Miami Dolphin Blog - by Bitchin Dave

Creative thinking

2012-01-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

Don't know if anyone caught Armando's blog entry about the fins stopping by the herald and lamenting not being able to fund stadium improvements, including removing some seats in the upper deck and adding some in the lower deck. The objective is to ensure that they can sell out.

I believe they just weren't thinking creatively enough! With this legislation to turn the stadium into a homeless shelter when not in use - why not just invite the homeless to the games?

Seats full? Check. Homeless have a place to go? Check. Doing some good in the community? Check.

Hobo Joe would have a great time at the game. Maybe he could even use the locker room showers...

Regis!

2012-01-21T20:31:00.001-05:00

Dateline Miami -

The Miami Dolphins surprised sports fans everywhere when they announced the signing of Regis Philbin as the next coach of the team.

"We're excited to have a celebrity coach for this team," said owner Stephen Ross.

"We knew we had to have star power, and if anyone can get the most out of the players, we think its Regis!" added a beaming Jeff Ireland.

For his part, Philbin said "I am so excited about this. Now you know why I had to leave the talk show with Kelly. And it was really hard to keep this a secret for this long."

Regis is expected to hire Erik Estrada as offensive coordinator, and Mr. T as defensive coordinator, according to those with knowledge of the decision.

"I'm looking forward to big things from this team, and especially my new starting quarterback Jason Bieber. Excuse me, Justin, I guess I need to get more in tune with this younger generation. He's just so popular right now. I'm sure teenage girls will love the experience at the newly renamed Burger Barn Stadium," added the owner.

Glimmers of Hope

2012-01-21T18:41:00.003-05:00

In my previous post, I noted that "the times they are a changing'" and that theme certainly continues to play out. Today, with the announcement by Miami's front office that Joe Philbin is the new head coach for the Dolphins, I have my first glimmer of hope that our owner and team are no longer adrift.

What to make of this decision by Stephen Ross and Jeff Ireland - what does it say about them? In my view, it offers the suggestion that owner Ross, after many embarrassments along the steep learning that comes with being a rookie owner in big time pro sports, may finally be getting his bearings. And it further suggests that actions from team leadership are improving in both coordination and effect. Taken individually or collectively, these are good signs.

Further, what to make of Coach Philbin himself? My personal feeling is the Dolphins have found a more modern and slightly more aggressive version of Tom Laundry which is good medicine. The franchise has long needed to eliminate the huge pendulum swings of emotion, philosophy, and organization that have minimized the opportunity for success. Great organizations, regardless of how they look on the outside, are almost universally "no-nonsense" and settled once you peer behind the curtain. Look for Coach Philbin to provide a mature and steady hand to all areas of this team. Gone are the days of Nick Saban's hubris and indignation, of Cam Cameron's misguided notions, of Dave Wandstadt's limited vision, and Tony Sparano's inability to make in-game adjustments and favor of the field goal as opposed to touchdowns.

Next steps - What to expect? I'll tread lightly before jumping full tilt on the Matt Flynn bandwagon, but do believe the Dolphins have an incredible advantage in landing him IF he is as good as the tease from his limited performances. I know it is no bad thing for Flynn to have apprenticed in the stable and winning environment of Green Bay and at the foot of one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the league. The bandwagon I will jump on is that of Jermichael Finley. Huge upgrade for our team if we land him. If Flynn is as advertised and he and Finley come as a package deal, our draft is free to plug other badly needed holes and the Phins become truly competitive for the AFC East for the first time in many years.

Better days are ahead - Keep the faith!

Ron

Philbin is the guy?

2012-01-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

Seems as though its a done deal, and Miami goes the route of Green Bay's OC.

Like all of you, I have no idea of Philbin will be any good. Sure Green Bay's offense was good - very good - this year, but while he game planned, he didn't call the plays. Still, being associated with a winner is a good thing.

But I have one rather large concern about him: how effective will he be in light of his son's death? I'm a parent, too, and I can't even imagine what this loss would be like, nor how it would affect me. But, I would generally think it would be a distraction. It sure seemed like it when he coached the Packers last weekend, didn't it?

If I were Mr. Ross, I would have let him know that unfortunately its not in my team's - or his - best interest to consider him for a head coach opportunity under the circumstances, and moved on.

But Mr. Ross who wanted to make the big hire, went ahead with what appears to be a yawn! at this point.

Here's to hoping it works out, and he's here for more than 2 years, and has some amount of success.

Good luck to us, fans, good luck to us. It doesn't appear on paper that this will work out. But who knows?

Joe Philbin will be the Dolphins next head coach

2012-01-20T18:31:00.005-05:00

Finally, we got the news that we had been waiting for and expecting all day today. Joe Philbin will be the Dolphins new head coach and after numerous reports on how McCoy was the Dolphins leading candidates yesterday, Philbin is the one who gets the job. The Dolphins did a really good job not saying anything and making everyone believe we would hire McCoy.

I, like most of you, love this hire I wrote a piece on Philbin last week where I said that I wanted Philbin because he comes from a really explosive offense with the Packers and he could bring in Flynn and sure up our O-line, something that Sparano supposedly a O-line guru couldn't do. Philbin doesn't call the plays but he does make the game plans, and as you saw last week that the Packers aren't the same team without all of his full game planing because of his tragedy of his son. Hopefully he brings here some Packers coaches (our offensive coordinator will likely be Tom Clements the QB coach and someone who people say does a really good job at what he does) and some players and bring a winning attitude here. Philbin isn't a big name but I believe he is the right choice. Plus he knows all the strengths of Flynn because Philbin has coached him for 4 years.

Now time for 2 months of Matt Flynn talk.

Ross wants Philbin but Ireland wants McCoy

2012-01-18T19:52:00.003-05:00

Adam Schefter reported that there is a split in opinions on who should be the next coach should be. Ross wants Philbin but Ireland apparently wants McCoy. It'll pretty interesting to see who has the final say, most likely Ross. Hopefully one of the candidates stands apart from the pack during the interviews. I think when its all said and done though Philbin will ultimately get the job and according to other sources he will likely bring in the quarterbacks guru Tom Clements to be the Dolphins Offensive Coordinator and will more than likely bring in Flynn at quarterback. I wouldn't getting coaches and players from the Packers, at least they will bring that winning attitude here and at least that team is better than the cowboys team in 08 when we got almost all their backups.

Censorship is bad

2012-01-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

I know. I said I wouldn't post. But I am making an exception to take a stand. Today is the day of the Internet blackout.

Imagine if your favorite site - dolphins or otherwise - was shut down because of this legislation.

That. Would. Suck.

Call your senator today and tell them to stop Internet censorship!!

Dolphins coaching search reportedly down to just 3

2012-01-17T17:27:00.011-05:00

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins will be interviewing Todd Bowles, Joe Philbin and Mike McCoy for a 2nd interview in New York. He also ruled out the idea of Mike Zimmer as the Dolphins head coach. I think that Bowles probably won't get the job because Ross wants an offensive minded head coach which could bring the list down to just McCoy and Philbin. I wrote an article on why I would like to see Philbin as the head coach because of the success of the Packers Offense and the fact that he could bring in Flynn. McCoy is the Offensive coach of the Broncos and he called the plays for them throughout the year. Give him credit for adapting to Tebow's strength midway though the season and changing the whole system, which showed his ability to coach players up, given his limited time in doing so. He is also very young and still in his 30s which fits the "young Don Shula" which Ross talked about. Also he coached Matt Moore with the Panthers and got him to play good. However he was taught under Dan Henning's system with the Panthers if that means anything.

Mike Nolan taking the Atlanta DC job

2012-01-17T16:16:00.006-05:00

This was something that came as a bit of a surprise to me and I am sure to some of you too. The Dolphins defense was clearly their strength and now to see the play caller gone kind of hurts a little. Although who knows, maybe we would have gotten someone who runs a 4-3 or a head coach that calls his own defensive plays causing us to not resign Nolan. I think that if the reports a couple of days ago that Mike Zimmer was on the top of the Dolphins list, he certainly is now if not in the top 2 or 3 now. Also remember he has a ties with Ireland from the days with the Cowboys.

Also the colts HC job just opened up, which could affect us. The opportunity to get a once in every decade player as Luck would certainly entice candidates to take that job. Also Dave Toub just signed a 2 year extension which rules him out of the equation, which is a relief to many Dolphin fans. I would still like to see Philbin or Zimmer as our coach, maybe more Zimmer now that Nolan is gone, so that Zimmer calls the plays and possibly Daboll (unless Zimmer brings in his own guy) calling the offense.

Update: According to Armando Zimmer is off the Dolphins list, the Dolphins are looking for an offensive coach

Coaching carousel

2012-01-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

What's up fans? Thanks for letting me post, Dave!

I'd like to talk about coaching the Dolphins. I've always heard that coaching accounts for 10% of what happens on the field. So in a way, why all the talk about who's "right" to coach the Fins? What's important is that he can motivate the team and that he has a rapport with his boss. So, if Mr. Ross finds someone he's comfortable with, that's really all that matters.

But the problem here is the way this franchise is perceived. Ross made an overture to Harbaugh last offseason, and then kept Sparano saying "he's our guy." Then with 3 games left, he said "he's not our guy" and "we want to have time to get the right guy. We'll start today" Later he said he wanted "a big name" and later it was that he wanted "a young Don Shula." And at still another point he said after the season he'd be making a big splash to get the fans excited. Most of these statements clash with one another, so maybe he didn't have a direction?

5 coaches got fired, including all 3 in Florida. Then, a 6th was let go, and its still possible that others might, too. Two coaches have been hired. And in Miami? Its just weird. Ross kept Jeff Ireland, and then started two coaching searches - one that included Ireland and one that didn't.

By most accounts, there were 4 big-name coaches. They reached out to Cowher, and he declined to be interviewed. Carl Peterson had dinner with John Gruden and asked what it would take for him to coach, and he likewise spurned Miami. And then there was this little thing over a 10-day span with Jeff Fisher.

I think it was obvious Fisher was not coming to Miami. I have no idea why he took so long to say anything, but ultimately he said no because he wanted personnel control. So, Jeff Ireland squashed that one. In many ways, its fine. He only had 6 winning seasons, and if all Ross did was pile money in front of him then he might come here for the wrong reasons, and be the next Nick or Parcells.

