Alen, I do aknowledge they are on the right track. I just don't believe the improvement has been as great as many here want it to be. There is still much work to be done, and I do think that the people in charge are the ones that can do it. I just worry about Parcells and company getting frustrated because its a bigger job than expected, and up and leaving before the job is done. I really do fear that Parcells will get bored by this, and move on to his next project. Alen so far the team has won 2 games, and been competitive in 4 of the 5. Last year we lost 6 games by only 3 points, but were competitive in a few more (Dallas we had a lead, Cleveland we came close before they put it out of reach, and were close for a while in the Cincinnati game). I like the way we are headed, I just think its going to take longer than many here think it will.
Or because if they aren't more important, then the argument falls apart. An argument without facts is like a car without wheels anyways though.
I don't really see either of those things as possibilities. First of all, we won 1 game last year. 1 game. That is damn close to being the worst case scenario possible. So I doubt anyone under-estimated the amount of work that had to be done. Second, Parcells won't have an offer or opportunity to move on to another project if his current one (Miami) is left looking similiar to how he found it. Not to mention he's up there in age and this could likely be his last official stop.
Huh ? What does that have to do with anything ? Dude, don't you or anyone else read what I have written ? All I am saying is that this is not going to be as fast as some people on this message board think it is. I don't make any guarantees, I don't have a magic potion that predicts the future, I just have a belief that this will be harder than many here expect, and that I don't think we should expect to be in the playoffs next year, and quite possibly the year after that. Geeeeeesh, talk about over reacting, you all have made this into a thread where you'd think I was advocating killing people and making them into soylent green !
Question for PMZQ. Why didnt you write your exact post after the Patriot game? or after the Charger game? Also,we were 7 seconds away from being 3-2. If we won yesterday you wouldnt dare post this now either. If you honestly believe that we are 5 years away you should have stated your case after the beating we gave the Patriots. That way your opinions would have had more merit. To cry this way after yesterdays loss is nothing more then an attention seeking,childish pouting ploy.
Kev, I kind of understand where you're coming from-----BUT IMO, we have had such a rough way to go for many years. Now we have a good coach, that cares. One that the players actually respect. The guys are doing everything their asked to do. They support each other AND the coach. To many of us this is why we are so optimistic about the way the team is going. I always have the hope of play offs and SB's. That's what being a fan is to ME. I don't predict wins or losses. I don't worry about next year. I just want to see this team prove every one wrong. I probably am a homer, but that's ok. I've pulled for them for so long, and loved them all these years, I feel, I have the right to be optimistic on any given game. And finally, since Shula, I see a coach that stands up for his team, his guys. There will never be another like Shula, but Sparano is proving to be what the team needs at this time. As for bp,If he leaves, I've got a gut feeling that Sparano could still do well as our coach. I wish we could win every game 'till the end of the season. But, if we only win a few, or none God forbid, I will still be proud I'm a Finatic and say they've improved and hang in there, no matter what. I am a Miami Dolphin fan and I truly love these guys. NO ONE can predict what will happen. One injury and it all changes, so who knows. Just sit back, relax, and wait for the benefits of being a fan to come in!!
I can't believe I read a post that said this year's team is no better than last year's. Wow. They are light years ahead already. Turnarounds in the NFL can happen overnight. They are still in contention right now. If they lose next week maybe not so much but right now they absolutely are.
Thanks Debby, I think if people sit back and read what I am saying, its that of hope, and yes things are going in the right direction, but that a game like last Sunday shows just how far we are from being the kind of team we want to be. If you are a 10 win team, a loss like that on Sunday is inexcusable. It was too reminiscent of those losses last year. The team is still fragile and if they lose against the Ravens, all that was won mentally against the Pats and Chargers could be gone, and the team could (notice I said COULD not WILL) spiral out of control because the players will feel its 2007 all over again. That is kind of what happened last year. One thing we do have going for us, is that 4 of the next 5 games are at home. We need everyone that has a ticket to be there and be loud & proud.
Special teams are worse, the receiving core is worse, 2ndary is worse. Whatever has been improved, has been weakened by the bad key personnel moves (Wilford, Crocker, Grigsby & not putting Ginn in for returns) and bad coaching decisions. Yes we have 1 more win than last year, but this next 5 games are crucial. If we don't win more than 2, this year is nothing more than a transition year, not a development year. Also I'm not convinced many of the new players are those that will be here when we are ready to win. I think next year we are still looking at a huge number of new players, including the cutting of many of those they brought in this year as "their guys".
