Fear Not Dolphin Fans. The Miami Dolphins Will Rise Again!

Another Fine Piece Thanks To Tony Nicoletti!


All this talk of mediocrity. About how the Dolphins are doomed, and not going anywhere. That they don't have the cap space to buy what they need in free agency. (Much less the draft positioning to get the impact players that will help them reach the playoffs). To all the naysayers out there I say....nonsense!

These Dolphins are in better position to make a push for the playoffs than they have been in 6 years. Yes, they need to recoup cap space by eliminating some of the dead weight. (But doesn't every team have that problem each year)? Dennis Hickey has done a good job with some of his free agency and draft picks. A second year will only get this franchise closer to building a team that will fit what Joe Philbin and company, are trying to field in Miami.

Bringing Mike Tannenbaum on board, (who some claim was instrumental in the Jets having back to back playoff seasons) should benefit this club as he will be able to offer his insight and expertise. Dawn Apointe has been shrewdly and successfully handling the contract negotiations for a number of years in Miami. With their help, Hickey should be able to procure the right personnel to guarantee this Dolphins team is playoff bound. It's a make or break season so everyone is going to have to work in concert to that end.

Miami has a 1,000 yard running back, (Lamar Miller) who's average yardage per attempt helped Miami become the second highest in the league. with a 4.7 yards per running attempt. Not bad when you consider Miami was predominantly a passing team. Miller was also running solo, without a lot of help from a, "change of pace" running back to spell him. And while the offensive line started to go downhill in week 9 when Branden Albert sustained a season ending injury, (allowing 46 sacks) they still managed to do enough to open up some running lanes.

The Dolphins had 3 players in the Pro Bowl. Cameron Wake, Brent Grimes and Mike Pouncey. All of which are healthy and will be back for 2015. There are a host of other players on this roster that could easily be starters for any team in the NFL. There were also some surprise first and second year players that showed considerable promise and upside for the coming year.

Unlike the beginning of the 2014 season Miami will not have to devote most of their resources to the entire offensive line. A starting guard or two and depth is all that is needed. Albert is ahead of schedule with his recovery and barring any unforeseen setbacks, could be available by the start of the first regular season game. The Dolphin offensive line was trending upward before Albert's injury. If Miami finds a serviceable guard and allows everyone to shuffle back to their regular positions, there is no telling how good their running and passing game will be.

This Dolphin team had a top 5 defense for three quarters of the season, before injuries and fatigue set in. Getting a few players healthy and a couple of key acquisitions will help shore up that side of the ball and make this team stingier in 2015. A run stuffing Linebacker, ball hawking Corner Back and Safety will certainly further their cause. The Dolphins could also use a big bodied Nose Tackle to draw double teams so the pass rushing duo of Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon can do their thing. And would someone please find a way to successfully integrate Dion Jordan's unique skill set into the lineup.

The Dolphins have the highest price group of receivers in the NFL with a diverse mix of talent. If Miami trims the fat and brings in a big red zone target and/or a speedy receiver, our success inside the 20 and on third down conversions will improve. With better pass protection Ryan Tannehill might have enough time to let plays develop down field so he can finally start connecting on his deep passes. It showed signs of coming around near the end of the season. (Though he fell victim to several dropped balls that should have been caught).

Speaking of which, the biggest reason Miami will fare better in 2015 comes from the fact that they have resolved a problem that has plagued them for more than 15 years. They finally have a quarterback they can build an offense around. I know plenty of you will scoff at the idea that Ryan Tannehill could be a franchise quarterback. Many of you think he is at best, average and that there are other quarterbacks, (especially from his 2012 draft class) that are better. I'll admit, there are other young quarterbacks that have actually brought their teams to the playoffs and have won more games. But all of them are with teams that have had more tools and talent than Ryan has had to work with.