And the 4th is Brian Billick. Armando at the Herald wrote a story about why Billick was never talked to, and in a nutshell Ross was trying to buy the fins in '07 when the Dolphins were winless. Billick played it safe and went to OT, and the Fins won. H Wayne told Ross that the price just went up $40 million because the Fins won. Ross walked away at that point (later to be talked back into it). And when Billick and Ross met after the ownership changed hands, Ross said to Billick "you owe me $40 million" which Billick thought was funny. Only Ross appears to have held a grudge.

...at this point, I really hope they find a young up-and-comer. Someone who's hungry and wants to win. There are some intriguing names on the market, but the fins haven't talked with any of them - at least yet. And for the most part, the guys they've talked with haven't had many other interviews, so they're not the "hot names"...

And meanwhile, you see that Nick is probably the best coach in college, and many of the guys Miami interviewed the last two times they had openings are having success elsewhere.

So here's to hoping they find the right guy. The next Shula. Someone who can put together some victories and get along with Ireland, because like it or not, he's here to stay. I just hope that the success he had last year was actually success and not a mirage....

And the Jets new Offensive Coordinator is: Tony Sparano

2012-01-11T16:10:00.006-05:00

Its official the jets are going to win the Superbowl, just ask rex in a couple of weeks. My initial reaction when this story broke was laughter, not a single worry that the offense the jets will run will be dangerous. I guess now the jets will draft an O-line man (or kicker) with the 1st round pick and during the season have drives that consist of a 2 yard run, 3 yard run and then 2 yard completion and punt and tons of Fist Pumping after FGs. I wonder how many other Dolphins fans are laughing at this. Enjoy another year of boring offense j-e-t-s fans.

Also in other news apparently the Dolphins are really close to signing Jeff Fisher, a couple of days after it was a sure thing that the Rams would get him. I am going to take a wait and see approach, but i wouldn't mind getting Fisher at all, plus the Dolphins have good pieces to run a 4-3, which Fisher ran in Tennessee.

BTW, I know who my fantasy kicker is going to be.

Why the Dolphins aren’t that far away from a contender!

2012-01-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

When examining the Miami Dolphins, the words playoff contender don’t really go together. It might seem that the Dolphins are so far off the mark in making the playoffs that they could almost be written off for years to come. Not true! When you look at the Dolphins season there a few key aspects that can be examined to explain why they had a 6-10 record. In fact after researching the Dolphins season I truly believe with better execution in certain areas and the right off season moves, the Dolphins can make themselves a contender!

The Miami Dolphins running game was good this past season. They were ranked 11^th in offensive rushing yards per game with 124.2 yds. There defense was excellent against the run. They ranked 5^th in run defense with 93.2 yards a game against them and the four other teams are in the playoffs. They are: the 49ers, Ravens, Falcons and Texans in their respective order. So you might say the defense is where it needs to be against the run to contend. The first thing you must do in the NFL or any level of football is to stop the run.

So if the Dolphins are good against the run and are adequate against the pass (they are ranked 24^th) then why aren’t they better by record? There are a few reasons. One they fumbled on offense a league high 13 times. You can’t win if you give the other team the ball. Secondly the Dolphins gain a decent amount of yardage in a game but only seem to score a minimal amount of touchdowns. The Dolphins scored 33 touchdowns and kicked 33 field goals this season. The 33 field goals ranked second in the league but the 33 touchdowns is near the bottom. To put that in perspective the Colts scored 24 touchdowns. Pressure is another concern. The Dolphins recorded 41 sacks this past season which is good however, they let up 51 sacks, not so good. The protection of the quarterback needs to be improved.

Let’s examine the results of some close games the Dolphins were in and lost. Specifically let’s look at the playoff teams they lost to. Two games vs. New England: Lost 38-24 week 1 and lost 27-24 week 16. Lost to Houston 23-13, Lost to Denver 18-15, lost to the Giants 20-17. Pretty close games against the league’s elite. One Key loses was to Cleveland 17-16. That is a combined total of 38 points. If the Dolphins win half of those games they could be fight for a playoff spot if not the division.

Now in the offseason what should be done? I have a few ideas although they may be a little wild. The Dolphins have the 8^th or 9^th pick depending on the coin flip. Let’s say the Dolphins win the flip and have the 8^th pick. The Dolphins could trade the 8^th pick to the Green Bay Packers for Matt Flynn. Is this possible, maybe not but the Packers have one of the worst passing defenses in the league and two of the best defensive backs on the board are Morris Claiborne of LSU and Dre Kirkpatrick from Alabama. Neither will be there when the Packers choose. Another good pick for the Packers would be a top defensive lineman and the best on the board is Quinton Coples from UNC. Now the Dolphins could use another running back to complement Reggie Bush. Ahmad Bradshaw could be interested in Miami due to the fact that he works out there. Could the combination of a different quarterback and additional running back with a contrasting style put the Dolphins over the edge? Only time will tell.

Rich Kolka is a blog contributor for Gold Star Games, a leading tailgate gear supplier.

Thats the feeling we need to experience

2012-01-08T20:25:00.010-05:00

Wouldn't that have been great if the Dolphins were involved in the game the Broncos just had?

As you already know the Dolphins this season has been a really boring team and at some points during the season I, like most of
you, had complete apathy for whatever the Dolphins did. This fan base needs to experience what the Broncos' fans just felt right now. Its been a while since this team has won a playoff game. Sure the 08 season was special and exciting but we weren't able to win the playoff game. I would love to see a player like RG3 (or maybe someone like Flynn or Moore if he could develop more next season) in a Dolphins uniform and bring an exciting style of football here and ultimately deliver this franchise a playoff win and ultimately a Superbowl win.

Also how can you not root for Tebow? He is one of the most exciting players to watch and is a model citizen. Maybe if you didn't root for him today, I hope that you do to beat Brady. Also how fitting that Tebow threw for 316 yards. If your religious you will understand.

Fisher Is Likely To End Up With The Rams

2012-01-07T13:17:00.007-05:00

Jason La Canfora is reporting via nfl.com that Jeff Fisher, the Dolphins top option, will likely take the head coaching job from the Rams. I sort of have mixed emotions on this. On one side I know he was the Dolphins top choice so I know they saw something in him (maybe just dollar signs) but i also want a new coach and not someone who has been fired from coaching already.

For some reason I like the Packer's offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. One thing that can't be ignored is the success he has had with the Packer offense. I know he doesn't call the plays (McCarthy does that) but he gets the offensive players prepared during the week and if he does not feel comfortable calling the plays, we can either hire a coordinator who can do it or just keep Daboll who is already doing it. I like the idea of getting Philbin because that also means we have a good shot at keeping Mike Nolan and remember the Packers run a 3-4 anyways unlike what Fisher wants to run a 4-3. The Philbin addition could also bring Matt Flynn, who just last week threw for 6 TDs and defeated a Lions team that needed a win to jump ahead of the Falcons for the #5 spot.

Philbin has been interviewed by the Chiefs but they have said that they wanted to keep Romoe Cornell. Please leave a comment on your opinion of Philbin, Thanks.

All good things must surely end

2012-01-04T01:28:00.001-05:00

It is with a mixed emotion (don't you love that as an opening?), that I announce my retirement, and the end of Dave's Bitchin' Look at the Miami Dolphins as you know it (more below).

I've been at this a long time. I started emailing friends (back in the early days of email) about my thoughts on the team as early as 1992. Then, when the web came along in 1994, I was all over it; and I started a formal website in 1995. So I am certainly one of the longest-tenured writers (and critics) of this team. And that also means that my career writing about this team is longer than Marino's career as a player (and vice president!). And I find it amusing that I made it through 8 head coaches in that time.

I wrote through some relative good times, and a fair amount of bad times. I used different mediums: I posted entries to message forums, wrote long-form articles, posted entirely new websites each week, and carried on a blog. I also hosted an internet radio show with Shed Dawg Mike for a while, and did a podcast both before and after that. I tried my hand at videos, created some flash files, and played with some new technology.

At the heart of it all was my love for the Dolphins. Along the way, I had some personal moments that I will always treasure:

I got an email from someone at the Dolphins - before they started their own site - telling me how much they loved my site, To paraphrase, It's witty and we enjoy reading it
The invite to the first "web weekend" (hosted by THE Miami Dolphins) was special, and the experience was great
I got a chance to interview Larry Csonka. I enjoyed that thoroughly.
Mike and I had a 90 minute interview with John Offerdahl that was so much fun.
I got to meet and build a relationship a number of people who are associated with the Fins, including some former players
Deadspin once did a review of blog sites for the NFL and called me "quite obviously insane"

Of course, there's a lot more, but to me, those are the major hilights.

I really did enjoy doing this over the years. It was fun to speak my mind and talk about how this team couldn't beat my grandmother.

But here we are, 16 years after I started a website. I always said I'd stop when the Dolphins won a superbowl. I realize now that I will probably be one hundred and twenty two years old by then. And so I decided to go out on my own terms.

A few observations about things I've seen in my time, that lead me down the path to hanging up my cleats:

The dolphins have gone from good, to mediocre, to bad, to mediocre again.
It seems clear that this team has a curse on it of sorts. Different owners, different leadership, different players. And still no success.
We saw teams fall apart (anyone remember the December swoons?), some monster victories, and the agony of defeat - a lot (62-7 anyone? How about 1-15?)
The passion died along the way for a lot of reasons (not the least of which was the performance ON the field); today this feels more like work
The team takes itself too seriously, and I get the sense that the fans are in tune with that - when I say anything that strays from the positive outlook (even when its RIGHT, people react, rather than laugh)
I have trouble even watching the games these days. The dolphins just don't matter to me the way they once did.
The Dolphins have taken many of my (and other sites') good ideas and incorporated them into their website, so the uniqueness is lessened. (but then imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?)
There are a number of good fan sites out there now, and even a few humorous ones
And though records are made to be broken, Dan Marino's passing record falling made me realize just how elusive greatness is.

To me, all of these combined make me feel like its time; enough good reasons for me to stop doing this.

And besides, my mom kicked me out of her basement, and where else can I sit in my underwear and write my "uninformed opinion"?

I know some of you might miss me, and some of you will say things like "good riddance" and either way, that's fine. Its like the band Kiss used to say about themselves in the late 70s - "we're loved or hated, but never ignored" which is kind of the way I feel.

