What is Minnesota, Dallas and LA doing right?

Linebackers.

 

none of them hired tbomb.

 

Good drafting. The Dolphins have wasted draft picks for over a decade which has put us in the position to give paydays to mercenaries. We know that is a blue print for failure.

 

I'm fine with letting Vernon go for that price. Miller on the other hand, considering who we have, was bonheaded. Davis and Smity created holes at CB for years.

 

Better Owner leads to better decisions about top level stuff which trickles down to, well everything from coach selection to player selection, to the schemes and culture those coaches bring along, to the personnel the front office the owner chose determining the types of players... etc etc.

It always starts with the owner. Decisions at the top determine everything. It's why we actually consider being President a more important positon than being the janitor at Denny's. People at the top make decisions that determine everything else all the way down to the bottom.

If you take a three star michelin restaurant and a burger joint and the owners are forced to switch... come back in a few years and both of those places will have changed drastically.

My only hope is that Ross is learning and improving on the job. But that could take a decade. Heck, it's almost been a decade already!

 

While I agree for the most part, I dont think a superstar QB would turn things around here quickly. Take Brady from New England and put him here he will suck. Put Tannehill on NE and he wins playoffs and contends for a Superbowl. Our Line SUCKS, our Defense isnt good and we have talent evaluation issues.

 

The lack of any resources for linebackers the last two seasons frustrate me.

 

Elway boned us big time tho, we all thought CJ was a Dolphin then last minute signed the offer sheet.

Tho i dont think CJ is that great but hes on the same tier as Miller. Might as well have signed Miller in the first place..


Hell Forte couldve been had and he probably wouldve followed Gase here but nope, we took a chance on elway not signing the offer sheet.

Tannebum everyone... and no i dont mean the bum behind center..

 

The lack of depth at CB after Grimes. They waited til he parted to do anything about that position aside from some late-round picks. Lack of depth at RB. Ditto reasoning. No LBs as you said, aging defensive ends. It does not look great on that side of the ball. Sad thing is, we've been sinking picks into OL and WR, positions that are supposed to make your QB better and things have remained the same for the most part. Really treading water on the draft. Now look at Minnesota. Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks.. You get the point.

 

my only thought is that if they are same tier, why not sign the guy who has been putting in time, blood and tears for your organization? Reward guys who pay their dues.

 

That move was honestly a dolphin classic, using their *** to think instead of the brain.

 

Well, to begin with, I don't think that Dallas and LA are very good. Minnesota might have been at the start of the year, but they've lost a lot.

Dallas has beaten a flawed Washington team in a last second win, and then bad Chicago and San Francisco teams by running for nearly 200 yards in each game and barely turning the ball over. Simple as it is, its a foundation of football. Run the ball well, prevent the run, and win the turnover battle 5-2, and you've set yourself up for a chance to win ball games. Not necessarily to be a great team, but to win against other mediocre to poor squads at the least. So far, thats the story of the Cowboys season.

Los Angeles is a basically winning with defense, and timely big plays on offense. They created five turnovers vs Arizona and knocked Palmer out of the game. Their offense wasn't any good. They only got 12 first downs and run for 41 yards, while losing the TOP battle by five minutes. They got one big play on offense when multiple Cards defenders missed tackling a guy and he ran half the length of the field for a TD after a moderate gain. Against Tampa, it was a lot of the same, except that they did run the ball well.

Minnesota has a terrific defense. They haven't allowed any opponent to get more than 20 first downs, and they've held three of four below 100 yards rushing. They've created 11 turnovers in four ballgames, while only giving it away once. They've gotten 15 sacks, which is almost four per game. But, they've only scored six touchdowns on offense. Three of them have come from TE Kyle Rudolph. Basically, they've won by holding their opponents to 16, 14, 10 & 10 points and doing just enough on offense to squeak by. Wanny ball.

 

I didn't mention switching QBs so not sure how that relates. Unless that's a point you're making separately, not in response to my point.

 

Post of the year nominee.

 

I’m not sure this thread will be allowed to stay here. It might get tossed into another forum on account it not being Dolphin-related, but it’s more interesting than anything Dolphins right now so I like it!

Let’s look at how these teams have built up their current roster. I’m only going to list significant players that are currently on the roster.

