs are good…
Maybe Miami is on the right track with Dennis Hickey. The Dolphins could sure use a break.
So I guess the whole point is, even Tony Sparano may have been a decent coach, we’ll never know. The problem in Miami has been in the personnel department and unfortunately, it’s been overlooked for the glitz of coaching-retreads.
Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Bill Parcells, riding that golden chariot, whipping the poor hapless donkey.
All along, the horses picked by other teams are winning the race.
The retreads, they sold the gold chariot and retired to retread land where they could fool other fools into following…
Miami fans…
Well I guess they're waiting to see if Dennis Hickey knows the difference between a horse and an ass...
One Man's Defense of Three (likely soon to be four) "never-to-be" Regimes
A walkabout that's had our Miami Dolphins going in circles for the last eight years like a dying man lost in the desert in dire need of finding a water source!!
Ricky Williams' Untimely July 2004 decision to walkabout cost the Miami Dolphins their one legitimate shot (since Danny Marino) at an Elite NFL Quarterback in Aaron Rodgers entering the 2005 draft, while also destroying the integrity, charisma, and stability of a once proud franchise!!
Summarized; The regimes of Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, and Bill Parcells should have never crossed our path!! Not to suggest that the majority of fault to today's status is any of those mentioned regimes doing or undoing..
(Well, maybe Saban, Cameron, BP and Ireland)?? But, Tony Sparano is trying his butt off, and would never turn his back on us just because things haven't gone as planned,(ie; R Williams, Jimmy Johnson, Saban, and BP)!!
I summarized above because a map might be required before entering the maze below :)!
Had #34 not walked we'd of had our super-star game breaking tailback with Ricky Williams in his prime and not been in need of selecting Ronnie Brown (nor would we of even considered him) in the 2005 draft with Ricky already on board.. Had he not walked (seeing that we were coming off of an extremely productive 10-6 2003) we'd of likely had a decent 2004 resulting in a 2005 pick somewhere between our actual number two pick and the late teens to mid twenty's with only the missing piece of an Elite Quarterback needed for the 2005 draft, season, and beyond..
In that particular 2005 draft where we picked Ronnie at number two, the second ranked quarterback in that draft behind the number one pick of Alex Smith happened to be the one who's become "super elite" Aaron Rodgers picked by the (who didn't even need a QB) Green Bay Packers with the twenty-forth pick.. Rodgers was projected to be picked around number ten while agonizing in the green room until GB's "fateful" selection of him.. Had Williams not walked, and we picked somewhere around GB at 24 in 2005 (which would have meant we went to the 2004 playoffs if not divisional rounds) after not qualifying at 10-6 for the 2003 playoffs.. Aaron Rodgers would have been the one missing piece to get our consistently winning team at the time over the top in 2005,or o6, or o7 and so on which would have carried over to this current date at least to some strong extent, especially with A Rodgers!! While, if Ricky had stayed and we actually did (as projected) proceed to the 2004 divisional rounds (rather than 4-12) and not had a shot ahead of GB to pick Rodgers in o5, that 2004 winning season would have carried over toward today to some extent also!! Sooo Ricky screwed us every which way including loose in eliminating our more than likely opportunity at the 2004 playoffs, and in an opportunity at A Rodgers,(either of which that would have been prosperous to today's team), while both could have happened together, neither took place because of Ricky Williams!!
In the same Ricky Williams instance the historic stability the franchise had exhibited during it's first thirty-eight years had been instantly lost due to Ricky's departure and disregard to the organizations city, owner, Head coach, staff, leaders, players, and fans, resulting in the downfall of Dave Wannstedt as well as consistent charismatic integrity throughout the organization and winning seasons combined with playoff appearances on a pre-determined basis!!
In the 2004 draft just before RW's adventure we (Wanny) traded-up for Vernon Carey, and picked-up a FA O-lineman or two in the preceding Free agency period to sure-up the OLine for the sake of the face of our franchise Ricky Williams!! JP Losman was the only QB available to us near the pick of Vernon Carey!!
Because of Ricky's farr from scheduled retirement!! Wanny in trying every option to somehow, someway, replace the loss of Williams' production was instantaneously forced to spend 2005's third round pick on the likes of Running back LaMar Gordon in hopes of keeping his pre-season favored team in the conversation as the 2004 AFC Super Bowl representative!! Lamar Gordon was an up and coming star at St.Louis but he didn't last an entire season with us due to a career ending injury..
