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A pledge I'm making

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Bumrush, Jan 27, 2014.

  1. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    I'll preface this by saying in no uncertain terms that I'm not an expert (or even a novice) on GM searches or pre-draft player analysis.

    What I am is a lifelong fan of the Miami Dolphins that is extremely disheartened by the overall national, local and fanbase sentiment that has been continually trashing everything this franchise does, before any substantive player acquisition or strategies have been laid out.

    4 weeks ago we were on the verge of making the playoffs despite having practically ZERO help from a draft class that was supposed to contribute.

    We got our wish and Ireland was canned. We got our wish and Sherman was canned, even though some of the sentiment directed towards Philbin was warranted. We seemingly got an OC that is well respected in league circles, despite weeks of rampant media speculation that nobody wanted to coach this team under Philbin.

    How about we hold our collective breaths, stop the continual bashing and support this team TODAY as it stands rather than hope for a meltdown in 2014 to go through this cycle again? If early indications are correct, Hickey has a somewhat of a knack building OL's and a running game, two aspects that literally buried the Phins in 2013.

    We all know the draft is a crapshoot anyways.

    This team was several areas of improvement from being a decent contender. We have a QB entering his third year under new leadership that has proven that he can distribute the ball and be a leader, despite being hampered by a lack of quality WR's year one and no OL or running game year 2. We have an offensive core that with several tweaks can be playoff caliber. We have a D that is good enough to compete and that finally has the ability to make plays and create turnovers.

    Ross isn't going anywhere, so *****ing about him won't do us any good. Hickey hasn't proven or disproven anything, so wishing him malice or for the team to fail doesn't do anybody any good. The Super Bowl hasn't even been played yet and some of you are already hoping for the team to tank next year, which would impact far more than the GM or coach- It would probably spell the end of Tannehill, which means we would have to start over with another QB and wait another 3 years to see if he pans out.

    So instead of banging the media driven drums, settle down and let's see how this plays out. Instead of thrasing one vilian in Ireland and creating a new one in Aponte, let's see how this plays out. We have tons of cap space and a full array of draft picks in 2014. Last year we fell just short with basically no contributions from our draft and limited contribution outside of Grimes from our FA class. Can it really get much worse next year?

    My pledge is to not participate in any threads based on media inneundo, especially by reporters "leaking" information that have had an agenda against this team for a decade. I will not participate in any threads that have unnamed sources. I will not participate in any threads bashing the team or Ross based on an emotional response or years of warranted disappointment. After all, this is just a game that we love and will continue to love despite the collective hardships we have been a part of since the middle of #13's career through today.
     
  2. RickyBobby

    RickyBobby VIP DIY

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    Tl;dr
     
  3. LBsFinest

    LBsFinest Banned

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    the team is getting ripped by everyone because they deserve every bit of criticism they have received. As a fan you can bash the dumbass owner and still support the team.
     
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  4. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    As a fan I'd rather see how we fare in FA and the draft and then watch this team in action before I deem the GM a failure.
    Because regardless of how I feel, Ross is and will continue to be the owner and Hickey will be here for at least 2 years.
     
    Califin and MrClean like this.
  5. Phoenician Fan

    Phoenician Fan Well-Known Member

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    If you actually follow through with your pledge I believe you will be a happier person because of it.

    The majority of humanity will always exhibit the sheep mentality and follow the hype and hoopla. The evidence for this overwhelming. It is why men like Adolph Hitler and thousands of others through the ages were able to form their satanic dominions.

    The judgemental and suspicious nature of the race makes it ripe for deception. Then they gather together in their lynch mobs and release their dubious ruination. Ah......such is life.

    On the other hand, there is clear proof everywhere that Stephen Ross is a bad owner. From his absenteeism, to his prolific blunders and general ineffectiveness, he has so far been an epic fail.

    On the other hand, Dawn Aponte has been viciously assailed and all the real evidence points to her doing an excellent job for the Dolphins; and Hickey is being lambasted and called incompetent and he hasn't even made one decision yet, other than to accept the GM position.