Vikings

Drafted:
RB – Adrian Peterson (R1)
TE – Kyle Rudolph (R2)
WR – Stefon Diggs (R5)
QB – Teddy Bridgewater (R1)
T – Matt Kalil (R1)
DE – Everson Griffen (R4)
DT – Sharrif Floyd (R1)
OLB – Anthony Barr (R1)
OLB – Chad Greenway (R1)
MLB – Eric Kendricks (R2)
CB – Mackensie Alexander (R2 - Rookie)
CB – Xavier Rhodes (R1)
CB – Trae Waynes (R1)

Free-Agency:
QB – Sam Bradford (Age 28)
G – Alex Boone (29)
T – Andre Smith (29)
DT – Linval Joseph (27)
CB – Terence Newman (38)
CB – Captain Munnerlyn (28)

Summary:
Outside of typical positions like QB and Tackle, the Vikings have used the majority of their highest selections on defense in support of the linebackers and secondary. The veterans they have brought in have typically been solid players under the age of 30. There are also a couple surprise hits in the draft including 2011 selection DE Everson Griffen who made his first Pro Bowl last year and WR Stefon Diggs whose measurables are similar to Jarvis Landry. Diggs flashed play-making ability as a rookie in 2015 posting a 13.8 YPC average and 4 TDs. This year he’s a feature in the offense and is on pace for 100 receptions and nearly 1,500 yards.

Nevertheless, the biggest single addition had to have been Head Coach Mike Zimmer. An NFL veteran with 14 years of experience as a DC on 3 different teams, Zimmer took over as HC in 2014 and has led a defensive rebuild that takes a back seat to no one. To supplement the defense, Zimmer hired Norv Turner, a veteran whose tenure as an OC in the NFL dates all the way back to 1991. In addition to the experience of a 25-year NFL resume, Turner brings leadership having been a HC with the Redskins, Raiders and Chargers at various points in his career. There may not be a more experienced coaching duo in the league and yet at 60 and 64 respectively, neither are particularly old by NFL standards.


Cowboys

Draft:
QB – Dak Prescott (R4)
RB – Ezekiel Elliot (R1)
WR – Dez Bryant (R1)
TE – Jason Witten (R3)
T – Doug Free (R4)
T – Tyron Smith (R1)
C – Travis Frederick (R1)
G – Zack Martin (R1)
OLB – Sean Lee (R2)
CB – Morris Claiborne (R1)
CB – Orlando Scandrick (R5)

Free-Agency:
QB – Tony Romo (UDFA)
RB – Alfred Morris
G – La-el Collins (UDFA)
CB – Brandon Carr

Summary:
The Cowboys are a tale of two sides. Their offense looks to be nicely rebuilt behind a slew of quality linemen. While 4 games can’t rival 3 Super Bowl titles and a dynasty there’s no doubt that Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot and Dez Bryant conjure thoughts of Dallas’ more famous trifecta. It’s so far, so good with Prescott who has a 98 rating and no INTs and Ezekiel who’s averaging 4.4 YPC and is on pace for 12 TDs. If Dez can stay healthy and calm down a bit, this has the makings of another dominant Big-3.

The downside of Dallas is the defense. While there’s some talent on the back end in Claiborne, Scandrick and Carr, the D-line and LB positions are void of any significant names indicating that Dallas won’t be a dominant team for at least another season or two, and that’s if they dedicate resources to those weaker areas. DC Rod Marinelli is an NFL veteran who got his name due to his association with the late-90s and early-00s Buccaneers who did win a Super Bowl title. But he isn’t exactly a dominating DC. The stain on his resume is his 10-38 record as HC of the Lions, a period in which they went 3-13, 7-9 and then 0-16. It’s unlikely Dallas fixes its defensive woes without serious effort.


Rams

Draft:
RB – Todd Gurley (R1)
QB – Jared Goff (R1)
WR – Tavon Austin (R1)
WR – Brian Quick (R2)
G – Rob Havenstein (R2)
T – Greg Robinson (R1)
G – Rodger Saffold (R2)
DT – Michael Brockers (R1)
DT – Aaron Donald (R1)
DE – Robert Quinn (R1)
ILB – Alec Ogletree (R1)
CB – Trumaine Johnson (R3)
CB – Lamarcus Joyner (R2)

Free-Agency:
WR – Kenny Britt
TE – Lance Kendricks
DE – William Hayes
OLB – Mark Barron
CB – Coty Sensabaugh

Summary:
The Rams have a smattering of talent around their roster including Gurley, who might just be the best rusher in the NFL. Rebuilding under Fisher they’re likely to focus on building a solid defense and a balanced offensive attack. As such they’ve put high picks into RB, QB, O-line and WR on offense but are still developing this young talent. Defensively, they’re more experienced and have solid talent on all three levels including 4 first-round players in their front-7 and one of the best young CBs in the NFL, Trumaine Johnson, who they’ll likely re-sign this offseason.

