So, there's no denying that Ginn saved the day, because Miami was completely dominated by the Jets in every category yesterday, and there's no doubt the Jets will be trying to remind everyone about it, saying that the Dolphins 'got lucky'. So what if we did. A win is a win.
That's all I'm going to say about this game. I'm not going to go into how Sparano failed to dress Patrick Turner, failed to play Cameron Wake, and failed to keep Matt Roth in the game for more than a handful of plays, when he made plays on all of that handful. I'm not going to go into how Anthony Fasano, Davone Bess, and Greg Camarillo are no better than Ted Ginn, Jr as receiving options. I'm also not going to go into our repeated use of Pat White in awkward moments during the game, and how no one actually believes he's going to throw the ball anyway. I'm not going to go into how our offensive line did not play well, especially on the inside. First time I noticed Donald Thomas getting man-handled in a game. Justin Smiley was no better. And I'm not going to go into why the Dolphins can't seem to adjust to the blitz (3-step drop and throw, anyone? heard of it?) and continue to take unnecessary sacks. I'm not going to look at the stats but it wouldn't surprise me if we lost 100 yards on sacks yesterday, mostly due to our inability to just throw the ball away. A 3rd and 10 is a lot easier than a 3rd and 25, people!
I'm not going to go into any of that stuff because the newspapers will rip apart the stats and miss out on the big picture, that it's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road in hostile territory, and despite all the flatness and uninspired play of our offense, and the falling apart of our defense in the second half, we still managed to improve to 3-4, with the Patriots coming up next week. The Jets and the Bills have a Bye. A win over the Pats would bring us to 4-4, in a tie with the Jets for 2nd place in the division, with only a half game separating us from first. More importantly for right now, we are 3-0 in the division. The Jets are 1-3. The Bills, 1-2. The Pats, 1-1.
Speaking of the Pats, are you ready for some Brady?
That's all I'm going to say about this game. I'm not going to go into how Sparano failed to dress Patrick Turner, failed to play Cameron Wake, and failed to keep Matt Roth in the game for more than a handful of plays, when he made plays on all of that handful. I'm not going to go into how Anthony Fasano, Davone Bess, and Greg Camarillo are no better than Ted Ginn, Jr as receiving options. I'm also not going to go into our repeated use of Pat White in awkward moments during the game, and how no one actually believes he's going to throw the ball anyway. I'm not going to go into how our offensive line did not play well, especially on the inside. First time I noticed Donald Thomas getting man-handled in a game. Justin Smiley was no better. And I'm not going to go into why the Dolphins can't seem to adjust to the blitz (3-step drop and throw, anyone? heard of it?) and continue to take unnecessary sacks. I'm not going to look at the stats but it wouldn't surprise me if we lost 100 yards on sacks yesterday, mostly due to our inability to just throw the ball away. A 3rd and 10 is a lot easier than a 3rd and 25, people!
I'm not going to go into any of that stuff because the newspapers will rip apart the stats and miss out on the big picture, that it's hard to win in the NFL, especially on the road in hostile territory, and despite all the flatness and uninspired play of our offense, and the falling apart of our defense in the second half, we still managed to improve to 3-4, with the Patriots coming up next week. The Jets and the Bills have a Bye. A win over the Pats would bring us to 4-4, in a tie with the Jets for 2nd place in the division, with only a half game separating us from first. More importantly for right now, we are 3-0 in the division. The Jets are 1-3. The Bills, 1-2. The Pats, 1-1.
Speaking of the Pats, are you ready for some Brady?
Tin - wholeheartedly agree on that - sweeping the Jets was what we needed to do and if we are playing woulda, coulda, shoulda then we can look at the Colts and Siants games as the wrong team won. A win is a win and is based on ponts, not yards gained, ToP, sacks, or anything else. If we do somehow beat the Pats, we are 4-0 in the East with the Bills on the road and the Pats at home left in the East.
ReplyDeleteThat's a mighty big if though and if the Saints and Jets can shut our running game down, the evil emporer is probably sat licking his chops and swiching his light sabre even as we speak.
Is it possible we have the best divisional record and still don't make the playoffs? I hope it doens't boil down to that because it would be a terrible thing to beat all of your rivals and not be able churn out a few more W's to win the East again
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
Is it possible we have the best divisional record and still don't make the playoffs? I hope it doens't boil down to that because it would be a terrible thing to beat all of your rivals and not be able churn out a few more W's to win the East again
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
Is it possible we have the best divisional record and still don't make the playoffs? I hope it doens't boil down to that because it would be a terrible thing to beat all of your rivals and not be able churn out a few more W's to win the East again
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
Wow, what happened there, feel free to delete the multi-posts Tin
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
Wow, what happened there, feel free to delete the multi-posts Tin
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
I'm sure this is completely offside after what he did for us yesterday, but check out Ginn's expression on the lead picture below when he gets wrapped up by Porter - he's even shying away from contact here! ;) :-D
ReplyDeletehttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2009/11/01/1101stodaginn.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=46
Wow, what happened there, feel free to delete the multi-posts Tin
ReplyDeleteWas Camarillo even playing? I didn't notice him all game. I'm sticking with what I said in the preseason, and the WR's should be Ginn, Hartline, and Bess. Camarillo should come in on 3rd downs when we need someone who makes good adjustments and find holes in zones. Bess needs to stop fumbling the damn ball. I don't remember him fumbling all of last year, and 2 against the saints (1 didn't get counted), a fumble on a fair catch (the start of our D getting too tired for the fourth), and another that didn't get counted. I still like him as the #3 I think these are more of a fluke, but damn he's killing me here.
