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Miami Dolphins Solutions Thread

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by KeyFin, Oct 3, 2018.

  1. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I've never been big on complaining because once you get right down to it, there's zero benefit from it. It's just a waste of time that could have been spent being productive.

    With that said, Miami has some obvious problems that need to be solved-

    1) The O line is missing three starters and our run blocking is terrible.

    The run game has always been the secret to Miami's success- if we manage 15+ carries for 100+ yards, that's usually a ballgame we win. I think that's the single most important factor right now to fix and we can fix it with an average group of linemen (hence 2047-2017). We desperately need a guard to pair with Tunsil though- is that person on the roster?

    2) Tannehill seems hesitant in the pocket.

    I obviously don't have the answer here but this should be Gase's primary focus for the week. Why did Tannehill largely shut down last Sunday? What makes him play his best....how do you give him the confidence to be the unstoppable Tannehill that we've seen glimpses of throughout his career? I think it's more than fundamentals at this point- it's figuring out how to get him mentally prepared.

    3) The D line is not generating enough pressure and the front 7 can't stop the run.

    In my opinion, this comes down to coaching and getting that DB room fired up- you have to play with a swagger to have a good front seven in football. Work this group hard this week and give them some confidence going into Sunday.

    4) Have a cohesive plan on first down.

    Adam Gase certainly deserves some blame and I think he need to stop experimenting completely. If we're a run team, run the darn football on 1st and 2nd down, then throw past the sticks if/when 3rd down appears. If we're a passing team, then attack the field three times in a row. If we're a balanced offense, then stop treating a failed 1st down like a drive-ending series.
     
  2. Carmen Cygni

    Carmen Cygni Well-Known Member

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    Here's my long term solution:

    “I look at names that people are throwing out right now [as head coaching candidates],” says Arians, “and I’m shocked that James isn’t amongst them. He is extremely bright, high energy, an excellent communicator. When I first met him at Indianapolis, I knew he was going to be a star.”

    . . .

    Pagano was switching the Colts from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, which meant taking the rare step of having two superstar pass rushers change positions. It was Bettcher’s job to teach those stars, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, how to play outside linebacker.

    “I sat down in that meeting room with them and just said to myself, ‘Wow, this is pretty amazing,’” Bettcher says.


    “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” says Mathis. “I played defensive end for the better part of a decade. I needed a little more coaching. James was a chameleon. He could adapt. He did such a tremendous job, my learning curve was taken care of really, really fast. I owe him a lot.”

    . . .

    Besides youth, what Bettcher has in common with McVay and Shanahan is he’s intensely details-oriented and scheme-driven. He sees football as an intellectual endeavor.

    Bettcher’s players praise his passion and personality, but where they really perk up is in extolling his schematic prowess. More than anything, players want coaches who put them in the best tactical position to succeed; motivation and team chemistry follow naturally from there.

    Chandler Jones realized something. “Yeah, the ball might be getting out faster, but [Bettcher] is getting me more one-on-one matchups. He knows his X’s and O’s. He knows. He knows how to formulate and contort the defense so that his best players can get the best matchups possible. He really knows how to highlight players.” Jones likes going into elaborate detail about this, and about how Bettcher figures out offense’s protection tendencies, which coaches say is the hardest thing in all of football to do.

    https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/01/j...m&utm_medium=social&xid=socialflow_twitter_si
     
  3. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    You really need to add:

    5) Have a game plan designed to beat the opponent.

    When's the last time we thought our coach won the game? I get the trick plays thing, but I rarely get the feeling we outsmart our opponents.
     
  4. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Some of you guys are getting absolutely insane with all this stuff. You're genuinely sitting there looking at this 3-1 team thinking the HC is incapable of developing a winning gameplan.

    You think the other teams are just forfeiting to us? Did we just luck into all of our wins the last three seasons? What do you think is winning these games? We don't really have any stars. It's literally all the gameplan and execution.
     
  5. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    You saw how NE shut our game plan down? Yeah.. can't quite ever remember feeling that about Gase.

    Of course every coach has a game plan. I'm not saying Gase is bad at it, just that he isn't better than average at it (though in the NE game it sure looked like he didn't care about the opponent!). And if you look at the talent on our team vs. the teams we've faced it's not like we're clearly less talented than Tennessee, Jets or Raiders. So.. no I can't remember the last time I really thought our coach was the primary reason we won the game. You call that insane.. fine.
     
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  6. bigballa2102

    bigballa2102 Well-Known Member

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    just a question how many games have we beat a playoff team in the past 3 years? i know we got the pats a couple times, but honestly how many team have we beat have been over .500 or even made the playoffs that year?

    i mean we could have had a good stretch of schedule that was favorable guys already in the playoffs, guys not good enough for playoffs etc.

    NO?
     