    I commend you on your pledge. It is a righteous endeavor, however, I will not join you. Ross needs to be assailed. So assailing I shall go.

    The Dolphins, are however, transcendent. The Dolphins​ are preeminent and can't be touched. Go Dolphins!
     
    P h i N s A N i T y likes this.
  6. Rhody Phins Fan

    Rhody Phins Fan Well-Known Member

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    I'd like to root for our new gm (even if his hire is less than inspiring) but it's really hard when everything I've heard is that he's a terrible person.
     
    Two Tacos likes this.
  7. ASOT

    ASOT New Member

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    wrong and wrong. both are assumptions, and assuming makes.......well you know the rest.
     
  8. Makados10

    Makados10 Active Member

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    May be wrong but Ross gave a year extension to Ireland over the Summer so Hickey may have only a year...That said, I'm a dolphins fan. I wanted Brady Quinn or Patrick Willis over Ted Ginn Jr. I coulda been waaaay more right or wrong. I realized my limitations as a fan. Hickey has this draft & season to win me over and i hope Ross's approach is the same.
     
  9. jim1

    jim1 New Member

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    Was it banging a media driven drum or a logic driven drum? I would argue the latter. My preference was for a clean sweep, a catharsis of it all- the stinkball center of it, Ireland, plus Philbin and Aponte for the triumvirate and add in Sherman for the quartet, although imo he was a subset of Philbin.

    Regardless, I don't think that it's fair to jump on fans who saw multiple problems and wanted multiple problems removed. From that perspective the cancer had spread- you go for it all, not just the main body. And the main problem with that metaphor might very well be that the true central mass, Stephen Ross, ain't going nowhere. The Aponte issue aside, Ross was trying to hire someone smarter than him at FOOTBALL and multiple qualified candidates apparently clashed on one major sticking point- Joe Philbin. If he was working on Hudson Yards and a top notch architect told him that there was a design flaw with one of the buildings,what would he do? Listen? Well, all or most of the top notch architects of football teams that he was interviewing seemed to have one thing in common, a lack of faith in the ability of Philbin. Ross chose to ignore them- we'll see how that works out.

    But as a fan, it's done. The hiring process is over. What we have is Philbin, Aponte and a GM of questionable talent and ability in Hickey. It's like a political election- if your guy loses, what do you do? You're screwed, but you're still part of the system. Same thing here- I don't have to like what happened, but as a Dolphins fan I'll wait for the dust to settle and hope for the best. Hickey is part of my team now, so I hope that he does well and I wish him the best.
     
  10. LBsFinest

    LBsFinest Banned

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    well of course it's far too early to call the new GM a failure, the hiring process on the other hand was completely botched and executed with neolithic incompetence.

    maybe, maybe not.
     
  11. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    A more challenging pledge would be message board members putting a stop to insulting each other. It shows a weakness in your personality if you have to go to insults to try to make your point.

    Reality is, the "chicken littles" "pessimists" "negative nancies" have been saying for weeks now that this isn't right, the structure is wrong, Ross is conducting this search like an imbecile, etc etc. Ross screwed this up, you can say what you want to defend the fact that 5-7 candidates said no thanks. In my lifetime, I have never seen this happen to a major sports franchise ever (MLB/NBA/NHL/NFL). It's embarrassing and unprofessional. The fans are embarrassed and pissed off. This is the second time we've been embarrassed at this magnitude by Ross and Ross has only been owner for what, 5-6 years.
     
  12. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    So he assumed. Big deal. Not as bad as so many people assuming Hickey will fail, or just because he was not their personal choice for new GM, hoping he fails.
     
  13. OkiePhin

    OkiePhin Well-Known Member

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    Adam Schefter: Source close to Lake Dawson insist that, for GM job, he never requested final say on whether MIA HC Joe Philbin would be back after 2014.

    Now we hear Hickey signed a 2 year deal.

