This makes it tough. We will have to win the games we should and find a way to get one or two we shouldn't. I'm having a hard time seeing how we'll get even one over New England but who knows.

 

Yes it the same old dolphins we need to stop getting our hopes up :pity:

 

I see two losses to the Patriots and a loss to the 49ers. I think the Dolphins will split with the Bills and they will be 2-1 in their games games against the Titans, Seahawks, and Jags. So I see them finishing the season at 7-9. I do believe they are headed in the right direction for the future. I just think that until they drastically upgrade their skill positions on offense and their secondary, they will continue to remain a mediocre team in the NFL. Also another dominant pass rusher opposite Wake is also a must to reach that next level.

 

you all let expectations get too high. We need to understand this year is ALL ABOUT Tannehill. Everything else is good and dandy, but this year is about DEVELOPMENT, his among all others.

 

Why depressed?

Seriously to have expected a lot out of this team is folly.
They've overachieved at this point in fact.
Enjoy the wins when they come but keep in mind that this roster isn't ready to challenge for anything.
That said I'm positive about the direction the organization is headed.

 

I think Steelers win that division

 

I agree 100 %, I sure did :cry:

 

Playoffs would be nice, but it's not like we would do anything if we got there.

Tannehill looks great. Sadly he's proving he's our best offensive player

 

I try to keep things in perspective and realize before the season started I would have figured we get 8 wins and show improvement from last year.I was not wild about RT as starting QB this season.
At this point,despite this loss I feel better about the direction the team is going.Next year (I know) when a few more players are added you have to like our potential with a big play reciever.
And Andrew Luck is gonna do that to alot of teams for years to come,the fact that we kept it close says alot.

 

When the D does not play well we are not going to win many football games, it really is that simple.

Sean Smith..just wow, I'm not as down on him as some are however do recall seeing 3 game changing plays he could have made and he whiffed on every damn one of them

-Int in the EZ that went for a Td
-Ole! Tackle on a 3rd and long
-Int/drop in FG range

He looked shell shocked on the sidelines tbh

 

Above all we have found our QB. Tannehill is for real and I just look forward to seeing more of what he can do. Chris Carter praised the hell out of him earlier this week so he's getting recognition outside of Miami.
As far as playoffs go...I don't think a loss today means we are out of the chase. The nfl is wide open and anything can happen. If we were 1-7 I might say we are out of the chase but last season showed me that anything is possible. We really turned things around and at one point looked like we might get in. At 4-4 I think anything is still possible.

 

We are 4 and 4. I still think there's a chance we make the playoffs.

 

On the plus side, we played our worst game since AZ and once again still almost won the thing

Downside is there are no moral victories in the NFL, 3rd loss by 3 pts or less (IIRC), it is becoming clear our offense just lacks punch.

 

Dumb expectation

 

It just seems like we never make the BIG play on offense but the other team does.
Luck is better than I thought.
It SEEMED like we ran the ball EVERY first down, no matter what.
We need PLAY MAKERS. Maybe Jimmy Johnson can get us a few.

 

I think you have to decide how your going to match up with Luck, another pure pressure player to disrupt his timing or, weapons on offense to out score him..

For example, Keenan Allen or J jones from Georgia..

 

Nah, stop playing those soft zones would be a nice start.

Coyle just seems to despise man to man imo it is far easier for the Cb's to play man to man.

 

He may just be trying to minimize the weaknesses of the players he has. Man on man puts the whole focus on individual abilities of your CB's while zone puts more of a focus on area responsibilities. I think it's amazing that our secondary had not been exposed to this degree up to this point.

 

The one main area of concern I had about Tannehill coming out of college was his inability to lead his team to victory late in games. At Texas A&M, his offense seemed to put up a lot of points in the first half and hardly any points in the second half. Once the opposing team took the lead in the second half, Tannehill just didn't make the plays at the end of the game to bring his team back.

Watching him today reminded me of his play at A&M. He was able to move the offense in the first half but the offense only scored 3 points in the second half. With the game on the line in the last two minutes and the Dolphins with the ball. Tannehill once again failed to make the plays to get the team within field goal range to tie the game or for a TD to possible win the game.

