I don't know think the Bucs got worse overall (particularly on offense), but I wouldn't be surprised if they went 9-7, which is why I picked them. I tried picking two teams from each division, as I would think that's the best odds.
So the teams that people are most optimistic about getting better include the: Eagles Texans Lions Bills Panthers Packers Cowboys Rams Dolphins Chargers Broncos Saints Interesting.
You can't make that claim. He played less than satisfactory last year. Sure. What he does this year is speculation. Mohammed Massaquio Brian Robiske Jake DelHomme. Yet, he made Hillis into a pro-bowl caliber player and used Cribbs very well. Not a correlation between team performance. Considering we never offered Harbaugh a contract, I don't see the undermined aspect. He got benched because of perceived ineffectiveness. You act as if that never happens. Kurt Warner hit the bench for Matt Leinart. Bull****. We upgraded at center. We upgraded at RG. But, we've downgraded at RT. That's a +1 no? I see. You're psychic and believe your opinion on the team is gospel. They've never even played a game. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are backups around the league now. What are you on? Proof? Evidence? Your speculation doesn't count extra because you work for UD. Mentally-weak is debatable. Poorly coached I could give you. It's highly remarkable to "you" because "you" can't understand how people can disagree with "you".
It's ALL speculation. If you think there's no reason (outside of bias/agenda) to say that the Dolphins are worse in 2011 then the same holds true of all 31 other teams in the poll and whichever teams you may have voted for get to say you only voted against them because of bias/agenda. And therefore, all prediction is invalid and has no basis. Prediction/projection may be dicey, but it often has basis, at the very least. Brian Daboll's job isn't to make the agents for certain players on his unit happy by making them look good. It's to help his team score points. Browns fans were as anxious to jettison Daboll as Dolphins fans were to jettison Henning. You don't see the undermined aspect??? The whole thing was a circus! It drew tons of headlines, a media spectacle, criticism from people over how it was handled, etc. Sparano flipped out about it behind closed doors, and you don't see the undermined aspect of it. OK. The Dolphins' players were pumped when Pennington took over for Henne. They had a good week of practice, they were focused. After that game when it was revealed Pennington was out for the rest of the year and they had to live with the other QBs, one of whom had just been discredited by the staff, the team was 2-5. Your accounting is off. Vernon Carey is a Right Tackle. He's been a Tackle, mostly Right Tackle, his whole career. He hasn't played Guard since college and honestly I'm not sure if that was even for more than a game or so. He's not going to be as good a player at Guard as he was at Tackle, so that's not just some one-for-one thing like Vernon Carey, Richie Incognito and Jake Long are all still here and the differences are just Mike Pouncey and Marc Colombo. And even if that were the case, then you're talking about at the very least a push because Pouncey is an upgrade over Berger and Colombo is worse at his position than our 2010 RGs were at theirs. But I think we're talking about a downgrade because the RG Carey is a downgrade from the RT Carey, Mike Pouncey is only a SLIGHT upgrade over Joe Berger as a rookie (again, everyone overrates rookies), and RT Colombo is a downgrade from RG Jerry/McQuistan. The line is being shuffled and messed with yet again, and I don't think they're going to gel until the second half of the season...and if you think Carey's pass protection was in question at RT last year, Henne will be begging for him to go back there this year once he's got Colombo's assignment buzzing his ear all the time. I also think as a rookie Pouncey will probably let up pressure up the middle and get walked backward more than Berger did. I see. So because you don't like a projection, you have to make out like anyone projecting anything fashions them a psychic. Interesting tactic. Completely ineffective, but interesting nonetheless. UD has nothing to do with this but nice of you to show your true colors here. Pass rush is likely to back slide because of Cameron Wake. He had a big time breakout year last year. Most times, players that have that kind of year, breaking out like that, take a step backward the next year, as teams become more inclined to make adjustments to their game plans to account for the guy. It happens to the best of them, it happens to the worst of them. As Cameron Wake goes, so goes the Dolphins' pass rush, and Jason Taylor is not a good enough pass rusher anymore to change that. Sitting at 5-4 with upcoming home games against the Bills, Browns and Lions, a Week 17 game against the Patriots that was shaping up to looking like a meaningless game for them, and a chance to directly influence (by beating them) the record of your main competition for the playoffs (Jets)...the Dolphins proceeded to go 1-4. You call that bad coaching, I call it mentally weak. Maybe it's one in the same. But either way, I don't see how the team that crashed that spectacularly, and similarly crashed spectacularly at the end of the 2009 as well, is so very different from this 2011 team. Same head coach, same quarterback. This coming from the person who openly stated that anyone who believes the Dolphins will be worse in 2011 has an agenda? LMFAO.
All you are saying is that he is speculating, which is exactly what you, and everyone in this thread, are doing. No?
