SB Nation User Blog: Mosul_DolFan

2009 Week 9 Game Balls

Mosul_DolFan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:07:37 -0000

I have mixed feelings about this game. Losing to a division rival always hurts. Especially when the Dolphins are within striking distance throughout the game. But, being that competitive gives me great hope that this team is coming around. Give them more time, and the Miami Dolphins really will be a team winning championships - just not this year.

But, this loss also makes it tough to give out game balls this week. The normal suspects did not have the types of games which we are accustomed to them having. No one seemed to dominate. Tough week for game balls. So, here we go:

1-yard Game Ball: Pat White. I'lll give this one yard to P'Dub, simply because he finally did something. The option was awesome, especially when you consider everyone says that the option doesn't work in the NFL. I would love to see a triple-option with Ricky, Ronnie, and P'Dub. Or, maybe an option with P'Dub and...God forbid...Ted Ginn, Jr. If Teddy could handle the pitch, it would let him get up to speed and start doing what he does best...run fast. Anyway, P'Dub had 6 rushes for 45-yards, but was 0 for 1 passing.

2-yard Game Ball: Joey Hanos. Joey Hanos caught another Wildcat touchdown pass from Ronnie Brown. Another Wildcat touchdown pass against the Patriots. He finished with 3 receptions for 29 yards, and the 1 touchdown. A decent day for Naygor, especially when you consider how little the Dolphins have been hitting their tight ends this year.

3-yard Game Ball: Vontae Davis. Yes, he got hurt and was out for part of the game. And, yes, he did not shut down Randy Moss. But, in a game where not a lot went right, VD gets this for his opening drive pick. He also tied for the team lead with 6 tackles.

4-yard Game Ball: Brandon Fields. Again, the punter gets love. Fields blasted the ball 5 times, for a 40.8 yard average. His longest was 51-yards and he had 4 of the 5 kicks finish inside the Patriots 20-yard line.

5-yard Game Ball: Dan Carpenter. It was that kind of day. The top two Game Balls went to the kickers. DC$ was the man again. He was 2 for 2 on extra points, but really, the impressive part of the game was his 52-yard blast to open the game's scoring.

Okay, I know, kinda weak on some of the Game Balls, but that's why the Fan Game Ball still exists. If I over looked someone, let me know.

And, for the downside:

Sack: Joey Porter and Jason Taylor. Really, this is more for Joey than JT, but did either one of them get mentioned outside of being mentioned for not being mentioned? Did they even play? They two had 2 tackles total, and both of those were Jason's. That's how little an impact our Pro Bowl sack artists had during the game. What makes this even more embarassing is how well Joey Porter riled up the Patriots before the game with his talk about Tom Brady having his own rules. Awesome job Porter. Porter must have been learning from Channing Crowderon how to open up your mouth, and then have little-to-no impact. I like Porter and Crowder, and I like that they aren't afraid to speak their mind, but both of them need to learn to back it up when they say something. So, for not getting a sack this is a big 5-yard sack, with Joey Porter eating most of the yardage (3 yards) and Jason gets 2-yards (hey, at least he shows up in the box score, right?).

Look for a yearly Game Balls update later this week, as the Dolphins are half way through their schedule now.

2009 Perspective VII

Mosul_DolFan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:25:41 -0000

As most of you know, I am currently serving in the U.S. Army. As some of you may know, I am stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. And, as I am sure all of you know by now, Fort Hood was the scene of a tragic mass murder on Thursday.

My unit was out in the field conducting some training when we received the phone call to get 100% accountability of all of our people and that Fort Hood was on lock down. Not really knowing what was going on, we complied with the accountability order and waited for details. Then, the details started trickling in.

When something like this happens, it shocks. When something like this happens, it touches everyone, as a human and as an American. Here we are, the greatest nation on Earth (if you are from a nation other than the U.S., I apologize for this seemingly arrogant statement, but in my opinion, it is 100% accurate), with the greatest military ever seen, and now we are reacting to one of our own slaying us. It's a difficult thing to understand and to grasp.

Most of you have probably heard the details by now. Fort Hood, which is the largest military post in the country, lost 13 Soldiers during the incident, with another 31 wounded. What a tragic day.

The alleged shooter, a psychologist working with soldiers here on the post, is currently in a coma after being shot. There is still no known motivation behind the shooting, but there is a lot of speculation out there. I won't speculate myself, and I won't jump to any conclusions, but we are still waiting for the real story behind why a commissioned officer (a Major if you understand the Army's rank structure), a doctor with an oath to do no harm, and a soldier sworn to defend the U.S. Constitution and to live the Army Values would do such a thing.

More importantly, though, are some of the stories just starting to emerge. Soldiers running into the chaos multiple times, trying to help the wounded and lead others to safety. Two soldiers, in the middle of their college graduation ceremony at the theater next door, ran - wearing their graduation gowns - into the shooting site and brought out more wounded. Meanwhile, other soldiers outside the building were loading up the wounded into their personal vehicles, fully loading them, which includes pickup truck beds, and speeding their way to the hospital.

