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Sparano forced to drop conservative playbook

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by ASUFinFan, Aug 22, 2011.

  1. ASUFinFan

    ASUFinFan Uh huh

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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHsH4P99pPs

    That right there is infectious!

    That guy, he had a lot of trust and respect in that locker room. Just as you said. Players were even going to him on the sidelines to ask questions while Henne was currently the starting QB. Hard for Henne to step up into a leadership role, or even try when most of the team still viewed Penny as their leader.
     
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  2. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    YOu know, I think some of the complaints have been less about who the WRs are, and more a result of how they have been (or NOT been) used in the past year. I think they will be used well this year. I really do. Daboll seems to have a clue. lol. he is not allergic to the pass.

    The true test will be, if we lose a couple of games due to INTs, will Sparano cave into his natural risk-aversion and order Daboll to tighten up on the amount of 'risky' (meaning most) throws the offense attempts?

    We won;t know who Tony Sparano is until he is tested by the NEW system struggling. Will he abandon it and go back to his familiar ways? Tune in and find out.

    (and for those blaming Parcells influence, including Sparano himself using it as an excuse, I just have to point out Sean Payton. Parcells disciple. And leader of a team that consistently has one of the highest scoring passing offenses in the league. And takes risks like onside kickoffs in Superbowls. Oh... and who WINS SUPERBOWLS with this philosophy. No Parcells lineage excuses please.. and that includes you Tony!!! Go hang out with Sean Payton next offseason, maybe something will rub off. lol.... And, for the record, obviously Drew brees makes a huge difference, but if you swapped Henne for Brees, Sparano still would have run a lower-risk, lower-reward offense than Payton)
     
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  3. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    I'd be interested to see what he sounds like in the huddle (this year). I think there's a big difference between someone's demeanor in a press conference (not everyone is good at public speaking, believe it or not) and in the huddle.
     
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  4. mbmonk

    mbmonk I have no clue

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    That is a great video. What is even better about it, besides Pennington behind absolutely horrible at 'rapping', is that he looked serious. It didn't seem like a joke :)
     
  5. ASUFinFan

    ASUFinFan Uh huh

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    At that point, I think you just ride it out BPK...
     
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  6. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I suspect Daboll will run the offense BPK, Sparano more or less is what we'd think of as "quality control".

    As for Sparano's approach, keep in mind he was co-coordinator in Dallas when they scored the 4th most points in the league, also suspect the offense was what it was simply because that is how Parcells/Henning wanted it, and that is what personnel dictated they do.

    Cannot imagine Bill Parcell's signing off on Reggie Bush for example.
     
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  7. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    We will all just have to watch and see, what else can be said, at the end of the day Sparano is the HC, Henne is the Qb and Daboll is the OC.

    I'll leave the rest of it to the Big Slow.
     
  8. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Not sure that what youre implying is true though. He had 30 run plays in 2009 that he was in for and missed 2 tackles and graded out slightly negative. The negative grade doesnt concern me so much as the missed tackles would have looking back on it. For a comparison, a similar style downhill player like Joey Porter had 1 missed tackle in 333 run snaps that year and Jason Taylor 3 missed tackles in 354 snaps; Taylor graded out very well that year as a run blocker, Porter about the same as Wake as a run defender but better tackler which, and this is speculation, could have been Sparano's concern. Remember Wake was still transitioning to 3-4OLB. Its a different position then playing DL in the CFL...
     
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  9. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Jason Cole never misses a chance to be an *******.
     
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  10. ASUFinFan

    ASUFinFan Uh huh

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    I noticed that too. It does come off as being an arss, but I took from it that it seems as though he doesn't fully believe that's the case. Interesting.
     
  11. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    There are not enough asterisks in the world to describe Cole.
     
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  12. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    There's absolutely nothing wrong with conservative football.

    They weren't doing conservative football "right", and they weren't doing it as smart as they could have been, but doing aggressive wrong isn't really any better. It's more dramatic sure, but it's not inherently better. People are taking what they want to see and then believing it's sound football.
     
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  13. FinNasty

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

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    Many dont end up adapting at all... stubborn in their ways, convinced their way is the right way.
     
  14. ASUFinFan

    ASUFinFan Uh huh

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    I don't think anyone has said such. Most of us know you've got to have balance, and hopefully that's where this offense is headed. You can't play conservative at all times. That mindset creeps into your players heads, and then you see a million field goals. Gotta find that balance.
     
  15. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Well brother, Its not easy when your givin your first NFL head coaching job with one caveat...Luggage in the form of Dan Henning..I pick my battles with you cause I respect your opinion and intelligence, but I do think this man deserves respect as our coach, I do think he knows the pulse of this team very well, I do believe he has the respect of the team, and I do believe they want to play hard for him.

    Oh and also, he made the changes before the 4th year started, way before.
     
