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Dolphins Training Camp 2014

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by dolfan40, Jul 24, 2014.

  1. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Conversely, what happened to safety playmaking last year???

    Plus, despite the ball slapping, FFs went down from 15 to 10, and non-offensive FRs from 5 to 4(my best estimate looking at the stats re: ST plays).

    And I guess the last applicable stats, tho basically negligible, are there were 1073 defensive plays (600 pass attempts) in 2012, and 1106 defensive plays (580 pass attempts) in 2013.

    Food for thought...

    (Pro-football-reference.com)
     
  2. Lloyd Heilbrunn

    Lloyd Heilbrunn Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    But only at the end of the season after being picked up off waivers,IIRC.

    Think he had 4 INTs last year too.
     
  3. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    True, he played 87 def snaps with us in 2012, and then 237 def snaps last year.

    However, in his entire career starting in 2005, he only had 5 INTs, and then after one offseason with a turnover-focused Philbin he intercepts 4 balls in very limited snaps. (And now he's in NY playing poorly so far.)

    Honestly, I don't know if you can attribute that to coaching or not. Maybe it was something Philbin taught, or maybe it was a coach finding the players that better fit his scheme in his second year, or perhaps just dumb luck, but ultimately I defer the pudding's proof.
     
  4. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    Also, he's hurt and missing practices.
     
  5. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Shocker
     
  6. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Shelley smith is the starter at right guard in opening drills.

    Charlie is back practicing with the ones.

    Fede is not but saw him doing sprints.

    Same with Anthony Johnson and his shoulder.

    No big deal.
     
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  7. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    Interesting that Smith is at RG. Wish we could just get this damn line settled so we dont have to keep juggling everyone around.
     
  8. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I don't get this staff man.

    They're in the fourth week of training camp and finally decide to go back to Shelley Smith competing at right guard and Billy Turner competing at left guard.

    Mike Pouncey gets hurt, and they decide not to sign Samson Satele. They decide to sign Daryn Colledge and then switch everyone around. So they move Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas to the right side even though both players say they're most comfortable on the left. They move Shelley Smith to center. They get through five practices (hardly enough time to let Shelley Smith try and improve his snapping) and get cold feet on that experiment, moving him to left guard and moving Nate Garner to center. They get through maybe one more practice of that before getting cold feet and signing Samson Satele. But then they keep Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas on the right side and move Shelley Smith to the left side. They try that detour for two weeks before, surprise surprise, the two guys young players who primarily played left side in college and still both say they're most comfortable on the left don't look all that comfortable on the right side and now you've got to move them back to the left side. And Shelley Smith is now back to right guard.

    This is the opposite of decisive. There's no vision as to where these guys fit in and what they need to do in order to be ready Week 1. They're just taking shots in the dark.
     
  9. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Yet in week three it'll be some mystery as to why the OL has been struggling.

    Common sense isn't common.
     
  10. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I guess they're not really believers in the idea that an OL needs to work together as a unit for a while in order to gel and gain chemistry.

    They seem to believe they can keep fiddling with the rubix cube and it'll all click together once they find the right combination.

    I think decisiveness and confident evaluations would avail them better.
     
  11. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Dolphins C Mike Pouncey told reporters Monday that he is targeting Week 4′s game against the Raiders as a possible return date, per Barry Jackson.
    This would be great news for the Dolphins as previous reports mentioned that Pouncey could end up missing half the season due to the torn labrum he suffered.
    The Dolphins will have a completely new starting offensive line entering the 2014 season, so the sooner they can get their best offensive lineman back, the better.
    Miami picked up C Pouncey’s fifth-year option back in April and have said that they would like to sign him to a long-term contract.
    Pouncey is slated to make $7.438 million for the 2015 season in the event that a long-term agreement isn’t in place before then.
    Pouncey, 24, was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 13 center in the league and a particularly solid pass protector.
     
  12. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Re: the bolded

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_KL9eUmkDA&t=4m12s
     
  13. dolfan22

    dolfan22 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    Started writing a book years ago , titled Uncommon Sense . As it appeared/appears common sense is no longer that.
     
  14. Lloyd Heilbrunn

    Lloyd Heilbrunn Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I'm just shocked they seem surprised that Thomas was the same guy vs Tampa as he was last preseason vs Dallas.


    I sure wasn't.....
     
  15. 54Fins

    54Fins "In Gase we trust"

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    over there
    Work in progress-






    3 years straight-
     
  16. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    It's not haterade, I want him to be the best player for us ever, no rookie is untouchable in terms of what they can get better at right?
     
  17. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I don't know that "chemistry" is really an important consideration at this point. You need five competent linemen, and unless it's been made clear previously you're not going to figure who can play what side without moving them around

    Cohesion is nice, but the job is plug and play- how to block and whom to block is all from the coaches. Knowing that the guy next to you might need a bit more help on a double team before sliding to the second level against stronger defender might be a big help, but not if you can't hit the linebacker and he can't handle the 1v1 block.
     