It's amazing the reactions of soldiers in a time of crisis. Soldiers, who are preparing to leave for war or are home from war, suddenly were facing a situation no one could have seen coming. Unarmed and unprepared, they were suddenly under fire. What was their reaction? Help others. Suddenly, soldiers were helping soldiers. It became more important to help their buddies than it did to help themselves.

One female soldier carried a wounded soldier out of the building. She then turned and ran back in, bringing out another two wounded soldiers. As she was running back into the building, the EMS personnel finally stopped her. She was bleeding from her arm and leg, where she had been shot. She didn't care. She wanted to help others.

The mental, physical, and emotional toughness of the soldiers serving the United States is amazing. I am currently in command of over 125 of the finest people I will ever meet. Every day, I realize how lucky I am to be in this position. I have been given the responsibility to train, prepare, and lead soldiers in combat. I have seen firsthand the ability of Soldiers to react to a situation and do things I would not have thought possible.

I know this is a Miami Dolphins blog and we are all looking forward to the game this week against New England, but I ask you to please take a moment and remember our men and women in uniform. Say a prayer for the families of those we lost here Thursday and those who were wounded in the fire. Don't forget to think about the soldiers affected by losing friends and colleagues. Really, that's my perspective for this week.

In a time of war, we expect to lose soldiers. It's the price of war, and, while devastating every time we lose a single life, it's at least understandable.

When soldiers are at home, on a military installation, it's hard to rationalize the loss of 13 of our nation's finest.

May God Bless them, their Families, all of our soldiers, and America.

2009 Game Balls Week 8

Mosul_DolFan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:26:50 -0000

What a game! Like we all said after the Monday Night game, this rivalry may (finally) be back to the classics we all remember. After a 3-3 halftime score, a switch was flipped and suddenly there was more traffic in the endzone than trash talking quotes coming out of New Jersey.

What a game.

So, with today's second game balls post, here are Week 8's award winners.

1-yard Game Ball: Brandon Fields. Fields punted the ball seven times, averaging 51.7 yards per kick. I know he's merely a punter, and seven kicks says somethign about the offense's ineptness (especially in the first half), but he deserves something. His blasts, to include a 66-yarder, gave the Jets much poorer field position than they were expecting. And, when you look at the fact that Steven Weatherford, the Jets' punter, also had 7 kicks for only a 36.3 average and a long of 47-yards, Fields was pretty impressive.

2-yard Game Ball: Joey Haynos. NAYYYYYGGGGOOOOORRRRR! Haynos gets these two yards simply for being the only offensive player to score a touchdown this week. It was nice to see the big guy getting into the endzone.

3-yard Game Ball: Randy Starks. Starks seemed to be everywhere today. He finished the game tied for the team lead with seven tackles and one sack. Starks was huge today.

4-yard Game Ball: Jason Taylor. I really debated back and forth between putting JT at the 3-yard spot and Starks here, or the way I put them. I went with this order, simply because JT leads all defensive lineman since 1970 with nine touchdowns. Okay, technically he is a linebacker now, but still. His ninth touchdown. That's impressive. His touchdown this time came on a 48-yard fumble recovery when Shonn Green laid the ball on the turf thanks to a great play by Paul Soliai (who had six tackles and one pass defense of his own, by the way).

5-yard Game Ball: Is there any doubt here? The man who won this game for the Dolphins. The man who has been hated for so long. The man who was benched this week after dropping pass after pass this year. None other than Ted Ginn, Jr. He (and his family) finally got his first NFL kick-off return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Oh, and he wasn't done. After a 100-yard kickoff return for the touchdown, seven minutes later, he did it again, this time for 101-yards. With 299 return yards, Ginn amassed the second most return yards in a single game in NFL history (304 for the New Orleans Saints' Tyrone Highes in 1994). The Ginnja showed that nickname. Mach 19 definetly showed how he earned that nickname too. I think the biggest part oof this NFL record tying performance (two return TDs in a game) however, was the simple look of joy on Ginn's face, and on that of his teammates. Everyone looked ecstatic that Teddy did what he did, after all of the harship he has had over the last week. Great job, Teddy.

Sack: Okay, I am going to be nit-picky on this one. It's also only going to be a 1-yard sack. It goes to Chad Henne. It just seemed like every time he got blitzed, he would run backwards. I know the line couldn't pick up all the blitzers, but don't run backward. A couple of those, he could have still made the pass to a wide open check down, but he ran backwards instead. Like I said, nit-picky. Just don't run backwards.

Well, I am off tomorrow morning to spend another week conducting some training. Look for my Perspectives sometime near the end of the week.

If you missed the Week 7 Game Balls, click here.

