The "How Much Better Are We This Year?" Thread

I'm in agreement. I may give Kicking a -2 (Sturgis + new kicking rule = I'll be closing my eyes when we kick), and safeties a +1 (depth showing solid improvement).

But other than that I like your system!

 

unit by unit.

qb..+1...Better skill players spells better numbers, more mature, learning how to assert himself, learning how to lead, most importantly, his dedication and loyalty to his teammates, his humility and toughness, his conscientious effort to support whoever he is playing with will pay him back with loyalty and effort in return for that grasciousness..He'll get a plus 2 if he ever figures out when to run for a first down.

Running back unit..+1..Lamar Miller is a very young running back getting stronger and smarter within the system..he worked hard this offseason so he's trending a bit upward, Lamike James just might of figured out what he wasn't doing before, we seem to be able to teach backs on how to go not and south or we'll just strait up get rid of you ala reggie bush, so when I watched James in fresco he seemed to do just that, go north and south, I think he understands, and he's now in his system from college, stating himself that its just like his college system.

Receiver..+2...Hartline and wallace were all finesse, very specific skillets...parker, stills, Matthews and Jennings are more well rounded, they have all around receiver talent, natural ability for the position, and Parker is the sh&&..This is the natural we've all been waiting for, since warfield..

Tight end..+1...Cameron > Clay talent wise, its that simple as of now..I might be wrong here because Charlie was a tough SOB..But Ryans best pass is the seam route, Jordan can exploit that matchup, clay cannot.

Oline..+1/2...Albert will be ready, said so long time ago..The rest is logic

Dline...+3..kracken has never played with someone who required a double team..I smell an mvp type season...not only does the player require a double team he's the best at his position..Ov is so very young, learning the game, getting stronger than hercules, and has developed a lethal spin move..thats 3 pluses.

Linebacker..+1..anytime you can get rid of wheeler, trunk and Ellerbe from your starting unit is worth a point..live with the pup Mccains mistakes, Jenkins is still very young, yet is a vet, better depth..

Secondary..+2..Jamar, no jimmy freakin wilson {garbage} and quality depth in the two mccains..

Coaching..we'll see, were one of the least arrested teams in the league, his disciplined ways may account for something when it comes to building the right kind of team.

Front office..+2..The huckster may be a star evaluator and Tannenbaum has the intellect and cache.

 

QB: +1
OL +1
RB +0
WR +2
TE +1

CB +1
OLB +0
ILB +0
FS +0
SS +0
DT +3
DE +0

The Good news is we're not worse anywhere.

Our biggest upgrade was SUH Obv. We upgraded WRs/TE I think which should upgrade Tannehill. And added some depth at CB.

The list is deceptive because we stay great in some areas like RB, DE and good in others like Safety

 

QB: +1
OL +1
RB +0
WR +1
TE +1

CB +1
OLB +0
ILB +0
FS +0
SS +0
DT +3
DE +1

its a little worrisome that you could argue we really didn't upgrade the back 7 much....but we did upgrade the DL big time, which should have a positive effect on the LBs and DBs.

 

Seriously, in spite of that, you're gonna guess a 6 win season right?

 

I think we're two wins better, probably.

 

wicked sig

 

Lucky? The guy works his butt off and eats ridiculously well.

 

My thought exactly.

 

While I'm ready to watch some football, I don't see the optimism about the OL. No way I could give that part a positive grade yet, unless a question mark is a plus............and I don't get that. Right now, to me, our whole season will come down to our OL and if it improves or not. A lot could change if we sign Mathis........

Sorry to be the first negative post on this thread but I'm TRYING to look at it as honestly as I can, and I'm VERY nervous.

 

I gotta give us a +1 at TE. So excited to see Cameron this year. He's going to ruin some defenses.

 

So by virtue of not dying, the Dolphins QB somehow got upgraded, lol? By that logic, all starters on all teams could be considered upgraded! That’s a bit pointless.

I’ll be conservative and assume that the same starter will yield roughly the same contribution.


