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The Anatomy of a Mediocre Team

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by MonstBlitz, Nov 24, 2013.

  1. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    I don't think many here will disagree with me calling this Miami Dolphins team mediocre. They've been that way for going on 5 years now. Hell, mediocre might be kind by the time it's all said and done, but let's talk about some of the things that make up a mediocre team.

    1. Mediocre teams can beat any team. This is true of any NFL team. Any given Sunday and all that. But it's especially true of a mediocre team. Take a mediocre team and you'll find instances all throughout a season where they win games you didn't think they would win against a better team. It hasn't happened much for Miami this year but I think one good example is when they beat Indianapolis in week 2 in Indianapolis.

    BUT

    2. Mediocre teams can and do lose to awful teams. Mediocre teams will lose games that you didn't think they could possibly lose. Like games against the Bills at home where the Bills take the field with a 4th string QB. Or against the 0-8 Bucs with 11 days to prepare.

    3. Mediocre teams will give you hope. And then DESTROY it. Cheering for a mediocre team like the Dolphins is a roller coaster ride. 3-0? YES!!! Playoffs here we come!!!! Lose 4 in a row? ****. Oh wait, a chance at the playoffs? HERE WE GO!!! 10 point lead at half!!! Oh man!!! Oh wait. They couldn't score a single point in the second half. FML. Look over the past seasons and you'll see times Miami was in the thick of things. But then blew it with losses to awful teams. Remember when they were 4-3 last year? Neither did I until I looked it up after someone mentioned it earlier this year.

    4. Mediocre teams are hard to judge. Everything from the FO, coaches and players. How do you make decisions on a team full of players and coaches who do good things but then do awful things? Sometimes you almost wish they could just be consistently awful so ownership could know where he stands.

    5. Mediocre teams tend to be victim of mediocre QB play. In a league that's dominated by the QB position, this is just common sense. I'm a big believer in Ryan Tannehill. But because he's still young, still lacking experience at the position (as evidenced by the game ending play) and because he's playing behind an offensive line that's held together by silly putty, his play is very mediocre at best right now. He has a high ceiling, but the production is just not good enough right now.

    6. Mediocre teams never put other teams away. How many games this season alone have we seen where the offense has the ball in their hand and would be able to seal the win with a score. But they never do it. 3 and out. Punt. 3 and out. Punt. Let's just keep hoping the defense can hold. The Chargers game was the same. But the defense was good enough last week.

    7. Mediocre teams are missing stars. Mediocre teams are missing super stars. Mediocre teams tend to have awesome punters. Or a great placekicker. Sure they'll be will stocked with a couple of very good, tough hard nosed players, but the super stars are nowhere to be found. Just no player that puts fear into the opposing team. Cam Wake is as close as it gets on this team. But NFL teams can no longer win on defense alone. Mike Wallace could have been that superstar today had he caught that pass. He surely hasn't been a star this season.

    8. Mediocre teams tend to only grab headlines for all the wrong reasons. Nuff said.

    So there you have it. Just a few thoughts I had during the game about the type of things that make up most mediocre teams in the NFL, and specifically our Miami Dolphins. Having a mediocre team isn't the worst thing in the world. Having a mediocre team that never seems to get beyond the mediocrity? A real kick in the dick. Another tough loss today. An up and down game that perfectly mirrors another up and down mediocre season.
     
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  2. rdhstlr23

    rdhstlr23 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Great post. Well put.
     
    MonstBlitz likes this.
  3. Shamboubou

    Shamboubou Well-Known Member

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    Losers lose.....its that plain and simple. This is a team full of losers, coached by losers, and owned by a loser. Blow the whole thing up from top to bottom.
     
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  4. BigNastyDB13

    BigNastyDB13 Well-Known Member

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    Well said. Tannehill is the perfect example of mediocre. He does just enough to lose. Just like at A&M, he's abysmal in the 4th qtr.
     
  5. Not So Fast

    Not So Fast Well-Known Member

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    Good post. Unfortunately, I think we are stuck with a mediocre team for another decade. Hopefully, something changes sooner, but I doubt it.
     
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  6. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    To be fair, he's had some good 4th quarters this season. Up and down.
     
    brandon27 likes this.
  7. ASOT

    ASOT New Member

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    did you forget GM'd by a loser or was that on purpose ?
     
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  8. Rick 1966

    Rick 1966 Professional Hipshooter

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    Calling this team mediocre is an insult to mediocrity.
     
  9. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    No, it's exactly what we are right now.
     
  10. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    Mediocre is about right. Over the past few seasons they have been a bad to mediocre team. They'll have a shot at an 8-8 finish, about as mediocre as it gets. I'm sick of mediocrity though, it's almost as bad as being bad to me.
     
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  11. Dolphins1Beatles

    Dolphins1Beatles Ziggy Stardust

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    Maybe when we get rid of our GM (Like the Panthers did!) the Dolphins will stop being mediocre. Carolina was a mediocre underperforming team and then came into 2013 with a brand new GM who filled in the missing pieces and brought a new attitude to the Panthers.