Had Ricky not walked, that third round pick could have been used as ammo to secure the acquisition of A Rodgers and/or to strengthen the surrounding offensive cast of what could have been Aaron Rodgers at QB, and Ricky Williams in his prime at Tailback as the core, while the Defense was already top notch!!
However, because of Ricky's last second selfishness Wanny was forced to resign at 1-8 mid-way through the 2004 season resulting in runnig back-less NCAA specialist Nick Sabans forced selection of an SEC (who'd a thunk-it) tailback named Ronnie Brown, while not being of the understanding of how much Miami Dolphin fans as well as an NFL team needed the likes of an Aaron Rodgers type to fill the void of our beloved number 13!!(An "understanding" that Wanny couldn't possibly have helped but become aware of)!! Dave Wannstedt(who the fans chased ouuta town due to the cost of Ricky's absenteeism) with Jay Fiedler at QB had a higher winning percentage than Jimmy Johnson with Danny Marino!!
IMHO, had RW not walked Dave Wannstedt would have kept his job, couldn't have possibly passed on Aaron Rodgers in 2005, and would today be our multiple Super Bowl winning head coach along with more than deserving players such as Zach Thomas, JT, etc, etc, owner Wayne Huizenga, and we the adoring fans!!
Because of Ricky Williams (including the demise of Wanny) we've been through "three (soon likely to be four) what never should have been regimes" in the last seven years!! You can't develop a consistent winning mindset when the rules/schemes/personnel get changed every 2 to 3 years on average!!
It's said that when an NFL team misses on a first round QB it'll cost'em at least five years to recover without changing regimes, It's also suggested that with every regime change you're looking at five plus years until each new regime can get their mentality and personnel in place!! Who knows the recovery time included under new ownership, but I'd suggest that wouldn't have taken place either if not for Ricky's stroll!! So with a humorous look at it, Ricky put us some 20yrs in the hole because he IS the reason Wannstedt's regime failed, we've changed ownership, been through 3 additional regimes since, and still haven't landed an elite QB!! Because of Ricky Williams we (Saban) missed on an opportunity at Aaron Rodgers with a stable regime(of which should have remained Wannstedt)around him!! A regime that should likely be on this day the longest tenured regime in the league, while at the same time until present day we would have remained the winning est most stable team in the league and likely multiple Super Bowl Champions to boot!!
Scratch A Rodgers.. Just with the contracted Williams in his prime at tailback for the 2004,05,06,07 seasons would have been enough to propel those seasons to an exciting level due to probable playoff appearences (where anything can happen), while never ever allowing the team to reach a low of becoming the butt of late night television host!!
The day Danny rightfully so retired I said "it's the beginning of the end", then we momentarily recovered in replacing his star power with Ricky Williams, things were lookin good and then that super-nova exploded casting our world into an undesirable dimension that can't be navigated away from without a new star being born to light the way!!
I realize it's all irrelevant at this point but felt it necessary for the true leading culprit of our eight year demise and organizational instability to be unveiled, and I'm as blind as everybody else in still lovin the guy!! OHHHH what could have been??
Thanx for an open-minded reading, GOFINS!!
Ricky Williams' Untimely July 2004 decision to walkabout cost the Miami Dolphins their one legitimate shot (since Danny Marino) at an Elite NFL Quarterback in Aaron Rodgers entering the 2005 draft, while also destroying the integrity, charisma, and stability of a once proud franchise!!
Summarized; The regimes of Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, and Bill Parcells should have never crossed our path!! Not to suggest that the majority of fault to today's status is any of those mentioned regimes doing or undoing..
(Well, maybe Saban, Cameron, BP and Ireland)?? But, Tony Sparano is trying his butt off, and would never turn his back on us just because things haven't gone as planned,(ie; R Williams, Jimmy Johnson, Saban, and BP)!!
I summarized above because a map might be required before entering the maze below :)!
Had #34 not walked we'd of had our super-star game breaking tailback with Ricky Williams in his prime and not been in need of selecting Ronnie Brown (nor would we of even considered him) in the 2005 draft with Ricky already on board.. Had he not walked (seeing that we were coming off of an extremely productive 10-6 2003) we'd of likely had a decent 2004 resulting in a 2005 pick somewhere between our actual number two pick and the late teens to mid twenty's with only the missing piece of an Elite Quarterback needed for the 2005 draft, season, and beyond..
