It’s very early in the 2015 pre-season, but a few things are worth looking at.
I watched Joe Philbin’s press conference a few times to see if I could discern anything useful or honest, but it was the usual Philbin stuff. “We had a good day of practice” etc. The one thing that stands out to me is the softball questions that the media tosses him. “How was Jarvis Landry today?” “Will there be competition for the starting positions? etc. It’s rather silly of the media to feed Philbin questions like that.
Let me into a press conference, and I promise all my readers that I will ask, “Why did you give away the Packer game last year by calling a timeout for Green Bay,” or “Objectively speaking, why on earth would a team owner extend the contract of anyone who does not produce winning results?”
Anyway, there was one interesting Philbin line when he was asked about DeVante Parker’s injury, and Philbin replied by saying that they always do what’s in the best interest of the player.
Interesting that Philbin singled out the player’s best interest rather than the team. As many of you know, Philbin has been overly involved, during games, in substituting players in and out to “keep them fresh” etc. He says that stuff all the time.
What he doesn’t realize is that Cameron Wake will tell you when he needs a rest. It’s not up to the head coach to try and guess when his players need a rest.
- So to hear Philbin just come right and say that a player’s best interest is the most important thing just defeats the purpose of teamwork.
- Caleb Sturgis is injured again. It’s probably time to sever times with him, or at least bring in some serious competition. Someone who can stay healthy would be ideal.
- Kong Suh is reportedly blowing through our offensive linemen at practice. That’s great news for our defense, but terrible for the offense. The line needs to solidify quickly. I’d like to bring back Samson Satele at center and let Pouncey play a full year at guard. It ain’t gonna happen, but I personally feel it’s the way to go.
- The City of Miami is in the running to host a future Super Bowl, which means Stephen Ross will be on the bandwagon. If only he concentrated on his Dolphins as much as his extracurricular non-Dolphin hobbies, the team would be in much better shape.
- Some reporter mentioned to Philbin that Lamar Miller doesn’t seem to have the tools to make it on third-and-one. Really? We pass 99% of the time on third-and-one, so how can you blame Miller? These reporters can be just as baffling as Philbin himself.
- CB Will Davis spoke about feeling better coming off his injuries. Fans would feel better if he made some plays this year. Hard to believe he’s entering his third season already, and we can’t recall a single impact play he’s made. Not one.
- There’s been a lot of talk surrounding Rishard Matthews and if he did or didn’t demand a trade. I think Matthews is an adequate WR at best, and it’s no great loss if we trade him to another team. He dropped a sure touchdown pass in the last game of the the 2013 season that would have sent us to the playoffs. I will not forget or forgive that play. The only troubling thing to me is if we cut Matthews, I bet the Patriots swoop him up in a second, and we don’t want that!
- The Dolphins recently signed WR Tommy Street from the Ravens, so it’s possible that he’s been brought in to replace Matthews, but nothing is certain.
- Former Dolphin Eddie Jackson is tearing it up on the Food Network Star show!
- NFL Network is re-airing some old Super Bowls, with commentary from the players and coaches. It brings back a lot of sad memories to watch the Redskins beat us in Super Bowl XVII. I forgot how much of that loss was Kim Bokamper’s fault. I don’t know why he’s still on the announcing payroll.
Nice summary I really appreciate not having to listen to it myself although you could really just load up any JP press conference and listen to it and it would be the same as the new one.
BTW – They will never let you in that room precicley because you would ask questions. I long ago lost respect for the Dolphins beat reporters not because they won’t ask questions like yours because lets face it they are there by invitation of the Dolphins and the NFL so they have to show some level of courteously to get invited back. What I think is much more egregious is the way they go back to their laptop and write their story as if everything that was said was spoken by god!
Their just lap dogs…….
They can be corgial and go along with the “Don’t ask any real questions” command then come back and write a real story similar to what you do……
but nope….. it’s just paid advertising by the Dolphins
—————————————————————————
……inside the press room……..