    Panthers since 2008:
    2009: 8-8, 2010: 2-14, 2011: 6-10, 2012: 7-9. 2013: New GM comes in, they have 8 wins already and marching towards the playoffs.
     
  12. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    No one wants to hear it, because we'll all sick of it, but when you have such a young QB and a mostly non-existent running game, mediocrity isn't all that surprising. Especially with a mainly young team.

    I actually think right now we're a lot like Carolina. Now that Newton is in his 3rd year and Rivera has the experience as a head coach, they're rolling. I could really see us taking a big step next season as long as there are some changes (ahem, fire Ireland, ahem).
     
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  13. Shamboubou

    Shamboubou Well-Known Member

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    Calling him a loser would have been to kind and what I would have called him would have destroyed the rhythm of my post.
     
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  14. NyPhinfan

    NyPhinfan Season Ticket Holder

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    Any Team that will have Mike Sherman as its Off Coord is unwatchable. sorry but unwatchable
     
  15. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Look, I'm not a fan of Sherman either, but when you can't run the ball for ****, what exactly is supposed to do?
     
  16. NyPhinfan

    NyPhinfan Season Ticket Holder

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    Its not being able to run part....its the god dmn 1-2 yd passes that kill me. The inability to even attempt to get near the first down mrker. How he totally shut down the offense today in hope beyond hope that the defense would hold up. They were so afraid of making a mistake that they did NOTHING!!!! In this league you have to be able to throw the ball more than 2 ids down the field. They have to lead the leg in completions under 3yds.. have to!
     
  17. LI phinfan

    LI phinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    We also have to be the worst 1st down team in football. Its like we give away 1st downs. Always 2nd and long. Saw way too many, give away three and out posessions. Looked like we were content completing short passes and punting. One TD in the second half and we win that game.
     
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  18. Dolphins1Beatles

    Dolphins1Beatles Ziggy Stardust

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    Yeah the frustrating thing is we seem good enough to be a playoff team..if we had a better staff who could get the most out of their players. And of course someone who could build a better O-Line. They did fine protecting Tannehill, but couldn't open any holes for RB's, who aren't that great to begin with. They could keep Philbin (or not, I don't care much either way, but I would be willing to give Philbin more time), but we need a new GM and a new OC and probably a new DC.

    And nothing bothers me more than seeing those plays being called where they throw the ball 2 yards away when they only need 3-4 for a first to someone being covered and fail to get the first down and punt it away. They can't design a pass that gets them 4-6 yards to get the 1st down?
     
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  19. KB21

    KB21 Almost Never Wrong Club Member

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    I maintain that the biggest reason this is a mediocre team is because it is a team with mediocre talent overall. Sure, we have some players sprinkled here and there, but by an large, when you compare us with the rest of the league, we are mediocre.

    Now, from a coaching standpoint, I do think we are slightly underachieving, but this isn't like the KC Chiefs last year. That team won 2 games when they had the talent to win 10. That is a sign of unusually poor coaching. I think this coaching staff is below average to average at best, but they aren't horrific in the Romeo Crennell/Gene Chizik sense. Therefore, we tend to play to our talent level by and large. Could we be a couple of games better if the coaching staff was more willing to adapt and did better coming out from halftime? Probably. Still, we would be a mediocre 7-4 team instead of a mediocre 5-6 team.
     
    MonstBlitz and dont fumble like this.
  20. xphinfanx

    xphinfanx Stay strong my friends.

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    The NFL does all it can to keep 32 teams mediocre to break away from that is rare and designed to not last.
     
  21. Onehondo

    Onehondo Senior Member Club Member

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    I was going to vent, but I reconsidered because what the heck is the use? We all know what the problems are and we can't change them. We can gripe and grumble about this player and that player but what will it accomplish? We can only hope that the right decisions are made to do what needs to be done to turn things around. All teams have up and down years but sadly ours seems to have lasted longer than most. I've lived long enough to see the Birth of the Dolphins, to see Shula's great years, including the Marino years. I was hoping that I would live long enough to see Miami as a power in the NFL again, I still have hope!
     
  22. jpep13

    jpep13 Coach Of The Year Club Member

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    As i sit here and watch the 2 professional Nfl teams Denver at Pats. i am Jealous, This crap has to change, It has been too long!!
     
  23. phinswolverinesrockets

    phinswolverinesrockets If he dies, he dies

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    i swear i was just about to type this. it pisses me off that our offensive coordinator is an idiot. i cant remember the last time we had a competent offense. sick to my stomach.
     
  24. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    As KB21 hinted at, it's all about talent. Those are 2 teams with elite QBs. And the Broncos are loaded with stars on both sides of the ball. As sad as it is to admit, the Dolphins just don't have the talent needed to compete with teams of that caliber on a consistent basis.
     
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  25. cdz12250

    cdz12250 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    When you staff your coaches with losers, mediocrity is assured. You'd think that Philbin would have chosen a winning, rising offensive coordinator from the college ranks, right? But no. He chose Sherman, who had just been s***-canned at Texas A-M.
     
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  26. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Serious question, if we had Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, what's our record right now?