2009 Game Balls Week 7

Mosul_DolFan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:20:52 -0000

Talk about a game that covering the entire range of emotions. One minute, everyone was on a euphoric high. By the end of the game, some people should have been placed on suicide watch. What a game.

Game balls for this week were tough. Do you give out a game ball for half a game?

So, with that in mind, here are this week's game balls.

1-yard Game Ball: Yeremiah Bell. Bells gets a ard here for his 1.5 sacks. He also led the team in tackles (again) with nine. Another slid performance from Bell. I would really like to see the dys when our LBs were leading the team in tackles instead of the safety, but that's not a reflection on Bell.

2-yard Game Ball: Lousaka Polite and Dan Carpenter. The first of two double Game Ball awards this week. Polite is truly a monster. The guys always seems to block the right guy, springing the R&R Express for large chunks of yardage. Plus, you know we are getting a first down on third-and-one, as long as we give it to the Lousaka Monster. Dan Carpenter gets two yards for a perfect kicking day, 2/2 on field goals and 4/4 on extra points. I don't think there is a more appropriate set of nicknames on this team than Lousaka Monster and DC$.

3-yard Game Ball: Jason Taylor and Nate Jones. The second of dual award winners this week, Jason Taylor played like the JT we all remember. Two sacks with two forced fumbles (although, I think they are only "officially" crediting him with once forced fumble), Taylor was once again finding a way into the backfield, while also totaling five tackles and one pass defense. The other three-yard ball goes to Nate Jones. Not for an outstanding game, but for an outstanding play. That interception where he stole the ball straight out of Marques Colston's hands. Jones finished the game with five tackles and three passes defensed along with the pick.

4-yard Game Ball: Brian Hartline. Hartline only had three catches in this game, but had 94-yards receiving. I know most of them came on the one 67-yard catch and run, but for Hartline to amass nearly 100 yards receiving, that deserves some recognition, especially for a guy listed as fourth on the depth chart.

5-yard Game Ball: Ricky Williams. Okay, once again, I have to give the most yards to my favorite player on the team. Argue it if you want, but Run Ricky Run ran for 80-yards on 9-carries and found the endzone 3 times. The 68-yard run was a thing of beauty. So, five more yards for Ricky.

Sack: I'm not going to do it. I refuse. There is no reason to pile on to the guy all of you expect to get this sack. Instead I am going to award it to the referees. I know, bad calls even themselves out, and that human error is part of the game, but neither one of those excuse the fumble into the endzone miss-call. No excuse for that. As was shown in the post by Matty and with the Sports Illustrated photo, the Line Judge was staring right at the play. Most of us saw it in the live action, and then confirmed it with all of the replays that we saw. That was a fumble. Ted Ginn, Jr., for all of his downfalls, made a great play to get back into the action and strip that ball out of Darren Sharper's hands. Would it have made a difference in the results of the game? I don't know, but it would have kept the momentum from being all New Orleans'. Great job refs. You stare right at the play, then get a chance to fix a bad call in replay, and blow that too. I will give you a three yards sack for that. Probably would have been more, but I think the Dolphins lost this game all across the board, not just because of this one call.

Fan Game Balls will be assessed shortly. I haven't had a chance to go back and see who got them yet. But, I will.

2009 Perspective VI

Mosul_DolFan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:52:58 -0000

Wow. What an exhausting week. Starting with the broken heart that was last week's game through 19 hour days while training in the field, I finally got home late last night, and have to do it all again (without the broken heart part) next week. Are we having fun yet?

Anyway, I've been thinking about this all week, after hearing Colin Cowherd from ESPN Radio, mention it on his show. He was discussing baseball and the way teams finished the season and into the playoffs. Basically, he lumped teams into three categories: Built to Win Today, Built to Win Tomorrow, Built to Never Win. As I thought about it, I though it could very easily be a perspective piece.

As such, I thought about each team in the league, and figured I would make my own determination of where each team stands. I'll save the Dolphins for last, as they are really the centerpiece, and the only one we really care about. I also added a fourth category. Instead of just "Teams Built to Win Tomorrow," I made it "Teams Built to Win Next Year" and "Teams Built to Win in a Few Years." I think there could be a big distinction between teams we are starting to see emerge into today's winners versus the teams that a plan is obvious underway, but there's no guarantee they are ready.

Teams Built to Win Today

Most of these teams should not be much of a surprise.

New Orleans Saints - This team can dominate just about every team and can win using their high power offense, or their underrated defense.

Indianapolis Colts- Has anyone else noticed how quietly the Colts seem to be winning this year? Maybe it's because they are there every year. Whatever the reason, the Peytons are still a dangerous team.

New York Giants - The other Manning Brother. The team may not be dominating, but still a team capable of making a run and grabbing another Lombardi trophy.

Pittsburgh Steelers - I'm never going to bet against Big Ben. Simple put, the guy figures out how to win.

Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles are another team that is quietly winning. After the firestorm of the Michael Vick signing, the Eagles have continued to ride Donovan McNabb (and Kevin Kolb) to wins. If they get hot, they could be visiting Miami at the end of the season.

Arizona Cardinals - The Cards are having a difficult start to the season, but still lead their division and are still the team that wet to the Super Bowl last year. If they can shake the Super Bowl loser curse (and the Madden Curse for Fitzgerald), the Cards could return to the Big One, looking to walk away with the trophy this year.

New England Patriots - Although they seem to be on the decline, they still have the talent to win. I don't think they will be in the "Team Built to Win Today" category in a couple of years, but right now, they are.

Minnesota Vikings- A team that doesn't seem to fit in any category. The Brett Favre signing shows they want to win now, but I don't think they are ready. I think they are the borderline between this category and the win next year category. Once Favre is gone, this team will immediately take a step back.

Teams that are Built to Win Next Year:

These teams may not be Super Bowl Champs next year, but look for them to threaten to get there.

Green Bay Packers- This team is another borderline team. I think a hold back they have right now is Aaron Rogers' inexperience. With another year under his belt and, some improvements on defense, this team should be the class of the NFC North and ready to make a run at the best in the NFC.

Baltimore Ravens - The Defense is still strong, but getting older. The offense, especially Joe Flacco, are promising. They aren't ready to make a run this year, but another year and they could be.

Denver Broncos - This team isn't as good as their records shows thus far, but they are close. Look for them to be a serious contender in a year or so.

Dallas Cowboys - This is really the first of the teams that confuse me. They should be a team built to win next year, but there are enough issues that they could also take a step back. I'll leave them here, because they have the talent to put it all together, but don't be surprised if it all falls apart.

Atlanta Falcons- A team very similar to the Ravens and Packers. Good team, and if Matt Ryan gets more experience, they will move up, and fast. Hopefully it's in time for Tony Gonzalez to ride it out.

San Francisco 49ers- I'm sorry, Mike SIngletary scares me. Even if he is just on the sideline, he scares me. This is a solid team. If they lock down the QB position and get some more experience, they will be outstanding.

Cincinnati Bengals - See the Dallas Cowboys.

New York Jets - As much as I hate this team, and it pains me to say it, this team could be poised to become a powerhouse AFC team. Mark Sanchez has shown that he has some great skill. More experience and they will be ready.

Houston Texans- I like the Texans. I think they could be very good. But, they are way too inconsistent. One year, they look like they could dominate, the next year, they are struggling to win. They are going to move out of this category, but I just can't tell you which way.

San Diego Chargers - Maybe it's age. Maybe it's something else. This team has talent, but can't seem to get it together. If they manage to figure it out, they'll once again be a deep playoff team.

Teams Built to Win in a Few Years

Seattle Seahawks - Another team that confuses me. Sometimes they look like they are great. Sometimes they look like a basement team. They will get better, I think, but I don't see them as a Super Bowl contender anymore.

Chicago Bears- There is a lot of good things about this team. Maybe if Urlacher were still playing this year, they would be in the "Next Year" category, but maybe not. They are close to piecing it all together. We'll see how it goes, especially as they get used to Jay Cutler behind center - and the gunslinger, interception-prone, Favre mentality he has.

Jacksonville Jaguars - A team that seems to have a plan, and at times looks like they have it figured out, but then they throw it all away and lose anyway. A couple of years from now, they could very easily be back and completing in the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills- Maybe they aren't a great team, but they aren't a horrible team either. The TO experiment seems to have made no impact, but I don't think it has really set them back at all either.

Tennessee Titans - This team is a mess, but really isn't all that bad either. They have yet to win a game, and they still don't know what Vince Young really is to them, but they have talent. Jeff Fisher will get them back in shape, even if he is wearing a Colts jersey.

Carolina Panthers - A team in disarray. Give them a few years, and they will probably be back as a threat in the NFC.

Kansas City Chiefs- The Chiefs have just started a new regime, and have the quarterback they wanted. They have potential to start putting the pieces together.

Teams Built to Never Win:

Cleveland Browns - Maybe the Man-genius isn't as smart as we all thought. Maybe he has to figure out how to get rid of expensive and ineffective players before he can fix the Browns, but either way, this team is just bad. Plain old bad.

Detroit Lions - I was very tempted to put them in the "Next Few Years" category, but they have only one once in a season and a half. Give them some time, and they may move up.

Washington Redskins - The team is a mess. The front office is a mess. The uncapped year next year maybe the only thing that can fix the Redskins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I don't really know why this team is this bad. They have some talent and could be a few years away from winning again, but right now, they can't seem to get out of their own way.

Oakland Raiders - Al Davis.

St. Louis Rams - Time to gut it and start over.

YOUR MIAMI DOLPHINS:

Okay, why you have read this far. The Miami Dolphins.