You just lack the "intestinal fortitude" to be positive. I picked just off of records alone. I don't really think the Patriots got worse but < 14 wins seems a high possibility. It's also hard for me to pick a better or worse for every team without knowing every transaction like I do with the Dolphins. See a team that more or less stayed the same except for draft picks, who most all of those guys look good on paper right now, and hard not to think they at least got a little better in theory.
Among a host of many quibbles. Now to be clear, guys do watch this league and it's players closely, and I've kept my ears open in re the Dolphins so far: -Henne is a problem -Defense will maul people -Phinsrock was at Pats Training Camp and mentioned they are working like squirrels on meth on specials. They know were our previos weakness resides. Is this sparta, or meathead miami?
Me as well. Kept Sparano, didn't get a QB (though I doubt Tony Sparano would've been capable of developing one anyway), didn't get Ahmad Bradshaw, brought back JT, the O-line continues to shuffle, Marc Colombo, etc. and so forth.
There was a pretty significant Special Teams segment at Bucs practice too. I wonder if that has to do with the lack of OTAs and mini camps and stuff. Maybe teams normally work on a lot of STs stuff in those pre-TC practices. You know that in these players-only practices nobody was out there practicing special teams!
Nope. Definitely not. Clearly anyone voting for the Dolphins as worse in 2011 than 2010 is just biased and supporting their agenda.
Really? You don't think a strong argument could be made that hiring a past poor performing offensive coordinator, losing several veteran players that we replaced with question marks and rookies (RBs) and retaining a lame duck head coach could make us a worse team this year? I think a it's also a strong argument that the Jets did, in fact, get worse this season. But if you really think the fact that the Jets stand at 51 and the Dolphins stand at 7 has nothing to do with this being a Dolphins fan board, then well, I just think you're not right. If I had the ambition I'd post the same poll on a Jets board to prove my point, but I have better things to do. P.S. If you're going to post a public poll asking our opinion, it's not really good form to attack those opinions.
Sorry. I was being sarcastic. Unfortunately there isn't a Sarcastic Sans MS font. KingMotion said the following earlier in the thread: To which I replied: To which he replied with a babble of butt-hurt nonsense about projections and "just because you write for UD..." stuff.
My bad, CK. I didn't take the time to read the whole thread. Got back from a meeting, voted quickly, saw your response and overreacted. I was surprised because that didn't sound like something you would say. I should have known better... Looks like our opinions couldn't be much more similar.
CK do you think Ruud was a significant loss for their defense? Or something that can be replaced without huge impact. I like lots of things the Bucs did and they have lots of talent, getting to 11 wins with ATL and NO in the division might be tough. Although Carolina is in the division too.
Call me a USF homer but when I came to practice I saw Tyrone McKenzie working the MLB position for the Bucs and I REALLY liked what I saw. They drafted Mason Foster in the 3rd round as well and eventually he could be their guy. I think Barrett Ruud is kind of replaceable, a product of a system that wasn't really pulling enough of his own weight. Tyrone McKenzie was a promising draft pick in the 3rd round, I liked him a lot in college. The Patriots got him and before he could even sign his contract he busted his knee up. But he's in the 2nd year back from that surgery, which is always the key year, and he looked smart and comfortable manning that spot.
They drafted their best CB. Probably best player in draft. Kolb will shine in that division. #1 WR, #1 TE...and reasonable rushing attack if the OL gels even a little. I would wager they are the best of the WEST by the bye-week at worst.
I did like Stitches said, and voted for two from each division and the only one with lots of votes that I did not pick is the Giants. Relative to the Skins and Boys, I don't think the Giants got worse. I also did not pick Miami, because in my objective analysis I think there are 16 teams who did less to get better. I don't see how not picking Miami can be considered as not being objective. Whomever picked the Eagles was just being a big dumb silly person.
right on bro . we dont have much room to gloat because we did lose to the bills, browns , one other team i cant think of right now .
I'm actually with you here. They are returning somewhat to the old Rich McKay way of roster management when they built their quality squad. Kudos to Mark Domenik. Teams are working a lot on ST's this year. It is league-wide.
I'm sure that there's some bias in there but the Jets lost Edwards, Smith, Cotchery, Ellis, Pool, Taylor & Jenkins. That's a lot of talent and leadership, and 3 of the 7 players were scooped up by their divisional rivals. Plax is fresh out of jail, Mason is 37, and they have little or no depth behind them at WR. Outside of those two geriatrics the Jets added no one of significance so any improvement will have to come from guys already on the roster. DBrick, Mangold, Slauson, Greene, Holmes, Sanchez, the rookie DEs, Connor, Revis, Cromartie, Harris etc. Meanwhile, we lost Ronnie, Ricky, Cobbs, & Crowder, not b/c we couldn't afford to keep them but because we decided to go in a different direction. Thomas, Bush, Sheets & Burnett are all question marks, but they aren't downgrades as some have opined. We're adding Odrick, Edds and Merling to the defense; Thomas, Bush, Sheets, Clay, Gates & Pouncey to the offense. Our list of young players with the potential to improve rivals that of any team in the league. Vontae, Sean, Clemons, R Jones, Wake, Misi, Soliai, Langford & Odrick on defense. Henne, Bush, Bess, Marshall, Long, Hartline & Incognito on offense. If even half of those guys improve in 2011 we're looking at a major overall improvement. I don't consider myself a homer or biased, I just think that our team has as good a chance of improving as any and I think the Jets have as good chance of taking a step back as any.