Agreed on Wake and Roth. These guy's are fresh, have talent, and were not getting enough pressure from our starters. I remember one instance yesterday where Wake didn't get a sack, but scared Sanchez into a bad throw. I'd be happy if I saw more of those from our starters, Taylor has been better than Porter, but I'm still not happy with either of them.
I think our running game will be bounce back along with the O-line. Once it does we need to bring in some playaction passes
I'm not scared of the cheatriots anymore, their defense is nothing like it used to be and neither is Brady. With that said there's no easy wins in Dolpins land. Our 4th quarter D is nothing like it was last year, and some individual players are going to have to make some plays to get a win, and shake up the division
Bess is really not doing anything worthy of being a starter, IMO.
ReplyDeleteThis is what really irks me - Fasano and Bess keep dropping and turning over
the ball and really not moving the chains, but everyone harps on Ginn all
the time, placing all the blame on him. Camarillo did play, and had one
catch, but he rarely gets open these days. And one thing was blatantly
apparent with Ginn out of the lineup...there were no deep throws. The Jets
only had to defend 15 yards of field.
LOL that's hilarious
ReplyDeleteGinn has found his niche if nothing else and without him the sweep of the jets wouldn't have happened. That should quiet things down with him for a bit, or at least add to his desireablility in a trade, right?
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if maybe they have been trotting Pat White out for no apparent reason as a sort of ploy to lull teams into not really paying attention, so as to spring something big on the Patriots, kind of like they did last year with the wildcat unveiling. I am really just trying to make sense of what they are doing with him.
Wow, guest is really spacey!!! 8-)
ReplyDeleteRe: Pat White - are you suggesting they're lulling the Pats for 8 weeks and
ReplyDeletethen they'll do what exactly? The only Pat that is lulled is Pat White.
BTW, I saw your Lightning Bugs were on national TV last night instead of an
NFL game - what's that all about? I didn't watch but the 'herd' were up by
a considerable amount so I assume they won.
Sadly no the herd collapsed like only they can and lost. :'(
ReplyDeleteThat is me btw, herdfan. ffr said the reason no Nfl game was the world series, some baseball thing!
ReplyDeleteouch, sorry!
ReplyDeleteTins,
ReplyDeleteBess had a terrible game. Before this game however AT LEAST Bess was pretty sure handed which is why a lot of people including myself were happy to see the ball thrown to him. The same could be said for Camarillo however it is pretty clear that Camarillo can not get ANY separation. I recall you saying that actually had shis knee surgery would really hurt him since he already lacked speed to begin with & you were correct.
There is NO solution at WR on the roster this season. We've tried everything so far except for Patick Turner & if he hasn't been active yet so what does that say about him??? I think Henne's stats are very misleading since I can't even count the number of drops by Fasano (at least Haynos can catch!).
Henne did try one long throw to Hartline on either the first or second series but overthrew him. I really think Henne can become a very good QB but his best option is Ricky & Ronnie. The pass protection was horrible, we don't have receivers who can consistently get open, & when they do--they can't catch. I'm not sure which WR's will be available in FA or through a trade but we DEFINITELY need to make this priority Number 1. I haven't seen too many WR's in college that are very impressive.
oh, so the one time Marshall is on nation TV no one watched anyway?
ReplyDeleteKarl Dorrell is the Fins wide receivers coach, with a pretty good resume, coaching both Rod Smith and Ed McAffrey to a Pro Bowl in the same year at Denver. Our talent at WR must be lacking!
ReplyDeleteI don't like some of the coaching moves that Tin mentions above and I especially don't like how the defense went away from what was working going into the second half. If not for Randy Starks stepping up on that late sack, the D would have turned in their usual second half meltdown. The D coaches left the rookies hanging too often not continuing pressure on Sanchez.
Totally agree on the write-up Tin. We sucked and still beat a good team. I think that looking forward the Pats, we finally need to get that dream OLB rotation with Roth and Wake in the mix. Love that Soliai is stepping out more, along with the DLine as a whole. That depth, with a relentless pass rush on Brady will be the only way he doesn't pick our rookies apart. On the contrary, if we do rush him and get to him, I see the rookies coming up with big plays.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think of Torbor? Clemons?
Lastly, what could it possibly be that is keeping Turner off the field?
Bess was dropping and fumbling before this last game.
ReplyDeleteI agree we may not have a solution on the roster at this time, but
whole-heartedly disagree that there's no one in college that's impressive.
2010 draft should have even better WR class than 2009.
As long as the Dolphins get Terrell Hudgins on their radar for the mid to
late rounds, and make WR a first-round option, they should be able to get
something good. They need to do it in the upcoming draft so Henne and new
WRs can form a bond and have many productive years together.
