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Where Do We Go From Here?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Vengeful Odin, Nov 4, 2013.

  1. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    I was going to put this in one of the other threads, but I got a little bit verbose so I thought that I would break this out as it's own thread.

    I'm just so frustrated by this whole situation. This Dolphins year has just been a one way trip on the crazy train. And it's all about the offensive line.

    For me, this started back in the spring. I thought it was curious when Jake Long decided to head off to the sunny confines of St. Louis. Being from the Midwest, I had a hard time understanding why Jake (and Mrs. Jake) would pick a blue-collar Midwestern town over South Beach, especially since our offer was rumored to be on par with what the Rams were offering. I couldn't understand why Jake wouldn't want to come back to a team that looked like it was on the rise.

    Then we had the season start, with a three game mirage, and I felt somewhat vindicated about my assessment of the team. We all know that the hot start was then followed by some horrible performances, most notably with Tyson Clabo dropping completely off the face of the earth as a competent NFL player. So Clabo gets shuffled to the bench, we trade for Bryan McKinnie - in midseason - and flip Martin to the right side. I've always believed that the offensive line requires the most time to "gel" - usually at least 4 to 6 games to really become cohesive and play as a unit. And here we were, blowing things up a quarter of the way through the season. In-season trades are the worst, because they're reactionary by nature and don't usually work out.

    All of that was just preliminary noise compared to the last few weeks, however. In 2 weeks, our best offensive lineman has been subpenaed in a case involving a former teammate being accused of first degree murder in addition to several other charges - and this is after said player was photographed at a Miami nightclub rocking a tasteless t-shirt and drawing unnecessary attention to himself and the team in the process.

    Then we had last week, where the team's top draft pick from a year ago left the team, due to extenuating circumstances. Lots of rumors about this one, from the state of Martin's health to hazing, to a number of other suggestions on why he left. Either way, this is certainly not a normal thing. I recall Barrett Robbins leaving the Oakland Raiders shortly before the Super Bowl back in 2003, but outside of that I don't really remember an instance of a player leaving the team for a non-physical injury or condition.

    Now we have the team's second-best offensive lineman suspended, in a story that just gets weirder. I can understand why some would call it a witch-hunt, it's a story that just seems like it's being drummed up by the media, who may or may not have it out for this Dolphins team and front office. But Incognito hasn't done himself any favors, with his reactionary tweets out there for anyone to read. He's also been widely criticized as a dirty player - I can recall a game last year where it looked like Incognito looked like he was trying to break another player's ankle. The other crazy part is that Incognito's pop is rumored to have been posting on that other website, and some of the accusations made there are just completely outlandish. Either way they're bad news. If true, then the team is probably more out of control than you or I could possibly imagine, and if false, well, then you're probably looking at some form of public libel or slander, especially given the background of Martin's parents (lawyers).

    You put all this together and it's not a pretty picture. There's so much going on with this offensive line. The only word that really fits is chaos. It's chaotic. The team's best offensive linemen and team captain bails in the spring. The team's current best lineman is either a material witness or more in a federal case with a guy who is under investigation for murder. I think at this point we can all agree that Jon Martin has issues. And now Incognito has been suspended.

    I really want to talk football. I want to talk about who steps up with all of this going on. Is there anyone on the team capable of coming into the lineup and protecting the QB? I don't think so. Tannehill remains the most sacked QB in the NFL this season, and how terrible do the other players on the team have to be if they can't crack the lineup with all of this madness going on?

    Once again, that's an indictment on this front office, and their complete failure to put together a cohesive offensive line. No one could have predicted that the wheels would come off this unit this badly. In someone's mind, Pouncey and Incognito were supposed to be the leaders, with Martin proving himself competent at LT while Clabo provided veteran stability at RT. That clearly hasn't happened, and in fact we are at a point where it's entirely possible that all 4 of them could find themselves off the team next year. Which is great, because we haven't had a competent RG since Jamie Nails was on the team. It's plausible that 2014 could see new starters at all 5 positions - something that I'm not excited about but probably not the worst thing in the world.

    How do I think all this plays out? I think Jon Martin has played his last game in a Phins uniform. Miami is going to have to try and spin this disaster - and it's a big time disaster - in the best way that they can. Most likely, that means public support of Martin while he enters treatment of some sort. I think Martin needs help, but I'm cynical enough to believe the team isn't doing it because they care about him, it's because they need the PR win. I think Incognito misses at least a couple games while we sort through all of the back and forth. Right now we don't really have any facts in this instance, as it's mostly a "he said / he said" thing at this point. Incognito hasn't done himself any favors with his reactions and it's plausible he asks for his release and we give it to him. Pouncey finishes out the year, but I've got the sick feeling that there's more to this story than we've been lead to believe. Maybe that's the jaded Miami fan in me. But I'm honestly worried about it. Can you imagine losing two #1 picks from the last couple of years to off-the-field stuff? As for Philbin and Ireland, they're linked for the foreseeable future. If this team makes the playoffs against a crowded race for the 6th and final playoff spot, then they most likely get another year or two. If they miss the playoffs though, they're done. And we're starting over. Again.

