As 2014 comes to and end, we decided to look back on the Highs and Lows of our own blog, Dolphins Truth.

During 2014, as we look back, some of our predictions were accurate, and we’ll take credit for that.   Some of our predictions were way off base, and we now humbly admit we were wrong.  So without further ado, here is a recap of our year as we dig through the 2014 archive one final time.

THE LIST:

1.  What we said:    We welcomed Bill Lazor and predicted his new offense would be uptempo, exciting, and improved.

The verdict:  We were right.  Sort of.
The offense certainly improved over 2013, and Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller had career years.  We scored far more points as well.   But…the offense stalled far too many times.

When Philbin allows Lazor to call plays, good things happen.
When Philbin allows Lazor to call plays, good things happen.

We ran ONE quarterback sneak all year.  ONE.    Think about all those many many 3rd-and-inches when Lazor called for a shotgun formation and then a deep handoff to Miller.   Why?   We rarely used a hurry-up offense.  We should have.


2.   “Lamar Miller isn’t good enough to be an everyday NFL running back.”

The verdict:   We were dead wrong.
Miller became a 1,000 rusher, including the most electrifying (and longest) run in Dolphins history.  He proved to be durable and held onto the ball well.


3.  Signing Samson Satele was a great move.

The verdict:  We were right.
You have to remember how desperate we were when Mike Pouncey got hurt in training camp.   We auditioned about 25 guys to be center, and they all sucked.  But then we signed Satele.  We never should have cut him in the first place, and it was nice to get him back.  He tightened up the o-line and started every single game.  He was so good, that he kept his job when Pouncey came back.   The o-line gave up a lot of sacks this year, but just imagine how many more it would be without Samson.


4.  After three games (and a 1-2 record), we said it was time to bench Tannehill.

The verdict:  We were wrong.
Tannehill turned it all around and had his best year.  He can do it all, and just needs to let it all out.  The playcalling hurt him.   Seems like every single time he ran the ball, he got huge gains.  But then they stopped calling his running plays.

Lauren Tannehill’s husband shut us up and turned us into believers. Well done, Ryan.

His arm is strong, and his accuracy improved.  And no player in the NFL is tougher.  When he gets sacked, he gets sacked HARD.  But then he pops right back up for more.  We were very happy to be wrong about him.


5.  We need to fire Joe Philbin.

The verdict:  We were right.
After the 2013 season, we knew it was time to dismiss Joe Philbin.  And now after the 2014 season, we are 100 times more right.   We were against the hiring of Philbin from the very beginning.  He had never been a head coach (and it shows).  When he was the offensive coordinator in Green Bay, he was never allowed to call a single play (and now we know why).   The Packers never involved him in personnel decisons.  To put it bluntly, Philbin never had any real responsibility in 30+ years of coaching (and, boy oh boy, does that show now).
We can write entire articles about the failings of Slow Joe Philbin, and we do so often.  But for the sake of this 2014 recap, let’s just say that every single time people think Philbin should be fired, he does nothing to prove us wrong.  And whenever some folks (Stephen Ross) think Philbin should remain, he does nothing to justify their faith in him.

Miami Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin
Our leader.

There were points this year when the Dolphins looked like a playoff team, and that was because the players were doing so well and Philbin was letting the players play.   But there were other points when we looked like a last-place team, and that was because Philbin interjected himself into the game.  He called horrendous timeouts on defense.  He made gutless calls to kick a field goal on 4th-and-inches.   He did not challenge plays that would have resulted in Miami points.   The list goes on.


6.  The first Buffalo Bills game in Week 2 will tell us everything we need to know about 2014 Dolphins.

The verdict:  We were right on the money.
Way before the season began, when the schedule was first announced, we circled this game.  We called it the most important game of the year.  We knew it would be the game that would tell all.   No matter what happened in Week One, that could have been a fluke either way (and it was).    But Week 2 is when the season really kicks in, especially against a heated divisional rival who swept us last year.  It was the Dolphins’ time to assert themselves as the new Beast of the AFC East, or to drop back in the pack and become mediocre again.  Sure enough, the Dolphins were sluggish, the offense (except for Mike Wallace) didn’t show up, and Joe Philbin set the stage for another 8-8 season.


7.  Jonathan Martin would not prosper in San Francisco.

The verdict:  We were right.
Judas Tattletale had another so-so year and did not make the playoffs.


8.   We should not have selected a WR, Jarvis Landry,  in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft.

The verdict:  We were wrong.
We thought that another offensive lineman is Round 2 was a better option, since our 2013 Receiving corps was already adequate.   But Landry’s athleticism and ability to adapt to the pro game proved us wrong.  He made an impact as a rookie, and defenses had to account for him, which led to 10 Mike Wallace touchdowns.


