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With one team in the bag, we move to the next-to-last position on the NFL’s preseason totem pole.
No. 32 was easy. No. 31 isn’t much harder.
The Miami Dolphins.
Despite the arrival of Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland and all sorts of new players, this team was nearly winless in 2007. Though they might end up closer to the middle of the pack by the end of the 2008 season, they start it out near the bottom, and deservedly so.
Last year was a nightmare, for each and every imaginable reason. Injuries to key players (Trent Green, Ronnie Brown, Zach Thoms), coupled with ineffective quarterback play, a horrible offensive line, and a defense not nearly good enough to pick up the slack greased the skids to a brain-melting 1-15 record.
The good news is that there’s nowhere to go but up, and an infusion of exciting young players like tackle Jake Long and quarterback Chad Henne could get things moving in the right direction — especially if running back Ricky Williams looks as good in pads as he did in a T-shirt and shorts, and if Brown has recovered from a torn ACL.
Though Thomas is gone on defense, it looks like Jason Taylor will be back. The rest of the unit, which has been infused with several of Parcells’ guys from Dallas, could be competitive.
So while the Dolphins could climb out of this hole as the 2008 campaign unfolds, they definitely have earned their starting spot.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Let’s see. Last year - with an amateurish, uncoordinated coaching effort and injuries to key players on a thinly-talented and undisciplined squad six of their losses were by only a Field Goal.
This year - with an improved talent pool with a good mix of vets and high-end rookies, a significantly improved coaching staff (although I’m no Parcells fan), four games versus the NFC West instead of the NFC East and perhaps a bit of nothing-to-lose attitude, I’d say six wins are likely, possibly eight. I’d expect a couple of surprising wins over teams that they shouldn’t beat and a couple losses, due to rookie mistakes, to teams that they should.
In the AFC East, the Jets are far more suspect and I’m not even all that confident in the Bills.
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Rating: 2.55 / 5 with 13 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Unlike MaineMan, I am a Parcells fan. Yet, I agree with him, this team will not stay down here all season, or even the pre-season. By the start of the season, look for this team to move up at least 7-10 spots.
I’m not saying they will be great, probably not even good, but better than #32 for sure
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Rating: 4.15 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Perhaps I should clarify. I consider four wins or fewer to be a “horrible” season; five, six or seven wins are a “mediocre” season. So, when I postulate that Atlanta and Miami should win five to seven (each, not total, you wiseguys) this season, I’m not saying I’m expecting great things or representing such results as dramatic turnarounds, just saying that, due to their own internal adjustments and the year-to-year differences in their schedules, they’re likely to graduate from the “truly horrible” to the “merely mediocre.”
It happens, y’know?
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Rating: 2.15 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 11:44 am
As the old saying goes, “dog will hunt”. Parcells brings with him a plethera of football i.q. and know how to a team desperate to find an identity and provide a proper foundation on which to restore this team to greatness once again. Parcells may seem like a bitter gereatric but he won’t pull a Saban or trade away every draft pick under the sun. i.e. wandstedt. Give them 2 years. 2 years and 8-8 or better will be a reality. Not so much can be said of Atlanta. The Falcons are remenicent of the hindenburgh. Crash and burn, never to return.
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Rating: 3.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
The first problem Dolphin fans seem to have is they act like Bill Parcells is coaching this team, he is not. The lone year he was Director of Football Ops for the Jets he watched his hand picked successor blow starts of 6-1 and 9-4 to miss the playoffs. Parcells has done a mediocore at best job of picking talent throughout his career but he coiuld always make up for it b/c he was a superior coach but he’s not coaching the dolphins.
Sparano may or may not be a good HC in this league but until he proves something do not act like this is a “Parcells team” b/c BP isn’t coaching.
MaineMan: Bad teams lose alot of close games, it’s not a badge of courange to say you lost a bunch by 3 points so you’ll be good this year. The firts Jet game was a 3 point loss but the Jets were up 31-13 midway throuigh the 4th, the Dolphins scored some garbage time TDs to make it look closer than it was. You knock the Jets but the Jets had more close losses and a much closer margin of defeat. Good teams find ways to win those close games and bad teasm find ways to lose. It was the difference btw the Jets in ‘06 & ‘07. The Jets couldn’t close out games last year.
As far as saying the Jets are more suspect, the Jets vastly improved the talent from a year ago. The Jets OL was one of the worst you will ever see and now it should be strenght, that alone will help open up the ground game which in turn will help the QBs in the passing game. Defensively if jenkins is ok in the middle our D could be very good. If David Harris started a few more games last year he would have been DROY and as it was he had better #s than Patrick Willis. I’, not sure about Calvin pace but we have alot of depth at DE/LB now so that should help and in the secondary Revis is an emerging star and Rhodes is already a star.
I am concerned about the STs even though we have had excellent Sts for a while now b/c Mike Westhoff is gone. That could cost a game or 2 but Westhoff is supposed to be a consultant so hopefully he can help Kevin O’Dea maintain the STs excellence.