My thanks to the Dolphins for their graciousness. I mean, after all, I was occasionally harsh, yet they were always accommodating. I do appreciate the organization on the whole.

You may ask "what is to become of Dave? of the website? does he really like oatmeal cookies?"

Let me 'splain. No wait, there is too much. Let me sum up:

DolphinBlog.BitchinDave.com (where this is posted) will continue to exist - a few other fans expressed an interest in posting comments, or "guest blogging." Rather than letting the blog simply disappear, we'll try that and see how that goes. But this is *my* last entry. Any further content will be from the new bloggers, and they are responsible for whatever appears. You'll see their names on the entry. I'll "moderate" it, so if there are issues, please let me know. Also, if you're interested in writing, drop me a line. I'll be glad to give you a chance.
MiamiDolphins.BitchinDave.com is no more. I redirect automatically to the blog. But the "good" content has migrated to links on the blog. Want to listen to old podcasts, read about my grandmother, check out the entrants in the wanker hall, or ogle cheerleader pics from the past? Be my guest!
Twitter and Facebook will remain as they are for now - any blog posts will be repeated there. I'll decide what to do with them later.
As for me - about the time I stopped doing a Dolphins podcast, I shifted my podcast focus - I am currently producing a podcast about Disney World that I feel passionate about, and take pride in. If you're a Disney fan, you might enjoy it. Feel free to check it out at http://disneypodcast.net
App development will continue for me. Please check out my iPhone apps at http://bitchindave.com/apps.
And yes, I like oatmeal cookies

Not surprisingly, I will watch football - I still love the sport - but will take a broader view and watch games, teams, and players that interest me. Even so, I will still consider the Dolphins as my defacto favorite team, even if I don't follow them as closely as I once did.

That's a wrap on Dave's Bitchin' Look at the Miami Dolphins.

Thanks for tuning in, and for your support over the years.

In Disney parlance "now it's time to say goodnight to all our company...."

-- The Bitchin' One

"Hailing Frequencies Closed"

"The Times They Are A Changin'"

2012-01-02T20:55:00.003-05:00

With the end of 2011, Dolphins Nation finds itself at the crossroads of change, and on every front. Notable endings/transitions included the firing of Tony Sparano, the retirement of Jason Taylor, and Dan Marino's 1984 yardage mark for passing in a single season. And more change is in the offing.

A few weeks ago, Dave offered followers of this blog the opportunity to post as he considers changes to the site. I thank him publicly for letting me take a shot for comment in this space to this devoted following.

By way of short introduction, I've been devoted to one team, fervently supporting the Dolphins through thick and thin, for the better part of 40 years, and this devotion shall never die. I'll avoid boring you with too many other personal details other than to say I'm a 20+ year Marine (still going strong!) with an Ivy League post-graduate education. The only reason I share this is to give you some reassurance that Dave's tradition of calling things straight is not in jeopardy.

Given the pivotal time 2012 represents for the team and fan base, I'm looking forward (hopefully) to future posts here. The opportunities for analysis and comment are almost endless and who knows, maybe, just maybe, this blog may play some small part in the revival of our team. That said, I'll be commenting on "next steps" shortly now that the team has already initiated coaching interviews.

Better days are ahead - Keep the faith!

Ron

Absurdities abound

2012-01-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

The bizarre story about santonio Holmes getting benched (and no one talking about it) late in the game leads my list. What in the heck was going on there? And I have to figure that had as much to do with the jets losing as anything else.

Chad henne wants to come back to Miami. Says he'll be around until they kick him out. Only he hasn't actually been around in 6-7 weeks - he is in California rehabbing. Which in itself is weird if you think about it.

Jeff Ireland apparently is safe. Or maybe not? Miami reached out to cowher and he declined to be interviewed, and reportedly he was miffed about the Ireland situation. (among other factors)

Carl petersen had dinner with John gruden and offered him the job (per Ross' request). Gave him full control over personnel. Gruden declined.

They're on to fisher who expressed reservations about coming to Miami but accepted an interview.

Ireland, for his part, released a statement that sounded odd and contained several words used incorrectly. Gotta love that someone took the time to review it.

What a tease

2012-01-01T16:31:00.001-05:00

The dolphins managed to win and the season on a moderately high note, and went 6-3 after that horrible 0-7 start.

What a tease this team was. Looked moderately good on paper and started off poorly only to play well down the stretch.

And a tease in the game today: espn reported on their mobile site that carpenter hit a 65 yard field goal at the end of the half. Wow that would have been cool. A record setting kick. Only it was 58 yards, 3rd longest in team history.

Later, it appeared JT went out on high note with a fumble return for a TD. How awesome. Only the receiver was down by contact.

And that's the kind of day - and season - it was for Miami.

Special Message from the Jason Taylor Foundation

2011-12-28T20:55:00.001-05:00

Jason just announced that this upcoming Sunday's Miami Dolphins home game vs. the New York Jets on January 1 at 1:00 P.M. will be the final game of his career. After fifteen amazing seasons, Jason would like to thank each of you for your continued support throughout his entire career, on the field and in the community. Jason greatly appreciates your unwavering dedication and compassion for his football and community endeavors in South Florida and across the nation. Jason, and his wife Katina, look forward to continuing their efforts toward improving the lives of South Florida's youth with the Jason Taylor Foundation. We hope to see you this Sunday at Sun Life Stadium wearing your #99 jersey, cheering proudly for Jason on this special day.

-The Jason Taylor Foundation Staff

www.JasonTaylorFoundation.org

Coaching change

2011-12-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

Here's something to chew on: Since Shula "retired" at the end of the 1995 season, Miami has gone through 7 head coaches, and will introduce #8 in short order.

That essentially means that coaching tenure here has been about 2 years, on average, since Shula left. Obviously having 2 "interim" coaches brings the total way down, but consider that JJ lasted 4 years, Dave 4ish years, and Tony 4ish years. You need to have more stability than that...

The culture of winning

2011-12-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

I'm by no means an expert in the psychology of sport. But I've done some research into the topic, and heard a few speakers on the topic.

The patterns are that you don't want to lose too often, and you want to make sure that some of your decisions are sound and building on a promise.

At times - in life and in sport - one bad decision begets another, until there's a pattern and a spiral of sorts.

With the Dolphins, you can go back to the decision to "go for broke" late in Shula's career. The net result was a not-so-great team. That was followed by hiring JJ, and forcing out the Don. And that was followed by JJ's passion not being there, but him staying around for one more year - if he could hire Dave as his successor. Dave was a heck of a nice guy, but couldn't lead the team and quit on them.

Players loved Bates, but he was let go, and Nicky was brought in - his heart wasn't in it either. He was all about ego and money, and he had to be convinced to come here. Then, he leaves the team and there are no serious repercussions. The next coach (Cam) is part of an exhaustive search. But the guy brings in some odd things - a little negative energy when he tells players its okay to fail among them.

He gets fired, and next up is the Parcells regime. Clearly that was a dumb decision from day one, and his people didn't do much to correct the culture either. And then Parcells left, and there were no repercussions, either. And there was a bundling of looking for another coach, followed by there being no motivation, and finally the firing of Tony.

And in a week or two, there will be changes. Will they be big? Will they be small? Who knows?

What I can tell you is that its time for Mr. Ross to stop being Cap'n Izzy Firepants. He needs to step up and change the culture. I'll tell you what - if I were the owner I'd try and exorcise the demons of the past. Go ahead and clean house, and bring together football and business. Let the fans and media know they're welcome. Let them video, live blog, tweet, whatever they want. Let them feel like its not a closed door. Get rid of all the team-sponsored broadcasts that are unlistenable and unwatchable. Let the media and fans do it instead - talk about "fair and balanced"

Then, hire someone to coach this team and purge the players who have a connection to the not-too-distant past. But invite them to be a part of the alumni group.

Change the logo, maybe update the team colors. Work a deal with the expiring Sun-Life to embrace the past - maybe call it Miami Dolphins Sun-Life Stadium.

Its time, in a word, to try and embrace the culture of winning, rather than a culture of "meh"

I am not a fan of the probowl

2011-12-28T06:57:00.000-05:00

I see the need to give players their due. If they're good, they should be adulated, and rewarded. But the probowl is a bit of a popularity contest that is (a) weighted toward players that have cache, (b) weighted toward players who are on winning teams, and (c) only based on part of the season.

Balloting goes on for about 8 weeks, but misses the last 2 weeks of the season. Front-runners are always shown, so its easy to manipulate whose in and out if a group of fans vote a certain way...and what tends to happen is that some players get in based on reputation, rather than on actual production.

Now I'm not disappointed that Long and Marshall made the probowl. Good for them. But think about it for a moment. When the season still mattered, Marshall was absent from the offense. Until recently, Marshall had 3 TDs, and had dropped twice that many; he was the guy you could NOT count on when it mattered. But he had some good stats overall, and was on a pace to break 1,000 yards (which he has).

Jake Long is a shell of his former self. Yes, he's playing injured, and yes, he's still one of the best tackles in the league. But he missed most of 4 games, and parts of two others due to injury. And he was having trouble with many rushers, and allowed a higher-than-he-had-in-the-past number of sacks.

That's just my two cents.

Drew Brees and the passing record

2011-12-27T07:56:00.000-05:00

A couple of quick takes on Brees breaking Marino's single-season passing record:

(1) Congrats to Drew Brees for being the guy. He's a very good QB, humble, and a nice guy. If anyone takes it, better him than say Tom Brady

(2) Its remarkable that the record stood for this long (since 1984), but it goes to show just how good Marino was. Especially considering how all the rule changes have had an impact on the game to help more recent QBs. He was way ahead of his time. I went to a number of games in that '84 season, and it was incomprehensible how good his passing was.

(3) can you imagine the "what if?" .... little Nicky was trying to decide between Culpepper and Brees. Brees *really wanted* to come to Miami. He told friends, family, and reporters (off the record) he thought it was a done deal. Then Nick decided the shoulder was too much of a risk, asked for another "doctor's" (for all we know it was a guy with a PhD or a witch doctor or something) opinion. Then, he took Culpepper and told a stunned Brees "no thanks"....what a wanker! So can you imagine if Brees broke the record here?

-- Of course, on point 3, the Dolphins couldn't possibly do something smart. They haven't since about 2000. And even if they had, it would have turned out badly. We would have an inept OC or something, and everyone would have said "why didn't we sign Culpepper?"

