A once promising season has spiraled out of control. After beginning the season with 3 straight wins, our beloved Dolphins have suffered 4 consecutive defeats. Seemingly increasing in heartbreak as it went on. The fans have moved back to the ledge and the anger and depression is in high gear. This game has now become extremely important. We need to win if we want to have serious playoff hopes heading into the second half of the season. A loss wouldn't kill it completely, but it would be damn close.
The team as a whole is struggling. From the coaches to the players. They show glimpses of brilliance, and then they completely fall apart. I would imagine their confidence is a little shaken, but, when you lose 4 consecutive games, who wouldn't be lacking in confidence? The team has talent to win in all phases, but if they want to win on the scoreboard, they need to start playing and coaching better.
In come the red hot Bengals, who have done the exact opposite of us and have won 4 straight games. Andy Dalton has played the best stretch of football of his young career, and we all know they are LOADED with weapons at WR, TE and RB. Defensively, they are phenomenal in the front 7. Our D-Line is one of the best, theirs is playing out of this world. Dunlap, Atkins, Peko and Johnson are a force to be reckoned with, and their linebackers are playing at a high level as well.
In order for us to win this game, we need to play the way we did in the first half in New England, but for all 4 quarters instead of just 2. Best chance is to take away A.J. Green and Giovoni Bernard and get in Dalton's face as much as possible. Make him as UNCOMFORTABLE and TACKLE. Offensively, we need Ryan Tannehill to show up big and protect the football, and we need to try to run the ball. Even if it isn't working right away, STICK WITH IT. If we can have the kind of running game we had last week, it will open up the passing game. Getting Mike Wallace involved in open space with some screens, drags and slants should also be a priority. People are down on him for good reason, but he's still a playmaker. Mike Sherman needs to open up the playbook.
I also believe that in this game, it's more than just X's and O's. We have lost 4 straight games and there is a lot of negativity right now. A lot of reports coming out today that the locker room is in shambles. That's usually what happens when you can't win a game. The team needs to come together and come out READY TO FIGHT and ready to make a statement that the first 3 weeks of the season WERE NOT a fluke. This is a nationally televised primetime game in OUR house, we need to show a lot of HEART and PRIDE. The Bengals are a very, very good football team. Might be the best team we see all season. If we want to win, we need to execute. We need to play hard and fast. We need to play with heart and soul and we need to do it on every single snap. This is our chance to PROVE we are more like the team we saw the first 3 weeks of the season.
LET'S. ****ING. GO. DOLPHINS!!!!!
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Bpk, RGF, Section126 and 10 others like this.
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I am going to the game tomorrow, ****ty or not they are my team.
Larry Little, Bpk, RGF and 9 others like this. -
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Yup...some things in life will never change..we'll get it right one of these years..and we'll be here when it goes down.CashInFist, Killer Bees, BayAreaFinFan and 1 other person like this.
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Must win...they better be as pissed off as I am writing this.
RGF, vt_dolfan, CashInFist and 1 other person like this. -
Gut check time, think our key to winning is to not run so many games on the DL and maintain gap control.
People's helmets to hide:
-Tyson Clabo
-Nolan Carrol
-Caleb Sturgis (he is on my bubble list)
THill has to handle blitzes better, think we do take this one though. -
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Jeff Darlington is talking about how everyone in the locker room is antsy. Well, let's use that as fuel to get this season back on track!
SICK and BayAreaFinFan like this. -
Keys to the game:
Dont turn the ball over
Dont turn the ball over
Dont turn the ball over
Dont turn the ball over -
You missed turnovers. They shouldn't turn the ball over else they risk losing.BayAreaFinFan likes this.
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As I said in another thread, if this game is low scoring, I think that favors Miami. If it turns into a track meet, it favors the Bengals. Given everything that's come to light in the past 8-10 hours, however, I see the Bengals taking this game pretty easily, unfortunately.
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i would like to see the miller and thomas snaps go from 50-50 to 75-25 in favor of miller
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Man that pats game really deflated me, I'm not half as excited as I normally am before a game. But I know once the ball is kicked off I'm gonna be back to my old self, lets go!
