Three weeks ago, I stressed how urgent the Ravens game was.   But that game in Baltimore is almost meaningless in comparison the next game against the Buffalo Bills. The same things are on the line:   a playoff berth.  Confidence and swagger.  Team identity and toughness.  Only now, it’s all magnified tremendously.  Now it’s even closer to crunch time. The environment in Baltimore was nothing compared to how it will be in Buffalo.  80,000 fans will be there in the bitter, snowy cold.  They hate the Dolphins with a passion far more than any Baltimore fan ever could.   These nuts brave the elements forRead More →

Even if the Miami Dolphins finish the year at 11-5, they could miss the playoffs.   They could also make the playoffs at 10-6.   Either way, we need some help. But despite that need for help, it was an impressive win over the Jets.   Several unheralded plays were just as important as the big highlight reels we’ve been watching again and again. First was Adam Gase’s challenge on the Jets’ “first down” that was actually a yard short.   Conventional wisdom is to say “Ahh, they’re gonna get a first down anyway, so give it to them.”  Dolphins Truth said NO, and GaseRead More →

Chat Room Now Open!  http://dolphinstruth.com/chat-room/game-day-chat/   The game only airs on the NFL Network.   Even the real networks won’t cover this game! Looks like we’re getting the D-list of announcers too.   Dolphin-hater Tony Dungy, ESPN dropout Mike Tirico, and Doug Flutie.   Jeez, who even knew Flutie was an announcer?   The guy hasn’t been around the NFL in a decade, and he’s hired to analyze the Jets and Dolphins? So Adam Gase was commenting on why Jay Ajayi wasn’t in the game for the two failed rushing attempts at the end of the game.  Gase said, “That was my fault.   IRead More →

The Dolphins placed Mike Pouncey on IR this morning, thus ending his season.   Publicly, Pouncey has been stating for weeks that he wants to play again this year, but there are doubts if he really meant it.  Apparently the Dolphins don’t want to risk another injury to Pouncey, because we might need him NEXT year to play his usual 5 or 6 games. Somehow, he’ll probably make the Pro Bowl again this year. Personally, I don’t see this as a huge loss, because I think Anthony Steen has filled in well.   (By the way, I re-watched the Cardinals game.  On Matt Moore’s finalRead More →

So it looks like Ryan Tannehill’s injury is only a sprain.  It’s still serious and he is more than likely still done for the year.   But at least it’s not a full tear that would require extensive surgery.  I still can’t believe he was crying on the sidelines.   The memes are out there already. Hard to believe that yesterday was our ONLY home game in December.   Thanks, Roger Goodell. Reports out of Buffalo are saying that Rex Ryan is about to be fired.  We play the Bills in two weeks, so it could be intriguing if the Bills were distracted with coachingRead More →

So all the Tannehill haters got their wish, and Ryan is done for the year.  Matt Moore can make a strong statement next Saturday with a good game vs. the Jets.    We still might miss the playoffs (I don’t see us winning in Buffalo), but having a winning season for once would do wonders for everyone. Man, the Cardinals tried all day to give this game away, and we didn’t take final advantage of it until there was literally one second left on the clock. On a day when Carson Palmer kept throwing it to the Dolphins and/or kept dropping snaps right in hisRead More →

  The Dolphins decimated defense got no good news overnight, and it now looks like all 3 linebackers will be 3rd and 4th stringers.    Not that our starters were any good either, but you get the idea. If the following paragraph looks familiar, it’s because it’s a verbatim repeat of last week.   Adam Gase refused to comply with my common-sense wishes, so let’s hope he learned his lesson.  Sadly, however, he is a stubborn, slow learner.  He has a pass-first mind set that needs to be reset. I can envision (HOPE) that Jay Ajayi goes off today after several weeks of so-so rushing.Read More →

Sometimes, injuries aren’t the worst thing to happen to a team.   Just ask any Patriot fan what happened after Drew Bledsoe got hurt. For the Dolphins, it could be a good thing.  We can hope. Our starting linebacker corps is blown up with injuries now, which might finally force Adam Gase to let Mike Hull start a game.   From there, we expect Zach Vigil to get some playing time as well.   It’s pretty poor management that these guys haven’t seen more playing time, especially since the guys ahead of them on the depth chart are very very average.   Jelani Jenkins isRead More →