Hopefully Tannehill will improve in this area of his game as he gains more experience as an NFL QB. I certainly am not down on him at this time, but this is one area he needs to show drastic improvement if he wants to be considered a top QB in the NFL in the coming years. The best QB's in football are those who can lead their team to a win at the end of a game. Tannehill still has to show that he is capable of winning a game in the closing minutes of a game

 

We are basically THREE plays away from being a 7-1 team. We lost two OT games and had Carpenter made a FG either time we would have won. Today we also had numerous chances. Smith dropped a gimme INT, and I think another one as well. Then T.Y. Hilton who is probably 5'8" jumps up over Smith and another guy to pull down a TD. It just seems like this team doesn't have any killer instinct. I just hope that we can learn from this and get Tannehill the help he needs. We need a couple tall fast receivers with great hands. We need a new Left Tackle to replace that overpaid turd we now have at LT....yes I am talking about you Jake Long. We need to add a top Safety and CB.....guys who can get INT's and shut down other receivers. I think some of the play calling and clock management was a little weak, especially towards the end of the game. Only 3 points in the second half won't get it done. But I am willing to be patient until next year when hopefully we will learn from the mistakes we are making now.

 

I don't see the fire or intensity to close out games either. Hope I'm wrong, but he may not be a guy who plays better in clutch 4th qtr situations.

Does anyone know his statistics by quarter for this year?

 

I don't know if 9-7 will get you into the playoffs considering the Steelers, Colts, and Ravens are all likely to finish at least 9-7. We may hold a tie breaker against one of those AFC North teams but probably not the Colts barring a three way tie.

I'm not expecting playoffs but I'm still hoping. I look at it like this. We should beat the Titans and Bills coming up. 10 days of rest/preparation coupled with the Seahawks cross country road trip, I think we have a huge advantage there. New England will be a very tough game and a huge test for this team. If we go away splitting the series we should be extremely happy. San Francisco is another big test and I think we match-up well against them. I wouldn't predict a win over SF but it would be less surprising to beat them than it would New England. Jacksonville is another game we should win along with Buffalo. I think winning the division is extremely unlikely so I would think the Patriots could be resting their starters week 17 in preparation for the playoffs but I could be wrong.

Honestly if I had to make a prediction, it would be 8-8 and miss the playoffs. But I am holding out hope that they learn from this loss and can go 9-7 or possibly 10-6 if we can snag a win against SF or New England.

 

It's nice to see you're so positive about the Ravens but entirely negative to your own team.

Where where you before this week when we were 4-3? WTF is up with these posters who only show up during times that are more conducive for whining & complaining?

 

Eh, I thought we played ok. Andrew Luck though. He wasn't the most hyped QB in college over the last couple of years for nothing.

 

It's always disappointing when you start getting your hopes up and they get deflated. The bottom line is this team has a lot of holes in it and is still playing very good football. Who in their wildest imagination would of thought 8 weeks into the season that Tannehill would be playing at this level and we would be in playoff discussions?

For me, the best part of this season is seeing Tannehill develop. He's unflappable in the pocket, shakes off bad plays and makes some nice throws. His feel for the game is improving. I'd still like to see him take off with the ball occassionally but outside of that, he's been pretty dang good.

On top of that, it's been years since we've seen this many rookies contributing and other players starting to make strides. Hartline has shown he can be a great #2 WR. Smith has shown flashes. Vernon is a beast on ST. Miller has shown flashes. Martin will be a staple of this OL for years to come. Pouncey has emerged as one of the best C's in the game.

For the first time in years, I really feel like we are a few players away and probably a couple years of developing as a team. With another CB, S, G and WR, this team will be a playoff contender next year. After that, and as Brady starts to diminish with age, we could be in the drivers seat in the AFC East. The Jets, Bills and Pats will all be looking for a franchise QB and ours will be coming into his own.

 

Amen to that, mlb. :ffic: