Boy, it’s been a long time since I was able to write about a Dolphin playoff game. And although the Dolphins have little chance of winning 4 games in a row against elite opponents, it certainly can be done.
How?
I see the Dolphins’ path to playoff success as pretty simple actually. The main thing is for the offense to show up and play consistently. The playmakers are there. They are healthy. The offensive side of the ball was not decimated by injury like the defense was. Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, Jay Ajayi and others have all contributed from key positions, to the point where defenses cannot key on any one man.
The main thing to overcome and to avoid is Adam Gase’s crappy play-calling. You guys know my opinion about this, and it has not changed. Gase gives up on the run far too early. He has zero trickery or mis-direction in the playbook. He benches Ajayi on every single third down, no matter how short or long. He doesn’t use his tight ends enough. He designs plays that gain 4 yards when we need 5, or that gain 5 yards when we need six. I can remember ZERO quarterback sneaks this entire year. He runs the same bubble screen to Landry several times per game, and several times per game he fails.
And then, to make matters worse, after calling crappy play after crappy play, he blames the execution of the players. Yes, of course the players blow assignments. Of course bad things happen. Of course it’s Damien Williams’ fault that Damien Williams fumbled the last game away. But it’s Adam Gase’s fault for having Damien Williams on the field. It’s Adam Gase’s fault for benching Jay Ajayi at the most crucial point of the year. It’s Adam Gase’s fault for calling that screen pass to Williams when there were three defenders ready to stop him short. You get the point.
The offense doesn’t need to play better. They’re already capable of putting up 30+ per game. They just need to do it consistently.
The defense, on the other hand, needs to play better. The Dolphins did virtually nothing to disrupt Tom Brady, and we all saw the result. We saw Brady take his time and throw passes, and we saw Brady take his time and actually rush the ball himself. He’s among the worst runners ever, and he zig-zagged through our defense for an important first down as if we had no defense at all. That has to stop. We can’t stop an offense every single down, every single series. But we have to show some kind of resolve. Going back to the Bills game, our defense did not force a punt for 14 straight series (except for the one Bills punt in overtime). THAT is a brutal statistic.
And how about a turnover please? How about seeing more of Mike Hull? Anything is better than what we’ve gotten the past few weeks.
So if the defense steps it up a bit and holds Pittsburgh to a respectable score of like 24-or-under, then we’ll have a chance. I’d like the offense to just forget about the Patriots game and start anew, with their goal being the 30+ points there were scoring in other December games. Then we have a chance.
Your thoughts?
I think we need to come out fighting from the get go. Try to score some points early, for a change. Wake needs to get to the quarterback, unlike last week. And yes, force a turnover or two. Minimize the mental errors and mistakes and I’d say we come out with a W. And for Gods sake, keep tell Landry to cool it.
We have no chance. Unless Bell is injured,I’d say they have at least 200 yards rushing,which means we won’t have the ball. Nothing would make me happier than beating them at Ketchup Field again but it ain’t gonna happen. Just enjoy our string of beating bad teams and move on the next season’s 8-8 record.
Let’s see-“capable of 30 points per game”. Uh,no. Yeah,against some of those slugs we beat. Tell me again how many we scored against the ONLY 2 good teams we played-Baltimore and N.E.
“We should try to score early”. I thought we tried every game.
And thinking you know more about calling plays than a guy that holds a position that is 1 of only 32 around still amazes me.
Yes we all have opinions and I’m grateful that you take the time and expense to provide this forum for fans.
I hope I’m wrong but it may be worse than the 9-10 points we’re on the wrong side of.
Karma, you defend Gase more than Jay defends Matt Moore. We had a 17-point lead in the 4th quarter against the 49ers. We had THREE separate series. 3 separate 3-and-outs. That is bad enough, but made worse because Gase called 8 pass plays in those 9 nine downs, and 7 went incomplete. We took a grand total of 1:15 off the clock in THREE SERIES. Thus, it took a miracle tackle at the end to save the day. Against the Cardinals, it was even worse! If not for blocking an extra point and Walt Aikens giving us 2-points, we lose the game because Gase called pass after pass after pass when we had a late 12-point lead and only needed to run some time off the clock.
You keep on defending him all you want, but you’re sounding more and more like Jay with you love of everything Gase does.
First of all, that’s not possible! Only in the past 2 weeks have I defended him somewhat. But you have been bashing him since the Seattle game. It’s his 1st time as HC and we both know he didn’t have tons of play calling experience before. He’ll learn,hopefully,and be better next season. But he did manage to win 10 games which somehow. And it sure as hell wasn’t because of the defense. He made some awful calls at critical times though. But he is slightly in the Coach of the Year conversation too.
@Karma
You could very well be right but the Rapest is as much of a timing passer as everyone else we would see in the playoffs so it think this is the best matchup we could have gotten.
If his first read isn’t perfect he will always hold the ball and for us that’s what we need.
Above your comment Sean commented that Wake needs to get to the QB unlike last week against Brady. News flash alert!!!! Brady is almost a 100% timing passer and he hardly needs an OL he gets rid of it so fast. If out corners and LB don’t hit those receivers at the line and make Brady hold the ball no DL is going to get to Brady.