I won't bore you will all the statistics that show just how much Tannehill has progressed in his third year. He was only 64 yards away from breaking into the top ten quarterbacks last season. And who was just ahead of him in total passing yards? The quarterback that won the Super Bowl, Tom Brady. The only signal caller that came from the 2012 quarterback draft bonanza that made the top 10 list was Andrew Luck, and (the last time Miami played the Indianapolis Colts, they beat them). Only the Detroit Lion's Mathew Stafford has been sack nearly as many times as Ryan Tannehill. (45 Sacks versus 46). All the other top 10 quarterbacks were sacked at least, 10 fewer times than Tannehill.

The fact is, I don't think you will find another quarterback that has been sacked more than Ryan Tannehill over the last two seasons. Yet, he managed to throw for more than 4,000 yards, with a completion percentage that only 3 quarterbacks in the top 10 list surpassed. That is one tough, accurate passer that performs well under pressure. He also happened to be the 5th best rushing quarterback, too. This makes him a dual threat with athletic skills that few field generals can match.

And when you think about it, Tannehill's total passing yardage were a bit skewed as he didn't really start to show much improvement until the fourth game of the season against the Oakland Raiders. (A game where he was well on his way to 300 yards passing, were it not for Joe Philbin wisely pulling him out when the win was secured). There were also a couple of other contests where he wound up coasting late in the game because they had built up an insurmountable lead. (A Miami Dolphin team that runs the score up on it's opponent)?

After being with the same Offensive Coordinator/Coach for 5 years, it only took the preseason, and 3 regular season games for Ryan to start getting comfortable with the new offensive that Bill Lazor installed. That tells you how intelligent he is and how willing he was to work harder to make this new system productive. You have to believe that a second year under Lazor's tutelage is where Ryan Tannehill is really going to make the biggest strides in all facets of his game.

2014 was a, "getting acquainted" season for Bill Lazor and the Miami Dolphin players. Now that he has a better idea of what talents and abilities he has to work with, he will be able to utilize these skill sets to put this offense in a position to score and win games. This offense has already impressed under his reign. (Tannehill threw more pass completions than any quarterback in franchise history, last season). Rookie Jarvis Landry has made a huge contribution as a slot receiver in his first year, which is unheard of for a rookie. And Miami hasn't had a 1,000 yard Running Back since Ricky Williams. The last time the Dolphins scored 392 points in a single season was in 1995.

I believe this Miami Dolphins team is only a few players shy of reaching the playoffs in 2015. If they have a free agency and draft similar to last years, there is no reason not to think that they can reach the post season for the first time in 7 years.

Go Dolphins!

Miami Dolphins Hire Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams

The Miami Dolphins defensive line coach of the last seven seasons. (Kacy Rodgers) was lured to the New York Jets last week with a promotion to defensive coordinator (via friend, ex-Dolphin/Cardinals coach, and recently hired NYJ head coach Todd Bowles). Both Bowles and Rodgers came to Miami from Dallas in 2008 in care of Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano.

Terrell Williams whom has held the same defensive line coach position with the Oakland Raiders from the 2012 thru 2014 seasons has been named as Rodgers' replacement for the Miami Dolphins.

Williams became one of many staff expendables with the Raiders hiring of a new head coach in the defensive minded Jack Del-Rio. Williams had actually accepted the highly touted Florida Gators Defensive Line Coach position previous to the Dolphins sudden need.

Born in 1974, Williams is just 40 years old while his only NFL job was that of the above mentioned in Oakland. He was a two year Nose Guard at East Carolina just 19 years ago from 1995 thru 1996. From 1998 to this day he has been a Defensive Line coach that has steadily rose through the ranks of collegiate as well as prestigious NFL venues with Oakland, and now Miami.

His Defensive Line Coach resume includes a 1998 stint at Fort Scott Community College which was followed by consistent steps up in class with two years at North Carolina A & T while also holding an internship with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars in 1999.
Two years at Youngstown State
Two years at Akron
Four years at Purdue
Two years at Texas A & M and then
2012 thru 2014 as the Oakland Raiders Defensive Line Coach.


