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Things coming together at last for gase...

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by hitman8, Dec 12, 2017.

  1. hitman8

    hitman8 Well-Known Member

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    There should be no confusion, I am glad we are more dynamic now with better playcalling and audibles. What I am against is the claim that it was all Ajayi's fault. It was not. Just because ajayi is not a receiving threat as much as drake doesn't mean the offense could not work. It just means gase was too inflexible and not creative enough with his system and his players. Drake was on the team when ajayi was here, he could have incorporated drake more and given him more carries before, there was no reason to wait for ajayi to get traded and williams to get injured to do this.

    Your argument is basically that gase's offense can't work without a dynamic multithreat back as the starter.
     
  2. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    It's not that it couldn't work...it's how much the playbook opens with a dynamic player that knows the plays and executes what Gase calls. Some of Drake's best runs this season looked like a two yard gain up the middle, then suddenly he side-steps and he's off to the races.

    Ajayi wouldn't hit that hole in the first place though, he'd bounce outside and try his luck solo. The problem there was that opposing teams picked up on it and exploited that, to the point where handing off was a liability. And when coaches tried to talk to him about it, Ajayi got attitude and said he was working harder than anyone with what he saw (which was true...because he was ignoring the line's blocks and taking on a whole defense alone). When a player won't listen to the coach and get the message, you just don't have many options.

    Bottom line, we got Ajayi for a 5th, he carried us through several games last season and we traded him for a 4th. Trading him was a smart move whether we like it or not, because it got us to where we are today with Drake. Again though, there wasn't much of an option there.....they cut back his carries for not listening and he was blowing up the locker room with negativity. He had to go and that part was 100% on Ajayi.

    To your point though, we were losing because of Ajayi not following his blocks, dumb penalties, dropped passes, bad blocking, a QB who didn't know the playbook, quarterback injuries, injured linemen...the list is a mile long. But obviously we've cut down on the dumb penalties. Cutler knows the playbook. Dropped passes are at a minimum (except Parker, who is in the same position Ajayi was 8 weeks ago with reduced time). The line is blocking better. And all of this is happening because these players got with the game plan and started playing smarter.

    So no, it definitely wasn't all on Ajayi. He was the only one who kept the lone wolf mentality though instead of focusing on what was best for his team. Parker is likely on that same bubble right now as well and that's a very good thing- the team has to come before any one player if you're going to win in this league.
     
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  3. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    good post. Yes, I wish Gase promoted Drake as the featured back, with Ajayi as the thunder to the lightening. Even though a back like Drake is a multi threat back, sometimes you just gotta pound the ball. There had to be other issues than not being a versatile back to do the trade
     
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  4. Phins_to_Win

    Phins_to_Win Well-Known Member

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    I actually would have liked to see how it would have played out as well. Bench Jay, have Drake start blowing up while running the same plays Jay was complaining about. Would Jay have gotten his attitude in check and start towing the Gase philosophy? Who knows? I give Gase a lot of credit though. He wasn't worried about losing a talent like Jay (and Jay was and is a talent). Gase knew his team, and made a tough call, and it appears it was a great call.
     
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  5. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    The other angle is Ajayi could have thrived with the competition. Look at Jordan Phillips. It's over. Looking forward to seeing who is teaming up with Drake next year.
     
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  6. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    It's not over, if Phillips vs. Godchaux is what you're talking about. They still rotate fairly frequently. Phillips has been great rushing the passer lately, though.
     
  7. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    Im saying he is being pushed
     
  8. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Oh okay. I still think Drake was being pushed with Damien Williams, but I think with his recent performances coupled with Williams' injury, he's pulled away.
     
  9. danmarino

    danmarino Tua is H1M! Club Member

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    Gase benched Jay last season due to a poor attitude. It worked for awhile.
     
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  10. Phins_to_Win

    Phins_to_Win Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, but that was before things were situated. I agree that seemed to light a fire under him, but during that time none of the other RBs really proved anything in Gase's system. If Jay would have seen Drake blow up while he was riding the pine, it might have had a more dramatic, and long lasting effect. Again its speculation, I'm more curious than anything on what would have happened.
     
  11. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    Drake had injuries it seemed all year long
     
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  12. hitman8

    hitman8 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, that is still an active competition, which is good. Phillips seems to be the better pass rusher, while godchaux is the better run defender. They complement each other and provide depth, I would have liked the same sort of thing with Ajayi and Drake, they should have rotated in and out and complemented each other.
     
  13. aesop

    aesop Well-Known Member

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    Reading through this thread and it's uncanny how you and dirtylandry agree on everything and have exactly the same deficiency in understanding how to use a comma in standard English conversation. Probably coincidence.
     
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  14. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    To me, it seems like Gase is pretty much a no crap kind of guy...and it was pretty obvious he was on the verge of losing this team if things didn't turn around. I mean, there were some weeks in there we were going 3 and out multiple times in a row, and some games we didn't even get close to the end zone. Something drastic had to change to get the focus where it needed to be- it was a tough call but I respect him for it.

    Honestly, I expected Ajayi to be a lot better in Philly...and he still may take that role in the playoffs. But stuff like that is always easy to second-guess after the fact...sort of like when people say we should have drafted Brees. Those kinds of calls are never black and white though as you're making them.
     
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  15. hitman8

    hitman8 Well-Known Member

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    Nice conspiracy theory you have there. For the umpteenth time may I repeat, I have no other accounts. Hitman8 has always been my account from day one on this forum.

    Dirtlylandry does make good points often and is a good contributor on the forum, but I don't always agree with him on everything.
     
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  16. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    it's their way of getting angry that multiple posters, including Ricky, have outside the box thinking. don't let them discourage you bro
     
  17. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    I love his use of commas. makes me pause to understand his point of view. maybe you all should use more commas, instead of rambling?
     
  18. dirtylandry

    dirtylandry Well-Known Member

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    quit beating yourself up for the Ajayi trade. But you brought something up I like. I think Gase is hell-bent-fixed on whatever back is out there, they have to provide a dual threat. I cannot wait until FA or draft to see someone team up with Drake - we need a 1-2 punch
     
  19. Irishman

    Irishman Well-Known Member

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    When you say "outside the box" thinking, do you mean the brain box? Just asking?
     
  20. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'm sorry, but saying "fire everyone" is not outside-the-box thinking. Neither is posting things just to start arguments. Outside the box thinking requires finding creative solutions to ACTUAL PROBLEMS. You create your own problems here by expecting everyone to agree with you and hating on them when they don't.

    Plain and simple, folks log in here to talk about Miami Dolphins football. I haven't seen a post from you or Ricky THIS ENTIRE YEAR that referenced a single play on the field, unless it was to complain that someone dropped a pass. And that's fine...rant away. But you really have to stop getting so upset when others that come here want to talk about what we saw on the field and the games to come.

    That's the reason 99% of the folks log in here- if you don't like it, then build your own forum. I'll tell you what; if you go buy the domain, I'll build your forum and an entire website around it for free. Then I'll advertise it for you in my signatures on all football sites- "If you think Gase and Tannenbaum suck, join the discussion!" Would that maybe solve your issues here?
     
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