Oh, and thanks for no support for my Thundering Herd. I did my part and helped get your Bulls a win! ;)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the rookies, Sean Smith had an awful game. But you could tell
ReplyDeletefrom body language and lip-reading, that on several plays, the secondary
wasn't on the same page at all. They'd better sort it out before Brady,
Moss and Welker.
I thought our D-line played very well, and Torbor was hit and miss, keep in
ReplyDeletemind he was playing Ayodele's usual position, not Crowder's, so don't
compare the two. I will say I thought Torbor was better, IMO, than Ayodele
usually is.
I noticed Clemons right away, in the first series. Fast, big hitter. He
takes good angles but mostly just fresh legs and speed. He made some
mistakes too, but what do you expect from a rookie playing NFL defense
(regular season) for the first time?
I have to be honest, I think our aged veterans are actually holding back our
youth. Porter just doesn't deserve to be starting right now, Wake needs to
get on the field, and Roth, looked very slim, but very aggressive and fast
also. It was a pain in my side watching him standing behind Coach Sparano
for 90% of the game. I don't understand why the vet OLBs are playing 90% of
the snaps. The D-line is rotating, so why not the LBs?
As for Turner, there's no reason why he can't at least be used in passing
downs as a TE. Fasano is lousy at receiving and his blocking is suspect
too.
Who were you playing against?
ReplyDeleteUCF. I said yesterday, had I been paying attention, I would have gone to FL for the weekend, the Eers game on Friday @ USF, the Herd on Sunday @ UCF.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the drop passes are from the recivers are not use to the passes thrown by henne?He is not as accurate as penning and throws a lot harder ball. How long should it take for a reciver to ajusted to a different quarterback in games not practice ?
ReplyDeleteYeah, with Disneyworld on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the loss. I thought they had it in the bag when I was flipping
through channels. I went out to a family dinner instead, then I watched my
taped soccer match. We won that. I was 0-3 last week, and 3-0 this week,
so obviously I'm having a much better Monday than the last one.
Plus I absolutely creamed my opponent in NCAA fantasy (189 points!), and I
should pull off the upset tonight in NFL fantasy, as I have both Brees and
Pierre Thomas, but my opponent has a 12 point lead going in, and Tony
Gonzalez.
about 5 minutes?
ReplyDeleteSo, you caught the end of the Utd game now then? I was 0-3 (my hometown soccer team lost) last w/end too and 4-0 this weekend (the extra is Liverpool losing and getting 2 sent off lol) so life is better here also. My hometown lower division team beat the top of the table team 4-0 away from home and we had one player sent off. We are now second in the league. Winning is good 8-)
ReplyDeleteRoth was running around like he wanted to eat someone and spit them out. I like that fire, good to see him back.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Turner?
I think we need to re-evaluate the Wildcat...is it hampering our base offense growth?
But we don't play Liverpool again til March, so unless they're playing
ReplyDeleteChelsea next, does it matter?
Yes, I did watch the Blackburn match - what a goal by Berbatov, what a
couple of tossers (Owen and the french guy) missing two or the easiest
goals, and what a blind linesman calling that Blackburn player offside on
the goal at the end. He was clearly onside (I believe it was Evra was on
the ground in front of him).
The most interesting part of the match to me was when they showed what
looked like a whole section of the stadium full of CSKA Moscow supporters.
These people do know this is just a game and not actual war reconnaissance,
right?
This loss was similar to the loss to the Saints in that we had seemingly an insurrmountable lead, only to collapse and lose the game. The difference is that I don't think UCF is all that good. But, I'm used to that sort of thing from the Herd--the one thing we are consistently good at these days! And one more reason on my growing list for us to get a new coach.
ReplyDeleteHenne needs to get rid of the ball. There were a few obviouse plays where he needed to just thorw it away. I think he is progressing and will continue to learn from this. Could be worse for his 1st 4 games...I give him a passing grade for now.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter for United - it's just that for a Manc, seeing L'pool lose is akin to seeing the Jets lose for finfans. Most Mancs here still have a bad taste in their mouth after the loss at Anfield.
ReplyDeleteThat Berbatov goal was sensational (watched it on youtube), but I only caught parts of the game and didn't see the Owen and (Obertan?) misses or the offside or the Russian mafia/malitia?
Not sure why the Ruskis were there in force as Moscow have only a remote chance of getting through I suspect? Wolsburg should get the second spot?
What a week ahead - Moscow, Chelsea and the Pats. WOW
Obertan! that's the guy. He missed a point blank shot from about 4 yards
ReplyDeleteaway. Owen missed one from 8 yards out - missed the post by 1.5 inches!
Rooney had the second goal. I had family over for the second half and I
yelled out "FINALLY!" then had to explain that Rooney scored in 6 straight
but hadn't since, then the announcer said the same thing 30 seconds later so
I could've saved my breath.
The ruskies were in team colors and had banners. They all sat there very
still - it looked like a waiting room at the dentists.
Obertan is only 19, but looks like he might have a good future ahead and is a midfielder so he gets more of a pass on goal-scoring opportunties than Owen the poacher.
ReplyDeletelol @ the dentist comment. When they play Wolfsburg, it might be as quiet as a tennis match?