“reporter is given a flash card by dolphins management and is then called on to read the card, I mean ask a question”
idiot reporter / pr man for the dophins… “Ahhhh ok Joe with Parker injury how is the team assessing when he will be ready to play?
(dumb question anyhow who doesn’t know the answer to that?)
So then Joe looks at his notes and says…. Like a robot “we will do what’s in the best interest of the player”
Then the idiot reporter / pr man goes back to his computer and writes a story about how the Dolphins are such a great organization because they care so much about the players health
Are you listing 25-37 year old women who the NFL covets?
This is why we have to put up with this garbage. It’s all about the image of the NFL and the NFL have bought and paid for all the reporters so they become a PR wing of the NFL and the respected teams they represent
AND that is why ADMIN will not be allowed in that room……
Joe Philbin……..
Its diatribe time so here we go.
As optimistic as I so want to be, my usual preseason fervor is tethered by a disappointing trend Ive noticed. Its been a constant cycle of promising rosters including big name players sure to get us back to relevancy the past 6 years or so. Only to have mediocre or less so performances. Why is this pattern of squandering talent and under-performing still present even with coaching changes? Something about the culture of this team needs to change and it may be even deeper than staff and coaches. The general attitude of how players and staff view their roles needs to change. I tire of Miami being either a place where declining players go to finish out their careers or a place where talent develops only to have other teams poach it from us.
I’ll give one example and feel free to disagree. How in the world could we have let Reggie Bush walk when Tannehill was obviously still developing? Lamar Miller has shown some promise but to this day is not the polished running back Reggie was. With an elite running back RT could have developed at a more comfortable level with the reassurance of Reggie Bush taking some of the work load. Further, Reggie could have mentored Lamar if he stayed longer. We all saw the effect Knowshon Mereno had on Lamar in his brief stay on our team. And this theory is well supported with our signing of Greg Jennings to be the veteran/mentor for our receivers.
I just dont understand why time and time again big names and talented rosters underperform? And we cant always blame coaching b/c we had this problem across more than one coach.
Sadly my diagnosis is the pride and history of our team has long faded on the next generations and the luster of playing for Miami may not be as it once was. It could partly explain why New England develops average players into stars while elite players play average on our team. New England has a rich, deep, but most importantly recent, history of being an elite franchise. Thus players and staff rise to that measure of excellence.
And what really saddens me is to enact such a global attitude and cultural change, we need a Pete Carrol type of player’s coach. One who uses power of personality ,gains a social bond, and befriends. While this is not an indictment of Philbin, his style is more abstract, scientific, X’s and O’s. No real public relations and thus no sales pitch to get our players to buy in. And that would be about right for consecutive 8-8 seasons. Yes the talent alone can win you some but players fully vested could have made the difference gaining us a couple more . Our players need guidance from one whom is both a teacher and leader. Absent one of those qualities and the foundation will always have glaring weaknesses we can not always mask. And as optimistic as I was last pre season. Im wiser now and so wish Im wrong but Im already feeling another 8-8 season. Unless we can mentally get over the hump and truly believe we can beat New England, Buffalo, and the Jets in both showings, nothing will change much.
And if you think Im wrong, rewatch Game 16 of last year. No way we get beat at home by a terribly inferior Jets team. NO F-ING WAY! But it happened and as bad as most people believe Philbin is as a coach. I dont even think he could have screwed that up. Something else was effecting us that day ,something I feel we were suffering from since the last time our team truly started feeling confident about itself collectively . That was our heartbreaking loss to Denver. Since that game our newfound delicate confidence regressed all the way back to the indifference it for a short time had evolved from.
We need personalities to step up in place of Philbins lack of it. At this point I dont even care if its Suh with his less than clean reputation. The team just needs personality of any kind! A way to unite and feel more intimately and hopefully with disdain,the opposition’s presence. And quit with the sportmanship starstruck awe of Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers, Peyton Manning, or cough cough Geno Smith?
