How can you be so stupid?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -dolphins/

_________________

Browns, Jags and Bucs are all worse teams without thought

Save this thread when we are still playing in January.

_________________
GASE IS ON THE CASE!!! 2017 , 2018 , 2019 SB CHAMPIONS.

They got you talking about the rankings. That's their goal. Preseason rankings, especially before training camp, don't mean squat.

Here are some of last years gems from PFT with their preseason list. Houston at #10 (worst team in the NFL)....Carolina at #25 (won the NFC South)....Arizona at #29 (won 10 games).....Atlanta at #5 (won only four games)...Eagles at #26 (won NFC East)...San Diego #22 (earned a Wild Card spot).

These guys are trolls

_________________

Dang, 31st?

Let me just say that if we do not address the C position seriously, it will be a long year. But 31st? Philben gets a vote of no confidence.

_________________
Follow me on Facebook - Phinfever - Miami Dolphins Fan Site @BigDavePhinfever

Follow me on Twitter - David Blake@phinfever

It is a pointless article but it is that time of year when nonsense is printed just to have something out there prior to preseason.

We all know Miami is a middle of the road team with playoff potential.

Yea.... an 8-8 team that took significant strides to improve over the offseason.... magically drops 15 places in a power rankings..

New O line, new 1/2 of the secondary, new RB, new Offensive Coordinator, and a new WR....

Just giving a meager translation of what happened this offseason. Miami got better on offense with the subtraction of Sherman.... and officially has at least 5 new starters on offense... most of which are upgrades...

On Defense, the loss of Paul Soliai.... should be easy to mask there, and the addition of at least 2 new starters... not including the youngsters like Tripp, and our 2nd year corners....

On paper, Miami has upgraded at least 30% of its starting lineup...what team in the AFC can say the same? Miami should be a top 7 team in the AFC without even thinking about a lucky break here or there..... and if that is said, that means there are 9 teams worse in the AFC alone.... lets not even factor in some of the NFC teams...

The giants? the redskins? vikings? rams? falcons? bucs?

theres at least 6 there too.. that puts Miami at a understatement....17th in the NFL.... I would put them some where around 13 or 14... they dont deserve higher until we see how the new pieces mesh, but definitely not lower...

That's what they were generally considered as just prior to the meltdown of the last two games against BUF & NYJ. Those last 2 games really hurt their image, and for good reason. They got shut completely out in Buffalo, and only scored 7 against the Jets in Miami. It was pathetic. They could not have ended the season any worse.

_________________

Are we still re hashing old wounds at this point?

Yes, they bit the bullet against the Jets and Bills, when one game would have made it to the playoffs..... that happened 7 months ago at this point though...

Since then, Miami has made adequate attempts to improve...... honestly i think Miami had one of the top 5 off seasons in the NFL this season. They didnt blow the bank on free agents (like in years past). They found valuable role players to slot into depth positions. Found a potential new starting RB. Overhauled an autrocious OL... brought in a sexy new OC.... made more upgrades in the secondary.... Developed our own products (Vernon, Shelby, etc).... and Drafted potentially 3 new day one starters. Altogether, that should have caused a CLIMB in the rankings...

But instead it causes a total plummet? Why because the Jets spent alpha dog money on a white WR that probably wouldnt put up 1000 yards if Brady/Manning werent his QB? Or the fact that they got CJ2k ONE TIME as a cheap RB replacement for a bad team? Or signing a madden legend to be your backup QB? The Jets are laughably worse than Miami...

Lets go further.... What did New England do this offseason? Landed Revis.... thats it!!! Gronk is still injury prone.... LaFells is gonna be the new Aaron Hernandez.... Brady is a year older.... and they kept Wilfork under contract...... smells like the status quo to me..... and Miami beat them last year...

What did the Bills do? Manuel is in the same boat as Tannehill...... both need to prove something this year.... At least Ryan has the track record to stay healthy and start 16 games a year... If either improve, then their team will push the envelope.... Other than that, the Bills were pretty conservative, found some pieces, and did not make any drastic steps to improve.

Im sorry... the rosey colored glasses of Miami potential are NOT blinding me. As of right now, the Pats stayed the status quo, and Miami improved. Miami is playing a 3rd place schedule, the Patsy are playing a first place schedule. The Jets and Bills are stagnant. This is technically the year that the long awaited collapse happened.

With the awful roster, Miami beat New England fairly last year.... Even if the same happens, Miami is the only team in the division that even formulate a threat. They should be in the playoff conversation barring any injuries....

Bad taste from last December or not.... Miami is in no way in a "Suck for Luck" type campaign. This season is playoffs or bust..... and I expect a 2nd round appearance..... breaching the top 8 is do-able..... and...

