If it's Tuesday, here come your questions
OK folks, my calendar says it is Tuesday. So my job today is to answer your questions as quickly and as accurately as I can.
So bring them on.
I'm also conducting an unscientific survey: Which is the most significant problem the Dolphins face the remainder of the season?
A. The offensive line.
B. The poor communication and play in the secondary.
C. The lack of a proven running back at either the starting RB spot or in the reserve RB spot.
D. Inconsistent play at QB.
Also, if you think one of the above categories is not an issue, say so.
So bring them on.
I'm also conducting an unscientific survey: Which is the most significant problem the Dolphins face the remainder of the season?
A. The offensive line.
B. The poor communication and play in the secondary.
C. The lack of a proven running back at either the starting RB spot or in the reserve RB spot.
D. Inconsistent play at QB.
Also, if you think one of the above categories is not an issue, say so.
posted by Armando Salguero at 1:27 PM
Get our feeds
35 Comments:
The answer is A. Brown ran hard and created 1 yard gains out of 3 yard losses. Miami's O-line hasn't been good since Webb and Sims were kids. Maybe it takes some time for Coach Houck to get things worked out with the new guys, but this was bad.
It's only been one game. I understand that, but the concerns I had before the season were magnified after this game. Is there any possible scenario where harrington gets a start other than daunte being physically unable to play? I just don't like daunte's decision-making abilities and ball control skills. Plus, his best asset as far as a passer has always been the deep ball. We don't have a Randy Moss on our team, so are we ever going to be able to incorporate that into our offense? and please don't tell me chambers is the answer as so many people seem to think, armando, b/c in my opinion he's not. I'd rather see them using Welker on some fly patterns or deep routes where he can utilize his speed, quickness and ability to make people miss rather than chambers.
also, the only way an offensive line gets better is either by bringing in studs or giving the current guys time to jell and be able to work cohesively as a unit. since there are no big time OL out there to get.....how long is it realistically going to take this line to come together, if ever?
I agree. I guess the coaches do too, which is why they came out throwing and kept it up the whole game. This will usually lead to interceptions, and the defense getting worn out from being on the field too long. The secondary has new players and we can hope that they get better as a team. The OL has the same players and coach so there isn't as much room for hope.
Randy, I can't see any scenario where Joey Harrington starts other than Culpepper getting injured. That's because with pretty lame teams coming up -- Buffalo, Tenn., Houston -- I think everything will seem fine ... that is until Miami plays another good team and then the reality of Miami's flaws will be evident again.
Same applies to the OL where there are no "studs" out there unless they're playing in college and the Dolphins add them through the draft next year.
The O-line as far as the run seemed to be coming along in the second half, the secondary is what is frightening. Perhaps schulters should come back till the rookie who clearly SHOULD NOT HAVE HELD OUT learns WTF he is doing. This loss was all on the secondary. If Charlie Batch can pick you apart...
Hey what is the deal w/ Alabi is he the LT of the future? Jason Taylor said in TSN he was alot tougher to beat than people would suspect.
Hey Armando,
Have you seen the latest Nike commercial starring several NFL stars, Don Shula as their coach, and Jimmy Johnson as their history teacher? I thought Don Shula detested the grounded helmet hair walked on? Has Shula let bygones be bygones or was Nike's money too good to pass up even if he had to dance with the devil to cash his check?
Armando, how'd matt roth look? i thought he brought some energy and push to the defense when he came in.
guys...come on...you can hide a weak secondary much easier than you can a weak offensive line. besides, i give our secondary a bit of a pass b/c it wasn't the unit that should be starting consistently in a few weeks. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me which unit is the team's worst. they both need to play a lot better if the Fins have a shot in the playoffs.
daunte's interceptions weren't the problem. pitt had pretty much put themselves in position to win the game by then anyway. it was the 4 or 5 other bad passes he made that cost us drives. but, again, i give him a pass. i expect him to be rusty for the first several games.
Anonymous, I would like to think Alabi is the future at LT, but the fact is the Dolphins gave LJ Shelton $3.5 million in guaranteed money in the offseason and have him signed for a while. That's not super expensive, but it surely doesn't suggest Alabi is almost there. I would say at least one more year before he mounts a challenge, but honestly, if Shelton gets hurt, I wouldn't expect a big dropoff.
Armando, the biggest problem is the OL.
I was just wondering which position suits better for Carey RG or RT? that´s because IMO Anderson is not the answer to that spot. Anyway, I just hope they can improve regardless how's playing.
Gracias amigo!!
Jason Allen needs to catch up on his knowledge and understanding of the defense for the biggest trouble spot to be taken care of. Tillman is the biggest liability on the defense.
Armando,
1) How likely is the signing WR Charles Rogers?