I can't be there to be loud and proud, but I will be here. You guys let me know if you can hear me from GA!!!!
. Is it inexcusable for a team to lose its first game 31-0,then go on to have a 14-2 record and win the super bowl? I.E. 2003 Patriots!!! By your standards that team needed an overhaul after week one. .Please !!!
your opinion isn't bad news. It is just a different opinion. One can even call it elitist as you titled your thread Pooper of the Party. Like somehow your opinion of negativity trumps opinions of people who are positive. Plus I do believe people put making the playoffs on this huge pedistal. There have been some bad teams that have made it to the playoffs, especially since free agency. So saying Miami has a chance for the playoffs isn't saying that they have everything turned around. Also anyone who believes that it takes 5 years to turn around a team in this league as it stands now has flawed thinking on what it takes to rebuild a franchise. If done properly even the Lions could be a playoff team in 2 years and actual contenders in 3.
I'm with you Debby, you know I'll be screaming my butt off too, as I really want to stick it to Cameron.
Maybe for some teams, but not as badly mismanaged as this team was from 2000 to 2007. Most teams can get old and bad quickly, but they have already drafted the new players to rebuild with, and have them already in place. This team has no foundation like that, and hence it will take more time to rebuild it.
how can you possibly say the secondary is worse? we had Cameron Worrell starting at Safety for a good part of the year. goodman was out for part of the year. Bell was out the entire year. Bad coaching decisions? this has to be the biggest knee jerks in the history of knee jerks. We lost a game by 1 point, with 3 seconds left in the game against a team that is statistically better than there record shows, on the road. And suddenly the entire team is garbage and the coaching sucks. And 27 year old players aren't going to be on the team in 3 years.
Kevin, I know that you are a die hard fan and that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but I think you're overreacting to the loss this week. Nothing is a given in football, just because Parcells and Co. say that this is going to be a 3 year project, that doesn't guarantee us anything come year 3. With that said, I have been very patient and I've cautioned people not to set their expectations too high too soon, but even I think that this team is on a faster track to success than the original 3 year plan. I don't think that playoffs are in the cards this year, I still think this may be a 4-6 win team, but the foundation is there and the players are buying into the plan. If we draft well next year and have a decent FA, I think next year's team could be a playoff team. Right now the biggest weakness is the secondary, during the preseason there were many more holes and concerns. I think as the season progressed we found some answers to those concerns and have seen that the players believe in the coaches and believe in the system, that's huge and it's just the opposite of how things were last year. I think you are being way too pessimistic about the development of Henne and the future of Brown, the window on this team isn't going to close in the next few years. We are rebuilding from the ground up, we were lucky to have some great foundation pieces from the beginning, but next years FA and draft will go a long way to telling us just how far this team needs to go to reach the promised land, my gut tells me that we aren't that far off. And remember, I'm not a rah rah guy, I've been blasted for being too cautious.
Last year is a much different year Kevin. Last year, at this time, we didn't have any wins, our newly hired HC was boiling in hot water and he was starting to lose the locker room. This year, its the complete opposite. Your present the possibility of this team spiraling out of control due to it being a down year and I think there's -0- chance of that happening. With the coaching staff being as hard on these guys as they are, that will not happen and you can bank on that. I don't understand how you can compare this team in any way, shape or form to last years because last year. Furthermore, I don't know where you get ten win team. I think you have brought it up a couple times in this thread and I don't know where you get that from. Maybe from one of the posters here and that's just the way they feel about this team. Realistically speaking, this team is not a ten win team unless there's some major injuries to the divisional opponents. Also, if a team is a ten win team, a loss like that is inexcusable. Your right about, however that happens. I'm not sure if you caught Monday Night Football but the 1-3 Cleveland Browns hosted the undefeated New York Giants. The Browns won that game and who knows if they can get ten wins. They may be in the situation win/lose wise as us. On the other hand, the Giants are Superbowl champions and are likely to win anywhere between 10-12 wins. I'm not sure if you realize this or just continue to ignore it but when they "any given Sunday," its true and we saw that in the Cleveland Browns/New York Giants game. You are entitled to your opinion and while I disagree with it in this case, I respect it. But I will once again state that I believe some Dolphins fans are afraid to admit improvement on this team due to what transpired in the last decade or so. You may not look at it like that but I do because there have been significant improvements on this team, especially from last year and we're still in contention just as much as those same Superbowl champions that lost Monday night to a team that may be in the same situation as us.