Looking Back At The Pats Game

2011-12-26T22:46:00.002-05:00

After looking back and reflecting on the Dolphins game Saturday, I'm not as upset as I was before. Yeah the Dolphins lost the game but I think it will help us out in the long run.

First of all it pretty much guarantees us a top 10 pick and a chance at one of the top 3 QBs in the draft. I like Moore but I think he would probably play the role of caretaker next year and as soon as he throws a pick Dolphins fans will cry for the rookie to start.

Also I like that we were competitive and showed that we could play stout Defense, which will ultimately attract one of the top available coaches. So the loss to the Pats wasn't all bad and will help us in the offseason, plus I would rather us beat the jets and knock them out of the playoffs.

Trade Jake Long?

2011-12-26T20:53:00.001-05:00

There's been some chatter about potentially trading Long while he still has value. Of course, he can't be traded until after he heals, but its an intriguing prospect. And it goes along with my thinking that the Dolphins would be relatively smart to trade up to get whatever QB they will covet - and allow the prospective team to pick ANY player (or two!) off the roster in trade - even Long.

Now as for trading Long, I actually find this amusing. Why? Because I can go back in history to 2008; Miami is sitting with the #1 overall pick. There was a lot of talk about which offensive or defensive lineman Miami might go with - and very little regard for taking a QB. Miami takes Long #1, and Matt Ryan goes 3rd.

Protect the blind side. You'll be set for years to come. The guy is a stud. A lock. He's going to be great. And sure enough, he made the probowl all three of his first seasons. But he wasn't protecting anyone, and we're already seeing the body breaking down. He had that shoulder injury that probably should have curtailed last or this season. He's had knee problems, and now back problems, and he tore his biceps.

And now at the end of year 4, we're talking about trading him. If all you got out of the #1 overall pick was 4 years (even if 3 of them were great), would you consider that to be a wasted pick?

And one last thing: with only one game remaining this season, why did the fins even bother to put him on IR? They've gone into games over the last few years with a roster spot open - why did they make a big deal of this?

A thought about coaching and organization

2011-12-26T20:44:00.001-05:00

I find it interesting that most of the coaches that Wayne interviewed - both after Dave left and after Nick left - have had some success in the NFL. Its by no means a sure thing that Mike Tomlin, Ron Rivera, or any of those guys would have matched that level of success here. But it still makes you wonder a bit.

As for the organization, I remind you (again!) that Parcells was the candidate that Atlanta wanted as well, but he came here. And Atlanta went another direction. And...which team is in better shape today?

10 most absurd Dolphins moments

2011-12-25T09:10:00.001-05:00

I thought I would provide you with what I think are the 10 most absurd
Dolphins moments over the last 15 years:

10. Parcells not talking to the media while he ran this football team
9. Trading too much to get Ricky Williams, then Ricky quitting on
Dave, then coming back for Nick.
8. The 62-7 loss to the Jags in the playoffs
7. "We got a shot. We got a chance to be something special."-- Jimmy
6. Cam's infamous quotes: "I want them to fail forward, fast" and
"We drafted the Ginn family"
5. Wanny getting flustered at a press conference and saying "What do
you want me to do?"
4. Dan Marinos 2ish weeks as the VP of football operations
3. The interplay between Jimmy and Danny. Jimmy took away audibles,
and wanted to trade Danny; but Danny was getting special treatment,
like flying on Wayne's private jet to away games.
2. Anything Nick did in his two years (whether it was berating
someone, telling people what they wanted to hear, or trying to throw a
challenge flag), but for its sheer audacity "I'm not going to Alabama"
-- and then informing his staff he was already gone, by text message.
1. The sham that was last January. Ross openly courted Jim Harbaugh
while Sparano was still employed

Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone.

That was odd.

2011-12-24T17:15:00.001-05:00

I watched a fair amount of this game (hey, its Christmas eve, and I'm just sitting on my couch anyway!)...the first half was strange. Not so much because Miami took the lead, but more because Tom Brady looked completely off. Maybe he stayed up all night with his son. Maybe his wife is making him take out the garbage. Who knows? So it was 17-0 and he was not the player we've come to expect.

And then came the second half. Miami did a lot of things right - much as they had in the first half - but Brady suddenly looked in control. And the net result was that the Pats mounted a comeback to win.

So I was wrong that the Pats would blow out the Fins; nevertheless they won. And Gronkowski had another big day.

Ho hum.

Now please join me back in reality where the Fins need a coach, a QB, and a GM. We don't have any of those things.

Welcome new bloggers

2011-12-24T12:45:00.001-05:00

I have a few people who would like to try guest blogging on the site. So, please join me in welcoming some new names you'll see down in the "by line"....I think this is exciting, and hope it brings a new flavor to this blog!

Enjoy!

The Key Match-Up To Watch For

2011-12-24T11:13:00.005-05:00

First of all hello, this is my first post here and I was one of the people who emailed Dave about being interested in blogging for this site. I am really looking forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone and I hope you enjoy my first post.

There are many match-ups to watch for today, such as the Dolphins secondary VS the Patriots Wrs or the Dolphins LBs VS the Patriots TEs, but none is bigger than the Dolphins D-Line VS the Patriots O-Line. When you look at the teams that have beaten the Patriots this season two of the three, the Giants and Steelers, have been able to get to Brady by only sending 4 and letting 7 drop in coverage. As much as people like to say that Brady is as cool as it gets during the game, he gets rattled easily when the pressure is on him. However Brady is really good at picking up the blitz and can hit his hot read and let them do the work, so the blueprint to beating the Patriots and Tom Brady is getting to the QB with only 4. So I believe if Wake has a big day so will the Dolphins.

Prediction?

2011-12-24T07:04:00.000-05:00

To quote Mr. T from one of the Rocky movies "Paiiiin"

Some people think this will be a close game. Me? Not so much. I'm going Patriots 35, Dolphins 17.

Even though the "Sparano factor" (ie, that Bellichick would always find ways to beat the guy who embarrassed him) is no more - I still think the Patriots will find ways to shut down Miami's run game, and contain the pass. Meanwhile Brady will have his usual kind of day. I see Gronkowski and Hernandez coming in with about 10 passes each.

Bloggers wanted

2011-12-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

Anyone have an interest in writing for this blog? If so, drop me a line - dave@bitchindave.com - and we can see how it goes.

There's no pay, but you get a chance to see your name in lights, and have your thoughts read by dozens, no make that hundreds, no wait thousands of readers world wide.

A simple truth

2011-12-19T16:20:00.001-05:00

There are a couple of talented players on Miamis roster, but I still contend that there is a serious lack of talent on the roster overall.

Why bring this up? On any given Sunday ANY team in the nfl can beat any other team in the nfl.

Miami beat the chiefs and the raiders. The raiders were killed by the packers. The chiefs beat the packers.

Does that mean Miami is as good as the packers? Of course not. But if they played them maybe they could beat them. Then again, play them 10 times, and the packers would surely win 8.

Marino's passing record

2011-12-19T08:48:00.001-05:00

During halftime of the second game yesterday, Marino handled hilights of the Saints game. "Looks like my record is going to fall this year," quoth he, referring to his 5,084-yard passing record which he set during Regan's first term. Drew was 6 when that record was set...

Perfectville

2011-12-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

Perfectville seems like an idyllic place. A place that is unique and will remain at population of 1 until....who knows? Maybe forever. The odds are long for any team to get there. And that mountain does seem insurmountable.

Several of the players on that 72 team told me that they think the feat will never be matched; maybe they are right.

Kudos to that truly special and unique team, and a pox on you that deny them their place as one of the - if not the - best teams ever.

It's hard to believe that nearly 40 years have passed; and this dolphins team feels like its in an alternate universe rather than being connected to "greatness"

Wanker Nomination

2011-12-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

Our own wanker points out:

>
> Why do they call it a "touchdown" when - as evidenced at the end of Reggie's fine 76 yard run today against the Bills, he "touched down" in the end zone and was called for an unsportsmanlike for going to ground. Isn't what he did the personification of the name of the score?? Should we start calling it "ball in the general vicinity yet above the ground and in no way down..." ???
>
> So Wanker nomination for whoever made the rule that actually "touching down" in a touchdown, was against the rules!!!!!!!
>
> Best
>
> Other wanker!

Live it up dolphins fans

2011-12-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

The chiefs - who ain't so good - knocked off the packers - who are very good. I think it was a simple case of two old nfl rivals playing old school ball.

And thus preserveth the legacy of the 72 fins.

In other news, your current dolphins won. Believe what you want, but this game was won because the bills were inept whenever it mattered.

Parcells is a wanker

2011-12-16T20:29:00.001-05:00

Well, we knew that.

But I heard another story today that frosted me: last season (ie 2010, while Bill was still technically here) he called Sean Peyton and urged Sean to draft Jimmy Graham, and told him that if Peyton didn't, Miami would grab in their next at-bat. My first reaction was WTF? Sure, it was supposedly Irelands, draft, but who does something like that?

I love it

2011-12-16T13:21:00.001-05:00

Fans hire banner plane

http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d8251ae5c

A couple of notes

2011-12-15T09:58:00.001-05:00

I've heard several players say they want to "win out for Sparano" -- look, I know there's loyalty to coaches, and players loved Sparano. But really? Really?

Next is the topic of Carl Peterson. He may be the next VP, or maybe not. And I hear talk about him "maybe coming to the Dolphins." My issue here is slightly semantics. He ALREADY WORKS FOR THE DOLPHINS. He is on the "business side" (I'll get back to that in a minute), helping with stadium usage and operations and he is the guy who "sells" FanVision. So....in a sense him denying whether he might come is nonsense because he is already here, and it would be a role change for him.

Now as to business and football - this is soooo weird. Football is the Parcells world, with Ireland, Sparano, coaching, training, and players. Business is anything else. Mike Dee runs most of the business side - except for where the niche is for Peterson. And the twain shall never meet. And apparently don't talk much either. I heard about some flap where business wanted to do some holiday videos with players, as a promotional tool. Football said no and that was that. How can you run an operation like that?

And finally I heard Todd "I have no nickname yet, but players say they've never heard me say two words" Bowles say that Matt Moore is being tested, but they are classifying his injury as a neck/head injury. WTF? Why isn't it a concussion? And why is the league so afraid of concussions? A week or so ago, Colt McCoy suffered a blow to the head in a game, and wasn't tested and continued to play that game and another game - and it turns out he had a concussion, and should not have been cleared to play under the new rules. I suspect that Moore has a concussion, but in the macho world of football, you can't say that!