  18. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    Agreed. This absolutely drives me crazy! It's like they make decisions with no consideration as to what the player's skill set is or how they fit as part of the whole.
     
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  19. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The Good To me, the third preseason game has always been the goal for finalizing the starting lineup, so even though it hasn't exactly been pretty, I don't think we should be in panic mode yet. When Pouncey comes back, hopefully that will solve some of our interior Oline issues. Until then, this is the time to test out the lineup that may include five new starters to find the best combo. (If we are still tinkering next week, then you can set your tazers to freak out.)

    Also, it should be mentioned that our pass protection is playing really well! Only SEA and NO have given up fewer sacks than our 2. And we've only allowed THREE QB hits total, which is better than them. Ja'waun James has yet to give up a single pressure, and I'd guess Brandon Albert is playing pretty darn well too.

    The Bad I agree with a lot of you, some of these roster decisions are utterly confusing. How on earth do you give Shelley Smith a $2,250,000 salary, making him the 21st highest paid guard in the league, the 6th richest salary on your offense, and then play him at center for a week, before relegating him to a backup until this week when you let him play the position you signed him up for? To any logical onlooker, this is how training camp should have started.

    Also, you would think that you want a vet and a youngster competing for each guard spot, but then you move Billy Turner to the right side where he's never played and a create vet/vet and youth/youth competition that mirrors the vet/youth in the tackle position. The ship seems to slowly be righting itself, but it has been a baffling journey.

    The Ugly Our interior players just don't seem good enough, regardless of who we put out there. NO ONE is instilling any confidence that they can be a quality stalwart. No matter who we put out there, they are going to be the weakest link. Everyone has a glaring hole in either run or pass blocking, experience or athleticism - and no one has ever played with each other - and we have a new Oline coach! There's not a lot of promise except for an injured Pouncey that many of us wanted off the team for off field issues.

    I think that's ultimately why in one thread someone is complaining that we didn't give Shelley Smith enough time at center, and then in the next thread someone is complaining we need a quicker hook for Dallas Thomas. Or why the day before we signed him, the coaches were "idiots" for not signing Satele and the day after we sign him the coaches are "idiots" for signing him. It seems we are mimicking the coaches' helter-skelter philosophy of running around like headless chickens because so far no matter what approach we take the result is always headless chickensh*t.
     
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  20. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Who said they were shocked?
     
  21. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    Agreed, I mean, how dare the coaches use training camp and preseason to experiment with different lineups!!!

    Rewind back a few months and you'd find a lot of these same folks complaining that we shouldn't take an OL in the first round b/c we need more WR's LMAO... There are a few level headed people mixed in but mostly it's people whining just to hear themselves whine.
     
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  22. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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    God forbid they thought it was a good idea to get different guys reps at diff positions across the OL now incase they need to move people around for injuries during the season.

    A lot of the same people were complaining about the coaches trying diff things in practice that didn't necessarily work.

    How dare they.
     
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  23. 77FinFan

    77FinFan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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  24. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    The problem is that Philbin & co spend too much time at practice, studying tape, working with players etc, if they stopped that nonsense and spent more time on the fan forums then they might actually know what they're doing.
     
  25. Deerless Dice

    Deerless Dice Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    They probably want to give Fede some rest this week, or his injury is worse initially thought.
     
  26. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    I seriously don't get it anymore.

    After our last game of last year......
    - Ireland sucks! So we get rid of Ireland.
    - Our LT sucks! So we got the top LT on the market.
    - Our OC sucks! So we go out and get an impressive up and comer with big ideas.
    - Our oline sucks! So we go out and get the top oline coach available.
    - Our RT sucks! So we draft the best RT available.
    - Our HC sucks cause he's plain and stuck in his ways! So he goes out and makes changes that by all player accounts is working.
    - Our whole coaching staff sucks because they never develop talent! So we give highly drafted young guys chances in preseason.
    - Our staff sucks because they are giving young guys the starting job! So we make sure everyone knows those spots are far from settled.
    - The team sucks because its the same old Dolphins!!!!!! Even though we've all the above changes.

    And we still have yet to play an actual real game.

    Am I an optimist with this team? Sure, whatever, fine. But dear god people are losing their effing minds here and over nothing. I have to wonder, if the team can make every change you want and you're still this bitter and this hate filled and miserable....then why do some of you even bother anymore? Why not get a hobby and enjoy this short life when literally nothing will make you feel any better and have hope?
     
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  27. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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    Your problem is you aren't considering that b*tching about things is their hobby.
     
  28. PhinFan1968

    PhinFan1968 To 2020, and BEYOND! Club Member

    Even that pitiful dance he did at the dinner has helped...the DBs are doing it in practice to loosen up (although I'm sure they do it quite a bit better than Joe).

    Little things...
     
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  29. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    They just keep tinkering under the belief that they'll find the perfect combination of pairs that they stick together, and then everything will be fine. That was the Sparano approach.