This is a very young team. They have an average age of about 26 right now. They have rookies all over the place (and now at both starting CB spots). They are young.

But they are talented.

I can very easily see this team, with some upgrades in the secondary and at wide receiver, being very good next year. Deep run in the playoffs good.

I'll put the 'Phins in the "Teams Built to Win Next Year" category.

Sorry that this was so late. And I know that I still owe you all the gameballs for last week. Look for those tonight or tomorrow before the game. Hope you enjoyed this. It's different than my normal Perspectives writeup, but it was kind of fun to do.

2009 Perspective V

Mosul_DolFan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:58:53 -0000

Here it is Thursday, and I still cannot believe what happened last Monday. That game was amazing. That game almost makes up for the 2000 Monday Night Football game against...well, the Jets. You guys know what game that is. I know you do. It was 30-7 with 0:12 remaining in the third quarter when Jay Fiedler, making his hometown Meadowlands debut, told Jason Taylor on the sidelines, "It's over." Oh, by the way, Jason Taylor was miked for the game and that comment would go down in infamy (similar to "What can happen in :08?" but a little worse).

Then the fun started. By the end of the 4th quarter, the Jets had somehow rallied to tie the game at 37-37, and then went on to pick off Fiedler in overtime and kick the game-winning field goal.

The game was voted the best MNF Game of all time back in 2002 during the celebration of the 500th MNF broadcast.

Chad Henne, somehow in 2009, that game hurts a little less.

Thank you!

What a game. As Natalya put it in the game thread, some people around here have to eat some crow. Go ahead, if you're one of them, stand up and admit it. I did. I have to eat crow...a lot of it.

I didn't think Chad Henne was ready.

I'm not too proud to admit it when I was wrong.

I'm not going to crown him as the next...well, you know who. I'm not even going to admit that he is (finally) our answer at the QB position. But, I'm pretty close to it.

So, let me formally apologize to you, Mr. Henne, for my doubts. Let me say, Mr. Henne, you are 100% ready to be a QB in this league. You are officially a proud member of the good, young QBs ready to become stars in this league.

I will say, one thing I noticed about Henne's play, which he may have done at Michigan, but I wasn't watching Michigan games, is how much he seems to have learned from Chad Pennington. Henne seems to have Pennington's ability to check down and make the smart throw. He gets whatever the defense is giving him. He doesn't force the ball, which I would expect from a QB his age. He is smart enough to scan the defense, not lock into one receiver and deliver the right pass.

But, maybe I am just still giddy from the game.

Then, there's the difference from Chad Pennington. Namely, the Howitzer the is Chad Henne's right arm. Seriously, I thought my Paladins had power (for those of you into World of Warcraft...not that kind of Paladin). That throw on 3rd down to Anthony Fasano was amazing. I think, as we all joked before Henne took over this team, Chad Henne really can throw a ball through the defense...and by defense, I mean defenders. Recently, there was a story about a player (I think it was Carson Palmer), stating that the NFL game is so violent, he wouldn't be surprised if there was a death on the field. With Chad Henne's rockets, the death might not be from a violent collision.

The other thing I noticed about Chad Henne was his simple pocket presence. The guy seems unshakeable. He stand there, tall and steady, ready to hit his receiver as soon as the defense allows it. He steps up in the pockets and delivers a strike, again much like you know who.

So, as I finish this ugly black bird, Chad Henne, I'm a believer. And, this team has even greater potential now than I would have believed possible.

Targets of Opportunity

- Wildcat perspective. Okay, I will admit I heard this on ESPN radio today, but it's a great point (I think it was on Mike and Mike In the Morning, but could have been Colin Cowherd). While everyone looks at the downfall of the Wildcat is the lack of a true QB back taking the snap, so therefore there is no true passing threat, what about the other way? Chad Henne is not a running threat, so the defense can pin its ears back and get after him, knowing he will most likely be in the pocket. With Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, or even Pat White taking the snap, suddenly, the defense has to respect the run, and does not know where the ball is going to go. Even if it causes a split second delay, there's even more advantage for the offense.

- Dolphins are doing a blood drive. I would ask each of you that can, please consider donating. It's always important and you never know whose life you can save. Here's the PSA about the event.

- I admit it. I'm a NASCAR fan. You can't go to school in Melbourne, 30 minutes souh of Daytona, without some exposure to the sport. My obession with sports made me a fan of it. So, congratulations to Bill France, Sr., Bill France, Jr., Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, and the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. for being the first ever inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. If only you had a mountain for your first inductees (See Mt. Phinsider in the Matty Awards section).

- Rush Linbaugh is out as a possible owner for the Rams. Whatever you political or personal views are, I think it was the right decision for the NFL. Limbaugh has a daily radio show. Whatever he says will be a distraction for his team. Can you imagine if he comes out against the President, and then in the locker room, all of the players have to answer questions about their owners views on politics?