With the Rapest it’s different and I think it will tilt it in our favor. We should get some turnovers and some 3 and outs and that’s what this team has been lacking the last few weeks
Like you said in the previous thread,hit those WRs at the line and throw of their timing patterns. Thankfully Byron Maxwell isn’t available to be humiliated on Sunday. He had his miracle game against them last time when he shut down Antonio Brown for 4-49. He may have 14 -149 on Sunday. Or maybe every receiver and TE will have 6 receptions and kill us. Too many weapons to contend with using the replacements on defense. Missy Koa & Salami Jenkins weren’t much better.
@Karma
Yes and this is a different game for the Pit it’s not the 6th game of the season where you sleep walk through the weeks practice because its against the 1-4 Dolphins. This is the playoffs against a team that beat you already this year! I’m sure the practices have been slightly more intense to say the lest.
Also keep in mind that NO TEAM that has ever played in the NFL has gotten more preferential treatment from the NFL and the REFS as Pit! Expect another game where every DLine man gets held every snap and it never gets called. Expect every pass our D breaks up to get a PI flag. Expect every hit on the Rapist to be revised endlessly to see if it was a Late hit on the QB, expect every run where the RB get hit for no loss to get a holding call against our OL. and so fourth.
I guess my suggestion would be to start drinking now to offset the frustration that is about to descend upon us!
On the brighter side of things we are in the playoffs with a young team and a young coaching staff! This can ONLY be good for our team going forward. The experience will be great to have for our coaches and the players who will be back next year.
And there is this……….
Gase could bolster his positioning for coach of the year (Of course as I have said before he wont get it) by coming out with a completely foreign game plan and hand Pit there A$$ before they figure out how to adjust.
This is what Belechic does in the Playoffs. He seems to have two or three game plans installed and he runs one until you adjust and then once you adjust he switches instantly to another and if you adjust to that he switches to yet another. Now NE team and coaching staff have been together long enough they can easily do that. For Gase and this team it would be a momentous task but IF he could pull it off we could stand a chance.
The issue just keeps coming back to the defense. You just can conjure two quality corners a safety and four LB out of thin air!
But hey……. WERE IT THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!
CUE THE MUSIC BOYS
Miami’s got the Dolphins…..the greatest football team….we take the ball from goal to goal…..
Who is the “Rapist?”
Seriously?
Well it gets confusing as to who the person of the subject is when you read a paragraph like this:
Expect every hit on the Rapist to be revised endlessly to see if it was a Late hit on the QB, expect every run where the RB get hit for no loss to get a holding call against our OL. and so fourth.
Not if you know football.
Ben (I rape whoever I want and the NFL and Stealers do nothing!) roethlisberger.
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/ben-roethlisberger-quarterback-twice-accused-of-sexual-assault
Ok…next time, preposition your sentence like this:
Expect every hit on Ben “The Rapist” Roethlisberger to be revised endlessly to see if it was a Late hit on the QB, expect every run where the RB get hit for no loss to get a holding call against our OL. and so fourth.
–
See….now we know every time you use the term – The Rapist, we know who you’re talking about.
STHU and stick to something you think you know something about-the Rooney Rule. Beyond that, you’re clueless.
And don’t use “we” when you meant to say “I”. WE knew,YOU didn’t.
So just say thanks to Brian for explaining it to you. Instead of telling him how to preface a post.
Move along.
I do know this. When a person is addressing an audience, the people who are listening or reading has to be referred to in the plural form of a word, hence – “WE.”
I see KARMATOURER, you didn’t learn much in school huh? So now I have to take some of my precious time to teach dummies like you.
Now I bet you’re used to winning arguments with your brain dead buddies who think you’re smart, but to me, you’re just some old fool who will try to argue with your reflection while staring at yourself in a mirror.
Brian is 100% right about the NFL and the refs favoring Pittsburgh. We don’t have a chance, unless Ross puts some greenbacks into the wallets of the refs to counteract whatever the Rooneys and Goodell are enticing them with. It all depends on which officiating crew we get. Pittsburgh is among the dirtiest teams in NFL history, and the refs look the other way. Just ask Carson Palmer’s knee.
MOSTLY CLOUDY, WEST WIND 9-14. GAME TEMP 14, RH 64% WIND CHILL 0
YIKES!!!
Right now, I’ll take one step at a time. The last time the Dolphins went to the playoffs was in 2008. If Miami lose this playoff game against Pittsburgh, I won’t feel bad, not after those futile years with an excellent team under Sparano and Philbin.
Poor Sparano, He put his head coaching job with the Dolphins in hands of Chad Henne. Sparano had Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, but he put his faith in Henne!
Philbin, just awful all-around as a head coach in Miami. Philbin is the first head coach I’ve ever seen finish the last preseason game with all his challenge flags because, as usual, he was scared to death to use one. Philbin chose to start a rookie straight out of college, who had only showed a little potential just one season in college where he didn’t even play that whole season, over a veteran quarterback in the NFL, even though it was Philbin’s first year in a head coaching job in the NFL. And Philbin’s offensive coordinator – Sherman, didn’t help matters much either.