A regular tennis match or a Serena Williams versus Martina Hingis? Cause
ReplyDeletethose kinds of matches are very loud..
I've heard less grunting in porn videos ........ that my friends have lent me ;)
ReplyDeleteEven though there were many mistakes we won so that is a plus. This week we need to fix what was wrong and put our best players on the field. It was nice to see Soliai make some plays. To me it looked as if the defense was not sure of what to do when lining up. I can recall seeing guys running to their man right before the snap. There was the 2 guys covering 3 WR, which was a run play luckily and then the 1 DL down against the run in the 4Q. Those types of things need to be fixed on Sunday is going to be long day.
ReplyDeleteA lot of that has to do with Crowder being out of the game and Wilson
ReplyDeletesplitting reps. Those two guys are the ones usually lining everyone up.
Tins,
ReplyDeleteThe 2009 draft had two WR's that I really liked. Crabtree & Nicks.
The only WR I like that I've seen this season is Golden Tate from Notre Dame & I think he's a Junior.
Just in. Chambers was released by the Chargers.
ReplyDeleteTo that I must say you probably don't get enough exposure to NCAA football.
ReplyDeleteIt's like eating your vegetables.
Speaking of WRs, did you see the Chargers have released Chris Chambers?
Welcome back to Miami, Chris!
LMAO. I was just reading the transcript from Sparano's press conf. and the answer he gives about the 2 pt conversion...He rambles on for like 3 or 4 sentences with out really saying anything. It really isn't sentences either. I think most people do that when they know they don't have a good answer for something. Like when you were college, taking an exam and you don't know the answer to a question, so you restate it such a way as to change it to a question you do know, and then you answer that one!!!
ReplyDelete"Like when you were college, taking an exam and you don't know the answer to
ReplyDeletea question, so you restate it such a way as to change it to a question you
do know, and then you answer that one!!!"
First of all, I was never a college. Secondly, I stopped doing the practice
mentioned above in high school. Actually, I did it once for a LIT class in
college, but the prof was not having it at all and gave me no points.
Nothing. Nada. Zero. I started reading the books after that (cliff notes).
Ok, I left out a word or two. My fingers can't keep up with my brain, something like that. And I never did that either, but in a commercial law class I had, the prof. mentioned that someone had tried it. I was an excellent student!!
ReplyDeleteBut the point I was making here, was that he didn't really have a good answer to the point conversion.
ReplyDeleteOk, trying this again, since I left out another word. To say it another way, you kind of forget what the question was by the time he gets around to saying anything.
ReplyDelete...lose the Ginn ko returns and the jets beat us badly ...like everyone else I'll take the win anyway it comes ...but I'm not going to fool myself that we outplayed the jets yesterday.
ReplyDelete...Henne can't connect with his receivers ...that is unless like some here you think EVERY receiver we have suddenly developed bad hands when Penne went down ...which is nonsense ...we just don't have a great receiver that can make up for Henne's problems in accuracy and touch ...the Henne messianics are in for an awakening ...he is not the future ...maybe pw is or isn't but I'm thinking we take another QB early come April unless a FA falls into our hands again ala Penne ...the trifecta will keep on trying until they get it right
...the jets stacked the box against the wc in what I thought looked like the old 4-6 ...they could do that because RB can't really throw the ball and our opponents have figured that out ...they'll give him the once-in-a-blue-moon pass in order to bring the run to a dead stop ...every opponent we see from now on will do the same ...unless we start throwing from the wc a lot more often ...which is why imo we've seen pw for a few plays each game, not throwing it but just getting him some real world experience for when they are ready to uncork him as RB's replacement in the wc ...else RB better suddenly turn into a decent passer who can find the seams in a stacked defense ...I think maybe Sparano uncorks pw for the Patriots.
...Ginn is a great kick returner ...the 2nd TD he did almost by himself jigging two defenders who had him sandwiched early ...didn't even look toward the sideline ...we need him returning punts as well and otherwise setting on the bench ...he is NOT a wr at this level ...what I really don't understand about him is why he can be so apparently fearless returning the ball and such a pantywaste otherwise.
...our defense remains a puzzle to me ...they play great for a while and then just disappear ...the consecutive Ginn runbacks meant the defense played more than 20 consecutive downs against the jets offense without a real break ...that'd wear most defenses down ...but it doesn't explain what happened in NO nor yesterday.
...the real answer is that every coach has the same cheat sheet for when to go for a 2 point conversion ...if the scores match the cheat sheet, you go for it ...no hemming and hawing and trying to figure out all the possibilities ...if this is the score, this is what you do ...but Sparano can't bring himself to admit he used the cheat sheet ...so you get the hemming and hawing AFTER the game instead.
ReplyDeletenot to stick up for any of our receivers...cause you know I am not about THAT ;) ;) ;) but Henne has a way stronger arm then Penny. On one pass over the middle (cannot remember to who....maybe Bess??) it just looked like it was thrown harder than the receiver expected it. Should the receiver have caught it, yeah probably but he did not.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ginn.....and Wilson, I thought the Fins did a great job using them in a different way. The safety blitzes with Wilson seemed to come out of no where or at least to me. I was shocked to see him get the sack considering he never really seemed to tackle anyone here, but maybe that is a way they can utilize him better. Also, did Ginn maybe do better on the returns because he was not out there running routes as much? Sorry if that is a stupid question...being a girl I never played football so I am not sure.