Wasnt there an article written last week that put Miami as one of the top 5 DEPTH teams this season? but yea..... number 31....... I guess this is the same author that would expect Louisville to win the ACC and Rutgers to win the Big Ten, and show down in the national championship together..... completely delusional

You are literally looking at the bright side and seemingly expecting it to happen with every position on the team (save LB). You are setting yourself up for disappointment. Have we improved since last season? On paper...hell yes. Experience alone should help the team take steps towards the playoffs, but at the same time, they are also facing a more fierce schedule this year with an average of a .502 record dating back to last year.

Several teams change drastically in productions and W/L every season, but most of the good teams from last season that we will face in a few months are near locks to continue their success.

_________________

I don't think we're the 2nd worst team in the NFL, but I'm worried about the offensive line and if they didn't improve, we're not going any farther than last year.

_________________

Rich is on the money there... On paper, the O Line is BETTER.... but how long will it take for this group to gel..... even knowing that Pouncey will not practice in pads with any of these guys until mid september..... its a daunting task indeed... and this team will go no where without O line improvement.....

But again.... even in the state of chaos that they are in right now.... i think they are in better shape than november/december last year..



As far as me looking at the bright side.... absolutely. I am an eternal optimist about this team.... and honestly, i could really care less about strength of schedule.... as you mention, things change from year to year..... going into 2013, did we really think we would be able to topple Atlanta like we did??? and then how much more sour was that loss when the Jets throttled them too 3 weeks later??

Are we really that scared of a 3rd place Baltimore.... Ray Rice has legal issues and his body hasnt been right for 2 years.... Baltimore is beatable....

Peyton actually has a losing record against Miami....

Is anyone really buying into Kansas City being a 10 + win team this year??? Im thinking they are more like a 6 win team to be honest?

Last years records mean nothing at the moment.... lets talk about the LEGION of QB's we will face this year.... i think there was a thread about that a month ago, that i put down some statistics that discredited alot of the fears going into that "LEGION".

I am not saying it is going to be a breeze at all..... but ummmm i remember last year, when we were all saying how brutal Miami's first 6 games were gonna be last year. And that if miami isnt AT LEAST 2-4 coming out of the gate, the season would be over..... and last time i checked, Miami came out 3-0 into a monday night showdown against New Orleans..... who in their right mind would have thought undefeated vs undefeated was gonna happen on that week 4 monday night game?

I honestly couldnt care what last years record say. I do not buy into this year being a tougher schedule... The way I see it, there are 2 early division games, if miami wins both, they are in the driver's seat for the first half of the season in the AFC EAST.... getting New England first, at home, unveiling a new offense that Belichick hasnt seen before.... we might grab the first one....and getting the road game against Buffalo in spetember... theres a win.

3-1 out the gate is VERY realistic..... 4-0 out the gate is very possible (and then getting Pouncey back for Green Bay)...

Second quarter 2-2 is realistic... 3-1 is optimistic.... sooo 5-3 at mid point puts us in the lead for the wild card more than likely... better than that, and we will be tooting that dangerous "S" word that we havent heard since i was wearing diapers...

3rd quarter... 2-2 is realistic,.... 3-1 optimistic..... so now 7-5.... almost the same spot we were in in 2013....

The last quarter.... sure give New England that one... and give or take on the Baltimore game.... again... 2-2 is realistic.... 3-1 is optimistic....

Thats 9-7 where i figured we should still be in strong shape..... with only 4 AFC losses.... optimistically.... 12-4..... Lets meet in the middle and say 10/11 wins.... thats divisional champs right there.

Schedule what? where is it hard? who is not beatable on this lineup this year..... Miami has been successful against Denver, and has beaten Manning plenty...... New England is beatable..... Green Bay? Detroit? Chicago? Baltimore? Kansas City?

out of those 7 teams i just mentioned.... i'll put this guarantee out there... AT LEAST 2 of them will have losing records this season..... my thoughts would be KC and Baltimore..... honorable mention for Green Bay...

Either way... can we even talk like this as a bottom feeder? Lets reference a Jacksonville Jags forum and see how they speak this time of year, and we will see who really belongs in slot #31

Why are we convinced that they are better? I like that we have Tannehill's back side protected, but the other positions are iffy.

_________________
Follow me on Facebook - Phinfever - Miami Dolphins Fan Site @BigDavePhinfever

Follow me on Twitter - David Blake@phinfever

So true Dave, actually at this time last year, on paper, we had a better line, right now we don't even know who is playing at every position, Albert will be the LT, Pouncey will be the C when he comes back, JJ will most likely be our RT, Gs?