  16. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    commented on that dynamic many times when it came to the 2 chads, it really stood out to me when Chad took over last year in that one start, the team was hyped because of it..not Hennes fault...That very reason was also one of the main reasons why I thought we should not resign either ronnie or ricky either..didn't want their seniority getting in the way of him leading the team.

    Jake Long, our best player, will break a mother grabber for Henne..The rest of the troops will follow.
     
  17. Linus

    Linus Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    It's not often you find a coach admitting his philosophies may not be perfect. I can respect the guts that takes, and like others have said, the last time I remember something similar was Coughlin in 2007...Let's hope for similar results.

    I think Sparano (and Henne for that matter) are a lot smarter than they're given credit for. Sparano knows his team very well, IMO, and coming to this realization can only help the team as a whole. Who knows whether or not these decisions were made before or after the Harbaugh fiasco, but the important part is that it is happening. This team could be quite the story if some things fall the right way: Sparano, Henne, Marshall, Bush all overcoming serious doubts, fears, problems.

    I may be in the minority, but I'm very excited about this team. Four years ago, I would have never guessed we'd have Brandon Marshall, Reggie Bush, the best LT in the game, and a top 5 slot guy....and at the same time having what should be a top 5 D with what could be 4 or 5 young breakout stars (Wake of course, Soliai, Langford, VD/SS). I hope the entire team uses this whole underdog persona and shuts up a bunch of people...talking heads, other teams, and ex-players alike.
     
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  18. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I agree with this, I believe with better balance throughout the team, and you would see winning football, thats what we were missing last year, balance throughout...Now that being said, being somewhat conservative in the game doesn't mean Henning was ok calling the plays, he wasn't imo...
     
  19. Third Man

    Third Man Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    For a year. Then, with the Super Bowl won -- and his job safe -- he went back to being who he was before.
     
  20. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    I can live with a boring offense. What I can not live with is an inefficient offense and that is what we have been for 2 years.
     
  21. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    This!
     
  22. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

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    I haven't heard of Coughlin being a dick again.
     
  23. Jaj

    Jaj Registered

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    Wait are you suggesting people are seeing what we're doing now and calling it aggressive is foolish or are you suggesting that aggressive football being superior to conservative football is foolish? Fact of the matter is we're doing neither. We're passing at about the same rate as last year. I'm lost on where you're going with this.
     
  24. jdang307

    jdang307 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    What kills me about Shula. Is that if he didn't "change" Dan might have won some superbowls :(

    I don't find that kind of change commendable. We had a coach known for teams with bruising runners and defense, to what we had during Dan's time. A common excuse given for Dan (by me) is that he never had a strong defense or running game.

    Why is Shula getting praised for changing his stripes when that change caused the major deficiencies during the greatest passer's reign? Imagine a strong running game and defense and a killer arm. The possibilities were endless
     
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  25. Jaj

    Jaj Registered

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    I'll be honest with you depending on the performance of the offensive line, Miami's offense may be a playoff effective unit. They run the ball well out of their spread sets and that's going to be crucial when nickel and dime formations are coming straight for Henne.
     
  26. finfansince72

    finfansince72 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Its encouraging to hear this but the real test will come when the game is on the line during the season, will Tony and the offense stay aggressive or will they turn into a crawling down the field team again? We'll have to see, we've been hearing about big plays, etc for years now but we have seen the team get conservative and play not to lose on offense more often than not. Hopefully we keep taking shots and stay aggressive even if we have some early growing pains and mistakes.
     
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  27. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Someone needs to give Jason Cole a copy of the DSM IV. Assuming he can read it. (See what I did there?)
     
  28. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I suspect they are betting heavily on Reggie Bush Jaj, he could catch 70 passes this yr along with 200 or more carries, as he is Henne's security when there is nothing down the field, and I'm fine with that as Bush's injury problems mostly were flukish ala Ronnie B, now the more intriguing alternative if Bush goes down is Lexy Hilliard will then take over that role.

    Which also means they are not betting as heavily on Dan Thomas as some folks would think they would be.
     
  29. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I commend TS for recognizing that what he was doing wasn't working. All of the successful coaches off of the Parcells tree only succeeded when they adapted. Parcells' system was too conservative to be likely to be successful in today's game. The rules favor the offense and there are too many play makers. If you keep it close one of those play makers will bite you at least half the time. The easiest example of a Parcell's coach who adapted is Belicheck. His offense was very TS-like in Cleveland and he failed. Since he has spent time learning from Urban Meyer and learned how to adapt that to the pro game. Now obviously he had the good fortune of finding a franchise QB in the 6th round, but his offense has been successful even when Brady got hurt. BB has learned that if you spread the defense out it makes it easier for your play makers to make plays. You can't just expect to out execute the opponent on every play. You still have to play good defense and apply the basic fundamentals, but you need to make some plays too. I actually wouldn't say that the offense is much more risky. I expect that they'll still run as much as last year, but do it out of more spread formations. And even if they pass more, those passes will be the short ones to the backs. Those are basically just long hand-offs. Now I do expect to see more long attempts, but by spreading the D both vertically and horizontally those passes are more likely to succeed and less risky than under our old scheme.
     