What the future holds

2011-12-14T06:35:00.003-05:00

I've been reading the articles (like most of you have):

This is not the glamorous job it once was
The presence of Ireland may deter some coaches from coming here
The uncertainty about Peterson (and who would be the boss) might hinder some coaches
There are other (possibly better) jobs that will become available
Some teams will have a more settled QB situation, which is key.
The chemistry between Ross and whoever is hired has to be right

And while all of these things are generally true, for Stevie, there's no easy answers. Even so, he should step away from the focus, and hire someone to run the football operation. Trust them to get it done for you.

Plus, he will have to have patience. This team is a few years away from being outstanding. It will take that long to find a suitable answer at QB and groom them - or let them grow into the role. After all, Cam Newton's team has the same record. And he's damn good.

Shame on the Dolphins for not finding a replacement for Marino while Marino was still here - and then in any of the dozen years since. H Wayne was presented with what sounded like a reasonable plan by several coaches, but they all failed. Because, essentially, each coach had a philosophy that didn't really care about the QB play. Run first, and play good defense and fill in a capable guy at QB. And pass on above-average talent when its available. That's not an answer.

And one other thing that I've heard: Ross would like to keep most of the staff intact. Could that be for real? Would any coach accept that?

Prediction: QB

2011-12-13T18:08:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing. If Jeff Ireland remains the GM, the Dolphins will NOT. I repeat will NOT, draft a QB in the spring in the first round.

Clearly Ross has decided that he wants to win now, and will set his expectations high - I would expect they will try and get a vet of some kind to compete with Matt Moore. So, maybe a later-round selection. But not one of the "sexy" picks.

My short list of coaches

2011-12-13T07:04:00.001-05:00

Cap'n Izzy Firepants wants 3 things: (1) a big name that will put butts in seats, (b) a guy who can work with Jeff Ireland, and (iii) someone with experience.

I've heard some names batted around, so let's see what the dealie-o is:

Bill Cowher: If Jeff Ireland remains in place, I have trouble believing Cowher would want to come here. He would want control over at least some aspect of the team. Besides with other openings likely, he'll have his pick of some "good situations." [So, no based on B]

John Gruden: He's a bit of a big ego, and like Cowher would want some say on the team. I have my doubts about how well he'd get along. [possibly]

Jeff Fisher: this might be the smartest hire among bigger names. I suspect he would cede personnel control to Ireland. He's a solid coach. [likely]

Brian Billick: the guy was an offensive minded coach who assembled what might be the greatest defense in NFL history. I generally like the guy, but I'm not sold on his ability to coach - look at why he was fired...he wasn't keeping the team motivated. [No, based on 1]

Andy Reid (if he gets fired): this guy is over rated, and clearly his 9 playoff years are behind him. Plus his demeanor is like Tony's. While the name might put butts in seats, I think the performance will be lacking [possibly]

Les Miles (if Ross wants to go the college route): if Ross were to go after a very successful LSU coach, I would think people would say WTF? Is this deja vue? He's talented, and may win a championship, but has limited pro experience. [no based on iii]

Rob Ryan: As I've said before, this is the smart choice. The guy is an up-and-comer, is brash, and would likely put fans in seats - if only to see his reaction to the world. And it would tweak his brother in NY, which isn't a bad thing. [probably not, based on iii]

And I've heard talk about David Shula. While the name is inspiring and he is kind of "the next Don Shula," Dave had his turn at coaching and now runs a successful business. Don't rule him out, but don't count him in either. [dark horse?]

There may be others, but they generally don't fit the first one - big name.

So it seems to me that Jeff Fisher is the guy who most fits what Ross wants.

Oh and lest I forget, here's an article Jason Cole did a few weeks ago on coaching: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-cole_2012_nfl_coaching_candidates_111011

Time will tell

2011-12-12T22:21:00.001-05:00

We are hearing conflicting reports: Carl Peterson has denied he is the
VP of football operations. The Dolphins are saying Ireland is still
the GM - and nothing other than the firing of Sparano has changed.

Weird (also).

The big question

2011-12-12T22:20:00.001-05:00

Dan Lebatard posed the question this afternoon: why now?

And I've been thinking about it a lot. There are 3 weeks left. You
almost fired the guy in January. You could have fired him at 0-7, or
after the loss to the Cowboys.

There must be some significance to the timing. But why not?

Why not wait for the final gun to sound against the Jets.

You told us earlier there was nothing to gain by firing in-season.

So why did you do it now?

Its weird, isn't it?

Interesting

2011-12-12T20:12:00.001-05:00

I don't know if anyone is aware of this, but Todd Bowles, in addition
to being a former Cowboy coach (shocker, I know) is an african
american gentleman. Not that changes anything, or really means
anything.

But, it does occur to me that by hiring him and presumably
interviewing him to retain the job, Ross does meet the requirement for
the Rooney Rule. He can go out and hire whoever he wants without
having to go through more than one interview.

In a way, that's kind of smart.

Send a message

2011-12-12T20:07:00.001-05:00

I heard a local commentator earlier this afternoon suggesting that
fans could express their displeasure with Stephen Ross by not going to
the last home game against the Jets - just give your tickets away to
Jets fans. That would certainly show Stevie what you think.

I'd go one further. Call the Dolphins. Email the Dolphins. Tell
them what you think. Then, don't buy their merchandise. Don't renew
your tickets. That sends a message. And if you really do feel like
throwing some money their way, at least include a note with your
ticket payment that you're a fan but you don't agree with things.

And the next coach will be?

2011-12-12T19:58:00.001-05:00

Cap'n Izzy Firepants wants a big name. Someone splashy. Someone who
has a previous history. And someone who will fill his stadium.

To which I say phhhhhtttt.

As I have noted in the past, previous success is not an indicator of
future success. Coaches don't move from one team to another and find
that same level of success with their new charges.

So I'll be curious to see who he ultimately hires.

Jeff Ireland

2011-12-12T18:40:00.001-05:00

We hear that Ireland has accepted a demotion of sorts and is no longer the GM.

We'll see if that's true

Vp of football operations

2011-12-12T17:43:00.001-05:00

We hear that Carl Peterson is assuming the role. And fans are showing their lack of support for the move; citing his body of work in KC.

But I see it thusly: could it be any worse than the guy he's replacing. After all parcells did nothing at all.

And the 9th head coach in dolphins history is...

2011-12-12T16:15:00.001-05:00

Todd Bowles. Sparano is gone (buh bye bootin bull!) and we are moving on.

Apparently Carl Peterson who "will not touch football operations" is now the head of football operations.

Wanker of the week

2011-12-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

Given the mood I'm in, and the comments I posted earlier, here he is:

Back in 2007, H Wayne flirted with the idea of selling the team. In 2008, he sold 45% of the team to real estate developer Stephen Ross. Then, in 2009, he sold another 50% to Ross, leaving Ross as the majority owner.

Ross was a local guy, having attended Miami Beach High, and says he always like the Dolphins and always wanted to own an NFL team. But the story is that he went to school at Michigan, and has been a big supporter and donor to the university (we always wondered if he was an athletic supporter...), and his company HQ is in Manhattan.

So his ties to Miami are not that strong. Still, he seems like he wants to be an owner, and his style is somewhat hands-off.

He decides to bring the "glitz and glamor of south beach" to the Dolphins. He brings in a bunch of celebrities as minority owners. He has this orange carpet arrival at games. He puts a night club in one endzone. Its all about hype off the field. And that's fine as long as you're winning on it.

He tells fans he wants to have more night games early in the season because its hot. Looking back on that comment, we came to realize that the facts say you're more likely to sell out a night game, plus you get more national exposure. Hmmmm. Maybe it isn't about the fans, then?

In 2010, he also instructs the grounds crew to fill in the dirt infield for games played while baseball season is still ongoing. This was something we had been told previously could not be done. And yet here was Ross doing it. But was it for the team or the visual on these night games?

He re-did Parcells' contract to guarantee him $12mil in total to run the team - or not. And on his watch, we had Parcells dance with JT, consult with the Jets, and look for other offers to make more money. There is something kinda wrong with the owner letting his key football person do whatever he wants without any ramifications, isn't there?

Then, Ross turns around and asks the state to fund upgrades to his stadium - otherwise its unlikely the SuperBowl may not return to South Florida. He asks the same of Dade County. And of Broward County. The guy wants someone else to pay for upgrades to his private property, while throwing money away on Parcells. He's a real estate mogul; you would think he'd understand how to do this cost-effectively and get a good return on his investment. But, I suppose not. Or maybe he understands it better than I do - it costs a whole lot less of your money if you get someone else to foot the bill.

The team underperforms for two years, going 7-9 twice, and losing 3 straight to end both seasons. With no football leadership since Parcells has checked out. Ross decides he needs to evaluate his staff, and does so, then flirts with hiring another coach, while leaving his current coach dangling.

Okay, we can't fault him for wanting to improve the team. But it was handled poorly as he himself said. And then he says that he didn't realize that the fans and media cared so much. You're one of 32 owners in a league that represents the most popular sport. In Miami, there is no other sport, is there? And you didn't think anyone would care?

Ultimately, you decide to keep the guy you almost fired.

The behavior that we've seen so far is not especially great for football. It seems to be all about dollars and cents, rather than wins and losses.

At the outset of the season, he told us that he wants to regain the "heat advantage" and play 1pm games early in the season. Riiiight.

I just don't get it, and for all of these reasons, he's our wanker of the week.

Time to reflect - and speak my mind

2011-12-12T08:46:00.001-05:00

During the offseason embarrassment, I made a lot of comments. I made
fun of it all, and made up nicknames for all of the major players.
(http://dolphinblog.bitchindave.com/2011/01/they-all-need-nicknames.html),
and in another comment, I made reference to them being the three
stooges (http://dolphinblog.bitchindave.com/2011/01/im-more-skeptical-than-ever.html,
oh and by the way, see the picture I posted before Bill left here:
http://miamidolphins.bitchindave.com/pics/3phins.jpg).

I went on to say that Sparano was a "lame duck"
(http://dolphinblog.bitchindave.com/2011/01/say-what.html) this
season, owing to the sham and his signing a contract extension. I
fully expected he would be fired, and the dolphins would underperform.