2) I think the biggest flaw is the O-line. If we had created the holes, and given Ronnie Brown space to run, we probably would have won the game in the 4th Quarter.
1) is it possible Culpeper was over-hyped this summer, even by Marino? Or is there something specific you see in him that makes him "special''
2) The secondary is the biggest problem. Blown coverages led to two easy scores. This guy Jason Allen, big question mark.
all of the above?seriously, i think the offence will be fine!they will score a lot of points and gain a lot of yards,although the running game will bear watching!the secondary is the main concern!i think corner will be ok but safety is another story!i don't think traveres tillman could make another roster in this league!renaldo hill is trying to play safety at 190 pounds?gimme a break!and this vaunted front seven will surely wear-down by mid-season if saban continues to play the starters the kind of minutes they played in game one!that's where the running game becomes so crucial, it allows the defence to rest!
Everybody has lost sight of the fact that we lost to the Super Bowl champs on the road! It happened to the best of teams! The Dolphins will be fine ... but that was a measuring stick and we simply aren't there yet. We have 15 more games to "find" ourselves as a team. I am willing to bet that the Fins will be one of the tougher teams come playoff time.
And to answer your questions, I think the secondary is the biggest concern. Why arrogant rookies believe they can hold out and then come in and claim a starting job is beyond me. Poor advice from one's agent.
The OL faced one of the best DLs in the Steelers. At one point in the second half, we seemed to have them on the ropes. So I am not ready to panic about the OL just yet.
And give me a break about Dante. Yes he was tentative, but then it was his first "real" game since coming back from a major injury. He had his moments, but the rust definitely shown against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
I also think the yards will start piling up soon for Ronnie Brown. He should be able to break some runs against the Bills. New England certainly was able to run at will against them.
Now IF the Fins play the same way against the Bills, I reserve the right to change my opinion. :)
So why gamble on Rogers if we don't have much cap room?
A-train,
What's up with Mularky's vanilla play calling? Granted it's a long season and you dont want to give away your arsenal too early but opening night? National T.V?? I thought a trick play or 2 early would have caught the Steelers by surpise.
I hope Mulark loosens up a little against Buffalo
Oh and the secondary is definitly our biggest concern right now.
Thanks
Here to tell you it's the same old 8-8 9-7 Dolphins. Can't Run , Can't stop the run and seconadry chokes in tight spots. Not to mention # 8. Told Jason Cole that 8 would not be the answer. Shoulda kept Frerotte, Trained Lemon and traded the picks to get Cutler and built over time. the win now approach does not work, never has ,never will. Look at all past Champs. Pats,Steelers, Cowboys , Niners, and Dolphins of old. Draft picks and continuity.It's also time to quit saving the world with the like of RW MV and now looking at ROY ROGERS or whatever the hell his name is. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think so. A sad fin fan
C and D to me are non-factors. Culpepper had a bad 4 minutes, not a whole game. Ronnie was getting in a grove during the second half. Communication will be a problem early on for the secondary, but they'll get it down eventually. I think the O-line is a concern. It's not Saban's fault, I think they had a nice line going in, but when you look at the injuries to McKenney and Toledo, that hurt.
Armando, why so negative on Culpepper? It's only been one game, against Pittsburg on the road. Peyton looked horrible against them in the playoffs at home, does that mean he's not a big game qb either? I know you keep saying look at his past, but he was having a nice game until the last 4 minutes. Couldn't you be a little more optimistic or at least in the middle instead of doom and gloom?
CAN YOU ASK JASON COLE TO COME BACK ???? HE WAS GREAT
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Too the guy who referred to our secondary as fantastic players, who were you talking about? They are all castoffs from other teams. The Giants wanted no part of Will Allen and he is probably the best of the group. R. Hill?, Goodman?,Tillman?, Lehan?, Bell? Come on FANTASTIC??...They are mediocre or worse. Daniels and Jason Allen have potential, but they haven't proved squat to me. Saban has a good system, but maybe he is too confident that he can make it work with such little talent. Even with a secondary with sub-par talent, our offensive line is our glaring problem. Ronnie has got the moves, he just needs some space. Bennie Anderson is a turnstile in pass protection. Being from upstate NY I pay close attention to the Bills because I despise them and I was sad to see the Bills let him go and for us to pick him up.
A running game would give our defense some much needed rest, and take the heat off Culpepper. I think Daunte will be fine, we have to remember that was his first game back at full speed. Once his footwork is back to normal, his completion %, QB rating, and Interceptions will be back to where we want them to be.
