Now, I was going to brainstorm and try to organize my analysis, but the motivation to do such things is scarce after losses of this magnitude (for me). So, here are random thoughts I have in the wake of a disappointing loss:
How about that crowd? It was nice to see the seats at JOE ROBBIE (will always be that for me) covered with asses for the first time in a very long time. Too bad our defense couldn't ride the adrenaline to a big second-half stop...
Speaking of which, I have a serious problem with the lack of blitzing and innovation by the defensive coaching staff throughout the game. Cassel was on his game...what do you do when a QB is on his game? BLITZ! Hit him in the mouth. We failed to do that early, and it allowed him to get in a rhythm. In the first meeting we hammered him, why we thought we'd get by with just four guys rushing? Is beyond me...
Despite the disgusting yardage total, the secondary was not as bad as the #s would indicate. For the most part, there weren't many plays (with the exception of every play to Jabar Gaffney) where the WR was really open...Moss made some great plays, some pass interferences LIKE THE ONE THEY CALLED ON GOODMAN! But all in all, our guys were right with them, and Cassel was putting it on the money. Not much you can do in those situations...but it makes me confident going forward. We don't face any big physical WRs going forward though Tony Gonzalez could pose a problem for us.
We are straying too much from straight up, pro set or I-Form running the football...why? I like the Wildcat plays with Ronnie keeping, he seems to feel comfortable out of it, but come on, hand the ball off, pitch it. Coming into the season that was supposed to be our thing...the running game.
Gotta go back to the Refs, I felt like they were the most incompetent group we've had do our games this season. Aside from various questionable calls, what the hell were they looking at when Crowder got his head patty-caked by Fatt Light? If they'd have gotten that right, the Phins O coulda had the ball at about mid-field after the Kick off, down 13...that was a bigger F-up than people give it credit for. It shoulda been, their best OLman ejected, and a 15-yd penalty on them...we put together a quick hitting drive, and it's a different ball game...same goes for that Moss push off, if my memory does not fail me, it was the difference between a repeat of 3rd down, 10 yds back, and 1st and goal for an eventual TD...
I am proud of our boys though...they kept at it, they fought hard, and played well in a game and situation that NOBODY could imagine them being in before the season started. Even the most avid of Dolphins fans like myself were cautiously optimistic about their win-total (7-9 was my prediction) but in the immortal words of Jim Mora...'Playoffs?!' Fact is, it was a meaningful game well after the month of October, and fact is, we're still playing for a shot, whether it be outside or not, it's still a shot.
Tedd Ginn Jr once again reminded me why there is no way in hell he is a top-10 talent. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to argue about this, he's been a solid contributor, but that can be attributed to the coaching staff finding a way to give him a niche...but a top-10 pick is supposed to be a transcendant talent...one who makes players around him better, not vice versa...Ted Ginn is not and never will be that. Let's hope he will not drop huge passes and make more boneheaded plays on ST that cost us a shot at the playoffs down the stretch. You never know how a performance like that in a big game affects a player's confidence, and Ginn seems like one of those mentally fragile players...he needs to feel confident...
On the other end of the spectrum, how about Davone Bess? He's had his shortcomings, but he was big on several occasions yesterday. Made a great catch over the middle, which takes courage. He was running good routes, and that is very key going forward with Camarillo being out...
Speaking of Camarillo, did anyone else jump to their feet and get a surge of adrenaline when that little bastard was pushing a pile of 21 other guys an extra 5 yards?! That was great...the heart of a lion. Wish our defense woulda had that kinda spirit yesterday, but it's alright, bounce back boys, bounce back. :up:
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Bumrush, Ludacris, ATVZ400 and 1 other person like this.
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:pity:
Wide Receivers don't make anyone around them better (except maybe the QB). They're on an island out there, which is why so many are divas. I love the writing off of him (again) before two years are up, after a game he still caught for 88 yards.
I'm sure you criticized Barry sanders for having one of the most negative running plays as well when he tried to make plays. Right? -
umm, maybe you need to pay more attention because Ted Ginn has been getting separation on a consistent basis over the past 5-6 weeks. Wanna know why? Because he is learning and becoming a better player.
As far as blocking goes, Ginn doesn't have the size to ever be a dominant blocking receiver like Hines Ward, but I see him bust his *** and do the best he can every chance he gets. And he does pretty well.
Compared to his rookie season, Ted Ginn is having a SOLID year. And he has only played 27 games in his career.
EDIT: and by the way, Ginn is pretty strong mentally. If you ask his teammates and coaches, they'd tell you the same thing. -
Thank you! We've got Jake Long and Justin Smiley on the left side of the line. Why aren't we running the ball to the left from the I formation? Seems like we either throw the ball or run the Wildcat. I wanna see us line up with Ronnie + a lead fullback and punch somebody in the mouth repeatedly with Jake Long leading the way!!!!!