Kacy Rodgers as an NFL Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle coach in 2003-2004, and defensive line coach since is five years older than Terrell Williams while having the same five years of additional overall coaching experience though at lesser collegiate venues.

With a far inferior cast of 4 - 3 schemed defensive line characters in Oakland! The Raiders versus an offensively superior division in both the run and passing game were 22nd in the league versus the rush while the similar 4 - 3 Dolphins defense ranked 24th.

Is this to be looked at as a fresh start with more upside, or a step backwards?
What does it mean as far as FA DT Jared Odrick's future Dolphin status is concerned?
Do you remember the televised verbal tongue lashing that Odrick bestowed upon Joe Philbin as Kacy Rodgers stood by with arms folded?


Thanks for an open minded read, and we look forward to your angle of view : )) !!

GOFINS!!!

2015 Miami Dolphins Imaginary Schedule Against Actual Opponents

In an attempted leap from Chicken-Little to fun mode for all. I've taken the liberty to devise a facsimile of how The Miami Dolphins 2015 schedule might look once those in charge are done counting their money. The National Football Leagues schedule makers usually come to their final assessments in the spring, after all the jumping off of bridges into the rivers of ice have already taken their toll of 31 teams severely disappointed fans. Consider this a life preserver, though it has no rope, it'll keep you afloat!

Now of course it's entirely unknown which games will come when, or if a particular game might be a prime time Nationally televised event (which adds intensity to such games of possibility), but the who's and where Miami plays in 2015 are factual.

There is one game of note that has it's date and time set in stone. On week four, Sunday, October 4th at 9:30 AM EST, the Dolphins will host the New York Jets at London's Wembley Stadium which is followed with the BYE week. Those facts had to be worked around while fairly sprinkling in other required home and away contest.

In a seventh scenario, an attempt came together that would get the Dolphins most noted AFC competition to visit the breath taking humidity of Southern Florida in September, October, and even into mid November which would help factor into an advantageous start while catching such teams before they find their cardio-conditioning, and/or groove. The downfall would be three potential late season games in the snow at Divisional opponents in late November thru December which would be a good tune-up for a January playoff football atmosphere.

A 2015 Miami Dolphin schedule facsimile against actual opponents at actual venues, though the dates will change in order to protect the guilty. The Dolphins weren't permitted back to back weeks at home when it still counted in 2014 while New England had a mid-season five week stretch when they slept in their own beds, amongst their family members, and didn't have to jump on a single cross country airplane. The Pats won all of their games during that segment of the season!


This is a test, this is only a test, if this were an actual emergency, you would be notified of when and what channel to tune to. The sky is not falling, IGNORE THE SIRENS, now go and try to have some fun!


MIAMI DOLPHINS 2015?

1) at Jacksonville

2) vs Indy

3) at Tennessee

4) vs New York Jets (Wembley Stadium London, Sunday, October 4th 9:30 AM EST.)

5) BYE

6) vs New England

7) at Washington

8) at Philadelphia

9) vs Buffalo

10) vs Baltimore

11) at San Diego

12) at New York Jets

13) vs New York Giants

14) at Buffalo

15) vs Dallas

16) vs Houston

17) at New England


Is this a scenario you might hope for? What would be ideal for you, and our Miami Dolphins come spring time's actual release of the schedule? Miami is playing these teams at these venues, it's just a matter of when! 2014 is history! Sooo, What MIGHT be your prognostication for a restocked reasonably healthy Dolphin team record in 2015?

Just a little tension reliever, and/or floatee to strap around your biceps until something else come's about. Needed a new piece and/or place for comments. Meanwhile, free agency list of preferred targets at every position have already been established, but require far more extensive research before the March opening of free agency.

Thanks for an Open-Minded read, and we look forward to your angle of view!

GOFINS!!!