- Congratulations to the Medics for the birth of their son. I'm sure they are still high on the moment, but unfortunately, your son will forever have the same birthday as RZ. Poor kid.

- Goodbye Patrick Cobbs. We're going to miss you. Hope you can come back from your knee injury like Ronnie's come back from his. Here's a great story about how the Dolphins feel about WildCobbs.

- As much as the NFL and especially the commentators seem to forget that Mark Sanchez was not the only hispanic on the field last Monday, Greg Camarillo found the silver lining. The President of the United States knows his name.

- Finally Matt Roth is going to practice. Or is he? This week? Next week? Three weeks? Ever? Also, did anyone else realize that Phillies star Jimmy Rollins and Ricky Williams were teammates in the Phillies' minor league system? Check it out.

- BOOOOOO! Bye Week :(

Miami Dolphins Game Balls: Week 5

Mosul_DolFan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:20:57 -0000

Wow!

That pretty much sums up how I feel right now.

Wow!

What a game!

I don't even know where to start on these Game Balls. I'm still shocked by the game.

Ronnie in the Wildcat. Ricky running like a mad-man. Crowder stuffing the run. Henne showing he is ready to play. Pat White wondering onto the field during the game winning drive. Ted Ginn remembering that a wide receiver should CATCH the ball. Lousaka being decidedly un-polite as a lead blocker. Fasano showing us why he was our leading receiver last year - at least TD wise. Bess being Bess. Seriously, what else can I say?

Oh yeah.I HATE THE JETS!

On to the Game Balls:

1-yard Game Ball: Lousaka Polite. The Lousaka Monster only had 2 carries for 4-yards, but he did way more than that. Was it just me, or did it seem like he was out there crushing Bart Scott on every play? I mean, Polite destroyed some people in this game. Honorable mention: Brandon Fields.

2-yard Game Ball: Channing Crowder and Ted Ginn, Jr. Okay I have to give multiple game balls this week, as there are not enough Balls to go around. For Crowder, he only had 4 tackles (3 solo), with one tackle for loss, but Crowder was the man in this game. He stuffed the Jets' rushing attack. While all of us usually give him grief for not making the big play, I think he needs some love when he plays extremely well. Teddy had two catches for for 57 yards and a touchdown. But, we all know he's not getting this game ball for a great overall day. He's getting this ball for one play. That 53 yard touchdown reception from Henne was gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

3-yard Game Ball: Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. I really wanted to separate them and give them more yards this week, but the top two positions are already claimed in my mind. Ricky Williams is simply a beast. He finished with 11 carries for 68 yards (that's a 6.2 yard per carry average!!!!!) along with a measley 3 receptions for 70 yards, including his 59-yard reception. Ronnie again led the team in rushing, with 21 carries for 74 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner with 0:06 remaining. He also had 3 catches for 14 yards. Oh yeah, and he was 1 for 2 for 21 yards PASSING! That works out to an 87.5 QB rating...the exact same rating with which Mark Sanchez finished the game. Oh, I think Roonie just ran for another 8 yards...must have been another Wildcat play...

4-yard Game Ball: Tony Sparano and Dan Henning. Not a player, and not someone I would normally give a Game Ball too, but these two deserve it this week. They took the number 3 defense in the league and called a game that had the Dolphins run the ball straight down that defense's throat. The Jets didn't know what to do. The Jets couldn't stop the "gimmicky" Wildcat. These two deserve Balls for their...well...balls. Who else would run Pat White out onto the field in the last drive as you go for the win? We ran 16 Wildcat plays! Wow! What a game!

5-yard Game Ball: Who else? Chad Henne. The guy was amazing. He was unshakeable. He took what the Jets' vaunted defense threw out him, and took it right back to them. He finished the game 20 for 26 for 241 yards (9.3 YPA) and 2 touchdowns. The pass to Ginnm, as previosuly mention, was simply beautiful. Henne finished the game with a 130.4 QB rating. A great game for a young QB making only his second start in the league!

Sack: I have two sacks to give out this week, just like all the multiple game balls. Neither one of them really will accumulate the negative points, but they still get the infamy of a sack this week. First, the referees. Okay, the Dolphins only got 2 more penalties than the Jets, but didn't it seem like the yellow hanky only came out when it was the most inopportune time? And that Will Allen pass interference call was completely bull. Really. For you refs, -5 yards. The other sack goes to the Special Teams. Specifically to the punt coverage team, for the two fake punts. I will award you all -4 points, because it was bad...but not as infuriating as the refs.

No Fan Game Ball right now, as I don't think enough people saw the Week 1-3 Game Balls post. Click here to see it. Remember to nominate someone for the Fan Game Ball in that thread for all three weeks, and for someone in this thread!

Keep it up Dolphins! Enjoy the bye week, and come back ready to keep on winning!