If the Jets get decent QB play they’ll be a playoff contender. Remember the Jets have been an every other year team. won AFC east in ‘02(only non-Pats AFC East Title since ‘01), 6-10 in ‘03, 10-6 and kick away from title game in ‘05, 4-12 in ‘05, 10-6 WC team in ‘06 and 4-12 last year.
I’m not saying the Jets will be a playoff team but they should be a contender, the team that i think is being overhyped a but is the Bills. Alot of “experts” like them but they have been going through this same cycle for years where they finish close to the playoffs then the following year the playoffs are expected and they fall on their face. I want them to prove something before I think they can be a legit playoff team.
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Rating: 1.85 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The jets’ playoff hopes are as strong as pennington’s throwing arm…limp at best.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Wha? David Harris had better numbers that Patrick Willis?
David Harris - 127 tackles, 5 sacks (ok, better), 2 FFs, 3 Pass Def.
Patrick Willis - 174 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 FFs, 5 Pass Def.
Granted, Harris missed a couple of games. And yes, he had two monster games as far as tackles go. But Willis set the unofficial record for tackles, as was simply everywhere. Having 1 more sack in the season does not constitute better numbers, particularly when Willis was rarely blitzed. Harris’ speed isn’t anywhere close to Patrick’s, because, frankly, no one’s is short of Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher when it comes to LBs.
I’m not saying Willis should have been the runaway DROY. But there were better contenders than David Harris.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Parcells or not, the Dophins will find 31 ways to compete with the Falcons for last in the league…
Good luck in 2009.
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July 20th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
THere are much faster LBs than Urlacher and Ray Lewis… Derrick Brooks in his prime was way faster, little known Morlon Greenwood blazed a time in the low 4.4’s as did other non-standout guys like Quincy Black and others.
Frankly, speed doesn’t matter all that much if a player doesn’t know where the play is going, David Harris is a solid player but what separates him from Willis isn’t so much speed but the fact that Willis is great at anticipating where the play will be. The fact that Willis was 4.38 at his personal workout while Harris was a high 4.5 is just icing on the cake.
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July 20th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
nyjunc:
While I can’t fully agree with all of your points, I appreciate your insights, information and cogent analysis - as opposed to, you know, the usual superficial, juvenile dittohead-type crap that appears in comments here. I’ll rethink my take on the Jets a bit.
Seriously, thanks!
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July 20th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
They are ganna suck 2.
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July 20th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
nyjune,
“Parcells has done a mediocore at best job of picking talent”. I beg to differ. How many of the Dallas Cowboys probowlers were the result of Bill Parcells? How do you take a Dallas Cowboys team that went 5-11 for three straight years before he takes over, which has as starting quarterback, Quincy Carter, and starting running back, Troy Hambrick, go 10-6 and nearly win in the playoffs? Bill knows football. The Miami Dolphins will be a much improved team. They will not be the 31st best team, more like middle of the pack.
the painful truth
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
goodbye jt, hello 32.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 20th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I wanted the TUNA as GM for the Vikings. The Fins will be in the playoffs in 4-5 years.
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July 21st, 2008 at 7:27 am
Willis had a few more tackles but the other categories Harris led in and he didn’t play nearly as much as Willis. If you prorate Harris’ #s as a 16 game starter they blow away Willis’ #s:
Harris:
181 total tackles, 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 4 PD
Willis:
174 total tackles, 4 sacks, 2 FF, 5 PD
They wouldn’t have been close.
Maineman: Thanks for the nice comments.
thepainster:
Parcells was a master oat taking underachieving players and getting them to maximize their potential, that’s why he won 10 games in 2003. It had little to do w/ his talent as a GM. Go check out his ‘97-’99 Jets drafts, check out his Dallas drafts. He has a hit here and there but they are mostly misses and do not forget that he won 2 SBs when he wasn’t picking players w/ the Giants, he made a SB in NE the year he got stripped of his GM duties(or Cedric Jones would ahve been a Pat not Terry Glenn who was critical to that SB run) and he never made a SB w/ the Jets or Dallas when he had total control.
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August 6th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I’ve been saying what MaineMan said in his first post since the Miami Dolphins drafted in April. This management is forming an identity with this team.
Most people are unaware that the Dolphins lost 6 games by 3 points last season. That’s a LOT. They just found ways to lose. Out of all the reasons listed for losing - injuries, O Line, inexperienced QBs after Green got dinged, etc - no one’s mentioning Cam Cameron. He actually called for Kickoffs to go out of bounds on purpose to cover for bad Special Teams play and BOTH times it bit them in the ass.
Coaching was awful last season. And near the end of the season, you began hearing more and more how players challenged him. Look up Joey Porter’s comments about him. Cameron comes off as someone who got picked on a lot as a kid.
This season should be much better just from the hard-nosed guys running the show now.
And then with the massive size they added in the Draft, this team will not be the pansies they were last year.
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August 13th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Well.. a lot has changed since this was written. I’m interested in seeing where they would rank on PFT after the preseason ends.
krazyn8tive79 says:
July 20th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
The jets’ playoff hopes are as strong as pennington’s throwing arm…limp at best.
And now we’ve got him… which is difficult since us Dolphin fans always bash any Jets player. We’ll just have to forget all the bad things we’ve said about this guy in the past, huh?
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