QB: 0 (same guy)
RB: 0.5 (added a good rookie behind starter)
TE: 0 (lost one, got one)
WR: +1.5 (lost a productive guy, added a good rookie, lost two decent guys, added two good guys)
OT: -0.5 (same guys, one is not 100%)
OG: 0 (no answers yet)
OC: +1 (I’ll assume production increases with a healthy Pouncey back in the middle)

I’d say that on the whole, the offense improved because (1) the skill positions got deeper and (2) the O-line was already shaky, so technically, it’s not “worse.”


DT: +2 (added a dominant player, added a rookie, added a solid guy, lost 2 average guys)
DE: 0 (same guys)
OLB: 0 (same guy on one side, probably no worse on the other)
MLB: 0 (same guy)
S: -0.5 (same guys, one is not 100%)
CB: 0 (same guy on one side, probably no worse on the other)

I’d say that on the whole, the defense improved because (1) the team improved its DT situation and (2) the OLB and CB on the left side were already sketchy.

 

So player development means nothing to you?

 

+1 for receivers.
+2 for d-line (could be more but the threat of Suh being suspended is a big worry).
+3 for the schedule.

= 10-6

 

QB: +1
Ryan Tannehill appears to be taking another step forward. While Tannehill's leadership has never been in question (in my mind), that too appears stronger. Perhaps because he's 27 and a 4 year vet. Or perhaps it relates to being in year 2 of Lazor's offense and seemingly has a much better grasp and understanding. Able to process the plays and design w/o having to think about it. Physically, there are numerous reports of improved footwork, accuracy, etc...

RB: +0.5
I'm giving this a plus 1 because I think Miller's added bulk will allow him to become a better inside runner. By all accounts, he's still quick and shifty too. Damien Williams and LaMichael James have both improved by all accounts. Knowshon only played sparingly, so I don't consider his loss to be significant when comparing 2014 to 2015. Not as thrilled with Ajayi, I expected him to be performing better. Still, I think he's a good long term investment. As a 5th round pick, that's OK.

WR: +3
I'm giving WR a +3 for three reasons. 1). The receivers fit the scheme, which will make them more productive. 2). Depth is strong. We're legit 5 deep, maybe 6 is Preston is the real deal. 3). The 2015 WR corps is more talented. Landry is improving, Jennings is a jack of all trades and still has gas in the tank, Stills has deep threat ability and ball skills, Matthews is getting rave reviews and spent the off-season w/Tannehill, and Parker... Well, it's hard to say. He hasn't been involved in camp, but I think we all project him to be very good. He's an all-purpose WR with great hands, catch radius, body control, athleticism, and ball skills. Redzone threat too.

TE: +1
Pound for Pound, Jordan Cameron is better TE than Charles Clay. JC is pro bowl material. He's from the same mold as a Jimmy Graham. Will attack the seem with size, strength, and athleticism. True red zone threat. People have made too much of his injury history IMO. I feel some have penciled him in for an injury already and I don't share that sentiment. Hell, even if true, **** happens. Ask Gronk... And his injury history is no less concerning than Clay's... Never been high on any of the other TE's though.

OL: -1
A year ago, the offensive line starting gelling and looked pretty solid. Albert was looking to be worth his new contract. Then he tore his knee up pretty good. Our offense line turned into a game of musical chairs. In 2015, Albert is still recovering from the injury. Status unknown, although reports do seem positive. Even if he's healthy, you have to wonder how much a lack of weight training in his lower body will affect his game. You can't miss off-season training and expect to a player to dominate. Albert is taking a step back in 2015 one way or another, IMO. How much of a step back? We'll see. The G position is still highly questionable with Dallas Thomas and a rookie looking to compete for LG,. Scary. An untested Billy Turner looks to man RG. Why RG and not LG? Because Philbin says so... Scary. What's the harm in letting him try/get work at LG to see what he's best at? Good news is, James is in his 2nd year. And Pouncey is back to C. Either way, I don't think this unit on paper is as promising as the unit in 2014. Which for a stretch, was looking alright.