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He didnt cost us this game, bad defensive play and defensive scheming did.
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I concur GH. Key points that stand out to me are that Ricky Williams averages 4.4 yards per carry out of I-form and 4.6 yards per carry out of the pro form. Furthermore, Ronnie Brown averages 4.6 yards per carry out of the single back and 6.4 yards per carry out of a three wide receiver set. Finally, Ronnie Brown averages more yards per rush than any other way running left while Ricky Williams averages more yards per rush than any other way up the gut. I've said a few times but I think that's something that has to be looked into when an self-evaluation is done.
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Camarillo drew off coverage on a few ocasions because of the fact that Ginn was getting the safety to play more on his side of the field. This has been happening for about 4-5 weeks and Ginn has been our leading receiver in every game for 4out of the last 5 games.
I would have to disagree. Ginn is becoming more prolific in both areas: WR and return duties.
Most players in any sport are confidence players. There is a difference is believing you belong and knowing you belong. A great example of this is Bernie Williams from the Yankees. I watched his career blossom as he gained confidence in himself that he belonged. Some guys need that time, others know it right away, but all players play with confidence, and succumb to its pitfalls. The great ones just get back off the mat faster, thats all IMO.alen1 likes this. -
Listen guys, I am as optimistic a fin fan as you will find, but Ginn is not a top tier WR, plain and simple. That's my opinion, you're entitled to yours, but the separation he gets is because of great play calling against the defensive schemes, not because he is doin it to DBs the way guys like Randy Moss do, or the way Marvin Harrison used to (which is a guy I think he'd have to model his game after to be successful over a long period). Ginn is fearful of contact, he gets T-Rex arms every time he anticipates a hit...and I didn't say he cost us the game, I said I hope he doesn't make plays like running backward to the 2 yard line, or dropping a 3rd down pass right in his hands, in a pivotal game. I'm not gonna continue to argue about it, I've been watching football a long time, and I have learned to be unbiased when assessing talent, I HOPE you guys are right, but sorry, I don't expect this kid to stay a #1 option, which is what you draft in the top-10. He gets safety help because he is the best we have right now, but that's not saying much considering the WR corps we have. I mean, get real guys, you look at Ginn and then look at the top WRs in the league...Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, etc...no comparison.
jim1 likes this. -
Ted Ginn Jr.
It frustrates me to no end when I see people criticize Ginn. Especially this week because of his 2 drops and ST mistake. All he is guilty of is trying to provide a miracle when we needed one.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have Pennington here, but we will never see Ted Ginn reach his full potential with "Check Down" Chad running the offense. We wont see our running game at it's full potential either because no one is afraid of Chad's ability or willingness to throw it deep.Fin D, padre31, cnc66 and 1 other person like this. -
Please enlighten me, how is it miracle time down 13 with 7 and a half minutes to go when you've driven down the field 4 times to score TDs, and you have timeouts? There are up to 3 possessions left there, and our offense had been proficient. What miracle was he trying to perform when he dropped the pass on 3rd down that could kept a drive alive, it didn't take a 'miracle' to catch that. Check Down Chad is the difference between us being 6-5 and 3-8 at this point. The NFL isn't about trying to create miracles, it's about executing and doing your job.
And I won't argue that he may not reach full potential with Chad, all I am saying is that his full potential is NOT TOP-10-CALIBER, what part of that is so difficult for you guys to grasp? I don't think I'm speaking a different language.jim1 likes this. -
Yeah it's funny, one week Ted Ginn is up, the next week he is garbage...:)
He'll be fine, IMO we got behind, everyone wanted to try everything they could to try and compete, and Ginn tried reversing field and it didn't work. -
I think that he's right- Ginn has his moments, but he doesn't produce like a top 10 guy. I would trade him straight up for Dwayne Bowe in a heartbeat. Just my opinion. The one thing that probably bothers me the most is his lack of quickness and initial burst- I was expecting much more. No doubt he's fast, but a great second gear just isn't enough. And on top of that, he put on a few pounds of muscle, but he's still frail by NFL standards.
Marvin Harrison is having a great career with a similar body type, but I'm not seeing enough production out of Ginn to even warrant a comparison. I will say this- he is better than he was last year, so hopefully he keeps improving. -
[mod] Please read up on the TOS, these kind of posts will not be tolerated. [/mod]
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calling other members of this board a fool just isn't nice.
And the problem IMO of what we have an issue with is your perception that Ginn will never be a great receiver...you're not giving him a chance.
