Hard to believe that a quarter of the season has come and gone already. As we grade the various positions, we tried to take into consideration certain areas like production and stats, as well as intangibles.
Normally these grading charts end with the coaches, but we choose to begin here.
Coaches: C
We’ll give the staff an A+ for an excellent game plan vs. New England, but then two F’s in a row drop their grade much lower. Joe Philbin’s inconsistency, poor decisions, distractions, and more, did not help matters at all. Interesting rumors developed about Dawn Aponte and the front office staff, too, which didn’t help. If Philbin is a bad coach, then the front office needs to help him, not cause him further problems.
Quarterback: C+
Sorry, Ryan Tannehill, but having great stats against a brutally bad Oakland defense doesn’t win you many points. Just like getting killed against a good Bills defense, to be fair, doesn’t lose you points. You did okay against New England and not so hot against KC. Keep the ball on the read-option more often, and you can get this grade up.
Offensive line: B+
They had their bad moments, but you have to compare this to last year and note the improvement. Albert and James are the cornerstones of a line that will only get better when Pouncey returns. We love the play of Samson Satele, stepping up after so many other guys we auditioned bombed at center.
WRs: A-
Mike Wallace is productive, and rookie Jarvis Landry is getting open. We were all pretty excited to get Gibson back this year, but he has been a non-factor because so many other guys are stepping up well. Look for Gibson to get far more involved as the opponents key in on Landry and Wallace more and more. We were tempted to give these guys an A+, but Brian Hartline’s stupid golf putt really hurt more than most fans realized. After pinning KC deep in their own zone all day, Hartline decided that he wanted Caleb Sturgis to kick off from his own 20.
RBs: B+
We won’t be hypocrites and say that we knew Lamar Miller would do well. We didn’t. We were not confident about him. He proved us wrong with his running.
His two costly fumbles cost this group an A, but at least we won in BOTH games in which he coughed it up. Moreno will be back in October, and that can only help. Daniel Thomas was a welcome addition back.
Defense and Special Teams Report Card Coming Soon.
Pretty fair grades overall. I really hope beating the Raiders will reset the confidence this team seemed to have lost. And Im hoping the whoopings we’ve suffered have given this team an early taste just what they work so hard to avoid. They have had both highs and lows. In a way they had a season’s worth of emotions on both ends. Hopefully they have mentally matured and groupwise have gelled. The talent is there and even the coach has been humbled. Hopefully the next chapter will be a story about this teams growth, and strength to overcome , while not letting a close game slip away by giving up. The next four games are
Packers
Bears
Jaguars
Chargers
Honestly I feel most of the experts will pick us to go 1 and 3. Im thinking 2 and 2 but hoping 3 and 1. But if we keep up the ugly trend represented by our last 2 game loosing streak. It could be 0-4.
To the Dolphins Team and Staff:
The time is now to step up and lead by example. The time is now to stop waiting for somebody else to. Now is the time to take full ownership of your position and assume your job is just as important as everybody else’s. Are you playing to collect a paycheck or does your legacy matter ? This short time in this wonderful game is a gift , you will have plenty of time later after your retired to spend all your pay. But for now please play for your legacy, the love of the game which has given you so much, and for the fans who love you.
Now is the time!
We see us going through these games at 2-2 like PhinsUp. We have to coast against Jacksonville, and somehow get past the Chargers, which we always seem to manage. Packers and Bears are looking tough, but we might catch them at a bad time. So after 8 games, we’re probably going to be sitting at 4-4. That might be enough to linger around the playoff race. We hope.
Honestly after re watching the Raiders game. Im troubled by our slow starts. The Raiders looked dominant if for a short time and the turnovers are also troubling. And as I try my best to stay positive, reading this is crushing.
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/10/01/dolphins-rb-knowshon-moreno-says-hes-about-four-weeks-away-from-returning/
I agree with most of your grades but I think your WR grade is way off!
Our WRs lead the league in dropped passes, many occurred on 3rd down or 2nd and long situations. Also, none of these guys are getting YAC except Wallace.
My grade for WR group is more like a D . They have been a big problem so far but I do believe the talent is there.
Mike J,
Yes we know the A- is generous, and we certainly do not excuse all the drops. But the receiving corps this year is the strongest it’s been in years. Landry really helps. Wallace is a star and Hartline has that potential. Add Gibson in the slot , and opposing defenses don’t know what to do. Seems like one of them is always getting open. Yes, I know catching the ball is more important than getting open, but we have to start somewhere. Last year we didn’t have Landry. Year before, we had only Davonne Bess. These guys all command the defense’s attention, and that is helping the running game. So all of that put together is how we came up with the A-