DE: 0
Cam Wake is a beast. Slightly older and he works like a freak. I suspect he'll be around the same level of play as last year. His numbers might improve with less double teams and more interior pressure, but he'll be pressuring the QB like usual. I've made it no secret I don't care for Vernon in the long term. If he can't win his 1-1 battles with Suh and Wake and get constant pressure, he'll never be more than what he is. A capable starter and role player. I do like what I'm hearing about Fede. Haven't seen much about Ray Drew, who was an interesting Undrafted FA pick up.

DT: +3
King Kong Suh alone counts for +2. Not only is he a dominate force on his own, but he will make everyone better. Mitchell is solid as a starter too. The other +1 comes from depth. We actually have it this year. Jordan has tons of potential and is learning from Suh. At worst, he's Paul Solai as a rookie. Clogging holes and being unmovable. Obviously his potential is all world with his athleticism, strength, and speed. CJ Mosley is very solid. Would love it if Anthony Johnson steps up. I haven't heard a lot about him, but I don't recall too much that's negative. All in all, starters look great. Depth is looking strong as ****.

LB: 0
Tempted to give this a +1, but there are some unknowns. We're not worse off than last season, but are we truly better? Jenkins had a good year, but kind of trailed off at the end. I suspect he'll be improved, but to what degree? Will he become dominant? Hard to say. Koa Misi is no longer penciled in at MLB. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand, I don't know if we have a legit MLB on the roster if Misi's move to OLB is permanent. And if Jenkins and Misi are starting OLB, where does leave McCain? If McCain's improvement is legit (and I'd like to think it is), I don't see how limiting his snap counts is going to help. Unless they use him as in Dion Jordan's Joker position. I would think Jenkins, Misi, and McCain would be a better threesome than Jenkins, Sheppard, Misi. I can't give LB's a +1 until I know what Miami will do. Too much uncertainty at this point. Also Looking forward to seeing Vigil and Luc in pre-season. Mike Hull to a lesser extent. Of all the positional groups, my grading of the LB's is the most fluid. They have potential to be +1, +2, and even a long shot at +3 if everything goes perfectly.

CB: 0
Finnegan proved to be a pretty solid corner last year. I say that as someone who HATED the signing initially. After he got hurt, Jamar Taylor took over. And it wasn't pretty. CB2
is not improved, IMO. I don't have a lot of confidence in Taylor at this point. I like the McCains as upgrades in Nickle and Dime DB's. I'm not sure Brice is suited for the outside, but a lack of starting talent opposite of Grimes might force the issue. Very curious to see Lippett play in PS too. Lippett and Bobby McCain make the future look bright. As of now, potential don't play on Sundays. We're worse off without Finnegan but better off in Nickle and (potentially) Dime CB's. The trade off means we're still about the same.

S: 0
Delmas is a solid S. His absence in 2014 made it clear who was the heart of that defense, IMO. Jones is still Jones. Curious to see how the depth behind these two starters play in PS. As it stands, I can't say we're better in 2015 than we wee in 2014.

K/P: 0
Same ****, different day. We need better kickers. Fields should be Fields.

Total: +7.5. Subject to change certainly, but I think I was fair to every positional group.

 

I do not know. Not having College on the offensive line is addition by subtraction.

 

This all BS WADR.

No one would have thought that Saban didn't command respect, and yet we just learned he didn't get any, even though you never heard that from the players during his tenure.

 

dj, while I hated the way Saban left Miam. The fact is that Jason Taylor had a great relationship with Saban when he was the Dolphins head coach and still has a great relationship with him today.

I always have heard that it was the front office workers who hated working with Saban, but most of the players enjoyed playing for him and were sorry to see him leave.

I think his coaching style might have rubbed some of the players the wrong way. Yet I'm sure that once Cam Cameron came in to replace him, the players on the Dolphins realized Saban was a great HC in comparison.

My two biggest concerned heading into this season is the OL and the ability of Philbin to be anything but a mediocre HC in the NFL. Hopefully both these concerns will prove to be needless concerns as the season progresses. Because if there not, this could prove to be another frustrating season for Dolphin fans.