Dude...they were 2-2 after 4 games. They beat 2 of the worst teams in the league (KC, DET) and got handled by 2 ok teams (CAR, TB). Beaten by more than 2 touchdowns in each game. They have a nice 2 weeks with wins over Green Bay and Chicago...but I'll take wins over New England and San Diego any day. "If you wanna crown em, then crown em..." but I'm not convinced that they are any better than we are...at all.
You don't see: Ronnie Brown Jake Long Vernon Carey Justin Smiley Samson Satele Joey Porter Channing Crowder Kendal Langford Phil Merling Matt Roth Will Allen As a foundation??? I can see you arguing maybe 2 of those guys shouldn't be there. But even if you wana say 2 are debatable, thats 9 guys that are solid for the future. 9 doesn't make a team, but its sure as hell a nice starting point after this year. You could probably argue for a few more to be added to that list also.
PMZQ...The fact that we didn't beat a team we should have beaten doesn't indicate that the franchise is or is not further along than we all want or expect. Beating the Patsies and Bolts raised the bar for all of us, but this is a young team and much of the overall talent (that we have not had for a few years) falls into that youth-laced category of talent. There will be other bumps and bruises along the way to respectability, not just this one. Much of that is and wil be due to youth and to "relearning" how to be a winning franchise. You were right to be disappointed because of our loss to Houston...It's a team we should have beaten. It also falls under that above category of 'bumps and bruises'... Lets re-examine why we are where we're at with this franchise though... We're here because of 7-8 years of bad drafting and bad FA moves. Wanny started it with his "giving away every high round draft pick we have for Ricky" and "put in my thumb and pull out an Eddie Moore tactics" of drafting and continued with Saban "ok, I lied about J. Allen being the next football hero" and Cam's "we drafted a great returner and his family". Ok, perhaps the light will still come on for Jason Allen and Ted Ginn...I like both players and haven't given up on either, but the trend was there for all that time...that is why this franchise is so bad right now...it's going to take, even the almighty Tuna, more than one offseason to turn things around, even in this day and age of the NFL... Take a step back, breathe deeply and just give this regime some more time...it'll come around...That's what Parcells does...
Larry, I believe that you just paraphrased everything I said in my original post. We are in transition this year, and we are going to be better in future years, but those that believe this team is on a "2 years and in the playoffs" timetable are off, and I believe it will take at least an additional 2 years before we are ready to compete. We will still have a strong Tom Brady & Bellicheat, and a surging Buffalo (who is ahead of us on the rebuilding) who will both be strong teams for a few years to come. That will hinder our ability to get into the playoffs I believe.
And don't you see that as less than it should be ? If we have even been drafting average, we should twice that number to call a foundation. Its this reason, the team is bereft of talent, that is why I believe it takes longer for us, than it does most other teams to turn things around. Those teams at least have players there, to develop. The Dolphins have to draft better, and take a couple of extra drafts before we have that "normal" foundation. When you go 6 years and have 1 or 2 players......read that again ONE or TWO players that make the team, and draft upwards of 20+ picks that are busts, traded away, pick traded away that puts your team in an area that only the Detroit Lions and until recently the Cardinals occupied. I'm still not totally convinced Satale is going to be here much longer. I think he is the best they have right now, but is undersized for a Parcells type player, and I think you may be surprised when he is replaced within the next 2 years. If the turnaround takes 3 more years, Ronnie Brown will have 7 years of beat-up on his body. That would start to put him in the "past it" catagory when it comes to the average running back. His window should close just as this team is comming around. Joey Porter has had a resurgence, but for how long ? He also has such a mercurial personality, it could be that Parcells doesn't keep him, but buys out that contract before its over. Most other teams can name at least 20 guys they will keep and are their "core" team, and the Dolphins have about 9 or 10. That shows to me that we are farther away than a 2nd draft & Free Agency period away from being the team we want, and need to be.
L2G, I think you and I think a lot alike, but maybe I just worded this whole thing the wrong way. I will admit that I was down after this game, but Alen can confirm that he and corresponded by PM a few times in the days preceeding the game, and I also thought this would not be easy in Houston, and I proved to be right. I know many here think I am way too guarded, and maybe its as has been stated I am "jaded" and am guarding my heart against once again being heartbroken by the Fins, as has been the norm the last 7 or 8 years. Maybe that's true, but until I see differently I will continue being cautious, and not wildly expectant about the future.