Mt. Phinsider Birthday

Mosul_DolFan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:52:44 -0000

With tonight's big MNF matchup, we at the Phinsider should take a moment to wish a Happy Birthday to one of our own. He is a proud member of Mt. Phinsider as one of the first four members of the Phinsider Hall of Fame. He won two of the inagural Matty Awards, The Garo Yepremian Funny Like a Clown Award and The Ricky Williams Picture Perfect Award in 2009.

He holds the most popular, non-Matty authored, Fanpost in Phinsider history with his epic "Joe Namath - The most overated player in NFL history."

He’s one of the most prolific members of the Phinsider community, with 257 Fanposts/Fanshots and 19,868 comments thus far. And all of that is in just 17 months of membership.

Weekly you can see his work here on the Phinsider, as we all dive into his mind with his "ITM" series.

He feeds the Carpet Monster each week before the start of a Dolphins game. He sleeps naked the night before a Phins game.

And, he is heading to Land Shark Stadium tonight for the game.

Who is he?

Of course...it's Rzayo24!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2009 Game Balls - Weeks 1-3

Mosul_DolFan — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:34:45 -0000

Well, it's Sunday, and Miami isn't playing. This is the first of two straight weeks in which that statement will be true. Luckily, this week, the Dolphins grace us with their presence on Monday Night Football, shining in glorious ugly Orange. So, to get us through this Sunday and on to Monday, I bring you the makeup Game Balls.

Weeks 1, 2, and 3 of the 2009 NFL Season were pretty ugly for us as Dolphins fans. The team lost in every way imaginable. The offense couldn't move the ball in Week 1, in Week 2 the offense dominated the Colts, only to see Peyton Manning be Peyton Manning.. Week 3, saw Miami stay close to the San Diego Chargers for the first two-and-a-half quarters or so, only to have to replace starting QB Chad Pennington for the season and seeing the offense stall as it tried to adjust to second year player Chad Henne.

Frustrating.

Well, Game Balls still need to be given out.

So, here are the missing Game Balls for each of those weeks.

Week 1:

1-yard Game Ball: Ricky Williams. Ricky had 7 carries for 39 yards, giving him a 5.6 yard per carry average. He also had 2 receptions for 19 yards, and the Dolphins' only score, Not great stats, but a 5.6 yard per carry average and being the only Phin to find the endzone earned him this yard.

2-yard Game Ball: Gibril Wilson. Simply due to his having 7 solo tackles (9 total). Seriously, it was hard this week to come up with some of these Game Balls.

3-yard Game Ball: Yeremiah Bell. He gets one more yard than Wilson due to his having one more solo tackle (8 solo tackles, 8 total). It really was a bad week when tackles are getting guys 2 and 3 yards.

4-yard Game Ball: Davone Bess. He only finished with 57 yards, but it seemed like every time you turned around, Bess was open and hauling in the ball. He was thrown to 7 times, catching all 7, with an average of 8.1 yards per catch.

5-yard Game Ball: Phillip Merling. Someone had to get 5 yards this week. Merling had 5 tackles, all solo, with 2 tackles for loss, including 1 sack. So, he'll get this week's 5-yard Game Ball.

Sack: 5-yarder to Anthony Fasano. Fasano had 2 catches for 10 yards...and then immediately fumbled both catches for turnovers. In an ugly game, Fasano stood out above everyone else. So, this debacle, Fasano gets the big negative five this week.

Week 2:

1-yard Game Ball: For leading the team in tackles during a week in which the defense didn't show up at all, Yeremiah Bell will get this week's one yard Game Ball. Now, just for a frame of reference, Bell's leading tackle total was five. Five whole tackles.

2-yard Game Ball: This week's two yard Game Ball holder's tackle total was actually lower than the 1-yard winner's. Why? Because Lex Hilliard recorded three tackles on Special Teams, to be the team's second highest tackler. When a Special Teamer has the second highest tackle total, that really tells you how inept the defense wwas this week.

3-yard Game Ball: Ted Ginn, Jr. had the game all of us are dying for him to have. He had 11 receptions for 108 yards, averaging 9.8 yards per catch. Teddy finally looked like the WR we need, and hopefully he will build on this performance.

4-yard Game Ball: Ronnie Brown will pick up the 4-yard Game Ball this week. This was close between him and Ted Ginn, Jr. for the 3- or 4- yard Ball, but Ronnie gets the nod here on the time of possesion advantage. Ronnie finished the game with 24 carries for 136 yards (a 5.7 yard per carry average), with 2 touchdowns.

5-yard Game Ball: The entire offensive line gets this week's 5-yard Game Ball. The line dominated the Colts all day, resulting in 45 minutes of time of possesion for the Dolphins. This Game Ball will be applied to all members of the O-line, 5 points each - Jake Long, Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, Donald Thomas, Vernon Carey, Joe Berger, and Nate Garner (Andrew Gardner and Shawn Murphy - sorry guys, you were'nt active for the game).

