Just sitting at the airport at the gate heading back to NY..trying to recap my three days at camp.. Here goes. Ryan Tannehill is clearly turning into the player we hoped he would be(still hoping for a little more running also DJ) he will be our MVP this year and for many seasons to come. He has become a leader and soon to be the face of the Franchise. His confidence is tangible! This defense will be everything we hoped it could be.. Physical, fast with great chemistry on that side of the ball. While it's been said numerous times before, and rarely true, it will not be fun for other teams to line up against us. Young back ups behind proven veterans will keep us in every game this year. While its early in the pre season, this could be our best set of WR's and TE's we have had in a very long time. With Parker and Stills getting healthy and Matthews shining so far.. We will be 5 deep, hate to see the inactives on game day.. While the complex and staff are great at camp, it's almost criminal that they allow this rabid fan base to bake and sear while watching their team. The large water cooled fans were a treat but barely made up for the amount of sweating that goes on... Still won't stop us from going back next year. Lastly, it been a very long time since I've felt this good about the talent level and direction we are heading. Fans are looking at each other with smiles and hope.. Great to see! While I will not make any predictions..this is a good Team being led by a HC who seems to have the players confidence and trust. I think that Philbin will be up to the task and have us in a position at the end of the year to make some noise. Plane is boarding.. Go Fins!
There is much optimism internally and externally with the plights of NE and Jets. We have to make sure this is legit, but it is definitely exciting. The potential is sick when Parker, Stills and Albert are all healthy. That is another level on the passing game. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah this is going to be a fun season to watch. I hope we do great things this year both now and into the future.
This is the #1 factor in our crowd being "lackadaisical" or less intense. In the stands higher up in the stadium that same sun is even more intense than it is at the practice facility. It will sap you. That's why I think the single biggest improvement will be the cover. Not only will it bounce sound back down, but it will give the fans much needed respite from the brutal heat.
Gotta say this is the first time since we won the East with Pennington that I have had this amount of optimism going into the season. I will try to remain a bit guarded but the arrow is finally starting to point up.
Great point Fin D..That heat takes its toll no matter how hard you try to fight it. We need the heat as a home field advantage but at the same time, no need to punish the fans. I have a feeling that the canopy will do the trick.
This is something I posted in the club regarding Sunday's practice that I attended, thought some might enjoy it.................Going to do a simple overview of what I saw today. First and foremost , RT looks like a legit top 10 QB. Today was the best I've ever seen him play. He zipped some, had great touch on others and really seemed to be the leader of this team. He hit long passes to our receivers in stride, he gave our wr's and te's a chance to make plays ... And they did. Not an overstatement when I say that watching him today gave me chills . Also gave me the most confidence I've had in our QB since Dan... He was in total control today Secondly, if healthy, Jordan Cameron will be the best tight end we have seen in a Dolphin uniform since .. Since I can't remember. Huge man that can stretch the field and that can also take a short pass and turn it into a big play. Seemed like today, he will be an upgrade over Clay, whom I liked very much Lastly, Lamichael James looks very impressive and really sticks out on the practice field. All the good reports about him are true. He will push Damian Williams for the #2 spot. Rishard Matthews was also a Demon today ., fought for and caught everything thrown his way .. His play can only help us moving forward. One last thought, which might upset a few on here. Joe Philbin looked like a leader of men out there.. Something really different about him. Just an impression I got but.. His interaction with the team seemed to garner respect and inspire at the same time. I really haven't been a huge fan , but he seems to have a sense of urgency about him.. I like it a lot. Will be here for two more practices and will try to pass on some more observations... Just SO excited today to see REAL TALENT make plays today.
It's sad when someone has to apologize to some people here before complimenting our head coach. LI... no need to apologize. You aren't the one with the problem. And, thanks for the updates. Very much appreciated.
With no major injuries this is a playoff team. With any major injuries, it's up to the coaches to minimize the damage. That's where I am less confident. That said, we are hearing positive things about Joe Philbin, o here's hoping he grows and does even better this year, along with Tannehill. (There should be mentors for head coaches too... like Tannehill has Marino... can't Shula come in and work with Philbs periodically?)
