I don't think there's much comparison. The Dolphins teams of the early 2000's lacked one crucial component for success: a very good QB. This time it's defense, which I think is easier to fix. Look how long it's taken to find a true franchise QB. The only time since Marino we had good QB play was that one year with Pennington, and that wasn't sustainable.

Hill also doesn't seem like a Ricky Williams type of guy to just quit. That guy is on track to make history and he seems like he really wants it. Also, we're building the team right this time: great passing offense comes first. Very hard to win focusing on the run game in this era. All we need is a great passing defense. Some of that is injuries, but some is the DC.

Anyway, I don't see the similarities to the Ricky Williams era.

 

Regarding safe, solid victories, you're right that we've been starved by those.

I worked out last month how many "solid" wins the team has had, based on them scoring at least 23 points (about league average) and winning by at least ten. In any manner, whether that's 23-13, 42-31, or 52-0.

In the Wanny era, we had 20 of those victories from 2000-03. From the start of the Jimmy era in 1996 to the end of the Saban era in 2006, we had 40 over eleven years.

Under Gase and Flores combined we had six, and McDaniel has yet to get one. We've had one such win (vs Carolina last year) in the last 36 games.

Hopefully, eventually, the team will get there. But the defense and the run game need to get a lot better, and the passing game needs to continue to make progress towards not needing big plays to move the ball. A to the last point, I was happy with a lot of what happened in the first three quarters in that regard yesterday, it was good.

 

I could care less about style points or blow outs. Wins are all that matter. This is NFL and everyone is a professional. Match ups still matter. Scrambling QB’s seem to be this teams kryptonite and we still won.

 

A win is a win…no doubt about it, but it’s been the lack of consistency on defense that has prevented the Dolphins from having blow out wins.

Yesterday again the Bears, the offense was clicking and we were moving the ball constantly. McDaniels mismanagement of the clock just before the half cost us another TD I truly believe.

The main problem though with the Dolphins offensively has been the 4th quarter. Instead of keeping our foot on the gas, we’re playing it “safe” running the ball to run out the clock. While I understand the strategy, everything you do in the regular season carries over into the post season.

If you’re fortunate enough to make the playoffs, you’re playing the best of the best. So you have to be able to go full throttle for 60 full minutes, ESPECIALLY with how weak the defense has been playing.

I don’t know but as I see it, if I were McDaniel, I would have looked over at Boyer and basically said if you can’t stop them, then I’m going to run up the score.

I was thinking this morning…I know, a dangerous notion. Last season we started the season 1-7. The defense was HORRIBLE the first half of the season only for the hounds to be released the 2nd half of the season. I’m just hoping maybe this year’s defense repeats last years second half performance because we can’t have such close wins against crappy teams.

 

I believe our only double digit win was game one agaist the Pats with a score of 20-7? Every other game I believe has been single digit wins.

 

Difference is this time we have more weapons than just Ricky and we have one of the best passing attacks in the league which is vital to winning now. We also have a coach who's whole game plan is not to run, run, pass, punt on offence and on defence is just play M2M and hope your guys are better. I also believe Ricky retired as he knew Wanny was going to run him 400 times again.

If Wanny had traded for Trent Green back then instead of saying "What can Trent Green do that Jay Fielder can't" then we may have actually won a Superbowl. He had 6 pro-bowlers on defence and one of the best runners in the game but he was just too much of a dinosaur to notice it.

I remember when he went back to college he actually ran a kid 53 times in a game. Unreal.

 

They tried to throw, Waddle was wide open deep for a TD and was way under thrown.

Agree clock management was terrible before half.

 

So if, for example, the team mixes up tight, nail biting wins and blow out losses while rarely winning by a safe margin, that doesn't effect you at all? There's no build up emotional effect on how you feel?

I am absolutely not the same. I need the team to look good and beat teams soundly to really, truly feel ok. Otherwise it's an endless loop of anxiety and blah.