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DOLPHAN1 Premium Member Luxury Box
don't forget fumbles and interceptions too, need to keep those to a minimum on O too. yea, that...BayAreaFinFan, bigballa2102 and MikeHoncho like this. -
I'm not wearing my new logo Dolphins T-shirt and hat to work for nothing.
For Halloween I'm a 'phins fan that still cares, hopefully I still care tomorrow morning :) -
Have worn a Dolphins jersey all season, switched to a Zach Thomas after our 3 game skid to stop it, going with nothing, no gear for tonight, see how it plays out! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member
We are beating their asses tonight ON PRIMETIME.
Then we are beating Tampas *** on ON PRIMETIME.
Two game season right here. God I hope they wreck some sh** tonight. -
Its all we have left....
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Haven't bet against the Dolphins in a long time, but hard to see how they can perform tonight.
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I'm 99% sure Miami's wearing the aqua jerseys tonight if that helps.
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Honestly I think Tannehill's health is in trouble tonight. Last Sunday, despite all the injuries the Patriots have on their defense, was still able to easily push around our offensive line. This Bengals defense is much, much better. And Clabo is back. Tannehill is ****ed.
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Funny you mention that. I was at the Patriots game and when they lost I just sat there totally, emotionally deflated...I noticed some Dolphins players on the field joking and laughing it up with some Patriot players and I thought to myself I took the loss harder then they did. But, I guess thats normal for players right after the games over.
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Hard to say what's going to happen tonight. Road teams on short week, usually a bad bet.
But this team has a bad look right now. It's not all media-invented contrary to what some would love to think. There's a bad feel in that locker room right now, and a bad feel from the coaches when you're seeing a guy as reserved as Joe Philbin dressing down top assistants during practice. It's hard to see the team succeeding in the midst of this kind of turmoil.
Would they have succeeded without it?
There's an argument to be made that the Dolphins own the Bengals. They beat the Bengals up in Cincinnati a year ago. But the two teams have really changed since then. The Bengals added the kind of versatile mismatch weapons a guy like Jay Gruden naturally covets since he's already the kind of guy that is inclined to run when the formation/personnel looks like it'll be a pass, and pass when the formation/personnel looks like it'll be a run. You add Tyler Eifert and Giovanni Bernard to that mix, that helps him do that.
On the other side, this is a brand new defense. It really is. Last year the defense featured Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett at linebacker, Sean Smith at corner, and Jared Odrick at defensive end. That was the defense that beat the Bengals. The Bengals offense is susceptible to teams that can get tight to the line of scrimmage, jam the heck out of players and play tight man coverage. That was Sean Smith's game. It's not Brent Grimes' game. Sean Smith had the second-best coverage day he had all year when he played the Bengals because the Dolphins let him get up on the line and blanket guys in tight man. He actually shut down A.J. Green, relatively speaking. And Jared Odrick being at end, that was one of the games where that approach worked.
Are we the same defense that held the Bengals to 13 points last year? -
Short answer: No
Long answer: Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo -
Got a new Tannehill jersey delivered yesterday, so it's never seen a defeat yet and will be getting worn tonight. On this most superstitious of nights it better work!
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I get the feeling the Dolphins could be playing for Joe Philbin's job tonight.
Section126 likes this. -
They should have played for his job against the Saints, Ravens, Buffalo and Patriots. Teams have figured out the formula to beat Miami, just blitz the **** out of them. I expect the Bengals to blitz early and often.
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In which case we should run screens all game, problem is Ive seen High school teams run RB screens better than this team -
I wouldn't put it at such an extreme, but I'm really curios to see how the team responds to all the drama and issues they've been facing.
Would speak volumes if they go out and punch Cincinnati in their mouths. -
I really can't wait for this game. I can't wait to see how we respond to all this crap.
In a little over 7 hours, the only thing that matters is what happens on the field. Which is the most important thing.
LET'S ****ING GO!!!!! -
vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member
I think tonights game is going to be remembered as a defining game either way. 10/31/13.
It will either spark a run towards our first playoff appearance since 2008....or possibly send us in an embarrassing tail spin.
When it all comes down to it though, our teams fate is in its own hands. Win their games starting tonight, and this season and this team will be remembered in Miami for a long time. Lose tonight...spiral down hill, and theres no telling how bad it will get.
We all know what they are capable of doing. They just have to do it.
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