Herd, LOVE your avi for the week! LMAO!
leave it up to Lemmus to blame the QB for the receivers dropping the
ReplyDeleteball....
LOL! Tin, you're right, it's not on Henne, even though I agree with everything else Lemmus wrote!
ReplyDeleteA comment during the Vikes-Packers game about Favre on how he throws the ball the same way that he always has so his receivers have adapted to it!
TIN!!! SS is asking whether we should go for Chambers? What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteWe already have a stable full of receivers who can't catch balls that hit them in the hands! LOL I remeber Chambers would drive me crazy. He would make the most amazing catch imaginable and then drop 3 easy ones that hit him in the hands. It would give Feidler fits!
ReplyDeleteIf he came cheaply I'd have no problem picking him up for the rest of the
ReplyDeleteyear. We can't really fix our WR corp until next year anyway, so it doesn't
hurt to see if he can contribute. I don't believe he's as useless as San
Diego thinks he is. They have Jackson, Gates, LT and Sproles eating up 90%
of the pass targets. We don't have those kinds of weapons, so he may fit in
better here. But I wouldn't give him a long-term contract.
He sucks thats why he's gone.
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete...leave it up to Tin to forget that those same WRs and TEs had much better results catching passes from Penne than they are from Henne ...we saw Henne all through camp and preseason doing the same thing ...throwing a strong arm ball that his receivers somehow seemed to either miss, drop, or not be where he threw the ball to ...its not like I'm laying all the blame on Henne ...but neither am I willing to pretend he isn't at least as much of our passing problems as the lack of good wrs/tes is.
ReplyDelete...it IS on Henne ...he is the QB and he has to make the throw that his WR can catch ...not rifle it somewhere close and expect a mediocre receiver to make the adjustments that Edwards or Moss might ...Penne didn't have Henne's arm but what he did have was deadly accuracy and the touch ...things I've seen from Henne only once in the games he's started ...that long throw that he dropped over Ginn's shoulder on the fly ...THAT was a pro bowl pass ...sadly, I've not seen Henne show either the accuracy or the touch since ...I'd love to see Heene pan out, we desperately need stability and leadership at QB ...but so far I'm not buying into him as anything but a solid backup.
...flail away, eh :)
...the problem with Chambers ...besides Chambers ...is that we'd have to waive someone to bring him aboard even if the price was right ...that's almost certainly a young olb like Walden or Wake ...if Chambers can't really make a difference, why go there?
ReplyDelete...otoh, bring him in and let Henne throw to him while Davis and Smith cover ...maybe we find a combo that clicks ...if not, nothing lost ...as I recall it chambers ran hot and cold, but when he was hot he was quite capable of making any QB look good ...but then that was what, three years back?
http://www.nydailynews.com/nydn/poll.do?pollCmsUniqueId=20091101_jets_week_8_rex_ryan&pollTitle=Jets+Week+8%3A+Rex+Ryan&pollQuestion=How+would+you+grade+Rex+Ryan+for+his+performance+vs.+the+Dolphins+on+Sunday%3F&voteExpirationDate=&option_labels=A%3BB%3BC%3BD%3BF&20091101_jets_week_8_rex_ryan=5&vote=vote
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/nydn/poll.do?pollCmsUniqueId=20091101_jets_week_8_special_teams&pollTitle=Jets+Week+8%3A+Special+Teams&pollQuestion=How+would+you+grade+the+special+teams+vs.+the+Dolphins+on+Sunday%3F&voteExpirationDate=&option_labels=A%3BB%3BC%3BD%3BF&20091101_jets_week_8_special_teams=5&vote=vote
;)
How quickly the tide turns in New York.
ReplyDeleteWasn't online much Sunday or Monday.
ReplyDeleteHuge win and I don't care how we won. We've had enough moral losses where we played well BUT... lost. I have to blame the offensive play-calling in many instances and I don't usually go there. Why on 3rd and 10 on our own 10 is Ronnie Brown passing out of the Wildcat? There were many other instances that made me scratch my head.
Let's keep it going Dolphins!
Did you go to the game Knight?
ReplyDeleteRooney is on paternity leave - a Kai is born.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/dailybung/6492430/Wayne-Rooneys-baby-joy-makes-Manchester-United-look-like-happy-families.html
Article says he'll be back in action (" But it seems like the new dad will
ReplyDeletebe back in action against CSKA tomorrow night") but other articles in same
site say he was given the night off)
That's hilarious about the finnish meaning of the name, it's the exact same
name we almost called our son 3 years ago...I looked it up back then and
found the �Keeper of the keys" reference.
No, just was wasn't doing too much online.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice how good Paul Soliai looked? He's starting to look like a force at NT.
He's on the subs bench - Sir A thought he may struggle to cope with starting tonight and the emotion of yesterday. Reading between the lines, that means he thinks he can win with his young Italian stallion, Macheda paired with Owen up front. Fletcher is back in mid-field and a lot of his thinking is no doubt to have the best 11 on the pitch for Sundays massive game against the blues. It's so similar (significance-wise) to the Fins playing the Pats on Sunday in so many ways (except of course each single game in the PL is one of 38 rather than 16 in the NFL).