We DolFans have waited long enough to see our team in the playoffs, so we’re going to sit back and enjoy it no matter what happens.
And as for you karmatourer, with your 2017 prediction, you need to stfu. I bet you were one of the naysayers when it came to the Dolphins 2016 season and probably predicted Miami to be 4-12 or 5-11. You armchair “network sports announcers” just kill me with your BS.
@Anonymous
I didn’t see Karmas 2017 Prediction but I do remember in preseason on the forums we were hopeful that the Dolphins could do better then .500 but it was hard to see back then. Hell even looking back it’s hard to see with the schedule we had.
What is still amazing is that our 10-5 record could have been closer to 12-3 if Still had hauled in that Ball in Seattle or Tannehill didn’t get picked off on the last pass of the day by a guy named “Duron Harmon” (WHO?) in NE. (Side note: That game in NE wasn’t really lost on the last play because the Dolphins defense made Garoppolo look like Joe Montana in the first half and they made LeGarrette Blount look like Jim Brown in the second so there is that) If not for Harmon stepping up and making that INT it would have been a walk-in TD.
Also I would argue that most of this year Gase has had less talent to work with then was on the team last year if you consider guys who have been out injured.
With Buffalo and the Jet’s season’s next year basically rebuilding years for both Miami should be able to own them again. I expect Miami to win won game against NE as well next year.
So that’s 5 wins.
They play that stupid home game in England next year but I will count that as a win as well
Home Game – Denver = Win
Home Game – Oakland = Loss
Home Game – Tampa = Win
Home Game – New Orleans – Win
Road Game – Kansas City – Loss
Road Game – San Dieago – Win
Road Game – Atlanta – Loss
Road Game – Carolina – Win
Road Game – Titans – Win
Home Game – Ravens – Win for revenge!
So I can see a road to a 12 win season and it’s not that far fetched because we were so close to a 12 win season this year. Unless their is a complete and total front office meltdown we should have more talent on this team (Please think almost exclusively new center another guard all the rest of defense!) for the coaches to work with.
Oh and Vance isn’t going anywhere no NFL team is going to hire him as a HC after one inconclusive year as a DC!
Just my .02 as a BS armchair “Network Sports Announcer”
@Brian M.
You must be smokin some really good stuff.
The only way we win 12 is if we trade for Tom Brady!!! LOL!
“I didn’t see Karmas 2017 Prediction”
You didn’t read karmatourer first comment very well then. Here, I’ll post his statement again:
“Just enjoy our string of beating bad teams and move on the next season’s 8-8 record.”
Yeah genius,tell me how we do better than 8-8 next season? You can’t because you don’t know our opponents,which is common knowledge for nearly 2 weeks now. And like most,I said 5-11 at best. But you probably did too but won’t admit it.
Again,move along.
I guess this Karmatourer person is rich! Actualy picking the correct win/loss total of every team in the NFL means NOSTRADAMUS ain’t got SHIT on him. I bet Karmatourer’s picture is posted up in every 7/11 store in this country because he’s been barred from playing every money payout game where you pick numbers.
“Yeah genius,tell me how we do better than 8-8 next season? You can’t because you don’t know our opponents,which is common knowledge for nearly 2 weeks now. And like most,I said 5-11 at best.”
This person, Karmatourer, wants me to be stupid enough to try an argue with his alogical assumptions. Then he says I can’t do it because “I,” unlike “he,” don’t know our opponents for next season. But applying his own twisted logic for the Dolphins wins vs losses in 2016, he admits he picked them to be “5-11 at best.” And then folks, he tries to deflect by saying I probably got shit wrong about the Dolphins 2016 win/loss record like he did, but I just won’t admit it.
KARMATOURER, the more you talk, the dumber you appear. You would be funny if you weren’t so pathetic.
Now, STFU and take a nap dude.
@ Anonymous
Agree! Karmatourer is a DUMB JACKASS!!
@Jay
Go shut the hell up you opinon means less then a Patriots fan trolling this site! All year we had to listen to your idiotic comments about how this team couldn’t win with Tannehil and now were in the Playoffs thanks in large part to his play.
Your Jets are done for another three years so go drown your sorrows over on the Patriots and Bills chat sites and leave us alone!
Dolphindave can be rather annoying. Notice Jay wont deny it either. He even more disliked on the Palm Beach Post forums.
Is that possible?
Lol. I will try the chat room Sunday if admin opens it
STFU!!!
Alright Fin Fans….lets get ready.
Miami-28
Steelers-24
Ajayi-163 yrds 1TD Moore-275 yrds 2TD 1INT Stills-1TD Parker-1TD Grant-1TD 93 yrd return
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Dreaming………………
If Moore only tosses one pick I like our odds but we need at min one take away ourselfs and a good running game. Hell Moore can scoot too let the guy run as well.
Notice I said he could scoot? He isn’t a runner but he is shifty and can pick up yards when the defense drops into a zone.
well, ya know TannePuke on the road would throw 3 INT’S!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any given Sunday… enough said! Go Fins!!!
Exactly FLYERFINFAN….nuff said, GO FINS!!!!