And one last thing about Tannehill. Does anybody here believe hes been in a fistfight growing up. I dont. Dude needs to get tough and play with some hate. Stop being so nice and ho freaking hum on the field.
PhinsUp!
Out
Is Dawn Apocalypse still writing Philbins press conference speeches?
PhinsUp – I completely agree about letting Bush leave when they did it was a dumb move IMO but that is just par for the course for this bunch. Think about the more agreeges move of letting Incognito walk with NO COMPENSATION when OL has been and still is our biggest need! Now he is with the Bills and don’t you know Rex Ryan is in Love with him.
Also not that I like to disagree with you but you say that we can’t develop players which you are right on about but then you suggest we can’t suggest its coaching because it has been that way though multiple coaches……..?
Then you go on to formulate the theory that it has to be because Miami is no longer respected and the Pride and Heratige is no longer recognized globaly???????
Ya I think I’m going to stick with ….. “it’s the coaching”
No offense but have you considered that the last 8 coaches we have had have all sucked?
Joe Philbin – Sucks
Todd Bowles – Probably going to be a good coach but only coached a few games for us
Jim bates
PhinsUp – I completely agree about letting Bush leave when they did it was a dumb move IMO but that is just par for the course for this bunch. Think about the more agreeges move of letting Incognito walk with NO COMPENSATION when OL has been and still is our biggest need! Now he is with the Bills and don’t you know Rex Ryan is in Love with him.
Also not that I like to disagree with you but you say that we can’t develop players which you are right on about but then you suggest we can’t suggest its coaching because it has been that way though multiple coaches……..?
Then you go on to formulate the theory that it has to be because Miami is no longer respected and the Pride and Heratige is no longer recognized globaly???????
Ya I think I’m going to stick with ….. “it’s the coaching”
No offense but have you considered that 5 of the last 6 coaches we have had have all sucked?
Joe Philbin – Sucks
Todd Bowles – Probably going to be a good coach but only coached a few games for us
Tony Soprano – Is he even still coaching?
Cam Camron – It would be hilarious if it weren’t true! Super Sucked
Nick Saban – Probably would have been a good HC but spent the whole year negotiating a huge contract with AL
Jim bates – Do you even remember him?
Dave (The Stash) Wanstat – An absolute JOKE!
And this my friend is why Miami is a Joke – has no respect – is a place no player wants to end up or play for and until something is drastically done it will be more of the same.
Sorry to piss on your optimism I still think dispite the crappy coaching Hicky has but enough talent on this team to compeate and if T-Hill can get a LITTLE protection he will be really good.
One last point with you – You asked if we thought T-Hill has ever been in a fight – you concluded no. I assume because hes a pretty boy but have you ever been sacked? Have you been saked a league high in a season and almost runner up the next two seasons?
This kid has been hit a LOT – and HARD and bounces right back up and never complains – never runs out of bounds to avoid the his so to speak!
He is tough
One of the very first things I ever wrote and one reason I started this site was an open letter that begged Dolphins management to re-sign Reggie Bush. A HUGE mistake, gigantic, to let him walk. We all knew it, but Philbin did not. That was the same year they got rid of Jake Long too. Jake hasn’t been a superstar since, but he was a much better option than Judas Jonathan Martin. Still is. He’s still available too.
I like what PhinsUp had to say, but I’m with Brian as far as giving the coaches (at least some) blame. When you have a guy like Reggie, you can design your offense around him. That’s what a good coach does. But in Philbinland, you get rid of Thousand-Yard rushers and All-Pro left tackles because the coach knows best (in his own mind).
All Pros are not allowed to stay on the team. PhinsUp, you have to remember that Marshall, Reggie, Vontae Davis, etc did not leave for the heck of it. They were either traded or told “No thanks” by Joe Philbin. Ridiculous. Philbin thought that Will Davis and Jamar Taylor were better than All Pro Vontae Davis. You can’t blame the players for that. That is 100% coaching error!