In that particular 2005 draft where we picked Ronnie at number two, the second ranked quarterback in that draft behind the number one pick of Alex Smith happened to be the one who's become "super elite" Aaron Rodgers picked by the (who didn't even need a QB) Green Bay Packers with the twenty-forth pick.. Rodgers was projected to be picked around number ten while agonizing in the green room until GB's "fateful" selection of him.. Had Williams not walked, and we picked somewhere around GB at 24 in 2005 (which would have meant we went to the 2004 playoffs if not divisional rounds) after not qualifying at 10-6 for the 2003 playoffs.. Aaron Rodgers would have been the one missing piece to get our consistently winning team at the time over the top in 2005,or o6, or o7 and so on which would have carried over to this current date at least to some strong extent, especially with A Rodgers!! While, if Ricky had stayed and we actually did (as projected) proceed to the 2004 divisional rounds (rather than 4-12) and not had a shot ahead of GB to pick Rodgers in o5, that 2004 winning season would have carried over toward today to some extent also!! Sooo Ricky screwed us every which way including loose in eliminating our more than likely opportunity at the 2004 playoffs, and in an opportunity at A Rodgers,(either of which that would have been prosperous to today's team), while both could have happened together, neither took place because of Ricky Williams!!
In the same Ricky Williams instance the historic stability the franchise had exhibited during it's first thirty-eight years had been instantly lost due to Ricky's departure and disregard to the organizations city, owner, Head coach, staff, leaders, players, and fans, resulting in the downfall of Dave Wannstedt as well as consistent charismatic integrity throughout the organization and winning seasons combined with playoff appearances on a pre-determined basis!!
In the 2004 draft just before RW's adventure we (Wanny) traded-up for Vernon Carey, and picked-up a FA O-lineman or two in the preceding Free agency period to sure-up the OLine for the sake of the face of our franchise Ricky Williams!! JP Losman was the only QB available to us near the pick of Vernon Carey!!
Because of Ricky's farr from scheduled retirement!! Wanny in trying every option to somehow, someway, replace the loss of Williams' production was instantaneously forced to spend 2005's third round pick on the likes of Running back LaMar Gordon in hopes of keeping his pre-season favored team in the conversation as the 2004 AFC Super Bowl representative!! Lamar Gordon was an up and coming star at St.Louis but he didn't last an entire season with us due to a career ending injury..
Had Ricky not walked, that third round pick could have been used as ammo to secure the acquisition of A Rodgers and/or to strengthen the surrounding offensive cast of what could have been Aaron Rodgers at QB, and Ricky Williams in his prime at Tailback as the core, while the Defense was already top notch!!
However, because of Ricky's last second selfishness Wanny was forced to resign at 1-8 mid-way through the 2004 season resulting in runnig back-less NCAA specialist Nick Sabans forced selection of an SEC (who'd a thunk-it) tailback named Ronnie Brown, while not being of the understanding of how much Miami Dolphin fans as well as an NFL team needed the likes of an Aaron Rodgers type to fill the void of our beloved number 13!!(An "understanding" that Wanny couldn't possibly have helped but become aware of)!! Dave Wannstedt(who the fans chased ouuta town due to the cost of Ricky's absenteeism) with Jay Fiedler at QB had a higher winning percentage than Jimmy Johnson with Danny Marino!!
IMHO, had RW not walked Dave Wannstedt would have kept his job, couldn't have possibly passed on Aaron Rodgers in 2005, and would today be our multiple Super Bowl winning head coach along with more than deserving players such as Zach Thomas, JT, etc, etc, owner Wayne Huizenga, and we the adoring fans!!
Because of Ricky Williams (including the demise of Wanny) we've been through "three (soon likely to be four) what never should have been regimes" in the last seven years!! You can't develop a consistent winning mindset when the rules/schemes/personnel get changed every 2 to 3 years on average!!
It's said that when an NFL team misses on a first round QB it'll cost'em at least five years to recover without changing regimes, It's also suggested that with every regime change you're looking at five plus years until each new regime can get their mentality and personnel in place!! Who knows the recovery time included under new ownership, but I'd suggest that wouldn't have taken place either if not for Ricky's stroll!! So with a humorous look at it, Ricky put us some 20yrs in the hole because he IS the reason Wannstedt's regime failed, we've changed ownership, been through 3 additional regimes since, and still haven't landed an elite QB!! Because of Ricky Williams we (Saban) missed on an opportunity at Aaron Rodgers with a stable regime(of which should have remained Wannstedt)around him!! A regime that should likely be on this day the longest tenured regime in the league, while at the same time until present day we would have remained the winning est most stable team in the league and likely multiple Super Bowl Champions to boot!!