Sack: This week's sack goes to the Defense. I don't even know how to spread this sack amongst the players. The defense had a total of 28 tackles in this game. 28! When you subtract the 5 that Bell had, and the 3 from Hilliard, the rest of the defense made 20 tackles. 20 tackles amongst 10 starters averages to 2 tackles per starter. Then you add in the reserve guys rotating into the game and you end up with a pretty unimpressive, anemic tackle average. Plus, when you take into account the 0:12 80-yard touchdown drive (1 play), the 4:07 48-yard field goal drive (9 plays), the 0:43 44-yard field goal drive at the half, a 3:17 79-yard drive (10 plays), and a 0:32 80-yard game inning touchdown drive (4 plays), the defense may as well have not even gone to Land Shark Stadium this week. So, every member of the defense will now be awarded -5 yards for this turd sandwich. (Kendall Langford, Phillip Merling, Jason Fergusson, Paul Soliai, Randy Starks, Tony McDaniel, Jason Taylor, Quentin Moses, Channing Crowder, Reggie Torbor, Akin Ayodele, Joey Porter, Charlie Anderson, Erik Walden, Will Allen, Vontae Davis, Jason Allen, Sean Smith, Nathan Jones, Yeremiah Bell, Gibril Wilson, and Tyron Culver. (Inactive defense that luckily coundn't be part of this mess: Loinel Dotson, Chris Clemons, and Cameron Wake)

Week 3:

1-yard Game Ball: Akin Ayodele receives one yard this week, for his 6-tackle, and 1 QB hit performance. Not extremely sexy, but he was effective.

2-yard Game Ball: Will Allen will pick up two-yards this week for a 7-tackle performance. Similar to Ayodele, it wasn't sexy, but 7 tackles was a huge improvement over the previous week's exhibition.

3-yard Game Ball: The 3-, 4-, and 5-yard Game Balls were all pretty close, and I'm not really sure any of these performances are deserving of 5 points, but this is the order I chose. The 3-yard Game Ball goes to Ronnie Brown. He had 18 carries, for 75 yards (a 4.2 yard per carry average) and 3 receptions for 40 yards. Another solid day, and more Game Ball yards for the center of gravity of this offense.

4-yard Game Ball: Davone Bess gets this week's 4-yard gain. He had 7-receptions, for 54-yards, as well as 1-rush for 11-yards. Somehow, the team's "Number 3" WR seems to be the most important member of the receiving corps.

5-yard Game Ball: Call it favortism, or whatever you would like, but once again, Ricky Williams is once again picking up Game Ball yards. He only had 8 carries this week, but stretched them for 55-yards, a 6.9 yard per carry average. Almost 7 yards a carry is a huge stat. Plus he had 4-receptions for 29 yards. Really, what pushed him into the 5-yard position was his garabage time 14-yard touchdown run. I'll give the bonus to someone who finds paydirt every time, even if it is a worthless score at the end of the game.

Sack: I really had two players I considered for this week's sack. The first was Chad Henne. I know it was his first real chance to play and that he wasn't exactly prepared to go into the game, but 10 for 19, 92-yards (4.8 yards per attempt average), with a pick. He ended up with a QB rating of 44.2. Come on...I don't know what a QB rating really is, but I know 44.2 isn't good. But, I couldn't bring myself to give negative points to the kid in his first game. Especially with the support he got from our Sack Award winner this week. Ted Ginn, Jr. followed up last week's 11 catch performance with a solid 0 catches on 6 targets. Great job Teddy. Mr. Ginn, what you've just done is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever seen. At no point in your dropping, stone-hand route running were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational performance. Everyone in this organization is now dumber for having watched it. I award you negative five points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

One last item to complete. After Week 4's Game Balls post, there was a lot of debate about some of the points awarded. I thought about it, and I think we will introduce a new Game Ball each week. It will be the Fan Game Ball. This game ball will be awarded to one member of the team who the comments in the Weekly Game Balls Post seem to support awarding a point to. It will be a 1-yard Game Ball, and can be given to anyone, even if they already received a Game Ball.

So, with that in mind, the Fan Game Ball for Week 4 will go to Vontae Davis. Congratulations VD!

Remember to nominate Fan Game Ball winners for all three Weeks in this post.

BTW, here's the NFL's QB Rating Formula:

a = (((Comp/Att) * 100) -30) / 20
b = ((TDs/Att) * 100) / 5
c = (9.5 - ((Int/Att) * 100)) / 4
d = ((Yards/Att) - 3) / 4

a, b, c and d can not be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
QB Rating = (a + b + c + d) / .06

Does this make sense to anyone?

Awww...Rexy feels bad

Mosul_DolFan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:36:20 -0000

Awww...Rexy feels bad

He has regrets....