 

Brady is Brady everywhere..same with tannehill, let's not get it twisted.

 

The cafe con leche cubans talking to each other in cafeterias here all say that same nonsense.. "Brady would be bad on another team, put tannehill in Seattle/new England, he would have a championship". Wtf...

Everyone needs to read dj's post a thousand and 1 times until it sinks deep into your brain. Brady is brady anywhere, same with Tannehll. Thats an undeniable fact.

 

Minnesota, Dallas, and LA have run based offenses and a HC who played in the league. They know their identity and aren't changing what is obviously working.

Miami has a QB whisperer as HC who is apparently using this season as 16 organized scrimmages.

 

I agree. People simplistically blame the QB, but I don't see that as the problem here. The teams that are succeeding have done so with defense and/or good OL play. But I think we have struggled in building those areas b/c of our constant turnover in our coaching. Some were just bad hires like Philbin or Cameron, but I think that we would be better off if we had kept Sparano and probably Gase. I think the continuity lets a coach bring in players that fit one system and allows your QB to learn the system. I think the coaches themselves improve over time in their management and in how to use the players they have. I'm hopeful that Gase will be given the opportunity to provide that consistency. Although, I'm not a fan of Tannenbaum. I see him as prone to making moves looking for short-term fixes rather than building for the long term.

 

These teams have one combined playoff win over the last five years. Not sure I would take anything from their 'blueprint'.

 

Linebackers, Cornerbacks,DE,s, Offensive Guards, TE, Running Backs, and a consistent QB. Other than that, the Dolphins are as good as any team in the NFL.

 

All I know is I would trade Tannehill and a first round draft pick to the Colts for Luck. If the Colts made that trade, I would feel the Dolphins would be the big winner in that trade.

Unfortunately The Colts would never make that trade.

 

Agreed, very good points. Dallas has the blueprint for winning consistently with substandard talent. Their offense limits Romo chances of doing something incredibly stupid.

**********
Big plays from the passing games will come after defenses honor the run. Right now zero defenses honor Miami's run game.

 

They score more points than the other team more frequently


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

When Brady leaves the Patriots after next season, and if he is traded rather than retires, will you blame his poor play on age?

 

I agree with Dorf 100%. It's already been proven that the Pats win with any QB. And with Cassell who did succeed and then left, we see a below average QB.

 

He had a better year two years later without Moss and Welker.

You're really flailing today.

 

And you're really cherry picking. Making jam?

Anyhow, Cassell put up Brady-like numbers and did so coming off of the bench after not starting a game since high school. And the "better" season you mention, wasn't better when you compare the entire body of work and look at his QBR. In New England he posted a 63 and in KC he posted a 52.

Cassell was a below average QB and yet, somehow, he put up numbers nearly identical to Brady's up to that point in Brady's career. Hmmmm...Yeah, I'm flailing.

Not to mention they are 3-1 while starting a rookie QB and throwing in another rookie QB that will most likely never see another start in his career this season.

 

How far into the playoffs did they get the year Brady was out? AFC champions right? Or was it the Super Bowl? Hmmmm.

 

They were 11-5. The only team to ever win 11 games and not make it to the playoffs.

Why are you using team accomplishments when talking about an individual? Hmmmm.

 

Because it is not hard to project that if Brady had been present, they get some extra wins, go to the playoffs and the Phins stay home. It is what it is, they did not go to the playoffs that year, the first and only time since 2002. That is telling. Brady could have gotten them to that point. To discount him as a great QB is just silly. The Patriots have a good system, but he is an all-time talent and would absolutely make us better.

 

How am I cherry picking? You've only got ONE year to try and argue your point. 2008, when Cassell Started. It's not out of this world to think he was capable of that year without Belichick, because he put up the same or better year, with Belichick, Moss or Welker. Duh.