Scratch A Rodgers.. Just with the contracted Williams in his prime at tailback for the 2004,05,06,07 seasons would have been enough to propel those seasons to an exciting level due to probable playoff appearences (where anything can happen), while never ever allowing the team to reach a low of becoming the butt of late night television host!!
The day Danny rightfully so retired I said "it's the beginning of the end", then we momentarily recovered in replacing his star power with Ricky Williams, things were lookin good and then that super-nova exploded casting our world into an undesirable dimension that can't be navigated away from without a new star being born to light the way!!
I realize it's all irrelevant at this point but felt it necessary for the true leading culprit of our eight year demise and organizational instability to be unveiled, and I'm as blind as everybody else in still lovin the guy!! OHHHH what could have been??
Thanx for an open-minded reading, GOFINS!!
Talk All You Want Nick Saban, But This Miami Dolphins Fan Doesn't Care
Nick Saban essentially apologized to the Miami Dolphins in an interview recently.
Nick Saban was the Miami Dolphins Head Coach for the 2005-2006 season when he helped the team to a 9-7 record. There were rumors late into the season that Saban might become the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Saban constantly denied these rumors and said he would stay with the Dolphins. But, when the end of the season rolled around in Miami, what did Nick Saban do?
He rolled out.
He became the head coach for the Crimson Tide.
Now, according to the Shutdown Corner Blog on yahoo.com, when Saban was asked about the situation with the Miami Dolphins he said that next time if he could, he would "manage it differently" and that he apologizes "for any professional mishandling that might have occured."
You can apologize all you want Saban, but I don't care. You lied over and over about staying in Miami, and then you just left.
The worst part is that Saban is apologizing now. Instead of apologizing soon after the whole incident, he decided to wait until four years later to apologize. He waited until his team had won a national championship game and he had fans all over Alabama supporting him.
It's easy to talk from a high-horse. Let's see how much he apologizes when he isn't winning.
I'm willing to bet that pretty soon the fans in Alabama won't be so gung-ho about their coach in a year or two. They may love him now, but don't be surprised if he starts to lose and they start hating him. But by that time, he will have probably left the team for another program that is willing to pay him with a fatter contract.
Let's just hope he doesn't return to the NFL and ruin another team. Unless, of course, he joins the Jets or Patriots. Then, we can count on either team falling apart and then our schedule will be a little bit easier for a few seasons.
Let me hear your opinions on Saban, just leave a comment below.
Also, I am sorry about not posting these last few days. I was out of town for the weekend and got back late Sunday.
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Nick Saban was the Miami Dolphins Head Coach for the 2005-2006 season when he helped the team to a 9-7 record. There were rumors late into the season that Saban might become the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Saban constantly denied these rumors and said he would stay with the Dolphins. But, when the end of the season rolled around in Miami, what did Nick Saban do?
He rolled out.
He became the head coach for the Crimson Tide.
Now, according to the Shutdown Corner Blog on yahoo.com, when Saban was asked about the situation with the Miami Dolphins he said that next time if he could, he would "manage it differently" and that he apologizes "for any professional mishandling that might have occured."
You can apologize all you want Saban, but I don't care. You lied over and over about staying in Miami, and then you just left.
The worst part is that Saban is apologizing now. Instead of apologizing soon after the whole incident, he decided to wait until four years later to apologize. He waited until his team had won a national championship game and he had fans all over Alabama supporting him.
It's easy to talk from a high-horse. Let's see how much he apologizes when he isn't winning.
I'm willing to bet that pretty soon the fans in Alabama won't be so gung-ho about their coach in a year or two. They may love him now, but don't be surprised if he starts to lose and they start hating him. But by that time, he will have probably left the team for another program that is willing to pay him with a fatter contract.
Let's just hope he doesn't return to the NFL and ruin another team. Unless, of course, he joins the Jets or Patriots. Then, we can count on either team falling apart and then our schedule will be a little bit easier for a few seasons.
Let me hear your opinions on Saban, just leave a comment below.
Also, I am sorry about not posting these last few days. I was out of town for the weekend and got back late Sunday.
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