Interesting Article: Were the Dolphins affected Five of the eight NFL teams that got to play the NFC South in non-division games made the playoffs. Those five teams went 15-4-1 against the NFC South. The three teams that clinched wild-card spots in the playoffs (Bengals, Ravens, and Lions) went 10-1-1 against the NFC South and 21-15 against all other teams. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfls-historically-bad-division-screwed-151514740.html
Our schedule was brutal but we controlled our destiny. And we failed. That's all that's interesting. Just like last year, we blew home games in December that we had to win.
A tough schedule is good for a team, IMO, because they learn to fight. Also, I wouldn't necessarily assume that games vs. the NFC South would be gimmes for the Dolphins.
The SOS can make a difference, but the bottom line is that we screwed the pooch mostly in the last 5 games...just think about this...no matter that the O was decent during that period, the D gave up 32.7 points a game....32.7 The NFCS didn't make a difference to this team...
Same story as last year. Played pretty well during the year, and then things broke well for us in the AFC and we found ourselves in position to put ourselves in the playoffs. And then...derp.
Don't tell me SOS didnt matter. The AFCN teams played 8 games vs the NFC South and AFC South, who have 1 team, Indy, with a winning record. The AFCE played the NFCN and AFCW, with 5 teams above .500.
The whole SoS argument has little value when you lose to the NYJ and give up 500 yards to a Geno Smith lead offense. We don't deserve the playoffs.
If Miami would of made it in they would of most likely been one and done. Too many deficiencies to worry about sos Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But I would have felt better about the upcoming year. As it stands right now 8-8 or backwards is more likely.
I really don't see what was so brutal in regards to their schedule. They played only six games this year against teams which ended up making the playoffs. That means they played 10 games against non playoff teams. I really see nothing brutal about a schedule where the vast majority of your games were played against non playoff teams. I think the fact they were 1-5 against teams which did end up in the playoffs and only 3-3 in a mediocre AFC East division clearly shows that they are what their record states they are, MEDIOCRE.
In some 8-8 teams you see the opposite--overachieving against the good teams + underachieving against the bad teams. Typically this points to a talented roster that is either young/inexperienced or lacks the right leadership. Looks like we just lack the talent first and foremost.
There are two factors that contribute to your record: how good you were and how good the competition was. I don't understand why that is so hard for some to grasp.
Well almost the same schedule We played the Jaguars and the Ravens They played the Colts and the Bengals. Ravens and Bengals are a wash, Colts and Jaguars isn't. They played the tougher schedule and won 12 games and the first seed.
If we had finished 10-6 and missed out, then I'd be griping. The team flopped on their own though. There have definately been other seasons where this kind of thing hurt us. We've been the beneficiaries once, in 2008 (at least dating back into the 80s in my time as a fan).
how do we lack talent when we sch-lack(sp) San Diego, beat New England and play step for step with Green Bay and Denver
Which makes the decision years ago (like around 2004) when the NFL wanted to move the Dolphins to the AFC South, Indy to the AFC North and Baltimore to the AFC East, HORRIBLE, when Huizenga put up a big stink about it and the NFL backed down and didn't do it. If only he hadn't done that, our fate may have been sooooooo very different.
That happened when already out of the playoffs, so let's hope his performance convinces the Jets they do not need to draft Mariota or Winston. Maybe that was all part of the big plan.