Okay, time to move on from the lambasting of Adam Gase’s lack of preparation and the lack of the players’ performance in Baltimore.   You need a thick skin and a short memory in the NFL, and let’s hope the Dolphins have both. The Arizona Cardinals come to town.   Seemingly for the 13th game in a row, the Dolphins face a team with a Top-5 defense.  I don’t know how this happens each week or why the schedule makers pitted us against such tough defenses this season, but it’s happening again.  The Cardinals’ offense is no slouch either.  They’re a perennial playoff team latelyRead More →

The more and more uninformed announcers and reporters sing the praises of DeVante Parker, the more I have to point out his lack of effort when fighting for a ball and his overall poor mechanics. I’ve already mentioned the lazy way he WAITED for a pass to gently float down to him in the Ravens game, which of course made it easy pickings for a defender to intercept the ball. The week before vs. the Niners, Parker TWICE set his hand down out of bounds while landing.   The “catches” looked nice at full speed and even fooled the refs.  But upon further review, bothRead More →

Some Miami Dolphins writers should be comedians.  Or, at the very least, they should read Dolphins Truth more often.  Our head coach could learn a thing or two from reading my analysis as well. Bloggers are filling the Internet today with such earth-shattering revelations as “The Dolphins need better linebackers” (Sun Sentinel).   “They have to do better.” (Phinsiders).   Really?  You’re discovering that in Week 12?! Adam Gase, who calls plays as if he bet money on the opponent, said that the Dolphins didn’t execute, and that’s why they lost.  Uhh, no, Adam. The Dolphins DID execute some things, and then YOU abandoned those things.  GaseRead More →

On a day where it’s easy to blame the Olphins (no “D”)  on the defensive side of the ball, or to blame Ryan Tannehill and his three interceptions, or to blame anyone else, you have to look no further than blaming our rookie head coach and his awful decisions. This ugly blowout falls squarely on the shoulders of Adam Gase. You have to start with the first series.  Just like in previous weeks when we fell behind 7-0 or even 14-0 in the last 4 games.  We came out flat and empty. We were on defense, and the Ravens hit a bunch of short slantRead More →

Let’s hope that Parker learns how to time his leaps and come down in bounds for once. Dolphins 26, Ravens 13.      The Ravens don’t scare anyone of offense anymore, although I’ll probably eat my words as Mike Wallace goes off. I can envision (HOPE) that Jay Ajayi goes off today after several weeks of so-so rushing.   Gase should call more pitchouts and sweeps, because opposing defenses have learned how to stop the traps between the guard and tackle that Ajayi was exploiting earlier.   I also hope Gase has the offense ready to go from the get-go.   We are constantly going threeRead More →

It’s been a while since the Dolphins played in such a big game.   A few years ago, we had a chance to make the playoffs if we beat either the Jets or the Bills.  Yes, those were big games, but even if we won, we would have limped into the playoffs as a 9-7 team and would have gotten destroyed the next week on the road.  This time, it’s a little different. The stakes are higher because we’re playing a quality opponent this week, on the road, whereas in December 2013 we had two games against two of the worst teams in the NFL,Read More →

Apparently, the Dolphins have a very inconsistent policy on players’ involvement with drugs.   Just ask Leon Orr and Dion Jordan. Orr was cut today, in the middle of practice, when the team learned he was arrested for a marijuana offense.   Meanwhile Dion Jordan, whose drug problems seemingly go back years, is still on the team.  Both players have zero accomplishments and zero production to be proud of in their Dolphins’ career, but somehow Jordan’s career continues.  He still makes money from a team that he hasn’t played for in forever.   He’s one of those rare trivia answers:   Which Miami Dolphin wasRead More →

Well, the good thing is that we won.  Six games in a row is quite a feat, and somehow the Dolphins are in the playoff hunt again.   Our offense scored its most points of the year, and the defense had a couple of nice turnovers.   But, man!   That’s about all the positives I can point out at this point, and that makes it scary. First of all, as I pointed out all week, the 49ers are among the worst teams in NFL history.  There’s not a single player on either side of the ball who you want on your fantasy team, andRead More →

Dolphins 23, Niners 17.      A tighter victory than I’d like, but we’ll take it. Our Chat room will open right before game time.  http://dolphinstruth.com/chat-room/game-day-chat/ As always, log in or register with the menu link on the right (or bottom).  Enter a name and password.   Once you’re in, you can skip the stylizing form and just go back to http://dolphinstruth.com/chat-room/game-day-chat/Read More →