Its probably a safe assumption to think we'll be better, only because we we were so bad last year, but there is plenty of potential to be among the worst in the NFL again, just based on the fact that we have 3 basically unknown commodities starting.

_________________

The interior offensive line to open the season may be considerably worse than the one that opened last season.

The one thing I think may save us is coaching. The line coach from Houston has had proven success in putting together offensive lines.

_________________

Im sure this team is ready to go to war for coach Joe this season....



Seriously tho, its not the worst roster in the league, however i would rank the staff from GM to towel boy as one of the worst in the NFL... And I still feel the team gave up on Joe last year, so I am not sure how Hickey and Lazor are suddenly going to revitalize them.... Proof is in the pudding, we will see come Sept what they can do... Anything shy of 10-6 and a playoff spot is a failure to me..

Just my 2 cents.....

_________________
Caution: Reply may contain sarcasm

Good point Rich, Benton may be our best signing on the Oline, I had actually forgotten about that, lets see if he can put a cohesive unit on the field.

_________________

You may be right that last years opening day O line-up looks better than this one...

BUT THAT WAS BEFORE THE MARTIN MELT DOWN!!!!

Miami started off 3-0 last year. the Offensive Line with Pro Bowlers Incognito, and Pouncey was not a bad line-up.... especially with a former pro Bowler in Clabo, and a 3 year starter in Jerry...

NO questions about it. Last year's starting OL was not an issue. Everyone was perfectly fine except for the bone headed decision to put your fate in Martin...


Miami's problems didnt occur until the lunch room melt down.... Miami lost to a nearly winless Buccaneers team immediately following an epic OT walk off prime time safety against the Bengals (which was hours after the melt down).

They lingered on for the rest of the season, masking the fact that the OL was in shambles, and T-Hill was getting pounded like a virgin on prom night after Halloween...

Yea... last year's opening day line up can arguable appear better with 3 players with PB experience...

BUT this year's opening day line up will be better than the lineup that choked the pooch in the 2nd half of the season..... I am more concerned with the lineup that starts the season this year being better than the grouping that ended the season last year missing Richie, and Martin, and seeing Clabo forced back into the starting rotation because of Martin, and McKinnie being bought at the expense of a draft pick to fill a hole.

What Miami ended the season with barely would hold its own at the college level.... so yes.... Whatever Miami fields this season against the Patriots WILL BE BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S OL..... and remember, the opening day line up was never the issue, it was the 2nd half seasons lineup that

And sadly... to contradict everything I am saying here right now.....

BY MONTH SACK
SEPTEMBER 18
OCTOBER 17
NOVEMBER 9
DECEMBER 14

So was the Opening Day line up better than the end of year line up...... yea. The patchwork clusterf%ck actually did better than what opened the season....

hands down. I DISAGREE with you Big Dave. The 2014 OL will be better than the 2013 lineup.... opening day, mid season, or end of season...... they were just THAT atrocious....

The offensive line opened up the season allowing sacks at a pace that would have broken the all time record...

_________________

True story, and after we went 3-0, we then went 0-4 in the next 4 games with that same line, and then in the first game after the meltdown we had one of our biggest wins of the season vs Cincy.

3-4 with the opening day line that included a 4 game losing streak, 5-4 in the aftermath, with no 4 game losing streak.

_________________

I just remembered that we traded for McKinnie prior to game 7, so the 7th game actually had McKinnie and no Clabo, so slightly different.

_________________

Rich.... you quoted me, and corrected the sack nonsense of the first half of the season, off of my post that i mentioned that same thing about 500 words later..... LOL... I know.... but "on paper" they werent that bad....? I was mainly disputing Big Dave's claim that last year's opening day line is better than what we have now....

The current OL HAS to be an improvement over last year...... thats not optimism.... thats sheer fact. they were THAT bad last year... and Miami was still a tie-breaker away from the playoffs..... and back onto the original post...... this all merits a 31st out of 32 ranking.. LOL

Even if they are better than last year, it doesn't mean much if they are not considerably better than last year.

They were so bad last year that they could be better this year and still suck.

_________________

Which is exactly what I see happening this season.

_________________

Those are 2 realistic viewpoints.... that even if they are "better" than last year, they can still suck.

I wholeheartedly agree.....

But even with the most despicable OL in Dolphins history, They still were an 8-8 team that was a tie breaker away from the playoffs...

That tells me one fact.... that is clear as day....

Every other unit on the Dolphins team pulled their weight and made them competitive!

Yes, I think we can all agree that Miami should be able to ride their defense to countless victories this year.... they were a top 10 unit in terms of points per game.... and I think the aggressive meanstreak that was added with Delmas and Finnegan.... coupled with a year's experience with our overhauled LB corps can only mean that the Defense should be on par, and more than likely better!

