Well, let's not get too loose now. ;)

 

Probably my favorite players on each side of the ball.

 

To be honest, I'm a little bit worried about this. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I feel like this could be a point when they start buying into the hype of their success and take Indy lightly. Just because they're loose doesn't mean this is the case, having a loose team can be a great thing. But there is a very fine line here IMO.

 

Dick haircuts?

 

i´dont see anything bad with this....they are having fun together..they are starting to gel, forming a bond...its bad news for indy, imo

 

Philbin wouldn't allow this team to become unfocused and ill prepared. Having a little fun is well deserved for this team that hasn't been in position to make a run at the playoffs since the last election.

 

I agree that Philbin is the key. He seems to have established a culture where the team prepares the right way. The goofing around is fine and even a positive as long as the preparation continues with the same level of focus as has been established. I'll trust in Philbin to keep that focus and preparation from waning as can be the case when a team falls into the trap of hubris.

 

This. It seems like Philbin doesn't mind having fun but also is very strict from distinguishing a time to play and a time to be serious.

 

Well said Raf... I also believe that the second part to this is having the right type of people in the locker room. If BM or CJ or even VD are on the field, it probably goes too far. Whereas, the players we have are a mature bunch, who appreciate what they have, and understand there is a time and place.

 

Philbin doesnt seem like a coach who would let this team look past anyone.

 

The players we have finally getting respect.

 

Sounds like this hardworking bunch under Philbin is starting to believe in themselves.

 

The issue as I see it is that you can have a team that's either focused or unfocused, and either loose or tight. If you cross those two dimensions, you get four possibilities:

1. Tight and focused
2. Tight and unfocused
3. Loose and focused
4. Loose and unfocused

Of course #3 is what you want (loose and focused). It's okay to loosen up as long as you don't lose focus.

What I would strive for is a loose atmosphere that's driven by the laid back sort of personality of the coach and the team leaders (in contrast to someone like Nick Saban, who had a very tight, paranoid demeanor), but with focus derived from a long-term goal the team has, such as winning the division or making the playoffs.

The day-to-day experience can be loose, but the long-term goal should keep the team focused and driven. Hopefully this team has such a goal for itself.

 

Hey DJ, there is a "Y" at the end of Pouncey's name. I see you've been omitting it lately. Why?

 

That's a good point. And the reason why I can't say it was the wrong decision to trade Brandon Marshall. It's not what I would have done, but he may not have been the best fit for a variety of reasons.

 

Fair enough!!!!!!

 

Well, what I was afraid of looked like it happened today. They looked unfocused. It was one of the worst performances of the year by most of the team IMO. Tanny and the WRs looked good, but the O line was horrid, the pass rush was poor, and the secondary got torched. And the player who was trying to sneak onto the offense in practice was the worst player on the field and probably cost us the game. I don't blame Philbin as it seems like he tried to keep them in line, but that was not the way they came out and played.

 

The leadership among the players and the team culture is not where it needs to be yet.

 

Why people allow Wake to be held is beyond me...this league and protecting its "stars" is getting ridiculous.

 

How you feeling about this now, DJ?

You still likey? ;)

The team leadership didn't show up yesterday IMO. This team was on the cusp of having an identity as a truly good team in this league, and those players should've led a week of crisp, focused practice, as well as come up big with good games yesterday.

That's where the weakness is at this point IMO.

 

Miami also didn't have a coach with Lukemia on the side lines to give the extra motivation

 

No I know you weren't projecting anything, but when none of the team's leaders shows up in a game that could've established this team as a truly good one in the league, any sort of goofing off by those leaders in practice in the week preceding the game can't very well be looked back upon with any positivity.

 

But it's easier to win when you're angry. What's harder to do is to sustain your motivation and drive through a season full of games where sometimes the other team is going to be the angry one.

It takes leadership and a team culture to pull that off, neither of which this team has in sufficient measure at this point IMO.

 

It's a tough thing to achieve, and few teams have it IMO. You need players who are not only physically good, but also have the kind of leadership qualities that can steer their teammates in the direction of doing what they need to do to make the team great.

I think it's a sobering observation that none of the following -- Jake Long, Reggie Bush, Randy Starks, Mike Pouncey, Sean Smith, Karlos Dansby, and Cameron Wake -- had games yesterday that reflect their turning on the juice to get this team over the hump it was perched on yesterday.

Essentially none of the leaders came to play on a day that could've made this team turn the corner. Not good.

 

I'm sorry, but any list of players who didn't show up that includes Wake and Pouncey is hard to take seriously.

 

It's not that they had poor games, but they didn't have the kinds of outstandingly good games they've had in the past, and that's what we needed IMO from several of those guys who should be the leaders of this team. Instead we got games you could call outstandingly good from none of them.

Someone has to rise to the occasion and play in an outstanding way if this team is going to get over the hump. You can't have all the people who are capable of that show up and play average or worse by their standards in a game that can get you over that hump.

Who was the guy who, by the way he played yesterday, sent a clear message that he was going to be the guy to win that game for his team? IMO nobody, and that's a problem.

 

So players need to have a coach diagnosed with a life threatening disease to play well? I understand that was extra motivation for the Colts, but the Dolphins played one of their worst games of the year for the most part. Tannehill and the WRs masked a little bit of it, but overall it was a pretty poor performance. Those 3rd and long numbers were embarrassing.

 

The key part of that, as I've said, is that there was an outstandingly good game from none of the players whom you would ostensibly consider the leaders of this team. When not a single one of those guys plays at that level in a game of that magnitude, something is up regarding the culture of the team IMO.

What I suspect is that no player has truly taken ownership of this team and its future. If they had done that, they would've viewed the game at Indy as critical in this team's turning the corner, and they would've come out and played in a way that reflected that.

And if it's true that no player has taken ownership of the team and its future, the team still has no true leader. You may have guys out there with good character who aren't necessarily getting in the way of the team's development, but there isn't that guy or group of guys who have taken the personal responsibility to make the team great, or in other words have become leaders.