I have to say that at this point, I consider this a successful season. We improved on last year's record with a first time head coach and a major injury to our starting QB. No matter if we win either of our last two games, this season has been a success. Now, making the playoffs would be sweet and I hope we do, but I want to give credit where it's due. Very nice job by Gase in his first season.
Same here. I'll have my crow now. I had this team as the "5-11 team nobody wants to play" in the preseason.
I give pretty much all credit to Gase. At no point with all the injuries and the 1-4 start did any of us think we'd be here right now. This same team doesn't get more than 4 wins this year under Philbin. Extremely excited about Gase, Tannehill and our defense next year. We could be witnessing the start of something really special.
No doubt. The really big deal at this point is that the team finally has a head coach who inspires some respect in his ability and his authority, which was accomplished this year no matter what happens from here on out. And that is a foundational piece of any successful NFL team that hasn't been present here since Jimmy Johnson.
Dolphin fans are still yet to grasp what's unfolding before their eyes. 37 yr old first time HC inherits 6-10 team, starts 1-4.... Loses 2 ALL-PROs and then his Qb. He is about to lock up the coach of the year award... Hands down. We suddenly have a superstar Head coach.... And this franchise has turned the corner we were stuck at for almost 2 decades.
If Gase doesn't win Coach of the Year, I will legit be very upset. He's done an incredible job. I know we haven't even clinched a playoff spot yet, but finally having a winning season after waiting 8 years is already huge and for my morale as a fan.
I don't see any way that he can't take those honors...what Gase has accomplished has been incredible. And the really big news here isn't if we beat Buffalo/New England or make it to the playoffs, it's what this team is going to look like in 2017, 2018 and beyond. It is a great time to be a Miami fan because a new era is starting right before our eyes.
With a healthy Jones,Pouncey,Tannehill... I'd be talking about how we are going to win the Super Bowl this year. Amazing that we're missing our best players through all this.
Why is it a joke? Jason Garrett lost his all pro qb and is 11-2 with a team that was 4-12 last year. If gase keeps it up he will win it soon enough.
To me, the only thing stopping this team from being a superbowl top 5 team is its terrible linebacker corp. Hewitt and Hull are fine special teamers/ back ups, and Kiko is the only starter worth keeping. They need a lot more talent there.
True, but they were expected to be a good team with Romo. They overcame that and are having a great season with a 4th round pick at QB, I'd still say Gase deserves Coach of the Year, but Garrett has a an argument.
Serve up the crow. Preseason, I had them around 6-10 to 8-8. At 1-4, I saw them as a 4 win team, tops, with 2-14 to 3-10 more likely. I specifically dogged on X Howard preseason because what I saw from his college highlights was a stiff, straightline, grabby CB. I assessed Ajayi as an under performing bum and was ready to cut his *** and give Isiah Pead a shot. And that's why I'm not in an NFL office.
We're obviously biased since we're Dolphins fans, but I think if we make the playoffs, he should win COTY. What he did to revitalize a stagnant franchise is more impressive than what Garrett did this year, IMO. The Cowboys have been relevant this past decade, while the Dolphins have not.
I doubt he wins it. It'll go to a better "story" than us. HE deserves it though. The improvement in so many key areas, key players, young players, the QB, the offense, the defense (given it's talent situation and injuries), the record, the win streak. He deserves strong consideration, but I'd be shocked if he gets it unless we make the playoffs, and win at least a game.
Well, the beautiful thing about the playoffs is that it's a brand new season- any darn thing can happen. I'm not counting us out until the final whistle.
THAT'S what's up. Right there. Who had the 10-6 Giants EVER even being CLOSE to the 16-0 Cheatriots in the Super Bowl (thank you helmet!)? You never know...get to the dance and see what she looks like.
Agreed on all points but the Defense. We need serious help at OLB the guys we have, Jenkins and Misi included, are awful. As we stand right now, the good teams will feast on us like the Ravens did. But that's for the off season to fix.
1,000 times this! We knew last off season these guys needed serious help and while Alonso has been terrific he has zero help.
Even if they lose out it's a successful season. Especially snagging a Road Win with the Backup QB. BUT remember that this awful Jets team we just beat won 10 games last year and the Bills team we're hoping to beat on Christmas Eve had a pretty good season too. Both took a step back with a similar lineup. The NFL has way to much parity to assume success long term unless you play in Boston.
Excited about the defense after free agency and the draft **** fixed I've been banging the table for Linebackers for a while. Seems like every offseason. I wanted us to take Kuechly over Tannehill, lol.
For my fellow fin fans who want to eat crow, I don't believe it is necessary. Considering what we have done under Philbin, I don't blame anyone for taking a bearish view on our team this year. That said, I am super impressed with coach Gase and our other coaches. How many games have we won due to a total team effort? Three or four? Considering our LB corp and our O-line being injured all the time, IMO on paper we have over achieved. But I like to look at like this is what you get when we have a team that plays together, is well coached, and believes in each other. I am happy with the direction of our team and I hope we get into the playoffs. Win or lose, it's going to really help our guys to get that kind of experience because the intensity jumps ten fold. A taste will only make them hungrier next year. Successful season? Hell yeah!
A sobering post. I was really down on the team and the QB after the Tennessee game. They salvaged it, and we've finally been given our most exciting season to watch in years. Very grateful, and it's not to be taken for granted, because unfortunately instances like the one in your post happen relatively often.
I don't see us suffering that same fate. We have a QB. I think it's easier to sustain success when you have a good QB.
Devil's advocate here. 1. Belichick (and Ernie Adams) 2. Reid 3. Del Rio 4. McAdoo 5. Garrett Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The media has been ignoring Miami all season. Gase will not win coach of the year, the NFL and media are so far up the Cowboy's *** that they can't see anything around them. The narrative will be that Gase is a good coach but that the Dolphins were a fraud due to their schedule. For that reason I want Miami to win at least a playoff game to really confuse these media "pundits"
I still think some of the play calling is questionable at best. That said I am willing to eat my crow and say that Gase is a much better coach than I gave him credit for early on.
I agree that you can make a strong argument for Garrett, Del Rio and sadly Belichick. While Reid and McAdoo have done very well I feel like their teams had higher expectations than ours with similar enough results that Gase deserves it more.
They're going to ignore Miami until we get in the playoffs, maybe even until and unless we win a playoff game. We've been bad/mediocre too long for them to pay attention to us.