Please forgive me while I warm up to our Miami Dolphin season with a little ramble.
2014 could go in many directions but the key is not named Ryan Tannehill. You see, potential and a dollar bill will buy a Snickers bar or a cup of coffee, but not much else. The Dolphins have spent two seasons grooming Tannehill and it's noteworthy in this age of mega-money and instant gratification because it points to a broader view of the direction this team is traveling.
Joe Philbin said he would build a team through the draft and aside from some questionable Jeff Ireland free agents, he appears to be keeping his word. The first drive of 2014 left me in awe. Bill Lazor calling plays with Tannehill at the helm showed an offense far from the anything seen in Miami since Dan Marino hung up the spikes.
Okay it was perfect, but that's more of an abnormality than what we should realistically expect. At the professional level, I have always thought there was little difference in talent from one team to the next except at a few critical positions. The quarterback is easily the most important, yet rarely are they given the opportunity to grow at the most difficult position in all of sports.
It’s evident in the signing of Brady Quinn. There is no need going back over Miami passing on Quinn in the draft. It’s easier to look at where his career went and imagine if he'd been groomed instead of thrown to the wolves. It makes me wonder if the art of coaching is what was lost in Miami and not the lack of talent.
I look at Joe Philbin on the sidelines during games and I must admit, he comes off as a whiny mouth breather. I know, harsh - but this is what I see… Like most, I am easily thrown off by visual perception; the stereotype must look the part. I should have learned long ago when people stopped listening to music and started watching it. The product wasn’t about how good the music sounded, but how good the performers looked playing it.
It gave me an interesting idea, why does a head coach need to be on the sideline? What if Joe Philbin broke with tradition and simply delegated an assistant to throw the red flag. I know, he needs to motivate and slap some butts, high five, yell at underperformers, but is there really a reason, really? He ain’t ever going to come off like Vince Lombardi even if he wore big black plastic framed glasses and started making motivational quotes.
Joe Philbin is proving to be a manager, a guy who sees what he likes and finds a way to make it happen. The talk was, no OC wanted to come to Miami and Bill Lazor was selected by default. In one drive we saw what Joe Philbin saw during the interview process. Lazor wasn’t a lame duck, he was the best man to make Philbin’s vision a reality.
One drive and the NFL sat up and said, “oh my” like the old lady in the Buick commercial. Which leads us back to Tannehill and Quinn, there is plenty of talent in the NFL and perhaps we focus a little too much on the guy behind center. Look up some hall-of-fame QBs, names like Namath, Bradshaw, even Griese and you will find that, the skill level of Marino doesn't lead to Super Bowl victories. Those winner's numbers were rather pedestrian.
I wonder, if a talent as great as Marino cannot win the big dance and a talent as lackluster as Griese can, what separates them? They had the same coach. It seems perhaps even the winningest coach of all time fell into the trap and let his eyes overrule results. It’s not about the player, it’s about the team…
I won’t mention Namath again because… Well you know why, he’s a freaking Jet! Look at Bradshaw and you see Franko, Swann, Stallworth, Mean Joe, Jack Lambert, etc. That was a team. Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Little, Buoniconti, Scott, etc. TEAM.
They say in the age of free agency, “it’s harder to create a team then it was in the past,” but I don’t know if that’s true. Perhaps it’s the age of instant gratification making it harder to create a team. Perhaps, it’s harder to find coaches and personnel people who work together well enough to create a team.
If all teams have an equal share of the money, players can only make the value placed on them by the team in need of their talents. We end up with Wheeler and Ellerbe when Dansby and Burnett were probably better. There’s a knack some personnel people have that eludes others, draft well and allow players to walk when the guy behind them is ready to step up. Big Paul is gone, but Starks and Odrick can carry the weight and Mitchell arrives at a cheaper price. All that with lesser rookie talents fighting for a job behind them.
The point of this ramble is to show that TEAMS go on to be great when great coaches and personnel people make it happen. Don Shula won because he knew talent and could bring out the best in players. Perhaps in the end, the wonder of Marino’s arm trapped him… Like a Diva on stage, we watch with our eyes and forget the lost art in the music.
It’s difficult to be harsh on Danny but the TEAM took a backseat and therein we see the danger of the QB love affair.