ReplyDeleteJust saw an interview with Fergie - he said Kai has wanted to play ever since he got home and Roon hasn't been to sleep since he was born! LOL. Neville is starting at RB, but is suspended for the Chelsea game.
If you'd gone with Kai, your son would have been Kaishaker? ;)
Here's the full team:
Man Utd team: Van der Sar; Neville, Brown, Evans, Fabio; Valencia, Scholes, Fletcher, Nani; Macheda, Owen. Subs: Kuszczak, O'Shea, Anderson, Evra, Rooney, Gibson, Obertan
For a laugh, here's the Moscow team: (it read's like a dodgy set of scrabble tiles)
CSKA Moscow team: Akinfeev; Schennikov, Ignashevich, V Berezutsky, A Berezutsky; Mamayev, Aldonin, Semberas, Krasic; Dzagoev, Necid. Subs: Pomazan, Daniel Carvalho, Maazou, Odiah, Rahimic, Piliev, Grigoriev.
On a serious note, Utd are supposed to be interested in the goalie, Akinfeev, who played well in the first leg and they'll be watching him (like BB watches all the Fins up close and personal twice a year, then fills his roster with our cast-offs)
Yes, Soliai was impressive. Love our DLine depth. We just need to get Roth more time to spell Taylor/Porter. I also liked V.Davis' punishing hits, at least one I saw jarred the ball loose forcing the incompletion.
ReplyDeleteI read Smiley saying that the OLine went with some new protections against the Jets and didn't execute the way they should have. That makes me feel a little better but man, does our offense need to bring it this weekend. The only way I see us getting the Pats is with Roth on the strong side and our pass rushers staying fresh and GETTING BRADY. Tom, Wes, and Randy our licking their chops with rookie corners on the menu.
I'm trying not to get too worried about offense because Henne is learning every week, and the blessing in disguise about the Jets game (besides the W) is that we can win games without our O, or at least, all of our O.
What do you guys see as the biggest weaknesses of the Pats?
I remember you said you didn't watch the Blackburn match, but the
ReplyDeletecommentators TORE into Nani during the pre-game discussions. They continued
to diss on him during the match. Many comparisons to the Dolphins there
with Ted Ginn, IMO. They also keep harping on Valencia, who has been
steadily improving, IMO, but they don't seem to notice. IMO it's the center
midfield they should be worried about. Scholes is getting up there and is
suspect in defense, but a good passer whereas Anderson is a good tackler and
suspect in everything else. I noticed in the last match that he folds his
body in half when he passes. Very awkward movement - its no doubt hurting
his accuracy.
Re: Akinfeev, I don't remember his play from last time, but if he's to
replace Ben Foster, I'm all for it. Foster seems to have lost his mind
lately. I have palpitations when he picks up the ball, and then takes 20
seconds to decide what to do with it.
I doubt Kai has been wanting to play - babies don't do ANYTHING for the
first couple of months! Sleep, Eat, Poop. That's it. As for my kid, I
wanted Kai, the wife wanted Aidan, so we combined it into Kaiden. It seemed
quite unique at the time, but then we moved back to the States, and there
was a news piece on the most popular birth names of 2006 (the year he was
born), and NUMBER ONE was Kaiden or Kaden, or Kayden, or Caden, etc. So
he'll go to school and have 3 kids with the same name in every class.
You have to wait till Belichick lifts the hoodie back then aim for the back
ReplyDeleteof his head!
Good comparison Ginn versus Nani - one good game in 5-10?
ReplyDeleteFully agree - Valencia is coming on. He's a handfull to defend and his crosses are getting better. He looks like he has what it takes.
In midfield, we have Owen Hargreaves coming back "soon" (he's a tackler - spent the last year+ in Colorado after having reconstructive surgery on both knees) but was promised back for the Chelsea game - I suspect he won't be back for that as he's had no 1st team experience recently. Much is also expected from Obertan but he's very young yet. Fletcher is back today. Carrick keeps getting games and should be the real deal. We have lots of options, but it was always our strength and has been less so of late. Like you, I am not sold on Anderson yet.
Both Foster and Kuzsczak look suspect at times when they fill in for VdS. It's like our receivers getting the dropsies - doesn't make sense.
I think he had the "grandpa" twinkle in his eye when he said that. I cn't see him moving more than a foot away from Colleen's fun bags (which are now Kai's feed bags). lol
I'm not going to say a word about the result (still playing), the score or anything else, except watch this game for the worst refereeing decision in the history of sport. UN - BE - LIEV - ABLE!
Is this another imposter ? Knight saying something bad about the Dolphins ? Knight what kind of a fan are you ? No way a "true fan" would say anything even remotely negitive about the teams play or coaching staff. Only bad fans can do that. :) If I didn't read your comments myself I would have never beleived you wrote what you did. Welcome to the Twilight Zone =-O
ReplyDeleteI'm excited the Dolphins/Pats game will be on Nationally. Big chance for an
ReplyDeleteupset and some media attention.
LOL, you must not read my comments enough.