  7. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Grass is always greener isn't it? You have literally zero data to support the fact that Adam Gase is worse than the average coach. Furthermore, you suggest that we're a more talented team than the Jets, Raiders and Titans (we beat all of them), but you're suggesting those wins had nothing to do with Gase. The fact that we're more talented has nothing to do with Gase? The fact that our performance was better on the field had nothing to do with Gase?

    We should just save money as a franchise and not even have any coaches. Just let our superior talent carry us each week. Don't need play-calling or coaching.

    By the way, what was Belichick's gameplan when they lost 26-10 to the Lions?
     
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  8. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    So lazy.

    Instead of just coming on here throwing around a bunch of conspiracy theories, why don't you actually go do some research, find the data, compile the data and make an informed opinion instead of just assuming we NEVER beat playoffs teams and that we're bad.

    Or do you just like to complain and let others do the work?
     
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  9. bigballa2102

    bigballa2102 Well-Known Member

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    were did i complain? i asked questions not one time did i give any theories, just simple questions, if you dont know the answer i didn't expect you to answer, its just simple conversation so sit back have a drink and relax tough guy!!!!
     
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  10. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    You literally said:

    "I'm not saying Gase is bad at it, just that he isn't better than average at it (though in the NE game it sure looked like he didn't care about the opponent!)."

    Are you hiding the evidence? Do I have to complete a scavenger hunt to find it?

    You're the one making crazy claims but suddenly now I'm supposed to present evidence to refute you? That's not how this works. If you want to put on your tinfoil hat and scream like a lunatic, you're going to need to provide some proof of your claims.
     
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  11. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    More evidence you can't comprehend basic English, or maybe I should say you can't think logically.

    Saying "he isn't better than average" is NOT the same thing as "worse than average".
     
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  12. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    If you assume that Adam Gase is precisely average in terms of his gameplan development (a claim for which you have not provided any proof) then on average over a large enough sample size, his gameplan would contribute to us winning the game 50% of the time.

    You implied it happens rarely, or never. A 50% chance seems statistically much more significant than "rarely" or "never".

    Be careful not to trip and fall when you backtrack so hard.
     
  13. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Nope that's not logically implied either. The degree to which a person (player or coach) contributes to a win is unknown. That could be any percent, and that's true whether that player is average, above average or below average. No one knows how much of a win is due to the coach.. again just opinion.
     
  14. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Yeah the way we get around that in statistics is to talk about something being "statistically significant" because there's always random variation. So even if a coach is (let's say) precisely average in ability that doesn't mean a given measure of a coach's ability will always show him at precisely 0.5 on a scale from 0 to 1. So in stat terms I mean that in my opinion there's no evidence Gase is "significantly" above average – that is, we can't reject the hypothesis he's statistically average.
     
  15. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Let's not forget that you're the one who initially claimed Adam Gase is no better than the average coach. If it's impossible to determine the extent of which a person contributes to each win/loss, then your original claim is not only meaningless, but it also suggests that the evidence you claim to have pointing you in this direction is a lie.
     
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  16. canesz06

    canesz06 Well-Known Member

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    Careful, he'll find you and beat you about the head and neck with his giant "Dolphins are #1" foam finger
     
  17. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    No, it just suggests we don't have sufficient evidence to conclude one way or another which opinion is more accurate. It's still my opinion though. I will change my tune if either: 1) I start seeing things on the field where I think that Gase's game plan is a major factor in us winning, or 2) if we keep winning 10+ games per season with Gase. So it's not like I can't change my view, but all our views on this particular subject are just opinions. What the opinion is NOT.. at least not yet.. is "insane".
     
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  18. canesz06

    canesz06 Well-Known Member

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    Gase is 19-17. I guess he is a little better than average.
     
  19. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Oh, so now it's less about evidence and unbiased statistical analysis and more based on how you feel about what you're seeing on the broadcast each week. Got it. Makes total sense.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  20. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Yup.. never once claimed otherwise.. if you actually do understand what I wrote in this thread :smile:

    (in fact.. I put in that word "feeling" right at the outset, including the first time I responded to your post.. just saying)
     
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  21. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    This fanbase is pure cancer.
     
  22. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    You're part of it though right? Hey.. one good thing about cancer (in this context): it metastasizes. We need more Dolphins fans dude!
     
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  23. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    LMAO, and here I thought we could talk about team solutions here instead of the typical "Dolphins Suck!" stuff we get over our 3-1 team. My apologies folks- I stand corrected. =)
     
  24. The Guy

    The Guy Well-Known Member

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    Today’s NFL is built around either winning with the passing game, or having at least an average passing game while having the ability to shut down opposing teams’ passing games. If you can do neither of those, you stand very little chance of being highly successful.
     