Brian thanks for replying and contributing to the conversation. I simply dont think our problem is so much about coaching its about the perception that we are no longer a quality franchise. I feel that permeates and infects the attitudes of our players, staff, and even fanbase to some extent. Look I know Tannehill is tough but not in a mental sense is what I meant about the fistfight comment. I get the impression he would rather avoid or reason even when disrespected. It just seems he has a detached way of looking at things even when he’s getting embarrassed by the Jets for godsake. If I were him I would be blood red mad and probably would have berated Wallace on the sidelines for quitting. And yes Wallace quit. I have footage of the game and you can read his lips. He directly says to Philbin ” I don’t wanna f-kin play anymore!” and he even says it once again. Then Philbin walks away.
So what I am saying is that I dont feel that our problems are coaching per se but they can be mostly solved by one. And if the damn coach is too stoic to inject his personality as a guiding light so to speak. Then someone on our damn roster better fill in that role. And do it NOW! We need to lift our team outta the reputation gutter and back to respectability and we need to do it not a glancing blow, but a knockout punch to the groin of all the teams whom have flapped their junk in our faces for far too long.
It so pains me that I can see so clearly a missing piece to the puzzle and nobody will simply fill that void. And why? Because their attitude is why would they give their all for an also ran team? A QB without fire and a coach without personality? They need inspiration either from the top or from within . And apparently millions of dedicated fans aren’t enough to inspire to the next level so…..
Well, after Ross pulled that stunt of trying to hire a HC before firing one, no good coaches want to work for him. And he moronically chose Jeff Ireland over Jeff Fisher! LOL
@Mike
Agreed. But that is the past, lets focus on our future.
@PhinsUp!
I’m not telling you what to focus on so please dont try and tell me what to focus on. Thanks.
It’s hard to focus on the future when we still have an owner who is clueless, who has clueless right hand women (dawn aponta) and clueless coaches.
It’s the same blind clueless idiots leading the same team with a few new parts…….
No offense phinsUp but expecting a different result from the same recipe is insane!
Well Brian since the tone of this conversation feels a tad adversarial. Allow me to restate I think I said that our problems may not be entirely because of a coach but could be solved by one. So Im pretty sure I wasnt proposing a solution from the same equation. But since we’re stuck with Philbin maybe the players can inject some confidence and pride since he lacks that skillset. I was trying to diagnose a perception based explanation for why year after year our team doesnt play to its potential. And while we may disagree on the causes. 1 . I think its safe to say we all care because we are loyal dolphin fans. And 2. we dont have to take jabs at each other to have a healthy discussion about it.
And @Mike dont get things blurred here, Jeff Ireland was our GM, Jeff Fisher is a head coach so they ummm didnt choose one over the other. Twist the lens left to right until things come into….
PhinsUp
Out!
@ PhinsUp!
Wrong! Jeff Fisher wanted final say in order to join the Dolphins. Ross should’ve given it to him but he CHOSE to leave it with Ireland! Can u say blunder? LOL
Mike so your saying that when we were looking for a new HC that we chose Jeff Ireland over Jeff Fisher. Either way your comment is read its wrong. Now since you cared to explain what you meant I understand the context. And can I politely ask whats with all the hateful trolling? We are dolphin fans with differing opinions. Okay fine. But this doesnt much feel like a discussion lately. Whats up with that?
Exactly! Great post! Phinsup doesnt realize nothing will change unless there is change!
Exactly! Great post! Phinsup doesnt realize nothing will change unless there is change!
That post was reply to @ Bryans post
PhinsUp – No I wouldn’t be adversarial I’m sorry if it sounded that way. Were a close knite group of like minded Dolphin Fans but we can’t agree on everything! That doesn’t mean one of us is right or one of us is wrong and its nice to hear other ideas and input as well.