I called them a joke and said they had to earn my respect
(http://dolphinblog.bitchindave.com/2011/01/couple-of-followup-observations.html),
and then finally I said they had to win 11 games - and laid out my
expectations (http://dolphinblog.bitchindave.com/2011/01/youve-thrown-down-gauntlet.html).

And here we are. They will finish no better than 7-9, and
realistically will probably lose at least 2 of their last 3. The
Bootin' Bull will almost certainly be gone. The furious enigma, who
knows? Schmoe Montana already has both feet out the door. And Cap'n
Izzy remains here.

And that means its open season. Here goes - Cap'n Izzy, your team is
a fraud. All that crap in January did nothing but prolong the
inevitable. It wasted an entire season, and drove fans away (they
wanted the team to succeed - look at how they clung to the absurd
belief that after 0-7 they could make the playoffs, then finish 8-8;
they were still fans). In the end, though, a lockout would have been
a better alternative. You couldn't possibly be considering
"tinkering" with your team, could you? This team is a joke, a joke
perpetrated by you, and in turn on you.

Tony managed to keep the otherwise forgettable players together, and
they were playing hard and saying the right things because they're
paid professionals. They always want to win - and meet any incentives
in their contract. But Sunday, much like week 1 against the Pats,
showed just how far away this team is. In week 1, the Pats toyed with
the Fins. Yesterday, the talent on the Eagles was too much. Its
crazy - there's not enough coaching, and there isn't enough talent or
depth.

You still haven't earned any respect from me - and its going to be
harder to get it now. Thing is, when it comes to football, I am a
passionate fan with a long memory. I despise Nick Saban and Bill
Parcells. I didn't like what JJ did here, and Dave letting Welker get
away - to the Patriots for the love of Pete! - is still something to
be annoyed about. Its going to take A LOT to reel me back in. And
telling me "we're close on personnel" isn't going to cut it with me.

Nope its time for wholesale changes. Shake everything up. You *need*
a coach who is brash and not afraid to speak up once in a while (I
don't want anymore of "well, we believed in ourselves, and when it was
26-7, and we got that field goal wow did we think we were on our way
to a comeback." That's crap.) You need to let players speak their
minds. You need to stop shutting fans down. Make the team feel
accessible. And you need a little star power ON THE FIELD. Get a QB
with charisma, whoever that is. Please let me hear about a prima dona
receiver who says "throw me the damn ball" - at least I'll know he
cares.

This is utter nonsense - and I'm so glad I stayed true to what I said
- I bought no merchandise, no tickets, nothing. But I consumed the
product when I felt like it, and continued to speak my mind.

What an embarrassment this franchise has become.

The future of the team

2011-12-12T07:44:00.001-05:00

Armando at the herald reports that Sparano will be gone and Ireland likely will be staying because Ross thinks the personnel are good, but underachieving.

My sources tell a slightly different tale. Ross is leaning to firing Sparano, but still hasn't decided about Ireland. At least in part it depends on what coaches are available (and how many have been fired), and how well he perceives they would work with Jeff/how much personnel control the new guy would get.

It's also possible that Jeff may be essentially demoted from his current role.

That's a wrap

2011-12-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

Much like the season itself, the fins had a much better 2nd half than first one. Heck, they even out scored the eagles 3-2 after the break.

But. They showed how much difference there is in talent level between themselves and what is pretty much considered to be one of the most talented teams (player for player) in the league.

And speaking of that, the fins also showed how little depth they have. Jp Losman is no Matt Moore. And losing two linemen didn't help.

I heard Sam madison say that the injuries are the reason the team lost. I don't think so. They are just not quite good enough.

On JTs two sacks: kudos to him on moving up the list with two sacks on the day. Still, I have to temper that with the simple fact that on sack one, Vick slipped and JT was the recipient of relative good fortune. And on the second one, it was about generally good position. He had no shot at Vick, but one of his teammates (Odrick?) forced Vick up into JT. A sack is a sack of course and they're never "easy" but overall his play was in the neighborhood of average. Hey just my two cents.

Its halftime

2011-12-11T14:40:00.001-05:00

[sarcasm=high]
Oh the Dolphins are so good. Sooooo talented. Their offensive line is playing really well. Matt Moore is the answer at QB. Their defense is outstanding.
[sarcasm=off]

Ummm, yeah, how does 24-7 look, sucker?

Tony is doing his utmost to ensure he and Jeff will be out of a job in about 3 weeks...

Things are looking up? (reader comments)

2011-12-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

One of my readers wrote:

> These fins, unlike any fins team in the last 10 years, is actually very close to greatness. If they keep their core players, draft a good QB and don't waste money on a short-term bromide like Manning or do something stupid like get rid of Sparano, they will go to at lest 2 rounds deep into next years playoffs

Which makes me wonder what in the world is going on in with dol-fans. Look, I know hope springs eternal and we have seen some good play overall the last few weeks.

But that is not enough to overcome 0-7 nor the mediocre teams that have been out there the last few seasons. And please save your breath when you talk about how the lockout affected this team. It affected all teams equally and Miami was among the worst teams at the start. That's bad coaching, bad luck, or whatever. And nothing more.

I remind everyone that the rules have changed and next offseason there will be fewer workouts and less team activity. It's the new world of the nfl. Get used to it; don't use it as an excuse!!

I still say Tony and Jeff MUST go. End of story.

Close to greatness ??!!

Puh-leaze

Oh now they'll go to the Super Bowl

2011-12-09T19:11:00.001-05:00

The story goes that JT is weighing a return to the fins in 2012. Yeah that's great. Because the fins need another over-the-hill underperformer next season

Losing ground

2011-12-08T09:45:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I talked about how Stephen Ross was losing a prospective fan base among kids who could root for the fins, but don't.

The road only gets harder. Basketball is back and talk turns to the big 3 and their next run at a championship. Baseball is stealing headlines with the marlins trying to play fantasy games. And hockey has a renewed interest. And with the canes football team, there's always news.

So....the dolphins, who until maybe a year ago were always the talk of the town, are now relegated to the back seat. If you pick up the paper or listen to sports talk the news has shifted away from the fins.

It's gonna be hard to fill seats for a while...,

Now that's a strong opinion

2011-12-07T05:19:00.001-05:00

I've gone on record as saying that I strongly believe that Ireland and Sparano need to go. Last offseason, I was up for giving Tony "one more year" - but that time has passed. He may have good control of the team, but he ain't getting it done.

Last night, as I came home from work, I heard Steve Goldstein - who is the voice of the Florida Panthers, but admittedly is not a football expert - talking about Sparano. He absolutely believes that Sparano and Ireland must be fired - and said anyone who thinks they deserve another year is an idiot.

"I don't mean to be starting controversy....but....well, how could I not?..." I laughed so hard I almost drove off the road.

Enthusiastic? Yeah, no

2011-12-05T09:42:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'll grant you that maybe this team is better than it appeared when they started 0-7. And Sparano has done a nice job of keeping the team together through it all. And maybe he gets consideration for coach of the year.

But facts are facts. In his tenure, the team went 11-5 (with Pennington single-handedly winning 3-4 games; otherwise the team would have been 7-9 or 8-8), then went 7-9, 7-9, and now can do no better than 8-8.

They've been slow starters. They've let leads go. They're erratic. They're inconsistent. And IMHO they are not *that* good.

So the great debate over the last 4 weeks rolls on: do we need a new coach, a new GM, and new QB? 4 weeks ago the answers were yes, yes, and Hell YES!

What we think doesn't matter - only the opinion of the owner matters. And we'll see in a few weeks what he thinks.

Either way, there will be an outcry, I'm sure of it.

Stupidest comment of the day

2011-12-05T07:50:00.001-05:00

"It's not so much about how you start, it's about how you finish."

From the mouth of Kevin Burnett, after yesterday's drubbing of the Raiders.

If you start 0-7, and finish say 8-8, you are still a bad team.

34-14?

2011-12-04T16:58:00.001-05:00

Say what? I slept through a lot of the first half and had a soccer game to coach in the second half, so I only caught the final.

I don't know what to think about another win, at this point.

Now before anyone starts with the fins being "spoilers" because they beat the raiders, and the broncos won again meaning that the raiders are in 2nd in the division....consider this: the dolphins collapse at the start of the Tim
Tebow phenomena had more of a bearing on this.

Interesting times (Marlins edition)

2011-12-03T09:40:00.001-05:00

The Dolphins *used to* share the stadium with the Florida (and now Miami) Marlins. Lets take a quick trip in history shall we?

Joe Robbie wanted football, baseball, and soccer to play in his venue so he built it accordingly. He had hoped to own teams in each sport
H Wayne bought the stadium when he bought the Fins, and was granted an expansion baseball team
They coexisted for several years, but H thought baseball needed its own stadium, so he lobbied long and hard to get one for his team
Remember that he essentially wanted it to be publicly funded - or heavily subsidized through tax breaks
Failing that, he sold the team, and wrote an awful lease for the new owner to use JRS (and by awful, we mean totally benefitting him)
A few owners came and went, with each trying to secure a stadium for themselves
Finally enter the current owner, who made it happen. For better or worse, he got the city of Miami to build him a stadium. And to top it off, its on the site of the old Orange Bowl (this is particularly amusing, because Joe Robbie moved the Fins from the Orange Bowl, and had made comments that the city was impossible to work with as he built his own stadium)

That takes us to today. There was a lot of consternation about this stadium deal. Accusations of back-room deals, lack of accountability, sketchy financials, and the like dogged them along the way.

But the deal went ahead. I have to admit I don't understand the finances. The city borrowed close to $500 million at an interest rate that would seem fairly high (I think it was on the order of 8%, which is bad for municipalities), but is trying to tell everyone that they only took out loans for under $200 million. In any event, they built 4 parking garages as well, and are leasing the spaces in it to the Marlins.

Everything is "on schedule" but there is a cost to doing that, and its cut corners. We saw one example when the garages showed cracks in the concrete. More will come, I am sure.

And then we hear that the garages - since they are leased exclusively to the Marlins - don't qualify as "public" which means that the city has to pay taxes on them. Oops. That's money they don't have, and can't get easily. In addition, the deal has not been signed with parking authority to run the garages - and their retail space. And with opening day about 4 months away, that means there will be no tenants and no revenue in the retail space - and no method for ingress and egress (which means that the city will have to pay off-duty police to manage traffic).

Meanwhile, the SEC (the commission that oversees financials, not the football conference) opened an investigation into the city of Miami finances - unrelated to the Marlins. Basically they were trying to figure how the city stayed solvent, and improved its bond rating...no final word yet, but we hear that they have uncovered an elaborate shell game where money has been moved around to make the books look good. And that investigation has been going on for 2 years, which probably means its big.

And then yesterday, the SEC widened its investigation to look into the stadium agreement. It seems clear to me this is not about the Marlins, at least overtly. The larger issue is how much money the city borrowed, how they got it, the interest the paid, and how they plan to repay it. Now the fact that the SEC also subpoenaed the Marlins finances and campaign contributions tells me that there is a larger tale - and the underpinnings of the deal are at issue. It might affect the Marlins, but this is about how we came to this state...needless to say relentless critic of the Marlins Norman Braman is enjoying this turn of events.

Now one side note: the Marlins assured us that there would be parks on all 4 corners, and there would be a fun walkway between downtown and the stadium. Turns out that the stadium is so large it actually abuts residential areas on all 4 corners - there is no room for a park! And walkways? Haha. Nope.

The Packers

2011-12-02T21:47:00.001-05:00

The Green Bay Packers announced that they will be having an offering of 250,000 shares of stock in the team, starting next month.

I still love the idea that the Packers are publicly owned.

On a more serious note...

2011-12-02T21:45:00.001-05:00

Sunday is the day Jim Mandich will be inducted into the ring of honor (posthumously). It should be at least a little emotional, with over 40 former Dolphins - who played with Jim - in attendance. Included on that list are many that played for the undefeated team.

On the list are not so regulars Larry Csonka and Jake Scott. Now that's kind of cool.

A giveaway?

2011-12-02T21:32:00.001-05:00

I saw that the Fins are pimping tickets to the Nat Moore BBQ Bash before the Raiders game, with a chance to win seats on a fighter jet for the game flyover.

Okay, I'm trying to figure that out. The flyover happens just before kickoff. The BBQ goes on for 2 hours before kickoff. So assuming you won, you would have to leave the BBQ less than hour in, and you would get back about 1/3 way through the second quarter.

Essentially, you would miss the BBQ (the reason you'd be buying the ticket) and a segment of the game (the reason you're heading out to the stadium).

But then, considering how well the Dolphins have played for 11 weeks, missing the game may not be the worst thing.

And that's a pretty good prize, isn't it? Not having to watch the game!

Say NO to Internet Censorship

2011-11-29T12:20:00.001-05:00

As a pretty heavy Internet user, I wanted to pass this along:

This week Congress is debating whether to grant themselves the
power to turn off parts of the Internet. Fun sites you YouTube.
Informative sites like Wikipedia. Political sites like MoveOn.org.

If enacted, new laws would force Internet Service Providers to block
websites that any corporation suspects violates a copyright or suspects
doesn't monitor it's users' content close enough for copyrighted
materials. That means that any website, foreign or based in the U.S.,
could be wiped out on suspicion and made unavailable to everyone in the
world.

This week there will be a historic filibuster of the Internet Censorship
Act where the names of every person that signs a petition against Internet
censorship will be read. I added my name. Please add yours too.

http://pol.moveon.org/nointernetcensorship/?r_by=33343-18969411-9IWrtfx&rc=pac_nointernetcensorship_letter.email.g0

Thanks!

Who would have guessed?

2011-11-29T12:15:00.001-05:00

With the dolphins starting 0-7 and the eagles underperforming, who had Jack Del Rio as the first coach fired?

And with the owner announcing the sale of the team, it seems likely this will be team to move to el-lay

Mor-on parcells

2011-11-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently he made several comments while doing an interview last night with (gasp) a national broadcast.

He talked about Sparano, the dolphins, and other topics. But speaking about the dolphins amuses me.

Because HE IS STILL ON THE PAYROLL. Rather than talking about Sparano, etc why not pick up the phone and call your boss (the guy who is paying you) and telling *him* what you think. After all, that was what he paid you for.

Oh forgot. You can't do that; you're a wanker.

Please not him!

2011-11-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

Andy Reid is on the hot seat in Philly, and I'm guessing he gets fired before Sparano.

Assuming both get fired, I do NOT want Reid here. No question that the guy can develop a QB and he has a good offensive mind.

But he can't win consistently and struggles in the playoffs. I'd rather not have him around as another retread.

Oh and while I'm at it, I'm still disturbed by the story from a few seasons ago - about his older sons running a drug house out of *his* house. I know you're away more often than not, but c'mon man!

Parcells says?

2011-11-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Bill Parcells says of Andrew Luck:

"Anyone who says that this guy is the hands down, Heisman Trophy winner or the first pick in the draft right now, I don't know they know what they are talking about. There's not been enough work done yet."

And since he had so much success here with his approach, you can discount that. He's an idiot.

Spoilers?

2011-11-28T21:13:00.001-05:00

I've heard several people talk recently about how the Dolphins are prepared to play "spoiler" to other teams in their last 5 games.

Okay, I'm confused by this.

Why? Because there's nothing to spoil.

There are 5 games left, and here's how they stack up:
The Patriots - they win the division, hands down. Can't do much there.
The Jets - maybe, just maybe, Miami could eliminate the Jets. But if the Jets lose just one other game, its irrelevant. And even if they were to win out, its still a long shot for the Jets to make the playoffs.
The Raiders - they lead their division, and are in the mix for the wildcard if Denver catches up to them. And a loss to Miami probably doesn't change anything
The Eagles - they are going nowhere; no chance to affect them
The Bills - same as the Eagles

So, I would argue there's nothing to "spoil"

JT

2011-11-27T08:09:00.001-05:00

I heard this morning that JT is suing a guy who he had a business dealing with. (you can read about it here: Jason Taylor -- Investment Broker Ran Off With My Money! | TMZ.com)

Of course this is not the first time this has happened. A few years ago, he invested in some property off shore for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the deal went south.

This allegation - at its heart - is over $275,000. Now, I'm not going to say its chump change. And if the guy stole it, then certainly its wrong.

But consider this: Taylor has made more than $30,000,000 in his playing career, and has more from endorsements and other things (like Dancing with the Stars). So, the amount represents less than 1% of his net worth. Which would equate - in average Joe dollars - to $500 off of a $50,000 salary. Again, I'd be pissed if someone stole $500, but it wouldn't be news worthy.

I find it interesting how the citizenry reacts to numbers sometimes - especially when there is a big name attached to it.

An interesting stat

2011-11-25T08:49:00.001-05:00

Mike Beradino pointed out the following:

Thursday's loss left them 7-22 in Sparano's four seasons against teams that either ended the year as winners or currently stand above .500. That's barely a 24-percent success rate against legitimate playoff contenders.

That says a lot about the abilities of the team and its coach, doesn't it?

Fins next coach?

2011-11-24T22:27:00.001-05:00

I still hold out hope that we saw Miamis next head coach on the field today.

He was across the field calling defenses for the cowboys, his long (luscious?) hair blowing in the breeze.

His demeanor was always there for all to see. He was emotional, passionate, and clearly can coach.

Ahhh wouldn't Rob Ryan be a nice fit.

JT?

2011-11-24T22:04:00.001-05:00

I thought I caught a glimpse of a 99 jersey today.

But it was on a guy in the stands. And *that guy* (who was older and definitely not in shape) had 2 tackles and a qb hurry.

Unlike the guy who reportedly wears that uniform for the fins.

Brandon Marshall

2011-11-24T22:02:00.001-05:00

I have to call out BM for what he is (in a way what I just wrote says it all). He's an "elite receiver" and yet todays score was only his 5th in 11 games.

And this td was one with a guy flat out giving him a prostate exam while he made the catch. And on other plays he barely even tries.

That's wankerific overall.

Bill Parcells, really?

2011-11-24T21:59:00.001-05:00

He's a semi finalist for the hall of fame and many have said "he's a lock".

Based on his work with the giants, and the patsies, maybe he belongs there. But his attitude with the jets, and his performance with the cowboys brings that down a couple of notches.

And his wankerish behavior here should just taint his legacy and flat out disqualify him!!!

But it's the "old boys" network and they can overlook that....dunderheads!! You talk tough about character counting, and about how maybe oj Simpson doesn't belong. And yet this guy is a lock.

Wanker of the week

2011-11-24T21:55:00.001-05:00

This week, I'm going Tony Sparano. He made his share of mistakes with schemes, general play calling, and clock management.

Overall, I'd say the loss was on him. The team was in a position to win and they didn't. That's coaching.

Back to reality.

2011-11-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

That was a fun, generally well played game. It could have gone either way and unfortunately did not go Miami's way.

So...now we know that Miami isn't quite what some thought they would be. They can do no better than average (8-8).

And that means the inane playoff talk can stop now. Please?

Interestingly when Miami scored its lone (!!! They are back to scoring field goals) TD, they decided to go for one. At the time I wondered why they didn't go for 2; and in the end that was the difference.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:21:00.001-05:00

Take a moment and reflect on where you are in life and give thanks for those things you have...

And don't eat too much turkey!!!

Enjoy the fins game today.

Still with the cowboy connections?

2011-11-23T07:50:00.001-05:00

Sparano was talking yesterday about how well Matt Moore was playing.

Then he added "it's kind of like the effect Tony Romo had on the cowboys. He's a guy that from day one down there has been able to get that team moving. It's kind of the things even I've seen in Matt Moore"

How strange

2011-11-21T18:55:00.001-05:00

Adam Schefter reports on the dealings of flex schedules. In years past visiting afc teams were on CBS, visiting NFC on fox. Here's the news

A change in broadcast networks for the Denver Broncos-Minnesota Vikings game in Week 13 revealed changes in the way the NFL will broadcast its games.

The NFL on Monday announced that the Detroit Lions-New Orleans Saints game was flexed to the Sunday night spot on NBC. The Broncos-Vikings game, which originally was on CBS, was switched to Fox at 1 p.m. ET. Also, the Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots game, which was the scheduled Sunday night game on Dec. 4, reverts to 1 p.m. on CBS and the Baltimore Ravens-Cleveland Browns game was moved to 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

The NFL couldn't leave Fox with only two early games in its doubleheader week, so it took a game from CBS who had eight, according to a league source.