    Is it possible other candidates got the same offer but wanted a longer contract and that is the reason they declined or showed lack of interest? Are we guaranteed without a doubt that Dawson, Farmer, Caserio (aka the organizer not decision maker) or anyone else would be a top notch GM? The more this unravels the more you start to realize that Ross has some brains. Ross said he wanted someone that would be willing to work with Philbin from the beginning. One has to wonder why they would interview knowing that going into it if they wanted to oust Joe. Knowing this information I can tell you what most likely wasn't a sticking point - Joe Philbin. At least not for Dawson.. probably others as well.

    It's easy to get wrapped up in the tweets of speculation and agendas so I see why people here think the way they do. It's like a freaking shark tank. Someone throws in some chum and everyone swarms.. If the man was with Tampa for 18 years he obviously has some football smarts about him. He could be a total failure or become the best GM in the league. If everyone on this forums knows so much about football operations and who the team should/shouldn't hire and draft why the hell aren't you guys in the industry instead of delivering pizza's or whatever it is you do? Makados10 is right, we need to know our roles as fans (myself included).
     
    MrClean likes this.
  14. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Logic IMO...would be giving Hickey a chance as the Miami GM before proclaiming he sucks or even worse hoping he will completely bomb, so everyone gets fired and another rebuild can take place that may better suit the fancy of the person wishing for Hickey to bomb.

    If I can survive 8 years of that gawddamned Dubya, you anti Hickey folks can survive a couple of years for Hickey to prove his worth.
     
    OkiePhin likes this.
  15. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Don't think the culture of the franchise doesn't make a difference..

    I'm not that optimistic because I have heard some things by folks that I respect, but all we can do is hope that the guy has learned how to treat people, and that he's one hell of an evaluator..
     
  16. DPlus47

    DPlus47 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Good analogy.

    I'm gonna follow it with a bad comparison, but I can't resist: I remember how it turned out when this team ended up with everybody's first choice for coach not once, but twice (JJ and Saban). I was ecstatic both times. JJ gave us some good memories (99% on defense, unfortunately) and Saban gave us heartburn, but we were still losers in the end both times. I have already seen top choices for this job and that job end up not working out for this team, and I'm still here. I may as well give a mediocre-looking choice for the GM job a chance, because what do I know, right?

    Honestly, though, this year's team wasn't too bad on the field (except for the last two weeks when it was pressure time), and that's really easy to forget here. If they could have blocked somebody, anybody, they might have had 2-3 more wins before even getting to those last 2 games. So maybe before next season they'll find some guys who can block somebody and maybe somebody who can run and the rest of the team will avoid regressing. If so, we'll be watching some meaningful games next year, regardless of how down things look now.
     
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  17. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    You mean you're going to be rational about all this?

    :omg:
     
    Bumrush likes this.
  18. schmolioot

    schmolioot Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Why does the team deserve your blind support?

    They have blown every bit of goodwill they have with me and they have lost any benefit of the doubt.

    Thankfully, I don't have to decide whether or not to renew my season tickets right now because the answer would be "no"

    I hate this hire, I hate the process, I think Philbin is a poor coach and that the owner is clueless, regardless of how well meaning he might be.

    So, if they want my support, prove me wrong. I'd be happy to be proven wrong in this case if that meant getting to the playoffs and maybe even winning a game while we're there. But they have to prove it first. No more support while I "hope" things get better.

    Show me better things and then you can have my support
     
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  19. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    How is my support blind? I'm giving Hickey the benefit of the doubt and nothing more than that.

    To be honest Schmolioot, I've been on the these forums (between here and FH) for over a decade and all this negativity and manufactured angst is really having me reconsider coming to these forums. Everything is an immediate knee jerk reaction. You are correct that Ross isn't an ideal owner and that this team has blown goodwill, but for gods sake we weren't that far last year and got rid of the person that was universally hated, in addition to adding talent to the coaching staff to help our young QB develop.