I expect a top 10 defense this season... hopefully one that features more turnovers, since that has been an emphasis that has been a positive for the Philbin era.... and Delmas and Finnegan (while not elite) are game changers.

I expect more growth out of Tannehill.... and with Lazor's guidance I expect improvement.

I am lukewarm about what to expect with the running game, but even if that stays the status quo, I do expect better things out of the passing game.... I am expecting a 4000 yard campaign.... some where in the nature of 31 TDs and 15 INTs for Tannehill, I think that is realistic.

If those 2 factors hold true... then Miami will be an improved team..... with or without a "better" OL.

If you take the 4 phase of football (pass attack, run attack, run defense, pass defense)

Pass attack: Should improve due to 1.) better game planning, 2.) better play book, 3.) Landry's sure hands 4.) a pre snap movement for Wallace 5.) better RB pass blocking from Moreno

Run attack: Should at least stay the same.... it can not be worse!

Pass Defense: Should improve due to 1.) Jones regaining his 2012 form in a better scheme fit with Delmas pairing 2.) more aggressive at the LOS due to Finnegan's presence 3.) More aggressive in the back end with hard hitting Delmas 4.) straight up consistency with Grimes 5.) Young DE's developing further (Vernon, Shelby and Jordan when we get him back should be more productive opposite Wake the Beast)

Run Defense: Should slightly improve 1.) I think Miami will remain stout in the middle. Moving Misi inside behind Starks and Odrick sounds like strength in the core. 2.) Hopefully Wheeler can be more disciplined, and Ellerbe can actually be worth his weight on the field.... but these are hopes, I dont think we can expect less than last season, so the status quo should be assumed at worst. 3.) I think the DE rotation will be solid the way it's looking now.... So hopefully the young guys can figure out how to set the edge and allow the LBs to do their job.

In theory, I see Miami improving in AT LEAST 2 phase of the attack/defense, and staying the status quo in the other 2.... meaning there should be significant improvement.... with or without OL which should at least be the status quo from last season

Until those pads go on and Benton the new line coach has turned these guys into a legit blocking/protection threat, the offensive line is still the most concern heading into the 2014 season....hands down. The analysts apparently see many chinks in the Dolphins armor, we shall see about the terrible ranking.

Besides the already dog fight tough AFC East games, Miami's schedule is certainly not a cake walk with the likes of Kansas City; Greenbay; San Diego; Baltimore; @ Detroit; @ Denver @ Chicago; Minnesota etc. I see a lot of potentially competitive opponents and NONE you can honestly say we will just simply walk all over. This team could be 10-6 or 4-12

That is my take.

That would also be my take, too many questions right now to have any real good idea.

_________________

I do not get how a 4 game suspension to a player who has not done much is a hit to the team.

I'd rather Miami get this type ranking, than a higher one. Might provide motivation for a team that has done little, instead of them thinking they are actually good.

The only two times in the last decade I recall Miami being pegged as a team to watch were 2006 (after Culpepper trade) and 2013 (after the Wallace signing/Tannehill Year 2). Both were disappointments.

I like low expectations as well since they have not proven anything other than mediocrity in this current regime. The pieces are there for them to produce. They just need better coaching and execution.

Rather than start a new thread I will add that ESPN just did a 3 year projection ranking for all 32 teams...and Miami came in at good old number 31. Only Oakland was seen as a worse 3 year projection. It requires Insider to read it.

Their conclusions were basically that there is a little faith in Philbin, Tannehill is still a question mark as a long term fix and that it is more likely we'll see another rebuild with a new regime. They also pointed to bloated 2015 cap numbers preventing the Dolphins from acquiring better talent or re-signing some of their young guys.

You can say what you want about the coach or player based on opinion but how the hell can you say the Pins are in cap trouble?

They are over the NBA cap.

_________________

I have no idea. I thought the contracts were structured so that they could get out of them if needed in the next couple of years. I'm not putting much stock into the article. Even if Philbin and/or Tannehill fail there is enough talent on the roster for them to be mediocre for the next few years.

Can,t believe there is so much disrespect for this team. We,re a typical 7 to 9 win team. How did we become everybody,s bottom feeder?

What has this team done to earn any respect? Miami is a bottom feeder this yr because of bullygate, the lack of leadership from the coaching staff, the fact ( the woman-forget here name at the moment ) in the org is playing the men against each other & winning at doing it. The owner is a not a blooming football idiot, but is in full bloom. Miami's coaching staff appears to be on a win or be fired yr and lame duck season generally do not work out well when the coach is weak and makes decision to save his neck instead of what will move the team forward.