NO ONE said he was great at this point...NO ONE. What we're saying is that we're happy with the progress he is making. He is MUCH better now than he was a year ago and we're all excited about what he can be for us in the future. -
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And you'll be waiting a loooong time for a response with an attitude like that pal.
CNC66 is a very well respected member of this board and has contributed much in the way of thoughtful insight. I hope he doesn't give you the time of day.
Look, many here are capable of intellectual sparring with the best of them, but we like to stay away from such things to keep this board at the highest level of quality. The haste with which you invite cnc66 into such a match gives me pause with respect to your true intentions. Are you looking to talk football, or are you more interested in showing everyone how smart you are? If it's the latter, good luck ever getting anyone to engage in dialogue with you. -
I've been thinking up a formation for the Rams game, now that we've lost Camarillo and arguably the most effective I've found is if we were to lineup Martin in the SE spot outside with Ronnie Brown in the slot to the left, Ginn Jr. on the right.
It's similar to a three WR formation more or less, but it takes advantage of the fact that Martin can lineup outside. -
Not producing like a top ten pick right now is a reasonable statement. What was said was different. Basically stating he'll NEVER be worth that top ten pick. That's just, in my own opinion, a ridiculous statement to make right now, based on flashes we've seen of him. Anyone that catches for 175 yards in a game has that potential. He's been on a tear the past 4 or 5 games. In a position people say to wait at least 3 years before making a definitive statement. Just in the past 5 games he would be on pace for 1,400 yard season. With Chad P at the helm. Not including his 40 yard reverse for a TD.
His initial burst and lateral quickness might be lacking a tad, but we've seen people overshoot him because of that crazy 2nd gear and he's made some damn nice runs the last several games, you must admit? -
You must have missed that lateral pass in the Patriots game where he made Ellis Hobbs and Jerrod Mayo miss behind the line of scrimmage and picked up about 7 yards after reversing field. It was pretty.
Of all the things that could potentially plague Ginn now, and in the future, lateral quickness is not one of them.
And this is coming from someone who, admittedly, was one of Ginn's biggest critics earlier this year. -
I think moving Martin to the SE spot would rob us of our 2nd best deep threat behind Ginn, DMart is more of a spot/role player in the middle of the field.
We will have to look at Ernest Wilford for better or worse, I think he will step up and play well, no real Pro wants to be deemed disposable for 9 games, they normally want to prove someone wrong.
As for Ted Ginn as the #1...man...don't know...he doesn't really know the tricks of the trade yet, the #1 guy has to get open and come across the middle and..catch...the...ball..every...time... -
Agree a tiny bit somewhat with Obsess. Ginn should have made those last 2 catches in the final drive to keep the game alive. Those were dead cold drops. He also ran a kick return from the 20 backwards 19 yards to the 1 yard line. HOWEVER, I think the pressure to make a big play in the final few minutes got to him and he didn't look the ball in on the catch and tried to creat too much space on the kick return. I put that down as mental errors an inexperience receiver makes.
Anyway, he has come along real fine catching smoothly on the deep fly routes. His route running has come a long long way and can only get better. He returns kicks great when he finds a narrow crease. Not bad for a receiver who has gone through 2 coaches in 2 years don't ya think? I a year or 2 we'll definitely know if he was worth that top 10 pick. -
You are always causing trouble aren't you? Always got someone all riled up. :lol:
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I'm sure the Pat's would like to get a chance to have Ginn. He's got a lot of potential in him.
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You're not speaking a different language, you're just wrong, that's all. Ted has shown PLENTY of talent and appears to have the potential to be worthy of the #9 pick. He'll need to continue to develop but the good hands he's consistently displayed this season and his ability to score from anywhere on the field is exciting. You need to quit comparing other receiver's highlights on NFL Primetime to Ginn's full game. -
You are wise my son,..........no longer are you grasshopper. :shifty:
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Wow, someone has it out for Ginn...
Ever thought that most WRs take a while to develop? The reason Ginn was drafted at #9 was because of his potential to be BOTH a great WR and a great KR/PR. If he didn't have any KR/PR skills, he probably wouldn't have been drafted so high.
Fact of the matter is that calling Ginn a bust or even saying he can't be a legit #1 WR is ignorant. Why? Simply for the fact that he's a 2nd year player who has his rookie season practically wasted with the coaching staff of Cam Cameron.
The original post was respectable until I read the Ted Ginn Jr. bit, then that changed my mind...Rocky Raccoon likes this. -
some people have zero patience Griddles, that's why. The kid has played 27 games and people want him to be putting up Andre Johnson like numbers. It's pathetic to expect that. And if you do you're just a moron.
If there is ANY Dolphins fan who is upset with Ginn's production and development during this season, then they need to take a few classes about the game of football. He's doing a good job.GridIronKing34 likes this.