    Blind hate is the other side of the coin. Especially when people are already looking towards 2016 for this team to be fixed. Talk about a knee jerk reaction
     
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  20. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    Bumrush: excellent read my already friend & fellow DolFan, precisely my sentiments...kudos! thank you for stepping up with a responsible & positive thread that addresses the real problem growing insatiably within our ranks over the decades.
    got you covered. just be advised of the inevitable blow-back from many who cannot bare to look into the mirror or accept that their words & attitudes are part of the problem. i.e. if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem... attitude is everything.
     
    Bumrush likes this.
  21. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    For many being a fan requires faith, earned or not. You're describing a mutually beneficial business transaction. You feel you're paying money for a result not the experience. Which is fine, the team is allowed to mean anything you want it to for you.

    I don't understand, however, why you would question or even try to convince people to feel about the team and fandom they way you do.
     
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  22. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    I....I....<sweats>...I...I think I love you. There, I said it.
     
    Bumrush likes this.
  23. VManis

    VManis Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I don't mean to pick on you schmolioot but isn't this the very definition of a fair weather fan, someone who will only support the team when they are doing well?
     
  24. schmolioot

    schmolioot Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Considering my family has had season tickets for 35 years, and I have sat through many brutal seasons, I don't think I'm a fair weather fan.

    But the team should be happy with whatever kind of fan show up. Not enough of them do.

    And just because you don't want to spend hard earned money on watching a garbage product doesn't make you less of a fan. You can still care about the team. There comes a point where the enjoyment of going to the games, whether you win or lose, decreases to the point its not worth it
     
    Bpk likes this.
  25. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    So you think a better coach could have gotten this team into the playoffs with the roster Ireland assembled?
     
  26. schmolioot

    schmolioot Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Actually, I do. Considering we actually did have more talent than the Bill or Jets, yet got completely outclassed.

    Not to say we had the rgeatest roster in the world or that Ireland was a good GM. We didn't and he wasn't. But the fact is we should have made the playoffs given how everything worked out and instead of beating two team we definitely were better than, we were non-competetive in both.

    That's coaching
     
    Bpk likes this.
  27. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I think we're about even talent wise with the Bills. Dissect their team position by position with our own and they're pretty even. And who knows how good EJ Manuel will be year 2. If he turns out to be McNair, they're on their way.
     
  28. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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    yes..
     
  29. PSG

    PSG Clear Eyes. Full Hearts.

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    Yes. I think better coaching would've got us a single win against the less talented Bills or Jets at the end of the season.
    No doubt in my mind.
     
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  30. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    Bill Belichick maybe. You would have rather Ireland stayed and the entire coaching staff fired? After all if he'd assembled a playoff roster held back by an inept coaching staff, that is not his fault.
     
  31. PSG

    PSG Clear Eyes. Full Hearts.

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    I was in the clean house camp myself.
     
  32. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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    Really? You think it'd take BB to not lose one of the Buffalo, Jets, or TB games.

    Wow.

    Yea if I could only pick one I'd of kept JI and gotten rid of Philbin and Sherman, by a small margin.
     
  33. finwin

    finwin Active Member

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    I commend you for researching Ellerbe and Wallace while with the other teams and forming what turned out to have been a fair conclusion. So I'm interested in what you see about Ryan Tannehill the 24th ranked QB that probably laid the bieggest egg in the last game, and also didn't rise to the occastion against the Bills, that gives you hope for next year?
     
  34. PhinFan1968

    PhinFan1968 To 2020, and BEYOND! Club Member

    He was rated #7 by PFF, survived a 58-sack debotchery, had equal stats to Marino's worse sack year (28 vs 58), was knicked up in that last game as well as a few others, made notable improvement over year one in his game intelligence and decision making. The only real negatives I have on him right now are improvement needed in pocket presence, but that's not all on him; and the deep ball....he HAS to get that figured out. I see plenty to be hopeful for with Tannehill. If he can't show decent progress in those areas this coming year...I'd say there's cause for concern and that he may not be the answer.
     
  35. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Don't not panic…. I renew my unspoken pledge to be irrational.
     

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