You say that improvement has to come from guys already on the roster....ummmm...most of those guys are young and if I remember are the core of guys that have been to 2 straight afc title games. Guys that Jets lost...Edwards is a locker room diva and too much trouble..Brad Smith does some but not worth 4 mil. Shaun Ellis? cmon....Jenkins was gone for 2 years already due to injury...Cotchery a great but hurt and is Pitt 5th WR now...not a big loss...Jason Taylor? gimme a break.and Pool is back by the way.
Individually? No. It's not necessarily a loss of objectivity by any means. Collectively? It is. We're talking about collectively voting the Dolphins as the 8th most likely to improve team in the league. Meanwhile damn near 80% of the voters think the Jets will get worse from their 11-5. But keep in mind what the argument above was about. KingMotion had suggested that anyone that believes Miami got worse in the off season was not being rational.
He's surprised that HIS speculation isn't shared with everyone else. He speculated and put them forward as facts. Where has anyone besides ck say something definitively in this thread?
I picked 16 who I believe will have a worse record than last year. I did not include the Dolphins because I honestly think we will be in the 7-9 win range this year. A couple of the teams picked our victims of their own success. I kind of loosely picked teams earlier in the day and wrote the comments. Then I decided to look up and include the sportsbook over/unders as a separate reference. Most seem to agree well with my thoughts. NE: 14 wins is a lot for any team to duplicate. O/U 11.5 wins NYJ: I personally think 11 wins is also too much for this team. A lot of bounces went the Jets way last year, that likely will not continue. O/U 10 wins (over seems like a sucker bet here) PITT: Solid team basically returning everyone. 12 wins in a physical division is a lot to replicate espeically with the AFC South on the schedule. O/U 10.5 wins BALT: See Pitt O/U 10.5 wins CIN: A rookie QB I am not sold on or Jordan Palmer...Yikes O/U 5.5 wins JAX: MJD seems to be wearing down. Lose MSW and will likely throw a rookie into the flames. O/U 6 wins TEN: Hasselbeck is done. Locker needs grooming. Johnson is not in camp. O/U 6.5 wins (This seems to easy to take the under. Look for TEN to win over 6.5 games this year) KAN: The 2009 Miami Dolphins. Success with an easy scehdule. I like the team but not for 10 wins. O/U 7.5 wins OAK: Defense is worse with no Nhamdi. Raiders seem to always be a dumpster fire. 8 Wins is a lot. O/U 6.5 wins WAS: Grossmen and Beck in a QB league in a tough division..yikes. O/U 6.5 wins CHI: 11 wins is too much in that division and a swiss cheese o-line. O/U 8.5 wins ATL: IMO in the best division in football. Just a victim of 13 wins last year. Still a great team. O/U 10.5 wins BUCS: Team on the ups but again best division in football. Playing the NFC North. O/U 8 wins SEA: I am not sure what Seattle is doing. Signing a lot of players but got worse at most important position. 7 wins just seems too much. O/U 6.5 wins SF: I don't know I just don't feel SF this year. Im drinking the Luck conspiracy theory Kool-Aid. O/U 7.5 wins Most O/U correspond to a lower number than the records last year for these teams. Conversely MIA: O/U 7.5 wins DAL: O/U 9 wins DEN:O/U 5.5 wins NO: O/U 10 wins ZONA: O/U 6.5 wins BUF: O/U 5.5 wins NYG: O/U 9.5 wins I got my over unders here: http://sports.bodog.eu/sports-betting/football-team-props.jsp So technically the Miami Dolphins (at least the the wise guys eyes) have improved (record wise.) Just as a disclaimer I understand over unders are not how good a team is but has a lot to do with public perception and getting a line to generate action. But lets be honest, Vegas never loses money.
There are some teams that didnt necessarily get worse but the teams around them got better. Atlanta really didnt lose anyone major besides Dahl and had a major need filled in the draft but New Orleans and a few other teams really improved imo so which is it? Did Atlanta really get that much worse? Or did the teams around them get better? You can find this in a few cases so I really couldnt vote for 16 teams.
I think you're underestimating the impact of NYs losses, especially when if consider who they've brought in to replace the losses. And thx for the info on Pool, I didn't know he'd been retained. My mistake.