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  25. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Did you just mock me on a Dolphins board for being pro-Dolphins? By the way, how are your Jets doing this year?

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2018
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  26. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Did New England shut down our game plan really? I’ll give credit where it’s due, they were much more physical then us on the lines but Tannehill missed a ton of open targets in intermediate areas to Amendola and Grant as he fell in love with the deep ball to the opposite sides the safeties were rotating from in cover 1. Easily the worst game I’ve seen from Ryan since his first or second year as it was the type of game that makes me wonder if this is all Ryan can be...above average but not irreplaceable, good until the big game is here (he’s 0 for Foxboro) and if that’s the case then we need to be looking at QBs early and often. We generated no push for Drake or Gore. The offensive ineptitude is a failure of execution not gameplan necessarily. Execution falls on players as a coach can only design a play/plan. This team does need to start better though and that is on Gase.

    Defensively, I’ve no idea what Matt Burke was dreaming up. Every other team was rolling bracket coverage on to Gronkowski...we give him free releases and although he didn’t kill us he did get some 3rd down conversions. We knew we may miss Hayes and Branch run defense and we got gashed up the gut and at LB. Our edges, specifically Wake and Woodward was good. Charles Harris was a disaster and I hate to say it but he’s a huge bust. I thought he’d make some strides but I think he’s strictly a 3-4 edge guy at best. Maybe you can move him inside as a 5 technique but I doubt it. And they attacked opposite Howard all day and our LBs (as I said in club that they would with White). I called for Burke’s firing all offseason and I stand by that, he’s going to be Gases biggest downfall at this rate.

    We really didn’t play well in any facet of the game but one game doesn’t make a season. When you get outclassed everywhere on the field and like 5 players actually show up, you could be Bill freaking Walsh (or Shula, Parcells, Lombardi etc) and it won’t matter. We did nothing well after kickoff.

    You talk about Tennessee but they aren’t lost since Game 1 and just rallied to beat Philly late. The Raiders have blown 2 score leads in 3 of their first 4 games including ours and should probably be 2-2.
     
  27. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Is that a talent issue or coaching issue? Imo, it’s talent. It’s not as if we are underachieving so I think the issue is more with the front offices inability to hit any homeruns besides McCain in round 5. Hell I still think Derwin would have been a better choice then Minkah (apparently Jon Gruden agrees openly saying as such). If Tannendouche is fired tomorrow, I’ll be thrilled.
     
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  28. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    11-6 in games with a healthy actual NFL caliber starting QB says he is better then average. Especially when you consider that he was able to make the necessary adjustments to win many of those games when we were trailing at halftime. In the world of stats, which you love to live in (and which is generally informative), trailing at halftime is considered to be an unfavorable circumstance so Gase must be doing something besides giving rah rah speeches and knocking over water coolers.

    I apologize if I come off as attacking but I firmly believe the issue here is talent and not Gase. Though Gase could stand to give up playcalling and fire Burke.
     
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  29. cbrad

    cbrad .

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    Well at this point in Gase's tenure there are simply too many different views that are still consistent with the data. I'm not even sure there's much reason to debate this subject because this season is a fantastic testbed, assuming Tannehill stays healthy. I mean.. we're probably not winning 10+ games and making the playoffs if Gase isn't an above average coach. But if this team ends up 8-8 or so.. where's the evidence he's better than Philbin?

    So I think we should just wait till the end of the season and see what happens. There are some stats we should look at then: overall W/L record (by far the most important), where we rank in points scored/points allowed, and also Tannehill's passer rating. This should tell us what kind of effect Gase has w.r.t. previous coaches and it should help infer whether it's really talent or the coach that's the problem. At seasons end, I'm pretty sure I won't be saying it's "just my opinion" anymore, whichever hypothesis I argue for.
     
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  30. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    We're four games in. As bad as the recent loss was, it's not enough for Gase, or anyone else, to determine exactly what the problems and solutions are at this point. It'll take a little more time to determine what's going on and whether he can adjust accordingly.

    Remember that the big loss just came against the Patriots at home. That's been pretty much a guaranteed loss every single year, and not just for the Dolphins. Now we, and more importantly, Gase and the Dolphins, get to see what they're made of and how they rebound from a loss like that.

    Can we use more talent? Sure, every team can. Sadly, this isn't Madden and you can't pick and choose whoever you want. It doesn't help we've drafted poorly at times. But more talent is going to take a time of continued improved team building.