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  30. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Things cease to be a fluke when they happen regularly. Joe toledo injured himself in a sauna. Walking. Flukey? Yes. Typical for Toldeo. YES. He was a constant injury magnet.

    Don't discount patterns of injury based on the type of injury, dude.

    No wy Bush makes it through 70 catches AND 200 or MORE carries without landing on the bench with an injury at some point.

    I hate that. But it's just to be expected if you feed him the ball that much.
     
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  31. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box


    I agree.

    I would say, however, that the skill of the Co-ordinator is more important in the spread approach than the conservative approach. To out scheme a defense with multiple passing routes, and attack a secondary consistently to move the chains while considering coverages, blitz, pass rush etc with consistent efficiency puts more onus on good gameplanning and great playcalling. A power run scheme with occasional play-action to back them off when they over-commit to the run simply has fewer moving parts, and earns its bread and butter along the gaps of the line. Fewer variables, I think.
     
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  32. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

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  33. NaboCane

    NaboCane Banned

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  34. Striking

    Striking Junior Member

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    “We’re going to continue to run the football because that’s my nature. It might not be popular with everybody, but that’s what I like to do,” Sparano said. “There are some teams in this league that got very far being able to do it.” March 21st, 2011.

    I'll believe in the new and improved Tony when I see it in the games. Not practice.
     
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  35. ASUFinFan

    ASUFinFan Uh huh

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    Well of course the Dolphins are going to continue to run the football. He didn't really give away too much there.
     
  36. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    2 knees from being around the pile trying to recover a fumble, and iirc last yr his issue was a high ankle sprain?

    And the way I look at injuries is this, you cannot worry about them, but you have to keep them in mind when filling out the roster and practice squad, if Bush goes down, that will leave Lexxy and Grigsby to fillin for him, Lexxy is a good back, Grigsby is a complete unknown.

    I'd love it if Livas got some run at running back in the preseason.
     
  37. Striking

    Striking Junior Member

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    I took his comments to mean his run first philosophy will never change and I'm guessing his proof it works was the NYJ. This is why I said I'll wait until the season to see how much things have changed in Miami. Its hard to break old habits when the pressure to win is on you.
     
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  38. Fineas

    Fineas Club Member Luxury Box

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    No, the easiest example of a Parcells coach who adapted is . . . Parcells. His teams in NE were among the most pass happy teams in NFL history. His 1994 team threw more passes than any team in NFL history. His teams with the Jets and Cowboys were not particularly conservative -- they were pretty well balanced between run and pass. I think the notion of Parcells as a rigid 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust coach is very wrong.
     
  39. RevRick

    RevRick Long Haired Leaping Gnome Club Member

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    But, it also may have been somewhat harder to make the change when most of the coaches would be thinking in the Parcellian fashion, with a style of coaching which was based on his teaching. (We had ample evidence of that all through the year. I can't tell you how much it pleased me to see a first down pass.) You can tell someone that a change is necessary, but until they grasp that as a fundamental truth for themselves, it probably 'ain't gonna happen!' In addition, if Henning became recalcitrant, and Sporano had to fire him in midseason, that would further complicate an already untenable situation for the whole team. This year, Sporano can change his style to reflect the staff he has working with him. Last year, that would have resulted in a gimongous Mongolian cluster flop.. Even bigger than the one it became, if my suspicions are correct.
     
  40. Aquafin

    Aquafin New Member

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    WHY are some dolphins that just cant grasp that if you really want to get to the super bowl or playoffs You have to change what you are doing . i dont know what people are so scared to throw the ball more its not going to kill anyone to see some changes. I wonder how many people remember why we lost so many 2nd playoff games . its simple , the answer is close to 12 or so and why did we fail . well it wasnt the defense , and it wasnt Ricky and Lamar Smith 's fault.it was because we couldnt throw the ball downfield and we didnt have a playoff caliber qb . look at the oakland and the pats game in those years when we were going 9-7 10 -6 and 11-5 we have been running the ball well since Dan Retired but we havent had a really good offense since chambers , welker and company and we couldnt win because the qb situation. if many of you are dead set against throwing the ball then you sure as hell can be serious about getting into the playoff and winning the whole thing. I say this not force a beleif down your throats but to remind you of how one dimensional we have been since Wanny left he just wouldnt face the truth like Sparano is doing. so this change is much need if we are to go anywhere. SO I am giving Sparano credit for doing this and if we are successful then we will be in the playoffs, so doesnt that sound great ? i say fins rock
     

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