It is the first time that this has happened to the league's knowledge. In the new NFL deal, there will be lots of this -- switching games between networks and less emphasis on CBS being the home for AFC games and the same for Fox and NFC games.

It is a way for the NFL to close the disparity between what CBS pays and what Fox pays.

Oh now I get it!

2011-11-21T11:40:00.001-05:00

In 2009, the fins had many games where they were dominated in the first half and in the second half they had to mount furious comebacks. Quotes from players said they were a great second half team.

In 2010, they reversed course and had good first halves and struggled in the second half.

Now in '11, I think it changed to being a season instead of a game. They got beat around in the first half and are trying to make a furious comeback.

If they could just do it for a whole game - or season - they might actually be good. Rather than average.

Did he really just say that?

2011-11-21T10:58:00.001-05:00

Brian Billick was on "the herd" today and was talking about Tony Sparano as a potential candidate for coach of the year.

That's crazy talk. Did he forget miami started off 0-7? Yes they are better. But c'mon man!

Note to NFL teams

2011-11-20T17:00:00.001-05:00

Devin Hester is really, really good.

You really should not punt the ball to him; if that's your plan, you are better off just going for it on 4th down.

Here's a funny thought

2011-11-20T16:25:00.001-05:00

Suppose the fins do manage to go 9-7 and find themselves in the playoffs. Can you imagine them winning big and getting to the superbowl with a chance to defend their historical honor against the 18-0 packers?

Yeah and then hell would freeze over.

That's greeeaaaat

2011-11-20T16:19:00.001-05:00

Live it up dolfans. The fins went out and dominated the bills and now are 3-7.

Good for them and I'm sure they are proud of their accomplishment. But I can't get excited about it.

Why? Because I'm insulted that they started 0-7 and are suddenly playing good football. Where the Frick wad this effort when it still mattered?

And don't give me none of the Jibba Jabba about them still "having a chance". That's stupid, and also insulting.

Sure, I'm kinda happy that they won. But you just can't mask the stench around this team.

And I'm sure tomorrow the talk will be about their great game - and I already heard a talkshow host talking about the great job matt Moore and Tony Sparano are doing. At caramba!

Anyway it is what it is.

My wanker of the week is kicker Dan Carpenter. Dude gets a mysterious injury and they have to sign another kicker. You're a kicker. Injured?

Quote of the day

2011-11-20T12:40:00.001-05:00

Mark Duper was asked who he thought would win today's game. He started with a very sarcastic voice and said "the dolphins because they have the best linebacker and corner in the NFL!!"

That elicited a great laugh from the host - and others.

I'm a believer

2011-11-18T18:05:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm not much for people who wear religion on their sleeves (that's not to say I have any issues with people having a religion, I just prefer to be a personal thing). And I never really thought much of the hype that follows Tim Tebow, while he was at Florida, or when he reached the NFL.

People come with flaws, and I'm sure he has some.

But, Dan Lebatard made a comment the other day that rings so true - to paraphrase - no matter what you say about Tim Tebow, its all true. He can't throw an accurate pass. True. He can win games. True.

And after watching his performance against the Jets last night, I'm sold. I saw him play in college. I watched a few of his early games. I watched his comeback against the Fins, and attributed it to the Fins just being bad. I watched the hilights of him beating down the Chiefs last week with only 2 completions (and running the triple option!). And last night, I was sold.

The guy is just plain good. He has good football smarts, can move, and simply can win games.

And that is what makes a good QB.

Dolphins on tv

2011-11-17T18:08:00.000-05:00

I thought the attached article was interesting - especially the part about a proposed bill to require Florida teams to be in tv.

Will the Dolphins-Bills game be on television?

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-dolphins-bills-on-television-1117,0,1445456.story?track=rss

My grandmother

2011-11-16T20:15:00.001-05:00

Oh wait. The title should be vontae's grandmother.

Apparently Vontae's granny pulled a page from my grandmothers playbook and started talking about how it goes with these young athletes. (only my grandmother would have gone A LOT further-literally)

Anyway I was amused. Especially by this quote: "I told him it's all right to make mistakes because we all make mistakes," Adaline Davis says. "But you have to learn from them. If you don't, you're a fool."

That's something my grandmother said to me. And don Shula

Clarifying how I feel about the team

2011-11-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

As I sometimes note, I do read my emails and the comments on the posts.

And as I read through some of them, I came to realize that my slant on things may be a little different than I generally intend.

I have been a little negative I freely admit. I intended to be a little more sarcastic, but that isn't happening as much as I'd like.

I still like the team - I want them to succeed. But the hole they dug was their own doing, and I am calling them out for it.

I never want them to all-out lose. And getting the #1 overall pick is the ultimate in bad (we came close once; it sucked!)

But when the team opens 0-7, the door opened on the possibility to getting an early pick and perhaps righting some of the old wrongs, it seemed okay with me.

And now they're winning. I'm on the fence about whether I think it's good or bad. I'd like to see them win. But what if they went 9-7? The team would get a middle of the pack pick. And what does steve Ross do?

I hope he does the right thing. And I'd like to think the next coach/gm would do the right thing - whatever it takes to act with conviction.

But history doesn't show this as the path.

And so I chip away at it. I really don't want them to lose. I just want them to finally turn the corner and get "better"

Now as for talent: a few weeks ago I looked position by position at the 22 starters. I don't believe these guys are any better - on the whole.

Since jeff churned the roster and there are only a handful of pre-jeff players on the roster, it's all on him.

So that's my story.

All-22 Film

2011-11-15T13:18:00.000-05:00

I am a student of the game. I love the intricacies of the game. When I go in person, I generally like to sit higher up so I can watch "the play develop".

It looked for a while like the NFL might release the "all 22" video so you could see the sane from your computer.

But - psych! - they decided not to. Bummer

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577015903150731054.html

The packers

2011-11-15T08:41:00.001-05:00

I've watched them play a few times this year, and I'm going to go on record and say they *will* go 19-0.

I don't see any flaws in their team.

Mercury Morris had better get a phone call because they are sniffing around for property in perfectville.

Have we lost our collective minds?

2011-11-15T08:23:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we were all - the media, the fans, talk radio hosts - talking about how bad this team was. How it was bereft of talent. How the #1 overall pick was within our grasp.

And then the Fins go out and win two games, one at home (which hasn't happened since about 1956, or so it would seem), and the media and many fans start talking about the talent on this team. How they're playing together. How great they're doing.

And I just don't understand it. This team has a few decent players on it., but "talent" is sorely lacking. They managed to win two games, after losing 7. They're going nowhere. And the wins were against the god-awful Redskins and the Chiefs who lost to the legend of Tebow this week.

They are as bad as the '07 team. The difference here is coaching. Cam was awful. The bootin' bull keeps them motivated and handles himself well in-game for the most part.

So net-net, I don't see that optimism.

As for the Redskins, I saw a few hilights, and the one thing I'd say to Vontae "I act like a pro when I'm in the mood" Davis and Karlos "I think I'm the best, but y'all know better" Dansby, is that I can't give you much credit. My non-football-playing grandmother could have made either of those picks. There was no pass rush, and Grossman threw a couple of bad balls. In fact, I would argue that the Dolphins should have made more picks. Their ineptitude showed through there.

the logic is flawed

2011-11-13T21:32:00.001-05:00

Jared Odrick said of his alma mater (Penn State):

"It's unfortunate what's going on up there, but we're on the mend. Our heart goes out to the victims and also to those it affects negatively who don't deserve to be affected, like the players and obviously the families and victims, but also the university, too.

"A lot of people didn't have any involvement in that, and now people want to try to tarnish something that's too good to be tarnished. A lot of Penn Staters believe in that school, and so do I. Things are going to get resolved up there and things will get back to normal soon enough."

I have a problem with this, and its the mindset of the football team - there and in other settings - that football is all-important and that somehow it transcends the rest of the world.

What happened at the university is nothing short of criminal, and clearly there was a "lack of institutional control"....the department of education and the justice department are looking into it. Which means its much larger than anyone might have thought.

And since it went on for years, "normal" would imply that things just continue on, blind eye and all.

Also, there's the offhanded nature of saying "of course the victims" - frankly they are all that matter. And I wouldn't have a problem with shutting down the football program, or the school, if the problems run that deep.

Not losing is pretty cool

2011-11-13T18:37:00.001-05:00

It came down to the wire. There was no winner an hour into the final period, and time was ticking down, until finally a victor was announced.

Just what is Dave talking about? Its definitely not the Dolphins game. I didn't have time for that - and as I told you a couple of weeks ago, I don't care about the team right now, anyway.

And I didn't have time because? I was busy doing the Herald Hunt (http://www.miamiherald.com/heraldhunt/), only THE most awesome event - which is the brainchild of Dave Barry and happens somewhere in Miami one fall Sunday each year. And this year, it was today. It was glorious.

There are 5 vexing yet fun puzzles to solve that lead to a final puzzle. My team got 4 of the 5 puzzles, and we were trying to figure out the last one when Dave announced the 6th and final puzzle.

And we were stumped. But, we were in luck as no one solved it in the next hour...so we still had a chance. And it was the first time NO ONE solved the final puzzle. So, he started giving us the solutions and that's when someone finally figured it out.

It was tricky, and people booed, but man what a blast!

For those of you have followed my blog for a while, you know this is an annual event for me. But usually I tivo the dolphins game. This time, I chose not to. So when I got in my car around 4:30, I heard the phins had won. And as I said last week: yipee?

I have no real clue about how they did, or how the Redskins played. But what difference does it make?

So there's my look at the game for this week. Whatever.

Joe Pa and Penn State

2011-11-09T23:26:00.001-05:00

Look this has nothing really to do with the Dolphins. But I have known a number of people who worked for, went to school at, or played football for Penn State over the years.

And this whole story is shocking...and sad.

Mostly because of what happened to these boys, but to a lesser degree because of what football has become there, and we can assume in other places. It would seem that this "family" of coaches and friends protected one another and did nothing to stop what was going on, in spite of the fact that they apparently knew about it.

And it happened with a coach who was essentially revered, even if he didn't actually do anything "wrong"....it makes you wonder what else goes on at large universities, or even the NFL - hopefully nothing quite this shocking or revolting, but I could imagine that much less major scandals could be going on and getting buried as well.

Hopefully, as a society we pay more attention to what's going on, and we can stop this sort of thing by questioning the world around us...