 

HONESTLY dont know if we're better than last year. Its all about the oline. We really could be horrendous if they suck. i think tannehill showed he can produce with a crappy oline and crappy receivers last year so his numbers should go up because his receivers are good this year. running game is dependent on the oline so who knows. defense will probably be better but its a long season so we need our secondary and linebackers too stay healthy because unlike the dline there isnt much depth, although i'm encouraged by what ive read about the new guys at both positions

 

Its BS because:

1: Not all people react the same way you to do to that personality.
2: You're not really sure how much of what you're seeing is accurate.
3: That whole notion you have of how "it should be" between a coach and players, is being shown more and more to not be how things actually are.

I mean just read article in the thread about the Dolphins trolling Saban.

 

This much.

 

Fair but if you concede that we don't know the truth then how can you say what Philbin does or doesn't do.

I mean, its all perception. When Philbin lets a player hear about it, he's blasted for it by the negative squad and that becomes another "knock" on him.

 

I said 9 wins.

 

My personal response to Philbin and his style is similar to yours, but the truth is there have been many successful NFL coaches without much charisma and/or human element. Bill Walsh (3 SBs), Joe Gibbs (3 SBs), Tony Dungy (1 SB) were professorial types who didn't have much, if any, of the classic football coach charisma. Tom Landry (2 SBs) and Bill Belichick (4 SBs) have/had little human touch, at least publicly. These guys may all have had better people skills in private settings, and they probably do/did, but none had that prototypical NFL head coach personality or demeanor. But they were all successful.

 

I think Bill Walsh and Tom Landry both have good charisma. Landry's speeches could make me run through walls.

Belichick also gives a good speech.

 

The post game speech is what killed us in that Green Bay game. In fact, we probly would have been like 13-3 with some better post game speeches.

 

I think that's pretty much always been the case. The social media stuff is new, but I think it is very questionable that a more stern personality is better for those kind of kids. It may well be the opposite. Those factors you are talking about are probably even bigger factors in the NBA, where the individual players get more attention (except maybe QBs, some RBs and some WRs). But that more stern personality doesn't seem to work in the NBA so well anymore, or at least teams aren't hiring them so much. They tend to go with the more casual and easygoing personalities, which the young players seem to relate to better (unless you have a real veteran team).

 

Really? To each his own, I guess. But that's kinda the point -- what works for or inspires one person may be very different from person to person.

Here's one of his pre-game Super Bowl speeches:

[video=youtube;M4oSXzEQj7k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4oSXzEQj7k[/video]

Here's a post-playoff game locker room speech:

[video=youtube;WiTruVWZY0U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiTruVWZY0U[/video]

I've heard more rousing and inspiring speeches by my firm's IT guy in training for the new version of Microsoft Word. But again, to each his own.

 

History shows that the common denominator in winning is

(1) having better players than your opponent

(2) having a great game-plan when the teams are similarly stacked

...

(99) having a high-energy, extrovert HC



It's definitely on the list but to my eyes it seems way down the list. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or mean, but how many great coaches won without (1) or (2)? And if you're saying it's the icing on the cake, well, then how about the 150 other plays in the game? Every one of those is icing on the cake, too.

I don't see "running through walls" as being what it takes to accomplish anything that requires more than a little brute strength for about 5 minutes. That's about how long that stuff lasts. Let's not confuse the strength and conditioning coach with the head coach. One job is a lot harder than the other. Brute strength does not solve the world's more interesting problems. Brute strength does not win super bowls. It's about a lot more than that.


I think that it's obvious some folks just don't like Philbin's analytical personality. That's the right of a fan but it's also why fans have no say in the matter. I personally don't put much stock in a head coach's personality. If you want to know why, go read my first sentence again. Having the "right personality" doesn't results in wins unless you've got great players or you're just miles above the competition in your game-planning, which I think is about impossible at the NFL level. Virtually all the coaches game-plan relatively well.

If consequential decisions were made with that kind of thinking, bad things would happen more than they do. The truth is, there's a Tony Sparano on every street corner who'd be more than happy to take over your team. Does that sound appealing? Nope.

I actually respect Philbin because he's risen to the top with a horrible approval rating. At this point I'm just interested to see how this guy evolves. I'm patient. I'll be a fan for 50 years so I don't care if Philbin is coach for another 3-4.