    I don't think we have a lack of talent. I think we have a lack of veteran talent.
     
  27. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    With Peyton Manning this team has a winning record. I think 7-4 or better. No doubt about it in my mind. Tom Brady, I'm not so sure. He tends to get rattled when he gets pressure but I think 6-5 or better at least with Tom Brady.

    I'm not ragging on Tannehill. I'm still a believer. But even though I support him and think he's improved from last season to this season, I think it's real hard to argue that he's playing the position at a level any better than mediocre right now. He's had some pretty good games, and some poor games. Part of that is the line, but some of it is him being a young QB that still doesn't have a lot of experience at the position, especially at the NFL level.

    There is talent on this Dolphins team, no doubt about it. But no super stars. You can maybe make an argument for Cam Wake, but that's about it.
     
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  28. VanDolPhan

    VanDolPhan Club member Club Member

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    Honestly I think we end up 9-7 and slide into the playoffs..........just to torture us with this mediocrity when the house should be cleaned by a hazmat team.
     
  29. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    Now see, that is where I fully expected we'd finish from the start. This OL was simply not good enough and now with 3 of the 5 starters of the start of season OL out for various reasons, it's that much more pronounced. We would have to have too many "breakout" guys come thru for any sustained success. (Tannyhill to come into his own, Wallace to have a big year, Clay to have his day, Miller, Wheeler/Ellerby, Egnew, JJ, Clabo at RT, Grimes to come thru, Jones and Clemons to repeat the good year they both had last year, someone opposite Grimes to come thru, the list goes on). Well, about the only one to solidify himself is Grimes. Clay and Tanny have progressed, but not to the level that makes a significant difference. Other than that, they've all been....mediocre...

    The difference is that the team started out hot and has since faded, unlike in previous years where we started out up and down and finished that way... There are multiple issues with this team but lets not take anything away from Carolina. They are one of those surprise teams (for this season) and because we lost to them, everyone is demonizing how bad our team is. It's not a surprise that we're 5-6, it is a surprise that Carolina is playing as well as they are.

    There are reasons after reasons for our state of affairs right now. Heads will surely roll this coming offseason and we'll be starting anew (again).
     
  30. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Pretty much agree with all of this.
     
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  31. xphinfanx

    xphinfanx Stay strong my friends.

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    Don't forget Reggie Bush, and Brandon Marshall oh wait never mind.
     
  32. phintasmic

    phintasmic Banned

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    Nobody would be successful with this garbage O line. Nobody. Not Brady, not Brees, not Manning.

    Nobody.

    In fact Manning's neck would have already been broken.
     
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  33. TooGoodForDez

    TooGoodForDez Deion Sanders for GM

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    This is the bottom line.
     
  34. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    I'd love to be wrong, but I just don't see any chance at the playoffs. I know what people are saying statistically. I read all the odds last week. And the only thing I could do was shake my head and think to myself, "Those 'odds makers' just don't know this team like we do."
     
  35. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    It's not really fair for anyone, Ireland, Philbin, Ross, Turner, whoever to compare Tanny to Manning. Those kinds of QBs would likely be slightly more successful than Tanny, at this point, behind even the same sad sack OL, simply because they are more veteran. Also, at this point, the RI/Martin thing has GOT to be affecting this team and it's apparent inability to maintain success. Couple this along with a suspect play caller in Sherman, sad-sack OL, throw in an injury here and there, D that is under-performing and you've got the recipe for our mediocrity. As the OP said, mediocre teams beat some teams they shouldn't and lose to some they should. Personally, having watched the Panthers all season long, (I live near Charlotte), I was surprised we held them at bay as long as we did in the game, especially since Sherman went AWOL in play calling in the second half, once again, but I digress.... Our team did better against the Panthers than some clearly better teams did (SF, Seattle, NE, etc) The fact is this team is not any better or worse than what we looked in the preseason, and 7-9, 8-8 is what the majority saw then and still do...

    So the team, IMHO, isn't under-performing...they are simply at par with where most of us thought they'd be, even after the hot start of the season...
     
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  36. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member

    Once again, there are lots of reasons for our performance, Irish is one of them, but certainly not the ONLY reason...blaming everything on one guy won't make it any better....
     
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  37. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    I wasn't comparing Tannehill to Manning or Brady. I was asked a question by Rocky and gave an answer. Agree with the rest of your post, or at least most of it. :up:
     
  38. PSG

    PSG Clear Eyes. Full Hearts.

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    Really have no clue how u think this team will go 4-1 down the stretch. But to each his own.
     
  39. jdang307

    jdang307 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I think last night showed Brady does more with less talent. Peyton withers during big games. Brady steps up. Even last week on the blown PI call well he got them there to the doorstep.

    Peyton was missing Julius Thomas last night but their offensive talent is so far beyond the Patriots. D thomas, Decker, Welker, knownshon, J thomas if healthy. I'd take that over the Patriots offensive skill positions anyday including Gronk.
     
  40. jdang307

    jdang307 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Manning gets the ball out real fast. I'm sure he'd be sacked more, yes, but he'd be better too.
     

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