ReplyDeleteGood one! :-D
ReplyDelete...the wc is at base an option offense and RB makes the call after a quick look at the defense ...there is a pass option on most wc plays ...in this instance he apparently thought the pass was his best option ...you can hit the coaches for calling the wc but not for calling the pass, omnsho of course ...then again if RB had hit his man, the post game interviews would have played it as a pure stroke of genius on the part of the coaches.
ReplyDeleteNice!!
ReplyDeleteTin,
ReplyDeleteI think what we really need to do is poach Adrian Arrington off the NO practice squad. He has the size and hands we need and a four year familiarity with our QB and LT. He is not currently starting cause lets face it NO has probably one of the top WR groups in the league. But he fits the criteria we are looking for, he was pretty nice in the preseason, and he can catch the Henne bullets ;-) in fact in college Arrington had some of the sickest hands.. Do you remember that catch behind the back he made in the opening drive of the capital one bowl against florida? And his counter part Manningham is playing pretty well for NYG.
Honestly, I think Arrington is probably one of the most underrated WRs in the 08 Draft. He never had a problem going over the middle usually making all the difficult catches plus he usually finished his blocks downfield. He is not a burner as I think he ran a 4.5 40 but he is very very smart about finding the soft spot in the zone and very very good route running. And talk about a red zone target. He and Henne usually had a sixth sense about where Arrington was on the field when his primary (Manningham) was covered.
ReplyDeletelemmus my point is we should not have been in the Wildcat on 3rd and 10 on our own 10. Henne is a better option there.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree Arrington sounds good and all, one thing I've grown tired of is people already talking draft and about adding players. I'm all about dealing with what's on the roster, and talk draft/trade/FA after the season. Plus, doesn't he sound alot like Turner? All camp we heard how smooth he was on routes, great hands, not the fastest, but huge and athletic. With all due respect to you and all others Kidikarus, lets look at the greener grass after the season!!
ReplyDeleteSo my response to you would be...Why aren't we activating Turner??????
So I'm not allowed to talk about my man crush on Terrell Hudgins for another
ReplyDelete3 months?
Alright guys, the Kool-Aid is soooooooo sweet this morning and I think we can hand the Pats their asses on Sunday. The main thing that scares me is the extra prep they've had. We've beat teams that beat them/or barely lost to them. Can their defense really slow our running game? Do they have any real pass-rushers that can get to Henne? After facing Jets/NO/Jets blitzing mania, what do they have that even gets close to that? Our offense will make the adjustments, and I think Henne will have way more time to make things happen.
ReplyDeleteNow our D, with Roth adding much needed energy to the OLB corps, can definitely get to Brady. They're running with a 2nd string LT, and have no running game. Yes, they will dink and dunk w/ Welker, and probably rip a few out to Moss, but they don't have enough to get us if we have a decent day, let alone a good (or great!) day.
I don't underestimate them, but their schedule hides the truth, they are not nearly as strong as us. Our return game is back (hopefully), and as long as we don't get in our own way, we can pull to .500 with a bang.
Anyone else feeling it??
So Tin, watsup with O @ the SunSentinel? Do you not comment there, or are they banning you? I just read about some stupid dream he had, and Ni!'s one of the only one's with decent comments.....I'm about to quit popping over there. I refuse to give Armandork @ MH any clicks to support him, and outside of PBP, what local coverage do the Fins have that's good?
You and Phinsider are my mainstays, and you're out here in Cali with me. Maybe I should move to S. FL and blog about my dreams, they are waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy better than O's. Anyway, keep it up.
To be honest, I don't know what's going on at other Dolphins sites because I
ReplyDeleterarely visit them. I will read an article at one of the big three about
twice a month, but I don't bother with the SS blog anymore, partly because I
can't comment, partly because I got tired of reading about everything other
than the Dolphins.
Everyone - I will have a new article up in a bit, and will post my Pats
preview late tonight as I will be without a computer tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
I guess what was getting me is the season is still wide open, and yes we've struggled but folks jump ship and start talking draft and totally unrealistic trades, neither of which you or Kidikarus are doing so I'll chill......
ReplyDeleteGuest above is Red Dog on a different computer....
ReplyDeleteI guess thats why I was bringing Arrington up. He plays for Payton so he's gotta be somewhat familiar with the Offense and Payton will enforce the same attention to details we do. He plays behind a great crew so it explains the well if he was so good.... excuse. He has excellent hands and route running see the 2008 capital one bowl against top competition the florida gators. Pretty much his whole career at Michigan he was great. He is on a practice squad so no draft picks, no big money, no character issues. We can easily drop a Quentin Moses type to fit him. And if he doesnt work out then you cut him at the end of the year. I have a feeling he is already a better option than Bess or Camarillo though. I think you put Ginn in the slot Arrington in the Number 2 role and Hartline as the primary and you will see Henne finding his WRs all over the field not too mention now Ginn can sneak a running start to "knock the top" off the defense by not having primary coverage on him.
ReplyDeleteTin,
ReplyDeleteWhattya think? You have seen him play being a college football fan and all. See if you can word out as to if the Trifect had an issue with him. Evaluating Long and Henne they must have watched a LOT of footage on him. I wonder what they saw that stopped them from getting him that I don't see in the games I watched.