    They should have a good idea heading in as to which guys are their best players and their best options for each position. You practice those guys. If someone just is sucking way too bad, give the call up to the promising backup. The Dolphins are not currently looking decisive like that. They'll try the guy they have in mind, then try the backup, then move the guy they had in mind to another spot, try his backup, then move him back to the other position they originally had in mind and try him again.
     
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  30. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    The problem with the Shelley Smith at center experiment is one of indecision. If you're going to undertake what is a very significant experiment, you better be committed to it. You don't just stick your toe in the water and effectively waste everyone's time. That doesn't mean Shelley Smith has to be your Week 1 starter hell or high water, even if he's losing two snaps a game in the preseason. But it does mean you don't get scared off the whole thing because of a rough first 5 days. You give him time to get it corrected, and you see if he can make it through games without issues that way. If you're not prepared to make that level of commitment to the idea, then don't do it. I would have no problem with choosing NOT to put him at center, and not wasting everyone's time with a wishy-washy "how am I feeling about this thing today?" experiment.

    Just be decisive. That's what you're paid to do. You suffer an injury to Mike Pouncey and he has to have surgery. You lay out your choices, and make a choice. They don't want to make a choice. They want to keep tinkering until something becomes so obvious that it comes up and slaps them in the face, making the choice for them.
     
  31. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    Awesome post.
     
  32. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I don't fault them too much for not knowing - or not relying on their preconceived notions - of what they have. Albert/smith/Turner/colledge/Satele/James are all players vying to be starters and they are all new this year to the Dolphins, plus we have a new Oline coach and a new Off Coordinator. I'd be shocked if there weren't growing pains, or surprises along the way. And I'm sure the Pouncey injury threw an added monkey wrench into things. So while their methods have been messy, I don't mind them being thorough. I actually applaud them realizing that "what they thought" was wrong.

    Honestly, I'd say they have been pretty efficient in their vast approach, having an open mind, while being decisive in moving on what doesn't work. However if we are still tinkering next week (or ever revisit a failed experiment) we are bordering on an absurd Jackson Pollack style of coaching.


    That's what confuses me the most. I wonder how things would be different if Pouncey was supposed to be out for the whole year. Would we dedicate more time to the Smith at Center experiment? If his problem was something besides snapping the ball, would he still be there? What did they see that made them put him behind Dallas Thomas? Perhaps Smith at RG was the plan the whole time but they wanted to unequivocally know that Dallas wasn't worth the learning bumps first, or perhaps Smith plays like hot garbage against Dallas as a starter. By why did you pay him so much money?
     
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  33. Alex13

    Alex13 Tua Time !!! Club Member

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  34. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    I must be reading a different forum, because I'm not seeing anybody making these statements that you're raging against.
     
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  35. PhinishLine

    PhinishLine Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Sounds like the problem isn't entirely the Miami Dolphins....*lightning strike/ominous organ plays*
     
  36. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    You must be.
     
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  37. jdallen1222

    jdallen1222 Well-Known Member

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    What's going on is the arguments from all sides are being recounted here and applied to the same people, instead of people considering this may be a large site, with a variety of opinions being expressed. In that way, it would seem that most of us are unhappy with any move that is made.
     
  38. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    No what's going on is that some people may think one or two of those things I listed and therefore think my post applies to them. it doesn't. There are quite a few people on this site and others who've complained about everything on my list. Whether you or others have kept track or not has no bearing on my factual observation.
     
  39. Eop05

    Eop05 Junior Member Club Member

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    Remember how people were whining crybabies when they raised these issues on the board? Obviously they were right, and the staff saw it. Unfortunately in many of the cases above they saw it or reacted to it too late.

    Not trying to just be argumentative here, but Philbin was by all accounts forced to part ways with Sherman. I'm happy he brought in Lazor who looks to be the one implementing the changes that are working so far.

    Well this is still a problem. Yes, they gave guys like Dallas Thomas and Jonathan Martin numerous reps/chances. But neither of these guys developed into even serviceable NFL caliber players.

    So yea, they're trying. But in important cases, they've failed and that's a problem.

    I don't think people are as miserable or bitter as you're describing. But I do agree we're certainly not optimists. I, for one, don't see how a Dolphin fan could possibly be an optimist after being burnt so many times in the past. With almost every GM change, coaching change, front office change.......Parcells, Culpepper, Saban, Cameron, etc. etc. etc. how can we be. We've been through numerous QBs, coaches, GMs, owners, personnel turnovers where ALL have yeilded the same results which is NO playoffs. So...when this team starts showing it on the field in the regular season, then I'll turn optimist. Believe it or not, I best most of us so called pessimists weren't pessimists during the Marino era. I know I wasn't. But so long as this offense ranks in the bottom 3rd of the NFL, yeah I'm gonna be upset about it and probably have some complaints.

    Anyway, even if the team does win 10 or 11 or 12 or 13 games. Not everything will be perfect. And this is just the place to discuss the imperfections. I don't see any problems with that.
     
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  40. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    This has been a problem for a long time on this site. If you have a negative view about any aspect of the team, the sunshine gang lumps you in with a few radicals who are overly negative regarding everything about the team.
     
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