I think we all make some very good points and its nice to be able to have an HONEST discussion about the Dolphins not the PR Dump that we get from the Miami Herald every day!
That said I do agree with you that the right coach COULD change everything!
I wasn’t sold that Fisher was the right coach and nothing I have seen so far from him in St. Lois has changed my mind but in his defense I think it takes four to six years to wright a ship so far gone as St. Lois or Miami.
Fisher may be a good enough coach to do it
Philbin may be too – I think that’s what Ross is hoping for because honestly who better will coach for the man?
Mike pointed out exactly why – His non-sense with Tony Sporono and trying to hire his replacement behind his back? That was so bad on so many levels it will take a while to live that down.
Really I think we have a good coach in Bill Lazor and I think we have a good GM in Hicky (I am not a fan of Tannumbum) so maybe Ross has stacked them in there in the even Philbin self destructs again but I don’t think these guys bring the pedigree to fix all that ailes this franchise as you mentioned they stink on a global scale!
But who can?
Who would we want?
We tried Jimmy Johnson – Didn’t work
We tried the Big tuna – Wow that didn’t work
I’m a little gun shy of big name retreds to be honest with you.
Every year we hear about Chucky and Chower but I think they have been gone so long they will suck because what FIRE do they have left.
They have the persona to bring some respect back to Miami and draw some players to but do they have the drive. Remember Jimmy Johnsons third year? It was like he wasn’t even engaged anymore.
Ok I have to go to work have a great day guys!
@Brian M
The Tuna certainly did work. He engineered the biggest one year turnaround in NFL history. The fact that he won with Ireland and Sparano is just amazing. Unfortunately he didnt want to stay on with the Ross joke circus when Huzienga left.
@Brian
I agree with your entire post and appreciate an honorable lowering of what seemed like and increasing level of heat in this discussion. Dont get me wrong Im not calling for most of our past coaches celebration. And I would like to clarify that my comment about Reggie Bush’s departure was absolutely a staff blunder. Which is another good topic I would like to ask. Why have we squandered so much talent by allowing them to leave and why so often do we see their potential when they do? This problem while surely must be coaching still existed over several coaches and one would think the law of averages would have fared better in our favor. Brandon Marshall comes to mind. I know we got rid of him cause of some disturbing domestic violence issues. But in his tenure he didnt play to his superstar caliber. Was it our shitty QB? I dunno. But I wanted to draw attention to a disappointing trend of talented rosters under-performing year after year. And that sort of tied in to my post relevant to this thread’s title. I so want to buy in once again and scream AFC east title during the preseason but damn we’ve all been here before any my usual optimism remains guarded at best.
Phins Up
OUT!
Jeff Fisher was given 100% free control in Tennessee and again in St. Louis, and he has zero championships. He only made it to a Super Bowl because of an illegal forward lateral. He is always mentioned as one of the hot-shot best coaches, but he has zero accomplishments. I never wanted him to coach the Dolphins then, and I don’t want him now.
@Admin
Granted Fisher doesnt have great accomplishments but he does have 162 NFL wins and a winning record. I’d take him 8 days a week over Philbin. He is also fan friendly and answers questions honestly for the most part and doesnt have to read from cue cards like Philbin does.
I dont believe he was given full control over player personnel the entire time in Tennessee because I THINK I remember him complaining about it.
I mean watching or reading a Philbin press conference is useless. He never says anything where we say ‘I didnt know that”. After the Incognito debacle Ross promised the team would be more open, fan friendly, and transparent. That hasnt happened. I fully understand teams dont want to give useful information for opponents but the Dolphins say nothing, including saying a player is hurt in spring training AFTER the surgery! Not a fan friendly franchise IMO.
@Admin
I thought Fisher wanted to trade/cut Vince Young when he became a insubordinate and he wasnt allowed.