    Not really a fun time to be a Dolphins fan. All of these things are distractions and chaos that the team really doesn't need. What a mess.
     
    anlgp, evz, The Rev and 2 others like this.
  2. Finrunner

    Finrunner Season Ticket Holder

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    Catch-22, Catch-44, Catch-88. There's no good way to spin any of this.

    Whether Martin plays another game with the Fins, I don't know, but with Incognito being a FA at the end of the year, I kind of think he's done as a Dolphin.

    And to think we're 4-4 with a chance at the playoffs, and certainly holding destiny in our own hands. It's so, so Dolphins.
     
  3. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    I think before we act like the gates of hell have opened up and is swallowing the team while we all get raped with pine cones, we should probably wait out the storm and see if any of this is truth or not.

    Last week, we were told Philbin lost the locker room, the players were sharpening their pitchforks for Sherman, Coyle and Turner, and the season was lost.....and we turned around and beat a 6-2 team on a short week in OT.
     
  4. P h i N s A N i T y

    P h i N s A N i T y My Porpoise in Life

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    You are sooooo under in the media's spell right now. Look at you all, caught with the hook in your mouth again. I'm in this for the football. We're looking pretty solid, gotta win Monday and go into the SD game out for blood. Go Dolphins.

    Right now it seems we lost our LG, aside from that..... I don't care much.
     
  5. CrunchTime

    CrunchTime Administrator Retired Administrator

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    I would keep Cogs on suspension indefinitely and dont let him near the team for the rest of the year .Then let him walk without so much as an offer.

    We may be surprised how the new atmosphere will improve the OL play.Suddenly Gardner,Jerry,Clabo,Yeatman could play better and more relaxed .We may even see Watkins and Thomas in the rotation.

    I left out Mc Kinnie because no is going to intimidate him and Pouncey because he always plays well.
     
    dirtywhiteboy likes this.
  6. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    With the offensive line performing as badly as it has been this year (sacks), despite the draft picks we've spent and are quite possibly going to lose due to this that or the other thing, I'd welcome a change at this point because well... you've seen the line play, haven't you?

    I don't think Watkins is a good addition. I didn't like how he played in Philadelphia, and I say I don't think he's a good addition, but then again I also don't know whether or not the draft status may have influenced his play a little. Even if it did and it was too much pressure for him I don't know if that's someone I want in a position where your job is to wall off defenders from your Quarterback.
     
  7. KB21

    KB21 Almost Never Wrong Club Member

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    The media is just reporting what they are being told, and even Adam Beasley did quite a bit of leg work for his latest story.

    Regardless, this does not paint Joe's leadership in a bright light, IMO. It paints him as a coach that does not have the pulse of his team. Hazing goes on in NFL locker rooms, but when things go too far, the coach steps in and nips it. Don Shula did that back in 1994 when Tim Bowens was a rookie. It appears that Joe Philbin did not nip this in the bud and make sure that it stayed in house.
     
  8. CitizenSnips

    CitizenSnips hmm.

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    Lol somewhere McKinnie is laughing to himself. "Ha, I'm finally not responsible for the media circus"
     
    thisperishedmin likes this.
  9. Dolphins1Beatles

    Dolphins1Beatles Ziggy Stardust

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    Winning games cures ills.

    If they don't and they suffer a 5th straight losing season (which would extend their current franchise worst of 4 straight), how does anyone defend Jeff Ireland being here in 2014? (and possibly Philbin) Especially when they currently control their own destiny to the playoffs by having two games against the Jets and one against San Diego.

    They should move to a high school field if they don't replace Ireland, because that attendance of 52,000 on Thursday night would look like a dream compared to where it would fall next season.
     
  10. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    If the Kid had this many obvious issues, then it was probably insensitive to start calling him big weirdo, if they didn't pick up on his issues and kept joking around with him on his looks it was probably wrong..
     
  11. Frumundah Finnatic

    Frumundah Finnatic U Mad Miami?

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    We have to keep winning. That's where we go from here.
    Triumph in the face of adversity and all that crap.
     
  12. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    Yeah, there's a ton of over dramatization going on IMO. I don't understand the thought process behind making a big deal out of something and then complaining that it's such a "distraction".
     
    P h i N s A N i T y and Fin D like this.
  13. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    I truly believe, this got legs because the local media was mad at Philbin for not divulging every bit of info they wanted including the secrets of the universe and then that plus the fact Ritchie called out Shefter gave it national legs.
     
  14. TooGoodForDez

    TooGoodForDez Deion Sanders for GM

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    Clean house. Thank you Martin.
     
  15. gunn34

    gunn34 I miss Don & Dan

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    this^^^^^^^
     
    Fin D likes this.
  16. Phins_Fan_87

    Phins_Fan_87 Phins and Heat fan Club Member

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    2 things. Cut incognito and fire ireland. That's about the only way in my eye i can overlook the ineptitude of this organization.
     
  17. P h i N s A N i T y

    P h i N s A N i T y My Porpoise in Life

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    how can we scare off all the crybaby, quitting fans that resemble Martin ? Now that would be a great step forward.
     

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