John Cardona, the problem is not Carey but indeed Bennie Anderson who is probably the third guy at that position. Remember Seth McKinney was the starter and Joe Toledo was working second team when both got hurt. Anderson was third team and moved up because of the injuries.
atl-Scott, I agree with you somewhat that the responsibility the Miami system places on the safeties may be too much for newer players. But Travares Tillman is not new. He was the starter in 10 games last year. He should know the calls.
Neerav, I don't see Charles Rogers signing unless something happens with some other receiver. There's not a lot of movement on Rogers around the NFL right now so something must be up with him.
Anonymous, I don't think Culpepper was over-hyped. The guy has played seven years and completed 64 percent of his passes over that span. He's in the same offense, more or less, here so everything points to him continuing to have success. And if you think it was all Randy Moss who made him successful, remember that he was on fire in 2004 when Moss was injured.
Dave, I totally agree with you on the play-calling. The Dolphins had months to prepare for this game and showed nothing out of the ordinary. I know they have it in the playbook. I know they practiced the stuff. It just wasn't called. Coaches will tell you the situation wasn't right for the call, but I believe sometimes you have to press the issue -- especially against a better team.
Anonymous, I've asked Jason Cole to come back as you requested. He said he would not because he was sick and tired of answering questions from anonymous readers.
First off, I want to say that I am appalled that soooo many people posting in this blog (and other fin's blogs) were so dissapointed in the Pittsburgh game. KeninSanDiego has it right. It was only 1 game and more importantly, the FIRST game of the year (against a great TEAM). I mean all you need to do is remember what the Fins (who were 4-12 2 years ago) did to the Broncos last year in the first game, and the Broncos didn't do too bad last year...
Overall, (aside from 2 mintues of shear insanity near the end of the game) I think the team looked good. People were overhyping this team WAAAAAYYYYY too much. But as a realist, I didn't necessarily expect Super Bowl yet (hope is a different story). There are definitely things that need to be worked on. Which leads me to my answer to ur question...
I think you nailed the order of the problems facing the team. The most glaring issue is the O-line. However, what pleased me is that we at least had decent pass blocking (decent being the operative word). But man did our run blocking SUCK!!!
Secondary is definitely the "secondary" issue right now (sorry, couldn't resist... guess thats why I'm not a writer). I think (maybe just hope) this problem will work itself out. However, what bothers me is that people are hating on Jason Allen. Give the man a break, he's new. And as a Gator, I can tell you that this guy is a BEAST! I hated him at UT, so I think he'll be just fine. Let's at least let him play a little before we call him a bust.
Now these are the only real issues I see with this team. However, the way you stated C (The lack of a proven running back...) is an issue, but that does not mean that Ronnie isn't going to be a badass for years to come. He will soon "prove" this and nobody will be worried about our this or reserve RB.
Lastly, Pep will be just fine. But I think what people need to understand is that it does not all start OR end with him. Once the O-line starts to gel and RB (Ronnie Brown - great initials for a running back) starts pounding on defenses 25 times a game, Pep will look like the QB that everyone thinks he is.
All-in-all, I was pleased at the way the fins performed and I still think this will be a great season for them.
Oh, if you want a question, I do have one of those too. If the Fins were so stacked at WR (as a previous herald article noted in the preseason), why are they trying out several recievers? Is it really a just-in-case or is there something we don't know about???
Armando 1 - Anonymous 0
Nice one amigo!!!
Armando- Has to be the offensive line play. 2 of the other options, RB and QB play, are basically the results of the poor line production. You think Ronnie or Daunte would have had poor performances behind a line like Denver's? Not a chance. Our O line is killing us.
I agree with most of the posters.
The o-line was bad against Blitzburgh. This caused Culpepper to have no time. I'm surprised he had 264 yards passing. Let's call the 2 interceptions - rust.
Culpepper seems to be back to at least the physical form he was last year. Hopefully he can shake off the rust.
Ronnie Brown IS a proven back. No holes to run through against an 8-man front.
********
The safeties seemed to play poorly. The corners played ok.
Houck seems to have slacked this offseason. We saw these o-line problems in the pre-season, and we see them now. (In fact the backup o-linemen looked NOTICEABLY better than the starters in the preseason) Hopefully he shapes them up this week.
Also, I would have liked to have seen 1 pass or even pass attempt to the fullback. Maybe barnes was too busy blocking undefended blitzers. Unclear.
I know it's not Tuesday, but I had to ask: All this talk about how complicated the Dolphins secondary system is, and how much they rely on communication, isn't there a way for an opposing offensive team to capitilize on that, ie, hurry up offense, change-ups at the last second, quick count?
Do you think Nick is a type of coach that can get the Dolphins to next level?
This is for Duante Culpeper,keep your head up.Its only the first two games i think miami fans tend to over react sometimes you have to understand that miami is football city but your going to turn it around i have a feeling.Stay up PEP
Post a Comment
<< Home