Maybe I'm crazy but there has to be something behind this guy. I can see why some players wouldn't respond to him, but f those players...most of them are 22-year old kids who are used to having coach's provide all the energy. I say, go get new players that actually care, that actually motivate themselves, and that actually pull together as a team. I don't trust anyone who feels like it's someone else's job to motivate them. Who would want to work with someone like that? Those people are generally what suck the energy out of any group. They are the one's who are happy with 2nd place and who generally stand in the way of progress. We've all surely worked with people that had that attitude and I'm sure most of us hated having to deal with them.

If the great ones like Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick do anything brilliantly, it's that they allow the teammates to form a kind of mutual respect and comradery that is clearly beyond what the average team has. What the likes of Walsh and Belichick do is build an environment that fosters players feeding players, where each member of the team felt it could help out by doing his best and putting in a little something extra.

I'm willing to admit that the head coach plays a role in that, but I don't think it has much to do with personality or volume.

Walsh and Belichick were never in charge of motivating anyone directly BUT they created the right environment. The guys who needed motivation generally got traded and/or cut.

 

Sig bet? I'll take the Over on that.

 

Yes. Plus the team is improving and being built the right way. Whether Philbin gets them through the wall or not its going to be a nice situation for the next coach to walk into

 

Again, I think you have a romanticized view of NFL coaching. The players, unlike in your experience, are grown men, many of which are millionaire alpha males. They aren't going to put up with that attitude from a coach. (Again we see that from Saban & Traylor or Zach) If you have a super young team, you may get away with it, unless you have grizzled veteran super star. Once that guy has had enough the young team will follow suit.

These aren't young kids who need fear getting yelled at. These aren't soldiers scared of dying in a fox hole. All these guys need is what every professional needs: solid game planning, an environment conducive to growth, a power structure and respect. Fear does not equal respect. Someone who fears you doesn't respect you. If someone respects you, then they may fear letting you down and that's the difference.

The people that need to have the attitude you're talking about are the leaders on the team. Players will respect a Wake or JT or Zach getting in their face.

Perfect example of the narrative. You keep saying you want a coach that holds players responsible, but when Philbin puts a player in his doghouse for acting like an idiot or not taking the game seriously, he's blasted for it, even though he is holding players responsible.

 

I agree a coach needs to be true to his personality and deliver an effective message, but I don't think that is really what you were talking about even though that is what you are saying now. You were talking about making guys scared of you and making them want to run through walls for you. I don't see Belichick's speeches (or anything I have ever heard from guys like Landry or Walsh) doing that.

If it is what you are saying now, then Philbin should have every opportunity to grow into his role. He absolutely can give those exact same speeches Belichick gave and give them as well as Belichick did. If your complaint is that his rah-rah stuff seems forced, and maybe it is, then that can be fixed quite easily and probably will be as he realizes it is unnecessary and not working. I kinda wonder how Belichick was with the Browns. Wouldn't be surprised if he was much more of a rah-rah guy than he is now because he was younger and in his first head coaching job at any level.

 

If the performance of the first string against the Bears is any indicator, this team could be very good.

But they have a way of underperforming under Philbin. If there are any problems brewing in the background, they'll have a tendency to blow up into something big. When they start having some injury related adversity, I think he and the staff have a tendency to make that worse.

I think the money would be on a nice 10-win season but perhaps a limp to the finish and then a solid loss in the playoffs. That's probably the scenario Tannenbaum envisioned when he told a friend of mine that he can envision 10-win scenarios where Philbin still gets fired.

 

The schedule is sort of set up to get off to a really good start and then struggle down the stretch. Which would definitely reflect poorly on Philbin.

 

The DLine (Suh) is good for at least +2 wins. That's going to be a truly elite unit. (When was the last time we had one of those? Ronnie & Ricky?)

The other roster changes are fine, but unpredictable. Some will do what we expect, some won't (see: Ellerbe and Wheeler); we'll have injuries here and there, overachievers, underachievers, etc. But the bottom line is that if the DLine stays healthy, they alone will add wins and cover up for deficiencies/inconsistencies elsewhere. Game-changing group.

 

Offense didn't even have Kenny Stills last night. He makes a difference, too.

 

Devante too!