 

This part of your post jumped out at me. I get a similar vibe to those teams, too but it's only because we repeatedly allow lightning to strike and keep games close that would otherwise be blowouts. Consider how much the defense has contributed to the close games. Lamar Jackson ran for a 70+ yard TD and threw for another. Special teams gave up a touchdown against the Ravens, too. That game was a rout if we simply knew how to set edges and prevent ginormous gash plays. Then the Bengals got one against us. Look at Fields' ridiculous day yesterday. Our defense is objectively horrible. But if you were to look at how it plays sans a handful of explosive plays, it's actually pretty decent. I'm beyond frustrated with this season because although I'm happy with 6-3, the offense has had to play balls out to keep ahead of the D and I'm not sure that is a sustainable plan for future success.

The biggest difference between this team and Ricky's team is that I think McDaniel is already a better coach than Wannstedt was.

 

Don't forget the dump to Gesicki. At least a first down and possibly a touchdown if he made one defender miss. But he put it three yards out of reach. I was bothered more by that one than the Waddle underthrow because it was a throw that he could make in his sleep and it would have effectively ended the game.

 

I don't think Gesicki even gets the first down on that play. Unless I am thinking of a different one.

 

His one catch was only for three yards and didn't lead to anything yesterday. It was like a short run that led to a 2nd and 7.

 

Let's agree to disagree. I'm talking about the 4th-and-6 in the third quarter. The only defender was about three yards away and Gesicki would have had the angle.

 

I would need to see a different angle, but the angle I saw Gesicki looked very covered.

 

All valid points as there are certain similarities where one part of the team seemingly has to carry the other. A win is a win, I get it, but if we're to make serious noise our defense needs to get a lot better. We should be looking right past the Browns and Texans at home if we're for real. No excuses. A tight game coming down to the last few minutes would be inexcusable IMO.
Would I be surprised if we squeak out a win ? No, but the point I'm making is we shouldn't have to.

 

Tua made a couple of bad throws yesterday that weren't related to his physical skill set. Its going to happen. He's 24 years old and hasn't even started two full season's worth of games. But the first three quarters yesterday were some of his best NFL football so far.

 

Context is your friend. And in context of a 138+ passer rating, two missed throws were part of a great but not perfect game. I'll take that every week. Also not to be lost in context is the fact that both throws were good decisions.

 

Gesicki had about 3cm of separation, the defender was all over him.

 

Actually, I was thinking about the pass to Smythe (not Gesicki) on 4th and 2. Go to the 9:52 point of the attached video.

 

The vibe I’m getting from the team is more like late ‘80s Dan Marino.

We have the QB and passing game to win it all, but the D is handicapping our chances.

 

So Boyer = Olivadotti? Hopefully not.

 

Schematically he’s light years ahead of Olivadotti, but Olivadotti had his players trying hard every week.

 

Never liked Pornstache and back then Fiedler (besides Pornstache) was definitely the reason why we didn't do more back then.

 

Yet there were people who INSISTED back then that it wasn't Fiedler, that all he needed was a better offensive line. Just like Tanneyhill. Of course, they were wrong. Tanneyhill needed a good offensive line, a hall-of-fame running back and a dominating defense. And NOTHING could make Jay Fiedler a good QB.

 

That makes sense.

 

Fiedler had a very low ceiling. People were confused because he played close to it, not realizing that what they saw was what he could be. Fans (and some media) thought that he was showing potential to be better but he had darn nearly reached his potential. He would only have led a great team if he was the worst player on it. No disrespect intended.

 

You aren't wrong. Some people are just blind to the fact that you cannot and should not use team record to evaluate how good a QB is.

Fielder was 27 before he even threw a NFL pass. He was 29 when we signed him, and was never, ever going to be more than the lowest rung of starter. He was like Trevor Siemian or Mike Glennon today.