9.   Dion Jordan is a bust.

The verdict:  We were right.
I know a lot of you think that Dion is still a work in progress.  You say we can’t judge him yet until the coaches let him play linebacker.  You say that Dion hasn’t had enough time to shine.   I say Hogwash!
Dion Jordan started the year by getting suspended.  While he was out on suspension, he got suspended again.  That’s all you need to know about Peon Dion.

In between his numerous suspensions, Dion Jordan found some time to do something useful.

As far as him playing linebacker, then you might as well try him out at kicker too.  Don’t blame the coaching staff for mis-using a guy who has shown them no skills at any position.  He’s had two full years to make an impact, and he’s done absolutely nothing. I think he tipped a punt one time, but didn’t block it.  He got a sack vs. the Vikings because Teddy Bridgewater fell down right in front of him.  Anything else?  Can any Dion supporters name me one impactful play he’s made in two years?


10.   Signing Knowshon Moreno, Cortland Finnegan, and Randy Starks were good moves.

The verdict:  We were right.
All three had different levels of success for Miami.  Moreno stirred the NFL in Week One, but promptly got hurt.  Finnegan proved valuable all year until an injury hurt the Dolphins badly.  Randy Starks did not have a stellar year, and the run defense collapsed in December, but this guy plays his guts out when he’s in there.  He is handicapped by too many situational substitutions that weren’t his fault.   All in all, this threesome were all good signings that just didn’t work out as far as playoffs go..


11.   The Dolphins should cut Michael Egnew.

The verdict:  We were right.
It seems like Egnew was on the team for about 15 years without making a single contribution.  What a waste of a roster spot.   Finally cutting him meant extra playing time for Dion Sims, who promptly rewarded us by having a nice season.


12.   Joe Philbin has to get better control of this team.

The verdict:  We were right.
In the aftermath of last year’s Jonathan Martin fiasco, this season began with Rashad Jones and Dion Jordan getting suspended.   During the year, Brian Hartline and Jared Odrick were caught on camera screaming at Philbin’s face.  Mike Wallace allegedly argued with him in Week 17.  Derrick Shelby beat up some cops.
Normally, a player’s actions are not the coach’s fault.  But Joe Philbin always always emphasizes morals and leadership and character and discipline etc.  He prides himself on having a teamful of well-behaved nerdy boy scouts.  Toughness and the willingness to win are not as important to Philbin as good manners and sportsmanship.  It’s just the type of coach he is.

In the upside-down world of Joe Philbin, you don't go for it on 4th-and one.   But when it's 4th-and-five, it's time to try.
In the upside-down world of Joe Philbin, you don’t go for it on 4th-and one. But when it’s 4th-and-five, it’s time to try.

So if Philbin wants to brag about the character of his men, then he has to take responsibility when they show less character.  To us at Dolphins Truth, this all comes from the fact that no player fears Joe Philbin or takes seriously anything he says.
When he says, “we need to do X, Y, and Z to win,” you know the players are thinking, “How do you know?”


13.   Joe Philbin will say the same exact things every single time we lose a game.

The verdict:  We were right, unfortunately.

Philbin is like a broken record with excuses, and somehow, Mr. Ross tolerates this.

4 Comments

  1. Nice picture of Mrs. Tannehill. hottie

  2. Nice picture of Mrs. Tannehill. hottie

  3. Surprised there aren’t any real comments on this article yet.

    For me, Admin gives a lot of credibility to this site by readily admitting when he’s wrong. That’s refreshing, and I’m glad he took the time to sift through old posts/statements/actions for the purpose of reflection; something the Dolphins organization seems incapable of doing.

    1. Author

      Thanks, MDM. I’ll tell you something. Way back in 1992 when Shaquille O’Neal and Christian Laetner came out of college and entered the pros, I thought that the Orlando Magic should draft Laetner over Shaq. A few months later, and I learned how wrong I was and had to admit it. Once you get in the habit of honestly admitting when you’re wrong, it no longer wounds your pride as much. That is what infuriates us so much about Philbin. He doesn’t admit when he makes bad decisions. Yes I know that few coaches admit their mistakes, but Philbin just goes on and on about how right he was.
      And as far as comments on my articles…it’s a little tricky sometimes, because people tend to read the top article on our blog. And if they miss it, then the next day it’s pushed down as the second article. So for folks who don’t visit every day, they probably miss some articles. Oh well, that’s why we keep up our archives.

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