    Meanwhile, back in the present, I've said before that I suspect Gase is a cerebral theorist. I think he's a concept guy and one of his challenges is going to be making the connection between his concepts and the real world grid iron. There's a meta-game in terms of his learning curve where he not only evaluates tactics and concepts themselves, but also whether it's feasible to implement them. Can the players he has play the brand of football he imagines - can any normal selection of players do it? Who are his specific players, what do they do well, and does that match what's in his brain? I've no doubt Gase will learn, but it may take time for him to not only find small solutions, but also figure out the big picture questions. His play-calling is head-scratching at times, and I know plenty of us have wondered, at times, if there's some master plan behind it all. I'm still not sure what's going on (nor why the local reports haven't access Gase about the long runs and screens). All in all, I just get the feeling that what's in Gase's mind hasn't yet made it to the real world, to the field, and Gase is going to need to figure out how to make it reality, or else, scrap those plans, and adjust accordingly.

    These are all suspicions, of course. But I think Gase is currently learning some big lessons on what it means to be a head coach, and if and when he figures it out, I think he could be a great coach. But he's not there yet. I think he needs to get out of his head a little bit, and just go with more of a gut approach to games, trust his ability to coach and adapt outside of any larger concepts. I suspect that might be why the Dolphins get off to slow starts at times. He has to see what he's facing in reality before he can then properly scheme and adapt. It may be why we see this team improve again as the season advances.

    The injuries aren't helping, but I think the reality is we're dealing with a young coach, a new coaching team with him, and a lot to learn. I think Gase is going to get better with time, if he lasts that long.

    As for more down to earth stuff, the continued missed tackles need to be sorted out. Maybe some new coaching on it... new technique, but those missed tackles have killed us for chunk plays.

    The pass rush has been uninspiring too. Not sure how that improves except new talent on the edge. Harris has been invisible so far, which is sad. Another wasted pick maybe.

    On offense, I'd just like to see a different approach somehow, trust the speed on those receivers and Tannehill's legs and call more passing plays. We've talked about the run game setting up the passing game, but with the OL how it is, I'm beginning to think we need to flip it and trust our passing/receiving talent to make plays, stretch the defense, and open up the run game.
     
  31. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    ROFLMAO! Thanks! I needed a good laugh this morning!

    Please note: This isn't against Fame or anyone else. I like all you guys (and gals if there are any), but that was funny.
     
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  32. canesz06

    canesz06 Well-Known Member

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  33. Surfs Up 99

    Surfs Up 99 Team Flores & Team Tua

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    Since our OL always seems to be a work in progress, I have been wondering:
    Who would you rather have for our system , an all-pro center, or an all-pro guard?
     
  34. bigballa2102

    bigballa2102 Well-Known Member

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    they stopped making those in like '91 i think lol, maybe a vintage one?
     
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  35. Fin-O

    Fin-O Initiated Club Member

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    I’m feeling down on Gase, however he made that Bill B Defense look silly last year in Miami.
     
  36. Fin-O

    Fin-O Initiated Club Member

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    This is simply another case of having a coach and a QB who have given sufficient evidence to their supporters AND their detractors....

    This is not a good thing
     
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  37. Fame

    Fame Well-Known Member

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    Why are you even here?
     
  38. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    This team is at least as good as the one that went 10-6 in 2016 imo. We lose our starting qb in 2017 and regress to 6-10. I fully expect to be back to a 10-6 ish record (give or take a game either way 9-7/11-5 are just as feasible based on talent). The thing is, if you remember back to 2016, Gase could do no wrong and the media was heaping praise on him in a way similar to McVay because Gase took a roster everyone had pegged for last (or no playoffs) and made the playoffs. When the same thing happens again this year, the narrative needs to be around talent, not the head coach imo. Up and down this roster we aren’t at the level of the consistently good or great teams. Not even close.
     
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  39. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'd personally take the guard since that's the guy (more often than not) that's getting after a linebacker or pulling and kicking out the end. Despite popular opinion, we're creating some nice holes for our RB's to sprint through. The problem is that we're not blocking anyone on the 2nd level and linebackers are stuffing that hole.

    The only reason we got two scores against Oakland with the little shuffle passes is because Wilson/Grant outran everyone to the edge. That's a great scheme but I don't think it's sustainable except on maybe one play per game. We desperately need a stud guard that can lead that charge for our RB's to make that more of a predictable thing....or maybe you do it with Gore/Drake as a lead block from the backfield. But we either need to knock someone down or outrun them on misdirection- we can't just hope Drake makes the LBs miss.
     
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  40. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Well, we have an easier schedule this year and we already knocked off one team that we expected a loss to. IF Gase is worth his salt and turns things around, this could certainly be another 2016. The big difference, of course, is that we started 2016 1-3 and we're 3-1 right now....which means we're two games ahead of 2016's pace. So it's not the end of the world if we can't beat Cinci- they're another very solid team that should challenge us. If we do win that game though, then that's 2 solid playoff teams we've beaten in four weeks and an excellent start to the season.

    I know we're all down because of NE. That sucked. But I think it's just too much for most teams to overcome under those circumstances.
     
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