I was a Philbin supporter years 1 and 2, but he lost me in 3. I don't think he's a lost cause, I just think his HC learning curve is bigger than he expected coming in. He definitely seems almost...possessed...this year. Kind of having an out-of-body experience with himself...he seems to have redoubled his approach to leading this team, so I'm cautiously hopeful he'll turn the corner this year. The biggest difference I'm seeing in the team overall is confidence...I just get the feel they're getting salty. There are tons of reasons for it, none bigger than RT's performance to this point. Maybe that's helping Philbin, since after all, he's getting more of HIS type of players, and they really seem to be jelling. I recently read where Suh, after losing the playoff game last season, cried. I absolutely LOVE it. We already knew he was a beast, but to have him display his passion for his team in that way, really impressed me...and now he's OUR player! I'm so excited for this season, I can't explain it.
imo, good coaches get their team to play an angry brand of football, I keep hoping we'll see it but I never do...
I wonder if the heat makes fans more or less rowdy? I haven't watched a home game from the stands in a while and I was never the rowdy sort myself to begin with. But I've been spoiled by going to the home games in the skybox of late (infrequently) and that group hanging out in the AC is never rowdy. There's other dynamics at play though. This is a pseudo business setting (entertaining clients) so people are on better if not necessarily their best behavior and you have a mix of fans of other teams, so I don't know?
Less rowdy cause they are either sapped or away from their seats in the shade, IMO. Based on too small a sample size, the crowds I have been to there, have been night and day based on....well.....night and day. Night crowds are more energetic and not away from their seats, compared to 1:00 games. The canopy will change everything.
absolutely will give the fans more energy to cheer and to get involved..when you go to a 1 o'clock game its like watching zombies in post nuclear war everywhere, theres just no freakin way they can be focused 100 % on the game, thats why I always advocated for 4 o'clock games, there was always a noticeable improvement in energy inside because of the obvious reasons.
Fins right again here Rafs..Miserable is the word I would describe a lot of the fans at kickoff..it really is a sad sight.
Giving something to cheer for helps. I was at the Mariners game yesterday and those are practically golf matches. However in the 7th inning when it was apparent that the pitcher had a chance for a no-hitter, the place came alive. Which is pretty interesting on a mid-day weekday game. Place was rocking after. If the Dolphins give fans something to cheer about, it wouldn't matter if it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity.
and if folks don't think that lack of energy coming from the crowd effects the home team in a negative way their wrong..That combined with the distance away from the field made that place the worst in football, making it absolutely difficult for a team to reach their emotional ceiling..players need energy, they feed off it.they play better when they have their fans involved.
this is just fundamentally wrong.not in the sense that if the team makes a good play fans won't cheer, but your completely missing the point..the history, pretty much everything.
The only thing that is 100 percent wrong is this quote, which is the only thing on earth that is 100% wrong.
I can only imagine what a day game is like at Sun Life. I've only been down once and it was for a Sunday Night Football game against the Jets. We arrived around 5:30pm to tailgate and it was still pretty brutal out. By kickoff, it wasn't that bad, but still... I'm making my second trek down next year once the canopy is completed.
Something just occurred to me regarding Philbin. Just prior to taking the HC job here in Miami he lost his son. Over the winter, some friends of mine lost their college-age son to suicide. While the husband has returned to his daily routine, the wife hasn't been the same since. Total change in her personality to the point where friends find her unapproachable. In GB players described Philbin as a bit of a jokster but here he has gotten the reputation as being stoic. I wonder if the shift in his personality and some of his passion for the game was buried behind his grief over his son. They say time heals all wounds and perhaps we are starting to see glimpse of the real Joe Philbin.
Excellent observation. I don't know what "the real Joe Philbin" is, but I do know that a death in your immediate family can knock the wind out of your sails for quite a while.
I'm getting excited to see them in Spartanburg. It's weird how my trip to our plant in SC just happened to fall the week they were going to be scrimmaging. :-)
Here's a link for anyone going to Spartanburg. It's a Panthers page but it has good information: http://www.charlottefive.com/carolina-panthers-fan-guide-to-attending-training-camp-in-spartanburg/