How many SBs will Payton Manning win? He won one in the perfect scenario but it’s highly doubtful he will win another. The conclusion is - Tannehill doesn’t need to be Marino or Manning to be great, he needs to lead a team. Griese never had those gifts, but he had something Marino never had, a great team…
A quarterback needs to be a leader, but coaches and personnel people make teams. Joe Philbin can sit in the coaches’ box watching his creation, no need to subvert TV ratings with his mouth breathing incongruence with stereotypical divinity. As long as he grooms Lazor, Coyle and Hickey and that QB, I’ll be content with Matt Moore throwing out the red flag!
Something tells me Boss Ross thinks the same way…
You go Joe!
Love of the Game will Return Miami Dolphin Heroes
Recently, it came to my attention I had not written a Dolphinshout article in a while. I could hardly beleaguer the point; it was two months ago… I quickly reverted to self-analysis – Has some imbalance in the force affected my give-a-crap about the Dolphins and sports in general? Am I getting old? Is this what happens when you get old?
How had I come to the realization, spending emotions on something completely out of my control is simply wasted energy? I reached into my gut hoping for a sign I really cared... Was the Mojo lost, the spirit gone? How did I suddenly realize the metaphysics of transferring a critical spark to my team at the decisive moment was impossible?
Once, I believed I could will a first down… Once, I could anticipate a perfect pass spiraling down into the soft hands of a wide-open receiver. Once, I beat tribal rhythms on the back of orange seats joined by a crescendo of cheers raining down on a triumphant sideline.
It was simpler then, the price was manageable. The distractions were fewer with less obvious ways to siphon the meager salary from my pocket into the coffers of the filthy rich. “They” tell me the dollars shouldn’t matter because the money would not be there if people were unwilling to pay. I’m not sure who “they” are, but I can sense “they” are living better than I.
I’m expected to finance stadiums under the guise I am actually helping the community. Maybe it's not age, maybe I’m just seeing past emotion. Maybe emotion is the exploited weakness that made me blind to the reality of my folly.
“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” those words still ring in my head when I envision the ski jumper plummeting off the ramp. It never really occurred to me I was being conditioned, my emotions led into a perception where someone else’s victory could replace my own. Where, someone else’s defeat could ruin an otherwise sunny day.
I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing I could attain something grand in my own life and started living vicariously through the lives of others who had truly succeeded. I’d given up; sought refuge behind a curtain of fantasy living off the achievements of others.
I decided, not only would I never be any of the things I dreamed of as a child, but I was also willing to pay someone else handsomely to live my dreams. When my body and mind were young enough to envision the dream a reality, I became a Dolphin fan. The day I understood those dreams were past my reality, the players became characters in a fantasy I could pay to cheer, but never participate.
Then a strange thing happened, I started writing for this little blog named Dolphinshout and it resurrected the ability to dream… The legs no longer run fast, body parts sometimes don’t function without pain, and yet the mind is still growing. The mind is able to put these words together for the enjoyment of others and maybe there are more challenges ahead.
Perhaps dreams of the past were only ever that, dreams…
Perhaps in the past my expectations never hovered on the brink of reality. I would never sniff the NFL as a player. I would never even make it to college as a player and so I set myself to the grindstone of thinking work would always be drudgery. I could find solace only in being able to wrestle hope from opposing fans who cheered for teams they somehow fell into pledging allegiance to.
Writing at Dolphinshout opened my eyes to the thought I could still be good at something, success in life was not over. Little did I know it wielded a double-edged sword…
The horizon of accomplishment brought the realization I could be more successful if I wasted less time cheering the victories of others.
I was wasting my time and emotion on someone else’s dream, making them rich while I squandered the precious moments of my life. I have no contempt for their riches; I only lament my own futility in bringing about their fortune. I had forgone greatness and used them to mask my displeasure, blinding myself to the avenues of prosperity.
So where does it leave me? One should never forsake a childhood team even if the reality of a business gouging my allegiance comes crashing down like a boulder upon my enlightened head. My wish is for the good fortune of the folks at Dolphinshout. My wish is, they see clear of whatever is holding them back from waking each morning with a smile.