And please understand I am NOT saying he is the answer to ALL our WR problems. Arrington has always been a number two WR and we have Ginn, Bess, and Camarillo all jockeying for that role. However, He has more size and hands and route running ability than all of them and about the same speed if not a little faster than Camarillo and Bess. A greater familiarity with the QBs style which is important since we are in the middle of the season. But what a mismatch to have Hartline's size and smarts and Arringtons size and smarts frame Ginns speed and open up the traditional running game not to mention what i think would be an improved redzone offense especially with fasano playing so poorly.
ReplyDeleteKid, I don't think the Trifecta will have any interest in Arrington. Mostly
ReplyDeletebecause of his injury history and because of his build. He just isn't what
they're looking for, physically. Too wiry. Take Ginn's body and stretch
him 4 inches and you get Arrington. At Michigan, he also had off-the-field
issues, missing most of 2005 to injury, being arrested in 2006, and
suspended in 2007. Yes, he had a good couple of years at Michigan, but he
only stared 18 games out of 35 played. Rarely does a 2nd or 3rd receiver in
college who sits out 30+ games (college/NFL) due to several injuries become
a number one receiver in the NFL.
The signs are all there not to pick up this guy. Though I do agree he has
it tough being in New Orleans, behind 5 very capable WRs, truth is, Brandon
London was in the same situation in NY, and he didn't even make our team
this year. Also, the team isn't likely to take on a huge project in the
middle of the season.
Yeah I guess thats why they drafted turner instead of pursuing him with the rest of the UM crew in 08. I figured it had to be something cause when played he was nice and he could catch Henne's bullets ;)
ReplyDeletespeaking of WRs, Chris Chambers was signed by the Chiefs. I feel bad for
ReplyDeletethe guy, no one should have to play for Kansas City!
Yeah I was kind of hoping Mark Bradley would shake loose from that...Pioli's not an idiot. Oh well. Who did KC let go?
ReplyDeleteTaking a cue from AS post this morning I like the topic. Whattya think Tin? Can you rewrite it into a variation we can discuss?
ReplyDeleteHis keys to why the pats will win are the first line... my counters are the paragraphs under
1. Tom Brady.
Jason Taylor has owned Brady for Brady's whole career and he is playing well this year. With Roth back in the rotation look for JT to be moved on the right (rookie) and left sides and apply constant pressure along with our more physical DL. Our DL is a LOT better than the Pats OL in its present state.
2. The Dolphins have struggled beating outstanding quarterbacks this season.
See above.. Brady typically melts down when he is getting pressure. How Brady plays against other teams is really irrelevant he typically does not play well against us.
3. The Patriots are home. That advantage is obvious.
Not really sure it is. Isn't home the same place we shut them out 21-0?
4. The Patriots are coming off a bye week.
Not really sure this hurts either as last weeks offensive and defensive schemes were aberrations from our normal sets which if you throw last week out other than rest planning is based on the same volume of footage.
5. Wes Welker. He's a matchup nightmare for Miami.
Nate Jones will contain Wes Welker. Pats run game is so absent that we could stay in nickel and dime for a majority of the game and dictate the match ups we want. Especially, since our strength in the secondary is they are ALL physical against the run so why pull them off the field?
6. The Patriots are excellent at finding an opponent's weakness and exploiting it.
I think Sparano will be comfortable enough with Sean Smith that he will shadow Randy Moss. However, he will roll Clemons at FS over to help on the double move. This allows Vontae to peek in the backfield since there is NO #2 WR for them and that will allow us to stay in nickel or dime for most of the game.
7. The Patriots give up a whopping 4.5 yards per rush this season.
We will move out of the WC going to a more traditional offense this game. I think with Jarvis Green out Sparano will look at the tape and realize our Oline is better than their DLine by significant margin. VW can be doubled because Greens backup is weak. This will play right into the heart of the O power run between the tackles and play action for the deep ball.
8. Ben Watson is a fine tight end.
No he isn't BW problem even since college is he is afraid of contact. YB will need to hit him hard early even if he gets a late hit and BW will disappear the rest of the game ala Randy Moss.
9. Chad Henne hasn't really lived until he's looked into the teeth of a Bill Belichick defense.
CH has faced the toughest blitzing defenses in the league his first four starts and still come out 3-1. He still looks down field and doesn't get happy feet. With the power run game to rely on he will be fine as long as he stops telegraphing and throwing the predictable dump offs. NE is smart enough to jump a RB route to get those.
10. Looking at the rosters, the Dolphins are better at RB, LB, and P. The Patriots are better at QB, WR, DB, and special teams. The teams are about equal at OL, DL, K, and coaching.
I disagree, Our Dbs are better. If Hartline and Turner start and Ginn plays the slot neither Sean Springs or Leigh Bodden can catch Ginn on the go route or the double move. Our Oline is MUCH better than NEs and in a traditional offense Henne will have the time to let the vertical game develop especially if we stick with the run until they stop it. NE will have to bring men down in the box to help which is going to open the middle or the deep threat. If Fasano can just step up his play and start catching the middle will be open all day for him.
Our Dline is much better. They are playing a [...]