 

Fiedler looked like a franchise QB when he came into the game for Jacksonville against us that turned out to be JJ's final game. Brunell's arm got tired throwing TDs in that 62-7 spanking and when Fiedler came in our D was beat and demoralized and gave up three more. I think Wanny was in love with Fiedler over that performance.

 

That was a demoralized Dolphins team that was ready to be done and wasn't putting up a fight. If Wanny actually took that Fielder was good from that day, then he's a total idiot.

 

3rd reason is not trying to get a great WR. Wannstedt obviously missed on Brees so he messed up the QB position. But he also never understood how important it is to have a great WR corps, which statistically after the QB is the most important piece to a modern offense. Chris Chambers was the best we had, and while he was decent, no one is mistaking him for a great WR.

One thing that piqued my interest this season is that Tyreek Hill trade. I don't think any GM/HC combo we've had in the past would have done that in the same situation because Tua hadn't shown he was good at the deep ball, and as people have pointed out he doesn't have that strong of an arm. I can't see how any of our previous HCs would have signed off on that move.

But Hill makes sense if you do this based on analytics, because QB + WR is what matters most statistically on offense. That is, after QB you should focus most of your resources on offense on getting the best WRs. It makes me think there may be a higher regard for analytics under McDaniel than we've seen before in Miami (another reason to like him!).

 

I don't get the Ricky era vibe at all. Those teams were handicapped by Jay Fielder. We had no chance at winning meaningful games with him at quarterback. I know the Jets and the Bills are doing their thing. I realize that the Pats are right on our butts, but 7 teams make the postseason and it's very likely that three come from our division alone. Right now our defense isn't playing very well at all, but the skill, talent, and ability is there for them to pick it up. I don't think this is going to be a wasted season out of Tyreek Hill either. I think this will pay off and as long as Tua stays upright and healthy we're going to make a playoff run and it's going to be a good one.
I do think we need to find a way to leapfrog the Jets in our division. I doubt we catch the Bills unless Josh Allen is out for a while and I'll never be someone who roots for things like that. Back to the Jets though..(Who I hate more than any team in football besides Dallas), they have a tough four game schedule ahead of them. They're at New England, home to Chicago, at the Vikings, and then at Buffalo. They could very well lose all four of those games very easily. In fact, I think the Pats beat them, Justin Fields is starting to give the league some trouble, the Vikings are for real, and Buffalo at home in December will not be easy for them. We just have to take care of business and we'll be ok.
If I'm going back to 2002 when Ricky ran wild for us, there were two losses at the end of the year that did that team in. One was a heartbreaker to the Vikings and then the following week the Patriots (who were out of playoff contention) beat us. It was a sad way to end the year, but no different from a few years back when the Tannehill led team lost to the Jets and Buffalo on back2back weeks. Either of those game would have clinched a playoff birth for us. My point is that we have to take care of business. Right now we're in the playoffs if they were to start today. Lets just keep it that way. 11 wins should get us in this year and I think that's exactly how many wins this team will have by the end of the season.

 

We have to win our next two games because that run of 3 road games in a row is brutal and we still have to travel to Boston late in the year. I think for our playoff chances we really can’t afford to be dropping home games to the Browns and Texans. Get to 8-3 and I think our playoff chances look good.

 

No question. Get to 8-3, which we absolutely should, and everything is still on the table. Heck, we might get into the playoffs by finishing 2-4 after that. But if we want to actually have a chance to win a game in the playoffs, we need to earn the #5 seed, and that's likely going to require at least 11 wins. So to fend off the fact that we have road games vs SF, LA, BUF and NE left, we absolutely need to win the ones at home.

 

Might come down to the last game against the Jets. I can see us losing to SF and BUF but I think we can beat the Chargers and NE is probably 50/50 in the cold.

We have to take care of the Browns, Texans and Packers at home.

 

that one Smythe for some odd reason turns his head away from Tua, Tua thought maybe he was turning upfield, it ruined the timing. All on Smythe

 

Yeah, watching it again makes it clear that Smythe never tracked the ball after turning his head. Should have been a game clinching play.