1. Ryan Tannehill continues to play well, and every week, you see something different that points to continued success. 2. Kevin Burnett had some rough moments, but overall, played a very good game. A solid performer. 3. Olivier Vernon has his coming out party, and I think solidified a spot in the rotation. 4. Reshad Jones quietly had another good game. 5. The team controlled the game while being outplayed. More on that later. 6. Davone Bess is the one WR on the team, that can get open versus any type of secondary. 7. In a game with very little positives, Randy Starks and Paul Solai continue to stand out. 8. Has anybody noticed that the Dolphins actually have THREE Pro Bowl defensive lineman? 9. Has anybody noticed that all three have a shot at making the team together this year? (gotta win for that to happen) 10. Jimmy Wilson has gone unnoticed. That is a very good thing. Not many positives in this one..yet we still won...and that is the MAIN positive.
Tannehill should have been positives 1-4, with each digit of his passer rating making up each entry. I don't think it's too early to say that we have a franchise quarterback. Whether or not we have an elite quarterback is another argument. And I'm not on the Reshad Jones bandwagon at all. Sorry guys, I'm not seeing it.
I think you have to mention Marlon Moore's effort as a positive. Good to see a receiver not named Bess or Hartline contribute.
Reshad Jones saved a couple of TDs by chasing down people in the open field. At the very least, you can safely say that Reshad Jones is fast!!!
Reshad Jones seems to be the fastest guy on the field but he only has 4.51 to 4.56 speed (according to his pre draft stuff). I think he's taking great angles. He ran down Pettis (IIRC) who has similar 4.5 speed.. and Daryl Richardson who is faster at 4.47. It's fairly safe to say now that one of our safeties is a keeper.
I don't know if he's a Pro Bowl candidate like some seem to think but I do feel comfortable with him starting in 2013. Clemons however... he needs to be replaced.
Dansby deserves an "A" just for almost snapping Bradfords back in half like Bane on that QB sneak.....that was insane!
If I could only cut one, I'd cut Clemons. I've been on that charge for a while now. But Jones... I'm not seeing it. There's potential, but I want him to play the ball better.
We all do , but there has been improvement , we can point out poor plays for almost everyone yesterday , just that type of game . Bess had a big drop , for example , yet he made your list.
I think his performance yesterday has been understated, considering the run game and that his bread and butter target was unavailable to him. I was honestly fearing 2 INTs for him yesterday.
I'll add a positive. I'm very happy with our coaching staff. Making adjustments, taking chances at the right times, getting the players to sell out.
I would say no, and the first name that comes to mind is Ben Roethlisberger. He is a franchise QB in that he has been a dependable fixture for years who can be depended upon to win games. But I wouldn't call him elite, i.e., one of the the top five in the league.
Well i don't know. Rivers, Cutler and Romo are by definition franchise QBs, but are not considered Elite. I think elite are the top 4-5 of those considered to be franchise QBs.
I think you picked the wrong guy as your example. Roethlisberger's numbers are pretty damn good. Career 63% completion, 8.0 YPA and a rating of 92.5. I have to consider that elite.
To me a true franchise QB must be elite. A franchise QB needs to have the skillset and ability to win a Super Bowl. Not sure I'd consider someone like Cutler a franchise QB. Perhaps a top 20 QB that will ensure you being mired in playoff futility. Of course the Bears are stuck with him, so maybe it makes people feel better by calling someone like Cutler a franchise QB when he isn't.
Romo is a hard one for me. If you look at just raw numbers and nothing else, he's elite. Last year was a perfect example. He had an amazing season. But then you look at the teams PPG (15th) and wonder why throwing for almost 4200 yards with 31 TD's and only 10 INT's didn't translate to more than 8 wins, and it's a head scratcher. Then you look at his splits, and you see that in games decided by 7 points or less, his numbers start to look a bit shakier. His QB rating, YPA and TD/INT ratio all take a hit. He's also only 24-26 in those games. Is the guy simply not "clutch"? I hate using that as argument, but if you were ever gonna use it, this would be the time.
I'll add another positive.... This defense continues to bow up in the redzone and has a knack for making plays when they absolutely need them. 462 yards allowed, yet STL reached the endzone just once, and that was following a tremendous 4-down stand inside the 5 in which Bradford actually fumbled on the QB sneak. On the final drive, STL is taking everything we're giving them. And then Olivier Vernon comes through with a sack, causing Jeff Fisher to lose all confidence and bail on his offense. While we're on the defensive positives.... For a team that has struggled to force turnovers for years, we're getting them and knocking the ball out a ton this year. Granted they're not always rolling our way -- and the refs seem to keep giving the ball back to the offense -- but it's starting to happen for us. That luck will turn and in the past couple of games we're seeing it.
As far as franchise/elite, I don't think they're the same thing. Matt Schaub is a franchise QB, but I don't think he's in that elite class. That Top 6 or whatever. You're not looking to replace him, but he's not quite standing atop the mountain either. And that doesn't necessarily make you deficient at the position. With the way the league is now and the way quarterbacks are being prepared in college, the overall level of play at that position is rising IMO. If Ryan Tannehill only becomes the 10th-best QB in this league, we're in DAMN good shape IMO.
Right. You can with a SB with Schaub. Otherwise we are asking Tanny to be what is essentially a HOF QB. Unrealistic.
Give Philbin and staff credit for this , he made mention of it , told us it was a priority and a focus , and it has unfolded that way. He / they have made it happen.
The problem with stats is that you dont know when and where they are coming from. How many of those 4200 yards and TD's came in garbage time? Or when they were behind and he had tio keep chucking it ala Marino? The other thing about Romo is that he is going to make a mistake when it hurts your team the most. Be it an INT, fumbled snap or errant throw… he just has a knack for that. Personally, I dont consider Romo a franchise QB much less elite when I take the over all picture into account.
matt schaub....killed me yesterday, brees on a bye week and during my draft i keep looking which QB has a good matchup during bree's bye and i come up with matt schaub at home in a national televised game with shoot out written all over it against the green bay packers......he needs to give me 20 points for a win....and comes up with 11...rodgers meanwhile scored 70.5....what a disaster
Wasn't it Jimmy Wilson who stuck his helmet squarely on the ball causing that 2nd fumble on the kickoff? But ur point is well taken. I only recall him giving up one big 1st down.
Various players throughout the team, stepping up to make a difference each week, and our ability to adapt at the half to score in the third. Thats something I havent seen since our chemistry in 2008. Seem to me there's elite arms, and elite mindsets. While the arms definitely get noticed, you generally get better mileage with the mindset.
Which is why I referenced his stats in games decided by 7 points or less. And yes, he performs worse in those games.