We should not be foolish enough to buy stadiums for the filthy rich. A beer that costs twenty-five cents should never be sold for eight dollars. Tickets to a game where eighty percent of the revenue comes from outside the stadium should be a giveaway.
Every stadium in the NFL should have a waiting list of fans attending at a minimal cost to experience the sanctuary where they live vicariously through the lives of their heroes.
Heroes do not gouge. Heroes are not greedy. Heroes have gaps in a smile that fools fill with gold. Heroes are humbled by adoration…
I will always be a Dolphin fan. I only hope one day the heroes return…
How had I come to the realization, spending emotions on something completely out of my control is simply wasted energy? I reached into my gut hoping for a sign I really cared... Was the Mojo lost, the spirit gone? How did I suddenly realize the metaphysics of transferring a critical spark to my team at the decisive moment was impossible?
Once, I believed I could will a first down… Once, I could anticipate a perfect pass spiraling down into the soft hands of a wide-open receiver. Once, I beat tribal rhythms on the back of orange seats joined by a crescendo of cheers raining down on a triumphant sideline.
It was simpler then, the price was manageable. The distractions were fewer with less obvious ways to siphon the meager salary from my pocket into the coffers of the filthy rich. “They” tell me the dollars shouldn’t matter because the money would not be there if people were unwilling to pay. I’m not sure who “they” are, but I can sense “they” are living better than I.
I’m expected to finance stadiums under the guise I am actually helping the community. Maybe it's not age, maybe I’m just seeing past emotion. Maybe emotion is the exploited weakness that made me blind to the reality of my folly.
“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” those words still ring in my head when I envision the ski jumper plummeting off the ramp. It never really occurred to me I was being conditioned, my emotions led into a perception where someone else’s victory could replace my own. Where, someone else’s defeat could ruin an otherwise sunny day.
I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing I could attain something grand in my own life and started living vicariously through the lives of others who had truly succeeded. I’d given up; sought refuge behind a curtain of fantasy living off the achievements of others.
I decided, not only would I never be any of the things I dreamed of as a child, but I was also willing to pay someone else handsomely to live my dreams. When my body and mind were young enough to envision the dream a reality, I became a Dolphin fan. The day I understood those dreams were past my reality, the players became characters in a fantasy I could pay to cheer, but never participate.
Then a strange thing happened, I started writing for this little blog named Dolphinshout and it resurrected the ability to dream… The legs no longer run fast, body parts sometimes don’t function without pain, and yet the mind is still growing. The mind is able to put these words together for the enjoyment of others and maybe there are more challenges ahead.
Perhaps dreams of the past were only ever that, dreams…
Perhaps in the past my expectations never hovered on the brink of reality. I would never sniff the NFL as a player. I would never even make it to college as a player and so I set myself to the grindstone of thinking work would always be drudgery. I could find solace only in being able to wrestle hope from opposing fans who cheered for teams they somehow fell into pledging allegiance to.
Writing at Dolphinshout opened my eyes to the thought I could still be good at something, success in life was not over. Little did I know it wielded a double-edged sword…
The horizon of accomplishment brought the realization I could be more successful if I wasted less time cheering the victories of others.
I was wasting my time and emotion on someone else’s dream, making them rich while I squandered the precious moments of my life. I have no contempt for their riches; I only lament my own futility in bringing about their fortune. I had forgone greatness and used them to mask my displeasure, blinding myself to the avenues of prosperity.
So where does it leave me? One should never forsake a childhood team even if the reality of a business gouging my allegiance comes crashing down like a boulder upon my enlightened head. My wish is for the good fortune of the folks at Dolphinshout. My wish is, they see clear of whatever is holding them back from waking each morning with a smile.
We should not be foolish enough to buy stadiums for the filthy rich. A beer that costs twenty-five cents should never be sold for eight dollars. Tickets to a game where eighty percent of the revenue comes from outside the stadium should be a giveaway.
Every stadium in the NFL should have a waiting list of fans attending at a minimal cost to experience the sanctuary where they live vicariously through the lives of their heroes.
Heroes do not gouge. Heroes are not greedy. Heroes have gaps in a smile that fools fill with gold. Heroes are humbled by adoration…
I will always be a Dolphin fan. I only hope one day the heroes return…
2014 Miami Dolphins Defensive Roster Projection
Previously. The Shout offered 19 Offensive Roster Spot Players with four to five bubble options (depending on Pouncey's potential PUP status) to be included toward the offensive roster of 23. Obviously there are also three Team Specialists for a total roster of 26 which leaves 20 Defensive Roster Spot Options toward a game day active roster of 46.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE (20)
Line Backer (5)
59 Dannell Ellerbe (101 tackles, 2 interceptions)
55 Koa Misi
52 Philip Wheeler (Team leading 118 tackles)
53 Jelani Jenkins
57 Jordan Tripp 6-3, 234, 23, Rookie, Montana
LB Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad candidates.
93 Jason Trusnik 30 year old, seven year Special Team Extraordinaire and 3 year Dolphin LB backup.
56 Jonathan Freeny 6-2, 250, 25, 2yr exp, Dolphins
48 Derrell Johnson 6-2, 257, 24, R, East Carolina
58 Tariq Edwards 6-2, 235, 23, R, Virginia Tech
47 Chris McCain 6-5, 224, 22, R, California
45 Andrew Wilson 6-3, 239, 23, R, Missouri
Corner Back (4)
21 Brent Grimes (Didn't allow a 2013 touchdown),led team with 4 interceptions, rookie nick-name was Mini-Finnegan
24 Cortland Finnegan (2014 St.Louis Rams Free Agent)
22 Jamar Taylor (2013 Dolphin Draftee)
29 Will Davis (2013 Dolphin Draftee)
CB Bubble Prospects (See above LB Bubble Prospect explanation).
36 Don Jones 2013 Special Teams Play-Maker Miami Dolphins, One year veteran.
30 Jalil Brown 6-1, 204, 26, 3 year veteran free agent, week fourteen 2013 Dolphin pickup
35 Walt Aikens 6-1, 205, 23, Rookie, Liberty
Safety (3)
20 Reshad Jones (107 tackles, 1 interception)
25 Louis Delmas (2014 Free Agent, Detroit Lions)
27 Jimmy Wilson (Can play safety or corner back), two 2013 interceptions
S/DB Bubble Prospects (Song remains the same).
31 Michael Thomas (Week 15 Miami pickup beat Tom Brady on 5 successive final drive pass plays including a game ending End Zone interception for a GLORIOUS week 15 DOLPHIN VICTORY)!
44 Jordan Kovacs 5-10, 210, 24, 1yr exp, Dolphins
38 Steven Clarke 5-10, 189, 23, R, Vanderbilt
37 Kevin Fogg 5-10, 182, 23, R, Liberty
41 Demetrius Wright 6-0, 203, 22, R, Southern California
Defensive Tackle (4)
94 Randy Starks
98 Jared Odrick
96 A.J. Francis
90 Earl Mitchell (2014 Houston Texans Free Agent). 26 years young with 63 games played.
DT Bubble Prospects (You have heard it before).
76 Anthony Johnson 6-2, 308, 21, Rookie, LSU
97 Isaako Aaitui 6-4, 315, 27, 1, UNLV
73 Kamal Johnson 6-3, 305, 22, R, Temple
49 Micajah Reynolds 6-5, 307, 24, R, Michigan State
68 Garrison Smith 6-1, 294, 22, R, Georgia
Defensive End (4)
91 Cameron Wake
50 Olivier Vernon (11.5 NFL Sophomore Sacks)
79 Derrick Shelby
95 Dion Jordan (Gained 20-plus pounds during the off-season).
Four game league suspension, PED'S, (Performance Enhancing Drugs).
DE Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving, or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad non-active game day candidates.
78 Terrence Fede 6-4, 267, 22, Rookie, Marist
46 Tevin Mims 6-4, 260, 23, R, South Florida
Miami could very likely use an additional Defensive Back from the Prospect lists.
The Dolphins could potentially (though doubtfully) go with one fewer of five listed Line Backers toward the teams active roster of 46 as a few of their Defensive Ends could play LB in an emergency. Perhaps One Bubble Option from any position can fill the temporary four game Dion Jordan void?
What differences would your Miami Dolphins Defensive roster projections include?
Miami Dolphins Offensive Roster Projection
Maybe the defense takes 21 or 22 while bursting the bubble of one or two of the offenses suggested 23?
Thank You for an Open-minded Read, and we look forward to your angle of view!
GOFINS : )) !!
Line Backer (5)
59 Dannell Ellerbe (101 tackles, 2 interceptions)
55 Koa Misi
52 Philip Wheeler (Team leading 118 tackles)
53 Jelani Jenkins
57 Jordan Tripp 6-3, 234, 23, Rookie, Montana
LB Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad candidates.
93 Jason Trusnik 30 year old, seven year Special Team Extraordinaire and 3 year Dolphin LB backup.
56 Jonathan Freeny 6-2, 250, 25, 2yr exp, Dolphins
48 Derrell Johnson 6-2, 257, 24, R, East Carolina
58 Tariq Edwards 6-2, 235, 23, R, Virginia Tech
47 Chris McCain 6-5, 224, 22, R, California
45 Andrew Wilson 6-3, 239, 23, R, Missouri
Corner Back (4)
21 Brent Grimes (Didn't allow a 2013 touchdown),led team with 4 interceptions, rookie nick-name was Mini-Finnegan
24 Cortland Finnegan (2014 St.Louis Rams Free Agent)
22 Jamar Taylor (2013 Dolphin Draftee)
29 Will Davis (2013 Dolphin Draftee)
CB Bubble Prospects (See above LB Bubble Prospect explanation).
36 Don Jones 2013 Special Teams Play-Maker Miami Dolphins, One year veteran.
30 Jalil Brown 6-1, 204, 26, 3 year veteran free agent, week fourteen 2013 Dolphin pickup
35 Walt Aikens 6-1, 205, 23, Rookie, Liberty
Safety (3)
20 Reshad Jones (107 tackles, 1 interception)
25 Louis Delmas (2014 Free Agent, Detroit Lions)
27 Jimmy Wilson (Can play safety or corner back), two 2013 interceptions
S/DB Bubble Prospects (Song remains the same).
31 Michael Thomas (Week 15 Miami pickup beat Tom Brady on 5 successive final drive pass plays including a game ending End Zone interception for a GLORIOUS week 15 DOLPHIN VICTORY)!
44 Jordan Kovacs 5-10, 210, 24, 1yr exp, Dolphins
38 Steven Clarke 5-10, 189, 23, R, Vanderbilt
37 Kevin Fogg 5-10, 182, 23, R, Liberty
41 Demetrius Wright 6-0, 203, 22, R, Southern California
Defensive Tackle (4)
94 Randy Starks
98 Jared Odrick
96 A.J. Francis
90 Earl Mitchell (2014 Houston Texans Free Agent). 26 years young with 63 games played.
DT Bubble Prospects (You have heard it before).
76 Anthony Johnson 6-2, 308, 21, Rookie, LSU
97 Isaako Aaitui 6-4, 315, 27, 1, UNLV
73 Kamal Johnson 6-3, 305, 22, R, Temple
49 Micajah Reynolds 6-5, 307, 24, R, Michigan State
68 Garrison Smith 6-1, 294, 22, R, Georgia
Defensive End (4)
91 Cameron Wake
50 Olivier Vernon (11.5 NFL Sophomore Sacks)
79 Derrick Shelby
95 Dion Jordan (Gained 20-plus pounds during the off-season).
Four game league suspension, PED'S, (Performance Enhancing Drugs).
DE Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving, or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad non-active game day candidates.
78 Terrence Fede 6-4, 267, 22, Rookie, Marist
46 Tevin Mims 6-4, 260, 23, R, South Florida
Miami could very likely use an additional Defensive Back from the Prospect lists.
The Dolphins could potentially (though doubtfully) go with one fewer of five listed Line Backers toward the teams active roster of 46 as a few of their Defensive Ends could play LB in an emergency. Perhaps One Bubble Option from any position can fill the temporary four game Dion Jordan void?
What differences would your Miami Dolphins Defensive roster projections include?
Miami Dolphins Offensive Roster Projection
Maybe the defense takes 21 or 22 while bursting the bubble of one or two of the offenses suggested 23?
Thank You for an Open-minded Read, and we look forward to your angle of view!
GOFINS : )) !!
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